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Toronto Gay Bar Map





Toronto Gay Bars

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Toronto Bathhouses



* Spa Excess: 105 Carlton St.
* Steamworks: 540 Church St.
* Club Toronto: 231 Mutual St.
* Central Spa: 1610 Dundas St. West
* The Barracks: closed August 2005
* GI Joe (formerly St. Marc's): 543 Yonge St.
* The Cellar: 78 Wellesley Street East
* Oak Leaf Steam Baths: 216 Bathurst Street
* the Bijou Porno bar (not a bathhouse): 370 Church St.
* Pussy Palace: Toronto Women's Bathhouse

News and Resources for Gays

UPDATE: Gay Man Murdered in Oakland Park Home

UPDATE: Public Statement regarding Shannon Prewitt and Chad McMurray below.
BSO Describes Crime Scene as ‘Brutal’ and ‘Violent’

Alfred Chadwick McMurray, 31, a gay man with a checkered criminal past, was found murdered in an Oakland Park home on Monday evening in the 1300 block of NE 34th street. The brutal killing has been featured in all the local media for the last 72 hours.

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Wilton Manors Shred-a-thon

Mayor Gary Resnick and Chief Richard E. Perez are pleased to announce that the Wilton Manors Police Department will be holding a FREE Shred-A-Thon on Saturday, September 11, 2010 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Richardson Park, 1937 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors.

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Man on a Mission, Bringing Self-Defense to the LGBT Community

Joseph Cacioppo, as a retired New Jersey police officer, has seen firsthand the effects of violence against the LGBT community. He joined the police department after serving as a volunteer emergency medical technician right after high school, because he knew he wanted to help people in his coastal community.

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Torch Lights Up For Fall, with Surprises in Song

After a summer hiatus Torch, located in Wilton Manors, on North Dixie Highway, and Debi Benson, are back in business! The cabaret’s springtime launch was so successful Debi and club owner Ted Goldstein promise new “tricks” for their audience.

One change is that on Friday nights Debi has elected to pass the torch to local singer Don Stansfield, who has been training as a vocalist since he was 15 years old.

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Unlimited Vacation Time – Dream or Evolution?

As technology expands, and it is possible to be connected to the office via Blackberry or iPhone whether you are having lunch around the corner or trekking through the Alps, there is a slight but growing trend within American businesses. This year 1 percent of US businesses have begun to offer “unlimited paid vacation.”

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Saluting One Life, Censuring the Next

The purpose of starting a new gay and lesbian newspaper for South Florida this year was to insure that our history would still be recorded, online and in print. SFGN has delivered that to you in a professional, newsworthy, crisp, and aesthetic fashion. We are proud of what we achieved thus far, and we are even pushing our way through the long hard ‘mean season’ of summer in South Florida.

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SFGN Profile: Michael Hendrix & The Precise Agency Group

Bringing Social Media to the Masses

Have you ever had a friend on Facebook who you feel like you know, but never had the chance to meet?  Michael Hendrix, Founder and CEO of The Precise Agency Group is one of those people.  Headquartered just south of Sunrise Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale, Hendrix leads a team of nine employees, each of whom contributes something unique to the organization.

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Mack and Mabel

Jerry Herman’s musicals have become a staple of the weekly showtune nights at gay bars, where dozens of men can be heard belting out the signature songs of “La Cage aux Folles,” “Mame” and “Hello, Dolly” from Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco. And while “I am what I am” and many other tunes have become anthems, ask the openly gay composer Herman about his favorite show and he will likely tell you, “Mack and Mabel,” the rarely produced show about silent filmmaker Mack Sennett creator of the Keystone

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From Bronx to Bishop

At only 4’ 8’’, Bishop S.F. Makalani-MaHee has relentless energy. For the past decade, she’s served as a local pastor and political activist, while also playing her hand as an artist and a musician. At age 38, Bishop has become a spiritual leader and mentor of the kind that she says is sorely lacking these days in the commercialized gay environs of Fort Lauderdale.

As an African-American and a lesbian, the bishop faced more than her share of strife growing up in a Pentecostal household in the Bronx, that she

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The SFGN Gayvine - September 1, 2010

According to the Orlando Sentinel, Orlando's oldest gay entertainment club, the Parliament House, faces foreclosure and is headed into receivership, according to court filings.

