Pride marked by celebrations, arrests and grief around the world

Pride events returned to many cities in the world on Sunday after a period of hiatus caused by pandemics.

Streets were again filled with parades and celebrations, but many others were held in completely different moods.

Here’s a look at the way Pride was celebrated around world:

Canada Celebrations

Toronto’s Pride parade made its return on Sunday after a two-year COVID-19 hiatus.

The city’s central area was packed with thousands of revellers. The celebrations are expected to continue into the night with outdoor concerts planned along Church Street in the gay community.

Sherwin Modeste, executive director of Pride Toronto, says it’s the crowning event for the weekend festival and the culmination of months of planning.

Parades and protests in the U.S.

Thousands of people — many decked out in Pride colours — lined the parade route through Manhattan, cheering as floats and marchers passed by.

New York’s first Pride March was originally called the Christopher Street Liberation Day March. It was held in 1970 to commemorate the first anniversary of Stonewall rebellion. This spontaneous street uprising was triggered by a raid on a gay bar in Manhattan.

That protest spirit was alive again on Sunday, with many at the parade drawing attention to abortion rights following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on Friday to overturn Roe v. Wade, a 1973 landmark ruling that had secured constitutional protections for abortion in the country for nearly 50 years.

Some San Francisco marchers and spectators held signs decrying the court’s decision on abortion.

Nancy Pelosi was the U.S. House speaker, riding in a convertible with a gavel as well as a rainbow fan. saidThe large turnout was a recognition that Americans support gay right.

San Francisco’s first march took place in 1972. It has been held every year since then, except for the two years that the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged.

LGBT leaders fear the Supreme Court’s decision endangers personal freedom beyond abortion rights. Justice Clarence Thomas, in a concurring opinion, suggested that the court might consider other precedents, pointing out specifically rulings that protect the rights of contraception, same sex intimacy, and gay marriage.

In Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot — seen second from the left in the first photo below — called the top court ruling a “momentary setback” and said Sunday’s events were “an opportunity for us to not only celebrate Pride but be resolved for the fight.”

“We will not live, not in my town, in a world where our rights are taken away or rolled back.” said Lightfoot, Chicago’s first openly gay mayor and the first Black woman to hold the office.

Turkey: Arrests

After the city authorities had banned Pride marchers from Istanbul, dozens were taken into detention in central Istanbul.

Turkey was once one of the few Muslim-majority nations that allowed Pride marches. However, the country’s largest city has banned the march from 2015 onwards. Despite this, large crowds still gather every year to celebrate the end of Pride Month.

Organizers saidOn Sunday, more than 100 people were detained. Images shared on social media showed people being taken into custody and loaded onto buses.

Norway: The Last Days of the Dead

Norway’s prime Minister, pictured in the first picture below, joined mourners at a memorial for the victims. This was being held as the capital held its annual Pride Festival.

In central Oslo’s nightlife district, a gunman opened fire early Saturday morning, killing two people and injuring more than 20 others. It was part of an “Islamist terror attack” according to the Norwegian security service.

The planned capital Pride parade was to be held on Saturday, but it was cancelled. Police investigators saidIt was not clear if the attack was motivated by hatred of people based upon sexual orientation or gender identity.

Inclusion in India: Demands

Along with celebrations, demands for inclusion were seen at a Pride parade in the southern Indian city of Chennai.

Marital rights, right to adoption, right to property and better surrogacy laws were some of the demands by attendees.

Same-sex relations are considered taboo by many in socially conservative India, and while it no longer carries the previous punishment of up to 10 years in prison, other rights such as gay marriage are likely to prove elusive.