Queer West Fest Toronto official poster 2008
Berlin has one, Copenhagen has one, and now Toronto has one. An International Queer Festival! A annual 10 day festival of sexual diversity the in: arts, culture, music and educational workshops (diverse cité).
Gay West Community Network Inc. A not-for-profit centre in Toronto's Queer West Village, that produces performing arts festivals and outreach programming for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, transsexual, questioning and two-spirited (queer community) is again bringing Toronto its 3rd Non-Pride-Festival for queer arts, culture and music. Having successfully coordinated several LGBTTIQ2S queer focused events over the past ten years, 2008 marks the first year that a series of events are being presented over the course of 10 days, as part of the new Queer West Fest.
The term Queer
A quick note on the term "queer" is necessary. Queer is an umbrella terms designed to be inclusive of a broad range of self-identifications. Within the gay and lesbian community, there are those who identify as bisexual, transsexual or transgender as well as those who do not want a label at all. Rather than use the more cumbersome acronym 'LGBTQ' (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, trans- and queer), we find the word 'queer' to be a more inclusive term for sexual minorities and simpler. The term 'queer' is also used by a number of organizations for this reason and is well-recognized.
Queer West Village
We are not like Toronto's traditional 'gay' village with all the sort of conservative and essentialist ideas that go with that. The Queer West Village is about queer practises, and being, not about identity and some fixed notion. We are open, younger, non-traditional, about possibilities and opportunities for connection and collusion, not something to to be confused with Church Street.
Gay West Community Network Inc. A not-for-profit centre in Toronto's Queer West Village, that produces performing arts festivals and outreach programming for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, transsexual, questioning and two-spirited (queer community) is again bringing Toronto its 3rd Non-Pride-Festival for queer arts, culture and music. Having successfully coordinated several LGBTTIQ2S queer focused events over the past ten years, 2008 marks the first year that a series of events are being presented over the course of 10 days, as part of the new Queer West Fest.
The term Queer
A quick note on the term "queer" is necessary. Queer is an umbrella terms designed to be inclusive of a broad range of self-identifications. Within the gay and lesbian community, there are those who identify as bisexual, transsexual or transgender as well as those who do not want a label at all. Rather than use the more cumbersome acronym 'LGBTQ' (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, trans- and queer), we find the word 'queer' to be a more inclusive term for sexual minorities and simpler. The term 'queer' is also used by a number of organizations for this reason and is well-recognized.
Queer West Village
We are not like Toronto's traditional 'gay' village with all the sort of conservative and essentialist ideas that go with that. The Queer West Village is about queer practises, and being, not about identity and some fixed notion. We are open, younger, non-traditional, about possibilities and opportunities for connection and collusion, not something to to be confused with Church Street.
