Finding safe spaces for LGBTQ community
Humza Ali Mian, left, and Ryan Persadie chose their safe space at a rented Airbnb.
This story is part of the Star’s trust initiative, where, every week, we take readers behind the scenes of our journalism. This week, we look at how three Star journalists created a unique multimedia feature around safe spaces in Toronto.
Asian Community AIDS Services, Chinatown. The Drake Hotel, West Queen West. Planned Parenthood, the Annex. The Palm House at Allan Gardens. Glad Day Bookshop in the Village. The 519 LGBTQ2S Community Centre.
Just some of the cherished safe spaces highlighted by 10 people in Toronto’s LGBTQ community interviewed for a multimedia feature by Star journalists Evy Kwong, Kelsey Wilson and Carlos Osorio.
The feature, published late last month just in time for the city’s annual Pride weekend, comprised text, video, audio and photographs to go inside the spaces identified by the interview subjects that give them a sense of sanctuary. Kwong, a digital producer, says the idea for the project was formed in response to the tragic deaths of several members of Toronto’s LGBTQ community who police believe were murdered by alleged serial killer Bruce McArthur. “Even though it had seemed that acceptance and inclusivity was progressing for the community, there was reason to feel more unsafe than ever,” Kwong explained in an interview. “We wanted to talk to a spectrum of people on where they felt sanctuary despite the news of alleged serial killer Bruce McArthur. Where did these people feel they could be 100 per cent safe?” With that question in mind, Kwong and colleagues Wilson, a video producer, and photographer Osorio set out to find 10 people to talk openly about their safe spaces and identities. It was a challenging task. With just four days before publication, the journalists had to track subjects down, meet them at various locations across the city, shoot video and collect audio, edit and type up interviews.
Kwong began by reaching out to friends in the LGBTQ community, who referred her to people they thought might want to speak about their experiences. She also reached out to more well-known figures in the community such as city councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam and Armand Digdoyo, an event producer, who also founded New Ho Queen, a collective highlighting the Asian queer community. “We were in a rush, but I still wanted to ensure that we had an array of voices, because being LGBTQ is so much more than just the terms in the acronym.” Meanwhile, Wilson and Osorio met with representatives of Pride Toronto to get feedback on the concept and to ensure they were properly representing the LGBTQ community. The response was a thumbs up.
When it came to photography, Osorio says he was aiming for “something bright and very in your face.” But he also wanted to hint at the tragedies faced by the LGBTQ community this year, so he added a dark edge around the frames of his photos to “show that all is still not well and that a bit of a cloud still hangs over this year’s Pride.” Osorio added that a challenge for him was trying to keep the look of the photo- graphs consistent while being in different locations. Do you have any questions about how the Toronto Star does its journalism? What are some topics you’d like to read about? Send the Star’s Trust Project a note with your thoughts to trust@thestar.ca.