Ted Northe (September 13, 1939 – March 30, 2014) was a Canadian

drag queen A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses Drag (entertainment), drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate Femininity, female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have ...

and gay civil rights activist. He advocated for the decriminalization of homosexuality in Canada in the 1950s and 1960s. In 2017, ted northe Lane in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

became named after him.

Background

Born in

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

, northe grew up in Cooking Lake, Alberta. When he grew older he moved to America where he had hoped to pursue education to become a nurse. In America, northe began to develop his activism through the connections he made in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Portland. Portland is where northe became involved with the

Imperial Court System The International Imperial Court System (IICS) also known as the International Court System is one of the oldest and largest LGBT organizations in the world. The Imperial Court System is a grassroots network of organizations that works to build ...

and was crowned as the Empress of Canada by the Rose Court in 1964 and held the title until his death in 2014.

Career

Activism

His activism was initially inspired by the Black civil rights movement happening in America. On August 18, 1958 northe organized his first protest on the steps of the Vancouver court house; in total there were five protesters. At this protest, and subsequent events, Northe would always attend in full drag, due to the attention gathered by the then-illegal act of dressing up in drag. In order to avoid arrest he would wear the qualifying three pieces of men's clothing by stuffing his bra with two separate pairs of men's socks, and men's underwear. During the 1960s, Northe helped organize a national letter writing campaign, that caught the attention of both NDP leader

Tommy Douglas Thomas Clement Douglas (20 October 1904 – 24 February 1986) was a Scottish-born Canadian politician who served as the seventh premier of Saskatchewan from 1944 to 1961 and leader of the New Democratic Party from 1961 to 1971. A Bap ...

, and Justice Minister then Prime Minister

Pierre Elliot Trudeau Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau (October 18, 1919 – September 28, 2000) was a Canadian politician, statesman, and lawyer who served as the 15th prime minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and from 1980 to 1984. Between his no ...

. Having caught the attention of two prominent politicians, he was able to help advocate for the decriminalization of homosexuality. Once

bill C-150 Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Plac ...

was passed in 1969, Trudeau, called Northe infamously requesting to speak with "Your majesty".

Drag

In the 1971, Northe founded the first Canadian Chapter of the

in Vancouver. The Imperial Court System is a non-profit organization and safe haven for the queer community. As northe was crowned the empress of Canada in 1964 to formation of the courts of Canada was a natural next step During his time as Empress of Canada he helped raise over ten million dollars for different charities.

Notes

References

1939 births 2014 deaths Activists from Alberta Canadian drag queens Canadian civil rights activists Canadian LGBTQ rights activists 20th-century Canadian LGBTQ people 21st-century Canadian LGBTQ people {{Canada-activist-stub Drag performers from Vancouver People from Strathcona County Drag performers from Edmonton Drag performers from Alberta