''Rites'' was a Canadian magazine, published for

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...

, and

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...

communities in Canada from 1984 to 1992.

Founding

The magazine was published in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Ontario, by Rites Publishing and was produced by a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

collective. Founding members of the ''Rites'' collective were Peter Birt, Romaine Brooks, Lyn Freese,

Gary Kinsman Gary William Kinsman (born 1955) is a Canadian sociologist. Born in Toronto, he is one of Canada's leading academics on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues.Doug Wilson. Many of the founding members had previously been associated with ''Pink Ink'', a monthly national publication for lesbians and gay men of which five issues were published between July 1983 and January 1984."Pink phoenix?". ''

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

'', Vol. 102 (April 1984).

Membership

Over its almost eight years of operation, additional ''Rites'' collective members included (in the order in which they joined): Mary Louise Adams, Stuart Blackley, Susan Wilkes, Scott Ferguson, Celest Natale, Doug Stewart, Ruthann Tucker, Robert Champagne, Becki Ross, Michael Nicholson, Shawn Syms, Mark Michaud, Anne Vespry, Rebecca Frank, Regan McClure, Lynn Iding and Rachel Aitcheson.

Issues

A total of 76 issues of ''Rites'' were published – from Vol. 1 No. 1 (May 1984) to Vol. 8 No. 6 (January/February 1992). ''Rites'' was published 10 times a year, until Vol. 8 No. 4 (September/October 1991) when the frequency of publication changed to six times a year. Two thousand copies of each issue were printed and distributed through paid subscriptions and distribution to retail outlets across Canada and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The readership of ''Rites'' was 60 per cent lesbian and lesbian/gay-positive women, and 40 per cent gay and lesbian/gay-positive men.

Subjects

An expressly political magazine, ''Rites'' was published to further lesbian and

gay liberation The gay liberation movement was a social and political movement of the late 1960s through the mid-1980s that urged lesbians and gay men to engage in radical direct action, and to counter societal shame with gay pride.Hoffman, 2007, pp.xi-xiii. ...

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

, and progressive social change. The ''Rites'' collective saw the magazine as part of building an active lesbian and gay liberation movement. ''Rites'' was committed to cross-Canada coverage and the equal involvement of lesbians and gay men in all aspects of the magazine's production. ''Rites'' explored the interconnections between the lesbian and gay liberation movement, the

women's movement The feminist movement (also known as the women's movement, or feminism) refers to a series of social movements and political campaigns for radical and liberal reforms on women's issues created by the inequality between men and women. Such iss ...

anti-racist Anti-racism encompasses a range of ideas and political actions which are meant to counter racial prejudice, systemic racism, and the oppression of specific racial groups. Anti-racism is usually structured around conscious efforts and deliberate ...

struggles,

peace Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. In a social sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such as war) and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups. ...

activism, the

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

movement, struggles related to class, age and

disability Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be Cognitive disability, cognitive, Developmental disability, dev ...

, and other liberation struggles, including the fight to end

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. ''Rites'' was also committed to developing a political response to the

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 m ...

crisis, supporting persons living with AIDS (PLWAs), and eroticizing

safe sex Safe sex is sexual activity using methods or contraceptive devices (such as condoms) to reduce the risk of transmitting or acquiring sexually transmitted infections (STIs), especially HIV. "Safe sex" is also sometimes referred to as safer se ...

. Rites rejected the sexual

libertarian Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...

politics commonly asserted by other lesbian and gay publications that it saw as failing to challenge sexist and racist forms of social power underlying the experiences of women, lesbians, and gays of colour.

Rites' news group

''Rites news group – an extensive network of volunteer news correspondents across Canada – produced news articles and shorter news briefs covering, amongst other issues: the rights of

sex workers A sex worker is a person who provides sex work, either on a regular or occasional basis. The term is used in reference to those who work in all areas of the sex industry.Oxford English Dictionary, "sex worker" According to one view, sex work is d ...

