Gaze

Like waze, but for gays.

Founder: Tyra Pinto

In 2022, LGBTQ2+ people still face intolerance in various forms at home, work, or in school. Which can be emotionally taxing, and exhausting. There’s little that compares to the feeling of walking into a space and feeling comfortable. Your body immediately relaxes when you walk into a space where you know that you can be yourself. Finding spaces that allow people in the LGBTQ2+ community have often been hard to find. There is a lack of accessibility for the LGBTQ2+ community to easily find information regarding safe and inclusive spaces catered towards them.

This is where Gaze comes in.

Gaze proposes to solve the issue of inaccessibility by developing an application that acts as a digital directory to give recognition and a voice to spaces that prioritize safety and inclusivity towards the LGBTQ2+ community in Toronto. 

It will be a free to use transdisciplinary mobile application designed to serve as a digital directory to find such space (businesses, organizations, events, etc.) as well as encourage physical movement and exploration through the city. We aim to create a unique, fun, engaging, and safe experience as well as build a network where like-minded individuals can connect with each other in physical spaces.

As a new resident to the city of Toronto, I have experienced and recognised how lonely cities can be. As a member of the LGBTQ2+ community, I am still navigating my way around the city and finding spaces where I can foster a sense of community for myself. It is not new for LGBTQ2+ individuals to use technology to form a community. The LGBTQ2+ community’s reliance on technology for leisure connection has never been more important than during the pandemic, where social isolation was preeminent. This has consequently had a significant impact on the community and their leisure spaces.