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BANK STREET GLOWFAIR E 10 MAY 15–JUNE 18, 2014 18, 15–JUNE MAY

#267 RETURN OF THE PEPTIDES E 19 QUEER CAMPING E 26

@dailyxtra Why are gay teens nearly six times more likely to use steroids? E12 facebook.com/dailyxtra facebook.com/dailyxtra

dailyxtra.com dailyxtra.com ’ROID RAGE More at at More 2 MAY 15–JUNE 18, 2014 XTRA! OTTAWA’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM XTRA! MAY 15–JUNE 18, 2014 3 4 MAY 15–JUNE 18, 2014 XTRA! OTTAWA’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS XTRA OTTAWA’S Published by Pink Triangle Press GAY & LESBIAN NEWS PUBLISHER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Brandon Matheson Roundup #267 MAY 15–JUNE 18, 2014 EDITORIAL MANAGING EDITOR Danny Glenwright COMMUNITY NEWS MOBILE REPORTER Julie Cruikshank COPY EDITOR Lesley Fraser EVENT LISTINGS [email protected] CONTRIBUTE OR INQUIRE about Xtra’s editorial content: [email protected] EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE Zara Ansar, Adrienne Ascah, Natasha LET IT Barsotti, Niko Bell, Bruce Bishop, Chris R&B singer Dupuis, John Kennedy, Aefa Mulholland, Judith Hill will Keph Senett, Jeremy Willard headline the ART & PRODUCTION Bank Street CREATIVE DIRECTOR Lucinda Wallace Glowfair. GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Darryl Mabey, GLOW Bryce Stuart, Landon Whittaker ADVERTISING ADVERTISING & SALES DIRECTOR Ken Hickling NATIONAL SALES MANAGER Jeff rey Hoff man SALES ADMINISTRATION MANAGER Lexi Chuba SALES TEAM LEAD Lorilynn Barker CLIENT SERVICES & ADVERTISING ADMINISTRATOR Eugene Coon ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Gary Major DISPLAY ADVERTISING [email protected] 613-986-8292

SPONSORSHIP AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Erica Bestwick, [email protected] Heritage apartments The publication of an ad in Xtra does not mean that Xtra endorses the advertiser. Storefront features are paid advertising content. New Bank Street Xtra is published every month by Pink Triangle Press. Printed and published in Canada. fit for a queen party to bring big ©2014 Pink Triangle Press. ISSN 1195-6127 Address: PO Box 70063, names, big sound 160 Elgin St-Place Bell RPO, E Ottawa, ON, K2P 2M3 to Village 10 Phone: 1-800-268-9872 Fax: 416-925-6674 Website: dailyxtra.com General email: [email protected] SUBSCRIPTIONS $47.34 for 12 issues; $40 (US) Editorial Special section in the United States; $70 (US) overseas. Lessons from the HST included where applicable. Xtra is free in Small pleasures metropolitan Ottawa; elsewhere, retailers may Parti Québécois Tips on making the most of charge up to $1 to cover transportation costs. www.andrex.ca By Robin Perelle E6 minimal square footage E15 PINK TRIANGLE PRESS E Founded 1971 Feedback 6 Condo craze Local gay realtors DIRECTORS Jim Bartley, Gerald Hannon, Xcetera E7 look at some of the top condo Glenn Kauth, Didier Pomerleau, Ken Popert, trends in Ottawa E16 Gillian Rodgerson HONORARY DIRECTOR Colin Brownlee PRESIDENT & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Ken Popert Upfront CEO, DIGITAL MEDIA David Walberg Out in the City CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Andrew Chang Catherine McKenney to run for Somerset Ward Longtime Chinatown Remixed E19 councillor Diane Holmes has Rhyme and reason E announced her retirement 9 Spoken-word artist Ade B voices YOUR PRIZE INCLUDES: E Mom didn’t approve But fairy her uncomfortable truths 20 WIN A WEEKEND ™ ildc^\]ihÈajmjgnVXXdbbdYVi^dc[dgild tale of lesbian love during First What’s On E22 ™ i]gZZ"XdjghZiVWaZYÈ]iZY^ccZg[dgildVi World War survived E11 Xposed By Zara Ansar E24 EZgheZXi^kZhGZhiVjgVci!Z^i]Zgi]ZÑghidg Cover story hZXdcYc^\]i E GETAWAY Xtra Living 25 ’Roid rage ™ 6jCVijgZaHeVXgZY^id[&%%eZgeZghdc Why are gay teens nearly TO THE FOUR-DIAMOND ™ 77ZhiWgZV`[Vhi[dgildÃ^cWZYdgVi six times more likely to use Daily Xtra Travel EZgheZXi^kZhÃWdi]bdgc^c\h steroids? E12 ™ VXXZhhiddjghiViZ"d["i]Z"Vgi;aZm;^icZhh Camp appeal There are a bevy BROOKSTREET HOTEL HijY^d!l^i]hVjcVh!l]^gaeddah!VcY^cYddg of queer-friendly places to pitch VcYdjiYddghVailViZghl^bb^c\eddah a tent or park an RV within ™ ]^\]"heZZY^ciZgcZiVXXZhh ondailyxtra.com driving distance of Ottawa E26 ™ eVg`^c\^cdjghZXjgZjcYZg\gdjcY\VgV\Z Pride in Mexico City E Daily Xtra to host A non-corporate mix of politics IdZciZg!ZbV^a[email protected] WorldPride town hall and partying E28 l^i]i]ZhjW_ZXia^cZÅ>lVciidl^cÆVcY E Pride celebrations 10 great nude ndjgXdciVXi^c[dgbVi^dc# in the UK beaches in Canada E29 E Ottawa man verbally harassed in Centretown COVER PHOTO: THINKSTOCK

MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM XTRA! MAY 15–JUNE 18, 2014 5 email [email protected] comment dailyxtra.com & facebook.com/dailyxtra Comment tweet @dailyxtra

HARASSED ON OC T R A NSPO E 8 OTTAWA’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS UNISON CHORAL FES T IVA L FEEDBACK E 15 Our guide to WOMEN’S the city’s best COMEDY NIGH T APRIL 10–MAY 14, 2014 14, APRIL 10–MAY farmers’ markets E 17 Lessons from the Parti Québécois Family matters #266 & local food E11 I think it’s interesting how many gay Fresh EDITORIAL cophones, representing 80 percent of institutions. Rather than challenging men, as they get older, reconnect with ROBIN PERELLE Quebec’s population, still earned only marriage, for example, we demanded their straight family members — espe- eats

64 percent of their anglophone coun- our share of its sanctioned rights and cially if they fi nd themselves middle- @dailyxtra When Pierre Karl terparts’ salaries. responsibilities. aged and alone in a gay community Péladeau pumped his Carving spots in places of power was Nothing wrong with demanding that values youth above all else [“All facebook.com/dailyxtra newly anointed Parti Québécois fi st essential but not enough. Nurturing our due, whether it’s equal access to dailyxtra.com FREE 15,000 AUDITED in the Family,” Xtra #769, April 17]. CIRCULATION More at at More for sovereignty in March, he might as French Canadian culture and breath- education, jobs and decision mak- I’ve had that experience and so have well have been talking about sexual ing new life into its language became ing in Quebec or equal access to job some of my gay acquaintances. When That’s the issue in Canada. That’s liberation. paramount, especially as it became protection and spousal benefi ts in I came out, there were tensions with “what’s stopping” us — not shaming. Not that Péladeau has given any clear that francophones submerged in straight society. But is it enough? my straight family and I distanced Americans have FDA approval, CDC indication that he supports sexual English-speaking Canada outside Que- What happens when a cultural move- myself from them. As a young gay man, guidance and access, and they’re now liberation. But like sexual liberation, bec were rapidly losing their language. ment wins signifi cant gains without I plunged into the visible gay commu- in the privileged position of calling sovereignty is both the end game and Lévesque soon parted with the transforming the overall structure nity and made many gay friends for the each other names. I wish that were our potentially the greatest liability of a Liberals and launched the Parti that surrounds it? fi rst time. Several years later, most of problem! We don’t even have Health cultural movement that has earned Québécois, committed both to The latest incarnation of the Parti those gay friends have drifted away Canada approval or access yet. That’s enormous gains without managing strengthening Québécois language, Québécois shows what can happen (people change as they get older), and what you should be investigating and to ultimately dislodge the governing culture and independence within the when a movement that has made I now see the leftwing Toronto queer reporting on, not cutting and pasting social system. province and, ultimately, to creating a huge gains loses direction. How do establishment as a hostile, negative from news reports in the United States When the Parti Québécois stepped separate state no longer outnumbered you keep nurturing the culture you force. My beneficiaries are now my as if all you have to do to get PrEP in onto the political scene in 1968, it by anglophones in the rest of Canada. were created to protect once you’ve straight family members (who now this country is “call your doctor.” It’s was the product of profound social In the years since, the party has strengthened it enough to survive in accept me) and their children. not that easy here. Find out why not. upheaval. The Quiet Revolution made enormous gains within the a world where it’s still, nonetheless, a DAVID C Stop interviewing Americans and put was barely eight years old but had province: Québécois culture is strong minority? TORONTO, ON some Canadian public health offi cial’s already transformed a conservative, and pervasive; francophones are now Do you try to squash others to fur- feet to the fi re. Catholic Church–driven, anglophone- better educated and have access to ther strengthen your own position? PrEP IVAN dominated province into a more the highest-paying jobs; music, fi lms Do you keep pushing for transfor- I’m glad that Xtra is reporting on PrEP, TORONTO, ON modern, more egalitarian state with and even the most vacuous home- mational change in a world now pre- but this article defl ects attention from access to education and healthcare grown TV shows celebrate and refl ect pared to recognize your existence and the real issue in Canada [“If PrEP LGBT Youth Line and a reemerging sense of pride in be- Québécois realities. even, occasionally, to shift some of its is a Party Drug, Then Cue the DJ,” What a great service to have in place, as ing French Canadian. Yet as a direct result of these sig- norms to acknowledge your own? dailyxtra.com, April 29]. Canadians it will undoubtedly help many [Ontar- The revolution’s lead architect, nifi cant gains, the separate state now Or do you keep carving and nurtur- are not shaming PrEP users because io’s Lesbian Gay Bi Trans Youth Line Liberal premier Jean Lesage, had, seems unnecessary and nearly impos- ing the spots within, content to con- there are virtually no PrEP users in Turns 20,” dailyxtra.com, April 25]. with his natural resources minister, sible. To even suggest it during an tribute, slowly, maybe, to reshaping Canada. Canadians aren’t being called Too bad it wasn’t available 23 to René Lévesque, nationalized foreign- election campaign is political suicide. the bigger picture over time? “Truvada whores” because (outside 25 years ago for this then-sheltered owned hydroelectric plants through- Not unlike sexual liberation. Once As the cultural revolutions born of a couple of clinical trials and in a rural boy! out the province and begun training a goal of the gay liberation movement in the 1960s win impressive gains few individual cases) we can’t even CHRIS MORRISON francophones to take over engineer- — to transform society as a whole to within potentially greater losses, it’s get Truvada for PrEP in this country. PARIS, ON ing and other positions previously embrace all forms of sexual pleasure no wonder many of us fi nd ourselves held by anglophones. Wealth and and relinquish its uptight fi xation on at a crossroads. The outcome that we seek is this — gay and lesbian decision-making power fi nally began sin — we have settled largely for carv- people daring together to set love free. to shift, though a royal commission ing spots for ourselves, and to some Robin Perelle is the managing editor of Xtra is published by Pink Triangle Press, at 2 Carlton St, Ste 1600, Toronto, M5B 1J3. inquiry in 1963 would fi nd that fran- extent our culture, within existing Xtra Vancouver.

