GaeGala

GAE & GALA

Gay Alliance for Equality & Gay And Lesbian Alliance

This page documents the history of Halifax's Gay and Lesbian Association, later renamed the Gay And Lesbian Association.

GAE owned and operated The Turret and later Rumours, which meant that there was always substantial amounts of cash for projects. GAE funded the GAEZETTE newspaper in its early years.

GAE/Turret/Rumours also funded the first 20 or so years of the GayLine.

In 2022, MikaelaGorman? did interviews to create a story of the creation of GAE; the page documenting that is (well, will be) here and there's a very small brochure version of it here.

June 4, 1972

Founded, says the November 1972 Newsletter, signed by AnneFulton

1972

NilsClausson says "One of the first things we did was set up the GayLine"

March 1, 1973 (ca)

Vol. 1 # 1: March 1973 Newsletter Contents: GayLine, a rant about people not attending the bars, "Candlelight" and "DAs." "The Brief" column details NilsClaussen? & the GAE Legal Reform Committee's Human Rights brief for the N.S. Legislature, a March 7, 1973 meeting with the Health and Human Welfare Committee, and a request for examples of discrimination to be brought to the attention of DavidGray or Nils. Recipe: Peppermint Ice Cream. Meetings at the UniversalistUnitarianChurch, bitchy comments about TheeKlub. Address for GAE is the GreenLantern Building. Editorial: coming out and pride.

April, 1973

Vol. 1 # 2: April 1973 Newsletter contents: Article about GAE's interaction with the N.S. Human Rights Commission by NilsClausson, Chairman, Legal Reform Committee; Editorial by John L. Article on male and females working together by (almost certainly) AnneFulton; Events: presentation to a St Mary's University class, participation in a VG Hospital outpatient staff meeting, presentation to a sociology seminar at Dalhousie; three people trained for the GayLine; meetings at the UniversalistUnitarianChurch;

May 25, 1973

The Memorandum of Association and first set of Bylaws are filed with the Registry of Joint Stock Companies (this is the date on the cover letter.)

Founding board: DonnaBurns? (Baker), TommyBurns (Laundry Worker), CarolButler (Housewife), StephenCalnen (Office Manager), NilsClausson (Student), JimDeYoung (Road Supervisor), JoyceGehue? (Student), AnneFulton (Teacher), DavidGray (Businessman - Self-employed), SandraHenley? (Cook), AnnMacMullin (Cook), TheresaRowe? (Assistant Manager), EdSlade (Accounting Clerk), and DianeWarren (Teacher). TommyMiller (Cook) applied and MichelRobichaud? witnessed.

Address is Suite 207, GreenLantern Building.

Also includes November 1, 1973 to July 27, 1974 "balance sheet" prepared by BobStout, signed by chairman ClemCormier?.1

1974

Group ceases operations

1975

October: re-established and beginning to raising funds towards a hoped-for community centre.

1976

Chair AnneFulton, Secretary RobinMetcalfe, Treasurer DavidSeale2

1977

AGM October 26, 1977: Chair: RobinMetcalfe, 1st Executive position: AnneVersailles? 2nd Executive position: DeneRoach. Turret Management committee, male: DeneRoach; Gayline Director: MikeMacDonald [that would be Father Mike] The other positions were undoubtedly filled by acclamation. DebTrask became Secretary this way, at this meeting.3

1978

AGM October 18, 1978: chair: ClydeRichardson, Treasurer: JohnMarr, Exec Male: JimMacSwain, Exec Female: CathyHarvison, Sec'y not reported in minutes, probably DebTrask.

1979

AGM November 17, 1979: Chair: ClydeRichardson, Treasurer: JohnMarr, Secretary: DebTrask

1981

DebTrask writes: In August, 1981 something happened, and much of the executive resigned. Think it had to do with stacking meetings. I took over from EdThibodeau? as Chair, KathyMacNeil took over from JohnHurlbert as Secretary, and RandyKennedy took over from BarryHeath - don't know what position. AGM October 21, 1981: Chair: DebTrask, Secretary: KatherineMacNeil, Treasurer: PaulHanson?, Executive Male: DonCormier?, Executive Female: Anne Versailles. A planning note for a GamesOfAtlanticCanada event indicates that 200 programmes were printed for the "GAE Mailout." Minutes of another meeting state a meeting in the "GAE Community Centre, Suite 200, Tartan Building."

September 16, 1981

Example Speaker's Bureau request and JimDeYoung's report after, in the RainbowSeniorsArchive -- see SpeakersBureau.

November 3, 1981

Proposal by JimDeYoung to create the BillettingService. Proposal letter here.

