Latest news with #2SLGBTQ+
CTV News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
‘All in for love': Tens of thousands march in Toronto Pride Parade
People march in the Toronto Pride Parade on Sunday, June 29, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey The colours of the rainbow were all over downtown Toronto on Sunday as tens of thousands of people marched in the annual Pride Parade. Crowds lined up along Yonge Street to watch the parade, which started at 2 p.m. at the corner of Park Road and Rosedale Valley Road. Over 25,000 people and 250 community groups were expected to participate. Pride Toronto 2025 A view of the 2025 Toronto Pride Parade from Chopper 24. The street was filled with music, dancing, cheers of 'Happy Pride!' and flags representing the 2SLGBTQ+ community. Revellers decked out in colourful outfits also held up signs with messages of pride and love. Some spectators were from other countries, including the U.S., Germany and Brazil. The Toronto Pride Parade, considered the largest in North America, is the culmination of Pride Month festivities. The theme of the 44th edition of the parade is 'All In.' Toronto Pride Parade 2025 People march in the Toronto Pride Parade on Sunday, June 29, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey 'We are the largest, we are the best, we are the greatest. It is the safest place to be for Pride, and no one is going to take that away from us,' Kojo Modeste, the executive director of Pride Toronto, told CP24. 'We're all in. We're standing up and saying queer rights are human rights. And this is what Toronto is about. This is what this Pride Parade is all about.' Among the marchers was Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, who said seeing the turnout made her proud to be the city's mayor. 'This city is phenomenal,' Chow told CP24 on the parade route. 'We're all in for love and justice. All in to say that you have the freedom to love who you want and the freedom to be who you are.' Expand Autoplay 1 of 15 Toronto Pride Parade 2025 People march in the Toronto Pride Parade on Sunday, June 29, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey Toronto Pride Parade 2025 People march in the Toronto Pride Parade on Sunday, June 29, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey Toronto Pride parade 2025 A view of the 2025 Toronto Pride Parade from Chopper 24 on Sunday, June 29, 2025. Toronto Pride Parade 2025 Mayor of Toronto Olivia Chow greets people during the Toronto Pride Parade on Sunday, June 29, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey Toronto Pride Parade 2025 People march in the Toronto Pride Parade on Sunday, June 29, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey Toronto Pride Parade 2025 People watch the Toronto Pride Parade on Sunday, June 29, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey Toronto Pride Parade 2025 People march in the Toronto Pride Parade on Sunday, June 29, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey Toronto Pride Parade 2025 People march in the Toronto Pride Parade on Sunday, June 29, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey Toronto Pride Parade 2025 People march in the Toronto Pride Parade on Sunday, June 29, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey Toronto Pride Parade 2025 Thousands line up Yonge Street to watch the Toronto Pride Parade on Sunday, June 29, 2025. (Chopper 24) Toronto Pride Parade 2025 People march in the Toronto Pride Parade on Sunday, June 29, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey Toronto Pride Parade 2025 People march in the Toronto Pride Parade on Sunday, June 29, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey Toronto Pride Parade 2025 People march in the Toronto Pride Parade on Sunday, June 29, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey Toronto Pride 2025 Marchers hold the flags of the 2SLBGTQ+ community during the Pride Parade on Sunday, June 29, 2025. (Chopper 24) Toronto Pride Parade 2025 People watch as pro-Palestinian protesters chant and hold a banner as they slow down the Toronto Pride Parade on Sunday, June 29, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey Colin Button, who has attended the parade for more than three decades, said participants have become more diverse. 'Everyone's voice counts. Everyone deserves to be heard,' Button told CTV News Toronto. Bellamie Miller, who was attending the Pride Parade for the first time, said it was important to show support and love for everybody. Several pro-Palestinian protesters also appeared at the parade, calling for a boycott of 'corporate Pride,' referring to companies they claim benefit from the Israel-Hamas war. Toronto Pride Parade Pro-Palestinian protesters chant and hold a banner as they slow down the Toronto Pride Parade on Sunday, June 29, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey This is the second year in a row that pro-Palestinian demonstrators have disrupted the event. The parade was cut short last year as a result. The parade's grand marshal, Cheri Di Novo, said the Pride Parade began as both a demonstration and a celebration. The first Pride marches were held to commemorate the Stonewall protests in New York City. 'It should always be a celebration and demonstration,' she said.
