In the 1970s and ‘80s the Brunswick House was a raucous tavern and community hot spot for University of Toronto students and the Annex neighborhood denizens. On Saturday, January 5, 1974 - Pat Murphy, Sue Wells, Lamar Van Dyke, and Adrienne Rosen went to the tavern for a few beers and fun. At one point, they received unwanted attention from a man who had had a little too much to drink, they asked him to go away and asked the manager to deal with it.
It was open-mic night, everyone was welcome to get up on stage and perform. A perfect opportunity to respond to the unwanted attention, so they signed up. When it was their turn to take the stage, the three (Pat, Lamar & Adrienne) hopped up and sang out “I Enjoy Being a Dyke,” their rendition of Rogers’ and Hammerstein’s pop-culture tune “I Enjoy Being a Girl.” The crowd loved it, cheered, and called out for more … but before they were finished the first verse the manager cut off the power to the microphone. With the audience’s enthusiasm and encouragement, the three women unapologetically ended their set with their last verse:
“I’ve always been an uppity woman
I refuse to run – I stand and strike
Cuz I’m gay and I’m proud and I’m angry
And I enjoy being a Dyke”
Before they got off the stage the police were called to stop a “Lesbian Riot” … Pat, Sue, Heather, and Adrianne were then confronted by 8 male police officers. What happened next was a series of events that would capture the attention of the mainstream media. For the first time in Canada, a national conversation about queer and lesbian discrimination was started.
Activities:
Having a Voice:
1) In breakout groups of four choose a familiar current pop song that you know – re-write the first verse with words that express your experience / point of view about a current pressing issue – the environment, diversity … Sing the new lyrics to the melody of the original song.
Media Literacy:
2) In breakout groups of four each pick one of the articles covering the Brunswick Four and deconstruct the articles point of view on the subject, what seems to be missing and what is highlighted in the reporting …
