Halifax Rainbow Encyclopedia: Atlantic Conference

The Atlantic Conference Series

1977: Theme: "Our Atlantic Gay Community - United Against Oppression." October 8, 1977 to the 10th. The weekend included workshops, meetings, an "Artisan's Expo," dinner and dance at The Turret, and concluded with the first gay march in Halifax, on Monday, October 10, 1977, on the Sackville Street side of CitadelHill. The conference was jointly organized by GAE and APPLE (Atlantic Provinces Political Lesbians for Equality.) See Robin Metcalfe's photo of the buffet catering team. There's a registration form in the JimDeYoung fonds.

1978 Poster by RandGaynor

1978: Instead of an Atlantic Conference, the city hosted Building Solidarity: The Fight Against Repression, the sixth national conference of the Canadian Lesbian & Gay Rights Coalition, and included the original play, TheNightTheyRaidedTruxx.
: Poster by RandGaynor. RobinMetcalfe says: "We put [the posters] up high to slow people down who wanted to tear them down - a real issue in those days."

1979 Poster by RandGaynor

1979: Atlantic Gay and Lesbian Conference Theme: Building a Community Spirit November 9th - 11th. Workshops, book and craft sales, social events at The Turret. On the Sunday, Nov 11th, two representatives from GaeGala laid a wreath at the Remembrance Day ceremonies in honour of "all the gay service people who died in Canada's Wars."
1980: Nov. 7th - 9th. Name: just Atlantic Conference
: Theme: Growing.
: Presentation by Brent Hawkes of MCC Toronto.
: Includes AnneFulton's very funny play, BlownWithTheWind.
1982: Fourth Atlantic Conference in Fredericton
: Organizers HalHinds & GlennPelshea?.
: There's an article about it in the July, 1982 issue of MakingWaves.
1993: October 8, 1993 - 10th
: Name: Atlantic Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual Conference Theme: We Are Everywhere attended by 230 people.
: Keynotes: Makeda Silvera and RobinMetcalfe, mentioning the ShirtlessnessDebate of 1991.
: Workshops included The Obsession With Child Abuse in North America with EdgarFriedenberg, Common Strategies/Divided Lives, Lesbian Battering, GaryKinsman's Doing Lesbian/Gay Histories, . Exhibits: Reclaiming Our Musical History. The Friday night conference featured Faith Nolan. The article in the November GAEZETTE also mentions a chorus by JimOulton? and AnneBishop.
: An ad in the February 1993 GAEZETTE, page 11

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