The ArQuives works to preserve and make accessible Canadian LGBTQ2+ histories, and is one of the largest independent LGBTQ2+ archives in the world and the only archive in Canada with a mandate to collect at a national level. Founded out of The Body Politic newspaper collection in 1973, its mandate is to safeguard the LGBTQ2+ history of Canada. The archives formally incorporated in 1980, and following a legal challenge was granted charitable status in 1981.

Today, The ArQuives preserves a wide range of material including personal and organizational papers, books, monographs, photographs, moving images, sound recordings, periodicals, artifacts (like buttons, board games, t-shirts, and banners), and other reference material. The ArQuives aspires to be a significant resource and catalyst for those who strive for a future world where LGBTQ2+ people are accepted, valued, and celebrated.

Its mandate is to acquire, preserve, organize, and give public access to information and materials in any medium, by and about LGBTQ2+ people, primarily produced in or concerning Canada, and to also maintain a research library, international research files, and an international collection of LGBTQ2+ periodicals for the public use.

50th Anniversary 

Throughout 2023, The ArQuives will be hosting events, sharing digital content, and connecting with the public to help share this memorable historic milestone.

Interested in sharing how The ArQuives has supported you over the years? Click here to submit a testimonial today.

Anyone can make a donation, whether extensive or small, young or old, serious or humorous, paper or object, personal or not!

Donate to the Arquives

About the Author

Bryen Dunn is a freelance journalist based in Toronto with a focus on tourism, lifestyle, entertainment and community issues. He has written several travel articles and has an extensive portfolio of celebrity interviews with musicians, actors and other public personalities. He’s willing to take on any assignments of interest, attend parties with free booze, listen to rants, and travel the world in search of the great unknown. He’s eager to discover the new, remember the past, and look into the future.