Macrohistories & Contextual Events
On August 28, 1971, approximately 200 people from queer community organizations across Ontario and Quebec gathered at Parliament Hill in Ottawa to protest the ongoing mistreatment of many queer Canadians. They presented the government with 10 demands.
Historical Articles
The Delayed Effects of the We Demand Rally
The full effect of the We Demand Rally cannot be fully understood, as even today the impacts are still being felt. Although most of the demands of that day in 1971 have been fulfilled, the fight for queer rights and equality continues, therefore extending the legacy of that landmark event.
Historical Articles
The Fight for Gay Rights in 1970s Toronto
In 1967, Pierre Trudeau, then the federal justice minister, famously told reporters “There’s no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation.” Outside those bedrooms, however, little would change.
Historical Articles
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This critical examination of The Clarke Institute takes a look beyond the ‘known’ history, to uncover how outdated science met institutional control in the war on gender identity.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
Queer Organizing Emerges in 1970s Newfoundland
“In just two years CHAN has produced a profound change in the quality of gay life in St. John’s,” wrote Popert in a report for The Body Politic. “It has been able to do this because its members are the kind of people out of whom the gay movement is fashioned and on whom the gay movement depends”
Historical Articles
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
Gay & Lesbian Activist Magazines/Newsletters from the Prairies
1970s & 1980s
Written and produced by small, dedicated teams of volunteers, these newsletters were initially an essential component in advancing LGBT information and ultimately evolved into supporting community-building activities throughout the region.
Historical Articles
Reading Between the Headlines
Toronto Media’s Coverage of Queer Issues & Events, 1970s
This article examines how Toronto media in the 1970s shaped public understanding of queer communities—revealing a dominant narrative of bigotry and fear, but also rare moments of allyship and empathy.
Historical Articles
“You can finally read something that you are in total agreement with – Your own contribution”
A Case Study of Two Canadian Trans Newsletters
Newsletters afforded trans people (and those from other marginalized communities) a way to bypass the mainstream publishing industry and to create their own forums to share stories, information, commentary, artwork, creative writing, and more.
Historical Articles
Stories