The debate over whether to mark the six blocks of Bank Street from Nepean to James as a Village had met opposition, mainly from the business sector, but received wide-reaching support from three levels of government, community advocacy groups such as the Centretown Citizen’s Community Association, community groups and partners, businesses, and the community at large. The street signs cap off an historic year for the Village, with two public art projects unveiled in August, and more signs and flags installed than ever before in the Village area.

“This is something the community can take an enormous sense of pride in,” says Village chair Glenn Crawford. “We now, for the first time, have an officially designated Village in Ottawa. That’s huge and it’s just beginning to sink in for me how big this is. We’ve known this has existed for many years, as we’ve seen the area grow and become more GLBT-friendly, but now, after years of hard work, the Village has become recognized by the City as a unique area of specific cultural importance, on par with other areas such as Chinatown and Little Italy.”

Achieving this milestone is exciting, but the Village Committee recognizes that this is only the beginning. “It’s time to enter a second major stage for the Village; one of growth,” continues Crawford. “Now that we’ve created the designation, it’s time to grow it. This is an exciting time for the community to reflect on what we want the Village to become—discover what services we are lacking, what businesses we’d like to see. I hope that these signs will inspire people to demand more from us, from the City, from the community at large. We know that there are many areas for improvement, such as feeling safe in our schools, workplace and communities. We need better services for our elderly, trans community, and people living with HIV/AIDS. I know many people would like to see a more active nightlife. We believe that the Village can, by partnering with other exemplary organizations and businesses, contribute to making Ottawa a safer, happier, more exciting place to life, work and play.”

Join us at the Montgomery Branch Legion Hall in the upper hall on Thursday, December 8th at 7pm, bring the $20 entrance fee and enjoy a full evening of card playing and help raise funds for the Village and our awesome events and projects.

Cash bar with really cheap drinks served by the Hall, with food and snacks provided for.

Prizes:
· 1st prize – 50% of ticket sales, up to $200
· 2nd and 3rd prizes
· Special prizes for most loners and last place

See you there!

PLEASE REGISTER IN ADVANCE AT communications@villageottawa.com.

The form takes seconds to fill out… please follow the simple instructions below:

1. Download the Street Sign survey form

2. Email it back to Councillor Holmes’ office at bankvillage@ottawa.ca

Thanks so much for your support of the Village!

Here’s what Crawford had to say as the mural was presented to the 1pm and 5pm crowds (Charlie Hill’s speech hopefully to be added shortly)

Good afternoon, everyone, and happy Pride.

My name is Glenn Crawford, and as the chair of the Village, I’d like to thank you all for coming here today to help us celebrate the completion of our first public art project, this mural which commemorates the 40th anniversary of the “We Demand” protest—Canada’s first civil rights demonstration for the GLBT community.

This is an exciting day for the Village, as we also are presenting our second public art project—a series of six banners celebrating the life, wit and inspiration of Oscar Wilde. I know I can speak on behalf of the entire Village Committee when I say we take great pride in being able to present these two projects to you and to our community.

Since our formation in 2006, it’s been the Village’s goal to nurture and grow the area along Bank Street from Nepean to James as a gay-, lesbian-, bisexual- and trans-friendly Village. With a large concentration of organizations and businesses supporting our community already in this area, we’ve had great successes; holding fundraisers and exciting events, tripling the number of rainbow flags in the area from seven to well over twenty, seeing new, exciting stores and services open, and now today, with the unveiling of two beautiful new public art projects that celebrate the diversity, history, culture and people of our community.

As we work with the Mayor, councillors and City officials to put up Village street signs, much like you already see in Little Italy and Chinatown, we look down Bank and can say, yes, a Village is here. We can now see reflections of ourselves in our own neighbourhood. This is vital to us because so often our community is an invisible one. Typically raised by straight parents, taught by straight teachers, surrounded by straight friends, peers and co-workers, no matter how accepting they may be, we need to form our own families and communities—to support each other, to protect each other, to teach each other and to love each other.

By creating an officially recognized Village in the nation’s capital, we help to create a visible, safe, loving and nurturing place for our community to live, work, grow and play. We create a tourist destination for our foreign brothers and sisters to visit. We help show that Ottawa, and Canada, is a place that supports and celebrates diversity.

