GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine - December 2009

December 2009 ISSUE 74 The Only Magazine Dedicated to Alberta’s GLBT+ Community

FREE

HAPPY

HOLIDAYS!

Finding Generation-Q Are Queer Youth Vanishing from our Community Groups?

Interviews with: The Canadian Tenors illScarlet Jeffrey Straker

Community Directory • Map and Events • Tourism Info >> Starting on Page 17

GLBT Resource • Calgary • Edmonton • Alberta

www.gaycalgary.com

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Photography

Steve Polyak, Rob Diaz-Marino, Karen Hofmann, Kevin Keleher, Christal Ramanauskas.

Videography

Steve Polyak, Rob Diaz-Marino

Printers

North Hill News/Central Web

Distribution

Calgary:.........................Gallant Distribution . .....................................GayCalgary Staff Edmonton:......................Clark’s Distribution Other:........................................Canada Post

Legal Council

Courtney Aarbo, Barristers and Solicitors

Sales & General Inquiries

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine 2136 17th Avenue SW Calgary, AB, Canada T2T 0G3 Office Hours:.............. By appointment ONLY Phone:................................. (403) 543-6960 Toll Free:............................ 1-888-543-6960 Fax:..................................... (403) 703-0685 E-Mail:.............magazine@gaycalgary.com

This Month's Cover

Created by Rob Diaz-Marino

Publisher’s Column

8 Step Right Up! An Interview with Jeffrey Straker

10 The Perfect Gift

Canadian Tenors on New Christmas Album

11 An Interview with illScarlett

PAGE 5

Chris Azzopardi, Dallas Barnes, Dave Brousseau, Sam Casselman, Jason Clevett, Andrew Collins, Rob Diaz-Marino, Jack Fertig, Glen Hanson, Joan Hilty, Leah Kelly, Stephen Lock, Allan Neuwirth, Keith Orr, Steven Petrow, Steve Polyak, Pam Rocker, Romeo San Vicente, Jerome Voltero, Dan Woog, and the GLBT Community of Calgary, Edmonton, and Alberta.

Balancing Holiday Charity with Reality

13 Chelsea Boys 14 Out of Town Guadalajara, Mexico

17 Directory and Events

PAGE 8

Writers and Contributors

5

24 Escaping Persecution The Bethany Smith Case

25 Letters to the Editor 26 Adult Film Review Piss Off, Love Addiction

27 Q Scopes

“Sex is not a competitive sport, Aries!”

28 Deep Inside Hollywood

Santa visits Neil Patrick Harris and Queens of Drag work it out

29 Cocktail Chatter

PAGE 11

Publisher:................................. Steve Polyak Editor:................................ Rob Diaz-Marino Graphic Design:................. Rob Diaz-Marino Sales:........................................ Steve Polyak

Vodka 101: The Spirit of Choice and Homo for the Holidays

30 Fairytales Presentation Society New Direction, New Endeavours, and a New Logo

Continued on Next Page 

Courts and Camaraderie, with a Side of Competition

www.gaycalgary.com

PAGE 14

31 Badminton

Continued on Next Page 

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

Table of Contents  Continued From Previous Page

Proud members of:

32 Lights, Camera: Woman!

Pioneering Filmmaker, Revolutionary Theatre, and Girls Who Like Girls

34 Fundraising Photos

PAGE 32

38 Queeries

Is civil disobedience bad manners?

39 The OutField

MAAP-ping a fight against homophobia

40 A Beautiful DVD

Margaret Cho: As Funny on DVD as Live

41 Bitter Girl

 Continued from Previous Page

Magazine

PAGE 46

42 A Couple of Guys

43 Finding Generation-Q

Are Queer Youth Vanishing from our Community Groups?

45 Seeing Red

Local and Global Communities Journey Towards Hope

PAGE 51

48 Classified Ads 51 Book Marks

Best LGBT Fiction and Nonfiction for 2009

56 Queer Eye - Community Events

January 2010 Print Deadlines

In Circulation Wednesday, January 6th, 2010 Please contact us immediately if you think you may have missed the booking or submission deadline.

http://www.gaycalgary.com/i74

Read more articles and exclusive content online!

http://www.gaycalgary.com/RSS

Articles • Recent News • Prize Draws • Events • Travel Info Join us on

Follow us on

acebook www.gaycalgary.com/facebook

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

Alberta:...................... ~300 Drop-off Points Please call us if your establishment would like to become a distribution point.

Adam Lambert, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Pink

Ad Submission Monday, January 4th, 2010

Proof of monthly figures can be requested.

Distribution Locations

46 Hear Me Out

Ad Booking Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Print Circulation:.................. ~10,000 copies Pickup Density:....................~3 readers/copy Online Circulation:........... ~125,000 readers Total Readership:............. ~155,000 readers Frequency:.................................Every Month

www.gaycalgary.com/twitter

History

Originally established in January 1992 as Men for Men BBS by MFM Communications.

Name changed to GayCalgary.com in 1998.

Independent company as of January 2004.

First edition of GayCalgary.com Magazine published November 2003. Name adjusted in November 2006 to GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine.

Disclaimer and Copyright

Opinions expressed in this magazine are specific to the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of GayCalgary staff and contributors.

Those involved in the making of this publication, whether advertisers, contributors, or the subjects of articles or photographs, are not necessarily gay, lesbian, bisexual, or trans. GayCalgary also includes straight allies and those who are gay friendly.

No part of this publication may be reprinted or modified without the expressed written permission of the editor or publisher.

Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.

GayCalgary is a registered trademark.

Editorial

Balancing Holiday Charity with Reality Publisher’s Column

By Rob Diaz-Marino, MSc. Charity. It is a very VERY big thing in the GLBT community. You may even say it is a cornerstone of what we call community. Many of the major non-profit groups in our city make donations to charities, are charities themselves, or exist primarily to raise money for particular charitable causes. Countless individuals donate not only their funds, but their time and energy toward causes that they feel strongly about, and by extension, the non-profit groups that support these causes.

The GLBT community shows its generosity the whole year round – we showcase it year after year in this magazine – yet this time of the year is traditionally the time to be generous and giving above all others. The holiday season demands even more from us, amidst a recession to boot. Something’s gotta give…and realistically, it can’t always be you.

It may seem heroic to be that person who is struggling financially, but still organizes that fundraiser or contributes generously to the donation jar. But one has to realize that many of these charities are a task that will take anything and everything you can give to them, and still ask for more, with no end. You have to be the one who draws the line at what you can afford to give, knowing that too much generosity could put your own wellbeing in jeopardy.

Someone who is struggling to pay their rent, their phone bill, their utilities, to buy groceries, to look after their health, to pay back loans, etc., is not doing anyone a favour by giving their money away, or offering time that they could be using to earn the money they need to support themselves.

may need to rely on one of these organizations someday, but who is going to help you now? There are no charities that I know of to give financial aid to able-bodied individuals fully capable of helping themselves, but who don’t, because they are too busy giving to charity. (Maybe there should be, but fundraising would be a really tough sell.) Charities accept your generosity as your choice to give, and would never ask you to give more than you can afford.

Time is just as precious a resource as money, and likewise, if you can’t afford to spare your time then you are doing no favours for non-profit groups by running yourself ragged. In our six years of running the magazine, we have witnessed the plight of a number of individuals who stretched themselves far too thin because they didn’t know when to let things go. They reached a point where they burned themselves out so totally that they became utterly useless, even a hindrance, dragging their organizations down with them.

Their floundering nearly destroyed those projects they promised to maintain, until they had little choice but to stop and abandon their efforts, leaving those groups in a lurch. Did they feel good about the work they did? Well, from the bitter way some of them behaved toward the community, I would guess that in fact they felt resentful, even ashamed of it. I can only imagine what havoc this caused in their personal lives, and many disappeared completely from the public eye to get the lives that they neglected back on track. Did anyone feel sorry for them? Maybe…but I would say those around them mostly felt angry about the harm their irresponsible personal decisions caused.

So yes, some degree of personal stability - a solid foundation - is vital before you should consider sticking your neck out for others.

Your heart may be in the right place, but if you cannot fulfill the commitments you make, then you stand to do harm when you fall, and furthermore you are of no use to anyone if you put yourself out of commission. Diving off a cliff to catch someone is briefly valiant, but ultimately tragic.

Think of the situation like rescuing someone dangling from the edge of a cliff. The moment you offer your hand, you yourself are in danger. So before you do that, you should make damn certain you have some stable footing, and the sensibility to let go – as awful as it may seem - before you lose your balance and go over the edge too.

The moment you find yourself compelled to do something because “nobody else will,” stop and think very carefully about what you’re getting yourself into. Unless you have the charisma to drum up interest in others, with whom you can share the burden and later pass the torch, then you can count on the project dying when you (eventually must) leave it.

The goal of charity is to improve the condition of the world, not to create more problems, or trade one person’s wellbeing for another’s.

If you are putting yourself out on the street to donate to a cause, then – I apologize because there’s no delicate way of saying this - you are just being stupid and irresponsible. You could reason that you

On the flip side of the coin, there are many who do possess that stability, and yet, won’t step forward. It could be argued that the only reason some are so stable is because they avoid taking the risk of helping others – a “crabs in the bucket” philosophy. They have a lot more to give, but fear that they also have a lot more to lose if they

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

Editorial become involved. Some may become accustomed to pouring funds into maintaining an expensive lifestyle, with frivolous spending that gives the illusion that money is tight.

Certainly, if you are better off, I encourage you to find a way of taking a more active role in your community, if not by donating money then by offering your time toward non-profit/charity groups that make a difference. Realistically, you can afford to give up a few luxuries - make your lives more interesting with a personal challenge. It’s really not that tough to do – skip the $80 brand name cotton shirt at Holt Renfrew, get the virtually identical $10 no-name cotton shirt at WalMart. Then put the $70 that you saved toward a good cause, or even keep it, to subsidize your time volunteering. I’m not saying “don’t shop at Holt Renfrew”, just that one who makes more money shouldn’t necessarily be required to spend more of it to survive and be happy.

The tradition of giving that comes with the Holiday Season is not meant to pound guilt into you when you’re already struggling, or make you feel ashamed for passing up the donation jar. Whether rich, poor, or somewhere in between, take a step back and evaluate yourself this holiday season. If you’re busting your hump to help a good cause, make sure you don’t end up out in the cold yourself, even if it means stepping back gracefully. If you’re out shopping for the finest gifts that money can buy, chances are, you can find a better way to spend that wealth than spoiling yourself, your friends, or even your family.

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

Taboo Ah, the dreaded month of November.

Well, it’s dreaded for us anyway, as the month we are so incredibly busy and yet get next to nothing done. The reason for this has been the 7-year tradition of participating in the Taboo: Naughty but Nice Show, an exhibition of anything to do with sex. We launched our very first edition at the Calgary show, and began attending the Edmonton equivalent when we expanded our coverage three years ago. We find that it’s a great way to promote our magazine to a local audience, and interact with readers that we may not otherwise bump into.

This year we did something a little different in an attempt to break down the barrier between those straight people I’ve mentioned in past November columns. You know, the ones who come to a sex show and behave like prudes when they walk by our booth; the ones who act like, if they get too close, we may trick them into turning gay or something. We handed out free condoms (generously provided by AIDS Calgary and HIV Edmonton) and lollipops attached to promotional postcards, prominently emblazoned with the saying, “Reading it won’t make you gay,” with smaller subtext, “(But it will make you AWESOME!)” I intended the slogan to be an explicit reassurance to people who are straight, questioning, or just curious, to feel welcome to check out our magazine without being judged; that no matter what their sexual orientation may be, they are better people for opening their

Editorial

minds to a GLBT publication – a different point of view.

This cheeky statement of the obvious turned out to be a huge hit at the shows! Of course, there were still a few straight couples that snubbed us and didn’t walk by close enough to see it, but so many more actually stopped this time to chuckle with us about the cards, and even took magazines to read up on some of their favorite celebrities. By far it was our best pick-up rate at the Taboo shows yet!

Of course many people took magazines for their gay friends, which showed a sweet consideration for them. Even if those magazines are old news, the act of sharing them still enforces a kind of solidarity between them.

A group of people who identified themselves as school teachers also decided to take some of the cards and magazines, but in their case they wanted to show them to the GLBT youth groups in their schools as an example of what they can do to raise awareness. Now that made us really proud.

As we’ve done in past years, we offered our booths at the Taboo shows as a fundraising venue for the Calgary and Edmonton courts.

While the ISCCA had to pass for this year up, the ISCWR took full

advantage of the booth at the Edmonton shows, selling chocolates, pins, and coupon books. Of course the chocolates were the big seller, and they made close to $700 that weekend. Furthermore, by participating in the stage performances, they were able to raise further awareness of their group in front of a unique audience that they otherwise wouldn’t reach. I have to say that Steve and I were really impressed with their devotion to being there, and their initiative to help us promote the magazine without us even asking.

Continued on Page 37 

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

Interview

Step Right Up!

An Interview with Jeffrey Straker

By Jason Clevett Jeffrey Straker is witty, charming, and ridiculously talented. If you haven’t heard of him yet, you will.

The openly gay singer-songwriter has literally busted his ass to build his reputation in Canadian music and it is paying off.

“Well thank you. My ass is sore,” he said, laughing over the phone from Toronto. In all seriousness, it has been a road filled with tough work but a lot of perks. His song Hypnotized was recently #6 on the MuchMoreMusic top ten.

“It just came up in a conversation today with a friend of mine in Toronto who asked, what do you do all day when you are not doing a show? People generally don’t get how much work goes into trying toget yourself out there. It is astounding. You would be a fool to get into this business for any other reason than if you love it. It has been a tremendous amount of work.

I have been playing music since I was six. I have always loved it and I dabbled in it as a hobby for the longest time. I saw some interesting return on investment mucking around in the Toronto singer songwriter scene. I decided to turn my full time job to three days a week because I wanted to see, if I put more time into it, …what would happen, which got more results.

Finally the big hurdle was, what if I quit my job altogether and put all my time into music, what would happen? I had a few big life altering events that made me take the leap. I put every ounce into this and it is getting some semblance of return. I am not delusional, it is in no way major rock stardom but that is not my intent. My intent is to make a living off of this and have people hear my songs, and that is what is happening.”

Straker is constantly on the road, playing major hubs like Biggar, Saskatchewan, Rossland, BC and Greenwater Provincial Park.

“I am actually fairly out on stage, even in Saskatchewan. It happens through a few of the songs I introduce because they are story based, and some are really gay songs. You can see a few people have a shocked look on their face but others are like, this guy is putting himself out there.”

“I am 125% honest when I say I can get just as much enjoyment out of doing a show for 20 people who are listening, to the biggest show I ever did playing for 10,000 people as an opener in Toronto. My motivation is to communicate songs. I think if someone’s motivation was applause, you would probably quit really fast if you were doing all this work. I am really content playing a song at Greenwater Provincial Park - it is funny you would pick that one out. The park booked it for the people camping there, and there were a couple of hundred people sitting on the beach watching the show and a lot of them bought CD’s. You could go to New York City and book yourself into a small club and not get 200 people. I am really grateful for those opportunities, as bizarre as they may seem.”

He admits playing small town Saskatchewan doesn’t really

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

seem like the right fit for an openly gay piano player.

“It is the thing that enters my head the most often in terms of ‘the performance.’ I am actually fairly out on stage, even in Saskatchewan. It happens through a few of the songs I introduce because they are story based, and some are really gay songs.

You can see a few people have a shocked look on their face but others are like, this guy is putting himself out there. It almost builds a better relationship with the crowd. I have never been gay bashed at a show or had a scary experience. The weirdest was at the Western Canadian Music Awards in Brandon, Manitoba a few months ago. We did a couple of showcases, one was a very good venue for me and the other was in a country bar. I had never played in one before. We walked in and there were all these cowboys in their humongous belt buckles and cowboy hats. I thought it would go over like a lead balloon, and I was going to be drawn and quartered and thrown out of there. It actually somewhat worked. A couple of big burly cowboys came up after, and I wasn’t disappointed with that. They said they wanted to shake my hand and I was like, oh god they are going to kill me. He said, I really liked your music. It’s fucking weird but I really liked it.”

He feels more comfortable playing to LGBT audiences, however. He has played at many Pride events across Canada and will be at the ARGRA dinner this December 12th at the Alexandra Centre.

Interview “I have played almost every Pride festival except Calgary and Montreal. It is more comfortable, there is zero anxiety about if they will get the gay thing. I can be really campy on stage and you can pull out all the stops at Pride events - even the ARGRA show which will be an acoustic set during dinner. There is quite a bit of banter in my shows and I find that banter with a crowd that is gay is so much more genuine and honest. It is not that I edit it when it is not a gay crowd, I can just be way more me.

The ARGRA group can expect a pretty gay night.”

It is important to support Canadian music, and especially for the GLBT community to support our own artists. While you shouldn’t support someone based solely on their orientation, the fact that Straker has the talent to go places makes it that much more important.

“If they are really ambitious they would buy the songs on iTunes. If you like it and it peaks your curiosity, tell a friend.

That is huge for me. If they are bloggers they can blog. But tell a friend, it would be wicked.”

For those unable to make the ARGRA dinner, Straker is working on a Calgary date in the new year, so that we can all experience his unique humor and music firsthand and live.

http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1484

View additional pics/videos. • Share with a friend. • Post your comments.

Jeffrey Straker Step Right Up available now.

 In concert December 12th

 www.JeffStraker.com

Interview

The Perfect Gift

Canadian Tenors on New Christmas Album

By Jason Clevett There is something about handsome men singing in suits; four voices in harmony singing opera, pop, and contemporary seems to affect people in an almost primal way. The Canadian Tenors have struck a chord that has resonated worldwide.

The four men - Fraser Walters, Clifton Murray, Victor Micalleff, and Rimigio Pereira – chatted with GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine after a recent appearance at the newly opened Holt Renfrew in downtown Calgary. The group signed autographs after a short acoustic set that included a stunning version of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. The song has been covered by dozens of artists from k.d. Lang to Rufus Wainwright.

“One of us was doing it as a solo for awhile. We try to mix it up and we each do a solo that we sing. It is such a beautiful song with a lilting melody. It seemed like that would be a natural fit for a group number, so we had to take it away from someone,” explained Walters.

Micalleff admitted there was hesitation initially with doing something so well known.

“There is always hesitation doing a song like that because so many people have done it. The producer of the song came up to us with a new idea and it is slightly different than all the other versions out there. We love singing it. This version is an epic version on the album. Once we heard it, we thought it was fantastic, and made sure it went on the record.”

In Vancouver on November 8th, at a concert with David Foster, the four were joined onstage to sing the song with Sarah McLachlan. She sings with them for Wintersong on their current album The Perfect Gift.

“It was mindblowing doing it live with her on stage with David Foster playing,” said Micalleff. “She wasn’t feeling well but

“It is hard to step back and say, wow this is really taking off and people are really appreciating what we are doing.” kept telling her, at 60% she is still an angel from heaven. We admire her so much and being onstage sharing music with her is a dream come true.”

The group is experiencing success that is taking them around the world, resulting in experiences like opening for President Bill Clinton at speaking engagements, to playing with Sting and Sheryl Crow. Newest member Clifton Murray’s face lights up when he recalls the journey so far.

“You have to strike when the iron is hot. When you are in the middle of it, and it is go-go–go, it is hard to step back and say, wow this is really taking off and people are really appreciating what we are doing. There are moments for sure when I am lying in bed and I get giddy and start laughing. I can’t believe what is happening and to be able to do it with three other guys that are focused and so talented, we really are blessed to be where we

10

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

are today.”

Pereira adds, “It is unbelievable. It has skyrocketed really quickly and we are still on the way up. I remember sitting on the couch at Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones’ house in Bermuda and he is talking to me. I have no idea what he is saying because it is going in one ear and out the other, and I couldn’t believe it. We are so busy we don’t have time for these things to register. That is one moment that I think is pretty amazing.”

As of writing this article, I had not yet seen the Tenors live (they played a concert after our press deadline this month) however I have seen how the crowds reacted to groups like Il Divo. I commented on how artists like The Canadian Tenors have the ability to make adult women giddy like the teenage girls at the Backstreet Boys concert in 1998.

“Women definitely do like our music. We don’t close ourselves off to any demographic. The music is opening itself up to a wide range of people. We have young kids up to elderly people at our shows. Our music speaks to the general population, there is something for everybody – different languages, more contemporary and pop sounding songs. There really is something for everybody,” said Murray. Victor and Rimigio both said that the reaction from men often affects them.

“There is nothing more moving then when, after a concert, a grown man will come up to us in tears and say, thank you for moving me. It is awesome that we can touch people that way.

