Lois Szabo
Lois was a pioneer in Calgary’s LGBTQ+ community. She helped to open Club Carousel, Calgary’s first gay bar in the 1960’s. Before homosexuality was decriminalized in 1969 any same-sex couple dancing together was potentially subject to arrest under the charge of gross indecency. Lois Szabo in a 1973 edition of Carousel Capers wrote that: “In the past, many gay clubs have been set up and these businesses were primarily concerned with earning a fast buck!” Her editorial point being that Club Carousel was the first gay club owned and operated by the community. She went on to push to equal rights for decades and provide a safe place for the LGBTQ+ community.