Latest news with #Pridevs.Prejudice:TheDelwinVriendStory
Calgary Herald
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Calgary Herald
Fairy Tales: Filmmaker revisits Delwin Vriend case in new documentary
There is anger in Darrin Hagen's voice when he talks about the Delwin Vriend case in Alberta. Article content The landmark decision, which came down from the Supreme Court of Canada in 1998 and extended human-rights protections to queer Albertans, was certainly groundbreaking. Hagen calls it 'one of those dominoes' that led to change that impacted LGBTQ+ rights in Alberta, Canada and even the world. When the Alberta government was forced by the courts to treat queer people equally, it eventually lead to progress in other areas such as same-sex marriage and queer adoptions. Article content Article content The story about how Vriend's case, which began after he was fired in 1991 from his job as a laboratory instructor at King's College for being gay, went all the way to the Supreme Court is inspiring, of course. But it is also infuriating, Hagen says. The hostility of the Alberta government, which continued to fight even after realizing it had no legal standing to do so, is a major part of the story and one that seems particularly timely today as ugly divisions re-emerge in the province and around the world regarding LGBTQ+ rights. Article content Article content 'The government kept paying (lawyers) to push this thing forward even though they knew that they would lose,' says Hagen. 'I think that is something we all need to recognize about the provincial government that we lived through. They used our money to fight our rights. I'm a taxpayer, right? It's my money, and they are using my money to fund a battle to withhold me from full participation in Alberta society. Every queer in Alberta should be (expletive) pissed off about that.' 'You can tell I'm not neutral about this,' he adds. Article content Hagen, an award-winning playwright, drag performer and queer historian, spent years studying the case as director of the documentary Pride vs. Prejudice: The Delwin Vriend Story. He was aware of the case as it was happening. Everybody in the community was, even if they were watching from afar. One of the biggest misconceptions of the case was that it pitted Vriend and his supporters against King's College. The college wasn't being sued; Alberta was. After being fired, Vriend attempted to file a discrimination complaint with the Alberta Human Rights Commission but was told sexual orientation was not protected under the Human Rights Code in Alberta. So the case was not against the college, but the Government of Alberta and its Human Rights Commission. The Alberta government lost. That would have been the end of it had the Alberta government not appealed, which is how the case went to the Supreme Court of Canada. The government had used queer rights and queer equality as a wedge issue, a 'divisive tool in their arsenal,' Hagen says. 'So this was about taking that tool away from them.
Calgary Herald
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Calgary Herald
Darin Hagen among winners as Edmonton music, film, books and visual arts awarded $100,000
Article content The $100,000 annual Edmonton Arts Prizes have been awarded, showcasing an impressive range of local talent and vision! Article content Article content Longtime playwright, queer advocate and drag legend Darin Hagen has taken the City of Edmonton Film Prize for his documentary Pride vs. Prejudice: The Delwin Vriend Story, it was announced at a ceremony at Roxy Theatre Wednesday night, while alternative electro-pop artist margø has grabbed its Music Prize cousin for her debut album, who are you when you're alone? Article content Article content Novelist, bookseller and Afghanistan veteran Benjamin Hertwig, meanwhile, won the Robert Kroetsch City of Edmonton Book Prize for his tender, battlefront debut novel Juiceboxers. Article content Article content Besides the honour of recognition by peers, each category winner is awarded $15,000, with $5,000 apiece going to everyone else on the short list. Article content The runners up in each category are Don Depoe/Dept. 9 Studios for Dark Match and Scott Portingale for Emergence for the film prize — the three movies playing NorthwestFilmFest Monday night at Metro Cinema starting at 7 p.m. with Q and As to follow. Article content Celeigh Cardinal's Boundless Possibilities and King Thief's self titled album scored the music prize's runners-up spots, meanwhile, while Gail Fraser's By Strength, We Are Still Here: Indigenous Peoples and Indian Residential Schooling in Inuvik, Northwest Territories, and Marilyn Dumont's South Side of a Kinless River rounded up the books list. Article content Article content Finally, for visual arts, the runners up were Cheyenne Rain LeGrande for mi^kisak and Heather Shillinglaw's MNIDOONS GIIZIS OONHG – LITTLE SPIRIT MOON (NOVEMBER). Article content Article content Last year's winners were HAIDEE's album This Shouldn't Be Typical, Cody Lightning's film HEY, VIKTOR!, Kelsey Stepehnson for Currents — also at Art Gallery of St. Albert, PS — and essayist Jennifer Bowering Delisle for Micrographia. Article content The annual awards honouring 12 of our finest is shepherded by Edmonton Arts Council, in partnership with the City of Edmonton and community partners Alberta Media Production Industries Association, Alberta Music, Audreys Books, CARFAC Alberta, Edmonton Community Foundation and Writers' Guild of Alberta. Article content Deadlines for the 2026 awards are early December for books, late January for the other three prizes.
Edmonton Journal
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Edmonton Journal
Darin Hagen among winners as Edmonton music, film, books and visual arts awarded $100,000
Article content The $100,000 annual Edmonton Arts Prizes have been awarded, showcasing an impressive range of local talent and vision! Article content Longtime playwright, queer advocate and drag legend Darin Hagen has taken the City of Edmonton Film Prize for his documentary Pride vs. Prejudice: The Delwin Vriend Story, it was announced at a ceremony at Roxy Theatre Wednesday night, while alternative electro-pop artist margø has grabbed its Music Prize cousin for her debut album, who are you when you're alone? Article content Novelist, bookseller and Afghanistan veteran Benjamin Hertwig, meanwhile, won the Robert Kroetsch City of Edmonton Book Prize for his tender, battlefront debut novel Juiceboxers. Raneece Buddan's Art Gallery of St. Albert show Adorned in our Thread led to her Eldon and Anne Foote Visual Arts Prize win. Article content Besides the honour of recognition by peers, each category winner is awarded $15,000, with $5,000 apiece going to everyone else on the short list. The runners up in each category are Don Depoe/Dept. 9 Studios for Dark Match and Scott Portingale for Emergence for the film prize — the three movies playing NorthwestFilmFest Monday night at Metro Cinema starting at 7 p.m. with Q and As to follow. Celeigh Cardinal's Boundless Possibilities and King Thief's self titled album scored the music prize's runners-up spots, meanwhile, while Gail Fraser's By Strength, We Are Still Here: Indigenous Peoples and Indian Residential Schooling in Inuvik, Northwest Territories, and Marilyn Dumont's South Side of a Kinless River rounded up the books list. Article content Finally, for visual arts, the runners up were Cheyenne Rain LeGrande for mi^kisak and Heather Shillinglaw's MNIDOONS GIIZIS OONHG – LITTLE SPIRIT MOON (NOVEMBER). Last year's winners were HAIDEE's album This Shouldn't Be Typical, Cody Lightning's film HEY, VIKTOR!, Kelsey Stepehnson for Currents — also at Art Gallery of St. Albert, PS — and essayist Jennifer Bowering Delisle for Micrographia. The annual awards honouring 12 of our finest is shepherded by Edmonton Arts Council, in partnership with the City of Edmonton and community partners Alberta Media Production Industries Association, Alberta Music, Audreys Books, CARFAC Alberta, Edmonton Community Foundation and Writers' Guild of Alberta. Deadlines for the 2026 awards are early December for books, late January for the other three prizes. fgriwkowsky@ @ Latest National Stories
