Capital Pride parade takes place amid controversy

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There were renewed calls for solidarity for the LGBTQ+ community as Ottawa’s most colourful celebration, the Capital Pride parade, kicked off Sunday afternoon under a cloud of controversy.

Numerous local institutions, including hospitals, universities and school boards, had announced their withdrawal from the parade, with many citing concerns about safety and inclusion at the event after Capital Pride released a pro-Palestinian statement on Aug. 6.

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This year’s parade route was abruptly cut in half last week after the Ottawa Police Service reduced the number of available officers. Capital Pride organizers said police and the City of Ottawa informed them of the reduction in staff resources on Tuesday, just five days before the event, “after more than six months of planning between Capital Pride, the City and the Ottawa Police Service.”

There were some notable absences from this year’s parade.

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe announced he would withdraw his participation from this year’s parade and the Liberal Party of Canada was among the more prominent participants that were missing from this year’s festivities.

The backlash didn’t seem to put a damper on the celebratory spirit, however, as thousands lined downtown streets to cheer on the floats and fly rainbow flags as the parade snaked its way down Elgin Street to Gladstone Avenue before ending on Bank Street at the site of Capital Pride’s Street Festival.

The parade featured a smaller contingent of floats than in previous years, but despite the controversy and the well-publicized backlash, the message delivered Sunday was one of inclusion, solidarity and support.

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“The focus today is to show our love, to show our solidarity and our support to a community that needs it,” said B.J. Stroker, crowned Mr. Capital Pride 2024, as he took his place near the head of the parade at Laurier Avenue and Elgin Street.

“The message here is that everybody is welcome, everybody is included and there’s so much that we can learn from each other,” said Stroker. “For the youth to see so many groups, so many organizations and so many people being here to support this community, it gives that sense of validation that is so important — to make people feel they are welcome and validated.

“This community is all about love, solidarity and support.”

Though the City of Ottawa officially pulled out of the parade, there was still a notable contingent of city staff and councillors who rode atop the official City of Ottawa float, complete with the city’s official logo, and with councillors Jeff Leiper, Ariel Troster, Shawn Menard, Theresa Kavanagh and Jessica Bradley all proudly flying Pride flags and waving to the crowds.

Dr. Vera Etches, Ottawa’s medical officer of health, was also spotted among the parade participants, along with representatives from the city’s community health centres, sexual health clinics, numerous national organizations and labour unions.

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The Green party and the NDP were also represented by a considerable contingent. Ottawa-Centre MPP Joel Harden was particularly hard to miss as he danced down the street shaking hands in a flamboyant rainbow-striped suit jacket.

There was also a sizeable contingent of Ottawa-Carleton District School Board teachers, despite the board’s official withdrawal from the parade.

Dressed in matching purple Pride shirts, they waved “Teacher Pride” flags as they marched in front of a yellow school bus, which was provided for the parade by trustee Donna Blackburn.

Blackburn was one of five trustees who had sought an emergency meeting earlier in the week, arguing that the decision to withdraw was made by senior administrators, not elected trustees, and that it should be publicly debated.

That was a common criticism of the backlash among Ottawa activists and community organizations who came out in solidarity and support for Capital Pride.

“All of the organizations and institutions that have pulled out have done so without consultation with their workers,” said Emily Quaile of Community Solidarity Ottawa. “This was top bosses and employers or boards of directors making decisions without consulting the people who work there or the people they actually serve.”

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Quaile said the Pride movement has always been rooted in protest, activism and social justice since the first “Stonewall” demonstration in New York City in 1969.

“The societal context at that time was rife with so many different kinds of rights protests,” Quaile said. “Stonewall didn’t happen in a vacuum. It wasn’t just a moment where queer people stood up and fought back, it was queer and trans women, primarily, seeing and understanding how everything is interconnected in those movements at that time.

“And standing up and fighting back. These things were very interconnected then just as they are now.”

Quaile said the support for the LGBTQ community is unwavering, despite the controversy flowing from Capital Pride’s political stance.

“Backlash is always going to happen,” she said. “Unfortunately, the vast majority of the criticism is coming from people outside the community, not from within.”

ahelmer@postmedia.com

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