Actor Elliot Page and musician Rufus Wainwright are among the stars being honoured at the inaugural PTP Pink Awards in Toronto on Thursday, in the shadow of a U.S. election that has many worried about 2SLGBTQ+ rights.
The gala is organized by the media company Pink Triangle Press to recognize prominent 2SLGBTQ+ Canadians, who have each chosen a community organization to benefit. The organizations will each receive $5,000, a portion of proceeds from a silent auction, and a spot in a media campaign.
The 2024 Pink Awards are being hosted at the Globe and Mail Centre by drag pop star Queen Priyanka, who won the first season of Canada’s Drag Race, and will feature performances by Wainwright, Katie Tupper and two-time Polaris Music Prize winner Jeremy Dutcher.
Pink Triangle Press executive director and CEO David Walberg, arriving on the pink carpet, told CBC News the event was organized in response to the current politically volatile atmosphere for queer and trans people — an atmosphere that was emphasized by Tuesday’s U.S. presidential election, when Donald Trump came out on top after running a campaign that promised to roll back trans rights and used anti-trans rhetoric in speeches and TV ads.
“We’re seeing queer people being used as political footballs, and a lot of scapegoating of the community going on,” Walberg said. “We wanted to take back our own narrative. We wanted to be able to tell our own stories.”
Other gala participants include hockey player Marie-Philip Poulin, activist Latoya Nugent and entrepreneur Salah Bachir, who created the multimedia company Phamous Characters and will receive a legacy award for philanthropy.
Page said he was grateful to highlight the work of Skipping Stone, a Calgary-based organization that works with gender diverse people. He said events like the Pink Awards are crucial to hine a light on the good work people are doing in their communities.
“I think right now what is so important is community, and coming together and being there for one another,” Page said. “I do believe that in the end, queer and trans liberation and love will win.”
Pink Triangle Press publishes Xtra Magazine and advocates for 2SLGBTQ+ representation in Canadian media.