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Geneviève Gagnon says she has been attending the Montreal Pride parade with her children for many years.
She came to watch the parade downtown on Sunday with her daughter, Florence, who was wrapped in a Pride flag and came out as pansexual when she was 18.
“The most important thing is for (Florence) to be happy,” said Gagnon. “People should just be happy and let people live. Love is love and nothing changes that.”
Marc Venne, 72, said he attended the very first Montreal Pride parade 20 years ago. In recent years, he said he has noticed a rise in homophobia.
“I’ve known the good years, when everything was allowed… Everyone was beautiful, we had fun. Montreal is a fantastic city for that,” he said while clad in leather. “But now we’re backsliding and it’s scary.”
He said he still comes every year and refuses to feel intimidated by those he said are aggressive toward LGBTQ+ people.
Organizers with Fierté Montréal, which is French for Montreal Pride, have said they beefed up security at this year’s parade after a deadly attack at Berlin Pride last month.
Autumn Trainor walked in the parade with Gay and Gray Montreal, an organization for queer people over 50 with whom she works. She said many felt shaken after the Berlin attack.
She said the attacks on the community take place in Canada as well, with provinces like Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia passing legislation restricting trans youths’ access to gender-affirming treatment.
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“With everything that’s going on, it is definitely important to be yourself and be out there and be visible,” she said. “As a trans woman myself, I am not happy about the legislation. It makes my life more difficult and causes the death of a lot of my trans siblings.”
But spirits were high as thousands — including drag queens, people covered in glitter and community organizations — marched to blasting music.
“There’s always going to be tension, but we have to celebrate between us,” said Lady Sunshine, dressed in yellow from head to toe.
After about an hour after the Montreal Pride wrapped up, another Pride event unfolded.
A second march, Wild Pride, was held by leftist LGBTQ+ groups. Thousands marched in the Plateau Mont-Royal borough chanting “Pride is a riot” and “We won’t compromise on corporate Pride.”
Jonathan Grenier, who works with unions, said Montreal Pride no longer reflects his values.
“If I look at the companies that invest a lot (in Pride), it makes it more of a party, a ‘Wow,’ versus I’m fighting for rights,” he said.
Wild Pride was launched last year after community organizations, including pro-Palestinian group Helem Montreal, broke ties with Montreal Pride amid allegations of a “toxic organizational culture.”
Despite a shuffle in Pride leadership, Wild Pride organizer Samya Lemrini said nothing has changed.
In a statement, the organizers of Wild Pride said they wanted to bring Pride back to its roots by protesting corporate sponsorship, police presence and colonialism.
Marchers chanted “no pride in genocide” as they blasted music and danced.
A spokesperson for Fierté Montréal said the organization hears and understands the event’s critics.
“Pride movements have evolved over the years, and legitimate questions may remain regarding the roles of celebration, mobilization, and political advocacy,” an organizer said in a text message.
However, the organization added that Pride Montreal “has not become a party rather than a place for activism. We are both.”
This year’s event featured a renewed focus on advocacy, he said, with the increased presence of community organizations, Indigenous groups and representatives from marginalized communities.
Angel Eyram Hounnou addressed the crowd at Wild Pride before the march, and said it’s crucial for LGBTQ+ people to remember their history. They spoke about the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City, the AIDS crisis that devastated the gay community, and police raids at gay clubs and bathhouses that persisted into the 1990s.
“Queer existence has always meant the creation of alternative communities and underground cultures because we have always threatened the status quo,” they said in their speech.
As the march approached its end at Parc Lafontaine, Read Sherman and his partner watched on. Sherman, 63, said he was coming home from the Pride parade and wanted to check it out.
“I really like the vibe of it,” he said. “And I understand the need. It’s… activist. It is about causes that are important. So I’m really glad to be here to see it.”
While Sherman believes it’s a good thing to see acceptance of LGBTQ+ people in corporate Canada, he understands those who say the work is not over.
“I can see why a pretty corporate party is not meeting the same need or maybe amplifying the same messages,” he said.
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