A march in Montreal against homophobia and transphobia

A pride flag is waved during an NBA basketball game between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Toronto Raptors, Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Philadelphia (AP photo/Matt Slocum). (Matt Slocum/AP)

As part of the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, Fondation Émergence is organizing a citizens’ march in downtown Montreal on Saturday afternoon.

The march is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. in the Quartier des spectacles, at the corner of de Maisonneuve Street and Jeanne-Mance Street, near the Place-des-Arts metro station.

The executive director of Fondation Émergence, Laurent Breault, is inviting the public to turn out in large numbers to demonstrate that the setbacks experienced by the LGBTQ+ community cannot be tolerated.

“The idea is to have a peaceful, festive, family-friendly march — kind of a ‘bring your ally’ style,” explained Breault. “We really want as many people as possible to show that, here in Quebec and in Canada, we don’t accept the setbacks that are happening.”

This year, the organization has launched a campaign called “The Ally Effect” to promote and mobilize people who are allies in the fight against homophobia and transphobia.

Breault hopes this initiative will highlight the importance of solidarity in advancing the inclusion and recognition of people of all genders and sexualities.

“We want to invite allies to become visible and get active to create a general movement of people allied with LGBTQ+ communities to counter the misinformation, backlash and setbacks we see,” said Breault in an interview with The Canadian Press.

Against a backdrop of rising hate speech and legislative backtracking, he stressed that no one voice should stand alone in defending human rights.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French May 17, 2025.