[skylyte]

Over-all, yeah, at times the Village is mostly white middle-aged white guys but it's also very mixed in age, race and social status. Everybody mixes and mingles there. In the evenings you will see lots of younger guys of every race. Travel to any other gay area in the world and you will not see any one of them more mixed then our Gay Village. (And yes, I have been to just about every Gay Village in the world, outside of South America)

This is true. From what I have heard about places supposedly more "livable" than us (like NYC, Chicago, Vancouver, Melbourne and Montreal), there is little "cross-cultural" contact within the gay communities. Hell, even reading some of the comments on American gay message boards about subjects like Trayvon Martin, immigration and black/white relations makes one repeatedly check the URL to see one hasn't accidentally logged on to the Free Republic site.

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

I live in the Village and are we talking about different places? It's a diverse place.

I'd agree with that.

 

[taal]

This is true. From what I have heard about places supposedly more "livable" than us (like NYC, Chicago, Vancouver, Melbourne and Montreal), there is little "cross-cultural" contact within the gay communities. Hell, even reading some of the comments on American gay message boards about subjects like Trayvon Martin, immigration and black/white relations makes one repeatedly check the URL to see one hasn't accidentally logged on to the Free Republic site.

I've never once in my life heard Chicago was more livable ; - ) ... but yes to the other cities you mention, not that they are more livable (or maybe they are), just heard the argument for that case.

Regarding Chicago; On many occasions I've heard its one of the best cities (and underrated) in North America to visit for the 'typical' tourist ... I would second this my self.

 

[intervention]

I think the problem with the conversation here (or rather the point brought up by one of the members here) is that "diversity" is reduced to race or visible minority status. Diversity is about more than this - it includes matters of culture, gender and sexual identity, spirituality/religion, lifestyle and even things like political persuasion. All of these "old white men" are not the same, in the same regard that all Asian men or Aboriginal women are not the same. When we think through only the lens of race, it's easy to overlook and reduce how much true diversity we have in the Village. Case and point - on any Saturday night or at Hallowe'en or at Pride or whenever there is a social engagement. It's a place and space for everyone. Just my two cents, having lived here as a student, young professional and now a home-owner.

 

[JasonParis]

NYC is never high on the livable lists either. It's far too exciting for that.

 

[Mystic Point]

DAILY XTRA: Paining Begins on Toronto's Church Street Murals Project

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These murals are a disaster. Talk about ugly. This blows the myth the Gays have good taste. This stuff is J U N K. If the goal of the Gay hegemony is to make the Village as visually horrible as London Ontario, Woodstock Ontario, Windsor Ontario, Rochester NY, or Kingston Road, they have succeeded.

 

[intervention]

I'll agree about the angry looking character based one in the middle - but the other two aren't bad. Frankly, they remind me of the ones from Roncesvalles which have stood the test of time quite nicely.

 

[Thernan]

Darn, I was hoping for something more satirical, like the Ford brothers in drag or leather.

 

[cdr108]

Darn, I was hoping for something more satirical, like the Ford brothers in drag or leather.

shivers

 

[intervention]

Or Stephen Harper in a leather harness? Oh, it happened on the cover of Xtra.. haha.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

intervention:

Well, Miller sort of pulled it off on Fab.

AoD

 

[khris]

Is that supposed to be Madonna?

 

[Mystic Point]

We have some great artists in this town. But what do we get? This junk. Especially the color bars on the side of the pharmacy. That really hits a wall.

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

Is that supposed to be Madonna?

To me it's a reflection back to the community's beginnings when drag queens (and gay men) were regularly harassed, beaten up and arrested on frivolous charges, hence the "angry looking charactor", knowing that this night is not going to end well.

Me, I like what I'm seeing so far. It's diverse, it's colourful and it's representative of the history of the neighbourhood and it's people. None of us will end up liking all of the pieces, and that's okay. The famous cowboy ad on the south wall of The Barn certainly wasn't widely embraced when it first showed up.

 

[Roy G Biv]

To me it's a reflection back to the community's beginnings when drag queens (and gay men) were regularly harassed, beaten up and arrested on frivolous charges, hence the "angry looking charactor", knowing that this night is not going to end well.

Yes, but it looks like a 10 yr old's interpretation because of its complete lack of subtelty or abstraction. At least the cowboy mural was fun.