This story is part of Salty Queers, quick takes on the pop culture and political news that has us marinating in bitterness.
On July 3, 2016, Justin Trudeau made history as the first Canadian prime minister to march in the Toronto Pride parade. It wasn’t his first rodeo — Trudeau had been marching in Prides across the country for a while — so someone in our community definitely gave Trudeau the heads up. He threw on a pink linen shirt and wore the biggest grin he could. Justin Trudeau and his pink shirt: our wokest political ally.
It was a hot summer day in Toronto. Trudeau got a little sweaty and a lot wet from the inevitable water gun shootout on Yonge Street. The linen clung to his chest. The internet went wild; he was not just our queer-positive head of government, he was TruDADDY.
Then he did it again in 2017, tucking what looked like a similar pink shirt under his navy blazer — for a more sophisticated look. In 2018, he packed the shirt up and headed to Vancouver for Pride, the first few buttons undone.
So, it was to great communal despair that Trudeau showed up to Toronto Pride this year . . . in a white button-up, the most hetero garment you could possibly don at Pride. He wasn’t even wearing white pants. Suddenly, our TruDaddy was just Dad. It’s not a great look, especially when Toronto mayor John Tory — the daddest of dads — shows up in pink shorts, and NDP leader Jagmeet Singh comes decked out in pink.
What could have happened to our favourite pink shirt aficionado? Is he playing it cool ahead of the federal election? Is he tired of being the woke PM™? Could the linen just not withstand the power of our Gay Supersoakers? Did he not have time to run to Old Navy to pick out a fresh shirt?
“Know that we’ll always stand with LGBTQ2 Canadians,” Trudeau tweeted after the parade. What was left unsaid was this: Just don’t expect that the PM will always dress to impress.
RIP pink prime minister Pride shirt. We’ll never forget you or your service.
This story is part of Salty Queers, quick takes on the pop culture and political news that has us marinating in bitterness.
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