It is #PrideMonth and this is the story of George Hislop, the unofficial mayor of the Toronto Gay Community.
George Hislop was born on June 3, 1927. He studied at the Banff School of Fine Arts. In 1958, he met his lifelong partner Ron Shearer.
🧵1/5
In 1971, Hislop co-founded the Community Homophile Association of Toronto, one of the earliest organizations for LGBTQ individuals in Canada.
On Aug. 28, 1971, he organized the We Demand march, the first gay rights demonstration on Parliament Hill.
🧵2/5
In 1980, Hislop ran for Toronto City Council. He received an endorsement from then-Mayor John Sewell.
Both Sewell & Hislop were subjected to harassment during the campaign & the Toronto Police Association openly campaigned against them both. Both Hislop & Sewell lost.
🧵3/5
In 1981, Hislop ran in the provincial election to protest the Toronto Bathhouse Raids. He was charged in those raids as part-owner of the Barracks Bathhouse. He finished fourth.
Throughout the 80s & 90s, he continued to advocate for the LGBTQ community
🧵4/5
His partner Shearer died in 1986. In 2003, Hislop was part of a class action lawsuit to make Canada Pension Plan benefits retroactive for same-sex couples prior to 1998. The lawsuit ended in victory in 2004.
Hislop died in 2005.
A park in Toronto is now named for him.
🧵5/5
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
I have covered many aspects of Canada's border history in the past week.
Today, I am exploring why the Canadian border with Alaska extends so far south along the Pacific Coast and how the decision led to a desire for greater Canadian independence from Britain.
🧵1/13
The issue of the border dates back to 1825 when Russia (who owned Alaska at the time) signed the Treaty of Saint Petersburg with Britain. The treaty only focused on the coastal area as the interior was mountainous and of little interest to either country.
🧵2/13
On March 30, 1867, the United States bought the entire Alaska region from Russia. With the purchase, the United States hoped to claim territory from Alaska down to Mexico and control the entire Pacific Coast.
That hope ended when British Columbia joined Canada in 1871.
We have looked at the USA-Canada border through the Great Lakes and along the 49th Parallel.
Today, it is time to find out why there is an odd blip west of Lake Superior and east of Manitoba.
This is the story of the Northwest Angle.
🧵1/12
The Northwest Angle is farther north than any part of the Contiguous United States.
The area covers 197 square kilometres, and it all comes down to treaties negotiated between the United Kingdom and the United States centuries ago.
🧵2/12
In 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed by the UK and USA. This treaty recognized American independence and created an agreement on the border between the USA and British North America from the Atlantic to the Mississippi.
On this day in 1985, hockey great Eddie Shore died of liver cancer.
He was such a legend that he was name-dropped in Slap Shot. Shore was one of the greatest NHL players ever...and one of the meanest on the ice.
Let's learn more about the Edmonton Express!
🧵1/12
Shore was born in Fort Qu'Appelle and grew up in Cupar, SK. Shore played his first organized hockey with the Cupar Canucks and then the Melville Millionaires.
In 1926, he started his professional career with the Regina Capitals, before playing for the Edmonton Eskimos.
🧵2/12
In 1926-27, he debuted with the Boston Bruins, leading the league in penalty minutes (136 in 41 games) in his first season.
From his very first game, Shore became known for his toughness on the ice and his refusal to back down from anyone, including teammates.
Before the dynasties, Richard, Beliveau, Lafleur and Roy, the Montreal Canadiens were in trouble.
The team nearly moved to Cleveland, and then nearly folded. But one man helped save them...Conn Smythe.
Let's learn how Montreal almost lost the Canadiens!
🧵1/12
In the early-1930s, the Canadiens were riding high. From 1927-28 to 1931-32, the team finished first four times and won two Stanley Cups.
At the time, the team was stacked with Hall of Famers such as Howie Morenz, Aurèle Joliat, Sylvio Mantha and George Hainsworth.
🧵2/12
But even The Great Depression could bring down greatness.
It was going to bring an end to several franchises such as the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Maroons, and it nearly did the same to the Montreal Canadiens.
Despite the team doing well, crowd sizes were small.
A few days ago, I looked at how the international border through The Great Lakes was determined.
But what about the border west of Lake Superior?
It took decades to determine and wasn't just "drawn with a ruler by some guy".
Let's learn more!
🧵1/13
The 49th parallel border begins west of the Northwest Angle, a blip on the border that gives Minnesota part of the Lake of the Woods.
That 197 sq-km area came about due to treaties and a limited understanding of the geography west of Lake Superior.
🧵2/13
The 49th parallel border runs from the Strait of Georgia in the west to the Lake of the Woods.
It extends for 2,030 kilometres.
Having this as a border was first proposed before the United States even existed, back in 1714 by the Hudson's Bay Company.
From 1973 to 2022, Canada and Denmark were at war.
Over the course of the war, several soldiers on both sides were wounded....by hangovers. And it was all fought over a tiny island the size of a city block.
Let's learn about The Whisky War!
🧵1/16
Hans Island is a tiny island, 1.3 square kilometres in size, located between Ellesmere Island and Greenland.
It has no trees, no grass and is not inhabited.
The island is in the territory of the Inuit, who have visited it periodically over the centuries.
🧵2/16
The first-known Europeans reached the island in 1853 when a Danish expedition arrived. The island was named for an Inuk man on the expedition Hans Hendrik. He saved several men on the expedition when they journeyed too far from the ship on the ice.