For the 5th consecutive year, the TSA is proud to have once again hosted an array of fun and educational events and programs as part of our Pride Initiatives!
We kicked off June on the more educational side with a virtual TSA Forum and Q&A with Framework Leadership where we dove into the subject of supplier diversity in the architecture, engineering and construction industry. Together, we learned what to expect as both companies and individuals as supplier diversity moves from nice-to-do to more formally required.
On the more social side (but we still learned so much!), we hosted our very first Queer Space Trivia Night on Tuesday, June 6 at the historic Cecil Community Centre. We were not sure quite what to expect, but we were so happy with the success of this event and the great turnout. A big thank you again to everyone who came out for this fun evening to learn all about queer spaces with us!
Every weekend in June we also had our new Church and Wellesley Village walking tour on the roster. Together, we explored the evolution of queer spaces in our city and uncovered the stories behind the Village’s built environment and the forces that shaped it. We’ll also be hosting this tour at least once per month for the rest of the tour season—so you still have plenty of time to catch it!
And finally—we were so honored to participate again in Toronto’s Pride Parade this year, one of the largest celebrations of diversity anywhere in the world!
On Sunday, June 25, our contingent of TSA Members marched with their family, friends, and colleagues to represent the architecture, construction, and design industry in the Parade! All participants who joined us were a part of this year’s float and helped us hand out our limited edition TSA Pride postcards along the parade route, all highlighting our city’s queer spaces past and present. To learn more about the buildings featured in our float and on our postcards, check out our Guide to Queer Spaces!
This year we were also so excited to be joined by our friends at Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario (ARIDO) who marched with us at Pride for their very first time!
We had such fun this Pride Month! And we were really excited to be able to expand our work commemorating, celebrating and informing the public about queer spaces across the city and the role the built environment can play in supporting diversity. We want to thank everyone who joined us in this year’s contingent, all those cheered us along the route, and—importantly—the many volunteers, staff, and supporters who made this year’s participation possible. While this year’s Pride might be over, the work to make a more inclusive industry and city continues!
See you at next year’s Pride!🏳️🌈