Janine Fuller (born 1958)Inductee: Janine Fuller
.

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 ...

. is 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 ...

businessperson and writer. She is the manager of

Little Sister's Book and Art Emporium Little Sister's Book and Art Emporium, also known as Little Sister's Bookstore, but usually called "Little Sister's", is an independent bookstore in the Davie Village/ West End neighbourhood of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The bookstore wa ...

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. Th ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...

,"B.C. Heroes: Janine Fuller"
''

Vancouver Sun The ''Vancouver Sun'', also known as the ''Sun'', is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The newspaper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network. Published s ...

'', March 3, 2011. and is best known for her role as an 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 ...

activist in the bookstore's ongoing battles with Canada Customs, which culminated in the

Supreme Court of Canada The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC; french: Cour suprême du Canada, CSC) is the highest court in the judicial system of Canada. It comprises nine justices, whose decisions are the ultimate application of Canadian law, and grants permission to ...

case '' Little Sisters Book and Art Emporium v. Canada (Minister of Justice)'' in 2000."Queer Experts at the Little Sisters Trial: An Interview with Janine Fuller". '' Canadian Woman Studies'', 16:2 (1996). ISSN 0713-3235. Born and raised in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, Fuller began advocating for gender equality at a young age, fighting to be allowed to start a girls' soccer team in Grade 6. She was later an employee of the Toronto Women's Bookstore, and was working there when the store was firebombed in 1983. She moved to Vancouver in 1989, taking a job at Little Sister's the following year, and became an active fundraiser and

freedom of expression Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recog ...

activist as the store was drawn into legal battles when Canada Customs regularly confiscated and impounded its shipments from publishers."Bright Lights: Janine Fuller"
''

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 ...

'', September 23, 2009. Following a diagnosis with

Huntington's disease Huntington's disease (HD), also known as Huntington's chorea, is a neurodegenerative disease that is mostly inherited. The earliest symptoms are often subtle problems with mood or mental abilities. A general lack of coordination and an uns ...

in the late 2000s, Fuller has also become an activist and speaker on issues relating to the condition.

Writing

In 1995, she coauthored with Stuart Blackley the book ''Restricted Entry: Censorship on Trial'', a non-fiction account of the Little Sister's battle, and wrote an introduction for '' Forbidden Passages: Writings Banned in Canada'', an anthology of excerpts from some of the impounded works which was edited by Patrick Califia. Fuller has also written a number of plays, and has worked as a

performance artist Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...

Awards

Both ''Restricted Entry'' and ''Forbidden Passages'' won Lammies at the 8th Lambda Literary Awards in 1996, ''Forbidden Passages'' in the "Editor's Choice" category and ''Restricted Entry'' in the "Publisher's Service" category. In honour of her role as a significant contributor to LGBT culture and history in Canada, Fuller has been inducted into both the

Q Hall of Fame Canada The Q Hall of Fame Canada, also known as Queer Hall of Fame, was a Canadian hall of fame dedicated to commemorate the history of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in Canada. They honoured those that have been human rights pione ...

and The ArQuives: Canada's LGBTQ2+ Archives' National Portrait Collection. She was also awarded an honorary Doctorate of Laws by

Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a public research university in British Columbia, Canada, with three campuses, all in Greater Vancouver: Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, and Vancouver. The main Burnaby campus on Burnaby Mountain, located ...

in 2004,"That’s Dr Fuller"
. ''

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 p ...

'', June 10, 2004. the inaugural Reg Robson Award from the

British Columbia Civil Liberties Association The British Columbia Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) is an autonomous, non-partisan charitable society that seeks to "promote, defend, sustain, and extend civil liberties and human rights." It works towards achieving this purpose through li ...

in 1997,"Reg Robson Award Recipients"
BC Civil Liberties Association. the Freedom to Read Award from the

Writers' Union of Canada The Writers' Union of Canada (TWUC), founded in 1973, describes itself as supporting "the country's authors by advocating for their rights, freedoms, and economic well-being." Its members are professional writers who must have published at least o ...

in 2002,"Freedom To Read Award"

. as well as awards from numerous women's and LGBT organizations.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fuller, Janine 1958 births Canadian LGBT rights activists Artists from Toronto Artists from Vancouver Businesspeople from Toronto Businesspeople from Vancouver Canadian women dramatists and playwrights Canadian non-fiction writers Canadian feminist writers Canadian women artists Canadian lesbian writers Lambda Literary Award winners Writers from Toronto Writers from Vancouver Living people Lesbian artists Lesbian feminists Feminist artists Canadian LGBT businesspeople Canadian LGBT dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Canadian women writers Canadian women in business Canadian women non-fiction writers Lesbian dramatists and playwrights