Crowds rally for unity amid Christian group's march through Toronto's gay village

Umbrella-toting crowds rallied for unity in rainy Toronto on Saturday in response to an anti-LGBTQ group's march through the city's gay village.

The 519, an LGBTQ charity in Toronto, organized what it described as an "Army of Lovers" to combat the anti-queer protesters, whocall themselves Christian free-speech advocates.

"Love, not hate, makes our city great!" rainbow-hued rallierschanted, standing across the street from the Christian group's moresubdued protesters.

The Christian group describes itself as a free-speech advocate, arguing "traditionalists" have to walk on eggshells in today's society.

Group says it disagrees with community's'lifestyle choices'

The 519 said the Christian group is anti-gay, while the group argues that it merely disagrees with "many of the lifestyle choicesof the LGBT community."

Mayor John Tory said that while it was hard legally to stop themarch by the Christian group, he wanted to show the city was againstit.

"When there is a threat, when there are people promoting division and polarization and stigmatization against the LGBTQcommunity or anybody else, I think it's my job to stand up and sayno, that's not the way we live here, that's not what we're about inToronto," Tory said.

He said police were also on-hand to try to prevent confrontations.

Tory said it was important to show opposition to the group andfight to maintain the sense of inclusion in the city.

"It's fragile you know, human rights are fragile, the kind ofrespect we've built up here is fragile in a certain way," said Tory.

"Every single time there's somebody who wants to threaten the sense of inclusion, the sense of support, the sense of embracing,the sense of unity that we're trying to bring about in this, themost diverse city in the world, that you stand up and say no."