\u201cUnderground Queer artists have been driving culture for basically eons at this point,\u201d Avaznia told Queer & Now<\/a>. \u201cThere are so many remarkable artists in the underground Queer world that are still influencing the mainstream, and we don\u2019t always get the proper recognition.\u201d<\/p>\n This year\u2019s event brings together DJs, dancers and drag performers at Longboat Hall on Saturday, June 27, starting at 10 p.m. Ticket prices have intentionally been kept low, set for $15, with cheap drink options available throughout the night.<\/p>\n But the founder says that affordability is just one of the event\u2019s goals. Organizers also aim to pay homage to the origins of the movement.<\/p>\n \u201cPride started as a protest underground,\u201d he explained. \u201cThere are still so many parts of the world where being Queer or Trans is illegal, and our celebrations are still underground.\u201d<\/p>\n This is something close to his heart. Avaznia explained that as an Iranian man, he has struggled with family and cultural acceptance of his Queer identity, leaving him estranged from his family for over six years.\u00a0 He says this event honours not only the origins of the Pride movement, but the way many 2SLGBTQIA+ people around the world continue to be forced to exist underground.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cUnderground Pride is about bringing it back to our roots while honouring those who are still celebrating underground around the world,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n Honouring the late Queen Michelle Ross<\/p>\n That commitment to reflection is evident in this year\u2019s opening tribute, dedicated to the late local drag superstar Michelle Ross, a pioneering Jamaican-born force of nature whose work helped shape Toronto\u2019s Queer culture.<\/p>\n From the 1970s until her death in 2021, Ross performed internationally, appearing on stages in Paris and Japan while also returning to Jamaica to perform in underground shows despite the risks facing Queer people there. In Toronto, she became a trailblazer during a period when Church and Wellesley was still emerging as a hub for the city\u2019s LGBTQ+ community. Despite her global performances and local stardom, Ross\u2019 career was kept under wraps from her family.<\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n Avaznia explained that he first learned about Ross\u2019 life after meeting members of her family, and then attending a screening of a film focused on her legacy. He shared that he worries many younger generations are unaware of Ross\u2019 impact on the culture.<\/p>\n \u201cI was incredibly moved by her story,\u201d he shared. \u201cAnd quite frankly disappointed that we had potentially allowed this legacy to be erased or wither away.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWithout reflection, we risk losing meaning in what we are and who we are as individuals.\u201d<\/p>\n The Toronto edition of Underground Pride will open with a special tribute performance featuring emerging Saint Lucian drag artist Fleur Fantasie<\/a>, alongside veteran performer Stephanie Stephens, who shared stages with Ross during the 1980s.<\/p>\n Avaznia says Stephens, who survived periods of intense social discrimination against 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, including during the AIDS Epidemic, has shared stories with him about the origins of Church and Wellesley. Now an internationally recognized hub of Queer culture, Stephens told Avaznia that it was people like she and Ross who pushed for The Village we now enjoy to exist. Those conversations reinforced Avaznia\u2019s belief that Pride celebrations should make room for both community and remembrance.<\/p>\n The Underground Pride founder says that one concern Stephens has shared with him is that Queer people in Toronto are losing touch with the importance of community and what it actually means.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cFor herself and Miss Ross, surviving the AIDS epidemic, being pushed underground, and being targeted by police at the time, they had so many reasons to resist and come together and continue to fight,\u201d he explained, adding that sometimes it feels like people forget that this resistance is what Pride is about.<\/p>\n Underground Pride: Bringing together artists of different generations<\/p>\n In addition to performances from Fleur Fantasies and Stephanie Stephens, attendees can look forward to performances by Avaznia<\/a>, who is a dancer, and waackers Tyler \u201cQ\u201d Yan<\/a> and Karl \u201cAdore\u201d Adormeo<\/a>. Meanwhile, DJs Mix Signals<\/a>, Desiire<\/a>, and Incognita<\/a> will be keeping the good vibes going all night long.<\/p>\n For Avaznia, bringing together performers from different generations is symbolic of the event\u2019s broader purpose: ensuring Queer history is passed on rather than forgotten.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to celebrate with intention,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re not going to forget the queens who laid down the foundation for us to exist the way that we have.\u201d<\/p>\n As Underground Pride continues to grow, expanding beyond Toronto and selling out previous events in cities including Montreal, Avaznia hopes attendees leave with more than memories of a good party. He hopes they leave with a deeper understanding of the people whose resilience helped make today\u2019s celebrations possible.<\/p>\n \u201cJoy without reflection risks losing meaning,\u201d he said. \u201cPride itself and Underground Pride and everything else that exists could not have happened if it wasn\u2019t for people like Michelle Ross.\u201d<\/p>\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Photo-Credit-Sofia-Snook-Artin-Avaznia-Headshot-2-1200x1800.jpg\")
Underground Pride founder Artin Avaznia. (Courtesy: Sofia Snook)<\/p>\n