It’s queer history month. The Day of Pink ECHO Tour is travelling across Canada, bringing together powerful storytellers, poets, activists, and community leaders to share the 2SLGBTQIA+ stories that once faced censorship—and still fight for space today.
The ECHO Tour lands in Calgary on Friday, October 17th, at 6:30 PM at the Central Library. Get your free tickets here.
ECHO Tour’s YYC poster
As someone who’s been telling queer stories in Calgary for years, I’m honoured to share the stage with Libby Davies, Adrienne Rosen, and Boban Stojanović to reflect on 25 years of resistance, recognition, and change in Canadian queer history.
From courtrooms to bookstores, family tables to federal law, queer and trans voices have always resisted silence. This tour honours that resistance, marking 25 years since two defining moments in Canadian queer history:
The Supreme Court case Little Sisters Bookstore v. Canada
The passing of the Modernization of Benefits and Obligations Act
But this tour is not just about the past—it’s about the stories still echoing now. Stories that shape who we are and where we go next.
It’s more than an event — it’s a space to listen, connect, and celebrate voices that have shaped our communities.
Calgary Pride’s 2025 season starts this Friday with a flag-raising ceremony at City Hall and concludes with the Parade and Festival on Sunday, August 31st. Here are the queer history events we are involved with or are looking out for {click the links for more information and to register}.
August 25, 6 PM — Beltline Gay History Walk sponsored by Calgary Outlink. Register online: spaces limited. Free, but donations to support Outlink are welcome.
The Calgary Institute for the Humanities presents Dr. Kenneth Kidd for the 7th Annual LGBTQ2S+ Lecture, in partnership with UCalgary Alumni and Calgary Central Library. In person AND online: register here.
August 28, 5 PM — Downtown Gay History Walk sponsored by Calgary Public Library. Register online: spaces limited. Free event!
August 30, 6 PM — Fake Moustache’s 20th Anniversary Party and Zine Launch!
This summer, Fake Mustache turns 20 years old, and they are celebrating with a once-in-a-lifetime show. More than 32 cast members will take the stage to bring to life dozens of true stories from two decades of gender-bending, boundary-breaking performance art. It’s a night of defiance, community, and unapologetic queer joy. Tickets: here.
The evening also marks the launch of Fake Mustache: A Graphic Community Memoir. This limited-run comic book captures our outrageous, heartfelt, and defiant legacy. Pre-sales run August 16–26 (pickup at the show), with only small-batch printing available.
Copies limited!
“This is more than an anniversary — it’s a living archive of Calgary’s queer history, and we want you there with us to celebrate. With love and glitter,” — James Dean
Finally, don’t forget the Arquives National Survey closes at the end of August. Your feedback matters!
This survey will take about 10 minutes to complete, and you have a chance to WIN one of FIVE ArQuives tote bag prize packs (merchandise valued at $150)!
Fake Mustache, Canada’s longest-running drag king (and burlesque) troupe, turns twenty on Monday, June 23rd. Come celebrate Fake Mustache’s birthday at the Central Library with founder Kait Hatch and a panel of local drag icons for an evening of diving into drag’s history, present, and future.
June 23rd, 6:30 PM at the Central Library
Kait told the Calgary Gay History Project:
“When I put on the first Fake Mustache show on June 23rd, 2005, I didn’t yet know much about drag at all, or the lineage I was stepping into. It didn’t take long for me to learn more about the history of drag, globally and locally, which all came through word-of-mouth and my own tenacity to learn about queer history, which tends to be ignored by far too many historians.
Thankfully, because of a growing number of queer historians, we are getting a fuller picture of just how many queer and trans folks, particularly QTBIPoC folks, have influenced our current culture. William Dorsey Swann, a formerly enslaved Black man, coined the term ‘drag queen’ and effectively created what is our modern idea of drag. Crystal LaBeija, a Black trans woman, founded the first House in the Ballroom scene. José Sarria, of Colombian and Spanish ancestry, started the Royal Court system. These are just three individuals who found themselves excluded from a white dominated, upper-class, cis-het society—which they didn’t want to be part of anyway. They made their own spaces for their communities, and that’s important. That’s the historical context that matters.
As queer folks, it so important we learn the fullest version of our history. This is so we can honour the ancestors who came before, and that we understand the legacy we are building on and contributing to. My hope with this panel is that it sparks curiosity, but that it also invokes a lot of pride. The history of drag is a history of class struggle, of mutual aid, and of fighting for queer and trans liberation. And I hope that the future of drag is more of the same, especially right now when trans people in particular are the targets of hateful and bigoted government policy and eugenics against disabled folks is gaining popularity once again.”
Come learn about the amazing ancestors of the art and the incredible things these panellists are doing to carry on the legacy of drag!
ABOUT THE PRESENTERS
Kaitlyn Hatch AKA Roy RBP (any pronoun used respectfully) is the founder of the Fake Mustache Drag King troupe and general polymath about town. In the twenty years since getting Fake Mustache off the ground, she has worn many hats, from fundraiser to designer to brand development manager to Buddhist Chaplain. A mixed-media artist and multi-genre writer, she creatively explores joy and liberation through visual art and the written word.
Michelle Cortines (she/her) is a Mexican Drag King performer that aims to bridge the gap between her Latin roots and queer identity. In 2022, she gave life to her drag persona: El Rey del Sol. As a Latinx Drag King performer, El Rey loves stepping on stage and sharing a story through lyrics, dance moves, and some occasional campy humour. His charm, suavé look, and soft lover boy vibes are sure to engage a crowd. Through this art form, Michelle has unpacked and redefined what masculinity and femininity mean to her. Her greatest hope is to see the Latinx 2SLGBTQIA+ community grow within the city of Calgary and the Province of Alberta.
Born Dave Richards, DevaDave immigrated to Canada in July 1991 and has since called Calgary his home. A friend of the local ISCCA Court, DevaDave has been a member of the ICS international Court System for over 15 years. He was also a mentor to Kait Hatch when she was first developing and producing Fake Mustache shows in 2005. No longer a Drag performer with regular performances, DevaDave is the owner of DevaDave Salon Boutique, where he creates a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community.
Drag monarch Oliver Twirl was born on Treaty 6 and is currently planted in Moh’kinstsus on Treaty 7 territory. Small in stature and with a publicly funded Flat Chest, this performer twirls around the spectrum in search of the best parts of all genders. Raised on the stage, they have performed and worked with various companies including Gwaandak Theatre, Incendiary Festival, Theatre Calgary, Arts Commons, Play Between Your Thighs, Fake Mustache Drag Troupe, Rosebud Theatre, and MCS Theatre. They have been writing since they were young and have begun dreaming about disabled happiness and queer love being freely represented in art.
Calgary Gay History 