arabesque raging stallion

Transcription

February 2006
Issue 28
FREE
of charge
Need Help?
Map, Places and Events of Calgary’s Gay
Community in every issue
Calgary’s resource for Business, Tourism,
Events, Bars and Entertainment for the Gay,
Lesbian, Bi and Gay Friendly Community.
Vagina Warriors!
The ongoing crusade to end
violence against women
Sexual Orientation
Can You Turn Swans Into Ducks?
http://www.gaycalgary.com
2
gaycalgary.com magazine #28, Feb. 2006
8
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.
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, Nina Tron,
Stephen Lock, M. Zelda, Jason Clevett,
Jerome Voltero, Darryl A. Aarbo, Alykhan Velji,
Nico Hofferd, Kevin Alderson, and the Gay
and Lesbian Community of Calgary
Photographer
Steve Polyak and Rob Diaz-Marino
Videographer
Steve Polyak and Rob Diaz-Marino
Please forward all inquiries to:
GayCalgary.com Magazine
Suite 100, 215 14th Avenue S.W.
Calgary, Alberta T2R 0M2
Phone (403) 543-6960 or toll free (888)
543-6960
Fax (403) 703-0685
E-mail magazine@gaycalgary.com
Print Run Monthly, 12 times a year
40
Table of Contents
5
Faith in Canada
Letter from the Publisher
8 Vagina Warriors!
The ongoing crusade to end violence
against women
12 Business Profile
16
Soleiha B. Mahrcell of Solsourced
Weddings
16
Map & Event Listings
23
Gay Legalese
25
Q Scopes
26
Adult Film Review
28
Out of the Closet and Onto the Streets
30
Different Strokes Calgary
32
Q Puzzle
Masthead continued on page 4
Find out what’s happening
Getting Back what you’re Owed
53
“Save receipts, Capricorn!”
Lots of Lovin’!
GLBTQ Youth at Risk
Swimming Toward a Wider Horizon
“Adopt Instead”
continued on page 4
3
continued from page 3
62
61
March
2006 Press
Deadlines
33
High Performance, Indeed!
36
The Science of the Mind
One Yellow Rabbit & Friends
Celebrating GLBTQ Marriage
39
The Calgary Men’s Chorus
40
Enbridge playRites Festival 2006
42
Press Releases
43
Designer Superstar Challenge
Calgarian makes good on HGTV show
Distribution points 150 points in
Calgary, largest distribution points for
any Gay publication in Calgary. Also
distributed coast to coast across Canada
in select locations in Toronto, Vancouver,
Edmonton, Montreal, Regina, Saskatoon,
Winnipeg, and other places across Canada.
Please call us if you would like to be a
distribution point.
44
Music Review
Distributed by DLRJ Distributions, Canada
Post and by GayCalgary.com
Calgary Group goes to Carnegie Hall
5 Plays in 6 Weeks
Stand Up for Love!
Copies Printed Monthly, up to 10,000
copies.
Deadline for Ad Bookings 25th of the month
(unless otherwise stated)
45
Bitter Girl
46
Sexual Orientation and Conversion Therapy
49
A Couple of Guys
50
The Boundaries of Art
53
Fundraising Photos
54
Letters to the Publishers
56
Diplomatic Immunities
58
Fashion Review
62
Queer Eye - for the Calgary guy (or gal)
No part of the publication may be reprinted
without the expressed permission of the
editor-in-chief.
68
Classifieds Ads
Copyright 2006
Transgressive Art and Reaction
Interactive Interviews at playRites 2006
To Accessorize or not to Accessorize?
Events that happened around Calgary
Ad Space Booking Wednesday Feb. 22 2006
Ad Submission Friday Feb. 24 2006
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Continued from page 3
Deadline for Ad copy 28th of the month
(unless otherwise stated)
Legal Council Courtney Sebree Aarbo,
Barristers and Solicitors
Printers North Hill News
This Issue Cover Models Left to Right,
Back to Front: Marsha Meidow, Amanda
Grassick, Jayde Farand, Shone Abet, Joan
Innes and Nico Hofferd, photographed by
Steve Polyak and Rob Diaz-Marino.
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.
Faith in Canada
Letter from the Publisher
By Rob Diaz-Marino
a single person, I can only imagine how much money organizations like SHARP foundation need in order to survive.
It’s February, the much acclaimed month
of love. With Stephen Harper now the new
Prime Minister of Canada, Valentine’s Days
to follow might not be looking so rosy red for
us homosexuals. With the highly publicized
stance of the Conservative Party on Gay Marriage, it’s no small wonder so many couples
are taking the plunge just in case this freedom is taken away from us again. In fact,
we have articles on Solsourced Weddings
and Weddings My Way, two marriage commissioners in Calgary that would gladly help
you tie the knot, whether you want a non-denominational or more spiritual focus for your
union.
Speaking of the SHARP Foundation, the Texas Lounge
is hosting a fundraiser for Beswick House. You can buy
hearts for $1 each, which function as a ticket for the prize
draws on February 14th. Hearts are available up until
that date, and the prizes you can win are phenomenal!
Check out their ad on page 7.
Of course we’re not endorsing that you should get married just because of Mr. Harper’s threat. Steve and I have
been together for 4 years and marriage is a certainty on
our horizon, it’s only a matter of finding a calm period in
our lives to do so. We have chosen not to rush to it – we
will do it on our own time regardless of what Mr. Harper
says we can or can’t do. Personally I’m confident that this
will not even be an issue when the time comes – I have
faith in Canada, and better yet, I have faith in the common
sense of the people in Canada to make the right decision.
Failing all that, I have confidence that the people who
first pushed gay marriage forward will be able to pull it off
again, and of course we’ll be there to do our part in supporting them. Easy go, easy come.
No, it’s not over yet! We had our Earlybird draw last
month, but our grand prize draw isn’t until February 25th.
If you haven’t filled it out yet, there’s still plenty of time.
Or, if you’ve already done it and you didn’t win any of the
Earlybird prizes, you’re still eligible for the grand prize
draw. January’s issue will continue to be available everywhere that there’s a ballot box, including Timothy’s Coffee
Shop at 1610 10th St SW, which we accidentally excluded
from our list last month.
This month we’re excited to see our writer Aly Velji
competing on the new season of HGTV’s Design Superstar
Challenge! He invites everyone to come and join him for
the 7:00pm show every Monday night at the Twisted Element. See the ad on page 11 for more information.
From what we’ve seen of the surveys so far, there seem
to be some disappointing answers to our open-ended
questions. For instance, very few people have been able to
name anyone for our volunteer nomination. Our community is filled with volunteers – you couldn’t throw a football
across many of our gay bars without hitting one - but so
few people seem to be aware of that fact.
Bar Banter
The Calgary Eagle is celebrating their 4th anniversary
this month! Go down and celebrate with them on February 17th. We asked them to talk a little bit about their
experience over the past years as a Letter to the Publisher,
which we have printed on page 54.
Money-Pennies recently had a fundraiser for one of
their former staff, Boo Boo. Sadly she has been diagnosed
with cancer, and the amazing $16,000 they raised (probably some kind of record) will be going toward keeping her
financially afloat after the expensive medical costs for her
treatment. If this is a guideline for how much it takes for
Pulse shut down in the middle of last month, taking
down Arena, Loading Dock, and Victoria’s Restaurant with
them. It’s sad to see 23 years of gay space possibly lost
forever. Predictably, this lead to another new slough of
rumours. The old “building being torn down” rumor resurfaced, and once again we confirmed from the source that it
has no grounds whatsoever. Come on people, how many
times are we going to fall for this one? Goliath’s and the
Texas lounge, which as you know are in no way associated
with the guys upstairs, are still going strong with no plans
of that changing any time soon. Myth busted.
Reader’s Choice Survey
We decided on a more hands-on approach this time
around, taking the time to visit each one of Calgary’s gay
bars before the Earlybird draw to encourage patrons to
vote for their favorites. We’ll be doing it a second time
closer to the final draw.
At the same time, we were flattered by those who consider our devotion to photographing gay events in the
Calgary community as volunteer work. We hadn’t really
thought about it that way, but in essence we don’t get paid
for that work whatsoever. It’s certainly nice to see people’s
appreciation for that.
Alongside of the surveys, our GayCalgary.com pens
made a debut this month. We wanted to give people something useful that they can take home, or keep with them
in their pockets. If there aren’t any left at the bars, you
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can ask us for one the next time you see us out and about,
we’ll probably be able to rustle one up.
Life or Meth
The Life or Meth poster campaign that we’ve been disseminating in Calgary has been taken up by most of our
gay bars, and many other gay businesses. We’ve decided
to branch out further however. We are now offering posters to any gay business or organization across Canada
upon request, so contact us if you’re interested in helping
fight against the Crystal Meth epidemic by raising awareness.
On another note, we apologize to anyone named “Tina”
that might be taking offense to the Life or Meth posters
– we are not trying to say that people should be trying to
“break free from your grip,” or that you “destroy the life
and soul of the party”. Unfortunately “Tina” is the street
name that the drug has been given…so don’t take it personally!
GayCalgary.com News
We’re tired of receiving urgent and important press releases, events listings, and other time-sensitive news after
we’ve gone to press. In our elections article last month,
Stephen Harper was the only Conservative to respond to
our survey…a day after we’d gone to press. Obviously, information like this would be completely stale if we saved it
for the next issue. That is why we are planning to launch
the GayCalgary.com Supplementary Edition to help get
these things out in a timely fashion. So sign up online
to receive E-mails with these pertinent details as they
develop.
This month, the Pride Centre of Edmonton submitted a
number of events for us to print for the Edmonton area.
Currently Edmonton’s gay community is experiencing a
bit of a void in their print industry. Many of their Edmonton-specific gay magazines have either folded or become
online-only, so they have turned to us I suppose as the
next best thing in print out there. We’re happy to help out
our big sister city. As of yet we don’t know if this will be a
permanent fixture, but we’ll see what the future holds.
Lastly, we were pretty amused this month to hear other
publications claiming that they are “Calgary’s leading magazine for the Gay & Lesbian community.” This is certainly
news to us because we know that GayCalgary.com Magazine is still the ONLY magazine specifically for Calgary’s
Gay & Lesbian community. But if you don’t believe us, a
simple comparison would suffice. For one, we are the only
gay magazine available in all of the gay bars and clubs in
Calgary, but there’s a lot more to it than that. We think
it’s fair to let our common readers and advertisers draw
their own conclusions, because as they say, the proof is in
the pudding.
If you’re looking rather to express your opinion, write a
letter to the publisher by E-mailing Publisher@gaycalgary.c
om. If you’ve got something good to say about someone or
something, then that’s awesome! If you’ve got something
bad to say about someone or something…well, just try to
keep those claws sheathed!
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7
VAGINA
WARRIORS!
The ongoing crusade to end
violence against women
By Nico Hofferd
I am certainly no stranger to feminism and
empowerment of women – especially when it
comes to sexuality. For instance, I am always marking periods of growth and potential
with piercings and tattoos as a way to claim
my own body. Instead of New Year’s resolutions, I make New Year’s revelations. A few
years back I added to these revelations by
vowing to do things that scare me, to move
out of my comfort zone, to beat the system.
You know, like dance how I want to, dye my
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hair outrageous colors, start writing for a
magazine (ahem!)… and, audition for live theatre. My opportunity for the latter came in
a tiny classified ad in FFWD that said: “The
Vagina Monologues is coming to Calgary and
we need to find an amazing cast! We need
women of all ages, shapes, sizes, colours and
abilities to make up this year’s show! You do
not need any previous acting experience, you
just need passion and desire…” It was perfect.
I chickened out for the first open call for auditions,
but I made it to the second. I prepared like a fiend and
promptly forgot it all upon arrival. So I grabbed one
of the available monologues and did a cold read. Cold
indeed! I was shivering from nerves and didn’t even take
my coat off for the read. I began:
a diverse and beautiful cast. I love watching the women
transform in front of me, and really embracing their
roles. It gives me a rush of hope. We are on a mission to
change peoples’ perspectives; To educate them about violence against women; To celebrate a woman’s body and
her beautiful right to be sexual.”
My vagina is a shell, a round, tender shell opening and
closing…
This is co-Producer Jayde Farand’s second year
involved with TVM. For her as well, it has been a life
changing experience.
my vagina is a flower, an eccentric tulip, the center
acute and deep,
the scent delicate, the petals gentle and sturdy.
And so began my re-education.
Marsha Ellen Meidow has been involved with The
Vagina Monologues (TVM) for four years now, and truly
believes it is a life altering experience for any woman who
is involved.
“Being a survivor of abuse, I promised myself I would
help other women if I ever ’made it out alive.’ I was
introduced to the play by a very outspoken and amazing woman I met in my Women’s Studies class at The
University of Western Ontario. We decided to take on the
production, with little to no support from the University.
People were afraid to get involved with a play that had
the word ’vagina‘ in the title, which only spurred us on
even more. We ended up selling out! The standing ovation was incredible - so many women had been waiting
for something like this for so long. People did not stop
talking about it for months. From what I hear, they are
still talking about it to this day!” Marsha commented.
The second year she was involved in TVM, she was
raped by someone she loved and trusted.
”I didn’t think I could go through with the play - I
didn’t even know if I could finish my schooling, even
though I had put everything I had into my degree. I felt
so devastated, and so incredibly alone. But in my heart,
a fire grew. I could not let this abuser, or any other man
who had tried to destroy me, stop me from fighting for all
women. I knew that there were so many women out there
who also felt scared and alone. I knew the play had to go
on, for that exact reason. Again, we sold out.
”I related to Eve Ensler, the writer, who said that so
many women were coming up to her after seeing the
play. They so badly needed someone to hear their stories;
they had suffered alone in silence for far too long.
”I was most moved by the men who would approach
me. Some admitted they were ’intimidated,’ and ’unsure‘
of what to expect from The Vagina Monologues. They
chuckled that their ’wives or friends made them go.’
Then, there would be a pause, and a smile would come
over their face as they told me ’thank you‘ and go on and
on about how much they had learned.
”Third year: Sold out again. A perfect example of the
strong woman I have become, I proposed to the love of
my life on stage in front of 500 people!
”Now I am in my fourth year of The Vagina Monologues. I am so excited to once again be directing such
“I do this because I need to do my part in putting an
end to the ignorance, the hatred, and the fear which are
the source of suffering for millions of women everyday.
I do it because I thrive on the freedom it allows me to
express who I am as a feisty, sensitive, bisexual feminist
with prowess, intelligence, and strength… with no apologies.
“Throughout my life I have lived through hardship,
pain, and total anger. I have seen other women I love
and cherish suffer and fight. I hated this so much that
my hatred made me helpless; I was helpless because I
was smothered in frustration, coated in the anger and
sadness and fear that fuels the actions and ideas of the
oppressors I despised: the sexists, the homophobes, the
racists. It wasn’t until I looked within and realized that I
held a beautiful strength inside myself, that I was able to
look around and see that there is greatness in this world.
Since then I have worked endlessly to empower myself
and other women to challenge all forms of oppression
by shattering the fear and ignorance that keeps these
systems of hatred going. I see The Vagina Monologues
as a direct challenge to the ugliest of fears that exist in
our culture. TVM is a fun, enticingly erotic, delightfully
playful celebration of women, and life. It is also a wake
up call to anyone who blindly chooses to believe that
violence towards women does not exist.”
Fellow self-avowed queer girl Shone Abet is, as I am,
new to the TVM experience. She has this to say:
“The audition experience alone was one of celebration
and liberation. It was a vaginal awakening! Since that
time we have all had the unique pleasure of getting to
know a group of truly phenomenal Vagina Warriors. The
direction and support of our fearless leaders Jayde and
Marsha lends, at least for me, a feeling of experience,
support, and a soft place to land in moments of uncertainty about the process and evolution of my monologue
and general involvement with the production. It has
been and continues to be an extraordinary performance
and personal growth experience. I love vaginas, I love
monologues, and I love a good cause... it only seems logical that I would at some time get involved in the Vagina
Monologues and fall in love with this amazing group of
Vagina Warriors.”
A recurring theme during the evolution of this project
is the very term of “Vagina Warrior” – along the way of
learning and performing TVM comes a greater understanding of just what it is that is happening here. It’s a
revolution, a call to self, a call to empowerment and as
rehearsals evolve, so do the women involved. Fellow cast
member, Joan Innes, says, “I believe the magic of TVM
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is due to its appeal to such a broad base of people, its
extremely relevant message which speaks to the sexual
empowerment of women, and its unabashed portrayals of the sexual complexity of women. The production
blows open the closet where all these myriad aspects of
women’s sexuality have been hidden away, and breathes
a giant breath of fresh air over what is stifled and suppressed in our culture. We are all aware of the intense
amount of abuse that is directed at women worldwide,
but because the problem is so pervasive and intense, and
its results so ugly and horrific, the tendency is to turn
away from the suffering. We feel powerless in the face
of such an abuse of power. As women, we have become
stranded from the reality of our own pain, we have become detached from what so often attracts our exploitation: our sexuality. We have bought into a culture that
says our sexuality is either a commodity, or something
to be greatly feared, and is thus attacked. The beauty
of TVM is that it refuses to comply with these limited,
shrouded, and often hostile definitions of women’s sexuality. The play puts all of the magnificent and myriad
complexities of the sexual woman on proud display, so
that the taboos around our sexuality can be blown away,
and so that we can all be reminded of our own authentic
power.”
the show came to their reserve, to the ongoing fight for
the Comfort Women of the Philippines (women sold into
sexual slavery for Japanese soldiers during WWII). For
more information on the V-day campaign, please visit
www.vday.org.
The show definitely is one of sexual power (inherently
different from ‘sexy’ power) and of hope, of reclaiming the
self back from a trail of abuse and loss of empowerment.
But it is more than that as well; several of the newer
monologues focus on the plight of women all over the
world – from Iraq to Afghanistan under Taliban rule, to
the missing women of Juarez, Mexico and the decimation
of our North American native culture. At times laugh
out loud funny, and at times poignant and heartbreaking, the Vagina Monologue experience has been one of
many facets for me. In my regular day job, I work with
a lot of new immigrants and I’m attuned to their stories
of heartbreak and why they came to Canada to pursue a
better life. This experience, for me, has been re-affirming
and has also given me a new drive to fight harder and to
be more active in ending the violence.
From one Vagina Warrior to another: “I do not know
you or your story. But in my eyes, you are already my
sister. You have suffered too long. Use your voice…
scream out loud if you have to! Let’s scare this damn
silence away.”
Amanda Grassick has found that being involved in
TVM has been an enriching experience because of the
acceptance of who she is as a gender queer individual,
“I am excited, a little scared, and a little cocky because
I know it’s going to kick ass! I also appreciate the fact
that even though I identify as trans-gendered, and not
as a woman, this opportunity was open to me and that I
have been welcomed the way that I have. It hasn’t always
been the case in feminist organizations that I was been
involved with.”
The Vagina Monologues is part of a worldwide campaign to stop violence against women and children. This
year, there are 1070 productions planned in 54 countries. This week, the cast and crew of TVM in Calgary
viewed the V-Day video presentation, which highlighted
some of the work done by V-Day around the world. From
creating a safe house for young girls in Nairobi, cast
out from their family homes for saying ‘no’ to the horrendous practice of female circumcision, to the change
happening for the Lakota Indians of South Dakota after
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Here in Calgary, funds raised by TVM project benefit
the YWCA Safe Haven program, a cause near and dear to
Marsha Meidow’s heart.
“I work with female youth (14-19 years old) who are
either prostituting, or at risk. All of the money we raise
goes to our program. I also do this play for them, to let
them know they have warriors on their side who are willing to promote change so that their tomorrow may not
be so scary. To let them know they are never alone, to
validate their stories, to listen, to tell, and to fight this
fight for, and alongside them.”
Please join us as we celebrate women, raise awareness
and envision a world without violence.
