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Celebrating a History of Diversity:

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

The 2000s

2002

January 16	Saskatoon
A meeting of principals and administrators in the Saskatoon Public School Division heard a panel of speakers describing the situation of LG students and staff. Terry Pearson, the Director of Education, told the principals he expected action from them in fighting homophobia in their schools.
[Perceptions, v. 20 no. 1 (January 30 2002) p. 19.]

February	Saskatoon
The Saskatoon Diversity Network was incorporated with a mandate to organize Saskatoon’s Pride celebrations. The organization is still operating in 2005.
[SSN, (June 2002)]

March	Saskatoon
The Canadian Rainbow Health Coalition was established. The organization located its national office in Saskatoon and appointed Gens Hellquist executive director. The organization is still operating in 2005.
[Perceptions, v. 20 no. 2 (March 13 2002) p. 10.]

March 15	Saskatoon
Vancouver lawyer Joseph Arvay presented the keynote address, “Banned in British Columbia: Three Little Books about Same-Sex Families. What Will the Supreme Court Do?” at the fifth Breaking the Silence conference. Arvay was the lead counsel in several important LG litigations including the Little Sisters case and the battle against LG booking banning by the Surrey School Board.
[Perceptions, v. 20 no. 2 (March 13 2002) p. 11. / “Teachers hear of problems faced by gay, lesbian students,” SSP, (March 18 2002) p. A5.]

Spring	Regina
Perceptions reported that Live and Let Live, a gay friendly AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) group was meeting at Knox-Metropolitan United Church.
[Perceptions, v. 20 no. 7 (October 23 2002) p. 9.]

April 24	Saskatoon
Steam Works Club for Men, Saskatchewan’s first gay sauna, opened at 122B – 20th Street West.
[Perceptions, v. 20 no. 3 (April 24 2002) p. 27.]

April 24 - May 11	Regina
The Globe Theatre presented a production of Timothy Findley’s Elizabeth Rex directed by Ruth Smillie. The play presents a sparring match of wit between Elizabeth I, who throughout her reign assumed the role of a man, and Ned Lowenscroft, a veteran homosexual actor who throughout his career had played female roles on stage.
[Nick Miliokas, “Play a coup for Globe,” RLP, (April 25 2002) p. D1.]

April 29 - May 4	Regina
Queer City Cinema 4 featured a Transformance cabaret with trans performers, a film program and panel on youth and aboriginal transgender identities. Highlights were presented at Saskatoon’s Mendel Art Gallery on May 31 and June 1.
[Nick Miliokas, “Week-long festival celebrates differences and diversity,” RLP, (April 27 2002) p. A13. / “Supporters and protestors on hand for opening,” RLP, (April 30 2002) p. B1.]

May	Saskatoon
GLHS representatives met with Police Chief Russell Sabo to discuss gay bashings and homophobic attitudes among police staff. GLHS volunteered to help train officers on the realities of queer life in Saskatchewan
[Perceptions, v. 20 no. 4 (June 5 2002) p. 13.]

June	Regina
Regina Mayor Pat Fiacco refused to issue a proclamation for Heterosexual Family Pride Day in 2002 stating that the literature being distributed by the sponsoring organization infringed the city’s proclamation bylaws.
[Sheri Block, “Regina mayor denies request for heterosexual pride day,” SSP, (June 19 2002) p. A4.]

June 8	Regina
The Prairie Pride Chorus presented two performances of Watershed Stories at Government House. Watershed Stories is a cycle of songs composed for the choir by its musical director David L. McIntyre. The songs explore the coming out process and were based on the life stories of chorus members.
[Nick Miliokas, “The Music is based on human stories,” RLP, (June 7 2002) p. A11.]

June 13	Regina
Brita Lind presented her second one-woman show Women of Influence at the Unitarian Centre.
[SSN, (June 2002)]

June 15 - 22	Regina
The Regina Pride Week included a commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the founding of the GLCR and the third annual provincial Pride parade.
[Perceptions, v. 20 no. 4 (June 5 2002) p. 10. / “Parade on Saturday,” RLP, (June 21 2002) p. B1.]

June 18	Regina
The provincial government settled the complaints lodged against it by representatives of the Regina and Saskatoon Pride committees. The province paid representatives from the Pride groups in each city $5,000 and Premier Lorne Calvert issued a public apology for not issuing a provincial proclamation when it was first requested.
[Perceptions, v. 20 no. 5 (July 31 2002) p. 12. / “Pride Day complaint settled,” RLP, (June 18 2002) p. B1.]

