flip-book-test

‘How nice to see your handsome face; don’t be shy, come on in.’

This book is a small sample of Calgary’s LGBT history, both past and 

present. Much of the research for this project came from Calgary’s Queer 

History Project, Gay Calgary Magazine, news articles, as well as a few 

conversations with members of Calgary’s LGBT community. 

Through the 80’s, 90’s and up until the early 00’s Calgary had a variety of 

gay bars to choose from. Fast forward to today and the gay bar scene 

looks like a ghost town. New clubs open their doors but only seem to last 

a few short years before closing them. Part of the problem may be that 

younger generations of the LGBT community have grown up in a more 

accepting society. They no longer need an LGBT space to feel safe. There 

is very little fear of being outed or getting fired. This is not to say todays 

world is perfect, it still has a long way to go, but it’s much more relaxed 

compared to 10–15 years ago.

6

The Kings Arms Tavern was 

located inside the Palliser Hotel, 

built in 1914. Formerly known 

as the Carriage House, the 

tavern was one of Calgary’s last 

remaining men-only drinking 

establishments. Nicknamed ‘The 

Pit’, it became a favorite drinking 

space among gay men through 

the 60’s although the tavern was 

not exclusively gay. 

The tavern allowed women 

following renovations in 1970. 

Throughout the 70’s the pub 

began to develop a more gay 

reputation. Problems began 

to arise after the pub changed 

ownership in the late 70’s. Gay 

patrons were denied service for 

things like their clothes, kissing, 

or even sitting too close. The 

harassment lead to an exploding 

point between management and 

gay patrons in December of 

133 9TH AVE SW 

“Most of us had to 

enter through the front 

entrance and worked our 

way to the bar as the First 

Street bar entrance was 

too obvious – there was a 

danger of getting known 

and losing your job.” 

—Nick de Vos 

1978. In total 20 patrons were 

removed from the pub that night 

by 6 officers in 4 paddy wagons. 

On July 31, 1982, the Kings Arms 

Tavern closed down. Today the 

Palliser Hotel still stands and you 

can even use the rear entrance 

which now leads down into a 

Starbucks. 

THE KINGS ARMS 

7

8

The Cecil hotel, built in 1912, 

became a popular place for the 

lesbian community during the 

60’s. Lesbian softball teams 

would frequently meet in the 

backroom after games for drinks. 

It continued to remain a popular 

choice for lesbians until gay clubs 

began opening. 

Over the years, the hotel had 

become a hot spot for police 

due to drugs, prostitution, and 

murder. In 2009, the Cecil Hotel 

had its business license revoked 

by the city. After the 2013 flood, 

the historic building could not be 

saved and was finally demolished 

in 2015. 

401 4TH AVE SE 

“We liked the Cecil 

because there was a nice 

private backroom there. 

It was marked for Ladies 

and Escorts and we’d 

laugh because we didn’t 

know which we were!” 

—Carolyn A. Anderson, 

The Voices of Older 

Lesbian Women: Oral 

History Thesis 

CECIL HOTEL 

The iconic neon sign, however, 

was spared from destruction. 

For now, the sign is temporarily 

located inside the historic St 

Louis Hotel located at 430 8th 

Avenue SE which is currently 

the Calgary Municipal Land 

Corporation. The sign will be 

released to whoever buys the 

vacant lot. 

9

4

In 1967, the club operated under 

the name 1207 and was ran by 

a straight man. The club was a 

known gay venue but the owner 

would charge straight patrons a 

fee to “view the queers”. For this 

reason, gay patrons boycotted 

the club, leading to its closure. 

When 1207 went bankrupt 

in 1968, Lois Szabo and 4 

unnamed members took over 

the lease, renaming it Club 

Carousel. Upon reopening, the 

club required membership and 

operated under a strict “no 

straights” policy. Memberships 

were sold to patrons with number 

identifiers instead of names to 

protect them. Many people were 

afraid of losing their jobs or being 

arrested because homosexuality 

wasn’t decriminalized by Pierre 

Trudeau until 1969. 

1207 1ST ST SW 

“In those days everyone 

was pretty scared to put 

their name on anything 

even though it didn’t say 

it was a gay society. They 

were afraid of losing 

their jobs, family finding 

out, getting arrested and 

things like that.” 

