Marching in the Parade with the LGBT YouthLine when I was a phone volunteer was my first ever Pride. It was quite surreal and – as I’d only been out a few years – a deeply moving experience. I’ve been down Yonge Street countless times since, but the street in my memory seems which wider; how else could it have fit the thousands of smiles I saw that day? I liken it to the scene in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” when a trepidatious Bob Hoskin enters Toon Town and is welcomed on either side of the road by the beaming townsfolk who implore him to “SMILE” in a bursting chorus.

That day I was profoundly thankful for all those who had marched those streets before me. Those who had endured bashings, police brutality and a city that preferred they’d keep their sexually to themselves. To that small group of pioneers we all owe a huge debt and we do ourselves no favours by forgetting what they withstood. A community that doesn’t know its own history will last about as long as an out-of-towner at Pride remains unpropositioned.

Another great memory was playing with the Hidden Cameras at Pride in 2002. We were still a young band and, as we’d had played the smaller Fruit Loopz stage the year before, scoring the headlining spot on a big stage was pretty big deal for us. Spread out north along Church from Wood Street was the largest crowd we’d ever played for.

- Justin Stayshyn

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.

- Dana Herlihey

My favourite Pride memory… I was living in Windsor and decided to make the trek (which would become an annual pilgrimage) to Toronto for my first Pride. I was a newbie, so I really wanted to document the experience, and kept my camera at the ready. Initially, it was all pics of flashy floats and topless boys (the lens was guided by my then 20-year-old brain, after all). However, while I was taking a break on the sidelines of the parade route, I met a family from Asia – mom, dad and two kids under 5. They were new arrivals to Canada and were so excited to bring their children to a parade. The daughter was busily waving her rainbow Pride flag. The son was happily sporting his “Loud and Proud” bandana. They demonstrated such openness, such a profoundly easy acceptance of difference, and helped to remind me of the real beauty of Pride. They were kind enough to allow me to take a picture of them, which is my favourite picture from that Pride and any since.

- Luke Southern

My favourite pride moments are all about the music. I’m not talking about the international headliners, although it’s nifty that Cyndi Lauper and Kelis will be here this year. What really gets me going are the indie acts that are vibrating with excitement to play to such a huge crowd!

Standout fave moments include rushing the stage holding my childhood bestie’s hand and screaming at David Usher to remove his clothing, have my babies, etc. At least that’s the print-friendly memory I can share. Rukus, The Hidden Cameras and Esthero were also ginormous highlights for me! The amount of raw talent gracing these stages makes my inner geeky fanboyness race right to the surface.

This year I’m excited to see Serial Sean, Hunter Valentine, Kay Pettigrew, and to wander the streets checking out as much live stuff as I can. I’ll be the one flinging his manties at the favourites

- Patrick Goguen

Selecting a favourite pride moment is difficult for me because being Proud is a life, not a moment… it is the everyday, being your pure, honest self.

If I had to pick a one, it was when attending Blockorama 11 at George Hislop Parkette for Jojo Flores’ Michael Jackson Tribute. I was with my boyfriend and four great friends, dancing in the rain, to the hits of the newly deceased pop icon. It was a fantastic vibe and magnetic sense of community: all of celebrating the music of the star we grew up with.

- Randy Guevara

I’ve been attending Pride since I was 16. Most of my strongest memories revolve the arts-based work I have done during the festival.

As a baby gay, I spent many summers volunteering with Supporting Our Youth to put on the incredible FRUIT LOOPZ stage. Every Pride Saturday some of our best and brightest queer youth talent is profiled on this stage. Many people have gone on to great arts careers or to support LGBTTI2QQ communities in other ways. FRUIT LOOPZ was an event I helped to plan, helped to host and supported by performing at. I’m so thankful for these experiences as they gave me the tools to develop my own event- ARTWHERK!

With ARTWHERK!, some friends and I wanted to create a cultural space that allowed emerging and young LGBTTI2QQ artists to express themselves and talk about the issues affecting their communities. We have been able to create dialogue around issues like HIV/AIDS, body image, immigration, homophobia, sexual identity, family, fashion and the list goes on. While some of these issues are not “queer”, they are all fiercely personal and political. I’m happy to have created an event that honours freedom of expression. By forging a partnership between ARTWHERK! and the Art Gallery of Ontario, we are able to make LGBTTI2QQ issues the issues of our city, country and world.

I’m also proud to perform with BoylesqueTO at various pride events. I’ve been able to talk about sex, gender, body image and many other social issues through satire and burlesque. At our first pride performance, attendees came up to me and said “I never thought I’d see someone that looks like me on stage doing burlesque”. It is quite rewarding to play with and challenge gender norms and try to redefine “sexy” for people like myself who are considered “too this” or “too that”.

This year, many communities are not allowing Pride Toronto to ignore the expressions of their needs. This is a really tricky transition period, which I hope leads to an agreeable outcome. My wish for pride and prides to come is that the organization Pride Toronto and the communities it seeks to represent will find ways to build a wonderful event that everyone can enjoy. But until that happens, my advice to everyone would be to take a risk and try to create what you feel is missing! Community is never just in place. It has to be built – and I’d love to see your creations.

- Christopher Hayden

My first Pride was at 16.

I had recently “come out” to a group of friends, many of them were Gay & Lesbian, and the first of my friends to share my “dark secret”. There was an overwhelming sense of wanting to belong. And an excitement of finally being able to speak the words “I’m Gay!!”, without a petrifying fear of rejection.

