ANDREW STAWICKI/TORONTO STAR
WALKING TOGETHER, WITH PRIDE: Hundreds of thousands attended the Gay Pride Day parade in Toronto - here the parade heads south on Yonge St. from Bloor St. - capping a week of festivities by the gay and lesbian community.

June 30, 1997

Gays hail corporate presence
Big businesses visible as gay parade draws respect, crowds

By Julia Glover
Toronto Star Staff Reporter

Gay pride has grown up and gone mainstream.

Yesterday, hundreds of thousands who came out for Gay Pride Day and its parade celebrated - whether they were gay or straight.

``It means the event isn't as spectacular or as titillating as it used to be,'' said Bruce Retallack, who celebrated his sixth anniversary with his partner Rawn Remillard at the parade yesterday.

``I think the message now is `Surprise! We're just people,' '' Retallack said.

Organizers estimate 750,000 people attended yesterday's parade and street festival, which are the finale to a week's worth of gay and lesbian festivities. Police estimates were not available last night.

``Ten years ago I would have been nervous walking home from here,'' he said, standing on Church St. describing how he would have taken off his rainbow wristbands and other such gay pride paraphernalia.

``I don't think it's like that anymore.''

Drag queens and leather-clad companions took part in the parade yesterday, but they were flanked by businessmen like those from The Fraternity, who showed up in white shirts, ties and boxer shorts.

``It's just a men's social club,'' said Colm Foley of Toronto.

He said the gay group meets once a month mostly to network and discuss topics of concern.

``Last month, for example, we had a speaker come in to talk about coming out to your parents,'' Foley said.

The parade started at 3 p.m. at Church St. and Bloor St. E. Participants went west to Yonge St., south to Gerrard St. E. and then east to Church St. again.

`VIBRANT COMMUNITIES'

The celebrations then continued into the evening on a section of Church St. that was closed to traffic.

Mayor Barbara Hall told the crowd yesterday that ``by standing firm against discrimination and intolerance, you have forged strong and vibrant communities in our city,'' Canadian Press reports.

Derik Feher, who works with the Bank of Montreal, said he wasn't surprised by the corporate community attendance at the parade.

Feher, watching the parade with his wife Kari, was one of many heterosexual couples also showing their support.

``The biggest thing I learned today is that it's important just to show up,'' said Feher, who admits he grew up in a small town where there was no exposure to homosexuality.

But Feher said events like the parade teach people about the gay community.

``We wanted to centre our focus on education,'' said Monique Weir, co-chair of the pride committee, adding the theme for the 17th annual gay pride celebrations was Queer by Nature.

``The amount of people who see `queer' in a negative light is a minority,'' she said.

Now with education, as well as economic and political power from the gay community, others see potential instead of prejudice.

``There is a lesbian and gay dollar and there is a lesbian and gay vote,'' Weir said.

Last year, the pride committee did its first ever economic impact and market study. Results showed 70,000 people were at the street festival at any given time on last year's parade day.

Today, festival organizers aren't the only ones with welcome arms.

Pizza Pizza, Snapple, Labbatt and the TTC were just a few of the corporations in attendance at Pride '97.

Malcolm Kendall, a retired bookkeeper who watched the pre-parade party from a Church St. apartment balcony with friends, said local businesses have always known about the benefit of the gay community's disposable dollar.

``Most of those retail stores will triple their income this week,'' Kendall said, looking down upon the thousands of Church St. party-goers - and potential customers.

`LIKE CHRISTMAS'

``It's like Christmas for them,'' Kendall said.

Organizers say the best part about the gay community is its diversity because it includes all races, religions, backgrounds and ages.

``It's the choice of a new generation, deal with it,'' said Jack Ireland, 22, who graduated from the Triangle Program last January.

The program is a high school class for gay and lesbian students experiencing homophobia in regular high school settings.

Chris Phibbs says she doesn't think her son, Zak Higgins, 5, will face the same hurdles when he reaches high school.

``Pride day is part of Zak's year,'' Phibbs said of the boy who is growing up in a gay household and has attended every pride day since he was born. ``It's just like Halloween or birthdays. It's part of our life.''

Back to TNT!MEN's Pride 1997 page.