It seems to be a pretty commonly-held view that Pride Toronto has given itself a huge black eye in voting, as it did at its recent AGM, to ban police floats and stalls from future Pride Parades.
In what is usually described as a "last minute" or "unexpected" vote - which carries with it its own whiff of suspicion - the Pride Committee was apparently persuaded that some Parade attendees may feel intimidated by having uniformed officers (gay or otherwise) in close proximity. I'm sure that may (or may not) be true in a tiny minority of cases. But, more than anything, this was more a purely political move by police-hating activists, among whom I would have to single out members of Black Lives Matter as looming large (it was, after all, their appalling hijacking of the last Pride Parade that has brought all this about in the first place). As much as anything, I hate to see one marginalized activist group holding another to ransom in this way.
Pride has changed over the decades. The annual Pride Parade is no longer a grim-faced protest against the police-led gay bathhouse raids of the early eighties. Yes, it is still edgy to some extent, and it still includes an element of protest, but essentially these days the Pride Parade is more a celebration of diversity and inclusivity. Banning one segment of society, particularly one that also helps maintain the security of the event, surely flies in the face of that reality. The absence of a contingent of police officers - laughing and joking and sporting rainbow flags and squirting water soakers - will almost certainly have a sad, dampening effect on the whole parade.
I, and clearly many others, think the Pride Committee have made a grave mistake in allowing this motion to pass, and can only hope that the outcry that has resulted will lead to a rethinking of the decision.
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