Back in the dark ages of 1972, only cis straight white men had rights, everyone else fell under the lack of clemency that is police brutality, especially members of the 2SLGBT+ community. Noam Gonick‘s new doucmentary Parade: Queer Acts of Love & Resistance reminds us of the brutality of the 52nd Division of the Toronto Police. But it’s also a treasure trove of archive footage of protests against both the police and the laws that they used to enforce. History isn’t complete without diversity, and this documentary reminds us of Indigenous contributions to queer resistance.

Take care of each other while watching this documentary because some of the subject matter are a bit triggering. My response to the subject matter is fascinating, especially on why I’m zeroing in on archives of police brutality. But then again, Queer Acts of Love & Resistance did choose something like Operation Soap as one its focal points. Operation Soap is one of the major bullet points in Canadian Queer History that older queer people know about. The documentary, in general, is just a refresher for me generation and younger who enjoy privileges others fought for.

Queer Acts of Love & Resistance mostly succeeds to be an all encompassing historical documentary especially during its interview segments. I specifically liked how some of the interviewees are activists and elders from the Asian and the Two Spirit communities. The documentary also ties history to more recent movements like the Black Lives Matter movement that ruffled white feathers.  What and who the documentary includes can sometimes point to who they exclude, like the Queers Against Israeli Apartheid. I wish there was room for how Canadian resistance ties into international ones but that may be for a documentary in the future.

Courtesy of the National Film Board