hans ebson

Transcription

hans ebson

June 2008
Issue 56
FREE
of charge
Pride 2008 Guide
on Page 14
One on One Interviews:
k.d. lang
Margaret Cho
Jully Black
Dave Bronconnier
Stephen Mandel
And MORE!
15 years of Gay Rodeo
ARGRA Reaches Milestone Year
>> STARTING ON PAGE 16
GLBT RESOURCE • CALGARY & EDMONTON
2
gaycalgary and edmonton magazine #56, June 2008
Table of Contents
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Established originally in January
1992 as Men For Men BBS by MFM
Communications. Named changed to
GayCalgary.com in 1998. Stand alone
company as of January 2004. First Issue
of GayCalgary.com Magazine, November
2003. Name adjusted in November 2006 to
GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine.
Gay with a Purpose
Letter from the Publisher
9 k.d. lang
Alberta’s Country “dykeon” opens up about touring Watershed
11
Big Gay Laughs
12
Wrap Yourself in the Rainbow
14
Pride Guide
16
Map & Event Listings
23
The Wrong Lesson
25
Q Scopes
26
Adult Film Review
28
Deep Inside Hollywood
Videographer
Steve Polyak and Rob Diaz-Marino
29
Whole Lesbian Sex
Please forward all inquiries to:
GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine
Suite 403, 215 14th Avenue S.W.
Calgary, Alberta T2R 0M2
30
What’s Gay in LA?
Phone (403) 543-6960 or toll free (888)
543-6960
31
Dallas Green
33
Letters to the Editor & Newslets
35
Bitter Girl
36
A Couple of Guys
38
Sexual Orientation in Men
40
The Revision of the Diagnosis of
Transsexuality
Publisher Steve Polyak & Rob Diaz-Marino,
publisher@gaycalgary.com
Editor Rob Diaz Marino, editor@gaycalgary.
com
Original Graphic Design Deviant Designs
Advertising
Steve Polyak sales@gaycalgary.com
Contributors
Steve Polyak, Rob Diaz-Marino, Jason Clevett,
Jerome Voltero, Kevin Alderson, Allison
Brodowski , Mercedes Allen, Stephen Lock,
Dallas Barnes, Benjamin Hawkcliffe, Evan
Kayne, Dominic Scaia, Ian Krell , Monmen,
Andrew Collins, Felice Newman, Romeo San
Vicente, and the Gay and Lesbian Community
of Calgary and Edmonton
Photographer
Steve Polyak and Rob Diaz-Marino
Fax (403) 703-0685
E-mail magazine@gaycalgary.com
Print Run Monthly, 12 times a year
Copies Printed Monthly, Over 10,000 copies.
Masthead continued on page 4
9
Stocking Up for Pride
16
Calgary and Edmonton
Find out what’s happening
“Take time to meditate, Virgo!”
Edinburgh, The Mat, Stark Naked, Muscle Men
New Projects For Rose McGowan and Cyndi Lauper
Body Mechanics for Determined Sapphists
Gay and Lesbian Alliance of Lethbridge and Area
11
Solo on City & Colour Project
And the Surrounding Controversy
42
70’s Fever
Do Disco at Stage West
Continued Next Page
42
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From Previous Page
44
62
July 2008 Press
Deadlines
Ad Space Booking Wednesday, June 25th 2008
Ad Submission Monday, June 30th 2008
In Circulation - Thursday, July
3rd 2008
44
46
Dave Bronconnier
47
Stephen Mandel
48
Out of Town
50
NDPs & Liberals Seek End to Discrimination
51
“She’s A Boy I Knew”
53
Music Review
54
Womonspace Hits the Green
55
The Works
Art and Design Festival
Deadline for Ad copy 28th of the month
(unless otherwise stated)
57
Edmonton Pride Week 2008
Legal Council Courtney Sebree Aarbo,
Barristers and Solicitors
Pride Q&A with Calgary’s Mayor
Continued from page 3
Pride Q&A with Edmonton’s Mayor
Eight Ways to Enjoy Boston
Conservatives say “No”
An Interview With Director Gwen Haworth
Distributed by Gallant Distributions
(Calgary), Clark’s Distribution (Edmonton),
Canada Post (rest of Canada and USA)
and by GayCalgary.com
Funplex, Live 3, Crayons, Hard Candy
Deadline for Ad Bookings 25th of the month
(unless otherwise stated)
Edmonton Celebrates Pride the Mardi Gras Way
Printers North Hill News
58
Pride Calgary 2008
60
Jully Black Wows ‘Em at The Grand
61
Banff’s Alphabet Soup Thriving
62
Silver Jubilee
63
Margaret Cho is Beautiful
66
Fundraising Photos
69
Queer Eye - Calgary & Edmonton
This Issue Cover Model k.d. lang. Photo
provided by Warner Music.
It’s Time To Show Your Pride!
One Yellow Rabbit Marks 25th Anniversary with Special Show
A Chat with America’s favorite Fag Hag
Member of International Gay &
Lesbian Travel Association
Please contact us right away if
you think you may have missed
the Booking or Submission
Deadlines
4
The opinions expressed in this magazine are
not necessarily those of GayCalgary.com or
the contributors of the magazine.
People photographed or interviewed,
writers, advertisers, contributors and
anyone else involved with this publication
are not necessarily gay, lesbian, bi,
bi-curious or trans gendered. They can be
straight people that are gay friendly.
No part of the publication may be reprinted
without the expressed permission of the
editor-in-chief.
Member of
Canadian Gay &
Lesbian Chamber
of Commerce
Member of Tourism Calgary.
Distribution points up to 200 points in
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Member of Edmonton Rainbow
Business Association.
Copyright 2008
Gay with a Purpose
Letter from the Publisher
By Rob Diaz-Marino, MSc.
As a man of science I have spent a fair amount of
time trying to justify the purpose of my existence
within my own belief system, while also considering
how it might fit into those of others. As a gay man,
some would argue that I have no purpose because
my sexual preferences point me in a direction that
does not bare offspring. Some believe that I’m something disgusting, poisonous, and even contagious.
Some believe that because I’m different in this one
particular way, I am something unnatural and hateful in the eyes of their god. But people can only
believe what’s in their means of understanding, and
we often default to the explanation that fits most
comfortably into our world views without disturbing
the framework thereof. Thankfully, the field of science often refuses to let us languish in our comfort
zones.
For a long time, my own personal belief had been that homosexuals existed as a means of population control. As the
world, or perhaps a smaller community gets overcrowded,
some kind of genetic trigger goes off in a percentage of individuals. We are still fully functional human beings, given
the biological inclination to satisfy our human needs for
sexual and social intimacy in a way that doesn’t add to the
overpopulation problems in the world. Keep in mind I’m no
expert in this field, nor am I particularly well read – in fact,
putting it in writing I realize it was pretty naïve.
Nonetheless this was my working theory, one that fit into
my own limited understanding - though I knew it couldn’t
be correct for a number of reasons. For one, the percentage of gay people in the world is not increasing at a rate that
would be useful in capping the Earth’s population – in fact,
estimates nowadays are showing our 10% is more like 6% or
even lower, while the greater population continues to grow
exponentially. Furthermore, the theory of evolution would
have homosexuality as a genetic trigger eliminated from our
species long ago, simply because we are not passing those
genes along to the next generation. That homosexuality still
exists today would imply there is some kind of evolutionary
advantage to keeping it around, though if we’re not the ones
perpetuating it, who is? Even if members of our minority
do succumb to societal pressures and bare offspring with
someone of the opposite sex, I get the impression that the
biological children of gay men and women are no more likely
to turn out gay than we were. If that is truly the case, how
can we be carrying a “gay gene” if it is not being effectively
passed on?
To be honest, I had not resolved these inconsistencies in
my own mind, and couldn’t even say I particularly liked my
bleak explanation. The beauty of science is that I’m obligated to keep an open mind, and that I’m welcome to hold onto
my theory until a better explanation comes along – one that
describes and predicts more accurately what we actually see
happening in the world around us.
Recently I was directed by one of Steve’s sisters to read an
article in Psychology Today that talked about some of the
latest breakthroughs in the scientific understanding of why
homosexuality exists. I have to admit, it really shook up my
understanding, and absolutely for the better. I forwarded
the article to Kevin Alderson, who I hope will weigh in on
the topic with better authority at some future point, but I
wanted to discuss it here from a layman’s point of view.
To summarize what was stated in this article, it seems
this is further confirmation that homosexuality is part
genetic and part hormonal. But the innovation has come in
the realization that the occurrence of homosexuality seems
to be linked to the occurrence of larger families – a genetic
predisposition of the mother to be able and willing to bare
more children throughout her lifetime. Furthermore, a male
child is supposedly more likely to be gay the more older
brothers he has, hinting at some kind of resistance that the
mother may build up when carrying male children. Keep in
mind, this newer theory only explains about a third of the
gay population, and is based mostly on studies involving gay
males. It was stated that homosexuality is likely a common
outcome of many possible factors in the womb, of which
other explanations have yet to be discovered.
Though I myself am an only child, I have a large number
of cousins on both sides of my family. During my mother’s
pregnancy, there were two failed fetuses that emerged before
me – very possibly brothers. Some pieces definitely fell into
place for me personally while reading this. Certainly now,
my mental cogs are spinning over all the implications that
come from these new discoveries, even if these hypotheses
are not yet fully developed or proven.
They shift the idea of a “gay gene” in the offspring to a
“man-loving gene” in the mother, which gives an evolutionary advantage far exceeding the drawback of producing offspring that do not carry the bloodline further. This certainly
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shoots down the religious-right’s theory that homosexuality
exists to destroy the human race by interfering with the
natural course of reproduction. If it wasn’t clear before it
certainly is now, that homosexuality is indeed natural – a
byproduct of something that is very beneficial to the continuance of our species. But I’m still a little confused…does
this mean we are Danny DeVito to the straight world’s Arnold Schwartzenegger?
Maybe not. I would argue that being a man with some
“feminine” traits, or a woman with some “masculine” traits,
still fills a niche that straight men and woman would be
hard pressed to survive without. Imagine the benefit to the
single mother of many children, having a son that is willing
to help take care of his siblings rather than running off to
war like his other brothers? Imagine the benefit to a child
of having a mother that can better defend it from the many
dangers in the world, without succumbing to aggressive
males that are a big part of that danger. These are just two
examples that come to me readily – I’m sure there are many
more. The point is, this new development has lead me to
realize that gays and lesbians still have a vital purpose in
the survival of our species, as much as some small-minded
individuals may hate to admit it.
I’m eager to see how this research develops. The more
that science can divulge about why we exist, the less wiggle
room anti-gay extremists will have to make bogus claims
to sully our reputation. Today they may protest that our
existence opposes the will of God, or the course of nature.
But to prove beyond a doubt that gays and lesbians are a
deliberate outcome of nature, thus a purposeful creation of
God, would flip the entire gay debate on its head. Most importantly, such external validation might help the downtrodden to recover their sense of self worth, and the ashamed to
stop fighting their biology.
So, in my mind I’ve discovered something new about
myself to be proud of – and maybe this resonates with you
too. I’m no longer a lottery winner for population control,
but someone who has been favoured to change the world for
the better during my lifetime. Perhaps I’m not here to bring
about new life, but instead to take better care of what we
already have. If this is my purpose, then I smile peacefully
as I say, “don’t anyone dare get in my way!”
No matter what you believe, I hope you also find what
you need to understand you hold an important place in
the world. This month is Pride Month in both Calgary and
Edmonton, and it seems to me like this feeling is something
to celebrate!
Last Month
This May was the silence before the storm – fairly sparse
at the beginning, with a very busy wrap up thanks to
Fairytales!
I started things off at the Pride Prince/Princess Pageant
– a competition designed to select a single individual from
the community that best embodied this year’s spirit of Pride.
Sig Moser organized and hosted the event, and a panel of
judges decided the winner. Contestants were given the opportunity to show off their talents on stage, but also faced
a volley of questions about what Pride means to them. At
the conclusion of the event, Auntie Pattie (aka. Patrick) was
crowned Pride Princess 2008.
Skip ahead two weeks and I was photographing at the
Investitures ceremony for our new Emperor and Empress.
Some battery troubles had me panicking mid-way through
the evening, but thanks to Matt I was able to get my problems sorted out and back to photographing without much
disruption. Nina and Ashley gave out a number of fun titles
to members of the community, including ourselves, now
“Lords of Prints, Pics, and Publicity”!
The next weekend was Pride Calgary’s “Show Your
Colours” dance, hosted at the intimate South Calgary Community Hall. Then a few days later, Steve and I went out for
dinner at Gypsy Rose in support of SHARP Foundation for
their annual Taste for Life fundraiser, before proceeding to
the Fairytales Opening Gala film.
Steve left to Edmonton two days later for the ISCWR’s
Coronation weekend, so it was up to me to photograph at a
number of the Fairytales screenings and events. I started
off by going to see “Boystown”, a wonderfully entertaining
Spanish film with English subtitles, and some smoking hot
actors! The day after I saw “She’s a Boy I Knew” (Mercedes
has an article in this month where she interviews the director), and the much anticipated “Mulligans” which had me
both laughing and sobbing. The organizers commented that
most of their shows were dangerously close to selling out, so
that really speaks to the success of this year’s festival.
The brunch next morning with Charlie David and Thea
Gill was completely sold out – there were only two tickets left
by the end of the “Mulligans” screening, so they didn’t stand
a chance of not getting snapped up! While there, I chatted
for a bit with the creator of House of Venus, and bumped
into Mr. Pam, director of “eXposed: The Making of a Legend”, which we had already reviewed in the November 2007
edition of our magazine. Even though it was just a brief encounter, she was really cool to talk to – always friendly and
giddy with laughter. She wasn’t shy to take photographs of
Continued on Page 37
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k.d. lang
Alberta’s Country “dykeon” opens up about touring Watershed
Interview
By Jason Clevett
Icon. Vegan. Albertan. Singer. Songwriter. Lesbian.
These are only a few of the adjectives used to describe the incredible K.D. Lang. Born in Edmonton
and raised in Consort, AB, Lang rose to prominence
in the 1980’s. She lived up to her 1985 Juno for most
promising female vocalist and skyrocketed with 1992
album Ingénue, and her biggest hit Constant Craving.
Fast forward to 2008, and the release of Lang’s first album of
new work in eight years, Watershed.
“I was writing it for six or seven years. During that time I did
A Wonderful World with Tony Bennet, Hymns of the 49th Parallel (covers of her favorite Canadian songwriters) and (compilation album) Reintarnation, and touring those albums,” Lang
told GayCalgary and Edmonton magazine on the phone from
a tour stop in Regina, Saskatchewan. “After a while I realized I
had enough material to really focus on getting it finished.”
We spoke with Lang for this exclusive one-on-one interview
while she is in the midst of touring Canada for Watershed.
Reviews of the tour so far have been positive, while the shows
have received multiple standing ovations, including after her
rendition of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. Touring continues to
be an important part of her life, says Lang.
”I do enjoy it. Singing is everything for me, when I get up on
stage it feels like that is what I am supposed to be doing, it is
very natural and rewarding. Over the years I have gone through
different stages of it and I am quite relaxed to be on stage. I am
excited to be playing, and with this band of handsome young
men who are very enthusiastic. It is really exciting to be on
stage with them because they breathe new life into my music.
I am really having fun this time around. I am excited to come
out to Calgary and Edmonton, so to speak, and look forward to
seeing all you big queers out there.”
With 24 years of history and a dozen studio albums, we
asked if it was difficult to
narrow down a set list.
“I focus around Watershed at this point, and
then mix it with the back
catalogue. It isn’t that hard
as I gravitate towards songs
that I like at the time and
what I think will work with
the instrumentation.”
Watershed represents a
milestone in Lang’s already
extraordinary career. For
the first time, she has
taken on the role of producer - as well as writer, singer
and multi-instrumentalist for this album. The result is
perhaps her most confident
and revealing work, with
gorgeous arrangements featuring strings and guitars;
distilled lyrics that come
across as intimate reveries;
and warm, understated,
and often very sexy vocal
performances.
“Watershed is like a
culmination of everything
I’ve done - there’s a little bit
of jazz, a little country, a
little of the Ingénue sound,
a little Brazilian touch. It
really feels like the way I
hear music, this mash-up
of genres, and I think it
reflects all the styles that
have preceded this in my
catalogue. I didn’t feel the need to be genre-specific because
this experience felt so wide open. I didn’t have a band in the
studio where I had to come up with a feel for a song because
the clock was ticking and dollars were flying out the window.”
Taking on all roles in creating the album unfolded in a natural progression.
“I began to demo the songs in such a way that all the performances could be used on the record if I wanted them to. I
would just step back from a song, revisit it later, and if I liked
it, I would keep the track. It was a matter of chronicling, of
documenting the songwriting process. A lot of what you hear
on Watershed is first approaches, the creative moment of
songwriting rather than just the performance of a song. For example, the vocal on the Shadow and the Frame, that’s the first
time I sang it. I tried to capture the most real, the most honest
performance to me. In a lot of cases, it was the very first one. I
was always looking for a producer, but in the back of my mind
I was thinking, I can produce this. I guess I kind of grew into
the fact that I could do it, that I had the confidence to do it. I
kept working on the songs and then I brought in Lynne Earls,
a friend who’s an engineer and a programmer, and we started
cleaning them up. As I kept doing that, I realized I am producing this record - so just finish it. I went into the process a little
more intensely in the last year and a half, more intensely into
editing and overdubbing, staying focused and diligent, and
then I was done. And I had produced the record.”
The result is a very special album for Lang.
”All of my albums are special to me. This one is special
because it is original and I produced it myself. It is my first #1
record, in Australia. It was hard for me to be really truly independent and confident enough to do everything myself, and the
rewards of having it be successful feel really good.”
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Lang has collected a multitude of accolades, from Grammy
and Juno awards to being awarded the Order of Canada. She
will add to that on June 11th with an honorary Doctorate of
Laws degree from the University of Alberta, and in September with the addition of a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame in
Toronto.
”It makes me feel important. I don’t take these things too
seriously, but I am really honoured. It makes my Mom really
proud and that makes me proud. It is something I can’t even
fathom personally, but it seems like a great honour so I am
excited,” she said.
“I am certainly proud to be Canadian. My mom still lives
in Alberta and I go back all the time. It is definitely my roots,
there is no changing that and it makes me who I am. No matter
where I end up or live in the world, it is who I am fundamentally. I am very proud to be a Canadian and Albertan.”
Lang has also long been an activist, most recently against
China for their actions towards the people of Tibet. Lang wrote
an article for Australia’s The Age newspaper explaining why.
She has always supported causes close to her heart.
“My causes have expanded by one. Really it’s AIDS centric,
animal centric, and human rights issues and my Buddhism.
The recent struggles that Tibet has had with the Olympics has
been one of my recent causes. I really try to make sure that the
causes I involve myself with are from a very personal level, that
I have a passionate connection to. Basic human rights mean a
lot to me.”
After wrapping her Canadian tour, Lang will head overseas
to Europe. She admitted to being unable to answer when I
posed the question “being a Canadian artist, does it give you a
different perspective and fan base than if you were an American artist.
“I know that being a Canadian certainly gives you a different edge in that... I don’t know, it is a really good question and
not something I can answer in our timeframe. Yes, I do. I don’t
know in comparing it to being a US artist, but being a Canadian artist gives you a different visa, so to speak.”
Her career has spanned every type of musical medium - vinyl, cassettes, CDs - and now the digital age. While music industry labels bemoan the effect of the Internet on music, Lang
feels that music remains a strong industry in other ways.
”I think music is alive and well. It is all going to boil down
to how good you are live, that is never going to go away. When
you can stand in front of an audience and communicate with
them on a lot of different levels - that is untouchable, no one
can ever take that away or fake that. I think the Internet is fantastic; I do most of my music shopping on the Internet, which
I pay for of course. Internet radio and browsing the Internet
and myspace, you can access so many different artists that are
hard to find. It will always be a pendulum that swings back
and fourth, and people will always, always have a need for music. I feel pretty good about the music business.”
When she came out in 1992 as a lesbian, it seemed that her
sexuality would overshadow her accomplishments as a musician. Before Ellen, Elton, or Rosie, there was K.D. standing
bravely in a world that did not accept the LGBT community.
The world is a better place now, 16 years later, and nobody can
dispute that Lang’s honesty was a large part of that revolution.
“I am very proud to be part of the evolution of the integration
of gays in society. It is certainly something I didn’t do alone but
I am proud to be a part of it. With gay marriage, which I think
is fantastic with the changes in Canada and California recently, it is very exciting. At the same time, being an old school
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homosexual I kind of miss the cryptic nature of our lifestyle
that was kind of underground and exciting. But it is very good
that people can experience equal rights.”
One of the most important things about Lang coming out is
that it prompted conversation, positive and negative. This conversation has lead to many a person saying the words “I’m gay
too.” When asked about being a gay icon, Lang humbly accepts
the praise.
“This woman in Toronto, Debbie Pearson, came up with the
term ‘dykon’ which I think is hilarious. If I helped people have
a more open, healthy relationship with their parents or friends,
or more importantly themselves that makes me really happy.
Anything I can do to help people feel more comfortable and
confidant in who they are, that is great. It doesn’t end with
their sexuality but their confidence in being an individual.”
Who knows what the future holds for K.D. Lang, but there
is no doubt that she already has established a legacy, as an
artist, activist, and member of the queer community that will
last forever.
k.d. lang
June 8th – Edmonton
June 9th – Calgary
Watershed is available now through Warner music.
www.kdlang.com
Big Gay Laughs
Interview
By Evan Kayne
There are sketch shows which have the occasional
gay character (for example, Daffyd on Little Britain, or
Buddy Cole on Kids in the Hall). However, there hasn’t
really existed a sketch show written by our community that ridicules the world from our perspective. That
changed April 2007, when The Big Gay Sketch Show
(BGSS) premiered on the Logo network in the United
States. With industry veterans Rosie O’Donnell and
Amanda Bearse guiding it, the show built a regular
audience and folks north of the border are starting to
take notice.
Troupe member Stephen Guarino took time out from his
schedule to talk to GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine about
the show and his career.
Q: The reviews for the first season of the BGSS were reserved
– the most common theme seems to be “shows promise” or
“growing pains” and the inevitable comparisons to Saturday
Night Live and MADTV. You finished season two earlier this
year; some of the reviews are more positive. What do you feel
was different coming back? Does it feel like the show is finding
its pace?
A: Absolutely. The show takes a while to find its footing. The
most important thing is convincing the executive level (Logo
and Viacom). Logo plays it very middle of the road; they don’t
want to make it very far in any direction, but once they saw
that the possibility of being edgier was an option, and the kind
of characters people responded to, then they could convince
the higher powers the other stuff could go in. The second season is INFINITELY better.
Q: For season 3, do you anticipate pushing it even further
– on the lines of the stuff you see in Little Britain, or in Canada
Kids in the Hall?
A: Little Britain was an
inspiration for us. They’re
very catch-phrase character oriented, as opposed
to satirizing a particular
element of the gay culture,
which ours does more.
That’s just a characterdriven show. I think it will
go that way (Little Britain) a
little more.
When I was growing
up, Kids in the Hall was
it – my number one show
of all time. The way they
play women so casually,
compared the American
sort of full out drag (“isn’t it
hilarious that I’m in a crazy
dress with a big wig?!”).
“Kids” are just like the girl
at work. They would wear
those 80s sort of cinchedwaist belted dresses the
one with the belt loops
built in.
Q: In season 2, Chastity
Bono and (executive producer) Rosie O’Donnell appear in comedic “bookends”
sitting in a theatre balcony
heckling the sketches. Do
you see Rosie often on a
day-to-day basis?
A: No. You’ll probably see
her once at the beginning
of the season and once at
the end. In the first season
she was there all the time
approving sketches and
improvising with us. But she trusts Scott King, our head writer
so much that she let him go off and do it; she signs off on it
in the end. The bookend is interesting, because it’s a test of
somebody’s sensitivities. I have a lot of people, mostly straight
people, who think it’s rude of her to rag on the show after and I
think it’s the perfect quintessential gay entertainment bookend.
Kind of bitchy. It’s not an apology, as much as a “hey, it’s just
comedy, lighten up if you don’t like it.”
Q: You also work as a professional comedian; with the writers of the BGSS, is there some collaboration and back and
forth on ideas?
A: You come in at the beginning of the season, stand in front
of the writers and pitch them all your characters. I think I
did about 16 different characters on my pitch, and if a writer
responds to that character, they’ll go off and write a treatment,
submit it to the head writer and give it a table read. If it doesn’t
succeed the first time at a table read, you never see it again.
(For characters that succeed) they will make it TV-friendly, but
they’ll keep the essence of what the actor made up, so it’s very
much a collaboration.
Q: You’ve got parts in two upcoming movies – “Confessions
of a Shopaholic” – and “The Clique”. What roles are you playing
in them?
A: The Clique is a Tyra Banks movie – a series of six. It’s
Mean Girls but set in junior high, and I’m the persnickety art
teacher that’s very good friends with the popular girls. That
comes out in the fall, and I hope it’s a huge hit. I’m sort of like
the Tina Fey character in Mean Girls.
“Shopaholic” is really a big budget Disney Jerry Bruckheimer
film that’s coming out in Thanksgiving (November) with all
these really interesting female comics like Joan Cusack and
11
Wrap Yourself in the Rainbow
Stocking Up for Pride
Product Review
By Rob Diaz-Marino
The Pride Parade is a chance to publicly showcase
the many facets of our community to outsiders, and
even to each other. It often helps to fly a common
emblem as a reminder that despite our differences,
we are united and strong together. The rainbow flag
and its variations are the traditional way of accomplishing this, and this year there are so many different and fun ways to wrap yourself in the rainbow
and show off your colours.
DevaDave Salon and Boutique has gone to the lengths of
ordering a broad range of Pride products that were previously very difficult (if not impossible) to find in Calgary. You
can visit them in person, or place orders through their online
store. Also visit the Priape store in Calgary, or go online to
find additional Pride-related items not mentioned in this
article.
Wearables
Rainbow Belts (DevaDave) - If
you decide to wear pants at
all, this nifty rainbow stripe
and buckle will hold them
up until it’s time to let them
down.
Rainbow Ring Necklaces
(DevaDave) - This jewelry
is a subtle way to show the
rainbow colours, and can
easily be worn year round.
Rainbow wristbands
(DevaDave, Priape) – Even
if you’re not a fanatic about
collecting them, these
rubbery wristbands are
something nice and colourful
to adorn your arm.
Rainbow Cuff Links
(DevaDave) – Just because
you’re wearing a suit doesn’t
mean you have to be boring.
These cuff links will add
a splash of colour to your
formal attire, and you may
even want to save them for
later if and when you get
married.
Pride Pins (DevaDave) – Pin
the pride on your pocket!
12
Rainbow Serongs (DevaDave, Priape) – A
nice excuse not to wear pants, and feel
like a frat boy/girl again. Find a vent in
the sidewalk and give Marilyn Monroe a
run for her money!
Ranbow Wig (Deva Dave) - A curly
clown-wig in rainbow colours.
Rainbow Codpiece (Priape) – A great accessory to snap on the
front of your ass-less chaps.
“Primp” your Ride
Mini Rainbow Disco Balls
(DevaDave) – Perfect to hang
from your rear-view mirror.
It’s shiny, need I say more?
Rainbow Antenna Balls
(DevaDave) – It’s not a ballgag so calm down. You can
place this decorative foamy
sphere on the tip of your
car’s antenna.
Rainbow Licence Plate
Frames (DevaDave)
– A tasteful frame for your
license plate, with a built-in
rainbow stripe. Not likely to
fade or peel off as a sticker
might.
Bumper Stickers (DevaDave, Priape) – Stickers galore! Choose
from a huge range of shapes, sizes, and styles – including
Bear Pride and Leather Pride stickers.
Trinkets and Knickknacks
Pride Shot Glasses (DevaDave) – JFK
might shift uncomfortably in his grave if
you bring these to the parade, but they
can be fun at the bar or at home when
the drinking starts.
