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$12
per person $2.00
from every ticket sold will be donated in support of
$20,000
For
more information about
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Adovcacy News - Toronto expo combines business & advocacy June 16, 2004 Toronto
expo combines business & advocacy "I
hope businesses remember where they got their opportunity." Celebrating its 24th year, Pride Toronto's 'Pride Week' has yet another jewel attraction to add to the roster with Pink Weddings Expo 2004 - the ultimate wedding exhibition for same-sex marriages slated for June 24 - 25 at the Courtyard Marriott, located at 475 Yonge Street, right in the heart of Toronto's gay and lesbian community. Sponsored by Gaiety.ca Magazine, an upscale publication geared to professionals within Canada's gay and lesbian community, Pink Weddings Expo will bring together approximately 65 of the most sophisticated exhibitors within the wedding industry. The Expo will be officially opened at 1 p.m. by Kevin Bourassa and Joe Varnell (critically acclaimed co-authors of Just Married: Gay Marriage and the Expansion of Human Rights), along with Barbara McDowall and Gail Donnelly. In the six months after June 2003 - when same-sex marriages were deemed legal in Ontario - the City of Toronto issued over 1000 marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Americans accounted for 360 of these licenses while over 60 were given to same-sex couples from other countries. The aim of Pink Weddings Expo is to help the wedding industry in the greater Toronto area to capitalize on this very lucrative market through the provision of a valued service for same-sex couples. Tickets are $12 per person (children and seniors are admitted for free). Two dollars from every ticket will be donated by Gaiety Group to support marriage equality advocacy. $20,000 in prizes will be given away! "This is not only an opportunity for the gay and lesbian community in Canada to learn more, it's also geared for the thousands of foreigners that will take advantage of Canadian law and plan their weddings and honeymoons in Ontario," explained Joanna Valius, publisher and owner of Gaiety.ca Magazine. "This means that millions in new dollars will be available to an already vibrant wedding industry." Gaiety Group will also be distributing their 'Pink Weddings Planner' at the show. A new wedding resource Directory for same-sex marriages, the publication was initiated in response to popular demand for information on all aspects of same-sex marriages. The 50-page how-to handbook will include the latest information available on the legal aspects surrounding same-sex marriage, offer a listing of gay-friendly vendors, and the logistics of planning a same-sex wedding. Pride
Week in Toronto kicks off June 21 and runs through to the 27th. The week-long
celebration wraps up with a three-day street festival, Pride Ball, Dyke March
Saturday and the renowned Pride Parade on Sunday. Over one million visitors from
across Canada and around the world are expected to attend. Look for an update from Kevin Bourassa and Joe Varnell on the progress of marriage equality in the next issue of Gaiety.ca Magazine.
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