Tag Archives: CBC

get lit soon!

Posted on November 7, 2019 by Kevin Allen | 1 comment

The Calgary Gay History Project is back. Our first event this month is the Get Lit! Festival in Fort Macleod on November 16th.

“The beautiful and historic Empress Theatre is starting what it hopes to be an annual event – the Get Lit! Festival: a literary evening celebrating reading, writing, and Canadian fiction and non-fiction. Five exciting writers will converge on Fort Macleod to read from their works, discuss their writing, and participate in panel discussions. And not just any old writers here. We’re talking medal winners, Banff Mountain Book Festival Grand Prize winners, CBC Canada Reads finalists, Alberta Literary Award finalists, and Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Award winners!”

Invited by literary maven and author, Angie Abdou, Kevin Allen will be reading from Our Past Matters Stories of Gay Calgary and participating in a panel discussion on advocacy through non-fiction writing. Joined by authors, Fran Kimmel, Ali Bryan, Sid Marty and hosted by CBC Daybreak Alberta’s Russell Bowers, Get Lit! is going to be “Wunderbar!”

{KA}

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Posted in Gay history

Tagged Ali Bryan, Angie Abdou, bisexual, CBC, Empress Theatre, Fran Kimmel, gay, get lit, lesbian, queer, Russell Bowers, Sid Marty, transgender

Local gay history is sprawling!

Posted on August 30, 2019 by Kevin Allen | 1 comment

Happy Pride Calgary!

Today, Global Television airs Brave Beginnings of Calgary Pride and the Gay Rights Movement, as part of their Pride 2019 programming. A part of Club Carousel still exists! Thank you, Jill Croteau, for embracing yycgayhistory (and maybe saving that wall)…

Club Carousel Founder Lois Szabo back at 1207 1 St. SW!

Last week we wrote incorrect dates for this weekend. The upcoming Calgary Gay History Project events are:

Saturday, August 31st:

12:00-4:00 PM – Join author Kevin Allen for a book signing of Our Past Matters Stories of Gay Calgary at Chapters-Indigo Dalhousie or just stop by to say, “hi.”

Sunday, September 1st:

11:00 AM – 6:00 PM – Pride in the Park. After the parade, stop by the Calgary Gay History Project’s History Booth. Share your own stories and learn more about Calgary’s LGBTQ2 Past.

Jeremy Klaszus, editor and founder of The Sprawl, invited us to write an essay about gay history. We used the opportunity to mark the 50th anniversary of Bill C-150, the decriminalization of homosexuality coming into force, and the Calgarian who precipitated it, Everett Klippert. You can read it: here. After reading the essay, CBC Radio requested a live radio interview about the anniversary too.

Consider being a Sprawl supporter yourself – pop-up journalism may be a unique model for news, but the Sprawl has an impressive track record of insightful and meaningful local reportage. We love it.

Another highlight of the week was RISE. The audience at the Plaza Theatre was honoured and moved by the passionate recollections of two heroes from the gay rights movement, Ruth Coker Burks and Cleve Jones. Afterward one Calgarian exclaimed: “It was one of the most inspirational evenings I have ever attended.” I was very grateful to have MCed the event, which was manifested by Twisted Element’s Keon Brawn. Thank you, Keon, for showing the community such inspired leadership.

{KA}

1 Comment

Posted in Gay history

Tagged Bill C-150, bisexual, Calgary Pride, CBC, Cleve Jones, Club Carousel, Everett Klippert, gay, Global TV, Jeremy Klaszus, Jill Croteau, Keon Brawn, lesbian, Lois Szabo, queer, RISE, Ruth Coker Burks, Sprawl Calgary, transgender, Twisted Element

May Gay, May Gay

Posted on May 1, 2019 by Kevin Allen | Leave a comment

The Calgary Gay History Project is connected to a fulsome month of historical happenings. We hope to see you out!

May 3, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM – Downtown Gay History Walk. We are leading a Jane’s Walk again this year. Meet up at CommunityWise, 223 12 Ave. SW for a stroll through Calgary’s LGBTQ2 history.

Spontaneous sidewalk photo with previous walk participants during Pride. Photo: Gary Evans, Full Frame Fotography.

May 9, 6:00 -10:00 PM – Adults Only Night @ Telus Spark: Beyond the Binary: What does a Drag Monarch, the bell curve and the universe have in common? Explore the answers to these headline questions through selected partners, programs and social experiments at Spark. The Calgary Gay History Project will be hosting an information table with artifacts from Calgary’s LGBTQ2 past.

May 14, 6:00 -7:30 PM – Decriminalization at 50. Join Calgary Gay History Project’s Tereasa Maillie, Kevin Allen, and special guests, as we explore the significance of May 14, 1969, and the life of Calgary bus driver Everett Klippert. The event will take place at the BMO room of the New Central Library, 800 3 Street SE. {Bonus: there is an exhibition titled Decriminalization at 50 on the 4th floor of the library during the month of May.}

May 14, 8:30 PM until late – After the library presentation, meet us for drinks and a screening of our award-winning short film, Gross Indecency: The Everett Klippert Story. The Calgary Gay History Project is hosting this decriminalization salon at Civic Tavern, 213 12 Avenue SW (the former Hop & Brew).

May 8 – June 9, the Lougheed House exhibits Outliers: Queer History in Calgary with a smorgasbord of events including notably a tribute to Club Carousel on May 17 and Parkside Pride on May 30.

Also at the library this month, the 21st Fairy Tales Queer Film Festival, runs May 24 – June 2. We’re told there will be some queer history in the festival line-up being announced later this week.

Phew.

Finally, Our Past Matters had a number of media close-ups recently: on CBC Radio, in Avenue Magazine, and on The Calgarian Podcast. Thank you, everyone, who has been interested in the book and saying such heart-warming things. We’re truly grateful.

{KA}