In Taylor Massey, one group of residents came together to host a first-of-its-kind Pride parade for East Enders, by East Enders.
Downtown Toronto is painted rainbow for the month of June, with drag shows, street fairs and the big Pride Parade held at the end of the month. But further east, those numbers start to dwindle, especially in diverse neighbourhoods like Taylor Massey where immigrants make up over 53 per cent of the population.
“Queer people are everywhere. They’re also in the East End, they’re also in diverse neighbourhoods, they’re also in immigrant neighbourhoods, and to pretend otherwise is just lying or a type of erasure,” says Scarborough resident Ayat Salih.
“I’m really happy that an event like this is giving us more exposure to queerness.”
In 2023, Hazel Hein-McLeod, the then-seven-year-old creator of East End Kids Pride, wanted to celebrate her queer friends in Taylor Massey. But given the neighbourhood’s lack of events, Hein-McLeod’s family and friends, along with local residents, decided to launch East End Kids Pride.
That year, 300 people attended the parade, followed by 500 people in 2024.
“It’s made me feel comfortable to be alright that I am a kid [from a rainbow family], and that it’s alright to be different,” Hazel says.
Jessica Hein, co-organizer of East End Kids Pride and Hazel’s mom, says, “Creating East End Kids Pride gave space for the queer community, for trans people, non-binary people, rainbow kids, rainbow families to gather and be seen — to have visibility.”
“I think one aspect of that is [to support] kids who are not out yet, and perhaps don’t have families who are supportive of the queer community.”
This year, East End Kids Pride festivities kicked off with art workshops throughout May at St. Matthew’s Clubhouse, followed by an expanded Pride parade at Dentonia Park on June 1, which 550 people attended.
Eileen Arandiga, executive director of East End Arts, says that even though Pride’s main events lost funding this year, grassroots organizations like East End Kids Pride are building up and gaining traction.
“It’s great to see the East End of the city being activated, the park being activated. I think that it shows that the event is growing,” she says.
East End Kids Pride is sharing its model with hyperlocal groups across the city to help set up Pride events in more neighbourhoods outside the downtown core.
