Black Lives Matter protest pride

Black Lives Matter protests at Toronto Pride Parade

Black Lives Matter staged a protest at the Pride Parade, halting the progression for roughly 30 minutes at Yonge and Carlton streets. The sit-in was held to mark BLM's claim that "Pride Toronto has shown little honour to the Black trans and queer communities, and other marginalized communities."

black lives matter protest pride

A statement of demands further stated that "Pride has threatened the existence of community spaces. This includes the near extinction of the BQY stage (Black Queer Youth), continued threats to Blockorama's autonomy, removal of other community stages (e.g. South Asian stage), and a lack of commitment and priority to the various spaces that represent diverse queer and Trans communities."

black lives matter protest pride

The parade eventually continued after Pride Executive Director Mathieu Chantelois met with protesters and signed a document agreeing to their demands. Some of the noteworthy stipulations include a ban on police floats in next year's parade, reinstatement of community stages, and a town hall meeting with marginalized groups to ensure their representation in Pride Toronto.

Photos by Hector Vasquez.


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


Join the conversation Load comments

Latest in City

Toronto water taxi options for when you want to get to the Island and back

Ontario's most painful plant uses 'tiny needles' to inject stinging chemicals

A busy street in downtown Toronto is banning cars all summer long

New Toronto park already in such sorry state it's being compared to WW1 battlefield

All the ways Canadians will get more money from the government this summer

Gardiner Expressway traffic in Toronto has surged by up to 250% due to closures

Toronto's new LRT may end up with same issues as other cursed Ontario line

A mural of Harry Styles is being torn down in Toronto to protect public safety