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2013 Toronto pride parade

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one million words

Today we went to the pride parade on Yonge Street. We took the kids and Mari's parents, who were visiting from (rural) Kyushu. It was the grandparents' first time, though both kids (even fourteen month old The Girl) had been before.

What I learned this year was this: if you want attention at a gay pride parade, bring your kids. And yell "Happy Pride" at the marchers. You will be a) soaked repeatedly and b) loaded down with free stuff. The Boy's shirt was covered in stickers by the end, and he had a Canadian flag with the queer rainbow in the vertical red bands on the sides, a Frisbee, a fan, two bead necklaces, some chewing gum, a pen, and some other stuff. We had people coming over to chat with the baby, and about a dozen marchers shot at The Boy with their water guns (in part because I was pointing at him and shouting "shoot here").

The photos are here.

P.S. Green Party - if you're going to carry a giant flag for people to throw money into, you should do what the Liberals had done - have people with signs march ahead of the coin collectors. Dragging a giant flag with only $6 (literally) didn't really impress. And I say this as a former Green.