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Gmail Goes to Voice

Want to call France for $0.08 a minute? How about Tirane, Albania for $0.12 a minute? Have a friend teaching English in South Korea? Well, you can call Seoul for between $0.02 and $0.05 a minute. If you’re friend is unfortunately kidnapped by North Koreans it does cost more to call Pyongyang, at $0.77 a minute but I don’t think Americans are allowed to call North Korea, anyway.

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Jewish High Holy Days Begin September 8

Although the world’s 13-million-plus Jews are divided in many ways – politically, geographically, and in the ways they observe their mutual faith – for the majority of them, an important period of reflection, atonement and celebration begins next week.

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Bill's Filling Station Hosts Copa Reunion

An Event to Benefit Tiny Tina

‘A Copa Reunion’ at Bill’s Filling Station last Saturday evening, August 28, featured a host of South Florida’s most renowned female impersonators as a means of raising funds to benefit Ray Fetcho, known to adoring fans as ‘Tiny Tina.’

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Fashion’s Night Out

Last year’s global sensation Fashion’s Night Out is back and this year it’s coming to Aventura Mall. This event was created to put the fun back in shopping and participating mall retailers will do just that.

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To Marry or Not to Marry

Where does Crist Stand on Gay Marriage

Florida Governor Charlie Crist seems to be a little confused about the topic of gay marriage.

Here's what he told CNN on Sunday when asked whether he is still in favor or a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage:

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Gay Resources

The Gay Scene

Gay.com Headlines

New Orleans launches gay guide

There's now an official gay and lesbian destination guide for New Orleans.

Democrats fight to stay in office amid backlash

This campaign is increasingly toxic for Democrats.

Court won’t force Calif officials to defend Prop 8

A California court has refused to order Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown to appeal a ruling that overturned the state's gay marriage ban.

Withers: South Carolina candidate accused of using anti-gay slur

South Carolina's Alvin Greene accused of using anti-gay slur.

Corvino: A good (gay) teacher

When to come out in class.

Withers:Book club reminder

A reminder about 365Gay.com's book club!

Australian school drops ‘gay’ from children’s song

Kookaburra is not longer having such a "gay" life.

Oval office gets a gay make-over

The Oval Office gets a touch of gay glamor.

Culhane: What’s at stake in Uganda

What happens in Uganda could have huge repercussions for gay rights in America.

UK foreign minister denies gay allegations

William Hague's aide resigns after gay allegations.

Saint Petersburg Gay and Lesbian Film Festival Cancelled

(Russia) Gay and Lesbian Film Festival “Bok o Bok” which was supposed to take place in Saint Petersburg from today and last until Sunday finally did not open after Fire Department Inspectors closed the place due to problems with fire security. In a phone interview to Project GayRussia.Ru, Organiser of the festival Irina Sergeeva said that the clubs “The Place” and “Sochi” where the screenings of the films were supposed to take place, were closed due to fire security reasons.

Arsham Parsi discusses sexuality, politics and refugees in SF

(USA) - As part of Bibi's outreach to our communities, Bibi|SF will be hosting talks on various issues affecting queer South West Asian, North Africans (aka Middle-Easterners). Its first engagement is with Arsham Parsi of the IRanian Queer Organization on Thursday, June 26 at the SF LGBT Center.

IDAHO Action in San Francisco To Support Russian Gays

(USA) - Gay human rights activists in San Francisco staged a speak out at the Russian consulate on May 16, in conjunction with IDAHO events around the planet. Before showing up at the consulate, the group sent emails to the staff explaining their reason for coming -- to press the government to grant parade permits to Moscow's Gay pride event.

Reform the Homophobic Asylum System

(London) - Speaking at the London IDAHO event on 16 May, hosted by Amnesty International and the Gay & Lesbian Humanist Association, Peter Tatchell of the LGBT human rights group OutRage! challenged the UK asylum policy.

European Parliament Will Discuss a New EU Anti-Discrimination Directive

(EU) - Tomorrow the members of the European Parliament will debate and vote on a resolution “Progress made in equal opportunities and non-discrimination in the EU”. The resolution is based on a report produced by Elisabeth Lynne, MEP, and adopted by the European Parliament’s Committee on Employment and Social Affairs on 17 April 2008. The draft resolution clearly urges the European Commission to stay committed to the Commission’s work plan for 2008 and to come out with a proposal for one ‘horizontal’ anti-discrimination directive covering all grounds of discrimination, including sexual orientation.

