GayCalgary Magazine - August 2013

AUGUST 2013

® ISSUE 118 • FREE The Voice of Alberta’s LGBT Community

INTERVIEW WITH

ALASKA Luciana

A total “QUILTBAG”

Hard Body Renaissance Man

Adam Killian

PLUS:

Courtney Love Miss Honey Dijon Countdown to ISCWR Coronation 38 ...and more!

Business Directory

Scan to Read on Mobile Devices http://gettag.mobi

Community Map

Calgary • Alberta • Canada

Events Calendar

Tourist Information

Tough as Steel

Olympia Dukakis

STARTING ON PAGE 55

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GayCalgary Magazine #118, August 2013

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GayCalgary Magazine #118, August 2013

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GayCalgary Magazine #118, August 2013

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Table of Contents

Chris Mercedes Azzopardi, Allen, Chris DaveAzzopardi, Brousseau,Dallas JasonBarnes, Clevett, Dave Andrew Brousseau, Collins, Rob SamDiaz-Marino, Casselman, Jason Janine Clevett, Eva Andrew Trotta, Farley Collins,FooFoo, Emily Collins, ShaneRob Gallagher, Diaz-Marino, Keith Janine Johnson, EvaVera Trotta, Kala, JackEvan Fertig, Kayne, GlenStephen Hanson,Lock, Joan Lisa Hilty,Lunney, Evan Kayne, SteveStephen Polyak, Lock, Romeo NeilSan McMullen, Vicente, Allan NickNeuwirth, Winnick Steve and the Polyak, LGBTCarey Community Rutherford, of RomeoCalgary, San Vicente, Edmonton, Ed Sikov, andNick Alberta.

Vivian and the GLBT Community of Calgary, Edmonton, and Alberta.

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

The Gay Lemmings Publisher’s Column

10 Reflecting on a Year of Service ISCWR Empress and Emperor 37 prepare to step down

11 Running for Royalty Candidates for ISCWR Coronation 38

13 Hot Thespian Fun

Start Planning your Edmonton Fringe Line Up

Photography

15 LOUDER

Videography Sales

16 Deep Inside Hollywood

Steve Polyak, Rob Diaz-Marino, Videography Steve Polyak, B&J Rob Diaz-Marino Steve Polyak, Diaz-Marino CraigRob Connell sales@gaycalgary.com

Printers North HillPrinters News/Central Web Web exPress

Distribution

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

Legal Council

LegalBarristers Council Courtney Aarbo, and Solicitors Courtney Aarbo, Barristers and Solicitors General Inquiries ® Sales & General Inquiries GayCalgary Magazine

GayCalgary Magazine 2136and 17thEdmonton Avenue SW 2136AB, 17thCanada AvenueT2T SW0G3 Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada magazine@gaycalgary.com T2T 0G3

Office Hours: By appointment ONLY Office Hours: appointment ONLY Phone:By 403-543-6960 Phone: 403-543-6960 Toll Free: 1-888-543-6960 TollFax: Free:403-703-0685 1-888-543-6960 Fax: 403-703-0685 E-Mail: magazine@gaycalgary.com E-Mail: magazine@gaycalgary.com This Month's Cover ThisMain: Month's Cover Alaska Cher and Christina Aguilera courtesy of Sony Top Right: Luciana Pictures; Annie of Mike Owen; MiddleLennox Right: courtesy Adam Killian Rex Goudie.

Bottom Right: Olympia Dukakis, photo by Joanna Tzetzoumis

Proud Members of: Proud Members of:

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Writers and Contributors

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Come and party with the YYC Bad Boys Chozen will probably make you very happy or very angry

17 Discussing Community Safety Meet the Advisory Board

PAGE 24

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

AUGUST 2013

18 Gay Priests At The Vatican 20 FUSED 2 The official Calgary Pride wrap up party

21 Q The Arts

e n zi

Calgary’s Queer Art Festival

22 Ahoy East Village – The Pirates are Coming!

a g a

Bow River to Host First Outdoor Opera Festival in the Country

23 Canadian Fertility Consultants

m

Helping build families and doing it with love!

24 Luciana

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®

“I’m a total QUILTBAG”

26 Sweet as Honey Miss Honey Dijon visits Edmonton

30 Out of Town Edmonton Rainbow Business Association

Washington’s San Juan Islands

32 Comic Books Come Out

International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association

National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association

34 My Gay Interview with Courtney Love

Scary straights, Kurt Cobain’s lesbian relative and being ‘normal in some ways’

PAGE 34

Archie’s Pal Kevin Keller and The Stonewall Riots

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Table of Contents  Continued From Previous Page

36 Tough as Steel

®

Olympia Dukakis on her new lesbian role – and why it’s made her feel less ‘rosy’ about gay rights

Monthly Print Quantity:

PAGE 36

40 The Unsung Stories of Merry Clayton & Darlene Love

2,000–3,000 copies Guaranteed Circulation: 2,000 copies Bonus Circulation: up to 1,000 copies

The world called them backup, we called them stars

Readership

Readers Per Copy: 4.9 (PMB) Print Readership: >9800 Avg. Online Circulation: 250,000 readers Estimated Total Readership: >259,800 readers Frequency: Monthly

43 Ultra Diva

Ultra Naté super powers up the dance floor

46 This is Bear Country

Where the Bears Are returns for season 2

Proof of monthly figures are available on request.

48 Adam Killian

Distribution Locations:

The Hard Body Renaissance Man

Please call us if your establishment would like to become a distribution location.

51 Pure Alaska Realness

History

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Drag Race Superstar hits Calgary for PURE Pride

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Queer Eye A Couple of Guys News Releases Ms. GayCalgary August 2013 - Lisa Heinricks Directory and Events Classified Ads

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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.

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SEPTEMBER 2013 Print Deadlines Ad Booking: Wed, Aug 28

Submission: Fri, Aug 30 In Circulation: Thu, Sept 5 Please contact us immediately if you think you may have missed the booking or submission deadline.

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Editorial

The Gay Lemmings Publisher’s Column

By Rob Diaz-Marino, MSc. I have to say, I’m getting really sick of the gay boycott - you know, that latest thing that the LGBT community has to show solidarity in shunning to make a political statement. It’s not that I’m against being political, so much as I’m against the world seeing LGBT people as mindless lemmings, throwing themselves off a cliff for any old half-baked cause.

The situation between Daily Xtra and Tim Hortons earlier this month was bad enough, whipping people into a boycotting and petitioning frenzy against Tim Hortons for allegedly censoring the Canadian LGBT news site. Now, how their readers reacted is not necessarily the fault of Daily Xtra, but when you throw the “c word” around, it’s certainly not for the sake of calming their readers down. (By the way, when was the boycott on Apple devices for their censorship of gay content in apps?)

The article we wrote in response to the situation, (www.gaycalgary. com/a3593) which offered a technical explanation about how Daily Xtra could have legitimately been blacklisted downstream from Tim Hortons, hopefully burst that hastily blown bubble. With any luck, it left a few zealots feeling foolish for picking up their pitchforks so readily - that is, if they even had time to read it or the presence of mind to understand it amidst frothing at the mouth and smearing on their war paint.

What did this short lived crying of wolf accomplish?

Sure, it succeeded in getting Tim Hortons to override the block on Daily Xtra’s website from their free wireless internet within 48 hours of the article going public, so that LGBT readers could resume looking at “Aussie rugby player George Burgess’ nude selfies”.

But in the grand scheme of things, it seems to me like the LGBT community in being so eager to protect one of its own, basically pointed the finger at the easiest target and threw a combination attack / temper tantrum until they got what they wanted. Some even continued their tantrum well after Tim Hortons graciously conceded.

This doesn’t strike me as the best way to get the world to see the LGBT community as mature human beings worthy of respect and equality, so much as to fear us like volatile children wielding our power and influence to satisfy vindictive whims.

A mature-human-being-worthy-of-respect-and-equality wouldn’t need to routinely resort to the discrimination card to bulldoze people who stand in their way at the earliest sign of trouble. They would give people the benefit of the doubt, recognizing that not every bit of adversity they face in life is an insidious plot to keep them down because they are [insert gender/sexuality label here]. They would take the time to research and understand why something undesirable was happening, and work respectfully and patiently through the proper channels to correct it. They would work within the boundaries of convention that every other person must work within – that is equality, after all.

If you don’t grasp what I mean by “bulldozing via the discrimination card”, here’s an exaggerated example: A gay man walks into a bank and tells the first person he sees - the security guard at the door - to withdraw money for him from his bank account. Of course the security guard says, “I can’t do that that for you.” The man, oblivious to the way a bank is supposed to work, jumps to the conclusion that the security guard is unwilling to help because he is homophobic, and so he raises a fuss. Now, any person causing a commotion in a bank would rightfully be ejected, so the security guard

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 From Previous Page may just throw the man out. This would likely make him cry even louder that he is being targeted and victimized for his sexuality. Or, the security guard may decide to hand-hold the man over to a teller who then completes the transaction for them. The man, satisfied at getting what he wanted, returns to tell all his friends that security guards are able to withdraw money for you at the bank, and if they don’t, it’s only because they’re homophobic.

It’s madness. It’s bullshit to behave this way, not to mention pathetic.

And yet, I’m ashamed to say, I frequently hear about LGBT people doing outrageous things like this. The scary part is, most of the time I don’t know if they even realize they are being unreasonable - are they really that dense, or are they just feigning ignorance because they enjoy the special treatment?

Now, over the past week my eyes have been rolling as I’ve heard about the latest gay boycott: Russian Vodka – in particular, Russian Standard and Stoli. That’s not to make light of the terrible situation facing LGBT people in Russia, and the impact on LGBT athletes traveling to Russia for the 2014 Winter Olympics. My eyes are rolling at the fact that once again, the LGBT community in our part of the world is proving itself monumentally idiotic.

The idea for this proxy boycott was hatched by gay political activist Dan Savage. Although Savage is highly respected for his “It Gets Better” campaign, there were a few sunspots on his bright idea to boycott Russian vodka. By putting the crosshairs on Stolichnaya Vodka as one of the “best known Russian vodkas” that should be boycotted, Savage must have assumed: A) That Stolichnaya is an exclusively Russian product. (It’s still Latvian, for now.)

B) That Stolichnaya, as a company, agrees with the government’s stance on homosexuality. (It absolutely doesn’t. They sponsor LGBT events!)

Maybe I’m missing something, but to me, boycotting Russian vodkas like Stoli seems as effective a method of pressuring the Russian government to repeal their anti-gay legislature, as a boycott of sweatervests would pressure Stephen Harper to step down as Prime Minister. It may raise some awareness of the cause by sheer dumb luck, but it still needs people to do something more in order for real change to happen.

Pouring a bottle of vodka down a drain is easy and accessible for anyone to do – it’s convenient (albeit wasteful, and not hurting the liquor companies anyway since you already paid for it). It makes you feel good, like you’ve done your part to make a difference. Perhaps this is why it has become so popular across the US and Canada. But in reality, it’s nothing more than a symbolic act – a textbook case of “slacktivism”.

The dangerous part is that, having dumped their Stoli and having promised to avoid buying it (for the time being), most people are walking away from the situation feeling that their work is done.

Like a lemming, one may think there is safety in numbers; that you must be moving in the right direction if you are falling in line with so many others. But like a lemming, you are lulled into a false sense of security that is only broken by the rocky ground at the bottom of a cliff you didn’t see coming. In the case of the Stoli boycott, the lemmings go splat on the rocks when people realize they didn’t actually fix anything by following this direction they were given. By that time it’s likely too late to do something real about it.

There have to be so many other ways to actually help the LGBT cause in Russia, albeit less fun and convenient than inverting a liquor bottle. My first thought would be to see if there is anything we can do to support the LGBT rights groups – could they use our time or money?

Can we petition the Russian government directly? Can we convince our government leaders in Canada and in the US to, in some way, put political pressure on Putin’s government? Can we convince gay and straight athletes from across the world to make a pro-gay statement as part of their victory speech if they win a medal? Can we get the IOC itself to make a pro-gay statement at the Olympics?

Oh wait…things like this are going on, many of us just haven’t heard about it because the mainstream media is too wrapped up in this dumb Stoli campaign. Here are some related news headlines from our website alone: Stephen Fry: Open Letter To The Prime Minister and International Olympic Committee (http://www.gaycalgary.com/n843), Should the Winter Olympics be Moved to Vancouver? (http://www.gaycalgary.com/ n841), Obama on Jay Leno: ‘I have no patience for’ Anti-LGBT Russia (http://www.gaycalgary.com/n840), 83 Members of Congress Demand LGBTs be Ensured Safety at Sochi Winter Olympics (http://www. gaycalgary.com/n829), IOC urged to make visible pro-gay statement at Winter Olympics (http://www.gaycalgary.com/n828), Ban Russia from 2016 Summer Games, Egale open letter to the International Olympic Committee (http://www.gaycalgary.com/n821), Pride House calls for International Olympic Committee to host in 2014 (http://www. gaycalgary.com/n820), Apartheid South Africa Banned by IOC for 28

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GayCalgary Magazine #118, August 2013

Online Last Month (1/2) Was ‘Censorship’ debacle Daily Xtra’s own fault?

