Pop-up exhibit called 'Love in a Dangerous Time' debuts at Calgary Central Library

Calgary Pride Week has kicked off and a new pop-up exhibit called Love in a Dangerous Time, meant to educate and inspire, has debuted at the Central Library.

The travelling exhibit speaks to decades of human-rights violations against 2SLGBTQI+ Canadians who wanted to serve their community.

Referred to as the LGBT Purge, the Canadian government is said to have investigated, harassed and fired members of the Canadian Armed Forces, RCMP and federal public service employees who identified as 2SLGBTQI+.

In 2016, purge survivors launched a class-action lawsuit and won in a historic settlement.

That led to the LGBT Purge Fund, which worked with the Canadian Museum for Human Rights to develop the exhibit.

"This is a particular story in our history as a country that very few people know and the opportunity to think about how government and workplaces can change our lives by the way they welcome us or reject us for who we are is really, really critically important in 2024," said Matthew Cutler with the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

"It's wonderful to see this exhibit come to fruition," said Wayne Davis, LGBT Purge Fund board member and a purge survivor.

"I'm very impressed by the exhibit because it is more than the purge. It continues on to tell the story of where young people are going today, where the queer community is stepping forward.

"It's a continuing challenge to keep discrimination at bay."

The exhibit will be on display at the Central Library until the end of September.

Admission is free.