, feminist struggles related to

pornography Pornography (often shortened to porn or porno) is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the exclusive purpose of sexual arousal. Primarily intended for adults,

, anti-

censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...

struggles (including the legal case brought by Toronto's

Glad Day Bookshop Glad Day Bookshop is an independent bookstore and restaurant located in Toronto, Ontario, specializing in LGBT literature. Previously located above a storefront at 598A Yonge Street for much of its history, the store moved to its current location ...

and the Canadian Committee against Customs Censorship challenging

Canada Customs The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA; french: Agence des services frontaliers du Canada, ''ASFC'') is a federal law enforcement agency that is responsible for border control (i.e. protection and surveillance), immigration enforcement, and cust ...

' censorship of ''The Joy of Gay Sex''), police harassment of lesbians and gays,

International Women's Day International Women's Day (IWD) is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against wom ...

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...

rights, Take Back the Night marches, lesbian and

gay pride LGBT pride (also known as gay pride or simply pride) is the promotion of the self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and increased visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people as a social group. Pride, as opposed to sham ...

marches across Canada, lesbian motherhood, anti-apartheid struggles (including those of

Simon Nkoli Simon Tseko Nkoli (26 November 1957 – 30 November 1998) was an anti-apartheid, gay rights and AIDS activist in South Africa. Nkoli was born in Soweto in a seSotho-speaking family. Nkoli became a youth activist against apartheid, joining th ...

, then South Africa's leading black gay activist), and the formation and operation of

AIDS Action Now! 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 m ...

in Toronto. ''Rites'' also covered the struggle for legal protection against discrimination in provincial and federal law, including the anti-discrimination case of fired racing steward John Damien in Ontario and the campaign that led to inclusion of "

sexual orientation Sexual orientation is an enduring pattern of romantic or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. These attractions are generall ...

" in the

Ontario Human Rights Code The Human Rights Code is a statute in the Canadian province of Ontario that guarantees equality before the law and prohibits discrimination in specific social areas such as housing or employment. The code's goal specifically prohibits discrimina ...

. ''Rites'' also contributed extensively to Canadian news coverage of the AIDS crisis, including reporting on activism at the 1989 Montreal International AIDS Conference and publishing "Talking Politics: Diary of an AIDS Activist", a regular column by George Smith, who was also a founder of Toronto's Right to Privacy Committee. ''Rites'' was a vital early source of information on AIDS treatment, publishing Sean Hosein's regular column "AIDS Treatment Update" from September 1987 onwards.

Other areas of interest

In addition to news coverage, ''Rites'' was a forum to examine the rites and rituals of lesbian and gay culture and published new works of lesbian and gay fiction, poetry, photography and visual arts. Writers published in ''Rites'' included: Michael Riordan, Ian Young,

Mariana Valverde Mariana Valverde is a Canadian criminologist and sociologist. She is currently a professor in the Centre for Criminology and Sociolegal Studies at the University of Toronto. Her research mainly focuses on the sociology of law. She is also an oc ...

, Sara Diamond,

Makeda Silvera Makeda Silvera (born 1955 in Kingston, Jamaica) is a Jamaican Canadian novelist and short story writer. Biography Silvera emigrated to Canada at the age of 12 with her family, and currently lives in Toronto, Ontario. She published two volumes of s ...

, Robin Metcalfe,

Sky Gilbert Schuyler Lee (Sky) Gilbert Jr. (born December 20, 1952) is a Canadian writer, actor, academic and drag performer. Born in Norwich, Connecticut, he studied theatre at York University in Toronto, Ontario, and at the University of Toronto, before be ...

, Michael Achtman,

Thomas Waugh Thomas Waugh is a Canadian critic, lecturer, author, actor, and activist, best known for his extensive work on documentary film and eroticism in the history of LGBT cinema and art. A professor emeritus at Concordia University, he taught 41 years ...

, Marusya Bociurkiw,

Anne Cameron (Barbara) Anne Cameron (born August 20, 1938 in Nanaimo, British Columbia) (died November 30, 2022 in Tahsis, British Columbia) was a Canadian novelist, poet, screenwriter, short story and children's book writer. She legally changed her name from ...

, Steven Maynard, Audrey Butler, Doug Stewart, and François Lachance. Amongst others, ''Rites'' also published the poetry of Brenda Brooks and

Ian Iqbal Rashid Ian Iqbal Rashid (born in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania) is a poet, screenwriter and filmmaker known in particular for his volumes of poetry, for the TV series ''Sort Of (TV series), Sort Of'' and ''This Life (1996 TV series), This Life'' and the fe ...

