1971, Feb.23 Start of Univ. of Guelph Homophile Association (UGHA). Collapsed in Fall, 1971.

1971, Mar.8 Start of Waterloo Universities' Gay Liberation Movement (WUGLM). Several names over the years, including GLLOW & GLOW.

1971, Aug.28 KW community participated in an equal rights protest on Parliament Hill. We had a lot of fun, in spite of the rain. This was probably the first LGBTQ demonstration in Canada.

1973, Oct.24 Resurrection of Univ. of Guelph Homophile Assn. (UGHA). Several names over the years. Now called Guelph Queer Equality.

1973/1974 Attempt to form a community group with drop-in centre in KW. It never got off the ground.

1974 – 1980 The justly famous Bridgeport Dances were held at the Bridgeport Community Centre in the absence of commercial bars or clubs in the area.

1977 - 2010 The Robin's Nest ran community-style dances at various locations in Cambridge for more than three decades, in spite of the existence of commercials bars and clubs during much of that time.

1977 - 1995 The Univ. of Guelph Homophile Assn. began a Newsletter that was usually issued monthly, and ran for an astonishing 19 years, through a couple of name changes of the group.

1977 - 1987? The Lesbian Organization of Kitchener was active for about a decade, and provided a focal point for lesbian feminists in the area.

1977-1978 Local protests against Anita Bryant, the notorious fundamentalist purveyor of anti-homosexual propaganda from Florida.

1978 The start-up of Gay Rights Organization of Waterloo / GROW. By the end of 1978 it had split into two groups: GROW (a group interested in social activities) and Gay Rights Organization of Waterloo (which continued to work primarily as the Kitchener-Waterloo Gay Media Collective).

1978 - 1985? The Kitchener-Waterloo Gay Media Collective published OUT! magazine 1978-1979, ran the radio show Gay News & Views from 1978 to about 1985, and also sponsored some dances, movies and plays.

1978 - 1980? GROW arranged many social activities, including dinners, out-of-town trips, a carnival day, and parties for skating, swimming, other sports.

1978 - 1985? Beginning on 1978, Aug.9, the Kitchener-Waterloo Gay Media Collective ran one of the first radio shows in Canada, Gay News & Views, from 1978 to about 1985.

1979 - 2000 Starting on 1979, June 7, the Leaping Lesbians Radio Show ran until about 2000 - a very long run. In the beginning it was run by the Lesbian Organization of Kitchener.

1980 The beginning of commercial bars/clubs in the area: JJ's Disco and Chatters bar. JJ's ran until Fall 1981 when the Half and Half opened.

1982 - 1985 Gays of Wilfrid Laurier was refused status in January, then granted official status in June. It ran until late 1985.

1982 Kitchener City Hall passed an anti-discrimination by-law covering its employees.

1982 - 1983 GLOW published GLOW News.

1983 People began to become aware that a serious illness had appeared, namely AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome).

1984? - 1985? Gays Out Of Doors was active in Waterloo Region. Later resurrected around 1989 or before for a while.

1985 ACCKWA (AIDS Committee of Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo and Area) was founded as a community organization.

1987 ACCKWA became an incorporated agency.

1987 ACG (AIDS Committee of Guelph) also became an incorporated agency this year.

1988 WOODS (Women Out Of Doors) was started up by Lisa Simkins and Kim Gingrich. Now called Women Out Opening Doors Socially.

1989, Oct. The Pink Triangle Community Calendar was started by Lisa SImkins. In 1992 it was taken over by GLLOW and continued sporadically until 1996.

1990 Circles opened at 24 Charles St W, Kitchener - the home to other clubs in the future.

1990 PFLAG (then called Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) Chapter began in Brampton. In 1994 the PFLAG Waterloo-Wellington Chapter was formed, and was active until nearly 2010.

1991, Jan. Murder of Mr. & Mrs. Gligor in Kitchener. The speculation at the time about a gay connection was not proven false until 2007.

1991, Mar. GLLOW's 20th anniversary celebration, involving a reunion & panel discussion.

1991, Oct. Canadian AIDS Quilt visited Guelph.

1991 Same-sex spousal benefits granted at Regional Municipality of Waterloo. Univ. Waterloo had to wait until 1995.

1992/1993 In 1992, January, attempts began at WLU to start up a student club to replace Gays of Wilfrid Laurier, which had collapsed in 1985. Succeeded 1993 March as Gays, Lesbians or Bisexuals at Laurier (GLOBAL) which ran until about 1998. Resurrected again in 2000.

1992, Jan. GLLOW Discussion Group started up. It went through changes over the years. It still exists as the Wednesday Night Discussion Group.

1992 New bars: 33 Mac in Guelph, Pink Zone in Kitchener (closed 1994 Sept.), Timothy Stevens at 24 Charles St W in Kitchener (closed in 1993).