We have wives who say, I have been married for twenty years and never seen him cry, and you moved him to tears.”

The Perfect Gift is in stores now, and while only their second album, Micaleff says it was an obvious choice to go for a Christmas theme.

“It was requested time and time again. Our fans have been asking, Universal has been asking. It seems like the perfect thing for a tenor group to do. We love the repertoire, we love the Christmas season and we felt it was the best thing to do - a no brainer really.”

“And we have no brains so it makes sense,” quipped Pereira.

http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1485

View additional pics/videos. • Share with a friend. • Post your comments.

The Canadian Tenors The Perfect Gift in stores now

 www.CanadianTenors.com Win an autographed Canadian Tenors CD!! Visit GayCalgary.com for details.

Interview

An Interview with illScarlett

By Jason Clevett You have to give illScarlett credit for creating their own opportunities. In 2004 they decided to play outside the Vans Warped Tour venue, in front of fans waiting in line to get in, using a generator to power their equipment. Kevin Lyman, the Warped Tour organizer, noticed them and invited them to play at his personal barbecue. Subsequently, they were offered spots on the tour for the following two years.

“Our whole progression as a band has always been a steady upward climb. The things we have been able to experience: from Japan to skating with Doug Gilmour at the Juno Cup, being at the Junos, touring Europe, playing in the States. It has been a great experience that we wouldn’t trade for anything in the world. That is why we work so hard because we want to keep it going. There are still more places we can play and people we can play for. It motivates us to keep pushing and playing as hard as we can,” said lead singer Alex Norman.

Norman, guitarist Will Marr, bassist John Doherty, and drummer Swavek Pjorkowski recently released 1UP! Their fourth studio album continues their reggae-infused pop that has climbed the Canadian charts.

“We started right after we came back from our first Japanese tour at the end of 08. We shut the door for two months and stayed focused on writing new material and recording demos in my basement. In May, we went down to Los Angeles to work with our producer Robert Carranza who is a very relaxed, chill guy. He really wanted to preserve a live and fun vibe on the record. A lot of it was recorded with just us in the studio. It was very relaxed and fun. We had co-production on the record so we had a lot of say in what we wanted on it in terms of production and effects. Robert was really good at just letting us do our thing, and having the mics in the right spot at the right time to capture the best sounds of what we were doing. The whole process was just really fun and involved. …We would go to the studio every day and then go back to the house in Studio City we were staying at. I was staying up until 4:00 in the morning trying to finish my lyrics and landing on lyrics that I like. It was this whole vibe of a band in California just recording. When Kardinal Offishall agreed to put lyrics on one of our songs

(Milkshakes and Razorblades) that was really exciting. It was very last minute but sometimes the best work comes out at the last minute.”

The band has gone international, recently touring the States and overseas.

“We have heard rumors of a Canadian curse where it is difficult for Canadian bands to break into America and other territories. Now with the internet, myspace, twitter, the walls are falling down and you can get your music out anywhere in the world. I don’t think people would be like, that’s a great band but they are Canadian. People want to hear great music and Canadians are great at a lot of stuff, and music is one of them.

“One of the craziest things for us was when we showed up for our first show in Japan ever, opening for a band called Zebrahead. We got off the bullet train by the venue and there were kids there who knew who we were, already had our record and knew each of us by name. They were getting us to sign stuff. It blew my mind that it was the first time in Japan and kids knew who we are. The Japanese fans take the word ‘fanatic’ to heart - they are awesome.”

It is the support of their fans that keeps illScarlett on the road doing what they do best – performing live.

“The fan support is everything for us, without them we wouldn’t be able to tour across the country. We value them more than anybody. Each tour we try to play as hard as we can for them because they allow us to come and play. We try not to get too drunk before we play. I always felt that was insulting when you come to see a band and they are drunk, don’t play well, don’t care and are obnoxious. The fans are our clients and we do the best possible job for them.”

http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1486

View additional pics/videos. • Share with a friend. • Post your comments.

illScarlett 1UP! in stores now.

 www.illScarlett.com

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

11

12

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

13

Out of Town Guadalajara, Mexico

By Andrew Collins Mexico’s second-largest city, Guadalajara, delivers much of what visitors genuinely seek when visiting this country: mariachi and folk-music culture, fine tequila, authentic arts and crafts, superb regional cuisine, restored Spanish Colonial architecture, and overwhelming friendly and engaging people. What you may not know is that Guadalajara is home to a well-established, energetic and welcoming gay and lesbian scene. From quaint, gay-friendly B&Bs to wildly popular dance clubs, this festive city has much to offer LGBT visitors, hence it’s having lately earned the nickname, “San Francisco of Mexico.”

Enormous ceiling and wall murals by painter Jose Clemente Orozco hang inside Guadalajara’s Instituto Cultural Cabanas.

Photo: Andrew Collins.

14

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

Guadalajara lies at the heart of the state of Jalisco, the state in which most of Mexico’s tequila is produced. It’s situated at an altitude of about 5,000 feet and is just a short flight or half-day bus ride from the country’s most popular gay beach destination, Puerto Vallarta, as well as the Spanish Colonial cities of Guanajuato and San Miguel de Allende, and the national capital of Mexico City.

Travel Although 1.5 million people live within the city limits and nearly 5 million people reside in the metro region, Guadalajara feels more laid-back and manageable than most cities its size. The metro area rolls out west from the city center to the upscale and quite modern business district, where you’ll find large international hotels and a smattering of office towers, and also to the east, which is home to the quaint arts villages of Tonala and - most famously - Tlaquepaque. To the immediate northwest, historic Zapopan is another community rife with galleries and restaurants.

It’s a relatively easy city to drive in (assuming you’re generally comfortable renting cars in other countries), and a car does allow a deeper exploration of the surrounding Jalisco. But Guadalajara is also served by an extremely affordable and generally quite safe fleet of taxis (it’s nevertheless best to have your hotel or restaurant phone for a cab, and also to agree upon the fare before you get in).

Most gay nightlife and B&Bs are located in the Centro (downtown area) and adjacent Zona Rosa, which is easy to navigate on foot just exercise the usual common-sense precautions (avoid walking alone at night and along quiet side streets).

The major sights of interest here can be divided roughly into two categories: those located within the historic city center, and those that require longer forays by taxi or tour group. Within the city center, head for the centrally located, rectangular Plaza Tapatio (residents of Guadalajara, by the way, are known as Tapatios).

Facing or very near this plaza you’ll find such landmarks as the enormous 16th-century cathedral, the excellent Museo Regional de Guadalajara and the famed neoclassical opera house, Teatro Degollado. At the plaza’s east end, be absolutely sure to stop by Instituto Cultural Cabanas, a former orphanage comprising numerous grand courtyards and housing astoundingly beautiful (and enormous) ceiling and wall murals by Jose Clemente Orozco.

Outside downtown, the nearby town of Tlaquepaque is a must - it’s about 20 minutes away by taxi. Stroll along the city center, and especially on Independencia, which is lined with galleries selling fine crafts, artwork, antiques and home furnishings - styles range from traditional to contemporary, but quality is consistently good. There are several noted restaurants here, too. Also consider a visit to nearby Tonala, which has long been renowned as a center of traditional Mexican pottery.

Additionally, few visitors to this part of the world pass up the chance to explore the town of Tequila, where the liquor of the same name is distilled at dozens of distilleries, including famous ones like Jose Cuervo and Sauza. You can take a taxi out here, or book a trip through a tour company - hotel staff and innkeepers can easily help you plan a visit.

Tapatios approach dining with style and gusto. Some notable spots for higher-end, creative cuisine include Cocina 88, renowned for its fresh seafood and on-site wine store, and La Matera, a bustling Argentinean and Italian restaurant with an attractive patio - steaks are an obvious specialty here. You can also savor some wonderfully prepared meals at Escuela Culinaria Internacional, a renowned cooking school with a restaurant as well as cooking classes open to the public. A 10-minute walk north of the main gay nightlife strip in Centro Historico, Vida is a friendly and cheery LGBT cafe that’s ideal for coffee, light snacks and conversation.

In Tlaquepaque, the dining scene is focused mostly along Independencia. Here you might try Hacienda Real San Pedro or Casa Fuerte, which both serve exceptionally tasty and creative modern Mexican fare. Around the plaza that Independencia leads into, you’ll also find dozens of street vendors selling cakes, tacos al pastor (tasty shepherd’s-style tacos filled with shaved lamb, pork, or goat meat), tortas (traditional Mexican sandwiches served on delicious crusty bread), churros (fried dough), and frozen ices (ice cream sold out of long metal tubes and flavored with vanilla, walnut, and fruit).

The majority of Guadalajara’s gay and lesbian bars are in Centro, many along busy Avenida Prisciliano Sanchez. Here you’ll find one of the most popular gay discos in the city, Circus Club,

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

15

Travel which especially packs them in on Friday nights. Also considering stopping by casual but hip Club YeYe, a friendly lounge drawing a mixed crowd of women and men and the campy Ruta Caudillos disco.

A short cab ride west, in the more fashionable Zona Rosa, there’s Angel’s, a long-running popular disco (especially afterhours on Saturday nights and well into Sunday mornings). And still a bit farther west (take a taxi), the most stylish gay club in the city (and one of the nicest in Mexico) is Black Cherry, a capacious warehouse club with two big dance floors, a small patio and a highly sophisticated sound system. The owners of Circus and Black Cherry also run a more laid-back, mixed gay/straight bar and lounge in Zona Rosa called Link that cultivates a mellower vibe, its DJs spinning trance and chill-out music. Also, although it’s a 10-minute cab ride east of Plaza Tapatia, Monica’s Disco has for years been a favorite place to dance and watch drag shows.

Guadalajara has great many gay-friendly accommodations. Of particular note are the several smaller, historic inns around the city, the cushiest being Villa Ganz, which occupies a handsome historic home along a smart residential block in Zona Rosa and contains a handful of stunningly appointed suites. In back you’ll find a glorious courtyard and garden, where Continental breakfast and evening snacks and wine are served.

Other inviting but more reasonably priced small inns around the City Center include a gay-owned, Moorish-inspired mansion called La Perla that has artfully decorated rooms and the beautifully restored Old Guadalajara B&B, which has four large suites decorated with old-world antiques. The building occupies part of what was a convent during the 16th century.

One interesting, highly affordable choice aimed squarely at the gay-male market is Hotel Lit, which is close to Centro gay nightlife and offers a mix of private and shared rooms, the cheapest of which cost around $15 per night. This new and nicely run property is basically a hostel with something of the vibe you might find at a gay sauna (massage service is available, and free passes are available to a nearby gym). There’s Wi-Fi and a computer terminal, and guests have use of a fully equipped kitchen.

Larger mainstream properties of note include the posh Presidente InterContinental Guadalajara, which is right across the street from a large outdoor shopping mall and within walking distance of the famed gay club, Black Cherry. Right in the city center, the historic Hotel Morales captures the rich charm of the city center.

It’s an easy walk to gay bars, and it’s home to a beautiful lobby bar - if nothing else, stop in for a drink in the early evening and soak up the charm of this grand old building and the surrounding historic area.

http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1488

View additional pics/videos. • Share with a friend. • Post your comments.

Andrew Collins covers gay travel for the New York Times-owned website About. com and is the author of Fodor’s Gay Guide to the USA.

The Little Black Book  Angels Club (www.myspace.com/angelsclub). Black Cherry (www.blackcherry.com.mx). Casa Fuerte (www.casafuerte.com).

Circus Club (www.grupocircus.com/web/circus/el”club.htm). Club YeYe (www.antrosgay.com/Jalisco/Guadalajara/Antro”Gay”Guadal ajara”Club”Ye”Ye.html). Cocina 88 (www.cocina88.com/conocenos. swf). Hotel Lit (www.hostellitgdl.com). Hotel Morales (www.hotelmorales.com.mx). La Matera (www.lamatera.tripod.com). La Perla (www. laperlagdl.com). Link (www.grupocircus.com/web/link/el”bar.htm).

Monica’s Disco (www.monicasdisco.com). Old Guadalajara B&B (www.oldguadalajara.com). Presidente InterContinental Guadalajara (www.ichotelsgroup.com/intercontinental/en/gb/locations/guadalajara). Ruta Caudillos (www.rutacaudillos.com). Tourism Guadalajara (http://vive.guadalajara.gob.mx/indexi.asp). Tourism Tequila (www. tequilajalisco.gob.mx/menui.html). Villa Ganz (www.villaganz.com).

16

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

Directory and Events • 10¢ Wings  Wednesdays, 4-7pm

 http://www.calgaryeagle.com  Open Wed-Sun, 5pm-close Leather/Denim/Fetish bar.

Legend O ur Magazine Available Here---------------- ✰ Wheelchair Accessible Venue------------------

• Christmas Dinner  Dec 13th

CALGARY

• For the Girls  Dec 10th

• Living Christmas Tree  Dec 19th Proceeds to Beswick House

Accommodations

• Tuned OUT  Dec 5th 5 Texas Lounge------------------------------ ✰

 308 - 17 Ave SW  (403) 229-0911  http://www.goliaths.ca  Open 7 days a week, 11am-close

• New Years Party  Dec 31st

13 Westways Guest House------------------- ✰

 216 - 25th Avenue SW  (403) 229-1758  1-866-846-7038  westways@shaw.ca  www.gaywestways.com

Club Paradiso

 1413 - 9th Ave SE, upstairs  (403) 265-5739  www.villagecantina.ca

Wingate by Wyndham

 400 Midpark Way SE  (403) 514-0099  www.wingatehotels.com

• Karaoke  Tues & Sat, 8pm-1am

Carly’s Angels on Sat. Billy Schmidt’s “Sounds of Sinatra” on Fri. and varied entertainment on Thurs. Please call for details.

Bars and Clubs

• Anniversary Party  Dec 16th

55 Marquee Room---------------------------- ✰

 612 - 8th Avenue SW  http://www.marqueeroom.com

3 Backlot---------------------------------- ✰

 209 - 10th Ave SW  (403) 265-5211  Open 7 days a week, 4pm-close

Alternative night every Wednesday.

• Toys 4 Tots  Sun Dec 6th, 3-7pm Bring an unwrapped toy for a child.

9 MPs (Money Pennies)------------------ ✰

 1742 - 10th Ave SW  (403) 263-7411  http://www.money-pennies.com  Closed Mondays.

4 Calgary Eagle Inc.---------------------- ✰  424a - 8th Ave SE  (403) 263-5847

Bathhouses/Saunas 6 Goliath’s----------------------------------- ✰

 308 - 17 Ave SW  (403) 229-0911  http://www.goliaths.ca  Open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day

• Boy’s Nite Out  Dec 8th $5 steak, drink specials, male stripper.

Bar and restaurant.

• ISCCAlapalooza  TBA • New Years Eve Dance  Dec 31st 33 Twisted Element

 1006 - 11th Ave SW  (403) 802-0230

 http://www.twistedelement.ca

Dance Club and Lounge.

• Anniversary Party  Dec 16th • New Years Eve Dance  Dec 31st

Community Groups 2 AIDS Calgary--------------------------  110, 1603 10th Avenue SW  (403) 508-2500  info@aidscalgary.org  http://www.aidscalgary.org

✰

• Women’s Healing Circle

 AIDS Calgary Training Room  403-508-2500, ext.200  Wednesdays, 1:30pm Topics Covered: Safer Sex & HIV/AIDS, Living with HIV/AIDS, Challenging Stereotypes.

Alberta Society for Kink

 (403) 398-9968  albetasocietyforkink@hotmail.com  ca.groups.yahoo.com/

24

DOWNTOWN CALGARY

43 41 37

55 9

34

2 33

52

56

16

48

1

4

35 36

3

5 6

59

N

13

1 2 3 4 5 6

Calgary Outlink---------- Community Groups Aids Calgary------------- Community Groups Backlot------------------------Bars and Clubs Calgary Eagle Inc.------------Bars and Clubs Texas Lounge-----------------Bars and Clubs Goliath’s--------------------------Bathhouses

9 MPs (Money Pennies)--------Bars and Clubs 13 Westways Guest House----Accommodations 16 Priape Calgary----------------- Retail Stores 24 Courtney Aarbo-----------------------Services 33 Twisted Element--------------Bars and Clubs 34 Vertigo Mystery Theatre------------- Theatre

35 36 37 41 43 48

One Yellow Rabbit-------------------- Theatre ATP, Alberta Theatre Projects-------- Theatre Pumphouse Theatre----------------- Theatre La Fleur------------------------- Retail Stores Lisa Heinricks--------- Theatre and Fine Arts Barbies Shop------------------- Retail Stores

52 55 56 58 59

Sandra G. Sebree--------------------Services Marquee Room---------------Bars and Clubs Sacred Balance Piercing------- Retail Stores Theatre Junction--------------------- Theatre Ageless Skin Technologies-----------Services

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

17

Directory and Events group.albertasocietyforkink  Meet and Greets: Mondays, 7pm-9:30pm Apollo Calgary Friends in Sports

 http://www.apollocalgary.com

Apollo Friends In Sports is a volunteer-operated, non-profit organization serving primarily members of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgendered communities but open to members of all communities. We currently have more than 400 members and are growing fast! The primary focus of Apollo is to provide our membership with well organized and fun sporting events and other activities to allow them to participate and interact in a positive social framework.

• Western Cup  April 1-3, 2010 • Wine & Cheese

 Arts Central Building (Center & 7th Ave)  Dec 9th, 9pm $10 at the door, includes five 2oz samples.

• Badminton (Absolutely Smashing)

 St. Martha School (6020 4th Avenue NE)  Wednesdays, 7pm-9pm (Season has ended) Fees Per session: $4 for Apollo member, $5 for nonmembers. Season’s pass $75.

• Boot Camp

 Stone steps, SE corner of Crescent Park Crescent Road & 2nd Street NW  TBA  bootcamp@apollocalgary.com Dress in layers and running shoes, bring plenty of water, bring payment in cash to first session.

Registration has closed.

• Bowling (Rainbow Riders League)

 Let’s 10 Pin Bowlerama, 2916 - 5 Ave NE  (Season has ended) • Curling

 North Hill Curling Club (1201 - 2 Street NW)  Saturdays: 2:20pm and 4:30pm (Season has ended) • Golf

 golf@apollocalgary.com See website for details.

 calgaryfrontrunners@shaw.ca  Tues, Thurs, Sat at 8am Calgary Alcoholics Anonymous Group For Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transgendered People. A safe place to find help for problems with alcohol.

• Slow Pitch See website for details.

• Tennis See website for details.

• Volleyball (Intermediate/Competitive)

 YWCA, 320 - 5th Avenue SE  www.apollocalgary.com/apollo/volleyball  (Season has ended) This is for seasoned players. You can sign up for the season or drop-in.

• Volleyball (Recreational)

 Langevin School, 107 - 6A Street NE  www.apollocalgary.com/apollo/volleyball  Dec 4, 11, 7pm-9pm Volleyball League, Co-Ed, Recreational, Drop-in.

• Yoga Season has ended.

Alberta Rockies Gay Rodeo Association

 (403) 541-8140  www.argra.org • Monthly Dances-----------------------------  Hillhurst-Sunnyside Community Association 1320 - 5th Avenue NW  Jan 23, Feb 27, Mar 13, Apr 10, May 29 Doors open 8pm • Holiday Dinner-----------------------------  Alexandra Centre (922 9th Ave SE)  Dec 12, 6pm Members: $30, Non: $35.

Artists for the Quality of Life

 (403) 890-1261

 www.afqol.com

Cabin Fever

 Calgary Eagle, 424a 8th Ave SW

 3RD THURSDAY every month Women’s dance and social night.

Calgary Gay Fathers

 calgaryfathers@hotmail.com  http://www.calgarygayfathers.ca

• Lawn Bowling

 Inglewood Lawn Bowling Club 1235 - 8th Avenue SE  Tuesdays, 6-9pm

 lawnbowling@apollocalgary.com See website for details.

Peer support group for gay, bisexual and questioning fathers. Meeting twice a month.

Calgary Men’s Chorus

 http://www.calgarymenschorus.org

• Outdoor Pursuits See website for details.

• “Glory” Christmas Concert

 Rosza Centre, U of C  Sun Dec 20, 2:30pm Tickets: $20 from chorus members, $22 from website.

• Running (Calgary Frontrunners)

 Hillhurst United Church, 1227 Kensington Close  Tim (403) 660-6125

• Rehearsals

 Temple B’Nai Tikvah, 900 - 47 Avenue SW  Tuesday nights, Sept-Jun, 7pm-9:30pm

Looking for Something?

