How one group of bookworms is changing the queer literary scene in Toronto
By: Hannah Mercanti
(Robert Anasch/Unsplash)
One by one, a small group gathers around an empty bar table, antsy for the insightful discussion to begin. Each of them clutches their own copy of the chosen book-of-the-month in their arms tightly, every one annotated with a personal touch.
At the heart of Queer Bookclub Toronto, since its outset in 2019, is a community formed around reading. Every month, this keen group of bookworms prepares to discuss, interpret and pick apart a new story.
“All the gays, reading all the books,” proudly claims the Instagram bio of the queer-run discussion group whose mission, according to their founder Kate Bullen, is to provide a safe space for LGBTQ and BIPOC readers around the city through discussions of queer literature.
For Bullen, one of the core values is to read diversely, which means something different for every reader. From taking on an unfamiliar genre to reading more from queer and BIPOC authors, anything that broadens a reader's perspective counts.
Since the early pandemic days, Bullen has been on a mission to bring LGBTQ book lovers together in a relaxed, intersectional environment accessible to all.
“I was actually still living in Guelph at the time and was looking to make friends and form a community around books,” said Bullen.
Near the end of 2021, Bullen moved from Guelph to Toronto and brought Queer Bookclub along with her. A couple of months later in March of 2022, Bullen made a post on the Queer Bookclub Instagram announcing that the club would now be based in Toronto and was accepting new members.
“It was still on Zoom, so we had some members in Guelph and Toronto,” said Bullen. As pandemic restrictions loosened and the weather got warmer, meetings transitioned to in-person gatherings and away from virtual calls. Consequently, Guelph membership went down due to the distance, while Toronto membership began to solidify.
As the group grew, Bullen noticed a trend.
“At the beginning, the majority of members were white lesbians,” said Bullen. “Eventually a few people brought it up to me that we didn’t have enough trans members or members of colour.”
In response to this, Bullen has come up with a working solution. For certain months, new members from BIPOC and Transgender communities would be prioritized.
“Basically, it just means that some people have to wait a bit longer to join, which is fine because we want a more diverse group,” said Bullen.
This diversity issue isn’t a unique one. In Toronto, many popular queer spots still remain inaccessible to a diverse range of people, according to Bullen.
This sentiment is echoed by one of Queer Bookclub’s longest-standing members, Emily Bruce.
Bruce knew Bullen in the pre-pandemic days when they both lived in Guelph. She joined when the book club was first starting for the same reason it all began – to find a sense of community.
“I was looking for an environment that wasn’t centred around drinking and that kind of culture,” said Bruce. “And I think for young people, so much of it revolves around that.”
When Queer Bookclub moved to Toronto, Bruce moved around the same time.
“It feels like there are so many [queer spaces] in Toronto, but at the same time, there aren’t enough,” said Bruce. “I know that in terms of ableism, it's harder.”
Dev Ramsawakh, a queer disabled authour based in Toronto, reports that many disabled and chronically ill members of Toronto’s LGBTQ+ community have been feeling “really bad” watching other LGBTQ+ people gather unsafely and forgo masking despite steady death and infection rates.
Some members even feel that the community is actively excluding immunocompromised and high-risk people. Since unmasked spaces aren’t safe for them to attend, they are being separated from the community as a whole while able-bodied members are encouraged to “return to normal,” they write.
According to Bullen, people who cannot access typical nightlife spaces, especially sober folks, have been very appreciative of the space. In fact, a recent meeting featured both alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails.
“There’s crossover, of course. There are lots of people I've met at bookclub who I end up going out and doing nightlife things with,” says Bullen, “but it’s just a different environment.”
Stephanie Borowik, another long-term member, felt similarly after relocating to Toronto from Guelph and realized how centred the city is on nightlife.
“I’m 32. I don’t want to go out to the bar, I want to be in bed by nine,” said Borowik. “So it's nice to be able to make connections with like-minded people in a more comfortable environment.”