Calgary Gay History

Casey and Diana at ATP: Theatre & Queer History

Posted on February 26, 2026 by Kevin Allen | Leave a comment

Casey and Diana, currently on stage until March 15th at Alberta Theatre Projects, revisits a specific historical moment during the AIDS crisis: Princess Diana’s 1991 visit to Casey House, Canada’s first free-standing AIDS hospice in Toronto. Set against a backdrop of fear, stigma, and widespread misinformation about HIV/AIDS, the play focuses on the residents and caregivers of Casey House as they prepare for a visit that would later be seen as culturally significant.

*Diana, Princess of Wales with a resident of Casey House in 1991*

Princess Diana helped shift public perception by challenging the myth that people living with AIDS were untouchable. But the play’s real power lies in its focus on the residents and caregivers — queer people and allies navigating love, humour, grief, and survival amid a crisis that decimated communities while governments largely looked away.

*Diana with staff and volunteers of Casey House, 1991*

ATP extends this historical framing beyond the stage through its lobby installations and community partnerships. As Raegan Frenette, from the company, notes:

Part of coming to Alberta Theatre Projects is being in the lobby and engaging with activations that make theatre more than just a show, but a full experience. For Casey and Diana, we wanted the lobby to feel like an extension of the story of Casey House, offering more context for how the AIDS crisis impacted our community here in Calgary.

To do this, we reached out to HIV-related organizations that have, and continue to, support our community through education, treatment, and prevention. We also included LGBTQ+ organizations that help build and sustain queer community across generations. Alongside these partnerships, we incorporated historical elements like the Queer Map of Calgary, Section 7 of the Canadian AIDS Memorial Quilt, and anecdotes in our program from real Calgarian experiences.

A very special shoutout to Safelink Alberta, SHARP Foundation, Calgary Pride, Rainbow Elders Society, Grandmothers to Grandmothers, the Afro-Care Support Network, Canadian AIDS Society, and the Calgary Gay History Project for engaging in the arts with us. We are so grateful for their participation and the amazing work they do in the community.

*ATP’s Casey & Diana*—*click image for showtimes & tickets!*

By connecting Casey and Diana to Calgary’s own queer and HIV history, ATP makes it clear that the AIDS crisis was not something that only happened elsewhere. It affected people here, and its impact is still felt today. The production invites audiences to reflect on how community care, advocacy, and remembrance have shaped queer life in Calgary, and why those histories continue to matter.

{KA}

Queering the Calgary Games

Posted on February 19, 2026 by Kevin Allen | Leave a comment

{Welcome to the final installment in our Winter Olympic Series, written by William Bridel!}

You may have heard of a recent show that is—pardon the pun—burning up the internet. Heated Rivalry has quickly garnered critical acclaim as well as a massive viewing audience both within Canada and globally. Situated in the context of men’s ice hockey, the show, while not without its flaws, is nevertheless broaching important conversations about queer representation in sport. Representation matters. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to write this series of posts about queer Olympians from Calgary.

Sharing these stories has provided an opportunity to celebrate queer representation in sport and to highlight that we’ve always been here! While building on that theme, this post has a somewhat different focus: the 1988 Olympic Winter Games, which were held in Calgary.

While some infrastructure built for those Games is now defunct (think ski jumps and the sliding track at Canada Olympic Park) and others torn down (think Olympic Plaza downtown), throughout Calgary, there are reminders everywhere that this city hosted the world now nearly 40 years ago—the Olympic Oval, the Saddledome, Nakiska Station, the C-Train northwest expansion, to name just a few. During our interview, Lindsay Alcock talked about the lasting influence seeing Olympic events in Calgary had on her athletic career. Alcock, Anastasia Bucsis, John Fennell, and Eric Mitchell all trained in Olympic venues built for the ’88 Games. Brian Pockar, the figure skater featured in the first of this series, played a key role in the production of the Closing Ceremonies.

