Gaycalgary and Edmonton Magazine
November 2010 ISSUE 85 The Only Magazine Dedicated to Alberta’s LGBT Community FREE
2010 Exposure festival guide Page 35
Mad About Mado The Queen of Montreal Visits Calgary
Interviews with: 7th Ian Harvie Anniversary Plus Interviews with: Edition! 30H!3 Nelly Furtado Darker Side of Bedouin Soundclash Charlie David And more! Multi-tasking Canadian releases Shadowloands Book Community Directory • Map and Events • Tourism Info >> Starting on Page 17
LGBT Resource • Calgary • Edmonton • Alberta www.gaycalgary.com GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 Table of Contents Table of Contents 5 lucky 7 Publisher: Steve Polyak Publisher’s Column Editor: Rob Diaz-Marino Sales: Steve Polyak Design & Layout: 7 Mad About Mado Rob Diaz-Marino, Ara Shimoon The Queen of Montreal Visits Calgary Writers and Contributors Mercedes Allen, Chris Azzopardi, Dallas Barnes, Dave Brousseau, Sam Casselman, Jason Clevett, 8 The Darker Side of Charlie David Andrew Collins, Emily Collins, Rob Diaz-Marino, Janine Eva Trotta, Jack Fertig, Glen Hanson, Joan Multi-tasking Canadian releases Shadowlands Book
Hilty, Evan Kayne, Stephen Lock, Allan Neuwirth, A GE 7 A GE XXX
Steve Polyak, Romeo San Vicente, Ed Sikov and P P the GLBT Community of Calgary, Edmonton, and Alberta. 10 exposure Festival Make ‘Em Laugh Photography Steve Polyak, Rob Diaz-Marino, B&J 13 the Ambitiously Gay Duo Howl filmmakers on James Franco’s latest gay role, working together Videography Steve Polyak, Rob Diaz-Marino and the movie’s controversy Printers North Hill News/Central Web 14 Whoa, Nelly! Distribution Singer looks back at decade-long career – when the gays fell for her Calgary: Gallant Distribution GayCalgary Staff and the stories behind her biggest hits Edmonton: Clark’s Distribution Other: Canada Post 17 directory and Events Legal Council A GE 8 A GE XXX Courtney Aarbo, Barristers and Solicitors 26 Bullying Is Deadly P P Sales & General Inquiries GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine 2136 17th Avenue SW 27 Q Scopes Calgary, AB, Canada “Think carefully, Aries!” T2T 0G3 Office Hours: By appointment ONLY 28 deep Inside Hollywood Phone: 403-543-6960 Zachary Quinto wants Your Number Toll Free: 1-888-543-6960 Fax: 403-703-0685 E-Mail: [email protected] 29 Diversity Project Brings Awareness to Campus This Month's Cover Edmonton’s MacEwan University Shows LGBTQ Community Support Ian Harvie, Photo by Kevin Neales Mado. Photo by Union Créative Charlie David. Photo by UKMCBO Photography 29 AIDS Calgary’s Holiday Hamper
Proud Members of: A Program that Brings a Smile in Tough Times A GE 10 A GE XXX P P 30 out of Town Getting to Know Toronto Edmonton Rainbow Business Association 32 Fundraising Photos 39 letters International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association 39 Cocktail Chatter The Scarborough Fair
National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association A GE 14 A GE XXX P P Continued on Next Page GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 Table of Contents
Continued From Previous Page 40 giving Hope to Our Youth 42 Alberta’s Bar Evolution Magazine Figures How is Alberta’s Night Scene Changing with the Times? Monthly Print Quantity: 9,000–11,000 copies 48 Free Speech and the Myth of “Special Rights” Guaranteed Circulation: 8,500 copies Bonus Circulation: 500–2,500 copies 50 Bedouin Soundclash Readership Light The Horizon Readers Per Copy: 4.9 (PMB) Canadian band regroups with Print Readership: >41,650 Avg. Online Circulation: 125,000 readers A GE 30 A GE XXX Estimated Total Readership: P P 51 A Couple of Guys >166,650 readers 52 Bitter Girl Frequency: Monthly Proof of monthly figures are available on request. 53 Music Review Distribution Locations: Elton John and Leon Russell, Liza Minnelli Calgary: 150 Edmonton: 130 Other Alberta Cities: 10 54 Kiss & Tell Other Provinces: 30 3OH!3 paves their Streets of Gold Please call us if your establishment would like to become a distribution location. 56 Classified Ads History Originally established in January 58 Chelsea Boys 1992 as Men for Men BBS by MFM A GE 50 A GE XXX Communications. Name changed to P P GayCalgary.com in 1998. Independent 59 A Thousand Laughs company as of January 2004. First edition of GayCalgary.com Magazine published November 2003. Name adjusted in 60 exposing Ian Harvie November 2006 to GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine.
62 paula Cole’s Second Coming Disclaimer and Copyright The pop-folk icon talks new album, hits (and pits), and the gays who Opinions expressed in this magazine love her to bits are specific to the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of GayCalgary 64 Queer Eye staff and contributors. Those involved in the making of this publication, whether advertisers, contributors, or the subjects of articles or photographs, are not necessarily gay, lesbian, bisexual, or trans. This magazine also includes straight A GE 54 A GE XXX allies and those who are gay friendly. P P No part of this publication may be reprinted or modified without the expressed written permission of the editor or publisher.
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GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 Editorial Lucky 7 Publisher’s Column By Rob Diaz-Marino, MSc This month marks a milestone for us - our 7th anniversary of publishing GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine. While Steve and I get a lot of the credit for the work we do for the community through the magazine, it should not be overlooked that we have a solid team of writers and contributors to thank for ensuring there is always something interesting and personally relevant to read each month. Personally, I think one of our biggest strengths is the flexibility we’re able to offer to our customers, without compromising reliability to our readers. Not many magazines are willing or able to do this, but it is something we do in order to accommodate and respond to our community in a more effective manner. It may mean a slightly less polished product than if we spent weeks focusing on the aesthetic details of our page layouts, but we feel it is a reasonable trade off in order to remain functional, useful, and current. I’ve often commented in my Publisher’s Column that some months of the magazine appear to have a coincidental “theme” to them, in that articles from isolated writers all seem to touch on a common topic. (Well, it’s apparent to me anyway, since I proofread every article from our freelance writers.) This month definitely has strong overtones regarding homophobic bullying. From all the mainstream media coverage regarding LGBT teen suicides, it is understandable that this would be something heavy on everyone’s mind. Just recently, Steve attended his 20 year High School reunion, and an open house at his old school. This brought back many memories for him of the adversities he faced while growing up. While wandering the halls of St. Mary’s High School, he pointed out the room that used to be his office, as he did extra-curricular work with computers beyond anything his teachers knew how to do. I get the sense that this was his sanctuary, where he could escape from the students that might otherwise be tormenting him. Unfortunately in his case, some of the teachers were also the problem. He has shared with me some pretty shocking stories about the sordid affairs of even the adults at his school – his catholic school. As for myself, I never got the impression that I was perceived as being gay while I was growing up, yet nonetheless I seemed to attract a number of bullies in my time. I grew up in Marlborough, which is often considered a rough part of town (perhaps not quite as rough as Forest Lawn). I’ve always been something of a scrapper at heart, which brought me to put on a good show of defiance without ever actually resorting to fighting. In fourth grade I was tormented by an African-American kid in my class, surprisingly someone I had been friends with only the grade prior. Seemingly out of nowhere he became very angry toward me, and punched me in the stomach for no reason one day while the teacher wasn’t looking. Although I immediately went to the teacher for help, I was made to feel small for not being able to stick up for myself. So when this continued, the next people I went to for advice were my parents, who were good parents, but similarly took the approach that I needed to work this out on my own. Continued on Next Page
GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 Editorial Contd. Online Last Month In particular, my dad’s advice was a little counterproductive in that he Tips for LGBT Sellers encouraged me to hit him back. Though I wasn’t prepared to do that, my How to help attract a qualified buyer show of retaliation was enough to deter this particular bully. Tips for LGBT Sellers: How to help attract a Later on I encountered some of the neighbourhood bullies who were several years older than me. One decided to beat me up for stepping qualified buyer. Everyone is well aware that outside of the crossing lines while crossing the road – this time, my parents for the past couple of years the real estate and the school did take action. Another bully lived a few houses down the market has been... alleyway from me, and would try to beat me up when I wasn’t attempting to maintain a shaky friendship with him, in which I often ended up getting www.gaycalgary.com/a1891 victimized in other ways. My point is that, every bully that I can recall dealing with had personal Gay Politicians No Longer a Novelty problems of their own. The parents of the African-American kid were going In 2010, a candidate’s sexuality is fast through a divorce, the guy at the crosswalk was known by my school to becoming just a part of the whole package. be learning disabled and have emotional problems, and the kid down the That is, it’s starting to be seen at the same alleyway had a father that was in jail. So it’s all very well to say that we need to punish bullies for acting the way they do, but getting to the root level of whether the... of the problem is not as simple. When you punish behavior that their www.gaycalgary.com/a1892 parents encourage or reward through the example that they set, you can end up with children who are even more confused and frustrated – maybe The Second Closet even close to suicide themselves. Certainly I’m not saying the “blame the An Open Dialogue on Same- victim” approach is valid, but I don’t think that blaming and punishing the bully is enough either. Sex Domestic Violence This November, in conjunction with Domestic October 2010 Violence Awareness Month, The Alliance to Last month we had a booth at Edmonton’s Taboo: Naughty but Nice End Violence will be facilitating The Second Sexy Show, which in previous years has occurred after Calgary’s show, instead of before. A clever idea brought new life to our booth, and helped Closet: An Open Dialogue... raise close to $1500 toward the charities of the Imperial Sovereign Court www.gaycalgary.com/a1893 of the Wild Rose. We are excited to bring this concept to Calgary’s Taboo show this November 11th to 14th. HIV Edmonton Presents The idea is quite simple really. We created a banner to hang in our Chloe Albert Live in Concert booth that looks like a cover of our magazine. The frame is there with a background pattern, but the cover model is you! In Edmonton, people HIV Edmonton recently brought Edmonton had their choice of being photographed with any available combination of Singer-Songwriter Chloe Albert to The ARTery drag queens and leather boys for $4 (which included an electronic copy of this past October 22nd, as part of its Legacy the photo sent to them by e-mail), and we were able to provide 4”x6” prints Series. HIV Edmonton’s... at $1 apiece, on the spot. Additionally, many of the photos were placed on our Facebook page (with permission) for people to tag themselves and www.gaycalgary.com/a1894
ManWear Takes Centre Stage! Continued on Page 34 PriapeMag 2nd Edition Last January, Priape launched its very first PriapeMag. Together with its selection of existing catalogues (fetish, summer, Christmas), this publication... www.gaycalgary.com/a1895
Small Town (Openly Gay) Boy - Part 2 Colin Walmsley’s Valedictorian Speech In the October 2010 edition of GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine, we interviewed a young man by the name of Colin Walmsley. A resident of the small... www.gaycalgary.com/a1896
Great Big Sea Jubilant at Jubilee Reviewing concerts gives me the opportunity to see acts that I may not have gone out of my way to see, in a crowded concert marketplace. Sometimes that... www.gaycalgary.com/a1898
Lisa Lampanelli Offensive Yet Funny The biggest challenge in reviewing Lisa Lampanelli’s Calgary debut this past October 23rd at the Jack Singer, was that most of what she said isn’t suitable... www.gaycalgary.com/a1899
GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 Interview
Photos by FotoFusion Mado. Photo by Union Créative
It doesn’t sound weird, it sounds exactly like what audiences have loved about Mado for years. Her self-deprecating humour, bilingual Mad About Mado double-entendres and ability to not take everything seriously must be why she stands out among the many queens who would love to be in her shoes. Also, she has written and performed much of her own material, The Queen of Montreal Visits Calgary something that came about organically for her. “I did some lip-synch in the past, but I could rarely stick to the song By Pam Rocker – I always had to add my own vision to it. Now I mostly do my own stuff. I will perform songs that people know but I always change the words to Mado Lamotte is not your typical drag queen. Part make it more Mado. Why should I perform someone else’s creation when comedian, part clown, and all surprises, Mado has been I can show the public how crazy and funny my world is?” a beloved and hilarious staple of Montreal’s nightlife for Mado also sets herself apart by singing live. over 20 years. This year marked the 13th anniversary of “Live singing is what I do most. When I perform with others, I Mascara, her dragapalooza event that’s staged annually sometimes do lip-synch, but it’s not really my cup of tea. I have too many as a part of Divers/Cité, and has been presented to over words up there in my big head that I want to share,” Mado explains. “And 300,000 people to date. It’s also the 8th anniversary of frankly, who wants to suffer through hours of listening to Celine’s voice, the opening of her own nightclub in Montreal’s Village, trying to learn one of her songs?” aptly named Cabaret Mado, where she acts as hostess, She puts her singing chops to the test with her recently released album, as well as occasionally performing Full Mado, The Remix Album. Produced by Montreal’s Erek McQueen, the album is a mixture of songs from the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s – with rewritten Those lucky enough to see Mado perform may first notice her lyrics by Mado herself and remixed beats for your dancing pleasure. unstuffed chest and tattooed arms. This, juxtaposed with her outrageous makeup, blazing wigs, and unparalleled sharp wit, forces you to push But it’s not just about the music. Comedy plays an integral role in all any perceived norms or phobias out of the window (but you’re having of her shows. I wondered when this started, and if this had always been such a good time that you don’t mind doing it). an intentional move on Mado’s part. She recently returned from her sixth tour in Paris, this time performing “I always wanted to be a comedian when I was young and Mado is the a show she wrote called Mado: Bitche La France. perfect character to work with, since she’s a mix between a clown and a stand-up comic. That’s why I don’t really consider myself a drag queen. “It was two hours of songs and monologues where I make fun of Yes, I have the funky looks, but I don’t have the beauty or the body to be the French people, their habits, their culture, their country, and their called a queen!” she laughs. superiority complex,” she laughs. “And as weird as it sounds, they loved it and asked for more!” She cites Michel Tremblay, the famous Canadian novelist and playwright, as one of her inspirations. She even performed in his play Surprise Surprise in 2005. “I grew up with his books. His characters are inspired by real people, with a touch of parody. That’s what I like about him. You can recognize your mother, your neighbour, your relatives, in every story he tells – but it’s always a bit more eccentric than real life. Mado could easily be a character in one of his stories, like one of your favourite eccentric, crazy aunties with a twisted sense of humour.” Mado is now an inspirational figure herself and many tout her as an integral part of making the Village become the thriving hub that it is. Many see her as an icon, not only as a unique and eccentric performer, but a tangible symbol of unashamed self-acceptance and pushing social norms. But was this a calculated move to the top, or a lucky accident for a theatre school dropout? “I didn’t choose the business, honey, the business chose me,” she says. “When I was 3 years old, I was already ringing doorbells in my neighborhood to get cookies and candies and I remember the lady of the house asking me to sing a song or do a little dance for a treat. As a Continued on Page 34 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 Interview
Charlie David. Photos by UKMCBO Photography The Darker Side of Charlie David Multi-tasking Canadian releases Shadowlands Book
By Jason Clevett “The pain of what it would be like to lose the love of your life - I haven’t gone through that, I can only imagine it, and Grindr was just Charlie David is likely Canada’s highest-profile out that, rumination in that idea. It is something that, like it or not, we will performer. He has starred in TV shows like Dante’s Cove, all face at some point. ... To go through that and experience the pain is hosted the travel show Bump! and wrote, produced and where we get the biggest growth as individuals. These stories are really an directed the filmMulligans . exploration for me in really yearning for that: reaching out and knowing that my soul desperately wants to fall in love in that kind of fairytale We caught up with Charlie over the phone from his new home in way and asking the question of [whether] that really and truly exists. I Montreal, where he recently moved after dividing his time between don’t believe that it exists in the way we were taught growing up with Vancouver and Los Angeles. our fairytale movies and the romantic comedy. Real love is something “Part of it is politics. I feel that we are really lucky in Canada. My tax different and it comes with a lot of joy and orgasmic moments of feeling, dollars [are] going towards the US Government right now, which I don’t but it is laced with lots of moments of pain as well. That is what makes see as treating our community as fully equal citizens. I have the benefit the experience so special.” of being Canadian and wanted my tax dollars to go here. Also I have Narcissus also stands out, both from a perspective of being surprisingly been west coast based for the last 12 years and wanted to try something frightening, and for the fact that it is written in script form. different. I have always loved Montreal so I decided to give it a go for a “I originally wrote it as a 10 minute film. It won an award in Vancouver few years and see how I like it.” as a script reading and I decided to develop it further. Since then I pitched Those familiar with David would describe him as a warm hearted, a Twilight-zone type show to Logo and they offered me a pre-buy on it. genuine and good person. Which is why Shadowlands, with its themes So that is something I am continuing to develop, to take stories from of murder, death, sex and violence, may shock fans. It shows a darker Shadowlands and put them into script format. I have four half-hour side of Charlie David. episodes done. Narcissus was the first experiment in doing that. After I “Yes I think so!” he laughed, when I posed the contrast to him. had written it that way I thought it might be interesting for readers who “In writing it, I was surprised a lot myself. There is a lot of darkness may not be used to reading scripts to see it done that way.” there and a lot of the stories, though fictional, drawing from personal Another incredibly written (and creepy) tale is Harvest, which takes a experience and imagined. Like anybody, there is light and darkness number of surprising twists and turns before its conclusion. within us. This was an exploration into some of that darkness. It is not “Often when I write, I don’t know where it is going. I put the pen necessarily about violence, but the pain that we go through. Most of the to paper and just start going. Other writers fully know the story arc, stories in the anthology are love stories, but not necessarily traditional sometimes I do and it is more methodically planned out. With Harvest ones. It is more laced with the introspection and pain that comes with it was drawn from a personal experience where I was, in ways, offered love and our journey with it. Whether it is meeting somebody for the first everything on a plate by a gentleman, and it scared me. I felt the time, longing to be with somebody we can’t be with, the tragedy that darkness within that, or what was possible with it. I believe in the world happens when relationships break up or when we lose somebody that there are forces of light and of darkness and we meet them in every day we’ve loved.” circumstances. Not to go with a religious connotation on that but, we are This isn’t to say that the stories are bad, quite the contrary. Beautifully always faced with choices and they can have profound effects on us and written, often erotic, the stories explore themes that all of us experience. the lives of people around us. Writing Harvest was a reflection of where Grindr in particular deals with a young man losing a lover in an accident, I am at, being 30...where I have come from, where I go from here, and and his supernatural guide to acceptance. what is next. But I have never experienced an Eyes Wide Shut orgy party “I really like to play, in my writing, with the concept of the here-and– like in that story. It was made up, but fun to make up!” now, and the afterlife. I have been thinking a lot about it recently; what The sexual aspect is one that, as a writer, can be a challenge. To happens to us, if there is a possibility of communion with the souls of the lay your fantasies out on the page for anyone to read is quite brave, dead. I am in a place of believing that there is a oneness, an energy that especially when it could be read by family. we come from and enter back into after our journey here on earth.
Continued on Page 24 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 Event
Diamond Rings DBI Chris Craddock
Wannechko is hosting Lady Fag as three of her well-known characters; first as Elaine Gail, “a slightly cooler version of Exposure Festival myself”, then as Andro Andy the androgynous super-hero, and finally as Ben Sover, an ungainly bisexual drag king. “The characters I assume are humourous, awkward, and Make ‘Em Laugh queer in multi-faceted ways. My live performances rely less on script and more on visuals such as body language, gestures, By Pam Rocker facial expressions, costumes, and props. I use performance to propose alternative viewpoints to normative culture in general Oscar Wilde famously said, “If you want to tell people and to hetero-normative culture specifically. I really love the the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they’ll kill you.” immediacy of live performance and the ways it can affect an Successful stand-up comedians, from Ellen Degeneres audience.” to Margaret Cho, know this all too well and use their For those who wait all year for the Fringe Festival, Exposure talent not only to sell out HBO specials, but to further seems like a great chance to get a refreshing dose of queer positive social change. themed content and see artists that may quickly become your This year’s Exposure Festival in Edmonton plans to do the new favourites. same as they embark on their 4th anniversary with the theme “There’s a good mix of local and national talent, which is of Laughing at Ourselves. A queer arts and culture festival ultimately what we want to achieve: showcase homegrown with a broadening audience, Exposure’s current programming talent and also acts that wouldn’t otherwise come to the city,” boasts Ian Harvie, the world’s first transgendered FTM comic says Karen Campos, Communications and Marketing Director who has toured extensively with Margaret Cho. Hosting for the Festival. his own show and performing on MTV and various notable Although she’s been involved with Exposure for 3 years, this festivals, Harvey is known for his ability to put audiences of is Campos’ first year in this position, and she’s excited about diverse backgrounds at ease, cutting directly to the core of the being able to bring her perspective to the table. human condition, in all its infinite strangeness. “As a queer person of colour that tends to be under The Festival works to cultivate an environment that welcomes represented in Edmonton, I welcome the opportunity to help and celebrates a variety of artists from Edmonton and beyond. shape the festival into something that is more dynamic and One event that highlights Alberta-based performers is Lady inclusive,” says Campos. Fag, a cabaret-style event of queer performance, featuring She has also set out to engage Exposure with the community work by host and organizer Elaine Wannechko, spoken word at large by relaunching their blog, and basing their online artist Derek Warwick, and Calgary based theatre-makers presence around promoting a variety of events and working Jamie Tea and Jared Knapp. with a variety of organizations, queer or not. Wannechko, a multi-disciplinary artist and story-teller, has “There’s so much room for organizations/groups to help each been involved with Exposure since it began. other out and to exchange tools and resources. Ultimately, “I am drawn to queer art because it is inherently politically it’s also an exchange in marketing and brand awareness for motivated,” she says. “Queer art is an avenue where people everyone involved. We’re excited about creating new working can show and/or see a diversity of ideologies represented, relationships.” in contrast to hetero-normative ones that are more readily But it’s not all about comedy and networking. A noteworthy available.” aspect of Exposure is their intentional focus on queer youth One of her inspirations for the title of Lady Fag was an and creating opportunities for them to express and explore exploration of words and their history of being used to abuse certain people. “I am interested in the idea of the re-appropriation of words/ symbols that have been used to degrade a ‘type’ of people. Some words/symbols are more successfully re-appropriated than others, but why is that? Sometimes re-appropriation is not possible; there are many reasons why people may reject words that are born out of fear and hatred.”
10 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 their artistic abilities. Last year their Queer Youth Curators show, Printed Matters: Creating and Curating queer, received the highest amount of submissions in its 3 year history. This year’s Youth Workshop, iQueer, is presented by Edmonton based Actor/Producer/Writer Chris Craddock, whose award- winning work has been internationally produced. “iQueer is meant to be a multi-disciplinary exploration event for queer youth to work in any of a variety of forms,” says Craddock. “We are hoping to see youth creating in theatre, with visual art, slam poetry, music, and possibly even video and music. We hope to be able to offer a chance for any kid to do exactly the kind of creation he or she wants to do, in a safe space, with only thematic focuses for a guideline. The best and bravest will be displayed that very night at the closing party.” Reluctantly, Craddock admits that his first foray into writing for Young Audiences was inspired by a want ad. “Azimuth Theatre was looking for outlines on a play about teen suicide, a subject I knew a little something about, and I applied with a first draft. It was accepted, and this started a journey for me that has seen me create five new plays for Young Audiences, and contribute as an artist to many more. I love TYA (Theatre for Young Audiences) as a form for its democratic reach into audiences of all economic backgrounds. Theatre for adults goes to people of a certain economic class these days, but in schools, it’s for everyone. Young people have not yet made up their minds about the world, and art is an important part of building intelligent, well-rounded and compassionate citizens.” Craddock is passionate about the arts being accessible and available to youth, and the importance of artists being involved in festivals such as Exposure. “Youth are at a tough time in their lives, and as such can be emotional. While this is often an issue in a classroom setting, in art these impulses are encouraged. I love to see youth discover an art form, find their voice within an art form, and figure out what they want to say. Art, and the reactions art provokes, are the leading tools of self-definition available in our society. Queer youth may not have examples inside their homes, and thus positive role models are even more important.” Another Festival highlight for young and old is dubpoet, educator, actor and award-winning playwright d’bi Young. Born in Jamaica, raised in Whitfield, Kingston and in downtown Toronto, d’bi Young is a meeting place of Afrikan- Caribbean-Canadian diasporic culture and experience. She identifies primarily as a storyteller, believing that storytelling encompasses everything she does. Young is one of Canada’s most celebrated artists, winning the 2007 Toronto Arts Council’s emerging artist award. She has performed, published, and lectured locally, nationally and internationally. At Exposure, Young will be holding a workshop with local queers of colour, who will then perform alongside her that evening. “D’bi is an amazing poet who does a lot of work around race and identity which, as a person of colour, is really lacking in the city,” says Karen Campos. “I think this is part of the greater exchange that the Festival aims to do in terms of learning and evolving with help from the artists that are part of the festival.” For audiophiles, 24-year-old Toronto musician Diamond Rings may surprise you with his unique mixture of vulnerable lyrics, glamorous live sets, and bright rainbow eye shadow. Laugh, cry, write, sing, volunteer, or watch - this year’s Festival has something for everyone in the rainbow.
