The Power of Pride: Kojo Modeste on Solidarity and Queer Resistance. Podcast

Gaypress English Club presents an exclusive interview with Kojo Modeste, Executive Director of Pride Toronto — the largest rainbow festival in Canada.

Dreaming of organizing a celebration with fluffy furries and fierce drag queens in your small town? Then listen to Kojo!

Tips, tricks, and tough love — everything for those who believe that even Sharkawshchyna will have its Pride one day!

The podcast is accompanied by video footage from various years of Toronto Pride.

Listen and watch via the link

Kojo Modeste – On Leading Pride Toronto, Global Queer Solidarity, and the Ongoing Fight for Freedom

In this powerful and deeply human conversation, we speak with Kojo Modeste, Executive Director of Pride Toronto — one of the most vibrant and inclusive Pride celebrations in Canada.

Kojo shares his personal journey from growing up in Grenada, where being queer is still illegal, to becoming the leader of a Pride festival that brings together millions of people every year.

Kojo took on the role in 2020 after being inspired by a visit to World Pride in New York and the Stonewall Inn — realizing that Pride is not just a celebration, but a protest, a space of resistance, and a platform for change. For Kojo, who lives at the intersection of being Black, queer, and an immigrant, leading Pride Toronto is a deeply political act of visibility and advocacy.

We talk about how Pride Toronto has evolved over the past 45 years, starting from a small picnic on Toronto Island to a multi-million-dollar event supported by all levels of government and various sponsors. Kojo emphasizes that the heart of the event remains protest — a way to amplify the voices of those who are still silenced, imprisoned, or forced into hiding due to their identity.

Kojo also highlights the diversity within Pride Toronto: with initiatives like Seniors Pride, Youth Pride, Sober Pride, Family Pride, and Community Connect, the festival ensures everyone feels represented. There are dedicated spaces for Black, Latinx, South Asian, Middle Eastern, and Ukrainian communities, among others. In response to global events like the war in Ukraine, Pride Toronto has made a point of creating spaces of support and solidarity.

But Pride Toronto is not just about one weekend in June

It is a year-round movement. Kojo explains how the organization marks International Women’s Day, Black History Month, and Indigenous Days — staying engaged 365 days a year and supporting grassroots efforts within the broader 2SLGBTQ+ community.

We dive into how Pride Toronto builds strong relationships with municipal and federal institutions, from the Toronto Public Library and school boards to EMS and the city council. Kojo shares advice for other Pride organizers on how to navigate these relationships strategically while holding governments accountable.

Despite recent funding setbacks — including a $900,000 shortfall due to the withdrawal of some U.S.-based corporate sponsors — Kojo remains hopeful. Canadian companies and individuals have stepped up to help keep Pride Toronto a free and open event for all. The challenges are real, but so is the community’s resilience.

We also explore Pride Toronto’s role in international advocacy, including its collaboration with Dignity Network Canada to support queer rights globally. Kojo emphasizes that every time we raise a Pride flag in Toronto, it’s not just for Canada — it’s for our siblings in Belarus, Russia, Nigeria, Ghana, and beyond who cannot raise their own flags safely.

In a moving message to the queer community in Belarus, Kojo urges: don’t give up. “You may not see the results today, but your fight creates a better tomorrow. We fight not just for ourselves, but for the generations to come.”

This episode is a reminder that queer liberation is a global movement — and none of us are alone.

Tune in for a conversation that uplifts, informs, and ignites hope.