At the community level, a local bus driver, Mark Perry-Schaub, was accepted as a transportation volunteer for the Games but was forced to fight for that position when it was discovered he had AIDS, and the organizing committee told him he was no longer welcome to serve in that role. You can read more about Perry-Schaub’s story here.

*An image from the 1988 Opening Ceremonies, held at McMahon Stadium. This photo was retrieved from the Canadian Olympic Committee website.*

The 1988 Games also had an impact on queer fans of sport. One research participant, Fred, spoke about the impact of the Games on community at the time, including meeting at Off Centre, a queer bar that would eventually become Money-Pennies, to meet friends from the community, talk about events, and the general vibe in the city at the time. He also shared this memory:

“Tons of us went… when the Jamaican bobsled team was down on Stephen Ave selling their t-shirts and stuff to raise money to pay for their trip. The bar was stuffed. I’ve got pictures of us all wearing Jamaican bobsled t-shirts, because everybody from the bar had to own that. We all went down to Olympic Plaza and cheered on Eddy the Eagle for being the last and the worst ski jumper. But we were all together. Like you cheer on the underdog. I’ve got pictures of us going into the big Olympic pin swapping tents… I still have all my pins in a box somewhere.”

Queer podcasters Bronwin Parks and Elinor Svoboda of the Late in ’88 podcast reminisced about the 1988 Games in their second episode, “Hometown Olympic Fever.” In general, they commented that anyone in Calgary at the time was aware of the Games, with a noticeable change in the city leading up to and during the event, which they recognized even though they were quite young at the time. They also discussed with friends—and historian Kevin Allen—the impact various events had on them in relation to gender identity and sexuality. One friend commented on figure skater Brian Orser, specifically the celebration of his silver medal and the disconnect between Orser being applauded for that, whereas performances of non-traditional masculinity were viewed negatively in pretty much all other aspects of social life at the time. The whole podcast series is a great listen, but I recommend this one in particular as well as the bonus “Olympic Relics” episode.

While I didn’t live in Calgary at the time, as a 15-year-old figure skater, I was glued to the CBC for all the figure skating events. I cried when Tracy Wilson and Rob McCall won the bronze medal in ice dance—the first ever Olympic medal for a Canadian team in that event. I cried when Brian Orser finished second in the men’s event; an outstanding result without question, but one that I knew he was disappointed with at the time. And I lost my mind when Elizabeth Manley had the skate of her career, famously sporting that white cowboy hat as she exited the ice, earning the silver medal. I also ADORED Katarina Witt for her many achievements in the sport, her performance ability, and the DRAMA she brought to the ice (and off the ice as well)! I may have, in fact, performed along with her in my family room, the opening moves to her long program, choreographed to music from the opera Carmen. Only in recent years, however, have I begun to understand the impact Witt had on other queer folks. Comedian and actor Carolyn Taylor, for example, created a whole television series—I Have Nothing—around the indelible impact the Calgary Olympics had on her, including Witt’s talents and looks, leading to a sexual awakening for Taylor.

The Olympic Games and the International Olympic Committee are, of course, not without their many, many problems. Sport more generally remains a problematic space for queer folks, and a space from which trans and gender diverse folks are excluded through exclusionary practices, policies, and government legislation, such as Bill-29 in Alberta. It is imperative to recognize the work that remains to be done while at the same time finding and celebrating queer joy—be that through the recognition of queer athletes’ successes, their resiliency and bravery in breaking down barriers, or folks finding connection in and through sport, regardless of their role. I hope to have captured some of that joy in this series of posts about queer Calgarians at the Olympics and the Calgary Games. Thanks for reading along.