Exposure Festival www.exposurefestival.ca
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GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 11 12 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 Interview
James Franco stars in “Howl.” Photos by Oscilloscope Laboratories Aaron Tveit and James Franco in “Howl.”
through the next decades, and it was all fermenting in this small group of sexy, young poets in the ’50s, which is kind of The Ambitiously Gay Duo a really cool notion. How did James Franco’s name come up? Howl filmmakers on James Franco’s latest gay role, RE: Gus (Van Sant) suggested James. Gus was filming Milk at the time, and he’d read the (Howl) script and liked it working together and the movie’s controversy and agreed to executive produce. So we started talking about casting and he said, “You should talk to James; he’s really interesting.” So we did. And he was! (Laughs) By Chris Azzopardi James has obviously mastered the art of playing gay, so Allen Ginsberg’s 1956 landmark poem Howl would what kind of direction did you give him? become an influential and controversial part of the “Beat JF: We actually had a lot of time to work with him, because Generation” – and years later, give James Franco yet he came on very early – before we had financing – and he was another reason to play gay. really into the project. He was very interested in the beats – he knew the poetry and he was very committed to the role – so In the eponymous film adaptation, directing duo Rob Epstein he came to San Francisco and worked with us, and we worked and Jeffrey Friedman (The Celluloid Closet, Common Threads) with him in New York. stray from documentaries to zero in on Ginsberg’s literary manifesto, focusing on the bard’s coming-to-terms with being RE: A lot of the work we did together before we got to the gay while simultaneously recreating the resulting obscenity point of shooting the movie was getting at the pain behind a lot trial protesting his polarizing poem. of the words that Allen was speaking. A lot of that experience wasn’t necessarily close to James’ experience, so he really had The filmmakers took a few minutes to discuss Franco’s turn to understand what was going on with the character, who felt at as the gay icon – and why he’s not too hot for the role. that point in his life – up until he got to the point where he was You’ve been making films together for over 20 years. What liberated enough to write Howl – very isolated and very lonely; makes this relationship work? and all his experiences with love and sex were unrequited. So, Rob Epstein: How does our relationship work? Because we in that sense, we did a lot of work with James. can’t answer that question! If we did, it would all fall apart Some of the talk surrounding Howl is whether James Franco (laughs). is too hot to play Ginsberg. Was that ever a concern? Jeffrey Friedman: We complement each other in a lot of RE: Well, we knew he could act Ginsberg – he’s such a ways, but I couldn’t begin to define what those are exactly. We great actor – so the physicalization was kind of the last thing bounce ideas off each other, and we’ve found a way of working we dealt with. In one of the screen tests, we put on the big together creatively where what we come up with together is Ginsberg glasses; just even doing that, he started to personify more interesting than what either of us might come up with him. But so much of what he captures about the personality of on our own. Ginsberg is in his performance, and after seeing what James Why did you use Ginsberg’s Howl as the stimulus for this did with the James Dean role on television – he gave that film? performance so much depth – we knew he could do something RE: The starting part was Ginsberg, and we were interested similar with Ginsberg. Also, most people aren’t familiar with in doing something about this particular moment in his life, what Allen Ginsberg looked like at age 30, and there are similar which seemed to be so formative and such a golden moment. physical characteristics, so it’s not that far off. We pushed out We were creatively excited about the challenge of coming up with a concept that would feel unique and different in the Continued on Page 25 way that the poem was in its time. We really set out to find a cinematic contemporary equivalent to that approach; and then thematically, the poem itself is just so rich with so many different themes and so much significant content, so just getting to the meat of the poem also excited us. JF: I was excited about the idea of a cultural phenomenon that had actually changed the culture. Howl in some ways was the beginning of all of the counterculture moments that came
GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 13 Interview
Photos by Richard Bernardin
The Wall, and (we) were very tired but also inspired, and the song just kind of came. It was a magical moment. Whoa, Nelly! “Maneater” was the same. When we first wrote that song the speaker caught fire because the beat was so loud and ambitious, and the energy Singer looks back at decade-long career – when the was so intense. And we actually put the song away for a few weeks. We were scared of the song! It had some dark energy in it (laughs). gays fell for her and the stories behind her biggest hits What do you think now when you hear “I’m Like a Bird”? I never get sick of singing it, and I’m just happy that people played it on By Chris Azzopardi the radio. I’m proud of that song because it had a more sort of funky hip- hop-influenced verse and then a very pop-rock chorus. I’m glad it connected Like a bird is exactly how Nelly Furtado’s career has unfurled with people. in the 10 years since she dropped her debut, Whoa, Nelly! The So many celebrities are making videos as part of the “It Gets Better” Canadian chanteuse was on top of the world, scoring a Grammy campaign, to help prevent youth suicides – for the album’s breakthrough single, “I’m Like a Bird,” before her Oh, I haven’t seen them. I did perform at the PFLAG event in L.A. I follow-up, Folklore, went, well, south. performed “Night is Young” acoustic and I did… I don’t even remember right now! But it was a very positive night and a lot of people were speaking about But then she switched directions, tapping into Timbaland’s boom-boom (gay youth). I was proud to be part of that. beats for 2006’s “punk-hop” Loose. Singles like “Promiscuous” and “Maneater” If you could dedicate one of your songs to gay youth, which would you ate up the charts, and there she went – flying again. Her hits collection, choose? The Best of Nelly Furtado, archives her decade-long run and includes three unreleased cuts, leading off with club single “Night is Young.” Something from the beginning of my career, like the first CD – that’s when I first noticed I had a strong gay following, when I used to play “Shit on Furtado, 31, took us back, recalling the song she wrote on hotel paper as the Radio” on my first club tour. I’d always see gay youth in the front row, a chambermaid and how “Maneater” started a fire. But the singer, who was embracing each other and getting emotional and crying when I would sing catching a break from recording to chat with us, also looked ahead to next the song – because it’s a song about individuality and expressing yourself year’s upcoming studio album, Lifestyle, a return to her Whoa, Nelly! roots. and kind of breaking free from the pack and doing your own thing. It’s about Did you ever think you’d have a greatest hits album? being true to yourself no matter what. Actually, no, I didn’t. In the beginning I didn’t really know I’d still be That song was your response to people who were pissed at you for going making records 10 years later; I was kind of just trying it out. It was my mainstream. hobby for a long time, and I made my hobby my job. I had planned to go back Yeah – it’s hard. It’s weird merging art and business; there are always to university after Whoa, Nelly! – and then I never made it back! (Laughs) fallouts. But yeah, I’m surprised that 10 years have passed; it gives you a chance Then you made a bigger leap into hip-hop with “Promiscuous” – did you to reflect. I was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame recently, so it was all catch more flack? around the 10-year anniversary of the album coming out. It was all very timely – and kind of cool. Really cool! No, because hip-hop was always something that I was inspired by. It was like a weapon I had in my back pocket that I hadn’t whipped out yet. My Congratulations! first influences as a teenager were hip-hop and R&B – and I used to rap! Oh, thanks! For the first album or two I was wondering: Is this really my (Laughs) career? Am I good at this? Is this going to stick around? After doing it for 10 On a mainstream level, yeah, my image was definitely drastically different years, it finally feels like this is definitely a career. – and I see that now. At the time I didn’t see, but now I look back and go, So you’re not going back to university? “Wow, no wonder people were so shocked!” It doesn’t mean I won’t. I still have all kinds of dreams. I’m definitely I did change a lot. I mean, I grew into a woman; I wrote some songs on happy making music at the moment. Whoa, Nelly! when I was 17. You change a lot from that age to, like, 25. It’s Which song from the greatest hits album has the best story behind it? a nice synchronicity when you can go through such a personally meaningful Perhaps one you wrote on hotel paper while you were a maid? transformation and actually capture it on record – and then have other I have a song on Whoa, Nelly! that was written on hotel chambermaid people connect to it. report paper and that song is Party, but it’s not on greatest hits. On greatest Where do you plan on taking your next studio album, Lifestyle? hits, Say It Right is cool because it was really late at night that we wrote that I’m going back to the eclectic feel of Whoa, Nelly!. So far tracks I’ve song, like 4 in the morning, and we had just finished watching Pink Floyd recorded encompass pop, hip-hop, dance, reggae and alternative-pop.
14 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 That’s who I am and that’s how I live my life, and that’s sort of been the duo and we did moody urban trip-hop songs and I performed them around way I culturally live my life in terms of what I surround myself with – music town. It’s a name that’s kind of stuck with me, so I decided to name my label or art or even people – so I think that’s why I’m calling it Lifestyle. I just Nelstar. want a collection of songs that people can connect with, like always, but at We have an artist right now named Dylan Murray – he’s excellent, he’s the same time I think image-wise I’m going to be different again (laughs). If Canadian. Actually, he performed with me at the PFLAG event – oh, I know anything, it’ll be a throwback to who I was when I first came out. what we performed! A song from Lifestyle: a duet called “Be Okay.” It’s a Tell me about working with Elton John on a new version of “Crocodile really, really pretty song. Another duet! Rock.” You’ll have to release a duets album. Yeah, he has a new production coming out – it’s an animated movie called We tried to put a few of these duets on this greatest hits. I don’t think we Gnomeo and Juliet, and it’s a cartoon for kids that comes out on Valentine’s got Michael Bublé on there, though; I have a really cool duet with Michael Day. So yeah, they approached me to do the closing song and it’s “Crocodile Bublé: “Cuando, Cuando, Cuando.” Now that I say it out loud, I do have a Rock.” And he’s on it – like him and I are on the track together! It’s so lot of duets with guys! I have hardly any with women. Who knows – maybe exciting. I’ll have a female feature on my next album. I’m due! So you didn’t actually do studio time together? You made a remark to Genre magazine in 2005 that everyone is a little No – we missed each other by, like, a day. But we have sung together gay – remember that? before. Hey, here’s a perfect example: Ten years ago, Elton and I sang (Laughs) Oh yes! I was quoted and misquoted in many publications. It “Legend” together. was pretty funny. That went really far. I was quoted as saying that everybody We’ve come full circle. was gay, which is not really what I meant. I think sexuality is … a very alive Yeah! Because he was a fan of my first album and he used to talk about thing. It’s very human. And I think we all embody the masculine and feminine it all the time, and he’s really good that way with new music. He’s really on – and so does the world. Right now we’re entering into a feminine time and top of it. everybody is embracing their feminine energy, which is really nice. The people you work with are all over the map: Timbaland, Josh Groban Maybe you weren’t totally off with that comment, though. Now it and James Morrison, for instance. And then Keith Urban shows up on the seems everyone is a little gay with all these celebrities jumping on the bi deluxe edition of The Best of Nelly Furtado for “In God’s Hands.” bandwagon. I have many fantasies of who I want to be as a singer, so I was having I say everything first if you notice! Just go back: I say, do and wear a country fantasy with that song, and “In God’s Hands” always felt like a everything first, if you really look at it. And that’s a quote! (Laughs) country record to me. Always a step ahead? The reason why I do so many darn duets is because I’ve always wanted to But I’m too far ahead! I’m never on trend (laughs). be in a band. I mean, I’m a solo artist, but I’ve always been jealous of people in bands because I think, “How fun would that be?” How did you get the nickname Nelstar? http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1905 Nelstar was the first band I had. It was a trip-hop group – when I first moved to Toronto when I was 17, this producer and me had this trip-hop View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments
GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 15 16 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 Directory & Events
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1 Calgary Outlink------Community Groups 9 FAB------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 59 Village Bistro & Lounge------Restaurant 5 Texas Lounge------Bars and Clubs 33 Twisted Element------Bars and Clubs 43 Lisa Heinricks------Theatre and Fine Arts 60 Club Sapien------Bars and Clubs 6 Goliath’s------Bathhouses 34 Vertigo Mystery Theatre------Theatre 52 Sandra G. Sebree------Services
of Sinatra” on Fri. and varied entertainment on Find Out! Calgary Thurs. Please call for details. 60 Club Sapien------✰ Accommodations 1140 10th Ave SW 403-457-4464 LGBT Community Directory 13 Westways Guest House------✰ http://www.clubsapien.ca 216 - 25th Avenue SW 403-229-1758 Dance club & restaurant. GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine is the go-to source for 1-866-846-7038 [email protected] 55 Marquee Room------✰ information about Alberta LGBT businesses and community www.gaywestways.com 612 - 8th Avenue SW groups—the most extensive and accurate resource of its kind! This Wingate by Wyndham www.marqueeroom.com print supplement contains a subset of active community groups 400 Midpark Way SE 403-514-0099 Alternative night every Wednesday. and venues, with premium business listings of paid advertisers. www.wingatehotels.com 9 FAB (formerly Money Pennies)------✰ ✰ ...... Find our Magazine Here ...... Wheelchair Accessible 1742 - 10th Ave SW 403-263-7411 Bars & Clubs www.fab-bar.com Spot something inaccurate or outdated? Want your business or 3 Backlot------✰ Closed Mondays. organization listed? We welcome you to contact us! 209 - 10th Ave SW 403-265-5211 Bar and restaurant. Open 7 days a week, 4pm-close 403-543-6960 1-888-543-6960 5 Texas Lounge------✰ 4 Calgary Eagle Inc.------✰ 308 - 17 Ave SW 403-229-0911 [email protected] 424a - 8th Ave SE 403-263-5847 www.goliaths.ca http://www.calgaryeagle.com Open 7 days a week, 11am-close Open Wed-Sun, 5pm-close 33 Twisted Element------✰ http://www.gaycalgary.com/CalgaryTravelRss Leather/Denim/Fetish bar. 1006 - 11th Ave SW 403-802-0230 http://www.gaycalgary.com/EdmontonTravelRss Club Paradiso www.twistedelement.ca Local Bars, Restaurants, and Accommodations info on the go! 1413 - 9th Ave SE, upstairs Dance Club and Lounge. 403-265-5739 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 #85, November 2010 17 Directory & Events
CALGARY EVENTS Bowling------ 7pm Coffee------ 10am Thursday, November 4th See Apollo Calgary Sep1Mar30 See Prime Timers Calgary Prince & Princess Gala------ 9pm Mondays Mosaic Youth Group------ Evening Wing Night------ All Day By ISCCA at 5 Texas Lounge Squash------ 8:15-9:45pm See website for details. At 9 FAB Friday, November 5th See Apollo Calgary Oct18 Thursdays Karaoke------ 8pm-1am Prince & Princess Gala------ 9pm ASK Meet and Greet------ 7-9:30pm Lesbian Seniors------ 2pm At 5 Texas Lounge By ISCCA at 33 Twisted Element Bonasera (1204 Edmonton Tr. NE) Kerby Center, Sunshine Room 3rd Alcoholics Anonymous------ 8pm Saturday, November 6th Inside Out Youth Group------ 7-9pm 1133 7th Ave SW Hillhurst United Church (Gym Entrance) Turnabout------ 9pm See 1 Calgary Outlink Swim Practice------ 6-7pm 1227 Kensington Close NW By ISCCA at 33 Twisted Element Yoga (A)------6-7:30pm See Different Strokes Sep9Dec Tuned Out Music Trivia------ Evening Friday, November 19th See Apollo Calgary Sep27Dec6 9 Fake Mustache Show------ 7-9:45pm At FAB 1st, 3rd LeatherSir/boy Meet & Greet------ 9pm-2am Yoga (B)------ 7:45-9:15pm See Miscellaneous Youth Network 1st Fundraising Shooters------ Evening At 4 Calgary Eagle See Apollo Calgary Sep27Dec6 Boot Camp (A)------ 7-8:30pm By ISCCA at 5 Texas Lounge Saturday, November 20th Tuesdays See Apollo Calgary Sep7 Sundays LeatherSir/boy Competition------ 9pm-2am Calgary Networking Club------ 5-7pm Alcoholics Anonymous------ 8pm Worship Time------ 10am At 4 Calgary Eagle See 1 Calgary Outlink 1st Tues Hillhurst United Church (Gym Entrance) See Deer Park United Church Harmony for Hope------ 6:30pm Between Men------ 7-9pm 1227 Kensington Close NW Worship------ 10:30am By Calgary Men’s Chorus See 1 Calgary Outlink 2nd, 4th Fridays See Scarboro United Church Jack Singer Concert Hall Rehearsals------ 7-9:30pm Leather Night------ Evening Boot Camp (B)------ 10:30am-12pm Transgender Day of Remembrance---- 2-6pm See Calgary Men’s Chorus Jun At 4 Calgary Eagle See Apollo Calgary Sep12 The Old Y Centre (223 - 12 Ave SW) Karaoke------ 8pm-1am BBQ Fundraiser------ 5-9pm Worship Services------ 11am Saturday, November 27th At 5 Texas Lounge 3 By ISCCA at Backlot See Knox United Church Dinner and Show------ 6pm Alcoholics Anonymous------ 8pm Illusions------ 7-10pm BBQ Social Sundays------ 2pm By ARGRA Hillhurst United Church (Gym Entrance) See 1 Calgary Outlink 1st At 4 Calgary Eagle Hilhurst Sunnyside Community Hall 1227 Kensington Close NW Womynspace------ 7-9pm Movie Night------ 2pm-6pm Crowns for Kids------ 9:30pm Lawn Bowling------ 6-9pm See 1 Calgary Outlink 2nd By ISCCA at 5 Texas Lounge Nov7Feb13 At 33 Twisted Element See Apollo New Directions------ 7-9pm Church Service------ 4pm Wednesday, December 1st Wednesdays See 1 Calgary Outlink 3rd See Rainbow Community Church World AIDS Day Memorial Service------ 2pm Communion Service------ 12:10pm By Aids Calgary at 2 Aids Calgary Beach Volleyball------ 7:30-9:30pm Swim Practice------ 5-6pm See Knox United Church See Apollo See Different Strokes Sep9Dec Friday, December 17th Women’s Healing Circle------ 1:30pm Heading Out------ 8pm-10pm Sunday Socials------ Afternoon Christmas Show------ TBA See AIDS Calgary See 1 Calgary Outlink 4th At 4 Calgary Eagle By ISCCA at 5 Texas Lounge Wing Night------ All Day Alcoholics Anonymous------ 8pm Free Pool------ All Day Saturday, December 18th At 9 FAB Hillhurst United Church (Gym Entrance) At 4 Calgary Eagle ICE ------ 8pm Free Pool------ All Day 1227 Kensington Close NW By Calgary Men’s Chorus Tuesday, September 7th At 4 Calgary Eagle Saturdays Rosza Centre, University of Calgary With Prime Timers Calgary Calgary Networking Club 5-7pm Running------ 9am Badminton------ 7-9pm See Apollo By Calgary Outlink At Ming (520 - 17th Ave SW) See Apollo Calgary Sep8Dec15 Tennis------ 10am By Apollo Legend: = Monthly Reoccurrance, = Date (Range/Future), = Sponsored Event
Bathhouses/Saunas Apollo Calgary - Friends in Sports • Boot Camp • Lawn Bowling www.apollocalgary.com Platoon FX, 1351 Aviation Park NE Inglewood Lawn Bowling Club 6 Goliaths------✰ www.myapollo.com [email protected] 1235 8th Avenue SE 308 - 17 Ave SW 403-229-0911 A volunteer operated, non-profit organization 8 classes (one per week) for only $50.This is a 50% [email protected] www.goliaths.ca serving primarily members of the LGBT communities saving for Apollo members only. Open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day • Outdoor Pursuits but open to all members of all communities. • Bowling (Rainbow Riders League) [email protected] Community Groups Primary focus is to provide members with well- Let’s Bowl (2916 5th Avenue NE) If it’s done outdoors, we do it. Volunteer led events organized and fun sporting events and other [email protected] all summer and winter. Hiking, camping, biking, 2 AIDS Calgary------✰ activities. Nightly - $17.00/night ($12.50 for lineage; $4.50 skiing, snow shoeing, etc. Sign up at myapollo.org 110, 1603 10th Avenue SW • Western Cup 29 in prize money) and shoe rental is $3.00. to get updates on the sport you like. We’re always 403-508-2500 www.westerncup.com looking for people to lead events. [email protected] • Curling North America’s largest LGBT sporting competition www.aidscalgary.org [email protected] • Running (Calgary Frontrunners) with over 400 athletes in up to seven different Will return in September 2010. Sign up at YMCA Eau Claire (4th St, 1st Ave SW) Alberta Society for Kink sports. myapollo.org to receive updates. [email protected] 403-398-9968 • Badminton (Absolutely Smashing) East Doors (directly off the Bow river pathway). [email protected] • Golf St. Martha School (6020 - 4 Avenue NE) Distances vary from 8 km - 15 km. Runners from 6 http://ca.groups.yahoo.com/ [email protected] [email protected] minutes/mile to 9+ minute miles. group.albertasocietyforkink Occasional rounds will occur during the summer of Per session: $4 for Apollo member, $5 for non- 2010 depending on weather and leaders. Sign up • Slow Pitch members. Season’s pass $75 at myapollo.org to receive updates. [email protected] Will be running Friday nights during the summer
18 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 Directory & Events of 2010, location to be determined. Sign up at • Library FairyTales Presentation Society Works to raise awareness and challenge the myapollo.org to receive immediate notice of start A great selection of resource books, fiction, non- #4 - 1230A 17th Avenue SW patterns of silence that continue to marginalize date and location. fiction, videos and everything in between, all with a 403-244-1956 LGBTTQ individuals. • Squash queer perspective. http://www.fairytalesfilmfest.com Pride Calgary Planning Committee Mount Royal University Recreation • Drop-In Center Alberta Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. 403-797-6564 www.pridecalgary.ca [email protected] A safe and supportive environment for one-to-one • DVD Resource Library Pride Rainbow Project All skill levels welcome. peer counseling for many issues surrounding family, Over a hundred titles to choose from. Annual [email protected] • Tennis coming out, homosexuality, loneliness and other membership is $10. http://www.priderainbowproject.com issues. U of C Courts Gay Singles in Calgary Youth run project designed to show support for [email protected] • Between Men and Between Men Online http://www.gaysinglesincalgary.org same-sex marriage in Canada and elsewhere. A All skill levels welcome. Drop in. Look for Randall. Peer support, sexual health education for gay fabric rainbow banner approximately 5 feet wide Girl Friends or bisexual men, as well as those who may be - goal is to make it 3.2km (2 miles) long, in order • Volleyball (Beach) [email protected] uncertain or questioning their sexuality. to break the world record. Volleydome (2825 24 Avenue NW) members.shaw.ca/girlfriends [email protected] • Calgary Networking Club Primetimers Calgary Girlsgroove Ming, 520 - 17th Ave SW [email protected] • Volleyball (Rec + Int/Comp) http://www.girlsgroove.ca [email protected] The networking meetings are open to all individuals http://www.primetimerscalgary.com GLBT Housing Both Leagues will return in September 2010. Sign who would like to promote their businesses or Designed to foster social interaction for its members http://www.glbthousing.ca up at myapollo.org to receive updates. who would like to meet new people - no business through a variety of social, educational and affiliation is necessary. HIV Peer Support Group recreational activities. Open to all gay and bisexual • Yoga 403-230-5832 men of any age, respects whatever degree of World Tree Studio (812 Edmonton Trail NE) • Heading Out [email protected] anonymity that each member desires. Robin: 403-618-9642 Peer group for men who are looking for an [email protected] alternative social activity to the bar. Activities vary ISCCA Social Association • Free Pool $120 (10 sessions); $14 Drop-ins open to all and are fun and entertaining. http://www.iscca.ca 4 Calgary Eagle levels. Apollo membership is required. • Illusions Calgary Imperial Sovereign Court of the Chinook Arch. • Saturday Coffee Charity fundraising group.. Alberta Rockies Gay Rodeo Association (ARGRA) Social group for Calgary and area transgender Midtown Co-op, 1130 - 11th Ave SW www.argra.org community members (cross dressers, transvestites, Knox United Church Queers on Campus------✰ drag kings and queens). A safe, discrete and 506 - 4th Street SW 403-269-8382 • Monthly Dances------ 279R Student Union Club Spaces, U of C welcoming atmosphere, in which transgendered http://www.knoxunited.ab.ca Hillhurst-Sunnyside Community Association 403-220-6394 people can meet others of like mind. Knox United Church is an all-inclusive church 1320 - 5th Avenue NW http://www.ucalgary.ca/~glass • Inside Out located in downtown Calgary. A variety of facility Formerly GLASS - Gay/Lesbian Association of Artists for the Quality of Life Peer-facilitated youth group for GLBTQ ages 15-25. rentals are also available for meetings, events and Students and Staff. 403-890-1261 www.afqol.com concerts. Aims to let youth know they are not alone, and to • Coffee Night Cabin Fever connect them with their peers. Safe environment • Worship Services 2nd Cup, Kensington The Soda with a variety of resources and activities. 10:30am in July and August. Women’s dance and social night. Rainbow Community Church • New Directions Miscellaneous Youth Network Hillhurst United, 1227 Kensington Close NW Calgary Gay Fathers Drop in peer-support group to provide support and http://www.miscyouth.com [email protected] [email protected] resources for individuals who identify as transsexual • Fake Mustache------ http://www.rainbowcommunitychurch.ca http://www.calgarygayfathers.ca or inter-sexed. The Soda, 211 - 12th Ave SW The Rainbow Community Church is an all-inclusive Peer support group for gay, bisexual and • SHEQ Soulful Healing Ego Quest Calgary’s ONLY Drag King Show. $5 cover. $2 church; everyone is welcome. questioning fathers. Meeting twice a month. Trudy or Krista, 403-585-7437 cover under 18. Advance tickets available at Barbies Rocky Mountain Bears Calgary Men’s Chorus Workshop for women—a chance to grow and share Shop. [email protected] http://www.calgarymenschorus.org their experiences related to women’s sexuality. To http://www.rockymountainbears.com participate, please call or leave your name and a Mystique • Rehearsals contact time/number with Calgary Outlink. [email protected] Safety Under the Rainbow Temple B’Nai Tikvah, 900 - 47 Avenue SW Mystique is primarily a Lesbian group for women 30 http://www.safetyrainbow.ca • Womynspace Calgary Sexual Health Centre------✰ and up but all are welcome. Mission: To raise awareness and understanding of Peer social/support group for women providing an 304, 301 14th Street NW same-sex domestic violence and homophobic youth evening of fun, bonding, discussion and activities. • Coffee Night 403-283-5580 Second Cup (2312 - 4th Street SW) bullying. http://www.calgarysexualhealth.ca Calgary Queer Book Club NETWORKS Scarboro United Church A pro-choice organization that believes all people Weeds Cafe (1903 20 Ave NW) 403-293-3356 134 Scarboro Avenue SW have the right and ability to make their own choices Deer Park United Church/Wholeness Centre [email protected] 403-244-1161 www.scarborounited.ab.ca regarding their sexual and reproductive health. 77 Deerpoint Road SE 403-278-8263 A social, cultural, and service organization for the An affirming congregation—the full inclusion of 1 Calgary Outlink------✰ http://www.dpuc.ca mature minded and “Plus 40” LGBT individuals LGBT people is essential to our mission and purpose. #4, 1230A 17th Avenue SW Different Strokes seeking to meet others at age-appropriate activities Sharp Foundation 403-234-8973 http://www.differentstrokescalgary.org within a positive, safe environment. 403-272-2912 http://www.calgaryoutlink.com Parents for Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) [email protected] Formerly know as the Gay And Lesbian Community • Swim Practice Sean: 403-695-5791 http://www.thesharpfoundation.com Services Association (GLCSA). SAIT Pool, 1301 - 16th Ave NW No practices on long weekends http://www.pflagcanada.ca Unity Bowling • Peer Support and Crisis Line A registered charitable organization that provides Don’t Buy In Project Let’s Bowl (2916 - 5th Ave NE) 1-877-OUT-IS-OK (1-877-688-4765) support, education and resources to parents, http://www.dontbuyin.ca [email protected] Front-line help service for GLBT individuals and families and individuals who have questions or This Calgary Police Service Initiative aims to Urban Sex Radio Show their family and friends, or anyone questioning concerns about sexual orientation or gender identity. their sexuality. encourage youth to working towards an inclusive CJSW 90.9 FM environment in which diversity is embraced in their Positive Space Committee http://www.cjsw.com schools and community. 4825 Mount Royal Gate SW Focus on sexuality; gay bisexual lesbian trans 403-440-6383 gendered and straight issues here in Calgary and http://www.mtroyal.ca/positivespace around the web.
GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 19 Directory & Events
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7 3 6 4 N 11 12 14
1 Pride Centre------Community Groups 5 The Junction------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 14 FLASH------Bars and Clubs 4 Edmonton STD------Community Groups 7 Down Under Baths------Bathhouses 12 Woody’s------Bars and Clubs
Western Canada Bigmen and Admirers Mon-Fri: 9am-4pm, Sat: 11am-5pm • Lawrence Wong Interactive Male groups.yahoo.com/group/ www.villagebistrocalgary.com 403-870-5001 403-261-2112 trial code 8873 WesternCanadaBigmenGroup/ Sales Consultant 1-800-777-8000 [email protected] Retail Stores Wares & Wear Ventures Inc. www.interactivemale.com Vigor Calgary Adult Depot------✰ See Canada - Retail Stores. Lorne Doucette (CIR Realtors) 403-255-7004 www.vigorcalgary.ca 140, 58th Ave SW 403-258-2777 403-461-9195 Violence in Gay Male Relationships (VIGOR) is a Gay, bi, straight video rentals and sex toys. Services & Products http://www.lornedoucette.com committee of professionals dedicated to increasing 41 La Fleur------Bad Romance Entertainment Marnie Campbell (Maxwell Realtors) the awareness of gay men’s domestic violence and 103 - 100 7th Avenue SW www.badromance-entertainment.com 403-479-8619 the services available to them. 403-266-1707 Calgary Civil Marriage Centre http://www.marniecampbell.ca Florist and Flower Shop. “Yeah...What She Said!” Radio Show 403-246-4134 [email protected] MFM Communications CJSW 90.9 FM The Naked Leaf------Marriage Commissioner for Alberta (aka Justice of 403-543-6970 [email protected] 305 10th Street NW 403-283-3555 the Peace - JP), Marriage Officiant, Commissioner 1-877-543-6970 http://www.thenakedleaf.ca for Oaths. http://www.mfmcommunications.com Restaurants Organic teas and tea ware. 24 Courtney Aarbo (Barristers & Solicitors) Web site hosting and development. Computer 4 Calgary Eagle Inc.------✰ 16 Priape Calgary------✰ 1138 Kensington Road NW hardware and software. See Calgary - Bars and Clubs. 1322 - 17 Ave SW 403-215-1800 403-571-5120 MPs Catering 60 Club Sapien------✰ http://www.priape.com http://www.courtneyaarbo.ca 403-607-8215 1140 10th Ave SW 403-457-4464 Clothing and accessories. Adult toys, leather wear, GLBT legal services. Rick Grenier (Invis) movies and magazines. Gifts. http://www.clubsapien.ca Cruiseline 403-862-1162 [email protected] 9 FAB (formerly Money Pennies)------✰ T&T Honda 403-777-9494 trial code 3500 Mortgage solutions. See Calgary - Bars and Clubs. 888 Meridian Road NE http://www.cruiseline.ca 403-291-1444 Telephone classifieds and chat - 18+ ONLY. 56 Sacred Balance Piercing Halo Steak, Seafood & Wine Bar 1528 - 17th Avenue SW 403-277-4449 [email protected] DevaDave Salon & Boutique Canyon Meadows Plaza www.tandthonda.ca www.sacredbalancetattoo.com 13226 Macleod Trail SE 810 Edmonton Trail NE Tattos and body piercing. • Kelvin Hur 403-290-1973 403-271-4111 SafeWorks www.halorestaurant.com 403-990-9080 Cuts, Colour, Hilights. New Vehicle Sales Manager Free and confidential HIV/AIDS and STI testing. 59 Village Bistro & Lounge------Duncan’s Residential Cleaning 2F, 610 8th Ave SE Jim Duncan: 403-978-6600 403-262-6342 ext 236 Residential cleaning. Free estimates.
20 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 Directory & Events
• Calgary Drop-in Centre 14 FLASH------✰ 4 Edmonton STD with an alcohol addiction or seeking support in Room 117, 423 - 4th Ave SE 10018 105 Street 780-938-2941 11111 Jasper Ave staying sober. 403-699-8216 5 The Junction------✰ Edmonton Vocal Minority • TTIQ Mon-Fri: 9am-12pm, Sat: 12:15pm-3:15pm 10242 106th St 780-756-5667 780-479-2038 [email protected] Green Room – Upstairs • Centre of Hope http://www.junctionedmonton.com www.evmchoir.com [email protected] Room 201, 420 - 9th Ave SE TTIQ is mixed gender open support group addressing PLAY Nightclub (closed)------✰ Exposure 2010 403-410-1180 Mon-Fri: 1pm-5pm the needs of transsexual and transgendered 10220 103 Street 780-497-7529 TBA individuals. • Sheldon M. Chumir Health Centre [email protected] 3 HIV Network Of Edmonton Society---- ✰ 1213 - 4th Str SW 403-955-6014 • Womonspace Board Meeting http://www.playnightclub.ca 9702 111 Ave NW www.hivedmonton.com Sat-Thu: 4:15pm-7:45pm, Fri: Closed Main Space – Upstairs Prism Bar & Grill (closed)------✰ Imperial Sovereign Court of the Wild Rose [email protected] • Safeworks Van 10524 101st St 780-990-0038 http://www.gayedmonton.org Womonspace is a Social and Recreational Society 403-850-3755 http://www.prismbar.ca Sat-Thu: 8pm-12am, Fri: 4pm-12am OUTreach in Edmonton run by volunteers. They provide 12 ✰ Woody’s------ University of Alberta, basement of SUB opportunities for lesbians to interact and support 52 Sandra G. Sebree, Lawyer 11725 Jasper Ave 780-488-6557 [email protected] each other in a safe environment, and to contribute 1610 - 17th Ave SW http://www.ualberta.ca/~outreach to the broader community. 403-228-8108 Bathhouses/Saunas Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender/transsexual, www.sandrasebree.com • Youth Movie 7 Down Under Baths------✰ Queer, Questioning and Straight-but-not-Narrow Main Space – Upstairs TherapyWorks 12224 Jasper Ave 780-482-7960 student group. [email protected] 403-561-6873 http://www.gayedmonton.com 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton------✰ Movie chosen by youth (aged 14 – 25), usually [email protected] 11 Steamworks------✰ 95A Street, 111 Ave 780-488-3234 with LGBT themes. Popcorn is served. http://www.therapyworks.com 11745 Jasper Ave 780-451-5554 [email protected] Take back your life from stress, sadness, and worry. • YouthSpace http://www.steamworksedmonton.com • Community Potluck [email protected] Theatre & Fine Arts Community Groups Main Space – Upstairs A safe and supportive space for GLBTQ youth aged [email protected] 13–25. Video games, computers with internet, 36 ATP, Alberta Theatre Projects Alberta Bears clothing bank, and more. 403-294-7402 http://www.ATPlive.com A potluck open to all members of the LGBTQ www.bearbeef.org community. A time to get together, share a meal Team Edmonton AXIS Contemporary Art------Altview-Strathcona County LGBTQ Group and meet people from the community. [email protected] 107, 100 - 7 Ave SW 403-262-3356 #44, 48 Brentwood Blvd, Sherwood Park, AB http://www.teamedmonton.ca [email protected] www.axisart.ca • Free School www.altview.ca Main Space – Upstairs Members are invited to attend and help determine Fairytales Book Worm’s Book Club [email protected] the board for the next term. If you are interested in See Calgary - Community Groups. running for the board or getting involved in some of Howard McBride Chapel of Chimes Free School provides workshops on a variety of the committees, please contact us. Jubilations Dinner Theatre 10179 - 108 Street topics related to local activism. Bow Trail and 37th St. SW [email protected] • Get Tested for STIs • Badminton (Mixed) 403-249-7799 Buck Naked Boys Club Free STD testing for anyone interested. For more St. Thomas Moore School, 9610 165 Street www.jubilations.ca [email protected] 780-471-6993 information please contact the Pride Centre. New group seeking male & female players. 43 Lisa Heinricks (Artist)------ http://www.bucknakedboys.ca • GLBT Seniors Drop-In Art Central, 100 7th Ave SW, lower level Naturism club for men—being social while everyone Main Space – Upstairs • Badminton (Women’s) http://www.creamydreamy.com is naked, and it does not include sexual activity. [email protected] Oliver School, 10227 - 118 Street Participants do not need to be gay, only male. 780-465-3620 35 One Yellow Rabbit------A social and support group for seniors of all genders [email protected] Big Secret Theatre - EPCOR CENTRE Camp fYrefly and sexualities to talk, have tea and offer each Women’s Drop-In Recreational Badminton. $40.00 403-299-8888 www.oyr.org 7-104 Dept. of Educational Policy Studies other support. Faculty of Education, University of Alberta season or $5.00 per drop in. 37 Pumphouse Theatre------✰ • Men Talking with Pride 2140 Pumphouse Avenue SW Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2G5 Main Space – Upstairs •Ballroom Dancing 403-263-0079 http://www.fyrefly.ualberta.ca [email protected] Foot Notes Dance Studio, 9708-45 Avenue NW Cynthia: 780-469-3281 http://www.pumphousetheatres.ca Edmonton Pride Week Society A social discussion group for gay, bisexual and transgendered men to discuss current issues and to Stagewest------✰ http://www.prideedmonton.org • Blazin’ Bootcamp offer support to each other. Garneau Elementary School 727 - 42 Avenue SE 403-243-6642 Edmonton Prime Timers 10925 - 87 Ave http://www.stagewestcalgary.com [email protected] • Men’s HIV Support Group Green Room – Upstairs [email protected] 58 Theatre Junction------✰ www.primetimersww.org/edmonton [email protected] Theatre Junction GRAND, 608 1st St. SW Group of older gay men and their admirers who come • Bowling (Northern Titans) Support group for people living with HIV/AIDS. 403-205-2922 from diverse backgrounds but have common social Ed’s Rec Room (West Edmonton Mall) [email protected] interests. Affiliated with Prime Timers World Wide. • PFLAG [email protected] $15.00 per person. http://www.theatrejunction.com Edmonton Rainbow Business Association Red room - Downstairs 780-436-1998 3379, 11215 Jasper Ave 780-429-5014 [email protected] • Cross Country Skiing 34 Vertigo Mystery Theatre------Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays: A support 161, 115 - 9 Ave SE 403-221-3708 http://www.edmontonrba.org [email protected] group for family members and friends of GLBT http://www.vertigomysterytheatre.com Primary focus is the provision of networking • Curling with Pride people. An excellent resource for people whose opportunities for LGBT owned or operated and LGBT- Granite Curling Club, 8620 107 Street NW family members and friends have just come out. friendly businesses in the Edmonton region. [email protected] • Prime Timers Edmonton Edmonton Illusions Social Club • Cycling (Edmonton Prideriders) See Edmonton Primetimers. 5 Boots Bar & Grill Various locations in Edmonton Bars & Clubs 780-387-3343 • Suit Up and Show Up: AA Big Book Study [email protected] groups.yahoo.com/group/edmonton_illusions Downstairs Couch Area 6 Buddy’s Nite Club------✰ • Dragon Boat (Flaming Dragons) Discussion and support group for those struggling 11725 Jasper Ave 780-488-6636 [email protected]
GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 21 Directory & Events
EDMONTON EVENTS Youth Understanding Youth------ 7-9pm Youth Movie Night------ 6:30-8:30 Tuesday, November 9th At 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton Annual General Meeting------ 5:30pm Mondays Mixed Badminton------ 8-10pm Youth Understanding Youth------ 7-9pm By ERBA Boot Camp------ 7-8pm See Team Edmonton Jan13End of May At 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton Four Points (7230 Argyll Road) Red Deer Room See Team Edmonton Thursdays Saturdays Saturday, November 13th Men’s HIV Support Group------ 7-9pm GLBT Seniors Drop-in------ 1-4pm Naturalist Gettogether------ ??? Festive Dinner and Dance------ 7pm See Pride Centre of Edmonton 2nd See Pride Centre of Edmonton See Buck Naked Boys Club 2nd By Womonspace Bellevue Community Hall Curling------ 7:15pm Get Tested for STIs------ 3-6pm AA Big Book Study------ 12-1pm See Team Edmonton Oct4Mar21 See Pride Centre of Edmonton Last See Pride Centre of Edmonton Saturday, November 20th Tuesdays Youthspace------ 3-7pm Monthly Meeting------ 2:30pm Transgender Day of Remembrance---- 4-6pm GLBT Seniors Drop-in------ 1-4pm See Pride Centre of Edmonton By Edmonton Primetimers 2nd Enterprise Square (10230 Jasper Ave NW) See Pride Centre of Edmonton Friday, November 26th Youth Sports/Recreation------ 4pm Unitarian Church, 10804 - 119th Street TTIQ------ 2-4pm See Youth Understanding Youth Youthspace------ 3-6:30pm Crowns for Kids------ 8-11pm See Pride Centre of Edmonton 2nd By ISCWR at 5 The Junction GLBT African Group------ 6pm See Pride Centre of Edmonton Youthspace------ 3-7pm At 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton 2nd Bowling------ 5pm Saturday, October 16th See Pride Centre of Edmonton Swimming------ 7-8pm See Team Edmonton Green Affair------6-11:30pm Bowling------ 6:45-9pm See Team Edmonton Sept9Dec21 Sundays At 5 The Junction See Team Edmonton Sept7Mar15 Saturday, October 23rd Youth Understanding Youth------ 7-9pm Running------ 10-11am Community Potluck------ 7-9pm At 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton See Team Edmonton AGM & Dance------ 7pm See Pride Centre of Edmonton Last By Womonspace Book Club------ 7:30pm Free School------ 11-5pm Bellevue Community Hall Recreational Volleyball------ 8:30-10:30pm See BookWorm’s Book Club 3rd See Pride Centre of Edmonton 2nd, 4th 7308 112 Avenue NW See Team Edmonton Oct5 Womonspace Meeting------ 12:30-1:30pm Martial Arts------ 7:30-8:30pm Sunday, October 24th Swimming------ 7:30-8:30pm See Team Edmonton See Pride Centre of Edmonton 1st All You Can Eat Perogies------ 5-8pm See Team Edmonton Sept9Dec21 Yoga------ 2-3:30pm Intermediate Volleyball------ 7:30-9:30pm By ISCWR at 5 The Junction Martial Arts------ 7:30-8:30pm See Team Edmonton See Team Edmonton See Team Edmonton Fridays Men Talking with Pride------ 7-9pm Wednesdays Edmonton Illusions------ 8:30pm See Pride Centre of Edmonton PFLAG------ 12:10pm At 5 The Junction 2nd Ballroom Dancing------ 7:30-8:30pm See Pride Centre of Edmonton 1st Youthspace------ 3-6:30pm See Team Edmonton Youthspace------ 3-7pm See Pride Centre of Edmonton Monthly Meetings------2:30pm See Pride Centre of Edmonton Youth Sports/Recreation------ 4pm Unitarian Church (10804 119th Street) Youth Sports/Recreation------ 4pm See Youth Understanding Youth See Edmonton Primetimers 2nd See Youth Understanding Youth Legend: = Monthly Reoccurrance, = Date (Range), = Sponsored Event
• Golf Season fee is $30.00 per person. $10 discount for [email protected] • Sports and Recreation [email protected] players from the 2008 season. E-mail if interested. Brendan: 780-488-3234 • Gymnastics, Drop-in • Snowballs III • Volleyball, Intermediate [email protected] Ortona Gymnastics Club, 8755 - 50 Avenue February 5-7th, 2010 Amiskiwacy Academy (101 Airport Road) Restaurants [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] 5 The Junction------Have the whole gym to yourselves and an instructor Skiing and Snowboarding Weekend. • Volleyball, Recreational 10242 106th St 780-756-5667 to help you achieve your individual goals. Cost is • Soccer Mother Teresa School (9008 - 105 Ave) $5.00 per session. [email protected] [email protected] 8 Prism Bar & Grill------✰ See Edmonton - Bars and Clubs. • Hockey • Spin • Women’s Lacrosse [email protected] MacEwan Centre for Sport and Wellness Sharon: 780-461-0017 12 Woody’s------✰ • Martial Arts 109 St. and 104 Ave Pam: 780-436-7374 11725 Jasper Ave 780-488-6557 15450 - 105 Ave (daycare entrance) Wednesdays, 5:45-6:45pm Open to women 21+, experienced or not, all are 780-328-6414 Season has ended. welcome. Call for info. Retail Stores [email protected] [email protected] • Yoga Rodéo Drive [email protected] 7 classes, $28.00 per registrant. Grant MacEwan Centre 11528 - 89th Street Drop-ins welcome. • Swimming (Making Waves) Dance Studio ,Room 186, 10045 - 156 Street 780-474-0413 • Outdoor Pursuits NAIT Pool (11762 - 106 Street) [email protected] [email protected] http://www.rodeodrive.ca [email protected] [email protected] Womonspace His and hers fetish wear, toys, jewelry, etc. • Running (Arctic Frontrunners) www.makingwavesswimclub.ca 780-482-1794 Emily Murphy Park, west end • Tennis [email protected] Products & Services [email protected] Kinsmen Sports Centre www.womonspace.ca All genders and levels of runners and walkers are Sundays, 12pm-3pm Women’s social group, but all welcome at events. Cruiseline invited to join this free activity. [email protected] 780-413-7122 trial code 3500 Youth Understanding Youth http://www.cruiseline.ca • Slo Pitch • Ultimate Frisbee 780-248-1971 www.yuyedm.ca Telephone classifieds and chat - 18+ ONLY. Parkallen Field, 111 st and 68 ave Sundays A support and social group for queer youth 12-25. [email protected] Summer Season starts July 12th
22 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 Directory & Events
LETHBRIDGE EVENTS GRANDE PRAIRIE EVENTS Saturday, November 27th Fridays Wednesdays Men’s Dance------ 9pm-2am Friday Mixer------ 10pm Coffee Night------ 7-9pm By GALA/LA See GALA/LA By GALAP Grand Prairie Moose Hall (1401 5 Ave N) Saturday, November 13th GALAP Office (10113 - 103 Avenue) Women’s Dance------ 9pm-2am By GALA/LA Moose Hall (1401 5 Ave N)
Interactive Male Canadian Rainbow Health Coalition 780-409-3333 trial code 8871 Grande Prairie P.O. Box 3043, Saskatoon, SK, S7K 3S9 1-800-777-8000 Red Deer (306) 955-5135 www.interactivemale.com Community Groups Community Groups 1-800-955-5129 Robertson-Wesley United Church http://www.rainbowhealth.ca GALAP Affirm 10209 - 123 St. NW 780-482-1587 10113 - 103 Ave, T8V 1C2 Sunnybrook United Church Egale Canada [email protected] www.rwuc.org 780-512-1990 403-347-6073 8 Wellington St E, Third Floor Worship: Sunday mornings at 10:30am Gay and Lesbian Association of the Peace. 2nd Tuesday of the month, 7pm Toronto, Ontario, M5E 1C5 People of all sexual orientations welcome. Other • Wednesday Coffee Nights Composed of LGBTQ people, their friends, family 1-888-204-7777 www.egale.ca LGBT events include a monthly book club and and allies. No religious affiliation necessary. Egale Canada is the national advocacy and lobby a bi-monthly film night. As a caring spiritual Activities include support, faith and social justice organization for gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, community, we’d love to have you join us! Lethbridge discussions, film nights, and potlucks! trans-identified people and our families. • Soul OUTing Membership fees are pay-what-you-can, although Second Sunday every month, 7pm Community Groups pre-authorized monthly donors are encouraged (and An LGBT-focused alternative worship. Alberta get a free Egale Canada t-shirt). Egale has several GALA/LA committees that meet by teleconference on a • Film Night 403-308-2893 Bi-monthly, contact us for exact dates. Community Groups regular basis; membership on these is national with http://www.galalethbridge.ca members from every region of Canada. • Book Club Gay and Lesbian Alliance of Lethbridge and Area. Central Alberta AIDS Network Society Monthly, contact us for exact dates. • Monthly Dances 4611-50 Avenue, Red Deer, AB Products & Services Same Gender Speed Dating Ltd. Henotic (402 - 2 Ave S) http://www.caans.org The Central Alberta AIDS Network Society is the Squirt 780-221-8535 Bring your membership card and photo ID. http://www.squirt.org www.samegenderdating.com local charity responsible for HIV prevention and • Monthly Potluck Dinners support in Central Alberta. Website for dating and hook-ups. 18+ ONLY! An LGBT-focused alternative worship. McKillop United Church, 2329 - 15 Ave S • Gay Male Speed Dating GALA/LA will provide the turkey...you bring the rest. Western Canadian Pride Campout Theatre & Fine Arts www.eventmasterinc.net Boston Pizza Private Party Room, Whyte Ave Please bring a dish to share that will serve 4-6 Broadway Across Canada TBA people, and your own beverage. YouthSafe http://www.broadwayacrosscanada.ca Must pre-register to attend - please contact us. http://www.youthsafe.net • Support Line OUTtv Alberta’s website for youth with sex-and-gender • Lesbian Speed Dating 403-308-2893 http://www.outtv.ca differences. Youthsafe.net lists the resources, Boston Pizza Private Party Room, Whyte Ave Monday OR Wednesday, 7pm-11pm GLBT Television Station. TBA Leave a message any other time. information and services to help youth find safe and caring spaces in Alberta. Must pre-register to attend - please contact us. • Friday Mixer The Mix (green water tower) Theatre & Fine Arts Theatre & Fine Arts 103 Mayor Magrath Dr S Alberta Ballet Exposure Festival Every Friday at 10pm http://www.exposurefestival.ca http://www.albertaballet.com Gay & Lesbian Integrity Assoc. (GALIA) Edmonton’s Queer Arts and Culture Festival. Frequent productions in Calgary and Edmonton. University of Lethbridge [email protected] The Roxy Theatre GBLTTQQ club on campus. 10708 124th Street, Edmonton AB • Movie Night 780-453-2440 Canada Room C610, University of Lethbridge www.theatrenetwork.ca Gay Youth Alliance Group Community Groups Betty, 403-381-5260 [email protected] Alberta Trans Support/Activities Group Banff/Canmore Every second Wednesday, 3:30pm-5pm http://www.albertatrans.org A nexus for transgendered persons, regardless of Community Groups Lethbridge HIV Connection 1206 - 6 Ave S where they may be on the continuum. Mountain Pride PFLAG Canada BOX 4892, BANFF, AB, T1L 1G1 1-888-530-6777 Brian, 403-431-2569 [email protected] 1-800-958-9632 www.pflagcanada.ca [email protected] www.gaybanff.com Pride Lethbridge Serving the GLBTQS community in Banff, Canmore, [email protected] Lake Louise and Area.
GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 23 Charlie David - From Page 8
“The weirdest part is having my family read it. I got a call from my a lot of other sources. I am putting it out there, and hoping that people Grandmother and she was coming out to Montreal to spend Thanksgiving will be interested enough to give it a read.” weekend with me. I was finishing the edits on the e-book ofShadowlands Shadowlands will at times stretch your comfort zone, other times may and she said she had read Boy Midflight on the plane. My heart stopped. arouse you, and will certainly make you think. Overall it is a damn fine Boy Midflight was my first book and there is lots of sex and graphic ideas read, and the nice thing is that it can be digested it in small segments. about sexuality in it. The thought that my Grandma was sitting on a “If people have enjoyed Mulligans or Bump!, or some of the other work plane reading a book with two boys in their underwear on the cover is I have out there, it offers a really different insight into who I am as a hilarious. I was fine writing it, but the idea of my Grandma ever reading person. I really enjoy anthologies, it is nice to be able to sit down and it, I didn’t know what I would do. She said, it is a real education reading absorb a story in 10 minutes or half an hour. ... A lot of us don’t take this, and I thought, yeah I bet. In terms of writing it, we all have sexual the time to read anymore, or to read a full length novel. This offers the fantasies and it is fun to imagine them and put them down on paper, opportunity to have a little morsel, little daydreams, and go on your to share and explore in that way. I think that is part of my journey. My way.” stories, although there is sex in them, I don’t perceive them as being pornographic. There is a realistic depiction of sex that happens and they Actor, Director, Screenwriter, Producer, Author, TV Show Host... are part of a bigger journey overall.” Charlie David certainly knows how to keep busy. Writers often need to come up with unique ways to promote their “Overall when people ask me what I do or what I am, I am a storyteller. work. One of the ways David has accomplished this was by creating a That is all it is; I tell them in different formats. I have unique “trailer” for his work. always had that urge from a young age to share stories. Because my life is kind of weird - I don’t have “It is a very interesting time in publishing. We are seeing lots of Mom a 9 to 5 job - I am faced with times of being intensely & Pop bookstores closing, and unfortunately a lot of LGBT bookstores busy and then periods of downtime, like these last closing too. We are seeing a lot of changes in the movie, TV, and couple of weeks in Montreal. I just hang out and publishing industry. It is becoming more and more about individuals spend my leisure time as I like. I find I enjoy it the being able to create, using social media. Lots of people put up videos on most when I continue to be creative and make stories YouTube that explode and then they have a TV show. The grander media and have little goals and push them forward. I would is paying attention to some of those more grassroots movements.” get very bored otherwise.” “Because I do video, I thought it would be an interesting idea to put together a video trailer for a book. I had seen a few other people do it and thought it was fun. I went to an FX house in Victoria and they had Shadowlands available now. a massive green screen, and started to brainstorm interesting ways to put it together. It was so much to play with, the circus theme: me as www.CharlieDavid.com the author being a ringmaster and inviting people into the dark circus Win a hardcopy or e-book copy at GayCalgary.com of my mind.” “Otherwise in terms of promotion, I am doing some book signings as I travel around with BUMP!; online promotion; I have a paperback and http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1902 e-book, with an audio book coming shortly on iTunes and Audible; and View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments
24 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 Interview - From Page 13
(Franco’s) ears a bit – that’s the only prosthetic work, and the experience of it and you see a particular interpretation of it, rest is just makeup and hair dye and performance. that may not be the interpretation you imagined. Such a big part of the film are the visual aspects, those Ginsberg’s partners in the movies are interestingly animated interpretations of the poem. How did you develop disengaged; they have no speaking lines. Was that a conscious those? decision? JF: We discovered the work of Eric Drooker, who had RE: You know, sometimes the decisions you make are collaborated with Ginsberg on a book of poems called conscious because you have to work within the means that Illuminated Poems, published shortly before Allen died. you have, and we had 14 shooting days. There are only so Eric was a younger artist and graphic novelist who lived in many speaking parts that the budget will allow, but we also the neighborhood in New York where Allen lived for most like the notion that these three men who were so important to of his life, so they knew each other for years. It felt like a him in his life – and are all manifested in the poem – are only collaboration that had already begun; we were just taking it expressed as physical characters in the movie. They all have one step further. a very physical connection to Allen in the movie, but it’s not Why was that a direction you wanted to go in? spelled out in any kind of articulated dialogue. RE: We wanted the poem to live in the movie. We wanted JF: I think we thought consciously about making it feel like the audience to have a cinematic experience of the poem, and Allen’s memory, and using the style of films from the black- we wanted it to be in the present tense. I mean, we wanted and-white period. everything – even though it’s a historical film, a historical RE: Pull My Daisy was one, which was a beat film (from drama and, in a sense, a historical documentary – to all play 1959) with Ginsberg that has no dialogue. in the present tense, including the poem and the animation. Ginsberg believed in complete confession and, as he says We felt it was a way to have a modern interpretation of the in the poem, in showing his “asshole to the world.” Would you poem in a kind of contemporary vernacular; but we could agree? still have it reference the period that it’s speaking to and still JF: I believe in complete frankness. But I don’t know if I also speak to the period that we’re in now, so that was our need to show my asshole to the world! I don’t know if the world thinking. It seems to be the element of the film that has the really cares about my asshole (laughs). most controversy to it. The fact that people are responding to it Care to show yours to the world, Rob? in different ways is good because that’s how people responded to the poem – and still do. RE: No – I’m much too shy a person. But I certainly get the point. And in the way it applies to art, it’s a good aspiration. Why do you think there’s so much controversy around the animation? RE: People have their own visualization and their own mind’s eye, and it’s probably not unlike if one were to do a movie of http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1904 a novel – that if you read a novel and you’re having your own View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments
GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 25 Politics Bullying Is Deadly
By Stephen Lock to be the one who is pro-active and “go to an adult.” This is easier said than done, especially when you are having your Bullying, we’ve come to realize in recent years, is not self-esteem and sense of self-worth actively eroded. Is that just teasing. It is a form of assault. I don’t think it’s erosion not the very definition of emotional abuse? overstating the case to say it is a form of psychic assault. I recall when I was 14, and being constantly bullied, saying to The effects of being bullied can last for years and affect my parents I just wished my tormentors would beat me up and how one responds to the world. be done with it. At least being physically assaulted had some Years ago, bullying was pretty much confined to school and definition to it, something concrete. But that never happened. maybe some of the social spaces kids share. That didn’t make Oh sure, there were threats - constant threats - of “getting me” it any easier for the kid being bullied, but at least there was after school, the occasional shove in the hallways, but most of home to escape to. Now, with the Internet and social networks the harassment was...I can’t even name it now, all these years being ubiquitous, escaping bullying is virtually impossible. later. I suppose the closest I can come to describing it is social With sites like Facebook and YouTube, it is now possible to isolation, verbal harassment and emotional undermining; a post worldwide. Anyone and everyone can be exposed to the daily, never-ending picking away at my sense of self. It was shame that being bullied brings and, for many people, that is devastating. just too much to bear. With the recent attention being paid to bullying, and In recent weeks the media has been filled with reports of in particular to cyber-bullying, we now see the incredible suicides as the result of cyber-bullying. In one instance an phenomenon of a sitting President of the United States speaking 18-year old Rutgers University freshman, Tyler Clementi, out in support of GLBTQ youth and against bullying. jumped off New York’s George Washington Bridge after his President Obama has taken the unprecedented step of roommate posted videos of him having sex with another male. recording a video spot for the It Gets Better Project, that was then The roommate is not being charged with murder, since he posted on YouTube and the White House website. He relates didn’t “directly” kill Clementi. What he has been charged with that while he cannot know what it is like to be bullied for being is invasion of privacy. What sort of soulless self-involved jerk gay, he knows what it is like to feel like you don’t fit in, that does that sort of thing? The poster is not just some kid who took you are different and don’t belong. He reinforced the Project’s a practical joke too far; he’s a sociopath, totally disinterested message that, while it may not seem so to a kid suffering from and uncaring about anybody but himself. And he’s not alone. bullying, it does get better. And it does, but knowing that More and more kids are becoming disconnected from the world on an intellectual level and feeling it are two separate things. and other people, as their connection to the Internet becomes For many kids and teenagers whose own development has yet more widespread. That scares me, to be honest. to include an ability to understand consequences perhaps, or Kids often cannot escape the bullying unless an adult grasp that what is happening in the now is only in the now intervenes and, even at that, the intervention doesn’t stop the and not forever, (and this is absolutely a developmental issue bullying, it simply alters it. Bullies will find other ways to in that below a certain age, the brain simply does not process torment their victims. Having an adult intervene can set the things and situations the way an adult brain does) such a victim up as a ‘tattle-tale’, or worse - and the kid is victimized message may not carry that much weight. even more. What does carry weight, I would suspect, is hearing the Cyber-bullying is insidious. Adults are often totally unaware President of the United States, and a president whose campaign of what is happening on the sites frequented by their kids and resonated with the youth of America unlike any campaign teens. For the most part, these sites are pretty innocuous but since the era of John F. Kennedy, speaking out in support of they can be used to bully, and are. GLBTQ youth. That, in itself, is enough to give hope to at least some of our kids...and they are “our kids”....that they are not The upside, if one can use the term, is that the issue is alone and that someone understands and gives a damn. garnering serious attention. It wasn’t too many years ago that bullying was dismissed as some sort of rite of passage that He also pointed out there is an obligation to ensure schools youths had to endure. It was often perceived, by adults and are safe for “all of our kids” and he also made a point of other authority figures, as an object lesson of how to adapt mentioning that, “in time, you will see your differences are a and “fit in.” Bullying, while not actively supported by adults source of pride and a source of strength. You will look back (that would appear heartless), was at least tacitly accepted as on the struggles you faced with compassion and wisdom and a form of self-policing amongst youth, a sort of peer-pressure that’s not going to just serve you, but, you know, help you get being exerted that supposedly ensured that a child learned involved and help make this country a better place. It’ll mean what was appropriate behaviour amongst his or her peers. you will be more likely to help fight discrimination and not just against LBGT Americans, but discrimination in all its forms. Of course, this was totally off-base and a complete ... It’s more likely you will understand personally and deeply misunderstanding of the dynamics involved. Bullying is never why it’s so important, as adults, we set an example in our own about “teaching” anything. Those who are bullied can attest lives and we treat everybody with respect and see the world to the reality that, no matter how they try to fit in - to adopt through other people’s eyes and stand in their shoes - that we the right clothes for instance, or behave like their peers - the never lose sight of what binds us together.” bullying continues. In fact, the desperate attempt to fit in can be a source of further attacks. It seems, to the one being He added, “As a nation, we are founded on the belief that all bullied, that no matter what he or she does, says, or tries, the of us are equal and each of us deserves the freedom to pursue bullying is never-ending and can escalate in some instances. our own version of happiness, to make the most of our talents, It is not the one being bullied who needs to change; it is the to speak our minds, to not fit in, but most of ones doing the bullying who need to be held accountable and all to be true to ourselves. That’s the freedom create change in their behaviour and attitudes. that enriches all of us, that’s what America is all about, and every day it gets better.” The ‘blame the victim’ mentality has come to an end in almost any instance one might care to name, except in instances of While the release of the video is notable, bullying. Well-meaning adults, including concerned parents, being the first time a president has spoken continue in many instances to counsel the victim to ignore directly about the effects of anti-GLBTQ the verbal attacks, to stand up for themselves, to fight back, discrimination, the Obama administration
26 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 Q Scopes has taken it further by launching a presidential campaign against homophobic bullying. “Think carefully, Aries!” The campaign does not break new legal ground but it does offer a comprehensive guide to how American civil rights law The Sun in Scorpio in hard aspect to Pluto in Capricorn applies to schools, colleges and university campuses and makes problems seem more horrible and desperate than informs teachers and university officials how federal law they really are. Mercury in Sagittarius offers proportion; regards situations of harassment and discrimination, and how institutions should deal with cases. discussing your troubles with friends will help. Included in the campaign are guidelines for teachers that it ARIES (March 20 – April 19): Take any challenge as an may not be enough to simply reprimand the bullies. Amongst intellectual problem that can be solved. Letting your ego get the suggestions are placing bullies who are, after all, the in the way is sure to get you into big trouble. Especially where ones with the problem, into counselling, to label bullying your reputation and ambitions are concerned, think carefully as discriminatory and encourage other students to report before responding. incidents. TAURUS (April 20 – May 20): Conflicts with your partner In a letter sent out to schools, colleges and universities, are better solved in the bedroom than in any argument. No the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the Department of partner? This is not the time to find one, but you can have one Education outlined the legal obligations that school staff have hell of an adventure with someone new and very different. to protect students from peer harassment based on race, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation or disability. GEMINI (May 21- June 20): Any little symptom might look serious, but it could just be hypochondria. Have your partner “Harassing conduct may take many forms, including verbal or a friend take a look and see if it’s worth going to a doctor. If acts and name-calling; graphic and written statements, which it might be an STD just go to the clinic. may include use of cell phones or the Internet; or other conduct that may be physically threatening, harmful or humiliating. ... CANCER (June 21- July 22): grand gesture to please your A school is responsible for addressing harassment incidents partner won’t. Doing something practical and helpful, maybe a about which it knows or reasonably should have known.” big household chore your baby’s been griping about, is better In addition to the guidelines issued in the letter to educators, than chocolates and flowers – not to rule those out entirely! the Department of Education will also hold workshops LEO (July 23 – August 22): Ailments that run in the family across the country in early 2011 to assist school officials in may surface. It’s a good time to check those out, perhaps nip understanding their legal responsibilities and to learn about something in the bud. Probably nothing to worry about, and steps they can take to prevent problems on campus. besides taking positive actions you can allay any fears by Such actions are a seismic shift in attitudes towards focusing instead on creative expression. bullying. It is finally being seen, and named, for what it is: VIRGO (August 23 – September 22): Problems with siblings discrimination, harassment, and even hate. Much bullying and neighbors are especially irritating and not to be solved is immature one-up-manship where kids struggling to assure now. Taking your vengeance in writings or caricatures not to their own niche in the social order, safeguard it by going after be seen can help clarify things, but you have to center on your those perceived to be weaker, less popular, or different – but responsibility for your side of the problem. that in no way excuses it, and those who engage in bullying LIBRA (September 23 – October 22): Household expenses need to be brought to task for their actions. Turning a blind present a problem, but it’s too easily exaggerated into the eye to it or viewing it as “kids being kids” gives it strength. It overwhelming catastrophe that it’s not. Focus on the real issue is, when all is said and done, a tacit approval of the behaviour and talk it over with a sensible confidante to keep everything and that is unacceptable. in manageable proportion. What also needs to be addressed is the casual use of “gay” Before opening your as some sort of put down. I work in an environment that has SCORPIO (October 23 – November 21): mouth, think twice about what really matters and how you’ll a lot of high school students, and I can tell you the frequency look after you’ve said what cannot be unsaid. Sitting too tightly of anti-GLBTQ comments, simply tossed off as some sort of on your words could cause an explosion. Say your piece; just simile for ‘gross’ or ‘ugly’ or ‘lame’ or as a way of ‘getting at’ be thoughtful! another student - it is huge. Sometimes it is out-and-out homophobia but more often it’s just a word…except it isn’t. SAGITTARIUS (November 22 – December 20): Getting lost in Just as it is no longer acceptable to talk about “being Jewed” your own thoughts can leave you feeling like you don’t measure when one feels one has been cheated, or to use the “N-word,” up to your ideals. Better you should discuss those conflicts it should be unacceptable to blithely toss out “gay”, “queer”, with a trustworthy friend. Besides, ideals should be a bit out of “dyke”, or “fag” as epithets. reach. Just do your best. Such comments need to be challenged every time one CAPRICORN (December 21 – January 19): You may be encounters them. This is not as easy as it sounds. Even as an expecting too much of your friends. They are only human and, adult who spent 20 years in the trenches of gay activism, I still remember, so are you. Take any complaints to someone you feel a knot in my gut when I challenge this and get met with can trust to tell you what you need to hear, not necessarily “What’s your problem, man? You queer too?” Is that enough what you want to hear. to just let the comments slide? No, it’s not. I don’t tolerate AQUARIUS (January 20 – February 18): Worrying too much anti-Semitic, Islamophobic, racist or sexist comments. So about your personal ambitions can trip you up. Think in the why would I allow homophobic comments? longer run about what you want for the world, discuss those In order for my actions to have any weight, however, it ideals with your friends and re-imagine your career in that is necessary that others buy into it as well, just as in order context. for anti-homophobic bullying initiatives to have any weight, PISCES (February 19 – March 19): Trying to solve the world’s society as a whole has to buy into them and speak out. problems is a distraction from the work you need to do for Political and social leaders have finally stepped up to the yourself. Have a long talk with your boss or a professional plate. We all need to. role model, and be very ready for some hard but constructive criticism. Jack Fertig, a professional astrologer since 1977, is available for personal and business consultations in person in San Francisco, or online everywhere. He can http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1907 be reached at 415-864-8302, through his Web site at www.starjack.com. View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments
GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 27 Gossip
Sandra Bullock, courtesy of Warner Bros
through Abu Dhabi in identity-concealing cloaks everything will be Deep Inside Hollywood fine. Johnny Depp would like a drink Zachary Quinto wants Your Number Rob Marshall, the gay director of Chicago and Memoirs of a Romeo San Vicente Geisha, has been working with Johnny Depp recently on Pirates of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. And Depp must think pretty In his recent video contribution to the “It Gets Better” project, highly of him because the actor is itching to get Marshall to direct Star Trek star Zachary Quinto offered up heartfelt encouragement him in a remake of the classic comedy The Thin Man. Don’t know to gay teenagers and walked right up to the edge of a personal what that is, young person? It’s the 1934 Hollywood high-water coming out (rumored to be gay, the actor keeps his private life mark of witty banter starring William Powell as wealthy, always- out of the press). But his new feature film, the ensemble comedy drunk Nick Charles, who along with his socialite wife Nora, played What’s Your Number? places him squarely in the realm of hetero by Myrna Loy, solve mysteries and down cocktails. In other words, romantic comedy. Starring Anna Faris – who realizes that she’s had the perfect offbeat starring vehicle for Johnny Depp (and Lauren twice as many relationships as the average woman and cuts off all Graham –she had plenty of practice with that kind of rat-a-tat men, deciding instead to work backward through the guys she’s delivery on Gilmore Girls, so someone give her a shot) and a chance discarded to see who should get a second chance – the movie also for Marshall to work his period film magic again like he did with features every young, good-looking guy in Hollywood right now as Chicago. One more request, though: Could it be in black and white? her sizeable team of exes. Joining Quinto will be Chris Evans, Ryan Please? Phillippe, Dave Annable (of Brothers and Sisters), Joel McHale, Andy Samberg, Parks and Recreation’s Chris Pratt and White Collar Rocky Horrifying star Matthew Bomer (who’s seemingly openly gay but has still had his own share of is-he-or-isn’t-he press). See who Faris reboots in In its 35 year history, The Rocky Horror Picture Show has gone from box-office flop to enduring midnight-movie sensation as well spring 2011. as seen its brazenly in-your-face pansexuality move from shocking to sweet-enough-for-primetime tributes on Fox’s Glee. So while it’s Oprah and Meryl and Sandra in the same movie. No, not surprising that someone wants to remake the beloved weirdo seriously musical, it’s a little bit odd to see Glee’s creator Ryan Murphy in Michael Patrick King must be a wizard. Who else could foist talks to take the movie’s reins. As a screenwriter, the man is wicked something as terrible as Sex and the City 2 on an unsuspecting with the sharp-tongued dialogue. He could rise to task. But is his world and bounce back this ferociously without even spending a directorial approach too sanitized and clean to take on the scruffy, little bit of time in Movie Jail? It’s enough to make you believe in a deranged, rock ‘n’ roll world of Rocky Horror? Could he make it not Hollywood Velvet Mafia. But bounce he has with his latest untitled just gay but dirty too? Because if you’re going to toucha-toucha- comedy that already features the slam-dunk casting coup of the toucha touch Janet on the big screen, that’s kind of how you need year: the three-headed power-hydra of Oprah, Meryl and Sandra. to be. At least they’re not approaching Ron Howard, right? That’s right, you don’t even need their last names at this point (For Romeo San Vicente is no virgin, Rocky Horror or otherwise. . He can be the record, though: Winfrey, Streep and Bullock, respectively.) The reached care of this publication. film in question is set up at Universal Pictures and is an ensemble piece set at a Home Shopping Network-like work environment featuring what will certainly be a glamorous trip into manic behavior http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1909 and unreality. And really, as long as they don’t all wind up running View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments
28 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 Community Diversity Project Brings AIDS Calgary’s Holiday Hamper Awareness to Campus A Program that Brings a Smile in Tough Times Edmonton’s MacEwan University Shows LGBTQ Community Support By Mark Randall By Janine Eva Trotta Calgarians have a strong tradition of caring for people living in poverty during the Holiday season; donating Edmonton’s Grant MacEwan University is becoming a to food banks, service agencies and gift foundations to warm, welcoming and inclusive place for LGBTQ and make this time in people’s lives a little warmer. allied communities, thanks largely to the growing reach Did you know that there is a strong relationship between poverty of the MacEwan Diversity Project (MDP) and the student and HIV, an illness that can affect any one of us? A person living group InQUEERies. with HIV can experience side-effects that make it more difficult to Joshua Stewart, who co-chairs both groups, says the university hold on to a career, especially if they run the risk of being fired or has shown an overwhelming amount of support and backing for the discriminated against if they disclose their status. If a person with MDP, which re-launched last year, stemming from both faculty and HIV loses their job they may qualify for financial assistance but the students. amount they receive is often not enough to cover the basics of life. “The change since last year… has been nothing short of remarkable,” Even if this assistance covers costs such as rent, utilities and food Stewart states. “Last year a student coming to MacEwan would be there isn’t always spending money left to do something as simple as out of luck if looking for any visible, active queer organizations at any put together a special holiday meal. of [the university] campuses. Beyond that, staff, faculty and visitors That’s why, every year at this time, AIDS Calgary collects supplies would be hard pressed to find any information, support services, or and donations for our Holiday Hamper program. Included in each contacts specified to GLBT needs within the university as a whole.” hamper are toiletries, bus tickets, a small present, a hand-made It’s a much different story now. This month the MDP launches holiday card, and a gift card that can be used for groceries to make a their inaugural page on the university website, providing LGBTQ holiday meal to suit their own culture and tastes. resources for anyone who wishes to utilize them. Coral Bush, Information and Support Worker at AIDS Calgary, In addition, the MDP’s positive space campaign is an active initiative says that there’s a very positive response to the Holiday Hamper spreading LGBTQ information and support across MacEwan’s program: “My favorite part is when I phone people to tell them when four campuses and into the community. The group created a logo, their hampers are going to be delivered, and people are always in a posters, and stickers to spread the word and the message, and to very happy mood. It’s probably one of my favorite things that I do inspire a more diverse and queer-friendly educational and social here.” environment. Kim, a volunteer who has delivered hampers for the past two “Staff within the student resource centre are displaying the MDP years, says that being involved in the Holiday Hamper program is an stickers and understand the importance of creating a welcoming incredibly rewarding and humbling experience: “the first gentleman I environment for all students,” says Karen Heslop, the second co- dropped off my hamper to last year was so thankful that there were chair for the MDP and director of the Student Resource Centre. almost tears in his eyes. It just really touched me. It was nice to be able to reach out.” The MDP hosts diversity and sensitivity training workshops, movie nights and discussion groups. October’s forum, entitled simply, The Holiday Hamper program is just one part of AIDS Calgary’s Coming Out, drew a crowd larger than chairs could accommodate in commitment to reducing the harm associated with HIV/AIDS in this MacEwan’s student lounge. city. We work alongside people at risk for and living with HIV/AIDS to ensure there is necessary access to the information and resources “People shared their coming out stories with people that maybe needed to live a full and fulfilling life in a compassionate and just have not yet come out,” Stewart says. society. In recognition and solidarity with those teens that have recently This holiday season we ask that you make a contribution to AIDS committed suicide in the United States as a result of discriminatory, Calgary’s Hamper program, and bring a smile to someone going homophobic bullying, InQUEERies held a You Are Loved chalk event through a tough time. For only $50 you can sponsor toiletries and in the main foyer of the university on October 4th. More than 150 personal care items, for $100 a family holiday dinner or for $150 an students and faculty participated, inscribing messages of hope and entire hamper for an individual or family in need this holiday season. sharing their stories on how the suicides have affected them. Donations of cash and volunteer time are always warmly welcomed. “It gave students something to think about,” Stewart states. You can also donate gifts in kind to be included in our hampers (call On November 25th, a forum and academic panel discussion will be us at 403-508-2500 for more information on gift in kind donations). held on cultural representations of LGBTQ in media, and the following You can make a donation online, in person at our Calgary Cares weekend both InQUEERies and MDP will be supporting Edmonton at Centre, or by phone. Thank you for your generosity during this the Gay Cup Grey Cup Party, November 27th. holiday season. “It feels like we’re doing a lot right now,” says Stewart, “and I’m really happy to see what’s going on.”
