News & Events
Back by popular demand @ The Roxy!
Back by popular demand! Join us for upcoming screenings at The Roxy Theatre on August 15, August 25, and November 2.
For the August 15 screening, we invite you to join us for a celebration of human rights featuring:
Opening Remarks from Tina Thomas, CEO, Edmonton Community Foundation.
Post-film discussion hosted by Darrin Hagen (Writer/Director), featuring:
Kathryn Oviatt, Chief of the Commission and Tribunals of the Alberta Human Rights Commission.
Senator Paula Simons.
Honourable Ronald Ghitter, former Senator and MLA who introduced Alberta’s first human rights legislation and co-founded the Dignity Foundation to promote tolerance and understanding.
Watch the film trailer here.
Tickets are now on sale for upcoming screenings!
Join us for an upcoming festival screening!
Purchase tickets by clicking the links below.
We are excited to be part of the following upcoming film festivals:
Vancouver Queer Film Festival, September 15 at 12:00pm.
Cinema Diverse: The Palm Springs LGBTQ Film Festival, September 21 at 2:15pm (local time).
Calgary International Film Festival, September 21, 3:45pm.
Calgary Social Justice Film Festival, November 24.
Regulating Morality: Exploring Edmonton’s Queer History
Regulating Morality: Exploring Edmonton’s Queer History is open during regular park hours until September 15, 2024. We are located in Reed’s Bazaar on 1905 Street at Fort Edmonton Park. Entrance is free with paid admission to the park.
The Edmonton Queer History Project and Fort Edmonton Park proudly announce the opening of “Regulating Morality: Exploring Edmonton’s Queer History,” a historical display showcasing 2SLGBTQ+ existence and resistance in the ongoing fight for human rights.
Regulating Morality explores key historic events including the moral theocracy of “Bible Bill” Aberhart, HIV/AIDS pandemic, the landmark Vriend v. Alberta Supreme Court case, to current threats against 2SLGBTQ+ equality and human rights. The display explores the moral and gender panics of both the past and present, community resilience and activism, and educational, legal, and political challenges surrounding 2SLGBTQ+ issues in Alberta over the past 100 years.
EVENTS
2024 Edmonton Queer History Project Spring/Summer Walking Tour Series
Please click on the links below for more information on walking tour dates, topics, and registration.
Join us for another fabulous year of walking tours as we explore the people, places, and moments that have helped to define Edmonton's 2SLGBTQ+ history.
Once again this year, we are pleased to offer a variety of themed walking and bus tours, which take place in different parts of downtown. Each tour is hosted by special guest tour guides who share their own unique lived history.
All tours are free and made possible thanks to support from the MacEwan Centre for Sexual and Gender Diversity, Edmonton Downtown Business Association, and the Stollery Charitable Foundation.
Flashback: The Documentary
Join us for three special showings in Edmonton at Metro Cinema on June 14, 15, & 18.
A special screening and panel discussion in support of HIV Edmonton will be held on July 18.
Advanced tickets can be purchased here.
It was the Studio 54 of the Prairies, a club that owner John Reid vowed would be a safe place for ‘gay people and their friends.’ Flashback is the story of a defiant disco dance culture of sweat and sex and drugs and fashion. Located in a conservative northern Canadian city often hostile to queer people, Flashback became a sensation on the international club circuit despite police raids, threats of violence and the scourge of AIDS. Flashback is a ghost. But it comes alive again in the memories of the people who were there and the legends they left behind.
Learn more about the film and get your very own Flashback memorabilia here.
Queer History Photo Exhibition
Entrance is free and open to the public during regular building hours in Allard Hall on the MacEwan University campus. The photo exhibit runs until June 30, 2024.
Leonard "Len" Keith and Joseph "Cub" Coates were a queer couple in the rural New Brunswick village of Havelock in the early 20th century. Len & Cub features Len’s photos of their life and tells the story of their relationship against the background of same-sex identity and relationships in rural North America of the early 20th century. While keeping their sexual identities closeted, they captured their decades-long relationship via photographs. This remarkable material is as important socially and historically as their story is one of the oldest photographic records of a same-sex couple in the Maritimes.
We invite you to witness the unique love, friendship and lives of Len & Cub to challenge contemporary ideas of about sex and gender expression in the early 20th century.
Curated by Meredith J. Batt & Dusty Green. Presented by: Edmonton Queer History Project, MacEwan Centre for Sexual and Gender Diversity, Queer Heritage Initiative of New Brunswick, The Arquives, New Brunswick Provincial Archives, and Beaverbrook Art Gallery.
