Gens Douglas Hellquist (October 12, 1946 – September 28, 2013) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

activist and publisher, noted for his prominent role in founding and developing the organized

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term ...

community in the province of

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...

Background

Born in

North Battleford North Battleford is a city in west-central Saskatchewan, Canada. It is the seventh largest city in the province and is directly across the North Saskatchewan River from the Town of Battleford. Together, the two communities are known as "The Batt ...

and raised in

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway, and has served as th ...

,Obituaries: Gens Hellquist
''

Saskatoon Star-Phoenix ''The StarPhoenix'' is a daily newspaper that serves Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, and is a part of Postmedia Network. The ''StarPhoenix'' puts out six editions each week and publishes one weekly, ''Bridges''. It is also part of the canada.com ...

'', October 7, 2013. he was working in social services in Saskatoon in 1971."Gay health pioneer and advocate Gens Hellquist dies"
''

Xtra! ''Xtra Magazine'' (formerly ''DailyXtra'' and ''Xtra!'') is an LGBTQ-focused digital publication and former print newspaper published by Pink Triangle Press in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The publication is a continuation of the company's former ...

'', October 2, 2013. With no visible LGBT community in the city, in that year he placed a classified advertisement in the

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

newspaper ''

The Georgia Straight ''The Georgia Straight'' is a free Canadian weekly news and entertainment newspaper published in Vancouver, British Columbia, by Overstory Media Group. Often known simply as ''The Straight'', it is delivered to newsboxes, post-secondary schools, ...

'' seeking other people interested in forming a gay group."Saskatoon Gay Action: Progress in a Prairie city". ''

The Body Politic ''The Body Politic'' was a Canadian monthly magazine, which was published from 1971 to 1987.

'', Vol. 10 (1983).

Saskatoon Gay Action

He soon received two responses, and the three men soon established a Saskatoon chapter of the

Gay Liberation Front Gay Liberation Front (GLF) was the name of several gay liberation groups, the first of which was formed in New York City in 1969, immediately after the Stonewall riots. Similar organizations also formed in the UK and Canada. The GLF provided a ...

. As membership increased, the group expanded its activities to include both political lobbying and social activities. In 1972 the group formally incorporated as the Zodiac Friendship Society, an umbrella organization which was parent to the Gemini Club for social events and Saskatoon Gay Action for the political work. The social events raised funds toward the creation of a gay community centre in the city, which was established in 1973 as only the second such institution in all of Canada. In a 1973 interview with ''

The Body Politic ''The Body Politic'' was a Canadian monthly magazine, which was published from 1971 to 1987.

'', Hellquist said that "I really believe that Gay Lib will be won in the smaller centres of Canada. In a small city they can't ignore you as easily." In 2005, the Saskatchewan Human Rights Tribunal relied on expert testimony from Hellquist in finding that four pamphlets which had been publicly distributed in Regina and Saskatoon breached the hate publication provision of the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code. Hellquist had been called as an expert witness by the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission on the impact of the pamphlets on the gay community. In '' Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission v Whatcott'', the Supreme Court of Canada ultimately upheld the Tribunal's ruling with respect to two of the pamphlets.

Journalism

In 1983, Hellquist established the city's LGBT magazine ''

Perceptions Perception () is the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information in order to represent and understand the presented information or environment. All perception involves signals that go through the nervous system ...

'', serving as its first publisher and editor. He was also a contributor to other LGBT and activist publications, including ''The Body Politic'', ''

'' and ''

Briarpatch ''Briarpatch'' is an independent alternative news magazine based in Saskatchewan, Canada and distributed across Canada and internationally. ''Briarpatch'' is published six times a year by Briarpatch Incorporated, an independent non-profit organi ...

''.

Health activism

Hellquist was also active on LGBT health issues, including

HIV/AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...

. He was a founding member of Gay and Lesbian Health Services of Saskatoon (now known as the Avenue Community Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity) and the Canadian Rainbow Health Coalition,"Friends and family celebrate life of LGBT rights activist Gens Hellquist"
. NewsTalk 650, October 10, 2013. and served on the boards of the Canadian AIDS Society and the Saskatchewan AIDS Network. Within the Avenue Community Centre, he served as executive director of the institution's programs dedicated to gay men's health.

Death

Hellquist died on September 28, 2013, just days before his 67th birthday. He had just recently been diagnosed with

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

, although no source has formally confirmed whether that was his cause of death. Memorial services for Hellquist were held at both the Roxy Theatre in Saskatoon and The ArQuives: Canada's LGBTQ2+ Archives in Toronto. Cam Broten, the leader of the

Saskatchewan New Democratic Party The Saskatchewan New Democratic Party (NDP) is a social-democratic political party in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It currently forms the official opposition, but has been a dominant force in Saskatchewan politics since the 1940s. The p ...

, was in attendance at the Saskatoon event, telling the media that "we’ve come a long way in Saskatchewan when we talk about equality and about rights for everyone in the province, and it’s because of people who stood up over the years and worked hard for everyone and Gens is one of those people."

Honours

Hellquist was awarded the Saskatchewan Centennial Medal in June 2005 for his activist work. In 2010, he was inducted into the Q Hall of Fame Canada, and was presented with the Peter Corren Award for Outstanding Achievement by the

University of Saskatchewan A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

. A portrait of Hellquist, by artist Duncan Campbell, is held by The ArQuives: Canada's LGBTQ2+ Archives in its National Portrait Collection.Gens Hellquist 1946 - 2013
. The ArQuives: Canada's LGBTQ2+ Archives.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hellquist, Gens 1946 births 2013 deaths Canadian magazine publishers (people) Canadian magazine editors Canadian LGBT rights activists 20th-century Canadian LGBT people People from North Battleford Activists from Saskatchewan 21st-century Canadian LGBT people Canadian gay men Inductees of the Q Hall of Fame