April 2010 ISSUE 78 The Only Magazine Dedicated to Alberta’s LGBT Community FREE
Interviews with: Korn RuPaul Little Boots Barenaked Ladies
Dangerous Dames Comics are so gay Full Contact on Four Wheels An Outsider’s Take on Comic Enthusiasts
Community Directory • Map and Events • Tourism Info >> Starting on Page 17
LGBT Resource • Calgary • Edmonton • Alberta www.gaycalgary.com GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 Table of Contents April 2010 5 Avoiding Death by Design Publisher: Steve Polyak Publisher’s Column Editor: Rob Diaz-Marino Sales: Steve Polyak Design & Layout: 8 Korn’s Gay Konnection Rob Diaz-Marino, Ara Shimoon Writers and Contributors 11 All In Good Time Chris Azzopardi, Dallas Barnes, Dave Brousseau, Jason Clevett, Andrew Collins, Rob Diaz-Marino, Barenaked Ladies Regroup and Return with New Album and Tour Jack Fertig, Glen Hanson, Joan Hilty, Stephen Lock, Allan Neuwirth, Steve Polyak, Pam Rocker, 13 Chelsea Boys Ara Shimoon, Romeo San Vicente, Kyle Taylor
of GayTravel.com, Matthew Teur, Dan Woog, GE 8 PA GE XXX PA and the GLBT Community of Calgary, Edmonton, 14 gay Travel and Alberta. BULGARIA — THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL Photography Steve Polyak, Rob Diaz-Marino, Karen Hofmann 17 Directory and Events Videography 24 A Shadow across the Throne of St. Peter Steve Polyak, Rob Diaz-Marino Renewed Sexual Abuse Allegations Plague the Papacy Printers North Hill News/Central Web 26 Calgary International Distribution Spoken Word Festival Calgary: Gallant Distribution GayCalgary Staff Giving Voice to Those Underrepresented Edmonton: Clark’s Distribution Other: Canada Post 27 The GAYmazing Race Legal Council Pride Calgary Plans Scavenger Hunt Courtney Aarbo, Barristers and Solicitors 27 Q Scopes GE 11 PA GE XXX PA Sales & General Inquiries GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine “Go back to basics, Gemini!” 2136 17th Avenue SW Calgary, AB, Canada 28 Deep Inside Hollywood T2T 0G3 Jackman taking road to Selma Office Hours: By appointment ONLY Phone: 403-543-6960 29 A Look Back at His Reign Toll Free: 1-888-543-6960 Emperor 33 Joey Hailey-Boink Reflects Upon the Past Year Fax: 403-703-0685 E-Mail: [email protected] 30 out of Town This Month's Cover Charleston, South Carolina Derby Girls Photos by Claudia Katz Design by Rob Diaz-Marino 32 sociopolitics of Identity Hope Resides in the Genderqueer and Transgressive Proud Members of: 33 A Taste for Life GE 26 PA GE XXX PA SHARP Foundation Wants You to Eat Well!
Edmonton Rainbow 33 Letters to the Editor Business Association 34 Fundraising Photos 37 Canadian Rockies International Rodeo International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association Reloaded for 2010 38 Queeries Transgender Disclosure, Gay Speed-Dating and Lesbian In-Laws
National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association GE 29 PA GE XXX PA Continued on Next Page GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 Table of Contents
Continued From Previous Page 39 The OutField Prodigal sons return to Montana 41 Bitter Girl Magazine Figures Monthly Print Quantity: 42 A Couple of Guys 9,000–11,000 copies Guaranteed Circulation: 8,500 copies 43 Comics Are So Gay! Bonus Circulation: 500–2,500 copies An Outsider’s Take on Comic Enthusiasts Readership Readers Per Copy: 4.9 (PMB) Print Readership: >41,650 44 empress Rhonda Avg. Online Circulation: 125,000 readers Young Boy from Ireland Came a Long Way Estimated Total Readership: GE 37 PA GE XXX PA >166,650 readers 44 Jim Shafer Frequency: Monthly In Memory of a “Private and Proud Man” Proof of monthly figures are available on request. 45 sex Virus Vaccination Distribution Locations: Now For Boys Calgary: 150 Edmonton: 130 46 music Review Other Alberta Cities: 10 Jónsi, Bitch Other Provinces: 30 Please call us if your establishment would 47 2010 Artists for Life: Edmonton like to become a distribution location. HIV Edmonton and JTMF West join forces for inaugural event History 47 Just Being Herself Originally established in January 1992 as Men for Men BBS by MFM Toni Vere on CD Release Tour Communications. Name changed to GE 51 PA GE XXX PA GayCalgary.com in 1998. Independent 48 Classified Ads company as of January 2004. First edition of GayCalgary.com Magazine published November 2003. Name adjusted in 51 small talk with Little Boots November 2006 to GayCalgary and Electropop princess on arriving in the U.S., her shoe size and being a Edmonton Magazine. gay matchmaker Disclaimer and Copyright Opinions expressed in this magazine are specific to the author, and do not 52 start your Engines! necessarily reflect those of GayCalgary RuPaul’s Drag Race Returns for Season 2 staff and contributors. Those involved in the making of this publication, whether advertisers, contributors, 56 Dangerous Dames or the subjects of articles or photographs, are Full Contact on Four Wheels not necessarily gay, lesbian, bisexual, or trans. This magazine also includes straight allies and those who are gay friendly. GE 52 PA GE XXX PA No part of this publication may be reprinted or modified without the expressed written permission of the editor or publisher.
http://www.gaycalgary.com/RSS Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Articles • Recent News • Prize Draws • Events • Travel Info GayCalgary is a registered trademark. May 2010 Print Deadlines http://www.gaycalgary.com/Twitter Follow us on Twitter for articles, weekly news and updates! Ad Booking: Wed, April 28th Submission: Mon, May 3rd http://www.gaycalgary.com/Facebook In Circulation: Wed, May 5th Join our Facebook group for articles, weekly news and updates! Please contact us immediately if you think you may have missed the http://www.gaycalgary.com/i78 booking or submission deadline. More articles and exclusive content online! GE 56 PA GE XXX PA
GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 Editorial Avoiding Death by Design Publisher’s Column By Rob Diaz-Marino So it is all a revolving cycle: situation affects choices, decisions affect situation. It starts with the situation that your Designers (with a capital “D”) are people in whom a parents design for you, and doesn’t end until you die. The trick following of consumers place their trust to satisfy what to living a better life, it would seem, is going with the choices they want or need out of a product. Most of us know that aren’t the easiest way out; the decisions that aren’t just about Designers from the area of fashion, but the concept the best solutions for you at that moment in time, but rather also exists in other industries even though the D-word the ones that will be good for you many years into the future. is not commonly applied. For instance, Apple would Things that are worthwhile take effort, and making decisions that commit you to making an effort will open up more choices be considered a Designer in the Computer industry, down the line, if not immediately. perhaps garnering as much blind faith in the quality and People often do start off with such tragic situations, and/ prestige of its products as would a handbag by Prada, or or make such poor decisions that their lives can spin out of shoes by Louis Vuitton. control. True, bad things do happen to good people, but most However, design is the natural process that goes hand in good people that I know, naturally accumulate others who hand with the implementation of just about anything manmade truly care about them, and can help them get through tough – an object, a process, an idea. A design can be the result times. The whole concept of bad Karma is an accumulation of of meticulous planning, or it can take shape purely as a consequences from past decisions that strangle your ability to consequence of its needed function. A good design satisfies its move forward – it is how people guarantee their own failure for objective with relative ease, while a bad design perhaps defeats the rest of their lives. its own purpose. Designs are solutions to specific problems, In reality, Mother Nature’s safety net, when you can no longer and thus can never be perfect for all applications. However meet your minimal requirements for life, is death. Of course, they can be gradually improved and expanded through an even making all of the right decisions can’t put it off forever – we evolutionary process of use, feedback, and renewal. are designed to die. Nevertheless, the simple brutal rule of life So many, if not all of us are designers (lower-case “d”). In our is to either adapt, or die to make room for those who can. everyday lives we may rely on other people’s designs a great deal, But in the society that we know, while people may deserve but there is still room or requirement for us to create our own many things, dying is not one of them. Even when a person designs in order to solve unique and unexplored problems. wrongs us in the most grievous way, I think it is safe to say Informally, a designer can collect and combine other designs that most of us would rather see them live and change, than to be used as pieces in a larger design of their own. For see their life extinguished, and their memory languishing in instance, a drag queen or drag king designs their performance error for eternity. This is what we try to do to keep them away as a patchwork of outfits, makeup, songs and props, all weaved from Mother Nature’s solution to weakness, even if it means together by their own stylings. taking away control by force until they are no longer a danger to In business, where we stand to profit from design, we have themselves and others. Even if it just means patching them up an obligation to purposely reject exact existing designs to come so that they can make all the same bad decisions over again. up with something distinctive enough to call our own. For But as long as a person is alive, there is still time for them instance, as a business, GayCalgary fills the role of magazine to change, to make up for mistakes, to start making better and website while still striving to maintain a unique identity decisions, to cast off the people they think are their friends but from other magazines and websites. It would be wrong for one keep dragging them down, and embrace the ones who can help business to impersonate or copy exactly the identity or design them be stronger, better people. of another business; exact designs can become an identifying I write this for those I often see spiralling out of control in the characteristic of those who created them, so to copy them too community, but don’t know how to help. You, and only you, closely is, in a way, identity theft. For businesses to coexist in are the designer of your own life – no matter what materials you the same industry, they must each design their own distinct start with, there is always a way to shape them into something identities and fill their roles in different ways. beautiful. It’s time to start collecting the tools and accessories But design isn’t limited to things external to us. When you think about it, we are also designing our own lives and identities through the decisions we make (or avoid making), the friends Continued we keep, and the actions we commit.
Designing for Life Hardest to make are the decisions that greatly impact our lives where there is no clear best - no right or wrong answer. These are the free decisions which rarely come our way, such as: which courses do you take in school, do you stay put or move to another city, what sort of career do you pursue, or do you start a business; do you avoid making a decision and end up working a menial job only for the sake of surviving, or simply spend your time sulking in your parent’s basement for as long as they will let you. The rest of your life is built on the direction that you set with these free decisions, because down the line the choices only get narrower. More often than not you will find that your current situation will limit your options, even decide for you by twisting you arm toward the one that requires the least effort or personal change.
GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 Editorial - Cont’d
you need to pull this outfit off, and discarding all that sweet nonsense that is weighing you down. March 2010 We spent a good deal of time with Steve’s sister this past month, helping her getting settled in Edmonton for her new research position at the University of Alberta. While she’s still hunting for a good place to rent near the University, she has been staying in a fully furnished suite for the time being. That means that Steve and I had, and will have a proper place to stay when we visit Edmonton...no offense to the bathhouses but loud music is a difficult thing to train yourself to sleep through. Sadly we had to miss the Alberta Weekend of Leather while we were in Edmonton to cover Woody’s 8th anniversary. The weekend after was the Bearbash, where I opted to let Steve take care of photographing and have a little fun without the ball and chain...settle down, I’m just referring to the camera bag. Though there were a few sombre moments at Boots as people felt the absence of owner Jim Shafer who had passed away earlier in the month. I didn’t know him too well myself, but I found myself glancing over at his spot at the end of the bar to see if, and who else, was occupying it throughout the night. This month we published a small piece on his life, which you can read on page 44. There are some months where coincidence has us bumping into particular people an abnormally frequent number of times. This month, hands down, it was the GLBT Police Liaison, Lynn MacDonald, who was present for virtually every Calgary event that we made it out for. She MC’d at the Coming Out Monologues, spoke at the GLBT Violence discussion panel, sat beside me on the Queers on Campus discussion panel, attended the FairyTales “Reels on Wheels” movie night, had a booth at the Apollo Casino Night, and at the end of it all, took a night off at the Western Cup dance. Now that’s commitment! Speaking of Apollo Western cup, we were really impressed with the turnout this year. Even the organizers of many of the sports told us they had noticed more people coming to watch. The Casino Night must have had twice the attendance of last year, and we were told they had pre-sold close to 600 tickets for the dance. We did a pentathlon of our own, darting between Curling, Bowling, Running, Dodgeball, and Volleyball. The big difference, and saving grace this year was that we were driving. This made it a great deal easier for us to get to all the sporting venues scattered across the city, and even return a second time in some cases. For running however, I did have to jog a good distance the opposite way around the circuit to catch the runners as they made it to the home stretch for the 10K jog. Whew. April 2010 The big attraction this upcoming month is, of course, Coronation week! Coronation 34 is happening on April 17th – tickets are on sale at participating businesses, see their ad in this issue for further details. We have an interview with Emperor 33 Joey Hailey-Boink about his experience over the past year on page 61. But before the Coronation happens, we as a community must first vote in the new monarchs. Voting day has been set for April 10th from noon until midnight at the Backlot. The candidates for Empress this year are Makayla Quinn and Malibu Stacey, and once again we will be having a yes/no vote for our sole candidate for Emperor, Fred. If you ever found reason to complain about the monarchs this past year, then consider it a duty to put in your vote! The candidates have been performing at a number of Candidate Shows leading up to Coronation week, so hopefully you have had the opportunity to meet them and get a feel for who they are and what they hope to accomplish during their reign.
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GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 Interview Korn’s Gay Konnection
By Jason Clevett “Day, is here fading. That’s when I’m insane. I flirt with suicide, sometimes kill the pain. I can’t always say ‘It’s gonna be better tomorrow.’ Falling away from me, falling away from me.” – Falling Away From Me I remember the first time I was introduced to the music of Korn. Their 1999 album Issues had just been released, with the single Falling Away From Me and my brother had quickly become a fan. He played me an acoustic version of the song, and lyrically something resonated. As I listened to the album more, as well as previous albums Korn, Life is Peachy and Follow The Leader I felt a connection to the band in a way that I hadn’t with many others. The feelings I had from being teased throughout school, the part of me that had always felt different, suddenly was brought to life in musical form. I became hooked. Korn “I have met a lot of our gay fans. They are always so thankful. Thank you for singing the music that you sing, it helps me and makes me feel what I am talking about. For the most part this is a band for people that like I am not alone,” Korn’s lead singer Jonathan Davis told GayCalgary are different, who have been picked on for this or that, and really hold and Edmonton Magazine. “It makes me feel really good about what I onto it and find hope in it.” do in music because I am helping somebody, I am touching someone’s “Hypocrites! I’m gonna do it blind. Hypocrites! Your messiah heart with my music, emotionally striking up some feelings and helping a person feel better about themselves. It means the world to me. I am not was never mine. Weeping rose of Jeremiah, purity unlike no one to judge anyone, so I think it’s amazing.” other offers hope to those who need it. Don’t forget care to thy brother.” “I wish there was something. Please tell me there’s something better. I wish there was something more than this saturated - Hypocrites loneliness.” “God told me, already got the life” - Tearjerker – Got The Life In a Canadian media exclusive, we spoke to Davis on the phone before A topic frequently touched on by the band is organized religeon. his March 31st show at the Big 4 Building on the Stampede Grounds in Former member Brian “Head” Welch left the group after becoming born Calgary. He, guitarist James “Munky” Shafer, bassist Reginald “Fieldy” again Christian, while Fieldy is also born again, but still with them. Arvizu, and drumer Ray Luzier, are currently crossing the country as part of the Jagermeister Music Tour. “Fieldy became Christian, he reads the bible but doesn’t try to assimilate you into the Christian fold. He reads books about Buddhism, “I’m sick and tired of people treating me this way everyday. Hinduism, all the religions. He is more of a spiritual person and he Who gives a fuck right now I got something to say to all the accepts everybody. The biggest problem I have had with organized people that think that I’m strange and I should be out of here religion is how they say if you are different you are wrong, if you are gay locked up in a cage. You don’t know what the hell is up now you are going to hell, if you are this, you’re that. To me it doesn’t ring anyway. You got this ‘pretty boy’ feeling like I’m enslaved true in my heart. If God or Jesus or whoever you believe in, if he loves to a world that never appreciated shit. You all can suck my you so much why if you are gay is it bad? Love is love, and that is how dick and fuckin’ like it!” it should be. I have always had a hard time, I have watched it since I was little. I watched my gay friends get persecuted. When I was five my - Faget parents were heavily involved in theatre and I grew up around a lot of gay people. I watched the hell they went through from being in a hick town One song that truly resonates is Faget from their first album. I had and being persecuted by religion, or just people’s opinions of it. I think a disagreement with a friend about Korn, who he accused of being that is why I turned out the way I did, because I saw it at an early age.” homophobic for having the song. If you listen to the lyrics, it is anything but. “You really want me to be a good son, why you make me feel like no one? You want me to be something I can never “It was a term I heard my whole life from a very early age. It really started kicking in when I was in high school in the 1980’s. I was really ever be.” into the nu-romantic scene like Duran Duran. I wore eyeliner and had - Dead Bodies Everywhere my hair weird. It was all fun but some of the bullies felt that it was not cool I guess, and I got my ass beat a lot and picked on. I still get called The themes of Korn’s music – loss, abuse, being teased, feeling alone, a faggot. I was labelled it my whole life pretty much, so I wrote a song death – can at times be lost in the guitars and drums. Some simply write about how much it hurts.” off the music as loud angry metal. It could be said that they are under- There is something incredibly cathartic about being at a Korn concert appreciated lyrically. Davis doesn’t feel that way. and screaming out the word in defiance with thousands of other people. “I don’t ask for that. I am not going to say my lyrics are the greatest in “Every time I scream faggot it is just getting that hurt out. It is a hurtful the world, there are lots of better lyricists then me. I just get out what I word, and it is sad that people are so closed minded and think that being need to get out and lay it on the table really simple. If you get it, you get gay, or being different is a bad thing. You can’t help the way you feel, the it. If you don’t, you don’t.” way you are built, fucking dumbass people don’t understand that.” Korn III – Remember Who You Are is set to be released this summer. “A place inside my brain, another kind of pain. You don’t The album is produced by Ross Robinson (who also produced the first two Korn records) and features the band “returning to their roots.” know the chances, I’m so blind.” “After Life is Peachy we experimented more and more in different - Blind directions. We felt it was time for us to come back full circle and start over with a more raw, emotional record. We recorded it in a little 12x12 Korn admittedly has a large, aggressive male following. In many ways, room called the catbox and recorded it as a four piece, vocals, one take the band’s support of LGBT rights, and songs like Faget may turn heads. to tape. The previous albums I stacked my vocals three or four on top of After all, if Jon Davis accepts gay people, why shouldn’t they? each other and this one was very simple, it was all about being simple. “That has happened and it has opened a lot of people’s eyes. I am not Ross took us into the studio and made us remember who we are and saying all of them because there are a lot of meatheads out there who where we came from. Once we got in there all the memories came flowing are closed minded. There are also people who like the band and don’t get
GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 back from when we weren’t this big band Korn, it was just us writing “Sometimes I cannot take this place. Sometimes it’s my life music and having fun and not caring about the business or singles or I can’t taste, Sometimes I cannot feel my face. You’ll never any of that kind of stuff. It was just us purely bitching and getting our see me fall from grace.” emotions out and writing the music that we love.” “Ya’ll want a single say fuck that. Fuck that shit.” - Freak on a Leash - Ya’ll Want A Single Davis is an interesting contrast. On stage there is this dark, charismatic frontman, preaching to his followers with long hair flailing Initially Korn did not have a record label for this album. It relieved a as he thrashes around. In conversation, he is soft spoken, intelligent, lot of pressure, such as trying to write “a single” and allowed them to and almost shy. Married to former porn star Deven Davis, with two sons, focus on the album as a whole. there seems to be two sides to Jonathan Davis. “We just write the music. If the song comes out [as a] single, it is a “It is a trade off. Our fans are really energetic and they go off on single. We don’t sit there and write a single, because you can’t. We found the music, and in turn so do I. I see girls and guys crying and singing ourselves in that situation with the last two records, with the record every word, that makes me go even harder. There is a really emotional company going we need that single, we need this and that. It messed connection to the crowd for me,” he said of his stage presence. with our heads a bit. When we did this record we didn’t have a record “I call the aggressive one Jonathan Davis. When I go on stage that is company, no management was allowed in the studio, it was just us. how I get my aggression out, I turn into that monster. All that hate and When we got done we let them hear it. It is what it is, this is what you’ve rage and bullshit from my whole life, from me seeing all kinds of crazy got to work with guys, go for it. It started out as being a concept album shit, that is the guy that comes out. When I am home and offstage I am but it turned into something different.” completely different, and it seems to be working for me.” “This state is elevating as the hurt turns into hating. Korn will continue to spread their message to the masses, and Davis Anticipating all the fucked-up feelings again” has one message in particular to the gay community. – Here To Stay “I love you, thanks for being great fans. Don’t let anyone put you down - fuck em!” Back on the road, Korn’s current tour is one of their strongest. Instead of focusing on songs that fans haven’t heard yet, the show in Calgary featured fan favorites from all of the albums as well as Oildale from the new album. “Usually I write the setlist but this time Munky had a little poll on the website for the songs they want to hear, and they put the set together. It is a really cool set, I like it a lot. A lot of older stuff mixed with newer stuff and one new song. It’s exciting,” he explained. Korn “Fans always love classic Korn that is what they want, but a lot of them like the new stuff. We are playing the newer stuff that we think the www.korn.com • www.myspace.com/jagermusiccanada fans like, and the song off the new album - they are really digging that.” http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1627 View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments
GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 10 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 Interview All In Good Time Barenaked Ladies Regroup and Return with New Album and Tour
By Jason Clevett It has been a rocky few years for The Barenaked Ladies. Initially things seemed great, with the release of their children’s album Snacktime in May 2008, but in July, singer Steven Page was arrested in New York for cocaine posession. A month later, co-singer Ed Robertson survived a plane crash, and in February 2009 Page announced his departure from the band. As a foursome, singer Robertson, bassist Jim Creeggan, keyboardist Kevin Hearn, and drummer Tyler Stewart went forward. The band snagged a Juno for Snacktime and began recording their new album. On March 7th, 2009 the band played its first show without Page in Orlando for 14,000 fans, an important step in moving forward. The Barenaked Ladies at the Junos “It was a big public concert so there were a lot of people there who were aware of the change, and perhaps some that weren’t as aware of the inner goings on of the band,” Hearn recalled. “Before we went on, we adventurous musical tangents. But you will find more serious songs on hadn’t rehearsed. Ed and I were out of town. So we picked what songs the records. We recorded it in the summer and we worked with Michael we knew we could pull off and went out. The audience was really excited Phillip Wojewoda who produced records in the past for BNL - so we and cheered loud, and it gave us the confidence to do our show. It was were on familiar ground. We were forced to try new things and reinvent fun.” ourselves. It is a bit of a different sound but it is still Barenaked Ladies. We had a lot of fun making it, and you can hear that on the record. We GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine spoke with the keyboardist over are really pleased with it. “ the phone from Toronto just prior to the release of All In Good Time, the band’s twelfth studio album. A subsequent tour brings them to Calgary Fans and the music industry have been very supportive of this new April 8th, and Edmonton April 14th. album. “It has been huge and means an awful lot to us. We wouldn’t do this “We wouldn’t do this if we didn’t believe we had if we didn’t believe we had something to offer. The fact that people have something to offer. The fact that people have been rallying for us and showing up for our shows, the new song is doing been rallying for us and showing up for our well on radio, it has been really nice. It is a bit of sunlight after a dark time.” shows, the new song is doing well on radio, it It shouldn’t be a surprise that BNL pulled through. They have had has been really nice. It is a bit of sunlight after many ups and downs in the 20+ years that the band has been entertaining a dark time.” Canada, as has Hearn personally. In 1998 he was diagnosed with Lukemia. Treatment, and a bone marrow transplant from his brother, One suspects that the band members must start to dread interviews resulted in the cancer going into remission, enabling him to return to since so many of them seem to focus on Page’s departure. It is however a the band. As a cancer survivor, it means a great deal to Hearn to give topic that does need to be brought up in discussing the current version hope to others who have faced this disease, as a public figure who fought of BNL and how they endured a period that would have destroyed many and won. other bands. “Whereas before I had cancer, perhaps my talent and my good luck “Honest communication would be a big part of it: a commitment to were taken for granted. I had a pretty full-on reminder of how quickly make the best decision for each of us, whether that was letting us be your life could be over and how lucky I am to do what I do. I decided to for awhile, or continuing. We decided to continue because the four of us take things more seriously, in that I shouldn’t waste time and I should wanted to keep working together, we enjoy it.” be very thankful.” A frequent question is whether consideration was given to adding He often gets to mingle with fans as a result of the VIP Meet and Greet another vocalist. packages available at shows. “Neal Diamond said no. We asked him, we pleaded, he wouldn’t do “You meet different people who act differently in that situation. it. So we decided that bringing someone new into the fold at this point Sometimes you can have a really intelligent, enlightening conversation in - because we had another lead vocalist in Ed, and Jim and I sing as well a short amount of time. Sometimes they are excited or nervous and it’s - we felt we had enough to offer and to work with as it was.” not really possible, so it is just nice to meet them. I meet a lot of people Hearn sings lead on three of the album’s tracks - Another Heartbreak, who have been touched by cancer and I commonly end up chatting with Jerome, and Watching The Northern Lights. Lead by the single You Run people about that. Others chat with Tyler about hockey or drumming. Away, the album is more glum than some of the band’s more familiar We all connect differently with our fans on a personal level.” singles like One Week and If I Had A Million Dollars. It should be an interesting experience for those getting to see the band “I think just given what the band was going through when we made live for the first time without Page. The challenge became what songs to the record, it balances more towards the somber, raw emotional type of pick, and how to change up numbers that previously focused on Page song. There is still some humor on the record and certainly some more as a vocalist.
GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 11 Continued
“We have the Jonas Brothers filling in, all three of them,” he quipped. “Over the course of the fall after we made our record, we started getting together three times a week and rehearsing. We were listening to the records and made a list, ran through everything and tried songs different ways. We have divided up some of Steven’s parts amongst us. There isn’t just one person replacing him and singing all of his parts. Another aspect of it is that Ed co-wrote most of those songs, they are his as well and he can sing them without feeling like he is covering them.” There are a handful of Canadian bands that achieved popularity in the 1990’s and are still actively recording and touring. It is a testament to their talent that BNL is still here, and with that in mind it should really be no surprise that these two turbulent years didn’t stop them. “We enjoy it. We have a great audience. Those are two things that really are key. If you look at the history of this band, it has been through a lot, as a band and individuals. I have struggled with cancer so for me (Page leaving) is just small potatoes.”
The Barenaked Ladies All in Good Time - now in stores www.barenakedladies.com
Calgary Jubilee Auditorium - April 6th Edmonton Jubilee Auditorium - April 14th
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12 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 13 Travel
Gay Travel BULGARIA — THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL
By: Kyle Taylor of GayTravel.com THE LAY OF THE LAND THE CAPITAL CITY & GAYBORHOOD Bulgaria is squeezed nicely between Romania, Turkey, Greece and Serbia. Sofia - the capital - is located in the west central “You know, Bulgarians are the first European people in the portion of the country. The world famous Rila monastery world,” the older gentleman tells me just minutes after stepping is roughly 100 miles south, deep in the magnificent Rodopi off of my bus. “We also invented the saddle and horseback mountains. From there, head east for some of the best-preserved riding.” These first few moments are telling of the national Roman relics in Europe in Plovdiv. Continue north and you’ll pride and history this once mighty and now re-emerging end up in Veliko Turnovo, Bulgaria’s medieval capital complete Eastern European nation possesses. Nowhere is that past more with castles, old city walls and teeny tiny lanes. At this point, apparent than in the country’s bustling capital - Sofia. Having it’s time to hit the world class Black Sea Coast in Varna - the only recently become the capital city in Bulgarian terms (nearly country’s summer capital. Tiny beach towns and resorts dot 1,000 years ago), a weekend here means a near endless supply the entire eastern edge of the country along the coast, so give of “Wait, this is how old?” moments. Sofia has also emerged yourself ample time to explore the empty beaches. as one of the most religiously tolerant cities in the world, as a mosque, synagogue, evangelical church and Orthodox cathedral THE GAY have managed to co-exist for hundreds of years within 100 Homosexual acts have been legal since 1968, though public yards of each other. Charming lanes, a bustling market culture attitudes toward homosexuality are mixed and the gay scene and lovely parks make this city the perfect jumping off point stays primarily to itself. That said, gays and lesbians are allowed for a Bulgarian adventure. The gay scene is booming as well. to serve openly in the military and the nation’s constitution With five gay bars and one world-class dance club, there is no bans all discrimination based on sexual orientation. This is shortage of gay nightlife. As most gay venues are clustered near Western Europe light, so tread lightly. Still, a number of high- Place Pozitano, this part of the city may very well be Eastern profile gay celebrities and athletes have made a splash in this Europe’s first real gayborhood. Whether you’re after ancient nation of nearly 9 million and attitudes are changing. For now, relics, cool cafes or an all-night party, Sofia has got it all. leave your leopard print leotard at home but hit up the half dozen venues in Sofia for a great night out.
14 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 THE MUST-SEES AND MUST-DOS 1. Find out just how great Bulgarians are at the National History Museum (take a taxi from city center). Set outside the city, the museum claims to be the largest in the Balkans. 2. Be inspired by the level of religious tolerance by visiting the Synagogue of Sofia (Ekzarkh Yosif 16), Banya Moshi Mosque (Mariya Luiza), St. Nedelya Cathedral (Pl. Sveta Nedelya), St. George’s Church (Suborna) and St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (Pl. Alexander Nevsky). They’re all within a few steps of each other and each claims to be the first, the biggest or the “most gold” of their respective faiths in Europe. 3. Wander the weekend book market (Pl. Slaveykny), the Central Market (Maria Luiza) and Vitosha Street for divine food, a good read and the latest in Bulgarian fashion. 4. Venture outside the city for a serene visit to Boyana Church (take a taxi from city center and have the cab wait while you explore. Located near the National History Museum, so perfect for a one-two punch). A UNESCO World Heritage site, the religious artwork inside is out of this world. 5. Eat Bulgarian food as much as possible. Try Divaka (William Gladstone 54) for what this writer considers one of the best meals he has ever had. Do not leave Bulgaria without eating a Shopska Salad and Spicy Meatballs. Mains $4 and up, Shopska salad $2. THE NIGHTLIFE In short, Sofia’s gay scene rocks. Whether you’re after a quiet lounge, ruckus bar or all-out nightclub, this city delivers. Give these a try:
Continued GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 15 Gay Travel - Cont'd.
• I.D. Club (19B Karnigradska Street, http://www.idclub. • Koprivshtitsa - Set in a valley surrounded by massive snow- bg/) State of the art sound and light system, light-up dance capped peaks, Koprivshtitsa is a quintessential Bulgarian floor, go-go boys and drag queens make this a near flawless village. Believe it or not, this town of just 6,000 is where nightclub. Drink prices aren’t over the top and cover is pretty Bulgaria’s revolution began. In addition, several homes have standard for this part of the world. DO NOT miss this place been turned into museums that allow for an inside look at how if you’re in Eastern Europe. Drag shows on Wednesday and life “used to be.” Thursday feature the • Rila Monastery wildly famous Madame - Perhaps one of the Elza Pariny (www.pariny. world’s most well- com). She is divine. known monasteries, • Why Not? (31 Rila is set deep in the Alexander Stamboliysky Rila Mountain Range of Blvd.) An excellent bar and the Rodopi Mountains mini-disco that features along a soothing river. shirtless bartenders and If for no other reason, very flattering light. make a stop here for a • Discreet (41-43 few moments of serenity. Skobelev Blvd.) Located There is also a church, underground in the museum and book center of the city, the shop inside if stepping main attraction of this out of the real world so tiny but so cute bar isn’t enough for you. is the dance pole that no Interestingly enough, the doubt leads to some wildly monastery lets rooms to entertaining moments. weary travelers at more The bar hosts regular than reasonable rates. shows of all sorts as well. Just arrive after 2pm and before 6pm and stop THE ROAD TRIP in at Room 170. Bulgaria - like so much • Plovdiv - Once a of Eastern Europe - is best seen by car. Rent from a local mighty Roman city, Plovdiv is most certainly Bulgaria’s most company (try www.carrent.bg) and make sure you’re not in a laid back mountain city. Open-air bars, trendy cafes and quite hurry. There is just one major highway and it’s about 20 miles possibly one of the most well-preserved 2nd Century Roman long. Still, the slower speeds mean more time to take in the amphitheaters makes Plovdiv a must-see. drop dead gorgeous scenery. • Veliko Turnovo - Bulgaria’s medieval capital, this town of just 70,000 offers fortresses, cobblestone streets and an impressive sound and light show that is certain to “wow” visitors. • Varna - The capital of Bulgaria’s Black Sea Coast, Varna is one giant party all summer long. Outdoor discos, delicious restaurants and never-ending beaches in one of Europe’s best- kept secrets means less crowds than Spain or Italy but the same beautiful sand, rock formations and water. THE TIPS AND TRICKS • Driving in Bulgaria is not for the faint of heart. Drivers have no regard for any other vehicle but their own. Be aware of speed limits as well. They change often and usually seem to be oddly slow. If you get pulled over do not pay any fines directly to the officer. This is out and out corruption in a truly Eastern European way. Just take the citation and go on your way. • Taxis are remarkably cheap. A ride across town will run you $3. Indulge. • Wifi Internet access is available free of charge in McDonald’s across the country. If you’re looking for and quick and easy place to check your email or to Skype back home, this is sadly your best option. For more information on gay friendly destinations throughout the world, please visit www.gaytravel.com
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16 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 Directory & Events
24 DOWNTOWN CALGARY
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1 Calgary Outlink------Community Groups 9 MPs (Money Pennies)------Bars and Clubs 35 One Yellow Rabbit------Theatre 55 Marquee Room------Bars and Clubs 2 Aids Calgary------Community Groups 13 Westways Guest House---- Accommodations 36 ATP, Alberta Theatre Projects------Theatre 56 Sacred Balance Piercing------Retail Stores 3 Backlot------Bars and Clubs 16 Priape Calgary------Retail Stores 37 Pumphouse Theatre------Theatre 58 Theatre Junction------Theatre 4 Calgary Eagle Inc.------Bars and Clubs 24 Courtney Aarbo------Services 41 La Fleur------Retail Stores 5 Texas Lounge------Bars and Clubs 33 Twisted Element------Bars and Clubs 43 Lisa Heinricks------Theatre and Fine Arts 6 Goliath’s------Bathhouses 34 Vertigo Mystery Theatre------Theatre 52 Sandra G. Sebree------Services
of Sinatra” on Fri. and varied entertainment on Calgary Thurs. Please call for details. Find Out! 55 Marquee Room------✰ Accommodations 612 - 8th Avenue SW LGBT Community Directory 13 Westways Guest House------✰ http://www.marqueeroom.com 216 - 25th Avenue SW 403-229-1758 Alternative night every Wednesday. 1-866-846-7038 [email protected] GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine is the go-to source for 9 Money Pennies (MPs)------✰ information about Alberta LGBT businesses and community www.gaywestways.com 1742 - 10th Ave SW 403-263-7411 groups—the most extensive and accurate resource of its kind! This Wingate by Wyndham http://www.money-pennies.com print supplement contains a subset of active community groups 400 Midpark Way SE 403-514-0099 Closed Mondays. and venues, with premium business listings of paid advertisers. www.wingatehotels.com Bar and restaurant. ✰...... Find our Magazine Here ...... Wheelchair Accessible 5 Texas Lounge------✰ Bars & Clubs 308 - 17 Ave SW 403-229-0911 Spot something inaccurate or outdated? Want your business or 3 Backlot------✰ http://www.goliaths.ca organization listed? We welcome you to contact us! 209 - 10th Ave SW 403-265-5211 Open 7 days a week, 11am-close Open 7 days a week, 4pm-close 33 Twisted Element 403-543-6960 1-888-543-6960 4 Calgary Eagle Inc.------✰ 1006 - 11th Ave SW 403-802-0230 [email protected] 424a - 8th Ave SE 403-263-5847 http://www.twistedelement.ca http://www.calgaryeagle.com Dance Club and Lounge. Open Wed-Sun, 5pm-close http://www.gaycalgary.com/CalgaryTravelRss Leather/Denim/Fetish bar. Bathhouses/Saunas http://www.gaycalgary.com/EdmontonTravelRss 6 Goliaths------✰ Club Paradiso 308 - 17 Ave SW 403-229-0911 Local Bars, Restaurants, and Accommodations info on the go! 1413 - 9th Ave SE, upstairs http://www.goliaths.ca 403-265-5739 Open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day http://www.gaycalgary.com/Directory www.villagecantina.ca Carly’s Angels on Sat. Billy Schmidt’s “Sounds Browse our complete directory of over 540 gay-frieindly listings!
GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 17 Directory & Events
CALGARY EVENTS Thursdays Church Service------ 4pm Thursday, April 15th Country Night------ Evening See Rainbow Community Church Information Session------ 7pm-8:30pm Mondays At 4 Calgary Eagle Swim Practice------ 5-6pm By GLBTHousing ASK Meet and Greet------ 7-9:30pm Swim Practice------ 6-7pm See Different Strokes Richmond/Knobhill Community Association See Alberta Society for Kink 2433 – 26 Avenue SW See Different Strokes Free Pool------ All Day Inside Out Youth Group------ 7-9pm Fake Mustache Show------ 7-9:45pm At 4 Calgary Eagle Farewell Show------7pm See 1 Calgary Outlink By ISCCA at 5 Texas Lounge See Miscellaneous Youth Network 1st Thursday, April 8th Yoga------ 7:45-9:15pm Fridays Candidate Show------ 10pm In-Town Show ------ 10:30pm-2am See Apollo Calgary Jan11Apr5 By ISCCA at 4 Calgary Eagle Leather Night------ Evening By ISCCA, at 5 Texas Lounge Radio Show------ 8:30-9pm At 4 Calgary Eagle Friday, April 9th Friday, April 16th See “Yeah...What She Said!” Illusions------ 7-10pm Gender Bender------7pm Out of Town Show Tuesdays By ISCCA at TBA See 1 Calgary Outlink 1st Queers on Campus Steak Night------ All Day Tickets: $5 in advance, $7 at the door Saturday, April 17th Womynspace------ 7-9pm At 9 Money Pennies See 1 Calgary Outlink 2nd Saturday, April 10th Coronation 34------ 4:30pm-1am Calgary Networking Club------ 5-7pm Grand Ballroom - Westin Hotel New Directions------ 7-9pm Candidate Elections------ 12pm-12am See 1 Calgary Outlink 1st Tues See 1 Calgary Outlink 3rd By ISCCA at BackLot Sunday, April 18th Between Men------ 7-9pm Victory Brunch------ 11am Heading Out------ 8pm-10pm Hottub Party------ 8pm See 1 Calgary Outlink 2nd, 4th By ISCCA See 1 Calgary Outlink 4th See Rocky Mountain Bears The Westin Rehearsals------7-9:30pm Saturdays Monthly Dance------ 8pm See Calgary Men’s Chorus Jun See ARGRA Survivor Party------ 3pm Coffee------ 10am At 4 Calgary Eagle Karaoke------ 8pm-1am See Prime Timers Calgary Sunday, April 11th At 5 Texas Lounge Tough Drag Show------ 8pm 25¢ Wings------ All Day First Meeting------ 3pm Wednesdays At 4 Calgary Eagle At 9 Money Pennies By Calgary Dyke March Communion Service------ 12:10pm The Old Y Centre Wednesday, April 28th Curling------ 7pm See Knox United Church See Apollo Calgary Feb13 Monday, April 12th A Taste For Life------ Evening Women’s Healing Circle------ 1:30pm State Dinner------ 7pm Participating Resaurants Karaoke------ 8pm-1am See AIDS Calgary By ISCCA at 9 Money Pennies May 2010 At 5 Texas Lounge Wing Night------ All Day Tuesday, April 13th Monthly Dance------ 8pm Tuned Out Music Trivia------ Evening At 9 Money Pennies See ARGRA May29 At 9 Money Pennies 1st, 3rd First Meeting------ 7pm By Calgary Gay Car Club September 2010 Free Pool------All Day Sundays At 4 Calgary Eagle At 9 Money Pennies Pride Dance------ TBA Worship Time------ 10am With Prime Timers Calgary Imperial Roast------ 8pm Sep4 See Deer Park United Church Badminton------ 7-9pm By ISCCA at 5 Texas Lounge Pride Parade/Street Festival------ TBA Worship------ 10:30am See Apollo Calgary Jan6Mar31 Wednesday, April 14th Sep5 See Scarboro United Church Bowling------ 7pm Cosmic Cocktails------ 5pm Worship Services------ 11am See Apollo Calgary Mar3 By ISCCA at BackLot See Knox United Church Radio Show------ 9-10pm Legend: = Monthly Reoccurrance, = Date (Range/Future), = Sponsored Event See Urban Sex Radio
Community Groups • Badminton (Absolutely Smashing) • Lawn Bowling • Volleyball (Recreational) St. Martha School (6020 4th Avenue NE) Inglewood Lawn Bowling Club Langevin School, 107 - 6A Street NE 2 AIDS Calgary------✰ [email protected] 1235 - 8th Avenue SE [email protected] 110, 1603 10th Avenue SW Fees Per session: $4 for Apollo member, $5 for non- [email protected] www.apollocalgary.com/apollo/volleyball 403-508-2500 members. Season’s pass $75. Volleyball League, Co-Ed, Recreational, Drop-in. [email protected] • Outdoor Pursuits http://www.aidscalgary.org • Boot Camp [email protected] Alberta Rockies Gay Rodeo Association (ARGRA) Stone steps, SE corner of Crescent Park 403-541-8140 www.argra.org Alberta Society for Kink • Running (Calgary Frontrunners) Crescent Road & 2nd Street NW Hillhurst United Church, 1227 Kensington Close • Monthly Dances------ 403-398-9968 [email protected] Tim 403-660-6125 Hillhurst-Sunnyside Community Association [email protected] Dress in layers and running shoes, bring plenty ca.groups.yahoo.com/ [email protected] 1320 - 5th Avenue NW of water, bring payment in cash to first session. Tues, Thurs, Sat at 8am group.albertasocietyforkink Registration has closed. Artists for the Quality of Life Calgary Alcoholics Anonymous Group For Gay 403-890-1261 www.afqol.com Apollo Calgary Friends in Sports • Bowling (Rainbow Riders League) Lesbian Bisexual and Transgendered People. A safe http://www.apollocalgary.com Let’s 10 Pin Bowlerama, 2916 - 5 Ave NE place to find help for problems with alcohol. Cabin Fever A volunteer-operated, non-profit organization [email protected] The Soda serving primarily members of the LGBT communities • Slow Pitch Women’s dance and social night. but open to members of all communities. Currently • Curling • Tennis Calgary Gay Fathers have more than 400 members! Primary focus is North Hill Curling Club (1201 - 2 Street NW) • Volleyball (Intermediate/Competitive) [email protected] to provide members with well organized and fun [email protected] YWCA, 320 - 5th Avenue SE http://www.calgarygayfathers.ca sporting events and other activities. • Golf [email protected] Peer support group for gay, bisexual and [email protected] www.apollocalgary.com/apollo/volleyball • Western Cup This is for seasoned players. You can sign up for the questioning fathers. Meeting twice a month. Largest LGBT Sporting Competition in North America season or drop-in.
