Out North: An Archive of Queer Activism and Kinship in Canada

by Craig Jennex, Nisha Eswaran

The ArQuives, the largest independent LGBTQ2+ archive in the world, is dedicated to collecting, preserving, and celebrating the stories and histories of LGBTQ2+ people in Canada. Since 1973, volunteers have amassed a vast collection of important artifacts that speak to personal experiences and significant historical moments for Canadian queer communities. Out North: An Archive of Queer Activism and Kinship in Canada is a fascinating exploration and examination of one nation's queer history and activism, and Canada's definitive visual guide to LGBTQ2+ movements, struggles, and achievements.

Genres: Nonfiction, LGBT, Queer, History, Canada

288 pages, Hardcover

Published May 12, 2020

Reviews

[George Ilsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A massive volume produced by the largest LGBTQ archive in the world— The Arquives in Toronto. The result is naturally Toronto-centric, but that probably can’t be helped (Toronto is, after all, the capital of the known universe).

There are different cover versions for this book, with a varying assortment of buttons displayed — reminding us of different points of view and attitudes.

Of most interest to this reader were historical artifacts and context. When the material came closer to the present, I started skimming. Events from 2000 onwards can easily be researched, or remembered, but in previous decades the ephemera preserved in the archive become more valuable as links to living history and the experience of lived lives.

History begins yesterday, it is true, but can take much longer than a year or two to be organized and constructed into a coherent —and valuable— narrative.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this, but the erasure of the links between sex worker activism and queer activism in Canada made this impossible. I mean... they even have Danny Cockerline's papers at the The ArQuives, yet somehow he is completely absent from this book save an uncaptioned photo of him sitting in a library—a fact you'd only know if you looked him up in the index which points to this uncaptioned image. Furthermore, Chris Bearchell and Konnie Reich appear in different sections throughout the book, but no mention of their (or Danny's) work either starting or being involved in the Prostitutes' Safe Sex Project or Maggies or the Canadian Organization for the Rights of Prostitutes. Sex work is only mentioned in two places: 1) in passing when talking about the Fraser Committee's work on prostitution and pornography, but only as an issue of importance to queer activists because of censorship; 2) Mirha-Soleil Ross's brief mention where she thankfully isn't whitewashed as simply a trans activist, but also a sex worker activist. There's all this painstaking carefulness in talking about intersecting identities (rightly so!), but queer sex workers somehow got thrown under the bus...

[Ashley Daviau · Rating 5 out of 5]

As Michelle Visage would say “Do you like gay shit? Then read this book!” It’s such an amazing read, I’m so glad my library had it on a table at the front or I’d probably never have read it and I’d have been missing out. It provides an A-Z look at queer history in Canada and I really loved learning more about my country’s past in the gay sphere. Some parts are not so pretty but I did still enjoy reading them because it’s necessary to know the good and the bad of queer history. You can’t erase one without the other being erased as well and that’s just a fact. The graphics in this book are really fabulous as well, it was candy for my eyes and I loved it. I highly recommend this book whether you’re straight or gay as it provides a lot of necessary history of gay culture in Canada.

[TaraReadsBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cool to read about the history of queerness in Canada! I learned a lot and I really liked how the authors pushed against the notion of linear progress while showcasing the important work done by activists & organizations over the years. A must read!

[zack · Rating 5 out of 5]

The history of the Archives reminds us that processes of remembering, of curating and caring for material evidence of minoritarian lives, is not something that happens naturally or easily - it is a long and arduous process that requires collective effort, communal protection, and often, the obsessive attention of a few dedicated individuals.

What a read. What a collection. I really, really appreciated this one. It makes me a little sad I didn't buy it myself, but I'm also glad it's now part of the university library's collection, because it really deserves to be. There's so much to unpack here, and even as it has a single focus on Canada's queer history, it is ridiculously useful outside of Canada too. Of course, there's a lot to fit into one book; stories, collections and activist projects, and the list goes on. But it really does a good job at giving an overview, especially when it comes to presenting these. There's a page or two dedicated to each, with a short summary about the archive, the project or the activist group. Together with an overview of queer activism in Canada, and examples from the archives, it is a really fun, educating read.