But it would be impossible to celebrate all these achievements today without remembering our past. Let’s go back only 40 years to 1971. This Sunday, the day of our Capital Pride parade, marks the 40th anniversary of the “We Demand” demonstration. To give you some context, 1971 is only two years after the decriminalization of consensual same-sex acts in Canada and the Stonewall riots held in New York City that are often pointed to as the birth of the gay liberation movement. It is also, give or take a year or two, my lifespan, and I mention this only because it’s a reminder to me how fortunate I am to be living on this side of those 40 years, and not on the other.

I first found out about “We Demand”, not in a class textbook, but from an assignment I was hired on to do. I was asked to help complete some research for a documentary by Nancy Nichol, and remember that name, because it will come up later. I visited the National Archives and City of Ottawa archives to go through archival photographs and newspapers to find press coverage of several early Canadian queer civil rights demonstrations and conferences. It was a very exciting and rewarding project for me to work on, and was what, looking back, a defining moment in terms of my passion for community and activism.

Indelible in my mind are images of crowds gathered on Parliament Hill, many holding umbrellas because of the pouring rain, others holding up signs with slogans such as “Equal Rights for Gay People”, “3rd Class Citizens No More” and shockingly, “Homosexuals are Human Beings”. Homosexuals are human beings? It’s hard to imagine a time when that was necessary to state, but as we know, bigotry and prejudice often de-humanises us. One note that accompanied a set of photographs I found of the protest stated, “Don’t drop your pencils, boys”. This kind of accepted public ridicule and dehumanization is what our community was facing just forty short years ago. It’s a sobering thought.

I found out that day about the approximately 150 very brave people from all over Canada who gathered on Parliament Hill, with another demo happening simultaneously in Vancouver, to demand that our community be treated fairly and equally. The reading of the We Demand document and other speeches on Saturday, August 28, 1971, insisted on equal treatment on issues like immigration, age of consent, adoption and marriage, human rights protections and more.

By going public and demanding fair treatment under the law, these leaders and activists risked losing their family, friends, loved ones, possibly even their homes and jobs. Witch hunts in the government and the RCMP, and public outings in local newspapers, forced qualified workers to resign and brought at least one person to such despair that he chose to end his life by jumping off his apartment balcony. Remember, these stories happened only 40 short years ago, in this city, in this country.

It’s from leaders like Marie Roberston, George Hislop, Herb Spiers, Pat Murphy, Charlie Hill, and all the other activists who attended the We Demand rally in 1971, whose courage and conviction is what I look up to for mentoring and inspiration today.

While sadly, many of these people are no longer with us, it’s my honour and pleasure introduce one of these founding community leaders to you today. Charlie Hill was one of the key speakers at the We Demand event in Ottawa, and he’s a central figure in the mural we’re unveiling today. Then a member of the Homophile Association at the University of Toronto, Charlie later became a member of Gays of Ottawa, and early queer support organization that spawned today’s PTS and the AIDS Committee of Ottawa, and which also published GO Info, Ottawa’s GLBT community newspaper that pre-dates Xtra Ottawa. He is now a curator at the National Gallery of Canada. Please welcome Charlie Hill.

[Charlie Hill addresses the crowd with his own speech at this time]

In the span of my lifetime, open and accepted homophobia is rarer than before, but homo-negativity, where people subtly discriminate against us or make unfair or misguided assumptions about us, still exists. We are still bullied in our schools. We are still attacked on our streets. We still have disproportionally higher rates of homelessness and suicide.

It’s for reasons like these and more why I feel it’s still vital to have a Village. As the We Demand activists have shown us, and all of the other activists who have followed in their footsteps, our best defence against homophobia and homo-negativity is to be out, to be strong and to stand together. When people see us live our lives proudly and with integrity and dignity, we become human and not “others”; it’s harder for us to be misunderstood; to discriminate against us. I know that many of you here may know this, but sometimes the easiest concepts are the easiest to forget. Let’s remember that we still have so much to accomplish, and let’s work together to make these injustices history.

