Tag Archives: Calgary

New Gala, Next Walk & Queer Archive Donation

Posted on June 19, 2014 by Kevin Allen | Leave a comment

Calgary queer history readers and/or party aficionados might be interested in Third Street Theatre’s inaugural “Stars of the Stage & Screen” gala & costume party on Friday, June 27th at the Arrata Opera Centre at 8pm.

All money raised goes to the next production season of Third Street Theatre – Calgary’s only queer theatre company that challenges stereotypes and gives a voice to a marginalized LGBTQ community. Tickets and info: here.

We will be reprising our Beltline Gay History Walk on Saturday, July 26th from 7:00-8:30 PM as part of Historic Calgary Week. Come out to learn about meaningful spots in our communities history including the location of Calgary’s first gay bar, Club Carousel. The walk will start and finish at CommunityWise (the Old Y) at 223 12 Ave. SW. Usually we head to a Beltline Pub afterwards for more conviviality. Everyone is welcome!

Finally, I had lunch this week with an old colleague and friend of mine, Shelagh Anderson, the former publisher of QC Magazine, who now lives in Nova Scotia with her wife and daughter. She donated a complete collection of the Calgary based queer periodical which ran for about 3 years beginning in 1995 for the archives we are building. As a bonus: many of the covers are signed by the subjects of the cover story. Thank you Shelagh!

{KA}

New Queer History Presentation @ Glitter Gala

Posted on June 6, 2014 by Kevin Allen | Leave a comment

This Saturday, June 7th make your way to the Glitter Gala: an event in celebration of Calgary Outlink’s 30th anniversary. Calgary Queer History Project researcher Tereasa Maillie, will be giving a 10-minute presentation at the gala surveying the association’s last 30 years. The non-profit community support organization has gone through a couple of name changes (Gay Lines and Gay and Lesbian Community Services Association (GLCSA)), and a number of personality changes as its circumstances, and society at large, changed. Since its inception though, Calgary Outlink has provided invaluable and life-saving peer support and education to the Calgary LGBTQ community. General admission tickets are $30.

Calgary Outlink Development Officer, Fleetwood Legare says, “the event promises to be a glamorous and uplifting event for community members of all stripes!” Please join us.

{KA}

Pink Dollars fund Film Fest (ca. 2000)

Posted on May 30, 2014 by Kevin Allen | Leave a comment

The Calgary Queer History Project is staying with the Fairy Tales Film Fest theme, as you still have two days of Festival offerings to attend!

In the festival’s early years, ticket sales and sponsorships funded the completely volunteer run event. This was done in large part to avoid the drama of homophobia in public arts funding that had been happening throughout Alberta in the 1990s.

Queer cultural programming deserves the access to the same funding sources as every other cultural event – something that seems self-evident now. However, as recently as 14 years ago, there was still a strong censoring aspect in the community. The offended tax-payer argument is a perennial one, if you consider the recent drama about funding public art in Calgary. The basis of which is: if I personally do not like an artwork it should not be funded.

We are happy to report in 2014, Fairy Tales received public support from all three levels of government. The below editorial by Calgary Sun columnist, Rick Bell, on June 16th, 2000 gives one the tenor at the latest fin de siècle.

Thank you everyone who support us in the recent Telus StoryHive competition. Although we did not make it to the final 10 – we were close – we received a lot of positive feedback and regard for the project going forward. Stay tuned.

[KA]