Tag Archives: queer

Pride Proclamation Declined Twice by Mayor Alger

Posted on August 7, 2014 by Kevin Allen | 2 comments

Keeping with the Pride theme this month in Calgary, we would like to take you back to 1980, when Mayor Ross Alger wrote to Gay Information Resources Centre (GIRC), president Bob Harris.

Mayor Alger declined Harris’ request to formally declare June, 27, 1980 Gay Pride Day in Calgary. Unlike other politicians in his day who tended easily to casual homophobia, he wrote, “I fully respect the rights and freedoms of your organization and its members.”

Obviously, a political hot potato at the time. Alger in 1979 dodged Harris’ previous request for a proclaimed Gay Community Day on November 24th by alleging a crowded calendar, booked up into December of that year. Mayor Alger’s Executive Assistant, John Gray, was on the record saying “if GIRC resubmits its request at a later date the mayor’s office will be pleased to consider it.”

Alger’s diplomatic letter on April 2, 1980 was the conclusion of that consideration. Ross Alger died in January, 1992 from cancer. His obituary in the Globe and Mail praised him as “a gentleman politician who never stooped to low blows.”

{KA}

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Posted in Gay history

Tagged Bob Harris, Calgary, gay, Gay history, GIRC, human-rights, lesbian, queer, Ross Alger

Big August for the Calgary Gay History Project

Posted on July 31, 2014 by Kevin Allen | 1 comment

Thanks to everyone who came out for the gay history walk last Saturday for Historic Calgary Week (which is still happening throughout this weekend)! Our next walk, in partnership with Calgary Outlink, will happen during Pride Week, on Wednesday, August 27th, at 7 PM starting at the Memorial Park Library. This is a new walk going to sites downtown instead of last year’s Beltline tour. A reception will follow at the Community Wise Resource Centre (223 12 Ave SW) with non-alcoholic drinks and refreshments for purchase.

Also, we would like to give a shout out to Terry MacKenzie and the Bankview Community Association for their Picnic 91 – A Queer Takeover Picnic of Buckmaster Park on Thursday, August 28th, marking the City’s first gay pride proclamation in 1991.

Watch for new social media developments with the Calgary Queer History project as well. We will be adding Twitter and renovating the website in August as the project seeks to branch out past the 50s and 60s.

We are also putting out a call for volunteers. The project to date has been lucky to work with, Del, Tereasa, Nevena, Jonathan and Leslie. Now that research lead, Kevin Allen, has left his job to pursue the project full time, we can take on more project volunteers. Specifically, we will be needing help during Pride Week. If you have some time and are interested please contact us at calgarygayhistory@gmail.com.

{KA}

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Posted in Gay history

Tagged Calgary, gay, Gay history, lesbian, Old Y, Picnic 91, Pride Calgary, Pride Week, queer

Walk, Don’t Run, This Saturday!

Posted on July 24, 2014 by Kevin Allen | Leave a comment

The Calgary Gay History Project is honoured to participate in Historic Calgary Week 2014, a program of the Chinook Country Historical Society. We are reprising the very popular Beltline Gay History Walk that happened during last year’s Pride Week celebrations.

The event “runs” from 7:00 – 8:30 PM, Saturday, July 26th and begins and ends at CommunityWise (formerly known as the Old Y) at 223 12 Ave. SW. We will be meeting outside the building near the front steps. As an aside, those steps and porch were recently renovated and have been nominated for the Calgary Heritage Authority’s Lion Awards on July 31st (also an event in Historic Calgary Week).

Doug Young personal papers, Glenbow Archives M-8397-1.

In a happy coincidence, I was at the Glenbow Museum Archives today, going through gay activist Doug Young’s personal records and came across his hand drawn map of the Beltline from the mid-80’s. Interestingly, there were more queer spaces at that time, then we have today.

Looking forward to seeing you at the walk!

{KA}