View source for Pride Toronto

{{short description|Annual LGBT event in Toronto, Ontario}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox organization
| name                     = Pride Toronto
| logo_caption             = 
| image                    = 
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| size                     = 150px
| caption                  = 
| map                      = 
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| abbreviation             = 
| motto                    = 
| formation                = {{start date and age|1981}}
| logo                     = Pride Toronto Logo (circa 2024).png
| extinction               = 
| type                     = festival organization based in [[Toronto]], Ontario
| status                   = active
| purpose                  = advocate and public voice, educator and network
| headquarters             = [[Toronto]]
| location                 = 
| region_served            = [[Toronto]]
| membership               = 
| language                 = 
| leader_title             = Executive director
| leader_name              = Sherwin Modeste
| main_organ               = 
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| affiliations             = 
| num_staff                = 
| num_volunteers           = 
| budget                   = 
| website                  = [http://www.pridetoronto.com/ Pride Toronto]
| remarks                  = 
}} 
[[Image:Pride2006 049.jpg|thumb|right|Several [[Toronto City Council]]lors taking part in the 2006 Pride Parade]]
[[File:Thai-Canadian Pride.jpg|thumb|right|2012 Thai-Canadian float at Pride Parade]]
[[File:Pride_Toronto_2024_(53829680826).jpg|thumb|Toronto Mayor [[Olivia Chow]] at the 2024 Pride Parade]]

'''Pride Toronto''' is an annual event held in [[Toronto]], Ontario, Canada, in June each year to celebrate the [[LGBTQ]] community in the [[Greater Toronto Area]].  The centre of the festival is the city's [[Church and Wellesley]] village, while the parade and marches are primarily routed along the nearby [[Yonge Street]], Gerrard Street and Bloor Street. In 2014, the event served as the fourth international [[WorldPride]].

The first parade occurred in June 1981. For most of its history, Pride was a seven-to-ten day festival centred on the final week in June, with the parade falling on either the last weekend in June or the first weekend in July depending on the year's circumstances. Since 2016, the entire month of June has been declared Pride month, with a program of events throughout the month leading up to the parade.

==History==

Toronto's Pride Week evolved out of the mass protests that followed the [[1981 Toronto bathhouse raids]], and celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2005. In the 2005 parade, newly appointed Toronto police chief [[Bill Blair (police chief)|Bill Blair]] became the first chief of police in the city's history to personally take part in the parade.  He marched alongside politicians of all parties, including several federal and provincial cabinet ministers and Mayor [[David Miller (Canadian politician)|David Miller]].{{cn|date=June 2025}}

Pride Toronto officials said that Pride Week 2009 drew an estimated one million people to Toronto and contributed C$136 million to the city's economy, and state that they expect WorldPride to be significantly bigger.<ref>[http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/news/local/article/60807--toronto-to-host-world-pride-in-2014 "Toronto To Host World Pride In 2014"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091022063838/http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/news/local/article/60807--toronto-to-host-world-pride-in-2014 |date=October 22, 2009 }}. ''[[CityNews]]'', October 18, 2009.</ref> The actual numbers turned out to be closer to 2 million visitors. Economic impact was first reported at $286 million in 2014<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/06/24/pride-toronto-economic-impact_n_5523461.html|title=Toronto's Pride Week A Rainbow-Coloured Cash Cow|date=June 24, 2014|work=HuffPost Canada|access-date=May 3, 2018|language=en-CA}}</ref> and later updated to $719 million.<ref>[https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/08/21/who-wins-the-battle-of-the-toronto-summer-events.html "Who wins the battle of the Toronto summer events?"]. ''[[Toronto Star]]'', August 21, 2015.</ref>

