Music

Pussy Riot lead the 2015 Toronto Pride Parade

by Jesse Locke

Punk as fuck feminist art collective Pussy Riot will appear as the international grand marshals at this year’s Pride Parade on June 28.

The Russian group, led by Nadezhda (Nadia) Tolokonnikova and Maria (Masha) Alyokhina, earned international headlines for their protest of the re-election of Vladimir Putin and subsequent imprisonment in 2012. They recently appeared on the political thriller House of Cards, and have collaborated with musicians such as Le Tigre/MEN’s JD Samson, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Nick Zinner, and punk survivor Richard Hell. Pussy Riot will also hit the stage at Yonge-Dundas Square on June 28 for the climax of the Pride Toronto festival. Watch their video for “Don’t Cry Genocide” below.

The Pope of Trash John Waters will share stories from his infamous lecture series This Filthy World on June 22 at Ryerson Theatre. General admission is free but premiere tickets are also available and will go on sale at noon today (May 28). 1980s pop icon and equality advocate Cyndi Lauper will also appear as an international grand marshal and make the Canadian premiere of her Tony award winning musical Kinky Boots.

Other exciting figures on hand for Pride Toronto events include Chaz Bono, Bollywood star and United Nations champion Celina Jaitly, filmmaker (and Elton John’s husband) David Furnish, and 14-year-old social media star Brendan Jordan. Perhaps most excitingly, neon-tipped MC and Missy Elliott’s protege Sharaya J will rock the Blockorama stage on June 28. She remains one of the most underrated figures in modern hip-hop, so check out her video for “Smash Up The Place” and prepare to have your wig flipped.