The Construction and Experience of Queer Space in Calgary
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University of Calgary PRISM: University of Calgary's Digital Repository Graduate Studies Legacy Theses 1999 Sites of resistance, sites of strength: the construction and experience of queer space in Calgary Johnston, Dawn Elizabeth Belle Johnston, D. E. (1999). Sites of resistance, sites of strength: the construction and experience of queer space in Calgary (Unpublished master's thesis). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB. doi:10.11575/PRISM/23147 http://hdl.handle.net/1880/25098 master thesis University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission. Downloaded from PRISM: https://prism.ucalgary.ca UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY Sites of Resistance, Sites of Strength: The Construction and Experience of Queer Space in Calgary Dawn Elizabeth B. Johnston A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS GRADUATE PROGRAM IN COMMUNICATIONS STUDIES CALGARY, ALBERTA MAY, 1999 O Dawn Elizabeth B. Johnston 1999 National Library Bibliotheque nationale of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographic Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON KtA ON4 Ottawa ON KIA ON4 Canada Canada Your bb Votre rdlbrenar Our ti& NOtr8 f6fdttWCe The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive pennettant a la National Library of Canada to Bibliotheque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sell reproduire, przter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette these sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/film, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format electronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriete du copyright in hsthesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protege cette these. thesis nor substantial extracts born it Ni la these ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent Qtre imprimes reproduced without the author' s ou autremeat reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. ABSTRACT How concretely are marginalized communities tied to their places, their spaces, and their geographies? This thesis challenges the status quo which identifies Calgarian culture as conservative, corporate, and "cowboy," exploring the construction and experience of queer space in Calgary. In-depth interviews were conducted with eight voluntary participants who self-identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual, to collect their responses to a variety of questions about the construction and significance of Calgary's queer spaces. Their responses are thematicaily arranged, interpreted, and analyzed using a theoretical framework which incorporates poststructuralist, feminist, and queer theories. Their responses focus less upon the physical appearance of spaces, and much more upon their own experience in and engagement with the spaces - or, as Michel de Certeau suggests, the concept of "space as practiced place." Attention is also drawn to the post-modern nature of Calgary's queer community -- spread 04fragmented and integrated into the city as a whole. I wish to express my gratitude to several people, without whom completion of this thesis would have been impossible. Fim of all, my thanks to the Faculty of General Studies for boenerous financial suppon throughout the completion of my degree. Thanks to Dr. Susan Bennett and Dr. Brian Rusted for serving as committee members, and providing valuable input on my thesis. I want to thank Dr. Charles Acland for his superb supervision - for tug,listening, kicking my butt when I needed it, and reminding me why this work was worthwhile. My gratitude, as well, goes out to Sylvia Mills, Marion Hillier, David Mitchell, David Taras, and everyone in the department for welcoming, nurturing, and supporting me - for giving me a second home. Many thanks to my close circle of fiends, for motivating me and distracting me, and to my family, especially my dad, for loving and supporting me unconditionally through what has been, to say the least, a challenging two years. And finally, to the woman who shares my space - Lisa Stowe - for knowing me, believing in me, and showing me passion. TABLE OF CONTENTS .. Approval page ....................................-.............................-.........-........................................11 ... Abstract.. .......................................................... .. ............................................,.....,..,...iii Acknowledgments .............................................................................................................. iv Table of Contents................................................................................................................. v Epigraph .............................................................................................................................. ~ CHAPTER ONE:INTRODUCTION .................................................................................. 1 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW. ..................................................................... 8 CHAPTER THREE: THEY'RE HERE, THEY'RE QUEER, WHERE ARE THEY?...... 7 - C) CHAPTER FOUR:OUT THEIR WAY:PERSONAL HISTORIES..................... ,., ........33 CHAPTER FIVE: SPATIAL IN(QUEER)IES: ANALYSIS, CONCLUSIONS, AND DIRECTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH..................................................................... 84 WORKS CITED .......................................................................................................... 103 APPENDIX ONE: ADVERTISEMENTS....................................................................... 107 APPENDIX TWO: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS ............................................................ 112 Silenced and policed, we congregated in dotted spaces. Borders were marked and real; vice laws, police, and organized crime representatives controUed our movements into and out of our "countries." But what could not be controlled was what forced the creation of these spaces in the fust place -- our need to confront a personal destiny, to see our reflections in each others' faces and to break societal ostracism with our bodies. What couid not be controlled was our desire. Joan Nestle, "Restriction and Reclamation," Queen In S~ace:Communities. Public Places. Sites of Resistance Though lesbians and gay men, as well as aspects of our culture, have existed for thousands of years in every known society and nation, our existence, history, and transformations are rarely represented in any work in the social sciences fields. Our culture has been aivialized as "lifestyle" and our places, spaces, and geography are unknown and invisible to most people. (Wolfe 303) Maxine Wolfe's words, spoken specifically of queer culture, echo the experiences of many minority groups within urban spaces. The cases of inaccessible histories, erased culturesl and invisible spaces are innumerable. But in recent decades, as race, class, and gender have been identified as crucial points of intersection in academic research and scholarly writing, research has begun to uncover those histories and make those experiences culturally significant. Moa recently, sexual orientation has joined race, class. and gender as a site where identity, community and power are constructed. A recognition of this shift in thinking is propelled by a shift in scholarly attention. Slowly and carefully, individuals within academia are responding to the call for attention to gay, lesbian, and bisexual lives -- and are taking on the challenge of writing "queer" histories and theorizing queer cultures. However, it is no surprise to discover that the majority of this scholarly work is focusing upon large urban centers with visible and active gay populations. Much has been written on the gay ghettos of Montreal, the gay neighbourhoods of Toronto and Vancower, and the ever-present "queerness" in the Castro district of San Francisco. But what about the less visible queer communities? If they are not hanging rainbow flags fkom a neighbourhood of houses, or dominating the ownership of businesses in a particular area, where are they? If we cannot see the queer community in a city like Calgary, does it exist? How concretely is a culture tied to its places, its spaces, and its geopphy? My goal, in this thesis, through analysis of theory and a series of inte~ews,is to explore these questions about queer communities and spaces in Calgary. I have made the decision, in this thesis, to use the word "queer" to collectively identi@ sexual minorities. I recognize that this decision is a contentious one, particularly in light of the fact that this work tends to focus on gays and lesbians. The word "queer" is highly contested -- even, in some cases, by those who use it as an identifier. My choice to use it is two-fold. The first reason is ease and convenience. Within academic circles, the word "queer" is considered by some to be an acceptable substitute for the clumsiness of "gay, lesbian, and bisexual," or "leslgaylbi" in scholarly writing. The second reason is my own acceptance of the word "queer-" to speak to people of sexual minorities. I use this term to speak of gays, lesbians, bisexuals, dykes, fags, homoseds, pomosexuals, butches,