June 21 - 24	Toronto
Saskatoon’s Bridge City Chorus and Regina’s Prairie Pride Chorus both attended GALA 2002, a festival of Canadian LG choirs. The Prairie Pride Chorus’s performance of their original work Watershed Stories was warmly received. The piece’s composition and its performance in Toronto were supported by grants from the Saskatchewan Arts Board and Saskatchewan Culture.
[SSN, (June 2002)]

June 28	Saskatoon
Mayor Jim Maddin presented community service awards at GLHS’s annual GALA Awards banquet. The event was also attended by Police Chief Russell Sabo and Deputy Dan Wiks.
[Perceptions, v. 20 no. 5 (July 31 2002) p. 14.]

July 12	Toronto
The Ontario Superior Court ruled that it was a violation of the Charter of Rights and unconstitutional for Ontario to prohibit same-sex couples from marrying. The court gave Ontario two years to extend marriage rights to gays and lesbians. The provincial government declined to appeal. Federal Justice Minister Martin Cauchon did launch an appeal of the decision “to seek further clarity on these issues.”

July 24	Regina
Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show on the American Comedy Central Network aired a five-minute satirical report on Bill Whatcott’s fight for the heterosexual minority in “the gay capital of Regina.”
[Perceptions, v. 20 no. 5 (July 31 2002) p. 9.]

August	Regina
The GLCR received a third place prize for their float in the Buffalo Days Parade. A letter of complaint in the RLP protestedthat “the gay community shouldn’t flaunt their sexuality to the children of the city” and that some parents found it hard to explain the float. Another letter writer supported the float.
[SSN, (September 2002) / Perceptions, v. 20 no. 6 (September 11 2002) p. 14. / J. Rawdon Bieber, “Gay pride float belonged in parade (Letter),”RLP, (August 15 2002) p. B8.]

September	Regina
Joanne Crawford, NDP Minister of Culture Recreation and Youth, attended Regina’s Coronation Ball and in her remarks recognized the ball as a cultural event. This was interpreted as a signal to SaskCulture which had recently turned down a funding application from GLHS on the grounds that under its guidelines there was not a lesbian and gay culture. Subsequent meetings with SaskCulture reversed this policy interpretation.
[Perceptions, v. 20 no. 7 (October 23 2002) p. 10.]

October	Saskatoon
The Saskatchewan Ad Hoc Advisory Committee on Abuse in Lesbian Relationships reported results from a survey of care providers. Replies were received from 53 agencies – 51 of which said they felt comfortable providing services to lesbians although many said they knew little about the issues. Although 75% considered themselves lesbian friendly only 20% had received training on lesbian issues and the majority reported no efforts to inform the lesbian community of their services.
[Perceptions, v. 20 no. 7 (October 23 2002) p. 4, 7.]

October 11-14	Saskatoon
Metamorphosis 2002 presented a concert featuring Winnipeg’s Wyrd Sisters at the Legion Hall. The limited response to the 2002 program persuaded organizers to discontinue the event two years after its revival.
[Perceptions, v. 20 no. 2 (March 13 2002) p. 12.]

October 22	Ottawa
Statistics Canada reported that in the 2001 census 34,200 Canadians identified themselves as living with a same-sex partner. Four hundred and seventy-five of these couples resided in Saskatchewan. Nationally 15% of the female couples and 3% of the male couples had children living with them.
[Darren Bernhardt, “475 Same-sex couples in Sask., census shows,” SSP, (October 24 2004) p. A15.]

November 4	Prince Albert
Alliance MP Brian Fitzpatrick mailed letters to his constituents opposing Bill C-250, Svend Robinson’s private members’ bill to provide protections to LG victims of hate crime. Fitzpatrick encouraged his constituents to oppose the legislation but faced charges of hypocrisy when he himself did not vote on the bill. Other Saskatchewan Alliance MPs, including Maurice Vellacott, used mail outs opposing the hate crimes legislation and the recognition of same-sex marriage.
[James Parker, “Politician draws line on hate crime law,” SSP, (November 4 2002) p. A3.]

December 11
Queen’s Bench Justice J. Barclay rejected an appeal by Hugh Owens of the decision of the human rights tribunal concerning his purchase of newspaper ads in 1997. Justice Barclay agreed with the tribunal ruling that the Human Rights Code was a reasonable restriction of religion and expression in the Owens case.
[Perceptions, v. 21 no. 1 (January 22 2003) p. 12. / “Man seeks to appeal ruling for anti-gay ad printed in SP,” SSP, (July 24 2002) p. A5.]

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