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Dyke March 2005 - June 26, 2005

 
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Maurice
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Joined: 08 Jul 2006
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 12, 2006 7:50 pm    Post subject: Dyke March 2005 - June 26, 2005 Reply with quote

Dyke March 2005


By Maurice Ali, Journalist




Toronto, Canada - Well.....The Dyke March 2005! This year marks a change in reporting as it marks a turning point of such in this cause. I had wondered if it was still a protest march given that the gay and lesbian community is well entrenched in Canadian politics. I wondered if this would be my last coverage of the event.....



First up was a lesbian wedding between two Americans: Ann Hudson and Paula Kruse of Denver, Colorado. They had to wed in Canada because of the religious movement in the states that culminated with a second term for George Bush and more traditional views on alternative lifestyles.



This wedding seemed to take forever as the Justice Of The Peace read a small book of vows and then the couple made speeches as ans so one. Finally the couple kissed and it was all over. They then participated in the march as you will see in the following pictures below.



The atmosphere was much more festive. There is that word, festive and the reason why I do not archive the main parade on Sunday.....it is a festival and not a protest march.



I should tell you that this year the march was far smaller than last year and many of the large organizations that were in support last year we gone this year. Me thinks the gay marriage issue was too controversial and too close at this stage for many groups to endorse.





It was fun.....almost losing the reason in the festivities - Like the motorcycle parade.....



There was a group called the wedding party, but I could not find out if they were about marriage laws in Canada or for the two Americans that had just got married?



Almost bizarre because of it's appearance is a CUPE (Public Services Union) flag at the march. That was almost the only display from a large well-funded organization at the march that stood out in their support of the event.....



This could be just an individual placard asking for acceptance of diversity. However, this is more typical and not an abberation of a cause with very specific focus and comment to the society and political/legal system. In the next few photographs, the evidence will speak for itself.




Is this the voice of the participants of the Dyke March? I looked for more relevant placards.....this was all I could find. You should not that I specifically went out and photographed the banners and placards like the year before and the change in intensity is amazing.....




Another bunch of placards advertising social events..... I never saw this before at almost all the previous Dyke Marches - and I have been to almost all of them.....



Is it time to say farewell to the Dyke March; Has their voice moved to the inner sanctums of Canadian politics and made the protest irrelevant? When one of the main events is a marriage of Americans culminating in chants chastising George Bush, it kind of hints that things here have changed. Once again: Is it time to say farewell to the Dyke March? Perhaps so; but I think there is still enough to bring me back for one last time.....
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