18 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 Directory & Events
Calgary Men’s Chorus participate, please call or leave your name and a Mystique Rocky Mountain Bears http://www.calgarymenschorus.org contact time/number with Calgary Outlink. [email protected] [email protected] • Rehearsals • Womynspace Mystique is primarily a Lesbian group for women 30 http://www.rockymountainbears.com Temple B’Nai Tikvah, 900 - 47 Avenue SW Peer social/support group for women providing an and up but all are welcome. Safety Under the Rainbow evening of fun, bonding, discussion and activities. Calgary Sexual Health Centre------✰ • Coffee Night http://www.safetyrainbow.ca 304, 301 14th Street NW Calgary Queer Book Club Second Cup (2312 - 4th Street SW) Mission: To raise awareness and understanding of 403-283-5580 Weeds Cafe (1903 20 Ave NW) NETWORKS same-sex domestic violence and homophobic youth bullying. http://www.calgarysexualhealth.ca Deer Park United Church/Wholeness Centre 403-293-3356 A pro-choice organization that believes all people 77 Deerpoint Road SE 403-278-8263 [email protected] Scarboro United Church have the right and ability to make their own choices http://www.dpuc.ca A social, cultural, and service organization for the 134 Scarboro Avenue SW regarding their sexual and reproductive health. mature minded and “Plus 40” LGBT individuals 403-244-1161 www.scarborounited.ab.ca Different Strokes seeking to meet others at age-appropriate activities An affirming congregation—the full inclusion of 1 Calgary Outlink------✰ http://www.differentstrokescalgary.org #4, 1230A 17th Avenue SW within a positive, safe environment. LGBT people is essential to our mission and purpose. • Swim Practice 403-234-8973 Parents for Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) Sharp Foundation SAIT Pool, 1301 - 16th Ave NW http://www.calgaryoutlink.com Sean: 403-695-5791 403-272-2912 No practices on long weekends Formerly know as the Gay And Lesbian Community http://www.pflagcanada.ca [email protected] Services Association (GLCSA). Don’t Buy In Project A registered charitable organization that provides http://www.thesharpfoundation.com • Peer Support and Crisis Line http://www.dontbuyin.ca support, education and resources to parents, Unity Bowling This Calgary Police Service Initiative aims to 1-877-OUT-IS-OK (1-877-688-4765) families and individuals who have questions or Let’s Bowl (2916 - 5th Ave NE) encourage youth to working towards an inclusive Front-line help service for GLBT individuals and concerns about sexual orientation or gender identity. [email protected] environment in which diversity is embraced in their their family and friends, or anyone questioning Positive Space Committee Urban Sex Radio Show schools and community. their sexuality. 4825 Mount Royal Gate SW CJSW 90.9 FM FairyTales Presentation Society • Library 403-440-6383 http://www.cjsw.com A great selection of resource books, fiction, non- #4 - 1230A 17th Avenue SW http://www.mtroyal.ca/positivespace Focus on sexuality; gay bisexual lesbian trans fiction, videos and everything in between, all with a 403-244-1956 Works to raise awareness and challenge the gendered and straight issues here in Calgary and queer perspective. http://www.fairytalesfilmfest.com patterns of silence that continue to marginalize around the web. Alberta Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. LGBTTQ individuals. • Drop-In Center Western Canada Bigmen and Admirers • DVD Resource Library A safe and supportive environment for one-to-one Pride Calgary Planning Committee groups.yahoo.com/group/ peer counseling for many issues surrounding family, Over a hundred titles to choose from. Annual 403-797-6564 www.pridecalgary.ca WesternCanadaBigmenGroup/ membership is $10. coming out, homosexuality, loneliness and other Pride Rainbow Project [email protected] issues. Gay Singles in Calgary [email protected] Vigor Calgary http://www.gaysinglesincalgary.org • Between Men and Between Men Online http://www.priderainbowproject.com 403-255-7004 www.vigorcalgary.ca Peer support, sexual health education for gay Girl Friends Youth run project designed to show support for Violence in Gay Male Relationships (VIGOR) is a or bisexual men, as well as those who may be members.shaw.ca/girlfriends same-sex marriage in Canada and elsewhere. A committee of professionals dedicated to increasing fabric rainbow banner approximately 5 feet wide uncertain or questioning their sexuality. Girlsgroove the awareness of gay men’s domestic violence and - goal is to make it 3.2km (2 miles) long, in order the services available to them. • Calgary Networking Club http://www.girlsgroove.ca to break the world record. Ming, 520 - 17th Ave SW GLBT Housing “Yeah...What She Said!” Radio Show The networking meetings are open to all individuals Primetimers Calgary CJSW 90.9 FM http://www.glbthousing.ca who would like to promote their businesses or [email protected] [email protected] who would like to meet new people - no business HIV Peer Support Group http://www.primetimerscalgary.com affiliation is necessary. 403-230-5832 Designed to foster social interaction for its members Restaurants [email protected] through a variety of social, educational and ✰ • Heading Out recreational activities. Open to all gay and bisexual 4 Calgary Eagle Inc.------ISCCA Social Association Peer group for men who are looking for an men of any age, respects whatever degree of See Calgary - Bars and Clubs. http://www.iscca.ca alternative social activity to the bar. Activities vary anonymity that each member desires. Halo Steak, Seafood & Wine Bar Imperial Sovereign Court of the Chinook Arch. and are fun and entertaining. Canyon Meadows Plaza Charity fundraising group.. • Free Pool 13226 Macleod Trail SE • Illusions Calgary 4 Calgary Eagle Social group for Calgary and area transgender Knox United Church 403-271-4111 community members (cross dressers, transvestites, 506 - 4th Street SW 403-269-8382 • Saturday Coffee www.halosteakseafoodandwinebar.ca http://www.knoxunited.ab.ca Midtown Co-op, 1130 - 11th Ave SW drag kings and queens). A safe, discrete and 9 MPs (Money Pennies)------✰ Knox United Church is an all-inclusive church welcoming atmosphere, in which transgendered Queers on Campus------✰ See Calgary - Bars and Clubs. people can meet others of like mind. located in downtown Calgary. A variety of facility 279R Student Union Club Spaces, U of C rentals are also available for meetings, events and • Inside Out 403-220-6394 Retail Stores concerts. http://www.ucalgary.ca/~glass Peer-facilitated youth group for GLBTQ ages 15-25. Adult Depot------✰ • Worship Services Formerly GLASS - Gay/Lesbian Association of Aims to let youth know they are not alone, and to 140, 58th Ave SW 403-258-2777 Students and Staff. connect them with their peers. Safe environment 10:30am in July and August. Gay, bi, straight video rentals and sex toys. with a variety of resources and activities. Miscellaneous Youth Network • Coffee Night 41 La Fleur------ http://www.miscyouth.com 2nd Cup, Kensington • New Directions 103 - 100 7th Avenue SW Drop in peer-support group to provide support and • Fake Mustache------Rainbow Community Church 403-266-1707 resources for individuals who identify as transsexual The Soda, 211 - 12th Ave SW Hillhurst United, 1227 Kensington Close NW Florist and Flower Shop. or inter-sexed. [email protected] Calgary’s ONLY Drag King Show. $5 cover. $2 The Naked Leaf------cover under 18. Advance tickets available at Barbies http://www.rainbowcommunitychurch.ca • SHEQ Soulful Healing Ego Quest 305 10th Street NW 403-283-3555 Shop. The Rainbow Community Church is an all-inclusive Trudy or Krista, 403-585-7437 http://www.thenakedleaf.ca church; everyone is welcome. Workshop for women—a chance to grow and share Organic teas and tea ware. their experiences related to women’s sexuality. To
GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 19 Directory & Events
DOWNTOWN EDMONTON 1
8
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1 Pride Centre------Community Groups 5 Boots Bar and Lounge------Bars and Clubs 8 Prism Bar & Grill------Bars and Clubs 13 PLAY Nightclub------Bars and Clubs 3 HIV Network------Community Groups 6 Buddy’s Nite Club------Bars and Clubs 11 Steamworks------Bathhouses 4 Edmonton STD------Community Groups 7 Down Under Baths------Bathhouses 12 Woody’s------Bars and Clubs
16 Priape Calgary------✰ http://www.courtneyaarbo.ca MFM Communications 52 Sandra G. Sebree, Lawyer 1322 - 17 Ave SW 403-215-1800 GLBT legal services. 403-543-6970 1610 - 17th Ave SW http://www.priape.com Cruiseline 1-877-543-6970 403-228-8108 Clothing and accessories. Adult toys, leather wear, 403-777-9494 trial code 3500 http://www.mfmcommunications.com www.sandrasebree.com movies and magazines. Gifts. http://www.cruiseline.ca Web site hosting and development. Computer TherapyWorks T&T Honda Telephone classifieds and chat - 18+ ONLY. hardware and software. 403-561-6873 888 Meridian Road NE DevaDave Salon & Boutique Rick Grenier (Invis) [email protected] 403-291-1444 810 Edmonton Trail NE 403-862-1162 [email protected] http://www.therapyworks.com [email protected] 403-290-1973 Mortgage solutions. Take back your life from stress, sadness, and worry. www.tandthonda.ca Cuts, Colour, Hilights. 56 Sacred Balance Piercing Theatre & Fine Arts • Kelvin Hur Duncan’s Residential Cleaning 1528 - 17th Avenue SW 403-277-4449 403-990-9080 Jim Duncan: 403-978-6600 www.sacredbalancetattoo.com 36 ATP, Alberta Theatre Projects New Vehicle Sales Manager Residential cleaning. Free estimates. Tattos and body piercing. 403-294-7402 http://www.ATPlive.com • Lawrence Wong Interactive Male SafeWorks AXIS Contemporary Art------ 403-870-5001 403-261-2112 trial code 8873 Free and confidential HIV/AIDS and STI testing. 107, 100 - 7 Ave SW 403-262-3356 [email protected] www.axisart.ca Sales Consultant 1-800-777-8000 • Calgary Drop-in Centre Wares & Wear Ventures Inc. www.interactivemale.com Room 117, 423 - 4th Ave SE Fairytales See Canada - Retail Stores. Keith Hill, North Hill Mazda 403-699-8216 See Calgary - Community Groups. 1211 Centre Street NW Mon-Fri: 9am-12pm, Sat: 12:15pm-3:15pm Jubilations Dinner Theatre Services & Products Cell: 403-614-7359 • Centre of Hope Bow Trail and 37th St. SW Bad Romance Entertainment Phone: 403-276-5962 Room 201, 420 - 9th Ave SE 403-249-7799 www.badromance-entertainment.com Fax: 403-276-7361 403-410-1180 Mon-Fri: 1pm-5pm www.jubilations.ca [email protected] Calgary Civil Marriage Centre • Sheldon M. Chumir Health Centre 43 Lisa Heinricks (Artist)------ www.northhillmazda.com 403-246-4134 [email protected] 1213 - 4th Str SW 403-955-6014 Art Central, 100 7th Ave SW, lower level Marriage Commissioner for Alberta (aka Justice of Lorne Doucette (CIR Realtors) Sat-Thu: 4:15pm-7:45pm, Fri: Closed http://www.creamydreamy.com 403-461-9195 the Peace - JP), Marriage Officiant, Commissioner • Safeworks Van 35 One Yellow Rabbit------for Oaths. http://www.lornedoucette.com 403-850-3755 Big Secret Theatre - EPCOR CENTRE 24 Courtney Aarbo (Barristers & Solicitors) Marnie Campbell (Maxwell Realtors) Sat-Thu: 8pm-12am, Fri: 4pm-12am 403-299-8888 www.oyr.org 1138 Kensington Road NW 403-479-8619 403-571-5120 http://www.marniecampbell.ca
20 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 Directory & Events
37 Pumphouse Theatre------✰ Edmonton Pride Week Society transgendered men to discuss current issues and to • Badminton (Women’s) 2140 Pumphouse Avenue SW http://www.prideedmonton.org offer support to each other. Oliver School, 10227 - 118 Street 780-465-3620 403-263-0079 Edmonton Prime Timers • Men’s HIV Support Group [email protected] http://www.pumphousetheatres.ca [email protected] Green Room – Upstairs Women’s Drop-In Recreational Badminton. $40.00 Stagewest------✰ www.primetimersww.org/edmonton [email protected] season or $5.00 per drop in. 727 - 42 Avenue SE 403-243-6642 Group of older gay men and their admirers who come Support group for people living with HIV/AIDS. http://www.stagewestcalgary.com from diverse backgrounds but have common social • PFLAG •Ballroom Dancing Foot Notes Dance Studio, 9708-45 Avenue NW 58 Theatre Junction------✰ interests. Affiliated with Prime Timers World Wide. Red room - Downstairs 780-436-1998 Cynthia: 780-469-3281 Theatre Junction GRAND, 608 1st St. SW Edmonton Rainbow Business Association [email protected] 403-205-2922 3379, 11215 Jasper Ave 780-429-5014 Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays: A support • Blazin’ Bootcamp [email protected] http://www.edmontonrba.org group for family members and friends of GLBT Lynnwood School http://www.theatrejunction.com Primary focus is the provision of networking people. An excellent resource for people whose [email protected] opportunities for LGBT owned or operated and LGBT- family members and friends have just come out. 34 Vertigo Mystery Theatre------• Bowling (Northern Titans) 161, 115 - 9 Ave SE 403-221-3708 friendly businesses in the Edmonton region. • Prime Timers Gateway Lanes, 100 - 3414 Gateway Blvd http://www.vertigomysterytheatre.com Edmonton Illusions Social Club See Edmonton Primetimers. [email protected] 5 Boots Bar & Grill • Suit Up and Show Up: AA Big Book Study $15.00 per person. 780-387-3343 Downstairs Couch Area • Cross Country Skiing Edmonton groups.yahoo.com/group/edmonton_illusions Discussion and support group for those struggling [email protected] 4 Edmonton STD with an alcohol addiction or seeking support in • Curling with Pride Bars & Clubs 11111 Jasper Ave staying sober. Granite Curling Club, 8620 107 Street NW 5 Boots Bar and Lounge------✰ Edmonton Vocal Minority • TTIQ 780-463-5942 10242 106th St 780-423-5014 780-479-2038 [email protected] Green Room – Upstairs [email protected] http://www.bootsbar.ca/ www.evmchoir.com [email protected] • Cycling (Edmonton Prideriders) TTIQ is mixed gender open support group addressing 6 Buddy’s Nite Club------✰ Exposure 2010 Various locations in Edmonton the needs of transsexual and transgendered 11725 Jasper Ave 780-488-6636 TBA [email protected] individuals. Every Wednesday, 6:30pm 13 PLAY Nightclub------✰ 3 HIV Network Of Edmonton Society---- ✰ • Womonspace Board Meeting 10220 103 Street 780-497-7529 11456 Jasper Ave www.hivedmonton.com • Dragon Boat (Flaming Dragons) [email protected] Main Space – Upstairs [email protected] Imperial Sovereign Court of the Wild Rose http://www.playnightclub.ca [email protected] http://www.gayedmonton.org Womonspace is a Social and Recreational Society • Golf 8 Prism Bar & Grill------✰ [email protected] OUTreach in Edmonton run by volunteers. They provide 10524 101st St 780-990-0038 University of Alberta, basement of SUB opportunities for lesbians to interact and support • Gymnastics, Drop-in http://www.prismbar.ca [email protected] each other in a safe environment, and to contribute Ortona Gymnastics Club, 8755 - 50 Avenue 12 Woody’s------✰ http://www.ualberta.ca/~outreach to the broader community. [email protected] 11725 Jasper Ave 780-488-6557 Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender/transsexual, • Youth Movie Have the whole gym to yourselves and an instructor Queer, Questioning and Straight-but-not-Narrow Main Space – Upstairs to help you achieve your individual goals. Cost is Bathhouses/Saunas student group. [email protected] $5.00 per session. ✰ 7 Down Under Baths------1 Pride Centre of Edmonton------✰ Movie chosen by youth (aged 14 – 25), usually • Hockey 12224 Jasper Ave 780-482-7960 95A Street, 111 Ave 780-488-3234 with LGBT themes. Popcorn is served. [email protected] http://www.gayedmonton.com [email protected] • YouthSpace • Outdoor Pursuits 11 Steamworks------✰ • Community Potluck [email protected] [email protected] 11745 Jasper Ave 780-451-5554 A safe and supportive space for GLBTQ youth aged Main Space – Upstairs • Running (Arctic Frontrunners) http://www.steamworksedmonton.com 13–25. Video games, computers with internet, [email protected] Kinsmen Sports Centre, front entrance clothing bank, and more. Community Groups A potluck open to all members of the LGBTQ [email protected] community. A time to get together, share a meal • Youth Understanding Youth All genders and levels of runners and walkers are Alberta Bears and meet people from the community. See separate listing. invited to join this free activity. www.bearbeef.org • Free School Team Edmonton • Samsara Yoga Altview-Strathcona County LGBTQ Group Main Space – Upstairs [email protected] Korezone Fitness, #203, 10575 -115 Street #44, 48 Brentwood Blvd, Sherwood Park, AB [email protected] http://www.teamedmonton.ca [email protected] www.altview.ca Free School provides workshops on a variety of Members are invited to attend and help determine • Slo Pitch topics related to local activism. the board for the next term. If you are interested in Book Worm’s Book Club Parkallen Field, 111 st and 68 ave running for the board or getting involved in some of Second Cup, 11210 Jasper Ave • Get Tested for STIs [email protected] the committees, please contact us. [email protected] Free STD testing for anyone interested. For more Season fee is $30.00 per person. $10 discount for Buck Naked Boys Club information please contact the Pride Centre. • Badminton (Mixed) players from the 2008 season. 780-471-6993 • GLBT Seniors Drop-In St. Thomas Moore School, 9610 165 Street http://www.bucknakedboys.ca Main Space – Upstairs [email protected] Naturism club for men—being social while everyone [email protected] New group seeking male & female players. is naked, and it does not include sexual activity. A social and support group for seniors of all genders Participants do not need to be gay, only male. and sexualities to talk, have tea and offer each Camp fYrefly other support. 7-104 Dept. of Educational Policy Studies • Men Talking with Pride Faculty of Education, University of Alberta Main Space – Upstairs Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2G5 [email protected] http://www.fyrefly.ualberta.ca A social discussion group for gay, bisexual and
GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 21 Directory & Events
EDMONTON EVENTS Mixed Badminton------ 8-10pm AA Big Book Study------ 12-1pm Thursday, April 15th See Team Edmonton Jan13End of May See Pride Centre of Edmonton Book Club Meeting------ 7:30pm-9:30pm Mondays Thursdays Monthly Meeting------ 2:30pm By Book Worms Boot Camp------ 7-8pm GLBT Seniors Drop-in------ 1-4pm By Edmonton Primetimers 2nd Howard and McBride Chapel of Chimes See Team Edmonton See Pride Centre of Edmonton Unitarian Church, 10804 - 119th Street 10179-108 Street Men’s HIV Support Group------ 7-9pm Friday, April 16th Get Tested for STIs------ 3-6pm Youthspace------ 3-6:30pm See Pride Centre of Edmonton 2nd See Pride Centre of Edmonton Last See Pride Centre of Edmonton Heterophobia------ 7pm-9pm Curling------ 7:15pm Mill Woods United Church Youthspace------ 3-7pm Bowling------ 5pm See Team Edmonton Mar 15 Grand Meadow Crescent See Pride Centre of Edmonton See Team Edmonton Tuesdays Saturday, April 17th Youth Sports/Recreation------ 4pm Sundays GLBT Seniors Drop-in------ 1-4pm See Youth Understanding Youth Running------ 10-11am 2010 Artists for Life------ 6:30pm See Pride Centre of Edmonton See Team Edmonton By 3 HIV Edmonton Youth Understanding Youth------ 7-9pm Catalyst Theatre, 8529 - 103 Street TTIQ------ 2-4pm See Pride Centre of Edmonton Free School------ 11-5pm Saturday, April 24th See Pride Centre of Edmonton 2nd Intermediate Volleyball------ 7:30-9:30pm See Pride Centre of Edmonton 2nd, 4th Turnabout------ 8pm-10pm Youthspace------ 3-7pm See Team Edmonton Womonspace Meeting------ 12:30-1:30pm By ISCWR at 13 PLAY Nightclub See Pride Centre of Edmonton Swimming------ Evening See Pride Centre of Edmonton 1st Spring Fling Dance------ 9pm-1am Community Potluck------ 7-9pm See Team Edmonton Samsara Yoga------ 2-3:30pm By Womonspace See Pride Centre of Edmonton Last See Team Edmonton Fridays Bellevue Community Hall, 7308 - 112 Avenue Swimming------ Evening Edmonton Illusions------ ??? Men Talking with Pride------ 7-9pm See Team Edmonton Sunday, May 2nd See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton 2nd See Pride Centre of Edmonton Wednesdays Drag Queen Garage Sale------2pm-5pm Youthspace------ 3-6:30pm Ballroom Dancing------ 7:30-8:30pm By ISCWR at 8 Prism Bar & Grill PFLAG------ 12:10pm See Pride Centre of Edmonton See Team Edmonton See Pride Centre of Edmonton 1st Saturday, May 7th Monthly Meetings------2:30pm Youth Sports/Recreation------ 4pm Her Sons were Born NAKED!!------ All Day Youthspace------ 3-7pm Unitarian Church (10804 119th Street) See Youth Understanding Youth By Buck Naked Boys Club Edmonton See Pride Centre of Edmonton See Edmonton Primetimers 2nd Youth Movie Night------ 6:30-8:30 Labyrinth Lake Lodge May 79 Youth Sports/Recreation------ 4pm Saturday, April 10th See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton Saturday, May 15th See Youth Understanding Youth A NAKED!! Ode to Spring------ All Day Youth Understanding Youth------ 7-9pm Red Party------ 9pm-11pm Women’s Badminton------ 6-7:30pm By Buck Naked Boys Club Edmonton See Pride Centre of Edmonton By ISCWR at 8 Prism Bar & Grill See Team Edmonton Mar Labyrinth Lake Lodge Apr 1012 Saturdays Youth Understanding Youth------ 7-9pm Naturalist Gettogether------ ??? See Youth Understanding Youth See Buck Naked Boys Club 2nd Legend: = Monthly Reoccurrance, = Date (Range), = Sponsored Event
• Snowballs III • Swimming (Making Waves) • Volleyball, Free To Be Intermediate Restaurants February 5-7th, 2010 NAIT Pool Amiskiwacy Academy (101 Airport Road) [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] 5 Garage Burger Bar & Grill------ 10242 106th St 780-423-5014 Skiing and Snowboarding Weekend. • Tennis • Volleyball, Free To Be Recreational • Soccer Kinsmen Sports Centre Mother Teresa School (9008 - 105 Ave) 8 Prism Bar & Grill------✰ [email protected] Sundays, 12pm-3pm [email protected] See Edmonton - Bars and Clubs. • Spin [email protected] Outdoor season, Sundays, 3-5pm Retail Stores MacEwan Centre for Sport and Wellness • Ultimate Frisbee • Women’s Lacrosse Rodéo Drive 109 St. and 104 Ave Sundays Sharon: 780-461-0017 11528 - 89th Street Wednesdays, 5:45-6:45pm Summer Season starts July 12th Pam: 780-436-7374 780-474-0413 Season has ended. [email protected] Open to women 21+, experienced or not, all are [email protected] [email protected] E-mail if interested. welcome. Call for info. http://www.rodeodrive.ca 7 classes, $28.00 per registrant. Womonspace His and hers fetish wear, toys, jewelry, etc. 780-482-1794 [email protected] Products & Services www.womonspace.ca Cruiseline Women’s social group, but all welcome at events. 780-413-7122 trial code 3500 Youth Understanding Youth http://www.cruiseline.ca Edmonton Pride Centre, Main Space Upstairs Telephone classifieds and chat - 18+ ONLY. [email protected] www.members.shaw.ca/yuy Interactive Male A place where LGBTQ youth under 25 can gather to 780-409-3333 trial code 8871 have fun and learn about themselves and others in 1-800-777-8000 a safe, supportive, and caring environment. www.interactivemale.com • Sports and Recreation Robertson-Wesley United Church Pride Centre, 9540 - 111 Ave 10209 - 123 St. NW 780-482-1587 Brendan: 780-488-3234 [email protected] www.rwuc.org [email protected] Worship: Sunday mornings at 10:30am People of all sexual orientations welcome. Other LGBT events include a monthly book club and
22 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 Directory & Events
LETHBRIDGE EVENTS Friday, April 16th Saturday, April 17th Sunday, April 25th Queeraoke: Hello Summer!------ 10pm-2am Pretty, Witty & GAY!------ 8pm-11pm Rainbow Potluck------ 5:30pm-8pm Fridays By GALA/LA at The Mix By GALA/LA By GALA/LA Friday Mixer------ 10pm David Spinks Theatre, U of L McKillop United Church, Lane Lounge See GALA/LA 2329 15 Ave S
a bi-monthly film night. As a caring spiritual Please bring a dish to share that will serve 4-6 Theatre & Fine Arts trans-identified people and our families. community, we’d love to have you join us! people, and your own beverage. Membership fees are pay-what-you-can, although Alberta Ballet • Soul OUTing • Support Line pre-authorized monthly donors are encouraged (and http://www.albertaballet.com get a free Egale Canada t-shirt). Egale has several Second Sunday every month, 7pm 403-308-2893 Frequent productions in Calgary and Edmonton. An LGBT-focused alternative worship. Monday OR Wednesday, 7pm-11pm committees that meet by teleconference on a Leave a message any other time. regular basis; membership on these is national with • Film Night members from every region of Canada. Bi-monthly, contact us for exact dates. • Friday Mixer Canada • Book Club The Mix (green water tower) Products & Services 103 Mayor Magrath Dr S Monthly, contact us for exact dates. Community Groups Squirt Every Friday at 10pm Same Gender Speed Dating Ltd. Alberta Trans Support/Activities Group http://www.squirt.org 780-221-8535 Gay & Lesbian Integrity Assoc. (GALIA) http://www.albertatrans.org Website for dating and hook-ups. 18+ ONLY! www.samegenderdating.com University of Lethbridge [email protected] A nexus for transgendered persons, regardless of An LGBT-focused alternative worship. GBLTTQQ club on campus. where they may be on the continuum. Theatre & Fine Arts • Gay Male Speed Dating • Movie Night Canadian Rainbow Health Coalition Broadway Across Canada Boston Pizza Private Party Room, Whyte Ave Room C610, University of Lethbridge P.O. Box 3043, Saskatoon, SK, S7K 3S9 http://www.broadwayacrosscanada.ca TBA Gay Youth Alliance Group (306) 955-5135 OUTtv Must pre-register to attend - please contact us. Betty, 403-381-5260 [email protected] 1-800-955-5129 http://www.outtv.ca http://www.rainbowhealth.ca • Lesbian Speed Dating Every second Wednesday, 3:30pm-5pm GLBT Television Station. Boston Pizza Private Party Room, Whyte Ave Lethbridge HIV Connection Egale Canada TBA 1206 - 6 Ave S 8 Wellington St E, Third Floor Toronto, Ontario, M5E 1C5 Must pre-register to attend - please contact us. PFLAG Canada 1-888-204-7777 www.egale.ca Theatre & Fine Arts [email protected] Egale Canada is the national advocacy and lobby www.pflagcanada.com organization for gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, Exposure Festival Pride Lethbridge http://www.exposurefestival.ca [email protected] Edmonton’s Queer Arts and Culture Festival. The Roxy Theatre 10708 124th Street, Edmonton AB Red Deer 780-453-2440 www.theatrenetwork.ca Community Groups Affirm Banff/Canmore Sunnybrook United Church 403-347-6073 Community Groups 2nd Tuesday of the month, 7pm Mountain Pride Composed of LGBTQ people, their friends, family BOX 4892, BANFF, AB, T1L 1G1 and allies. No religious affiliation necessary. Brian, 403-431-2569 Activities include support, faith and social justice 1-800-958-9632 discussions, film nights, and potlucks! [email protected] www.gaybanff.com Serving the GLBTQS community in Banff, Canmore, Alberta Lake Louise and Area. Community Groups Central Alberta AIDS Network Society Lethbridge 4611-50 Avenue, Red Deer, AB http://www.caans.org Community Groups The Central Alberta AIDS Network Society is the GALA/LA local charity responsible for HIV prevention and 403-308-2893 support in Central Alberta. http://www.galalethbridge.ca Western Canadian Pride Campout Gay and Lesbian Alliance of Lethbridge and Area. www.eventmasterinc.net • Monthly Dances YouthSafe Henotic (402 - 2 Ave S) http://www.youthsafe.net Bring your membership card and photo ID. Alberta’s website for youth with sex-and-gender • Monthly Potluck Dinners differences. Youthsafe.net lists the resources, McKillop United Church, 2329 - 15 Ave S information and services to help youth find safe and GALA/LA will provide the turkey...you bring the rest. caring spaces in Alberta.
GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 23 Politics A Shadow across the Throne of St. Peter Renewed Sexual Abuse Allegations Plague the Papacy By Stephen Lock At the same time, the history of Protestantism (literally, the state of being one who protests against an established order) is rife with atrocities All eyes are, once again, on Rome as the most recent directed at priests and devout Catholics whenever “Protest-ants” gained power; be it in England under the Tudors or continental Europe after round of sexual abuse scandals cast their shadow across the Reformation. The destruction of monasteries and abbeys, the the papal throne itself. persecution of Catholics, the outlawing of the celebration of the Mass, The Roman Catholic Church has been struggling with instances of forced conversions to the “new” Church; these are also legacies of those sexual abuse of minors by priests for years, starting with allegations who sought to reform the Roman church. against the Christian Brothers order in Newfoundland almost two One of the issues I have when reading or having discussions regarding decades ago. Dioceses and archdioceses throughout North America have the role of the Catholic Church in these sexual abuse scandals is the been rocked by allegations of cover-ups by bishops and archbishops and level of discourse. As I said, it is easy to go on the attack against in some instances financially ruined by lawsuits. “The Church” - and while that is understandable since “The Church” Like spilled ink across vellum, the stain of sexual abuse against is certainly culpable in all this, having spent years covering the abuse minors by those responsible for ensuring their charges lead good and up, moving suspect priests from one parish or diocese to another, and decent lives, spread: to South America, where the church still holds appearing to place the reputation of the church ahead of the pain of considerable sway; then to Ireland and the UK; the Netherlands; and the abused - to me, there is a fine line between holding the church (or, has now crept into the Catholic institutions of Germany, the current more correctly, it’s hierarchy of monsignors, bishops, archbishops, and pope’s homeland. cardinals) accountable and launching off on an anti-Catholic tirade. The scandal, long a concern of the Holy See with both Benedict XVI Anti-Catholicism is no different than anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and his predecessor John Paul II attempting to deal with it by making attacking Sikhs, or any other form of religious bigotry. Has the Roman overtures of “reconciliation” towards victims, has taken a personal turn. Catholic Church a history of religious bigotry of its own? Absolutely, Benedict’s brother, Monsignor Georg Ratzinger, was the choirmaster and it needs to be held accountable for that, both historically and in of the famed Regensburger Domspatzen, the thousand-year-old male its current form, but to use such bigotry to condemn the bigotry or choir and boarding school affiliated with the Cathedral of Regensburg, try and make one’s point about the abuses within the church now, is Bavaria. intellectually dishonest and accomplishes nothing. Reports of abuse, both physical and sexual, first surfaced in February As for the role homosexuality plays within the Church and what role when three Jesuit-operated schools in the Regensburg diocese were that, in turn, plays in the sexual abuse of young males this too often investigated following allegations. The scandal then surfaced in simply degenerates into homophobic attacks. connection with the Cathedral choir. While denying any knowledge of When dealing with emotionally charged issues one needs to be very sexual abuse during his tenure, Monsignor Ratzinger has publicly stated clear on terminology. We often read of “child sexual abuse” and that, that, while choirmaster, he did discipline boys by sometimes slapping naturally enough, conjures up images of very young children. This is not them across the head. to at all suggest such abuse hasn’t occurred - it has, and it is outrageous. The allegations coming out of Regensburg are particularly noteworthy, Too often, however, what is being discussed is not pedophilia, per se, but and profoundly awkward for the current papacy, because the Pope pederasty or hebephilia...sex with teenage boys. This alters the issue and his brother spent much of their careers in senior positions at somewhat. Regensburg. Georg Ratzinger became choirmaster in 1964. Benedict, Abuse is abuse when an individual, regardless of age, is coerced or the former Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, taught theology at the prestigious does not consent to sexual activity. The argument then becomes, can University of Regensburg when a bishop in the 1970s. a 14-year old or 15-year old truly consent to sex, be it with a peer, an It is inevitable, then, that questions concerning what was known older male, or one’s priest? Is it ‘abuse’ when a priest has sex, despite and what was done (or not done) will be aimed directly at the pope. his vows of celibacy, with a 17-, 18- or 19-year old? Age of consent is a As Cardinal, Ratzinger headed the Congregation for the Doctrine of the volatile issue and guaranteed to elicit strong reaction. That a priest has Faith whose mandate was, in part, to investigate such allegations within violated his vows is a whole other issue and, while serious, is something the church. He and his brother have both denied knowing or hearing his bishop rightly needs to deal with - and is only peripherally related anything about clergy abusing minors during their time in Regensburg. to this issue. This seems doubtful, given their positions of authority and that any such Does it matter if the sex was “only” masturbation or is it more serious allegations would have, at the very least, crossed Bishop Ratzinger’s if penetration occurred? As a society we can’t even agree on what desk. constitutes ‘the sex act’; some see oral sex as sex while others don’t, The Regensburg allegations emerged just weeks after Benedict publicly especially (apparently) amongst young people. For others, anything criticized Irish bishops for failing to deal with the “heinous crime” of other than full intercourse is foreplay or just messing around, but not abuse and called on Catholic bishops to approach and deal with the actually “sex”…or it isn’t until it involves a younger person, and then it allegations with “honesty and courage”. While the Vatican supports a becomes “molestation.” full investigation of the allegations, the Pope has been personally silent The issue is not about whether a particular priest is homosexual. on the matter. His brother, on the other hand, has promised to fully That many are gay will come as no surprise to anyone. The issue is cooperate in any investigation but denies any knowledge of wrongdoing about abuse; the abuse of authority, the abuse of position, the abuse on the part of priests and has said that any such abuse was before his of minors, the focus on one’s own desires and needs, and the total time as choirmaster. disregard of one’s actions on the emotional and psychological well being In discussions about sexual abuse and the Roman Catholic Church, of another. two themes tend to emerge. One is the role homosexuality plays within Years ago, when I was still “churched” and became involved with the hierarchy and the other is anti-Catholicism. Both are difficult Dignity Canada, a gay Catholic organization (and one not supported by themes to avoid and there is a tendency to become bogged down, having the church) I knew many gay religious - priests, seminarians and a monk either one or both becoming the focus. or two - and they were all devout, caring, warm, loving men. Loving in It is easy to attack the Catholic Church. That it is a powerful, the way the church wants its priests to be; agape as opposed to eros, autonomous, even controlling entity goes without saying. There is a although eros was sometimes a part of who they were too, and being gay centuries-long antipathy by many towards “those papists” and such was integral to how they responded to the world. antipathy has often turned violent, on both sides. None of them, as far as I knew, were interested in young boys. To the The record of Holy Mother Church towards those who disagreed with church, however, their homosexuality was synonymous with being at Her tenets or sought to reform the Church is a bloody and often nasty the very least potential child abusers and, if found out, were removed one. The torture and burning of ‘heretics’, the Crusades to the Holy from the diocese. While homosexuality was always an open secret, Land, the Inquisition (now the Congregation for the Doctrine of the especially behind seminary walls, an environment of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Faith)...these are all part of history and speak to the absolutism of the Tell’ existed within the Church and its seminaries for years before the Church. In modern times, the Church, while not violent, continues to American military adopted it. adhere to a strict and unflinching orthodoxy, at odds with an increasingly There also needs to be a distinction made between homosexuality secularized society, especially in Europe and North America. and gayness. Being gay is not the same as being homosexual, although
24 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 obviously if one is gay one is a homosexual, but if one is homosexual it we are all aware of our own ‘walking wounded’ within secular life who doesn’t necessarily mean one is gay. for whatever reason cannot come to terms with their orientation, and Homosexuality is the orientation while gay is the identity and not all therefore do not expose themselves in any way shape or form to positive men with a homosexual/same-sex sexual orientation identify with the ways of being gay. Push something down here and it will pop up there. cultural and social identity we in the modern era refer to as ‘being gay.’ This is a basic law of nature, and it is no less so when dealing with the human psyche. And where it pops up is often not something within our It is the difference, on one level, between what one does and who control, and most certainly it will pop up where it shouldn’t. one is. This, too, elicits strong reaction and argument, and certainly within popular culture “being a homosexual” and “being a gay man” are If one has overwhelming needs and no way to channel them perceived as synonymous. It’s just too complicated to get into the often- properly and believes one cannot - or actually is unable to - be part of subtle distinctions (let alone introducing what is commonly referred to a community that celebrates and supports who we are, be it our own as ‘bisexuality’, a continuum in itself, into the mix!) and so the culture GLBTQ community or the church community, one is going to seek to understandably short-forms it all into “gay.” express those needs with what is available and, in one’s mind, not as likely to expose the activity. In too many instances this perversely So when we discuss sexual abuse within the church we need to be very translates into becoming involved with what psychologists would call careful we don’t tar everyone with the same brush. Sexual abuse, be it “inappropriate object choices”; vulnerable youths. within the church or within society in general, needs to be addressed far more effectively than it is currently, and addressed objectively. It Will the church ever be an environment in which being gay (or lesbian, is an issue that pushes buttons for people. There is a major ‘ick’ factor bi or trans) is supported, let alone celebrated? Not in my lifetime. The involved, especially when it involves actual children, rather than teenage current Pope has frequently demonstrated he is ill disposed towards our boys. community. The focus needs to move away from protecting the church and more As Cardinal and head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith towards what the church refers to as ‘reconciliation’ with victims, many he issued several documents highly condemnatory of homosexuality, of whom left the church as adults and harbour considerable anger and calling it ‘intrinsically evil’ and ‘deeply disturbed.’ This hardly speaks to hurt. However, reconciliation cannot happen in isolation – it is multi- the Vatican reaching out and helping to create a welcoming environment faceted and the church needs also to examine the root causes of abuse in which all can work and support each other and deal with the issues within its ranks and address them. and sub-issues of sexual abuse and the emotional isolation that can lead to abuse. In recent years, to its credit, the church has begun that process. However, it is still caught up in the mindset that in order to address We have, however, seen this outreach in the United Church, The the abuse, it needs to weed out those already in the hierarchy who are Unitarians, and other churches. And while the structure of these homosexual and somehow institute systems to prevent those who are churches is markedly different from that of the Roman Catholic Church, homosexual, or who have “homosexual tendencies” from ever entering being more congregational and ‘bottom up’ rather than hierarchical the church. I think this is totally misguided. and ‘bottom down’, it does illustrate that creating a respectful and mutually supportive environment in which personal responsibility is not It is not having “homosexual tendencies” that is the problem. It is a culture of repression, of denial, within the church that is the abdicated, is possible. problem. It is not even about celibacy. One can be comfortably, even openly, homosexual or gay and be celibate. It is the culture of secrecy surrounding sexuality that creates a twisted expression thereof. http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1632 If one is in a culture where not only being sexual is condemned but also being homo-sexual is seen as anathema, one is going to push that View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments aspect of one’s psyche down. We know the damage the closet does and
GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 25 Culture
Calgary International Spoken Word Festival Giving Voice to Those Underrepresented By Dallas Barnes it Better, Elixirs for the Not So Straight and Narrow, and McPoems. Did you know that April is National Poetry Month? And Alberta’s own, Edmonton based spoken word artist T.I. fittingly so, the Calgary International Spoken Word Cowan is also making an appearance at the Festival. He Festival makes its return this month. There will be 27 performed in Canada and internationally for the past 10 events and over 100 artists from all corners of the world years, and his work has been seen in Push Magazine, performing in the cities Banff, Calgary, Canmore, and Benton Writing: Contemporary Queer Tales, and Notebook Edmonton. Magazine. You may have caught his queer, tent-based The theme this year is Cabaret, to tantalize the audience performance called Camp; Summer Vacation at the High with Moulin Rouge style performances. Sheri-D, Director of Performance Rodeo. the Festival and a performer herself, is quick to remind us These four performers are only a tiny portion of the list of that Spoken Word Festivals originated in cabarets. acts this year. “I wanted to respect the past,” says Sheri-D. “We have If you are unsure of what exactly spoken work is, it is really worked on bringing the performers from the past back explained by CISWF as “encompass[ing] work, languages, to Calgary this year. Before it was just another cabaret act, rhythm, sound, music, and beat. It is written and presented and then it made a medium of its own. Spoken word has in the voice and tone of the people. It is for the people. It is always been and an outside voice.” for the community.” The performers this year vary in many ways. Sheri-D is Spoken word is taking new and different forms with the quite excited about this diversity, but was rather surprised advancement of technology. Banff to the World – Live To The at some similarities. “Most of the Festival is gay and I didn’t Web on April 14th will integrate the faculty members of the plan that! These individuals are hot artists. There is quite a Spoken Word Program and South Africa’s Kobus Moolman bit of gender bending in the Festival.” in creating instant art – unrehearsed. Baby Dee is one such performer. She is a performance Sheri-D is looking forward to the largest Festival to date. artist, songwriter, classically trained harpist, circus “We are acknowledging Muslim women, underrepresented veteran, and street legend. She has worked in the circus on voices, political action, and a strong component of the Coney Island, and as an organist in a Catholic Church in queer voice. It’s appealing, appalling, fabulous, and slightly the Bronx. She is definitely not to be missed. shocking. It is Cabaret! Expect the unexpected!” Sini Anderson is another gay artist performing at the Festival. She is a performance artist, poet, producer, and director that is the co-founder of Sister Spit, and an all-girl, open-mic series that took San Francisco by storm. She has served as the Artistic Director for the National Queer Arts Calgary International Spoken Word Festival 2010 Festival, a co-producer for the Nectar stage at San Francisco April 7-16 - Banff, Canmore Pride, a member of the Board of Directors for the Harvey April 20-30 - Calgary Milk Institute, and CO-Chair of the Queer Cultural Centre. April 27 - Edmonton Billie Nickerson is not sure how his past as a competitive www.calgaryspokenwordfestival.com junior curler has impacted his career as a poet, but he is sure it has. He is an accomplished writer with published http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1633 works such as the Asthmatic Glass Blower, Let Me Kiss View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments
26 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 Community Q Scopes The GAYmazing Race “Go back to basics, Gemini!” Saturn backing into Virgo reminds us to clean up old business before starting new relationships. Aspecting Pride Calgary Plans Scavenger Hunt Uranus and Neptune, she’ll dig up complications that By Matthew Tuer must be dealt with to make progress. Go slowly and carefully. You have until late July to get it right. Do you love to play dress up? How about frolicking around the city with your closest friends in tow? Do you ARIES (March 20 – April 19): Recalculate the equation of any partnership that’s troubling you. Can or should it like competing with other people for fun and exciting be saved? Strong instincts and inspiration could lead you prizes that you can take home at the end of the night? astray, but probably contain a kernel of truth. Friends If this just sounds like a typical Saturday night at the gay can help you reconcile those with reality. bar, think again. It’s Calgary’s very first GAYmazing race! TAURUS (April 20 – May 20): Feeling stuck at work can Loosely based on the hit TV show, the GAYmazing race is a push you back to re-examine your goals. Where do you fun and competitive fundraiser for Calgary Pride 2010 being feel most creative, and what do you really have to offer? held in town on Saturday, May 8th. If professional goals feel nebulous, frame the question in terms of your social ideals. Come join your peers as they race around the city on teams of 1 to 4 people, in a photo scavenger hunt through various GEMINI (May 21- June 20): While your goals and ideals LGBT friendly locations, and get the chance to complete fun seem to be in flux, go back to basics. The most relevant questions about reaching out to the world around you tasks and figure out clues that will lead you to the next spot are taught early in life. Be nice, share and try to learn. on the hunt, and eventually straight across the finish line. Community service can also help clear your head. But don’t go speeding your way through the day too fast. CANCER (June 21- July 22): Discuss longstanding Just because your team finishes first, doesn’t necessarily family issues with siblings, or community problems with mean you’ve won the race. Judges will be looking for creative neighbors. Things probably aren’t as dark and complicated team names and wacky costumes, as well as creative and as they feel. New perspectives will help if you’re willing to interesting ways to complete your tasks throughout the be very open-minded. day, in order to earn extra points and help your chances LEO (July 23 – August 22): New ideas and skills can help of winning. So make sure to combine all of your fabulous get you out of financial trouble, but first understand how and gay powers together to come up with the most exciting and why you got into that trouble. You won’t get that on your imaginative ways to journey through some of our city’s own. Your partner or an advisor can help you figure it out. hottest gay spots – and learn a thing or two about the LGBT VIRGO (August 23 – September 22): Taking the weight community while you’re at it! of the world on your shoulders is bad for your health. And as if that’s not enough, Pride Calgary will be Discussing problems with your partner, or a trusted friend or counselor, is necessary even if it’s aggravating. A mild throwing a wrap up party following the race, where all of the exercise program (swimming?) and meditation help. contestants and their friends to get a chance to meet each other and share some good times, while the GAYmazing LIBRA (September 23 – October 22): It seems you can’t catch a break, so make one for yourself. Take time off prizes are awarded. The location of the party will be revealed to meditate and play. Settle your nerves and charge up in the contestants’ last clue of the day, but will be given your batteries. You need this. In the long run it’s the with enough time to call up your friends and have them responsible thing to do! join you. SCORPIO (October 23 – November 21): Take a hard If you happen to be a newcomer to Calgary, don’t be look at your future and get ready to clear out the clutter discouraged - those who have lived here their whole lives in your life. Mending fences could mean quitting some don’t necessarily have an advantage. The GAYmazing race is friendships and groups, but offers you a chance to make a great way for people who grew up here and for newbies to it clean and amicable. discover new gay friendly places throughout the city, which SAGITTARIUS (November 22 – December 20): Clean up any will help to expand our community even more and help to loose ends and nasty rumors affecting your reputation. Helpful bring us all closer together. inspiration comes from your home and family. Advice from siblings and neighbors can seem confusing, but don’t take it too So get your team members together, and download a literally and it could prove valuable. registration form as soon as they become available on Pride Calgary’s website, to sign up for this unique and fun event. CAPRICORN (December 21 – January 19): Coming toward a peak of your professional reputation, now is the time to get Hope to see you all there, looking GAYmazing as ever! the word out about your achievements and services. Typos and snafus lie in wait. Be very attentive to those details! AQUARIUS (January 20 – February 18): You’re coming into a phase of your life where your ideas and your mind Pride Calgary will be much challenged. Review what you believe and why. www.pridecalgary.ca Confusion about who you are and what’s important can be a healthy stage of growth. PISCES (February 19 – March 19): Feeling unsure about The GAYmazing Race sex and relationships can be a good step toward greater Saturday, May 8th, 3pm to 8pm awareness. OK, it’s uncomfortable now. Meditation and other quiet secluded retreats – some with your love, some Various locations without – will ease the exploration. http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1634 Jack Fertig, a professional astrologer since 1977, is available for personal and business consultations in person in San Francisco, or online View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments everywhere. He can be reached at 415-864-8302, through his Web site at www.starjack.com. GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 27 Gossip
what you’re going to get. Welcome, then, Vamps, the new film from Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Clueless writer/ director Amy Heckerling. It’s sort of a young Sex and the City- meets-glamorous-neck-biting and will star Alicia Silverstone and Krysten Ritter (She’s Out of My League) as two young lady-bloodsuckers in New York, both of whom have to choose between immortality and love. It will co-star Sigourney Weaver (it’s really about time she got to play a vampire, her lesbian icon status was in jeopardy after that last Tim Allen comedy) as the leader of a blood dynasty. Look, as long as it’s a comedy and Alicia is allowed to shop some, it probably won’t hurt a bit. Ashley Tisdale: Hellcat From the It Sure Took Them Long Enough department (and certainly inspired by a certain show about teen choirs) comes Hellcats, a pilot from the CW about cheerleading. Starring Aly Michalka as a college girl from the wrong side of the tracks who joins the world of competitive cheering, the series has cast singer-actor Ashley Tisdale as the squad’s intensely ambitious team captain. Tisdale almost single-handedly added all comic relief to the High School Musical franchise (as the intensely ambitious queen of drama club, so yeah, not much stretching here) so this bit of actor-in-the-right-role news feels like a perfect fit. Better yet, it’s for a network that specializes in tart- Sigourney Weaver tongued young things, so we’re certain to see Tisdale finally shed some of her squeaky-cleanliness. And you can go ahead and call it Bring It On: The College Years: The TV Show if you want. That’s what it sounds like to Romeo, too. It also sounds Deep Inside Hollywood like a damn good time waiting to happen. Jackman taking road to Selma Jason Segel’s rainbow connection In truth, there’s technically nothing truly gay about The Muppets. They’re wholesome and sweet and hilarious. There Romeo San Vicente are openly homosexual Muppets. (Unless you’re talking about Under normal circumstances, the casting of an actor to play Bert and Ernie. And we’ve had our gaydar tripped by Big Bird. Martin Luther King, Jr., in Selma, the latest project from gay And Sweetums. And Miss Piggy is voiced by a man. Okay, The Oscar nominated director Lee Daniels, would be major news. Muppets are super-gay after all.) But they do resonate with And once the movie is finally shot, cut and released, David everyone’s sense of humor and, more importantly, the human Oyelowo, the British actor who’ll play the legendary civil rights sense of wanting to belong to a big happy group. So the news leader and who’ll also soon appear in George Lucas’s Red Tails, that The Greatest Muppet Movie of All Time is happening and will surely see his profile rise in this country. But for now you that puppet-friendly funny guy Jason Segal is not only the probably have no idea who he is, and so the real casting news main-starring human being but also the script’s co-writer is for this movie is about Hugh Jackman. He’s going to play a more exciting than the announcement of a project featuring redneck sheriff in the story, which will center around the 1965 actual gayness. It just is. Set for 2012, it can’t arrive soon marches staged by King in Selma, Alabama, and he will almost enough, Mayan calendar be darned. certainly not be pouring entire buckets of warm water over Romeo San Vicente always identified with drumming Muppet “Animal.” He his sweat-glistened torso in this one. But that’s just a hunch. can be reached care of this publication. They’re still getting the financing together anyway, so you’ve got some waiting on your hands, either way. Sigourney and Silverstone to Vamp Want more vampires in love? Of course you do. Your job as a http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1636 member of consumer culture requires you to enjoy astonishing View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments amounts of the thing that’s really popular right now. So that’s
28 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 Community A Look Back at His Reign Emperor 33 Joey Hailey-Boink Reflects Upon the Past Year
