Pride Season
Pride Season is a term that refers to the wide range of Pride events that take place over the summer (June to September) when 2SLGBTQI+ communities and allies come together to spotlight the resilience, celebrate the talent, and recognize the contributions of 2SLGBTQI+ communities. Although special attention is put on the Pride events during the summer months, they happen throughout the year in many communities.
Historically, Pride gatherings emerged from the first large-scale protests for 2SLGBTQI+ rights. In Canada, the first demonstrations took place in Ottawa and Vancouver in 1971. By 1973, Pride events were held in several Canadian cities, including Montréal, Ottawa, Saskatoon, Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg. Toronto's Pride weekend in June is now among the largest Pride events in North America.
Happy Pride Season!
Follow:
Pride Season toolkit
Use our digital toolkit to promote Pride Season all summer long. You will find social media images, a virtual background, and much more!
Pride Flag
The Intersex-Inclusive Pride flag is the official Pride Flag of the federal public service of Canada! Learn more.
Pride Flag Raising
Learn about the Pride Flag Raising: an annual event on Parliament Hill that marks the opening of Pride Season.
2SLGBTQI+
Find out about the work of the Government of Canada to improve equality for 2SLGBTQI+ communities.
Advancing 2SLGBTQI+ rights for over 50 years
Transcript of the Pride Season Animated Timeline: Advancing 2SLGBTQI+ rights for over 50 years
Video length: 2:49 minutes
Over 50 years of LGBTQ2 activism in Canada. This timeline provides a few notable event over decades of change. It is by no means a comprehensive list of LGBTQ2 history in Canada.
[Striped band displaying the colours of the Progress Flag. Soft music.]
[The colourful striped band moves forward while the text and image on screen fade away.]
[A black and white photo of Parliament appears. A text box appears.]
1969. The Government of Canada decriminalized private sexual acts between two people over the age of 21 – a breakthrough in the movement towards treating gay men, lesbians and bisexuals equally under the law.
[The colourful striped band moves forward while the text and image on screen fade away.]
[A black and white photo of the “We Demand” Rally taken on Parliament Hill appears. A text box appears.]
1971. The “We Demand” Rally was the first large scale demonstration for LGBTQ2 rights in Canada with protests in Ottawa and Vancouver. Photo credit: Jearld F. Moldenhauer
[The colourful striped band moves forward while the text and image on screen fade away.]
[A black and white photo of a Pride gathering appears. A text box appears.]
1973. Pride gatherings were held in several Canadian cities, including Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Saskatoon, and Winnipeg. Photo credit: Jearld F. Moldenhauer
[The colourful striped band moves forward while the text and image on screen fade away.]
[An animation of the Pride Flag and the Quebec Flag appear. A text box appears.]
1977. Quebec became the first jurisdiction in Canada to amend its provincial charter of human rights to include sexual orientation as a prohibited ground for discrimination.
[The colourful striped band moves forward while the text and image on screen fade away.]
[Animations of Operation Soap: The police raids that targeted Toronto’s queer community appear. Images of protestors, police officers rummaging through lockers and police officers arresting civilians. A text box appears]
1981. Four bathhouses in Toronto are raided by the Toronto Police in Operation Soap. The event is considered one of the crucial turning points in Canadian LGBTQ2 history. Photo credits: Operation Soap: The police raids that targeted Toronto’s queer community in the 1980s. Youtube – Historica Canada
[The colourful striped band moves forward while the text and image on screen fade away.]
[A photo of a Trans couple hugging appears. A text box appears.]
1996. Sexual orientation is added to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
[The colourful striped band moves forward while the text and image on screen fade away.]
[A family photo of two women and their daughter appears. A text box appears.]
2000. Parliament passes Bill C-23 which gives same-sex couples the same social tax benefits as heterosexuals in common-law relationships. Photo credits: Mondays with Mac Photography
[The colourful striped band moves forward while the text and image on screen fade away.]
[A photo of two brides holding hands and wearing white wedding gowns in front of a cloud of rainbow coloured smoke appears. A text box appears]
2005. The enactment of the Civil Marriage Act marked a milestone in sexual orientation equality rights, by allowing same-sex couples to be married anywhere in Canada.
