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Ivey community celebrates inclusivity at Toronto Pride Parade

Jul 2, 2024

For HBA student Claire Koyama, the 2024 Pride celebration in downtown Toronto this past weekend was more than just a parade – it was the creation of a community.

“It was a chance to meet people who I never would have met before and showed me how big the [2SLGBTQIA+] community actually is at Ivey,” said Koyama, who is Co-President of the Ivey Pride Club and helped to organize the Ivey group that participated in the event. “Hopefully, it will help to break down some of the misconceptions that people might have.”

Approximately 100 members of the Ivey community who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+ or allies, as well as some Western representatives, were among the thousands who marched in the Toronto Pride Parade on June 30, to mark the culmination of Pride month. The Ivey group donned rainbow t-shirts and pins and waved rainbow flags and a banner bearing an important message: The Future is Inclusive.

It’s a message that Kim Randall, an EMBA ’25 candidate and Ivey EMBA Associate Director of Recruitment and Admissions, wants to reinforce for her children. She attended the parade, along with her young son and daughter.

All you need is love

“I’m so happy to support Ivey at the Toronto Pride Parade with my two little kids because we believe that love is love,” she said. “We love rainbows and we love love and we want everyone to love who they love and be celebrated and accepted.”

And it’s a message that rang true for Western student Natalie Lu when participating in a previous Pride parade. Lu took part again this year to relive that feeling and connect with the queer community.

“The first time I ever went to Pride, I came out of the subway and I immediately started crying because I saw the rainbows around me. It was the first time in my entire life that I felt safe to be queer in public so Pride means a lot to me,” said Lu.

Watch highlights from the event in the video above.

View more photos from the event below.