2B Magazine 1 - Guide Gai du Québec

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2B Magazine
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2B Magazine
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Index
...8
News
...9
Teen Bullying
...14
Carlos Motta
...16
Special Insert
...19
Culture
...26
Charte OK
...52
Mike Ruiz
...58
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Matthew © Drasko Bogdanovic
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Politics
Credits
Publisher
Editor
Contributors
Art Director & Photography
Graphic Design
Sales
André Gagnon
andregagnon@2bmag.com
Jordan Arseneault
jordan@2bmag.com
Matthew Harris, Tim Webber, Sarah CarrollMcNaughton, Ryan Conrad, Laura MacDonald,
Jeromie Williams, Troy Ordami, Matthieu
Lévesque, Dannny Légaré, Michael Hawrysh
César Ochoa
514.439.4636
publicite@communicationsetre.com
Carolina Ramírez
514.439.4636
carolina@communicationsetre.com
Cover photo from
Pretty Masculine
by Mike Ruiz
Pierre Druelle
pierre@communicationsetre.com
514.903.9463
Luc Barrette
514.439.4737 / 1.866.521.3873
luc@communicationsetre.com
Joanne Ansell
joanne@communicationsetre.com
514.903.1782
2B Magazine
A division of HMX Group
Vol.9 No.4
Arturo Abreu
514.521.3873
arturo@communicationsetre.com
Unauthorized reproduction, in whole or in part, without the written consent of the publisher is prohibited. All rights reserved.
ISSN 1917-2761
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Montréal Postal Address
P.O. Box 222, Station C
Montréal, QC H2L-4K1
Montréal: 514.521.3873
Ottawa: 1.866.521.3873
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Political cartoon
Anti-homophobia Bureau = $$$
Trans Bodies, Trans Selves Forum
When Québec’s Minister of Justice Marc Fournier finally announced
his government’s anti-homophobia action plan in May, it was praised for
including a $7.1 million injection of cash over five years. Of this overall
total, an amount of $400,000 has been set aside for the first year, with
individuals and community groups invited to apply for up to $50,000 in
funding for projects that help fight homophobia or support the LGBT
community’s social, legal and cultural well-being. The projects that get
funded have to conform to the mission of Québec’s anti-homophobia
action plan, which are to demystify the realities of diverse identities and
sexual orientations; to reinforce the “full recognition of rights” for LGBT
people, and to encourage the study and/or implementation of prevention
or action strategies that improve the well-being of LGBT people. Groups
have until Dec. 1st, 2011 to submit their requests to the newly created
Bureau de lutte contre l’homophobie, which will chair the selection
committee, along with reps from the Ministry of Justice.
If there is one thing transgender people agree on it’s that the medical
establishment and general society are unfamiliar with trans issues, and
that services providers tend to have trouble knowing how to help them.
To find out how to apply for “Fight against Homophobia Program”
funding, go to
justice.gouv.qc.ca/homophobie
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All trans-identified people, as well as their close friends, family
members and allies, are invited to attend the forum, whose organizers
specify is “inclusive of all trans identities and ways of being.”
Montréal’s Trans Bodies, Trans Selves Forum takes place Monday,
November 21 from 7PM to 10PM at Centre St-Pierre, 1212 Panet Street.
FREE, with snacks, childcare and sign language (with 48 hour notice),
as well as whisper translation.
RSVP to tbtsmontreal@gmail.com More info:
tbtsmontreal.wordpress.com
www.transbodies.com
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The Bureau de lutte, with their new office is at 410, rue de Bellechasse
Est, in Montréal, is headed by Roger Noël, a respected scholar with
over 20 years of commitment to LGBT history and research. Noël has
been praised for his “profound knowledge of LGBT communities,” and
was one the Québec anti-homophobia policy’s key authors. He has been
involved in the plan since 2004, when extensive community consultation
on the policy began. Québec is the only jurisdiction in the Americas to
adopt such a policy on the governmental level, which was generally
praised by activists and NGOs including the CGQL, the Fondation
Émergence, and the Fédération des femmes du Québec.
Enter, Trans Bodies, Trans Selves, a US-based project whose goal
is to publish a resource guide on all things trans, from health and wellbeing, to legal, cultural, family, and social issues. The forum will involve
opening presentations from out trans blogger and Montréal educator
Jacky Vallée, Gabrielle Bouchard from Concordia’s 2110 Centre, and a
member from ASTT(e)Q. “I looked at the diversity of the people involved
and brought it up to people in Montréal because of the people behind the
project,” says co-organizer Jacky Vallée. The collective of writers behind
the Trans Bodies, Trans Selves resource project is headed by American
researcher Laura Erickson-Smith and includes San Francisco author
and kinkster Patrick Califia and a host of other activist luminaries. The
opinions and narratives gathered at the forum will be sent to the editors
via the project’s Canadian liaison, FTM writer Jamison Green.
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It Almost got Better
Efforts to decriminalize homosexuality in the Commonwealth
unsuccessful, but hold promise for the future.
Kamalesh Sharma
Commonwealth Nations comprise more than
half the countries in the world that treat samesex relations as a serious criminal offence. Commonwealth countries, which include
Canada as well as other former British colonies
like Uganda, have 30% of the world’s population
but more than 60% of the world’s people living
with HIV. With same-sex relations illegal in 41 of
the 54 countries that comprise the international
group, the pressure was on to address the
decriminalization of homosexuality formally at
the Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM)
held Oct 28-30 in Perth, Australia.
Most of that pressure came fittingly from the
United Kingdom, the home of Commonwealth,
whose colonial sodomy laws have lingered on
in some 41 nations long after independence
movements swept the globe. In September,
the UK’s Conservative Prime Minister David
Cameron released a statement that his
government intends to suspend aid to countries
in the Commonwealth that uphold homophobic
laws. With their famous pragmatism, the Brits
will from now on be allocating funds based on
an “errant country’s performance” on human
rights, and explicitly named LGBT rights as
part of that. It remains to be seen how the
threat of defunding will affect law-makers and
NGOs in countries like Malawi and Uganda,
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but Cameron’s strategy at least represented a
much tougher stance than any government had
previously taken on global LGBT rights.
Meanwhile,
long-time
decriminalization
activists in the UK and abroad were working to
bring the issue to the forefront. The UK’s Peter
Tatchell Foundation (along with Egale Canada)
issued letters to the Australian and Canadian
foreign ministers asking for decriminalization
to be put on the agenda. By early October,
Australia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Kevin Rudd
was calling on all nations in the Commonwealth
to stand up for non-discrimination on the basis
of sexual orientation. He issued the strongest
statement from any minister up to that point,
saying that the leaders must “encourage all
countries to decriminalise homosexuality by
removing all laws imposing criminal penalties
for homosexual conduct.”
Here in Canada, the statements were less
supportive, less sweeping, and altogether less
promising. During question periods in the House
of Commons on Oct 19 and 21, NDP MP Randall
Garrison asked Foreign Affairs Minister John
Baird to make the “same clear commitment” on
the decriminalization of homosexuality that the
UK and Australia had made in recent weeks.
In the first instance, Baird replied that “Canada
would take a very active role” in human rights
but skirted the issue entirely. But by Oct 21, the
day the Minister released his “It Gets Better”
video, John Baird had finally changed his tune.
In addition to maintaining the standard
position that Canada would defend human rights
at the international level, and that those rights
extend to LGBT people, Baird finally agreed to
make the decriminalization demand explicit. “The
rights of gays and lesbians is [sic] tremendously
important. It is unacceptable that homosexuality
continues to be criminalized in the majority of
Commonwealth nations, and we will certainly
take this issue to the Summit.” Whether it was
the tacit pressure from the UK and Australia,
or the dogged questions from Mr. Garrison that
caused him to change his stance, we’ll never
know. (And the reason we’ll never know is that
his media representatives do not return our
phone calls or e-mails). But one thing is certain:
with the UK, Australia, and potentially Canada
on board, the build-up to the CHOGM felt like a
sea change in how same-sex people are treated
in countries where they are most vulnerable to
death, imprisonment and HIV infection.
“We are glad that Conservatives have finally
changed their position regarding LGBT rights.
Now we expect actions,” said Québec NDP
LGBT deputy critic Dany Morin. While Baird’s
own voting record in the House of Commons
has shown he supports same-sex marriage,
the Minister had been slow to join with
global voices calling for the Commonwealth
countries to decriminalize homosexuality. Even
Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh
Sharma, who is from Pakistan, voiced his
support for gay rights in his keynote address at
the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth
People’s Forum (CPF) in Perth, Australia, on
Oct 25. It was the first official statement against
the criminalization of homosexuality by the
Secretary General of the Commonwealth.
But when the Summit finally came, there
were more long-standing issues on the
agenda, such as the 400 year-old law on male
primogeniture for the Royal Family. Rather than
address the decriminalization of homosexuality,
which could improve the well-being and save
the lives of millions of people across the planet,
Commonwealth leaders instead discussed the
ancient rules on the inheritance of the British
Crown. The agreement reached at the CHOGM
will allow for Will and Kate’s first-born child
to inherit the crown even if she is a girl (!). In
another historic decision, the leaders also voted
to no longer disinherit a member of the royal
family who marries a Roman Catholic, which
may be the first time in history that a decision
has benefited both women and Catholics
simultaneously.
After all that, the CHOGM meeting resulted
in very little real advancement for the cause
of decriminalization. Leaders agreed that the
Secretary-General will speak out publicly to
express “collective disapproval of serious or
persistent human rights violations by member
states,” along with a promising inclusion of
LGBT rights as human rights in their Values and
Principles. “The core changes in Commonwealth
Ministerial Action Group’s mandate, now
accepted by Commonwealth leaders will include
addressing serious or persistent violations of
Commonwealth values, such as the systematic
violation of human rights of the population or the
rights of particular communities or social groups,
by a member state government,” Peter Tatchell
wrote after the summit. In the closing press
conference, Kamalesh Sharma again made
comments on laws criminalizing homosexuality
in over %80 of Commonwealth countries. Also
promisingly, there will be a Task Force of Ministers
to advise on the “repeal of discriminatory laws
that impede effective responses to the HIV/AIDS
pandemic and pursue education programmes
that would help the process of repealing such
laws,” Tatchell said.
It is possible that the argument on the link
between HIV infection and criminalization is
what tipped the scales of international opinion.
Besides the fact of basic human rights, NGOs
have argued that making homosexuality illegal
is an impediment to HIV prevention efforts.
“HIV remains a serious public health crisis for
the Commonwealth, which comprises 30%
of the world’s population but over 60% of all
people living with HIV. In many Commonwealth
countries an effective public health response
is hindered by laws which criminalise groups
that are particularly vulnerable to HIV,” the
International HIV Alliance wrote in its brief. The
Tatchell Foundation, along with Commonwealth
HIV/AIDS Action Group (CHAAG), the
International HIV/AIDS Alliance and the
Australian Federation of Aids Organisations
(AFAO), urged the international community
to support their “What’s Preventing Prevention”
petition, which was sent to the CHOGM in
advance of the meeting. It remains to be seen
whether the international pressure will continue
to build, or will be stalled in diplomacy, but
nonetheless, 2011 has seen a massive step in
the right direction.
