I'll be at the Gay Pride Parade 2010!

[Michael Hardner]

It doesn't sound as if this is a children's parade. There are people marching completely nude in it.

There is no full nudity at the parade. There are topless women, but that is legal in Ontario.

[Michael Hardner]

I have to say, I didn't realize the parade was of this nature. I thought it really was to promote gay pride and equal rights. How does a parent explain that this equals "pride" to a kid? Seems to me it doesn't give a very good impression of gays.

Why ? Because gays can be nude ? Anyway, as I mentioned the nudity is basically gone. I suspect those are old pictures. They're "gentrifying" and taming the whole event....

Jeez, I thought you were a Canada-loving liberal. Come on in, the water's fine !

[Mr.Canada]

Why ? Because gays can be nude ? Anyway, as I mentioned the nudity is basically gone. I suspect those are old pictures. They're "gentrifying" and taming the whole event....

Jeez, I thought you were a Canada-loving liberal. Come on in, the water's fine !

Michael Hardner, I can only guess that you don't have children because if you did I find it hard to believe that you'd allow them to view gay pornography or images of naked men and women. Of coarse you wouldn't, no sane parent would, it's no different at the parade and I intend to prove it. If it's still there it wil be documented on video and made public.

Full frontal nudity is inappropriate viewing for children. Children have been taken away from parents for things like this happening in their own home. It's no different out in public. Subjecting chiuldren to full frontal nudity and adult public sex is child abuse and shouldn't be tolerated.

I'll be sure to record any parents who are allowing thier children to view these live sex acts so they can have their identities made public. People have a right to know if their childrens teachers or scout masters are subjecting their own children to live sex acts. One can only imagine how they behave with children that are not their own...it's frieghtening.

Edited March 9, 2010 by Mr.Canada

[blueblood]

Michael Hardner, I can only guess that you don't have children because if you did I find it hard to believe that you'd allow them to view gay pornography or images of naked men and women. Of coarse you wouldn't, no sane parent would, it's no different at the parade and I intend to prove it. If it's still there it wil be documented on video and made public.

Full frontal nudity is inappropriate viewing for children. Children have been taken away from parents for things like this happening in their own home. It's no different out in public. Subjecting chiuldren to full frontal nudity and adult public sex is child abuse and shouldn't be tolerated.

I'll be sure to record any parents who are allowing thier children to view these live sex acts so they can have their identities made public. People have a right to know if their childrens teachers or scout masters are subjecting their own children to live sex acts. One can only imagine how they behave with children that are not their own...it's frieghtening.

Holy crap he hasn't been into the communion wine yet!

[kimmy]

And are people seriously ok with the government giving funding to it?

There's two questions involved here.

One: am I ok with the government funding any event?

Two: do I feel that this event is less deserving of other events that receive funding?

My answers in brief:

I'm pretty ambivalent about government funding for events of this sort, whether it be a Pride Parade, or a Fringe Theatre frestival, or a Grand Prix race, or whatever.

But no, I don't see a Pride parade as being inherently less worthy of funds than a fringe festival or a busker festival or whatever.

To elaborate: I'm not an ideologue who out of hand rejects the idea of providing government funding to events that are designed to promote tourism. If it's necessary, and if it seems like the resulting benefits will be worth the price tag then I say go for it. But it's hard to gauge whether we really do get our money's worth when we fund these sorts of things. And if people are relying on government-funded events to get people into their restaurants or hotel rooms, then maybe there's too many restaurants and hotel rooms and funding events to generate traffic is actually just delaying the inevitable. There's a whole philosophical debate there that's beyond the scope of this discussion. But it really doesn't matter, because that decision is out of our hands. We do live in a country that often (too often, many would argue) spends public funds to stage events to promote tourism (the ultimate expression of that happened last month in Vancouver...)

So having established that our government is prone to funding events, the next issue is how to decide which ones get the funding. And to me, the obvious decision is to fund the events that generate the best return on the investment. And by most accounts, Toronto Pride is a very successful event that draws a large number of visitors. To me, if the government is in the business of promoting events, this one looks like a fairly good choice. Should it be less deserving because it's not for kids? Not in my opinion.

-k

[Mr.Canada]

Holy crap he hasn't been into the communion wine yet!

Communion is no longer taken with wine for Roman Catholics as far as I know. Eastern Orthodox still does it as do some Protestant branches.

[Michael Hardner]

Michael Hardner, I can only guess that you don't have children because if you did I find it hard to believe that you'd allow them to view gay pornography or images of naked men and women. Of coarse you wouldn't, no sane parent would, it's no different at the parade and I intend to prove it. If it's still there it wil be documented on video and made public.

The problem is you're trying to "prove" something that I already know is true from having been there.

I'll be sure to record any parents who are allowing thier children to view these live sex acts so they can have their identities made public. People have a right to know if their childrens teachers or scout masters are subjecting their own children to live sex acts. One can only imagine how they behave with children that are not their own...it's frieghtening.

I doubt that you will see what you think you'll see.

[Sir Bandelot]

I don't see a Pride parade as being inherently less worthy of funds than a fringe festival or a busker festival or whatever.

