I have a confession to make: I’ve only been to one Pride before, and unfortunately, it was a short lived experience at best. It seems that the logistics of time and space have been conspiring against me, keeping me out of the city and away from Pride for years. Even last year, during my first official summer as a Torontonian, I found myself – somewhat ironically – working in Calgary while family and friends celebrated Pride week. Fortunately, my schedule has developed a force field around itself, effectively protecting me from any work and travel plans designed to interrupt my participation in Pride. This year, I am excited to join in the celebration with family and friends – many of whom are losing their Pride virginity as well.
For many of my friends and I, growing up in the suburbs unfortunately meant that Pride was understood and represented as a rather one-dimensional event. However, over the past few years, despite having to observe from afar, I’ve been privy to many great Pride stories. These stories have been as diverse as the people who’ve shared them with me, and it is this diversity of voices and experiences that most excites me for this year’s Pride. Even during my one ‘quickie Pride’, I remember standing with my sister, cheering loudly as group after group marched by. Not only were we thrilled to be in a crowd of people as enthusiastic as we were, but we were also excited to celebrate the multitude of GLBT and ally voices represented in the parade. It is this level of inclusion and openness that demonstrates both the strength of Pride as well its importance to many communities, families, and individuals in Toronto. So while my friends and I are all pretty pumped about the parties, the extended bar hours, the floats, and the sheer insanity of it all, we are all also incredibly excited – and proud – to finally participate and add our own voices to the celebration and community. And although I don’t have any mind blowing or inspirational Pride memories of my own to share just yet, I look forward to many more summers in Toronto and lots of great Pride stories to come.
