NOVEMBER 2011 ISSUE 97 • FREE
magazine
The Voice of Alberta’s LGBT Community
Howie D Backstreet Boy makes Solo Debut
MIKE RUIZ
Is Pretty Masculine
CYNDI LAUPER
Not Unusual, Just Human
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Tori Amos Joss Stone LeAnn Rimes The New Gay Generation ...and more!
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AIDEN LESLIE On Leaving Love
STARTING ON PAGE 17
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GayCalgary & Edmonton Magazine #97, November 2011
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Table of Contents
NOVEMBER 2011
Photography
Steve Polyak, Rob Diaz-Marino
Videography
Steve Polyak, Rob Diaz-Marino
Printers
Transcontinental Printing
Distribution
Calgary: Gallant Distribution, GayCalgary Staff Edmonton: Clark’s Distribution Other: Canada Post
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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 Main: Howie Dorough, Top Right: Photo by Mike Ruiz, Mid Right: Cyndi Lauper, photo by Ellen Von Unwerth, Bottom Right: Aiden Leslie.
Proud Members of:
Edmonton Rainbow Business Association
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Make Way For Some Blazing Queering
Publisher’s Column
Edmonton’s Loud & Queer Cabaret Marks its 20th Year
10 How to be an Energy Superstar 5 Quick Tips on Keeping Costs Down this Winter
PAGE 11
Chris Azzopardi, Dallas Barnes, Dave Brousseau, Jason Clevett, Andrew Collins, Rob Diaz-Marino, Janine Eva Trotta, Jack Fertig, Glen Hanson, Joan Hilty, Evan Kayne, Stephen Lock, Allan Neuwirth, Troy Ordami, Steve Polyak, Carey Rutherford, Romeo San Vicente, Mick Sandoval, Ed Sikov, Samuel Watson and the LGBT Community of Calgary, Edmonton, and Alberta.
Lost in Translation
11 LeAnn Rimes
Country Star talks equality, gay ‘dads’ and ex-hubby rumors
13 The Teachings of Tori
Gay icon on Christian phonies, being OK with a lesbian daughter and why ‘It Gets Better’ isn’t enough
17 Directory and Events 23 Freedom of Speech vs Freedom from Hate
PAGE 13
Writers and Contributors
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26 Can A Trans Human Rights Bill Pass With A Harper Majority? 28 Joss Stone: The Solo Sessions Singer on being a free soul, adoring Melissa Etheridge and going lesbian for a day
30 Deep Inside Hollywood 31 Cocktail Chatter
What to Do with Cheap Champagne, Part II
32 Western Canada Leatherboy 2011 Looks Back
PAGE 28
Publisher: Steve Polyak Editor: Rob Diaz-Marino Sales: Steve Polyak Design & Layout: Rob Diaz-Marino, Steve Polyak
33 Mike Ruiz is Pretty Masculine 36 Out of Town
International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association
Winter Adventures: Vail and Beaver Creek
PAGE 33
38 Fundraising Photos National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association
Continued on Next Page www.gaycalgary.com
GayCalgary & Edmonton Magazine #97, November 2011
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Table of Contents Continued From Previous Page
40 THE BE-LEAVER Aiden Leslie On Leaving Love
Magazine Figures
43 A Couple of Guys
Monthly Print Quantity:
9,000–11,000 copies Guaranteed Circulation: 8,500 copies Bonus Circulation: 500–2,500 copies
PAGE 40
44 Bitter Girl 45 World AIDS Day in Alberta
46 Cyndi Shines
After all these years, singer/activist isn’t so unusual – she’s just human
49 Howie D Flies Solo
Backstreet Boy makes solo debut with Back To Me
PAGE 46
52 Chelsea Boys
53 New Gay Generation
Readership
Readers Per Copy: 4.9 (PMB) Print Readership: >41,650 Avg. Online Circulation: 150,000 readers Estimated Total Readership: >191,650 readers Frequency: Monthly
Proof of monthly figures are available on request. Distribution Locations:
Calgary: 160, Edmonton: 120 Other Alberta Cities: 15 Other Provinces: 35 United States: 15 Please call us if your establishment would like to become a distribution location.
History Originally established in January 1992 as Men for Men BBS by MFM Communications. Name changed to GayCalgary 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.
55 Queer Eye 60 Classified Ads 62 Q Scopes
Pay attention, Capricorn!
Disclaimer and Copyright
PAGE 49
Opinions expressed in this magazine are specific to the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of GayCalgary staff and contributors.
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GayCalgary & Edmonton Magazine #97, November 2011
Those involved in the making of this publication, whether advertisers, contributors, or the subjects of articles or photographs, are not necessarily gay, lesbian, bisexual, or trans. This magazine also includes straight 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 2011. All rights reserved. GayCalgary is a registered trademark.
DEC 2011 Print Deadlines Ad Booking: Mon, Nov 28th
Submission: Wed, Nov 30th In Circulation: Fri, Dec 2nd Please contact us immediately if you think you may have missed the booking or submission deadline. www.gaycalgary.com
Editorial
Lost in Translation Publisher’s Column
By Rob Diaz-Marino, MSc. This month I’m reminded just how long I’ve been a part of Alberta’s LGBT community. It has been over a decade since I gave up the delusion that the “straight-fairy” might still visit me, and 8 years since I started contributing my efforts to publish GayCalgary & Edmonton Magazine each month. As scary as that sounds, I’m realizing that being so acclimated to the LGBT way of doing things has left me a bit out of touch with the outside world. I’m no stranger to getting work done, and at my day job I’ve had no problems whatsoever integrating into my workplace and becoming a productive member of a team. I have no hitch dealing with all manner of people when it comes to getting a job done; I’m a lion when it comes to that. But in other situations, not so much. When it comes to hanging out more casually with people from work, I seem to become my shy and quiet self again. I find that I have difficulty connecting on a personal level with many straight men, and software development is a notably male-dominated industry. The majority of experience I’ve had making friends with other men has been within the LGBT community, where we encourage and appreciate many character traits that most straight men are trained from birth to keep hidden. The TV depiction of close relationships between straight guys seems like a triumph over nature and nurture, when there are so many forces at work to repel them from one another. When I’m working alongside of other people toward a common goal, I feel this amazing sense of camaraderie that drives me to do better. It makes even tough and arduous tasks fun in a way because I get to learn from my peers and share my own experiences. It’s a sure-fire way that I can relate to them. But work like this pushes people together. True friendships emerge when some of those people have the desire to come together of their own accord. And this sort of camaraderie still eludes me. This is where I feel that I’m sorely lacking in my experience with straight social conventions; that I’m ill equipped to relate to many straight guys, even when I recognize strong potential for friendship. My dilemma is, how can I nurture close friendships with straight men when my instincts draw me to them and theirs push me away; when I’m not satisfied until I see past the walls that they put up, and they feel uncomfortable seeing past mine?
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Yes, I have a desire to help my fellow man; they say men lead lives of quiet desperation, and who knows, perhaps I have few life lessons and words of wisdom from my unique perspective in the LGBT community that could help them shake this. Yes, I feel good when I’ve done a little something to brighten someone’s life, to make their day just a little more bearable. I’d like to say it stems purely from an altruistic heart, but what I look to gain out of all this is simply to be understood and accepted. But even under the right circumstances, friendships take time to build, and that’s the one thing that I don’t have a lot of. I keep a pretty hectic schedule outside of daytime work hours because of this magazine. In general this makes it difficult for me to find time for “friend stuff” with people, and those casual activities are invaluable for bonding with others. The only reason I’ve managed to bond with people in the LGBT community is that the magazine regularly brings me out to spend time with them. To go out for any other reason is very rare and difficult to arrange. Without it, I suppose I’m just another guy at work. Having to explain the whole thing about the magazine is another hurdle – and when I’m getting to know someone, it’s hard to go for very long without having to take on this subject. It’s a lot of information for someone to handle in one bite, and leads to other questions that pile on even more. My sexuality aside, those who can fathom how much work we do to publish GayCalgary & Edmonton Magazine may think it’s an impossibly grandiose story designed to make me sound important if not super-human. On the flip side, others may underestimate the whole situation and think it’s just some casual little hobby, and not the big thing that it is. Either way I end up feeling awkward talking about it because nobody really seems to “get it”. I fear a lot of the work I’ve done in the LGBT community just doesn’t translate outside of it, and with what a big chunk of my existence it has been, there seems little else for me to share with colleagues about my personal life. Others in my position may think it is better just to stick to the LGBT community where people are more likely to “get me”, when it comes to friendship. That would certainly be easier. But what does translate across from the LGBT community is that I still feel the same compulsion to reach out to people, to be understood, and to find little ways to make their lives better as a friend or even as a stranger. The difference is that I don’t have a fancy magazine to help me do it. Like every other person, I have to figure out my own ways of doing this, and I have to be patient because I’m still learning how to balance it all.
GayCalgary & Edmonton Magazine #97, November 2011
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Milestones Galore This edition marks the 8th anniversary of GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine - a huge milestone for us, soon to be followed by another biggie in February: our 100th edition. Normally, this November edition would be the one where we collect and publish letters of congratulation from any individuals, community groups, or politicians that wish to submit one. However we are holding these off for the 100th edition milestone instead. From what we’ve seen happen in the LGBT community in the past, I should point out that this will actually be our 100th edition published, as in, we’ve not skipped ahead in our numbering at any point to suit ourselves or pretend to reach this milestone any sooner. So it’s a big deal, 100 solid months of publishing, 100 different covers, I’ve written (just about) 100 publisher’s columns, and we’ve put ourselves through this same childbirth-calibre stress 100 times. Furthermore, this January will mark the 20th anniversary of Men for Men, the early precursor to GayCalgary.com that Steve started when he was only 19 years old (I don’t think we’ve ever truly been acknowledged as a gay youth initiative, but in essence that’s what GayCalgary is). And in fact, we will have been using GayCalgary as our trade mark for just short of 15 years now. October 2011 Last month was certainly not the most eventful October that we’ve seen, but still enough to keep us busy. We were very proud to sponsor Risen, the queer perspectives and creative youth expression art show on October 13th. It was a unique opportunity for LGBT youth to present their artwork and other talents, including singing, spoken word, dance and drag. The event raised just over $2000 for Miscellaneous Youth Network. ARGRA held their first monthly dance since the Rodeo at the end of June, a Pirates and Princesses themed Halloween party. Mark Randall (a HEAT worker from AIDS Calgary) and I were chosen to be the judges for the costume competition, which was a tough call with so many great costumes. Our three finalists were a formidable Pirate, a sexy Viking, and pregnant Tinkerbell. The day afterward was the annual Great Chili Cook-off at the Calgary Eagle. This year 11 contestants provided chilli for a full room of hungry people. Though the judges disagreed, I have to say I liked the Chili made by Johnathan’s mom the most. Not only that, she remembered me as the guy with the Tupperware containers from two years ago, when Steve had to miss it for something going on in Edmonton. That wasn’t a problem this time, as Steve was happily present with me – and a good thing too, because there was a lot of chilli to sample! The announced total raised for Beswick House was $1300. These days it’s rare to find events at Twisted Element that meet our “special event” criteria for photographic coverage in the magazine. The ISCCA held their annual Turnabout drag show, organized by the Imperial Crown Prince and Princess, where performers tried on the opposite gender to their usual drag personas. Half the fun of Turnabouts is seeing who rises to the challenge, and who comes out a complete train wreck. The show raised just over $450 for the ISCCA, and yes, there were a lot of train wrecks. PURE Pride held their PURE Masquerade Halloween party in Edmonton at FLASH on Friday the 28th, and in Calgary at Club Sapien the day after. At both events, April Storm made a very memorable debut on stilts, towering above the crowd as she performed a hair raising number. It definitely had people talking! I made the rounds to the bars in Edmonton on Saturday the 29th to capture everyone in costume celebrating Halloween. I started at 8pm at the Junction for the ISCWR’s production of the Rocky Horror Picture Show – it was very well done! I hung around for a while afterwards prior to heading over to Buddys 6
GayCalgary & Edmonton Magazine #97, November 2011
Online Last Month (1/2) Thinking Out Loud
The biggest threat for our youth. Forget politics – the real challenge is our families. In my travels lately as a professional gay I’ve been speaking at a lot of PFLAG meetings. No matter where I go, the following people are always there:... www.gaycalgary.com/a2548
Book Marks
A Queer History of the United States A Queer History of the United States, by Michael Bronski. Beacon Press, 287 pages, $27.95 hardcover. From the Puritan imposition of... www.gaycalgary.com/a2533
Cocktail Chatter
Oooo –La-La: A Proper Gimlet The vision that greeted me as I walked into the beach house was Fellini-esque. Craig wasn’t expecting an audience for the indescribable... www.gaycalgary.com/a2536
Creep of the Week: Rick Perry
So how about that Gov. Rick Perry, eh? Awesome alert! Am I right? “I wish Rick Perry was my daddy and/or boyfriend,” say all... www.gaycalgary.com/a2537
Deep Inside Hollywood
Cynthia Nixon and Kim Cattrall head for Broadway From man-eating Samantha on Sex and the City to a revival of Private Lives, that’s what Kim Cattrall will be doing over Thanksgiving... www.gaycalgary.com/a2541
7 Tips: How to Stay Sane While Traveling
As I write this, I’m sitting in a crowded terminal in Boston’s Logan Airport waiting for my flight to France. Though there’s a lot of madness... www.gaycalgary.com/a2543
Hear Me Out
Katy B, Pistol Annies Katy B, On a Mission They’re everywhere – British songbirds trying to take over the world with their voices. But Katy B, who’s already... www.gaycalgary.com/a2545
Book Marks
Stealing Angel Stealing Angel, by Terry Wolverton. Spinsters Ink, 288 pages, $14.95 paper. Estranged lovers, custody fights, child abuse, kidnapping... www.gaycalgary.com/a2534
Creep of the Week: Sally Kern
With the tenth anniversary of Sept. 11 behind us it’s important to reflect on the state of national security. For weeks now, pundits have... www.gaycalgary.com/a2538
Deep Inside Hollywood
Justin Timberlake’s got the beat If you’re old enough to remember disco’s heyday, then you know Casablanca Records. It was the dance music record label of the 1970s, home to Donna... www.gaycalgary.com/a2542
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Online Last Month (2/2) The OutField
Grappling with Donna Rose David’s father was an academic, so the family moved often. Whether in California or Nova Scotia, though, sports provided a great way to make friends... www.gaycalgary.com/a2547
Creep of the Week: Dave Agema
There’s one thing you can say about the state of Michigan: it’s too friendly to gays. I mean, yes, it’s still legal in Michigan to be fired... www.gaycalgary.com/a2539
Shady Business a fun-filled farce
and Woody’s, FLASH, and the Womonspace dance, before finally settling down to enjoy myself. Meanwhile in Calgary, Steve walked to all of the bars plus the Girlsgroove dance – 7 different locations - to get photos. Needless to say his feet and legs were sore for several days after; he calculated that he walked 15.5 km that night. This was the first year in our house where we were both at home for actual Halloween. Steve had hopes that we might see a few trick-or-treaters come to our door, but I knew from the previous year this was not likely. As we were working on the magazine, we took some time to put out a few decorations and prop our gate open, but in the end we didn’t see a single visitor. I think it’s too dangerous for kids to be out along such a busy road as 17th Avenue. Oh well, more candy for us! This Month Here’s the rundown:
Terms like “madcap comedy” can instantly set off warning alarms in the head of a theatre goer. Often the farce-style comedy can be anything... www.gaycalgary.com/a2551
• The Loud & Queer Festival is happening in Edmonton on November 5th and 6th. Call 780-477-5955 for tickets. • We have two bar anniversaries: the Twisted Element is turning 7, and the Texas Lounge is celebrating their 24th anniversary on Wednesday, November 16th. Congratulations! • The Calgary Eagle is hosting the Western Canada LeatherSIR, Leatherboy, and Community Boot Black Contest 2012 over the weekend of the 18th. • ARGRA is hosting their annual Christmas dinner and dance on December 3rd, now at a new venue: Club Sapien. Tickets are required to partake in dinner from 6pm to 9pm, after which time doors open up with no charge for the dance.
Hard Days Knights Beatleriffic Medival Times
The concept of blending the music of the Beatles with a medival theme is not a new one to Jubilations. They have done it twice in the past nine years... www.gaycalgary.com/a2552
Penny Plain is pleasure
Alberta-born Ronnie Burkett’s newest show, Penny Plain, marks the 25th anniversary of the Theatre of Marionettes. After a change of direction to a brighter... www.gaycalgary.com/a2553
Arriba! An Aruban Adventure
The International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association welcomed their first hotel member from the Island of Aruba, the Aruba Marriott and Sellaris Casino... www.gaycalgary.com/a2544
Thinking Out Loud
Who you calling a hater? It might look good on bumper stickers, but hate is a lousy P.R. word. I’ve always had a sort-of wincing reaction to the word “hate” in LGBT rights messaging. Like those bumper stickers that say, “Hate is not... www.gaycalgary.com/a2549
Taboo November always means Taboo show for us. This year the timing for both the Calgary and Edmonton shows, relative to other community events, is very unfortunate. I’m particularly choked that we will be missing the BEEF Bearbash in Edmonton while we are at the Calgary Taboo Show. Furthermore, we will be missing the World AIDS Day fundraiser at FAB, and Mz. Rhonda’s toy drive at Twisted Element while we are away at the Edmonton Taboo Show. Once again we’re looking going bigger and better at the Taboo shows. We’ve got some surprises up our sleeve but I will say that we’re providing space and fundraising opportunities for multiple non-profit groups this year, so please come on down and check out the show! I have to admit, after a whole year of diligently working out I’m looking forward to doing my part for the photo fundraiser...sans my horrible Movember moustache this time.
Hear Me Out
http://www.gaycalgary.com/a2556
Erasure, Tori Amos Erasure, Tomorrow’s World Over 25 years ago, when Erasure came together, Vince Clarke and Andy Bell were on the cutting-edge of the... www.gaycalgary.com/a2546
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Foo Fighter’s Give Fans Their Monies Worth
If you regularly read my reviews, you know my biggest concert pet peeves are paying $100 for a ticket to see a band play for 90 minutes. That... www.gaycalgary.com/a2554
Screamfest Brings Terror and Gross Out Gags
Screamfest – running until October 31st at Canada Olympic Park – has become a tradition in Calgary over the last 5 years. It has now... www.gaycalgary.com/a2555 And more...