—Lois Szabo 

On its first night, the club was 

charged. Founding members 

applied for a Provincial Societies 

Act Charter but were yet again 

charged. This left 3 of the 

founding members unsettled 

and they backed out leaving Lois 

Szabo as President. 

CLUB CAROUSEL 

11

“It was the place to be, because we were 

basically an after-hours illegal drinking 

club — at the beginning, we were only 

technically allowed to have liquor one 

night a month. In those days the bars 

closed at about 11:30 p.m. Most people, 

after they’ve been out drinking, aren’t 

ready to go home to bed at 11 o’clock.” 

—Louis Szabo 

12

In 1969, after Pierre Trudeau 

decriminalized homosexuality, 

people felt more comfortable 

about their sexuality. People 

began exploring other clubs 

rather than staying within the 

confined space of Club Carousel. 

The club moved to a larger venue 

on the corner of 16th Avenue 

and Centre Street. Although the 

new venue seemed to work well, 

it proved expensive leading the 

club to move again, this time to 

9th Avenue and 11th Street. 

Today, all that is left of Club 

Carousel are the faded remains 

of red and yellow circus themed 

paint still visible in the basement 

of its first location. An Italian 

restaurant, Parm, now opperates 

in the space. 

1207 1ST ST SW 

“Club Carousel served 

as a social sphere for 

650 lesbians and gay 

men during the early 

seventies. For many, “The 

Club” became a place 

to meet people and 

to feel connected to a 

community that validated 

each other’s experience 

of the world.” 

—Carolyn A. Anderson, 

The Voices of Older 

Lesbian Women: Oral 

History Thesis 

CLUB CAROUSEL 

13

14

Parkside Continental was 

opened in 1973 by Vance 

Campbell, a businessman and 

gay bar owner from Vancouver, 

and a few local partners. The 

venue was named after one of 

Toronto’s famous gay venues, 

the Parkside Tavern. Most nights, 

the last song of the night would 

be Maureen McGovern’s song, 

“The Continental”. 

Eventually, the Parkside opened 

a second bar, The Green Room, 

which expanded into the upstairs. 

In April of 1976, the Imperial 

Sovereign Court of the Chinook 

Arch was founded there. The very 

first coronation would follow in 

January of 1977. 

The Parkside Continental ran 

from 1973-1986. Its location 

is currently home to Shelf Life 

Books which opened in 2010. 

1302 4TH ST SW 

“Drag legend, Sandy St. 

Peters who grew up in 

Calgary and lived and 

performed across Canada, 

entertained occasionally 

at the Parkside. After a 

big Saturday night at the 

bar, she would run across 

the street to campily 

welcome churchgoers 

arriving Sunday morning 

for early service at the 

First Baptist Church.” 

—Kevin Allen 

PARKSIDE CONTINETAL 

15

16

Myrt’s Beauty Parlor opened 

in 1976. Like the Parkside 

Continental, Myrt’s was also 

owned by Vance Campbell. The 

name doesn’t read as a gay bar 

but that was the point. During 

the 70’s a gay bar in plain sight 

would have been subject to 

much criticism, but a beauty 

parlor would go unnoticed. 

At the end of every night, the 

bar would play Kermit the Frog’s 

version of Rainbow Connection. 

Attached to back half of Myrt’s 

was a theatre known as the 

Backlot, which served as an 

after-hours bar when Myrt’s 

would close for the night. When 

the area was being redeveloped 

it lead to the closure of Myrt’s and 

the Backlot. For a brief period, 

Myrt’s moved and reopened 

on 17th Avenue but closed on 

December 31, 1981. 

808 9 Ave. SW 

There are no glimpses of the 

building that once held Myrt’s 

Beauty Parlor and the Backlot 

along 9th Avenue SW. Today the 

location is nothing more than a 

giant parking lot. 

MYRT’S BEAUTY PARLOR 

17

18

13TH AVE & 6TH ST SW 

The loop, located around 

the Lougheed House, was 

once home to Calgary’s gay 

prostitution scene. This one-way 

loop, known as the Fruit Loop 

within the LGBT community, ran 

along 13th Avenue SW, between 

6th and 7th street. 

Tenants complained of loud 

noises in the neighborhood to 

their landlords. Many owners 

of the apartment buildings 

complained they were losing 

tenants due to the nature of the 

nearby activities. Some evenings 

prostitutes were even found 

sleeping in apartment lobbies. 