IT expert believes Tim Hortons may not be to blame

After receiving an apology themselves, Daily Xtra may owe Canadian coffee giant Tim Hortons a much bigger apology in return after launching public accusations... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3593

Cocktail Chatter The Greyhound

“I can’t believe you’re serving us a drink named after a bus line.” This was going to be a long night. Craig was in one of his moods, and it seemed... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3597

Creep of the Week

Setting Captives Free

There’s an app for that. It doesn’t even matter what “that” is, because there’s an app for everything. You want the photos you take with your $300 phone... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3598

Deep Inside Hollywood

Neil Patrick Harris will wig-out in Hedwig

Why didn’t someone think of this earlier?

No sooner will How I Met Your Mother wrap up its last season with all questions about mother-meeting finally... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3601

Hear Me Out

Kinky Boots, The National

Kinky Boots (Original Broadway Cast Recording) “The world seemed brighter six inches off the ground.” So goes the drag-inspired fabulousness... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3602

Screen Queen

Oz The Great and Powerful, Struck by Lightning, Any Day Now, Cloud Atlas, Warm Bodies, Side Effects, Identity Thief, Mama

Oz The Great and Powerful We’re off to see the wizard (but not Dorothy) as filmmaker Sam Raimi gives top billing to the great man behind the smoke screen,... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3604

Thinking Out Loud: Pride, 80s Style Celebrating our lives when no one cared that we were dying

The motto of my first Pride parade was “Unity and More in ’84.” If you think this is ancient history, I can assure you it’s not. Pride in ’84 meant then,... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3605

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Online Last Month (2/2) Creep of the Week Robert R. Reilly

It always comes back to the children.

It doesn’t matter how or where the conversation starts, if homosexuality is involved someone who is opposed to equality... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3599

Hear Me Out

Best of 2013 (So Far)

10. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Mosquito Karen O howls on “Sacrilege” as the sound revs with electric fury and the divine intervention of a gospel choir. “Buried... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3603

Creep of the Week Josh Thomson

When it comes to the cage match over LGBT civil rights in the United States, it seems like everyone has an opinion.

President Obama, Lady Gaga the Pope,... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3600

Thinking Out Loud: Coming Out, Again How an oddball disorder sent me back to the closet

Last week I discovered that there’s a name for a problem I’ve had since I was 11. I’ve learned that other people have same problem, and quite a few have... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3606

Ask Dr. Eva Nasty Plastic

Dear Dr. Eva: Thanks for your informative publication on bottled water. Sometime ago, I read an email circulated by John Hopkins Hospital, discouraging... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3607

In fact, a news report by CNN posted on July 31st (http://www. gaycalgary.com/u562) dredged up a bit of history - that 10 years ago, the Russian government attempted to seize ownership of the company in what came to be known as the “Vodka Wars”, forcing owner and founder Yuri Shefler to flee the country. Stolichnaya Vodka is already at war with the Russian Government! What possible “leverage” or “influence” do boycotters expect them to have?! If anything the Russian Government is laughing at their misfortune now!

Tim Hortons and Stolichnaya Vodka are roughly in the same boat, albeit on a very different scale. Both companies are not our enemy - even allies to the LGBT community - yet both have been scapegoated and become the target of an LGBT boycott. But these boycotts are publicity stunts pulled at their expense, on the reasoning that as big companies they can afford to absorb the abuse for the sake of the LGBT community getting mainstream media attention and getting its message out.

Wow. Anyone who shits on their friends like this, doesn’t have friends for long.

This Month July was a lull period with mainly just the Stampede to keep us occupied.

But things will start to pick up again this month with Coronation 38 in Edmonton on August 24th.

Calgary Pride at the beginning of September will keep us hopping.

We’re sponsoring the major dances happening over that weekend, such as Louder at Vinyl on August 30th, the PURE Pride Dance at Flames Central on August 31st, and Fused at Commonwealth on September 1st. For more information, look for their ads in this edition.

Also if you’re an arts and culture buff, mark your calendar for the annual Q the Arts Cultural Festival on August 23rd, brought to you by Fairy Tales.

GayCalgary Online – The Magazine Store A while back, Steve was humoured to discover that people were selling old copies of GayCalgary Magazine on sites like EBay, so that readers around the world could collect hardcopies of the editions with their favorite celebrities on the cover. Following this, we began to receive requests similarly from people around the world, often begging us to send them copies of particular editions.

We’re more than happy to give people whichever editions they want for free if they are willing to stop by our office in person to pick them up. However, the moment people want us to mail the magazines to them, it costs us money.

Within the past few months the number of requests we have been receiving has steadily increased, which made it prudent for me to momentarily set aside my upgrading work on GayCalgary.com to do something to meet this demand.

This month we’re introducing a new area on our website called the Magazine Store. This is a shopping cart solution that allows visitors to place orders for any of our old editions, and calculates the cost of shipping it to them. We charge a small handling fee per magazine to cover our time to gather, package, and send out the order. Customers can pay by mail, with their PayPal account, or with a credit card.

Check out the Magazine Store by clicking the link on the Magazine page, or by going to: http://www.gaycalgary.com/MagazineStore

Ask Dr. Eva

Part Two Of How Much You Know About LGBT Health

http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3609

How much do you know about LGBT Health? Try this quiz – answers provided.

1) Which is the best advice on how to avoid sexually transmitted infections,...

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http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3608 Years; Jailing of LGBTs Goes Unpunished? (http://www.gaycalgary. com/n819), Petition To Putin Reaches over 221,000 Signatures (http:// www.gaycalgary.com/n815), Stoli Responds to Russian Vodka Boycott, Gays Still Aren’t Buying (http://www.gaycalgary.com/n811) Not hurting an ally to LGBT people like Stolichnaya Vodka is another good place to start.

“I want to stress that Stoli firmly opposes such attitude and actions [of the Russian government against LGBT people]. Indeed, as a company that encourages transparency and fairness, we are upset and angry.

Stolichnaya Vodka has always been, and continues to be a fervent supporter and friend to the LGBT community,” said CEO Val Mendeleev in a public statement that the company issued in response to the boycott. Such a statement may even be punishable under the anti-gay legislation in Russia, so the company has taken great risk to reassure the LGBT community they are on our side.

www.gaycalgary.com

GayCalgary Magazine #118, August 2013

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Community

Reflecting on a Year of Service ISCWR Empress and Emperor 37 prepare to step down

By Lisa Lunney It’s ISCWR Coronation season in Edmonton once again! In preparation for a new reign, GayCalgary Magazine bids a royal adieu to the 37th elected Emperor and Empress of the ISCWR. Empress 37, Vanity Fair (David Chimko) and Emperor 37, JJ Velour (Jason Pilot) chatted with us about their fantastic year: GC: What have been some of the greatest accomplishments in the

past year?

DC: One of our greatest accomplishments this year has been the organization’s sheer determination to change and evolve in the face of adversity. With the closing of many of Edmonton’s gay bars we have had to find new and innovative ways to raise money for our charities this year, and have been very successful. It is a team effort and the organization as a whole has risen to the challenges. One of the most memorable projects this year was a drag 101 workshop we were asked to put together for Camp fYrefly. The kids were so amazing, fun and I think got a lot from the class. It was a very emotional and rewarding experience.

JP: Even through all the walls we had to face, we raised our goal for the Pride Centre and gained new levels of respect within the community.

GC: What are some of the challenges you faced?

DC & JP: Our biggest challenges this year have been raising money despite the closing of most of our venues in Edmonton. The majority of the year’s funds were raised without a regular bar or venue to host events in. We have proved that with determination anything is possible and we have managed to have a very financially successful reign despite this hurdle.

GC: What improvements have you seen within the community?

DC & JP: I think the biggest gain we have made within the community is the relationship we have fostered with Womonspace Edmonton; unifying different groups within the community by joining forces for the greater good. Womonspace is comprised of a group of women with huge hearts; they believe in the court and through a few joint fundraising events have helped raise a huge portion of our fundraising goal.

GC: What were some of the goals for this reign?

JP: The target fundraising amount was $20,000.00 for the Pride Centre. This year, efforts were made to work with different groups on a unified front.

GC: What is most rewarding about being part of the ISCWR? DC: I have been involved with the court for over 15 years and the rewards and paybacks are too numerous to list. It truly is a life changing experience working with this organization and reigning as Empress of this amazing city.

JP: Seeing many new and old faces. Knowing that through all our hard work we made a difference for our community, and our charities.

GC: What are your feelings stepping down from your reign?

DC: My reign as Empress has been a much more emotional experience than I was expecting and as I approach step down, I am overwhelmed

 Empress 37 Vanity Fair (left) and Emperor 37 JJ Velour (right) with emotion. It really is a bittersweet event. While it is a celebration of an amazing journey of accomplishments, it is also the end of a very amazing experience, which has changed my life, my views and my love for my community forever.

JP: I am excited to know that we accomplished what we wanted, and our reign was successful in helping the community. There is relief in knowing someone is stepping up to continue the good work. I am glad I can relax on August 26th!

GC: What can you tell readers about the upcoming Coronation?

DC & JP: Coronation really is going to be over the top amazing this year. A fantastic show is in store, centered on the theme, “My Big Fat Gypsy Stepdown”. It will involve a lot of hot pink, leopard print and bling, very fitting for a drag charity. We are anticipating a huge turn out this year. The support of this reign by the community has been amazing and with two very popular candidates for Emperor and Empress, we are expecting a huge voting turn out as well.

GC: Any concluding thoughts to summarize a huge year?

JP: No matter what is in front of me, I can face it head on. I know I have the support of my community behind me. Doors and views still need to be opened up. Positive changes are always occurring, and the community can look forward to different ideas from the new reign.

DC: This reign has been about longevity and getting the Court through a period of adversity. With bars closing all around us, to be honest, I think most of the upper house felt like we were in survival mode most of the year, sink or swim. As we pass the crowns on to the next reign I have no doubt next year’s reign and the organization are prepared to face whatever comes our way head on and make the 38th reign a huge success as well.

This year has changed me in many ways; I think the biggest thing it has taught me though is how strong a person I really am. It has taught me to admit my weaknesses and ask for help and that anything is possible with hard work and determination. This journey for me has never been about the crown, it has from day one been about repaying the amazing community in Edmonton for all the memories, love, support, and privileges drag has given me over the past 15 years. I am forever in debt to the members of this amazing city’s LGBT community.

GC: Thank you, we look forward to seeing what is in store for you in the future.

“My Big Fat Gypsy Stepdown” ISCWR Coronation 38 • Saturday, August 24th http://www.iscwr.ca

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Community

Running for Royalty Candidates for ISCWR Coronation 38

By Lisa Lunney Gearing up for the ISCWR Coronation later this month, Dayzi Chayne (Brian Baker) and JeffyLubeXXXPress (Jeff Park), candidates for Empress and Emperor, took time out of their busy schedule to chat with GayCalgary Magazine. This dynamic duo – also a couple in real life - is clearly very passionate about bettering their community, and gave us a glimpse into their charismatic personalities: GC: How did your relationship begin?

BB & JP: We met 15 years ago by messaging and chatting online (yes, the ‘early’ years of the Internet) and have been together ever since. We started out together in a tiny 500 square foot home on an acreage owned by Brian’s cousin – with no power and no water…but that’s a story in itself! We were married in 2006 and are still very much in love! We are (usually) on the same wave length - there’s actually very little conflict in our relationship. We have the perfect fit of personalities to complement each other.

We think this will benefit us greatly in the year to come and are prepared to meet the challenges that come our way!

GC: What is your favourite part about being involved in Alberta’s LGBT community?

BB: As a “late bloomer” my favorite part is just the ability to be “me.” I have felt nothing but acceptance from the various organizations and groups that comprise the LGBT community.

Finding a creative outlet in drag performance was an unexpected surprise.

JP: Since the day I came out (at age 37), I have found the Edmonton and Alberta community so accepting and “fun”. I love the diversity of this community and how, when needed, we all come together as a united front!

GC: What are you passionate about?

JP: Awareness. I truly believe that many people who are “against” the LGBT community are that way because they don’t know any LGBT people – well, they do: they just are not aware of it. I have found as soon as people get to know us, they realize we’re just normal people like anyone else and that dispels so many misconceptions and the ‘fear’.

