GayCalgary Magazine - April 2013

APRIL 2013

® ISSUE 114 • FREE The Voice of Alberta’s LGBT Community

Torchwood Action Girl

EVE MYLES

Kirby Krackle

Gets ready to (Nerd) Rock!

Belinda Carlisle

Talks “Sexually Adventurous”

PLUS:

Gareth David-Lloyd Casper Van Dien Bret Hart Crosses in the Closet ...and more!

Business Directory

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Calgary • Alberta • Canada

Events Calendar

Tourist Information

Billy Bragg

And the Politics of Music STARTING ON PAGE 55

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GayCalgary Magazine #114, April 2013

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GayCalgary Magazine #114, April 2013

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GayCalgary Magazine #114, April 2013

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Table of Contents

Photography Videography

Steve Polyak, Rob Diaz-Marino, Diaz-Marino B&J

Sales Videography Craig Connell

Stevesales@gaycalgary.com Polyak, Rob Diaz-Marino

Printers

North HillWeb News/Central exPress Web

Distribution

Calgary: Distribution Calgary:Gallant GayCalgary Staff GayCalgary Edmonton: GreenlineStaff Distribution Edmonton: Clark’s Distribution Other: Canada Post Other: Post LegalCanada Council Courtney Aarbo, Barristers and Solicitors

Legal Council CourtneyGeneral Aarbo, Barristers and Solicitors Inquiries GayCalgary® Magazine

Sales2136 & General Inquiries 17th Avenue SW

GayCalgary EdmontonT2TMagazine Calgary, and AB, Canada 0G3 2136 17th Avenue SW magazine@gaycalgary.com Calgary, AB, Canada T2T appointment 0G3 Office Hours: By ONLY

Phone: 403-543-6960 Office Hours: By appointment ONLY Toll Free: 1-888-543-6960 Phone: 403-543-6960 Fax: 403-703-0685 Toll Free: 1-888-543-6960 E-Mail: magazine@gaycalgary.com Fax: 403-703-0685 This Month's Cover E-Mail: magazine@gaycalgary.com Main: Eve Myles, photo c/o BBC This Month's Cover Top Right: Kirby Krackle, Cher and Christina Middle Right: BelindaAguilera Carlisle,courtesy photo byofDTSony Ltd. Pictures;Right: AnnieBilly Lennox courtesy of Mike Bottom Bragg, photo by Andy Owen; Whale Rex Goudie.

Proud Members of:

Nokia Lumia 920 – A Love Story Publisher’s Column

10 “Hitman” Comes Home Calgary’s Bret Hart sets sights on expo

12 I Am My Own Wife

Third Street Theatre tackles a 36 character, one-man power script

13 Camp Out at Camp fYrefly

Sexual minority leadership retreat comes to Calgary this summer

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Writers and Contributors

Chris Mercedes Azzopardi, Allen, Chris DaveAzzopardi, Brousseau,Dallas JasonBarnes, Clevett, Dave Andrew Brousseau, Collins, Rob SamDiaz-Marino, Casselman, Jason Janine Clevett, Eva Trotta, AndrewEvan Collins, Kayne, EmilyStephen Collins,Lock, Rob Diaz-Marino, Lisa Lunney, Janine SteveEva Polyak, Trotta,Carey Jack Rutherford, Fertig, Glen Romeo Hanson,San Joan Vicente, Hilty, Evan Ed Sikov, Kayne,Krista Stephen Sylvester Lock, Neil andMcMullen, the LGBT Community Allan Neuwirth, of Calgary, Steve Polyak, Edmonton, Careyand Rutherford, Alberta.

Romeo San Vicente, Ed Sikov, Nick Vivian and the GLBT Community of Calgary, Edmonton, and Photography Alberta. Karen Hofmann Steve Polyak, Rob Diaz-Marino,

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14 Crosses in the Closet Christian poses as gay man to gather insight

15 Discussing Community Safety Same-Sex Domestic Violence

16 Join the Mobile Infantry and Save The World Casper Van Dien brings the troops to the Calgary Expo

18 Lock It and Leave It

Villa Style Living with Urban Flare At Rocky Ridge

19 Stepping Down

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Publisher: Steve Polyak Editor: Rob Diaz-Marino Sales: Steve Polyak Design & Layout: Rob Diaz-Marino, Ara SteveShimoon Polyak

APRIL 2013

e n zi

Calgary says Goodbye to current reining Emperor and Empress of the ISCCA

20 Will-full Endangerment - Part 2 21 Queer History Project Returns 22 Discovering Dad’s Other Life

a g a

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Almost a Love Story Explores a Son’s Encounter with his Deceased Dad’s Lover

24 The American Supreme Court Equal Marriage, and the Evolution of Rights

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26 Sissies and Psychopaths “What was Gay like when I was 5?”

28 Rodeo and Music Festival Edmonton Rainbow Business Association

Preview of What’s Incoming for CRIR 2013

30 Eve Myles

Talking with Torchwood action girl Gwen Cooper

32 Artists for Life Edmonton National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association

34 Get Ready To (Nerd) Rock!

Kirby Krackle returns to Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo

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International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association

Continued on Next Page  www.gaycalgary.com

GayCalgary Magazine #114, April 2013

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Table of Contents  Continued From Previous Page

36 The Politics of Music

®

Billy Bragg returns with Tooth and Nail and tour

38 A Kiss From Ianto Jones PAGE 38

Gareth David-Lloyd talks Torchwood

40 Coffey Talk

Chip Coffey on the Paranormal and growing up Psychic

42 Belinda Carlisle: Still Go-Going

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Singer talks ‘sexually adventurous’ days, gay son and feelings on doing a pop album

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Queer Eye A Couple of Guys Mr. GayCalgary April 2013 - TJ Fedyk Directory and Events Classified Ads

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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. February 2012 returned to GayCalgary Magazine.

February 2013, GayCalgary® becomes a registered trademark.

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

Those involved in the making of this publication, whether advertisers, contributors, or the subjects of articles or photographs, are not necessarily gay, lesbian, bisexual, or trans. 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 2013. All rights reserved.

GayCalgary® is a registered trademark.

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Submission: Wed, May 1st In Circulation: Mon, May 6th Please contact us immediately if you think you may have missed the booking or submission deadline.

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GayCalgary Magazine #114, April 2013

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Editorial

Nokia Lumia 920 – A Love Story Publisher’s Column

By Rob Diaz-Marino, MSc.

technology like many standard digital cameras and camcorders, and it also dramatically outperforms any phone out there when it comes to lowlighting conditions. Considering so many people use their phones to try taking pictures when they’re out at bars and clubs - and hoo-boy, I say “try” for a reason – this feature makes a huge amount of sense. We’ve been able to take great pictures in low light with this phone that we can’t even manage with our full-fledged digital cameras and camcorders. When taking videos, it even copes with loud music, applying volume leveling to prevent distortion and Nearly a year later, clipping. our dream phones were still not available on our Durability was another provider and the next concern for us. Unlike model of it was already the iPhone that seems like being rolled out. Our HTC it is purposely designed Touch Pro phones were to shatter into pieces starting to show their if you drop it (forcing age, with Steve’s display you to shell out extra turning strange colours bucks buying covers or when he touched it, and insurance plans for it, if my audio jack sometimes not full-on replacements), giving up for no reason the model of phone we not to mention the fact chose is a veritable tank. that we were getting sick There are videos online of the clunky Windows of people trying to break Mobile 6.1 interface. it by throwing it against concrete walls and using It took an amazing the display to hammer offer at Costco to finally nails into wood, even convince us to switch running it over with a providers so that we could bulldozer (albeit this get our dream phones cracked the display) – but last month. We actually it kept on ticking through made money in gift cards all of that abuse! from the deal, got some accessories for our phones Probably the most thrown in for free, and common complaint on top of it all, we will we’ve seen online about be paying less on our the Lumia 920 is that monthly bills. We couldn’t it is slightly larger and say no to that. heavier than an iPhone.

I laugh at this because Steve and I roll our eyes I regularly see people every time mainstream looking silly holding up media goes gaga over the their giant iPads, or even merest fart that Apple precariously balancing makes, (and to a lesser their iMac Laptops on degree, Android and  Photos of my phone (left) and Steve’s phone (right), taken with our phones. their fingertips to take Blackberry) while they pictures and videos remain sorely ignorant of devices much heavier and amazing advancements more awkward than the Lumia 920. Our phones take better quality and quality products like the Nokia Lumia 920. photos and video than any of those devices, iPhone included, and they One of the selling points that got our attention with this phone is still fit in our pockets when we want to put them away. So what if they’re the incredible built-in 8.7 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens. It’s

Steve and I had stayed on with our cell phone service provider long beyond the three year contract we originally signed to get our old HTC Touch Pro phones. Although we were given the option to upgrade repeatedly, we had done our research and were waiting for a specific model of phone to become available before we were willing to make a move.

the only one currently on the market that has image stabilization

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GayCalgary Magazine #114, April 2013

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 From Previous Page a few grams heavier if it means better features and battery life; so what if they’re a few centimeters larger - it comes with a bigger display!

The Lumia 920 is a (gasp) Windows 8 Phone, and I’m happy to say Microsoft has made gigantic strides in improving their mobile operating system from Windows Mobile 6.1 that we were using prior. The whole stigma against Windows phones is no longer warranted. After having these new phones for a month now, I daresay it is as user friendly if not more so than any iPhone I’ve played with. But not surprisingly, much of mainstream media have all but overlooked it, or downplayed it compared to iOS, Android, and Blackberry. This is disappointing, but we don’t mind having an edge – a secret weapon, as it were.

One thing I like about the Windows 8 operating system is that they have broken free of the long-standing icon metaphor that many operating systems use, replacing it with “Live Tiles”. Live tiles can be used to launch programs much like icons, but they can also display useful information even when the program isn’t running, at different levels of detail depending on the size you make the tile.

For instance, I found a free app to help me manage my diabetes that works as a logbook to record my bloodsugars, insulin doses, and physical activity level. On my home screen, the live tile for this app displays my most recent bloodsugar reading, as well as my 7 day average so I know how I’m doing over all. Likewise my phone tile can display missed calls, my calendar tile displays upcoming appointments, and the tiles for my Hotmail, Gmail, and work Email addresses show quantity and subject lines of unread messages. I can pin apps, contacts, and documents to my home screen, and each one display its own relevant information at a glance.

The Bing search interface on the phone has built in capabilities for identifying music (much like Shazam) as well as scanning QR codes, Tags, and other visual artifacts - on other phones you would need separate apps to do each of these things.

The Windows Store has tons of free and useful apps you can download.

When Steve finds a cool app that I want to try (or a picture or document that he needs to transfer), he can send it to me just by tapping his phone to mine. I never have to worry about backing up my phone either, because all of my photos, videos, and program settings are synched to Skydrive when my phone connects to a Wifi network.

In my opinion, one of the most powerful and useful features on the Windows 8 Phone is the way that it provides near-seamless integration with social media and other online services. For the average person this is great, but for Steve and I who are on the go so much and use social media to communicate with our readers, it opens up fantastic new possibilities. It pulls together all the contact information from Microsoft Outlook from home and work, Skype/Messenger contacts, Hotmail contacts and even Facebook friends, all into one massive People index that I can easily search. It’s a breeze to tag on new contact information for anyone in that list, and even check out their latest updates on Facebook and Twitter. Furthermore, when I update my own status, I can easily tag people in photos from that list of contacts, and post directly to Facebook and Twitter without needing to load an app for either one.

While the iPhone may have a head start when it comes to their selection in the iStore, app developers are making haste to release their popular apps for Windows 8 Phone too. For instance, SCRUFF released their app for our phones just this past month, and although in beta it seems better in many ways to what I’ve seen of the iPhone app. As a programmer myself, I can’t wait to experiment with app creation on this platform.

Microsoft definitely put a lot of thought into their Windows 8 Phone operating system, and finally got it right. Nokia built a durable, featurerich phone that blows most other phones (and some cameras) out of the water. These technologies together, as far as I’m concerned, trump any comparable device that Apple, Android, and Blackberry have released to date. So if mainstream media won’t say there are better things than the iPhone, the Blackberry Z10, or Samsung S4 out there, we don’t mind being the ones to go against the grain…as an LGBT publication, we’re sort of used to doing that.

March 2013 We’ve been trying out a new procedure as we covered events over the past month. As usual, I have been taking photos with our digital camera to use in the magazine, but now in addition to that, Steve is also taking pictures with his new phone to post instantly to Facebook and Twitter.

This gets people interested and talking about events happening in the community at a time when they can still decide to go out and participate.

We’ve also found some situations where the cameras on our phones can nail certain shots than our digital cameras can’t.

This month started out with the Coming Out Monologues, which ran for three days with different monologues each day. All three shows sold out, much to their delight. We were only able to attend the final night, and greatly enjoyed the new monologues that were performed.

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GayCalgary Magazine #114, April 2013

Online Last Month (1/2) Diamond Rings a Slice of 80’s Retro Looking back at the 80’s can be both cringeworthy and awesome. Some of the hair, music and clothing styles are... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3398

A Party 20 Years In The Making Great Big Sea make memories at anniversary show

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Heart goes Crazy on Jube Ann Wilson’s voice is without a doubt one of the greatest in music history. The long list of Heart hits was rolled out on... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3399

Ask Dr. Eva

Transgender Youth

Dear Dr. Eva, There is a child I am really concerned about. I thought you might be able to shed some light on this situation... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3400

Creep of the Week Terry Jones

Hey are you pissed that President Obama has been all nice-nice with the gays lately?

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Deep Inside Hollywood

Benedict Cumberbatch steps into DiCaprio’s shoes as Alan Turing

It’s turning into Benedict Cumberbatch’s year at the movies. Co-starring in The Hobbit trilogy, Star Trek Into Darkness... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3410

Creep of the Week Aaron Klein

All together now: “If I knew you were coming I’d have baked a cake. Unless you’re gay, unless you’re gay...” That’s... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3407

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Hear Me Out

Lisa Loeb, Justin Bieber

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Online Last Month (2/2) Screen Queen

The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Cabaret, Pina, Celeste and Jesse Forever, Bully, Peter Pan

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The OutField

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Ron Sexsmith

Canadian singer-songwriter visits Alberta this week

Since the release of his his 13th album Forever Endeavor Ron Sexmith has been on a whirlwind of promotion and... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3420

Billy Elliot “Very Fucking Special” At first Billy Elliot, running until Sunday at the Jubilee Auditorium, may not catch one’s eye as a broadway show as it lacks... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3421

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Tim McGraw, Jewel

Tim McGraw, Two Lanes of Freedom Two Lanes of Freedom is a significant departure for the country-music stud... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3414

The OutField

US Soccer, and all that trans Jazz

Born a male, Jazz began to lie as a girl at a young age. Thanks to supportive parents, she was well-adjusted and happy... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3417

Late Rihanna Lacks Luster 92 minutes. That is how long Rihanna left Calgary waiting after her scheduled 9:00 start time before finally gracing the Saddledome with her presence.... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3423

The Gender Bender, also on the U of C campus, was likewise very well attended. There were some great costumes, and the show put on

by Fake Mustache and other guests was fantastic, although a little long.

The Backlot to Boyztown reunion and kick-off party for Apollo Western cup was awesome and difficult at the same time: awesome in that the newly renovated Vinyl space was packed, everyone had a great time, and the hot bartenders were convinced to strip down to their undies by the end of the night; difficult in that our late friend Don, who was an owner of the Rekroom downstairs, and a DJ at Boyztown, was not able to be there with us. Despite the sad undertones, I just about keeled over laughing when Mark from the Backlot was doing the prize draw and nonchalantly threw an envelope meant for the audience over his shoulder. The envelope proceeded to get sucked upward and stuck to the large air intake vent above the dance floor, where it stayed for several minutes until some determined patrons found a way to get it back down again.

The sporting events during Apollo Western Cup presented new challenges for Steve to tackle with our phones. Once again, we were able to get some action shots with the Lumia 920 that came out blurry when we tried with our digital cameras.

The Western Cup Dance, held at Hotel Arts, was another sold-out event. From the DJ booth we took photos and a video out across the sea of people dancing to International DJ/Producer Hector Fonseca, who was flown out from New York. Considering the dance was still going strong when we left at 1:30am, I think it’s safe to say this event was a great success.

April 2013 – Bears, Crowns, and Comics April is going to be anything but a quiet month, considering something major is happening just about every weekend until May. The weekend of the 13th is the much anticipated Bearacchus, brought to you by the Fellowship of Alberta Bears (FAB) in association with ARGRA. More than just a big Bear dance on Saturday night, there are events happening Friday evening and during the day Saturday and Sunday (see the ad in this edition for details). As bear aficionados, and Steve being a bear himself, both him and I have been waiting with baited breath since we first heard the news this was in the works. Granted, we were torn considering Jasper Pride is happening the same weekend, and we are a sponsor of both events. We wanted to go and experience it ourselves this year, but alas, the promise of drunken shenanigans in a room full of furry men drew us to it like the siren’s song. At the very least, Jasper Pride offers an excellent alternative to those who might feel out of place at Bearacchus; or simply to those who are equally drawn to the promise of a weekend of skiing and drunken shenanigans in scenic Jasper.

(For the women who may feel left-out by this all male event, there’s no reason to fret because Les Girls is putting on another all women’s dance on May 3rd at Vinyl.)

The following weekend of the 20th is Coronation 37, with lead-up events throughout the week. Empress 36 Ruby Harte and Emperor 36 Bull Dozr will be stepping down to make way for the newly elected candidates. Voting day is noon until midnight on Saturday, April 13th.

With only one candidate for Emperor (Dennis Storm) and Empress (Argintina Hailey-Dior), both will be Yes/No votes on the ballot. For those who really like drag - and I mean really like drag, enough to endure a 6+ hour drag show albeit with a fancy dinner - the Coronation can be a magical night of performance and costumes.

Following that is another weekend of costumes at the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo. It’s amazing how well GayCalgary Magazine fits in as a sponsor of this, even though it’s not a “gay” event. Openmindedness seems to be a common virtue among most sci-fi and fantasy fans. If you’re willing to love and accept mutants and aliens, ghosts and the undead - even embrace them for their differences - then being accepting of gay people isn’t such a stretch. Even at the Taboo show we’ve not seen so many well-adjusted adults; many being straight couples who are secure enough in their sexuality that they don’t even bat an eyelash about picking up a magazine, or being seen by others taking an interest and talking to us at our booth - kids in tow! If all of humanity could be this evolved, the world would be a better place.

There is a good deal of big name celebrities attending this year’s expo, and we have done our best to get GayCalgary Magazine in on the action.

We delayed our press deadline for April by a few days to fit in some last minute interviews, so we’ve got a very packed edition this month. Many more interviews are lined up, leading up to and during the expo, which will end up in the May edition and online.

More articles online...

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GayCalgary Magazine #114, April 2013

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Interview

 Bret “Hitman” Hart

“Hitman” Comes Home Calgary’s Bret Hart sets sights on expo

By Jason Clevett He is considered by many to be the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be. From humble beginnings in Stampede Wrestling to the top of the mountain as world champion in the WWF and WCW, Bret “Hitman” Hart has always had close ties to his hometown of Calgary. Even when on the road for 300+ days a year he continued to call Calgary home.

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GayCalgary Magazine #114, April 2013

Hart was forced to retire in 2000 after a concussion and a subsequent stroke. He did briefly return to the ring in a limited capacity in 2010 but for the most part has enjoyed retirement as well as traveling to appearances. GayCalgary Magazine caught up with Hart while he was in New York City for a number of events on wrestling’s biggest weekend, Wrestlemania 29.

“Wrestlemania still does have magic. I get treated with a lot of respect by the fans, the wrestlers and the WWE staff. I feel kind of like royalty down here. Most important to me is that I get to connect with a lot of fans. I always try and stop and take pictures - being nice to fans is not an imposition for me.

