The Hamilton United Gay Societies (HUGS) was an umbrella organization for 12 sub-organizations established in 1980 and incorporated in 1982. HUGS provided a range of services and information, education and peer counselling, hosted social events, created spaces for support groups and connected people to other services that were related to LGBTQ+ issues. Gayline was Hamilton’s first telephone counselling service for gays and lesbians that was first operated by the Hamilton-McMaster Homophile Association on March 20, 1975 and was continued by HUGS. HUGS also had a community centre at 41 King William Street in downtown Hamilton.
The sub-organizations of Hamilton United Gay Societies:
- HUGS RAP Group
- Gay Youth of Hamilton
- HUGS Dance Committee
- HUGS Speakers Bureau
- Gay Fathers of Hamilton
- Gayline
- Metropolitan Community Church of Hamilton
- Gay Women’s Collective
- Gay Phoenix Newsletter
- Hamilton-Wentworth Gay Archives/History Project
- Gay Monitors
- Gay Alcoholics Anonymous
Series consists of constitutions, meeting minutes, reports, calendars, press releases, correspondence, flyers, pamphlets, handouts, reading lists, articles, Summer Employment/Experience Development (SEED) project documents, newspaper clippings, Lesbian/Gayline call sheets and reports, Gay Phoenix and The Phoenix newsletter copies and masters and other related materials.
Contains subseries:
3.1 – Administrative files
3.2 – Sub-organizations and associated groups and events
3.3 – Lesbian/Gayline
3.4 – Gay Phoenix/The Phoenix