Michael Phair
Reflections on Edmonton community leader, activist and a fierce lesbian by her friend Michael Phair.
MAUREEN IRWIN
1934 – 2002
An ‘out’ Lesbian in the 1980’s, Maureen Irwin was considered fierce and to be reckoned with! At a time when there were very few members of Edmonton’s queer community who were out, Maureen was a strong proud mother, grandmother and Lesbian!
After a divorce Maureen and family moved from the Cold Lake area to Edmonton in 1977/78 and she took a job at the Boyle Street Co-op, now known as Boyle Street Community Services, which provided services to Edmonton’s inner city. Along with a group of volunteers in 1982 she established the first inner-city overnight shelter for people that were homeless.
(Picture of Boyle Street Co-op staff including (right to left)
Jonathan Murphy, Nancy Kotani, Suzanne Kristie, Maureen Irwin,
Gloria Deslauriers, Linda Trottier, Richard Johnson, Mary Burlie, and Sue.)
Courtesy of Boyle Street Community Services
Within the queer community Maureen became an active volunteer assisting GATE (Gay Alliance Toward Equality) as it moved and set up an office and services in the downtown. She also actively worked with and assisted Womonspace, a Lesbian volunteer organization.
In the mid 1980’s Maureen was one of the key persons, along with myself, in organizing the volunteer group GALA (Gay and Lesbian Awareness) —an activist/political group of Edmonton queers. She and I worked together on most every activity over that time. When GALA organized the first Edmonton Pride Parade on Whyte Avenue in 1991 we, with others, decorated the Gazebo in McIntyre Park with pink ribbons and pink petunias, both spoke to encourage the 20+ folks who came to be in the parade and then the two of us led with a banner indicating the queer community was here! Like all of us Maureen was so excited and happy that the parade actually happened!!
Image courtesy Liz Massiah
Image courtesy of son Kevin Warren
Among other events that took place during Edmonton’s Pride Week was a series of readings at the Orlando Bookstore. Orlando’s was located on Whyte Avenue and was a Lesbian run store that often held readings. Maureen suggested to me that the two of us volunteer to do a reading one year—and so we did! It was a memorable affair—Maureen read poetry from the internationally famous Gertrude Stein (‘a Rose, is a Rose is a Rose’) and I read from her long time ‘companion’ Alice B Toklas, whose only book was the Alice B. Toklas cook book—famous for its recipes using marijuana! Arriving in a taxi… Maureen and I were dressed as Gertrude and Alice! Maureen like Gertrude was dressed with a men’s hat, men’s tie and button down shirt, very masculine! As Alice… I was in a delicate yellow dress with matching yellow shoes, purse and saucy hat with feathers, a bit feminine. After regaling the assembled audience at the Orlando bookstore with poetry and a recipe for cooking fish—with a real fish in my purse… we immediately departed and laughed for at least 10 minutes at the spectacle we must have been! Maureen loved telling the story for many years after!
Maureen Irwin had just finished reading Gertrude Stein
(‘a Rose, is a Rose is a Rose’)
Picture taken at Orlando Bookstore during Pride Celebrations
Maureen was very pleased and proud in 1993 to receive the Canada Volunteer Award Medal and Certificate of Honour. With her partner Sheryl they travelled to Rideau Hall for the award as she was the first open lesbian to be so honoured!
Although the award recognized a life time of volunteering, it included Maureen’s extensive activities with GALA in Edmonton and the numerous meetings with the Alberta Human Rights Commission and elected MLA’s as well as coordinating petitions and letter writing campaigns to push for change in Alberta’s Human Rights to include sexual orientation. Additionally she organized numerous workshops and conferences with GALA over a 10 year period.
In 1992 when I ran for City Council, Maureen volunteered as my campaign office manager running the office every day for 6 weeks and when I was elected she ran my City Hall office for the first couple of months.
Sheryl, Maureen’s partner died suddenly in the late 1990’s and shortly after that Maureen moved to Calgary where her sons and grandchildren lived. She died in the summer of 2002. Later that Fall I with her many friends held a Maureen Irwin Commemoration Ceremony. The cover photo from her Times.10 Magazine was on display as the many of us both mourned and remembered stories about her. Maureen Irwin — a terrific Edmonton Lesbian and an outstanding volunteer.
Image courtesy Dennis Cambly
Michael Phair
July 30, 2022
For more on the story of Orlando bookstore watch this Youtube Video by Edmonton Public Library https://youtu.be/fcTI29JtMhY
Michael Phair
Michael Phair has have been active for over 25 years with Edmonton’s Gay/Lesbian (Queer) community including founder of AIDS Network of Edmonton, and currently with Edmonton Pride Senior Group as the co-founder. Educationally Michael Phair has a Master Degree in Early Child Education and a Master Degree in Special Education. Additionally he is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Alberta. In 1992 Michael Phair was elected to City Council where he served in until 2007 and in 2015 he was appointed as Chair of the University of Alberta Board of Governors serving until 2019. Michael received the Edmonton Journal’s Citizen of the Year Award in 1986, the Canada 125 Medal, and recently has had a city park and Public Junior High named in his honour.
Chloe Camara
Nik Zemlak
