Pride October 2020

40 Years of Pride in the Forest City by Andrew Rosser 2020 marks the 40th anniversary of Pride celebrations in the Forest City and over the past several years; Pride London Festival has become an annual event many Londoners look forward too.

In 1995, it was decided that a march should be added to the Pride celebrations and discussions began with City Hall to ask for an official event proclamation. The first march took place in 1995, but turned into a protest march passing by the Mayor’s house after she refused to issue the proclamation. A human rights complaint was filed against the Mayor and City Council. In the following years, Pride celebrations expanded into a Pride Week to accommodate additional events. A Pride Film Festival was added and in 1997, the annual Pride Art Show was held at the London Regional Art and Historical Museum under the title “Proclaimed” in recognition of the ongoing human rights complaint against the Mayor.

After the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York, several gay and lesbian groups emerged across Canada and the United States, especially on university campuses. In London, there are references to the University of Western Ontario Homophile Association (UWOHA) dating back to 1970.

In the Fall of 1997, the Mayor was found guilty of discrimination against the Gay and Lesbian Community. An official procla- mation was issued in 1998 and the Pride flag was flown at City Hall. Pride celebrations continued to grow over the years and since 2005, Pride London Festival has

Early Pride celebrations were often small picnics, and in London the first Pride picnic took place in 1981. The event was cosponsored by the Western Gay Association (WGA) and the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC). In June of 1982, London’s Pride celebration included a trip on the Thames River in the ship Tinkerbell and was followed by a picnic. As the Pride movement grew, celebrations in London were growing and in 1989, Pride events were moved to the Homophile Association of London Ontario (HALO) building. In 1990, a barbeque, tea dance and dedication of a Pride Flag took place. Early celebrations were held at the end of June to coincide with Stonewall, however to allow Londoners to celebrate Toronto Pride as well, celebrations were moved to July; which also aligned with HALO’s anniversary. The Lesbian & Gay Pride London Committee was formed by Stan MacKenzie in September of 1991 to plan celebrations for the following year. 1992 was the first highly publicized Pride in London and featured a full weekend of activities, including shows, a picnic, an art show, the Rainbow Express tour bus and a MCC church service. In honour of HALO’s 20th anniversary in 1994, large celebrations were planned and a special logo was created to commemorate the anniversary. HALO “came out” from behind its walls and held a very popular community festival in the parking lot.

been organized by a volunteer board that plans annual activities and events. The outdoor festival has been held at the Western Fair Grounds, on Dundas Street, in the John Labatt Centre parking lot, in the Clarence/King parking lot and eventually found a permanent home in Victoria Park in 2012.

In 2011, Mayor Joe Fontana made history and became the first Mayor in London to walk in the Pride Parade and attend the outdoor festivities. Since then, every Mayor has walked in the Pride Parade and in 2018,

Mayor Matt Brown officially apologized to London’s LGBT2Q+ communities for the discrimination of the Mayor and City Council in 1995. In 2015, Pride London Festival was awarded the Pillar Community Impact Award and in 2016 hosted the national Fierté Canada Pride Conference. This year, Pride London Festival celebrated its 40th anniversary virtually from July 16 – 26, with more than 25 unique and engaging events. Over the years, the festival’s growth is a testament to a community that is becoming more understanding and accepting. Pride London Festival believes that education is an important way to change the stigmas present in our society and to achieve a future that is healthy, inclusive and diverse. For more information about Pride London Festival, visit PrideLondon.ca.

PRIDE Villager

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