Irrespective of their sexuality, many residents of York Region believe that there are no gay related services, resources or venues in this region - all such things are to be found in Toronto.

In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. The region has gay friendly venues, support groups, social groups, specialist counselling and health services, several agencies offering LGBT specific services, and its own annual pride week festival.

GayYorkRegion.com exists to provide a central point of reference to all of those regional venues, services and resources.

The picture above shows local LGBT organizations, including GayYorkRegion.com, participating in the Toronto Pride parade on June 29th, 2008.

The week prior, the region celebrated its own York Pride Fest pride week festival.

More information about York Region's pride weeks of the past, as well as future pride event plans, can be found at www.yorkpridefest.com.

Sean and Patrick McConaghy are two young cousins who set sail from their native Ireland on St. Patrick's Day, 1820. After a long and eventful crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, they tackle the mighty St. Lawrence Rover in an open voyageur canoe to settle in a part of the wilderness of Upper Canada that would later become York Region.

Close proximity to Toronto offers clear advantages to residents of York Region. But, when it comes to the quality of life on offer to the region's gays and lesbians, having such easy access to Canada's largest city can be a double-edged sword.