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Since 1973, The ArQuives has been acquiring and preserving material documenting LGBTQ2+ history. Our mandate is to acquire, preserve, organize, and provide public access to information and materials, in any medium, by and about LGBTQ2+ people, primarily produced in or concerning Canada.

About this Site

This site allows you to search our archives, newspaper index, vertical files, library catalogue, art, and artifacts, including digital photos of many items.

If you would like more information about any of the items you find on this site, you may add those items to your Selection List and complete our Request form with your contact information. We'll respond to you as soon as we can.

For more information on reproduction and/or usage, please see our Store.

Quick Start

Select one of these links to begin exploring our collection.

A Note on Language

The ArQuives is committed to preserving all aspects of LGBTQ2+ history in Canada. Given that language is a constantly evolving construct, many items in our collection may be considered offensive, inappropriate, or unacceptable by contemporary standards, or are explicitly racist, sexual, or violent in nature. As such, certain language and descriptions may not be appropriate for all readers.

Our mandate is to preserve the historical record; to correct or revise language and terminology through a 21st century lens would constitute an act of erasure. We have preserved the language of each individual artifact, as doing so reflects how LGBTQ2+ individuals and communities defined themselves, and provides uncensored depictions of challenging chapters in our history. You can learn more about this via our Collection Description Policy.