AIDS Calgary Awareness Association MacEwan Diversity Project Holiday Hamper Program www.gaycalgary.com/u149 110, 1603 – 10 Avenue SW, Calgary InQUEERies 403-508-2500 www.gaycalgary.com/u156 www.aidscalgary.org http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1910 http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1911 View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments
GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 29 Out of Town Getting to Know Toronto
Toronto Downtown skyline.
by Andrew Collins Some favorite areas for exploring include Chinatown (really more of a “Pan-Asian town), this also near to the North America’s fifth-largest city, Toronto ranks esteemed Art Gallery of Ontario, which received a stunning among the world’s favorite gay urban destinations, new addition when famed architect Frank Gehry redesigned with exceptional art and history museums, superb the museum in 2008. You’ll find not just top-notch Chinese shopping, two stellar theater districts and a tourist but also Vietnamese, Laotian, Thai, Korean, and other board keen on courting the lesbian/gay market Southeast Asian eateries throughout this neighborhood, (www.seetorontonow.com/Visitor/Gay-Community. especially along Spadina Avenue and its neighboring blocks. aspx). The name Toronto means “meeting place” in the language of the native Huron Indians, an apt North of the city’s central Financial District, the domain of many sleek hotels and office towers, is the University of moniker given how easy it is to make new friends in Toronto, where more than 65,000 students are enrolled. the city’s affable Church Street Gay Village. The heart of the campus is at King’s College Circle, a small Toronto’s popularity in recent decades among immigrants ellipse dotted with impressive 19th- and 20th-century school of numerous and far-reaching ethnic backgrounds has buildings. Due east lies Ontario’s governmental center, helped infuse it with a diverse personality, exceptional Queen’s Park, where you’ll see the Ontario Legislative culinary offerings, and an eclectic visual and performing and Parliament buildings. Just above the park is the arts scene. Adding to the colorful mix is that Toronto has vast Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), which is the second- Canada’s largest gay and lesbian population, including largest museum in North America (after New York City’s openly gay city councilors, school trustees, and other Metropolitan Museum of Art). public officials, and in general a highly progressive political South of the Financial District along the lakefront is the climate. The city’s Pride Parade is one of the world’s largest, 100-acre Harbourfront Centre, a former industrial wasteland held each year in late June and early July. that now that’s been reinvented into an entertainment-and- Toronto may be enormous, but it’s still pedestrian-friendly. retail district with a massive antiques center, performance In the early ‘70s, planners debated whether to tear down spaces, restaurants, and The Pier: Toronto’s Waterfront much of the city’s historic infrastructure and replace it with Museum, which has exhibits tracing the city’s considerable high-rise housing and concrete office parks. By enlarge, the maritime history. Gaze across the Inner Harbour, and you government decided to keep things as they were, promoting can make out the Toronto Islands, which you reach by a 10- the restoration of many older neighborhoods. This policy minute ferry ride from the terminal, just behind the Westin has worked out favorably, and downtown now contains a Harbour Castle. Choose the ferry headed for Hanlan’s Point bounty of invigorating neighborhoods filled with well-kept, (boast leave regularly throughout the day, the cost is $6.50 mostly Victorian and Edwardian homes. round-trip) to reach the clothing-optional beach, which has
30 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 a huge GLBT following, and keep in mind that Lake Ontario Queen Street West has scads of outstanding eateries, from can be windy, and the islands are always several degrees high-end superstars like Nota Bene (notabenerestaurant. cooler than the mainland (which, on hot summer days, is com), which specializes in stellar mod-Italian cuisine, a blessing). to romantic Paramour (www.paramourdining.com), a Astride the Financial District are the city’s two major sophisticated modern bistro on the trendy Ossington Strip. performing arts areas, the King Street theater district (to the Also consider Clafouti Patisserie for delicious baked goods, west) and the Front Street theater district (to the east - keep Quaff Cafe (cafequaff.ca) for perfectly brewed lattes and going and you’ll reach the bustling St. Lawrence Market, espressos, and Pizzeria Libretto (pizzerialibretto.com) on with its incredible food stalls, and the smartly redeveloped Ossington, for incomparably good wood-fired, blistered- Distillery District, with its chic shops and eateries). Toronto crust pizzas. Not too far from this area, at Chiado (www. has the English-speaking world’s third largest performing chiadorestaurant.com), you’ll be treated to some of the most arts scene, with outstanding theater, music, opera, and sophisticated Portuguese cooking in North America, from dance. Also near the King Street district is the 1,815-foot rabbit braised in Madeira wine to poached salt cod. CN (Canadian National) Tower, whose 1,465-foot-high Space Deck is the tallest observation deck in the world. Finding Gay Nightlife It’s an easy walk from downtown to the Gay Village (aka Church Street Village), whose commercial spine is Church Contrary to its long-ago-pious reputation as “Toronto the Street, from about Bloor south to Gerrard streets. In addition Good,” a distinct naughty side has grown up over the years to finding most of Toronto’s gay bars and restaurants in this around the city’s gay club scene, which is centered in Church area, you’ll also discover several great fashion, book and Street Village. There are quite a few favorites in these parts, gift shops. including Slack’s (www.slacks.ca - an attractive restaurant Toronto’s most colorful ethnic neighborhoods lie west of and bar especially popular with the lesbian see-and-be-seen downtown, where the hipster-factor is also highest. Walk set), the long-famous Woody’s and neighboring Sailor bar along Queen Street West to experience the heart of the (www.woodystoronto.com - fairly youthful, good mix, fun city’s alternative culture - you’ll find everything from offbeat videos), Fly (www.flynightclub.com - a pulsing nightclub antiques stores to vintage clothing boutiques to shops that appeared regularly in the U.S. version of Queer As specializing in witchcraft to divy tattoo parlors. Farther Folk), Zipperz/Cellblock (fun for drag shows and cabaret), west, Queen Street intersects with yet another strip of the Barn (www.thebarnnightclub.com - super-cruisy men’s trendy, hipster-infested bars, cafes, and shops, Ossington bar), and Crews & Tango (www.crewsandtangos.com - Avenue, which is definitely worth a tour. drawing women and men, with great cabaret shows). Up until the middle of the 20th century, Toronto endured But that’s just the tip of the iceberg - walk up and down a reputation as a hard-working, earnest, but rather dull Church, and you’ll find plenty of others, as well as gay- metropolis. The incisive writer Jan Morris once described popular restaurants, shops, saunas (Steamworks - www. it as “a small provincial city of almost absurdly British steamworksonline.com) is probably the most popular), and character.” A walk through the many bustling ethnic more. neighborhoods, around the vibrant Gay Village, and past the quirky, counter-cultural businesses along Queen Street West reveal just how dramatically times have changed. Where to Stay For many discerning travelers, the dashing, historic, and enormous Fairmont Royal York Hotel (www.fairmont.com/ Restaurant Tips royalyork) is the only address they’ll consider when visiting You’ll find dozens of gay-friendly restaurants in Church Toronto. A short cab ride from the Gay Village, it’s right by Street Village, but it’s often more about socializing than theaters, Queen Street, and the Harbourfront. Rooms retain eating fantastic food in these parts. One of the best ethnic the ambience that has earned this property a following among neighborhoods for noshing is Greektown, a short drive kings and, well, more than a few queens. Chic, design-driven east of Church Street Village, where you’ll find numerous Hotel Le Germain (www.germaintoronto.com) stands out for tavernas lining Danforth Street - Mezes (www.mezes.ca) and its smart, contemporary rooms and convenient location near Pantheon (www.pantheonrestaurant.com) are good bets. theaters and museums. In the heart of Queen Street West’s shopping and dining, the art-filled and happily eccentric Close to many theaters and a 15-minute walk south of Gladstone Hotel (www.gladstonehotel.com) is a favorite of Church Street Village, the Wine Bar at 9 Church Street LGBT travelers. (www.9church.com) serves wonderfully inventive, farm- to-table fare and features a terrific wine list. A bit east of Up around the Gay Village, you’ll find several well- the area, for arguably the best Thai food in the city, check priced, charming, and LGBT-popular B&Bs. These include out Mengra (www.mengraithai.com), which is set inside the appealing Banting House (www.bantinghouse.com), an atmospheric old warehouse and turns out beautifully an elegant Edwardian home on beautifully kept grounds; prepared food. the fanciful brick-and-clapboard Dundonald House (www. dundonaldhouse.com), which is steps from the bars and has Head farther east into up-and-coming Leslieville, a common sauna and hot tub; and the affordable House on sometimes dubbed “Lesbianville” in light of one of the McGill (mcgillbb.com), a renovated 1890s property whose neighborhood’s most visible demographics, and you’ll find units share baths but are otherwise comfortably furnished some nifty little eateries along the main avenue, Queen and spacious. Victoria’s Mansion (www.victoriasmansion. Street East - Pulp Kitchen (www.pulpkitchen.ca) is a favorite com) is another reasonably priced, elegantly furnished B&B over here, as is Lady Marmalade (www.ladymarmalade.ca), in Church Street Village. a funky place serving delicious breakfasts. Andrew Collins covers gay travel for the New York Times-owned website About.com and is the author of Fodor’s Gay Guide to the USA. He can be reached care of this publication.
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GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 31 Photography
Calgary Eagle Chili Cook off for the Sharp Foundation - Calgary Onyxx 25th Mardi Gras Birthday at the Texas Lounge - Calgary (photos courtesy of the Eagle)
ISCCA Show at the Eagle - Calgary ISCWR Glow Party at Buddys - Edmonton (photos by B&J)
32 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 Photography
A Green Affair at the Junction - Edmonton ISCWR High School Musical at the Junction - Edmonton (photos by B&J)
ISCWR Halloween Show at Flash - Edmonton (photos by B&J)
GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 33 Mad About Mado - From Page 7 Paula Cole - From Page 62 teenager, I was always the first to enroll in a play at school and later I Oh yeah, but that’s OK; it’s like an old friend. And that studied as an actor, but before I knew it, I was already getting popular song plays itself. It’s always fun, it’s always uplifting. It’s an in clubs doing Mado.” important part of the set. The popularity and presence she wields, especially in Quebec, opens Any regret because of its association with Dawson’s Creek? the door for her to share her voice on hot political topics, and she doesn’t (Laughs) It’s mixed. On one hand I feel like it’s outrageous shy away from the microphone if she has something to say. It’s evident for me to complain because that song paid for my living off that she knows her influence goes beyond entertainment. the road and taking care of my asthmatic child. That song “I think it’s important to act in life and to be as involved as possible in gave me a living, so I’m incredibly grateful for it. But it is our society; too many people let the train pass without getting in,” she very weird. I’m a committed musician with my college degree shares. “My biggest reward is when I get an e-mail from a young fan who in music for God’s sake, so it’s kind of disgusting that I’m tells me that my work has inspired him or helped him get through life.” compartmentalized and stigmatized by these moments really “I try not to be too heavy on messages, since people come to see me to – a moment of a hairy armpit at the Grammys or the Dawson’s distract themselves, but sometimes I share my reaction to the news and Creek moment or my two hit songs. of course, I can’t resist a good little shaking of the public with a clear The hairy pits moment was a big deal. message of my political views, especially when it’s time to bitch about It’s all fine. It’s all good fun. It’s all passed now. And it’s all Stephen Harper, our Prime Disaster!” not very important either, is it? But I guess it’s just funny, and A packed schedule of live performances, writing for weekly and I was just too stressed to roll with the joke at the time. I was monthly publications, and running Cabaret Mado, leaves me wondering on a plane to Europe and overworked and just stressed out. I when she has time for things like a personal life or staying creative to was also pretty naive; I had never watched the Grammys, and come up with fresh ideas. then I was on it. I was very unprepared. “It’s not always easy but I try to lead a good life. I don’t party too much You didn’t know you were supposed to shave your – I don’t drink on stage and only allow myself one night of debauchery a armpits? month. I eat well, sleep 8 hours a night, read a lot, and travel 3 times a Well, I just didn’t think it would be so noticed. I don’t know year. A lot of my inspiration comes from my trips. And I go do research what I thought. I don’t know what I think of it even now. I at the sauna!” don’t think I’m anymore prepared for the Grammys now than Although Mado is well traveled, this November will be her premiere I was before (laughs). performance in Western Canada, or as she puts it, “My first visit to the But anyway, it’s very weird to be defined by that when I land of the cowboys.” consider myself a very committed musician. But that’s OK, She’s excited to bring a genuine Montreal cabaret experience to because right now I have a chance at a second, more authentic Calgary, and will hold nothing back. career – and how many artists really have that chance? I feel “(People can expect) a lot of nasty jokes about Anglos, rodeos, and very fortunate. A lot of artists that are my peers, my age, don’t mad cow disease,” she laughs. “Seriously, you can expect a lot of fun, even have record deals anymore. They’ve sold more albums some good drag queen numbers, good jokes about French Canadians, than me, but they might not be inspired to write or as prolific some bitching about Harper, some live songs if I dare or as full of acid and fire in their bellies. And I am. to sing in French, and a good gay ol’ time!” You have quite the lesbian following. Mado will be performing at Club Sapien, joined by Yes, I definitely have my lesbians, and I also have my men – two of Montreal’s finest drag queens, Dream and Rita my gay men following – and I find that that’s the most quickly Baga, along with Calgary’s own April Showers and growing of my fan base now. Since coming back with Courage, Jem. A portion of the cover charge will be donated to I’m finding a lot more young gay men at my shows now. AIDS Calgary by the event sponsors, J&J Consultants Any idea why now? and Club Sapien. Gosh, I find that they know a lot of the rare B-sides, and I’m a real singer with a big range and it’s such a generalization – and I don’t want to generalize – but they do love their females Mado with big voices, and I’ve got that. I’ve got a big ol’ voice. I feel like, also, I am perhaps a story of empowerment www.mado.qc.ca because I am once again picking myself up by the bootstraps – and we all need those messages, right? We need those positive Coming to Club Sapien affirmations. Sunday, November 20th, 8pm
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34 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 35 36 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 37 38 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 Lifestyle Letters Cocktail Chatter The Scarborough Fair
Dear GayCalgary, By Ed Sikov My name is Jocelynn Hurt. I am 21 years old. I grew up in a small town in southern Alberta. I am just wondering why you It’s very loud in the city – much louder than any Fire Island guys write an article on Colin Walmsley? sound system blasting the recent archaeological discovery, Don’t get me wrong he is a great kid. I actually grew up in the Barbra Streisand. But I’ve kept a bit of my summer garden in same town as him. But he is not the first person to really come preserved form, and it’s literally a tonic. out in that town. I came out when I was in grade 9 to some Just before we left the beach house, I was seized with an people, and 11 to others in that school. We had our first lesbian overwhelming need to take something with me – something wedding when I was in school. I don’t see how his article is of to get me through the tough, cold northeast winter. Dan had importance. There are a few people that came out in this town. already put his suitcase outside the gate when, stricken with Yes he did do it at the ceremonies, but would it not be better to this impulse, I dropped my stuff, sprinted to the container find someone that was a jock, and that, but was not accepted. garden in the back, and ripped out bunches of herbs. “What When he graduated it was accepted. are you doing?” said Dan when I reappeared carrying two I was an outcast when I graduated. I was one of the first people fistfuls of aromatics. “What are you doing?” I replied as I to ever come out in that school. I think it is something more stuffed them into my backpack. He answered on cue: “What hearing about people that came out that were not accepted and are you doing?!” It’s a routine we do. still tried to change things within the school. I was in basketball, “I don’t know,” I said as I picked up my backpack. “It’s part and rugby. I was also part of TAR (Teenagers Against Racism), of a Native-American harvest ritual.” “Don’t be racist,” Dan SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions). scolded. We distracted ourselves by insulting each other as There are how many small towns in Alberta that kids come we walked to the ferry. out in all the time. Don’t get me wrong he is by far one of the By the time we got home, the herbs looked pretty sad, so to only gay guys to come out, but what about the lesbians that refresh them I wrapped them in a wet towel and stuck them came out before him that paved the pathway. in the refrigerator. I decided to make an herbal infusion, so In his article he puts that he believe it was his standing that the next morning, I bought a fifth of Absolut. got the acceptance and that. And from living in that town that After doing some cursory Internet research, I decided is exactly what it is. I still go back to this day to see my family I knew better. (I’m obnoxious.) So I washed the ragged and if I am walking down the street names get yelled out to me. bouquets, dried them in a salad spinner, and laid them out My siblings get it a lot about me being a lesbian and in kid’s on the counter. I hadn’t planned this desperate harvest at terms a dyke. all; the herbs I’d blindly grabbed at twilight consisted of This is just one side of that small town. There are many sides sage, thyme, tarragon, lovage, parsley and rosemary. The to southern Alberta. infusion ingredients instantly chose themselves: parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. Don’t you just love that song? I Thanks for your time, put the iPod on its little donut and set it to my Paul Simon playlist, then gently bruised the herbs to release their oils Jocelynn Hurt and juices, stuffed them in a large, clean, Mason-type glass jar, poured the Absolut in and sealed it. I waited one day too long. On the third day, the infusion was a gorgeous shade of bright green; the next day it starting Dear GayCalgary, browning, and I yanked the herbs out before the thing started to look like peat moss run-off. The Alberta Rockies Gay Rodeo Association would like to congratulate GayCalgary & Edmonton Magazine for 7 The taste? Well, the Garfunkle herb mix tasted very good, outstanding years. GayCalgary & Edmonton Magazine has though in the future I might just use rosemary (it’s got the done an exceptional job of covering the events in the gay best flavor) and some parsley for color. Turning an herbal community as well as supporting Alberta’s groups, associations infusion into a cocktail is easy: you can have it straight up at and businesses. room temperature, put it on the rocks, stick the bottle in the freezer or add some seltzer and a lime segment. Simple! And ARGRA would especially like to recognize and thank Rob and if a guest says your handcrafted infused vodka is not to her Steve for their coverage of our monthly dances, fundraising liking? Just tell her to go reap it in a sickle of leather. That events, and our signature event, the Canadian Rockies should shut her up. (But what the hell does it mean?) International Rodeo. Their premier sponsorship as Multi-Media Sponsor has added greatly to the Alberta Rockies Gay Rodeo Association “The Scarborough Fair” and we look forward to many more years of cooperation and Get some herbs. I’d try rosemary first, with some parsley participation. for color. Measurements are useless here, since the whole point is to make it handcrafted by you. Wash and dry the herbs thoroughly, put them in a glass jar with a lid that seals tightly, pour in enough Absolut to cover the herbs, and seal the jar. Taste often. When it looks and tastes right to you, strain the infusion back into the Absolut bottle or the bottle or jar of your choice. Drink it straight, or mixed with some seltzer or a small splash of tomato juice. http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1915 Ed Sikov is the author of Dark Victory: The Life of Bette Davis and other books about films and filmmakers. View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments
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GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 39 Advice
James Demers: Come out at a younger age, and face a strong backlash. Giving Hope to Our Youth James Demers is currently with the Miscellaneous Youth Network (MYN). MYN was created to provide and increase education, support and resources with regards to and for gay, bisexual, lesbian, queer, questioning, two-spirited and trans-identified youth. By Evan Kayne James suspects there are two reasons why we are seeing so much coverage of queer youth suicides in the media. In the past, when a gay “I know that you cannot live on hope alone, but without youth came out, they came out later in their teens or in their early it, life is not worth living. And you, and you, and you… 20s where there was a possibility they could grasp and handle greater have got to give them hope.” Harvey Milk autonomy. Presently, queer youth are coming out younger to parents In the past few months, there have been strong reactions to several and the community, and this means that they could be exposed to longer suicides in the American gay community. However, in addition to the periods of bullying; never mind the possibility unsupportive parents or usual expressions of sorrow for the victims, there have been efforts to do unforgiving religious backgrounds to compounds the situation. exactly what Harvey Milk suggested. Second, James believes the increased exposure of queer culture is Sex advice columnist Dan Savage, along with his husband, recorded causing a backlash. “Where in larger cities there is more acceptance,” a video recounting how they were bullied in high school, and how years James told us, “...smaller towns are reacting worse than in the past, later they realized things do improve. The end result was “It Gets Better”, creating a witch hunt out of outing queer people in their community and a channel on YouTube, and now a website where anyone can record ostracizing them. Exposure to queer culture without education backfires their experiences growing up gay, lesbian, transgendered, (etc.). This has dramatically for kids in this situation.” And furthermore, many small resulted in several prominent individuals sharing their story, including towns lack the LGBT support network that a large metropolis usually fashion maven Tim Gunn, Chris Colfer from Glee and even Joel Burns, a has. Photo Caption Text city councilman in, of all places, Texas. All these stories ended with the As for comparisons to the US, in Canada we have positive influences person telling the viewer to embrace hope, and know that it gets better. and protection coming from government bodies and our laws. For our Other similar projects springing up recently included “Spirit Day”, American brothers and sisters, they are backed into a corner – how can when people were encouraged to wear purple to show support for LGBT you demand equal treatment when you’re not granted equality under the youth who were being victimized by bullies, and locally in Calgary law? This is not to say we should be complacent here in Canada, James “Project Blue Sky”. adds: “I believe we take for granted the severity and frequency at which The question is - why the sudden attention? After all, LGBT Youth anti-gay crime happens in Canada because there is an assumption in have been bullied for years, and a significant portion of those youth go the broader community that queer bashing and violence don’t occur on to commit suicide. Yet, the level of awareness regarding this problem here. Our silence is our plague in Canada, where discrimination and seemed to explode in the last few months, which was a bit unusual. inequality is the larger issue in the States.” Additionally, these calls for hope and support mostly originated from the States, so I wondered if we had similar concerns in Canada.
