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Naked
Pride Day (30 June 1996)It has been quite exciting this summer here in Toronto. We
had a table for TCAN (Toronto's old gay nudist group)
at the Pride Day celebration, which my lover
Peter (pictured) coordinated. Ironically, TCAN's old Planning Committee
decided to ban nudity at our booth, believing that nudity would offend people
and tarnish our image. However, two brave men marched naked for the entire
parade. The response from the crowd was terrific, and very positive. Thousands
of people snapped their photos, and many rushed over to be photographed
with them. People pointed, and laughed, and waved. My friends came away
from the parade exhilarated and excited, vowing to do it again next year,
hopefully in greater numbers. [They did! See
the story!]
There has been some discussion
of this in the gay press since. The principal organiser of Pride
Day was quoted making a snide comment. A couple insisting that they
"are not prudes", from London, Ontario, wrote that they
were revolted by all the naked breasts on the women, and disgusted
by the two men who were "naked from the waist down". (They
were actually completely naked, as you can see.) The editor
of Xtra!, Toronto's biweekly gay paper, came out strongly in support,
and several other letter writers have expressed great admiration for
the strength, courage, conviction, and integrity of these two men. I
honour and adore these men. They are both very important people in
my life, and I love and admire them greatly.
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