Out North: An Archive of Queer Activism and Kinship in Canada
by Craig Jennex and Nisha Ewaran
My rating: ★★★★★
After walking one hour to the waterfront to read the final pages, it’s over. As an immigrant who heavily considered Canada as an option because of its queer acceptance, I think it’s very important to understand how that was developed here both as a sign of respect but also as a way of continuing the work.
This book was a great source of content. Not just because it presents the events themselves, but also because it compares history to our current reality. It also presents items belonging to The ArQuives collection and it’s a joy to see/read things from years ago (especially when a lot of them could easily be talking about today’s society).
Part of me did get very frustrated to know that many of the issues we face today were already being highlighted so long ago (misogyny in queer spaces, trans acceptance, BIPOC equality… for example). On the other hand, it’s inspiring to see so many different forms and shapes activism has taken throughout the years and that though very slowly, some progress has been made.
I think this book is a must-read book for any queer person living in Canada (and anyone living outside of Canada interested in queer history). If you’re able to, I’d also suggest buying it from Glad Day Bookshop so you’re supporting a queer business in the process.
