Last year, The Albertan Queer Affirmation Review identified the importance of empowering Queer story tellers. Through its ways, Treaty guarantees that Two Spirit folks & others should be able to live in our cities and schools. Queer people have the grand joy that, in being true to ourselves, we make room for & affirm Treaty. The same Treaty that allows us to be our own true selves lets others do the same. Through this, Queer spaces become magic spaces, and stories maintain that magic. By grace and good fortune, we've raised enough to gather Queer writers and promote their stories. Today's story does that in its own way; what follows comes from being Queer in Treaty 7.
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR - Michael Smith is a teacher in Calgary, Alberta; born and raised on the crown side of Treaty 7.
In classrooms, in lunchrooms, in the halls, he teaches. In his vocation he has many skills including a penchant for social studies; perhaps this is a factor that drives Michael to being an active member of the communities he finds himself a member of.
Vocal in moving the Alberta Teachers’ Association towards promoting better awareness for the role of Alberta in Canada’s progress, our contributor is a man about progress. He is a pro-science advocate for the marginalized, and though active in politics, his passion is honed on improving the lives of Albertan youth, Queer youth, so they are better positioned to improve those who will follow them.
Bridging intergenerational progress is blended with Michael’s work reminding and motivating the straights around him to the benefits of diversity. He did this recently in a very public way when he ran for office as an Alberta NDP candidate in Alberta’s 2023 general election in Calgary-North West. He did not win that election, but succeeded in ways worth reflecting. He campaigned as an out man and built a bigger machine, with higher donations, than had been seen by a progressive there and was shy of less than 150 votes from taking the riding outright. Those efforts more than doubled what the riding got in the 2015 election that swept in the NDP into its first government. An out man took a seat well out of play and brought it to within a movie theatre’s worth of people from taking out a siting government minister.
He joined our salon and this tale emerged…
“It Can be Done Here” - Michael Smith Affirms
At a Salon of Queer storytellers in Calgary, where the Elbow meets the Bow, the question arose, “Should Queer youth bother with politics if Governments can’t seem to accept them?”
And Michael answered, “It can be done.”
“You can be here; that means serving at any level of community you find yourself in, as yourself.”
“There is more support in every corner of this city; the city is growing, support in the suburbs are growing; we are welcome, we are wanted.”
“The myth of all people of all suburbs being all conservative is simply not true. They have needs, they get misunderstood. The truth is I am a lot like them and they are a lot like you. WE are in a city where WE can choose to improve things for any way WE could be.
The true story is of all the homophobic, transphobic, people-phobic assholes in this world, I only came across them three times on my run for office in 2023. Only once was it belligerent,” then he recalled being confronted with someone pontifying, ‘I don’t agree with you live your lifestyle.”
And if an audience of Queer teens heard would you tell them the same, asked another from the Salon.
And Michael answered, “It can be done. It can be possible.”
You can never represent the whole greater community, but the whole community could see themselves through you.
He paused, as if pulling himself back to his teens and then back to the room. “One of the things which made it hard was not seeing gay politicians in my youth. There was no Svend Robinson for many of the Queer, and gay, and other Canadians living under the rainbow in their own childhoods to help them know they were right to aspire.” Svend was the first Member of Parliament to come out as gay while in office in 1988, where he would be alone for five years until more followed. “When you’re gay and doing things in public life, there are young lives looking to you. You can never represent the whole greater community, but the whole community could see themselves through you.”
The Salon chatted about the pressures those early rainbow folk must have faced. Again a question hit the floor that he picked up, “how ready does one need to be?”
“Pushing against the things holding up progress means you need to be ready for people to hate you, and to project hate onto you. You need to get ready for strangers bringing their internet into your reality. But, you have the opportunity to use the internet, and platforms, and doorsteps to help people see the bigger world around them. It’s a double edged blade that you need to be aware of and ready for.
It’s the right time for everyone: for those people wishing us well, those wishing us worse, a lot in between, and its even the right time for us. Most people want us in their future and that means we have enough to make sure we have a future.”