Special Preview Film Screening, Panel Discussion, and VIP Reception
Join us at the Rainbow Visions Film Festival on Sunday, May 19 for this special preview screening, followed by a panel discussion with Film Director Darrin Hagen and guests.
After the screening, we invite you to stay and join us for a VIP reception featuring community partners, appetizers, cash bar, and a DJ!
Date: Sunday, May 19, 2024
○ 3 pm - Doors Open
○ 4 pm - Special Preview Screening: Pride vs. Prejudice
○ 5:30 pm - Panel Discussion
○ 6 pm - Reception
EVENT
Join us for the 2024 National Queer and Trans+ Community History Conference
The National Queer and Trans+ Community History Conference will take place at MacEwan University May 3-4, 2024 in Edmonton, Alberta.
The conference is designed to bring together 2SLGBTQ+ community members, non-profit 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.
Please see our website for more information about the conference, our sponsors, and registration options.
EVENT
Share Your Stories! Donate Your Artifacts!
Join the Edmonton Pride Seniors Group Thursday, November 2 at 11:00 AM either in person at the Sage Seniors Association building downtown or by Zoom for an opportunity to hear from the City of Edmonton Archives, the Royal Alberta Museum, Edmonton Queer History Project and Rainbow Story Hub on what you need to know to donate records and artifacts to preserve our Queer history for future generations and how you can share your stories.
Email agingwithprideyeg@gmail.com to register for either in person or to get the Zoom link.
NEWS
Celebrate 2SLGBTQ+ History Month!
Check out the Fall Newsletter of the Edmonton District Historical Society for a feature on the Edmonton Queer History Project!
EVENTS
Share Your Stories Archive Event!
Browse through old photos and share your stories of the people, places, and moments that have helped to build Edmonton’s 2SLGBTQ+ community!
Join EQHP, Rainbow Story Hub and the City of Edmonton Archives for this special 2SLGBTQ+ History Month event.
All members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community are to join us at the City of Edmonton Archives to share your stories and memories inspired by the Times.10 photo collection at the archives.
Drop by any time between 5-8 pm. Browse the Times.10 photo collection and help us put names to faces, or grab a story card and share some memories to add to our community archives.
There will be scheduled tours of the archives for anyone interested in the behind-the-scenes work, one at 5:30 pm and one at 7:00 pm.
Registration is required to attend. Please sign up and join us for this fun and interactive event. Who knows, you might see yourself in some of the photos!
EVENTS
A huge thank you to everyone who was able to come out and join us as part of our Edmonton Queer History Walking Tours!
A special thanks to the Edmonton Downtown Business Association & MacEwan Centre for Sexual and Gender Diversity for their support in helping to organize, promote, and keep our tours free and accessible.
EVENTS
2023 Edmonton Queer History Project Spring/Summer Walking Tour Series
Please click on the links below for more information on walking tour dates, topics, and registration.
Join us this spring and summer as we explore the people, places, and moments that have helped to shape Edmonton's 2SLGBTQ+ history.
This year we are pleased to offer a variety of themed tours, which take place in different parts of downtown.
These tours are free and made possible thanks to support from the MacEwan Centre for Sexual and Gender Diversity, Edmonton Downtown Business Association, and the City of Edmonton.
Check out the full program here.
NEWS
A Stroll Through Edmonton’s Queer History
Learn more about the Edmonton Queer History Project themed walking tours scheduled throughout the summer.
EVENT
Relight The Neon
A History Making Event
Presented by Rainbow Story Hub and the Edmonton Queer History Project with support from the Edmonton Downtown Buisness Association and City of Edmonton.
Join us from 3-5 p.m. on June 17, 2023 to celebrate Flashback, a fabulous queer-owned business that changed Edmonton’s culture and put our city on the map among the club set from Los Angeles to London.
To add to the excitement, this beautiful sign and the legendary club it represents are the subject of a new feature documentary film funded by TELUS originals and produced by Tangerine Productions that will premiere in 2024.
This event will feature special guest speakers, including the man behind the sign – John Reid!!
This will be the first dedicated 2SLGBTQ+ sign to join the Edmonton Neon Sign Museum.
NEWS
Students hold Wikipedia edit-a-thon to share Edmonton's LGBTQ2S+ history
Students at MacEwan University celebrated Pride on Saturday by holding a Wikipedia edit-a-thon.
The event was hosted by YEG Art + Feminism and the Edmonton Queer History Project.
