For my contribution to Hamilton’s 2SLGBTQIA+ Community archives, I created a broad chronological timeline of queer history in Hamilton. To do this, I researched McMaster’s online library database and archives, McMaster’s student newspaper Silhouette, the Queer Events website, the Downtown Sparrow website, and the Points of Pride on the Hamilton Civic Museums website. Through McMaster’s database, I accessed archived newspaper articles from The Hamilton Spectator and various other newspapers and news outlets like the CBC, Global News, The Toronto Star, etc. These sources helped me piece together several key events and initiatives that have taken place in Hamilton since 1969.
Anna Samson (they/she) is a desi, queer, disabled writer and advocate. They graduated from McMaster University in 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in English & Cultural Studies. To learn more about the timeline project, you can reach Anna at samsoa1@mcmaster.ca.