By Michael F. Paré...Xtra.ca reporter Michael Pihach (pronounced pee-ack) attends the one year anniversary party Sunday, February 15, 2009 at Gladaman's Den, 502A Yonge Street. I haven't been to Gladaman's yet, but do recognize many of the faces in the video.
I had 28 yr old boyfriend, back in 1991 (killed in car accident 10 years later) that lived on the top floor of 502 yonge St., when it was called Sneakers, it was more of a crack den, then a gay bar, where young male hustlers (rent boys) hung out looking for a sugar daddys, it later became Pinocchio's.
George Hislop, a Toronto gay politico, and few other queer closeted lawyers, like Stewart McEwan hung out at Sneakers, but then George loved the young male hustlers, a fact not well known or reported in the press. Hislop died, October 8, 2005 at age 78.
Pilhach chats with some of Toronto female impersonators Madam's Fontaine and Madam Michelle DuBarry both respected Queens, about the St. Charles Tavern (488 Yonge), one of Toronto's earliest gay hangouts, from the 1960's to mid 80's. On Halloween, night straights, use to come to pelt the faggots with eggs, tomatoes and ink, reported a Toronto newspaper. Gay sex was a fast track to jail until 1969, and dancing closer than 18 inches away from someone of the same sex, got you arrested for gross indecency. It wasn't uncommon for drag queens, or any homosexual for that matter, to get picked up by Toronto Police and taken to Cherry Beach, where they get beat up.
Do I remember the St Charles? Some of my friends think I do, and they could be right. Before Church St. "arrived" in the late 1980s, Yonge St. was the centre of gay Toronto and home to bars like the Quest, the St. Charles and the Parkside (530 Yonge) (another male hustler hang out, beer was cheap there, 25 cents for 6 oz glass, but on Sundays you had to order dinner, to get a beer). All that's left of the St. Charles now is a 19th-century fire hall tower and beer is $6.50 and up a bottle, at most gay bars now.
The St Charles and The Parkside were not the oldest homo hangouts. In fact, the stretch of Yonge Street where they, sat had not much attracted gay people before the 1960s.
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