Join local drag king Morgan Mercury on a queer history walking tour in and around downtown Ottawa this April!
Start and end point will be Dundonald Park on Somerset St W, with stops at murals and banners on Bank St in Ottawa's original Gay Village; historical gay bars in the downtown core; and other landmarks relevant to Ottawa queer figures and community. Topics covered on this tour will include the history of the LGBT purge of the public service from the 1960s-90s; the evolution of queer nightlife and activism in Ottawa; and the lives of some queer icons, such as trans activist Joanne Law, the first female mayor of Ottawa Charlotte Whitton, and drag queen Peaches LaTour.
At the end of the tour, participants will be facilitated to share their learnings from the tour, and to reflect on and share their queer history in the past and present, with an invitation to envision a radical queer future for Ottawa.
The tour route is approximately 4km of walking on mostly flat city streets. This is a rain or shine event, so please dress appropriately! We will be encouraging folks to mask and please stay home if you are feeling unwell.
This tour is currently in a development phase so content and route may change slightly in each tour/be flexible depending on group interests. Feedback will be welcomed and encouraged.
Please reach out to organizer Morgan Mercury (Meghan Aglaia) at meghancriss@gmail.com or on Instagram @themorganmercury if you have any accomodation needs/questions regarding tour route and/or content.
About your tour guide:
Morgan Mercury (Meghan Aglaia) is a drag king who has been performing in the city for the past 6 months. They are a lifelong Ottawa resident with a passion for history and community building. With over 5 years of experience in public education, working as a program interpreter and tour guide for multiple Ottawa museums and tour companies, they are a huge nerd who loves to chat about all kinds of Ottawa related topics. This tour was developed as part of the Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity (CCGSD) Unpacking the LGBT Purge Youth Summit in March 2024.