Tag Archives: human-rights

Klippert Case Officially Recognized as Historic Event in Canada

Posted on November 27, 2025 by Kevin Allen | 2 comments

We are happy to report that our application to the National Program of Historical Commemoration was rewarded. The Klippert Case recently got an official nod from the Government of Canada. It is now designated a historic event of national significance. Parks Canada, which administers the program, has an intensive screening and deliberation process—they conducted extensive research before reaching their decision.

Parks Canada wrote a detailed backgrounder on the designation, explaining, “The Klippert Case of 1967 was a pivotal moment in the fight for 2SLGBTQI+ rights in Canada.”

One of the goals of the Calgary Gay History Project is to make our history more visible in the City. With this designation, we will get a bronze plaque in Calgary (in a public location) to finalize the commemoration.

Learn more about the Klippert Case—watch our award-winning short film, directed by Laura O’Grady!

We would like to sincerely thank Mount Royal University history professor Joe Anderson for informing us about the application process to the National Program of Historical Commemoration.

Anyone can submit a nomination to this program!

We believe that there was no queer history represented in the Directory of Federal Heritage Designations before this, but we changed that! Now we need more…

{KA}

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Posted in Gay history, Press Release

Tagged bisexual, Calgary, Everett Klippert, gay, Gay history, Government of Canada, gross indecency, human-rights, Klippert Case, Laura O'Grady, lesbian, National Program of Historical Commemoration, Parks Canada, queer, transgender

Intl. Day of Pink ECHO Tour in YYC

Posted on October 9, 2025 by Kevin Allen | Leave a comment

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.

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.

Hope to see you there!

—Kevin

{KA}

Join the Beltline Walk: Poetry and Queer History

Posted on September 25, 2025 by Kevin Allen | Leave a comment

October is queer history month! Join the Calgary Gay History Project’s Kevin Allen and poet Skylar Kay on a history walk through the Beltline. We will highlight significant political and social events that affected the 2SLGBTQ+ community—with poetry! The walk on Thursday, October 2, at 5 PM, begins and ends at the Memorial Park Library (1221 2nd St. SW).

Registration is free through the Calgary Public Library: here (spaces limited).

Kevin Allen is a fourth-generation Calgarian who has been documenting and profiling queer people and events for 30+ years. Kevin started the Calgary Gay History Project in 2012 to uncover and preserve stories from Calgary’s 2SLGBTQ+ past. The Project has achieved national recognition and led to the award-winning documentary film Gross Indecency: The Everett Klippert Story and the best-selling book Our Past Matters: Stories of Gay Calgary.

Skylar Kay is an Albertan poet and grad school dropout. Her debut collection, Transcribing Moonlight (Frontenac House 2022), earned a shortlist nod for the Gerald Lampert Memorial Award for Poetry and won the BPAA’s Robert Kroetsch Award for Poetry. Her second collection of poetry will come out in fall 2025. She received a 2024 Lieutenant Governor Emerging Artist Award. These days, she likes baking muffins, tolerating her cat, and reading as much poetry as possible.

Kevin and Skylar thank the Calgary Public Library for hosting this event! Please join us.

{KA}