Toronto’s
annual Pride Parade is not only the biggest in Canada, but also one of the
biggest in the world. The event honours diverse sexual and gender
identities, histories and cultures. This year’s Pride Parade, held on a
beautiful Sunday afternoon of June 24th, culminated a week of
gay pride activities all over the city that featured over 600 artists in a
free outdoor multidisciplinary arts festival. This year’s International
Grand Marshall was Rossana Flamer-Caldera, co-secretary of ILGA
(International lesbian and Gay Association) who also works as a queer
activist in Sri Lanka as a founding member of the organization Equal
Ground. This year Pride Toronto decided to highlight eight countries where
queers face persecution in the form of torture, punishment, or the death
penalty. The eight chosen countries were Iran, Pakistan, Nigeria, Sri
Lanka, Belarus, Russia, Jamaica and Honduras. Carrying their respective
flags, representatives of each country marched at the head of the Parade
just behind Rossana, showing the world the pressure they face to remain
silent. Arsham Parsi was invited by Pride Toronto as an Iranian queer
activist to take part in the Parade for this purpose and carry the Islamic
Republic of Iran flag. The flag-bearers were trailed by the rest of the
parade – a celebratory march filled with music and dancing, bright
costumes, proud slogans and floats from various queer groups and
organizations that make up Toronto’s diverse queer community.
Toronto’s
annual Pride Parade is not only the biggest in Canada, but also one of the
biggest in the world. The event honours diverse sexual and gender
identities, histories and cultures. This year’s Pride Parade, held on a
beautiful Sunday afternoon of June 24th, culminated a week of
gay pride activities all over the city that featured over 600 artists in a
free outdoor multidisciplinary arts festival. This year’s International
Grand Marshall was Rossana Flamer-Caldera, co-secretary of ILGA
(International lesbian and Gay Association) who also works as a queer
activist in Sri Lanka as a founding member of the organization Equal
Ground. This year Pride Toronto decided to highlight eight countries where
queers face persecution in the form of torture, punishment, or the death
penalty. The eight chosen countries were Iran, Pakistan, Nigeria, Sri
Lanka, Belarus, Russia, Jamaica and Honduras. Carrying their respective
flags, representatives of each country marched at the head of the Parade
just behind Rossana, showing the world the pressure they face to remain
silent. Arsham Parsi was invited by Pride Toronto as an Iranian queer
activist to take part in the Parade for this purpose and carry the Islamic
Republic of Iran flag. The flag-bearers were trailed by the rest of the
parade – a celebratory march filled with music and dancing, bright
costumes, proud slogans and floats from various queer groups and
organizations that make up Toronto’s diverse queer community. 
