Rumours of an alternate route for Pride Toronto’s Trans March were realized July 1 when about 200 protesters defiantly marched down Yonge St.

The rest of the group — 1,000 or more — took the traditional route down Church St, which is closed for the entire weekend for Pride celebrations.

The Yonge St path, which more closely mirrors the routes of both the Dyke March and the Pride parade, took marchers down about eight blocks of Yonge St, from Charles St to Wood St. A truck at the front of that demo blasted Lily Allen’s “Fuck You” the entire length of the demonstration. The splinter group negotiated the route with police before it began.

That march set off at 8pm, while the Church St march left a half hour later. Crowds of revellers, in the neighbourhood for the weekend’s celebrations, lined the street to cheer on the marchers.

The evening began with a show of unity at Norman Jewison parkette, located in Toronto’s Church-Wellesley Village. Speakers, including Bear Bergman and Kate Bornstein, addressed the swelling crowds before the marches began.

Both marches ended at the Pride Toronto south stage, where trans programming was set to continue until 10pm. An afterparty is planned at the Gladstone Hotel in Toronto’s west end.

Watch video of the Yonge St Trans March here: