As part of MacEwan University's Pride Week festivities, the Edmonton Queer History Project (EQHP) is launching a slate of educational materials to make Queer history visible and accessible to all Edmontonians.

The Edmonton Queer History Project is a collaboration of community partners, artists and performers, LGBTQ2S+ advocates and student researchers.

"Queer people and their contributions can be found everywhere in our city," says Dr. Kristopher Wells, founder of the Centre for Sexual and Gender Diversity and Canada Research Chair for the Public Understanding of Sexual and Gender Minority Youth. "The Edmonton Queer History Project represents the most detailed and comprehensive account of this hidden history captured to date. It is not only an important contribution to our city’s historical record, but it is also a vital component of city building."

The project has been seven years in the making, and the team behind it is eager to share the long-lost and hidden stories, contributions and history of Edmonton's LGBTQ2S+ community. Part of the March 8 launch features a new downtown map (complete with extensive research into historically significant locations like Club 70, the Pisces Health Spa, Womonspace and more), walking tours, an interactive multimedia website and the From Here to Queer podcast. 

Listen to history

Hosted by former MacEwan Writer in Residence Darrin Hagen, an award-winning playwright, composer, drag artiste and Queer historian, From Here to Queer explores the people, places and moments that have helped to define Edmonton’s Queer history. Hagen and award-winning sound artist Dave Clarke deliver "forbidden and forgotten" stories using conversation and an insider's knowledge of the history.

"I have always been obsessed with history, as has Dave," says Hagen. "The chance to hear some of these stories told by the people who lived them, or by people who have studied them and understand how crucial it is to illustrate ALL of history, is a real gift. In the LGBTQ2S+ population, we have never been able to study our path to acceptance in any detail. This lack of knowledge of our own struggle challenges our unity, and hampers our understanding of each other. In the future, we will have access to the voices and narratives that laid the foundation for the work that is being done today."

The first episode features LGBTQ2S+ community advocate, former Edmonton city councillor and EQHP contributor Michael Phair. Give it a listen on the EQHP site, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

"Ultimately, the Edmonton Queer History Project is about a love that could not be spoken for decades and identities that had to be hidden due to fear, prejudice and persecution," says Dr. Wells. "It is also a story about remarkable resilience and resistance. This project is only a small first step in documenting the people, places and moments that have helped shape and define Edmonton’s rich and diverse social, cultural and political life."

The Edmonton Queer History Project is supported by the Centre for Sexual and Gender Diversity with funding from the Stollery Charitable Foundation, Edmonton Heritage Council and the Canada Research Chairs program. Project team members include Dr. Kristopher Wells, Dr. Michelle Lavoie, Michael Phair, Rob Browatzke, Darrin Hagen, Kyler Chittick and Japkaran Saroya.

Listen to the Research Recast(ed) podcast episode about the Edmonton Queer History Project: