Les Chouettes is a Montreal group that organizes social, cultural and outdoor activities for women who love women. Our association offers opportunities for lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer and trans women to meet and expand their network in a friendly and relaxed environment.
If you have a question about the Chouettes, write to us at info@leschouettes.ca or fill out the form here.
Our team
Here is the team behind the 60 or so activities organized by the Chouettes each year:
Coordinating committee
Maryse
Co-coordinator and organizer
Maryse co-founded Les Chouettes in 2005 and has offered a variety of activities over the years. Today, she organizes monthly happy hours, helps organize the annual BBQ and offers a few additional activities every year. maryse@leschouettes.ca
Isabelle
Co-coordinator and organizer
A member of the committee since 2006, Isabelle has organized a host of outdoor activities since joining the team. She is now in charge of our annual fundraising evening and helps organize the annual BBQ.
Caroline
Co-coordinator and organizer
A member of the committee since 2010, Caroline organizes a range of activities each year. Country tours are her specialty! She is also our representative on Équipe Montréal.
caroline@leschouettes.ca
Isabelle
Co-coordinator and organizer
Urban hiker and Sunday ballerina. Passionate about baroque music and history, Isabelle organizes a variety of activities.
isabelle@leschouettes.ca
Claire
Co-coordinator and organizer
Claire joined the Chouettes team at the end of 2017. She organizes monthly Happy Hours, proposes gaming activities and is in charge of the 18-35 committee. claire@leschouettes.ca
18-35 committee
Claire
Co-coordinator and organizer
Claire joined the Chouettes team at the end of 2017. She organizes monthly Happy Hours, proposes gaming activities and is in charge of the 18-35 committee.
claire@leschouettes.ca
Camille
Organizer
Camille joined Les Chouettes in 2019. A hard-core Montrealer, she will help you discover all that the city has to offer!
camille@leschouettes.ca
Leslie
Organizer
Leslie joined Les Chouettes in 2019. Leslie’s activities include games and puzzles.
leslie@leschouettes.ca
Webmasters
Maryse
Webmaster
Maryse is responsible for managing the website, adding activities, sending out monthly newsletters and responding to emails. maryse@leschouettes.ca
Isabelle
Webmaster
Isabelle also offers generous help in adding activities to the website and responding to emails.
isabelle@leschouettes.ca
The little story of the Chouettes
The Chouettes group was established in July 2005 by Maryse and M-C to provide social activities for lesbian and bisexual women. Initially, the group offered happy hours every Thursday and was geared towards 18-35 year olds, as there were few activities for women in this age group at the time.
In 2006, after a year as co-organizer of the group, M-C moved on to new projects. But the adventure continued with a new committee consisting of Maryse, Bich, Isabelle, Nawel, Natacha, Anne and Astrid. Starting in January 2007, more cultural, sporting and outdoor activities were therefore added to our calendar.
Over the years, other women have joined the coordinating committee and contributed to our calendar, including Natacha, Caroline, Anne, Astrid, Ginny, Geneviève and Maryline. Still others, who were not members of the committee, contributed to the calendar of activities: Kristina, Mireille, Noemi, Valérie, Cynthia, Nadine, Sandra, Paola, Sophie, Fannie, Marie-France and Élise. Other volunteers helped us in other ways, i.e. from their computer screens. This is the case for Olivier, Geneviève, Anick and Martine!
From the very beginning, the Chouettes has brought together women from Montreal and the surrounding area, as well as travellers passing through Montreal and women newly arrived in Canada in search of a new network.
For several years now, the Chouettes has been welcoming LGBTQ+ women of all ages. That said, in December 2017, as participants aged 18-35 had become few and far between, we held a meeting by and for women aged 18-30. Two years later, in 2019, a 18-35 y/o committee was created to offer monthly activities specifically for 18-35 year olds.
Today, Les Chouettes is a team of a dozen of organizers who offer some sixty activities a year, bringing together more than 1,000 women annually!