Part Two: Rob Browatzke – Recovery and Evolution
In this second installment, Rob Browatzke reflects on his struggles with addiction and how it affected his work at Buddy’s, Down Under, and Boots. After the passing of the Boots Bar owner, he moved on to Prism Bar and the Junction Bar & Grill, eventually finding sobriety and a new sense of purpose. With support from his uncles, Rob helped launch Evolution Wonderlounge in 2013 — Edmonton’s premiere queer nightclub — and now shares how that legacy continues with the opening of EVO in the spring of 2025.
A powerful story of resilience, renewal, and the ongoing evolution of community.
Part One: Rob Browatzke – Finding Community
In this first installment, Edmonton writer and community builder Rob Browatzke reflects on coming out in high school, his first night at The Roost nightclub, and the early challenges of finding acceptance. Rob shares stories of moving to Lethbridge for college and returning to Edmonton, where he worked at the Georgia Bathhouse, Down Under, Boots Bar, The Roost, and Buddy’s Niteclub. He also talks about his shift into community activism and media — from volunteering with the Gay Men’s Outreach Crew and Edmonton Pride Festival to helping launch Fresh Magazine after writing for Times.10.
A candid look at the spaces, people, and moments that helped shape one of Edmonton’s most enduring voices in queer culture.
“I never thought I’d still be here to tell this story — but maybe that’s exactly why I need to.”
In Part Two of this biographical series, Edmonton’s Ron Byers continues his remarkable journey — one defined by survival, advocacy, and the power of storytelling to build community and preserve memory.
As the AIDS crisis deepened through the 1980s and 1990s, Ron witnessed the loss of countless friends and community members. Then, in 1998, he himself was diagnosed with AIDS, facing both the stigma and the steep challenges that came with navigating a medical system often unprepared — and at times unwilling — to meet the needs of those living with HIV. Through it all, Ron’s resilience and determination became acts of quiet defiance and hope.
Decades later, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ron once again turned to storytelling — this time through writing. He began contributing to the Edmonton City as Museum Project, documenting the History of the Imperial Sovereign Court of the Wild Rose and the History of Gay Bars in Edmonton. These projects inspired the creation of his own non-profit foundation, the Rainbow Story Hub, dedicated to preserving and amplifying Edmonton’s 2SLGBTQ+ history.
His work soon caught the attention of Explore Edmonton, who invited him to author the Guide to Pride in Edmonton. That collaboration sparked the founding of Pride Edmonton, reviving local Pride initiatives and connecting organizations across the city.
Building on these partnerships, Ron worked with Explore Edmonton and other community leaders to raise awareness of Queer History Month, ensuring that Edmonton’s queer stories were celebrated and remembered. His leadership also extended internationally when he joined a team developing Edmonton’s bid to host the 2030 Gay Games, highlighting the city’s inclusive spirit on the world stage.
Today, Ron reflects with gratitude on the journey that brought him here — from survival to storytelling, from activism to recognition. His decades of work have been honoured with numerous accolades, including being named a recipient of the King Charles III Coronation Medal for his service to community and culture.
Part Two celebrates Ron’s ongoing legacy: a story of perseverance, creativity, and the belief that by telling our stories, we make it possible for others to tell theirs.
In Part One of this biographical series, Edmonton’s Ron Byers reflects on the early chapters of his life — from coming out as gay and facing rejection at home, to finding the courage to live openly and authentically. His story traces the challenges, friendships, and discoveries that shaped both his life and Edmonton’s emerging queer community.
After leaving home, Ron moved into his first apartment with his best friend from high school. It was there that independence began to take root — a time of exploration, music, and late-night conversations about identity and belonging. Soon after, he found Edmonton’s first gay bar, a hidden space that offered connection and the promise of something larger than himself.
That discovery set him on a path of adventure. Ron joined a female impersonation revue, traveling across the Prairies as the troupe’s tech person. Life on the road opened his eyes to the artistry and resilience within drag performance — and to the chosen families built through laughter and performance in small-town bars and hotel ballrooms.
Returning to Edmonton, Ron became part of the staff at Flashback, the legendary nightclub that stood as a safe haven for the city’s 2SLGBTQ+ community through the 1970s and 1980s. Within its walls, he witnessed both the joy of liberation and the heartbreak that came with the AIDS crisis, as friends and colleagues were lost to a growing epidemic that reshaped the community forever.
In time, Ron sought peace and balance away from the city. He found it on a small farm near Tofield, a life chapter captured in the story “Loading Dock to Farm Pasture: The Annual Flashback to Tofield Migration.”
Part One captures the foundations of Ron’s journey — the courage to come out, the pull of community, and the unbreakable spirit that kept Edmonton’s queer history alive even through its hardest years.
Every community has its torchbearers — people whose strength, compassion, and authenticity light the way for others.
In Edmonton, one of those voices belongs to Scott Bryen — a respected leader, advocate, and mentor whose journey has helped shape the city’s queer and leather communities for more than four decades.
From the early days of organizing safe spaces for self-expression to building bridges between the leather, kink, and wider 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, Scott’s work has been rooted in visibility, respect, and belonging.
His story is one of courage — of challenging stereotypes, nurturing understanding, and ensuring that every person has a place to be fully themselves.
We celebrate Scott’s legacy — a legacy of community, education, and love — and the lasting mark he continues to leave on Edmonton’s evolving queer history.