BB: I’m a planner and an organizer. As a volunteer I have dedicated my spare time to the goals of the ISCWR in its mission and fundraising goals. I would say I am living life to the fullest.

I am a retired teacher and have spent my career working with youth. I think that has helped me keep a youthful outlook, and a fair share of youthful energy! I like to sew and I want to get

 Dayzi Chain (left) and JeffyLubeXXXPress (right)

back to working with stained glass. Although Jeff and I have been together 15 years, we are relatively new homeowners. That suits me perfectly. I like to think I am a bit of a handyman, but I especially enjoy gardening. Not only do I enjoy the creative aspect of planning and creating but also for me it is truly therapy. People who know me personally or through Facebook know I dabble in photography as well!

GC: What do you love about the city of Edmonton in particular?

BB: Culturally, there are so many opportunities in theatre and festivals.

Geographically, the river valley - it is a gem! Edmonton is a beautiful city.

JP: Our festivals and the ‘small town’ feel in a large city. I hate the winters, though. Wintering in Palm Springs would suit me fine. Where’s my lottery ticket?

GC: What inspired you to run for this year’s Emperor and Empress?

JP: Having been involved in the ISCWR for the last five years in various roles, we both felt we were ready to take on the challenge of E&E (Emperor and Empress). We feel we have the support of our community and organization (ISCWR) and are really excited about the year should we be elected.

BB: What Jeff has said, but also add to that the fact that I am no longer commuting means I have almost 3 hours of my day back which is most welcome! I couldn’t have made the decision to run if I didn’t have the time and energy to devote to doing the best job possible.

GC: As Emperor and Empress, what changes will the upcoming year bring?

BB: Should we be so fortunate, one has to remember that E&E are the representatives of the organization and as such it is very much a team effort. We hope to build on the successes of past reigns and with the team of the ISCWR add a few special touches of our own.

JP: The closing of so many of our usual venues over the past year has forced us to look “outside the box” for fundraising ideas.

Be prepared for some new and unusual events in the next year as we find new ways to fundraise in addition to the usual drag shows and events.

GC: What personal goals/motivations inspired you to take candidacy?

BB & JP: By working together, we make a powerful duo. Since we started talking about running there was never a doubt that we would run as a team. The work the ISCWR does for the community with its fundraising and by raising awareness is so important. We’re hoping we can surround ourselves with likeminded supporters and make this a year to remember.

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GayCalgary Magazine #118, August 2013

11

 From Previous Page GC: What challenges are you prepared to face?

BB & JP: We need to encourage new people to come out and join our organization – it’s a lot of fun and not as “cliquey” as some people think! We need to dispel that misconception. We also need to get more of the community out to our events – again this means thinking outside of the box and putting on events that appeal to all members of our community and the public in general.

GC: What changes will you instill that will make the community that much bigger and better than when you entered?

BB & JP: We hope we can have more partnerships with other community groups. We have been involved with the Alberta Bears and the Leather community and think we can really have some fun working together on various events, whether they are the ISCWR’s events or not. Womonspace is another group which we have started partnering with and it has proven to be a great fit!

If we can show our support to other groups, perhaps they will support ours. It’s a win-win situation!

GC: What are some charities/events/fundraisers the community can look forward to participating in?

BB & JP: We are hoping to organize a couple of the ISCWR’s very popular “production” shows this year. And as stated previously, hopefully we can partner with other groups and together raise some serious money for our charities. The charities themselves will be announced at Victory Brunch on August 25th if we are so fortunate as to be elected. As is tradition with incoming reigns, we have the opportunity to identify chosen charities we wish to support. Ours will be a combination of past charities and those close to our hearts and life experiences…. and of course the ISCWR also makes bursaries available to post-secondary students.

GC: What will some of the highlights of the next calendar year be?

JP: New and unusual events as we canvass our members and community for ideas! Personally, I’m hoping to hold a “comedy

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GayCalgary Magazine #118, August 2013

night” – as most people who know me will tell you, I love to laugh!

And the production shows are so much fun!

BB: The calendar is already “full” of planned events – our newly popular “Drag Queen Calendar”, and of course big draw shows like the Miss Mary Christmas Pageant, the Gay Edmonton Pageant and Leather, Feathers, and Fur! We have a number of youth events planned and hope to build stronger connections with other community groups.

GC: What can you tell readers about this year’s Coronation?

Why is this event “one of the biggest and best of the summer?”

JP: This year, all the shows for Coronation week (the In-Town Show, Out-of-Town Show, Coronation and Victory Brunch) are all being held in one location – the Ramada on Kingsway. A one-stop shop for glitz, glamour, big hair and a whole lot of fun!

BB: There are not only many attendees from Edmonton, but many visitors from across Canada and the United States as well.

There is a real energy to “Ball Week” in which new friendships are made and old friendships are renewed.

GC: Thank you for taking the time to chat with GayCalgary! We look forward to the Coronation!

“My Big Fat Gypsy Stepdown” ISCWR Coronation 38 • Saturday, August 24th http://www.iscwr.ca

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Event

 Girls! Girls! Girls!

 Naked Empire

Hot Thespian Fun

Start Planning your Edmonton Fringe Line Up

By Janine Eva Trotta It’s that time again – time for Edmonton’s world renowned Fringe Festival to play host to a barrage of exciting and boundarytesting works brought to you by a gaggle of globe dispersed artists.

This year sees a slew of these productions LGBTQ relevant. GayCalgary Magazine is proud to once again be a sponsor at the Edmonton Fringe, and offers you up a sampling of the shows for seeing here.

Dykeoplolis: Queer Tales and Travels for our Time! – Kimberley Dark Controversial, comedic and best of all true, Dark brings to stage her views on gender and female sexuality in a unique blend of poetry and dynamic story telling.

The writer/mom/sociologist/performer has already toured the show across North America and Australia, raking in rave reviews.

“Dark doesn’t shy away from provocative, incendiary statements, but don’t expect a rant. Her shows, leavened with humor, are more likely to explore how small everyday moments can inform the arc of our lives,” says the Salt Lake Tribune.

Dark will perform six shows ranging from matinee to late evening at Acacia Hall.

CIRCLE – John Montgomery Theatre Company Wrapping up a successful seven-city tour, the award winning CIRCLE promises audiences a performance rife with sex, power, intimacy and desire.

Christel Bartelse and Bob Brader play eight gay, straight and bi characters linked in ‘a hilarious daisy chain of sexual encounters from NY to LA and back’. This includes an in the closet country singer trying to conceive a child with his lesbian best friend, and a bisexual married man.

CIRCLE won the Most Daring Show Award at the London Fringe, sold out its run in Winnipeg, and is touted an “absolute must-see” by the Montreal Gazette.

If there’s one show you watch this Fringe, with rolling on the ground in laughter your aim, CIRCLE may just be it. The show plays at The TACOS Space presented by Punctuate! Theatre.

 Hot Thespian Action

 exHOTic Other

exHOTic other – Una Aya Osato Brace yourself for an evening of sexy burlesque and storytelling from queer sensation Una Osato of the Brown Girls Burlesque troupe. exHOTic other is making its Canadian premier in Edmonton, from a performer who has raked in Best of Fest at Winnipeg Fringe, Best Female Solo Show at the San Francisco Fringe and the Audience Choice, among others, at Frigid NY. Join whom the Montreal Gazzette deems a “tour-de-force” as she takes on the world while taking off her clothes. How many feathery layers must she shed until she reaches her core? Find out at the Walterdale Playhouse.

Girls! Girls! Girls! and Waiting for Bardot – Guys in Disguise Always a crowd hit and pleaser, the famous drag troupe based out of Edmonton, Guys in Disguise, is back at Fringe with not one but two musical performances featuring a knock out male cast as stunning femmes.

In Waiting for Bardot the former sex kitten turned senile Brigitte Bardot becomes the target of a down and out paparazzo. Shows will be performed at BYOV 12: Varscona Theatre.

Meanwhile Girls! Girls! Girls…Well Not Really brings impersonators Justine Tyme and Mr. Terri Stevens to the stage presenting ‘the most sparkling, sassy, bedazzled, bejeweled, fabulous, feathered, sequined comedy impersonation revue ever assembled’. These performances will be put on at BYOV 30: Mixx Dance Club.

God is a Scottish Drag Queen – Mike Delamont Prompted by a sold out run at last year’s Fringe, comedian Delamont is back in E-Town with his raucous comedy featuring God in a floral power suit skewering the likes of Justin Bieber and the Mayans.

In addition to putting on nine shows of this return hit at La Cite Francophone, Delamont will also be performing Husky Panda, a standup routine on the topics of gyms, childhood, pandas, and growing up husky.

Delamont is named one of the fastest rising comedians in Canada and has played on the stages of the Rio in Las Vegas and the Upright Citizens Brigade in NYC. He hails from Victoria, BC. Amusement – Nobody’s Business Theatre That fiery red head Johnnie Walker (Redheaded Stepchild) is back in Alberta once again, teaming with actress Morgan Norwich to perform the brand new work Amusement.

The play follows Rose and Sebastian, two friends who “become embroiled in a series of hijinks, conspiracies, and musical numbers” at a certain Orlando theme park.

“Discover a whole new world of secrets at the happiest place on earth, in this darkly comic fairy tale for grownups.”

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GayCalgary Magazine #118, August 2013

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 From Previous Page Directed by Tom Arthur Davies, Amusement will receive nine show times in the aptly fitting Loonatic Fringe Tent venue situated behind the Old Strathcona Performing Arts Centre.

Little Pussy has already taken home the Best Solo Show at the Orlando Fringe and the Best Solo Performance at the Frigid NY Festival. Grady plays seven shows at Acacia Hall.

You Killed Hamlet or Guilty Creatures Sitting at a Play – Naked Empire Bouffon Company

Making Love with Espresso – Lorenzo Pagnotta

San Francisco artist Nathaniel Justiniano brings to Edmonton his ‘one of a kind’ show, a form aggressive physical theatre coined bouffon.

“I wanted a means of examining how I contribute to my own oppression while getting a room full of strangers to laugh about difficult issues we’re all avoiding,” says the gay actor. “Our debut production, Shame!, skewered the hypocrisies within the queer community. Now we’re traveling …with a new show all about coping with death that Mr. Gay Toronto calls, ‘hilarious’.”

Watch ‘profound pranksters, shreds and patches become a funhouse mirror of your discomfort with death for an hour of high impact, satirical sport’ at the Yardbird Suite August 16-25.

Hot Thespian Action Twice nominated ‘Best Sketch Comedy Troupe in Canada’, Hot Thespian Action is making their Edmonton debut at Fringe with a 55-minute set broken into 12 comedic stories.

The group performs on a bare bones set, driving their laughs not with costume or props but by intelligent script and finely choreographed physical and musical movement.

“We couldn’t be happier about the success we’ve had in our past, but we’re really looking forward to our Edmonton debut,” says troupe member Shannon Guile. “We’ve created a ‘Best Of’ show that features all of the fan-favourite sketches from our seven years of performing.”

This means plenty of gay comedy content. The troupe will perform in the Rutherford School Gym.

Sort of like the plot of Mambo Italiano, this ‘dark sexual roast’ follows a man who must simultaneously navigate ‘the rules of dating in the gay community and the rituals of his Italian heritage’ while coming out on the Prairies.

“The play is about a guy who is trying hard to discover who he is by forming himself around the other gay men he meets online,” Pagnotta says. “Eventually, he realizes that to know who he is he must search much deeper within himself – and not in others.”

Pagnotta plays six characters including some taken from the classic Italian literature that the narrator says helped him to develop his views on masculinity.

“I wanted to speak about my unique experience as a gay ItalianCanadian from western Canada – far from the milieu of the large Little Italys,” Pagnotta says.

Performances take place at Acacia Hall.

Divinely Bette – Kim Sheard Ten years after a move to the UK, performer Kim Sheard returns to her hometown with this one-woman show based on the life and work of Bette Midler.

Livio Salvi, choreographer for G-Nome, dictated the moves in this heartfelt performance, which will include all of the Middler favourites: Wind Beneath My Wings, The Glory of Love, Stuff Like That There, and The Rose.

Graham Robson for gscene says the show boasts “enough brass to make even The Divine M blush”.

Promise and Promiscuity: A New Musical by Jane Austen and Penny Ashton

The show received high praise at the Camden Fringe and will be performed at the Old Strathcona Performing Arts Centre in Edmonton.

Following a five-year Fringe hiatus performer Penny Ashton returns to E-Town with a show that, since its open run in Winnipeg, has received a five star review from the CBC and four stars from the Free Press.

Duets – Peter Quilter

Promise and Promiscuity includes roughly 30 lines of dialogue taken from the works of Jane Austen, perfectly in time to commemorate the 200th Anniversary of the original publish date of Pride and Prejudice the novel.