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GAY ATHLETES DRIVINGDRIVING SSEASONEASON GOOD SPORT ISIS FINALFINALLYLY HERE When a new National Football League season kicks off in the fall, Michael Sam could become the first active openly gay player, if he makes the final cut to earn a spot on the St Louis Rams. Sam was drafted 249th in the NFL’s annual player selection meeting. Shortly after the news broke, the NFL Network cut to an ESPN video of a tearful Sam kissing his partner after receiving the news from Rams head coach Jeff Fisher.

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MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM XTRA! MAY 15–JUNE 18, 2014 7 8 MAY 15–JUNE 18, 2014 XTRA! OTTAWA’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS We want to make it uniquely Bank Street and touch on music, art and light. It’s an intersection of what Bank Street is all about. Upfront BIA head Christine Leadman E 10 McKenney to run for Somerset Ward Longtime councillor Diane Holmes has announced her retirement

POLITICS ager of public policy. Now, after a ca- JULIE CRUIKSHANK reer spent largely in supporting roles, McKenney is taking centre stage. She is When it comes to LGBT representation currently on an unpaid leave of absence in Somerset Ward, the race for city from her position with the city as she council is heating up. Out gay candi- makes her bid for city council. dates Jeff Morrison and Denis Schry- “People were surprised because it’s burt are both vying for the seat, and not something I had ever expressed now there is another queer candidate an interest in before,” she says of her in the race. Earlier this month, Council- decision to run. “But I live in Somerset lor Diane Holmes, who has spent more Ward, I love Somerset Ward, I love the than 30 years in Ottawa city politics, downtown. It’s a great city, and I feel announced that she will not run in this very strongly that the work of Diane October’s municipal election. Instead, Holmes needs to be carried on.” Holmes is backing her former assistant, Reached at her office for comment, Catherine McKenney, who has had Holmes says she’s confident in McKen- a long career in both municipal and ney’s abilities. “I got to see what she’s federal politics. like, her work ethic and her interest in “My first day working for the coun- social justice and green transportation cillor was the first day of the ice storm, and affordable housing and all the things as a matter of fact, in ’98,” McKenney that are important in Somerset Ward... recalls with a chuckle. She worked for She’s involved in the community and, of both Holmes and former councillor course, she’s also an athlete... so she’ll Catherine McKenney says she wants mother of a young daughter and wants Village, and safer roads for pedestrians Alex Munter, managing the latter’s 2006 certainly have the energy to do all the to continue the work of Councillor to see more and better housing options and cyclists. McKenney also wants mayoral campaign. She also worked as door-to-door that needs doing.” Diane Holmes. JULIE CRUIKSHANK for families living in the downtown to address the growing population of legislative assistant to both Ed Broad- McKenney’s campaign will focus on core. She is passionate about green seniors downtown, specifically LGBT bent and Paul Dewar, on Parliament key issues that are close to her heart. spaces, public transit, the downtown seniors who are seeking long-term- Hill, and for Volunteer Canada as man- With her wife, Catharine, she is the business community, including the care facilities.

NEWS ever, doctors are not obligated to consider Senate has studied the issue in the past. organs donated by MSM and can deem “We need to be taking more concrete ac- them ineligible for transplant. tion in expanding our organ donor base Group petitions for changes The iCANdonate campaign has the and who is eligible to donate, because at support of the Canadian Transplant the end of the day, a single organ donor Association, as well as 38 MPs from can save up to eight lives.” to organ-donation policies four federal political parties, execu- Now that the petition has been ta- tive coordinator Amanda Iarusso says. bled, the government has 45 days to A grassroots organization based in ensure that sexual orientation is not a Political supporters include Halifax MP make a written response. Iarusso says Windsor, Ontario, tabled a petition factor for automatic refusal.” Megan Leslie and Green Party Leader this response will allow iCANdonate to April 29 calling for the Canadian gov- The campaign was started in memory Elizabeth May. Iarusso says the organi- determine what their next step should ernment to put an end to legislation of Rocky Campana, a gay man who died zation is looking to create a formalized be. “The petition was more symbolic in that allows doctors to refuse organ at the age of 23. Upon his death, the partnership with the Canadian National the sense of getting public engagement donations from men who have had sex hospital turned away his organs after Transplant Research Association to do and awareness, but now it’s really time with men (MSM). learning from his parents that he was advocacy work at the provincial level. to take action to see actual change.” “Currently, doctors are not obligated a sexually active gay man. In response, The group is also calling for educa- —Julie Cruikshank to consider men who have had sex with Rob and Nancy Campana created Peti- tion in the medical community and men in the preceding five years for or- tion 412, calling for the government to Medical staff refused Rocky Campana’s the implementation of standardized To learn more about iCANdonate and gan and tissue donation,” reads a press review its legislation on organ and blood organs because he was gay. consent forms at transplant agencies. Petition 412, visit icandonate.ca. release distributed by iCANdonate. donor eligibility. “When you have 250 Canadians dying “Petition 412 calls upon the Govern- In Canada, MSM are subject to a five- with another man, before they are eligible each year on the transplant list, doing For more on these stories, ment of Canada to review its policy on year deferral period, during which they to donate blood. When it comes to organs, continuous research is a step, but it’s not go to dailyxtra.com. organ donor eligibility and change it to must not engage in any sexual activity it isn’t illegal for gay men to donate; how- enough,” Iarusso says, noting that the

MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM XTRA! MAY 15–JUNE 18, 2014 9 BIA’s rebranding project, which has seen it take a much more active and visible role. “We’re not in it to make money,” Leadman says. “It’s about cre- ating an experience and giving some- thing amazing back to the community and shining a spotlight on the great Let it glow businesses that form Bank Street. It’s also really important for Ottawa’s devel- opment plan for 2017 to have 150 new Bank Street party to bring events. It’s our responsibility to offer programming that is diverse.” big names, big sound to Village To make Glowfair a reality, the BIA formed a partnership with House of Sas COMMUNITY NEWS and touch on music, art and light. It’s — the event-planning company headed JULIE CRUIKSHANK an intersection of what Bank Street is by former Capital Pride chair Sebastien all about.” Provost. “When I was approached by The Bank Street Business Improve- Running Friday, June 20, and Satur- Bank Street, it was the first time a cli- ment Area has had a pretty big secret day, June 21, Glowfair will close down ent of mine told me that they didn’t up its sleeve. Bank Street for nine blocks from Lau- want anything safe or they didn’t want On May 7, it was announced that a rier to Gilmour. The event will feature anything boring,” he said at the event brand new festival is coming to town, three stages, including a main stage at launch on May 7. and the BIA, along with event-planning Bank and Slater, a DJ and house music Provost stepped down from the Pride company House of Sas, is behind it. The stage, and the League of Rock stage, R&B singer Judith Hill, who rose to fame through appearances on The Voice and in committee in January 2013 when it be- the Oscar-winning film 20 Feet from Stardom, will headline the Bank Street Glowfair. Bank Street Glowfair will bring DJs, featuring local garage acts. came clear there was a conflict of inter- performers and light installations to Headlining Glowfair is R&B singer accompanies the release of her debut In addition to musical performances, est between his involvement with Pride Bank Street, home of the Village, for a Judith Hill, who rose to fame as a album. Glowfair will feature neon street dis- and his position with the company. For free two-day fair in June. contestant on The Voice and had been Glowfair will also bring Australian plays, building projec- the past five months, he The move answers calls from the slated to perform as Michael Jackson’s DJ and drag queen Kitty Glitter to Ot- tions and visual art. Bank BANK STREET has been planning and community for an event to energize duet partner for his ill-fated This Is It tawa and will feature Montreal DJ and Street businesses are get- GLOWFAIR conceptualizing Glowfair. the street and make the Bank Street tour. Hill also appeared in the Oscar- soul singer Sandy Duperval, Grammy ting involved with win- Fri, June 20 & Sat, June 21 Funding for Glowfair glowfair.ca business district more vibrant. “With winning documentary 20 Feet from Award–winning DJ Hex Hector, Span- dow displays, promotions facebook.com/ will come from the Bank Glowfair, we want to be set apart from Stardom, about the backup vocalists ish DJ duo Chus & Ceballos, LA singer and pop-up events, and glowfairfestival Street BIA, with addi- everything else going on in the city,” behind some of the world’s biggest Jenn Em and Ottawa’s own Souljazz there will be extended tional sponsorship from BIA head Christine Leadman says. “We stars. Her Glowfair appearance will Orchestra, which was nominated for a licensed patios set up along the street. Kronenbourg Brewery, which will fund want to make it uniquely Bank Street be her first-ever live solo show and Juno in 2013. The event follows on the heels of the the main stage.

