1994-006/20P(10P)

Audio recording of One Small Step by Garth Webb Secondary School Grade 10 students.

One Small Step

Edited by: Adrien Sun Hall (he/him), Curator

The door swung open on a sunny summer’s day as Charlie Drinkwater and Doug Wilson marched out onto the streets with a sign that read “ARE WE NOT HUMAN? WHERE ARE OUR RIGHTS?”

In Saskatoon, Saskatchewan on June 29th, 1977, the 2SLGBTQ+ community came together to protest against the discrimination and unjust laws that they faced their whole lives. This protest was part of the 5th Annual Gay Conference called “Towards a Gay Community”. Though it was a smaller rally of about 60 members and allies of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, Charlie and Doug stood together proudly with their community as they faced prejudice and discrimination head on. Charlie attended the University of Saskatoon, but was denied graduation just because he lived openly as a gay man. This inspired him to become an activist, fighting injustice for himself and the 2SLGBTQ+ community.

In 1988, Charlie was the first openly gay candidate to be nominated by a major political party to stand for parliament. Doug was also a huge activist for queer rights, after the conference, he was made vice-president of the gay community centre of Saskatoon. Canada’s history of annual Gay Conferences and their protests, helped others feel seen in the fight for 2SLGBTQ+ rights. Charlie and Doug marched together for change, not just for themselves, but for all of us.

1990-002/07P

Audio recording of Fighting for LGBTQ+ Immigration Rights by Garth Webb Secondary School Grade 10 students.

Fighting for LGBTQ+ Immigration Rights

Edited by: Michelle Douglas, Executive Director of the LGBT Purge Fund and Purge survivor

In amendments to the Immigration Act in 1952, the government refused to allow the entry of people with different sexual orientations into Canada. LGBTQ+ people were often rejected from entering Canada because they were seen as “undesirable” and “immoral” and homosexuality was labeled as a mental illness. To address this injustice, The Gay Alliance Towards Equity (GATE) was founded in Vancouver, British Columbia by a group of gay men and lesbian women, at a time when civil rights were being challenged by people all over the nation. This discrimination continued through the 1960's and 70’s. Three members of GATE, Brian Mossop, Randy Notte and Micheal Riordon, highlighted the exclusion of their community in the Green Paper, demanding recognition from the government and equal rights. Their protest signs, though, had a deeper meaning; they were a symbolic gesture of resistance against discrimination, a demand for human dignity, and a call for full inclusion in Canadian society for LGBTQ people.

In October 1975, after months of protests and rallies, the discriminatory clauses in the Immigration Act were removed, allowing immigrants of all identities to legally immigrate to Canada without prejudice. This change marked a crucial moment in our history in Canada for equality and inclusion, but didn’t mark the end of anti-2SLGBTQ+ acts in our country.

2014-045/(01P)

Audio recording of Enough is Enough by Garth Webb Secondary School Grade 10 students.

Enough is Enough

Edited by: Mr. Kevin Bray (he/him) Equity and Inclusion Consultant

“Operation Soap” was launched on February 5th, 1981, and it still haunts the queer community in Toronto to this day. On this day, 150 police officers  smashed up 4 bath houses across Toronto in a coordinated raid. This led to the arrest of 286 gay men, and sparked a protest that would galvanize the gay rights movement in Canada. The police beat, insulted, and taunted these individuals, with one cop saying “too bad these showers weren't hooked up to gas”. They also damaged the bath houses smashing doors and equipment with crowbars and sledgehammers causing $5,000,000 worth of damage. 24 hours later a crowd of around 3000 angry people - both queer and straight allies and undercover cops - took  to the streets in protest. They marched down Yonge Street to the Toronto Police 52 Division headquarters and Queen’s Park to protest the bath house raids and the ongoing and unnecessary violence against the 2SLGBTQ+ community.

Today the queer community advocates for change but with more support, and teaches young people important lessons about the struggle and commitment for change in the queer community.

Because “Enough is Enough”.

1982-177(01P)(03P)

Audio recording of Marching for Change by Garth Webb Secondary School Grade 10 students.

