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bgay.com
Danny Pintauro revisits the 1997 National Enquirer piece that outed him, a moment he chose to own his truth. Now, 30 years later, he found the article again and is still telling his own story—still gay, still here. #DannyPintauro #ComingOut #GayHistory
November 1, 2026 at 2:39 PM
bgay.com
Delaware unveils a marker at Rehoboth Beach honoring Poodle Beach as a long‑standing LGBTQ+ gathering place, rooted in the hospitality of Louisa d’Andelot Carpenter and built over generations. #GayHistory #PoodleBeach #RehobothBeach
November 2, 2026 at 7:09 PM
dreamysheepherder.bsky.social
Three men in a boat 🌊

...and a pretty big boat at that.

#Freminet #Lyney #Kinich #DigitalArt #ArtisticNudity #NudeMaleArt #NudeArt #GayArt #GayHistory #Queer #Magician #Juggling #Juggler #Illustration #Improvisation #Maritime
November 2, 2026 at 3:15 PM
bgay.com
Danny Pintauro revisits a 1997 tabloid about his coming out, recognizing the courage of his younger self. He ends with: "Still gay. Still here. And very grateful that today, I get to decide how my story is told." #DannyPintauro #GayHistory
October 31, 2026 at 6:39 AM
whatsqueeraboutgay.bsky.social
Samuel Lopez discovered a gay world different from home in the late 1980s. At Colby’s, drag, Latino friendship, and the AIDS crisis converged. Handwritten invitations led to Hola, a support group serving Toronto’s Latino LGBTQ+ community.

#Gay #Queer #LGBTQ #GayHistory #GayCulture #Memoir #History
PART THREE - Post 20: Chapter 3 - A New Village Rainbow (1989-2009), Shifting Gay Geography & Identities with a Neo-Queer Generation
Organizing Identities
whatsqueeraboutgay.substack.com
November 1, 2026 at 1:17 PM
whatsqueeraboutgay.bsky.social
In the 1990s, “queer” was reclaimed as a radical identity. Not by all. Queer Nation and ACT UP fought invisibility during the AIDS crisis, bringing gay, trans, and drag communities into public view.

#Gay #Queer #LGBTQ #GayHistory #GayCulture #Memoir #History
Post 21: A Queer Story
Continuing in Chapter 3: A New Village Rainbow (1989-2009), Shifting Gay Geography & Identities with a Neo-Queer Generation
whatsqueeraboutgay.substack.com
November 2, 2026 at 11:44 AM
whatsqueeraboutgay.bsky.social
Gay places live on in memory. I call this memory afterglow when a meaningful place is remembered, and memory afterburn when it's lost, replaced or given a challenging new meaning. Our memories help preserve Toronto’s gay past.

#Gay #Queer #LGBTQ #GayHistory #GayCulture #Memoir #History
Post 19: Gay Space, Place, and Subjective Meanings
End of Chapter 2: Before the Village Rainbow (1973-1988), Gay Space & Place for a Binary Generation
whatsqueeraboutgay.substack.com
October 31, 2026 at 8:33 PM
whatsqueeraboutgay.bsky.social
By 1990, Church-Wellesley was becoming Toronto’s gay hub. Rights, visibility & the AIDS crisis drew bars, businesses, health services and community support east from Yonge Street, in what became known as the “Great Migration of the 80s.”

#Gay #Queer #LGBTQ #GayHistory #GayCulture #Memoir #History
Post 22: Shifting Rights & Gay Spaces Amidst the HIV/AIDS Crisis
Continuing in Chapter 3: A New Village Rainbow (1989-2009), Shifting Gay Geography & Identities with a Neo-Queer Generation
whatsqueeraboutgay.substack.com
November 2, 2026 at 10:41 PM
whatsqueeraboutgay.bsky.social
As the Gay Village grew, Toronto’s old gay spaces on Yonge Street began disappearing. Parkside and St. Charles closed, followed by other bars and clubs. Condos and new businesses replaced landmarks of a once-thriving gay geography.

