Murmur oral history

Tell -- and hear -- our stories

Murmur is an ongoing oral history project in Toronto and other cities where passersby can hear unique snippets of local history on their cell phones, and where anyone can contribute their own story.

You may have seen the project’s signs around town — a big ear — there are a few in the Church Wellesley village. Each shows the main phone number (416-915-6877) and the code specific to each locale. Hear Pink Triangle Press board member Gerald Hannon remember the protests following the bathhouse raids in 1981 that began at Yonge and Wellesley (code 272533), the intersection he calls the “location of the baptism of the gay movement.”

At George Hislop Park hear a friend describe the man behind the park and how he learned gay history over a cocktail at a bathhouse from Hislop.

The website (Murmurtoronto.ca) isn’t updated yet with the gay entries but here’s a list of locales and codes so far: Café California (275516), AIDS Memorial (279516), Church and Wellesley (276518) and Church and Alexander (267513).

On occasion, the number of editors and other staff who contribute to a story gets a little unwieldy to give a byline to everyone. That’s when we use “Xtra Staff” in place of the usual contributor info. If you would like more information on who contributed to a particular story, please contact us here.

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Activism, Power, News, Ontario, Toronto

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