Montreal Pride Attracts Everyone Except Harper and Conservatives
The 9th edition of Montreal Pride came to a close Sunday, with the Pride parade attracting tens of thousands of spectators downtown despite a heat warning in effect for the city.
Federal party leaders Thomas Mulcair, Justin Trudeau, Elizabeth May and Gilles Duceppe were all in attendance, although Stephen Harper was not.
“He doesn’t show up at any Prides, it’s really disappointing,” said Trudeau while marching down René Lévesque Boulevard. “I look forward to making sure that the prime minister is there next year.”
This year marked the 25th anniversary of the infamous “Sex Garage” loft party in 1990, which saw several LGBT patrons arrested and beaten after a raid by police. Linda Dawn Hammond, a photographer who was at the event, was a guest of honor of Montreal Pride 2015. Several of the images she captured were on display at an exposition at Place Émilie-Gamelin.
According to organizers, the weeklong Pride festivities were the most popular so far, with over 500,000 people participating.
