The 519 is committed to the health, happiness and full participation of the 2SLGBTQ+ communities. A City of Toronto agency with an innovative model of Service, Space and Leadership, we strive to make a real difference in people’s lives, while working to advance equity, justice and community strength.

When The 519 opened its doors in 1976, 2SLGBTQ+ communities were taking up space in  new and powerful ways. Activism had sparked change, even as acceptance remained uncertain. The fight for rights was fiercely alive. Since then, The 519 has been a place where community gathers, organizes, celebrates, and shows up for one another. It’s a place to imagine something better.

Countless people have poured their time, love, anger, hope, and care into The 519. You can still feel it in the scuffed floors, the chipped paint, and the energy that refuses to fade. Over the years, the organization has stumbled and risen, marched and rebuilt, and after fifty years, it’s still a work in progress. The work is never done.

This year, The 519 is honouring the past, celebrating the present, and shaping what comes next. Celebrate. Reflect. Organize. Be part of the next fifty years!

PinkPlayMags had and opportunity to interview the organization to find our more about this significant milestone, and all the exciting programming that will be happening during Pride Month and throughout the remainder of the year.

You’re celebrating a major milestone this year. Can you share some of the special events and activities you have planned throughout the year, including during Pride Month?

We’ve approached this milestone anniversary as a full year of celebrations. All our signature events, like our iconic Green Space Festival, will be back over Pride with a 50th anniversary twist.

We’re also hosting special events to commemorate five decades of serving 2SLGBTQ+ communities, including an exhibition in August, a panel discussion, and Doors Open Toronto in May, when we’ll welcome people into our newly renovated lobby.

We’re also getting started on a community art project called Postcards to the Future, inviting people to share a message with future communities of The 519. In addition, we’ve commissioned a new public art project that will bring a creative landmark to the Church–Wellesley neighbourhood for Nuit Blanche 2026 and beyond.

People can learn more about what’s in store at www.the519.org/50th.

How has the organization’s mandate stuck to its main goals since its inception, and how has it adapted and modified its mission to remain current in today’s world?

The 519’s mandate has grown and evolved with the neighbourhood around it. We often talk about the Huntley Youth Services group, a queer youth group that started meeting at The 519 in the 1970s and was the subject of some controversy at the time, as one of the early moments of queer programming at the centre.

Two years after The 519 opened, a resolution was passed recognizing the rights of unhoused people to use the centre, and Sunday Drop-In, which still runs today, followed not long after. From the beginning, The 519 has also been a place where community-led initiatives take root. In the 1980s the Right to Privacy Committee met here to support those arrested in the bathhouse raids, Hassle Free Clinic had its earliest iterations here, and groups like Zami created space for Black queer communities..

The 1990s saw the AIDS Memorial installed in Barbara Hall Park, the equal marriage movement gather at The 519, and the first trans-focused programs begin to take shape. In the early 2000s we expanded work supporting LGBTQ refugees and newcomers, Pride beer gardens evolved into Starry Night, and what we now know as the Green Space Festival.

So the programming people associate with The 519 today has really grown organically as community needs have evolved. Many of those programs are still going strong decades later. From our perspective, we’re continuing the same core work we’ve been doing from the beginning: creating space, support, and community where it’s needed.

Who is currently your longest standing employee and/or volunteer? When did they start, and what role do they currently hold?

We’re fortunate to have many long-standing staff members and volunteers who have contributed to The 519 over the years. Rather than single out one individual, we tend to recognize the collective dedication of the people who help make the centre work every day.

What have been some of the organization’s greatest accomplishments over the years, and some of the more challenging aspects?

It’s difficult to sum up 50 years of accomplishments because so many were driven by community members themselves – sometimes through programs at The 519, and sometimes through groups who simply used the space to organize.

We’re proud that The 519 has been present for many important moments in the history of this city, whether that’s community organizing after the bathhouse raids, memorializing lives lost during the AIDS crisis, building trans-led programs, or supporting LGBTQ refugees and newcomers in Toronto.

At the same time, community work is rarely simple. Some of the most meaningful decisions The 519 has made – about who has access to space, who is welcomed, and how the centre responds to urgent needs – have also brought difficult conversations and public debate. Community spaces often sit right where social change is happening, which means they reflect both progress and tension.

What are the most pressing issues today that are top priority on your agenda?

In community work, what feels “most pressing” can depend on who you ask. We’re part of people’s everyday lives, which means we share both their best moments and their most difficult ones.

Across our programs we’re seeing the impacts of housing insecurity, barriers to healthcare and mental health supports, and rising hostility toward trans and queer communities, alongside the challenges faced by people arriving in Canada seeking refuge because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

The 519 was created because community spaces were needed when systems weren’t working for everyone, and that’s still true today. Our focus continues to be making sure people have accessible programs, supportive community spaces, and practical help navigating systems that can sometimes feel difficult or unwelcoming.

What organizations do you work closely with in terms of partnerships and sponsorship?

The 519 works with a wide range of community organizations, public institutions, and local partners. These relationships help us deliver programming, provide referrals, and support community initiatives.

Because our partnerships vary depending on the program or project, it would be difficult to list them all here. People interested in learning more can explore the programs section of The519.org, where many of our collaborators are highlighted.

Can you tell us a bit about your current projects, and possible future initiatives?

Certainly. The 519 runs daily programming across many areas of community life.

For example, EarlyON 2SLGBTQ+ child and family programming runs Tuesday to Fridaymornings. 2SLGBTQ+ Older Adults programming takes place on Mondays and Thursdays. Queer and trans youth art programming happens on weekends. Meal Trans, the Trans People of Colour Project, and Sunday Drop-In each run weekly, while our Community Wellbeing team supports neighbourhood outreach and programming.

Classes like self-defense and yoga run seasonally, and our Education and Training team works year-round with businesses and organizations to build more inclusive workplaces through programs like the Pride Speaker Series.

Our legal and health clinics continue to operate regularly, and our New to Canada programs support thousands of LGBTQ refugee claimants each year.

We’ve also launched new initiatives recently, including a BIPOC 2SLGBTQ+ Older Adults group, an Older Adults Digital Literacy program, and an Intergenerational Climate Justice project. Another ongoing initiative is the AIDS Memorial Storytelling Project, which connects with loved ones of people whose names are on the memorial to help document and share their stories.

And of course, alongside all of that, we’re preparing the many projects connected to our 50th anniversary celebrations.

What ways can interested individuals get involved and help the organization continue its valued work?

There are many ways people can get involved. Some volunteer their time at programs or events, others participate in community initiatives, attend gatherings, or support the organization through donations.

One of the most important ways people support The 519 is simply by participating in the community spaces we create – coming to programs, sharing experiences, and helping build connections across the many communities who gather here.

What’s the best way individuals can stay up to date on your work, and upcoming events?

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn, and visit The519.org, where people can find more information about programs and events and sign up for our newsletters.

If you were granted any wish to improve the organization, and help achieve its goals, what would that be?

If we had one wish, it would be for a future where LGBTQ communities could spend more time celebrating and less time responding to violence, exclusion, and crisis.

Community centres like The 519 exist because people need places where they can gather safely, be themselves, and support one another. Our hope is for a world where spaces like this are defined more by joy and connection than by the need to respond to harm.

About the Author

Bryen Dunn is a freelance journalist based in Toronto with a focus on tourism, lifestyle, entertainment and community issues. He has written several travel articles and has an extensive portfolio of celebrity interviews with musicians, actors and other public personalities. He’s willing to take on any assignments of interest, attend parties with free booze, listen to rants, and travel the world in search of the great unknown. He’s eager to discover the new, remember the past, and look into the future.