In 1998, ’25 Lives: Out and Proud’ was planned to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives. The project, co-curated by Bruce Jones, CLGA president Edward Tompkins and vice-president Robin Brownlie, was originally conceived as ‘9 Lives: Canadian Lesbians and Gays and the Building of Our Community’, and grew to honour 25 members of LGBTQ communities. The initial inductees were chosen by a CLGA committee using three criteria: contribution to the growth of diverse out and proud communities, nationwide representation, and gender parity.