40 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 Michael Phair: The impact sexuality has on becoming an adult. In 1992, Michael Phair was the first openly gay man elected to Support Groups (Calgary) Edmonton’s city council. Currently he is the Director of Community Relations at the University of Alberta, as well as an adjunct Professor of LGBTQ Crisis, Support Education and a board member of the University’s City-Region Studies and Referral Line Centre. While Michael knows there may be many reasons a young person 1-877-OUT-IS-OK (1-877-688-4765) // considers suicide, he told us, “a major step in becoming an adult is Teen Line: 403-264-8336 expressing oneself sexually. Accepting and expressing one’s gayness can Front line service help phone line from be overwhelming in many communities in the US and Canada - and may lead a young gay man to fear and/or see no future for themselves.” Calgary Outlink Michael suspects this recent rise in attention to the situation our youth face does come from the media and especially the social media (blogs, Don’t Buy In Project Facebook, Twitter). Additionally, while people in Canada are learning certain behaviours are not tolerated, in the United States hatemongers Calgary Police Service initiative: are still allowed a degree of openness. Consequently, “Canada has seen www.dontbuyin.ca substantial positive changes in the last 20 years in attitudes towards the GLBT community and I think that the numbers of suicides, although Calgary Police Service Sexality and still too frequent, have not increased as seen south of the border.” Gender Diversity Unit www.calgarypolice.ca/ Brendan Van Alstine: In the past, a suicide victim’s community-sexgender.html sexuality was hushed. Brendan is the Social Work & Fund Development Coordinator for the Pride Centre of Edmonton. He thinks this uptick in awareness of the problems facing queer youth is due to a number of factors, including Miscellaneous Youth Network both increased acceptance of sexual minority communities and the www.miscyouth.ca increased awareness of how sexual identity may play a role in a person’s decision to take their life. Furthermore, Brendan knows, “there have always been queer teen suicides, but up until very recently, the queer factor may have been Safety Under the Rainbow unknown to anyone but the person taking their own life, or the family www.sutr.ca may not have wished to discuss the sexual orientation of (or ‘out’) their dead loved one.” Calgary Sexual Health Centre This last point struck a chord with me as I remember such an incident from Edmonton, in the mid-1990s. A young man - well known to our www.calgarysexualhealth.ca community - had taken his life. The family (of Christian faith) denied he had any issues with his sexuality; instead it was labelled the copy-cat act Support Groups of a troubled young man emulating his hero - Kurt Cobain. (Edmonton) Nate Phelps: Do not hide who you are, and let no one deny you equal footing with another. Camp fYrefly The difference this time regarding the response to these deaths has www.fyrefly.ualberta.ca been the push to give hope: to shine light, while hatemongers spew out darkness. Someone with first-hand experience of a group that bullies the LGBT community is Nate Phelps. Born of Pastor Fred Phelps, coming out of the shadow of Westboro Baptist Church, he is now an atheist, a Pride Centre of Edmonton speaker about his experiences, an ally of our community, and Alberta Including information on Youthspace - Executive Director of the Centre for Inquiry. www.pridecentreofedmonton.org Nate knows that despite how nasty some of the bullies can be, our society is changing for the better. He watches as his family pleads their case to the American Supreme Court to justify their protesting at funerals, knowing even if Westboro Baptist Church wins this legal case, Other Links their days and the days of inequality towards the LGBT community are numbered. PFLAG Contacts in Alberta “Be clear about this,” Nate told us, “...you are on the side of right. The cruel rhetoric of social conservatives, the outrage of the religious www.pflagcanada.ca/en/prov-list-e.asp? community, the sometimes brutal insensitivity of family and friends will RegionNo=2&ProvAbbr=AB - no - MUST, give way to the righteousness of your cause. The obstacles continue to fall and the truth of the vibrant, creative, intelligent, intrinsically valuable LGBT community will finally be realized. Do not It Gets Better Project hide who you are. Do not accept the condemnation of the ignorant. Look at yourselves, recognize and rejoice in your strengths and let no man, www.itgetsbetterproject.com Pope or peasant, deny you equal footing with any other.” In the end it comes down to providing inspiration, educating others, and giving hope. We also have to remember, just because we have equal rights in Canada, our fight isn’t over. It would be nice to say, by talking about this problem, we’ll prevent another teen from taking his or her life because they suspect their sexuality is different than what their family, friends or church may want; sadly that may not happen. However, if we do talk about it with the younger members of the community, if we do let them know we will help fight for them, if we do provide support and http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1917 help, and if we do provide them hope, we will replace further despair View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments with love.
GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 41 Community Alberta’s Bar Evolution How is Alberta’s Night Scene Changing with the Times?
By Rob Diaz-Marino “I think what we’ve done is we’ve managed to open up the bar - keeping leather, levis, and cowboys as the key focus (mostly leather) – but we’re Things have been shifting over the past 6 months in Alberta’s inviting all the other groups. People are feeling much more welcome night scene, and just about every bar or club has played some here,” says Johnathan Finlayson, who came onboard as an owner over part in this shuffle. Many longstanding hangouts that have 4 years ago. remained for the most part unchanged over the past decade, are “Our commitment to the community has grown,” he says, referring now seeing new direction, new looks, and even new ownership. most prominently to their Social Sunday Dinners, a weekly fundraising Although we have lost a few venues, we have also gained several event that rotates between community groups. “Where we’re going in back in their place. the next little while, of course, is we’re doing a last D4 (Straight to Diva 4)...we are limiting our [special] charity fundraisers to 3 to 4 a year. We We took the time over the past 2 months to catch up with owners of don’t want to saturate.” all 10 of Alberta’s current core LGBT haunts, to talk about what things Furthermore, Johnathan talks about future plans for the bar with have changed, and how they are working to improve themselves. For something of a naughty grin. “We are going to be exploring some unique a few, this is our first official in-depth introduction in GayCalgary & trends...our goal is to really start to push leather again, take it to the Edmonton Magazine. next level. We’re pushing Friday night as constant leather nights. ... A recurring theme from the interviews that we conducted was how We’re looking at little edgier things that are within the approval of the much hard work it is to own and operate a bar or club. Some owners Liquor Control Board, so we’re working with them to some really unique, admitted that, if they could do it over, they might not have made the twisted things. [They’ll] be fun, I think everybody’s going to like them.” same decision to go into this industry. Nevertheless, the recession has The Calgary Eagle is also well known for their fetish nights, where motivated many owners to abandon autopilot and start making clever, patrons have an opportunity to wear their fetish gear outside of the business-minded decisions; ones that, as you will see, are geared to house without feeling out of place. However, Johnathan has plans to up benefit their customers and the community in general. the ante – to have these nights function similarly to their “Dark Nights”. The Backlot, Calgary “On a Dark Night, think of it like a dress code night. There’s a dress Earlier this year, owner Ken Schultz made the decision that it was code to go on the one side [of the bar]. ...If you’re not comfortable with time for him to retire after running the Backlot for over 13 years. He that, you can still stay on the other side of the bar. ...[So] if you are now sold the business to two capable staff members, Mark Campbell, and coming for a jock night, it’s the same mentality; there’s a comfort zone Ward Sobry. on one side and if you’re not prepared to wear your jocks then you get to While Mark himself believes some may have had doubts about the stay with the masses on the other side. So everyone is still invited, but “Backlot party boys” rising to the challenge, after several months he feels we’re going to take those events from a theme to a higher energy.” that he and Ward are getting the hang of it. The Calgary Eagle closed down for a few days prior to their 8th “Both of us love this place,” Mark told us. “We love how Ken Anniversary last February, in order to give the bar a makeover. “As we started the place, and [want to] continue on with his legacy, having a go along each year, we listen a little more, and we try to tweak the bar neighbourhood pub where you can come and sit and talk to people; no a little bit more for people. With the facelift, we wanted that to refresh pressures, everybody’s welcome.” the bar; we didn’t want to lose the element of the bar. We lost a little bit of that darker, edgier side with all the dark walls and all the military The two have already made significant improvements to the appearance gear hanging. We didn’t change anything structurally other than getting of the bar. “We totally did-over the patio...inside we retiled the front rid of the jib rock and going down to the base brick. Our hope is to entrance way, completely repainted upstairs and down.” But that’s not eventually take all of our walls down to the red brick. So we did a lot nearly the end of it. of painting, recreated our coat check. ...Changing our colour schemes, “Just because we had the grand re-opening party doesn’t mean that’s our artwork, moving it around, cleaning up the bar, thinning out the the end of what we’re going to do. ... We’re going to start to redo the tables…” upstairs, we’re going to turn it into more of a comfort lounge area, maybe He explains that they took specific community groups in mind while do Karaoke once a week. That’s going to be a ways down the road. God, planning their changes. For instance, the Primetimers were considered we’ve got so much planned for this place it’s not even funny.” when creating the new seating area at the front, with comfortable leather He also addressed the popular club Vinyl down the street that can couches. Furthermore, he mentions that they have worked to enhance sometimes seem a little intimidating for customers coming to the their sound and lighting systems to make the venue better for the ISCCA, Backlot. “If there’s ever an issue they’ve said call us over and their who occasionally put on shows. bouncers will take care of any issues.” And he attests that they have One major hurdle for Calgary Eagle customers has been the ceaseless kept true to this promise. Furthermore, he tells of how, on busy nights, construction in their area of town, due to the East Village revitalization Vinyl customers have stopped in for a drink and been totally respectful project. to the establishment and clientele. “Access has been awful for the last 2 years because of the infrastructure The recent Grand Re-opening party was overwhelmingly busy, which changes within the East Village. It changes weekly at times. So it’s is quite encouraging. Mark begins to tear up when he talks about all really hard for people – I think it may have deterred some. ...What we’re the people that have supported them through this transition into being endeavouring to do over the next little while is actually put a map (or an new fledged owners. evolving map) onto the website, as well as use Facebook and my e-mail “We look forward to supporting the community and being here. We connections, and send all this information off to people.” thank everyone for their support...I can’t thank everybody enough.” Despite this damper put on their business, Johnathan feels excited The Calgary Eagle Inc., Calgary looking toward the future. There was a time when the Calgary Eagle’s leather and denim dress “At the end of the day it’s going to be fantastic. The front of the bar is code was a hard rule, and drag queens were a huge no-no. But over going to be incredible; the facade of the building is going to be upgraded their nearly 9 years of operation, that attitude has changed quite by the way. The lighting around the building is going to be better. It’s dramatically. For several years and until recently, the Calgary Eagle was going to be a destination place within a year and a half. This whole the second largest LGBT bar in the city. This made many community neighbourhood is going to be alive, and we’re going to be a cornerstone groups naturally gravitate toward them. for the gay community in it.”
42 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 Club Sapien, Calgary The newest kid on Calgary’s block, so to speak, Club Sapien is a unique hybrid between restaurant and dance club. The high concentration of table and booth seating works well for serving food by day, and doubles as a place to relax and talk with friends at night (when not on the dancefloor, of course). It offers a clean and classy atmosphere, with a style of music that breaks tradition for Calgary gay clubs. The club opened their doors at the end of July, only 2 blocks away from another LGBT business. To some this may seem a little cheeky, but owner Mike Gray’s vision for the bar seems to dispel any inkling of ill intention. “What we wanted to do was add something different to our community. We took a look at the existing operations...we thought that there was an opportunity for a new style of venue. And that’s what we wanted to do, is open up something where more choice was offered for people in the community.” Part of this is finding the way to revive the night club experience that was available to LGBT bar-goers in the past. “I loved the Boyztown/[Detours] days. You know, the days where we got to march between the two and there was always a choice, you always had somewhere where you could go. I loved it! [There were], I don’t know how many nights where I went out, where I started at Boyztown and headed over to Detour, and headed back later on. And the next night, it was a different march.” Another role they are filling is that of the high-end (yet still cost effective) LGBT restaurant. Since Victoria’s went out of business, Mike feels Calgary has lacked a comparable hangout. “[At Victoria’s] you could actually sit and talk...it was just such a nice environment to be in. I felt that has been missing from our community for a while. I’m glad we’re able to offer it again.” The selection of dishes is something quite different from what you would expect to see as bar food. Samples were given out on opening night, demonstrating sophisticated flavours that wowed many customers. “We picked a menu selection that let people have a relatively nice place to go out that was still very cost effective for them. Where they can come out, have food with their friends, and be very comfortable in their environment.” One aspect that has caused friction with some, is that of cover charge. Mike explained to us how it is structured: on weekdays, cover is only charged after 11pm ($2-$4 depending on the night). On Friday and Saturday there is no cover before 9pm; after that it is $4 from 9pm- 11pm, and $6 after 11pm. “We definitely have that option for people who find cover tobe something they’re not comfortable with. [The prices are] pretty standard for the industry. ...Having the different environment that takes a little bit more to operate, that’s usually how it goes. And honestly, what cover tends to do is make sure that the crowd that’s there, wants to be there.” Now being in operation for just over 3 months, the club has been making inroads with community groups. Mike continues to encourage further collaborations. “We think it’s very important that any group in our community that wants to get together, has a place to do it. ... If there’s a group that’s looking to have a celebration of some sort, and there’s a way we can accommodate that for them , we’d like to do that. Any of our non-profit and community support groups, we’d like to be doing what we can to thank them for their work, and the way to do that is to offer them space and to help them in planning events here.”
FAB, Calgary Money Pennies was once considered Calgary’s one and only lesbian bar, however even before their retirement, owners Lorie and Michelle were working to be inclusive of everyone. “Money-Pennies was always seen as a lesbian bar but the reality was, on some nights there were no women in here, and on other nights it was all women,” says Jason Wheeler, a former employee of Money Pennies who purchased the bar from the couple. “And we still have that same consistency. I don’t market the bar to any one gender or any one group – I target the nights toward groups and genders. So, some nights are still predominantly men, certain nights are predominantly women, and it will always be that way - it’s a people bar.”
Continued on Page 44 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 43 Alberta’s Bar Evolution - From Page 43
Recently Jason made the decision to rebrand. “It had been three In addition, Goliaths is also undergoing some changes, both years that we owned the bar, and we just felt it was time to make it our cosmetically and in their adoption of special events. “For the baths own and identify it. So we did a contest and that was the name that side, we’ve put in glory holes and we’ve added the dance parties and was chosen by my family, friends, and regular customers. We wanted the flashlight parties.” The dance parties feature a DJ with disco lights, something short and easy to identify that was very brand-worthy, and where people can be fully clothed, in towels, or as naked as they want. that was synonymous with the gay community.” Running from 12am to 8am, these events transform Goliaths into an after The change of name has accompanied many other alterations. “A lot hours, private men’s club. While alcohol cannot be served in Goliaths of it has been cosmetic. We just wanted to make it a nicer atmosphere.” – though they can provide non-alcoholic drinks and food - customers The country-western feel that Money Pennies once had, has been are welcome to pop over to the Texas Lounge until 2am for alcohol if gradually phased out for a cosier, classy décor - from dimmer and richer they wish. wall colours and large horizontal mirrors on the walls to open the space Going forward, Andrew tells us, “Our focus is going to be more on up, to hanging chandelier lighting. the bathhouse side in the next year...[it’s] going to get a big facelift. So Another exciting change has been their food. “I love my food!” Jason essentially we’re going to modernize it.” says playfully. “Since our issues with the health department last year, And regarding the Texas Lounge, “Anybody is welcome. Everybody we’ve had 3 demerit-free health reports, expecting our fourth one any checks their ego at the door – it’s a bar for everybody to come and enjoy day. ...We’ve had to invest a lot financially, and manpower, into making each other’s company.” sure that everything is kept up to a high standard.” “Our menu has changed. It’s basic but good pub foods. In the kitchen The Twisted Element, Calgary The Twisted Element, often simply called “Twisted”, is also turning 6 we’ve got over 40 years of experience with our staff. We’ve recently years old this month. The owners pride themselves in having proactively opened up again at lunch – we have a 15-item [selection] under $5.99, improved their club over these years. While they admit they’ve needed available in 15 minutes or less.” to rethink some of their ideas to suit the trends that they’ve seen in Over the three years that Jason has owned it, FAB has fallen into their customers, they seem to have reached, and continue to run with a its own style of supporting the community. “We do a lot, sponsorship winning formula. wise, for the non-profit groups here in this city. When we first took over “We’ve improved on the product upstairs, but downstairs has gone we were really top-heavy for one of them, and now we spread our dollar through a couple of transformations. The piano lounge never seemed much more wisely.” The bar regularly hosts smaller-scale fundraisers, to work very well. We had a piano player in, and then we had strippers such as their annual World AIDS Day fundraiser every December 1st. down there and that didn’t seem to get enough attention to make it wise. “It’s a cause that’s near to my heart.” And then we went and did the Mama Kim variety show,” says Cliff. Initially the Wheeler family played a very prominent part in running “The Mama Kim [Variety] Show has been the best,” adds RJ, and the the bar, but have reduced their roles as Jason became ready to take concept has stuck to this day - the show can be caught every Saturday on more of the everyday responsibilities. “I’ve changed amazingly, evening. personally. ...It’s been coming up 2 years that I can celebrate being clean, in January. My whole life has changed because of it. I’ve [also] “But even from start to finish our concept has changed,” continues had some health issues that I’ve had to challenge. ... So I’m not as naïve Cliff. “We used to do food when we first opened, and then somewhere as I once was.” along the line you have to decide what you’re going to be. You can’t be everything to everyone, it’s just not feasible.” The Texas Lounge, Calgary Other changes the owners mention are the washroom renovations, The Texas Lounge, affectionately known as “The Bunker”, continues the VIP lounge area, and the two stages: downstairs for community to hold the title of Calgary’s longest standing gay space. The bar shares events, and upstairs for their own Sunday drag shows and other in- the basement of 308 - 17th Avenue SW with Calgary’s only bathhouse, house performances. RJ also boasts the sophistication of the club’s Goliaths. While separate establishments under different ownership lighting and sound systems. (Andrew Brassard with Goliaths, and Allan Oen with Texas Lounge), the Cliff commented on how the club’s clientele has shifted over the years. two businesses intertwine in many ways, working closely together and “For the Mama Kim show we get more bachelorette/stag parties. We maintaining a symbiotic relationship. might have increased slightly on straight people coming in, but I think This month the Texas Lounge and Goliaths celebrate their 23rd a lot of that is the word of mouth, if people want to go for a great dance. anniversary. After so many years, Andrew and Allan acknowledge that Because I’ve asked straight couples what brings them to us, and they updates were in order, and have been taking steps toward that end. say the music, sound, and everybody knows out in Calgary, if you want “Essentially we’ve just done cosmetic things, with taking out those to go to a fun environment with no problems, you come to Twisted. Our big pillars, putting a new bar counter in, redoing the bathrooms... reputation precedes us now.” Operationally we have run [about the same] for the past 23 years except We asked RJ about the club’s strategy for giving back to the community. we’ve made a big effort to get rid of some of the undesirables that hang “Last figures that I’ve done through my accounting, we’re probably up out at the bar.” Its location in downtown Calgary can sometimes attract to about $270,000 given back into the community [over the last six customers that, for whatever reason, have tended to be disrespectful to years], whether it’s been giving away Vespas and flat-screen TVs, iPods, others. In saying this, Andrew refers to a shift in policy where the Texas iPhones, or charitable donations.“ Cliff clarifies that their donations Lounge no longer tolerates this behavior, so that customers can focus on totals do not include fundraising events at their establishment. “When enjoying themselves. we give out cash, it’s cash out of my pocket...it’s actually our bottom Meanwhile, the bar has distinguished itself as a powerhouse for line,” RJ explains. community fundraising, sometimes producing totals comparable to bars However they stress that their expectation is for most groups to twice (or more) their size. “We’ve become a lot more involved with [the earn these donations by offering something of interest or value to their ISCCA] in the past 5 years. Well really, anybody with a good community customers. Thus, oftentimes the club will match the amount that groups spirit, we’re open to doing any sort of fundraiser for them.” Beswick are able to fundraise on their own. “I always said, you want something House, more or less the Texas Lounge’s charity of choice, frequently you’ve got to work for it. … when you don’t appreciate something, you benefits from fundraising efforts at their venue. take it for granted and it’s no longer there. “At one time we did charge cover for straight women, because we were getting inundated, so we had to slow it down to protect the [environment] of the club,” admits Cliff. Otherwise they impose no cover charge unless a special event is happening – in which case, the cost is only for the expense of putting on the event. Furthermore, the Twisted Element boasts low drink prices. “We’ve been like that for six years, with or without competition,” says Cliff.
