Co-creating a “usable past” for LGBTQ+ people in the present.
Founded in 2014 by Professor Elspeth Brown and based at the University of Toronto Mississauga, the Collaboratory is a public and digital humanities research initiative. We preserve gay, queer, and trans life stories, using new methodologies in digital history, collaborative research, and archival practice.
Our Blog
The Collaboratory blog space features reflections on LGBTQ2+ public and digital history projects, creative interventions, and the people behind them. Follow the research team’s current activities, read our latest reflections from the field, browse our special interest series, or search our complete archive by content category.
LATEST POST
“Bisexual History is Queer History”: A Conversation with Gabryelle Iaconetti
Meet Gabryelle Iaconetti, a passionate historian dedicated to preserving the rich and often overlooked narratives of bisexual activism in Canada. From their journey into queer history during the pandemic to her doctoral research on bisexual support groups in smaller Ontario cities, Gabryelle’s work reveals the powerful connection between bisexual history and queer history. Explore the unexpected joys of oral history and discover how tangible pieces of Toronto’s past have deepened her research.
RECENT POSTS
FEATURED SERIES
Curated by archival scholar, doctoral candidate, and history nerd Atticus Hawk (they/he), this blog series ran from October 2023 to July 2024. “The Gays Did What Now?” featured forgotten tidbits of Toronto queer history and outrageous stories of what the gays did for fun in the land before apps. Learn about the tradition of Halloween drag balls, butch icons, and the world’s first accessible map of Toronto Pride. Strap in, strap on, and enjoy the hottest gay Toronto tea from 40 to 60 years ago.
Curated by Collaboratory Oral Historian, Elio Colavito, this blog series ran from March to December of 2022. Posts featured a mix of external and internal contributors. As the series evolved, Colavito transitioned from the traditional blog format to reflective forewords introducing short video interviews with fellow scholars and community narrators. Each entry emphasizes critical reflections on queer and trans* oral histories beyond the scope of their focus in time, shifting analysis to the multiple meanings that arise out of historical research, community archiving, and public history.
ALL POSTS
Browse our complete archive of blog posts.
Search by content category.