Schedule

(updated 2024-10-08)

Friday, October 25th 2024

7:00 – 8:30 pm: Keynote Speaker - Tuma Young

Sponsored by University of New Brunswick, Department of Historical Studies.  

Title: Wabanakikowaq Etuajijaqmijwinuk: The Wabanaki 2 Spirit People! A brief 2 Spirited History

Abstract: Tuma Young, K.C., is an L’nu (Mi’kmaq) from Malagawatch reserve and his band is Eskasoni First Nation. Tuma was born into the Attu’wej (Squirrel) clan for the Aplikjumuj (Rabbit) clan. Tuma is the spouse of Nicolaas Honig and resides in Sydney River where he teaches Mi’kmaq Studies at Cape Breton University and has a private legal practice focusing on Indigenous Law, Aboriginal Law, Health Law, Estates, Board Governance, Adjudication, Arbitration and workplace investigations.

Tuma’s research interest is in reclaiming and restoring “L’nuwey Tplutaqan: Mi’kmaq Legal Principles; the traditional roles and responsibilities of 2 Spirited people and the Political activism of the L’nu from 1900’s to the present.

Saturday, October 26th 2024

9:00 – 9:15 am: Welcome, Land Acknowledgement & Opening Remarks - Meredith J. Batt (QHINB) 

Housekeeping - Katrina Swift (CANB)

9:15 – 9:50 am: Featured Speaker - Robin Metcalfe

Title: Conflict, Autonomy and Solidarity:

The First Five Atlantic Canadian Lesbian and Gay Conferences

Abstract: Between 1977 and 1983, delegates from across the Atlantic provinces met five times in regional conferences; three of them in Halifax and two in Fredericton. Halifax also hosted a pan-Canadian conference in 1978. I propose to provide an overview of these conferences, considering their themes, the topics covered in workshops and plenaries, and the gender and geographic representation of those present, drawing on my personal archives and records from direct participation therein, including as a presenter and member of planning committees.

10:00 – 11:00 am  – Research & Reflections 

Jess Wilton

Title: Wild Womyn: Identity and Queer Space through Lesbian Camping Trips in Nova Scotia, 1980-1999 

Abstract: This paper explores the archival record of lesbian camping trips held in rural Nova Scotia during the 1980s and 1990s. It relies on analysis of photographs, oral histories, and newspaper articles from the Wild Wimmin Weekends and Wild Womyn Don't Get the Blues trips. These were both women-only camping weekends and explicitly lesbian sponsored, though not necessarily lesbian-exclusive. By examining these trips as private, community-only events, this paper argues that they can shed light on the lesbian and women's movement community in Nova Scotia across various topics including community-building, activism, spirituality, freedom of sexual expression, and environmentalism. Not only will this paper investigate the relationship between queer women and the Nova Scotia countryside, but it will also frame these camping sites theoretically as queer space.

Void Clark-Nason & KD Merritt 

Title: "It didn't matter to me if the flag was threaded in gold, it didn't belong on the same mast with the Canadian flag": A duoethonography of homonationalist discourses at Oromocto High School, New Brunswick

Abstract: In this paper, we employ a critical duo-ethnographic approach to explore our experiences of living through the 2015 OHS Pride flag situation. We argue that this nearly decade-old event can provide insight and context into modern rising anti-2SLGBTQ+ rhetoric in educational settings, such as the New Brunswick government's changes to Policy 713. 

11:00 – 11:20 am – Update on CAC and planning for National Queer/Trans+ Community History Conference in Halifax in 2026

Denyse Rodrigues 

The Community Advisory Committee on 2S/LGBTQ+ Archives is revising its Terms of Reference and moving to a new website at https://atlanticcanadarainbowhistory.ca/. The website will have a section to support the Queer History Conference, which will take place in Halifax, Nova Scotia May 1- 3, 2026. This new website is also meant to provide links to other queer archival collections in the Atlantic region (with permission) with the plan to offer linkages to redirect people to other collections already in existence in NB, PEI, NFLD, and NS. During this session, we will invite participants to provide feedback on the new Terms of Reference for the Community Advisory Committee for this archives, learn more about the upcoming Queer History Conference, and share information about their own Queer archival and community history collections.

11:20 – 11:30 am – Break 

11:30 am – 12:50 pm – Queering Art, Culture, and the Archives 

Jamie Kitts

Title: As Life May Be: A Rural/Temporal Queering of Frank Parker Day’s Rockbound

Abstract: The queer academics of the millennial era received an icy reception when they began to queer classic Canadian literature. Homosexuality in the early 2000s carried a level of stigma which could shock even the people within its communities. While contemporary queerness has to contend with being politically infantilized as still being somehow new, folding the past into present as a chance, unintentional encounter is how forgotten queer models across history re-emerge. These models-in-progress, particularly queerness in rural spaces, can help to reimagine and reinvigorate queering as a practice in historical Canadian fiction. This presentation, "As Life May Be: A Rural/Temporal Queering of Frank Parker Day’s Rockbound," will examine the controversy and stakes of queering Canadian literature, queer time and chrononormativity within Day's text, and queer rurality contemporary to Day's publication.

