LGBTQ+ History in Vancouver

Gone are the days when city tours were only for top tourist attractions. Today, there’s a tour for every niche, and travelers are increasingly seeking them out to help orient themselves to new cities with immersive entertainment and education. With LGBTQ+ issues at the forefront of many cultural conversations, and LGBTQ+ history finally beginning to be researched and acknowledged, LGBTQ+ history tours are popping up in major cities worldwide, including Vancouver.

Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours offers an extensively researched and entertainingly presented LGBTQ2+ history tour of the city starting with First Nations two-spirit history (if you’re not Canadian, that’s the “2” you may not have recognized from “LGBTQ2+”) and reaching present day. Unlike many similarly billed tours, The Really Gay History Tour actually includes every letter (and number) of the acronym, widening the appeal and acknowledging all members of the community. Guide and creator Glenn Tkach, clad entirely in pink from head to toe (yes, that includes hat and shoes), provides three hours of enlightenment on a tour that will quickly orient you to areas of Vancouver you’ll want to visit during your stay, including Davie Village, the six-block gayborhood located in the West End. Look out for the world’s first permanent rainbow crosswalks where you’ll surely want to take a selfie (and no one blames you).

Tours run Sunday afternoons for $35 CAD (about $26 USD at time of writing) and can be booked here.