In closing I’d like to thank some of the many people who helped make this mural possible. They include Falldown Gallery, who painted the mural, Rob Giacobbi of Wilde’s, Tony Mancini of Toth Equity, Daniela Graure of the City of Ottawa, Gallery 101, and the Village Committee, our volunteers and sponsors. And of course, I must thank Charlie Hill and all of the other We Demand activists who inspire us to continue the fight for equal rights, and to live our lives safely and authentically.

Two other We Demand themed events round up the Pride weekend. If you want to learn more about the GLBT civil rights movement in Ontario, don’t miss Nancy Nichol’s excellent documentary, “Stand Together”, yes, the one I did research for years ago, being screened at Shanghai Restaurant this evening at 8pm by Divergence Movie Night. And if you want to join the activists of today to continue the fight for our civil rights, don’t miss the We (Still) Demand protest, organized by Queer Ontario, happening this Sunday at noon on Parliament Hill, on the very date of the original 1971 demo and just one hour before the Capital Pride parade starts down Wellington. Remember that it takes all types to make a Village.

Thank you.

As a representative of the Village, I was honoured to be also asked to make a short speech on the needs for a Village, as well as recognizing our past and learning from previous activists, such as those at the original “We Demand” demonstration in 1971. Since an abridged version of my speech was published in Metro Ottawa, I’ve been asked by a number of people to publish my speech in full so others who couldn’t attend the vigil could read what I had to say. My speech is included in this blog posting in its entirety below.

Good evening, everyone.

I was honoured to be asked to speak at tonight’s vigil because it’s something I personally feel has been a really important, even vital, element that’s been added to the Capital Pride Festival schedule of events over the last few years. I’m thrilled to be a part of it here tonight.

One question I hear time and time again from people, both within our community and without, is why do we still need a Pride parade? As chair of the Village, I also hear similar questions, unfortunately often second-hand, such as—Why do we need a Village? What value can it bring us? Isn’t this twenty years too late? Won’t this create a ghetto?

These questions continue to surprise me because one only needs to look outside their door to see that even in this post-Will and Grace, post-same-sex marriage society that we as Canadians have the luxury to live in, our community still suffers great inequities and injustices at the hands of our schools, the government, our peers, and unfortunately, sometimes even our employers, family and friends.

But let’s go back only 40 years, which, give or take a year, is roughly my lifespan. This Sunday marks the 40 anniversary of the “We Demand” demonstration, Canada’s first civil rights protest for the GLBT community. To give you some context, this is only two years after the decriminalization of consensual same-sex acts in Canada and the Stonewall riots held in New York City.

Approximately 150 very brave people from all over Canada gathered on Parliament Hill, with another demo happening simultaneously in Vancouver, to demand that our community be treated fairly and equally on issues like immigration, age of consent, adoption and marriage, human rights protections and more. These people faced public ridicule—risked losing their family, friends, loved ones, possibly even their jobs. Witch hunts in the government and the RCMP, and public outings in local newspapers, forced qualified workers to resign and brought at least one person to such despair that he chose to end his life by jumping off his apartment balcony. Remember, these stories happened only 40 short years ago, in this city, in this country.

It’s from leaders like Charlie Hill, Marie Roberston, George Hislop, Herb Spiers and Pat Murphy, and all the other activists who attended the We Demand rally in 1971, whose courage and conviction is what I look up to for mentoring and inspiration today. In the span of my lifetime, open homophobia is rarer, but homo-negativity, where people subtly discriminate against us or make unfair or misguided assumptions about us, still exists.

While many laws have changed for the better, and others have yet to be changed, society often takes a while to catch up.

• We still have disproportionally high rates of suicide, higher rates of bullying, and higher rates of homelessness than mainstream society.
• There have been two known violent threats or attacks to members of our community in the last few weeks that I’ve heard of which seem likely to be examples of gay bashing. Many attacks like these are, even today, never reported to the police from embarrassment or fear.
• Gay and bisexual men are still denied the option to donate blood based on a misguided fear that our blood could be contaminated.
• Trans persons are still denied many basic human rights that the rest of our community take for granted now.
• HIV positive people could be thrown in jail for not disclosing their status, even in no- or very-low-risk sexual activities.
• Our seniors face an uncertain future and questionable support from health care workers and in retirement homes.
• Our brothers and sisters in the sex worker industry are at high risk of abuse, even from the police.