People living in the area petitioned 

Calgary Police to have the loop 

cleaned up. The petition recieved 

a whopping 547 signatures. 

popularity of the Fruit Loop. 

The area provided significantly 

better lighting compared to 

the previous hangout, Central 

Memorial Park. There was also 

a much larger police presence 

in the area which provided more 

safety. Lastly, Brink blamed the 

nearby gay bar, The Parkside 

Continental, for drawing the 

crowd to the area. 

When Brian Sawyer, Chief of 

Police, was presented with the 

petition he informed the public 

that although he sympathized 

with them there was nothing the 

police could actually do about it. 

FRUIT LOOP 

An inspector, Bill Brink, had 

some theories about the growing 

19

“If there are five men walking down 

the street, two may be homosexual, 

one may be a homosexual prostitute 

and two may be going to the 

library. It’s very difficult to assess.” 

—Inspector Frank Mitchell, The 

Calgary herald, 1982 

20

13TH AVE & 6TH ST SW 

It was suggested to the petitioners 

by Police Chief, Brian Sawyer, 

that they contact their member 

of parliament to request harsher 

laws in regards to prostitution. 

If stronger laws existed around 

prostitution then the police 

might actually be able to help 

do something about it. 

As expected, the people living 

in the neighborhood were not 

pleased with the answer they 

received. One local resident 

felt male prostitutes could be 

dealt with in the same manner 

as female prostitutes; another 

even requested the Police Chief 

stay in their apartment to observe 

the events occurring in the park 

at night. 

to a different location. They 

attempted to do this by handing 

out cards to men along the loop, 

politely requesting they move 

to another location. In spite of 

their efforts, the plan was not 

successful although this was not 

at all surprising. 

FRUIT LOOP 

Gay members of the police liaison 

committee agreed to try and help 

the police relocate the prostitutes 

21

22

Built in 1936, the Garry Theatre 

is only one of three theatres still 

standing from the 1930’s. The 

venue was used by the Loose 

Moose Theatre Company from 

1998-2003. In June of 1999, 

the Fairy Tales Gay and Lesbian 

Film Festival opened at the Garry 

theatre for two nights. 

In the early years, Fairy Tales was 

completely run by volunteers. 

The only sources of funding for 

the festival came from ticket sales 

and sponsorships. According to 

Kevin Allen, ‘This was done in 

large part to avoid the drama 

of homophobia in public arts 

funding that had been happening 

throughout Alberta in the 1990’s.’ 


“The fairies are coming 

and there’s not a hell 

of a lot you can do or 

say about it. After all, 

they’re not spending 

your money. Pink dollars 

are paying the freight” 

—Rick Bell, Calgary 

Herald, 2000 

GARRY THEATRE 

Today The Ironwood Stage and 

Grill occupies space but the 

iconic Garry Theare sign can still 

be seen above the entrance. 

23

24

1133 KENSINGTON RD NW 

In the 1920’s, the Plaza Theatre 

started its life as a garage before 

being converted into a theatre 

in 1935. During its early days 

it would play second run films. 

Only in 1995 did the theatre 

become a first run theatre. 

Around 2010, the Plaza Theatre 

became the new home for the 

Fairy Tales Queer Film Festival 

and continues to be to this day. 

“Seeing ourselves 

represented on the big 

screen for sixteen years 

now has been nothing 

short of alchemy for me 

personally. After a week 

of watching queer film 

(I am a pretty hard core 

festival goer), I am always 

disoriented to find the 

outside world as straight 

as it is.” 

—Kevin Allen 

PLAZA THEATRE 

25

26

Victoria’s Restaurant operated 

for twenty long years from 1984 

up until its closure in 2004. 

Currently, a small reservation 

only restaurant, Pigeonhole, 

operates in the location. The 

original sign for Victoria’s still 

hangs outside the building but 

has been modified with a neon 

addition for the Pigeonhole. 

Located in the same building as 

Victoria’s Restaurant were a 

number of gay bars that operated 

at the same time. Separate 

entrances to the building were 

available for bars like Detour, 

Arena, and the Loading Dock. 

