It was a hot Friday afternoon in the beginning of September. After settling into my first-year residence, I decided it was time for me to set out on my first solo adventure on my journey to experiencing queer life in Toronto. After doing some preliminary research before my move, I discovered that the intersection of Church and Wellesley—fondly known as “The Village”—should be my one-stop-shop to all things queer life. There, I found crosswalks adorned with rainbows and windows filled with rainbow insignia. It was unlike anything I had seen before—yet the street was quiet, and nothing like the queer haven that I had imagined. I had envisioned that it would be teeming with people whom I could engage in gay joy with, but I found that very few people in this space, if any, looked like me, a queer, Black woman. I was a little disappointed that I had not been immediately whisked away into a queer utopia. I wandered the shops for a bit, feeling more and more out of place, before I finally gave up and went back to my residence. It was a much-needed experience, for sure, but I felt as though something was missing. I was longing to find a sense of belonging within the Toronto queer community, but I realized I really didn’t know where to start. What followed was a series of Google, Facebook, and Instagram searches in an attempt to locate this seemingly elusive space I was craving. I soon discovered that there’s more to queer life in Toronto than what’s found in the Village — I just needed to do a little more digging.
A great starting point that I found through flyers in my first few weeks on campus was the Sexual Gender Diversity Office (SGDO) and their Queer Orientation. It was not only a great introduction to queer programming on campus, but it also allowed me to become familiar with the SGDO and LGBTOUT (Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, and Trans People of the University of Toronto), “the oldest LGBTQ+ student organization in Canada,” and the resources that they provide. The SGDO, as a whole, offers students a chance to meet other queer students on campus through conversation cafés, discussion groups, and events that specifically target the populations of international queer students and queer and trans students of colour. These low-key events helped me grow my own contact base within the University and learn about other programming available to queer students through different groups on campus.
LGBTOUT also plans multiple social events throughout the year. Some of my favourites include discussions with celebrated speakers, like the intriguing sex-educator and YouTuber Stevie Boebi, and partnerships with other groups on campus, like Move with Pride, to host LGBTQ positive ice-skating events. I have distinct memories of my first experience with LGBTOUT: I heard of an event through Facebook at The Ballroom, a local bowling venue. I was nervous about going because I didn’t think there would be anyone there that I would know. As is typical of me, I showed up about 15 minutes before the scheduled start time and waited outside the venue, where I could hear the sound of bowling balls colliding with pins and groups of people cheering inside. After a few minutes, the execs and other participants of the event arrived, and my feeling of unease subsided as I learned that there were quite a few other students there who also didn’t know anyone. We ended up having a ball—while enjoying some friendly competition. It was encouraging for me to see people looking to have a good time and being open to meeting and connecting with new people.
The SGDO also helps put together a two-day conference in February called Lead with Pride for LGBTQ students to learn about “leadership and community building” on- and off-campus. I attended this event in my first year, and it was useful to learn about local community resources and continue to expand my networks. It was also a crucial part of meeting upper-year students that I would grow to consider my mentors, as they have become vital sounding boards throughout my university experience. as they have become vital sounding boards throughout my university experience.
Other on-campus groups to on the lookout for are college or residence pride collectives. New College, Woodsworth, Innis, and Chestnut, among others, host their own LGBTQ clubs that plan events and organize within their respective colleges. Their discussion clubs and movie/game nights allow you to meet people while having an already built-in connection, such as your college affiliation.
On-campus isn’t the only place to find vibrant queer life. In fact, I’ve really grown to appreciate the queer scene in Toronto. I found that the best way for me to find queer events off-campus was to utilize social media and connect with groups in which I was already interested. These pages on Facebook and Instagram usually share information about upcoming events and other content that may be of interest, and there are many queer collectives and groups that throw monthly parties and plan social events. Some of my favourite nights out have been to parties like Cherry Bomb, Lavender, or those hosted by the Rude Collective, New Ho Queen, and StrappedTO. Whether it’s performance art, drag queens, or just a great DJ playing those beats that are sure to get my feet and hips moving, these parties have given me some of my favourite memories during my time in university. For me, there’s nothing like turning up to the latest Megan Thee Stallion track remix with a group of sweaty strangers. Each of these parties caters to various intersections of queer identity, making them incredibly memorable for my friends and me.
Another staple within the queer community in Toronto has been The Glad Day Bookshop on Church Street, which hosts events for the community and serves as a great place to read up on some queer literature, grab a drink, or attend a watch party of The L Word: Generation Q. Given the nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, much of the programming from these collectives has moved to online events, which promote fundraisers, wellness gatherings, watch parties, educational workshops, and much more. The really cool thing about online alternatives outside club spaces is that they’re open to all-age events, which makes them first-year friendly!
I know that this fall semester comes during unprecedented times, but the queer community has always been creative and resilient. We have demonstrated time and time again that we can work around barriers to bring people together. I have no doubt that online queer programming this fall will be extremely helpful in combatting feelings of loneliness and isolation, which are so often experienced when going through major life transitions, and I can only hope that people will find what “community” means for them. It has taken me a bit of trial and error to find which spaces feel most comfortable for me, but I hope you take away a few launching points to get you started on uncovering the queer spaces that are worthwhile to you.
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