Draft:David Douglas Kelley

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David Douglas Kelley
Born(1951-05-04)May 4, 1951
Aylmer, Quebec, Canada
DiedApril 25, 1996(1996-04-25) (aged 44)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Cause of deathAIDS
NationalityCanadian
OccupationLGBT rights activist
PartnerTom Stewart (1948-2020)

David Douglas Kelley (May 4, 1951 – April 25, 1996) was a Canadian LGBT rights activist and organizer, AIDS educator, and youth worker.[1]

Kelley was co-founder of multiple LGBT organizations and was appointed Executive Director of the Toronto People with AIDS Foundation, the Project Officer with the Ontario Ministry of Health's AIDS Bureau, and Co-chair of the Ontario Advisory Committee on HIV/AIDS.[2]

Kelley was presented with the Honorary Pink Trillium Humanitarian Award.[3] His portrait was inducted into The ArQuives: Canada's LGBTQ2+ Archives National Portrait Collection, and he played the title role in the film Michael, A Gay Son.[1]

Early life and education[edit]

David Douglas Kelley was born in 1951 in Aylmer, Quebec,[1] and he graduated from Carlton University in 1972.[4]

Career[edit]

Kelley started his career in the 1970's at the Youth Services Bureau of Ottawa,[1] and then in 1977, he was a field worker for the Central Toronto Youth Services. In 1982, he began work as a child advocate for the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services.[4]

In 1981, Kelley co-founded the Toronto Counselling Centre for Lesbian & Gays (TCCLG),[5] now known as the David Kelley Services Program.[6] The DKS Program was established in 1996 after TCCLG merged with Family Service Toronto to help empower people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS.[6]

Kelley joined the Ontario Ministry of Health's AIDS Bureau, in 1991, as Project Officer.[4]

In 1993 Kelley was appointed Executive Director of Toronto People with AIDS (PWA) Foundation, a position he held for close to two years, until his retirement due to declining health.[5]

Volunteer work and activism[edit]

Kelley volunteered as a founder and participant in numerous organizations such as Coalition for Services for Gay and Lesbian Youth, Gay & Lesbians in Health Care, Toronto Area Gays and Lesbians - a peer counselling phone service, the AIDS Committee of Toronto and HIV Mental Health Group - a forum for discussion and support among hospital and community social service workers.[4]

In 1992, Kelley co-founded Positive Youth Outreach,[1] a youth-run group providing support, education and advocacy for HIV+ adolescents and young adults. At the time of his death, Kelley was Co-chair of Ontario Advisory Committee on HIV/AIDS,[2] appointed by Hon. Jim Wilson, Ontario Minister of Health.

Awards and honours[edit]

In 1994, Kelley was presented with the Honorary Pink Trillium Humanitarian Award in recognition of his contribution to the lesbian and gay community.[3]

In 2003, Kelley was posthumously inducted into the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives (now The ArQuives) National Portrait Collection. The portrait artist was Barbara Augustine.[7]

Media and live appearances[edit]

Kelley played the title role in Bruce Glawson's 16 mm docu-drama Michael, A Gay Son.[1] The film won Best Documentary at the 16th Yorkton Film Festival in 1980.[8] It was awarded the Blue Ribbon for top film in the Human Sexuality Category at the 23rd Annual American Film Festival in New York City in 1981.[9][10]

The film received educational distribution in high schools and postsecondary institutions in Canada and the United States throughout the 1980's. It was one of the first independent gay films to be broadcast on TVOntario and to be distributed by the National Film Board of Canada.[10][11][12]

In February 1982, during Gay and Lesbian Awareness Week, St. Michael’s College prohibited a gay group at the University of Toronto from screening Michael, A Gay Son in its auditorium. The film was deemed inappropriate for a Roman Catholic institution.[13][14][15]

In the 1980's, Kelley performed in live productions of the Fruit Cocktail variety revues as a fundraiser for the Lesbian and Gay Appeal of Toronto, now Community One Foundation.[1]

In the 1980's and 1990's, Kelley was a frequent guest on sex educator Sue Johanson's radio and television call-in shows. He also educated students in classrooms across Canada about being gay and HIV positive.[1]

Death[edit]

In July 1988, Kelley tested positive for the HIV virus.[5] On April 25, 1996, he passed away at Sunnybrook Health Science Centre in Toronto at age 44 from complications due to AIDS.[2] His partner of 19 years Tom Stewart was at his side.[1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Hannon, Gerald (May 15, 1996). "Lives Lived: David Douglas Kelley". The Globe and Mail. p. A16.
  2. ^ a b c "Deaths - KELLEY, David Douglas". The Globe and Mail. April 26, 1996. p. A18.
  3. ^ a b Small, Peter (January 16, 1995). "McLeod nominated for gay ignorance 'award'". The Toronto Star. p. E3.
  4. ^ a b c d Augustine, Barbara (2003). "David Douglas Kelley (1951-1996)". The ArQuives: Canada's LGBTQ2+ Archives Digital Exhibitions. Archived from the original on May 18, 2024. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c DeMara, Bruce (January 1, 1995). "Facing AIDS' cruel grip". The Toronto Star. p. A7.
  6. ^ a b "DKS LGBTQ+ Counselling HIV/AIDS". Family Service Toronto. Archived from the original on May 18, 2024. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  7. ^ "National Portrait Collection". The ArQuives: Canada's LGBTQ2+ Archives. Archived from the original on May 18, 2024. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  8. ^ "Canada's Golden Sheaf Award Winners 1980" (PDF). Yorkton Film Festival. May 18, 2024. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  9. ^ "With his lover Paul at his side..." The Body Politic (75): 26. July 1981.
  10. ^ a b Pennington, Bob (February 12, 1981). "How will public react to second show on gays?". Toronto Sun. p. 90.
  11. ^ Waugh, Thomas (2006). The Romance of Transgression in Canada: Queering Sexualities, Nations, Cinemas. McGill-Queen's University Press. p. 420. ISBN 978-0-7735-3069-0.
  12. ^ Bawden, Jim (February 10, 1981). "TVOntario offers sensitive alternative". Toronto Star. p. F1.
  13. ^ "College won't allow showing of gay film". The Globe and Mail. February 12, 1982. p. 4.
  14. ^ Bearchell, Chris (March 1982). "St Mikes lacking awareness". The Body Politic (81): 17.
  15. ^ Fotheringham, Philip (April 1982). "U of T Gay Awareness Week a hit". The Body Politic (82): 10.



Category:1951 births Category:1996 deaths Category:People from Aylmer, Quebec Category:Canadian LGBT rights activists Category:People with HIV/AIDS Category:HIV/AIDS activists Category:20th-century Canadian LGBT people

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