Tag Archives: human-rights

Pride Calgary’s Origins Remembered

Posted on May 21, 2015 by Kevin Allen | 2 comments

Over the past weekend, we had our community remembering session at CommunityWise (the Old Y) about the origins of Pride Calgary and that first pride rally in Central Memorial Park, organized by the Calgary Lesbian and Gay Political Action Guild (CLAGPAG) in 1990. Hosted by the Calgary Gay History Project and the Royal Alberta Museum, we had a great time getting people into the same room who had not seen each other in years (decades…).

Stephen Lock, Nancy Miller & Richard Gregory: 1990 Pride Rally Organizers

We saw the CBC news footage of the rally, talked about the role of wearing the lone ranger masks and paper bags, and got a real sense of the times. I learned, to my surprise, that the rally took place at the Boer War Memorial, and not on the steps of the library which I had previously thought. This is a good example of how history can be mis-remembered and then propagated as fact.

Thank you Linda, Mathew, Joey, Nancy, Pam, Stephen and Richard for participating in a terrific session. We look forward to developing this story further with our partner the Royal Alberta Museum!

{KA}

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Posted in Gay history

Tagged bisexual, CLAGPAG, gay, Gay history, human-rights, lesbian, Old Y, Pride, Pride Calgary, queer, transgender

Were you at the Calgary Pride Rally in 1990?

Posted on May 7, 2015 by Kevin Allen | Leave a comment

The Calgary Gay History Project is looking for individuals who were present in the first Pride Rally held in Central Memorial Park back in 1990. This is the famous demonstration where some people wore lone ranger masks or paper bags over their heads. Organized by the fledgling Calgary Lesbian and Gay Political Action Guild (CLAGPAG), this event was the seed of future Pride celebrations and its organization Pride Calgary.

Calgary Gay History Walk in Memorial Park

We will be hosting a community remembering session in partnership with the Royal Alberta Museum. Museum curators will be in attendance in order to develop the context for our story in their new permanent exhibition for their museum currently being built in downtown Edmonton.

The meeting will be held from 10am – 2pm on Saturday, May 16th at CommunityWise, 223 12 ave SW. Please contact us if you would like to attend – we would love it if you would! Lunch will be provided.

{KA}

Club Carousel Cabaret March 28th

Posted on March 20, 2015 by Kevin Allen | Leave a comment

The Calgary Gay History Project is pleased to be working with One Voice Chorus (OVC) in their presentation of CLUB CAROUSEL on Saturday, March 28, 2015 at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Church of Calgary, 1703 – 1^st St. NW.

(To catch a preview of one of the songs in the concert check out this evening’s Coming Out Monologues downtown at the John Dutton Theatre (March 20th.))

OVC writes, “Club Carousel may have long since shut its doors, but the courage and vision it took to found Calgary’s first gay club still resonates today. One Voice Chorus, Calgary’s mixed-voice choir for LGBTQ singers and their straight and cisgender allies, pays tribute to a piece of our city’s queer history with a concert featuring popular dance music from the era (1968-74).

‘With this concert, we aim to celebrate these gay and lesbian heroes who were building safe space for the queer community,’ says OVC’s Artistic Director, Jane Perry. ‘They paved the way for community organizations like One Voice Chorus, and I feel we owe them a debt of thanks. The choristers and I look forward to telling their collective story in music and in narration.'”

Calgary Gay History Project’s, Kevin Allen, will be narrating the concert describing the life and times of Club Carousel and its patrons. We hope you can join us!

Tickets: $20 regular * $15 student/senior * children 12 and under free!

Available online at www.onevoicechorus.ca, from choir members, and at:

New Age Books and Crystals (142–10 St. NW)

Shelf Life Books (1302 4 St. SW)

{KA}