Bobby Bowen and Karim Olen Ash, SYBIL collective (and best friends)
Bobby: The Drake has always been a safe place for us. We’ve thrown a lot of parties in the community here. They just embraced us. There’s not a lot of spaces in the west end that are very inclusive and The Drake Hotel brings a lot of artists, communities, really good events together. The first time we had a party here was the first time we had someone really behind us, and we got to bring the voguers out.
Following a “difficult year, including the discovery of deaths of several men in the community,” Pride Toronto executive director Olivia Nuamah is hoping to make safety and inclusiveness a priority.
And it begins with safe spaces.
We asked 10 Canadians in the LGBTQ community to name a space in the city that they cherish, why they feel safe there, and what they hope for the future of these places in Toronto.
Chuck Yachun Li, volunteer at Asian Community AIDS Services
"ACAS (Asian Community AIDS Services) makes me feel at home. I can totally be myself. I came to Toronto seven years ago, from China. It helped me to integrate into a new life here and also helped me to improve my language skills. But above all, it helped me to build connections with other communities, and also showed me how diverse and inclusive this country is."
Soren D’Alimonte, musician
Two years ago, I was living in Toronto and had no consistent general practitioner for my health. I was ready to start hormonally transitioning and looking into getting top surgery, and I found out that Planned Parenthood provided all the services of the general practitioner, and on top of that the doctors and the nurses I worked with weren’t trying to figure out if I was “trans enough” for them to give them the care that I needed. They just wanted to make sure that I was supported. Every question and every step of the way was with care and concern.
Bobby Bowen and Karim Olen Ash, SYBIL collective (and best friends)
Karim: I think everyone deserves to feel safe. Any race, any gender, and ethnicity or sexual orientation. I think it’s especially important for those in the LGBTQ community to have a space so they can express themselves fully and not feel like they’re being judged or being oppressed. What I would love to see is more. For example, bathroom policy, having genderless bathrooms. I think that’s a huge step. It shouldn’t matter that you’re a guy or a girl, it should just be a bathroom for all. We’re all going out for the same reason, to have fun, to listen to music, and it should be about coming together. We’re all human.
Eva Simone, Trans advocate and performer
The 519 has been the epicentre of LGBT life in downtown Toronto. It caters to a wide range of communities, and peoples from immigrant communities to local communities. All gender, all diaspora, all sexual orientations. It is home for LGBT people.
Kristyn Wong-Tam, Toronto city councillor
The Palm House at Allan Gardens
I stumbled upon it, to be honest. I was having a very sad day in the dredge of winter when the skies were grey and there were no leaves outside. And when I realized what was here, I felt sanctuary, I felt safe. I was out of the closet and was not living with my parents, not by choice. I moved into the downtown east, so I’ve been a resident of this neighbourhood for a number of years, especially because it was very inexpensive to live here. And there was a lot of sadness in my life at the time because I was a teenager, unprepared, and this was one of the few beautiful places in Toronto that I felt that I could comfortably be in. Being here is magical, it takes you to another place.
Chanelle Marshall, DJ
Wrongbar, Parkdale. Now known as Miss Thing’s
It’s important in what I do now, and who I am right now. I had been invited to this LGBTQ party, I didn’t know it at the time. I came because I was following one of my favourite DJs, Bambii.
I just didn’t realize at the time why I was having fun, but now I just realized that it’s because I wasn’t harassed, and people just accepted me. When I started DJing myself, I wanted to spin in places and look for these types of spaces. I always reference it every single time I throw a party, every time I accept to play for a party, I think of this party that I went to where I felt amazing and free.
Armand Digdoyo, event producer and founder of online arts and culture group Yohomo
Glad Day is a cultural hub for the community. They have everything from poetry readings to drag to big dance parties.
Being gay and Asian has obviously had some its challenges in the community, and I just strive to make it better for anyone else who is recently coming out and doing what I can to supporting the current and future generations. I’ve been in nightlife and events for quite a few years and I do remember being part of a minority of queer gay Asian men, and now to see other parts of the community is very special to me.
Humza Ali Mian, Veterinary Technician and Ryan Persadie, high school teacher and musician (a couple)
Humza: I’m getting ready in an Airbnb because it’s not safe for me to do it at home. I have a very conservative family, and they just wouldn’t understand drag, let alone being queer.
Ryan: Especially for queer people of colour, it’s really hard to find spaces we can do things safely. Especially drag, when we’re playing with femininity and hyper-femininity when males are not supposed to do that. We are not able to do this at home, so we have look for places to do this safely, and not feel like we’re always on guard.
