corporate (gay) pride

Pride has come and gone but not without leaving a residual bitter taste in my mouth. Thankfully, that is not from overtaxing my body with alcohol and little sleep. The bitter taste comes from the whole marketing of Toronto Pride, from being groped by the corporate hands in my pockets, by the dissonance the theme “Fearless” creates in the face of the entirely NOT fearless display I witnessed. Besides they are marketing it as an “arts and entertainment festival” over which I scratch my head asking where the fearless part comes in?

Photo from a MUST visit site: queer kit

Take for example the idea of “community” and the concept of accessibility. The members of our community who don’t have money to spend could not participate in say The Pride Toronto 2006 Gala & Awards who Natasha Garda, Pride Toronto co-chair is quoted as promoting it as...

“the most fearless event of the year: In a burlesque speakeasy atmosphere, it will be an evening of activists, politicians and the community coming together for a more fabulous global queer village. It’s a celebration of love and our endurance as a community.”

Activists, eh? Community, eh? Umm, at $250 each or $2,500 for a table of 10, I’m guessing it left a lot of the activists and community out.

Let’s look at the line-up of these honoured members:

Irshad Manji, journalist, author, speaker and scholar at Yale University.
Honoured for spirituality, Khaki, 42, works to instill tolerance and inclusiveness for gay and lesbian Muslims in the Islamic community.

Recognized for the 2006 Pride Week theme, Fearless, are James Loney and his partner Dan Hunt.

Mark Tewksbury, 38, former Olympic swimming champion, public speaker, author and first co-president of the first World Outgames.

Other honorees include Dan Tucker, director of TransAmerica, for arts and culture, for Science and Medicine, Sharon Walmsley, senior scientist at the Division of Clinical Investigation & Human Physiology at the Toronto General Research Institute, for lifetime achievement Frank Toskan, co-founder of MAC Cosmetics and the Toskan Foundation, and for Youth Leadership Star! reporter Sean Gehon.

Sweet – I’m impressed – wish I had an extra $250 to attend (though I have to admit that if I did in fact have an EXTRA $250 I wouldn’t spend it on one night – it would more likely than not go to bills).

Catering to the powers-that-be by charging a fee that few of us in the community can actually afford – I define that as Fearless! Oh, wait – my guess is that it was packed with white guys who could afford to pay to rub shoulders with the other white guys (politicians) on the guest list. Oh, and entertained by umm.. you guessed it – more whities! Wow! How Fearless is that?! I’m so damn impressed!

And, let’s talk about the festival part of it. The south stage after the dyke march was accessible (aka FREE) if you wanted to throw out your water bottle under direction of the security, stand on the open concrete of a parking lot in the searing sun because there weren’t enough umbrellas or tables and chairs for people, pee out the last of your moisture and wash your hands in soap but no water from the washing stations and watch performances before you have to leave ‘cause you’ve got a headache and are about to pass out from dehydration and heat exhaustion but the robo security cops have to check your bags one more time before leaving because you might be smuggling out something? WTF?

Okay, and if you have some money you can pay the pretty bikini clad skinny women with silver fuck-me boots 7 dollars for the sponsored 330 ml beer. How generous of the sponsors.

And speaking of sponsors, this year’s parade got a lot of flack from a youth contingent, who were pissed that one the sponsors wanted signs on their float and they took issue. They refused to be used as a marketing tool.

And there are a lot more rumblings in OUR community about this issue…

From an e-list I belong to:

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check out mccullagh’s pics

Toronto Guy says:

"I would suggest getting your facts straight before hitting the email lists with verbal diarrhea.

Pride Toronto didn't select SOY as an Honoured Group - the COMMUNITY selected SOY. It's voted on in the Spring, and nominations are brought forth by the COMMUNITY. So, it appears that all your ramblings about being a "political marketing device" are incorrect. Give your head a shake, buddy. Yeah, would be nice if we could have a lovely "organic" Pride festival, but without the support of dozens of corporations with huge dollars, the Pride festivities would never have amounted to much more the picnic on Hanlan's point that started out years ago.

And why protest just Toronto's Pride? Hopefully you're doing the global tour and hitting each and every city all around the world who hosts a Pride festival, ALL of whom have huge corporate sponsors and dollars going toward the festivities.

Yeah, well - good luck with your little mission. And shame on you for planning on ruining everyone's celebration with your misguided vision."

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Hmmm, interesting. I actually went with my kokoro to Hanlan’s Point to escape the throngs of suburbanites who come to gawk at the spectacle of naked dancing men, loud music, a party-party-party! that ends with meth-infested, sweaty, alcohol-induced aggressive bodies pushing through crowds stepping on toes, having sex, sleeping and crying on the street sidewalks oh, yeah my idea of fun and yes, oh, yes! a celebration of our community!

Well, here’s the response from Abuzar to “Toronto guy”

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“Calm down Toronto Guy, I do have my facts as straight as a subjective person involved in the process can be. That is to say that I am not (nor can anyone ever be) completely objective, especially when they are part of the picture.

