Maybe Q should have been up here in Canada:
TORONTO (CP) - Decked out in green beads, pink angel wings, bright purple dresses or very little at all, more than 125,000 revellers locked down Toronto's downtown core to celebrate one of the world's largest gay and lesbian festivals Sunday under a blistering sun.
Partiers laughed, cheered and danced their way through the streets at the 25th annual Pride Parade, which featured dozens of glittering floats and countless writhing bodies.
"It can get pretty hot in this dress," said 54-year-old Terry Cook, also known as Divine, who cross-dressed in a velvet red gown, a thick blonde wig and applied cakes of makeup for the occasion. "But it's not that hot if I don't think about it."
Cook and those who lined the route got some relief from the heat from the many parade-goers toting water guns - a signature of the event.
The nearly three-hour extravaganza showcased flamboyant floats and colourful motorized trams sponsored by various groups, including the Ontario Provincial Police, the Canadian Union of Public Employees, and several diverse ethnic groups.
"I absolutely loved it," said Anastacia Scannel, 19, who was part of a train float sponsored by VIA Rail. It was her first parade.
"It was an absolutely great experience and I'll be sure to be here next year."
The celebration of sexuality featured plenty of skin, with many parade-goers skimping around in nothing but shorts - or less. One man wore only the barest of red buttons over his nether-regions.
Spectators clambered onto rooftops, light stands, and newspaper stands in order to get a better view of the floats and dancing performers. Some even balanced dangerously on window ledges, blowing bubbles and throwing condoms into the crowd.
Among the many officials who took part in the parade was Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair, who donned his uniform to become the city's first top cop to participate.
Several politicians were also on hand, but Conservative Leader Stephen Harper, who is visiting the Toronto area, did not attend the festivities.
Ryan Johnson dressed up in army fatigues to protest war with the War Resistor Support Campaign. His group received one of the loudest responses from the crowd on Sunday as they walked the route.
"It was great, we got a really great response from people," Johnson said. "There was a lot of cheering, people blowing horns and clapping."
Another of the standout showcases featured a man dressed in an elaborate peacock-shaped costume painted in hues of red, yellow and purple.
Organizers estimate the city's Pride Week festivities, which began in 1981, attracted about one million people to Toronto this week.
Police reported no major incidents.
Tom Riley, 58, a spectator who has attended the parade every year since it began, said he was disappointed Harper did not make an appearance.
"I heard he was supposed to be with his son," Riley said. "It's disappointing he's not here, but that's his choice I guess."
On Sunday, Harper spoke against same-sex marriages while attending a religious convention in Mississauga, just east of Toronto.
The House of Commons begins debate this week on same-sex marriage legislation.
"It looks like it's going to go through and hopefully it will," Riley said.
