About the Project
For the past two years, I’ve been researching and writing a publication on LGBTQ+ history It's working title is Earning their Stripes. The proposed publication will have three chapters:
I’ve spent thousands of hours on this project, pouring through archival documents filed away, forgotten, and waiting to be rediscovered. In box after box, I have found old, yellowing records containing countering voices of ignorance and reason expressed with such anger or passion that they leap off the page. As I read their contents, past battles come back to life fought across homo, bi, and transphobic divides that are still being negotiated today.
I quickly realized that I was sifting through a goldmine of information that is rarely sought out or shared beyond a small circle of academics, activists, artists, or people with a personal stake in issues of sexual orientation or gender identity. These stories deserve to become widely known. They are as startling as accounts of black segregation in the US and as inspiring as the example set by Rosa Parks, who took a stand against racial injustice in 1955 by refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger on a segregated bus.
Through blogs posted here and on Huffington Post, as well as other related projects, I will share my process of discovery as I learn about key events that shaped Canada’s LGBTQ+ history. These stories will be presented through the eyes and words of individuals who experienced them. Much of what I will share will be behind-the-scenes information and details that will not be included in my publication.
Most people, at some point in their lives, have felt marginalized or suppressed. Thus, it is my hope is that the stories I share provide insights, and start a dialogue, about how we can all find our voice and stand up against injustice — for ourselves and others.
- Chapter 1 - Equality, will present stories about issues of discrimination and the fight for equal rights.
- Chapter 2 - Community, will focus on community formation, which includes bars, social groups, religion, sports, and rural issues.
- Chapter 3 - Self Expression, will consider forms of self-expression primarily involving the arts but extending to topics such as cross-dressing and effeminate or butch mannerisms.
I’ve spent thousands of hours on this project, pouring through archival documents filed away, forgotten, and waiting to be rediscovered. In box after box, I have found old, yellowing records containing countering voices of ignorance and reason expressed with such anger or passion that they leap off the page. As I read their contents, past battles come back to life fought across homo, bi, and transphobic divides that are still being negotiated today.
I quickly realized that I was sifting through a goldmine of information that is rarely sought out or shared beyond a small circle of academics, activists, artists, or people with a personal stake in issues of sexual orientation or gender identity. These stories deserve to become widely known. They are as startling as accounts of black segregation in the US and as inspiring as the example set by Rosa Parks, who took a stand against racial injustice in 1955 by refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger on a segregated bus.
Through blogs posted here and on Huffington Post, as well as other related projects, I will share my process of discovery as I learn about key events that shaped Canada’s LGBTQ+ history. These stories will be presented through the eyes and words of individuals who experienced them. Much of what I will share will be behind-the-scenes information and details that will not be included in my publication.
Most people, at some point in their lives, have felt marginalized or suppressed. Thus, it is my hope is that the stories I share provide insights, and start a dialogue, about how we can all find our voice and stand up against injustice — for ourselves and others.