Historical map highlights Edmonton's queer community and its untold stories
Edmontonians can now pick up a map and learn about the city’s queer community and its history.
The downtown map and walking tour features 27 sites of historical significance to Edmonton’s LGBTQ2S+ community.
Some of the sites include spots like Club 70, Pisces Health Spa, Womonspace, Edmonton 2 Spirit Society and Wallbridge and Imrie.
Dr. Kristopher Wells, associate professor and Canada research chair for the Public Understanding of Sexual and Gender Minority Youth, said the queer community has been written out of history and its official narrative for so long.
“We forget that queer people are everywhere,” he explained.
“They’re in every country, faith, religion, city in the world and we often forget that that history exists here in Edmonton as well because we don’t talk about it, because it wasn’t safe to share those stories.”
While the community shied away from expressing their authentic selves for years, Wells said many are ready to start sharing the “full story.”
“There’s been so many stories that have been erased throughout history,” Kaitlin Doble, a member of the queer community, added. “Even myself, I haven’t always been able to be proud to be part of the queer community. Now, I’m so glad I’m in a space where I can be and I feel supported.”
'IT WAS A TOUGH GO'
A long-time advocate for queer rights and former city councillor Michael Phair said it’s important for residents to know how they’ve contributed to the city.
“When I was involved with others way back when, it was a tough go,” Phair recalled.
“We had many, many people in groups that very clearly said we didn’t belong in Edmonton. I certainly did not know how far we would get.”
Phair added that a lot of us build our lives on our past history and that’s what “guides us today.”
“Making invisible history visible,” Wells added.
While this is only the beginning, the hope is that the map will be a catalyst for other communities to begin digging deeper into their past.
“We want young people to be able to learn this history,” Wells explained. “To be able to understand that the rights and the privileges that they enjoy today as queer young people were only here because of the brave and courageous people who fought for them.”
'EVERYONE’S STORY IS IMPORTANT'
The maps are free and available at all Edmonton Public Library locations, some of the historical sites on the map and the Edmonton International Airport.
“It’s important that when we’re giving that first impression that we’re showing that we’re very inclusive and we’re much more than perhaps the stereotype that people have of Alberta,” Wells said.
“Everyone's story is important, everyone’s story matters and this is just a showcasing of that,” Dobler added.
On top of the map, a podcast called From Here to Queer hosted by Darrin Hagen has also been launched with Phair as the first guest.
For more information on the Edmonton Queer History Project and the new interactive website, click here.
With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Jessica Robb
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trump delivers rambling response to his hush money conviction
A day after a New York jury delivered a historic guilty verdict in Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee held a press conference Friday where he spoke publicly about the conviction and his White House bid.
Mediterranean diet helps women live much longer, a large new study finds
Women who closely followed a Mediterranean diet lived much longer than those who did not, according to a new study that followed more than 25,000 women for 25 years.
How did Ontario's bankrupt 'Crypto King' travel the world on Scene+ points?
Newly released documents suggest Ontario’s so-called ‘Crypto King’ paid for months of world travels with $13,000 worth of Scene+ points while bankrupt – but how?
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Solutions coming for piled-up bodies outside Newfoundland hospital
Health officials in Newfoundland and Labrador say they are only weeks away from a solution to move unclaimed human remains out of roadside freezers and into a nearby hospital.
Jurors weigh death penalty after finding Chad Daybell guilty of killing his first wife and second wife's 2 children
A day after delivering a guilty verdict in Chad Daybell’s murder trial, an Idaho jury will reconvene Friday to weigh whether he will face the death penalty.
Actor Nick Pasqual charged with attempted murder after allegedly stabbing estranged girlfriend
An actor who has appeared in film and TV projects like 'Rebel Moon' and 'How I Met Your Mother' has been arrested and charged with stabbing his estranged girlfriend multiple times.
'Unprecedented': Human smuggling from B.C. to U.S. soars, using train, Uber and foot
American prosecutors and law enforcement officers say they're dealing with a huge increase in human smuggling from British Columbia.
The northern lights are returning to night skies across Canada this Friday
If you missed the brilliant displays of the aurora borealis over North America on May 10, you may have another chance to see them on Friday night.