A fundraiser for TVM will be held Friday, March 3rd
at Brews Brothers Pub. The theme of the evening is
“Femme Fatale Carnivale” and will feature music, magic,
sexy drag kings and Kabuki Guns Burlesque! Please call
(403) 605-6597 for more details.
The Vagina Monologues
March 28th and 29th, 2006 at 7:00pm
The University Theatre, University of Calgary
2500 University Drive NW.
Tickets available through Campus ticket centre:
(403) 220-7202
www.ucalgary.ca/tickets
If would like to have your business or non-profit group
reviewed in an up coming issue of GayCalgary.com
Magazine or have comment or suggestions of businesses
to be reviewed, please contact us at (403) 543-6960 or
E-mail us at reviews@gaycalgary.com.
Nico Hofferd lives with her wife and six fur kids in a community
near you. She is here to inject some Feminine-ity to Gay Calgary
magazine. (But not ’inject’ in the patriarchal sense - unless you ask
her nicely.) You can email Nico at nicoh@gaycalgary.com.
11
Business Profile
Soleiha B. Mahrcell of Solsourced Weddings
By Stephen Lock
Soleiha B. Mahrcell has been a Marriage
Commissioner in the province of Alberta
since August 2004, but served as an assistant to well-known Calgary personality and
marriage commissioner, Nomi Whelan, for
ten years prior to obtaining her license.
“Nomi was the individual who created the qualifications currently used by Vital Statistics Alberta to authorize marriage commissioners,” says Mahrcell. “Previously, anybody could be a marriage commissioner regardless
of experience or background, and that created all sorts
of problems around the legality of some of those marriages.”
“At one time, the province would issue a special
dispensation to people, allowing them to officiate at a
friend’s wedding, for instance. The problem was sometimes the necessary paperwork wouldn’t get done, or one
of the people getting married was married to someone
else, rendering the ’new‘ marriage null and void, or the
couple would be married on a lark…not a good way to
start a life together,” comments Mahrcell. “Nomi’s work
around standardizing the requirements and qualifications changed all that.”
Mahrcell points out that in Canada, non-cleric (i.e.
non-religious) marriage officials are known as ‘marriage
commissioners.’
“Judges in Canada do not marry people, unless there
is a special dispensation. The term ’Justice of the Peace’
is an American term; in Canada, we have marriage commissioners.”
There is also a distinction between what a marriage
commissioner does and what a cleric or religious leader
does.
“In terms of ceremony, what a marriage commissioner
does is strictly civil. As a marriage commissioner, I
cannot use religious terminology or conduct a religious
service although, and this gets a bit muddy, I can infuse
a ceremony with spirituality if the couple so desire. I
can talk about spirit, a coming together of two spirits
into one, that sort of thing. I can’t talk about God or use
religiously-tinged language like ’What God has joined together, let no man put asunder,’” explains Mahrcell. “It
is the government which makes the distinction between
what is ‘religious marriage’ and what is ‘civil marriage’
and as someone licensed by the province to conduct civil
marriages, I have to abide by that.”
12
Review | Business
Mahrcell sees no distinction between same-sex marriage and opposite-sex marriage.
“I believe love has no form. We fall in love with whom
ever we fall in love with. It’s all love. Marriage is about
not ’what‘ you marry…a man, a woman, another woman,
or another man…but about establishing a commitment
to the person you love. To be a part of that is truly an
honour.”
Since receiving her license, Mahrcell has conducted
approximately 80 wedding ceremonies, with ten of those
being same-sex marriages she has conducted since C-38
became law in the summer of 2005.
“I, of course, enjoy all the ceremonies I’ve conducted,”
says Mahrcell, “but somehow the same-sex ones allow
me greater creativity when I’m writing the ceremony.
Maybe it’s to do with this all being new territory. There
are no expectations of what the ceremony ‘should’ look
and sound like. It’s as if we all have this wonderful
opportunity to truly celebrate that which was once not
possible to celebrate.”
Being a marriage commissioner is not yet a full-time
job for most commissioners, certainly not for Mahrcell.
“I would love that, I really would,” she sighs. “I would
enjoy expanding into other areas like baby naming, renewal of vows, even what I call Rights of Passage, officiating at the service of someone who has died, to conduct
not a funeral but a Celebration of Life.”
This idea of a Celebration of Life soon led into a discussion of how same-sex marriage might eventually change
the face of weddings.
In the early days of the AIDS crisis, the gay men’s community in North America helped funerals, which focus
on grief and loss, evolve into celebrations of a life with
their emphasis on special moments, remembering the
good times, and sharing experiences of the deceased.
Those memorials introduced the then largely unheard of
tradition of playing the deceased’s favourite music rather
than mournful hymns. The memorials were often highly
secular, due in no small part to the alienation many gay
men experienced from their respective faith groups. The
services were as marked by tears of laughter as they
were by tears of mourning.
“Absolutely,” says Mahrcell, “As same-sex marriages
become more common, I do think gay and lesbian
couples will imprint their own ‘take’ on the ceremony
which will be, in turn, adopted by heterosexual couples.
There is a place -- and certainly always will be -- for the
traditional church wedding but, increasingly, people are
opting for casual ceremonies on the beach in Hawaii or
something similar. Same-sex wedding ceremonies, at
least the ones I have conducted, are more relaxed, more
tailored to the individuals.”
As noted by critics of equal marriage, there has hardly
been a “rush for the altar” amongst same-sex couples.
To date, approximately 3,000 couples have been married
in Canada.
“I think there will be spurts” when it comes to getting
married, says Mahrcell. “I recently married a gay couple
who had been together for 21 years already. They decided to marry now because they were concerned about
what Stephen Harper might do [in regards to equal marriage]. Another couple I recently officiated for has been
together for five years and, for them, it was just time to
get married.”
Asked if she had concerns about what Harper and the
Conservative Party might do around the possible repealing of C-38, Mahrcell declined comment.
“I can’t answer that as a marriage commissioner. We
are directed not to talk about government policy. As a
marriage commissioner, I have to comply with federal
marriage legislation, even though the provincial government licenses me. It is the federal government who
decides the capacity for marriage and it is the provinces
that decide how that is carried out.”
“Of those, I don’t know how many are pro-equal
marriage and how many are pro-traditional marriage.
Solsourced is certainly in favour of equal marriage and
are delighted it is now possible. However, I know of one
woman who eventually found us who called around and
had one sweet-sounding lady tell her, ’Oh…we don’t do
that, dear‘ and hung up,” laughs Mahrcell.
Requirements for those contemplating marriage are
minimal.
“Both have to be over 18-years of age, of course, with
two witnesses, also over the age of 18 and have obtained
a marriage license from a registry office,” says Mahrcell.
“It is no longer required to obtain a blood test, although
I think it is a good idea for couples to do, just so they
are fully aware of things like health status, any genetic
issues, stuff like that.”
Residency requirements vary from province to province. In Alberta, one partner has to be a resident.
Solsourced charges $300.00, slightly higher if the couple
wants Nomi Whelan to officiate..
”How far do I go in the competition? You are just going
to have to watch to see what happens.”
Solsourced Weddings
Soleiha B. Mahrcell
(403) 270-9480
sol@soulsourcedweddings.com
www.solsourcedweddings.com
In the weeks surrounding the passage of C-38, Canadians heard a lot about marriage commissioners across
Canada reacting against the Bill, claiming their religious and social beliefs would be compromised if they
were “forced” to marry couples they believed should not
marry.
“That’s a difficult issue,” says Mahrcell. “If those performing marriages are involved with a religious aspect,
then fine, I understand the concern. However, we are
distinct from religious clerics; we conduct a civil ceremony. One’s religious or spiritual beliefs should not
interfere with the legal requirement to fulfill the law of
the land.”
There are currently between thirty and thirty-five licensed marriage commissioners in the Calgary area.
13
14
Events Listing
Find out what’s happening
Calgary Listing
Accommodations
Foxwood B&B O12
See our ad on page 37
1725 - 12 St SW • (403) 244-6693
Accommodation review in GayCalgary.com
Magazine August 2004 - Issue 10
http://www.thefoxwood.com
The Seville Park Place O40
239 12th Avenue SW • (403) 265-6111
Renovated Bachelor Suites Starting at
$525/month. Right in the heart of the Gay
Community.
Westways Guest House O13
216 - 25 Ave SW • (403) 229-1758
Accommodation review in GayCalgary.com
Magazine June 2004 - Issue 8
http://www.gaywestways.com
16
Bathhouse and Sauna’s
Goliath’s O6
308 - 17 Ave SW • (403) 229-0911
Open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day
7 Days a Week, Specials on Lockers and Single
Rooms for Students. Valid student ID must be
shown. Student Rates unavailable 8pm to 4am
Weekends.
Businesses
Alykhan Velji
(403) 617-2406
Interior Decorator
Adult Depot
140, 58th Ave SW •(403) 258-2777
1514 14th St SW •(403) 264-7399 O23
Sex toys, and Straight, Bi, Gay video rentals
http://www.adultdepotstore.com
Adult clothing store and accessories specializing
in fetish, leather, latex, Gothic, punk, and
corsets.
Adult Source
Business review in GayCalgary.com Magazine
October 2004 - Issue 12
10210 MacLeod Trail S • (403) 271-7848
1536 - 16 Ave NW • (403) 289-4203
2770 - 32 Ave NE • (403) 250-8225
1127 - 17 Ave SW • (403) 244-6537 O20
4310 - 17 Ave SE • (403) 273-2701
Calgary’s largest selection of adult DVD, VHS,
toys and magazines.
Barbies Shop O48
1518 4th Street SW • (403) 262-8265
Adult clothing store, shoes, Gothic, punk, fetish,
custom corsettes and more.
B&D Emporium Inc. O14
July 2004 - Issue 9
829 17th Ave SW • (403) 265-7789
http://www.bndemporium.com
Bay, the O29
200 - 8th Ave SW • (403) 262-0345
http://www.hbc.com
Brian Mahoney & John McNeill
#10, 6020 - 1A St SW • (403) 259-4141
Re/Max Reality Professionals
Courtney Sebree Aarbo O24
1138 Kensington Road NW • (403) 5715120
http://www.csalaw.ca
August 2004 - Issue 10
Barristers & solicitors
Ho Ho Ho Inc. O38
2nd Floor,
Scotia Centre Downtown• (403) 398-4685
The Christmas Store
Providing unique, comfortable & affordable
transportation. Charter us for: High School
Graduations, Senior Groups, Pub Crawls and
Sporting Events
Christopher Wittke, AMP
(403) 451-8648 • Toll Free (877) 718-0884
Mortgage Agent
Interactive Male
(403) 261-2100, Trial code 3418 or try 1900-451-3800 ($1.99/min)
http://www.interactivemale.com
Phone chat room for 18+
Pine Mountain/Java Bear O42
1406 17th Avenue SW
(403) 228-9693
Coffee, Psychic/Tarot/Tea Leaf readings, Gifts
and more!
La Fleur O41
#103 - 100 7th Avenue SW
(403) 266-1707
Florist Shop
Play
Market Mall •(403) 202-1774
2nd Lvl , TD Square •(403) 252-9672 O31
Cruiseline
(403) 777-9494 trial code 3500
http://www.cruiseline.ca
Phone chat room & talking classifieds for 18+
Deva Dave Salon O32
4th Floor,
1304 4th Street SW • (403) 290-1973
http://www.devadave.com
Doug R. Glasser
9625 MacLeod Trail SW • (403) 278-2900
Re/Max Reality Professionals
Edges Salon & Spa
#7 - 400 Crowfoot Crescent NW
Phone: (403) 375-0000
http://www.edgessalonandspa.com
Our spa’s unique environment, independent of
salon, is a tranquil sanctuary where stresses of
everyday life melt away.
Mary’s Electrolysis O39
110 815 8th Avenue SW • (403) 234-8704
Permanent Hair Removal
MaxWell Reality - Dale Erickson
(403) 253-5678
MaxWell Real Estate Agent
MFM Communications
(403) 543-6970
http://www.mfmcommunications.com
Web site hosting and development. Computer
Hardware and Software.
More Better Buses
(403) 651-1692
Priape Calgary O16
1322 - 17 Ave SW • (403) 215-1800
May 2004 - Issue 7
http://www.priape.com
Clothing and accessories. Adult toys, leather
wear, movies and magazines. Gifts.
Professional Relaxation Massage
(403) 510-7572
Male to Male massage by appointment only
RBC Investments - Bob Sokoloski
(403) 969-8588
(403) 247-0602
http://www.weddingsmyway.com
Marriage Commissioner
Russell’s Cobalt O45
735 12th Avenue SW • (403) 228-7822
Hair & Aesthetics
Sol Sourced Weddings
(403) 270-9480
http://www.solsourcedweddings.com
Wedding Commissioner
Thomas Cook Travel
Wade Wiley
(403) 253-8494
The Woman’s Bookshop
2030 34th Ave SW • (403) 240-3210
Hair & Aesthetics
Z-Group
Voice over IP (VOIP) phone service and long
distance
(403) 770-1940
Rev. Nadene Rogers
17
Clubs and Bars
BackLot O3
209 - 10 Ave SW • (403) 265-5211
Open 7 days a week, 4pm-close
March 2004 - Issue 13
GayCalgary.com Internet Terminal Location*
Calgary Eagle Inc. O4
See our ad on page 29, 55, and 67
424a - 8 Ave SE • (403) 263-5847
Open Wed-Sun 5pm-close
February 2004 - Issue 4
http://www.calgaryeagle.com
Sunday - Beer Bust 4-8pm. Two Big Beef bones
$5.95. $2.00 Draft (12oz) Canadian.
Wednesday - Free Pool
Thursday - Get Boned. Two Big Beef bones
$5.95 and Wing Night. 20 cents per wing
Friday - Dark Night - “Feel your way around
and come in the Dark”
Toonie Sundays (First and last Sunday of every
month) - $2 Pizza Slices and $2 Draft
Loading Dock O7 CLOSED
318 - 17 Ave SW, side entrance
Metro the Club O8
213 - 10 Ave SW • (403) 265-2028
December 2003 - Issue 2
http://www.metroboyztown.com
Money-Pennies O9
1742 - 10 Ave SW • (403) 263-7411
Open Mon-Fri 11:00am-close; Sat & Sun 10:
30am-close
January 2004 - Issue 3
http://www.money-pennies.com
Pulse (Formerly Detour) /Arena O5
CLOSED
318 - 17 Ave SW • (403) 244-8537
The Rekroom O10
213a - 10 Ave SW • (403) 265-4749
Texas Lounge O6
308 - 17 Ave SW • (403) 229-0911
Open 7 days a week, 11am-close
Check the GayCalgary.com web site for updated
18
event calendar information.
November 2004 - Issue 13
Tuesdays - Karaoke
Wednesdays - Hi-Ball Specials
Saturdays - Karaoke
Sundays - Beer Specials (selected brands)
Ernestine Movie Matinee: February 5
- Madagascar, February 12 – Fantastic 4,
February 19 – Harry Potter & the Chamber of
Secrets, February 26 - Jeepers Creepers, March
5 – Mars Attacks!
The Twisted Element O33
1006 11th Ave SW • (403) 802-0230
See our ad on page 11, 13, 34, 66 and 71
7 days a week 4:00pm to close
http://www.twistedelement.ca
Community Groups and
Organizations
Aids Calgary O2
200, 1509 Centre St South • (403) 5082500
Non-Profit review in GayCalgary.com Magazine
http://www.aidscalgary.org
Alpine Frontrunners Club Calgary
(403) 660-6125
calgaryfrontrunners@shaw.ca
The AFCC was formed in 1991 after individuals
who participated in the Gay Games in
Vancouver decided they wanted to form a
club to promote health and fitness in the gay
community.
The club has a membership of approximately
20. These members are active in Team Calgary
which supports athletes going to the Gay
Games.
The AFCC hosts a Pride Run as part of Gay
Pride Week, every June (on Father’s Day). As
well, we send teams to the Banff Mountain
Ekiden race held the Saturday after Canadian
Thanksgiving in October.
AFCC Fun Runs: Tuesdays. Eau Claire YMCA.
200 Barklay Parade SW (4th street and 3rd ave
SW) June thru October, at 6 pm. Outdoors.
Saturdays. 9 am. Eau Claire YMCA.
Brunch follows; location varies.
Join our mailing list: calgaryfrontrunners@c
oollist.com
Apollo Calgary Friends in Sports
April 2004 - Issue 6
http://www.apollocalgary.com
Badminton - at Western Canada High School
(641 17th Ave. SW), Sunday afternoons in the
MAIN GYM, 12:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Drop-in
Fee: $8 for each 2.5 hour session for Apollo
members or $10 for non-members. 26-week
Annual membership are available
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
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.
Mondays - Meetings at Money-Pennies from
7pm to 8:30pm
Unity Bowling League - Let’s 10 Pin
Bowlerama, 2916 5 Avenue NE, Sundays at 2:
00 p.m. Season begins September 18, 2005.
League fees are $15.00 per day. Shoe rental
is $2.00
Calgary Humane Society
1323 - 36th Avenue NE
(403) 250-7722
http://www.calgaryhumane.ca
Apollo Curling League - 15th season of Apollo
Curling will began in October 2005, 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
Animal Adoptions and for Prevention of Cruelty
to Animals
Inner-City Volleyball - YWCA, 320 - 5th Avenue
SE, Sundays, 4:00 - 6:30PM. Cost: Apollo
yearly membership: $15. 12 week league fee:
$55. Drop-in Fee: $6 Apollo members. $8
Non-Apollo Members
Western Cup
April 13 to April 16
Thursday April 13th - Registration
Friday, April 14th (Good Friday) - Viva Las
Vegas. Join us for an evening of fun on Friday
at the Westin Hotel. A fun-money casino, and
the finals of Apollo Idol.
Saturday, April 15th - Compeitions and Dance.
The competitions are over and it is time for
the Hero’s Ball, commencing at 8:00 pm. Join
everyone at The Calgary Westin Downtown
Ballroom. You won’t want to miss out on
Calgary’s largest springtime social event!
Sunday, April 16th (Easter) - Our Sunday
morning Celebration Brunch is from 11:00 am
to 1:00 pm.
ARGRA – Alberta Rockies Gay Rodeo
Association
Hotline: (403) 541-8140
http://www.argra.org
Non Profit Group review in GayCalgary.com
Magazine June 2004 - Issue 8
Saturday February 18 - ‘Sweetheart’ Dance.
7:30PM - 2AM $7.00 members $10.00 nonmembers
Artists for the Quality of Life
(403) 890-1261
http://www.artistsforqualityoflife.com
Between Men and Between Men Online
Sean (403) 234-8973 or sean@glcsa.org
http://www.glcsa.org/
Calgary Gay Fathers
(403) 777-9499 ext 2090
calgaryfathers@hotmail.com
http://www.geocities.com/calgaryfathers
Peer support group for gay, bisexual and
questioning fathers. Meeting twice a month
Calgary Men’s Chorus
(403) 262-6295
http://www.calgarymenschorus.org
Every Tuesday 7:00pm to 9:30pm, Old Y
Centre, 223 12th Avenue SW
CBCA Sexual and Reproductive Wellness
Centre
304, 301 14th Street NW
(403) 283-5580
http://www.cbca.ab.ca
CBCA offers counselling and educational
services that help people consider their sexual
and reproductive choices in informed and
responsible ways.
RU a lesbian, gay, bisexual, two-spirited or
queer youth, ages 17-24? RU interested in
helping make Calgary a safer place for people
of diverse sexual orientation? If UR, we are
looking for dynamic volunteers for our AntiHomophobia Program.
This program is intended to raise awareness
and understanding among students about the
experiences of lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, two
spirited, transgendered, queer and questioning
youth. If you are interesting in sharing your
experiences with other youth, and are available
days, please call us at 283-5580 and ask for
an Educator or contact pkrause@cbca.ab.ca..
