Tag Archives: CBC

I’m heartbroken over Harry…

Posted on September 10, 2026 by Kevin Allen | 3 comments

This week, Calgary lost one of its most accomplished storytellers with the death of Harry “the Historian” Sanders. For many, Harry brought Calgary’s past to life through his writing, research, walking tours, and countless conversations about the city he knew so well. For me, his loss is also personal. Harry was a colleague, a fellow researcher, and someone I shared a love of Calgary history with.

*Harry Sanders circa 1995, in the University of Calgary’s alumni magazine.*

Decades ago, Harry and I worked together at the Central Library, and although I came late to the history community, Harry welcomed me with open arms. Since the Calgary Gay History Project was founded in 2012, we’ve shared historical information, compared discoveries, and helped one another track down the details that turn an interesting story into an accurate one. Harry had an extraordinary store of knowledge, but what I especially appreciated was his generosity with it.

Dozens of times over the years, Harry came across pieces of Calgary’s gay history while pursuing his own research and made a point of passing them along to me. A newspaper clipping, a name, an event, an unexpected connection—if Harry bumped into something he thought would be useful to my research, he made sure I had it. Those exchanges meant a great deal to me. They also said something fundamental about Harry: history was never something to possess or guard. It was something to share.

That generosity extended far beyond his colleagues. Through his books, research, public appearances and walking tours, Harry had a wonderful ability to make local history engaging and accessible. Most recently, he became editor of Alberta History magazine, succeeding another legend of Alberta history, Hugh Dempsey. It was a fitting passing of the torch between two remarkable keepers of Alberta’s stories.

In a CBC memorial interview this week, Harry’s friend Bob van Wegan said his death leaves a “Harry-shaped crater” in Calgary’s historical community. Harry created an impressive body of work, but his legacy also lives on in countless smaller acts of generosity—the discoveries shared, the questions answered, the connections made, and the curiosity encouraged.

Harry was an extraordinary historian. His passion for history was inspiring. The stories he gave us will endure.

Calgary knows itself better because Harry Sanders cared so deeply. I feel fortunate to have been his colleague, and I will miss him greatly.

{KA}

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Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged Alberta History, bisexual, Bob van Wegan, Calgary, Calgary Pride, CBC, Central Library, gay, Gay history, Harry Sanders, history, Hugh Dempsey, lesbian, queer, transgender

Freedom to Read: Why Calgary Libraries Are Standing Up for 2SLGBTQ+ Voices!

Posted on March 19, 2026 by Kevin Allen | 1 comment

In an era where book bans are returning to North America, the Calgary Public Library’s “Freedom to Read” initiative stands as a powerful reminder that access to ideas matters. Rooted in the principle of intellectual freedom, the initiative highlights not only the importance of freedom of expression but also the growing challenges faced by 2SLGBTQ+ literature.

Each year, the library participates in Canada’s national Freedom to Read Week, a campaign that pushes back against censorship. Through curated displays, events, and outreach, the library encourages readers to engage with ideas that may challenge or expand their worldview. As CEO, Sarah Meilleur noted in a press release, libraries exist to provide access and not to filter viewpoints, because meaningful dialogue depends on exposure to difference.

One of the most compelling initiatives is the Central Library’s “Book Sanctuary,” which showcases titles that have been challenged or banned. The display is meant not only to inform, but to spark reflection. As the Library’s Leanne Hooper explains, “The Book Sanctuary is designed to raise awareness around the freedom to read and to share more about your right to access books that have been challenged or banned.” That mission feels especially urgent as censorship debates increasingly target books by and about 2SLGBTQ+ people.

A display at the Central Library’s Book Sanctuary. Photo: Calgary Public Library

In that vein, the Alberta Government has specifically targeted graphic novels such as Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe, Fun Home by Alison Bechdel, and Flamer by Mike Curato, which explore identity, belonging, and coming-of-age experiences. Ironically, it is these same qualities that make them targets of social conservatives, with critics labelling them inappropriate and pornographic despite their literary and social value.

Efforts to remove “sexually explicit” material from the Alberta school libraries have disproportionately affected books with 2SLGBTQ+ themes, raising concerns among educators and limiting the diversity of stories available to young readers. And of course, when one reads the graphic novels listed above, the claim that they are pornographic is laughable {they were not on our radar before the ban, but we read them and found them incredibly tame—and excellent}.

Against this backdrop, Calgary Public Library’s stance is clear: banning books does not protect communities—it limits them. Intellectual freedom means ensuring access to a wide range of ideas, even those that may be controversial or challenging. These stories foster empathy, critical thinking, and a deeper understanding of one another.

