Toronto officials raise Progress Pride flag at city hall to kick off month of festivities

CBC News

· Posted: Jun 02, 2025 10:34 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

Toronto officials raised the Progress Pride emblem astatine metropolis hallway connected Monday to footwear disconnected a period of festivities celebrating the city's 2SLGBTQ+ community.

Mayor Olivia Chow said it's much important than ever to enactment Toronto's 2SLGBTQ+ community. Chow was joined by Coun. Chris Moise, seat of the Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Advisory Committee, and metropolis staff.

"It's not a choice. It is who we are. It's successful the city's DNA that we volition ever enactment the LGBTQ community," Chow said successful an interrogation aft the flag-raising.

"We cognize that erstwhile we travel together, we're stronger. We volition not beryllium divided and we'll basal enarthrosis to enarthrosis with the assemblage and supporting it each way. I invitation each Torontonians to bask Pride Month."

Those involved, including resistance performer Sanjina DaBish Queen, said Pride started arsenic a protestation and it's important to support the transgender community

"The airy conscionable needs to beryllium connected trans radical close now. It does. We're precise important to the community. We're important to this world. And we conscionable privation to live. We conscionable privation to breathe."

Pride Toronto precocious reported 2 of its largest sponsors, Home Depot and Google, person said they nary longer privation to sponsor the festival, but enforcement manager Kojo Modeste said the withdrawal of enactment won't impact this year's festivities.

"We already person contracts that we are obligated to. Where we mightiness consciousness it, it's adjacent year. But I bash judge that each 3 levels of authorities volition travel connected board. We're going to person much sponsors."

City representatives said they'll proceed to enactment Pride successful Toronto successful immoderate ways they can.

"At the extremity of the day, it's their loss," Chow said. "And if American companies privation to propulsion retired from supporting Pride, we volition measurement in, Canadian companies will measurement in, the authorities volition measurement in."

Throughout the period of June, Pride events volition beryllium held across Toronto.

Pride culminates with the festival weekend that runs June 27 to 29. That includes Toronto's Pride Parade, which is the 2nd largest successful the world.