Thursday June 10 2021
June marks the beginning of Pride Season – a time of community, education, and of course, celebration.
But the story of Pride is so much bigger than rainbows and parades. It’s important to remember that Pride started as a riot – a rebellion against the discrimination of Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex and asexual (2SLGBTQIA+) people. And this community continues to be at the forefront of the civil rights and social movements today.
In Canada, one of the defining moments of the 2SLGBTQIA+ liberation was the raid of four bathhouses in Toronto 40 years ago, in 1981. Patrons were subjected to aggressive behaviour and verbal abuse about their sexuality by the police. By the end of the night, 300 people were charged, making it the largest single arrest in Toronto’s history at the time. The raids marked a turning point for Toronto’s gay community. They led to protests and signaled that people were no longer going to accept the status quo from the police, media, and the public. Today, Toronto hosts one of North America’s largest Pride events.
The theme of World Pride this year is You Are Included. The organizers created #YouAreIncluded as a powerful, all-encompassing statement to remind everyone that whatever your sexuality, gender identity, race, religion, appearance, economic status, nationality, refugee status, health status – or any other factor – You Are Included at Pride.
Those who benefit from colonialism and capitalism would prefer us divided. They would prefer equity-seeking groups to discriminate and turn against each other instead of uniting against a common enemy. They know that together, we outnumber them. #YouAreIncluded reminds us all that we are stronger together, and that there is a seat at the table for all of us.
CUPW has long participated and supported pride events across the country, and we encourage members to take part in events in their communities and beyond. Pride organizers have once again been forced to shift much of the Pride programing online as the pandemic continues to limit large in-person gatherings. Virtual pride keeps us connected and we invite you to attend numerous events across the country. Below is a list of some of the Pride events in communities across the country.
If your local is showing support, please email feedback@cupw-sttp.org so that it can be amplified – please attach your photos! – from the events. And remember to tag @cupw or @sttp in your tweets, and tag CUPW STTP on Facebook.
In solidarity,
