Keeping Our Stories Alive

The ArQuives was established to aid in the recovery and preservation of our histories. Its mandate is to: Acquire, preserve, organize, and give public access to information and materials in any medium, by and about LGBTQ2+ people, primarily produced in or concerning Canada; and Maintain a research library, international research files, and an international collection of queer and trans periodicals.

The ArQuives is the largest independent LGBTQ2+ Archives in the world and since 1973 the only LGBTQ2+ archives in Canada with a national scope, read further about our history and mission.

Our Mission & Vision

Support Canada’s Largest LGBTQ2+ Archives

Financial Donations

Help keep our stories alive by becoming a member today!

Donate Records

Anyone can donate their records, extensive or small, young or old, serious or humorous, paper or object, personal or not!

VIEW THE COLLECTION

Our Collection can be searched online. Search by keyword, collection, organization, person, media, artifact type, among other options.

Our Collections

VIEW THE EXHIBITS

The ArQuives has temporarily closed its physical exhibition space due to COVID-19. Check out our Past Exhibitions here. Check out our Digital Exhibitions here.

Our Exhibits

What’s New

The ArQuives’ Trans Collections Guide Launch

The LGBTQ Oral History Digital Collaboratory and The ArQuives: Canada's LGBTQ2+ Archive invite you to celebrate the launch of The ArQuives' Trans Collections Guide on December 3rd, 2020 - 4-6 pm EST A roundtable discussion on the trans holdings of The ArQuives: Canada's LGBTQ2+ Archive, and the histories and futures of trans archival practices. Moderated by Elspeth Brown: Professor [...]

Historical Inequities Community Consultation November 25, 2020

Since the release of our 2018–2022 Strategic Plan, The ArQuives has been working to address our six priorities, including several priorities that focus on Diversity and Inclusion at The ArQuives. You can read more about our Strategic Plan here: https://arquives.ca/about-us/strategic-plan/. As part of these actions, the Board of Directors has developed a Historical Inequities statement surrounding collecting at The ArQuives [...]

Contract Posting: Accounting Services

The ArQuives (formally the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives) is one of the largest independent LGBTQ2+ archives in the world. A registered charity, The ArQuives is centrally located in downtown Toronto (Ontario). Primarily a volunteer-run organization with a focus on Canadian content, The ArQuives acquires, preserves, and provides public access to information and collections in a variety of formats. Our [...]