Pride has special place in LGBT history

Armando Mendonca

(Photo above: @SCOTT CORMAN.COM PHOTOGRAPHY)

I recall my first Pride back in the early 1980s and how the event represented an opportunity not only to bring together the LGBT community, but to highlight many existing social injustices and, at the same time, celebrate diversity.
Today, Pride celebrations throughout Canada have evolved to be more a platform for celebration than controversy.
Canada’s LGBT community began rallying together in the ‘60s in a quest for equal rights with the genesis of this tireless struggle being Pride. Yearly Pride marches (not parades) really began gaining ground in the ‘70s, and it wasn’t until the mid-‘90s that the Supreme Court ruled that Section 15 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination, should include sexual orientation.
In 2005, Canada became the fourth country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage, and, as a result, Pride has transformed in the past decade to become one of Canada’s most festive events, and one that brings together all communities.
In Europe, Pride festivities are known as Christopher Street Day in memory of the Stonewall Riots, the first significant uprising of LGBT people against police assaults that took place at the Stonewall Inn, a bar on Manhattan, New York City’s Christopher Street in Greenwich Village on June 28, 1969.
Celebrated in various cities across Europe and globally, the highlight of Pride is and will always be the parade, which usually closes out the festivities. However, what was once a weekend affair is now in some cities up to a 10-day event or even longer.
In Latin-speaking countries Pride is known as “Orgullo [Spanish] or Orgulho [Portuguese],” which is the literal translation and also includes various LGBT events and
a parade.
Pride dates, event details, parade, and village maps and host hotels can usually be found online either on city tourism websites (for example, Toronto: www.seetorontonow.com/toronto-diversity/) or a specific city Pride website (www.pridetoronto.com).
It’s important to book early if planning a trip to a city during pride week in a centrally located hotel.
Here are some cities, dates and website details that celebrate Pride:
Toronto, June 24–July 3, www.pridetoronto.com Montreal, Aug 08–14, www.fiertemontrealpride.com ; Vancouver, July 31, www.vancouverpride.ca . For further information on pride festivities throughout Canada visit: www.travelgaycanada.com .
New York, June 21–26, www.nycpride.org ; Chicago, June 18–26, www.chicagopride.gopride.com ; San Francisco, June 25–26, www.sfpride.org . For further information on Pride in the US, visit: www.gayusapages.com/gay-pride-festivals/ .
London, June 10–26, www.prideinlondon.org ; Paris, June 26–26, www.gaypride.fr ; Berlin, July 23, www.csd-berlin.de ; Vienna, June 18, www.wien.info/en/vienna-for/gay-lesbian/events ; Amsterdam, July 23–Aug 07, www.amsterdamgaypride.nl ; Madrid, June 19–July 02, www.madridorgullo.com ; For more info, visit www.ilga-europe.org/resources/pride-event-calendar .
Note: Toronto’s first-ever Pride Month will launch on June 1, featuring extended programming and provocative events throughout the city, culminating with the 10-day Pride Toronto festival, June 24 – July 3. Pride Month will begin with its inaugural city proclamation and the raising of the Rainbow flag at Toronto City Hall, set to occur for the first time at the beginning of June.
[Armando Mendonça is a tourism entrepreneur, philanthropist supporting HIV/AIDS charities and LGBT travel expert. He can be reached at: [email protected] .]

Outrigger joins GHA

Outrigger Resorts has joined Global Hotel Alliance (GHA).
GHA has been expanding its presence in new markets, including Outrigger’s home base of Hawaii, along with Fiji, Guam and Mauritius; and at the same time strengthening its presence in the Maldives and Thailand, adding a total of nine premier resorts to GHA’s network of 33 independent brands and over 550 hotels.
Chris Hartley, GHA’s CEO, was in Honolulu recently to make the announcement at Outrigger’s recent global leadership conference, and is thrilled to add another iconic hotel brand to its portfolio.
“GHA is about bringing together fiercely independent brands, many of which have been privately held for generations, and giving them the ability to thrive on their individuality in a rapidly consolidating hospitality market,” Hartley said.
“Outrigger fits that mould perfectly and will benefit from our shared loyal customer base of over seven million DISCOVERY members, many of whom are in Outrigger’s key feeder markets,” Hartley stated.
Outrigger Enterprises Group’s CEO, David Carey is also excited about the opportunity that GHA membership represents for the brand.
Carey said that: “Outrigger’s existing loyal guests return to our hotels because they love the authentic local experience and signature amenities we offer at some of the most iconic beachfront destinations in the world. GHA’s DISCOVERY loyalty program and distribution network give us access to millions of new, like-minded loyal customers, from similar brands to ours, which will extend our reach within our key feeder markets, and into new markets that are not cost-efficient for us to exploit alone.”
The integration of Outrigger Resorts into GHA will be completed later in the year, at which time DISCOVERY members will be recognized and rewarded across the Outrigger Resorts portfolio of premiere beachfront properties.
For more, go to www.outriggerenterprisesgroup.com or visit www.gha.com .