The ArQuives Digital Exhibitions

CLGRO and Queer Ontario

Queer Liberation in the 2010s pamphlet

The Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Rights was at the forefront of Ontario’s gay liberation movement. Their dedication resulted in various achievements from legal recognition in the Ontario Human Rights Code and provincial legislature to the creation of the Rainbow Health Network. In the new millennium, CLGRO organized for the legalization of queer marriage, trans rights, and changes in the education system to protect 2SLGBTQ+ youth. 

After 30 years, the coalition’s founding membership began to steeply decline and funds were sparse. As a result, the coalition decided to disband in 2010. Their legacy was passed on to a new queer liberationist group, Queer Ontario, led by previous CLGRO spokesperson Nick Mulé.1 Queer Ontario took an online-based approach in order to adapt to the rapidly advancing culture of communication and take root with the next generation of queer and trans activists. Similar to CLGRO, Queer Ontario is a liberationalist organization dedicated to queer social, institutional, and legal reform.2

  1. Rau, Krishna. "CLGRO to Shut down after 30 Years of Leadership." Xtra! Toronto's Gay and Lesbian News, no. 633, 29 Jan. 2009, pp. 5+. Archives of Sexuality and Gender.↩

  2.  “Queer Ontario.” The 519 Community Centre, November 14, 2022. https://www.the519.org/programs/queer-ontario/.↩

CLGRO and Queer Ontario