Check out the petition, which is ongoing, here:
www.whatspreventingprevention.org
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By Jordan Arseneault
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Gay Sex Mostly Kissing
and Handjobs?
By Michael Hawrysh
The findings of the study show that men who
have sex with men have an immensely diverse
sexual repertoire – of the nearly 25 000 sexual
encounters analysed, there were 1308 unique
combinations of sexual behaviours. Perhaps
most surprisingly, those who reported having
anal sex were in the minority (37.2%), though it
was more common for men aged 18-24 (42.7%).
Kissing (if one considers that a “sex act”) was
the most popular reported behaviour at 74.5%.
Interestingly, this would mean that nearly a quarter
of gay and bisexual men are having sex without
kissing (perhaps as in the film Pretty Woman,
kissing is just “too personal”). Oral sex was the
second most common act reported at 72.7%,
followed by mutual masturbation at 68.4%.
Lead author Joshua G. Rosenberger,
professor in the Department of Global and
Community Health in the College of Health and
Human Services at Mason, stated “There is
certainly a misguided belief that ‘gay sex equals
anal sex,’ which is simply untrue much of the
time.”
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These findings could have real implications
on how public health officials approach gay and
bisexual male sexuality. Michael Reece, coauthor of the study and director of IU’s Center
for Sexual Health Promotion, said “Due to the
disproportionate impact of HIV among MSM, the
majority of research on gay and bisexual men’s
sexual behaviour is situated within the context of
disease. This emphasis has resulted in a body
of literature about gay and bisexual men that is
risk-focused, with limited understanding of the
diversity and complexity of these men’s sexual
lives. In order to provide clinicians and public
health professionals with the necessary tools
to promote sexuality in a positive and healthy
manner, a more nuanced understanding of an
individual sexual experience was needed.”
Other interesting findings were that more than
40% of the sexual encounters reported were
with someone that the respondent was dating
(compared with just over half for heterosexuals).
Around 82 percent of men reported having an
orgasm at their last sexual event and they were
significantly more likely to have an orgasm if
the encounter was with a relationship partner.
Evaluations of their last sexual event were
positive. Interestingly, ratings of both pleasure
and arousal were highest among older men
(apparently, it really does get better!).
The study will be published in the November
edition of the Journal of Sexual Medicine.
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A new study conducted by George Mason
University, Indian University, and Online
Buddies Inc. (the parent company of Manhunt)
reveals some very interesting new information
about men who have sex with men (MSM).
The online study questioned just under 25 000
gay and bisexual men aged 18-87 on their last
sexual encounter. This is the first study to focus
on male to male sex at the event level.
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“Jamie felt it would never stop”
Bullying is the target of massive outcry in the wake of new teen suicide
Sarah Carroll-McNaughton
What makes his story remarkable, however, is how common it is. Jamie
killed himself, in part, because he was bullied; Jamie was bullied because
he was gay. In the wake of his death, Councillor Hubley brought the focus
of the debate squarely back on the school environment as a reflection
of social mores: “We had meetings with officials at the school and were
working with them to bring an end to it,” he wrote just four days after his
son killed himself, “but Jamie felt it would never stop.”
As to be expected, there have been no criminal charges laid following
Jamie’s death. Bullying, particularly bullying of LGBTQ youth, is still
difficult to discuss and even more difficult to punish, especially when there
is such a divide between how people view bullying in society. In Bullafo,
NY, the recent suicide of gay teen Jamey Rodemeyer has prompted
support for “Jamey’s Law,” which would make bullying a crime in the US.
Other high-profile Americans, most notably current Republican candidate
Michele Bachmann, have spoken out in a very different way.
“I just don’t know how we can realistically expect a zero tolerance of
bullying behaviour.” Bachmann is quoted as saying. She is far from alone
in this view. Conservative politicians are speaking out across the U.S.,
clamouring to justify and even condone the homophobia that contributes
to so much of the teen suicide we read about each day.
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Homophobia is still a major problem in Canada and abroad, and it isn’t
simply blatant aggression that is the cause for most concern. Dr. Ilan H.
Meyer, Williams Sr. Scholar at UCLA School of Law’s Williams Institute,
recently completed a study on the “effects of exposure to everyday stigma”
on gay, lesbian, and bisexual participants. “The study’s results show
policymakers need to think more broadly than simply reducing extreme
forms of abuse through measures like anti-bullying policies.” said Dr. Meyer.
There has been a flood of similar research supporting this idea. Egale
Canada, an LGBT human rights organization, released findings in
May from a countrywide climate survey on homophobia, biphobia, and
transphobia in schools. According to the study, 70 per cent of participants,
both LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ students, heard homophobic expressions
like “that’s so gay” on a daily basis. The same report also indicated that
64 per cent of LGBTQ students reported feeling unsafe in their school
environments.
“There are often safe and unsafe areas of the school... it can be a
struggle to find these out and to get there,” said Amy Johnson, principal at
Opeongo High School near Renfrew, Ontario. “Also, because gay adults
can often face the same struggles (or, at least don’t feel comfortable to
share) gay youth often lack visible role models who have lived through
the teenage years.”
Johnson spoke out about homophobic bullying following the death
of Jamie Hubley, and she is one of very few people in the education
administration willing to openly address the issue of LGBTQ youth
suicide. She spoke to her entire student body at Opeongo, encouraging
her students to stop using words like “fag” and “homo.” She also spoke
to the media about similarities between her school and A.Y. Jackson, the
school Jamie Hubley attended.
Jamie Hubley (youtube)
LGBTQ youth are five times more likely to commit suicide, but it can be
difficult to find safe spaces and kindred spirits. At his own school, Jamie
was bullied for trying to start a “Rainbow Club,” and currently Ottawa’s
Catholic District School Board does not allow gay-straight alliances
(GSA’s) in its schools. Both the principal at A.Y. Jackson (which is a public
school) and the Ottawa Catholic School Board declined to comment on
the situation surrounding teen bullying and homophobia.
In stark contrast to the official wall of silence, a chorus of famous voices
have been calling for action and support, from CNN’s Anderson Cooper
to Lady Gaga, and even This Hour Has 22 Minutes alumni Rick Mercer.
Mercer’s recent message to gay youth and heartfelt call to action were
sharply contrasted by the attempt at an “It Gets Better” video created
by Conservative MPs including Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird.
Among those involved in delivering the plea was MP David Sweet, a
man who once called homosexuality “a sin.” Homosexuality is also barely
mentioned in the video.
Long before the politicians and celebrities ever got involved,
community groups have been lobbying for programmes and campaigns
to promote real social change to help LGBTQ youth. While the Trevor
Project in the U.S. currently provides support south of the border, the
Kids Help Phone and Jer’s Vision are two of the only countrywide
organizations available to LGBT youth in Canada, with Gai-Écoute
taking up the challenge in Québec. Ironically, Kids Help Phone was the
only resource given in the opportunistic Conservative “It Gets Better”
video, even though the hotline receives less than 2% of their funding
from federal sources.
As if by some kind of cruel coincidence, Hubley’s suicide took place
just days before Spirit Day (Oct. 20), when millions of people across
the continent wear purple to commemorate victims of bullying and raise
awareness. For the occasion, Jer’s Vision participant Cameron Aitken
blogged about the need for more training and awareness in schools in
order to prevent homophobic bullying. His heartfelt letter was also a plug
to donate to the charity, which operates in schools and communities in
Ottawa and elsewhere around a variety of youth diversity initiatives, with
a strong focus on LGBTTQ anti-discrimination.
“There’s an institutional problem in Ontario,” contends founder Jer Dias.
“Catholic schools will actively not talk about homophobia as a way of attracting
prospective students whose parents are conservative.” As a result, you have
endemic homophobic attitudes, such as the Catholic School Board’s refusal
to allow GSA’s or related services to take place in those schools. Jer’s Vision
continues to speak in Catholic schools to raise awareness—and asserts that
community members have the power to lobby for those changes, particularly
alumni and parents. “People have been calling politicians, and demanding
that things be made better,” and it starts with ending the silence.
For more info on Jer’s Vision’s anti-bullying initiatives, check out www.
jersvision.org , and for info on starting a Gay Straight Alliance at your
school, check out Egale Canada’s www.mygsa.ca 2B Magazine
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«One day, I hope I will actually want to live.»
Just two weeks before he killed himself, Jamie Hubley, 15, made that
post to his Tumblr account. Jamie, the son of Kanata South Councillor
Allan Hubley, had long dealt with depression; his public struggle was
documented almost daily on his blog which has since been removed. On
it, he showed that he was much like other young men his age. He made
friends, struggled with his emotions, and developed natural talents which
were only just beginning to show hints of their true potential.
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Thinking Differently
Carlos Motta on public sex, queer collective memory, and global activism, in conversation with Ryan Conrad
Ryan Conrad: Carlos, can you tell me a little about you
and your art practice to introduce you to our readers?
Carlos Motta: I was born in Colombia and
have been in New York City for the last fifteen
years. As an artist I am interested in the ways
that LGBT people have to construct their own
histories and narratives because society has
systematically failed to accurately represent us.
RC: I know that your last two projects, We
Who Feel Differently (WWFD) and Petite Mort:
Recollections of a Queer Public, culminated in
publications. I was lucky enough to contribute to
WWFD as did Canadian academic Nick Mulé. What
were these projects about?
CM: WWFD is a four-part project that includes
an internet archive (wewhofeeldifferently.
info), book, online journal, and a series of
discursive events in different cities. This
interview-based project documents the work
that LGBTIQQ activists, academicians, artists,
etc. in Colombia, Norway, South Korea, and the
USA have been doing to advance legal rights
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and make cultural change in their communities.
WWFD is driven by two desires: One, to create
a resource for folks so they can access in-depth
conversations about gay politics and culture.
Two, and perhaps more importantly, to insert
a queer perspective into mainstreamed LGBT
politics. A perspective that resists and rejects
the conservative turn of gay politics, which is
less and less about liberation and more about
assimilation. It is as if the LGBT movement had
been devoured by the liberal ideal of tolerance
and neglected the richness of difference.
RC: The WWFD book can be viewed as a
contemporary global overview of queer and trans
activism created by LGBTIQQ people themselves.
Were there any key things you learned through the
process of editing the book?
CM: The text is based on more than fortyfive interviews I conducted and after a
careful reading five major themes emerged
that reoccurred throughout. These themes
include equality and the limits of tolerance,
anti-assimilationist politics and social justice,
the history and place of HIV/AIDS activism in
today’s political landscape, and censorship of
queer sexuality in art history. [There is also a
section that] focuses on the work of trans and
intersex activists that face numerous social,
economic and political obstacles to regulate
their own bodies. This section is perhaps the
book’s strongest as it reveals the deep-rooted
trans and intersex-phobia that makes legal and
cultural advancement extremely difficult.
RC: Getting back to your other recent project and
publication, Petite Mort...
CM: Petite Mort also departs from a similar
drive. This project was created collaboratively
with Joshua Lubin-Levy and presents drawings
from memory submitted by an intergenerational
group of gay men depicting sites where they
had public sex in New York City. The book
was conceived as a very subjective atlas of
the city from a perspective and history that
has been actively cleaned up and erased by
city government and gay bureaucrats alike.
We were not interested in depictions of sex
scenes specifically, but the way that space is
remembered, spaces of homo-sociability and
desire for gays.
