Gay pride, over the counter

On a recent trip to Canada, I was looking forward to visiting the many gay neighbourhoods I’d read so much about on the internet. Toronto, my first stop, was described as being one of the most gay-friendly cities in the world. Indeed, the tube stop for the Church and Wellesley district, also known as Toronto’s ‘gay village’, is done up in pride colours.

But perhaps it was naive of me to think that just by walking through Church and Wellesley I would step into a transformed world. I noticed a large number of shops selling pride T-shirts, badges and other miscellaneous merchandise, and various gay pubs, which were all shut during the day. It seemed almost as if an LGBT identity could be bought over the counter — just like the identities sold in other parts of the city: rock/goth, chic, desi, etc.

Personally, I didn’t have the money to buy the gay merchandise, and I couldn’t visit the pubs because I had a curfew by which time I had to be back in my relatives’ house. So I ate a lonely paratha roll in a deserted park, feeling like a stranger in a strange city.
A street lined with gay shops
In Montreal, I recognised the gay neighbourhood (east Rue St Catherine) even as the Greyhound bus I was on drove into the city. To celebrate the summer, the street had been festooned in pink balloons. I was staying in a hostel not too far from Rue St Catherine, so I set off soon after checking in.

I walked through a working-class neighbourhood and noticed the houses in disrepair, the parks that needed mowing… But when I stepped into Rue St Catherine, the pink balloons created an air of cheer. Predictably, the street was lined with gay businesses. From a free guide, I looked up all the bars in the area. To my dismay, I found that they were all gay bars, with only a few nights dedicated to lesbians. Most of the shops too were largely gay themed, with only small sections catering to lesbians. Again, I sat eating pizza, hoping to meet someone I could start a conversation with. But I saw no women, only men walking past with an assortment of fancy-looking dogs.

Of course, even this feeling of disappointment is an experience of privilege — to be let down by two of Canada’s famous gay neighbourhoods, you have to first have access to a holiday in Canada.

In expressing disappointment with these so-called ‘gay’ neighbourhoods, I do not mean to say that they should not exist. I understand how they can be a nurturing, safe space for the many LGBT people who live in these cities. I’m certain that the LGBT community has networks it can rely upon for support and recreation. But for an outsider, they’re no different than any other city. Certainly not like they’re made out to be in tourist literature: the many websites and brochures that describe these two cities as ‘paradise islands’.

Not just commerce
These areas are gay-friendly for tourists, if you want to buy pride souvenirs. This makes me afraid to think about how the nascent LGBT movement in India is going the market way. I’m not saying there is no need for shops that cater to the requirements of the LGBT community, just that we have to be politically aware about how such a business will be run.

There was this one store in Halifax which, I believe, got a lot of things right. A bookstore and sex awareness store, Venus Envy has a cheeky and friendly atmosphere. The staff, when I visited, were all women and extremely approachable. For once during my stay in Canada, my colour and gender did not attract the usual curious glances. I found that besides offering free booklets on safe sex, the store also organises regular sex-ed talks. There was also a shelf-full of brochures from various self-help groups and community organisations.

I felt right at home. And I was delighted to be able to look at volumes of bell hooks and vibrators in the same room.