In John Barton’s introduction to Seminal: The Anthology of Canada’s Gay Male Poets, he describes what he calls “a gaydar moment.” For Canada’s earliest poets, we can only speculate on their sexuality … more →
The Drummer's RevengeHamish wrote 1 month ago: In John Barton’s introduction to Seminal: The Anthology of Canada’s Gay Male Poets, he describes wha … more →
Hamish wrote 3 months ago: I’ve already written about the European reaction upon learning that the First Peoples of North Ameri … more →
Hamish wrote 8 months ago: Late nineteenth-century Canada was not exactly a place that welcomed difference or embraced diversit … more →
Hamish wrote 1 year ago: “Media” to us means mostly electronic means of communication. In the 19th century, though, news, hig … more →
Hamish wrote 1 year ago: Volunteer educators wearing ribbons and going into public schools – often over the objections of par … more →
Hamish wrote 1 year ago: Toward the end of the 19th Century, the traditional silence of the Canadian media on the subject of … more →
Hamish wrote 1 year ago: In November, 1891, at Montreal, two labourers – John Pettigrew and William Gray – became quite drunk … more →
Hamish wrote 1 year ago: Canada got its “gross indecency” law five years after Britain did. The law was imported by an eager … more →
Hamish wrote 1 year ago: When Kulenthiram Amirthalingam returned to his native Malaysia from Canada to visit his boyfriend of … more →
Hamish wrote 1 year ago: In previous instalments, I’ve mentioned some of the prison reforms that led to the creation of the K … more →
Hamish wrote 1 year ago: Changing Views on Homosexuality in the West By the mid-1800s, most of Europe had stopped executing “ … more →
Hamish wrote 1 year ago: Seen from the point of view of the “sodomites,” the Conquest of Quebec was a mixture of good and bad … more →
Hamish wrote 2 years ago: When I set out to research queer women’s history in pre-Confederation Canada, I discovered … more →
Hamish wrote 2 years ago: Looking over the political debates of the 19th century, it’s hard not to conclude that Canada’ … more →