User:Zanimum/LGBT culture of Toronto

History Demographics Geography

Municipal politics
Toronto's first openly-gay councillor, Kyle Rae, represented an eastern downtown riding from 1991 to 2010. In 2000, Rae was one of only two incumbents to run unopposed in their ridings.

))) Talk about his LGBT involvement here (((

After Rae retired from politics, Kristyn Wong-Tam was elected to the riding. Known as an activist for both the LGBTQ and Asian Canadian communities, she helped to found Asian Canadians For Equal Marriage and the Church and Wellesley Village's business improvement area.

Council has not been without homophobia in recent years. Notably, Rob Ford was recorded making gay slurs at various points as a Councillor and as Mayor of Toronto, was an opponent against gay marriage, skipped the Pride festivals during his time in office, and casting the lone vote against a plan for homeless gay youth.

Local transgender rights advocate Enza Anderson placed third in the 2000 election for Mayor of Toronto. While she has run for council in 2003 and 2010, her attempt to run for leader of the Canadian Alliance party was the highest profile; she failed to raise the entry fee, and Stephen Harper won. She remains active on various boards and committees, particularly for LGBT issues, and was a columnist for the highly circulated Metro News for many years.

What does Rob Ford say?

Provincial politics
George Smitherman was MPP for Toronto Centre from 1999 to 2010. The first openly gay MPP in the province, and it's first openly gay cabinet minister, he eventually became Deputy Premier (2006-2009). Smitherman resigned from parliament in 2009, announcing he would run for Mayor of Toronto. He finished the election with 35.6% of the total vote, to Rob Ford's 47.1%, and has since gone into the corporate and education worlds.

Member of Provincial Parliament for Don Valley West, Kathleen Wynne, won the leadership of the Liberal Party of Ontario in 2013, becoming the 25th Premier of Ontario. In addition to being the province's first female Premier, she is Canada's first openly gay head of government, and only the second openly gay head of government in the English-speaking world, after former New Jersey Governor James McGreevey. (____ was Canada's first openly gay big city Mayor, in Winnipeg, previous.) Previously a Toronto District School Board trustee, Wynne helped pass a measure to encourage public schools to purchase teaching materials reflecting the presence of gay and lesbian parents in society. She was the province's second LGBT cabinet minister, after George Smitherman.

Institutions

 * AIDS Action Now!
 * AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) (ca. 1983-)
 * Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention (ASAP) (ca. 1995-2002)
 * Asian Community AIDS Services
 * Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Access Coalition
 * Ontario AIDS Network (ca. 1984-1991)
 * Right to Privacy Committee (RTPC)

LGBT media outlets
Monthly magazine The Body Politic (1971-1987) was one of the first significant gay publications in Canada. Created after an article by Glad Day Bookshop owner Jearld Moldenhauer was modified by underground publication Guerilla, it created the Canadian Gay and Lesbian Archives (1973) and non-profit Pink Triangle Press (1975). Twice charged with publishing obscene materials, it was acquitted both times. However, the attention lead to a 1977 police raid, including the seizure of the magazine's subscriber list, sparking international protests including one lead by Harvey Milk. Canadian trade magazine Masthead deemed it the 17th most influential magazine in Canadian publishing history.

Pink Triangle Press also published a tabloid-format newspaper called Xtra! (1984-2015), which now exists as an online news website, and fab (1994-2013), a bi-weekly magazine purchased in 2008 from independent ownership. Both titles had other editions, FAB National (1996-1998), FabStyle (2006), Capital Xtra! (Ottawa) and Xtra! West (Vancouver). Other titles from Pink Triangle include quarterly literary review The Church-Wellesley Review and a business directory.

Other titles include Advert (1980), AIDS This Week (Toronto Public Health, 1984-ca. 1991), Alhumanact (1972), Pink Ink (monthly national, 1983-1984), Rites (monthly to Canada and the US, 1984-1992), an expressly political publication, and lesbian community magazine Siren. Calgary magazine OUTLOOKS (1997-2012) was purchased by a Toronto company Mint Media Publication in 2011, with publication suspended soon after. The company then reformatted its In Toronto publication as the nationally distributed In Magazine. Alpha Beat Soup, for homeless youth, includes significant gay and lesbian content.

