March 2022

31 Mar, 2022 International Transgender day of visibility

This March 31st, the Quebec Gay Archives wish to celebrate the International Transgender Day of Visibility by shedding light on some of our trans archives, which are available on our website as of now.

The archives in questions are issues of the TAMs & Tissues newsletter, which was aimed towards the anglophone transvestite and transexual (TV-TS) communities. This newletter, of which the AGQ has issues dating between 1979 and 1983, was published by TAMs (Transvestites à Montreal), a group comprised of MTF (male-to-female) TVs and TSs. This group offered social opportunities, discussion groups and workshops. Later, the group split into TAMs and WOMEN à Montréal en Neuf, as the latter responded to the specific needs of transsexual women.

The periodical was distributed elsewhere in English-speaking North America, and, though the main language of the publication was English, there were still contributions by Francophones. Although the periodical was primarily geared towards what today we would call the transfeminine community, it contained a few contributions about transsexual men.

Trans history has been for a long time rendered invisible. Today, we wish to show our support for our trans peers by making these archives accessible. The AGQ are committed to promoting diversity and inclusion of all LGBTQ2S+ communities.

You can consult the digitized TAMs & Tissues periodical here

22 Mar, 2022 An interesting conference

History in the Making is a student run conference coordinated annually by Concordia University graduate students for graduate students throughout the world. The conference provides emerging scholars with a platform to present their research, receive valuable input from panelists and conference attendees and ultimately refine their findings and strengthen their arguments. The conference also provides graduate students with an opportunity to network and forge friendships with other emerging scholars from across the continent and beyond. Founded in 1995 by Concordia PhD student Keith Lowther (lost due to AIDS complications in 1997), HITM 2022 Pandemic at the Disco: Bodies, Disruptions, Transformations marks the conference’s 27th year, taking place at Concordia University’s Webster Library on April 1-2, 2022.

The Archives gaies du Québec is proud to co-present the opening keynote by Ann Cvetkovich, author of An Archive of Feelings: Trauma, Sexuality, and Lesbian Public Cultures (Duke University Press) whose work “argues for the importance of recognizing—and archiving—accounts of trauma that belong as much to the ordinary and everyday as to the domain of catastrophe.” (And incidentally, the Archives’ own Simone Beaudry-Pilotte will also be presenting their latest research on the AGQ’s VHS collection as part of the conference).

Attendance is free, but registration is required via eventbrite, and the conference also invites attendees to make a donation to the Archives gaies du Québec via our Donate page or in person.

For more information visit the official website of the event.

18 Mar, 2022 The Quebec Gay Archives were there!

Last week, that is, from March 14 to 18, the École Polytechnique de Montréal held the 2022 edition of its diversity week in engineering.

At the request of the Poly-Out 2SLGBTQIA+ committee, the Quebec Gay Archives lent the panels of our Histoires des communautés LGBTQ2S+ au Québec exhibit for the event, which were displayed in a high traffic space called the tunnel.

We are happy to have contributed to the success of this event. This is in line with the AGQ’s mandate to: “disseminate any record that documents the history of LGBTQ2S+ associations and individuals, to fight discrimination and prejudices against LGBTQ2S+ communities, and to promote the diversity and inclusion of LGBTQ2S+ people” (article 1.6, General regulations of the Quebec Gay Archives).

Once more, the Quebec Gay Archives can claim loud and proud, “Mission accomplished!”

12 Mar, 2022 A Peculiar Exhibit

Between March 10 and 12, The Richmond salon in Montreal hosted the PaykanArtCar exhibit.

he Quebec Gay Archives were invited and our coordinator, Pierre Pilotte, represented our organization. This travelling exhibit, moving from city to city and country to country, seeks to raise awareness among the general public about the violence and abuses to which LGBTQ+ people in Iran are subjected.

The exhibit showcases a Paykan limousine, which Iran’s Shah gifted to Nicolae Ceaușescu in 1974 when he became the president of Romania. It must be noted that the Paykan was Iran’s national car brand until its manufacturing ceased in 2005. Alireza Shojaian, an Iranian activist and artist, used this car as a setting to depict the tragic story of two lovers. This is an original and spectacular way of denouncing human rights violation of LGBTQ+ people in Iran.

To learn more about this travelling exhibit, you can consult the following website : www.paykanartcar.com

03 Mar, 2022 The situation in Ukraine

We wish to express our solidarity with Ukrainians, who are currently going through a difficult time.

Though in Ukraine, LGBTQ+ rights are not recognized to the same extent as here, LGBTQ+ people still have a legal status since the decriminalization of homosexuality in 1991. Despite many obstacles, LGBTQ+ people have some legal protections.

Since 2013, there is a Pride march in Kyiv. This will all be brutally taken away if the Russian government’s iron fist takes hold of Ukraine, as under Putin, LGBTQ+ people are persecuted, imprisoned, or worse.