Keeping our Memories Alive!
Tracing Lesbian History in Montréal

In 1983, four friends created Archives Traces, Montréal’s first lesbian archives. The initiative was part of an international effort to build a collective memory for lesbians. The archives had several homes: Gilford School, private apartments, Montréal’s LGBTQ+ Community Centre and, finally, Cité-des-Hospitalières. Today, 42 years later, the Archives lesbiennes du Québec invite you to explore their collections and discover the rich, dynamic history of a Montréal lesbian community.

The exhibition starts with the city’s golden age of lesbianism in the 1980s, which lasted until the mid-1990s. The francophone and rather bohemian Plateau-Mont-Royal neighbourhood was fertile ground for our lesbian activism. At the dawn of the new millennium, other activist and community perspectives emerged, at the intersection of the queer movement and the rise of the gay Village. Our history continued to evolve. New political struggles and ground-breaking university programs heightened awareness around our lesbian realities.

At a time when part of the world is threatening our right to exist, we are thrilled and proud to share our treasures with you!

Archives lesbiennes du Québec

The Archives lesbiennes du Québec are intent on recovering, preserving and bringing to life tangible traces left by Quebec lesbians. Our mission is to acquire, conserve, process and disseminate any information, on any medium, relating to lesbianism, lesbians, gay and queer-identified women, as well as homosexuality in general. We give priority to documents produced in, or relating to Quebec, regardless of the language in which they are written, as well as documents from, or relating to French-speaking communities in Canada and abroad.

Visit Quebec Lesbian Archives