For Part One please check out: https://yegqueerhistory.ca/scott-bryen-part-one
Every community has its torchbearers — people whose strength, compassion, and authenticity light the way for others.
In Edmonton, one of those voices belongs to Scott Bryen — a respected leader, advocate, and mentor whose journey has helped shape the city’s queer and leather communities for more than four decades.
From the early days of organizing safe spaces for self-expression to building bridges between the leather, kink, and wider 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, Scott’s work has been rooted in visibility, respect, and belonging.
His story is one of courage — of challenging stereotypes, nurturing understanding, and ensuring that every person has a place to be fully themselves.
We celebrate Scott’s legacy — a legacy of community, education, and love — and the lasting mark he continues to leave on Edmonton’s evolving queer history.
Watch Part One of Scott’s story with interviewer Murray Billett.
Duane Shave was a founding member and Empress of the Imperial Sovereign Court of the Wild Rose (ISCWR) as well as Matriarch of All Alberta in the International Court System. We bring you the story of Duane Shave — better known onstage as Empress II, Chatty Cathy — a true pioneer in Edmonton’s performing arts and queer community history. As Edmonton’s longest-performing drag queen and a retired educator, Duane’s influence stretches far beyond the stage. His story is one of courage, compassion, and commitment, intersecting performance, teaching, activism, and community leadership.
From helping to found the Imperial Sovereign Court of the Wild Rose (ISCWR) in the mid-1970s to being crowned Empress II, Duane has long been a central figure in Edmonton’s drag and LGBTQ2S+ community. He stepped into the role of Matriarch of All Alberta upon the passing of the Edmonton court’s founding Empress, and he continues to be a guiding presence in its operations.
In a time when public drag events were rare, Duane performed some of Edmonton’s first “public drag shows,” including at venues like Chez Pierre — spaces that welcomed queer expression in an often-hostile environment. Through his decades of performance, mentorship, and service, Duane has left a legacy that binds art, education, and activism together.
We invite you to listen closely as Duane Shave — Empress II, educator, advocate — shares the story of how a life on stage can also be a life of service, community, and transformation., a retired educator, and one of the first drag queens to perform publicly in the city, notably with Empress 1 Millie at the Pegasus nightclub and in the ISCWR’s elaborate Broadway-style drag shows, including Hello Dolly!.
This biopic tells the story of Marni Panas, a nationally recognized advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Marni has dedicated her life to advancing 2SLGBTQIA+ rights, healthcare equality, and creating safe, affirming spaces where everyone can be their authentic selves.
From her personal journey as a transgender woman to her leadership in organizations and communities across Canada, Marni’s story is one of courage, resilience, and hope.
🌈 Why This Story Matters
Marni’s work continues to inspire change—challenging stigma, building understanding, and showing what it means to lead with compassion.
👀 What You’ll Learn
Marni’s personal and professional journey
Her role in advancing human rights and healthcare inclusion
Trevor Schmidt has never been one to play it safe. As the long-standing Artistic Director of Northern Light Theatre (NLT), he has spent more than two decades reshaping Edmonton’s theatre scene with daring, provocative, and emotionally charged productions. Whether through his original works, visionary direction, or collaborations with groundbreaking artists, Schmidt has made it his mission to challenge audiences while keeping independent theatre thriving.
Theodore (ted) Kerr’s journey as a queer writer, artist, and community organizer is a story of movement—across cities, disciplines, and generations. Unsure of where he will next call home given the current upheavals in Canada and the U.S., Kerr’s work on HIV/AIDS cultural production and queer storytelling is internationally recognized. Yet his foundation was built in Edmonton, Alberta, where a blend of suburban upbringing, grassroots activism, and artistic experimentation first shaped his path.
The space she creates is electric and rare. You don’t just learn how to write there; you learn how to live with integrity. You learn how to sit with pain, how to make something of it, how to recognize what you owe—to the past, to others, and to yourself. You learn that stories aren’t just art; they’re strategy.
In Part Two Michael Phair talks about working with his late friend Maureen Irwin and many others as the met with the Alberta Human Rights Commission in their attempt to get rights for the LGBTQ+ community included as protections as the refusal by the Province of Alberta Government to add protections at that time.
In Part One Michael Phair talks about moving to Calgary from Loyal, Wisconsin – a small town of less than 1200 people… even today. After a brief time in Calgary he moved to Edmonton and shot to local notoriety on May 30, 1981 when he was arrested as a “found in a bawdy-house” during the police raid of the Pisces Bathhouse.
This event propelled him to the role of advocate and activist for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community…. something that even 40+ years later he still stands as a leader in the community.
In Part Two Retired Major John McDougall of the Canadian Armed Forces and soon retired Chair of the Edmonton Police Commission talks with Activist and former Chair of the Edmonton Police Commission about his time with the Canadian Armed Forces and being arrested for being gay.
Retired Major John McDougall of the Canadian Armed Forces and current Chair of the Edmonton Police Commission talks with Activist and former Chair of the Edmonton Police Commission about his time with the Canadian Armed Forces and being arrested for being gay.
We use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. We do this to improve browsing experience and to show personalized ads. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Rainbow Story Hub
Kyler Chittick
Brendan Roy and Ron Byers
Murray Billett
%20Kerr){kind=link}