CBC
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
2SLGBTQ+ Winnipeggers embrace vintage and thrift fashion for self-expression
Double knits, bright colours, pant sets and polyester jumpsuits — when it comes to queer fashion, anything should go. That's the advice of three Winnipeggers who have leaned into fashion and style, and particularly vintage clothes, as a way to express their identity and sexuality. "It can really allow for an individual to present themselves in a way that matches how they feel on the inside," said Michael Duchon, co-owner of Vantage Vintage in Winnipeg's Exchange District. "I know thrifting has really played a big role in allowing gender diverse people to really express themselves." His boutique opened in 2017 and bills itself as a safe space for 2SLGBTQ+ shoppers. Moss Queen, a non-binary and gender fluid creative in Winnipeg, has also jumped on the vintage wagon too. "The queer community has always been involved in influencing fashion," they said. "I really do like vintage pieces. I many focus on colour palettes and textures," said Queen, who opened up their closet in a new short video by CBC's Creator Network. Taleigha Joseph did the same. Joseph has a healthy collection of circa 1960s and 1970s multi-patterned and brightly coloured dresses, some with the telltale big collars of those decades. "I feel like when people look at me, they're like, 'yeah, she's a little fruity.…' And I like that," said Joseph. "I want people to know that I am gay." "Don't dress to impress anybody else," Duchon recommends. "Do it for yourself. And this doesn't just go for queer people, it goes for a lot of different self-identifying groups of people." You can hear more from Duchon, Joseph and Queen in the new video, created in honour of Pride Month by Bridget Clemente, Evan Rivard, Chaira Plaga, and Caryl Jazz Cruz as part of CBC's Creator Network.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The last gay bar in St. John's has closed. Now, the 2SLGBTQ+ community is making its own safe spaces
St. John's is without an official gay bar this Pride month — but a patchwork of queer-run events are creating safe nighttime spaces for the 2SLGBTQ+ community anyway. Hanya Eid is part of a group called the Queer Picnic, which organizes both all ages and 19+ events for women and gender-diverse people. "We want people to really immerse themselves. It's kind of like a fun, sexy, playful environment type thing," she said in an interview with CBC Radio's The St. John's Morning Show. "But at the forefront of that is, like, everyone's safety and comfort." The group's Lavender Lounge dance parties bring together iconic queer media, from films like Jennifer's Body to musicians like Britney Spears and Chappell Roan. Eid said the events are open to everyone, but are specifically focused on people who identify as FLINTA — female, lesbian, intersex, non-binary, transgender and agender — and who may have felt out of place, even at 2SLGBTQ+ events. "We celebrate everyone, but we also, you know, celebrate and honour the challenges that people face," she said. "You know, female-identifying or non-binary and trans people within the queer community." For decades in Canada, bars served as gathering places for 2SLGBTQ+ people who couldn't be themselves in public for fear of reprisal. Raids on gay bars in cities like Toronto and Montreal served as catalysts for 2SLGBTQ+ rights movements. Eddy St. Coeur, chair of St. John's Pride, said even today, queer bars still serve as important spaces — especially for vulnerable or questioning members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community. "If you were downtown and you wanted to go be in [the] community, there were known spaces that were designated as safe, queer, welcoming spaces that truly lived up to that, and people would gravitate toward it," he said. "The problem now is that we don't have that anymore." For over a decade, Velvet Club and Lounge largely served as a focal point for the city's 2SLGBTQ+ scene. That came to an end last November, after local drag queen Tara Nova criticized the bar's pay for drag artists in comments made on Canada's Drag Race. Though the venue did increase performer pay, it ultimately closed in February. Lee Hurley, a Memorial University student and reporter for The Muse, wrote a story about the 2SLGBTQ+ community's reaction to the closure. Hurley said they spoke with some transgender and non-binary people who weren't sorry to see the bar close. But they also heard from some 2SLGBTQ+ people who felt like they could be themselves at the bar. "They were super devastated because that kind of seemed like their only safe space," Hurley said. Without an official 2SLGBTQ+ bar, some members of the queer community are gravitating to different sections of the