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GayCalgary & Edmonton Magazine #97, November 2011
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Make Way For Some Blazing Queering
Edmonton’s Loud & Queer Cabaret Marks its 20th Year By Janine Eva Trotta
So Darrin Hagen begins his introduction of the Loud & Queer Anthology Queering the Way, a collection of written works that “attempt to present a snapshot of the event” – 20 years of “the never-ending smorgasbord of art that has been paraded across the stage” of western Canada’s longest running queer occasion. Upon the 1991 dismissal, and amid the Alberta government’s “uneasy relationship with anything not straight-white-malecowboy” Ruth Smillie, then director for the Catalyst Theatre, approached Hagen and his partner/publicist Kevin Hendricks with an inspiration to launch the province’s first Queer arts event. With the exception of the “dark year” of 1995, which followed a negative media slandering of the Cabaret in a news series that aired on Edmonton’s ITV station entitled “You Paid For It”, Loud & Queer has treated audiences to “full evenings of artists, boasting newcomers and veterans alike, …spanning every artistic discipline” for two decades straight. Hagen, artistic director of the famed Guys in Disguise, editor of the anthology and the steadfast backbone of the L&Q Cabaret, curates and directs this year’s event which is to take place Saturday November 5th and Sunday November 6th at Edmonton’s La Cite Francophone. “Even though something like an anniversary is a completely artificial construct, it does create an opportunity to attempt to define the event,” Hagen says. “As a prairie Queer, one notices that most of the LGBTQ art that gets national profile originates from the larger Queer metros. It’s extremely satisfying to me to see the stellar work emerging from the prairies.” “Not only is it exciting to hear a new story of the Queer experience, but it’s absolutely necessary. The story of Queer Canada isn’t complete without these voices.” The L&Q Cabaret has kick started the careers of Canadian performers, debuted more than 100 different works, and brought to the Alberta stage esteemed talents such as Dan Savage, Ronnie Burkett and Mark Meer. “Loud & Queer has launched writers, performers, musicians, comedians and filmmakers,” Hagan writes. “It has YYY featured dancers, singer-songwriters, monologists, spokenword artists, poets, and belly dancers; Opera; Heavy metal; Drag queens; Drag kings; Performance artists; Activists; Politicians.” This year’s line-up promises no different; organizers recommend that tickets be purchased in advance. Saturday night slates a “mix of acts, tracts, rants, dance, plays, scenes, monologues, film, drag and music from emerging and established LGBTQ writers”, while Sunday hosts Queering the Way - A Retrospective that will return to the stage a sampling of the Cabaret’s most memorable pieces in honour of the L&Q’s Anthology launch. It is described as cast members and guests from 20 years of cabarets reprising some of their most notorious, hilarious and poignant moments. A visit from Canadian play write and icon Daniel MacIvor, reading from some of his most recent work, is also scheduled. Queering the Way; The Loud & Queer Anthology, edited by Darrin Hagen and published by Brindle & Glass, can be purchased – and autographed by some of the authors – at the Cabaret or on online through BrindleandGlass.com. “I… wanted to honour the efforts of writers whom I felt were personally transformed by the [L&Q] experience,” Hagen says of composing the anthology, which came together quickly
In 1991 the Loud & Queer Cabaret was the Edmonton LGBTQ community’s answer to a political discussion that began when Delwin Vriend lost his job as a teacher at King’s College simply for being gay. At that time, Alberta’s Individual Rights Protection Act did not include sexual orientation on the list of protected subsections.
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GayCalgary & Edmonton Magazine #97, November 2011
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between last year’s Cabaret and it submission for publication this June. “Some of the writers in the collection are published here for the very first time. I respect artists who see what an opportunity like L&Q can do for their craft, and use it to hone their skills or their career.” “Also, I wanted readers who had never attended the event to get a taste of what it’s like sitting in the audience,” he continues. “That means the anthology had to embrace the diversity and variety that hits the stage every year – stylistically, thematically and emotionally.” Poignant, funny, sad and titillating: Queering the Way offers an interesting read, and a wonderful recap and celebration of how far the festival and Alberta’s LBGTQ community in general has come in the past 20 years. “I hope people find something in the collection that moves them, or makes them laugh, or opens their minds to a new way of looking at things,” Hagen says. “And I hope they embrace it as an important milestone in Alberta’s Queer history.”
Queering the Way; The Loud & Queer Anthology http://www.gaycalgary.com/u282 Loud & Queer Cabaret November 5th – 6th La Cite Francophone http://www.gaycalgary.com/a2557
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GayCalgary & Edmonton Magazine #97, November 2011
9
Living
How to be an Energy Superstar 5 Quick Tips on Keeping Costs Down this Winter
5 Energy Saving Tips 1. Replace your furnace filter, now!
Dave Walton, Director of Home Ideas, Direct Energy
By Dallas Barnes As the snow levels on the Rockies begin to become more prominent, and we count down the days on the calendar until the Christmas holidays, one thing that becomes very apparent is the escalating electricity cost of winter. And this year in particular is rumoured to be a doozie! Dave Walton, Director of Home Ideas for Direct Energy took the time to talk to GayCalgary & Edmonton Magazine about what we can do to save our pennies as well as our environment this season. According to a survey conducted by Direct Energy, 55% of consumers are afraid of the amount of their winter utility bills. One can imagine that steep bills from Calgary‘s frigid climate will definitely put a damper in your Christmas spending. Walton agrees. “We know that higher energy bills in the winter can be stressful for homeowners, and many Canadians are unaware of the simple steps they can take to achieve real savings every month.” But according to Direct Energy, with these tips you may be able to save up to $5,634 this year! Let’s face it times are tough and Alberta winters are cold. With these simple steps, you can ensure that you stay warm in your home, and keep some extra green insulation in your back pocket. Direct Energy is one of North America’s largest energy and energy-related service providers with more that 6 million residential and commercial relationships. By checking out their website, you can find videos with step-by-step instructions on how to make some of these improvements.
Direct Energy www.directenergy.com/alberta
By replacing your filter every two or three months you can save up to 5% on heating bills. Replacing a conventional furnace with a high efficiency one can save you about $565 a year. 2. Schedule a home energy assessment. 3. Get to know the Federal ecoENERGY Retrofit program. I am sure that this isn’t on the top of your priority list, but you will be glad that you did. “The government recently renewed the program for another year offering Canadians significant financial incentive to take steps towards energy efficiency,” says Walton. “In addition to savings per bill, making energy investments in your home may qualify your family for thousands of dollars in federal rebates. With 47% of Albertans telling us that they’d consider making energy updates after being informed of the rebate, we’re really motivated to continue spreading the word.”
4. Reevaluate your insulation!
By simply adding more of the fun pink stuff to your basement and attic you could save up to $307 a year, plus the additional potential of a rebate of $1250 from ecoEnergy! This is definitely a venture worth taking up.
5. Seal your leaks! Weather stripping and caulking will be your best friends this winter as getting rid of these breezy leaks can save you about $108 per year and warrant $240 in ecoENERGY rebates.
http://www.gaycalgary.com/a2558
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GayCalgary & Edmonton Magazine #97, November 2011
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LeAnn Rimes
Country Star talks equality, gay ‘dads’ and ex-hubby rumors Photo by Adam Bouska
By Chris Azzopardi
Drama threw her career off track, however, and lately she’s made tabloid headlines for everything but music: she’s too fat, she’s too skinny; she’s a home-wrecker; she’s an unfit stepmother. But now Rimes, 29, is heading in a new direction, pumping estrogen into songs by the kings of country on her 13th album, Lady & Gentlemen. Rimes spoke candidly about one of her “second dads” coproducing her latest work, how a gay uncle inspired her to speak out on LGBT issues, the lack of a successful out country star and what to make of those rumors of her ex-hubby being homosexual. GC: You do some gender bending on this album, LeAnn. LR: Gender bending – I like the way you put that. GC: Is this the closest you’ve come to doing drag? LR: I would guess so! I’ve always watched others do my songs, but I’ve never taken it in the opposite direction. I didn’t dress up in the studio! (Laughs) But it was fun doing this record because there’s a certain softness and a different vibe that a woman brings to these songs in a lot of ways, especially songs like “Good Hearted Woman.” When you’re singing it from the first person, from someone who’s
actually experienced it as a woman, they take on a whole different connotation. GC: You’ve been a big supporter of gay issues for a very long time, having done an It Gets Better video and recently a photo shoot for the NOH8 Campaign. Why are these LGBT issues so important to you, and why is it important to be part of these projects? LR: I believe in equality. Everybody should be treated exactly the same way no matter what their race, no matter what their sexuality. I’ve learned from everything I’ve gone through and from being in this business for so long and being judged since I was 13. That was my biggest lesson in life: not to judge others. You’ve never walked in their shoes, you don’t know where they’re coming from, and you don’t know their story. I just believe that everybody should be able to do what they want to do as long as no one’s hurting anybody. I don’t believe in hate. I don’t believe in bullying. It’s something that’s become a huge issue, especially with cyberbullying. It just breaks my heart seeing kids committing suicide because they’re not accepted. It kills me. GC: You were visibly shaken when you performed “The Rose” with the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles last Christmas. How have the suicides affected you specifically? LR: I have not known anyone personally that has committed suicide because of their sexuality. But the stories from fans always make me appreciate and love what I do even more and drive me at the end of the day, because I feel like to touch someone through my music is the ultimate thing for me, especially if I’ve written
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LeAnn Rimes was a free-spirited 13-year-old when, on one of her biggest songs, she threw caution to the wind and bought a one-way ticket on a westbound train. You know, “to see how far I can go.” Pretty far, it turned out. That ticket took her everywhere: to the Grammys, to No. 1 and to the gay clubs.
Continued on Next Page GayCalgary & Edmonton Magazine #97, November 2011
11
Photos by Kurt Iswarienko
it. I’ve had many people say, “I was thinking about committing suicide and your song came on the radio and I just decided not to do it, that life was worth living.” It’s unfathomable to, I guess, really understand the impact I’ve had on some people’s lives. It does affect me. It deeply, deeply affects me. Obviously you can tell by that performance. GC: You mentioned having felt judged since you were 13. Is that why you gravitate toward gay people, because we’re some of the least judgmental of people? LR: Oh, you guys can be very judgmental! I’m just kidding. (Laughs) GC: When it comes to fashion maybe. LR: Exactly! You’re like, “Girl, why you wearing that?” No, I don’t know. I have a lot of gay friends and it’s something that has just naturally happened in my life and in this business. I have a lot of straight friends too, but my closest, deepest friends are gay and a lot older than me. Darrell Brown, he actually co-produced the record, and his partner are like second dads to me; they are with me through thick and thin. All my friends that I have known in my life are solid, but there’s something about my gay friends; they’ve always stuck by me and never judged, ever. GC: You also had a gay uncle. How did he affect you? LR: Yeah, I did. He actually passed away from AIDS when I was 11; it was very hush-hush and no one went to his funeral in our family except for my dad. He was someone really, really close to me. So I think it goes way back, I guess. He loved me and I loved him, and it was a very early-on experience that made me want to get involved even more. GC: As someone who’s been part of the country community for so long, do you feel it’s broken the stigma of not being welcoming to gay people? LR: I hope it’s progressed. Country music has become so mainstream and I think all of us have a lot of gay fans, so I hope that no one’s discriminating from somebody coming to a concert or anything. But I do think it has, in the past, had that unfortunate stigma. I think the walls are breaking down, at least I hope so. But I hope the walls are breaking down all over, not just in country music. GC: So you don’t think the genre is as homophobic as some people perceive it to be? LR: I don’t think so, I really don’t. I can’t speak for everybody obviously, but I don’t think that it is as homophobic as you said. GC: Then why isn’t there an out gay country star who’s mainstream and successful? LR: I don’t know. That’s a really good question. And that’s kind of unfortunate. I have thought about it. Shelby Lynne is an amazing singer and Chely Wright is such a sweetheart. I’m so 12
GayCalgary & Edmonton Magazine #97, November 2011
Photo by Brian Higbee
happy for (Chely) and her wife. But I don’t know. You pose a very good question that I haven’t thought about in a very long time. GC: There were obviously many upsides to finding fame early on, but what about the drawbacks – what sucked about being a 13-year-old star? LR: (Laughs) What sucked about it – I love how you put it. I lost a lot of my childhood, obviously. I used to say, “Oh no, I didn’t lose anything,” but I think as you get older – and now having my two “bonus boys,” as I call them, and seeing how they are as children and how innocent they are – a lot of innocence was taken away early on because I had to be responsible for so many at such a young age. So I think that’s the hardest part. But the great part is getting to do it now, with them. Where I’ve come, the place that I’ve come to know, I couldn’t have skipped any of it. I started at a young age, I love music, I was so driven as a kid – this is my path. I’m a true believer in what’s supposed to happen will. And this is my path. I can’t change it, and I wouldn’t. I’m enjoying having fun with Eddie (Cibrian’s) kids for sure – and being a kid when I can. GC: There have been many headlines regarding you lately, but the latest is that you’re an overbearing stepmother according to Eddie’s ex-wife, Brandi Glanville. What are you really like as a mom? LR: I guess if loving them with all my heart and taking care of them when they’re with us and being there for them is overbearing, then I guess I am – but I don’t think that’s the definition of overbearing. I grew up in a family where my parents divorced when I was 14. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I know my mom and dad weren’t meant to be together other than to have me (laughs), and I’m totally cool with it. The kids are our main priority, and we have a house full of love and I have a great relationship with them. GC: What do you make of the outing of your ex on a Detroit radio station a couple of years ago when a so-called extended family member, “Pebbles,” came on the air to say he’s gay? LR: I was actually with him at the time. I think it was a bunch of craziness. I support Dean (Sheremet) and his happiness, and he’s married now (to Sarah Silver) and I’m very happy for him. That was a big, big prank at the end of the day. GC: Have you ever fallen for a gay man? LR: Have I ever fallen for a gay man? I don’t think so! I think it’s always been a straight man, but I love my gay friends to death, that’s for sure.
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The Teachings of Tori
Gay icon on Christian phonies, being OK with a lesbian daughter and why ‘It Gets Better’ isn’t enough Photos by Victor de Mello
By Chris Azzopardi Tori Amos doesn’t do anything straight. Regarded as one of the premier singer-songwriters of our time, the gay icon’s veered off every which way – into babe-poundingpiano rock and baroque-influenced orchestrations; not to mention seasonal songs, straight-up pop, adult contemporary and gender-bending covers. Night of Hunters, her 12th album over several decades, taps into 400 years of classical music for the backdrop to the musician’s conceptual damsel-in-distress narrative. It’s some of Amos’ finest work in years. On album release day, Amos called in to chat about the ifyou-were-lesbian talk she had with her daughter, her message to anti-gay Christians and how “It Gets Better” might not be the best way to prevent suicide among gay youth. GC: How do you celebrate a new release? TA: That’s a really good question. We’ll probably have a glass of champagne tonight. Some of the team that put so much energy into it is with me, so we’ll gather and show gratitude. GC: With alcohol, naturally. TA: Well, champagne. You know, a toast is a toast. It’s more about the camaraderie. GC: Do you still travel with a wine cellar when you tour? TA: You know it.
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GC: You’ve said, “I knew more about shoes than classical music.” What was your crash course in 400 years of classical music like? TA: I don’t know if it was a crash course. I was at the conservatory for five, six years studying only classical music. I wanted to be a composer. I knew that I was not going to be a concert pianist for all kinds of reasons, but you have to really be dedicated and devote your whole life to playing, for the most part, someone else’s ideas and thoughts and feelings. I felt much more that I had the soul of a composer than the
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GayCalgary & Edmonton Magazine #97, November 2011
13
soul of an interpreter. I felt closer to the sonic architects than I did to the Horowitzs of the world. GC: It sounds a lot like an extension of your last album, Midwinter Graces. Did working on that project inspire this one? TA: I think it did inspire me, because working with carols and doing variations on them was kind of me cutting my teeth on how to approach the idea of variations on a theme and to expand upon an original theme from another time. I did gain some experience by doing that, but I must tell you – hand on my heart – I did not think about going up to (classical record label) Deutsche Grammophon and saying, “Uh, excuse me, I’m gonna mess with the masters. Will you all pay for this?” It’s not something you do. It’s like calling up black op and saying, “Hi, can I blow some shit up? I’m available!” It doesn’t really work like that. But they approached me with the idea and I thought it was pretty bold, and I found them to not be reticent about it but saying, “We’ve studied your work and we think you’re ready to do this. We know you’ve been working on the musical ( ) so you should understand narrative to a degree.” And then they said, “You know what, how about a 21st century song cycle based on classical themes?” And I said, “How about a drink?” GC: Do you think this is a project you would’ve even considered 20 years ago? TA: Oh, are you kidding? I think having worked on the musical now for 5,000 years I’ve learned a lot. (Laughs) I’m working with these incredible creative minds and that has really pushed me as a creative force to expand my ability as a composer. In the pop field, the composition form is quite regimented. I can see it right now: If I had turned in almost 10 minutes to one of my favorite people in the whole world, (record label exec) Doug Morris, he would’ve looked at me and said, “Tori, what ar’ you doin’?” GC: How do you feel about the disappearance of the singer-songwriter from
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GayCalgary & Edmonton Magazine #97, November 2011
mainstream, because you were born out of that? TA: I was born out of that, and I’m still that, but I needed to take the singer-songwriter by the hand and say, “Honey, we gotta expand.” This French journalist said, “Are you willing to be honest and admit that what you really are is a conceptualist and you’ve been disguising yourself as a pop star?” (Laughs) And I said, “Well, geez, I love contemporary music, I love pop music and I love the idea of the singer-songwriter. That’s part of my soul. But maybe there is another part that needed to expand – a composer in me.” GC: Does having your 11-year-old daughter, Natashya Hawley, on four tracks mean you’re trying to turn her into a gay icon, too? TA: (Laughs) Well, I don’t know if I’m trying to turn her into anything! She’s turning herself. She helped me develop “Annabelle” (a character on Night of Hunters). I designed it, but she helped develop the character. She’s been pushing me about the musical and she realized she was too young to play any of the girls and she said, “Look, I could stuff my bra!” And I said, “Stop stuffing your bra!” So Tash is very proactive. She’s grown up with gay people in our life. We have people from all walks of life on our crew – gay women and gay men that we work with. She’s been brought up in it. GC: She had no choice – look at her mother. TA: Yeah, I know! (Laughs) But she knows very well what I think. I had a chat with her once that if she ever came home and said she was a lesbian then that’s her choice. And she said to me: “Mom, I’m not a lesbian. Black guys are hot.” GC: You’re from North Carolina, which has previously banned gay marriage and is now seeking to amend that to the state constitution to define marriage as being between a man and a woman. How do you feel about this legislation, as it affects such a huge part of your fan base? TA: What I think is so strange. It is. (Laughs) If anybody calls themselves a www.gaycalgary.com
Christian, I don’t see how you can ban consenting adults. I just don’t understand how you can see yourself as Christian and have no compassion for another person’s path. It goes against the Christ-like energy and light that I was brought up with. My mother and father, they’re both Southern, have opened up, especially my dad. He had to really stretch as a Methodist minister, but he’s embraced the idea that gay people deserve rights. I’m really proud of him that, as a Methodist minister, he was able to make that shift and see that he did need to see it differently. He took me to a gay bar when I was 13. He’s come a long way, let’s put it that way. So I think there’s hope for people who are judgmental, but what they have to say to themselves is, how can they call themselves a Christian and then insist that gay people don’t have the right to be married? Then gay people shouldn’t have to pay taxes in the state of Carolina! GC: Is there hope for Michele Bachmann or people like her? TA: I don’t understand people. Again, I’m a minister’s daughter, I was brought up in the church; I do know the political side and how it works. If I could sit down with these people you’re mentioning, I’d say, “I thought Jesus was about love and not about judgment and damnation. I thought Christ came to question the judgment of a very harsh God.” I just find it completely against Christ’s message. I don’t know what they’re representing, but they’re as far away from Christ as my Bible teaching taught me and, you know what, I was brought up in the church! I’ve gone to church enough for almost every woman in America! (Laughs) GC: With all the bullying and suicides among LGBT teens in the news, have you considered writing a song about that? TA: Could you send me some information about that? I’m not aware of all that you speak about.
