Rainbow Story Hub
Loud & Queer: The Authorized Version

The year was 1991 and Darrin Hagen (in those days, just as widely known as Gloria Hole) was vexed.

He had stood up to the new owner of the Edmonton gay bar Flashback and had consequently lost his bartending job. Alberta’s homophobia was getting so much airtime. The Delwin Vriend seven-year saga for sexual orientation as a protected human right had kicked off. The procession of AIDS-related funerals was getting longer. And, to top it off, the provincial government was having conversations around “community standards” and arts funding, conversations that smelled exactly like censorship of all things queer.

What was a young just-fired queen to do?

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The First Executive Director of the Edmonton 2 Spirit Society (E2S): A Collective Story Rooted in Identity, Ceremony, and Community

Before E2S existed, there were individuals across the Amiskwaciwâskahikan (ᐊᒥᐢᑲᐧᒋᐋᐧᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ) region, also known as Edmonton, quietly searching for cultural teachings that affirmed their queerness, their Indigeneity, and their place in the world. Among them was Jeffery Chalifoux (Jeff) who — who identifies as ihkwêw – one of many Cree genders teachings by kêhtêyayah (Elder) Jo-Ann Saddleback as she shared in ceremony — was navigating shame, closeting, and the search for belonging. He lived and volunteered in Edmonton’s inner city, attended recovery meetings, and learned from ceremony and culture. His journey mirrored the journeys of many Indigenous queer people reclaiming teachings that had been interrupted by colonialism.

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2026 Edmonton Queer History Month

October 2026 marks Edmonton’s fourth Queer History Month, and Rainbow Story Hub is celebrating with new stories, new photo collections, and a city-wide lineup of partners bigger than ever before. With funding support from the Edmonton Heritage Council, community members have researched and written new stories about organizations that make up Greater Edmonton’s 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and we’re adding new albums to our Gallery from the Jackie Meloche collection.

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2025 Edmonton Queer History Month

Queer History Month 2025 marks a special milestone for Rainbow Story Hub as we celebrate five remarkable community leaders who have shaped the 2SLGBTQIA+ movement over the past 55 years.

With generous support from the 47th Reign of the Imperial Sovereign Court of the Wild Rose, we honour the profound contributions of these leaders—not only to Alberta’s longest-running 2SLGBTQIA+ organization, but also to the broader community they continue to cherish and serve.

Each story is shared through video, featuring the leaders in their own words, enriched by historic images that highlight their journeys and legacies.

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