Proud to Be
Queer Histories of the 1960s-1970s in Canada
Proud to Be features intersectional stories from the 1960s and 1970s that build context for queer movements and solidarities—as well as their ongoing relevance today—including the first gay rights protests and Pride events, the founding of queer presses, theatres, and archives, advances in queer rights, surveillance of queer people, and crackdowns against gay bars.
Read more about the project
Proud to Be sheds light on the histories of 2SLGBTQ+ people and communities across Canada in the 1960s and 1970s—decades that were especially fulsome and fraught with impassioned activism and change, as well as harmful retaliation. The resources created as part of Proud to Be include digital multimedia archive kits featuring definitional moments from the 1960s and 1970s, supported by lesson plans using our Curatorial Thinking framework, as well as an interactive StoryMap sharing walking tours of historically significant places for queer people across Canada.
This project lines up with the 50th anniversary of The ArQuives, founded in 1973 as The Canadian Gay Liberation Movement Archives and then renamed as The Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives before finally becoming The ArQuives. The ArQuives is the only archive in Canada with a mandate to collect queer histories at a national level and is one of the largest independent 2SLGBTQ+ archives in the world. It was established to aid in the recovery and preservation of 2SLGBTQ+ histories and has a mandate to be a significant resource and catalyst for those who strive for a future world where 2SLGBTQ+ people are accepted, valued, and celebrated.
Proud to Be broadens the scope of knowledge of queer lived experiences in Canada, showcasing the multiplicity of identities and stories that represent queer people and communities. This project seeks to affirm and support queer people and to build allies in solidarity alongside them in sharing about the 2SLGBTQ+ people and communities that have always been and continue to be here.
Explore the history
Bring Proud to Be into your classroom
Content from our partners
Most recent project content
Jurassic Clarke
The Problematic History of Canada’s First Gender Clinic
This critical examination of The Clarke Institute takes a look beyond the ‘known’ history, to uncover how outdated science met institutional control in the war on gender identity.
Historical Articles
The Education of John Damien, A Local Windsor Hero
1933-1986
We’ve seen many great heroic acts happen in Windsor’s 2SLGBTQIA+ community throughout the years, but there is no one who has made as much of a national mark as John Damien. He’s one of Windsor’s most important queer heroes.
Stories
Feminist and Lesbian Organizing in 1970s Newfoundland
It’s often said that Newfoundland and Labrador experiences social trends a decade after the rest of North America. So while others experienced the 1960s, in Newfoundland it was the 1970s that were a period of radical, revolutionary change, as the spirit of feminism and other social movements swept across the province.
Historical Articles
A Geographic History of the ArQuives
This StoryMap will explore the history of the ArQuives, from humble beginnings to global influence, through their office’s geographic locations.
StoryMaps
Research Project: Banned Books
Education Resources
Teacher Resource: Undoing Deficit Narratives about 2SLGBTQIA+ Youth
Education Resources