Category Archives: Press Release

Cruising, Murder, and Queer History: From NYC to YYC

Posted on November 4, 2026 by Kevin Allen | Leave a comment

What connects New York’s notorious gay leather scene of the 1970s with Calgary’s Central Memorial Park? A surprising history of cruising, violence, and police surveillance.

The Calgary Gay History Project is proud to be a community partner for Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders, screening at the 14th Annual CUFF.Docs Film Festival running Nov. 18-22, 2026.

Saturday, November 21, 2026, at 9:45 PM
Globe Cinema, 617 8 Avenue SW, Calgary
Buy Tickets Here

Movie Still from the *Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders*

Directed by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Jeffrey Schwarz, the documentary revisits William Friedkin’s controversial 1980 thriller Cruising, starring Al Pacino. Inspired by real murders, the film provoked fierce protests from 2SLGBTQ+ activists who feared its portrayal of gay men would fuel prejudice and violence.

Meanwhile, Calgary had its own troubling cruising history.

On September 22, 1979, 22-year-old Thomas Earl Nash was fatally stabbed near the Memorial Park Library. Subsequent investigations revealed that Nash had been among three straight men harassing gay men cruising in Central Memorial Park. A confrontation escalated into deadly violence. Ironically, the alley where Nash was attacked had recently been illuminated by floodlights installed at police request to discourage homosexual activity.

The incident reveals the complicated realities of Calgary’s gay cruising culture, where public spaces offered opportunities for connection but also exposed men to harassment, violence, and police scrutiny. Like Cruising, Calgary’s story challenges simplistic narratives about victims, perpetrators, sexuality, and violence.

Schwarz, whose acclaimed documentaries include Vito and I Am Divine, explores how sensational crime stories intersect with queer history and representation.

Join us at CUFF.Docs for this provocative exploration of 2SLGBTQ+ history, and support Calgary’s independent film community!

Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders (2026)
85 minutes | Alberta Premiere

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NOWTOWN: Book Launch

Posted on October 23, 2026 by Kevin Allen | Leave a comment

A new book about Calgary is out, and Kevin is delighted to be part of it!

NOWTOWN: Re-Envisioning Calgary, published by Coach House Books, is a new anthology exploring the people, places, and stories that make Calgary the city it is today. Edited by Katie Lee, Brendan McCabe, and Andrew Wedderburn, the collection looks beyond the familiar skyline to the individuals and experiences that have shaped the city’s character.

The Calgary book launch takes place Saturday, November 21, 2026, from 6 to 8 p.m., upstairs at The Palomino Smokehouse, 109 7 Avenue SW.

The festivities continue downstairs at 8 p.m. with a ticketed live show featuring local Calgary bands, curated by Arif Ansari and Dan Northfield. Books, conversation, and music — a great combination for celebrating Calgary!

Kevin’s contribution, “Lois Szabo’s Stamp on Calgary,” has a particularly personal history.

The essay was adapted from a tribute speech Kevin delivered in honour of Lois’s 90th birthday this past March. A pioneering figure in Calgary’s 2SLGBTQ+ community, Lois left an enduring mark on the city through her courage, determination, and commitment to making Calgary braver.

For Kevin, adapting that birthday tribute into an essay was another opportunity to celebrate Lois’s extraordinary life and ensure her story reaches a wider audience.

*Lois and her sister Ina at the community celebration for her 90th birthday. Photo: Marlene Patricia*

One of the pleasures in reading NOWTOWN is the wonderful variety of voices and perspectives gathered between its covers. The essays offer an engaging mix of personal reflections, historical insights, cultural observations, and fresh ways of looking at our constantly evolving city.

If you’re in the city on November 21, the launch promises to be a festive celebration of the book and all things Calgary. Reserve your free spot: here.

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Key of T Brings Trans Joy to YYC

Posted on September 17, 2026 by Kevin Allen | Leave a comment

{During Pride Week, we were honoured to be featured in a Calgary Herald Changemaker Profile. A heartfelt thank you to the Herald for shining a light on the importance of preserving Calgary’s queer history. And now on to another changemaker, Ari Agha. —Kevin}

There’s something wonderful about a room full of people singing together.

On Sunday, September 27, trans singer and activist Ari Agha (they/them) returns to Calgary with Key of T, a joyful, participatory show that blends queer storytelling, music, and community.

For Agha, it’s also something of a homecoming. They lived in Calgary for more than a decade before moving to Ottawa last year, and they’re looking forward to reconnecting with the queer and trans communities they knew here.

“Key of T undermines trans oppression with something both simple and radical: a loud, communal celebration of trans joy,” Agha says.

Agha has been touring Key of T for the past two years and describes the energy when a room fills with queer folks as “electric.”

Agha adds: “Key of T is a sing-along, and the sing-along format has roots in queer history, from the Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt gatherings often featuring collective singing, to the tradition of gay men’s and lesbian choruses emerging in the late 1970s/80s. The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, founded 1978, is often cited as the first, formed partly in response to Harvey Milk’s assassination as a direct, public act of visibility and resistance.”