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Proud of the 519

There are few musical moments gayer than dancing to Donna Summer’s I Feel Love under the rainbow on Pride Day. Or just before that, watching two drag queens – Shangela and Alyssa Edwards, both former contestants on the reality show RuPaul’s Drag Race – lip synch to It’s Raining Men at the tail-end of a rainstorm.

World Pride revellers danced through those moments of classic disco sublimity at the 519’s Disco Disco event, the culmination of its four-day Green Space Festival.

That festival is more than a blissed-out party, a marquee event for dance music fans at Pride. Now in its eighth year, Green Space has become the LGBTQ community centre’s main fundraising event. Last year’s edition raised around $500,000 for the 519’s programs and services. 

It’s the most outwardly visible example of the centre’s five-year strategic plan to diversify revenue in the face of flat government funding.

In addition to doubling revenue from $2.18 million to $5.34 million in 2014 (with $6.24 million projected for this year, including city funding), the 519 has become one of city’s most dynamic agencies – gay or straight.

There are 230 community groups using its space, but it also hosts weddings, dance classes, corporate meetings and indie parties, such as hip-hop promoters Yes Yes Y’All and Dudebox’s team-ups.

All of this was made possible by renovations to increase capacity by 45 per cent as well as rebranding designed to appeal to bigwig corporate and philanthropic donors as well as clients.

When Maura Lawless took over as executive director in 2007, she put an emphasis on responsive design so the 519 would be able to evolve nimbly to issues facing LGBT clients, offering self-defence classes, parenting courses and employment services.

In response to the Ontario’s Human Rights Code amendment in 2012 to protect gender identity and gender expression – which forced employers to realize they must better accommodate LGBT workers – the 519 launched transgender inclusion training workshops for the government and corporate sector.

The scheme has been a financial boon and resulted in jobs for around 20 trans people, a marginalized population in today’s workforce.

Revenue from the workshops has grown 200 per cent over last year and is expected to top $100,000.

“It’s about intentionally creating employment opportunities for people who have typically faced barriers to employment,” says Lawless.

Inclusivity is also key to Green Space’s success. Even with attendance expected to dip below that of World Pride, Lawless is targeting $400,000 for this year’s festival. To keep everyone coming back, volunteers selling beer and beer tickets are refugees or newcomers who use the 519’s services, the park’s splash pad stays open for families with children, and security undergo “robust” sensitivity training with a particular focus on trans people.

“Resources are not just about money,” says Lawless. “It’s about relationships, about how volunteers contribute and how community members come into and animate the space.”

All the parties are free and take place at Barbara Hall Park next to the 519, save for circuit-y Treehouse, which is ticketed and slated for Ryerson University’s quad.

Barbara Hall Park – formerly Cawthra Park – has hosted some of the earliest beer gardens at Pride. In 2006, Ian Abinakle, programing director for Montreal’s Divers/Cité, was hired to oversee Green Space’s artistic direction, which had to appeal to a broad audience and be relevant and inclusive musically – i.e., not a steroid-addled sex party.

“Pride Toronto has such a big mandate and is able to dive into a lot of niche events,” says Jacob Porpossian, the Green Space Festival’s chair. “For us, it’s more about creating an environment that transcends the wide spectrum of our community. We can’t just focus on circuit parties, which have their place. We want a little bit of this and a little bit of that.”

After Pride, the 519’s next big project is a plan to redevelop Moss Park at Queen East and Sherbourne with an LGBT-inclusive sports and recreation facility. A review looking into whether or not the site is suitable will be presented to city council at the end of September and if accepted, a public consultation process will begin. 

It looks like the 519 will evolve yet again.

kevinr@nowtoronto.com | @kevinritchie 

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