By Sam Casselman On April 17th, 2010, Emperor and Empress 33 of the ISCCA will be stepping down from their reign at the 34th Coronation. Although his reign was met with many challenges, Emperor Joey Hailey-Boink feels thankful for everything this past year has brought him. Upon election in 2009, Joey says he was determined to go forward with the challenge ahead. “As an Emperor I am a goodwill ambassador as well as a figurehead of the organization. My job is to raise money for the local charities of choice as well as represent Calgary’s court in other cities.” As a novice however, Joey explained how he was extremely grateful to all those who helped him along the way. “I had to learn on the job, and prove myself to the community and the people who voted me in. I Joey performing at the Texas Lounge would have not been able to grasp the success without the help of many wonderful people such as my upper house, my Board of Directors, my Prince, and all those who have helped me out along the way.” honest people along the way. These connections I have made are for a lifetime, and I am glad to say, there are not many places where I can’t Empress Bianca LaBouche was one such person who Joey mentions call somebody to have a cup of Joe with. For that I am so thankful.” helping him along the way. “She has been part of the circuit for many years. So, for me as a newcomer, it was a major help having…somebody “To all who were there for me in the past year, thank you ever so much. by my side who already knows many people and also knows the ropes of When you see me in the College of Monarchs there you shall see yourself, this wonderful game.” LaBouche was out of town for several weeks, and for you have raised me up there, and for you, there I stand.” not available for an interview before the time of press. Being partners with two distinct personalities did however prove to be challenging. ”We learned to work with each other. WE both are European, and for that we are both very vocal, and sometimes very http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1637 stubborn. But, I am glad to say we managed to find a common ground View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments and areas where one was weak, the other one turned out to be strong, so we complimented each other to do the best we could.” This past year has been very busy, but Joey feels it has been worthwhile to both the Court and the Emperor and Empress as individuals. “I’m very glad to say that we have been represented very well. Other than one, we have made it to all Canadian Coronations from coast to coast, and were represented at many US Coronations as well.” Locally their schedules have been relentless, “from Money Pennies to the Backlot, Texas Lounge and the Calgary Eagle, they have all gratefully opened their doors and had us in there week after week to do barbeques, shows, sell shooters, or even take care of the coat check. …Without the continued support of these places we would have not been able to do the job or raise the money we did this year, and for that they all deserve a big thank you.” Joey explained how there is much to look forward to in the weeks to come, “We have got an entire week filled with wonderful events coming up: State Dinner, In Town Show, Out of Town Show, Coronation - just to name a few. People can go on our website, www.iscca.ca, for a detailed list of events coming up in the future.” With less than two weeks to go, Joey admits that the venue for the Out of Town has yet to be confirmed. “We are in conversations with Twisted Element about having the Out of Town Show at their establishment. So at this point [we are not sure of the location].” He recommends checking back on their website closer to the time for location details, as they become available. In the case of Twisted Element becoming the venue for the Out of Town Show, candidate for Emperor 34, Fred, has stated he will be hosting an unofficial event at the Westin hotel for those who cannot attend the venue for personal reasons. Joey is looking forward to many things once he steps down as Emperor. He is excited to see what the future holds for Calgary’s court. “The Court will keep on doing the job that it set out to do many years ago: to raise funds and represent the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community at large. As for myself, I am going to get my life back and go watch a movie!” When asked for final words about his reign, Joey describes his many positive experiences. “My favourite part of being the Emperor I have to say was the people I have met, and the places I got to visit. I had the chance to literally travel from coast to coast in this wonderful country, and meet the nicest, most
GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 29 Out of Town Charleston, South Carolina
Colonial and Victorian buildings in Charleston’s downtown historic district
By Andrew Collins Walk north through the historic downtown along Meeting Street, Charleston’s “Museum Mile,” and you’ll find one intriguing One of the wealthiest and largest cities of pre- attraction after another. The Gibbes Museum of Art, with its Colonial America, Charleston today mixes expected, 7,000-piece permanent collection and the Charleston Museum, if stereotypical, Southern charms like plantation which opened in 1773, are highlights. Meeting, King and Bay museums, cobblestone lanes, ancient military sites and streets have their share of both high-quality and predictable gift traditional Lowcountry cuisine with a number of facets and antiques shops, as well as several galleries. that surprise first-time visitors: hip coffeehouses, edgy Charleston figured pivotally in the American Revolution galleries, informal restaurants and nightspots, and an and even more directly in the start of the Civil War. Today increasingly more youthful and progressive population Fort Sumter Tours offers boat excursions out to Fort Sumter National Monument, the 19th-century fort on which the first (Obama easily outpaced McCain in Charleston County shot of the war was fired on April 12, 1861. in 2008). It’s hardly surprising that this fast-growing, No visit to Charleston is complete without a side trip to one sophisticated city known for its arts festivals and historic of the imposing plantations. Consider the 1740s Drayton Hall, architecture has become a favorite weekend destination the only extant antebellum mansion along the Ashley River (it’s among GLBT travelers. unfurnished, however); and Middleton Place, a 1741 spread Museum junkies won’t lack for things to see and do here, whose colorful gardens are the oldest in the country. although there’s no reason to focus your explorations indoors, In the other direction, head east and then south to the breezy especially from fall through spring, when the moderate climate Sullivan’s Island, an excellent place to stroll along pristine gold- is perfect for strolling along the riverfront or trekking to one of sand beaches. You can tour Fort Moultrie, another significant the beach communities nearby. Civil and Revolutionary war site that’s now run by the national A good place to begin exploring is with a stop at the Historic park service. And then stop for a filling lunch at rustic Poe’s Charleston Foundation. A number of key events are held Tavern, which turns out enormous and delicious burgers with here, including the famed Spoleto Festival, which in late names inspired by 19th-century horror writer Edgar Allan Poe spring offers two weeks’ worth of first-rate opera, dance, - he was stationed at Fort Moultrie for a couple of years. theater, music, poetry readings and visual arts exhibitions. In downtown Charleston, you’ll find countless opportunities The foundation also operates two superb museums, the 1817 to partake of the region’s famed Lowcountry cuisine, which Aiken-Rhett House and the 1808 Nathaniel Russell House. mixes soul, Creole, and Southern recipes. Head to Slightly From the latter you can walk a few blocks south to Waterfront North of Broad (aka “S.N.O.B.”) for a creative take on classic Park, a grassy tree-filled plot of land with gardens and an Southern fare, including a flawless rendition of shrimp-and- adjacent promenade overlooking the confluence of the Ashley grits. Just down the street, Blossom serves similarly creative and Cooper rivers. Lowcountry cooking with a modern spin - try the pan-seared flounder with butterbean ragout and bacon jus. 30 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 Travel
Quite a few more modern establishments have been gaining 41-room Andrew Pinckney Inn, which occupies a beautifully favor with foodies of late. A good choice for sipping flights of restored 1840s building. different styles of wine while nibbling on tasty tapas is Social Another exceptional choice is the meticulously maintained Wine Bar, which makes fantastic wood-fired pizzas - the one Planters Inn, many of whose luxurious rooms have whirlpool with prosciutto, fontina, sliced pear and mozzarella is a stand- tubs. This courtly property overlooks City Market and is close out. Stellar farm-to-table mod cuisine is served at the trendy to many galleries and shops - it’s also home to the stellar storefront eatery Fig, from Wagyu beef tartare to slow-baked Peninsula Grill restaurant. One of the city’s most historic options black bass with baby clams. is the John Rutledge House Inn, which has rooms in the main An emerging restaurant row close to the city’s two main gay 1763 mansion as well as in two adjacent carriage houses. The bars, upper King Street, has several excellent dinner spots, romantic, Italianate-style main building was built by a signer including the swanky pan-Asian restaurant Chai’s Lounge & of the U.S. Constitution - its rooms, with 13-foot ceilings and Tapas and the cozy, romantic French bistro La Fourchette - an elaborate plaster moldings, are supremely opulent, but those in enjoyable place to feast steamed mussels in garlic and white the adjoining carriage houses offer a bit more privacy. wine with frites double-fried in duck fat. The city has a few gay-owned B&B, including 4 Unity Alley, With as strong a GLBT following as anywhere in town, is a gem hidden down a tiny alley off historic Bay Street. This Vickery’s serves such tasty and affordable Caribbean-meets- 18th-century former colonial warehouse, in which George Cuban victuals as fried-green-tomato turnovers, black bean Washington is said to have housed his horse for a night, soup, and grilled jerk chicken salads. Stop by the cozy contains airy, light-filled rooms with fine antiques. Keep in coffeehouse Baked, the only place in the Southeast serving mind that the four guest rooms here often book up quickly Portland, Oregon’s famed Stumptown Coffee, plus tasty cakes - it’s wise to make your reservations well in advance. Guests and deliriously good sweet-and-salty brownies (filled with can relax in a sunny garden, and off-street parking and a full caramel and topped with sea salt). breakfast are included in the rates. Although Charleston isn’t a major gay nightlife hub, you Andrew Collins covers gay travel for the New York Times-owned website will find a couple of great hangouts near upper King Street. About.com and is the author of Fodor’s Gay Guide to the USA. He can be Convivial Dudley’s Pub is a prime spot to chat with locals, shoot reached care of this publication. pool, sing karaoke, or watch videos, while just down the block and open only on weekends, Pantheon is the city’s hottest gay dance club, with go-go boys, top DJs, and drag shows. You’ll The Little Black Book also find a couple of less touristy neighborhood bars inthe region: Patrick’s Pub & Grill, a 15-minute west of downtown, Andrew Pinckney Inn (http://www.andrewpinckneyinn.com). Baked Déjà vu II, which is the same distance to the north. (http://www.bakedcharleston.com). Blossom (http://www.magnolias-blos- Upscale and popular year-round, Charleston has fairly high som-cypress.com). Chai’s Lounge & Tapas (http://www.chaislounge.com). hotel rates, but you will find some of the snazziest and most Charleston Convention & Visitors Bureau (http://www.charlestoncvb.com). romantic accommodations in the country. If you’d rather not Courtyard by Marriott Charleston Waterfront (http://www.marriott.com/ blow your whole budget on your room, consider a couple of the chscy). Déjà vu II (http://www.dejavuii.com). Dudley’s Pub (http://www. excellent - and gay-friendly - mid-priced chain properties in myspace.com/clubpantheon). Fig (http://www.eatatfig.com). 4 Unity Alley town, including the Hampton Inn Charleston Historic District (which is close to Dudley’s and Pantheon gay bars) and the (http://www.unitybb.com). Hampton Inn Charleston Historic District (http:// attractive Courtyard by Marriott Charleston Waterfront, which www.hamptoninn.com/en/hp/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=CHSHDHX). overlooks the riverfront and is a 10-minute walk west of the Harbourview Inn (http://www.harbourviewcharleston.com). John Rutledge Historic District. House Inn (http://www.johnrutledgehouseinn.com/). La Fourchette Among high-end lodgings, the sumptuous and centrally (http://www.lafourchettecharleston.com). Market Pavilion Hotel and Grill located Market Pavilion Hotel contains 70 beautifully appointed 225 (http://www.marketpavilion.com). Pantheon (http://www.myspace. rooms filled with museum-quality furnishings and artwork. com/clubpantheon). Planters Inn (http://www.plantersinn.com). Poe’s There’s also a rooftop bar and pool affording panoramic views, Tavern (http://www.poestavern.com). Slightly North of Broad (http://www. and one of the best restaurants downtown, Grill 225, serving mavericksouthernkitchens.com/snob). Social Wine Bar (http://www.social- decadent steaks and Lowcountry seafood. winebar.com). Vickery’s (http://www.vickerysbarandgrill.com). Around the corner, the five-story Harbourview Inn is another stunner - inside you’ll find soaring ceilings, exposed-brick walls, and four-poster beds. The complimentary perks are http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1638 many: Continental breakfast delivered to your room, afternoon wine and cheese, evening milk and cookies, local walking tours, View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments and Wi-Fi. The Harbourview is part of a local hotel group that includes several other excellent properties, among them the
GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 31 Trans-Identity Sociopolitics of Identity Hope Resides in the Genderqueer and Transgressive By Mercedes Allen transitions, there’s always that awkward period when presentation is shaky or nervousness gives us away, or we fumble and say and do things that we’ll As time goes on, something happens to a person as a transitioned later find embarrassing - we’re sort of going through that as a community too, and the places one goes to in self-discovery sometimes trigger others whose transsexual. It has a lot to do with why the transsexed side of determinance has led them elsewhere. norrie mAy Welby’s recent attaining the transgender continuum tends not to have many long-term of a “sex not specified” legal designation (which was a first in the Western advocates involved with the community. world but later revoked by Australian authorities) is a major coming-out for those comfortable in identifying as in between genders, but for those who do I first came to realize it over a discussion with someone long transitioned identify as being part of a binary and who would not want to be forced into who was still involved with the wider community, but it was largely forgotten that box, it doesn’t take much imagination to see how something like that that she had a trans history. Although the cerebral knowledge and empathy could backfire. Things get complicated before they grow clearer, and this for trans issues were there, the memory had faded to the point where it was fear sometimes triggers a push-back. Too, something that hasn’t yet grown hard for her to recall the experiences personally, where it seemed to her as distant is the memory of how overdone distortions of one segment of our though everything had happened to someone else. This is not a bad thing community have been trotted out in society, and painted as representations - in fact, it’s the whole point of transition, to put the years of hiding and of another - from The Jerry Springer Show to the 2010 transploitative fakery and anxiety behind; to finally be able to start at square one and build “Ticked-Off Trannies With Knives.” The wound is still tender. a life that fits for oneself. She had accomplished that, and I realized early And yet, for the majority of people under the transgender umbrella (as well into my advocacy that it would be the path I would likely tread as well. It’s as for those transsexuals entering the community with fears and anxieties like anything else support-oriented: eventually you accomplish what you’d of transition and interacting with the public and newly addressing family, hoped for, and move on - a necessary part of the healing. friends, co-workers and others), hope resides not in trans advocates who In recent years, I’ve recognized the same thing happening within myself. march in and then drift away, but in the genderqueer and crossdressing People sometimes come to me with their anxiety about going out into public and gender variant. for the first time, or the fears of having to tell their parents that they’re Gender variance and gender expression involve a sociopolitical trans, or navigating transition in the workplace, and I’m finding my own reassessment of the understanding of identity. And identity is something memories distant, fading, almost foreign. Some of the consequences - such that individuals get hung up on, since our understanding of it derives as disowning myself from my family because continued contact after four almost entirely from our own singular identities. Men have enough difficulty years was just hurting everyone - are still painful, but much of the “before” grasping femaleness and vice versa, let alone a plethora of existence outside picture is almost gone. This doesn’t really bother me too much - I never those accepted benchmarks. And no matter how intimately someone might set out to be Mercedes the Trans Spokesperson, I only wanted to leave the understand and know someone else, their understanding will always be community with more than it had when I’d arrived - but it does make me feel limited by the physical constraints of their own skulls. Identity is something guilty at the possibility that eventually, it may mean leaving behind people that we might not ever grasp fluently or completely. But we can come still in genuine need. (And for those who might be wondering, no I’m not to accept it as a fluid part of our reality and that others’ identities aren’t leaving the community right now, and I suspect I’ll always be somewhat expected to fit our own concepts and understandings. And this is where “out” there, it just means that I’m finding it harder to be there with the the ongoing visibility of people who transgress or queer the rules of gender moment-to-moment advice because all that is disappearing into the past come in. for me.) During high school, in my feeble attempts to form a rock band, I adopted a But the need does go on. The transsexual community is changing, look (because everyone had to have an “image”) incorporating the obligatory coming out in the same way that gay and lesbian communities emerged leather jacket, jeans and a red camisole. I had to justify the latter by saying into awareness in the 1970s (and as we can see today, it’s still an ongoing it was a political comment as well as easier to wear under hot lights, and play process). More people are finding the information and encouragement they down any self-expression and searching for people who might empathize via need to soldier through, more people are soul-searching, questioning the symbology. For those of us who’ve been around awhile, I don’t have to tell many different options open to them. Sometimes, policies that had once you that the look (simple as it was) bombed magnificently. A few years later, enabled transition are even being rolled back in negative reaction to the Kurt Cobain started taking to the stage playing the occasional set in a flat increased awareness, as witnessed by the delisting of health care funding grey skirt or kilt (not to mention Alice ‘n Chainz’ Layne Staley in occasional for Genital Reassignment Surgery in Alberta last year. Yet as the awareness full drag) and I expected the same to happen; instead, he powered through, changes hearts and minds, the future shows encouraging promise. In May of and today the idea seems somewhat mundane, at least in a theatric setting. this year, Parliament is scheduled to debate and vote on a Private Member’s Society grows, adjusts, and absorbs each new experience into its vernacular, Bill (C-389) that would add protections for gender identity and gender although it has to be occasionally reinforced if it’s to be kept from being expression to the Criminal Code of Canada and Canada Human Rights Act, forgotten. with legal protections being an important first step toward acceptance. While “transgender” covers a vast group of people with different identities, (And I know Canadian readers have all contacted their MPs to express underlying the struggles of each is an acknowledgment and understanding of support for this bill, haven’t they? For more information about it, refer to identity itself – that it is something that evolves but does not change on pure the January issue of GayCalgary and Edmonton magazine, or visit: http:// whim, something that is very real to us personally, even if we can’t always www.gaycalgary.com/u58) communicate it, and have to rely on the trappings of physical expression The need does go on, and the struggles with fear and shame by those who to say it for us. Growing exposure to various and unique identities is a follow remain urgent and vital. crucial step toward dismissing the notion of “fringe” and recognizing that our More than the transsexual community is changing. Ethicists and infinitely diverse identities and the open expression of them are something commentators and talk show hosts are delving into understanding the that is magical and fundamentally integral to our ability to be individual. concepts of pregnant men and non-traditional marriages. Parents are raising And by accepting the repeated expression of individuality of others, society children with a certain amount of gender neutrality to let their children grows less threatened by any one individual. settle into what is most comfortable, giving them non-specific names like Society experiences the gender variant person at first as shocking, then “Pop” and getting lambasted in Life & Style Magazine. Governments are as a person, realizes the sense of threat is unfounded, and then accepts and struggling with intersex and trans concepts and debating the possibility of a moves on. And it is this process that will alleviate the terror and shame “sex not specified” designation. A Pope who condemns gender variance and experienced by those who follow. queerness as being the greatest threats to humanity is now being recognized as fallible for his own involvements in the cover-ups of child abuse and Mercedes Allen is a writer who blogs at http://dentedbluemercedes.wordpress. molestation. Nepal, Pakistan and India are legally recognizing culturally- com/, has been featured on bilerico.com, PageOneQ and others, and has entrenched gender variant individuals as people. A world is waking. also developed the website at AlbertaTrans.org as a resource for transgender I mentioned the phrases “gender variant” and “gender expression.” information and support. Sometimes I focus too narrowly on transsexualism, because it’s what I know. These terms, however, cover a wide range, including crossdressing, androgynous, genderqueer and exploratory people. As the world wakes, so too are people able to wake to self-identification that was not available to them before. Terms like “crossdreamers” are being invented and defined. Some of them will fall by the wayside; others will catch on and ignite as more people discover relevance in them, and a deep connection. For the transsexual community, this has sometimes been the source http://www.gaycalgary.com/ of a lot of division, with the more conservative of us fearing the change, a1639 even attacking people outside transitioning pathways as a perceived threat View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments to “real” transsexuals. And it’s not without some cause. In individual
32 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 Community Letters A Taste for Life Letters to the Editor SHARP Foundation Wants You to Eat Well! By Sam Casselman Dear Editor; If you plan on going out for dinner only once this A new Narcotics Anonymous meeting has been established in month, make sure you aim for April 28th. The SHARP Calgary. The new meeting is described as a “special interest” Foundation and participating restaurants are making a meeting, and is called “Equality In Recovery.” It is specifically an difference for individuals affected with HIV/AIDS. attempt to reach out to members of the gay/lesbian/bisexual/ According to Karyn Baggs, Donation Coordinator for the SHARP trans-gender community (and their “supportive friends”) who Foundation, Taste for Life “is a unique fundraising event [that] struggle with drug addiction and who have a desire to stop began in Philadelphia and has been held successfully in many using. communities in Canada and the United States. The concept is In establishing this new meeting we are determined to offer simple, the visibility is high, and the cause is recognized and a safe and secure atmosphere for “open sharing” and recovery endorsed throughout the community.” from addiction. We view addiction as a serious health concern Participating restaurants donate 25% of their gross earnings in our community. Meetings will go for 2 hours with a 20 minute of the evening to SHARP. All you need to do is make reservations “fellowship” break, and will take place every Friday evening for dinner on April 28th at one of the following participating commencing at 7pm at the Sheldon Chumir Centre (3rd floor restaurants: Chicago Chop House, Escoba Bistro and Wine Bar, meeting room). The first meeting occurred on Friday, March Fiore Cantina Italiana, Los Chilitos Taco &Tequila House, Moxies 19th. 17th Avenue, The Coup, The Gypsy Bistro-Wine Bar, or the We appreciate your assistance in bringing this matter to the Metropolitan Grill. Address information for these restaurants attention of your readers. can be found on the Taste for Life website. The SHARP Foundation cannot serve its purpose without the Thank you, generosity of the LGBT community. Its mandate is simple. “We - Mike S provide care and support for community’s most marginalized citizens infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS.” In an effort to give much needed respect and care to those in needs, the Sharp Foundation works directly with these individuals to make sure this happens. On top of financial challenges that patients face, they may also suffer from mental health problems, substance addictions, etc. Sadly, with limited space, many patients who need hospice care do not qualify. The SHARP Foundation hopes that A Taste for Life will substantially contribute to a $1.2 million initiative for their new projects: Independence House, Project Kathleen, and other projects. All of these projects are a result of an urgent need to house, counsel, and properly medicate marginalized individuals living with HIV/AIDS. “Independence House – currently SHARP has 21 people on its waitlist for services. The building of Independence House is of urgent need and is being supported by the Calgary Housing Company. This project will provide support to couples in need of SHARP’s medical, spiritual, physical, and social programs.” “Project Kathleen – this housing project will focus on the needs of highly marginalized females living with HIV/AIDS.” “Capital Projects and Admin support – with growth of its services SHARP will require additional funds for administrative support (i.e. case workers, nurses). The need for renovations and capital are ongoing.” Last year in Toronto, A Taste for Life raised over $100,000. The Sharp Foundation is hoping for the same in Calgary. Make sure to make your dinner reservations today.