Then club owner, Rudy Labuhn, 

had been operating gay bars for 

just over 21 years. Detour was 

originally Dick’s and then another 

gay bar named 318. After it 

closed it was renamed Detour. 


“We should have called 

it ‘Frankenstein’ because 

we brought it back from 

the dead! It took about 

three years to get people 

in there on a regular basis. 

I am glad we opened it.” 

—Rudy Labuhn, Gay 

Calgary, 2003 

Arena and Detour were part 

of the same club. Arena had 

the ability to be rented out or 

opened up for full access. The 

Arena ran a few popular events 

such as Girlz Night and a 

Sunday night drag show called 

‘God Save The Queens’. 

VICTORIA’S 

27

28 

“I find Calgary a very liberal community, 

I know a lot of people would disagree 

with me but it is one of those things that 

have changed. When I started being in 

clubs, and I won’t say how many years 

ago, people were talking in code. They 

won’t come out and even say ‘gay’. They 

had some obscure little word; we still 

have a lot of the “gay” kind of words that 

everyone uses like ‘nellie’ and ‘butch,’ and 

all of that sort of thing. I mean that there 

was an entire dictionary when I came out 

of the closet and now people just come 

right out and say it.” 

—Rudy Labuhn, Gay Calgary, 2003


“I see it going nowhere but up. I just 

see it growing, and seeing it more 

comfortable, and I know that this will 

sound a little odd but I think it is very 

good that the community is growing 

and that the emphasis is not on the gay 

bars. I see that as one portion of the 

community and 10 years ago it was the 

only portion that people talked about. 

Now there are community groups... and 

I think that is very positive.” 

VICTORIA’S 

—Rudy Labuhn, Gay Calgary, 2003 

29

30

Rooks was only around for 6 

short years. Its first home was 

located at 112 16th Avenue 

NW. You’ve probably driven by 

this location and may not have 

even realized it. Later in its life, 

the building became home to a 

movie poster shop that featured a 

giant gorilla climbing the exterior 

of the building. 

When Rooks operated there, it 

had two levels, the main part 

which was Rooks, and a nightclub 

in the basement called ‘The 

Pussycat Lounge’. The venue 

was one of Calgary’s few lesbian 

bars. A few drag king shows 

were held there annually, along 

with fundraisers for the Rainbow 

Lambda Society. Big on sports, 

the bar took part annually in the 

Alberta Gay Rodeo Association 

along with having a hockey and 

ringette team. 

112 16TH AVE NW 

“Spaces closing [leave] 

the community spread 

out and [give] Calgary 

the reputation as lacking 

in LGBTQ culture. Many 

people [who] grow up 

here leave for greener 

pastures in Vancouver, 

Toronto and Montreal, 

[which] have a thriving 

community with many 

outlets to explore one’s 

[sexual] orientation and 

meet new people.” 

—Blake Spence, Xtra, 

2013 

The bar moved to 720 11th 

Avenue SW but closed it’s doors 

a year later. The second venue 

currently operates as a spa. 

ROOKS BAR & BEANERY 

31

32

Metro Boyztown opened in 

November of 1988. The club was 

owned by Ken Annebo, Brenda 

Wolbaum, and Sharon Wolbaum. 

Boyztown hosted events such as 

Sunday night drag shows, along 

with a few specialty events like 

their Wednesday night amateur 

strip night. Membership was 

required to enter the venue. For 

most of the clubs life, it operated 

as an exclusively gay male bar, 

only allowing women to become 

members in 2004, a few years 

before closing its doors in 2006. 

A second club, the Rekroom, 

operated in the basement of 

Metro Boyztown. The Rekroom 

was owned by Ellie Brewer, Don 

Turgeon and Kevin Bateman. Don 

would occasionally DJ upstairs in 

Metro Boyztown under the name 

DJ Don. 


“We did one number 

each and a lot of group 

numbers, trios, and 

duets. Metro Boyztown 

and the Rekroom was my 

home away from home. 

I always felt welcomed 

by the staff. Flo & Streets 

were always at my corner 

when other queens tried 

to be mean to me. To me, 

that was a community 

bar and when it closed 

I felt lost. But I got my 

start at Midnight Café 

where I became part of 

the ISCCA and Rainbow 

Lambda Society.” 

