All posts filed under: Gay History

Hanlan’s Point: Sand, Butts and Topographical Intrigue

April 24, 2024
by Atticus Hawk
Gay History / Queer History / The Gays Did What Now?

It’s finally sunny in Toronto and we all know what that means; the gays are about to descend on the chilly waters of Hanlan’s Point, Toronto’s historically queer nude beach on The Islands. But how did this glorious little gay cruising ground come to be such a storied space? Was it actually ground zero for the Canadian Pride movement? And are The Islands even islands?? Learn the answers to these pressing geographical questions and more about sand deposits than you ever wanted to know in this month’s installment of The Gays Did What Now?

John Weiss Was Here

March 28, 2024
by Atticus Hawk
Activist Histories / Gay History / Kink Cultures / Photography / Queer History / The Gays Did What Now?

Artist, teacher, bon vivant, “The Best Gay Dad Ever”, dog's best friend; John Wiess (1946-2017) was many things to many people. John was an artist and middle-school art teacher up in North Bay, a spirited host who adamantly refused to cook a single thing and such a gregarious misanthrope that he actively sprinted away from people he didn’t want to talk to in public. Kirk Cederwahl spent years sprinting after a bolting John; and with good reason. Kirk was John’s boy and John was Kirk’s daddy.

The Library is Open! (Let’s Keep It That Way)

January 31, 2024
by Atticus Hawk
Activist Histories / Drag / Gay History / Lesbian History / Queer History / The Gays Did What Now? / Trans History

The Library is Open! (Let’s Keep It That Way) Was your non-committal New Year's Resolution to “read more”? Did you join a queer book club and silently sob at the price of the newest gay paperbacks? Are your internal organs begging you to take up a hobby with a somewhat lower stroke risk? The Toronto Public Library’s dedicated Pride Collection at the Yorkville branch is full of luxuriously queer books, DVDs, CDs, audio books, movies, ebooks, magazines, comics, maps, classes, groups, kids’ rooms, study spaces, conference rooms and anything else your little gay heart desires.

Is that a book in your pocket or are you just glad to see me? (it’s both) 

November 28, 2023
by Atticus Hawk
Activist Histories / Gay History / Queer History

Glad Day Bookshop in Toronto is the world’s oldest queer bookstore. Founded in 1970 by Jearld Moldenhauer, it’s been run out of six physical locations and one sturdy backpack. Currently an accessible coffee shop, bar and bookstore, it’s been governed by a collective of 23 queer owners since 2012. Find out what makes Glad Day so glad to see you in this installment of The Gays Did What Now?

This is Halloween (On Church!)

October 31, 2023
by Atticus Hawk
Activist Histories / Drag / Gay History / Queer History / Trans History

It’s Gay Christmas, y’all! For decades, Toronto’s Gay Village has transformed into a massive, costumed block party for Halloween. But why? Learn about the legendary Halloween Drag Balls in the city, the clock tower that we’ve all forgotten, and the deeply Trans history of the one night a year you can dress as your true self, and no one can ding you for it.

Beefcake: An Exhibition on Physique Photography at the University of Toronto

August 11, 2023
by Juan Carlos Mezo-González
Gay History / Photography / Public Humanities / Queer History

Daniel Laurin, a PhD Candidate at the University of Toronto, recently launched an exhibition that offers a glimpse into a rich visual archive of mid-twentieth-century erotic photography. Titled Beefcake, the exhibition features 45 black and white photographs, 17 periodicals, and three photo albums that have one thing in common: the celebration of the male body. Most of these materials date from the mid-twentieth century, they were produced in the United States, and they circulated widely […]