{WB}

Links to the Winter Olympic Series:

Part One: From the Calgary Winter Club to Olympic Ice

Part Two: Hurtling Headfirst Down Mountains and Into the History Books

Part Three: Faster, Higher, Stronger… Resist

Faster, Higher, Stronger… Resist

Posted on February 12, 2026 by Kevin Allen | 2 comments

{Enjoy this third part in our Winter Olympic Series, written by William Bridel!}

In the lead-up to the 2014 Olympic Winter Games, held in Sochi, Russia, much attention was turned to that country’s anti-LGBTQ laws, with questions of athlete, support team, media, and fan safety brought to the forefront. And rightly so. In 2013, CTV quoted a high-ranking member of the Russian government who had stated there would be “consequences for anyone who publicly advocates homosexuality” during the Games. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued statements assuring athletes’ safety while reminding them that political protests are prohibited under the IOC Charter, with ramifications for those who do not abide by it. There were calls to boycott the Games or move them to a different location. However, the Games went ahead as planned. This all drove one Calgary athlete to come out publicly, with others following.

Anastasia Bucsis, a long track speedskater, came out as lesbian in the Globe and Mail on September 3, 2013—primarily to make a powerful statement about queer rights ahead of the Sochi Olympics. As Bucsis noted, “I could never promote that message of concealing who you are with all of this going on in Russia… I’m kind of happy that I did it on my own terms” (Cryderman, 2013).

*Bucsis competing in a long track speed skating event. This image was retrieved from the Canadian Olympic Committee website and is credited to AP Photo/Patrick Semansky.*

Having come out to family, friends, and within the sport in the couple of years prior, Bucsis has commented that everyone, including teammates, sponsors, and coaches, was supportive; she has recognized, however, that not everyone had the same support, knowing many athletes who left sport due to their sexuality and non-supportive environments (Silver, 2021). Bucsis was the only North American athlete to be openly queer and competing at the 2014 Games. She retired from speed skating in 2017 but has since had a very successful career in broadcasting: Bucsis is serving as the host of CBC’s prime-time show during its coverage of the 2026 Games, a role she also held two years ago during the Paris Olympics.

Another Calgarian who competed in Sochi, John Fennell, came out publicly following his participation in the 2014 Games. I was working in the United States at the time, but friends told me about the story as they knew I was researching 2SLGBTQIA+ participation in Canadian sport. I remember being somewhat in awe as it was still rare for elite athletes to be out publicly, but also because of his age—Fennell was just shy of his 19^th birthday when he told Vicky Hall of the Calgary Herald that he wanted the world to know he was gay.

*John Fennell competed in luge at the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia. This photo is from John’s personal collection.*

For those not familiar with luge, athletes hurl down a steep and windy ice track, feet first, on a relatively tiny sled. Not for the faint of heart to say the very least, but imagine facing that task in a country where you feel unsafe because of your sexuality. In an interview and follow-up personal communication, Fennell reflected on his experience in Sochi:

“I had been struggling with my sexuality leading up to the Games. I had not come out at all in my personal life and the discourse around LGBTQ+ rights before the Olympics in Russia began to weigh on me. When I arrived at the Olympic Village, I felt a strong sense of discomfort and that I did not belong there. This pressure took me out of the moment and added so much anxiety. After my teammates finished competing, I started speaking with them openly about how I was feeling. During my time in Sochi, I connected with other athletes and staff who had dealt with similar experiences. I started to build a safety net of people around me in Russia, which helped me feel more accepted in that environment. I will not lie, Russia felt unwelcoming to me. At the same time, that feeling pushed me to realize that our sport organizations should be doing more for all athletes—especially during that time in high performance Sport. That realization was profound. I remember thinking, ‘If I could come out in an environment like Sochi, what was stopping me from doing so in Calgary?’”

Fennell took the courage he found in Russia and began coming out to family and close friends here at home. He then took it to the next level by telling the world his story in the Herald, just three months after the end of the Games. When I asked Fennell why it was important for him to come out publicly, he had this to say:

“I wanted other athletes to know. Look, you might feel like you’re alone and you might feel like this is the end of the world, but there’s so many people who are dealing with this and, you know, everyone has a place in sport.”

