Glad Day Bookshop needs your help! This bookstore specializing in queer literature has been alive since 1970 — making it the longest-standing LGBTQ+ bookstore in Canada, and the world. They carry literature from every corner of the queer community — from gay, to lesbian, to bisexual, to trans, to 2spirit, to queer, to questioning — their shelves hold it all. 

Glad Day recently announced that after months of financial struggles following the pandemic, they are facing eviction in July. They are calling on the community to raise $100,000 by the end of June to avoid eviction, and up to $300,000 to carry them through the next year and plan for the future of the shop. 

“This fundraiser will help us prevent a crisis, stabilize us for a year and be a catalyst for rebirth,” reads the caption on their recent post. In the first 24 hours, more than 1000 donors have already contributed, raising $58,000 to save the beloved bookshop.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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As a Gen Z queer person, I crave being in spaces that hold queer history. I often forget what my elders fought for in order for me to be out and proud. What they sacrificed, what they celebrated, and what they protested. Just like so many other girlies my age, I live in a pink gay pop princess bubble — listening to Chappell Roan on the subway, and writing ‘queer’ in my bio with ease and comfort. Forgetting the reason I’m able to live, love, and write openly and queerfully. Glad Day Bookshop reminds me of what came before, and allows me to hope for a better future. A future where everyone can express who they truly are, in written and spoken form. 

I remember the first time I walked into the shop. It was raining outside. I had come to pick up buttons that a friend had ordered online and asked me to pick up. As soon as I opened the Glad Day doors, I knew I was somewhere special. I saw bookshelves covered in queer content for the first time in my life. I always had to scour the bookshelves of my local bookshops for queer books and poetry — and here they all sat. Peacefully and with strength. An act of resistance. I felt full. Full and ready to be schooled. 

Me with a gay book!

Now, Glad Day is in crisis — and it’s up to us to resuscitate them. They have laid out a beautiful plan on how they will use the funds raised to work towards Glad Day’s queer future, with a focus on community outreach and events, creativity, accessibility, and artist engagement. For a detailed plan, and to donate, check out their website.

And if gay books aren’t enough of a reason to donate — know that Glad Day is more than a bookstore. It’s a hub for queer and trans people to meet up, converse, drink coffee, and sometimes, when the sun sets, dance.