Thursday, February 9th at 7:00pm Questioning your sexual orientation? More
information call 283-5580
Choices
(403) 234-8973 or glcsa@glcsa.org
http://www.m2mchoices.ca/
Choices provides tailored prevention and
education to Choices is a partnership between
GLCSA and AIDS Calgary. Choices employs a
harm reduction philosophy to educate men and
HIV/AIDS and STDs, so they are able to make
the best decisions for themselves.
Girl Friends
http://members.shaw.ca/girlfriends
Different Strokes
http://www.differentstrokescalgary.org
Swim Club.
Girlsgo Productions
(403) 510-2502
http://www.girlsgo.ca
Event production and promotion in Alberta for
women. Check online for fun things to do!
Wednesday - 7:00 to 8:00 PM at YWCA
(Fitness on Fifth), 320 - 5 Avenue S.E. not the
Eau Claire YMCA $5.00
Sunday - 6:00 to 7:00 PM YWCA (Fitness on
Fifth), 320 - 5 Avenue S.E. not the Eau Claire
YMCA $5.00
March 11, 2006 - Mardi Gras 2006 at Victoria
Community Hall 1306 - 6th Street S.E. Tickets:
$15 on or before February 28th, $20 March
1 or after. Tickets at Priape, Women’s Place
Bookstore, or call 288-8588. Wear you best
Mardi Gras outfits
Judging at 10:00 pm
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.
Egale Canada
#310, 396 Cooper
Ottawa, ON K2P 2H7
1-888-204-7777 toll free
Stephen Lock – Regional Co-Director (Male)
Prairies/NWT/Nunavut
(403) 708-5302 cell phone
www.egale.ca
stephenlock@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-youcan, 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.
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.
Saturday, February 11th, 2006 - Noche Latina
- Valentine’s Dance Party for Women. Doors
open at 8pm. Inglewood Community Hall 1740
- 24th Avenue SE. Tickets: Non-members: $12
GIRLSGO Members: $7. Tickets are available
online! Tickets are also available at: Barb’s
Book Loft in Kensington (cash only please)
328C - 10th Street NW (near the Safeway,
above Wayne’s Bagels)
GLASS, Gay & Lesbian Association of
Students and Staff
PF4255 in the Professional Faculties Building,
University of Calgary
(403) 220-6394
October 2004 - Issue 12
GLCSA - Gay And Lesbian Community
Services Association O1
206, 223 - 12 Ave SW, Old “Y” Centre
(403) 234-8973
February 2004 - Issue 4
http://www.glcsa.org
Heading Out
Sean (403) 234-8973 or sean@glcsa.org
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 1st and 3rd Friday of every month
from 7 pm to 9 pm.
HIV Peer Support Group
(403) 230-5832
hivpeergroup@yahoo.ca
Inside Out
206, 223 - 12 Ave SW, Old “Y” Centre•
(403) 234-8973
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.
ISCCA – Imperial Sovereign Court of the
Chinook Arch
http://www.iscca.ca
November 2003 - Issue 1 and December 2003
- Issue 2 Crowns for Kids
Feb 4, 11, 18 and 25 Sarcotic Saturdays @
The Rekroom 10:30pm
Feb 10, 15, 23 ISCCA Shooterbar @ Metro
11:00pm
Integrity Calgary
http://members.aol.com/DWFrancis/
integrity.html
Worship – Every Second Sunday of the month
at 7pm. Meet at St Stephen’s Anglican Church,
1121 - 14 Ave SW. Christian fellowship for
gay, lesbians, bisexuals and our friend and
family.
New Directions
Drop in peer/social support group to provide
support and resources for individuals who
identify as transgendered, transsexual or intersexed. Social support meetings 1st Friday of
every month from 7 pm to 11 pm and peer
support meetings 3rd Friday of every month
from 7 pm to 9 pm at GLCSA.
Kitty Group
Phone: Nico (403) 605-6597
E-mail: kittycoffee@hotmail.com
A social group for womyn – Every First
Saturday of the month at 7pm. At The Good
Earth Café, 1504 - 11 Ave SW
The L Zone
http://www.thelzone.ca
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.
Powder and Pride
http://www.rubproductions.com
Pride Calgary
(403) 262-3410
May 2004 - Issue 7
http://www.pridecalgary.ca
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@telus.net
Illusions Calgary
#206, 223 - 12th Ave. S.W.• (403) 2348973
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. Cross-dressing is
the purpose of the group, but is not mandatory.
19
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 over forty
and respects whatever degree of anonymity
that each member desires.
Feb. 1 – Free Pool at the Eagle
Feb.5 - General Meeting at the Old “Y” 223
– 12 Ave. S.W. Meeting starts at 5:00PM.
Dinner to follow at the Eagle. -Vertigo Theatre’s
Production of “I’ll Be Back Before Midnight”
Pay-what-you-can performance (usually
$5.00) Please be there at 7:00PM to be
assured a seat.
Feb. 7 - Pumphouse Theatre Production of
“Cards On The Table” Curtain time 8:00PM.
Tickets available at 253-2002 . Meet at
MoneyPennies for their Tuesday evening dinner
special and then on to the theatre.
Feb. 11 – Coffee Hour at Timothy’s 1610 – 10
St. S.W. Meet at 10:00 AM -Straight To Diva
Fundraiser at the Eagle This was a lot of fun
last year. Come on out and enjoy.
Feb. 14 - Card night at Harvey & Tony’s If you
wish to attend please confirm with them at
547-9129 . We will meet at MoneyPennies
around 6:00PM for their Tuesday evening
dinner special and then on to cards.
Feb.16 - Pumphouse Theatre Production of
“The Prisoner’s Dilemma” Curtain time 8:
00PM. Tickets available at 263-0079 .
Feb. 18 – 4th Anniversary Party At The Eagle
Feb. 25 – Coffee Hour at Timothy’s 1610 – 10
St. S.W. Meet at 10:00 AM
Feb. 26 - Dinner at the Eagle (pork) Dinner
served around 6:00PM
Feb. 28 – Bridge Night at Neil’s . Please
call Neil if you wish to attend Meet at
MoneyPennies for their Tuesday Special prior
to cards
Rocky Mountain Bears
January - Issue 3
http://www.rockymountainbears.com
Friday, Feb 10, 2006 - Bowling at Chinook
followed by the Eagle. Meet at the Food Fair,
Second Level Chinook Mall at 8:00. Bowling
at 9:00 p.m.
Saturday, Feb 25 - Bar night at The Eagle
Safety Under The Rainbow
http://www.safetyrainbow.ca
20
Mission: To raise awareness and understanding
of same-sex domestic violence and homophobic
youth bullying.
Western Leather Federation
Coffee Night – Wed, 8:30pm. At the Calgary
Eagle.
Project Areas:
Womynspace
(403) 234-8973 or womynspace@glcsa.org
Partnerships – Create partnerships with likeminded groups. Organize a meeting to discuss
a province-wide cross-sector entity addressing
domestic violence and homophobic bullying.
Training - Develop and pilot training modules
that address GLBTT domestic violence and
homophobic youth bullying. See the website or
contact the office for information on the next
training session.
Research – Conduct an enviro-scan of services
and support available to GLBTT family violence
and abuse victims.
Directory – Publish a province-wide directory
of services and supports addressing same-sex
domestic violence and homophobic bullying.
Survey – Conduct a survey on how same-sex
domestic violence and homophobic bullying
affects GLBTT individuals. Contact the office if
you would be willing to fill out this survey.
Peer social/support group for women providing
an evening of fun, bonding, discussion and
activities. Meets every Friday 7pm to 9pm at
GLCSA.
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.
Youth 4 Youth
102, 1212 - 1 St. S.E. • (403) 283-8591
http://www.youth4youth.com
YouthSafe
http://www.youthsafe.net
Sharp Foundation
Phone: (403) 272-2912
E-mail: sharpfoundation@nucleus.com
http://www.thesharpfoundation.com
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.
SHEQ Soulful Healing Ego Quest
Restaurants
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 585-7437. 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.
Speak Sebastian
http://www.cjsw.com
Radio Show – Every first & third Wednesday
from 9-10pm. Radio for the gay, lesbian,
bisexual, trans gender and kink community.
Listen on CJSW FM 90.9.
Team Calgary
http://www.teamcalgary.org
Urban Sex
http://www.cjsw.com
Radio Show – Every second & forth 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.
Calgary Eagle Inc. O4
See our ad on page 29, 55, and 67
424a - 8 Ave SE • (403) 263-5847
Open Tues-Sun 4pm-close
Restaurant review in GayCalgary.com Magazine
http://www.calgaryeagle.com
Money-Pennies O9
1742 - 10 Ave SW • (403) 263-7411
April 2004 - Issue 6
Timothy’s Coffee O 27
1610 10th St SW • (403) 244-7750
September 2004 - Issue 11
Monday - Saturday: 7am to 11pm
Sunday: 8am to 11pm
The Twisted Element O33
1006 11th Avenue SW • (403) 802-0230
See our ad on page 11, 13, 34, 66 and 71
January 2005 - Issue 15
Sunday 11:00am to close
Monday to Saturday 4:00pm to close
http://www.twistedelement.ca
Victoria’s Restaurant O18 CLOSED
306 - 17 Ave SW
Theatre and Art
Alberta Ballet
http://www.albertaballet.com
2006
La Nuit Cartier
February 10 - 11, Calgary
February 17 - 18, Edmonton
Performance, An Evening with Gershwin
February 23 & 24
Adopt A Dancer Reception
February 25 - 27, Edmonton
March 16 - 19, Calgary
Great Chefs in Great Homes
March 24 - 25, Calgary
Performance, Alice in Wonderland
Subscriber Receptions
March 26, Calgary
Mad Hatter Tea Party
March 31 - April 1, Edmonton
Performance, Alice in Wonderland
Subscriber Receptions
May TBA, Calgary
School of Alberta Ballet Year End Show
June 9 & 10, Calgary & Edmonton
House & Garden Show
ATP, Alberta Theatre Projects O36
Phone: (403) 294-7402
http://www.ATPlive.com
January 24 – March 5, 2006, ENBRIDGE
playRites FESTIVAL OF NEW CANADIAN PLAYS
This year marks our 20th Anniversary of the
Enbridge playRites Festival, and to celebrate we
will be producing five main stage plays. Three
will be staged in the Martha Cohen Theatre
and two will be staged on BD&P Stage 2
(Engineered Air Theatre).
MARTHA COHEN STAGE: Somewhere between
the utopia of youthful idealism and the
uncertain terrain of responsible adulthood there
is a basement apartment. 1970s Vancouver
is the backdrop for this charming coming of
age story.
Take a road trip - escape everything that sucks
about your life! But when teenage drama
queen Stevie and her downtrodden dad pick
up a mysterious hitch-hiker heading for home,
their trip takes a hairpin turn. This gripping
story of family, friendship and forgiveness is
shot through with anger, love and violence, as
a community tries to come to terms with the
fundamental inexplicability of life. Audience
advice: Coarse language
Leni Riefenstahl made the most famous
propaganda film in history - or was it art?
She made a deal with the Nazis - or was
she just naïve? She changed cinema forever
- or has anything really changed at all?
Headstrong, passionate, brilliant but blind, this
unforgettable character fights tooth and nail
to hang on to her singular, uncompromising,
deeply controversial vision. One thing is for
sure. She’ll never say she’s sorry. Audience
advice: Coarse language
timeless melodies, including the hit song,
“Memory.”
BD&P STAGE 2: Collaborating with a group of
local artists Mammalian Diving Reflex will scour
your city for meaningful encounters, infiltrate
your life, take your picture, cook you dinner,
then invite you on stage to talk about it all.
No pretending, no artifice. This ever-evolving
performance is not to be missed.
Fairytales International Gay & Lesbian
Film Festival
http://www.fairytalesfilmfest.com
In an era of innocence, two small town girls
arrive in a city of sin determined to win
fame and fortune by performing their hearts
out...literally. Created by local performers The
Wind-Up Dames in collaboration with Alberta
Theatre Projects, this inventively told tale will
stretch your perceptions of what is real and
what is all part of the act.
Broadway Across Canada
http://www.broadwayacrosscanada.ca
Mar. 28 - Apr.2, 2006 - Cats at the Southern
Alberta Jubilee Auditorium. The original
production of CATS opened at the New London
Theatre, in the West End in 1981. Eight
years later, it celebrated both its birthday and
another important milestone. It had become
the longest running musical in the history of
the British theatre. It is also one of the most
successful musicals the world has ever seen and
has played to packed houses around the world.
There’s no better way to introduce your family
to the wonders of live theater than with the
magic, the mystery, the memory of CATS. What
began as a musical about cats after Andrew
Lloyd Webber picked up a book of poems in
an airport bookshop has become the longest
running show in Broadway’s history. Winner
of seven Tony Awards including Best Musical,
CATS features 20 of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s
July 5 - July 30, 2006 - Phantom of the Opera
at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra
http://www.cpo-live.com • (403) 571-0849
The Globe Cinema O49
617 8th Avenue SW • (403) 262-3308
www.globecinema.com
Call for showtimes
Jubilations Dinner Theatre
http://www.jubilations.ca
1002 - 37th Street SW, at the Westbrook Mall
• (403) 249-7799
The Pirates of the North Saskatchewan
November 11 - February 5, 2006
E-yar! Welcome aboard “The Not-so-much”,
one of the oldest, yet newly refurbished vessels
to ever set sail on the prairie seas! Join us as
the illustrious Captain Jack Partridge takes
us down the North Saskatchewan River on a
swashbuckling adventure of love, deceit, and
revenge. Sit back and hear old Jack recall
the tale of the maiden voyage of the ship,
and how his struggle to claim his Father’s 2
million dollar inheritance, hidden somewhere
on the ship, turns into pirate family battle.
Then there’s the Dreaded Pirate Roberts who
is only looking for a romantic evening on the
ship with his bride to be, Belle Buttercup, until
it is interrupted by Jack’s greedy pirate family
in search of their plunder. Take heed! This be
no average pirate tale: This is a tale of how the
course of true love never did run smooth; how
greed can disassemble a perfectly strong pirate
family; A tale mixed with your favourite classic
rock tunes. This is the tale of the Pirates of the
North Saskatchewan!
Canadian Graffiti
February 10 - April 16, 2006
Hello out there all you hip cats and fine Ladies
this is Wolf man Zack coming at you live on the
airwaves! Taking you all back to a time when
cruising up and down the main drag is the
only way to spend a Saturday night! With the
radio blasting and a girl snuggled up close let
the music sweep you away! Its the last night
of summer holidays. Many of the old gang will
be heading off to new lives in new cities. This
could be the last night we are all together! We
have all gathered at Old Maws Drive in Diner
to party away the night grooving to the tunes
spun by the Wolf man and to say our goodbyes
to each other and perhaps to our childhood.
New Gallery O25
516D - 9 Ave SW • (403) 233-2399
Open Tuesday to Saturday from 11am to 5pm
One Yellow Rabbit O35
Big Secret Theatre – EPCOR CENTRE for the
Performing Arts • (403) 299-8888
http://www.oyr.org
QUAB Gallery Inc. O43
212, 100th 7th Avenue SW • (403) 2612855
http://www.quab.ca
Pumphouse Theatre O37
2140 Pumphouse Avenue SW • (403) 2630079
http://www.pumphousetheatres.ca
February 3 - 11, 2006 - Workshop Theatre
Presents Cards on the Table In the Victor
Mitchell Theatre. Tickets $18 Adult $12
Students/Seniors. Tuesday to Saturday @ 8:
00 pm. Sunday matinees @ 2:30pm. For
Tickets Call 263-0079. Mr. Shiatana is a
strange and wealthy collector of snuff boxes
and other objects d’art. One evening he
invites two specialists, Superintendent Battle
of Scotland Yard and crime novelist Ariadne
Oliver, to a dinner party to view his special
collection: four people who have committed
murder and gotten away with it. As they
play bridge after dinner, Shiatana is daringly
murdered by someone at the party. Battle sets
out to solve the crime aided, of course, by the
eager Mrs. Oliver who begins with psychological
deductions from the bridge score cards. After
many red herrings, skeletons in the closet and
two more deaths, Battle lays his cards on the
table.
February 8 - 18, 2006 - Hidden Insanity
Theatre Presents Prisoner’s Dilemma. In the
Joyce DoolittleTheatre. Tickets $14.00 Adults
$10.00 Students/Seniors. Tuesday to Saturday
@ 8:00 pm. Sunday matinee @ 3:00pm.
For Tickets Call 263-0079. HIdden Insanity
Theatre presents Prisoner’s Dilemma with
Root of All Squares and Award for Excellence.
Three one-act plays by Sterling Lynch and Sam
Varteniuk.
February 17 - March 4, 2006 - StoryBook
Theatre Presents Arthur - From Boy to King.
In the Victor Mitchell Theatre. Tickets $7.50
- $15.50. Wednesday to Friday @ 7:30 pm.
Saturday/Sunday matinees @ Noon and 3:
30pm. For Tickets Call 216-0808. Arthur is
12 years old and can’t wait to grow up. But
Arthur’s destiny would seem to have more
than one road to be traveled. Both Merlin and
Alana, who is the daughter of The Lady of the
Lake, predict greatness for Arthur. But what
form will that greatness take? An original
StoryBook play.
February 23 - March 4, 2006 - GZT & FireBelly
present Pot of Jam’s Dough: The Politics of
Martha Stewart. In the Joyce DoolittleTheatre.
Tickets $15.00 Admission
Plus $1.75 Service Charge. Tuesday to
Saturday @ 8:00 pm. For Tickets Call 2630079. What happens when you mix a hard
dose of contemporary reality with the ideals
of media-maven Martha Stewart? Calgary’s
own Lindsay Burns cooks up a sweet, sour and
sassy look at the modern woman’s quest to
find the perfect recipe for “Living.”Boiling over
21
with clever insight and saucy humour – “It’s a
good thing!”
Skew Gallery O44
1615 10th Avenue SW • (403) 244-4445
http://www.skewgallery.com
Stagewest
727 42 Avenue SE • (403) 243-6642
http://www.stagewestcalgary.com
California Dreaming II, By Howard Pechet
Nov. 17, 2005 - Feb. 12, 2006
As the 60s progressed, the California sound
became not only more refined, but more
distinctive. On the Uptown Country side, there
was Kenny Rogers and Glen Campbell while
Rock N’ Roll reverberated with the sounds of
Fleetwood Mac and Journey. By the turn of
the century, Sheryl Crow and Jewel topped the
charts and almost every major group in the
USA resided in the Sunshine State. From Blues
to Country to Funk, California is where it’s at.
Forever Plaid, By Stuart Ross
February 16 - April 23, 2006
One of the most popular and successful
musicals in recent memory. This deliciously
goofy revue centers on four young, eager
male singers, killed in a car crash in the
1950s on the way to their big concert, and
now miraculously revived for the posthumous
chance to fulfil their dreams and perform the
show that never was. Singing in the closest of
harmony, squabbling boyishly over the smallest
intonations and executing their charmingly
outlandish choreography with over-zealous
precision, the “ Plaids “ delivers a program of
beloved songs and delightful patter that keeps
the audiences humming along to some of the
greatest nostalgic pop hits of the 50s
Stride Gallery O47
1004 MacLeod Trail SE • (403) 262-8507
http://www.stride.ab.ca
Theatre Junction
http://www.theatrejunction.com
MARCH 21 – APRIL 8, 2006 - FAR AWAY,
CARYL CHURCHILL. A brilliant and chilling play
of a society desiring safety and stability while
making choices that perpetuate an increasingly
unstable world. Having sold out premieres
in London and New York, FAR AWAY has
gripped audiences around the world with its
unapologetic humanity.
