Toronto is privileged to have many sites intrinsically tied to gay history, and one of those is none other than Glad Day Bookshop. Founded by Canadian gay rights activists in the 70s, it claims the title of the oldest LGBTQIA2S+ bookstore in the world.
Glad Day also operates as a café/bar that lends itself naturally to an ideal study space. As a transgender person, it is comforting when I see a majority of staff from LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities who I know will understand me and treat me with respect. What's more, Glad Day's selection of books has allowed me to find academic sources for projects as well as pleasure reading. For example, I recently discovered the poetry anthology, "Emanations," by Prathna Lor, a University of Toronto English graduate who won the 2023 Lambda Literary Award for Transgender Poetry.
I also discovered on their shelves two volumes of queer Italian-Canadian writing anthologies called "Here and Now," with an introduction penned by University of Toronto Professor Paolo Frasca outlining the importance of queer narratives in the studies of culture and language.
Whether you're studying the humanities or just want an accepting place to study, consider Glad Day Bookshop. For recreation, they will also be hosting drag brunches every Sunday until the end of Pride month. Afterwards, Glad Day will be moving from its current location (499 Church Street) to its new location: 32 Lisgar Street.
The move has been prompted by financial constraints due to COVID-19 and increasing rent prices in the city. If you would like to support this historical queer space, consider visiting them in person, following them on social media and browsing their selection of books online.
– V