July 8, 2012
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Pride Parade (Toronto)
I went to Pride Parade last Sunday for the first time on a whim. The following Monday was a holiday and I was able to put off my chores and work stuff for another day.
The Pride Parade always seemed to be delivering a mixed message to me. On one hand, it’s the celebration & assertion of gay rights; the recognition of the struggle for freedom and equality and also of the contributions and breadth of the LGBT community. One the other hand there’s the overt, in your face, sexually charged aspect that attracts most of the attention. In the past few years, there’s also been a heavier corporate hand making it feel more commercial.This year’s Pride Parade seemed less corporate. There were corporate signs but it wasn’t overpowering. There was some nudity (none in the pictures here) and the usual scantily dressed men and women. There were quite a few eye candies. I saw church groups, the military, the first respondents, groups different cultures and school groups. I left early as I had to meet up with my dad & sis for our weekly dinner. I know I missed the guys in leather (but I’m not into leather). The one group that really puzzled me was a handful of folks walking with signs proudly announcing they were asexual. It was tame for the most part and I liked seeing the broad spectrum of the community and its supporters. I don’t think the debate about whether or not pride is good for the cause and representative of our community will ever be settled. But it was good for me to see the LGBT community.
Here are some of the pictures I took.
The co-Grand Marshals of the parade, the Provincial Education Minister Laurel Broten (on the left) and Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) Cheri DiNovo).
Toronto Gay Gamers – I read that this is the first time they are in the parade.
These guys looked good together.
From our military (the Navy), they were playing Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline when they marched past me. They had the crowd singing along.
Someone from the Navy with a nice smile.
I don’t know if he was winking intentionally when he saluted.
He wasn’t smiling. But then again, it must have been a long walk for him. He just had this determined look in his face.
I didn’t see what group they belonged to.
Rev. Brent Hawkes who has been active in the gay community for a long time.
More of the parade participants:
Comedian Rick Mercer and Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager Brian Burke. This is the 3rd year Mr. Burke has marched in the parade in memory of his son.
I like the flag on his cheek.
One of the guys from MTV Canada’s 1 Girl 5 Gays (I think he is one of the high school students that was in a special edition of that show)
I liked their sign. (Free Hugs from a PFLAG Mom / Dad)
Despite the crowd, the heat, getting sprayed on and getting bumped all the time, I probably would go back again.
Comments (33)
Very colorful and exciting Matt. Hope the dinner with father and sister was very good.
Ooh those are very nice photos!
@ZSA_MD - the dinner was good, it’s our weekly routine. Sometimes my sister can’t make it because she has chores / errands to do. But I try to go every Sunday.
@CurryPuffy - thanks Gary.
Gotta say, there is some nice eye candy there haha
@sturslug - yeah… looking at all of them makes me want to go to the gym even more.
Nice photos. What lens were you using? On a side note: So many Asians or you just focused your attention/cam to them haha
@oxyGENE_08 - I was using a Canon EFS 17 to 55 f 2.8. I was only focusing on Asians – hahaha.
I have the same mixed sentiments as you about the parades. But it is indeed time to celebrate. Nice photos!
I went home to California and MISSED pride here in NYC! So I have never been to one before
Sounds fun and yes, plenty of eye candy lol… nice pictures!
@ElusiveWords - I figured. LOL But mmm that’s a nice lens. I don’t have any zoom lens anymore.
Interesting to see military participation
My nephew is gay and in Miami Beach there is a very large gay community. They hold a Gay Pride Parade every year and he goes to check things out. Last time he went I had a talk with him a he told me how upset he gets when in the Gay Pride Parades some get dressed in drag or are partially nude while others are doing sexual explicit dances. He says that these extremes take away the seriousness of what it means to be gay and those who are homophobic use that kind of negativisms and exploit it against the gay community. He is working with the gay organizers of these pride parades to change it in appearance.
i missed the parade this year, but i do like to see all the different groups that come out. actually if you remember michael (he changed his user name a few times on here), he was apparently playing in one of the marching band groups in both the dc and baltimore pride parades!
I landed in Toronto late Sunday, but I saw it on the news.
And heard the fireworks for Canada Day.But what’s with the heat up there?It was warmer in Toronto than in L.A.
