Oral History Interview with Elgin Blair and Richard Brown (1983)

Oral History Interview with Elgin Blair and Richard Brown (1983)

oral history, gay liberation, organisations, coming out, WWII, army, Unitarian, Christianity, gay bars, CHAT, The Body Politic, Older Gay Association, Gays and Lesbians against Disarmament (GLAD), depression, gay business, bars, baths, Lambda

In this oral history interview Elgin Blair and Richard Brown discuss their lives in Toronto as gay men. The interview begins with Elgin (58 years old) commenting on his coming out experience, his puritanical upbringing, his struggle to accept his homosexuality, time in service during the war, radical consciousness, and his work in the Unitarian gay caucus. Other topics include gay social structure in Toronto in the 1950s, gay bars, and Elgin’s involvement in the gay liberation movement and gay organizations such as CHAT, The Body Politic, Older Gay Association, and the Gays and Lesbians against Disarmament (GLAD), as well as in the CCF. Elgin also discusses how bars and pubs, and the people who met there, were instrumental in his coping with depression and sexual orientation. Richard Brown joins the conversation in the second half of the interview. He discusses the important role of gay business like bars and baths in the building of the gay community. He also comments on his personal life, growing up, coming out experience, and involvement in Lambda.

Foolscap Oral History Project

1983-03-20

John Grube, LGBTQ Oral History Digital Collaboratory (Elspeth Brown, PI), Zohar Freeman

CLGA

PDF, WAV

English

Sound, text

2016-034

Toronto 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s