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Celebrating a History of Diversity:

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

The 1970s

1978

January	Saskatoon
The GAU presented a three night gay film series at Place Riel Theatre screening Death in Venice, Gay USA, and In the Best Interests of the Children.
[Gay Blade (Newsletter of the GCCS), (January 1978) p. 3.]

January 31	Regina
American comedian Gale Gordon starred in a touring production of Norman, Is That You? at the Regina Inn’s Stage West dinner theatre. The comedy exploits the misadventures of an Ohio drycleaner who visits New York City to discover that his son is a homosexual living with another man.
[Ken Cuthbertson, “Gordon as superb in flesh as on TV (Review),” RLP, (February 1 1978) p. 8]

February	Saskatoon
The SGC established a newsletter Gay Saskatchewan that grew from a small list of thirty contacts to over 2,100 subscribers by 1982. The newsletter was later titled Grassroots. It included news of LG political and social events, editorials, classified advertisements and letters from readers.

February 3	Toronto
The House of Bishops of the Anglican Church affirmed that lesbians and gays are entitled to equal protection under the law with all other Canadian citizens.

April	Saskatoon
The U of S Greystone Theatre presented a production of Simon Gray’s Butley. The play presents a day in the life of a caustic English professor who is being left by both his wife and the young protégé to whom he has become homosexually attached.
[J. Dalton, “Butley…disappointed or perplexing,” The Sheaf, (April 4 1978) p. 14.]

April 21	Saskatoon
Outrageous was among the first Canadian gay films to be shown in the city. The movie played at the Broadway Theatre with an X rating. The Broadway Theatre has continued to be the chief venue for the screening of independent LG films up to the date of this compilation.
[Nancy Russell, “Outrageous (Review),” SSP, (April 25 1978) p. 14.]

May	Prince Albert
The Prince Albert Gay Community Centre was established. The group advertised in the Prince Albert Daily Herald, operated a phone line and held social evenings on Friday evenings in a private home.
[Gay Saskatchewan, v. 1 no. 4 (May 1978)]

May 19–22	Saskatoon
A Prairie Gay Conference hosted by the SGC attracted about one hundred. A proposal for a fall prairie gay cultural event was advanced at the conference. The first Metamorphosis celebration was held later in the year. (See below).
[Gay Saskatchewan, v. 1 no. 5 (June 1978)]

July 1	Moose Jaw
Two hundred and fifty people organized by the Coalition to Answer Anita Bryant marched to protest the American singer’s appearance at a Canada Day rally. The singer had been invited to the city by the Moose Jaw Fellowship on Evangelism. At the time Bryant was the most well known American campaigner against LG rights. The march and protest rally was peaceful and included members from the SGC, and from Saskatchewan student, gay and feminist groups.
[Gay Saskatchewan, v. 1. no. 6 (July 1978) / “Bryant concert without incident,” SSP, (July 3 1978) p. 11.]

October 6-9	Saskatoon
The first Metamorphosis cultural festival was held on the Thanksgiving weekend with featured performers Ferron from Vancouver, Blackberri from San Francisco and Michael Gordon from Regina. A highlight was a large march and rally at City Hall. This first Metamorphosis was so successful that it became an annual event promoting positive aspects of lesbian and gay life on the prairies. The Metamorphosis weekends usually included art and crafts displays, a parade or march, educational workshops, films, dances, coffeehouses, concerts, and a Thanksgiving feast. The earlier Metamorphoses attracted both women and men. Although there were always events for male participants, the event in the later 1980s was organized and chiefly staffed by women who formed the majority of the participants. The event was presented annually until 1989 and was restaged in 2001 and 2002.
[Robin Hardy, “Prairie festival soars to success,” The Body Politic, (November 1978) p. 9.]

November	Regina
A group of politically active lesbians and gay men formed the Regina Gay Community to advance political and educational work in the city. The group joined the Saskatchewan Gay Coalition and presented a number of events in cooperation with the Gay Community of Regina.
[Hockley]

November 18 – 19	Regina
The NDP provincial convention debated and for the first time approved (by a counted vote) a resolution to prohibit discrimination on the basis of age, marital status, sexual orientation or handicap. Premier Allan Blakeney in his wrap-up address dampened expectations of action declaring it would “require a good deal of thought to see what the appropriate role of government is.”
[Marsha Erb, “NDP supports homosexual rights,” SSP, (November 20 1978) p. 27.]

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