A Taste for Life www.atasteforlife.org The SHARP Foundation www.thesharpfoundation.com
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GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 33 Photography
Oscar Party Aids Calgary Fundraiser at the Uptown, Calgary Curvalicious Urban Curvz Fundraiser, Calgary
Ronnie Burkett Aids Calgary Fundraiser, Calgary
Breast Cancer Research Fundraiser at Prism - Edmonton, Photos by Karen Hofmann
34 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 Photography
ISCCA Candidate Show at the Texas Lounge, Calgary Mac & Cheese Contest/Fundraiser at the Eagle, Calgary
ISCCA Candidate Show at the Texas Lounge, Calgary
St. Patrick’s Day Auction at the Texas Lounge - Calgary
GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 35 36 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 Community
Furthermore, on the set-up of the GayCalgary Olde Tyme Country Carnival, ARGRA is pushing for this year to be even better! The carnival is a fabulous opportunity for other Alberta LGBT groups to promote themselves. Judy admitted it’s a bit early to get the groups going, but, “...we’re getting out and getting contacts with the groups. We have a lot of interest.” As with last year, any LGBT non-profit groups and organizations can apply with ARGRA to set up a carnival or midway type game to raise money. There is no cost to the organization to set up a booth/table/tent, and groups get to keep all profits. For the organizations, it has the potential to be an excellent fundraiser; they get to be part of rodeo, and the four to five thousand attendees enjoy games while supporting many good causes - a win-win for everyone. Getting back to the rodeo element of the CRIR, a new addition this year is a rodeo school. “What we are looking for are people who are interested in learning more about some of the events, and [who] would like to participate,” says Judy. While they haven’t solidified details on the school yet (i.e. cost, exact times and events), the plan is for it to run the Thursday and Friday afternoons. At least two competition events considered for the school are Chute Dogging, and Calf Roping on Foot, however this may change if the demand is greater Bigger and better things are planned this year in Strathmore for other events. Participants will be trained by seasoned rodeo experts, and Judy feels this will be a really good introductory event for people who have watched the rodeo and thought they might like to try participating in certain events. Participants in the Rodeo School can then sign up for the competition Canadian Rockies International Rodeo Friday, and go off to the races on Saturday. There will be more details on ARGRA’s website in the next few weeks, but if this interests you, please take Reloaded for 2010 a moment to contact ARGRA Vice President, Rob Somers as soon as you can, so that they can plan the school ahead of time. By Evan Kayne Strathmore is blessed with acres of land for camping, and for those saying on-site, it will be much the same as last year. For those not wanting The Alberta Rockies Gay Rodeo Association (ARGRA) has to rough it, rodeo attendees receive a 15% discount on room at this year’s a great suggestion for those wanting to see fireworks on host hotel, the Strathmore Travelodge. This offer is a new thing this year, Canada Day. Come out to the Strathmore Agricultural as hotels are embracing the positive impact that the Rodeo has had on Grounds (just east of Calgary) to enjoy fireworksand the their town. Canadian Rockies International Rodeo (CRIR), this year This attitude change goes double for the town of Strathmore. Last year running July 1st – 4th. a lot of townfolk came out to the rodeo unsure of what to expect, but found themselves enjoying the experience. “We had a whole group of women from After the success of the first year in the new Strathmore venue, Strathmore Rodeo that volunteered for our rodeo for bartenders…and they ARGRA took a look at what worked and what didn’t, and has made a few loved it! They loved the group, they loved the people, they said they’ve never changes. First off, all four days will have acts or musicians. On Canada been treated so nicely…we gave them a standing ovation on the Sunday Day the entertainment begins with a favourite from a few years back night and they were in tears…and they said sign us up for next year!” – Joanna, celebrity impersonator. As described by Judy Munson (ARGRA Communications Director), “He’s just amazing...he sings in his own voice ARGRA also made a very good impression on the Strathmore Agricultural and he sings Patsy Cline and Dolly Parton and Anne Murray...and he also Society, the site of the Rodeo. While the venue originally offered only a sings Johnny Cash.” single year contract, they were so impressed by the turn-out and the way that organizers left the facilities, that they signed the CRIR up for a three Further on entertainment, one of the new things Judy wants everyone year contract this time around. “They actually said that they got some ideas to know about is the Bud Light Stage – positioned right in the middle of the from our rodeo to put into their rodeo – the Strathmore Heritage Days.” midway. “What we’ve planned with that,” says Judy, “every day between ARGRA returned the favour and volunteered at the Strathmore rodeo, in 5pm and 7pm, beginning on Thursday, we will have performers, possibly order to continue cementing the relationship. karaoke, and singers.” Because this is still in the planning phase, ARGRA wants to let people know they are still seeking entertainers to fill some of While it’s too soon to predict if we’ll see sunny skies from July 1st to these slots, so if you’re a karaoke wiz, an aspiring singer, a comedian, or 4th, let’s hope for the weather to favour us and make the 2010 CRIR the even a juggler and want to appear on the Bud Light stage, contact the Rodeo best yet! Director, Darrel Reid, for details. Tickets and packages are already posted. Information on the campsite Friday evening, attendees will see the return of musician Steve Arsenault. should be up the first week of April. ARGRA uses Facebook to notify fans of He was such a hit from Sunday night last year, ARGRA wanted him back to any upcoming events – look there for more CRIR details when confirmed. headline the dance on Friday night. As for Saturday and Sunday nights this Organisations interested in participating in the Olde Tyme Country year, things will progress much as previous years with the dinner and dance Carnival may contact ARGRA through their website or via email at on Saturday, then the award ceremony and dance on Sunday. Joanna will [email protected] be back to warm up the crowd on Saturday night, but at the time we spoke to Judy, Sunday night’s act was still to be decided. Another big change is the way things will be organized around the Alberta Rockies Gay Rodeo Association (ARGRA) midway area, such as retailers who, instead of being all under a tent, will be side-by-side with the food vendors, the art show/silent auction, and the Darrel Reid, Rodeo Director: [email protected] community carnival. This mixture of retailer, carnival, food and art should Rob Somers, Vice President: [email protected] be an excellent draw for any who consider the rodeo events as secondary www.argra.org to the country western party atmosphere. Hopefully, this combination will feel similar to the set-up of festivals here in Calgary: think Lilac festival or Calgary Stampede to get an idea of what things should look like on the CRIR http://www.gaycalgary.com/ midway this year. a1643 View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments
GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 37 Advice Queeries Transgender Disclosure, Gay Speed-Dating and Lesbian In-Laws
By Steven Petrow happen? You may end up spending more time and energy feeling anxious about when you will disclose that you are When to tell your date “I’m transgender”? trans, and how the other person might react. With that in mind, if you disclose your trans status up front, you can Q: I’ve told men upfront that I’m a male-to-female trans avoid wasting your time dating anyone who does not accept woman (I date straight guys) and I’ve also waited till longer who you are, or who would feel deceived. It can be hard to talk into the relationship, and I still don’t know which is the better about something personal, like being trans, with someone approach. I don’t want them to be upset (or to lose their new, but this is a pretty big payoff. attention), but I also want them to know I’m an honest person Regardless of when you tell someone that you are trans, be -- someone you could have a relationship with. What’s the best aware of your safety. It is sad, but true, that violence against strategy for this if I’m looking for a keeper, i.e. not just sex? trans women in the dating context is all too common, and it A: Whether and when to disclose that you are transgender can be hard to know in advance whether someone is prone is a personal decision, so there is no right or wrong here. It’s a to violence. If you have any cues that he might be – say, if he private fact about you that might become relevant to someone seems to be homophobic, or controlling – be extra careful. But you’re dating if the relationship progresses past a certain no matter what, make sure that you are able to get help and point, but it’s also something that you don’t owe other people support immediately if you need it, whether from your friends an explanation about. and family or from local LGBT or anti-violence organizations. Some trans people prefer to be open about their transgender status in all aspects of their lives; others prefer to disclose it What’s up with speed dating? only under certain (safe) circumstances, and many folks fall somewhere in between. In the past, many transgender people Q: My best friend Marc is a champ at gay speed dating and received advice from health care providers that they should thinks it would be great for me too. Honestly, the whole thing keep their trans status hidden at all costs. Today, however, intimidates me: all those guys, so little time. He wants me to there is a growing understanding that it can take a heavy go with him to one that promises 10 to 25 dates in an evening. emotional toll to feel obliged to conceal such an important Isn’t this completely superficial? And more importantly: What aspect of a person’s life. should I wear? In light of that, here are some considerations that might A: Speed dating has become very popular lately. But the help you decide what feels like the right choice for you. Let’s first few times are nerve-wracking for most people. Try not to say you decide not to say anything early on, what could feel intimidated, but do think ahead about some questions to ask because it’s easy to get tongue-tied knowing you’re being judged while the clock ticks away. Steer away from questions that will result in a “yes” or “no” answer since they won’t get you into the rhythm of a conversation. Ask about things that matter to you: “What kind of work do you do?” for instance, or “Where have you vacationed recently?” Try to avoid especially involved questions, like “What’s your relationship with your family like?” or deeply personal ones, such as “Top or bottom?” Some people even jot down questions on a slip of paper. Remember, you should be asked questions, too. If one of you is doing all the talking, it’s time to move on. Keep in mind that speed dating isn’t for everyone. But all you really have to lose is about $20 and an evening. And some people really do make great connections at these events. As for what to wear? Put a little extra effort into your look. If any dating scenario is about first impressions, this is it. How to treat my lesbian daughter-in-law? Q: Even though my lesbian daughter can’t marry her girlfriend, Lisa, because it’s not legal in our state, should I treat Lisa as I do my other sons and daughters-in-law? A: It all depends on your daughter’s relationship with Lisa. If she is a casual girlfriend, then no; she doesn’t have the same status as a son or daughter-in-law. But if they are in a committed partnership – regardless of the legal basis – yes, do the right thing even if state law doesn’t. Steven Petrow is a regular contributor to The Huffington Post and Yahoo! He’s also the author of The Essential Book of Gay Manners & Etiquette.
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38 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 Sports The OutField Prodigal sons return to Montana By Dan Woog part, deadly serious – comes when Tim, Paul’s best friend in high school, recounts a bad driving experience from those years. Back then, Growing up in Montana’s Big Sky Country, Kimberly Reed Tim jokes, “I didn’t know she was a was told that anything could happen there. And it did. woman driver!” Her younger brother Todd came out as gay. Her other brother At film festivals in the Marc — adopted as an infant — had part of his brain removed following U.S. — where it has won numerous a bad accident, and still suffers bouts of fearsome anger and violence. awards — and as far away as While searching for his biological parents, he learned he was the Finland and Estonia, viewers grandson of Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth. have the same consistent, positive As for Kimberly Reed herself: Through high school, she was Paul reactions, Reed said. McKerrow. He was class president, valedictorian — and captain of the Yet as instructive as the film football team. is for audiences, its effect on The story has all the makings of a truth-is-stranger-than-fiction the filmmaker herself is equally movie. Which is exactly what Reed — a filmmaker — has produced. powerful. “I started out believing Prodigal Sons — her yearlong look into family dynamics that makes this film was about Marc’s quest the Royal Tenenbaums seem like the Brady Bunch — opened last month for identity,” she said. “But it was in limited release. It airs on the Sundance Channel in June. As an 86- about my own. minute documentary, it may not receive widespread exposure. But as a “I thought my transition was vivid example of the power of biology, chemistry, geography and fate to complete. Instead Marc taught me shape lives, it is worth seeking out. I was only halfway there, and that I had to somehow resurrect the first The device that anchors the film — Reed’s return to Helena for her half of my life I had buried alive. This freed me to return home and 20th high school reunion — sounds trite, almost laughable. It turns reclaim my past.” out to be the perfect vehicle for a remarkable journey. Paul McKerrow no longer throws game-winning touchdown passes. Reed expertly weaves still photos and videos of her childhood and But this may be Kimberly Reed’s most important victory of all. youth; interviews with Helena High classmates, family members and Focus on the NCAA friends, plus her own narration. Shots of Montana’s boundless vistas reinforce the idea that life unfolds in a sprawling way — one that is It’s one thing for Apple or Doritos to hawk their wares during the impossible to comprehend with only a glance. Super Bowl. It’s another thing entirely for Focus on the Family to do so. Too much happens in Prodigal Sons, which was produced by Big Sky Film Productions, Inc, to recount here. Suffice it to say that the film Reed ended up with is not the one she imagined when she began. As she and Marc confront their pasts — he is still trapped in a brotherly rivalry she long ago abandoned — she realizes that it is not Marc who thirsts for an identity, but herself. The film is ultimately not about a family grappling with sexuality, adoption, family, sports, Hollywood, growing up or going home. In the end, Reed said, it is “quite simply about love, and how one family faces challenges and triumphs that no one would ever have imagined.” Last month, days before the film’s release, Reed discussed the project. “With non-fiction documentaries, the challenge usually is to increase the drama,” she said. “With this, we had the opposite problem. We had lots of dramatic hand grenades. We had to figure out how to throw them without blowing everything up. We had to stick to everyone’s humanity.” When Reed was Paul, she said, being a football star was “an icon.” “Everyone knows what ‘high school quarterback’ means. We didn’t have to dwell on that.” Video of games are used in the documentary as “symbolic images of who I used to be,” Reed said. “I’m haunted by these images.” When people hear “jock,” they think “straight dude,” Reed added. “When I transitioned, I stopped being athletic at all. I had always conflated athletics with maleness, with a particular sexual and/or gender identity.” Now, she said, she has gotten back into athletics and exercise, particularly swimming and yoga. “Hopefully, I’ve found a way to be both athletic and feminine.” One of the film’s surprises is the easy acceptance of her former teammates. “Montana is a surprising place,” she explained. “Montanans are very independent. They like to make up their own minds about things.” On camera, a football co-captain calmly tells Kim about the changes that have occurred over 20 years: “We’re all fat, bald and old. And you’re a girl.” Her football team, she said, was “a really cool group of guys. I got lucky.” One of the lightest moments — in a film that is, for the most
GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 39 Sports
The right-wing Christian political organization — known for its strident Other LGBT blogs, including the influential Towleroad, picked up the opposition to both abortions and LGBT civil rights — provoked a national cause. Within a day, the NCAA relented — a bit. uproar when CBS agreed to air an anti-abortion commercial featuring NCAA spokesman Bob Williams said the decision “came in response University of Florida quarterback Ted Tebow during what turned out to vocal protests from a small number of advocates for gay and lesbian to be the most-watched program in American television history. (The athletes, who complained that the group’s views that homosexuality controversy was stoked in part because in 2004 CBS refused to air and abortion are immoral is inconsistent with the NCAA’s stated non- an ad in which the United Church of Christ showed that it welcomed discrimination policy. Focus on the Family did have a banner ad on everyone — including gays and lesbians.) The network said its policy on NCAA.com. Today, it was decided to remove the ad from the Web site as “advocacy ads” changed in the intervening years. a result of concerns expressed by our membership.” The anti-abortion spot aired, and the republic survived. But within Williams’ words went from combative (“vocal protests,” “small days, a new controversy arose. Within a few weeks, CBS was televising number of advocates for gay and lesbian athletes,” “complained”) to the men’s college basketball tournament — and more Focus on the acceptance (“concerns expressed by our membership”) in the span of Family ads were planned. three sentences. This time, though, it was not the network that drew activists’ fire. It No decision was announced, however, about the television ad — which was the organizers themselves: the NCAA. was, after all, more of a case of the ball being in CBS’s court. Pat Griffin has worked closely with the NCAA, as both a former And then something really interesting happened. The NCAA University of Massachusetts coach and director of the Women’s Sports statement was changed. Suddenly, the language was less provocative, Foundation’s “It Takes a Team” anti-homophobia project. Now a blogger more objective: “The decision by the NCAA came in response to vocal on LGBT sports issues, she set her sights on the powerful oversees of protests from advocates for gay and lesbian athletes — which quickly most American collegiate athletic programs. grew into a broader audience of critics who sent e-mails and set up The NCAA’s own constitutional principles explicitly prohibit what has now become the standard, a Facebook page — who complained discrimination based on sexual orientation, she wrote. Yet Focus on the that the group’s views that homosexuality and abortion are immoral are Family wants to “impose their values on the NCAA tournament… . (The inconsistent with the NCAA’s stated non-discrimination policy.” NCAA and CBS) are rolling out the red carpet, and I am deeply offended Griffin wasn’t through. She used the NCAA’s own Advertising and by the NCAA’s complicity in this.” Promotional Standards to argue that Focus on the Family’s ads violated The NCAA, Griffin said, “cannot have it both ways. They cannot claim the organization’s stated mission. NCAA advertising, the standards to care about the quality of the athletic experience for LGBT student- say, should support ideals that include diversity, gender equity, non- athletes and provide educational programs to assist schools in making discrimination, ethical conduct and student-athlete welfare.” sure that LGBT student-athletes can compete with respect and dignity, The connection between the NCAA and CBS turns out to be quite and (at the same time) allow Focus on the Family to use the NCAA Web close. According to Inside Higher Education.com, the ads were part of site and men’s basketball tournament to promote their discriminatory a larger package deal between CBS — which manages NCAA.com — and right-wing Christian agenda.” Focus on the Family. Griffin asked her readers to pass her blog post on to friends — and the Griffin kept up her attack. Focus on the Family’s definition of “family,” NCAA. She urged anyone who attends — or once attended — an NCAA she said, is restricted to those in which heterosexuals marry. The group school to call their university presidents. is “entitled to their perspectives on controversial issues,” she said. And of course “they have a right to buy advertising time if their ads meet the standards of CBS or any other for-profit media group.” However, Griffin argued, a line must be drawn when non-profit educational organizations like the NCAA have missions and values that “do not square” with those of groups like Focus on the Family. Griffin said she would like to follow March Madness with the same excitement she always has. She does not want to feel “sold out” by the NCAA “or need to go to war about it.” But, she warned, “I will if I have to.” Dan Woog is a journalist, educator, soccer coach, gay activist, and author of the “Jocks” series of books on gay male athletes. Visit his Web site at www.danwoog.com. He can be reached care of this publication.