GC: There’s been a series of suicides among gay youth in the last year due to bullying, with 14-year-old Jamey Rodemeyer reported most recently. The “It Gets Better” project was launched to give kids hope and remind them that it’s not the end of the world. TA: But it is the end of the world to them. When you are being bullied because of who you are, the shame of that is so great that it does seem like the end of the world and like they’re not accepted in this world – and they’re not being accepted by part of this world. And yet, the people that are not accepting them and bullying them call themselves Christian, and that is a lie. You are not a Christian if you treat people like that. I don’t care what office you’re running for. You just are not. That is not the definition of walking the Christ-like path. When artists say it’s not the end of the world, I don’t know if that’s the approach. I think the approach is acknowledging what they’re feeling and hopefully creating a space where people feeling bullied can go to. This next election, it’s so important the gay community become very aware of what’s going on and be very proactive about your rights as human beings. The fact that gay people are not treated as if they’re human beings by some of these people who are running for office, it’s barbaric. Whatever you think I am, I would like to be in a society where we’re enlightened, and I just find it all very primitive and that we’re regressing mentally.
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GayCalgary & Edmonton Magazine #97, November 2011
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GayCalgary & Edmonton Magazine #97, November 2011
www.gaycalgary.com
Directory & Events 24
DOWNTOWN CALGARY
61 37
43 41 4
55 9
60
2
34 33
16
1
35
36
3
5 6
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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 FAB---------------------------- 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
FIND OUT!
GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine is the go-to source for information about Alberta LGBT businesses and community groups—the most extensive and accurate resource of its kind! This print supplement contains a subset of active community groups and venues, with premium business listings of paid advertisers. ......... Wheelchair Accessible
Spot something inaccurate or outdated? Want your business or organization listed? We welcome you to contact us!
403-543-6960 1-888-543-6960 magazine@gaycalgary.com http://www.gaycalgary.com/CalgaryTravelRss http://www.gaycalgary.com/EdmontonTravelRss
Local Bars, Restaurants, and Accommodations info on the go! http://www.gaycalgary.com/Directory
Accommodations 13 Westways Guest House--------------------✰ 216 - 25th Avenue SW 403-229-1758 1-866-846-7038 westways@shaw.ca www.gaywestways.com
Bars & Clubs 3 Backlot----------------------------------- ✰ 403-265-5211 Open 7 days a week, 2pm-close
209 - 10th Ave SW
4 Calgary Eagle Inc.----------------------- ✰ 424a - 8th Ave SE 403-263-5847 http://www.calgaryeagle.com Open Wed-Sun, 5pm-close Leather/Denim/Fetish bar.
Club Paradiso
1413 - 9th Ave SE, 2nd Floor 403-265-5739 www.clubparadiso.ca tracy@villagecantina.ca Fri: Garter Girls Burlesque. Sat: Carly’s Angels. Weekdays: Magic, Comedy & Music. 60 Club Sapien------------------------------ ✰ 1140 10th Ave SW 403-457-4464 http://www.clubsapien.ca Dance Club and Restaurant/Lounge.
Browse our complete directory of over 600 gay-frieindly listings! www.gaycalgary.com
One Yellow Rabbit-------------------- Theatre ATP, Alberta Theatre Projects-------- Theatre Pumphouse Theatre----------------- Theatre La Fleur-------------------------- Retail Stores Lisa Heinricks----------Theatre and Fine Arts Marquee Room--------------- Bars and Clubs
CALGARY
LGBT Community Directory
✰....... Find our Magazine Here
35 36 37 41 43 55
58 60 61 62
Theatre Junction--------------------- Theatre Club Sapien------------------- Bars and Clubs Holidays on the Hill------------- Retail Stores Concept Bar & Lounge------- Bars and Clubs
60 Concept Bar & Lounge---------------------✰ 908 17th Ave SW 403-228-1006 www.facebook.com/ConceptLounge Premiere crossover lounge. Entrance on 16th Ave. 55 Marquee Room-----------------------------✰ 612 - 8th Avenue SW www.marqueeroom.com Alternative night every Wednesday. 9 FAB--------------------------------------- ✰ 1742 - 10th Ave SW 403-263-7411 www.fab-bar.com Closed Mondays. Bar and restaurant. 5 Texas Lounge-------------------------------✰ 308 - 17 Ave SW 403-229-0911 www.goliaths.ca Open 7 days a week, 11am-close 33 Twisted Element----------------------------✰ 1006 - 11th Ave SW 403-802-0230 www.twistedelement.ca Dance Club and Lounge.
Bathhouses/Saunas 6 Goliaths-------------------------------------✰ 308 - 17 Ave SW 403-229-0911 www.goliaths.ca Open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day
Community Groups 2 AIDS Calgary---------------------------- ✰ 110, 1603 10th Avenue SW 403-508-2500
GayCalgary & Edmonton Magazine #97, November 2011
17
Directory & Events Fake Mustache Show------------------ 7:30pm
Calgary Events Mondays
By Miscellaneous Youth Network Quincy’s (609 7th Ave SW)
ASK Meet and Greet---------------- 7-9:30pm
Fake Mustache Show---------------------- 9pm
Bonasera (1204 Edmonton Tr. NE)
Inside Out Youth Group---------------- 7-9pm See 1 Calgary Outlink
Karaoke-------------------------------- Evening At 60 Club Sapien Tuesdays
Calgary Networking Club-------------- 5-7pm See 1 Calgary Outlink
1st
Between Men--------------------------- 7-9pm See 1 Calgary Outlink
2nd, 4th
Karaoke------------------------------ 8pm-1am At 5 Texas Lounge
Fetish Slosh---------------------------- Evening At 3 Backlot
2nd
Alcoholics Anonymous--------------------- 8pm Hillhurst United Church (Gym Entrance) 1227 Kensington Close NW
Knox United Church
Women’s Healing Circle--------------- 1:30pm AIDS Calgary
Free Pool------------------------------- All Day At 4 Calgary Eagle with
Prime Timers Calgary
Mosaic Youth Group-------------------- 7-9pm Old Y Centre (223 12th Ave SW)
Thursdays
Lesbian Seniors---------------------------- 2pm Kerby Center, Sunshine Room 1133 7th Ave SW
Alcoholics Anonymous--------------------- 8pm Hillhurst United Church (Gym Entrance) 1227 Kensington Close NW
3rd
By Different Strokes SAIT Pool (1301 - 16 Ave NW)
Go-Go Boy Competition--------------- Evening
Gong Show: The Sequel------- 9pm-12am At 5 Texas Lounge
Sundays
WCLS/b Meet & Greet------------------ 9pm At 4 Calgary Eagle
Worship Time---------------------------- 10am
Saturday, November 19th
Worship------------------------------ 10:30am
WCLS/b & WCCBB Contests------------ 9pm At 4 Calgary Eagle
At 60 Club Sapien
See
Deer Park United Church
Leather Night-------------------------- Evening At 4 Calgary Eagle
See
BBQ Fundraiser------------------------- 5-9pm
Worship Services------------------------- 11am
By
ISCCA at 3 Backlot
See
Scarboro United Church Hillhurst United Church Knox United Church
Int/Comp Volleyball----------- 12:15-1:45pm
Illusions-------------------------------- 7-10pm
BBQ Social Sundays----------------------- 2pm
Womynspace---------------------------- 7-9pm
Church Service----------------------------- 4pm
See
Apollo Calgary
See 1 Calgary Outlink See 1 Calgary Outlink
1st
2nd 3rd
Heading Out----------------------- 8pm-10pm
See
Apollo Calgary
At 4 Calgary Eagle See
Rainbow Community Church
Swimming------------------------------- 5-6pm
By Different Strokes SAIT Pool (1301 - 16 Ave NW)
Apollo Calgary - Friends in Sports
www.apollocalgary.com www.myapollo.com A volunteer operated, non-profit organization serving primarily members of the LGBT communities but open to all members of all communities. Primary focus is to provide members with well-organized and fun sporting events and other activities.
• Western Cup 30
www.westerncup.com Easter long weekend, 2012.
• Badminton (Absolutely Smashing) 6020 - 4 Avenue NE badminton@apollocalgary.com
• Biking
bike@apollocalgary.com
• Boot Camp
Platoon FX, 1351 Aviation Park NE bootcamp@apollocalgary.com
18
Friday, November 25th
80s Dance Party--------------------------- 9pm At 4 Calgary Eagle
Saturday, November 26th World Aids Day 2011 Fundraiser------ 7pm At 9 FAB Sunday, November 27th
Social Sunday Dinner--------------------- 6pm At 4 Calgary Eagle
Friday, December 2nd
A Night Under The Big Top--------------- 9pm
Hillhurst United Church (Gym Entrance) 1227 Kensington Close NW
Free Pool------------------------------- All Day
Saturday, December 3rd
Saturdays
Saturday, November 5th
Christmas Dinner and Dance---------- 6pm By ARGRA at 60 Club Sapien
Running------------------------------------ 9am
Sock & Jocks------------------------------- 9pm
Mad World--------------------------------- 8pm
Coffee------------------------------------ 10am
Sunday, November 6th
See 1 Calgary Outlink
4th
Alcoholics Anonymous--------------------- 8pm
See
Apollo Calgary
See
Apollo Calgary
At 4 Calgary Eagle
At 4 Calgary Eagle
By Prime Timers Calgary Midtown Co-op (1130 - 11th Ave SW)
Social Sunday Dinner--------------------- 6pm
Curling------------------------- 2:20 & 4:30pm
Saturday, November 12th
Apollo Calgary
Alcoholics Anonymous--------------------- 8pm
At 4 Calgary Eagle
Cowboy Night------------------------------ 9pm At 4 Calgary Eagle
Wednesday, November 16th
At 5 Texas Lounge
By Calgary Men’s Chorus At Rosza Centre, U of C Saturday, December 17
A Very Starlight Christmas------------- 9pm By ISCCA at 60 Club Sapien Sun, Dec 18
Christmas Dinner----------------------------- 5pm At 4 Calgary Eagle
24th Anniversary---------------------- All Day At 5 Texas Lounge and Goliaths
Legend: = Monthly Reoccurrance, = Date (Range/Future), = Sponsored Event
Calgary Contd.
Alberta Society for Kink
WCLS/b Victory Brunch----------------- 9pm At 4 Calgary Eagle
Women’s Volleyball---------------- 7-8:30pm
1st
403-398-9968 albetasocietyforkink@hotmail.com http://ca.groups.yahoo.com/ group.albertasocietyforkink
Sunday, November 20th
Rec Volleyball------------------------------ 7pm
Hillhurst United Church (Gym Entrance) 1227 Kensington Close NW
info@aidscalgary.org www.aidscalgary.org
1st, 3rd
Sunday Services--------------------- 10:45am
Lesbian Meetup Group------------- 7:30-9pm At 1 Calgary Outlink
Friday, November 18th
At 9 FAB
See
See
Swimming------------------------------- 7-8pm
Tuned Out Music Trivia---------------- Evening
Fridays
See 1 Calgary Outlink
Communion Service------------------ 12:10pm See
3rd
New Directions-------------------------- 7-9pm
Wednesdays See
By Miscellaneous Youth Network At 60 Club Sapien
1st
• Bowling (Rainbow Riders League) Let’s Bowl (2916 5th Avenue NE) bowling@apollocalgary.com
• Curling
North Hill Curling Club (1201 - 2 Street NW) curling@apollocalgary.com Will return in September 2010. Sign up at myapollo.org to receive updates.
• Golf
golf@apollocalgary.com
• Lawn Bowling
lawnbowling@apollocalgary.com
• Outdoor Pursuits
outdoorpursuits@apollocalgary.com If it’s done outdoors, we do it. Volunteer led events all summer and winter. Hiking, camping, biking, skiing, snow shoeing, etc. Sign up at myapollo.org to get updates on the sport you like. We’re always looking for people to lead events.
• Running (Calgary Frontrunners)
YMCA Eau Claire (4th St, 1st Ave SW) calgaryfrontrunners@shaw.ca East Doors (directly off the Bow river pathway). Distances vary from 8 km - 15 km. Runners from 6 minutes/mile to 9+ minute miles.
GayCalgary & Edmonton Magazine #97, November 2011
• Slow Pitch
Alberta Rockies Gay Rodeo Association (ARGRA)
slow.pitch@apollocalgary.com
www.argra.org
• Squash
• Monthly Dances------------------------------
Mount Royal University Recreation squash@apollocalgary.com All skill levels welcome.
• Tennis
tennis@apollocalgary.com
• Volleyball (Beach)
beachvb@apollocalgary.com
• Volleyball (Int/Comp)
West Hillhurst Community Center 1940 6th Avenue NW vb@apollocalgary.com
• Volleyball (Recreational) 235 - 18 Ave SW recvb@apollocalgary.com
• Volleyball (Women’s)
YWCA Calgary (320 - 5th Avenue SE) vbwomen@apollocalgary.com
• Yoga
World Tree Studio (812 Edmonton Trail NE) Robin: 403-618-9642 yoga@apollocalgary.com $120 (10 sessions); $14 Drop-ins open to all levels. Apollo membership is required.
Hillhurst-Sunnyside Community Association 1320 - 5th Avenue NW
Artists for the Quality of Life
403-890-1261 linda@afqol.org
www.afqol.org
Calgary Gay Fathers
calgaryfathers@hotmail.com http://www.calgarygayfathers.ca Peer support group for gay, bisexual and questioning fathers. Meeting twice a month.
Calgary Men’s Chorus
http://www.calgarymenschorus.org
• Rehearsals
Temple B’Nai Tikvah, 900 - 47 Avenue SW
Calgary Sexual Health Centre---------- ✰
304, 301 14th Street NW 403-283-5580 http://www.calgarysexualhealth.ca A pro-choice organization that believes all people have the right and ability to make their own choices regarding their sexual and reproductive health.
www.gaycalgary.com
Directory & Events Calgary Contd. 1 Calgary Outlink-----------------------------✰ B1, 1528 16th Avenue SW 403-234-8973 info@calgaryoutlink.ca http://www.calgaryoutlink.com
• Peer Support and Crisis Line
1-877-OUT-IS-OK (1-877-688-4765) Front-line help service for GLBT individuals and their family and friends, or anyone questioning their sexuality.
• Calgary Lesbian Ladies Meet up Group • Between Men and Between Men Online • Heading Out • Illusions Calgary • Inside Out • New Directions • Womynspace
• Mosaic Youth Group
The Old Y Centre (223 12th Ave SW) For queer and trans youth and their allies.
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)
NETWORKS
networkscalgary@gmail.com A social, cultural, and service organization for the mature minded and “Plus 40” LGBT individuals seeking to meet others at age-appropriate activities within a positive, safe environment.
Parents for Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)
Calgary Queer Book Club
Weeds Cafe (1903 20 Ave NW)
Deer Park United Church/Wholeness Centre
77 Deerpoint Road SE http://www.dpuc.ca
Calgary’s ONLY Drag King Show. Early show 7:30pm, late show 9pm.
403-278-8263
Different Strokes
http://www.differentstrokescalgary.org
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
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 Friends in Calgary
http://www.gayfriendsincalgary.ca Organizes and hosts social activities catered to the LGBT people and friends.
Girl Friends
girlfriends@shaw.ca members.shaw.ca/girlfriends
Girlsgroove
http://www.girlsgroove.ca
Hillhurst United Church
1227 Kensington Close NW (403) 283-1539 office@hillhurstunited.com www.hillhurstunited.com
Sean: 403-695-5791 http://www.pflagcanada.ca 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 Works to raise awareness and challenge the patterns of silence that continue to marginalize LGBTTQ individuals. 403-797-6564
Pride Rainbow Project
Primetimers Calgary
primetimerscalgary@gmail.com http://www.primetimerscalgary.com Designed to foster social interaction for its members through a variety of social, educational and recreational activities. Open to all gay and bisexual men of any age, respects whatever degree of anonymity that each member desires.
Queers on Campus---------------------- ✰
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
ISCCA Social Association
http://www.safetyrainbow.ca Mission: To raise awareness and understanding of same-sex domestic violence and homophobic youth bullying.
Knox United Church
134 Scarboro Avenue SW 403-244-1161 www.scarborounited.ab.ca An affirming congregation—the full inclusion of LGBT people is essential to our mission and purpose.
http://www.iscca.ca Imperial Sovereign Court of the Chinook Arch. Charity fundraising group.. 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
10:30am in July and August.
Miscellaneous Youth Network
http://www.miscyouth.com
• Fake Mustache
Quincy’s (609 7th Ave SW) Club Sapien (609 7th Ave SW)
www.gaycalgary.com
Vigor Calgary
Wild Rose United Church
1317-1st Street NW
“Yeah...What She Said!” Radio Show
403-246-4134 ca.ca@shaw.ca Marriage Commissioner for Alberta (aka Justice of the Peace - JP), Marriage Officiant, Commissioner for Oaths. 24 Courtney Aarbo (Barristers & Solicitors) 1138 Kensington Road NW 403-571-5120 http://www.courtneyaarbo.ca GLBT legal services.
Cruiseline
CJSW 90.9 FM yeahwhatshesaid@gmail.com
403-777-9494 trial code 3500 http://www.cruiseline.ca Telephone classifieds and chat - 18+ ONLY.
Restaurants 4 Calgary Eagle Inc.--------------------- See Calgary - Bars and Clubs.
