Historical Synopsis

In May 1959, Québec’s conservative Premier, Maurice Duplessis, used political pressure to get a Montréal dive bar’s liquor license revoked. Located in the Villeray neighborhood, it was known to attract people with radical politics and/or alternative lifestyles as a large portion of its clientele. The revocation came into effect on June 1; however, the bar had refused to cease operating as-was. Several days passed without enforcement, but after midnight on June 6, the weekend had begun, and the cops decided to move in. It wasn’t long before they were met with resistance - so much so that they were forced to retreat. Soon, large swaths of the neighborhood were turned into anarchist communes, with several queer anarchists taking a leading role in their formation. By the end of the month, the communes stretched as far as the Rivière des Prairies in the Cartierville neighborhood. Multiple police offensives were repelled throughout June and July. Things were at a standstill by the beginning of August.

As the standoff continued, a local English-language newspaper entered the new autonomous zone and got a hold of a few of the key participants in order to interview them. When asked what organization they were representing, one of them declared, “there is no organization; we represent the people of GLBT.” Not long afterward, the Premier perished of natural causes, and his successors initiated the Quiet Revolution, which transformed the society of Québec. Despite this, a de facto nation remains within Montréal even today. Its origins are often compared and contrasted with New York’s Stonewall riots that occurred approximately a decade after its founding, which did not result in the formation of communes.

Despite its name, the majority of residents were not GLBT at the time of its founding, although over time, the percentage would rise significantly; however, there is still a significant minority who do not identify as such.