I attended the Toronto Gay Pride with my bf. Interesting experience, especially for him.
Part of the event was very positive and focused on acceptance. Other parts left me wondering how this helps the gay cause. Let me explain. There were many LGBTQ organizations that set up at the Gay Pride to explain what they do and offer support. Toronto politicians, like Mayor Olivia Chow, attended to show support. There were several show venues with artists performing.
On Saturday afternoon we walked through the Church Street gay village. A fair number of people wandering around totally naked. My bf asked how can they get away with this? Why are the police (there were many) not doing anything about this? The normal rules are off at gay pride I guess. There was one guy sitting on the side walk, totally naked, masturbating. Again, my bf asked, how is this allowed? He also added, wow, it was big.
The next day we attended the parade. There were long breaks in the parade flow because protesters had disrupted the parade upstream. One person was driving a small sit down scooter. This topless person had large breasts, but would zoom up to the sidelines to pull up their skirt to reveal a penis to the crowd.
I was surprised how many kids were in attendance at the parade. Some of this behavior, I'm not sure how it helps the gay cause. Most of the event was positive, focusing on acceptance, and letting everyone know that LGBTQ people can be found in all ethnicities and walks of life.
There are bad apples in every bunch and they tend to spoil things for everyone as a whole. That's why the Gay community as whole has a negative reputation for a lot of people. Were judged by the bad apples because that is what people take notice of. I've never been to a pride event but understand that there is something for everyone from mild to wild. Based on your post it sounds like that is accurate. Glad you were able to attend the event and it's good to see a post from you. Hope all is well. Take care!
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