Between 2016 and 2017, I lived in Toronto’s gay neighborhood for my post-doc. For a year, I witnessed everyday life in this neighborhood, but it was the Pride march that excited and fascinated me the most. As someone born and raised in Turkey, my LGBTQ+ friends were always banned. They were making a superhuman effort to march, dress freely and participate in life. In Toronto, the state’s army, police, doctors and bureaucrats took part in the Pride march. This freedom was not familiar to me. That’s why my excitement was growing even more.

By Gülbin Özdamar Akarçay