From debates over police inclusion in the Pride parade, to emphatic support for Black Lives Matter, speakers shared their views and voiced their concerns at Pride Toronto’s town hall Aug 30, 2016. Here are some of the highlights.
Rob Easton
“The black queer community has had to fight for a rightful place in the Pride festival — fight for space, fight for recognition and fight for support,” Pride Toronto co-chair Alica Hall acknowledged at the town hall on Aug 30, 2016.
The demands made by Black Lives Matter Toronto at this year’s Pride parade reflect “a long and difficult history between Pride and black queer communities,” she said.
But while Pride Toronto now says it’s willing to implement “the vast majority” of those demands, Hall said removing police floats is a different matter.
That’s a matter for the dispute resolution process, she said — to many attendees’ dismay.
For many community members, the town hall was a chance to voice how excluded they feel from Pride Toronto events, and to share their emphatic support for Black Lives Matter.
Watch our video above to hear some of the most powerful speakers from the town hall.
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