I always try to relate to when I was a fan, I would really like it when guys would stop and take a picture when I was smaller and now I am on the other side of it. I don’t find it hard work, I enjoy it and am grateful that I have a lot of fans and feel proud of myself when I come down for events.

“The thing I like the most about coming to an event like those in New York is seeing a lot of my old friends. I’ve seen Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Jimmy Snuka. Wrestlers seem to be dropping like flies and [it’s good] seeing some of these guys doing great.

I have a lot of friends that you don’t see very often. You travel with them for years on the road and become very close but then all of a sudden you never see them again. This is an opportunity to make the most of that and see guys you never see and may never see again.

“I always felt my broadest fanbase in the United States and maybe the world was New York itself. A big reason why I became champion was the fact that I was so popular in New York. I frequent here quite often and always meet a lot of fans and love to give back to them and show my appreciation for so many years of dedication and support. When I was on the plane coming down there, there were a lot of WWE fans coming down.

There are people from all over the world: Singapore, Australia...

It is a big thing for them to fly all the way over here, if they want a picture it is the least I can do.”

While he has made many appearances in the US and around the world, the Calgary Expo marks his first signing for Calgary in many years. He is excited to not have to get on an airplane, and to reconnect with long time and new local fans.

“It is kind of a rare opportunity. When I got approached I was quite excited about it, it is a chance to sign autographs in Calgary. I’d like to think that almost everybody in Calgary has my autograph by now, I sign things all the time wherever I go. It will be a really positive thing for me to see so many fans come out. “…It is cool for me just to be at the event and to see the exhibits. I’ve been to some in the United States like San Diego and they are always a lot of fun. This one will be extra special because it is Calgary, my home town. I can’t wait until it begins.

It will be nice not to fly as well, I don’t get to do something local very often. I know so many superhero and comic fans have identified with pro wrestling. When I grew up as a kid I was fascinated by masked wrestlers, I even dreamed of working under a hood. It never happened and wrestling with a mask is quite hard. Growing up as a kid my love of Spiderman and Batman tied in with pro wrestling and the masked guys who worked for my father. The little boy in everybody will come out at the comic expo. I hope that the little boy or girl that grew up cheering me on and [who] I influenced - I like to think I was a good hero, and I get a lot of fans that tell me that today. I always tried to live up to the image I had in the ring and am proud I had no scandals like Hulk Hogan sex tapes or was busted at the airport. I’ve never done anything to not look like a champion.

I’ve made mistakes in my life but for the most part I have tried to be a good hero and lead by example. I am proud of who I am and how I have lived my life and am grateful to give back to the Calgary fans that come out to see me.”

Although Stampede Wrestling is no longer running, the iconic Hart House is no longer owned by the family, and the Harts aren’t as much in the spotlight, Calgary hasn’t forgotten wrestling’s first family. Hart credits this to his father Stu, who

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passed away in 2003, and mother Helen who passed away in 2001. “…A lot of people loved and respected both [my mother and father]. A lot of people miss both my parents but my father was such a figure in the city, he was a pioneer. He is a classic example of what Alberta and Calgary represent. He was a good man and people don’t forget that. Just like Ralph Klein there is a certain salt of the earth that comes out of people here and they both had that, which may be why they were such good friends. I try to be a chip off the block and always try to be a good representative of the Hart family. I am proud of myself, my parents and what we did for the community and for wrestlers that became big stars out of Calgary. When you watch WWE wrestling today I really do think Stu was one of the positive factors in wrestling. The wrestlers he helped create went on to change the world and he was a major force in what has become pro wrestling today. I am glad that Calgary appreciates us.”

While many of his appearances are at wrestling related events, Hart has appeared at broader entertainment conventions as well.

“I’ve gone to some expos and seen guys like William Shatner.

We did some wrestling shows together - he is a relaxed guy and I like that. It is always fun to meet stars. Sometimes you meet them and they are a lot different than they are in TV shows, so it is nice to see them as humans, normal and relaxed and joking around. I am grateful to be part of the list. If you had told me in high school that I would be at an event with the same names that are there I would have told you that you were crazy.

I am a very lucky guy to have had the fortune I had and the fans support me. I would put my fan base and accomplishments up against all of those TV and movie stars.”

Although retired for 13 years, fans around the world have not forgotten “The Hitman.” He received a huge reaction during a recent RAW appearance. Fans will recollect favourite matches from decades ago, and it is clear that they have not and will not forget him.

“I dedicated my life to wrestling and worked really hard at it and gave some of the greatest matches and performances of all time. I am grateful that it meant a lot to so many people and stuck with them. There are people who still relate to my Canadian/US storyline and other moments in time that stand out forever. I am lucky that I touched so many people who remember that.

“Calgary likes to remember the good Calgarians, my Dad was a good one and people will never forget him... Even in the states I meet people that still talk about my Dad. I think it is the same thing, people respected me and that I was a hard working guy.

Wrestling has become this huge entertainment vehicle and I was one of the pioneers of that, and I am lucky we have fans who remember that. Nobody is more proud of being a Calgarian than I am.

“It has been such an interesting journey since I retired. I was humbled with my stroke and in a lot of ways it made me a better and stronger person, and am lucky I had the recovery I did. I always thought of myself as someone who battled back and fought uphill battles in wrestling and was the underdog. I wasn’t the biggest guy, I was a normal sized guy that was six feet tall. I had a good physique and athleticism but I wasn’t a monster, you could relate to me. When you watch a lot of these guys like CM Punk and the Rock they weren’t watching Hulk Hogan wrestle. They don’t want to watch wrestling like that anymore, they are dinosaurs. I changed wrestling and the direction it was going - from the freakish Ultimate Warrior guys with little wrestling ability - and changed it. It was about how good I wrestled.

“When you go back to Wrestlemania IX and X, it was when wrestling ran into a brick wall with the steroid scandals and all of that. They had to stick the belt on someone who could hold things for awhile and stop things from sliding. They put it on Bret Hart because I was safe and smart and logical. I don’t think they ever thought I would hold it for that long, it was like hold this until we find our real star. I went through a period for

maybe four or 5 years where I was a stand-in while they were trying to figure out their real champion. Every time they did he bombed and they stuck the belt back on me, because I was the best wrestler on the card. I wasn’t the greatest talker, when I walked in a room people just looked at me as very normal.

People relate to that. It was all part of the new direction that they took.

“I like to think that when I got to that position of champion it was more about the matches. People remember the Iron Man match and the Steve Austin match and the match with Owen. That is what I want to be remembered for, being the best storyteller in wrestling. I really thought out the moves and was the stunt coordinator and story writer every night. I am proud of everything I did, you can pull out any match I had and it still stands out today. I don’t think there are any wrestlers today that can have the same matches and impact and I am very proud of that.”

www.gaycalgary.com

Bret “Hitman” Hart Appearing at the Calgary Expo April 26th to 29th http://www.brethart.com http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3425

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GayCalgary Magazine #114, April 2013

11

Preview

I Am My Own Wife

Third Street Theatre tackles a 36 character, one-man power script

By Janine Eva Trotta ‘Intriguing and powerful’ are the words actor Paul Welch uses to describe the script and 36 roles he will take on in the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning show I Am My Own Wife by playwright Doug Wright.

“I have never acted in a one-man show before and, in the past, the thought of portraying so many complex, unique characters was a daunting notion,” Welch says. But when director Kevin McKendrick – best known for his lively Ground Zero and Hit & Myth productions – approached Welch with the challenging script, the seasoned thespian could not refuse.

“I knew immediately that it would tie in beautifully to what we’re trying to accomplish with Third Street Theatre,” Welch says.

The theatre group envisages putting to stage a stream of thoughtful, provoking shows that explore queer history and ‘the stories of our past’.

Set in Nazi Germany, I Am My Own Wife resurrects the life of Charlotte von Mahsdorf, born Lothar Berfeld, who, as a child growing up in pre-war Berlin, longed for nothing more than to garb herself in pretty frock and maintain her collection of antique furnishings.

“She would have made a perfect house wife, but she was born a boy,” says Welch. “With a bravery and resilience of spirit unlike any other, she managed to preserve queer history by surviving

the oppressive regimes of Nazi Germany and the communism of East Berlin by creating a museum, doing whatever it took to find her way in a challenging, unwelcoming world.”

Welch says working with McKendrick was a goal he harboured for many years; a goal that was mutual, and this exciting script was just the right catalyst to solidify the artistic union. “…the fact that Kevin approached me with such passion and desire to see me portray Charlotte put aside any reservations I might have had about performing in a one-man show,” he says. “[The script] is a fantastic, beautiful little story about one incredible transgendered woman who survived in a world we can barely begin to comprehend. And she did so with dignity and pride. She was a true survivor.”

Welch hopes that this is the kind of production that will shed a bright light on a piece of history dark in most in Calgarian minds.

“Perhaps it will result in interesting conversations or, perhaps, it will give us a little bit of perspective about how much we have accomplished and how far we have come – while simultaneously highlighting how much has stayed the same,” he says.

If anyone has the expertise and endurance to last 36 roles in one production – which means tackling German and Texan dialects among others – it is Welch. The actor of 13 years began his theatre career in Ottawa before moving to Edmonton to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Alberta. Upon graduation he spent three additional years based out of Edmonton but found that all of his work opportunities were coming from Calgary.

“When a long-term relationship came to an end, I decided it best to start afresh in a vibrant, exciting theatre community – and I have never regretted it,” he says.

Welch played his first professional role at Calgary’s Lunchbox Theatre, starring in Darrin Hagen’s festive, comedic treat With Bells On, for which his performance was nominated – and later won – a Betty Mitchell Award for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical.

As a sidecar to performing Welch writes his own plays – four in total – and has also completed a fantasy novel, all of which, he says, explore queer issues and themes. This is How I Left, his most recent work, performed to virtually sold out houses receiving standing ovations at every show.

“But as an actor, I am… alone on stage; there is no one to save me if I get lost, and no one to bring my energy up if I am feeling a little under,” he says. “One hundred per cent of the storytelling falls on me, and it is my responsibility to make sure that everyone is engaged and enjoys the performance.”

‘One actor. Thirty-six characters. One astounding life.’

I Am My Own Wife EPCOR Centre Motel, April 24th to May 4th Tues-Sun at 7:30pm, with 2:00pm matinees on Sunday, April 27th, and Saturday, May 4th.

Tickets: info@thirdstreet.ca • 403-703-4750 http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3426

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Community

 Photos courtesy of Camp fYrefly

Camp Out at Camp fYrefly

Sexual minority leadership retreat comes to Calgary this summer

By Janine Eva Trotta The life changing experience has been offered to youth for ten years in the Edmonton area has finally made its way south to Calgary.

This July 40 to 50 lucky campers, age 14 to 24, will be able to attend the inaugural Camp fYrefly Calgary hosted in Cochrane. The addition was prompted by high demand and made possible with the partnering support of the Calgary Sexual Health Centre.

“Last year we had over 100 youth apply to the program here in Edmonton and we could only take 50,” says Camp fYrefly CoDirector and Assistant Professor at the University of Alberta, Dr. Kristopher Wells. “Many were coming from southern Alberta and so we decided it was time to bring it [to Calgary].”

In fact, campers are drawn from across the country to attend Camp fyrefly’s unique program: a healthy mix of self esteem building workshops, leadership seminars, sports, arts and more.

Every camp features an artist in residence and the 25 workshops offered per session are developed by the community.

“By using the arts, many young people can express themselves in ways they can’t with words,” Wells says.

Themes range from creative writing and drama to queer history and relationships to yoga and self-expression.

April will be a key month for preparing these camps. Call outs to the community will begin so that four planning committees can be formed. These volunteer committees will develop the educational programs and outdoor activities that happen at camp; handle the advertising, publicity and community outreach aspects; mail out the annual camp fYrefly post cards to all of the junior high and high schools in the Alberta education program; manage logistics, transportation and food to be available at camp; as well as fill camper’s flag bags full of helpful information for the campers to take home with them.

There are a full variety of positions and ways in which one can help out. Prospective volunteers are asked to contact fYrefly by visiting their website and contacting them by Email.

Committee members will also have the tough job of selecting which applicants get to attend camp. Campers are selected on a range of criteria: the responses applicants provide in their application package, past experiences, background, and interest.

The selection committee will be seeking a “diversity of youth from a variety of different backgrounds,” Wells says. “This is a real opportunity where diversity becomes our strength.”

The camp only costs $25 per camper – a nominal commitment fee to secure the participant’s registration – the actual cost ($1,000 per camper) “is fully subsidized thanks to the generous donators in the community,” Wells says.

This ensures that no youth is ever turned away for financial reasons.

The median age of attending campers has decreased over the years from roughly 21 to 15 or 16, as youth are now approaching the camp at a younger age, Wells says. But this does not mean that an older community member might not be experiencing the same issues as a younger member. The camp places no bias or inflection on age in years – its all about the current stage attendees are in their lives and how recently they have come out.

“Generally speaking the older youth tend to be leaders supporting the younger youth,” Wells says. About a dozen youth leaders over the age of 18 will be selected and trained in advance of the camp start dates.

“Another big shift [we’re seeing] is that many of these people are now coming with the full support of their family,” Wells says.

“That’s a big shift from previous years.”

“Many youth coming are now very active in their communities and coming from all over Canada to gain experience and access the resources to go back with, to build a stronger community.”

This makes for a promising development for communities throughout the nation.

Camp fYrefly committees will be hosting friendraisers which will give people opportunity to learn more about the program. These, along with a formal launch of the camp introduction to Calgary, will be happening this spring.

The camps are still looking for additional companies that can donate items that will be helpful to campers. In addition to monetary gifts this can mean useful camp materials such as relevant literature, water bottles, protein bars, sunglasses, sunscreen, pens, etc.

Continued on Page 33  www.gaycalgary.com

GayCalgary Magazine #114, April 2013

13

Interview

Crosses in the Closet

Christian poses as gay man to gather insight

By Krista Sylvester Generally gay people pose as straight people to hide their true identity, but what happens when a Christian poses as a gay man? Well, he sheds his bible as a weapon and pens a novel as a teaching tool.

Graduate of the evangelical Liberty University turned author, Timothy Kurek, lived as a “gay” man for a year and then wrote about the enlightening experience in the novel “The Cross in the Closet” – and not only did his views change through the process but he is inspiring others to change as well.

In his own words, Kurek was raised to use his bible as a weapon and “convert at all costs” – a motto he later realized was hyper-conservative.

“It wasn’t till I saw the rejection a friend faced at the hands of her family that I realized I needed to understand first-hand what I had put others through,” he says of his lesbian friend who was shunned by her family when she came out.

At the time, the then 26-year-old realized he needed to question and understand what she went through from her perspective and then began the challenging journey of posing as a gay man. He told his entire family he was gay, including his mother – though his aunt knew the truth so that she could help his mother cope with the news. He had a gay friend named

 Timothy Kurek

Shawn to pose as his boyfriend and he got a job at a gay café and joined a gay softball league.

“Being in the closet was the most challenging aspect. I came out as gay to my friends, family and church and by doing so, I went into the closet as straight,” Kurek says. “I had no idea how emotionally detrimental being in the closet is, or how difficult it would be to live such a suppressed lifestyle. I can’t imagine what it would be like to spend decades in the closet.”

What Kurek learned was life-changing and he hopes others feel the same way once they read the book and open their minds.

“I learned that homosexuality and Christianity aren’t mutually exclusive. It’s not either or. And I learned that the ultimate goal of my faith and my life, in order to be more Christ like, is to love my neighbour as myself and to live in that love intentionally every day.”

Kurek was surprised by the gay community and learned that there is no gay agenda and yes, the gay community is just like the straight community.

“There is no difference, besides the obvious of course.”

But what was surprising is how his own family and friends treated him while he was “gay”. While Kurek expected backlash, what he received was silence and disappearance. He quotes a Martin Luther King saying; “In the end it’s not the words of our enemies we will remember, but the silence of our friends…”

“And that silence was deafening,” Kurek adds.

When Kurek finally revealed his year-long journey as a gay man was indeed to gain insight into living as a gay man, the reactions were varied, but he’s proud to say most of his gay and lesbian friends stood beside him. His mother, who at first preferred to have cancer than a gay son, ended up becoming an ally to the gay community herself and it’s this kind of reversal Kurek hopes others too will embrace.

Kurek admits he had a few regrets through the whole process but won’t delve into what, only that he believes it happened the way it was supposed to. He still believes “Christ’s love never fails” and hopes other Christians too realize that homosexuality and faith can go hand in hand.

http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3428

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GayCalgary Magazine #114, April 2013

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Community

Discussing Community Safety Same-Sex Domestic Violence

By Constable Andy Buck Hello everybody, it’s a pleasure to be with you again this month. I hope a great time was had by all at Western Cup. If you were a winner, then I send my congratulations. If not, well it’s the taking part that counts, right?

Last month I advised that we would be discussing community issues, and this month we look at same-sex domestic violence.

You may remember that I co-chair the Chief’s Advisory Board, and my plan is to introduce my fellow board members during the coming months. This same-sex domestic violence information has been kindly provided by one of those board members, Jane Oxenbury, M.Ed., R.Psych.

Jane has a private practice in Calgary, where she works with individuals, couples and families, specializing in the areas of family violence, sexual abuse, depression, and anxiety. She works and trains extensively with the gay/lesbian/bisexual/ transgendered communities and with professionals, especially in the areas of same-sex domestic violence and bullying and harassment of LGBT youth. She is a member of the Psychologists Association of Alberta, the College of Alberta Psychologists, the Canadian Psychologists Association, the Canadian Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology, and the Canadian Society of Clinical Hypnosis – Alberta Division.

Social Context Homophobia and heterosexism in society denies the reality of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender lives, including the existence of their relationships, and in particular abusive ones.

An average of 25 to 33 percent of all same-sex relationships involve domestic violence.

Services for abused and abusive lesbian and gay individuals, and their families, are limited and many are not specialized for this community’s unique need. It’s not unusual for persons in these communities to sometimes experience a lack of understanding of the seriousness of the abuse when reporting to a therapist, social worker, medical personnel or police officer. Also, many are very reluctant to come forward due to homophobia and the fear that they will neither be believed by the service providers nor have confidentiality within their own community.

The root of such violence, as in heterosexual relationships, is the need for power and control; however, the amount of physical violence is less among lesbian couples and more verbal and emotional in nature. For gay couples it appears that there is more physical violence.

• Partner violence has nothing to do with sex roles or physical appearance.

• This is not “mutual battering;” one partner is controlling through abuse and the other is defending themselves.

• Homophobia and heterosexism increase isolation in partner violence. Threats of being “outed” to family, friends or work, threats to “out” the children in their school/ community and the lack of a legal position for the nonbiological parent are used as a means to control a partner.

• The fear of having to “out” yourself if you talk about the abuse often keeps lesbian and gay individuals in silence.

The secrecy and isolation is even within the LGBT community itself. The myths that women don’t abuse women and gay men are just having a fair fight reinforce the silence. Homophobia keeps both from talking about the issue out of fear that they will not be believed, or supported or will be discriminated against.

In addition, violence often occurs after a sexual encounter.

This may be a reaction to the level of vulnerability involved.

If one partner is struggling with her/his own internalized homophobia, she/he may find it more difficult to maintain her/ his own level of denial when she/he has just been sexual with someone of the same gender. This insecurity, self-doubt, and fear may lead to violent acts designed to reestablish control.

Research also tells us that those who bully others in their childhood are at a greater risk to go on to be abusers in their adult years, and those who are bullied are at risk for further victimization. This included both heterosexual and LGBT individuals. So treating the impact of bullying is also very important to the health of our LGBT youth and, subsequently, our community adults.

Conclusion Thank you to Jane for that valuable information. As a police officer I encourage you to report all incidents of domestic violence.

