Jim Egan is regarded as Canada's first activist for gay rights. He began writing letters to the editor defending homosexuality in 1949. We have some photos of him from a few years prior to that, when the Globe and Mail covered his biological specimen supply business in '46. https://ow.ly/S2v150ZacA2

It is ridiculous that I pay $145 a year for the University of Torobto library researcher access but that doesn't include wifi or the ability to download onto my own devices while on location.

For Pride Month, I want to share this incredible footage from the 1973 Toronto Pride Parade, recorded by Jearld Moldenhauer. www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GZ7...

Tomorrow is Lou Sullivan's birthday and we all need some inspiration in this time of anti-trans insanity. This quote never fails to inspire me. Here he is at 13, writing in his diary. (Sullivan grew up to be a gay trans man & a pioneer of FTM community organizing, dying died of AIDS in 1991.

For Pride Month, I want to share this incredible footage from the 1973 Toronto Pride Parade, recorded by Jearld Moldenhauer. www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GZ7...

(tw transphobia) heres some toronto news: the manager of Future Bistro forcibly removed a friend of mine from the women's restroom for being trans while making transphobic comments and misgendering her. i am never going to eat there ever again unless there are consequences and neither should you.

Here's a better scan of that photo from the Star. And for those not familiar with Tilted Spheres, here it is with a human for scale.

From the Toronto Star. "High Art at Pearson Deserves High-fives." Christopher Hume. Monday February 13, 2006.

From the Toronto Star. "High Art at Pearson Deserves High-fives." Christopher Hume. Monday February 13, 2006.

When Terminal 1 of Toronto's Pearson International Airport was being remodeled in the 2000s, Richard Serra's gigantic artwork "Tilted Spheres" was installed before any of the walls or the ceiling. I know photos of this exists, BUT I CAN'T FIND THEM. Anyways. Think about that next time you fly.

Happy Pride to this Caravaggio self-portrait that made one man so gay he had to go to the hospital

Come check this out today over on @askhistorians.bsky.social!

If you have ever emailed a writer to let them know you enjoyed something they wrote, you are among the noblest and best and most saintly in this entire world, and I hope you sleep really well tonight.

ONE FROM THE VAULTS RETURNS! For a special Tenth Anniversary season! Ten brand new episodes of the original trans history podcast. In our first episode, we chart the life of tarot master, sci fi writer, and 70s trans activist Rachel Pollack! Please share! m.soundcloud.com/onefromtheva...

Daniyal Elahi and Harris Elahi reflect on the research process that led them to discover Private Hasan Amat, Canada’s first Muslim soldier killed in the First World War. Their initial paper on Amat was posted on Active History in 2025 and can be found here: activehistory.ca/blog/2025/12...

Happy Pride from the Beinecke Library's lesbian pulp fiction collection, named after the inexpensive wood pulp paper on which they were printed. They could be found at magazine and newspaper stands, drugstores, and bus terminals. #Pride beinecke.library.yale.edu/article/lesb...

I recently emailed a gay activist asking if he remembered anything about a group I have been slowly researching and he sent back an exhibit I worked on. I feel like I just unlocked an achievement.

There's a tumblr post that goes around every so often about how ace lesbians were called "bambi lesbians" in the 80s. I always thought it was an invention, annoyed by the fact that it was only that post and never examples. But I just found a reference to "bambisexual" in the Body Politic.

There's a tumblr post that goes around every so often about how ace lesbians were called "bambi lesbians" in the 80s. I always thought it was an invention, annoyed by the fact that it was only that post and never examples. But I just found a reference to "bambisexual" in the Body Politic.

I turned my interpretive-sign art into a sticker, for all of you out there who stop to read every historic marker and sign on trips…. littlebraincomics.etsy.com/listing/4516...

Whatever terrible event happened to Hudson's Bay, it also shifted New Tecumseh way up there. I hope everyone survived.

Thanks to this update, I was able to find this article that is referenced in an issue of the Erickson Educational Foundation newsletter! Here's Paul Rimstead talking... empathetically? about the plight of trans women. Not what you'd expect from the Sun! October 13 1972.

Thanks to this update, I was able to find this article that is referenced in an issue of the Erickson Educational Foundation newsletter! Here's Paul Rimstead talking... empathetically? about the plight of trans women. Not what you'd expect from the Sun! October 13 1972.

In 1954, Marie Jefferson made headlines as Canada's first sex change. Photographers at the Toronto Telegram took over 30 photos of her. One series involved her reading a magazine, but only one photo from this series was published, which unfortunately hid the cover.

