Tag Archives: Calgary

Welcome Danielle!

Posted on January 11, 2024 by Kevin Allen | 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}

3 Comments

Posted in Gay history

Tagged bisexual, Calgary, Danielle Shinbine, Dyke and Trans March, gay, lesbian, queer, transgender

Happy Saint Nicholas Day!

Posted on December 6, 2023 by Kevin Allen | 1 comment

{The Calgary Gay History Project is on hiatus until the New Year. Look for new queer history content in 2024!}

December 6th is Saint Nicholas Day, when Santa comes to visit (in some countries).

Kevin as a moderately jolly St. Nick—sans beard!

If you know someone who has been good all year and deserves a present, check out our two award-winning books from our in-house imprint, ASPublishing.

Our Past Matters: Stories of Gay Calgary hit #1 on the Calgary Herald bestseller list in 2019 and has been popular ever since. John Ibbitson, from The Globe and Mail, explains: “You are going to read about some amazing people, places, and times in these pages… There is no one better equipped than Kevin Allen to give us a tour.”

What Narcissus Saw is Gordon Sombrowski’s second book of fiction exploring life in Fernie, BC. It was selected from hundreds of contenders as a finalist in the Whistler Independent Book Awards last October. The awards jury wrote: “Sombrowski’s linked short stories immediately draw in the reader. He deftly breathes life and intrigue into his settings and characters with language to be savoured.”

Books are available in Calgary at Shelf Life Books and Pages.

You can also purchase books and have them shipped from our online store for $24.99 + $6.99 shipping (in Canada).

Happy holidays!

{KA}

1 Comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged bisexual, Calgary, Christmas, gay, Gay history, history, lesbian, Our Past Matters, Pages on Kensington, queer, Saint Nicholas, saints, santa, Shelf Life, sinterklaas, st-nicholas, transgender, What Narcissus Saw, Xmas

Queer History Nov. 22 @ Memorial Park

Posted on November 16, 2023 by Kevin Allen | 2 comments

We’re excited to share new findings from the Calgary Gay History Project. Reserve your free spot next Wednesday, 6 PM, at the Memorial Park Library here. If you come, you might also win a special edition hard copy of Our Past Matters!

As a sneak peek for next week’s presentation, we were sent a collection of Calgary photos, circa 1980, from Glenn Crawford, who does queer history in Ottawa/Gatineau with the Village Legacy Project. The photos were taken by Capital Xtra! photographer and journalist Philip Hannan, who passed away earlier this year.

*The historic Backlot bar circa 1980. Photo: Philip Hannan, courtesy of the Hannan family and the Village History Project*.

Does the neon sign in this photo look familiar? As the contemporary Backlot bar faces an eviction and the hunt for a new location, it might be comforting to know it has moved before!

{KA}