JANUARY 5: The Brunswick Four
Four lesbians walk into a bar and take over Open Mike Night.
It sounds like the beginning of a joke, but it's a real thing, and what happened is credited by gay historian Tom Warner to be a key moment in the LGBTQ liberation movement in Canada.
The Brunswick House in Toronto, Canada, was one of the city's oldest taverns (it closed in March 2016, after 140 years of business). Michelle Da Silva described it as “a debaucherous beer-fuelled church of bad decisions.” In 1974, it was a "working-class beer hall, frequented by frat brats and engineers" (Queerstory's words).
And then, in walked Heather Beyer, Pat Murphy, Adrienne Potts, and Sue Wells.
When a male customer started annoying them while they were minding their own business over a beer, they decided to participate in amateur night & perform their very own rendition of Rogers and Hammerstein’s “I Enjoy Being a Girl” - appropriately titled “I Enjoy Being A Dyke.” The original song sings the praises of traditional femininity - and you can already guess the turn the remake took. The new lyrics went something like this:
When I see a man who's sexist and does something that I don't like I just tell him he can fuck off I enjoy being a Dyke I've always been an uppity woman I refuse to run - I stand and strike 'Cause I'm gay and I'm proud and I'm angry and I enjoy being a Dyke
According to reports, the audience actually liked it - but the bar’s owner/manager, not so much. He accused them of instigating a “lesbian riot” (lol) and called the cops, who proceeded to physically and verbally harass the four women, as well as deny them their rights. Eventually, three of the Brunswick Four were charged with various crimes, but they received public support throughout their trial. Judy LaMarsh represented them pro bono, a defense fund was created, and according to Pat Murphy in an interview she gave back in 1986:
“The courtroom was packed every day with women. There wasn’t a day they weren’t there to support. Every single day.”
Sisterhood, y’all.
In the end, Beyer & Murphy saw their charges dropped, and Potts served a three-month probation. They later also charged the police with assault, but the officers were acquitted.
All around, the event spurred a renewed surge of activism and strengthened mobilization for LGBTQ rights in the city, and in Canada. This was also one of the first times something related to LGBTQ issues received such extensive press coverage.
Last January, Arshy Mann wrote an article for the Daily Xtra, arguing that, with since the Brunswick House was about to close, Toronto should commemorate in some way the four women who helped spark queer resistance, all the more so as memorials attesting the presence of queer history are few and far between in the Canadian city. Let’s hope the Brunswick Four can at least have a plaque. In the meantime, let’s raise our glass and sing! I enjoy being a Dyke...
- AK