RC: The impact of gentrification in the gay village
and the sanitization/commercialization of public
spaces in Montréal more generally has been a
contentious issue here lately. But yeah, I’ve always
joked about how my right to fuck in a park is as equally
important as mainstream gays’ right to marry. Can
you draw some lines between the two projects?
CM: Both projects address the need for a more
plural discussion around queer issues; that is to
think beyond marriage or military inclusion, and
to reject the systematic mainstreaming of our
lives and identities by both heteronormative and
homonormative forces of society.
RC: Any plans to come cruise Montréal’s few
remaining public sex environments soon?
CM: I would like to publicly invite someone in
Montréal that is reading this interview to take on
the idea and make a Petite Mort Montréal! But,
yes I will have to come and explore these sites
before it’s too late…
www.wewhofeeldifferently.info
Petite Mort: Recollections of a Queer Public (Forever & Today, Inc.), 2011
We Who Feel Differently (Ctrl+Z Publishing, Norway), 2011 © Ryan Conrad
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Carlos Motta is a multi-disciplinary artist whose
work draws upon political history in an attempt to
“create counter narratives that recognize the inclusion of
suppressed histories.” Motta’s work has been presented
internationally in venues such as The Guggenheim
Museum, the MoMA/PS1 Contemporary Art Center
in New York, and Berlin’s Hebbel am Ufer. He is part
of the faculty at Parsons’ New School of Design and at
the International Center of Photography at the Vermont
College of Fine Arts, amongst others. He spoke with
new contributor, portraitist (and sometimes lover) Ryan
Conrad about his two new books, We Who Feel Differently
and Petite Mort: Recollections of a Queer Public.
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On Butches & Femmes
By Laura MacDonald
earned staking of space on the complex road
map of all things queer. Either way, the book
overflows with authors that bravely expose their
own anxieties and desires in order to rejuvenate
a conversation that some folks forgot was still
happening.
Persistence bravely engages in complex
discourses that expose butch and femme
realities and relationships as being far more
interesting (and queer) than traditionally
assumed. Edited by the famed butch/femme
couple Zena Sharman and Ivan E. Coyote, this
book takes a topic often seen as two-dimensional
and explodes it out into an exponential number
of directions. Over the course of 41 chapters,
authors from all gradients of the butch/femme
spectrum (including the likes of Zoe Whittall,
Amber Dawn, Michael V. Smith, S. Bear
Bergman and Montreal’s own folk-pop star Rae
Spoon) explore their personal experiences of
their gender presentation and its relationship
to the rest of their lives: to their work, love,
families, health, bodies and language.
Though written and edited with the same care
and quality of most other academic texts, these
essays don’t take on the same snooze-factor.
This is probably because this isn’t a queer
theory textbook, rather this is an approachable
book that reads easily, building itself on the
lived experience of the authors.
Often funny and sometimes angry, most
of the book reads as either a heartbreakingly
earnest love letter (to a specific lover or to just
the idea of a certain kind of lover) or a hard
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Butch/femme is not a new theme in gay
culture. The true victory of Persistence is that
this book succeeds in keeping this theme current
by conveying stories of struggle, tension and
DESIRE. After all, it is the desire to be, and be
with, our butch/femme selves and partners that
truly makes participating in this culture so much
damn fun. For me, it’s that tension, the hotness of
being in a butch/femme relationship that negates
the annoyance of having to explain to people
how choosing to call my lover my “boyfriend”
doesn’t make me heteronormative or a straight
girl. Lucky for me, I’ll just hand out copies of
Persistence to those people from now on.
Persistence: All Ways Butch and Femme
Edited by Ivan E. Coyote and Zena Sharman
Arsenal Pulp Press, 312 pages
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Despite being declared either dead or
counter-revolutionary numerous times in the
last 40 years, the queer phenomenon known
as Butch/Femme is, according to the new
anthology Persistence: All Ways Butch and
Femme, still thriving and evolving. <
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AIDS Action Now ©»Your Stigma Not Mine» Cecilia Berkovic
A Day with/out AIDS
By 2B Staff
Locally, HIV/AIDS advocacy groups are
rallying around this event as an occasion to do
some on-the-ground outreach and to raise some
much needed funds. TOMS, the Table des
organismes Montréalais communautaires
de lutte contre le Sida has organized a day of
tabling at the Berri-UQÀM and Beaudry métro
stations. Member organizations REZO and
ACCM will spend the day distributing condoms
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and raising general awareness about HIV/AIDS.
In the evening, there will be a commemorative
gathering and concert at the St. James Cathedral
featuring performances by the Ensemble
Vocal les Nanas and the Gay Men’s Chorus.
At Cabaret Mado, drag queen extraordinaire
Dream will be headlining a “staff show” to raise
funds for la Fondation d’Aide Directe SIDA
Montréal. Also, Mr. Leather 2011 will spend the
evening making the rounds of village bars as
an ambassador of the “Mr. Friendly” campaign,
a smiley-faced P.R. strategy that encourages
people to be a stigma-free ally to HIV positive
people, and thereby remove barriers to those
who fear being tested.
Perhaps the most important event on
Montreal’s World AIDS Day calendar, and the
most iconic, will be the annual Candlelight Vigil
in Parc de l’Espoir. Featuring speeches by
local activists and a lighting of a red-ribbon-glad
Christmas tree, the event will culminate in a
minute of silence. It is always a public moment for
the community to commemorate those who have
died of AIDS related illnesses and think about
the future of the fight against HIV and AIDS.
This month, as a lead-up to World AIDS Day,
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton held a
press conference to announce the appointment
of Ellen Degeneres as the new “AIDS Envoy” to
the United Nations, and to pledge $60 million
dollars of additional government funds for a
global health initiative that has the eventual goal
of “creating an AIDS-free generation”. This is a
new spin on World AIDS Day’s official slogan
for the next 3 years, “Getting to Zero: Zero New
HIV Infections, Zero Discrimination and Zero
AIDS Related Deaths”. Clinton’s “AIDS free
generation” is essentially the same campaign
merely re-branded into a more dynamic
and succinct slogan, one that captures the
AIDS Action Now © «Prick» John Greyson
imagination of a generation that has never lived
through a time when AIDS did not exist.
As AIDS becomes more about living and less
about survival, it is proving particularly hard to
engage people who have little or no firsthand
memories of the traumatic first 15 years of
epidemic mortality rates. There is a hope
that these new campaign strategies will reenergize a movement that has, according to
some critics, fallen victim to a desensitization
that has come to be known as “AIDS fatigue”.
We can think of the recent ineffectual scare
campaign “One Life” by Brystol Meyers
Squibb, and Radio-Canada’s recent smear
campaign against the Fondation québécois
du sida (FQS) as symptoms of the tenuous
position that AIDS has, for the general public
in the post-HAART era. The “One Life” public
Robert Rousseau + Hector Gomez @ 2011 Vigil
disservice announcement aired to horrified
audience members at this year’s Image +
Nation festival for its comparing HIV infection
to battery, drowning, drug abuse, car accident
death, In the case of Radio-Canada’s spurious
accusations of financial mismanagement at
the FQS in November, it was the hard-earned
legitimacy of AIDS charity fundraising that was
under attack. When relatively so few people
in Québec nowadays are dying of AIDS, what
does it mean to commemorate this day in 2011,
13 years after the World Health Organization
declared the first World AIDS Day in the darkest
time of the pandemic?
As we take one last moment to contemplate
the 30th anniversary of HIV and AIDS on this
December 1st, we have to ask ourselves, “If
this movement began with mourning and later
evolved into hope, well then WHAT COMES
AFTER HOPE?” After spending a long time
wondering, the truest answer we found was
this: persistence. As a community of people
still immensely affected by HIV, we must persist
until the work is done or else everything that
came before will have been without purpose.
The generations of queers that are 30 and under
have inherited a brighter future because of the
work that came before us. Will we squander
our inheritance without thought of what it took
to build to this point? Will we succumb to an
apathy that is so often said to be characteristic
of our generation? Or will we be the generation
that ushers in a world without HIV? Vigil for World AIDS Day
Thursday, Dec. 1, 6pm
Parc de l’Espoir, Ste. Catherine Est corner Plessis
2B Magazine
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As any gay person who reads or watches
GLBT media knows by now, this year has
marked the 30th anniversary of the first reported
cases of HIV and AIDS. As we begin to close
out 2011, there is one final event to mark the
significance of this anniversary. December
1st is World AIDS Day. Since 1988, World
AIDS Day has been an opportunity for people
to unite globally in the fight against HIV, show
their support for people living with HIV and to
commemorate people who have died.
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Born in Crisis:
Unlike the generation that lived through the early part of the AIDS crisis, and distinct from the younger generation who have no recollection of it
whatsoever, these 30 year-old writers have lived parallel to the epidemic and have a particularly liminal experience. Born in 1980, I was barely a year
old when the US Centre for Disease Control (the CDC) first issued a report on the highly unusual occurrence of Kaposi Sarcoma amongst gay men, in
the summer of 1981. While the term Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome was not coined until a year later, and the Human Immunodeficiency Virus
that causes it was probably circulating for decades before, it has generally been acknowledged that 1981 was the year that marked the beginning of the AIDS
era. As millions continue to die of AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere in the world where anti-retroviral drugs are not available widely or cheaply, the
“AIDS crisis”, as it is now known, is thought to have ended in 1995, with the advent of HAART, High Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy. By that time, these
children of the 80s were teenagers: our understanding of sex, politics, and “health” have been all but defined by HIV/AIDS and its global and local effects.
At 10 years of age (in 1990), I saw an episode
of the Golden Girls that was the first time I had
heard the word “gay” on TV. When I asked my
mother what “gay” was, she replied that it was
when men were attracted to younger boys, and
that they wound up getting AIDS. From then,
I remember a blurry decade of red ribbons
at award ceremonies, Jonathan Demme’s
Philadelphia, art trio General Idea, and constant
news stories on death and devastation in subSaharan Africa. Only recently have I connected
to its profound social and personal impact, by
living in a community where HIV positive people
are healthy and politically engaged. In many
ways, the story of the 30 years of AIDS is for
me one of myth to reality. ‘‘Life, Love, Hope’’ 2011 © Keith Race
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– Jordan Arseneault, Editor, 2Bmag
Recently, a friend visiting from India drunkenly
slurred, “We always focus on the negative
aspect of the virus, but so many good things
have also come out of it.” After a confusing,
uncomfortable silence, that only politically
correct North Americans can produce, she said
that she meant in the context in developing
nations, where AIDS NGOs were the first to
inaugurate explicit, detailed, conversations
about sex in the public sphere. In that sense,
world over, the existence of the virus has forced
the conversation of sex onto table. Movements
for queer liberation and sex workers’ rights were
able use this as a launching point. Globally, the
last 30 years, have taken different meanings in
different places. – Indu Vashist, (Montréal, 30), 2Bmag
contributor, and blogger:
globalqueerdesi.wordpress.com
Growing up through the rise of the HIV/
AIDS crisis as a gay man was by no means
pleasant. On top of the fact that society did not
accept you, now gay sex could actually kill you.
