The Canadian Lesbian & Gay Archives / Materials / Records / Related documents
	Chronology from Flaunting It! 1964-1982
	1964-1971 / Appx 850 words

Victories and defeats
A gay and lesbian chronology 1964-1982
1964 - 1971

1964

[February] 1964 / Toronto

Publication of Jane Rule's first novel, Desert of the Heart (Macmillan of Canada).

[July] 1964 / Toronto

Two magazine published by Kamp Publishing Company. Name inspired by early American homophile magazine called One. Ceased publication in 1966.

February 22 / March 7 / Toronto

Maclean's magazine publishes two-part series by Sydney Katz called "The Homosexual Next Door: A Sober Appraisal of a New Social Phenomenon." Thought to be the first positive article on homosexuality to appear in mass media in Canada.

March [30] / Toronto

First issue of magazine Gay published. Later renamed Gay International and incorporated under name Gay Publishing Company. Ceased publication in 1966.

April / Vancouver

Formation of the Association for Social Knowledge (ASK), the oldest known homophile organization in Canada. Published ASK Newsletter, which ceased publication in February 1968.

[For more on 1964, see Our Silver Anniversary!, from the Jun 1989 issue of Gay Archivist.]

1965

[March] 1965 / Toronto

Publication of E A Lacey's Forms of Loss, first gay-identified book of poetry published in Canada.

May 26 / Ottawa

Formation of the Canadian Council on Religion and the Homosexual, concerned with "sympathetic understanding... of the problems faced by homosexuals in our society."

1966

December 31 / Vancouver

Opening of ASK (Association for Social Knowledge) Community Centre at 1929 Kingsway, to "serve the homosexual community." First such centre in Canada.

1967

1967 / Toronto

Publication of John Herbert's play Fortune and Men's Eyes, about homosexuality in Canadian prison system.

[January] 1967 / Toronto

Publication of Scott Symons's novel Place d'Armes (McClelland and Stewart).

1969

June 27 / New York

Gay customers fight back during police raid on Greenwich Village gay bar called Stonewall Inn. Symbolic beginning of contemporary gay liberation movement.
[Martin Duberman's Stonewall reports the raid beginning at 1:20 a.m., June 28.]

August [26] / Ottawa

Amendments to Canadian Criminal Code come into effect, legalizing sexual acts between two consenting adults in private over the age of 21.
[Sic; actually 21 years of age or older. Neither sexual acts nor homosexuality per se was "legalized"; rather, "gross indecency" and "buggery" were decriminalized in certain circumstances. Both charges remained on the books and continued to be used against acts insufficiently "private" (the term undefined), involving more than two persons, or including anyone under 21. For an early movement critique, see "We demand," Aug 21, 1971, below.]

October 24 / Toronto

First meeting of University of Toronto Homophile Association (UTHA). First gay liberation organization in Canada.

1970

[June 18] 1970 / Toronto

Jane Rule's second novel, This is Not For You, published (Doubleday Canada).

Spring / Toronto

Catalyst Press launched as gay press by Ian Young. Publishes first book, Cool Fire, by Ian Young and Richard Phelan.

November / Vancouver

Formation of Vancouver Gay Liberation Front.

1971

February 2 / Toronto

First public meeting of Community Homophile Association of Toronto (CHAT).
[McLeod gives date as Feb 1; CHAT's inaugural meeting, in a private home, was held Dec 11, 1970. A brief history of CHAT is available online.]

Spring / Montreal

Formation of the first francophone gay organization in Quebec: Front de libération homosexuel (FLH).

July / Vancouver

Founding meetings of the Gay Alliance Toward Equality (GATE), first Canadian group to talk about civil rights strategies.
[McLeod dates this in May, with officers elected May 30 and the first general meeting held Jun 27.]

August 21 / Ottawa

"We demand," brief prepared by Toronto Gay Action and sponsored by Canadian gay groups, presented to federal government. Calls for law reform and changes to public policy relating to homosexuals.
[Full text of We Demand is available online.]

August 28 / Ottawa

First public gay demonstration in Canada assembles on Parliament Hill in support of brief "We demand."
[McLeod cites an Aug 20 "On to Ottawa" march by "about twelve members" of Toronto Gay Action as the "first public demonstration by lesbians and gays in Toronto." He also notes an action organized on Aug 28 by the Gay Alliance Toward Equality in Vancouver, "to show solidarity with the Ottawa marchers," where "twenty demonstrators attracted a sympathetic crowd of 150 to 200."]

September [14] / Ottawa

Gays of Ottawa (GO) formed.
[See more on GO, which remained active for 24 years, in Records: Inventories.]

November 1 / Toronto

Issue One (November / December 1971) of The Body Politic goes on sale.
[McLeod says Oct 28 -- date of first printer's invoice. For extensive information on the paper and its history, see An Inventory of the Records of The Body Politic and Pink Triangle Press.]

Autumn / Saskatoon

Gay Student Alliance becomes first gay group in Saskatchewan.