Marching for Change

Edited by: Ken Setterington, MSM (he/him)

There was just 1 person, then there were 5, then 10, and 50, then a crowd formed. They were already riled up as they marched through the heart of downtown Toronto from Queen St. to Yonge. In June 1981, the LGBTQ+ community came together to march and protest. It was becoming a tradition and laid the foundation for more inclusive and politically active pride events to follow. The queer community faced many obstacles including legal discrimination and police harassment. The AIDS crisis on the horizon would add further challenges. The queer community faced these challenges proudly despite how the Canadian government and society treated them. When thousands of people took to the streets they were not only celebrating but they were also demonstrating a powerful act of resistance. Then, such marches were less about pride and more about visibility and survival. Each became a distinct historic turning point in the LGBTQ+ rights movement.

In December 1981 the Ontario Legislature defeated an amendment which would have added “Sexual Orientation” to the province’s human rights code. The march in this photo may appear small but it played a key role in fighting ongoing injustice and shaping the 2SLGBTQ+ community as we know it today.

1990-002/178(06P)

Audio recording of We Will Be Seen by Garth Webb Secondary School Grade 10 students.

We Will Be Seen

Edited by: Heather Riley (they/he), Artist

In a city where acceptance was unattainable, the LGBTQ+ community fought tirelessly and amplified their demand for rights, by proudly climbing the steps of Calgary City Hall. It was June 28, 1980, the National Gay Rights Conference had arrived in Calgary, and with the conference came a march for human rights. The Chief of Police Brian Sawyer, refused to grant a parade permit leading to 40 angry conference delegates gathered outside City Hall saying “WE WILL BE SEEN”. Police Chief Brian Sawyer had personally declined their permit, intentionally refusing to accept them and acknowledge their rights, instead choosing to join the popular opinion at the time, and stay prejudiced against the LGBTQ+ community.

The group of protesters marched over to City Hall anyways, and stood outside for 30 minutes with signs reading “WE WILL BE SEEN” and “OUT OF CLOSETS” while the press filmed this influential moment. Predictably the police arrived, and debated with the President of Gay Information & Resources Calgary, Bob Harris, but the protesters remained silent the entire time, avoiding becoming a “disturbance” while still advocating for their rights.

The protest ended without event, no protesters were arrested, and they marched quietly to their next location. The protesters revealed their struggles to the City of Calgary, and provoked change for the better in Canada. They were seen, and as an accomplished and impactful force for change.

2019-022/01P(02P)

Audio recording of Graves in the Streets by Garth Webb Secondary School Grade 10 students.

Graves in the Streets

Edited by: Shawn Dearn (he/him)

Unmoving bodies laid strewn by the dozens across the cold Toronto street as far as the eye could see; the result of an indiscriminate massacre, a representation of the deadly epidemic that is AIDS. This is the message that is being sent in a rally at the Sheridan Hotel in Toronto, in 1983 by AIDS ACTION Now!, an AIDS activism organization founded by professor and journalist Michael Lynch and teacher George Smith in 1988. Although HIV/AIDS was deadly, the epidemic in the 1980s and 90s was also marked by large amounts of misinformation and inattention, leading to neglect and lack of treatment for patients and resulting in many unnecessary deaths. There was also significant stigma around the disease, partially because it became falsely associated with gay people, with it being called Gay-Related Immune Deficiency (GRID), which further fueled homophobic discrimination.

 In order to combat this misinformation and lack of attention regarding HIV/AIDS, activist groups such as the AIDS Committee of Toronto and AIDS ACTION Now! began organizing resources to support people with the disease and hold rallies to call for awareness and action. Many of these rallies focused on catching attention, like in this die-in where protesters lay pretending to be dead or holding up gravestones. Their effort eventually paid off; dramatic scenes like this  raised public and government awareness of the impacts of this disease. The increase in awareness for HIV/AIDS allowed for greater funding for treatments and medicines that could subdue its effects and make it less fatal, helping save and extend the lives of many Canadians. However, even though research of HIV/AIDS continues, the disease’s impacts still persist; while the bodies and graves in the rallies may not be real, those of the thousands who have been and continue to be lost to AIDS very much are.

1986-032/76P

Audio recording of Loud & Proud at Queen's Park by Garth Webb Secondary School Grade 10 students.

Loud and Proud at Queen’s Park 

Edited by: Kathleen Wynne (she/her), Former Premier of Ontario

Before the brightly coloured pride parades, and before the rainbow flags flew freely, a whisper of defiance rose in Toronto’s streets. What ignited the first sparks of the fight for 2SLGBTQ+  rights? In 1971, the first gay rights protest, the WE Demand March, paved the way for many more to come. The biggest problems and issues for the community were equal rights, legal protections, discrimination and social stigma against 2SLGBTQ+ people. Many 2SLGBTQ+ people were criminalized and experienced ongoing homophobia,  transphobia, and the fear of family and social rejection. 