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40 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 41 42 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 Culture Comics Are So Gay! An Outsider’s Take on Comic Enthusiasts By Dallas Barnes and Kara Swanson for this article, Kara, affirmed, “I collect the comics; I read the letters after it happened, some NOT so happy people! I don’t think Joss was With the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo coming to wrong for letting her experiment, girls do that!” Calgary this month, I thought I would take a stab at the Comic Now I am starting to understand the comic attraction. Craze that has surrounded me since childhood. It began with The X-Men have often been compared to marginalized sectors of the my brother’s comic collection. It mystified me how he spent a general population. It could be said that these ”mutants” have been lot of hard earned allowance on these things, and never read treated like many of the LGBT community. In the comic, the mutants them - he said it would ruin their value. In fact, to make sure experience horrible discrimination, and do often stick together in a they looked like they were never touched at all, he would spend family-like community. The same can be said for LGBT culture. even more money on plastic covers to make sure they stayed In Marvel Comics series X-Factor, friends Rictor and Shatterstar well preserved. It still makes little sense to me. Why spend were shown in an on-panel kiss. Writer Peter David confirmed the ridiculous amount of money on things that you could never two characters are bisexual, and stated that he wanted to continue enjoy? I soon understood as he sold them for thousands of with the story line. Unfortunately one of the creators verbalized his disapproval of the relationship, and this decision was ”regretted”. dollars in his adulthood. Many characters can change their gender and identity by Being a teenager in the 1980’s, comics were again a huge part of shapeshifting, and they often do it for love. For instance, in the comic my surroundings as my friends, mostly male, made sure to check the Runaways, lesbian character Karolina is dating a shapeshifter, out the comic shop in downtown Vancouver every weekend. I would Xavin, who changes into a woman to be with her. often follow, as most teenage girls did with teenage boys, while they So, why is there such a draw toward comics by the LGBT read the newest editions. I would look at pictures, mostly of Wonder community? Well, for one thing the art is tremendous. The stories Woman, but that is another story. I just never understood the appeal are fun, and draw one into a world very unlike our own. Nevertheless of a make believe world full of superheroes and villains. there seem to be a startling number of parallels with the lives of So now, here I am at 36, surrounded again. I have friends that LGBT people. While good vs. evil is a prominent theme in any are so excited to attend the Expo - the ones whose houses are filled superhero story, what I find interesting is the fact that many of the with action figures, comics, and posters of female superheroes in classics touch on the theme of hidden identities, portray the hero as tight leather pants, masks, and their unlikely weapons of choice. the underdog who fights for a normal life, or shape-shifts to find this I can’t lie and say that I am not somewhat drawn to the awesome balance. It is no wonder we can identify so strongly. femaleness of it all, but again, I ponder the significance of such a What is also encouraging is the fact that LGBT issues in newer make believe world. What I find most apparent is the draw that comics are treated as a relevant part of the story. Relationships make comics have to the LGBT community. sense. Homosexual characters are seen as equal to heterosexual When it comes to, shall I say, a lifestyle that I am so unfamiliar ones, which is surprising to see even in today’s movies. It is such with (and find somewhat ridiculous), in order to make sense of it a revelation to see what is our own - what we deem normal in the all, I need to follow what I learned in my Sociology/Women Studies general public. We can associate with these characters and themes Degree in University. Nothing in this world is ridiculous. There is a because they are us. We live these lives - maybe not as extreme reason for everything, and if people find the comic world this enticing as they - but we understand them. They represent and act as a then there is a reason for it. So I was compelled to find this reason. metaphor for our day to day lives, our struggles, our loves, and our Historically, explicit LGBT themes were not well represented in hopes. comics. Comics enjoyed their success by gearing toward children, so So, am I right? Is this what the big deal is about? I am sure I as much as some authors may have secretly desired to explore that have only touched on the personal affect of comics. But now I have subject, they could not. In fact the Comics Code Authority stated a better understanding of what comics represent, and how my peers that any form of homosexuality was strictly forbidden in mainstream can develop such adoration for these characters. United States comics until 1989. The only comics that could explore I guess I am just as guilty for it. It made me realize that vision the LGBT community were underground ‘comix’ that were produced of Wonder Woman has been with me since my childhood. She was by gay creators, featuring autobiographical storylines, and tackling everything I wanted to be: beautiful, smart, independent, and tough. political issues of interest to LGBT readers. [Wikipedia 2010] It is not She could spin like none other, and in fact, I recall trying to emulate a secret however to anyone growing up in North America that there her as a child by spinning out of a huge tree down my road. I hurt were definitely characters with rumoured same-sex relationships. myself many times by landing badly, but it didn’t matter. For that Batman and Robin for instance, were always thought to be in a gay split second I felt like Wonder Woman, and I could save the world relationship. too. Throughout the 1990’s LGBT themes and characters became much more prevalent in mainstream comics, especially in international comics, which were much more progressive in featuring main gay, lesbian, and intersex characters. These characters were often used in comics for adult entertainment, which not being considered mainstream, loosened the leash of the censorship board. Japanese manga has been using gay characters since the 1970’s in the form of yaio (“Boys’ Love”) and yuri (“Girls’ Love”). Today, LGBT themes in comics are not uncommon at all. Buffy The Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo The Vampire Slayer has a main lesbian character: Willow. Even Buffy herself has taken part in many lesbian affairs in the comics that April 24th to 25th have been printed since the television show ended. Joss Whedon, BMO Round Up Centre creator of Buffy is quoted saying, “We’re not going to take the next www.calgaryexpo.com 50 issues explaining that she’s not [a lesbian]. She’s young and experimenting, and did I mention open-minded?” As my researcher http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1648 View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments
GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 43 People Empress Rhonda Jim Shafer Young Boy from Ireland Came a Long Way In Memory of a “Private and Proud Man” By Sam Casselman By Dallas Barnes On June 5th, 2010, a Calgarian will be receiving one On March 13th, 2010, Edmonton lost a man who had of the International Court System’s most prestigious made an impact on the LGBT community in his life. Jim honours: A Jose Award. Shafer, co-owner of Boots, friend, son, Uncle, volunteer, Some may know him as Pastor and mentor, passed away unexpectedly at the age of Ron of the Rainbow Community 63. Church of Calgary, others as Empress 20 of Calgary, Rhonda Jim Shafer was born January del ray Rockafella. However, 7th, 1947 in Cranbrook, B.C. He if you know Ron/Rhonda, you completed his schooling in Salmon undoubtedly understand why Arm, B.C., moving to Edmonton she would win such a prestigious shortly after. award. It is here that he met and Ron Cardy was born in Belfast, married his wife Barbara. After Ireland, and grew up with a a short move to Winnipeg and strong faith and a close family. He graduated from post-secondary a divorce, Jim returned to his with Degrees in both Hospitality beloved Edmonton, where he began and Theology, eventually leaving a lifelong involvement with the Ireland for Missionary work in Edmonton LGBT community, and Belize. a long-standing friendship with After his mission Ron did, as business partner Ross. many are expected to do, and This involvement began with married. He welcomed two children part ownership of the Roost along the way, before moving to Calgary for work. Nightclub, which lead to a 20+ year Thanks to a generous fellow with a good eye, Ron came to be at a involvement with the Edmonton Christmas Eve dinner many years ago. This gentleman, under the assumption that Ron was gay, sent him flowers and a note. This gesture Imperial Court (ISCWR). After leaving the Roost, Jim began his last and immediately brought Ron’s true feelings to the surface. Sooner afterward, most memorable career as a co-owner of Boots. he came out and inevitably divorced his wife, leaving him on his own; his Boots opened its doors in 1979 under the name ”Boots and Saddles”, family no longer supported him. with a mandate of treating all of their customers equally, while Where one family left him, another embraced him. The Imperial discouraging discrimination based on appearances, social status, etc. Sovereign Court of the Chinook Arch (ISCCA, Calgary) welcomed Mz. “Everyone that enters Boots is a VIP and a Bar-Star all of the time.” Rhonda and allowed her to be herself, particularly in the local drag Many agree that Shafer personified this motto. scene. He eventually met his life partner Wayne Eberly and was among the first same-sex couples to be legally married in Alberta. A memorial for Jim was held at Chapel of Chimes in Edmonton While completing her reign as Empress 20, she began to appreciate on March 18th. Rob Browatzke, co-worker and friend of Jim, gave a the need for charity. She founded the Crowns for Kids Foundation, and heartfelt, emotional, and uplifting eulogy there. has been fundraising for this cause over the last 15 years with the help “Jim welcomed everyone with open arms, and would welcome people of Calgary LGBT businesses. in his bar and into his life the same way,” says Browatzke. “He was very She has won numerous awards for her work with local charities. She forgiving, everyone got a second chance. All he asked for in return was has offered support to other Courts, and is Spiritual Advisor to Empress that you live your life with honesty, ownership, remittance, and respect. Nicole the Great, the Queen Mother of the Americas. She is a two-time He helped people become all they could be without any expectations. He recipient of the ULTIMA title for her remarkable contribution to Court was charitable and used his advantages and abilities to further others.” life, and is in the process of creating an AIDS Memorial in Calgary. It comes as no surprise than that Mz. Rhonda is one of the only two “Although he was honest, sometimes brutally - he would always Canadians receiving this bi-annual award. Says Rhonda “I am still in give you the cold, hard truth. He would always rather be truthful than shock, this is a huge honour. It will not hit me until I am there for the popular.” awards dinner. I am deeply moved by it.” Rob encouraged mourners to “try and laugh away the grief,” as this The 45th Anniversary of the International Court System will be would be what Jim would have wanted. Furthermore, Rob asked people, held in Lexington, Kentucky on June 5th with an Imperial Gala. This “keep the party going, laugh louder and harder because every second organization has over 67 Chapters in Canada, the United States, and counts.” Mexico – including Calgary’s ISCCA and Edmonton’s Imperial Sovereign Court of the Wild Rose (ISCWR). There will be a keynote speech with While checking out the pictures on Jim Shafer’s memorial Facebook Stuart Milk, the nephew of Harvey Milk, and of course the presentation page, a perfect stranger such as myself could not help but shed a tear for of the Jose Awards. a man who obviously cared so deeply about his community and asked When asked about how she came to be honoured, she responded, “A for little in return. dear friend of mine named Vikki believes in me and all that I do here, and Jim Shafer represented a spirit that many of us have known and out in the International Court System. I am the founder of the Crowns are thankful for. He is a part of that small group of individuals that For Kids toy drive now into its 15th year. I am the founder of the Pastor were forerunners and the backbone of the LGBT community. He was a of Rainbow Community Church, Calgary’s only gay [operated] church. I do what I can for what the Court stands for, the good that we do.” crusader that never apologized for who he was and accepted anyone for who they were. He encouraged people to fulfill their potential, and gave After receiving this award, Mz. Rhonda has no plans of slowing down. “I will keep doing what I can to make this world a better place. …I do it to the less fortunate. He was well-loved and well-respected. because I love the court, it gave me my life.” Perhaps the greatest tribute we could give Jim Shafer is to live our own lives, continuing with that spirit.
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44 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 Health Sex Virus Vaccination Now For Boys By Evan Kayne reviewed, and this is probably similar to what other private health insurance companies are considering. While the cure for some sexually transmitted infections But getting back to the HPV/cancer connection, this illustrates (STI) remain elusive, research in the past few years has how searching for the causes and risk factors of one cancer (cervical) led scientists to understand how HPV works. They realized if someone advanced to the point that we now have a vaccine for started his/her sexual activity at a younger age, had multiple sex some strains of Human Papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is a partners, and a resultant exposure to HPV, the person had a higher common enough disease known as “warts” or in some chance of developing any number of cancers. strains of HPV, genital warts. In fact, it’s believed strain 16 and 18 of HPV may be responsible There are over 100 strains of HPV, and approximately 75% of for certain types of cancer which attack the hidden skin surfaces sexually active adults will have at least one HPV infection in their (throat, anus, cervix). So for women, the benefit to Gardasil is the lifetime. It is a disease which is easily acquired and is transmitted by reduction of instances of cervical cancer. For men? any sexual contact. You don’t need to engage in intercourse as HPV “Anal cancer,” Dr. Barber mentioned. “That’s the issue in my can be transmitted via skin-to-skin contact – which includes hand- mind as to why we should be aggressively vaccinating young people, to-genital or oral-to-genital. It may take only one exposure and you because of the cancer risk.” can get it from someone who doesn’t have visible symptoms. Especially in light of some of the numbers: greater than 500,000 Treatment for anyone afflicted by the virus can be distressing, cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed annually in women and a embarrassing and painful. Genital warts from HPV can be removed mortality rate around 200,000 a year. Head and neck cancer has by surgical procedure, freezing or burning, or chemical treatments about 640,000 new cases each year worldwide and is the sixth most - but they can reappear. common cancer among men and women. Anal cancer is still fairly However, if you still think it’s minor compared to other STIs, two rare, but its numbers are rising; the American Cancer Society for strain of HPV (16 and 18) have been associated with a significantly 2009 estimates anal cancer in the United States had about 5,290 elevated risk for the development of head, neck, throat, anal, cervical new cases and about 710 deaths. This is why so many physicians and penile cancers. push this as a public health issue. Pharmaceutical company Merck has developed the vaccine Granted, Gardasil is not a magic bullet. As mentioned, it only Gardasil to specifically combat both the cancer causing HPV strains targets the 4 most common, and most dangerous types of HPV. If (16 and 18) and the two strains (6 and 11) that cause 90% of genital you’ve already been exposed to a strain or strains of HPV, the vaccine warts. Canada-wide, these HPV vaccinations have been given to may only then protect against the remaining strains to which you school age girls, usually around Grade 5, in the past few years. haven’t been exposed. Yet research is ongoing. The big change is we will soon see is the vaccine being administered For the time being, adding men to the HPV vaccine regime will over to young boys. time reduce the number of cancer cases and reduce the instances of pain and distress experienced by those suffering exposure to genital The HPV vaccine has been in the news courtesy of religious warts. It’s not a complete cure, but it will improve the health of the groups in the United States who are afraid immunizing their girls general public, and of the younger members of our community in against a sexual disease will magically turn them into sex-crazed the future. nymphomaniacs. In Canada the response has been a bit more subdued, but health organizations do allow parents to opt out of vaccinating their children for religious or other reasons. For “other reasons” this is usually a core group of people who take a look at the worst case scenario for vaccine side effects and blow it out of proportion. Dr. Kirk Barber, a practising dermatologist and Associate Clinical Professor of Dermatology at the University of Calgary, wants to allay any concerns people may have. The Gardasil most common adverse effect hours after the injection was fever; or sometimes some itching/swelling/bruising at the injection spot. http://www.gardasil.com/ Occasionally there have been some instances of fainting. As Dr. Barber told us, people suffering some of the more severe side effects Alberta Health - Information on STIs are few and far between. For the average person, “I like the word rare” he said, “...I’d even go as far to say very rare.” http://www.gaycalgary.com/u51 As this vaccine is so beneficial, some people may wonder why it is specifically prescribed for school aged children (in fact, it’s usually not prescribed for people over 26). Regarding anyone over 26, as http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1651 Dr. Barber told us, “statistically they are more likely to have seen View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments the virus already,” as they were more likely to have been sexually active. That’s not to say if you are older than 26 and have never had sex, you are ineligible to get the vaccine. Additionally if you’ve only been exposed to one of the types of HPV, the vaccine can still be effective in protecting you against the other 3 types. As to how long the vaccine stays in the system after treatment, and whether boosters will be required, this was a grey area. Dr. Barber admitted, “we don’t know how long that immunity will last – we think it’s multiple years. But that’s going to be a question we’ll answer with time.” Unfortunately, while the school-aged children will get the vaccine for free, anyone else who has a prescription from their doctor will have to pay for the 3 rounds of shots. It is expensive, running at $120 per shot. Fortunately, you might be able to get this covered under a private health plan. Blue Cross told us their standard vaccine coverage currently lists Gardasil as indicated for treatment when it was first introduced. However, the new indication (for men) was still being
GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 45 Music Music Review Jónsi, Bitch By Chris Azzopardi Also Out The Bird and the Bee, Interpreting the Masters Volume 1: A Tribute to Daryl Hall and John Oates Go Oh, oh, here they come with a celebration of Hall & Oats Jónsi Genre: Rock music. They, meaning the indie duo of Inara George (“the bird”) My Rating: and Greg Kurstin (“the bee”), who buzz back to the ’80s and lacquer some of the greatest pop nuggets – “Maneater,” “Rich Girl” and “Kiss on My List” – with their synth sheen. They even include a delicious throwback gem of their own, “Heard it on You won’t understand much of what Jónsi Birgisson, the gay the Radio.” Regardless of your feelings on man-eating, this laid- bandleader of Icelandic post-rock group Sigur Rós, sings on his back charmer’s hard not to adore for nostalgia’s sake. It’s just solo outing. But here’s the gist of it: Life is beautiful. Live it. Feel it. too easy to forget. Make out. All that credo is fed into the invigorating and cartoony “Animal Arithmetic,” a stream-of-consciousness musing that’s Chris Pureka, How I Learned to See in the Dark aurally like a bunch of exclamation marks bouncing off clouds This Northampton folkie knows gloom like the strings of her to the syncopated sounds of his flamboyant debut.Go ostensibly guitar. That, the androgynous musician’s go-to instrument, is feels like the emotion-conjuring of a Rós record, but decidedly given ample backing on her venturesome third full-length with drifts into a sea of newfound curiosity and optimism. It’s a wild brazen electric guitar (from funky-folk queer Erin McKeown on vision that gets off the ground with “Go Do,” a chirpy, ebb-and-flow the frantic “Wrecking Ball”) and the omnipresent porch board. whiff of a ditty that’s driven by Jónsi’s fluttering pre-pubescent Ditties, from the weeping “Barn Song” to the foot-stomping falsetto and a cacophony of instruments that elicit hope and “Lowlands,” taste like sawdust and feel like sandpaper, but renewal. That’s the vibe throughout, without much help from simmer before they cook. Let this light in anyway. the elusive lyrics – the words, sung in almost-inaudible English, add to the album’s mysterious self-interpretive winsomeness. Nico Muhly, best known for his work with queer-led Grizzly Bear http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1652 and queer-loved Björk, super-powers the painterly production in View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments Magic Marker colors – elaborate strings, whispering woodwinds and clashing drums. Those hues bleed through “Boy Lilikoi,” one of the best Disney songs never made. Life, though, isn’t just rainbows and talking teacups, and neither is Jónsi’s triumphant masterpiece: “Tornado” and “Hengilas” will melt you to mush.
Blasted! Bitch Genre: Pop My Rating:
The prog-folk violinist might remind you of Cyndi Lauper in her retro glam-goth-chic promo shots, but don’t be fooled: Girls don’t just wanna have fun. Especially not after a split with L Word actress Daniela Sea, the spark that ignited Bitch’s second solo LP, her grab-baggy follow-up to “Make This/Break This.” Heartbroken and weary, she poured whatever was left of her into this, a majorly melodic and rewarding disc that musters songs mirroring her torn self, like “The Rain is the Only Thing That’s Clear” – one of her best moments based on its sheer vulnerability and the power of her almost-lone voice. She keeps it real throughout, but augments the production – all DIY, mind you – with a feverish bed of her self-proclaimed “theatrical punk,” a brand that serves a total kitsch-pop catch with “Kitchen.” Much of that quality is the result of her eminent electric violin-playing, a talent Bitch flashes like she’s the Jimi Hendrix of her instrument. The strings on “Lost You” weep, and then ferociously fire up on “Afghanistan.” But it’s not all downer fare. She walks out of her own personal war with a new attitude and a Bee Gees song – “Staying Alive,” a cover that might sound ridiculous in theory, but proves to be a ukulele-played power anthem without the disco dancery. It’s bitchin’.