Daze Jefferies 

Title: Skin-Yarns: Trans Sex Worker Counter-Histories in Newfoundland

Abstract:Grounded in research-creation and artistic practice, this presentation will explore trans and sex worker histories, intergenerational desires, and contemporary political cultures in Ktaqmkuk (Newfoundland, Canada). Combining archival explorations, oral histories, autoethnography, and artistic counter-narratives, my recent work articulates a “with/held” politics of survival and resistance in rural places. I will contextualize a small body of trans sex worker art and creative writing in Newfoundland alongside my current community-based grant project "skin-yarns" which incorporates archival research mobilization, trans sex worker oral histories, and collaborative artistry.

Katelyn Roger

Title: Queering Game Design: Exploring 2SLGBTQIA+ Histories through Tabletop Games.

Abstract: Throughout history, the 2SLGBTQIA+ community has been notably underrepresented, or even entirely absent from many conventional archival records. For a multitude of reasons, many archives replicate historical biases against marginalized groups, including the 2SLGBTQIA+ community through their systematic exclusion. As a member of Resolve, an applied game design research group, my research focus has been on the history of UNB as we developed our upcoming card game, Project AUDE, in partnership with the UNB Archives and Special Collections. Throughout this process, it became clear that traditional institutional histories of UNB almost entirely omit the university's rich queer and trans history from their accounts despite the oral and external sources that confirm its existence.  After extensive further research, histories of 2SLGBTQIA+ community groups, both on and off campus, as well as a legacy of influential 2SLGBTQIA+ faculty and alumni came to light as key pieces to the fabric of UNB’s campus culture. By creating our own institutional history in the form of a card game, myself and the rest of the Resolve team were able to use game design as a method of interactive historical reconstruction to highlight these underrepresented stories. In this presentation, I will discuss the research process, share examples of notable pieces of UNB’s queer and trans history, and discuss the enormous potential that tabletop games in particular have in finding new ways to remedy historical biases and platform diverse voices, for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and beyond. Archival images and documents will be included in this presentation, as will elements of the game itself that has come from this research creation process.

----- LUNCH BREAK 1:00 – 2:00 pm ----- 

[Recorded Presentation by Svend Robinson will be shown]

2:00 – 3:30pm Community Histories

Cynthia Wallace-Casey & Connor Fraser 

Title: Queering the Community History Museum: Opportunities and Challenges

Abstract: Over the past three years, the Fredericton Region Museum has slowly moved towards adopting more inclusive choices in how the museum operates and how collections are interpreted. Connor Fraser, who has been employed (part-time) in the museum since 2022, has been the catalyst for bringing about such change.

During the summer of 2024, our museum conducted a search of the collections, looking for artifacts relating to LGBTQ2 history. What we discovered is that the museum did indeed hold objects and archival documents that represent Queer people and themes. This experience has led us to realise that considering the place of none-traditional gender roles in history entails meaningfully confronting the ways that LGBTQ2 people have been erased from history. Examples of this will be presented.

Jonathan Niemczak 

Title: "Why do you need a parade?”

Abstract: Our presentation "Why Do You Need a Parade" delves into the inspiring history of the Canadian Pride Movement, highlighting its milestones, struggles, and triumphs. Participants will gain valuable insights from knowledgeable speakers in this virtual presentation, which is a great addition to your Queer/Trans+ History Virtual Symposium. The presentation supports our mission of connecting people to the history of Pride in Canada and understanding its importance.

This 45-minute presentation provides an overview of the Canadian Pride Historical Society and covers critical events that have shaped the Canadian Pride Movement. It includes a focused historical overview of the history of Prides in the Maritimes and offers suggested activities and resources for further learning.

The presentation benefits participants by providing educational insights into the history and impact of Canada’s Pride Movement, increasing cultural awareness and appreciation of the GSRD community, and sharing inspirational stories from activists and community leaders. It also offers a supportive environment for thoughtful discussions and reflection.

3:30 – 3:40 pm – Break

3:40 – 4:30 pm – Lightning Talks: Documenting communities, inspiration from our pasts and hope for the future

Megan Butcher & Ariane Gauthier 

Title: LAC’s Guide to ​2SLGBTQIA-related Holdings

Abstract: Library and Archives Canada is working on a research guide for their 2SLGBTQIA+ related holdings. Megan Butcher and Ariane Gauthier from Research Support will talk about the context of the guide and how they see it evolving, and then briefly discuss some of LAC's holdings related to Atlantic Canada. 

Sienna Ingham 

Title: The Double Ring: Making the connections between quilting and queerness visible in a modern Maritimes

Abstract: Inspired by the works of Zak Foster and Jess Bailey, I am interested in presenting a short introductory talk on the radical nature of quilts and queer quilters in the Maritimes (historical and contemporary). The Maritimes has a long history of craft but its lack of queer representation is dated and false. This topic is something I am invested in personally, academically, and professionally, and although it is still in the research and development phase, so are the resources available to research this type of history and I believe that puts me in a very interesting and new position. At this point, I am looking for a space to discuss my process and research findings, and to create a call-out for submissions from queer Maritime quilters to ultimately create a publication.

Arlo Cogswell 

Title: Judith Meinert: A Pioneering Queer Activist

Abstract: In my talk, I will review some of Judith Meinert’s most significant moments of advocacy, including why she started this work. My goal is to help others better understand her contributions to the queer community in Saint John and further position her as an important historical figure for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in the Atlantic provinces.

Sarah Worthman 

Title: Affordable digital archiving with Omeka!

Abstract: A lightning talk about using omeka software to create our digital archive. The process involved in forming partnerships with other archives, the software, and next steps. 

---- Closing remarks ----