10 MAY 15–JUNE 18, 2014 XTRA! OTTAWA’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS readily available to researchers. The of Toronto, where she collaborated with executors of the estate have placed very her elder brother and pioneered re- few restrictions on access, and then only search into anti-toxins for tuberculosis until the year 2001. and diphtheria. In the 1930s, Williams Mom didn’t approve Anyone can browse: you must fi rst attended veterinary school in Guelph make application to the family. Averill and went on to open an animal hospital Fraser’s mother was vehemently says the family wants to talk to appli- in Toronto. At the time, she was one of But fairy tale of lesbian love against the relationship, as evidenced cants simply because “they are curious only fi ve female vets in Ontario. by a 15-page letter written by a friend as to who would want to read them.” Williams suff ered a series of strokes during First World War survived explaining to her mom how to put a He adds that the family also wants beginning in 1976 and spent most of stop to it. to provide researchers with back- her fi nal three years at Queen Elizabeth FROM OUR ARCHIVES Fraser and Williams were childhood In fact, it wasn’t until Fraser’s ground information about Hospital, where Fraser visited daily — JOHN KENNEDY friends. During the First World War, the mother died in the late 1930s Fraser. driving in from Burlington. two attended Victoria College, where that the couple fi nally moved He describes the corre- Fraser died in 1994, three weeks after To celebrate Xtra’s 20 years of publishing they discovered life away from home in together, living in a house spondence as “a wonderful her family moved her into a nursing to Ottawa’s gay and lesbian community, was a lot more fun. in Burlington left to Fraser by human, witty and sometimes home. we’re digging through our archives to “It’s obvious that it was at university her mother. salty story of two people In letters between the two from 1927, reprint a selection of noteworthy stories that their love really blossomed,” says Averill says the letters are deeply in love and not caring it is clear there were problems in the re- that highlight our community’s rich his- assistant archivist Harold Averill. “Uni- also peppered with sketches Fras- who knew.” lationship. In one, Fraser wrote, “Even tory. “A Peach of a Gal Among Roses and versity gave them the freedom to really er drew of various people in the couple’s Throughout, Fraser refers to Wil- if we break up now, at least we’ve had Thorns” fi rst appeared in Capital Xtra develop a relationship.” lives — not all of which are fl attering. liams as “Bud.” 10 good years.” #43, March 21, 1997. The two never consciously disguised He says the correspondence is the The pair also achieved professionally. She didn’t know then that there were that relationship. Most of their friends, largest collection of its kind in Canada Fraser went on to teach at the school of 52 good years still to come. The story of Frieda Fraser and Edith family and those around them knew and unique in that it has been made so preventive medicine at the University Williams is a lesbian fairy tale. the two were lovers. “Anyone with eyes It’s told through hundreds of letters in their head was well aware of it and between them, found tied up and packed could draw their own conclusions,” into shoeboxes by Fraser’s family in Averill says. 1994 — after her death. The letters were written between 1924 It’s easy LGBT And while most families destroy the and 1942, during periods when Williams Friendly evidence of the homosexual branches of and Fraser were apart. They chronicle to afford a Honda. their family trees, Fraser’s descendants the sadness each felt at being separated, donated the material to the University the problems and challenges they faced, of Toronto. and the family issues they dealt with. LEASE A 2014 $ CIVIC DX 0 $ * CASH DOWN 79 Bi-weekly, for 60 months CIVIC EX-L SHOWN 24,000 km/year Freight and PDI included

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MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM XTRA! MAY 15–JUNE 18, 2014 11 COVER STORY

Why are so many gay and bisexual teenagers taking steroids? Mass appeal BY NIKO BELL

hen Dr Aaron Blashill, a to use steroids heavily: four percent said they STEROID USE BY ticles to shrink. At the same time, the rush “I just wanted to get back to normal,” researcher and clinician had used more than 40 times, compared to of testosterone signals muscles to increase he says. at Massachusetts General only 0.7 percent among their straight peers. ADOLESCENT MALES in size, and almost any intense exercise Cameron started on pills, 12 to 14 a day Hospital, first saw how The conclusion was clear. Gay teens are Any produces dramatic growth. of the common synthetic steroid methan- many American gay teen- injecting themselves with anabolic steroids steroid use Steroids act just like testosterone but drostenolone, the street name for which is Moderate use aged boys were using ste- much more than any others, and that likely (>10 times) the effects are vastly multiplied: they quite “d-bol.” He was afraid of needles, he says. roids, he assumed he had means that gay men are as well. Although we Severe use literally make you more of a man. Oral d-bol was hell on his liver, though, made an error. still don’t know how many adult gay men use (>40 times) and after too many rough hangovers, he He guessed the number steroids, most lifelong steroid use begins switched to a cocktail of injectable tes- would be high, maybe as much as two or among young men in late adolescence and Heterosexual tosterone, a few d-bol pills and another three times normal, but this, he thought, the early 20s. injectable called Nolvadex that prevents could not be correct. Somewhere in the numbers lay the reason. For Cameron, a 20-year-old artisan from the growth of breast tissue associated with He went back and rechecked his analysis, 0.7% Ottawa, it all started when he got sick. steroid use. then rechecked it again, and again. The (Xtra agreed not to use his last name for Cameron doesn’t know much about what 4% 1.5% numbers told him the same thing: out of a this story.) all the drugs do or how they work. He trusts sample of 17,000 American teenagers, nearly Sexual minority Cameron was fit and healthy until a year his dealer for that. His drugs came in pill six times as many gay and bisexual boys had Anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) are a of illness and school stress tore 40 pounds bottles and 10 millilitre vials, and he took used steroids as their straight counterparts. family of hormones that include the natural off his body. Standing five foot 10, at 118 them as directed. When Blashill and a team of researchers male hormone testosterone and a broad pounds, he struggled to buy clothes, and his And they worked. Within two and a half at The Fenway Institute, an LGBT health family of synthetic relatives. ribs showed through his chest. months, Cameron says, he was back up to research centre in Boston, published their Steroids bind to hormone receptors in That’s when he turned to his roommate’s his normal weight. He grew in a thick beard work in February, they demonstrated a the body, causing both androgenic effects boyfriend, a local steroid dealer. He liked and new hair on his chest where the old long suspected but little understood link — male characteristics, such as body hair the man’s confident professionalism and had been lasered off. He felt more aggres- between gay men and anabolic steroids. — and, more importantly, anabolic effects: was comforted that his years of steroid use sive, and his friends noticed he was more Only four percent of straight teenagers in muscle growth. 21% 8% 4% seemed to have had no consequences. On intense, more serious and smiled less often.

the study said they had ever used steroids, When a man ingests or injects artificial SOURCE: SEXUAL top of that, the drugs were delivered right But he also had the body and the muscles but among gay and bisexual teens the rate testosterone, the brain signals the pituitary ORIENTATION AND to his door, along with clean needles and he wanted. ANABOLIC-ANDROGENIC shot up to 21 percent. gland to shut down production of natural STEROIDS IN personalized advice. He didn’t have to worry While Cameron started injecting steroids US ADOLESCENT BOYS Gay and bisexual boys were also more likely testosterone and sperm, causing the tes- BY DR AARON BLASHILL about anything. to get back to his normal weight, they are

12 MAY 15–JUNE 18, 2014 XTRA! OTTAWA’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS called “gay-related immune deficiency,” SURVEY SAYS more likely to want to be muscular. was identified in North America; second, Via squirt.org, Xtra On the other, gay men must fit into a an American bodybuilder named Dan Du- asked men who have gay culture where manliness is a valuable Cameron is now 25 and still uses steroids. chaine published The Underground Steroid sex with men if they commodity. Photo-centred dating and He likes them and has no intention of quit- Handbook and brought practical knowledge use steroids. hook-up apps make a good-looking body ting. If he could afford to add higher-end, about anabolic steroids out of the elite world even more important. Since the appearance more expensive products to his regimen, of sports and made it available to everyone. Have you ever used of steroids, men in gay porn and media have he says, he would. Steroids had been used experimentally steroids or other followed the trend of hulking muscular- “I don’t know how long I’ll do it,” he says. by athletes as early as the 1930s, but in the performance- ity. A mustache and leather chaps are no “As long as I have the money to afford it. enhancing drugs? 1980s, steroid-fuelled bodies were suddenly longer enough for a man to be a man; he I don’t have any problem stopping.” everywhere: on television, in magazines, on needs pecs. A few of Cameron’s friends roll their eyes action figures and in porn. “Just look at the imagery,” Brennan says. when they hear he uses steroids, but most The synchronicity of these two events be- 6% “Look at any ad. Look at any website or shrug it away. In fact, he says, since he’s came immediately meaningful for gay men. No, but I’m In an attempt to avoid the stigma of muscle considering wasting associated with HIV, they eagerly took steroids to show their muscularity, and thereby their health. From this, gay men’s IT’S NO DIFFERENT THAN GETTING MY affinity for steroids was born. 3% At least that was the story until now. We Yes, I’m using don’t know very much about how steroids af- HAIR DYED. IT’S JUST WHAT IT IS. IF YOU fected the HIV-epidemic generation — now in their late 40s, 50s and 60s — and until someone conducts a survey like Blashill’s on WANT TO LIVE THAT LIFE AND YOU’RE men over 50, the link between HIV and ste- 5% Yes, in the past CAMERON, roids is no better than educated speculation. VAIN, THEN GO FOR IT. STEROID USER Either way, the HIV story probably does not apply to the teens in Blashill’s study. The If yes, what have teenagers of today were not even alive during you used? the plague years of the HIV epidemic and profile pic. What are people drawn to? What started using, he notices more and more of likely have never been exposed to the fear of do the models look like in the ads in Xtra? the tell-tale signs of use in other men, gay wasting and thinness that pervaded the 1980s That’s really powerful stuff.” and straight — not just the huge arms and Body image and sex and ’90s. So why are they so eager to bulk up? bowling-ball shoulders, but the perfect hair appeal: squeezed between two cultures and masculine swagger of men who care that rank masculinity as how they look. It’s all part of the steroid a hot commodity, more life, he says. than one in five gay 50% Sure enough, when Blashill took a closer “I do like my look when I’m on them, but and bisexual teens are For David Brennan, a professor of social Testosterone look at his numbers, they showed pressures I realize that it’s just vanity,” he says. “It’s turning to steroids. supplements THINKSTOCK work at the University of Toronto, Blashill’s similar to those identified by Brennan. no different than getting my hair dyed. It’s 14% results make sense. In 2008, he asked 380 Human growth Blashill tracked how likely the teenagers just what it is. If you want to live that life gay men at Toronto Pride about body image hormone in his study were to feel unsafe or victimized, and you’re vain, then go for it. If you don’t, now a regular part of his routine. He takes and behaviour, and the results illuminated 36% use other drugs or suffer from depression. then you don’t have to.” one or two cycles of drugs a year, often top- a web of factors that help to explain the Anabolic steroids Not only did he find that gay and bisexual ping out at a lean 185 pounds, 15 pounds Fenway study. teenagers scored higher on each of these heavier than his original weight. Gay men, he discovered, were more likely metrics, but each was also associated with Why did you start? Steroids are a balancing act, he says; than straight men to suffer from eating higher use of anabolic steroids. holding on to the ideal steroid body too long disorders and to be dissatisfied with their In other words, a substantial part of gay Perhaps the greatest irony of gay men’s has consequences. Last year, he ran one bodies. Eating disorders, in turn, were as- teens’ steroid use was not directly related dalliance with steroids is that one of the cycle too long and found himself breaking sociated with depression, anxiety, internal- to being gay. Instead, the teens were feeling first uses of synthetic testosterone was the out in acne and feeling sick, exhausted and ized homophobia, substance abuse and the depressed and anxious because of the strain medical treatment of homosexuality. hormonal. desire to gain muscle. of being a sexual minority. As a countermea- As early as the 1920s, Viennese urologist “My advice is to remember that it’s tempo- All the pressure of bullying, homophobia, sure, they were taking steroids. Robert Lichtenstern was implanting pieces rary,” he says. “It’s going to be up; it’s going an image-conscious gay culture and the 27% Even when Blashill controlled for all these of human testicle into gay men in an attempt to be down.” constant questioning of their identities as Health external pressures, however, gay teens were to cure them. men, Brennan found, wears at gay men’s 40% still more likely than straight teens to use Despite the obvious failure of the testos- self-esteem and builds a desire for muscular, Appearance steroids. What was the missing factor? Like terone cure, the theory persisted into the 33% masculine bodies. This stress, he thinks, may Performance Brennan, Blashill thinks it is body image. 1940s, when it was at least partly put to rest be driving them to testosterone. It would be easy to imagine that under by Alfred Kinsey. It became apparent, after According to the traditional story, steroids “Over the last couple of decades, the these conditions, older gay men would turn a number of court-ordered testosterone and the hypermuscular gay image appeared pressure on young men to fit in and have a Were they to image-enhancing drugs to keep up with treatments for gay men, that the injections in the 1980s as a reaction to HIV. prescribed by the younger crowd. In this respect, however, were only making gay libidos stronger. certain kind of body is just growing expo- a doctor? In the 1970s, masculinity meant a very nentially,” he says. Brennan’s research offers a ray of hope. If Blashill and Brennan are right, however, different thing. Skinny men wore mustaches Brennan believes gay men are particularly His survey showed that gay men actually steroid use among gay men continues to have and athletic socks in gay porn. The Village likely to choose testosterone because they become progressively less likely to suffer everything to do with manliness. Between two People advertised for new band members feel pressure from both sides. On one side, from disordered eating and poor body im- cultures that both reward macho, the lure of with an ad that read “Macho types wanted” a majority heterosexual culture pushes gay age as they grow older. Instead of compar- masculinity in a syringe is obvious. and scored a cowboy and an Indian with men to fit in and project a masculine image ing themselves to the younger generation, narrow jawlines and slender biceps. to avoid negative stereotypes of effeminacy Brennan says, older gay men seem to be Go to dailyxtra.com for the next installment of Then, in 1981, two things happened almost and weakness. It is telling, he thinks, that 36% Yes getting comfortable with their aging bodies, this series, in which we examine the dangers simultaneously: first, a new disease, initially gay men who feel worse about being gay are 64% No muscle loss and all. of steroids.

MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM XTRA! MAY 15–JUNE 18, 2014 13 Place for Paws Building Boarding Camp for Dogs & Cats Restoration &

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14 MAY 15–JUNE 18, 2014 XTRA! OTTAWA’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS XTRA’S SMALL PLEASURES CONDO SPECIAL Tips on making the most of minimal square footage ADRIENNE ASCAH Your living space might be small, but it can still be sweet. As Ottawans flock to Separate spaces the downtown core to enjoy the advan- tages of condo living, they must make The “all-in-one” look isn’t going away peace with the fact that they have a anytime soon, but you can make subtle whole lot less room than if they were touches to establish the living and din- living in a house in the suburbs. ing rooms as separate spaces. An area Interior designer Chantale Charette, rug in the living room helps to delineate owner of Studio 853 design, has some the space from the dining area. Or, sub- decorating tips to help condo owners tly differentiate the spaces by grouping maximize their spaces. photos on the wall in a distinct way, Charette says. A tall, decorative ceramic or a tall plant can also help to divide the space Multi-functional visually while keeping the physical space whole. furniture If those touches are too low-key, you Coffee tables and bed frames with storage could consider hooking glass panels underneath will help house your belong- from the ceiling. Whether translucent ings while minimizing clutter. A wall unit or in a colour that brightens the room, can be used for everything from books to the panels add an artistic touch and family photos, but you could also use one create ceiling-to-floor lines, she says. of the shelves for a mini bar and serving tray, Charette says. Over time, though, your best long-term option might be to invest in custom-made furniture — to fit Bigger ain’t better your exact measurements and require- At least not when it comes to a big ole ments. “It will combine your functions couch in a one-bedroom condo’s living and maximize all the space — but ac- room. Realtors and interior designers Above: Whether it’s cording to your specific needs,” she says. alike recommend choosing the condo drapes or cupboards, that’s right for you — not your furniture. floor-to-ceiling pieces will invoke a sense “When you’re doing that move into a of height. condo, you kind of evaluate every piece Loving our lofts that’s going in,” Charette says. “I would Left: Putting a sofa in front of a window takes Many people love the high ceilings and propose to go with something that is a advantage of natural huge windows of a loft-style condo, but little lighter looking than the heavier light while liberating even the most exhibitionist home owner piece. It’s going to look like the elephant space in the rest of the wants some privacy now and then. in the room if it’s not balanced.” room. Here, designer Whether you go with remote-controlled Smaller pieces with thinner legs look Chantale Charette used custom furniture to blinds or more traditional drapes, don’t better in small rooms. A glass table with meet her clients’ needs. skimp on material. chrome legs will look lighter and airier CHANTALE CHARETTE “Always do floor-to-ceiling,” Charette than a large, heavy wood table, she says. says. “In a smaller space, you’re trying to invoke the sense of height, so by visually producing that line that goes from the ceiling all the way to the floor you’re True colours emphasizing that.” You might think living in a smaller space Your drapes could be patterned, would rule out darker colours, but Cha- which adds something extra to the rette disagrees. If you’re living in a loft- room. Pulled off to the side, they look style condo, all that natural light allows elegant; pulled shut, they give you all the you to choose warmer colours if you’re privacy you need, she says. Charette also going for a cosy effect, she says. But if doesn’t hesitate to put furniture in front you’re looking for a bright, modern look, of windows to liberate the other walls. lighter colours are your best bet.

MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM XTRA! MAY 15–JUNE 18, 2014 15 XTRA’S CONDO CONDO CRAZE SPECIAL

Local gay realtors look at some

of the top condo trends in Ottawa ADRIENNE ASCAH

It’s a buyer’s market, and for many real estate in the condo market over budget freezes, it seems to have slowed LGBT homebuyers a downtown Ottawa the years, but what we’re fi nding right the overall housing market in Ottawa. condo is the place to be. now is that there’s overabundance and Ottawa is heavily impacted and at the Having someone else do the snow oversupply of condos in the market,” mercy of the government on their ac- clearing and yard work while living says King, who was just ranked 79th out tions, in my view.” close to cafés, bars, restaurants and of Canada’s 15,000 Royal Lepage agents. The combination of government cuts shops resonates with many busy profes- “It’s a very good time to buy because and an oversupply of condos has left sionals. Xtra talked to gay realtors Paul there’s a lot to choose from.” some sellers with disappointing returns. McAllister, from Century 21, and Royal That’s great news for buyers, but sell- “I think in a lot of cases, we’re looking Lepage’s John King about the capital’s ers should be patient. Condos are still at around 2008, 2009 prices,” King says. hot condo market. in demand, but with so many on the “Anybody who’s bought at that time or market, they’re not selling as quickly after is probably looking at a loss.” Copious condos as they used to. “I’ve been licensed for 20 years, so I’ve Flip, don’t flop seen diff erent stages of central Ottawa Slower sales There’s money to be made in reselling “If you were selling a condo in the fi rst downtown Ottawa condos, but not if quarter of 2013, on average it would you’re in a rush, McAllister says. If you take 49 days,” says King, referring to can hold on to the property for five statistics from the real estate board. years, that’s reasonable, but trying to “For the fi rst quarter of January 2014, execute a two-year fl ip will fl op. a year later, the days on the market have “The way the condo market is going jumped to 77.” right now, I don’t recommend clients Ottawa’s economy has long depended looking at something as an investment on the public sector’s steadying infl u- if they’re looking at selling within two ence, but government job cuts have or three years,” McAllister says. “I just aff ected not only the local economy, but don’t think the market’s going to turn the housing market, McAllister says. around enough that you’ll make a “Condo developers are quickly fi lling worthwhile profi t, because by the time the [downtown] core with towers, but you pay all the legal fees, the real estate from what I see, selling them isn’t an fees, the taxes, the land transfer tax, Paul McAllister is an Ottawa realtor easy feat,” he says. “With the recent and et cetera, you’re probably not going to The New Edinburgh condo building has the floor-to-ceiling windows popular with with Century 21. ADRIENNE ASCAH future federal government job cuts and really make any money.” so many downtown dwellers.