✰
60 Club Sapien------------------------------ ✰ 1140 10th Ave SW 403-457-4464 http://www.clubsapien.ca 9 FAB------------------------------------- See Calgary - Bars and Clubs.
✰
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.
Lorne Doucette (CIR Realtors)
403-461-9195 http://www.lornedoucette.com
Halo Steak, Seafood & Wine Bar
Canyon Meadows Plaza 13226 Macleod Trail SE 403-271-4111 www.halorestaurant.com
Marnie Campbell (Maxwell Realtors)
403-479-8619 http://www.marniecampbell.ca
MFM Communications
Retail Stores
www.pridecalgary.ca
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.
Services & Products Calgary Civil Marriage Centre
403-255-7004 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.
Pride Calgary Planning Committee
HIV Peer Support Group
403-230-5832 hivpeergroup@yahoo.ca
Focus on sexuality; gay bisexual lesbian trans gendered and straight issues here in Calgary and around the web.
Adult Depot-----------------------------
✰
140, 58th Ave SW 403-258-2777 Gay, bi, straight video rentals and sex toys. 61 Holidays on the Hill----------------------- 210 - 7th Ave SW 403-263-3030 Christmas, Halloween, and much more. 41 La Fleur------------------------------------ 103 - 100 7th Avenue SW 403-266-1707 Florist and Flower Shop.
The Naked Leaf----------------------------
305 10th Street NW http://www.thenakedleaf.ca Organic teas and tea ware.
403-283-3555
16 Priape Calgary------------------------- ✰ 1322 - 17 Ave SW 403-215-1800 http://www.priape.com Clothing and accessories. Adult toys, leather wear, movies and magazines. Gifts.
403-543-6970 1-877-543-6970 http://www.mfmcommunications.com Web site hosting and development. Computer hardware and software.
MPs Catering
403-607-8215
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
• Centre of Hope
Room 201, 420 - 9th Ave SE 403-410-1180 Mon-Fri: 1pm-5pm
• Sheldon M. Chumir Health Centre
1213 - 4th Str SW 403-955-6014 Sat-Thu: 4:15pm-7:45pm, Fri: Closed
• Safeworks Van
403-850-3755 Sat-Thu: 8pm-12am, Fri: 4pm-12am
2nd Cup, Kensington
Safety Under the Rainbow
Scarboro United Church
Sharp Foundation
403-272-2912 sharpfoundation@nucleus.com http://www.thesharpfoundation.com
Unity Bowling
Let’s Bowl (2916 - 5th Ave NE) sundayunity@live.com
Urban Sex Radio Show
CJSW 90.9 FM http://www.cjsw.com
GayCalgary & Edmonton Magazine #97, November 2011
19
Directory & Events DOWNTOWN EDMONTON
1
5
7 11 6 12
3
N
4 14
1 Pride Centre------------- Community Groups 3 HIV Network------------- Community Groups 4 Edmonton STD---------- Community Groups
5 The Junction------------------ Bars and Clubs 6 Buddy’s Nite Club------------ Bars and Clubs 7 Down Under Baths--------------- Bathhouses
8 Prism Bar & Grill------------- Bars and Clubs 11 Steamworks---------------------- Bathhouses 12 Woody’s----------------------- Bars and Clubs
13 PLAY Nightclub--------------- Bars and Clubs 14 FLASH------------------------- Bars and Clubs
34 Vertigo Mystery Theatre------------------ 161, 115 - 9 Ave SE 403-221-3708 http://www.vertigomysterytheatre.com
11 Steamworks--------------------------------✰ 11745 Jasper Ave 780-451-5554 http://www.steamworksedmonton.com
diverse backgrounds but have common social interests. Affiliated with Prime Timers World Wide.
Calgary Contd.
Theatre & Fine Arts 36 ATP, Alberta Theatre Projects 403-294-7402 http://www.ATPlive.com
AXIS Contemporary Art--------------------
107, 100 - 7 Ave SW rob@axisart.ca
403-262-3356 www.axisart.ca
Community Groups
EDMONTON
Alberta Bears
www.beefbearbash.com
Bars & Clubs
Fairytales
See Calgary - Community Groups.
AltView Foundation
6 Buddy’s Nite Club--------------------------✰ 11725 Jasper Ave 780-488-6636
Jubilations Dinner Theatre
Bow Trail and 37th St. SW 403-249-7799 www.jubilations.ca
14 FLASH---------------------------------------✰ 10018 105 Street 780-938-2941 flashnightclub@hotmail.com
43 Lisa Heinricks (Artist)--------------------- Art Central, 100 7th Ave SW, lower level http://www.creamydreamy.com 35 One Yellow Rabbit------------------------- Big Secret Theatre - EPCOR CENTRE 403-299-8888 www.oyr.org 37 Pumphouse Theatre------------------ 2140 Pumphouse Avenue SW 403-263-0079 http://www.pumphousetheatres.ca
✰
Stagewest-------------------------------
✰
5 The Junction---------------------------- ✰ 10242 106th St 780-756-5667 http://www.junctionedmonton.com
PLAY Nightclub (closed)-------------------✰
10220 103 Street info@playnightclub.ca http://www.playnightclub.ca
780-497-7529
Prism Bar & Grill (closed)-------------
10524 101st St http://www.prismbar.ca
✰
780-990-0038
727 - 42 Avenue SE 403-243-6642 http://www.stagewestcalgary.com
12 Woody’s-------------------------------------✰ 11725 Jasper Ave 780-488-6557
58 Theatre Junction---------------------- Theatre Junction GRAND, 608 1st St. SW 403-205-2922 info@theatrejunction.com http://www.theatrejunction.com
7 Down Under Baths (temp. closed) *RELOCATING* 780-482-7960 http://www.gayedmonton.com
20
✰
Bathhouses/Saunas
GayCalgary & Edmonton Magazine #97, November 2011
#44, 48 Brentwood Blvd, Sherwood Park, AB 403-398-9968 info@altview.ca www.altview.ca For gender variant and sexual minorities.
Book Worm’s Book Club
Howard McBride Chapel of Chimes 10179 - 108 Street bookworm@teamedmonton.ca
Buck Naked Boys Club
780-471-6993 http://www.bucknakedboys.ca Naturism club for men—being social while everyone is naked, and it does not include sexual activity. Participants do not need to be gay, only male.
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 Festival Society (EPFS)
http://www.edmontonpride.ca
Edmonton Prime Timers
edmontonpt@yahoo.ca www.primetimersww.org/edmonton Group of older gay men and their admirers who come from
Edmonton Rainbow Business Association
3379, 11215 Jasper Ave 780-429-5014 http://www.edmontonrba.org Primary focus is the provision of networking opportunities for LGBT owned or operated and LGBT-friendly businesses in the Edmonton region.
Edmonton Illusions Social Club
5 The Junction 780-387-3343 groups.yahoo.com/group/edmonton_illusions 4 Edmonton STD 11111 Jasper Ave
Edmonton Vocal Minority
780-479-2038 www.evmchoir.com
sing@evmchoir.com
3 HIV Network Of Edmonton Society---- ✰ 9702 111 Ave NW www.hivedmonton.com
Imperial Sovereign Court of the Wild Rose
http://www.iscwr.ca
GLBTQ Sage Bowling Club
780-474-8240
tuff@shaw.ca
Men’s Games Nights
Unitarian Church (10804 119th Street) 780-474-8240 tuff@shaw.ca
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.
www.gaycalgary.com
Directory & Events Edmonton Events
Bowling------------------------------------ 5pm
Intermediate Volleyball-------- 7:30-9:30pm
Sundays
See
Mondays
Boot Camp------------------------------ 7-8pm See
Martial Arts--------------------- 7:30-8:30pm
Team Edmonton
See
Team Edmonton Team Edmonton
Team Edmonton
See
At 5 The Junction
Team Edmonton
Men’s Games Nights--------------- 7-10:30pm
Yoga--------------------------------- 2-3:30pm
Edmonton Illusions-------------------- 8:30pm
Ballroom Dancing-------------- 7:30-8:30pm
GLBTQ Bowling------------------ 1:30-3:30pm
Youth Sports/Recreation------------------ 4pm
Monthly Meetings---------------------- 2:30pm
Youth Sports/Recreation------------------ 4pm
Saturdays
Martial Arts--------------------- 7:30-8:30pm See
Team Edmonton
See
GLBTQ Sage Bowling Club
Youth Understanding Youth
Youth Understanding Youth
Book Club------------------------------ 7:30pm BookWorm’s Book Club
See
See
Thursdays
See
2nd, Last
2nd
Youth Understanding Youth
Naturalist Gettogether
Youth Sports/Recreation------------------ 4pm See
Men’s Games Nights
At 5 The Junction
Wednesdays See
See
Buck Naked Boys Club
Team Edmonton
See
2nd 2nd
3rd
Team Edmonton
• Community Potluck
TBA tuff@shaw.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
TBA monika\penner@shaw.ca Free School provides workshops on a variety of topics related to local activism.
• Get Tested for STIs
Free STD testing for anyone interested. For more information please contact the Pride Centre.
• GLBT African Group (Drop-In)
fred@pridecentreofedmonton.org jeff@pridecentreofedmonton.org Group for ALL gay refugees and their friends and families, from all around the world.
• GLBT Seniors Drop-In
Saturday, November 12th
• TTIQ
TBA admin@pridecentreofedmonton.org TTIQ is mixed gender open support group addressing the needs of transsexual and transgendered individuals.
• Womonspace Board Meeting
TBA wspresident@hotmail.com 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
TBA brendan@pridecentreofedmonton.org Movie chosen by youth (aged 14 – 25), usually with LGBT themes. Popcorn is served.
• YouthSpace
brendan@pridecentreofedmonton.org A safe and supportive space for GLBTQ youth aged 13–25. Video games, computers with internet, clothing bank, and more.
Team Edmonton
• Cross Country Skiing
crosscountry@teamedmonton.ca
• Curling with Pride
Granite Curling Club, 8620 107 Street NW curling@teamedmonton.ca
• Cycling (Edmonton Prideriders) Various locations in Edmonton cycling@teamedmonton.ca
• Dragon Boat (Flaming Dragons) dragonboat@teamedmonton.ca
• Golf
golf@teamedmonton.ca
• Gymnastics, Drop-in
Ortona Gymnastics Club, 8755 - 50 Avenue gymnastics@teamedmonton.ca 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
• Martial Arts
• Men Talking with Pride
• Badminton (Mixed)
outdoorpursuits@teamedmonton.ca
St. Thomas Moore School, 9610 165 Street coedbadminton@teamedmonton.ca New group seeking male & female players.
• Badminton (Women’s)
TBA huges@shaw.ca Support group for people living with HIV/AIDS.
Oliver School, 10227 - 118 Street 780-465-3620 badminton@teamedmonton.ca Women’s Drop-In Recreational Badminton. $40.00 season or $5.00 per drop in.
• PFLAG
•Ballroom Dancing
• Prime Timers
See Edmonton Primetimers.
• Suit Up and Show Up: AA Big Book Study
TBA Discussion and support group for those struggling with an alcohol addiction or seeking support in staying sober.
www.gaycalgary.com
ISCWR at 5 The Junction
Friday, November 25th
Crowns for Kids------------------------ 8-11pm By
ISCWR at 5 The Junction
Saturday, December 10th
Miss Mary Christmas Pageant--------- 8-11pm By
ISCWR at 5 The Junction
Legend: = Monthly Reoccurrance, = Date (Range), = Sponsored Event
SAGE building, Classroom B 15 Sir Winstone Churchill Square tuff@shaw.ca A social and support group for seniors of all genders and sexualities to talk, have tea and offer each other support.
TBA 780-436-1998 edmontonab@pflagcanada.ca 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.
BigDaddy’s Perogy Dinner------------ 5-8pm
Bearbash-------------------------------- 8pm By BEEF Bearbash at Junction
15450 - 105 Ave (daycare entrance) 780-328-6414 kungfu@teamedmonton.ca kickboxing@teamedmonton.ca Drop-ins welcome.
• Men’s HIV Support Group
2nd
The Loud & Queer Cabaret- 6:30-9:30pm La Cite Francophone (8627 91 Street)
president@teamedmonton.ca 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.
TBA robwells780@hotmail.com A social discussion group for gay, bisexual and transgendered men to discuss current issues and to offer support to each other.
At 5 The Junction
By
Unitarian Church (10804 119th Street) See Edmonton Primetimers
Edmonton Contd. 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton-------------- ✰ *RELOCATING* 780-488-3234 admin@pridecentreofedmonton.org
Saturday, November 19th
Beach Party---------------------------- Evening Sunday, November 20th
Saturday, November 5th
Monthly Meeting----------------------- 2:30pm By Edmonton Primetimers Unitarian Church, 10804 - 119th Street
See
Friday, November 18th
Kate Reid------------------------------- Evening
Running------------------------------ 10-11am
Fridays
Tuesdays
See
Foot Notes Dance Studio, 9708-45 Avenue NW Cynthia: 780-469-3281
• Outdoor Pursuits
• Running (Arctic Frontrunners)
Emily Murphy Park, west end running@teamedmonton.ca All genders and levels of runners and walkers are invited to join this free activity.
• Slo Pitch
Parkallen Field, 111 st and 68 ave slo-pitch@teamedmonton.ca Season fee is $30.00 per person. $10 discount for players from the 2008 season.
• Snowballs V
January 27-29, 2012 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. spin@teamedmonton.ca 7 classes, $28.00 per registrant.
• Swimming (Making Waves) NAIT Pool (11762 - 106 Street) swimming@teamedmonton.ca www.makingwavesswimclub.ca
• 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, Intermediate
Amiskiwacy Academy (101 Airport Road) volleyball@teamedmonton.ca
• Volleyball, Recreational
Mother Teresa School (9008 - 105 Ave) recvolleyball@teamedmonton.ca
• Women’s Lacrosse
Sharon: 780-461-0017 Pam: 780-436-7374 Open to women 21+, experienced or not, all are welcome. Call for info.
• Yoga
Lion's Breath Yoga Studio (10350-124 Street) yoga@teamedmonton.ca
• Blazin’ Bootcamp
Garneau Elementary School 10925 - 87 Ave bootcamp@teamedmonton.ca
• Bowling (Northern Titans)
Ed’s Rec Room (West Edmonton Mall) bowling@teamedmonton.ca $15.00 per person.
GayCalgary & Edmonton Magazine #97, November 2011
21
Directory & Events Edmonton Contd. Womonspace
780-482-1794 womonspace@gmail.com www.womonspace.ca Women’s social group, but all welcome at events.
Youth Understanding Youth
780-248-1971 www.yuyedm.ca A support and social group for queer youth 12-25.
• Sports and Recreation
Brendan: 780-488-3234 brendan@pridecentreofedmonton.org
Restaurants 5 The Junction------------------------------- 10242 106th St 780-756-5667 12 Woody’s-------------------------------------✰ 11725 Jasper Ave 780-488-6557
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.
Products & Services Cruiseline
780-413-7122 trial code 3500 http://www.cruiseline.ca Telephone classifieds and chat - 18+ ONLY.
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!
GRANDE PRAIRIE ALBERTA Community Groups GALAP
10113 - 103 Ave, T8V 1C2 780-512-1990 Gay and Lesbian Association of the Peace. • Wednesday Coffee Nights
LETHBRIDGE Community Groups GALA/LA
403-308-2893 http://www.galalethbridge.ca Gay and Lesbian Alliance of Lethbridge and Area.
• Monthly Dances
Henotic (402 - 2 Ave S) Bring your membership card and photo ID.
• Monthly Potluck Dinners
McKillop United Church, 2329 - 15 Ave S 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.
• Support Line
403-308-2893 Monday OR Wednesday, 7pm-11pm Leave a message any other time.
• Friday Mixer
Betty, 403-381-5260 bneil@chr.ab.ca Every second Wednesday, 3:30pm-5pm
Monthly, contact us for exact dates.
Theatre & Fine Arts
Community Groups BOX 4892, BANFF, AB, T1L 1G1 Brian, 403-431-2569 1-800-958-9632 members@gaybanff.com www.gaybanff.com Serving the GLBTQS community in Banff, Canmore, Lake Louise and Area.
22
http://www.albertaballet.com Frequent productions in Calgary and Edmonton.
CANADA
Broadway Across Canada
http://www.broadwayacrosscanada.ca
OUTtv
http://www.outtv.ca GLBT Television Station.
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.
Lethbridge HIV Connection PFLAG Canada
lethbridgepridefest@gmail.com
Mountain Pride
Alberta Ballet
Theatre & Fine Arts
1206 - 6 Ave S
The Roxy Theatre
BANFF/CANMORE
Theatre & Fine Arts
http://www.squirt.org Website for dating and hook-ups. 18+ ONLY!
Gay Youth Alliance Group
Exposure Festival
10708 124th Street, Edmonton AB 780-453-2440 www.theatrenetwork.ca
http://www.youthsafe.net Alberta’s website for youth with sex-and-gender differences. Youthsafe.net lists the resources, information and services to help youth find safe and caring spaces in Alberta.
Products & Services Squirt
Room C610, University of Lethbridge
1-888-530-6777 lethbridgeab@pflagcanada.ca www.pflagcanada.ca
http://www.exposurefestival.ca Edmonton’s Queer Arts and Culture Festival.
YouthSafe
galia@uleth.ca
• Film Night • Book Club
Western Canadian Pride Campout
www.eventmasterinc.net
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, transidentified people and our families.
Gay & Lesbian Integrity Assoc. (GALIA)
University of Lethbridge GBLTTQQ club on campus.
• Movie Night
Bi-monthly, contact us for exact dates.
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.
The Mix (green water tower) 103 Mayor Magrath Dr S Every Friday at 10pm
• Soul OUTing
Second Sunday every month, 7pm An LGBT-focused alternative worship.
Community Groups Central Alberta AIDS Network Society
Canadian Rainbow Health Coalition
P..O. Box 3043, Saskatoon, SK, S7K 3S9 (306) 955-5135 1-800-955-5129 http://www.rainbowhealth.ca
Pride Lethbridge
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!