Police in Moldova Watches As Homophobic Mob Assaults Gay Demonstrators

(Moldova) - On Sunday, participants in the 7th Moldovan Pride were precluded from marching peacefully in support of anti-discrimination legislation and tolerance in the centre of Chisinau. Police did not guarantee the right to freedom of assembly. Large aggressive coordinated groups, including extremist religious groups, members of the neo-fascist movement “New Right”, and legionnaires blocked the bus with participants, forced the door, violently hit the windows, and attempted to remove the engine, while shouting “lets get them out and beat them up”.

European Study on Transgender's Healthcare Is Published

(EU) - ILGA-Europe and TransGender Europe published the first comprehensive report on the experiences of health care by Transgender people in European Union. This report is a result of the largest and most comprehensive data collection on transgender people's lived experienced to date.

New Website Highlights Gay African Heroes

(UK) - A new website highlighting African heroes and achievers has included three prominent Gay Africans. "Gay Africans make up a part of the landscape of the continent and any member of the Gay community who has achieved something of merit deserves a place on our site. We welcome the submission of their biographies," said the website's creator, Kadija Traoré Bush, who is of is Malian and Beninoise heritage.

Barroso Urged to Keep His Word On Equal Rights

(EU) - Within the next couple of months, the fate of an EU directive protecting against discrimination on the grounds of age, disability, sexual orientation and religion/belief in all areas of life will be decided by the European Commission and the European Council. At the moment, there are signs that this directive will not include sexual orientation, age and religion/belief. ILGA-Europe is calling on everyone to join its campaign to ensure that a comprehensive new EU anti-discrimination directive which protects against discrimination on all grounds and in all areas of life is proposed and adopted.

Olympic Torch Ambushed in London

(UK) - The bus bearing the Olympic torch was today ambushed outside Selfridges department store in Oxford Street, London, by Gay human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell of OutRage! Mr Tatchell ran in front of the bus carrying the Olympic flame. He held up a placard which read: "Free Tibet, Free Hu Jia." He shouted the same words as he ran along in front of the bus. The police wrestled Mr Tatchell to the ground, which delayed the bus briefly while he was removed to pavement. After questioning, he was later released without charge.

European Court of Justice Rules in Favour of Gay Pensioneers

(EU) - European Court of Justice (ECJ) in Luxembourg delivered its judgement in a landmark case on pension rights for registered same-sex partners (case of Tadao Maruko v. Versorgungswerk der deutschen Bühnen). The facts of the case are as follows: Mr. Maruko lived with his partner in a registered partnership. After his partner died the VddB, the pension scheme for German theatres, refused to pay him a survivor’s pension as such pensions were provided only for married partners. Mr. Maruko sued the VddB, and the Bavarian Administrative CourtMunich referred the case to the ECJ for interpretation of the 2000/78/EC Directive which established a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation.

Media Frenzy at Warsaw Airport for Arrival of Gay American Couple

(Poland) - Gay Americans Brendan Fay and Tom Moulton found a media frenzy when they arrived at Warsaw airport yesterday for a three-day visit. The couple, who were married in Canada, hit the international headlines when their wedding image was used in Polish President Lech Kaczynski’s televised prime-time address to scare the Polish people against supporting the Lisbon Treaty, arrived to Warsaw for a three-day visit. The trip is sponsored by TVN Television. Their first day in Poland was an opportunity to meet with Polish Gay rights leaders Tomasz Szypula and Greg Czarnecki from the Campaign Against Homophobia (Kampania Przeciw Homofobii – KPH) as well as other members of the LGBT community.

Scott Long's Troubling Style of Advocacy

(USA) - As the head of the LGBT desk at the Human Rights Watch (HRW), Scott Long bears critical responsibilities for investigating human rights abuses and advocating greater freedoms for our community worldwide. That is estimable work, by any measure. One occupational hazard, however, of taking on a highly specialized charge on matters of such delicacy involving repressive and dangerous regimes is undoubtedly a compounding sense of proprietorship, a fatigued feeling that others "shouldn't mess with my turf, they should stay out of my bailiwick." On matters related to anti-Gay repression in Iran, dating back almost three years, Long seems to have fallen into that trap, indeed to have fallen quite far.

