Marchers raised two things: awareness of their political cause, and giant plush vaginas on sticks.

By Steve Kupferman • Photos by Dean Bradley

The day before the Pride Parade, a smaller contingent of proud people walked down Yonge Street, their vanguard lofting jumbo-sized cloth replicas of vaginas into the air, on sticks. They were participating in the annual Dyke March, an event with a focus on women and transgendered people who identify as queer, and who support feminist and anti-oppressive political causes. Thousands watched as marchers—some topless, some in costumes—ambled amid floats toward a post-march picnic at Allan Gardens. At the head of the column was this year’s honoured dyke, Andrea Houston, whose reporting for Xtra helped bring about a legislative victory for the LGBT community in June, when provincial lawmakers passed Bill 13. Among other things, the bill requires all school boards, including Catholic ones, to allow students to form gay-straight alliances.