Arts & Entertainment
Couple told to stop hugging at amusement park’s ‘Gay Day’
PFLAG Canada responds by cancelling event
A gay couple’s day at the amusement park turned sour after they were asked to stop showing affection in public.
Brandon Hamilton and Barrett Morrison were visiting Canada’s Wonderland in Toronto on PFLAG Canada’s Gay Day for Pride month in June. According to BuzzFeed Canada, the couple was standing in line for the waterpark when a staff member told them there was a complaint about the couple hugging.
The couple “told off” the employee and called the complaint offensive. The employee agreed the complaint was out of line and apologized.
“We don’t necessarily blame the kid who approached us,” Hamilton told BuzzFeed. “I think he was just relaying a message [from a woman in line] and didn’t think about what he was saying.”
“It’s so offensive and absurd that anyone would consider that not family friendly. It’s just flat-out homophobia,” Morrison continued.
Hamilton and Morrison were frustrated the park’s employees weren’t better trained for the situation. The couple contacted Wonderland and asked for the staff to receive better nondiscrimination training. They also asked for Gay Day to become an official park-wide event.
Wonderland’s general manager Norm Pirtovshek apologized for the incident but insisted staff already received “extensive training” on discrimination. Pirtovshek also said the park would not make Gay Day an official park event because all groups should be treated equally.
In a statement posted on Facebook, PFLAG Canada says it offered to give Wonderland free diversity training, but the park did not respond. PFLAG Canada says the lack of response led to the decision to cancel Gay Day at the park.
“Some have said we should keep doing Gay Day at Wonderland to increase visibility and stand up against oppression, but the only thing the park saw in us was a dollar sign. We need a true community partner and LGBTQ ally,” another PFLAG Canada Facebook post reads.
Toronto’s PFLAG president Anne Crieghton spoke with the Toronto Star and called the ordeal “discouraging and devastating.”
“Staff need to go under some sort of sensitivity training so that they understand that this is Canada and people are allowed to openly show affection,” Creighton told the Toronto Star. “That customers didn’t like seeing two men hug is their problem. It doesn’t require park enforcement.”
2025 D.C. Trans Pride was held at Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library on Saturday, May 17. The day was filled with panel discussions, art, social events, speakers, a resource fair and the Engendered Spirit Awards. Awardees included Lyra McMillan, Pip Baitinger, Steph Niaupari and Hayden Gise. The keynote address was delivered by athlete and advocate Schuyler Bailar.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
a&e features
Looking back at 50 years of Pride in D.C
Washington Blade’s unique archives chronicle highs, lows of our movement
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of LGBTQ Pride in Washington, D.C., the Washington Blade team combed our archives and put together a glossy magazine showcasing five decades of celebrations in the city. Below is a sampling of images from the magazine but be sure to find a print copy starting this week.
The magazine is being distributed now and is complimentary. You can find copies at LGBTQ bars and restaurants across the city. Or visit the Blade booth at the Pride festival on June 7 and 8 where we will distribute copies.
Thank you to our advertisers and sponsors, whose support has enabled us to distribute the magazine free of charge. And thanks to our dedicated team at the Blade, especially Photo Editor Michael Key, who spent many hours searching the archives for the best images, many of which are unique to the Blade and cannot be found elsewhere. And thanks to our dynamic production team of Meaghan Juba, who designed the magazine, and Phil Rockstroh who managed the process. Stephen Rutgers and Brian Pitts handled sales and marketing and staff writers Lou Chibbaro Jr., Christopher Kane, Michael K. Lavers, Joe Reberkenny along with freelancer and former Blade staffer Joey DiGuglielmo wrote the essays.
The magazine represents more than 50 years of hard work by countless reporters, editors, advertising sales reps, photographers, and other media professionals who have brought you the Washington Blade since 1969.
We hope you enjoy the magazine and keep it as a reminder of all the many ups and downs our local LGBTQ community has experienced over the past 50 years.
I hope you will consider supporting our vital mission by becoming a Blade member today. At a time when reliable, accurate LGBTQ news is more essential than ever, your contribution helps make it possible. With a monthly gift starting at just $7, you’ll ensure that the Blade remains a trusted, free resource for the community — now and for years to come. Click here to help fund LGBTQ journalism.
The fourth annual Equality Prince William Pride was held at the Harris Pavilion in Manassas, Va. on Saturday, May 17.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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