The Ottawa Dyke March took place on Saturday August 29.
The promotion on the Ottawa Dyke March Instagram page had highlighted: “The Ottawa Dyke March is a volunteer-based, anti-capitalist grassroots organization run by dykes for dykes. Join dykes and allies to march together against the violence of colonialism, capitalism, white supremacy, transphobia, transmisogyny, homophobia, racism, ableism and all other forms of oppression.”
Their website adds: “The Ottawa Dyke March first took place July 10, 2004, in solidarity with other dyke marches around the world. Even though the march has grown and evolved since its inception, it still maintains the same values that inspired Ottawa dykes to take to the street in the first place: namely our opposition to the commercialization of queer culture and the discrimination that affects dykes in our society. We are dedicated to ending all forms of oppression.”
Their “Statement on Police Exclusion” further notes: “For the first years of Ottawa Dyke March we did not acquire a permit or ask for a police escort. In 2024, we did not acquire a permit or ask for a police escort. Today, we continue to choose not to get a permit because the Ottawa Dyke March is a peaceful political protest for the visibility of dykes, to demand political change, to protest the corporatization of the Pride Parade and to practice, in community, what it means when we say we keep us safe.”
An alternative to corporate-sponsored Pride
The Ottawa Citizen reports: “For more than two decades, people have gathered downtown for a Pride event with no floats, no large corporate sponsors and no requirement to sign up before joining the event. Instead, Ottawa Dyke March is built around a rally, political speeches and people taking to the streets together, followed by a community gathering. …[In the view of Carleton University professor Patrizia Gentile, who teaches in the Feminist Institute of Social Transformation and Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies], the large, corporate-sponsored Pride festivals familiar today are actually the historical anomaly. Political marches such as Dyke and Trans marches, she said, more closely resemble what Pride was historically.”
Solidarity with Palestine
Also shared on the Ottawa Dyke March Instagram page is a social media post from Labour for Palestine Ottawa that says: “Join the Palestine contingent with Labour for Palestine Ottawa as we march in this year’s Ottawa Dyke March. …We look forward to seeing you there with your flag or keffiyeh in hand! Bring your Palestine flags, keffiyehs, protest signs, and union flags. Bring your joy, your solidarity, your resistance.”
That post also noted: “This year we are encouraging our communities to prioritize events and actions that are in line with our core values. This year’s Ottawa Dyke March theme is: Dykes Just Wanna Have Liberation for All!”
Queers for Palestine
CTV News reports: “On Saturday [August 29], hundreds took part in the annual Dyke March, starting at the Human Rights Monument on Elgin Street. …The march has supported the LGBTQ+ community for more than 20 years. The group Queers for Palestine was also invited to join the Dyke March this year. In 2025, Queers for Palestine halted the Capital Pride Parade on its route, leading to its cancellation. It came after organizers of Capital Pride issued a statement expressing solidarity with Palestinians but removed it from its website after Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and several organizations pulled out of the parade and related events.”
CBC News adds: “In a late July Instagram post, the group wrote, ‘We will not be at Capital Pride.’ Instead, it planned to attend the Ottawa Trans March on Friday [August 28] and the Ottawa Dyke March on Saturday [August 29]. ‘We’ve always been different from Capital Pride because we put our community at the centre and because we don’t accept money from corporations and we don’t answer to politicians,’ said Kaytlyn Nadjiwon, an organizer with the Ottawa Dyke March.”
Queers for Palestine Ottawa can be found on Instagram here.
The Ottawa Dyke March can be found on Instagram here.
Their website is here.
More photos from the Ottawa Dyke March.
Additional reading: PBI-Honduras accompanies Arcoiris and LGBTI+ community at annual Pride march in San Pedro Sula (PBI-Canada, August 14, 2026).
