The Bent Guide to Gay/Lesbian Canada, 1994

Johanne M. Pelletier is an archivist and Ph.D. candidate in history and
philosophy at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.

The unnamed editors at Bent Books claim that the impetus for this book
was their frustration over the lack of a gay/lesbian guide to Canada
since the 1988 publication of Gay Canada 88. This pocket-size guide,
researched and written by Canadian gays and lesbians, includes more than
600 listings for accommodations, bars, shops, services, and tours across
Canada, and uses symbols to distinguish establishments that offer
wheelchair access, those that are gay/lesbian owned/operated or
gay/lesbian positive, and those that attract primarily gay, lesbian,
straight, feminist, or mixed clientele.

The guide is organized alphabetically by province, followed by city and
category of establishment. The Atlantic Provinces are inexplicably
grouped together under “A,” while the Territories are omitted
altogether. While the alphabetical organization might have seemed
logical to the editors, a regional representation would be more useful
to travelers.

The rate of change in gay/lesbian establishments quickly dates such
directories. On-line access through gay/lesbian bulletin-board systems),
gay/lesbian book stores, and gay/lesbian community newspapers offer more
current and locally reliable sources of information on gay/lesbian
communities. Only the “overview” section at the beginning of the
guide (potentially useful to non-Canadians) and the list of
accommodations distinguish this book as marginally useful.