In photos: With a month of events and celebrations, UTM community shows its pride
The University of Toronto Mississauga community marked Pride Month 2023 with symbols, events and celebrations — large and small — throughout June.
On June 1, UTM joined the St. George and Scarborough campuses for flag-raising ceremonies and kickoff events. For the first time on the campus, UTM displayed a 2-Spirit flag alongside the Progress Pride flag.
Dozens attended the Pride Month launch barbecue and flag-raising, which opened with a performance by Indigenous drummer Danielle Migwans.
Professor Nicholas Rule, incoming vice-principal, academic and dean, was among the guest speakers.
Rule also spoke at the 2023 ICUBE Pride Pitch event. Students, staff, faculty and librarians from all three U of T campuses, as well as Region of Peel community members, gathered on June 14 to recognize and support 2SLGBTQ+ entrepreneurs for the fourth year of the competition.
Related: Listen to an interview with new UTM Dean Nicholas Rule
Raasta AI, an AI-powered travel planner co-founded by U of T students Aamyneh Mecklai and Ishika Mittal, won this year’s competition. Raasta AI provides personalized travel advice, itinerary planning, real-time safety alerts, live translations and user-tailored recommendations for local experiences.
Beyond the flags on display at the students centre, there were other visible signs of Pride Month on campus.
The Campus Safety Office updated their Special Constable uniforms and cruiser in the More Colour, More Pride theme.
Over at the UTM Library, patrons could choose a title from a month-long curated display of books, movies and more.
The displays are updated regularly and you can check out the titles on the library's website.
Across the three campuses, the annual #DisplayYourPride event on June 13 saw community members sharing colourful decorations, costumes and more.
Many shared their handiwork on social media using the #DisplayYourPride and #UofTPride hashtags.
The staff in the Office of Vice-President and Principal Alexandra Gillespie celebrated with an on-theme cake and decorated the space with flags, streamers, signs and brightly coloured accessories.
Meanwhile, staff, faculty and students at the Institute for Management & Innovation team struck a pose at their #DisplayYourPride event, complete with balloons and handmade decorations.
Watch: #DisplayYourPride highlights