Pride Keychains & Belt Loops
(DevaDave) – Just a little something to
keep in your pocket with your keys. Or
if you prefer to keep your keys handy
you can show if off by fastening it on the
outside with a rainbow belt loop.
Rainbow Lighters (DevaDave) - Smoke a fag in style!
Rainbow Playing Cards (DevaDave) - Let your firends can play
with your deck!
Bear Picture Frames & Fridge Magnets (DevaDave) – A little
extra memorabilia, just for the bears.
Mouse Mats (Priape) – Well, you need one for your mouse to
drag its ball across, so might as well make it something fun!
Rainbow Umbrellas (DevaDave) – Let’s pray for sun this year,
but it’s never bad to have a backup plan.
Flags and Banners
Mini Flags (DevaDave,
Priape) – Something easy to
carry and fun to wave. They
are made of paper or cloth,
and come in Rainbow/Bear/
Leather Pride colours.
Pride Flags (DevaDave,
Priape) - Your standard
Rainbow/Leather/Bear pride
flags in various sizes. March with them in the
parade, or fly them proudly elsewhere.
Rainbow Windsock (DevaDave) – Finally, something
that can get blown in your yard without the
neighbours complaining!
Rainbow Beach Towels (DevaDave) – Okay, not
quite a flag. But it is round about the same size, it
serves a purpose other than looking pretty, and it’s
not a big deal if you drop it.
DevaDave Salon and Boutique
910 12th Avenue SW, Calgary
(403) 290-1973
www.devadave.com
Priape Calgary
1322, 17th Avenue SW
(403) 215-1800
www.priape.com
13
Wednesday, June 4th
(9pm-2am) Lesbian Dance Party
Marquee Room/Uptown
Thursday, June 5th
(7pm) Fake Mustache Amateur & 18+ shows
The Soda (211 12th Ave SW)
Friday, June 6th
(9pm) Priape Model Search
Calgary Eagle (424a 8th Ave SE)
Mr. Priapewear modelling competition.
(10pm-2am) Haute Purse Suit
Marquee Room/Uptown
Saturday, June 7th
(6pm) AFQOL: Artistes Del Fuego
BackLot (209 - 10th Ave SW)
Summertime BBQ at 6:00pm, Showtime 8:30pm.
Hosted by Justine Tyme, featuring friends of AFQOL.
Military Ball
Calgary Eagle (424a 8th Ave SE)
This is an exhilarating uniform event packed with
hot firemen, bare-chested sailors and camouflaged
soldiers. This is an exciting evening of queer culture
and pride.
(11:30pm) Top Gun (free movie)
The Uptown
Sunday June 8th
(12pm) PRIDE PARADE
Starting at 8 Ave & 8 St SW, down Stephen Avenue
Walk
We welcome you to participate in this year’s Pride
Parade. Come out and join us in the colorful display
of the Pride Parade and show your true colors in
celebration and support of diversity, culture, spirit
and history of Pride. Bring your creative energy and
express your vision of “Got Pride!”
(1pm-6pm) Pride Street Gala
Olympic Plaza
Bring out the whole family, your friends and
celebrate in the spirit of Pride. The Street Gala is an
important event that offers the chance for various
GLBT organizations and businesses to acquaint
themselves with the general public and each
other with their services. There will be plenty of
entertainment and great music with DJ’s, Bands,
Singers and Performers on the Plaza Stage. This
is a free event and open to everyone and will have
the Family Zone for people to relax and kids to
play! Don’t forget to check out the Beer Garden
(admission required).
14
(2pm) Pride Afterparties at the Bars
All Gay Bars in Calgary
See advertisements for more details.
(9pm) Friday Night Cabaret
Symon’s Valley Ranch
Saturday, June 28th
Thursday, June 12th
(8am–10am) Pancake Breakfast
Friday, June 13th
(9am) Contestants Meeting
First time competitors MUST attend.
(9pm-2am) Soul Disco
Marquee Room/Uptown
(6pm-1am) Homo-Hop Youth Dance
Hillhurst Community Hall
(1320 - 5th Ave NW)
Cover: Pay What You Can
Free Coat Check, Two dollar mocktail bar.
Entertainment provided by the Fake Mustache Drag
King Troupe and the music stylings of “Must Be
Tuesday’.” DJing by Morag Misselbrook. This All
Ages Event is open to the entire community but
specifically for those members aged 14-25.
Saturday, June 14th
Pride Tribal Awards Party
Money Pennies (1742 - 10th Ave SW)
Friday, June 20th
(8pm) Calgary Men’s Chorus: The Strength to Dream
Rosza Centre, University of Calgary
Saturday, June 21st
(8pm-2am) Celebration 2008
Chinese Cultural Centre
The Pride Dance event is one of the largest community dance events in the year, where everyone
can celebrate and party into the evening. This is
an extravagant themed event and an exhilarating
evening of theatre, dance, and interpretation stage
performances and music by the best house, disco
and pop DJ’s, featuring incredible sound, lighting
and visuals. This is definitely the event to be at...
everyone will be there shakin it up, so don’t miss
out!
(3am-9am) Celebration After Party
The Warehouse
Thursday, June 26th
(8pm) Prairie Fire Warm-Up
Money Pennies (1742 – 10th Ave SW)
(9:00pm) Wet Jockey Contest
Calgary Eagle (424A 8th Ave SE)
Friday, June 27th
(6pm–9pm) Contestants & Grand Entry Registration
Symon’s Valley Ranch, Valley View Hall
(10am) Roping Events
(12pm)
Grand Entry & Rodeo Events
(6:30pm) Dinner
Doors open at 5pm and tickets must be purchased
in advance.
(9pm–2am) Bud Light Barn Burner Dance
Sunday, June 29th
(8am–10am) Pancake Breakfast
(10am) Roping Events
(12pm) Grand Entry & Rodeo Events
(5pm) Doors Open at the Driftwood Hall
(8pm–2am) Awards Ceremony/Happy Trails Dance
Monday, June 30th
(5pm) ARGRA’s Official Survivor Party
Money Pennies Eatery (1742 – 10th Ave SW)
(10pm) The Last Stand Party
Calgary Eagle (424A 8th Ave SE)
LETHBRIDGE
Sunday, June 22nd
(6pm) GALA/LA Pride BBQ/Potluck
Pavan Park
(John Martin Recreation Area)
Invite friends/family, bring some drinks/chairs/a
dish to share, and wear your pride. We will provide
burgers, plates, utensils. Entertainment will include
a performance from Pretty, Witty, & Gay 2008
and music from Calgary’s Smith on Sunday. Pets
should be on a leash.
Friday, June 6th
Prism Grand Re-Opening
Prism Bar & Grill (10524 101 Street)
Saturday, June 7th
Smirnoff Glamazon Party
Woody’s (11725 Jasper Ave)
Friday, June 13th
Pink with Pride Party
Woody’s (11725 Jasper Ave)
Kate Reid Live Performance
Opened by Smith on Sunday.
(7pm-8:30pm) Edmonton Vocal Minority
Royal Alberta Museum Theatre
(12845 - 102 Ave)
Tickets: $15, $12 for low-income individuals.
Tickets available at The Front Page, Earth’s General
Store, TIX on the Square or through EVM members.
(8pm-2am) Womonspace Unity Dance
Bellevue Hall (7308 - 112 Ave)
Doors open at 8 with free dance lessons from 8
- 9, courtesy of Footnotes Studios. Mixed dance to
follow, beginning at 9 PM.
Tickets: $10 for members and $15 for guests of
members. Tickets are available at Earth’s General
Store, or by calling the Womonspace line at (780)
482-1794.
(7pm-9pm) 2008 Pride Awards
City Hall (#1 Sir Winston Churchill Square)
Held in the beautiful City Room of our own City
Hall, this event, co-sponsored by HIV Edmonton,
acknowledges the contribution and achievements
of groups and individuals in our queer community.
This event will include the raising of the Pride Flag
in front of City Hall, with a reception following the
awards ceremony. This event is free and open to all.
Sunday, June 15th
(8pm-3am) Manhunt’s 7 Sexy Sins of Summer Tour
New City Suburbs (10081 Jasper Avenue)
Manhunt.net makes its stop in Edmonton for Pride.
The evening boasts entertainment from Raging
Stallion Exclusive Ricky Sinz, music from Dj Sexy
Sean and Squirly B, giftbags, go go boys and door
prizes! Brought to you by the creators of Snowball
Envy and Green with Envy, hosted by Bitch! Bitch!
Bitch! Fridays at New City Suburbs. Tickets: available at Tix on the Square, Chance Productions or at
New City Suburbs.
(7pm-8:30pm) Soul OUTing
Robertson-Wesley United Church (10209 - 123 St)
Celebrate Pride and connect with the sacred and
others in an open, LGBTQ-focused worship service.
People of all spiritual traditions are welcome.
Saturday, June 14th
(2pm-3pm) 2008 Edmonton Pride Parade
108 Street, Jasper Ave to Churchill Square
Groups are encourages to submit a parade entry by
clicking here. This year we will be awarding cash
prizes for best float, vehicle, and walking entries.
This year’s parade marshall celebrates our queer
families.
(3pm-8pm) Celebration on the Square
Sir Winston Churchill Square
The Celebration on the Square encompasses a
wide range of activities. Family Fun Zone and Beer
Gardens, plus community and business fair, food
vendors, buskers, and a fantastic and fabulous main
stage of entertainment, hosted by Edmonton’s own
premiere divas Vanity Fair and Bianca. At this event
the Mayor will be officially proclaiming Edmonton’s
Pride Week.
(11am-1pm) Mayor’s Brunch
Crowne Plaza - Chateau Lacombe (10111 Bellamy
Hill)
Join us for the 3rd Annual Mayor’s Pride Brunch in
support of Camp fYrefly. Ticket includes free admission to the Art Gallery of Alberta during Edmonton’s
Pride Week.
Tickets: $40 + GST
Pride Drag Show
Buddy’s (11725 Jasper Ave)
Featuring Ashley Love and Tequila Mocking bird.
Pride Drag Show
Boots (10242 106th Street)
Hosted by Binky and Vanity.
experiences.
Free admission.
Wednesday, June 18th
(6pm-9pm) Queer Images: GLBT Film Fest - Part 1
Metro Cinema, Zeidler Hall
(Citadel Theatre Complex, 9828 - 101A Ave)
Doors at 6, start time 7:00 PM. Tickets $10.00,
available at the Pride Centre and Tix on the Square.
Thursday, June 19th
(6pm-9pm) Queer Images: GLBT Film Fest - Part 2
Metro Cinema, Zeidler Hall
(Citadel Theatre Complex, 9828 - 101A Ave)
Doors at 6, start time 7:00 PM. Tickets $10.00,
available at the Pride Centre and Tix on the Square..
Friday, June 20th
(3pm-10pm) Pride Youth Animé Masquerade
Pride Centre of Edmonton
(9450 - 111 Ave)
Tickets $5.00, available in advance at the Pride
Centre.
(3:30pm-7pm) Movie Marathon, Video Games,
Drama Games
(7pm-10pm) Masquerade Dance
A youth (age 25 and under) focused afternoon &
evening featuring a movie marathon, video game
tournaments, drama games and more, followed by
an Animé- themed Masquerade Dance. This event
is non-alcholic.
Saturday, June 21st
(8pm-12am) 2008 Pride Dance
U of A Enterprise Square (10230 Jasper Ave)
Mardi-Gras themed live music during cocktails.
Men’s and Women’s underwear fashion show,
ballroom dance demonstration, followed by a
Louisiana/Creole dance with a live band. Beads
and Bon-Temps! Tickets: $25 advance, $30 door
- available at Tix on the Square or Pride Centre of
Edmonton
Sunday, June 22nd
(11am-1pm) Pride Centre Family Brunch
Edmonton Pride Centre
(9540 - 111 Ave)
Come out to the Pride Centre of Edmonton for
pancakes, eggs and sausages (vegetarian options
available). This is a family friendly event, with
activities planned for the kids. This event is free and
open to anyone.
(2pm-6pm) Team Edmonton: Come Out and Play
Day
Kinsmen Sports Centre
(3:30-5:30pm) 3rd Annual Gay Cup
Kinsmen Sports Centre Field #2
This annual event is a rubber match this year as
Rainbow Slo Pitch won 2 years ago and the police
took it last year. Bring your own lawn chair and
cheer us on!
End of Pride Drag Show
Buddy’s (11725 Jasper Ave)
Featuring Ashley Love and Tequila Mocking bird.
Friday, June 27th
Barley Wik Live Performance
Tuesday, June 17th
(5:30pm-7pm) Chief Boyd’s Pride Week Reception
Heritage Room, City Hall (#1 Sir Winston Churchill
Square)
A chance for members of the LGBTQ community
to meet and mingle with Police Chief Mike Boyd,
the Police Commission, and the EPS LGBTQ Liaison
Committee. Refreshments and hors d’oeuvres will be
served. Free admission.
(7pm-9pm) Parents in the Closet: The Family’s
Coming Out Experience
Staney Milner Library’s Centennial Room (7 Sir
Winston Churchill Square)
A PFLAG Edmonton event - Join moderator
Jenny Adams from HelpTV and a panel of four
parents who will discuss their families’ coming out
15
Events Listing
Find out what’s happening
Calgary Listings
Accommodations
Westways Guest House 13
216 - 25 Ave SW • (403) 229-1758
http://www.gaywestways.com
Bars and Clubs
BackLot 3
209 - 10 Ave SW • (403) 265-5211
Open 7 days a week, 4pm-close
Calgary Eagle Inc. 4
424a - 8 Ave SE • (403) 263-5847
Open Wed-Sun 5pm-close
http://www.calgaryeagle.com
Money-Pennies 9
1742 - 10 Ave SW • (403) 263-7411
http://www.money-pennies.com
16
Texas Lounge 6
308 - 17 Ave SW • (403) 229-0911
Open 7 days a week, 11am-close
http://www.goliaths.ca
Twisted Element 33
1006 11th Ave SW • (403) 802-0230
http://www.twistedelement.ca
Bathhouse and Sauna’s
Sex toys, and Straight, Bi, Gay video rentals, largest
Gay video rental collection in Alberta
B & C Financial Services
9298 Horton Road SW • (403) 250-55785
Insurance
Courtney Sebree Aarbo 24
1138 Kensington Road NW • (403) 571-5120
http://www.csalaw.ca
Barristers & solicitors
Goliath’s 6
308 - 17 Ave SW • (403) 229-0911
Open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day
http://www.goliaths.ca
Cruiseline
(403) 777-9494 trial code 3500
http://www.cruiseline.ca
Phone chat room & talking classifieds for 18+
Businesses
Deva Dave Salon 32
910 12th Avenue SW • (403) 290-1973
http://www.devadave.com
A Little More Interesting 51
1501B, 17th Avenue SW •(403) 475-7775
http://wwww.alittlemoreinteresting.com
Adult Depot
140, 58th Ave SW •(403) 258-2777
La Fleur 41
#103 - 100 7th Avenue SW
(403) 266-1707
Florist Shop
Lammle’s Western Wear
Chinook Centre •(403) 255-5292
Crowfoot Crossing •(403) 547-9808
Deerfoot Mall •(403) 275-6877
Market Mall •(403) 247-9224
Marlborough •(403) 273-2233
Stephen Avenue Walk •(403) 266-5226
Westhills Town Centre •(403) 249-2822
Lorne Doucette /CIR Realtors
(403) 461-9195
http://www.lornedoucette.com
Marcy Calberry /CIR Realtors
(403) 291-4440 or (866) 859-4440
Marnie Campbell /Maxwell Realtors
(403) 479-8619
http://www.marniecambell.ca
MFM Communications
(403) 543-6970
http://www.mfmcommunications.com
Web site hosting and development. Computer
Hardware and Software.
More Better Buses
(403) 651-1692
Providing unique, comfortable & affordable
transportation. Charter us for: High School
Graduations, Senior Groups, Pub Crawls and
Sporting Events
Priape Calgary 16
1322 - 17 Ave SW • (403) 215-1800
http://www.priape.com
Clothing and accessories. Adult toys, leather wear,
movies and magazines. Gifts.
Rev. Nadene Rogers
(403) 247-0602
http://www.weddingsmyway.com
Marriage Commissioner
Rick Grenier, Invis Mortgage Solutions
(403) 862-1162
rickgrenier@invis.ca
Marriage Commissioner
Reymark
Able Craftsman, Your home renovation specialist
(403) 478-2411 • reymark@telus.net
R. Cobalt 45
735 12th Avenue SW • (403) 228-7822
Hair & Aesthetics
Sol Sourced Weddings
(403) 270-9480
http://www.solsourcedweddings.com
Wedding Commissioner
Community Groups and
Organizations
Aids Calgary 2
110, 1603 10th Avenue SW • (403) 508-2500
http://www.aidscalgary.org
14th Annual AIDS Walk for Life Calgary - Sunday,
September 21st, 2008.
Apollo Calgary Friends in Sports
http://www.apollocalgary.com
Apollo Friends In Sports is a volunteer-operated,
non-profit organization serving primarily members
of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgendered
communities but open to members of all
communities. We currently have more than 400
members and are growing fast! The primary focus
of Apollo is to provide our membership with well
organized and fun sporting events and other
activities to allow them to participate and interact in
a positive social framework.
Absolutely Smashing Badminton - no information
for this month.
Curling - The 17th season of Apollo Curling will
begin in October 2007, with the same general
format as last year. Games are at the North Hill
Curling Club (1201 - 2 Street N.W.) with two draws
on Saturdays: 2:20 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. and at
the Inglewood Golf and Curling Club, Saturdays at
12:30 p.m.
Apollo Volleyball - Sunday Intermediate/
Competitive at the YWCA, 320 – 5th Avenue SE,
from 4:30pm – 7:00pm. Friday Recreational
at Langevin School, 107 – 6th Street NE, from
7:00pm - 9:00pm. Email vb@apollocalgary.com
to confirmation dates.
Rainbow Riders Bowling League - Let’s 10 Pin
Bowlerama, 2916 5 Avenue NE, Wednesday’s at
6:30pm. Season is from September to April. League
fees are $15.00 per Night. Shoe rental is $2.00
Outdoor Pursuits - In attempting to meet our
members requests for diverse sporting activities we
have formed the Apollo Outdoor Pursuits League!
If it’s done outdoors we do it! (and occasionally
we venture indoors too). This summer we will be
hiking, biking, rock climbing, rafting and a whole
bunch more. If you’re interested in any of these
or something else completely, get in touch with
us. Tired of playing alone outdoors? Well this is
a GREAT opportunity to participate in events you
enjoy doing with other interested members of the
community. To be added to the distribution list for
regular updates please email outdoorpursuits@
apollocalgary.com.
Golf - Contact golf@apollocalgary.com, Or by
phone 276-8094
Lawn Bowling - For more information, please
contact Chris or Phil at lawnbowling@
apollocalgary.com.
Apollo Slow Pitch - takes place from Friday, May 9,
2008 until the end of August at the West Hillhurst
Community Centre (18th Street and 5th Avenue
NW, East Field), from 7:00 - 9:00 pm.
Apollo Tennis - Thursday evenings from 7 pm to 9
pm at West Hillhurst Racquet Centre from May 17th
to September 13th. The address is 1940 6 Ave NW.
It is weather dependent, therefore we won’t play
in either strong wind or rain. The fees are $3 for
Apollo members and $5 for non members . Pop and
water is $1 each.
Yoga - Have you always wondered about yoga?
What really is down-dog? Do you think touching
your feet with your legs straight is just humanly
impossible? For the second year, Ki Essentials is
offering an exclusive yoga class to Apollo members
and friends. This class comprises of weekly 90minute sessions that focus on basic poses and
proper alignment, and are conducted in a fun and
supportive environment. This is a multi-level yet
beginner friendly class. No previous experience
is required. Registration fee: $126.00 (for all
sessions plus two free passes to Ki Essentials),
Apollo membership is required. Mat rental: $1.00,
Dates: 10 weeks, starting April 14, 2008, Time:
7:45 - 9:15 pm. Please note no classes Victoria
Day. Drop-ins for this class are offered on a firstcome-first-serve basis. Space is limited so please
check ahead of time. Cost for drop-in is $15 for
Apollo members.
17
ARGRA – Alberta Rockies Gay Rodeo
Association
Hotline: (403) 541-8140
http://www.argra.org
Artists for the Quality of Life
(403) 890-1261
http://www.afqol.com
Calgary Frontrunners Running Club
When: 9 am on Saturdays,
Where: Update! Coffee Junkies -795 1 Avenue SW
(no longer meeting at Eau Claire Y)
What: Walkers and Runners between 5 km – 15
km from sub 5 min/km pace to 10 min/km pace.
Who: All are welcome - Typically about 15-20 men
and women depending on the weather conditions
Contact: E-mail calgaryfrontrunners@shaw.ca or
call Tim at (403) 660-6125
Calgary Gay Fathers
calgaryfathers@hotmail.com
http://www.geocities.com/calgaryfathers
Peer support group for gay, bisexual and
questioning fathers. Meeting twice a month
Calgary Humane Society
(403) 250-4455
http://www.calgaryhumane.ca
Animal Adoptions and for Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals
Calgary Men’s Chorus
http://www.calgarymenschorus.org
Rehearsals are held from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
at the Old Y Centre for Community Organizations,
located at 223 12 Avenue SW.
Calgary Sexual Health Centre
304, 301 14th Street NW
(403) 283-5580
http://www.calgarysexualhealth.ca
Calgary Sexual Health Centre is a pro-choice
organization that believes all people have the right
and ability to make their own choices regarding
their sexual and reproductive health. Calgary
Sexual Health Centre started as a volunteer based,
grassroots organization and has been providing
comprehensive sexuality education and counselling
programs to the Calgary community since 1972.
Calgary Outlink Formerly know as GLCSA
- Gay And Lesbian Community Services
Association 1
#4, 1230A 17th Avenue SW
(403) 234-8973
http://www.calgaryoutlink.com
Peer Support and Crisis Line - Front-line help service
for GLBT individuals and their family and friends, or
anyone questioning their sexuality.
Library - A great selection of resource books, fiction,
non-fiction, videos and everything in between, all
with a queer perspective.
Drop-In Center - A safe and supportive environment
for one-to-one peer counseling for many issues
surrounding family, coming out, homosexuality,
loneliness and other issues.
Peer support, sexual health education for gay
or bisexual men, as well as those who may be
uncertain or questioning their sexuality. Discussions
range from personal relationship or life issues, to
sexual health and well-being.
Centre
77 Deerpoint Road SE - (403) 278-8263
http://www.dpuc.ca
Worship Time - 10:00am Sundays
Meetings at GLCSA Tuesdays 7:00pm to 9:00pm
Different Strokes
http://www.differentstrokescalgary.org
Swim Club.
- Calgary Networking Club
Calgary Networking Club (CNC) is back.... after a
5 year hiatus, CNC is meeting again in Calgary on
the first Thursday of every month. The networking
meetings are open to all individuals who would
like to promote their businesses or who would like
to meet new people - no business affiliation is
necessary.
- Heading Out
Peer group for men who are looking for an
alternative social activity to the bar. Activities vary
and are fun and entertaining. The group meets
the 2nd and 4th Friday of every month from 7 pm
to 9 pm.
- Illusions Calgary
Social group for Calgary and area transgender
community members (cross dressers, transvestites,
drag kings and queens). Illusions provides a safe,
discrete and welcoming atmosphere, in which
transgendered people can meet others of like mind.
Illusions offers discretion, acceptance, compassion
and a safe place to express your gender. Crossdressing is the purpose of the group, but is not
mandatory.
- Inside Out
Peer-facilitated youth group for GLBTQ ages 15-25.
The group aims to let youth know they are not
alone, and to connect them with their peers. Every
Monday, 7 pm to 9pm at GLCSA. It is a funky and
safe environment with a variety of resources and
activities.
- New Directions
Drop in peer-support group to provide support and
resources for individuals who identify as transsexual
or inter-sexed. The group meets every 3rd Friday of
the month from 7 pm to 9 pm at GLCSA.
If you are transsexual, or know of someone who
is, please contact our office for information and
assistance. You are not alone! There is support!
- SHEQ Soulful Healing Ego Quest
A workshop for women that want to be themselves
in a supportive, safe environment. It is a chance
to grow and share their experiences related to
women’s sexuality. Runs for a ten week period on
Thursdays at 7pm. Call Trudy or Krista at 5857437. To participate, please call the exclusive
SHEQ line at 585-7437 (you may leave a voice
message for Trudy or Krista) or leave your name
and a contact time/number with the Gay & Lesbian
Community Services Association at 234-8973.
- Womynspace
Peer social/support group for women providing an
evening of fun, bonding, discussion and activities.
Meets every first and third Friday 7pm to 9pm at
GLCSA.
Deer Park United Church and Wholeness
- Between Men and Between Men Online
18
Check website for current schedule
Don’t Buy In Project
http://www.dontbuyin.ca
This Calgary Police Service Initiative aims to
encourage youth to working towards an inclusive
environment in which diversity is embraced in their
schools and community.
Fake Mustache
Calgary’s ONLY Drag King Show
Soda Lounge: 211 - 12th Ave S.W.
(403) 923-3953
http://www.miscyouth.com
calgaryfakemustache@hotmail.com
A benefit show for the Miscellaneous Youth Network,
Fake Mustache is guaranteed to please! Come see
our boys strut their stuff at Soda, the first Thursday
of every month. $5 cover. $2 cover under 18.
Advance tickets available at Barbies Shop.
All Ages show starts at 7:30. 18+ show starts
at 10:15.
Gay Prairie Alumni
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gayprairiealumni/
This group is for all gay/lesbian/transgendered
alumni of Prairie Bible Institute and/or Prairie
High School in Three Hills, Alberta. It’s purpose
is twofold: First, social -- to renew old friendships
and make new ones. Second -- to talk about
our common experiences as gay people at a
fundamentalist school. Any other questions, please
feel free to ask.
Gay Readers Book Club
Interested in poetry, prose & literature? Want to
meet like-minded gay men? Then come to our
meeting at Good Earth Cafe, 1502 - 11th Street SW
at 7:30pm the last Tuesday of each month.
Girl Friends
http://members.shaw.ca/girlfriends
GLASS, Gay & Lesbian Association of Students
and Staff
279R Student Union Club Spaces
University of Calgary
http://www.ucalgary.ca/~glass
(403) 220-6394
HIV Peer Support Group
(403) 230-5832
hivpeergroup@yahoo.ca
ISCCA – Imperial Sovereign Court of the
Chinook Arch
http://www.iscca.ca
Events to be announced.
All monies raised go to Charity: Agape Manor,
Beswick House, HIV Peer Support, Artists for Quality
of Life, Children’s Wish Foundation
Knox United Church
506 - 4th Street S.W. • (403) 269-8382
http://www.knoxunited.ab.ca/
Knox United Church is an all-inclusive church
located in downtown Calgary. A variety of facility
rentals are also available for meetings, events and
concerts.
Worship Services
Wednesdays - Communion Service 12:10 pm
Sundays - 11:00 a.m. September to June
Sundays - 10:30 a.m. in summer July and August.
NETWORKS
knowsponge@hotmail.com
Positive Space Committee at Mount Royal
College
4825 Mount Royal Gate SW
Phone: 403-440-6383
Web: www.mtroyal.ca/positivespace
Email: stavcer@mtroyal.ca
The Positive Space Committee at Mount Royal
College works to raise awareness and challenge
the patterns of silence that continue to marginalize
lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans-gendered, two-spirited
and queer (LGBTTQ) individuals.
Pride Calgary
(403) 262-3410
http://www.pridecalgary.ca
See the Official Pride Calgary Pride Guide on
page 14.
Pride Rainbow Project
prp@planet-save.com
http://www.priderainbowproject.com
The Pride Rainbow Project was started in Fall 2003
by 4 youth of the Unitarian Church of Calgary.
The Pride Rainbow Project is a project designed
to show support for same-sex marriage in Canada
and elsewhere. It is a fabric rainbow banner
approximately 5 feet wide, and the goal is to make
it 3.2km (2 miles) long, in order to break the world
record (set by a group in Florida at 1.25 miles)!
