Many ageing members of the LGBTQ+ community once fought hard battles for their rights, from discrimination in the workplace to legalizing same-sex marriage.
But recent events in Alberta have sparked renewed activism among the province’s older LGBTQ+ community.
Three laws passed late last year by the governing United Conservative Party — described by activists as anti-trans — have renewed the fighting spirit amongst older LGBTQ+ members.
Advocacy through Rainbow Elders
Donna Thorsten is president of Rainbow Elders Calgary, which serves as a hub for older LGBTQ+ adults to connect with their community, receive support, and engage in advocacy.
As a lesbian who has fought for her community’s rights for decades, Thorsten remains committed to the cause.
She has recently focused on the UCP’s three laws impacting trans youth, including limiting access to gender-affirming care, preventing trans athletes from participating in women’s amateur sports and policing the use of pronouns in school.
The provincial government also invoked the notwithstanding clause to prevent legal challenges to its legislation.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said the laws aim to “protect the health and well-being of children.”
The legislation was met with wide opposition, including researchers at Carleton University who contend that restrictions on access to care can “harm transgender youth emotionally, socially, and physically.”
Thorsten says her community has been galvanized by the recent political targeting of trans youth.
“Youth are being attacked by our political government, and we know how hard it was to get a lot of the rights that we have now,” she said.
Community outreach and education
The Rainbow Elders have visited schools across the city to speak to students about queer visibility and provide resources for those in need.
They also attend protests around the city and are active in sending letters to the Alberta government to urge change.
“We want to let everyone know that we’re going to be here and we’re definitely not going to give up the fight for our youth now,” said Thorsten.
When they aren’t busy with their advocacy, the organization holds monthly meetings where members can meet up and socialize over coffee and treats.
Sometimes they host local advocates such as NDP MLA Janis Irwin.
Thorsten says it’s important to bridge the generational gap in the queer community so everyone can learn from one another. Recently, Rainbow Elders expanded its scope to host more initiatives, including younger community members.
Intergenerational events such as inclusive swim meets at the MRU Recreation Centre have proven very popular.
The group is also seeing growing demand for more education by heterosexual older adults who are having a hard time grasping the identities of their queer children and grandchildren.
“I’m really happy people are opening up to that,” Thorsten said.
Finding support across generations
On the flipside, many younger members of the LGBTQ+ community are turning to their elders to find support.
JR Alsip is the Rainbow Elders’ acting secretary. Alsip, a queer individual in their 20s, says that before joining the organization, their own knowledge of queer elders was fairly limited.
“I’m hearing that other people have lived through this before, but I don’t see them,” they say. “That’s, like, functionally a myth to me.”
Like many in their generation, Alsip has felt anxiety and confusion in the face of the province’s recent legislative agenda, which led them to seek out the wisdom of older community members.
While studying at MRU, Alsip came across a pamphlet for Rainbow Elders while visiting the SAMRU Pride Centre. They were immediately intrigued by the organization and its mission.
They attended one of the organization’s coffee meet-ups and were instantly welcomed into the group with open arms.
They say that many of the queer elders are open to learning more about the community as it evolves.
Alsip identifies with a fluid gender and prefers not to use a specific label, which is something they say many people don’t understand, including at Rainbow Elders. But, they say, the older generation has shown a willingness to learn.
“Different members have asked questions about it,” they say. “But I feel like it’s really wonderful to have people be like, ‘What’s that about? We’re kind of here for this, but I have no idea, so tell me.’”
Chosen family and shared experience
Alsip says the community is at the forefront of queer priorities. Many members have fractured relationships with blood relatives who misunderstand or simply don’t accept their queerness.
For Alsip, the Rainbow Elders have acted as a surrogate family.
“It’s really sweet. Everyone’s always like, ‘Yeah, consider me your grandparent,’” Alsip said.
Alsip finds a lot of value in the shared knowledge of these queer elders and their experiences in a period of time when it was practically illegal for them to exist in Canada.
Lessons from past struggles
It was just over 20 years ago that Canada legalized same-sex marriage with the Civil Marriage Act (Bill C-38) in 2005.
Many queer historians regard the 1981 Toronto Bathhouse raids as a turning point for a more queer-progressive Canada.
The protests that emerged from the raids eventually evolved into modern Canadian Pride festivals.
A mere three years before Bill C-38 was passed, Calgary Police had conducted a raid on Goliath’s Bathhouse, charging two employees and 13 patrons for “bawdy-house-related offences” in a raid decried by many as anti-gay harassment.
Calgary Police finally acknowledged their mishandling of the situation in 2022.
Most current members of Rainbow Elders also lived through the AIDS crisis in the 80s.
Thorsten used to do the phone calls back when Calgary had “gay lines,” and she recalls multiple accounts of distraught young men looking for information on the crisis and support after facing ridicule from a heteronormative society.
Her memories of that time motivate her and her peers to support queer youth today.
“I don’t want history to repeat, so that’s why I’m always going to be there to do as much as I can to advocate for any part of my community,” Thorsten says.
There’s a lot of value in discussing past battles.
“It’s not like they know stuff because they learned it. They lived it,” Alsip said. “They saw it on TV. It was their friends.”
Building future connections
To keep intergenerational support going, Rainbow Elders has partnered with the Calgary Queer Arts Society to launch an Intergenerational Arts Club for LGBTQ+ members, further connecting the community through workshops.
It’s still in development, but the organization is optimistic about the turnout.
“I’m hoping we get lots of people for that,” Thorsten said.