George Hislop
George Hislop (June 3, 1927 – October 8, 2005) was one of Canada’s most influential gay activists. He was one of the earliest openly gay candidates for political office in Canada, and was a key figure in the early development of Toronto’s gay community.
George Hislop (June 3, 1927 – October 8, 2005) was one of Canada’s most influential gay activists. He was one of the earliest openly gay candidates for political office in Canada, and was a key figure in the early development of Toronto’s gay community.
Hislop studied speech and drama at the Banff School of Fine Arts, graduating in 1949. He subsequently worked as an actor, and ran an interior design company with his partner, Ron Shearer.
Hislop met Shearer in 1958 and the couple remained together until Shearer’s death in 1986. In 1971, Hislop co-founded the Community Homophile Association of Toronto, one of Canada’s first organizations for gays and lesbians.
On August 28, 1971, he was also an organizer of We Demand, the first Canadian gay rights demonstration on Parliament Hill. In 1980, Hislop ran for Toronto City Council. The following year, Hislop ran in the 1981 provincial election as an independent candidate in St. George to protest against the 1981 Toronto bathhouse raids. Hislop was himself charged as a result of these raids, as part-owner of the Barracks bathhouse.
He placed fourth with 2,677 votes (9.3% of the total), a strong finish for an independent candidate. In 2003, Hislop was nominated for the Order of Ontario by George Smitherman. Hislop was the grand marshal of Toronto’s Pride parade, and in 2005, Hislop was the first-ever recipient of the International Lesbian and Gay Law Association’s Karl Heinrich Ulrichs Award in honour of his contributions to the advancement of LGBTQ2+ equality in Canada, and was cited by federal New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton as an important influence on Layton’s support of LGBTQ2+ issues.
Upon his passing, Eye Weekly referred to Hislop as “the unofficial mayor of the Toronto gay community”. In October 2005, just one week after his death, Hislop was posthumously awarded the inaugural Jonathan R. Steinert and Fernando G. Ferreiro Award, Canada’s largest award for contributions to LGBTQ2+ communities.
The $12,500 award, established by the Lesbian and Gay Community Appeal Foundation, would be given to Hislop’s estate. A park in the city’s Church and Wellesley neighbourhood is also named in Hislop’s honour.
In honour of his role as a significant builder of queer culture and history in Canada, a portrait of Hislop by artist Norman Hatton is held by The ArQuives: Canada’s LGBTQ2+ Archives’ National Portrait Collection.