local music scene. Hurley said they attend queer-friendly indie rock and punk shows. "It's kind of like a little hidden queer nightlife in itself, I suppose," they said. Shauna Gilpin and Jenesta Power have been holding queer-friendly techno parties under the label Lavi Seks, the name of their now-closed bar. Gilpin said a Lavi Seks event is all about the music and the people. "The music is why people are coming, like music and connection," she said. "People meet on the dance floor, you know? It's like a community." Power said the duo, who both identify as queer, are creating their own safe space. "If you can kind of inspire some other queer kids that are, you know, from around the bay like I am, to say, like, 'hey, I can be myself. I can start something and kind of be successful at it within a small community,' you know, that's a win for me," Power said. Drag performers adapt For years, Velvet served as the main place to find drag performances in St. John's. But according to Lukus Oram-Feltham — who performs as Tara Nova — drag artists have quickly adapted, performing at other venues which don't specifically cater to the 2SLGBTQ+ community. "People don't realize sometimes that, like, a queer space isn't just a spot that has a rainbow flag on it necessarily. A queer space is what you make it," he said. Still, Oram-Feltham believes 2SLGBTQ+ specific spaces are still important, especially for people who identify as transgender, non-binary or gender-non conforming. "These queer spaces are a place where they can go and feel, like absolutely accepted and not have to worry about being criticized about the way that they look or the way that they present," he said. "That's what I believe a queer space is, a space where we can all just go in and be comfortably ourselves." Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Click here to visit our landing page.
CTV News
4 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Pride month kicks off in Kirkland Lake
It is Pride month & the Town of Kirkland Lake is looking at what it can do to be a welcoming and inclusive community. June is pride month and the Town of Kirkland Lake is looking at what it can do to be a welcoming and inclusive community. Kirkland Lake Pride crosswalk Kirkland Lake Mayor Stacy Wight and other local dignitaries unveil the town's Pride crosswalk on May 25, 2023. (Sergio Arangio/CTV News Northern Ontario) The town kicked off its pride festivities on Friday evening by raising the intersex-inclusive progress pride flag which will remain up for the entire month of June. Multi-coloured lights will also illuminate both gateway signs and the miner's memorial for the full 30 days. 'The Pride Flag is a symbol of support for our community, of the character of the town and its leaders,' said town officials in a news release on Thursday. 'A reminder to the community at large that regardless of how you identify or who you love, you are safe, valued, and welcome in our community.' Download the CTV News app now At a time when some municipalities have debated the merit of the flag and movement, Kirkland Lake Mayor Stacy Wight said the town is hopeful what they are doing sends a message. Mayor Stacy Wight An undated photo of Kirkland Lake Mayor Stacy Wight. (Supplied/Town of Kirkland Lake) 'We celebrate our diverse culture all throughout the year and being a member of the 2SLGBTQ+community, that's something that's with you for your entire lifetime,' she said. '(It is) not just for thirty days or one day and in Kirkland Lake we celebrate everyone and we hopefully do it 365 days a year.' In the news release, the mayor goes on to say that the town is a place where people are accepted for who they are, regardless of culture, identity, or language. 'Pride month allows us to recognize the value of diversity, while also supporting human rights,' said Wight. 'It's a time to show our fellow residents why civility and respect are this community's cornerstones.' Get local breaking news alerts Daily newsletter with the top local stories emailed to your inbox Kirkland Lake officials said the town is committed to addressing the unique challenges facing the LGBTQ2S+ and to building a more inclusive and equitable town – recognizing that the community is comprised of some of the most marginalized and vulnerable populations. 'The last few years have had a tremendous impact on the mental/physical health and financial well-being of many, particularly trans people, as well as Black, Indigenous and racialized members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community, as a result of their intersectional identities,' reads the news release. 'The Town of Kirkland Lake honours those in our community who have fought to achieve equality and acceptance and those who continue that effort today.'
