Rob Browatzke
Murray Billett
Advocate Educator Activist
When thinking of the Edmonton gay scene, and the people most heavily involved with it, few names come to mind faster than Murray Billett. From work on political campaigns and challenges to discriminatory laws, to his work with the Edmonton Police Service, Murray Billett’s career has helped transform our community, making it a safer, fairer, and juster place.
Before moving to Edmonton with a former boyfriend in 1989, Murray was the campaign manager for Glen Murray, the first OUT gay man to be elected to city council in Winnipeg, and one who would go on to become the first OUT mayor in North America’s history. No wonder then, that upon moving to Edmonton, Murray would become involved with Michael Phair, then preparing to run for city council. As Michael’s campaign manager, Murray met so many Edmontonians and learned so much about the “vibrant queer community and our allies here in our beautiful Edmonton”. This “Prairie Fairy” had found his niche.
It was a niche that Murray comes by naturally. His grandfather worked with Tommy Douglas in the early days in Saskatchewan. As a young business agent for the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union in the 70s, Murray learned a great deal about the importance of being political. Working on provincial election campaigns, “Moosejaw Murray” learned that if you choose to get involved, one person can truly make a difference. He spent a number of years as an International Representative for UFCW International Union, working all across Canada, collecting upwards of a million miles with Air Canada and meeting people from all walks of life.
Murray was married to his former wife and had two incredible sons. He left the marriage and met his first boyfriend in 1981. They were together for fifteen years and worked on numerous campaigns (over the course of his career, Murray has worked at the municipal, provincial, and federal levels). With that first boyfriend, he also started up “Friends of Dorothy” ski trips to Jasper in the early 1990s. Murray was on the board for EGALE for a number of years, working on GLBT equality issues at the national level.
Image courtesy ECAMP/J Kolmes
In 1991, his friend Delwin Vriend was fired from Kings College for being gay, and this led to an epic eight year battle with the province of Alberta that went all the way to the Supreme Court. A director with GALA (Gay and Lesbian Alliance) at the time, Murray was the one who ended up doing a lot of media relations. He admits this was “kind of difficult” on his family, the being out so very publicly, with his face and full name in the media. During those years, Murray feels a number of people really came OUT, becoming more confident as a result.
Subsequent to the Vriend Supreme Court decision, Murray was on the National Executive for Canadians for Equal Marriage which led the charge to marriage equality in Canada. This resulted in dealing yet again with a homophobic Alberta provincial government. There were a couple of memorable meetings he had, one with Ralph Klein and another with then Mayor Bill Smith. In his meeting with Mr. Klein, Murray assured him, if his government did not allow same sex marriage, they would be hauled right back to the Supreme Court. “We won once and we would definitely win again,” Murray said. With former Mayor Smith, he had consistently refused to proclaim Gay Pride Day in Edmonton, this despite the fact that former Mayor Jan Reimer had already done so. Murray told Mr. Smith that the Supreme Court of Canada has made it clear he can no long discriminate against us. Murray remembers being told by Mr. Smith: “I am am the Supreme Court Judge of this city and as long as I am mayor [you] will NOT be getting a proclamation!” Murray replied by pointing out that they’d already taken the Province to the Supreme Court, and they would do the same to him and the City of Edmonton. That year, he was forced to sign a proclamation, the law was on our side. For Murray, “that was a very significant moment in time.”
During those days, Murray also met with Stockwell Day, Lyle Oberg, Gary Mar and many others trying to get them “to understand our community and show us the respect we rightly deserve.” He recalls a telephone conversation with Stockwell Day. Stockwell hung up on him so Murray went directly over to his office and told his assistant that he was there to finish the converation; Murray is not the type to back down from a challenge, and Stockwell actually met with him. Ironically, years later, as Chair of the Edmonton Police Commission and Chair of www.AAPG.ca (the organization that represents all the Police Commissions in the province), Mr. Day was the Justice Minister and as a result he HAD to work with Murray AGAIN, in a much different capacity as a Police Commissioner. This was a particularly rewarding time for Murray.