Ultimately, the “Freedom to Read” initiative is about more than books. It is about protecting the right to explore identity, to question norms, and to hear voices that historically have been marginalized. By championing banned 2SLGBTQ+ literature, Calgary’s libraries are not just preserving stories—they are defending the idea that everyone deserves to be seen, heard, and read.

{KA}

p.s. Here is a recent CBC video featuring Elamin Abdelmahmoud interviewing author Ira Wells, explaining why book banning initiative is ‘an affront to democracy.’

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Posted in Gay history

Tagged Alison Bechdel, art, bisexual, Book Sanctuary, books, calgary public library, CBC, Central Library, Elamin Abdelmahmoud, Flamer, Freedom to Read, Fun Home, gay, Gender Queer, intellectual-freedom, Ira Wells, Leanne Hooper, lesbian, lgbt, Maia Kobabe, Mike Curato, queer, Sarah Meilleur, transgender

Save Our Children: windi vs Anita

Posted on March 6, 2023 by Kevin Allen | 3 comments

This week, we were interviewed about the increasing hate and incivility directed towards Calgary’s queer community—thanks to CBC’s Terri Trembath for considering hatred’s historical context!

We can take inspiration from Calgary activist windi earthworm {he preferred lowercase letters when spelling his name}, who was fighting a similar battle 45 years ago. Back then, an American beauty pageant winner and entertainer named Anita Bryant went on an anti-gay rights tour across North America. In 1977, her campaign coined “Save Our Children,” led to the repeal of a homosexual anti-discrimination ordinance in Dade County, Florida.

She said during the campaign, “For several years I have been praying for God to revive America. And when word came that there was an ordinance in Miami that would allow known homosexuals to teach my children—God help us as a nation to stand in these dark days. There are many evil things that would claim—under the disguise of discrimination and under civil rights—would claim the civil rights of our children.”

Calgarians rallied to Edmonton in 1978 and stopped drinking OJ!

Bryant, who lived in a 27-room waterfront villa on Miami Beach, was then making $500,000 annually in singing engagements. In a televised interview, she was asked: “Anita, you are a person with a rather sizeable investment in your career, why are you taking this stand now and perhaps jeopardizing that?” She replied: “According to the word of God it is an abomination to practice homosexuality … Our pastor said he would even burn a school before he would allow [children there] to be taught by homosexuals, and we feel as strongly.”

Galvanized by her win, she travelled across the U.S. and Canada and was able to roll back human rights gains in a several other American states in addition to getting legislated a ban on gay adoption in Florida (this ban was only overturned in 2008).

Her orange juice connection is this. From 1969 on, Bryant had been the spokesperson for the Florida Citrus Commission. She was featured internationally in commercials, singing and smiling with the well-known tagline “Breakfast without orange juice is like a day without sunshine.”

The gay community fought back against “Save Our Children.” They initiated a boycott of orange juice, publicly denounced her initiatives, and in one case threw something at her: she was the first individual ever documented to get publicly “pied.” Afterwards, she quipped: “Well, at least it is a fruit pie.”

In 1978, Anita swung through Canada as part of Renaissance International’s Christian Liberation Crusade. She made a tour stop in Edmonton on April 29, 1978. Forty Calgary activists hurried north, joining activists there, to protest her cross-Canada tour.

windi earthworm and his activist friend, My Lipton, went independently of the loosely organized “Calgarians against Anita” delegation. They decided direct action was required to disrupt Bryant’s auditorium of 6000 supporters. My remembered: “We got in under the guise that we were students doing a study about the spaces people meet in. We scoped out the stage and decided on our spot. I helped windi chain and lock himself.”

My then went into the seats to find a spot to generate a call and response disturbance with windi, but she turned back when she noticed audience members hassling him. She asked windi if he was OK. He replied, “Yeah, except these really kind Christian folk are ready to hang me [by the chain around his neck].”

windi earthworm in the May 1, 1978 edition of The Albertan

Bryant eventually appeared at the Northlands Coliseum under heavy police escort. windi screamed: “You have me in shackles, Anita!” She replied, “I love you and I know enough to tell you the truth so you will not go to eternal damnation.” windi called back, “You love me so much you want me in prison.” The heckling continued intermittently throughout the event, and windi and My were detained briefly afterward for questioning by police.

Meanwhile, the Coalition to Answer Anita Bryant (CAAB), which included feminist and labour groups, fired up the 300 protesters who marched to the Legislature: the most substantial pro-gay demonstration that Alberta had ever seen to that point. The Body Politic reported, “Bryant hits Canada; Canada hits back.”

Bryant’s crusade cost her dearly. By 1980, she was divorced, the Florida Citrus Commission had let her contract lapse, and her career as an entertainer tanked. Ironically, many gay activists noted that Anita did more for their cause than anyone who had come before her. The Globe and Mail cheekily concluded: “Closet doors open on Anita.”

{KA}