How a digital archive is preserving Canada’s history of LGBTQ+ activism

LGBTQ+ organizations in Canada are gearing up for a “Rainbow Week of Action” that will feature rallies across the country calling on governments to do more to support LGBTQ+ communities.

Such events are part of a long history of LGBTQ+ campaigning and protest. However, in a time when anti-LGBTQ+ movements are growing, recording that history is as important as ever.

As increasingly advanced digital technologies pervade every aspect of our lives, making that history easily accessible online can help contemporary movements learn from previous generations of activists.

At the Lesbian and Gay Liberation in Canada project (LGLC), we are aiming to learn from lesbian activists of the past to uncover which of their practices can inform the creation of online history resources today.

Our project, working alongside the University of Ottawa’s Digital Humanities Lab and Toronto Metropolitan University Libraries’ Collaboratory, highlights how feminist and queer practices can create meaningful change using digital methods and tools.