Pride and Protest

Both gay as in happy and queer as in fuck you

As small and localized as it is in the grand scheme of a chaotic world, I live near some prime terrain for political demonstrations in my area, which I sometimes attend and some of those sometimes photograph. I also live not too far from a prevalent parade path, particularly for Pride, which is held every year around the beginning of June when the weather can be sweltering mugginess or shivering rain, but sometimes (if we're lucky) between those two. I've attended nearly every local Pride parade since 2006 and photographed many of them. (You would think people would run out of ideas by now, but I guess there is no limit to a queer imagination; the corporate floats, however, keep handing out the same free shit year after year.)

These types of events are similar and different. As much as Pride is supposed to be about protest, nobody here has quite figured out so far how to get the funding for their events without the two mythical overlords of this artificial nation, Big Telecom and Big Banks, being invited; and how would we get the numbers we do if all of their cishet employees didn't volunteer to march in their floats?

While protests can certainly spark a good time (or at least did in the days when I had the time to pursue the hobby of ideas, ideals, and ideology), such fun has been dampened in recent years by fauxppressed fascists - the ones who like to terrorize neighbourhoods that are not theirs with weeks-long noise pollution and weapons on wheels, with edgelord stickers of upside-down maple leafs saying "F*** TRUDEAU" as if that's transmitting any intelligible message of their principles.

But sometimes, when we're lucky, pride and protests come together and show up to outshine anti-queer bullshit that claims "FaMiLy VaLuEs" and "pArEnTaL rIgHtS" are under threat because we're starting to listen to children with open hearts. These are photographs from some of these events, with shining smiles when that's the point, or fudged faces when a sign says it all (and nobody needs to know who was holding it). There is so much more that has happened than I've documented, both what I've been there for and what I've heard or seen from a ways away as I live my life within my limits; but I hope you can enjoy the visuals of what's available, and perhaps one day I'll Write Things about even more.

the back of a parade float from the side with a very happy middle aged white man with glasses and a goatee wearing a tanktop, spreading his arms wide and shouting out with a big smile

sandstone steps to a sandstone building with large classical columns, with a crowd of protesters around. There is a planter on a platform in the middle of the steps that two small children are playing in in the middle of the shot. a young person (teenager?) in the bottom left is sitting on the ground next to a bike working on drawing up posters. young adults are standing around there talking. in the background there is about 15-20 adults hanging around. everyone is wearing colder autumn gear (jackets, some hats and mitts). there's a sign on the planter saying 'FOOD COMITEE Donations/Support/Input' and an alien mask below it.

an outdoor shot of hands sticking up from a crowd holding a rainbow giant inflatable penis

a large sombre crowd (over 100 people) sitting or standing around steps looking at something off camera to the left as the sun sets behind a line of trees

two white bearded men, one tall and leaner and one slightly shorter and a bit stockier and with more chest hair, dressed in drag in white dresses with hoop skirts and cone bras, with French nobility style white curly wigs, white makeup on the face, and pearly chokers/necklaces. They're posing for another person holding white parasols and looking just absolutely classy.

two tall First Nations two-spirit people holding a big hot pink sign with 'TWO-SPIRIT PEOPLE OF MANITOBA' in white letters. one is holding a yellow sucker with their free hand and the other is holding a paper fan while looking to the side with a huge bright smile on their face

a parade of people of various ages, many BIPOC, marching holding Palestine flags, anti-genocide signs with illegible text, and one 'Protect Trans Kids' sign on the left in pink and blue. There's a fence next to them, and on the other side of the fence is the back of a woman holding the hand of a small child with a purse behind her back and a stuffed unicorn sticking out of it.