CBC
4 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
Thousands march in Hungary as 2SLGBTQ+ rally becomes anti-government protest
Social Sharing Tens of thousands of protesters marched through Hungary's capital on Saturday as a banned 2SLGBTQ+ rights rally swelled into a mass demonstration against the government. Crowds filled a square near Budapest's city hall before setting off across the city, some waving rainbow flags, others carrying signs mocking Prime Minister Viktor Orban. "This is about much more, not just about homosexuality.... This is the last moment to stand up for our rights," Eszter Rein Bodi, one of the marchers, said. "None of us are free until everyone is free," one sign read. Small groups of counter-protesters attempted to disrupt the parade, but police kept them away and diverted the route of the march to avoid clashes. Orban's nationalist government has gradually curtailed the rights of the 2SLGBTQ+ community in the past decade, and its lawmakers passed a law in March that allows for the ban of Pride marches, citing the need to protect children. Opponents see the move as part of a wider crackdown on democratic freedoms ahead of a national election next year when Orban will face a strong opposition challenger. Organizers said participants arrived from 30 countries, including 70 members of the European Parliament. More than 30 embassies have expressed support for the march and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on Hungarian authorities to let the parade go ahead. Seventy Hungarian civil society groups, including the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union, Transparency International Hungary and the Hungarian Helsinki Commission, published an open letter on Friday in support of the march, saying the law that led to the police ban "serves to intimidate the entire society." Mayor backs march "The right to assembly is a basic human right, and I don't think it should be banned. Just because someone does not like the reason why you go to the street, or they do not agree with it, you still have the right to do so," Krisztina Aranyi, another marcher, said. Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony tried to circumvent the law by organizing the march as a municipal event, which he said does not need a permit. Police, however, banned the event, arguing that it fell under the scope of the child protection law. Orban, whose government promotes a Christian-conservative agenda, provided some clues on Friday about what participants can expect when he warned of "legal consequences" for organizing and attending the march. Earlier this week, Justice Minister Bence Tuzson warned in a letter sent to some foreign embassies in Budapest that organizing a prohibited event is punishable by one year in jail, while attending counts as a misdemeanour. The law that allows for the ban of Pride lets police impose fines and use facial recognition cameras to identify people who attend. When asked about the threat of a one-year jail term, Karacsony said at a media briefing on Friday that such a sentence would only boost his popularity. "But I cannot take it seriously," he said. Making the march a key topic of political discourse has allowed the Orban government to take the initiative back from the opposition and mobilize its voter base, said Zoltan Novak, an analyst at the Centre for Fair Political Analysis think-tank. "In the past 15 years, Fidesz decided what topics dominated the political world," he said, noting that this has become more difficult as Orban's party has faced an increasing challenge from opposition leader Peter Magyar's Tisza party, which has a 15-point lead over Orban's Fidesz in a recent poll. Tisza, which has been avoiding taking a strong position on gay rights issues, did not specify in response to Reuters questions whether it believed the Pride march was lawful, but said those attending deserved the state's protection. "Peter Magyar has called on the Hungarian authorities and police to protect the Hungarian people this Saturday, and on other days as well, even if it means standing up against the arbitrariness of power," the party's media office said. Magyar himself would not attend.