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16 MAY 15–JUNE 18, 2014 XTRA! OTTAWA’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS Gaybourhood Adding & Ottawa has a gay village, but even the subtracting most gullible knows not every gay Ot- tawan lives there. Still, McAllister and amenities King agree that many queer people live THE BEST OF in the downtown core because they Everyone agrees that proximity to res- appreciate all the amenities. taurants, bars, clubs and shops — not GAY & LESBIAN “There’s no buildings that would be to mention gyms, grocery stores and OTTAWA known as sort of ‘gay’ buildings, but banks — is a good thing. But when it I would say that it would tend to go comes to in-building amenities like a more to the geographic area — Cen- pool, fitness centre, concierge service Pick it up in tretown, Lowertown, perhaps Sandy and 24-hour security, realtors say it’s the next issue Hill,” King says. “Central Ottawa, of John King is a realtor and broker. a question of preference. Xtra! course: the core is where we’re going “Someone that’s very physically ac- of to find most of us.” be okay with a little smaller place as tive and is big on the gym thing, they long as the night life and restaurants, tend to already have a gym member-

et cetera, are nearby,” he says. “LGBT ship, and a lot of the gyms within the THE BEST OF GAY & LESBIAN owners can stay in that condo for lon- condo corporations are not always that OTTAWA Style over size ger even if they couple up, whereas a elaborate, with a minimum number of

“I have to say, in my 20 years, that gay straight couple may need to move to a machines,” McAllister says. A hot date with people tend to have a really good intu- large place if they decide to have a child If you’re watching your budget, pay- ByWard Market Exploring ition on knowing where to buy in real and eventually will need more space.” ing for extras you rarely use isn’t logi- The Glebe estate,” King says. “I think us gays just Some queer couples are settling cal, he says, adding that you can always Hidden gems tend to have that style gene, as I call it.” down and having kids, but same-sex cancel your gym membership, but you of Hintonburg Suit up for There’s no denying condos have couples are unlikely to experience an pay for your condo building’s amenities the season gotten smaller over the past 20 years, unplanned pregnancy, so having kids is whether you use them or not. at MEC but the open-concept design makes often a planned, longer-term process, For other busy professionals, in- condos feel bigger, and many queer McAllister says. house amenities make life easier. couples choose style over size, he says. Planning is your friend when it “I would have no problem paying a A downtown condo won’t be as big as comes to real estate. If you buy a condo higher condo fee to have all in-house Located in the Wellington Village, The Wellington is above a coffee a house in the ’burbs, but McAllister and later want to upgrade to a larger amenities — a gym, a pool and a full shop, next to a 24-hour grocery agrees that’s just fine with many queer condo or a house, you want to be able concierge service,” King says. “I’ll pay store, and has a gym and party room. singles and couples. to wait until it’s financially advanta- the price because that’s what I need for “I find that LGBT buyers would geous to do so, he points out. my busy lifestyle.”

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18 MAY 15–JUNE 18, 2014 XTRA! OTTAWA’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS Having to hide such an essential part of me that affects so many facets of my life is kind of almost a daily struggle. Out in the City Spoken-word artist Ade B E 20 CHINATOWN All kinds REMIXED Once a year, artists and performers con- verge on Ottawa’s Somerset Street West for Chinatown Remixed, a day of festivities followed by a month of visual art exhibits of love in businesses along the street. The festival, Indie darlings The PepTides are Ottawa’s very own which has a family focus during the day and supergroup — a nine-member extravaganza with a a more adult-friendly evening component, big sound and an even bigger stage presence. Com- has always attracted a strong showing of ing off a whirlwind 2013 that saw them writing an queer artists and performers. This year, two album for and performing with Stuart McLean for queer artists are returning with new work. the release of his book Revenge of the Vinyl Café, Gabe Thirlwall is known in Ottawa for her Political Circus body of work, which the group shows no signs of slowing down. Their has included everything from silkscreened latest studio album, Love Question Mark, is an epic Some of The PepTides. Pictured from left: Scott Irving, DeeDee Butters, Claude Marquis, finger puppets to playing cards of Chinese rumination on the nature of love in all its forms Olexandra Pruchnicky, Rebecca Noelle and Dale Waterman. JULIE CRUIKSHANK Canadians in divided into two parts: “Retro,” which examines politics. “I like the tropes of love and sex, and “Electro,” which delves The album explores love as the pursuit of ing full well that the consumer or the art idea [that] an art- into some of their more unconventional forms. It’s happiness, as it applies to the chemical and viewer will understand something maybe ist reflects their a tongue-in-cheek, subversive soundscape with consumer industries; biblical and philosophical completely different than what we intended,” environment, and pop- and vintage-inspired undertones. interpretations of love; and, of course, sex and vocalist DeeDee Butters says. “But we like that here we are in Ot- “It’s not really love songs about me and you,” physical lust. The PepTides say they like that their — that’s a compliment to us.” — Julie Cruikshank tawa. What better keyboardist Scott Irving explains. “It’s more love work is still a little bit open to interpretation. thing to do than songs about all of us, and it’s love songs about what “We choose to focus on our narratives and The PepTides perform at Westfest on Sat, June 14, to do something love is and what love represents.” put things out the way we want them, know- at 8pm. thepeptides.com that is political and playful?” This will be Thirlwall’s third Performance year participating artist Matt Miwa. in Chinatown Re- Zines in the mixed. She says collection include Original Plumbing she likes the festival because it gives her an (below left) and Gay opportunity to make work that isn’t sales- CHEAP&EASY Goth Scene (right). driven (she sells her finger puppets and textiles at craft sales around the city and Celebrated Canadian queer icon ishing effect, particularly for young I think of zines as falling into also maintains an Etsy shop). AA Bronson recently launched people — high school students who that category of inherently “queer” Performance artist Matt Miwa will also the second edition of Queer Zines. feel they don’t fit in even with the media, a bit like Super 8 film: cheap be returning to Remixed this year with an Surveying more than 120 titles, conventional gay scene. But they and easy to produce, a little rough expansion of his 2013 piece, Kim Cattrall Queer Zines 2 offers a detailed, pro- discover these zines and begin to around the edges, with a do-it- Comes from Hell, which saw him walking active and decidedly sexy look at the find a way to belong. yourself sensibility. a tightrope wearing a miniskirt and heels. format’s history. Covering publica- In other words, “punk.” The over- He’s bringing Kim back again this year for tions from the movement’s earliest lap between queer and punk is so a piece entitled Kim Cattrall Comes Back moments in the 1970s through the intense at times. Super 8 and zines from Hell. Taking inspiration from Japanese new generation of creators working come out of the same moment. In Noh theatre, this time Miwa will cross a today, it’s the only survey of its kind. each case, it’s an available technology. bridge as Kim, committing seppuku, a form Xtra chatted with Bronson about With zines, it was the photocopier; of ritual suicide by disembowelment, when the project. with Super 8, it was a consumer- changed through the mail with other he reaches the other end. Miwa’s work com- bines physicality with a theatrical influence. grade film product intended for zine creators. Similarly, Super 8 was Xtra: From a historical perspective, “I want the audience to be interested in me household use. based around low-budget festivals what part have zines played in the and people showing each other their negotiating between the acting, between gay movement? Is there a reason both formats ex- films. But in both cases, it’s about the character, between the person, and be- tween myself,” he says. — Julie Cruikshank AA Bronson: Zines are specifically ploded at the same time? not being part of the art world or important in queer history because It was about groups of people who the publishing world, but wanting Chinatown Remixed takes place Sat, they have a very political edge, and didn’t see themselves as fitting into to avoid those structures and just May 17–Tues, June 17. Vernissage and there was really no other forum for the mainstream and were more in- do it fast and easy. — Chris Dupuis performances on Sat, May 17, 1–11pm. Exhi- expression of those political beliefs. terested in the kind of community bitions continue throughout the month at Zines were mostly circulated un- that was built through the exchange For the full interview and information various Somerset Street West businesses. derground, very much a grassroots of media. Zines were hardly ever on how to buy Queer Zines 2, visit chinatownremixed.ca movement. They’ve had an aston- sold. They were mostly just ex- dailyxtra.com.

MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM XTRA! MAY 15–JUNE 18, 2014 19 NOT YOUR AVERAGE LAW FIRM Supporting the LGBT community Rhyme & Business Law  Employment Law Condominium Law  Family Law Spoken- Personal Injury Law  Wills and Estates word artist Ade B shares uncomfortable Pam MacEachern  613-231-8276 truths [email protected]  nelligan.ca PROFILE ADRIENNE ASCAH

Ade B got onstage in front of hundreds of people and performed a conversation that’s never taken place. Her spoken-word performance, which was one of the highlights at this year’s Day of Pink gala, was about com- ing out to her family, something the British-Nigerian poet hasn’t yet done. “I’m actually not out to my family, so I wrote that kind of as a confessional,” Ade B says. “Having to hide such an es- sential part of me that affects so many facets of my life is kind of almost a daily struggle.” Her mother lives in London with her brothers, and she has extended family in the United States and Nigeria, where her father lived until he passed away. Despite being geographically separated, her family is close, and not being out to them is difficult, she says. “I think about doing it all the time, but it’s just a lot of ramifications,” she says. “I wanted to explore not only the theme of coming out, but how coming out for a West African kid is different than a kid who’s been raised in the West or like a white kid. It’s not quite the same because there’s kind of colonial history and ways that religion has been used to oppress these communities.” my poem, because as much as I can be While Ade B is staunchly against angry that I can’t be out to them or that homophobia and other forms of op- they say homophobic things around me, pression — and calls out family mem- I always have to understand that it’s not bers and anyone who says completely just hate.” homophobic or oppres- ADE B DJS AT There are times when sive things — she says OH MY JAM queer community mem- it’s equally important to Sat, June 21 bers forget that although consider homophobia’s Babylon Nightclub they experience discrimi- 317 Bank St origins. nation because of their “My family’s very reli- WESLEY sexual orientation or DYKES-DARLING gious and very Christian, AT WORLDPRIDE gender identity, they can but historically that’s not IN TORONTO simultaneously be privi- West African culture,” she Blockorama Stage leged, Ade B says. From Sun, June 29, 5:55pm says. “In West African cul- white queer people making ture, homosexuality was comments like “I wouldn’t never really seen as a bad thing, but I’ve date a black girl” to self-identified liber- been raised that it is, and that’s why I als railing against homophobia in Africa explored the theme of forgiveness in without considering that homophobia

20 MAY 15–JUNE 18, 2014 XTRA! OTTAWA’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS reason

Ade B is fairly new to Ottawa’s spoken- word community but is already making waves as a poet and drag performer. ADRIENNE ASCAH

was preached to them by Western evan- artists, which is why she appreciated gelists, we all need to check our privilege the safe space provided by Rainbow from time to time, she says. Write, the free writing program for “Very liberal people think they can’t LGBT youth funded by the Ontario be racist because they understand what Arts Council, Jer’s Vision and Planned racism is, but because it’s so systemic Parenthood. an institution, it can still show itself “You can write what you feel, and in their behaviours without them even if it’s not okay, you get called out on it realizing,” she says. “A lot of people, but not in a way that’s [disparaging],” when confronted with their privilege, she says. it’s hard... I think that’s where a lot of The 24-year-old’s future plans in- the learning stops — people just don’t clude doing more spoken-word perfor- want to confront it.” mances and writing a zine. She also DJs Having privilege doesn’t mean your and is looking forward to performing life has been easy, but you still benefit drag at WorldPride in Toronto as Wesley from your privilege, she says. Instead Dykes-Darling. of shying away from uncomfortable truths, we need to respectfully con- Follow Ade B on Twitter @KindaDapper front them. This is particularly true for and on Facebook: Wesley Dykes-Darling.

MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM XTRA! MAY 15–JUNE 18, 2014 21 Park Bowling, 1205 Wellington 1960s through to the early ’90s. St. $3 per game; free shoe rental. Open to people 50 and older and ospn-rfao.ca their friends. For more info, contact [email protected]. Sat, May Swirl and Twirl 10 31, 8pm–midnight. The Good This boozy benefi t for queer non- Companions Centre, 670 Albert profi t organizations features myriad St. $20 advance, $25 door (limited WHAT'S ON amusements and a silent auction. tickets available at the door). Thurs, May 29, 7–10pm. Ottawa ospn.rfao.ca FOR MORE LISTINGS, GO TO DAILYXTRA.COM City Hall, 110 Laurier Ave W. $30 advance, $40 door. swirlandtwirl.ca 17–Tues, June 17. For more info, visit SEX & BURLESQUE facebook.com/chinatownremixed ART & LITERATURE NIGHTLIFE May Flowers and Bloomers Ottawa Fringe Festival The Hard Cover Book Club Brunch, followed by something Based on the mandate that Thursdays Are a Drag sweet and steamy. This edition of Men gather to discuss Benjamin everyone should have the Zelda Marshall hosts a night of the Great Canadian Tease Burlesque Alire Sáenz’s Everything Begins and opportunity to produce their art, performances by drag queens, drag Brunch features The Mysterious Ends at the Kentucky Club. Thurs, Ottawa’s largest theatre festival kings and burlesque dancers. DJ Gitana Georgia, Lana Lovecakes and May 15, 7pm. Gay Zone, Centretown features more than 50 shows Bill spins progressive house. Every Foxy DeVille. Takes place the third CHC, 420 Cooper St. performed at various downtown Thursday, 10:30pm. Swizzles, 246B Sunday of each month. Sun, May 18, Free. gayzonegaie.ca venues. Thurs, June 19–Sun, June Queen St. No cover. swizzles.ca noon–3pm. Maxwell’s Bistro, 340 Fine Art by ASHe Levesque 29, various times and venues. $10. Elgin St. $20. maxwellsbistro.com ottawafringe.com Canada’s Capital Kings This exhibit’s acrylic and charcoal The drag-king troupe kicks the Improv Burlesque: pieces on canvas and wood weekend off right with diff erent A Lottery of Tease feature “human form in posture themes and hosts each week. and movement” and “energy-fi lled GOLF & GOURMETS Holly Sin hosts a night where Every Friday, 9:30pm. The Lookout nature and landscapes.” RSVP seasoned performers’ names are Bar & Bistro, 41 York St. $3. required. Thurs, May 22, 6–8pm. Back to Basics drawn at random, then each is given thelookoutbar.com After Stonewall, 370 Bank St. Free. Cooking Course a song and a prop with which to improvise a routine. Sun, May 25, afterstonewallgallery.com A program where kitchen klutzes and Sassy Saturday culinary cretins learn new skills and 8pm. Yuk Yuk’s Ottawa, 292 Elgin Venus Envy Book Club easy recipes. To register, call 613- Night Drag St. $10. ottawaburlesquefest.com 233-4443 x2108. Fri, May 16–Sun, The stage is festooned with Book lovers discuss Smut Peddler: Whip It Good: A Guide Impeccable Pornoglyphics for June 1. Centretown CHC, 420 Cooper feather boas, glitter, drama and Cultivated Ladies (and Men of St. Free. centretownchc.org drag queens, followed by dancing to Power Play and Kink Exceptional Taste), an anthology of to music by DJ Kitty Funkalicious. BDSM beginners learn about safe porn for women by women. Thurs, Tiki Tee Off Every Saturday, 10pm–2:30am. The words, negotiating boundaries, May 29, 7:30–9pm. Venus Envy, 226 The Ottawa Wolves present a Lookout Bar & Bistro, 41 York St. No percussion and using household Bank St. Free. venusenvy.ca Hawaii-themed golf tournament cover. thelookoutbar.com items in kinky ways. All genders for people of all skill levels. RSVP and orientations welcome. Tues, Sketches: Art by and buy tickets at ottawawolves.ca/ Off beat Rewind June 10, 6:30–8:30pm. Venus Envy, Mark Seabrook shop. Sat, May 31, 1pm. Manderley DJs Dan Valin and Yes Yes Sammy 226 Bank St. $20, $10 sliding scale. Rawal spin old-school dance and An exhibit of work by Mark Golf and Country Club, 5920 Prince venusenvy.ca hip hop. Partial proceeds go to Seabrook, Ojibwe artist, poet, writer, of Wales Dr, Kemptville. $20–75. the Ten Oaks Project. Sat, May 24, performer and playwright. Thurs, ottawawolves.ca 10:30pm–3am. Babylon Nightclub, June 5, 7:30–9:30pm. Venus Envy, Improv Burlesque — Yuk Fun with Food and Fitness Yuk’s, Sun, May 25 317 Bank St. $7 before midnight, $10 226 Bank St. Free. venusenvy.ca Submit your event listing to Health-conscious folks gather tips BEN RIPLEY after. thequeermafi a.com [email protected]. on eating well and staying active. To register, call 613-233-4443 Vintage Queers Dance Deadline for the June 19–July 16 FESTIVALS x2108. Tues, June 3–Tues, June 24. Addictions Treatment Queer People of Colour The Ottawa Senior Pride Network issue is Wed, June 11. presents a night of hits from the Unison Ottawa: Centretown CHC, 420 Cooper St. The LESA (Lifestyle Enrichment for QPOC of all genders, abilities, ages Free. centretownchc.org LGBT Choral Festival Senior Adults) Program provides and orientations meet and talk in resources for people 55 and older a supportive and non-judgmental A weekend of melody and experiencing issues with alcohol, environment. Takes place the last community, with performances medications, drugs and gambling. Tuesday of each month. by queer choirs from across HEALTH & ISSUES For an appointment, call 613-233- Tues, May 27, 7–9pm. PTS, 331 the country. Fri, May 16–Mon, The Living Room 5430. Centretown CHC, 420 Cooper Cooper St. Free. ptsottawa.org May 19, various times. École St. Free. centretownchc.org secondaire publique De La Salle, HIV-positive people and their loved ones are welcome to access Gender Quest 501 Old St Patrick St. $20–75. International AIDS unisonfestivalunisson.ca many resources, including a food A peer-led support group for bank, laundry facilities, internet, Candlelight Memorial transgender people at any stage of Chinatown Remixed counselling and workshops. The memorial features artwork transition. Takes place the second Monday of each month. Mon, June The sixth annual arts festival Contact The Living Room for an created for and by people living 9, 7pm. PTS, 331 Cooper St. Free. features workshops, concerts, yarn appointment. AIDS Committee of with HIV. Sun, May 18, 6–8pm. Jack ptsottawa.org bombing and more than 80 visual Ottawa, 251 Bank St, 7th Floor. Free. Purcell Community Centre, 320 Jack artists and performers. Sat, May aco-cso.ca Purcell Lane. Free. jpra.ca Spectrum LEISURE & PLEASURE This Youth Services Bureau program off ers queer and questioning Seniors’ Night Out youth aged 12 to 25 a safe space Queer people 50 and older are to socialize, discuss sexuality invited to drop by for socializing and related topics, participate in and refreshments. Wheelchair workshops, receive counselling and accessible; parking available. Takes more. Every Tuesday, 7–9pm. YSB, place the fi rst and third Wednesday 147 Besserer St. Free. ysb.ca of each month. For more info, contact [email protected]. Polybilities Wed, May 21, and Wed, June 4, 7pm. Interested parties gather in Novotel Hotel, Heritage Room, 33 a supportive environment to Nicholas St. Free. ospn-rfao.ca discuss issues surrounding non- monogamous relationships, Seniors’ Bowling including sex, emotional Queer people 50 and up are invited ASHe connections and the law. Takes out to bowl a few frames. For more Levesque Sketches: Art by Mark place the fourth Monday of info, contact [email protected]. — After Seabrook — Venus each month. Mon, May 26, 7pm. Takes place the second and fourth Stonewall, Envy, Thurs, June 5 Free. PTS, 331 Cooper St. Free. Monday of each month. Mon, May Thurs, May 22 MARK SEABROOK ptsottawa.org 26, and Mon, June 9, 6:30pm. West ASHE LEVESQUE

22 MAY 15–JUNE 18, 2014 XTRA! OTTAWA’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS Based on the 20th Century Fox Picture Originally produced on Broadway by Robert Greenblatt, April 2009

Music and 4<:0*(34<:0*(3;/,(;9,:6*0,;@,:;;/,(;9,:6*0,;@,:;  May 30 to June 8, 2014 Lyrics by Book by Dolly Parton Patricia 613.580.2700orpheus-theatre.ca A hilarious story Resnick eyeGo and Student Rush Ticket Programs of friendship and Senior and children’s tickets available revenge in the 101 Centrepointe Drive Ottawa Rolodex era! Free parking

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Everything gay, every day.

MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM XTRA! MAY 15–JUNE 18, 2014 23 XPOSED ZARA ANSAR

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1 Photo: J Henry Fair Photo: A POSTCARD 4 5 6 “FROM THE Promdemonium 2014 Promdemonium hit the Glebe NEW WORLD” Community Centre on April 5. DJs Magnificent and D-Luxx Brown spun some classic retro tracks, while the Ottawa Wolves rugby team took the role of bartenders. The photo booth and make-out kissing wheel proved especially popular, and the diverse crowd danced the night away in their stylish threads. Pro- Casual FRIDAYS 3 ceeds from Promdemonium will go to local community programs with the NAC Orchestra working for social, economic and 7 8 environmental justice. 1E Daria Ossanova, left, and Stefi van Wijk shake it on the dancefloor. Michael Francis, conductor 2E From left, Dani Leblanc, Stepha- Leila Josefowicz, violin June 6 nie Hyland-Kilgour and Angie Ren- works by Stravinsky and Dvořák Tickets from $23 wick bust some moves. 3E Derek and Carla show off their crazy style. 5:30 p.m. Pre-concert wine, Culinary Overture* tapas and live jazz 4E Chantal Marcotte, left, and Yuli- 7:00 p.m. 90-minute world-class concert with the NAC Orchestra ya Shcherbina share a moment on 8:30 p.m. Free coffee and cash bar reception with the musicians the dancefloor. 5E From left, Tamara Kalnins Daniel Spence Jayme In association with , , Gowanlock, Kailey Henderson and * Culinary Overture tickets are $20 per person per concert for a variety of delectable small plates prepared by the NAC culinary team. One complimentary Kendra von Eyben in front of the glass of wine per person is included with your concert ticket. “make out for change” station. 6E Lacey Hillier (left), Emma Mahn and Divine Pleasure chat at the bar. nac-cna.ca/fridays 7E Lauryn Albers and her styling outfit. 8E Tom Footit and Deanna Whelan, as prom king and queen.