Truck Gallery O46
815 1st Street SW (Basement) • (403)
261-7702
http://www.truck.co
Vertigo Mystery Theatre O34
161, 115 – 9 Ave SE • (403) 221-3708
http://www.vertigomysterytheatre.com
If you would like to add your business
or non-profit group to the list above,
please call (403) 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 to check with the establishment
before you head out. Non-Profit groups free
listings. Business receive a listing once an ad
has been placed. The business listing will
last 1 year after the last ad is placed unless
there is a GayCalgary.com service located at
that location.
Edmonton Listing
Community Groups and
Organizations
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 10010
109 St. Edm Ph:488-3234
Trans Education/Support Group
Support and education for all transsexual,
transgendered, intersexed, two-spirited and
questioning individuals meets 1st, 3rd and last
Sunday of each month, 2-4 pm at the Pride
Centre of Edmonton 10010 109 St. Edm Ph:
488-3234
Trans Education/Support Group
Support and education for all transsexual,
transgendered, intersexed, two-spirited and
questioning individuals meets 1st, 3rd and last
Sunday of each month, 2-4 pm at the Pride
488-3234
Sunday Night Mens Discussion Group
Mens social and discussion group meets
every Sunday @ 7 pm at the Pride
Centre of Edmonton 10010 109 St. Edm
Ph: 488-3234, Contact: Rob Wells robwells780@hotmail.com
Monday Movie Night
Weekly movie nights, with themed movies and
discussion afterwards at the Pride Centre of
Edmonton 10010 109 St. Edm Ph:488-3234
Womens Spirituality Group
Drumming Circle, meets 2nd Tues of every
month in the TV room @ 7 pm at the Pride
488-3234, Facilitator: Kuaitzi
Bisexual Discussion Group
Open to drop in - Mixed social and discussion
group meets the first and third Tuesday of
every month in Meeting Room A @ 7pm at
the Pride Centre of Edmonton 10010 109
St. Edm Ph:488-3234 Facilitator: Vanessa
- edmbigroup@yahoogroups.com
Community Potluck Dinner
Everyone welcome. Second Monday of each
month bring the family and share good food
and a socialize with great people! 7 – 9 pm at
the Pride Centre of Edmonton 10010 109 St.
Edm Ph: (780) 488-3234
Meditation Circle
Guided Meditation Group, Drop In - $5.00 per
person. Meets the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of
each month in Meeting Room A at the Pride
Centre of Edmonton 10010 109 St. Edm, Ph:
(780) 488-3234, Facilitator Hanne Csanyi
– hanne@fyrewind.com
The HIV Positive Gay Men’s Group
Drop in caring circle every Thursday, 1-4 pm
@ 7-9 pm in main area, at the Pride Centre of
Edmonton 10010 109 St. Edm Ph: (780) 4883234 Facilitator: Mark, HIV Outreach
The HIV positive Gay Men’s Group is a place
for gay men to come and share their feelings
on how it is affecting their personal lives. This
is a personal private time for them to express
how it has changed their outlook on life. As
22
well to support and help each other dealing
with being HIV positive. Whatever is said in the
room stays within the room. Remember! You
are not alone!
Youth Understanding Youth
Youth support and social group meets every
Saturday from 7 to 9 pm at the Pride Centre
of Edmonton 10010 109 St. Edm Ph:
(780) 488-3234 Contact: yuy@shaw.ca
(www.members.shaw.ca/yuy )
Womonspace
1st Saturday of every month from 10 am
to 1 pm at the Pride Centre of Edmonton
10010 109 St. Edm Ph:488-3234 Contact
Womonspace for details)
Prime Timers
Monthly Member Meetings at the Pride Centre
of Edmonton 10010 109 St. Edm Ph:4883234
Parents Rock the World Workshops
PFLAG Canada: Edmonton Chapter - Workshop
Series Tuesdays (Feb 7, March 7, April 4, May
2, June 6), Pride Centre (10010 – 109 St) 7:
00 – 10:00 p.m. Ph: (780) 488-3234
A series of workshops for Parents of Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning
children. Each session will feature a 30 – 45
minute topic specific presentation, followed
by a group discussion. Social time for sharing
and networking will follow at the end of each
session. Call the Pride Centre to register or for
more details.
Dykes to Watch Out For!
Discussion and Social Group Wednesdays (Feb
8, Feb 22, March 8, March 22), Pride Centre
(10010 – 109 St) 8:00 – 10:00 pm, Ph:
(780) 488-3234
A social and discussion group for gay women,
dykes, lesbians and questioning women
wanting to network, learn more about issues
and interested in building community! Call
Pride Centre to register, or you can also just
drop in for just one session!
Gay Legalese
Getting Back what you’re Owed
By Darryl Aarbo
Does someone owe you money? If so, then
the first step is almost always to make a formal
demand for payment in writing. If he or she does
not pay then you may want to sue or follow up by
some other method. Other methods include, for
example, government agencies such as the Alberta Labour. You may also want to hire a lawyer
or collection agency. Where you go and what you
decide will depend on who owes you the money
and how much is owed.
If you are owed money by your employer (or former
employer) for wages already earned or vacation pay then
you should call Alberta Labour: dial 310-0000 then dial
toll free 780-427-3731. They will collect your money
free of charge. If the company has gone bankrupt or is
out of business then you may still be able to collect your
outstanding wages because the directors of the company
may be personally responsible up to a certain amount of
money.
Alberta Labour can also help you to collect your “termination pay”. Termination pay is a minimum amount
of money that your employer has to pay you if you have
been terminated, unless you have been terminated for
just cause. Just cause includes such things as theft.
If there is no just cause then your employer must pay
you approximately 1 week for every year of service when
it terminates you (up to 8 weeks). The directors of the
company are not responsible for your termination pay if
the company has gone out of business.
Many employees are entitled to more than the minimum termination pay set out by the Employment Standards Code, especially if you are a professional or
manager. This is commonly called “severance pay”. This
can be as much as one month per year of service and
there may be a minimum of 3 months in limited circumstances. To collect on severance pay then you have to
sue in the Courts.
If someone owes you money for goods or services
provided, other than employment, then you have to go
to Court. There are no government agencies to help you
collect on such a debt. If you do not have a written contract then you may still be able to collect on your money
in court. It is always best to have a written contract, but
it is not necessary. For example, if you delivered bread
to a restaurant for two years with regular payments following each delivery and the restaurant decided not to
pay one day then you would have a pretty good argument
that you and the restaurant had a contract to deliver
bread.
The court system can be confusing, but if you keep
in mind a few simple rules then it is easier to navigate. If you are owed $25,000.00 or less then you can
go to small claims court, which is formally called the
Provincial Court (Civil Division). Small claims court
has a simplified procedure and relaxed rules of evidence so you do not need a lawyer, although you can
hire one if you want. All the forms and an explanation
guide can be found at the Alberta Courts website at:
www.albertacourts.ab.ca . The website will explain what
form to use, how to fill it out and where to deliver it. You
can even rent a video at the court house library on how
to present your case. You can also call them at 2977411 to get basic information, but they will not give you
legal advice.
If someone owes you more than $25,000.00 then you
will likely need to hire a lawyer. Cases in this category
must proceed in the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta.
This court has complex rules of procedure and evidence
that must be followed.
If the person who owes you money has gone bankrupt
then you need to talk directly with the person’s trustee.
There is no point in going to court, as the judge cannot
do anything for you. The trustee, however, may be able
to get you a share of what that person owns, if anything.
If you don’t have the time or patience to figure out
the court system, then you can always hire a lawyer or
collection agency. Collection agencies can be effective
and cheap because they often work on a contingency or
commission, whereas many lawyers will not for smaller
amounts of money.
Darryl A. Aarbo
If you wish to send in a letter, please email it to legaladvice
@gaycalgary.com. Darryl A. Aarbo can be directly reached at
Courtney Sebree Aarbo, Barristers & Solicitors, 1138 Kensington
Road NW, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 3P3. Visit their website at http:
//www.csalaw.ca. Phone (403) 571-5133. Fax: (403) 571-5134
Other than the question, all personal information (i.e. name,
address, E-mail) will remain confidential. GayCalgary.com
Magazine does reserve the right to alter questions for brevity and
content.
23
24
Q Scopes
“Save receipts, Capricorn!”
By GayCalgary.com Magazine Staff
Mars is in Taurus square to the Sun in Aquarius, cranking up energy and ego with powerful
determination. That determination dissolves, although energy and ego remain strong when Mars
charges into Gemini and the Sun enters Pisces.
Adjustments will be necessary, but stay on track!
ARIES (March 20 - April 19): Your mind is
made up, and you know where you’re going.
Hang on to that! As you assert your priorities, remember
that there are different ways of approaching your ideals.
Don’t confuse the path with the goal.
TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): Be careful in
your dealings with authority figures. Try
to find ways to be cooperative without having to give
ground. Being sure of yourself is good, but it won’t last.
Being full of yourself is not so good, and harder to shake
off!
GEMINI (May 21 - June 20): If confusion is
indeed the first step toward enlightenment,
you are at the beginning of a great lesson! Any real truth
can stand up to any challenge. Welcome those challenges
with an open mind. If things always make sense, you’re
not really learning.
CANCER (June 21 - July 22): Your erotic
self-confidence radiates “come and get it”
more effectively than Joan Crawford’s famous pumps.
But like a lunar phase, that changes quickly. Sensitivity and communication supplant certainty, but they can
work for you, too!
LEO (July 23 - August 22): Be gentle with
your opponents, no matter how aggressive
they may be. They will suddenly become very open, conciliatory, and vulnerable. Which of those is most to your
advantage? Remember: Cooperation is usually the best
long-term approach.
Lifestyle | Astrology
LIBRA (September 23 - October 22): Yours is
the sign of genteel good taste, but this is your
time to get down and dirty! Explore your erotic ideals,
and be sure to test some of them in reality. New inspiration will lead in directions you never expected.
SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21): You
can hold your ground now, but that stand
will prove just a bargaining position as you realize the
need to negotiate. Move gracefully from intransigence to
flexibility to earn extra points.
SAGITTARIUS (November 22 - December 20):
You entertain novel perspectives more than
Perle Mesta entertained the glitterati of her day. Still,
the stars say to be even more open to new and different
ideas. The real challenge is to stay clear and focused!
CAPRICORN (December 21 - January 19):
Save receipts and packaging. All those toys
you couldn’t live without are likely to disappoint you and
beg for refunds. Your own creative gifts come to the fore,
offering alternatives, at better quality and economy.
AQUARIUS (January 20 - February 18): It’s
a great time for a new look and/or decor. Try
something radically different, even if it’s just an experiment. The shake-up will do you good. And if you decide
you don’t like it after all, hair grows back and you can
always repaint.
PISCES (February 19 - March 19): Something
eating at you is making you cranky. Talk it out
with a good friend whom you know you can trust. Letting
out your worst secrets in a safe place is a lot better than
seeing them explode in a bloody awful mess!
VIRGO (August 23 - September 22): Opinions
held strongly now will need to be revised very
soon, especially as ideals are tested in reality. Be very
careful not to overexert yourself at exercise, and be especially adaptable and open-minded at work.
25
Adult Film Review
Lots of Lovin’!
By Jerome Voltero
Here comes Valentines Day! For those of you
who need a little extra loving, we’re reviewing 2disc sets this month from Adult Depot. Apparently they couldn’t fit all that manly goodness onto
just one DVD…when you think about it, that’s a
lot of naughty bits and mega-bytes!
“The Missing” by Hot
House Video
This film starts out similar to that that infamous
“What’s wrong with gay
marriages?” commercial
with the two guys sleeping
together and fighting over
the blanket. I couldn’t
help but watch fondly as
they alternated spooning
one another as the night
progressed. Next morning
however the scene is not
so rosy – one of the guys
has been kidnapped!
He awakes in a dungeon, bound up in a leather body
bag where he has no choice but to sample the “prison
food”. Looks like hotdogs are on the menu - and yes, you
guessed it, buns. He certainly doesn’t remain a reluctant
prisoner for long!
The guys are decked out in their leather harnesses,
chaps, and cock rings - most of them have at least one
tattoo on their body. I’d say all of them are 30-somethings at least, some are furry, some are smooth, but all
are pretty masculine. They grunt and they growl, they
suck and they spank, they rim and they…fart? Maybe it
was just queer ears playing tricks on me.
A couple of scenes later I see the next generation in interior decorating – a beautiful glass table with an underside cage – comes complete with 3-hot-prisoner set! It’s
really unique, I wonder when IKEA will finally get “Cäge”
in stock? It’s certainly kinky, and one hell of a way to
get some dinner entertainment.
The second CD has a 5th bonus scene on it, along
with a cum-shot compilation, fuck compilation, and XXX
photo gallery.
The movie can be a little fetish-heavy at times, but unlike some similar style movies I’ve reviewed in the past,
I found nothing that made me overly uncomfortable.
Maybe that’s not saying much from me, as I’ve possibly
26
Review | Adult Male
become completely desensitized.
“Arabesque” by Raging
Stallion Studios
If President Bush were
a fur-queen, a movie like
this would make him
think twice about bombing
Iraq! Okay, that was in
really bad taste, but luckily this porno will put a
better one in your mouth.
For me, the most spittlewiping occurred over the
newly introduced Raging
Stallion exclusive “Sarib”
– now that’s a woofer, and
such a bottom!
The beginning is a little odd as they show clips from
old black and white movies before they lead us into the
first scene. Though the street market bartering gets
a little friendly, it’s the communal water-pot that gets
things fired up. Other than “monkey boy”, all of these
guys in this scene are 9’s and 10’s in my book – muscular, tattooed, and furry as heck. Whoops, did I psyche
you out? They’re not quite 9 or 10 inches, but certainly
well enough endowed to keep one’s attention.
Stereotypes abound. The music is completely cliché
– heavy on the drums, sitars, and other instruments I
can’t even name. The scenery is actually quite convincing, maybe not for a marketplace per se, but it definitely
hits that Aladdin-style Arabic feel…it must be the abundant array of Persian rugs that do it for me. The actors
announce their imminent climaxes in plain English
– thank goodness they didn’t stoop to using any of that
phony South Park “Burka burka mohammed” speech or
I would start to feel ashamed for enjoying the porno so
much.
The scene with Sarib and Hussein one-on-one just
totally blew my mind. Sarib performs auto-felatio while
Hussein contorts his manhood directly downward into
him. Now that’s talent, I have to say! Now there’s
something unique for which to rent this particular porno.
I seriously doubt there are too many others that have
caught something like this on camera, at least not with
guys this hot.
Later on we see a cute but smooth Arabic prince going
at a scruffy, almost oriental-looking twink. My goodness,
there’s plenty of room under the prince’s “tent”. Sadly
for me (but perhaps more happily for you), there is a
hardy helping of younger smooth guys in the scenes to
follow – so it’s not solely a fur-lover’s pizza.
CD number 2 comes with bonus scenes from other
Raging Stallion pornos like “Raiders of the Lost Arse,”
another A-grade film in my opinion. They have model
interviews, an extended movie trailer, and a stimulating
behind the scenes feature.
This sex stuff is all just a fun diversion though. This
month especially, remember that it’s the relationship
behind the sex that matters! Don’t let yourself get so far
lost in lust that you forget about love. That being said,
not all relationships can be a harlequin romance. Time
to get down and dirty?
Adult Depot
1514B 14th Street SW – (403) 264-7399
140 – 58th Ave SW – (403) 258-2777
www.adultdepotstore.com
afterdk@telus.net
27
Out of the Closet and Onto the Streets
GLBTQ Youth at Risk
By Stephen Lock
A recent article by an openly lesbian Toronto police officer, Sgt. Judy Nosworthy, on
365gay.com about GLBTQ street and homeless youth struck a chord when I read it.
The issue of ‘what to do about our GLBTQ youth’ is an
issue that has been bouncing around our communities
for as long as I’ve been involved in community work and,
20-odd years later, the issue has not progressed beyond
the asking of the question. Very little has been done to
specifically address the issues and concerns - the cold
realities - of GLBTQ street-involved and homeless youth,
or any other generational demographic, for that matter.
This is often a particularly difficult population to
reach. On my radio show, Speak Sebastian, a few
months ago, I interviewed Dr. Sue McIntyre. She had
recently completed a study of males in the sex trade,
including street hustlers (Under the Radar). One of the
findings – and a rather obvious one, in hindsight – is
that members of this population tend to not approach the
various social workers, agencies, and networks set up to
deal with the issue…fear of being further outed, underage concerns, or a misplaced sense of independence
all contributed to this. The various agencies often had
absolutely no idea how to reach the population either.
When I was coordinating Gay Lines Calgary (the precursor to GLCSA), we attempted to institute a low-level
‘outreach’ to street-involved gay youth. It had extremely
limited success. Some of the boys showed up a couple
of times and the only result was “Miss Piggy”, our coffee
piggy-bank, was kidnapped and the five bucks in her
taken. One of our regular drop-ins found her abandoned
in Memorial Park and returned her to us. I thought it
amusing (although very relieved to see our drag pig back)
but also illuminative of just how much work we needed
to do and the total lack
of resources we had to do
Answers to this month’s
it. The ‘project’ didn’t go
Q-Puzzle on page 32
anywhere….
Other, and funded,
agencies are often so
overwhelmed with sheer
numbers that they can’t
even begin to focus specifically on a largely ‘invisible’
population. I sometimes
suspect if GLBTQ youth
were perceived in the same
manner as, for instance,
aboriginal youth, we would
28
have programs coming out our ears!
As Sgt. Nosworthy points out in her 365gay.com
article, GLBTQ youth are often denied service for being GLBTQ. A study released several years ago out of
Toronto focused on the experience of GLBTQ youth in
residential care. Many youth workers were unaware,
but there was a high incidence of abuse and harassment
of this demographic in residential care by other youth:
Intimidation, bullying and harassment, verbal abuse,
beatings, even rapes - the whole gamut. The study concluded that one of the least safe spaces for GLBTQ youth
was in existing residential care.
Many outreach programs are religious-based (various churches, the Salvation Army, pastoral care). I
commend the work done by such people, I honestly do.
However, if a setting like The Cave, for instance, is being
operated by an evangelical group with strong ties to antiGLBTQ advocacy then just how ‘welcoming’ and ‘safe’ is
that space for GLBTQ youth?
At the very least, there is a subtle feeling of not quite
being ‘good enough’ due to their orientation or gender
identity which is an issue, not necessarily the response
of others to those identities.
Oh, you are welcome here…just don’t act out your <fill
in the blank> while all around them heterosexual youth
are pairing off, dating, interacting as young males and
young females do and that is, within reason, encouraged
as it is seen as setting a model of mature interaction;
preparing youth for relationships and ‘life.’ However, if
two gay male youth or two lesbian youth do exactly the
same thing, suddenly it’s about their homosexuality. I
can’t even begin to imagine what trans-identified youth
or gender queer youth must go through….
Sgt. Nosworthy comments, “We, the fabulously innovative, socially edge-of-the-wedge GLBT community need to
step up to the plate and help our kids. We must compel
our governments to provide funding for housing, education, health care and employment opportunities specifically for GLBT youth, just as the government has provided for other ethno-cultural youth. We must work with
agencies within our towns and cities, such as the Police
and the Children’s Aid, to ensure that there is sensitivity
to the issues and appropriate response to the situations
that our youth are likely to find themselves in.”
It is a challenge. At a meeting formed to brainstorm
around how to revitalize the downtown core, and pass
comment on a study the City of Calgary had done regarding the Beltline/Connaught/West Victoria neighbourhoods, I mentioned that at no time was the gay community consulted. It certainly wasn’t consulted about the
“troublesome” phenomenon of young male prostitutes
along the so-called Gay Stroll.
Two youth workers from one of the street-oriented
agencies, both recently graduated female workers, turned
around and huffily announced to me “but that isn’t a gay
issue; it’s not about them being homosexual. Why would
we consult the gay men’s community about it?”