[R.J. Gilmour · Rating 5 out of 5]

Produced by The Arquives, Canada's LGBTQ2+ archive, the book uses materials from the collection to map the history of LGBTQ2+ history in Canada. It is not only a wonderful resources detailing what is held by the Arquives it is also beautifully presented with lots of photographs of the collections.

The Immigration Act of 1952, for instance, increase the restrictions on Asian and African immigration well also banning ‘prostitutes, homosexuals, and degenerates.’ The Immigration Act drawers clear link between the so-called moral degeneracy of racialized people and that of homosexuals; those citizens with access to resources and even the most minimal protection of the state were able to organize against institutionalized homophobia explicit and visible ways. 20

Hush, a tabloid newspaper we discuss in more detail and subsequent chapters, was preoccupied with 'pansies parading our streets’ in the early 1930s. The publication offers sensationalized accounts of these ‘pansies,’ including an article in June 5, 1930, addition about “Toronto’s Love-Sick Pansy Boys” and a front page story on May 19, 1932, that warns of “Winnipeg’s ‘Pansy’ Traffic.” ‘These boys,’ the article from 1938 attests, ‘are prone to lip sticks, Rouge, delicate perfumes and extreme cuts of clothes. They are always falling violently in love with one another and their effeminate walk, mannerisms and voice makes the identification of a true Pansy quite easy’ [3]. 27

Concerns related to blackmail were informed, in part, by the defection of Igor Gouzenko in September 1945. In what became known as the Gouzenko Affair, cipher clerk, stationed at the Soviet Embassy in Ottawa, defected to Canadian forces and brought with him over one hundred secret documents, detailing the USSR’s large scale spying activities in Canada, the United States, and Great Britain-all of which were, at the time, allies of the Soviet Union. Gouzenko’s defection in Ottawa, which many historians considered to be the spark of the Cold War, heightened suspicion of blackmail, difference, and deviance and was used by many to portray leftists and communists as potential dangerous to the western world. 61

Illustration from Maclean’s Magazine, “Men are Men—or are they?” April 1, 1948. 62

Popular novels that incorporate homosexual desires, experiences and themes-including Gore Vidal’s The City and the Pillar (1948) and James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room (1956)-introduced homosexuality and queer desires to more mainstream literary audiences. 63

Kinsey’s report coincided with structural conditions that transformed homosexual desires into homosexual identities: the increase in disposable income enable people (especially men) with queer desires to move away from the heteronormative demands of the family and to live a ‘gay life.’ 64

In a more local context, Sidney Katz’s 1964 Maclean’s article “The Homosexual Next Door” built on what was known as the Kinsey scale-from the aforementioned studies by Kinsey and his collaborators-and featured Jim Egan (under the pseudonym Verne Baldwin) as a community informant. This article introduced some aspects of homosexual politics and Canada-what Katz refers to as a ‘Drive for ‘respectability’-to mainstream Canadian audiences in the mid 1960s. 65

In his unpublished memoir, playwright John Herbert notes that ‘the police of Toronto had several laws on the books by which they could pick up a man dressed in female clothing, one of which was called ‘Disguised by Night,’ another ‘vagrancy’ if the arresting officer could prove to the judge that the person and drag had no money for food or rent, and thirdly, ‘Gross indecency’ if the man was caught having sexual intercourse with another male.’ 69-70

This is certainly apparent in the case of Everett George Klippert, mechanic living in Pine Point, Northwest Territories, in the mid 1960s. Detained by police and asked about a recent arson in the community, Klippert was interrogated for hours and talked openly with police about his homosexual experiences with other men in the community. He was charged with ‘Gross indecency’ (and intentionally vague section of the Criminal Code often used to punish consensual sexual acts between men that did not qualify as ‘buggery’) and, in 1967, was declared a dangerous sexual offender likely to commit additional offences of the same kind. During the case, the judge noted that Klippert had never harmed another person and was unlikely to do so in the future. Ultimately, though, such details didn't matter-Klippert was declared a dangerous sexual offender and sentenced to what the court called ‘preventative detention.’ 70