GayCalgary & Edmonton Magazine #97, November 2011
www.gaycalgary.com
Politics
Freedom of Speech vs Freedom from Hate By Stephen Lock The principle of free speech is a prickly one and fraught with conflicting rights. When does “free speech” become an assault on someone else’s rights and freedoms and, if it ever does, does that mean there are limits to free speech? If the answer is yes to that, who imposes those limits? Government? The law? The law can’t cover every eventuality or circumstance. It is, by necessity, broad and subject to interpretation, which is why we have courts and judges. Extra-judicial entities like human rights commissions that can, and do, deal with non-criminal infringements of rights, must themselves tread that fine indistinct line between one set of rights and another set. Such is democracy; messy and convoluted and inconvenient, but the best system we got. Of course there are those, mainly on the right, who decry human rights commissions as ”kangaroo courts” and non-democratic. The latest foray into this minefield involves a Saskatchewan “Christian activist” by the name of Bill Whatcott. Mr. Whatcott distributes graphic anti-gay pamphlets (referring to gay men as sodomites and pedophiles who spread filth and disease and urged people to ensure homosexuals be barred from teaching children) by stuffing them into mail boxes of private residences, slipping them under apartment suite doors, and posting them on various public surfaces. He has frequently been in trouble with the police in Saskatoon, Regina, Ottawa, Edmonton and other major Canadian cities. He has been arrested six times in Saskatchewan, but never convicted of any charge. He has also been arrested once in the United States and 20 times in Ontario. He is also an anti-abortion activist who has been successfully prosecuted twice for violating the ‘bubble zone’ around abortion clinics in Toronto. He has also distributed anti-Muslim literature depicting the Prophet Muhammad as a “violent man” and portraying images of a beheaded Indonesian girl. Whatcott is, what could most charitably be called, ”a man of strong opinions.” Whatcott spent his formative years in a variety of foster homes in Ontario and claims he was physically and mentally abused. By the age of 14 he was on the streets and became addicted to “huffing” glue and turned to prostitution and theft to support his habit. At age 18, he found God and began, with the assistance of a group home he was then in, to turn his life around, eventually becoming a nurse and moving to Regina. It was while living in Regina he began his “crusade” against abortion and homosexuality, seeking to make both illegal again.
Parenthood office and clinic by picketing and referring to its workers as “murderers, abortionists and disseminators of AIDS.” Whatcott sued SALPN claiming, since he was off duty and made no reference to his professional status, he was well within his rights of free speech as a private citizen in protesting the clinic. The judge upheld the fine. The Saskatchewan Court of Appeal overturned the ruling by the trial judge, and on May 29, 2008, the Supreme Court endorsed the Court of Appeal’s view that his off duty activities were protected by the right of free speech and could not be used to suspend his nursing license. On February 25, 2010, the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal also overturned the Saskatchewan Human Rights Tribunal ruling against him and dismissed the $17,500 fine. The Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada, which has decided to hear the case. At the time of writing, this is where we now sit. Interestingly, the day before appearing before the Supreme Court, Whatcott and an associate were distributing anti-gay flyers in the Centretown district, Ottawa’s gay village, but was not charged and, after speaking with police he continued to distribute the flyers. Predictably, various conservative commentators have come out in support of Whatcott and every one of them cite “freedom of speech” and/ or “freedom of religion” concerns. One of the common threads in their commentary is that hate laws, which they decry anyway, should not be used to protect “hurt feelings” at the expense of free speech. Well, you know...I agree with that. Thing is, this is not about “hurt feelings” any more than 1930’s anti-Semitic writings were about “hurting” Jewish feelings or sensibilities. If the Germany of the 1920s and 1930s had gone through all the rigmarole we do over conflicting rights, maybe history would have turned out differently. It certainly would have for European Jewry. To trivialize concerns about such material as being about “hurt feelings” does a disservice to the debate. It’s dismissive. Ezra Levant - himself no stranger to what he calls the ”kangaroo courts” of human rights tribunals and so perhaps a tad biased here - wrote in an October 16 Calgary Sun column that Saskatchewan’s Section 14 is, ...[A] massive, vague and subjective limit on free speech. And it limits Whatcott’s freedom of religion, too. What mature society makes it illegal to “affront” someone’s “dignity”? That’s how kindergarten teachers treat their children. But this law applies to adults. This law makes it illegal to ‘likely’ cause someone to feel the emotion of hatred.
In 2005, he was fined $17,500 by the Saskatchewan Human Rights Tribunal for distributing material deemed to be hateful. He is, as of this writing, arguing that case before the Supreme Court of Canada. He was also fined $15,000.00 and suspended for forty-five days by the Saskatchewan Association of Licensed Practical Nurses (SALPN) for allegedly intimidating patients and staff outside a Regina Planned
www.gaycalgary.com
He goes on to write,
GayCalgary & Edmonton Magazine #97, November 2011
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From Previous Page If that’s all it took to wipe out the human emotion of hate - a natural emotion that is part of a normal personality - then we could just pass the Love Each Other Act and be done with it. But people don’t work that way. No, they don’t...which is why we have laws in place to protect this group from that group’s “natural emotions”. It’s natural to want the cool things my neighbour has, but it’s illegal for me to go in and take them. It’s natural for me to want to haul off and punch someone in the face who’s pissed me off, and give him either a fat lip or a bloody nose or both, but it’s illegal for me to do that. It’s natural for me to want to experience the adrenaline rush of driving my car at a high speed, but it’s illegal to do so. Writing inaccurate, inflammatory and hateful prose, and then distributing to those who may not wish to read it, should likewise be illegal. This is not about disallowing the Whatcott’s of the world their right to express their opinion, even if such opinion is founded on misinformation or simply their own bigotry. That can be dealt with by countering the arguments with reason and facts. As those opposed to “special rights” for the GLBTQ community, ranging from the inclusion of sexual orientation as a protected characteristic in human rights acts right on up to equal marriage, have always been fond of pointing out, rights need to be balanced by responsibility. I couldn’t agree more; they should. Whatcott has a responsibility to get his facts straight, so to speak, and not engage in ad hominem attacks against an entire population or outright lies about that population to support his opinion. The key to whether or not material is hate is whether material has the effect of causing harm to a minority. Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission lawyer Grant Scharfstein has said in this case, “I would say [the material contained in the pamphlets] is as hateful as saying [the N word] to a black person.” Sharfstein also stated it is entirely possible for people to raise pointed questions about such sensitive issues as gay lifestyles or Jewish
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circumcision, for instance, without their arguments being stated in a way that promotes hate. Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin repeatedly interjected that offensive material can be censored without destroying an individual’s right to free expression. She said that human rights provisions are so convoluted and wordy that they can chill legitimate argument. The Court’s decision is expected to hinge on whether ‘hate’ can ever be defined in such a way that it doesn’t destroy legitimate opinion in the process. This is a valid concern and one that is at the forefront of every case that has come up in recent years. As mentioned above, the issue of freedom from hate literature/speech versus freedom of expression is a minefield of conflicting rights. I have a right to live openly and freely as a gay man and to consentually love or have sex with whomever I please. Whatcott has the right to believe that is immoral. Fine. He even has the right to promulgate his beliefs, but those of us who think he is a nutbar (probably he huffed a little too much glue back in the day, who knows?) have the right to counter his arguments. It all gets a bit tedious, however, constantly having to counter these whackjobs, especially when we are confined in our attempts to do so. How does one counter the material he goes around stuffing into people’s mailboxes, for instance? By stuffing our own material in people’s mailboxes? Not only does that infringe on individuals’ rights to the enjoyment of their home and their privacy, it has the counter effect of promoting his views. However, silence in the face of the sheer volume of material being spewed out is not an option either.
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GayCalgary & Edmonton Magazine #97, November 2011
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Trans-Identity
Can A Trans Human Rights Bill Pass With A Harper Majority? By Mercedes Allen “It’ll never pass,” I often hear. “Not with a Harper government. They’d never support human rights inclusion for transsexual and transgender people.” And then it passed. Oh, Bill C-389 - championed by the now-retired NDP MP Bill Siksay - had its challenges. It narrowly passed Second Reading in June of 2010, and again at Third Reading in February of this year. Had an election call not killed the bill while awaiting discussion in the Senate, it could have reached Royal Assent. Randall Garrison and Hedy Fry have re-introduced legislation to include gender identity and gender expression among the protected classes in the Canada Human Rights Act, as well as those in the hate crimes clause of the Criminal Code of Canada. “It’ll never pass,” I still hear. “Not with a Harper majority. They’d never support human rights inclusion for transsexual and transgender people.” No doubt, the challenges are bigger. It would be tougher to pass this bill. It will take more effort, and the additional support of trans-positive allies will be crucial. But it’s not impossible. Here is a quick summary of the process the bill faces. It has been read into Parliament for First Reading, which is a formality. The order in which Private Members have their bills discussed by Parliament is determined by a kind of lottery, and Garrison’s bill, C-279, could come up for Second Reading in as soon as five months from now. At that point, it will face its first hour of discussion and a vote; if it passes, it will be sent to committee - probably to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights, where it was referred last time. Then the committee would need to discuss the bill and decide whether to hear statements from interested parties, make modifications or pass it forward. At that point, a vote on “report stage” would take place in the house, allowing it to proceed to Third Reading, probably six to twelve months later. Third Reading is comprised of a second hour of debate and a final vote, and if it passes that, then proceeds to the same three readings in the Senate. It sounds like a long, complicated and daunting process, impossible with a hard-right or hard-right -influenced government. But it passed under a Conservative minority, and could pass again. Here’s how: If You’re Transsexual or Transgender Trans people need to contact their Members of Parliament. I believe it will be all the more crucial to make an appointment to visit them personally. If they refuse or give you extensive runaround, find out when they’re in their constituency office and drop by. Transphobia persists because we are usually technically invisible, allowing people to make wild assumptions and form distorted pictures of us. Our legislators need to
see who we really are, and hear about how we have been obstructed in our jobs or met with harm for being trans. They need to see why inclusion is necessary. This means if your MP is Conservative, or from a different party but voted “no” last time, then it is especially important that you meet with them. Be civil, be professional, and if they disagree, do so courteously. Conflict will not help. And finally, keep heart. We can - and do - have Conservative supporters (several supported the bill last time, including some Cabinet ministers), and those who don’t can sometimes change when they meet us and see past the myths. If You’re a Parent, Significant Other, Sibling, Child or Friend of Someone Who Is Trans Parents and loved ones of trans people also need to contact their Members of Parliament. Again, I recommend an appointment and civil discussion. Human rights inclusion affects far more than ourselves, and it helps to see real Canadians who are touched by our lives and want or need us to be enfranchised in society. If You’re an Ally Allies also need to contact their Members of Parliament. If allies don’t have experience on trans issues and feel at a loss to help in that way, then at least write to your MP and voice your support. Don’t be discouraged. Follow up The process is long. See your MP now, then contact them before the Second Reading vote and the vote at the report stage. If there’s a Third Reading vote, then contact them again to remind them of your visit and your support. A letter is just a letter: diligent persistence (but not to a level of harassment) shows importance. If you have spoken to your MP and have a commitment of support or see an “iffy” possibility of support, also send a short note to Mr. Garrison’s constituency office [1] to let them know. He may also be able to follow up, and has a better picture of where things stand, this way. Media: Be Visible if You Can Media will make a lot of difference. Last time around, there was a lot of media interest in hearing from Charles McVety and other anti-trans people, but sometimes few if any interviews from actual trans people. Many of us were willing to talk. Do so again. But don’t stop there. Find media avenues to talk about the challenges you face as a trans person. Blog. Write to smaller magazines, community publications and weeklies. If larger media outlets are uninterested, and if Second Reading, report stage or Third Reading are approaching, hold a rally. Or better yet, hold a rally anyway. Procedural Questions When I hear some of the more defeatist comments, many of them include doubts that there will be a free vote. If Prime Minister Stephen Harper chose to enforce a “no” vote among Conservatives on a piece of human rights legislation, then it would need to be called out, and loudly. I doubt, though, that there would be that kind of visible obstruction of the bill, and by custom, votes on private members’ bills are always free. I expect that a free vote or at least partial free vote will happen.
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If our representatives pledge their support, then it’s crucial that they be present for all three votes: Second Reading, report stage, and Third Reading. If the bill proceeds to committee stage, we need to send trans and trans-inclusive groups to the Standing Committee to speak on the bill. Some of those groups are underfunded, so may need allies to assist getting them there. If Support is Not An Option, At Least Don’t Stand in the Way And finally, if your Member of Parliament is positive toward you, and perhaps wants to support trans human rights but feels pressured to vote against, there is a third option: abstain. It is practically impossible to determine if a failure to vote is because of deliberate abstention, or of not being present for the vote (many MPs do not stay to vote on Private Members matters anyway), pairing or unavoidable absence. Support is far preferable. But if there are fears about how a voting group or party members may react, then abstention will allow a Member of Parliament to not obstruct the chances for transsexual and transgender people to obtain human rights. If your Member of Parliament seems strained,
uncomfortable or perhaps under pressure, then encourage them to consider doing so. On October 20th, several Conservative Members of Parliament responded to the suicide of gay teen Jamie Hubley by making an “It Gets Better” video. [2] They were roundly criticized for doing so while supporting a government which has often opposed legislation what would protect or benefit lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans (LGBT) people. I won’t, because when it comes right down to it, I’m willing to bet that on an individual level, they probably are genuinely concerned for LGBT kids. And as long as that is true, then there is some will to make it better... or at least willingness to not support making it worse. Sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression are different things, but that will can translate. In late September, Mr. Garrison estimated that he needed 15 more votes [3] from across the aisle to pass the bill. Canada, we can do this. Links: 1) http://www.gaycalgary.com/u289 2) http://www.gaycalgary.com/u296 3) http://www.gaycalgary.com/u303
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GayCalgary & Edmonton Magazine #97, November 2011
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Joss Stone: The Solo Sessions
Singer on being a free soul, adoring Melissa Etheridge and going lesbian for a day Photos by Kristin Burns
By Chris Azzopardi “Yell at me like I pissed you off,” Joss Stone insists, trying to hear me over the poor reception. And then it’s just downhill from there: Her dog is eating her clothes, and an incessant beeping from her wonky phone ends our conversation. When Stone calls back, she’s not kidding when she says, “Shit is going down.” In her career and personal life, it’s nothing short of the truth. In June, Stone was the target of a murder plot that involved two men’s plan to rob and attack the performer at her England home. She’s fine now, and during our interview already joking about it. There’s also the messy breakup with her former record label, EMI, which ended in a legal battle and the recent release of a greatest hits package, The Best of Joss Stone 2003-2009, going all the way back to Stone’s breakout debut The Soul Sessions. The singer also has her own project – on her own label, Stone’d Records – that dropped this summer, aptly titled LP1. Stone recently chatted about her newfound independence, why performing with Melissa Etheridge was “one of the best experiences I’ve ever had” and how she’s kissed girls – but she’s not a lesbian. GC: Years ago, when you said you’d had it with men, you joked about going lesbian. How’s that working out for you? That’s an odd question to start with. (Laughs) I’m not a lesbian; don’t worry. I’m fine. I’m still into my heterosexuality. GC: You’ve been a big supporter of gay people for a long time, performing at Pride parades and for GLAAD. What’s that been like? 28
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Really fun, actually. GLAAD was fun, and then I did gay Pride in L.A. – that was also really fun. They’re the best crowd ever. GC: When did gay issues become important to you? It’s always been something that’s been close to my heart, because a lot of my best mates are gay. It’s important that everybody gets treated the same. I don’t like prejudice in any kind of way, whether it’s color or sexual preference. I just think it’s disgusting the way that people treat people who are a little bit different. GC: You’ve performed with lots of notable gay people, including Melissa Etheridge and Ricky Martin. Tell me about those experiences. Melissa Etheridge was a wicked one. I love her because she stands for so many things. She stands for strength as a human being, first and foremost. She’s one of the bravest women I’ve come across. For lesbian and gay people, she definitely stood up in front of the world in the classiest of manners and said, “This is who I am and if you don’t like it, tough.” I just love her. I love her attitude about life, and everything she says always comes from a good place. So, to be honest, performing with her was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. She gives me a lot of good advice; she’s a good person to just talk to. Let alone perform with! I mean, that was mad! GC: What about Ricky Martin? He’s gorgeous, isn’t he? What a lovely person. He totally welcomed me into his home with open arms. And what a great dad! Those two kids, he loves them – and I love to see that. He’ll drop everything for his kids. It says a lot about him. GC: Who’s your closest gay friend? www.gaycalgary.com
My friend Brian, my hairdresser, is one of my best friends in the whole world. I love him so much. He’s such a good person. But there are many, many, many. I don’t know if they want me to mention all of their names, but I can say Brian is a really close friend of mine and he’s been with me through everything since I was, like, 15. He’s the best friend you could ever have. GC: How does it feel to be a free woman and have an album out on your own label? I love the fact that I can do whatever I want. It was always a struggle to do that, and I was always in trouble for doing so. Now I’m happier because I’m doing something that I want to do and nobody’s telling me off for doing it – you know, threatening me with all sorts of horrible things. I can just be who I want to be, and I felt like there was a time where I was being told that whatever I was was wrong, and I hate that. It’s just a very cruel thing. I’d go off and make some music that I was really proud of, and they’d tell me it was shit. So I thought, “You go find whomever you want to sign that’s going to fit your mold, and I’ll just go be me and be a happy human being.” I’m not interested in becoming this humungous artist selling millions of albums. I just want to be a happy human being and make great music. Now I have the freedom to do that. GC: “Karma,” one of the songs on the new studio album, references you owning a gun. Do you really have a loaded gun? JS: (Laughs) I’m going to get one soon. (Phone starts beeping; Joss hangs up and calls back) My phone is really creepy. I’ve changed my number because all these noises kept coming through – what you just heard – and they keep happening! GC: You better get that loaded gun fast. JS: I should! (Laughs) GC: Are you tempted to get a gun because of that recent plot to attack you? JS: No, actually. It’s a great excuse to get more dogs! GC: You started something when you mentioned Lady Gaga recently. JS: Oh, shit. What did I say now? GC: That Gaga’s clothes distracted from her talent as a musician. JS: It does, though, right? I like to think that was a compliment to her, though. From my point of view, that was a compliment. That might not have come across as one. Oops. I think she’s a great singer and she plays piano pretty nicely, and it’d be nice if people would talk about her because of that. GC: With Gaga and Katy Perry relying more on just their talent to entertain, do you think you can be successful today without the frills?
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JS: Probably. It’s nice because it gives more of an entertainment value to it, as well. It must be, like, the most amazing show ever. Whereas people that just sing and play, it can be amazing and mind-blowing but it’s a different type of feeling. It’s not bright lights and fireworks, but it doesn’t make it any better or worse. Sometimes when I hear people talk about certain artists that I know are really great singers but they don’t mention it, it’s like shit – it shouldn’t be about the boobs, the bum and the hairdo. GC: Whatever happened to Snappers, the British film you shot a few years ago where you kissed another woman? Is it ever coming out? JS: Where I made out with a woman? I did! (Laughs) No, I don’t think so. I think the guys that put it together had some kind of crazy misunderstanding and it never got sorted. It’s mad, the movie was. It’s so funny because some of it was really serious and very professional, and then there’s a lot of it that’s kind of slightly dodge, as we would say. GC: Do you know how many women wish you were a lesbian? JS: (Laughs) That’s funny! Aw, I don’t know. But the time I did it for a movie, it was kind of halfway there; it was a local thing that was happening 20 minutes from where I live, and my friend was making the movie and he said, “Joss, will you play a lesbian? It’ll only take a day.” I said, “That sounds fun!” GC: Was that your first time kissing a woman? JS: No! I’ve snogged girls before in my time. But I’m not a lesbian; I swear it, I’m not! I don’t think I could go in that direction. But I have snogged girls before when I was little; of course I have. That’s what we do as girls.
