Pride marked by celebrations, arrests and grief around the world

Pride marked by celebrations, arrests and grief around the world

After a pandemic hiatus, Pride events returned to many cities around the world on Sunday.

Streets were once again filled with celebrations and parades, but many others were held under drastically different moods.

Here's a look at how Pride was marked around the world:

Celebrations in Canada

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

The city's downtown was packed with tens of thousands of people revellers and participants. The festivities are expected to stretch into the night, with outdoor concerts planned along stretches of Church Street in the gay village.

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

(Evan Mitsui/CBC)
Two people kiss as they walk in the Pride parade, marking the return of in-person festivities for the annual LGBTQ celebration, in Toronto, Sunday, June 26, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Eduardo Lima
(Eduardo Lima/The Canadian Press)
(Evan Mitsui/CBC)
People march in the Pride parade marking the return of in-person festivities for the annual LGBTQ celebration, in Toronto, Sunday, June 26, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Eduardo Lima
(Eduardo Lima/The Canadian Press)

Parades, 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, then called the Christopher Street Liberation Day March, was held in 1970 to mark the first anniversary of the Stonewall rebellion, a spontaneous street uprising triggered by a police 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.

A person performs during the 2022 NYC Pride parade, in New York City, New York , U.S., June 26, 2022. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
(Brendan McDermid/Reuters)
People hold posters during the 2022 NYC Pride parade in Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S., June 26, 2022. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon
(Jeenah Moon/Reuters)

In San Francisco, some marchers and spectators held signs condemning the court's abortion ruling.

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who rode in a convertible holding a gavel and a rainbow fan, said the large turnout was an acknowledgement that Americans support gay rights.

San Francisco's first march was in 1972 and had been held every year since, except during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) takes part in the 2022 San Francisco Pride parade, in San Francisco, California, U.S., June 26, 2022. REUTERS/Carlos Barria
(Carlos Barria/Reuters)
A general view of the 2022 San Francisco Pride parade, in San Francisco, California, U.S., June 26, 2022.
(Carlos Barria/Reuters)

LGBT leaders fear the Supreme Court's decision endangers personal freedom beyond abortion rights. In a concurring opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that the court might reconsider other precedents, mentioning specifically rulings protecting the rights to 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 in a world, not in my city, where our rights are taken from us or rolled back," said Lightfoot, Chicago's first openly gay mayor and the first Black woman to hold the office.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (L) and Chicago's First Lady Amy Eshleman (R) attend the 51st LGBTQ Pride Parade in Chicago, Illinois, on June 26, 2022. - The Pride Parade returned to the Lakeview and Uptown neighborhoods after a three year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.
(Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP/Getty Images)
Participants carry balloons spelling out
(Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP/Getty Images)

Arrests in Turkey

Dozens of people were detained in central Istanbul after city authorities banned a Pride march.

Turkey had previously been one of the few Muslim-majority countries to allow Pride marches, but the country's largest city has banned the march since 2015. Large crowds nonetheless gather every year to mark the end of Pride Month.

Organizers said more than 100 people were arrested on Sunday. Images on social media showed people being frisked and loaded onto buses.

TOPSHOT - A participant faces riot policemen wearing a rainbow flag during a Pride march in Istanbul, on June 26, 2022. - Turkish police forcibly intervened in a Pride march in Istanbul, detaining dozens of demonstrators and an AFP photographer, AFP journalists on the ground said. The governor's office had banned the march around Taksim Square in the heart of Istanbul but protesters gathered nearby under heavy police presence earlier than scheduled.
(Kemal Aslan/AFP/Getty Images)
A man is detained during the LGBTQ Pride March in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, June 26, 2022. Dozens of people were detained in central Istanbul Sunday after city authorities banned a LGBTQ Pride March, organisers said. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
(Emrah Gurel/The Associated Press)

Mourning in Norway

Norway's prime minister, pictured in the first photo below, and members of the royal family joined mourners at a memorial service for the victims of a shooting attack as the capital held its annual Pride festival.

A gunman opened fire in central Oslo's nightlife district early Saturday, killing two men and wounding more than 20 other people in what the Norwegian security service called an "Islamist terror act."

The capital's Pride parade was scheduled to take place on Saturday but was cancelled. Police investigators said it was unclear whether hatred of people based on sexual orientation and gender identity motivated the attack.

Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store pays respect during a service in Oslo Cathedral, Oslo, Sunday June 26, 2022, after an attack in Oslo on Saturday. A gunman opened fire in Oslo’s nightlife district early Saturday, killing two people and leaving more than 20 wounded in what the Norwegian security service called an
(Javad Parsa/NTB/The Associated Press)
A man walks with a dog decorated with rainbow wings near the scene of a shooting in central of Oslo, Norway, Sunday, June 26, 2022. A gunman opened fire in Oslo’s nightlife district early Saturday, killing two people and leaving more than 20 wounded in what the Norwegian security service called an
(Sergei Grits/The Associated Press)

Demands for inclusion in India

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.

Activists and supporters of LGBTQ community walk a pride parade in Chennai on June 26, 2022.
(Arun Sankar/AFP/Getty Images)
Activists and supporters of LGBTQ community walk a pride parade in Chennai on June 26, 2022. (Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP) (Photo by ARUN SANKAR/AFP via Getty Images)
(Arun Sankar/AFP/Getty Images)