Canadian Prime Minister and certified Marvel superhero Justin Trudeau made history by being the first sitting prime minister to attend Toronto’s Pride parade. Trudeau just didn’t show his face, he went out into the crowd and marched while waving a Canadian version of the famous Pride flag in what is the largest LGBTQ+ event held in Canada.
Trudeau mingled with the massive crowd on Sunday and spoke with Toronto’s CP24 about why he decided to march:
“I’ve been coming to this for years and it’s sort of frustrating that it has to be a big thing. It shouldn’t be a big thing that the prime minister is walking in the Pride Parade and from now on, it won’t.”
Trudeau also mentioned possible changes to identification cards and passports that will be more welcoming to transgender or non binary individuals. Last week, Ontario allowed the use of a third gender indicator, X, available on licenses and identification cards. Several other countries including Australia, New Zealand, and Nepal allow their citizens to use the X gender indicator on their identification cards.
Trudeau has been an extremely outspoken advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and women’s rights since taking office last year. Last month, Canadian lawmakers voted to change lyrics in the Canadian national anthem to be more gender neutral.
Trudeau is carving out a legacy of equality in Canada, and he’s gone above and beyond what other world leaders have done in his short time in office. In June, he raised the Pride flag on Parliament Hill, saying, “Canada is united in its defence of rights and it’s standing up for LGBTQ rights, and quite frankly … we still have more work to do.”
(Via Mashable)