Pride Toronto Has Apologized For "A History Of Anti-Blackness"
It comes after months of debate over a protest by Black Lives Matter Toronto.
Pride Toronto has issued an apology for "a history of anti-blackness" within the organization and "its role in deepening the divisions" within the LGBT community.
In a statement shared by the Board of Directors on Tuesday, Pride Toronto also apologized "emphatically and unreservedly" for "repeated marginalization of the marginalized within our community that our organization has continued."
The organization also said it regrets how it handled a protest from Black Lives Matter Toronto during this year's Pride parade.
Mark Blinch / THE CANADIAN PRESS
BLMTO — who were 2016's honoured group — halted the parade for 30 minutes with a list of demands for Pride Toronto.
Among those demands was increased funding and support for black spaces at Pride and the removal of police floats from the parade.
Mark Blinch / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Pride's executive director, Mathieu Chantelois, signed the list of demands but later backtracked and said he was just getting the parade moving again. He resigned in August amid allegations of racism and sexual harassment.
"We apologize that the lack of decisive decision-making has left many in our communities feeling attacked," Pride Toronto said in the statement. "This is the opposite of what Pride is all about."
Despite Chantelois' comments, the board now says it remains committed to honouring the demands presented by BLMTO.
Mark Blinch / THE CANADIAN PRESS
The demand to remove police officers from the parade has proved the most controversial. Pride Toronto held two town hall meetings after the parade, during which more than 700 people voiced their opinions on the matter.
The board apologized to those in law enforcement who "have felt unfairly attacked and targeted by the community that it turns to for love and support."
But they also admit they were not prepared for the racist backlash that came along with that controversy.
"There has been an unbelievable amount of racism expressed by members of our community through this organization. For that, we are sorry," the board said.
Mark Blinch / THE CANADIAN PRESS