Author Archives: Kevin Allen

National Conference—Yahoo!

Posted on February 15, 2024 | Leave a comment

MacEwan University is hosting the first National Queer and Trans+ Community History Conference, May 3-4 in Edmonton, Alberta. Registrations are open!

The Conference is designed to bring together 2SLGBTQ+ community members, nonprofit organizations, heritage professionals, historians, academics, emerging scholars, and students who have an interest in documenting, preserving, and celebrating diverse and intersectional queer and trans+ histories in Canada. The Conference aims to foster dialogue amongst participants and presenters to explore the latest research, programming, and community work focused on queer and trans+ histories.

Conference organizers include Dr. Kristopher Wells, MacEwan University; Dr. Jacqueline Gahagan, Mount Saint Vincent University; Dr. Valerie Korinek, University of Saskatchewan; Dr. Aaron Devor, University of Victoria; Dr. Scott de Groot, Canadian Museum for Human Rights; and graduate students JP Armstrong, York University; Erin Gallagher‐Cohoon, Queen’s University.

See you there!

{KA}

History With a Drag Queen

Posted on February 1, 2024 | 1 comment

The newly formed QriTical Research Hub at Mount Royal University is hosting History with a Drag Queen next Thursday, February 8th at MRU’s West Gate Social. Doors open at 6:30 PM.

This event will be a teach-in hosted by the fabulous Karla Marx!

Karla is a drag queen, burlesque artist, and comedian, using the art of drag to shed new light on the histories of fascism and the contemporary rise of global fascist politics.

Developed and embodied by Dr. Victoria Bucholtz (History Dep. MRU), Karla Marx is known for her comedic brilliance, riveting historical analysis, and cheeky approach to educating through entertainment.

Karla Marx is inviting you, the audience, to learn more about the ideologies and impacts of fascism, and to think critically and carefully about the role that “sexual anxiety” is playing in our current social and political landscape. Taking inspiration from Jason Stanley’s book, How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them (2018), fascist leaders often position themselves as the protectors of women and children against “dangerous homosexuals.” In the context of growing and loudening anti-2SLGBTQIA+ movements in Canada – often under the guise of “protecting the children” – this teach-in will offer individuals a chance to better understand the functioning of “sexual anxiety” in right-wing movements.

Check out her Instagram here: karla.marx

When? February 8th

Doors open at 6:30 pm
‘Class’ starts at 7:00 pm
Ends at 10:00 pm

Where? MRU’s West Gate Social

You can find more information about this event here: www.qriticalhub.com/events

The QriTical Research Hub is a connector and intellectual hub created by, with, and for 2SLGBTQIA+ MRU faculty, students, staff, and the broader community. Their goal is to create a space to engage with research, pedagogies, and social change mobilizations that challenge cisgender and heterosexual norms from an intersectional lens.

{KA}

1 Comment

Posted in Gay history, Press Release

Tagged bisexual, drag, gay, history, History with a Drag Queen, Karla Marx, lesbian, Mount Royal University, MRU, QriTical, queer, transgender, Victoria Bucholtz

Welcome Danielle!

Posted on January 11, 2024 | 3 comments

The Calgary Gay History Project has a new volunteer researcher, Danielle Shinbine! They have been working on a series of articles on the history of the Dyke and Trans March in Calgary, which started in 2012. It has occurred to us that we are now well into the 21st Century and likely should expand our focus beyond the 20th…

Recording the Dyke and Trans March origin story is our first step in this direction!

Now for Danielle’s introduction:

Danielle is a second-year Master of Science in counselling psychology student at the University of Calgary. Danielle moved to Calgary in 2022 after growing up on Vancouver Island, British Columbia and completing their BA in psychology at Vancouver Island University. Their research interests explore LGBTQ+ well-being and its intersections with aging, and they are currently completing a thesis exploring the experiences of LGBTQ+ older adults who grew up amidst Canada’s gay rights movement, as well as several other projects exploring how LGBTQ+ individuals engage with social media. In their goal of preserving the narratives of the LGBTQ+ Canadian community, they reached out and joined the Calgary Gay History Project’s team. Danielle also is involved with the gender and sexuality subcommittee of their university’s graduate student association. When not working, Danielle enjoys their hobbies of retro video gaming and visiting animal sanctuaries.

Welcome Danielle! We look forward to your contributions. #OurPastMatters.

{KA}