Browse Items (3176 total)

Gay activist, educationalist and writer, Bernard Courte, was raised in Weir, Quebec, where he was told to 'speak white'. Bernard learned English out of necessity. This and an early traumatic experience with homophobia--the infamous 1977 raid on Truxx…

Harold Desmarais has been an active community organizer in Ontario since 1970, taking a leading role in numerous organizations, starting with Windsor Gay Unity (1972 - 1980). He was one of the founders of the Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Rights in…

Struck by a bolt from the blue when she was 11 in the form of a ginger-haired girl in her class in Chesterfield - she was in love. A process which has brought much pleasure since and more hard work than she anticipated.

The struggle to know and…

Michelle Douglas never imagined herself as an activist, yet that was exactly what she became after being fired by the Canadian Armed Forces in 1989 for being a lesbian. Michelle joined the military in 1986 and, by all accounts, was at the beginning…

John Duggan grew up on an Ontario farm, moved to Ottawa in 1970 and became involved in Gays of Ottawa (GO) in 1974. At GO, John worked tirelessly on the peer-counselling, public education, and political action committees; wrote for GO’s newspaper (…

Sara Ellen Dunlop, beloved Toronto lesbian, singer and personality, died of cancer in February 1978. A true force in women's music, she was a founder of the original Mama Quilla band. During the 1960's, Sara was a co-creator and co-owner of the Music…

Jim Egan is one of the heroes in the struggle for gay and lesbian rights in Canada. Starting in 1949, he began to publicly challenge the view that homosexuality was an illness or worse. In those early years, Jim was a lone voice demanding equality…

Born and raised on Wikwemikong Unceded Territory, Manitoulin Island, Gloria Eshkibok is a Two-Spirited actor, singer, and community activist. Her theatre credits include acting in Billy Merasty's Fireweed, Alanis Odjig's Manitoulin Incident, Audrey…

Lynne Fernie is a widely respected film-maker, multi-disciplinary artist and cultural activist. A prolific cultural producer, Lynne is best known for her films, which include the much-loved lesbian classic Forbidden Love: The Unashamed Stories of…

John Fisher is Executive Director of EGALE (Equality for Gays and Lesbians Everywhere). John holds the degrees of B.A., LL.B. (Hons) (Auck.) and LL.M. (Queen's), where he wrote his thesis on lesbian and gay rights under international law. He also…