Hundreds of friends and family members gathered at Woody's Bar in Toronto for "Hislop's last party" to honor his legacy and contributions to the rights and culture of glbtq Canadians. These included leading the campaign to make discrimination based on sexual orientation illegal under the Ontario Human Rights Code, serving as a member of the Board of Directors of the AIDS Committee of Toronto and of the city's Committee of Adjustments, working as the longtime President of the Hassle Free Clinic, and celebrating and being celebrated by Toronto's glbtq community as Grand Marshall of the 2004 Pride Parade. He also won the International Lesbian and Gay Law Association's Karl Ulrichs Award, which honored him for his lifetime of achievement in advancing glbtq rights.

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Among those attending the memorial were Toronto Mayor David Miller, Ontario Chief Justice Roy McMurtry, Canadian Defense Minister Bill Graham, and other political leaders. Health Minister George Smitherman, who had been the first openly gay member of a provincial parliament, acknowledged his debt to Hislop, saying, "The most enduring legacy of the work of George Hislop . . . is that the path he paved for me as a gay man made my life in politics so easy. For a little kid from Etobicoke he was . . . a beacon of freedom."

Toronto Councillor Kyle Rae praised Hislop for his early and persistent commitment to fighting for glbtq rights and his impact on the community. "He was out from the beginning. He had the ability and the courage to do that, and now all of us here today can do the same thing," he declared.

Gail Meredith, a representative plaintiff in the CPP case, neatly summarized Hislop's contributions to his country and the glbtq community: "George was one of the most dedicated people I have ever met. He truly made Canada a better place for everyone by showing us that we must never stop asserting our right for equality."

In 2005 Canada became the fourth country to recognize same-sex marriages; the milestone victory solidified Canada's position as a leader in the struggle for glbtq equality.

In the United States, glbtq candidates have achieved some significant successes at the ballot box in the last three decades, running for and winning local, state, and national elections.

Toronto's glbtq community has gone from being a hidden subculture to a power base in politics, the economy, and the arts.

One of Canada's first gay activists, Jim Egan began demanding respect and equal rights in the late 1940s; in his later years he mounted a challenge to Canada's law on spousal retirement benefits.

Senior Pastor of the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto, the Reverend Doctor Brent Hawkes has worked with fervor and dedication to secure equal rights for glbtq Canadians.

Canadian human rights activist Douglas Wilson is also remembered as the life partner of American-Canadian writer/performer Peter McGehee; together they married activism with art and entertainment.