It contains the 6 colours of the pride flag: Red,
Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, and Purple. The project
is youth run, but anyone can help!.
Primetimers Calgary
E-mail: primetimerscalgary@gmail.com
http://www.primetimerscalgary.com
Prime Timers Calgary is designed to foster social
interaction for its members through a variety of
social, educational and recreational activities. It is
open to all gay and bisexual men of any age and
respects whatever degree of anonymity that each
member desires.
June 1 - Monthly Gathering at the Inglrwood Lawn
Bowling Club at 4:00pm.If you will be attending
,please call Harvey at (403) 547-9129 or Ross at
809-4110
June 3 - Apollo Lawn Bowling
June 4 - Free Pool at the Eagle
June 7 - Coffee at Midtown Co-op (1130- 11 Ave.
S.W.) Meet at 10:00am
June 12 - PrimeTimer’s Picnic
June 19 - Rain alternate date for PT Picnic
June 27 - ARGRA Rodeo begins for the weekend
Rainbow Community Church
Hillhurst United Church
1227 Kensington Close N.W.
Website: http://www.rainbowcommunitychurch.ca
E-mail: roneberly@shaw.ca
The Rainbow Community Church is an all-inclusive
church. Everyone is welcome (and we mean it!).
Services are held every Sunday afternoon at 4:00
PM.
Rocky Mountain Bears
http://www.rockymountainbears.com
Safety Under The Rainbow
http://www.safetyrainbow.ca
Mission: To raise awareness and understanding of
same-sex domestic violence and homophobic youth
bullying.
The SHARP Foundation Bingo - June 25th, 2008
(5:00 pm to 9:30 pm) - Looking for a way to help
out? SHARP volunteers run a bingo at Five Star
Bingo Hall once a month and are always looking
for new volunteers! No experience necessary!
To volunteer, please call Jaclyn at (403) 2722912. Come out and enjoy the new SMOKE FREE
ENVIRONMENT!!
Urban Sex
http://www.cjsw.com
Radio Show – Every Wednesday from 9-10pm.
Focus on sexuality; gay bisexual lesbian trans
gendered and straight issues here in Calgary and
around the web. Listen on CJSW FM 90.9.
Western Canada Bigmen and Admirers
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/
WesternCanadaBigmenGroup/
bigpaul41@yahoo.com
Vigor Calgary
(403) 255-7004
http://www.vigorcalgary.ca/
Violence in Gay Male Relationships (VIGOR) is a
committee of professionals dedicated to increasing
the awareness of gay men’s domestic violence and
the services available to them.
“Yeah... What She Said!”
Every Monday evening from 8:30-9:00pm
CJSW 90.9 FM
yeahwhatshesaid@gmail.com
Theatre and Art
Alberta Ballet
http://www.albertaballet.com
ATP, Alberta Theatre Projects 36
Phone: (403) 294-7402
http://www.ATPlive.com
AXIS Contemporary Art
107, 100 – 7 Ave. SW • (403) 262-3356
rob@axisart.ca
Monday to Friday: 10am to 6pm
Saturday: 10am to 5:30pm
Sunday: 11am to 3pm
First Thursdays (the First Thursday of each month):
10am to 8pm
Broadway Across Canada
http://www.broadwayacrosscanada.ca
Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra
http://www.cpo-live.com • (403) 571-0849
Fairytales International Gay & Lesbian Film
Festival
http://www.fairytalesfilmfest.com
May 27th to June 5th 2008
Lisa Hienricks (Artist) 43
Art Central, lower level, 100 7th Ave SW
http://www.creamydreamy.com
Looks Could Kill Art Boutique
Art Central, lower level #11, 100 7th Ave SW •
(403) 264-7576
One Yellow Rabbit 35
Big Secret Theatre – EPCOR CENTRE for the
Performing Arts • (403) 299-8888
http://www.oyr.org
Pumphouse Theatre 37
2140 Pumphouse Avenue SW • (403) 263-0079
http://www.pumphousetheatres.ca
Skew Gallery
1615 10th Avenue SW • (403) 244-4445
http://www.skewgallery.com
Stagewest
727 42 Avenue SE • (403) 243-6642
http://www.stagewestcalgary.com
April 24 – June 29, 2008 - 70’s Fever. Ah….
The 70’s. Many say it was the best time of their
lives…. Disco, platform shoes, John Travolta –style
white suits and dance moves. Do you remember
where you were in the 70’s? What song was playing
that made you get up and boogie? “Stayin Alive”,
“We are Family”, “YMCA”? We’ll take you back
to the 70’s as we pay tribute to the hits and the
hit makers…. The Bee Gees, KC and the Sunshine
Band, Donna Summer, ABBA, Earth, Wind and Fire,
Kool and the Gang and others. It will be hard not to
be dancin’ in the aisles during this show.
YouthSafe
http://www.youthsafe.net
Alberta’s website for youth with sex-and-gender
differences. Youthsafe.net lists the resources,
information and services to help youth find safe and
caring spaces in Alberta.
Sharp Foundation
Phone: (403) 272-2912
E-mail: sharpfoundation@nucleus.com
http://www.thesharpfoundation.com
Restaurants
Travel Masters - Need a vacation?, Ed Smith at
Travel Masters has agreed to donate 25% of
his profit from WestJet bookings to The SHARP
Foundation. So before you plan your next trip with
WestJet, email Ed at TravelMasters
Money-Pennies 9
1742 - 10 Ave SW • (403) 263-7411
Calgary Eagle Inc. 4
424a - 8 Ave SE • (403) 263-5847
http://www.calgaryeagle.com
19
Stride Gallery 47
1004 MacLeod Trail SE • (403) 262-8507
http://www.stride.ab.ca
Theatre Junction
http://www.theatrejunction.com
Truck Gallery 46
815 1st Street SW (Basement) • (403) 261-7702
http://www.truck.com
Vertigo Mystery Theatre 34
161, 115 – 9 Ave SE • (403) 221-3708
http://www.vertigomysterytheatre.com
Edmonton Listings
Bars and Clubs
Boots & Saddles 5
10242 106th St • (780)423-5014
Buddy’s Nite Club 6
11725 Jasper Ave • (780) 488-6636
Prism Bar & Grill 8
10524 101st St • (780) 990-0038
http://www.prismbar.ca
The Roost (Now Closed) 9
10345 104th St • (780) 426-3150
http://www.theroostniteclub.com
Woody’s 12
11725 Jasper Ave • (780) 488-6557
Bathhouse and Sauna’s
Down Under Baths 7
12224 Jasper Ave •(780) 482-7960
http://www.gayedmonton.com/
Steamers 10
9668 Jasper Avenue • (780) 422-2581
Steamworks 11
11745 Jasper Ave• (780) 451-5554
http://www.steamworksedmonton.com/
Businesses
Cruiseline
(780) 413-7122 trial code 3500
http://www.cruiseline.ca
Phone chat room & talking classifieds for 18+
Organizations
Buck Naked Boys Club (Edmonton)
Naturism club for men.
Meets the second Saturday of each month.
(780) 471-6993
http://www.bucknakedboys.ca
Our club has been meeting continuously for over 10
years. The similar club in Calgary ceased to exist
several years ago. Naturism is being social while
everyone is naked, and it does not include sexual
activity. Therefore participants do not need to be
gay, only male, but almost all participants over the
years do self-describe as being gay or bisexual.
Camp fYrefly
7-104 Department of Educational Policy Studies
Faculty of Education, University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2G5
http://www.fyrefly.ualberta.ca
Edmonton Pride Week Society
http://www.prideedmonton.org
June 13 to June 22 2008
ERBA - Edmonton Rainbow Business
Association
#3379, 11215 Jasper Avenue • (780) 49154458
http://www.edmontonrba.org
Our primary focus is the provision of networking
opportunities for gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgendered (GLBT) owned or operated and
GLBT-friendly businesses in the Edmonton region.
Membership is open to all kinds of entrepreneurs,
from tradespeople to professionals to commission
salespeople.
The Edmonton Rainbow Business Association After
Business Mixers. Held on the second Wednesday of
every month 5:30 – 7:30 pm
June 10: Prism Bar & Grill, (10524 – 101 Street)
Edmonton STD 4
11111 Jasper Ave
Edmonton Vocal Minority
http://www.evmchoir.com
Phone: 780-479-2038
Free To Be volleyball
Amiskiwcy Academy, 101 Airport Rd. (near the
downtown airport)
Every Wednesday and Thursday night, 8pm-10pm.
Wednesday night recreational level: All players
and skill levels welcome. Contact Marc for more
information: padremark@hotmail.com, Tel: (780)
445-0365.
Thursday night intermediate level: Coaching and
drills provided. Contact Alex for more information:
flipside@telus.net, Tel: (780) 424-9984. (Please
note that there is limited space on the intermediate
night)
HIV Network Of Edmonton Society 3
11456 Jasper Ave
http://www.hivedmonton.com
AIDS Walk for Life 2008 (September 21st, 2008)
The 17th Annual AIDS Walk for Life will take place
Sunday September 21st, 2008 at Edmonton City
Hall! Remember how fun the last one was – the
sunshine, the prizes, the food, the entertainment…
and more!? Or if you’re new to town and didn’t
have the chance to join us – this is your chance
to join one of the most easy ways to show your
support, help out a great cause, meet new friends,
and do something healthy for yourself! It’s a
5km walk around the heart of downtown, and
everyone is welcome – even pets! Find out how
you can participate, or even volunteer! Call Misty
20
Bjerky at 488-5742 ext. 222 or email misty.b@
hivedmonton.com.
Imperial Sovereign Court of the Wild Rose
http://www.gayedmonton.org
Edmonton Illusions Social Club
The Edmonton Illusions Social Club meets the
second Thursday of each month at Boots Bar&Grill,
10242-106St, Edmonton. For info go to http://
groups.yahoo.com/group/edmonton_illusions/ or
call 780-387-3343.
Living Positive through Positive Living Society
of Alberta 2
(780) 488-5768
Providing confidential one-on-one peer support for
infected or affected individuals…. Internet support
Northern Chaps
http://www.northernchaps.com
Northern Chaps is Edmonton’s original leather,
latex, fetish, uniform club. We have been in
existence officially since 1987 but have been in
existence originally around 1982 in Edmonton,
Alberta, Canada. Everyone is welcome to join or
attend events
Pride Centre of Edmonton 1
95A St. and 111 Ave. • (780) 488-3234
- Bears Movie Night
Bears club of Edmonton meets the last Sunday of
the month for movies 1- 6 pm in the TV room at the
Pride Centre of Edmonton 95A St. and 111 Ave. Ph:
(780) 488-3234
- Trans Education/Support Group
Support and education for all transsexual,
transgendered, intersexed, two-spirited and
questioning individuals meets 1st and 3rd Sundays
of each month, 2-4 pm at the Pride Centre
of Edmonton 95A St. and 111 Ave. Ph: (780)
488-3234
- Sunday Night Mens Discussion Group
Mens social and discussion group meets every
Sunday @ 7 pm at the Pride Centre of Edmonton
95A St. and 111 Ave. Ph: 488-3234, Contact: Rob
Wells - robwells780@hotmail.com
- Youth Understanding Youth
Youth support and social group meets every
Saturday from 7 to 9 pm at the Pride Centre of
Edmonton 95A St. and 111 Ave. Ph: (780) 4883234 Contact: yuy@shaw.ca (www.members.
shaw.ca/yuy )
- Womonspace
(780) 482-1794.
see our ad on page 50
womonspace@gmail.com
www.gaycanada.com/womonspace
A non-profit lesbian organization established for
Edmonton and surrounding areas. Organized
activities include: licenced non-smoking dances;
coffee houses; family events; games nights; golf
tournaments; and more. Memberships available,
which also includes confidential bi-monthly
Newsletters.
Carol Cattell Golf Classic 2008, July 18-22, 2008.
Golf Tournament July 19 - Join us for a weekend of
camping, golf and good times!
- Prime Timers
(EPT) is a group of older gay men and their
admirers who come from diverse backgrounds but
have common social interests. We meet on the
second Sunday of most months at the Unitarian
Church of Edmonton (10804 - 119th Street) at
2:30 pm for a social period, a short business
meeting and then either a guest speaker, discussion
panel, or a potluck supper. Special interest groups
meet for other social activities throughout the
month. In July and August we have a BBQ or picnic
in lieu of a meeting and in December it’s replaced
with a Christmas party. EPT is affiliated with Prime
Timers World Wide. If you would like to know more
about our group, email edmontonpt@yahoo.ca,
visit http://www.primetimersww.org/edmonton/, or
attend a monthly meeting.
- Suit Up and Show Up Group
Big Book Study of Alcoholics Anonymous
Saturdays at 12 noon. At Pride Centre
- Sick and tired of being sick and tired?
Escape Cocaine
Thursdays 7-8pm @ the Pride Centre.
- YouthSpace
An after-school drop-in program for gay, lesbian,
bisexual, trans-identified, queer, questioning and
allied (GLBTQQ&A) youth under 25.
Open Tuesday to Friday 3:00pm-7:00pm and
Saturday 2:00pm-7:00pm Located at the Pride
Centre of Edmonton 9540 - 111 Avenue Contact
brendan@pridecentreofedmonton.org or 4883234 for more info.”
- Men’s HIV Support Group
Will be meeting on each second Monday of the
month. At the Pride Center, Edmonton Starting in
April, from 7pm to 9pm.
- GLBT Seniors Drop IN
Every Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1-4pm Pride
Centre (95A St. and 111 Ave.), The Pride Centre
is thrilled to introduce a new program serving our
GLBT seniors. Hosted by Jeff Bovee, contact the
Centre at 488-3234 for more info.
Robertson-Wesley United Church
10209 123 St. NW
(780) 482-1587
http://www.rwuc.org
jravenscroft@rwuc.org
Worship Sunday morning at 10:30 am. People of
all sexual orientations welcome. Join us for Soul
OUTing, an LGBT-focused alternative worship,
on the third Sunday of each month at 7:00 PM.
Other LGBT events include a monthly book club
and a bi-monthly film night. As a caring spiritual
community, we’d love to have you join us!
Team Edmonton
http://www.teamedmonton.ca
BADMINTON - Women’s Drop-In Recreational
Badminton, Oliver School Gym 10227-118 Street.
Begins October 3, and then every Wednesday
6 to 7:30pm. Levels: Beginner, Intermediate
and Competitive. Fees: $30.00 for the season or
$5.00 drop in Phone: 465-3620. badminton@
teamedmonton.ca
BALLROOM DANCING - All gender combinations
welcome. Salsa, Rhumba, Waltz, Jive. Begins
Sunday December 2, 7:30pm-8:30pm Phone: 469
- 3281 ballroom@teamedmonton.ca
communicatoins@teamedmonton.ca
BOOTCAMP - Monday at 7:00- 8:00pm. St.
Alphonsus until Dec 10. 11624 - 81 St. $30.00 fee
for the season. bootcamp@teamedmonton.ca
VOLLEYBALL - Free to Be Volleyball resumes on
October 10th and 11th, 8 to 10pm. Wednesday
Recreational recvolleyball@teamedmonton.ca.
Thursday Intermediate volleyball@teamedmonton.
ca. Fees to be determined. 101 Amiskiwacy
Academy (the former Municipal Airport Terminal just
off Kingsway)
BOWLING Northern Titans Bowling resumes on
Saturday September 29. Every Saturday 5 to 7pm,
GATEWAY LANES at #100 3414 Gateway Blvd
$15.00 per person. bowling@teamedmonton.ca
CURLING WITH PRIDE - Resumes Mondays at 7:15.
Oct 15 2007 to Mar 17 2008. Granite Curling Club
8620 - 107th Street. curling@teamedmonton.ca
CYCLING - Wednesdays 6:30 Various locations in
Edmonton. cycling@teamedmonton.ca
KICKBOXING - Dates to be determined. Location to
be determined. kickboxing@teamedmonton.ca
OUTDOOR PURSUITS - For more information contact
outdoorpursuits@teamedmonton.ca
RUNNING - Arctic Frontrunners. Sundays, Tuesdays
and Thursdays. Times and locales vary running@
teamedmonton.ca
STEP AEROBICS - Resumes in September. Every
Tuesday Night. Meet in the Aerobics Studio at
5pm. Kinsmen Sports Centre 9100 Walterdale Hill.
step@teamedmonton.ca
SWIMMING - Making Waves Swimming resumes
September 6th. Tuesdays 8 to 9pm. Thursdays 7:30
to 8:30. Northern Alberta Institute of Technology
(NAIT) pool. 11762 - 106 Street. swimming@
teamedmonton.ca
YOGA (HATHA) - Lion’s Breath Yoga, Every
Sunday 2:00 to 3:30. Beginning September
9th, 2007. Fee: Free. This is an introductory
level class. No previous experience with yoga is
required. Bring: Yoga mat or beach towel & water.
Wear Comfortable sweats or shorts & t-shirt. To
confirm your participation please contact yoga@
teamedmonton.ca
Soccer - will be on the South field of the Oliver
School every Thursday from 7 - 9pm. 10227 -118
Street. (weather permitting) For more information
contact soccer@teamedmonton.ca
Theatre and Art
Alberta Ballet
http://www.albertaballet.com
Broadway Across Canada
http://www.broadwayacrosscanada.ca
Exposure, Edmonton’s Queer Arts and Culture
Festival
http://www.exposurefestival.ca/
TENNIS - Dates to be determined. Tennis is
currently looking for a new coordinator for the
fall. If you are interested, please contact Norm at
21
Lethbridge Listings
GALA/LA - Gay and Lesbian Alliance of
Lethbridge and Area
(403) 308-2893 (live on Mon. and Wed. evenings
until 11 p.m.)
http://www.newgaylethbridge.ca
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance of Lethbridge and Area
dance season begins Saturday, August 25 with
the next to follow the last Saturday of each month
(except December) until May. For more information
on dances, monthly Pot-luck Dinners (all ages) and
other programs, visit the GALA/LA website at www.
newgaylethbridge.ca. Also our Support Line (403)
308-2893 is open Monday OR Wednesday 7 pm
-11 pm (leave a message any other time). PFLAG
offering support through Parents & Friends for
Lesbians and Gays is available as well, call us any
time for more information.
Red Deer Listings
Affirm
Composed of LGBTQ people, their friends, family
and allies. No religious affiliation necessary.
Activities include support, faith and social justice
discussions, film nights, and potlucks! Affirm
meets the second Tuesday of the month at 7PM at
Sunnybrook United Church, (403) 347-6073.
National Listings
Businesses
Entre Nous
1-866-467-5252
http://www.entrenousnetwork.com
Love and Pride
Gay and Lesbian themed Jewelry
http://www.loveandpride.ca
Squirt
Dating and hookups website
http://www.squirt.org
Wega Video
Adult DVD’s
http://www.wegavideo.ca
Canadian Rainbow Health Coalition / Coalition
santé arc-en-ciel Canada
P.O. Box / C.P. 3043
Saskatoon SK Canada S7K 3S9
306-955-5135
toll -free / sans frais 1-800-955-5129
fax/ télécopieur 306-955-5132
http://www.rainbowhealth.ca
http://www.santearc-en-ciel.ca
Egale Canada
8 Wellington St E, Third Floor
Toronto, Ontario, M5E 1C5
1-888-204-7777 toll free
http://www.egale.ca
Egale Canada is the national advocacy and lobby
organization for gay men, lesbians, bisexuals,
trans-identified people and our families.
Membership fees are pay-what-you-can, although
pre-authorized monthly donors are encouraged (and
get a free Egale Canada t-shirt). Egale has several
committees that meet by teleconference on a
regular basis; membership on these is national with
members from every region of Canada.
Theatre and Art
OUTtv
http://www.outtv.ca
If you would like to add your business or non-profit
group to the list above, please call (403) 5436960, or toll free 1 (888) 543-6960 or E-mail
magazine@gaycalgary.com. You can add your
information to the GayCalgary.com directory on the
website for free.
GayCalgary.com endeavors to have the information
here as accurate as possible. Events and listings can
change at any time so it is recommended that you
check with the establishment before you head out.
Non-Profit groups get free listings. Business receive
a listing once an ad has been placed. The business
listing will last 1 year after the appear up to ad
has been placed unless there is a GayCalgary.com
service located at that business.
Organizations
Alberta Transgender Support and Activities
Group
http://www.albertatrans.org
A nexus for transgendered persons, regardless of
where they may be on the continuum.
22
The Wrong Lesson
Politics
By Stephen Lock
Perhaps it is just me, but somehow I think those
tasked with the responsibility of education should
be better informed, educated if you will, about various events and ideas.
I know teachers are just people like everyone else, subject
to the same foibles as all of us. However, I find it disturbing
when teachers, whose mandate is to instruct youth in how
to utilize critical thought processes - to think about issues
- get it wrong.
toss around “gay,” “homo,” “lezzie,” “fag” and other epithets
freely. Kids perceived as being gay or lesbian, to say nothing
of any number of gender-nonconforming kids who may or
may not be trans, are still routinely bullied and harassed,
sometimes to the point of suicide.
While teachers will often step in when racial epithets are
tossed out, too many remain silent when sexual orientationtargeted epithets are uttered.
Take, for instance, the recent actions of students at Chestermere Lake Middle School. A few aware students learned
about the May 17th National Day Against Homophobia
(NDAH), organized each year by the Montreal-based Fondation Émergence, and decided to get involved in the campaign.
The students did up some t-shirts with “Homophobia Is So
Gay” with “gay” stroked out and “Lame” written above it.
I suspect it is not so much the individual teacher’s
antipathy towards homosexuals that is the issue, although
that could be part of it. I suspect there is a fear that if a
teacher is seen as being queer-supportive in any way there
will be repercussions from “concerned parents.” The term is
often code for conservative/rightwing elements, which is a
shame as it is important that parents are concerned about
their kids, the curriculum, and what is going on at school.
In the lexicon of youth, “gay” is often used as a synonym
for “lame” or something that is weird, nerdy, or unacceptable; it really has nothing to do anymore with sexuality or
sexual orientation, although of course that is exactly where
it originated.
At any rate, the powers that be at Chestermere Lake
Middle School totally did NOT get what the message was or
what NDAH is all about, which of course reinforces the need
for campaigns like NDAH.
I think the students’ picking up on that was quite clever.
They clearly had managed to do some analytical thinking,
synthesized the evolution of the term, and created a catchy
slogan which reinforced the message NDAH is attempting to
disseminate.
However, the administration and staff at Chestermere
Lake Middle School felt the t-shirts were “inappropriate” and
“offensive” and ordered students wearing them to go home
and change or cover up the offending items of clothing. It
would appear they were reacting to having the word “gay”
emblazoned on t-shirts, or perhaps to having “gay” stroked
out and “lame” written above it. Surely they couldn’t have
been reacting to the actual message, that homophobia - like
sexism, racism and bullying - is a social evil that needs to be
addressed?
Despite recent legal and social advances made by the gay,
lesbian and bisexual communities, homophobia, along with
its nasty cousin, heterosexism, is still a reality.
Walk by a schoolyard and it’s not unusual to hear even
elementary students and certainly high school students,
Not only did they not “get it,” but by not getting it they
missed out on a golden opportunity to have what is known
as a “teaching moment.”
One teacher was quoted in a recent Calgary Herald article
that one of the concerns was over having an elementary student ask what homophobia meant. This is a concern? How,
exactly? Seems to me if a six-year old or seven-year old asks
what homophobia means, it’s an opportunity to tell them.
Yes, yes, of course in age-specific terms....
The real concern here, I would venture to suggest, was
not so much having to explain what homophobia means
but what homosexuality means. The social conservative
types get their knickers in a real twist when that particular
subject comes up. Oh, you can’t tell a six- or seven-year
old about that! “You know, those people and...well...what
they do with each other...oh no....” It is just plain silly. Of
course, you don’t need to go into detail about sexual behaviours when talking to a Grade One or Grade Two child.
Good grief, the thought of a man putting his weenie into a
woman’s hooey grosses them out, heaven knows what hearing about oral and anal sex is going to do.
23
Mind you, if it’s approached in a sensible, non-inflammatory and calm manner during the usual birds-and-the-bees
talk, I personally see nothing wrong with it, but most parents are ill-equipped to do so. And so prejudicial attitudes
about homosexuals and homosexuality persist because
nobody is talking about it in a matter-of-fact, for-some-folksthis-is-perfectly-normal manner. Instead people goes into
paroxysms about how some sort of Gay Agenda is being
foisted on innocent children, and how treating homosexual
acts as normal will encourage kids to try them (or actually
turn them gay), or how talking about homosexuality to kids
normalizes it and that’s a bad thing, apparently.
What can be explained to this supposedly potentially
traumatized elementary school kid is that homophobia is
not very nice. It’s like when Billy bullies you, or calls you
names, but it is a very special type of bullying, used against
gay people. But what’s gay mean, Mommy/Daddy? Oh
lord....
This is the question parents and teachers dread. I have
no idea why. Well, actually, I do. Again, they have it in
their heads for some strange reason that in order to explain
to a young child what “gay,” “lesbian,” or “homosexual” (or
“bisexual” for that matter) means, it is somehow necessary
to go into detail about the sex. It isn’t necessary to go into
detail about the sex until the child is old enough to understand what sex is and means. Until then, something along
the lines of “Well...you know how Mommy and Daddy love
each other? Some people feel that way about another boy or
another girl...”. Most kids will get it, absorb it, and move on.
24
The kids at Chestermere Lake Middle School certainly
did, and more power to them. Too bad the adults charged
with guiding them to a greater understanding of the world
didn’t. What the kids at the school did learn, however, was
that homophobia is a real presence, even in their own lives
and even at Chestermere Lake Middle School.
Make no mistake, the reaction of the administration,
teachers and parents upset with the message on the t-shirts
was a textbook homophobic reaction and one the students
will not likely forget.
Q Scopes
“Take time to meditate, Virgo!”
By Jack Fertig
Mars in Leo promotes bold, flashy initiative. Now
he’s opposing Neptune in Aquarius, tempting us to
jump way ahead of ourselves and the limits of common
sense. Take a little time out to meditate on your actions
and to discuss them with reliable friends or colleagues
before you act!
ARIES (March 20 - April 19): Your creative vision
is bold, assertive, and a bit mad. That’s wonderful in art; in contact sports, you could break something. Resist
friendly inducements to drugs. This is so not the time to be
experimenting with new highs.
TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): This is not the week
to invite the boss home for dinner. Keeping work
and private life separate is a good idea, at least in principle.
Wanting to excel and shine for your family can distort job
goals. Try to be realistic!
GEMINI (May 21 - June 20): If you want to show
off your keen grasp of facts and figures, stick to
the facts and figures. They should fit into an overarching philosophy, but your long-range vision is a bit blurry right now.
Keep it simple!
CANCER (June 21 - July 22): High-minded, spiritual aspirations can lead you into expense and
debt as easily as baser indulgences. You can’t buy fulfillment.
What seems vital now is likely illusory. Make an inventory of
what you know deep down to be important.
LEO (July 23 - August 22): You’re amped up to
a degree that might be fabulous on a Las Vegas
stage, but can be hard to take in person. If you have the opportunity to perform, go for it. Off-stage, be considerate and
defer to your co-star.
Lifestyle | Astrology
more trouble than it’s worth. Invite, but don’t insist! Going
alone is fine, too!
SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21): Push
ahead toward your goals and ambitions. You can
make terrific progress, but if there’s any lack of clarity in your
motivations or your process, it will trip you up. A little humility and respect will help a lot!
SAGITTARIUS (November 22 - December 20):
You’re a little too eager to show off your intellectual prowess. While you’re good on general ideas and principles, you can easily trip over faulty details and statistics. Just
be careful and be certain of those pesky little facts!
CAPRICORN (December 21 - January 19): Your
sexual charisma is high, and you can certainly
have terrific times. Don’t sell yourself short and settle for less
than you really feel you deserve. Being a libertine is one thing;
being cheap is quite another!
AQUARIUS (January 20 - February 18): Fights
with someone close to you come from inner uncertainty, and the faults you see most sharply in others reflect
your own. If you feel short and snappish, take time out for a
fast attitude check before responding.
