In addition the 1970's Pride celebrations took place in August toĬommemorate the presentation of our demands of Canada on Parliament Hill onĪugust 28, 1971. What can be said is that the roots of the gigantic Toronto Pride celebrations of the 21st century lie in the turmoil of this year and the success of this day.Ĭontrary to the 1970's parades, held on Saturdays, a switch was initiated in 1981 to Sundays. The historical importance of 1981 to Pride in Toronto is in the formation of the Lesbian And Gay Pride Day Committee that year, dedicated to ensuring Pride became an annual event from then on. That claim is demonstrably untrue and lacks respect for Toronto LGBTQ history. There is a popular notion that the 1981 parade was Toronto's first Pride parade and/or event. (click here for more on the 1970's Pride celebrations) Of the 1980's by those of the following decades, illustrating and tracking our In any case the parades and celebrations of the 1970's were outstripped by those of the 1980's, and those The project, it is not attributable to any one person. According to Gary Kinsman, who was a member of GLARE and worked on This inspired and very welcome 1981 revival of Toronto Pride parades of the 1970's was aīrainchild and group project of GLARE aka Gays And Lesbians Against The RightĮverywhere. The Pride parade of 1981 fed on all this and eventually Pride celebrations became the behemoth (click here for more on the raids protests) Theįuture was an increased militancy and an expanded community.
Without that decade of experience to help foster and steer it, the galvanizing response to the raids quite likely would not have happened, certainly would not have been nearlyĪs successful as it turned out to be. During the 1970's activists had developed a highly politicized network and infrastructure within the community. But the events of that year did not happen in a vacuum. The 1981 Toronto bath raids, which preceded this parade by several months, were a defining moment (a watershed!) in Toronto LGBTQ history.