Challenging the Conspiracy of Silence:
My Life As a Canadian Gay Activist

Jim Egan
Compiled and edited by Donald W. McLeod

Jim Egan (1921-2000) was one of the most significant figures in the history of Canadian social activism. In 1948 he began writing letters to the editor to protest sensational or misleading articles on homosexuality that appeared in the mainstream press. Egan was determined to challenge the conspiracy of silence that had formed around the true nature of homosexuality. He undertook this campaign at a time when there was no organized gay movement in North America. Soon Egan was writing series of articles on aspects of homosexuality and corresponding with some of the earliest gay activists. Egan likely expected that his activism would face victories and defeats, but could hardly imagine that it would extend into the 1990s.

Published in 1998
$15.00
160 pages
6 x 9 inches, paper
45 illustrations
ISBN 0-9683829-0-8
Co-published by Homewood Books and
The Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives