‘Loud and proud’: Thousands rally for Dyke March in Toronto

Pride weekend festivities continued on Saturday with the annual Dyke March taking over the streets of downtown Toronto.

Thousands made their way to the intersection of Hayden and Church streets for this year’s march, a rally that focuses on inclusion.

“Today’s important because we need to see the visibility of dykes and lesbians in Toronto and worldwide,” said Leszlie Lee Kam.

“There are no spaces for dykes and lesbians in Toronto. There are many spaces for gay men, so we are hoping that by being visible spaces will be created for us and we’re also trying to create spaces for ourselves, we are not waiting for people to do it for us. But we need to be working in partnership with people who already have the spaces to make room for us.”

Many people said one of the main reasons for attending is because it is a safe space for them to be themselves.

“Pride has been important to me since I realized I was bi-sexual when I was a teenager. I went to a Catholic school that wasn’t very inclusive and I like to be loud and proud and represent my community,” said march attendee Ava Winter.

Dorni Sardari spoke at the rally, letting people know that when it comes to the freedom to express themselves some are not so lucky.

“I am from Iran and my country is under a regime of one of the most brutal governments, the Islamic Republic,” Sardari said.

“Because my queer siblings are fighting for their basic rights in Iran and risking their lives I just wanted to be their echo and say that this revolution will win. We are with them, we hear them and we see them.”

While there was a festive air and mood to the celebration, many echoed that there is still a need to fight for equality in this world, which they point out is what Pride month is all about.

The day concluded with the Drag Ball at Nathan Phillips Square featuring a lineup of several Toronto drag icons and special guests. The gathering was organized to take a stand for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in the face of worldwide drag bans, anti-drag protests, and anti-trans laws.

Pride Parade set for Sunday

The party is set to continue on Sunday with the main event – the Toronto Pride Parade – featuring colourful floats, glittery costumes and over 100 different groups marching.

The parade kicks off at 2 p.m. at Church and Bloor Streets and will make its way down Yonge Street before wrapping up at Nathan Phillips Square where festivities are expected to continue through the night.

There will be a number of road closures as a result of the parade. Church Street will be closed from Dundas to Hayden Streets for the entire weekend for the Street Fair which has music stages and vendors. As for Sunday’s parade, the same streets will be closed from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The TTC says it will be adding service on Line 1 and 2 for this weekend’s pride festivities. The closest stops along the parade route are Bloor-Yonge, Wellesley, College, Dundas and Queen stations.

Several streetcar and bus routes will be diverting between the hours of 12:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. to accomodate the parade route, including the 19 Bay, 501 Queen, 505 Dundas and 506 Carlton.

All roads are expected to be re-opened at approximately 8 p.m. on Sunday.