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.

For fifty years, 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.

Together, we’ve fought for the rights that we’ve won, and keep fighting for the ones still denied.  We’ve lifted each other up when we could, and held each other close when we couldn’t.

As we mark this milestone, we’re honouring where we’ve been and charting a path forward for the next fifty years. We’re proud of what we’ve built together. But we know the work is far from over.

We’re still here. We’re still fighting. And we’ll never stop serving.