a fat femme-presenting person on a motorbike in a rainbow stripe long sleeve t-shirt and a rainbow tutu wearing a helmet with dinosaur-like spikes on it, holding her phone out taking a selfie with a grey french bulldog in a white tanktop sitting in a bag at the back of the motorbike

a crowd of counterprotesters from behind, standing on steps overlooking a snow-covered area abruptly ended by a blockade of pickups, semis, trailers, and farming equipment carrying Canadian and American flags on a cloudy winter day. the counterprotesters are holding signs but only two have messaging from this side, one saying 'We All Need To Protect Each Other, Get Vaxxed' and another saying 'Science Saves' with a heart between the lines.

taken from behind, a slightly burly hairy man with tan skin wearing black cotton boxer briefs, a leather harness with various jewels and hooks, and upper arm/wrist leather bracelets. his head is cut out of shot and he is scratching his back with his left hand while holding a paper fan saying 'I'M HOT' with a logo for a queer sex clinic beneath it with his right hand

a sunny summer scene on the front lawn of the Manitoba Legislative building. A bronze statue of Queen Victoria has been toppled from a pedestal and is lying on the floor, both the statue and pedestal now covered in red handprints representing Indigenous children who died in residential schools. There is a crowd of people, mostly wearing orange t-shirts that represent the 'Every Child Matters' movement to search unmarked graves for those who did not make it through this act of genocide, some taking photos with their phones. There is a woman in a traditional dress standing on the pedestal banging a drum while singing, next to a man in camouflage gear holding up a First Nations flag, red with a yellow burst in the middle and a profile view of a First Nations man with a mohawk and feather. There is a woman in a traditional dancing dress walking from behind the pedestal.

a large fountain the depth of a wading pool with the inside painted blue and thus has very blue water. a bunch of people are wading/swimming in it on a partly cloudy day, while one young woman in a bikini top and a white skirt over the bikini bottom (visible because the skirt is wet) holding an umbrella to protect her from the water projecting from the fountain spout right behind her, posing for her friend who is to the left of her (back facing the viewer) taking a photo. the friend has a rainbow pride flag sticking from her ponytail

a masculine-presenting person with brown skin and short black curly hair with a black and white keffiyeh over the shoulders on top of a black button up shirt and dark grey jeans holding onto the intercom of a megaphone held by someone to the right. Behind this person are stairs with six other people fully in the shot, carrying signs with the trans flag saying 'Trans Rights are Human Rights' and 'Peace For Trans People' with one person at the very back holding a pole with a large progress pride (intersex version) flag

a man in tight rainbow underwear wearing rainbow feathered wings, a blue feather boa, and one of those fancy gala masks covered in blue and gold sequens walking on a street and smiling at someone off camera

a good chunk of a crowd of protesters from behind, many holding signs up that are blank on the back, but the visible signs say 'it's not feminism if it's not inclusive' and 'a womb of one's own'. One person is carrying a giant US flag upside down. Several people are wearing pink knit pussy hats. Everyone is wearing a coat of some kind and the weather outside looks dreary.

about a dozen people standing on or around the steps of the Manitoba Legislature. Two are holding a sign saying 'Filipinos for Palestine, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada' with both the Filipino and Palestinian flags. One person on the left is holding a Filipinio flag and one person on the right is holding a Palestinian flag. There's another sign resting on the steps saying 'NO to Canada's Indo-Pacific Strategy! Stop WAR CRIMES in the Philippines'

a couple people around the edges carrying professionally printed 'Slut Walk Winnipeg' signs, with a woman standing in the middle with her own handwritten sign saying 'I'm a woman, I'm a waitress, not a steak'

a white dog with up ears and a black/brown spot around her eye, wearing a rainbow bandana around her neck and panting in a way that looks like a huge smile

a man painted in rainbow colours from head to waist, wearing bell bottom jeans with rainbow flowers sewn to them. He is holding a big rainbow flag up in the grey sky with a few buildings and a spread out crowd of people in the background.

