Glad Day Lit is the non-profit side of Glad Day Bookshop. Established in 1970, Glad Day Bookshop is the world’s oldest 2SLGBTQ bookstore and the 2nd oldest 2SLGBTQ organization of any kind in Canada. 

Glad Day Lit funds, supports and organizes the many non-profit activities, events and services that Glad Day provides including, but not limited to: performances; literary events; community meetings; workshops; referral to community and social services; tourist support; informal peer support; crisis intervention; informal 2SLGBTQ speakers bureau; research support; teacher education; 2SLGBTQI+ neighbourhood safety; social justice advocacy; and responding to community-related emergencies. 

Glad Day Lit also organizes the world’s largest 2SLGBTQ literary festival in the world (The Naked Heart Festival) every November. 

Over the course of a year, Glad Day hosts over 600 2SLGBTQ events, which includes over 1600 individual artist performances and provides $4000 worth of ASL interpreted events in our wheelchair accessible space. Glad Day pays over $40,000 directly to 2SLGBTQ artists and authors each year and generates an additional $120,000+ in revenue for artists and performers. Glad Day staff have over 80,000 direct points of contact with 2SLGBTQ people each year. 

Glad Day Lit was one of the first organizations to respond to the COVID crisis. We set up an emergency fund for 2SLGBTQ artists, performers and tip-based workers on March 15th 2020. We raised over $230,000 in 7 weeks and provided emergency funds to over 800 2SLGBTQ people in need across Canada in the first 2 years of the pandemic. 

From March 15, 2020 to March 15, 2021, Glad Day Lit:

HOSTED OVER 550
FREE EVENTS ONLINE

SENT OUT OVER 900 GRANTS
TO PEOPLE IN NEED

PAID ARTISTS
OVER 1500 TIMES