The Coming Out of Montreal’s Gay Village (1974-1990)

The founding of Montreal’s Gay Village (1974–1990)

This 10th exhibition by the AGQ covers the years during which Montreal’s gay community migrated from the west downtown core eastward along Sainte-Catherine Street. It charts the emergence of the neighbourhood originally called the East Village, then later the Gay Village—and today simply the Village.

Organized into 13 chapters, each opening with a brief introduction, the exhibition draws on the AGQ’s collections, including maps, posters, newspapers, advertisements and photos (many previously unpublished). Also vital to the exhibition are seven short documentaries based on interviews with some key figures from that era, from which about thirty excerpts were selected for inclusion in this catalogue.

For visitors from outside Montreal, the exhibition includes geographic markers and explanatory notes throughout. For veterans who lived through those times, this journey will no doubt stir up memories, both terrible and wonderful. For younger generations, it will provide a glimpse into pre-Internet society (a sort of “Prehistory” perhaps?) where socializing required actually meeting in person. For today’s community of diverse sexual and gender identities, it is a powerful reminder of past struggles and the fragility of hard-won gains. And for everyone, this showcase of archival documents will connect the coming out of sexual minorities to the emergence of an entire neighbourhood.