Capital Pride hits high note with longest parade to date
PHOTO GALLERY AND VIDEO / Iffy weather no barrier to attendance
Capital Xtra staff / Ottawa / Monday, August 31, 2009
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This year's Capital Pride hit a high note with its longest parade to date. The colourful parade wrapped up the 10-day festival, which started on a more sombre note, with an event marking the 20th anniversary of Alain Brosseau's death.

Later in the week, queers and allies took part in the Landmark VIP Reception cruise along the Rideau Canal.

And on Sat, Aug 29, boisterous crowds marched the streets of Ottawa for the 2009 Dyke March (check out our video).

Check out our 2009 Capital Pride Parade video:



And check out our Capital Pride Parade photo gallery below:

Capital Pride

Check out our photos of Capital Pride






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Reader Comments


 
Where are the women?
There are some beautiful pictures here for sure - hopefully there are more to come...because it seems like there were no dykes at this year's Gay Pride parade! 15 pics of male focussed 5 pics trans focussed 4 pics female focussed 11 group shots (where there was at least one woman present, but most were still male focussed) Other categories! 2 pics of furries 1 pic of male carrying a big pink sign 1 pic of a vehicle 1 pic of naked mannequin (female yes) So according to this, there were more non-humans here than actual dykes at Pride. Just saying...
Elena, Ottawa ON
09/01/09 3:47 PM EST
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My Pride Day
I walked in the Pride Parade with the Atheist Pride group, organized by the Humanist Association of Ottawa, and volunteered at their display table afterwards. I want to thank everyone who was watching the parade and who came to visit our display at the party after because you cheered us on so enthusiastically. I am a co-facilitator of the Pink Triangle Services Secular Sobriety recovery group. Our numbers have been dwindling and I and my co-facilitator have been wondering if there is a need in the GLBTTQ community for religion free recovery support. We have been wondering if there are Atheists in our community. The support everyone gave the Atheist Pride group on Sunday reassured me that there are non-believers amongst us. I looked out over the party and saw many people freely being themselves: androgynous, wearing leather etc. I couldn't help thinking how lucky we are. This luck comes from having demanded our rights but it also comes from the separation of the church from the state. It comes from our expectation that we will be governed by laws that are based on secular principles and not on religious doctrine. I have been reading in the Gay and British media that Gays have been, and currently are being, hunted down, tortured, mutilated and murdered in Iraq and that no one is doing anything to stop it. Since January hundreds of Gay people, mostly men, have been murdered. They are being brutally massacred, most likey, by Cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army and by others as well. I couldn't help thinking that but for the lack of God in our governance this could be happening to the people enjoying the Pride party. Now that we have some measure of equality in Canada perhaps we should use our energy to help our Queer brothers and sisters in other countries. We could start by asking our MP's to bring these poor Iraqi Gay people to Canada as refugees. If they stay there they will die.
Mike J, Ottawa ON
09/01/09 7:41 PM EST
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what she said..sorta
I agree with Elena that the photos really seemed to emphasize dudes. But I didn't see any photos at all that I understood to be trans-focussed or even that included any trans people that I knew or recognized as trans. Elena, you may have been referring to pix of drag queens when you mentioned 'trans-focussed' photos. Pix of drag queens are great, but much more often than not, drag queens aren't trans. I just think it's important to help people understand that drag and trans are two quite different and distinct things. both fabulous. both queer (in the big inclusive sense), but drag queens aren't women by self-ID normally. but trans women (not pictured)are most certaily women. so..if you thought those drags queens were trans women, you should re-think how you are defining woman if you didn't count those as pix of women.
Shannon Blatt, vancouver BC
09/02/09 1:42 AM EST
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No, I wasn't there this year
No, I didn't attend Pride for the first time in five years. In part because of the opinion Mike J voiced: "Now that we have some measure of equality in Canada perhaps we should use our energy to help our Queer brothers and sisters in other countries." The 'measure' of equality that transsexual and possibly transgender people have is not the formal, explicit equality gay and lesbian people have--though that seems not to 'measure' up to for many. Pride has yet to make amends for its statement--echoed by this organization--"All Canadian LGBT people have rights and its time to celebrate." This wasn't true 4 years ago; it isn't true today. Yet, this is still the belief of those who go to Pride, write about it and take the photos. Why would I go to an event that doesn't recognize me as persons like them?
Jessica, Ottawa Ontario
09/02/09 9:54 PM EST
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diversity in the capital
Shannon - yes, I appreciate your response re drag/trans identity...its a good clarification and reminder on how we all self identify and the diversity of our community...some of which never seems to be get shown. How about our different cultural communities, ages, abilities, families etc.? Would be great to showcase the real diversity of who we are.
Elena, Ottawa ON
09/02/09 11:23 PM EST
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kudos
Kudos to the photographer, these pictures are excellent.
Cait, Ottawa Ontario
09/04/09 12:42 PM EST
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