Pride Hamilton

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Pride Hamilton is an annual

LGBTQ Pride event, staged in Hamilton, Ontario. Unlike some Pride events, the event does not currently stage a parade, but includes a week of LGBTQ-oriented community events culminating with a community festival in the city's Gage Park.[1]

The event was launched in 1991 by Hamilton's Gay and Lesbian Alliance (GALA), but was immediately mired in controversy over mayor

Hamilton City Council rather than any personal animus against LGBT people,[2] although councillor Dominic Agostino tried to broker a compromise under which Morrow would write a welcome letter instead of a formal civic proclamation.[3] GALA filed a complaint with the Ontario Human Rights Commission,[4] which was heard in 1994;[3] in the hearing, Morrow's lawyers mounted the defense that Morrow's actions were not discriminatory as he had no way of knowing that the members of GALA were actually gay, a line of argument which GALA's lawyers dismissed as absurd.[5]

The commission ruled in March 1995 that Morrow's refusal to issue a proclamation was discriminatory, and ordered him to pay $5,000 in damages to GALA and to issue the proclamation in 1995.[6] Morrow issued a proclamation that year,[7] but concurrently announced that he would cease issuing any further civic proclamations for any events at all.[8]

The event was transferred from GALA to a new independent Hamilton Pride committee in 1996.[9] Bob Wade, Morrow's successor as mayor, reinstated civic proclamations, and issued a civic proclamation of the event in 2001.[10]

The 2019 event was disrupted by a violent anti-LGBTQ protest.

Ontario Human Rights Tribunal over the police delay in responding to the 2019 incident.[16]

References

  1. Hamilton Spectator
    , June 14, 2014.
  2. ^
    Hamilton Spectator
    , November 5, 1991.
  3. ^
    Hamilton Spectator
    , July 5, 1994.
  4. ^ "Gays' complaint against mayor to be heard by rights tribunal". Toronto Star, March 25, 1994.
  5. Hamilton Spectator
    , November 18, 1994.
  6. ^ "Gay Pride ruling watched by cities". Edmonton Journal, March 10, 1995.
  7. ^ "Ontario Mayor to proclaim gay pride week". The Globe and Mail, June 15, 1995.
  8. Hamilton Spectator
    , June 23, 1995.
  9. Hamilton Spectator
    , June 21, 1999.
  10. Hamilton Spectator
    , June 16, 2001.
  11. Hamilton Spectator
    , June 18, 2019.
  12. ^ "Police took 'far too long' to respond to 'violent' Pride protest: Pride Hamilton". CBC Hamilton, June 17, 2019.
  13. Hamilton Spectator
    , June 26, 2019.
  14. ^ "Fifth person arrested in Hamilton Pride violence". CHML, June 28, 2019.
  15. ^ "Mayor says sign posters outside his house don't represent LGBTQ Hamiltonians". CBC Hamilton, June 28, 2019.
  16. ^ Brian Bradley, "Hamilton’s LGBTQ communities have long fought a lack of support from police and the city. Now they are headed to the human rights tribunal". Toronto Star, June 5, 2021.

External links