I wrote a piece for The Star on playwright, performance artist, journalist, and local LGBTQ+ legend Nina Arsenault — and how she is transforming the recent social media rumours of her death into art. “Artist Nina Arsenault says she learned of her own death second hand. “Oh, I heard it was a beautiful funeral,” she laughs….
Category: lgbt
Toronto Star: “Alone in the Crowd.”
One of the chief pleasures of pre-pandemic life was the ability to move through urban space — freely and with a certain degree of anonymity. Oh, to go into any old dive bar, take a seat at a table, and just watch the rhythms of life occur around you. It was a simple thing, but one…
Toronto Star: “On Losing Queer Spaces.”
Losing The Beaver has been hard for so many of us in Toronto’s LGBTQ+ community, as it was a space that really helped redefine what it means to be queer in the city beyond any one specific neighbourhood. I have countless memories of sweaty nights, dancing on the cramped dance floor, and meeting new friends…
Toronto Star: “Pride and the Impact of COVID-19.”
I wrote a piece for today’s Toronto Star on the annual Pride celebrations and the impact of COVID-19 on the city’s LGBTQ+ community. I appreciate Dean Odorico (of popular bar Woody’s) and Jaymie Sampa of The 519 taking the time to discuss the Church-Wellesley community, the challenges the neighbourhood is currently navigating, and some of…
TPL Panel: “Art & Artists During COVID-19.”
Next week! I’ll be participating in a panel for Toronto Public Library as part of their virtual Pride programming, talking about queerness, community, and art with fellow screenwriter writer Sarah Dollard (Dr. Who, A Discovery of Witches, Being Human, Bridgerton) and moderated by Nancy-Anne Davies. I’ll be donating my honorarium to Supporting Our Youth, an organization doing incredible work…
Toronto Star: “The Legacy of the Bruce McArthur Case.”
I wrote a piece in today’s The Toronto Star on the Bruce McArthur serial killer case, and the impact it had on the city’s LGBTQ+ communities, as well as systemic and grass-roots programs that have since been implemented in the hopes of addressing a legacy of neglect by those in power. You can read it…
Toronto Star: “Meet Me Under the Clock!”
Inspired by a film project I’ve been working on the last little while, I wrote a piece for The Toronto Star on the old clock tower on Yonge Street, and its (rather infamous) role in local queer history. This has been a subject very close to my heart! You can find the article here.
Melodrama as Revolution
This past May, I saw the Broadway production of Mart Crowley’s seminal queer classic The Boys in the Band at Booth Theater in New York City. And then, this June, I saw FX’s Pose, a new drama series about NYC ball culture in the eighties. You’re probably wondering why I’ve mentioned these two seemingly unrelated things in close…
Huffington Post: “Society Made Queer Men of Colour a White Killer’s Prey.”
As I’ve mentioned before on the blog, the Bruce McArthur case is one that has hit fairly close to home for me. As a queer man of colour, and one who fits the profile of some of his alleged victims, I have found myself angered by the way the case has been handled by both…
It Gets Worse
Since the last time I posted about the Bruce McArthur case, additional info has been revealed that is… well, grim, to say the least. Alongside the established first degree murder charges relating to the deaths of Andrew Kinsman and Selim Esen, McArthur is now charged with the murders of three more men – Majeed Kayhan,…
JP Larocque 