As Pride Toronto approaches, I am reminded of how much further there is to go. Global violence and persecution of LGBTQ+ people continues to be legal, accepted, and/or ignored. Closer to home, whether it is transphobic acts of violence, a serial killer in Toronto’s gaybourhood, a mass shooting in a Florida nightclub, or a kid in a school yard using the word “homo” as the ultimate insult, LGBTQ+ people are not free. We are not safe. We are not accepted. This Pride Parade, we are encouraged to wear black as we watch the celebration. At the end of the parade, the barriers will come down and we are invited to flood the streets in a March of solidarity to both honour those we have lost, and to visibly show that we will not disappear. We are here. For more info see: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/pride-safety-campaign-1.4680673