Maurice Leznoff’s 1954 McGill University MA thesis, “The Homosexual in Urban Society,’ analyzes the lifestyles and experiences of homosexual men in ‘a large cosmopolitan Canadian city which we will refer to as ‘Easton’ (16). The city was clearly Montreal, and Leznoff’s is one of the first sociological studies on male homosexuality in Canada. The Addiction Research Foundation procured a study on the Letros Tavern called Working Papers on the Tavern: Notes on the Gay Bar, which to understand the relationship between sexuality, cross dressing, and alcohol addiction. Similarly, Men in Women’s Clothing, edited by Dr. Crichton Allison, Took a medical approach to cross-dressing and identified the link between dress, gender, and sexual behaviour. 80

‘Fags in Drag,’ TAB, 1962: 81

After his release, Herbert went on to write the play Fortune and Men’s Eyes, based on his experience and the reformatory [Guelph]. It was first staged in Stratford, Ontario, in 1965 before opening off Broadway at the Actor’s Playhouse in February 1967. 84

To a lesser extent, tabloids also targeted lesbians as a ‘threat’ to the proper function of Canadian society. 90

Like most physique magazines of the time, Quebec-based Face & Physique was ostensibly created for two groups: people interested in physical fitness and artists who wanted male models for their work. In practice, the magazines were enthusiastically taken up by homosexual men as erotic texts. 98

GAY began publishing in Toronto in March 1964. The tabloid featured and odd mix of content; the first issue, for example, comprised a letter from the editor, clipart, stories on a range of topics (High heel stimulation and the experiences of a call boy, among others), photographs, and excerpt of Pietro Aretino’s 1536 Ragionatmenti translated by Bernhardt J. Hurwood, and a recipe for veal cutlets. 118

TWO: The Homosexual Viewpoint in Canada began in July 1964 as a magazine, publishing art, essays, reviews, news, and physique photographs. Published by Gayboy Publishing (later renamed Kamp Publishing), TWO was initiated by Richard Kerr, co-owner of the Music Room (page 76), and listed the Music Room as it's editorial offices.119

In the 1960s, varies individuals publish fictional work that dealt overly with homosexual themes. These self-representations functioned as counter-narratives to the homophobic and sensation was mainstream media representation of homosexuality. They also gave a literary voice to the politics occurring on the ground: lesbian fiction, for instance, spoke to a generation of women who were fighting for their bodily autonomy, for the right to work freely outside the home, and for sexual freedom and independence from the institution of marriage. 121-122

Collective dance experiences were vital to queer movements in the 1970s (and subsequent decades), such events in engender a sense of belonging and agency, well also raising funds for specific legal challenges facing case and lesbians. 137

Historian Tom Hooper’s chart of Bath House raised in Canada between 1968 and 2004 shows the sheer number of rates and rest following the 1969 amendments to the Criminal Code, reminding us that the often celebrated changes did little to dissuade local police departments from harassing gays and lesbians (Hooper, 2018). 145

On August 28, 1971, gay groups amassed on Parliament Hill in Ottawa to demand recognition and equal rights for gays and lesbians in Canada and what was the first large scale public demonstration for gay rights in Canada. Toronto Gay Action (TGA) coordinated the action and compiled the list of demands-written by Herb Spiers and David Newcome-that dealt specifically with federal legislation. George Hislop and Pat Murphy, on behalf of CHAT (page 106), Pierre Masson, representing Le front de liberation des homosexuals (page 112), spoke at the rally. Charlie Hill welcome the approximately 100 demonstrators, noting that ‘we are here to demand equal rights.’ Hill made it clear that so-called ‘decriminalization’ of homosexuality had, in reality, done to create equitable conditions for sexual minorities. 163-164

The gay and lesbian Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) establish a Toronto congregation in 1973. The following year, the Toronto Star refused to advertisement for the MCC because it was ‘distasteful to our readership.’ Led by Brent Hawkes from 1977 to 2017, the MCC provided (and continues to provide) services that have extended beyond spiritual support over the years, including, since the 1980s, hospice care support groups for people living with HIV/AIDS. 173

In December 1977, Weekend Magazine ran a double page spread of gay lesbian liberation activists. The caption accompanying the image listed to 21 individuals’ professions: businessman, curator, Author, professor, librarian, student, engineer, Office worker, and teacher, among others. 198

Rupert Raj (under his former name, Nicholas Christopher Ghosh) formed the Foundation for the Advancement of Canadian Transsexuals (FACT) in Calgary in January 1978. Raj served as the group’s president, Kyle J. Spooner as vice president, and Christopher E. Black as secretary and treasurer…
In 1978, FACT began publishing Gender Review: TheFACTual Journal, monthly newsletter that compiled these resources and documented FACT’s work. Gender Review was the first national trans newsletter in Canada. 204-205

