My "Toronto Pride" Cup Runneth Over

I have been in Toronto, Canada for the past three weeks, and tonight was the culmination of this city's "Pride" festival, which celebrates Toronto's LGBT community.  This year's celebration was actually the city's 30th.

And what a celebration it was.  I can't tell you how many times I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming--it was almost too much happiness to handle!  I have never seen anything like it anywhere before--an all-out party, but infused with total warmth and peace. No fights, no drama; just people having fun and being themselves. Even the buses were decked out with Pride messages:


Did you know certain buses are just born gay?

The parade, which went on for hours and basically took over Yonge Street (Toronto's equivalent of Broadway), featured your perennial muscle boys:


Hey you!  Why don't you come over here and open up my Guaranteed Investment Certificate?  It pays 9 1/2 %!

But there was also a military presence in the parade.  I personally saw a gay marching band from a Canadian military base, and I heard about a contingent of actual gay soldiers marching too:


We're looking for a few good men.  (Preferably with their shirts off.)

Even some of the dogs got in on the action:


I like it "ruff."


Does this boa make me look fat?

All in all, it was yet another reminder that this country of my birth, which I have been away from for almost 9 years, is CRAZY progressive.  It almost makes me wonder why I ever left in the first place.  (Oh yeah, 'cause I was a conservative closet-case back then.)

So in closing, here is the acronym I came up with for PRIDE:

P is for the parade, which blew every other parade I have ever seen clear out of the water;

R is for the ripped bodies grinding on the dance floors all weekend long;

I is the for the insanity that was the corner of Church and Wellesley Streets (the epicenter of Toronto Gaydom);

D is for the drag queens who kept the crowds entertained for hours on end;

and finally

E is for the excitement I felt to be a part of this grand celebration of inclusion, self-expression, and love.

Happy Pride everyone!