Browse over 450 listings in our Online GLBT Business Directory, and our complete Online GLBT Community Events Calendar.

www.gaycalgary.com 18

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

Calgary Sexual Health Centre---------

✰

 304, 301 14th Street NW  (403) 283-5580  http://www.calgarysexualhealth.ca

Calgary Sexual Health Centre is a pro-choice organization that believes all people have the right and ability to make their own choices regarding their sexual and reproductive health. Calgary Sexual Health Centre started as a volunteer based, grassroots organization and has been providing comprehensive sexuality education and counselling programs to the Calgary community since 1972.

1 Calgary Outlink---------------------------- ✰

 #4, 1230A 17th Avenue SW  (403) 234-8973  http://www.calgaryoutlink.com

Formerly know as the Gay And Lesbian Community Services Association (GLCSA).

• Peer Support and Crisis Line Front-line help service for GLBT individuals and their family and friends, or anyone questioning their sexuality.

• Library A great selection of resource books, fiction, nonfiction, videos and everything in between, all with a queer perspective.

• Drop-In Center A safe and supportive environment for one-to-one peer counseling for many issues surrounding family, coming out, homosexuality, loneliness and other issues.

• Between Men and Between Men Online

 Tuesdays 7pm-9pm Peer support, sexual health education for gay or bisexual men, as well as those who may be uncertain or questioning their sexuality. Discussions range from personal relationship or life issues, to sexual health and well-being.

• Calgary Networking Club

 Ming, 520 - 17th Ave SW  First Tuesday of every month, 5pm-7pm The networking meetings are open to all individuals who would like to promote their businesses or who would like to meet new people - no business affiliation is necessary.

• Heading Out

 2nd and 4th Friday of every month, 7pm-9pm Peer group for men who are looking for an alternative social activity to the bar. Activities vary and are fun and entertaining.

• Illusions Calgary Social group for Calgary and area transgender community members (cross dressers, transvestites, drag kings and queens). Illusions provides a safe, discrete and welcoming atmosphere, in which transgendered people can meet others of like mind.

Illusions offers discretion, acceptance, compassion and a safe place to express your gender. Crossdressing is the purpose of the group, but is not mandatory.

• Inside Out

 Every Monday, 7pm-9pm Peer-facilitated youth group for GLBTQ ages 15-25.

The group aims to let youth know they are not alone, and to connect them with their peers. It is

a funky and safe environment with a variety of resources and activities.

• New Directions

 Every 3rd Friday of the month, 7pm-9pm Drop in peer-support group to provide support and resources for individuals who identify as transsexual or inter-sexed. If you are transsexual, or know of someone who is, please contact our office for information and assistance. You are not alone!

There is support!

• SHEQ Soulful Healing Ego Quest

 Trudy or Krista, (403) 585-7437  Runs for a ten week period on Thursdays, 7pm A workshop for women that want to be themselves in a supportive, safe environment. It is a chance to grow and share their experiences related to women’s sexuality. To participate, please call the exclusive SHEQ line or leave your name and a contact time/number with Calgary Outlink.

• Womynspace

 Every first and third Friday, 7pm-9pm Peer social/support group for women providing an evening of fun, bonding, discussion and activities.

Calgary Queer Book Club

 Weeds Cafe (1903 20 Ave NW)

Look us up on Facebook.

Deer Park United Church/Wholeness Centre

 77 Deerpoint Road SE  (403) 278-8263  http://www.dpuc.ca  Worship Time - 10am Sundays

Different Strokes

 http://www.differentstrokescalgary.org

• Swim Practice

 SAIT Pool, 1301 - 16th Ave NW  Thursdays 6-7pm, Sundays 5-6:30pm (no practices on long weekends) Don’t Buy In Project

 http://www.dontbuyin.ca

This Calgary Police Service Initiative aims to encourage youth to working towards an inclusive environment in which diversity is embraced in their schools and community.

FairyTales Presentation Society

 #4 - 1230A 17th Avenue SW  (403) 244-1956

 http://www.fairytalesfilmfest.com

Alberta Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.

• DVD Resource Library Over a hundred titles to choose from. Annual membership is $10.

Gay Singles in Calgary

 http://www.gaysinglesincalgary.org

Girl Friends

 members.shaw.ca/girlfriends

Girlsgroove

 http://www.girlsgroove.ca

GLBT Housing

 http://www.glbthousing.ca

• Mature Women’s New Years Eve Dance

 Dec 31st HIV Peer Support Group

 (403) 230-5832

Directory and Events  hivpeergroup@yahoo.ca ISCCA Social Association

 http://www.iscca.ca Imperial Sovereign Court of the Chinook Arch. All monies raised go to Charity.

Knox United Church

 506 - 4th Street SW  (403) 269-8382  http://www.knoxunited.ab.ca

Knox United Church is an all-inclusive church located in downtown Calgary. A variety of facility rentals are also available for meetings, events and concerts.

• Worship Services

 Wednesdays - Communion Service 12:10pm.

Sundays - 11am. September to June.

Sundays - 10:30am in July and August.

Miscellaneous Youth Network  http://www.miscyouth.com

• Fake Mustache------------------------------  The Soda, 211 - 12th Ave SW  1st Thursday, 7pm-9:45pm Calgary’s ONLY Drag King Show. $5 cover. $2 cover under 18. Advance tickets available at Barbies Shop.

Mystique

 mystiquesocialclub@yahoo.com Mystique is primarily a Lesbian group for women 30 and up but all are welcome.

• Coffee Night

 Second Cup (2312 - 4th Street SW)

 TBA NETWORKS

 (403) 293-3356  sanpfeif@telus.net A social, cultural, and service organization for the mature minded and “Plus 40” gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered individuals seeking to meet with others at age-appropriate activities within apositive, safe, non-threatening and nurturing environment.

Parents for Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)

 Sean: (403) 695-5791  http://www.pflagcanada.ca PFLAG Canada is a registered charitable organization that provides support, education and resources to parents, families and individuals who have questions or concerns about sexual orientation or gender identity.

Positive Space Committee

 4825 Mount Royal Gate SW  (403) 440-6383  http://www.mtroyal.ca/positivespace The Positive Space Committee at Mount Royal College works to raise awareness and challenge the patterns of silence that continue to marginalize lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans-gendered, two-spirited and queer (LGBTTQ) individuals.

Pride Calgary Planning Committee  www.pridecalgary.ca

 (403) 797-6564

Pride Rainbow Project

 prp@planet-save.com  http://www.priderainbowproject.com

Youth run project designed to show support for same-sex marriage in Canada and elsewhere. A

fabric rainbow banner approximately 5 feet wide - goal is to make it 3.2km (2 miles) long, in order to break the world record.

Primetimers Calgary

 primetimerscalgary@gmail.com  http://www.primetimerscalgary.com

Prime Timers Calgary is designed to foster social interaction for its members through a variety of social, educational and recreational activities. It is open to all gay and bisexual men of any age and respects whatever degree of anonymity that each member desires.

• Free Pool at the Calgary Eagle

 Every Wednesday

T&T Honda

Unity Bowling

 Let’s Bowl (2916 - 5th Ave NE)  sundayunity@live.com  New season begins Sept 13th.

 888 Meridian Road NE  (403) 291-1444  sales@tandthonda.ca  www.tandthonda.ca

Urban Sex Radio Show

 CJSW 90.9 FM

 http://www.cjsw.com

 Every Wednesday from 9-10pm Focus on sexuality; gay bisexual lesbian trans gendered and straight issues here in Calgary and around the web.

• Kelvin Hur

 (403) 990-9080 New Vehicle Sales Manager

Western Canada Bigmen and Admirers

 groups.yahoo.com/group/ WesternCanadaBigmenGroup/  bigpaul41@yahoo.com

• Saturday Coffee

 Midtown Co-op, 1130 - 11th Ave SW  Every Saturday, 10am

Vigor Calgary

✰

 279R Student Union Club Spaces, U of C  (403) 220-6394  http://www.ucalgary.ca/~glass

Formerly GLASS - Gay/Lesbian Association of Students and Staff.

• Coffee Night

 2nd Cup, Kensington.

 Every Tuesday, 7pm.

Rainbow Community Church

 Hillhurst United, 1227 Kensington Close NW  roneberly@shaw.ca  http://www.rainbowcommunitychurch.ca  Services: every Sunday afternoon at 4:00pm The Rainbow Community Church is an all-inclusive church; everyone is welcome.

Rocky Mountain Bears  bearcoltr@shaw.ca

 http://www.rockymountainbears.com • Club Christmas Party

 Dec 12th (tentative) Details TBA. Safety Under the Rainbow

 http://www.safetyrainbow.ca Mission: To raise awareness and understanding of same-sex domestic violence and homophobic youth bullying.

Scarboro United Church

 www.vigorcalgary.ca Violence in Gay Male Relationships (VIGOR) is a committee of professionals dedicated to increasing the awareness of gay men’s domestic violence and the services available to them.

“Yeah... What She Said!” Radio Show

 CJSW 90.9 FM

 yeahwhatshesaid@gmail.com  Every Monday evening, 8:30-9pm

59 Ageless Skin Technologies

 Mount Royal Village, Main Level

Suite 106, 990 - 16th Ave SW  (403) 228-1777  info@ageless.cc  http://www.ageless.cc Back2Basics Consulting

 (403) 607-1691  www.back2basics-consulting.com

Calgary Civil Marriage Centre  ca.ca@shaw.ca Marriage Commissioner for Alberta (aka Justice of the Peace - JP), Marriage Officiant, Commissioner for Oaths. ✰

Halo Steak, Seafood & Wine Bar

 Canyon Meadows Plaza

24 Courtney Aarbo (Barristers & Solicitors)

 1138 Kensington Road NW  (403) 571-5120  http://www.courtneyaarbo.ca

GLBT legal services.

13226 Macleod Trail SE  (403) 271-4111  www.halosteakseafoodandwinebar.ca 9 MPs (Money Pennies)----------------- See Calgary - Bars and Clubs.

Wares & Wear Ventures Inc. See Canada - Retail Stores.

 (403) 246-4134

Restaurants 4 Calgary Eagle Inc.--------------------- See Calgary - Bars and Clubs.

• Lawrence Wong

 (403) 870-5001 Sales Consultant

Services & Products

 (403) 255-7004

• Christmas Dinner and Party

 Harvey and Tony’s House  Dec 12th Queers on Campus---------------------

 http://www.thesharpfoundation.com

Cruiseline ✰

Retail Stores Adult Depot----------------------------- ✰  (403) 258-2777 Gay, bi, straight video rentals and sex toys.

 140, 58th Ave SW

41 La Fleur------------------------------------  103 - 100 7th Avenue SW  (403) 266-1707

Florist and Flower Shop.

The Naked Leaf----------------------------

 134 Scarboro Avenue SW  (403) 244-1161  www.scarborounited.ab.ca  Sunday Worship: 10:30am

 305 10th Street NW  (403) 283-3555  http://www.thenakedleaf.ca

Scarboro United Church is a caring community for risk-takers, adventurers, and explorers in contemporary Christian living. Scarboro is an affirming congregation, which means that the full inclusion of LGBT people is essential to our mission and purpose. Scarboro United Church welcomes all to our spiritually enriching Sunday Service at 10:30am. Afterwards, all are welcome to join us in fellowship downstairs over coffee, tea, juice, and home-baked treats.

16 Priape Calgary------------------------- ✰

 1322 - 17 Ave SW  (403) 215-1800  http://www.priape.com

Organic teas and tea ware.

Clothing and accessories. Adult toys, leather wear, movies and magazines. Gifts.

 (403) 777-9494 trial code 3500  http://www.cruiseline.ca

Telephone classifieds and chat - 18+ ONLY. DevaDave Salon & Boutique

 810 Edmonton Trail NE  (403) 290-1973

Cuts, Colour, Hilights.

Duncan’s Residential Cleaning  Jim Duncan: (403) 978-6600

Residential cleaning. Free estimates.

Interactive Male

 (403) 261-2112 trial code 8873  1-800-777-8000  www.interactivemale.com

Keith Hill, North Hill Mazda

 1211 Centre Street NW  Cell: (403) 614-7359  Phone: (403) 276-5962  Fax: (403) 276-7361  khill@northhillmazda.com  www.northhillmazda.com

Sharp Foundation

 (403) 272-2912  sharpfoundation@nucleus.com

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

19

Directory and Events DOWNTOWN EDMONTON

1

8

5

7 11 6 12

1 Pride Centre------------- Community Groups 3 HIV Network------------- Community Groups 4 Edmonton STD---------- Community Groups

Lorne Doucette (CIR Realtors)

 (403) 461-9195  http://www.lornedoucette.com

Marnie Campbell (Maxwell Realtors)

 (403) 479-8619  http://www.marniecampbell.ca

MFM Communications

 (403) 543-6970  1-877-543-6970  http://www.mfmcommunications.com

Web site hosting and development. Computer hardware and software.

3

 Mon-Fri: 1pm-5pm

Jubilations Dinner Theatre  Bow Trail and 37th St. SW  (403) 249-7799  www.jubilations.ca

• Safeworks Van

 (403) 850-3755  Sat-Thu: 8pm-12am, Fri: 4pm-12am

43 Lisa Heinricks (Artist)---------------------  Art Central, 100 7th Ave SW, lower level  http://www.creamydreamy.com

52 Sandra G. Sebree, Lawyer

 1610 - 17th Ave SW  (403) 228-8108  www.sandrasebree.com

35 One Yellow Rabbit-------------------------  Big Secret Theatre - EPCOR CENTRE  (403) 299-8888  www.oyr.org

TherapyWorks

 (403) 561-6873  ckorol@therapyworks.ca  http://www.therapyworks.com

Rick Grenier (Invis)

 (403) 862-1162  rickgrenier@invis.ca Mortgage solutions.

Take back your life from stress, sadness, and worry.

Tattos and body piercing.

SafeWorks Free and confidential HIV/AIDS and STI testing.

• Calgary Drop-in Centre

 Room 117, 423 - 4th Ave SE  (403) 699-8216  Mon-Fri: 9am-12pm, Sat: 12:15pm-3:15pm

Youth Juice

 (403) 686-7714  dianevp@shaw.ca  http://www.ourworldnetwork.com/dianevp

Theatre and Fine Arts 36 ATP, Alberta Theatre Projects

 (403) 294-7402  http://www.ATPlive.com

AXIS Contemporary Art-------------------  107, 100 - 7 Ave SW  (403) 262-3356  rob@axisart.ca  www.axisart.ca Fairytales See Calgary - Community Groups.

• Centre of Hope

 Room 201, 420 - 9th Ave SE 20

8 Prism Bar & Grill-------------Bars and Clubs 11 Steamworks----------------------Bathhouses 12 Woody’s-----------------------Bars and Clubs

• Sheldon M. Chumir Health Centre

 1213 - 4th Str SW  (403) 955-6014  Sat-Thu: 4:15pm-7:45pm, Fri: Closed

North Shore Safety

 (403)771-6393  www.northshoresafetyconsulting.com

56 Sacred Balance Piercing

 1528 - 17th Avenue SW  (403) 277-4449  www.sacredbalancetattoo.com

N

4

5 Boots Bar and Lounge-------Bars and Clubs 6 Buddy’s Nite Club------------Bars and Clubs 7 Down Under Baths---------------Bathhouses

 (403) 410-1180

13

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

EDMONTON

37 Pumphouse Theatre------------------  2140 Pumphouse Avenue SW  (403) 263-0079  http://www.pumphousetheatres.ca

✰

Stagewest-------------------------------

✰

 727 - 42 Avenue SE  (403) 243-6642  http://www.stagewestcalgary.com 58 Theatre Junction----------------------  Theatre Junction GRAND, 608 1st St. SW  (403) 205-2922  info@theatrejunction.com  http://www.theatrejunction.com

13 PLAY Nightclub---------------Bars and Clubs

✰

34 Vertigo Mystery Theatre------------------  161, 115 - 9 Ave SE  (403) 221-3708  http://www.vertigomysterytheatre.com

Bars and Clubs 5 Boots Bar and Lounge----------------- ✰

 10242 106th St  (780) 423-5014  http://www.bootsbar.ca/ 6 Buddy’s Nite Club------------------------- ✰

 11725 Jasper Ave  (780) 488-6636 13 PLAY Nightclub---------------------------- ✰

 10220 103 Street  (780) 497-7529  info@playnightclub.ca  http://www.playnightclub.ca 8 Prism Bar & Grill---------------------- ✰

 10524 101st St  (780) 990-0038  http://www.prismbar.ca 12 Woody’s------------------------------------ ✰

 11725 Jasper Ave  (780) 488-6557

Bathhouses/Saunas 7 Down Under Baths------------------------ ✰

 12224 Jasper Ave  (780) 482-7960  http://www.gayedmonton.com 11 Steamworks------------------------------- ✰

 11745 Jasper Ave  (780) 451-5554  http://www.steamworksedmonton.com

Directory and Events Community Groups Alberta Bears  www.bearbeef.org Book Worm’s Book Club  Second Cup, 11210 Jasper Ave  bookworm@teamedmonton.ca  Dec 17, Jan 21, Feb 18, Mar 18, 7:30pm Buck Naked Boys Club

 (780) 471-6993  http://www.bucknakedboys.ca  2nd Saturday of every month Naturism club for men. Our club has been meeting continuously for over 10 years. The similar club in Calgary ceased to exist several years ago. Naturism is being social while everyone is naked, and it does not include sexual activity. Therefore participants do not need to be gay, only male, but almost all participants over the years do self-describe as being gay or bisexual.

Camp fYrefly

 7-104 Dept. of Educational Policy Studies

Faculty of Education, University of Alberta Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2G5  http://www.fyrefly.ualberta.ca Edmonton Pride Week Society

 http://www.prideedmonton.org Edmonton Prime Timers  edmontonpt@yahoo.ca  www.primetimersww.org/edmonton EPT is a group of older gay men and their admirers who come from diverse backgrounds but have common social interests. Meetings include a social period, a short business meeting and then either a guest speaker, discussion panel, or a potluck supper. Special interest groups meet for other social activities throughout the month. In July and August we have a BBQ or picnic in lieu of a meeting and in December it’s replaced with a Christmas party. EPT is affiliated with Prime Timers World Wide.

• Monthly Meetings

 Unitarian Church, 10804 - 119th Street  2nd Sunday of most months, 2:30pm Edmonton Rainbow Business Association

 3379, 11215 Jasper Ave  (780) 429-5014  http://www.edmontonrba.org ERBA’s primary focus is the provision of networking opportunities for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered (GLBT) owned or operated and GLBT-friendly businesses in the Edmonton region.

Membership is open to all kinds of entrepreneurs, from tradespeople to professionals to commission salespeople.

• Special Christmas Mixer

 TU Gallery (10718 - 124 St)  Tues Dec 8th, 5pm-8pm Edmonton Illusions Social Club

 Boots Bar & Grill  (780) 387-3343

 groups.yahoo.com/group/edmonton_illusions  2nd Friday of each month 4 Edmonton STD

 11111 Jasper Ave

Edmonton Vocal Minority  sing@evmchoir.com

 (780) 479-2038  www.evmchoir.com

• Merry and Bright

 Unitarian Church of Edmonton 1008 119 Street  Mon Dec 14th, 7pm Exposure 2010

 TBA 3 HIV Network Of Edmonton Society---- ✰  11456 Jasper Ave  www.hivedmonton.com

Imperial Sovereign Court of the Wild Rose

 http://www.gayedmonton.org

• Miss Mary Christmas Pageant

 Boots Bar & Lounge  Sat Dec 12, 9pm-2am • Children’s Christmas Party

 Prism Bar & Grill  Sun Dec 13th, 1pm-5pm • Christmas Dinner

 Boots Bar & Lounge  Sun Dec 13, 5pm-7pm • Queen of Hearts Cabaret

 Boots Bar & Lounge  Dec 20, 9pm-2am • Tribute to Legends

 Boots Bar & Lounge  Jan 9, 9pm-2am OUTreach

 University of Alberta, basement of SUB  outreach@ualberta.ca  http://www.ualberta.ca/~outreach

Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender/transsexual, Queer, Questioning and Straight-but-not-Narrow student group.

1 Pride Centre of Edmonton------------ ✰

 95A Street, 111 Ave  (780) 488-3234  admin@pridecentreofedmonton.org

• Bears Movie Night

 TV room, Pride Centre of Edmonton  Last Sunday of the month, 1-6pm • Community Potluck

 Main Space – Upstairs

 tuff@shaw.ca

 Last Tuesday, 7-9pm

Free STD testing for anyone interested. For more information please contact the Pride Centre.

• GLBT Seniors Drop-In

 Main Space – Upstairs  tuff@shaw.ca

 Every Tuesday & Thursday, 1-4pm A social and support group for seniors of all genders and sexualities to talk, have tea and offer each other support.

