Queer Cheers

On August 28, 1971, 100 activists braved the rain at Parliament Hill to demand equal rights for a burgeoning queer community. A young Charlie Hill, filling in for an absent speaker, delivered the historic demands under an umbrella. Though small and largely unnoticed at the time, this quiet protest became a turning point for LGBTQ+ rights in Canada.

Ottawa gets it’s first Pride event in 1986, when a small group of roughly 50 people gather in Strathcona Park for a picnic. Gabriella Goliger recalls going to the picnic, which had many colourful balloons with lesbian and gay gender symbols drawn on them.

The Fruit Machine refers to a controversial device developed in Canada during the Cold War, aimed at identifying homosexuals within the government workforce. The machine employed a series of psychological tests, including measuring pupil dilation in response to erotic images. Approximately 9,000 individuals were affected by this discriminatory practice, which led to job losses and significant psychological harm.

Gay bathhouses are public baths that cater to gay and bisexual men. In the early days of bathhouses, men were expected to swim naked because the fabric of bathing suits clogged drains.

Renée Sauve and Tracey Braun became the first same-sex couple to legally wed in Ottawa on June 11, 2003. In Canada, same-sex marriage was progressively introduced through court decisions in several provinces and territories starting in 2003. The federal Civil Marriage Act came into force on July 20, 2005, legalizing same-sex marriage across Canada. With this act, Canada became the fourth country in the world to permit same-sex marriages.

On February 15, 2006, a town hall meeting made it clear there was a consensus of support for an LGBT-friendly Village designation along Bank. Although reassured that there was support for a Village, the formal plans for the street when presented do not include Village branding. Thus began an over-five-year campaign for the designation by the community. In 2011, six signs were permanently installed in the Village area. Since then, more signs have been installed, and a permanent rainbow crosswalk at the intersection of Bank and Somerset was installed in 2016.

Icesis Couture is a Drag Queen from Ottawa who won the second season of Canada’s Drag Race in 2021. Icesis, alongside fellow Season 2 competitor Adriana, are the first queens of Latin American descent to compete on Canada's Drag Race. This makes her the first Latin American winner on the Canadian series. She also won Miss Capital Pride in 2020.

Disco emerged from Black and LGBTQ nightlife in New York City in the late 1960s, becoming a significant force in LGBTQ liberation during the 1970s. Disco’s cultural significance lies in its role as a universal language of self-expression and connection on the dance floor, fostering a celebratory self-image within the LGBTQ community.

The handkerchief code is a system of color-coded cloth handkerchiefs or bandanas for non-verbally communicating one’s interests in sexual activities and fetishes.
The code was first used in the 1970s by gay and bisexual men seeking casual sex or BDSM practitioners.

A queer manicure is a style of manicure intended to allow lesbians and other queer people in the LGBT community to safely and easily perform digital penetration during sex.

The unicorn has become a symbol of the LGBTQ+ community because it represents uniqueness, magic, and nonconformity, much like the queer experience of embracing authenticity. With its vibrant, rainbow-colored imagery and mythical allure, the unicorn embodies the joy, diversity, and rejection of societal norms that define LGBTQ+ pride.

The Coral Reef Club, opened in 1962 and closed in 2001, was the oldest club for Ottawa’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender communities. In the 70s and 80s, when trans people moved largely in the shadows and many gay bars did not especially welcome them, the Coral Reef was a safe haven and a place to let your hair down a little.

Rupert Raj is a prominent Canadian transgender activist, born on February 10, 1952, in Ottawa, Ontario. His extensive career spans clinical research, counseling, and advocacy for the transgender community. Raj founded Metamorphosis in early 1982 as a bimonthly newsletter. It was a “newsletter Exclusively for F-M men” (with an intended readership among their families, wives / girlfriends, as well as professionals and “para professionals interested in female TSism.")

This is a free reproduction of the Metamorphosis logo.

Free reproduction of the Gender Mosaic Logo, designed by Natalie B. Gender Mosaic was one of Canada’s oldest trans support groups, located in Ottawa.

Founded in May 1988, the organization aimed to offer a secure, respectful, and unbiased space for transgender individuals, cross-dressers, Two-Spirits, and people of all ages to freely express their gender identity.

In June 13, 1998, Canadian Task Force for Transgender Law Reform (CTFLR) is created. The purpose of the CTFTLR was to use legislative reform or any other appropriate jurisdictional or regulatory means to facilitate the acceptance of transgendered people in Canadian society, to safeguard their basic rights and freedoms and to define and protect their particular needs. The group’s initial focus was to lobby the Canadian and provincial human rights organizations to include transgender rights into existing legislation.

This is a free reproduction of the CTFLR logo.

Joanne Law is a transgender activist in Ottawa who has advocated for the inclusion and rights of trans people throughout her life. Those who know her describe her as an influential trailblazer and an absolute community icon. In March 1999, Joanne Law receives the Trinity Award from the International Foundation for Gender Education (IFGE). The Trinity Award was presented to people who made a significant lifetime contribution to the trans community.

The Ottawa Trans Flag was created by Ottawa graphic designer Michelle Lindsay. The Ottawa-area trans community first used this flag for Ottawa’s 2010 edition of the Trans Day of Remembrance

On October 1, 2015, Venus Envy, a Bank Street sex shop, is fined $260 for selling a chest binder to a youth.
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A chest binder is a garment that flattens the chest by compressing breast tissue. Binders are often used by trans men, gender-nonconforming people, and anyone who wants to minimize the appearance of their chest. They can help to alleviate chest dysphoria and are a way for people to express their gender identity.
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The owner was deemed in violation of an Ottawa bylaw that stated no one under the age of 18 was permitted in an establishment where goods, entertainment, or services that are “designed to appeal to erotic or sexual appetites or inclinations” are provided.
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Venus Envy was the only store in Ottawa at the time selling chest binders, a crucial item for transitioning trans youth.
In March 2022, there was a fire in the Bank Street building that housed the retail storefront, and they sadly had to close their doors.

You can still shop online or in person Fridays and Saturdays when they open up the warehouse on Catherine St.

Bill C-16 is an Act to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code passed by the Canadian Parliament. The bill adds gender identity or expression as a protected ground to the Canadian Human Rights Act and also to the Criminal Code provisions dealing with hate propaganda, incitement to genocide, and aggravating factors in sentencing. The bill became law only on June 19, 2017.

Kimmy Couture is a Filipino-Canadian drag queen. She is known for being the first transgender contestant on Canada’s Drag Race, where she competed on season 3 of the series in 2022, representing Ottawa. In 2018, Kimmy was crowned Ms Capital Pride, the first transgender woman to win the title.

Ottawa-based drag king Cyril Cinder during a Drag Storytime event, a gathering that celebrates literacy, diversity, and self-expression. These events, where drag performers engage young audiences through storytelling, have become a cultural flashpoint, facing both protests and strong community support.

Cyril Cinder, a vocal advocate for queer rights, has highlighted the broader implications of these attacks, stating:

Attacks on drag are a pseudo and proxy for attacks on trans people.

This moment captures not just a reading session but a defiant act of joy and representation in the face of controversy.

The 2SLGBTQI+ National Monument will memorialize historic discrimination against 2SLGBTQI+ people in Canada. The Monument will be prominently located at the north-east side of the intersection of Wellington Street and Portage Bridge, close to the Ottawa River.

Called Thunderhead, this monument reflects the strength, activism and hope of queer communities. A thunderhead is a dynamic cloud of unstoppable energy. In Anishinabe teachings, thunderclouds are home to the Thunderers whose storms renew the land and make things right.