Glad Day Bookshop
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For more than five decades, Glad Day Bookshop has stood as the oldest surviving 2SLGBTQIA+ bookstore in North America and the first of its kind in Canada. It has provided access to literature, resources, and a sense of belonging in a world that too often sought to silence queer voices.
A black and white image of the interior of Glad Day Bookshop. Multiple books and magazines are laid out for viewing. Taken between 1975 and 1982.
Black and white photograph of the entrance to Glad Day Bookshop. 1982.
The story of Glad Day begins in 1970, when Jearld Moldenhauer, a young gay activist, recognized a glaring gap in Toronto’s literary landscape. Although new gay and lesbian books were emerging in the wake of the Stonewall uprising in the United States and the partial decriminalization of homosexuality here in Canada, they were nearly impossible to find in local bookstores.
Moldenhauer, who had already made history as a founder of the University of Toronto Homophile Association—the country’s first gay organization following The Criminal Law Amendment Act (Bill C-150) in 1969, which partially decriminalized homosexuality—took matters into his own hands. He ordered books wholesale from publishers and began selling them at 2SLGBTQIA+ meetings, carrying them in a knapsack from one gathering to the next. Soon, he assembled a small catalogue and launched a mail-order service, reaching queer readers who had no other way to access these works.
Glad Day Bookshop’s first physical location emerged in the winter of 1970, operating out of Moldenhauer’s unheated shed in Kensington Market. The space also served as the offices of The Body Politic, the radical newspaper that played a foundational role in Canada’s gay liberation movement. For many 2SLGBTQIA+ people, discovering the bookstore meant finding a window into their own identities and seeing their lives reflected in literature for the first time.
But Glad Day’s very existence also made it a target. From the outset, it faced relentless opposition from authorities. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Glad Day Bookshop became a frontline in the battle against censorship.
Canadian customs officials frequently seized books en route to the store, declaring them “immoral and indecent.” Titles like The Joy of Gay Sex and The Leatherman’s Handbook were banned under obscenity laws, and in some cases, staff members were charged with criminal offenses simply for stocking them. Despite these challenges, Glad Day refused to back down. In 1987, after a costly legal battle, a judge overturned the banning of The Joy of Gay Sex, setting an important precedent for freedom of expression in Canada.
A flyer for the Glad Day court trial.
A call for a demonstration and march in support of Glad Day and against censorship.
News article covering the conflict with Canada Customs.
A letter written to the public by Philip Fotheringham about a legal defence fund to support Kevin Orr's appeal.
Glad Day also fought discrimination in the press. In 1974, when the Toronto Star refused to print a classified ad for the bookstore, Moldenhauer took the case to the Ontario Press Council, which ruled in his favour. Three years later, The Globe and Mail attempted the same form of censorship and was similarly challenged.
These victories were hard-won, but they underscored an important truth: queer literature was not just entertainment—it was political, and access to it was a right worth defending.
In 1977, Glad Day moved into its first official storefront, a second-floor space on Yonge Street. The bookstore quickly became more than a shop—it was a hub for activists, writers, and community members, and people found both books and each other. Over the years, as the fight for 2SLGBTQIA+ rights evolved, so too did Glad Day. The store moved locations several times, eventually settling at 598A Yonge Street, where it remained for 35 years. By then, it had become a beloved institution: a cultural landmark in Toronto’s 2SLGBTQIA+ Village.
But the bookstore’s survival was never guaranteed. In 2011, owner John Scythes announced that financial pressures would force Glad Day to close its doors. Rather than let this historic space disappear, a collective of community members came together to save it. Led by educator Michael Erickson, a group of 22 investors—including activists, lawyers, and artists—purchased the store and reimagined its future.
In 2016, Glad Day moved to 499 Church Street, a wheelchair-accessible space that not only housed books but also served as a café, bar, and event venue. The ArQuives’ 2SLGBTQIA+ trivia nights took place here which offered another way for the community to come together.
As of September 2025, Glad Day relocated to 32 Lisgar Street, near Queen West, where it continues to be a site of cultural production, hosting book launches, performances, and community gatherings.
Despite its many transformations, Glad Day’s core mission remains unchanged: to provide a space where 2SLGBTQIA+ voices are heard, valued, and protected. The bookshelves hold the stories of those who came before and those who are shaping the future. Whether you’re here for a book, a drink, or a conversation, you are standing in a place where history is not just remembered, but actively made.