“We Had Become a Community”:Gays of Ottawa (go) and the Birth of Community, 1971–7

Abstract

Canada’s lesbian and gay rights movement had an inauspicious birth, starting as it did with the “We Demand” rally, held on a rainy, cold Saturday in August 1971 on a near-empty Parliament Hill. In response, a number of gay men gathered in Ottawa to found Gays of Ottawa (go). Rapidly, go became a prominent organization within the country’s gay rights movement, remaining in operation until 1995. Born into an era when homosexuality was deeply stigmatized, lesbians and gays in Ottawa experienced additional anxieties due to rcmp efforts to remove homosexuals from the federal civil service. Convincing this anxious population to organize – to realize its potential as a community – was the task go set itself. Based on a comprehensive study of go from 1971 to 1995, this article considers events that go executive members believed to be instrumental to creating community. It focuses on the years 1971–7, during which go hosted community dances to foster a sense of community. More importantly, go directly lobbied Ottawa City Council and resisted Ottawa Police actions against gay men. As a result, go came to believe that “we became the community.”