The anticipation for WorldPride 2014 in Toronto is in full swing. With over two million people expected to attend the festivities in June, thousands of volunteers and a number of companies and organizations are working around the clock to ensure the preparation runs smoothly.
WorldPride is licensed to Pride Toronto by InterPride, an organization that provides resources to pride celebrations worldwide. “What’s going to make this one different is our human rights conference [in] partnership with the University of Toronto” from June 25–27, says Kiona Sinclair, volunteer program manager at Pride Toronto. “It’s really about standing in solidarity, being the voice, and welcoming those to the city of Toronto to be able to participate in this event where they can experience the kind of privilege that we have here, and have that opportunity to self express, identify, and be whomever and however.”
The family pride space will also have more programming, adds Sinclair. “With our street fair we’ve added some additional spaces, and the partnerships have been incredible to see just how many different organizations that have come on board.”
Working for WorldPride
Every year, Pride Toronto celebrations draw between 1,200–1,300 volunteers from team leads to team members. This summer with WorldPride taking over Toronto and the city’s Church and Wellesley village, Sinclair says she’s expecting 2,000 volunteers.
“These volunteers that I’ve worked with over the course of the years have been the most incredible people I’ve met in my life,” says Sinclair, who’s in her third festival year. “Some people volunteer just to get those hours or say that they did it, but these people love it and they actually want to give back.”
With different volunteer roles available, there’s a space and place for everyone, explains Sinclair. “The trick is to really identify where the best fits are; I would look for enthusiasm, hard work, and a love of community.”
The 519 Church Street Community Centre, the hub for Toronto’s LGBT community, is also getting involved in the WorldPride festivities. Through volunteerism and party hosting, the 519’s involvement in Pride is larger than ever.
“The volunteers we need obviously doubled, so we need a lot of helping hands on deck,” says Amber Moyle, volunteer and community engagement specialist at The 519, naming roles with bar, venue, and harm reduction teams, as well as token sales for the four-dayGreen Space celebration at the 519 and Ryerson University campus. “We’re really trying to gain some better community outreach and get new communities involved as well as new volunteer opportunities.”
With double the number of tourists attending WorldPride this year compared to Pride Toronto celebrations, volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and meet new people, says Moyle. “I feel like at the end of it, you’ve gained something and you feel really connected. By doing it specifically for The 519, the money you bring in definitely goes back to supporting programs and services,” adding that over $300,000 was raised in donations last year.
A queer exhibition
Volunteerism isn’t the only way Canadians are getting involved in WorldPride festivities. The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) is also hosting Fan the Flames: Queer Positions in Photography, an exhibition of queer art to be showcased all summer long.
“With WorldPride happening in Toronto, it seemed like a great opportunity to take a look at the role of photography and queer visibility,” says Sophie Hackett, associate curator of photography at the AGO. Hackett is also the curator of a complementary exhibition, What It Means To Be Seen: Photography and Queer Visibility, to be displayed at the Ryerson Image Centre from this June through August.
With images from notable artists like Andy Warhol, Claude Cahun, and Suzanne Malherbe, the exhibit at the AGO is designed to reflect individual identity and the evolution of queer art and photography over the years. “The exhibition is a long viewing; we have some pictures from the 1920s up until very contemporary work,” she says. “So you’ll see some sort of arc in evolution.”
And while the AGO’s exhibit focuses mostly on individual exploration, Hackett says the Ryerson Image Centre’s exhibit is about “pushing out into the mainstream” and exploring “activist elements.”
As crowds of all sorts—from WorldPride travellers to local citizens—are expected to visit both art exhibitions, Hackett says she is hopeful that visitors view the photography as a validation of the rich history of LGBT communities and an appreciation for its evolution.
“It’s looking at how those photographers built visibility for gay and queer communities,” she adds. “I think the acknowledgement is how far we’ve come in 40 or so years [and] specifically at how photography played a role in different ways.”
Hackett expresses her excitement for the two upcoming queer photography exhibits. “Part of Toronto’s vibrancy is partly due to its queer community and it’s not just in arts, it’s in many realms. To me, it seemed natural to mark the occasion and I’m thrilled that others agreed with me as well.”
Company involvement
As a long-time supporter and participant at Vancouver Pride celebrations, it comes as no surprise that the Canadian telecommunications company Telus will be taking part in WorldPride. While still finalizing the details of their involvement, Telus HR advisor Michel Rondeau says the company will “definitely be at the street festival” and will “have an activation space where we’ll be able to interact with the festival goers.”
In addition to schmoozing with WorldPride attendees, Telus also plans to run thePhones for Good campaign: for every Telus cellphone activation in the Greater Toronto Area, they will donate $25 per activation to the Pride Toronto organization up to a maximum of $15,000.
Rondeau, who is also the global co-chair for Spectrum, Telus’ resource group for LGBTQA team members, says their involvement in Pride extends much further than the past Vancouver and upcoming WorldPride celebrations.
“We’ve hit nearly every major city, but what I think is really cool is that we’ve participated in some more grassroots festivals like Prince George, BC and Medicine Hat, Alberta,” he says, adding that the company was able to donate $4,000 to the Medicine Hat Pride Society. “When you think of a grassroots organization like Medicine Hat where it’s very small compared to something like Vancouver or Toronto, $4,000 is very significant.”
Participating in these events aligns with Telus’s corporate priority of putting customers first, says Rondeau. “Supporting events like WorldPride and Pride across Canada is important to Telus because it really allows us to celebrate the diversity that makes up our customers, our team members, and the communities. It’s really important for us to be an authentic reflection of the community in which we live, work, and serve and this is just one way of doing that.”
Photo: Madzia71/iStock