24 MAY 15–JUNE 18, 2014 XTRA! OTTAWA’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS Restaurants E xtralivingottawa.com & Cafés 2 MINUTES TO CHURCH ST Absinthe FOR 613-761-1138 OR THE SUBWAY Allegro Ristorante MEN ONLY! 613-235-7454 NATHAN 24/7 ALL OF TORONTO Courtyard Restaurant IS AT YOUR DOORSTEP 613-241-1516 WITH TABLE Giovanni’s Ristorante 613-234-3156 Shower & Movies La Cucina $80.00 for an THE BEST OF GAY & LESBIAN OTTAWA Ristorante 613-836-1811 hour and a half Mamma Grazzi’s Accomm- Coaching Estate Linda Young Optical 613-241-8656 Or $40.00 for odations Padraig Coaching Planning Insurance Services Southern Cross Ambiance Bed & Consulting Mann & Brokers Inc Eyemaxx Grill on Queen 45 minutes & Breakfast 855-818-0600 Partners, LLP 613-825-1110 Optical Studio 613-230-0400 - - 613-722-1500 - - TORONTO DOWNTOWN CENTRE 613 563 0421 Community Manotick 613 216 6076 The Foolish 1-888-366-8772 Groups & Event Insurance Rideau Chicken Brokers Ltd - - Hm 613-234-5064 30 CARLTON STREET AIDS/HIV Services Planning & Optometric Clinic 613 321 4715 TORONTO, ONTARIO M5B 2E9 CANADA 613-692-3528 613-567-0800 Resources Centretown Promotions Sex Shops Cell 613-618-6329 Hotel Front Desk: 1-416-977-6655 Internet www.holidayinn.com/TorontoCentre AIDS Committee Community Wise Events Optometrists Classixxx of Ottawa Health Centre 613-656-9466 Distributel 613-567-0800 Adult Store 613-238-5014 613-233-4443 Canada Events Pet Care 613-523-9962 The Children’s Aid distributel.ca Bureau régional Carol the Dog Social Groups Society of Ottawa Caneast Shows squirt.org d’action sida Trainer (BRAS) 613-747-7800 caneastshows.ca squirt.org The Couples 613-729-4808 819-776-2727 Florists Group Contracting Jewellery & Pharmacies couplesgroup.org Gay Men’s Sexual & Renovations Tivoli Florist Jewellers Health Alliance - - Shoppers Drug Spa Services Merkley 613 729 6911 Davidson’s 1-800-839-0369 Mart Bank and Spa Homâ Supply Ltd Furniture Jewellers Gladstone Gay Zone - - - - 819-595-3044 613 728 2693 The New Oak Tree 613 234 4136 613-238-9041 613-563-2437 Tanning Counselling 613-253-9797 Magpie Jewellery Physiotherapy Alternative magpiejewellery.com Salons Antoine Graphic Vijay Sharma Health iTan Advanced Quenneville, MA, Design Laser Surgery Physiotherapy CPsyc Assoc Studios Scottie’s Spot Services LCI Lasercom 613-238-8885 613-231-3111 613-230-6179 x401 613-562-ITAN Jack of All Clinics Politicians Alternative Dr Gordon Trades Design 613-828-8946 Theatre Josephson, 613-569-3737 Offi ce of Mayor Transportation jackofalltrades Jim Watson Orpheus Musical Registered Theatre Society Power Sports design.com Lawyers 613-580-2424 Psychologist - - Canada 613 729 4318 613-231-4111 Grocery Stores Ian Carter-Bayne Paul Dewar, MP 613-224-7899 Sellar Boxall Upholstery Gilmour Rainbow Foods 613-964-8682 - - Art Galleries Psychological 613-726-9200 613 236 0535 Kessels’ Prenuptial Upholstering Cube Gallery Services Mann & Health & Agreements 613-224-2150 613-728-1750 613-230-4709 Partners, LLP Personal Care - - Mann & Jerry SG Ritt, 613 722 1500 Web Design Bakeries Healthy Smiles Partners, LLP MA OACCPP, Nelligan O’Brien Dental Clinic 613-722-1500 B2W Design Inc Bread By Us Psychotherapist Payne LLP 613-317-2330 613-804-2384 613-890-1423 613-233-9669 613-238-8080 Psychologists Health Foods Jack of All Chimney Credit & Debt Legal Services Dr Gordon Trades Design & Nutrition Josephson, Repair & Counselling Ian Carter-Bayne jackofalltrades Rainbow Foods Registered Cleaning Dominion Sellar Boxall design.com 613-726-9200 Psychologist Ottawa Chimney Lending Centre 613-236-0535 613-231-4111 Websites Services Ltd 613-224-4530 Home Mann & squirt.org 613-729-1624 x224 Gilmour Improvement Partners, LLP Psychological squirt.org Chiropractors Dental & Repairs 613-722-1500 Services dailyxtra.com DTN Contract 613-230-4709 In Balance Services Nelligan O’Brien 416-925-6665 Chiropractic and Healthy Smiles Services Payne LLP Publications Health Centre Dental Clinic 613-780-7033 613-238-8080 Weddings Pink Triangle 613-837-8885 613-317-2330 Cube Gallery Merkley Massage – Press Supply Ltd 613-728-1750 Churches Dog & Cat Certified/ 416-925-6665 613-728-2693 The Church Training Registered pinktrianglepress.ca Yoga of St John the Carol the Ottawa Chimney Spa Homâ Xtra (Ottawa) Ottawa Evangelist Services Ltd Dog Trainer 819-595-3044 416-925-6665 Men’s Yoga 613-232-4500 - - 613-729-1624 ottawamens 613 729 4808 Xtra (Toronto) Mortgages yoga.ca Cleaning & Housing - - Dog Walking Evan Weiner, AMP 416 925 6665 Maid Services Andrex Holdings Carol the 613-224-4530 Xtra (Vancouver) 613-238-1835 Rent-A-Wife Dog Trainer x224 604-684-9696 613-749-2249 613-729-4808 Insurance Mortgage Alliance Recreational Clothing Electrical John Shea 613-612-8400 Vehicles DON’T – Men’s Contracting Insurance MISS OUT Brokers Ltd Motorcycles Power Sports Stroked Ego Mike’s Electrical Canada ON OUR 613-596-9697 & Scooters 613-667-3008 Service - - Power Sports 613 224 7899 NEXT 613-834-4659 Canada EDITION! 613-224-7899

MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM XTRA! MAY 15–JUNE 18, 2014 25 A world of gay adventure Travel Happy Campers Whether your camping style includes a few tent pegs and a relatively flat patch of ground or a tricked-out RV with more glitz and glitter than Liberace’s living quarters, you’ll find a bevy of LGBT-friendly places to park within striking distance of Ottawa. AEFA MULHOLLAND

Stella’s Getaway Burleigh Falls, Ontario stellasgetaway.com WHERE: A three-minute walk from Burleigh Falls, on the shores of island-dotted Stony Lake, a 40-kilometre-long body of water known as the “Jewel of the Cedars Campground Kawarthas.” The restaurants, stores and LCBO of Lakefield are a short drive away. Hayesland, Ontario cedarscampground.com WHO: Women-only. WHERE: Just west of Millgrove, 20 minutes north of Hamilton. WHAT: A lakeside campground with tent sites, cabins, a 27-foot trailer and one converted van. Some cabins have dishwashers; all have barbecues. Campsites have fire pits. Guests WHO: LGBT. can use the resort’s canoes and kayaks. Stella’s Café has burgers, wings, cedar-plank WHAT: Celebrating its 30th birthday this summer, Cedars offers cabins and tent and RV sites, plus a baseball diamond, salmon, and salads and sandwiches, and there’s a fine-foods store on-site. Activities sand volleyball court and tennis court set on 130 partially wooded acres atop the Niagara Escarpment. Un-serviced include swimming, fishing, boating and canoeing, plus hiking in Petroglyphs Provincial sites can avail of a water and battery charging station. The Cedars has a licensed nightclub, licensed pool bar and fully Park. Nearby, water crashes over the pink granite of Burleigh Falls from Lovesick Lake. licensed restaurant on-site. A pool, tuck shop and clubhouse (with library and board games) round out the offerings. WHEN: May 2–Oct 13. WHEN: May 2–Oct 24. HOW MUCH: Sites from $40. Van accommodation from $55. Cabins from $125. HOW MUCH: Day passes from $10. Sites from $16.50 per person.