• Trans Education/Support Group

 Green Room – Upstairs

 2nd Tuesday, 7:30-9:30pm Transgender Education and Support Group: Education and support for transgender, transsexual and questioning people in any stage of transition.

• Men Talking with Pride

 Main Space – Upstairs

 robwells780@hotmail.com  Every Sunday, 7-9pm A social discussion group for gay, bisexual and transgendered men to discuss current issues and to offer support to each other.

• Men’s HIV Support Group

 Green Room – Upstairs  huges@shaw.ca

 2nd Monday of the month, 7-9pm Support group for people living with HIV/AIDS. • PFLAG

 Red room - Downstairs  780-436-1998  edmontonab@pflagcanada.ca  1st Wednesday, 7-9pm Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays: A support group for family members and friends of GLBT people. An excellent resource for people whose family members and friends have just come out.

• Prime Timers See Edmonton Primetimers.

• Queer Youth Sport & Recreation night

 Alex Taylor School Gym, 9321 Jasper Ave  Brendan, (780) 488-3234  brendan@pridecentreofedmonton.org  First Tuesday of every month, 4:30pm • Suit Up and Show Up: AA Big Book Study

 Downstairs Couch Area

 Saturdays, 12-1pm Discussion and support group for those struggling with an alcohol addiction or seeking support in

staying sober.

• TTIQ

 Green Room – Upstairs  admin@pridecentreofedmonton.org  1st and 3rd Sunday, 2-4pm TTIQ is mixed gender open support group addressing the needs of transsexual and transgendered individuals. Brunch at a local restaurant on the last Sunday of each month at 12:00.

• Womonspace Board Meeting

 Main Space – Upstairs  wspresident@hotmail.com  1st Sunday, 10:30am-12:30pm Womonspace is a Social and Recreational Society in Edmonton run by volunteers. They provide opportunities for lesbians to interact and support each other in a safe environment, and to contribute to the broader community.

• Youth Movie

 Main Space – Upstairs  brendan@pridecentreofedmonton.org  Fridays, 6:30-8:30pm Movie chosen by youth (aged 14 – 25), usually with LGBT themes. Popcorn is served.

• YouthSpace

 brendan@pridecentreofedmonton.org  Tuesday to Thursday, 3-7pm Fridays, 3-6:30pm Saturdays, 3-6:30pm A safe and supportive space for GLBTQ youth aged 13–25. Video games, computers with internet, clothing bank, and more.

• Youth Theatre Project

 Downstairs Couch Area  will@pridecentreofedmonton.org  Every Wednesday, 7-8:30pm An opportunity for youth to address the problem of homophobic bullying through theatre. Write and rehearse skits, perform in the community, and help make a documentary.

• Youth Understanding Youth See separate listing.

• Youth Yoga

 Alex Taylor School Gym (9321 Jasper Ave)  Every 1st Thursday, 4:30pm Team Edmonton

 president@teamedmonton.ca

A potluck open to all members of the LGBTQ community. A time to get together, share a meal and meet people from the community.

• Free School

 Main Space – Upstairs  monika_penner@shaw.ca  2nd and 4th Sunday, 11am-5pm Free School provides workshops on a variety of topics related to local activism.

• Get Straight – Cocaine Anonymous

 Downstairs Couch Area

 Thursdays, 7-8pm Cocaine Anonymous: Support group for anyone struggling with cocaine or drug addictions.

• Get Tested for STIs

 Last Thurs of Month, 3pm - 6pm

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

21

Directory and Events  http://www.teamedmonton.ca Members are invited to attend and help determine the board for the next term. If you are interested in running for the board or getting involved in some of the committees, please contact us.

• Annual Mixer  February 27th, time TBA • Badminton (Mixed)

 coedbadminton@teamedmonton.ca New group seeking male & female players.

• Badminton (Women’s)

 Oliver School, 10227 - 118 Street  (780) 465-3620

 badminton@teamedmonton.ca  Wednesdays, 6pm-7:30pm Oct 7th-mid March 2010, 6-7:30pm Women’s Drop-In Recreational Badminton. $40.00 season or $5.00 per drop in.

•Ballroom Dancing

 Foot Notes Dance Studio, 9708-45 Avenue NW  Cynthia: (780) 469-3281  Oct 11th-Dec 13th, Sundays, 7:30-8:30pm • Blazin’ Bootcamp

 Lynnwood School  bootcamp@teamedmonton.ca  Every Mon + Thurs, 7pm-8:15pm  Mon Oct 19th at Lynwood School • Bowling (Northern Titans)

 Gateway Lanes, 100 - 3414 Gateway Blvd

22

 bowling@teamedmonton.ca  Every Saturday, 5pm-7pm

Resumes Saturday January 3rd $15.00 per person.

• Cross Country Skiing  crosscountry@teamedmonton.ca • Curling with Pride

 Granite Curling Club, 8620 107 Street NW  (780) 463-5942  curling@teamedmonton.ca  Begins Oct 19th, Mondays, 7:15pm.

• Cycling (Edmonton Prideriders)

 Various locations in Edmonton  cycling@teamedmonton.ca  Every Wednesday, 6:30pm • Dragon Boat (Flaming Dragons)

 dragonboat@teamedmonton.ca • Golf  golf@teamedmonton.ca • Gymnastics, Drop-in

 Ortona Gymnastics Club, 8755 - 50 Avenue  gymnastics@teamedmonton.ca  Tuesdays & Thursdays, 8pm-10pm Have the whole gym to yourselves and an instructor to help you achieve your individual goals. Cost is $5.00 per session.

• Hockey  hockey@teamedmonton.ca

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

• Outdoor Pursuits

 outdoorpursuits@teamedmonton.ca

 spin@teamedmonton.ca 7 classes, $28.00 per registrant.

• Running (Arctic Frontrunners)

 Kinsmen Sports Centre, front entrance  running@teamedmonton.ca  Every Sunday, 10am-11am All genders and levels of runners and walkers are invited to join this free activity.

• Swimming (Making Waves)

 NAIT Pool  swimming@teamedmonton.ca  Tues, Thurs evenings

• Samsara Yoga

 Korezone Fitness, #203, 10575 -115 Street  yoga@teamedmonton.ca  Classes resume Oct 4th, 2- 3:30pm • Slo Pitch

 Parkallen Field, 111 st and 68 ave  slo-pitch@teamedmonton.ca  Wednesdays, 7pm. Season resumes May 6th.

Season fee is $30.00 per person. $10 discount for players from the 2008 season.

• Snowballs III

 February 5-7th, 2010  snowballs@teamedmonton.ca Skiing and Snowboarding Weekend.

• Soccer

 soccer@teamedmonton.ca • Spin

 MacEwan Centre for Sport and Wellness 109 St. and 104 Ave  Wednesdays, 5:45-6:45pm Season has ended.

• Tennis

 Kinsmen Sports Centre  Sundays, 12pm-3pm

 tennis@teamedmonton.ca • Ultimate Frisbee  Sundays Summer Season starts July 12th  ultimatefrisbee@teamedmonton.ca E-mail if interested.

• Volleyball, Free To Be Intermediate

 Amiskiwacy Academy (101 Airport Road)  volleyball@teamedmonton.ca  Thursday nights from 7:30pm-9:30pm • Volleyball, Free To Be Recreational

 Mother Teresa School (9008 - 105 Ave)  recvolleyball@teamedmonton.ca  Outdoor season, Sundays, 3-5pm • Women’s Lacrosse

 Sharon: 780-461-0017  Pam: 780-436-7374 Open to women 21+, experienced or not, all are welcome. Call for info.

Directory and Events Womonspace

 (780) 482-1794  womonspace@gmail.com  www.womonspace.ca

Women’s social group, but all welcome at events.

• Dinner and Dance

 Bellevue Community Hall (7308 112 Ave)  Sat Dec 12th, 7pm-1am $25 members, $30 non-members

GALA/LA will provide the turkey...you bring the rest.

Please bring a dish to share that will serve 4-6 people, and your own beverage.

• Film Night

 Bi-monthly, contact us for exact dates.

• Support Line

 (403) 308-2893  Monday OR Wednesday, 7pm-11pm Leave a message any other time.

• Book Club

 Monthly, contact us for exact dates.

Youth Understanding Youth

 Edmonton Pride Centre, Main Space Upstairs

 yuy@shaw.ca  www.members.shaw.ca/yuy  Every Wed/Thurs/Fri, 7pm-9pm

A place where LGBTQ youth under 25 can gather to have fun and learn about themselves and others in a safe, supportive, and caring environment.

• Sports and Recreation

 Pride Centre, 9540 - 111 Ave  Brendan: (780) 488-3234  brendan@pridecentreofedmonton.org  Wed/Thurs/Fri, meet at 4:00pm

Same Gender Speed Dating Ltd. 

(780) 221-8535

 www.samegenderdating.com An LGBT-focused alternative worship.

• Gay Male Speed Dating

 Boston Pizza Private Party Room, Whyte Ave

 TBA Must pre-register to attend - please contact us.

• Lesbian Speed Dating

 Boston Pizza Private Party Room, Whyte Ave

 TBA Must pre-register to attend - please contact us.

Theatre and Fine Arts

Restaurants

Exposure Festival

5 Garage Burger Bar & Grill---------------  10242 106th St  (780) 423-5014 8 Prism Bar & Grill--------------------- See Edmonton - Bars and Clubs.

• Soul OUTing

 Second Sunday every month, 7pm An LGBT-focused alternative worship.

✰

Retail Stores Rodéo Drive

 11528 - 89th Street  (780) 474-0413  brendalee@rodeodrive.ca  http://www.rodeodrive.ca

His and hers fetish wear, toys, jewelry, etc.

The Travelling Tickle Trunk

 9923 - 82 Avenue  (780) 469-6669  www.travelingtickletrunk.com

Sex-positive adult toy store.

Wares & Wear Ventures Inc. See Canada - Retail Stores.

Services Cruiseline

 (780) 413-7122 trial code 3500  http://www.cruiseline.ca Telephone classifieds and chat - 18+ ONLY. Interactive Male

 (780) 409-3333 trial code 8871  1-800-777-8000  www.interactivemale.com

Over the Top Designs

 (780) 974-5269

Servicing Calgary, Edmonton & Red Deer exclusively.

Robertson-Wesley United Church

 10209 - 123 St. NW  (780) 482-1587  jravenscroft@rwuc.org  www.rwuc.org  Worship: Sunday mornings at 10:30am People of all sexual orientations welcome. Other LGBT events include a monthly book club and a bi-monthly film night. As a caring spiritual community, we’d love to have you join us!



http://www.exposurefestival.ca

Edmonton’s Queer Arts and Culture Festival.

The Roxy Theatre

 10708 124th Street, Edmonton AB

 (780) 453-2440

 www.theatrenetwork.ca

BANFF/CANMORE Community Groups Mountain Pride

 BOX 4892, BANFF, AB, T1L 1G1 

Brian, (403) 431-2569 1-800-958-9632   mountainpride@gaybanff.com  www.gaybanff.com

Serving the GLBTQS community in Banff, Canmore, Lake Louise and Area.

• Coffee Night

 The Hub, 302 Buffalo Street  4th Tuesday, 7pm-10pm • Queer Cinema Night

 The Hub, 302 Buffalo Street  2nd Monday, 8pm-11pm

LETHBRIDGE Community Groups GALA/LA

 (403) 308-2893  http://www.galalethbridge.ca

Gay and Lesbian Alliance of Lethbridge and Area.

• Monthly Dances

 Airforce Veterans Hall, 517 - 5 Ave S

 TBA Bring your membership card and photo ID. • Monthly Potluck Dinners

 McKillop United Church, 2329 - 15 Ave S  Dec 6th, 5-8pm

• Parents & Friends for Lesbians & Gays

 lethbridgeab@pflagcanada.ca • Gay Youth Alliance Group

 Betty, (403) 381-5260  bneil@chr.ab.ca  Every second Wednesday, 3:30pm-5pm • Friday Mixer

 The Mix (green water tower) 103 Mayor Magrath Dr S  Every Friday at 10pm • Movie Night

 Room C610, University of Lethbridge  TBA Gay & Lesbian Integrity Assoc. (GALIA)

 University of Lethbridge  galia@uleth.ca

GBLTTQQ club on campus.

Pride Lethbridge

 lethbridgepridefest@gmail.com

RED DEER Community Groups Affirm

 Sunnybrook United Church  (403) 347-6073  2nd Tuesday of the month, 7pm

Composed of LGBTQ people, their friends, family and allies. No religious affiliation necessary.

Activities include support, faith and social justice discussions, film nights, and potlucks!

ALBERTA Community Groups Central Alberta AIDS Network Society

 4611-50 Avenue, Red Deer, AB  http://www.caans.org The Central Alberta AIDS Network Society is the local charity responsible for HIV prevention and support in Central Alberta.

Western Canadian Pride Campout  www.eventmasterinc.net YouthSafe

differences. Youthsafe.net lists the resources, information and services to help youth find safe and caring spaces in Alberta.

Theatre and Fine Arts Alberta Ballet

 http://www.albertaballet.com

Frequent productions in Calgary and Edmonton.

CANADA Community Groups Alberta Trans Support/Activities Group

 http://www.albertatrans.org

A nexus for transgendered persons, regardless of where they may be on the continuum.

Canadian Rainbow Health Coalition

 P.O. Box 3043, Saskatoon, SK, S7K 3S9  (306) 955-5135  1-800-955-5129  http://www.rainbowhealth.ca

Egale Canada

 8 Wellington St E, Third Floor

Toronto, Ontario, M5E 1C5  1-888-204-7777  www.egale.ca Egale Canada is the national advocacy and lobby organization for gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, trans-identified people and our families.

Membership fees are pay-what-you-can, although pre-authorized monthly donors are encouraged (and get a free Egale Canada t-shirt). Egale has several committees that meet by teleconference on a regular basis; membership on these is national with members from every region of Canada.

Retail Stores Wares & Wear Ventures Inc.  www.wwlatex.com Fetish wear and toys.

 (780) 980-1977

Services Squirt

 http://www.squirt.org

Website for dating and hook-ups. 18+ ONLY!

Theatre and Fine Arts Broadway Across Canada

 http://www.broadwayacrosscanada.ca

OUTtv

 http://www.outtv.ca

GLBT Television Station.

 http://www.youthsafe.net

Alberta’s website for youth with sex-and-gender

Add Your Listing!

Find out how to have your business listed in our monthly magazine directory:  (403) 543-6960  1-888-543-6960  magazine@gaycalgary.com.

Add your listing to our online directory for free:  http://www.gaycalgary.com GayCalgary endeavors to keep our directory and events information accurate and up to date. If you notice anything incorrect or out of date, please contact us.

Non-profit groups receive free listings.

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

23

Politics

Escaping Persecution The Bethany Smith Case

By Stephen Lock Canadian Federal Court judge, Yves de Montigny, recently ordered the refugee board to reconsider the asylum claim of Private Bethany Smith, of the American Army. He urged that it be taken into account the evidence that she was, in fact, persecuted and that her sexual orientation could mean stiffer punishment for having gone AWOL (Absent Without Leave).

Montigny said the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) should have taken into account “the particular environment” an applicant finds themselves in. “It is clear that in the army reigns an atmosphere of unconditional obedience to the hierarchy,” Montingy wrote. “The board member did not seem to be sensitive to this special context.”

Montingy also said the IRB erred by concluding that the beating death of allegedly gay Pfc. Barry Winchell in 1999 at the same Kentucky army base where Smith was serving, which was believed to have been motivated by rumours the victim was gay, was an isolated incident.

Winchell was beaten to death with a baseball bat while he slept by fellow soldier Calvin Glover in 1999. Winchell’s roommate, Spc. Justin Fisher who had goaded Glover into retaliating against a beating he received from Winchell, was found guilty of impeding a criminal investigation.

I say Winchell was “allegedly gay” because it was not another man Winchell got involved with, but a transsexual performer named Calpernia Addams. He met Addams while attending a club with Fisher and other fellow soldiers, which featured drag queens and transsexual performers. The 2003 film Soldier’s Girl is based on the Winchell case.

Pte. Smith currently resides in Ottawa, where she works at a call centre and has assumed the name of Skyler James. While this name change was mentioned in several articles, what it suggests was not.

I suspect that not only does Pt. Smith/Skyler James face persecution on the basis of sexual orientation but perhaps on gender identity as well. “Skyler” seems, to me, to be a masculine name and an odd choice for a woman to make unless there was an issue with gender identity.

On top of that, there is the question of why Bethany Smith would change her name to begin with. One could argue, I suppose, she did so in order to better protect herself from real or perceived threats and repercussions from the American military, but the fact she has gone public with her refugee claim, and both names are revealed in the media, tend to suggest this not to be the case.

It is well known the American military establishment takes a very dim view of lesbian, gay, and bisexual personnel within its ranks. It takes an even dimmer view of transsexuals.

Now, I am not saying Skyler James (formerly Bethany Smith) is a female-to-male pre-op transsexual (which is also why I continued to use the feminine pronoun above), only that the name change tends to suggest the possibility. It will be interesting to see what developments occur in this case.

24

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

At any rate, the case of an outed lesbian (she was spotted holding hand with another woman in a shopping mall by a fellow soldier, who then proceeded to out her on base) seeking refugee status based on sexual orientation is unique. A spokesperson for the US military in this case, is quoted as saying neither he nor the American military has ever heard of anyone attempting to seek such status for those reasons before.

Critics, of course, will go after the whole idea of seeking refugee status in Canada for one’s sexual orientation and likely argue she is merely a garden-variety deserter. Smith says she sought a discharge under the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy but was informed the paperwork for her discharge would not be completed until after she returned from a scheduled deployment to Afghanistan.

It would seem that despite the Pentagon’s antipathy towards homosexuals and bisexuals serving in its military, it is not so opposed that it will not send them to Afghanistan or any of the other ‘hot spots’ the Americans are involved in.

As Bethany/Skyler has pointed out, part of the issue here is the threats she has received.

“My worst fear is more harassment, being sent to the same unit, [and] being killed by these people who have told me if I returned I will suffer the consequences.”

The practice of ‘fragging’ has been around since at least the Vietnam War. Fragging is controversial, at best, and is not wholly acknowledged as even existing by those in Washington. Fragging is, essentially, the killing by fellow soldiers of a superior officer - and perhaps another soldier - while out on patrol or while in a theatre of war. The idea being that it will be difficult to prove the victim was not killed during a firefight or as a result of ‘friendly fire.’

If Pte. Smith, a mechanic, was in fact deployed to Afghanistan with her former unit she would be in considerable danger. At the very least, one suspects, she would not be able to rely on her unit or individuals within her unit, backing her up or not leaving her behind should she be cut off from them, as is customary (think of Black Hawk Down where it is stated, more than once, ‘we don’t leave our own behind’).

She certainly believes she faces “severe persecution” from others in her former unit if she is sent back to Fort Campbell, and that’s on home territory, not in a war zone. What she would face in the isolation and confusion of Afghanistan is too horrible to imagine.

Being a woman, Bethany not only faces what she described as “harsh gay-bashing” if returned to her unit at Fort Campbell, but also quite possibly rape. Certainly if she was sent to Afghanistan and, purposely or not, found herself trapped behind enemy lines, separated from her unit, and was captured by Afghan insurgents, the probability of sexual abuse and rape would be high.

Of course, it is not just female combatants who face this threat.

While not talked about a great deal, it is known in some circles that male prisoners have also been sexually abused and raped/ sodomized by their Afghan captors. Rape is a tool to ‘break down’ the enemy and has come to be seen as another weapon in the arsenal of war crimes.

If, as I suspect, gender identity is an issue here, Bethany/Skyler is at even greater risk. Perhaps not from any potential Afghan captors who likely just would not “see” the gender identity issue; to them she would be a female and that would be that. But now that the adopted name of ‘Skyler James’ is out in the public arena,

Politics even the least aware soldier could probably figure out what was going on. If reaction to lesbians and gay men can be harsh, imagine what the reaction to some ‘goddamn sex change’ would be?

What makes this case unique, apart from the possibility of a gender identity aspect (and, I hasten to add, that’s only my take on it), is the sexual orientation issue itself.

The IRB has, quite rightly it could be argued, rejected other deserters’ claims for refugee status. In those cases, individuals deserted a volunteer-based army they willingly and freely joined, then fled to Canada when they didn’t like what the military planned for them, such as sending them to Afghanistan.

In this case, Bethany/Skyler faces severe repercussions if deported back to the US and back to her unit. It could be argued she is in danger of abuse from the State and that, last I checked, was a criterion for refugee status.

In this case, the abuse is tied up with her being lesbian and facing physical harm, if not death, at the hands of her former colleagues. That is why she went AWOL, not because she was about to be deployed to Afghanistan. She was in fear for her well-being, even life, not at the hands of Afghan insurgents but at the hands of the very individuals she had been trained to entrust her life.