I longed to have grown up in the 1970s when
gay sex was considered subversive, but not
necessarily suicidal. Even years after tritherapy
turned a death sentence into a chronic illness
for those who have access to medication, it still
took years for my fear of HIV/AIDS to subside.
What saddens me now is that with all of the
knowledge and all of the medical advances,
the social stigma surrounding the disease has
barely changed at all… especially within our
own community. – Michael Hawrysh, (Montréal, 30)
2Bmag contributor
2B Magazine
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To mark the occasion of the 30th year of the AIDS era, we asked our contributing writers, a prominent
photographer, and a heterosexual ally to tell us what AIDS has meant to them, given that they have never
known a world without it. From Marc-André Goulet’s magnificent Blanc de mémoire exhibit at the Écomusée
du fier monde this summer, to the exciting new scientific work The Origins of AIDS (Cambridge U.P. 2011),
by Université de Sherbrooke researcher Jacques Pepin, to David Weissman’s stunning documentary We
Were Here (2010), which screened to a teary audience at the Image + Nation festival this year, deliberate
and incidental commemorations of this anniversary have been manifold.
Recalling lives parallel to AIDS
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30 years of AIDS: Recalling lives in parallel
As a 30-year old queer man, I have no
recollection of a time before AIDS. Nonetheless,
I recognize that I did not physically experience
some of the most dire and brutal moments of
gay history in the early days of the epidemic’s
years of terror and mass mourning. I’m aware
that I was spared the threat of quarantine,
forced-testing, and sero-status tattoos. I know
that even though the faces in power may have
changed throughout three decades, I belong to
a population that was, and largely still is, viewed
as disposable. Through texts and memories, I
try to honour the ghosts of history, and celebrate
all warriors who continue to live, fuck, fight, and
scream. Photo: Dallas Kurow
In no way can we overstate the significance of
collective learning, collaboration and perpetual
knowledge-sharing that have emerged from
the common experience we have lived over the
last 30 years. It is vital that we transmit [and
pass on] the knowledge we have gained. [The
photo exhibit and community project] Blanc de
mémoire allows us to come together and bear
witness, which is fine in itself, but how can we
impart this understand to new generations
who did not live through the early years of the
epidemic? Born at the same time as AIDS 30
years ago this year, how could I imagine a world
without it? – Mark Ambrose Harris, (Montréal, 30)
2Bmag contributing writer
markambroseharris.blogspot.com
– Marc-André Goulet, performer
photographer, Blanc de mémoire
www.marcandregoulet.com
2B Magazine
and
– Peter Josselyn, (Toronto, 30)
www.typed.ca
2B Magazine
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AIDS, in its devastation, shows the resilience
and strength of communities who have provided
support and care. Faced with the unknown,
many have shown true strength. Attitudes
about discrimination, education, tolerance,
and acceptance have changed because of
how people responded. Health issues are now
cultural, whether it’s November moustaches for
prostates or runs for breast cancer research.
That started with AIDS ribbons and people
who had the courage to be open about their
experiences and people who reminded us that
each death was too many. Being the same
age as a disease is an odd marker of time.
I’m no baby and GRID (Gay Related Immune
Deficiency) is thankfully obsolete. 25
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of their red shirt donor advertising campaign
(pictured). The actual letter sent to them by
representatives of Héma Québec can be seen
on their Facebook page. Hemaphobia is a
small volunteer organisation that resulted from
a combined effort with students of Dawson
College. Tomas Dalbec, a representative for
Hemaphobia, spoke openly about his surprise
at the timing of the legal response to the
campaign, which had already been running for
well over a year with no reaction from Héma
Quebec until late October. “It just seems odd,
why now? Maybe in the beginning but not
now,” expressed Dalbec.
Hemaphobia and the struggle for gay men to give blood in Québec
By Tom McGraw
Sometimes in this life we must acknowledge that there are some facts
we are forced to accept, some facts we can choose to accept, and other
facts that seem to be known only to a select few. Recently, I came face
to face with the third scenario while getting a routine physical. A jovial
Jamaican nurse was taking my blood sample while asking me a series of
standard questions when the “Have you donated blood in the last year?”
bomb was dropped; I chuckled (which confused her) and responded with
a direct “I can’t give blood, I’m gay!” To my surprise her response was not
the checking of a box or a solemn nod, but rather a full body what you
talking about? expression. We then chatted about the realities of giving
blood and the lifetime ban for men who have sex with men. She sat for a
moment, contemplated and then inquired “Isn’t that discrimination? This
is Canada, right?” At that moment a fact I had been forced to accept
came once again into question.
This is the secret truth that Canadians are faced with. If even an educated
professional who takes blood samples for a living does not know about
lifetime bans on donation, what must the rest of the population think? In
the past month, both local and international media have been bombarded
by a variety of stories around this issue. Not least of which is the recent
decision in the United Kingdom to replace the lifetime ban with a twelve
month deferral period. A year seems reasonable when compared with
a permanent ban, but it is still longer than the 3-6 month period which is
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standard for heterosexual donors who have had multiple sexual partners
in the previous year. It is with deep shame that Canada must accept that
the UK is more progressive on an issue such as this. If a nation such as
the UK—which has one of highest underage mother rates in the western
world due to their utter distain for sex education in the school system—
can rise above the HIV stigma surrounding gay blood, then anything is
possible. Other nations such as Australia, Japan, and Sweden have all
adopted deferral periods in lieu of life time bans. We are behind the times
and thankfully, some people are not gonna take it anymore.
Adrian Lomaga, a former McGill graduate and at present a lawyer
based in Toronto, had a long standing legal case against Héma Québec
for discrimination due to sexual orientation. Recently he has decided to
drop the case as a result of press releases from Héma Québec implying
that they are reassessing the life time ban for MSM (Men who have Sex
with Men) blood donors. In a statement to the CBC Lomaga expressed
“Given the research I’ve seen to date, I think a 12-month deferral period
is reasonable… in Canada.” While many believed Héma Québec were
poised to change their policy and practice, it turned out to be false hope.
On the October 17th of this year, Hemaphobia, a Montréal-based
grassroots organization which lobbied against the lifetime ban,
received a cease and desist order from Héma Québec for the parody
Since the cease and desist order, Hemaphobia
has had to shut down their web site and will
have to decide if they can continue their mission
with another campaign or disband entirely. It
seems futile for a service like Héma Québec
to take down their underdog critic for making
light of the discrimination, while ostensibly
bowing to pressure tactics at the same time.
Tomas Dalbec also expressed serious concern
with the validity of Héma Québec’s claim to be
reassessing the lifetime ban, since they have
made similar empty insinuations in the past.
“Though we would be satisfied with a 12 month
deferral period, that would be amazing,” Dalbec
said. The fact is that there is still a lifetime ban in
place, the only major legal battle against Héma
Québec has been dropped and coincidently,
the single organization openly contesting the
MSM blood ban has been ordered to cease and
desist its awareness campaign.
We can keep our hopes high for a 12- month
deferral period someday, but the most important
thing now for concerned citizens and the GLBT
community is not to let this slip under the rug.
Hemaphobia started the ball rolling, but the
purpose of their struggle remains unachieved,
unless we choose collectively that we have
the right to give this precious resource. In
2012, should the presumed risk of our sexual
behaviour still be the deciding factor?
Hemaphobia poster image from before the censorship order
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Banned Blood
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Signs of a Village in Ottawa
No one’s complaining that Ottawa now has a GLBT Village,
but why the surprise signs?
By Samantha Everts
Instead the queer community, while individually
praising this triumph had to just continue on
with their day. Perhaps it was because most
Ottawans have noticed the large number of gay
and queer-friendly shops along Bank Street and
already knew it as the unofficially designated gay
village? Or, it was it something else?
On November 8, 2011, the designated gay village of Ottawa finally
became a reality, but no one was informed in advance of the date,
including the Village Committee who have been advocating for the renaming of the street for the last six years. The rainbow-adorned signs are
hung from Bank and Gilmour to Bank and Nepean Street.
Just as the Sens Mile (named after the
Ottawa Senator’s hockey team) brings tourists
to the area, so too are the intentions of the
Village signs to promote business, along with
community spirit. “It is what it is,” said Crawford
without directly calling the request an act of
discrimination. In time for playoffs in April 2010,
the Sens Mile signs were installed over an 800
meter stretch of Elgin Street to let intoxicated
sports-fans take over the street, one of which is
marked beside the Flamingo bar. “There was no
debate or discussion when they went up on Elgin
Street supporting the Senators,” said Crawford.
“The city footed the bill big-time, so why is that a
no brainer with no controversy or debate?”
Before then a sign was installed in early September 2010, though
was “technically not the right size,” according to Village Committee chair
Glenn Crawford. That sign looks almost identical to the current signs.
The final version of the sign was proudly toted by Somerset West
Ward Councilor Diane Holmes in the Ottawa Pride Parade in August.
Logistically then, the unionized city workers would have known at least a
week in advance of the installation date, but still The Village Committee
was never given a heads up. When questioned Holmes was curt, “It was
general knowledge that they’d be going up in November. It shouldn’t have
come as a surprise.” An exact date was never given.
Considering the support given to the LGBT community issues by
Mayor Jim Watson, it was unlike him to skip out on holding a ribboncutting ceremony to celebrate. Getting defensive in our interview, Watson
asked, “We notified Xtra for a photo opportunity. I’m not sure how we
notify the entire LGBT community other than that?”
Shockingly then, the City of Ottawa asked
the Village Committee to contribute towards the
cost of the 6 signs, a total of less than $1,000.
“With our fundraising efforts it’s not the thing
that will break our backs,” said Crawford.
But there was no press release from the City of Ottawa, the Councillor’s
office, or any sort of official statement. “They could have sent the release
afterwards,” said Holmes.
Watson reiterates Holmes’ perspective, “We wanted to get them up
ASAP,” he said.
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© The Village Committee
“If that is the case,” said queer Ottawa musician
Glenn Nuotio, “I’m sure we can get some rich
queer to pay for the signs.” But why, we wonder,
would a city that has a multi-million dollar budget
for street signage would even ask a non-profit
to pay up? (*Information requests to The City
of Ottawa for exact figures as to how much
construction and installation of street sign cost
were not returned at the time of publishing.)
Ottawa will join the ranks of Montréal and
Toronto as having an official gay street bringing
international attention to the gay-friendly capital,
so why not party? The We Demand wall was a
down-tempo affair but both Watson and Holmes
had attended the unveiling. “It’s six small signs,
that’s all,” Holmes said diminutively.
In the recent election campaign, Holmes
had pledged to see the street name project
forward to win voter advantage. Many in the
community felt like there should have been
some sort of recognition besides just a photo
op. “They’re certainly welcome to have a
ceremony,” said Holmes, “They might want to
do that in time.”
Another possibility for lack of advance
notice, suggests West-end regional activist Eric
Darwin, is that the Village signs were seen as
future competition by the surrounding Bank
Street and Chinatown Business Associations.
“It could be the threat of the Village forming
their own business association,” he said. At
least 25% of the businesses along the street
are categorized as queer or queer-friendly
according to the Village Vanguard directory
making up a substantial economic impact on
the area. It is to be noted, however that the
Committee is a grass-roots initiative.
Diane Holmes has since retracted the
demand, saying “If they don’t want to pay for
them that is fine.”
At time of printing there were no plans to
have a celebratory ceremony.
2B Magazine
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What they hadn’t realized is that the action
of putting up the signs was representative of
overcoming the struggles of the community to be
recognized as equal citizens and the street as
safe haven for queers across the city. This action
was important to bear witness to, and surely a
few in the crowd would have gotten teary-eyed.
The emotional nature would have been obvious,
instead people passed under without looking up on
their way to work, thereby ignoring them. The signs
simply went up overnight. A collective and wellprepared for event would have been appreciated.
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The Art of Giving
Mathieu Laca (gives) back at Patrick John Mills
By Jordan Arseneault
This December 1-17, the Patrick John Mills Gallery will show over two
dozen artists, with works by social realist Karen Bailey and the late, great
James Boyd curated amidst a slew of photographers, painters, sculptors
and even a jeweller (Joe Pacheco). At the end of the exhibit, Mills asks each
artist to donate an art work to beauty the working and living environment
of a local charity. As he has done in the past for the Salvation Army’s
Grace House, and the Elizabeth Fry Society, this year Ottawa AIDS
service org Bruce House will be the recipient of the artists’ largesse. “December is retail month of the year. So it is not easy to absorb
this vision. But it is something I believe in. We need art in our lives,”
Patrick John emoted by e-mail when explaining the novel concept
for the show. “The artists really benefit. In the past more that 60 art
works have sold. So there were some really excited artists. And that
makes me happy.” Unlike Laca, who’s become somewhat of a darling
of the visual art scene in Ottawa (and at the office of 2Bmag), many
visual artists in the capital are unable to make a living from their
work, so the show acts kind of like a Christmas bonus for them.
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“Getting media attention for doing something good... well it tends to
get lost at this season on the year. All the food banks, local charities,
Canadian Tire, Tim Hortons... all the big guys hit hard and have had all
the attention. It is a real economy for these establishments. I am not trying
to raise money,” Mills insists. “For me, the Art of Giving has been a way
to get art out into the community and help artists. I love art. And I simply
wish to share it. When I exit my home... and I walk around... I only wish
to see more art. Artists create such amazing things.”
Dream, never sleep, only live dreams is the motto of the gallery, and
the message is an imperative one for our time: dreaming and giving, two
acts this world could use a lot more of, I’d say.
With special thanks to Mathieu Laca for the use of his dreamy
watercolours Nude with Bird, and Voyeur, both of which will be in the
show (with a lower than usual price tag, btw).
Art of Giving with Mathieu Laca
Vernissage: December 1st. 6 - 9 pm.
Patrick John Mills Gallery
286 Hinchey Avenue, Ottawa
(613) 729.0406
Elemental Art Party: Dec 17th. 7 pm - 1 am.
patrickjohnmills.ca
Nude with Bird, watercolur, Mathieu Laca, 2007
2B Magazine
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For the past three years, now moving into year four, Ottawa gallerist
Patrick John Mills has done an exhibit entitled the Art of Giving. For
the month of December the gallery will show over 20 artists, including
Être coverboy Mathieu Laca, with Mills taking zero commission on
sales, and a trove of art going to AIDS service org Bruce House at
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Bright Colours for a Dark Time
If you’re in the village on Dec. 1st and looking for a cozy place to have
a glass of wine and be surrounded by exciting colours and shapes, you’ll
want to check out Galerie Zéphyr (on your way to the World AIDS Day
Vigil, perhaps?).
André Demers started painting seriously at the age of 22, after having
completed his studies in interior design, an influence that comes out in his
works’ more decorative aspects. For two of the darkest weeks of the year,
Daniel Roberge will treat us to fanciful works by Demers alongside the
wacky architectural musings of painter Étienne Martin.
Demers’ influences vary “from surrealism to constructivism,” with a
definite nod to Russian futurism. However, it’s with the Optical Art and the
Pop Art movements that he most closely associates himself. That’s why he
calls his style Pop-Op Art. With an almost obsessive amount of detail, and
an irreverent sense of colour, he creates rich and vibrant paintings filled
with the kind of joy we all need on a sombre day.
André Demers,”COULEURS PRIMAIRES POUR PRIMATES”
ZÉPHYR.lieu d’art
2112 rue Amherst , 514-529-9199
Montréal
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Shown here: 20” x 20” no. 25 (2009) by André Demers
www.galeriezephyr2112.com
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No Barriers
Yunus Chkirate celebrates early success by giving back
to the community
By Danny Légaré
Over the last eight months, Chkirate has become a rising star with
Montréal’s artistic community through his involvement with various
community organizations, each giving him an opportunity to combine
altruistic initiatives with his work, affording him a level of exposure that
only a few artists in this city can attest to, at least at his tender age.
“My solo exhibition was really a defining point in my career, a
reality check,” Chkirate says. “The show opened the doors to several
commissioned portraits and soon after I was involved with ARTSIDA,
Café des Arts, and the BBCM’s President’s Cocktail. Each gave me the
opportunity to take part in causes I believe in; HIV awareness/research
and Montréal’s La Fierté.”
For those who have not followed Chkirate’s ascension, we are talking
about an overnight, yet very well- deserved success. Even with all the
praises pouring in, the young man’s modesty remains intact. “I think the
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key coping skill is staying real and humble,” he says. “I don’t ever want
success to change who I am as a person and I live the way I always
have, keeping friends and family close.” “I think artists have to seize the opportunities in front of them and
really work hard to achieve them,” he continues. “As short term as it’s
been that I’ve been publicly present, I always knew deep down that I
would live the life that I have.”
But what did come as a surprise was the next step of his recent
success, with Yunus securing permanent representation in a gallery
where, on November 16th, Chkirate’s newest collection was unveiled at
Delano Design. It helps to have friends like promoter/philanthropist Kat
Coric, but there’s clearly something more to this delicious painter than
who he knows…
A yin for his yang
According to Chkirate, Delano Design is the yin for his artistic yang, a
perfect vehicle to display his work. “I felt an immediate connection with
Delano Design as they do not just believe in art and fashion, but at showing
the two in a conceptual way,” he explains. “There’s a feeling of warmth as
soon as you enter; they have captured the essence of the ‘coup de coeur’
in what they offer. Working with them has been beyond rewarding and I am
looking forward to developing more joint projects for the future.”
Yunus Chkirate © César Ochoa
2B Magazine
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It was less than a year ago when a young visual artist by the name
of Yunus Chkirate (sh-kee-ra-té) took Montréal by storm and delivered
his first solo show unveiling his latest paintings. When all 28 pieces
exhibited at the Old Port home of art patron Michael Banks sold, those
in attendance took it as a sign of things to come. The show launched
an artistic career that shows immense promise, with no sign of slowing
down any time soon for the disarmingly handsome gay painter.
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Chkirate’s work has garnered accolades from some big names in the
arts milieu south of the border as well. Steve Abrams, director of the Harris
Theater for Music and Dance in Chicago, has seen a bevy of talented
artists in his day, which was proof that work could speak for itself, even
when you’re not basking in Chkirate’s charm. “The colors, the techniques,
the composition all were completely captivating and when I finally saw
his work in person, it was a totally different experience,” Abrams says.
“The intensity and emotion behind the work were so apparent; it felt very
intimate to even look at them.”
Barriers through Love
While intimacy is a major motif in Chkirate’s graphic, post-postexpressionist work, it was a trip to Paris and Barcelona which inspired his
latest collection, Barriers through Love. In it, he channels the experiences
and emotions of his immediate circle of friends, along with his own.
Digging deep into his own consciousness, Chkirate’s modus operandi for
the series is an exploration of emotional barriers and baring it all for the
world to see, something he has no problem doing.
“Barriers through Love is the most emotionally charged series I have
ever done and I really challenged myself in every sense from technique
to subject matter,” he says. “I took some time to get together with close
friends and this is where I found myself completely intrigued and
motivated by the stories they were sharing with me and naturally, I found
myself painting portraits based on their experiences. This was where I
began to truly analyze my own experiences and explore those of others.”
Art that heals
Along with the support of Delano Design, Chkirate will donate a portion
of the proceeds from the sales obtained on the opening night of the show
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Yunus Chkirate, Portrait of Perfect Love, 2011, 48 x 48, acrylic on canvas
to Montréal’s Maison Plein Coeur. As Maison Plein Coeur’s objectives
are to promote health and support for people living with HIV/AIDS, his
reasoning behind donating the proceeds goes beyond the obvious and
poses as a benchmark for his future philanthropic endeavors.
“I made a decision after working with ARTSIDA and BBCM that going
forward, all my shows would have a charitable agenda,” Yunus says. “It’s
something that I don’t believe was a choice, but more of a need, and
Delano Design understood this when starting to work with me, which I
am really grateful for.”
“In the span of one month, I had four friends from different age groups
diagnosed as HIV-positive,” he continues. “I knew that I could just sit back
and watch this happen, or take what I do and actually make a difference.
When someone becomes a collector of mine, they can know that they
are also supporting me in raising awareness and funds for causes that
are dear to us.”
Chkirate’s goals for the near future include securing representation
for his work on a national scale alongside his mentor/publicist Kat
Coric. He also plans on embarking on a few projects tackling such
issues as suicide, teen bullying, and continuing with HIV awarenessraising.
“I’m a young guy with a loud voice. And now, I’m really going to use it.”
Yunus Chkirate’s Barriers through Love is on display at Delano
Design – Boutique Concept 70, Saint-Paul West, in Old Montréal.
www.yunuschkirate.com
2B Magazine
>
Yunus Chkirate, Portrait of a Closed Love, 2011, 30 x 30, acrylic on canvas
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It Takes a Village
Priape’s Bernard Rousseau in Conversation
By Jordan Arseneault
2B: How did the store get started?
Bernard Rousseau: Priape was founded on November 11, 1974 by Robert
Duchaine, who was my lover at the time (my first!) He wanted to open up a
jeans store but since there was a shortage of denim at the time, I suggested
that he open a sex shop! It was another friend of ours, Claude Leblanc,
who thought of the name. The first store was at 1111 de Maisonneuve
East. When the store moved to Sainte-Catherine Street, Claude became
Robert’s business partner. As for me, I was the first sales clerk hired by
Priape and I didn’t become a partner in the business until 1979.
2B: When you opened the store, did you have any idea of the kind of success
that Priape would have?
BR: Not at all! The first few years were very difficult… because just after we
moved the store to Sainte-Catherine, the building burnt down! Robert and
Claude had to borrow money from their families and Household Finance to
be able to reopen a few months later, at 1661 Saint-Catherine East.
2B: During the height of the AIDS epidemic, from 1984-1995, was Priape
criticized by the LGBT community for promoting sex? Was the store always
supported by Montréal’s gay community?
BR: Priape was hit hard by AIDS. Not only did we lose many, many
clients but we also lost many of our employees to this terrible epidemic.
I remember the store’s twentieth anniversary when we made a small
exhibit with photos and comments on the beginning of Priape and there
was, among other things, a space for all of the employees who died of
AIDS… and there have been at least 20 to date. I personally lost two
of my best friends and colleagues including Nelson Carry (1989) who
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was the photographer and manager of Priape for nearly 8 years, and
of course, Robert Duchaine (2002), the founder. From the beginning of
the AIDS crisis, Priape was involved with several community groups in
the fight to promote safe sex and to obtain the government aid that was
needed to deal with this crisis. Priape has never sold bareback films
(during my time). Priape has always been more than a store for us. We
were dedicated to a cause and this nourished us and helped us grow.
