{"id":1201,"date":"2013-06-03T06:00:10","date_gmt":"2013-06-03T12:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spacing.ca\/edmonton\/?p=1201"},"modified":"2013-06-03T09:47:40","modified_gmt":"2013-06-03T15:47:40","slug":"queermonton-an-introduction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/edmonton\/2013\/06\/03\/queermonton-an-introduction\/","title":{"rendered":"Queer-monton: an Introduction"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor’s note: Coinciding with the Edmonton Pride Week festivities starting this Friday, one of our new writers, Tyson, will be exploring topics about queer space and geography in Edmonton.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Being new to Edmonton from Vancouver, I am doing my best to involve myself in the community in order to make my transition here easier.\u00a0 It is going quite well so far, I am finding Edmontonians to be some of the warmest and welcoming people around.\u00a0 I am constantly meeting people who are quite proud of the city they live in, and they are more than willing to show me around.\u00a0 Despite this, I did have some preoccupations about returning back to Alberta after living in B.C.<\/p>\n

As a gay male, I will have to admit that I was worrisome about the stereotypical image that precedes the perception of Alberta: that of social conservatism.\u00a0 I think it is na\u00efve to dismiss the social conservative elements of Alberta, but I also believe it to be na\u00efve to presume that others places in Canada are exempt from that experience. So with that in mind, I put hesitations aside and made my move.<\/p>\n

Part of my hesitation lies in the fact that Edmonton lacks a defined geographical queer neighbourhood. In Vancouver, I took advantage of living in a city with a gay neighbourhood.\u00a0 It was always easy to think that if at any time I wanted to be with a group of individuals whom shared a common experience of being gay, then I could just head down to Davie street.\u00a0 That in mind I knew I had to take charge and seek out the gay community in Edmonton because the city lacks an official queer neighbourhood.<\/p>\n

My first real exposure to the gay community in Edmonton was when I volunteered as a chaperone to the Queer Prom.\u00a0 It was an event for LGBT youth under the age of 25 organized by Youth understanding Youth, and I have to admit that it was better than my own high school prom.\u00a0 It inspired me that community organizers in this city recognize the need for a queer friendly space (especially one for queer youth), and took action in creating that space.\u00a0 In doing so, I felt warmly embraced by the Edmonton queer community, and I felt better about my decision to move here.<\/p>\n

There is a question that persists; is there a need for a defined geographical neighbourhood, or can a community thrive without that geography? \u00a0A geographical defined area makes it easier for members of that community to have a sense belonging. \u00a0That being said I was inspired by the thriving Edmonton gay community, which persists despite lacking much geography.\u00a0 I am even more excited to interact with the gay community with the upcoming Edmonton Pride<\/a> festivities.\u00a0\u00a0 I endeavour to define the Edmonton gay community in subsequent pieces, which will define the historical roots of Edmonton\u2019s gay community, and the future of it.\u00a0 In those pieces, I will attempt to answer the following:<\/p>\n