They insisted it was an issue of disenfranchisement, of
having a lack of skills…all the usual social work-y rationale. I agree, those rationale are a part of the equation,
but to me the bottom line was, those boys, by and large,
are “our” kids. True, not all hustlers identify as gay or
even bisexual, but many do and are.
To my way of thinking, youth agencies first need to be
talking to such youth to find out what their real needs
are. The agencies also need to be talking to the GLBTQ
community, specifically the gay and bisexual men’s
community, about some of the intangibles around what
it is to be gay in a predominately-heterosexual culture
- especially when your parents, who are supposed to love
you unconditionally, just kicked you out of the house for
being a faggot.
Placing gay, lesbian, or trans-identified youth into
a group home or shelter environment that does not
acknowledge or respect them for being gay, lesbian,
or trans-identified is setting those kids up for further
abuse.
well, but rather of not hearing anything coming out of
the person’s mouth at all; of carrying on as if nothing
whatsoever was uttered. A side characteristic of this
syndrome is The Mask wherein the person under forty
fixes the person over forty with a blank, often vacuous, gaze as if totally uncomprehending of the simplest
utterance, or not quite believing that anybody of such
advanced age is even capable of speaking.
In my day (and if that doesn’t reveal my advanced
age…), this was known as the Generation Gap. We
wouldn’t trust anyone over thirty. So such miscommunication is a product of intergenerational separation: We
simply don’t deal with each other on a regular basis and
certainly rarely relate.
Having said that though, if our queer youth, and
especially our homeless and at risk street queer youth,
are going to ever get a leg up and survive, it is up to us
as adults to reach out to them and keep reaching out so
that the needed services and models are in place.
Stephen Lock is a long-time glbtq activist, Vice-President and
Regional Co-Director for Egale Canada and also the producer and
host of a semi-monthly glbtq radio show, Speak Sebastian, airing
at 9pm on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month on CJSW FM
90.9 (www.cjsw.com).
We need queer-specific shelters, staffed by trained
GLBTQ youth workers who can more readily identify with
the clientele.
There needs to be an environment where queer youth
can see rainbow banners on the wall, access queer resources, know that a worker ‘gets it’ when the youth is
heartbroken over breaking up with his boyfriend or her
girlfriend.
Queer youth need help not only adjusting to being
abandoned by their families of origin, learning skills on
how to get and keep a job, paying rent, and being responsible. They need help in adjusting to being healthy,
secure, gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, or transfolk. Queer
youth need not only peer-support, but also queer elder
support. The generations ahead of them can often serve
as wonderful role models, but only if queer youth has
legitimate and safe access to us.
Unfortunately, mention mentoring queer youth to
most gay men over the age of 30 (and a few lesbians too)
and they will blanch and start to stutter and stammer,
“Gawd, no. People will think I am some sort of chickenhawk!”
Such reluctance cuts both ways, of course. As I skidded past 40-something, I became increasingly aware of
Invisible Man Syndrome. This somewhat unsettling syndrome seems to affect individuals in their late teens and
early-to-mid twenties when in the presence of someone
over forty. They seem to have difficulty not only hearing
what The Old Guy/Girl has said, but of even acknowledging his or her presence.
It is not a case of not hearing the older person very
29
Different Strokes Calgary
Swimming Toward a Wider Horizon
By Stephen Lock
One of the ‘veterans’ of the Calgary GLBTQ
community, Different Strokes Swim Club recently celebrated its 10th Anniversary in July
of 2005, and continues to seek new challenges for its members.
With a membership of over fifty individuals, and
averaging between twenty and twenty-eight showing up
for its twice-weekly practices, the club is healthy and
involved.
“One of the great things about the club is that it is so
social and friendly,” says Rob Kremer, a member.
Most people find out about the swim club through a
friend and then accompany that friend to a practice, but
for those learning about the club through other sources
such as GLCSA or ads in local queer media, showing up
can be intimidating.
“Absolutely,” says Kremer, “Getting past the security
at the pool then walking into a room full of people in
Speedos™, well…not a lot of people feel comfortable doing that. It’s much easier to meet up beforehand for a
coffee, or arrange to meet them in the foyer of the YWCA,
so that they’re not walking into a room full of strangers.”
There are also a few women involved with the club and
it is actively working to improve the gender balance.
“We’re open to anyone who wants to swim. We even
have had straight folk join us and one of our coaches is
straight, which is interesting for a gay and lesbian swim
club,” says Kremer, “but everyone gets along and the
coach handles any teasing pretty well.”
The swim club is facing a full schedule over the next
few months. On March 11, Different Strokes is holding their Mardi Gras Dance. This year’s theme is “Rio
Carnival.”
“All our dances have a Mardi Gras theme,” Kremer
says, “It just seems to fit well with a gay swim club – you
know, not many clothes,” he laughs. Attendees are
encouraged to show up in theme; headdresses, masks,
body paint and glitter, outrageous Mardi Gras-style costuming and, of course, the beads.
“We will have Mardi Gras masks and beads for sale, at
cost, on site, so everyone can get into the spirit,” Kremer
says. “People trade beads all night long, just like they do
down in New Orleans…well, almost like they do down in
New Orleans…”
The dance will be at Victoria Park Community Hall
30
Community | Spotlight
(1302 – 6 St. SE), for which Different Strokes will be renting both sides.
“The dance itself is going to be in the main hall - the
one everyone is familiar with. We will also be renting the
south hall as well, as sort of a quiet area. There will still
be music and a party atmosphere, just not as noisy and
frenetic as the main hall,” says Kremer.
In April, Different Strokes is going to be involved for
the first time with Apollo’s Western Cup XXV. In addition, with the new OUTGames (sponsored by the Gay and
Lesbian International Sports Association) happening in
Montreal in a few months, members of Different Strokes
are training to compete.
“We have 16 members already committed to swimming
at the OUTGames. When we went to the Gay Games in
Sydney, we had twelve members go,” says Kremer. Different Strokes members have always medaled at the Gay
Games and Kremer expects more of the same at OUTGames.
“Of course, the whole philosophy of [attending] both
sets of Games is not competition in the usual sense. It’s
about personal best, and all levels of athletes are welcome to compete,” says Kremer, “Still…it’s nice to have a
few medals brought home.”
The group’s paid coach is really pushing the cardio
aspect and getting the swimmers ready for the Individual
Medley (IM) – fifty metres each of the butterfly stroke,
backstroke, breaststroke, and crawl.
As with the club itself, those going to Montreal need
not be star athletes.
“We have what we call four lanes…four levels of ability,” says Kremer, “Lane One is for beginners and those
learning to swim, going all the way up to Lane Four.”
“I started off in Lane One when I first joined about four
or five years ago, now I’m all the way up to Lane Three.
Mind you, there are times when I slip back to Two or One
to perfect a particular technique, or because I’ve had a
lousy day and am not just up to swimming at a Level
Three,” laughs Kremer.
Swimming is one of the most popular sports in GLBTQ
sporting circles. Asked if that had anything to do with
being surrounded by toned bodies in Speedos™, Kremer
laughs.
“Yeah, that’s probably one of the main reasons…but
it’s also a sport where you are competing against yourself, not others, and an individual can focus on skill,
cardio workouts, and their concentration,” Kremer points
out, adding, “When I’ve had a particularly crummy day,
the concentration involved in swimming well just obliterates that stress. After a good swim, I feel great and the
stress is just not there.”
member of Swim Alberta (the provincial registering body)
and so we’ve had members swim at the Alberta Open.”
The Edmonton group, Making Waves, holds a swim
meet every Family Day weekend that is sanctioned by
Swim Alberta, and Different Strokes attends.
“Their meet has lots of 25 metre sprints, so it’s very accessible,” Kremer notes.
The club swims at the YWCA on 5th Avenue SE every
Wednesday at 7pm, and on Sundays at 6pm. The first
visit is free and subsequent visits are $5, although members can choose to pay in six month or annual sets. A
$20 membership with Swim Alberta is also required.
Different Strokes
www.differentstrokescalgary.org
Mardi Gras Dance – March 11th
Victoria Park Community Hall (1302 – 6th Street SE)
Weekly Swim Meets – Wed. at 7pm, Sun. at 6pm
At the YWCA on 5th Avenue SE
Swimming combines the emphasis on individual challenge with the camaraderie of team sports.
“Different Strokes does involve itself in the various
swim meets around Alberta, our members often will get
involved with those,” Kremer says. “Different Strokes is a
31
Q Puzzle
“Adopt Instead”
Fun | Crosswords
By GayCalgary.com Magazine Staff
CLUE: A crossword that takes a comical
look at heterosexual intercourse.
Across
1 State, to Renee Vivien
5 Orgasm, e.g.
10 Show Boat rank
14 Like sex for one
15 Sample some buns, e.g.
16 Trojan Horse, e.g.
17 With 31-Across, result
of too much 47-Across
19 Theocritus creation
20 The No. 1 to Christopher Street
21 Rent unit (abbr.)
22 Flick them
23 Celeste of All About Eve
25 Gay-friendly Detroit
org.
27 Dickinson’s howe’er
28 Cockeyed
31 See 17-Across
34 Where Boy Scouts sleep
together
35 Liquid in your head
(abbr.)
36 Sondheim’s ___ the
Woods
37 Famed Bruin’s nickname
38 Drop ___ (flirt, perhaps)
40 It comes before date?
43 Soon, to Shakespeare
45 Law for Lorca
32
46 Rock Hudson role, usually
47 It can result in birth
50 Drag queen ___ Lettuce
51 Paul Newman role in
Exodus
52 Castro to Mission District dir.
53 Those, to Gomer
55 Skipper’s staff
57 Senatorial seat holders,
e.g.
59 Exams on sexual technique?
62 Lucci’s Erica in All My
Children
63 With 31-Across, orgasm?
66 Cigar butt
67 Get up
68 Stats from A League of
Their Own 69 Sound like
Harvey Fierstein
70 Nathan and family
71 Comic-juggler Felder
Down
1 Gaydar, for example
2 Screwdriver, e.g.
3 Food for one with a
master
4 Get to second base, with
a guy?
5 Stonewall
6 Robertson, who accused
lesbians of witchcraft
7 Bangkok continent
8 Plug
9 Homophobia, e.g.
10 Bed with bars
11 Tried to play with Michael Stipe?
12 1960 movie of Anthony
Perkins
13 Charles ___ Reilly
18 Country north of Thailand
24 Sexy clothing material
26 Came out on top
28 Went down on
29 Arenas’ month
30 Where to find rectal
thermometers?
32 Dossier about Uranus?
33 Partners that are tired
of each other?
35 Like First or Second
Peter
39 New York gay magazine
41 Abe Lincoln’s boy
42 Child-care writer LeShan
44 Stuff from your shaft
47 Computer user that
does circumcisions?
48 Periodical boners
49 Frida Kahlo’s woman
50 Greek queen of heaven
54 Targets for Patty Sheehan
56 Make an emotional
discharge
58 Word with top, for Mauresmo
60 Old coin of Michelangelo’s country
61 Emulate an eagle or a
falcon
64 Milk, so to speak
65 Top-secret org.
Answer key is on page 28
High Performance, Indeed!
One Yellow Rabbit & Friends
Review | Theatre
By Nico Hofferd
I’ll admit it; I’m pretty much a High Performance Rodeo virgin. Oh, I’ve been to a few
shows over the years, here and there, but
I’ve never taken in “The Festival” as a whole.
I expected quality programming, which I
definitely received. What I didn’t expect was
the flame relit within me for theatre and live
performance as a whole.
It’s definitely been the year of music and dance for this
year’s Rodeo, featuring the in-house styles of the Rheostatics, the infamous Kronos Quartet featuring Tanya
Tagaq, all the way to Montreal Danse and Peggy Baker
Dance Project.
The Bell Orchestre
I definitely didn’t know what I expected with this fivesome from Montreal. I heard “featuring members of The
Arcade Fire” and the Canadian pop/rock side of me got
all excited. The name should’ve given it away: An Orchestra – of sorts – with instruments such as the violin,
upright bass, drums, French horn, trumpet, keyboards,
triangle… and typewriter?
The band took the stage in the complete dark,
dressed all in white with small, glowing lights on each
of their bodies. The entry, set to scratchy synthesized
noise and radio broadcasting was quite ethereal. Not
your average rock show – but as billed – “a post-punk
art rock, avant-garde chamber music and cerebral electronica.”
The Corridor – La Caravan Danse Theatre
After seeing “The Corridor,” I had the pleasure of
speaking with choreographer and dancer, Maya Kandensky. Trained in the art of the dance in her home country
of Israel, she arrived in Canada four years ago and set
out to create that which she could not find. The Corridor was her first full-scale, full-length show with La
Caravan Danse Theatre, a performance that she choreographed and starred in.
I asked Maya about where her inspiration came from
for the Corridor. “My intention was to find a place or
platform of a certain existence where all of my ideas
could come and emerge from; The concept, or story, that
can come out and interweave through this miniature
universe that exists in the in-between. The Corridor is a
dimension, of in-between, exit and entrance.”
Certainly, themes of birth, growth and metamorphosis
repeat themselves throughout the
production. “There is no ending,”
Maya continues, “In our mind,
death is an end...but it is merely
the door for the next stage, the
next dimension we are travelling into. At each stage, we are
transformed to something else,
eventually united as one, with no
separation.”
Every character in The Corridor is on a journey of their
own, and the dance explores the interaction and communication of each of these characters as they come
together to interact before moving on to the next dimension. I was enthralled by one character that reappears
as the same in each scene, her movements spastic, jerky
and un-conforming. Maya explained to me, “She is a
free spirit, the rebellion, the spark of light. A very naked
spirit who doesn’t follow any order of organization; always coming in and out and in between, interacting and
penetrating the corridor in her own way. She is noticed
through every journey and finds a way to be communicated or be noticed, until eventually she is embraced as
well.”
That’s a character I think most of us can identify with.
The Rheostatics
Best Of
“Legends in the House!” is how the advertisement rang,
and I was assured by my partner in crime that this was
true, he being a true Rheo’s superfan that had already
attended nearly every show they put on the second week
in January. As a Rheostatics newbie, I had chosen
the “Best Of” show to play it safe. Not the best choice
overall, as I hadn’t realized that this meant ‘guest stars’
– fans of the band, singing to their favourites. At times a
happy surprise (Kris Demeanour comes to mind!), other
times strained, it was an entertaining evening nonetheless, thanks to the familiar banter that the band has
perfected over their years together. Dave Bidini has
his comedic routine down to an art form. Even though
I didn’t get a chance to experience the Best Of show in
true Rheos’ form with Martin Tielli at the helm, I’d definitely venture out to see the guys again.
Harmelodia
New to the Rodeo this year is the introduction of Kid
Friendly Shows, including the Rheostatic’s children
album, Harmelodia. As my 11-year-old accomplice had
33
to say, “The thing I liked most about the Harmelodia
concert was the music. I think the seats were okay,
but they were not too comfy. I thought the way they
were arranged was kind of squished. I liked the story
of Harmelodia and I also liked the fact that he actually
read the story. My favourite part of the Harmelodia story
was when they played the music in Popopalous and then
Harmelodia and Popopalous joined. I thought it was cool
how Martin Tielli could play a lot of different types of
guitars. I thought it was cute how some of the little kids
started dancing. I did not understand why the drummer
played barefoot. I think the theatre should be a bit bigger. My favourite member of the Rheostatics was probably Martin Tielli because he had a lot of guitars. All in
all, it was a great concert.” (Thanks, Veronica!)
Pyjama Men – Stop Not Going
In the dark, hollow European voices ring out, “Marco!”,
“Polo!” before the conversation got down to the real
nitty gritty: How do you play water polo, anyway? Do
the horses wear snorkels? And so begins the absolute
and divine ridiculousness that is the Pyjama Men. The
imaginations of Shenoah Allen and Mark Chavez, you’re
thinking, surely belong to the most absurd ADHD-stricken 8 year olds imaginable, or delightfully deranged freaks
with too-high serotonin levels.
Dressed only in their jammies, and with only two
chairs to aid them, these two men from Albuquerque,
New Mexico transform your surroundings with a host of
make believe characters, voices, sound effects, invisible
props and costumes. The two have known one another
for 13 years and have been performing together for six.
Their creative process, Shenoah tells me, usually involves them locking themselves together into a room and
not coming out until they have some workable material,
before further condensing it down into something usable.
Self-identified as sketch comedy, they feature a hefty
dose of improv as they fly from character to character,
situation to situation at breakneck speed. This dizzying
venture of non-stop comedy left us out of breath and me
with tears down my cheeks from laughing so hard. If I
ever get the chance to see the Pyjama Men again, it’ll be
a waterproof mascara night for sure.
Monster Theatre – The History of the Future
Due to unforeseen circumstances, I was unable to
make Monster Theatre’s newest production, “The History
of the Future,” and after speaking to Ryan Gladstone
(writer and performer) in Vancouver, to say I’m disappointed would be an understatement.
A native Calgarian, Ryan explained the show and
the history of Monster Theatre to me. As part III of the
“History series” (the first being Canada, the second the
World), this was an adventure story of the future. Each
of the three guys who make up Monster theatre (Ryan,
brother Jeff Gladstone, and Bruce Horak of Toronto) all
play versions of themselves who each venture off to a
different place in the future in their time machine: 50
years, 1000 years, and the Apocalypse.
Drawing from research based on science, economics,
medical technology; plenty of 1950’s science fiction and
a liberal dose of religious and end-of-world mythology
(include everyone’s favourite, Nostradamus!), the three
create enough chaos and destruction forcing Ryan to
travel even further to rescue his two comrades, save the
audience, and ultimately destroy themselves as a result.
Who expected such martyrdom from Monsters?
Taking most of their cues from history, Ryan states his
philosophy as thus: “All stories have already been told.
Our job is to adapt and retell these stories for Modern
Times.”
You can catch the boys of Monster Theatre in “Jesus
Christ: The Lost Years” at the upcoming Calgary Fringe
Festival.
Sheri-D Wilson
Adventures of the Trick Riders: During the Apocalypse while Thinking of Jesus
The incomparable Sheri-D is recognizable as the driving force behind spoken word in Calgary. With not only
spoken word but an entire melange of art forms, SheriD, along with her sidekick, Laura Parken, hook you and
have you ride along the trail of their bandit past. SheriD’s character returns home from New York City to her
childhood hometown of Black Diamond for the funeral
of her dear friend and first love, Clare. She revisits her
history growing up in small-town Alberta with her twin
sister before their ride takes you to the inevitable dead
end. In the background, utilizing a glaring palette of
black and white on a newspaper canvas, Martin Guderna
paints their story. Above, multimedia visuals further
illustrate their story through light and dark, punctuated
by the musical styling of Richard Broom. All of these elements may sound confusing, but together, serve to carry
you along on the sisters’ journey with them.
As Sheri-D herself puts it, she took a “Big, ugly chance
which could’ve been a total disaster or a beautiful ride.”
Fortunately for the audience, it’s definitely the latter.
“Adventures of the Trick Riders” explores social violence
without hitting the audience over the head with the
message. Using all of these different forms of artistic
representation results in a gentle ride with ever-changing scenery – at times laugh-out-loud funny, at times
shocking and painful – but all the time a reminder of our
histories and how we end up being who we are.
Look for more of Sheri-D Wilson at the upcoming Spoken Word Festival in April here in Calgary, featuring a
special presentation of queer voices.
Bubonic Tourist: Mutton Busting
Though not a One Yellow Rabbit event, Bubonic
Tourist’s Mutton Busting has been a side-event to the
34
Rodeo for the past five years, and this year marked the
onset of special programming for Queer events. It’s easy
to see why Artistic Director Eric Moschopedis received
the 2004 Calgary Professional Arts Alliance & Enbridge
Emerging Artist award – such forward thinking deserves
such reward.
