Queer History Project chronicles struggle of Edmonton's LGBTQ community
Collection will be on display to celebrate Pride Festival's 35th year
A new project is collecting often-forgotten stories from Edmonton’s past: the struggles of the city’s queer community.
The Queer History Project is seeking out personal stories that document the fight for equality for gay and lesbian groups in the city.
“I think it's vital for any community to remember where you’ve been, the struggles it has been to bring you where you’re at,” said Rick Dagg, who has been active in the community for decades.
Daag, who helped establish one of Edmonton’s first openly gay-aligned businesses, said the city had made huge strides in the way that it treats its queer community.
It’s those personal experiences that the Queer History Project is seeking to highlight, said Michael Janz, a researcher with the exhibit.
“It’s the old saying that facts may tell, but stories tell,” he said.
“Contributions like this … are helpful for building inclusiveness and letting all citizens know that they are welcome in our city.”
The project is hosting three open weekends in January, encouraging people to bring in their memorabilia and share their personal accounts. The materials gathered will be used to build an exhibition on Edmonton’s queer history that will be put on display during Pride Week, to mark the festival’s 35th anniversary.
'It wasn’t safe to be open'
Dagg said the fight for equality took its toll on many of those active in the queer community. Born and raised in Alberta, he came out as gay in the early '80s -- a move that put him in danger.
“It wasn’t safe to be open. You could be fired, you could lose your accommodation,” he said.
“Open discrimination was safe, if not openly encouraged in some areas.”
He said the most difficult struggle was to become comfortable with himself -- a hard task in the face of discrimination. Eventually, it led to a suicide attempt over his inability to accept his sexual orientation
“Thank goodness I failed, and I am here today and it has been a wonderful life.”
While things have changed, Dagg said there are still parallels today to the battles that he and others fought twenty years ago. Issues like the recent battle over gay-straight alliances in the Legislature, as well as slow progress on getting changes made to human rights laws, show how much work Alberta still needs to do, he said.
“We seem to be repeating the same struggles. We make progress, but there seems to be the same segment of the population who don’t accept it,” Dagg said.
“Every step or progress we have made here, the government has been forced to do. It hasn't been something they have stepped forward to volunteer for.”
The Queer History Project exhibit will be on display at the Art Gallery of Alberta in June.