Participants updated LGBTQ2S+ pages on Wikipedia to make sure Edmonton's queer history is not forgotten or misrepresented.
"For too long many minorities have been written out of history, so we're taking an active role in ensuring a diversity of voices are included," said MacEwan professor Kristopher Wells.
Wells added that Wikipedia is often the first thing that shows up in a Google search, making it crucial to ensure the information is accurate.
NEWS
Wikipedia Edit-a-thon aims to increase visibility of Edmonton’s queer history
The Edmonton Queer History Project (EQHP) is partnering with Art+Feminism to write Edmonton’s queer histories into the books — or at least into the pages of Wikipedia.
A Wikipedia Edit-a-thon on June 10 at MacEwan University’s Roundhouse will offer training on how Wikipedia works and information about queer history resources in Edmonton, to empower people to “help improve the world’s largest online encyclopedia by making it more inclusive and representative of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions.”
EVENTS
Wikipedia Edit-a-thon on Edmonton's Queer History
Join us on June 10, 2023 from 10:00 am to 2:00pm at the Round House in Allard Hall at MacEwan University.
Help write us into history and join YEG Art + Feminism and the Edmonton Queer History Project for an in-person Wikipedia edit-a-thon focused on making Edmonton’s queer history more visible and accessible on Wikipedia. Come OUT and meet new people, learn about Wikipedia and the Edmonton Queer History Project.
This event is free and open to the public, but registration is encouraged. We're planning on having food for lunch, a supervised all-ages drop-in art activity (so kids can create while caregivers edit!), laptops you can borrow and ASL interpretation (as requested).
Media Release
New Podcast Series Marks the 25th Anniversary of the Historic Supreme Court Ruling on Equality Rights for Canada’s 2SLGBTQI+ community
Julie Lloyd & Delwin Vriend at the Supreme Court of Canada.
1998 Vriend Rally at the Alberta Legislature.
Delwin being interviewed at the 1992 Edmonton Pride Festival.
Delwin Vriend Defence Fund flyer.
Delwin Vriend & MP Svend Robinson at Edmonton’s Pride Festival.
April 2, 2023 marks the 25th anniversary of the Supreme Court of Canada's landmark ruling in Vriend v. Alberta.
This historic legal decision helped pave the way for equality for Canada's 2SLGBTQI+ community by reading in sexual orientation as part of Alberta’s human rights legislation. Vriend v. Alberta laid the foundation for important social change including the legal recognition of same-sex marriage in Canada, which had a significant impact around the world supporting 2SLGBTQI+ global human rights.
The Edmonton Community Foundation (ECF) and the Edmonton Queer History Project (EQHP) are pleased to announce the launch of Vriend Versus Alberta — a special podcast series designed to commemorate the 25th anniversary of this landmark human rights victory.
“It’s easy to forget that the rights and freedoms we enjoy in Canada were not always afforded to everyone,” states Andrew Paul, co-producer of ECF’s The Well Endowed Podcast. “It’s important to understand the past in order to preserve equality for all, which is why ECF has partnered with the EQHP to help tell this incredible story.”
LISTEN TO THE TRAILER AND EPISODE 1 OF VRIEND VERSUS ALBERTA.
On January 28, 1991, Delwin Vriend was fired from his job as a laboratory coordinator at The King’s College in Edmonton, because he was gay.
Delwin’s only legal recourse was to file a complaint with the Alberta Human Rights Commission. However, in 1991 sexual orientation was not included as a protected ground against discrimination in Alberta’s human rights legislation. In other words, you could be fired from your job, denied housing, refused service, and be legally discriminated against all because you were gay, lesbian, or bisexual. It was a dangerous time to be visible. It was even more dangerous to be publicly defiant.
When the Alberta Human Rights Commission denied Delwin’s complaint, the stage was set for a monumental legal battle that would forever change Canadian history. This wasn’t just a battle for legal rights, it was a fight for social equality, and Alberta was the epicentre.
For seven agonizing years, Delwin’s case would wind its way through courts, protests, and intense backlash before finally ending up before the Supreme Court of Canada. Many Albertans will remember the death threats made against Delwin and City Councillor Michael Phair. Despite the victory at the Supreme Court, questions remained. Would Premier Ralph Klein use the Charter’s notwithstanding clause to exempt Alberta from providing basic human rights protections? No one at the time was certain of the answer or the outcome. For many, it was a time of intense hate and prejudice, which we should never forget.