, the photography of Cyndra MacDowall, the visual art of

Persimmon Blackbridge Persimmon Blackbridge (born 1951)Inductee: Persimmon Blackbridge
Sheila Gilhooly, the graphic illustrations of Alanna Marohnic, and ''

The Chosen Family ''The Chosen Family'' was a Canadian comic strip, written and drawn by Winnipeg cartoonist Noreen Stevens from 1987 to 2004.Beverly J. Rasporich, ''Made-in-Canada Humour: Literary, Folk and Popular Culture''. John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2015 ...

'' cartoons of

Noreen Stevens Noreen Stevens (born 1962) is a Canadian cartoonist, who illustrated and wrote the lesbian comic strip ''The Chosen Family''. Her work in the field of comics began in 1984. ''The Chosen Family'' is featured in the ensemble comic book ''Dyke Stripp ...

. ''Rites'' also published extensive cultural reviews of plays, movies and books, including Peter McGehee's "In My Opinion", a regular cultural review column. A number of occasional columns, "Lesbiantics", "Fairy Tales", and "No Regrets", explored personal experiences and opinions. Scott McArthur and David Adler wrote a ground-breaking column on disability issues in the lesbian and gay community.

Social status

''Rites'' was an important forum for the publication of Canadian lesbian and

gay history Societal attitudes towards same-sex relationships have varied over time and place, from requiring all males to engage in same-sex relationships to casual integration, through acceptance, to seeing the practice as a minor sin, repressing it throu ...

, publishing the first interview with Jim Egan, Canada's first public gay activist in the 1950s (who initiated a lawsuit – ''

Egan v Canada ''Egan v Canada'', 9952 SCR 513 was one of a trilogy of equality rights cases published by a very divided Supreme Court of Canada in the spring of 1995. It stands today as a landmark Supreme Court case which established that sexual orientation cons ...

'' – that ultimately led, in 1995, to a landmark

Supreme Court of Canada The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC; french: Cour suprême du Canada, CSC) is the Supreme court, highest court in the Court system of Canada, judicial system of Canada. It comprises List of Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada, nine justices, wh ...

decision interpreting the

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms The ''Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms'' (french: Charte canadienne des droits et libertés), often simply referred to as the ''Charter'' in Canada, is a bill of rights entrenched in the Constitution of Canada, forming the first part o ...

to prohibit discrimination by the state based on sexual orientation). The magazine also carried articles on the history of lesbian and gay communities in Toronto and

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

, and published a special supplement of lesbian and gay history book reviews. Other special supplements published in ''Rites'' over its history included features on families, youth, lesbians and gays of colour, lesbian and gay survivors of

childhood sexual abuse Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in sexual activities with a child (whether ...

, AIDS prevention,

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

, aging, and relationships. In Vol. 7 No. 8 (January/February 1991) ''Rites'' published "Queer Entries", a comprehensive index to its first six volumes (from May 1984 to April 1990). ''Rites'' was also indexed in the

Alternative Press Index EBSCO Information Services, headquartered in Ipswich, Massachusetts, is a division of EBSCO Industries Inc., a private company headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. EBSCO provides products and services to libraries of very many types around the ...

Disbandment

Rites Publishing ceased operation in April 1992, citing a shrinking volunteer workforce and growing debts caused by escalating costs and declining revenues. Collections of ''Rites'' can be found in a number of public libraries in Canada, as well as at the

Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives The ArQuives: Canada's LGBTQ2+ Archives, formerly known as the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives, is a Canadian non-profit organization, founded in 1973 as the Canadian Gay Liberation Movement Archives. The ArQuives acquires, preserves, and pro ...

in Toronto.

References

{{Portal bar, Canada, Journalism, LGBT 1984 establishments in Ontario 1992 disestablishments in Ontario LGBT-related magazines published in Canada Defunct magazines published in Canada LGBT culture in Toronto Magazines established in 1984 Magazines disestablished in 1992 Magazines published in Toronto