Please don’t be a silent victim, and if you are a witness then please don’t think that it is not your business. I fully understand the sensitivity of this topic, and I am happy to facilitate an introduction with a local officer, or to be present as support when an officer attends if that is mutually convenient.

Stay safe, and I look forward to talking with you next month.

Resources For further information, please check:

Facts

http://www.janeoxenbury.com

• Same-sex partner violence leads to similar short and longterm physical and emotional health problems to those in heterosexual domestic violence.

• Partner violence includes physical, sexual, verbal, emotional, economic and spiritual abuse.

• Partner violence occurs in all segments of the gay community.

http://www.sutr.ca http://www.vigorcalgary.ca http://www.youthsafe.net

Constable Andy Buck 403-428-8154 • pol4792@calgarypolice.ca http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3429

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GayCalgary Magazine #114, April 2013

15

Interview

Join the Mobile Infantry and Save The World Casper Van Dien brings the troops to the Calgary Expo

By Jason Clevett When Starship Troopers was released in 1997, it featured a loaded and attractive cast including Neil Patrick Harris, Dina Myer, and Denise Richards. It was Casper Van Dien that got a lot of attention, and the fans that loved him and that film still talk about it 16 years later. Van Dien and Myer will be at the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo, April 26th to 28th.

“It is a great way to connect with fans. I am a fan of movies, I always have been, and can relate to people that like them just as much as me. It is nice to connect with people that like some of the things you’ve done and see people that you are also a fan of,” Van Dien told GayCalgary Magazine. “I also get to reconnect with friends and people I’ve worked with in this industry. John Barrowman is going to be there, he played my brother in Titans. Nathan Fillion and I did One Life To Live together. That is exciting too. This con especially has lots of people that I know. Of course I love Carrie Fisher. I am sure there will be a lot of people that I am going to want to meet.

There are so many people - I am a huge fan and geek when it comes to films. …I’ve only been doing this a couple of years now and I love them. The other day I was out with Darth Maul Ray Park and Darth Vader David Prouse and a Hobbit. It is so weird to be out for dinner with people I am fans of. A lot of them are fun to be around and funny... There are people that dress up in Starship Troopers uniforms, I have seen them all over the world and they are awesome. I love that aspect.”

We caught up with Van Dien on the phone from his California home to discuss some of the highlights of his career and his appearance. In addition to Starship Troopers he has appeared in numerous films and TV shows including Sleepy Hollow.

“Sleepy Hollow was phenomenal and Johnny Depp is one of the most gracious actors I have ever worked with. Christina Ricci was just wonderful and so sweet. I loved that movie, I was the only descendant of a Dutch immigrant in that film.

Sleepy Hollow was off of the Dutch colonists ghost stories they would tell when they first came to America and they were 16

GayCalgary Magazine #114, April 2013

handed down, I heard them growing up. When I first told my Dad I was playing Brom Van Brunt, he asked about the Van Tassels and he told me I was kissing my cousins. I loved that film I loved Tim Burton and he gave you such freedom as an actor. Everyone in that film was so talented to work with, it was definitely a gift.”

Early in his career he played James Dean. His preparation for the role shows the dedication he has to acting, especially in portraying a real person.

“I was totally naked in that film too! I was 26 when I did that one and I was a younger newer actor, I loved playing him. I went and stayed with his family and talked to people he worked with, read books he read, listened to music he listened to. I watched his films, watched every episodic TV spot he did and looked at his photographs. I tried to get as much information as I could, I try and do that in every film, to do all the work and research I can to make the character believable for me. I want to feel as close as I can to the role. One of the beauties of being an actor, is we get to explore all these things.

I got to learn a lot about James Dean when I played him. For Tarzan I studied tapes of Jane Goodall so I could learn ape movement. I got an award for my portrayal of Tarzan and got the Golden Lion Award and got to meet her, which was a thrill because she was a big influence in me being Tarzan. She read the books as a kid and it inspired her to be who she is. That is what I love about this industry, you get to do the research and meet these cool people and do all that work and it comes back around. The script book I wrote all my notes in is in the James Dean museum.”

Another film that has achieved a strong fanbase is Python.

Unlike his co-star Robert Englund, Van Dien isn’t afraid of snakes.

“To work with Robert Englund is always a thrill. He is one of the sweetest men you will ever meet, a total gentleman. I wish I could have done more with him in that film, I only worked three days on it. Python is something I get asked about all the

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time, it was just fun to do something really whacky. You go out and work a couple of days with some people trying to make a film. I actually like snakes. I would be afraid of a rattlesnake, I heard one in my front yard when we moved out here and I went to get a shovel because I have kids, but by the time I got back the snake was gone. I probably would have tried to take its head off. I have never killed anything but that was my natural instinct to protect my kids.”

Recently Casper was part of another full frontal nerdity project, a web series based on the game Mortal Combat in which he plays Johnny Cage.

“They wanted a D-list actor and they hired me, so what are you trying to say? I am having a great time shooting it, it was an incredible vision and the cast has been amazing.

It has been great being a part of it. I asked him why I was the perfect Johnny and he would just laugh. I am not sure it is a compliment. I try to curb my profanity but one of the first tweets I got was Fucking Johnny Rico is playing fucking Johnny Cage. Fucking Awesome. People were excited. It has been fantastic and I have enjoyed being Johnny, some of my biggest roles have been as Johnnys.”

Speaking of full frontal nerdity, the conversation moved to Starship Troopers and Johnny Rico. While nudity has become more common with more shows on cable, at the time of Starship Troopers release, the fact that there was a nude shower scene really got a reaction both positive and negative.

Van Dien has had some interesting experiences based on that brief flash of his rear end.

“When the movie first came out my mom called me and asked how come when you go to caspervanidien.com we see your butt? Some fan had gotten the webname and put up 14 stills from that shot of my back end. I told her I didn’t own it, she said all the ladies at church are seeing that, why do they have to see it as the front page? I asked the guy to change it and he wouldn’t at first but eventually did. It gets a lot of talk, it was groundbreaking I guess to put a co-ed non-sexual shower together. We were in that shower for 11 hours all naked together. It was different I guess and is a huge thing that I am talking about 16 years later.”

Spending 11 hours naked in a shower could be really fun, or a nightmare. It was just another part of the job for Van Dien.

“I love being on a set so however long we are on whatever scene it is a lot of fun for me. You have to keep up the same energy you had earlier on in the day, it is important to maintain a certain level of energy you can be consistent with. You stop and eat lunch and have breaks, some people didn’t eat that day because we were in the shower. You have to bring your A-game and the fear of being naked around people in a shower for that long, people asked if we got embarrassed. At the end it was just like whatever lets shoot this. You get so used to it you are just standing around naked not even wrapping it up.

You either got really comfortable or just didn’t care anymore.”

Being completely naked has risks in today’s world where someone can snap a photo and post it on the internet for the world to see.

“Supposedly there are photos from Starship Troopers and Starship Troopers 3, I was completely naked in that one too.

I think there are some images, and some might be altered.

I don’t sit around and check for the photos but have had people tell me they are there and some people want to show me pictures which I am not interested in seeing. Would I be more nervous about it? I just did it again in 2008 for Starship Troopers 3. I am sure I will have opportunities again. It isn’t something where I go hey yeah I am going to be naked! It is each individual role. In Starship Troopers when it came out on

DVD a couple of years later a friend of mine called me and said if you freeze it just right you can see your schlong. I was like dude you’re married, our kids are friends don’t tell me you just looked at that. It was one of my straight friends calling me up to tell me you could see my johnson. I never stopped to check I just couldn’t believe that one of my friends had taken the time to freeze it and look.”

There has been talk of remaking the film, something he would like to see.

“I don’t know if they will ever make it like the original, they would probably go a different direction. I am a big fan of the book so I would love to see it again. If they wanted me to be a part of it I would be, and if not I would still go and watch it. The original movie didn’t follow the book at all so maybe they would do a version closer to the book. Paul Verhoeven has a very dark perverse sense of humor and I love that. I don’t know if studios would be willing to give that freedom to another director, he had total control. They figured that if they had done the original as pg-13 it would have doubled the income opening weekend. All they needed to do to do that was cut 1:22 and Paul refused. So I don’t know if they would go the same route, but I would be excited to see the potential, it would be fun.”

Van Dien and Dina Myer will be doing photos together and a panel about Starship Troopers. It is remarkable how strongly that film still resonates with fans who will be eager to meet them at the Calgary Expo.

“Every day on my twitter page I get people that tweet Starship Troopers quotes. That film has a huge fanbase and they are extraordinary with their participation with you and your career and the things you do. Dina Myer and I will be together and she is fun to do a con with. I love being able to do this with her and people love the connection between her and I in the film. It seems to have grown stronger and stronger with fans. There are young people that are fans of it, and people who saw it as kids who are in the film industry. It has this huge life in itself which has been exceptional for me.

“Dina and I were so excited to make this film, we are both pretty grateful that we have the opportunity to talk to people about it. It seems like it keeps growing, every time it airs again we will get quotes and Dina and I have a good time retweeting.

I would love it if the entire cast got together and did a con. …I love that Starship Troopers has this longevity.”

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GayCalgary Magazine #114, April 2013

17

Review

 Bi-Level Villas at Swan Landing

Lock It and Leave It

Villa Style Living with Urban Flare At Rocky Ridge

By Janine Eva Trotta The opportunity to live in a villa-style bungalow or bilevel at the Landing at Rocky Ridge is swiftly becoming scarce. At the time of writing only two completed residences were still up for grabs, along with two villas still in construction and the plots for eight more potential homes lying ready.

What is the draw? Location, features, and affordability, say the developers.

“Built for discriminating, mature buyers who might or might not be snowbirds but who appreciate the finer things in their home, the villas will satisfy those who want it all,” says Brian Cassidy, marketing and sales manager for The Swan Group Inc. “And, [for those] who subscribe to the all-important and oft-heard mantra of ‘lock it and leave it’.”

Cassidy says that more than half of the owners of the already completed villas at The Landing head south to the sunnier climbs of Arizona, Mexico and California for all or part of the Calgary winter season.

The Villas at Rocky Ridge are a sister project to the condo apartments built on the same quiet, secure cul-de-sac in Calgary’s scenic northwest.

Developers The Swan Group Inc. have been building homes in the city and Canmore for more than two decades, and have been a member of the Alberta New Home Warranty Program since March of 1991.

“Rocky Vista Gardens N.W. is one of the very last, and most beautifully situated, developable streets in the city’s northwest Rocky Ridge community,” says Cassidy of the villa’s location. “..with exquisite, breathtaking views of our glorious Rocky Mountains both to the south and west of The Landing at Rocky Ridge – kiss the Buddhas ‘good morning’ and toast the sunset, ‘good night!’”

The location offers close proximity to LRT, shopping, restaurants and parks, not to mention panoramic mountain views.

Villas come in two styles: the bi-level units offer 1,318 and 1,337 square feet floor plans with two bedrooms and two baths on the upper level and a full, unfinished basement at the double garage level. Finished areas feature hardwood, ceramic and carpet and start at $469,900.

The bungalow floor plan offers a ‘superb master bedroom and ensuite bath’ with an additional 1,000 square feet of finished floor space on the walk-out basement level. Features include in-floor heating in both bedrooms and the spacious recreation room, a large island in the

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kitchen, as well as hardwood flooring, ceramic and carpet, with a double car garage. These units are priced at $659,900.

All units provide high vaulted ceilings on the upper level, 10-foot ceilings in the basements, and gourmet kitchens. This means: granite countertops; a full array of stainless steel appliances - including a bottom drawer freezer, dual-fuel stoves (natural gas range with electric oven) exterior-venting microwave/hood fan and dishwasher - and stained maple cabinets with full height backsplashes.

Maple handrails with wrought iron spindles compliment stairways and low maintenance decks, ideal for entertaining, are framed with aluminum handrails and tempered glass inserts. Exposed aggregate composes the driveways, walkways and steps owners will never need shovel.

Monthly condo fees, set at $241 per month, include all snow removal from the street to the front door as well as all seasonal landscaping and private garbage collection.

As mentioned, only one bungalow and one bi-level remain finished and ready for immediate possession, while one bungalow and one bilevel remain under construction. The developers will only take these properties to the drywall stage so purchasers may select their own colours, flooring and finishes “and still move in by the summer,” says Cassidy.

In addition the land remains open for four more duplex bungalows (eight residences in total) “but then, that’s it for our land in Rocky Ridge,” says Cassidy. “And that’s why buyers who are looking to downsize and join the ‘lock it and leave it’ generation should jump on these few remaining villa opportunities!”

For more information and images of The Villas at the Landing at Rocky Ridge visit their website.

“As another saying goes, ‘when they’re gone, they’re gone!’”

The Landing at Rocky Ridge The Swan Group Inc. • http://www.swancanada.com http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3431

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Interview

Stepping Down

Calgary says Goodbye to current reining Emperor and Empress of the ISCCA

By Janine Eva Trotta On April 20, 2013 the ballroom doors will open at the Westin Hotel to one of Calgary’s most glamorous spring events – the Imperial Sovereign Court of the Chinook Arch Social Association’s (ISCCA SA) Coronation number 37.

This year the theme is ‘GRIMM – It’s all about the fables’.

Stepping down from their one year reign, we spoke to The 36th House of Crimson Rose Beauties and Blood Diamond Beasts Emperor and Empress Bull Dozr and Ruby Elizabeth Harte to get a glimpse of what the last year of fund raising and representation has meant to them and what they would advise to the future royalty soon to be crowned.

“I have learned so much during the reign; many things just about myself,” says current reining Empress Ruby Elizabeth Harte. “The changes that you go through are an experience in its self – growing into something that only seemed a dream.” “[The reign] is a journey of self growth and passion and hard work for your community,” she says. “Getting to see the work that you are doing bettering the lives of others is a great reward!”

As for advice to future empresses Harte suggests, “always be true to yourself.”

“There are more ways to do things [than one]. Yes we have traditions, but you can keep them alive in your own way,” she says. “Always remember that it’s not the crown; it’s not … the role you are in. You are here for your community and for that reason alone keep the passion alive even on the worst days.”

“Remember why you chose this and that the community chose you and it will drive you forward.”

Harte admits not every day in crown is easy, and the biggest challenges the royalty face are personal ones.

“You either choose to sink or swim until the opportunity presents itself again,” she says. “It’s a constant battle between good and evil right, and wrong, but generally speaking it’s about learning to be selfless and not selfcentered.”

During her reign Harte lost her grandmother, and had to seek support from her peers to keep her poise during this tumultuous and painful time.

“Family always comes first – don’t hide it. Share it with your upper house and your emperor; they will understand!”

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Emperor Bull Dozr agrees with the empress that picking highlights of the reign is a tough process when the crowning achievements come in the journey itself. “…from the bonds of fellowship and family you forge with fellow emperors, empresses, and court members, to the sense of accomplishment after a year of hard work, giving your all to give back to a community that has nurtured you for some twenty years,” he describes. “Or knowing that there are those out there benefitting from the efforts you have put in.”

As for the challenges of reigning, Emperor 36 Bull Dozr explains the juggling act that occurs, trying to find equilibrium.

“The hardest part of being emperor is definitely trying to balance everything in your life: work, court, and family,” he explains. “Learning how to say, sorry I need to spend time with my partners who I haven’t seen in two months, or yes I need more time off because I have to go out of town.”

“In many ways duty came before family this year,” he says. “Thankfully my partners are no strangers to court life so understood when I was absent at times, and thankfully my employers were 110% supportive.”

“Being emperor is no easy task; the cost of the year comes out of our own pocket, and it is very much like having another full time job. But if you are in it for the right reasons, you don’t mind.”

As Harte advises future monarchy, Bull Dozr too amplifies the need to be true to one’s self. “…think outside the box, try to embrace the entire community, be accountable for your mistakes, and rejoice in your accomplishments,” he says. “The year was definitely one of self growth and introspection. I held true to my convictions and integrity, and at the other side of it, I came out of the experience not ready for the ride to be over, but proud of where the ride took me.”

Coronation 37 Sat, Apr 20th • http://www.iscca.ca http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3432

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GayCalgary Magazine #114, April 2013

19

Editorial

Will-full Endangerment - Part 2

By Evan Kayne Last month in discussion with lawyer Gary Courtney of Courtney Aarbo, we mentioned in most jurisdictions in Canada, there usually is legislation in place covering the administration of your estate (in Alberta it’s the Wills and Succession Act).

Unfortunately, the government scheme of who could be an executor to deal with the resolution of your estate is often not the best fit for people in the LGBT community. Under this scheme, without a will any children or pets could be put in the care of people you’d rather not have as guardians. And without the right paperwork in place, if you’re medically incapacitated, bad decisions you would never support can be made about your estate or even about your own health.

Immediately after your death, the first thing impacted by the use of a government appointed executor is your last goodbye. Without a will, while the financial side of your estate will work its way through the system, a funeral has to be held usually within a week. Therefore, the court appoints someone. It will most likely follow the government arrangement for the dispersal of your assets (i.e. spouse/ children/ parents/ siblings/ other relatives).

This may not lead to the funeral you want, Gary says. For example, “... most of my clients want to be cremated. However if your parents happen to be of a more traditional view and want to inter you – that’s what will happen...obviously your preferences aren’t being handled...you may end up having a high Catholic funeral.” Which can happen if your parents are very religious and you aren’t – they get to make the call as you don’t have a will.

A more chilling possibility: if you are trans and are starting to transition but legally haven’t fully made the change, your family could decide to bury you in the sexual configuration they want.

Even if you’ve pre-paid for your services and a plot, if the court appoints someone, they could go against what you wanted – either accidentally or maliciously. “If you have no will, yet you have passed on to your friends how you would like to be buried, I’ve yet to see a situation where a person has no will and the friends take charge. Because they can’t take charge.” The legislation has a list of who to turn to in this event, and friends aren’t on it.

Having your burial wishes ignored is only the start of how sideways things can go. There are nightmare scenarios which could happen with children and pets who are left behind. Without a will, if you had children and no spouse (or your spouse died first and neither of you had a will), potentially your children could be raised by family members you would never consider as guardians. For instance, if you were an atheist liberalminded individual who escaped an extremely religious and conservative family, without a will your kids might be raised with the values you tried to escape.

“A critical element of the will is naming...who is to be the guardians of these children. Usually you name a backup as well...you don’t have them named then you’re not providing the court with any guidance of what you would want.” The importance of having a backup – or several backups is that between when you did up the will and when you died, things may have changed for your appointed guardians.

With pets – that’s almost as important. “If you have a pet and no will, it will go to whomever the court has appointed next-of-kin in your will.”

This may mean it will go to people who are allergic, ambivalent, or are basically not the person you would have picked as a guardian for your pet. How many times have we heard stories about pets that belonged to an old lady – pets which are now languishing at the local pound; pets that may be a week away from being euthanized? The guardian of your pet may not be the permanent new owner, but you could state in your will this person will look after the pet until such a time a suitable home is located for the animal.

Now that you’ve dealt with your burial, any children or pets, a good lawyer will advise you on how to manage any debts which need to be repaid after your death. Yes, even once you die, to a certain degree debtholders can go after your estate.

If there is a large estate with some debt which would take part of the estate, this would be addressed as part of the will. “The first giving away clause in any will is that the executor has to pay all the debts.

That comes before any bequests.” The executor’s job here is to make money out of the estate. While you may have wanted certain items sold and other items bequested, in the hands of an executor you have NOT chosen, it’s just all assets to sell.

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Many lawyers will advise clients on how to set up their assets so they bypass the will, Gary said. For example, “...if you have an RRSP, you need to have it go to a spouse or common-law. You name the spouse or common-law to be the beneficiary on the RRSP file.” If it goes to your estate, there will be tax assessed on it and whatever is left goes to pay down debts. Employment pensions and life insurance policies are similar – name the spouse/common-law as the beneficiary.

This is where sometimes even young people can benefit from a will.