We took in “Orgasm: The Annie Sprinkle Porn Fest”
for a few hours and enjoyed it immensely. Having had
Annie Sprinkle in my peripheral so many times and been
aware of her presence as both a feminist and an artist,
this was the first opportunity I had to see her work, and
I found it as refreshing and sexy as it was campy and
funny. Although unfortunately not well attended, it was
an afternoon well spent – who wouldn’t want to spend
the afternoon giggling in the dark with a group of strangers at Motel?
I’m looking greatly forward to further Bubonic Tourist
projects – a fun group of people determined to carving a
special niche in the Calgary performing arts community.
Complete schedule of events and all the info you need
to know can be found at http://www.oyr.org/hpr_06
35
The Science of the Mind
Celebrating GLBTQ Marriage
By Stephen Lock
Now that equal marriage is finally a reality
in Canada, there is an increasing variety of
options available to those seeking to marry
their same-sex partner.
Those couples who wish to have a religious component
to their ceremony can seek out a faith group or cleric
whose philosophy matches their own. Prior to C-38, it
was not possible for a religious leader to legally marry
two people of the same sex, but now it is. The same
freedom now also applies to civic authorities who can
perform weddings, such as marriage commissioners.
Many of the so-called “mainstream churches” continue to struggle with the question of same-sex marriage.
However, many of the more progressive faith groups
(Christian and non-Christian) are finally free to marry
couples they have always supported.
One such group is Religious Science International (RSI)
and their co-religionists the United Church of Religious
Science (UCRS) - not to be confused with the United
Church of Canada or The Church Of Christ, Scientist, by
the way.
RSI, founded by Ernest Holmes, has approximately
140 churches worldwide (UCRS has approximately
200 churches), and grew out of the metaphysical New
Thought movement of the 1920’s. It shares similar roots
with such groups as Christian Science, Unitarian Universalist, Theosophists, and others.
The church teaches that “God” is an Infinite
Intelligence/Energy, that created the Universe out of Itself. Human beings are part of that, therefore possessing
the Divine within ourselves, and are connected to each
other and this Infinite Intelligence.
Holmes maintained there are two aspects to the universe: Love and Law, or the Personal and Impersonal.
RSI beliefs are based on the concept of the Law of Cause
and Effect. RSI teaches humans co-create with the Divine and that “thought creates form.”
Religious Scientists believe we are all one with each
other and one with “God,” therefore differences such as
Review | Business
sexual orientation, gender, or race are merely different
expressions of that Oneness.
“RSI is based on Christian philosophy, but we do not
consider ourselves to be a ‘Christian Church’,” says Rev.
Nadene Rogers, an RSI minister in Calgary. “Ernest
Holmes synthesized a variety of beliefs from the major
world religions and while we recognize Jesus as a great
teacher, we do not believe him to be the only Son of God.
We are all sons and daughters of God, of the Infinite.”
One of the basic beliefs of RSI, and where it differs
sharply from Judeo-Christian teachings, is on the concept of Original Sin. Religious Scientists believe that humans, as part of the Infinite who some call “God,” carry
“Original Blessing.”
“As part of that Infinite Energy, we believe we as humans carry that within us, always. Our species starts
from a place of blessing, not from a place of sin,” Rev.
Rogers explains. “If one subscribes to the idea of Original
Sin, then we can never realize our full potential because
no matter what we do, we remain sinners. It’s a theology
of victimhood. However, if we come from a place of Original Blessing, that perfection is already within us and we
just need to find it.”
“We have a saying in the Church, ‘change your Mind;
change your Life.’ We believe in the science of Mind and
that the Mind is part of the Cosmos.”
Since RSI teaches that humanity is part of the Divine
and individuals are expressions of the Divine, there is
really no difference between people.
“We all share the same spirit,” says Rogers. “We just
each express it differently. When we talk about samesex marriage, for instance, it is about equal rights, not
just gay rights. Gay, straight, lesbian, bisexual…it’s all
human nature.”
“The Islamic Sufi mystic, Rumi, once wrote, ‘beyond
the concepts of Right Doing and Wrong Doing there is a
field. I will meet you there.’ Essentially, he was talking
about all of us being united, joined, and able to come
together spiritually.”
Or, put another way, Rev. Rogers explains, “happiness
depends on healing the whole. Focusing on gay/straight,
black/white, male/female, perpetuates the divisions between us and perpetuates our suffering. The teachings
of Mind honour all paths to that field.”
Much of the controversy around equal marriage focused on the religious versus the civil nature of marriage
36
in Canada. Bill C-38 addressed the civil aspects only,
thereby allowing various faith groups to marry or not
marry couples, as the faith felt appropriate. Despite the
protestations of the religious conservatives and religious
Right, clerics opposed to marrying a same-sex couple, or
a divorced couple or an inter-faith couple, are not legally
required to do so. C-38 reaffirmed religious freedom by
“opening up” choices for various faith groups; this expands religious freedoms in Canada, rather than restricting them.
“Absolutely,” says Rogers enthusiastically. “I can’t
imagine any RSI minister who would not joyfully agree
to join a same-sex couple in marriage. Such a union fits
into our theology quite well. It is not who you love, but
how you love.”
Several of the more “progressive” churches, prior to
C-38 becoming law, would perform commitment ceremonies, hand-fastings, Holy Unions, or any number of
ceremonies to recognize and honour the union of a samesex couple. The RSI was no different.
Whether or not it’s a good thing to get married out of
fear for what the future may hold is for Rogers’ couples
to decide – it is not something she gets into.
“It doesn’t matter what I think will happen or not happen. The reality is these couples are getting married
now. I tell them; if you are afraid of what the federal government might do, if you are afraid you may not be able
to marry in a few months time, why wait? Get married
now,” explains Rogers.
“It’s still about freedom to choose. It is always about
freedom to choose. If they choose to marry now instead
of in six months or a year, that’s fine. They’re as married
as if they waited.”
Weddings My Way
Rev. Nadene Rogers
(403) 247-0602
www.weddingsmyway.com
For more information on Religious Science, go to http:
//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_Science
“We often performed these ceremonies, we just couldn’t
use the legal language such as ‘Do you take so-and-so as
your lawfully wedded spouse.’ Now we can do that fullservice ceremony for those who want it,” says Rogers.
Unlike many mainstream churches, the RSI does not
have any requirements couples need to fulfill before being married by an RSI minister.
“We don’t require the couple be members of the
church. We don’t usually do pre-marital counseling.
They don’t need to attend workshops or anything like
that. People know what is right for them. If a couple
wishes to marry and approach us to marry them, we
marry them,” says Rogers.
When equal marriage was first made legal, Rev. Rogers
noticed couples were “taking their time” with it all.
“But now, since the election, I am seeing couples who
are afraid of what Stephen Harper might do with samesex marriage and they are rushing out to marry before
the right is taken away from them, if it is taken away…
we don’t know what he will do,” says Rogers. “People are
now getting married from a position of fear of what the
government might do. It’s sad.”
37
Calgary Group goes to Carnegie Hall
By Jason Clevett
It’s one of the most prestigious performance
venues in the world. Located in the heart of
New York City, two blocks from Central Park,
the 116 year old Carnegie Hall has played
host some of the greatest classical performers
on earth. On February 19th, 2006, you can
add members of the Calgary Men’s Chorus to
that list.
“Personally, I’m a little overwhelmed. I’ve never even
imagined that I’d be on stage in Carnegie Hall,” Board
Member and third year CMC member Thomas McDonald
told GayCalgary.com. “I know all 19 of us that are going
are really excited about this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It’s almost like there’s electricity in the air as the
date gets closer. Zzzzapp, only a few weeks to go!”
There is a long time joke: “How do I get to Carnegie
Hall?” “Practice, Practice, Practice.” This has been the
case for the CMC, whose efforts paid off when they were
noticed in Montreal by Dr. Tim Seelig, who is putting
together the New York event.
”Dr. Seelig heard the CMC perform at the GALA competition in Montreal back in 2004. From what I’ve heard,
as I was unable to attend, Dr. Seelig was very impressed
with the performance the CMC gave, so much so that he
contacted us when he decided to put together the mass
chorale presentation of When We No Longer Touch. At
last count there are 15 choruses involved, including one
from Paris and one from Gauteng in South Africa!”
required loads of rehearsing, both on the regular nights
as well as at home. The content is extremely moving
and at times the Latin can be a bit daunting but, it gets
easier as you go along. While the costs of our trip have
been paid for by the members themselves, we recently
held a successful raffle to help fill the coffers.”
While the focus is on February 19th, you can bet
that the members of the chorus will be partying it up in
one of the biggest cities in the world. From theatre to a
vibrant gay scene, there will be plenty to fill their time
while visiting the Big Apple. It certainly won’t be all work
and no play!
“We are officially in New York from Thurs February
16th to Monday the 20th with the performance being on
Sunday the 19th. There are a few who are going earlier
and a few staying longer. The rehearsal schedule takes
care of the days, but the nights are ours. A bunch of us
are heading off to see Hairspray on the Friday, and some
of us have tickets for other shows too. I’d like to check
out some of the museums and galleries if I can fit it in, or
maybe some of the clubs. There’s also a dinner cruise in
the harbor after the concert on Sunday night. It’s going
to be a great experience.”
www.calgarymenschorus.org
The piece When We No Longer Touch: A Cycle of Songs
for Survival is a piece of music written by Kris Anthony
with poetry by Dr. Peter McWilliams, and is set to text
from the Latin Requiem Mass. This haunting piece
touches on grief, despair, regret, denial and anger, yet it
also incorporates hope, acceptance and salvation.
“When We No Longer Touch undoubtedly touches us all
differently. The message that I get from it is that no matter how much you lose, if you have known love there is
hope. Through the experience that is When We No Longer Touch, you will be taken through the process of grief
from the fear and denial that the loss has happened, to
the understanding, and finally to the point where you accept the loss and use it to help get on with life.”
The members going to New York have put a lot of effort
into preparing for the trip, for which they have covered
their own cost.
”There’s been a lot of heartache with this piece. It has
39
Enbridge playRites Festival 2006
5 Plays in 6 Weeks
Preview | Theatre
By Jason Clevett
The 20th season of Alberta Theatre Project’s
playRites festival is upon us, and a buzz is
in the air at the Martha Cohen Theatre in
the Epcore Centre for Performing Arts. The
slogan for this year’s series is “Wanna peek?”
and GayCalgary.com took a peek at what we
can expect between now and March 5th.
Hippies and Bolsheviks
by Amiel Gladstone
Directed by Rachel Ditor
Starring David Beazely,
Shaker Paleja and Daniela
Viaskalic.
Set in 1970’s Vancouver,
Star meets draft dodger Jeff
at a Led Zepplin concert.
Star’s ex Allan interrupts
their first night together
and the three of them explore the utopia of youthful
idealism and the uncertain
terrain of responsible adulthood. This touching coming-of-age story will touch you while making you laugh.
The Blue Light by Mieko
Ouchi
Directed by Ron Jenkins
Starring Natascha Girgis,
Kate Hennig, Duval Lang,
Trevor Leigh and Ryan
Wilkie
Leni Riefenstahl made
the most famous propaganda film in history - or was it
art? She made a deal with
the Nazis - or was she just
naïve? She changed cinema
forever - or has anything
really changed at all? Headstrong, passionate, brilliant
but blind, this unforgettable character fights tooth and nail to hang on to her
singular, uncompromising, deeply controversial vision.
One thing is for sure - she’ll never say she’s sorry.
40
Picking Up Chekhov by Mansel Robinson
Directed by DD Kugler
Starring David Beazely, Nascha Girgis, Kate Hennig,
Tim Koetting, Duval Lang, Trevor Leigh, Caitlynne Medrek, Hilary Somerville and Daniela Vlaskalic.
Take a road trip - escape everything that sucks about
your life! When teenage drama queen Stevie and her
downtrodden dad pick up a mysterious hitch-hiker heading for home, their trip takes a hairpin turn. This gripping story of family, friendship and forgiveness is shot
through with anger, love and violence, as a community
tries to come to terms with the fundamental inexplicability of life.
Diplomatic Immunities by Mammalian Diving Reflex
See our full-length piece on Diplomatic Immunities on
page 56.
Le Gros Spectacle by The Wind-Up Dames
Directed by Bob White
Starring Renee Amber, Brieanna Moench and Frank
Zotter
In an era of innocence, two small town girls arrive
in a city of sin determined to win fame and fortune by
performing their hearts out...literally. Created by local
performers The Wind-Up Dames in collaboration with
Alberta Theatre Projects, this inventively told tale will
stretch your perceptions of what is real and what is all
part of the act.
Having had the chance to see some of the shows, this
year’s playRites festival promises to have something for
everyone. Tickets to individual shows are available at
ticketmaster and festival packages are available through
ATP’s box office.
Alberta Theatre Projects presents
The Enbridge playRites Festival of New Canadian Plays
January 24th through March 5th, 2006
ATP Box Office (403) 294-7402
www.atplive.com
41
Press Releases
Powder & Pride: Gay and Lesbian Ski Weekend
Panorama, BC - March 24th - 26th, 2006
By Nico Hofferd
The second annual Powder & Pride, put on by UB
productions is taking place this year in Panorama, BC,
March 24th-26th. Join the gang for a weekend of skiing, dancing and relaxing by the fire. For the non-skier,
there is SolSPA, snow bikes, hot spring pools, snowmobile tours and much, much more!
As a groovy bonus, all Disco Fever ticket holders will
have the chance to win a true disco-era vehicle, a classic 1979 Collectors Edition Lincoln Mark Five! With
costumes, live studio sounds, concert lighting, and the
chance to win a free car, this is a night you won’t want to
miss! It will be pure fun in platform shoes!
Your package includes round-trip bus transportation
from Calgary, first class ski in/out condo accommodations, and ski lift pass to the fabulous slopes! Starting at
only $119.00 per person per day (taxes included) - this
great deal is based on a four person stay per condo.
Tickets and information for “Disco Fever,” are available at (403) 571-0849 or on-line at ww.cpo-live.com.
Saturday night features a Winter Wonderland dance,
tickets for this event are $20. Ski all day and dance all
night! DJ Jared K will keep you moving even after a day
spent out on the slopes!
Non-skier packages are also available at a discount of
$25 per person per day. No transportation packages are
also available at the same level of discount.
To book your fabulous ski weekend package, contact:.
Chris Miller, Group Sales Coordinator
Panorama Mountain Village
Ph: (250) 341-4190
or email Chris at cmiller@intrawest.com
Powder & Pride also features a ski and snowboarding
club for day trips from Calgary to various surrounding
ski hills on the weekends. Organized meeting spot,
car pooling and it costs nothing to join! If you would
like to be on the club mailing list, send E-mail to
info@ubproductions.com.
Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra
Time warp back to the groovy ’70 with Disco Fever
By Nico Hofferd
Dig out your mood rings and your white polyester suits
as the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra salutes one of the
most loved and popular eras in music in “Disco Fever.”
The show happens February 24th at 8:00pm in the EPCOR CENTRE’S Jack Singer Concert Hall.
Resident Conductor, Pierre Simard, will be joined by
the popular Jeans ‘n Classics who return to Calgary for
a fantastic evening of memorable dance hits including
Stayin’ Alive, Disco Inferno, YMCA and many more.
42
The Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra has been live in
Calgary since 1955. Live with the world’s leading artists.
Live in a wonderful range of genres. Live for an average
of five concerts a month. Live in Southern Alberta as one
of North America’s finest and most versatile orchestras.
The CPO has been an integral part of our vibrant community for many years and is excited to be celebrating its
50th Anniversary in the 2005/2006 Season.
Designer Superstar Challenge
Calgarian makes good on HGTV show
By Jason Clevett
For the next seven weeks the eyes of Calgary will be glued to HGTV on Monday nights
for Designer Superstar Challenge. The show
is an action packed reality series about the
search for and selection of Canada’s next potential design show superstar. The episodes
are based on surprise weekly challenges,
nerve wracking tension and ultimate joy as a
three member judging panel (Anna Simone,
Jeff Andrews and Suzanne Dimma) endeavor
to reduce ten finalists to just one superstar.
“Being on a reality TV show was really surreal. There
were so many times where I was asking ‘am I really
here?’ I couldn’t believe this was happening to me!”
Alykhan Velji, who along with Aveline Crews represent
Calgary on the show. “I was under a lot of stress though
when it came down to the judges making their decisions,
that was the toughest part. I hope the show makes people realize that I have my head on straight, I know what I
am doing, and that I truly have a passion for design.”
It was a crazy road just to get to the show itself. The
producers received hundreds of entry tapes and spent
days watching and weeding the finalists down to 30. It
was then up to the judges to decide which ten should go
to Toronto to take part with the show. Velji described
his own route to the show.
”A friend of mine at the Calgary Sun actually got the
press release and emailed me about it, and a client of
mine also mentioned it to me and was really pushing me
to apply. So I did. We had to create a 5 minute video in a
space that we had decorated or designed. I chose to do it
in the home of the client who was motivating me to apply
for the challenge. It was really a team effort. I got back
from Africa and I had a week to get organized. I shot the
video after work one day. Everything was painted and
ready to get furnished. I rented some movers, brought
some furniture in from Ellipses Design to mix in with
some of the client’s, brought some items from home, borrowed some artwork and set up the space in about three
hours. We shot the video in about one hour and then
were out of there. I did have some help though, thank
God - I couldn’t have done it on my own!”
”The show is a reality show that is focused on the
design challenges with the judges looking to see skill,
ability and ease on camera. The series was shot over a
span of seven days with one challenge per day,” Rose-
Review | TV
mary Petrossi, publicist for HGTV told us. “The filming
was fun and exhausting, and HGTV shot a ton of footage
and each day was action-packed, but considering that
most design shows are shot over the span of a few weeks,
a day doesn’t seem like a lot. “
”The experience was fabulous! I never realized how
much work went into making a TV show. I loved every
minute of it though, as tiring as it was!” added Velji. “I
have definitely grown as a designer. I believe the whole
experience really made me confident in my design ability.
I learned a lot of from the experience especially to trust
my instincts and to go with my gut because during the
show I didn’t have much of a chance to second guess
myself.”
Regardless of the outcome, being part of Design Superstar Challenge opens a lot of doors.
”Many of our winners have either appeared as guests
on HGTV programs or have gone on to work on HGTV
shows. Designer Superstar Challenge is a great way
for the average design enthusiast to get in front of the
programming team at HGTV,” said Petrossi, adding that
the brand, now in its third season is alive and thriving.
“We now have Designer Superstar Challenge, Handyman Superstar Challenge and Superstar Chef Challenge.
Anyone interested in applying should watch HGTV for a
Designer Superstar promo requesting audition tapes.”
For Velji, it was the experience of a lifetime.
”What an unbelievable experience this was for me. This
was the third Designer Superstar Challenge. I remember hearing about the first and second one and thinking
what an amazing opportunity it would be, and that I
should really try out. To have actually made it to the top
10 out of thousands that applied was so thrilling!”
So what happens on the show? Velji is tight-lipped on
the subject, but invites you down to The Twisted Element
Monday Nights to watch the show at 7:00pm with him to
enjoy the journey.
”How far do I go in the competition? You are just going
to have to watch to see what happens.”
HGTV Designer Superstar Challenge III
Monday Nights 7:00pm and 10:00pm
Home and Garden Network (HGTV)
Channel 600 on Bell ExpressVu
Channel 51 on Shaw Cable
Channel 564 on StarChoice
43
Music Review
Stand Up for Love!
Music | Review
By Rob Diaz-Marino
Party Groove: White Party 7
Mixed by Junior Vasquez
The tension rages on until we finally start to feel regret with No More. I really enjoy this piece for the bold
instrumentals - they are a lot more prominent than in
the previous tracks, and start to hint at how the more
complex emotions take over as anger fades.
U Know I Love It! and Free Yourself are fairly heavy
groove – mostly rhythm and vocals, so they didn’t appeal to me so much. However, Funk and Shake Yourself
Loose start back into some great melody.
