“The history of Gay publishing in Calgary goes at least as far back as the middle of the ‘70s”
– Wynne McCumber, February 1995, Clue magazine.
From Gay Moods to the first Gay Calgary, through Gay Horizons, 10 Percent Review, Lavender Times and many more, gay publications in Calgary have a long heritage. In more recent memory, there was Clue magazine.
Back in 1992, The Crying Game was in cinemas, Absolutely Fabulous first appeared on TV, and in music, Nirvana’s album Nevermind was released. It was in this world, 17 years ago, that Clue burst onto the scene, providing information and commentary to Calgary’s GBLT community until the early months of 1995.
Johann Cluett was the magazine’s publisher for the majority of its run. “The idea for creating Clue came about as a result of the demise of the Alberta Gay and Lesbian Press (AGLP)” he said. “I didn’t feel at the time that it was right that the community didn’t have a means for getting the word out. I also happened to have picked up some desktop publishing skills in previous work I had done and…I thought creating a modest newspaper would be something I could sink my teeth into. It turned out that keeping it ‘modest’ was difficult because it was tough to strike a balance between just giving the facts about what was going on and having enough of the right content to keep people interested.”
What is interesting is seeing the changes to people, organizations, and businesses from when Clue published to current day. For example, while some writers for Clue have moved away (Don Bastian), others have come to work for this magazine (Stephen Lock).
Business-wise, the magazine sported ads for B & B Leatherworks, A Woman’s Place Bookstore, Boystown Metro, Off Centre, 318 Private Club, Trax, and Grabbajabba, all of which are gone now. However, a local B&B - Westways - opened up during Clue’s run and is has been operating to this day. As for community organizations, former ones include the Rocky Mountain Singers, Camp 181, and Club Calgary. Organizations in Clue’s listings still operating today include ARGRA (then known as AGRA), Apollo, and ISCCA.
The day-to-day changes in our community were accompanied with political changes as well. Besides the bigger Human Rights issue represented by the Delwin Vriend case, Clue reported on the election of a gay man and a lesbian to Edmonton City Council. They were, respectively, Michael Phair and Sherry McKibben.
Sadly, not all things changed over the years. There is one constant: this province electing a Conservative government. However, while the Dianne Miroshs and Ernie Isleys of the 1990s were blatantly open about their homophobia, since then the Right (at least in Canada) has learned to keep their mouths shut. Still, reading and revisiting some of the vitriol spewing from certain politicians was eye-opening.
Given that in the world of 1992, homophobia was still overt, it is surprising Johann didn’t face any backlash from the printer or the public. The printer never had any problems with the magazine content, and the only stipulation was that he had to pay for the print run upon pickup - no credit extended: “(it) was pretty tricky sometimes as our cash flow was always problematic and more than once we needed to dip into a personal line of credit to get a particular issue out in time.”
As for problems with distribution spots or people destroying magazines, that too never cropped up. Johann’s partner Hollister was responsible for distribution, with the magazines going to advertisers and all the obvious locations. Hollister did get creative in where he sent the magazines; however the only complaint was from a small town in Ontario.
I found this smooth sailing surprising; especially after reading Clue’s local and international news from 17 years ago. In 1992, some of the tactics of the Right wing were abhorrent compared to what is currently allowed to happen (openly) in Canada. Possibly because of the limited time that it existed, it didn’t attract the wrong kind of attention. Johann also thinks because the magazine was so small, “they (the Religious Right) mostly ignored us or barely knew we existed. I don’t recall that we ever got a nasty letter or death threats. Besides, our mandate was never to be politically provocative, but to be a means for people to express their own outrage over the issues of the day. We simply wanted to be available to the community in a way that helped them communicate and organize with each other.“
Over the three years it was published, I asked Johann if there were any regrets. “I never regret.” He said. “Life is meant to be experienced and the only thing you’re obligated to do is to make mistakes and learn from them.” He was proud and happy of what Clue did accomplish in its time, and the people it touched: “We got to know some incredible people, and my eyes were widened by the experience. I know for a fact that what we did influenced people, and knowing that, perhaps we did something that actually advanced our cause even a little bit.”
Alas, Clue did not last long. Late in 1994 a new business partner allowed Johann to hand off the responsibilities of the magazine’s day-to-day management. It eked out a few issues in 1995 before shutting down. There were various reasons for Clue’s demise. “Part of it was never being able to charge enough to advertisers, let alone having enough of them to cover the basic operating costs and what were arguably slave wages…We also ended up with quite a number of deadbeat advertisers that forced us to draw on personal lines of credit to put an issue out. You could argue that it was because of a recession that was going on at the time, but by the time we finished, I had my personal line of credit and a couple of credit cards maxed out to over $20,000. I was also pretty burned out from the whole experience as I was also working full time and the whole enterprise was causing too much tension between Hollister and I.”
Yet as Johann looks at 2009 in comparison to the world of 1992, he does have some hope. He agrees the GBLT community in the Canada is in a better place; conversely he also believes “bigotry and homophobia is very much alive and well – it’s just that it has gone underground; which in some ways makes it more insidious. But you know, I think on average society as whole has come a long way in meeting us half way, even if specific people or governments haven’t. I also have a lot of hope for the future as the old attitudes appear to literally be dying off and the new ones seem to be a lot more willing to confront the mollified bigotry that exists today.”
Whatever your memories are of Clue, you must acknowledge its place in our past. At one point as I sat in the archives at the Glenbow Museum, pouring over back issues, classical music started playing on my mp3 player. I experienced a weird disconnect and revelation: I held an actual slice of history in my hands…even though it was within my lifetime, even though it was only 17 years ago, even though the events at the time – to me – seem like they happened yesterday. Johann said that you need some years behind you to give you perspective. Not to cheapen some of the bigger battles our community has won over the last 40-50 years, but sometimes the more important history happens here, now, right under our noses; and it only takes the distance of a few years to realize it.