Letters A Big Thank-You I am writing this letter on behalf of the Imperial Sovereign Court of the Wild Rose of Edmonton. We would like to thank GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine, Steve and Rob, for inviting us to be involved in the Taboo Sex Show in Edmonton.

Your support is very much appreciated, and to have the opportunity to be at the show was such a benefit to our organization.

Over the 3 days we were able to raise close to $700 for our charities, and the exposure we got was tremendous - the awareness we were able to bring to such a wide variety of people was outstanding. A great time was had by all of the court members that came out, and to be able to perform at such a big event was a great benefit to our group as well.

With great appreciation, we thank you again.

Ivanna Diamonds 34th Elected Empress of Edmonton and All Northern Alberta

http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1490

View additional pics/videos. • Share with a friend. • Post your comments.

http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1491

View additional pics/videos. • Share with a friend. • Post your comments.

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

25

Adult Film Review

Adult Film Review Piss Off, Love Addiction

By Jerome Voltero “Piss Off” by Raging Stallion Studios, Courtesy of Priape Cast: Francois Sagat*, Steve Cruz*, Damian Rios, Scott Tanner, Manuel DeBoxer*, Damien Crosse* I suppose someone forgot to tell these guys not to eat yellow snow!! Yes, it’s my first purely water sports porno…don’t complain because I was thiiiiis close to picking up a fisting porno to make a pun about “stocking stuffers”. Ah, never mind.

So yes, from all the *’s beside cast members, you can see they selected a majorly hot set of actors, but you will need to stomach the idea of these guys pissing on, in, and around each other, or even themselves.

The first scene starts out innocently enough, as Steve Cruz and Damien Cross get frisky in the shower. But when the shower ends, the golden showering commences. I had a hard time taking Damien Cross seriously since last month’s review – even as Steve Cruz is pissing in his mouth, I kept imagining him whining and doing the bunny ears. But the real eye opener was when Crosse pissed into Cruz’s rear end and then proceeded to rim him.

For me, the secret to enjoying this porno without seeing it as something completely filthy (assuming the filth factor isn’t a turn on for you) lies in a little Highschool biology. You see, the urinary tract exists to flush out toxic byproducts from digesting proteins.

So if our porn stars cut back on the meats in their diet (a “hard” thing for a porn star to do, I’m sure), and drank lots of water, their piss would be nearly as pure as the water they drank in the first place. Thus, it would be no different from squirting each other with water pistols…warm water pistols…warm, hard, thick, sexy, hairy water pistols that hold an emergency supply of…another fluid.

Other scenes include a solo self-pissing panorama with Francois Sagat, and an outdoor 3-way with Manuel DeBoxer as piss-pig in the middle.

“Love Addiction” by Kristen Bjorn, Courtesy of Adult Depot Cast: Daniel Marvin*, Pedro Andreas*, Bruno Bordas, Nacho Navas, Thomas Achaval*, Kaio, Andrés De La Serna, Nano Roca, Tobias Sodi, Mauro Max. I have to say, the director

26

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

of this film has some wicked style! The dialogue is in Spanish, so be sure to turn on the English subtitles or else you’ll find yourself a bit lost.

Daniel Marvin has gotten himself into a dilemma of the worst kind. When his wife left him, he poured all of his effort into his work, so much that it sent him down a path of various addictions.

The film starts with him speaking to a psychiatrist, somewhat unapologetically about these addictions that ultimately lead him to become a sex addict. The only problem is that he has fallen in love.

And thank god, he falls in love with Pedro Andreas, in my opinion the sexiest man of the bunch. Andreas is an adorable Spanish muscle cub that would put any bear in heat. Though a bear Daniel Marvin is not…more like a Spanish version of Nathan Petrelli from Heroes…teehee, doesn’t “Petrelli” sound like a shortened version of “Petroleum Jelly”? But I digress.

The problem is that Andreas is a hustler, a hooker, a manwhore, and of course Marvin can’t be sure whether Andres’ feelings are mutual, or whether he’s just after his fee.

But Marvin’s is easily distracted, and we find ourselves witnessing some of his misadventures and fantasies with Spanish muscle men, culminating in a scene involving the psychiatrist himself.

There is a double-header dildo involved, which struck me as an odd kind of tug-of-war between the arseholes of Marvin and Andres. But the double penetration that the psychiatrist invites into his own rear end made even my jaw drop.

http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1492

View additional pics/videos. • Share with a friend. • Post your comments.

Priape Calgary Canada’s Favourite Gay Store 1322 17th Avenue SW - (403) 215-1800 Adult Depot Over 3000 Gay Title for Sale or Rent 140 58th Avenue SW - (403) 258-2777 daiterj@telus.net

Astrology

Q Scopes

“Sex is not a competitive sport, Aries!”

Mercury entering Capricorn focuses minds to constructive action, but at this ingress he conjoins Pluto and squares Saturn, so be careful not to obsess. The Sun is trine Mars, favoring dynamic action. Think fast and hard – and move!



ARIES (March 20 - April 19): You are probably a

little too focused on career and relationship problems. Yes, those need attention, but bring some of your playful verve into the equation and the problems will be more easily faced and solved.

guns doesn’t have to cause arguments. Try to engage your opponent at looking very pragmatically at the problem.

Dressing up your home a little will give you the pizzazz to give someone a tour leading to the bedroom.

GEMINI (May 21 - June 20): Reading a bit

of hardcore kink need not lead to replicating baroque dungeon orgies. A little inspiration and experimentation is fine. Your partner is open and ready to discuss anything.

New or old problems, tackle them now!

home have no easy solution, but a crack of observation and insight is something to build on. Seize new ideas and see where they lead. Practical insights, economy and straightforward work will help to alleviate those problems.

LEO (July 23 - August 22): Focusing too hard on problems in your face can distract you from dangers on the periphery. Relax and play a little to keep everything in perspective. That will help you solve the problem that’s pre-occupying you and be a little more safety conscious.



VIRGO (August 23 - September 22): Fun on

the cheap can be a creative challenge. You won’t win at games, especially if money is involved. Play for funsies, and save your lotto money for later. Time alone with your family (birth or chosen) can be very healing.



SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21):

Pushing your point too hard will undermine your argument and reveal more of yourself than you would like. Start from core philosophical values, and invoke authorities on the subject – not as final words, but for sake of illumination.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 - December 20): Arguments over money can challenge your

friendships. Better, they should challenge your values.

Keep an open mind, but don’t be a doormat for leeches!

Look ahead! When the future looks tough, the tough get futuristic.



CAPRICORN (December 21 - January 19): With finesse and foresight you can make great

breakthroughs in your career. Be careful not to go in like a chainsaw where you need the precision of a scalpel. Trust your instincts for direction, but be careful to go slowly with eyes wide open.



CANCER (June 21 - July 22): Problems at



to take some responsibility for domestic problems, but credit others with the ability to make and solve problems, and don’t bulldoze your solutions. Listening is the most important part of any discussion.



TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): Sticking to your





LIBRA (September 23 - October 22): You need

By Jack Fertig

AQUARIUS (January 20 - February 18):

Being a bit touchy with others is largely because of your own inner conflicts. Discuss your problems with someone who has some expertise on the matters at hand.

Otherwise, try to keep your mouth shut and your heart open.



PISCES (February 19 - March 19): Where has your sex life gotten you – and where is it leading? Where do you want that to be in 10 or 20 years? Work goals are easier to assess and could provide insight for those more personal questions.

Jack Fertig, a professional astrologer since 1977 teaches at the Online College of Astrology : http://www.astrocollege.com.

He can be reached for personal or business consultations at 415-864-8302 or through his website at http://www.starjack.com

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

27

Celebrity Gossip

Deep Inside Hollywood

Santa visits Neil Patrick Harris and Queens of Drag work it out

By Romeo San Vicente Santa visits Neil Patrick Harris As long as Neil Patrick Harris is already running Hollywood – at least that’s how it seems these days – he might as well participate in some Christmas specials, right? So the How I Met Your Mother star has lent his voice to a new animated holiday special, Yes, Virginia, based on the famous 19th century newspaper editorial column, “Is There A Santa Claus?” The special, about a little girl who wonders about the existence of the jolly old elf, will also feature the voices of Jennifer Love Hewitt and Alfred Molina and, unless drastic modernist rewrites have taken place, will most likely confirm that Santa is, in fact, real. The show airs Dec. 11, a safe, non-competitive three days after A Charlie Brown Christmas. Make sure you have plenty of cocoa on hand.

Charlize out, Gywneth in Last year around this time Romeo reported that The Danish Girl, a feature film about the lives of the world’s first-ever postoperative transgender woman and her devoted wife, would star Nicole Kidman and Charlize Theron. Kidman was cast as Einar Wegener, the man who transitions, and Theron as the wife who sticks around for the journey. Not anymore. Theron’s schedule couldn’t be made to fit and now Gwyneth Paltrow has stepped into the role. To be directed by Thomas Alfredson (Let The Right One In), the film will probably see screens in 2011, provided there are no more delays. Both actors have played it queer on screen before, but can Paltrow fill the shoes of the voluptuous, same-sex-kiss-auctioning Theron? Will the lesbians rebel against it all? Stay tuned.

Ian McKellen enrolls in The Academy Forgotten what Ian McKellen looks like without an X-Men costume, robes, a long beard or a giant wizard staff? So has he, apparently – and the actor’s out to refresh everyone’s memory with a new comedy series, The Academy, a mockumentary in the style of The Office. Before he runs off to New Zealand to appear in The Hobbit, McKellen is planning to shoot six episodes of the sitcom, in which he’ll play his fictional brother, Murray McKellen, who runs a broken-down drama school. The show is already being shopped to both U.K. and U.S. buyers, although no other cast members have been announced. Great idea: bring in Ricky Gervais as his character from Extras. That’ll bring the sitcomas-documentary genre full circle.

Queens of Drag work it out What RuPaul’s Drag Race set in motion is now picking up steam: another drag-based reality show is tottering on giant platform shoes toward TV glory. Queens of Drag: NYC, conceived by producer Larry Kennar (The L Word), former Project Runway

28

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

Photo courtesy of Logo

contestant Jack Mackenroth and longtime gay porn director John Rutherford, will explore the lives and fashion insanity of New York’s fiercest drag performers. Names like Lady Bunny, Hedda Lettuce, Acid Betty, Mimi Imfurst and Kevin Aviance are already famous to NYC nightlife fans, but now they’ll have their shot at mainstream stardom in this sure-to-be-loud series.

Shooting is scheduled to begin any second now, with cable network bidding to follow. Romeo thinks Fine Living Network should air it alongside episodes of Whatever, Martha!

Romeo San Vicente did drag for Halloween once and spent November itching while the hair grew back. He can be reached care of this publication or at DeepInsideHollywood@ qsyndicate.com.

Lifestyle

Cocktail Chatter

Vodka 101: The Spirit of Choice and Homo for the Holidays

By Keith Orr Vodka 101: The Spirit of Choice

What better way to start out my assignment as the host of “Cocktail Chatter” than to write about my favorite liquor, Vodka.

And I am not alone. Vodka is the best-selling liquor in America, accounting for over 26% of all spirit sales. A glance around any gay bar tells you that in the U.S. gay market that number is probably higher.

It was not always so. Until the late 1950’s vodka was considered an exotic Russian import. As always, marketing drove the expansion. Vodka was advertised as “White Whiskey - no taste, no smell.” Its popularity skyrocketed as imbibers believed that there would be no alcohol on their breath and they would avoid hangovers. It quickly replaced other spirits in highballs and cocktails.

Most famously it usurped gin as the spirit of choice in a martini.

Vodka can be made from many base ingredients: rye, wheat, potatoes, beets, grapes or grapeseed, molasses, and more. The ingredients are first fermented, then distilled. In most western vodkas the distillation process produces something fairly close to pure alcohol, and water is added back in. Most high-end vodkas also filter the spirit as well. All of this distilling and filtering is the source of the clean taste that makes vodka so mixable and popular.

Rye and wheat are the most common sources in well-known brands, with a smattering of potato vodkas. Molasses is largely used for mass-producing vodka for mass market brands. Though all vodka is highly distilled, each vodka has a unique flavor profile as a result of the residual components of the original distillation, as well as the various methods and materials used for filtering.

The super premium brands such as Grey Goose, Belvedere, or Chopin each have subtle flavors best appreciated in the cocktail which features vodka in a starring role, the martini. (Martini preparation is another column!) My personal favorite is Absolut’s entry in the super premium line, Level by Absolut. Not only do I like the flavor, I choose it for political reasons. I support the vodka that supports me. Absolut has been a leading supporter of many gay organizations and events for 30 years.

While martinis feature vodka in a starring role, the overwhelming popularity of the beverage is its ability to act in a supporting role. No other spirit plays so well with others. Vodka and tonic, vodka and cranberry, vodka and coke, vodka and diet coke (dubbed the “skinny bitch” by the drag queens of Key West), and the cocktail that helped popularize vodka in the U.S., the Moscow Mule (vodka and ginger ale).

Flavored vodkas are nothing new. Polish distillers were commercially producing lemon and pepper vodkas at least 200 years ago. Russian and Scandinavian vodkas used herbs and nuts for flavoring even earlier. Today vodkas are infused with dozens of flavors: lemon, lime, cranberry, pomegranate, acai berry, chocolate, grapefruit, peach, and even bacon. I like sipping infused or flavored vodkas on the rocks. They also can create new variations to martinis, cosmos, and a variety of shots.

The beauty of vodka lies in versatility. Whether you are enjoying the refined and subtle flavors in a classic martini, or partying hard with an alcohol that plays well with your favorite mixer, vodka is the spirit of choice.

Homo for the Holidays

My puritan forbears would be aghast at the amount of drinking that goes on around the holidays. They’d also be aghast that I am gay, so we know how much I care about their opinion.

Thanksgiving Eve is one of the biggest bar nights of the year.

But the real drinking starts the next morning for me. Several years ago Martin and I took over the preparation of the Family Thanksgiving Dinner. The Turkey Coup came after one too many overcooked (or worse, undercooked) turkeys. So the gay boys get up early and start the turkey prep. This ritual begins at about 8:00 a.m. and is accompanied by Mimosas.

Thanksgiving is the best excuse for early drinking After the bird is in the oven we start on brunch. This is when we get the rest of the family drinking mimosas, as well. The key to great mimosas is in the orange juice. Use fresh squeezed. Much as I love Taittinger’s champagne there is no reason to use it when you are mixing it with OJ. I use Cook’s Brut: inexpensive and palatable. My ratio is two parts champagne to one part OJ. If you want to kick it up a notch spike it with a splash of Grand Marnier. And don’t forget the garnish, half an orange wheel on the rim.

As the afternoon progresses, while the more butch members of the gathering become entranced by watching football, and the rest of us engage in a Judy Garland retrospective marathon, I start mixing what I affectionately call Grandfather Drinks, like Old Fashions or Manhattans. Since we spend the holidays in Wisconsin I usually mix Brandy Manhattans. It was only after I moved away from Wisconsin that I found out that brandy is not what everyone drinks after being weaned off milk. If you want a Whiskey Manhattan I recommend Crown Royal. We got hooked on Crown Royal Manhattans on a Vegas trip years ago. Whether brandy or whiskey, the proportion is three parts liquor, one part sweet vermouth, and a couple of dashes of Angostura bitters over ice. Garnish with a cherry.

My favorite Grandfather Drink is an obscure drink my father picked up about 60 years ago in Lexington, MA, The Flintlock: 1 1/2 oz. Brandy, 1/2 oz. Apple Brandy, 1 tsp. Lemon Juice, 3 drops Granadine, a couple dashes White Creme de Menthe.

I could spend an entire column on what wine to serve with dinner. There are lots of flavors on the traditional holiday table, and no one wine is perfect. Champagne pairs well with many foods, and the acidity clears the palate for the next dish. Now is the time to break out the Taittinger’s. Pinot Noir works great with poultry.

White wines that are fruit forward and have a little residual sugar, like a Riesling, are often popular.

After a huge holiday dinner we engage in the traditional run to the nearest gay bar. Even if you love your family, after a full day of football and embarrassing childhood stories I’m ready for cocktails with lots of gay people. Stick with the holiday theme and try a Pumpkin Pie Shot, made of equal parts Kahlua, Bailey’s Irish Cream, and Goldschlager (or other cinnamon schnapps) shaken and strained into a shot glass. This is one of those shots, like Oatmeal Cookies, that people swear tastes just like the namesake. Of course, they usually make these claims after the third shot.

Happy Holidays, and cheers!

http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1495

View additional pics/videos. • Share with a friend. • Post your comments.

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

29

Community Spotlight

Fairytales Presentation Society New Direction, New Endeavours, and a New Logo

By Dallas Barnes Jessica Dollard means business! As Fairy Tales Presentation Society’s programming and festival director, Jessica is planning on leading what was once Alberta’s largest GLBTQ film festival into “a full queer cultural arts festival that celebrates and showcases visual artists, musicians, actors and dancers, with the film festival always being at [it’s]core.”

That’s a tall order for someone who has been in the position for a mere four months. Without a doubt however, this founder of feminist theatre company Urban Curvz will make it happen.

Fairytales Diversity Film Festival, currently in its 12th year, has three main objectives. As they phrase it, the first is to “bring a rich selection of seldom seen films to the Calgary and Southern Alberta audience that - given the limited distribution network - audiences may otherwise not have a chance to see.”

Secondly, it hopes “to support the work of local, national and international filmmakers” as it thirdly, “create[s] an atmosphere of respect, inclusivity, tolerance, and pride within and outside, of the GLBTQ community.”

Looking forward, Jessica foresees Fairytales striving to be a social convener, in an effort to build the Calgary queer community around the arts. This is definitely reflected in the new logo unveiled just last month. “The new logo is for the society (not the film festival alone) and is an expression of this vision.”

Thus far, since Jessica’s appointment to programming and festival director, Fairytales has made quite an impact on Calgary’s queer community, bringing in seasoned fans and many new ones. REELS ON WHEELS, a program providing education to the local community through the means of filmmaking and other art forms, has just been established as a new outreach endeavour for the Society. Additionally, Fairy Tales single night screening of Shorts for all Sorts: Queer Film Quickies at the Uptown Theatre was shown to a packed theatre, and an amazing reception, followed by a lively after party at the Marquee Room.

Kicking off 2010, Fairytales will present 2 Hot 2 Handle: a Night with Paul Wong on January 28th at the Glenbow Museum, with an after party at Mango Shiva Restaurant. Paul Wong, a Governor General’s Award winning video artist, will be displaying his exhibit at the museum and showing his short films. “It’ll be just what this city needs to thaw out at the end of January,” exclaims Jessica.

This past month, Jessica and the Fairytales office have moved locations. Not too far

30

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

away from its prior location in the Calgary Outlink office, they are now located just down the hall in the same building. It is worth visiting the Fairy Tales office for its library of over 700 feature films, documentaries, shorts and TV series, all available for members to borrow; purchase a $10.00 membership at the office during its operating hours. This membership also allows discounts at Fairytales events including Festival passes and tickets.

This upcoming Fairytales Film Festival, runs over the course of 9 days, from May 27th to June 4th, 2010. According to Dollard, the festival will continue to reflect and challenge our changing Canadian cultural landscape.

http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1496

View additional pics/videos. • Share with a friend. • Post your comments.

Fairy Tales Presentation Society

  



HOURS: 10am - 5pm, Weekdays #2B, 1230A 17th Avenue SW (403) 244-1956 www.fairytalesfilmfest.com

Sports

Badminton

Courts and Camaraderie, with a Side of Competition

By Sam Casselman Team Edmonton and Apollo Friends in Sports are hoping to keep you fit this holiday season by getting you involved! The Badminton seasons for these two queer sporting organizations are just gearing up.

Both are still seeking members, and strongly encourage you to check them out!

The Team Edmonton Women’s Badminton team started back in mid-September and will continue their season well into 2010, until late March. Apollo’s “Absolutely Smashing” mixed badminton group also opened their current season midSeptember, and will wrap up on March 31st, just in time for Apollo’s annual Western Cup tournament.

It’s easy to jump on board every Wednesday night. Team Edmonton’s Badminton group meets from 6-7:30pm at Oliver School Gym, while Apollo’s Badminton group meets from 7-9pm at St. Martha’s School.

“If you’re unsure, please just show up with your runners to give us a test run,” they say. Trying it once, to test the waters, will cost a drop-in fee of only $5.00. Equipment is available for rental, and nets and birdies are provided. But there is additional opportunity to socialize with other players afterward.

