History of Pride Toronto

Toronto - May 30, 2014 - Pride Week festivities in Toronto, from June 20-29, will conclude with a huge Pride Parade and Closing Ceremony on June 29.  For the first time in history, the city is hosting the first World Pride parade in North America. From now until Pride week, Directions will feature a six-part series on different themes encompassing Toronto Pride.

In 1969, Pierre Trudeau stated, “The state has no place in the bedrooms of the nation”. That same year saw the famous Stonewall riots taking place in New York City, and on August 28, the Canadian government decriminalized same-sex sexual activity between consenting adults. It wasn't until 1987 that sexual orientation was incorporated into the Human Rights Code.

The first Pride celebrations in Toronto began the late 1970s. In 1981, the annual Pride Toronto festivities were officially launched. By 1991, 80,000 individuals took to the streets of Toronto in celebration of the now officially proclaimed Pride Day! Advocacy work in this area of social justice continued to lead to increased awareness and rights for the LGBT community, and 2001 marked the first year in which the city’s official proclamation of Pride Week included transsexual, transgendered and bisexual individuals.

For 2014, let us make UFCW history, as we gear up to march in the Pride Parade, Dyke March, and Trans March on the weekend of June 27 -29.  Check out our special drop-in UFCW Event on June 28, at the Sheraton Centre Hotel from 10 AM - 4 PM.  For more information visit www.ufcw.ca/pride or our facebook page at www.facebook.com/ufcwcanada/events.