Echo
Inspire Awards
HONORARY LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD – Recipients
Eve Zaremba
Eve Zaremba was a feisty trailblazing activist writer born in Poland who created the first lesbian detective Helen Keremos. A founder of LOOT, WAVAW, and Broadside, Eve shared her life with Ottie Lockey for 47 years.
Sam: Eve Zaremba was a trailblazing activist, writer and thinker who helped shape Toronto’s women’s and lesbian movements of the 1970s and ’80s. Proudly out at a time when very few lesbians could safely be visible, Eve co-founded Women’s Place, the Lesbian Organization of Toronto, Women Against Violence Against Women, and the feminist newspaper Broadside.
Kristyn: As a writer, Eve broke new ground by creating Helen Keremos, the first lesbian detective in mystery fiction — a smart, fearless and unapologetically queer character who gave lesbian readers a hero of their own.
Sam: Eve passed away in 2025 after a remarkable life of activism, creativity and challenging the world around her. She shared 47 years of that life with her partner, Ottie Lockey.
Kristyn: Tonight, we celebrate Eve’s extraordinary legacy and the generations of women and queer people who continue to benefit from the doors she helped open.
Sam: Please join us in honouring Eve Zaremba with this year’s Honorary Lifetime Achievement Award. Accepting the award on Eve’s behalf, please welcome her longtime partner, Ottie Lockey.
The ARQUIVES – Canada’s LGBTQ2+ Archives
