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Happy Pride Weekend, Torontonians!
July 3, 2010 - 12:10pm
Well, I'm really not in the mood to celebrate, and it hasn't felt like Pride week given the horrendous tragedy and trauma that Toronto experienced last week.
But.
It's fucking Pride weekend and I'm going to try to have fun.
I made a joke on Facebook, trying to put a positive spin, that the water cannon and sound cannons from last weekend could be altered to be more fun and festive-like for the Pride march. That's the best I can do.
Happy Pride everyone.
Thanks Maysie! Back atcha.
All of the people I hung out with yesterday were at the G20 protests too; all are still mad as hell and all of us needed a break from talking about the Police Poison. We got it, in large part because there were 4 cops (that we could see) at the incredible Trans March Friday night, and one lone bike cop in sight at the Take Back the Dyke March, despite the deliberate lack of permits. Perhaps discretion was the better part of valour, because there were a LOT of wimmin in that crowd who'd experienced our very own police state last weekend and I suspect that any cop would have quickly become the target of a lot of up-in-your-grille anger. I'm glad we could all take a break from that. Bonus-- no straight creepy men with long-lens cameras, cause no one knew the route in advance. God, it was liberating and wonderful.
Apparently there were lots of cops over at the "legal", permit holding regular Dyke March. I wish they'd cancelled and come over to join us, leaving their little escorts behind. Sad.
As a bonus, the Queen's Park venue ensured lots of traffic between the Village and University, and thus Yonge was packed. All the small businesses who got their windows smashed out last weekend were jammed with people.
We were out on Church at 1:00 this morning. Despite the packed out bars, we saw no one obviously drunk nor the teeniest argument/ display of anger. Everyone was incredibly mellow and just enjoying each other. And not one cop was in sight, anywhere. No "policing" was needed and the tension that would have followed the cops was totally absent.
This is what community looks like. This is what democracy looks like. I know it can't always be like this, and maybe I just needed a taste of the good instead of the evil and so am overstating the experience.... but this was the best Pride weekend I've experienced in years. Many thanks to all the activists who fought these past months and this past week to reclaim Pride for the community.
radiorahim and I went to An Evening With Tammy Faye last night in Toronto -- it's a play at the Fringe. We thought it would be a fun thing to do and kind of mix Pride with Fringe.
It was hilarious, basically a one hour monologue by a woman who played an amazing and funny Tammy Faye, and it was all about how Tammy Faye Bakker supported (in her own, strange, evangelical way) queer people throughout her ministry. She was accompanied throughout the play by a hilarious "guardian angel" (a gay guy dressed in hot white boxer briefs, white sneakers, and great big white feathery wings strapped to his back with a white leather harness).
I figured there would be a lot of people at it, but it was at 11 p.m., and since it's way out at Adelaide and Bathurst (at the Factory Theatre), it was probably too far out of the way. As a result, there were only 7 of us in the audience.
But if you want to keep celebrating Pride after this weekend, this is a great play, and you should go see it. Definitely worth it. Here are the details and times from the Fringe website:
VERY PROMINENT coverage given to the Hillel pro-Israel contingent in today's Pride parade by CP 24
Kulanu had a full page Pride ad in the Saturday Star, paid for in part by the Canada-Israel Cttee. Must have cost $30,000 or so.
I'm curious what reaction today's police Parade contingent received. Anyone here watch the parade?
I hear that Queers against Apartheid marched as well?
Happy Pride days to all.
There was no hostility toward anyone in the parade, including the police. The NDP marchers were the only ones I saw carrying signs critical of police tactics at the G20 and Blair the Liar (I think it was). There was a guy in the parade dressed in full armor as a police riot-squad member being led on a leash. That got cheers.
I saw the ad. I didn't see that anyone was named that had paid for it. It had the support of the Canada Israel committee, Canadian Jewish Congress and United Jewish Appeal. Who would have expected less? And I surmise that all three may have contributed to its cost.
And the Pride parade was a terrific day. Both QuAIA and Kulanu marched at seperate ends of the parade. I saw them both from my position in front of the Mariott hotel. I heard and saw much cheering for Kulanu. For the most part their message was positive on Israel and gay rights. I would say they had about 800 maybe a thousand.