—Argintina Hailey-Dior 

H.I.S.M., Empress 29 and 

37 of Calgary 

METRO BOYZTOWN 

33

34

The Soda Lounge was never a 

gay bar. This venue was mostly a 

small space known to those who 

liked alternative music. However, 

on the first Thursday of every 

month something a little different 

would happen. An all drag king 

troupe, Fake Mustache, would 

take over the space for the night. 

Performers would arrive early 

and wait outside the door for the 

venue to open so they could set 

up for the evening. 

No change room was provided 

for the performers as the 

venue didn’t have such a 

room. Performers improvised 

by hanging up curtains in the 

small space under the stairwell. 

Backpacks and suitcases would 

be scattered about the small 

space, containing the makeup, 

costumes, and props of various 

performers of the evening. 


“[We were] just a couple 

queer kids claiming 

a space of our own, 

where we could be and 

express anything we 

wanted through gender 

performance. We made 

a family and our chosen 

family felt much more 

like family than our 

genetic families.” 

—Tony McShane, Fake 

Mustache 

SODA LOUNGE 

35

“The Soda will always be home to Fake 

Mustache. That venue, in particular, 

holds the fondest memories. The 

set up was awful, having a makeshift 

backstage area where we were 

tripping over each other, to a terrible 

floor plan that could hardly hold the 

crowds we brought in. But we all loved 

every minute of it. It was when it was 

fun and we got to know our crowd 

instead of being separated by a stage.” 

—JJ Kage, Fake Mustache 

36

Evenings started off with an allages 

show. This was important as 

Fake Mustache was a fundraising 

source for the Miscellaneous 

Youth Network, better known 

today as the Mosaic Youth Group. 

During the all-ages show, 

performers attempted to remain 

on their best behavior only 

occasionally dropping the odd 

swear word or dirty joke. After 

the all-ages show underage 

participants had a brief moment 

to interact with each other and 

performers before having to leave 

the venue. 

After the break performers would 

prepare for the adult only part 

of the evening. Most of these 

shows included one or two 

burlesque numbers. Humorous 

banter occurred between various 

performers between numbers as 


“I remember riding on the 

Greyhound from Medicine 

Hat to Calgary once a 

month just to perform 

there. I’ve performed at 

a few venues since there 

but nothing seems to 

compare to the days at 

Soda. It’s where I found 

my drag family.” 

—Brey Ken Harts, Fake 

Mustache 

performers were getting ready 

in the cramped make-shift 

changeroom. The small venue 

also made it great for performers 

to interact with their audience. 

There was rarely a night when 

the venue wasn’t packed full for 

the shows. 

SODA LOUNGE 

37

38


Lorrie Murphy and her partner 

Michele Flynn opened their bar, 

Money-Pennies, in December of 

1995. The bar was named after 

James Bond’s secretary, Miss 

Moneypenny. After having issues 

with their lease in their previous 

location, they purchased their 

own building in 1998. Although 

the majority of the clientele were 

lesbians, the owners stated it 

was a place for everyone. 

Lorrie and Michele continued 

ownership until 2007 when it was 

purchased by Jason Wheeler. 

Three years after purchasing 

Money-Pennies, Jason felt it was 

time for a change. In 2010 the 

bar was renamed Fab and given 

a facelift. Only 2 short years later 

Fab closed its doors. The building 

remains empty to this day. 

“I attribute how long 

we’ve been here to the 

evolution going from 

how it used to be where 

you couldn’t walk in to a 

place like this, especially 

lit, with windows. It 

was impossible. We’ve 

evolved with that, where 

we don’t believe in 

labels anymore. Lorrie 

and I don’t care if you’re 

gay, straight, bi or 

transsexual…it doesn’t 

matter. You are welcome 

in here.” 

—Michele Flynn, Gay 

Calgary, 2006 

MONEY-PENNIES 

39

40


Club Sapien officially opened its 

doors in August of 2010. The 

Club was owned by Mike Gray 

and a silent partner. As you may 

have guessed, the name of the 

club was a play on the word 

homosapien. 

At the time, Sapien was one of 

Calgary’s newest gay bars. The 

venue was spacious and had a 

decent sized stage for a variety 

of performances. 

Sapien became home to the 

Fake Mustache drag troupe 

after the closures of the Soda 

Lounge and the Eagle. This was 

short lived as the venue closed 

its doors in 2012. 