Buffalo's abOUT magazine (2004-) also has significant coverage of Toronto.

Broadcast media
The world's second LGBT-focused television channel, PrideVision TV, was launched in Toronto on September 7, 2001. A specialty cable channel, it's now known as OUTtv. The channel faced distribution resistance from some television service providers, and generally slow growth among digital channels as a whole, leading to the station shuttering its street-level studio on Church Street in 2002. A successful application for a new television license lead to adult programming moving to the new Hard on PrideVision, and the rebranding of the primary channel as OutTV. Regardless, the station continued to face carriage challenges. (HardTV is now is own channel, owned partially by Pink Triangle Press). The station was briefly carried in Australia, and the format and branding is used in part of Europe.

Similarly landmark in the broadcast world is 103.9 Proud FM. Launched in 2007, along with being Canada's first LGBT-targeted radio station, it became the first commercial, terrestrial LGBT radio station in the world. Initially applying for a license in 2000, the station was approved in 2005, after widespread community support. It is one of Toronto's six stations to report to Nielsen BDS's Canadian Top 40 airplay panel. Initially, the station's signal license was weak enough that it was drowned out in the Village itself by Peterborough and Woodstock signals. Various moves of its transmitter, and approval to increase its signal have helped increase accessibility. Pink Triangle Press was an initial business partner in the station, but dropped out when it questioned Evanov Communications' commitment to serving LGBT audiences, suggesting it was a “bait-and-switch” maneuver.

The commitment to

Contributor list for Body Politic How is The New Addams Family a “gay” show? (OUTtv) Lesbian magazine Quota?

Media personalities
A variety of LGBT personalities are prominent on mainstream Canadian airwaves through Toronto-produced programs.

Born in London, Ontario, actor Victor Garber's start in theatre was as Jesus in the 1972 Toronto production of Godspell. He has returned periodically to Toronto for productions like E.N.G. (1991-1993), and a plot arch in ReGenesis. Interviewer Brian Linehan (1944-2004) was renowned for the interview preparation and style, starting with City TV program City Lights (1973-1989).

Rex Harrington became a principal dancer for the National Ballet of Canada in 1988, partnering with many renowned ballerinas, and performing with other major companies. He won a Gemini Award for his acting in Norman Jewison's The January Man, and his additional credits include competing on The Amazing Race Canada with his financee.

After a stint as a MuchMusic VJ (1995-2001), Sook-Yin Lee hosted CBC Radio One series Definitely Not the Opera from 2001 to 2016. She has won critical acclaim and award for her film acting.

Designers Steven Sabados and Chris Hyndman hosted a variety of series, culminating in daily CBC afternoon talk show Steven and Chris (2008-2015). Sabados will be returning to the air in 2016 with a new series.

CBC Radio news comedy series Because News, produced out of Toronto, is helmed by Gavin Crawford, who perhaps is best known for his TV work.

Actors Wendy Crewson, Gigi Gorgeous, Zoie Palmer (Lost Girl), Ellen Page (Juno), Adamo Ruggiero (Degrassi: The Next Generation) all have resided in or around Toronto.

Toronto's comedy scene includes a variety of prominent LGBT writers and performers, including comedy writer Sabrina Jalees, standup comedian and host Elvira Kurt, and Winnipeg Comedy Festival founder Lara Rae, who lived in Toronto when she was known as Al Rae.

Rufus Wainwright moved to Toronto in 2010, when partner Jörn Weisbrodt was named artistic director of the annual Luminato arts festival. Hadrian, Wainwright's second opera, will premiere as the Canadian Opera Company's 2018 opening production.

Recreation
Visual and performance, First Nations artist Kent Monkman lives and works in Toronto.

Buddies in Bad Times Theatre has produced plays including Waawaate Fobister's Agokwe (2008), a winner of six Dora Mavor Moore Awards.

Since 2011, Toronto's Festival of Beer has run a separate, one-day event called Queer Beer Festival.