Ron Byers
Rainbow Story Hub Presents: Screening of The Gay Straight Jacket
Edmonton, AB — June 12, 2025 @ 7:00 PM, Metro Cinema (8712 109 St NW)
In celebration of Pride Month, Rainbow Story Hub and Metro Cinema are honored to host a special screening of the 1981 CBC documentary The Gay Straight Jacket—a poignant time capsule examining Edmonton’s queer community in the wake of the 1981 Pisces Spa raid.
Directed by CBC Edmonton Documentary, this 28-minute film delivers an unvarnished portrait of a tense yet pivotal period for 2SLGBTQ+ Edmontonians. Featuring intimate interviews with community members, clergy, and activists, as well as rare footage from queer venues like The Roost and Flashback II, the documentary offers a vital glimpse into early queer activism and resilience .
This exclusive event features:
- Curated introduction contextualizing the film’s significance
- Panel discussion with historians and local activists
- Community Q&A session to engage intergenerational dialogue
- Fundraising component benefiting the Rainbow Story Hub Foundation, supporting digital storytelling and queer history preservation
Event Details
- 🗓 Date & Time: Thursday, June 12, 2025, 7:00 – 8:30 PM MDT
- 📍 Venue: Metro Cinema, 8712 109 Street NW, Edmonton, AB
- 🎟 Tickets: $14 (Adults), $11 (Youth/Students/Seniors) via Metro Cinema
- 🔞 All ages welcome
- Presented in partnership with Rainbow Story Hub, with support from Edmonton Heritage Council and City of Edmonton (prideedmonton.ca)
About The Gay Straight Jacket
Informed by the 1981 Pisces Spa bathhouse raid, where 56 men—including future city councillor Michael Phair—were arrested, the film portrays the complex intersection of fear, faith, and burgeoning queer identity in a hostile era (metrocinema.org).
About Rainbow Story Hub Foundation & Pride Edmonton
Rainbow Story Hub is dedicated to preserving 2SLGBTQ+ histories through digital storytelling and public engagement. Pride Edmonton continues to honor the strides made since the 1981 Pisces Spa raid—widely recognized as the catalyst for the city’s first Pride events and ongoing civic advocacy (en.wikipedia.org).
Media Contact
Ron Byers, Queer Historian
Rainbow Story Hub Foundation
contribute@yegqueerhistory.ca
Join Us
This screening is more than a look at the past—it’s an invitation to reflect on the journey and propel queer advocacy into the future. We warmly invite Edmontonians of all identities to come together in remembrance, conversation, and community.
Celebrate Pride by honoring where we’ve been—and where we’re headed.
Ron Byers
Ron Byers is a community leader and storyteller. Decades of work in Edmonton’s non-profit sector have given him an extensive resume of service as well as a unique viewpoint on our city and its history.
He has left his mark with many groups such as the Alberta’s oldest 2SLGBTQ+ organization the Imperial Sovereign Court of the Wild Rose where he was a Founding Member, the Pride Centre of Edmonton as part of developing its Aging With Pride Program and the Edmonton Pride Seniors Group. He also worked with the Edmonton Heritage Council and its Edmonton City As Museum Project (ECAMP) to bring stories of our Queer history to the public space. Ron also helped develop and monitor the Harm Reduction Program, PeerNPeer managed by the Queer & Trans Health Collective – QTHC (formerly Edmonton Men’s Health Collective).
He is also a positive speaker for HIV Edmonton, founder of Pride Edmonton and Rainbow Story Hub and the Cultural Events Lead for the 2030 Gay Games Bid Committee.
Rainbow Story Hub