==Controversies==
===Commercialization and marginalization===
Toronto Pride Week has not been without controversy, as the growth of the event in recent years has led to allegations that it has become an overly commercial enterprise dependent on corporate sponsors and business interests, to the detriment of local community groups and political activism.<ref>[https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2016/06/28/lgbt-night-march-decries-prides-corporate-sponsorship.html "LGBT Night March decries Pride’s corporate sponsorship"]. ''[[Toronto Star]]'', June 28, 2016.</ref> Although Pride officially defines itself as inclusive of all races, communities and gender identifications, many such groups within the LGBT community have alleged that their events and communities and issues are increasingly marginalized in favour of a commercialized agenda.<ref>[http://www.metronews.ca/news/toronto/2016/08/31/critics-call-for-less-corporations-in-pride-parade.html "Critics call for fewer corporate sponsors in future Toronto Pride parades"]. ''[[Metro International|Metro]]'', August 31, 2016.</ref> For example, many smaller community groups have indicated that they can no longer afford the increased fees required to place a marching contingent in the parade, which is increasingly dominated by corporate-sponsored advertising floats; and many LGBTQ-owned small businesses which historically depended on vendor booths at Pride Toronto for publicity have indicated that they can no longer afford the increased fees for inclusion in the vendor area.<ref>[https://toronto.citynews.ca/2016/06/27/tonights-night-march-seeks-to-put-focus-on-lgbtq-issues-over-commercialism/ "Tonight's Night March seeks to put focus on LGBTQ issues over commercialism"]. [[CFTR (AM)|680 News]], June 27, 2016.</ref>

As early as 2010 the Blackness Yes! committee, which organizes an annual dance party called Blockorama for LGBTQ people of colour, was raising the alarm that their program was being involuntarily forced to move from its traditional space, the Wellesley Stage across from [[Wellesley (TTC)|Wellesley subway station]], to unsuitable spaces such as the smaller parking lot in front of the Church Street [[The Beer Store|Beer Store]], the unpaved and unsuitable-for-dancing George Hislop Park, or the far too small Alexander Street Parkette.<ref>[https://this.org/2010/07/02/pride-toronto-blocko-blackness-yes/ "Yet another Pride scandal: The marginalization of 'Blackness Yes!'"]. ''[[This Magazine]]'', July 2, 2010.</ref>

In 2015, Pride Toronto was forced to withdraw applications to trademark the phrases "Dyke March" and "Trans Pride", both referring to events which are organized by outside groups on Pride weekend as a ''reaction'' to lesbian and transgender people's concerns that their issues and needs are not adequately addressed by Pride.<ref>[https://www.buzzfeed.com/laurenstrapagiel/toronto-pride-backs-away-from-move-to-trademark-dyke-march-a "People Are Furious After Toronto Pride Tried To Trademark "Dyke March" And "Trans* Pride"]. ''[[BuzzFeed]]'', July 20, 2015.</ref>

===Queers Against Israeli Apartheid===
In 2010 there was a controversy over Pride Toronto's decisions regarding the participation of the group, [[Queers Against Israeli Apartheid]] (QuAIA). Initially, Pride Toronto agreed not to allow the phrase "Israeli Apartheid" as part of a deal with the City of Toronto (which had suggested that funding would be reviewed if the group was included). However, Pride Toronto subsequently reversed that decision June 23 (after it had received the funds from the city), allowing the group to participate. Several Pro-Israel groups also attended the event.<ref>[http://www.xtra.ca/public/national/staticontent/367.aspx Free speech at Pride: All of our coverage in one place] at Xtra.ca.</ref><ref>[http://www.xtra.ca/public/Toronto/Pride_Toronto_lays_off_staff_anticipates_250K_loss-8929.aspx Pride Toronto lays off staff, anticipates $250K loss] by Marcus McCann, Xtra, July 15, 2010.</ref>

