Story by Aefa Mulholland. Photos by Aefa Mulholland (1, 2, 3) and Sian Davies (4).
There are some places girls
really come out on top during Pride. After last weekend, I can happily report
that Toronto is up there with San Francisco, New York, and Sydney for girl
Pride antics. With hot girl bands aplenty, a lesbian pie eating competition,
and a staggering slew of women’s parties, Toronto gets my vote as the top pride
for girls. This year saw the boisterous
Dyke March take over the streets on Saturday afternoon. Thousands thronged
Yonge Street as the march strutted south in the sun. The 519 beer gardens
teemed with hundreds of women all afternoon and until 11 p.m.
While the cast responsible
for producing practically my entire back catalogue of 45s (from ABC to Wang
Chung to Cutting Crew) graced Sunday’s stages, The Cliks, Esthero, Ferron and
local garage rockers Dance Yourself To Death entertained the masses on Dyke
Day. Gorgeous playwright Catherine Hernandez took to the stage as part of the
Proud Voices Readings and read from her Dora-nominated (the Canadian equivalent
of New York’s Tony Awards) play, Singkil.
(Below: playwrights Mark Shyzer and Catherine Hernandez at the Proud Voices Readings)
Toronto’s is definitely not
the Pride for indecisive Sapphic socialites. The list of girl parties on offer
this weekend was incredible; Snatch, Apples, Lick-it, Libido, Girls with
Grills, Cherry Bomb, The S-word, Concrete and Diamonds. On Saturday we hit
Cherry Bomb – the official after party -- where 1200 queer women, gay boys,
trans people, and friends milled, mingled, and cavorted to the sounds of DJs
Denise Benson and Cozmic Cat, M.C. Benni E, and Philadelphia’s Fuse DJs Phoenix
and Kit. The sounds were thrilling, the women stunning, and the atmosphere electric.
(Below: Hillary and Maggie at the 519 Beer Garden)
Sunday, my accomplices and I
hit the the Beaver, a sliver of a bar in my
neighborhood, West Queen West. A hot crowd of West End hipsters milled in the
tiny bar and on the packed back patio, including local, queer indie names; singer
Gentleman Reg, rapper/MC Nolan Natasha, Owen Pallett (of Final Fantasy), Katie
Sketch and Jenny Smyth (formerly of the Organ), and writer Jennifer Code.
Story by Aefa Mulholland. Photos by Aefa Mulholland (1, 2, 3) and Sian Davies (4).
There are some places girls
really come out on top during Pride. After last weekend, I can happily report
that Toronto is up there with San Francisco, New York, and Sydney for girl
Pride antics. With hot girl bands aplenty, a lesbian pie eating competition,
and a staggering slew of women’s parties, Toronto gets my vote as the top pride
for girls. This year saw the boisterous
Dyke March take over the streets on Saturday afternoon. Thousands thronged
Yonge Street as the march strutted south in the sun. The 519 beer gardens
teemed with hundreds of women all afternoon and until 11 p.m.
While the cast responsible
for producing practically my entire back catalogue of 45s (from ABC to Wang
Chung to Cutting Crew) graced Sunday’s stages, The Cliks, Esthero, Ferron and
local garage rockers Dance Yourself To Death entertained the masses on Dyke
Day. Gorgeous playwright Catherine Hernandez took to the stage as part of the
Proud Voices Readings and read from her Dora-nominated (the Canadian equivalent
of New York’s Tony Awards) play, Singkil.
(Below: playwrights Mark Shyzer and Catherine Hernandez at the Proud Voices Readings)
Toronto’s is definitely not
the Pride for indecisive Sapphic socialites. The list of girl parties on offer
this weekend was incredible; Snatch, Apples, Lick-it, Libido, Girls with
Grills, Cherry Bomb, The S-word, Concrete and Diamonds. On Saturday we hit
Cherry Bomb – the official after party -- where 1200 queer women, gay boys,
trans people, and friends milled, mingled, and cavorted to the sounds of DJs
Denise Benson and Cozmic Cat, M.C. Benni E, and Philadelphia’s Fuse DJs Phoenix
and Kit. The sounds were thrilling, the women stunning, and the atmosphere electric.
(Below: Hillary and Maggie at the 519 Beer Garden)
Sunday, my accomplices and I
hit the the Beaver, a sliver of a bar in my
neighborhood, West Queen West. A hot crowd of West End hipsters milled in the
tiny bar and on the packed back patio, including local, queer indie names; singer
Gentleman Reg, rapper/MC Nolan Natasha, Owen Pallett (of Final Fantasy), Katie
Sketch and Jenny Smyth (formerly of the Organ), and writer Jennifer Code.
