A partial view of Montréal's Gay Village, with Métro Beaudry (subway) station at left

Montréal's Gay Village (French, Le Village gai) is located on rue Sainte-Catherine Est, downtown, centred on Beaudry subway station, in the Ville-Marie borough of the city. The Village runs approximately from rue Berri to rue De Lorimier, a distance of nearly two kilometres, making it the largest in North America in terms of scope of the complete area. View of Beaudry metro station in Montreals Village gai (on Rue Sainte-Catherine). ... Torontos Church and Wellesley district, one of the largest gay villages in North America Rainbow flags are displayed in the Castro area of San Francisco as a symbol of gay pride The entrance to Chueca metro station in the Plaza de Chueca (Chueca square) in Madrid (Spain), during gay... Sainte-Catherine is a town in southwestern Quebec, Canada on the St. ... Place-Saint-Henri station The Montreal Metro is the main form of public transportation within the city of Montreal and was the second metro system to be built in Canada, opening 12 years after the Toronto subway. ...

Formerly a poor working-class neighbourhood, part of the Centre-South area of the city, the area was occupied by the gay and lesbian community after the huge expulsion of many gay businesses from an area closer to boulevard Saint-Laurent (or "The Main" as the locals call it). The area has been considerably brightened up, thanks in part to recent investment from the various levels of all governments. In modern society, gay is a word which can be used as either a noun or adjective. ... A lesbian is a woman who is aesthetically, sexually, romantically and/or emotionally attracted to other women. ... Boulevard Saint-Laurent, occasionally known as Saint Lawrence Boulevard in English, is a major commercial artery that runs north-south through the near-centre of Montreal. ...

Indeed, despite repression as late as the early 1990s, recent government support of "Le Village" cannot be overemphasized. All three levels of government are aggressively promoting the Village, and with the accepting climate of Québec, and gay life in Montréal as a tourist attraction. In recognition of the Village's importance to the city, the borough of Ville-Marie recently hung a rainbow flag in its council chambers, to say nothing of the recently rebuilt entrance to Métro Beaudry (subway), decorated with rainbow pillars. The Village is specifically marked on official city maps as "Le Village". The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive. ... A tourist boat travels the River Seine in Paris, France Tourism can be defined as the act of travel for the purpose of recreation, and the provision of services for this act. ... Six color rainbow gay pride flag flying over the Castro gay village in San Francisco, June 2005 A rainbow flag is a multi-colored flag consisting of stripes in the colors of the rainbow. ...

Finally, the governments lent their support in securing the Gay Games. The city later lost the right to hold the Games under that name because the Federation of Gay Games considered their plans too ambitious. Instead, Montréal Rendez-Vous 2006, the first edition of the World OUTgames, will take place in Montréal, with the 2006 Gay Games being moved to Chicago. The Gay Games is a popular sporting and cultural event hosted by the gay and lesbian community. ... The Federation of Gay Games logo Concept and official purpose According to the Federation of Gay Games (FGG) web site: The purpose of the Federation of Gay Games is to foster and augment the self-respect of lesbians and gay men throughout the world and to engender respect and understanding... Chicago (officially named the City of Chicago) is the third largest city in the United States (after New York City and Los Angeles), with an official population of 2,896,016, as of the 2000 census. ...

Gays and lesbians live all over the highly accepting city, so their residential density in the Village is only slightly higher than elsewhere. However, the Village contains a variety of shops and services targeting the community, and so serves as an entertainment and tourism centre rather than as a gay neighbourhood strictly speaking. A wide range of local media, radio and TV stations are located in the same area as the gay community.

The Village contains a wide variety of nightlife: bars and discotheques catering to all tastes (Montréal has more gay bars and discotheques than Paris, and as many as San Francisco or New York), including three very large entertainment complexes, one of which is the largest of its kind in the world. There are also a wide range of boutiques, restaurants, cafés, bed-and-breakfasts, and major chain-style hotels.

The city government came under criticism recently for cutting funding to the Divers/Cité pride celebrations, which nevertheless are ranked among the largest and certainly the best held gay community festivity in the world, ranking second in Canada after that of Pride-Toronto. To be held at the same time as the OUTgames in 2006, as well as many other events that this world-class city hosts year after year. Baton twirlers at the Divers/Cité parade in 2002 Divers/Cité is a gay pride festival held in Montreal, and the committee that organizes it. ... Baton twirlers perform in the 2002 Divers/Cité pride parade in downtown Montreal A pride parade is part of a festival or ceremony held by the LGBT community of a city to commemorate the struggle for gay liberation, gay rights, and gay pride. ...

The Association des Commerçants et Professionels du Village (Village Businesspersons and Professionals Association) represents the businesspeople of the Village. The Centre communautaire des gais et lesbiennes de Montréal (Montréal Gay and Lesbian Community Centre) through the Mario-Racine Foundation http://www.fondation-mario-racine.qc.ca/, is currently planning on constructing an important community complex in the heart of the Village.

