Gay Toronto's - West Village holds the largest Queer Festival in Canada
Press Release Date: May 19, 2007
Gay West Community Network brought Toronto its second (formerly Parkdale Pride Party it was renamed in 2006) alternative Festival for queer arts, culture and music. Having successfully coordinated several queer focused events over the past several years, 2007 marks the second year that a series of events are being presented over the course of one week as part of the new Queer West Fest. Which is about cultural diversity as well as sexual diversity (diverse cité). This is not the Toronto Pride Week Festival. QWF is completely different.
History of Queer Festivals in Toronto
The events range from a community fair, bike ride, and guest speaker presentation to the pulsating opening and closing night parties. These events are open and welcoming to individuals of all genders and sexualities.
Toronto is home to North America's third largest GLBTQ population. The population of metropolitan Toronto is 5,555,912 (Canada Census 2006) at 10% that means an estimated 555,000 gays and lesbians, live, work and play here. For queers in Toronto that means, sophisticated urban scenes, edgy eclectic arts and culture communities, fabulous dining. An inviting place to celebrate love in all its diverse and divine forms.
Out Traveler (Summer issue Cool Canada, 2007) a division of PlanetOut Publishing Inc. an American gay travel magazine had this to say about " Gay Toronto" These days the Queer West Village in Parkdale and "Queer Street West," as a section of Queen Street is now dubbed, Sizzle!
What makes our Queer West Festivals successful year after year, is that we are constantly reinventing ourselves, because we are outrageous and positively revolutionary. In 2007 Queer West Fest dropped the word Pride from fesitival name. Added new venues and city locations, more performers, vendors, community organizations and new affiliated events. Now a new week long celebration.
[Everyone, including the media seems quite interested...and positive about what we are doing with Queer West Fest...I think changing the name (dropping the word Pride) really peaked a lot of interest and was likely one of the best things the QWF Committee has done. D. Q]
The festival is entirely supported by private donations, local sponsors and volunteer services. That doesn't mean, their community festival is any less spectacular. It's the 2nd largest alternative gay festival in the City of Toronto, during Pride week.-- Mailing Address: Gay West - P.O. Box 204, Stn C., Toronto, Ontario M6J 3M9.
Our Hereos - Queer West Fest 2007 - Official Sponsors: Gay West Community Network, Xtra Newspaper,Drake Hotel,Lot 16 Bar,Rhino's Bar & Grill, In-kind Contributing Sponsors: Living Dandelion, Babbleweb, Come As You Are, ACT Toronto, Toronto Women's Bookstore, Bush Boy Adventures, Wild Women Expeditions, Toronto Vegetarian Association, Christos Metropolitan Community Church, (Rebel Access Art Coasters) , Canadian Lesbian & Gay Archives, People With AIDS Foundation, The Waterside Inn, Gay West Bicycle Club, About Magazine, Ivar Design & Hosting, blogTO,Youthline(glbt), fab Magazine and Nanopod: hybrid studio
So come out, get involved, have some fun and let this, be your kick-off to the summer!
Queer West Fest - Event Listings
Queer West Fest 2007 - Official Launch Party Friday June 15 :: Rhino Bar & Grill -1249 Queer Street West - 9 pm to 3 am - Cover $5 b4 11 pm and $7 after. Come out and celebrate all things cool with performances, bands and DJ's to keep the beat going all night long - Hosted by the fabulous Rikki Reeves. A Canadian drag queen and singer. A former member of the B-Girlz troupe, Rikki is a prominent performer in Toronto's drag scene. Her film and television performances include the short films "Canada's Next Top Showgirl" and "B-girlz On Ice" as well as the movie "Execution of Justice" starring Peter Coyote. Rikki has also performed at Massey Hall (Toronto) and various Pride Day celebrations across North America. http://www.rikkireeves.com/ http://www.therhino.ca/
Bands Playing from 9 pm to 11:00 pm, followed by 2 DJ's. Till close.