First Hate Crime Punishment in Croatia

(Croatia) - Josip Situm, 25, was detained by police for carrying the homemade bombs. He was charged soon after with planning to hurl the cocktails at the crowd. Although he denied the charges, insisting he decided after he arrived at the parade not to throw the bombs, Situm admitted that he disapproves of homosexuality because he is Roman Catholic. On 28 February, Situm became the first person in Croatia found guilty of a hate crime. He was convicted of endangering lives and property at the Pride parade and sentenced to 14 months in prison and psychiatric treatment. Situm’s conviction was a major victory for Croatia’s LGBT community, for whom street violence is nothing new.

Call to Reform Asylum System to Protect Lesbian, Gay Refugees

(UK) - The British Government is currently failing Gay refugees, Peter Tatchell told a rally in Whitehall, outside the Prime Minister’s official residence 10 Downing Street. Over 120 protesters braved hail and rain on Saturday to demand that Gay Iranian asylum seeker, Mehdi Kazemi, be granted refuge in the UK. They also urged asylum for the Iranian Lesbian refugee, Pegah Emambakhsh, and an estimated 12 other Gay Iranians who are at risk of deportation back to Tehran. There were calls for a “fundamental reform” of the way the Home Office treats LGBTI asylum applicants. “The British government had ordered Mr Kazemi to be deported back to Iran,” said protest speaker Peter Tatchell, spokesperson for the LGBTI human rights group OutRage!.

Two EU Cities Refuse to Sign Gay Rights Appeal

(EU) - The Mayors of Riga in Latvia and Tallinn in Estonia have declined to take part in a campaign affirming freedom of assembly and expression for LGBT people in Europe. The Europe branch of the International Gay and Lesbian Association wanted the leaders of those cities to join 19 others in Europe and declare their support for their initiative. The Mayors of Paris, Nicosia, Amsterdam, Winterthur, London, Stockholm, Cologne, Barcelona, Venice, Vienna, Bologna, Manchester, Copenhagen, Budapest, Ljubljana, Zürich, Berlin, Dublin and Luxembourg have all pledged their support.

Deportation of Gays to Iran Raised in UK Parliament

(UK) - The British Government is coming under pressure from members of both houses of Parliament, mainly Liberal Democrats, to “come clean” about policies on who are deported to Iran – especially Gay men and women. At lunchtime at Prime Minister’s Question in the House of Commons, Greg Mulholland, the Liberal Democrat MP for Leeds North West, raised the matter, complaining about refugees being deported to Iran.

Polish President Uses Gay Wedding Video to Scare Poles of EU

(Poland) - A Gay man from the United States on Tuesday voiced outrage against Poland's President Lech Kaczynski for publicly using a video of his marriage to bash the EU's proposed charter of rights. Kaczynski used a prime-time televised address Monday to argue the EU's proposed Charter of Fundamental Rights, linked to the bloc's crucial reforming Lisbon Treaty, could allow homosexual marriage in Poland, a devoutly Catholic country. A video of the couple's marriage in Toronto, Canada was broadcast nationwide to illustrate Kaczynski's presidential address.

Gay and Grey in Berlin's New Old People's Home

(Germany) - A fluffy yellow bedspread is severely tucked around the hospital-style bed, there's a wheelchair-accessible shower and a token pot plant. At first glance, the Asta Nielsen Haus in Berlin looks like the average old people's home. But this is a pioneering facility - the first in Europe to cater exclusively for Gays and Lesbians. The idea of a Gay-only project for elderly people was first mooted at a "Gay and Grey" congress in Cologne in 1995. It reflects fears among Germany's first openly Gay generation about what will happen when they are too frail to care for themselves. "At the moment, most Gay and Lesbian residents keep themselves hidden. Imagine one Gay person in a home of 100 people. It can be lonely and isolating," says Christian Hamm, who is on the board of the organisation behind the care-home plan. Hamm and his associates are now drawing up plans for an assisted-care retirement centre for Gay people in another Berlin district.

