Torontoist » queer

The AIDS Committee of Toronto Encourages Men To Show Some Spunk

ACT creates a new support group to help men wanting to pull back on their drug use during sexual activities.

Spunk is a new support group that’s been started by ACT, the AIDS Committee of Toronto, for gay and bisexual men who want to better manage their drug and alcohol use, especially during sex. In slang, a session of having sex while under the influence of drugs—often, but not limited to, meth—is know as “party [...]

Human Rights Milestone Remembered By Toronto’s Queer Community

Twenty-five years ago, the Ontario Human Rights code was extended to provide protection based on sexual orientation.

Last Friday the anniversary of an important milestone in queer history quietly slipped past: the inclusion of sexual orientation into the Ontario Human Rights Code 25 years ago, on December 2, 1986. The change meant legal protection against harassment and discrimination based on sexual orientation at a time when being fired for being gay was [...]

Studio 180 Explores the Early Days of AIDS

Larry Kramer wrote The Normal Heart in 1985, but the powerful play, chronicling the earliest days of AIDS in New York City, still strikes a chord today.

The Normal Heart Buddies in Bad Times Theatre (12 Alexander Street) October 14 to November 6 Tuesday to Saturday at 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. $35 (PWYC Sundays) There was a moment during a climactic scene between Jonathan Wilson and Jeff Miller at the opening performance of the Studio 180 production of [...]

The Not-So-Merry Maids

An ambitious season opener, artistic director of Buddies in Bad Times Theatre Brendan Healy barely misses a spot in this queer theatre classic.

The Maids Buddies in Bad Times Theatre (12 Alexander Street) September 17 to October 9, Tuesdays to Saturdays 8 p.m., Sundays 2:30 PWYC–$33 Expectations are tricky when it comes to season openers, and in the case of the The Maids at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, expectations were high. Not only is it the follow-up [...]

MacIvor’s Greatness On Display

The Toronto premiere of Daniel MacIvor's play about an aging Tennessee Williams makes us wonder why a show this good took so long to get here.

His Greatness Factory Studio Theatre (125 Bathurst Street) September 20 to October 23 Tuesday to Saturday at 8 p.m., Saturday 2 p.m., Sunday 3 p.m. $40–$60 (some PWYC Sundays) The weirdest thing about Daniel MacIvor’s new play His Greatness, currently playing at the Factory Studio Theatre, is that it isn’t a new play. It premiered [...]

Homegrown Party Pitbull Set To Mark New Territory

A promoter knows a party is good when people travel from out of town for the night. And what better vote of confidence for Pitbull than when partygoers from Montreal, known for its nightlife, are crossing the provincial border for the monthly event for queer men? Co-founder Francis Gauldreault chalks the success up to a focus on dancing and a lack of pretension. He says the goal of Pitbull was to create a space without judgement and throw a party for "any guy who wants to dance to great music, hang out with other dudes for beers and fun, and just generally have a good time."

Toronto’s Trans Community Marches For Equal Rights

Last Friday, an estimated 1,500 participants took to the streets for the Trans March to draw awareness to and help end the human rights inequalities facing trans people. While gay rights in Canada are among the most progressive in the world, trans rights falls behind other groups' considerably. "We still don’t have basic human rights for trans people in Canada," says activist Nicki Ward. “If you beat someone up and call them a 'fag,' it's a hate crime; if you beat someone up and call them a 'tranny,' it’s not."

Pride 2011: “The Most Political Parade in 20 Years”

Not angry, primarily, but conscious. That was the feeling yesterday as Toronto's 31st annual Pride Parade got underway. There were some Rob Ford masks, there were the occasional angry chants, and there were flashmobs protesting potential cuts to services that benefit the queer community (they haven't been announced yet, but everyone is bracing)—but these were not the main point. Pride was just as it has been, full of joy and excitement and freedom and love. Everyone's radars are assuredly tuned to the politics of City Hall in a way they haven't been in years; happily, this manifested yesterday as fierce pride in Pride, and a strong sense of community. The parade felt less corporate than it has in quite some time, which also helped reinforce the sense that the Parade belongs to the people of Toronto, and any politician should think more than twice before messing with it.

Dyke March 2011: Bringing the Politics Back

Despite all the rainbow cupcakes and the requisite Super Soakers, the Dyke March is more than just a rowdy celebration of queer pride: it’s a political rally demanding respect for queer women and trans people now. According to Laura Krahn, Dyke March committee member and one of two women holding up the banner that led the way yesterday, this year is all about politicizing the event within a largely depoliticized festival. As she emphasizes, this is not a parade, it’s a march. “I think as queer women, our issues are different. And we still live in a society that doesn’t treat women as equal citizens, so we still have more work to do,” Krahn said. “Our identities are complex; some of us experience very different types of oppression, and I think as women it’s important to be together and represent that and remind ourselves about the things we have in common and also the differences that make us stronger.”

Pride, In Their Own Words: Leanne Iskander

I never expected the GSA issue to be so well-known. To be honest, I didn’t really expect anyone to care about the situation at our school. In our school, it was just myself and a couple friends who were talking and thought that it would be pretty cool to have an LGBT club or group at our school. We didn’t know what GSAs were—we found that out when we Googled it—and then we decided to propose one.

Five (And a Half) Reasons the Village Doesn’t Suck for Food

Over the past few years, something interesting happened to the Church-Wellesley Village: the area stopped sucking as a dining destination. The Village is rammed with restaurants, but has never broken into foodie consciousness mainly because of an inconsistent line-up and club-district reputation. The evolution is still underway—really, three pizza chain franchises?—but from a hidden gem of a lunch to a boozy beverage worthy of a bucket list, we found five-a-half good cullinary reasons to celebrate Church Street.

Pride, In Their Own Words: Robert Windrum, Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives

Pride is a time to celebrate the freedoms and rights we fought hard for in the community. At the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives (CLGA), we would like to think of ourselves as a resource for people to learn why they should be proud—why pride and Pride are important. We're the repository, the records, for the accomplishments to be proud of, from the big scale to the small personal victories. The Archives have those personal stories, as keeping our stories alive is really important.