The Pussy Palace: An Instagram Story

On view November 7–21, 2025
Public Hours: Fridays 4–8PM | Saturdays & Sundays 11AM–3PM

This interactive exhibit reimagines a night at the Pussy Palace — a series of queer women and trans bathhouse events organized by the Toronto Women’s Bathhouse Committee between 1998 and 2014. On September 15, 2000, police raided the Palace, disrupting over 350 guests in what became the last major queer bathhouse raid in Canadian history.

Through digital paintings, narrative storytelling, and interview clips accessed via QR codes, visitors move through the space as patrons once did, encountering a flashpoint in Toronto’s queer history.

From arrival and flirtation to the sudden raid that brought the night to a halt, the exhibition draws from 36 oral history interviews recorded by the LGBTQ Oral History Digital Collaboratory.

Tip for visitors: Bring an internet-enabled mobile device and headphones for a more intimate listening experience.

Conceptualized and produced by Alisha Stranges, the installation was first commissioned in 2023 by the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Office at the University of Toronto Scarborough, with support from the Positive Space Committee. Digital assets were created collectively by the research team, and the exhibit is presented in partnership with The ArQuives.