On October 20, 2020, the Gay Village of Montreal shortened its name to The Village.
While the Village has been the epicenter of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community since its establishment in the 1970s, in recent decades, queer culture has undoubtedly shifted due to the gentrification, commercialization, tourism, and “degayification” of the Village.
Gabrielle Rondy, the executive director of La Société du développement commercial du Village (SDC,) told the Daily via email that “The Village remains a historic, symbolic, and still very active heart of Montréal’s 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Over the decades, it has constantly evolved, much like the communities it represents. We don’t see the emergence of queer spaces in Mile End, Hochelaga or elsewhere as a shift away from the Village, but rather as a diversification of queer geographies across the city. This is a positive reflection of Montréal’s broader openness and inclusion.”
According to the research on LGBTQ+ Urbanism conducted by Dr. Julie A. Podmore — an affiliate
assistant professor of geography, planning, and environment at Concordia University — the Mile End has been the center of Montreal’s “emerging queer subculture” since the early 2010s. This inner-city region’s alternative queer culture is disparate from that of the more mainstream Village.
A variety of factors have contributed to the migration of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community away from the Village, including the gentrification, commercialization, and expansion of tourism. These changes have also caused the disidentification of 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals with the neighborhood as more straight people move in and historically queer businesses close down.
Rondy acknowledges that gentrification and tourism have impacted the Village, but asserts that “it remains rooted in community life and local engagement, animated by hundreds of small businesses, non-profits, and cultural initiatives that make the neighbourhood vibrant and inclusive.”
While these developments have pushed the queer community away from the Village, Montreal’s increasing “openness” to queer visibility has also reduced the need for a distinct 2SLGBTQIA+ gathering place and safe haven. This openness has “allowed queer expression to flourish city-wide, but it also challenges the Village to renew itself as a space of belonging,” says Rondy.
The gentrification, commercialization, and tourism in the Village has led to rent increases, causing established local businesses, especially lesbian bars, such as Le Drugstore, to close. According to Podmore, these factors, as well as the increasing police surveillance and the predominance of the
white population, have decreased diversity in the Village.
The Village has additionally become victim to homonormativity, with participants of Podmore’s study feeling that the Village is no longer inclusive to the queer community as a whole but is rather now suited for those who identify strictly as gay or lesbian, with the largest demographic being cisgender gay white men. While the Village was made by cis men, explains Podmore, it became more diverse in the 1990s. However, as the Village has become more mainstream, this trend has been reversed.
Beyond homonormativity, the 2SLGBTQIA+ community’s shift away from the Village resulted in a “straightening” or “degayification” of the neighborhood, with those who do not identify as cisgender gay white men, otherwise known as the “queer subculture” Podmore refers to, moving away from the area.
“We recognize that the Village has sometimes been perceived as primarily catering to cisgender gay men. This critique is valuable, and has shaped much of our recent work. Over the past few years, we’ve
intentionally broadened our programming and partnerships to reflect a more intersectional, diverse queer reality,” says Rondy.
Such programming, as described by Rondy, includes: Village Mon Amour, “a storytelling project created with Queering the Map, highlighting love, friendship, and identity across generations;” L’Effet Papillon, “an inclusion campaign designed with the Aide aux trans du Québec;” Les Allié.e.s du Village, “a social reintegration group; the upcoming 20th anniversary of the Gala Les Étoiles du Village” that celebrates “many people, business owners, artists, organizations;” the activations of Studio ZX to re-engage diverse queer youth through festivals and workshops; and the forthcoming opening of Espace LGBTQ+, a temporary exhibit of photographs, posters, and items that depict queer stories.
The traditionally vibrant queer landscape of Sainte-Catherine Street East and Atateken Street has become populated by straight people, both those moving in and those who are just visiting. Therefore, it may no longer be accurate to describe the Village’s historically queer bars and clubs as hubs of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
Rondy states, “It’s true that certain creative or nightlife subcultures have developed in Mile End or other districts. However, the Village remains the main gathering place for community organizations, political advocacy, major events, and collective visibility.” She continues to defend the Village’s importance, adding that “The Village continues to be the only neighbourhood officially recognized, both legally and symbolically, as a 2SLGBTQIA+ district.”
The future of queer neighborhoods in Montreal remains ambiguous as now lively enclaves of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community exist in places with no legal designation as a 2SLGBTQIA+ district. As a result,
one may wonder whether these legal formalities remain necessary.
As Rondy puts it, “Since its emergence in the 1970s and 1980s, the Village has transitioned from a marginalized enclave to an internationally recognized symbol of queer life. Today, it stands at a crossroads: one that balances heritage and renewal… The Village is not static; it’s a living, evolving ecosystem continually reimagined by those who inhabit it.”