It's What Makes a House a Homo: Queer and Trans Residential Geographies of Toronto, How Identity and Kinship Influences Inhabitation of Space and Place

Since the inception of Toronto's Church-Wellesley Village, mainstream discourse has classified the neighbourhood as the center of LGBT life in Toronto, grouping and defining LGBTQ2S+ histories and lives into one assumed universal experience (Idlewild, 2016; Nash, 2005; Ghazhani, 2014). Yet, The Village was established on a basis of homonormativity, which created an enclave for primarily white, middle-class, cisgender, gay men (Idlewild, 2016; Nash, 2005). The resulting marginalization of LGBTQIA2S+ individuals who did not conform to constructed norms of sexuality or gender led to their relocation beyond The Village (Nash, 2013; Bitterman & Hess, 2020). This research project explores the locations beyond The Church-Wellesley Village in which LGBTQIA2S+ individuals inhabit, including the neighbourhoods in which they reside, the housing typologies in which they live, and the ways in which identity and kinship influences inhabitation of space and place. A historic exploration of LGBTQIA2S+ dwellings and lives across the City is conducted, and a map of findings is produced. Primary data representing the current landscape is then collected, coded and utilized in forming socio-spatial maps of LGBTQIA2S+ households across Toronto and respective information related to geographic location, dwelling type, identity and kinship. Analysis of the maps is completed through a comparative approach to identify location-based themes and patterns. The project provides a deeper understanding of LGBTQIA2S+ community in Toronto by highlighting the communities' spacial experiences and living needs beyond the basis of cisgender, white, gay men. As individuals of all ages, ethnicities, genders and sexualities reside across the City, intersecting identities, kinship structures and spatial geographies of LGBTQIA2S+ individuals must be considered in order to understand and accommodate the range of lifestyles and households within the LGBTQIA2S+ community.