The city also contains a number of gay establishments outside of the Village area, particularly in areas that are historic gay neighbourhoods (see below).

History

Originally, Montréal's gay community was centered in the western end of the downtown area of the city, with bars on rue Stanley and rue Drummond, and with Shaughnessy Village west of rue Guy as its residential neighbourhood. This was seen as the mostly anglophone gay village.

As is traditional, until the 1980s, gay life was centered around bars and taverns, and some restaurants, who tolerated a gay clientele. Other bars and taverns were located on rue Sainte-Catherine Est just east of boulevard St-Laurent (known in English as Saint Lawrence Boulevard), the area known as "the Main", the mostly francophone gay village. One or two establishments were located in what is now the Village gai. The Bay on Saint Catherine Street next to the Christ Church Cathedral A general view of downtown Saint Catherine street. ... Saint Lawrence Boulevard or Saint Laurent Boulevard (officially boulevard Saint-Laurent, in French) is a major street in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ... A view of Montreals Village gai, with Beaudry metro station at left Le Village gai is the gay village of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ...

The businesses in these two areas came under regular repression, especially just before Montréal's Expo 67 World's Fair and the Olympic Games in 1976. The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, or simply Expo 67 was a Worlds Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 1967 to coincide with the Canadian Centennial that year. ... A Worlds Fair is any of various large expositions held since the mid-19th century. ... For months before the Olympic Games, runners relay the Olympic Flame from Olympia to the opening ceremony. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1976 calendar). ...

In the early 1980s, some bars opened along rue Sainte-Catherine Est, between rue Berri and avenue Papineau, in the Centre-Sud area. Eventually, a new generation of gays also moved into the neighbourhood, both anglos and francos. Many came from other parts of Québec. This was encouraged by the creation of a "Quartier Latin" (Latin Quarter, area of schools and students, like in Paris) dominated by the new campus of the Université du Québec à Montréal. The Bay on Saint Catherine Street next to the Christ Church Cathedral A general view of downtown Saint Catherine street. ... The name Papineau can refer to: Joseph Papineau, a 19th century Quebec politician Louis-Joseph Papineau, son of Joseph Papineau, also a 19th century Quebec politician A Regional County Municipality in Quebec; see Papineau Regional County Municipality, Quebec A federal electoral district within Montreal; see Papineau (electoral district) This is... The Quartier Latin (Latin Quarter) is an area in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, France, around the Sorbonne University. ... The Eiffel Tower, the international symbol of the city For other uses, see Paris (disambiguation). ... The Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) is one of four universities in Montreal, Quebec. ...

The phrase "Le Village de l'Est" (the Eastern Village) was coined as a way to refer to this new concentration, referring to its eastern geographical location from downtown, as opposed to the traditional west end. It was also as a reference to the East Village of New York City, which was itself coming into its own at that time as a popular gay neighbourhood. Eventually the name shortened to simply "Le Village gai", refecting the disappearance of gay businesses from the west of downtown. The Village continuously thrived, gaining popularity, the area beautified, the housing renovated. Almost all gay businesses in Montréal are now situated in this area. East Village Also known as Newmyers Seven Nuts, named for its inventor Chris Newmyer, East Village is a community card poker game. ... Flag Seal Nickname: The Big Apple, The Capital of the World[1], Gotham Location Location in the state of New York Government Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Geographical characteristics Area    - City 1,214. ...

A couple of businesses survive in the traditional western end of downtown. However, many gays reside and are also very present in the Plateau Mont-Royal and Hochelaga districts of Montréal. There they mix completely in with the community at large. The Plateau or Plateau Mont-Royal is a neighbourhood of the city of Montreal, just north of downtown and east of Mount Royal. ... Hochelaga is: A 16th century village on the Island of Montreal; see Hochelega (village) A neighbourhood of Montreal; see Hochelaga-Maisonneuve A federal electoral district within Montreal; see Hochelaga (electoral district) A movie about Montreal biker gangs; see Hochelaga (movie) This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated...

The Village gai remains the heart of, and service centre for, Montréal's LGBT community.

External links

• Montréal's Gay and Lesbian Community Centre
• DiversCité, Montréal's LGBT Pride Festival
• Montréal World OUTgames 2006
• Gay information section, Toursime Montréal
• Fugues, Montréal's Gay Monthly
• GAYroute ~ iñ•fö - Montréal's gay community listings in English with online services.
• Quebec Gay Chamber of Commerce Tourist Centre
• Cachet Accommodations Network - A gay room booking and short-term lodging service for Montréal.
• Montréal Restaurant Guide - Greater Montréal City guide to restaurants, cafés and bars. View restaurant profile pages complete with menus, videos, picture galleries and more.
• GayCities Montreal: Gay City Guide - City guide to Montreal and Le Village with reviews and maps of gay bars, clubs and hotels/B&Bs