‘All in for love’: Tens of thousands march in Toronto Pride Parade

Kojo Modeste, the executive director of Pride Toronto, says the city’s parade is the safest place to be.

The colours of the rainbow were all over downtown Toronto on Sunday as tens of thousands of people marched in the annual Pride Parade.

Crowds lined up along Yonge Street to watch the parade, which started at 2 p.m. at the corner of Park Road and Rosedale Valley Road. Over 25,000 people and 250 community groups were expected to participate.

The street was filled with music, dancing, cheers of “Happy Pride!” and flags representing the 2SLGBTQ+ community. Revellers decked out in colourful outfits also held up signs with messages of pride and love.

Some spectators were from other countries, including the U.S., Germany and Brazil.

The Toronto Pride Parade, considered the largest in North America, is the culmination of Pride Month festivities. The theme of the 44th edition of the parade is “All In.”

“We are the largest, we are the best, we are the greatest. It is the safest place to be for Pride, and no one is going to take that away from us,” Kojo Modeste, the executive director of Pride Toronto, told CP24.

“We’re all in. We’re standing up and saying queer rights are human rights. And this is what Toronto is about. This is what this Pride Parade is all about.”

Among the marchers was Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, who said seeing the turnout made her proud to be the city’s mayor.

“This city is phenomenal,” Chow told CP24 on the parade route.

“We’re all in for love and justice. All in to say that you have the freedom to love who you want and the freedom to be who you are.”

Colin Button, who has attended the parade for more than three decades, said participants have become more diverse.

“Everyone’s voice counts. Everyone deserves to be heard,” Button told CTV News Toronto.

Bellamie Miller, who was attending the Pride Parade for the first time, said it was important to show support and love for everybody.

Several pro-Palestinian protesters also appeared at the parade, calling for a boycott of “corporate Pride,” referring to companies they claim benefit from the Israel-Hamas war.

This is the second year in a row that pro-Palestinian demonstrators have disrupted the event. The parade was cut short last year as a result.

The parade’s grand marshal, Cheri Di Novo, said the Pride Parade began as both a demonstration and a celebration.

The first Pride marches were held to commemorate the Stonewall protests in New York City.

“It should always be a celebration and demonstration,” she said.