On Saturday June 1st, surrounded by our friends, family and the portraits of prominent gay, lesbian and queer-positive Canadians, we were married at The ArQuives. It was our honour to be The ArQuives’s first queer wedding ceremony. And frankly, given the awesome vibe and elegance of the place, we couldn’t believe we were! After getting engaged at the Pride and Remembrance Run in June 2012, seconds after crossing the finish line, it was clear to us that our wedding venue had to reflect our deep connection to the queer community. When we approached Scott Kettles, The ArQuives’s General Manager with a vision but no real plan, he embraced the opportunity and has worked with us to accommodate every need. (Did we mention we had no idea what we were doing?) We worked with a humanist officiant to create a ceremony that reflected our appreciation for LGBT history and activism. We also intentionally chose to use local businesses that operate in the Church and Wellesley area and support the gay community. But the crown jewel of the evening was surely The ArQuives itself, where, among the National Portrait Collection displaying some of the most amazing Canadian boundary-pushers, we saw ourselves reflected, felt at home, and felt celebrated. It is because of these fearless people that same-sex marriage has been legal in Canada for 10 years. It is because of their efforts and the battles they fought, which are proudly catalogued in the Archives, that we now hear a lot about how those battles are over, the protest signs can be put down, and the political rhetoric can finally be silenced. Is not the fact our marriage was embraced as it was a sign of this tolerance and acceptance? Instead, we see our marriage as a continuation of the struggle and an opportunity to pay homage to those who have gone before. Because most people do not merely want to be tolerated: they want to be celebrated. And The ArQuives is a vital part of not only our own personal celebration in the form of our wedding, but in the broader celebration of the achievements and advancements of queer Canadians everywhere. It is the very monument to the fact that we are not only living our lives fully and authentically, but that we are celebrated for it. Ilaneet Goren and Selina Abetkoff 
The ArQuives is pleased to announce the completion of the R. Douglas Elliott records processing project. The records were donated to the Archives by Elliott, a Toronto lawyer who successfully represented the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto in the landmark same-sex marriage case in Ontario. On June 10th, 2003, the Ontario court of Appeal upheld a Divisional Court ruling which declared that defining marriage as between “one man and one woman” violated the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The over 20 cartons of records document the case before the Divisional Court and before the Court of Appeal. The material consists largely of legal documents presented before the two courts, affidavits, correspondence, working files, and transcripts. These important records, which document a significant aspect of the struggle for same-sex rights, are now available for research at the Archives. The ArQuives expresses its gratitude to R. Douglas Elliott for the donation of this material.
Photo credit: Frances Ho