Written and directed by Darrin Hagen, this project has been 18 months in the making and features more than a dozen in-depth interviews with key figures who participated in securing equality rights for sexual and gender minorities in Canada. Many voices and perspectives have never been heard before and poignantly reflect upon both the personal and emotional toll the fight for equality has taken on Canada’s 2SLGBTQI+ community.
“As more and more recent incidents of hate against our 2SLGBTQI+ communities unfold, this story has never been more relevant or important,” states Dr. Kristopher Wells, Canada Research Chair for the Public Understanding of Sexual and Minority Youth at MacEwan University. “Discrimination continues to be a very real problem and it is easier than we may think to lose the rights and freedoms we have. We need to remember and learn from the lessons of the past, if we hope to build a more inclusive and hopeful future.”
Media interviews with Darrin Hagen, Dr. Kristopher Wells, and Andrew Paul are available upon request.
You can find new Vriend Versus Alberta podcast episodes weekly at thewellendowedpodcast.com or subscribe to The Well Endowed Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and everywhere else you get your podcasts from.
NEWS
Edmonton Queer History Project: Heritage Placemaking as Community-Engaged Social Justice
We are grateful for this feature story on the importance of inclusive heritage placemaking with the National Trust for Canada.
NEWS
Explore the free online Edmonton Queer History Project archive!
The Edmonton Queer History Project is excited to be working with the University of Alberta Library & MacEwan University Library to support free and public access to important items of historical significance to Edmonton's 2SLGBTQ+ communities.
Job Opportunity
City of Edmonton Archivist
Help preserve and share Edmonton’s diverse cultural heritage and inclusive historic records. This permanent position focuses on working with communities of interest such as the LGBTQ2+ community and cultural communities such as Edmonton's Chinese community.
EVENT
Join us for the launch of #EQHPStories on February 14, 2023 at 11am.
This Valentine’s Day the Edmonton Queer History Project proudly unveils a new community project celebrating stories of the people, places, and moments that have helped to define our city’s queer history.
#EQHPStories is a unique way for 2SLGBTQ+ community members to share their personal experiences with Edmonton’s queer history by tagging a location on our digital city map and sharing their stories.
We invite community members to help us identify the places and stories where they have found community, safety, and love.
Share where you first experienced pride or found protest. Where did you make your queer history?
At our Valentine’s Day launch party we will also have a special EQHP cake and crafts, including making queer valentines with MLA Janis Irwin.
NEWS
Edmonton Queer History Project Selected as Finalist for the 2022 Governor General’s History Award for Excellence in Community Programming
The Governor General’s History Awards are Canada’s top honours in the field of history and heritage. They celebrate the very best in Canadian achievements to ensure our national past has a vibrant presence in our society today.
The Governor General’s History Award for Excellence in Community Programming recognizes small or volunteer-led community organizations in the creation of innovative programming that commemorates unique aspects of our heritage.
In 2022, the Edmonton Queer History Project was recognized as a national finalist for excellence in community programming.
EVENT
FREE Community Film Screening of “The Fruit Machine” on Monday, October 3, 2022
Join us as we celebrate LGBT History month and mark the 30th Anniversary of The End of the LGBT Purge with this special FREE documentary film screening at Metro Cinema - Garneau Theatre.
6:00pm - Doors Open
6:30pm - Welcome and Greetings
7:00pm - Film Screening
8:30pm - Q&A
Special guests include Michael Phair, MLA Janis Irwin, and Michelle Douglas (The Purge Fund).
*American Sign Language interpretation will be available.
The Metro concession and a cash bar will be open and available throughout the evening.
EVENT
Edmonton Queer History Walking & Bus Tours
Join us on our free summer tour series as we explore the people, places, and moments that have helped to define Edmonton’s queer history. All tours are free, include a complementary printed map, and are hosted by members of the Edmonton Queer History Project Team. Each guided tour runs approximately 90 minutes in length, begins at Michael Phair Park (10124 104 St NW), and takes place in the downtown core. We are pleased to provide American Sign Language interpretation as part of each tour.
Our tours are made possible thanks to support from the Edmonton Downtown Business Association and the City of Edmonton’s Downtown Vibrancy Fund.
NEWS
Edmonton Queer History Project looks to grow
After selling out all of its downtown tours this summer, the Edmonton Queer History Project is looking to expand to different areas in the city, starting with Old Strathcona.
NEWS
Alberta’s first female premier recalls ‘horrible’ sexism, racism and homophobia in government she served
Alison Redford spoke on the “From Here to Queer” podcast about how she pushed forward a socially progressive agenda, and warned the ruling United Conservative Party that ‘the Alberta that they think they’re governing is not Alberta.’
