Previously located at 499 Church Street, Glad Day Bookshop serves as a cultural touchstone for Canadian LGBTQIA2S+ liberation and activism. While simultaneously operating as a café/bar and hosting Canada’s longest-running drag brunch, it also holds the title of oldest queer bookstore in the world. 

Established by Canadian gay rights activist Jearld Moldenhauer, Glad Day Bookshop began operating in 1970, in response to the oppressive social stigma around the gay community and the lack of reading material catered towards them. Moldenhauer himself had been fired from his research assistant position at the University of Toronto a year prior for having founded the University of Toronto’s Homophile Association, Canada’s first lesbian/gay university-based organization, which now operates under the name LGBTOUT. 

Despite the growing interest in gay and lesbian literature at the time, Moldenhauer’s and, by extension, Glad Day’s fight was far from over. In addition to being plagued by censorship and seizures by Canadian Customs throughout the 1980s and ‘90s, Glad Day Bookshop recently experienced financial constraints following COVID-19, putting the store at risk of closing its doors. These economic issues were compounded by the nationwide rent price increases, which are only beginning to slow this year. To preserve queer history, Glad Day launched an ongoing fundraiser in May 2024 that has raised nearly $200,000.

Today, Glad Day Bookshop remains a space for uplifting human rights within the queer community. Selena Vyle, a queer Latinx and Arab drag performer who hosts Glad Day’s Sunday drag brunches, embodies this, as she uses her platform to champion marginalized voices. 

Vyle wrote in an interview, “[Glad Day has] never shied away from hosting an event in support of liberation, the kind you wouldn’t see any other venue on Church Street put on for fear of backlash”. 

Vyle emphasized Glad Day’s importance as a space for the queer community and its continued devotion to grassroots activism. In addition to carrying a variety of pride pins, postcards, jewellery, and other merchandise designed by local queer artists, the bookshop’s commitment to uplifting marginalized voices is also reflected in the books they sell. The bookshop features a Two-Spirit and Indigenous Narratives section, books by queer Canadian immigrants, and University of Toronto graduate Prathna Lor’s poetry collection Emanations, which was a finalist for the 2023 Lambda Literary Awards–Transgender Poetry. 

Glad Day’s new location is 32 Lisgar Street. Since the space needed renovations, starting July 20, Vyle began hosting Drag Brunch every Sunday at 1279 Queen Street. Other events will take place at 1592 Queen Street.

When asked how students might support Glad Day, Vyle wrote, “If spending money isn’t possible, then sharing our fundraiser… would be incredibly helpful. At the very least, come to an event and enjoy a coffee.” 

Glad Day is engaged in ongoing talks with City of Toronto staff to both bring Glad Day back to Church Street and transition to a non-profit organization.