‘An invisible history’: Historic meeting spaces for LGBTQ2S+ community highlighted in walking tour

A black and white negative of three homosexual and heterosexual couples in a park in front of a University of Winnipeg building. This photograph was taken for use in a Gays for Equality pamphlet, which was circulated from 1973-1978. (University of Manitoba Archives).

Britt Bauer’s project is illuminating an often-overlooked part of Winnipeg’s history, one step at a time.

The local cultural historian created the Winnipeg Queer History Walking Tour and Map, which highlights dozens of locations in Winnipeg that were frequented by members of the city’s LGBTQ2S+ community through the decades.

Bauer said the project came to them when they were working on their master’s degree at the University of Winnipeg.

“I thought it’d be interesting to talk about something that was unrepresented, something that I could do that you know hadn’t been done before,” Bauer said. “I noticed how difficult it was to find information on various buildings and meeting places that had been frequented by the community throughout history, especially the old ones.”

Bauer’s Google Map includes more than 30 locations, primarily in Winnipeg’s downtown or the Exchange District, and includes information about their history.

“There were so many little hidden stories about these places that I’ve never heard about and even some of the buildings that are still standing—that they were even queer meeting spaces to begin with,” they said.

“There’s not that much public information about this, which is why, originally, I wanted to do the project. It was just sort of an invisible history.”

Historic beginnings

The University of Manitoba Archives contains a trove of information related to early gathering spaces for the LGBTQ2S+ community. The earliest known records show a queer community in Winnipeg has existed since the 1920s.

Some of the earliest meeting spaces at the time include the Marlborough Hotel and the docks on Alexander Street.

For Winnipeg’s lesbian community, the Mount Royal Hotel on Higgins Avenue was a popular spot, also frequented by members of the city’s drag and leather scene well into the 1970s.

“Looking at a lot of the records that we have, you can see a lot of the spaces crop up as a place to come and to gather,” said Nicole Aminian, an archivist with the University of Manitoba.

“When homosexuality was against the law, they were safe spaces for them to go, and it sort of happened organically,” Bauer said. “They weren’t advertised as such. They couldn’t say ‘this is a gay bar,’ but they could become safe places for them. So it’s kind of a secret language. They were straight-mixed places.”

The hill by the Manitoba Legislature was also a popular meeting place for the community.

“They were in the open; there are no walls protecting them,” Bauer said. “When they became known, they became very unsafe and there was a lot of violence in those places.”

“That’s one of the reasons why Pride starts at the legislature, because that was one of the meeting places and a place of a lot of violence for years.”

The archives said members of the community started openly organizing into clubs and social committees in the 1960s and 1970s, when the gay rights movement really started to mobilize in North America.

Barry Karlenzig, president of Pride Winnipeg, said throughout his life, there have been many spaces that have been supportive, from the Rainbow Resource Centre to Pride Winnipeg’s offices.

“Just even hearing some of the conversations that just happened at a random coffee shop, at Second Cup downtown that is no longer open, or different places in the Exchange and Osborne, it’s just been amazing,” he said. “There’s quite a few places over the years that have existed.”

Giovanni’s Room

One of the first dedicated spaces for Winnipeg’s gay community was Giovanni’s Room, later shortened to Gio’s.

The club opened in 1982 on Sherbrook Street and later relocated to locations on Broadway and Smith Street.

At the time it opened, it was a membership-only club to ensure the protection of members of the queer community.

“It was a two-story place—Club Happenings was above—that was needed back then, because individuals couldn’t be their authentic selves, and they needed a safe space to go to that had security and things like that,” Karlenzig recalled.

Gio’s closed its doors in 2013. The spot where it stood is now La Roca, a Mexican restaurant and nightclub.

‘Queer history has always been around’

Karlenzig said the world has changed for members of the community, where a membership club like Gio’s was needed, but there is still lots of work to be done.

“There’s still safe spaces that are needed, because there’s a lot of hate that is still out there,” he said. “You look at our trans, non-binary community; you look at our 55-plus community, and the hate that’s coming back.

“Especially in the 55-plus community, that is what worries me, because they’re having to start going into care homes and things like that. They’re having to go back into the closet, and that’s not right in 2026.”

For Bauer, what they’re hoping people take out of the map and tour is an appreciation for a history that isn’t always visible.

“Queer history has always been around, and I hope people can learn something about their city,” they said.

The map can be accessed online.