History, Community and Conversation
Look hun… A Kiss In!
On September 23, 1990, lesbians and allies put their lips together in protest of Joe's Cafe and the owner Joe Atunes’ homophobic response to two lesbians kissing in his cafe. Joe’s Cafe has been a
long-term home and hotspot for East-end lesbians since the early 1980s, bolstering the vibrant culture and historical presence of lesbians on Commercial Drive. The homophobic vitriol Joe launched against one of his loyal consumer bases led to kiss-ins, several protests and a prolonged, decades-long boycott of the cafe. The protests and boycott received major media attention, plastering the “L-word” in front-page publications in the early 1990s-what a feat! The message was clear, “We’re here, we’re queer, and we don’t want your coffee!” (Angles 1990, p.3).
However, the protests and boycott brought forward discourses, tensions and controversies as lesbians from all walks of life were asked: whether to Joe’s or not to Joe’s. As lesbians moved to confront their previous ‘home,’ the community shifted to address their new need: wherever will the East-van lesbians go now?
More about us
El Chenier
I moved to Vancouver in 2004 to start my job as a professor of history at Simon Fraser University. My first home was just off Commercial Drive, and literally every lesbian I met instructed me to not go to Joe’s Cafe. When I asked why, I got various versions of the story about Joe kicking out a couple for kissing and the protests that followed. Eventually I learned that the boycott caused a major rift in the community. Why? Two decades later, I’m finally getting around to documenting this important history.
I’m looking forward to sharing our research and collecting first-hand accounts from the people who used to hang out at Joe’s. What did Joe’s mean to you? Did you participate in the protests? What was your opinion about what happened? How do you remember what went down? And if you weren’t there but are curious to learn more, we want you to come, too. Because history is for everyone.
Mekeil Wilson (Research Assistant)
I’m a Sociology undergraduate student whose studies have highlighted the work of many revolutionary lesbian activists, scholars, and movements. To fuel this interest, I’ve taken Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies courses as much as I could and searched many library shelves for books about lesbian activism, history, and culture. So, when the opportunity arose to participate in this project, ‘investigating’ local Vancouver lesbian activism in the 1990s, I, of course, jumped at the opportunity.
Overall, my experience conversing with younger generations shows that there is a lack of knowledge about local Vancouver lesbian activism. As someone who plans to continue pursuing local lesbian history,
I hope to highlight the voices, stories, and experiences of Queer Black and Indigenous folks that are often invisibilized in Vancouver. I hope to be a part of the change that allows lesbian history to become more accessible and accurately portray the diversity, complexity, resistance, and beauty of the community. I encourage more people, especially younger generations, to be curious and proactive in learning about our history so that we can be more informed as we build towards the future.
Join us Thursday, October 8, 2026, at SFU Harbour Centre, 6:30- 8:30 pm to learn more about local lesbian activist history, hear from folks' first-hand experience, or share your own stories and perspectives of the events that unfolded.