PISCES (February 19 - March 19): You can only do
so much at work. Trying to do more will make you
crazy. Take time out for breaks and some real relaxation to
stay in balance and work more effectively and less frantically.
Jack Fertig, a professional astrologer since
1977, is based in San Francisco. He can be
reached for consultations at 415-864-8302,
through his website at http://www.starjack.com
VIRGO (August 23 - September 22): Worry and
doubt can impact your physical well-being.
Take time out to meditate or to indulge in a relaxing physical
retreat, ideally at a spa or a beach, but any place restful and
soothing is fine.
LIBRA (September 23 - October 22): Explore artistic styles and media you would never normally
consider. Check out some surrealistic or allegorical films or
art. Finding company for these aesthetic adventures may be
25
Adult Film Review
Edinburgh, The Mat, Stark Naked, Muscle Men
By Jerome Voltero
“Edinburgh” by Raging
Stallion Studios, Courtesy
of Adult Depot
Cast: Collin O’Neal, Forneus, Fernando Leon*, Fred
Colcci, Josue*, Marco, Ryan
Garcia, Japser Emerald.
Welcome to yet another
edition of Collin O’Neal’s
World of Men series. In my
experience, O’Neal is notorious for shameless plugs
– producing and starring in
his own films as he tours
the globe seems to me like
a glorified excuse to…well…
plug and get plugged by
men from around the world.
The lucky dweeb.
Edinburgh is not exactly an exotic location in the world; it’s
a city in the UK. As such, the cast members are mostly pale,
smooth-bodied britts. O’Neal once again manages to look
completely out of place with his thick mat of chest and belly
hair.
The first scene has O’Neal walking in on Josue who has just
been taking a nap. As clothes start to come off, we see that
Josue is smooth but still a nicely beefy guy. Fernando Leon
in the next scene looks like a slightly thinner version of Josue.
If nothing else, Leon has a very nice cock and set of balls that
appear unusually dark compared to the rest of the skin on his
body.
I have seen lots of editions of World of Men, and O’Neal usually appears in one scene if any at all. However, if you’re going
to like this porno you had better like Collin O’Neal, since he
appears in a whopping 3 out of the 6 scenes. Sounds like slim
pickings in Edinburgh to me!
“Take it to the Mat”
by On Top Productions,
Courtesy of Adult Depot
Cast: Brandon, Tyler
Michaels*, Ben Foster, Jay
Armstrong*, Bigg Pete*,
Johnny Mack
Each scene in this porno is
a pairing of two competitors
who resolve their bar conflicts
by taking it to the mat. Each
bout has two parts: the wrestling, and the sex. If you’re
turned on by two sweaty men
throwing one another around
26
Review | Adult Male
the ring, more power to you – it’ll be like foreplay before the
foreplay.
The first scene is Brandon vs Tyler Michaels. Brandon
wants to become a bartender but Michaels doesn’t think he’s
tough enough to work at this bar. After Michaels throws the
bartender wannabe to the ground several times, Brandon
complains that his clothing is too restrictive, and they continue the fight sans clothing. Brandon gradually wears the
smaller man down, who decides if you can’t beat em, blow em!
Scene two has a fight between Ben Foster and Jay Armstrong, two distributors fighting over a contract with the bar.
Foster is a loud-mouth with a British accent who seems to
enjoy dominating the quieter but cuter Armstrong. Both guys
have medium builds and smooth bodies, baring nice big tattoos.
Lastly, the sexy Bigg Pete fights with Johnny Mack over how
to dance like a gay man. Yes I know, a silly thing to fight over,
but they take it to the mat anyway. Both men are beefier and
hairier than the guys from the previous scenes, and they play
a lot rougher than the others too. Even if these men weren’t
my type, I would have to admit they share the most intense
sex scene of the bunch.
“Stark Naked” by Hot
House Video, Courtesy of
Priape
Cast: Ross Hurston*, Nick
Piston, C.J. Knight, Dillon Crow, Tyler Saint, Jake
Dakota*, Kristian Alvarez,
Jackson Wild, Johnny
Gunn*
If you like a little bit of
storyline, you’re not going
to find it in “Stark Naked”.
The set of the movie is
very…minimalist art. The
backdrop is a bunch of
coloured mats of different
sizes, suspended in mid
air, while the guys stand on
carpeted pedestals as they
do the nasty. It made for a
pretty neat intro sequence, but in the end amounts to senseless sex.
The title of the movie refers to the fact that we never see a
thread of clothing on any of the men – they start off naked and
stay that way throughout.
The cast has a larger helping of smooth-bodied muscle
boys. Nevertheless, one of my favourites, Jake Dakota, graces
the screen for this film in a threesome with Nick Piston and
Johnny Gunn. The sexy bear cub ends up being the centre of
attention in this scene as Gunn pounds him from behind, and
Piston feeds him his meat.
All of the scenes are your standard suck, rim and fuck - I
mean, there’s not much else you can do without being classified as a fetish film these days. But if you like the guys on
the DVD cover, you probably just want to see them in action
anyway!
“Muscle Men Moving
Company 2” by Big Blue
Productions, Courtesy of
Priape
Cast: Ty Fox, Dakota
James*, Marcos Pirelli, Mark
Slade, Hans Ebson, Cody
Miller
Yikes, I was a little worried when I saw Raw Diva,
a woman, in the cast of
characters – luckily she
plays a non-sexual role as
“skanky bitch” house owner.
At first she seems to be trying her darndest to flirt with
the guys, and I’m a little
surprised that Ty Fox falls
for it. Hmmm, maybe he’s the token straight guy.
Or not…Mark Slade comments that “just thinking about
those tits make [his] dick hard”. Hard enough for Marcos
Pirelli to go down on him as they’re moving boxes in the bedroom. Ironically, Slade looks like Sam from Lord of the Rings,
however he’s anything but a hobbit. He’s chunky, with a furry
chest and a pretty thick cock, and moans quite loudly as he
gets serviced by the smaller latino.
I had a chuckle in the next scene as an unlikely paper boy
(Hans Ebson) shows up to deliver some magazines to the
woman of the house. Dakota James follows the little man up
the stairs and gropes his ass. Comically, Ebson moans “not
again” like this happens to him all the time. James takes off
his muscle shirt and reveals the beautiful body underneath.
Even without a compliment of body hair, the man gets my
respect.
Meanwhile, at the top of the stairs, Fox hears what’s
happening and watches from a distance while jerking off. I
thought he was supposed to be off goggling the lady of the
house! Oh whatever, now I’m just as confused as he must be.
If big beefy guys with flawless and furless bodies do it for
you, then Muscle Men Moving Company 2 will make for a
great purchase.
Priape Calgary
Canada’s Favorite Gay Store
1322, 17th Avenue SW – (403) 215-1800
http://www.priape.ca
Adult Depot
Over 3000 Gay Titles for Sale or Rent
140 – 58th Ave SW – (403) 258-2777
daiterj@telus.net
27
Deep Inside Hollywood
New Projects For Rose McGowan and Cyndi Lauper
By Romeo San Vicente
Rose McGowan! In Chains!
It seems like Hollywood’s suddenly into imprisoning women.
Of course, they’ve been doing that for years now, figuratively
speaking, but now the literal is taking center stage. First came
news of gay filmmaker Alan Ball’s adaptation of the earnest U.K.
prison soap, Bad Girls; then Fox announced it would be launching a female version of Prison Break. Now, Grindhouse co-director Robert Rodriguez will bring his ‘70s exploitation vibe to the
pilot Women in Chains! That exclamation point speaks volumes
about the level of wild lesbian mud wrestling planned for the
series, set to revolve around Rose McGowan, Rodriguez’s fiancee
and Planet Terror star. The director is shopping the show around
to networks and looking to bring his deranged, Caged Heat-like
vision to a TV near you. And that mud wrestling will be tastefully shot, of course
Celebrity | Gossip
Trinidad, Colorado: Transgender Capital
The non-transgender population of Trinidad, Colorado, probably never expected their town to become the sex-reassignment
surgery hub of the United States, but in 1969, when Dr. Stanley
Biber began performing the procedure there, the demographics of the 9,000-person town began to shift. Now it’s home to a
small but visible community of transgendered people, patients
who settled in the rural area for privacy and support. The documentary Trinidad, by from directors PJ Raval and Jay Hodges,
currently making the film-festival rounds, sets out to explore the
tensions and the progress made as different groups of people
learn how to co-exist in the kind of town where everyone knows
your name and your business. Expect a cable and DVD home
for this fascinating film after its current brief theatrical debut
tour.
Fahrenheit 451 Tries to Re-ignite
Fahrenheit 451, the classic novel about oppression and book-burning from
sci-fi writer Ray Bradbury, was made into a hit film in 1966 by Francois Truffaut, starring Julie Christie. And now, more than 40 years years later, a remake
is in the works. Gay producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (Hairspray) have
been casting their nets to get a star attached to the dystopian drama about a
firefighter whose job it is to burn books for a dissent-crushing government.
Tom Hanks and Brad Pitt have, at various points, been connected to the film,
but both have since reconsidered. For the project to get out of development
limbo, a solid A-lister will have to say yes to the
warrant the high-concept’s sure-to-be-equally-high
budget. Until then, though, those books might have to
figure out a way to set themselves on fire.
Romeo San Vicente has known men who were
hot enough to burn up entire libraries. He can be
reached care of this publication.
Cyndi Lauper Shows “True Colors” to World
It took long enough, but a mainstream daytime drama, As the
World Turns, has finally introduced a gay male storyline into its
regular ongoing mix - the cute, young, college-boy romance of
Luke and Noah (Van Hansis and Jake Silbermann). The addition has not only revitalized the show, but has also attracted an
eager fan-base that wants to see the queer love story blossom
(so far there’s been lots of kissing, but a lot more teasing about
whether or not the two will wind up in bed). Enter guest star
Cyndi Lauper, who’ll appear on a July 3 episode to sing and
promote her annual gay-rights-themed True Colors tour. But
will Noah’s Iraqi green-card wife make trouble with Cyndi? Will
his murderous dad kidnap them? Will Luke stop pouting about
it all? Tune in to find out.
28
Whole Lesbian Sex
Body Mechanics for Determined Sapphists
By Felice Newman
Lesbian | Sexuality
Does your neck hurt when you go down on your
girl? Does a wild ride with a strap-on leave your lower
back aching? Does your hand get fatigued or cramp
up at just the wrong moment? If you have a repetitive
stress injury or chronic neck or back pain, partner
sex - and even masturbating - can make you feel like
you have to pay for your pleasure with hours of (nonconsensual) pain. And that’s really frustrating
through our ordinary activities is shaped by our life experiences. Those patterns can be broken. You have some choice
here. You can become more aware of the things that you do
that produce pain. Somatic coaching, Alexander Technique,
Feldenkrais, and other body-based learning techniques can
help you do everything you do better (including sex) - and
without strained muscles or inflamed ligaments.
Vibrators can help - or they can aggravate a mean case of
carpal tunnel syndrome. Try using a vibrator you don’t have
to hold in your hand, such as a strap-on butterfly vibe, an
insertable egg vibe, or a vibrating butt plug held in place with
bondage tape. You can grip a Hitachi magic wand between
your legs or nestle it between you and your partner.
Felice Newman is a founding publisher of Cleis Press and the author of
“The Whole Lesbian Sex Book: A Passionate Guide for All of Us.” Visit her
at www.cleispress.com. Her book is available in Calgary at A Little More
Interesting.
Honey, you can be as polyamorous as the day is long, and
you do not ever have to end up in a wrist brace.
Spare your lower back during strap-on sex by inviting your
girl to sit on your lap and bury your toy deep inside her. She
can pump up and down on you while you sit in a chair. Or
you can prop her up with pillows or a foam wedge and stand
at the edge of the bed with her legs wrapped around you
- though for some, this position may still be a strain on the
lower back.
Pillows and foam wedges can be really helpful during oral
sex, too. A company called Liberator Shapes sells a highdensity urethane core wedge that slopes upward to support
your partner’s hips and butt, raising her vulva closer to your
mouth.
Get your girl off her back - she can straddle your face as
you lie prone. Let her thrust into your mouth in her own
rhythm. (Don’t forget to keep your knees raised to take the
strain off your lower back.)
Make sure she’s well warmed up with other activities before
you put your neck between her legs. Slip a finger in her butt,
tweak her nipples, or pull her over your lap for a spanking.
Then observe her body’s cues - moans, rocking hips, breathing.
You don’t have to go down on your sweetie for hours. You
can use your fingers to supplement your mouth. Or use your
lips and tongue to supplement your hand. You can offer her
a vibrator or bury your fist inside her vagina to bring her to
orgasm.
If you get a crick in your neck during oral sex, perhaps
you’re holding tension in your neck during other activities,
too. How does your neck feel during the rest of your day? For
instance, do you get a lot of headaches? Grind your teeth? If
you tense up your hand while masturbating, how are you on
the computer keyboard?
We are creatures of habit, and there’s no reason to think
that we’d leave our patterns of bodily tension at the bedroom
door. Our lives mold us - literally - and I don’t mean just
what size jeans we wear. How we hold our bodies as we move
29
What’s Gay in LA?
Gay and Lesbian Alliance of Lethbridge and Area
Community | Events
By Dominic Scaia
Lethbridge is the fourth largest city in Alberta,
with a population of approximately 80,000. But despite its relatively large size, the gay scene is unfortunately a little sparse. Not to say that there aren’t
any queer people in Lethbridge, because there are
actually quite a few. They are everywhere, and in every profession - doctors, lawyers, students, bakers,
reporters, mechanics, bankers, teachers, butchers,
sales clerks, hair stylists, and even city councillors.
It’s just that there are very few who are boldly active in the
gay community or publicly advocate for GLBT issues. Religious and political conservatives have a strong presence in
Southern Alberta, and this city, like most towns in Alberta,
has a reputation for being a “hick town”.
Perhaps the GLBT residents of Lethbridge are afraid to come
out of the closet for this reason. Red neck Albertans with
right-wing beliefs can be cruel and extremely closed-minded.
For instance, take Pretty, Witty, & Gay, an annual event
presented by University of Lethbridge students and staff. It is
described as “A Celebration Of Sexual Diversity on Stage” and
the show gives voice to important issues through drama, comedy, dance, songs, stories, and poems. Nevertheless, posters
for this event often get torn down by town folk.
sexuality/sexual activity of men, and a youth program named
“Colors”.
This past year, GALA has started working towards securing
operating funds for an office/center of their own, so that they
can provide more programs and services to Lethbridge’s LGBT
community. GALA has recently updated their bylaws and applied to be registered with the federal government as a charity
organization, which will allow them to apply for more grants
and issue tax receipts for donations. A donor in Toronto has
indicated that they may provide some support once they fulfill
these requirements. They have also started the long process
for obtaining bingo and casino licences to raise additional
funds.
This article concludes with a brief inventory of Lethbridge’s
current LGBT events:
Social Dances
For the past 11 years, dances have been scheduled up to
nine times a year, typically running from August to May (with
the exception of December). These events provide an opportunity to meet and interact with other GLBT people in a safe and
welcoming environment. Attendance ranges from 120 to 180
people, often including individuals from Lethbridge, surrounding communities, Medicine Hat, Crowsnest Pass, and Calgary.
There are no gay bars in the city, and with the exception
of GALIA (The Gay and Lesbian Integrity Association, at the
University Of Lethbridge), almost no resources for the GLBT
community. Naturally the queer residents of this town are
anxious for something to do, and are tired of living in a town
where there is no gay “scene”. But hopefully one day soon,
this will all change.
The next social dance will be held on August 30th from
9:00pm - 2:30am at Creation Hall (4410 - 43 St N). Hot
music, fabulous drink prices, good friends, great fun, and
lots of dancing. All proceeds go to support programs/services
provided by GALA.
They’d like to be able to have a place to go and have a few
drinks with friends without getting bothered by homophobes,
and many of them would like for there to be more support
available to them.
Held every Friday at La Bella Notte, upstairs (402 - 2 Ave S),
starting at 10 pm.
That is exactly the goal of GALA/LA (Gay and Lesbian Alliance of Lethbridge and area).
GALA Occasion has been published eight or more times a
year for the past fifteen years, featuring news about Lethbridge
and from around the world. Three hundred copies are printed
for each edition, mailed to members across Canada, and distributed to coffee shops and organizations in Lethbridge and
surrounding cities, including Medicine Hat and Calgary.
GALA/LA was formed in 1991 and incorporated as a Society
in 1996. Like many other GLBT groups, GALA’s history relates
back to the 80’s and the early days of HIV/AIDS in the gay
community, when people started to unite to provide support
and share information. GALA provides programs and social
networking to a membership of 200 Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual,
Two-Spirited, Queer and Trans-Identified individuals.
Ongoing services have been the Peer Support Phone Line,
GALA Occasion (monthly newsletter), the website, coffee
nights, monthly family potluck dinner gatherings, dances (9 a
year), and the pride BBQ.
Over the years, GALA has received funding for short term
projects such as: Education and Awareness of HIV/AIDS,
Outreach to educators and service providers, research in
30
Friday Drinks & Social
GALA Occasion
Peer Support Phone Line
(403) 308-2893 - Volunteers accept calls Mon/Wed 7:30pm
to 10:30pm and provide support with topics such as self-acceptance, coming out, employment issues, information about
events or businesses, relationships, and safer sex. The service
has been running since 1994, and been used by friends and
family of GLBT, and even teachers, counsellors, and media.
Lethbridge LGBTQ Youth Group
Meets every second Wednesday from 3:30 - 5:00 pm. Con-
Dallas Green
Solo on City & Colour Project
By Jason Clevett
There are three things you should know right off
the bat about Dallas Green. He has the voice of an
angel, he’s hilarious, and he is an incredibly nice and
humble guy. That may come as a surprise to those
who know Dallas only from the post-hardcore band
Alexisonfire, where his vocals are matched up with
the screaming of co-vocalist George Petit. The softer
side of Dallas Green is evident with his solo project
“City & Colour”. Dallas chose the name, derived from
his own (the city Dallas and colour green) as he didn’t
feel comfortable just releasing material under his
name. His second album, Bring Me Your Love is now
available in stores.
I sat down with Dallas before his May 25th show at the Jack
Singer Concert Hall (which had sold out in minutes) for his first
interview with a Gay media outlet. “I appreciate this. This is
awesome, I am stoked,” he said.
Growing up in St. Catherines, Ontario, Green always knew
he wanted to play music. He picked up a guitar when he was 8
years old and started writing songs in his teens. He took advantage of living close to Toronto and Buffalo, NY to grow his love
of music through watching bands.
Interview
some of the people that
liked Alexis would get into
them and that would be it.
Then it turned into a big
thing,” he said humbly. “I
am not a horn tooter, I really don’t think I am that
special, I just try and write
songs that make me happy
and I feel good about playing, that’s it. My goal is
that someone gets what I
am going for, listens to it
and can relate to it. When
I was younger I didn’t want
to be famous or a rock star,
I just wanted to play music.
I wanted to make people
feel like I did when I heard
a song that really made my
chest tight, and the fact that I am able to do that is fantastic. Canada especially has embraced me with such open arms.
People identify with what we are doing, but we are just a bunch
of kids from a small town in Canada that just wanted to make
records.”
“In our group of friends there were only a couple of us that
listened to a lot of music at the time. I remember going to see the
Melvins play when I was in grade 9 and we had to get one of our
older brothers to drive us to Toronto because we were too young
to drive. I always tried to play in bands and went to shows,” he
recalled. “There was a club called The Hideaway where Mother
Earth and Our Lady Peace, all those bands breaking out way
back then would come play, and I would try and go see those
shows because I wanted to get into music.”
Playing as City & Colour also opens up a whole different
group of supporters for Green.
In 2002, Green and band mates George Pettit, Wade MacNeil and Jordan Hastings released their self-titled debut album
(they would later be joined by current drummer Chris Steele).
They quickly achieved critical acclaim and a young fanbase
thanks in part to their high energy shows.
Green returns to Calgary June 22nd as part of the Virgin
Festival at Fort Calgary. He isn’t a stranger to festivals, having
played Folk Fest last year.
”It has always just been about energy. George is not screaming because he is angry, it’s because of the energy. We’ve always said that if we can get everybody to have as much fun as
we are having on stage, it will be a great show and you don’t
need smoke and mirrors.” The energy output is exhausting. “We
are really tired by the end of a set, especially after we start a
tour. It makes you feel good afterward if you are completely
drained after a show.”
”Lately now I am noticing a more diverse line up. I am not
seeing only the kids that like Alexis, but their Mom and even
their grandparents are coming to the show. It’s a different style
of music because obviously George screaming his head off is
not for everyone. I am playing the singer-songwriter type thing
which I guess is a little more accessible than Alexisonfire.”
“I am stoked! The Tragically Hip, Attack in Black, and the
Constantines are playing. I don’t think that I would go to a
festival as a fan anymore, maybe that is because I have played
so many now. When I was younger I went to Lollapalooza and
Summersault. It was really wicked that I was asked to play the
Calgary Folk Festival and some other Folk Festivals last year. A
lot of people look at me like ‘who’s that tattooed guy?’ but then
they learn I can sing.”
Green ‘s album Sometimes was released in 2005, lead by the
single Save Your Scissors. Green admits that he had no idea
that his solo work would explode the way it has.
Green’s playing at the Edmonton Folk Fest lead to Edmonton Sun writer, Mike Ross, publishing a scathing criticism of
Green’s refusal to play the hit Save Your Scissors. The song is
back in the setlist now, but Green, amused by the article, gave
further explanation.
“I didn’t think it would. I released a record of a bunch of
acoustic songs, a lot of them I had written as a teenager, and
I was so far past those songs I didn’t think about it. I thought
“That article is hilarious. He talked about Bon Jovi and Hillary Duff. How can you compare what they are doing to what I
am doing? Jon Bon Jovi has to play the hits because all of his
31
songs were hits, and he is playing four nights at the Air Canada
Centre in Toronto. Those people are coming to hear those hits.
He is a rock star. My view on it is I won’t play a song if I am not
in love with it, and at that point I wasn’t in love with Save your
Scissors. It had been overplayed and wasn’t mine anymore, it
had been turned into something else. I remember after that
show a kid came up to me and asked why I hadn’t played it and
I explained to him that I wasn’t in love with it and didn’t feel like
playing it and he said that was cool. I wish that reporter had
been there for that moment.”
“We just play the song that we want to play. There are songs
we will never play again from the first Alexis record because you
look back at the place you were in when you wrote it and you
have no idea how to identify with it anymore,” he continued.
”As much as there are kids in the audience that it may be their
favorite song, for us it is all about honesty. If we play a song just
because you want to hear it, not because we want to hear it we
aren’t giving you the best performance we can give. We are just
gonna go through it because they want to hear it. I think kids
have come to know that we are about being honest and doing
what we want, that is our thing.”
Something that amuses Dallas greatly is his status as unlikely sex symbol. Sporting full sleeve tattoos as well as several
on his body, glasses, and a preference for plaid shirts, it’s a
mystery to him why he is considered sexy by so many fans.
“I think it’s pretty funny, really, because I would never look
at myself like that. I always try to make a point if someone says
something like that at the stage ‘your shirt is great’ or ‘you’re
hot’, that is great but I hope they like the music that is what
you are here for. I could really care less about that other stuff.
I think people especially nowadays, you are on TV, sell records
and in magazines and have tattoos, people automatically just
call you that based on the fact that you are in the media. But I
would never call myself that or look at myself that way, I would
rather just be known as an honest musician,” he said before
telling us about his body art. “I was 17 and always wanted to
get one and I did, and kept getting them and here we are. I
guess they are a part of me now, but I don’t really know what
made me want to do it. I always wanted to have sleeves, to cover
my arms in colour. Some days I look at them like ‘Why did I do
this?’ but other times I think it’s great.”
He is off the market, living with long time girlfriend and MuchMusic personality Leah Miller. Unlike in the US, it is easy for
the high profile couple to keep their relationship fairly private.
“Thankfully we are from Canada, so nobody really cares that
much about paparazzi and that. It’s not like we are out partying
every night and being crazy celebrities. She works and I work
and we meet at our house, lay on the couch and watch The
Bachelor and America’s Next Top Model and that’s it.”
Alexisonfire played in San Francisco last September, coinciding with the Folsom Street Fair, the annual Leather & Fetish
street fair. They checked out the event, which Dallas described
as fun and interesting.
“We walked around and I was excited to see if I would get any
attention, then I will see if I am actually a good looking guy. I
didn’t really get any but George got lots of it and has been rubbing it in my face,” he said. It wasn’t a culture shock as Green
has always been supportive of the LGBT community. “I used to
work for my dad and we would sell all natural fruit Popsicles
at festivals and such and we worked the Toronto Gay Pride festival, back when being gay wasn’t nearly as ok. I was 15 and
got a lesson there. I am with it because my family has always
been accepting. I was raised that way, to treat everyone equally.
Some of my friends from growing up are gay; some of their older
32
brothers and stuff were gay. It was always around. If you are a
nice person I am going to like you, it doesn’t matter if you are
gay or black or white, and if you are an idiot I am probably not
going to like you. I really think that is how people should judge
other people, based on the way they are as a person as opposed
to how they choose to live their life.”
Judging by the audience at the Jack Singer, Green has developed a solid gay fan base for his solo work. Green closed the
interview with a message directed to the readers of GayCalgary
and Edmonton Magazine.
“Tell your readers thank you very much and I hope I keep
making records that they enjoy. I appreciate them as much as I
do anyone else who listens to the records. I don’t write songs for
a particular group of people, I write songs and hope that someone, girl, guy, whatever, can relate to what I am doing.”
Dallas Green
www.cityandcolour.ca
www.theonlybandever.com
What’s Gay in LA? - From Page 30
tact the coordinator Betty Neil at bneil@chr.ab.ca or (403)
381-5260 for more information.
Gay in LA
A radio show hosted on the University of Lethbridge community radio station. The radio waves are rocking the colours
of the rainbow, the hottest tracks, and the latest on the LGBT
scene in Lethbridge. The show runs Saturdays 7:30pm9:00pm (www.ckxu.com and gayinla.show@ckxu.com)
Family Gatherings
Family gatherings for potluck, movies, and games have been
scheduled each month from September to June. These gatherings provide opportunity for social interaction and support.
The potlucks are coordinated with GALIA, and are held on the
second Sunday of each month (from September to June) from
5:30pm-8:00pm, at McKillop United Church (2329 - 15 Ave S).
Pride BBQ
This year’s Pride Barbeque will be held Sunday, June 22nd
at 6:00pm at Pavan Park (at the John Martin Recreation area
- North on 13 Street). Invite friends/family, bring your own
drinks, and wear your pride.
Food, plates/utensils will be provided. Play some games,
visit with friends, and celebrate. Entertainment will include:
Calgary’s “Smith on Sunday”, and performances from Pretty,
Witty, & Gay 2008. You are welcome to bring your pets, but
they must be on a leash.
GALA/LA
c/o Lethbridge HIV Connection
1206 - 6 Avenue S, Lethbridge, AB
admin@newgaylethbridge.ca
Letters to the Editor
Letters
By GayCalgary.com Staff & Contributors
Dear GayCalgary Readers,
You’re invited to join us for Pride Festival 2008! It’s
almost that time of the year and the start of Pride Festival
2008 with the annual Pride Parade and Street Gala. Like
last years’ festivities the Pride Parade will begin at 8 Ave &
8 St SW heading east into Stephen Ave Walk. The parade
will end at Olympic Plaza to kick off the annual Street
Gala, featuring numerous vendors, artisans, and food, as
well as the Family Zone and the Beer Garden. There will be
music all afternoon on the Energy 101.5 fm stage.
A record number of people attended and participated in
last year’s Pride Parade and Street Gala, and we anticipate
those numbers will continue to grow for this year. The
Pride Festival plays a very important role in a rapidly growing city such as Calgary, through tourism, business and
quality of life.
This is an opportunity for everyone to promote oneself
and create public awareness within the community. It also
enables us to build bridges and create partnerships with
other organizations and businesses.
