We DO exist!

Photo by Semco Salehi

“Iranian queers do exist,” said Arsham Parsi, executive director of the Iranian Railroad for Queer Refugees. “We want to raise awareness for (their) rights.”

Arsham Parsi

Through his Toronto-based organization, Parsi has helped bring more than 50 gay, lesbian and transgendered Iranian refugees to Canada since he fled the country himself in 2005.

Homosexuality is punishable by death in Iran. Its ultra-conservative president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad once proclaimed there were no gay people in the country. It’s an atmosphere that puts even relatives of gay Iranians at risk; Parsi’s family had to move to Turkey after his activism led to threats against them.

No mayor? No problem.

CP24/Chris Kitching

People carry a large rainbow flag along Yonge Street during the 2011 Pride parade Sunday, July 3, 2011.

With an estimated crowd of more than one million people, Toronto's annual Pride Week parade went off with its usual exhibition of colour, heart-pounding music and skin Sunday as people celebrated 31 years of Pride, despite Mayor Rob Ford's controversial absence.

For organizers and many participants, the record-breaking event was more than a massive celebration that takes over several city streets.

The parade was a chance to remind Toronto and the rest of the world there is still plenty of work to do to achieve equal rights for LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) communities worldwide. CLICK HERE for a discussion of where we are.

Click on this post's title to watch videos of the entire Pride Parade as covered by CP24.