[The colourful striped band moves forward while the text and image on screen fade away.]
[A photo of people at a Trans March holding signs appears. A text box appears.]
2009. The first Trans March in Canada is organized during Toronto Pride.
[The colourful striped band moves forward while the text and image on screen fade away.]
[A photo of the Parliament Peace Tower appears. A photo of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appears. Two text boxes appears.]
2017. Gender expression and gender identity are added to the Canadian Human Rights Act. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivered a historic apology to individuals harmed by federal legislation, policies and practices that led to the oppression of and discrimination against LGBTQ2 people in Canada.
[The colourful striped band moves forward while the text and image on screen fade away.]
[A photo of a young Trans person appears. A photo of a Trans parent and daughter appear. A text box appears.]
2018. In December 2018, Status of Women Canada became Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE) with an expanded mandate that includes the advancement of equality with respect to sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.
[The photo of the Trans person disappears. The photo of the Trans parent and daughter disappear. A photo of filed paper records appear. A new text box appears.]
2018. Bill C-66 passed unanimously in the House of Commons and in the Senate. Records of convictions involving consensual sexual activity between same-sex partners of legal age can now be destroyed.
[The colourful striped band moves forward while the text and image on screen fade away.]
[A black and white photo of Gemma Hickey appears. A photo of a mother and daughter appear. Two text boxes appears.]
2019. Gemma Hickey becomes one of the first Canadians to receive a gender-neutral birth certificate and passport. The Government of Canada made a historic $20 million investment to support LGBTQ2 capacity-building projects from coast to coast to coast. Photo credit: Twitter @justbegemma
[The colourful striped band moves forward while the text and images on screen fade away.]
[An animation of the Progress Flag in movement appears. A text box appears.]
2020-2021. Launch of the public engagement process for developing the first-ever federal LGBTQ2 Action Plan.
[The colourful striped band moves forward while the text and images on screen fade away.]
Over 50 years of LGBTQ2 activism in Canada. This timeline provides a few notable event over decades of change. It is by no means a comprehensive list of LGBTQ2 history in Canada. Striped band displaying the colours of the Progress Flag. Music stops. The Canada wordmark appears, which has a waving Canadian flag above the last “a” in the word “Canada”.
Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan
Transcript of the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan
November 2017
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivers a formal, historic apology on behalf of Canada for discrimination against LGBTQ2 people in our country.
This is a catalyst for progress.
This apology is rapidly followed by the adoption of legal protection for gender identity and gender expression under the Canadian Human Rights Act.
That same year, the Government of Canada creates the LGBTQ2 Secretariat. The Secretariat helps keep the government informed on issues that are important to communities. It also helps integrate related considerations into the everyday work of the Government of Canada.
In 2018, a new law is passed to make sure that those convicted of crimes unfairly—including LGBTQ2 people—would be able to have their convictions removed from the record.
In 2019, the Government of Canada creates the first federal program dedicated to LGBTQ2 communities and organizations, advancing rights and equality.
At the start of 2022, conversion therapy is criminalized in Canada.
August 2022
We’re continuing to build on this progress, working together with communities to strive towards a more equal and inclusive Canada.
To that end, we’re thrilled to present:
Canada’s first Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan… Building Our Future, with Pride.
The Federal Action Plan is a guided approach to improve 2SLGBTQI+ equity in collaboration with federal departments and agencies.
So, what’s in the Plan?
The Plan focuses on six priority areas:
- Prioritize and sustain community action
- Continue to advance and strengthen rights at home and abroad
- Support Indigenous resilience and resurgence
- Engage everyone in Canada in fostering an inclusive future
- Strengthen data- and evidence-based policy-making
- Embed community issues into the work of the Government of Canada
And so much more.
Based on the largest public consultation with 2SLGBTQI+ communities in Canadian history, the Action Plan is a guide that will inspire and inform Canada’s actions towards equality for years to come.
Learn more about our Action Plan at Canada.ca/federal-2SLGBTQI-plus-action-plan
Page details
- Date modified: