New exhibit explores decades of Ottawa drag and queer history

Advertisement 1 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Breadcrumb Trail Links HomeLifeNewsLocal News New exhibit explores decades of Ottawa drag and queer history Carleton University students dug through decades of photographs to uncover some of the people and stories behind Ottawa’s queer history Author of the article: By Michael McBean Published Aug 25, 2026 Last updated 2 hours ago 5 minute read Join the conversation "For other drag performers like myself, it is so inspiring to know that there has been so much drag in the city," Morgan Mercury said. PHOTO BY JEAN LEVAC /Postmedia Article content When Morgan Mercury looks at photographs of queer people in Ottawa from decades ago, the faces may be different and the clothes belong to another era, but something feels familiar. Article content “This would have been us,” the local drag performer said. “It’s us living here in the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s.” Article content Article content As Capital Pride week unfolds, that connection between generations is at the heart of Drag The Archive: Photographs of Gender Queer Performance, an exhibition at the City of Ottawa Archives in Nepean that brings photographs of drag, queer nightlife and political activism out of archival collections and onto gallery walls. Article content Article content Drag The Archive: Photographs of Gender Queer Performance brings photographs of drag, queer nightlife and political activism out of archival collections and onto gallery walls. PHOTO BY JEAN LEVAC /Postmedia Article content Developed by Carleton University students in partnership with the City of Ottawa’s equity team and archives, the exhibition draws primarily from the collections of photographer and queer-rights activist Philip Hannan and Paul “Peaches Latour” Fournier, one of Ottawa’s best-known drag performers. Article content The Evening Citizen The Ottawa Citizen’s best journalism, delivered directly to your inbox by 7 p.m. on weekdays. Sign Up By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Article content James Opp, a Carleton history professor, said the project began as a third-year history practicum in which students complete a hands-on project with an organization outside the university. Article content Most of the exhibition’s photographs come from Hannan, whose records had recently arrived at the archives and had not yet been fully…