Mary-Lou, Team Edmonton’s badminton team organizer is looking forward to the season ahead. “Our badminton group was formed as an activity group that had a strong social aspect to it. We encourage all levels of play and encourage new players to join us. The social gathering afterwards is as important as the time in the gym. It allows ladies to get to know each other and it often extends into social activities beyond Wednesday evenings. It is a great way to get out of the house and meet new people.” The group frequents Prism each Wednesday, to relax after an hour and a half of physical activity.

Peter from Apollo is just as enthusiastic about his organization’s badminton season, and team camaraderie. “The atmosphere is casual and fun, with music. Players would usually wind down, watch others play and cheer them on in the last half hour.” It is also not uncommon to find players winding down for snacks and coffee at local restaurants after 9.

Although Team Edmonton does not have a Men’s team as of yet, Mary Lou encourages men who are interested in playing to email her.

The Badminton groups for Team Edmonton and Apollo have multiple levels of competition depending on your skill level. For Edmonton there is Beginner, Intermediate, and Competitive.

Apollo does the same, only with a more competitive twist for those who are interested.

For the first time, Apollo will be implementing the Ladder Ranking System. As Peter explained, each player has their name entered onto a preliminary ladder. Participants move up in ranks by challenging any other player or team above them on the ladder. New players can be added to the ladder at any time during the year, but they must always start from the bottom.

Joining a queer sporting club is a great way to have fun, keep fit, meet new people, and challenge yourself. If Badminton is your sport, Apollo and Team Edmonton beckon!

http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1497

View additional pics/videos. • Share with a friend. • Post your comments.

Apollo – Absolutely Smashing Badminton

 Wednesdays, 7-9pm, Now until Dec 16, 2009 Jan 6, 2010 – Mar 31, 2010  St. Martha School 6020 - 4 Ave NE, Calgary

 www.apollocalgary.com Team Edmonton - Badminton Women’s Drop-In Recreational

 Wednesdays, 6-7:30pm, Oct 7, 2010 - Mar 20, 2010  St. Oliver School 10227 118 St, Edmonton  (780) 465-3620  badminton@teamedmonton.ca

 www.teamedmonton.ca

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

31

Theatre Preview

Lights, Camera: Woman!

Pioneering Filmmaker, Revolutionary Theatre, and Girls Who Like Girls

By Pam Rocker “When I went to work in a studio, I took my pride and made a nice little ball of it and threw it right out the window.” – Dorothy Arzner I consider myself a fiercely devoted cinephile, so I was amiss to discover that I didn’t know who Dorothy Arzner was. I first heard her name when I found out that a play inspired by her was going to be produced in Calgary. Since learning more about her, my sheepishness level has raised from faint orange to bright red. The bleating began, but considering that most film histories have virtually ignored her work, I capped it off at a solid two minutes.

Arzner was a living, breathing, anomaly in her time; being the only woman director during the post-silent “Golden Age” of Hollywood’s studio system in the 1920s, 30s and early 40s. She deftly crossed the social mores of her time, ultimately flourishing in the male-dominated and often phallocentric world of filmmaking. To this day, she is the female director with the longest continuous career and largest body of work in Hollywood.

Dorothy was a woman with many ‘firsts’. Prior to her directorial debut, she excelled as a film editor and was the first of any gender to be professionally credited as such on screen. On the set of Paramount Pictures first ‘talkie’, A Wild Party, Arzner devised the first fishpole microphone to allow for freedom in movement, essentially creating the boom mike. In 1933, she became the first female member of the Directors Guild of America.

Oh yeah, and the plot thickens…she was also a lesbian. Her lesbianism seemed to be well known among the Hollywood community, though it was rarely noted publicly. Although she was openly gay and unwilling to hide her sexuality, Arzner refused to be categorized as a woman or a gay director, insisting she was simply a ‘director.’ However, this did not stop critics from often commenting on her strengths and weaknesses as a ‘woman director’.

Dorothy’s art, professional life and relationships are explored in Urban Curvz Theatre’s upcoming production of Camera, Woman. This play, by Canadian poet/playwright/video artist RM Vaughan, was inspired by Arzner’s last film, First Comes Courage. In 1943, she walked off of the set in the middle of filming and never returned.

The real reasons behind her seemingly abrupt withdrawal from Hollywood have been widely speculated throughout the years, along with the question of whether she should be remembered for the art that she created or for her sexuality.

Arzner has been the subject of feminist critical attention, most notably in Claire Johnston’s 1975 collection - Dorothy Arzner: Towards a Feminist Cinema. This book has been much debated, as many posit that it interprets Arzner’s films out of context in order to prove a thesis, instead of honouring her as an individual and respecting the way that she chose to, or chose not to, identify. This debate lays the foundation for a fascinating discussion about the relationship between sexuality, gender identity and artistic production.

Kathryn Waters, director of Camera, Woman is excited to be part of telling a story that deals with these questions. “This play offers a rare chance to explore the life of a queer woman – but it’s not about who she fucked. I’m tired of narratives that purport to tell queer stories but then succeed in reducing our lives to the notion that we are exclusively our sexuality – as opposed to the reality that we are dynamic people, living interesting, complex lives.”

A script that deals with such meaty and intricate issues calls for a cast that can rise to the challenge, and Camera, Woman boasts an all-star team. Starring the legendary Denise Clarke (of One Yellow Rabbit fame) as Dorothy Arzner, alongside some of Calgary’s finest in Trevor Leigh, Karen Johnson-Diamond, Lesley Galbecka, and Julie Orton.

It seems fitting that a play like Camera, Woman would make its Calgary debut with Urban Curvz. Founded in 2005, this award-winning, female-driven theatre company has unapologetically and enthusiastically communicated that they are passionate about providing engaging artistic opportunities to female artists.

Not unlike Hollywood, the world of theatre still grapples with unbalanced realities. Nevertheless, instead of focusing on what’s missing, Urban Curvz Theatre (UCT) has shaped their own set of standards and created opportunities for female playwrights, directors, actors, producers, and technicians. For the past five years, they have challenged the norm by consistently telling stories that contain strong, interesting, complicated, and diverse women.

Known to some as ”Calgary’s Feminist Theatre Company”, UCT dives head first into subject matter that few dare to even dip their toes into. From the achingly devastating and beautiful depiction of a woman in love in 1920’s Communist Russia, (The Russian Play, by Hannah Moscovitch) to the captivating and hilarious Vajajay Monologues by Lindsay Burns, UCT provides an outlet for provocative, engaging, and entertaining stories.

Camera, Woman director, Kathryn Waters, has recently been appointed as artistic director designate for Urban Curvz, and

32

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

will be taking over the reins from Jessica Dollard at the end of the current season. Dollard will be focusing more of her efforts in the direction of the Fairy Tales Diversity Film Festival, where she serves as the Festival and Programming Director. After a very intriguing conversation with Waters, it’s easy to see why she was chosen for this position. A sincere passion and excitement for this theatre company and the unique voice that it has in this city, seems to brim from her unconsciously.

“Our mandate is not about producing plays about gender dichotomy,” says Waters, “it’s about the honest exploration of women’s lives, and celebrating the female experience.”

If the past is any indication of the future, we can expect UCT to continue to engage in projects that challenge the status quo and to encourage us to examine the condition of our social, political, and economic climate.

http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1498

View additional pics/videos. • Share with a friend. • Post your comments.

Camera, Woman

 December 10th – 19th  Pumphouse Theatre  http://www.urbancurvz.com

 http://tickets.pumphousetheatre.ca  Tickets (403) 263-0079

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

33

Photography Fundraising Photos AFQOL Last Days of Disco at the Texas Lounge - Calgary

34

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

World Aids Day Show at Money-Pennies - Calgary

Fundraising Photography Photos Dyke to Diva at Prism - Edmonton

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

35

Fundraising Photos Photography Crowns for Kids at Prism - Edmonton (photos by Karen Hofmann)

36

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

Fundraising Photography Photos Boys to Babes at Wynz niteclub - Medicine Hat (photos by Kevin Keleher)

 Publisher Column - From Page 7 November 2009 Sadly the Calgary and Edmonton Taboo shows this year conflicted with another major event happening in Edmonton – the Exposure Festival. Most disappointingly it meant we couldn’t meet Buck Angel in person, whom we interviewed in the November edition. Festival Producer Ted Kerr recounted to us one of Buck’s events that took place at Steamworks Bathhouse…I’m not exactly sure if I’m sorry that I missed that one, though he described it as “intense”. Otherwise, we’re told the festival was a great success.

It’s a long story, but as fate would have it, this month I ended up going to Edmonton on my own while Steve stayed behind in Calgary to cover events. I was supposed to head up on Friday, but I quickly reconsidered after the freak snowstorm that we had that afternoon.

We were out running errands at the time, and I was lucky to get us home in one piece. So I went up the next day instead. Making the long drive on my own was a bit unnerving, especially when it came to navigating the streets of Edmonton. I usually rely quite heavily on Steve to be the navigator, but this time I was flying solo.

I made it up for the second night of Boots’ 30th Anniversary, which was an impromptu bear party. Owner Jim Schafer, who had been in the hospital over the past month, was happy to be feeling better and back sitting in his usual spot at the bar.

Dyke to Diva took the stage at Prism Bar & Grill to a sold-out crowd, delivering a very entertaining show. At the end of the night, the panel of judges crowned the next winner, Anita Bitch.

This Month The Texas Lounge has their 22nd anniversary on December 16th, so go down and join them as they celebrate!

T’is the season to enjoy the oral talents of our local choirs! The Calgary Men’s Chorus is putting on their annual Christmas concert entitled “Glory” on December 20th, and Edmonton Vocal Minority holds their concert, “Merry and Bright” on the 14th. For more information, see their ads in this edition.

If you like sitting down for a meal in the company of friends, the Calgary Eagle is hosting their annual Christmas dinner on the 13th, the day after the ARGRA Christmas dinner. This year ARGRA has brought in Pianist Jeffrey Straker – look for an interview with Straker in this edition.

Happy Holidays As we sign off for 2009, I remind you to look for our January 2010 edition first thing next year. Until then, all of us here at GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine wish you a safe and happy holiday season.

http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1483

View additional pics/videos. • Share with a friend. • Post your comments.

We want to hear what YOU have to say about the topics in this article, and any other articles in GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine. Visit our chat forums at www.gaycalgary. com/forum and write your heart out! Or write us a letter to the publisher by post or by Emailing publisher@gaycalgary.com, and we may publish or respond to it in the magazine!

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

37

Interest

Queeries

Is civil disobedience bad manners?

By Steven Petrow Is civil disobedience bad manners?

Q: After the recent election in Maine, where 53 percent of voters revoked the right of gays and lesbians to marry, I’ve got to say I’m tired of these post-election blues. I’m tired of our right to marry being an electoral issue. I’m tired of the tyranny of the majority. I’m just plain over it. I’m old enough to remember the civil disobedience that ACT UP staged during the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and how effective that was in creating change. Since you’re the to-go guy for manners, I’m wondering if you have any thoughts about one’s social obligations regarding political protest and dissent. Because I’m ready.

A: First, let me say that you’re not alone in feeling outrage at what happened at the polls for the second November in a row (Californians revoked the rights of LGBT people to marry just a year ago). Many activists in our community are stymied by these results, in part because of the overwhelming influence and dollars from the Catholic Church and, in this latest voting, from the National Organization for Marriage.

A former ACT UP leader recently told me, “Civil disobedience is the missing piece of activism in our portfolio these days.” And he should know as one who protested vehemently against drug companies when they were price-gouging patients with HIV/AIDS here and overseas during the 1980s and ‘90s.

But the truth is that the very nature of civil disobedience is its high code of conduct, as per the 1849 essay by Henry David Thoreau that is now commonly called “Civil Disobedience” but was originally titled “Resistance to Government.” Indeed, breaking the law for a noble cause, while illegal, is not immoral, unethical nor bad manners. What is problematic is violence of any kind (such as the murder of that abortion doctor in Kansas earlier this year by a pro-life activist) as well as attempts to curb free speech (like the Catholic Church does, along with the Rush Limbaughs of the world).

What is important about civil disobedience is that it’s an opportunity to present arguments and persuade people who disagree with you that you’re right, in this case the right for LGBT people to marry.

Sometimes it takes actions like this to “help” others hear and understand.

What’s a bi guy to do?

Q: My favorite restaurants haven’t changed since I became bisexual and stopped seeing men exclusively, but eating at those places is a lot less fun. Gay guys around my neighborhood look at me funny when

38

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

I’m out with a woman. Please don’t tell me moving away from my beloved San Francisco is the only way to be comfortable in public again.

A: No, but you may need to stop going to all-gay restaurants (and by that I mean eateries frequented primarily by same-sex couples).

As much as homophobia is a problem in this country, along the same lines (ok, not as much) there are strains of heterophobia in the LGBT community. Never heard of homophobia’s first cousin, heterophobia?

It’s a term used to describe irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against heterosexuals. If you and your girlfriend are the only opposite sex pair in a restaurant or club, not only will you appear as outsiders, but in some way you may be perceived as social trespassers or just made to feel unwelcome.

Years ago, I went into a gay club in New York with a straight woman friend. When I ordered, the bartender instead of serving us, actually asked us to leave. Even when I told him that I was gay, he reiterated his request. Times have changed somewhat, and our communities tend to mix more comfortably now. But my point is that heterophobia is as misplaced as homophobia, if less prevalent and without such serious consequences.

Now, what’s a straight guy to do?

Q: As the only straight person invited to my gay friend’s weekend house, will I be uncomfortable or out of place? I think he said there would be about four other guys there.

A: If your gay friend did any thinking (which we all do), he would have factored this into his invitation before doing so. Since the first rule of being a good host is to make your guests feel comfortable, my guess is that he thinks you will be. And that he imagines his other friends will be, too. (Or do you imagine they’ll all be lusting after you?)

Consider this: While sexual identity is important for many LGBT people, it’s rarely our only defining characteristic. We’ve got gender, age, profession, religion, education and so on, as part of that great cocktail called “me.” Certainly, you’ll share something with these fellows, even if sexual orientation is not one of them. What you need to bring is a good attitude and your host needs to provide a welcome environment for all.

http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1500

View additional pics/videos. • Share with a friend. • Post your comments.

Steven Petrow is the author of “The Essential Book of Gay Manners & Etiquette.” Find him on the web at www.gayandlesbianmanners.com

Sports

The OutField

MAAP-ping a fight against homophobia

By Dan Woog The University of Michigan is a sports-obsessed campus. Big Ten football and basketball games fill the stands; Wolverine paraphernalia can be found everywhere. Academically, one of the most popular courses is “History of College Athletics.” With 150 students every semester, and at least as many on the waiting list, the American culture department offering explores important intersections of sports and society, like race and gender.

And now, gay and lesbian athletes.

GLBT issues were not always a part of the syllabus. It took the work of Paul Farber, a Ph.D. candidate, to add that often overlooked segment of sport to the curriculum.

Earlier this decade, Farber was recruited by the University of Pennsylvania track program. A gay man, he left the team after finding little support for gay athletes. “It was hard to choose between my sport and myself,” he admits.

Farber turned his energy to founding Penn Athletes and Allies Tackling Homophobia – one of the nation’s first GLBT college sports groups.

As a Michigan teaching assistant, he approached John Bacon – the “History of College Athletics” instructor, sportswriter, NPR commentator and expert on Michigan sports – to propose a unit on GLBT athletes. Bacon readily agreed.

Farber sought an out Wolverine athlete to speak. It was not easy.

As soon as the lecture was over, however, a dozen or so athletes told Farber about gay teammates they knew. More of them than he realized were out in small circles, Farber realized. But none had a way of connecting with other gay athletes.

One of Farber’s students, Allison Horky, had written a paper on GLBT athletes. She and Farber talked about creating a mechanism to bring Michigan’s gay athletes together.

A small working group – composed of student-athletes and others – met. The athletes came from intercollegiate teams like field hockey, men’s gymnastics, women’s crew and club sports.

“It was definitely the minor sports,” Farber notes.

A Facebook page helped draw over 100 athletes – gay and straight – to the first meeting. The football team was represented by a few players, both current and past.

Attendees wanted to know the best way to stand up for GLBT athletes. The involvement of straight allies, participants agreed, was crucial.

The group – Michigan Athletes and Allies Partnership (MAAP) – began working with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committees board. “At Penn, we were originally shut down by the athletes’ advisory board,” Farber says. “They’re working together there now. But at Michigan, that early support was key.”

GLBT issues in athletics at the University of Michigan; to establish permanent resources and a support system among student-athletes, coaches, the athletic department and the greater university community; to foster a safe environment for all student-athletes, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity.

MAAP hopes to provide information on GLBT issues and resources to all student-athletes. It’s already included in the freshman athlete orientation packet.

A climate survey is also planned.

Silence is still an obstacle, Farber says. The atmosphere on most teams is still not welcoming to most gay athletes. So unless gay issues are discussed, it’s hard for athletes to come out.

MAAP’s visibility will help that process.

“We want to hear everyone’s story,” Farber says. “And that includes allies.”

Michigan’s sports culture helps. “The teams have a large GLBT following,” says Farber. “Everyone understands the importance of sports, and wants our teams to be the best. And the athletic department is in the forefront of caring for studentathletes.”

One student-athlete that has been helped by MAAP is Steph Hoyer. As a field hockey player, she felt she was in a safe environment. However, she was in a lesbian relationship that was not going well. She didn’t feel she could be open with teammates about it. “They just couldn’t relate to my struggle,” she says.

“My eyes have been opened to this part of athletics – how it’s not talked about,” says Hoyer. “It shouldn’t be hush-hush.”

“She thought she was the only one,” Farber says. “Now she’s getting her story out, and people are coming to her to talk. She’s on the SAAC board. The respect people have for her really helps.

“This was a conversation waiting to happen for a long time.

With a great group of students and very supportive administrators, we can accomplish a lot.

“I’d love to see MAAP get more integrated into the athletic department,” Hoyer says. “Every student-athlete should know we’re available for them, and that the athletic department can help. And they should know it without having to search far.”

http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1501

View additional pics/videos. • Share with a friend. • Post your comments.

Dan Woog is a journalist, educator, soccer coach, gay activist, and author of the “Jocks” series of books on gay male athletes. Visit his Web site at www.danwoog.com.

MAAP has three main goals: to create awareness around

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

39

DVD Review

A Beautiful DVD

Margaret Cho: As Funny on DVD as Live

By Jason Clevett Did you miss Margaret Cho’s show in Calgary last year? Were you devastated when her Edmonton show was canceled due to scheduling conflicts? Did you attend but are trying to remember your favorite jokes? Well rest easy, because Beautiful is now out on DVD. Filmed at the Terrace Theatre in Long Beach, California the concert film is Cho captured at her comedic best. In fact, as Cho explained, a big part of releasing her show on DVD is exactly for those who can’t catch her live…and at times to refresh her memory.

is certainly a kind of musicality to it that people want to hear repetitions.”

Filming a show is a lot different than doing a show strictly for a live audience. Cho had to be aware of the cameras and adapt to subtle differences while keeping the essence of the show the same.

“It changes my approach slightly, just because the lighting is very different, the vibe is different - it all seems a lot more formal when we film, so it is less casual and less intimate. So there’s some differences, but I try to make it as much like any other performance.”

Taping at the Terrace Theatre has special meaning to Cho as it was the site of Richard Pryor’s groundbreaking 1979 concert release.

“The reason I do comedy is Richard Pryor. The reason I make comedy films is Richard Pryor. He was and is still a tremendous influence. I have always wanted to make a film at the Terrace because of Pryor, and I am so proud that it was this one.”

While the Beautiful DVD will tide over fans, Margaret Cho is someone that must be experienced live. Expect that opportunity to occur once again in the near future.

“I am working now on an album of comedy songs, which probably qualifies for a Juno because there are so many Canadian artists on it: Tegan and Sara, Broken Social Scene, A.C. Newman, and The Cliks. I will be all over Canada when I tour that. The album and tour are likely due in fall 2010.”

http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1502

View additional pics/videos. • Share with a friend. • Post your comments.

Beautiful Now on DVD

 www.MargaretCho.com

“It’s very important for me to get all the shows I do on DVDs, not only so that people who can’t come to the shows can see it, but also so that I can remember it! I write so much and then forget it all almost right away. People always request jokes and I cannot do them because I don’t know them anymore! So the DVDs are a way to help me remember…and also for people who want to see it that didn’t get to before,” she told GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine.

Having seen Cho live twice in 2008, both in Seattle and Calgary, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the jokes hadn’t gotten old even though they were familiar to me.

