Our Mission

The ArQuives was established in 1973 and is one of the largest independent LGBTQ2+ archives in the world. Registered as a non-profit charitable organization, our mandate is to collect and share information and materials in any medium, by and about lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, gender-diverse, and queer individuals, primarily produced in or concerning Canada.

About Us

The holdings of The ArQuives include personal and organizational records, vertical files, a photographic collection (20,000+), moving images, posters, audiotapes, cartographic and architectural plans, works of art and artifacts (including t-shirts, buttons, matchbooks and banners). The ArQuives unite artworks and cultural artifacts, people and things, in ways that are atypical for most archival repositories.

Our National Portrait Collection was established in 1998 and the collection has grown to 75 portraits. The collection is regularly exhibited in our home in Toronto.

The ArQuives is recognized globally as a significant resource for LGBTQ2+ documentary heritage. Each year, the ArQuives serves over 38,000 visitors, from across Canada and all parts of the world. including academic researchers, legal researchers, cultural producers, educators, and members of the public.