They may not have much in the way of physical assets. But they have these policies – be it life insurance or work pensions – which, upon their death can amount to a significant amount of money – money which could go directly to a partner rather than to debt-holders. If you’ve both purchased a house, a lawyer will advise putting both names on a house title so it will go right to the survivor, bypassing the will.

Something else most lawyers will suggest when you draw up a will is to consider setting up Personal Directive and Power of Attorney. These two deal with your medical concerns and financial concerns (respectively) when you may be medically incapacitated. Again, while laws may vary depending on what jurisdiction you are in, usually without the proper paperwork the courts will turn to the government scheme (i.e. spouse, then children, parents, siblings, etc.).

Personal directive is sometimes known as a living will, and specify what actions should be taken for your health if you are unable to make decisions due to illness. If two doctors/medical care providers say you don’t have capacity to speak for yourself, your agent would step in When you’re married, the personal directive may not be necessary – usually if you have a spouse, hospitals will consult with them. With a common-law partner, it becomes a bit murkier. Or if you’re single, the hospital doesn’t know who to turn to; “at that point, people have to go to a judge to get appointed to look after those directions.” If you’re in an emergency medical situation time may be of the essence. A personal directive avoids those pitfalls.

Power of attorney comes into play when two doctors say you don’t have the mental capacity to make decisions for yourself and someone steps in to act on your behalf, Gary told me. “Even if a person is married, I’ve found that the banks and investment companies – they want a power of attorney, they want a document...they want to see that.” Having a legal document stating power of attorney tends to allay any questions and make matters flow faster and easier. Also, it allows you to appoint the person you want to act as your agent.

On a side note – Power of Attorney and Personal Directives are important when travelling to countries where gay marriage is not recognized. If you have an emergency occurring in Canada and you are legally married, you usually get both of these recognized by the Canadian courts. In other countries you may be denied your rights simply because they don’t recognize your marriage as being legal. “Virtually anywhere that I know of those documents will be effective; while if you’re married here and you’re somewhere same-sex marriage is not recognized...you can be just ignored.”

Much of this information about wills is known to people who either have children or people who are 50-plus and have amassed a lot of assets. This group has started to realize they’re not immortal. Yet it’s the younger crowd who maybe are coming into their own life; even though they think they may not have much, they really should get a will. If they’ve left a dysfunctional family, and they don’t have part of the government scheme in place (i.e. spouse and children), if they die they may be shoved back into the closet or leave a huge mess which may not be sorted out how they would have wanted. It doesn’t take long and ideally you should revisit the will every 5 years or after a major life event (e.g. birth of a child, marriage, divorce, etc.).

Think of it as a final insurance you will use – while you may never get into a car accident you still buy car insurance. You may never have a fire, flood or burglary in your home; however, you still buy home insurance.

As unpleasant as it is to think of, we all die; how your life ends should be how you lived – not how a stranger may want your life to be.

http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3433

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Community

Queer History Project Returns

By Carey Rutherford It’s not clear if Kevin Allen realizes it, but his statements are full of meaning when he talks to GayCalgary Magazine: “I’m [1] doing another [2] [Queer History] presentation [3], in the Calgary Public Library downtown [4] and it’s being put on by the Calgary Heritage Authority [5] on May 3rd, from 5:30 7:00.”

1. Kevin Allen, self-proclaimed ‘amateur’ historian, and Executive Director of the Alberta Media Arts Alliance 2. He’s doing another one because the first one was so successful, and the City of Calgary became interested 3. An idea he developed on his own, and received funding to pursue from the ‘Calgary 2012‘ committee to promote local cultural projects 4. The first event was in the old YMCA building for historical reasons 5. Calgary Heritage Authority, who are interested in ‘invisible histories’ from around Calgary So you’ve been given lots of warning. Considering the response to the first event, you might need the lead time to book yourself in.

“It was very humbling. I was honoured that so many people came out to see the presentation. We ran out of chairs half an hour before the presentation started, and we stole chairs from the neighbouring office, and it continued to fill, so it was packed, standing-room only, to hear the presentation.”

In October of 2012, when GayCalgary Magazine first interviewed Kevin, he was still gathering material, searching elders in the LGBTQ community for oral histories, and holding court in Calgary Outlink as ‘Historian in Residence’ to gather archival information from whatever sources were willing to step forward.

“We had some representatives from the Calgary Heritage Authority (at the presentation), and the City’s Heritage planner came, and was very interested in the project. He said to me a lot of Calgary’s history community has this single narrative: it tends to be white, middle-class; it’s about the Stampede; it’s about oil discovery and that’s kind of the story of Calgary.”

When Kevin was originally successful in his funding application with the Calgary 2012 group, he said that he felt compelled “to get it done in a reasonable time frame.” Making it an incredible success didn’t hurt, either.

“The City’s Heritage planner, Darryl Cariou, works with the Calgary Heritage Authority, which is the citizen’s advisory group that does heritage programming, including designating historical buildings. They have a monthly speaking series,

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 A familiar street corner in Calgary

Heritage Matters: Invisible People and Places in 1950s and 1960s Calgary, and they asked me to do a presentation on May 3rd at the W.R. Castell Library downtown.

“This had actually been scheduled before I did the presentation in February. I was doing a lot of work on the Calgary Queer History website, and I’ve gotten about 4,000 hits on the website, and a lot of interest, and people started coldcalling me, and that’s where the City came in.

“The Calgary Foundation also called, and mentioned that they’re doing their Jane’s Walk in May, and asked if I’d be willing to do a gay history Jane’s Walk. So on the next day, May 4th, I’m doing a walking tour in the Beltline of significant sites for the gay community in the sixties and seventies.”

I noted the time change between the presentation and the Walk, and wondered if there was a specific reason why.

“A lot of the queer activist energy and advocacy really took off in the seventies and eighties across North America, and that’s reflected in Calgary as well, so I want to talk about some of the stories that were significant then. And they’re really geographically-centred.” Kevin mentions his research unearthing police files from the Memorial Park area with gay men alleging harassment by the police, and the anti-gay demonstrations in the Beltline in the eighties.

“The reason I did the fifties and sixties to begin with is that those were the decades I was most interested in, they were the

Continued on Page 25 

GayCalgary Magazine #114, April 2013

21

Preview

Discovering Dad’s Other Life Almost a Love Story Explores a Son’s Encounter with his Deceased Dad’s Lover

By Janine Eva Trotta Is it possible to truly love two people at the same time?

What does it mean to a son to find out his father had a male lover?

Almost a Love Story is not the typical play that shows at Lunchbox Theatre, but it is a script which, once Artistic Director Pamela Halstead read through it, was clearly in need of the opportunity to be brought to stage.

“When Louis [B. Hobson, the play’s writer] asked me to read the script he prefaced the request with the caveat that he knew that Lunchbox would not be able to produce it,” she recalls. “I read it and loved it but wondered about whether it was a good fit or not. I decided to workshop it in our annual Stage One Festival and see where we could get the script to and how the audience would respond. The response was so positive that I decided to program the show in the regular season.”

This is the story of a young man who, following his father’s death, realizes that a close friend of his father was in actuality a lover. He decides to confront this man, and in trying to reconcile the identity of the father he thought he knew, finds his own sexual identity must endure redefining.

“I think the most important thing this show does is provide a different perspective,” Halstead says. “And the questions of sexual identity and choices that we make around how we conduct ourselves as sexual creatures; and the nature of relationships and honesty or betrayal.”

Halstead recounts a Stage One reading last June, for which an older patron had sat in by accident. That older woman came to her and said, though she had never been comfortable with homosexuality, she liked the play and felt that the two men had genuinely cared about one another.

“If the play can open up any discussion around human relationships it will have been successful,” Halstead says.

The play will have full opportunity to inspire just that type of dialogue and more. Almost a Love Story is part of Lunchbox Theatre’s Education Comes Alive Program, which is targeted to schools in the region.

“There is a study guide available and post-show talk backs scheduled for school groups that attend,” Halstead says. “In the play Daniel (the son) also wants to be an actor and is working on his Shakespearean monologues for auditioning for University, and Callum (the lover) assists him with that. This literary connection is also an excellent tool to connect the play to the student’s curriculum.”

This run of Almost a Love Story will be the play’s first professional showcase to the public, though amateur actors performed an earlier draft as part of a community theatre festival in which it received award.

The play will be performed Monday to Saturday at 12:10pm with ‘Happy Hour’ performances Fridays at 6:10pm and ‘Date Night’ showings Saturdays at 7:30pm, from April 29 to May 18, 2013.

“We have not started rehearsals yet but I am looking very much forward to working on this beautiful and challenging script with such an amazing group of actors,” Halstead said at

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GayCalgary Magazine #114, April 2013

the time of writing, noting that the biggest challenge of directing such a play is its non-linear timeline.

“The play jumps in seconds from the present to the past and between characters and through memory,” she says. “So keeping not only the actors but the audience clear about where we are in the non-linear story telling and to do it in a way that flows is the challenge.”

The show promises a well-seasoned cast known to Calgary theatregoers.

Christopher Hunt, who plays David, the father living a dual life, is touted “one of the finest actors in the city having graced every stage in town” by Halstead, and is a past recipient of numerous Betty Mitchell awards for his performances.

Frank Zotter, based out of Edmonton, plays Callum, David’s lover. Lindsay Burns plays Ellie, David’s unaware wife, who upon discovering the truth about her husband allows her maternal instinct to protect her son overpower her own feelings of hurt and betrayal.

David, the son, is played by recent Mount Royal University graduate Joe Perry, while Callum’s neighbour and confidant, Henry, is played by former Artistic Director of Shadow Productions, Hal Kerbes.

Halstead has worked across the country as a director, spending the last ten years working primarily on new play development both at Lunchbox Theatre and Ship’s Company Theatre in Nova Scotia. “…both companies with long histories of premiering new Canadian plays,” she says. She was familiar with Almost a Love Story’s writer Louis B. Hobson as, in addition to writing plays, critiquing them for the Calgary Sun. “I am thrilled to be working on the world premiere of Almost a Love Story,” Halstead says.

Almost a Love Story Showing Apr 29th to May 18th Mon-Sat @ 12:10pm • Fri @ 6:10pm • Sat @ 7:30pm http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3435

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GayCalgary Magazine #114, April 2013

23

Politics

The American Supreme Court Equal Marriage, and the Evolution of Rights

By Stephen Lock You would think, especially after the several year stint we went through here in Canada, that the whole concept of equality would naturally extend to the concept of inclusive marriage and that your average person would ‘get it’.

That has, by and large, been our experience in Canada, despite the often bizarre and ludicrous arguments against equal marriage made by those opposed to it when it first hit the public agenda. Now that it is law here, the whole controversy has evaporated and it generally is just not seen as that big a deal if Mike and Garry or Cheryl and Kate decide to get married to each other. Life goes on and, in the view of most Canadians I would suggest, what those hypothetical couples choose to do in their lives really has no impact on what other Canadians do in their own lives - which is pretty much what equal marriage advocates said from the beginning.

Our neighbours to the South, however, are still going through the paroxysms of “traditional marriage” vs ”whatever THAT would be”. And, as I wrote about in my January column, the United States’ Supreme Court has now waded into the minefield, just as ours did.

The difference being that in the US, states have far more autonomy than our provinces and territories do and one of the key issues facing the justices is addressing the delicate issue of federal incursion on state rights. Americans do not take kindly to feds telling state legislatures what to do.

In mid-March it appeared the Supreme Court, a largely conservative Supreme Court at that, was leaning towards striking down a law that denies federal benefits to legally married same-sex couples.

The court raised some serious concerns over the Defence of Marriage Act (DOMA) enacted by then-President Bill Clinton, who was generally perceived as if not pro-gay then certainly not anti-gay either, in 1996.

Clinton has since come out saying DOMA should be repealed, calling it “incompatible” with the Constitution of the United States and inconsistent with equality and justice under the laws of the United States. Having a former President speak out against legislation he himself signed into law is a major brick in the road to full equality. Adding more weight to that particular brick is President Obama declaring DOMA illegal during his first term and refusing to endorse it. That, too, is unprecedented.

As of this writing, it is not yet clear which direction the esteemed justices will take. It is of course hoped by equality advocates the ruling ultimately handed down will institute sweeping changes in the law governing same-sex marriage rights which are currently highly fragmented throughout the US, given the power of individual states, but that seems unlikely.

Justice Anthony Kennedy, a known social conservative and quite possibly the individual holding the power of a ‘swing vote’ (his vote, in other words, “swinging” the decision in one direction or the other) apparently did show a willingness to vote in favour of repealing DOMA, stating the Act posed a “real risk” to the power of the states to define for themselves what constitutes marriage.

This is an interesting approach. He is not actually coming out in favour of equal marriage, although he has authored two decisions before that were generally seen as favourable to gay rights. He is rather reinforcing the constitutionality of individual states maintaining the power they have and not having that power overridden, pro or con, by Washington. The view, however, does not really address the issue of one state having one set of laws on this issue and another state having the opposite set of laws.

This, of course, is at the core of the fragmentation we are witnessing around rights and why the issue has been brought before the court to resolve; state autonomy versus federal power.

Complicating things further is the divide between social and religious conservatives who maintain, to the surprise of nobody, that homosexuality is against the word of G-d and that to legalize same-sex marriage is legitimizing an abomination, while social liberals see the issue in terms of equality and justice and fairness.

The struggle towards equal marriage is not new. Records show there were challenges to state laws defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman as far back as 1970. Even as a long time activist

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and, more recently, one involved in the equal marriage campaigns here in Canada, I found that surprising.

1970 was one year after the Stonewall Inn Riots of June 1969. The gay liberation movement, which evolved into the gay rights movement and from there into the LGBTQ movement, was a radical movement seeking to establish a new social order, to tear down the oppressive institutions - in the view of liberationists - that held people back from their full potential. 1970 saw the naive optimism of the Flower Power generation morph into a more focused political approach and this continued throughout the decade.

1970 was a full decade before the growth of gay and lesbian community organizations permeated our communities. While there were organizations in existence, the whole idea of a ‘community’ had yet to take root like it did in the 80’s and since. Certainly, in 1970, to want access to the institution of marriage when even young heterosexual couples were questioning the validity of the institution strikes me as amazing, even as anathema to the spirit of gay lib. Liberationist philosophy was that marriage was oppressive, a heterosexual institution that any self-respecting gay man or lesbian would want nothing to do with. It was seen as almost the very definition of all that was wrong with heterosexual, and heterosexist, culture.

This was also an era, it is important to keep in mind, in which all 50 states outlawed ‘sodomy’ and therefore, by extension, to be a homosexual male was a criminal...a criminal...offence. In 1986, 57 percent of Americans believed sex between consenting adults of the same sex should be illegal (and largely was, even then).

Throughout the 60’s and even 70’s gay bars were routinely raided.

Gay men and lesbians out for a night of dancing would suddenly switch from dancing with the man or woman they were with and start dancing with the nearest person of the opposite sex as soon as the lights or other signals indicated the police were on their way in since even dancing with another man or another woman was grounds for arrest. Drag queens were routinely rounded up and charged with ‘impersonation’, also a criminal offence; many drag queens took to wearing at least one item of male apparel under their gowns to try and, no pun intended, skirt the law. It didn’t always work. This, then, was the tenure of the times in which some activists challenged laws excluding lesbians and gay men from marrying.

For whatever reason, public opinion started to turn during the 90s.

Gay and lesbian characters, and not tragic ones, started appearing in television shows. Gay liberation had given way, in around the mid-70s actually, to a more mainstream equal rights movement. ‘Inclusion’ was the buzzword in not just our approach to dominant culture but within our own as well. “Homo-sexual” became “gay”, which became “lesbians and gay men” upon recognizing that lesbian women (or “wimmin”, depending on your political stripe) were lost in the umbrella term of ‘gay’, which some saw and still see as a largely male term. As the ideal of inclusivity gained ground, it became “lesbians, gay men and bisexuals” and finally, “lesbians, gay, bisexual, and transgendered” (which, in turn, was further refined to transgendered/transsexual or simply to ‘trans’).

A new generation rejected ‘gay’, just as the generation of gay lib had rejected ‘homosexual’, and adopted the term ‘queer’ to define themselves and so it became ‘lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender/ transsexual, queer and questioning’. In Canada we also included the aboriginal definition of ‘Two-Spirited’ and so the acronym of LGBTTQ or LGBTQ sprang up.

Whereas in 1986, 57 percent of Americans, and probably a similar percentage of Canadians, believed homosexual sex between consenting adults should be illegal, twenty-six years later the polls now show 53 percent of Americans support same-sex marriage with nine states and the District of Columbia now legally recognizing same-sex marriage.

This, then, is the environment out of which and within which the Supreme Court must decide the future of equal rights in the United States, likely keeping in mind - if history is an indication - that rights do in fact evolve. They just sometimes need a bit of prodding to move along.

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 Queer History Project - From Page 21 most mysterious to me. Also, I initially needed some kind of container, some boundary, because otherwise it was just too broad.

“But eventually, I want to explore all of our history in Calgary.”

I asked Mr. Allen how the change in tone between the fifties’ hidden disgrace and the eighties’ empowered action affects what he’s doing as a historian.

“I do think they have a different flavour or tenor, but there’s no sharp boundary between the decades: We’re in the 1970s now, things are different. No, there is a flow in occurrences and time, so there is a narrative that we can tell about our historical gay community in the city. Things that happened in the fifties and sixties really impacted what happened later, and I want to really reflect on everything.

“But the library presentation is going to be similar to the one I did in the Old Y in February.”

Kevin had originally hoped to gather oral histories from seniors about their experiences, along with the physical archives of documents he was gathering: “I did find seniors in the community that were really happy to talk, to share their experiences; almost like an unburdening. I was really gratified at the presentation in February. I had people who I’d interviewed come to the presentation, and there were some youth groups there, so there were people from their teens all the way up to their eighties. It had a really nice community feel; there was a great energy in the room.

“But I’m still collecting stories. The next phase of this project is going to be the oral history part. I had intended to do that, but once I started digging there was just so much material to get through that I haven’t actually done the recordings yet....

I’ve had some meetings with the CEO of the Glenbow and their head archivist about creating a queer archive in their archive space, and they’re keen to do it.”

He also mentions that the Queer History Project is becoming a resource for others: Justine Bonczek, a local artist and community-involved activist, is working on a documentary based on some of the materials Kevin has unearthed, “and my hope is that we’ll build a community of queer historians, that it won’t be just me; that there will be lots of people in different organizations doing their own kind of work that will feed together to create a richer community for us all.”

Spoken like a true historian.

Calgary Queer History Project http://www.calgaryqueerhistory.ca http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3434

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GayCalgary Magazine #114, April 2013

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Review

 “Monkeys”

Sissies and Psychopaths “What was Gay like when I was 5?”

By Lisa Lunney The Society of Northern Alberta Print-Artists is proud to present Sissies and Psychopaths, a joint exhibition

by Canadian artists Peter Kingstone and Daryl Vocat.

The exhibit will run from April 4th to May 11th, in the Edmonton-based SNAP gallery.

Kingstone and Vocat are excited to be showing in Edmonton. Both artists have had shows previously in the capital city; Peter Kingstone showed 100 Stories About My Grandmother while Vocat showed The Secret Midnight Shadow, both at Latitude 53 in 2009.

Sissies and Psychopaths answers the question, “what was gay like when I was 5?” It has been a well-received exhibition, and popular with the LGBT community for its groundbreaking elements.

Sissies and Psychopaths was first shown in Hamilton, and Toronto.

This show is the first time the two talents have worked together, even though over the years, each has appeared in the other’s work. Their work is a unique twist on images from the past, recycled and brought to life with a new energy and message; imagery from children’s pop icons such as He-Man, Tom Selleck, and classic green army figurines - to name a few.

Kingstone describes the show as being about a conversation - one that both artists invite the audience to be a part of.

 “Hollywood”

“By using found images and ideas from childhood we are talking about what it means for us to be queer - or in a way how we discovered ourselves as queer”, states Kingstone.

