1970, October * University of Western Ontario Homophile Association / Homophile Association of London Ontario

Although London, Ontario falls outside the scope of the Grand River Rainbow Historical Project, we are including some information about UWOHA (later HALO) for context, since the group is mentioned in several documents created by rainbow communities in the Grand River area.

The University of Western Ontario Homophile Association (UWOHA) began in October, 1970 as an informal group of interested gay persons meeting off campus. This group later became known as the University of Western Ontario Homophile Association (UWOHA) and became a student organization. In 1974, the group moved off campus to a building at 649 Colborne Street. “Following extensive renovations, the organization opened its doors on July 16th of 1975 under the incorporated name of HALO.” “In 1987, the Vern Hern Bequest allowed HALO to buy the Colborne building.” Later, in 2000, the Homophile Association of London Ontario sold the Colborne Street building and reorganized its administrative structure.
[source: The HALO Fonds Online Exhibition at the UWO Pride Library, http://www.uwo.ca/pridelib/HALO/index.htm]

“The HALO organization officially disbanded in 2005.”
[source: the Hudler Archives page at the UWO Pride Library, http://www.uwo.ca/pridelib/archives.html]
[categories: campus groups | UWO groups | UWOHA | community groups | HALO]

1970, October 2 (Friday) * Chevron: Procommunist Homosexual Paper: Letter

On p.19 of Chevron, Vol.11, No.18, 1970, October 2 (Friday), in the “feedback” section was a letter from ARNOLD G PETERS, entitled “We can't help it if reality is marxist“. The text of the letter follows. “Would you please stop sending me your procommunist homosexual paper from Waterloo. You people are so pessimistic that I don't even read it while I'm in Waterloo. I don't like wasting too many words on clowns like you people, so please discontinue your lumpy paper from being sent to me. [signed] ARNOLD G PETERS. p.s. don't send me your micky [sic] mouse paper and I mean now.” NOTE: It is not clear to staff of the Grand River Rainbow Historical Society whether the Chevron actually included any homosexual content in issues prior to 1970, October 2, or whether Mr. Peters included the term “homosexual” in the belief that it would be the most crushing comment he could make, short of using language that he might later regret. We will be combing through earlier issues of the Chevron in the hopes of finding some interesting homosexual tidbits, but may have to content ourselves with Marxist titillation.
[source: Chevron, Vol.11, No.18, 1970, October 2 (Friday), “feedback,” p.19.]
[categories: campus groups | UW groups | Chevron]

1970, October 14 (Friday) * Chevron: Procommunist Homosexual Paper: Feature Article

As if to thumb its nose at the charge by Arnold G. Peters that the Chevron was a “procommunist homosexual paper”, it included a four-page feature article on the so-called Gay Liberation Front on pp.9-12 of Chevron, Vol.11, No.21, 1970, October 16 (Friday). The article, by Edward Sagarin, was given the title “Behind the gay lib front”, and was described as “adapted from the Realist, june 1970”. [The original article was published as “Behind the Gay Liberation Front” on pp.1, 17-23 in the May-June 1970 issue of The Realist, which was an important American counter-cultural magazine that ran from 1958-1970.] This article compared and contrasted the new gay liberation groups with the older more conservative homophile groups that had been around for some time. It also examined how gay liberation fit in with other liberation or revolutionary groups.
[source: Chevron, Vol.11, No.21, 1970, October 16 (Friday), pp.9-12.]
[categories: campus groups | UW groups | Chevron]

1970, Late in the Year * WUGLM: Planning

A group of gay friends decided that there was a desperate need to form an organization to deal with the problems of gay people living in a heterosexual-dominated society. So eight students undertook the task of forming Waterloo Universities' Gay Liberation Movement (WUGLM). Incidentally, the phrase “Waterloo Universities” referred to the fact that WUGLM was to encompass both UW and WLU, although the group was based at UW, since it was a more congenial environment in those days.
[source: Gemini II, v.1, no.6, 1973, August - September, p.5]
[categories: campus groups | UW groups | WUGLM]