Tag Archives: Gay history

An Evening with Tom Symington at Shelf Life Books

Posted on August 13, 2026 by Kevin Allen | Leave a comment

As a warm-up for Calgary Pride, on Wednesday, August 26 at 7:00 PM, join us at Shelf Life Books for a conversation with Tom Symington, author of Not So Normal: Memoirs of a Gay Boomer, hosted by the Calgary Gay History Project’s Kevin Allen.

*Tom’s excellent book will be for sale at the event, too!*

Tom grew up in post-World War II Calgary in a loving home and, as a child, didn’t think of himself as “different.” But as he got older, he found himself navigating a world where being gay came with social pressures, discrimination, and very real legal consequences.

In Not So Normal, Tom looks back on that journey with honesty and warmth. His story takes him from Alberta to Sierra Leone, France, and beyond, while tracing the enormous changes in gay life and gay rights that took place around him. It’s a deeply personal coming-of-age story, but also one that captures a remarkable period of Canadian history—and reminds us that progress can never be taken for granted.

There’s a personal connection behind this event, too. Kevin met Tom while researching the Kootenay Gay History Project. Their conversations about Tom’s life and experiences helped reveal some of the queer history of Invermere and the Columbia Valley.

Expect an engaging conversation about growing up, finding your place in the world, the changes Tom has witnessed over his lifetime, and why sharing these stories still matters.

There will also be a Q&A, so bring questions and join the conversation.

{KA}

Stampede Queer History

Posted on July 2, 2026 by Kevin Allen | 1 comment

Every July, I find myself with mixed feelings about the Calgary Stampede.

As a kid, I loved it. I remember the excitement of the parade, free pancake breakfasts, and the feeling that, for ten days, Calgary became a little more joyful and a lot less predictable.

*Our WORD emerged on 17th Ave. in recent days…*

As a historian, though, I also know the Stampede is more complicated than the nostalgia. It’s a carefully crafted story about Calgary and the West—one that celebrates some histories while overlooking others.

Maybe that’s why I keep returning to it.

This month at The Confluence, I’ll be diving into the Stampede’s surprising queer history: the thousands of images of impossibly handsome cowboys, ranch hands, rodeo athletes, and almost naked “beefcakes” that fed into 1950s and 1960s physique photography. They were meant to celebrate rugged western masculinity, but they were also creating the network for a nascent North American gay community.

Join me on Thursday, July 16, for How the West Got Shirtless: Beefcakes, the Stampede, and Queerness. We’ll look at vintage photographs, postcards, and moving images to explore how queer people found themselves reflected in the Calgary Stampede.

*A special summer edition, Hot Dogs & Hot Takes on History, becomes Hot Cakes & Hot Takes on History*

History, conversation, a few surprises—and pancakes for dinner.

I hope to see you there.

🎟️ Tickets: https://www.theconfluence.ca/events/hdht-july2026

{KA}

1 Comment

Posted in Gay history, Press Release

Tagged bisexual, Calgary, Calgary Stampede, gay, Gay history, How the West Got Shirtless, lesbian, physique photography, queer, The Confluence, transgender

Imperial Court Turns 50!

Posted on May 28, 2026 by Kevin Allen | 1 comment

{Thanks to Calgary Gay History Project correspondent, William Bridel, who attended the ISCCA Coronation Ball last month! Here are his photos and reflections! -Kevin}

On April 18, 2026, the Westin Hotel was transformed into a sea of black-and-gold glitz, glimmer, glamour, couture, and queer culture. With guests from all over North America alongside local drag artists and their supporters, the Imperial Sovereign Court of the Chinook Arch (ISCCA) celebrated its 50^th anniversary, making it the longest actively running queer organization in Calgary. From humble beginnings in 1976, the Court has become a significant fixture in the city’s queer landscape. Kevin wrote about the Court’s history in a 2017 post, and the Court has also been featured in other stories on the site.

*Nada Nuff and Shane OnYou were crowned Reign 50 Empress and Emperor at the April 18 event following community voting the week prior.*

What has remained constant in the Court’s long existence is its focus on giving back. According to the organization’s website, “the Imperial Sovereign Court of the Chinook Arch is dedicated to fundraising and community support…focused on maximizing contributions to local charities and organizations both within and beyond the LGBTQ+ community”. Representatives from a reign’s chosen charities are presented with cheques at the ball, such as SafeLink, which was one of Reign 49’s chosen benefactors. Over the past 50 years, thousands and thousands of dollars have been given back to Calgary and the surrounding areas by the Court.

*From left to right: Empress Fancy Pants of the Dogwood Monarchist Society (Vancouver), Empress Coco Lachine from the Imperial Court of New York, and the ISCCA’s Princess Jackie Lachine Lawrence.*

An educational bursary, named after the late Jhaque Danyel Stewart Leong, is also handed out at the annual event, helping to support postsecondary students from the Court’s region, which includes all parts of Alberta south of Red Deer. I am particularly grateful for this bursary and Jhaque’s legacy, as a few of my students have been fortunate and grateful recipients over the years, students who have all studied or are studying sport in relation to, broadly, gender and sexual diversity. This year, the bursary was awarded to four deserving individuals, all at various stages of their academic journeys.

*From left to right: Fred Udey, current ISCCA Vice-President, Princess Miss M from Vancouver’s court, and Barkley Huber, most recently Imperial Crown Prince 48 of Calgary*.

Aside from the more formal arrangement with a reign’s chosen charities, the Court has also been generous over the years with other community organizations. Across the materials gathered for my research on sport in Calgary’s queer history, there were several references to the Court’s collaborative nature, contributing in various ways to Calgary’s growing queer community in the 1970s and 1980s, through to today. The program for the 1989 Connection softball tournament featured an ad for a performance of “Beehive, the 60s Musical” by Empress XIII, Justine Tyme, held at The Green Room, which was the upstairs of the Parkside Continental. One of my former students, Connor MacDonald, noted in some of his work that an interview participant, Fred, had commented on the longstanding relationship between the Alberta Rockies Gay Rodeo Association and the Court. Another interview participant, Kevin, who has been involved with Apollo Friends in Sport for many years, noted that Apollo had reached out to the Court more than once to “bring in some of their performers for the Sunday brunch during Western Cup.”

And that last point is an important one. Apart from giving back in material ways, the performances, the events, and the Pride Parade entries that the Court has shared with the Calgary community and beyond have brought an immeasurable amount of queer joy to those who have borne witness over the ISCCA’s five decades.

So here’s to another fifty years!

{WB}