Tag Archives: Everett Klippert

2016 YYC Gay History Wrap

Posted on December 8, 2016 by Kevin Allen | Leave a comment

Today is our last post of 2016 as we devote our final energies of December to completing the Calgary Gay History book project. Here is a recap of the year.

The three most popular history posts in 2016 were:

#1 Ralph Klein’s Gay Rights Tempest

#2 Klippert back in the news 50 years later

#3 2016 Hero Awards – Nancy & Richard

We recently passed the 50,000 person odometer mark on the history website and have 966 followers, hundreds of whom have signed up for our weekly email.

Calgarian Everett Klippert, who was jailed in the 1960s for being gay, was back in the news in February thanks to the journalistic efforts of the Globe and Mail’s John Ibbitson. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has subsequently promised a posthumous pardon. The Calgary Gay History Project was then invited to write a feature on Klippert for the Canadian Encyclopedia.

Over 1000 Calgarians gathered in memory of the victims of the Orlando shooting at the Jack Singer Concert Hall.

The Calgary Police opened up their archives to the history project.

Calgary City Councillor Evan Woolley spearheaded the creation of a LGBTQ Legacy Committee to develop a plan for a history memorial that recognizes our contributions to the city.

We made historical reproductions of Pride buttons from previous decades that we gave away for free (and quickly ran out of) at Calgary’s Pride Festival.

Finally, we are looking forward to making more history in 2017. So to all of our readers, we send you our warmest wishes for a happy New Year.

{KA}

In the Big House

Posted on September 29, 2016 by Kevin Allen | Leave a comment

This week we are in Ottawa combing through the stacks of Library and Archives Canada. Having just gone through the Klippert Supreme Court Case files (hooray), there are now three boxes from the Delwin Vriend Supreme Court Case files to go through…

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Library and Archives Canada is virtually next door to the Supreme Court, and it is poignant to be researching historical documents at the place where they were originally created.

We are on a mini-hiatus now until our upcoming 25th Anniversary screening of My Own Private Idaho on Tuesday, October 11th with the Calgary Cinematheque Society. Look for our next Calgary gay history blog post on Thursday that week.

{KA}

My Own Private Gay History

Posted on September 22, 2016 by Kevin Allen | Leave a comment

On Tuesday, October 11th, the Calgary Gay History Project is happy to be collaborating with Calgary Cinematheque to bring you: My Own Private Idaho. A 25th Anniversary screening on 35mm film at the Plaza Theatre. The 1991 arthouse film was a breakout success both critically and financially. Director Gus Van Sant created an unusual and visually memorable film that serves as a mediation on isolation and alienation – still relevant today.

River Phoenix was widely praised for his portrayal of Mike, a narcoleptic male hustler whose unrequited love for fellow hustler Scott (Keanu Reaves) provides the backbone of the film. Sadly, River Phoenix died a couple of years later, of a drug overdose, at the age of 23. Tickets and show information can be found: here.

River Phoenix in My Own Private Idaho

We were thrilled to be included in the Canadian Encyclopedia. Last week we published a feature article about Everett Klippert’s Calgary years, in the now online-only heritage institution.

Running until October 15th at Truck Gallery, is Mark Clintberg’s thoughtful art installation: Cecil Hotel. The recently destroyed hotel was infamous in recent decades, but was an important site for Calgary’s lesbian community of the 60s. Mark’s recent work has been inspired by local queer history. A previous piece installed in Winnipeg, Détournement, evokes the former Calgary gay bar, Detour, which was on 17th Ave between 2nd and 4th Street SW (known as Dick’s and 318 in other incarnations).