This will encourage the audience to examine their own constructions of identity, to reevaluate how they view themselves, their role in society, and how they view the rest of society.

“This does not mean that the show relates only to a queer audience,” he says. The fact that the show has been taken

by SNAP Gallery demonstrates it is for everyone. Kingstone shares his wisdom, and how he sees the world: being queer is a privilege, allowing one to look at the world from a different perspective.

The show is broken down into three parts: 11 joint prints, 3 videos, and 20 solo prints. The joint prints were created using a rather unique method, developed through conversations, mostly via email as the artists were in separate towns. The conversations were only through images, starting with the question, “What was gay like when I was five?”

The videos are solely by Peter Kingstone, and are further discussions on construction of identity, made from television, movies and news. These videos address the sexuality of characters in the media such as Jeffrey Dahmer, and Freddie Mercury. Daryl Vocat’s solo print are a series of etchings demonstrating a refreshingly queer look at familiar imagery from art history; in particular Goya’s Disasters of War. Both artists find it difficult to choose a favourite, stating the imagery works together as a whole.

The artists have made it their mission to use their personal experience in life and share their interpretations of their experiences through art. “Being queer men we want to offer a different narrative to both LGBT and non-LGBT communities.”

Sissies and Psychopaths April 4th to May 11th Tue/Wed, 12-6pm • Thu, 12-7pm • Fri/Sat, 12-5pm Opening Reception: April 5th, 7-10pm http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3437

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27

Community

 Photos by Steve Polyak, GayCalgary Magazine

Rodeo and Music Festival Preview of What’s Incoming for CRIR 2013

By Evan Kayne This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Canadian Rockies International Rodeo and Music Festival. As ever, the folks at ARGRA will amaze us with this annual event – for this short preview, I spoke with ARGRA Communications Director, Drew Davidson, mostly about the music festival. It turns out adding the musical component to the rodeo was a smart move – they’ve gotten feedback that a large number of people are drawn to the event because of the musical acts. To better highlight this, they’re changing up the layout of the rodeo grounds, “...so hopefully more people will enjoy and more people will be able to see who’s onstage.”

As for the performers returning to the CRIR rodeo and music festival, look for the following: Backyard Betties, Amy Hef, Hashmagandy, Alison Demeter, Kyemera, Connor James, Lauren Mayell, Netty Mac, Jasmine Whenham and David J. Taylor.

The organisers aren’t sitting still though – they’ve brought in the following new acts for 2013: Rebecca Lappa, Tanner James, Minerva, Smoking Aces, T. Buckley, Joelle, Paije Hartwick, Wildflower, and Jason Hastie. More acts may be confirmed as we approach the end of June.

The festival schedule starts off on Friday with the women – expect to see an array of female soloists, groups and acts featuring female vocals. Saturday is an eclectic mix of pop and rock, and Sunday ends the festival with a day dedicated to local country artists.

“There is also a jam session on stage Saturday (10am until noon). All the artists are invited to show up – and whoever shows up, be it guitarist or lead singer will just get onstage.” This is different than other years where there have been acts setting up after each other. It’ll be a nice little warm up for the day.

As for the Tornado nightclub where the nightly dances are held, we will see a major change, Drew told me. It will occur in what was known as the Lammle’s barn - the large blue building to the right of the fairgrounds entrance.

“Strathmore has renovated it so it’s a fully functioning hall.

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There’s a lot more interior washrooms, there’s a kitchen... cement floor instead of the stable floor. Same square footage as the curling rink, it’s just that it’s closer to everything we’re doing rather than being so far away and having to stretch everything out.” In other words, no more hiking out to the back forty for the dances.

The evening dances this year will see “...a firepit like we’ve traditionally had, but we’ll also have artists playing at the firepit...so that’ll be a nice addition because previous years people just sat around and chatted.” So if you’re taking a break from the dance, walk around to the north side of the barn, sit by the firepit and hear artists like Hashmagandy jamming away.

With the new location for the dances they were able to condense the midway grounds and make it so there’s more interaction with everyone. This will allows for greater circulation amongst all the vendors, the stage, and the booths at the GayCalgary Magazine Country Carnival. “The Midway is still open in the evening...so if someone’s at the dance and they want to go back and listen to an act on stage that still might be finishing up, they can do that. Or if they want to go through the red light district – which is being organized this year – they can do that, and there’ll be some food vendors.”

Finally, as it is the twentieth anniversary of the rodeo, ARGRA is seeking out any record of past rodeos. Drew put out a call for “...any photos, any pins or t-shirts or if anyone’s taken any videos...we want to get it all together and then we’ll be putting on a 20th Anniversary Display in the Quonset building.” For details on how to send in your memorabilia, email anniversary@argra.org More details about the whole event will be published in June’s edition of GayCalgary Magazine, yet this doesn’t mean you should wait. Tickets for the 2013 Canadian Rockies International Rodeo and Music Festival are now on sale – go to the ARGRA website for details.

Canadian Rockies International Rodeo and Music Festival 2013 June 28th - 30th • http://www.argra.org http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3438

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GayCalgary Magazine #114, April 2013

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Eve Myles

Talking with Torchwood action girl Gwen Cooper  Photos courtesy of BBC

By: Evan Kayne & Jason Clevett “Ianto dies? Shit! I didn’t see that coming...” she cried, causing a few moments of laughter. Eve played Gwen Cooper on the series – starting out as “the girl next door” type of character but hardening into a very formidable female action figure.

Eve told us the general strong fan response people have to Torchwood was both due to the writing and the acting.

She has done a lot of other work in various genres and on different mediums beside Torchwood but “it reached out to millions of people...because it was such a special show and when you have the reaction like you did with Ianto - and we also had a massive reaction when the other two characters died (Owen and Toshiko)...when we do get that kind of reaction means people care a great deal and that’s a huge compliment to us as a team...that we’ve made something that people are passionate about.”

For this expo, she will get a chance to see up close the fan reaction. On the Friday night of the Expo there will be an evening reception (“The Hub”) with the three actors. Eve was very excited for this event, as at most expos “you go to signings and nine times out of ten you don’t really get a chance to talk to the most important people there – which are the fans, because they’ve paid and saved up and look forward to the event.”

Yet as a performer in the series she does love to hear the direct fan response to Torchwood. “Having that event gives me that time to sit down and chew the fat...and just give them a special evening. I look forward to doing that.”

Generally, though, she enjoys doing signings like at the 30

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Calgary Expo because she gets to hook up with her work buddies John Barrowman (Captain Jack Harkness) and Gareth David-Lloyd (Ianto Jones): “you all go away and do different things and then you come and you do a signing and it brings us back together...it’s super exciting and it kind of rekindles everything again.”

There’s a lot of great chemistry between the cast especially in previous panels at other conventions, it has been noted how well the cast gets along and plays off of each other. Eve agrees, adding, “the great thing about having them (John and Gareth) on a panel is sometimes I can just lay back and it’s kind of like...wind the clock and let it go... it makes it a bit easier for me because they get into trouble.”

Sadly, the Torchwood gang won’t be getting into any kind of trouble in a new series – it has been put on an indefinite hiatus because creator Russell T Davies is busy, which is unfortunate because many fans would love to see the continuing development of Eve’s character Gwen Cooper.

We’ve seen her become more militant, more grown up, more matter of fact; but now she has a child and this is something which she shares with actress Eve. This addition to the character was a bit of a hard challenge for Eve because, “I realize what it is to go to work every day and not have my daughter with me. It’s really, really difficult...never mind going to work every day and not knowing whether you’re going to come home. With what Gwen Cooper has to go through she could be killed any point...”

However, Eve adores the character and would love to have her return to kick ass: “I’d love to come back and play her www.gaycalgary.com

for a little bit more before I’m too old to be running around in leather and jumping out of helicopters.”

Gwen has become physically and mentally tougher and this evolution is so fascinating.

Granted, Eve does admit there’s a chance Gwen could be killed off, but “I respect that...because that’s what the show is about. It’s about not being safe, it’s about turning things on its head, and surprising people.”

Speaking of surprising – it is always amusing to find out talent appearing at the Expo are also there as fans themselves. Eve has had crushes on various actors she’s seen at other conventions, and has had her fan girl moments.

“Look I’m the biggest fan girl that lives. I’m ridiculously star struck constantly at the signings...I make a complete ass of myself at almost every signing I go to because I get overexcited...sweaty...hot and bothered...loud and giggly. So you can guarantee that would be pretty much how I behave in Calgary. It’s having all these brilliant people who you watch and admire under one roof in a weekend – condensed

- is very exciting.

But of course I’ve heard there’s John Barrowman going, so I’m super excited to meet him. I’ve heard he’s a bit crazy and I’ve heard he’s shown his bits off when he’s had a few glasses of wine.”

Finally, while we’re waiting for more Torchwood, do look for Eve starring in a new series on BBC 1 called Frankie. “It’s a new six-part drama...it’s very modern, warm drama about Frankie who is a senior district nurse who faces death every day and with that comes a little bit of comedy. Brilliant cast..it’s very quirky and I’m very excited for people to see it.”

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http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3439

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31

Community

Artists for Life Edmonton

By Lisa Lunney The 2013 edition of Artists for Life will take place this spring in Edmonton, Saturday May 4th in The Club at the Citadel Theatre.

This gorgeous establishment is the perfect setting for the event supporting and honouring the life of James Tollin through fundraising for the James Tollin Memorial Fund (JTMF) West, a community arts organization created with the mandate of raising funds for HIV/AIDS and LGBT youth support services.

James Tollin touched many people in his short life, passing from AIDS at age 37. Many who were close to Tollin feel this event is perfect for honouring his life because it reflects his love for community, entertainment, and gathering friends together to celebrate and make a difference in the world.

The fund directly supports local charities including: HIV Edmonton, Campy fYrefly and YESS (Youth Emergency Shelter Services), but the goal is making changes that create a universal change in the world. For instance, they are proud to announce that a portion of the proceeds from Artists for Life will be used to send youth in need to Camp fYrefly where they will learn how to become leaders in their communities.

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The TD Bank Group is the returning Presenting Sponsor for a second consecutive year. In this role, their partnership will offset all production expenses, ensuring that 100% of the ticket revenue is donated to HIV Edmonton, and 100% of all silent auction funds are donated to Camp fYrefly and YESS. The bank is thrilled to partake: “TD is committed to giving back to communities where we operate, and the Artists for Life event is instrumental in raising much needed funds for causes that directly support the community of Edmonton,” states Lorie Asthworth, Manager and Community Relations of TD. CITY Television has committed to Artists for Life as an Official Media Sponsor for this year’s event. Through this partnership, Breakfast Television host Bridget Ryan will be emcee. She is a familiar face for event goers as last year Ryan performed at this event.

Speaking of which, great performances and acts are on the agenda for Saturday May 4th. The headliner for 2013 will be Wil, an artist with many great accolades under his belt. Wil was named 2005 WCMA Entertainer of the Year and selected as the songwriter for Travel Alberta’s “Remember to Breathe Campaign.” He has crafted a distinct sound that people describe as transcending all categories - a wellrounded artist who caters to all listeners, pairing great instrumentals with outstanding vocals. So event goers are in for a treat.

Afterwards, local star Audrey Ochoa and the Crashers will put on a special post-show concert, followed by the DJ mixings of The Urban Monks. This year, more than 50 artists are on the roster of participants. The reception will be catered by Finnegans Pub and Alley Kat Brewery; attendees are in for delicious pub-style bites.

Upon admission, more information about the items being auctioned will be posted. This is a time to open up your wallet and spend without feeling guilty!

Attendees have several different options for tickets.

Regular admission will allow for entry to all the scheduled entertainment and snacks provided by Finnegan’s Pub and Alley Kat Brewery. General admission is $50 and attendees are eligible for a $20 tax receipt.

VIP admission is probably the best bang for your buck.

Although it costs $100, it gets you a $70 tax receipt, and all the same entertainment features with added perks, such as being enterred into a draw to win a luxury trip for two to majestic Jasper valued at $2,000. This trip includes 2 nights accommodation at the Fairmont Jasper Park lodge, and $1,000 in Fairmont gift cards to spend at the lodge.

Only 50 VIP tickets will be sold, so if you’re interested, act quickly. www.gaycalgary.com

Artists for Life combines a place for gathering great friends for laughs, great food, entertainment—and most importantly, to both raise funds and awareness for worthy causes.

Artists for Life Sat May 4th, 6:30pm The Club at the Citadel Theatre 9828 101 Ave, Edmonton http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3440

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 Camp fYrefly - From Page 13 Calgary will also be seeing a new fYrefly initiative in schools.

Peer to peer workshops are set to launch with a grant generously donated by the Alberta Human Rights Education Fund.

“We’re coming into the Calgary community in a big way,” Wells says. “We’re super excited.”

This year all 600 junior high and high schools in the province will receive post card invites for their pupils to attend Camp fYrefly thanks to support from the Alberta Teacher’s Association.

“We’re delighted to be able to deliver the program with their support,” Wells says. “We’ve seen it have profound effect – especially with a teacher who’s able to share that post card with a youth in rural Alberta who may feel like they’re the only one.”

Wells says the most powerful testimony shared by a youth who attended Camp fYrefly was their feeling of belonging: “For the first time in my life I get to be the majority instead of a minority everywhere I go,” he recalls a youth saying.

It’s the camp that never stops supporting it’s campers. “[Camp participants] can always reach back into the network,” he says. “They’re never alone. Whether it’s a bus ticket or plane ticket to get out of a bad situation… you don’t have to take your own life.”

Wells has learned from speaking with camp attendees over the years, the depth of transformation that can occur over those four days.

“I used to say Camp fYrefly changes lives until a youth came back and told me, you have it all wrong. Camp fYrefly saves lives.”

Camp fYrefly Calgary: Jul 11th – 14th Edmonton: Jul 25th – 28th Saskatoon: Aug 15th – 18th fyrefly@ualberta.ca http://www.fyrefly.ualberta.ca http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3427

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GayCalgary Magazine #114, April 2013

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Get Ready To (Nerd) Rock!

Kirby Krackle returns to Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo

By Jason Clevett Kirby Krackle is a Seattle based “nerd rock” band. With songs like Up, Up, Down, Down, Tony Stark and Comic Shop the group is headed by Kyle Stevens who co-writes with Jim Demonakos about comic culture. Kirby Krackle opens for “Weird” Al Yankovic at the Corral April 26th as part of the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo.

“Being a fan of Weird Al growing up, the Fat record and a Motley Crue album were the first 2 cassettes I got as a birthday present. It is full circle. What we do with nerd rock and comics combined with what he does with parody will be a really fun night,” Stevens said. “Being big fans of him since we were little guys it is special because we get to open for Weird Al. We don’t do exactly what he does, it is a modified newer version. But you have to pay tribute to those that came before and he is a force of nature in the rock business. He is unique and we have tried to carve our own way of doing things using the road map he created.”

Formed in 2009, Kirby Krackle came out of a mutual respect between Stevens as a musician and Demonakos, who owns the Comic Stop chain of comic stores and founded Seattle’s Emerald City Comic con.

“I have been a customer at Jim’s store for years. We had talked about what he had done with the Emerald City Comic con and my music career. We were always interested in each other’s industry and to play in that sandbox. I had done mainstream music for 15 years before that, but had been a comic fan my whole life. When I started music I took a break from comics and then I got back into it. Eventually I thought why hasn’t anyone done a rock band where the songs are about the culture that we love? Video games, pop culture, zombies. The things we are passionate about are the things songwriters are encouraged to write about. We both talked about it the same day, it was something we had both been thinking so we knew we had to try it out. That was the inspiration for Kirby Krackle.”

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Fans of pop culture are very knowledgeable and passionate, but also quick to criticize if there is an inaccuracy. Jim and Kyle double check online before finishing off a song as well as focusing on their interests.

“We joke about that all time. It is just Wikipedia, we are working on songs and we will look stuff up. I said, I think the Watcher is from the blue side of the moon and Jim said, I don’t know I think he is from the dark side of the moon and I said, that’s a Pink Floyd song. So it was off to Wikipedia and it solves our problems. We have no issue doing that. We have a standard for ourselves that if we were a Kirby Krackle fan what would we want to hear? You have to write what you are into but also think of fans. If we phoned it in or went everyone is into Dr. Who right now, let’s write a Dr. Who song, that would be great but we don’t watch enough Dr. Who to do it right. Would we interpret that as pandering?

Yes. So that is how we judge our subject matter. If we have something different to look at like how Wolverine is probably really tired, he is on 8 different superteams and if you count continuity as a real thing that guy never sleeps, he probably needs a break. That made us laugh and was interesting to us so that is how we came up with that song.”

The band is independent, and has built a following through hard work.

“It has worked for us. We did something that hasn’t been done before that people thought was awesome. We are going to keep doing that. We aren’t on a record label we are our own masters. We have done this 100% indy since 2009. On a mass level you can see that with Mackelmore and Thrift Shop. He’s sold 4 million copies of that song and he started in the same place we were and right time right place. He is his own master. It shows in the entertainment world with hard work you can get to a place that you didn’t think was possible.”

That same passion from fans lead to a push to have their song Ring Capacity included in the soundtrack to the 2011 Green Lantern film. It didn’t get included, which some might consider a good thing as the film was panned, but it meant a lot to have it considered.

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“It is something that as a songwriter and someone who starts playing guitar, you think wouldn’t it be cool if I had a record someday or a concert and people actually showed up. It is an enhanced version of that. We were humbled, how lucky are we to have a fanbase that would go out of their way without asking to try and make that happen. It didn’t happen but that doesn’t matter it is cool that people even tried. That meant a lot to us and showed there is a loyalty here and a stronger feeling of being loyal to them. There are people who say we dodged a bullet. You don’t know how you will feel. It got to the top of the movie’s music supervisor.

It was in their hand and once it gets to them that is as far as you can go.

We feel in a way that we were successful in getting it that far, I know they heard it. It would have been cool to have been over the end credits but maybe when they reboot it we will have a chance then.”

In a lot of ways Stevens is living a dream, touring to comic cons and being part of the experience as well as seeing the world.

“It has been a way for me to see the country in a way I wouldn’t have been able to in such a compacted period of time. I had never been to the East Coast or Calgary or Toronto. It showed me that our Canadian fans are some of the coolest ever. Toronto treats us so good and Calgary has a killer convention. In New York people have come up and showed me home made Kirby Krackle shoes. That is a trip. Stuff has been happening so fast, where does 5 years go? It has been filled with a lot of great fan interactions and seeing nerd scenes we didn’t know existed and been welcomed into them. I am a huge fan of the Austin Powers series and last year we got to tour Australia and were hanging out with Vern Troyer, mini me, the whole time. That was crazy. We were hanging out with Alfie Allen who is Theon Greyjoy in Game of Thrones. It just shows what everyone who spends time in the entertainment industry whether movie, music or TV they are just people and everyone has their own struggles. I am a huge Walking Dead and Game of Thrones fan. I don’t know if I will get the opportunity to meet any of the cast at the expo but I am going to try. I still have a dream of Weird Al coming on stage and doing a song with him. You never know what will happen. But there are folks that I get a little starstruck about which keeps it fun and exciting.”

Stevens appeared at the expo last year opening for James Marsters with an acoustic set. Calgary has already shown a lot of love.

“People love us there and treat us really good. We can never take enough CD’s or T-shirts. Every year the fans surprise us. They tell us their favourite songs. It is amazing that we can go there once a year and are received with such love that we can’t wait to go back every year. Last year I did a solo acoustic opening for James Marsters. He had opened for us in Seattle that same year but I didn’t get to meet him. So in Calgary we got to chat backstage and kind of compare stories of how we got where we have. He is an actor first, musician second and I am a musician first and pop culture nerd second. I find it inspiring to meet people and compare notes on how we get to this fame road. That show was the first time I got a standing ovation which was random and awesome. I didn’t know what had happened I thought someone had pulled a fire drill or something.”

