Gonna take a breather from news today and just report on what I saw at Pride this Sunday. Papa's still a touch hungover, so I hope you'll forgive.

The parade was a lot of fun, even if the spectators did get rained on a bit before it started. But hey, what would the Pride Parade be without thousands of wet onlookers? Unsurprisingly, the Fire Department continued its tradition of starting the watersports.

Speaking of public servants, a few of the floats carried banners sshowing support for the CUPE workers currently on strike, and who later blockaded cleaning crews from picking the mess left after the parade. Spectators did not seem very pleased by these banners, and some even booed.

The award for "Wrongest Float in the Parade" goes to Zipperz/Cell Block:

It wouldn't be the Pride Parade without politicians shamelessly trying to put their faces in front of a cause they know little about in order to grab some media attention. These four people were the entire Progressive Conservative Party contingent. I'm told that the parade group was small because everyone was recovering from the previous night's PC convention that crowned Human Rights Tribunal opponent Tim Hudak as the new PC Leader, but I don't think they get much sympathy from the thousands of gays who had managed to recover from Aqua and the Beef Ball in order to make the parade. 

Speaking of politicians, it was nice to see that Grand Marshall El-Farouk Khaki had such a large contingent with him. Why, there were more people there than had voted for him in the federal election last year!

This may be a good time to address the controversy brewing between several Jewish groups, Pride, and Queers Against Israeli Apartheid. All marchers were respectful and peaceful, and managed to be on their best behaviour:

In fact, since the QAIA group was followed immediately by the Just For Laughs group, I'm tempted to believe that the whole controversy was an elaborate Just For Laughs Gag -- and about as funny as one, really. 

Finally, I leave it to the readers to decide: who had the hottest dancers on their float this year: Pink Triangle Press, or TD Canada Trust?

Finally something to celebrate! The LCBO will not be going on strike. Now the only problem is what to do with all that liquor you stocked up on just in case. Please remember to party safely.

In other strike news, the city workers are still picketing, and still being assholes about it, according to The Globe (and most Toronto dailies). City hall has opened up 19 additional garbage drop off sites for residents, but I remain baffled as to how residents can be so desperate to get rid of trash a mere four days into the strike.

Meanwhile, in political news, someone appears to be intimidating voters in the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party leadership election, and I don't just mean the Hillier supporters who are frightened by multisyllabic words. The winner will be announced on Saturday -- but will we see him or her marching with the PC delegation at Toronto Pride on Sunday? My guess is no if it's Randy Hillier.

Speaking of crazy Conservatives, lifesitenews.com is outraged, just outraged that the federal "Conservative" government (scare quotes theirs) is granting $400,000 to Toronto Pride from its Marquis Tourism Events Program. Hopefully, Lifesitenews will once again keep track of the politicians marching in the parade. It makes my research so much easier.

Like last year, when John Tory appeared (wearing "a lovely rainbow powder puff", thanks Lifesitenews!). Tory is still on the fence about running for mayor, but the National Post is gleefully reporting that he would win in a race for mayor against incumbent David Miller. The polls also show gay current deputy premier George Smitherman, also thought to be considering a run, would win handily. I'm gonna go out and say right now, I would love to see Smitherman heading city hall -- if only to because the swearing matches with John Baird would be so much more entertaining.

Updated at 2:06pm 

I'm finally back from a week of hard partying in Montreal -- seriously, my body is about 80% alochol and 50% poutine right now -- and what do I find when I come home? Something stinks, Toronto.

In a world where poverty, disease, famine, and flagrant abuses of human rights are a day-to-day reality, why is it that all Torontonians can seem to talk about is the douchebag who got himself punched at a MuchMusic Video Awards afterparty this weekend? Perez Hilton is begging for our sympathy, claiming that the Black Eyed Peas singer Wil.i.am sicked one of his security guards on him, just because Hilton called him a "fucking faggot." GLAAD quickly denounced Hilton's homophobic language, but has yet to award Wil.i.am a GLAAD Award for standing up to Hilton's gaybashing. Hilton quickly denounced GLAAD back, with the disturbing suggestion that homophobic slurs are an acceptable nonviolent response to intimidating situations. That's not all, after the melee, Hilton urged his million-plus Twitter followers to flood Toronto's Police call lines to order help. Screw public safety, Hilton's a minor celebrity!

Of course, that's not all that's going on within our borders. Toronto's civic workers have been on strike since Monday morning, cancelling garbage pickup and closing community centres, island ferry service, and civic buildings and museums. The Globe reports that there's no hope the strike will be over by the end of the week, but the Star insists that the Pride Parade will go on, regardless of week-old garbage rotting in the Yonge Street heat. The raising of the Pride flag at City Hall Monday morning was cancelled, however, as City Hall was closed.