#Gay #Queer #LGBTQ #GayHistory #GayCulture #Memoir #History
Post 23: Closing ‘Old Gay’ Spaces
Continuing in Chapter 3: A New Village Rainbow (1989-2009), Shifting Gay Geography & Identities with a Neo-Queer Generation
whatsqueeraboutgay.substack.com
November 4, 2026 at 6:42 PM
bgay.com
Seventeen years after Stephen Gately’s death, Boyzone honor his memory in the farewell doc One For The Road. Ronan Keating: “We did it for you, Steo.” NOW streams in the UK. #StephenGately #Boyzone #GayHistory
November 3, 2026 at 6:24 PM
whatsqueeraboutgay.bsky.social
In Toronto’s AIDS crisis, gay men faced fear, stigma and devastating loss. Hassle Free offered anonymous HIV testing and support, while friends cared for friends. Survival and grief helped forge a stronger gay community.

#Gay #Queer #LGBTQ #GayHistory #GayCulture #Memoir #History
Post 18: Beyond the Stigma of HIV/AIDS
Continuing in Chapter 2: Before the Village Rainbow (1973-1988), Gay Space & Place for a Binary Generation
whatsqueeraboutgay.substack.com
October 31, 2026 at 12:18 PM
whatsqueeraboutgay.bsky.social
In the 1980s, gay life shifted east to Church Street in Toronto. Restaurants, shops & bars transformed the old “gay ghetto” into a visible gay village. At The Steps and Woody’s, mostly gay men could gather, cruise & increasingly be seen.

