Woody’s bar on Toronto’s Church Street may be a favorite hangout for some of the city’s most toned and good-looking men. But none of them are interested in dating women.
Where to go? Visitors walk along the intersection of the Church Street and Wellesley Street in gay village area in Toronto’s downtown. The gay enclave is encircled by Gerrard Street to the south, Yonge Street to the west, Charles Street to the north and Jarvis Street to the east. JP/Rendi A. Witular
Men dominate the dance floor and only male staff work behind the bar, serving guests who are mostly engaged in conversations about fashion, perfume and ice hockey.
“Come in handsome... Need some company?” said one bartender, teasing a perplexed Asian guest amid a burst of laughter from other visitors.
Established in 1989, Woody’s is the world’s most popular gay bar, and the heart of Toronto’s iconic gay village, located not far from the city’s shopping hub, Yonge Street.
“Tourists from all around the world love the sexy bartenders who are the mainstay of the bar and the village,” said Matt, Woody’s on-duty manager who also happens to be gay.
The gay village represents Toronto’s success in embracing tolerance of minority groups. Gays and lesbians enjoy equal rights when it comes to marriage, child adoption, workplace equality, health benefits and pension plans.
The village has everything a gay visitor would want; bookstores, gay-owned accommodation, drug stores, grocery stores, queer theater and gay and lesbian bars catering to all tastes.
Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people from all over the world stroll Church street, Wellesley street and other nearby areas, now known as an environment where people can be open about their sexual orientation.
“It’s one of the few places in the world where gays can exercise their rights and be widely accepted in a very friendly manner,” said Toronto councilor and gay activist Kyle Rae.
“The city and the community are not exploiting the village as gay tourism for a niche market,” he said.
Rae, who lives nearby with his husband, said gay rights campaigning in Toronto had started in the village.
According to Rae, the Toronto gay community has been familiar with Church Street and the surrounding area for many decades because of its many apartment blocks for bachelors, its bathhouses and
gay bars.
“But the 1981 Toronto bathhouse raids historically marked a major turning point for the village, and the struggle for gay equality,” said Rae.
Under the so-called Operation Soap, the city police raided four gay bathhouses, arresting more than 300 men.
“Mass protests and rallies were held denouncing the incident. These eventually strengthened the bond among us to fight for our rights,” said Rae.
The rallies evolved into Toronto’s Gay Pride Week, which is celebrated annually at the end of June. But with the upcoming G20 summit coinciding with Gay Pride Week, the gay community has agreed to hold the parade, which is one of the world’s largest gay pride festivals, in July instead.
According to Rae, the gay community’s vibrant activities, coupled with an increasingly tolerant urban population, led to the passing of a law that allows gay people to adopt in 1994 and to legally marry in 2003.
“The law that allows gay marriage was not passed out of the government’s initiative,” said Rae.
“It was the community’s initiative and struggle to legally challenge the law for equality with the Supreme Court that eventually paved the way for marriage rights.”
Rae, who currently chairs the city council’s economic development and culture committee, was first elected to the Toronto city council in 1991 as a left-leaning councilor. He campaigned as an openly gay candidate, and became the city’s first openly gay councilor.
Rae has announced he will not run for a council seat this year, instead preferring to become an activist and advocate for social issues.
He also believes homosexuality has been gradually accepted by the wider population despite a few homophobic cases.
“As times change and society has become more open to homosexuality, I think the gay village is no longer viewed as a main destination for younger gays, as many bars and clubs throughout Toronto are now gay friendly,” he said.
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