It’s not banning Queer history, it’s banning Albertan history and our place as a driver of change in Canada.
From the Salon, a follow up, “Do most people need to understand us to make that future work?”
“Does everyone need to understand Queer lifestyles is a good question, but when 10% of the province is under the rainbow, the question I think that brings more is ‘Why is a lifestyle that 10% of Albertans relate to in one way or another banned from discussion? It’s not banning Queer history, it’s banning Albertan history and our place as a driver of change in Canada. Vriend v. Alberta, Klippert v. The Queen, who in the room or province knows these names?”
Vriend v. Alberta: An Edmonton-based Canadian is dismissed for his sexual orientation, but he can’t use the Human Rights process because it didn’t specifically include this kind of discrimination. The Supreme Court rules sexual orientation needs to be included. While some MLAs in Alberta wanted to use the Notwithstanding Clause, Ralph Klein chooses not to, comparing any protest against the inclusion of orientation was hateful by nature.
Klippert v. The Queen: While questioned for something he didn’t do, a Saskatchewan born Calgary raised Canadian is jailed indefinitely because questioning revealed he was gay. Klippert appealed to the Supreme Court and lost. But it got the attention of Tommy Douglas, who got the attention of the House of Commons which changed the laws, decriminalizing homosexual acts between consenting adults.
Michael goes on,
“These people, these cases changed Canada and grew it. They made Canada stronger in due process and let us stand firmer even if a misguided premier would try to remove our rights and those of our neighbours.
Albertans are faced with permission slips to know our own history. They are faced with permission slips to know about the Truth of Truth & Reconciliation and now they are faced with permission slips to know or mention the existence of 10% of the population….” Then he lightens the room with a dampened but energetic chuckle, “Where are the Romeo & Juliet permission slips?”
The Salon turned to examples of all the masks we face wearing. Wear a mask, hide a bit of yourself to get a bit further in a world that you have to wear a mask in. Straight-washing, Jeans Days, Doxing, they go on. A pivot to how folks ease the marketing anxiety of allies followed by the line, “Queer men, gay men, we can’t have public husbands, only partners” and the crowds pleasing response, “we don’t sell insurance, let US label OUR love thank you very much.”
Then Michael honed the room one more time, “When we can bring ourselves into government halls and meetings and decisions, we can bring along our own labels. It can be done. Like the children who grew to do wonders thanks to early MPs and the others braving the light, there will be eyes every time it is done, but it can be done.”
Production Note - Only in putting this piece together did it really hit home. I was born shortly after Svend Robinson came out, but didn’t know his name or truly appreciate his courage until well into my adulthood. I can only imagine if there was a Svend down my street as I grew up, instead of over a mountain range or across the continent, what dreams I would have dreamt for myself. But then I remembered all those hopes and hearts opened by my old boss & friend Ricardo Miranda, Alberta’s first out Cabinet Minister, as he would go about speeches and community despite all the hatred he opened himself to. Ricardo’s MLA successor in that riding has since backed and helped flare unfound hate against Queer people, but the hearts folks like Ricardo and Michael, and Estefan & Michael, as current elected officials of any party can open will always remain worth the effort. This reflection and pause makes me all the more grateful for Michael standing then and sharing his thoughts, experience, and joys for us now.
And all sorts of joys can be found and bring value through sharing, but don’t take my word for it: reflect on your own takeaways, tell people, & see where it gets ya. Here, there, anywhere.
Find more from Michael Smith through his Instagram @JustMichaelYYC.
The Queer in Treaty 7 Podcast is produced here in Treaty 7 territory, and is a call to action from The Albertan Queer Affirmation Review; an ongoing work by community curated by Cupola Policy & Strategy. You can find more, read more, and hear more through this substack, and more on the policy science behind it all at CupolaStrategy.com
Thank you for sharing your time, and for entrenching the Treaty Queer.
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