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Gay Pride Flag Saskatchewan Resources for Sexual Diversity
Saskatchewan Resources for Sexual Diversity

Celebrating a History of Diversity:

Lesbian and Gay Life in Saskatchewan, 1971 - 2006
A Selected Annotated Chronology

The 1990s

1994

1994 Saskatoon
Family members of gays and lesbians began meeting in 1994. The group organized itself as PFLAG Saskatoon in 1996. The group is still active in 2005.
[PFLAG Saskatoon –PFLAG Regina flyer (2005)- SAB NR]
January
A Maclean’s/CTV poll reported that 56% of Canadians said they would be fine if one of their children turned out to be gay. In Saskatchewan 32% took that position.
[Perceptions, v. 12 no. 1 (January 24 1994) p. 13.]
January 24 Saskatoon
AIDS Saskatoon held its first art/celebrity auction at the Mendel Art Gallery. This auction became an annual event and has continued successfully up to the date of this compilation.
[Perceptions, v. 12 no. 1 (January 24 1994) p. 21.]
January 25 - February 5 Saskatoon
Dancing Sky Theatre presented Angus Ferguson’s production of Plague of Innocence, an AIDS themed play by Noel Grieg.
[Event flyer–SAB NR]
January 29 Regina
Pink Triangle Community Services (PTCS) was established to promote healthier living in the LG community, and to address homophobia in the city. Brad McDougall was the group’s first spokesperson. The group is still offering phone line information and support in 2005.
[Perceptions, v. 12 no. 5 (July 27 1994) p. 13.]
February 5 Moose Jaw
The Lesbian and Gay Social Club of Moose Jaw presented its first event of 1994, It’s In to Be Out, at the Prairie Oasis Motel.
[Perceptions, v. 12 no. 1 (January 24 1994) p. 23.]
April 14 Regina
Regina lawyer Lorna Nystuen ruled in a SHRC Board of Inquiry that Police Chief Ernie Reimer had violated the rights of Elisabeth Geller and Lyndon Surjik to freedom of expression and assembly when he refused to issue a permit for Regina’s 1990 Pride Parade. No restitution was ordered. On April 22 Reimer announced his resignation as police chief.
[Neil Scott, “Permit refusal violated rights,” RLP, (April 15 1994) p. A5. / “Police chief unrepentant,” RLP, (April 20 1994) p. C8.]
April 14 Regina
Jack Gooshen, PC MLA for Maple Creek, voiced opposition to proposed amendments to the Labour Standards Act that would extend the definition of spouse to those in same-sex relationships and give them equal access to bereavement and injury/illness leave. The NDP Labour Minister said the changes were being made to ensure that the wording of the act did not violate human rights legislation.
[Dave Traynor, “Worries act amendment assists gays,” RLP, (April 15 1994) p. A4.]
May 5-18 Saskatoon
Persephone Theatre presented Ed Graczyk’s Come Back to the 5 and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, a play in which many secrets are revealed at the 20th anniversary reunion of a James Dean fan club.
[“Convincing cast can’t save shallow play,” SSP, (May 9 1994) p. C10.]
May 9 Saskatoon
For the first time since 1973 City Council was asked to proclaim Lesbian and Gay Pride Day. The request was defeated on a 5 to 5 vote. Ten days later members of the Saskatoon Pride Committee filed a complaint with the SHRC. The Commission accepted the complaint and sought to negotiate a resolution.
[Perceptions, v. 12 no. 4 (June 8 1994) p. 9. / “Council rejects lesbian, gay pride day,” SSP, (May 10 1994) p. A3. / “Nixing gay day proclamation subject of rights complaint,” SSP, (May 18 1994) p. A12.]
May 25 Regina
The Leader-Post reported that members of the Conservative Party were angry with the SHRC for reprinting an article promoting tolerance of lesbianism.
[“Article draws fire from PCs, ”RLP, (May 25 1994) p. A4.]
July Saskatoon
Numbers club was renamed Diva’s and continued business at the same location in the Avenue Building. The club is still operating there at the date of this compilation.
