Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.
From 1969, when Pierre Elliot Trudeau partially decriminalized homosexuality in Canada, until recently in 2021 when conversion therapy was criminalized, the evolution of the queer community continues.
“One of the best ways to reduce discrimination is by learning about history by learning about each other,” said newly appointed Alberta senator Kristopher Wells.
That’s the message from LGBTQ2 advocates as queer history month kicks off in Edmonton.
Edmonton Queer History Month 2024 Collaborative led by Royal Alberta Museum, Rainbow Story Center Foundation, Edmonton Queer History Project, City of Edmonton Public Libraries, City of Edmonton Public Archives, Edmonton Heritage Council and their Edmonton City As museum (ECAMP), and the Mitchell Gallery at MacEwan University.
“We have made incredible progress, which is why we must remember that we must continue to fight not only to protect these rights but also to build a more inclusive, diverse and welcoming future for all because I think what people don’t understand. a lot is that the queer community exists in every other community in society,” Wells said.
“Our queer history doesn’t date back to the 60s when we started to become more visible; it actually dates back centuries but our opportunities to begin telling those stories have only recently begun,” said Ron Byers, a queer historian. “Back in the 60s when I came out, it was illegal to be a gay man. I could have been thrown in jail and most young people today don’t understand that,” Byers said.
Get the latest national news
For news affecting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts sent directly to you as they happen.
Byers said it was only recently that history began to be added to the City of Edmonton archives and Edmonton Heritage Council records.
“It is precisely one of the reasons we have this month to celebrate is to make this invisible history visible in our community, in our schools and across our nation,” Wells said.
He added that this month reminds us that the fight for LGBTQ2 rights continues. He opposes legislation that Alberta Premier Danielle Smith plans to introduce later this month.
“Danielle Smith’s ‘don’t say gay, don’t say trans’ policies are pushing queer youth back into the closet. They tell them to be quiet; to be invisible and they also enable hate and discrimination to happen,” Wells said.
If passed, the policy would include requiring parental permission to change pronouns or names in schools for children under 16 and restricting transgender youth from accessing gender-affirming health care.
The fall session of the legislature begins on October 28th and rallies opposing the legislation are planned in Edmonton and Calgary on November 2nd.
“Adults who choose to tell children that these policies are designed to hurt or marginalize them, that kind of rhetoric is irresponsible and unhelpful to the people involved and it’s completely false,” Smith said in a video posted on her social media.
The events page for Queer History Month is here.
& copy 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
(Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
source link https://globalnews.ca/news/10796768/queer-history-month-kicks-off-in-the-city-of-edmonton/
