By Staff Blogger Tristan
Today’s 2SLGBTQIA+ community in Halifax is vibrant and thriving even in the face of systemic prejudices. Each year in July, Halifax hosts Pride events across the city aimed for all ages. (Discover Halifax Nova Scotia) There are also many 2SLGBTQIA+ owned businesses such as Glitter Bean Café, House of Eights Dance Studio, and Cape and Cowl Comics and Collectables. (Discover Halifax Nova Scotia) Services for specialized care, such prideHealth and The Youth Project, assist people in the community with both their physical and mental health.
But Halifax wasn't always so welcoming. Humanity stands on the shoulders of giants, and without the work of Tom Burns and others like him, the 2SLGBTQIA+ community of Halifax would not be as far along as it is now.
Humble Beginnings
Approximately 40 minute drive outside of downtown Halifax is East Chezzetcook. Away from the hustle and bustle of metro, this area's stunning coastal landscape bears witness to a growing community that stands upon an Acadian foundation. (Acadian & French Canadian Ancestral Home) This is where Thomas Burns' story begins. On January 6, 1946 he was born to Ruth Burns (nee Pettipas). His birth father was unknown, but later he became the stepson of Ronald Burns. In this combined family, Thomas was the youngest of the family's two sons.
As he grew up, Thomas played many roles. As a boy, he sung in the St. Mary's Choir for Boys. As an adult, he held positions at the Hotel Nova Scotia and in various hospitals in Halifax and Dartmouth, working primarily in the laundry service. He was very dedicated to those institutions, only ever missing three days of work. (Dartmouth Funeral Home)
Invisible Man
As unfair as it is, even the kindest and most hard-working people can be subject to prejudice for something they cannot change. Historically, most Acadians practiced Catholicism, and many descendants still follow that religion. (New Advent) Unfortunately, members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community are oppressed by the Catholic Church even today due to the Church's stance on homosexuality. (Human Rights Campaign) Thomas grew up in a household with these traditional Catholic values; he was also homosexual. As a result, Thomas believed that God hated him for who he was. (CBC) Later in life, due to venomous gossip around campus regarding his sexuality and the negative societal attitude towards gay people in general, he was driven out of vocational school. (Rose 2019)
He believed he was the only gay man in all of Halifax; he felt invisible and that he just didn’t fit. That is, until his best friend David Gray came out to him. He also found inspiration in 1969 the Stonewall Uprising in New York City. This was a decisive moment of gay liberation, and Thomas knew he had to do something for his friends, family, and for generations after him. (CBC)
Getting Active in the Community
In the early 1970's, Thomas became the inaugural chairperson for the Gay Alliance for Equality (GAE), which later became Gay and Lesbian Association (GALA). GAE was one of sixteen organizations in Canada that comprised the National Gay Election Coalition (NGEC), a political group that hoped to bring gay issues to federal attention ahead of the October 1972 election. (Rose 2019) GAE/GALA organized and funded initiatives such as the GayLine, a hotline for individuals who needed peer support.
Thomas volunteered for the GayLine from 1972 until around 1975. (Halifax Rainbow Encyclopedia)
During February 1977, GAE attempted to have CBC air a public service announcement for the GayLine, but they were quickly denied. In response, on February 17, members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community of Halifax began a picket of CBC headquarters. 21 people showed up to picket, and two days later activists in other Canadian cities began picketing in solidarity. The Dalhousie Gazette sided with GAE and similarly boycotted CBC. Despite the picket, the CBC would maintain its anti-gay broadcasting rules for many years, though the exact date this ended is unknown. (Queer Events)
GAE also ran The Turret, a club in the old Church of England Institute building at 1588 Barrington Street. The club was closed on September 9, 1982. It was renamed Rumors Club and moved to 1586 Granville Street. This bar, (not to be confused with Rumors Lounge and Cabaret), existed until late 1994 or January 1995. Bankruptcy and a lapsed society registration were the final straws that caused the club—as well as GAE/GALA—to close down for good. (Halifax Rainbow Encyclopedia)
Thomas also volunteered in the box office and canteen of Thee Klub, also called David's. David's was an unlicensed bar started by Thomas' friend David Gray. The club was typically open only two days a week, (sometimes three on a long weekend) and the cover cost approximately $2 (or around $15.50 in today's money). (Halifax Rainbow Encyclopedia)
After his work with the GayLine concluded, Thomas opened the Alternate Book Shop on the top level of the Green Lantern Building at 1585 Barrington Street. The bookstore was open from 1975 until 1981. (Wayves) Later the shop moved to the same building as The Turret. (Halifax Rainbow Encyclopedia) But what was the Alternate Book Shop?
Before the Stonewall Uprising, homosexual individuals were widely viewed as sick and deviant, so much that homosexuality was included in the American Psychological Association's diagnostic manuals until 1973. (American Psychological Association) This view was also reflected in most media around this time as well, with movies such as Rope (1948) or Deliverance (1972) having characters coded as villains by giving them gay or effeminate traits. Even relatively recent movies such as Zoolander 2 (2016) have issues with representation. (Gay in the CLE) The Alternate Book Shop offered gay-affirming and feminist literature at a time when these works were not offered in traditional stores. It also offered intimacy products that could not be found in your local Sears. (Halifax Rainbow Encyclopedia)
The bookstore would operate from The Turret until 1983 when the new owner, Emerald Gibson, was unable to find a new location. (Halifax Rainbow Encyclopedia)
A Life Beyond Activism
Thomas took great joy in his personal interests. A big fan of music, he had a large collection of vinyl records and cassettes that he would alphabetize and organize with the help of his great niece Monica. He would also feed the birds outside his home at 4:00pm sharp, an activity that not only delighted the visiting birds, but provided much entertainment for his cat companions. (Dartmouth Funeral Home)
Thomas enjoyed the small things in life: good food and drink like chocolate milk, comfortable things like a good pillow, and of course, the people and animals he cared for so dearly. He lived all his values—kindness, justice, and generosity—until his very last day on August 20, 2022. (Dartmouth Funeral Home)
The Finishing Lines
Library Sources
Additional Sources
1969: The Stonewall Uprising, Library of Congress
2SLGBTQIA+ Owned Businesses, Discover Halifax
8 Movies with Bad LGBTQ Representation, Gay in the CLE
Canadian Queer History: Resistance and Rebellions, Queer Events
Gay Alliance founder remembers when 'there were no gay people in Halifax', CBC, June 6, 2022
Gay and Lesbian Association of Nova Scotia, Memory NS
Halifax Rainbow Encyclopedia
Lesbian and Gay Liberation in Canada, Donald W. McLeod
Open letter from NB Green Party candidate Emerald Gibson, Wayves
prideHealth, Nova Scotia Health
Stances of Faiths on LGBTQ+ Issues: Roman Catholic Church, Human Rights Campaign
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