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The Pussy Palace: An Instagram Story Digital History Exhibit

Ever wondered what it’s like to visit a queer bathhouse? 

Join us at Gallery 1265 from June 12 to July 5 to experience The Pussy Palace: An Instagram Story. This interactive, self-led exhibit blends digital art, narrative text, and interview soundbites, immersing patrons in an “average night” at the Pussy Palace.  

The Pussy Palace was a series of bathhouse events for queer women and trans people in Toronto (c. 1998-2014). In September 2000, the Palace made headlines when it was infamously raided by Toronto police. From February to August of 2021, the LGBTQ Oral History Digital Collaboratory collected 36 interviews with Palace patrons, organizers, and allies. Interviews address not only the raid but also radical sex/gender cultures in 2000s Toronto.  

To connect broader publics with this rich archive of oral testimony, the Collaboratory turned to media creation in the form of digital paintings, audio portraits, and video shorts. This exhibit remixes a handful of creative projects to offer a meaningful way for folks to engage with the history of the Pussy Palace and excerpts from the 45+ hours of collected interview footage.  

We invite all those from the UTSC community to explore this exhibit, during Pride month. 

  • Dates: Thursday, June 12 to Wednesday, July 5, 2023 
  • Times: 9am to 7pm, Monday to Friday (closed on UTSC holidays) 
  • Location: Gallery 1265 (located next to Starbucks in The Meeting Place, Science Wing, UTSC) 
How to engage with this exhibit
  • Visit Gallery 1265 anytime between 9am and 7pm, from Jun 12 to July 5 for a self-led learning experience 
  • Browse episodes chronologically to explore 18 of the most memorable events among three dozen Palace patrons 
  • Bring a mobile device to access and explore the digital exhibit 
  • Scan QR codes to access video shorts, showcasing interview soundbites from the Pussy Palace oral histories. 
  • Wear headphones for a sharper and more intimate experience (need to rent headphones? They are available to rent at the UTSC Library). 
  • Let us know what you loved most about the Palace, and invite your friends to visit too 
What to expect: A note on content

The digital artwork in this exhibit features artistic renderings based on verbal descriptions from oral history interviews with Palace patrons and present-day reference images of the physical space. Illustrations may not be historically accurate. 

Some of the visual imagery, video shorts, and audio recordings featured in this exhibit depict or describe nudity, explicit sexual activities, and first-person accounts of anti-queer and trans police harassment. We invite guests to engage mindfully with the stories and experiences represented. 

About the LGBTQ Oral History Digital Collaboratory

Founded in 2014 by Professor Elspeth Brown and based at the University of Toronto Mississauga, the Collaboratory is the largest LGBTQ oral history project in North American history. Their research co-creates a “usable past” for LGBTQ2S+ people in the present.  

Learn more about the Collaboratory here

Learn more about the Pussy Palace Oral History Project here

It's Pride month at UTSC!

Pride month is an opportunity to acknowledge the resilience, diversity and history of 2SLGBTQ+ communities. To take part in more Pride activities this June, visit UTSC's Pride Month info page.

For a list of tri-campus U of T Pride events, visit the Sexual & Gender Diversity Office Pride events calendar.

Accessibility Information

This is a gallery space located in the Science Wing, next to the Starbucks in The Meeting Place at U of T Scarborough.

It is our goal to make this event accessible to all attendees. If you have any questions or requests to best accommodate your participation, please contact the event co-ordinator (edio.utsc@utoronto.ca).

At UTSC there are several accessible parking spaces; for more information please view this campus map

Ever wondered what it's like to visit a queer bathhouse? Join us at this digital history to learn more.