Puelo Deir

Puelo Deir is a longtime community leader, cultural producer, and storyteller whose work has helped shape queer visibility in Québec. Co-founder of Divers/Cité, he helped transform the organization into a bold and inclusive Pride festival rooted in both artistic expression and social engagement. In the 1990s, he co-created Queer Comics at Just for Laughs, one of the first major showcases of LGBTQ+ comedians in North America. As Executive Director of La Table de concertation des gais et lesbiennes du Grand Montréal, he played a key role during the Québec Human Rights Commission hearings on violence against gays and lesbians. Though his time at the Table was brief, it led to the founding of Les Prix Arc-en-Ciel—Québec’s first awards recognizing contributions to LGBTQ+ communities—together with Roger Leclerc and David Blair.