Official Pride Events:
• Butch Jamie (Film) – Wednesday June 04 @ 7:00pm
- Plaza Theatre
• Lesbian Dance Party – Wednesday June 04 @ 9:00pm
– 2:00am – Marquee Room/Uptown
• Haute Purse Suit (Pride) – Friday June 06 @ 10:00pm
– 2:00am – Marquee Room/Uptown
• Military Ball – Saturday June 07 – Calgary Eagle
• Top Gun (free screening) - Saturday June 07 @ 11:30pm
– The Uptown
• Pride Parade – Sunday June 08 @ 12:00pm – Stephen
Avenue Walk
• Street Gala – Sunday June 08 @ 1:00pm – Olympic
Plaza
• Soul Disco – Thursday June 12 @ 9:00pm – 2:00am
– Marquee Room/Uptown
There is truly no other event in the city that unites and
encourages all aspects of the community to come out and
celebrate, the way that Pride does. We hope to see you all
out this year!
For more information go online www.pridefestival.ca,
or refer to the Official Pride Calgary Pride Guide in this
month’s edition of GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine.
Happy Pride,
Everyone @ Pride Calgary
Newslets
By GayCalgary Staff
Edmonton’s Prism Bar Under New Ownership
Edmonton’s Prism Bar & Grill has admittedly been struggling for a while, but new owners Deborah and Tracey are
hoping to breathe new life into the bar with so much potential. Prism will be closed for renovations from June 3rd to
June 5th, with a grand reopening party planned for the 6th.
The bar has a number of events planned for the remainder of
June, including performances by Kate Reid, Smith on Sunday,
and Barley Wik.
Fake Mustache Releases
Community Calendar
The Boys of Fake
Mustache are happy to announce that Calgary’s first
ever Drag King Calendar
will be hitting the streets
this June, featuring 11 of
your favorite mustachioed
characters. The calendar spans June 2008 to
June 2009. Calendars can
• Homo Hop - Friday, June 13 @ 6:00pm – 1:00am - Hillhurst Sunnyside Community Hall
• Pride Tribal Awards Party - Saturday, June 14 @
6:00pm – Money Pennies
• Celebration 2008 - Saturday June 21 @ 8:00pm
– 2:00am – Chinese Cultural Centre
• Celebration After Party - Saturday June 21 @ 3:00pm
– 9:00am – The Warehouse
33
34
35
36
Letter from the Publisher - From Page 6
two shirtless constructions workers taking a break across
the road from the Siding Café…I hid while she did this.
Though I still want those pictures, Pam!
Later that night, I found out what the “twist” was, at this
month’s ARGRA Dance - the last one before the rodeo. The
organizers put on a couple of mini-rodeo events that were
a total blast! The first was Goat Dressing, where ARGRA
Trustee Pierre Cadieux played the part of the goat – dressed
in fun-fur and everything. Competitors raced to put a pair
of underwear on him (over his jeans), and Kevin Boyce was
pretty rough taking them back off afterward. Even with the
mats, he should have worn some knee pads! Next was pole
bending, where participants had to weave between a row of
poles (under the influence of alcohol, to boot) while riding
a horse-head-on-a-stick. Finally came the barrel racing,
where participants had to run between three barrels and
rotate around them with the butt of a baseball bat to their
forehead. Naturally this made them dizzy and weave all over
the place while running. I think that Shane and Caffee were
the final winners, which was impressive since Caffee was in
drag and high heels.
Last month we expanded to 80 pages for the first time in
the history of our magazine – until previously, our biggest
issues had been 72-pagers. Lots of people have commented
that they were impressed with the number of celebrity
interviews we managed to land. The trend continues into
this month, with Jully Black, Dallas Green, Margaret Cho
and…oh yeah, cover girl KD Lang! In addition, they’re not
celebrities per se, but we’re proud to feature interviews this
month with the Mayors of both Calgary and Edmonton! It’s
really exciting that these new doors are open to us, but we
are mindful not to get too carried away. As always, we have
plenty of community content to balance things out.
Next Month
Right now I can’t even fathom how we’re going to survive
through two Prides and ARGRA over the course of 4 weeks.
After Calgary’s Pride, I will get to join Steve in Edmonton for
their Pride – going up there may be routine for Steve, but I’m
quite looking forward to visiting our sister city again. Then
we get to camp out at Symon’s Valley Ranch for ARGRA, and
let me tell you we have our work cut out for us this year!
We’re doing something special on the rodeo grounds this
year, so keep an eye out.
On top of it all, we’re running the Rodeo Bus again, with
a number of changes to work out the kinks from previous
years. The schedule is very different, so if you’re planning
to ride, make sure you refer to it and plan ahead. Bus trips
are arranged to coincide with events on the rodeo grounds,
rather than on a bi-hourly schedule. To make things
simpler, there is no longer a round-trip cost – it will be $10
per direction to ride. This is still far cheaper than cab fare,
which can run you between $40 and $60 per direction.
Finally, passengers be aware that the bus will no longer be
stopping in the main parking lot at Symon’s Valley as it has
previously done; instead, the lower parking lot will be the
pickup and drop-off location. This lot can be accessed by
the service road that wraps around to the back of Driftwood
hall, as well as the pedestrian path behind the main RV
Park.
posters and postcards that will be available soon at participating stops in town.
GayCalgary Online
As promised, we launched the new version of the
GayCalgary website in mid May, and many of you may be
seeing it for the first time as you hop online to download this
edition. Much of it was an upgrade in appearance and presentation to be more widely browser-friendly (even for mobile
devices), however a number of new features were included in
this release. Take a moment to browse the site and see what
has changed.
We are dedicating this month to sorting through our photo
archives and getting as much of them online as we can,
within our busy event schedule. The photo area probably
got the biggest overhaul with the launch of the new site, and
with a user account you can now build your own personal
album of photo favourites.
The online poll question last month asked “Are you supportive of Paul Vickers’ initiative to open a new GLBT dance
club in Calgary?” We saw the results shift from 77% yes,
13% no, 10% unsure before the May Edition came out, to its
final total of 84% yes, 10% no, 6% unsure at the end of May.
Next month we’ll have a number of new poll questions, so
make sure you cast your vote when you arrive at the main
page of the site.
Lastly, it’s been something Steve and I have discussed for
several years now and just shortly after the June Edition
hits the streets we’re finally going to do it. With a business
name like ours, being listed in the phonebook makes us a
natural first point of contact for people seeking community
information in both Calgary and Edmonton. While all this is
available in the magazine and online, the people who phone
us are tourists, closeted individuals, or people that don’t
have a private internet connection, or don’t yet know where
they can find a copy of the magazine. While Steve and I
have fielded phone calls from our home, and have been
happy to read out our community listings (even at 3 in the
morning), people have been plain out of luck if we are out at
an event or insisting on getting our sleep. That’s why we’re
launching a special voice messaging system so that these
callers can access the community information they need
even when we’re not around to help them personally. It is a
menu-driven phone system that can read out information,
take voicemail messages, and even forward calls. Among
other things, it will contain a watered down selection of
listings for key businesses, non-profit groups, and events.
We’re definitely excited, if only so that we can finally get
some undisturbed rest with the ringer turned off!
We want to hear what YOU have to say about the topics in this
article, and any other articles in our magazine. Visit the chat forums
at www.gaycalgary.com and write your heart out! Or write us a letter
to the publisher by E-mailing publisher@gaycalgary.com, and we may
publish or respond to it in the magazine!
For more information, view the ad on page 34, visit www.
gaycalgary.com/Promotions/RodeoBus.aspx, or look for the
37
Sexual Orientation in Men
Queer Quest
By Kevin Alderson, Ph.D., R. Psych.
I remember the monumental occasion of “coming
out” as gay. Wow! Both scared and exhilarated at the
same time, I proudly left the closet and assumed like
everyone else that there was no going back. I believe I
always had same-sex feelings and attractions, despite
doing my best to ignore or minimize them through
most of my life. I am happy to report that comparable
to 61% of a sample of 181 gay men [1], I always saw
myself as homosexually inclined. Okay, except what
does this say about the remaining 39% of that sample? Were they unaware of their attractions for males
from a young age, or did their sexual orientation
change over time? The only way we could reliably find
out is if we followed a large sample of men over several years and tested them regularly with instruments
designed to measure sexual orientation. We do know
that the majority of heterosexual men would report
that their sexual orientation as unchanged [2], but we
would not know the reason why they are reporting no
change. Is it because nothing has actually changed,
or is it because they do not want to open “Pandora’s
box” by looking at what is inside? In other words, it’s
easier to simply not look closely at one’s sexuality.
Easier to take a predetermined and rigid stance of,
“I’m straight...no two ways about it.”
Strangely, there have been few long-term investigations of
male sexuality. You would think researchers would be deeply
interested in such a topic, but if they are, they are keeping
their findings secret from the rest of us! I am aware of four
studies that offer some insight into this, but none are particularly convincing in my mind. Let’s take a look at these since
they are all we have available.
One of the earlier studies, published in 1993, focused on 105
self-identified bisexual men between ages 19 and 62. Sexual
orientation was measured by one question that used a 7-point
scale with “1” being completely homosexual and “7” being completely heterosexual. Only 30 could be contacted at the oneyear follow-up period, and of these 30, 12 reported that they
had moved toward a homosexual orientation, 16 experienced
no change, and 2 had moved toward a heterosexual orientation. [3] I think the authors would have been more accurate
in their report if they stated that what they were measuring
was sexual identity and not sexual orientation. Nonetheless,
their follow-up suggests that indeed 40% of these 30 were more
sexually inclined toward men than a year earlier.
Two of the same researchers in the previous study replicated
their study, published in 1997, this time using a sample of 216
bisexual men. Seventy-three (34%) of the sample moved toward
a homosexual orientation, 106 (49%) did not change, and 37
(17%) moved toward a heterosexual orientation. I believe that
these two studies, apart from showing a migration to a homo-
38
sexual identity for 30-to-40% of
bisexual men over the one year
period, also highlight the difficulty that many bisexual men
have in defining themselves.
My reading of the literature
suggests that there is a true
bisexual sexual orientation and
accompanying sexual identity
in many bisexually-identified
men and women. My point is
merely that for some, defining
oneself temporarily as bisexual
reflects a time of uncertainty,
requiring further time to question and explore.
Another study focused on 156 urban youths, ages 14-21,
with sexual minority identities. Nearly 80% of the group were
ethnic minorities, which is actually very rare in social science research. After a one-year period, about half the youths
who identified as bisexual had adopted a lesbian or gay label,
whereas 7% of the lesbian or gay youths transitioned to bisexual labels. Overall, 72% consistently identified as gay, lesbian,
or bisexual over time. The authors noted that this figure of
70% is consistent with findings from other research. [4] What
this suggests, then, is that about 30% of sexual minority youth
have difficulty deciding on an appropriate identity label. I suggest this is not surprising, given the fact that certain identity
labels are sometimes in vogue and considered trendy (e.g.,
queer, bisexual, no label), and also the fact that we have known
for a long time that sexual feelings and behaviours expressed
in adolescence are not always reflective of an enduring sexual
orientation. Adolescence is meant to be a time of discovery, so
change should not be considered all that consequential.
The study with the longest follow-up (five years) was conducted in Dunedin, New Zealand and published in 2003. The
sample of men interviewed was representative, meaning that it
accurately reflected the age cohort of those born in Dunedin in
1972-1973 (i.e., the study did not rely on a convenient sample
of simply taking anyone willing to participate). These researchers sampled 485 men between age 21 and 26. Participants
were asked about same-sex behaviour and their attitudes
toward same-sex relationships. By age 26, 10.7% of the men
indicated that they had been attracted to other males at some
time, but only 5.6% reported having some current same-sex
attraction. A much smaller percentage of men were mostly attracted to their own sex or to both sexes equally (1.6%). Over
the five-year period, more men moved away from exclusive
heterosexual attraction (1.9%) than moved towards it (1.0%).
The authors concluded that their results tell us that “much
same-sex attraction is not exclusive and is unstable in early
adulthood.” [5] The results also suggest that more young men
became aware of some degree of same-sex attraction over the
five years compared to those who reported a loss of same-sex
attraction.
Physical attraction to other males can and does diminish or
disappear for some men over time. In one Dutch study, half
of the 14% of men who reported having attraction to males
reported that their attraction disappeared later in life. [6] Also,
the stability of sexual orientation depends on what aspect is
being assessed. Whereas sexual identity and sexual behaviour
may undergo considerable change through adolescence and
young adulthood [7], sexual attraction and romantic feelings
are likely more enduring.
Another study asked 762 participants (ages 36-60) to rate
(using 7-point scales) their sexual fantasy, romantic attraction, and sexual behaviour toward or with men and women in
consecutive five-year intervals beginning at age 16. Although
one-third of the sample reported no change at all in any of
their ratings, two-thirds reported some change across the three
dimensions measured. [8] Furthermore, a percentage of their
sample changed identity labels over time: 3% of heterosexual
men and women, 39% of gay men, 65% of lesbians, 66% of
bisexual men, and 77% of bisexual women.
As some heterosexual individuals “join the ranks” of nonheterosexuality, some non-heterosexual individuals migrate
toward a heterosexual identity. [9] Does this mean that sexual
orientation has actually changed? Again, researchers must
specify which aspect of sexual orientation they are referring to
if change is being reported.
What we can safely conclude about sexual orientation in
men at present (based on the available research) is that the
majority of heterosexuals maintain their heterosexuality, although a small percentage become aware or develop same-sex
attraction over time. Although the majority of adolescents and
young adults with a non-heterosexual identity will continue to
define as non-heterosexual, a sizeable percentage will experience changes in their self-chosen sexual identity and/or in
their sexual behaviour over time.
We know next to nothing about men with non-heterosexual
identities beyond the age of 25. Do they continue to experience change long after most heterosexuals have settled into a
stable sense of identity? Well, the only way to answer this is for
researchers to begin to study this population. In the meantime,
your guess is as good as mine.
Dr. Alderson is an associate professor of counselling psychology at the
University of Calgary who specializes in gay and lesbian studies. He also
maintains a private practice. He can be contacted by confidential email at
alderson@ucalgary.ca, or by confidential voice mail at 605-5234.
References:
1.
Kinnish, K. K., Strassberg, D. S., & Turner, C. W. (2005). Sex differences in the flexibility of sexual orientation: A multidimensional retrospective assessment. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 34(2), 173-183.
2.
Savin-Williams, R. C., & Ream, G. L. (2007). Prevalence and
stability of sexual orientation components during adolescence and young
adulthood. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 36(3), 385-394.
3.
Stokes, J. P., McKirnan, D. J., & Burzette, R. G. (1993). Sexual
behavior, condom use, disclosure of sexuality, and stability of sexual orientation in bisexual men. Journal of Sex Research, 30(3), 203-213.
4.
Rosario, M., Schrimshaw, E. W., Hunter, J., & Braun, L. (2006).
Sexual identity development among lesbian, gay, and bisexual youths: Consistency and change over time. Journal of Sex Research, 43(1), 46-58.
5.
Dickson, N., Paul, C., & Herbison, P. (2003). Same-sex attraction
in a birth cohort: Prevalence and persistence in early adulthood. Social Science & Medicine, 56(8), 1607-1615. [quote from p. 1607].
6.
Sandfort, 1997 (as cited in Savin-Williams, & Ream, 2007).
7.
Savin-Williams & Ream (2007).
8.
Kinnish, Strassberg, & Turner (2005).
9.
Savin-Williams & Ream (2007).
39
The Revision of the Diagnosis of Transsexuality
And the Surrounding Controversy
By Mercedes Allen
It was one of those news items that almost slipped
by everyone, despite the potential ramifications that
it could have for the transgender community and its
allies. Days after the fact, Lynn Conway reported
that on May 1st, 2008, the American Psychiatric Association (APA, not to be confused with the
American Psychological Association) named its work
group members appointed to revise the Manual for
Diagnosis of Mental Disorders in preparation for the
DSM-V. Such a revision would include the entry
for “Gender Identity Disorder” (GID), the classification that governs how transsexuals are diagnosed
and then treated. It was a day or two more before it
would ring out like a shot.
The news was that one of the most controversial doctors dealing with the transsexual community, Dr. Kenneth
Zucker, was named to chair the work group. Appointed to
work with him was Dr. Ray Blanchard, another extremely
controversial figure, and Zucker’s mentor. Both hail from
Toronto’s Centre for Addictions and Mental Health (CAMH,
formerly the Clarke Institute), which has drawn criticism
and concern from transsexuals across North America. Dr.
Zucker is infamous for utilizing reparative (i.e. “ex-gay”)
therapy to “cure” gender-variant children (the APA recently
put out a press release that correctly affirms that he does
not apply this treatment to change sexual orientation but
misses the essence that it is still practiced nonetheless
regarding gender identity). Dr. Ray Blanchard is Head of
Clinical Sexology Services at CAMH and creator of the theory
of autogynephilia, defined as “a man’s paraphilic tendency
to be sexually aroused by the thought or image of himself as
a woman,” a theory that does not match the experience of
most transsexuals. Drs. Blanchard, Zucker, J. Michael Bailey (whose work has even gone so far as to touch on eugenics) and a small cadre of others are proponents of dividing
the transsexual population by sexual orientation (“homosexual transsexuals” vs. “autogynephilic”). Meanwhile Dr.
Zucker also endorses the potentially damaging procedure of
assigning gender to intersex infants at birth, a practice that
was halted in many centres when Dr. John Money’s theory
that gender is malleable in children proved tragically wrong.
This was demonstrated in his own classic test case, the
female-to-male intersexed person of David Reimer, known in
Money’s writings as “John / Joan.”
It should be pointed out that most of the transgender
community realizes that these doctors honestly wish to help
transsexual populations and believe that they are doing so.
Characterizing them as evil is unfair. CAMH, too, has a positive reputation in many other areas of treatment in which
they engage. However, the research, treatment and theories
from these doctors and the gender clinic they operate are
40
Trans Identity
the subject of much dissention. CAMH has itself bragged
about turning away approximately 90% of the people who
come to them for treatment, and so it is inevitable that these
therapists see a primarily narrowly-slanted cross-section of
the community.
TransActive Education and Advocacy (TAEA), Transgender
American Veterans Association (TAVA), AlbertaTrans.org
and others have issued press releases asking that the APA
reconsider these appointments. The National Center for
Transgender Equality (NCTE), Transgender Law Center,
Transgender Law and Policy Institute and Transgender
Youth Family Allies (TYFA) followed with a joint statement
expressing concern, as have the National Gay and Lesbian
Task Force (NGLTF) and ally organizations.
However, there has been some confusion generated by
the panic surrounding this controversy. The DSM does not
in fact recommend treatments, only diagnoses, although
some concern remains that giving these therapists authority
over the diagnosis also gives them a perception of authority
regarding the treatment. Some of the controversy extends
beyond the listing for GID to that of “Transvestitic Fetish,” a
category of paraphilia that some fear Dr. Blanchard is likely
to modify to encompass autogynephilia, and potentially
cause many transsexuals’ diagnoses to be diverted to this
category.
This event has also coincided with the reinstatement of
health care coverage of Gender Reassignment Surgery (GRS)
in Ontario, as it is the same clinic and the same therapists
who are given exclusive authority to approve or deny treatment at every step. Many local activists consider this a
bittersweet victory, as the return to the same situation from
ten years ago really does not leave them any further ahead.
Moving forward, the hopes are twofold: there is some effort
to fight the exclusivity given to CAMH in Toronto, and there
have been statements and discussions with allies within the
APA who are part of the checks and balances used in establishing diagnoses. Via the latter, the doctors at the centre
of the issue will likely be put to task, but we will not know
the outcome until the DSM-V edition is published, which is
expected in 2012.
Both cases, however, demonstrate a need for some liaison
body between transgender advocates, who see a much larger
and more honest sampling of transsexual people, and the
medical professionals who care for them. Perhaps this is the
next step.
”Mercedes Allen is a writer who blogs at http://dentedbluemercedes.
wordpress.com/, has been featured on bilerico.com, PageOneQ and
others, and has also developed the website at AlbertaTrans.org as a
resource for transgender information and support.”
41
70’s Fever
Do Disco at Stage West
By Jason Clevett
Review | Theatre
While I wasn’t alive to experience the 1970’s, the
era lives on in its music. That era’s message continues on today, and this is especially evident in
70’s Fever, playing until June 29th.
It was while watching the show that I realize just how many
“gay anthems” came out of the 70’s. Sure there are the obvious ones like It’s Raining Men, I Will Survive, We Are Family,
and, well, anything by the Village People. But also songs that
have reached a whole new generation like Thelma Houston’s
Don’t Leave Me This Way which was on the Queer as Folk
Soundtrack, or Lady Marmalade which found new life with
the cover on the Moulin Rouge Soundtrack.
“It is a showcase of costumes and choreography and we
have a lot of fun and a good time,” gay cast member David
Lopez told us. “The cast loves each other. We have a lot of fun
and really support each other. Some of us have done the show
before (in Mississauga) but experiencing it with a whole new
cast brings a different energy that is a lot of fun.”
One thing about 70’s Fever is that it is very, very gay. In
fact, topics like HIV and Stonewall are mentioned in the
show, which is surprising considering the age of many of the
patrons. And the set that pays tribute to The Village People
tops it, no pun intended, with a hilariously fun romp through
Can’t Stop The Music, Macho Man, Go West, In The Navy, and
YMCA. Lopez was even talked into stripping out of his cop
outfit for the segment.
yond me. All of the top acts from the era are present including
The Bee Gees, Donna Summer, and of course, ABBA. Another
highlight is the Motown Medley with The Jackson Five, Rick
James, Thelma Houston, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin and
Peaches & Herb. Lopez, Keith White, Tiffany Deriveau and
Keisha T. Fraser infuse the set with a legitimate Motown feel.
“I would have to say Motown is my favorite part of the show.
All of that music - people instantly know it, and see the smiles
on the audience’s faces when we come out for that number.”
“I did it as a joke once in rehearsal a long time ago, and it
stuck. It is one of those things that I thought I would regret
but it is what it is.“
Regardless of whether the 70’s will bring back memories
from your youth, or will just make you wish you had been
there, 70’s Fever is a fantastic gay old time at Stage West.
One of the standouts of Stage West’s musical revues is how
true they are to the original performances. How they continue
to find people who can portray some of these legends is be-
“The music spans all generations, they aren’t gay specific
although at the time it probably was thought of as. It touches
everybody in different ways. People who lived through the
70’s will get to experience it again. Hearing it live, seeing the
costumes and the lights I am sure many will remember exactly what they were doing the first time they heard that song.
Also, there is lots of eye candy for everybody no matter what
your preference is,” Lopez concluded.
On a side note, shortly before this article was written Stage
West’s long time publicist Debbie Sturrock advised us that
she was leaving Stage West. Debbie, you have been absolutely
awesome and we here at GayCalgary would like to thank you
for a wonderful 4 years and wish you the best!
70’s Fever
April 24th – June 29th, 2008
www.stagewestcalgary.com
Tickets: (403) 243-6642
42
43
By Jason Clevett
One of the biggest LGBT events in Western Canada, the Bud Light Canadian Rockies International
Rodeo rides into its 15th year this June 27th – 29th.
ARGRA celebrates this huge milestone by continuing
to offer its winning formula.
“I am extremely proud of ARGRA and the fact that we
have made it to this milestone. I thought the ten-year was
incredible, and it feels like it was just yesterday. Meeting the
15-year milestone is exciting for an organization that I think
is still growing. Who knows where we will be at 20 years?”
ARGRA trustee Pierre Cadieux told us.
As always, ARGRA has a huge party planned, including the Friday Night cabaret with Aaron Pritchett and the
legendary Budweiser Barn Burner dance on the Saturday
night.
“We are pleased to have Aaron Pritchett playing at our
Friday cabaret. That will be an exciting and energy packed
event. I am looking forward to seeing Aaron performing
again, he was with us a couple of years ago and had really
high energy, and it was a good concert. Then we have one
of the best - if not the best - dances all year to celebrate the
first day of competition. We have a BBQ dinner catered by
Symon’s Valley. Come out and have some dinner and stay
for dancing and socializing. It is a huge, huge event.”
Huge is an understatement, as anyone who has attended
can attest. Organizers estimate up to 3000 will fill the dance
hall this year, many of whom only make rare appearances
at community events. It allows old friends to meet and catch
up.
“I think it is an absolutely wonderful thing. In some ways
we are the country and western lifestyle outlet in our community. There are members of our community that would
Community | Spotlight
never come out that often.
This allows them to come
out to the dance, socialize
with people they see only
at the event every year.
Some people make it an
annual camping and party
for themselves. I think it is
great that they come out
every year and feel like
they are part of a family,
part of something bigger.
We make up for the fact
that we unfortunately
do not have a country &
western bar in Calgary, as
ARGRA has become the
outlet for staying in touch
with our country and
western roots.”
Many participants and attendees are also from out of
town.
“We have a lot of people that come from Edmonton,
Lethbridge, Medicine Hat and Red Deer. The bulk of the
membership comes from Alberta. We have members
right across our province and we are proud of that,” says
Cadieux, adding that he is expecting a few new faces from
south of the border as well. “For a number of years we were
doubled up with another gay rodeo that was held in Minnesota. This year they are holding it the weekend after ours,
so we are the only rodeo happening on the international gay
rodeo circuit that weekend. Obviously the Canadian dollar
and price of fuel has deterred some people, but I think we
will have a number of American competitors coming up. We
already have entries from Arizona, California and Colorado.”
The rodeo also benefited from BUMP!, the LGBT travel
show which taped an episode at the 2007 rodeo.
“Yes we have gotten way more e-mails of interest asking for travel requirements and general information about
traveling to Calgary, because of BUMP! We see a lot of interest from overseas: Australia, Germany, Poland, from people
wanting to travel here to check out the rodeo. We send them
to the website because we have a lot of great information
there.”
ARGRA encourages its out of town visitors to spend time
in Calgary after the rodeo; it’s no coincidence that it ends
only days before the Calgary Stampede starts.
“When we pick our dates we stay constant with the end
of June, the weekend just before Stampede starts. If people
come to visit Calgary, it is a warm-up to the Stampede. We
44
say to come out to the Bud Light Canadian Rockies International Rodeo and stay through the next weekend for Stampede, make it a trip. We have really encouraged our American friends to make a mini-vacation out of it.”
While the dance and cabaret are the primary social
aspect, there is plenty going on throughout the weekend
– starting each morning with a pancake breakfast. The rodeo
itself features standard events like bull riding and steer roping, as well as non-traditional events like wild drag and goat
dressing. There is prize money and awards not only for the
events, but attendees as well.
”The competitors come out to definitely look at winning
their event, the coveted prize being the buckle. To change it
up just a little bit we have prizes for best-decorated campsite
in day and night categories. It is something anybody can do,
get creative and try to have some fun and make it a more social atmosphere. We also have a prize for the best wild drag
race team outfit. We want the whole team to have a theme.
That really encourages people to go above and beyond the
rules and make it really colorful … and the spectators get
the experience of how much fun it is.”
Running an event of this magnitude is not without its
challenges. Although after 15 years the ARGRA board has
things down to a science, staffing can still be difficult.
“The biggest challenge we face at the moment is recruiting volunteers. We aren’t in dire straits but we’re working
hard to make this go off without a hitch. We are volunteer
based - without them we couldn’t do this and we appreciate
every hour of labour they are willing to donate to us. Finding enough volunteers to pull off an event of this magnitude
continues to be our biggest challenge. It takes hundreds of
volunteer hours to bring it together, and it is a wonderful
thing to see people band together. Even if someone can only
give us an hour, every hour counts towards making this
successful.”
Also important in their success is the involvement of sponsors, without whom ARGRA and the rodeo would not exist.
“We have a number of different gold and platinum sponsors, and our title sponsor Bud Light. At the end of the day,
sponsorship is crucial to us being successful, without them
we would have a harder time paying the bills. Their generous sponsorship allows us to keep pricing in line and allows
us to bring an event
to our community at
the lowest cost possible while gaining
a bit of funds that
we can donate back
to charity. Without
these sponsors we
couldn’t do this, so
whenever possible
use our sponsors
products and services.”
job for gay was a real possibility, and gay marriage was only
a fantasy. While the event itself hasn’t changed, people are a
lot more comfortable with themselves.
