Like many Albertans, I was dismayed by the hateful events at Fort Macleod Pride last weekend. One constructive response is to support future Fort Macleod Pride programming through a donation: e-transfer to fmpride.payments@gmail.com.
Another response is to lean into community—it truly sustains us. Thirty-five years ago, Project Pride, a relatively new Calgary organization, hosted a softball tournament and dance at the end of August called Connection ’88. Through uniting many disparate groups, Project Pride’s events gained momentum at a time that was decidedly more hostile to queers than today—all the while during a worsening pandemic decimating the gay male community (AIDS). Project Pride eventually blossomed into the organization we know as Calgary Pride.
Connection ’88 Program
As we go into a busy Pride weekend in Calgary, I have been reflecting on a Sinead O’Connor song I was obsessed with when I started the Calgary Gay History Project in 2012. Called Something Beautiful, I find it especially poignant now that Sinead has passed. The biblical line in the song: “they dressed the wounds of my poor people as though they’re nothing/saying peace, peace, when there is no peace,” has stayed with me since I quoted it at my first queer history presentation in 2013.
So, my wish for 2023 is that we dress the wounds of our poor people. Let’s connect to our shared humanity. Let’s celebrate Pride.
Here is a smattering of queer history offerings and more. So exciting – #OurPastMatters!
Tuesday, August 29th @ 7:00 PM @ The Central Library
Through the Multiverse: Queer Media Today. The 5th Annual Calgary Institute for the Humanities LGBTQ2S+ Lecture. Presented by Dr. Amy Villarejo, Chair, UCLA Department of Film, Television and Digital Media. Registration is required, reception to follow.
Wednesday, August 30th, 5:30 – 7:00 PM @ CommunityWise
Pride Gay History Walk 2017. Photo: Gary Evans
Beltline Gay History Walk. Have you ever been curious about the role of CommunityWise (formerly the Old Y) in Calgary’s queer history? Join Kevin Allen and the Calgary Gay History Project to find out more! Tickets are what you can afford, and all proceeds go towards strengthening CommunityWise’s work in supporting all 2SLGBTQ+ community. Spaces are limited.
Thursday, August 31st, 6:00 – 7:00 PM @ The Backlot
A famous sign which predates the current location
The Golden Age of Gay Bars in YYC. There are many storied drinking holes, taverns, discos, and clubs in Calgary’s queer history. Join Kevin Allen for an informal chat about where they used to be and their significance to our community’s history. Meet up at one of the last remaining gay bars in the city—The Backlot (209 10 AVE. SW)!
Saturday, September 2nd, 7:30 PM @ Rising Tides Taproom
Program Pride, December 1996
Program Pride Relaunch. Program Pride was a community access television program in Alberta that ran from 1995 until 1997. A group of dedicated volunteers from Red Deer, Calgary and Edmonton created programming that ran on Shaw Cable in all three cities. Join former cast and crew members at Rising Tides Taproom (4545 Bowness Rd NW) as Program Pride episodes get relaunched on YouTube. Solid gold for Alberta historians!
Our Past Matters Book Signing. After the parade, find the Calgary Outlink booth at this year’s Pride Festival and buy a copy of Our Past Matters: Stories of Gay Calgary. Book sales support Outlink, Calgary’s exceptional community peer support organization. Author Kevin Allen will be signing books in the afternoon between 2:00-3:00 PM—or just come by for a visit!
There are so many excellent Pride events this year to choose from. Come out! Support community!
2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the first queer peer support organization in Calgary: the People’s Liberation Coalition (PLC).
Started in January 1973, the People’s Liberation Coalition served the Calgary gay community by offering information and counselling using a peer support model. The PLC office was located at the Old Y (CommunityWise) in room 314, and they attempted to have office hours from 7-11 p.m., seven days a week.
The group was an evolution of the Gay Liberation Front (GLF), which had begun meeting in September 1972, spearheaded by University of Calgary grad student Rick Sullivan.
GLF Button from the early 1970s
Lesbian activist, My (Myra) Lipton attended these early GLF meetings. She and Rick would attend Human Sexuality classes at the U of C as guest speakers. According to a student journalist, My called for women’s freedom to control their bodies and “engage in whatever sexual activities they prefer.” She also stated that the “greatest threat to the male role is solidarity among women, and lesbianism epitomized that solidarity.”
Biweekly consciousness-raising meetings of the GLF were held in the Beltline. Doug Jameson, a university student then, remembered the meetings in rundown apartments. He said, “people talked about the place we were at and trying to get petitions going to give to the government. There were about a dozen of us, and we were known to the RCMP.”
In fact, the RCMP came to Rick Sullivan’s apartment one night to question him about his activities with the GLF and The Gauntlet, attempting to intimidate him. The RCMP even requisitioned his student record from the University of Calgary, but the Registrar refused to cooperate.
Meanwhile, the GLF brainstormed the idea of a peer support organization. My Lipton cheekily wanted to call it, “Does Your Mother Know?” a phrase she often asked those who were coming out. However, to the larger group, the name People’s Liberation Coalition stuck, and they found a space at the Old Y and a roster of volunteers to offer peer support. Shortly after its inception, the PLC announced their intention to sponsor “a mixed boogie” at a local community hall.
My remembered: “the PLC was breaking new ground in Calgary. The immediate need that we had to convey to people who were coming out was that they were OK—it was society that had the problem.”
Mount Royal College student Rex Leonard saw a poster for PLC at his on-campus guidance centre. He headed to the Old Y that night and surprised PLC volunteer Joanne, who was answering the phone that night—there were not many drop-in visits! Rex’s world expanded as he was introduced to more gays and lesbians. He appreciated that the organization was centred around social activism, not just a place to find a romantic partner. Rex became a dedicated PLC volunteer.
An Australian gay activist named Brian Lindberg, who travelled through Western Canada later in 1973, described the movement in Calgary as going through a difficult period. He wrote:
“The gay information centre was staffed by only a few people (one in particular) who continued to maintain the service even though little assistance could be obtained. Considering the population size of Calgary, I was surprised not to find a well-organized gay liberation movement.”
The PLC ran out of steam as key members moved away from the city, and no replacements were found. Keeping the office open seven days a week proved challenging, and after about a year of operating, the PLC faded away.
Queer peer support was resurrected in June 1975 as Gay Information and Resources Calgary (GIRC) by My Lipton and Windi Earthworm. There has been a more or less continuous peer support service at the Old Y for 50 years. This legacy is continued by the esteemed Calgary Outlink today.