And I sincerely believe that the community has supported us in return.
2B: What is your favourite leather item in Priape?
BR: I’m not much into leather, but I recently lost my old ball separator
cock-ring that I had had for over twenty years! (And yes, I did pass by the
store to get a new one!)
2B: Who are some of your LGBT heroes in Montréal?
BR: My God! There are so many… and I don’t want to forget Alain
Bouchard (the former editor of RG), Laurent McCutcheon (Fondation
Émergence-Gai Écoute) Suzanne Girard (DiversCité) Charlene
Boudreau (Image+Nation) Ross Higgins (Archives Gaies du Québec),
Gregg McDonald (Gregg Homme), Michel Tremblay, Réal Ménard,
Daniel Pinard, and Mado of course! And those we have lost like Robert
Duchaine, the founder of Priape, who will always be my first hero!
As they often do, Priape will be sponsoring
TORTURE GARDEN MONTRÉAL
NOVEMBER 25-26-27, 2011
www.TortureGardenMontreal.com
www.priape.com
2B Magazine
>
On the occasion of the flagship gay erotic emporium’s 37th anniversary, Priape cofounder reflects on the store’s success, the origins of the Village, the AIDS era, his gay
heroes, and his favourite sexessory.
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Brandon
Jones:
Go Big and Stay Home
By Boísin Murphy
When Michael Lucas came to town in May of this year, he had already scouted who
he would be putting his made-in-Montréal All Star Studs and Backdoor, and Brandon
Jones was one of them. Along with his real-life boyfriend Adrian Long, and local pornstar Pierre Fitch, Brandon Jones has been catapulted into the gay adult video bigleagues with more than just his sculpted frame and beautiful butt to show off. He’s been
anointed as a scout and producer for Lucas Entertainment in the 514.
2B: Agreed. You’re often described online as a “power bottom.” What does this
term mean for you?
BJ: Not everyone is very good at it and is comfortable doing it. I’m not
just gonna do the starfish. I’m going to be as submissive and aggressive
and more top-like. It’s a life passion, it’s an art. My forthcoming book will
be entitled The Art Bottoming by Brandon Jones.
While he hasn’t quit his day job yet, Brandon will start producing more Montréalmade scenes, using local actors and crew, with Lucas Entertainment Canada. The project
will represent a major shift for porn production in Montréal, since there are currently
no major houses shooting here, and certainly none with the publicity, production
values, and strict no-bareback policy that have earned Michael Lucas his reputation
and commercial success.
2B: How do you stay healthy as a porn actor, both sexually and physically?
BJ: Safety first! I will never shoot a scene without a condom. Lucas
Entertainment will never shoot a scene without a condom. If all they ever
see in porn is protected porn, it will come a little bit more naturally for
them. We always film the actor putting the condom on. It’s not magical
that the condom goes on! Porn should be a fantasy but should be a
portrayal of real life as well.
Allstar Studs was filmed in a loft that the company rented in St-Henri.
We had to do a little scenario where we walked around and kissed on the
street; passers-by screamed “fags” and we just laughed, the crew did too.
We told ourselves that those people aren’t really from Montréal.
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2B: And what about that BODY?
BJ: I have a very active job, I walk everywhere. I love dancing and
taking classes at the gym. I have a good metabolism and keep myself
busy. I don’t like junk food. I was a figure skater before (hence the ass),
from 6-15. When I was 15 I had a big ass, and big legs and a skinny torso.
At 15, I broke both my feet in a rough landing on the ice. I decided my
health was more important than the medals. I didn’t have many friends
because I was living in arenas. I’m too much of a people person I realized.
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2B: What was it like filming All Star Studs and Backdoor on your home turf?
BJ: Backdoor was shot with Adrian at JP’s strip club (formerly Adonis).
I was playing a stripper who wants to work there, and Adrian plays the
manager of a club. I was basically getting paid to fuck with my boyfriend!
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2B: And by people person, you mean you liked cock.
BJ: I discovered I was gay at 16, I had been dating girls before, and there
were no gays around us at all. When my body discovered I was gay and
I tried it, it was like a calling. I was having sex with my girlfriend and I was
thinking about my best friend naked! So I told her that I thought I was gay.
There was a chat-room in Sherbrooke, and I tried it right away because
I thought I was missing something. And it all came naturally afterwards.
That’s why I did figure skating, and played with Barbies, and that’s why
I love girl clothes [laughs].
2B: Many Montréalers will remember you as the sweet smiling shirtless boy
who served sangria on the rooftop at Sky. You transitioned pretty quickly from
the country boy to city-gay…
BJ: After I recovered from the skating accident, I moved to Montréal
at 17. I went a bit crazy when I got here... I come from an extremely
open-minded family and everyone in my family was supportive of every
boyfriend I ever had. My family is even supportive of the porn project.
2B: What will you be doing to promote the auditions and films you’ll be doing
with Adrian?
BJ: We’ll be posting some ads, and will be using some talent from
his local stable, as well as some European actors. I got to meet a lot of
actors and connections we made while Michael Lucas was in town, as
well as on recent trips to New York and LA. For the upcoming film, we’ll
be using a script that Adrian and I wrote together.
2B: I just have to ask, how did you come up with the name “Brandon Jones”?
BJ: I’ve always loved the name Brandon, so I chose that. And
the “Jones” is in honour of my idol, Samantha Jones, Kim Cattrall’s
character in Sex and the City
2B: She’s my idol too! She also does a lot of advocacy around sex, is that
something you’re interested in doing with your newfound fame?
BJ: I’ve always been someone who is open about who I am. I don’t
see sexuality as something bad. Talking to teens to let them know that
it’s OK to want to experience sex, and that sexuality is something good
as long as you’re smart with it will be my contribution. The importance
is to stay who are no matter what.
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© Adam Webster
2B Magazine
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www.lucascasting.com
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HOTS POTS 2B Nov-Dec 2011
Always the hottest place to check out new
dance talent, choreographer/teacher Lynsey
Billing from SCREAM Dance Academy will
host STAGE, an evening of performances by “Ill
Abilities” Crew, Entre-Deux, Sonia Balajovech,
Véronique D’Abaté, and many more. It’s like the
SCREAM team’s answer to the end-of-semester
variety show, but way, way, way fiercer! Stage,
UQAM’s Salle Marie-Gérin-Lajoie, 405 SteCatherine West, Montréal, 7:30pm, $15
www.lynseybillingproductions.com
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Dec. 10 Glam Gam Productions
Dec. 3 Zïlon @ Galerie Dentaire @ Café Cleopatra
In collaboration with artists Louis Guillemette
and Danielle Habard, Amherst’s Galerie
Dentaire will host Vulnerable, a night of live
pen-and-ink drawing by iconic gay visual artist
Zïlon. The proceeds of the entirely original
works’ sale will go to one of the last assisted
living homes for people with AIDS, the Maison
du Parc. 5pm, 1239, rue Amherst, Montréal.
www.galeriedentaire.com
www.maisonduparc.org
Taking their cue from certain team-building
exercises
and
short-film
competitions,
burlesque tricksters Glam Gam Productions
will be taking over Café Cléopatre for their 24
Hour XXXmas Mystery Cabaret. The nasty,
irreverent crew will announce the script to their
collaborators on Dec 9th, and performers have
only one day to put together an act, a costume,
and a soundtrack, only to take it all off again.
1230 boul. St-Laurent, 9pm, $10-15 at the door.
www.glamgam.com
© Dan Ziemkiewicz
Dec. 17 Overkill Bar (Ottawa)
Dec. 17 St. Vincent
@ the Corona
The opening of the newest mega-club in the
historic Station C will feature DJ Shawn Riker
on decks. Acrobats, live show, and door prizes,
with a mere $8 cover. Be there! 1450 SteCatherine Est
Tongue-in-cheek party-mongers Sara Ainslie
and Guy Bérubé have a social conscience, but
they hide it well. With SAtAN’s LITTLE Helpers
Christmas Blow-out and canned food drive,
they’re inviting you to “leave a can of food +
Get a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon”. DJ DUSTY
spinning scratchy house music, 10pm-2am. (56
Byward Market Square).
Two years ago, Annie Clark’s recorded debut
as St. Vincent, Marry Me, brought the female
vocalist from the flatlands of Texas to the
heights of critical attention at the centre of the
hipster universe: Brooklyn, NY. Actor, her new
album from Beggar’s Banquet boasts songs
that are “as cinematic as pop songs can be,
but the movie is a private one.” 9pm @ Théatre
Corona, (2409 Notre-Dame Ouest), $22-$29.
www.apollonmtl.com
www.overkillbar.com
www.evenko.ca
Dec. 10: Apollon Nightclub
grand opening!
2B Magazine
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Dec. 3 Stage 2011
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What You Want to Hear
Out queer musician Matt Stern launches an album from the heart
By Jordan Arseneault
“I wanted to say about your song ‘First World Problems’ that you inspired
me to write a song with the same title,” Matt said with the winking charm
that makes you feel kind of special just to be around him. The hidden
compliment was for a joke of a song I had written for Pervers/cité in 2010,
but jocular is exactly what Matt’s work is not: he is making a name for
himself with unpretentious music that strikes a chord of what one might
call timeless boyish sincerity with tracks like “Grateful” and “I Wanna
See You”. His slightly falsetto, naturalistic voice expresses the feelings
he “couldn’t say directly to anyone,” especially before he came out last
year. Up to now, Stern’s inspirations have often come from channelling
his pent-up love for straight boys he was falling for, making love to them
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by melodic proxy, so to speak. “I’m Not the Only One” is a delectable
exception to the super-sweet folk style that Matt has made his own; the
dancey beat and sexy texture of the piece are reminiscent of a Bon Iver
remix (without the sadness), but you can actually understand his vocals.
“I’m Not the Only One” is an example of how native Montréaler has
been breaking out of his preferred folk boundaries and expanding into
remixes and ballads that are known to tug heartstrings and make your
panties (or undies) a little wet. The song was the title track of his first
album, the release of which coincided with his coming out last year. From
last year’s album release show, where Stern tried to “keep a low profile”
and wound up almost losing his adoring boyfriend as a result, Stern
is now poised to become more fully and proudly himself in What You
Wanted to Hear, a self-produced album he’ll be launching at Café Artère
on Friday, Dec. 9th. We have a feeling that Matt Stern will have a lot more
of what we want to hear (and see), in the coming months.
Release of What You Wanted to Hear
@ Café l’Artère
7000, av. du Parc
Friday, December 9th, 8 pm
Entry is $10 and includes “dinner” www.mattstern.com
2B Magazine
>
When I sat down to chat with the handsome and soulful Matt Stern
one late summer afternoon, he served me tea and oranges on his back
balcony in the Village. The Leonard Cohen “Suzanne” reference aside,
Stern’s folk music roots were already apparent to me from numerous
sets I’d seen him do around town. Whether in the red-walled intimacy
of Cabaret Faux Pas, or barefoot on the stage at the Royal Phoenix,
where he did a tongue-in-cheek version of Jessie J’s “Do It Like a Dude”,
Matt has always stood out for doing something not many queer boys in
his generation do, which is sing alone with an acoustic guitar. Poised to
release Songs for the Wandering Spirit this fall, Stern followed up with
a fast-forwarded release of What You Wanted to Hear, staying in the
heartfelt melodic vein of Billy Joel and Tracy Chapman.