26 MAY 15–JUNE 18, 2014 XTRA! OTTAWA’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS Hillside Campgrounds New Milford, Pennsylvania Plein Bois hillsidecampgrounds.com WHERE: Close to the town of Gibson Sainte-Marthe, Quebec in northeastern Pennsylvania, campingpleinbois.com just south of the Finger Lakes, WHERE: Near Rigaud, five hours by car from Ottawa. Quebec, less than an hour’s drive from WHO: Men-only. downtown Montreal and WHAT: 235 acres in the mountains of an hour and a half from Pennsylvania with trails and a shady Ottawa, near the banks of creek. Sites range from central and so- the Ottawa River. There’s cially situated to remote. A café takes a shuttle bus to the camp care of all meals you can’t be both- for those who don’t drive. ered to cook. Social offerings include volleyball contests, BYOB cocktail WHO: Men-only. events, art walks and weekend parties WHAT: 60 wooded acres where the tunes swing from country with 414 sites, two pools and western in the early hours to club and a choice of bars sounds as the night progresses. Party and terraces. Chez Leo themes include Heroes and Villains, provides breakfast, lunch Uniform, and Fantasy and Fetish. and dinner, including grills and a substantial WHEN: May 2–Sept 28. fisherman’s platter. HOW MUCH: Day passes from CAMP APPEAL This season’s calendar $5. Sites from $20 per person includes karaoke, happy per night. Cabins from $60. Upstate New York’s Jones Pond hours, theme weekends, concerts, a garage sale, offers a rural retreat for men workshops and movies. Rainbow With 117 seasonal sites, 192 permanent enjoy the pool scene and the dances to WHEN: April 19–Sept 21. Ridge Resort seasonal spots, a slew of cabins and a people from the local area, places like HOW MUCH: Day passes season that stretches all the way from Buffalo and Rochester, who come in from $10.25. Tent sites Grand Valley, Ontario rainbowridgeresort.ca April to October, Jones Pond makes an and use the park for the day. We prob- from $28.25. Trailer ideal escape across the border. Set in ably have an 80/20 split between US rentals from $41. WHERE: On the Grand River, close to the gentle hills of the Genesee Valley guests and Canadians, but we’re seeing Orangeville. An hour north of Toronto, five hours from Ottawa by car. of Upstate New York, the men-only more and more making the trip across campground boasts 120 acres with the border. After all, we’re really only WHO: LGBT, plus pets. hiking trails, a three-acre pond, huge 90 minutes from the Peace Bridge.” WHAT: 72 acres of hiking trails and in-ground swimming pool, a busy café The summer social calendar fully serviced sites, with picnic tables and volleyball courts. There’s also features weekend dances at the and fire pits, on the Grand River. a huge events barn, camp store and 2000-square-foot events barn. One of Field and pool volleyball, badminton, lounge with TV, library, fireplace and the busiest weeks is the one running horseshoes, cricket, Saturday night piano. Recognized as the “nicest park up to the Fourth of July, when there dances, a clothing-optional area and three games rooms with ping-pong, in New York State,” Jones Pond is are daily events scheduled, including pool, foosball, weights and a TV. known for having exceptionally well- Schaefer and McCormick’s Bloody maintained grounds and facilities. Caesar Canada Day party. Other dates WHEN: May–October. As the campground’s 24th season to mark in your camping calendar are HOW MUCH: Day passes from $8. Sites kicks off, we tracked down the Canadi- those of the park’s five block parties from $16. Bunk rooms from $65. an couple that owns and operates the (Jones Pond is divided into five neigh- pet-friendly park. Bryan Schaefer and bourhood “blocks”). Each party is or- Matthew McCormick bought Jones ganized by campers in those areas, and Pond in 2012. “We had been camping this year’s themes include Mardi Gras The Point Tent here for about 15 years,” Schaefer says, and Western. All five events feature and Trailer Resort “and it had always been a place we free barbecues and drinks. “It’s just Vittoria, Ontario loved going: 120 acres filled with the amazing,” Schaefer says, “how people get-tothepoint.com most amazing people we’ve ever spent grab on and throw themselves into WHERE: Near Turkey Point Park on time with. We were both working in putting on these parties.” Riverside the Lake Erie shore, a 15-minute downtown Toronto and were tired of Whether you check into a log cabin, drive from Port Dover. the 12-hour days and the rat race. We bunkhouse or guesthouse, pack your Tweed, Ontario needed to find something we loved to tent or haul your RV rig, there’s a riversidervcampground.com WHO: Men-only. WHAT: Tent and fully serviced trailer do. As fate would have it, the previous site, a warm welcome and a summer WHERE: A two-hour drive from Ottawa, just north owners decided to sell the park. When home away from home waiting at of Highway 7 and the town of Tweed. and RV sites, surrounded by Caro- lingian forest, with an abundance they announced it, Matt turned to me Jones Pond. WHO: Men-only. of trails. Other draws include biking, and said, ‘Let’s buy this!’” Knowing WHAT: A campground and RV park on 96 wooded acres in swimming and a slew of summer mix- nothing about running a park, Schae- Jones Pond eastern Ontario’s Land O’ Lakes region. Opened in 2011, Riverside ers, cabanas, a saltwater swimming fer and McCormick did their research, Angelica, New York basks on the banks of the Skootamatta River and offers 110 pool, sun decks and a general store. worked out the finances, sold their jonespond.com serviced and unserviced sites, all with picnic tables and fire The Point is particularly popular with home in Toronto and bought Jones WHERE: 120 kilometres southeast of rings, a cottage, trailer, clothing-optional pool and camping area, bears and leathermen, and the events Pond in October 2012. Buffalo, a five-hour drive from Ottawa. baseball diamond and volleyball field. Weekend themes range calendar caters to that, with events There is no “typical camper,” Schae- WHO: Men-only. from Boots and Boxers to Drag Divas to Riverside Olympics. such as BearForce and Lumbearjack. fer says. “We get everyone from the WHEN: April 25–Oct 1. WHEN: May 2–Sept 28. WHEN: May 16–Oct 13. young 20s crowd who come in for long HOW MUCH: Day passes from $10. Tent HOW MUCH: Day pass from $10. Sites from $18. HOW MUCH: Day pass from $10. weekends or block party weekends to sites from $10. Trailer sites from $38. Trailer from $65. Cottage from $85. Sites from $18. Cabins from $56. the mid-40s crowd who have sites and

MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM XTRA! MAY 15–JUNE 18, 2014 27 A world of gay adventure Travel Pride in Mexico City A non-corporate mix of politics, partying and anarchic celebration

KEPH SENETT than the offi cial page (marchagay.mx). If you’re looking for the bear scene, you For such a major metropolis, Mexico have your own portal at bearmex.com. City is often overlooked during Pride Although there are parties and events season, but this capital is not only big leading up to and after the parade, the and bustling — it’s also actively welcom- main attraction happens on Pride Sat- ing to LGBT people. The city’s very fi rst urday under the banner Marcha del Pride march took place in 1979, and 30 Orgullo y Dignidad LGBTTTI (Pride years later the Legislative Assembly le- and Dignity March). You’re probably galized same-sex marriage. And, to make familiar with the many variations on things easier for out-of-towners to visit, LGBT; in Mexico City, the letters refer the Mexico City tourism board recently to lésbico, gay, bisexual, transexual, commissioned an LGBT guide, down- travesti, transgénero and intersexual. loadable as a PDF from its website (see Don’t get too hung up on the semantics On the Web sidebar box for URL). So if — this is an inclusive celebration, and you’re considering a trip to Mexico City everyone is welcome. (also referred to as “el DF,” for Distrito La Marcha begins at noon(ish), with Federal), consider a pilgrimage for Pride. people gathering at the base of El Ángel The very fi rst thing you’ll notice in de la Independencia, the city’s most planning your Pride week is that the famous monument and the symbol of communications — posters, websites the Mexico City. If your experience of and guides — are not nearly as coordi- Pride is limited to recent years in the big nated as you’re probably used to, and cities (like New York, San Francisco or your planning will be further com- Toronto), one of the fi rst things you’ll plicated by the fact that everything is likely notice is that, despite its size in Spanish. Take a deep breath. De- (2013 drew approximately 100,000 spite being a city of nearly nine million participants), this is a grassroots event. people (that number jumps to more With very few exceptions — the city than 24 million if you account for the distributed tens of thousands of free, KEPH SENETT greater metropolitan area), el DF is, in branded condoms, for example — there Above, Pride revellers celebrate outside Palacio de Bellas Artes. Left, some ways, still emerging. The sooner is little or no corporate presence. And a float with an Aztec eagle warrior you sync up with the city, the better that’s a great thing. Everything from the theme. time you’ll have. handmade signs to the music to the vibe There are two main ways to fi nd out feels genuine. what’s happening: track down a Pride Once the parade gets underway, it guide or simply ask someone. Trust me: moves down Paseo de la Reforma to- NIGHTLIFE the latter is much more fun, but if you’re ward the Zócalo, Mexico City’s main Lipstick/Kinky Bar too shy, get yourself into the Zona Rosa public plaza and the second largest in Amberes 1 to check out lesbian bookstore Voces the world (Moscow’s Red Square is big- Living en Tinta or Erotika Love Store and ask ger). The procession itself is a fabulous Avenida Bucareli No 144 for a guide (guía, in Spanish). On the mix of politics, partying and anarchic living.com.mx web, your best bet is to locate groups celebration, with the music, costumes, and events pages on Facebook, which pageantry and placards we’ve all come Cabaretito Londres 161 (Neon/VIP) often are updated with more frequency to expect. Londres 77 (Fusion) Several other events are scheduled cabaretito.com for the weeks prior to and directly after ON THE WEB La Marcha. Consider planning your Marrakech Salon República de Cuba 18 LGBT guide travel around the Festival Lésbico In- (downloadable PDF) ternacional de la Ciudad de México (the El Viena mexicocity.gob.mx/lgbt/guias.php international lesbian festival of Mexico República de Cuba 2-E International Lesbian Festival City), the Festival Internacional por la La Perla mexicocity.gob.mx/lgbt/agenda.php Diversidad Sexual (the international República de Cuba 44 International Sexual sexual diversity festival) or the Festival So Do Me Bathhouse Diversity Festival de Diversidad Sexual en Cine y Video Mariano Escobedo No 716 chopo.unam.mx (the sexual diversity fi lm festival). sodome.com.mx THELMA DATTER 28 MAY 15–JUNE 18, 2014 XTRA! OTTAWA’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS Away from the crowded beach, the log booms on Trail 7 at Wreck Beach. BART BRAUN

10Great nude #news beaches in Canada #arts 1. Blooming Point Northwestern PEI 2. Chilliwack Lake Near Chilliwack, BC #travel 3. Crystal Crescent Beach Near Halifax 4. Hanlan’s Point Toronto #events 5. Kelly’s Beach Puerto Vallarta is a leading culinary destination in Mexico. VISITPUERTOVALLARTA.COM Kouchibouguac National Park, NB 6. Lac des Toutes Nues Restaurant Week in PVR Northwest of Montreal One of Mexico’s longest-running rated luxury restaurants. 7. Oka Park culinary events, Puerto Vallarta In the gay-friendly Romantic Zone, West of Montreal Restaurant Week, will celebrate its not far from the gay beach, are Archie’s Everything gay, 8. Paradise Beach 10th anniversary in May. Wok, Daiquiri Dick’s, Taste and Kaiser Near Saskatoon During the annual festival, which this Maximilian. From there, an easy stroll 9. Patricia Beach year runs May 15 to 31, Puerto Vallarta’s will take you to the Centro Historico, every day. Near Winnipeg most prestigious restaurants showcase where you’ll find Café des Artistes, innovative three-course menus. Three Barcelona Tapas and El Arrayán. 10. Wreck Beach options are available for each course, Vegetarian or vegan interpretations Vancouver and prices range from $15 to $25 of Mexican dishes can be found at — Bruce Bishop before alcohol and tip. River Café, Que Pasa and El Patio de DAILY A leading culinary destination in Mi Casa, to name a few. ON THE WEB Mexico, Puerto Vallarta offers a range dailyxtra.com For more information on nude beaches of gastronomical adventures, from ON THE WEB and naturism, visit the Federation of street food carts offering tacos and For a complete list of businesses Canadian Naturists at fcn.ca. ceviche that have been operated by the participating in Restaurant Week, visit same families for generations to top- virtualvallarta.com.

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