NEWS
Exploring Edmonton’s Queer History: A Pride Month 4-Part Special Series
Episode 1:
Exploring the city's gay bar scene with the Edmonton Queer History Project.
Episode 2:
As Edmonton marks Pride, a landmark court case is chronicled.
Episode 3:
Two Spirit identity explored through the Edmonton Queer History Project.
Episode 4:
Mark Connolly met up with Darrin to talk about the new “From Here to Queer” podcast and his involvement in the Edmonton Queer History Project.
NEWS
Mapping Edmonton’s Queer History
Darrin Hagen stands on the sidewalk in front of the Excelsior Lofts on 104 Street. The luxury condos opened in 1994.
In another life, the building was home to Flashback, one of the most influential gay bars in Edmonton between the late 1970s and early ‘90s. It was right across the street from another iconic queer club, The Roost.
NEWS
It’s a Queer World After All
Politics, laws, societal attitudes, and colonialism have long kept 2SLGBTQ+ history out of Edmonton's mainstream history. The Edmonton Queer History Project (EQHP) seeks to change that, helping folks to write themselves hack into the narrative and connect themselves to a feeling of home in the city. Their work encourages everyone to be makers of the past, present, and future.
(Story appears on P50)
NEWS
De la clandestinité à l’acceptation : lever le voile sur l’histoire queer d’Edmonton
Plus de 40 ans après avoir été mise sous les projecteurs de force, la communauté LGBTQ2+ d’Edmonton voit son histoire être cataloguée par deux groupes d’historiens.
Il y a quelques semaines, l'Edmonton Queer History project lançait son nouveau site web (Nouvelle fenêtre) (en anglais). Celui-ci recense les lieux importants de l’histoire de la communauté LGBTQ2+ d’Edmonton. Le projet se concentre sur des lieux du centre-ville.
FEATURE
The 22 Best Places To Travel Around The World In 2022: Where To Go Next
Where to travel in 2022? What are the best places to travel during Covid? Where should I travel next? These are the questions that everyone is asking now that international travel is coming back to life, thanks to the loosening of travel restrictions in many destinations around the world and a pent-up demand for all those far-flung vacations that were put on hold during the pandemic. According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, travel numbers will reach pre-pandemic levels in 2022, the CEO of Expedia predicts that this summer will be the busiest travel season ever and the airlines are encountering unparalleled demand.
EVENT
Jane’s Walk
SUNDAY, May 8, 2022
EXPLORING DOWNTOWN’S QUEER (LGBTQ2S+) PLACES!
Walk Leader: Darrin Hagen & Micheal Phair Date & Time: Sunday, May 8, 1:30 p.m. Approx 1.5 hours Starting location: Micheal Phair Park 10124-104 St. Description: Join in the discovery and stories of the ‘queering” of downtown led by Darrin Hagen and Michael Phair as part of the Edmonton Queer History Project .
Register Here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/janes-walk-exploring-downtowns-queer-lgbtq2s-places-tickets-318908332407
NEWS
LGBTQ landmarks in Edmonton get the spotlight in interactive history project
A contemporary art gallery in downtown Edmonton occupies a space that was once the city’s first gay bar, Club 70. Around the corner on Jasper Avenue, a section of Audreys Books called Orlando Corner carries on the legacy of Orlando Books, a shop that catered to the LGBTQ community.
A 15-minute walk north, a furniture store has taken over the building that was formerly Pisces Health Spa, a bathhouse that was raided by Edmonton police in 1981 and resulted in the largest mass arrest in the province’s history.
NEWS
Edmonton Queer History Project launches during Pride Week - macewan.ca
As part of MacEwan University's Pride Week festivities, the Edmonton Queer History Project (EQHP) is launching a slate of educational materials to make Queer history visible and accessible to all Edmontonians.
The Edmonton Queer History Project is a collaboration of community partners, artists and performers, LGBTQ2S+ advocates and student researchers.
"Queer people and their contributions can be found everywhere in our city," says Dr. Kristopher Wells, founder of the Centre for Sexual and Gender Diversity and Canada Research Chair for the Public Understanding of Sexual and Gender Minority Youth.
NEWS
Edmonton’s queer history highlighted through new website and walking tour
On a snowy and cold day in Edmonton, Kristopher Wells and Michael Phair stood together holding maps they helped create. The maps are for the Edmonton Queer History Project‘s walking tour downtown, and the first stop is Michael Phair Park.