“Sapien was my first 

introduction to the LGBTQ 

community in Calgary, 

but more than that it was 

an introduction to the 

world of drag. That bar 

felt like a second home 

to me as I explored my 

gender identity on stage. 

It represents such an 

important part of my life 

and I was terribly sad to 

see it close.” 

—Nolan Neptune, 

Fake Mustache 

CLUB SAPIEN 

41

42

In 2002 Barry Gagliardi, Christine 

Backer, Ron Scheetz and his 

partner Johnathan Finlayson 

decided to open a leather bar, 

the Eagle. In both the gay and 

leather communities the ‘eagle’ 

name is associated with leather 

internationally although it isn’t a 

franchise. Weekly changing fetish 

nights with themes from uniforms 

to leather made the bar popular. 

The bar also hosted a popular 

Mr. Leather competition annually. 

The Calgary Municipal Land 

Corporation had been trying to 

buy the building from the owner 

for a few years. When the building 

was finally purchased, the Eagle 

was notified that its lease would 

be terminated. The building has 

since been demolished and the 

lot sits vacant to this day. 


“I personally look back and 

go wow, what have we 

accomplished as a small 

business, and just some 

guys in the community. 

We as a small family 

have really rallied to do 

what we could. Without 

the support of the 

community and without 

the support of each other, 

a lot of things wouldn’t 

have happened. So all 

we can do is tip our hat 

to the community and 

say thanks, and we all 

go forward.” 

—Johnathan Finlayson, 

Gay Calgary, 2006 

THE EAGLE 

43

44

Dickens is another venue listed 

that is not a gay bar. After the 

closue of the last few venues 

previously mentioned, Fake 

Mustahce made Dickens Pub 

its new home in 2012. 

The Fake Mustache shows still 

run the first Thursday of every 

month. A variety of drag kings 

and burlesque performers can 

be seen here and sometimes 

even drag queens. The bar 

has a raised stage for optimal 

viewing during the shows. 

The space in general is queer 

friendly and hosts a variety of 

other popular events such as 

‘Hang The DJ’. 


“Dickens has been a 

home for Fake Mustache, 

and Fake Mustache has 

been my home. A home 

where lovely queer 

people accept each 

other for who they are 

as humans. Whether you 

are an audience member 

or a performer each 

person is welcomed with 

acceptance.” 

—Lylah Laboop, 

Burlesque Perofrmer, 

Fake Mustache 

DICKENS PUB 

45

46

In addition to owning the Parkside 

Continental, Vance Campbell 

opened a second bar by the 

name of Myrt’s Beauty Parlor. 

A hallway leading off of Myrt’s 

dance floor lead to the Backlot, 

a theater capable of seating 150 

people. It was often used as an 

after-hours bar but was also used 

for Imperial Court drag shows, 

theatrical productions, and was 

even used by the Metropolitan 

Community Church to host 

Sunday morning services. 

The bar closed on December 

31, 1981. According to research 

done by Kevin Allen with the 

Calgary Queer History Project, ‘a 

former patron broke into the site 

and retrieved the neon ‘Backlot’ 

sign.’ The sign now hangs above 

the door to the current Backlot 

located at 209 10th Ave SW. 


“When the Backlot 

opened up 15 years ago, 

Calgary’s club scene was 

different—Boyztown was 

two doors down, and 

Detours was 7 blocks 

away on 17th Avenue. 

Both of those venues are 

gone, but The Backlot 

continues on as a popular 

community pub.” 

—Evan Kayne 

In 1996, Ken Schultz, Rudy 

Labuhn, and Lorne Doucette 

opened the Backlot in this 

location. When Ken retired in 

2010, Mark Campbell and Ward 

Sobry bought the place and 

continue to run it today. 

BACKLOT 

47

48

308B 17TH AVE SW 

The Texas Lounge has been 

operating since 1987, just over 

30 years. An entrance to the bar is 

shared with Goliath’s bathhouse 

which is next door. It was named 

after Texas Corey, who was well 

known in the community and 

passed away in 1986. A plaque 

on the wall of the venue honors 

his memory. 

Darrell Zakreski and his partner 

were approached by the landlord 

to take over the lease of the space 

which was previously occupied 

by a bathhouse. Originally, no 

lounge was present in the space 

but after inquiring with the city a 

license was acquired. 

