Mission:The 2016 Dyke March is committed to celebrating the diversity of dykes and to demonstrating our beliefs, desires, and public presence. We strive towards claiming space for queer women and dyke-identified people across the spectrum through actively engaging our unique communities, finding strength in our differences and belonging in our similarities. Our politics are queer, anti-normative, feminist, trans*-inclusive, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive. We embrace the history of Dyke March as a radical, political demonstration of critical mass and respond to the ongoing need to create our own space to be political and visible. Dyke visibility is important because we are not fully represented in the Pride movement or in mainstream society. We aim to be accountable to our dyke communities by upholding values of transparency, respect, and collaboration. We aim to engage allies through sharing knowledge and by fostering their active support. We aim to be responsive to the needs of dyke communities, including their critiques of Pride celebrations, in order to create a space for our diverse communities to unite and achieve the social justice and equality that each of us deserves. We are here to be out and proud, to take a stand and to celebrate #DYKEVERSITY. We hope the Dyke March leaves you with energy to take action, a sense of community, and appreciation for your own unique dyke glory.Goals: Our goal is to organize a political and celebratory march, created by and for dykes across the spectrum. We need to create our own space to be political and visible. Dyke visibility is important because we are not fully represented in the Pride movement or in mainstream society. The Dyke March celebrates our diversity and demonstrates the power of our communities. We hope the Dyke March leaves you with the energy to take action, a sense of community, and an appreciation for your own unique dyke glory!Values:The Dyke March values collective organizing to give dykes who are historically oppressed a platform. These include, but are not limited to, trans* people, Indigenous people, people of colour and people with disabilities. We see this as necessary to create social change.Dyke is used as a term inclusive of all women-loving-women regardless of labels, including lesbian, bisexual, queer-identified, pansexual fluid, omnisexual, intersex and trans* women, and gender-independent folks. It is meant to be shocking and confrontationalTrans* is an umbrella term that refers to all of the identities within the gender identity spectrum which includes but is not limited to those community members who identify as transgender, transsexual, transvestite, genderqueer, gender fluid, gender independent, non-binary, third gender, two-spirit, and bigender.
Trans* Inclusion:The Toronto Dyke March is unequivocally trans* inclusive. Our feminism values trans* women as women who are incredibly dynamic and important members of our community, and we are disheartened that we still have to say this. We feel very strongly that the Toronto Dyke March — and all Dyke Marches around the world — must welcome people from across the trans* spectrum, including trans* women and men and genderqueer folks, who feel it is important for them to march. We do this to empower self-determination, to acknowledge complexity of dyke experiences, and to continue fostering communities of diversity respect. Point blank: Anti-trans* sentiments are not welcome at the March.–Contact Us!E-Mail: dykemarch@pridetoronto.comFacebook: DykeMarch TorontoTwitter: @DykeMarchTOInstagram: @dykemarchto
Dyke March Toronto 