44 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 Buddys Niteclub, Edmonton business fell apart in a matter of months, and over 30 years of LGBT Through all of the recent ups and downs in Edmonton’s LGBT night space was lost overnight. scene, Buddys remains the longest still-standing Edmonton bar at just In the months to follow, stories circulated about a number of groups over 10 years. Through recent times they have remained fairly constant, and individuals who were looking at snapping up the space before it but changes are afoot. was lost to someone outside of the community. The owners of Prism, We spoke to Jim Brown, an owner of both Buddys Niteclub, and Edmonton’s self-professed “lesbo-centric” bar, were the ones to come Woodys Pub upstairs. While reluctant to reveal his plans for updating out on top. This was an opportunity for Tracy Smith and Deborah the club, in part he admits because they are not fully complete, he Chymyshyn to bring the legacy of Prism (which they had bought from its commented first about what is already underway. original owner more than 2 years prior) to a close, and run with a brand “We rerouted the entry a little bit, and the coat check so that there’s new bar concept of their own. no longer any congestion. But we’re going to be redoing all of Buddys.” We asked Deb, who has now been operating the Junction for 2 He also points out that another one of his immediate projects is to move months, about the differences that she has noticed. the DJ booth. He states that the venue will remain open while under “It’s way bigger and it’s a lot more work, so there’s a lot more construction. coordinating and managing. ... With Prism we could pretty much do it Buddys operates Tuesday to Sunday, from 9pm to close, and regularly all: two of us and a bartender and a busser, we could run the show. Here produces a monthly events calendar poster (which is also placed on the we can’t. ... So we need help, and we have a great team. We have so website) for patrons to find out what is happening each month. much support from the community, which we had at Prism too, but it’s just in a bigger way - and now we have the men supporting us as well.” Woodys Pub, Edmonton With the owners of a lesbian bar taking over a space that was The more active project at the moment for Jim Brown has been that traditionally frequented by blue collar men, it was anyone’s guess what of Woodys. The venue has undergone some structural changes, which clientele would adopt the venue as their hangout. included moving the bathrooms and karaoke stage area. This has “We have a very interesting mix, and it comes in waves. We have the resulted in new seating arrangements for their lounge clientele. men that come for happy hour, and then we have women on the pool Another big shift has been in their format. “We’ve changed it into a league. ...On the weekends we have all the drag queens as well. We video bar,” explains Jim. Indeed, the multitude of television screens have all ages...here it’s like 18 to 80. … We ran Prism for 2 and a half showing the music videos of the current song selection, is mesmerizing. years, and we are seeing people come to the Junction that we never saw Furthermore, “We added the kitchen. ... [We serve] bar food, like chicken at Prism. There are people that are coming here from the community, club sandwiches, beef dip, and that sort of stuff.” I don’t know where they were before but they are starting to come here, We asked Jim what he has noticed as a result of these alterations. and it’s just delightful to see.” “I’ve definitely noticed it’s brought in a younger crowd,” he says. “I Prior to opening their doors, much work was needed to undo the think the Woodys renovations have really helped business, it’s definitely state of disrepair that the space was left in. “We’ve had to spend a lot increased it without a doubt.” more money than we’ve ever anticipated, so that the place is top notch. Our budget is pretty stretched so there are a lot of things on our wish FLASH Nightclub, Edmonton list. So our intention is that every time we have a little bit extra, we The FLASH space became available due to an unfortunate incident do something. We couldn’t do it all at once, so we’re doing our best in the prior straight incarnation of the venue, within a short time of its to be always improving.” Most repairs were things that people don’t launch. Having been newly renovated, this made the space an attractive see, such as equipment maintenance, rebuilding floors and drywall that location to set up an LGBT nightclub, where such problems would be had rotted, and the cleanup of 30 years of junk that had accumulated unlikely to occur again. in storage spaces, while paying attention not to throw out things of We spoke with manager Stephen Anderson, who told us a bit about the historical value. vision of the bar. “We’re catering to a diverse crowd, open to both gays Deb and Tracy could not have accomplished this alone. “All the and lesbians, as well as the alternative community. We want everyone work that we have done here has been [with the help of] people who to be able to come to FLASH and be themselves and express themselves have just shown up - heard that we bought the place, heard that we’re the way that they think is right.” making some changes – and said what can I do to help? They have done It is a handsome venue with gray brick walls and gothic dragon everything from 7 and a half days chipping tile off of the floor, to painting statues in some of the corners. The main bar is adjacent to the dance and drywalling, cleaning, hauling garbage. Anything that we’ve needed floor, and elevated from that is booth seating along the back wall. While done, they just came forward and did it happily.” this set up may have worked well for a straight bar, it poses problems for Furthermore, Deb tells us about how, during construction, people in some of the typical functions held at a gay bar. the neighbourhood kept coming by to try the door to the former Garage Stephen acknowledges that plans are in the works regarding installing Burger space, concerned that a new restaurant would mean the end of a new stage, possibly moving the DJ booth, upgrading he sound system, their favourite burgers and homemade fries. Lucky for them, as Deb incorporating music videos, and possibly having go-go dancing cages. explained, “We took their top 3 selling burgers and we added them to our They plan to host regular drag shows on the first Sunday of every month, menu. ...We decided that was one of the things we wanted to do, honour and with a full kitchen, he also hopes food will be an option in the near that 30 years of history by keeping some of those wonderful things, and future. then adding some new stuff of course.” Aside from changes to the venue, Anderson is also looking at What has been particularly rewarding for Deb and Tracy is seeing the diversifying FLASH’s clientele. “We want to be able to cater as well to remarkable community spirit that the Junction has inspired in such a the bear community and the lesbian community. We’re offering special short time. nights for them. ...We are offering a college meets industry on Friday “Groups that used to be in chaos and conflict are starting to come nights, catering to the U of A and Grant MacEwan students where they together, the men and the women are starting to...mesh and intermingle get in for no charge, as well as for people working in the industry. ... a little bit and even enjoy each other’s company in this space. So there So ideally what we’re trying to do is bring two groups together – the is a coming together that is taking place that is so phenomenal. We had students that are new to Edmonton, as well as the older clientele, so that experienced it in our first 5 days here, our first night of Karaoke, when everybody is under one roof.” we had a group of people on the dance floor of all ages and all walks, FLASH is open Thursdays from 10pm to 2am, and Fridays/Saturdays and they were all arm in arm swaying back and forth on the dance floor from 9pm to 3am. Booths and the VIP lounge can be booked for birthdays singing at the top of their lungs and having a fabulous times. I cried, it and other private parties. was just the most amazing thing to experience.” The Junction “Our dream and our vision of building a stronger community based on After the death of Boots and Saddles/Garage Burger owner Jim respect, acceptance, and love, is happening here every day.” Shaffer, the business was left in the hands of Ross Correira who sadly was not up to the opportunity of taking the bar in a new direction. 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GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 45 Publishers Column - From Page 6
their friends. All in all, it was a lot of fun, and everyone ended up getting something of value out of it.
If you have the opportunity of visiting the Calgary Taboo show this year, make sure you stop by our booth to say “hi”, and perhaps get your photo done. Visit our website and enter to win free tickets to the Calgary GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine Taboo show. 2136 17th Avenue SW Halloween was its usual crazy gauntlet of events, though for once I Calgary, AB T2T 0G3 remained in Calgary while Steve covered Edmonton; since I’m the one November 1, 2010 with the car, it is usually the other way around. However, since we had our sights on 9 different Halloween parties happening in Calgary on the Dear Steve and Rob,
Saturday, having that car was the very reason had to I stay in town. On behalf of our clients, board, staff and volunteers of The SHARP Foundation I would like to Check out our Queer Eye feature for Halloween photographs from Calgary extend our sincere congratulations on your 7th anniversary! and Edmonton. GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine has been an incredible supporter of The SHARP Foundation for many years. Through event sponsorship, sponsored advertising of fundraising This Month initiatives and numerous articles outlining programs and services SHARP offers, we are able to A major event in Edmonton that you shouldn’t miss this month increase awareness of our mandate. The Magazine also offers a great vehicle to show appreciation to our numerous donors and supporters. is Exposure Festival, running from the 12th to the 21st. This is an opportunity to catch a show with MtF comedian Ian Harvie, who appears GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine is a remarkable advocate for the GLBT community as on our cover. See the article on page 10 for more on Exposure, or page 60 well as numerous non-profit organizations. Thank you for your great contributions to SHARP and the community as a whole! We look forward to continuing our work together to advocate on for our interview with him. behalf of everyone infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. We’re also launching a new feature this month, entitled “A Thousand Sincerely, Laughs”. It’s a monthly challenge that encourages you to participate in capturing and sharing humorous pictures of things in our province. Go to page 59 for a full explanation of the rules and requirements for Floyd Visser participating, and keep that camera phone handy! Executive Director Finally, we’d like to congratulate the Twisted Element on their 6th The SHARP Foundation anniversary, which falls on November the 11th. At time of press we weren’t able to confirm any details regarding an Anniversary party, but nonetheless it is a milestone that we hope they take time to celebrate in some way. Furthermore, we would like to congratulate the Texas Lounge on their 23rd anniversary, which they are celebrating on the 24th of this month.
Magazine I’m taking this moment to officially introduce a variation of our logo that we have been using in certain places for the past year. The Box 172, 2, 3012 – 17th Avenue SE Tel: 403.272.2912 Email: [email protected] abbreviation to “GC&E Magazine” makes Calgary, Alberta T2A 0P9 Fax: 403.272.9792 www.thesharpfoundation.com it ideal for use on things like T-shirts,
where individuals may wish to sport our brand without outing themselves. It has already appeared as a watermark in our 2010 media kit, and on our magazine cover backdrop at the Edmonton Taboo show, but we want our readers to be familiar with it as we may be applying it to more uses in the near future. For the time being, it is not meant to replace our rectangular “GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine” logo, however the similarity in colour and style should make it appear synonymous. There’s something else new about our magazine this month that you may have already noticed: in several places, including in ads, the appearance of a small square containing a triangular or dotted pattern in colour or black and white. This is an exciting new complementary feature we are offering to advertisers with half-page ad spots or larger. They are called “Tags”, and they are a way of making even the print version of our publication interactive in the electronic world. If you have a SmartPhone or iPhone with a data plan, take a moment to visit http://www.gettag.mobi in your mobile web browser, and follow instructions to download and install the free Microsoft Tag Reader application on your phone. This application will enable you to use your phone’s built-in camera to scan the tags in this magazine, and instantly Get the free mobile app at link you to websites, vCards, and other information. Give it a try and you’ll see http://gettag.mobi what I mean. It’s really quite amazing, and offers a whole new field of possibilities for ourselves and our advertisers to engage readers.
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46 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 Ian Harvie - From Page 60
Part of Harvie’s success is being viral. He can be friended we heard about it was because of technology. This happens on Facebook, tweets, and uses the internet to make fans and all the time and I think is 2 to 3 times higher than other teen friends. suicides. It is not that it is new news, it is just news that finally “Someone in this business is looking for a way to keep in hit the airwaves and someone is bringing light to it in a way touch with people who want to keep in touch with them and that hasn’t happened before. It is horrible that it happened know where they are. You can draw from that so when you do but it definitely inspires progress and a dialogue on howwe a show there aren’t empty seats there.” can prevent this from happening. That will eventually require ”I went to Australia in April and performed in the Melbourne families not just to teach tolerance, but loving acceptance. I don’t agree International Comedy Festival, and before I left, I started writing People’s tolerance is part of the problem. Saying, with it but I tolerate it to people and developing friendships so that when I got there is part of the problem. People need to I knew some other queers, queer friendly and gender variant keep their opinions out of it so that the message isn’t given folks who were incredibly welcoming. We ended up hanging out that it is wrong, and the message isn’t sanctioned to do these for a good portion of the time I was there. It is not just for things to other kids. So I am sad but hopeful that it will inspire shows, it is to make friends in other parts of the world so you progress.” are not so alone when you get there. It could be a lonely gig if Whether seeing Ian Harvie for the first time, or again, one you didn’t have something like Facebook. I would be curious thing you can be assured of is a fun evening on November what someone who has been doing comedy for 25 years would 17th. say about [the way it was] before Facebook or Myspace, when “There will be a little bit of old, a little bit of new, and [the there was only the after-show connection with the audience, audience] might learn something new and hear something they they didn’t have your address to send you fan mail. There is a have never heard before. I promise they will laugh their asses connection and acceptability that can ground people like me off.” in actually knowing people. I like to connect with people and hang out with them after shows or if I get there early, I love that kind of stuff. Facebook is a huge help with that. There are Ian Harvie a lot of people who are still very resistant to it, and that is fine www.IanHarvie.com too, they are more traditional. I feel very connected to the tech avenues.” Exposure Festival It has also allowed Harvie to be a role-model, and put a face to the Trans community. In putting himself out there, it helps Myer Horowitz Theatre, November 17th people see that Trans folks are just like everyone else. He www.IanHarvie.com personally takes time to tell others, including those with their own confusion and struggles over it. “It has allowed a lot of young people to write to me and say http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1928 things like, do you mind if I write to you because I don’t know View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments anyone in my small hometown who feels or talks about things the way you do. I had a therapist write to me with a client who was FTM and wanted to connect him to people who would be willing to mentor via pen-pal. I said, absolutely, I think that is important. I have maybe a dozen different FTM guys and a couple of their partners that write to me and exchange experience. Sometimes that is all it takes to help somebody not feel so alone with their feelings. That part is really important to me, to connect with other people who share the same feelings, or not. A lot of our feelings and experiences are so similar and that is important to me to have that connection to people.” While it certainly speaks to the progress of our society that a Transgendered comedian works, as the recent outcries against bullying and suicides show, we still have a long way to go. “I was having this conversation with someone recently about the bullying and harassment that goes on. A friend of mine said, the bashings that we hear about is rarely gay bashing, it is usually gender bashing. The moment that he said that it clicked. People can’t tell by looking at you if you eat pussy or suck cock, they can’t tell just by looking at you. But if you are gender variant in any way, shape or form then people will peg you as one of these derogatory words. It is most often that people are gender bashed. I think about that and am saddened by it, but also encouraged because there are organizations helping schools build things, coalitions, Gay/Straight alliances. When I was in Junior High it was the cruellest, most brutal time of my life. I was just miserable. The girls were the meanest, the boys were the dumbest; everything was hormonally motivated. On top of that, whatever families were teaching their kids [about] what was weird or different, sanctioned some of these kids’ actions in school. So I know that exists but, there is a lot of progress being made to teach kids very young that it is a diverse world out there and it is all ok.” Out of the media coverage and tragedy, Harvie hopes that it will lead to further progress. “The news of these people recently committing suicide, the sad thing is, it is not new news, it was just on air. The gentleman whose intimate relations were aired on the internet, the reason
GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 47 Trans Identity Free Speech and the Myth of “Special Rights”
By Mercedes Allen World War. This was in the wake of attempting to understand the first incidence in the Western World in which a democracy granted power Recent years have seen a regression with regards to the to, and collaborated with, a destructive regime, which targeted specific concept of human rights. Most often, this push-back is classes of its own citizens. Prior to the rise of Nazi Germany, it wasn’t in response to legislation that would protect lesbian, gay, really thought that something like the Universal Declaration of Human bisexual and/or trans people, and is often accompanied Rights was even necessary; afterward, nations understandably wanted by claims of infringement on freedom of speech, and/or to avoid ever taking the same path of fear, terror and hatred that they had witnessed on the international stage. that human rights legislation grants “special rights” to protected classes. But even at its genesis, the modern human rights discussion was troubled by disagreements as to whether rights should encompass Complaints about “special rights” often look like the response to the political and civil rights only, or also include economic and social Canadian trans rights Bill C-389 made at Timothy Bloedow’s Christian rights as well. Dissenters felt that economic and social aspects were Governance, by John Newnham: aspirational rather than intrinsic - much like arguments heard today, ”So someone assaulted allegedly over being a transvestite is in which some will challenge the right of people who they broadly and considered more valuable in law than a plain ordinary victim of domestic without care for circumstance characterize as “lazy” to various forms violence or hit and run.” of social assistance. In this way, human rights have gradually and This is dubious, at best. Rights classifications aren’t written to unjustly become seen as a socialist threat to capitalism, in a world protect specific groups of people - they address the bases that are used where the memory of Nazi Germany is fading, but the increasing to justify hatred. Protections based on race in fact potentially protect scarcity of wealth has come into stark focus. white people as well as anyone else: if it seems that the legislation Added to this has been the struggle that some have with seeing rights only protects racial minorities, perhaps it’s because minority persons for LGBT people specifically as a civil rights struggle. Some prefer to of colour are almost always the people targeted. And if such a disparity pick and choose who should be eligible for recognized equal rights, exists, then it illustrates exactly why the legislation is necessary in the often trying to distinguish between birth characteristics and what they first place. characterize as being choices. And even at that, many fail, refusing to Canadian Human Rights legislation also provides a key means of recognize gender variant people born with an intersex condition like balancing rights conflicts by taking into account context, and giving a Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome or Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia caveat for “undue hardship”: (witness the ongoing troubles in sport facing Caster Semenya and Santhi Soundarajan), or expecting rights guarantees to safeguard their The term “undue hardship” refers to the limit of an employer’s faith, while opposing the rights of those from another faith. Choice capacity to accommodate without experiencing an unreasonable amount invalidation also gives an out to prejudiced people for whom things of difficulty. Employers are obligated to provide accommodation “up to like colour become an indicator that triggers presumptions about the point of undue hardship.” This means an employer is not expected one’s motivations, culture, lifestyle, behaviours and tendencies. Doing to provide accommodation if doing so would bring about unreasonable this, they become blind to their prejudice because they’ve seduced difficulties based on health, safety, and/or financial considerations. themselves into believing that what they’re reacting to is not really the There is no precise legal definition of undue hardship, nor is there trait itself, when they’re acting on the unspoken and often inaccurate a standard formula for determining undue hardship. Each situation is smorgasbord of inventions that go with it. unique and should be evaluated individually. Undue hardship usually From a decolonial perspective, the concept of human rights is actually occurs when an employer cannot sustain the economic or efficiency costs flawed. Legislation granting rights is prescriptive, and retains focus of the accommodation. on disparate classes rather than dismantling borders and territories Generally, some hardship can be expected in meeting the duty to altogether - a colonial response to colonial thinking. Decolonialism accommodate. Employers are required to carefully review all options assumes value and inalienable rights for everyone, which should not before they decide that accommodation would cause undue hardship. be deprived on any irrational basis (the term “irrational” leaves open It is not enough to claim undue hardship based on an assumption or an a proviso that allows the judicial system to step in when someone opinion. To prove undue hardship, employers have to provide evidence. has violated legal and ethical standards). Prescriptivism is a limited Despite the portrayal by the far right as elevating trans people above solution to a complex problem. the average Canadian, Bill C-389’s proposed protections apply to both That said, without an entire reframing of law to eliminate colonial trans and non-trans people alike based their on gender identity and mechanisms used to sanction oppression (or better but perhaps less expression – in fact, this is an added advantage of the legislation, in possible, a societal changing of hearts and minds), human rights that it finally encodes in law that women can’t be discriminated against legislation remains the necessary evil, to prevent hysteria and hatred for being too masculine, or men for being too effeminate. from escalating to deliberate marginalization, terror and eventually Often without protective rights legislation, it becomes common for genocide. people to excuse discrimination - even hatred that leads to violence or murder, such as the tragedies we remember at the Transgender Day Genocide in 2010 of Remembrance, commemorated on November 20th of every year - as ”Mr Bahati’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill stipulates the death penalty being somehow justified, thereby devaluing the lives of the victims. for repeated same-sex relations and life imprisonment for all other Human rights legislation does not elevate some classes of people homosexual acts. A person in authority who fails to report an offender above others, but instead affirms that it is wrong to base prejudicial to the police within 24 hours will face 3 years in jail. Likewise, the actions on characteristics which are commonly met with prejudice. In promotion of homosexuality carries a sentence of 5 to 7 years in jail.” an ideal world, of course, we would all realize that all are created equal, Tragically, we’ve seen a dramatic surge in hatred toward LGBT but it doesn’t happen that way in practical reality. So the reminders people specifically because they’re lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans, most have to be codified into law… because there is always disagreement visibly in Uganda. When Exodus International board member Don about who should be treated fairly and what the limit to fairness Schmirer, historical revisionist Scott Lively and ex-gay “counsellor” should be. Caleb Brundidge travelled to Kampala to fan the flames of anti-gay sentiment in February of 2009, American far-right evangelical groups Questioning Aspiration and Motivation saw an opportunity. Uganda had been a key area where funding has Although rooted in enlightened concepts that were described as been targeted to address the spread of HIV worldwide, and many of “natural rights,” human rights were revisited following the Second these programs, including PEPFAR, have faced special limitations
48 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 to make non-governmental organizations that assist people like their own lives in large numbers. Something’s broken, and yet the sex workers ineligible for funding. By stirring up anti-gay hysteria statements that drive it are intangible enough that it becomes difficult and pushing for laws like Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill (which to know where that line should have been drawn. would also criminalize organizations that advocate for LGBT people), That’s the problem with the Boissoin decisions. Did it become evangelicals found an opportunity to have virtually exclusive access incitement? Within a couple weeks of Boissoin’s letter being published, to the billions of dollars in AIDS relief funds - not for condoms, but to there actually was a violent attack, and it was felt by the AHRC - but proselytize in the guise of abstinence-only education. It is possible that not felt by the appellate court - that the letter helped to create an the death penalty was an unintended consequence, although the little environment where that attack became likely to happen. response so far from American evangelical leaders now to condemn Harassment – Something else our court recognizes is harassment, the bill has been weak and half-hearted. In the process, the Ugandan and again, context is everything. If someone tells their co-worker once government found it to be a way to unite their people against a common that they think homosexuality is a sin, well, that could be justified enemy, and religious extremists like Martin Ssempa seized upon it by under freedom of speech. But stating it multiple times, every time he burning condoms, subjecting congregations to graphic depictions of or she passes their desk, in every email they send, in any conversation anal sex, and conflating homosexuality with pornographic scatophilia spoken loudly with others while near that co-worker, making an in slideshows designed to regularly whip the public into raging mob environment where it becomes very difficult and very unfriendly very mentality. While one local newspaper has been publishing photos fast and impossible to function - that’s “expressing an opinion,” but of alleged gay people and inciting the public to burn or hang them, it’s also clear harassment. But what about activity that’s in between? the Anti-Homosexuality Bill is once again inching toward government Incidental conversation where it’s unclear if there was any intent… passage. context. And for those who might state that even the extreme case is And again, we remember why human rights are necessary. justifiable, swap out “homosexuality is a sin” for “all religious leaders are pedophiles,” and they might feel differently. Free Speech, Incitement and Harassment It is not unusual for the far right to complain that granting rights Hate speech is never free. It drives minorities underground, into to LGBT people will infringe upon their freedom of speech. Usually, it hiding, into fear and shame, it becomes an impediment to fulfilling will be cases like the ruling by the Alberta Human Rights Commission their dreams or even just going out to the grocery store. While freedom against Rev. Stephen Boissoin (since overturned) that people will point of speech is something definitely worth valuing, if proponents seek total to, or occasionally legal actions against more fringe people like Bill unrestrained speech in law, then they need a clear solution to mitigate “anal warts” Whatcott. this effect. And leaving it up to “personal responsibility” is just not good enough, because people are just not that responsible — as witnessed Speech is a nebulous thing to try to regulate, and will always need a by our entire code of laws. context to determine when enough harm occurs that it has gone beyond “hurting feelings” (as some minimize hate speech to being) to causing incitement or real damage. And if it needs context, then there will never be any legal absolutes that will definitively solve the issue. http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1919 That said, there are some types of speech that are commonly View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments recognized to be harmful, regardless of where people stand on the issue: Incitement – directly encouraging violence upon a person. Even many free speech proponents realize that our society can’t just allow someone to shout outright, repeatedly and relentlessly, that “we need to take up arms and kill all ______s,” especially in an environment where “______s” are unpopular, and the person is likely to have others take the speaker seriously enough to actually attempt to do so. And if someone does incite others to commit acts of violence, those proponents can often understand making them a party to the crime, in terms of conspiracy-related charges, etc. So when does it become incitement? The Protocols of the Elders of Zion never actually state within their covers that violence should be done to Jews, but the passages whip up such fear and hatred that many times throughout history, violence became the most logical conclusion. The same could be asked of the anti-gay sentiment bandied around today. Individually, statements that fear monger or pontificate about LGBT people are just statements — even quoting Leviticus 20:13. Cumulatively, though, the environment makes it likely that someone’s going to get hurt… or else bullied enough that queer kids start taking
GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 49 Interview
record which will come out in France and Canada in February. It has meant I have been working non-stop.” If that isn’t enough, they have also started their own label, Pirates Blend Records. “We looked at our past catalogue and we were at a juncture with a lot of things in life. One of the things we were frustrated with in the past was the ability to represent ourselves properly. The opportunity arose to start a label and we found some great people at Sony who really believed in us and believed in building something beyond just Bedouin - to my solo work, and other artists we want to support. The idea was to find other people who were into music and create a platform for artists that we love that may not have a home. That was a challenge we had as a band for so long, we were always kind of outsiders. So we decided to create a label and have great music. We are really busy, all of us. It is a lot of work and you want to do it well. We are releasing Michael Rault’s record and want to make sure we do it well. It is pretty busy but when you are doing it out of love, it makes it easier to do.” It is uncommon for an artist to release a solo album and a band record in less than a year. Malonowski’s Bright Lights and Bruises Bedouin Soundclash - photo by Valerie Jodoin Keaton was a beautiful acoustic album, while Light The Horizon has a fuller sound. Both are identifiable as Malinowski’s songwriting, but there is a definite difference. “I guess I look at every record as speaking to whatever situation I am in. I was in a certain place when I wrote Bright Lights and went Bedouin Soundclash through that catharsis. I went into Bedouin a bit better prepared and repaired for this. We have a new drummer, I was excited to try and Canadian band regroups with Light The Horizon play with the band again. There was a carry-over in subject matter and there is more of an introspective aspect on Light The Horizon. By Jason Clevett I am working with two other people so I do have to wear kind of a different hat from the solo album. We were ready to make the record, To say Jay Malinowski is a busy fellow is an the songs came out within a month, about 20 songs. It was an easy understatement. The Bedouin Soundclash frontman record to write.” released his first solo album, Bright Lights and Bruises, This tour has taken Bedouin to the world expo in Shanghai, and to in February and toured Canada in the spring. He then India, Australia, and the UK. The difference in audiences between the immediately reunited with bassist Eon Sinclair and countries was surprising, Malinowski said. new drummer Sekou Lumumba (who has drummed for “They are all extremely different. We spent a week in each country Edwin & The Pressure, Kardinal Offishall) and others to which was quite a culture shock. Shanghai was interesting because record Light The Horizon, released on September 28th. people don’t go to see live music there. Here, if you have kids watching a show, the kids will get it and their parents won’t. There, everyone I caught Jay over the phone, at home in Toronto for a had a blank face and wasn’t receptive. ... India was really cool. We brief stopover. had a couple of days in Mumbai. Most of us got sick, though we felt “I’m just here for the day. Got back home late last night from the pretty lucky to be able to go there and tour. We played some cool UK and am running around today getting some stuff done. We leave festivals and saw some Bollywood performers which was cool. We for New York tonight.” were definitely the odd ones out there.” The schedule has also resulted in another record to be released next This tour returns to smaller venues after playing sold out arenas in year, and a world tour, which comes to the Starlite Room in Edmonton 2009, opening for No Doubt. It was an unforgettable experience that on November 27th, and The Whisky in Calgary on November 28th. gave the band a taste of fame. “I haven’t had a break this year. I went directly from the Bright “They asked us on the tour and we had never seen something that Lights and Bruises tour to recording Light the Horizon, and then size before. They were really gracious to us, they brought us out for recorded another record that is coming out next year. I recorded with a song during the encore. That is a totally different world when you Beatrice Martin - Coeur de pirate - a French singer. We did a Mariachi are getting to that level. You choose a certain point to do that and you have to really own it. I know it sounds weird but a lot of bands probably get to a certain point and go, I don’t know if I really want that level of success because there is a lot that comes along with it. But it was really great to be able to see something like that. Once you are onstage you just go into a different zone, and it could be any room in the world. We just played our show. We don’t have a lot - choreography or anything like that; we just play our show and try and fill the room with sound.” Bedouin, and Jay have developed a very passionate fan base. At his solo show in March, one fan in attendance had flown from the Eastern US to Calgary just to see them play. Malinowski made a point of coming out after to sign autographs and give one-on-one time with anybody that wanted to approach him. With how personal Malinowski’s lyrics are, they resonate with their fans in a way that many artists’ don’t. “The last two records, they were very personal. Bright Lights and Bruises dealt with the breakup of a band, and in my personal life as well. Light The Horizon is about a band coming back together and reclaiming something. We are really giving something of ourselves in Continued on Page 50 50 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 51 52 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 Music Music Review Elton John and Leon Russell, Liza Minnelli
By Chris Azzopardi Also Out Lizz Wright, Fellowship Lizz Wright’s got some voice – a supple, rich contralto The Union that, on her new “secular gospel” offering, could trigger Elton John and Leon Russell chills through non-believers. After submerging it into jazz and blues, Wright honors her Georgia roots with ½ My Rating: emotionally stirring results – impressing with the glorious “God Specializes,” Eric Clapton’s “Presence of the Lord” and “Amazing Grace,” made into a minimalistic mover. With help from Sweet Honey in the Rock’s Bernice Reagon, and In his illustrious four-decade career, Elton John’s done it all: cut daughter Toshi, Wright’s fourth album is a transcendent classics, inspired generations of performers and been one of the journey of life, spirituality and deeply felt feeling. greatest gay icons ever. For so long, though, the legend’s admiration for Leon Russell, a roots-country crooner, went untouched – until now, as the two marry their musical geniuses into a masterfully Shontelle, No Gravity written, produced (cut live by tunesmith T Bone Burnett, no Whoever Shontelle is seems irrelevant on much of her less) and performed duets LP. Trademark Elton sneaks in on the sophomore set, where she’s a pop singer left to imitate rather boisterous kiss-off “Monkey Suit,” heartfelt ballad “The Best Part than initiate. Rihanna comparisons – especially on the dancefloor of the Day” and snarling, piano-licked “Hey Ahab,” perhaps due punch of “Take Ova” – are inevitable, but the Barbadian 23-year- in part to longtime co-writer Bernie Taupin’s contributions. But old’s also doing her best Estelle impression on “DJ Made Me Do the Rocket Man is still far removed from his signature classic-rock It.” Even then, and even with a talented production team, she can’t days, falling closer in line with Russell’s ’70s Americana records. On find a way to make her own. Shontelle sounds mostly outdated, The Union, craft ranks over mainstream consumption, and it pays cheap and lyrically shallow, but the lead single, “Impossible,” off remarkably with the sarcastic lead single “If It Wasn’t for Bad,” shows she may still have a shot at defying Gravity. a jaunty, nuanced number; “Gone to Shiloh,” a moving Civil War narrative, with Neil Young bringing an added ache; and quiet gospel closer “In the Hands of Angels,” a song that Elton lets his idol have http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1923 at alone. It’s a testimony to the brotherhood felt throughout, where both artists extract each other’s individual best and together, as View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments Elton smoothes out the ruggedness of Russell’s drawl, sound like each other’s yin and yang. Their Union isn’t simply a great story of enduring friendship, but one of the best albums of the year. (Out Oct. 19)
Confessions Liza Minnelli My Rating: ½
Even Liza Minnelli knew her decision to embarrass herself, and her legendary career, with a “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)” remake earlier this year was a bad move – she sounded grossly awful, like she was hobbling to the finish line. Instead of pushing the idea of older-diva-does-younger-diva through to this studio album, her first since 1996’s Gently, she embraces every day of her 64 years of age with a classy covers collection that plays to her strengths and avoids emphasizing her weaknesses. Her voice, more jeans than spandex these days, doesn’t go for flash, but is understated and expertly suited for the quiet intimacy that producer and longtime collaborator Bruce Roberts is fetching. The 14 standards are scaled back, never giving Liza’s now- husky alto more than it can handle – no orchestras, no showstoppers – with its jazzy, dinner party arrangements. “Confession,” originally from The Band Wagon and opening the set, perfectly complements her personality, but even with better-known favorites like Frank Sinatra’s “All the Way” and Etta James’ “At Last,” she holds her own, reaching more for the song’s soul and less for its vocal cartwheels. The soft-sounding ease of it all could use more oomph, even with the zing of “You Fascinate Me So,” and is sometimes tediously muddied, but Confessions is still a mature and dignified way to keep Liza’s 60-year career rolling. Hell, we’d put a ring on it. GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 53 Interview
Photo by Joseph Cultice Photo by Pamela Littky Photo by Joseph Cultice
Streets of Gold, the band’s third album, was released in June. Filled with catchy, memorable tracks, the sexually charged album is certain to stick Kiss & Tell in your brain. “I supposed that must mean we are a couple of sexually charged dudes?! I think that sexual energy and relationships and fleeting encounters are 3OH!3 paves their Streets of Gold something that we like to write about. I guess a lot of people like to write about those things, judging by how many people treat those topics in their By Jason Clevett songs! For Streets of Gold we wanted to expand musically and lyrically, and hopefully still retain the things that are 3OH!3 from our previous records, I was on vacation and flipping channels on the hotel TV and not alienate our fans that have been with us and supporting us for when I thought I saw Ke$ha on screen, and two guys in such a long time. I would hope that we managed to do that. We wanted front of a bright gold set. I paused to watch the video, and to create music that is fun, inclusive, and hopefully different and pushes promptly had it stuck in my head. Like many others, the some sort of boundaries to achieve something new in the Pop realm.” song My First Kiss was my first introduction to Colorado There is a lot of fun back and forth in many of their songs, such as band 3OH!3. in House Party as well as Double Vision. One of an artist’s favourite experiences is when the songs are performed live and the fans are singing “I think My First Kiss was kind of the natural choice for our first single the lyrics back. off of Streets of Gold. It is a fun, inclusive song, that sticks to our style of music, and also includes a singer who is a good friend, and whom has had “It means a lot! Honestly our live show and our studio time go hand-in- some big success recently,” singer Nat Motte told GayCalgary & Edmonton hand. When we create a song, we are always thinking about performing it Magazine. “I think it was a good way to re-introduce our band to the public, live, and since we started, the live show has been very integral to everything after being in the studio writing an album for the better part of 4 months. that is 3OH!3. Our live shows are meant to be very inclusive, and hopefully The success has been great! It is a really fun song to play live, and people anyone for any music background or scene can come and have a good time seem to really like it!” and forget about their troubles for a bit. Seeing and hearing fans singing with us, or simply smiling at a live show, validates everything that we do!” Motte and Sean Foreman, who make up the band, teamed up with Tik- Tok hit maker Ke$ha on the song. Additionally they make an appearance Much like their music, Sean and Nat seem really fun. Video blogs from on her song Blah Blah Blah. their tours, and goofy videos like Don’t Trust Me make the guys seem approachable, which in turn draws fans. “I think having her on My First Kiss was a big help in getting some radio stations to add our song to their rotations. It was pretty soon after her huge “We’ve always wanted to have fun with our music, and every aspect of Tik Tok success, radio stations that might not have wanted to add a song our art. Even if we are writing a serious or sad song, we have fun making with just us on it were more inclined to add it because of her appearance. it and learning, and the same goes for videos. Additionally we have never We actually met Ke$ha when we were writing My First Kiss over two years really wanted to take ourselves too seriously, or play the cool card. I think ago. Sean had written the line ’My first kiss went a little like this...’ and it’s a combination of those things that influence our videos. We are both we thought it would be cool to have a girl do a response to that line. The very accessible through things like Twitter, and we have never wanted to be producer we were working with at the time knew Ke$ha, and told us she shrouded in any sort of mysterious artist shroud. In a sense, we are just a could be a cool fit for the song. She came in and sang the line, and we hung couple of dudes who have fun making music!” out and hit it off. When it came time to make her album Sean helped her The band is experiencing a new level of success, with a sold out tour write on Blah Blah Blah in New York City, with our friend Benny Blanco, of the UK. Their current tour sold out the Edmonton Events Centre on and it has been really cool to watch her to do well!” November 11th, and had to be moved to MacEwan Hall from the smaller Another popular singer has also worked with the band. Katy Perry ballroom for their Calgary show November 10th. The opportunity to travel helped with the song Starstrukk and they opened for her on tour. the world is pretty amazing for a couple of guys from Boulder, Colorado. “We met Katy a bit before Warped Tour in 2008. She had been working “It’s wonderful! This summer was really amazing - we went to Japan, with our buddy Benny Blanco on her record. She played on the same stage Europe, Brazil, and Australia, and everywhere we went we were fortunate as us that whole summer, and we got to be really good friends with her to play great shows, have a tremendous amount of fun, and meet really and her whole band and crew. Her band would set their instruments up interesting and wonderful people. We want to keep building on that onstage with us, and play during our set too, which really helped form our success, and keep touring and evolving our live show and recorded music. live show into what it is today. We had always been looking for a time and It’s such an amazing thing to be able to travel the world and have so much place to collaborate, and it ended up working out when we were in LA doing fun and learn so much - we’re eternally grateful to everyone who supports a remix of our song Starstrukk. She is a really great singer - she has such a us in that!” full and rich voice - it was a real treat tracking her in the studio.”
54 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 Bedouin Soundclash - From Page 50
While a high ratio of their fan base is female, they have a diverse following that, and it translates. The really great thing about being in Bedouin from frat guys to gay men. Their acceptance is part of their appeal. is, we do have people that come from all over. We have some really “Let’s see...3OH!3 live is loud, sweaty, a bit raunchy, and mostly great fans. We feel really lucky to have that connection to someone’s (hopefully) really fun. We try to drop any and all pretences that other artists life. That is why you start making music, you have something you might have in terms of who should be able to enjoy their music. For us, feel and maybe someone else can relate to it, and it helps them get 3OH!3 started as a reaction to an exclusive music scene. We were going to through things. I feel really honoured and blessed to get to talk to a lot of underground hip hop shows in Boulder, Colorado, and eventually those people. The solo record was deeply personal to me, and I was realized that it was more about what wasn’t part of the scene, rather than playing personal settings and I could go out and talk to people and what was, and that was very powerful for us. We wanted to make music they could actually talk to you.” and play shows that dropped all of that; shows that are fun and well- The Bedouin Soundclash that will be playing Alberta later this developed musically, and interesting. Hopefully we are achieving that!“ month is one that is refreshed, renewed, raw, and ready to give those “Our music is meant to be accessible to anyone from any background. in attendance an unforgettable evening. We love incorporating different musical styles into our music, and different “We are back down to a three piece - last time we toured we had theatrical styles into our live show, and I guess our whole deal as 3OH!3 is a horn section. We really wanted to strip it down and take it back to some sort of weird, cross-pollinated, genetic-jumbled, bastard step-child of where we were before. With Sekou drumming, it really is the best line- other music and shows. If anyone from anywhere wants to come join that up we have ever had - he plays amazingly well. It is how we envisioned - then by all means they will be welcomed with open, although somewhat Bedouin when Eon and I first started it back in 2000. We are more sweaty, arms!”. comfortable and laid back. It is a great show.”
3OH!3 Bedouin Soundclash www.3oh3music.com www.bedouinsoundclash.com
On Tour On Tour November 10th - Macewan Hall - Calgary Starlite Room, Edmonton - Nov 27th November 11th - Edmonton Events Centre - Edmonton The Whiskey, Calgary - Nov 28th
http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1924 http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1920 View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments
GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 55 Classified Ads
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GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 57 58 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 Humour A Thousand Laughs
By GayCalgary.com Staff Seagull Perch courtesy of Cinzeo. Perhaps you’re a hopeless cynic, a pun fanatic, or you just can’t get your mind out of the gutter. The world is full of things that make you laugh – whether they are bizarre or unfortunate coincidences, the fruits of others’ poor judgement, good intentions gone awry, or mundane things framed in a unique way. This fun new monthly feature is about showing others the world through your eyes, by taking snapshots of things you happen across in your everyday life that make you chuckle. A picture can be worth a thousand laughs, so get out your camera or cell phone, snap as many photos as you need to demonstrate your concept, and submit them to GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine. Your funny photo concept No ocean panorama is complete without a rock doused in obscene amounts of gull could appear in “A Thousand Laughs” in the next edition! guano. Perhaps you recognize the pirate ship The rules are simple: scene from West Edmonton Mall? The funny 1) YOU have to take the photo(s). coincidence is the in-theme Cinzeo hut right 2) The photo(s) must be of something PUBLICLY VISIBLE in an beside it, sporting a giant a cinnamon bun Alberta city. This can include buildings and landmarks, signs, smothered in...err...”icing”. commercial products, etc. 3) The subject of the photo(s) must remain THE WAY YOU FOUND The toaster is the new bong? IT – no set-ups! And no pilfering from Facebook either – this is about you appreciating the funny state of things in Alberta! NOTE: Please try to keep the presence of people in your photographs to a minimum, save for when they are part of your concept. GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine, reserves the right to obscure the identity of any individual in your photograph, if we deem it necessary. Submit your pictures by e-mail to [email protected] with the following information: 1) Your name. 2) How you would like the photo(s) to be credited. Leggo my waffles you junkie! I knew hemp 3) Where in Alberta the photo(s) were taken. had many uses, but this one truly surprised 4) A single, brief (no more than 25 words) humorous headline or me – and available in the freezer section of my caption for your photo or photo series. local Safeway, to boot. I’m curious as to what 5) An explanation (no more than 50 words) so that, once others happens if your toaster burns them a little? have had their laughs, they can understand what’s actually going Looks like you’re already covered when the on. munchies hit! Here are some examples of funny things that I’ve captured around Calgary and Edmonton. Stephen Mandel doing well in Poles. This is a classic http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1927 case of unfortunate sign placement. It View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments totally deflates the professional image Mr. Mandel is aiming to create with his ad. Meanwhile, the arrow is actually directing people to the entrance of the Pole Junkies store at Southern Centre. But you may not realize that whilst driving by.
GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 59 Interview
Ian Harvie photos by Kevin Neales
“Initially if you go to a place you can do one of two things. You can have an experience that happened to you that you would Exposing Ian Harvie like to share that might relate to them. There is something about that which connects you to people, you are talking about them and they love that. You can look for that real experience and write something funny about it, or take something of your own that you already have and tailor it for them. The first part By Jason Clevett of that usually happens when you get there. I have performed on the Atlantis cruise and I was on the boat for 12 days, the The last time Ian Harvie was in Alberta, he was opening for first four I didn’t have a performance. I had a lot of observation Margaret Cho. Unfortunately due to scheduling issues, time of gay male culture on a cruise ship that provided a lot of he only performed in Calgary that tour. Edmontonians material for me to talk about. There is something about that really missed out on the incredibly talented Harvie, but which is powerful, people go, this person was paying attention, they will now get their chance, as the Exposure Festival cool. People really enjoy that.” brings Harvie to the Myer Horowitz Theatre on November Part of Harvie’s growth into a headliner comes from three 17th. years of working with Cho. This is the second year the festival has brought a high-profile “She does a small tour and a big tour, and I worked with her Trans artist to Edmonton: last year, adult star Buck Angel was for two small tours and a big tour over three years. She and I invited. Often community events forget about the “T” aspect of are great friends, it was amazing to be able to get up in front of the alphabet, so Harvie was thrilled to be called on. as many people that come to her shows. For her to give me that opportunity for exposure and make people laugh and give them “I knew that Buck was there last year, he was tweeting about my personal message with my comedy is something that any it. It is incredible that there seems to be this steady, moderate queer comic would dream of doing. I am so grateful.” surge of people wanting to be inclusive and educated and share experience. I have heard people say, I don’t understand why In January Harvie and Cho had a heartfelt conversation trans-people are included in the queer community. I am like, Are about his future, which lead to a positive decision, nevertheless you kidding? Really? You don’t know why? Trans people were a difficult one. the first ones at Stonewall to throw punches at the cops! That’s “I had a conversation with her saying, I love working with you why! We are all in this together as gender or sexual ‘deviant’ but I don’t want to be a career opener. If I want to be as big as people who dare to do things and tear down things that people you someday I’ve got to fly. She said, You totally do. It felt like over the years have told us we are not supposed to be or do. We the right timing, but afterwards there is that moment where are family because of our history and experience not because you go, shoot, what did I just do?! As an opener for her you are of what we call ourselves. That is just the queer alphabet. It is really well taken care of, and cared for and respected, brought exciting to me to hear such inclusive festivals like Exposure up and held up by the comedy community. To take that solo inviting Buck and me. That is a movement that is happening - flight was a scary step to actually vocalize and begin to do it. It colleges are calling and wanting trans performers. It is definitely has been incredible, I am working just as much, and learning noticeable for me, that it seems to be happening more often that so much about how to build a fan base and not be a sidebar on I am asked to perform as a Trans performer. I am proud of somebody else’s tour. I get to do a lot of colleges, the Exposure Exposure for doing that.” Festival, it has been going really well.” Harvie made a few jokes in his Calgary appearance about the That isn’t to say they don’t remain close. Harvie attended a city. He had the crowd in stitches and really made a positive few tapings of Dancing With The Stars this season. impression. “I went a couple of times to see her dance. I went to the very first episode and was really excited about being there. I definitely think they were being far too harsh on her. She worked really hard. I had a feeling that they know who they want as frontrunners based on what middle-America wants to watch. Margaret is a great dancer so I am a little down on the whole show but, was really excited to watch her dance again in these totally different styles. She did an awesome job.”
Continued on Page 47 60 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010
Interview
Paula Cole. Photos by Fabrizio Ferri
my family, so it represents some place of inner fortitude for me. Paula Cole’s Second Coming How personal is the album for you? It’s really an important album for me. These songs – the The pop-folk icon talks new album, hits (and vast majority of them anyway – were written while I was going through the divorce, and I was just so lucky to have music pits), and the gays who love her to bits to turn to, some place to help me heal. These songs just demanded to be written. By Chris Azzopardi You go through periods of drought as a writer, and you don’t know when the mystery will hit, and that mystery – that Folk-pop hits – and hairy pits – put Paula Cole’s name at beautiful muse – was very alive for me in this period. the forefront of the late ’90s golden age for female singer- Were they written over a long period of time then? songwriters. It wouldn’t have been that decade without the Dawson’s Creek song, her ubiquitous “I Don’t Want Well, I was stuck in divorce court for two years, so they were certainly written then – and also, after. I made Courage to Wait,” and the staple “Where Have All the Cowboys while I was coming off a long hiatus, a long time away from the Gone?” music business. And that was necessary. But I needed help Cole disappeared for many years afterward, reemerging with Courage. I needed co-writers, because I was this kind of with 2007’s jazz-tinged Courage. In September she released broken bird. its follow-up, Ithaca, her fifth album. With Ithaca I wanted to get back to my process that defined Outside of a Massachusetts coffeehouse, Cole spoke to us the work of the ’90s for me, where I wrote my songs 100 about the new disc, sucking at social networking, her growing percent with a highly personal process. I wanted to be involved gay following – and yes, even her armpit hair. in production again, because I’m a music geek (laughs). So the album’s Ithaca – is that where you’re living right Do you feel acclimated now with the way the business has now? shifted in the last decade with social networking sites and No. I live back in my hometown of Rockport, Mass., and such? Rockport really is my Ithaca – my home and the place I’m (Laughs) I pretty much suck at social networking, and I suck coming back to after a long bout in the world slaying dragons at promoting and photo shoots, and I have to go and confront and all that. I did live in Ithaca, N.Y., when I was very young. those weaknesses. I really am much more of an introvert, but We lived in a trailer park and it was kind of a tough time for I need life with music in it and I need to make a living with my music. It’s the only thing I want to do. I’m in a groove of being in the world again, of not being such a hermit. I feel like I’m an anomaly though – a 42-year-old white woman aiming for a second career. There’s no pressure from the label to Tweet or Facebook? They’re making me! They’re standing over me with a whip! (Laughs) I’ve never Tweeted – am I saying the verb correctly? Yes, that’s correct. It just sounds so much like twat. I just can’t fucking take it seriously (laughs). I’m not going to discuss my latest bowel movement. It’s just so ridiculous to me. What I do is all there at the live shows. If they’re interested, just come to the live shows. I’m really proud of that. I mean, I’m a writer but I also really need the live shows. I would be a horribly bitchy and anxious person if I didn’t have music to help me through this life. I need it as much as I need air. Do you feel like you’re obligated to play “I Don’t Want to Wait” on tour? Continued on Page 34 62 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 63 Photography
80’s Night at Fab - Calgary Kinky Flea Market - Calgary
Taboo Show - Edmonton
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Halloween Weekend at Buddys, Flash, Junction and Woody’s - Edmonton
GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 65 Photography
Halloween Weekend at ARGRA Dance, The Backlot, Calgary Eagle, Club Sapien, Fab, Girls Groove Dance, Jaro Blue, Texas Lounge, Twisted Element and Village Bistro - Calgary
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GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #85, November 2010 67 Photography
Backlot Grand Opening Party - Calgary
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