Somehow Ashton has managed to mash up Austen, Bon Jovi and handmade bonnets into this fresh musical, which won the New Zealander the award for Best Performance in a Comedy at the Auckland Fringe.

In between writing scripts the kiwi officiates weddings, which, thanks to New Zealand finally legalizing gay marriage, will include several gay unions this year. She also boasts a relation to Jane Austen’s real-life Darcy, the man the writer was rumoured to have flirtations with.

The show will be performed on six dates at the King Edward School.

Little Pussy – John Grady A tough but unfortunately relevant topic, Little Pussy, ‘chronicles the life of a man subjected to bullying since grade school’.

John Grady’s true story takes us from California, where he encountered his first bully in junior high school, to the streets of Toronto where he was beaten by a young punk.

Grady, of New York City, has performed off Broadway, for the original production of the Blue Man Group, as a soloist with the Ballet British Columbia, and has broadcasted his raw stories on both the airwaves of the NPR and the CBC Radio.

Duets offers a 90 minute play in four acts featuring four distinct love, or lack there of, stories.

Joanathan and Wendy are both failures at first dates and are on one together. Shelley and Bobby are finalizing their divorce amid cocktails in Spain. Janet is trying for Barrie even though Barrie has no interest in women. Angela is getting married for the third time, and in the worst dress.

A cast of four will play out these scenarios at the Walterdale Playhouse for six show times.

Magical Mystery Detour – Gemma Wilcox Ten-time ‘best of fest’ award winner Gemma Wilcox of London, UK returns for her third Edmonton Fringe Fest performance to play a whopping 23 characters in the Magical Mystery Detour – a ride to remember.

This woman can do anything, it seems, and she does...she shows you what theater can be,” says Elizabeth Maupin for the Orlando Sentinel.

Wilcox will resurrect stage favourite Sandra as the central character, with dog Solar alongside her, as the protagonist who after receiving a letter from her deceased mother heads from London to Land’s End by car. Along the way she encounters the magical, the mysterious and the archetypal characters and themes of the English countryside.

Wilcox will play seven shows at the Catalyst Theatre.

Edmonton Fringe Festival August 15 - 25 • http://www.fringetheatre.ca http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3612

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Event

LOUDER

Come and party with the YYC Bad Boys

By Keith Johnson My recent sit down with Jonathan Koznuik (aka DJ Goldstar) turned out to be an education in house music, circuit parties and a much needed trip down memory lane.

Jonathan is a native Calgarian, almost unheard of in our fair city, who felt that many Calgary gay and lesbian dance events were lack luster and that a production company could up the proverbial bar. Jon points out that many of the local non-gay establishments had been open to putting on lesbian events but were more apprehensive to host gay events. With some persuasion, Vinyl Lounge was convinced that events with a gay and lesbian bent would ultimately diversify their club patronage and provide the gay community with parties unparalleled in the current roster of club offerings.

Koznuik had himself performed for five years as a DJ before he turned his attention to production and formed YYC Bad Boys. YYC Bad Boys will be organizing and producing the pre-party for Louder (at the Backlot) as well as the Louder party itself at Vinyl Lounge (formerly Boyztown) as part of the many events during Calgary Pride Week. DJ Goldstar promises that the production value of these events will be even better than seen before.

Both events will strip back the house lights and sound systems to the bare necessities and bring in lighting and sound of concert quality. Amanda Priolo and Julie Mercier (Les Girls) have joined forces with Koznuik in bringing these productions to Pride Calgary 2013 that are being held on August 30th and September 1rd, 2013.

The pre-party begins at the Backlot, where turntables will be spun by a yet to be determined performer from 8pm to midnight. What has been determined, however, is all night happy hour pricing and an evening of great music, good times and some good old-fashioned drag including performances by Dyna Myte and Voodoo. Enjoy some outdoor time on their secluded patio or a cozy corner of this Calgary mainstay. There is no cover charge for this event so be sure to check it out prior to your trek to the main event at Vinyl Lounge.

Calgary’s own DJ Ward (now an owner of the Backlot) and J-Byrd will open for the talented Mr. Grondin, beginning at 9pm. Downstairs at POP Lounge, co-presented with Tornado Productions, DJ PHON3HOM3 from Edmonton will be manipulating the turntables for partygoers all evening long.

Tickets are $30 at the door or $20 presale. YYC Bad Boys is providing ticket delivery for those patrons so inclined. You can take advantage of this service by calling Jonathan at 403-990-5396. The venue can only accommodate 600 partygoers and ticket sales are brisk so don’t delay and pick up your tickets at Priape or Backlot soon, or risk missing out on this premiere Calgary Pride event.

The party doesn’t stop there. YYC Bad Boys along with Les Girls will be co-sponsoring the FUSED 2 wrap up event on Sunday, September 1st at Commonwealth Bar & Stage (731 – 10 Avenue, SW) from 6pm to 3am.

This fundraiser sees a portion of the proceeds being generously donated to The Sharp Foundation and Camp Firefly. The event features DJ Tatiana from Denver, Colorado; DJ Fierce Tease from Louisville, Kentucky; and DJ Lisa Delux from Vancouver, BC. YYC Bad Boys and Les Girls see this co-sponsored event as an excellent way to throw a great party for the community in which they have grounded their production prowess and event success.

The main Pride Stage on September 1st, 2013 is also co-sponsored

by YYC Bad boys and Les Girls. Held at Shaw Millennium Park from 12pm to 6pm, the main stage will have full concert quality sound and be hosted by a line-up of top-notch local DJs, according to Koznuik. Take advantage of some terrific Pride Events and support some great charitable organizations this Pride season. The Louder Events promise to have no interruptions, no filler and nothing but straight up dance music.

According to Koznuik, YYC Bad Boys is all about the music!

YYC Bad Boys Twitter: yycbadboys • Facebook: YYC Bad Boys

At the Louder party on August 30th, YYC Bad Boys will be presenting the talent of Stephan Grondin, who hails from Montreal and is considered one of the icons of Canadian Gay DJs. Grondin is sure to bring his Montreal brand of sound to Calgary - it will not be an evening of Top 40 or your local radio station playlist. Originally from Mt. Laurier, Quebec, Grondin was encouraged from a young age by his parents to play the piano and master percussion. Apprenticing under his father, Stephan attended events to hone his mixing abilities and before long found himself with his own residency at the age of 17 years. A self-contained DJ booth solved the problem of Grondin being under age and unable to, initially, accept the residency. Stephan has built himself a loyal following with residencies at Fly in Toronto, Splash in New York and both Parking and Stereo Nightclubs in Montreal.

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Louder & LOUDER Pop Lounge Friday, August 30th, 9pm Vinyl Lounge & Hyde Whiskey Room (213 10th Ave SW, Calgary) Pre-Party @ 8pm at the Backlot (209 10th Ave SW)

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15

Gossip sprung from prison. Now, given that McBride’s most recent film is the wildly homoerotic apocalypse comedy This Is The End, one in which he winds up as what can only be called the “top” in an unusual relationship with Channing Tatum, no one should be surprised when this adult cartoon decides to go all the way with its subject matter. Its creators are comedy trailblazers, so it’s pretty much a given that nothing will be off limits and someone’s going to be offended at some point.

Good.

Wes Bentley is wide Open Is Ryan Murphy in some kind of private who-can-have-themost-jobs competition with James Franco? Because that’s the only reason we can come up with to explain the Glee and American Horror Story creator’s sprawling proliferation of TV shows. And the Murphy wave just gets higher with Open, his new HBO pilot starring Wes Bentley (The Hunger Games). Cowritten by Murphy with Lauren Gussis, Open follows the life of “handsome, arrogant” Evan Foster (Bentley), a man who thinks he knows all there is to know about human sexuality and who loves to hear himself spin theories about it all. We’re guessing he has a lot to learn and that, since it’s for HBO, there’ll be a lot of nudity while class is in session. Unless it turns into a bro-style Sex in the City. Then nobody will ever take off their clothes.

Kendrick and Jordan spend 5 Years together

 Danny McBride, photo by Featureflash

Deep Inside Hollywood Chozen will probably make you very happy or very angry

By Romeo San Vicente FX has a little brother network coming to basic cable this fall. Its name is FXX and its geared toward a younger demographic (because FX shows like Archer are for old people?), which means that it’s perfect to host Eastbound & Down star Danny McBride’s new animated series, Chozen.

Chozen features the voices of Grant Dekernion (Eastbound Down), Bobby Moynihan (Saturday Night Live), Michael Pena (Gangster Squad) and Method Man (The Sitter) and will revolve around the adventures of a gay white rapper who’s just been

Musicals, musicals, musicals, everywhere you look these days another musical is heading to the screen, either big or small. Of course, sometimes they get cancelled like Smash, but even when they dump your favorite low-rated, somewhatdorky TV show about Broadway, you know you’ll see those folks somewhere soon again. Case in point: Jeremy Jordan, a Grammy- and Tony-nominated actor from that not-quite cult hit, will step out with Pitch Perfect’s Anna Kendrick for the film version of The Last 5 Years. Richard LaGravenese, whose most recent project was the extremely gay Behind The Candelabra, will write and direct this adaptation of Jason Robert Brown’s musical. The story revolves around the love affair between an actress and a novelist, with one character’s timeline moving backwards and the other’s moving forwards, meeting in the middle for that wedding duet. It’s shooting this summer in New York and you can expect this Scenes From An All-Singing, All-Dancing Marriage in theaters sometime in 2014. You won’t believe the choreography they’ve got ready for the pre-nup sequence.

Don’t sleep on Orange Is The New Black Do you miss The L Word? Oz? Both? Sure you do; we all do.

Well, by the time you get around to reading this you’ll probably already be late-coming to Orange Is The New Black, the comedy/ drama that bubbled up quietly and mostly under the radar but now has a home at Netflix. Created by Jenji Kohan (Weeds) and based on the memoir by Piper Kerman, Orange is the true story of what happened to the WASPy Kerman when she found herself doing time for being involved in a reckless relationship with a hot lesbian drug lord. Unlike the seemingly unscathed Martha Stewart, Kerman’s 15-month sentence became a lesson in everything she never knew she needed to know, including which all-female gang to roll with on the inside. The show stars Taylor Schilling (Atlas Shrugged), Jason Biggs, Kate Mulgrew (!), Laura Prepon, Lea Delaria, Natasha Lyonne and Taryn Manning -- in other words, everyone great you always wished would be on a TV show full of lesbians. Get that Netflix subscription now and do your time.

Romeo San Vicente is the cutest jailbird you ever did see.

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Community

Discussing Community Safety Meet the Advisory Board

By Constable Andy Buck

You may remember when I first started writing this column I mentioned that I co-chaired an Advisory Board to the Chief of Police, a committee made up of community members, representatives from community agencies and allies. Well, now is the time for me to introduce those board members to you.

I asked everyone to write a short bio, and this is what they wanted me to tell you about them.

role, Nick works as an organizer and facilitator for the Calgary GayStraight Alliance Network and monthly roundtable meetings, organizes and coordinates Camp fYrefly Calgary, and in September will be facilitating anti-homophobia education programs in Calgary schools called “fYrefly in Schools!” Through the CSHC Nick and other colleagues have been engaging with the LGBTQ community to find and enhance supports for LGBTQ youth. Nick is honoured to sit on the CPS Sexual and Gender Diversity Chief’s Advisory Board to support their community work and represent not only sexual and gender minorities, but also the many other community groups that the Calgary Sexual Health Centre strives to support in achieving healthier sexuality and sexual well-being.

CALVIN CAMPBELL (Co-Chair)

ADAM LAGACE

Calvin has been an advocate for the LGBT communities for the past six years, serving the community through participation in various boards and volunteer activities. After being assaulted by a group of attackers because he was gay, Calvin has worked hard to promote awareness of the LGBT communities and issues that affect them with a focus on community safety and workplace inclusion. He was formerly the Alberta & Territories Lead for RBC’s LGBT Employee Resource Group, RBC PRIDE and a member of the National RBC PRIDE Committee. Currently, Calvin is the Civilian Co-Chair for the Calgary Police Service Sexuality & Gender Diversity Chief’s Advisory Board, a member of the Calgary Police Service Communities Advisory Board to the Chief, and a Director with Pride at Work Canada. Calvin was presented with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in February

by Alberta Premier Allison Redford and will be awarded the 2013 Calgary Police Commission Community Policing Award in June.