**Ra:tio Band** - (9 PM to 9:45 PM) - There is no box with which we fit in there are no rules and there is no sin there isn't one thing that we haven't done so get on board and have some fun. You can't ask ra:tio what it is they do best because they do it all. You can crank it up and bring down the roof with songs like 8MILESIN and IMPOSSIBLE. You can dance your ass off to songs like GEORDY and LOOKING AWAY. You can rediscover the beauty of life with LIVE TO AIR and SO I'M TOLD or you can simply turn down the lights and weep away to songs FOR LOVE and FOR SURE I DON'T MIND. Ra:tio is Shean Carmichael-lead singer and rhythm guitar Bern Leitao-lead guitar and backing vocals Sydney Tam-bass guitar and backing vocals Scot Allan-drums Web Site: www.myspace.com/ratiorocks
Brazen Crush - (9:45 PM to 10:30 PM) - is the new fruit of four veteran performers. With a line-up that includes the stellar vocal talent of Stacy Ricker, Jennifer Gillmor on fretted and fretless basses and cello, Cheryl Reid on drums and Steve Sauvé on keys, the sound is highly original ranging from down tempo groove, funk, jazz, hints of '80s alternative and rootsy flavours.Brazen Crush offers elements to please many musical palates. With a funky bassist/cellist and passionate singer, the groove is always paramount. Add to that the jazzy keyboard stylings and solid, creative drumming, and the regular use of cello instead of bass, this is a band paving new musical roads. Audiences are captivated by the top-notch musicianship, wide-ranging styles and engaging performance. Up coming gigs, Pride Toronto. Web Sites: http://www.brazencrush.ca/ and www.myspace.com/brazencrush
Tomboyfriend Band - (10:30 PM to 11:00 PM) - Tomboyfriend is bi poet (Ryan Kamstra (scratch), one illustrator and map-making social activist ( Marlena Zuber), one guitarist and jackass inspired performance artist (Karilynn Ming Ho), one robot and visual artist of the freak show (Lindsay Fisher) and one bassist and scientist for the peoples ( Susan Bustos). They play songs about androgyny, promiscuity, the economic opinion of Jeffrey Sachs, bisexuality, ultra-violence, high fashion, the plight of heterosexuality. Kamstra, received a BA from Queen's University and has self produced three albums. A book of poetry, two books are currently grinding their way towards publication. Up coming gigs: Pride Toronto, Alterna-Queer Web site: http://www.myspace.com/tomboyfriend http://www.ryankamstra.com/
Mackenzie Macbride Band - (Cancelled due to a bad case of Laryngitis) - Mackenzie MacBride, transgendered lounge singer, is originally an East Coast gal who bedazzled tourists with her electro-lounge act on B-grade cruise ships off the coast of Bar Harbor, Maine Like a coffee stain on a wedding dress Mackenzie and her music are unusual, controversial, and full of gritty imperfection. Mackenzie's music fuses the angst of Glam with the intimacy of Lounge and layers it over slowed down four-on-the-floor beats. Refusing to take herself too seriously, Mackenzie then gets on top of this lo-fi musical kick in the pants and belts out the typos of her life with "Dolly Parton meets Tiny Tim" novelty vocals. "She has this amazing voice." Say festival organizer Bryen Dunn. "I always think of Klaus Nomi." Up coming gigs, Pride Toronto. Web sites: http://www.mackenziemacbride.com/and www.myspace.com/mackenziemacbrideDJ's Playing from 11 PM to Close
DJ 4est - (11 PM to 12:30 PM) - 4est DJ's at HERMAPHRONITE the bi weekly bi nite at the College St. Diner with DJ Catscratch and in June is doing a gig at Gladstone Hotel Ballroom : for the FEMINIST PORN AWARDS Web Site: www.myspace.com/dj4est
DJ Phil Ville - (12:30 PM to Close) - Phil when not Djing works for Puretracks Inc (corporate.puretracks.com). His recent gigs have included Trash, Hump Day Bump, Hot Potato Party He is influenced by Bjork - "Earth Intruders" (Spankrock Remix) Souvenir - "Tic Tac" Groove Armada - "Get Down" Patrick Wolf - "Magic Position" The Cliks - "Oh Yeah" Donna Summer - "Bad Girls" Mark Ronson w/ Amy Winehouse - "Valerie" Shout Out out Out Out's - "Self Loathing Rulz" LCD Soundsystem - "All My Friends" Sophie Ellis Bextor - "My and My Imagination"
Queer West Fest 2007 - Mix and Mingle Community Fair - Saturday June 16 :: Drake Hotel - 1150 Queer Street West - 3 pm to 5 pm - Free Admission. Featuring over a dozen queer and queer-friendly organizations from within the west end of the city - Services for Seniors to young adults ranged from travel, health, lifestyle, sports, literature and more. It is great networking opportunity to showcase what products and services each business and organization has to offer. New sponsors and participants being added daily
3rd Annual Pride Parade on Bicycles - Sunday June 17 :: Meet-Up High Park (then Sunnyside to the Eastern Beaches) - 12 Noon to 3 pm. Join us for a leisurely ride along Toronto’s waterfront from Sunnyside to the Beaches. We are a non-profit bike club dedicated to providing a safe cycling experience for riders of all levels. There is no membership fee and we strongly encourage members to be actively involved in planning our various itineraries. We have 100 active members of all ages and genders, and our mandate is to have fun and meet new friends.
