April 12, 2023
Discover the pivotal event that launched the battle for LGBTQI+ rights in Alberta.
In the previous episode of Vriend Versus Alberta we learned how the creation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms laid the groundwork for 2SLGBTQI+ activists to begin pressing for progressive reform in Alberta.
All that was needed was a cause to rally behind; an injustice that could be used to launch a challenge to the exclusion of sexual orientation from Alberta’s human rights legislation.
That injustice would take place on January 28th, 1991 when a laboratory coordinator employed at The King’s College would be fired for being gay.
This man was Delwin Vriend.
Welcome to episode 2 of Vriend Versus Alberta.
*NOTE: The terms “Queer and Trans” and “sexual and gender minorities” are used in this series to refer to the 2SLGBTQI+ community as a whole. We acknowledge the great diversity within this community, and you can find more information about this here.
Vriend Versus Alberta is produced by Edmonton Community Foundation and the Edmonton Queer History Project.
Links:
Read the Supreme Court’s ruling on Vriend v. Alberta.
Learn more about Vriend v. Alberta from the Alberta Labour History Institute.
Learn more about Vriend v. Alberta on the University of Alberta’s Bridging Connections podcast.