Adam is a metal smith jeweler who received his BFA from the Alberta College of Art and Design while transitioning. He enjoys volunteering within the LGBT community while being a trans member. Since Adam has felt much support from the community in general, he feels it is important to be giving back to it. He was a member of TESA (Trans Equality Society of Alberta) and has volunteered in a variety of ways with Miscellaneous Youth and the Fake Mustache Drag King Troupe. As a member of the Transformers group, he enjoys being a resource and influence for the younger generation of the trans community. Adam is pleased to be a member of this board of dedicated people and he appreciates having the opportunity to be a part of it. He also has the privilege of planning a wedding to a wonderful woman who similarly enjoys volunteering within the community and is very supportive of his transitioning.

Hello again everyone, I hope you are staying safe and enjoying the summer…and counting down the days to Pride!

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 GLBT 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. She has also co-authored the chapter “Counseling Lesbians” in “Culturally-Infused Counseling: Celebrating the Canadian Mosaic, 2005”.

For more information check her website at: http://www.janeoxenbury.com J.T CLODE JT spent over twenty years in the Entertainment Industry as an actor, Senior Partner in a Talent Agency and then in Casting in the Film Industry on both sides of the pond. He emigrated from London, UK in 2003 and settled in Toronto for 6 years where he volunteered as the Entertainment Coordinator for Pride Toronto. He moved to Alberta in 2008 and was the Speaker and Special Event Coordinator for the Calgary Chamber of Commerce. He has just started as the Events Coordinator for the Circle for Aboriginal Relations Society here in Calgary. He is currently the Vice President for The Alberta Rockies Gay Rodeo Association, a member of the Sexual and Gender Diversity Chief’s Advisory Board and a member of the Men’s Sexual Health Advisory Committee for AIDS Calgary.

KIRSTI BINNS Kirsti is a Crown Prosecutor with Alberta Justice. Currently she prosecutes in the Youth Unit with Calgary General Prosecutions. She is a member of Calgary and Canadian Bar Associations. Kirsti has acted on a number of community organizations and has been a member of the Sexuality & Gender Diversity Chief’s Advisory Board since 2011. She holds a B.A. (with distinction) in Anthropology and Kinesiology from the University of Lethbridge and is a graduate of the University of Calgary where she completed her L.L.B.. Kirsti is also an outdoor pursuits enthusiast and when not in court she can be found in the mountains.

NICK MOORE For two years, Nick has worked for the Calgary Sexual Health Centre teaching comprehensive sexual health education in Calgary and area schools. He is currently working in a collaborative position with the CSHC and the U of A’s Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services as a Sexual and Gender Minority Youth Education Coordinator. In this

ED YUEN Ed is originally from Manitoba; however, attended high school, college and university in Alberta. Through the years, he has worked for nonprofit and for-profit organizations, both on and off reserve. Ed had his traditional Naming Ceremony in September 2012 and was adopted by Marsha and Leroy Wolf Collar form Siksika Nation. His Blackfoot name is Mountain Fly, “Mis Tah Kii Poh Tah.” He continues to be on a spiritual journey through the teachings of Elders, participating in sweats, and learning traditional ways such as medicines, plants and berries. Ed and his partner celebrated ten years being together. They have two dogs, a bichon and corgi, and travel annually to the Caribbean to different islands. They are planning to travel the Orient within the next few years.

BILL MOORE Bill is serving in his first year on the Chiefs Committee, representing Apollo, Friends in Sports.

He has lived in Calgary since the early 1960s and has seen the local community grow and continually evolve. Bill brings this local experience to strengthen our Board, along with several years of committee experience, having served in many of the Apollo Board positions (currently serving as Treasurer) over the past 15 years. He also brings valued experience from serving as Secretary and Regional Director with the International Gay Bowling Organization. IGBO, is the largest LGBT sports group worldwide with over 15,000 members.

LISA HEINRICKS Lisa is an industry-renowned artist whose passion is cultivating a community she calls home. Lisa has recently joined the LGBT board with the strong desire to make social change. For the past years, Lisa has been successfully able to inspire youngsters and the like, in uncovering the best they can be - through the expression of ones individuality regardless of age, religion, beliefs, skin color, culture, sexual orientation and finally political views through the influence of art. Lisa looks forward to shaping the community today for a much more livable place tomorrow. Being a part of the LGBT board, Lisa demonstrates her passion in cultivating the community toward becoming a more visible part of society.

TET MILLARE Tet is originally from Manila, Philippines, where she was once a part of the organizing committee for Manila Pride and was an active member of the organization known as the Lesbian Activists of the Philippines (LeAP!).

She had a teaching career that spanned for nine years (five of those were spent teaching in an international school in Taiwan) and together with that, she had coached high school and junior level volleyball, basketball, softball

Continued on Page 19  www.gaycalgary.com

GayCalgary Magazine #118, August 2013

17

Politics

Gay Priests At The Vatican

By Stephen Lock Reports out of the Vatican, and statements made by Pope Francis I to members of the Latin American Conference of Religious (CLAR) in June, reveal the alleged existence of a ‘gay lobby’ within the Roman Curia, the administrative arm of the Roman Catholic Church and the Holy See. Sorting out the truth of what this ‘gay lobby’ actually is, is challenging as reaction to it from traditionalists and reactionary elements within the Church have muddied the discussion considerably.

For instance, a group known as Novus Ordo Watch, maintains the last ‘legitimate’ Pope was Pius XII, who reigned from 1939-1958, and that all Popes from John XXIII onward are ‘anti-popes’ and in fact not truly Catholic but rather ‘usurpers’ out to destroy the One True Church from within. John XXIII was the architect of the various reforms and modernizations within the Church that is known as Vatican II. Novus Ordo Watch believes him, and subsequent Popes (Paul VI, John Paul I, John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis I), to be apostate and heretical.

The issue is further clouded by the equating of homosexual priests with the pedophilic scandals with which the Church has been consumed in recent years, as if being a gay or even bisexual priest somehow predisposes that priest to abuse young boys. Those of us in the LGBTQ community of course understand one has nothing to do with the other; that pedophilia, even when practiced by an adult male towards boys, has about as much to do with being gay as an adult male preying on underage girls has to do with heterosexuality. So any reasonable discussion of homosexual priests within the Church, and what role they might have, is invariably sidetracked by the spectre of child sexual abuse.

That the priesthood attracts gay men as well as straight men should not come as a surprise to anyone. Feeling as if one has a vocation for the priesthood has, or should have, nothing to do with one’s orientation.

Perhaps - if in fact it is the case - gay men are slightly more likely to enter the priesthood it is because, as gay men, we have done considerable soul-searching already, are perhaps a bit more “internallydirected”, if you will, and not as concerned about producing and raising a family as a matter of course, as heterosexual men are expected to be. We are, it could be argued, more free to seek out alternatives and, for such men, the priesthood offers a way of being of service, even of deflecting questions about one’s sexuality since sexuality is, officially at least, shelved upon taking one’s vows of celibacy (remaining unmarried) and chastity (sexually abstinent).

The current scandal, then, appears to not be so much about the existence of homosexually-oriented individuals within the Roman Curia - a not so recent situation as rumours have existed for centuries about that. But rather, many of them are apparently being actively homosexual and (this is where it gets a bit confusing and muddled depending on which source one goes to) attempting to act as some sort of lobbying group within the hierarchy of the Church, to change policies around homosexuality and/or the state of being gay.

This is likely misdirected criticism.

As Robert Mickens, Vatican correspondent for the British Catholic weekly The Tablet, pointed out in a June 13 article, the normal definition of a lobby as an organized group of people pushing a specific agenda does not apply here. Rather, what actually is being referred to is more a gay subculture within the hierarchy.

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“Many of these people in the Vatican that are gay, and even acting out, are extremely conservative,” he said. “These are not people that want to change the church’s teaching on homosexuality — not at all.”

The senior administrators within the Roman Curia are not pushing for reform but for advantage within the hierarchy. The issues surrounding the Roman Curia are ones of intrigue, power-plays and corruption within an enclosed system. It is the very definition of ‘palace intrigue’. In fact, as applied to The Vatican, this curia is not simply the administrative arm of the Vatican but actually the Papal Court, harkening back to the days of European royal and imperial courts.

As Mickens also points out, within the rarified atmosphere that is life within the Vatican, “the big game is blackmail. It’s a mutual recrimination system — that’s what is really twisted about the whole thing,” he said, adding “[it’s a situation of] ‘I know he is doing this’; ‘He knows I’m doing that’; checkmate.... [T]hat is how the game works.”

The prelates (cardinals) who make up the Roman Curia are, apparently, too busy fighting and squabbling amongst themselves, seeking personal advantage and generally being total bitches with each other to ever effectively elicit policy changes within the Church itself.

Essentially, the Roman Curia can only loosely be compared to the cabinets of secular governments. It’s role is primarily to assist the current pope in the administration of the Holy See itself, although there are nine departments - known as congregations - within it, some of which, like the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith formerly headed by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, are responsible for affairs and policies within the Church itself.

Francis’ attempts at reform and even cleansing are predictably being met with some resistance from some within the Roman Curia.

Ezio Mauro, editor-in-chief of La Repubblica, an Italian daily newspaper published out of Rome, has stated the pope is “keenly aware this power structure has entrenched itself underneath the legitimate government of the church,” adding, “He is probably isolated, but he intends to change things.”

One of the changes Francis has introduced, and which doubtlessly has made some enemies for him within the Roman Curia, is appointing eight international cardinals, not members of the curia itself, to a commission to assist him in reforming the Church and to assist in its governance. It will likely be up to this commission to investigate and report to him what is indeed happening within curial ranks and make recommendations as to how to proceed with dealing with it.

While considerable attention has been paid to a website for gay priests seeking contact with each other, this appears to be more about sensationalism within the Italian press (which is known for sensationalizing anyway) than any ‘real’ concerns. Certainly various conservative and reactionary organizations, both religious and secular, have gone on and on about sodomites and ‘abbero-sexuals’ , but the concerns within the Vatican and the Papal Office seem more about outright corruption, including money laundering by the Vatican Bank, misappropriation of funds, bribes, abuse of junior priests and blackmail, than whether or not some priest assigned to the Holy See is hooking up with other priests or men interested in hooking up with priests.

Although that too is a concern since such activity is a violation of vows, which are to be undertaken in the full knowledge and acceptance of what those vows mean.

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 From Page 17 Upon ordination, candidates are solemnly warned by the presiding bishop of the severity of the obligation to which they are committing. He instructs them that, prior to taking their vows, they are free to “turn to the aims and desires of the world” but upon accepting the ordination, that option is no longer valid nor lawful. An ordained priest cannot enter into a valid marriage and any serious transgression of his vows would not only be a grievous sin in itself but sacrilege. This, then, is the concern behind actively-sexual priests in general, and sexually-active gay priests in this instance. An ordained priest is no longer just an individual able to do as he sees fit; he is a component of the Church in all aspects of his life.

Pope Francis, who seems to be less of an ideologue than Benedict although certainly not a liberal, acknowledges there are ‘holy people’ within the Roman Curia but has also identified the existence of what he referred to as a ‘gay lobby’, after the Vatican denounced rumours of it several months ago as unverified, defamatory, and false. He has also spoken out what appears to be favourably about priests who happen to be gay, so long as they are celibate, while still saying the ‘homosexual act’ is a sin. This is a departure from Benedict’s position while Cardinal, that homosexuality itself was “intrinsically disordered” and a sin in and of itself.

Rather than outright condemning it or launching into a pontifical diatribe and bringing the whole weight of his office down on it all, as previous popes might have done, he is instead appearing to be willing to “see what can be done”. This suggests some accommodation, perhaps, or a willingness at least to work with gay priests to bring them better in line with Church teachings in a respectful and supportive manner.

and soccer teams, and has won various competitions in the process. Tet moved to Calgary in 2007 and she is proud to say that she has been a civil servant to all Albertans for five years now. In her spare time, she shuffles her energy between her various artworks ~ photography and the occasional performances that she gets herself into. In addition, she has been actively volunteering her time between a few different organizations, including: Calgary Humane Society, Mosaic (an LGBTQIA youth org in Calgary), Fairy Tales Queer Film Festival, Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo, Calgary Pride, Apollo Outdoor Pursuits, the Calgary Public Library and now with the Sexuality and Diversity Board for the CPS. So, that introduces my team to you. We are all committed to encouraging and supporting safe and inclusive communities through communication, collaboration and capacity building. I understand that there may be some of you out there who have police-related questions or concerns but don’t feel comfortable raising them with me or any other police officer. If this is the case, I urge you to make contact with one of the board members who will be more than happy to speak with you.

A number of my CPS colleagues and I are looking forward to participating in Pride Parade this year, so come and give us a wave. We are your allies, and we will be there to support you.

Stay safe, look after each other, and I will talk to you next month.

As always, feel free to get in touch with any comments, questions or concerns.

