November 2017

24 Nov, 2017 John Banks, Marlene Dietrich and the Blue Angel

On November 19 2017, John Banks, long time volunteer at the Quebec Gay Archives, was invited to speak of his work relation with Marlene Dietrich during a presentation of the film Der blaue Engel (The Blue Angel).  The invitation was made by Mr Philippe Spurrell, director of the Cinéclub Film Society. The screening of the Blue Angel took place in the Arts Building of Concordia University before some 80 individuals.  John Banks took the opportunity to speak about his work with the Quebec Gay Archives and informed the audience that his correspondence with Madame Dietrich was held by the organization.  Pierre Pilotte, AGQ coordinator, accompanied Mr Banks and used the opportunity to distribute publicity materials.  During his own introduction and presentation, Mr Spurrell also had some kind words about the Quebec Gay Archives and thanked us for our participation in the event.  We thank him for the invitation and for the warm welcome to his film community.

16 Nov, 2017 Lecture by Professor Lucas Hilderbrand on the history of American gay bars since Stonewall

The Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema, the Concordia University Interdisciplinary Studies in Sexuality program and the Queer Database Canada-Quebec, in association with the Quebec Gay Archives, present a lecture by Professor Lucas Hilderbrand of the University of California – Irvine on the history of gay bars in the USA since Stonewall.   The lecture will take place on Thursday, 23 November at 6:30 pm at Stock Bar, 1171 St-Catherine Est.

From Chicago to Kansas City, from New York City to Atlanta, Lucas Hilderbrand will lecture on the complex post-1969 history of gay bars in the United States. Giving Montreal audiences a peek of his forth-coming book The Bars Are Ours: The Culture of Gay Bars in the U.S. Since Stonewall, he will cover a wide array of topics, including: sex laws, leather and drag scenes, the AIDS epidemic, and coalitional politics.

Lucas Hilderbrand (PhD Cinema Studies, NYU) teaches film & media, visual & queer studies at University of California Irvine. Author of the acclaimed book Inherent Vice (2009) and the Queer Film Classics monograph Paris is Burning (2013), he has written on the pleasures & politics of video bootlegging, the mediations of queer memory, & the ambiguities of experimental documentary.

16 Nov, 2017 Vincent Warren (1938-2017)

On October 25 2017 Vincent Warren, a great friend and benefactor of the Quebec Gay Archives, passed away.  Iconic dancer of les Grand Ballets Canadiens from 1961 to 1979, he was the incarnation of beauty, grace and sensuality on stage and greatly contributed to the development of the Bibliothèque de la danse which bears his name (http://bibliodanse.ca).  Goodbye Vincent, and thank you.