They invited me to join them one weekend that summer at Church & Wellesley — unknowing it was Pride, or what Pride meant… I remember walking out of the station at Wellesley. There was a hum in the air. Rainbow balloon arches and a beaming sun. I cried, right there at the subway opening. Yea…i was a pansy fag, over-emotional, and insecure but in that moment I felt unstoppable — and it felt like home.

At 18, I was helping to run the local youth group (LGBYT) at the 519 Community Centre. We had decided to march together as a group that year. And it was the most exciting sense of purpose, belonging, and community. Costumes, glitter, team cheers and group hugs. From that day, marching in the parade has always signified an overwhelming sense of Love, Acceptance, and Strength in numbers.

Over the years, I have marched at the front — hand gripping hard to the Giant Rainbow Flag above my head. Other years I have been joined by my Father, Mother and Sister. I have marched with PFLAG, danced on a Priape float, helped organize with ProudFM, and even gotten directly involved with Pride Toronto itself.

This year, as Pride turns 30, I watched our community stumble through an evolution of Pride. Old’ Timers’ grasp onto history, afraid of losing their relevance. Activists grasp deperately onto Pride as platform, speaking out against Social Injustice’s in Land’s far away.

This year I hope to march alongside my family, again with PFLAG. Mom will be Volunteering at Family Pride. Dad will march in solidarity. And my sister has flown back from overseas with her daugther …. to participate, celebrate, and support with Love.

Each year Pride means something different to each of us, and that meaning of Pride changes.

But for me….Pride is a feeling. One that makes me breathe deep, appreciate, and truly be Proud of how far we, as a community have come. And how lucky I am to live in Canada, as and Out Gay Man.

This year, I will be celebrating 30 Years of Pride. And looking forward to the next 30 to come.

Happy Pride Toronto.

- Michael Ain

It was summer 2006 when my musical theatre aspirations and willingness to work anywhere to “climb the ladder” landed me in cheesy revue show. All 9 of us lived in a tiny cottage with one bathroom, and would travel from one muskoka resort to another and pony our way through sped- up billy joel/ elton john medleys. I think I changed costumes for every number (like 10 times) and the audience could usually see you changing, because our “set” was just two angled pieces of wood that had the words “VIBE: Rock On 2006!” painted on the front. Anyway, it was nightmarish (for me at least). However, there was one upside to being in the VIBE crew- we got to perform in the Pride Parade! Now- I have been on many a stage and performed to a few thousand at times, but I don’t anything will ever compare to the feeling of performing to the euphoric and liberated crowds at pride. People were so into our disco medley/ choreography, people were so into our not being on a float and actually just dancing through the streets, people (some friends, mostly strangers) were grabbing my hands and kissing me. It was great. We danced tirelessly for the entire parade- like 3 hours in the blazing hot sun. I ended up getting severe sunstroke and dehydration. Then I quit VIBE. It was awesome.

- Allie Hughes

My first few prides are murky in my mind as my mom took me when I was about 9. She took me to Pride, Santa Clause and Carabanna ….ect well the last one was my dad but you get the idea. My mom wanted to expose me to all the different communities in Toronto.

I’d not venture to my next pride until I was 13 by accident. I was looking to hit my favorite comic shop at Yonge & Wellesley and had no idea it was the day of the parade. I mean I still wouldn’t come out to my mom for 2 more years, so going to pride seemed a miss for me looking back on that day. I saw a bit of the parade, got my comics and went home to read. Fast forward past high school and into college when I hit pride a few months after my 20th birthday with friends. Even though I was a homo in high school. I had no interest in guys or going to pride. I was so focused on doing well in school and working to afford my life style of comics, technology and video games.

I marched in the parade in 2004 for Humber College and did my cowboy outfit proud. Friends came and went out of my life for the next 9 years and sometimes I made the tough choice to cut ties and respect myself first and foremost. A few are still around to this day and that makes me go wow at knowing anyone for almost a decade now. What I’ve not said is I’ve moved almost 14 times around Toronto growing up. So I never had a stable set of friends. So the fact I still know Ben almost 9 years later is crazy.

However, as I approach almost a decade of going to pride, a few things stick out to me in my mind. It’s all about seeing my friends and the parade is an opportunity to do that. Pride is nothing without the people you love most right by your side. Pride is really what you made it and if you don’t see something you want… then help create it. We’re one huge ”community” and many times we don’t cater to everyone.

Regardless of what Pride Toronto, City of Toronto and everyone else decides to do. I’ll be calling up my friends to make plans with them on June 27th because that’s a day for us to get together and I don’t need pride to do it anymore.

P.S. Feel free to join us…. You won’t regret it!

- Duane Brown

My first Pride experience was just after my first year of university. I took the train into Toronto with some friends of mine, excited but not sure of what to expect. I’d never felt much of a kinship with body shots or house music – maybe I could just spend my weekend eating fries at the chip truck?

But, when I got there, the element that impressed upon me the most was the true diversity. Not just amoung the queer community, but with everyone. People of all orientaions, races, ages; parents, children, even whole families. I really felt like no matter who I was, this was an event and a community that included me – not just because I was gay, but because I was there. There really was an almost-tangible energy in the air of ‘belonging’.
And so, I went forth and drank my own body weight in Smirnoff Ice.

Even today, I think of Pride less as a queer event and more as an event where everyone is welcome, regardless of our circumstances.

- Trevor Campbell