Spring in Calgary: Rainbow police, pink fairy wings, and more bylaw violations

Special Report from the frontlines - or at least, in front of the Calgary library

As a descendant of Scottish settlers, I am grateful to be producing this newsletter in Moh’kinsstis, and the traditional Treaty 7 territory of the Blackfoot confederacy: Siksika, Kainai, Piikani, as well as the Îyâxe Nakoda and Tsuut’ina nations. I understand that this territory is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3 within the historical Northwest Métis homeland. In the spirit of truth and reconciliation, I recognize that the land I work and live on was stolen from these nations and I have been afforded privileges as a result. I support giving the land back. 

It was about 12:30 p.m. on a sunny Saturday this past April, when the small crew showed up at the corner of 3rd Street and 9th Avenue SE, close to Calgary’s new downtown library. They pulled speakers and a sound system in a small wagon, some carried Bibles, and others wore clothing emblazoned with references to salvation, God and freedom. 

After arriving, they huddled a fair distance from the library entrance due to a new city bylaw preventing them from venturing closer than 100 metres from public facilities.

They’ll claim their message is all about “love” not hate, but it only takes a few seconds to know this isn’t true. As the saying goes, “there’s no hate quite like Christian love.”

Peaking out from behind my own sign, I captured this moment outside the Calgary’s downtown public library.

These folks are stridently anti-queer, anti-homosexual, especially anti-transgender, but also anti-any gender or sexual orientation (or expression) that is not cisgender and heterosexual.

They are also extremely preoccupied with people’s sex lives. They think and talk about it in online chats…A LOT. They believe it is their mission to police anyone they feel has strayed from gender binaries. They claim their right to both save us all from “depravity” but also to save individuals from “burning in hell.” 

These are the sexual chaperones of high school nightmares, but way more dangerous.