“That’s nice! Yeah, I think of my jokes a lot like songs, in that people want to hear them again and again and they still laugh. I don’t know why that is. I am lucky I guess. But there

40

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

41

42

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

Community

Finding Generation-Q

Are Queer Youth Vanishing from our Community Groups?

By Evan Kayne Traditionally, long-running GBLT social groups like the Calgary Men’s Chorus (CMC) and Alberta Rockies Gay Rodeo Association (ARGRA) engaged in minimal promotion for new members. They would inform community media and other support groups about their existence and host a few public events each year. People who were seeking a safe and welcoming environment would identify with a social activity they liked, and sign up.

While researching other articles over the past year, I’ve spoken to several groups who have consistently stated their concern about the downward trend of membership from younger contingent of our community, and what this means for their group’s continued existence.

Given all the changes western society has experienced in the last 20 years, it may be easy to blame external causes. After all, the Internet has made it easier for GBLT youth to reach out and find others like them online. Couple this with a society which is now more accepting of our community, where we are protected under Human Rights law, and the result seems to be a youth that can function outside of the safety of our community: “I’m openly gay, so I don’t need to join a Queer group because I meet others like myself online, and my straight friends are supportive or don’t care about my sexuality.”

True, these are all positive changes. While social networking websites are helpful, there is nothing like face-to-face contact when you are growing up and coming out – according to James Dean of the Miscellaneous Youth Network (MYN). MYN is the general catch-all for queer youth aged 10 to 25. In their experience, while social networking sites may initially be of help to Queer youth, there are factors that could limit their access to such services. For instance, if a youth has controlling and homophobic parents who routinely screen their internet use, this may necessitate an “off-line” networking solution such as a youth support group.

These Queer youth groups are experiencing growth in their memberships, in comparison with the adult community groups.

For example, Queers on Campus – the University of Calgary’s club for Gay, Lesbian, Bi, Trans, Straight, Asexual, Queer, or Questioning students and staff – has seen an explosion in membership. They changed the group name two years ago, and went on an aggressive marketing campaign. The end result: they have become a considerable networking point, with a contact list of several hundred people.

MYN is in the same situation, and the night I interviewed James, we visited the meeting rooms for Inside Out, a peer-supported youth group for those aged 15-25 running through the Calgary Outlink. There were at least 25 kids in attendance.

So despite an open society, despite social networking websites, there remains a growing demand for groups where youth can feel safe and can socialize with others like themselves. Yet there is a disconnect between the youth and the older members

of our community. The question is, why?

My theory is that the free form organisational structure of youth groups may be more appealing. For youth, says James, not having to “walk into a community group and put yourself into a box” is a benefit, and is one reason why MYN is flourishing: “Miscellaneous Youth is everybody that society left behind, getting together”. They are open to all queer, trans-identified, two-spirited and questioning youth, and run with an open format – you can meet with other peers who are experiencing similar situations and questions regarding their sexuality; there is no set expectation for members.

Additionally, younger members of the GBLT community may want to belong to a group where there are some peers of the same age. A young gay man could join a group where there’s a difference of 20 (or more) years between the youth and the other members. James told me this is incredibly intimidating.

He also believes that there hasn’t been as much of a push to reach out to youth as there could have been in the past few years. There are several possible reasons as to why not, including the boogie-man scenario that conservatives frequently use.

“Kids and queer people in any context always scares people,” James told us. It’s essentially the outdated view that older gay men and lesbians prey on the youth. This unfounded worry may make the older members leery of any recruitment drives aimed at queer youth.

As well, youth may not identify with the life goals of the older generation – usually those between the ages of 35 and 55. The older generation may have goals of career advancement, home ownership, finding and maintaining a partnership, travelling, (etc.), which may discount mentoring a younger member of our community as a priority.

However, the older crowd functioning as mentors for our youth seems vitally important; many GBLT youth have parents who are at best supportive but clueless, and at worst, virulently homophobic. Queer youth need someone to provide support and life knowledge which their parents may not be able, or willing, to adequately provide. Without this, we have situations where (for example), young gay men are having unsafe sex because they are ignorant or uninformed about the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases.

Another roadblock for youth: long-running groups like Apollo or ARGRA may not be sensitive to the special needs that youth members have. For instance, requiring parental permission, covering membership costs, transportation, and how dates, times and locations of events may conflict with school schedules.

In James’ experience, “these kids come into a group like that…and find they are a nuisance; they’re an inconvenience because they have special rules. …Everything you do is governed by adults.”

While there’s no easy fix, James suggested one solution: “if they want to encourage younger people, they need to have younger facilitators.” By that, he means peers that are a comparable age to the youth members they wish to attract, who can address these special concerns and act as a bridge to the older members.

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

43

Community With the main concern of accessibility, an example may be a questioning teenager who may not be able to come to that initial meeting on a weeknight in a downtown venue. They may be relying on transit, or may be underage and unable to attend an event held in a venue where alcohol is served. With all these roadblocks, they might decide not to join groups like Apollo or ARGRA. ARGRA is aware of waning youth interest in long-running community groups – they also know this is a situation being repeated in other cities. Judy Munson is the Communications Director for ARGRA. At a recent conference of the International Gay Rodeo Association (IGRA) she noted “the average age (of attendees) is early 40s. So youth, and getting youth involved, is really a concern for everyone on the rodeo circuit,” especially since younger and first time rodeo competitors usually rise up from this pool of younger members and their friends.

Furthermore, Judy feels the rodeo needs to have roles for younger members of our community in the administration of the group: “you always need to get those fresh ideas.” ARGRA knows youth won’t be content to solely attend events or only participate in a limited fashion.

Unfortunately, the idea of groups like Apollo, CMC, and ARGRA (to only name a few) is fading from the minds of the youth. Previously, these organizations didn’t have that worry.

To paraphrase author W. P. Kinsella, “if you build it, they will come.” The older groups may have engaged in softer marketing to youth, if any at all – there may have been the assumption they will always attract new members.

That is not the case anymore, according to Kris Schmidt of Queers on Campus. Youth may know of groups like CMC, but they don’t know what the group does, or how they can get involved. “There isn’t as much outreach to the people of our (age) group” said Kris. “We haven’t seen as much of an attempt to interact.”

True, there was a recent Queer Summit meeting between many community groups with hopes of avoiding the scheduling of competing event dates, and there is some communication between groups. However, this is only a start, and the interaction is not at the level it should be.

Of course involving youth in an established group can be a win for all; but it’s apparent that today, you have to make the effort to get out and promote yourself specifically to them – you can’t just build it in hopes they will come. You need to promote yourself in traditional ways, but also embrace newer ways such as the Internet. You have to go out to the younger members of our community – such as meeting with Queers on Campus, or inviting one of their representatives to come to your meetings. You have to make your group appealing not only to your existing members, but new ones: “…you have to make it really fun and really intriguing and interesting for them to come out,” adds Judy. “The tough part is getting them there in the first place.”

A group which is going forward with more aggressive steps to interest youth is the Calgary Men’s Chorus. Similar to ARGRA, the dilemma was discussed a recent conference: how to increase membership from a younger age range. Eventually, this culminated in their laying out the groundwork for the formation of a youth choir.

Jean-Louis Bleau, Artistic Director for the chorus, did notice flagging membership levels: “when I first started with the chorus (in 2005) there was that fear of declining numbers.”

While membership levels have since risen, the chorus realizes spurring the start-up of a youth choir will not only ensure future members, it also opens the choral experience to a younger crowd.

44

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

The plan would be to help set up the youth chorus only – CMC is not involved with any recruitment or planning of activities of the youth chorus. From day one it would be its own entity. Age of the members would range from 16-23. Calgary Men’s Chorus would provide performance opportunities to the youth chorus, but the chorus would be for youth and by youth.

While it’s a chorus on paper at the moment, they do have about a dozen interested youths (they’d prefer to have closer to 20 members to make the youth choir a going concern).

Until the youth chorus is up and running, the CMC does ensure the younger members are welcome within their organization. Jean-Louis notes, “I’ve never really noticed the age groups being separated”. Music has no age, he notes, adding that he’s never gotten the sense of younger people feeling left out.

For any group to succeed and attract youth in the future they will have to be more aggressive in recruiting. Perhaps stepping back and looking at the bigger picture, we should realize the consequences of winning further acceptance and legal rights. It was inevitable that we would have to change as the GBLT community became mainstream, so that we don’t alienate the next generation, but rather inspire them and work with them.

Long-running groups will have to innovate or evaporate; any group sitting on its laurels thinking they will always have an interested audience will become extinct. We have to listen to what the youth need, and offer a level of mentorship that we currently do not provide.

On a bigger level, we have to embrace the youth as our brothers and sisters in spirit, and share the decisions, share the workload, and make them feel welcome and vital to the community, as they so truly are.

ARGRA: http://www.argra.org/ Calgary Men’s Chorus: http://www.calgarymenschorus.org/ Queers on Campus: http://people.ucalgary.ca/~qcampus/ Miscellaneous Youth Network: http://www.miscyouth.ca/ Inside Out Youth Group: http://www.calgaryoutlink.ca/programs/ youthprograms.htm Positive Space: http://www.mtroyal.ca/positivespace/index.htm

http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1505

View additional pics/videos. • Share with a friend. • Post your comments.

Community Spotlight

Seeing Red

Local and Global Communities Journey Towards Hope

By Pam Rocker “Will I lose my dignity? Will someone care? Will I wake tomorrow, from this nightmare?” – RENT These words from Johnathan Larson’s musical about a year in the life of a bohemian group of friends, echoes the sentiments of those who have to face the emotional and physical complications of AIDS everyday.

December 1, 2009 marks the 21st anniversary of World AIDS Day. “Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise” is the World AIDS Campaign’s overarching theme from 2005-2010; encouraging individuals, organizations, and governments, to lead in the response to AIDS. The promises that they elude to are ones that leaders at every level have committed to. Most countries around the world now acknowledge the threat of AIDS and have committed to do something about it, but not all of them have followed through. Now it is the time to deliver.

Promises must be kept and people must feel empowered to act.

One such organization that is keeping the promise is HIV Edmonton. They have just begun their 25th Anniversary campaign to celebrate the journey since their inception in 1984. The well known and respected community leader, Michael Phair, talks about the humble beginnings of HIV Edmonton.

“In Edmonton, the first person with AIDS (Olympic Swimmer, Ross Armstrong) was diagnosed on July 1st, 1984. On July 2nd the media found out and began to call, asking how the local gay community was responding to AIDS. I received such a call and told them that we were working on our response and would get back to them. I subsequently gathered a small group of five gay/lesbian people around my kitchen table, and over the next year we founded the AIDS Network of Edmonton - today HIV Edmonton.”

The adversities that this team met within the initial stages of the organization were many, says Phair. “Initially the challenges that we faced were educating gay men and others about safe sex while not endorsing ‘chastity’, and encouraging Edmontonians, and particularly the medical community, to treat AIDS as a serious illness and to respond with care and compassion.”

Phair, a five-term City Councillor, has consistently been a strong voice in many areas of the Edmonton’s GLBT community. At the kick-off event for HIV Edmonton’s 25th Anniversary Campaign on November 19th, Phair was celebrated, along with the concerned and proactive friends that joined him around his kitchen table. This further proves that big things can be accomplished with the dedication, passion and initiative of just a few people, and is one of the many reasons why volunteering is still so imperative to this organization.

Debra Jakubec, Executive Director of HIV Edmonton, is the first to champion the importance of their volunteers. “On World AIDS Day, our volunteers made over 7,000 red ribbons and distributed them to every Starbucks in the city – 63 stores. It blows my mind, the level of commitment that they have.”

Jakubec has been working for HIV Edmonton for 9 years and has been their Executive Director for over 3 of those years. “One of the biggest challenges has been dealing with a variety of different populations. Some people still think that HIV is a disease that only affects gay men or men who have sex with men but it also affects other populations too. One of the largest hurdles is to try to serve different groups of people, some who may have different needs.”

There are still many issues surrounding HIV that are misunderstood, and the need for education surrounding prevention and treatment is just as crucial today. “The facts that are most often

misunderstood are that some people believe there is a cure for HIV and sometimes people think it is not a ‘big deal’ because there is treatment available, but treatment is not always as easy as people think,” says Jakubec.

“27% of Canadians who have HIV, don’t know it. We have resources here where you can get prevention information and our support workers can tell you where to get tested, and even go with you to get tested,” says Debra. One of their guiding principles is that everyone affected by HIV gets the services they need, without barriers or discrimination.

Jakubec was quick to applaud the contributions that Edmonton’s community has made to keep the agency alive and thriving, both in the past and present. The elements of their 25th Anniversary Campaign reflect their desire to pay tribute to the early heroes that came before us and to create a permanent monument to honour the legacy of the AIDS movement in Edmonton.

“Over the next fifteen months we will be holding a variety of events and projects to honour our early champions. We were started by the gay community, and carried by them for a long, long time. As we have been growing, the LBGTT community has been assisting us with a lot of the work we are doing, especially during this AIDS Awareness Week([November 23rd to December 1st). A few of the bars in town have hosted events and members of other LBGTT clubs and organizations have been coming out to events and supporting our work.”

A project for a Legacy Garden is being developed, so that Edmonton can have an AIDS memorial and a piece of public art to beautify a downtown space. There is also a coffee table book in the works, to commemorate the people behind the HIV and AIDS advocacy movement in Edmonton. It is sponsored by Alberta photographers Roth & Ramberg, and will feature both archived and new photographs of the key people of the movement. Planning is also underway for their Anniversary Gala in 2011.

This agency has been providing support, community education, advocacy, prevention and harm reduction education to the Edmonton community for over 23 years, and invites you to be involved in the huge journey of hope that began around a small kitchen table.

HIV Edmonton www.hivedmonton.com

http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1506

View additional pics/videos. • Share with a friend. • Post your comments.

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

45

Music Review

Hear Me Out

Adam Lambert, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Pink

By Chris Azzopardi Adam Lambert, For Your Entertainment Judging the guylinered gay based solely on his sexually superfluous shot at being, uh, “spontaneously artistic” during the American Music Awards wouldn’t be fair. He needed none of the pseudo fellatio, because he can sing – and the Idol runner-up thankfully applies his rocketing range to these 14 tracks better than he does a man’s face to his clothed junk. He’s still making whoopee on “For Your Entertainment,” the hypersexual good-gay-gone-bad bit, and turning up the heat on Lady Gaga’s co-written contribution “Fever,” turning a falsetto-laced chorus that’s so Scissor Sisters in its sound and its unapologetic homoliciousness. His debut is easily the edgiest of all Idol firsts (and maybe it knows that just a little too well). Perhaps that’s because of Lambert’s versatility – retro glam-rock (like the crippled “Strut”), anthemic rock (“Time for Miracles”), musical-lit lifters (disc best “Pick U Up”) and vulnerable slowies are all here for our entertainment. Too much? Yeah. Sometimes the album’s like an 18-year-old running lose in a porn store. But, then again, you’re talking about a guy who boasts about being born with glitter on his face. This should be the least of our worries.

Grade: B

Lady Gaga, The Fame Monster Monsters kill, and few have done more chartslaying than the towering, twisted musical mastermind behind some of this year’s weirdest WTF-wasthat? moments. So it was more obvious than anything Gaga’s done that we’d get a part two (you know how these monsters are). The eight songs – some ferociously fly (“Bad Romance”), a couple big blunders (she tries honky-tonk on “Teeth,” and it bites) and some old, recycled gimmicks on new cuts – are part of a generous re-issue of 2008’s The Fame. In step with the world-dominating disco ball she dropped on us pre-Monster, head-hijacker “Bad Romance” wields a colossal new-wave synth sound like Michael Myers does a machete. Her weapon is unleashed a lot, cutting through the Beyoncé-teamed “Telephone” and the way gay retro shimmer of “Dance in the Dark” (name-dropping like Madonna via “Vogue”). Songs about self-obsession, like “I’m So Happy I Could Die,” don’t exactly jell with “Speechless,” a heartfelt orchestral ballad with a ’70 rock feel. But, hey, at least it makes

46

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

Also Out Susan Boyle, I Dreamed a Dream We love a good frump-gone-famous story, and the Scottish Britain’s Got Talent sensation’s story is bigger than her voice, a behemoth in itself and more technically flawless than David Beckham’s body. On her covers debut, she’s music’s Lifetime TV, predictably succumbing to ballads (the best being “Proud” and “Wild Horses”) bound to make the girls and gays weep. An extra jolt, and a few risks, could make Boyle all she’s cracked up to be.

Shakira, She Wolf If hips don’t lie, then a lot of them will be moving to the Columbian chanteuse’s third English-language album. Going for Americanized dance over Latin-hugged grooves, She Wolf is a strange beast, mingling disco, Arabian strings and weird quirks like howling as if they all made sense together.

They usually don’t, but She Wolf – with one heckuva a campy title track – is a smartly written, hook-heavy piece of pop. It’ll devour you.

John Mayer, Battle Studies There are few highs on the gay-club-loving guitarist’s fifth album – except for the literal one on the catchy lead single, on which he asks, “Who says I can’t get stoned?” The answer is no one, unless pot was the cause of this lazily produced, underwhelming leap from bluesy-rock into processed folk-pop, where even a Taylor Swift duet on “Half of My Heart” feels like an after-thought.

Leona Lewis, Echo Talk about bleeding love – this too-slick sophomore album from the big-voiced balladeer gushes it. Finding solace (the dang-good dramatics of “Happy”), the we-belong-together bit (the corny “My Hand”) and the kiss-off (“Outta My Head,” a refreshing slip into electro pop) – all delivered with gusto but, regrettably, little diva ’tude. And on an album that almost echoes her debut, you’ll be craving more Mariah-isms. this fame monster seem more human.

Grade: B-

Rihanna, Rated R That umbrella Rihanna gave us almost three years ago could’ve come in handy during her very public Chris Brown beating. She was mum for a while, but clearly that’s because she wanted the music doing the talking. And so it does on Rated R – a dark, sometimes-horrific portrait of the 21-year-old Barbadian vixen, who’s recorded a brave pop opus that’s nothing like 2007’s chart glutton Good

Music Review Girl Gone Bad. She’s badder, but in the raw, de-sexualized sense that goth-rock “Russian Roulette” evokes with its violent analogies and radical anti-contempo sound. “Cold Case Love,” about a derailed relationship (and ex-boyfriend Brown, presumably), is meticulously swelled into a blistering masterpiece, ending calmly with a string lilt. You can almost see Rihanna walking out of the fire. She doesn’t start many, as its almost all more heavy than hooky – though self-boasting “Rude Boy,” “Hard” and “Fire Bomb” have insta-hit potential. But this is Rihanna the Woman, not the Girl – and her fourth offering is a mature reflection of someone who, at the time she recorded this, wasn’t living under the disco ball anymore. She was seeing herself in it.

Grade: A-

Pink, Funhouse Tour Pop’s spunky snake doesn’t need umpteen costume changes. She’s got enough personality ones, switching from sassy kissoffs like “U & Ur Hand” to fragile fits (“Family Portrait”) and vulnerable shakers – “Sober,” where she breaks free from punchdrunk love. That hits trio is part of the rabble-rouser’s live concert DVD, a razzledazzle circus set – with some “OMG, no she didn’t!” swooping acrobatics – that pulls from four of Pink’s albums, drawing most of the material from her bitchy, breakup latest, Funhouse.

She throws in a handful of covers (you’ll really feel “I Touch Myself” with its self-satisfying sofa) that also land on the 12-track CD, a disc that includes the unreleased studio track “Push You Away,” but dumps Pink’s biggest and best hits. With those, this set would fly as high as she does.

Grade: B+

Angie Stone, Unexpected If only Unexpected was, indeed, that. But much of the neo-soul sister’s sound on her commercialized latest sells into the predictability of urban-pop with joints that fire up the AutoTune and feed low-cal lyrics. Even if the old-school “I Ain’t Hearin’ U” is guilty of that second offense, at least it’s a catchy boppin’and-droppin’ ditty. Next to the egregiously phoned-in “Tell Me” – obvious rap spot included – and the boring slow-jam throwaways, like the sexed-up “Kiss Me All Over,” it’s like a diamond in a pile of garbage. Upgrading with a trendy twist isn’t always a bad thing, but when it sounds as expected as this, it is. Only life mantra “Think Sometimes” feels authentic, and “Free,” with its girlfriend-got-your-back boost, is easy to sing along to. But it’s shaped like a Rihanna rip-off. And we already have her umbrella.

Grade: C-

http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1507

View additional pics/videos. • Share with a friend. • Post your comments.