46 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 Community People
2010 Artists for Life: Edmonton Just Being Herself HIV Edmonton and JTMF West join forces for inaugural event Toni Vere on CD Release Tour By Pam Rocker By Sam Casselman
In their 25 year history, HIV Edmonton has continually This year marks a milestone in Toni Vere’s life. After years partnered with local businesses and organizations, many of in the music industry, Vere is finally releasing her first ”real” whom have a focus on the arts. This precedent makes the new CD, taking herself and her band Hashmagandy on tour, and partnership between HIV Edmonton and JTMF West seem only celebrating her 10th year as a proud lesbian. natural. After two heterosexual marriages and a music career spanning JTMF West is an arts-based group organized with the mandate of raising twenty plus years, Vere can finally be who she is: a woman, mother, funds and awareness for HIV/AIDS. Started in New Jersey as the James Tolin and artist. The title of her latest album, Just to Be, reflects exactly Memorial Fund, the group was formed by Joyce LaBriola, Tracy Antozzeski, where she is in her life. David Maurio and Melissa Abrahams when their dear friend, James Tolin, Toni Vere is no stranger to the Alberta music scene. She is died from AIDS-related complications. Tolin was an openly gay actor that was constantly entertaining fans at local bars across the province, and passionate about the arts – he loved the theatre, books, movies, paintings has even opened for such great acts as Kate Reid, Leeroy Stagger, and visual art; he was an amazingly creative man. Sarah MacDougall, and Women in the Round. Her music is described When Joyce LaBriola moved to Edmonton, she quickly felt a remarkable as “quirky, folky, and bluesy” with an audience that “includes a sense of community. She began performing regularly; getting cast in multiple broad spectrum of ages, genders, and persuasions.” Fringe productions and singing for the Edmonton Opera. This further inspired This CD debut may have come later in her life, but her success her appreciation for the vast talents of the Edmonton arts community and is quite apparently influenced by her incredible journey. She was in January of 2009, LaBriola decided to bring her passion project, JTMF, to born in New Brunswick and grew up in the Prairies. Vere credits this Canada. Thus, the JTMF West was born. upbringing with the development of her original musical style, her LaBriola then met with Debra Jakubec, HIV Edmonton’s Executive foundation. By the age of 18, Vere was deep into her musical career. Director, about an event that she envisioned; an event that celebrated the She was a part of the Lethbridge Folk Club, and the youngest person artistry of Edmonton, while raising funds for HIV Edmonton. While Tolin had ever to be played on the local radio station. She heard herself on the never visited Edmonton, the need for HIV Edmonton’s work is a global one radio, and realized that a music career was in the cards for her. and the message is universal: we are all entitled to a life of dignity and love. Through two marriages and three children, Vere continued playing “This is not a fundraiser for a man from New Jersey,” says LaBriola, “but music, but took a bit of a hiatus at the end of her last marriage at the rather inspired by this man to help the Edmonton community. We can all be age of 37. Her brother had passed away unexpectedly, her marriage James’ friend as we come together to raise awareness.” was over, and she was in the process of coming out. She was emotionally exhausted and took some time to write music, unsure if “We are thrilled to embark on this journey with JTMF West,” adds Jakubec. she would continue with this career. “The arts have been intertwined with the HIV/AIDS movement since the beginning. HIV Edmonton has been committed to serving the Edmonton In 2002, Vere’s life took a turn for the better. She was transferred community for 25 years. JTMF West celebrates the wealth of talent in to Calgary for work, met her life partner and manager Marilyn Edmonton while raising funds for HIV/AIDS. This is a perfect partnership.” McIntosh, and became virtually unstoppable. This inaugural event, 2010 Artists for Life: Edmonton, will be hosted Vere could not be more proud of her most recent venture, her by much beloved Edmontonian, Michael Phair. Phair, along with a group all girl-band Hashmagandy. Hashmagandy is of Australian origin, of his friends, founded HIV Edmonton in 1984, just like LaBriola and her referring to an “outback stew made from a variety of ingredients.” friends began JTMF. A five-term City of Edmonton Councillor and founder Similarly Hashmagandy, the band, described itself as “an artful of Exposure: Edmonton’s Queer Arts and Culture Festival, Phair’s passion for infusion of genres, spiced with original music, flavored with timeless the arts is well known and it seems fitting for him to introduce this new event favorites and stewed with a healthy portion of fun.” to the city. The three other members of Hasmagandy are a definite mix of genres Artists for Life will feature a reading of Addition: An Unconventional and generations. Lead guitarist Carla Rawlyck has an impeccable Love Story, by Edmonton playwright, Justen Bennett. Addition had an sense of melody, dynamics, and harmony that compliments the exceptionally successful run at the Edmonton Fringe Festival last summer eclectic sound of the group. and will again be helmed by Bennett, who recently directed Beautiful Thing at Bass guitarist and vocalist Kelly Timleck started her music career the Walterdale Theatre, to great acclaim. performing with her mom. She has a trademark sound that engages The play centers around a couple, Ben and Logan, who become a little their audience and keeps them coming back to shows. bored with their sex life. The same-old same-old just isn’t cutting it anymore, On the drums is Lauren Buckell and ten year percussionist. She so they decide to experiment. The pair ends up inviting Daren, a boy they find is currently a University student with a love for music. at the club, back to their place for a threesome. From there, the relationship Upcoming tour dates and locations are being updated on Toni’s between these three men goes to a place that none of them expect. website. CDs are available for sale during shows, and demos of her “My inspiration was simply to tell a story that could make me laugh and songs will keep you entertained as you browse through her site. expand my world-view to be a little more inclusive,” says Bennett. “And if my Just to Be is the beginning of an outstanding career that draws play did that for others, it served its purpose. I’m very excited to be a part of from a myriad of life experiences and musical stories. If there is one Artists for Life and that I get to reunite with (most of) the cast and crew from thing that Toni Vere wants to say about her CD, and advice she gives our original Fringe production.” to her fans, it’s this: After a reading of this unique play, the attendees will be privy to a reception “We all have the right to be who we are. I have struggled with catered by Accent European Lounge, wine donated by Devine Wines, a silent trying to be who people thought I should be for the lion’s share of auction, and a very special post-show concert by the Big Breakfast Boogie my life.” Band. This local favourite has reunited specifically for this event, for one night only.
2010 Artists for Life: Edmonton Toni Vere Saturday, April 17th Just to Be - Touring Now Tickets: www.hivedmonton.com www.ToniVere.com
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GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 47 Classified Ads
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GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 49 50 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 Interview
Small talk with Little Boots Electropop princess on arriving in the U.S., her shoe size and being a gay matchmaker
By Chris Azzopardi Little Boots: Exactly. It’s so annoying! Walk a mile in Victoria Hesketh’s Little Boots and you’ll GayCalgary: You seem a little hesitant about fame in realize why every man over the rainbow hearts her. She’s interviews. What about it doesn’t appeal to you? cute, fun and sounds like the second coming of Kylie. Little Boots: I don’t really like the whole idea of celebrity After posting a series of covers on YouTube, the gays’ and people doing things for attention – it’s just quite weird. If latest love is busting into the U.S. with her electropop people know who I am, I want it to be because I’ve written good songs or because I’m a good performer or a good musician. Not debut, Hands, finally released stateside after dropping because I went out with no pants on or something weird. in the U.K. last year. It happened against all odds – the If I get recognition for that then that’s flattering, but otherwise British reality show Pop Idol rejected her and her father’s why would I want to be in a stupid magazine? If people are tone deaf. talking about your music or what you do – or are saying that Hesketh, best known by her Little Boots pseudonym, told us you look cool or you have a nice dress – that’s quite flattering. how her current tour is like a dating service for gay men, why But making up stories isn’t. she’s not a fan of being a celebrity and the actual size of those GayCalgary: Do you read little boots. press written about you? GayCalgary: How do you feel about the album finally Little Boots: God no! I don’t reaching the U.S.? read anything. I avoid it like Little Boots: The fans have been really patient, so I’m just the plague. When this album glad it’s finally out. first came out, I read some of GayCalgary: Especially the gay ones. the reviews just because I was Little Boots: I love the gays! We have a bond. Gay guys curious. But who cares what seem to really like that female vocal and uplifting, dance-pop one dude thinks? Why care music. So I’m not surprised about all the gays (laughs). They’re what everyone else thinks? enthusiastic, very loyal fans, especially in America. Our last If some old dude that works tour was mainly gays. Great if you’re looking for a boyfriend. at a newspaper says I’ve got a good record, do I really care? GayCalgary: What do you have in common with the gays? If they say it’s crap, do I care? Little Boots: I mean, I’m not gay, so not that (laughs). Not really. GayCalgary: But you did kiss fellow U.K. musician Florence GayCalgary: People are Welch. calling you “the future of pop” Little Boots: Florence kissed me – and there was definitely – that’s a lot to live up to. Is no tongue. I was in shock. It lasted not even five seconds. there a lot of pressure on you GayCalgary: Which was long enough for someone to get a right now? photo. Continued on Page 53 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 51 Interview
execute them. These are some of the most creative people in the world - even the young ones. We had a Gone with the Wind challenge and they had no idea what that movie is! They rose to the challenge and they made it work for themselves. People forget these are performers; people who have been ostracized by society and their families, and through it all maintain their love for beauty, colour, music and art. They show that creativity in the show and it is beautiful to watch. At its core, our show is about the tenacity of the human spirit and I think that is why people tune in.” While it is very obvious that the girls idolize RuPaul, she admits the feeling is mutual. “The girls are, I wouldn’t say educating me, but inspiring me. So much so that I wrote a book taking that drag esthetic to another level. The book is a great companion piece to the show in taking the drag philosophy and really dissecting and deconstructing it.” The book - Workin It! RuPaul’s Guide to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Style is available now. Last season she released an album. It almost seems as if the plan for RuPaul is to release something awesome to coincide with each season of the show. “This business has changed over the years. As a performer you have to be adaptable and flexible, as a business person. In today’s market you have to brand yourself and sell things in different venues. They don’t have record stores anymore. You want to create a lifestyle and aesthetic the way Apple computers Start your Engines! have. That is what I am doing on a much smaller level of course. These are things that also inspire me, the philosophy in writing RuPaul’s Drag Race Returns for Season 2 this book was very cathartic for me to actually find out where I am with all of this, 30 years into it.” By Jason Clevett The album Champion remains a great pleasure for me. On days when I may be feeling down I play a song like Champion or RuPaul is back, baby! Season 2 of RuPaul’s Drag Race Destiny Is Mine and feel invigorated and inspired. Drag Race, a kicks off on OUTtv starting April 12th. 12 new queens remix album has just been released online. compete with charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent to “I absolutely love it! I am making a new album now and it is be the next top drag superstar. interesting because approaching the new album and writing the “I kinda knew that it would be renewed. Around the world in songs, it is daunting to try and top or even come close to that. It 20 different countries it was a hands down hit across the board,” defines my career for me. We have a remix of theChampion album Ru told GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine on the phone from coming out and some of the remixes on there are out of this Los Angeles. world! We have a remix of Main Event which will blow your socks off! I wish you could see the smile on my face when I heard this “The biggest challenge for us was how to top last season. remix and how excited I was by it. There are remixes of Lets Turn Honestly it is not even a concern because you get a new group The Night that are absolutely spectacular and marvelous. Some of kids in there and they are the place and thing. That is why it of the best remixes of my whole career are on this record.” is different and continues to be invigorating, because we get new blood in there.” RuPaul’s Drag Race is an odd contrast to society today, especially in America. On the one hand we have a show that The girls this year are fierce, and the clashes are epic. This takes an often misunderstood lifestyle and adds humanity and season features an additional show Untucked which goes behind opens doors to acceptance. At the same time, Mississippi teens the scenes to the Interior Illusions lounge where the girls talk can’t take their girlfriend to the prom. Even in light of the steps while awaiting their fate. that the LGBT community has made, there is still a long way to “Oh child we have bumped it up! It’s like the show is on steroids go. now! The first season was lovely and sweet, cordial, diplomatic. “The acceptance that we are all looking for comes from the All of that’s gone. The kids figured it out, they cracked the code inside out. You are never going to get acceptance from the and are not there to make friends or be diplomats. They have principal of that school, or Washington, or whatever municipality come to win! I was surprised at how many punches they didn’t is calling the shots. Gay rights, human rights is an inside job, pull. Even watching the shows, you hear things in their pieces to it comes from the inside out. That is where people need to start. camera later and go, oh my god! I can’t believe she said that!” Raising awareness is fantastic but you can never look outside The queens are much younger as well. Their influences are of you to make you feel whole. It will never work. It’s an inside different, which shows in some of the challenges. For example, a job.” challenge in which they have to impersonate a celebrity results It is statements like that which show a depth to RuPaul that in a panel that includes Britney Spears, Beyonce, Lady Gaga, people may not grasp. Behind a fabulous drag diva exterior is and Pink. someone whose inner beauty matches her glamorous look. “The average age this time around is much younger. It is “People have their own agendas. The bottom line is it is really like a new drag esthetic, one that is younger and not pulling none of my business what they think. I just need to make sure I inspiration from the usual places that people from my generation get enough dancing and laughing and going. Today I am wearing had. We are getting people who are inspired by Beyonce and yellow pants, an orange shirt, and white shoes and I am having Britney and that whole thing. Not much Madonna, Cher, Diana a great time. I can’t even begin to figure out what other people Ross or Barbara Streisand. So it is ... refreshing to watch too,” are doing. I could, and have dissected why people do the things she explained. they do. They are either coming from a place of love, or a place of “The challenges is one of my favorite parts of the show because fear. Most are coming from a place of fear and that is their own they are all based on things I’ve done in my own career. I needn’t business. If anyone wants to jump on the love train, you know look further than my own experiences. It is fun to see how they
52 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 Little Boots - From Page 51
where to find it! It is usually where I am going to be, just look for Little Boots: Not really, no. There was at this time last year, a pair of yellow jeans and an orange shirt.” but now everything’s happened over here (with the U.K. release) Last year on the heels of the show she did many appearances, and I’m fine. I don’t really feel very much pressure at all. including at Toronto Pride. Unfortunately it looks like her GayCalgary: How did being a part of Pop Idol affect you? schedule will keep her in LA for the foreseeable future, but she Little Boots: I wasn’t actually on the program. I just went on says she is excited to get back in front of fans again. one of the auditions, but I was never on the TV show. People “Nobody is more excited than I am about the fact that I still kind of make it a bigger deal than it was. I was just quite young get to do it. I love getting the energy from the audience. I haven’t and I just tried it. It wasn’t really a big deal to me at all. been able to go out and tour since October of last year because GayCalgary: What songs were you playing when you first of filming everything - I have had to stay here in LA. For me to started on the piano at age 5? go out, come back and get back into pre-production for our next Little Boots: My First Piano Book songs and nursery rhymes. show takes a lot. I will probably get back to it next year but this Just, like, classical stuff. I wasn’t really playing any pop songs year I am just here working on these TV shows.” at that age. I was probably listening to pop music, but I wasn’t So will there be a Drag Race season 3? playing it on the piano. I don’t think I would’ve known how. “Well... I am not supposed to say anything... wink wink nudge GayCalgary: Do you come from a musical family? nudge. I will leave it at that.” Little Boots: No, it’s terrible – my dad’s tone deaf. Not musical I’ve interviewed a lot of people in the nearly seven years I have at all (laughs). It’s quite weird. been writing for GayCalgary. There are times when it is just part GayCalgary: You’re a Kylie Minogue fan, and the influence of the job, and other times where I pinch myself. Speaking to she had on Hands is pretty obvious. Have you been into her RuPaul, who is someone so inspiring on so many levels, falls into for a while? that latter category. Her belief, energy, and just being herself is really something that people drink in to help with their own lives Little Boots: Yeah, I’m just a fan of good pop songs, and she and find something to believe in. It is something I couldn’t help has a lot of good pop songs. She’s a great performer, a really but take a moment to thank her for everything she has done. good pop star and she’s good at what she does. “That is a very sweet thing to say and it took me many years GayCalgary: Were the lyrics of the song “Earthquake” inspired to be able to accept that kind of love and kindness from someone by Tori Amos’ “Little Earthquakes”? without making a sarcastic joke. What you said to me, that will Little Boots: I don’t think the song sounds like Tori Amos. inspire me throughout this day. I will probably forget it tomorrow, I wasn’t really ripping it off or anything, I just wasn’t thinking but today I am going to go and have a friggen rocking time and about it at the time. (Laughs) But then I realized later on that remember those words with every step I take. there’s an album called it. GayCalgary: How little are your little boots? Little Boots: They’re size 3, but I don’t know what that is in RuPaul’s Drag Race - Season 2 American sizes. In the U.K., it’s really small, like the third size in adults. They’re probably like a normal person’s hand. It’s April 12th on OUTtv - www.outtv.com kind of creepy. Workin It - now available in stores and online.
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GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 53 54 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 55 Sports Dangerous Dames Full Contact on Four Wheels By Pam Rocker “The last time I wore skates, they had Barbies on them.” Bliss Cavendar [Ellen Page], WHIP IT For someone who is usually averse to watching sports, I was surprised at how excited I got when WHIP IT hit the theatres. But who could blame me for my newfound affection for Roller Derby? Hot women on skates ramming into each other, blaring 80s music, cool outfits, and fist fights - like a way sexier and more interesting version of hockey. The athleticism and strategy intrigued me and made me curious about how this game really works. Plus, there’s just something about watching strong, confident women who aren’t ashamed to strut their strength and confidence while throwing each other into the crowd. Film has become a great medium to not only entertain, but to draw attention to the opportunities within the sport itself, and the passionate people who are involved in this unique game. Before WHIP IT, there was The Cut Throat Car Hops Blood On The Flat Track. This 2007 documentary, a favourite at film festivals, followed the famous Rat City Rollergirls of Seattle for their first two seasons. bout in; we need a large open space with smooth floor and no supporting Starting from scratch in 2004, the Rat City Rollergirls are now among the pillars to crash into. Arenas are only available to us when the ice comes up most successful leagues in athletic competition. At a bout in March of this for the summer,” Roxy says. year, they had over 5,000 attendees, which is the largest attendance to women’s roller derby in history. “We are currently looking for league sponsors, specifically to help us find regular practice space,” adds Trophy. “This has been a hot topic for our league Clearly, Roller Derby is making a gradual but well-deserved comeback, over the past several years. With consistent space for our league to expand even in our own backyard. The Calgary Roller Derby Association (CRDA) was and practice we could continue to offer this great experience to women in founded in 2007, and boasts three home teams as well as an all-star travel Calgary and surrounding areas.” team. Support for this sport seems like a no-brainer considering that you don’t While the media has been a friend of Roller Derby, it has sometimes have to look hard to see why the game can keep even an “anti-sporty” like served to reinforce stereotypes about the game and the girls who play it. me, glued to my seat. Carla Walquist (aka Scarla Maim) is the founder of the CRDA as well as the Captain of Calgary’s Thrashin Lassies. “I have found educating the public “This is a female only, full contact game, where there are massive hits both about the existence of our league and then subsequently about the and pile ups, downed girls being jumped, girls flying into the audience, validity of it as a sport has been a focus, which in turn brings folks out to sitting in the suicide seating section (front row) as a result of said massive games,” says Scarla. “Trying to neutralize the stereotype that many have, of hits, insanely fast skating, and dodging and counter hits on the part of the what kind of girl makes a ‘rollergirl’ can also be challenging. We come from jammers,” says Scarla. “There is a beer garden, concessions, vendor village, everywhere and do everything.” derby merch, door prize draws, strong and beautiful women knocking the hell out of each other, and all while doing it with a smile on their face. What Roller Derby is distinctive in its mix of serious sport and serious play. else do you need?!” Alter-egos are not only encouraged, they are mandated, and this becomes a huge part of the game for players and fans alike. “Derby has something for everyone,” Roxy says, “fast-paced, high action athleticism, colourful characters, bad-ass saucy ladies, a little bit of theatre, “Developing an alter-ego that liberates the zany superhero side of yourself rocking music and of course boisterous audience cheering.” is by far the most fun,” says Joleen Sadler (aka Trophy Wife). “Imagine yourself as a superhero...what would you call yourself? What would your Those unfamiliar with the rules of Roller Derby need not worry. “We do a outfit look like? What powers would you possess?” quick explanation of how it works before each game,” shares Trophy. “When you get to know the game, it’s fascinating. With a dash of red lipstick, a dollop Trophy Wife, Co-Captain of the B52 Bellas and member of the all-star of athletic spunk, and a sprinkle of full tilt Derby Heroes and Villains vying for Hellion Rebellion, has been playing Roller Derby since 2005, but hasn’t victory, it’s a performance that leaves you changed forever!” always felt confident on four wheels. The CRDA Season opener is coming up on April 24th at the Triwood “When I first decided that I wanted to play, I figured that I better learn how Arena. Last season’s underdogs, the B52 Bellas, will be taking on last years to skate,” she laughs. “I bought a pair of skates from a second-hand store champions, the Trashin’ Lassies, to combat, skate to skate, for glory. for 5 dollars, and they were about 4 sizes too big. I practiced for hours and hours, learning how to stop, do a crossover, and fell down a lot.” With the new season looming in the air, and the smell of competition just around the corner, team rivalry is in full bloom. “This season we will But her hard work paid off, and she was taken on as Fresh Meat (new girl) triumph over both the Thrashin’ Lassies and the Cut Throat Car Hops, and on the Vancouver Bad Reputations and trained by one of the top Derby girls we are looking forward to seeing them battle it out for the bottom place in the in Canada, Lisa Suggitt (aka RollerGirl). league,” Roxy says confidently. But Scarla has something a little different in Joining the Calgary Derby scene last year, Trophy is passionate about the mind. “My Lassies will be coming at the Bellas with everything they have, and game, but admits that it’s no cake-walk to be a derby girl. “Conditioning is then some. They better not come into it thinking anything less. We are the tough in this sport, and if you’re not bringing your A-game to every situation, team with the heart of a lion and this will serve us well for the season opener. your body pays the price. It’s so much fun, but it’s a lot of work. Some people Kicking ass and taking names will be our game plan.” think it’s staged, that it’s not a real sport. But I can assure you, it’s all real. So check out the game this month and if you’re looking to get even more We practice hard, at least twice a week during the off-season and up to three down and dirty with the CRDA, they are always looking for referees and or four times a week during. You can’t be a wimp and do Roller Derby. It’s volunteers to join their derby family. As for me, I’ll be customizing a big foam intense, but worth it.” finger (Whip it good!) for the season opener of my new favourite sport. The challenges and rewards aren’t only physical, says Kathleen Janzen (aka Roxy Acetylene) who shares the Co-Captain post of the B52 Bellas with Trophy. “It is totally daunting to face the hardness of concrete and of women who want to see you taste that concrete,” she states. “But there is nothing more satisfying than learning to conquer fear. That you are just as tough as the women who oppose you, that you are fast and strong, that you can Derby Girls challenge someone who is twice your size and be a pain in her ass, and that you can slam into concrete at high speed and be up and skating before the www.calgaryrollerderby.com audience has even finished gasping.” Off the track, the CRDA comes up against obstacles to providing Calgary http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1658 with the Derby experience, particular with securing practice and game space. “The biggest challenge for CRDA is to find appropriate space to practice and View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments
56 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 Photography
Bernard from Priape Farewell Party at the Backlot, Calgary Misc Youth Show at the Soda - Calgary
Nate Phelps Speaks at the UofC - Calgary GLBT Discussion Panel at the UofC - Calgary
Queen of Hearts Show at Boots - Edmonton Fairy Tales “Reels on Wheels” Hillhurst United Church - Calgary
GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 57 Photography
ARGRA Dance - Calgary Discussing GLBT Violence - Calgary
Coming Out Monologues - Calgary Bearbash at Boots - Edmonton
58 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 Photography
Western Cup Weekend Photos - Calgary
GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 59 Photography
Woody’s 8th Anniversary - Edmonton
60 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 61 62 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #78, April 2010 63