#Gay #Queer #LGBTQ #GayHistory #GayCulture #Memoir #History
Post 24: Gentrification Goes Gay: The Rise of a Commercial Village
Continuing in Chapter 3: A New Village Rainbow (1989-2009), Shifting Gay Geography & Identities with a Neo-Queer Generation
whatsqueeraboutgay.substack.com
November 5, 2026 at 12:19 PM
whatsqueeraboutgay.bsky.social
Late‑’70s Toronto felt freer, but danger lurked. Police spyholes in bars, raids, entrapment, and jobs lost for being gay. Men learned to move quietly, protect each other, and survive a city that wasn’t safe.
#Gay #Queer #LGBTQ #GayHistory #GayCulture #Memoir #History
Post 16: Going Undercover
Continuing in Chapter 2: Before the Village Rainbow (1973-1988), Gay Space & Place for a Binary Generation
whatsqueeraboutgay.substack.com
October 31, 2026 at 12:43 AM
whatsqueeraboutgay.bsky.social
Bathhouses shaped gay identity until police raids shattered the illusion of safety. Beverley Baths, Club Baths, Hot Tub Club: desire, discovery, and fear collided. Operation Soap in ’81 sparked “Enough is enough” in Toronto’s streets.
#Gay #Queer #LGBTQ #GayHistory #GayCulture #Memoir #History
Post 17: Soap ‘Dish’ in the Bathhouses
Continuing in Chapter 2: Before the Village Rainbow (1973-1988), Gay Space & Place for a Binary Generation
whatsqueeraboutgay.substack.com
October 31, 2026 at 12:46 AM
mitchw10.bsky.social
#Gay #LGBTQ #GayLove #QueerLove #MenInLove #MaleCouple #LoveIsLove #VintagePhotography #VintageVibes #RetroAesthetic #QueerHistory #GayHistory #LoveWithoutLabels
October 26, 2026 at 7:21 AM
whatsqueeraboutgay.bsky.social
Some gays found the Manatee through Glad Day and The Body Politic: trembling up the stairs and discovering gay books. The Manatee offered friendship & protection, even as racial cliques and “chicken hawks” revealed its shadowy side.
#Gay #Queer #LGBTQ #GayHistory #GayCulture #Memoir #History
Post 14: "Magic at The Manatee" (Part Two)
Continuing in Chapter 2: Before the Village Rainbow (1973-1988), Gay Space & Place for a Binary Generation
whatsqueeraboutgay.substack.com
October 29, 2026 at 7:30 PM
whatsqueeraboutgay.bsky.social
Gay life in the 70s & 80s wasn’t only bars. CHAT, Gay Youth Toronto, softball leagues, house parties, Fran’s at 2 a.m., Brothers on Yonge, Bemelmans, Hanlan’s Point picnics: these spaces let gay men build community beyond the bar scene.
#Gay #Queer #LGBTQ #GayHistory #GayCulture #Memoir #History
Post 15: Beyond the Bars & The Lost Art of Cruising: Parks, Paths, and Public Desire
Continuing in Chapter 2: Before the Village Rainbow (1973-1988), Gay Space & Place for a Binary Generation
whatsqueeraboutgay.substack.com
October 30, 2026 at 10:05 AM
whatsqueeraboutgay.bsky.social
Lesbian separatism shaped Toronto’s bar scene in the ’70s. Women pushed back against male‑oriented spaces. Early mixed bars revealed tensions, dress codes, and the struggle for lesbian space.
#Gay #Queer #LGBTQ #GayHistory #GayCulture #Memoir #History
Post 12: Lesbian Separatism & Dudes
Continuing in Chapter 2: Before the Village Rainbow (1973-1988), Gay Space & Place for a Binary Generation
whatsqueeraboutgay.substack.com
October 28, 2026 at 9:00 PM
whatsqueeraboutgay.bsky.social
Toronto’s liquor laws shaped early gay life. Strict licensing, gender‑segregated rooms & dinnertime closures pushed patrons between Parkside, St. Charles, and the Red Lion. Bars where gay men met, mingled, and built community.
#Gay #Queer #LGBTQ #GayHistory #GayCulture #Memoir #History
Post 9: Battling Booze & Building Subways
Continuing in Chapter 2: Before the Village Rainbow (1973-1988), Gay Space & Place for a Binary Generation
whatsqueeraboutgay.substack.com
October 27, 2026 at 7:56 PM
whatsqueeraboutgay.bsky.social
Club Manatee shaped gay youth in 1970s Toronto: An all‑ages, gay‑owned disco where teens and adults danced, cruised, learned, and fell in love. For many, it was sanctuary: slow‑dancing & first relationships. Magic of coming out together.
#Gay #Queer #LGBTQ #GayHistory #GayCulture #Memoir #History
Post 13: "Magic at The Manatee" (Part One)
Continuing in Chapter 2: Before the Village Rainbow (1973-1988), Gay Space & Place for a Binary Generation
whatsqueeraboutgay.substack.com
October 29, 2026 at 11:12 AM
whatsqueeraboutgay.bsky.social
St. Charles & Parkside anchored early gay Toronto: nervous first beers, back‑alley doors & weekend dance floors. By the late ’70s, gay‑owned bars like Dudes, The Barn, and Buddy’s offered safer spaces for gay identity & community.
#Gay #Queer #LGBTQ #GayHistory #GayCulture #Memoir #History
Post 11: Gay-Owned & Grown
Continuing in Chapter 2: Before the Village Rainbow (1973-1988), Gay Space & Place for a Binary Generation
whatsqueeraboutgay.substack.com
October 28, 2026 at 6:54 PM
aduralde.bsky.social
Fascinating look at the "pansy craze" of the 1930s, and what its disappearance can tell us about contemporary queer culture:
They Erased Hollywood’s Gay Golden Age (And It's Happening Again) | The Queer #gayhistory
YouTube video by Jamie Benson
youtu.be
October 25, 2026 at 11:08 PM
whatsqueeraboutgay.bsky.social
Toronto gays gathered at early spaces like the Nile Room in the Letros Hotel, one of the city’s first gay public drinking spots. These scattered post‑war bars formed the roots that later concentrated into the Yonge‑Wellesley gay district.
#Gay #Queer #LGBTQ #GayHistory #GayCulture #Memoir #History
Post 8: Where Were The Early Gays?
Continuing in Chapter 2: Before the Village Rainbow (1973-1988), Gay Space & Place for a Binary Generation
whatsqueeraboutgay.substack.com
October 27, 2026 at 11:28 AM
whatsqueeraboutgay.bsky.social
Cheap rents, old storefronts, new subway & high‑rises drew gay men to Church‑Wellesley in the 1970s–80s. Gays found community, safety, and identity in these apartments and bars that formed the early gay neighbourhood that shaped Toronto.
#Gay #Queer #LGBTQ #GayHistory #GayCulture #Memoir #History
Post 10: In Proximity to Gay Bars
Continuing in Chapter 2: Before the Village Rainbow (1973-1988), Gay Space & Place for a Binary Generation
whatsqueeraboutgay.substack.com
October 28, 2026 at 11:05 AM
whatsqueeraboutgay.bsky.social
Early gay lives shaped at the old YMCA: cruising, connection, and discovery. Its demolition created an afterglow of memory, while its replacement as police HQ evokes an afterburn tied to raids, protests, and gay identity.
#Gay #Queer #LGBTQ #GayHistory #GayCulture #Memoir #History
PART TWO - Post 7: Chapter 2 - Before the Village Rainbow (1973-1988), Gay Space & Place for a Binary Generation
Sex at the YMCA & Off to the Gay Bars
whatsqueeraboutgay.substack.com
October 26, 2026 at 8:04 PM