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GayCalgary & Edmonton Magazine #97, November 2011
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Gossip Will Leo make it turing’s turn? A big-screen biopic of World War II computer pioneer Alan Turing is in the works at Warner Bros and word is that Leonardo DiCaprio – clearly bucking for another Academy Award nomination – is interested in playing him. The working title is The Imitation Game and the script by Graham Moore is based on Andrew Hodge’s biography Alan Turing: The Enigma. During WW2, British military officer Turing was a key figure in breaking Nazi codes – he developed the Turing Bombe, a device that deciphered the Third Reich’s enigma codes – and he is considered a pioneer of modern computer technology. But Turing was also gay and, after the war, was punished by the very government he heroically served. The story will explore both Turing’s efforts during the war and also his post-war prosecution for being homosexual, his conviction for “gross indecency,” forced hormone therapy and his subsequent tragic suicide. Now, if they can just figure out a way to release this worthy but extremely depressing tale during Oscar season but not on Christmas Day…
Will Lee Daniels teach America to ‘Vogue’ again?
Annette Bening (left) and Julianne Moore (right)
Deep Inside Hollywood HBO welcomes Liberace and Kids By Romeo San Vicente Remember that Liberace biopic that’s been such a longtime coming? Remember how it was going to be a big-screen event directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Matt Damon and Michael Douglas as the legendary and legendarily closeted entertainer? Well, it’s still happening. But the screen’s going to be a little smaller. HBO has taken the film and will give it the audience-grabbing premiere it will surely deserve. And why is this good? Consider Todd Haynes’s Emmy-winning Mildred Pierce. Debuting on HBO meant more people saw it than watched all of Haynes’s other theatrically released movies combined. And it was always going to be a tough sell getting audiences into theaters for a movie about the death of Liberace, so this way it’ll be as easy to see as programming a DVR. Meanwhile HBO is betting you loved the family from The Kids Are All Right enough to watch them every week. They’ve commissioned a pilot script for a one-hour drama from Kids writer-director Lisa Cholodenko. Sounds great, but will somebody make sure to woo Annette Bening to reprise her role as the Joni Mitchell-crooning matriarch?
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Lee Daniels must not need as much sleep as normal human beings. The Precious director just signed on to direct a Valley of The Dolls update for NBC, he’s got a handful of other projects in various stages of development, and now he wants to turn Paris is Burning into a TV show. He’s currently attached to direct an untitled Showtime pilot that, while not specifically aligned with Jennie Livingston’s acclaimed an influential 1990 drag ball documentary, will explore the same subculture of drag “houses” –which inspired Madonna’s single “Vogue” – and the young Latino and African-American men who participate in the competitions surrounding them. Temple Grandin writer W. Merritt Johnson is working on the script, but no other details, including cast or title, are yet known. It’s a great idea, since the documentary has found a new audience among hip, urban, twentysomething gay men; that means the audience for a high-quality exploration of this world is already primed for more “realness.” You better work, Lee Daniels.
Kelly McGillis, Innkeeper from hell Ti West’s new movie is coming soon! OK, sure, now maybe you’re asking “What is a Ti West?” And if you are then you didn’t see the coolest horror movie of the past couple years that didn’t have the words “paranormal” or “activity” in the title. What would be West’s critically acclaimed indie The House of the Devil , which generated a lot of positive buzz for its impeccable homage to 1980s “satanic panic.” And now West is back on the festival circuit with his latest, The Innkeepers, another horror romp inspired by the spooky hotel House of the Devil’s crew stayed in during that film’s shoot. It stars Kelly McGillis and Shark Night’s Sara Paxton and this time the haunted house is a New England bed and breakfast of terror. It can reasonably be assumed that McGillis’s lesbian fan base are just as likely to enjoy a good scare as the horror nerd contingent, so there’s no reason why this shouldn’t do at least Claire of the Moon-level box office.
Romeo San Vicente’s hotel experiences are usually pretty devilish, too.
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Lifestyle
Cocktail Chatter
What to Do with Cheap Champagne, Part II by Ed Sikov Dan and I got home from our one-night honeymoon at the beach to find five silver or gold bags waiting for us in the mailroom. More champagne – of sorts. Only one bottle met our snobby standards: a Taittinger Prestige Rose. The others were destined for more Kir Royales – either that or re-gifting. “Mmmmmm! Champ-AGG-nee!” I squealed in the voice of Curly from The Three Stooges each time Dan opened a package. (Note to youth: see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_three_stooges .) I do a pretty good Curly, but by the fourth time it was wearing very thin. “Stop doing that,” Dan said. “I can’t help it,” I replied. “It’s Pavlovian.” “That’s bullshit,” he said. “You’re just trying to irritate me.” (I silently admitted that he was correct.) “And I’m sick of Kir Royales,” he continued edgily, “so don’t make any more. I’m hungry, I’m tired, and I don’t know why we don’t have more sophisticated friends.” He stomped toward the bedroom. “Then I’ll make Queer Royales,” I declared, having no idea what the drink would contain. “OK, I’ll bite,” he said. “What’s in a Queer Royale?” Sudden inspiration: “Creme de Violette!” “I love you,” Dan said as he marched back into the living room to kiss me. “Put a bottle of this… this… ‘cava’ in the freezer while we unpack.” “Cava is dead to us,” I announced for at least the 75th time. “There’s a clause in our pre-nup that says that if you say ‘cava is dead to us’ one more time you get nothing in the divorce settlement,” he said as he stripped off his shirt. It was a sight I’ve seen daily for 10 years, and it still produced a rush. I couldn’t wait to curl up next to him in bed and grope him. I dialed Chen’s Sichuan and placed our usual order: seafood dumplings and Chicken with Peanuts for Dan, who doesn’t like heat, and the spicy tripe appetizer and the Fiery Shredded Pork for me. By the time Dan came out of the shower and dressed, the food had already arrived, the biking delivery boy leaving a trail of petrified pedestrians and drivers alike from his race to our building. I put two new, tall Waterford champagne flutes on the table (getting married is a blast!), each with a few drops of Creme de Violette already poured. I popped the cork (just like Fyedka; see above) and poured. The resulting color was strange; gold and violet don’t blend well. But the taste was superb. We polished off the doctored cava during dinner. “I love our cheap friends,” said a tipsy, happy Dan as I poked the last piece of blistering-hot pork in my mouth. “Let’s go to bed,” I said, still chewing. “Now.” “Brush your teeth for the full two minutes and I’ll consider it,” said Dan as he reached into my boxers from the bottom. So this is what they mean by “second honeymoon.”
It was too breezy for the beach, but the deck was sunny and protected from the wind, so there they were, all lined up on chaises like Atlantis boys with body hair. (Question: Do you really have to wax everything off to go on an Atlantis cruise?) My creation was simple: Absolut Pears with a little ginger liqueur mixed in. I added a touch of homemade ginger syrup, but it would be fine without it. But what would I call it? As housemate after housemate trooped past wearing Speedos, in my half-inebriated state I became aroused, then angry. So I belligerently rejected all their naming suggestions, which were uniformly based on the suffix “tini.” This abomination drives me crazy. Just because a drink is vodka-based and destined for a classic cocktail glass does not mean it must be called, in this case for example, a Gingertini. Then Jack Fogg brought up the rear (so to speak) and redeemed every snotty thing he ever said by violating my strict anti-tini law and dubbing the new ginger cocktail The TinaTini in honor of Tina Louise. The TinaTinis tasted better and better the more of them I consumed. At the end of the main course, I made a little joke at Phil Levine’s expense: “And who would like a nice bowl of homemade ginge’ rice queen – I mean ginger ice cream!” There were giggles from Jack and Sammy, a glare from Dan, and a lawyerly, eye-to-eye staredown from the victim of my petit bon mot, bulldog Phil. “Why is my attraction to Asian men so hilarious to you?” he asked me point-blank. “Do you think it’s about girly-boy guys with 28-inch waists as if I’d really like 11-year-old white kids but make do with legal-age Asians or is it the old dick-size canard, ’cause I tell you what, you asshole, I’ve had Asian guys with dicks bigger than yours, lots, ha.” “I’m slorry, Phil,” I squealed. “I guess I don’ know’nough’boudit.” I offered my hand in drunken friendship. Did he really refuse to shake my hand? I let it sort of wave in the air, just like the late Queen Mum. I was in no shape for backtalk. “I’smorry again, Philip,” I managed to get out, “but now’s not the time for shoshiography – shoshilogy, I mean.” At which point, I am told, I leaned back in my chair and fell asleep.
The TinaTini 1 oz. Absolut Pears 1 tablespoon Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur
The Queer Royale
ginger syrup to taste (optional)
1 bottle of cava, prosecco, or other champagne variant A few drops of Creme de Violette Put a few drops of the crème de violette in as many champagne flutes as you have guests, then carefully pour in the ersatz champagne so that the flute doesn’t overflow. Keep as much fizz as possible.
Do I Contradict Myself? I Contain Many Drinks: The TinaTini
For every ounce of Absolute Pears you pour into a shaker full of ice, add one tablespoon Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur and, if you have any, ginger syrup to taste. Shake. Serve.
If you’re not able to try these recipes at home, then ask your favorite bartender to make them for you!
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The housemates season just got to me, along with a few of my last cocktail du weekend du season, which I invented minutes before Unhappy Hour began. The words “beware of dog” were written all over my face. I’d had it with everyone but Dan – Jack Fogg and his ego, Sammy and his perfect little body, Phil Levine and all the fawning Asian geisha boys who’d passed through the house for the last four months… . I was sick of myself, too – the humiliating blend I’d become of one of the losers at open mic night at some comedy club: the Little Red Hen, Max the bartender and Shirley Booth as “Hazel.”
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GayCalgary & Edmonton Magazine #97, November 2011
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Community
Western Canada Leatherboy 2011 Looks Back By Evan Kayne The Western Canada LeatherSIR/boy & Community Bootblack contest occurs this coming November 18th to 20th at The Calgary Eagle. GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine spoke with outgoing Western Canada Leatherboy Rene Hebert (aka. boy rene) about his experiences with the event last year. From his win at the regionals, boy rene then went on to compete in the International Leather SIR/Leatherboy and Community Bootblack in San Francisco this past July. For him, while both contests were important and enjoyable, the regional one left more of an impression. Much like this year’s event, the contest ran over three days. Friday night was the introduction to the weekend, as the contestants and the judges socialized on an informal basis. As boy rene described it, the real “nerve-wracking” portion happened on Saturday. Judges conduct a twenty minute interview process of each contestant. In the evening, contestants give a two minute speech onstage. Next is the jockstrap event where contestants “...go onstage in nothing but a jockstrap and boots, to show that you’re comfortable in your own skin,” he told us. Finally, there’s the fantasy category of the contest. Every region has a different fantasy theme that contestants must illustrate in a five minute demonstration. Last year the theme was “cyber” and boy rene had his own take on this: “the theme I did involved a lot of electricity...almost like a cyber-Goth / cyber-punk fantasy.” How the international event in San Francisco was staged was very similar, he told us. In addition to variations on the above three events, all the Sirs and boys competing had a fifteen minute block to put on a demo showing how they play, or some skill they like to use. “Because bottom line this is a player’s title. They want to make sure the people who win the title are actually into it for the sexual aspect and the kink and the play and all that.” In San Francisco there were 12 regions competing; however, while boy rene was nervous going into the international event, he was more nervous on the regional. “For the international one, you’re kept so busy you don’t really have time to get stressed...and once it starts it just goes.” Unfortunately, he was a 1st place runner-up internationally, losing out to one of the judges for this year’s event, boy Nitro from Atlanta. Yet even now, boy rene is still buzzed about both events – especially San Francisco, he said. “You find yourself thrown into a room with only the other contestants as company, and it was amazing to see the change in everyone. Within five minutes, everyone started bonding. It’s almost as if the competition didn’t matter as much anymore, it was all about helping each other get through the weekend.” Looking back over the past year and the two events, he said it has really imparted a strong sense of self-confidence within him. “I just feel much more comfortable in my own skin through the whole experience... All I know is that I feel that I’ve grown as a person, and really come into my own. I’ve gained more confidence in myself, my abilities, and as a sexual being as well.” Furthermore, by winning the regional title and with the work he has done in the leather community, he has found a sense of self-respect, acceptance, and belonging he was not able to find elsewhere within the gay community. Through his whole year he’s also met many wonderful people: “It really is almost a sense of family...the people that you befriend through this, especially the international contest...you end up keeping them as friends your entire life.” The event also gave a boost for boy rene to continue work with Edmonton Players in Gear (E-PIG), which is working on building interest in kink/leather/gear in the GLBTQ community. “One thing that I am finding...with E-PIG...a lot of gay men, they have an interest in it (leather/kink) but they don’t know where to go to explore it, they don’t know who to talk to, to have these questions answered. We are actually
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finding there are a number of younger guys coming out of the woodwork saying I kind of want to find out about this so it is kind of a cool thing to see.” This is important because to a certain degree, boy rene feels leather dykes and leathermen are underrepresented in our community. “Here in Edmonton, it’s not represented anywhere near as well as it could be, or used to be. In recent years, many leathermen have gone into retirement, backing away from going to events and bar nights. And as far as the leather dykes... there’s almost no representation at all. I’m currently working on trying to get some visibility from the leather community into the larger Edmonton LGBTQ community, and will soon be trying to actively bring out the leather dykes as well to get more involved.” As he is finishing the year as regional division holder, boy rene would like to thank the producers of the regional contest. Additionally, he appreciates the support he had this past year in both the Edmonton and Calgary communities. “One thing I would like to say specifically is, I wouldn’t have gotten as far as I did, or done as well as I did, without the support that I got. I was the only one representing the region title-wise, but there were a lot of people backing me up. So this is by far not a solo effort.” He’d also like to thank his title Sir, Sir Scott, as he was such an amazing support.
Western Canada LeatherSIR/boy & Community Bootblack contest November 18th – 20th Calgary Eagle (424a – 8th Ave SW, Rear Entrance) www.calgaryeagle.com
http://www.gaycalgary.com/a2567
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Mike Ruiz is Pretty Masculine By Troy Ordami Few do cool as hot as high-octane celebrity-fashion photographer and star of A List: New York, Mike Ruiz. With a unique approach to the exploration of visceral brilliance, his finely crafted celebrity images have appeared in Vanity Fair, Italian Elle, and Spanish Vogue. He has shot some of the hottest in Hollywood from Kim Kardashian to Adam Lambert and the girls of Jersey Shore. However, even he’ll say that none shined as brightly as beloved Golden Girl turned rapper, Betty White – she actually raps on the new club track, “I’m Still Hot”. Savvy reality fans know Mike’s career on the tube started long before A List: New York. In fact, he has appeared on several shows including America’s Next Top Model, RuPaul’s Drag Race, and Kathy Griffin’s My Life on the D-List. But A List was different. It was the first time cameras documented Mike’s every move and even more significant, it was the first time he gave up creative control. That’s a big deal for a man www.gaycalgary.com
who is used to calling all the shots behind the lens. It was a professional risk, too, but one Mike doesn’t regret as the show introduced him and his work to a whole new set of adoring fans. In his latest production, Mike Ruiz turns his attention to his first photo book, Pretty Masculine, featuring a hunky gang of male models in various forms of undress. It’s pages and pages of eye candy and all for a good cause, too. Proceeds benefit GMHC. GC: How do you define beauty? MR: Beauty is very individual and personal. However, I consider beauty to be represented in everything that denotes balance in our world and is in harmony with our environment. True beauty gratifies the senses, which in my case, inspires me to delve deeper into my creative psyche. GC: Isn’t masculinity the opposite of beauty?
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MR: The opposite of beauty is ugliness. So, to define masculinity as ugly is nothing but a limitation and inherent misunderstanding of what masculinity represents. Masculinity, irrespective of how it is portrayed, is yet another facet of beauty. GC: Traditionally, men have been taught that beauty is a girl thing and that they shouldn’t concern themselves with how they look. MR: Yes, western culture certainly has imposed its belief that the idea of beauty is relegated predominantly to the female gender. However, this preconception is very limited and I hope that, along with continued changes in our cultural behaviors and values, so too will we notice a shift in accepting that beauty is not “a girl thing”. I, for one, extrapolate what I find to be beautiful and interpret it accordingly. In my mind, there are no limitations to what is to be deemed as beautiful. GC: What is the main message of Pretty Masculine?
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MR: Beauty is whatever we want it to be. Just be open to new ideas and to the possibility of breaking down inflexible ideological barriers. GC: How do the men in your book represent male beauty? MR: “Pretty Masculine” depicts just one of many facets of beauty. In this case, the subjects in my book are simply a study of male muscularity— captured through hyperstylized imagery. The juxtaposition of accessories and materials commonly depicted in our society as being inherently feminine is meant to demonstrate that beauty is all-inclusive and not meant to be segregated. GC: Are they the male equivalent to a Barbie doll? Are they placing the beauty bar for men at an impossibly high mark? MR: There isn’t or at least there shouldn’t be any bar to define male beauty. Moreover, it is important to remember that the models in my book are real people. They come from many different walks of life
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and have many different interests and are of many different persuasions. They are all beautiful individuals with equally beautiful souls. To objectify, plasticize or minimize them by comparing them to Barbie dolls would be nothing more than a perpetuation of short-sighted stereotypical limitations. GC: Isn’t true beauty really on the inside? MR: If you look closely enough, you’ll realize that beauty is all around us—inside, outside and everywhere in between. GC: What are some things you do to be the most beautiful person you can be? MR: I live in my truth, openly and with joy. GC: Of course we have to ask about recent news that you will not be part of next season’s A List: New York. Is that true? MR: Yes, it is true. I won’t be returning for a third season. I am most grateful to the producers of the show for having given me the opportunity to be a part of the cast. I have met many people and made many friends in the course of the last two seasons. The show gave me an awesome platform to discuss my general philosophy on life and share what’s important to me. That said, I feel that my participation on the show has run its course and that I need to tend to other projects that are pending and continue focusing on my career as a photographer. GC: What is your parting advice to the guys of A List? MR: Love yourselves and remember that you are the masters of your own destiny.
