A clear message of connection, collaboration, and community is necessary to the success of this initiative and making the BC Gay and Lesbian Archives and City of Vancouver Archives a cornerstone of Pride going forward. It should encourage engagement with the community and city’s past through education and entertainment not only for those within the LGBT2QIA+ community, but those allied with or curious about it. Displaying the storied history of the community and allowing the next generation of queer youth to see it and connect with a past they have been otherwise denied in mass media will encourage a deeper engagement with the Vancouver LGBT2QIA+ community, its establishments, organizations, and activism. The importance of this online campaign and in-person event as it relates to the LGBT2QIA+ youth, the established community, and their allies must be at the forefront of this initiative and its message. The safety of this community is also of utmost importance, and at no point should this event or its participants go out of their way to engage with opponents or detractors of the LGBT2QIA+ community, even in good faith.
AUDIENCE
The social media aspect of this event will be aimed at broader British Columbia youth, the LGBT2QIA+ community and its allies. The campaign will focus on eye-catching and conversation-starting images from the BC Gay and Lesbian Archives, including digital copies of posters, flyers, ‘zines and photographs. Members of the LGBT2QIA+ community will feel a connection to the history of their community, both local and found. The use of drag queens in particular will draw attention and use the current cultural interest in drag to encourage engagement from those outside the community.
RESEARCH
In the age of social media and in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, connection on an in-person level is more relevant than ever. Particularly for those identifying with and a part of the LGBT2QIA+ community, this local and in-person community has been substituted out for an online community and global engagement. In an effort to promote connection and collaboration with local community these same channels can be utilized to reach this audience where they already perceive community. For this younger target demographic, Sprout Social indicates Instagram and TikTok as the most relevant channels. TikTok in particular has various niche LGBT2QIA+ communities, accessible through the native tagging system within the application. This would make it easy to target both the broader LGBT2QIA+ community, as well as specific groups within the community being highlighted by this initiative.
Social media platforms such as Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) will be used to connect with older demographics and those less likely to be part of the community, as indicated by Sprout Social’s 2024 statistics. Mirrored posts from Instagram on Facebook will make this a more feasible operation.
SPOKESPEOPLE
As this campaign aims to engage with a younger demographic, it is not in its best interest to rely on archivists or officials to be the face of this campaign. While their involvement will be integral to ensure correct information is used, it is more appropriate to seek out the voices of queer activists, drag queens, and other members of the community that the 18-29 year old demographic will be more likely to identify with. With particular regards to TikTok and video content, it is important that those chosen to speak on behalf of the campaign and BCGLA are relatable, engaging, and, most importantly, diverse figures. Ideal candidates will be women, people of colour, and transgender members of the LGBT2QIA+ community. This ensures the appearance of a commitment to diversity within the community and its archive. Older drag queens will also be necessary for consideration, as their insight into the community, as well as their larger than life personalities, will spark engagement. Personal testimonials from the chosen spokespeople posted on Instagram, Facebook reels, and TikTok will further this narrative of diversity, community, and a rich LGBT2QIA+ history in Vancouver.
CONTENT
The bulk of the online campaign will consist of images from the BCGLA resources that have been digitized posted with a caption for context across Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and Facebook. Video content would be uploaded to Instagram stories, Facebook reels, and primarily TikTok. Other video content on TikTok would include personal testimonials from members of the LGBT2QIA+ community local to or living in Vancouver, as well as spliced together videos from existing archived video from the drag and bar scene with current video footage from drag nights and gay bars across Vancouver to cross-promote affiliated establishments while highlighting that “history is here” and not a nebulous concept. As it gets closer to Pride month (June) there will be a focus on the in-person exhibit and event, promoting it via the same channels through digital posters mocked up to look like archived posters shown earlier in the campaign as well as video endorsements from our spokespeople.
The in-person event will be a week long exhibit in Vancouver’s West End, with select pieces of the BCGLA collection on display and notable members of the community invited to attend and mingle with those who attend to foster that sense of collaboration and connection.
CALENDAR
With the press release slated for early April, this gives the campaign a two-month period of consistent posting in preparation for June. Image-based posts should be posted once daily across the specified channels in April and May. Videos in this period should be posted three times a week, on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. In June, image-based posting should be bolstered with an additional post each day, with at least six of those posts directly advertising the in-person event. The video schedule will remain unchanged until the event begins, when videos taken at the event and with notable members of the community will be posted daily.
CONCLUSION
Through the online campaign and in-person exhibit, this initiative should give those in Vancouver and broader British Columbia the chance to engage with and connect to the past of one of the city’s most vibrant communities and its history.