The 1974 protest at Queen’s Park, was one of the most influential because it was a catalyst for change. The queer people seen in the photo who protested for the rights of 2SLGBTQ+ people raised awareness for 2SLGBTQ+ rights, created a sense of safety and community and they also laid the foundation for our future. . 

Soon after, in 1977, Quebec was the first province to add sexual orientation to the human rights code and in 1978 they lifted the ban on homosexual immigration. In 1986 sexual orientation was added to the human rights code in every province and territory. Following that in 1992, Canada allowed LGBTQ+ people to serve in the military. Same sex marriage in Canada was legally recognized nation-wide  on July 20, 2005 (the 3rd country in the world to do so). All of these milestones were achieved by constant protests, marches and rallies through the streets in Toronto, Ottawa and beyond.  Because of these protests, queer people face far less discrimination from the Canadian government and members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community are now more accepted not only in Canada, but across the globe. We can celebrate openly.  We are no longer whispering but announcing our defiance loudly and proudly in Canada.

1986-032/19P(09)

Audio recording of We March by Garth Webb Secondary School Grade 10 students.

WE March

Edited by: Christopher Rouleau (he/him) 

Would you be willing to risk everything to defend your human rights? 

On August 28, 1971, a small group of brave 2SLGBTQIA+ activists did just that in Canada’s capital.

Armed with megaphones and protest banners, dozens of members of Gay Action Toronto (GAT) and the Community Homophile Association of Toronto (CHAT) gathered in Ottawa for the We Demand March to demand justice and equality for gay people. United by a common goal — to make their voices heard — these protesters chanted loudly and fought relentlessly in the name of equal rights. Gay leaders, Charlie Hill and George Hislop did not let the torrential rain stop them from standing proudly on Parliament Hill, presenting their ten demands in the presence of journalists and the public. Hill and Hislop explicitly addressed many of the problems faced by the 2SLGBTQ+ community that had been ignored in the past; broken promises made by the Canadian Government, systemic racism, and laws that either excluded or discriminated against 2SLGBTQ+ Canadians. They demanded an end to these injustices, and for the government to protect the rights of minority populations, which included both 2SLGBTQ+ as well as Indigenous communities. While little changed that day on Parliament Hill on the day of the We Demand March, the event was widely covered in national news media, and succeeded in raising more awareness for the gay community. In the years and decades that would follow, all ten demands would eventually be met, with laws amended by the Canadian government. Hill, Hislop, and all of the activists in attendance that day carved a path for future generations of queer Canadians.   The We Demand March was a challenging, but brave first step in a long battle for 2SLGBTQIA+ rights in Canada.

1982-038/04(09P)

Audio recording of Allied in Protest by Garth Webb Secondary School Grade 10 students.

Allied in Protest

Edited by: The Honourable Marnie McBean OC OLY, Independent Senator, Ontario, Senate of Canada

In a time when both feminism and gay rights were controversial, another powerful moment of unity and community occurred in downtown Toronto. During the 1980 demonstrations for International Women's Day in Toronto, these gay men protested in solidarity with women, carrying a banner that combined symbols of the Rise Up! and gay liberation movements. This march focused on the social and political barriers that women faced due to the greater issue of their marginalization. Women continued to be denied fundamental employment rights, struggled with inadequate social services, and lacked control over their bodies in a society still shaped by patriarchal laws and attitudes. 

This discrimination was amplified for Lesbian women and the broader 2SLGBTQ+ community. This need for justice for the 2SLGBTQ+ community, who experienced similar barriers and were also being marginalized, resulted in these allies showing their unity and support of feminism. “Bread and Roses”, the theme of this International Women’s Day, was a term that represented how just having basic needs isn’t enough; you also need a life purpose. This motivated thousands of women and their allies to march through the streets to demand equal pay, reproductive rights, affordable childcare and protection against gender-based violence, among other issues. The rally was  a powerful step towards equality for ALL women and built solidarity among protesters. It has contributed to the ongoing fight for equal rights for both women and members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community and continues to shape a more equitable society in Canada. The 2SLGBTQ+ community has and continues to be an ally to the women’s liberation movement.