After the police raids of The Barracks, a support group called the December 9th Defence Fund what's establish by collective of gay men to support the men who were arrested in the raid with legal and financial assistance. Executive members included Tom Warner from the Coalition for Gay Rights in Ontario (CGRO), Brent Hawkes from the Metropolitan Community Church (page 128), and Brian Mossop from GATE Toronto. A few months later, the Fund was renamed the Right to Privacy Committee (RTPC). 211

Shortly after 11 PM on Thursday, February 5, 1981, hundreds of Toronto police Service Officers-organized by the Morality Department of the Metropolitan Toronto Police-stormed four gay bathhouses in downtown Toronto: The Barracks (at 56 Widmer Street), The Club (at 231 Mutual Street), Richmond Street Health Emporium (at 260 Richmond Street East), and the Roman’s II Health and Recreation Spa (at 740 Bay Street). The Police man-oeuvre was dubbed Operation Soap. Three hundred men were arrested-20 employees for ‘keeping common bawdy houses; and the rest for ‘being found in at a bawdy house.’ The bathhouse raids resulted in the largest mass arrest in Canadian history up to that time, save for the October Crisis of 1970. 218

In 1983, the Government of Canada, amended several elements of the Criminal Code to intensify the criminalization of pornography and sex work, expanding the definition of obscenity to include ‘degrading representations’ and criminalizing the solicitation of sex in a car, which made it possible to charge and convict sex work customers as well as sex workers themselves. The same year, the government establish the Fraser Committee to collect information and solicit public input on pornography and prostitution to inform national legislation. The Fraser Report, released in 1985, ultimately advocated for the decriminalization of prostitution and the prohibition of pornographic materials that depicted physical harm or abuse. 229-230

The AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) was formed in 1983 in response to the growing panic concerning AIDS, to attempt to spell inaccurate information concerning the cause of AIDS and create spaces to share resources, information, and support among those affected. The first AIDS awareness week was establishing 1984 as a result of ACT’s efforts; it was recognized at a national level in 1991. In 1986, the national Canadian AIDS Society (CAS) was created as an umbrella network for HIV/AIDS Community organizations across the country. 237

In 1985, the Parliamentary Committee on Equality Rights released the report Equality for ALL, condemning the discriminatory treatment of homosexuals in Canada and recommending that the Canadian Human Rights Act be amended to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation. In 1986, the federal government responded to the report by stating that it would 'take whatever measures are necessary to ensure that sexual orientation is a prohibited ground of discrimination in relation to all areas of federal jurisdiction.’ 241

[Tim]

Very good. As the book itself says, it can't include everything. Was a bit puzzled at NO mention of Fantino's Project Guardian witch-hunt in London at all, and no mention of the Queen's Homophile Association/etc. of Kingston, which was an organization around for many years. But otherwise, very comprehensive.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

After setting Out North on my feed a handful of times, I reserved it at the library -- it sounded fascinating, and was pink and full of pictures to boot! Published by the ArQuives and Figure.1 Publishing, it covers the queer history of Canada, from the very early days to the 2020s. Divided into eras, each section discusses the various ways 2SLGBTQ+ people engaged in activism and came together to support each other.
Of course, there is too much history to sum up in a single book. Out North focusses on activism and kinship, specifically activist groups, clubs and other gay establishments, performing troupes, protests, publications, and more, with plenty of visual materials pulled from the ArQuives and a few other archives throughout Canada. Prefacing each section was a summary of the era, including societal impressions, legal changes, and the major social movements. I think what I found most valuable was the reminder that despite the legal and social progress made, social changes took much, much longer to follow (if they have caught up at all)it was not linear. I was surprised to hear Canada, in 2003, was only the 4th country worldwide to legalize gay marriage. I was shocked that Toronto police raided a gay establishment in the 2000s(!). And I acknowledge my privilege in not knowing these earlier.
, but ebbed and flowed over the decades.