Pride Week's decision to reverse the ban on QuAIA after it had received funding from the city (which was done on the condition that QuAIA not be allowed to participate) drew sharp criticism from several sources. [[Rob Ford]], who was then a mayoral candidate (he was subsequently elected several months later), stated that: "I want to express my disappointment and disgust with Pride Toronto's decision to allow this hateful group to march." Giorgio Mammoliti, who was also running for mayor, announced that he would introduce a motion at the city council demanding that Pride return the $250,000 it had received from the city to reject all of Pride's future funding requests.<ref>[https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/jewish-groups-decry-pride-s-israeli-decision-1.897374 Jewish groups decry Pride's Israeli decision], CBC.ca, Friday, June 25, 2010.</ref> In an editorial, the ''[[National Post]]'' called for both the City of Toronto and corporate sponsors to halt all funding to Pride Week, arguing that: "Anti-Israel bigots are free to have their own parade – but not on the public dime. The City of Toronto, whose councilors already have explicitly denounced QuAIA’s “apartheid” propaganda, should prepare to cut funding. Corporate sponsors should do likewise."<ref>[https://nationalpost.com/full-comment/national-post-editorial-corporate-sponosrs-should-renounce-torontos-pride-parade National Post editorial: Corporate sponsors should walk away from Toronto’s Pride parade]  by Jonathan Kay, [[National Post]], June 23, 2010.</ref>

In March 2011, Toronto Mayor [[Rob Ford]] has said that he will not allow city funding for the 2011 Toronto Pride Parade if organizers allow QuAIA march again this year. “Taxpayers dollars should not go toward funding hate speech,” Ford said.<ref>[http://www.cjnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20949&Itemid=86 Toronto mayor lays down Pride parade law]. ''[[Canadian Jewish News]]'', March 10, 2011.</ref>  However, on April 13, 2011, the non-partisan Toronto city manager released a report for the city council's executive committee concluding that "the participation of QUAIA in the Pride Parade based solely on the phrase 'Israeli Apartheid' does not violate the City’s Anti-Discrimination Policy. The City also cannot therefore conclude that the use of term on signs or banners to identify QuAIA constitutes the promotion of hatred or seeks to incite discrimination contrary to the Code."<ref>[http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2011/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-37384.pdf Report from the City Manager: Compliance with the City of Toronto's Anti-Discrimination Policy - Pride Toronto]. City of Toronto.</ref> Ford indicated that he plans to defund the parade regardless of the City Manager report.<ref>[https://www.thestar.com/news/article/973994--phrase-israeli-apartheid-not-discriminatory-city-manager Phrase ‘Israeli apartheid’ not discriminatory: city manager]. ''[[Toronto Star]]'', April 13, 2011.</ref> On April 15, 2011, QuAIA announced that it would withdraw from the 2011 Pride parade; however, councillor [[Giorgio Mammoliti]] responded that he would still introduce a motion to withdraw city funding from Pride Toronto if the committee did not explicitly ban the group from participating.<ref>[https://www.thestar.com/news/article/975242--councillor-demands-pride-promise-to-ban-queers-against-israeli-apartheid?bn=1 "Councillor demands Pride promise to ban Queers Against Israeli Apartheid"]. ''[[Toronto Star]]'', April 15, 2011.</ref>

In June 2012, the Toronto city council voted to condemn the phrase "Israeli apartheid," as part of a resolution recognizing the Pride parade as a “significant cultural event that strongly promotes the ideals of tolerance and diversity.” The resolution said it slams the term "Israeli apartheid" for undermining the values of Pride and diminishing “the suffering experienced by individuals during the apartheid regime in South Africa.”<ref>[http://www.torontosun.com/2012/06/07/council-votes-to-condemn-use-of-term-israeli-apartheid  Council votes to condemn use of term 'Israeli apartheid']. ''[[Toronto Sun]]'', June 7, 2012.</ref>

===Black Lives Matter===
At the 2016 parade, the Toronto chapter of [[Black Lives Matter]], who had been selected by Pride as the honoured group, interrupted the parade for approximately half an hour to call attention to a number of demands addressing [[racism]] in the LGBTQ community.<ref>[https://nowtoronto.com/news/black-lives-matter-versus-pride-toronto/ "Black Lives Matter versus Pride Toronto"]. ''[[Now (newspaper)|Now]]'', July 12, 2016.</ref> The demands included Pride providing stable funding and space to events for LGBTQ people of colour such as Blockorama, Black Queer Youth and the South Asian stage,<ref name=blogto>[http://www.blogto.com/city/2016/07/black_lives_matter_protests_at_toronto_pride_parade/ "Black Lives Matter protests at Toronto Pride Parade"]. ''BlogTO'', July 3, 2016.</ref> which had seen funding cuts and repeated relocation to less convenient or suitable venues in recent years, as well as increasing diversity in the hiring of the organization's staff and board — however, media coverage focused primarily on one explosive demand: that [[Toronto Police Service|Toronto Police]] officers be barred from participating in Pride while in uniform, in response to ongoing police harassment of people of colour and [[transgender]] people.<ref name=blogto/>

