Lesbian and Gay Liberation in Canada: A Selected Annotated Chronology, 1964-1975

Sara Stratton teaches history at York University.

As McLeod notes, this book is not a history of gay and lesbian
liberation in Canada, but rather a chronological and bibliographical
reference tool. Because gay and lesbian studies is a burgeoning field
and access to sources can be difficult, this is an important and
valuable addition to Canadian bookshelves.

The book is arranged chronologically: each year forms a chapter. Within
each chapter, daily, monthly, or seasonal divisions are made. We are
given the date and location of each event, a brief synopsis of it, and a
list of bibliographic references. Based on the holdings of the Canadian
Lesbian and Gay Archives in Toronto, these references are to works of
literature, nonfiction, the papers of individuals and organizations,
press clippings (both mainstream and gay/lesbian), pamphlets, posters,
and photos.

There is an index, but it is highly specific. For example, there are
references to homophobic evangelist Anita Bryant and to the Metropolitan
Community Church, but no general reference to religion. Readers must
therefore either know exactly what they want or read the entire text.

McLeod’s book covers only the first phase of Canada’s gay and
lesbian liberation movement. He had hoped to go much farther, but found
that the amount of material made this impossible in a one-volume work.
One hopes that there is enough money and energy left for future volumes
covering the rest of the 1970s, the 1980s, and the 1990s.