In 1954, Marie Jefferson made headlines as Canada's first sex change. Photographers at the Toronto Telegram took over 30 photos of her. One series involved her reading a magazine, but only one photo from this series was published, which unfortunately hid the cover.

happy pride, shoutout as always to the 1978 gilbert baker pride flag which had pink and turquoise stripes for SEX AND MAGIC AND ART, and in this house we support gay sex and gay magic and gay art

I keep my fingers crossed things won't get as nasty this election cycle as they did in 1980 (where all sorts of things were at play)... www.tvo.org/article/how-...

You may not like it, but this is what peak museological performance looks like

NEW! MOBA (Mapping Ontario's Black Archives) asked me to write a post about my experiences writing and researching black history...which also turned into a love letter into how my father and my hometown of Amherstburg inspired my career path as a historian. mobaprojects.ca/amherstburg-...

If you think that you might be able to get Canadian citizenship through these new rules but need proof; get in touch! I am a skilled trans historian and researcher that can help you track down the details you need.

If you think that you might be able to get Canadian citizenship through these new rules but need proof; get in touch! I am a skilled trans historian and researcher that can help you track down the details you need.

One project I'm excited to see grow is Canada Commons, which is digitizing numerous publications, including several historic Toronto newspapers. I recently did a video with Salvy Trojman of Trojman Corporation to unbox some of their latest titles... www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

Since the Toronto Telegram is now on Newspapers.com, here is the letter that early Canadian gay activist Jim Egan sent to decry how homosexuality was being described. From Monday November 30th, 1953.

Since the Toronto Telegram is now on Newspapers.com, here is the letter that early Canadian gay activist Jim Egan sent to decry how homosexuality was being described. From Monday November 30th, 1953.

I went to the Bata Shoe Museum over the weekend and their permanent collection space has this really subtle curatorial choice. A mirror lines the bottom of the display cases so when you look around, everyone's shoes also become part of the exhibit.

Very disappointed that the AGO leaves Frances Loring and Florence Wyle's queerness unsaid. Describing them as having "lived and worked together for over 50 years" makes it sound like "they were roommates". Just say they were lesbians! It is fine! We don't need to resort to euphemisms!

Very disappointed that the AGO leaves Frances Loring and Florence Wyle's queerness unsaid. Describing them as having "lived and worked together for over 50 years" makes it sound like "they were roommates". Just say they were lesbians! It is fine! We don't need to resort to euphemisms!

can’t believe that in 2026 merriam webster actually updated the collective noun for a group of historians to “a despair”

Here's some more songs from the Coming Out Show! This time from their October 1981 episode on new wave and punk music! Starting off with The Minutes' "Linda (Used To Be A Man)". Thought this was going to be mocking but it is actually about loving a trans woman, a la Lola.

Here's some more songs from the Coming Out Show! This time from their October 1981 episode on new wave and punk music! Starting off with The Minutes' "Linda (Used To Be A Man)". Thought this was going to be mocking but it is actually about loving a trans woman, a la Lola.

On this day in 1800, American abolitionist John Brown was born. Here's a story I wrote for TVO @therundowntvo.bsky.social on Brown's activities in Chatham, Ontario prior to his famous raid on Harper's Ferry #cdnhistory #ontariohistory www.tvo.org/article/how-...

Does anyone know how homophile groups reacted to Christine Jorgensen?

Toronto Tempo are opening their WNBA season tonight! To mark the moment, we're looking back at women’s basketball through the decades in the city.

A reminder to Canadians with government student loans: only provincial loans have interest. You can pay it off entirely by sending a cheque to the NSLSC and be interest free.

Here's some of the songs I've managed to find from these gay radio play lists! Starting with the Australian Gay Liberation Quire's "Hark the Herald Fairies Shout". As far as I can tell, there isn't a full version online so this will have to do! soundcloud.com/nfsaaustrali...

On this day in 1933, Nazis raided the Magnus Hirschfeld library in Berlin. The world’s greatest collection of LGBTQ books and scientific papers were looted and later burned, erasing decades of research into sexuality and gender identity. ‘Where they burn books, in the end they will burn humans too’.

Been going through the files of a gay radio show from the 80s recently and have been finding a ton of incredible music titles that I need to listen to. This is in part a way to remember but I figure others would be interested as well!

I'm not a baseball fan but I am enthralled by the way this series is presented. The depth of newspaper clippings and additional video is inspiring. It is incredible the details that can be found just to tell the story of a single fight. Amazing. www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1QF...

Started a new freelance research project at the ArQuives yesterday and found this sketch on the back of some papers related to the Coming Out Show, a gay radio show from Vancouver. I find it so enchanting.