Finally we start to forgive, with Love will Find a Way
and Stand Up for Love, the latter an exclusive and unreleased mix by Vasquez himself, and probably my favorite on this CD. After all the drama, it’s a relief to hear
something so happy and uplifting.
Centaur Music
www.centaurmusic.com
Party Groove: White Party 7
is available in Priape stores
across Canada, and online
at www.centaurmusic.com,
where visitors can listen to
samples of every track on
the album.
We seem to be reviewing this CD just in time since it is
quite appropriate with Valentine’s Day this month. Junior Vasquez debuts volume 7 of the White Party series
on the Centaur label, and though it may not strike you
as such, this album has a lot to do with love!
“I tried to make it edgy, uplifting, anthemic and spiritual. For many years I was criticized for playing potsand-pans but I’m over that sound. I love great vocals
with instrumentation that’s tough-as-nails to underpin
the song,” commented Vasquez.
Vasquez quickly points out that on this CD he has
incorporated a lot of music that he did not produce
himself. Included are productions from Tom Stephan/
Supercumbo, Offer Nissim, Rooster & Sammy as well as
Junior’s favorite newcomers: Matt Piso and Tim Letteer.
The album seems to take you through the cycle of
betrayal, anger, remorse, and forgiveness – I suppose
standard drama in any relationship. It starts out with
the powerful song, Stupid Like You, a slightly bitter piece
that appeals to one’s jealousy. Next is Here I come, an
angry in-your-face song with the clever insertion of the
words “R-E-V-E-N-G-E, find out what it means to me.”
Looks like you can forget about that “little respect”!
44
45
Sexual Orientation and Conversion Therapy
Queer Quest
By Kevin Alderson, Ph.D., C. Psych.
I remember painfully my own experience
of suffering in a silence that I suspect many
people my age and older have experienced.
Watching Brokeback Mountain helped to
further regurgitate the taste of having had
amazingly strong crushes on male peers
while growing up, and then falling in love
romantically with my best straight friend
when I was 22-years old. I never uttered a
word to anyone about how strong my feelings
were. Instead, I tried my hardest to repress
and deny my feelings. Meanwhile, my unconscious mind knew that I was heartbroken so
as I fell deeper and deeper into an incapacitating depression, I reached out for help from
a well-meaning, loving, Christian counsellor.
I still love this person today – if there is one
thing that I have learned, it is that unconditional love means accepting yourself and
others as they are.
My counsellor attempted to help me feel better about
my relationship with my deceased father. Actually, I
had a good relationship with him before he died. Then
he helped me grieve my father’s death. Actually, I had
grieved his death when I was 10-years old...no wonder
my depression sunk to a point where I could no longer
get out of bed. Neither he nor I could deal with the real
issue: I had a strong homosexual orientation, and I was
heartbroken from an unrequited love.
Individuals who seek out conversion therapy do so
because of having significant internalized homophobia
[1], which is their self-hatred for having a same-sex affiliation. Between 96 and 97 percent of people who seek out
conversion therapy have a strong religious or spiritual
belief system that denigrates their same-sex orientation.
[2]
Various attempts at turning a homosexual orientation
into a heterosexual one have been attempted for a long
time. Aversion behaviour therapy was common during
the 1960s and 1970s. More men than women asked for
help with conversion, and the aversive approach entailed something that would inspire a sequel to the movie
Clockwork Orange. A device was attached to the guy’s
penis that would measure increased blood flow. He was
then shown nude pictures of men (yummy), but if the
46
poor gaffer started becoming erect, he was given an
electric shock to the finger,
the hand, the forearm, or
even the genitals! [3] Even
these early “S&M“ psychologists began to realize
that their barbaric measures did not actually shift
sexual orientation. Instead,
it reduced the compulsive
urge of these guys to seek
out sexual behaviour with
other guys, but it did not
create a desire to be sexual
with women. [4]
Aversion therapy was not the only method used by
early conversion therapists. Other methods included
injecting men with male hormones (i.e., testosterone)
– which made them hornier for sex with men; female
hormones (i.e., estrogen) – which reduced their sex
drive and helped them begin to look a little more like
women, which still did nothing to increase their desire
for women; the obviously painful castration, and lobotomies. You will be happy to know that today’s conversion
therapists have since developed more civilized techniques
to attempt a conversion.
Today’s conversion therapists are truly a mixed bag,
most of whom are not licensed psychologists or psychiatrists. More of it is practiced by those who belong to the
ex-gay movement. For a mind-opening look at what happens in some of the ministries associated with this, read
reference 5. [5] Their training can range from nothing
(especially in the self-help groups) to those with training
in pastoral counselling. You should be aware that every
mental-health association that has an ethical code for
its members – including associations for psychiatrists,
psychologists, and social workers, for example – strongly
advises against offering conversion therapy.
You might wonder, as I do myself, why conversion
therapy is not simply banned as a practice. Homosexuality has not been recognized as a mental disorder since
1973, so why do we allow therapy to occur when there is
nothing to “cure” or “fix”?
The reason mental-health associations have not
banned it, they argue, is that if we are to respect diversity, then we must also respect a person’s right to choose
according to his or her own religious or spiritual belief
system. Furthermore, there is some evidence produced
by the conversion therapists that suggest their methods
may be effective for some who are highly motivated to
change. I will briefly review two studies below that suggest change in sexual orientation is possible.
1.
Nicolosi, Byrd, and Pott’s (2000) Study [6]: These
researchers received completed surveys by 669 men and
193 women (total=882). They found that between 20 and
30 percent of the participants said that they had shifted
from a homosexual orientation to a heterosexual one. A
further 30 to 40 percent reported that they continued to
struggle with unwanted homosexual thoughts and behaviours. A final 35 percent said their sexual orientation
was unchanged. The average length that participants
received therapy was 3.4 years.
2.
Spitzer (2003) Study [7]: Spitzer did telephone
interviews with 143 men and 57 women (total=200) who
claimed to have changed their sexual orientation from
homosexual to heterosexual. The average length of each
interview was 45 minutes. Male participants stated their
same-sex sexual attraction was, on average, 91/100
before they started treatment, and that at 12 months
before Spitzer’s interview, the participants rated their
same-sex sexual attraction as decreased to 23/100. For
the women, the before and after report was 88/100 down
to 8/100, respectively. Other results included the finding
that only three men and none of the women reported
having good heterosexual functioning before their therapy commenced, whereas following treatment, 94 males
and 25 females reported good heterosexual functioning.
tive.
The research is replete with examples where conversion therapy has caused psychological harm to homosexually-inclined individuals, including (a) depression,
suicidal ideation, and attempts; (b) self-esteem and internalized homophobia; (c) distorted perception of homosexual orientation; (d) intrusive imagery and sexual dysfunction; (e) monitoring of gender-deviant mannerisms;
(f) social and interpersonal harm; (g) family of origin; (h)
alienation, loneliness, and social isolation; (i) interference
with intimate relationships; (j) loss of social supports
when entering and leaving the ex-gay community; (k) fear
of being a child abuser; (l) delay of developmental tasks
due to not coming out as gay or lesbian earlier; and (m)
spiritual harm. [9]
When I offer therapy to a client, the worst case scenario is that the person does not improve or receive the
desired results. My interventions are not potentially
fatal, however! In medical practice, the common axiom
is “First, do no harm.” If researchers could demonstrate
to me that conversion therapy does no harm, I would
have to ethically conclude that it should be provided as
a freely-chosen option by people who wish to convert.
However, as this is not what the bulk of research studies to date have concluded, I believe conversion therapy
should be treated like an experimental drug, or at least
be tested scientifically as a potentially new psychological
treatment. That would include, at minimum:
Such results appear impressive, until you look deeper
into how the researchers arrived at these findings:
1.
These were retrospective studies, meaning
that these individuals were not tested before therapy
started and then again at regular intervals. Instead, the
participants were reflecting from years ago about their
experience. In Spitzer’s study, the participants received
conversion therapy on average 12 years before they were
interviewed. In the Nicolosi study, there was about a
nine-year gap before they completed the survey.
2.
Because these individuals’ sexual orientation
was not assessed at the beginning of treatment, it is
likely that many of them had a bisexual orientation to
begin with. Therefore, the conversion therapists had
some degree of heterosexual interest to build upon.
3.
In neither study did the researchers inquire
about the most important aspect of sexual orientation,
that being which sex they have the propensity to fall
in love with romantically – the same, opposite, or both
sexes. [8] Instead, sexual orientation was largely trivialized to what the early measures of sexual orientation
focused on (such as the Kinsey scale), which was mostly
targeted at sexual behaviour and sexual attraction.
By the way, I do believe that the conversion therapists
have shown that (a) some highly motivated individuals
can become more heterosexual in their functioning and
(b) that some people who initially self-define as gay probably don’t know themselves well enough yet to realize
they actually have a bisexual orientation. But this is not
why I see conversion therapy as potentially very destrucgaycalgary.com magazine #28, Feb. 2006
47
1.
Informed Consent – Potential participants would
be given comprehensive information about the potential
risks and benefits that may result from taking part in
this study.
2.
Thorough Assessment – Potential participants
would be properly assessed as to their mental health and
their sexual orientation before being admitted into the
study.
3.
Random Assignment – Participants would then
be randomly assigned to either the experimental group
(i.e., conversion therapy) or a control group.
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)
Tozer, E. E., & Hayes, J. A. (2004). Why do individuals seek conversion
therapy? The role of religiosity, internalized homonegativity, and identity development. The Counseling Psychologist, 32((5), 716-740.
2)
Nicolosi, J., Byrd, A. D., & Potts, R. W. (2000). Retrospective selfreports of changes in homosexual orientation: A consumer survey of conversion
therapy clients. Psychological Reports, 86, 1071-1088.
3)
Murphy, T. (1992). Redirecting sexual orientation: Techniques and
justifications. Journal of Sex Research, 29, 501-523.
4.
Rigorous Evaluation – The participants would
be carefully monitored throughout the treatment to
ascertain whether the benefits are outweighing the risks.
Participants would be immediately removed from the
study should the treatment be shown to be hurting their
psychological, spiritual, or physical well being.
4)
McConaghy, N., Armstrong, M. S., & Blasczynski, A. (1981). Controlled
comparison of aversive therapy and covert sensitization in compulsive homosexuality. Behavior Research & Therapy, 19, 425-434.
Only through careful study will we ever be able to
determine if conversion therapy is advisable for some
people under some conditions, and for which people
and for which conditions. Until then, I fear that we will
continue to allow well-meaning “helpers” to continue
their practices of instilling yet greater guilt and greater
shame for something that perhaps is as God-given as the
blessed heterosexually to which they are oriented. As I
have written in my previous books and articles, sexual
minorities have been emotionally abused and spiritually
raped for at least 2,000 years. I believe it is now time to
end the abuse.
7)
Spitzer, R. L. (2003). Can some gay men and lesbians change their
sexual orientation? 200 participants reporting a change from homosexual to heterosexual orientation. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 32(5), 403-417.
Let me finish now with a quote from “Bobbie” who was
raised by fundamentalist Christians:
Why did you do this to me, God? Am I going to go to
Hell? That’s the knawing question that is always drilling
little holes in the back of my mind. Please don’t send me
to Hell. I’m really not that bad, am I? I want to be good. I
want to amount to something. I need your seal of approval. If I had that I would be happy. Life is so cruel and
unfair.
Bobbie committed suicide on August 27, 1983, leaving
his aforementioned words in his suicide note. [10]
Dr. Alderson is an assistant professor of counselling
psychology at the University of Calgary who specializes
48
5)
Ford, J. G. (2001). Healing homosexuals: A psychologist’s journey
through the ex-gay movement and the pseudo-science of reparative therapy. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Psychotherapy, 5(3-4), 69-86.
6)
Nicolosi, Byrd, & Potts (2000) – see reference above.
8)
Money, J. (1993). Sin, sickness, or status? Homosexual gender identity
and psychoneuroendocrinology. In L. D. Garnets & D. C. Kimmel (Eds.), Psychological perspectives on lesbian and gay male experiences (pp. 130-167). New York:
Columbia University Press.
9)
Shidlo, A., & Schroeder, M. (2002). Changing sexual orientation: A
consumers’ report. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 33(3), 249-259.
10)
McDonald, H. B., & Steinhorn, A. I. (1990). Homosexuality: A practical
guide to counseling lesbians, gay men, and their families [p. 54]. New York: Continuum..
49
The Boundaries of Art
Transgressive Art and Reaction
By Stephen Lock
Recently a controversy around the display
of some artwork on the EPCOR Centre’s +15
erupted, resulting in EPCOR erecting a wall
in front of the artwork, thereby allowing
those who wished to view the work to do so
and those who found the work too disturbing, or offensive, to continue on their way
along the +15 undisturbed. The controversy
highlighted the age-old question, “what is
art?”, and what are the rights of artists to
produce and exhibit their art versus the
rights of the public to not view that which it
finds disturbing or transgressive.
Representatives of the artistic side of this debate, Eric
Moschopedis of Bubonic Tourist, Anthea Black of the
stride Gallery, and Keith Murray of TRUCK Gallery, recently offered their perspective on the issues this controversy raised. EPCOR was not approached, as the writer
of this piece felt it important to give voice in a queer
publication to those working within a queer cultural
perspective.
Much has been made of the “censorship” angle in both
mainstream and alternative media, with the attendant
defensiveness such accusations usually entail. Did anything positive come out of this? Did this incident offer
an opportunity for greater dialogue between artists and
corporate interests that often help fund or supply venues
for those artists?
Moschopedis believes the controversy was, ultimately,
quite positive.
“When nearly one hundred people showed up for the
[Bubonic Tourist] public forum and almost unanimously
‘stood up’ for the expression of the artist…I think there
was a message sent to EPCOR Centre that this cannot
happen again,” said Moschopedis.
“Unfortunately, the conversations that were held were
not necessarily about the work, but the censorship of
the work. Sometimes you can’t control the vehicle that
drives people to actively and critically engage about art.”
Black feels any attention brought to bear on arts issues is good and is pleased about the increased communication and collaboration between the various arts
groups the controversy fostered.
“It has strengthened my resolve to keep presenting the
kind of work that challenges boundaries, and reaffirmed
the importance and impact presenting this work has,”
Black noted. “I am working on a few projects that might
cause similar reactions. It’s good to have gone through a
‘trial run’ dealing with controversy and find out who your
allies are.”
Murray noted art has rarely been the focus of discussion, rather it was the debate around the works themselves that garnered the attention, not the worth or
message of the works.
“It depresses me that all the media glory was for the
battle, and not for the cause,” Murray said. “Art has
rarely been the focus of discussion, especially any address of Edie Fake’s work, despite its pertinent hold on
the issue at hand.”
“I am not very optimistic about people’s attention
spans. I don’t know how many Calgarians are going to
stick around and address the skeletons that artists point
out in our cultural closet,” he added. “However, at least
we are in the process of trying to negotiate a structure
for when these potential public ‘collisions’ occur in the
future. That is an important step.”
“I hope, in the future, the EPCOR Centre will choose
not to police the voice of artists, but support artists in
enhancing the cultural climate of Calgary by allowing us
to programme works that may, and probably will again,
challenge public preconceptions.”
Not known as an epicentre for challenging or cuttingedge art, Calgary is, culturally, very much a corporate
town with a strong suburban influence. One of the mandates of -Bubonic Tourist is to expose Calgarians to queer
artists and queer cultural concepts.
50
Black points out the initial complaints were not about
the cartoon-like masturbatory imagery of Edie Fake’s
“Gaylord Phoenix in the Flower Temple” but, rather, the
imagery of dead and bleeding dogs in the “Terminal Modern” pieces.
“The most vocal comments were about ’dead animals‘
then, all of a sudden, it was not just ’dead animals,’ but
’queer sex‘ too. A double taboo.”
Both Murray and Moschopedis were “more disappointed and disheartened” than surprised by the controversy.
“Edie’s work depicts a safe and healthy sex act,” Moschopedis pointed out. “It is ironic and cartoonish…there
isn’t anything in the work I would consider contentious.”
Murray is more direct. “It really sickens me to think
our culture is still offended and ashamed by what is natural and pleasurable. In our very privileged age, where
information and access to truth is readily available, it
disturbs me so many of us still choose ignorance.”
“It makes me even more upset that people actually
choose belief systems that oppress their sexuality and
install in them a morbid fear of death,” he said. “Why
else would people react so strongly to a cartoon image of
a bird-man masturbating and a few dead animals? I applaud Fake and Hepburn for challenging our oppressive
belief structures and for bringing attention to the strong
hold those beliefs have on our civic-cultural consciousness.”
sphere means limiting, or censoring, freedom of expression, then I will happily be a 40-foot-tall, neon-pink
peacock, with a bullhorn, shouting until those rights are
respected.”
Murray went on to raise some interesting questions
around what constitutes good taste in art and what is
appropriate for public consumption.
“Is it mountain landscapes and bronze-cast cowboys?
TRUCK’s mandate is dedicated to the development and
public presentation of contemporary art,” Murray pointed
out. “To me, that means supporting artistic practices
that question and challenge accepted norms, or conventions, of our culture…especially the pathological ones
that need to be questioned.”
Black noted the works in question did not even come
close to violating obscenity laws.
“Violence in art, or even graphic sex for that matter,
certainly has a place. As artists, we make work that responds to our cultural climate. We give a voice to issues
that concern, disturb, arouse, excite, challenge, and awe
us. Artists have been powerful agents for social change
and justice,” she said.
“Of course, the responsibility of the artist is to create
a context in which the viewer can approach and critique
the subject matter of the work, and the way the artist
has created it, in a way that leads to new understandings
Black continued by saying that while Calgary is not
known for queer art, the artist-run centres have worked
to present queer art, and art by queer artists.
“The artist-run centres are one of the few places
that are very open to showing queer work,” Black said.
“Queers in Alberta - and Canada - still get yelled at or
queer-bashed for looking a ‘certain way,’ or for displaying public affection towards each other. I always expect
queer cultural expression to cause the same kind of
backlash that simply existing does. When queers get ‘out
of line,’ it usually means ‘too visible.’ Straight culture
always finds ways to police this – through violence, censorship, or social/cultural/political coercion.”
But was what EPCOR’s action really ‘censorship’?
Moschopedis is very clear that, in his opinion, it was.
“Altering the presentation and appearance of an artist’s
work due to content – that is censorship,” he said. “True,
works weren’t removed, but to believe the works weren’t
altered is naïve. Would it be censorship if there were a
black bar across the tube/penis in Gaylord Phoenix? We
don’t need to have works burned or smashed to consider
what happened to be censorship. When an organization
of power begins to spin and politically doctor what they
have done, like referring to the wall as a ‘screen’, they
are trying to soften the language and the image of their
handiwork.”
Murray argued that, as a programmer and artist representative, as well as an artist and ‘androphilic Homo Sapien male’, he believes himself to be “very sensitive to the
public sphere.” Adding, “If being sensitive to the public
51
about our culture.”
Several years ago, Republican interests in the USA
challenged the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
funding of photographic works by Robert Mapplethorpe,
deemed obscene by some. The controversy around what
was ‘art’ and what was ‘pornography’ raged for years
and, some believe, had a chilling effect on artistic expression in the USA.
“The arts in the US never fully recovered,” Black said.
“When the Mapplethorpe case cooled down, people found
new artists and exhibits to scandalize. The funding was
decimated. I’ve had colleagues in the States tell me that,
because of the new legislation coming out of the NEA
controversy, they are ineligible for any NEA funding.”
There has been a ‘spill-over’ effect into Canada. In the
1990s Alberta MLAs such as Ken Kowalski, Stockwell
Day, and Gary Mar attempted to introduce a bill banning
queer art from being shown in galleries that received
public arts funding.
“[That initiative failed] only because of a cabinet
shuffle,” said Black. “We were so close to losing funding
to produce queer work. The reality is that Alberta is a
difficult province in which to be queer. It is also a difficult province in which to be an artist. This combination
sometimes proves too challenging for many queers and
artists, so many just leave. I call this the ‘Mass Queer
Exodus.’”
