Category Archives: Press Release

Queer History @ FairyTales27!

Posted on June 10, 2025 by Kevin Allen | Leave a comment

The 27th Annual Fairy Tales Queer Art & Film Festival launches this week and will run June 12-15 at Contemporary Calgary. The Festival opens with Pride vs. Prejudice: The Delwin Vriend Story, which revisits the landmark 1998 Supreme Court case that led Alberta to include sexual orientation in its human rights legislation.

The screening, followed by a “Then and Now” panel discussion, couldn’t be more timely as the province again finds itself at the center of national conversations about 2SLGBTQIA+ protections. The panel (featuring Brendan MacArthur Stevens – Blakes law firm; Amelia Newbert, trans advocate and founder of Skipping Stone Foundation; and Keith Purdy, 2SLGBTQIA+ advocate and representative of the Alberta Federation of Labour) will reflect on the legal and cultural impact of Vriend’s activism—and the ongoing work for 2SLGBTQIA+ rights in Canada.

The Fairy Tales Queer Art & Film Festival is one of the longest-running and most impactful queer film festivals in Western Canada. It features 21 film screenings, an Artist Market showcasing 17 local queer artists and makers, interactive workshops, and dynamic drag performances—all celebrating the diverse intersectionality, talent, and lived experiences of queer creators.

On the Festival’s final day, join the Calgary Gay History Project’s Kevin Allen for one of his favourite films, Winter Kept Us Warm. Experience the ground-breaking film that changed Canadian cinema forever: the first English Canadian gay film ever made! This beautifully shot black-and-white gem captivated audiences worldwide upon its 1965 release, boldly depicting queer desire at a time when homosexuality was still criminalized in Canada. Winter Kept Us Warm was remastered for its 60th anniversary—a time capsule of pre-liberation queer intimacy and a watershed moment in our nation’s film history. Kevin will host a talk-back session after the film. Kevin will host a talk-back session after the film.

Winter Kept Us Warm, Sunday, June 15th @ 4:30 PM.

Visit the festival website for the full schedule.

Tickets can be purchased through the Arts Commons Box Office: here.

See you at the Festival!

{KA}

YYCGayHistory has a stamp!

Posted on May 29, 2025 by Kevin Allen | 2 comments

Today, Canada Post launched its Places of Pride stamp series—and Calgary has been included!

The first stamp in the series features Club Carousel. Canada Post created a video, featuring founder Lois Szabo, to tell the story of Calgary’s groundbreaking gay club. Next week, they will install stamp art across the facade of Home & Away, a restaurant and bar at 1207 1 St. SW that occupies the original location of Club Carousel.

*2025 Places of Pride: Club Carousel – Official First Day Cover*

The second stamp in the series features Montreal’s Truxx, also with a video and a mural in Montreal’s Gay Village.

The third stamp features Hanlan’s Point Beach. A billboard featuring the stamp illustration will be installed at Toronto’s famous Church and Wellesley intersection.

The fourth and final stamp in the series features the 3rd North American Native Gay & Lesbian Gathering. A mural will be installed at the Museum of Human Rights in Winnipeg.

*Canada Post’s Places of Pride Stamp Series*

The stamp issue is designed by Kelly Small of Intents & Purposes Inc., illustrated by Tim Singleton, and printed by Colour Innovations. It includes a booklet of eight Permanent™ domestic rate stamps and four Official First Day Covers.

The stamps and collectibles will be available at canadapost.ca and at select postal outlets across Canada beginning on May 30.

#OurPastMatters!

{KA}

2 Comments

Posted in Gay history, Press Release

Tagged 3rd North American Native Gay & Lesbian Gathering, bisexual, Canada Post, Club Carousel, gay, Hanlan's Point Beach, lesbian, Lois Szabo, queer, transgender, Truxx, Two-Spirit

ArQuives National Survey

Posted on May 12, 2025 by Kevin Allen | Leave a comment

{The Calgary Gay History Project is happy to share this national survey from the ArQuives! – Kevin}

The ArQuives is gearing up for an exciting new chapter, and we want you to be part of it! With support from Women and Gender Equality Canada, we launched Community Ties: Our Future Together, an initiative to strengthen our organization and expand our impact across Canada.

We’re at a pivotal moment for 2SLGBTQIA+ communities across Canada. With rising threats to queer and trans rights globally and locally, it’s more important than ever to protect, celebrate, and share our stories. The ArQuives is stepping up to meet this moment by imagining how we can best serve our communities for the next 50 years.

Community Conversations

As part of this work, in February and March 2025, we hosted intimate, community gatherings in 12 cities across Canada: Calgary, Edmonton, Fredericton, Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Saskatoon, St. John’s, Vancouver, Whitehorse, Winnipeg, and Yellowknife. With approximately 15 participants in each city, we hosted intimate and generative community discussions to best understand how The ArQuives can best support local interests. Each session included opportunities for relationship building, networking, a brief presentation on The ArQuives, and interactive ways of sharing feedback.

Taking the Community Conversations Online

Now, we’re hoping to reach more folks from around the country through our online national survey, community conversations, and one-on-one interviews that will be scheduled individually with participants.

Take the survey now

We especially want to reach out to and hear from:

LGBTQ2+ community members who already are or might be interested in our programming;
Researchers, academics, and media who already or might use The ArQuives’ collections in their work; and
Partner organizations, including libraries, archives, museums, arts and heritage organizations, cultural institutions, and other LGBTQ2+ organizations.

The ArQuives values diversity and is committed to addressing historical inequities within our organization. We would love to hear from LGBTQ2+ communities that have been systematically marginalized, including from rural communities and those who are Indigenous, women, trans, nonbinary, gender non-conforming, Black, people of colour, newcomers, and persons with disabilities. We’re hoping to have a wide range of conversations, including young adults and older members of our communities.

{KA}