It is #PrideMonth and this is the story of LGBTQ rights activist Jim Egan, who brought forward a landmark Supreme Court case!
Jim Egan was born in Toronto on Sept. 14, 1921. Egan realized he was gay at a young age & in 1948, he met his partner John Nesbit.
🧵1/6
Since he was self-employed, Egan knew he could speak out without losing his job. Starting in 1949, he began writing hundreds of letters, articles & op-ed pieces to newspapers and magazines advocating for equal rights for the LGBTQ community.
🧵2/6
His letters and articles appeared across Canada, first under a pseudonym and then under his real name by the 1960s.
In 1964, he appeared in a Maclean's article that was a positive portrayal of homosexuality that was rare in mainstream media at the time.
🧵3/6
His partner Nesbit asked him to give up his activism, but Egan refused and the couple broke up.
Soon after, Egan moved to B.C. The couple reunited on Vancouver Island in the mid-1960s.
In 1986, Egan retired and began collecting Canada Pension Plan benefits.
🧵4/6
He applied for spousal benefits for Nesbit in 1987 but this was denied. Egan took the matter to court. He lost at the Federal Court in 1991 & the Federal Court of Appeal in 1993
He reached the Supreme Court in 1994, which ruled against Egan & the issue of spousal benefits
🧵5/6
The court did rule that sexual orientation should be included as a prohibited grounds for discrimination under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
This was a massive victory for the LGBTQ community.
Egan died in 2000, Nesbit died three months later
🧵6/6
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
On this day in 1919, Bob Homme was born.
While he was born in the United States, he adopted Canada as his home. To generations of Canadians, he was The Friendly Giant.
Let's look up...waaaaay up...and learn about his life!
🧵1/12
Bob Homme was born in Stoughton, Wisconsin where his parents were teachers at the high school.
After he graduated from school, he attended the University of Wisconsin and graduated with a degree in economics.
He joined the Air National Guard in 1939.
🧵2/12
When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, his unit was activated. He was promoted to Staff Sergeant and was assigned to study psychology at Cornell. He ended his time in the Second World War classifying and discharging servicemen who were returning home.
In 1890, the Tariff Act came into place in the United States. It placed tariffs on imports of up to 50%.
While touted as a way to build American industry, there was also the hope it would force an annexation of Canada. It backfired.
Let's learn more.
🧵1/10
Put forward by William McKinley, who was a Congressman at that point, the Tariff Act put duties across imports ranging from 38% to 49.5%.
McKinley was called the Napoleon of Protection. While some items had tariffs eliminated, most had tariffs increased.
🧵2/10
One reason for the tariffs was to force the annexation of Canada. The McKinley Tariff declined to make an exception for Canadian products.
It was hoped this would make Canada more reliant on the US market, and push Canadians to become the 45th state.
On this day in 1920, James Doohan was born in Vancouver.
He became famous for playing Scotty on Star Trek, but before he was chief engineer on a starship he was fighting for Canada in the Second World War.
Let's learn more about that time of his life!
🧵1/12
Doohan was the youngest of four children born to Irish immigrants.
Early in Doohan's life, the family moved to Sarnia where he attended the Sarnia Collegiate Institute and Technical School. He enlisted with the 102nd Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps in 1938.
🧵2/12
At the outbreak of the Second World War, Doohan was posted with the 14th (Midland) Field Battery of the Second Canadian Infantry Division. He then transferred to the 13th Field Regiment of the Canadian Third Infantry Division in their 22nd Field Battery.
On this day in 1986, Tommy Douglas died.
Considered one of the most important Canadians of the 20th century, he served as premier of Saskatchewan, led the federal NDP, and was instrumental in the creation of Medicare in Canada.
Let's explore his life :)
🧵1/16
Tommy Douglas was born on Oct. 20, 1904 in Scotland. When he was seven, the family moved to Winnipeg. Around this time, he injured his knee and Osteomyelitis set in. He went through various operations and doctors stated he would lose the leg.
🧵2/16
Thankfully, an orthopedic surgeon agreed to treat Douglas for free if his medical students could observe. This free medical care greatly influenced Douglas later in life.
In 1919, he saw the government's violent response to squash the Winnipeg General Strike.
Tonight in Maple Creek, SK, two hockey teams are going to take to the ice to continue a four-decade tradition.
It is a hockey game between the Nekaneet First Nation and local ranchers.
Let's learn more about The Battle of the Little Big Puck!
📸Anthony Janzen
🧵1/7
According to legend, the hockey game dates back to a hot day in July in the mid-1970s when some local ranchers and members of the Nekaneet First Nation were sitting in Maple Creek's Commercial Hotel having a beer together.
🧵2/7
They began to joke with each other as to who could ride the toughest horses, rope a steer the quickest and more.
Eventually, the conversation turned to hockey and who would defeat who on the ice. Soon, they decided to determine who was indeed the best.
On this day in 1942, German tanks and soldiers marched through Winnipeg. The mayor, premier and Lt. Governor were arrested. The city was renamed Himmlerstadt, books were burned and the swastika flag flew around the city.
This is the story of Winnipeg's If Day.
🧵1/14
During the Second World War, Victory Bond Campaigns were held to raise money for the war effort. Civilians could buy the bonds, which matured in 2.5, six or 14 years. In total, 10 Victory Bond campaigns were held during the war.
🧵2/14
On Feb. 16, 1942, the second Victory Loan campaign began and Manitoba decided to go all out.
Organizers came up with the idea of showing residents what would happen if Canada lost the war and Germany invaded.
Thus the idea of If Day was created.