Month: October 2026

By Zachary Bombardier

On October 8th, the lives and stories of 2SLGBTQIA+ elders will take center stage in the Gait as Bishop’s University and the ETRC partner with Gay and Grey Montreal to host Queer Elders Sharing, an event bringing queer elders and community members together through storytelling. The event will offer 2SLGBTQIA+ elders an opportunity to share first-hand accounts of queer life from earlier generations, encourage dialogue between generations, and enrich our understanding of 2SLGBTQIA+ history in Quebec.

According to Mr. Daniel Wylie, creating opportunities for queer elders to connect is important as they navigate the challenges that can come with growing older. They may lose partners, friends, and family members, increasing the risk of isolation. [EO2.1]To address this problem, Bruce Cameron and Miranda Potts founded Gay and Grey Montreal in 2018. As a non-profit organization, it is dedicated to supporting English-speaking 2SLGBTQIA+ adults and seniors in Montreal by creating spaces for them to build communities, connect with others, and access essential care resources.

Gay and Grey Montreal has hosted special activities like potlucks, brunches, Pride events, and workshops designed to bring 2SLGBTQIA+ elders together. Additionally, Gay and Grey Montreal’s has collaborated with organizations like the Conseil Québecois LGBT (CQ-LGBT) and Egale Canada as part of its outreach and care programs. Its efforts since 2018 have been fruitful, and today the organization boasts an active community that totals more than 150 members.

Daniel Wylie, one of the organizers of Queer Elder Sharing, joined Gay and Grey because he was worried about becoming isolated as he grew older or potentially living in a retirement home that would be unwelcoming to elderly queer people. He was drawn to Gay and Grey because it “combat[s] isolation through social interaction” and because he saw people who were aging successfully, in dignity and pride. This resonated with Wylie’s own commitments. As he said, he believes that “queer people should live in dignity as they age.”

But the Queer Elders Sharing event aims to do more than foster spaces for 2SLGBTQIA+ elders to connect. Wylie is also passionate about ensuring younger generations learn about queer history. Having lived through major moments in Canadian queer history, including the Montreal Truxx raids in 1977 and the Toronto Bathhouse raids in 1981, he believes elders have stories younger generations need to hear. “I think it is important that these stories get passed on to the next generation so that they know where they come from, their history, [and] what we had to do to become happy, healthy individuals,” Wylie said.

Rebecca Harries, another organizer of the event whom Wylie invited to take part, also stressed the importance of sharing the stories of 2SLGBTQIA+ elders, which she said, “have historically been unrecorded.” For Harries, this event is also an opportunity for younger queer people to recognize the role they play in transforming the “possibilities for generations that come after them,” taking as inspiration the generation of queer people that came before them and fought for 2SLGBTQIA+ rights in Quebec and Canada.

Both organizers hope this event will close the generational gap through dialogue and stimulate conversations that address the recent increase in hostility and prejudice towards 2SLGBTQIA+ people, particularly towards trans and non-binary people.

Ultimately, Queer Elders Sharing is about more than just remembering the past. Bringing generations together to listen, learn and carry these stories into the future, this event will create a space for the rich heritage of the queer community to be preserved and passed on. As Daniel Wylie put it, “We can learn from each other.”