Constable Andy Buck 403-428-8154 • pol4792@calgarypolice.ca

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GayCalgary Magazine #118, August 2013

19

Event

 Photo by Steve Polyak, GayCalgary Magazine

FUSED 2

The official Calgary Pride wrap up party

By Lisa Lunney The dynamic minds behind Les Girls and YYC Bad Boys have collaborated once again to host an event to end Calgary’s 2013 edition of Pride Week with a bang! Fused 2 is the official wrap up party for Pride in Calgary, set to occur at Commonwealth Bar & Stage.

Fused 2 is a rich mixture of everyone’s favourite party affairs and this night will include: Shejays and DJs from across Canada and the USA, stunning ladies of Burlesque Burn, Go Go dancers, drag performances by April Storm and an Erotica Fashion Show.

Les Girls is proud to announce the Fashion Show as their first Fused presented Fundraiser. This fundraiser, happening during the Fused event, will benefit non-profit organizations including Camp fYrefly and the SHARP Foundation. The goal is to raise $1,500 for each of the two organizations, an opportunity for Pride partygoers to give back.

Festivities will commence Sunday, September 1st at 6pm, kicked off by the Fused Erotica Fashion show, with the fabulous sounds of Bass Caravan serving as a soundtrack. Bass Caravan is known for their infectious charisma and unique sound that blends Gypsy Funk, Carnival Breaks and Swinging Bass that enthralls and entertains crowds of all-ages.

At the head of the fashion show, is manager Marie Ferraro.

Marie is a fierce redhead with a bold resume: a graduate of Fashion School at Blanche MacDonald Center for Applied Design in Vancouver, B.C., who has traveled the world to gather inspiration from Australia, Mexico and Japan. Marie has put down roots in Calgary and is steadily building a name for herself as a top contender and graduate of Event Management.

Marie’s keen eye for fashion, street style and glamour craze make her a great fit for the Les Girls Fashion show, and will make this a show to remember.

The lineup of world renowned DJs and performers for Fused promises to draw in huge crowds. DJ Tatiana, official Billboard music DJ and chart panelist will be traveling from Denver, Colorado specifically for this event. DJ Fierce Tease, who is a rising star on the dance media circuit, will be delivering a signature style of groove to the Alberta crowd. The fabulous beat-queen, Lisa Delux from Vancouver, and Calgary’s own electronic goddess MollyFi, as well as Foureyes, Sargent and 20

GayCalgary Magazine #118, August 2013

Comrade, DJ Goldstar, DJ Eric and one of the fastest rising DJs in Western Canada, none other than Michelle.C., will all be spinning tracks to keep the dance floor pumping.

Drag performances include some of Calgary’s top queens: April Storm, Farrah Moan, Sierra Teigan, Argintina and Selma Body.

Amanda Priolo, of Les Girls couldn’t be more excited.

“The idea of Fused is such that the event promoters can come together and celebrate together, hence the name ‘fused’. We wrap up the Pride weekend with everyone from the community under one roof. Rather than divide the community, we have brought them together to celebrate. That is the history and the initial thought of Fused. Going forward our plan is to keep the event growing and launch into a bigger venue and grow even more support for the community. Les Girls is proud to sponsor the main stage and entertainment for Pride Festival.”

Last year, Fused sold out weeks before the event so be sure to purchase tickets in advance. Advance general admission is $30.00, and tickets can be purchased at Grassroots Hemp and Dick and Jane’s. Tickets are also available online at www. zoobis.com.

Fused 2 Sun, Sept 1st @ 6pm Commonwealth Bar & Stage (731 10th Ave SW, Calgary) http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3617

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Event

Q The Arts

Calgary’s Queer Art Festival

By Lisa Lunney Queer is a vista, a way of looking at the world differently, with an eye towards diversity, critical thinking and inclusion.

Fairy Tales Presentation Society is proud to partner with PRIDE Calgary and Swallow-a-Bicycle Theatre to present the second installment of Q the Arts. As Calgary’s Queer Arts & Culture Festival, Q the Arts embraces artists who are part of the LGBT community but it will also cater to those who are interested in culturally, politically, artistically and otherwise alternatively innovative means of expression.

The goal of this unique event is to promote a strong sense of family within the LGBT community. James Demers, program director for Fairy Tales, couldn’t be more enthused about the upcoming event and his hopes for the turnout. “This will be a great event for the community as we showcase local and creative talent, as well as bring the Calgary community into Pride season!

Hopefully the community will come out and celebrate with us!”

Internationally renowned Queer Rock band The Cliks are one of the main headliners of the show. Other talents such as the stunning and much loved Jamie Tea also promise a mind-blowing performance. The creator of Calgary’s first Vogue party, Tony Tran joins the list of amazing talent that will be on hand. Multiple visual artists ranging in mediums from prints, sculptures and paintings will also be in attendance to wow the crowd.

Q the Arts aims to be the premiere queer arts showcase for the city, and in addition, this night will also serve as the official kick of party for Calgary Pride, with a countdown to midnight New Years Eve style!

Q the Arts will be held August 23rd at the fabulous Hyatt Imperial Ballroom. The event kick-offs at 7:30PM, and patrons will be treated to a rich night filled with theatre, dance, music, visual art and special guests. Tickets are $25 at the door.

Q the Arts Friday, August 23rd @ 7:30pm Hyatt Imperial Ballroom (700 Centre Street SE, Calgary) http://www.fairytalesfilmfest.com

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GayCalgary Magazine #118, August 2013

21

Event

Ahoy East Village – The Pirates are Coming!

Bow River to Host First Outdoor Opera Festival in the Country

By Janine Eva Trotta What better venue than the shores of a bustling river to enjoy an al fresco meal and some swashbuckling entertainment.

This August 22-25, 2013, the boardwalks of trendy East Village will be abuzz with pirates and pirate lovers of all ages. Novel of all, this is the first outdoor festival of its kind to take place in Canada.

“I think it will be a wonderful event for people that love the opera and people that have never been to the opera,” says Stage Director Robert Herriot. “It’s a unique opportunity in Calgary to see a new event pioneered in the opera.”

The Pirates of Penzance is one of the director’s favourite shows to put on, and has been since he first learned the Gilbert and Sullivan collaborative piece back in high school.

“While we were doing this show in Edmonton I was just blown away at how happy I was doing it,” he says of the 2010 production. “No one dies, no one has consumption…it’s a rocking good time.”

Though Herriot says he will stick with the character ideas he developed three years ago, he will be updating lyrics and has reconfigured the stage set-up for the Calgary performance.

“These characters are all pretty strong, in that I know who each of them is and how they interact and who they are in the world,” he says.

The tent, which will accommodate 900 to 1,000 attendees, will feature ally seating, meaning seats on either side of a long stage.

Herriot says this will dictate different blocking, movement and angles than the positioning he directed in Edmonton.

Despite the somewhat casual venue, General Director and CEO for Calgary Opera for the last 15 years Bob McPhee promises the cast of roughly 8 principles, 24 in the chorus, and 14 in the orchestra, has not been compromised.

“Yes this in a tent and it’s an outdoor summer event, but we’ve brought in some of the finest singers in Canada that are often on our main stage and performing all over the world,” he says.

This includes soprano Tracy Dahl (Mabel) who has graced the stages of the Metropolitan Opera, the San Francisco Opera, the Houston Grand Opera and the Chatelet in Paris, and raked in numerous prestigious awards including the Golden Baton and the Ruby Award.

“Tracy Dahl is a good friend and I adore working with her every chance I get… she’s also a neighbour,” says co-Winnipeg habitant Herriot.

Famed baritone Brett Poletago is set to play The Pirate King. He is known for his show-stealing performance at the Inaugural Gala Concert for the Canadian Opera, which took place in the Four Seasons Centre, and has appeared on the notable stages of Lincoln Centre, La Scala, the Kennedy Centre and Carnegie Hall. He returns to Calgary after performing in the opera Moby-Dick in 2012.

Playing the lead role, Frederic, is tenor Colin Ainsworth. Ainsworth has performed previously with the Royal Opera House, the Greek National Opera, Edmonton Opera, Chicago Opera Theatre and Opera Atelier.

The comic opera in two acts follows the plight of poor Frederic who, born on the February 29 of a leap year, must technically remain apprenticed to pirates until he has reached his 21st birthday, which equates 63 years in captive service. His only reprieve is the love of young Mabel, the daughter of the Major-General, who agrees to wait out his duty in steadfast love.

Seats sold fast for the six performances scheduled for this show. If you were not fortunate enough to get one, there is still a variety of allage, family-friendly activities that you can come to the festival to take part in.

August 22-25, Arrias in the Afternoon will run free on a side stage at the East Village festival site (5th Street and Confluence Way SE).

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Arrias from Carmen, La Boheme and Rigoletto will be performed by four graduates of the Calgary Opera training program.

August 12 a fully registered Opera Camp begins. This camp affords the youth enrolled an introduction to stage, performance, vocal training and more by an excellent fleet of professional performers and opera crew.

“On the second day of the festival [the youth] take over the main stage and there’s a free public performance of their version of the Pirates,” McPhee says.

Pirate movies will be projected on the Simmons building on the Friday and Saturday nights of the festival following the main stage performance, also with no charge.

Swashbuckling on the Bow will showcase select members of the Calgary Opera’s fencing and fight instructors dueling it out in pirate style and seeking some audience participation.

So You Think You Can Sing Opera? is “our answer to American or Canadian idol,” McPhee describes. Eight singers selected by the submission of a taped performance and resume will be performing in the semi finals. This number will be taken down to three singers for the final night, and prizes will be awarded.

Picnic in the Village precedes the Sunday matinee performance, and is sponsored by City Palate, the Sidewalk Citizen artisan bakery, and River Café, meaning the most chic brown bag you can nosh out of in this city. For $30 you can eat on Riverwalk Plaza from noon to 2pm.

Orders must be placed in advance by calling 403.262.7286.

Food trucks will be set up along the river, with all sorts of pirate banners and activity, and a beer garden will be sponsored by Big Rock.

“If the weather holds on… it should be fabulous down there,” McPhee slates.

Three to four years of work have gone into seeing this festival realized, and would not be possible without the collaborative efforts of the province, the city, some very dedicated sponsors, and developers in the East Village.

Having expanded programming with new work, adding a young artist training program, and becoming financially comfortable, McPhee says that now was the right time for Calgary Opera to move forward with this premier event.

“It’s very clear that throughout the world, in the US …there’s dozens of summer opera festivals…and across Canada they are virtually nonexistent,” he says. “It seemed a logical step in our community to start a summer opera festival.”

McPhee notes that the city is not yet saturated with festivals, making it an ideal locale to open with this outdoor opera event. While working with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra McPhee headed a five-day symphony festival which met with huge success, and he predicts the same forecast for Opera in the Village.

In fact, he is even game for taking this festival on the road.

“The music is great the story is just wacky,” Herriot says. “I think we’re going to have a good time.”

Performances will go on rain or shine. A detailed schedule of events and show synopsis can be found on their website.

The Pirates of Penzance Calgary Opera presents http://www.calgaryopera.com http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3619

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Community

Canadian Fertility Consultants Helping build families and doing it with love!

By Vera Kala Surrogacy. For those of us who have not tackled the question of being parents, it’s not something we may know much about. But for those who are looking into the different ways of starting a family, surrogacy is a very viable option.

And that is where Canadian Fertility Consultants comes in. While the company helps aspiring parents with more than one route – they aid in adoption and fertility consultations, among others – surrogacy is a very popular service of theirs.

Based out of Brighton, Ontario, Canadian Fertility Consultants (CFC) is a company built with a focus on strong family values and the amazing journey that is parenthood.

While its headquarters may be out east, CFC is beginning to spread its influence westward.

CFC was started by CEO and owner, Leia Picard. Picard, who has been a mother and surrogate in her life, recently returned from travelling in western Canada, spreading the word about her business practices through British Columbia and Alberta. Despite being on the road, she was able to answer some of our inquiries about what her company does, and what it could bring to Alberta – most notably for us, gay couples wanting to start their families.

Twenty-five percent of CFC’s clients are, in fact, gay couples, something which makes it of particular importance to those wishing to start families in Alberta. With gay marriage becoming more and more common, they’ve found a rise in clients who wish to become parents much sooner than ever before. CFC stresses, however, that while they have worked with gay couples since the company’s inception, they look at all of their clients the same – as future parents, regardless of their sexual orientation.

Surrogacy can be a scary topic, but CFC seems very open, welcoming, and helpful to anyone that might require their services. Their website comes with its own blog – which, on perusal, hosts articles from fatherhood to the experience of actually being a surrogate, many of which help to break down false perceptions of surrogacy. Each month, there is a post focusing on a family CFC has worked with, allowing those interested in the service to see the realities of surrogacy to those most affected by it.