Knowing all this, do you still feel safe on the streets? Do you still feel there’s no more work to be done, for you or for others in your community?

It’s for reasons like these why I feel it’s vital to have a parade, to have a vigil like the one we are participating in tonight, and why I believe we still need a Village. Our best defence against homophobia and homo-negativity is to be out, to be strong and to stand together. When people see us live our lives proudly and with integrity and dignity, we become human and not “others”; it’s harder for us to be misunderstood; to discriminate against us. I know that many of you here tonight know this, but sometimes the easiest concepts are the easiest to forget. Let’s remember that we still have so much to accomplish, and let’s work together to make these injustices history.

In closing, I’d like to personally invite you all to the official unveiling of the Village’s first public art mural, which commemorates the 40th anniversary of the We Demand demonstration. The unveiling and press conference will be held at two times for your convenience, at 1pm and 5pm tomorrow, on the SE corner of Bank and Gilmour Streets. The Village is honoured and excited to have produced and funded this public art mural, painted by the artists from Falldown Gallery.

Two other We Demand themed events round up the Pride weekend. If you want to learn more about the GLBT civil rights movement in Ontario, don’t miss Nancy Nichol’s excellent documentary, “Stand Together”, screened at Shanghai Restaurant tomorrow evening at 8pm. And if you want to join the activists of today to continue the fight for our civil rights, don’t miss the We (Still) Demand protest, organized by Queer Ontario, happening this Sunday at noon on Parliament Hill, on the very date of the original 1971 demo and just one hour before the Capital Pride parade starts down Wellington. Remember that it takes all types to make a Village.

Thank you.

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We hope everyone had a wonderful Pride weekend!

XXOO
The Village

Derek and Meg Benitz, owners of Benitz and B-Side restaurants, have had to shut their doors for the last time recently. The restaurateurs, long-time supporters of the GLBT community, were dealing with multiple challenges when the owner of the buildings were trying to sell the properties. Big, ugly “for sale” signs loomed large over the restaurants for over a year, eclipsing even their own signage. Confusion as to whether the restaurants were open for business or not clearly had a negative effect on filling the restaurants and sustaining business. We wish Derek, Meg their staff and family all the best on their new ventures.

Just one block east of the two eateries, the Inn on Somerset, Ottawa’s most beloved and well-known GLBT bed and breakfast, is now closed for renovations. We can’t reveal too much, but expect some major changes for the Inn in the new year. All of the changes dramatically alter the landscape along Somerset, leaving Centretown Pub and the newly located Friday’s Roast Beef, which regularly hosts a piano bar night for the Ottawa Senior Pride Network, as two of the few queer-owned or -positive spots in the area.

And that brings us back to Gilmour: the owners of Savana Café just west of Bank decided to retire, leaving a big hole in the area and one less great place for Villagers to eat. But I’ve heard some exciting news about what’s taking its place… stay tuned!

And if you’re a business or organization that wants to get on our map or listed higher in our online directory, contact our business relations member right away to find out how.

This re-design captures many of the features we’ve wanted to be able to offer Ottawa GLBT community and our allies. At last, in one place, you can access a wealth of information about our various projects, events, achievements and community, all in a dynamic, attractive and interactive format. As you browse the site, you’ll find an amazing interactive map, powered by one of our many partners, GayCites.com, as well as a complete directory of every business and organization in the Village area, and many other listings of GLBT-owned or friendly businesses outside the Village area.

By reading this, you’ll have already found the Village blog, where you can comment on many of our announcements that we’ll be posting in the future. Feel free to browse through our extensive photo galleries, and get information about all our upcoming events and other goings-on in the Village. As well, you’ll find other pages devoted to our projects, press coverage (which in the last six years has been remarkable), important achievements as noted in our timeline, and much more.

Of course, we have pages for you to discover more about us and our vision, as well as those on how you can support or get involved with us. Please make sure to visit us often for updates, sign up for our newsletter, and contact us if you have any questions or comments. After all, without you, we don’t have a Village. Thank you for your continued support over the years… it takes all types to make a Village. Welcome!