By AARON SANDS
Toronto Sun
It was a gay affair - not that there's anything wrong with that.
Colorful sparkles, bubbles, and condoms floated through the air as downtown
Toronto turned into a mystical land of outrageous naked sexual pride yesterday for
the city's annual Gay Pride Day parade.
Hundreds of thousands of people turned out for the event. Metro Police last
night said they didn't have a crowd estimate.
Sweltering onlookers crowded on sidewalks, rooftops, telephone booths and
spilled out of building windows to catch a glimpse of the summer's strangest spectacle.
One group of 10 bottomless men flaunted their nakedness in front of children
watching from the sidelines.
"I'm topless from the knees up, that's the way I look at it," said
Jim, of San Diego, Calif., who wore nothing but a studded dog collar and cowboy
boots. "I'm from the land of the free, home of the brave and I'm here to be
freer and braver than I can be back there."
The parade began with a float of Premier Mike Harris' head on a platter.
"It's the final cut and hopefully it's the last one we'll have to see,"
said creator Troy Kulchyski, 29.
The three-hour march wound its way up from Bloor and Church Sts. down to
Yonge and Gerrard Sts.
"It's fantastic that people can come out and actually be themselves,"
said John Teeple, 50, who strutted with his cottage-country gay group. "And
if you take a look around here you'll see that we're just like everyone else."
A look around revealed a male Marilyn Monroe, a 500-pound drag princess,
men with pierced testicles, a gay priest saluting his cheering faithful, as well
as a bound and naked tongue-wagging man hanging from a noose while being tortured
with feathers and whips.
WHIPPED
One leather-clad slave had his bare bottom whipped by his annoyed master
when he attempted to comment. "He's just being a little anal," the slave
said before being tugged away on his leash.
The Grand Duchess Ultima, of Hamilton, issued a challenge to another queen
who's in town this weekend. "I think I can top her, easily," she said,
pushing up her breasts and adjusting her crown.
"There's nothing wrong with this," said a man who didn't want his
name used. "My wife doesn't know I'm here - if she did she'd probably worry."
"It's a great celebration of being gay and all that goes with it. Toronto
has really become a more accepting place," said gay grandfather Clarke Deller,
63, who's been celebrating pride day for 20 years.
WORLDWIDE
Being gay "is more the norm than anything else now," Kelly Church,
24, said as boyfriend Mark Heron gave her a confused glance.
A senior 52 Division officer estimated the parade attracted more people than
last year.
"There were fewer drag queens, less overt displays of nudity and generally
everything was peaceful," Sgt. Mike Boothy added from police headquarters.
Thousands of homosexuals and lesbians took to the streets in similar parades
in U.S. cities.