When asked why they chose to have a blog on their site, they replied that “social media is one of the portals we use to get the word out on advocacy projects that we take part in. It is also a very helpful tool to connect/stay connected with clients and industry professionals.” Notably, the blog is updated by Picard herself – she also maintains an active Twitter account. Honest communication and excellent service are cornerstones of the company, says Picard.

According to CFC they, unlike other fertility consulting agencies, have surrogates who are ready to begin the journey right away. The company focuses its energies on making the experience as controlled and stress free as possible for IP’s – Intended Parents. The financial and legal process is streamlined to make sure that everything goes according to plan, with no unexpected hurdles for IPs to jump over.

How does it work, then, and how does a company in Ontario help couples in Alberta? The key lies in CFC’s network in the fertility industry, which is growing across the country. They have built relationships with fertility doctors, clinics, egg/sperm donation agencies, and fertility lawyers so that they can help to oversee the entire process from the beginning to end.

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Surrogacy has a leg up on adoption – perhaps the most ‘popular’, or at least publicly acknowledged, way for gay couples to start a family. The application process for adoption can be lengthy, as well as waiting periods to find a child, but surrogacy allows future parents to begin as soon as they see fit. Since CFC always has surrogates waiting, the process can begin immediately.

CFC shares the viewpoint that however you do it, starting a family is a big deal. Their holistic and comprehensive approach might certainly be worth your while. If you’re interested in what they do, you can visit their website, read a bevy of testimonials, subscribe to their newsletter, and they also offer free consultations for couples.

Canadian Fertility Consultants http://www.fertilityconsultants.ca

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GayCalgary Magazine #118, August 2013

23

Luciana

“I’m a total QUILTBAG”

By Nick Winnick If you’ve been living under a rock, EDM-wise, for the past decade or so, you might not know of Luciana. The rest of you can skip this paragraph, wherein I asked her to give me the thirty-second précis of who she is, and what she does. “They’ve coined me – and I don’t know who coined it – the queen of electro. I don’t like saying that. Thirty seconds? All right. Dance music. Electro. I write quirky dance songs that make people want to get on the floor. There you go, that’s like ten seconds.”

What more is there to say?

Quite a lot, in fact. Since beginning her music career, Luciana has worked with nearly everyone under the sun, from Tiesto to Will.i.am to Cazwell to Mark Knight, and churned out infectious, glam-infused electro tracks that tear up as many charts as dance floors. Her music, as she said of one of her most recent singles, U B the Bass, “does what it says on the tin.”

More than a tin, Luciana’s brand of music would likely come more from a prescription bottle, with a list of unpronounceable ingredients and heart-pounding, breath-shortening side-effects as long as your arm, all driven by a bombastic stage persona, and

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GayCalgary Magazine #118, August 2013

lyrics that are contagious and spontaneous. She often quotes David Bowie as one of her sources of inspiration, and truth to tell, the influence is a good deal more than stylistic. Speaking of her songwriting process, Luciana told me, “I’m inspired by the way Bowie did his ad hoc writing. What I saw him do in a documentary was cut up some lyrics, and then you’d piece them all together, and you make a strange and wonderful sentence.

It doesn’t make sense, and it does make sense. I’m constantly doing that, I’m constantly writing ideas and sentences taking from things I see in magazines or on billboards or lines from films, or something that somebody said in a conversation I’ve overheard. When I put them all together, weirdly enough, some of them make sense.”

I asked if this style of writing lends itself more to a personal meaning, or whether she leaves interpretation to her audience.

“I think a bit of both, actually. The best part of creating for me – when I do the ad hoc approach – is the not thinking. The not thinking is the spaces in between, and the spaces in between are the things that create the magic. Thinking too much about it, it becomes contrived. So when I’m creating now, I’ll do whatever comes naturally, and then I’ll start looking at it as a piece of art.”

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Of course, the writer of Shut Your Mouth, I’m Still Hot, and Party Animal doesn’t always succumb to her highbrow inclinations. “[Sometimes] I’ll look at it and say, that’s a powerful message.

Or it might just be words, random, about sex or about dancing or about being in the moment. When you are on the dance floor, you are in that moment. You’re not in the past, you’re not in the moment before, and that’s what I tend to write about.”

Perhaps it’s by dint of her focus on the now, the immediate, that Luciana has managed to learn something that many artists struggle with for their entire careers. “Sometimes when I push and force it, it doesn’t work. I’ve learned that when you’re creating something, if that starts happening, just to walk away.

Make a cup of tea. Go into the garden. Do something else, and then come back to it.”

An artist of eclectic tastes, styles, and influences, Luciana nevertheless remains all but wired in to the musical consciousness of the moment, and it comes across in her unvarnished enthusiasm for the sounds that inspire her. “Who am I inspired by now? There’s a guy called Tinie Tempah, I love him. I’m inspired by Jay-Z and Kanye. I love punk, I love the stuff that’s coming out now in London that’s a bit more indie.” Being a musical hotspot for more than half a century certainly gives Londoners like Luciana a wealth of inspiration to draw from.

“Yeah, that’s why it’s great to be from London when you’re in music, because you can go back and plug into the source, and find out what’s up-and-coming.” Find out about it, and get up to her elbows in it. Just recently she has co-written a debut project for a young pop artist by the monicker of Tiny Dancer (no Sir Elton involved), about whom she couldn’t be more enthusiastic, and told me how delighted she’d be to work alongside Calvin Harris.

Reading this far, one might be tempted to brand the Queen of EDM a hedonist or libertine, but her attention to the moment, and to the people she cares about, generates a de facto social consciousness that is soundly on the right side of history.

Luciana has been entirely unequivocal is her support for the LGBT community. In fact, while talking acronyms, she quickly jumped, in solidarity with her queer audience, upon my personal favourite ever-expanding acronym for the queer community, or Queer/questioning, Intersexed, Lesbian, Trans, Bi, Asexual, and Gay. “Do you know what, Nick, I’m a total QUILTBAG.” “You know that’s gonna be the headline, isn’t it? Luciana: I’m a total QUILTBAG.” I’m not quite sure whether she was serious, but it seemed like the right decision in the moment.

QUILTBAG or ally, Luciana’s love for her friends and her fans have made her a fierce voice for equality, even if not entirely by design. “I think, because I have so many gay friends, that’s very close to home. All I know is that I have a lot of gay friends who never had the same rights as [straight people], so that’s what I’m there for. There’s my voice.” In recent interviews, she spoke about her support for marriage equality in the US and Australia, and decried recent legislation in Russia that is posed to strip queer people of rights and protections under the law.

The relationship between Luciana and her queer fan base certainly seems to be a reciprocal one. When we were discussing playing to gay clubs and gay audiences in specific, Luciana waxed ecstatic about the seething energy, the heat, the physicality of a crowd that’s really into one of her performances. “When you’re in a gay club, you can totally taste the club dirt. And I’m all about the club dirt, Nick.”

Queer or straight, she told me, the EDM scene shifts dramatically when moving from Europe to North America. “When you come over to America, the tracks that are coming out in England just don’t work. They’re too British, they’re too sharp, they’re too tart. Whereas in America, EDM works alongside R&B; that sound has been sort of fused together.” This is a boon to Luciana’s art, as she sees it. “It’s great, because you get somebody like Deadmau5, who was underground, or Skrillex, who was underground, ... [who have] crossed over because they’ve had such big success. When things like that happen, it’s easier for me as a songwriter, because that’s my music, that’s what I do. People speak my language. A lot of the time, I’m mostly underground, so it opens up doors to me for something to go ‘overground’ and be a bit more commercial.”

That tension between the personal and commercial is something that Luciana appears to feel keenly. “I feel ready to move forward and do something a bit more avant garde, but people tend to want me to be ‘quirky.’” Speaking in the voice of a studio exec, she says, “We want you to be quirky but we don’t want you to be too quirky. We want you to appeal to middle America. We want what you are, but not too much of it. So I’ve been choosing my projects a bit more selectively. I always feel like I’m slightly underground and I really like it that way.” Just as she’s reluctant to temper her songwriting in pursuit of broader appeal, she’s dismissive of the idea of doing a song or a collaboration just for the recognition it might bring. “If someone sends me a track, and I like it, I’m gonna do it. If someone sends me a track and I don’t like it, I won’t do it just because it’s got a name on it.

That’s a classic case of trying to fit a square peg in a round hole, or trying to do something just to appeal to the masses. For what reason would that be?”

Irreverent, incorrigible, and quite possibly inimitable, Luciana will be blowing out speakers at PURE Pride at the end of the month. And you can very likely find me, bouncing and sweating and seething with the rest of the room, on August 31st.

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Luciana Appearing at PURE Pride, August 31st http://www.luciana.com

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GayCalgary Magazine #118, August 2013

25

Interview

 Photos by apt entertainment

Sweet as Honey

Miss Honey Dijon visits Edmonton

By Farley FooFoo I’m sitting with my best friend Brad Rolheiser at the Edmonton International Airport with a bouquet of pink and purple flowers, arranged inside of a purple purse-shaped vase. I feel like a straight guy waiting to go on a blind date; I’m fucking nervous.

Brad and I keep careful watch on the arrival doors, all the while asking each other a myriad of questions. ”Do you think she’ll think our flowers are cheesy?” ”Will she want to go somewhere to eat or straight to her hotel?” ”Do you think she’ll be tired?”

Of course she’ll be tired we decide. She’s flying in from Berlin, having just days earlier been in Italy, and just before that London. She is, after all, one of the most in-demand DJs in the world.

DJ Miss Honey Dijon is instantly recognizable. At a height of 5’10, glamorously slender and head-turningly gorgeous, she looks more like a super model than what many people might envision when they think of a globe-trotting DJ. Indeed, having played events for top fashion houses Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, Hermès, Balenciaga, Chloe, and Narciso Rodriquez just to name a few, she looks as though she could step right out from behind the decks, sashay down the runway

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and fit right in. Scratch that (pun intended). She’d easily stand out as a stunning beauty even among the world’s top models.

But it’s not her beauty for which she has become a force of global pre-eminence. Miss Honey Dijon is renowned for her legendary DJ sets - as eclectic as they are crowd pleasing. Refusing to fall into the electronic music genre trap that sees countless other DJs come and go from the public’s good graces, Honey’s sets include everything from disco to tribal to RnB to techno, and just about anything else that could possibly make a crowd want to get up and dance. It is a unique style and musical philosophy that has seen her headlining gigs in the world’s top nightclubs, from Ministry of Sound in London to Respect Is Burning in Paris, and premier dance music festivals including the Love Parade in Berlin and the Miami Winter Music Conference. And that’s exactly why !mpulse and D3VIANT Entertainment have brought her to play at The Starlite Room in Edmonton, kicking off a new series of queer-friendly parties in the city. This is why and how my friend Brad and I now find ourselves sitting in an airport nervously awaiting her arrival.

She walks out of the gate looking every bit the chic yet seasoned traveler she is; draped head to toe in stylish yet comfortable black clothing and black sunglasses, Honey projects that perfect vision of “celebrity on their down time.” Brad and I rush over and introduce ourselves and I hand her the flowers. “Oh my!” she remarks, “I wasn’t expecting botanicals!” With that a big, genuine and instantly beguiling smile flashes across her face. It is a smile I will come to see countless times over the next 16 hours. Oh my God, I think to myself she’s nice!

She’s actually nice! My heart rate slows from Drum & Bass to Deep House bpms.

Immediately I lead us towards the luggage carousel for her flight.

“Oh, no, this is all I brought with me,” she says, displaying her

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compact carry-on bag and an average sized but rather heavy looking backpack. I’m shocked. Considering how fashionable and famous she is, I automatically assumed she would have several pieces of luggage with her. “When you travel as much as I do,” she tells me, “you learn to pack light.” Brad offers to bring her carry on and I, her backpack.

I was right, it is indeed quite heavy. No sooner are we in my vehicle and Honey bestows upon me my first compliment. “Your car is so nice and clean,” she appraises. “Oh, um, thanks,” I clumsily muster, while exchanging a quick, knowing smile with Brad as he climbs into my backseat. It was he who, as I filled up with gas, spent a great effort to wipe down every surface of my car until it looked and smelled brand new. Like me, he wanted everything to be perfect for Miss Honey.

As we drive to Honey’s hotel, I’m again surprised by a revelation about my passenger. Not only is she nice, she’s also somewhat shy and soft spoken. Considering her music has so much impact and presence, I am taken aback by this. And although she is quiet, Honey engages Brad and I in a winsome, humorous and often cerebral conversation. She affectionately nicknames us P1 and P2 after I tell her to think of us as her poodles for the night; we’re here to follow her around and if she needs anything, all she has to say is ‘go fetch.’

