1990 toronto gay pride
What’s In the Archives: Worn to Pride Events Across Canada
Showing our Pride from Toronto, Halifax, Montreal and Vancouver.
Written by: Allison Ridgway
Toronto On 1 August 1971, Toronto’s gay and queer woman community held its first Pride celebration: a Same-sex attracted Day picnic. Around 300 people gathered at Hanlan’s point, decorating the Toronto Islands beach with flags, banners and balloons to declare their Pride. Organized by Toronto Gay Deed, the Community Homophile Association of Toronto and the University of Toronto Homophile Association, that afternoon was more than just a party: it was one of the city’s first – and largest – displays of gay and lesbian solidarity, and the first step in making Toronto Pride the cultural landmark it is today. The following year, Lgbtq+ fest Day grew into Movement Week: seven days filled with film screenings, art festivals, panels and dances. The week culminated in Toronto’s first Pride protest, held 19 August 1972. This first march looked much different than the one held last weekend. There were no mass crowds lining the streets and waving rainbow flags to cheer on the marchers like we watch today. Despite efforts by the organizers, then-Mayor David Crombie
Today at Noon the Municipality of Toronto kicks off Pride Week by raising the rainbow flag at City Hall and to celebrate here is a new video of the 1990 Toronto Pride deposit together by James Leahy from his own archive. Lots of great shots of Church Street 25 years ago and glimpses of one the mature CBC buildings that was on the corner of Alexander and Church. There was a lot going on in 1990, and lots of villains including the City of Toronto which voted not to proclaim Pride again and in the video you’ll see a performance mocking then-mayor Art Eggleton. James’s full notes on this video are below, and you can also test out his films of the 1988 and 1989 Toronto Prides here on Spacing.
1990 was the year it almost rained on our parade. Fortunately, the rain let up in the early afternoon and the rest of the day was dry, albeit a tad cool and cloudy.
Because of the weather you might notice a different tone in the 1990 festivities: a bit more subdued than previous years. Many people are dressed in jackets and carrying umbrellas.
People also looked different that year: funkier, perhaps, with a punk aesthetic not seen at earlier Prides.
This was also the first yea Originally published on Torontoist on June 20, 2014. Gay Pride parade, 1972. Photo by Jearld Moldenhauer. The Body Politic, Autumn 1972. It was a simple poster, one that asked people to bring nourishment, drink, and tune to Hanlan’s Show on August 1, 1971. Around 300 people followed the poster’s directions to what was billed as “Toronto’s first gay picnic”—the first of a series of events held throughout the 1970s that served as precursors to the current annual Celebration celebration, established in 1981. The organizing of the picnic grew from the homosexual liberation movement that was rapidly developing in Canada during the early 1970s. As Tom Warner notes in his book Never Going Back: A History of Queer Protest in Canada, In the short period between 1970 and 1974, the new ideology blossomed on several fronts; breaking through isolation and loneliness; rejecting the notions of sin, sickness, and criminality that previously defined homosexuality; fighting against oppression, discrimination, and harassment; asserting pride in same-sex sexuality as good and natural; engaging in hostile public advocacy for social and legislative reform; and building both a people and a tradition ba Between 1988 and 1995 (save for 1991 when he did not have a camera) Toronto editor and filmmaker James Leahy documented Toronto Pride, both the street life and procession. Over the last several years he completed adjusting his footage of one year’s Pride and released it (we posted a number of them here on Spacing). This year he completed editing the 1995 event, the last year of his footage. Here are all seven of his films. Some are quite lengthy. All contain amazing visual records of both what Toronto looked like during this period (especially Church and Yonge Streets) and glimpses of individuals that some may recognize. Below each film is Leahy’s description of the film in his own words. In this year when Pride’s critical political nature is debated (by some) you’ll view through each film that Pride is and always has been inherently political even as its movements evolve, and a lot of fun too. Love them this Pride Week. – Shawn Micallef 1988: This was my first year filming Pride — you can tell. Highlights incorporate the official opening of the temporary AIDS memorial, performances by local artists David Ramsden, Scott Thompson, David Roche, the Na May 1 – June 28, 2025 | Lakeshore Blvd. West https://www.cirquedusoleil.com/ Tuesday, June 30 | 9:10 PM June 25 – 29 | Daily 5 PM – Midnight
All Ages | Wheelchair Accessible
A vibrant, acrobatic spectacle inspired by the insect earth, OVO invites audiences into a whimsical ecosystem teeming with movement, colour, and heart. A joyful celebration for all ages, this memorable show brings Cirque’s magic to Toronto with accessible seating for all.
Trinity Cinema, Distillery District
Ticket: $50 / PG / Wheelchair Accessible
Experience a compelling open-air film assessing of IncluCity, a post-WWII story of love, courage, and self-discovery in a conservative Italian village. Follow Marta, a single mother, as she is introduced to a secret LGBTQ+ community and begins to disagree societal norms. Your ticket includes complete access to festival activations and tasting samples starting at 6:30 PM.
Barbara Hall Park (519 Church St.)
Free / Wheelchair Accessible
Celebrate Pride with five nights of music, performance, and community at the Green Space Festival, hosted by The 519. Each evening features a one-of-a-kind theme and lineup: