Significant Digits: Pride Edition
Significant Digits
Pride Edition
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1969 Stonewall Riots spark an increase in gay rights activism
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On 28 June 1969 New York police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Greenwich Village, arresting employees and several patrons. After being forced out of the bar, patrons and neighbourhood residents began to protest, yelling at the police and throwing bottles and debris. The conflict escalated and police attempted to barricade themselves inside the bar, which was then set on fire. Riots continued over the next five days and this uprising became the inspiration for gay rights organizations such as the Gay Liberation Front and the Gay Activists Alliance [1][2].
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Original rainbow flag features 8 colours representing togetherness
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The rainbow flag is a common symbol for the LGBTQ community. It was originally commissioned in 1978 for San Francisco’s pride parade and was created by Gilbert Baker. The different colours of the flag symbolized the diversity of the LGBTQ community, coming together. Each colour also had its own meaning: pink for sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, turquoise for art, indigo for harmony, and violet for spirit. Pink and turquoise were later removed so that the flag could be produced more easily, giving us the six-colour flag we know today [3][4].
**\-------------------------------** Over 300 men arrested during Toronto’s “Operation Soap”
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“Operation Soap” was the name for a series of raids on four of Toronto’s gay bathhouses that took place on 5 February 1981. Police reportedly forced lockers open with crowbars and verbally taunted the patrons. Men were arrested and charged with being found in, or operating, a common bawdy house but most were found innocent. The following night, over 3 000 protestors marched through downtown Toronto in front of the 52 Division police station shouting “gay rights count,” in response to the raids [5].
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Canada becomes 4th country to legalize same-sex marriage
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Canada’s Civil Marriage Act became law on 20 July 2005, legalizing same-sex marriage across the country. Canada was the fourth country to do so after the Netherlands, Belgium, and Spain. While marriage falls under the jurisdiction of the federal government, provincial governments regulate the solemnization of marriage. Several provinces had previously legalized same-sex marriage, with Ontario being the first to do so in June 2003 [6].
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3.3% of Canadians identify as Lesbian, Gay, or Bisexual
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According to 2018 data from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), an estimated 900 000 Canadians over the age of fifteen were lesbian, gay or bisexual. This represented roughly 3.3% of the national population [7].
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Highly contested transgender rights bill passed with 150-137 vote
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On 20 March 2013, Canada’s House of Commons approved Bill C-279, an Act to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code to include gender identity as a prohibited ground of discrimination. Many members of the Conservative Party opposed the bill, arguing that it would allow male pedophiles to enter female restrooms. In the end, the bill was passed with the support of eighteen Conservatives [8].
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More than 200 groups march in Toronto’s 2019 Pride parade
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Toronto’s annual Pride parade takes place each June, and is the largest Pride celebration in Canada. The most recent parade had hundreds of thousands of people lining the streets of downtown. Over two hundred different groups marched in the parade, and politicians such as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mayor John Tory took part to show their support for the LGBTQ community [9].
Works Cited:
[1] https://www.britannica.com/event/Stonewall-riots
[2] https://www.history.com/topics/gay-rights/the-stonewall-riots
[3] https://www.history.com/news/how-did-the-rainbow-flag-become-an-lgbt-symbol
[4] https://www.cnn.com/style/article/pride-rainbow-flag-design-history/index.html
[5] https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/toronto-feature-bathhouse-raids
[6] https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/same-sex-marriage-in-canada
[7] https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/210326/dq210326a-eng.htm
[8] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/commons-approves-transgender-rights-bill-1.1302626
