Thousands of people lined downtown Toronto's streets yesterday afternoon to enjoy the city's Pride Parade, Canada's largest gay pride celebration.The parade is Pride Week's signature event and is known internationally for its elaborate costumes and floats.
The parade followed a four-block route along the streets of Toronto's bustling downtown 'gaybourhood.'
It included floats and marching groups representing gay, lesbian, bisexual and transsexual service and support networks, gay- friendly businesses and several faith and ethnic groups.
People lined the streets snapping pictures of the colourful floats, brightly costumed drag queens, stilt walkers and scantily-dressed dancers.
Those marching threw flyers, buttons, candy, and condoms into the crowd, while some even passed out copies of Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms to the spectators.
JC Lavigne, who has been married to his partner Jorge Velasquez for a year-and-a-half, said he thought the parade had attracted many people from the gay and mainstream communities.
"It's very important to encourage our community and to support our rights, to make sure we keep them, especially with the present Conservatives in power," Lavigne said.
Mexican tourist Nancy Figueroa, on a visit to Canada with her husband and daughter, said there were no parades like this where she is from and praised Canada's open-mindedness.
"It's good for the people to express themselves, what their preferences are," Figueroa said of the parade.
Figueroa had brought her daughter to the event in order to expose her to gay culture.
"(She) won't see something like this as something forbidden, or as something that is not right," she said. "Hopefully in the future, (she) will see this like something normal."
Several politicians also joined in the march, including Toronto Mayor David Miller, Ontario Progressive Conservative leader John Tory and Liberal MP Michael Ignatieff.
The event brings in an estimated 80 million dollars to the local economy. (CP)
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