Wells commented to Phair just how important he is to the community, and how special it is the downtown park honours him. Phair is humble and said it was a group effort to get here today.
NEWS
Research Recast(ed)
Learn about the origins of the Edmonton Queer History Project with project members Dr. Kristopher Wells, Dr. Michelle Lavoie and Darrin Hagen.
NEWS
Making history visible
Edmonton has a rich tapestry of queer history. As we celebrate Pride Week at MacEwan University this month, it’s also important to reflect on queer history, both in our city and at MacEwan.
“Too often, queer history has been written out of our textbooks,” says Dr. Kristopher Wells, the executive director of the Centre for Sexual and Gender Diversity at MacEwan and the Canada research chair for the public understanding of sexual and gender minority youth. “It’s been silenced in public discourses.”…
NEWS
Student Snapshot: Documenting Edmonton's Queer history
When Japkaran Saroya proposed taking a look at the development of homeless LGBTQ2S+ youth in Edmonton as part of his honours research application, his research supervisor connected him with Dr. Kristopher Wells in MacEwan University's Centre for Sexual and Gender Diversity.
Dr. Wells recognized Saroya's passion for the subject, and asked him to help out with the Edmonton Queer History Project – a collaborative project that involves Dr. Wells, Darrin Hagen, Michael Phair, Kyler Chittick and Dr. Michelle Lavoie….
NEWS
Remember the past, build the future: Making Edmonton's queer history come alive
While Pride was being celebrated this month, MacEwan University's Centre for Sexual and Gender Diversity has been supporting the development of its forthcoming Edmonton Queer History Project.
The project team includes Dr. Kristopher Wells, Darrin Hagen, Michael Phair, Kyler Chittick, Japkaran Saroya and Dr. Michelle Lavoie who are researching the people, places and moments that have contributed to the making of Edmonton's LGBTQ2S+ history.…
NEWS
Darrin Hagen named MacEwan University's 2021 writer-in-residence
MacEwan University has chosen a dazzling new writer-in-residence — local queer legend Darrin Hagen. The playwright and performer of the long-running production The Edmonton Queen will be MacEwan’s 28th body to fill this position, which typically runs for a year — and this time is co-funded by MacEwan’s department of English and the Centre for Sexual and Gender Diversity.….
NEWS
Queer history matters
Dr. Kristopher Wells imagines this: A traveller arrives at the Edmonton International Airport. When the visitor gets to the baggage claim, that person will be able to pick up a map of the important places in this city’s LGBTQ2S+ history.
Basically, a tour of these important places would be as prominent as ads for the West Edmonton Mall or posters promoting sporting events and festivals.
“When you land in Edmonton, I want people to see Edmonton’s Queer history,” says Wells.
NEWS
Edmonton Queer History Project putting LGBTQ2S+ stories in the spotlight
A new initiative is putting LGBTQ2S+ stories in the spotlight. Hear all about the Edmonton Queer History Project, which officially launches today. Kristopher Wells is one of the project leads, and Canada Research Chair for the Public Understanding of Sexual and Gender Minority Youth at MacEwan University. Japkaran Saroya is a member of the project team and a student at MacEwan.
NEWS
Evolution of the Edmonton Queer History project hits the web and city streets
In Edmonton’s Michael Phair Park Tuesday morning, a small crowd gathered to celebrate the evolution of the Edmonton Queer History Project, which started as an art gallery exhibit in 2015 and now includes an interactive website, maps, walking tours and a podcast series hosted by local playwright Darrin Hagen.
Chilly weather did little to diminish the pride permeating the park as MacEwan University associate professor Kristopher Wells announced the launch with an address to the crowd as well as the trailblazers behind Edmonton’s queer history.
NEWS
Edmonton Queer History Project launches historical website, walking tours and podcast
Edmonton Queer History Project has launched new tools to help put a spotlight on the city's rich LGBTQ stories, including a website, a downtown map, walking tours and a podcast.
The initiatives took two years to complete.
Japkaran Saroya, a member of the project who worked on the Pride historical timeline, told CBC's Edmonton AM Tuesday that digging through the past was an eye-opening experience.
NEWS
Historical map highlights Edmonton's queer community and its untold stories
Edmontonians can now pick up a map and learn about the city’s queer community and its history.
The downtown map and walking tour features 27 sites of historical significance to Edmonton’s LGBTQ2S+ community.
Some of the sites include spots like Club 70, Pisces Health Spa, Womonspace, Edmonton 2 Spirit Society and Wallbridge and Imrie.