Executive director [[Mathieu Chantelois]] signed BLM's statement  of demand, but later asserted that he had signed it only to end the sit-in and get the parade moving, and had not agreed to honour the demands.<ref>[http://www.cp24.com/news/pride-organizer-says-he-has-not-agreed-to-exclude-police-floats-from-parade-1.2971974 "Pride organizer says he has not agreed to exclude police floats from parade"]. [[CP24]], July 4, 2016.</ref> Following criticism of his handling of the incident, he resigned as executive director of Pride approximately six weeks later on August 11.<ref>[https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2016/08/10/executive-director-of-pride-toronto-resigns.html "Executive director of Pride Toronto resigns"]. ''[[Toronto Star]]'', August 10, 2016.</ref>

Debate over the action focused primarily on the question of whether banning uniformed police from the parade represented an abdication of the organization's stated values of [[Cultural diversity|diversity]] and [[inclusion (value and practice)|inclusivity]],<ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/pride-tory-1.3666549 "Toronto mayor speaks out for police inclusion after Pride protest"]. [[CBC News]], July 6, 2016.</ref> largely without regard to the matter of whether not honouring the demand, thereby alienating racialized and transgender members of the community, would also be an abdication of those same values.<ref>[https://nowtoronto.com/news/media-professor-complaint-cbc-radio-pride-funding-coverage/ "How did CBC Radio's Black Lives Matter versus Pride funding coverage go so wrong?"]. ''[[Now (newspaper)|Now]]'', June 6, 2017.</ref> Some media analysts claimed that BLM was an outside group with no connection to LGBTQ issues at all, and thus should not have been invited to participate in the first place, even though all of the demands related directly to Pride's handling of transgender and racial issues, and BLM leaders [[Janaya Khan]] and [[Syrus Marcus Ware]] are both queer-identified.<ref>[https://nowtoronto.com/news/exclusive-black-lives-matter-pride-action-criticism/ "Exclusive: Black Lives Matter Toronto co-founder responds to Pride action criticism"]. ''[[Now (newspaper)|Now]]'', July 6, 2016.</ref> Pride staff have reaffirmed on more than one occasion that police were not barred from participating in the parade at all, but were simply being directed not to march in uniform.<ref>[http://www.bttoronto.ca/2017/05/08/pride-toronto-says-police-welcome-without-uniform-weapons-or-vehicles/ "Pride Toronto says police welcome without ‘uniform, weapons or vehicles’"]. ''[[Breakfast Television (City Toronto)|BreakfastTelevision]]'', May 8, 2017.</ref>

At Pride's general meeting in January 2017, the organization's members voted to affirm the motion that police not be permitted to march in uniform.<ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/black-lives-matter-pride-1.3940642 "Pride Toronto AGM vote reaffirms Black Lives Matter request for no police floats at parade"]. [[CBLT-DT|CBC Toronto]], January 18, 2017.</ref> Some opponents of the motion have falsely claimed that the meeting, and the resulting discussion about the police motion, were conducted in secret even though the meeting was scheduled and advertised normally and widely publicized by the media.<ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/pride-board-member-response-1.3947820 "'Enough is enough:' Pride Toronto board member explains decision to ban police from parade"]. [[CBC News]], January 23, 2017.</ref>

