Ultra Naté and Suzanne Palmer perform at Aqua Pride 2010
Pride Toronto announced today that due to promotional commitments for her new album in Europe, Kelis is no longer able to perform at Toronto Pride. She sends her deepest apologies and hopes to reschedule soon.

However, as an event that never disappoints, Aqua Pride, this year a collaboration between Pride Toronto and one of the events in the annual Prism festival, presents Ultra Naté and Suzanne Palmer. Now in its seventh year, Prism Festival has hosted a variety of established artists including Brett Hendrickson, Kelly Rowland, Peter Rauhofer, Ana Paula, Honey Dijon, Abel, Tony Moran Deborah Cox, Hector Fonseca, Chaka Khan, Mya, Tracey Young, Offer Nissim, Mickey Friedman, Roland Belmares, Lena Love, Manny Lehman, Isaac Escalante and many more.
“This year’s edition of Prism Festival’s Aqua Pride is going to be off the chain with these two notorious divas!  We can’t wait!” says Pride Toronto’s Arts & Entertainment Manager, Mary Zondanos.
In 2010 Ultra Naté celebrates two decades of chart-topping hits. A musical chameleon, Naté is always experimenting new sounds. This year it’s non-stop recording for the diva with the likes of David Morales, Quentin Harris, Nervo (who co-wrote David Guetta’s ‘When Love Takes Over’), Tony Moran and a collaboration with Michelle Williams (formerly of Destiny’s Child). Naté will be aiming for super stardom later this year with the release of her new album ‘Hero Worship’.
Suzanne Palmer, a featured vocalist on many tracks by the Grammy award winning Peter Rauhofer, is back with ‘Big Love’ playing in clubs all over the world. Tracks like ‘Hide U’, ‘Show Me’, her smash ‘643/Love’s On Fire’ (with Tiesto), ‘Luv 2 Luv’, ‘Home’, ‘Sound Of The Drum’, ‘Fascinated’, ‘Free My Love’, ‘Style’, ‘Much Better’, ‘Alright’, ‘Muscles’, ‘Hide U’ Palmer never cease to stun crowds. Having spent the last several months recording, including a recent trip to Israel to record tracks with Offer Nissim, Palmer makes a special stop in Toronto especially for this annual ‘can’t miss’ event.

Since 2006, the Prism team has worked hard to build a solid foundation in the city, increasing attendance by 30 percent at their annual festival over the last four years. Prism takes place this year at the Kool Haus, Guvernment, Skybar, Fly Nightclub and Pride Toronto’s Wellesley Stage.

Year-round, Prism produces events in venues throughout the city:  Prism College, Madonnarama, Britney Mania, Prism Divas, Eden (Labour Day), Arrival (New Year’s) and a slew of other events that keep our local talent busy (Shawn Riker, Marc Falco, Jeremy Khamkeo, Cajjmere Wray, GIA, Lena Love, Jamal, Sumation, Cesar Murillo). Prism was also behind the legendary ‘Queer As Folk Babylon tour’, producing 100 shows for over 200,000 people across North America.

Prism has carved out a reputation for producing some of the hottest late-night parties during Pride Week. Their annual Prism Festival has featured artists like Chaka Khan, Kelly Rowland, Offer Nissim, Ana Paula, Peter Rauhofer, Manny Lehman, Flava, DJ Abel, Francois Sagat, Tony Moran, Tracy Young, Deborah Cox and Sydney Blu.

Single event tickets and weekend passes are on-sale now exclusively at www.priape.com/prismtoronto or through Priape retail locations in Toronto and Montreal. Call PRIAPE at 1-800-461-6969 for more details or for store locations.

Om ….

GGT publisher Shaun Proulx spoke with the woman behind something twisted this Pride: Yogapalooza. Salimah Kassim-Lakha gives the full details behind the event that will see thousands bent over backwards in Queen’s Park at 12:30 pm on Pride Day:

Lifetime Acheivment award winner, Kyle Rae.

Ladies and Gentlemen, your Pride Toronto Awards 2010 winners!

Arts and Culture
Robert Sirman

In recognition of his leadership on the award-winning redevelopment of the National Ballet School and the Radio City condo towers, home to hundreds (if not thousands) of LGBT community members, the City of Toronto named Sirman Lane in his honour.

Community Service
Michelle Walker

Michelle Walker is both a virtual- and real-world activist. Founder of the Vancouver Dyke March, she is also creator of superdyke.com, a 20,000-member strong social networking site. Michelle, who operates and maintains the website as a labour of love, has provided refuge and community for many rural and Trans Canadians who often feel isolated and alienated.

Human Rights
Neill Kernohan

Neill Kernohan, an Ontario civil servant, is the driving force behind the creation of the Ontario Public Service Pride Network’s “Positive Space” Campaign. A unique public sector initiative in Canada, the Campaign provides a supportive space for Ontario government employees of all sexual orientations and gender identities and fosters a more inclusive public service environment. Neill’s commitment of personal time and energy to the initiative has contributed to a new awareness of LGBT issues at every level of the provincial government.

Lifetime Achievement
Kyle Rae

Kyle, the first openly gay City of Toronto councillor, has been a tireless advocate of queer rights for almost 30 years. For Torontonians, his name is synonymous with the struggle for LGBT rights that began with Toronto’s first lesbian and gay pride celebration in 1981 and has included the fight to amend the Ontario Human Rights Code to include sexual orientation. Kyle has also campaigned for the provision of employer-sponsored same-sex partner benefits.

Sports
PRIDE House

If there were an Olympic category for queer awareness, PRIDE House would take home the gold. PRIDE House, a pavilion at the 2010 Whistler Olympic and Paralympics Games, provided a venue for LGBT athletes, the community and allies to celebrate diversity through sport. The initiative provided LGBT athletes the opportunity to expose the hidden homophobia that characterizes the sports world and the issues that would otherwise remain invisible – and unacknowledged.

Youth Leadership
The Unity Conference

For some years now, The Unity Conference has united and supported youth and educators across Ontario in creating gay-straight alliances in their schools. The success of the organization demonstrates the need for school-based queer-friendly organizations that provide safe, positive spaces to explore the diversity of queer and Trans experiences.

Congratulations to all of the winners!

The awards will be presented at the 6th Annual Gala & Awards ceremony, to be held on Wednesday, June 30, 2010, at The Carlu, located at 444 Yonge St.

JaXx HouZe 9 – The Enchanted Tribal Platoon came and went on April 23 at Footwork in Toronto. This one was more of a blur for me than the last eight. I guess shooting the whole event for the new Scenester Channel made everything move at F1 speed. I didn’t get to stop and enjoy the fruits of my labour.

I love putting on events, being apart of them and hosting them, but I do like to enjoy them. And I find when I’m deeply involved I don’t get that opportunity.

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