I'm not an ideologue who out of hand rejects the idea of providing government funding to events that are designed to promote tourism. If it's necessary, and if it seems like the resulting benefits will be worth the price tag then I say go for it.

-k

Cool, so how about some drug tourism then. I'm sure it would be very popular for a place like Toronto, despite the fact that it's illegal. But as you say, as long as the resulting benefits will be worth the price tag, let's go for it.

Hashiss, anyone??

[Smallc]

Yes, comparing being gay to drug use...that will gain you credibility.

[eyeball]

And are people seriously ok with the government giving funding to it?

I fully support using government funds to push homosexuality into the face of people like Mr Canada.

[CANADIEN]

Communion is no longer taken with wine for Roman Catholics as far as I know. Eastern Orthodox still does it as do some Protestant branches.

And I thought you were Roman Catholic... Gotta find some quotes again *g*

Apart from a few weeks during the flu scare last fall, parishioners in most parishes of the Roman Cathloci Archdiocese of Toronto have had taken Communion with wine, and still do.

[Mr.Canada]

And I thought you were Roman Catholic... Gotta find some quotes again *g*

Apart from a few weeks during the flu scare last fall, parishioners in most parishes of the Roman Cathloci Archdiocese of Toronto have had taken Communion with wine, and still do.

I've taken communion at St. Mikes downtown and they didn't and I took it at St. Andrews in Rexdale and they didn't either. My Church here in North Halton doesn't either. Only the priest drinks the wine. The congregation doesn't. It's possible some parishes do. There are hundreds if not thousands. The ones I know people that attend do not.

I'd be interested to know which churches give everyone wine with their communion wafer as I haven't heard of it in a long time.

Edited March 9, 2010 by Mr.Canada

[kimmy]

Cool, so how about some drug tourism then. I'm sure it would be very popular for a place like Toronto, despite the fact that it's illegal. But as you say, as long as the resulting benefits will be worth the price tag, let's go for it.

Hashiss, anyone??

Well, I'm certainly not in favor of promoting festivals that would be illegal. I'm not aware of anything inherently illegal about a festival for homosexuals.

Now, if some people who attended that festival were engaged in illegal activities, it seems to me that would be an issue for local law enforcement officials to take care of. And if illegal activities at an event were so widespread as to be disruptive to the community, then maybe the event shouldn't be held anymore. This happened to our local "extreme sports" festival... drunk teenagers fighting and vomiting on every horizontal surface in town resulted in the city council deciding the event was no longer benefitical to the community and declining to issue permits to the organizers. Maybe people can make the same argument in regard to Toronto Pride, perhaps with the help of Mr C's new video documentary. I have a hunch that it's going to be a tough sell, however.

-k

[Mr.Canada]

Well, I'm certainly not in favor of promoting festivals that would be illegal. I'm not aware of anything inherently illegal about a festival for homosexuals.

Now, if some people who attended that festival were engaged in illegal activities, it seems to me that would be an issue for local law enforcement officials to take care of. And if illegal activities at an event were so widespread as to be disruptive to the community, then maybe the event shouldn't be held anymore. This happened to our local "extreme sports" festival... drunk teenagers fighting and vomiting on every horizontal surface in town resulted in the city council deciding the event was no longer benefitical to the community and declining to issue permits to the organizers. Maybe people can make the same argument in regard to Toronto Pride, perhaps with the help of Mr C's new video documentary. I have a hunch that it's going to be a tough sell, however.

-k

No, you're wrong kimmy. Any criticism of the gay community is seen as homophobia. Disagree with anything they do and you're instantly homophobic.

So I plan to document everything unlawful that I see, hopefully with the Toronto Police in the background doing nothing or even worse, watching. Which I will send to every level of government, every news agency I can think of. The Toronto Police Service along with the RCMP HQ as well as every corporate sponser they have. As well as I'll spam it everywhere on the web.

I've seen it first hand so I know it goes on however many here are denying it does for reasons unknown.

[kimmy]

No, you're wrong kimmy. Any criticism of the gay community is seen as homophobia. Disagree with anything they do and you're instantly homophobic.

Which is terribly unfortunate. I am certainly no homophobe, and yet when I see footage of Pride festivals, it looks to me more like a celebration of severe mental retardation than of homosexuality.

-k

[Mr.Canada]

Which is terribly unfortunate. I am certainly no homophobe, and yet when I see footage of Pride festivals, it looks to me more like a celebration of severe mental retardation than of homosexuality.

-k

Lol.

[Sir Bandelot]

Yes, comparing being gay to drug use...that will gain you credibility.

The comparison is based on illegality, as compared to events like the buskers, which is not illegal. It's not a criticism of being gay, I don't oppose gays.

Of course I don't expect you to get it. As usual I have to explain these things to you.

[M.Dancer]

As I said above, the festival is now for 'allies' as well. There is no way that there are that many gay people in Toronto, anyway.

Pride week, (which is actually a 10 day affair) attracts over 100,000 visitors who are not GTA residents....how many gay and lesbians actaully live in the GTA is another story...never the less over 300,000 Torontonians attend the event.