@Fatcat723 - thank you, at first I thought I would be disappointed but I left feeling more positive than I
@Senlin - I hope you’ll be able to go next year. NYC’s is probably one of the biggest.
@oxyGENE_08 - I just got it after lusting after it for a couple of years. I’m am hoping to get a 50 mm f 1.4 soon, it’ll be my first prime lens.
@npr32486 - I found out the military first marched in the parade back in 2008.
@catstemplar2 - that’s why a lot of gays want to see it toned down. But it’s a very diverse community and everyone wants to feel part of it and express themselves.
@kunhuo42 - yes, I remember Michael very well. He wore a t shirt with “bear bait” or something like that at the parade.
Nice collection of pictures. I haven’t been to Pride in many years (longer than I’ve been in Bangkok, I guess) but my impression is that it shows and increasingly diverse range of the community in all definitions. To me, the GLBT parents stir the greatest pride of all the participants, but that’s just me.
@Senlin - So you missed it in SF, too?
Bravo, Matt! Great pictures. I’m also proud of you for taking these pictures. You seem to have gone a step up and taken more shots of people than you used to.
Yes, there was eye candy in one of the pictures there
He was being hugged.
And, yeah, some were scantly dressed – I could see the shape of one guy’s balls underneath his green underwear.
I don’t know why exactly, but you do understand that we do love you, right? Pictures, or not pictures, your community loves you for your mysterious allure and persona. I love you, too, Mister Matt, no matter what happens.
This was a very Asian centric parade. Hmmmm
@ccrider17 - oh the heat was awful but things have cooled down since.
@christao408 - it does for me too. My dad unfortunately is way too conservative for this stuff.
@stepaside_loser - thank you for the sweet words. The parade pictures was easy since this was a parade and they expect to be photographed. Btw – those 2 guys hugging each other shared a kiss later on. What I like to try some day is street photography and street portraiture. The first type are just candid shots of people in public places. In theory, I should not interact with the subjects. The second type is me asking them to pose for a photo (because they look interesting). It may sound easy but I haven’t muster the courage to do this yet.
@secade - aww Colin…. thank you, I wasn’t expecting this and appreciate it very much.
@beowulf222 - hee hee… selective editing which reflected my cultural biases.
Great shots! I’ve never been to be pride parade before, but it seems like it was a lot of fun!
i don’t think the navy guy was winking either. it must’ve been the glare of the sun what he tried to protect his eye from (trying to think using my head here, instead of err….. well, you know).
haha i aww-ed at the picture of the officer and his partner :p
i didn’t get to go this year, but it definitely looked like a ton of fun !
I’ve nver really been to a pride before. Somehow, I think I’m scared.
Don’t you love to see and hear the different bands at a parade? I do! I get all misty eyed.
Lots of great photos you took! Definitely lots of eye candies!~
Too bad I missed it as I was in New York City that weekend.
As well, I wouldn’t know what excuse I would have told my mom if I were actually to go to the parade.
I hope I can go next year though~
Nice pics. I missed the parade this year but glad you got to go.
@bengozen - it was a lot better than I had expected and it was fun to watch too.
@rudyhou - in my mind, he was winking at me. hahaha….
@life365days - yeah, they looked very good together. I was fortunate to be standing near a woman who kept asking the parade participants to come by so she could take pictures.
@secade - why would you be scared?
@ZSA_MD - believe it or not, this was the only real band that I saw. There were some drummers but most floats just played pre recorded music.
@tomatoboi - I guess you can sneak out and tell her you’re going to some place else?
@brooklyn2028 - Sheldon! Wah … long time no see. How have you been doing?
@ElusiveWords - Hehe, I’m doing well. Just because I haven’t commented, doesn’t mean I’m not keeping up with all the happenings on Xanga.
I know, I should update soon. I can already hear you chiding me!
@brooklyn2028 - I know you’re busy. I am having a tough time making regular updates too. I pretty well work into the night a lot lately. On an unrelated note, I always get a bit nervous when I walk into Loblaws & T&T. I do not have my elevator speech prepared.
Love that flag on the face!
@ElusiveWords - I honestly don’t know. I’m quite shy, and though I feel like I’m very comfortable with my homosexuality, I guess I still get nervous discussing or displaying anything sexual (or even remotely sex-related) in public. I have a recurring nightmare of me bringing a boyfriend to meet my family and my mother asking “So which one of you takes it?”