Michael Phair

Michael Phair
Edmonton City Councillor Ward 4
In office
1992–2007
Preceded byLance White
Succeeded byBen Henderson
Personal details
BornAugust 1950 (age 74)
Loyal, Wisconsin, U.S.
Alma materTowson State University
Loyal University
San Francisco State University

Michael Albert Phair (born August 1950) is a Canadian politician, who served on Edmonton City Council from 1992 until 2007.[1] He was the first openly gay elected politician in the province of Alberta,[1] as well as one of the earliest openly gay elected officials anywhere in Canada.[2]

In 1981, Phair was one of 56 men arrested by the Edmonton Police Service during a raid by the morality control unit on the Pisces Health Spa, a gay bathhouse. He was convicted, but then appealed and had his record scrubbed.[3][4]

The Pisces raid served to launch Phair's community activism as he helped to form many 2SLGBTQ community groups and organizations in Edmonton, including establishing the AIDS Network of Edmonton in 1984, which today is known as HIV Edmonton.[4][5] He also worked closely with Maureen Irwin to organize the first parade for Edmonton Pride in the early 90s.[6]

Following his retirement from elected politics, Phair has continued to be actively involved in the community, including serving as a board member of Edmonton Pride and as a founding member of the Edmonton Queer History Project.[7][8]

Mr. Phair is an adjunct professor with the Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services (iSMSS) in the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta.[9][10]

  1. ^ a b Moroz, Ross (April 25, 2007), "Venerable councillor calls it a career", Vue Weekly, archived from the original on October 26, 2007, retrieved 2008-02-03
  2. ^ Lorinc, John (2009-11-13). "Gay politicians come out of the closet and into the cabinet". The Globe and Mail.
  3. ^ Short, Dylan (2021-05-31). "'Shattered lives': A look at Edmonton police raid of Pisces Spa bathhouse four decades later". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Hagen, Darrin (18 May 2021). "After the Pisces Bathhouse Raid: Michael Phair – LGBTQ2S+ Activist and Community Leader". Edmonton City as Museum Project. Edmonton Heritage Council. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  5. ^ "AIDS Network of Edmonton" (PDF). Edmonton Queer History Project. 2023-03-14. Retrieved 2023-06-10.
  6. ^ "Centennial Plaza" (PDF). Edmonton Queer History Project. 2023-03-21. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
  7. ^ "Trustees to lead Pride Parade" Archived 2016-03-24 at the Wayback Machine. Edmonton Journal, May 25, 2012.
  8. ^ "About EQHP". Edmonton Queer History Project. Retrieved 2023-06-10.
  9. ^ "Michael Phair. University of Alberta, Faculty of Education". University of Alberta. Retrieved 2021-03-03.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).