Following the meeting, Toronto Police chief [[Mark Saunders (police officer)|Mark Saunders]] announced that the organization would voluntarily withdraw from any attempt to challenge the Pride membership's vote or participate in the parade.<ref name=saunders>[https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2017/02/10/toronto-police-will-not-participate-in-pride-parade-this-year-says-chief-mark-saunders.html "Mayor John Tory ‘disappointed and frustrated’ after police say they won’t participate in Pride parade"]. ''[[Toronto Star]]'', February 10, 2017.</ref> He affirmed, however, that the police service would continue to hold its established annual Pride reception,<ref name=saunders/> and would raise the [[rainbow flag (LGBT movement)|rainbow flag]] at Toronto Police Headquarters.<ref>[https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2017/06/01/in-historic-first-pride-flag-raised-above-toronto-police-headquarters.html "In ‘historic’ first, Pride flag raised above Toronto police headquarters"]. ''[[Toronto Star]]'', June 1, 2017.</ref>

The decision led [[Toronto City Council]] to debate withdrawing its Pride funding for 2017.<ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/pride-toronto-responds-with-disappointment-to-councillors-who-want-to-deny-it-funding-1.4046466 "Pride Toronto responds with 'disappointment' to councillors who want to deny it funding"]. [[CBC News]], March 29, 2017.</ref> The motion to withdraw funding, put forward by councillor [[John Campbell (Ontario politician)|John Campbell]], failed on a vote of 27-17.<ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/pride-funding-vote-1.4132735 "City will fund Pride Toronto, even as uniformed officers blocked from parade"]. [[CBC News]], May 26, 2017.</ref> A small group of Toronto residents organized a competing event with the theme of "[[first responder]] unity", which was scheduled for the same time as the main Pride parade but was located in another part of downtown Toronto.<ref>[http://www.blogto.com/city/2017/06/pride-toronto-unity-festival-competitor/ "Someone is creating a competitor to the Toronto Pride parade"]. ''BlogTO'', June 6, 2017.</ref> The First Responder Unity event made unauthorized use of Pride's logo on its website, as well as making deceptive marketing claims in an apparent attempt to portray itself as the "real" Pride event, calling itself one of the world's largest LGBTQ events and claiming a million attendees — Pride's usual attendance figures — months before the Unity event's actual attendance figures could possibly even be predicted.<ref>[http://www.dailyxtra.com/toronto/news-and-ideas/news/group-wants-throw-rival-lgbt-parade-includes-cops-the-day-toronto-pride-217598 "This group wants to throw a rival LGBT parade that includes cops on the same day as Toronto Pride"]. ''[[Daily Xtra]]'', March 28, 2017.</ref> On June 19, however, Saunders publicly indicated that Toronto Police officers who wished to attend that event were also not permitted to do so in uniform.<ref>[http://www.cp24.com/news/toronto-police-in-uniform-blocked-from-alternative-pride-event-despite-marching-in-new-york-1.3466824 "Toronto police in uniform blocked from alternative Pride event despite marching in New York"]. [[CP24]], June 19, 2017.</ref>

In October 2018, Pride Toronto made the announcement that Toronto Police have been granted permission to march in the 2019 Pride parade.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dailyhive.com/toronto/toronto-police-may-walk-pride-parade|title=Toronto police allowed to walk in Pride parade next year|last=Smith|first=Ainsley|date=October 16, 2018|website=[[Daily Hive]]|language=en|access-date=March 16, 2019}}</ref>   However, three months later Pride Toronto members reversed that position when they voted 163-161 to not allow uniformed officers in the 2019 parade.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/4877398/pride-toronto-police-uniformed|title=Pride Toronto members won't allow uniformed police to march in the parade|access-date= January 22, 2020|last=Casey|first=Liam|date= January 23, 2019|language=en|website=[[Global News]]}}</ref>

===Departure of Olivia Nuamah===
In January 2020, Pride Toronto announced that Olivia Nuamah was no longer its executive director, as of January 15.<ref>[https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/olivia-nuamah-pride-1.5435141 "Olivia Nuamah no longer head of Pride Toronto"]. [[CBC News]], January 21, 2020.</ref> Despite concerns from the organization's membership about the timing of her departure just months before the 2020 event, the board declined to clarify the reasons for her departure or even whether she had resigned or had been fired.<ref>[https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/pride-toronto-board-no-answers-executive-director-departure-1.5445522 "Pride Toronto won't answer questions about departure of former executive director"]. [[CBC News]], January 29, 2020.</ref>