The elections are rigged. There is no community involvement. The "community" is a select elite. It has been like that for years. What is typically considered as community, has no idea that a process even exists, nor does it know to care. This is verifiable with a simple poll.

Also, even amongst the select few that do attend those elections, there is/has been discontent with the process. The competition aspect of it, and the aspect of it being passively controlled.

Pride would get along without corporate funding. It has happened before. The first Prides were protests, and they were not funded by corporations. Even if you consider floats and such devices, massive events, some rivaling and some well exceeding Pride happen around the world.

Pride can also happen with drastically reduced funding. I've seen it. In fact I was part of the organization when it had much less, and I know that we could have gotten along with even less back then, had it not been for blunders on our part and internal fraud by a person. The fiscal nosedive was a result of that, and not lack of funding. Even with the overbloated bureaucracy that now exists in Pride, Pride is running a substantial surplus. So you see, there is no need to force a Youth Committee into accepting a sponsorship that it doesn't want.

The reason why the bureaucracy is now needed and wasn't needed earlier is that a lot of grassroots activists and conscious volunteers were made uncomfortable and were forced out. So now, they are paying to replace that free labour with one that doesn't ask uncomfortable questions.

Yes, shame on me for ruining a celebration, and forty lashes to boot. But do not make the mistake of thinking that it is everyone's celebration. I have spent years and years asking how people feel about it, and it really isn't a secret. Just google it, just read a few queer publications, it is obvious that this is a bad experience for many people out there. The reason why you wrote me back an angry email dissing me for organizing a protest is because you do not want to admit (even to yourself) that this event is now hurting people. The information is as clear as daylight, but it can be clouded by one's ego.

Finally, I will not protest against the Prides of other cities. Those protests have to come from the communities that reside there, and there are certainly some shining examples. I can only offer solidarity and support from a distance.

I will protest the Pride that is here and now and that effects people in my community. I will self-reflect on how I cooperate with and perpetuate oppression, and through that lens view how the people around me do the same. It is this that leads to the protests that I organize.

Anything else would be highly irresponsible of me.”

~Abuzar

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According to Pride Toronto’s website “Sponsorship has been part of Pride Toronto for almost 2 decades, helping meet increasing costs for the event since the mid-80's. Sponsors of Pride Toronto contribute in many ways... ranging from the provision of services such as advertising exposure (for who? Them or Pride? If so, then how is Pride receiving a contribution from sponsors?)... “to donating equipment, technology, meeting space, funds or floats for community groups ( (not without an exchange of their product’s exposure to the millions of viewers so boy are they EVER doing us a favour) “Alongside volunteering on the Pride Toronto Sub-Committees, sponsorship is another behind-the-scenes way in which people, organisations and companies participate in the success of the huge annual Toronto Pride Week events... the largest Pride celebration in Canada.” (my comments in BOLD)

Yeah, well what are they doing for the community the rest of the year? Let’s hold the sponsors to a certain standard, a Code of Conduct as defined by the Canadian Auto Workers Union , and if they fail to meet these expectations then they are not used as a sponsor.

1. GLBT Rights at Work

• Does the company have an anti-discrimination policy, including sexual orientation and gender identity?
  
• Does the company have an anti-harassment policy, including sexual orientation and gender identity?
  
• Does the company provide training on these policies?

2. Rights of Workers

• Are workers in the company unionized?
  
• Do workers receive a fair and living wage?
  
• Does the company follow basic workplace law, i.e. employment or labour standards, human rights, health & safety?
  
• Does the company sponsor, use or endorse the use of workfare recipients?

3. Access and Equity

• Does the company have an employment equity plan and hiring policy?
  
• Does the company advertise job opportunities in the glbt communities and press?

4. Same-Sex Benefits

• Does the company have a same-sex benefits plan including medical, dental, adoption assistance, child care benefits, relocation benefits, family/personal sick leave for partner care, bereavement leave, pension plan - in short, equality of benefits?

5. Social Equity

• Does the company contribute a substantial part of its revenue to non-profit and/or advocacy organizations supporting the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered communities such as AIDS organizations, social housing and community health clinics?

6. Pride Day Booth Sponsorship (Co-sponsorship with Community Groups)

• Is the company willing to donate a portion of money raised on Pride Day to the group that they co-sponsor?
  
• Is the company willing to have its sponsorship advertisement smaller than the advertisement for the community group it co-sponsors?

I think that if the Pride staff and board wanted to be truly fearless they’d start by valuing the queer dollar and not just prostituting it out to the highest bidder.

And, truthfully, I know a lot of folks just like me who wouldn’t complain at all if we went back to that picnic on Hanlan’s Point – at least it would be more meaningful to us instead of profitable for them.

And, to make it more meaningful what about learning about our history? Learning what it was like before... Do you know the answers to these questions? I have a vague recollection of stories that may or may not real about our history in Canada / Toronto / the Dyke March ... I want to know more and why is it that PRIDE doesn't keep the stories alive by weaving them into OUR celebration?

Mind you - having ranted I also recognize that marching publicly to declare your queerness to the world can be an incredibly powerful thing but do we need to have a logo emblazoned on that sacred experience?