I went to Toronto Pride on Sunday with my girlfriend, Priscilla.  It was awesome.  It’s a great feeling to be with people who are just like you and to feel accepted by almost everyone around you.  I say almost because although pride is generally a very inclusive place and experience, there are some people who are still discriminated against.

As we were making our way to the bus, Priscilla and I noticed something.  A white man (probably about 25 years old) say something to two black men about the same age.  I could tell it wasn’t good because of the look on the faces of the black men.  We were walking in the same direction as the white man, so we then overheard a short conversation between the man and his friends.  His friends were telling him not to be so rude, and with that he replied, “just because they’re black, that doesn’t make them people,” implying that black men or simply black people in general are not people.

This was a complete shock.  In this day and at an event that is supposed to provide an atmosphere of acceptance, I was surprised that someone could be so nasty.  Perhaps I’m just naive.

My point is that sometimes there lies within a minority another minority.  This can include trans people within the gay community, or even lesbians in gay media.  It’s something that we should try to eradicate from our community.

We have been making progress.  For the first time since the beginning of Toronto Pride (in 1980), there was a trans booth at the street fair on Sunday.  Also, last year marked the first time there was a trans march at Toronto Pride.