In 1991, a sting operation occurred in one of the parks in the river valley. The names of the men involved were published in the paper (men caught picking up women on the street were NOT published in this way). Murray believes at least one lost his job as result of this, and this completely unacceptable behavior is what led to Murray’s involvement with the Edmonton Police Service. It started as a town hall meeting in a school in the river valley, where the officers involved brought a tape recorder. That upset Murray and his compatriots even more. Now they wanted to record every comment made in the meeting? They stopped the meeting till the recorders were shut off. From that meeting, it took some time, to build a relationship with the police. That is the roots beneath the Liaison Committee which is now the Sexual and Gender Minorities Community Liaison Committee with EPS.
Image originally published in Q Magazine
In 2004 Murray was asked to apply to become a Police Commissioner here in Edmonton. “Honestly, when I asked, I kind of giggled, sure, they are going seriously consider a very OUT Gay man.” Despite his skepticism, he submitted his application and left for Puerto Vallarta Mexico, not thinkng for a moment that he would be contacted. While in PV, Murray received an e-mail to report for an interview. Letting them know he was away, a telephone interview was set up which is where the fun kind of began. The place he was staying didn’t have a phone, so he spoke to a friend who was the concierge at the Blue Chairs gay hotel. Murray explained what the interview was about, the friend spoke to his boss and Murray was interviewed by Mayor Mandel and the whole of Edmonton City Council from the General Managers office, in shorts & flip flops. Already skeptical about his chances, Murray spoke very frankly, not thinking his comments and sense of direction for Edmonton Police Service would lead to being awarded the position. However, on his return to Edmonton, Murray received a call from Mayor Mandel called me, informing his that he was now a Police Commissioner.
This was a very difficult time for the EPS, and within in six months, Murray was the Chair of the Police Commission and was heavily involved in rebuilding the police service after a number of difficult circumstances. Murray is still very proud of his work on the Police Commission and believes the Liaison Committee was some of his most important work not only with the GLBT community but also with the community at large. Murray is also proud the Liaison Committee continues to thrive and enjoy a working relationship with EPS.
Murray was asked what he thinks our next battle is. Who better, after all, to give our community a renewed sense of direction that someone who has been so instrumental in so many of our major victories and accomplishments over the past two decades? His answer: ” I believe will continue to be the Church vs State. Religious dogma continues to dismiss us at a time when they should be mending fences, they continue to build them. The guilt, shame ridicule they bestow up the GLBT is simply wrong. White supremacy is gone, why does our world allow Religious Supremacy? This along with faith based schooling issues will continue to be a battle ground for equality”
Further, he says, the other challenge in our community is being respectful of the diversity within our own community. “My personal challenge to those within the GLBT diverse communities is to learn to be tough on the problem and easy on the people. We stereotype, judge and yes discriminate, we must be mindful of that and look after each other and embrace our differences.”
Murray Billett published podcasts on the historic Delwin Vriend case which entrenched 2SLGBTQ+ rights into the Alberta Human Rights Act.
Without Discrimination: The Delwin Vriend Case
Edmonton City As Museum Project
https://citymuseumedmonton.ca/blog/delwin-vriend-case/
Apple Podcasts
https://podcasts.apple.com/gh/podcast/ecamp-podcast/id1116746494
Alberta Labour History Institute
https://albertalabourhistory.org/2slgbtq/murray-billett/
YouTube
https://youtu.be/hal7TsPYhDI
This story was originally published in Q Magazine – an Edmonton publication which operated from 2012 to 2015 by Editor Rob Browatzke. The story is re-published with minor edits.
http://browatzke.com/QMagazine/
Rob Browatzke
Rob Browatzke is an Edmonton club owner and author. He has been professionally involved in a Edmonton’s gay nightlife for over two decades. Most of his novels are set in a fictitious gay nightlife world so this is a topic for which he is truly passionate. You can find him on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.ca/stores/Rob-Browatzke/author/B00H3YSDGO
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