|
|
|
|
|
GLOSSI History1990 to 1998 ∙ 1999 to 2004 ∙ 2005 ∙ 2006 ∙ 2007 ∙ 2008 ∙ 2010Early History of GLOSSI Contributed by Jim T, 2009 The origins of gay organizations on Saltspring go back to about 1990. The first was an AIDS support group sponsored by the Community Hall. The woman staffer who got it going felt there were advantages to calling it a support group, since she knew from experience in other communities that some PWA’s were reluctant to admit they actually had the virus. When Dale Weston became executive director of AIDS Vancouver Island he was very supportive. As for a general gay group, I paid for a series of Notices/Personals in the Driftwood, and conned Gerry W. into placing them. He said he and the ad taker were both nervous—this was in the darkest 90’s, you see. That was in December of 1992, and I think it was the third insertion before we got even one response. Sometime before February 10, 1993, a meeting was held at Paul and Mike place on Sunset Drive. 9 guys attended. (This wasn’t the first gay meeting on Saltspring—in 1992 the former Rural Gay Men’s Group had a gathering in my apartment in the upstairs of Gerry’s house on Quarry Drive. There was the two of us, a couple from Pender, a guy from Fraser Valley, and Mac and David who came over from Victoria. We felt this was a real happening!) Addition by Caffyn There was a very vibrant women's community on Salt Spring in the 1970's and 80's, and lesbians were a big part of that. Island lesbians have been highly visible as prominent businesspeople, health care professionals and major contributors to non-profit societies since that time. 1999 to 2004Exerpt take from Andrew C's GLOSSI History GLOSSI, an acronym for Gays and Lesbians of Salt Spring Island, had its inception in the early nineties as a group of local men and women that gathered occasionally for informal social get-togethers, such as pot-lucks, dining out and movie nights. Over time the small circle of friends who participated in these ad hoc events grew in number, and occasionally dances were organized. News of these events was spread by word of mouth, which meant that only those people who had connections within the circle would know about them. After a few years, a handful of the GLOSSI regulars decided to hold monthly meetings as a way of establishing some continuity to the group, making it easier for new people to connect with the community, and provide a platform for the scope of GLOSSI to broaden beyond social events to include outreach and support initiatives and political activism. As the aspirations of the group developed, there came a point in 1999 when it was decided that formalizing the organization would be helpful in pursuing some of these goals, creating a sense of legitimacy when fund raising and dealing with banks, etc. and also to ensure that the affairs of the group would be administrated responsibly. To accomplish this, a committee was formed to undertake the incorporation of GLOSSI as a legal entity under the Societies Act of BC, and thus the GLOSSI Gays and Lesbians of Salt Spring Island Society was born. In those early days there was a lot of enthusiasm and high expectations for the new Society. The first Annual General Meeting was held soon after incorporation and the new Board of Directors, along with numerous other volunteers, got busy establishing the various administrative and communications tools that would help the Society to achieve its various goals. These included such things as setting up a bank account, post office box, phone line, website, and e-mail account, establishing accounting records, and initiating the Society's newsletter which soon became known as the Pink Sheep News. In addition to these foundational initiatives, there were several sub-committees that were busy working on various events, activities and projects ranging from dances, bowling get-togethers, picnics and pot lucks to fundraise for the members of the local HIV support group, and researching and producing a booklet on local Gay & Lesbian health issues which was distributed to all health care providers in the Southern Gulf Islands, and establishing connections with local schools and anti-violence campaigns targeted at island youth. Along with the frenzy of activity happening within the organization, we also became known throughout the broader community through advertising, press releases, letters to the editor, and feature articles in the local weekly newspapers, and in Vancouver's Xtra West GLBT bi-weekly. GLOSSI was also involved with the Our Island, Our World Film Festival; "Stump Stomp" fundraising dance; and organized Salt Springs first Aids Walk and entertainment festival in Centennial Park. Within a short time, GLOSSI became the recognized face of the local GLBT population on Salt Spring Island. Addition by Caffyn After the initial enthusiasm died down, it fell to some dedicated women to keep the organization alive through some dry and difficult years. We continued to regularly publish the Pink Sheep News, do some community activism around youth issues, and host occasional social events. 2005contributed by Dave R. With the addition of new board members and many new arrivals to the island, GLOSSI was infused with new energy. A brainstorming session, called “Salt Spring Social Summit” fostered many ideas for new activities…including the creation of a Salt Spring Island Pride Festival. Two newcomers, John and Bob, spearheaded the effort together with several other people such as Caffyn, Deirdre and others. The result was Pride: In the Name of Love, a 2 day extravaganza September 10 and 11th. The festival started off with a GLBTQ Film Festival on Saturday afternoon at ArtSpring and was followed by a kick-off dinner at the Glass Onion. A Life-Mapping Project, examining the life of LBTGQ islanders was exhibited at ArtSpring through the weekend. The highlight of the weekend was a community forum entitled, Voices and Visions: The future of gays and lesbians in our community and the world. GLOSSI managed to recruit well-known speakers such as former MP Svend Robinsom, renowned author Evelyn White, BC Human Rights Commissioner Mary-Woo Sims and Charley Beresford, past chair of the Victoria school board to the panel. Students and teachers from the newly-formed Gay-Straight Alliance at Gulf Islands Secondary School rounded out the panel and provided some fascinating and entertaining perspectives on “the future of the BGLTQ movement”. The never-ending standing ovation at the end was a clear sign of the event’s success. A packed dance at the Glass Onion followed the panel. By Sunday morning, the low-key picnic at Ruckle Park was a welcome respite from the weekend’s frenetic energy. It was clear to all that a new tradition, Salt Spring Pride, has been launched. Less than 2 months later, Scott Merrick organized a Halloween Dance at Lions Hall that capitalized on the Pride energy. It was a great success. In December, the tradition of the GLOSSI Holiday Potluck was also created and friends joined together at Mahon Hall for food, merriment and regifting. That year also saw the implementation of an Anti-Homophobia policy at Gulf Island Secondary School, thanks to the work of the Gay-Straight Alliance at the school, and the initial idea for a GLOSSI scholarship/award for GLBTQ students at the secondary school on the island.
2006contributed by Scott M. In 2006, GLOSSI continued to expand its involvement in the community, and again held a very successful Pride Weekend. The Board worked on some internal changes for GLOSSI, including specifics of membership fees, a new membership form, and an improved website with more GLBT businesses included. Other issues were as follows: designating community events as being sponsored or partnered by GLOSSI, developing rules for emails sent to members, surveying members about events and Pride, and switching our monthly meetings to the Seniors Centre. We became more involved in the whole community by giving input to the annual Film Festival, by involvement with GISS (our secondary school) through the GSA and by supporting Out in Schools, by participating in Thrifty’s Smile Cards program, by starting discussion on scholarships for GISS students, by having a booth at our Fall Fair, and by petitioning the government re: same-sex marriage. We had social events for our members including the following: an outdoor hiking group, Winterlude dance, Winterlude potluck, and a presentation at ArtSpring by the wonderful Vancouver Men’s Chorus. Our Pride activities continued to gain recognition in the whole community, with a presentation of the hard-hitting play, The Laramie Project, a film festival, our GayMazing Race, and, of course, the Pride Dance (often referred to as the best dance on the island).
2007
2008
1990 to 1998 ∙ 1999 to 2004 ∙ 2005 ∙ 2006 ∙ 2007 ∙ 2008
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