Mike Ruiz http://www.mikeruiz.com http://www.gaycalgary.com/a2568
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Out of Town
Winter Adventures: Vail and Beaver Creek
Skiing the Back Bowls at Vail Mountain. Photo by Andrew Collins
By Andrew Collins Colorado’s most famous gay ski weeks are held in Aspen and Telluride, in mid-January and late February respectively, but over the past few years, Vail Gay Ski Week (http:// vailgayskiweek.com) has begun drawing serious crowds. The gathering takes place in late March and includes the usual mix of fun on the slopes and hobnobbing back around the fireplaces and hot tubs. In winter, skiing and snowboarding may be the region’s big draws, but it would be unfair to describe Vail (www. visitvailvalley.com) and nearby Beaver Creek (www.beavercreek. com) as mere ski towns. These scenic communities in the heart of the Colorado Rockies offer plenty of diversions. Another misconception about Vail (www.vail.com) is that it’s a crowded, freeway-side ski park. True, the resort’s Front Side can get busy on weekends and does overlook Vail’s bustling villages and I-70, and this facility is one of the largest in North America, with some 5,300 skiable acres and nearly 200 runs. But there are many places on Vail Mountain to escape from the crowds, and skiers of all abilities will find challenging, varied terrain. For more solitude, ascend to the upper slopes of Vail’s Front Side to access the fabled Back Bowls, a glorious - and vast swath of less-trammeled runs that descend down the back of the mountain. From there, additional lifts carry those seeking truly secluded terrain into Blue Sky Basin, a stunning patch of
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wilderness developed by the resort in 2000. In reality, from the majority of Vail’s ski runs, you can’t see a single mile of freeway or village infrastructure. Just avoid the Front Side, which is possible as long as you’re comfortable with intermediate terrain. If you’re planning to ski at more than a couple of the seven facilities owned by Vail Resorts (Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, and Arapahoe Basin in Colorado, and Heavenly and Northstar in Lake Tahoe, California), consider buying an Epic Pass (www.snow.com/epic-pass.aspx), which offers great deals whether you’re skiing for a week or a full season. Standard lift tickets for Vail are also good at nearby Beaver Creek. Vail was developed as a planned resort community in 1962, designed with a nod toward the quaint chalet-inspired architecture of the Alps. Dozens of resorts, condos, shops, and restaurants have sprung up over the years, the earlier ones retaining the vintage, occasionally kitschy, aesthetic of Bavaria or Tyrol. More recently, Vail has seen a surge in ultra-luxury condo and hotel development. Several notable newcomers Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, and Arrabelle at Vail Square among them - have upped the town’s posh factor. You don’t need a car in Vail - the 10-mile paved, multi-use Gore Valley Trail wends through the village, and free buses run regularly among the key neighborhoods and connect with low-priced service throughout the entire valley. You can reach Vail by flying into Eagle County Airport (with direct flights to about a dozen cities), which is 30 miles west, or flying to Denver and renting a car or taking a bus - Vail is a two-hour drive from Denver (allow another 45 minutes from DIA, and account for slow-going on weekends and during rough weather). Vail is a 20-minute drive (shuttle bus service is available) from its smaller, swankier cousin, Beaver Creek.
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The small but dapper town of Avon lies at the base of the Beaver Creek ski area and is home to several good restaurants as well as the superb Westin Riverfront Resort. It’s a short, winding drive up the hill to reach fashionable Beaver Creek Village, home to 1,800 acres of superb skiing and snowboarding. Chains like Hyatt and Sheraton have impressive hotels set at Beaver Creek’s main base village, which is also anchored by a large skating rink. Lifts and ski runs join Beaver Creek’s main area with Arrowhead and Bachelor Gulch mountains - the latter has runs that trickle down to a sumptuous Ritz-Carlon. Almost improbably, given its location down on the Eagle River, the Westin Riverfront is an actual ski-in, ski-out resort - a gondola carries guests to a lift at Lower Beaver Creek Mountain (or you can take free shuttle buses up the hill to Beaver Creek Village). Head 5 miles west of Avon, and you’ll find more upscale dining, lodging, and shopping in the town of Edwards. It bears repeating that these communities abound with the usual diversions you might associate with acclaimed winter resorts. You can snowshoe, cross-country ski, take snowmobile tours, or simply stroll among the dozens of high-end shops in each village. You’ll also find more than a dozen full-service spas among the area’s resorts. At the Westin Riverfront, Spa Anjali offers a memorable Himalayan-inspired Abhyanga massage treatment as well as a red clover and mountain honey body mask. Other spas of note include the plush RockResorts Spa at the Arrabelle at Vail Square, and the serene Spa at Four Seasons Vail. If you’re planning a visit outside the snow season, note that several festivals take place in the area from late spring through early autumn, including Taste of Vail in April, the Vail Valley Music Festival from June to August, and the Vail International Dance Festival in late July and early August. The area is also renowned for mountain biking, hiking, fly-fishing, golf, and horseback. Dining and lodging The dining scene in Vail and Beaver Creek has begun to earn serious acclaim in recent years. Many of the top special-occasion restaurants are in resort hotels. In Vail, you don’t want to miss Flame at the Four Seasons (www.fourseasons.com/vail), which is renowned for its sterling service and artfully presented food. Montauk Seafood Grill (http://montaukseafoodgrill. com) in Lionshead is quite good, and Terra Bistro (www. vailmountainlodge.com/terra-bistro) at Vail Mountain Lodge can be counted on for exceptional and innovative American fare. Atwater on Gore Creek at Vail Cascade (www.vailcascade. com/atwater) impresses diners with its reasonable prices and tasty updates on American comfort food, from seared wild salmon to Angus beef sliders. And Centre V (http://arrabelle. rockresorts.com/dining) at Arrabelle resort in Lionshead turns out excellent French bistro fare (including addictive truffleparmesan frites and Moroccan chicken tagine) in a romantic but informal space. At the Westin Riverfront, the stylish but relaxed Restaurant Avondale (www.avondalerestaurant.com) is well worth visiting - celeb chef Richard Sandoval took over operations here in fall 2011, giving the food the same creative Pan Latin spin he’s made famous at his Denver restaurants. Up at Beaver Creek Village, there are few more romantic places to dine than Grouse Mountain Grill (www.grousemountaingrill.com), whose commitment to local ingredients is evident in such dishes as pan-seared Colorado striped bass over lentil ragout. And in the village of Edwards, the smart but casual Juniper Restaurant (www.juniperrestaurant.com) has a splendid wine list and specializes in creative American and Continental fare. More casual options include Blue Moose Pizza (www. bluemoosepizza.com) in Lionshead Village, and and Rimini Gelato (www.riminigelato.com), with locations in Vail and Beaver Creek, a fine choice for sweets or a cup of hot cocoa. There are no gay bars in the Rockies, but the dozens of convivial nightspots in these parts are consistently gay-friendly. In Vail, excellent options for enjoying regional ales and lagers from Colorado’s bounty of craft breweries include the Tap Room at www.gaycalgary.com
Bridge Street and Garfinkel’s Bar and Grill. A best bet among dance clubs is Samana Lounge, but Vail is more about listening to live music than dancing to DJs. In Beaver Creek Village, head to the hip Osprey Lounge for tapas and artful cocktails, or check out the scenes at Vin 48 wine bar and Loaded Joe’s Coffeehouse and Lounge, both down in Avon village. Vail and Beaver Creek are home to some of the finest resorts in Rockies. Venerable long-time favorites include the centrally located and beautifully designed Lodge at Vail (http:// lodgeatvail.rockresorts.com), with its excellent spa, hot tubs, pool, and warmly furnished rooms, including suites of up to three bedrooms. It’s the flagship of the venerable RockResorts brand, which also operates the sumptuous Arrabelle at Vail Square (http://arrabelle.rockresorts.com) in Lionshead Village. The Four Seasons Vail (www.fourseasons.com/vail) has been wowing visitors since it opened in late 2010. It’s a fairly intimate member of the illustrious brand, with just 121 rooms and the personal, top-notch service Four Seasons is famous for. Up in Beaver Creek, you’ll find two more excellent RockResorts properties, the hip and contemporary Osprey at Beaver Creek (http://ospreyatbeavercreek.rockresorts.com) and the more classically elegant Pines Lodge (http://pineslodge.rockresorts. com). The Ritz-Carlton at Bachelor Gulch (www.ritzcarlton. com) excels on service and has beautiful rooms within a manygabled lodge-like building. And Avon’s Westin Riverfront (www. starwoodhotels.com) has huge, contemporary rooms with large windows, extensive kitchens in suites, and plenty of luxe perks - it’s LEED-certified and designed with a clean, modern, yet unquestionably cushy aesthetic. Down within walking distance of the many shops and restaurants in Edwards, the Inn at Riverwalk (www. innandsuitesatriverwalk.com) is a reasonably priced, upscale option, perfect if you don’t mind being a short drive or bus ride from the slopes. Vail’s Christiana Hotel (www.christiania. com/) is another mid-priced option, and there’s also a perfectly comfortable, nicely updated Comfort Inn (www.comfortinn.com) in Avon. Finally, the area has a dizzying variety of condo rentals, which can be ideal for groups of friends traveling together. Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals (http:// rockymountainvacationrentals.com/) is the official go-to for condo rentals during Vail Gay Ski Week and is a great bet any time of year. Andrew Collins covers gay travel for the New York Times-owned website GayTravel.About.com and is the author of Fodor’s Gay Guide to the USA.
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Photography Chili Cook Off Fundraiser for SHARP at the Eagle - Calgary
ISCCA Joey Hailey’s Can You Beliebe It at the Texas Lounge - Calgary
ISCCA Turn a-bout Show at Twisted - Calgary
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Photography Risen, Fundraiser for MiscYouth at Arrata Opera House - Calgary
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ISCWR Rocky Horror Show at the Junction - Edmonton
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THE BE-LEAVER
Aiden Leslie On Leaving Love
By Samuel Watson Aiden Leslie’s “Trying to Leave Now” is about salvaging what is right in a relationship before losing everything. Penned by the artist, the single is the follow-up to “World’s Away”, his song that nabbed the top spot on LOGO’s “Click List” countdown show for four consecutive weeks last summer. “I wrote Trying to Leave Now about a person in my life I have always had deep feelings for,” says the out artist. “We eventually came together but at the wrong time in both our lives, making it impossible to pursue.” Leslie says he battled with trying to leave while the feelings were still strong and alive. He says it’s important to understand that sometimes, leaving is the only option. “At some point, you have let go to see where it ends up on its own.” “The same holds true with life,” contends Leslie. He encourages fans to embrace the truth, even if it means having to part ways with the one you love. GC: What do you look for in a partner? AL: At this point in my life, it’s attractive to me if I know that the person has lived a little. I want someone that has been around the block a few times, but is now looking for something more rooted. Also, they need to have a belief in something bigger than themselves. I’m looking for someone who has dreams and wants to fulfill them, no matter what. GC: “Trying to Leave Now” is about a person you loved but at the wrong time in your life. What do you mean by that? 40
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AL: It simply came down to timing. It wasn’t the time for us to pursue anything more than what it already had been. GC: Is there a right time for love? AL: I don’t think it’s about right or wrong, it just happens. That is the beauty of love. But I do think that circumstances in one’s life definitely can influence the direction it should or shouldn’t take. GC: Where were you going that he wasn’t willing to follow? We wanted different things. Our needs didn’t match. I had to leave and choose another way for myself, even though the feelings were still there. GC: Would you follow your true love wherever he went? AL: I would like to believe that I would find a way to make it work and that he would do the same for me. As I get older, I am starting to see that you must follow your heart. If you don’t, you’ll likely pay a hard price. GC: World’s Away was a breakout hit. Do you expect “Trying to Leave Now” will be as successful? AL: When I finish a project, I always ask myself one question: Am I satisfied with what I have done? If I am not, then I would never put it out for the world to see. I try not to approach anything in the sense of its success or failure. In my mind, the simple fact that I did it and I am proud of it means it is successful. I try and leave off any expectations. GC: What is World’s Away about? AL: The core of World’s Away is about life’s journey and the struggles we all go through. It’s about realizing where
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you have been, taking what you have learned and letting it go. GC: Are all your songs so deep and personal? AL: Always. For me, sharing my experiences through music helps me grow personally and artistically. Hopefully, the raw truth resonates with the listener and they take away something from it as well. GC: As an out gay man, have you written about your coming out experience? AL: I have never written specifically about coming out, but I have written about my life experiences, being a gay man in today’s world. GC: Would you agree that ‘it gets better’? AL: Yes, without a doubt, but, I will also say that it comes down to choosing it to be better for yourself. GC: Are you in a good place in your life today? AL: I’m probably in the best place I have ever been in my life. It’s largely because I have re-connected to my
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passion. I’m single right now, but I am definitely looking forward to sharing my life with someone. So much in my past has been about settling, but at this point in my life, I won’t do that. My career consumes much of my time. It’s my priority and will continue to be, but I also want to strike a balance between my career and personal life. GC: What was it like shooting the music video for “Trying to Leave Now”? AL: Shooting a music video is always a big undertaking. I am one hundred percent involved in every step of the way from concept to the final moment of editing. It’s always important to have support along the way. Working with my Creative Director, Robert Vasquez, and the rest of my artistic team was a productive learning experience for me. We raised the bar in terms of production from the last video. Can’t wait to do the next one.
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From Previous Page GC: What do you want fans to come away with from the video? AL: “Trying to Leave Now” is an anthem. My goal when anyone listens or watches anything that I do is that they see the journey in all that we are and experience. It’s also pays homage to my love affair with NYC, so it’s a reflection of my home and my life. GC: Are you working on new songs? AL: I’m always working on new material. GC: When do you expect you will release your new album? AL: Right now, it looks like a new single will be releasing early in the new year. GC: Underneath the muscles and pretty face, who is Aiden Leslie? AL: Just like everyone else, he’s someone longing to be heard and ultimately seeking to find his own way.
Aiden Leslie http://www.aidenleslie.com http://www.gaycalgary.com/a2571
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Community
World AIDS Day in Alberta By Carey Rutherford This year, AIDS Awareness Week spans from November 24th and concludes with World AIDS Day on December 1st. This year HIV Edmonton is making their fundraising initiatives both fun and memorable. “We are going into our third year of a partnership with Starbucks called the Celebrity Barista Campaign [where] we partner with various media outlets throughout the city, and they send personalities to make lattes and such for customers, and chat up World AIDS Day,” explains Joyce LaBriola, a consultant for HIV Edmonton. “They get to steam milk and play with whipped cream. It’s pretty cool.” And related to that effort is their Red Ribbon Brigade. Joyce explains that, “…[HIV Edmonton] sends red ribbons to every Starbucks in the city (there are currently 55) and we sell the red ribbons for donations: you can have a red ribbon for a penny, or you can have a red ribbon for a twenty.” And the collection goes to HIV Edmonton. Meanwhile in Calgary, “We wanted to put a real positive spin on [Calgary’s events], said Simonne LeBlanc of AIDS Calgary, Medicine Hat & Bow Valley. “We also wanted to recognize that it’s the 30th anniversary of the first diagnosis of HIV/Aids in North America, and [it’s global effects]. So we’re having this huge open house event where we are going to have foods from around the world and activities from around the world.” “We are running a movie that night called One Blood. It is youth from Ottawa’s African-Caribbean community talking and meeting with youth from Jamaica. They’re talking about the two countries, and HIV…. It’s really interesting, and it gets into rap music, and it’s really upbeat.” Both the Edmonton and Calgary HIV/AIDS centres are interested in promoting a more positive outlook for its clients and their supporters. Though the devastation of HIV/AIDS related illness continues, the progress made in the last 30 years needs to be recognized at the same time as it is put into perspective. Simonne mentions that, “At the open house we will also have a celebratory kind of memorial, recognizing some of the clients we lost this year. We always recognize them. Rather than having a sombre [memorial], we decided to do one that allows people to celebrate the wonderfulness and the gifts that those individuals brought into the world.” “The other big thing that is happening that night is our chief coordinator will have a panel, and they’ll be showing the movie We Were Here. It’s pretty sombre, but it has some interesting points in it. And then they’ll discuss it. They did something like this last year, and it was very well received, with lots and lots of discussion.” Joyce of HIV Edmonton notes that, “we have an event that’s called Angels Amongst Us, which is an intimate affair honouring our positive mentors... HIV Edmonton just celebrated their 25th anniversary last year, and we reengaged a lot of our supporters and long-time survivors. This is a continuation of that campaign, providing an opportunity for people to get together, light a candle, talk and share stories of their struggles. [The centre] is inviting the public to come and listen to stories of HIV advocates in the city, and the doors will open at 6:30.” We asked Simone when is the time to remember and celebrate people who succumbed to HIV/AIDS many years ago, not necessarily just last year. “People come to [World AIDS Day events] and recognize those they’ve lost over a period of time. And we do also www.gaycalgary.com
provide a more memorial-like candle vigil, not on that day. [At the celebratory memorial] we’ll be focussing on what a gift this person was, but we know that some people need to grieve in a different way, so on a separate day we’ll be providing the more restrained vigil.” What would make these AIDS service organizations happiest about how things go on December 1st this year? They agreed that It would be great if the media and general community understood that some phenomenal things have happened during the last 30 years, “that has made getting HIV so much different than what it used to be,” says Simonne. “It used to be a horrible-death sentence, and now with all the advantages of new drugs, new services and so on, there’s lots to be celebrating.” “Of course in Alberta the numbers overall of new diagnoses went down in 2010 from 213 to 192, and it went down the year before. Still, the largest population of that 192 are MSM [Men having Sex with Men], and the fastest increasing population between last year and this year is aboriginal heterosexual women: they’re the next biggest group…and they’re very closely followed by heterosexual African/Caribbean men.” But there is still much work to be done. “It’s still here; it’s part of Canada; it’s not going to go away. [While the US may have higher rates than Canada], they are ahead of us in some ways, because they have a whole new program set by the federal government that’s looking at housing. We know that once an individual is properly housed, there’s far less chance of them getting HIV/AIDS [because of less risky behavior, better access to health care, etc]. Although a lot has happened, it’s still a devastating disease, and the medicine is hard on the body: we’re only starting to find out what a lifetime of anti-retroviral drugs does to you.”