Adding to Black’s comments, Murray stated, “I almost joined that exodus…but someone has to be on the
forefront committed to moving the hard fought frontline
forward, battle by battle, until it’s gone.”
“If Calgary wants to be a cultural capital like Toronto
or Montreal, then Calgarians should support the creators
of culture, the artists, not censor them.”
As a programmer for TRUCK and for the Fairy Tales
Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, Murray is constantly
looking to bring in cutting-edge and innovative work.
“The loss of so many invaluable voices as they flee to
more supportive cities can be amended by programming
their work [into the galleries and film festivals] and bring
them back…but that is not going to happen if there is no
funding or support,” said Murray.
While too young to remember the Mapplethorpe controversy or the threat Kowalski, Day, and Mar presented
to alternative art in Alberta, Moschopedis understands
the effect social conservatism has on the arts.
“This experience with the Centre is certainly spurring
me forward as an artist. I am considering the boundaries and will make certain we blow them wide open. With
social conservatism on the rise, it is going to become
increasingly important to stand up for our art and artists.”
52
Fundraising Photos
ISCCA Drag Show at the Rekroom
Photos by Steve Polyak of GayCalgary.com Magazine
Fundraiser for Boo Boo at Money-Pennies
53
Letters to the Publishers
The Calgary Eagle - 4 years of FUN
By John Finlayson
With our 4 year anniversary upon us we’ve been given
this great opportunity to reflect on the life of the Calgary
Eagle and what it means to us, past and present. This
has proved to be a harder task than we thought as the
bar has become an integral part of our being, and that of
the Calgary Gay community.
The Calgary Eagle, (“The Bird” as it’s affectionately
known by the regulars), although still a Leather and Levi
Bar has grown to include many facets of the gay community. As a business within the community here in
Calgary, we know that we have responsibilities to that
community and the values it represents. The Eagle has
worked with a number of community groups and proudly
boasts wide community support. That support has
enabled us to host a number of events and charity functions.
The Calgary Eagle hosts charitable functions to help
raise awareness and funds for such groups as Beswick
house with its Calendar, and the Living Christmas tree
and turkey raffles each Christmas. In March we will be
hosting the Second Annual “Straight to Diva” contest and
Silent Auction, a fundraising event for the HIV Peer Support group. In supporting the community in a variety of
ways we have also hosted events ranging from a wedding
receptions to a memorial for a dear friend of the Eagle
and the community. We strive to work with members of
the community to be inclusive of many needs and many
groups that our volunteers, staff, and we the owners
represent. It is a wide cross section of the Calgary community and you know us as not only as sponsors and
hosts but participants in many events. Each year we are
proud to sponsor a Rodeo Team at the Annual Gay Rodeo
and to ensure that we are well represented in the Annual
Gay Pride Parade. Boy is that a busy week or two!
Here at the Eagle we have developed a number of
events in-house that help work with the diverse nature
of the folks that call us home. The Calgary Bears are
here on Bear Nights, we are maintaining the continuity
of our once vibrant leather community by attracting a
new and upcoming leather community with events such
as the Mr. Calgary Leather contest, and our Leather
Daddy contest. Try not to host event on the night they
declare your neighbourhood an evacuation zone during
the floods! On the third Sunday of each month, we have
Momma G’s dinners - a fast growing tradition here at the
Eagle. These dinners have become so popular that the
local Prime-Timers group has organized their own dinners here once a month.
This year, in an effort to bring even more of a sense
54
of community to the Eagle we are developing some new
ideas and re-working some old standards. This year
we continue to host our monthly Leather Nights, Fetish
Nights, the Thursdays “DARE” (try it once you’ll be back),
Boots and ‘Gar night with the “Hot Ash Contest” and DJ
RMG Fridays. This year look out for some new things
coming to the Eagle; those of you who are old enough
will remember “T-Dances” - those of you who have no
idea what we are talking about will just have to come
down and find out. They are a tradition held at many
Eagles throughout the world, just ask anyone who visits
San Francisco where they spend their Sunday afternoons! This years Mr. Calgary Leather, Chris, is bringing
us R/T events. These Real Time events are a chance for
you “to get up close and personal with those you chat
with online.” Our first R/T event on January 28 was an
outstanding success.
This year with our new big screen TV we will be hosting all the Flames play-off games. A chance for those
sports-minded members of the gay community (yes we
know you’re out there!) to come down, socialize and enjoy the games with friends. This is the first of our Sports
events with many more to come. To find out what the TV
is used for on other nights, well you’ll just have to come
down and find out… you won’t be disappointed!
We must also give appreciation and thanks to many of
our volunteers who have dedicated countless hours to us
and the community. These volunteers (apologies if we’ve
missed anyone, there are just so many) are:
Chris E
Rob S
Annette N
Trudy B
DJ W
Lorna L
Kathleen
Johnathan F
Lady Fawwn
Linda C
Eddie
Ralph B
Matt L
Roger G
Dakota D
Terry B
Ian C
Mark R
Teddy M
Kelly G
Joe L
Barry B
Mark M
Steve E
Wolf
Paul T
Bill G
And with special thanks to Priape, Shane P.; Gay Calgary, Steve & Rob; Blubox, Purr Energy, B&D Emporium, ARGRA, Alan F. of ARGRA, the Pride Committee,
ISCCA and many more for their continued support. Not
to forget our very supportive and loyal staff: Kevin B. and
Jim H. Everyone steps up to the plate to make it happen.
Though some may say the Eagle is in an area of Calgary that is less than desirable, in our eyes our clientele
make it the most desirable place to be. In the four years
we have been here we have striven to provide a safe place
for our customers to visit. To date we have had no problems, our staff know the area and if you have a concern,
don’t worry - we take care of our friends. Your car and
yourself are safe at the Eagle. It’s our privilege to provide
a safe and fun environment.
Our customers are so supportive that they regularly
ask how they can help continue to make the bar better.
The sense of community is so strong and we can’t thank
our customers enough.
We will continue our strong involvement and commitment to the Calgary community, and proudly invite
everyone to drop by. The gang is friendly and we’re sure
you’ll make a friend or two when you visit. The Calgary
Eagle invites you to come and have FUN.
Thank you Calgary - we look forward to many more
years.
Sincerely,
Ron Scheetz, Barry Gagliardi, Christine Baker, the Staff
and Volunteers
The Calgary Eagle Inc.
55
Interactive Interviews at playRites 2006
By Jason Clevett
Review | Theatre
One of the more unique shows at this year’s
Alberta Theatre Projects playRites is Mammalian Diving Reflex’s Diplomatic Immunities,
running February 10th through 19th at the
BD&P Stage 2 in the Engineered Air Theatre.
This multimedia exploration of society and
life in Calgary promises to be a very interesting evening.
The piece is a collaboration of Toronto’s Faisal Anwar,
Naomi Campbell and Darren O’Donnell and locals Jennie Esdale, Terrance Houle, Tarik Robinson and Vicki
Stroich. The group recently started work in Calgary and
are wandering the streets with a video camera and questions to the public.
It’s an interesting experience to be interviewed by the
group, whose relaxed demeanor quickly puts you at ease
as you find yourself opening up more and more, surprising yourself with what you are willing to talk about. This
isn’t a regular interview; in most cases you walk away
asking more questions than the group did. Some of the
questions are run of the mill, others are shocking, but it
leaves you thinking.
After being grilled myself, I joined the seven members
on Stephen Avenue to watch them work from the other
side of the camera. It was a fascinating afternoon. The
group spoke to five different people during my time with
them, and their answers revealed a broad dynamic even
in a few short blocks. An attractive young lady who is
temping at a architectural firm while working as an
actress was followed by an addict who spent 14 years in
prison for armed robbery. He was followed by a couple
that was traveling the mall in wheelchairs, who spoke
of their love for each other, their seven year relationship
and their lives. On the opposite end of the spectrum was
the young, well dressed investment banker with a home
in Bankview and a girlfriend.
I found it surprising how easily and quickly people
opened up, even having been interviewed myself. While
part of it likely is due to people wanting their fifteen min-
56
utes of fame, at the same time the stories that were told
were quite fascinating. People frankly discussed their
lives – the positives and negatives – and I walked away
appreciating what I had as well as the chance to learn
about and from those interviewed.
I am still not sure what to expect from the show itself.
By the end of the two weeks of pre-show preparation,
hours of footage will have been shot and edited into an
eighty-minute show. It promises to be unique and enjoyable. Who knows what you will see? It may even be you!
February 10th – 19th, 2006
ATP playRites Festival
www.atplive.com
Fashion Review
To Accessorize or not to Accessorize?
By Alykhan Velji
In the same way that interior accessories
are needed to pull a room together, the same
can be said about an outfit; A leather belt,
bracelets, cuffs, and necklaces should be
staples of your accessory collection. If you
are finding that you are not much of an accessory fan, you don’t need to over do it. A
simple ring with a nice leather cuff would
suffice - just a little
something that ties
in with your attire,
whether it be casual or dressy. Accessories are no longer
just for the tres chic
woman, now they
are necessities for a
tres fab man!
Bags are another accessory that you can’t do without!
This year, all the major brands such as Dolce and Gabbana, Etro, Burberry, and of course Louis Vuitton have come
out with great bags for men: Cognac colour and crock skin
leather totes, Denim and canvas shoulder bags, gorgeous
briefcases, laptop holders and luxe luggage! Now, these are
obviously high-end names but stores such as Le Chateau,
Aldo, and Zara will provide you with the right price. Bags
carried by men are no longer the aweful term of “fag bag”
- now it should be FAB BAG! Accessorizing with the right
bag will make you look composed, and best of all you will
be so organized!
Ribbon belts were the trend of last year. This year, leath-
58
Review | Fashion
er belts have made a huge come back. Leather belts have
always been a great staple of a man’s accessory collection,
but on the runways now we have been seeing large-scale
buckles with a lot of “bling”, and distressed leather in a
wide range of colours. The addition of these belts with
casual and dressy looks creates an eye-catching appearance. Fantastic pony hair belts have also been seen on
the runways, with additions of gold and silver…HOT! The
punky look is out, no more studs and double-holed belts.
Its now about fun, colour enriched leather belts with large
scale over-the-top buckles!
Leather cuffs are still hot but moreso with an updated
look. Simple black and brown cuffs have been re-vamped
by local designer, Darcy Lundgren of DARIAM. Working with many different types of leather from buckskin to
ostrich, he also mixes different materials such as denim
and canvas in with his unique collection. His designs are
a fabulous change to the ordinary cuff and are a great way
to introduce colour into your attire. Using techniques such
as branding and stamping he has found an innovative way
to freshen up the old cuff of last year - a fantastic find and
definite must buy for your accessory collection. DARIAM
accessories are available at RA Clothing on 17th Ave SW.
With the resurgence of low V-necks in many of this
season’s collections, it leaves a perfect place to showcase
a necklace. Pieces in silver, chrome, black and brown are
hot! Also, necklaces with charms and pendants have also
been seen on a large scale. If this doesn’t do it for you,
a simple piece of leather
tied around your neck a
few times over will do just
fine. Jewelry in general is
taking on a non-traditional
approach with the use of
exotic materials, innovative
construction and organic
inspiration.
Men’s accessories are definitely making a comeback.
Don’t be afraid to throw on
a scarf, button up a cuff,
strap on a belt, grab a FAB
bag and be on your merry
way to walking the streets
of Calgary. You will look
unbelievable!
59
61
Queer Eye - for the Calgary guy (or gal)
Events that happened around Calgary
Photos by Steve Polyak of GayCalgary.com Magazine
GayCalgary.com Magazine Reader’s Choice Survey
Photographs from Backlot, Money-Pennies, and
the Texas Lounge.
62
Sexy Shorts $1000 Give-away at Twisted Element
Diva-Licious Sunday Drag Shows - Twisted Element
Calgary Eagle - Real Time
63
Sunday Drag Shows at Metro the Club
64
Staff Turnabout at Twisted Element
65
66
67
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Cash (only if paid in person) ___
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Invoice
First 25 Words - $10.00
Additional Words - .20¢ per word
68
First 25 Words:
Each additional word:
Bold entire ad:
Entire ad in capitals:
Headline:
B/W Photo 1.66”x 2.25”:
Colour Photo 1.66”x 2.25”:
Border around ad:
Mail Forwarding:
Subtotal:
$10.00 ______
.20¢ ______
$ 5.00 ______
$ 6.00 ______
$ 4.00 ______
$ 6.00 ______
$15.00 ______
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$ 5.00 ______
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3 Issues Subtract 15%:
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Subtotal:
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TOTAL:
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______
Travel Agencies
Travel Canada
Travel USA
805
806
807
Personals
Announcements
Business Personals
Dating Services
Erotic Massage
Friends Female
Friends Male
General
Internet
Leather
Mail Orders
Model & Escort
Phone lines
Professional Services
Sightings
Xxx Videos/magazines
900
901
902
903
904
905
906
907
908
909
910
911
912
913
914
915
302 Employment/Sales 314 Employment/Sales 314 Counseling
Goliath’s and the Texas Lounge is
Join the Priape Team
GayCalgary.com Magazine
608
Appliances
Arts & Crafts
Computers
Fashion
Furniture/home Furnishing
Garage Sale
Hi Fi
Miscellaneous
Musical Instruments
Pets
Promotional
Vehicles For Sale
502
503
504
505
506
507
508
509
510
511
512
513
Professional Services
Animal Care
Carpentry
Catering
Cleaners
Computer Services
Construction
Consulting
600
601
602
603
604
605
606
607
Counseling
Courses
Design/interiors
Fashion
Financial/bookkeeping
Funeral Services
General
Hair Removal
Insurance
Landscaping/gardening
Leather
Legal Services
Medical
Movers
Musical Services
Painting
Photography
Physicians
Plumbing
Skilled & Technical Service
Training
608
609
610
611
612
613
614
615
616
617
618
619
620
621
622
623
624
625
626
627
628
Real Estate
Business For Sale
Cottages
Homes Furnished
Homes/condos/lofts For Sale
Homes/condos/lofts/apt. For Rent
Homes/condos/lofts/apt. To Share
Investment Opportunity
Mortgages
Office/business Space
Real Estate Agent
Rooms To Rent
Seeking Accommodation
Studios
700
701
702
703
704
705
706
707
708
709
710
711
712
713
Travel
Accommodations/rentals
Adventures
Camping
International Travel
800
801
802
803
804
Classified Ads
Employment
looking for someone with customer
service experience to work on both
the bath house side and bar side.
Training will be provided. 4 shifts a
week. Please drop off a resume at
either the Texas Lounge or Goliath’s
or email goliaths@gaycalgary.com
Employment
308
Adult Depot, Calgary’s Oldest, is
looking for new blood. FT/PT. Apply
at either 1514B 14th Street SW or
142 58th Avenue SW or fax (403)
268-4251
Employment/Help 308
Small charter Bus Company is looking
for gay drivers with clean class two,
with air brake, license. Non smoker
non drinker preferred. For casual
work. Experience with a stick is a
bonus. Respond to Canadian Premier
Charters, at box 75056, Cambrian
RPO, Calgary, Alberta, T2K 6J8
is looking for experienced part time
sales reps in the Calgary, Edmonton,
Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto
areas. Must be able to do cold calls
and have transportation or enjoy
hitting the pavement. Fax resumes to
(403) 703-0685 or contact us at (403)
543-6960 or (888) 543-6960 or email
us at hr@gaycalgary.com
Employment/Sales 314
Looking for an highly motivated
promotion person to acquire business
for a small charter coach/tourism
business. All pay would be based
on commission. This is a great
opportunity to add to your portfolio
or get job experience. Respond to
Canadian Premier Charters, at box
75056, Cambrian RPO, Calgary,
Alberta, T2K 6J8
Do you have a flair for sales,
Enjoy working within the community,
Hard working and motivated,
Full and PT positions.
1322 17Ave SW
Prof Services
600
Painting and small home repairs.
Pruning, rustic and willow accents,
landscaping.
Free estimates. 10% off January and
February
Sharon: 239-7668 cell: 389-8077
www.rubymountain.ca
Cleaners
I’m a compassionate counsellor
who understands our community.
Individuals, Couples & Families.
Emotional, Physical & Spiritual
Wellness. Extended medical insurance
coverage. Bryan Campbell 265-8462
www.geocities.com/b_camp_bell
604
Private housekeeper, 24 years old.
Nice Looking. Will clean nude. Boyish
looks. Justin (403) 471-5036
Classifieds continued on next page
CHECK OUT OUR NEW
CLASSIFIED AD RATES
First 25 words for just $10.00
per issue, plus GST
69
Classifieds continued
Legal Services
619
CANADIAN & U.S.
IMMIGRATION SOLUTIONS
Same-Sex, Conjugal, Common-Law,
Spouse, Children, Parents Sponsorship; Refugee Claims; Immigration Appeals; Citizenship; Visitor,
Student, Work Visa / Extensions,
Uncontested Divorces, Agreements,
Wills, Translations / Interpretations
50+ Languages, 590-3818 Anwar
Rehman, Member Canadian Society
of Immigration Consultants CSIC
ID M041099, Gay Friendly, CIBS,
200, 2705 Centre Street North. Visit
us online at www.cibs.info email:
immigration@cibs.info
Homes for Rent
705
Spacious two bedroom basement
suite for rent in Temple. Large
windows, newly renovated. Stove,
fridge, washer and dryer. No
smoking, no drugs, no pets. Rent
$600.00 per month plus half utilities.
Security deposit $500.00 Call Howard
at 516-0410 or leave message.
Travel
801
Montreal Village B&B
Room only $49/night, TV, Cable,
Telephone, Air, Wi-Fi, Video XXX,
1-888-334-0348. www.gaybed.ca
Travel
801
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
Travel
801
Northern Lights B&B
EDMONTON
Swimming pool and Antique rooms
TV/VCR (780) 483-1572
www.nlightsbnb.com
nlight69@hotmail.com
70
Personal/Friends 906
Model/Escort
911
Single GWM early 40’s looks
younger. Looking for fun. Cannot entertain. Very discreet. Safe.
Clean. Drug Free. n/s. not into bar
scene. No mind games. Reply to
box1002@gaycalgary.com or mail
to Box 1002 c/o GayCalgary.com
Magazine
44, Male, Brazilian, Masculine hairy
top, HIV-Negative, Foot & Tickle
Fetishist SEEKS 30-40, non-slim
ND/NS, Tattoo & Piercing-Free,
caring, cuddlish, supportive, balanced, mature, masculine, bottom,
blond(+), ticklish Lifetime Partner
to build 100% Monogamous Serious
Lasting Relationship.
Marc, Box 3670
2001-970 Rio, Brazil
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
Personal/General 907
Looking for single female, or female
couple interested in a surrogate
dad for sperm donation. I am 6’3,
blonde, blue eyed, in fantastic health
of Irish - Italian descent. Respond
to Canadian Premier Charters, at
box 75056, Cambrian RPO, Calgary,
Alberta, T2K 6J8
913
Discreet Photographer
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.com
Magazine
Personals
Bodybuilder: 5’-6” 210lbs very solid,
muscular, dark brown hair shaved
head goatee. 34 y.o. Easy going masculine for an unforgettable moment.
by apt only.
damsmuscle_99@yahoo.com
Photographer for clothed or naked
photos for either private or Internet
use. Very discreet. Singles, Couples
or Groups. Either your place, or mine
or where ever they need to be taken.
All photos are taken with a Hi-Res
digital camera. All photos are burnt
to CD for you to take, in both Hi-res
and Web resolution. Also able to do
VIDEO too! Please men only and
from the ages of 18 to 50. E-mail
box1000@gaycalgary.com or reply
to box#1000. I get sometimes extremely busy so don’t freak if I don’t
get back to you right away.
71

arabesque raging stallion

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