Also saw QuAIA, their message much more political, little said about gay and lesbian rights. They were not as boisterously cheered but for the most part (with exception of a few scattered boos) were politely received. My guesstimate on their size roughly equal to that of Kulanu.
All in all a real celebration kind of a tension relief after the G20.
I came into Toronto for both days. Was right up at Church and Bloor for the dyke march, and the QuAIA got lots of cheers, (largely from me). A handful of people across from me, older men FWIW, shouted some hostile things, including "go back where you belong" (??? like WTF?)
I far prefer the dyke march, just because it's such a managable size. The sunday parade has just gotten too friggin' huge. Can't get near it to see anything. I saw a lot more Israeli flags than ever before though.
However, I, my kids, and my kids friends who came along had a great time as we do every year.
Oh, right at the front of the march, on her bike, with a rainbow flag perched in her helmet was that police sergeant who was in the youtube video at Allen Gardens searching that dude and stealing his goggles. She passes within a couple of feet of me. Felt like asking if the goggles were on ebay yet, but in the spirit of the day I passed on it. Besides, she's an out lesbian and I guess it's her parade to enjoy too.
I said earlier up that there was no hostility in the parade towards anyone but come to think of it the Israel kulanu group were holding diferent signs directed against Arabs. One of them had something about Gaza death and torture for gays which I suppose was the group's way of explaining Israel's hostility towards Gaza.
I happen to aqgree with oldgoat. The Dyke march is what the pide parade use to be. On Sunday I too saw way more Israeli flags than ever before and I am very conflicted. The kulanu group's message was pretty well positive. I did not see the sign that crusin saw. I mostly saw signs like "Israel a safe place to come" and others pointing to the fact that Israel is Gay-positive. And that is true. I do not support the occupation but I would rather this issue be protested elsewhere. As a Queer I come to Pride to forget about the shit and let loose publicly in a way I usually can't
Yes, so wouldn't it be nice if Palestinians, gay and straight, could also forget about that shit and let loose publicly in a way they usually can't? It must be remembered the supporters of Israel, even gay supporters of Israel, support a system that would rather murder gay Palestinians than parade with them.
I saw the same sign cruisin did. There were a few along the same theme, that I thought "that'd at least get you a warning on babble".
We run a tight ship here, oldgoat.
Still it was a fun time
Can really relate to your down feelings, Maysie. And I am not even in Toronto but in the West Coast!!! However, it is true that we must counteract the evil by enjoying ourselves and celebrating by being with like minds and appreciating ourselves for who we are. It isn't only Toronto that has been brutalized but all of Canada!!! I happened to be walking down my main street and WOW - a parade was taking place. It was our Pride Parade and people were dancing in the streets, baloons were prevalent, the crowd cheered on and the crowd was rather large to boot! What a delightful surprise. On the West Coast, we too have experienced police brutality to say the least! I think it is rampant throughout the country unfortunately. I travel to various cities and I am shocked by WHO many of the police officers look like: THUGS!! They actually look like the criminals.
I read that the cops in T.O. actually pretended they were being bitten. Where? On their plexiglass or plastic protective face gear? On their helmet perhaps? On their heavily clad black bodies? Where were they being beaten? Oh I cry when I think of how it must have hurt the poor B's! One would have to have FANGS to get through the gloves let alone the other 'stuff'! Gimme a break - how stupid do they think we are? It was so obvious in so many videos who the criminals were!!!!! The Black Beasts! More and more people are losing respect for the police forces throughout the whole country. The brutality has been around for a LONG LONG LONG time re the police forces. But THIS - well......truth be told to EVERYONE. Hopefully many, many people who had some respect for them (in illusion of course) now have lost their respect. I sure hope this is the case!
Kulanu had about 500 supporters. While I silently wished the immediate Kulanu organization well in the parade, I had to wonder about the friends of Kulanu. This group probably had the largest straight contingent in the parade. While the mostly straight Jews were marching for inclusion, I will guess that the big JDL guys in the back waving the JDL flags have almost no non-Jewish friends and no gay friends either.