Any Bike will do! Free No Membership requirements. Please join us as we explore Toronto’s great waterfront trail system. It’s recommended to bring water, snacks/picnic lunch, and a helmet. The meeting point is south High Park below Colborne Lodge north side of the Queensway, Free. Homo Bike Central Phone: 9 am to 9 pm 416-551-1709. - The Gay West Bicycle Club
Queer West Fest 2007 - Java Knights - Tuesday June 19 :: Gladstone Hotel - 1214 Queer Street West - 7 pm to 9 pm with an after party until 11pm. Free. Guest Speaker: Steven Bereznai is the author of Gay and Single...Forever? 10 Things Every Gay Guy Looking for Love (and Not Finding It) Needs to Know.
Bereznai was the editor-in-chief of Fab magazine and Fab Style Quarterly from Dec. 2005 to April 2007, and his articles have appeared in The Toronto Star, VIA Destinations, Now, Xtra!, Icon, and of course, Fab.
His unpublished novella 3 Nights in Bangkok, "a gay love story powered by wit, charm, humor and a good deal of lust," won first runner up in Anvil Press' 3-Day Novel Contest in 2001. He's also spent 10 years at CBC Newsworld's national newsroom, working his way up from editorial assistant (glorified gopher) to chase producer to writer (and in some cases producer) for: CBC News: Sunday, Saturday Report, Canada Now, The National, as well as hourly news segments.
Check out a sample chapter of his book, Gay and Single...Forever? At http://www.stevenbereznai.com/
Queer West Fest 2007 - Closing Night Party - Knotty Knights - Friday June 22 :: Lot 16 Bar, No Cover 10 pm to 2 am. 1136 Queen St W, Friday 10PM-2AM, No Cover 80's Dance Party - Lot 16 might not have ever drawn record crowds through its own devices, but the minimalist bar on suddenly hip Queer West Queen has a down-home appeal nonetheless. The nightly scene here is an amalgam of pre-Drakers, Stober ignorers, and the booze-hungry patienceless. Just like Cheers, everyone knows your name at Lot 16. Bar served a local mix of younger slacker types and artists, many of whom live in the area. And now, while basking in a post-Drake heyday, Lot 16 sees even more of the same, in addition to a large influx of inner-city kids of young and old, yuppie and queer hipsters, arty fags and CEOs. The endless flow of Amsterdam, not to mention a fairly witty barstaff, and you’ve got yourself a fun-lovin’ Queer West Fest Party. Lot 16, 1136 Queen Street West, 416-531-6556 Queer West Village, Toronto
What People Are Saying About Our Events
"The Parkdale Pride Party also took place Saturday night, June 10, 2006. There was a community fair and dance for the Parkdale- High Park LGBT community. I had a chance to meet many community members and to say hello to old friends. I would like to thank the organizers for the opportunity to help launch this celebration of our LGBT community. I am sure this will become a must-attend event and I look forward to joining you to celebrate Queer West Fest next year."
Until then, take care. Peggy Nash, Member of Parliament, Parkdale-High Park - House of Commons, Canada.
PEGGY'S STATEMENT ON INTERNATIONAL DAY AGAINST HOMOPHOBIA
Thanks to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Canadian lesbian, gay and bisexual communities enjoy legal protections (rights and obligations) not available in other countries. So why is it important for Canadians to mark International Day Against Homophobia?
The United Nations Declaration of Human rights states, that "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights". Around the world lesbian, gay and bisexual men and women continue to face unfathomable persecution. No one should be jailed or indeed face execution because of who they love. No one should be denied access to employment or housing because they live their lives honestly. No one should be denied access to a sick or dying partner. These basic rights are still denied lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people around the world. International Day Against Homophobia is an international grassroots movement to educate an lobby for change.
Even though incredible strides have been made to secure the rights of lesbian, gay and bisexual Canadians much work remains to be done here at home. Homophobia cannot be ended through legislation alone. Like other prejudice it must be battled with education as well. I would therefore encourage everyone who would like to join the movement to end homophobia at home and abroad to take a few minutes and visit the website for International Day Against Homophobia There you will find wonderful resources to help with education in Canada and information about the international campaign.
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