Welcome to the Edmonton Queer History Project
Queer history is everywhere. Every place has a story to tell. Some stories are more visible and well known, while others have been hidden and kept silent due to fear, persecution, and prejudice. The Edmonton Queer History Project is designed to help tell our stories by documenting what queer life was like in our city over the past 50+ years. Most of these histories are undocumented or known only to a few members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, two spirit and queer communities. Seldom are queer lives or culture included as part of our city’s official history, school curricula, or public discourse. We intend to help break this silence.
These are the stories and experiences of the people, places, and moments that have helped build and define our city. These are the stories of our friends, family members, city builders, lovers, activists, artists, and so many others. These are also the stories of queer life that have been hiding in plain view. You only needed to know where to look to find them. We have always been here. Sometimes silent. Other times loud. But always present.
We recognize these narratives are only partial, often privileged, and necessarily incomplete. Many accounts are based on media reports as well as police and court records—institutions that have frequently criminalized and pathologized queer lives. Where possible, we have utilized queer media, personal and public archives, oral histories, first-hand accounts and personal interviews to verify sources, fill in missing information, and ensure these accounts accurately reflect local experiences. Documenting Edmonton’s queer history will always be an ongoing project. We hope that you will be inspired to share your stories, memories, and artifacts and help us continue to build a growing archive of the rich diversity of queer life in Amiskwacîwâskahikan (Edmonton).
We dedicate this archive to the generations of queer people and pioneers who came to a remote Northern prairie town to find love, adventure, community, and each other. You are the dreamers, fighters, lovers, and activists who have made change possible. We see you. We celebrate and honour your amazing resilience, courage, determination, and pride in our city and each other.
We respectfully acknowledge that much of Edmonton’s queer history occurred on Indigenous land within Treaty Six Territory, which has been the traditional gathering place for Nêhiyawak (Cree), Anishinaabe (Saulteaux), Niitsitapi (Blackfoot), Métis, Dene, Inuit, and Nakota Sioux.
Who Are We?
The Edmonton Queer History Project (EQHP) is a collaborative community initiative and we are grateful for the many contributions and support received from our funders, community collaborators, and project team members. Our original team members include Michael Phair, Darrin Hagen, Dr. Michelle Lavoie, Rob Browatzke, Kyler Chittick, Japkaran Saroya, Paige Simpson, and Dr. Kristopher Wells. More recently, we have expanded our work with new project members including Davis See, Thomas Long, Kelsey Kropinski, Denise King, Elizabeth Cytko, and Toryn Sudaby. We are also thankful for contributions from MacEwan practicum students Morgan Evans and Remi Baker.
Our collective work has been made possible thanks to funding and support from the MacEwan Centre for Sexual and Gender Diversity, Canada Research Chairs program, City of Edmonton, Edmonton Heritage Council, Edmonton Downtown Business Association, and the Stollery Charitable Foundation. We are also thankful for guidance and support from the Edmonton Queer City Project, Fruit Loop, City of Edmonton Archives, Provincial Archives of Alberta, MacEwan and University of Alberta Libraries, Neil Richards Collection of Sexual and Gender Diversity at the University of Saskatchewan, University of Alberta Archives, Old Strathcona Business Association, Fort Edmonton Park, Edmonton Police Service, and the Alberta Law Courts.
History and Background
The Edmonton Queer History Project began as a Community-University partnership designed to help recognize and celebrate the 35th anniversary of Edmonton’s Pride celebrations. The Edmonton Community Foundation and the Edmonton Pride Festival Society provided initial funding and support.
EQHP first debuted with the creation of a multimedia public art exhibition, “We are Here” at the Art Gallery of Alberta in 2015. This exhibition, curated by Dr. Michelle Lavoie, showcased Edmonton’s LGBTQ2 histories through archival documents, photographs, memorabilia, and life history video installations.
After its debut, materials from the Edmonton Queer History Project became part of a traveling exhibition called “Re-Imaging Normal”, curated by Dr. Michelle Lavoie and Shane Golby for the Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program. The exhibition included an interpretive guide and visited more than 20 public schools, libraries, and communities throughout rural Alberta (2018-2020) and reached over 50,000 audience members.
In March 2022, EQHP debuted its newest initiative, which includes an interactive multimedia website, a downtown history map, guided walking tours, and a podcast. The EQHP walking tours are also featured on the StoryCity app.
Sources and Citations
We have attempted to source, cite carefully, and credit all the various materials we have drawn from to help document and share Edmonton’s queer history. References, citations, and attributions can be found within the PDF files that accompany each location of interest. We recognize that histories are complex and may have gaps, absences, and multiple interpretations. We welcome corrections and suggestions for improvement.
Permissions and Reproductions
We kindly ask those who download and repurpose the writings, images, artworks, artefacts, and texts found within the Edmonton Queer History Project website to use these materials with the following considerations:
Please use images, documents, and text in a way that aligns with the purpose of the Edmonton Queer History Project, which is to celebrate, showcase, and support Edmonton’s diverse 2SLGBTQ+ communities. Our goal is to make our histories as publicly accessible as possible.
Because significant work has gone into developing, creating, collecting, and presenting our website materials, credit to the Edmonton Queer History Project for reuse is requested. Likewise, appropriate recognition should be attributed to all original source material.
In particular, we would like to acknowledge and thank Bill Lee, Lindy Pratch, Michael Phair, Greg Baker, Darrin Hagen, Provincial Archives of Alberta, Alberta Law Courts, City of Edmonton Archives, Edmonton Police Service, and the countless community members and organizations for opening their closets and sharing personal memories, photographs, writings, archives, and memorabilia with us in support of the Edmonton Queer History Project.
Sharing Memories and Memorabilia
We welcome the contribution of personal photographs, ephemera, documents, and any memories or stories you’d like to share that relate to Edmonton’s queer history. Please feel free to contact us with any questions, suggestions, or donations.