DQ and David’s Disco – tradition of Drag Fundraising at Casey House continues
February 24, 2026
DQ and David’s Disco – tradition of Drag Fundraising at Casey House continues
From stages to dance floors, drag joy has long been part of Casey House.
At the height of the AIDS epidemic, when fear and stigma were widespread, the Toronto drag community rallied to support a radical idea: a hospice for people dying of AIDS.
What followed was a remarkable series of drag show fundraisers that would shape the future of compassionate HIV/AIDS care in this city.
Between 1987 and 2007, ten drag productions – collectively known as DQ – raised more than one million dollars for Casey House.
These shows were bold, glamourous, and deeply communal. With casts of more than 60 performers and multi-day runs, productions like The Sequin, Lucky Lady and Diva Oz Vegas played to full houses and enthusiastic audiences. They were theatrical, cheeky and dazzling!
But as entertaining as they were, the shows couldn’t stop the impact of AIDS, which was felt both on and off stage.
By the early 1990s, more than 20% of DQ cast members had died as a result of HIV- many at Casey House. Performers honoured those they had lost while continuing to show up, often while managing their own health challenges. They danced while grieving friends. They fundraised while facing their own diagnosis.
Joy was not an escape. It was an act of love. An act of resistance. It was care.
Seventeen years after the last DQ show – a new fundraiser was reborn in that same spirit.
David’s Disco is a high-energy dance party, featuring a drag performance, music that keeps people moving, a silent auction, and unexpected moments in every corner of the packed dance floor.
In only its second year, tickets sold out and it raised over $500,000. The disco was a roaring success.
But David’s Disco is more than a fabulous party.
It’s named in honour of David Shannon, an activist, journalist, and beloved community leader who died at Casey House in 2018 at the age of 55.
In his twenties, David won hearts with his exuberant and witty portrayals of Montreal gay life through his column Out in the City and The Homo Show on McGill radio. As he experienced the devastating losses of the AIDS epidemic -including the death of his best friend – David became an articulate and passionate advocate for the gay community, speaking out against police hostility and the indifference of the wider world.
He also worked to combat the loneliness experienced by people living with HIV. David co-founded AIDS Community Care Montreal (ACCM) and volunteered as an AIDS buddy, offering comfort and companionship to strangers facing the end of life.
David went on to have a long and successful journalism career at CBC in both Montreal and Toronto, and he was a much-loved brother and uncle. At his request, his funeral was a disco dance party -filled with memories, laughter, tears, and, of course, dancing.
David’s Disco is inspired by that final wish.
It is an opportunity to celebrate David Shannon, to honour the drag artists and activists who came before him, and to remember all those who have been cared for at Casey House. Funds raised from the evening support compassionate care for individuals living with and at risk of HIV – today and into the future.
While years apart, DQ and David’s Disco hold similar missions. They are part of the same story. We come together. We celebrate. We move to the beat.
Who will you dance for?
David’s Disco, Saturday March 28 at The Concert Hall.
February 24, 2026
DQ and David’s Disco – tradition of Drag Fundraising at Casey House continues
From stages to dance floors, drag joy has long been part of Casey House.
At the height of the AIDS epidemic, when fear and stigma were widespread, the Toronto drag community rallied to support a radical idea: a hospice for people dying of AIDS.
What followed was a remarkable series of drag show fundraisers that would shape the future of compassionate HIV/AIDS care in this city.
Between 1987 and 2007, ten drag productions – collectively known as DQ – raised more than one million dollars for Casey House.
These shows were bold, glamourous, and deeply communal. With casts of more than 60 performers and multi-day runs, productions like The Sequin, Lucky Lady and Diva Oz Vegas played to full houses and enthusiastic audiences. They were theatrical, cheeky and dazzling!
But as entertaining as they were, the shows couldn’t stop the impact of AIDS, which was felt both on and off stage.
By the early 1990s, more than 20% of DQ cast members had died as a result of HIV- many at Casey House. Performers honoured those they had lost while continuing to show up, often while managing their own health challenges. They danced while grieving friends. They fundraised while facing their own diagnosis.
Joy was not an escape.
It was an act of love.
An act of resistance.
It was care.
Seventeen years after the last DQ show – a new fundraiser was reborn in that same spirit.
David’s Disco is a high-energy dance party, featuring a drag performance, music that keeps people moving, a silent auction, and unexpected moments in every corner of the packed dance floor.
In only its second year, tickets sold out and it raised over $500,000. The disco was a roaring success.
But David’s Disco is more than a fabulous party.
It’s named in honour of David Shannon, an activist, journalist, and beloved community leader who died at Casey House in 2018 at the age of 55.
In his twenties, David won hearts with his exuberant and witty portrayals of Montreal gay life through his column Out in the City and The Homo Show on McGill radio. As he experienced the devastating losses of the AIDS epidemic -including the death of his best friend – David became an articulate and passionate advocate for the gay community, speaking out against police hostility and the indifference of the wider world.
He also worked to combat the loneliness experienced by people living with HIV. David co-founded AIDS Community Care Montreal (ACCM) and volunteered as an AIDS buddy, offering comfort and companionship to strangers facing the end of life.
David went on to have a long and successful journalism career at CBC in both Montreal and Toronto, and he was a much-loved brother and uncle. At his request, his funeral was a disco dance party -filled with memories, laughter, tears, and, of course, dancing.
David’s Disco is inspired by that final wish.
It is an opportunity to celebrate David Shannon, to honour the drag artists and activists who came before him, and to remember all those who have been cared for at Casey House. Funds raised from the evening support compassionate care for individuals living with and at risk of HIV – today and into the future.
While years apart, DQ and David’s Disco hold similar missions. They are part of the same story. We come together. We celebrate. We move to the beat.
Who will you dance for?
David’s Disco, Saturday March 28 at The Concert Hall.
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