Tag Archives: Toronto

EDMONTON: Anti-Israel Group Marches In Pride Parade Without Incident

Despite all controversy and protests in Toronto, Queers Against Israeli Apartheid marched in Saturday’s Edmonton Pride parade with little fanfare. Their banners read “There’s no pride in apartheid” and “Free Palestine.” The group plans to crash Toronto’s event despite having been banned. I’ve been told a NYC-based contingent plans to attend NYC’s event, but haven’t yet heard whether they’ll be …

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Israel Fallout Continues For Pride Toronto

Last month Pride Toronto banned Queers Against Israeli Apartheid from all of its events, prompting many to complain of censorship. On Monday over two dozen former Grand Marshals and honorees marched on Pride Toronto’s office to return their awards. All of the speakers at Pride Toronto’s planned June 28th human rights event have canceled their appearances. And now some of …

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Former Pride Toronto Honorees And Grand Marshals Attempt To Return Their Awards

About two dozen former Grand Marshals and honorees of Pride Toronto attempted to return their awards at the organization’s headquarters yesterday in protest of the decision to bar Queers Against Israeli Apartheid from all events. However Pride employees had locked the doors. Protesters then held a press conference outside to give a Shame Award to Pride Toronto.

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TORONTO: Anti-Israel Group Vows To Crash Gay Pride Parade

Although Pride Toronto has banned Queers Against Israeli Apartheid from their events, the group vows that they will march in the parade anyway. “I don’t think that a suggestion that they don’t like our message should keep us out of Pride,” Queers Against Israeli Apartheid spokeswoman Elle Flanders told the Toronto Star. “So there is an intention to march, and …

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TORONTO: Anti-Israel Protesters Jam Pride Group’s Press Conference

Yesterday protesters jammed a Pride Toronto press conference held to address the swirling controversy over their decision to ban Queers Against Israeli Apartheid from their events. About 80 QuAIA members and supporters turned out to protest the move, chanting “Whose Pride? Our Pride!” and “Resign! Resign! Resign!” Though Pride Toronto insists the action isn’t “directed at any one group,” the …

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Pride Toronto Boots Anti-Israel Group

After weeks of controversy, Pride Toronto has decided to ban Queers Against Israeli Apartheid from all its events. QAII, whom some claim is an anti-Semitic organization, opposes the treatment of Palestinians by the Israeli government. They had marched in the parade for the last several years. Some city leaders had threatened to pull funding for Pride Toronto if the group …

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Feds Defund Pride Toronto

Pride Toronto, already in a pitched battle with the city over the inclusion of an anti-Israel group, has lost its federal funding for this year’s event. The announcement came Friday when Industry Minister Tony Clement released the government’s list of events that will receive federal funding under the Marquee Tourism Events Program, a temporary two-year stimulus measure to support tourism …

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Pride Toronto Facing Down City On Funding Threat Over Anti-Israel Group

Pride Toronto is standing firm in the face of threats of losing their city funding over the inclusion of an anti-Israel group in this year’s parade. It’s Zero Hour for Pride Toronto — at least according to Toronto city councillor and mayoral candidate Giorgio Mammoliti, who tried to reignite the debate over the parade’s inclusion of Queers Against Israeli Apartheid …

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TORONTO: Gay Bathhouse Closes To Become Heterosexual Bathhouse

Toronto’s oldest gay bathhouse, Club Toronto, has closed to become an “upscale swinger’s club,” the fancy name for a straight bathhouse. On April Fool’s Day, a hand-written note appeared on the red door of Club Toronto reading simply, “Closed forever.” It was no joke. After 37 years as a bathhouse, the large brick house at Mutual and Carlton streets is …

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Toronto Threatens To Pull Gay Pride Funding Over Anti-Israel Group

The city of Toronto is threatening to pull their funding for Pride Toronto if the organization allows an anti-Israel group to participate in the parade. The city believes that its anti-discrimination policy was violated by the participation of Queers Against Israeli Apartheid in the 2009 Pride Toronto parade, to which the city gave $121,000, the Toronto Star reported Monday. The …

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Do Drop The Soap

The above ad for Toronto’s Muddy York rugby club can currently be seen around the city’s gay village. (Tipped by JMG reader Trevor in Toronto)

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Brendan Burke Dies In Car Accident

Brendan Burke, the openly gay son of Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke, died in a car accident in Indiana on Friday afternoon at the age of 21. The Burkes made international news in December when the story of Brendan’s coming out to his very supportive father was the subject of a profile on ESPN.com. The crash, said to …

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The STD From The Black Lagoon

Towleroad points us to this syphilis alert from the AIDS Committee of Toronto and notes that advertising critic Copyranter is unimpressed. It’s the ‘ol vintage sci-fi/horror movie poster parody—a popular ad execution idea for social causes recently. And why not? Cause advertising is depressing as hell to work on these days, right? Because humans are a lost fucking cause! So, …

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Toronto Awarded WorldPride 2014

At their annual convention held this year in St. Petersburg, Florida, members of the international group InterPride voted to name Toronto as the host city for WorldPride 2014. Stockholm came in a close second. The next WorldPride will be held in London in 2012 just prior to the Olympics. InterPride is a consortium of over 200 local gay Pride committees …

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Fritz Helder & The Phantoms –
Lagerfeld Lady

I’ve been digging this clip from Toronto’s gay gay gay Fritz Helder & The Phantoms for a few days now. It’s not to my usual tastes, but there’s something about it….

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Pride Donation Rocks Canada’s Feds

Canada’s parliament is up in arms because of a CN $400K donation to Pride Toronto made from a fund designed to boost tourism. Members of the Saskatchewan Conservative Party (again!) are driving a call to discipline the MP who posed with drag queens in a check presentation ceremony. Toronto’s Pride Week may have seen its last cheque from Prime Minister …

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Toronto: World’s First Murder Conviction For Knowingly Spreading HIV

In what is being called the first such result in the world, a Ugandan immigrant in Canada has been convicted of two counts of first degree murder for knowingly infecting women with HIV. During the trial, which began in October of last year, prosecutors said that Johnson Aziga had unprotected sex with former female co-workers and women he met at …

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Anonymous Takes On Scientology at Toronto Pride

I got an email from anti-Scientology group Anonymous hipping me to the above clip which combines information about Scientology’s anti-gay policies with images from the Anonymous protest in front of Scientology offices during last week’s Toronto Pride, during which Scientology members threatened protesters with physical violence. Anonymous plans on bringing hate crimes charges against the cult, which says that gay …

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