[Perceptions, v. 12 no. 5 (July 27 1994) p. 24.]
July 2 Saskatoon
Don McNamee, a fixture of Saskatoon’s early gay community died. He was the production coordinator for many of the early issues of Perception. During the late 1980s and early 1990s he was the chief workhorse of CHE.
[Perceptions, v. 12 no. 2 (July 27 1994) p. 12.]
July 14-17 Saskatoon
The Viper Bar and Grille opened at 69 – 24th Street East. The Viper opened as a gay men’s dance bar. It lasted less than a year as a predominately gay venue and then struggled for a short time as a generally straight nightclub.
[Perceptions, v. 12 no. 4 (June 8 1994) p. 2.]
August Saskatoon
The SHRC reported that it had not received many complaints of antigay discrimination one year after it had been prohibited by legislation. In response Conservative justice critic Don Toth said he was concerned that the Commission had become an advocate for gay rights, which he said his party still strongly opposed.
[Perceptions, v. 12 no. 6 (September 14 1994) p. 14. / “Controversial act hasn’t added more complaints,” RLP, (August 6 1994) p. A4.]
August 5 Regina
Mertz’s Bar & Grill, a commercial gay establishment, opened at 1326A Hamilton Street. The club folded at the beginning of 1995.
[Perceptions, v. 12 no. 5 (July 27 1994) p. 2.]
September Prince Albert
Jim O’Sullivan, a warden at the Saskatchewan Penitentiary, said that condoms were being discreetly handed out to prisoners in an effort to control AIDS. “Homosexual activity is still forbidden, but if you do it, use a condom.”
[Perceptions, v. 12 no. 6 (September 14 1994) p. 13.]
September Saskatoon
Café Browse opened its doors to Saskatoon’s LG community. The restaurant/bookstore founded by Colleen Wiegers and Penny Skilnick hosted many book readings and signings, poetry and musical nights. It sold feminist and LG books from its shelves and through mail order. The business was located at 269-3rd Avenue South. The café closed in the summer of 1998.
[Perceptions, v. 16 no. 6 (September 16 1998) p. 4.]
September 9 Saskatoon
GLHS hosted the first meeting of the Circle of Two-Spirits, a support group for “all gay and lesbian people who identify as native.”
[Perceptions v. 12 no. 6 (September 14 1994) p. 19.]
October Prince Albert
The Coalition in Support of the Family claimed to have mailed out 20,000 leaflets to homes in northern Saskatchewan. The publication attacked the NDP for providing ‘special rights to gays.’ In response to complaints SHRC chief Donna Greschner said that as untrue and distasteful as some of the leaflet’s comments were, they did not meet the standard of proof to legally constitute hate literature.
[Greg Urbanski, “Right-wing group defends controversial flyer,”Prince Albert Daily Herald, (October 15 1994) p. 1. / Eric Nelson, “Controversial flyerisn’thateliterature,”Prince Albert Daily Herald, (November 8 1994) p. 3.]
October Prince Albert
A dozen lesbians and gay men met to discuss the formation of a local LGB group. The group adopted the name Lambda North.
[Perceptions, v. 12 no. 8 (December 7 1994) p. 13.]
October - November Saskatoon
The AKA and Photographers Gallery presented Men in Relationships, an exhibition examining connections between males.
[Colleen MacPherson, “Gay relationships steal show,” SSP, (October 17 1994) p. B3.]
November Regina
Oscar Wilde & Company premiered Guy Michaud’s Broken Dreams.
[“Giving AIDS a human face,” RLP, (November 28 1994) p. C3.]
November 15 Saskatoon
Two dozen people met at GLHS with two officers of the City Police Morality Squad and representatives of the Sexual Assault Centre to express concerns that gay bashings had surged in Saskatoon. The police representatives denied any knowledge of a problem.
[Perceptions, v. 12 no. 8 (December 7 1994) p. 11. / “Gay-bashing said on rise in city,” SSP, (October 12 1994) p. A5.]

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