=== Federal grant repayment ===
In 2024, it was reported that Pride Toronto would be repaying just over $505,000 in federal grant funding after the accounting firm [[KPMG]] found that the organization could not prove that it completed several projects despite receiving $1.85 million from the federal government.<ref>{{Cite news |date=Jan 25, 2024 |title=Pride Toronto repaying over $505K after federal grant controversy |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/pride-toronto-grant-repayment-1.7094556 |work=CBC News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Waberi |first=Osobe |date=Jan 29, 2024 |title=Pride Toronto is repaying the federal government over half a million dollars for misusing grant money |url=https://nowtoronto.com/news/pride-toronto-is-repaying-the-federal-government-over-half-a-million-dollars/ |work=Now Toronto}}</ref>

==COVID-19 pandemic==
It was announced on March 31, 2020, that Toronto's in-person Pride parade and festivities, originally scheduled for June 26 to 28, 2020, had been cancelled, as mandated by the City of Toronto's prohibition on city-led mass events, parades and festivities until at least June 30, 2020, owing to the impact of the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Canada]], although virtual Pride Month festivities and an online "parade" hosted by comedian [[Brandon Ash-Mohammed]] took place in June on the Pride Toronto website.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cp24.com/news/toronto-cancels-all-major-festivals-and-events-through-june-including-pride-parade-1.4876324|title=Toronto cancels all major festivals and events through June, including Pride Parade|last=Freeman|first=Joshua|date=March 31, 2020|website=CP24|access-date=April 1, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pridetoronto.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Pride-Toronto-2nd-Coronavirus-Community-Update-March31pdf.pdf|title=Community Update|date=March 31, 2020|website=Pride Toronto|access-date=April 1, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Pride Toronto says they will hold 'online parade', other events for Pride Month|url=https://www.cp24.com/news/pride-toronto-says-they-will-hold-online-parade-other-events-for-pride-month-1.4920601|last=Freeman|first=Joshua|date=May 1, 2020|website=CP24|access-date=May 11, 2020}}</ref>

It was announced on February 24, 2021, that given the ban on city-led and permitted events had been extended through to June 30, 2021, the in-person Pride parade and other Pride-related festivities originally scheduled for June 25 to 27, 2021, would be cancelled.<ref>{{Cite web|date=February 24, 2021|title=Toronto cancels events through Canada Day as de Villa reveals that pandemic is again growing in city|url=https://www.cp24.com/news/toronto-cancels-events-through-canada-day-as-de-villa-reveals-that-pandemic-is-again-growing-in-city-1.5322711|access-date=February 25, 2021|website=CP24|language=en}}</ref> The event was again staged virtually and was hosted by ''[[Canada's Drag Race]]'' season 1 winner [[Priyanka (drag queen)|Priyanka]], with performers including [[Allie X]], [[iskwē]] and [[Gary Beals]].<ref>Kevin Ritchie, [https://nowtoronto.com/news/pride-toronto-2021-lineup-includes-priyanka-allie-x-and-iskwe "Pride Toronto lineup includes Priyanka, Allie X and iskwē"]. ''[[Now (newspaper)|Now]]'', May 3, 2021.</ref> Despite the lack of an official Pride celebration, some small-scale Pride events did take place, including a Dyke March<ref>Joanna Chiu and Ashima Agnihotri, [https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2021/06/26/dyke-march-takes-over-streets-of-toronto-in-first-mass-pride-event-since-covid-19-pandemic.html "Dyke March takes over streets of Toronto in first mass Pride event since COVID-19 pandemic"]. ''[[Toronto Star]]'', June 26, 2021.</ref> and a No Pride in Policing rally.<ref>Bryann Aguilar, [https://www.ctvnews.ca/toronto/article/pride-rally-calling-for-defunding-of-police-held-in-downtown-toronto/ "Pride rally calling for defunding of police held in downtown Toronto"]. [[CFTO-DT|CTV News Toronto]], June 27, 2021.</ref>

