Honouring Queer Women on International Women's Day
Canada has a rich history of activism and acceptance and there are many famous queer women who have made an impact on the world and changed the way we view gender and sexuality in our country.
Let’s meet some of these amazing women who have used their platform to raise awareness and fight for equality. We’ve chosen to feature women in The Arts and in Politics but of course there are many other fields! We’ll try to feature those in future posts.
The Arts
Karen Kain is a Canadian dancer and choreographer who has been at the forefront of ballet performance since 1969. She is a fierce advocate for LGBT rights and has long championed causes related to human rights and social justice throughout her career. In 2018, she was presented with The Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement by Justin Trudeau himself—a recognition that speaks volumes about her impact on Canadian culture.
Julie Peters is a celebrated poet whose work often deals with themes of love, loss, and identity. She has won numerous awards for her poetry, including the Governor General's Award for Poetry.
Chantal Hébert is a highly respected political journalist who has covered Canadian politics for over two decades. She is also a regular panelist on CBC's flagship political affairs show, "The National"
Rachel Epstein is a successful author whose novels deal with themes of family, relationships, and self-discovery. She has won several awards for her writing, including the Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction.
Martha Sturdy is a Vancouver-based sculptor who has gained international recognition for her unique works that combine industrial materials such as steel and bronze with natural elements like rocks and wood. Originally trained in fine arts, Martha’s works often explore themes of family, relationships, and emotions. She has been featured in galleries across North America, including the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory is an acclaimed performer and visual artist from Nunavut. Her work explores Inuit culture through storytelling, movement, music, masks, puppetry, drawing, painting, printmaking and installation art. Laakkuluk also regularly performs throat singing—an ancient form of Inuit vocal music—which she has presented around the world.
Shary Boyle is an award-winning painter, sculptor and performance artist based in Toronto. Her work often explores themes of gender identity, intimacy and mortality by using surrealist imagery to make powerful statements about social issues. Shary has exhibited her work internationally at renowned galleries such as MoMA PS1 in New York City and the Venice Biennale in Italy.
Daphne Marlatt is an acclaimed Canadian author whose work often focuses on feminist issues from a queer perspective. She is also an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ rights in Canada, having served as the President of The Writers' Union of Canada from 1990-1992. Marlatt's most well-known novel is Ana Historic, which tells the story of a bisexual woman's search for her true identity throughout history.
Lee Maracle is an award-winning poet and novelist who has dedicated her life to exploring Native culture and identity through her writing. Her novels focus on social justice issues within Native communities, including homophobia and sexism. One of her most famous works is Ravensong, which follows a young lesbian woman's journey as she searches for acceptance among her community members.
Billeh Nickerson is a Vancouver-based writer who has been actively producing fiction since 1998. His novels explore topics such as gender roles, queerness, and other aspects of LGBTQ experience in modern society. He has received critical acclaim for his collection of short stories entitled Impossibly Funky (2003), which offers unique perspectives on sexuality and gender identity from both straight and queer characters.
And Politics
Robyn Benson was elected as President of the Public Service Alliance in 2014, making her the first openly bisexual woman to hold this role. She began her career in public service as a student leader during her undergraduate studies at Carleton University and went on to become an advocate for working people both nationally and internationally. As President of the Public Service Alliance, Benson fought for workers’ rights such as higher wages, better benefits, greater job security, and equal representation in all sectors of government.
In 2001, Christine Melnick became Manitoba’s first openly gay MLA when she was elected to serve in Winnipeg-River East. During her time in office she championed education reform and access to mental health services for youth struggling with gender identity issues. In 2016 she was inducted into the Order of Manitoba for her passionate advocacy on behalf of marginalized communities throughout Canada.
Audrey McLaughlin was born in British Columbia in 1936. She was the leader of the New Democratic Party from 1989 to 1995 and was the first female leader of an established party in Canadian history—a momentous achievement for all women, especially those within the LGBTQ+ community. During her tenure, she called for greater rights for Indigenous people and advocated for gender equality. Her legacy as a strong, formidable woman continues to live on today.
Monica Forrester is another iconic figure among queer union women in Canada who has had an incredible impact on labor rights and social justice issues within our society. Born in 1948, she was one of the most active members of CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employees) since 1975 and served as president from 1997 until 2003. During this time, she fought to improve working conditions for public employees throughout Canada and advocated for gender equality. She also achieved great successes in fighting against poverty and supporting immigrants’ rights—all while never wavering in her commitment to diversity and inclusion within CUPE itself.
Karen Cho is yet another name that should be remembered when we talk about famous queer union women in Canada. Born in 1968, she became president of CUPE Local 3903 at York University when she was only 27 years old—a remarkable feat given her youth at the time! Under her leadership, CUPE Local 3903 achieved many successes such as improved wages and better job security for contract faculty members at York University. What’s more, Karen has been an outspoken advocate for gender equity issues throughout her life; indeed, she remains one of Canada’s most influential queer union activists even today!