1983

American singer-songwriter, actress, teacher, and activist Holly Near brought to Halifax by GAE, RedHerringBookstore, the Dalhousie Disarmament society, the Latin America Information Group, the Voice of Women, and the Women's Housing Cooperative.4

1985 - 1988

ScottMacNeil compiled a list of executive 1985-1988 mentioning ArthurSniders, JJLyon, GregHomer?, BarbSawatsky, FredRowe, NathanElling, ConnieClark?, TroyLangille?, GailWatterson?, BernadineGagnon?, MarilynLamb?, BarendKamperman, MikeSangster, DarleneLevy?, and DougLaPierre?.5

1985

In the spring we purchased a house on Macara Street for a Community Center, and coyly named it RadclyffeHall. It housed the library, and the two half time employees, and the GayLine.

March Newsletter edited by PatriciaMartinson. It lists ArthurSnyders? as chair of GAE and has details for a benefit for defence contract protestors by DarlWood, JimMcSwain & GlennWalton, dance by CliffLeJeune, a skit by LynnMurphy and songs by defendant AndreaCurrie with BrendaBryan as emcee.

1987

Rumours moves from Granville to a large building that we owned - a testament to the fact that GAE is one of the wealthiest gay community organizations in North America, due to the fact that it runs the local bar, a business with revenues of about half a million dollars a year. Radclyffe Hall was sold and the proceeds applied to the purchase of the new building, which had space for community events and meetings.

GAE Membership card belonging to TerryParker

December 2, 1987

GAE has a "Rename The Bar" competition, coordinated by JimDeYoung. The front page of the report is on line here.

1988

April 6, 1988: special meeting to rename GAE to the Gay And Lesbian Association of Nova Scotia (GALA NS)

September 7, 1988

Motion requesting resignation of GAE executive over ScottMacNeil's firing

1989

AGM, March 15, 1989: President: RobertByers; VP: WilsonHodder; Treasurer: MikeSangster; Secretary: GailWatterson?; Female w/o Portfolio: DarleneLevy?; Male w/o Portfolio: DougLapierre?

1990

Program Coordinator: ChrisAucoin

1992-1994

President: ChrisAucoin

1993

President: ChrisAucoin; Vice President & Chair of Management Board: GaryHanrahan; Secretary & Chair of Membership Committee: RonMcIntyre; Chair of Finance: DougDixon; Chair of Women's Issues: KathCure?.6

1994-1995

GALA eventually wound down and died with a bit of a bang during the ShirtlessnessDebate, and defaulted on its society registration on November 30, 1995. At the time the Registry of Joint Stock Companies listed president JaneVanKansas, vice president PamLeeming, chair of finance MarilynLamb?, secretary RonMcIntyre, and director at large GaryWoodroffe. 7

February, 1995

Rumours of my Death are Not Exaggerated by RossBoutilier WayvesMagazine, February 1995, page 5

February 15, 1995

Article in the Mail-Star announcing the bankruptcy with quotes from JaneKansas and LynnMurphy.

GeorgeMunroe writes: I was involved at the beginning of GAE. We used to meet in the old club in the GreenLantern Building which was run by DavidGray. We set up EqualityScholarshipFund for gay men and the first recipient was DonnieStevens. These were heady days and we thought anything was possible.

TheMeatRack / Lord Nelson Hotel ca 1940 NilsClausson writes: The Cameo or Candlelight Lounge was frequented by gays and lesbians, but the GAE crowd hung out in the coffee shop of the Lord Nelson Hotel beside the Public Gardens. We often went there after meetings.

Other Sources

• GAE / GALA items at the NovaScotiaArchives are cataloged in this document: https://novascotia.ca/archives/lists/gay-and-lesbian-association-of-nova-scotia-fonds.pdf
• GAEZETTE and Wayves magazines
• Several articles about the crash and burn in WayvesMagazine in early 1995; probably the last is in the June, 1995 issue which says, "Okay, okay, okay... we've had enough" -- that the letter here is the last one that will be published on the subject. The last letter is signed KathCure?, PatrickCrowley?, GregoryStewart?, two of whom were members of the last Board, rebutting ChrisAucoin's long letter in the previous issue.
• Records of GAE/GALA : By a motion of GALA just before it folded, the papers of GAE/GALA were entrusted to the AtlanticHistoryAndArchivesNetwork, to be organized and then placed in an appropriate archive. They were spirited away to a secret location (Lynn Murphy's basement) mere days before the closure of the club. AHAN volunteers went through the boxes, removing duplicates and preparing a contents list. The materials were then deposited with Nova Scotia Archives and Records Management, where they are now open to the public.

This page is part of the HistoryProject.