News & Events

Pride Week is here and Ryerson community members are waving their rainbow flags proudly.

Running from June 22 until July 1, Pride Week celebrates the history, courage, diversity and future of Toronto’s LGBTQ communities. It’s one of the largest Pride celebrations in the world with an estimated attendance of more than 1.2 million people.

Ryerson’s location near the city’s Church-Wellesley Village makes it a friendly neighbour of Toronto’s gay district and there’s a strong show of Pride at the university. Students, faculty and staff answered a call to share their stories about Pride and the annual parade.

Fourth-year hospitality and tourism management student Alex Humphries was still in a stroller when she attended her first LGBTQ celebration.

“I loved my first Pride experience. It is one of my first memories,” she said. “My uncle came out in the early 1990s and my whole family went to the Pride parade in a show of support. I remember sitting in my stroller and not being able to see higher than anyone’s knees. For this reason my first memory is of rainbow-striped boots that had platforms a foot tall. As a toddler I was mesmerized by them and that image has never left my mind’s eye. I’m sure the person wearing those boots was having an amazing time. Pride can be a family event too.”

Ryerson Students’ Union president Rodney Diverlus was encouraged to attend pride by his drama class teacher when he was a Grade 12 student.

“For many of us, this was the first time that we went to a queer-themed event,” Diverlus said. “From Front Street all the way to Wellesley, I was shocked by the amount of colour that was around. People were wearing boas, short shorts, some in sequins, some in drag. Pride for me was a confirmation that Ryerson was the place to be. Pride was the first time that I met trans and gender-variant and two-spirited folks and the first time I was introduced to the belief that there is a plurality of voices and perspectives in the community. Pride is a time to celebrate people and understand the politics of our bodies and identities.”

This is the first year Sean Hillier, a PhD student in policy studies, will attend pride as a participant. Hillier has volunteered in the past and sits on the board of directors of Pride Toronto. As a PhD candidate, his research focuses on both First Nations and trans people and the impact policy has on health-care issues affecting them. He’s forged relationships with two-spirited and LGBTQ members and hopes to bring these relationships to the discussion table in Pride’s ongoing efforts to improve outreach and participation within the festival.

While LGBTQ people are in the spotlight during Pride, allies are also a huge part of the celebration. Heather Meger, admissions officer in undergraduate admissions and recruitment, received a bright introduction to the annual party. Meger is a member of the Righteously Outrageous Twirling Corps (ROTC), a non-profit colour guard organization.

“The team members are from all walks of life, every age and every possible background. It’s such a diverse group of people,” Meger said. “Marching in my first Pride parade was one of the happiest moments of my life. The pure joy emitting from the crowd, the cheers and the never-ending grin on my face made for an amazing experience. At that point you just forget about how hot it is, how sore your arms are getting and all I could think was ‘aren’t we lucky to live in a place where people can be free to express who they are?’ It was just total bliss.”

To see video of the ROTC in action, watch this. Read a blog post by Jasmine Chaykowsky of the Office of Discrimination and Harassment Prevention Services about what Pride means to her.