The words happy pride were uttered many times on Sunday. It was as if we were celebrating a religious holiday. The City of Toronto has been bustling over the past week with Pride related parties, and everyone has made sure to get involved in some way, shape or form.

The parade on Sunday was an exhibition of community. Whether it was the overall gay community coming together for the Parade or the individual groups that have established themselves in the city. The parade was a beautiful exhibition of togetherness, acceptance, and tolerance. Between floats of half naked “Bears” in a bubble bath and a group from the Carribean that never seemed closer to home, people felt liberated to be themselves, whoever they were.

After checking out the parade for a little while I headed into the village to meet up with sleep deprived and alcohol drenched friends.  Beer gardens were packed by 5 PM and music blared throughout the streets. The night before  the parade, Larry Tee set it off in the neighborhood at The Barn’s “There Goes the Neighborhood”. A tremendously influential DJ, it was great to have him come to help keep people moving into the morning before the big day (its one of those weekends where its okay not to sleep).  With different sounds and different vibes at each stage everyone was entertained, and everyone felt free to take off their shirts, pants, or whatever else was restricting their movements.

Hope everyone had a happy Pride!