Ted northe

ted northe (September 13, 1939 – March 30, 2014) was a Canadian drag queen and gay civil rights activist. He advocated for the decriminalization of homosexuality in Canada in the 1950s and 1960s.

Background Born in Edmonton, Alberta, Northe grew up in Cooking Lake, Alberta. When he grew older he moved to America where he had hoped to pursue education to become a nurse. In America, Northe began to develop his activism through the connections he made in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Portland. and was crowned as the Empress of Canada by the Rose Court in 1964 and held the title until his death in 2014.

Career

Activism His activism was initially inspired by the Black civil rights movement happening in America. At this protest, and subsequent events, Northe would always attend in full drag, due to the attention gathered by the then-illegal act of dressing up in drag.

During the 1960s, Northe helped organize a national letter writing campaign, that caught the attention of both NDP leader Tommy Douglas, and Justice Minister then Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau. Having caught the attention of two prominent politicians, he was able to help advocate for the decriminalization of homosexuality. During his time as Empress of Canada he helped raise over ten million dollars for different charities.