Minority Report

The question of minorities in Edmonton is a difficult one to answer, as interpreting minority spaces is all about perspective. Many Canadians feel that multicultural attitudes of the Canadian government have made Canada a wonderful place to be for minorities, but many of those minority groups would attest to being neglected and culturally subjugated by the dominant culture. Of course, the issue of queer minorities in Canada brings in a whole other level.

I think there has been a lot of progress in the city in terms of accepting different minorities since the 1980s. There are many programs now to help new immigrant groups adjust to their new environment, and many ethnic groups have created micro-communities within the city , which provide support for both new immigrants and long standing Canadian citizens with diverse ethnic backgrounds. I think the same could be said of the queer community in Edmonton, though perhaps not as overtly. This is not to say that there are not still strides that can be made in terms of acceptance and support in this city, but at least we are making progress.

Unfortunately, I am not very conscious of the presence of the queer community in my day to day life. Although I have always considered myself to be an ally in the struggle for the development of the queer community in Edmonton, this past week has made me realize that I am extremely out of touch with the real queer community in Edmonton. I don't know if they own a particular place in the city, at least nothing comparably to Hagen's "Flashback". Certain ethnic groups certainly have dominance in different areas of the city; Little Italy, Chinatown, and Mills Woods in terms of East Indian population, to name a few. But other than the gay bars, I am at a loss to name a particular area of Edmonton where the queer community dominates.