Pride & Journalism
The last few days of May always show people’s true colours.
On Friday morning, I stood across the street from Loblaws and watched a couple of window wrappers paste giant stickers of “love” and rainbows. One person stood on a ladder tacking the highest point while another rolled glue across the poster. I found it satisfying—watching the oversized colourful cutouts smooth onto their surface—like the first ASMR of Pride Month before it even began. Yet I felt a pang of guilt and had to turn away, get my tea latte, and move on with my day.
Acts and accusations of rainbow-washing have been flying around more and more in recent years, especially thanks to social media, as companies try to align with their staff and customers, and as more queer communities rally against overzealous organizations with maligned intent.
In the past year, Loblaws has been under fire for price gouging to increase quarterly profits, selling underweighted meat and expired products, and testing the use of receipt scanners at self-checkouts to stop theft. Consumers are still boycotting the company, some lack the privilege to do so, yet Loblaws is a bronze sponsor of Pride Toronto—at least they uphold their financial obligations to supporting Canadian not-for-profits.
That same day I stood outside Loblaws, May 30, Google and Home Depot went back on their verbal and written commitments and pulled their funding from Pride Toronto without reason.
Facing a collective shortfall of $700,000 funds, Pride Toronto’s executive director Kojo Sherwin Modeste attributed this setback to the re-election of President Donald Trump and his policy “Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing” introduced in his first day back in office. As a result, major US corporations like Google, Meta, and Amazon pulled back on their diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, reducing investments, severing partnerships, and limiting employees’ access to educational opportunities.
“They can keep their money and we the queer community can keep our honey,” said Pride Toronto’s executive director Kojo Sherwin Modeste at the City of Toronto’s Pride Flag Raising on June 2, 2025.
Yet when some fall short, others pick up the torch.
At the City of Toronto’s pride flag raising on June 2, Mayor Olivia Chow reannounced the City’s pledge of $350,000 to Pride Toronto and to increase their funding over the next five years. “Pride Toronto has lost some corporate sponsors because they just don’t know who they are. They’re short sighted…don’t shop at Home Depot, guys,” Chow said. “Shop Canadian. We are not the fifty-first state, we are proud Canadians."
Pride Toronto’s theme this year is “all in,” which is certainly the attitude 2SLGBTQ+ communities need with the war on trans rights, the rights of queer children, and the right to love who you choose free from threat or punishment. It also means calling out industry leaders and influential institutions when they don’t stay true to their word, especially when there is no legitimate reason.
"You cannot only be supporting pride when it's convenient to do so," said Chris Moise, city councillor and chair of the 2SLGBTQ+ Advisory Committee, in his speech at the flag raising. He added (my favourite): "Money talks, bullshit walks." If Google and Home Depot truly believed in pride and everything it stands for, they would do everything in their powers to provide financial support to the organizations that matter to them, their employees, and their customers.
City of Toronto raising Pride Flag on June 2, 2025.
A lot of people have been telling me that I should start writing about politics now that I'm in journalism. Most of the time I just say no to those people. Constantly issuing news updates and rifling through politicians' lives does not appeal to me. Yet entering another Pride Month as a budding journalist compels me to find, listen, and write stories of LGBTQ+ politics, trans rights, and faith-based intersectionality.
Over the course of June I will do my best to share various stories and media that help me understand and find pride in myself and my communities. Whether you are a fellow queer person, ally, or simply looking to learn more, here are some great works of 2SLGBTQ+ journalism:
Feature: “Pride & Politics” by Matthew Hanick in The Review of Journalism - https://reviewofjournalism.ca/pride-politics/
Podcast: “Queries” by TVO Today - https://www.tvo.org/podcasts/queries
Documentary: “Parade: Queer Acts of Love & Resistance” directed by Noam Gonick - https://www.nfb.ca/film/parade/
Magazine: Pride Life, Issue 38, Summer 2025 - https://magazine.pridelifeglobal.com/issue38/
(I will update this list as I find more great stories to share!)
