Presented by Ellfie Chen, Jessie Guo, Tanis Korzekwa, Brandon Moleirinho, Michael Sougavinski, and Wenfang Tan.
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| 69 Positions title |
69 Positions is a series of exhibitions and public programming critical of the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the decriminalization of gay sex in Canada.
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| Banner at the exposition |
In the past, when two same sex people had sex together, it was considered as a criminal matter. The couple would receive a prison sentence of 14 years upon conviction. However in 1969, it was no longer a criminal act after the federal government of Canada passed Bill C-150, which decriminalized homosexuality.
To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the critical but memorable exposition of 69 Positions is displayed at MAI, a gallery in Montreal, located on Jeanne Mance Street. It first opened in 1999, and exhibits contemporary art, dance, music, theatre, and more.
69 Positions features various homosexual archival works from many collections, such as VIVO Media Arts and Vidéographe.
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| "Equality for women and gays" |
Bloggers Jessie and Brandon visited the exhibition on August 24th, 2019, and have recorded their thoughts.
"I didn’t know exactly what to see, going to this exhibit, but I can say that it is not entirely what I expected. For instance, I found myself in a small, single room split in two sections. One room, the entrance, had banners strung on the walls and the other room had documentations playing on the wall.
"The vibes I was getting from this place almost felt like I was being yelled at. This exhibit had very bold and explicit things to display (as one can tell from the mere title of this exhibit, “69 Positions” seems quite provocative). The messages on the banners were in bold bright colours. It was almost as if I was caught up in a gay parade or protest, however I felt more uncomfortable than excited."
– Jessie
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| Bold and explicit displays |
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| "We dream of magnificent angers" in French, behind Brandon |
"I felt like I was in the middle of a protest with all the banners and images surrounding me. The exhibit was also empty, which made me think about how all these people were and still are trying to send out an important message, and yet people seem to ignore it. I was able to see the history and the struggles of the LGBTQ+ community. Given that everything was so blunt and direct, I could definitely feel a sort of tension in there."
– Brandon
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| "Writers and readers" written poems and texts |
Blogger Tanis interviewed his friend Sophia, who has gone to the Pride parade in Montreal on August 18th, 2019. Sophia tells us more about her experience below.
Tanis: Hello, my name is Tanis Korzekwa and I am here today to interview Sophia Canzonieri. Would you like to tell us a bit about yourself?
Sophia: Well, I’m a third semester Literature student here at Dawson. I understand that you have some questions for me about Pride and its history?
Tanis: Yes, and do you mind if we get right into it?
Sophia: Not at all!
Tanis: Okay, so, you were at the pride parade this year?
Sophia: Yeah, it was my first time going.
Tanis: Why’d you go? Did you go to watch or were you in the parade?
Sophia: I was in the parade. My friends and I walked with MAC, the makeup brand.
Tanis: Okay, so, did you go in support of these friends or are you part of the LGBTQ community?
Sophia: Both. I’m bi, so’s another one of the friends I went with. Another one of my friends is a lesbian. A few of my straight friends joined as well to show their support.
Tanis: Anyone of your friends go before, or was it everyone’s first time?
Sophia: No, a couple of friends went the year before.
Tanis: Okay. So, what do you know about the history of pride?
Sophia: What do you mean?
Tanis: Let’s start with the parade.
Sophia: Well, the first pride happened at the Stonewall Inn in New York. For weeks, when being gay was still illegal, police kept raiding this bar. Then, one night, a trans woman named Marsha P. Johnson had enough a is known to have thrown the first brick which led to a riot ensuing. Which is interesting, most people don’t know that either, that the first pride started as a riot.
Tanis: Is this also why it’s held in June?
Sophia: Yes.
Tanis: So, when researching for these questions, I came across various different acronyms, not just LGBTQ. LGBTQ+, LGBTI, what do those mean?
Sophia: They’re all basically the same thing. The + is to shorten the acronym while still including everyone else. The 'I' stands for intersex people however, many of them have stated that they are not comfortable being included for a multitude of reasons.
Tanis: Well, you seem to be very informed on the subject. Thank you for your time today.
Sophia: Thank you.
Through this interview, Sophia has presented her personal perspective about the LGBTQ+ community as well as a bit of history. On the other hand, the 69 Positions exhibition has shown the historical heritage of a half century of homosexuality decriminalization. Both pieces compare and contrast the view of homosexuality in 1969 versus 2019, in both personal and factual manners. Despite the evolution that has taken place in the last 50 years, there are still many social issues about sexual orientations, but fortunately they are progressing. May people's voices be heard for the future.
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Sources:
Rosenthal, Nora. "This exhibition questions the legacy of 1969." Cult Mtl,
All images photographed by Jessie Guo and Brandon Moleirinho.
Written on: August 27th, 2019
Last updated: August 30th, 2019
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