Gay rights pioneer and organizer of the first Pride march in Montreal, John Banks, died last Sunday at the age of 80.
This early activist died almost 45 years to the day after organizing, on June 16, 1979, the first march aimed at asserting the rights of LGBTQ+ communities.
It was during a trip to Vancouver in 1964 that John Banks witnessed a march of this kind for the very first time.
“It was the first time we had a demonstration there,” explains John Banks in a video interview from the collection of the Archives gayes du Québec (AGQ). “It made us feel so free to walk down the street with a group of people. »
In 1979, it was 10 years since the famous Stonewall Inn riots in New York, which marked the fight for the rights of LGBTQ+ people. It was then that John Banks came across a newspaper article which mentioned a group of gays celebrating the 10th anniversary of this major event. He therefore made it his mission to do the same thing here in Quebec.
“I suggested to a few friends […] we didn’t have big flags yet, explains John Banks in the video. So I sewed two pieces of fabric together, made a triangle that I colored pink. It was fun to walk down the street and still be proud and capable of doing it. »
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE GAYS ARCHIVES OF QUÉBEC
On the left, John Banks accompanied by other people gathered at Saint-Louis Square during the first Pride march
It was at Saint-Louis Square that 52 people gathered for the very first Montreal Pride. The following year, 250 people marched on Duluth Street between Saint-Denis and Saint-Hubert streets.
“A giant who has left us”
For the general director of the Pride Montreal organization, Simon Gamache, John Banks is above all “an inspiration” for the Pride movement.
“He carried this movement with the Collectif Rose. He is a giant who left us a few days ago,” says Simon Gamache. “I always tell my teams that we must not forget the spirit of what John Banks created in 1979.”
Since 2019, Fierté Montréal has awarded the John Banks Prize each year to people who have contributed to the development of the Pride movement in Montreal.
Far from the 52 people in June 1979, nearly 450,000 people gathered last year at the Olympic Park for Pride, including 215,000 people in the parade.
“John personified visibility [des personnes LGBTQ+] and, 45 years later, there are setbacks in rights [des personnes LGBTQ+], says Simon Gamache. The question of visibility is still a question at the moment as is the case for the visibility of trans people. »
Fierté Montréal is currently considering a way to honor him during this year’s Pride celebrations in August.
“We will definitely think of him during the minute of silence,” says Simon Gamache.
The mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante, also paid tribute to the Montreal activist.
“In Montreal, we have Pride and the parade is huge […] it’s thanks to people like Mr. Banks, said the mayor. We tend to forget that, when they started, these people had a lot of courage to be in the streets and to be who they are, while demanding to be respected. »
Valérie Plante affirmed that the name of John Banks will be in the bank of names used for the toponymy of the City.