AGQ-F0001

Fonds Groupe homosexuel d’action politique (GHAP). – 1973-1976. – 13 cm of textual records.

 

 

Administrative history :

 

The Groupe homosexuel d’action politique (GHAP) was founded in Montreal in March 1975, following the march on 8 March 1975 to mark International Women’s Day, and as a reaction to the trend in Quebec embodied by social action groups such as the Service d’entraide homophile de Québec (SEHQ) and the Centre homophile urbain de Montréal (CHUM), founded in the spring of 1974 and January 1974 respectively. GHAP was “the first grouping of socialist homosexuals in Quebec” (Noël 1998, p. 200). GHAP’s anti-capitalist stance envisaged solidarity with other oppressed groups, such as women and workers. The members were university teachers, trade unionists, workers and students, some of whom had been active in the Front de libération homosexuel (FLH), founded in Montreal in March 1971 and active until June 1972. In addition to leading discussions and drafting policy papers, a gay liberation manifesto and leaflets, GHAP took part in the May 1, 1975, March 8, 1975 and March 8, 1976 parades, the Third Conference of Homosexual Groups in Ottawa (June 1975) and the demonstration organized by the Committee to Defend John Damien in Toronto (September 1975). Due to internal disagreements linked in particular to a lack of consensus on the group’s intervention practices and theoretical positions, GHAP ceased its activities in May 1976, when the Comité homosexuel anti-répression (CHAR) was founded in Montreal.

 

 

Scope and content :

 

The fonds bears witness to the group’s activities: analysis and discussion of texts, drafting of policy papers and a manifesto, mobilization through letters to newspapers, leaflets and demonstrations.

 

The fonds contains discussion and policy papers, by-laws, leaflets and draft leaflets, handwritten and typescript notes, press cuttings, minutes of meetings, letters to newspapers, a memoir, reference material on gay liberation associations and movements in the United States, Manitoba and Ontario, conference papers, manifestos and documents relating to the Comité homosexuel anti-répression (CHAR).

 

The fonds consists of the following series:

 

  • AGQ-F0001/S1. Mark Wilson files
  • AGQ-F0001/S2. Danny Frankel files
  • AGQ-F0001/S3. Ross Higgins files

 

 

Notes :

 

Source of title proper: Title based on the contents of the fonds.

 

Immediate source of acquisition: The fonds was transferred to the AGQ in 1983 by Mark Wilson (acquisition 1983-01). The files of Danny (Daniel) Frankel were added to the fonds the same year (acquisition 1983-02). Finally, Ross Higgins added documents to the fonds in 1983 (acquisition 1983-03).

 

Arrangement: The arrangement follows the order and inventory numbers of the Catalogue des Archives gaies du Québec, Section Fonds. The documents of Mark Wilson, Danny (Daniel) Frankel and Ross Higgins have been grouped together in the GHAP fonds and form three separate series.

 

Languages: The documents are in French and English.

 

Related groups of records in different fonds external to the unit being described:

 

The AGQ-F0030 Denis Dumas (GHAP) fonds contains the Denis Dumas file relating to GHAP. The documents date from 1970 to 1977.

 

The AGQ also hold the AGQ-F0003 Fonds Comité homosexuel anti-répression, the AGQ-F0020 Fonds Danny (Daniel) Frankel (Gay Social Services Project) and the AGQ-F0054 Fonds Ross Higgins.

 

Finding aids: Digital inventory of the fonds in Excel format.

 

 

Bibliography :

 

 

Higgins, R. (1999). De la clandestinité à l’affirmation. Pour une histoire de la communauté gaie montréalaise. Montréal, Québec : Comeau & Nadeau, 123.

 

Noël, R. (1993). Pratiques politiques et formation de l’identité gaie au Québec : l’expérience du Groupe homosexuel d’action politique, 1975-1976 [mémoire de maîtrise]. Université du Québec à Montréal.

 

Noël, R. (1998). « Libération homosexuelle ou révolution socialiste? L’expérience du GHAP », dans Demczuk, I. et Remiggi F. W. (dir.), Sortir de l’ombre : Histoires des communautés lesbienne et gaie de Montréal, Montréal, Québec : VLB éditeur, 187-206.

 

 

 

 

 

 

            Last modification : 2024-06-26