News Release
June 1, 2020

Today, Mayor John Tory, joined by Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam (Ward 13 Toronto Centre), and a representative of Pride Toronto, officially proclaimed June as Pride Month in Toronto and raised the rainbow and transgender flags at City Hall. The ceremony was recorded and streamed live, kicking off Pride Toronto’s 2020 Virtual Pride Festival.

This year’s festival, planned for June 1 to 28, runs virtually to celebrate Pride in a new, creative, and unique way to showcase the history, courage and diversity of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex, queer, questioning and Two-Spirit communities (LGBTQ2S+), while ensuring the safety of residents and proper physical distancing. The month-long festival will culminate with the Virtual Pride Festival Weekend from June 26 to 28. Information about Pride Toronto and the Virtual Pride Festival is available at pridetoronto.com.

The City of Toronto also encourages Torontonians to view Mayor Tory’s message, learn about the important milestones for LGBTQ2S+ communities, read the Pride Month Proclamation and access additional resources through the City’s Pride Month webpage.

Quote:

“We recognize that our LGBTQ2S+ communities are comprised of some of the most marginalized and vulnerable populations in our city and the COVID-19 pandemic has had a tremendous impact on their wellbeing. Today’s flag raising and proclamation of Pride Month is an important symbol of our commitment to do more and build a more inclusive and equitable city. I encourage Torontonians to attend various virtual events throughout the month to celebrate Pride.”
– Mayor John Tory

Toronto is home to more than 2.9 million people whose diversity and experiences make this great city Canada’s leading economic engine and one of the world’s most diverse and livable cities. As the fourth largest city in North America, Toronto is a global leader in technology, finance, film, music, culture and innovation, and consistently places at the top of international rankings due to investments championed by its government, residents and businesses. For more information visit toronto.ca or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CityofToronto, on Instagram at instagram.com/cityofto or on Facebook at facebook.com/cityofto.

Media Relations