1992 Older & Wiser Lesbians (OWLS) was active in Waterloo Region, and remained so for several years.

1992 The Internet: GLLOW gopher site began; GLLOW website began in 1993 or 1994.

1993 Other Side Club was opened in Cambridge by Mark Jordan & Rick Lethbridge. It ran until 1995, September.

1993 Elmira Independent newspaper published an anti-bisexual editorial, triggering a firestorm in local media.

1993, Mar. Gays, Lesbians or Bisexuals at Laurier (GLOBAL) started at WLU.

1993 Out & About Queer Radio show started. It ran until about 2000, when it ceased due to ongoing problems with the homophobic management of CKWR.

1993 Cambridge Kitchener-Waterloo Bisexual Liberation (CKWBL) was formed; ceased 1997.

1994 Club Renaissance opened in 24 Charles St W, Kitchener; still in existence 2013.

1994 Waterloo Region Alliance for Equal Rights (WRAER) started and ran for a couple of years.

1994, Nov. Rainbow Chorus of Waterloo-Wellington was formed; its first concert was 1995 Spring.

1995, Feb. First email message sent on Rainbow List; still in existence in 2013.

1995, May 25 On May 25, Kitchener refused to proclaim Pride Week.

1995, June 28 First local Pride celebration in Kitchener City Hall Rotunda. The irony...

1995, Sept. Outlook Magazine began. Mark Jordan & Rick Lethbridge published it until 1998 Summer.

1995 ACCKWA Youth Discussion Group started; ran for several years.

1995, Nov. Canadian AIDS Quilt visited Conestoga College.

1996, March 9 GLLOW 25th Anniversary held at Waterloo Inn; Svend Robinson speaker; 231 at dinner; more at dance.

1996, April 18 Regional Pride Committee formed; now called tri-Pride Community Association.

1996, June 27 2nd local Pride celebration, again in Rotunda of Kitchener City Hall.

1996, July 27 KW Frontrunners had its first run; this running/swimming group lasted a few years.

1996, Dec. 15 Regional Pride Committee set up the Rainbow Community Centre website which listed community resources. It ran for about 5 years. We were without a community-based website until 2007 when Grand River Rainbow Community Centre website started up.

1997, June 26 3rd local Pride celebration; again in Rotunda of Kitchener City Hall.

1997, July 10 Victoria Park Gay Bashing; 2 men sentenced to prison on 1999, Feb.15.

1998, June 20 4th local Pride celebration moved to the Clocktower area of Victoria Park; very hot that day, with little shade.

1998, July Out-Reach Rainbow Alliance (ORRA) began as a community group; ceased by the end of 1998.

1998, Oct.9 The Voice magazine began. The Editor was A.J. Mahari. It ran to 2003, Feb.

1998, Oct.12 Waterloo-Wellington communities expresed shock and sadness at the murder of Matthew Shepard in Wyoming.

1999, June 19 The annual tri-Pride celebration moved to Roos Island of Victoria Park. This was the location of the outdoor music festival each year until the disastrous storm of 2011.

1999, Sept.12 Friends of Dorothy Bowling League formed; still in existence in 2013.

2000 GLOBAL at WLU was resurrected; around the summer of 2006, it merged into the WLU Rainbow Centre support service.

2000, June 17 The Pride celebration covered the weekend.

2001, Mar.15 Rainbow Reels Queer Film Festival started up.

2001, June Pride Weekend. This year, the last big resource guide was published (76 pages!)

2003, June 12 On June 12, Same-sex marriage became possible in Waterloo Region. On June 14 Jim Parrott & William Pensaert became one of the first same-sex couples in Waterloo Region to be married legally.

2003, June 12-14 The Canadian AIDS Quilt visited RIM Park and Victoria Park.

2003, June Guelph Pride began, separate from the tri-Pride celebrations.

2003 Secrett Events (operated by Shelley Secrett) began producing Cliterature.

2004 Secrett Events began producing Lesbo Bingo.

2005, May28-Jun.5 The 10th anniversary of local pride. Ashley MacIsaac headlined.

2007 tri-Pride celebration was shelved – not enough community involvement to make it happen.

2007 Thom Ryan and associates started up the Grand River Rainbow Community Centre website. It listed community resources and events; it also included news items.

2008, May2-Jun.1 tri-Pride was back again.

2010 Waterloo Region Rainbow Coalition (WRRC) began.

2011, Mar.14 Grand River Rainbow Historical Project began.

2011, May28-Jun.4 The 2011 tri-Pride celebration proceeded as planned until the day of the outdoor music festival (June 4), which got rained out in a disastrous storm; some of the scheduled performers appeared at local queer venues instead.

2012, May24-Jun.3 The tri-Pride Music Festival moved to King St. Kitchener. This was made necessary by a City by-law change.

2012, August Spectrum, Waterloo region`s rainbow community space opened under the wing of the Waterloo Regional rainbow Coalition (WRRC).

2013, Feb.22 Spectrum spun off from WRRC.