Complicity in Iran's Anti-Gay Jihad

(UK) - The British government announced Thursday that it was ending efforts to deport Mehdi Kazemi, a 19-year-old Iranian who has been studying in Britain – a move that should be applauded by human rights activists everywhere. Had he been forced to return to Iran, Kazemi would almost certainly have been executed there. Roger Roberts, one of eight members of the House of Lords who petitioned British Home Secretary Jacqui Smith to allow Kazemi to stay in Britain, declared: “There is no doubt that he will be persecuted and possibly face state-sanctioned murder if he is forced to return.”

Nazi Persecution of Gays is Explored in Exhibit

(USA) - A traveling exhibit from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum uses photographs, documents, and artwork to chronicle the Nazis' arrests and persecution of tens of thousands of Gay men from 1933 to 1945. The exhibit, on display through the end of the month at the University of Rhode Island, gives voice to what its curator describes as "one of the lesser-known stories of the Nazi era." The exhibit begins just before the Nazis rose to power, when an estimated 1.2 million Gay men lived in Germany and a Gay culture flourished in nightclubs and cafes. But after Adolf Hitler took power, the Nazis began closing Gay clubs, and in 1934 the Gestapo asked local police departments to compile lists of men believed to be Gay. A law known as Paragraph 175 that had previously prohibited "unnatural indecency" between men was reworked to dramatically expand the range of illegal behaviors. By 1938, even a perceived wayward glance or touch could be interpreted as criminal by the courts.

Gay Refugees Have Difficulty Proving They're Gay

(Canada) - The Canadian Refugee Board needs to establish clearer guidelines on sexual orientation to help adjudicators avoid stereotyping Gay and Lesbian refugees who have little proof they are Gay, say legal experts. Last week MP Thomas Mulcair exploded at hecklers in the Commons and later shed tears at a news conference after Immigration Minister Diane Finley refused to allow Canada's latest Gay refugee claimant Kulenthiran Amirthalingam stay in the country on compassionate grounds. He later told the Montreal Gazette that he had seen a disturbing video depicting the kind of brutal punishment Gay men receive in Malaysia, including strapping a naked man until raw flesh was exposed. Amirthalingam, who is now back in Malaysia where he spent time in jail for being Gay, was declared not credible by the one-adjudicator panel. He joined a growing list of refugee claimants who have been rejected because they can't prove they are Gay.

Anti-Gay Propaganda on British TV

(UK) - George Galloway MP is accused of mouthing "the propaganda of the Iranian dictatorship" after he claimed on the Channel 5 TV talk show The Wright Stuff this morning that the boyfriend of Gay asylum seeker Mehdi Kazemi was executed for sex crimes (see full transcript below). The criticism comes from the Gay human rights group, OutRage!.

Gay Teenager Is Facing Gallows as His Asylum Bid Is Rejected

(Netherlands) - A Gay Iranian teenager faces deportation from Britain and execution in his home country after a Dutch court refused to hear his asylum claim. Mehdi Kazemi, 19, will be forced to return to Britain, where his asylum application was rejected last year. He is then expected to be removed to Iran where his boyfriend was hanged two years ago for 'sodomy.' The ruling will put the Home Office under renewed pressure to reassess his case - or face the possibility of sending a young man to his death. The department’s own guidance concedes that Iran executes homosexuals but rejects the claim that there is a systematic repression of Gay men and Lesbians.

Homophobic Abuse Endemic in Schools

(UK) - Homophobic abuse is endemic in schools, with "Gay" now the most common put-down by pupils in the classroom, teachers say. A "conspiracy of silence" in schools and colleges means homophobia is now seen as so normal that some teachers believe they risk disrupting classes - and making themselves a target of abuse - if they challenge students' behaviour. More than 70% of teachers have heard put-downs in their school or college that refer to sexuality, according to a survey of 268 teachers by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers. In particular, teachers report that pupils routinely use the term "Gay" in a pejorative manner. Nearly two-thirds of teachers and lecturers have heard homophobic language on a regular basis. A quarter encountered it several times a week and about 16% of them daily. Boys are significantly more likely to talk about sexuality in a bullying way, but half of teachers have seen girls do the same and nearly 12% said they had seen similar behaviour in the staffroom.