Tag Archives: human-rights

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}

Queer History Round Up for Pride Week

Posted on August 21, 2025 by Kevin Allen | 1 comment

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 21, 7 PM — Hot Dogs and Hot Takes on History at the Confluence: Colonial Calgary Was So Gay! (sold out).

August 25, 6 PM — Beltline Gay History Walk sponsored by Calgary Outlink. Register online: spaces limited. Free, but donations to support Outlink are welcome.

August 27, 7 PM — We Say Gay: Queer Kid Lit and Censorship in the Sunshine State.

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.

“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

Fake Mustache’s Kait Hatch also let me know about this queer community calendar for Calgarians, which they are involved in—so many events!

Finally, don’t forget the Arquives National Survey closes at the end of August. Your feedback matters!