“We have always provided a safe environment to have
a good time and experience country and western lifestyle.
The biggest change is acceptance. 15 years ago we hardly
had any media on site - even people like yourself - because
people were so scared to be photographed and outed, and
we still ask that the media respect the wishes of those who
they are filming or taking pictures of. But it has become less
and less of a concern because people don’t have to worry as
much about losing their jobs or being outed to their families
and all that kind of stuff. Being gay has become so much
more socially accepted, even in the province of Alberta where
we are still a long ways behind some parts of the world. We
have a much stronger working relationship with all forms of
media, gay and straight, than we ever had before.”
While most of the events take place on site at the gorgeous
Symon’s Valley Ranch, there are things happening around
town as well. Money-pennies hosts the Prairie Fire Warm-Up
on June 26th and the official survivor party on Monday the
30th, while the Calgary Eagle features a Wet Jockey contest
on the 26th and “The Last Stand” Party on the Monday.
Once again there will be buses from downtown out to the
rodeo grounds for those who don’t drive, or don’t want to.
So what are you waiting for? Catch up with old friends,
make some new ones, and just have a great time!
The Bud Light Canadian Rockies International Rodeo
June 27th – 29th, 2008
www.argra.org
ARGRA’s existence has paralleled
an important time
period in LGBT history. When the first
rodeo took place in
1993, losing one’s
45
Dave Bronconnier
Pride Q&A with Calgary’s Mayor
Interview
By Jason Clevett
Dave Bronconnier is a
born and raised Calgarian
who has been on city
council since 1992. He
was elected Calgary’s 35th
mayor in 2001, and is
presently serving his third
term.
GC: What does pride mean
to you?
DB: Pride is really a celebration of a group of Calgarians
and Canadians who go out and demonstrate, or provide information from my perspective, to other Calgarians particularly on
Calgary Pride Day. These are tax-paying Calgarians out there
working away. It is about human rights and saying “We are your
neighbours, your friends, taxpayers and voters.”
GC: How important has the gay tourism industry become to
Calgary?
DB: From my perspective the tourism angle is one of a red herring, quite candidly. I know that came up during the campaign
last year. In reality tourism delivers a tourist product, and the
product we have to deliver is a great city that’s safe, clean, with
lots of things to do, from rodeo events to going out to Banff just
like everyone else. It is not focused around people’s sexual orientation as to where they go to visit. I think Calgary is a friendly and
welcoming city and that’s the key. Visitors, wherever they happen
to originate from, are well received. Calgarians like to see people
who have spent the money in their town.
GC: Since you brought that up, lets touch on it briefly. That
incident during the election debate and firestorm that followed it...
DB: There was no firestorm that followed it, there were a few
people that decided to use it as an issue during the campaign.
There was no firestorm.
GC: But it did get misconstrued…
DB: Absolutely it did. It was fired up during an election for
political reasons.
GC: So can you clarify for our readers what you meant by that?
DB:I meant exactly that Calgary should be promoted as a destination, not on the basis of people’s sexual orientation, if you truly
believe in human rights as I do. Calgary is a destination that is a
welcoming and inviting city. We don’t go out there and say we are
catering to one segment of society based upon sexual orientation,
colour, race or religion; it’s not what we do. We promote a city that
is safe and welcoming and we say “Calgary is a great place to vacation and for tourism.”
GC: Cities like Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal have a gay
area or street. 17th avenue SW and the Beltline have a very high
gay population. What are your thoughts on having a “gay area” in
Calgary?
DB: I think Calgary has great streets that are welcoming to
46
anybody.
GC: Canada and Alberta has come a long way in the last decade. How do you feel your city has embraced the gay community
in that time?
DB: Our city has embraced human rights. Not to debate your
question, but I don’t follow it because I don’t really understand
that message. The message of promotion of Pride is one of tolerance, understanding and of inclusiveness as a society that says
regardless of sexual orientation, race or religion, you are welcome.
People tend to want to push this thing only on the basis of sexual
orientation. I look at that and say as the mayor of this city we are
here to support people. When you pick up the phone I don’t ask
you what colour you are and I don’t ask you what your sexual
orientation is because that is not important to me. What is important is who you are as a person and what you contribute to this
community.
GC: The mayor of Edmonton has participated in the pride
parade, as well as for three years has hosted a fundraising brunch
during Pride. Would you have any interest in participating in
similar activities?
DB: No. We do a proclamation every year for Pride day in Calgary.
GC: There has been some controversy in past elections regarding anti-gay candidates. How will city hall in the future protect
minority groups from having people who are discriminatory,
whether against race, sexuality, or religion, from being a part of
local government?
DB: I think there is no place in Canadian or Calgary society for
that. Unfortunately people tend to use that as a political lightning
rod for their own agenda instead of looking at the Human Rights
aspect. I believe that all Canadians have the right to freedom of
speech, to practice their own religion and to their own sexual
orientation. I think that candidates that use that as a vehicle, and
we have seen that in previous elections with one or two candidates
that want to use it to garner publicity and support for themselves.
I think that is a clear demonstration of a void of any type of intellectual thought or policy that you would like to take out to the
voter. So you have to go with anything that might get you some
publicity and we have certainly seen that in the past with some
candidates.
GC: Anything else you would like to add?
DB: We have a great city here in Calgary, as you know, you live
here. It really speaks to what Calgary is all about - an opening
community that respects people’s right to their own lifestyle choices but at the same time is not afraid to say if that is your choice, it
is your choice. It is not an issue with most Calgarians. Most look
at it as a human rights issue and say ”you know what, the charter
of human rights is there for a reason.” We want people that are
contributing members to this community. And to be a contributing
member nobody asks you what your religion or sexual orientation
is.
GC: Thank you for taking the time to speak to us.
DB: You’re welcome. Take care.
Stephen Mandel
Pride Q&A with Edmonton’s Mayor
Interview
By Jason Clevett
Stephen Mandel moved
to Edmonton from Windsor, Ontario in 1972. He
was elected to city council in 2001 and elected
Edmonton’s 34th mayor
in 2004. He is presently in
his second term of office.
GC: What does pride mean
to you?
SM: I think it is the ability
for people to acknowledge who
they are, respect that and flourish with it.
GC: How important has the gay tourism industry become to
Edmonton.
SM: I think it is a big industry. Communities need to be gay
friendly, just like they would be friendly to everybody, to be
open and welcome. It is an important industry across North
America, and we are as aggressive as anybody to make sure we
get a share of every market.
GC: Cities like Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal have a gay
area or street. West End Jasper Avenue has a very vibrant gay
community. What are your thoughts on having a “gay area” in
Edmonton?
SM: It is not something I have really thought that much
about. I think it adds a great deal of vibrancy to the area. It
will create industry for some creative businesses and creative
works. That is one of the really neat things if you do have a gay
area; there is more creativity that will flow into the area, which
would help the city.
GC: You have participated in the Pride Parade in Edmonton,
as well as host the pride brunch. Why do you get involved with
pride events? Tell me more about the Mayor’s Pride Brunch in
support of Camp fYrefly.
SM: …I try not to treat it as anything different from being
a city event. I am a big supporter of that event because it is a
lot of fun. I don’t want to bring it down to individual rights because I think that issue is slowly beginning to disappear. This
is about sharing a good time with a neat group of people. As for
the brunch, it helps raise money for a camp that helps young
people realize their sexual preferences and to deal with those
challenges and allow them to be open.
GC: Tell me how Michael Phair had an influence on the community.
SM: Michael is great; a warm, wonderful, kind, sweet, nice,
incredibly hard working young man. He is probably one of the
most highly respected individuals in Edmonton and has done
immense good for the gay community. He has not shied away
from his sexual preference but he has just shown what a fine
person he is. He is loved in Edmonton, I can tell you that.
GC: Can you see another gay councilor in City Hall?
SM: If I am going to vote for someone it is because they
are going to do a good job not because they have a particular
anything. If someone runs and has a strong platform, sure.
That was Michael’s strength, he was a gay individual but he
was a councilor first. He stood up for what he believed in but
that same belief was in individual rights, he would fight just
as strong for immigrant rights or any individual’s rights as he
would his own. Michael epitomized the kind of person you want
on City council, someone who fights for what they believe in.
GC: You raise the pride flag in front of city hall. When did
that start?
SM: I don’t know if we have done it before, I only know when
I became mayor I decided to do it to support a very important
part of our community. It would be the same thing if it were
Ukranian or Polish.
GC: What has the reaction from the public been to the rainbow flag?
SM: Nothing. I think it isn’t an issue. Those days are gone,
except for a very small, lunacy group. People accept it as part
of our society - let’s get on with life - which I am quite pleased
about.
GC: There has been some controversy in past elections
regarding anti-gay candidates, primarily an anti-gay mayoral
candidate in the last election. How will city hall in the future
protect minority groups from having people who are discriminatory, whether against race, sexuality, or religion, from being
a part of local government?
SM: My belief is everybody has the right to express belief,
within the boundaries of our hate legislation. I thought that
individual went beyond that, but when those issues were approached within the court system they didn’t feel that that
individual had gone too far. We must protect every individual’s
rights. That includes the rights those whose say things I
don’t like, as well as those who say things I somewhat agree
with and things that I do agree with. If they don’t protect the
individual’s rights to express opinions, as long as it is within
the confines of accepted social legislative processes, then your
and my rights will be taken away as well.
GC: Anything else you would like to add?
SM: It is a great community, it is vibrant and finding its
roots. We are getting a reputation in the city as being friendlier than we were before. It has a lot to do with people who are
part of the community, like Michael and many others, who
have worked very hard to show it is an integral part of today’s
Edmonton and tomorrow’s Edmonton.
GC: Thank you very much for speaking with us.
SM: My pleasure.
47
Out of Town
Eight Ways to Enjoy Boston
Travel
by Andrew Collins
With its tree-lined streets, spectacular gardens,
and youthful yet intellectual personality, Boston’s
an easy city to love in the springtime. Winters last
a while in New England’s largest metropolis, but by
May the sidewalks buzz with pedestrian life and the
Charles River fills with kayaks and sailboats. One
of the nation’s gay-friendliest cities, Boston encompasses a considerable range of charms, from prestigious museums and historic parks to swish cocktail
lounges and hipster-infested restaurants. Here’s
a look at eight different ways to take advantage of
Boston’s myriad attributes:
1. Have breakfast or brunch in Jamaica Plain.
Once considered an out-of-the-way neighborhood whose
shops and restaurants catered chiefly to locals, the lesbianpopular Jamaica Plain neighborhood has grown up in recent
years, especially as a culinary destination. It’s not far from
lovely Back Bay Fens Park and its esteemed art museums, and
has several fine restaurants specializing in breakfast or brunch,
making it an apt spot to begin your day.
The longtime traditional favorite for breakfast is Sorella’s, a
small and bustling diner-style cafe that’s justly renowned for its
omelets stuffed with goat cheese, chorizo, and similarly enticing
ingredients. A bit more dapper and elegant inside, the French
bistro Bon Savor serves up such delicious breakfast dishes as
fried-banana crepes and smoked salmon eggs Benedict. And
don’t overlook the airy Dogwood Cafe, with its hardwood floors,
exposed-brick walls, and creative cuisine. Consider the blueberry buttermilk pancakes or the unusual-sounding but delicious
“breakfast pizza” topped with scrambled eggs, breakfast sausage, applewood-smoked bacon, home fries, and mozzarella.
2. Wander through Back Bay Fens Park and explore the city’s
two best art museums.
North of Jamaica Plain and west of downtown Boston is the
Fens, an amalgam of relatively modest residential and slightly
scruffy industrial blocks and site of the campuses of Northeastern and Boston universities as well as Fenway Park, home to
baseball’s Boston Red Sox.
The topographical feature that best defines the neighborhood,
however, is Back Bay Fens Park, the city’s only area of tidal
marshlands that was never filled in with gravel as Boston expanded. Landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted converted
this wilderness into a subtly manicured park. On its south side
is the Museum of Fine Arts, whose highlights include Asiatic
art and French Impressionists. The museum is in the midst of
adding a dramatic new wing, slated for completion in 2010. To
the west is the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, a stunning
if idiosyncratic collection of paintings, drawings, textiles, and
furniture (mostly Western European).
3. Stroll the Boston Common.
48
The Boston Common has been the city hub since 1630.
The side of the park fringed by Boylston and Tremont streets
is more commercial than the stretch along stately Beacon
Street, but the whole park merits exploration. The adjacent
Boston Public Garden, the centerpiece of which is a placid
pond traversed in summer by foot pedal-powered swan boats,
also contains several acres of formal gardens. Overlooking the
Common stands Charles Bulfinch’s golden-domed neoclassical
State House, where legislation was signed making the Bay State
the first (and so far only) one in the Union to legalize same-sex
marriage.
One of the nation’s earliest urban residential neighborhoods,
nearby Beacon Hill was settled in the early 1800s by the city’s
wealthiest merchants and is today the domain of brick sidewalks, stately town houses, shade trees, and boutiques (the
best are on Charles Street.).
4. Hit the shops and galleries along Newbury Street in the
Back Bay.
The relatively young Back Bay (a tidal flat before the 1860s)
- with its broad avenues of four-story town houses, its grid
layout, and its bustle of sidewalk cafes and swank boutiques
- recalls Paris. It’s still one of Boston’s preeminent residential
(and favorite walking) neighborhoods. Beacon and Marlborough
streets are predominantly residential and contain impressive
single-family homes. Commonwealth Avenue is divided by a
gracious grassy mall. The best area for whiling away an afternoon is Newbury Street, which is lined with offbeat boutiques
and stylish eateries that range from high-end, up by the Public
Garden, to funky and somewhat collegiate, down toward Massachusetts Avenue.
5. Explore Harvard Yard.
Puritans settled Cambridge, just across the Charles River
from Boston, in 1630 and soon after founded America’s first
university, Harvard, now a top tourist draw. Walking tours of
campus are given daily and focus heavily on tree-shaded Harvard Yard. From here you’re steps from such vaunted cultural
institutions as the Widener Library, with the country’s secondlargest book collection; the Fogg Art Museum, whose 80,000
holdings concentrate mostly on European and American painting; the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, which emphasizes Asiatic,
ancient Greek and Roman, and Egyptian, Buddhist, and
Islamic art; and the mammoth Harvard University Museums of
Cultural and Natural History.
Dozens of shops and eateries line the streets around Harvard
Square (where Massachusetts Avenue and John F. Kennedy
Street intersect). Finish up your exploring with a scoop of the
amazingly thick and delicious ice cream at Herrell’s, which is
known for such flavors as malted vanilla, chocolate pudding,
and cookie-dough peanut-butter swirl.
6. Have a progressive dinner along Tremont Street in the
South End.
luxe bath amenities, and mini-bars stocked with unusual goodies. Smaller and containing 112 rooms outfitted with red-suede
chairs and custom-designed desks, the Onyx Hotel exudes
warmth and luxury.
Just across the river in Cambridge, consider Kimpton’s
supremely inviting Hotel Marlowe, whose 236 handsomely
furnished rooms have animal-print carpets
and opulent velvet fabrics. Guests can use
bikes and kayaks (to paddle on the Charles
River, just outside the door) for free. If you
get a chance, grab dinner at the fabulous
Bambara restaurant, which serves superb
regional American fare to a sexy, see-andbe-seen crowd.
Andrew Collins is the author of Fodor’s Gay
Guide to the USA and eight additional travel
guides.
The Little Black Book
The Massachusetts Statehouse rises importantly over the historic Boston Common, a
perfect spot for a stroll on a sunny afternoon. (Photo by Andrew Collins)
Gentrified steadily over the past two decades, Boston’s gaypopular South End neighborhood has become one of the East
Coast’s great dining destinations, and it’s difficult to narrow
down the many fine choices to just a few. A solution to this dilemma is to plan a leisurely, progressive dinner at three South
End restaurants, sampling one or two dishes at each place.
Start at one of the neighborhood’s first restaurants to earn
major acclaim, Hamersley’s Bistro, where you won’t go wrong
with either the crispy duck confit with beet-walnut salad, or the
spicy halibut and clam roast with bacon-braised greens.
Aquitaine (569 Tremont St., 617-424-8577, www.aquitaineboston.com).
Bon Savor (617-971-0000, www.bonsavor.com). Boston Eagle (617542-4494). Club Cafe (617-536-0966, www.clubcafe.com). Dogwood
Cafe (617-522-7997, www.dogwoodcafe.com). Franklin Cafe (617-3500010, www.franklincafe.com). Fritz (617-482-4428, www.fritzboston.
com). Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau (617-536-4100
or 888/SEE-BOSTON, www.bostonusa.com). Hamersley’s Bistro
(617-423-2700, www.hamersleysbistro.com). Herrell’s Ice Cream (617497-2179, www.herrells.com). Hotel Marlowe (617-868-8000 or 800825-7140, www.hotelmarlowe.com). Hotel Nine Zero (617-772-5800 or
866-906-9090, www.ninezero.com). Onyx Hotel (617-557-9955 or 800KIMPTON, www.onyxhotel.com). Sorella’s (617-524-2016).
Next, venture a few doors down to Aquitaine, where you
might sample house-cured salmon with creme fraiche and
pomegranate, or tender braised pork with mashed celery root
and sauteed spinach. Be warned: This beautiful-peopled yet
surprisingly low-key bistro is often packed. Enjoy your final
dining course at the cozy and gay-popular Franklin Cafe, which
is open late and serves terrific seasonal contemporary fare.
You might tuck into a plate of garlic-grilled calamari with white
beans and basil pesto, or the sunflower-crusted chicken with
chive-mashed potatoes and tarragon jus.
7. Go bar-hopping in the South End.
The South End is home to three of the city’s longest-running
and most popular gay bars, making it a favorite neighborhood
for barflies. Club Cafe draws the most mixed-gender crowd and
is also home to an excellent restaurant. It’s largely the domain of smartly dressed professionals - there’s a sophisticated
cocktail lounge-cabaret that gets busy after work, and a larger,
cruisier (though more attitude-y) video bar in back.
Long ago a fixture of the city’s leather scene, the Boston
Eagle has gradually shifted into a more laid-back but fiercely
popular cruise-and-chat bar with a mostly male crowd of guys
in their 30s and 40s. This intimate, if cramped, tavern is justly
known for its cheap and potent cocktails. Finally, the dapperlooking Fritz bar is often described as Boston’s gay Cheers - it’s
busiest around happy hour and on Sunday afternoons.
8. Stay in a hip boutique hotel.
In addition to the usual chains and several gay-friendly
B&Bs, Boston has several snazzy little boutique hotels that
have a strong following among gay travelers. There are three
outposts of the gay-friendly (and pet-welcoming) Kimpton
Group, including the stately Nine Zero, overlooking Boston
Common, which is home to the opulent KO Prime steakhouse
and contains 190 units furnished with super-cushy bedding,
49
NDPs and Liberals Seek End to Discrimination
Conservatives say “No”
By Benjamin Hawkcliff
It has been ten years since the landmark battle
for rights of Vriend vs. Alberta. Delwin Vriend sued
the government for allowing discrimination based on
sexual orientation, which came to a head in 1998
when the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the
provincial government could not exclude GLB individuals from human rights legislation.
A decade later, the human rights code has still not been
amended to include sexual orientation. This was brought up
on April 16, 2008 in legislature by Official Opposition MLA
Kent Hehr (Calgary Buffalo).
“In recent days Albertans celebrated the 10th anniversary
of the Vriend versus Alberta decision,” Hehr is quoted saying.
“After several years in provincial courts, the Supreme Court of
Canada at last ruled that the provincial government could not
exclude gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered people from
human rights legislation. Delwin Vriend’s struggle began in a
very different world from the one we enjoy today. The current level of acceptance for various sexual orientations is far
greater than that of the early 1990s. To stand up for a just but
unpopular case required tremendous courage. The personal
cost of standing up for yourself or for a minority group often
far outweighs any benefit that an individual may gain. But
perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised by Vriend’s outspoken
determination; these are typical Albertan traits. Despite the
challenges he faced – and there were many – Vriend proved
that an individual citizen can bring about change if he or she
shows the strength to act for the common good.
”In this the 27th Alberta Legislature we have the opportunity to celebrate the power of the individual and to recognize the
fundamental human rights of thousands of Albertans. This
Legislature should act as quickly as possible and explicitly
extend protection for sexual orientation to our human rights
code. Doing so would ensure that Albertans facing discrimination will have explicit recourse in the legal system, but
more importantly it will show that we as a society value each
and every one of its members regardless of who or how those
members choose to love. Mr. Speaker, we are near the end of
the first decade of the 21st century. It is long past the time for
Alberta to join the other Canadian jurisdictions by explicitly
recognizing and protecting civil rights of our gay, lesbian,
transgendered, and bisexual citizens.”
On May 15th, NDP MLA Rachel Notley (Edmonton Strathcona) again asked the Minister of Culture Lindsay Blackett
(Calgary NW) to amend the human rights code to prohibit
discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
“Here in Alberta the government still won’t amend the human rights code to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. To the minister responsible for human rights:
in the spirit of striking an important blow against homophobia, will the minister reconsider his previous statements and
do the right thing by introducing legislation to include sexual
50
Community News
orientation as a ground protected against discrimination?”
Mr. Blackett responded with a resounding no.
”Given that your so-called consultation on the issue has no
budget, no timetable associated with it, will you admit that
there is no consultation process and that you’re simply trying
to delay until the issue maybe gets dropped?” Notley asked in
response.
“I am not going to admit that,” replied Blackett. “I never
said the word consultation. I talked about review in the context of, first, within our department. You’re trying to put words
in my mouth, and I’m not going to agree to this.”
When Notley pressed by asking if the PC government has
written policy that opposes homophobia and discrimination
based on sexual orientation, he replied “As it stands right
now, the implication from the Supreme Court decision is that
gays and lesbians are protected in Alberta, and if individuals
were to go to our website or talk to anybody on the Human
Rights Commission, they would find out that they are indeed
protected, and we will stand up for them.”
A week later, Hehr once again brought up the subject.
“Last week the hon. Minister of Culture and Community
Spirit indicated in no uncertain terms that this government
would not add sexual orientation to the enumerated list of
protections already granted in human rights legislation. To
the minister. History has shown that when a minority group
such as disability or race is listed as a protected ground of discrimination, the members of that group gradually suffer less
prejudice. Can the minister tell me why race and disability are
currently enumerated grounds but not sexual orientation?”
“I’ve said in this Legislature before, we are going through
a review of the entire Human Rights Commission. Issues of
sexual orientation will be looked at if and when we decide to
implement new legislation,” Blackett replied.
“These Albertans deserve equal protection under Alberta
law. In fact, they need it more now than other minority groups
in Alberta today. To the same minister: when considering the
effectiveness of our human rights legislation, how does this
minister explain to a gay, bisexual, lesbian, transgendered,
or transsexual individual the current decision of this government?” Hehr asked.
“As I will explain to Murray Billett, who’s an advocate for
gay and lesbian rights in this province later on this afternoon,
they are protected under legislation now as mandated by the
Supreme Court decision. Right now on any type of complaint
they are respected and they are protected, and we will continue to do so.”
Hehr then spoke from his own experience as a quadriplegic,
a result of being an innocent victim in a drive by shooting in
1991.
“She’s A Boy I Knew”
An Interview With Director Gwen Haworth
By Mercedes Allen
Bold, honest and tinged with a healthy dose of
levity, Gwen Haworth’s film, “She’s A Boy I Knew”
(showing recently at the Fairy Tales International
Film Festival), is an excellent jumping-in point for
coming to an understanding of transsexualism and
seeing it with a human face - as well as witnessing
the dramatic changes that others also experience
when confronted with the reality of a transgendered
loved one. Not just a “transgender movie,” “She’s A
Boy I Knew” has much to say universally on gender, relationships and identity, through the raw and
frank experiences of the director and her family.
GayCalgary: Although documenting your own transition,
your film really is as much or more about your family and
spouse, and their discovery of what your transition meant to
them. How did the filming affect the dynamic between you
and your family? Was it embarrassing or painful hearing
some of their responses in interviews?
Gwen Haworth: The film is an ode to my family. It’s definitely brought me closer to them. I had already heard most of
what they said during my transition, but because I was now
hearing everything at once, it was intense. The editing process
was incredibly emotional. I was reliving the most turbulent
moments of my life over and over again, and so I shed many
tears during the process. It was very cathartic. Almost like a
debriefing session for the past seven years.
GC: Were you surprised at how deep their own transition
was?
Gwen: I was surprised that they were still in my life! Almost
everything I’d seen in the media had suggested they wouldn’t
have anything to do with me.
GC: At one point, you mention the difficulty your father had
telling your grandparents about the change you were making.
There’s an old adage that as we come out of the closet, often
our family goes in. Was this your family’s experience? How
has it changed?
Gwen: The first year or so my parents didn’t tell anyone. As
it became more apparent to them that this wasn’t going to go
away, they moved beyond the shock & denial, and began the
long road to acceptance. They’re still working on it, but we’ve
all definitely come a long way.
In fact, a few days ago my mom went with my partner Heidi’s mom down to the Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival to
present the film. How incredibly amazing is that! The audience
was so appreciative of the moms for being supportive parents
to their queer children. I can’t wait to see how this experience
affects my mom, in the months to come.
GC: It’s common for parents to have some sense of mourning and guilt, both evidenced on a couple of occasions in the
Review | Theatre
film. How much does time heal that, and how much do you
think will continue to linger?
Gwen: I realized even before telling my parents that I needed to let them go through their emotional reactions, whatever
they may be. I needed to let them know it was okay to express
their fears and apprehension. If I had rebuked everything I
didn’t agree with by saying “Yes, but…” then I don’t think
they’d be in my life at this point.
We’ve all healed much more than I initially expected.
There’ll always be those moments where they’ll miss their son,
but time does help, especially as new experiences convey to
my mom that my life isn’t going to be doom and gloom. She
was incredibly happy that I completed my graduate degree and
the film. She also loves my partner Heidi, and I’m sure when
we have her grandchildren, all will be right in her world.
GC: In the film, you speak of the pre-transition self-imposed isolation you’d lived, and the new openness that you’ve
found since becoming Gwen. Would you consider this one of
the vital themes of the film, and a demonstration of the harmful effect of Gender Identity Disorder?
Gwen: Absolutely, although I would say it’s more a representation of the harmful effects caused by our society’s limited
view of gender as binary. The impact on trans folk is only an
amplification of how rigid and suffocating gender roles are on
almost everyone’s individual self-expression.
GC: You’ve said that your decision to document your
transition was because of the dearth of positive and accurate
depictions of transgender people in film history. Do you see
this changing, and why do you feel that this is important?
Gwen: That’s the great thing about video cameras and the
Internet. Sure there’s a lot on YouTube that you wouldn’t call
high art or quality entertainment, but more importantly, the
technology gives everyday people a voice, something that was
non-existent when I was a teenager. There’s a more visible and
diverse community out there, and that helps people recognize
they don’t have to go it alone, or conform to antiquated notions of what it means to be transgender.
The trans community’s self-representation is incredibly important because the media’s representation of trans folk still
sucks. Sure, there are now characters that are more likeable,
but if you look at the big picture, most of the representations
show the trans individual as having little power or personal
agency, unless it’s tied to their gender or sexual status.
When the media continues to only select a small segment
of the trans community to heavily represent, society (including
trans folk) can easily be led into believing that those lifestyles
and ways of presenting yourself are the only options that exist
for us. The media drums it into our head and then we start to
believe it, become it, and even self-police. It’s frightening.
That’s why I absolutely hate the statement, “I’m a woman
51
trapped in a man’s body.” It’s a dumbed-down over-simplification of transsexuality that has an incredible amount of stigma
attached to it. It belongs to those stock phrases that are assumed to be a part of every transsexual woman’s repertoire,
such as, “I played with my sister’s dolls,” “I never liked competitive sports,” “I was disgusted by my genitals,” and “I would
have killed myself by now if I didn’t transition.” I don’t relate
to these statements. As a child, I was repelled by the representations of transsexuals that I saw on television, because I
didn’t see myself in any of them. I was sure I didn’t want to be
a sex trade worker, use my gender for stage performance, or
be some guy’s fetish object. Like most people, my gender was
just one of countless aspects of my identity, not something
that I wanted to consume my entire personality and life.