In the early years of the Texas 

Lounge, its nickname was ‘The 

Bunker’, derived from the bunkerlike 

feeling of the buildings lower 

level. The nickname was used as 

“The Texas Lounge. I 

like that place. It’s very 

welcoming. For me when 

I used to go there it was 

always about doing a 

show but lately it’s a 

place where I’ve been 

getting along with people 

and talking. You can just 

be yourself at Texas.” 

—Argintina Hailey-Dior 

H.I.S.M., Empress 29 and 

37 of Calgary 

as code to mask that it was a 

gay bar, enableling people to talk 

about it without being outed. 

Since 2006, the business has 

been owned by Andrew Brassard 

and Allan Oen. 

TEXAS LOUNGE 

49

50

308B 17TH AVE SW 

Darrell Zakreski and his partner 

decided to take over the lease 

to a bathhouse after being 

approached by the landlord. 

After acquiring the space, they 

made plans for what would 

later become the Texas Lounge. 

Goliath’s is currently Calgary’s 

only operating bathhouse. 

“It is a place where guys 

can go to hang out or 

meet that is safe, clean 

and friendly.” 

—Allan Oen 

GOLIATH’S 

In 2006 Andrew Brassard and 

Allan Oen acquired ownership 

of both Goliath’s and the Texas 

Lounge. Since taking over they 

find their biggest challenge is 

dealing with the myths associated 

with bathhouses. Safe sex is an 

important part of their business 

which is why they work with the 

Calgary Health Region though 

SafeWorks to allow members, if 

they choose, to be tested for HIV, 

Hepatitis B, and C once a week. 

51

52

1006 11TH AVE SWTWISTED ELEMENT 

Twisted Element is one of 

Calgary’s newer gay bars that 

has managed to stick around. 

It was opened in November of 

2004 by owners RJ Fafard and 

Cliff Andrews. Their greatest 

challenge was finding a landlord 

that would agree to a gay space. 

After finding a venue and opening, 

Twisted proved quite popular as 

evident by the lineups outside 

the building. 

Twisted hosts a variety of events 

including two weekly drag shows, 

the Saturday Variety Show and 

the Sunday Show hosted by Mr. 

Terri Stevens. As of February 1st, 

2017 the bar has been under 

new ownership. 

“The very limited 

selection of gay 

clubs is the biggest 

reason why I do not 

go clubbing very 

often these days. 

In Calgary, the only 

club I relate with is 

Twisted Element, but 

I get bored with the 

idea of going there 

and only there. I 

feel that once the 

economy rebounds, 

more gay-friendly or 

gay-oriented bars/ 

clubs will open and 

everything will turn 

around.” 

—Anonymous 

53

Calgary’s Queer History Project 

Headed by Kevin Allen, Calgary’s Queer History Project is an ongoing 

collection and documentation of Calgary’s queer history. 

https://calgaryqueerhistory.ca/ 

Gay Calgary 

Run by Steve Polyak, Gay Calgary is a monthly magazine that focuses 

on the queer community in and around Calgary and Edmonton. 

http://www.gaycalgary.com/ 

Backlot 


http://thebacklotbar.com/ 

Twisted Element 1006 11TH AVE SW 

http://www.twistedelement.ca/ 

Texas Lounge 308B 17TH AVE SW 

No website available. 

Goliath’s 308B 17TH AVE SW 

http://www.goliathsyyc.ca/ 

MORE INFORMATION 

55

I’m a wildly strange queer 

designer, drag king, and artist 

of sorts. 

On July 27th of 1988, I popped 

out of the womb and into the 

world. As I was growing up I 

began developing an interest 

in art...and women. This would 

have gone over much better if I 

had grown up anywhere other 

PEPPER XIV 

than a small-minded farming 

community in Saskatchewan. 

When I found out our family was 

moving to Medicine Hat, I’m not 

sure you could find a teenager as 

excited about moving as I was. 

Fast forward to today, I am 

currently enrolled in the Visual 

Communications Program at 

the Medicine Hat College. After 

graduating from the program, 

I hope to pursue a career in 

graphic design. 

The creation of a book was 

required by my typography class 

but was very much inspired by 

queer history. I only learned a 

very small fraction of the history 

and hope to learn so much more 

in the future. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

57

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