Lesbian & Gay Pride Day – 28 June 1981 – Toronto

This 1981 button focuses on the first Lesbian and Gay Pride Day in Toronto. It coincided with the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Riots in New York City, considered one of the sparks for the lesbian and gay liberation movement. This Toronto Pride event was fuelled by anger at the recent bathhouse raids in which over 300 gay men were arrested and in response to the rising tide of right-wing bigotry.