The Backlot, a historic Calgary gay bar, will be moving (again). Founded in 1976, its current and third incarnation at 10th Avenue and 1st Street was established in 1996. However, the City has approved this site for redevelopment despite organized resistance last year called “Save Our Backlot.” Interestingly, the developer is keen to acknowledge the history of the site—both its contemporary importance to the queer community as well as its location in Calgary’s second Chinatown from 1901-1910. The queer history commemoration proposal (Brief) includes a commissioned mural at the site of the Back ..read more

In April, wear blue jeans to support gay rights—so says history! One of our earliest Calgary Gay History Posts was about Blue Jeans Day at the University of Calgary in the early 1990s. However, we recently discovered details about how the event echoed a gay liberation initiative first begun at Rutgers University by the groundbreaking Rutgers Student Homophile League. The first Blue Jeans Day occurred in 1970 at Rutgers (although the first advertised event happened in 1974). Blue Jeans Day was traditionally held on a Friday in April and, by the late ’70s, had spread to dozens of campuses i ..read more

In keeping with Club Carousel’s birthday theme this month, let’s focus on the Society’s handcrafted monthly newsletter, Carousel Capers. Carousel Capers, the latest release (50 years ago)! This publication, which ran from 1969 to at least 1975, was a hand-typed and drawn affair. In its heyday, it grew to 24+ pages with columns such as Chatter Box, Gertrude’s Gossip, and Cecil’s Secrets. Club business, including attendance figures, budgets, and meeting minutes, was presented—keeping the Club leaders accountable to their membership. Members of Club Carousel had significant fears of being outed ..read more

On the heels of the City of Calgary’s historic designation of Club Carousel, we discovered a remarkable NYC article written about the Club, six months after it opened. It was titled Liberation Canadian Style and published in GAY, New York City’s third post-Stonewall gay newspaper. Started in December 1969 by Jack Nichols and Lige Clarke, GAY’s varied content featured articles written by some of the era’s most significant LGBT rights activists. In September 1970, author John Scarth reported on his trip to Calgary and his experience at the fledgling Club Carousel. Sept. 28, 1 ..read more

The Mount Royal University Archives and Special Collections is proud to announce the launch of its newest acquisition, the Aveline-Vázquez LGBTQ+ Collection. This collection was donated by MRU professor Dr. David Aveline. At the launch, David will speak about his reasons for/experience of building the collection over the past 50+ years, and will discuss how it documents the history of queer communities, activism, and issues throughout Canada and the United States. Archivist Peter Houston will explain how the collection will be made accessible to the MRU community and the wider public, and arc ..read more

MacEwan University is hosting the first National Queer and Trans+ Community History Conference, May 3-4 in Edmonton, Alberta. Registrations are open! See you in Edmonton! The Conference is designed to bring together 2SLGBTQ+ community members, nonprofit organizations, heritage professionals, historians, academics, emerging scholars, and students who have an interest in documenting, preserving, and celebrating diverse and intersectional queer and trans+ histories in Canada. The Conference aims to foster dialogue amongst participants and presenters to explore the latest research, programming, an ..read more

Marching On The Dyke and Trans March has been a point of inclusivity and celebration of gender and identity for Calgary’s lesbian and transgender communities. We had the opportunity to interview Gio Dolcecore (They/Them) on the history and future of the March. Our previous entry in this three-part series covered memorable events regarding the March that Gio valued. This final installment will speak to the March’s progress and its current role and future in serving Calgary’s LGBTQ+ community. When asking Gio about how representation has changed and grown throughout the years, they mention that ..read more

The newly formed QriTical Research Hub at Mount Royal University is hosting History with a Drag Queen next Thursday, February 8th at MRU’s West Gate Social. Doors open at 6:30 PM. This event will be a teach-in hosted by the fabulous Karla Marx!  Karla is a drag queen, burlesque artist, and comedian, using the art of drag to shed new light on the histories of fascism and the contemporary rise of global fascist politics.  Developed and embodied by Dr. Victoria Bucholtz (History Dep. MRU), Karla Marx is known for her comedic brilliance, riveting historical analysis, and cheeky app ..read more

Retracing Our Steps The Dyke and Trans March has been a valuable inclusion to Calgary’s LGBTQ+ movement, starting in 2010 and disappearing amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, only to return in 2023. Gio Dolcecore (They/Them) has a rich history with the March, being involved from its genesis to the present day. We asked Gio about their experiences creating the Dyke and Trans March and how the March developed. As mentioned in Part 1, Gio noted the conflict and eventual acceptance of the March as a celebration of gender and sexuality. This acceptance resulted in several years of community empowerment ..read more

A Step in the Right Direction The Dyke and Trans March has been a source of pride and unity for Calgary’s transgender and lesbian communities. Gio Dolcecore (They/Them) has been a forerunner in this endeavour, helping establish the March in 2014 as an extension of the original Dyke March started in 2010. Due to COVID-19, the March has been absent from Calgary’s queer culture. However, Gio and several hardworking board members revitalized the March in 2023. We spoke to Gio about the history of the March, standout experiences, its relevance to the current climate surrounding the LGBTQ+ community ..read more