Bonus 7: Resilience and Revolution

In this bonus episode hosts Elinor and Bronwin continue the conversation with historian Kevin Allen, founder of the Calgary Gay History Project and author of Our Past Matters: Stories of Gay Calgary, who offers a deep dive into Calgary's queer history. Kevin shares his experiences of coming out in the late 1980s, a time when resilience was essential due to societal hostility and the devastating impact of the AIDS epidemic. Discover how the queer community in Calgary navigated these challenges, the evolution of 2SLGBTQIA+ culture over the past 30 years, and the importance of preserving these stories for future generations. Don't miss this insightful conversation that highlights the triumphs and struggles that have shaped the 2SLGBTQIA+ community today.

About Kevin Allen

Kevin Allen has been documenting and profiling queer people and events for 30+ years through freelance writing and editing for various queer publications including: Clue! Magazine, QC Magazine, Xtra! West, and Xtra.ca. He is a career arts administrator and has worked for several Calgary organizations. Kevin was the first Historian in Residence at the new Central Library and is the author of the best-selling book: Our Past Matters: Stories of Gay Calgary.

Kevin has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, specializing in non-profit management, from the University of Victoria. Additionally, Kevin works as a senior election official for both Elections Canada and Elections Alberta.

Finally, Kevin has created some local queer history himself, as a founder of the long running Calgary Queer Arts Society, which produces many cultural events including the very successful Fairy Tales Film Festival every year in May.