However, one gap that I’d seen others reference in my feed was that the book does not thoroughly discuss where the community had failed to come together in kinship. In most cases, the creation of organizations for marginalized groups, like trans, women, Black and Indigenous queer groups are mentioned as counters to the predominantly white hetero male narrative of most queer organizations, but the extent to which they were marginalized is not thoroughly detailed. The bulk of the detail on this topic is in the afterword.

I don’t think this is necessarily an issue, but I love when books reference topics they don’t have time to explore, rather than leave it to the reader. So in summary, I think this is a really good book to read if you’re looking for a summary of a history of Canadian LGBTQ+ history, particularly the amount of effort that went into building community in the face of violence and discrimintion. However, read critically and be aware of the history missing from the pages.

[Nicolas Lontel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un beau livre qui livre un très faible échantillon malgré environ 250 pages des ArQuives, une bibliothèque canadienne d'archives LGBTQ2+ selon leur nom. Je suis quand même content· d'avoir lu plus tôt cette année Documenting Rebellions: A Study of Four Lesbian and Gay Archives qui s'attardait à parler de la création et de l'archive de cette bibliothèque puisque je connaissais donc les fondations et les idées derrière les collections et maintenant, je peux apercevoir une partie de la collection.

J'insiste sur le "une partie" puisque prenons un exemple quantifié dans ce bel ouvrage, la collection d'ArQuives posséderaient 1 500 macarons (p.208), mais on n'en présente qu'une 30aine dans tout l'ouvrage (plus une vingtaine en couverture, certain les mêmes qu'on retrouve à l'intérieur) et c'est un des rares objets qu'il est possible de mettre en grande quantité en image dans l'ouvrage (beaucoup de photographies et de documents textes prennent 1/3 de page ou une page complète). Bref, c'est un petit aperçu de la collection qui invite à découvrir le reste.

Ce beau livre présente aussi une histoire, déchronologisé, bien que présenté en trois large mesure de temps des mouvements queer au Canada à travers de nombreux 2-6 pages de textes s'articulant autour d'une grande panoplie de sujets: les bars, les librairies, les mouvements autochtones, BLM, les parades, la répression policière (à de nombreuses reprises), les changements légaux, des événements marquants, etc.

Un très bel aperçu, j'ai même noté deux, trois livres à consulter par la suite (il y a quelques références ça et là), une belle exploration de la collection.

[Gil Segev · Rating 4 out of 5]

This makes for a very high level overview of recent Canadian queer history, focusing heavily on Toronto but making an effort to cover other cities. All of the topics covered are designed to give a snippet rather than tell a full story, and the photos chosen help to entice the reader to explore further. My one critique is that the book appears to vilify faith, only recounting how it has been used to oppress queer people, rather than including the very important contributions that spiritual communities have made to queer lives over the years. The only place where faith is portrayed positivity is in a page about a queer mosque in the 2010s, which ignores histories of organizations like Chutzpah, which provided queer Jewish programming and community decades earlier.

[Gabrielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally! A book about Canadian Queer history!! It was amazing to finally learn more about the gay liberation movement in my home country rather than through an American lens. It's astounding that as a Canadian citizen I knew about Stonewall YEARS before I knew about the Canadian protests.

I got some great music, pulp fiction, and documentary recommendations from this book and have gone on to discover that many have been digitized by various Canadian archives and are available for free online.

My only wish is that the book had been longer.

[Rachel Ashera Rosen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a rare resource, beautifully assembled, covering as much of Canada's queer and trans history as the authors could manage. Though it is quite strange to see friends of mine and spaces and events that I attended as part of "history." I guess I'm getting old. Anyway, my one critique, since I am old, is that some of the pink on white text is very hard to read, even though the book itself is gorgeously produced. Regardless, this is a treasure trove of queer resilience, struggle, and joy.

[Evelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Craig Jennex has written a fascinating, fun and informative journey down memory lane for the Canadian LGBTQ2+ movement and participants. Most of photographs, artifacts and illustrations are provided by the Canadian ArQuives and richly illustrate the text. A mostly chronological organization encourages the reader to dip into favourite periods and events.

[Rai · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice overview of various events and organizations in Canadian queer history, with a nice sampling of archival materials. Doesn't go very in-depth about any one thing, but gives a lot of good branching off points for further research

[Eli Barnet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good except that the book was too large and difficult to carry around

[Zandra is now on StoryGraph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Massively Toronto-centric, as expected, but extremely valuable nonetheless.