Panel recommends “considerable downsizing” to Pride festival, along with new ways Pride Toronto can avoid another lousy year
Last year, it’s safe to say, will not go down in the history books as Pride Toronto’s greatest. There was the Queers Against Israeli Apartheid debacle and associated internal strife, all culminating in last month’s revelation that the festival is insolvent, having spent way more last year than it took in. The job of fixing this mess fell to Pride Toronto’s Community Advisory Panel, chaired by the Reverend Brent Hawkes. The CAP’s report is here [PDF], but to summarize: “Pride Toronto, say you’re sorry and make sure that 2010 never happens again.” We’re not kidding. A general apology is one of the first recommendations.
Xtra was at the meeting last night where the report was released:
Francisco Alverez, chair of the Pride Toronto board of directors, earned a standing ovation after telling the crowd that he accepts the CAP’s recommendations “wholesale,” at least “in spirit.” Alvarez also gave a heartfelt apology on behalf of the board to the whole community.
The sweeping report covers everything from finances to entertainment. A significant portion of the report is dedicated to repairing rifts between Pride Toronto (PT), the trans community and people of colour.
The first recommendation is that “Pride Toronto should be saved and its programming considerably downsized.”
So, yes, there will be a Pride parade this year, though possibly a smaller one than in years past—and there will certainly be changes, including splitting the parade into three separate groups and making sure that participants sign a broadly written anti-discrimination policy. (Hear that, QUAIA?) Not signing the policy would exclude any group from the parade, as would signing it and violating the policy.
Many of the report’s suggestions are in the spirit of having a Pride celebration focused more on the actual LGBT community in Toronto. For example, commercial parade floats can’t just sell phones or condos anymore; they have to have some LGBT-themed messaging. Corporate sponsors might be asked whether, for example, they “proactively hire LGBT individuals.” Not all of this is immediate, though: the rules for corporate sponsors will come into effect next year, giving business time to catch up.
• Advisory Panel offers sweeping 133 recommendations to Pride Toronto [Xtra]
• Pride keen to move beyond scandals [Toronto Star]
• Community Advisory Panel Executive Summary (PDF) [CAP]
FYI, A broadly written anti-discrimination policy has been in effect during the past two years that QuAIA participated in the Pride Parade. QuAIA has signed and adhered to the policy each year, and marched without any reports of breaking it. The idea that QuAIA breaks any city of Toronto or Pride Toronto policy are merely attempts to mis-use such policies to silence the group’s message (which, not coincidentally, is against discriminatory practices).
Downsized? Just get rid of it altogether. We get it, you’re gay. Public exhibitionism (gay, straight, interracial, interplanetary, what-the-fuck-ever) sanctioned by taxpayers is not a good use of MY MONEY. I’d never bother with a parade devoted exclusively to promoting the wonders of my own heterosexuality any more than I would with this ridiculous, out-dated novelty that arguably does more harm than good to its community’s image when a sizable portion of the people lining the parade route are just there for a good laugh (at, not with). Let the LGBT community pony up the whole dime for good and see how much smaller Pride gets every year.