Even today, non-trans filmmakers are still pretty dismal at
portraying transsexual women. Where are the diverse representations and the empowered individuals? Where are the
trans women who don’t identify as heterosexual after they
transition, or the ones who aren’t overtly feminine? Watching
the television, you’d think coming out as a transsexual women
means that I’d have to give up my reality as a complex human
being with my own unique balance of masculinity & femininity, in the obsessive pursuit to make sure everybody reads my
gender identity correctly. The overused stock images of transsexual women putting on lipstick and heels make me want to
puke. I’ll stick to my Converse and combat boots, thank you
very much!
GC: Are there things that we could be doing better, given
some occasional issues of self-image, complacency or recklessness (and by this, I don’t mean to point fingers at any particular cross-section) within the transgender community that
could stem the tide of these depictions?
Gwen: Yikes! This is such a complicated topic that I don’t
think I can sufficiently answer it here. One of the films I’m
hoping to complete in the next few years is about internalized
transphobia and how the media perpetuates self-hate. It’s
something many people grapple with at one time or another,
so I’m sure it’ll strike a chord.
I will however state that I don’t believe in squashing anyone’s self-expression “for the betterment of the community.”
I don’t think this is the right approach. It saddens me when
LGBT communities ostracize individuals for being too gay, too
femme, or too flamboyant. To me, the whole idea of trying to
streamline the LGBT community’s self-representation in order
to be more palatable to non-queers is counterproductive, as it
buys into the self-hate that many of us are trying to overcome.
GC: In the film, you comment about sometimes slipping
back into the non-communicative mode you’d learned growing
up. While the existence of transsexuality demonstrates that
much of our identity is biologically driven, there are still ramifications that our socialization plays in our lives. How much
of an obstacle do you see that to be?
Gwen: I saw it being a bigger obstacle in the past than I
do nowadays. Before, I was afraid of standing out, of how my
voice would sound, of the masculine qualities I had acquired
growing up. Nowadays I embrace my idiosyncrasies and recognize all people have a balance of masculine and feminine
qualities inside of them.
The place I am struggling the most is in breaking down
the wall I put up between my family and my emotions. I come
from a long line of strong stoic men who talk in a monotone
to their family. I don’t think any of us would have chosen this
for ourselves, but we were conditioned in our formative years
and it’s incredibly hard to deprogram. I can emotionally open
52
up quite easily to others, but I still catch myself shutting down
around my family. Especially my father. It’s something I’m
sure I’ll be working on for years to come.
GC: Some of the interviewees in the film refer to those first
few months of finding your style, sort of as a “wobbly chick”
recently hatched. Is it sometimes difficult to look back at that
footage of yourself in early transition or pre-transition?
Gwen: It was incredibly horrifying! Especially my awkward
cross-dressing footage. I used to cringe at it, but at a certain
point realized I needed to get over myself. Editing the film
helped me learn to laugh at myself, embrace my vulnerabilities, and generally accept myself, quirks and all.
GC: In earlier versions of transgender treatment – still
adhered to by some therapists in the Western world, today – it
was required that a transitioning person cut all ties to their
former life, their family, their friends, and their jobs. You’ve
clearly not done that, stating that you “didn’t jump out of one
closet just to jump into another.” Can you imagine what life
would have been like if the older standards of care were forced
upon you?
Gwen: If I had been faced with that ultimatum in 2002, I
would have very likely used an alternative route or the black
market to transition. I realize in the past that therapists were
concerned about safety issues, but I think they were incredibly unperceptive of the damage they did to people by asking
them to sever their ties from friends and family. The trans
population has a high suicide rate due to depression, which is
obviously aggravated by the isolation people feel when they’ve
lost most of their strong relationships. I relied heavily on the
emotional support of my friends and family during my transition. It would have been devastating without them. I think
it’s completely irresponsible of any therapist nowadays to still
require this from most of their clients.
GC: You mention in the past looking in back alleys for
clothing, because of the fear of overtly shopping for it. Society
has a clear double standard in that women can dress up just
to feel good about themselves, but male-bodied persons who
do so are automatically assumed to be “fetishists” by mainstream society. What needs to be done to break this perception?
Gwen: It definitely was an issue for me before and through
my transition. Even now I’m still struggling with how to proactively address this. There’s a wonderful writer, filmmaker,
and performance artist in Vancouver by the name of Michael V
Smith. He has done some amazing work around these issues.
I admire him for his ability to put it all out there, to be incredibly honest and vulnerable, to help us think about our own
self-expression.
GC: You mention the courage it takes for our loved ones to
give up the ambitions that they had for us. What are the new
ambitions – yours and theirs – for you now?
Gwen: Our biggest ambition is probably for me to pay down
the nearly $100,000 debt that I’ve incurred from transitioning
genders, graduate school, and making this film. Due to interest, my debt is steadily growing and I can see bankruptcy as a
huge potential in the next year or so.
On a brighter note, when my life is financially under control, Heidi and I are eagerly looking to start our family, which
is definitely an ambition our two moms are anxious to see
come to fruition!
Music Review
Funplex, Live 3, Crayons, Hard Candy
By Rob Diaz-Marino
“Funplex” by The B-52’s
If this was my first time hearing the B-52’s, my question would
be “what is all this random hippie
crap?” Don’t get me wrong, I’m just
as much of a fan of Love Shack as
the next homo but, just about everyone I mentioned the new album
to was super excited over it. So I
feel like there might be something
wrong with me for not responding favourably to this new album. Yes, “booo” on me!
This is their first CD release of the 21st century, and band
member Fred Schneider comments that this new album
sounds updated from their 70’s hits. “It’s the B-52s now – or
fifteen years from now.” I certainly can’t fault the band for
not being energetic and having their own quirky and distinct
sound, but perhaps it’s all that wild and whimsical energy
that makes me feel almost exhausted listening to them.
Nonetheless, there were a few tracks that caught my fancy.
Pump gets you going right off the bat - its bass line and guitar
riffs build a sense of anticipation for the excitement to come.
Juliet of the Spirits had an yearning melody that grabbed me,
and Deviant Ingredient was fun and cheeky.
“Global Groove: Live 3” by DJ David
Knapp and DJ Escape
The thing about groove is that it
all the songs sound the same - that’s
not accidental, it’s the very definition
of groove. For those who get into it,
this CD is 75 minutes of enjoyment.
For those like me who appreciate
diversity of melody and rhythm, it
can be slightly monotonous.
As with the past albums in the series, the continuous mix
maintains a steady rhythm and each track touches on a simple overlay of vocals and bass. No particular song really takes
hold, making the CD ideal as background music for work or
driving. However, some tracks might sound familiar, as they
are special remixes of songs from top artists that have defined
dance music over the past decade.
Three tracks in particular jumped out at me because of
their stronger melodies: The Boss,
Eye Can See U, and E.Q. (I am an
Effect for You). Otherwise, aside
from finding Chaa Chaa Chaa a
bit annoying, the rest of the tracks
grooved on by.
“Crayons” by Donna Summer
By far my favorite album of this
month’s batch, Donna Summer
Review | Music
delivers a mixed bag of high energy dance songs, ballads, and
more.
A big name in the 1970’s and 1980’s for her breakthrough
fusions of R&B, soul, pop, funk, rock, and disco, Summer’s
last album release was in 1991. “Crayons” is guaranteed to
put her back on the charts right quick!
“Every song is a different color. Since I’m also a visual artist, that title ties a lot of those loose ends of my life together,”
says Summer. The title track, Crayons is admittedly her
favorite, and in my opinion the best on the album. “The
song wrote itself pretty quickly. Taking it to the next level,
we influence each other in life. …Everybody gets crayons at
some point in their lives, everybody can relate to the basics. It
comes down to that child in us…”
Other memorable tracks are Stamp Your Feet, and Fame
(The Game). If you like a little Hispanic flavour, Drivin’ Down
Brazil will give you a thrill!
“Hard Candy” by Madonna
Brace yourselves, Madonna fans,
this is not the high energy dance
album you were hoping for. I was
a little let down too, but after getting past that fact I realized there
is still quite a good selection of
songs.
Candy Shop starts the collection
off with a cheeky analogy for sex,
as she sings about being a “onestop candy shop” that is “sticky and sweet”. The next track, 4
Minutes is a collaboration with Justin Timberlake, however its
discordant rap feel left me pretty cold.
Many of my favorite tracks were more upbeat numbers,
such as Give It 2 Me, She’s Not Me, and Dance 2night. In
particular, I loved the sense of happy abandonment and
snap back to reality in Incredible, but I also quite enjoyed the
slightly sad and nostalgic tone of Miles Away.
Spanish Lesson on the other hand struck me as fun, even a
little bit silly. She seems to, literally, try teaching the listener
a common set of Spanish phrases, but explaining them to
have very specific, personal meanings.
The CD ends off with Voices, which conveys a very dark
and diabolical sense of confoundment about who is really in
control of their life and love. It asks “who is the master, who
is the slave” - a very sombre melody, somewhat reminiscent of
a theme from “The Matrix” in its first few bars.
Even if you’re only into Madonna for her dance anthems,
“Hard Candy” is still worth a listen. It’s further demonstration
of what a dynamic artist she can be.
53
Womonspace Hits the Green
Community Event
By Allison Brodowski
With Pride fast approaching, people of all sorts
are coming out of the woodwork. From supportive
community churches to the Asexual Visibility Education Network (AVEN) to bois in Mustaches and
queens in all their best sequins the many diverse
representative faces of the community are going to
hit center stage reminding us of what a mixed bag
our culture really is.
Often in the queer community it is difficult for a single
organization to reach all the niche markets present under
the rainbow. The definition of family becomes somewhat
fluid especially in Alberta where red neck sensibilities lie
close to the surface and we remain ten years behind most
other large cities lie in terms of visible community. Part of
maintaining that visibility involves allowing that community to be accessible by those who have recently discovered
it as a missing part in their lives; and often the best way
to get involved is by attending events that pique additional
common interests in your life.
event, including golf. If you only want to partake in the
camping and BBQ steak dinner, the cost is only $35. For
further information contact Womonspace or go online.
Since its inception in 1981 Womonspace has been filling
the niche for lesbian events in the Edmonton community.
Now hosting ten dances each year along with a variety of
other social events, they are fulfilling their mission statement by “providing opportunities for lesbians to interact
and support each other in a safe environment, and contribute to the broader community.”
Run by an enthusiastic volunteer board of directors
Womonspace is continuing to expand its membership, as
well as publishing a monthly newsletter created by open
submissions through the website (www.womonspace.ca).
Also offered online is an extensive resource page covering much of the available Edmonton queer outlets and
organizations, upcoming events, and an open discussion
forum with a variety of topics from coming out to adoption.
Through the years, sport has played the role of bringing
together large parts of the lesbian community (How many
softball jokes to you know?), and the tradition is continuing with the Carol Cattell Golf Classic, being held on the
July 18th weekend by Womonspace.
So if your looking for a relaxing weekend away, with
good food, even better golf and good old fashioned camp
fire sing-alongs late into the night, gather together a
couple of friends and head out to the Carol Cattell Golf
Classic in July.
The golfing weekend is jam packed with things to do.
The ticket cost gets you lunch and a BBQ steak dinner
on Saturday (with a vegetarian option), a private camping
area from Friday until Tuesday, and nine holes of golf in
Bradshaw, Alberta. Registration forms are already online,
so get your team signed up now - there are only 72 spots
available and the deadline is July 1st. Tickets are $65
dollars for members $75 for non members for the whole
Womonspace presents
Carol Cattell Golf Classic
July 18th – 22nd, 2008
womonspace@gmail.com
www.womonspace.ca
54
The Works
Art and Design Festival
By Ian Krell
The Works Festival, now in its 23rd year, is a free,
all-ages arts and design festival taking place across
28 locations in Edmonton. Beginning June 20th
and continuing for thirteen days, the festival is the
largest of its kind in North America, showcasing
work from a wealth of Canadian and international
artists. This year’s festival begins a three-year theme
entitled “The Big Picture”, with each festival having
a sub-theme: “Water” for this year, “Heat” for next
year, and “Earth” for 2010. The series of festivals
focuses on exhibits highlighting sustainability and
environmental consciousness, combining “art, sustainability, and social responsibility in an exciting
matter, while provoking discussion.”
Community Event
Encompassing four holidays, including National Aboriginal Day and Multicultural Day, The Works Festival truly is
a celebration of Art. Through the widespread public venues,
viewer participation, and the open call to enter, the festival
makes art accessible to the everyday person. For the casual
individual seeking entertainment, the tents at Sir Winston
Churchill Square provide the perfect diversion for an afternoon, while the guided tours will stimulate the art enthusiasts of Edmonton.
The Works Art and Design Festival
Sir Winston Churchill Square, Edmonton, AB
June 20 - July 2, 2008
www.theworks.ab.ca
The Works Festival was established in 1986 by The Works
International Visual Arts Society, an organization dedicated
to “[promoting] the visual arts among the public at large and
the artistic community by developing, producing and marketing special projects, programs and events that elicit the
continued financial support of sponsors in the public and
private sectors and the professional support of the artistic
community.” Anyone, from students to professional artists,
can submit works in any genre, from traditional (paintings,
sculptures) to the more cutting edge (graffiti, “sonic installations”), to be considered for exhibition in the festival.
Festival-goers can watch artists as they work, or even create
their own pieces.
Although the large outdoor site at Sir Winston Churchill
Square offers artisans, live music, and international food,
the festival also utilizes over 25 unusual venues such as
office lobbies, restaurants, hotels, and even the YMCA to
showcase the exhibits, many of which are as unique as their
venues. One such piece “[challenges] Edmontonians to go 24
hours without their cell phones. The collected cell phones
will be suspended from the ceiling of a tent and will be allowed to ring and text away for 24 hours.” Another one of
the featured exhibits is that of Artist-In-Residence, Richard
Watts, entitled “Arc”. He will be creating a “new large-scale
work as he sandblasts away the practical, functional aspects
of boats and transforms them into unfamiliar, animal-like
creations. ...Using industrial and Biblical metaphors, ‘Arc’
connects with global issues of water, energy and environmentalism.”
This year’s festival also coincides with Quebec’s 400th
anniversary, and The Works Festival has taken advantage
of the opportunity to celebrate French Canadian art. Local
French entertainment, including music, spoken word, and
drama, can be heard on The Works Street Stage, and bilingual tours of the exhibits run three times daily. Keeping with
the spirit of participation, festival-goers can also help create
the largest French collage at City Hall.
55
56
Edmonton Pride Week 2008
Edmonton Celebrates Pride the Mardi Gras Way
By Dallas Barnes
Community Event
The Edmonton Pride Week Society proudly presents Pride Week 2008: Mardi Gras, Unmasked and
Outrageous, running from June 13th to the 22nd.
This event will keep Edmonton abuzz with awards
galas, the parade, and a variety of interesting events
and venues.
Kicking off Pride this year are the 2008 Pride Awards, which
recognize the many contributions made by individuals and
organizations to the gay community. Feel free to nominate
an individual or organization of your choice by visiting www.
prideedmonton.org. The awards will be held at City Hall on
June 13th at 7:00pm, and will feature the raising of the Pride
flag.
The highlight of Edmonton Pride 2008 is, of course, the
Pride Parade, followed by the Celebration on the Square.
Although the parade is always a fabulous event, this year
there will be cash prizes awarded to the best entrants in three
categories: best float, best vehicle, and best walking entry.
Travelling down Jasper Avenue, the parade eventually ends at
Sir Winston Churchill Square, where the Celebration begins.
Attracting a diverse and ever-growing crowd, the Celebration
on the Square offers food vendors, buskers, beer gardens, a
community and business fair, and fantastic entertainment
featuring Edmonton’s own Vanity Fair and Bianca on the main
stage. This year, to widen the scope of entertainment, there
will also be a family fun-zone for all ages to enjoy. The official
start to Pride Week, the Celebration lasts from 3pm to 8pm on
June 14th.
A highly publicized event at this year’s Pride is the Mayor’s
Pride Brunch in support of Camp fYrefly. In its third year, the
brunch is held at Crowne Plaza Chateau Lacombe on June
15th, and the $40 ticket includes an admission to the Art Gallery of Alberta. “Camp fYrefly is Canada’s largest leadership
retreat for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans-identified, two-spirited,
queer, and allied (LGBTTQ&A) youth.” Founded in 2004, the
camp has helped over 100 youths aged 14 to 24 build leadership skills, self-esteem, and social understanding. Tickets for
this event are available at the University of Alberta’s bookstore
and online.
If you didn’t manage to catch this year’s Fairytales Film
Festival in Calgary, you can still catch two nights of full-length
documentaries and short films featured at this year’s screenings. The Queer Images GLB Film Festival runs June 18th and
19th at Edmonton’s Metro Cinema, beginning at 7:00pm both
evenings.
Exact film information and timesn can be found at www.
prideedmonton.org.
For youth under 25, Pride can sometimes feel like an
“adults-only” kind of event. That changes with this year’s Pride
Youth Animé Masquerade. This afternoon and evening event
on June 20th is non-alcoholic, and features movies, video
games, and ends with an Animé-themed Masquerade dance.
Tickets are $5 in advance at the Pride Centre.
To end this spectacular week Pride Edmonton presents the
Pride Week Mardi-Gras Gayla, a dance that mixes entertainment and fashion. Located at the University of Alberta’s
Enterprise Square, this must-go extravaganza runs from 8pm
to midnight. Encompassing a Louisiana/Creole Mardi Gras
theme, party-goers will enjoy a Creole live band, so make sure
you dress up!
There is nothing better the morning after a big event, than
an even bigger breakfast. The Pride Centre of Edmonton is
hosting a pancake, egg, sausage, and vegetarian family breakfast on June 22nd from 11am to 1pm.
If you are still up and running after this full week, why not
check out the Team Edmonton: Come Out and Play Day, running from 2pm to 6pm at the Kinsmen Sports Centre. Take
part in a preview of all the summer sport events including
yoga, tennis, and volleyball, ending with a free barbeque at
5pm. At 3:30 make sure to check out the Third Annual Gay
Cup at Field 2 of the Kinsmen Sports Centre, where the Rainbow Slo Pitch team attempts to take the Championship back
from the Edmonton Police team. This is a free event, just show
up to play or take a seat and cheer on your favourite team!
The time and effort that the Edmonton Pride Week Society
has put into this week of festivities is obvious. The events
appeal to all facets of the community, and they have taken
the steps to ensure family-friendliness - something lacking in
many past Pride Festivals. In order to continue making Pride
Edmonton a success and to promote its growth, public support is necessary. The Edmonton Pride Week Society has made
it fun to get out there and strengthen your community. Why
not take some time to celebrate who you are?
Anyone can take part in this event by sponsoring, displaying an exhibit booth, or participating in the parade. There are
a variety of options available on the Edmonton Pride Week
Society website, just make sure you sign up by the deadline of
June 8th. Catch up on Pride events, and stay involved!
Pride Week 2008
Mardi Gras, Unmasked and Outrageous
June 13th – 22nd, 2008
www.prideedmonton.org
57
Pride Calgary 2008
It’s Time To Show Your Pride!
By Dallas Barnes
Community Event
Pride Calgary officially kicks off its 2008 season
this coming June 8th at 12 noon, as thousands of
spectators come to Stephen Avenue to watch a celebration like no other. As the second largest parade
in Calgary (next to the Stampede Parade), gays, lesbians, bisexuals, trans-identified, and two-spirited,
as well as their allies proudly display their unity in
diversity.
Pride celebrations occur internationally, immortalizing the
Stonewall Riots of 1969. Perhaps the most frequented bar
in New York “by hustlers, drag queens, bar-dykes and other
young, restless homosexuals”, the Stonewall Inn was a target
of New York City Police’s fight for Puritanism and social morality. Often raided, the Inn’s patrons were frequently jailed,
beaten, raped, and humiliated by New York’s authorities.
Nevertheless, this ”underbelly of society” continued to stand
proud and celebrate who they were by going right back to the
Inn.
On June 21st, 1969, the patrons of the Stonewall Inn had
enough. Rather than being taken down without a fight, hundreds of gays, lesbians, drag queens, butch dykes, and any
other customer that happened to wander in on that fateful
evening, rebelled. Unbeknownst to them, they set a precedent
for all queer communities. After three days of rioting police
were unable to take down a crowd that had now grown into
thousands. With the few that they did arrest, the media captured the cruelty and homophobia that was blatantly occurring in plain sight. In a decade of change and social liberation,
this complete hatred and discrimination became a catalyst
for the establishment of the Gay Rights Movement. Today, we
celebrate this victory through Pride.
Calgary has been officially celebrating Pride for 18 years.
In 1990, 192 brave and proud souls rallied, some with paper
bags over their heads, to march down the streets of Calgary.
Calgary Pride, as we know it today, really only began in 1991.
The parade was led by The Imperial Sovereign Court of the
Chinook Arch with Empress XIV Tiffany and Double-Crown
Emperor XI & XIV Kris the Kaiser in the lead car.
publishing the letter. Undeterred, Dr. Lund continued his fight
with a letter to the chief government human rights official. An
appeal was granted, and the pastor was held responsible for
“publication of the letter which contained the inflammatory,
hateful, and untruthful comments being complained about.” A
true crusader for human rights, Dr. Darren E. Lund represents what Pride Calgary is celebrating.
Following behind Dr. Lund will be a multicolored grouping
of individuals, groups, non-profit organizations, and businesses on floats, cars, trucks, and on foot – marching by the
estimated 3500 plus spectators. The parade will lead into
Olympic Plaza (7th Street and MacLeod Trail SW) where the
Street Gala will be held. From 12 noon until 6pm there will
be enough entertainment, food, drink, and businesses to keep
you occupied for the whole afternoon.
On stage, local Calgary DJs will be spinning all day, while
countless brave souls cool off in the wading pool. There will
be a large beer garden, quenching the thirst of many, and a
variety of food vendors happy to keep you fed throughout the
day. Spread throughout the park will be local businesses,
non-profits, and organizations, showing you what they have
to offer and keeping you informed of what is happening in
Calgary. This is a perfect opportunity to get involved! Kids will
also have a great time at this family-friendly event with the
inflatable castle in the Adventure Zone, conveniently placed
next to the Lost and Found Tent - just in case.
On June 8th this year, the Parade will be lead by Parade
Marshall Dr. Darren E. Lund. Dr. Lund is a professor at
the University of Calgary, and a Human Rights Advocate. In
2002, a local pastor working with troubled youth in Red Deer,
sent a letter to the Red Deer Advocate claiming that “our
children, your grandchildren, are being strategically targeted,
psychologically abused and brainwashed by homosexual and
pro-homosexual educators.” Apparently the concept of being
an alienated and tormented gay youth in a small town didn’t
register with this pastor.
On June 24th, Pride Calgary 2008 will close with its largest
event ever, Celebration 2008. This occasion will bring together
the community and their allies through dance and entertainment. Located at the exquisite Chinese Cultural Centre (197
1st Street SW), Celebration 2008 promises to be an affair to
remember. DJs Wax Romeo and Christina Skeith will bring
the house down with tunes that will appeal to all. Memorable
performances by the fabulous Khole Dube, Sydney Sterling,
and Pride Calgary’s Princess will knock your socks off, as will
the presentations by the Silver Fever Dance Troupe, Fake
Mustache, and The Latin Corner Dance Studio. With a little
luck, you could leave at the end of the night with a portion of
the $1500 of door prizes!
Lund disagreed with the pastor’s assertion, and filed a complaint with the Alberta Human Rights Commission. It wasn’t
until 2005 that a ruling was passed, dismissing the charge as
a failure in judgment on behalf of the Red Deer Advocate in
The Pride Calgary Association has worked tirelessly through
the last few months to make sure that this year’s Pride is the
best ever. They would like to thank their volunteers, sponsors, and vendors for all of their support. There has been
58
some amazing suggestions and feedback from the Calgary gay
community, and the Pride Board wants to ensure that they
hear what is being said. There is a renewed energy amongst
the Board to ensure that Pride Calgary is just as large as that
of other major metropolitan cities in Canada. There is an immense gay community in Calgary, and the Pride Board wants
to make sure that they are recognized and introduced to the
city.
It is said that the best advertisement is word-of-mouth, and
the Pride Board has realized this within the last year. It is
so important to spread the word about what is offered in the
community, and the Board encourages everyone to bring a
friend or two to the events. Keep informed of all Pride information by checking out the Pride Calgary website at www.pridecalgary.ca, or by joining their Facebook group, or reading the
Official Pride Calgary Pride Guide in this edition of GayCalgary
and Edmonton Magazine!
There is still time to support Pride! If you or your organization would like to take part in the Parade, Street Gala, or be
a Vendor, simply register on the website as soon as possible.
To become a member of the Pride Calgary Association contact
dallas@pridecalgary.ca to get this set up. With the escalating
attendance and involvement with the festivities, Pride Calgary
is still looking for volunteers that can volunteer any spare time
they may have to assist in its success. If this is something you
are interested in please contact volunteers@pridecalgary.ca.
Pride Calgary would like to involve not only the gay community, but also all supporters as well to join in on the celebration. There have already been numerous supporters taking
part in Pride activities, and more are always welcome. This
being said, there will be a number of monthly events scheduled throughout the year that the Pride Board encourages all
to take part in. Keep up to speed by checking out the Pride
Calgary website.
Community is an integral part of what Pride Calgary stands
for, but no single bar, business, or organization can attain
community on their own. Pride is about coming together, no
matter what your sexual orientation, gender, gender choice,
cultural or ethnic background, colour, age, physical or mental
ability, socioeconomic status or political, religious or social affiliation or beliefs may be. In doing so, Pride seeks to identify
and remove barriers to full participation in Calgary’s diverse
community. So come out on June 8th to be a part of this
monumental celebration.
Pride Calgary 2008
Parade and Street Gala
Stephen Avenue and Olympic Plaza
June 8th, 2008
12pm - 6pm
Celebration 2008
Chinese Cultural Centre
June 21st, 2008
8pm - 2am
Tickets: $25.00, available at Priape, Money Pennies, The Eagle,
and at the door
www.pridecalgary.ca
BIG GAY LAUGHS - From Page 11
Julie Hagerty. It’s kind of a big New York fashion magazine/
Devil Wears Prada type of story. I play Allon who is (lead character) Isla Fisher’s confidante and partner-in-crime for her to
get the job and get the guy. The gay part will always be secondary in a big budget movie, but we’ll get there.
Q: Besides the two movies, and the upcoming season 3 of
BGSS, what’s next for you that you can tell us?
A: I might be doing a play in New York; I’m up for a couple
shows on ABC. Nothing else is set in stone. I can’t commit for
anything else until I get word on the third season of the contract. Since Logo is not covered by Neilson ratings, the network
depends on iTunes sales and DVD sales to foot the bill.
Q: You have played some straight roles. Which medium
would you say has so far given you the chance to expand beyond playing gay roles?
A: At this point I’d say television. I played a straight guy on
Wedding Bells on Fox who everyone thought was gay. Can I tell
you that someone still bitched? No one’s happy: if a straight
person plays a gay person they bitch – if a gay person plays a
straight character but they don’t come out, they bitch. Here I
am, a gay man playing a straight person that everyone thinks
is gay and there was STILL internet blogs saying “How dare
they not cast a straight person who’s just effeminate”. They
were offended that a gay person had to play a nelly straight
person.
I definitely lean towards the character stuff – killers, weirder
parts. It’s probably unlikely that I’ll be a romantic straight lead
– it’s not really in my nature, and my looks don’t go that direction necessarily.
Q: Has being on BGSS changed your social life – either with
your friends or any men you date?
A: It changed my social life in the sense I don’t have to work
any other kind of job, so therefore I have a lot of time off. But
socially…I play a lot of nelly characters on the show. In real
life I try to keep a beard and I’m acting all tough when I’m at
the bars, so no one ever really recognizes me until I tell them.
