Toronto Queer Nightlife and Broadcasting

Some people in Toronto's arts and nightlife scenes treat sexuality as a full-time subject. An early-2010s profile described one DJ, writer and organizer whose schedule was so crowded that the obvious question was when there was time for anything else. The person is not named here, and the details describe that period only.

Several roles at once

The profile described a freelance writer who travelled for projects, played sets at events run by others and organized a monthly evening of queer expression at a well-known arts venue on Queen Street West. The same person also took part as a host of a sexuality-themed program on a campus and community radio station.

Community radio of this kind has been a common outlet in Canada for conversations about sexuality that commercial stations tend to avoid. Shows are usually staffed by volunteers and supported by listener fundraising drives, which is why on-air hosts often appear in campaigns for their own programs.

Sex as creative fuel

The subject described sexuality as a source of creative energy. That is a personal observation rather than a research finding, and researchers who study sexual satisfaction and mood describe a more varied picture. Inspiration, the profile said, came as much from ordinary people met along the way as from famous ones, and from artists in any medium, including musicians, designers, photographers and authors.

The freelancer also joked that time spent on research, writing and conversation about sex belongs to the job in the same way meetings and breaks do.

A long-term commitment to the subject

Asked whether a move into a field with less talk about sex was imaginable, the subject treated the question as a trick and said the topic would stay for life. The profile presented that attitude as typical of a community organizer for whom personal interests and public programming overlap.