With a full band, a catalogue of catchy nerdy hits, and a lot of enthusiasm, Kirby Krackle promises to kick off the Weird Al concert in style.

“We are really so excited to be playing an arena show. …It is amazing to play to that many people, the most we have played to is about 2000 in a large club. This is a 5000 seat arena so we have 45 minutes and we are going to do our best to make arena rock dreams come true. I am super excited this is the first time the full band has been in Calgary. If the enthusiasm we got last year on the acoustic front is any sign of how it is going to go, it will be nuts. I am super psyched.”

Kirby Krackle Opening for “Weird” Al Yankovic April 26th Stampede Corral http://www.kirbykrackle.com http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3441

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Interview

The Politics of Music

Billy Bragg returns with Tooth and Nail and tour

By Jason Clevett For more than 30 years UK activist and singer Billy Bragg has spread his messages and ideology around the world through music. Currently touring in support of his first full length album in five years, Tooth and Nail, Bragg plays MacEwan Hall in Calgary, April 8th. On the phone before a show in Seattle, Bragg spoke with GayCalgary Magazine about politics, his new album, and his career.

GC: Tooth and Nail is your first album in 5 years. What prompted writing and recording this album at this time?

BB: I have been putting songs out for free download on the internet, I made a six track CD of songs from a play I wrote the music for. I put out a ten track compilation of songs from the last decade. What I haven’t done is put out a record that goes into record stores and on iTunes. So you could say I’ve been working in the music industry but shying away from engaging in the recording industry which is a different thing. I’m sitting on a bus in a parking lot behind a theatre in Seattle and what I am doing tonight in that theatre is the music industry. It is not the recording industry. The recording industry is in a bit of a quandary at the moment, their old analog business model hasn’t quite adapted to the digital age. So [I’m] trying to work out, if it is worth the cost of blood and treasure, of making a new Billy Bragg recording that goes into shops is worthy of the attention. So I have been trying to weigh out the pros and cons of that. In late 2011 I came to the conclusion that I did need to engage again so I went to see a friend of mine Joe Henry and we recorded an album in five days. Then I spent the next 12 months plotting how to promote the record and put together a war chest to do what I am doing today, touring the US and Canada with a bus and a band. There is no big label out there waiting to bankroll me.

So it is my show and I need to get motivated to do it.

GC: You recorded the album in a week. Was there an advantage to working at such a breakneck pace to complete it?

BB: It keeps you focused. You get a sound and stay with it and are in that intense creative period where you may write some more

songs which I did. It is like jumping on a fast ride at the fun fair, it is over quick but you get a buzz from it.

GC: How have you adapted to the changes in creating music in the last 30 years BB: The last couple of years I have been running it like a college industry and selling things through my website and concentrating on making money from touring which is my main income. To tour with a band on a tour bus will cost a lot of money, if I break even on this tour I will be really, really happy.

I have got to really think hard about if it’s worth it. I didn’t need to worry about it before; there was someone from a record company that would cover it and I didn’t have to worry about it. It is like a small business, I have to think about where the money is coming in and going out. I am fortunate that my partner Juliet has worked in the music industry and knows the business inside out. The two of us make a pretty good team.

GC: With the risk of a financial loss on the tour, what motivates you to keep going on the road?

BB: I get a fabulous buzz from playing live, I would miss that. I have been doing this for more than 30. I feel that I have something to prove, it is one more shot at altering people’s perception of who I am. I don’t expect to be playing the “enormodome” any time soon but it is a chance to reconnect with people that listened to me in the 80’s or enjoyed Mermaid Avenue. That is what I am hoping to achieve with this tour.

GC: There has long been a connection between fans and artists from the UK and Canada. What do you feel connects you to Canada?

BB: I think for me that the political agenda has been similar. Canadian politics configured in a similar way to the UK. You have a third party unlike the Americans.

There are so many differences b e t w e e n the two US parties you couldn’t get a credit c a r d between them. At least in Canada you’ve got the NDP on the left which is similar to the labour party in the UK. Me coming to talk about labour politics in that way has resonated stronger in Canada then perhaps it has in the mainstream United States. Last night I was in Portland which has always been a strong labour town so they appreciated me there. Most places in the US I need to evoke the politics and talk about them, in Canada there are issues I can connect with already and make the points I want to make.

GC: Activism and politics are a big part of your music and life. What are the issues that are forefront in your mind currently.

BB: In simple terms in a country like yours which has universal health care, I talk about those

 Photo by Andy Whale

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ideas and a compassionate socialism. People don’t switch off if I mention the “s” word but in the US that is a big mountain to climb. Interestingly on this tour in America, universal health care has been a big pitch - but also the campaign for equal marriage. It has been a big part of the pitch in the UK, Australia and the USA, to support those people who are actively working to bring equal marriage. I can do it by a state-by-state basis. Tonight I will say to the great state of Washington that it is important still to give people support. I think with equal marriage in the UK we are talking about the right of gay people to get married in church. That is what we are campaigning for in the UK, and that is a push that is happening in the US as well, talking to activists on the ground is the acceptance of the church to get married there if they so choose. I am not a great supporter of organized religion, I can tell you that but if that is what people want and what the church makes available it should be available to everybody not just people that conform to a narrow idea.

GC: You are involved with booking the Left Field on Glastonbury. Tell me about that.

BB: What we are trying to do there, it is an idea that came out of the labour movement that we should have a stage that talks about politics internationally. Glastonbury supports some great campaigns like Water Aid ensuring that people get enough clean water to drink and they support Greenpeace. The organizers felt there needed to be some domestic politics. So he invited the labour unions and they invited me to curate it.

What I do is try to put on artists that support the ideas we are talking about. I look for young artists that are trying to get their ideas out there.

GC: Activism isn’t as much a part of today’s music; what are your thoughts on how non-political a lot of today’s music is.

BB: When I was 19 years old if I wanted to say something about the way of the world and express my anger to my peers and my parents I only really had one outlet, to get on stage with my guitar and sing songs. That was how we spoke to our generation and our parents’ generation, through our music and the music we listened to. Now if I was 19 I would have a number of options. I could write a blog or make a film on YouTube or tweet or post on Facebook. The younger generation is still engaging in politics but not in the same way as we did in the 20th century. Plus on top of that, with the end of the cold war ideological politics have dissipated. You look to organizations [that] occupy bringing focus to the struggle in a post ideological world.

GC: What can we expect from your concert on April 8th at MacEwan Hall in Calgary?

BB: I have got a great band with me. We are playing tracks from the new album, from the Mermaid Avenue albums and some old songs I’ve tweaked a little bit. It works really well, we have had a great connection with the audience between the old and new stuff which fits together nicely. I am very pleased with the shows we have done.

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Billy Bragg Tooth and Nail now available.

On Tour: MacEwan Hall – Calgary – April 8th http://www.BillyBragg.co.uk http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3442

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A Kiss From Ianto Jones Gareth David-Lloyd talks Torchwood

By Evan Kayne & Jason Clevett Gareth David-Lloyd has a special place in the hearts of many Torchwood fans. In the role of Ianto Jones, we saw the character evolve – first from a lowly administrator to a full team member and the lover of main character Jack Harkness. A great many fans were upset when he was killed off in season 3 (“Children of Earth”). Gareth, along with series co-stars Eve Myles (Gwen Cooper) and John Barrowman (Harkness) will be in town April 26-28 as guests of the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo.

Considering Torchwood was a spin-off of Doctor Who, when it first started out in 2006, there might have been a bit of pressure on creating something that could live up to the iconic status of the parent show. “We knew we had a lot of people that would be looking very carefully at it but we knew there were so many different new elements we could do differently than Doctor Who,” Gareth told us. Being part of something brand new wasn’t as daunting as being part of the first new season of the relaunched Doctor Who. In regards to his death in “Children of Earth”, Gareth said “it was both sad and a pleasure at the same time because the writing was so good.” The sad part was leaving a show he’d been on for three years and saying good-bye to the cast and crew. Yet on the other hand he enjoyed it because of the high quality of the show, “especially that third season - Children of Earth. There were great scripts and as an actor I couldn’t have asked for more.”

Although the fans may be disappointed when a main character is killed, to a certain degree it also speaks to the quality of the show when you experience this huge reaction. Given the type of show and the in-show universe, it really should have been expected: “it’s Torchwood. It’s dark. It’s brutal, it’s realistic, it’s dangerous and that’s (Ianto’s death) what needed to happen in the story.”

For those thinking somehow Ianto could come back (perhaps with another “Resurrection Glove”), while Gareth’s opinion is that “any way I could be involved would be a pleasure”, the outlook is doubtful as both the writers and the actors have been pretty firm that returning Ianto from the dead would cheapen the tragic death scene in “Children of Earth.”

The sexual fluidity of Ianto was not something that bothered Gareth – he’s said in previous interviews he had many gay friends growing up. “What was appealing to me is when I got told that Ianto is going to be kissed and then have a big relationship with John Barrowman’s character, I was ecstatic because that means Ianto was going to get more lines.”

Yet let’s face it – gay or straight, who wouldn’t want to snog John Barrowman? Even audiences want to see a Jack/Ianto makeout session. At the San Diego Comic-Con, to the delight of the fans, John and Gareth ALMOST kissed. “It was a bit strange - this group of people just chanting for it and of course John Barrowman just taking control the situation...you don’t have much choice.” Of course, it helps that the series actors all have such strong chemistry. “Whenever I see John we pick up right back where we left off...we forged a good friendship in Torchwood and that will always be there.”

Besides acting, Gareth fronts the progressive blues metal band Blue Gillespie, and they recently released an album “The Seven Rages of Man” about a year ago, so Gareth is not only acting and doing appearances, he’s also a working musician.

“The band has always been a side job. People ask me what would you choose - the singing or the acting? Anything I can vent, any sort of artistic element I can engage myself in, is great for me. Acting has always been the kindest to me...it’s the thing I’ve done the most of, it’s the thing I’m the most comfortable with.”

That being said, the music serves as a release for Gareth. “I’d like to keep both going for as long as I possibly can.” The type of

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Interview

Coffey Talk

Chip Coffey on the Paranormal and growing up Psychic

By Lisa Lunney Internationally recognized psychic, star of A&E’s hit show Psychic Kids: Children of the Paranormal and Paranormal State, and author of Growing Up Psychic Chip Coffey took time to chat with GayCalgary Magazine in preparation for his Canadian Coffey Talk tour. Chip is a familiar face to the LGBT community; he is an activist for equal rights, anti-bullying and raising awareness against animal abuse.

CC: It is a pretty funny day for weather in Atlanta! I am looking forward to getting to Canada. I just spoke to some folks over in Saskatoon and Winnipeg, and they said “yup, we’ll have snow on the ground when you get here Mr. Chip.”

GC: You can count on snow! What are you most looking forward to about visiting Canada again?

CC: I think what I enjoy most is the hospitality, and the people. Everyone that I have come into contact with has just been so hospitable, and so nice. It has actually been a while since I came to Canada, almost a year and a half. It’s going to be fun to be back, and see familiar faces, and friends. I have very close friends in Edmonton, the producers of my event, I consider these friends my Canadian family. It will be a real treat seeing them.

There are some specific things I am looking forward to. I am very proud to say I have been to almost every Canadian province. I’ve found something lovely about each and every one of them.

Some specific things, selfishly—in Edmonton I am looking forward to going to dinner at Vons Steakhouse. I love being in Halifax, the vibe in Halifax is just wonderful. Each Province has its own special something for me to look forward to going back to.

GC: That’s great to hear that you’re so enthusiastic about our country! We are definitely looking forward to having you.

CC: It’s going to be fun! Looking forward to crossing the border and being in Canada.

GC: In regards to your book, Growing Up Psychic, what inspired you to share your story?

CC: There were several reasons. One of the primary reasons was, I felt that when we did the television show Psychic Kids: Children of the Paranormal we started something valuable.

We did great work on that show. For me, the process felt incomplete. There were still so many people that needed help and were reaching out to me and the producers asking for guidance and assistance. There no longer was an avenue to do that.

I stay very busy with my adult clients doing private readings, and phone readings. I would have spread myself much too thin by taking on the additional tasks of working with children individually, and their families. There just wasn’t room to do that. So, the path of least resistance so

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to speak and still being able to get the job done seemed to be writing the book. It provided not necessarily one on one guidance for individuals, but it offered some very good overall input and advice on things that seemed to be most difficult for individuals and families. In some ways it serves as a guidebook. The book is part how-to, part autobiography. A lot of people ask questions about me and my life story, so I included some of my favourite stories.

The primary reason for writing the book was to begin the process we began with the TV show.

GC: Was one of the programs more interesting to work on than the other? Was there one you felt more of a personal connection to?

CC: There was a similarity to both. The goal with both shows was to provide a sense of sanity, assistance and guidance; to bring a people to a place that was better than it was when we showed up; to relieve some of the anxiety, pressure and confusion that was going on for the people we were working with.

I can’t say I enjoyed one more than the other. I think providing some sense of comfort and healing, and guidance and assistance for whomever I was working with was an honor.

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GC: Was there a defining moment in your life that caused you to accept that you would always be unique, and different from the rest of the crowd?

CC: Great question! I am not sure if there was one defining moment. I think there had been a number of times in my life where I had taken a closer look at where I am at, and what I am doing. Just like everyone else, sometimes I am very pleased, other times I think, boy we need to make some changes.

One defining moment was when I decided I was going to devote myself full time to the work that I do right now. It was almost like I was bit in the butt to do it. I was working in the travel industry for a number of years and I was doing psychic readings on the side to earn a little extra money.

This was back in 2001, and this country, as we all know it changed. 9/11 happened, and the world changed. In the aftermath of 9/11 the travel industry took a nosedive. People were fearful of traveling and getting on an airplane.

The industry tanked, and I lost my job. There weren’t many jobs in the travel industry to be had in Atlanta where I live, so I remember packing up my desk and thinking, okay so now you’re a full time psychic and medium. Quite honestly, I didn’t have a lot of confidence that I was going to be able to thrive pursuing that career.

I am very grateful and thankful that here I sit 12 years later and I am still living indoors and eating on a daily basis.

It is kind of interesting. It was a great leap of faith to be able to do that. I am very lucky it has been a success so far; knock on wood, I am very thankful for that.

GC: You have served as an inspiration for many individuals to embrace their own individuality. Is there anyone in particular who served as an inspiration to you?

CC: I have had a lot of people that have inspired me in my life. I don’t mean to get all preachy or anything, but I give full credit for everything that I am and everything I have to God. First and foremost, as a man of faith; I am flawed, I am not perfect, and I’m not St. Chip of Georgia. I have a personal and profound relationship with God. I am flawed. We all are. But, every day I thank God for everything, and say God forgive me for everything. It’s a daily mantra for me for those thoughts and that prayer to cross my mind.

I am very grateful for some of the strong and influential people I have had in my life. My dad and my mom, through the good and the bad and everything in between they formed the fabric of who I am. Every individual that I have come into contact with in some way has brought me to being on the phone, talking to you, right now. Everyone has had some sort of impact or influence on my life.

I am thankful for the good and the bad. Like I said, it has brought me to where I am, right here, right now. We are the sum total of everything we have ever experienced. So, I am thankful for EVERYBODY! GC: You are a very positive individual when in the media spotlight; I don’t think I have ever seen you in a photo, or video where you are not smiling and ebbing positive energy.

You have had some truly heinous things said about you. How do you stay so positive?

CC: Well, there have been a lot of things said about me.

I have been called everything from a fake to a fraud, to a fag to a pedophile, which is pretty hateful. I have my down moments; I can get sad, a case of the blues, angry — all those things happen. But, I try to bring it all back to the fact of gratitude. I am grateful for the love and support I have from my family, friends and fans. It is a matter of perspective.

I remember one of my dear friend’s thoughts in reading some of the crap that has been written about me. She said, if some of those things had been written about me I couldn’t have gotten out of bed in the morning. I hold my head up high, not out of ego, or anything like that. But, if I allow myself to be beaten down and defeated, the people who put me down win, where would I be then? Curled up in the fetal position?

I would never allow myself to get to that point. I will hold my head up high, be proud of who and what I am. To hell with the people who want to put others down because they feel entitled to do so. Those people will not win over me. I have goals, I have aspirations. There are people I want to help. All of this turns into a huge recipe meaning I can never give up and be defeated.

GC: Is there any advice you can offer for those just coming to terms with their sexual identity?

CC: That is huge. We could talk all day. I could talk your ear off. As a gay man, I know the joys, the frustrations, the hurts, and the disappointments of having that sexual identity. There is the real upside, and there is the real downside. Pretty much just like everything in life.

The best advice I could give anyone: in your own time, in your own way, find the courage to be who you are. Doing anything otherwise is living a lie. It does take strength and courage to be who you are, and what you are, and live an authentic life. You find in most instances that you will feel a sense of freedom more than anything, not necessarily happiness or joy, but there is a sense of freedom that comes with self acceptance.

It hasn’t always been easy for me. I have been called everything. The most heinous thing, I was called a pedophile because I am a gay man and I work with children. That is disgusting. That is not only disgusting, it is f’ing disgusting.

The hurtful thing from a homophobic standpoint, none of the other people on Psychic Kids were ever labeled that. But, because I am the gay man it is attached to me. For people to say I wouldn’t let my children alone in a room with him, that is disgusting, prejudicial and wrong. I am not ashamed of who I am. But has it been easy? Absolutely not, I was gay bashed once; I still have the emotional and physical scars.

I also know I have friends, family and fans that are part of the LGBT community and if I can’t aspire and put effort to be a positive role model for them, I am not only failing myself, I am failing them.

That’s my story! It hasn’t been easy, but I am here. It’s like Elton John; I am still standing and better than I have ever been!

GC: Do you have anything to say to those you may have inspired?

CC: I am just like everybody else. More than anything, I am grateful. I live my life for gratitude and service. I am so grateful for the support from the LGBT community. I marched in the Gay Pride parade last year; I marched with Angel Action Atlanta. We marched three miles with huge angel wings, and the wind was blowing, it felt like I was going to get swept into the air. It was the most moving experience for me to put out that statement of saying we are here to battle hatred with non-violent intercession, and doing something so outwardly positive for the community. My heart breaks when I hear about bullying, and individuals who have ended their own lives. It is part of the reason why I am so supportive of the No H8 Campaign, It Gets Better Campaign and the Trevor Project. Every now and then when I put things out on social media supporting LGBT rights, I get the fundamentalist Christians attacking me.

Every day I pray for tolerance and acceptance, and that people will stop being so bigoted and homophobic. That some point in time issues of sexual identity won’t even be a concern anymore.

GC: That is the future we can hope for. Thank you so much for the chat.

Chip: It was my pleasure. I look forward to being in Canada.

I am ready! Let me across the border!

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Belinda Carlisle: Still Go-Going

Singer talks ‘sexually adventurous’ days, gay son and feelings on doing a pop album

 Photos by DT Ltd.

By Chris Azzopardi In the ’80s, Belinda’s Carlisle’s career demonstrated that, for some, heaven really is a place on earth. As the lead singer of the supremely successful girl group The Go-Go’s – they had the beat, the looks and the talent – the now-54-year-old eventually embarked on a solo venture. Four albums and numerous hit singles later, Carlisle’s new ICON collection is a celebration of the singer’s best that also includes her first U.S. pop single in over 15 years, “Sun.” Carlisle chatted recently about not wanting to do another pop album, telling her gay son about her own “sexually adventurous” experiences and the reason she cares about gay rights now more than ever.

GC: Which song of yours has the most significance to you?

BC: Oh gosh. The first one that comes to mind is “Heaven is a Place on Earth,” only because it was so huge and it really established my career not just in this country but all over the world.

GC: The song you wish you didn’t have to sing ever again?

BC: Um, yes. There are a few of them. But they’re songs that people insist on hearing. (Laughs) I don’t like doing “Heaven” in rehearsal. I don’t like doing “We Got the Beat” in rehearsal.

