Toronto police say no charges were laid for public nudity at this weekend’s Pride parade as making arrests wouldn’t serve anyone’s interests.
Footage from the large gay rights gathering shows several naked adults, most of whom were men, marching in the streets of downtown Toronto. On the same march, a man wearing nothing but a cartoon Bugs Bunny mask and furry rabbit foot-slippers hopped around while his genitals were exposed to the crowd.
Another video from the Pride weekend events, billed by organizers as family friendly, showed a naked woman slapping her backside in front of a crowd watching a drag performer on the street.
A man wearing a leather thong approached a family with two children on the sidelines of the march, where his groin was at the children’s eye level.
At Friday’s Trans Pride Parade in Toronto, several barely-dressed men wearing transgender flags walked past children. Nudists had a booth inviting people – including minors – to join a naked swimming club.
GTA Skinny Dippers welcomes children to swim naked with them. The group also offers free memberships to children ages 14 to 18, with youth in that age group welcome without being accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Pride Toronto did not respond to True North’s request for comment.
The Criminal Code of Canada states that “everyone who, without lawful excuse, is nude in a public place is guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction.”
The Toronto Police Service told True North that arresting people for public nudity would not be in the “best interest” of officers or the community.
“At large events such as the Pride Parade, which attracts as many as a million people, our number one priority is public safety and ensuring a peaceful event,” a Toronto police spokesperson told True North in an email. “It’s not in the best interest of officers or the community to have police wading into crowds to arrest people for public nudity, a charge which requires the consent of the Attorney General.”
The criminal code states that “no proceedings shall be commenced under this section without the consent of the Attorney General.”
Indecent acts and indecent exposure are also illegal under the Criminal Code, and these charges do not require the attorney general’s consent.
Indecent exposure involves exposing one’s genitals for a sexual purpose to a person who is under the age of 16 years old.
When asked if Toronto police would not be able to arrest a naked man running through the streets of Toronto without the consent of the attorney general, the officer told True North that they didn’t “have anything further to add to this.”