It hasn’t helped or hindered my sex life. Contrary to popular
belief, no one likes to sleep with famous people. They want to
hang out with them but they don’t want to have sex.
Q: Has there been any memorable fan mail or fan reaction to
you or the show that surprised you (good or bad)?
A: There was this boy – about 13 – and his sister who’s 9 or
10; they put on YouTube fully acted skits from the show. It’s
amazing that a) this kid is aware of himself and b) of all the
things to mimic, I’m so glad he’s mimicking our show. I think
it’s pretty impressive so I wrote him a note that I really appreciated that.
Q: Anything else you’d like to add?
A: Just that I tip my hat to all the Canadian comics that
have inspired us. Back when I was in the improv festival tournament world, we’d always play Canadians and they would just
kick our asses. There was a team from Calgary that would just
annihilate us every year. I love Vancouver and I dream of living
there. I think it’s one of the cities of the future.
The Big Gay Sketch show will soon start shooting their third
season. Seasons 1 and 2 are currently available at www.
logoonline.com, through the iTunes store, and through HMV
(in-store or online at HMV.ca).
59
Jully Black Wows ‘Em at The Grand
Review | Concert
By Jason Clevett
If you caught the 2008 Juno Awards, you saw
Toronto’s Jully Black steal the show with the broadcast-ending rendition of her hit Seven Day Fool.
Black returned to Calgary on May 13th with an
intimate, sold out show at the Grand Theatre, and
anyone who saw the Juno’s knew they were in for a
treat.
Backed up by four talented musicians and two singers,
Black marched onto stage looking astounding in a pink
dress and got the crowd into the show with Queen, off of her
current album, Revival. The show contained many songs
from the CD including DJ Play My Song, Temporary Insanity,
and Until I Stay. Most of her songs are high-tempo and the
energy she brought to the room had the audience clapping
and singing along.
She slowed things down with the beautiful Catch Me When
I Fall, which she wrote for her sister who died in 1991 at the
age of 24 (when Black was 11). The song is absolutely incredible and left many in the audience in tears not only from
the lyrical content but the passion in which she delivered
the song.
Black is engaging and charming, stating early in the show
that as the youngest of 9 children she always had to fight
for attention, so she would be talking a lot. She regaled the
audience with stories of her childhood as well as experiences
working with R&B heavy hitters like Nas, Missy Elliott,
Choclair, Kardinal Offishall, Destiny’s Child, and Sean Paul.
Although she obviously enjoyed working with them, as she
said during the show, it is definitely Jully time now.
One of the advantages of seeing an artist in concert at an
intimate venue like the Grand is how close you get to them.
She invited two kids wearing her t-shirt on stage for a group
hug, high fived members of the audience, and brought a
woman from the front row on stage to dance with her. The
downside with a theatre however, is that people just don’t
seem comfortable with getting up and dancing, despite
Black’s music making you want to do just that. It wasn’t until finale Seven Day Fool that the audience finally rose to its
feet to dance and clap and sing along the way they should
have the entire show. Just like at the Juno’s, this number
was fantastic.
After the show, Black signed autographs and took pictures
with fans. She may be experiencing a surge of popularity,
but she certainly has not forgotten where she came from,
and made a point of taking time to speak to everyone individually and spend a few moments with them, making them
feel special.
If you didn’t make it to The Grand that night, you are
likely kicking yourself that you didn’t or couldn’t see it. If
this performance is any indication, Jully Black’s career is
about to blossom and this will probably be the last time to
see her in a smaller venue. I’m willing to predict that it is
only a matter of time before she is once again gracing the
Saddledome stage, this time with her own tour.
In the meantime, there is another chance to see her perform at the Calgary Stampede this year on July 11th, and
Edmonton’s CapitalEx on July 21st.
www.jullyblack.com
60
Banff’s Alphabet Soup Thriving
By Monmen
“GLBTTQQ? Yes, we do have a community in
Banff!” read one of the first posters that Mountain
Pride posted in town, and things have gone steadily
uphill.
In September 2005, I met Meagan Paige through Calgary
Outlink’s Soulful Healing Ego Quest. By December of that
year, we had decided to form a queer networking and social
group for Banff, and applied for a Town of Banff grant.
At the time, I was too wary of bi-phobia to sign my name
to the application. But that all changed once the group
started and I learned how many other queer folk lived in
my town; they just started jumping out of the woodwork!
People I had worked with or said hello to in the grocery store
for years turned out to be “family”. Suddenly I felt so much
more positive about living in Banff, despite the lack of rainbows and parades.
The group, then nameless, was granted $396 plus free
meeting space by Family & Community Support Services.
We held our first meeting in January of 2006 with five attendees. By June 2006, our e-mail contact list had grown to
46 members.
When Meagan left Banff for a career opportunity, I focused
on ensuring the group’s survival, not expecting it instead to
grow. That year, the Town of Banff more than doubled their
funding for us, and I finally dubbed the group “Mountain
Pride”, establishing a blog and Facebook group and launching the logo designed and donated by volunteer Russel Cook.
Two other volunteers, Kevin Richardson and Brian Dinsmore proved invaluable. They created business cards, and
Brian designed and produced a banner for Mountain Pride’s
participation in Calgary’s Pride Parade. They obtained hundreds of dollars of donations from Banff businesses for Pride
prizes and giveaways. It was a great year thanks to these
volunteers!
Community | Spotlight
numbers fluctuate seasonally and so, therefore, do volunteers. Like many locals, Kevin himself is going traveling in
November, so a new group leader will be needed. Other challenges surround the addition of minors to the membership
and decisions on the group’s degree of local activism.
Though Mountain Pride continues to organize social
events and provide informal peer support to a wide range
of ages and orientations in the Bow Valley, the group’s
mandate is expanding. Current projects include assessing
employers in the area for their gay-friendliness. “I want to
establish a job board,” Kevin says, as a resource for queer
folk looking for work in the area. To that end, Kevin has begun contacting the Human Resources departments of various local businesses. He hopes to also increase sensitivity to
matters of orientation in the interview process, and establish
partners for future projects. One such project may involve a
partnership with Aids Bow Valley providing sexuality education in cooperation with employers.
Mountain Pride’s regular coffee night is held on the third
Friday of each month. Social events are announced both on
the website and via e-mail to those who have joined the contact list. You are welcome add your letter to Banff’s alphabet
soup!
Mountain Pride
Box 4556, Banff, AB
T1L 1E8
(403) 762-1947
mountainpride@gaybanff.com
www.gaybanff.com
The group is now under the leadership of Kevin Richardson, former Calgary Outlink volunteer and alumnus of
University of Alberta’s Camp fYrefly. Still 100% volunteerrun, Mountain Pride has reached a total membership of
ninety-seven. Since taking over, Kevin has established a
group phone and launched a website with the assistance of
GayCalgary’s donation of web design and hosting. The Banff
Community Foundation added their grant to the ongoing
support of Town of Banff’s FCSS, who have increased their
contribution annually. A University of Calgary Social Work
student is on board for the summer, volunteering mainly in
the communications/social area so Kevin has time for other
projects.
“My focus now is to bring more stability to the group,”
says Kevin, reminding me of the ongoing challenges posed
by the transient nature of Banff’s population. Membership
61
Silver Jubilee
One Yellow Rabbit Marks 25th Anniversary with Special Show
Preview | Theatre
By Jason Clevett
On Sunday, June 12th at the Jubilee Auditorium,
One Yellow Rabbit (OYR) will celebrate its Silver
Jubilee. The evening will feature the OYR ensemble
of Michael Green, Denise Clarke, Andy Curtis,
Onalea Gilbertson and Richard McDowell performing some of their favorite pieces from OYR history.
They will be joined by The Kids in the Hall’s Bruce
McCullough, Daniel MacIvor, The Rheostatics, and
many more. It truly is a celebration worthy of 25
years!
“Fuck no, not a chance. I didn’t think I would be a guy who
started a job and worked there for 25 years, and it turned out
like that so it is kind of weird,” says co-artistic director and
one of the Rabbit’s co-founders Blake Brooker, when asked if
he had any idea they would be around for so long.
“When you think about it, the world has so many little parts
and so many things that happen to it in the world of communication, culture, commerce, family, love, sport, event and
politics. It is so intricate like the great clock of the world, and I
am aware that doing theatre is just one of the tiny bits of it.”
OYR has long been a theatrical outlet for the Queer community. Recent years have seen the production Bash’d, the band
The Hidden Cameras, and the wedding of Annie Sprinkle as
part of their High Performance Rodeo.
“Annie’s wedding was a wild community happening with so
many people involved from the Queer and Alternative community. There was a sense of merry transgression all night
and was a beautiful visual expression; so many people were in
costume. It was just a remarkable, wild thing.”
It was a very different style from the formalism and coolness
of a Daniel MacIvor piece, or the flamboyance and incredible
virtuosity and passion of marionette artist Ronnie Burkett. Burkett & MacIvor, as well as Brad Fraser are three of
Canada’s biggest queer artists, and all have had an extensive
history with OYR.
“When you look at those three male voices from that part of
the Queer spectrum, they are the leading figures. We have had
arrangements and associations and been involved with them
for many years, which is something I feel really positive about
as well. In the case of Ronnie, it was a question of collaborating, and we used to present him all the time. Daniel MacIvor
has done many pieces here. With Brad we did The Ugly Man.”
It is hard to grasp in today’s society the sort of challenges
that faced a theatre company in the 1980’s and 90’s in trying
to present alternative and queer theatre.
“When you do something that is handmade and what we refer to as local and authentic, it is not a big ticket item. It isn’t
advertised everywhere. The gay community has always been
a dynamic community that is incredibly communicative when
it is against the world and the world is against it especially
62
back in the day. Theatre
has often been lead by and
is really quite gay. I am
cognizant of the fact that
the picture of where we live
now is not the same as it
was when we started out,
and I think that’s a good
thing.”
Toronto’s MacIvor is
looking forward to being
part of the celebration.
“I love those guys, and I
can’t believe it’s 25 years
because they are all so
young looking still. It is
exciting for Calgary and
Canada that there is an
audience for non-traditional theatre and a place
for people with a non-traditional voice to perform.
It shows that as a country we have an interest in not just the
traditional theatre,” MacIvor said. “The Rabbits have supported me from the beginning. I first discovered them when I
was doing The Glass Menagerie at Theatre Calgary. We clicked
just hanging out, and I saw their work and really identified
with what they were doing. When I began to identify politically
as queer, back in the early 1990’s, the Rabbits are about as
queer as you can get. It is more of a lifestyle thing than just a
sexual preference thing. The Rabbits have made me feel like I
am part of a community, and they set the bar for international
touring. They helped not only to make me feel at home here,
but elsewhere too. They have been an incredibly supportive
and inclusive group of people.”
MacIvor has created many solo works that he still presents
today, that had their early incarnations with OYR.
“Pretty much all of my solo shows were all presented at the
Rodeo in very early stages of their development. Monster I really found in Calgary. There was something about the crowd
at the Big Secret Theatre and their excitement that picked me
up and kicked me up a notch. It was a show the Rabbits really
embraced with me. They supported me at the early stages of
these solo works at a time when I needed it in order to see that
someone was interested in what I had to say.”
We asked Brooker what we can expect on June 12th for the
celebration.
“It is going to be light, fun, and celebratory not of One
Yellow Rabbit but of Calgary and that community of Do It
Yourselfers. OYR came of age and derived out of the punk
movement in a sense. The idea and ethic of expressing ideas,
Margaret Cho is Beautiful
A Chat with America’s favorite Fag Hag
By Jason Clevett
Interview
I was recently in Seattle, Washington and was
offered the chance to not only see Margaret Cho
live, but go backstage and meet the Queen of Queer
comedy. We chatted with Margaret for a few minutes
and then took our seats to laugh until our stomachs
hurt with the rest of the crowd at the beautiful Paramount Theatre.
Cho’s current tour, Beautiful came about when Cho was
asked during a radio interview “What would you do if you
woke up tomorrow and you were beautiful? What if you woke
up and you were blonde and had blue eyes and were 5’11 and
weighed 100 pounds and you were beautiful?” In typical Cho
response, she retorted, “I probably wouldn’t get up because I
would be too weak to stand.” So thus, the Beautiful Tour was
born, her first solo tour in three years.
“It is really important to talk about beauty and to acknowledge and celebrate it. It is important for people that are outside of the mainstream, to talk about it and really emphasize
it,” Cho told GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine.
“This is my first solo tour, but I did the True Colors Tour,
which was very fun. I did an Off-Broadway show called The
Sensuous Woman that I toured with for a bit. So I was busy
doing other projects and not focusing on stand up. I worked
out a lot of it while I was doing the other two shows. It is a mix
of different influences that all came together with this show.”
were off the mark and didn’t know what they were doing and
it was an awful situation to be in,” she recalled. She will be
returning to TV soon with a reality show on VH-1, The Cho
Show. “Now I am very excited to be on television again and
to really understand it and have a lot of creative control and
support from the networks. It is very different now, back then
it was very tough.”
I caught up with Margaret a few days after her Seattle double-shot for this exclusive interview. Off-stage Cho is charming
and well-spoken, but don’t expect her to be a non-stop comedy
machine. She admitted that people have approached her in
public and asked her to be funny right then and there.
Cho battled alcohol and drugs and acted in several films,
including 1996’s classic It’s My Party about a terminal AIDS
patient throwing a party to say goodbye to friends and family.
The tear-jerker is a must-see, and also led to Cho bonding
with fellow gay icon Olivia Newton John.
“That happens, and I never know what to do. I am never
really good at being off the cuff that way so I can never satisfy
their needs, I feel bad.”
“It was wonderful, I loved being in that movie, and the story
and director and the cast were incredible. It is a beautiful film.
It is one of those great gems of gay cinema and I hope people
rediscover it because it is such a beautiful story and was a
wonderful film to work on, I thought it was incredible. I met
Olivia Newton John on that show and we have formed a fag
hag bond that lasts to this day.”
Cho started her career
in stand-up opening for
Jerry Seinfeld, and soon
had her own TV show,
1994’s All American Girl.
Criticized by the network
for her face being “too
round” Cho starved herself,
which resulted in kidney
failure. The show was cancelled after 19 episodes.
“It was alarming, the
amount of influence the
(network) had in issues of
race and authenticity and
what they wanted from the
show compared to what
they were getting. They
Cho returned to comedy with a vengeance on her 2000 tour
I’m the One That I Want, also publishing a book of the same
name. That tour was followed by 2002’s Notorious C.H.O,
Revolution in 2003, State of Emergency in 2004 and 2005’s
Assassin.
“I just didn’t give up because I really love comedy and didn’t
stop or take no for an answer and committed myself to it. I am
so focused that I wouldn’t let go of this dream, I wanted it,”
she said. A huge part of her success has been based on her
incredibly loyal LGBT fanbase.
“The things that I talk about, my subject matter and politics
are very queer. I grew up in the Queer community; I always
was a fag hag and always had that point of view. It is my
63
natural instinct to write about these issues, and that connects
me to the gay community. It is also a community I am very
political in; I have done a lot of campaigning for gay marriage
and generating support for a lot of gay organizations. That has
something to do with it too. I am always involved in the gay
community whether it is writing about it or talking about.”
In fact, Cho describes herself as queer, and frankly comments on the appeal of both men and women in her past in
her shows. It comes as a surprise to many when in 2003 she
married artist Al Ridenour.
“People are confused by it, because I am queer, but I think
you can be married and be queer. Just because this relationship is what is in my life doesn’t mean it negates anything
else I have felt or had, it is just another part of who I am,” she
said, adding that her husband has no issues with her show
being so sexual. “He loves it, he really laughs. This show is his
favorite to date because he thinks it is so hilarious. We have
the same sense of humor which is one of the reasons we are
so close and get along so well.”
As an activist and supporter, Cho gave her thoughts on
both the pressure to be closeted in Hollywood, as well as her
thoughts on gay marriage, which only days after the interview
was legalized in her home state of California.
“Hollywood itself and the industry is so dominated by gays
and lesbians in every part of the industry, it is odd to me that
anyone is closeted at all because it is quite welcoming. It is
very open in a sense but at the same time there is the myth
of the glass ceiling that you can only get so far as a Queer
artist. I don’t think that is true. I have never felt otherwise, I
felt it was an incredibly queer industry. As for opponents of
marriage, I don’t get it. I feel it is a really insulting thing for
Arnold Schwarzenegger to ban gay marriage, it is hypocritical
for someone who comes from a queer industry like show business, it is insulting to have one of our own reject us in that
way. I don’t understand why we can’t have gay marriage or
why anyone would be against it, it feels weird to me.”
Gay topics are a big part of Beautiful. After kicking off the
show talking about getting a “G-shot” injection in her vagina
(making the many gay men in the audience cringe) and anal
bleaching, she went into her fag hag status and admitted to
being a bear hag, or Goldilocks, because “You know you’re
gonna eat!”
“Bear culture is very new and growing and sort of happening, so not everyone knows the terminology yet but that is a
real term. I am not sure why bears woof but I guess it is all
animalistic.”
The 80 minute show had the audience in stitches as she
spoke about Paris Hilton, Larry Craig, Eliot Spitzer, Religious
groups, strap-ons, her vagina, oral sex, and much more. Considering the success of her previous tours, her fans expect a
lot from each new tour.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself because it has to be really
good. I get worried in the writing process, what is going to be
major, be really great and stand out? I am pretty hard on myself to get it to where I want it to be. You want to do your best,
and with me people who have come to see me, have seen me
time and time again and are aware of my other work.”
The show is opened by Liam Sullivan, the Internet sensation
behind Kelly of the videos Shoes, Text Message Breakup, and
Let Me Borrow That Top.
“My husband made the robot in the Shoes video. I was one
of the first people to see that video and I flipped. I love, love,
64
love Kelly and wanted to work with her. I put her in Sensuous
Woman. I really love him and think he is a great performer
and a great friend and we have a really great time.”
One thing Cho has not done is a full cross-Canada tour.
She admits to really liking Canada but so far has only played
Toronto and Vancouver.
“I would love to, I think that would be really fun and it is a
good idea. I am looking forward to coming up there someday
and hopefully I will be there soon.”
Margaret Cho is beautiful, and her fans love her. She counts
herself as blessed to be so supported by the LGBT community
“I do enjoy being on tour and on stage, I really thrive off it
and it is something I am very familiar with. It is close to who I
am naturally, and I have done it a lot. I am quite busy.
People are wonderful and supportive and really connect with
a lot of things and appreciate the humor and honesty. I really
love that and feel a close connection with fans, who have come
to see me time and time again - it is a wonderful thing.”
www.margaretcho.com
www.myspace.com/margaretcho
Silver Jubilee - From Page 62
thoughts, and concerns
about the world but from a
local perspective that is what
we have always done. We
have been very fortunate to
interact with these people,
and as an organization we
have an ensemble and work,
interpret, and present pieces
and have a festival, and
also we tour. Hopefully the
evening that we have going is
just going to be fun.”
One Yellow Rabbit’s Silver
Jubilee
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Jubilee Auditorium
www.oyr.org
NDPs and Liberals Seek End to Discrimination - From Page 50
“As I know from personal experience – and possibly the
minister may well know through his own personal experience
– individuals in minority groups look to their government to
protect their legal rights. Why is this government not leading
the fight to protect people of differing sexual orientation from
discrimination?”
“As the hon. member says, yes, I understand from personal experience what discrimination is all about. The very
thing is that it’s protection for all Albertans that we’re concerned with, not just one particular group,” Blackett, who is
part of a minority himself, replied. “There are advocates for
other groups, for all Albertans irrespective of race, colour, or
creed. I’ve said before many times in this House that when
the time comes, after we’ve gone through and made sure
that the process works for all Albertans, we will look at the
legislation, and we’ll look at making changes to help those
particular groups.”
Ten years and no change. The PC government insists that
we are already protected, and yet refuses to make the necessary amendments to reflect this. Perhaps only by continuing to voice our concerns, by continuing to apply pressure
to those with the power to make this vital change, will this
policy ten years in the making finally come to light.
65
Fundraising Photos
AIDS Research Fundraiser at Buddys - Edmonton
Photos by GayCalgary Staff
Taste for Life at Gypsy Rose - Calgary
66
Fairytales 10th Anniversary Party - Calgary
Homophobia Day at Pride Centre - Edmonton
67
ISCWR Candidate Shows at Prism - Edmonton
68
Fake Mustache Show at the Soda - Calgary
ISCWR Candidate Shows at Boots - Edmonton
ARGRA Dance - Calgary
69
Show Your Colours Dance - Calgary
Womonspace Dance - Edmonton
70
Pride Kick-off BBQ at MPs - Calgary
Pride Prince/ess Pageant at the Calgary Eagle
71
72
73
74
75
76
Queer Eye - Calgary & Edmonton
Community Events this Month
Photos by GayCalgary Staff
Investitures at the Calgary Eagle
AIDS Calgary Open House - Calgary
77
Beef Bear Beer Bash at Boots - Edmonton
78
ISCWR Drag Shows at Boots - Edmonton
Fairytales Film Festival - Calgary
79
80
IML Party at the Calgary Eagle
Melanie C. Concert - Calgary
Just One of the Dolls at Prism - Edmonton
Long Weekend Drag Show at Buddys - Edmonton
ISCWR In Town Show - Edmonton
ISCWR Out of Town Show - Edmonton
ISCWR Victory Brunch at Prism - Edmonton
81
ISCWR Coronation - Edmonton
82
83
Classified Ads
Classified Ad Categories
• Announcements........................ 100
Anniversary .............................. 110
Best Wishes ............................. 120
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Obituary .................................. 170
Wedding/Union
Wedding/Union........................
........................ 190
• Employment ............................ 200
Adult Oriented.......................... 210
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Help Wanted............................ 240
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Volunteer ................................. 285
• Sales/Rentals........................... 300
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Audio/Video............................. 312
Business For Sale ..................... 320
Clothing................................... 325
Computer Equipment ................ 330
Furniture ................................. 335
Garage Sale ............................. 340
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• Personals ................................. 400
Club/Group .............................. 410
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Erotic Massage ......................... 420
Female Friends
Friends.........................
......................... 430
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• Products/Services ..................... 500
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Artist ....................................... 505
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Chiropractor ............................. 515
Cleaning .................................. 517
Clothing/Fashion ...................... 520
Computers/IT ........................... 522
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Consulting ............................... 527
Counseling ............................... 530
Diet/Nutrition........................... 532
Education/Training ................... 535
Financial/Bookkeeping ............. 537
Fitness/Training ....................... 540
Food/Catering .......................... 542
Funeral
Funeral....................................
.................................... 545
Graphic/Web Design ................. 547
Health/Wellness ....................... 550
Insurance ................................ 552
Landscaping/Gardening ............ 555
Legal....................................... 557
Massage .................................. 560
Medical/Dental ........................ 562
Moving .................................... 565
Musician.................................. 567
Photography ............................ 572
Real Estate/Mortgage ............... 575
Relaxation ............................... 577
Retirement Homes .................... 580
• Destinations ............................. 600
Accommodation ....................... 610
Bar/Restaurant ........................ 620
Culture .................................... 630
Guided Tour ............................. 640
Tourist Sights ........................... 670
Time Share .............................. 675
Travel ...................................... 680
GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine Classified Ads Form
Deadline for Classified ads is the 25th of every month. Fill out the form below and mail it to, GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine, Suite 403, 215 14th Avenue SW, Calgary,
AB, T2R 0M2 or Fax it to (403) 703-0685. Please print clearly. All phone numbers listed will be verified. GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine is not responsible for errors in the
ad submission. Any address placed in the classified will not be placed into the map or business listing. Please verify your information before sending to reduce errors. If you have
questions, please call us at (403) 543-6960 or toll free 1 (888) 543-6960.
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Classified Ads
Erotic Massage
420
Feel the Pleasure of
Erotic Massage!
Feel the art of erotic and relaxation
massage by Reynolds. Appointments
available for gays, bi-curious, and
straight guys. For more info call
(403) 604-1364 or go to website at
www.roquemassage.ca.
Internet
445
God loves you and created you gay.
Wisdom 11:24 - You love everything
that exists and hate nothing that you
have made. www.createdgay.com
Male Friends
455
Single GWM, 38. Fit, good shape.
Looks younger. Looking for a guy
between 18-30 in good shape that
has a passion for Horses or desire
to learn. For fun times or more.
Okotoks are. Email albertaboy@
telus.net or (403) 540-4502.
Male 40’s 6’1-“ 140lbs tanned, looking to meet other males for fun times
or more. Fort McMurray area. Lets
meet. Phone (780) 868-9216.
Single GWM, 50, Hairy chest. Looking for other hairy guys 30-55 for fun.
Possible long-term relationship. Not
into drugs. Love cooking, coffee and
long walks. If this sounds like you,
leave a message at (403) 714-4940.
Single GWM, early 40’s, general
non-scene. Fit, good shape. Looking
for like-minded normal fun, down to
earth, honest, kind, professional, mature male for long-term relationship.
Hoping to find someone to be both
a life-long partner and best friend.
Is that you? Reply to box1001@
gaycalgary.com or mail to Box 1001
c/o GayCalgary Magazine.
Single GWM early 40’s looks younger.
Passive bottom, very oral. Looking for a masculine top. Cannot
entertain. Very discreet. Safe. Clean.
Drug free. n/s. No mind games.
Reply to box1002@gaycalgary.com
or mail to Box 1002 c/o GayCalgary
Magazine.
Single GWM 38 Fit, good shape, looks
younger. Looking for a guy between
18 to 30 in good shape that has a
passion for horses or desire to learn.
For fun time or more. Okotoks area.
email albertaboy@telus.net or (403)
540-4502
Model/Escort
500
Marriages
Walk in or by appointment.
•Non-religious
•Elopements
•Cross-cultural
•GLBT
•Witness provided.
Contact Rork Hilford
Marriage Commissioner for Alberta
(403) 246-4134 • ca.ca@shaw.ca
Beauty/Skin/Hair
510
Laser Hair Removal
Get rid of unwanted hair the 21st
century way! Come in to Precision Laser located in Kensington for a FREE
CONSULTATION. Skin rejuvenation
and skin treatments also available.
Call Karen @ (403) 270-7350.
Revitalize your face with acupuncture!
No injections, just your skin’s natural
response. Gradual, safe, affordable.
Dr. Beverly Osachoff, DTCM, R.Ac.
Acupuncture and Health Group (403)
253-3103
Cleaning
517
Health/Wellness
550
Traditional Chinese Medicine
skillfully tailored to your unique
needs. Friendly environment. By
appointment. Available Saturdays.
Dr. Beverly Osachoff, DTCM, R.Ac.
Acupuncture and Health Group (403)
253-3103.
Open your soul with Reiki. Free
introductory session. Also trained in
Energy medicine, cranio-sacral, and
sporitual practices. Contact Nancy
at (403) 242-2117 or soulspace1@
hotmail.com.
Travel
680
Northern Lights B&B
EDMONTON
Swimming pool and Antique rooms
TV/VCR (780) 483-1572
www.nlightsbnb.com
nlight69@hotmail.com
The Whistle Stop Vacation House
Golden, BC
Newly Renovated , Sleeps 9, Out Door
Hot Tub, Hydro Fitness Gym, Business
Center, Laundry Facilities, Galley
Kitchen, BBQ.
Minutes From Kicking Horse Ski
Resort. $250.00 Daily ,Weekly Rates.
www.thewhistlestopvacationhouse.com
Toll Free# 1 866 538 6625.
Montreal Village B&B
Room only $49/night, TV, Cable,
Telephone, Air, Wi-Fi, Video XXX,
1-888-334-0348. www.gaybed.ca
460
Female escort, 120 lbs., offers seductive play in fetishes, Greek, and oral.
Outcall only.
Friendly and fun. Edmonton.
Call Petra (780) 442-3039
053816197-002/52911847-001
Products/Services
Private housekeeper, early 20’s, nice
looking. Will clean nude. Boyish
looks. Justin (403) 922-7894.
Married male, early 40’s, 6’3, good
shape, looking for a good friend,
married too, about same age for
long term relationship. Email justmozart@hotmail.com
85
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hans ebson

Transcription

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