There are certain songs I get lazy about in rehearsal, but when I do them live, just the reaction from the audience makes it OK. But yeah, there are some songs you’re like, “Uh, next!” (Laughs) GC: Hardcore fans seem to agree that Runaway Horses is your greatest solo album.

BC: I think so, too.

GC: Oh yeah? You agree?

BC: I love some of the songs on there. “Summer Rain” makes the whole album for me. That and “Mad About You” are my two 42

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favorite songs of my career. Voila is my other favorite, but for different reasons. The production of Runaway Horses just kind of captured a moment.

GC:It’s been six years since your last studio album, Voila, which was in French. Is the new single, “Sun,” the beginning of a new pop album?

BC: I don’t know. I don’t know what I’m doing, actually.

(Laughs) Honestly, I have some amazing opportunities that have come my way for some amazing projects, and I might do something in English, I might do something in French, I might do a yoga album – I don’t know.

I’m at a really good point in my career where I can kind of do what comes from the heart, and that’s the only way I can work now, so it’s whatever really feels right. I can’t make a pop album just because I can. I don’t like to work that way anymore, so we’ll see. I’m sure I’ll do something. I just don’t know what that will be.

GC: Are you not interested in doing a pop album?

BC: Not really, no. Uh-uh. (Laughs) But maybe. I mean, in the past three months, people have approached me to do a pop album in English, and I have to think about it; it’s a big commitment, not just in the studio but a big commitment in the prep work and also after it’s released. There’s promoting and touring for it. You can’t just put it out and not tour. It’s a good two years at least, so I don’t know. I’m just gonna wing it and see what happens. If it’s something that I really wanna do, then I’ll do it.

GC: Kathy Valentine recently left The Go-Go’s. I can’t not ask what happened there.

BC: Well, it’s kind of sensitive, but I will say that for a band and a band member to go separate ways after 30-odd years, there has to be some pretty significant reasons – and it’s not all for nothing. That’s as far as I can say, because it’s very sensitive at this time. www.gaycalgary.com

GC: Will you miss her being a part of the group?

BC: Of course I will. She was a really important part of the beginning. She wasn’t a founding member, but she was there for (our debut) Beauty and the Beat, and it’s definitely going to be strange without her.

GC: If you could relive any part of the ’80s, what would it be?

BC: Oh god, I don’t know if I’d want to relive any of the ’80s. I think I did the ’80s really well, so I think it’s time for me to move on from that. There’s not really one thing I’d like to repeat, to be perfectly honest.

GC: Especially not the clothes, right?

BC: (Laughs) Definitely not the fashion, that’s for sure.

GC: Do you still have any of the clothes from that era?

BC: There’s one dress that I have. I used to wear it out up until about 15 years ago. It’s like a square dance dress, but now I would just look like some scary bag lady if I put it on, like someone trying to be young and fresh. (Laughs) It’s in my closet, and it’s still really cute, but I don’t think I could wear it again.

GC: How does being the mother of a gay son change the way you see your gay fans? Is it like an extended family now?

BC: Actually, it kind of is. You know, I’ve always kind of gotten it, because from the beginning, my friends have been 90 percent gay and lesbian. That’s just the way it’s been for me. So I’d rather have a gay son than a straight son, let me just say that. But now, I look at it differently, because I know that when my son told me, it was like, “What’s life gonna be like for him?” “Is he going to be treated equally wherever he goes?” I think about that for any gay person now, and I never really thought about that before. Now I think about how the world is toward gay people, and although it’s better, we’re still not 100 percent accepting.

GC: If you’ve been around gay people your whole life, what about James coming out shocked you?

BC: Well, it shocked me and it didn’t shock me; I had little clues along the way. So I was driving the car and he goes, “I like boys,” and I had to pull the car over. It was like someone socked me in the stomach, although it was totally fine. The first thing I thought about was, “How am I gonna tell your father?” I was fine with it. (James) said something really smart: “My sexuality does not define me.”

For a 14-year-old to say that, that’s pretty unbelievable. For me, the hardest part was thinking, “What is the world going to be like for him as a gay person?” I had to go to my therapist because I went through all those stupid things: Was it something I did? Something I said?

Things I’m sure any parent kind of goes through, and I knew it wasn’t. This is just the way it is. He was born gay.

GC: I don’t think it’s uncommon for parents to be like, “Was it my fault?” “Did we watch too much Golden Girls?”

BC: It’s normal. And it’s funny – he loved I Love Lucy, he went to Phantom of the Opera and loved Andrew Lloyd Webber. We laugh about it now. When I look back on it, there are funny little clues, but there are other things that were more telling and very puerperal that I really can’t go into, but still, I thought, “What have I done? Did I indulge him when I went to get his costume at The Disney Store for Sleeping Beauty and Snow White?”

My therapist said that I should have my son tell my husband, but I thought, “No.” Instinctively, it’s something that I need to do, because what if he had bad reaction, even though I knew he wouldn’t, but you never know. When I told him, he was like,

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 Belinda Carlisle - From Previous Page

 Gareth David-Lloyd - From Page 38

 Photo by words@mediatonicpr.com

“It’s just a phase,” and for a year afterwards they went at it back and forth, but now my husband and I can’t imagine having it any other way.

GC: You’ve hinted at being sexually adventurous back in the day, while performing with The Go-Go’s. Everyone was in the ’80s.

BC: Exactly.

GC: I recall reading interviews where you didn’t want to get into details about that time because James reads your interviews.

You’ve been so open about most aspects of your life, though, including your drug addiction, so why do you want to shield him from this? I think most gay kids would think it’s cool, and might feel more accepted, if their parent had a same-sex experience.

BC: I know. It’s just funny, I guess, him and I being from different generations and me being more modest with that. He does know that I was adventurous in that way and we kind of joke about it. I don’t necessarily want to go into details, because I want to keep my more conventional secrets secret, too.

My son and I butt heads about anybody’s sexuality, and he thinks that everybody who’s gay and in the closet should come out; it’s their responsibility. And I say no. I think if a person doesn’t want to come out, it’s their business. They have their reasons. That’s kind of the way I feel about myself, too. But he knows. We laughed about it the other day. I think everybody does (have those experiences) and nobody likes to talk about it, that’s all.

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music Blue Gillespie performs is described by Gareth as “...sort of degen prog metal with a lot of influences from the heavy rock of the 80s with a modern element. It’s hard to describe – you should buy the CD.” Better yet, buy some of the CDs Gareth will bring to the expo.

As for working on projects for Syfy network (Warehouse 13 and Red Faction: Origins) Gareth loved it and loved working in Toronto; especially working for the Warehouse 13 team. He said if they could somehow bring his character back again, he’d do it at a drop of a hat because the show had that similar family feel to Torchwood.

Regarding the expo, Gareth hasn’t had a chance to see who else is coming to the convention. Normally he tries to keep it as a bit of a surprise for himself because if he knew a big name was going to be there, he’d get excited. “I get huge fan boy nerves sometime. Robert Englund (original Freddy Krueger) is one. I was a big fan of his when I was a teenager.” Sadly he missed Englund’s appearance at last year’s expo, but when offered the consolation prize of Wil Weaton at this year’s expo, Gareth joked he just might have to cancel his appearance.

Seriously though, that won’t happen. Gareth’s quite grateful for the opportunity Torchwood has brought him. “Since I’ve been with the show, I’ve visited more countries than I have in my entire life before...really, whenever I get invited away to a beautiful city like Calgary, it’s a great thrill...and again, meeting fans that were touched by the show and the character, it just makes me feel I’ve done something right as an artist and it’s a big thrill every time.”

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Photography ISCWR - That’s Show Biz at the Mercury Room, Edmonton

ISCCA - BS at The Backlot, Calgary

photos by Karen Hofmann

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Photography ISCCA - Beach Night at the Texas Lounge, Calgary

Gender Bender 2K13 at the Den, Calgary

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ISCCA - Kiss My Blarney Stone at the Texas Lounge, Calgary http://gaycalgary.com/pa457

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Photography Coming Out Monologues at UofC

ARGRA GLO Party, Calgary

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Photography Backlot to Boyztown 3 at Vinyl Night Club, Calgary http://gaycalgary.com/pa460

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Photography Apollo Western Cup 2013, Calgary http://gaycalgary.com/pa461

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TJ is probably best known in the community for his work with Apollo Friends in Sports. While he is an Executive Board Member for Apollo, this is his 4th year as Director for Apollo Western Cup, Canada’s longest running LGBT multisporting event, which celebrated its 31st anniversary this year. This is his last year before his term expires, but plans to run for another 2 year term. He is also Chair for the upcoming North American Gay Volleyball Association (NAGVA) 2013 Championship, which is being held in Calgary from May 23rd to 26th.

TJ grew up in Claresholm, moved to Lethbridge where he became involved with GALA/LA for a while before moving here to Calgary. He worked for 5 years doing peer support with Calgary Birth Control Association, where he used to go

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GayCalgary Magazine #114, April 2013

to Highschools as an invited speaker in CALM classes to talk to students about being gay. Currently he works at the University of Calgary as the Manager of Housing Services.

Volleyball is TJ’s sport of choice - he enjoys playing it 4 nights a week, competes in the Western Cup tournament and others such as NAGVA. One of his other passions is dancing, and has been taking dance lessons for over 5 years. Between working, playing sports and organizing events, TJ keeps himself very busy. So in what little spare time remains, some weekends he says he likes to just relax at home. http://gaycalgary.com/pa469

www.gaycalgary.com

Directory & Events 24

DOWNTOWN CALGARY

41 37

59 34

2 33

35

36

3 1 60

5 6

16

N

13

1 2 3 5 6

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

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!

One Yellow Rabbit-------------------- Theatre ATP, Alberta Theatre Projects-------- Theatre Pumphouse Theatre----------------- Theatre La Fleur------------------------- Retail Stores Theatre Junction--------------------- Theatre

CALGARY

LGBT Community Directory GayCalgary 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.

✰....... Find our Magazine Here

35 36 37 41 58

......... 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

Club Sapien (CLOSED)

 1140 10th Ave SW

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

60 Cowboys Nightclub------------------------  421 12th Avenue SE 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.

Local Bars, Restaurants, and Accommodations info on the go!

59 East Village Bistro

 2nd floor, 610 - 8 Avenue SE Restaurant and lounge.

http://www.gaycalgary.com/Directory

 424a - 8th Ave SE

59 East Village Cafe-------------Bars and Clubs 60 Cowboys Nightclub-----------Bars and Clubs

Calgary Eagle Inc. (CLOSED)

FAB (CLOSED)

 1742 - 10th Ave SW

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  info@aidscalgary.org  www.aidscalgary.org

✰

Alberta Society for Kink

 403-398-9968  albetasocietyforkink@hotmail.com  http://ca.groups.yahoo.com/ group.albertasocietyforkink

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.

Browse our complete directory of over 650 gay-frieindly listings! www.gaycalgary.com

GayCalgary Magazine #114, April 2013

55

Directory & Events Calgary Events

Uniform Night-----------------------  6pm-6am

Worship------------------------------  10:30am

Saturday, April 20

Swim Practice (June)------------  7:30-8:30pm

Sunday Services---------------------  10:45am

Coronation XXXVII---------------------  4pm

By ISCCA  Westin Hotel (320 4th Ave SW)

Worship Services------------------------- 11am

Sunday, April 21st

At 6 Goliaths

Mondays At 6 Goliaths

By Different Strokes

 SAIT Pool (1301 - 16 Ave NW)

ASK Meet and Greet----------------  7-9:30pm

Bootcamp------------------------------- 7-8pm

Buddy Night-------------------------  6pm-6am

 Bonasera (1204 Edmonton Tr. NE)

See

Inside Out Youth Group---------------- 7-9pm

Lesbian Meetup Group-------------  7:30-9pm

See 1 Calgary Outlink

At 1 Calgary Outlink

Yoga-----------------------------  7:40-9:15pm

Alcoholics Anonymous--------------------  8pm

See

Apollo Calgary

Tuesdays

Calgary Networking Club-------------- 5-7pm See 1 Calgary Outlink

 1st

Student Night------------------------  6pm-6am At 6 Goliaths

Between Men--------------------------- 7-9pm See 1 Calgary Outlink

 2nd, 4th

Bootcamp---------------------------  7-8:30pm See

Apollo Calgary

Karaoke-------------------------  8pm-12:30am At 5 Texas Lounge

Fetish Slosh----------------------------  Evening At 3 Backlot

 2nd

Alcoholics Anonymous--------------------  8pm

 Hillhurst United Church (Gym Entrance) 1227 Kensington Close NW Wednesdays

Communion Service-----------------  12:10pm See

Knox United Church

Pool Night-----------------------------  Evening At 59 Village Bistro with

Prime Timers Calgary

Student Night------------------------  6pm-6am At 6 Goliaths

Mosaic Youth Group--------------------  7-9pm  Old Y Centre (223 12th Ave SW)

 1st

 Hillhurst United Church (Gym Entrance) 1227 Kensington Close NW

Karaoke-----------------------------------  7pm At 3 Backlot Fridays

Illusions-------------------------------  7-10pm See 1 Calgary Outlink

 1st

Lesbian Seniors---------------------------  2pm

 3rd

See See

Scarboro United Church Hillhurst United Church Knox United Church

By ISCCA  Westin Hotel (320 4th Ave SW)

Church Service----------------------------  4pm

ISCCA Survivor Party------------------- 2-6pm

Swim Practice (June)-------------------  5-6pm

Tough Drag-------------------------------  8pm

See See

Apollo Calgary

Rainbow Community Church

By Different Strokes

 SAIT Pool (1301 - 16 Ave NW)

Women’s Volleyball----------------  7-8:30pm

Friday, April 26th

See

Apollo Calgary

Saturday, April 13th

Rec Volleyball--------------------------- 7-9pm

Bear-B-Que--------------------------  2-5pm

By BEEF and ARGRA At 3 Backlot

See 1 Calgary Outlink See

 4th

Apollo Calgary

• Badminton (Absolutely Smashing)

 Hillhurst United Church (Gym Entrance) 1227 Kensington Close NW

Bearacchus-----------------------  9pm-2am

By BEEF and ARGRA  Arrata Opera Centre (1315 7th St. SW)

Saturdays

Voting Day-----------------------  12pm-12am

Running-----------------------------------  9am By

Apollo

Coffee------------------------------------ 10am

By Prime Timers Calgary  Midtown Co-op (1130 - 11th Ave SW)

Curling-------------------------  2:20 & 4:30pm See

Apollo Calgary

 Hillhurst United Church (Gym Entrance) 1227 Kensington Close NW Sundays

Worship Time---------------------------- 10am

By

ISCCA at 3 Backlot

Bear-runch---------------------- 11am-2pm

By BEEF and ARGRA  Cheers Restaurant, Ramada Hotel DT (708 8th Ave SW)

In Town Show-----------------------------  9pm ISCCA at Twisted Element

• Curling

 North Hill Curling Club (1201 - 2 Street NW)  curling@apollocalgary.com

• Boot Camp

• Lawn Bowling

 Let’s Bowl (2916 5th Avenue NE)  bowling@apollocalgary.com

Out of Town Show------------------------  9pm ISCCA at Twisted Element

Geek is Sheek Dance------------------  9pm

By Les Girls at Vinyl (213 10th Ave SW) Thursday, May 23rd

NAGVA Party---------------------------  All Day

By NAGVA at Backlot

Friday, May 24th Queer Film Festival-----------------  All Day

By Fairy Tales ->May26th, May29-Jun1

NAGVA Closing Party--------------------  Night

By NAGVA at Cowboys Night Club

Wild West Party------------------  9pm-2am

By ARGRA  Arrata Opera Centre (1315 - 7 Street SW)

the sport you like. We’re always looking for people to lead events.

• Volleyball (Recreational)

• Running (Calgary Frontrunners)

• Yoga

 lawnbowling@apollocalgary.com

 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.

• Outdoor Pursuits

• Slow Pitch

 golf@apollocalgary.com

 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

 slow.pitch@apollocalgary.com

• Squash

 Mount Royal University Recreation  squash@apollocalgary.com All skill levels welcome.

• Tennis

 tennis@apollocalgary.com

• Volleyball (Beach)

 beachvb@apollocalgary.com

• Volleyball (Competitive)  vb@apollocalgary.com

56

By Fairy Tales at Backlot

Legend:  = Monthly Reoccurrance,  = Date (Range/Future),  = Sponsored Event

• Golf

• Bowling (Rainbow Riders League)

Launch Party---------------------------- 7-9pm

Saturday, June 1st

Friday, April 19th By

Friday, May 3rd

Sunday, May 26th

Thursday, April 18th By

Calgary Comic Expo-----------------  All Day

Apr28

NAGVA Tournament----------------  All Day

By Nagva ->May26

Sunday, April 14th

Deer Park United Church

 6020 - 4 Avenue NE  badminton@apollocalgary.com

 Platoon FX, 1351 Aviation Park NE  bootcamp@apollocalgary.com

By 59 East Village Cafe

Alcoholics Anonymous--------------------  8pm

 Calgary Contd. 

www.westerncup.com

1st Anniversary Pary---------------------  7pm

Heading Out----------------------- 8pm-10pm

 3rd

ISCCA at 5 Texas Lounge

Wednesday, April 24th A Taste for Life----------------------  All Day

By SHARP

New Directions-------------------------- 7-9pm See 1 Calgary Outlink

By

ISCCA at 3 Backlot

At 6 Goliaths

Tacky Tourist---------------------  9pm-1am

By BEEF and ARGRA  Ramada Hotel DT (708 8th Ave SW)

 2nd

By

Flashlight Night---------------------  6pm-6am

Friday, April 12th

See 1 Calgary Outlink

See

• Western Cup 31

Victory Brunch--------------------------- 11am

Int/Comp Volleyball----------- 12:15-1:45pm

Womynspace---------------------------- 7-9pm

Alcoholics Anonymous--------------------  8pm

Thursdays

 Kerby Center, Sunshine Room 1133 7th Ave SW

Apollo Calgary

See

GayCalgary Magazine #114, April 2013

 recvb@apollocalgary.com

 Robin: 403-618-9642  yoga@apollocalgary.com

Alberta Rockies Gay Rodeo Association (ARGRA)

 www.argra.org

• Monthly Dances-------------------------  Arrata Opera Centre (1315 - 7 Street SW)

✰

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

✰

www.gaycalgary.com

Directory & Events  Calgary Contd.  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.

• Fake Mustache • Mosaic Youth Group

Retail Stores Adult Depot-----------------------------

 The Old Y Centre (223 12th Ave SW) For queer and trans youth and their allies.

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

• Peer Support and Crisis Line

 Good Earth Cafe (1502 - 11th Street SW)

• Calgary Lesbian Ladies Meet up Group • Between Men and Between Men Online • Heading Out • Illusions Calgary • Inside Out • New Directions • Womynspace Calgary Queer Book Club

 Weeds Cafe (1903 20 Ave NW)

Deer Park United Church/Wholeness Centre

 77 Deerpoint Road SE  http://www.dpuc.ca

 403-278-8263

Different Strokes

 http://www.differentstrokescalgary.org

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

HIV Peer Support Group

 403-230-5832  hivpeergroup@yahoo.ca

ISCCA Social Association

 http://www.iscca.ca Imperial Sovereign Court of the Chinook Arch. Charity fundraising group..

Knox United Church

 506 - 4th Street SW  403-269-8382  http://www.knoxunited.ab.ca Knox United Church is an all-inclusive church located in downtown Calgary. A variety of facility rentals are also available for meetings, events and concerts.

Lesbian Meetup Group

 http://www.meetup.com/CalgaryLesbian Monthly events planned for Queer women over 18+ such as book clubs, games nights, movie nights, dinners out, and volunteering events.

