This Morning with Stacey Brotzel on 880 CHED

Had a chat with Stacey Brotzel on the Edmonton Gay Games Bid for the 2030 Gay Games. Sadly we did not make it into the top 3 but we will back to rebuilding our Bid for the 2034 Gay Games. You can view the Bid video on Explore Edmonton’s website here….
https://exploreedmonton.com/edmontongaygames

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King Charles III Coronation Medal

On September 20, 2024 HIV Edmonton and the Canadian AIDS Society nominated Ron Byers to be a recipient of the King Charles III Coronation Medal for his contributions to the HIV/AIDS movement in Canada.

On November 20, 2024 The Governor General of Canada awarded the medal to Ron Byers.

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Queer History Month kicks off in the City of Edmonton

“Our queer history doesn’t just date back to the 60s when we started becoming more visible; it actually dates back centuries but our opportunities to start telling those stories have only begun recently,” 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 of the young folks today don’t understand that,” said Byers.

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Explore Edmonton presents “SAY MORE”

Explore Edmonton presents “SAY MORE”
Immerse yourself in the unique journeys of Edmonton’s 2SLGBTQIA+ community leaders, storytellers, and business owners. Their voices inspire change and foster inclusivity. Don’t miss this inspiring documentary short created in partnership with Cory Johnn Films.

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Guide to the Summer of Pride

2023 will see the largest number of Pride events the Edmonton has ever seen for the Summer of Pride! Over 36 organizations have put together more than 75 events in three dozen different venues around the city.

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Partying with Ike & Tina in 1976

Seeing Tina Turner that night at the Edmonton Gardens in 1976 still remains one of the biggest highlights of my lifetime.

I was a young 21 year old when I had a chance to “run away with the circus”. I was asked to join a traveling drag show called the Fantasy Follies as their sound and lighting technician. What a chance to go way past my shyness and fears and live in hotel rooms travelling across Canada with a group of amazing Drag performers.

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When Drag Queens Became Charitable

To call any of those who did drag as charitable… while in drag… would be stretching the truth. Known for their caustic wit, quick retorts and haughty gestures, raising money for anything charitable was almost non-existent.

Then in 1984 reports that had been surfacing out of San Francisco and New York for the previous few years of a new “gay-related immune deficiency” (GRID), finally named by the CDC in the U.S. as AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), attracted the attention of the Imperial Sovereign Court of the Wild Rose in Edmonton.

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Out of the Closets & Into the Streets

Most major cities have a neighbourhood that has clearly defined itself as the “gay” neighbourhood, an area where LGBTQ2S+ folks can build a community together while living, working, shopping, and eating at welcoming businesses. Toronto’s Church Street and Vancouver’s Davie Street are just two that come to mind. Edmonton breaks tradition by having not one but two gaybourhoods that have come together to form a community for LGBTQ2S+ Edmontonians.

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