Members of the 9th Canadian Field Ambulance Comedy Corps and the Dumbells pose together, 1917/1918. Toronto Reference Library, Digital Archives.
Aly Firth is an MA student in History at Wilfrid Laurier University. They earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Wilfrid Laurier University. Their SSHRC-funded research focuses on drag performance, sexuality, morality, and diverse masculinities in the Canadian Expeditionary Forces during the First World War. Firth has significant experience working as an archivist and presenter in museums. Along with their current project, Firth focuses more widely on queer and disability histories in twentieth-century Canada.
Description
Aly Firth offers an assessment of transgender roles and crossdressing in performances for the troops during the First World War.
The myth of a singular masculine identity during the First World War endures in the literature, where wartime heroism is strongly associated with the brave, heteronormative, masculine soldier. However, in the horrors of trench warfare, gender expression cannot be simplified to a single stereotype, as the inherent need for morale and patriotism opened a space for men to explore more feminine gender roles that challenged this monolithic model of identity.
This talk examines the role patriotism played in defying gendered expectations through drag performance. Stories of queer soldiers’ convictions and performances of ‘patriotic drag’ from the Dumbells showcase how the war blurred the lines of gender roles and sexuality in a period contextualized by a change in stoic Victorian masculinity and coloured by intense emotional experiences.
Event details
Doors open at 6:30 pm and the presentation starts at 7:00 pm, followed by a question period.
The lecture premieres in-person at the Guelph Civic Museum, and online via their Facebook livestream. The recorded conversation will be available on Facebook, YouTube, and the Museum Everywhere Portal. Guelph Museums’ Military Lecture series is presented in partnership with the Laurier Centre for the Study of Canada.