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January-February 2020

Memories on the margins

A relationship ends against the backdrop of a changing city

JP Larocque

After the break-up, I walked Yonge St. at night. I didn’t understand this compulsion, but the circuit remained the same: a few drinks at a village bar and I would wander the corridor between Bloor and Dundas, peering into closed stores or sleepy bars, stopping in at a late-night bookshop to peruse the dusty shelves […] More »
September-October 2018

REVIEW: New collection unpacks Toronto’s storied history of hip-hop

Inside Mark V. Campbell's ...Everything Remains Raw

Maria Siassina

…Everything Remains Raw: Photographing Toronto’s hip hop culture from analogue to digital By Mark V. Campbell Goose Lane Editions, $35.00 Mark V. Campbell’s …Everything Remains Raw is an in-depth look at Toronto’s burgeoning hip-hop scene from the 1980s until present day. It also explores how the city helped mold hip-hop culture. The book is a collection of […] More »
May-June 2018

“Each death is a preventable tragedy”

Transgender women have long been subjected to violence in major cities. In Toronto, the reality is no different—and police have done little to stop it. These are their stories

Alex V. Green

I: Cassandra Do On August 25, 2003, a transgender woman named Cassandra Do was found dead in her apartment on Gloucester Street in Toronto’s LGBTQ Village. I don’t know much about Cassandra aside from some essential facts: She was 32, she did sex work, she was once in nursing school, she was Vietnamese. In one of […] More »
May-June 2018

ACTION SHOT: Mourning loss in Toronto’s LGBTQ communities

At Toronto's vigil for the victims of alleged serial killer Bruce McArthur

This Magazine

  On February 4, members of Toronto’s LGBTQ communities gathered at the Metropolitan Community Church, in the city’s LGBTQ Village, in search of solace and comfort. Just a month prior, police made public their arrest of Bruce McArthur, the 66-year-old alleged serial killer who has been charged with eight counts of first-degree murder. The news came […] More »

Q&A: Kenneth Moffatt on the importance of highlighting art for and by those from marginalized communities

The Ryerson University sociology professor is the 2018 Jack Layton Chair of Social Justice—and he has big plans for the role

RM Vaughan

Kenneth Moffatt is the 2018 Jack Layton Chair of Social Justice. That sounds fancy, and it is. Appointed across the Faculty of Arts and Faculty of Community Services, the Chair emphasizes the causes of the late NDP leader, and works “to effect progressive social change.” But to many Torontonians, especially those of us in the queer arts worlds, Moffatt […] More »
September-October 2017

Toronto’s VideoCabaret brings your history textbook to life with wit and charm

Behind the scenes of the city's historically inspired stage shows

Allyson Aritcheta@ariCheddar

Walking into a small room, I am greeted by an usher as songs about Louis Riel and Canadian identity foreshadow the upcoming play. I take my seat across from the centre of what I assume is the stage. Scarlet curtains frame a black window made to look almost as if you are peering into a […] More »

Toronto’s Another Story Bookshop celebrates 30 years

How the independent bookstore stayed afloat—thanks to late owner Sheila Koffman

Erica Ngao@ericangao

A chalkboard sits on the sidewalk outside of Another Story, the first sign that this isn’t your typical bookstore. Written on it is a quote from American political activist Angela Davis: You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time. Since […] More »
September-October 2017

“Act of God”: On Toronto’s HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s

From UBC Press's A Queer Love Story

This Magazine

A Queer Love Story, a new release from UBC Press, chronicles 15 years of correspondence between gay novelist Jane Rule and The Body Politic editor Rick Bébout. Below is an excerpt from the book, a back-and-forth between Jane and Rick as the pair work on an essay for The Body Politic as the HIV/AIDS crisis was bubbling in Toronto. […] More »
July-August 2017

Inside Toronto’s new communal space where creativity flourishes

Site 3 has a mission: to teach, create, display, and inspire

Brian Capitao

Tucked away in an alley off the corner of Bloor and Ossington is what looks like a two-storey garage with only a small purple neon sign acting as a beacon to passersby. This is home for a collection of hackers and hobbyists known as Site 3—a communal space that rewards curiosity of the trades. Many are […] More »

Want to be part of Toronto’s art scene? New monthly event encourages emerging artists to join in

The Slackline Creative Arts Series creates a welcoming environment for newbies

Allyson Aritcheta@ariCheddar

The seating area of the Burdock music hall is cast in a faint glow by the string lights above. A spotlight creates a faint hue behind a microphone. Tonight’s artist line up is taped on the microphone stand. The Slackline Creative Arts Series is ready for another show. The volunteer-run arts series started in July […] More »
March-April 2017

At Toronto’s Kapisanan Centre, Filipino-Canadian youth find a sense of community making art

The small charity has become a second home for Filipino youth in the city

Al Donato@gollydrat

Photo by Ailyn Malit Nikki Cajucom can pinpoint the exact moment her trajectory in life ricocheted. It happened when she first set foot in a basement in Toronto’s Kensington Market neighbourhood, reluctantly beginning her first day as an intern at Kapisanan Philippine Centre for Arts and Culture, a community organization that acts as a safe […] More »