Miscellaneous Youth Network

 http://www.miscyouth.com

www.gaycalgary.com

Mystique

• Coffee Night

41 La Fleur------------------------------------  103 - 100 7th Avenue SW  403-266-1707 Florist and Flower Shop.

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

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)

 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.

Pride Calgary Planning Committee

 403-797-6564

 305 10th Street NW  http://www.thenakedleaf.ca Organic teas and tea ware.

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---------------------

✰

Services & Products Calgary Civil Marriage Centre

 403-246-4134 (Rork Hilford)  MarriageCommissioner@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

 403-777-9494 trial code 3500  http://www.cruiseline.ca Telephone classifieds and chat - 18+ ONLY.

DevaDave Salon & Boutique

 810 Edmonton Trail NE  403-290-1973 Cuts, Colour, Hilights.

Safety Under the Rainbow

 www.sutr.ca A collaborative effort dedicated to building capacity and acting as a voice for the LGBTQ community, service providers, organizations and the community at large to address violence. For same-sex domestic violence information, resources and a link to our survey please see our website.

Scarboro 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.

Sharp Foundation

 403-272-2912  sharpfoundation@nucleus.com  http://www.thesharpfoundation.com

Unity Bowling

 Let’s Bowl (2916 - 5th Ave NE)  sundayunity@live.com

Duncan’s Residential Cleaning Lorne Doucette (CIR Realtors)

Restaurants 59 East Village Cafe

 2nd floor, 610 - 8 Avenue SE Restaurant and lounge.

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

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

Theatre & Fine Arts 36 ATP, Alberta Theatre Projects

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

AXIS Contemporary Art--------------------

✰

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

✰

58 Theatre Junction----------------------  Theatre Junction GRAND, 608 1st St. SW  403-205-2922  info@theatrejunction.com  http://www.theatrejunction.com

✰

 727 - 42 Avenue SE  403-243-6642  http://www.stagewestcalgary.com

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

EDMONTON Bars & Clubs 6 Buddy’s Nite Club------------------------- ✰

 11725 Jasper Ave  780-488-6636 14 FLASH (CLOSED)

 10018 105 Street  flashnightclub@hotmail.com

 780-938-2941

 10242 106th St

Hooliganz Pub

12 Woody’s------------------------------------ ✰

 11725 Jasper Ave  780-488-6557

11 Steamworks------------------------------- ✰

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

Community Groups Alberta Bears

 www.beefbearbash.com

AltView Foundation

 #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

• Safeworks Van

 107, 100 - 7 Ave SW  rob@axisart.ca

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

Bathhouses/Saunas

MFM Communications

 403-543-6970  1-877-543-6970  http://www.mfmcommunications.com Web site hosting and development. Computer hardware and software.

Wild Rose United Church

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

 10704 124 St NW

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

 1317-1st Street NW

Jubilations Dinner Theatre

 Bow Trail and 37th St. SW  403-249-7799  www.jubilations.ca

The Junction (CLOSED)

 Jim Duncan: 403-978-6600 Residential cleaning. Free estimates.

• Coffee Night

 2nd Cup, Kensington

 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.

 www.pridecalgary.ca

 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.

✰

 140, 58th Ave SW  403-258-2777 Gay, bi, straight video rentals and sex toys.

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

 Old Y Centre (303 – 223, 12 Ave SW)  403-234-8973  info@calgaryoutlink.ca  http://www.calgaryoutlink.com  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.

Fairytales

See Calgary - Community Groups.

 403-262-3356  www.axisart.ca

 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

GayCalgary Magazine #114, April 2013

57

Directory & Events DOWNTOWN EDMONTON

1

N 11 6 12

1 Pride Centre of Edm.---- Community Groups

Edmonton Events Boot Camp------------------------------ 7-8pm Team Edmonton

TTIQ------------------------------------- 7-9pm See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton

 1st, 3rd

HIV Support Group--------------------- 7-9pm See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton

 2nd

QH Youth Drop-in---------------------- 3-8pm See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton

Martial Arts---------------------  7:30-8:30pm Team Edmonton

Swim Practice-------------------  7:30-8:30pm See

Team Edmonton

11 Steamworks----------------------Bathhouses

Counseling----------------------  5:30-8:30pm

Martial Arts---------------------  7:30-8:30pm

Bowling-----------------------------------  5pm

Knotty Knitters-------------------------- 6-8pm

Intermediate Volleyball--------  7:30-9:30pm

Sundays

QH Craft Night-------------------------- 6-8pm

Fridays

See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton

GLBTQ Bowling------------------  1:30-3:30pm GLBTQ Sage Bowling Club

Team Edmonton

Edmonton Prime Timers

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

See

Team Edmonton

Ballroom Dancing--------------  7:30-8:30pm

QH Youth Drop-in---------------------- 3-8pm

Men’s Games Nights--------------  7-10:30pm

Monthly Meetings---------------------  2:30pm

Youth Sports/Recreation-----------------  4pm

Youth Sports/Recreation-----------------  4pm

QH Game Night------------------------ 6-8pm

Saturdays

Yoga---------------------------------  7:30-8pm Team Edmonton

See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton

Youth Understanding Youth

Swim Practice--------------------------- 7-8pm See

Team Edmonton

See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton See

See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton

Thursdays

See

See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton

 2nd, 4th

BookWorm’s Book Club

 3rd

See See

Men’s Games Nights

 2nd, Last

Youth Understanding Youth

See

See

Team Edmonton

See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton See

Team Edmonton

 Unitarian Church (10804 119th Street) See Edmonton Primetimers

 2nd

Saturday, May 4th

Seminars----------------------------9:30am-5pm By

Naturalist Gettogether

Buck Naked Boys Club

 2nd

QH Youth Drop-in------------------  2-6:30pm See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton

Monthly Meeting----------------------  2:30pm

By Edmonton Primetimers  Unitarian Church, 10804 - 119th Street

 Edmonton Contd.

 edmontonpt@yahoo.ca  www.primetimersww.org/edmonton Group of older gay men and their admirers who come from diverse backgrounds but have common social interests.

Affiliated with Prime Timers World Wide.

Running------------------------------  10-11am

Movie Night----------------------------- 6-9pm

Team Edmonton

Book Club-----------------------------  7:30pm

Edmonton Pride Festival Society (EPFS)

Team Edmonton

Men Talking with Pride---------------- 7-9pm

See

Youth Sports/Recreation-----------------  4pm

 http://www.edmontonpride.ca

See

QH Anime Night------------------------ 6-8pm

Cycling---------------------------  6:30-7:30pm

Women’s Social Circle------------------ 6-9pm

See 1 Youth Understanding Youth

See

Team Edmonton

Yoga---------------------------------  2-3:30pm

QH Youth Drop-in---------------------- 3-8pm See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton

See

QH Youth Drop-in---------------------- 3-8pm

See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton

Wednesdays See

6 Buddy’s / 12 Woody’s-------Bars and Clubs

See

Tuesdays

See

4 Edmonton STD---------- Community Groups

See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton

Mondays See

4

 2nd

ISCWR at

Ramada Inn & Conference Centre

Leather, Feathers and Fur------------8:30pm

By ISCWR at Ramada Inn & Conference Centre Saturday, June 8th PURE Pride Dance-------------------------9pm

By PURE Pride at  10030 - 102 Street

Legend:  = Monthly Reoccurrance,  = Date (Range),  = Sponsored Event 4 Edmonton STD

 11111 Jasper Ave

Imperial Sovereign Court of the Wild Rose

 http://www.iscwr.ca

Edmonton Vocal Minority

 780-479-2038  www.evmchoir.com

 sing@evmchoir.com

GLBTQ Sage Bowling Club

 780-474-8240

 tuff@shaw.ca

HIV Network Of Edmonton Society----

✰

 9702 111 Ave NW 780-488-5742  www.hivedmonton.com Provides healthy sexuality education for Edmonton’s LGBT community and support for those infected or affected

by HIV.

InQueeries

 inqueeries@gmail.com Student-run GLBTQ Alliance at MacEwan University.

Living Positive Society of Alberta

 #50, 9912 - 106 Street 780-423-3737  http://www.facebook.com/LivingPoz Living Positive through Positive Living.

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.

Pride Centre of Edmonton-------------

✰

 10608 - 105 Ave  780-488-3234  admin@pridecentreofedmonton.org  http://www.pridecentreofedmonton.org  Tue-Fri 12pm-9pm, Sat 2pm-6:30pm We provide a safe, welcoming, and non-judgemental drop-in space, and offer support programs and resources for members of the GLBTQ community and for their families and friends.

• Counselling

 780.488.3234 Free, short-term counselling provided by registered counsellors.

• HIV Support Group

 huges@shaw.ca Support and discussion group for gay men.

• Knotty Knitters

Come knit and socialize in a safe and accepting environment - all skill levels are welcome.

• Men Talking with Pride

 robwells780@hotmail.com Support & social group for gay & bisexual men to discuss current issues.

• Movie Night

Movie Night is open to everyone! Come over and sit back, relax, and watch a movie with us.

• Queer HangOUT: Game Night

Come OUT with your game face on and meet some awesome people through board game fun.

• Queer HangOUT: Craft Night

Come OUT and embrace your creative side in a safe space.

• Queer HangOUT: Anime Night

Come and watch ALL the anime until your heart is content.

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Directory & Events Red Deer Events

Jasper Events

Wednesdays

Friday, April 12th

LGBT Coffee Night------------------------  7pm

Jasper Pride Weekend

See

CAANS

 1st

Jasper, AB

Strathmore Events Friday, June 28th Apr14

Rodeo & Music Festival

By ARGRA Strathmore, AB

Jun2830

 Edmonton Contd.

• TTIQ

A support and information group for all those who fall under the transgender umbrella and their family or supporters.

• Women’s Social Circle

 andrea@pridecentreofedmonton.org Women’s Social Circle: A social support group for all female-identified persons over 18 years of age in the GLBT community - new members are always welcome.

Seniors Association of Greater Edmonton

 780-474-8240

 tuff@shaw.ca

Team Edmonton

 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.

• Badminton (Mixed)

 St. Thomas Moore School, 9610 165 Street

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

 kungfu@teamedmonton.ca  kickboxing@teamedmonton.ca Drop-ins welcome.

• Running (Arctic Frontrunners)

 Kinsmen Sports Centre  running@teamedmonton.ca All genders and levels of runners and walkers are invited to join this free activity.

 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

• Swimming (Making Waves)

 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.

• Cross Country Skiing

 crosscountry@teamedmonton.ca

• Curling with Pride

 Granite Curling Club, 8620 107 Street NW  curling@teamedmonton.ca

• Cycling (Edmonton Prideriders)

 Dawson Park, picnic shelter  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

 15450 - 105 Ave (daycare entrance)  780-328-6414

 NAIT Pool (11762 - 106 Street)  swimming@teamedmonton.ca  www.makingwavesswimclub.ca

• Tennis

 780-756-5667

12 Woody’s------------------------------------ ✰

 11725 Jasper Ave  780-488-6557

Passion Vault

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!

• Soul OUTing

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

• Ultimate Frisbee

• Book Club

 Bi-monthly, contact us for exact dates.

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

 Monthly, contact us for exact dates.

• Volleyball, Intermediate

 http://www.exposurefestival.ca Edmonton’s Queer Arts and Culture Festival.

• Volleyball, Recreational

 10708 124th Street, Edmonton AB  780-453-2440  www.theatrenetwork.ca

 Amiskiwacy Academy (101 Airport Road)  volleyball@teamedmonton.ca

 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.

Theatre & Fine Arts Exposure Festival

The Roxy Theatre

BANFF

 Lion's Breath Yoga Studio (10350-124 Street)  yoga@teamedmonton.ca

Womonspace

 780-482-1794  womonspace@gmail.com  www.womonspace.ca Women’s social group, but all welcome at events.

Bow Valley Cares Centre

 302 Buffalo Street, Banff, AB  PO Box 3160, Banff, AB T1L 1C8  403-762-0690  1-877-440-2437  info@aidscalgary.org

Youth Understanding Youth

 780-248-1971  www.yuyedm.ca A support and social group for queer youth 12-25.

• Support Line

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

• Friday Mixer

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

Gay & Lesbian Integrity Assoc. (GALIA)

 University of Lethbridge GBLTTQQ club on campus.

 galia@uleth.ca

• Movie Night

 Room C610, University of Lethbridge

Gay Youth Alliance Group

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

Lethbridge HIV Connection

 1206 - 6 Ave S

PFLAG Canada

 1-888-530-6777

 lethbridgeab@pflagcanada.ca  www.pflagcanada.ca

Pride Lethbridge

 lethbridgepridefest@gmail.com

RED DEER Community Groups Affirm

Community Groups

• Yoga

• Monthly Dances

 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.

Products & Services

• Film Night

 403-308-2893  http://www.galalethbridge.ca Gay and Lesbian Alliance of Lethbridge and Area.

• Monthly Potluck Dinners

 15239 - 111 Ave  780-930-1169  pvault@telus.net “Edmonton’s Classiest Adult Store”

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

 tennis@teamedmonton.ca

GALA/LA

 Henotic (402 - 2 Ave S) Bring your membership card and photo ID.

Retail Stores

• Slo Pitch

•Ballroom Dancing • Blazin’ Bootcamp

The Junction (Closed)----------------------

 10242 106th St

LETHBRIDGE Community Groups

Restaurants

 outdoorpursuits@teamedmonton.ca

 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.

 Foot Notes Dance Studio, 9708-45 Avenue NW  Cynthia: 780-469-3281

 Brendan: 780-488-3234  brendan@pridecentreofedmonton.org

• Outdoor Pursuits

 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.

• Badminton (Women’s)

• Sports and Recreation

 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!

Central Alberta AIDS Network Society

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

LGBTQ Education

 LGBTQeducation@hotmail.ca  http://LGBTQeducation.webs.com

Continued on Page 61  www.gaycalgary.com

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Classifieds Event

140

LGBTQ Rights Lecture: Lesléa Newman University of Alberta presents: Lesléa Newman, award-winning Author, Poet and LGBTQ Rights Activist. Author of “October Mourning: a Song for Matthew Shepard” and “Heather Has Two Mommies.” Free lecture & catered reception.

Wednesday, March 27, 7:30pm @ CCIS 1-430, University of Alberta

Help Wanted

240

Writers Wanted

Alberta Escort Listings

347 Check out www.Squirt.org for the Hot Escorts in Calgary, Edmonton, and the rest of Alberta.

The Fetish Slosh at the Backlot!

Come on down to the Backlot the 2nd Tuesday of every month for a no-cover Fetish party.

Upcoming dates are November 13, December 11th, etc. You can dress up in Leather, Latex, cuffs, collars, or just your skivvies. Have the conversation you like without offending a vanilla in sight. The Backlot supports and promotes the alternative lifestyles of Calgary so feel free to express your KINK!

Need room mate ASAP, $500mo, utilities and internet included. Shared accommodation (Bathroom, Kitchen and Living room). Close to transit & shopping. 403-471-7166 lesleyanne67@yahoo.ca

Erotic Massage

420

New Improved Features. Free to Post and Browse. Videos, Pics, and Reviews. Join Now! Code: GCEE

Products/Services 500 Marriage Ceremonies

UltimateMaleMassage.com

Gay Talent Wanted Beauty & Mayhem Production Agency is are looking for Gay Talent to perform in Adult entertainment Productions. Call Pj @ 403 826 2670 E-mail: pj@beautymayhem.ca www.xxxbmpa.com

Bar / Restaurant

220

Crazy Pasta Crazy Pasta was born out of a passion for Italian Food, brought on through the years by working in the family run restaurant in rural Quebec. We offer both eat in or take home Italian food all made from scratch. We do not compromise on taste. Crazy Pasta is located at the Calgary Farmers Market: 510 – 77th Avenue SE, Open: Thursdays to Sundays 9 AM to 5 PM.

Cleaning

517

GET A LIFE! STOP CLEANING!

magazine@gaycalgary.com

Room for Rent

215

460

GayCalgary Magazine is looking for freelance writers in Calgary and Edmonton. Writing sample is required. Must be willing to take article assignments and conduct/transcribe interviews. Contact Steve at:

Home for Rent

Audition

Models/Escorts

Rork Hilford MC, Commissioner for Oaths.

MarriageCommissioner@shaw.ca | 403246-4134 Best Erotic Male Massage In Calgary • Studio with free parking• Deep Tissue and Relaxation • Licensed, Professional • Video on website 403-680-0533 mike@ultimatemalemassage.com

Does your home or business need a professional cleaner? Steve is bonded/Insured.

Flexible prices and brings all his own supplies.

Steve is apart of the LGBT Community and has been cleaning for over 5 years in Calgary. getalifecleaner@gmail.com http://www. getalifecleaner.com (403)200-7384 www. facebook.com/getalifecleaner

Clothing/Fashion

Twice Trendy!

Used Quality Clothing Most clothing $3! New style? New family?

Broke as a joke? We have a great selection of gently used clothing for men, women, children and babies. We also keep a selection of furniture and housewares too! Twice trendy makes it easy to get quality style without destroying your wallet. Come check us out! #14, 3434 - 34 Ave NE.

Consulting Adult Depot Large selection of gay DVDs from $9.95, aromas and toys. Open Mon-Fri 12-11pm, Sat 12-6pm, closed Sundays and holidays.

520

527

Want to attract the LGBT local or traveler to your business?

403-258-2777

It’s not about special treatment. You can’t assume the LGBT person, or the straight person will follow the pack anymore. The LGBT market is becoming more and more aware of what organizations support them, and which ones don’t, ultimately sending them away from businesses and communities that do not recognize them or their lifestyle. Does your staff need LGBT sensitivity training? Want to attract the market but unsure how to proceed?

Local, Domestic, International, We can assist.

Check us out at http://blueflameventures.ca, Email us at info@blueflameventures.ca, Call us at 604-369-1472. Based in Alberta.

Ads starting at $10/mo. for the first 20 words. Submit yours at http://www.gaycalgary.com/classifieds 60

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Health

550

Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired?

Prescriptions not helping? Health and Natural Lifestyles Inc. is the number #1 Alternative Health Clinic in Calgary for the last 4 years.

Why not try Alternative Health fixing your body naturally and without side effects. Lets get energized, sexy and healthy, boosting your immune system and getting the healing sleep you deserve! Special on Blood Analysis 2 for 1 for new clients, $75.00 savings. Check us out at www.healthy-option.com or phone 403-2126077. Be vibrant, be healthy, be happy!

Premium organic medical marihuana shipped quickly, discreetly to your door. www.mycm.ca

 Find Out - From Page 59 Red Deer (and area) now has a website designed to bring various LGBTQ friendly groups/individuals together for fun, and to promote acceptance in our communities.

Pride on Campus

 rdcprideoncampus@gmail.com A group of LGBTQ persons and Allies at Red Deer College.

MEDICINE HAT Community Groups Medicine Hat Cares Centre

 356 - 2 Street SE, Medicine Hat, AB  403-527-5882  1-877-440-2437  info@aidscalgary.org

• Telephone Support

 M-F, 8:30am - 11:30pm

• In-person Support

 M-T: 1:30pm - 4:30pm  W-F: 8:30am - 4:30pm

ALBERTA 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.

CANADA Community Groups Canadian Rainbow Health Coalition

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

Egale Canada

 8 Wellington St E, Third Floor Toronto, Ontario, M5E 1C5  1-888-204-7777  www.egale.ca Egale Canada is the national advocacy and lobby organization for gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, transidentified people and our families.

Products & Services Squirt

 http://www.squirt.org Website for dating and hook-ups. 18+ ONLY!

Theatre & Fine Arts Broadway Across Canada

 http://www.broadwayacrosscanada.ca

OUTtv

 http://www.outtv.ca GLBT Television Station.

Theatre & Fine Arts Alberta Ballet

 http://www.albertaballet.com Frequent productions in Calgary and Edmonton.

www.gaycalgary.com

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