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Mr. Technokink
Isaac Wesley wins Mr. Leather Ottawa 2012.
2B Staff
Mr. Leather Ottawa announced the winner of Mr. Leather Ottawa 2012: the very handsome Isaac
Wesley. Steve Stewart was 1st Runner-Up and Jordan Thomas 2nd Runner-Up. Together, the
sexy Winners took home over $10,000 in prizes.
Record crowds attended the event, with 600 people at the Saturday, Nov. 12th competition. Seminars
and workshops were well-attended, with many sold out, with an awesome influx of out-of-towners to boot.
Following individual interviews with a panel of judges, the five contestants entertained the audience
with performances in three stage segments: Full Fetish Image & Speech, Minimal Wear & Pop
Questions, and “Fantasy Scenarios.” The fantasy portion is a long-standing tradition in the Ottawa
Leather Community, “setting the contest apart from most other leather contests in North America,”
the group said in their wrap-up release. In this segment, contestants are required to display their
BDSM interests and play skills in a fantasy scene that follows an assigned theme. This year’s
theme was Technokink won Isaac Wesley the prize for his rendition of “Love in an Elevator” with
MLO 1999 Dean Ross in a supporting role. Steve Stewart’s Birthday “Love Triangle” was hilariously
sexy, while Jordan Thomas’s “Road Runner and Coyote-inspired” ACME “Instant Pup Kit” also
wowed the crowd of well-over 600 who packed into the deconsecrated Irish Catholic stone venue. Members of the judging panel were: Mr. Leather Ottawa 2012 Mike Tattersall who served as
head judge; “Mama” Sandy Reinhardt from Dublin, California; Ms. International Olympus Leather
2007 Angela Albert; Canadian Leatherman 2005 Paul Ciantar of Toronto; and, Sir Ryan Auld of
Montréal. As MLO 2012, Isaac says he will reinforce on “respectability” to the community as “far too
often he has seen members of the community leave respect at the door when entering a gay
establishment. It comes down to the principle of respecting personal space, conversations and
attitude. Everyone is an equal no matter who they are and should be treated with respect,” the
Ottawa Knights website said. Wesley says he’ll use his title to help fellow Leathermen and Sirs with
events they are attending for various benefits, and help increase the visibility of locally owned gay
establishments to the best of his abilities by promoting the services they offer.
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© Bert Schopf
2B Magazine
>
Sexy with a conscience!
Congratulations to Isaac from your new fans @2Bmag
www.technokink.com
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Sauna Charter gets OK
Sauna charter is off to a good start, according to RÉZO
Matthieu Lévesque
The charter, which was created by the
prevention organisation RÉZO, Santé publique,
the CSSS Jeanne-Mance and different sauna
owners, has its limitations. “You have to
understand that it’s a charter of engagement,
and is not binding,” explains Alain Arsenault,
community organizer at the CSSS JeanneMance. In other words, “in adhering to the
charter, the saunas are taking a sort of voluntary
commitment, which they can stop or restart at
any time.”
Robert Rousseau affirms that the idea of
making the charter mandatory, as has been
done in some European countries, was brought
up, but was rapidly shot down. “In terms of
ideology, when we oblige someone to respect
the rules, it is very difficult to implement, and
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2B Magazine
to ensure that the rules are respected. Rather
than alienate the saunas, we had everything to
gain in implementing a voluntary charter.”
The charter also serves as a reminder, a
way of recognising that saunas have been
participating in prevention actions for a long
time. “We work in collaboration with owners
since the 2000s, and they have always been
very receptive,” insists Robert Rousseau. “We
found it unfortunate that the population does
not see the prevention efforts made by saunas.”
Changing the image of saunas
More concretely, the initiative asks that
saunas provide access to information on STIs,
testing and free vaccinations (2 to 4 times a
month) and ensure the presence of community
workers on site. But the primary challenge
proposed by the charter is for owner’s to provide
unlimited access to free condoms.
“In the large majority of saunas, condoms are
only distributed at the entrance,” explains Mr.
Rousseau. “Some saunas have three or four
Danny Lapierre © César Ochoa
2B Magazine
>
A new initiative was implemented this summer to help
prevent the transmission of STIs in some of Montréal’s
saunas. The Chartre OK, a voluntary set of guidelines that
sauna owners were invited to adhere to, had to undergo a
few adjustments after its first few months of operation, but
its organisers remain very optimistic about the project.
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Lubricant, however, must still be purchased
– a contradiction since condoms and lube go
hand in hand. RÉZO confirms that the topic
did come up. “In all of the establishments,
lubricants are sold for a nominal fee,” explains
Robert Rousseau. “The sauna owners are
willing to make efforts, just as long as they don’t
have too much of an impact on their bottom
line. Providing unlimited condoms without
extra charge already demands a considerable
increase in their expenses...”
Ronald Champagne, owner of the now defunct
Sauna Centre-Ville since its opening in 1990,
confirms this added expense: “We make no profit
with the condoms,” he insists. “We pay for them and
we give them away, so it’s a significant expense.”
These efforts will hopefully help saunas
improve their reputation, which can often still be
negative, as much in the eyes of the gay people
as straight people. “Certain people consider
saunas to be a very dirty, trashy place. If it
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weren’t for saunas, men would continue to go
to the parks and alleys,” says Robert Rousseau.
In terms of STI transmission however, there
has been a rather negative evolution as of
late. At the beginning of the 90s, “a norm was
established in terms of safe sex, [but] over the
last few years, this has deteriorated. There is
much more sex without protection, notably with
the arrival of barebacking. But the sauna remains
a safer space than public places, because it is a
better controlled and secure environment.”
A real financial cost
Currently, only four saunas have signed the
charter – Oasis, G.I. Joe, Sauna Centre-Ville and
the 5018. “Their owners are concerned about
their clientele. Looking out for the health of their
clients is important to them,” says Alain Arsenault.
Among the establishments that did not sign
the charter is the Bain Colonial, a family business
open since 1914. Joy Adler, one of its owners,
claims that she was never approached on the
subject. “I didn’t even know that this charter
existed. It has to be said that we are not in the
Village. Maybe they forgot us.” For his part,
Robert Rousseau indicated that the documents
were sent to the Bain Colonial and that he is still
awaiting a response.
The second step comes in December when
the participating saunas will receive a followup visit. “We will meet with sauna owners and
go over all the points. If they are no longer
respecting the charter, we will simply remove
the logo from the window. But they will be
welcome to adhere again in the future whenever
they wish.”
In the course of the first three months of
the project, some small adjustments had to
be made. “For certain saunas, the condom
dispensers had to be moved. They were
emptying too quickly. We put them in view of
personnel so that we could keep an eye on
clients that take advantage of the situation.”
More difficult for Peep Shows
Peep Shows and other places where some
sexual relations take place on site were
also approached, but it did not turn out how
organizers would have liked. Though owners
were aware that there sexual relations happen
in their establishment, they claim they did not
want to encourage it. To acknowledge the
charter, in their minds, would be a step in that
direction.
For more info, check out
www.charteok.com
2B Magazine
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floors. When you are on the third floor and you
need a condom that you can only get on the first
floor, chances are, in the heat of the moment,
you will decide to go without.” For the most part,
condom dispensers have been installed on
each floor of the participating saunas.
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Putting people back in fashion
By Thibaut Temmerman
The online fashion store’s clever name is
also a reflection of the philosophy behind the
business: to put clothing on the backs of those
who design, make, and of course, wear the
company’s garments. Against Nudity takes
deep pride in being a responsible business
and ensures that both those who design and
manufacture the garments are fairly paid and
have employee benefits. The goal is to offer a
fair price for their clothing, which depends much
more on the quality of the garment rather than
the notoriety of the brand.
The clothing is both designed and made
in North America and will soon have a tag to
present its individual designer, in order to create
a more personal connection with the client (à la
Lush Cosmetics), and to give due credit to the
creativity and talent of the designer. It’s all in
the name of transparency, like on their website,
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which reads, “the face is the first connection
and yes, we have a face.”
Not in the business of ruining…
The name Against Nudity is also a sort of
commentary on the traditional fashion industry
and its superficial values. The models for Against
Nudity are more than just skin and bones
and do not propagate a digitally retouched,
unrealistic standard of beauty. Unlike other
clothing companies, Against Nudity donates
their unsold stock to community organisations
rather than destroying it – yet another faux pas
in the world of prêt-à-porter.
Also available is several boutiques in
Montréal and Québec City, these elegant and
comfortable creations have eclectic names
including Ninja turtle kakis, the “Jealous Ralph”
shirt, the Mont-Royal jacket and the Plateau
Fluo. Louis and Thierry have also promised a
“Village” garment for the next collection. A fun,
ethical alternative to that other anti-sweat-shop
manufacturer, don’t you think?
Against Nudity
againstnudity.com
Make-up and hair Ana-Maria Cimpoia
On Patrick: ‘‘Falcon punch’’ Cardigan: $41
‘‘Skinny Skeleton’’ Pants in grey: $48
On Alexandre: ‘‘The Hot Cake’’ Shirt: $46
‘‘Master Key’’ Pants: $65
www.againstnudity.com
© César Ochoa
2B Magazine
>
After only six months in business, the orders keep piling
in for the Québec online fashion store Against Nudity.
Created by entrepreneurs Louis Moreau and Thierry
Charlebois, Against Nudity aims to “re-evolutionize”
fashion by running a responsible, transparent business,
which is not exactly the norm in the garment industry.
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MIKE RUIZ IS PRETTY MASCULINE
By Troy Ordami
too. Proceeds benefit GMHC, a sexual health charity in
New York City.
Savvy reality fans know Mike’s career on the tube started
long before A List: New York. In fact, he has appeared
on several shows including America’s Next Top Model,
RuPaul’s Drag Race, and Kathy Griffin’s My Life on the
D-List. But A List was different. It was the first time
cameras documented Mike’s every move and even more
significant, it was the first time he gave up creative
control. That’s a big deal for a man who is used to calling
all the shots behind the lens. It was a professional risk,
too, but one Mike doesn’t regret as the show introduced
him and his work to a whole new set of adoring fans.
Isn’t masculinity the opposite of “beauty”? In his latest production, Mike Ruiz turns his attention to
his first photo book, Pretty Masculine, featuring a hunky
gang of male models in various forms of undress. It’s
pages and pages of eye candy and all for a good cause,
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How do you define beauty? Beauty is very individual and personal.
However, I consider beauty to be represented in
everything that denotes balance in our world and
is in harmony with our environment. True beauty
gratifies the senses, which in my case, inspires
me to delve deeper into my creative psyche.
The opposite of beauty is ugliness. So,
to define masculinity as ugly is nothing but
a limitation and inherent misunderstanding
of what masculinity represents. Masculinity,
irrespective of how it is portrayed, is yet another
facet of beauty.
