Toronto is home to Glad Day Bookshop, the world’s oldest queer bookstore, which now faces eviction due to growing debt as result of the impact of COVID-19.
Glad Day has been a fixture in Toronto’s queer community since opening their doors in 1970. For more than half a century, the bookshop cultivated a safe and knowledgeable space for all, providing the city with a vast selection of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, two-spirit and queer literature.
Now, the business has made a public call-to-action in a recent post on Instagram, requesting aid to continue the store’s operation.
“Since the ‘end’ of the pandemic (and the end of COVID-19 subsidies) we have been struggling. We have been going into debt almost every month for the last 2 years,” the post’s caption reads. “We have often been short on rent.”
As a result, Glad Day must provide a lump sum payment of $100,000 to their landlord by July or face eviction. If the payment is made, the landlord “has agreed to a small reduction” in rent for one year.
To reach this goal and “create the next version of Glad Day”, the business has created the Save Glad Day fundraising campaign.
“We are hoping to raise $300,000 to give us at least one more stable year at our current location and provide the capacity needed to dream of and act on whatever Glad Day becomes next,” the caption reads.
There are numerous ways to support Glad Day during this campaign, ranging from donations and testimonials to volunteering your time.
Looking to grab an alcoholic beverage after work? Visit the shop for a handcrafted cocktail. Have any X-rated books lying around? Donate to Glad Day’s collection.
Volunteer your skills in social media management and event planning or promote yourself as an artist at one of the shop’s various performance events.
You can even enjoy a drag show brunch on Sundays, an event that Glad Day has been running for years!
Since the beginning of its operation, they have been firmly at the root of “Canadian struggles for sexual liberation, free speech and creativity,” hosting 500 2SLGBTQ events annually and having set up an emergency fund for 2SLGBTQ artists, performers and cash-based workers in response to the COVID-19 crisis, among other credible accomplishments.
As we enter Pride Month this weekend, Toronto’s queer community and allies have an opportunity to return the uplifting support Glad Day has been providing for decades past in a bid to save the institution.
Glad Day is located at 499 Church St.