b'THE BOTTOM LINEA Village PeopleLGBTQ+ businesses in Torontos Gay Village pivot to survive the COVID-19 stormBy Andr MorriseauG ay business fought long and hard for the right to exist and march into the future in a parade of optimism and newfound pride. With the COVID-19 pandemic, that struggle has a new faceone that has forcefully challenged countless gay businesses in cities across the country. Under this weight, Torontos Church Street Gay Village is fighting for its survival. Already burdened by skyrocketing rents, the future of many landmark gay businesses crashed into yet another economic brick wall and now face a very bitter new reality.To better comprehend the current context, its important to understand queer history and its role in the growth of gay business in the city. In the 60s, 70s and 80s, clubs like the Manatee, Parkside and St. Charles Tavern were among the first gay bars in Toronto. They were not gay owned, but they nonetheless offered refuge and work for gay bartenders, busboys and waiters flocking to the city in search of their dreams.Bathhouses like The Club Baths and the Richmond Street, among others, thrived against the backdrop of the bathhouse raids in the 1980s. Resilience and resistance stirred the need for ownership and control. No longer would gay people have to rely on straight people to front ownership of their businesses and livelihoods.Over the years, new bars opened and closed, but slowly a new confidence in gay business endeavours grew as the citys gay-owned businesses began to prosper. During the tragedy of AIDS in the 80s and 90s, gay businesses came together and provided vital support and community goodwill, which created new networks and a sense of achievement. The Pride Parade, for instance, grew from a small proud defiant gathering to a major economic powerhouse for the city, generating tens of millions of dollars in annual revenue. Now, with the Pride Parade and Pride Week cancelled for a second year in a row, the yearly economic boost the two events bring to the citys gay community has turned into yet another unfortunate victim of COVID-19. To put this loss into perspective, in 2019 the Pride Toronto Festival contributed an estimated $374 million to Ontarios GDP and generated $149 million in combined tax revenues.Bars such as Crews & Tangos and Woodys allowed the drag community to not only entertain, but provided employment that sustained their members lives in a safe and accepting environment. Similarly, the lesbian community supported their own with successful businesses like Slack Alices, which was a staple on Church Street for many years.Todays gay businesses are under pressure on so many fronts. The owner of OGradys, Jimmy Georgouliswho also owns The Drink on Church Streetspoke of how each wave of COVID-19 affected his businesses in a slightly different way while maintaining a hard, destabilizing grip on business overall. Luckily, changes to liquor regulations made by the province of Ontario allowing alcohol, wine and beer sales as a take-out option were a huge help and represent an initiative he hopes is here to stay.Other challenges included retaining staff, ordering perishable goods in sufficient quantities (while not overordering!) and maintaining patio-only service during the various phases of the often-unpredictable pandemic. These and other challenges tested business leaders in the Gay Village and contributed to the overall COVID-19 business crisis.But Georgoulis keeps a very positive heads-up demeanour. New ideas, good food and competitive prices have made a difference, he says, while social media has played a major 2021|QBiz CANADA |25'