a trans woman with long hair wearing a white toque and a light blue jean jacket with scuffed up black jeans looking at notes from cards in her hand. To the viewer's right is a sign language interpreter. Behind them is a long trans flag banner with a symbol that combines the mars/venus/both trans symbol with the hammer and sickle communist symbol, and text on the banner saying 'tran commun cadr' with letters cut off by the interpreter. There are some other people with smaller signs behind the speaker to the left

a bunch of men standing on a float dressed as sailors, with nautically striped tank tops, sailors' hats, and fake anchor tattoos on their arms

an orange flag with 'EVERY CHILD MATTERS' in written on it in blue flying in front of the Manitoba Legislative building front entrance, with wide sandstone columns holding a roof over an entrance

part of a crowd of protesters cropped from the shoulders down, one of whom is holding a sign with a number of symbols: smiley face, venus, paint palette, stick figure family, house, book, tree, apple, musical notes, heart, earth, graduation cap, peace sign, plus sign, medicine wheel; these are next to a greater than sign with $ next to it

a background of parade onlookers watching a float led by three white men in high heels. one with stubble, sunglasses, a black vest, and holding a black hat on his head is waving at the onlookers. another in short black shorts and a high cut calvin klein grey hoodie is posing with open arms holding a sign in one hand saying 'chaque homo a besoin d'encouragement' (each homo needs encouragement, which I could translate ALL BY MYSELF) with flowers and cherries drawn on it. the third guy is very tall so his head is cropped off, but he's wearing light denim overalls and no shirt. there is a group behind them carrying a large banner with some partial words in French.

a view from the back right of a parade marching down a street. one person is holding an Indigenous Rights flag (red with a yellow sun-like star with an drawing of an Indigenous person's face, though all you can see here is the adorned feather) and another is holding up a rainbow pride flag with words on it including the name of Eisha Hudson, a 16 year old killed by a police officer.

a group of five friends: one masculine person in feminine drag with brown curly hair, silver lipstick, fake eyelashes, black choker, silver vinyl jacket, yellow mesh top, denim skirt with pins on it, and leopart print leggings; one masculine person with a police hat, sunglasses, a light pink golf shirt, and denim overalls rolled up at the knees with pins on the chest; one androgynous tall person with brown facial hair wearing a long straight haired blonde wig, army green clothing, with long tails of synthetic hair in rainbow colours coming from various pockets of the outfit, and large rings coming through a septum piercing with one going up to the hairline and the other down to the chin; one moderately fat butch white person wearing a camouflage hat, sunglasses, a camouflage one-piece, and a rainbow flag; and one thin feminine person wearing an army hat, blonde straight hair (possibly a wig), blue lipstick, a khaki army jacket, and black pants, holding what looks like a Japanese art covered fan over their chest. they are all posing for a photo together with the intended photographer off camera. someone behind them is holding a sign saying 'LAAT ME DOEN' which means 'let me do it' in Dutch/Flemish

a male performer in fancy theatrical makeup holding a dreamcatcher, wearing a a giant skirt that goes over a cart of some kind moving this person on wheels. the skirt is in rainbow colours and braided at some points. There are strings of fabric from the skirt being held on poles being held by people a couple metres behind this person

a young person who appears to be Indigenous Turtle Islander holding up a colourful sign saying 'I will never change who I am just because you do not approve. Be Proud. Happy Pride. Love knows no limits 2012.' with colourful drawings of stick figures, gender sign combinations, and a cupcake.

a tan man in a leather vest wearing a leather cap holding a large BDSM pride flag standing next to a truck talking to a burly man sitting in the truck bed and leaning to the side a wearing a colourful bejeweled vest, sunglasses, and a crown, with a bear pride flag next to him

a shirtless woman with long brown hair and a blurred out face on the left, with a shritless bald man with a blurred out face to her right. behind them are blurred face female protesters carrying signs, but the only visible word is 'RAPE' at the top of one of them.

a crowd of people along a busy street with three visible signs: 'Lets Hold Onto Truth' with a heart; 'Queer without website(?)' and 'Queer and FOREVER here' with a venus symbol.

a group standing on the bed of a truck for a pride float, including a white shirtless man of a lean physique wearing something on his back that looks like rainbow feather dusters made into a peacock tail