Tips for Gay and Lesbian Travelers

Toronto is a member of the Big Four, the term for the North American cities with the largest gay communities (the others are San Francisco, New York, and Chicago). For the city's large gay population, estimated at about 250,000, community life is centered north and south of the intersection of Church and Wellesley streets, an area known as the Gay Village, but gay-friendly establishments aren't limited to one neighborhood. One of Toronto's most celebrated events is Pride Week in June. Also, Toronto has become a popular spot for gay and lesbian couples to marry.

Gay and lesbian travelers can pick up a copy of the free biweekly Xtra! at many bookstores, including the Glad Day Bookshop, 598A Yonge St., second floor (tel. 416/961-4161). To read Xtra! before you get to town, log in to www.xtra.ca. You can also sign up for its Toronto e-mail list, with information about local events and breaking news.

Another resource is Gay Toronto (www.gaytoronto.com), which lists gay-friendly restaurants, bars, nightclubs, guesthouses, travel agencies, and other businesses and organizations. The Gay Toronto Tourism Guild has a website with event links at www.gaytorontotourism.com. The daily news website www.365gay.com features Toronto travel information.

The International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA; tel. 800/448-8550 or 954/776-2626; www.iglta.org) is the trade association for the gay and lesbian travel industry, and offers an online directory of gay- and lesbian-friendly travel businesses and tour operators.

Gay.com Travel (tel. 800/929-2268 or 415/644-8044; www.gay.com/travel or www.outandabout.com) is an excellent online successor to the popular Out & About print magazine. It provides regularly updated information about gay-owned, gay-oriented, and gay-friendly lodging, dining, sightseeing, nightlife, and shopping establishments in every important destination worldwide. British travelers should click on the "Travel" link at www.uk.gay.com for advice and gay-friendly trip ideas.

The Canadian website GayTraveler (www.gaytraveler.ca) offers ideas and advice for gay travel all over the world.

The following travel guides are available at many bookstores, or you can order them from any online bookseller: Spartacus International Gay Guide, 35th Edition (Bruno Gmünder Verlag; www.spartacusworld.com/gayguide), Odysseus: The International Gay Travel Planner, 17th Edition (www.odyusa.com); and the Damron guides (www.damron.com), with separate annual books for gay men and lesbians.

Wedded Bliss for Gay & Lesbian Couples

Niagara Falls used to be one of the most popular places to honeymoon, but Toronto today is one of the most in-demand wedding destinations. After same-sex marriage became legal in Ontario in 2003, gay and lesbian couples flocked to the city to marry. (In July 2006, the Civil Marriage Act legalized same-sex marriage across Canada. The new law will apply to civil ceremonies -- religious institutions will not be bound by it.)

If you want to get married in Toronto, it's pretty simple: Go with your partner to the Registrar General's office at 900 Bay St. (at Wellesley), bring ID (including your passport and birth certificate), pay a small fee, and the marriage license will be yours; there's no residency requirement. Visit www.toronto.ca for details and an application form that you can download. For help organizing a wedding beyond the confines of city hall, check out the wedding-planner pages at www.toronto.com. One company that specializes in planning same-sex weddings is Pride Weddings (tel. 888/418-1188; www.prideweddings.com). While many wedding ceremonies are being conducted at the Toronto Civic Wedding Chambers, 100 Queen St. W. (tel. 416/363-0316), couples are increasingly choosing to wed elsewhere. One popular place is the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto (tel. 416/406-6228; www.mcctoronto.com), which has been very active in the battle for same-sex marriage rights.