How “Fantastique” was Les Mouches Fantastiques?

Abstract

This paper examines the historical significance of Les Mouches Fantastiques, cited as “Canada’s first queer publication,” published from 1918-1920 in Montreal. Specifically, the research employs a framework offered by The Historical Thinking Project (directed by Professor Peter Seixas of the University of British Columbia) to consider the historical significance of the journal as a primary source by acknowledging historical perspective, identifying continuity and change, and analyzing cause and consequence.1 Through this framework, the paper interrogates the ways Les Mouches Fantastiques challenged prominent social and judicial norms of the 1910’s and how it would inspire future queer publications. However, this paper conversely examines the limitations of the publication and its historical implications, recognizing the limited accessibility to a Canadian audience at the time. With a focus on the significance of Les Mouches Fantastiques in Canadian queer history, there is emphasis on the role of the publication in providing historians with a unique, well-rounded lens into history that remains significant in the present. 1 “Historical Thinking Concepts.” The Historical Thinking Project. Centre for the Study of Historical Consciousness accessed November 27, 2021. https://historicalthinking.ca/historical-thinking-concepts.