He told me recently that that quote is just as true today.

Fennell continued to compete after coming out, retiring from elite competition in 2018. He has continued to champion 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion in sport through public speaking, appearances, and involvement in initiatives such as the Canadian Olympic Committee’s #OneTeam campaign, launched in June 2015 to promote and improve queer inclusion in sport.

This video, produced by the COC, launched the #OneTeam campaign in 2015.

Eric Mitchell, who was born and raised in Calgary, didn’t compete at the Sochi Games. Four years prior, however, Mitchell—at just 17 years of age—had qualified for the Vancouver Games in ski jumping. His ascent into the upper echelons of the sport was rapid; he was really just three years out of the developmental levels of the sport when he earned his Olympic spot. Mitchell was focused on qualifying for the Sochi Games but suffered a severe concussion in August 2013. While he was able to return to training and to competition—he won the men’s event at the Canadian ski jumping championships that year—his return was too late to qualify for Sochi. Mitchell retired and focused on his studies at the University of Calgary. A conversation with Fennell, however, would draw Mitchell back into sport:

“John told me how alone and terrible he felt being in a country that put a spotlight on how it wasn’t OK to be gay in Russia. And I felt that was so wrong. How could that be? My Olympic experience was so positive, and I think it should be for everybody. What I heard from him sickened me. It pushed me to decide that this has to change. I want to affect this change.” (Zeigler, 2015)

*This action shot of Eric Mitchell was retrieved from the Canadian Olympic Committee website.*

Having kept his sexuality hidden from family, friends, and within sport—the last because of homophobia often experienced in the form of gay “jokes” made by coaches and other athletes—Mitchell began to come out. He recognized he had a role to play in improving sport for other queer athletes and signed on to be a #OneTeam ambassador, a founding ambassador, in fact, as was Bucsis. In a post written for the COC and published online during Calgary’s 2015 Pride celebrations, Mitchell made it clear why he had come out publicly and gotten so involved with the COC campaign:

“Many young LGBTQ athletes still do not feel welcome within the sporting system and that is why this initiative is so important. Sport has always been able to bring people together and the #OneTeam program has created a framework of resources that will help educate everyone on how to be a better ally and help to make our country more inclusive.”

There is still a lot of work to be done in terms of the safe and meaningful inclusion of 2SLGBTQIA+ people in sport, in all roles—athlete, coach, official, administrator, media, fan. But these three queer Olympians from Calgary have certainly made a difference within sport by sharing their stories publicly and leading advocacy initiatives, while also becoming part of Calgary’s queer history.

Bucsis. Fennell. Mitchell. Olympians. Barrier breakers. Advocates. Calgarians.

{WB}

Sources

Cryderman, K. (2013, September 3). Olympic speed skater Anastasia Bucsis “so proud to be gay.” The Globe and Mail. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/more-sports/olympic-speed-skater-anastasia-bucsis-so-proud-to-be-gay/article14078121/

CTV British Columbia. (2013, August 2). Calls for Olympic boycott after Russia pledges to enforce anti-gay law. CTV British Columbia. https://www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/article/calls-for-olympic-boycott-after-russia-pledges-to-enforce-anti-gay-law/

Hall, V. (2014, May 27). Calgary Olympian finds three words liberating: “I am gay.” Calgary Herald. https://calgaryherald.com/sports/calgary-olympian-finds-three-words-liberating-i-am-gay

Mitchell, E. (2015, September 4). Mitchell: Reflections on my hometown ahead of Calgary Pride. https://olympic.ca/2015/09/04/mitchell-reflecting-on-my-hometown-ahead-of-calgary-pride/

Silver, E. (2021). Proud to play: Canadian LGBTQ+ athletes who made history. Lorimer.

Zeigler, C. (2015). How this gay Olympic ski jumper did the impossible. Outsports. https://www.outsports.com/2015/7/8/8910379/eric-mitchell-gay-canadian-olympic-skier/