Hazel H.

2SLGBTQIA+ Rights Throughout the Decades

Hazel H.
Kamloops-Thompson Regional Heritage Fair
Kamloops, BC

My project focused on a timeline that covered events over 350 years, focusing on the many events in the last 70 years affecting the 2SLGBTQIA+ Community. I included an art project that is a colourful, pride-flag, working clock that ticks through twelve major events from my timeline that were important to me. Those events started in 1648 with the first known arrest for homosexual activity in Canada. In 1959, The Fruit Machine was invented to try to 'scientific prove' someone was gay. In 1969, the Stonewall Riots in New York were held, which sparked Gay Liberation movements world-wide. In 1977, Quebec became the first province to prohibit homophobic discrimination through Quebec's Charter of Rights and Freedoms. In 1982, homophobic discrimination was prohibited in Canada with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and the first case of AIDS was reported in Canada (known then as the Gay Mens' disease.) In 1990, the third Gay Games were held in Vancouver, hosting 27 countries and over 7,300 athletes. In 1992, the LGBT Purge was forced to stop. In 1998, the Supreme Court of Canada decided that the word Spouse applies to gay and lesbian people. In 2003, the Canadian provinces started legalizing same-sex marriage, finishing Canada-wide in 2005. In 2017, the Canadian Government officially apologized for the LGBT Purge. It's presently 2025, and a monument is being built to acknowledge discrimination to the 2SLGBTQIA+ Community. 

I interviewed my cousin Rik, and he shared his experience, and what it was like for him throughout the decades, as a gay man in Canada. I know there's still homophobic/transphobic people in Canada, but I now know the 2SLGBTQIA+ Community doesn't have to fight as much to be themselves because the law is on their side, and their rights are safe, for now. 

What sources and evidence did you consult for your project? What different perspectives did they provide on your topic?

I was interested in the book The Queen's English by Chloe 0. Davis, and it inspired me, and I used it for this project as a dictionary. I also used the book The LGBT Purge and the fight for equal rights in Canada by Ken Setterington, some online sources including the Canadian Encyclopedia, and a personal interview with my cousin Rik.

What is the historical significance of your topic?

The people of the 2SLGBTQIA+ Community in Canada got equal rights to love and marry whomever they want, to be known as a family and get spousal benefits, and be allowed to be who they are without discrimination in their work and everyday lives. These rights were established through the last 50 years, starting with Quebec's Charter of Rights and Freedoms in 1977, being the first province in Canada to prohibit homophobic discrimination, and the most recent being in 2019 when Non-Binary people in Canada were given the option to have an X on their passport for their gender.

Why did you choose this topic? 

I picked this topic because I am interested in 2SLGBTQIA+ Rights, and, because I like rainbows, flags, lots of colour, Pride Parades, and the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in general.