By Kenzie Love
Pansy Club started in Calgary in 2021, inspired by the legacy of previous grassroots queer parties. From modest beginnings, it has since grown to become an important part of the city’s queer culture, with the aim of eventually becoming a queer cafe and social space actually owned by the queer community.
Pansy Club originated as a monthly queer dance party at Kaffee Klatsch, a local cafe which was starting to organize events and performances at the time. Founder Cal Gibbens jumped at the opportunity to stage these events, working with DJs and drag performers over the next couple of years. The event’s success inspired him to begin the process of creating a permanent, independent space for Pansy Club using the worker co-op model, after connecting with others who shared a similar interest.
“A co-operative model really made the most sense, since we don’t believe in hierarchies, and we really wanted something where everybody could be equally involved, or involved in any way that would suit their capacity,” he says. “And it has also allowed us to be very flexible in bringing new people in, getting other people involved, and finding ways to expand our capacity.”
As the Co-op works to create its own space, it has continued to host parties at other venues, doing periodic “cafe takeovers” where it brings in its own programming and menu, and appearing at markets as well. It also benefited from some help with the more practical aspects of running a worker co-op through its participation in CWCF’s Worker Co-op Academy, a source of both learning and connections with the other co-ops in their cohort.
“It was really great seeing what other co-ops are starting to do, what other people are developing,” says Gibbens. “I feel like that was one of the most exciting aspects of that whole experience.”
On a more local level, Gibbens has also appreciated the chance to deepen his connections with Calgary’s LGBTQ2S+ community, something he credits the founding of Pansy Club with doing.
“Before that, I felt a lot more disconnected from the community. I was a part of it, but I wasn’t really sure of my place in it,” he says. “And starting Pansy Club not only gave me a purpose, but also really helped build solidarity and connection and community with other people. I’ve never felt more connected to the community than I do now, and I feel like I’ve also been able to make a significant impact on my local community which has been really rewarding, and really wonderful to see.”
Gibbens acknowledges that Pansy Club’s journey has been slow, and that obtaining the funding to acquire its own space remains a challenge. But he says the pace at which things have moved forward has been a conscious one.
“We’ve taken things, I think, especially slow, because we want to make sure we’re doing things. that we believe in,” he says. “We want to be ethical, we want everybody to feel really good about what we’re doing. And I feel like that’s really important these days.”
In the meantime, the pressing need for spaces such as Pansy Club within Calgary keeps Gibbens going.
“The queer community is under attack,” he says. “The trans community is under attack, and we really need spaces very badly. We need spaces that are run by queer people, for queer people. that are safe, that are third spaces in the community where people can just come and relax and meet and form connections, and do things, and experiment. And those spaces have been dwindling over time.”(Pansy Club can best be followed on Instagram.)