The journey of queer writers and the magazine that facilitates it all
By: Alexa Fairclough
The Toronto Queer Literary Magazine is a safe space for queer artists to express themselves in themed volumes. Alt text: Person holding a magazine and microphone in front of a shelf. @QTMagazine.
The Queer Toronto (QT) Literary Magazine is an important fixture in Toronto’s queer arts scene. Whether you’re looking to read or publish poetry, fiction, comics or art, this multidisciplinary magazine has something to offer you as a creative and a consumer.
QT Magazine was founded in 2015 by Pax Santos, a political science graduate from Western University studying at the London School of Economics. She initially started her professional career as a speech writer and political aide. Now she commits her time to advocating for the rights of LGBTQ+ people in the Global South, as well as her role as editor.
The magazine has an ethos of aiming to centre the voices of the queer people and calls attention to the fact that there is often little space for queer women and trans community members to express themselves within spaces that are meant to be diverse.
Folks like Rebecca Casalino, a graduate of the Ontario College of Art and Design’s (OCAD) Art Criticism masters program, is someone who has found solace and an art-making space in QT. Casalino got her start as a published writer through journalism before adapting poetry to her repertoire in 2019.
She published her poem, “I can make attendants laugh,” in the 10th edition of the magazine, Bloom — an issue exploring the intersection between queerness and mental health.
Casalino, who primarily works as an art critic, says that as a queer writer she enjoys having the agency to write from her own perspective.
“I want my work to exist in a body of work with other people and that changes what is published or made next.”
Casalino speaks to how art does not and should not exist in a vacuum but should be informed by those who came before you and with you. The 20th Century thus far has solidified the demise of the group and the rise of the solo act. The collective is far from being in vogue in the pursuit of contemporary hyper-individualism. This makes Casalino’s message of community ever more pertinent.
Among QT’s roster of published authors and artists includes authors with a lot of familiarity with the publishing world, like Casalino and newer creators looking to enter the world of queer publishing.
Jasper Bryan is a Toronto queer arts therapist who was introduced to the fine arts through his own experience receiving arts therapy.
“Growing up I was a creative kid, though I never thought of myself as an artist,” he said of his relation to art.
His lack of enjoyment for his introduction to psychology lecture jump started his transition to art therapy and subsequently recreational visual arts. The experience made him think, "There has to be a better way to do this.”
This lack of formal training from the academy can be a source of insecurity in self-taught artists. Artists who lack formal training are traditionally considered to be Naïve artists. This title has historically been attributed to artists in capitalist societies who lacked formal training such as Matisse and Gaugin.
According to NBC, historically lesbian women have been more likely than straight women to graduate from college, most likely because straight women would leave university for their families. In recent years, lesbians have experienced a higher dropout rate than their straight counterparts.
This correlation between academia and cultural production makes spaces that can provide opportunities to the next generation of self- taught artists all the more valuable in light of the dwindling education rates of queer women. Spaces like QT Magazine have become accessible, safe havens for artists like Bryan, as they provide community, networking opportunities and boost self- confidence.
Bryan first published with QT in the Sex Werk edition of the magazine. This topic had been meaningful and familiar to him and the people in his community as current or former members of the sex industry. Having a magazine that focuses on events that are culturally relevant is really affirming for writers and artists that have not felt that their life experiences have been reflected in other calls for publication.
Bryan and Casalino agreed QT Magazine was very easy to work with and that they learned about the magazine through their networks of queer friends and acquaintances via social media. Proving how much of a staple this organization has become to the Queer Toronto community.
Santos set out to create a space that is accessible to the queer community, whether they be creatives or connoisseurs of the arts. The magazine’s previous volumes have centred on liberation, diversity, mental health, HIV — topics that are often overlooked in white, heteronormative and oppressive art spaces. Whether you’re an ally or community member, make sure to check out the QT magazine to see the literature, art and joy of queer creatives come to life.