Prime Minister Justin Trudeau marches alongside his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, in the Toronto Pride parade last Sunday. (Andrew Chin/Getty Images)
Yesterday was a big day in the LGBTQ community in North America. In cities such as Toronto, New York City, Chicago, and San Francisco, Sunday, June 25 was the date of the Pride parade.
This is an annual event where LGBTQ people march to celebrate themselves, spread awareness, and have fun. The parade is full of music, dancing, colourful floats, and the rainbow flags that are the symbol of the diversity of the community.
The prime guest
The Toronto parade is one of the world's largest. For the second year-in-a-row, it had a very important guest: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Gay rights have been important to Trudeau for a long time. He marched in this parade for several years, and in June 2016 he became the first sitting prime minister to participate in a Pride parade (he also marched in the July parade in Vancouver, and the August event in Montreal).
This year, he was also joined by his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, and Assembly of First Nations Chief Perry Bellegarde. This was the first time that a national chief had marched in a Pride parade.
Great socks complete the outfit!
Trudeau also made news for his choice of socks. Pictures caught him wearing what looked to be rainbow socks to help celebrate Pride.
1. Justin Trudeau 2. at Pride 3. wearing rainbow socks 4. high-fiving a little girl dressed as Wonder Woman pic.twitter.com/1xYQoOaPOt
— laura olin (@lauraolin) June 25, 2017
Nice touch, right? But this footwear choice carried even more meaning than it first appeared. Though these socks had many colours and fit the theme, they weren't Pride socks. They were actually a gift given to the Prime Minister by Muslim leaders to celebrate Eid al-Fitr.
These are the socks Justin Trudeau is wearing- they are Eid socks not rainbow socks pic.twitter.com/9XL2wwoHvs
— Nashwa Lina (@nashwakay) June 26, 2017
This huge feast is the end of Ramadan, the most holy month in the Muslim calendar. It is the end of a time of daily fasting, or going without food during daylight hours.
For Trudeau, it is important to celebrate the many communities and cultures that make up Canada.
“Today on Eid al-Fitr, I’m happy to wish a Pride Mubarak [happy/blessed] to everyone that’s celebrating of the Muslim faith," he said in a statement. "It’s all about how we celebrate the multiple layers of identities that make Canada extraordinary and strong and today we celebrate with the whole LGBTQ community. Happy pride to everyone!”
Judging by the photos, it was a happy day indeed!
