Triple Pride

Today’s Canada Day. Happy birthday, Canada, the wonderful adopted country of my parents! I love this country and will probably stay here forever. Diversity, peace, and free health care are just too good to give up.

Sunday, June 29, was Pride Day in Toronto. The number of revellers grows every year. Over the course of the preceding week, tourists and locals inject an estimated $100 million into the economy. This year, we watched from the roof of our building where breezes mingled with the occasional raindrops to keep us cool. However, nothing bad rained down–except that banal news coverage in the Toronto Star and Toronto Sun. These people haven’t figured out that the most subservive and newsworthy aspect of Toronto Pride is how utterly mainstream it has become. I like the way Montreal Simon put it:

“When so many straight people turn out for a gay parade … including thousands and thousands of new Canadians with their children in tow … and everybody has a good time … you know something AMAZING is happening.”

Yup, but the Sun and the Star want to talk about nudity and squirt guns. Whatev. This year, eighteen members of the Canadian Armed Forces marched, ten in uniform (being out in the forces has been OK here for 13 years). And next year, there will be more. There always are.

Photo by Richard Wahab, CTV Toronto

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And finally, I won 3rd prize in the Ms. Single Mama Flatten Your Fear contest! First prize was a flat iron, which I secretly coveted, but I am extremely happy and proud to receive Accidentally on Purpose by Mary Pols. You can read about the contest winners, including yours truly, here.

Filed under: life , Canada Day, Canadian Armed Forces, contest winners, Flatten your fear, Ms. Single Mama, Toronto Pride, Toronto Star, Toronto Sun