Tag Archives: Calgary Institute for the Humanities

Queer History Happenings @ YYCPRIDE

Here are two upcoming events at the Central Library of interest to queer history enthusiasts.

August 26th, 6:30-8:00 PM

Love in a Dangerous Time: Canada’s LGBT Purge

The Canadian government investigated thousands of 2SLGBTQI+ employees, military personnel, and members of the RCMP during the Cold War, forcing many to resign – ruining lives and careers. In 2018, survivors fought back, and won a major class action lawsuit against the government of Canada.

The “We Demand” demonstration on Parliament Hill, Aug.28, 1971. Photo source: The Arquives.

Join Exhibition Curator Scott de Groot (Canadian Museum for Human Rights) in conversation with Purge Survivor Nancy Miller (one of the founders of Calgary Pride)! The talk launches the LGBT Purge exhibition at the Library in partnership with the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and Calgary Pride.

Reserve your seat (free): here.

September 4th, 7:00-9:00 PM

The Calgary Institute for the Humanities 6th Annual LGBTQ2S+ Lecture: Ukraine, Russia, and the struggle for LGBTQ freedom.

Photograph by Maria Komarova (CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0)

President Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine may seem to have little relevance to LGBTQ politics. Yet Putin has declared that one aim of the February 2022 invasion is to prevent the spread to Russia and its neighbours of ‘Western’ forms of tolerance for LGBTQ ways of life. Anti-LGBTQ campaigns in Russia’s parliament and media amplify the anti-Western homophobia that builds popular support for the war against Ukrainian independence. Meanwhile, LGBTQ politics in Ukraine have evolved in ways few had imagined before 2022. How did Putin weaponize the Kremlin’s homophobia, and how have Ukrainian queers and queers across the region responded to this threat?

Dan Healey is an Emeritus Professor of Modern Russian History at the University of Oxford. He is a historian of sexualities and genders in modern Russia and the Soviet Union. His publications include Russian Homophobia from Stalin to Sochi (Bloomsbury, 2017), and the first full-length history of homosexuality in Russia, Homosexual Desire in Revolutionary Russia: The Regulation of Sexual and Gender Dissent (University of Chicago Press, 2001). He continues to study the development of LGBTQ histories and communities in the non-Russian republics of the former Soviet Union.

This event is hosted by the Calgary Institute for the Humanities in partnership with UCalgary Alumni and with support from the Calgary Public Library.

Reserve your seat (free): here.

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YYCGayHistory @ Pride 2023

Here is a smattering of queer history offerings and more. So exciting – #OurPastMatters!

Tuesday, August 29th @ 7:00 PM @ The Central Library

Through the Multiverse: Queer Media Today. The 5th Annual Calgary Institute for the Humanities LGBTQ2S+ Lecture. Presented by Dr. Amy Villarejo, Chair, UCLA Department of Film, Television and Digital Media. Registration is required, reception to follow.

Wednesday, August 30th, 5:30 – 7:00 PM @ CommunityWise

Pride Gay History Walk 2017. Photo: Gary Evans

Beltline Gay History Walk. Have you ever been curious about the role of CommunityWise (formerly the Old Y) in Calgary’s queer history? Join Kevin Allen and the Calgary Gay History Project to find out more! Tickets are what you can afford, and all proceeds go towards strengthening CommunityWise’s work in supporting all 2SLGBTQ+ community. Spaces are limited.

Thursday, August 31st, 6:00 – 7:00 PM @ The Backlot

A famous sign which predates the current location

The Golden Age of Gay Bars in YYC. There are many storied drinking holes, taverns, discos, and clubs in Calgary’s queer history. Join Kevin Allen for an informal chat about where they used to be and their significance to our community’s history. Meet up at one of the last remaining gay bars in the city—The Backlot (209 10 AVE. SW)!

Saturday, September 2nd, 7:30 PM @ Rising Tides Taproom

Program Pride, December 1996

Program Pride Relaunch. Program Pride was a community access television program in Alberta that ran from 1995 until 1997. A group of dedicated volunteers from Red Deer, Calgary and Edmonton created programming that ran on Shaw Cable in all three cities. Join former cast and crew members at Rising Tides Taproom (4545 Bowness Rd NW) as Program Pride episodes get relaunched on YouTube. Solid gold for Alberta historians!

Sunday, September 3rd, Calgary Pride Festival @ Prince’s Island Park

Our Past Matters Book Signing. After the parade, find the Calgary Outlink booth at this year’s Pride Festival and buy a copy of Our Past Matters: Stories of Gay Calgary. Book sales support Outlink, Calgary’s exceptional community peer support organization. Author Kevin Allen will be signing books in the afternoon between 2:00-3:00 PM—or just come by for a visit!

There are so many excellent Pride events this year to choose from. Come out! Support community!

Happy Pride!

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YYCGayHistory @CalgaryPride 2022

A big thank you to all of the Calgary Gay History Project readers who filled out our survey for queer history offerings at Calgary Pride this year (August 26 – September 5). Here is where you will find us:

Saturday, August 27, 2 PM

Join Shelf Life Books and Kevin Allen for a talk about his book Our Past Matters: Stories of Gay Calgary. The talk will be followed by an open mic, where audience members can share their stories of Gay Calgary or read poems or prose pieces (with a 6-8 minute time slot limit). If you identify as a part of the 2SLGBTQ+ community and would like to participate, then please let us know at events@shelflifebooks.ca! You can also sign up before the event, space permitted. Registration for audience attendance is recommended and appreciated! Free event.

Saturday, August 27, 4 PM

The Calgary Gay History Project’s Kevin Allen will lead a gay history walk through the Beltline. Learn about the City’s fascinating LGBTQ2 past. The walk begins at 4:00 PM in Central Memorial Park (meet at the Boer War Memorial in the centre of the park) and ends at 5:30 PM at Lois Szabo Commons, a new city park celebrating LGBTQ2 history. Spaces are limited; please register in advance through Calgary Pride. Free event.

Friday, September 2, 7 PM

Our friends at The Calgary Institute for the Humanities presents the 4th Annual LGTBQ2S+ Lecture, featuring Dr. Jules Gill-Peterson. Titled: Trans Panic: A Global History, Dr. Gill-Peterson explores the history of violence against trans women. Where did it come from? And when did it arise? Letting go of a purely psychological lens, history shows that targeting trans femininity has been integral to colonial statecraft around the world for the past 150 years. On Zoom or in person at the Central Library. Reserve your spot: here. Free event.

Sunday, September 4, Noon

Our History Booth at the Calgary Pride Festival—Immediately following the Pride Parade on September 4, join us at Pride’s new festival venue – Fort Calgary. At our table there will be history artifacts, books, and ephemera as well as Project volunteers to answer questions and have conversations about Calgary’s Queer History. Sponsored by Calgary Pride. Free event. Stop by and say, “hi!” Happy Pride!

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