I didn't know if I was watching a LGBT pride parade or a Jewish parade when Kulanu went by.
The QuAIA group was joined with the CAW and CUPE (I think). I think I was great that they were promoting free speech. It was also nice to see some of the QuAIA and union supporters holding up a couple of signs about Iran's lack of human rights. It shows that these groups do care about others besides those in Israel and the occupied territories. It negates the pro-Israeli argument that QuAIA supporters only focus on Israel.
Let's call it what it is: People who want an end to brutality and want to expose it for what it is: just that - BRUTALITY! Then we have those who prefer to pretend otherwise and who protect the BRUTAL! Israel has become a Brute nation. At least the leaders and their supporters have become that. This is far from 'new'. Throughout society there are people who refuse to SEE and those who do see (through investigation and an 'examined life') and do what they can to present the FACTS clearly so that others will see as well. Facts are facts are facts. No-one can dispute the truth of a matter. But some prefer to live with those rose-coloured glasses forever. A very promiment T.O. woman said to me not long ago "I don't think I am in reality". I gently agreed with her and presented certain facts to her re a couple of important issues. She simply did not want to see them and preferred to live in her imaginary world with her promiment husband as the person to give her the lowdown on LIFE (funny - I didn't mean deliberately to use "lowdown") and ALL ISSUES. This woman is intelligent, she has many accomplishments in her own right, she is a force to reckon with.....to a degree......newspaper 'worthy'.....a mover and shaker in the world of brutes. I suppose...she knows she is living in an "UNREAL" world because she refuses to truly see the FACTS and her life revolves around what her cherished husband tells her IS THE REAL WORLD. He too moves and shakes in that 'unreal' world of power and prestige. But...I don't think these people have a life beyond the greed for power and glory!! Well....at least...SHE had hoped for more! He is fine with the power and the glory. Pro-Israel dude! So be it. We do what we can - those of us who meet them and look for tiny cracks in the armor! What else can we do? They refuse to live an examine life and feel - as I was told in no uncertain words - that those of us who do "Lack in self-esteem". Oh convenint distortions and throw-backs. These folks surely had people walking in the Pro-Isael group of the Pride Parade. I noticed that the last thing they want is the truth. They prefer their world of make-believe. They receive Honorary Degrees from many Israeli organizations! No wonder we could not bridge.
The only pride i went to was the Trans Pride on Friday..maybe one day the msm and other progressive folks will take note of that..
b star, regarding what happened in Toronto at G20, most people who were not there in person don't know what transpired. The media re-wrote history a few hours after the fact. People who were there saw the following: police "allowed" the trashing of their cars. There was no anger on the part of protesters at the time this started. There was singing and dancing and a relaxed jovial atmosphere and then all of a sudden a couple of masked guys who were not part of the protest came rushing toward a lone police car with wooden sticks and started breaking its windows. More than a dozen police officers just stood back. None of them did anything to stop or deter it, not even verbally. Half a block behind them stood a large squadron of riot police. They just stood there. This was reported on the CBC when it happened by Jennifer Hollett. Somebody from the NDP also mentioned it on cp24 during a street interview at the time. There was a lot of talk about it on twitter and some on youtube. The people the police mass arrested much later on were not connected to the vandalism by physical description, location or time. Did the police arrest any of the people recorded on video destroying their cruisers?
I followed all this on youtube and rabble. Mainstream media has been distorting what transpires everywhere for decades. We need to write our own accounts of our story not history and herstory. Zionists rewrite what the supporters of a two state solution articulate. Hamas rewrites what it chooses. Sane Jews and Palestinians tell it like it is. We can write oped pieces, letters to the editors, call radio talk shows, local tv and get the true story of the Toronto police violence OUT THERE TO THE MASSES. Let's do it.
Happy Pride month, year, decade. We need to celebrate and clear our minds/hearts of the racist, sexist, homophobic, and other divisive nonsense hurled at us by mainstream media, the heterosexist press brigade. Take heart Maysie, there is life after the G8 and G20.