UPDATE: I've just received word that The Beach Ball, which was supposed to happen Saturday at Hanlan's Point (a city park on the Island) has been cancelled postponed to the Labour Day Weekend. This may be good news for Aqua, the rival gay beach party scheduled for the same day, which is happening at Sunnyside Pavillion and doesn't rely on the ferry, and also just announced Kelly Rowland as the headlining performer.

As if that weren't enough to put a crimp in Pride celebrations, LCBO workers are threatening to walk off the job tomorrow too! Better stock up on your hard liquor just incase. You'll still be able to get beer at The Beer Store, and Ontario wines will still be available at The Wine Rack in the event of a strike, however.

Tonight, make sure you check out local queer comedian extraordinaire Shawn Hitchins in his comedy cabaret HOMOgenius, playing at Buddies in Bad Times at 8pm. See you there!

Pride continues to steamroller through Toronto, but there's lots of ways you can celebrate other than packing into a sweaty circuit party, doffing your shirt, and getting sweaty with someone you'll forget by next year's Pride (not that there's anything wrong with that, but variety's the spice of life).

NXNE is also in town this week, and Sneaky Dee's is hosting a bunch of queer-themed bands tonight, including the UK's The Homosexuals.

And Buddies has a bunch of fun stuff in store this weekend. Tonight's edition of Bitch Salad, Andrew Johnston's monthly female comedian night has already sold out its advance tickets, but some still remain at the door. And tomorrow, the Scandelles are hosting a full-facility Funhouse party. Sunday night, check out the annual Free Jane open mic, where you can rub shoulders with some of Buddies' resident artists and emerging creators. 

You could also reminisce about queer activism, with this article about the history of queer activism at University of Toronto.

Speaking of school, maybe you could give back this Pride, by volunteering to teach sex ed at Toronto-area schools, since, according to The Globe and Mail, Toronto teachers hate it so much they're just cancelling classes instead. 

Meanwhile, Jean Genet's Deathwatch, a sexy play baout three young queer criminals locked in a sweaty jail cell, only has three performances left. Tickets are limited and going fast (the first two shows have sold out), so book in advance if you're planning to go to one of the three remaining shows.

That whiff of change blowing over our neighbours to the south seems to have blown across Toronto.

Affable two-time political loser and somewhat queer-friendly Progressive Conservative John Tory appears to be mulling yet another bid for the mayoralty in 2010. Well, that'll certainly make the next municipal campaign interesting. Consider the economic impact of the national media decamping to Toronto to find out if this election will be Tory's redemption or the final nail in his political coffin. All the reporters in town spending their massive journalist paycheques are sure to add dozens of dollars to local businesses.

And dick-and-fart-joke purveyor Kevin Smith has revealed that his recent visit to Toronto for the Kevin Smith film festival convinced him to finally abandon the genre of lovable raunchy slacker films his "askewniverse" helped to popularise. His next feature is the much more mature sounding A Couple of Dicks starring Tracy Morgan and Bruce Willis, about a pair of private detectives.

A woman claims she was sexually assaulted by a male dancer at a strip club in Etobicoke. I know it's horrible, but I couldn't help the fact that my first reaction to this story was "There are male strip clubs in Etobicoke? You mean we have an option other than Remington's?" And my second reaction was "Yes, because it's usually the paying clients who are victims of sexual assault by sex workers." I'd post the link to the Foxxes Den web site, but Google warns it's full of malicious software, and I wasn't sure if it was talking about the web site or the dancers.

The Entertainment District may be getting a makeover with a complete proposed redesign of John Street.

And it's Pride Week, so go out and do some Prideful stuff. Buddies hosts its youth creation project PrideCab tomorrow night, and Xtra's Pride Party Thursday night.

Also debuting tomorrow night is a workshop production of classic queer playwright Jean Genet's groundbreaking work, Deathwatch, about three hot young criminals in a prison cell. One faces execution, one faces parole, and all three are charged with desperate sexual desire. Playing at XPACE (58 Ossington Ave, at Queen St) Jun 17-20 at 8pm, with a 2pm matinee on Jun 20. Tickets are $15 with $2 going to Pride Toronto and can be purchased at ToTix.ca. The collective creating the show is composed entirely of young, emerging, (and yes, hot) queer artists, so come out and show your support. Full disclosure: I did research for the show and am the co-producer, so I know that it's very good indeed.