If you’ll recall, a group of Black Lives Matter activists shut down Toronto’s Pride Parade last year to air a series of demands that event organizers were coerced to agree to before the show could go on.
Toronto Pride Director Mathieu Chantelois signed off on the demands about half an hour into the standoff, though it wasn’t clear then how sincere the commitment was.
Yesterday, organizers of Pride Toronto voted to follow through on the most contentious of BLM’s demands, which was to ban police floats from the parade and other Pride marches.
It’s currently unclear what, if any, presence Toronto police will have at this year’s Pride festivities, which has left Toronto police spokesperson Mark Pugash to describe the situation as “extremely confusing.”
THE CANADIAN PRESS IMAGES/Michael Hudson
Even the Pride side seems a little perplexed about what they voted for.
“The crux of that demand … is that there’s no police presence in the parade,” said Pride Toronto member Gwen Bartleman. “If that means no uniformed officers, I’m not sure. What constitutes presence, what constitutes a float, this is all up for conversation.”
One thing Bartleman’s sure about: The vote was a successful step towards making sure all members of the LGBTQ community feel safe.
It’s unclear how a public event with tens of thousands of visitors void of police makes people feel safer.
Reaction to the news on social media has been considerably negative, with many commenters questioning Pride’s mantra of inclusiveness.
“Police officers are significantly represented in the LGBTQ community and it would be unacceptable to alienate and discriminate against them and those who support them,” wrote Toronto Const. Chuck Crangle, who is openly gay, in an open letter.
“They too struggled to gain a place and workplace free from discrimination and bias.”
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