==Financial difficulties==

===2009===
On June 15, 2009, before the 2009 Pride Week festival, it was announced through the office of then Minister of State [[Diane Ablonczy]] that Pride Toronto would receive a $400,000 federal grant under the Marquee Tourism program.<ref>[http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/ic1.nsf/eng/04756.html Government of Canada Supports Pride Week Toronto]</ref> Shortly after this announcement, Charles McVety's Institute for Canadian Values issued a public statement titled "Conservatives Announce New Program to Fund Sex Parades," which condemned Stephen Harper's Conservative government for granting Pride Toronto the award and conflated the festival with sex abuse against children.<ref>[http://www.canadianvalues.ca/kmitan/324-conservatives_announce_new_program_to_fund_sex_parades.php Conservatives Announce New Program to Fund Sex Parades] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706171424/http://www.canadianvalues.ca/kmitan/324-conservatives_announce_new_program_to_fund_sex_parades.php |date=July 6, 2011 }}</ref> It was later revealed that the Conservative government stripped Ablonczy of responsibility for the Marquee Tourism program within days of the announced funding for Pride Week, with the Institute for Canadian Values statement and the ensuing uproar reportedly playing a role.<ref>Kady O'Malley, [http://www.macleans.ca/2009/09/13/and-in-the-second-least-surprising-political-news-today/ Ablonczy/Pride: And in the second least surprising political news of the day …]. ''[[Maclean's]]'', September 13, 2009</ref><ref name=akin>[[David Akin]], [https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=1767472 Tourism Minister loses funding program after grant to gay pride week] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20100118165425/http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=1767472 |date=January 18, 2010 }}. [[Canwest News Service]], July 7, 2009</ref> Conservative MP [[Brad Trost]] was quoted as saying, "The pro-life and pro-family community should know and understand that the tourism funding money that went to the gay pride parade in Toronto was not government policy."<ref name=akin />

===May 2010===
In May 2010 it was revealed that Pride Toronto would not receive further federal funding under the Marquee Tourism program,<ref name=slap>Paul Moloney and Vanessa Lu, [https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/806698 Decision to nix Pride funding a ‘slap in the face’]. ''[[Toronto Star]]'', May 8, 2010</ref> despite having received a favorable review for its grant application.<ref>Andrea Houston, [http://www.xtra.ca/public/Toronto/Pride_Toronto_financial_statements_show_big_losses-9689.aspx Pride Toronto financial statements show big losses]. ''[[Xtra!]]'', January 26, 2011.</ref> Toronto City Councilor [[Kyle Rae]] commented on the announcement, saying "Reading the political tea leaves from last year, and Diane Ablonczy being shoved aside, I think all of us saw that this was going to happen."<ref name=slap />

===July 2010===
In the late summer of 2010 it was reported that Pride Toronto was facing severe financial difficulties because of the withdrawal of future funding from corporations and the City of Toronto due to the decision to allow QuAIA(Queers Against Israel Apartheid) to participate in the parade. Pride Toronto executive director Tracey Sandilands stated in an interview that "the fact that we might not be able to count on city funding next year, and existing sponsors who have given us notice in writing to say that unless we resolve the issues to their satisfaction, they will no longer be sponsoring us next year. So next year looks very bleak at this point.”<ref>Jonathan Kay, [http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2010/07/16/pride-toronto-cuts-the-positions-loses-250000-%E2%80%94-all-thanks-to-anti-israeli-bigots/ Pride Toronto cuts three positions, loses $250,000 — all thanks to anti-Israeli bigots] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120712064304/http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2010/07/16/pride-toronto-cuts-the-positions-loses-250000-%E2%80%94-all-thanks-to-anti-israeli-bigots/ |date=July 12, 2012 }}. ''[[National Post]]'', July 16, 2010.</ref>

