Queer West - Serving West Toronto, Ontario
LiveZilla Live Help      


 


Welcome

Toronto Queer West
Arts and Culture Festival

Overview


Queer West Community Network

 

Queer WestFest -  Official Logo

Get Social - Join us on:

Why we exist

Le Festival Queer West est un événement à but non lucratif consacré à l'homosexualité qui s'adresse à tous et chacun - peu importe votre sexe ou votre orientation sexuelle.

Queer West Arts and Culture Festival is the one of the largest of 4 Non Pride International Festivals in all of Canada, that showcase queer artists, cultural producers, and activists for queer and queer-friendly audiences. Queer West Arts and Culture Festival is creating awareness internationally about the contributions of queers to the art world and cultural life in Toronto and around the world.

Queer West Fest Arts Festival is the premier LGBT annual cross-arts festival in Toronto Ontario - a platform for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer artists, organizations and venues. Produced and organized by Gay West Community Network . Queer West Fest is the brainchild of Michel François Paré

Queer West was founded in 2000 and the annual festival is currently celebrating its 5th year, Queer West works across the arts community addressing social justice issues, the needs of marginalized groups, primarily LGBT and Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic communities, and works to foster understanding amongst non-LGBT audiences. By creating environments where artists can explore queer culture and take risks, the festival cultivates creative synergies, thought-provoking displays, social commentary, and new possibilities for inhabiting sexuality and gender. Queer West Arts and Culture Festival questions and inspires, celebrates and expands the spectrum of queer expression.

Queer West Fest is annual alternative event Less corporate! More grassroots All Queer!" response to the more commercialized Toronto Church Street Village festival in late June.

Our History - From 2001 to 2004, the festival had various names Pride Toronto West and Parkdale Pride Party, in 2006 it was renamed Queer West Fest History of Queer Festivals in Toronto

Who we Are

Gay West Community Network : A-not-for-profit organization overseen by an Arts Collective, which is responsible for performing arts events, educational workshops, interactive public forums, art shows including the 5th annual Queer West Fest and the 3rd annual Film Festival, in 2010 Queer West Arts Collective

Our - Mission Statement

The mission of Queer West, is to achieve respect and equality within a supportive environment, it responds to the needs of the local neighbourhood and the broader Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTTQ) communities in Toronto Ontario.

Volunteers

Volunteers remain crucial to providing the leadership and hard work of organizing, producing, and operating Queer West Fest. We need a large pool of dedicated and highly-skilled volunteers to sustain the event and its growth.

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.

Diversity

Queer West Toronto is made up of multicultural neighbourhoods, a younger queer crowd and Our Festival bears a responsibility to represent all segments of the community. We must produce an event that meets the needs of all queer sexual identities, gender identities, ethnocultural groups and an organization that is welcoming to all.

Community Relations

Members of the queer community express a diverse range of opinions about Queer West Fest and what it should be. Some activists want the event to be a protest. business people want to increase its economic impact. The spectrum of different opinions demonstrate a strong sense of community ownership of the event. Queer West Fest is obliged to navigate the waters of the community in order to produce an event that reflects the diverse views and priorities of the entire west central Toronto community.

Profiteering

Business people – both straight and queer – have in recent years recognized the value of the “Pink Dollar,” and are keen to market to the queer community. Market studies have indicated high disposable incomes among its members. Many businesses are seeking opportunities to use Queer West Fest as a vehicle for profit-making. Queer West Fest faces the challenge of regulating these business interests, achieving a balance between business interests and community identity, protecting the community ownership of Queer West Fest, and ensuring that where appropriate, Queer West Arts Collective and the Queer West Fest benefit from the economic returns that private businesses earn in conjunction with Queer West Fest Week.

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.

Demographics

Our Queer West Village Festivals and other related events year round, draws both men and women in roughly equal numbers, 25% of who identify themselves as “straight”. 40% have a university degree compared to 14% of the general population. 41% with annual income of $50,000 or more while 16% earn $100,000 or more. 57% are between the ages of 19-39 years. Car Owners 53% and Home Owners 36%. Three quarters of our attendees don't go downtown to gay bars or events. $391 per person (average) spending by non-locals. 22% of visitors stay for four days or more71% agree.

The Toronto Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and transgendered community has been to college or university. Over 17% have a college degree. An additional 25.3% have some college or university education. Personal incomes are generally above average, 44.3% earn between $39,000 and $79,000 a year and 9.5% earn above $85,000 annually. D.I.N.K. (double income, no kids). Annually-Highest Expenditures, according to most surveys are on furniture, automotive, electronics, home decor, financial investments, RRSP’s, travel and entertainment. Monthly & Daily Expenses include fashion, health and beauty, music and dining out. The Gay and Lesbian consumers do like to pamper themselves.(Source: Gaiety Magazine 2008)

Queer West Fest Toronto, is owned and managed, by Gay West Community Network . A not-for-profit corporation. # 1752698. P.O. Box 204 Stn. C. Toronto ON M6K 2A9.Queer West Toronto gaybourhoods (Map)

Showing Toronto pride in creating new & exciting gay and lesbian Queer Festivals

About the Festivals: Overview | Festival 2005 | Festival 2006 | Festival 2007 | Festival 2008 | Festival 2009 | Festival 2010

About our Film Festivals: Overview | Film Festival 2008 | Film Festival 2009 | Film Festival 2010

Around the Village: Contact Us | Accommodations | Nightlife | History Queer Festivals Toronto | Press Room | Sponsors | Travel Info | Queer West Village Links: International Queer Arts Festivals

Copyright 2010 Gay West Community Network Inc.




© Copyright 2010 Gay West Community Network Inc.
queerwestinfo@gmail.com
P.O. Box 204 Stn. C Toronto, Ontario M6J 3M9

Ivar Web Design and Hosting