Fucking, sucking, and scissoring in the archive: Histories of queer sex in Nova Scotia through ephemeral archives and material history (1969–1999).

This article examines the treatment of sex within Canadian queer history, arguing that it has been predominantly framed through narratives of criminalization and danger, which obscure the emotional and physical experiences of queer sexual practices. It identifies a third, less explored narrative—the queer erotic—that encompasses pleasure, desire, and embodied emotions, and proposes methodological approaches to access this through case studies involving photographs, fiction, and material culture from Nova Scotia's queer archives. The article highlights the limitations of existing sources, which often center cisgender gay men, and calls for more intersectional research including diverse 2sLGBTQIA+ identities. Ultimately, it advocates for historians and sex researchers to consider sex as a meaningful, embodied historical subject intertwined with emotions, power, and pleasure beyond legal and medical frameworks.