Category Archives: Press Release

Stampede Queer History

Posted on July 2, 2026 by Kevin Allen | Leave a comment

Every July, I find myself with mixed feelings about the Calgary Stampede.

As a kid, I loved it. I remember the excitement of the parade, free pancake breakfasts, and the feeling that, for ten days, Calgary became a little more joyful and a lot less predictable.

*Our WORD emerged on 17th Ave. in recent days…*

As a historian, though, I also know the Stampede is more complicated than the nostalgia. It’s a carefully crafted story about Calgary and the West—one that celebrates some histories while overlooking others.

Maybe that’s why I keep returning to it.

This month at The Confluence, I’ll be diving into the Stampede’s surprising queer history: the thousands of images of impossibly handsome cowboys, ranch hands, rodeo athletes, and almost naked “beefcakes” that fed into 1950s and 1960s physique photography. They were meant to celebrate rugged western masculinity, but they were also creating the network for a nascent North American gay community.

Join me on Thursday, July 16, for How the West Got Shirtless: Beefcakes, the Stampede, and Queerness. We’ll look at vintage photographs, postcards, and moving images to explore how queer people found themselves reflected in the Calgary Stampede.

*A special summer edition, Hot Dogs & Hot Takes on History, becomes Hot Cakes & Hot Takes on History*

History, conversation, a few surprises—and pancakes for dinner.

I hope to see you there.

🎟️ Tickets: https://www.theconfluence.ca/events/hdht-july2026

{KA}

Ride, Risk, and Revelation: Jaripeo @ CUFF 2026

Posted on April 2, 2026 by Kevin Allen | Leave a comment

This spring, the Calgary Underground Film Festival returns to Calgary from April 16–26, 2026, bringing some of the most daring and unforgettable independent cinema to the big screen. The Calgary Gay History Project is proud to sponsor one of its standout selections: Jaripeo in its Canadian Premiere on Sunday, April 26, 2026, at 3:30 PM at the Globe Cinema.

Set against the electrifying backdrop of traditional Mexican rodeos, Jaripeo pulls viewers into a world of adrenaline, spectacle, and raw physicality. But this is no ordinary documentary. Beneath the dust and danger lies a powerful, deeply human story about identity, vulnerability, and the hidden complexities of masculinity. Directed by Efraín Mojica and Rebecca Zweig, the film offers a rare and intimate glimpse into lives that challenge expectations. In a setting often defined by toughness and bravado, Jaripeo uncovers moments of tenderness, longing, and quiet resistance.

“Dreamlike and frank, Efraín Mojica and Rebecca Zweig’s JARIPEO is a clear-eyed survey of the queer culture that exists within Michoacán’s hypermasculine rodeos.” —RogerEbert.com

What makes Jaripeo so exciting is its ability to reveal queerness in a place many wouldn’t think to look. It expands the boundaries of queer storytelling, reminding us that 2SLGBTQ+ experiences exist everywhere—including in traditions often seen as rigid or exclusionary.

Expand your understanding of where queer histories live. Join us at CUFF and experience Jaripeo on the big screen!

{KA}

Mapping History Exhibition Launch

Posted on March 27, 2026 by Kevin Allen | 2 comments

The launch of Mapping History: The Calgary Atlas Project at Lougheed House is more than a conventional exhibition opening; it is a layered reimagining of how cities remember themselves. Running from April 2 to May 17, 2026, the exhibit transforms historical maps into immersive artworks, inviting visitors to explore Calgary through stories that are often overlooked or erased.

*The Lougheed House Exhibition runs April 2 – May 17 at 707 13 Ave SW.*

The Calgary Institute for the Humanities (CIH) founded the Calgary Atlas Project ten years ago. The idea was to create maps that recover crucial stories about Calgary’s past and present, stories that illuminate, in surprising ways, the character and diversity of the city. Overlooked stories from Calgary’s history are mapped onto the city’s geography, highlighting significant sites, events, and people. This is cartography as a cultural practice, an evolving atlas of human experience.

We were delighted to be involved with the Calgary Atlas Project at its inception. A Queer Map: A Guide to the LGBTQ+ History of Calgary was notably the first map produced in the series. The queer map documents community spaces, activism, and everyday life, tracing a history that has often been underrepresented in official records. By mapping sites of resistance and belonging—from nightlife venues to organizing hubs—the project demonstrates how queer communities have shaped the city in both visible and hidden ways.

*The Queer Map Launch on November 21, 2019, with the CIH’s Jim Ellis, artist Mark Clintberg and historian Kevin Allen // Photo by Hesam Rezaei, The Gauntlet.*

The Lougheed House itself has queer history, as the site of the Fruit Loop. With that in mind, Mapping History has programmed special events such as August Klintberg’s Queer History Artist Workshop, which invites participants to engage directly with 2SLGBTQIA+ histories through creative practice, drawing on archival research and artistic interpretation.

Guided walks, like the Beltline Gay History Walk, take participants into the urban landscape itself, connecting archival knowledge to physical space. These experiences underscore a key idea: that history is not confined to museums but embedded in streets, buildings, and everyday environments.

For anyone interested in art, history, or community storytelling, this is an exhibition worth experiencing firsthand. Mapping History offers not just something to look at, but an opportunity to see Calgary differently and to understand how its stories have been shaped. Whether you attend a workshop, join a guided walk, or simply spend time with the maps themselves, the exhibition invites you to become part of the conversation.

{KA}