Pride 2008 Crowns Grand Marshall Enza Anderson

Blonde really suits her, the dark hair never looked right.

Totally agree!

GAY PRIDE GOING DOWN. RACE, CLASS, BOREDOM CITED AS CAUSE OF SLOW DEATH

In its beginnings, the parade was an explicitly political affair, largely the work of affluent, white left-leaners consciously grabbing the Stonewall and Steam Bath Raid events as a rallying point for Toronto's largely closeted gay and lesbian population.

One of its great messages was that closeted gays and lesbians were working alongside Torontonians at white-shoe law firms, big accounting firms, in entertainment, the arts, publishing, journalism, politics.

After all, the message ?out of the closet and into the streets!? could hardly have been aimed at people who were living out their gay lives there already.

A few years later, an article in The Toronto Star described the paraders ?? most of whom were white and most of whom were young? ? marching ?past smiling policemen, wide-eyed tourists and blas? locals who passed it off with a live-and-let-live shrug.?

But over the last three decades, as that demographic has largely come out of the closet, and gotten a little more than a ?live and let live? shrug when they emerged, there doesn?t seem to be much for them to march for.

White people say they experience the parade as being tired and corny. They?ll say it?s unattractive to them. The reason it?s unattractive to them is because there are all these faces of people of color from all over the world. What happens is the parade gets blacker and blacker.Fewer white people feel drawn to it. The result is, to be seen at the parade is a little d?class?.

Gays may say they celebrate difference, but only in terms of sexuality. Race and class need not apply.

Thanks for the copy & paste. How about a real opinion?

"there doesn?t seem to be much for them to march for."

Bullshit. Step into the shoes of any gay kid growing up in school where they're dehumanized by their classmates.

Or try kissing your same-sex partner in any club outside of Church Street and see what kind of reaction you get from the people around you.

Hell, take a stroll around town with Enza and observe the disgusting behaviour many Torontonians show her. (I have on several occasions, and she's brave let me tell you)

As much as Torontonians like to praise the city for how progressive and welcoming it is, there's still a lot of bullshit that goes on here and abroad.

Pride is absolutely still necessary. Don't try to tell me otherwise unless you've been exposed to this kind of treatment.

it's the biggest street party, let's enjoy and have fun

Congratulations Enza!
Much deserved, and fyi, you look great!!

Warmflash needs a bitchslap from jeffree star.

I thought that we'd established that Jeffree Star hitting people wasn't particularly helpful.