Audited financial statements released on January 25, 2011, indicated that Pride week had a $431,808 operating deficit for 2009/2010 (ending July 31, 2010), up from $138,605 in 2008/2009. Pride Week's bank indebtedness had increased significantly, from a surplus of $219,296 in 2009 to a deficit of $155,232 in 2010. In the 2009/2010 financial year, sponsorships, which were identified as the primary source of financial difficulties, increased by 17% over 2009 (from $1,225,044 to $1,469,027). However, the total value of the grants Pride Week received declined from $971,800 in 2009 to $709,025 in 2010.<ref>[http://www.xtra.ca/blog/national/post/2011/01/25/Pride-Toronto-Audited-Financial-Statements.aspx Pride Toronto Audited Financial Statements - Year ended July 31, 2010]. ''[[Xtra!]]'', January 25, 2011.</ref>

==Awards==
The Pride Week event received the Top Choice Award for Top Event of the year 2007/2008.<ref>[http://www.TopChoiceAwards.com Top Choice Awards]</ref>

== Honoured groups ==
Each year, Pride Toronto identifies honoured group(s) that are highlighted for their contributions to 2SLGBTQ+ communities. These have included:

* 2016: [[Black Lives Matter]] – Toronto
* 2017: [[Rainbow Railroad]]
* 2019: [[Women's College Hospital]]

== Programs and stages ==
Pride Toronto hosts multiple programs and stages, including several which occur every year. These include:

* Blockorama
* Fruit Loopz
* Dirty Disco
* Alterna Queer
* brOWN//out
* Yalla Barra

== Blockorama ==
First introduced to Toronto Pride festivities in 1999 by organizers of the Blackness Yes! Committee, Blockorama is an annual event created by and for BIPOC queers. Influenced by the history and politics that have shaped black and Caribbean Canadian communities, the organizers of Blockorama were concerned by the lack of safe BIPOC spaces at Toronto Pride. The event was created as a way for the queer black community to connect, but has grown over the years to include all BIPOC queers who might feel left out of the more dominant Pride events.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=We Still Demand: Redefining resistance in sex and gender struggles.|last=Bain|first=Beverly|publisher=UBC Press|year=2017|location=Vancouver|pages=81–97|chapter=Fire, passion, and politics: The creation of blockorama as black queer diasporic space in the Toronto pride festivities.}}</ref>

Between 2007 and 2010, Blockorama, the only black queer diasporic event at Pride Toronto, was moved three separate times, with each location being further from the main Pride festivities than the last. Although Blockorama has been returned to its original location at the Wellesley stage, this happened as a result of community push-back from Blackness Yes! and [[Black Lives Matter]] Toronto to the uprooting and displacement of the event.<ref name=":0" />

==Third-party events==

Like many successful Pride events worldwide, the official events are supplemented with non-official events, including the Prism Festival, now in its seventh year and featuring international DJs and all-night dance parties. The [[Writers' Trust of Canada]] formerly presented its annual [[Dayne Ogilvie Prize]], a literary award for LGBT writers, during Pride Month, although it later diversified to hold its gala at locations throughout Canada, and is now presented as part of the Writers' Trust's regular slate of literary awards in October.

==See also==
*[[Amy Gottlieb]]

== References ==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Pride Toronto}}
* [https://www.pridetoronto.com/ Pride Toronto]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAwUvv51-b0 Footage of 1991 Toronto Gay Pride Parade], Archives of Ontario YouTube Channel

{{Parades and Festivals in Toronto}}
{{LGBTQ}}
{{LGBT topics in Canada}}
{{LGBTQ culture in Toronto}}
{{Pride parades}}

[[Category:Parades in Toronto]]
[[Category:June]]
[[Category:June observances]]
[[Category:Awareness weeks]]
[[Category:LGBTQ culture in Toronto]]
[[Category:Pride parades in Canada]]
[[Category:1981 establishments in Ontario]]
[[Category:Recurring events established in 1981]]
[[Category:Annual events in Toronto]]