Traditionally, men have been taught that beauty
is a girl thing and that they shouldn’t concern
themselves with how they look. Yes, western culture certainly has imposed
its belief that the idea of beauty is relegated
predominantly to the female gender. However,
this preconception is very limited and I hope
that, along with continued changes in our
cultural behaviors and values, so too will we
notice a shift in accepting that beauty is not “a
girl thing”. I, for one, extrapolate what I find to
be beautiful and interpret it accordingly. In my
mind, there are no limitations to what is to be
deemed as beautiful.
What is the main message of Pretty Masculine?
Beauty is whatever we want it to be. Just
be open to new ideas and to the possibility of
breaking down inflexible ideological barriers.
How do the men in your book represent male
beauty?
Pretty Masculine depicts just one of many
facets of beauty. In this case, the subjects in my
book are simply a study of male muscularity—
captured through hyper-stylized imagery. The
juxtaposition of accessories and materials
commonly depicted in our society as being
inherently feminine is meant to demonstrate
that beauty is all-inclusive and not meant to be
segregated.
Are they the male equivalent to a Barbie
doll? Are they placing the beauty bar for men at
an impossibly high mark?
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Few do cool as hot as high-octane celebrity-fashion
photographer and star of A List: New York, Mike Ruiz.
With a unique approach to the exploration of visceral
brilliance, his finely crafted celebrity images have
appeared in Vanity Fair, Italian Elle, and Spanish Vogue.
He has shot some of the hottest in Hollywood from Kim
Kardashian to Adam Lambert (and the girls of Jersey
Shore!). However, even he’ll say that none shined as
brightly as beloved Golden Girl turned rapper, Betty White
– she actually raps on the new club track, “I’m Still Hot”.
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There isn’t or at least there shouldn’t be
any bar to define male beauty. Moreover, it is
important to remember that the models in my
book are real people. They come from many
different walks of life and have many different
interests and are of many different persuasions.
They are all beautiful individuals with equally
beautiful souls. To objectify, plasticize or
minimize them by comparing them to Barbie
dolls would be nothing more than a perpetuation
of short-sighted stereotypical limitations.
Isn’t true beauty really on the inside?
If you look closely enough, you’ll realize that
beauty is all around us—inside, outside and
everywhere in between.
What are some things you do to be the most
beautiful person you can be?
I live in my truth, openly and with joy.
Of course we have to ask about recent news that
you will not be part of next season’s A List: New
York. Is that true?
Yes, it is true. I won’t be returning for a third
season. I am most grateful to the producers of
the show for having given me the opportunity to
be a part of the cast. I have met many people
and made many friends in the course of the last
two seasons. The show gave me an awesome
platform to discuss my general philosophy on
life and share what’s important to me. That said,
I feel that my participation on the show has
run its course and that I need to tend to other
projects that are pending and continue focusing
on my career as a photographer.
What is your parting advice to the guys of A List?
Love yourselves and remember that you are
the masters of your own destiny.
To order Pretty Masculine, visit
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www.mikeruiz.com
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Travel Gay Canada comes to town
Gay travel in Canada represents a market
that TGC estimates at approximately $7 billion
annually. While we don’t have a lot of the
beach resorts commonly associated with gay
tourism in Europe, Latin America, and Asia, the
True North strong and free makes up for it by
being “one of the most progressive and inviting
countries in the world,” where businesses fly
the rainbow flag, and people even come here
from less progressive places to get gay married.
Major urban centres and country escapes alike
boast gay or gay-friendly staff, ownership, or
attractions, as our Guide Gai du Québec attests.
Confirmed speakers at the Nov 17-18 Travel
Gay Canada Conference include such experts
as Toni Newman, the Innovation Advantage, and
Joel Peters, Chief Marketing Officer of Tourism
Toronto, which famously made a very gay video to
promote LGBT tourism in the metropolis amidst
their city’s pride funding debacle earlier this year.
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The fact of Pride’s positive economic impact,
which stemmed mostly from tourism, became a
political factor that conservative elements in the
Queen’s City Hall had to reckon with.
“This Conference will be valuable to any
organization looking to build opportunities in the
LGBT travel market,” said Darrell Schuurman,
President of Travel Gay Canada. “Delegates
will have the opportunity to learn from leading
experts in the industry and will also benefit from
networking with like-minded colleagues. We
expect TGC’s second annual LGBT Tourism
Conference to be a great success and look
forward to welcoming delegates to Montreal!”
Just a few of the presentations we like the
sound of include “Straight to Gay: Making the
Transition” presented by B&B owner Brian
Kendrick (from PEI!), and “Social Media: Are
you Market Ready?” with Tourisme Montréal’s
ubiquitous Tanya Churchmuch. The opening
keynote by Professional Catalyst Toni Newman
is poised to teach us how to “continually create,
provide and demonstrate our value to the LGBT
consumer base,” something that I think any
LGBT business owner needs to know, whether
they’re in the travel business or not.
The delegates, the kiosks, the name tags, and
the learning all come together at the glimmering
Fairmount Reine Elizabeth, Nov 17 + 18, in
Montréal. For more info: www.tgcconference.com
Old Montréal © Ville de Montréal, bureau du patrimoine, de la toponymie et de l’expertise
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Montréal is already known as one of the
biggest conference attractions in North
America, second only to Washington, DC. So,
what better place to unite all of the tourism and
hospitality colours of the rainbow for a two-day
industry conference? Canada’s LGBT Tourism
Industry Association, cleverly shorted to Travel
Gay Canada (TGC) has also chosen the
perfect hotel, the Fairmount Queen Elizabeth,
to show you how to market your business to the
precious pink dollar.
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comme moi : pisse, odeurs naturelles (cul, aiselles, couilles,
sueur), tendre et versatile. Black+ Têl XXX bien venus !
G-6072 Ghana M, 28, 5’8’’, 85 kg, dark skin, short hair,
hot, warm and passionate guy, athletic built and TOP. I’m
open minded, intelligent, great sence of humor. Looking for
warm and loving long term relationship. Interested in music,
sports, photographing, cooking, gardering and traveling.
6079 Ghana I’m Robert, sexy romantic Black guy looking
for any man to be my lover and to treat him cordly, gay
friends welcome too. Any age is welcome plus meeting.
C-6073 Pelo oscuro, piel canela, ojos cafes, Chico de mente
abierta, sincero, sencillo y romantico.30 y.o., Espero correspondencia de chicos de entre 30-50, serios, afines a mis
caracteristicas para ampliar mi circulo de amigos.
6074 N.B. Canada Homme début 50e, dé
sire faire la connaissance d’un bel homme costaud, sportif, poids proportionnel, poilu de préférence, âgé entre 18
et 35 ans, non fumeur si possible. Aimant la nature. But
amitié et possibilité de relation plus profonde. Bienvenus
aux haltérophiles.
6075 Ghana Sexy, handsome black, guy 30, looking for
serious man to meet soon.
6076 A good-looking, honest, intelligent, manly Ukrainian
boy, 24 y.o., H. 177 cm, 74 kg, dark-blond hair, green eyes,
with university education, good health, nice body and good
character. I do not smoke and do not drink alcohol. Seeks
my special man, real best friend for correspondence, good
meetings, holidays together, friendship, romance, love and
for happy long relationship.
6077 46 ans, 5’6’’, 142 Lbs, 8’’ Non-circoncis, séro+,
cherche mec 40-55 ans, pas bedonnant, enjoué, cochon,
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2B Magazine
6078 40 y/o, 1.80cm, 82 kg, mulato. Cantante profesional,
deseo contactar amigos en Canada y el mundo para correspondencia en mi club del amor y la amistad.
6080 Cuba 44 años, bisexual con preferencia por hombres,
trigueno, ojos cafés, 1.70m, 65 kg, sagitario. Me gusta la
playa, el cine, las discotecas. Busco amistad o relación estable con hombre bisexual o gay completo (activo/pasivo)
entre 19 y 50 años.
6081 Cuba 26 y/o, White hair, Black eyes, clear skin. Gay
looking for a friend. I need love and peace. I like music,
cycling and chocolate. I’m simple and complete.
6082 Rétraité soixantaine, barbu, poilu, chevveux grisonnants, Allure véome et intello. Doux, respecteux, discret,
passionné. Cherche homme mur, libre le jour en semaine,
pour donner libre tours à un échange de fantasmes…caresser tes rondeurs et lécher tes pieds me conduiront au 7e ciel.
6083 Saguenay 2H, 48 & 52, 165 & 145 lb, 6’ & 5’8 cherchent amis et couples semblables pour profiter des plaisirs à
la campagne. Aimons nature, musique, art, livres, voyages.
6084 Cuba Mulato, 29 y/o, tall, elegant, serious, honest.
Masseur. Looking for a serious and stable relationship with
a gay man, 30-60 y/o. Friends write me back.
6085 Montréal Renouveau au Qc. après 25 ans d’absence,
cherche ami(s); 45 ans, 5’9, 170 lbs.,instruit, cultivé, artiste arts
visuels, bilingue, pas d,acl, cigarette, drogue. Bel apparence.
6086 Montréal 62 ans, 5’7”, 165 lb., italien, look Jeune,
gym 3 fois/ semaine, cheveux chatains, deux ambrés, aime
Tous les plaisirs de la vie. Cherche Idem pour rélation sérieuse. Fumeur s’abstenir.
6087 Montréal Couple masculin dans la soixantaine [un
bottom (passif) et un versatile] cherche TOP (actif), poilu,
âgé entre 55 et 70 ans, qui pratique le safe sex, pour
relations sexuelles occasionnelles. Doit être propre et
entreprenant. Nous sommes grassouillets, honnêtes et
discrets. Prière d’inclure informations pertinentes et une
photo (visage) dans votre réponse.
6088 Cuba 58 años, 1.54m, 64kg, pelo canoso, ojos pardos, romantico, cariñoso y agradable. Busco pareja de
mi edad o mayor hasta 70 años. Soy sastre y me gusta
la música, pasear por la playa y los animales. Espero su
respuesta.
6089 Suisse Beau mec de 28 ans, tendre et coquin,
cherche contact au Québec pour correspondance et amitié.
Je serai en vacances à Montréal en 2012.
6090 Cuba Mido 1.75 cm, peso 64kg, piel blanca, ojos
pardos, pelo negro. Mis gustos preferidos: la música, la
televisión, el deporte y los celulares. Estoy interesado en
buscar pareja. Me puedes enviar SMS.
6091 Cuba Mulato, 31 años, licenciado en enfermería,
busco pareja y amigos de 30 años en adelante. Me gusta
el cine, leer y bailar. Soy muy divertido y prometo ser fiel
a mi pareja.
6091 Belgique Jeune homme blanc, sportif en short, 27
ans, passif cherche hommes actifs de plus de 18 ans.
Même agés, pour correspondance, rencontres. J’aime
voyager. Hommes noirs bienvenus. Envoyer lettre avec
photo.
2B Magazine
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Q- 6071 Montréal H, 47, 5’12’’, 125 lb, 6.5’’ circoncis,
look jeune, non poilu. Rocker non sadomaso tendre, affectueux, pas efféminé, instruit, fumeur, pas de drogue, ni
d’alcool. Cherche H. 35-65 sérieux pour relation durable,
simple, affectueux, franc, sens l’humour. Toutes ethnies
bienvenues. Obèse, violent, buveur, drogué s’abstenir.
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