We at fab are no strangers to depictions of chiselled abs and hard bodies or sexy men extolling the virtues of a healthy lifestyle and a good workout routine. As a gay men's scene magazine, we attempt to balance sexy with substance, silly with serious, and camp with creative. We have much love for the city of Toronto and the gay community it has created, and it's our job to encourage it to grow. But it seems Pride Toronto may have again proven itself out of touch, this time with a little help from Tourism Toronto.



Spearheaded by Tourism Toronto, a viral video campaign called Pride Pump 2000X hit the web this week, and not everyone is a fan. In the video, a muscle boy host leads the viewer and a small group of queers on a series of gay-flavoured exercises, all while hammering home the necessity of looking toned and tight in order to properly celebrate Pride.

We at fab love a good satire, and we aren't against the idea of taking care of yourself or even hitting the gym harder before Pride, but joking about it being a requirement for proper Pride celebrations seems flat and unfunny, especially coming from an official community organization like Pride Toronto. The tone of the whole production is off, and the video seems aimed at enforcing unfortunate stereotypes while ensuring that Toronto doesn't come off as the diverse and modern queer city it is. Shouldn't a tourism campaign around our Pride festival make us look good? It could still be sexy and funny, but not painfully dated and shallow, which is how this video comes across to many people. Also, Pride Toronto and Tourism Toronto should be extra sensitive to the need to depict the racial and cultural diversity of Toronto's gay community — they should at least try to include some small aspect of that in an official tourism promotion.

Even mainstream media has taken notice. Kevin Naulls wrote an article on Toronto Life's website entitled "Pride Panders to Ancient Gay Stereotypes, Loses Touch with the 21st-Century Man and Woman." In it he says:

Tourism Toronto, in partnership with Pride Toronto, launched its P90X parody Pride Pump 2000x, filled with the dainty, over-sexed, workout-obsessed (read: gay archstereotypes). We’re curious as to when an episode of Queer as Folk reemerged as a gay factory standard.

In the video, instructor Brody wears skintight shorts to show off his glistening oil-rubbed skin, promoting a gym lifestyle centred on the fact that all gay men and women want is “the best chest.” Amid “sparkle crunches,” a “disco break,” a requisite “bear” appearance and a lesbian who is grossed out by a penis (some may be surprised to note that this woman has a deep voice), we can’t help but wonder how out of touch (or straight?) the person who cooked up Pride Toronto’s painful-to-watch and setting-back-the-movement promotional video was. If gay activism is on the rise, how will the community be taken seriously if the organization that fronts the city’s largest gay celebration backs these old-hat, shouldn’t-be jokes? If they were looking to shoot fish in a barrel, why didn’t the Pride committee just hire Big Gay Al?

What do you guys think of the video? Is it harmless or is it another example of a public misstep by an organization already struggling with a massive image problem?

An example of a cute, refreshing and modern viral video was recently put out by Toronto's Muddy York gay rugby team. The Gay Who Wasn't Gay Enough tells the story of a young man who finds it difficult to fit into the gay world as he understands it from typical clichés. Then he discovers a flyer for a gay rugby team and his world is opened up to the sexy, diverse posibilities the gay community actually has to offer. The campaign is hot and fun and focuses on inclusivity. I only wish one of the biggest gay organizations in Canada and our city's tourism gurus were as forward thinking as these rough ruggers.