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Justin Trudeau Wore The Best Socks At Canada's Pride Celebration

by Lani Seelinger
Pool/Getty Images News/Getty Images

Toronto's Pride Parade got a boost of celebrity when Canada's own prime minister showed up to show his support. But he did much more than simply show up for the LGBTQ community: Justin Trudeau wore Eid socks to Pride, and owned the event's theme of "inclusivity" by honoring the Muslim celebration too.

Along with his wife and two of his children, Trudeau marched in Toronto's Pride Parade on Sunday with a rainbow maple leaf tattoo on his cheek. He also had striped socks to honor Eid al-Fitr, the celebrations marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan. The socks said "Eid Mubarak" in Arabic, the traditional greeting for the holiday.

"It's all about how we celebrate the multiple layers of identities that make Canada extraordinary and strong," Trudeau said before joining the parade, in a statement that switched between French and English and embraced the full range of diversity present in Canada.

Trudeau is only the second Canadian prime minister (and first sitting prime minister) to take part in a pride celebration, and he didn't stop there. He wished the revelers a "Pride Mubarak" — a greeting which, of course, combines the Pride and Eid al-Fitr celebrations into one.

The theme of the parade was "inclusivity," and that extended beyond the prime minister's socks. Trudeau marched along with First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde, and a group of indigenous Canadian activists followed them. Bellegarde was the first National Chief to attend a Pride event, and spoke to the two-spirited legacy within his community: "There were no closets in our teepees."

Also joining the two of them from the political sphere were Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and Toronto Mayor John Tory. And although they did not attend in any official capacity, a number of Black Lives Matter activists also showed up to take part towards the end of the parade.

Many people on Twitter and elsewhere have noted the sharp contrast between Trudeau and President Trump, who broke with tradition and did not recognized June as Pride month, even as his daughter Ivanka Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made statements supporting it. Trump did issue a statement wishing "all Muslims a joyful Ramadan," but he has not made any comments in honor of Eid al-Fitr, nor has he attended any Pride events.

Trudeau also tweeted a few pictures of himself at the event, along with the caption "Love is love."

Trudeau has devoted a lot of energy during his term to celebrating Canada's multiculturalism, and with his very visible presence at Toronto's Pride parade, no one can doubt that he considers Canada's LGBTQ community and the Muslim community to be vital parts of the fabric of the nation.