FRIENDS
Fondé en décembre 1975 par Guy, roy, Ron et Mac, leur politique étaient basée sur l'amitié sincère, celle qui les encourage à demeurer petit en nombre, l'expérience ayant démontré qu'il est facile de prétendre, mais tellement plus gratifiant d'être une ami.
À leurs débuts ils ont organisé plusieurs Runs, Beer Bash et autres activités. Ils furent les premiers à tenir des Club Nite à Montréal.
Depuis, devant la proliférations des clubs et des fêtes de tous genres, ils essayent d'encourager les efforts déployés par les clubs frères plutôt que d'ajouter à un calendrier déjà bien garni.
Leurs armoiries représent d'une façon picturale leur devise: La Force et la Sagesse à travers l'Amitié.
Article de la revue Sortie Juillet-Août 1988
À leurs débuts ils ont organisé plusieurs Runs, Beer Bash et autres activités. Ils furent les premiers à tenir des Club Nite à Montréal.
Depuis, devant la proliférations des clubs et des fêtes de tous genres, ils essayent d'encourager les efforts déployés par les clubs frères plutôt que d'ajouter à un calendrier déjà bien garni.
Leurs armoiries représent d'une façon picturale leur devise: La Force et la Sagesse à travers l'Amitié.
Article de la revue Sortie Juillet-Août 1988
Ottawa Knights
Wearing leather with pride since 1975 The Ottawa Knights were born in the back of a bus in July 1975. A group of friends, returning to Ottawa from a leather weekend in Montreal, decided it was time Ottawa had a leather club of its own. After all, a lot of familiar faces were turning at Bud's, Montreal's one and only leather bar.
We had our first meeting that August. Al H. joined two weeks later and has been a member ever since. The Knights didn't waste any time. By the end of September, we'd already organized a weekend run near Perth - an event that included a bonfire, so big that neighbouring farmers thought a barn was on fire.
That first year also saw our first bar night, held at Valentino's in Hull. In the years that followed, Ottawa Knights bar knights have been an important social event for Ottawa's gay community. Quite a few people have discovered an interest in leather at one of them. We turned up at most Ottawa bars at least once, but didn't find a real home until 1991, when we adopted Centretown Pub as our home bar. That fall, we launched a monthly bar night schedule that continues today. Not long after, we made Ed and Wayne, the owners of "CP", Honourary Members, and they repaid the favour by creating Cell Block on the top floor of CP, Ottawa's first (and still only) real leather bar.
Our bar nights are the major social event for Ottawa's leather community, but they're more than just an excuse to get out and party. They also serve as an opportunity to raise money for the club, the local GLBT community and AIDS-related charities. Our most popular and best-known charity event is "Toys for Tots". First held in 1977, this annual Christmas toy drive collects toys and cash donations for underprivileged children. In 1982, we began delivering donations to a social service agency in an Ottawa Valley town. As Barry T, a longtime member of the club recalls, "The first year we went to their office, they had hardly anything there. We walked in with this huge carload of toys, and pretty soon the ladies in the office were crying, we were crying - it was just incredible." We've gone back every year since.
Since we got our start on the road, it's not surprising that we'd turn out to be frequent travelers. Our familiar back patch and burgundy shirt are frequently seen in Toronto, Montreal, northern New York, and sometimes even further afield. We've attended events all across Canada and the U.S. and have even turned up in Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa. The most important thing about traveling isn't where we go, however, but whom we meet there. Being in a leather club gives us a unique opportunity to meet other people who share common (and not so common) interests. We've made a lot of friends, both GDI's and members of other clubs
We wanted to give our out-of-town friends a reason to visit Ottawa, so in 1992, we launched the annual Mr. Leather Ottawa-Hull competition. From a one-night affair in a community centre basement, it has grown to become one of Canada's biggest and best leather events. It has gained an international reputation, both for the entertainment value of the event itself and for the quality of the men chosen as titleholders.
A lot has changed in 29 years. When the Ottawa Knights began, homosexuality had only just been decriminalized in Canada, and simply being gay - never mind being into leather - was enough to cost you your job. The club was a secretive and private affair. Today, same-sex couples enjoy the same benefits and protections as common-law couples. Members of the Ottawa Knights are respected leaders in Ottawa's gay community, and are often interviewed by the mainstream media.
Some things haven't changed, however. It's still all about brotherhood - about finding friends who share our interests and learning to embrace who we are. Twenty-nine years after that bus trip from Montreal, the Ottawa Knights are still going strong and bigger than it's ever been. Thanks for being here to help us celebrate this special anniversary.
We had our first meeting that August. Al H. joined two weeks later and has been a member ever since. The Knights didn't waste any time. By the end of September, we'd already organized a weekend run near Perth - an event that included a bonfire, so big that neighbouring farmers thought a barn was on fire.
That first year also saw our first bar night, held at Valentino's in Hull. In the years that followed, Ottawa Knights bar knights have been an important social event for Ottawa's gay community. Quite a few people have discovered an interest in leather at one of them. We turned up at most Ottawa bars at least once, but didn't find a real home until 1991, when we adopted Centretown Pub as our home bar. That fall, we launched a monthly bar night schedule that continues today. Not long after, we made Ed and Wayne, the owners of "CP", Honourary Members, and they repaid the favour by creating Cell Block on the top floor of CP, Ottawa's first (and still only) real leather bar.
Our bar nights are the major social event for Ottawa's leather community, but they're more than just an excuse to get out and party. They also serve as an opportunity to raise money for the club, the local GLBT community and AIDS-related charities. Our most popular and best-known charity event is "Toys for Tots". First held in 1977, this annual Christmas toy drive collects toys and cash donations for underprivileged children. In 1982, we began delivering donations to a social service agency in an Ottawa Valley town. As Barry T, a longtime member of the club recalls, "The first year we went to their office, they had hardly anything there. We walked in with this huge carload of toys, and pretty soon the ladies in the office were crying, we were crying - it was just incredible." We've gone back every year since.
Since we got our start on the road, it's not surprising that we'd turn out to be frequent travelers. Our familiar back patch and burgundy shirt are frequently seen in Toronto, Montreal, northern New York, and sometimes even further afield. We've attended events all across Canada and the U.S. and have even turned up in Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa. The most important thing about traveling isn't where we go, however, but whom we meet there. Being in a leather club gives us a unique opportunity to meet other people who share common (and not so common) interests. We've made a lot of friends, both GDI's and members of other clubs
We wanted to give our out-of-town friends a reason to visit Ottawa, so in 1992, we launched the annual Mr. Leather Ottawa-Hull competition. From a one-night affair in a community centre basement, it has grown to become one of Canada's biggest and best leather events. It has gained an international reputation, both for the entertainment value of the event itself and for the quality of the men chosen as titleholders.
A lot has changed in 29 years. When the Ottawa Knights began, homosexuality had only just been decriminalized in Canada, and simply being gay - never mind being into leather - was enough to cost you your job. The club was a secretive and private affair. Today, same-sex couples enjoy the same benefits and protections as common-law couples. Members of the Ottawa Knights are respected leaders in Ottawa's gay community, and are often interviewed by the mainstream media.
Some things haven't changed, however. It's still all about brotherhood - about finding friends who share our interests and learning to embrace who we are. Twenty-nine years after that bus trip from Montreal, the Ottawa Knights are still going strong and bigger than it's ever been. Thanks for being here to help us celebrate this special anniversary.