AIDS Calgary http://www.aidscalgary.org HIV Edmoton http://www.hivedmonton.com HIV Awareness Week November 24th – December 1st World AIDS Day December 1st http://www.gaycalgary.com/a2574
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Cyndi Shines
After all these years, singer/activist isn’t so unusual – she’s just human
Photos by Ellen Von Unwerth
By Chris Azzopardi Twenty-five years ago, Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors” shined through – on the radio, and in the hearts of so many. It was in the midst of the horrifying AIDS epidemic when she lost her dear gay friend, came across the song, and made it into a hit that comforted millions. “I was very much in mourning,” the 58-year-old icon recalls of the chart-topper, the title track from her 1986 album, in our recent chat. “I was sad and I wanted to be able to do something. He wanted me to sing a song for him,
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and I had written one (“Boy Blue”). That didn’t work out too good, because I wrote about my feelings – which were big.” But “True Colors,” originally written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly for Anne Murray, spoke to her. Years later, it’s not just a song; it’s an anthem for everything that Lauper – a selfless, admirable activist for the community – stands for. As part of her True Colors Fund, she launched a project last year, the Give a Damn Campaign, to create awareness of LGBT discrimination with the help of highprofile celebrities, many of them heterosexual.
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“In any civil rights movement, you need everybody,” Lauper says with heartfelt indignation. “That’s how you win. You need your straight allies.” She had them on the tour, also named after the song, which ran for two years and featured Debbie Harry, Margaret Cho, The B-52s and Erasure. Now, Lauper’s showing her support with a shelter, recently opened in Central Harlem, to offer supportive housing for LGBT youth without any place to go, who may have been thrown out of their own homes. A mother herself, Lauper can’t fathom a parent disowning their child. “Parental love should be unconditional,” she says. “Love your kid for who they are or who they aren’t. The parent/ child bond should never be broken.” But if it is, they have a place that loves them: the True Colors Residence. Lauper’s quick not to take all the credit, though; she names off a list of important key players who made this – a six-story, 30-bed facility, the first permanent establishment of its kind in New York – happen. Her manager, Lisa Barbaris, is one of them, along with the West End Intergenerational Residence, a non-profit focused on providing housing for homeless families and the elderly. “I was the famous person there, but a lot of people did a lot of work,” she says of the shelter’s official opening in
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September. “I was just the one who cut the ribbon. It’s an interesting project because it’s a low-income housing project, which makes it work on so many other levels. It’s kind of fabulous.” Same could be said for Lauper’s career, officially launching in the early ’80s – during an out-of-control house party that had the singer persuading her parents to whoop it up, all for a little single called “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” off her 1983 debut She’s So Unusual – as the New Yorker shot to superstardom instantly with funky-punky sunburst hair (one of many colors we’d see throughout the decade) and her outrageous fashion sense. She, like Madonna, was Gaga before Gaga existed. Lauper had the eccentricity, and she certainly had the hits. There was the sweet charm of got-your-back ballad “Time After Time,” a song still in heavy rotation nearly Photo by Joseph Cultice 30 years later. “A magical time,” she calls it now. “She Bop” blasted myths of masturbation, promoting it as something just as routine as brushing your teeth. The video – and “all my friends and family that showed up in the video with me” – is what she remembers most. There was also “We Are the World,” the all-star charity single – a monster one, at that – featuring Michael Jackson, Diana Ross and Lauper. Her fondest memory: “That I walked in with almost the same jacket that Michael had on, and I changed it really quick. But I was upset anyway because I had the flakes in my hair, because I was doing that performanceart piece for the American Photo by Ellen Von Unwerth Music Awards and didn’t have time to clean up. I was having a moment.” In the next three decades, Lauper would have many more moments. She would win Grammys. Have a son. Sing to a disgruntled group of flyers at an airline terminal. Flub the “Star-Spangled Banner,” and gracefully recover from it, as she did recently before the US Open just this past September. Looking back, what would she have told her younger, more “unusual” self? “I know I said all the wrong things to the right people,” she laughs, “but probably not listen all the time to everything everybody told me. That there was a bigger world out there.” A world she’s still happy to be a part of. “I’ve been told, ‘No, it’ll never work.’ It’s always the same. But I’m still working.” 48
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Something she was told she could never do – by Sony, her label at the time – was the blues. She sure showed them. “To Memphis, With Love” is Lauper’s latest release, a live CD/DVD combo that captures one night of her most recent, and one of the more extensive, tours in her career. The songs performed are off last year’s “Memphis Blues,” her baby she’d been working toward her whole career. Her 11th studio album, the project scored the top spot of the Billboard Blues Chart for 14 consecutive weeks. “It’s the spirit of the blues that propels you into an otherworldly state,” she says. “Basically, that’s what you would hope for from music.” While editing the docustyle DVD, filmed at The Warehouse in Memphis and featuring special guests Jonny Lang and Tracy Nelson, Lauper had to do the unthinkable for anyone who can’t stand mirrors: look at herself for hours on end. “Once you get over the fact that you thought you looked different but this is what you really look like, it’s fine,” Lauper laughs. “It’s always that way. You can’t ever take yourself seriously.” Next up for Lauper? New original music, which she’s currently working on; writing for the Broadway show “Kinky Boots”; and a memoir that’s still in the early stages. A reality show, set to air early next year, is also in the works. Lauper’s also determined to get the True Colors Tour, on hold because of the economy, back off the ground. “It’s going to take a minute to figure out how to do it right but I’ll get it back,” she says. “I always wanted it to be a little party, a real festival in one place – different stages, food and music. But I don’t know really how to do that. I’m not a businessperson; I’m an artist that wanted an inclusive tour with straight people and gay people and transgender people – everybody mixed together. That was my big dream.” And her true colors, shining through.
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Howie D Flies Solo
Backstreet Boy makes solo debut with Back To Me
By Jason Clevett
For many artists, just being on a massive tour – the combined New Kids on the Block & Backstreet Boys tour this past summer – would be enough. For Dorough, add in owning a management company, working on and promoting his upcoming album, and being a father to two year old James. His wife Leigh referred to him as a “machine” to me at the after party, and it is very much accurate. “I have a lot of energy. Since I was a little kid I have always been a workaholic I need a lot of stimulation. My Mom had me doing everything from dance to voice to acting to piano, everything she could think of to keep me stimulated,” Dorough explained. “I find that I get bored very easily if I am not working on several things at once. When I am doing one thing I get an itch to try and do other things and help
in other ways. By helping other artists it puts me in a totally different mind frame and I get excited about it, then I work on my solo project, it puts me in a different mind frame so I am able to get excited about that. Not one thing gets too boring after awhile.” Amazingly, Howie D somehow found time in his day to meet up with GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine backstage prior to the NKOTBSB show in Calgary. He was beaming about the success of the tour, which will kick off for a string of European dates in the spring. Before that he will be opening for Britney Spears in South America this month. “The tour has been amazing. I didn’t really know what to expect when we had this idea of us going on tour together, if we were going to get along, stuff like that. I have known the New Kids forever, our former manager was their tour manager so we have gotten to know them, but it is one thing to know them and another to put them together on stage and expect them to live together for two and a half months. It has been amazing, a great partnership that we have. We all get along great and there have been no beefs with anybody, it has been really smooth sailing.” The spectacular show – including the legendary “penis stage,” a cavalcade of hits and high energy, was a sensation with fans, and surprisingly a lot of critics. But in praising the show, many reviewers made sure to get their digs in;
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Backstreet Boy Howie Dorough doesn’t have a stop button. In July he wrapped up a concert in Edmonton, went to an after party until 2am, hopped on a tour bus to Calgary, was on Breakfast Television in the morning, did radio interviews in the afternoon, returned to the stage with NKOTBSB at the Saddledome before a near sold out screaming crowd, did an impromptu set with Nick Carter at an after party at The Roadhouse, and then was off to the next city.
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whether it was at thinning hair, fans no longer being teens, or New Kid Donnie Wahlberg ripping off his shirt. It seems that despite selling millions of albums, both bands still have to battle for respect. “If we were to make our shows for the critics after awhile we would throw the towel in. I think both groups learned that we are making these shows for our fans and hopefully the critics will like it. It is crazy because sometimes the people being sent down to see us are people that probably shouldn’t be interviewing us, we have a rock guy coming in to interview a pop group and you know it’s not their style. We make our shows the best we can be and hope to win over the critics. At the end of the day, we are what we are. We know we are boy bands and we have all accepted those titles, it doesn’t hurt our feelings to be called that. At least they are calling us and asking us to do shows, we are doing arenas and all tickled pink about it.” At the July 1st show in Los Angles, former member Kevin Richardson joined the group on stage for I Want It That Way, a special moment for fans and the band, said Dorough. “It was great, really amazing and shocked the fans. I heard our twitter was trending that night. Kevin has always been a part of the group and always will be. He is taking this journey right now for himself in life, the door is always open and I hope one day we will be back on stage together for a full show again.” As a businessman Dorough saw in the tour the opportunity to promote his first solo effort, Back To Me, in interviews, even though it was 4 months until the album’s November 15th release. “Timing is everything. I have been working on this album on and off for five years, I started in a Latin direction and then 50
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got more centered with the sound I wanted it to be, within the last year here. I felt like right now the momentum we have and visibility we are able to create in towns on this tour almost piggybacks to a point. Nick Carter, Jordan Knight and myself all have solo records coming out. The album was supposed to be out in August but got pushed back because the original deal was done in Japan, and when the tsunami happened we had to push things back to November. But I really wanted to capitalize upon the fact that I was going to be in the States and Canada. We signed a deal in Canada with Fontana music who is a label I use with artists that I manage. I felt the timing was right to capitalize on press and use this momentum and platform to launch it.” He is the last Backstreet Boy to do a solo project, and applied the lessons learned from his friends’ experiences to the album. “I have learned a lot from them, some things that they did that were really great and things they probably could have done better. I am very blessed to have a great management team, the same management for the group I am using for my solo project. For some people in this situation, there would be too much to focus on with the tour. If they were to release a record…if you have the opportunity and you can capitalize on it, it is a winwin situation. If you have it and you don’t capitalize on it and you just let the album sit out there you lose momentum. That is why I am trying to strike right now while the iron is hot, and I am blessed I heard that my single went to #1 on the MuchMoreMusic countdown. It is due to a lot of the fans and hype around this tour that is helping me as well.” The Backstreet Boys and Canada have always had a love-love relationship; it was in Canada that their first album really made waves back in 1996. www.gaycalgary.com
“I am very blessed that I have a lot of Canadian love. In addition to Backstreet Boys and my solo project I have a management company here in Canada called 3 Street with another gentlemen named CJ Huyer who used to be in a boy band called 3 Deep (with Young and The Restless stars Eddie Cibrian and Joshua Morrow) several years ago. We had an artist named George Nozuka who did really well on the charts here and our newest project the band Neverest who actually opened up for us in Canada on this tour. I learned a lot about the Canadian market and the tricks and trades about things like [the gay community] being very helpful to Canadian singers and writers. My first single was written and produced by a Canadian group of guys and the video was directed by a Juno award winner. The songs have been really accepted here and I am really thankful. I have a great record label, publicity company, radio reps, it is a total win-win situation for me up here.” In addition to Canadian love, the boys indeed have long been loved by the gay community. As one of the only bands without a gay member, they have still experienced homophobia for themselves, being called names simply for being in an all-male pop band. “It comes with the territory. I can definitely say when we started, you try and go out and give your all and there is a lot of jealousy out there in the world, especially from guys to guys and it is sad. Instead of narking on the music, come to the concerts. There are so many women here, your odds of picking up girls is so great here you would be foolish not to come. Guys won’t admit it to us but sometimes their girls might be into us and they will use our music to get the girls, but then when it comes to seeing us eye to eye they always want to throw in slurs and whatever. I have a pretty thick skin, my family has kept me pretty well grounded. I have always believed in to each their own, I have a cousin who is gay and to me I have always been someone who doesn’t judge anybody and appreciate when people don’t judge you. If they
have the time to be thinking those things, at least they are thinking about us.” In fact, their support from the LGBT community led to the boys being asked to be the marshals for the 2010 San Francisco Pride Parade. “We were asked to be the Parade Marshall’s and it was an honour, very flattering. [I have] a gay cousin and several of my wife’s girlfriends are lesbians. I have no issues at all. A lot of people came to the parade and were supporting us. Our music is out there for everybody - I don’t care what colour, race, sexual orientation - it is about making good music that makes people happy. I am very, very thankful to our gay fans. They are a huge part of our success. I support them, and am glad they support us in our music.”
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Howie D Back To Me available November 15th www.HowieD.com http://www.gaycalgary.com/a2576
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New Gay Generation Photo Courtesy of Dale Stine
By Mick Sandoval “…and thus began the beginning of the new race. A race within the race of humanity. A race which bares no prejudice, no judgment.” - Lady Gaga
How gay times change. In the eighties and nineties, a combative gay youth chanted “We’re here, we’re queer, get used to it”. Then came the young millennium gays who worked to alter their queerness, usually by morphing into muscle jocks, sporting cargo shorts and tight fitting Abercrombie & Fitch tanks. Today’s gay youth have a new take on what it means to be gay. They’re not picketing for gay rights. Nor are they manscaping their chest hair. The gay youth of today are following the creed of their leaders – Lady Gaga, Ke$ha and the cast of Glee – who call for self love and proclaim “We R Who We R” because we were born this way, baby. They’re embracing their inner sissy while simultaneously refusing to be defined by their gayness. Pop star D Alexander proudly counts himself among the new gays. He explains what being young and gay means today. GC: What encouraged you to come out as an artist? DA: In this industry, it’s hard to tell your team of producers that you want to write about being fierce and beautiful. The first few demos I wrote were about chicks and being fly. It came to a point where I www.gaycalgary.com
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couldn’t handle being suppressed any longer. I had to unleash the vibrant side of my personality and write music I felt connected to. GC: Are you defined by your gayness? DA: To say that one’s sexual preference is who they are would be silly. We have so much more to offer. Yes, we should celebrate ourselves and be prideful of our sexuality, but letting it define us is a mistake. GC: What defines you? DA: Pop music is my ultimate definition. My life goal is to make people feel and hear the raw emotion in each song I write. GC: When you sing about being beautiful, what are you referring to? DA: Being beautiful is about embracing the most amazing, deepest and sickest parts of your self. It’s a statement that no matter who you are or where you come from, there is beauty in the madness. GC: Do you feel a gay artist has a responsibility to be out? DA: Absolutely, especially now that teen bullying and suicide is so prevalent. The community needs role models to empower youth and let them know its okay to accept themselves. My biggest responsibility as an artist is not the music but being an example of artistic truth. GC: Are there disadvantages to being out today? DA: I don’t think so. The music industry has changed so much over the years. Being honest with your crazy is what sells. Sell your honesty, sell your truth. Nobody wants a picture perfect cover boy they can’t relate to. GC: What has paved the way to this new enlightenment? DA: Lady Gaga has encouraged the world to shoot out with prideful colors. She is the perfect example of what an artist should be: a poster girl for self acceptance and musical art. A true artist
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will suck their fans into their world and never let them go until they have consumed their deepest, most darkest thoughts. GC: Does the gay community support its gay artists? DA: The problem I think most gay artists have is that they allow their gayness to consume their craft. Instead of writing culturally groundbreaking music, they worry about their six packs and dancing around in their tighty whities. There has to be more to the artistry. GC: Who are some of the gay artists that inspire you? DA: Melissa Ethridge and Elton John for their bravery in coming out at a time when being gay wasn’t as accepted. They paved the way for many artists to talk about taboo subjects. Without them, there would be no Gaga. GC: Is there anything about yourself that you feel is off limits in your music? DA: When it comes to my music, nothing is off limits. If I write about sex, I bare it all. GC: What should older gay generations know about the youth of today? DA: Past generations had to deal with a hell of a lot more prejudice, and for that, we thank them. The young generation needs to continue the fight. We need to make it so the next generation has an even better canvas to express their cultural freedom.
D Alexander http://www.facebook.com/dalexandermusic http://www.gaycalgary.com/a2578
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Photography Exposure Festival - Edmonton (courtesy of the Exposure Fest)
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Q Scopes
Pay attention, Capricorn! Mars opposes Neptune just before going into Virgo. Showing off and excessive aggression or internalized anger will exact a price that you’ll have to pay very soon! Meditation and swimming help; contact sports are dangerous. You may go overboard with creative hobbies, but those excesses can draw out inner truths.
ARIES (March 20–April 19): An ego trip usually has a very hard landing. Your ruler Mars opposing Neptune makes it hard to know whether you’re offering too much or too little. Who knows your heart best can tell you how big it really is.
TAURUS (April 20–May 20): Your erotic charms are nearly irresistible. How you use them will tell the world a lot about your values. You’re better off keeping your reputation clean. Honesty and strategy are crucial to winning a struggle at work.
GEMINI (May 21–June 20): You can charm your partner – real or prospective – into almost anything, but its best to use this openness to work on issues in your relationship. The highminded, mature approach is harder, but in the long run yields better results.
CANCER (June 21–July 22): This week’s full moon brings out your wild side, shocking some friends or making some new ones, and probably starting some very titillating gossip. Enemies at work might try to use that against you, but you can turn it to your advantage.
LEO (July 23–August 22): Arguments with your partner are based on misunderstanding and your overreactions. Less drama, more empathy would help. Worries about money may be based in reality, but probably still exaggerated. The outlook will improve very soon.
VIRGO (August 23–September 22): Don’t worry yourself
sick! Channel that energy into exercise. Swimming and martial arts like tai chi are best. A wave of domestic bliss offers a platform for some serious improvements. Sexual competition can be fun; taking it seriously can get dangerous.
LIBRA (September 23–October 22): Sometimes your
charm comes too easily. Overdoing it can alienate some people. What does your partner think about your flirtations? Accept criticism graciously and think seriously about it!
SCORPIO (October 23–November 21): Adding another
candle doesn’t mean you have to prove anything. Selfconsciousness can provoke you to overdo things, hurting yourself or complicating your work. Think less about yourself, more about your partner: committed, for the moment, or hypothetical.
SAGITTARIUS (November 22–December 20): Mixed messages and rumors can hurt your reputation. Defensiveness just makes it worse. Look at the problem as one to heal with good humor, even at your expense. Clear it up! Opportunity’s around the corner.
CAPRICORN (December 21–January 19): One can be over-competitive at work. Pay attention to those nagging inner voices. They can help correct your perspective even if you don’t like what they say. Charity work will also do you much good. AQUARIUS (January 20–February 18): Don’t take personal
criticisms too seriously, but spats with friends can show where you need self-improvement. You don’t need to prove your intellectual prowess, but you may need to admit to your limitations so you can expand your wisdom.
PISCES (February 19–March 19): Give yourself a little
room to be a drama queen – in the right time and place – just to let the frustrations out. Friends will be a lot more supportive than you expect. Being too nice can work against you; focus on being just nice enough. Jack Fertig, a professional astrologer since 1977 teaches at the Online College of Astrology. He can be reached for personal or business consultations at 415-864-8302 or through his website at http://www. starjack.com 62
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