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

47

Classified Ads Classified Ad Categories Announcements......................... 100  Anniversary............................ 110  Best Wishes............................ 120  Birthday................................. 125  Birth...................................... 130  Event..................................... 140  Lost and Found....................... 150  Memoriam............................. 160  Obituary................................ 170  Wedding/Union...................... 190 Employment............................. 200  Adult Oriented........................ 210  Audition................................. 215  Bar/Restaurant....................... 220  Business Opportunity.............. 225  Help Wanted.......................... 240  Office..................................... 260  Sales..................................... 270

 Seeking Employment.............. 275  Volunteer............................... 285 Sales/Rentals............................ 300  Antique.................................. 305  Artwork.................................. 307  Appliance............................... 310  Audio/Video........................... 312  Business For Sale.................... 320  Clothing................................. 325  Computer Equipment............... 330  Furniture................................ 335  Garage Sale........................... 340  Home For Sale....................... 345  Home For Rent....................... 347  Home To Share....................... 350  Investment Opportunity........... 355  Musical Instrument................. 360  Office/Business Space............. 362  Pet/Animal............................. 365

 Seeking Accommodation......... 370  Sale...................................... 372  Sports Equipment................... 375  Studio Space.......................... 377  Vehicle................................... 385 Personals.................................. 400  Club/Group............................. 410  Dating Service........................ 415  Erotic Massage....................... 420  Female Friends....................... 430  Fetish.................................... 435  Internet................................. 445  Male Friends.......................... 455  Models/Escorts....................... 460  Phone Chat............................ 465  Sightings............................... 475 Products/Services...................... 500  Aesthetics/Decoration.............. 502

 Artist..................................... 505  Animal Care........................... 507  Beauty/Skin/Hair................... 510  Body Art/Tattoos..................... 512  Chiropractor............................ 515  Cleaning................................ 517  Clothing/Fashion.................... 520  Computers/IT.......................... 522  Construction........................... 525  Consulting.............................. 527  Counseling............................. 530  Diet/Nutrition......................... 532  Education/Training................. 535  Financial/Bookkeeping............ 537  Fitness/Training...................... 540  Food/Catering........................ 542  Funeral.................................. 545  Graphic/Web Design............... 547  Health/Wellness..................... 550  Insurance............................... 552

 Landscaping/Gardening........... 555  Legal..................................... 557  Massage................................ 560  Medical/Dental....................... 562  Moving.................................. 565  Musician................................ 567  Photography........................... 572  Real Estate/Mortgage.............. 575  Relaxation.............................. 577  Retirement Homes.................. 580 Destinations.............................. 600  Accommodation...................... 610  Bar/Restaurant....................... 620  Culture................................... 630  Guided Tour............................ 640  Tourist Sights.......................... 670  Time Share............................. 675  Travel.................................... 680

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine - Classified Ad Form You may submit the form below by post to:

To reduce errors, please print clearly and verify your information before sending. All phone numbers listed will be verified. GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine is not responsible for errors in your ad submission.

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine 2136 17th Avenue SW Calgary, AB, Canada • T2T 0G3

Addresses placed in the classifieds are NOT placed into the map or business listing.

Or Fax it to (403) 703-0685.

Please make cheques payable to “GayCalgary”.

Category # (above): Months to Run: Name: Address: City, Prov, Postal/Zip: Day Phone: Night Phone:

Date:

You may also submit your classified ad online at: http://www.gaycalgary.com/classifieds Visit our online discussion forums to make a free posting for housing or employment (appears online only).

If you have questions, please call us at (403) 543-6960 or toll free 1-888-543-6960.

Payment Method

❑ Cheque ❑ Money Order ❑ Cash (only if paid in person) ❑ Credit Card (fill out below or pay online)

Credit Card Info (AMEX ONLY*)

Name on Card: Card Number: Expiry (MM/YY):

* For VISA and MasterCard transactions, please visit www.gaycalgary.com/PayInvoice.aspx

Headline for Ad (add $4.00):

First 25 Words - $10.00

Additional Words - 20¢ each

Invoice First 25 Words: Each additional word: Bold entire ad: Entire ad in capitals: Headline: Photo: (1.66”x 2.25”) Border around ad: Mail Forwarding:

$10.00 $0.20 $5.00 $6.00 $4.00 $15.00 $6.00 $5.00

Single Month Cost: Number of months: Full Run Cost:

X =

Frequency discount:

-

3 Months=15%, 6 Months=20%,12 Months=25%

5% GST: TOTAL: 48

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

+ =

Classified Ads Obituary

170

Dating Services

415

OurGaySite.com A completely free gay personals website. Find friends, dating and more. Try it out at OurGaySite.com

Erotic Massage Harvey Raymond Grout June 1, 1967 - November 28, 2009

Peacefully passed away suddenly at Nanaimo Hospital surrounded by family. In lieu of flowers, donations to Diabetes Association in his name.

Harvey’s heart may have stopped beating in this world but, for each and every person who knew him they are better for it. I have never met another person in my life who just made a place better by showing up and being there. We are so going to miss your hugs and your outstanding smile. You touched so many hearts.

You left us way too soon. You will be so sadly missed. Blessing to all his family and friends. Love you superman.

Memorial for Harvey: Time: Saturday December 5 at 1 pm.

Location: Sands Funeral Chapel, #1 Newcastle Ave., Nanaimo, BC

Employment

200

HEAT Outreach Worker Seeking dynamic individual to work within harm reduction model addressing HIV related issues specific to the needs of gay men, and “men who have sex with men” (MSM) through the provision of outreach.

This is a part time position (14 hours per week). A flexible schedule including; day, evening and some weekend availability is required.

Closing date is December 11, 2009.

For more information, contact hr@ aidscalgary.org

Local Horny Cute Jocks Call 403-261-2112 Free w/ code 8873 www.interactivemale.com

Models/Escorts

460

Phillippe

420

Bi? Gay? Call Hardline now and TRY it for FREE! In Calgary: 403-7700776. In Edmonton: 780-665-6666.

Other ares: 1-877-628-9696 or www. gethardline.com.

Calgary’s Premier Male Erotic Massage

Beauty/Skin/Hair 510

Enjoy the excitement of male to male massage by Calgary’s Premier Male Masseur Reynolds - recipient of International Best Erotic Male Massage. Appointments are available for gays, bi-curious, and straight guys. Massage Schedules: Mon-Fri 7pm-10pm. Sat/Sun 10am-10pm. For booking or inquiry, call 403-6041364 (after 4:30pm or send text message anytime). Also send email to roquemassage@gmail.com. For more info, visit online at http:// roquemassage.ca

Internet

445

God loves you and created you gay.

Wisdom 11:24 - You love everything that exists and hate nothing that you have made. www.createdgay.com SHIFT works with adults in the sex trade. We provide services for both those who do not want to exit and those who do. Shift provides: FREE safer sex supplies, non-judgmental counseling, and more. (403) 2378171.

Male Friends

Bi? Married? Gay? Busy? Professional 100% Discreet Erotic massages, shaving & domination... http://web. mac.com/iphillippe phillippe01@ gmail.com 403-966-2343 (text or voice)

SEEKING NUDE MODELS

Laser Hair Removal New Laser Hair Removal. Virtually pain free. Start now and be hair free for next summer. Offering 20% off 1st treatment or 30% off package of six treatments. Free consultation.

Call Massage For Health Clinic Inc. 403-660-2299.

Counseling

530

Want some things in your life to change?

Amateur Multimedia is seeking models 18+ (male and female) to model nude for our various line of media that we produce and sell.

Check us our at http://amateurmulti media.69server.net Kirk. 27, 6’4”, 180, swimmer’s build.

9.5 cut, safe, clean, discrete, fun guy, let’s play. In calls/out calls. (403) 703-9354.

Phone Chat

465

All-Male Hot Gay Chat!

Try it FREE!

Are you thinking about making some changes in your life? Your relationships? At work? Renee Meggs Registered Psychologist, meets face-to-face, on-line, or by phone.

Prompt, flexible appointments during day, evenings, & weekends. www. reneemeggs.com

Products/Services 500

ATM Service Business Owners: Need an ATM or already own an ATM. We Want to Earn your Business. 780-455-8709 or toll free 1-866-640-8830. www. minibanks.net

455 GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

49

Classifieds Calgary Civil Marriage Centre Weddings and Marriages.

Immediately or by Appointment.

All vows and paperwork included.

Witness available.

• Religion Free • Standard & Specialized Ceremonies • Cross Cultural • Same Sex GLBT-TTQ

Rork Hilford MC Marriage Commissioner for Alberta AKA (Justice of the Peace, JP) Marriage Officiant Commissioner for Oaths. ca.ca@shaw.ca • (403) 246-4134

50

Cleaning

517

Cleaning Your Home Or Office With Love You Know me as STEVIOKI KARAOKE but I also like to clean houses and businesses. Let me do the dirty work so you can get back to enjoying a place you work hard for.

(403) 803-0882

Education/Training 535

MORMON, GLBTI Enjoy your gift. Stand proudly, Share dreams, Not Reparative, nor Reformative, only Supportive and Educational. Its not easy being gay.

2010 Conference help. contact: becontentedgay@gmail.com

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

Computers/IT

522

Free Blowjobs!

On-site pleasure for your computer.

Personal and Small Business IT Maintenance plans available complimentary can of air with every service call. Contact William, My Computer Hero, (403) 444-0700.

Legal

557

ONE STOP PARALEGAL, IMMIGRATION & BUSINESS SERVICES: Same-Sex, CommonLaw, Spousal, Skilled Worker, Business, Family Class Immigration: Live-in-Caregiver, student, Work & Visitor Visa/Extensions, Refugee, Immigration Appeals through CERTIFIED CONSULTANTS. Agreements (Domestic, Cohabitation, Separation, Pre-Nuptial,

Child/Spousal Support, Adult Interdependent & all Business Related), Canadian Pardon, US Waiver, Uncontested Divorce, Wills, Commissioner for Oaths, Social Benefits Advocacy. Bookkeeping, Payroll, GST, Personal & Corporate Tax Returns. Certified Translations for all Major Languages. Visit us online to learn more at: www.activeprofessionals.com ACTIVE PROFESSIONALS 403-590-3818 - Gay Friendly Staff 200 - 2705 Centre St NW

Massage

560

Massage in Edmonton Registered Massage Therapist in downtown Edmonton. Relaxation and therapeutic massage. Insurance claims are welcome. For appointment phone Dwayne at 780-483-3190 or 780-918-5856.

Book Review

Book Marks

Best LGBT Fiction and Nonfiction for 2009

by Richard Labonte For a few years, memoirs have been the “it” book in literary queer publishing, and the trend continues – several are included in this subjective list of my 10 “best” fiction and nonfiction titles of the year. Meanwhile, there’s also been a boom in young adult titles; one outstanding representative is listed. In publishing news, Suspect Thoughts went into extended hibernation, Rebel Satori’s Queer Mojo imprint picked up some of the slack (and titles), Lethe Press continued to expand its wide-ranging catalogue, and Bold Strokes Books further diversified from lesbian fare into gay male titles. Meanwhile, Don Weise, formerly of Publishers Group West, Cleis Pess and Carroll & Graf, became publisher of Alyson Books, where – despite cutbacks by owner Regent Media affecting The Advocate – he has revived the press in a few short months.

Top 10 Fiction Titles Day of the Dead, by Victoria A. Brownworth, Spinsters Ink. The title – and the cover, an array of skulls – suggests that this collection, mostly set in New Orleans, draws on a spooky underworld. It does – but Brownworth’s otherworldly literary fiction digs much deeper into the horrors of the human psyche, and with far more artistry, than the supernatural norm.

The Sky Below, by Stacey D’Erasmo, Houghton MIfflin Harcourt.

With ravishing prose – not a word wasted – D’Erasmo makes us like a selfish and manipulative yet seductive charmer. This is multitextured, metaphorical fiction that demands an intense, careful reading, and rewards it with a dazzling vision of how a marginal man transforms his life.

Silver Lake, by Peter Gadol, Tyrus Books.

In his sixth novel, Gadol considers issues of truths withheld, lives corroded and fidelity betrayed, a riveting rumination on the haunting complexity of love. The novel’s name comes from a LA neighborhood where gays and Latinos have been part of the cultural mix for

decades, geography the author weaves effectively through this luscious literary story.

Love is the Higher Law, by David Levithan. Alfred A. Knopf.

There are two romances in this young adult novel: one between a college-bound slacker and a high school junior, whose first date in the numbing aftermath of 9/11 is a fumbled disaster; the other between the author and New York City. Levithan captures the kaleidoscope of New Yorkers’ experiences on that terrible day while evoking the humble truth that love can indeed heal all.

The Show That Smells,

by Derek McCormack, Akashic Books.

This creepy gem is both grotesquely horrific and terrifically hilarious; narrative coherence is neither point nor purpose of McCormack’s feverish carnival of rambunctious wordplay and hyperbole not meant for delicate sensibilities. As in: “At my vampire carnival, you’ll win balloons made of babies – soft skin stretched out and stitched and blown full of air. That balloon has eyebrows!”

Lake Overturn, by Vestal McIntyre, HarperCollins.

There is a queer misfit kid at the core of this intricate novel about a tiny Idaho town.

McIntyre has crafted something far more exhilarating than a coming-out account, which is just one thread in this colorful tapestry of depressing poverty, pointless pettiness, domestic infidelities, desperate drug use, class and race divisions – and several quiet, sentimental triumphs

The Reluctant Daughter, by Leslea Newman, Bold Strokes.

A distant daughter’s angst-filled filial obligation toward her emotionally absent mother is at the heart of Newman’s novel, which tackles personal vulnerability, family discord and the physical frailties and mental anguish of aging, all with intimacy and warmth.

Blue Boy, by Rakesh Satyal, Kensington Books.

Satyal’s coming-of-age story trods familiar debut-gay-novel turf, but with grace and a cultural twist. His young hero is an Indian-American who channels alienation and angst into feverish preparations to star at his school’s 1992 talent show as an incarnation of the Indian deity Krishna, all while trying – and failing – to fit into an insular Indian culture’s chosen-bride expectations.

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

51

Book Review The Mere Future, by Sarah Schulman, Arsenal Pulp Press.

In this remarkable near-future novel, Manhattan is reinvented through profound social reform – a “Big Change” in which nobody is homeless and ubiquitous Starbucks has magically disappeared. Schulman injects wry political commentary and sly cultural satire into a dynamic, unconventional novel, infusing it with a futuristic gaze both sardonic and sage.

Salvation Army, by Abdellah Taïa, translated by Frank Stock, Semiotexte.

There’s the novelty factor: Taïa’s slender autobiographical fiction is said to be the first openly gay work by a Moroccan.

But this narrative – more a series of biographical sketches and sexual vignettes than a traditional novel – transcends that novelty, offering a revelatory entrée to a cultural awakening that parallels the author’s sexual awakening.

Top 10 Nonfiction Titles Cheever: A Life, by Blake Bailey, Alfred A. Knopf.

Let this incisive biography stand as an object lesson in the perils of denial. Without casting judgment, it declares that Cheever – dead more than a quarter century, his literary legacy dimmed – was a resolute alcoholic in part because of insecurity around sexual identity.

Mapping the Territory: Selected Nonfiction, by Christopher Bram, Alyson Books.

Though best known as a terrific storyteller, this collection of 17 essays by Bram showcases insightful thinking of the sort that’s all too rare – the criticism is more calm than caustic, for example, and the conversational tone charms. The next-to-last essay, an elegy for the shuttered Oscar Wilde Bookshop, is a moving lament.

My Red Blood: A Memoir of Growing Up Communist, Coming Onto the Greenwich Village Folk Scene, and Coming Out in the Feminist Movement, by Alix Dobkin, Alyson Books.

From an elder Paul Robeson to young Bill Cosby, from folk music statesman Pete Seeger to a boyish Bob Dylan: Dobkin documents a breathtaking array of artistic friends and political comrades in this epic journey through decades of musical, feminist and sexual ferment.

Waiting to Land: A (Mostly) Political Memoir, 1985-2008,

by Martin Duberman, The New Press.

Drawn mainly from journal entries penned over a quarter century – some unapologetically dogmatic, some deliciously

52

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

Book Review gossipy, some defiantly contrarian, all exhilaratingly candid – Duberman’s third memoir is a vivid reminder that it once meant something to be a liberation queer.

Bigger than Life: The History of Gay Porn Cinema from Beefcake to Hardcore, by Jeffrey Escoffier, Running Press.

Escoffier’s queer-studies gaze at gay cinematic porn is an absorbing hybrid of history and biography that skillfully charts how content and delivery have evolved over five decades, from discreet peek-a-boo thongs to the let-it-all-hang-out Internet.

The Golden Age of Gay Fiction, edited by Drewey Wayne Gunn, MLR Press.

If there’s a best of the best of 2009, this eye-opening history of gay books from before there was such a things as “gay publishing” is it.

Editor Gunn and his savvy contributors have crafted a remarkable record of primarily preStonewall cultural and literary history. This is a must for any serious gay reader – entertaing reading with just a touch of scholarly style.

Smash the Church, Smash the State! The Early Years of Gay Liberation, edited

by Tommi Avicolli Mecca, City Lights Books.

The personal is riotously political and the history is tangibly personal in this anthology of down-to-earth reflections on the early days of Gay Liberation.

Avicolli Mecca, himself a longtime activist, has compiled a co-gendered collection that is by turns emotional, joyous, poignant – even sometimes contradictory.

The Pure Lover, by David Plante, Beacon Press.

When a writer as profoundly able as Plante pens a lament for his lost companion, the result is a fierce encapsulation of grief, the fundamentally private wrought wrenchingly public. This sublime remembrance – more a compilation of memory fragments than a linear life story – evokes a whole man (in truth, two whole men).

My Germany, by Lev Raphael, Terrace Books.

There is easy grace to this intense memoir about Jewish

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

53

Book Review author Raphael’s emotional and cultural reconciliation with Germany. Part genealogical study, part book tour travelogue and part coming-out account, the author’s stark portrayal of religious, sexual and literary evolution is a compassionate record of one man’s several liberations.

Hos, Hookers, Call Girls, and Rent Boys: Professionals Writing on Life, Love, Money, and Sex, edited by David Henry Sterry and R.J. Martin, Soft Skull Press.

If you’re a queer fellow, you’re likely to sniff out the “rent boy” pieces in this collection of sassy, sexy and certainly informed essays by sex workers. But don’t give the other 50 writers short shrift – it’s the unpolished oral histories by hos and hookers concluding this collection that give the book its authentic heft.

Footnotes There are always honorable mentions: Eleanor Lipman’s The Family Man is a charming gay comedy of manners and parenting by a straight author who captures queer with classy writing.

From a bounty of memoirs, Edmund White’s City Boy revisits the artistic and sexual heyday of 1960s and ‘70s Manhattan; former New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni writes about his struggles with weight (and his lack of dates), in Born Round; Mary Cappello’s poetic account of coping with cancer.

Called Back, is a memorable encounter with mortality; Terry Galloway’s Mean Little deaf Queer and Stacyann Chin’s The Other Side of Paradise are both searing accounts of the rewards at the other end of growing up hard; Jon Ginoli writes with candor of life on the road with his seminal queercore punk band, Pansy Division, in Deflowered; Wade Rouse copes with the rural life with morbid wit in At Least in the City Someone Would Hear Me Scream; and Carl Capotorto mines his coming-out past with quirky, often hilarious honesty, in Twisted Hea. Add to this list Paul Rudnick’s memoir-istic comic riffs in I Shudder, about growing up gay and his life in the arts, and there are plenty of fine queer lives to read about. Two works of fiction from smaller presses stand out for their style: Paul G. Bens’ novel, Kelland, and G. Winston James’ story collection, Beat the Devil, tackle issues in the gay community around sex, race, abuse and hate – but with a stunning lyrical style that invests both with a warm moral center. And one book for fun? That would be American Hunks, edited by David L. Chapman and Brett Josef Grubisic, a century-spanning history of men and muscles.

Richard Labonte has been reading, editing, selling, and writing about queer literature since the mid-‘70s.

http://www.gaycalgary.com/a1509

View additional pics/videos. • Share with a friend. • Post your comments.

54

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

55

Photography Queer Eye - Community Events Taboo Show - Calgary

56

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

Taboo Show - Edmonton

Queer Eye - Community Photography Events Misc Youth Show at Soda - Calgary

Fairytales Shorts for all Sorts Axis Art and Uptown - Calgary

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

57

Queer Eye - Community Events Photography Alberta Weekend of Leather at the Calgary Eagle - Calgary

58

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

HIV Edmonton 25th Anniversary Kick Off - Edmonton

Queer Eye - Community Photography Events Exposure Festival - Edmonton. Various locations and taken by GayCalgary and Christal Ramanauskas

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

59

Queer Eye - Community Events Photography Boots Anniversary Party - Edmonton

60

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

61

62

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine #74, December 2009

63