The attendance estimates vary but it is safe to say that along the parade route, which is not very large over 700,000 people converge.

I have been to the parade twice. The first time was when I was knew to Toronto and the only two people I knew were two lesbians I grew up with in Montreal. That was in 1984. The second time was accidental. My girlfriend and I had been doing a round the city cycle and were on our way back and when ran into it along the church wellesley corridor.

Never saw any sex...lots of boobs....most of them on bona fide women.

[M.Dancer]

Riiiiight. Because beaches in St Martin aren't crowded.

Get back to me when any one of the beaches has a million people standing, walking and milling about packed so tightly it takes an hour to walk 3 blocks.

[DrGreenthumb]

Cool, so how about some drug tourism then. I'm sure it would be very popular for a place like Toronto, despite the fact that it's illegal. But as you say, as long as the resulting benefits will be worth the price tag, let's go for it.

Hashiss, anyone??

Every April 20th thousands and thousands of cannabis users take to the streets, and March on Government legislatures, etc, openly smoking hash and weed, and almost nobody is ever arrested for it. If the government did try to mass arrest people, it would probably cause a riot. Even though all these people are smoking a ton of pot, there is usually no violence at all, unless it is police violence against the peaceful protestors. If it was alcohol people were consuming in huge crowds in the street, there would likely be a lot of assaults and vandalism, but pot people are pretty peaceful. Every 420 protest I have been to, the canna-people even stick around after to clean up the grounds and collect any garbage left on the ground. We are not criminals, the drug laws are criminal.

[Mr.Canada]

April 20th is Hitlers Birthday.

[Sir Bandelot]

Every April 20th thousands and thousands of cannabis users take to the streets, and March on Government legislatures, etc, openly smoking hash and weed, and almost nobody is ever arrested for it. If the government did try to mass arrest people, it would probably cause a riot. Even though all these people are smoking a ton of pot, there is usually no violence at all, unless it is police violence against the peaceful protestors. If it was alcohol people were consuming in huge crowds in the street, there would likely be a lot of assaults and vandalism, but pot people are pretty peaceful. Every 420 protest I have been to, the canna-people even stick around after to clean up the grounds and collect any garbage left on the ground. We are not criminals, the drug laws are criminal.

I agree you are not criminals, and the drug laws are archaic and imposed arbitrarily. The drugs of preference, the ones more destructive than cannabis are allowed. I'm talking about booze and tobacco.

There is no government funding for 420 day, I presume.

Mr. Canada- "April 20th is Hitlers Birthday"

That is irrelevant. Stay on topic dude, else your own thread goes to crap. It's not about Hitler. There are no Nazi flags flown at 420 protests, that I'm aware of.

The reason 4/20 is the day that potheads gather to protest has to do with something else, I think. It started with the police code 4-20, or something. "4-20, someone blowing a joint. Beat their friggin heads in..."

Edited March 9, 2010 by Sir Bandelot

[Mr.Canada]

I agree you are not criminals, and the drug laws are archaic and imposed arbitrarily. The drugs of preference, the ones more destructive than cannabis are allowed. I'm talking about booze and tobacco.

There is no government funding for 420 day, I presume.

Mr. Canada- "April 20th is Hitlers Birthday"

That is irrelevant. Stay on topic dude, else your own thread goes to crap. It's not about Hitler. There are no Nazi flags flown at 420 protests, that I'm aware of.

The reason 4/20 is the day that potheads gather to protest has to do with something else, I think. It started with the police code 4-20, or something. "4-20, someone blowing a joint. Beat their friggin heads in..."

Stay on Topic? This thread is about the gay pride parade not about some pothead gathering. Maybe you posted in the wrong topic.

[DrGreenthumb]

I agree you are not criminals, and the drug laws are archaic and imposed arbitrarily. The drugs of preference, the ones more destructive than cannabis are allowed. I'm talking about booze and tobacco.

There is no government funding for 420 day, I presume.

Mr. Canada- "April 20th is Hitlers Birthday"

That is irrelevant. Stay on topic dude, else your own thread goes to crap. It's not about Hitler. There are no Nazi flags flown at 420 protests, that I'm aware of.

The reason 4/20 is the day that potheads gather to protest has to do with something else, I think. It started with the police code 4-20, or something. "4-20, someone blowing a joint. Beat their friggin heads in..."

You are correct no government money, also no formal organizers, people just show up in an act of solidarity. There are several explanations for 4-20 but i beleive it refers to the time of day when most people first toke up. After school/work is done.

[Sir Bandelot]

Stay on Topic? This thread is about the gay pride parade not about some pothead gathering. Maybe you posted in the wrong topic.

I concede that I introduced the topic of drug tourism, but it was in comparison with what kimmy said, to show that the problem in my view is not funding parades where there is good money to be made by the city, but where said events condone illegal activities.

But heck it's your thread. If you want to bring in Hitlers birthday as a side discussion, please proceed to do so. Most of the important points have already been made in this, so now it can only degenerate into the shit blizzard that our threads eventually become. adieu