Though she might be somewhat shy, it’s clear that having to interact with scores of strangers on a daily basis as part of her job has well prepared her for situations like this. Being in a car with two men she’s never met before in a city she’s never been to before is par for the course. We talk about a multitude of subjects. How the pleasant but short summers of Edmonton are marred by its profuse amount of road construction. How hectic her touring schedule is. Tomorrow she flies to Vancouver to headline a party for Pride, then immediately back to Toronto, then Berlin. Trips to Rotterdam and London are also in her very near future. Honey tells us of the time she, while attending Elton John’s AIDS fundraiser, is whisked away by friend and Scissor Sister frontman Jake Shears to Madonna’s Oscar party, humbly regaling us with her story of being awe struck in the presence of people like Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Hudson. Sitting mere

inches away from one of my all-time favourite DJs, I have a pretty good idea what that would have felt like. “You sure have some fun people here,” Honey proclaims as a seventy-something man riding a longboard is followed soon after by a man on a large bicycle and cart contraption so covered by plastic flowers, spinning wheels and small toys all but the bottom half of the wheels are obscured. We discuss the current, grim state of affairs in Russia and Honey informs us she’s played in St. Petersburg before. It is then that I contemplate how as, not only a woman of colour but as a transwoman of colour, it must sometimes take no small amount of courage to travel alone to some of the places she’s gone to spin. From South America to the Southern US, the Middle East to Eastern Europe, Honey’s gigs aren’t always in places I’d consider particularly LGBTQ tolerant. But fearlessness, as I’ll come to learn, is just one of the many remarkable attributes about this woman that have made her an international favourite. Wherever there are people willing to dance, Miss Honey Dijon’s willing to go to make them dance.

And tonight, that place is the Starlite Room in Edmonton. After a quick bite to eat from a nearby Vegan restaurant and a woefully short one hour disco nap, Miss Honey takes the stage for an exited, yet disappointingly small crowd who number only between 75-100 people at the most throughout the night. It’s not what I nor the promoters had hoped for, nor what Honey deserves, but that hasn’t stopped Honey from giving it her all and rocking the club. Throughout the evening I keep falling more in love with Honey as not only an outstanding DJ but as the gracious and humble person that she is. Every drink brought to her is rewarded with a thank you and that big bright smile, as charming as it is disarming. And every time the crowd screams and cheers in appreciation as some soulful or funky or pumping track is played, a smile reappears only this time it is one that is shy and surprised. As if she is saying to herself “Oh my God, they like me!”

Or maybe it’s “Oh my God, they’re nice! They’re actually nice!” She might be deserving of being among the stars, both physically and metaphorically, but clearly this star is very down-to-earth.

Continued on Next Page 

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GayCalgary Magazine #118, August 2013

27

 From Previous Page At one point in the evening, late into Honey’s set, Brad is off on a smoke break accompanied by some bridesmaids we conscripted from the lobby of Honey’s hotel a few hours earlier. I’m sitting down to take a breather from nearly two hours of dancing hard and a group of girls that were dancing up at the front with me for the evening are still going strong. At this point Honey drops a deep, abstract track that, if she were in a New York or Toronto club would thrill the crowd. But in Edmonton, well, let’s just say we can sometimes be apprehensive about music that isn’t quite what we’re used to. The group of girls all vacate the dance floor to go grab a drink and the crowd generally takes a step back. The track is something Edmonton either isn’t quite ready for, or simply wasn’t looking for tonight, and I notice that Honey has noticed. There is now literally a chasm between Miss Honey and the crowd, as I find myself that same nervous wreck I was sitting in the airport wondering what’s going to happen. Will she be offended? Will she think poorly of Edmonton, our musical tastes and our partiers? Will she doggedly decide to keep going in this musical direction? That it’s her way or no way and either we get on board or we don’t. I don’t have to wonder long because within moments the unmistakable horns of Mousse T’s ‘Horny’ comes blasting out through the speakers, causing the girls to abandon the drink line and rush back to the dance floor which has already erupted into cheers of approval. That same coyly genuine smile breaks out across Honey’s face, this time with a hint of self satisfaction. She did it; she won the crowd back and has them right where she wants them, on her dance floor. “Oooh girl,” I say out loud to nobody but myself, “you pulled it!”

think, how can I do this for the rest of my life? But you never think you can have a career in something like this, and so, I just started buying records - I didn’t even know that I wanted to be a DJ, I just started buying records to listen to them at home. It came to me when I moved to New York. I wasn’t hearing the music presented the way it was presented in Chicago, so I started doing my own thing, starting my own little parties and it mushroomed from there. Actually the first place that I ever really got an out of town gig was in Toronto, so I always hold on to a lot of love for basically kick starting my DJ career.

So that’s how it all got started.

Once her set is complete, Brad and I rush to congratulate Honey and thank her for an amazing performance. She’s all hugs and smiles and graciousness, but after a long day of flying and a late night of spinning, she’s tired and ready for bed. We head for the door when Honey is stopped by some other partiers who all want their turn to meet her and to thank her, and Honey is nothing but warm and accommodating. Every autograph sought is signed. Every picture requested is posed for. Every handshake, high five and hug is freely given and returned. She’s every bit the beauty and talent and gregariousness of a diva, without any of the entitlement or pageantry or ego often associated with one. I apologize to her for the smaller crowd than she’s used to playing for. “It doesn’t matter if I’m playing for five people, or five thousand people,” she responds, “I just want to make everyone dance and have a good time.” Mission accomplished.

GC: A few years ago you started your own record label, Digital Disco. What inspired you to start your own label and how different is it to be the head of your own label and not just a featured artist?

The next day Brad and I are back at a now better rested Honey Dijon’s hotel, she has a 1pm flight to Vancouver to catch. She greets us each with a kiss on the cheek and inquires how her two poodles are feeling. We tell her we’re still flying high from last night’s festivities, but sad the time has come for her to leave us. The drive to the airport is as jovial and absorbing as was the drive away from it.

The only difference today is it feels as though the superstar DJ sitting to my right is now also a friend. Honey comments on how lovely and green Edmonton’s downtown looks, perched above the river valley. I notice that, for some reason, Edmonton and by extension the world in general seems a little more beautiful. All too soon we’re back at the airport where our brief but wonderful brush with THE Miss Honey Dijon began mere hours earlier. Brad produces a bottle of Honey Dijon mustard for Honey to sign. She laughs and scribes two words: ‘OK bitch!’ draws a heart and adds her autograph. And although she’s anxious to get past security to grab something to eat before boarding her flight, Honey courteously grants my request for a quick interview on behalf of GayCalgary Magazine. Instead of the quick, rote answers I expected and would have been perfectly content with, Honey takes her time to answer each question thoughtfully and thoroughly. Even after all her thoughtful kindness, the fact that Honey is so nice still manages to take me somewhat by surprise.

GC: So Honey, for any of our readers who may not be familiar with you, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you first got into DJing?

HD: Well, I was born and raised in Chicago which is the birthplace

of house music. It was just always around me, and I just fell in love with the music. I started out as a clubber, basically, and I was really fortunate to grow up at a time when it was beginning, or the second wave of it was beginning. First there was disco and then there was house. And I became friends with the second generation of house people, like Derrick Carter, and Green Velvet and Mark Farina and all those people. I just fell in love with the music and I used to always

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GC: Awesome. If someone wanted to learn more about your sound, what are some essential tracks they should check out?

HD: Well, you know, I’m really an eclectic DJ which is a curse and a blessing, because I just like music. I try not to get into specifics about what genre I’m playing. But I think if you really want to know who I am as an artist I would say listen to disco, listen to new wave, listen to techno, jazz, Detroit Techno. I sort of pool all my influences from just living my life and being exposed to a lot of different types of parties from straight, gay, black, white, green, purple - it didn’t matter to me - warehouse parties, mega clubs... I just started playing music that makes people feel good. Danny Tenaglia’s a huge influence; Derrick Carter’s a huge influence. Now I would say for the new generation I quite like this producer called Motor City Drum Ensemble, and Mr. G, but I still like a lot of old Motown. I just like music, I don’t know. You’ll just have to follow me to find out what kind of music, what tracks you need to listen to.

HD: It’s fucking hard [laughs]. I started my own label because I just wanted to have my own voice presented the way I felt it should be presented. A lot of times when you make music for other labels it’s their vision and not yours. I actually changed the name from Digital Disco, I folded that label, and now I’m starting a new one called Music Box which is sort of influenced by a club in Chicago that was called Music Box. It’s hard, because being an independent label, people think it’s so easy to do what we do. It’s not like I just show up, but it’s like A&R’ing [Artists and Repertoire], finding the music, finding the artists. And you know there’s no money in music anymore unless you’re doing a certain type of dance music, E.D.M., which is really more pop music. But if you’re still an underground label it’s still quite hard and difficult to get the music out there because the digital age…the market is over saturated with music. A lot people making music…they’ve learned how to make music on a lap top which is not necessarily... I mean, it is what it is. But they might not have the history or musical knowledge. So a lot of music is just faceless and tracky and really doesn’t have a lot of emotion. I think any great artist comes from life experience. So it’s really hard being a DJ and running a label. Like any creative thing, it’s hard to do both. You sort of have to pick your poison and very few people can do both. But I did it just to have my own voice.

GC: Last night was your first experience spinning in Edmonton.

How did you find playing for an Edmonton audience?

HD: It was fun. I think anytime you go somewhere for the first time and people don’t really know you and aren’t familiar with you it takes a little bit of time for them to connect to you, because it’s like what is this?, what is this music?, especially if it’s not music that’s being presented on a regular basis. But people at the end of the day just want to have fun and just want to dance, so as long as they see you having fun I think they’ll sort of find a way to connect with you. …It was fun for me, I had a good time.

GC: Excellent. Where are some of the more exotic or off the beaten path places you’ve played before?

HD: I’ve played in mountains in Mexico [laughs], I’ve played in China, I’ve played in, I think those are probably the two weirdest places that I’ve ever played. In the mountains in Mexico, and in like the middle of the desert in California we drove for like two hours on this winding road in the middle of the fucking mountains. I don’t know what it is with mountains and people but [laughs], those are some of the most exotic situations I have to say.

GC: Do you have an all time favourite place or party that you’ve

played?

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HD: Anytime people are having a good time is my all time favourite place. Yeah. You’re only as good as your last party. So I just think, anytime I get to DJ is my favourite party.

GC: Any nightmare gigs that you’re played?

HD: Too many to mention! [laughs] I mean you know, from shitty

sound systems to under promotion, but you know it comes with the territory. Everything in life is not going to be great or fun. And you take the good with the bad and sometimes that’s just how it is, not everything is perfect. But it’s part of the job…you have good nights and sometimes you have bad nights.

GC: If you could put together a party of your top five DJs of all time, who would you pick?

HD: Ok... Ron Hardy, Larry Levan, Honey Dijon [laughter], God this is so difficult, there’s so many influences. I have two more...

Derrick Carter. And then I only have one more which would probably be...I’m trying to think of the last person to really turn me out. Shit, oh my God there’s just so many great artists. Oh um, Matthew Dear.

GC: You’ve worked with some of the top talent in the music industry, everyone from vocalist Dajae to Celeda, DJs Derrick Carter to Danny Tenaglia, and musical artists from R.E.M. to Cyndi Lauper.

Does anyone hold a special place in your heart?

HD: All of them. I mean it’s so funny I just got a twitter from Boy

George the other day for remixes coming out and he wants to work with me. It’s crazy to think of these people that have changed culture in some ways, they come to you and say, oh we love what you do, can we work with you? It’s a bit of a head trip. But it’s also validating of your work, because you never know, with music it’s so ephemeral… there is no barometer. Popularity is a barometer for some people. I never got into this for a popularity contest, I just got into this because this is what I do. And I want is to be able to make a living from it. You have these people and it’s crazy and validating and nice. So they all hold a special place in my heart for different reasons. But it’s like oh, I’m getting to do what I dreamed about doing.

GC: What are some things that you enjoy doing when you’re not busy performing for the crowd or in the studio making new music?

HD: Sleeping! [laughs] Sleeping and sex. [more laughter] GC: What do you think is more important to becoming a successful

DJ, being talented or being nice?

HD: That’s another loaded question [laughs]. I don’t think there is a formula because for some people it’s the people they hang out with, for some people it’s the music they make, for some people it’s their talent as a DJ, for some people it’s being in the right place at the right time with the right sound. But I think people that last long in this game do it because they love music and their perseverance helps.

But the definition of success is different for every person, so I think for me…to be able to continue doing what I’m doing and traveling and meeting interesting people and playing new exciting music and seeing the world.

GC: Well, for people like you who have talent and are nice, it certainly helps.

HD: Awww. That’s the Xanax! [laughs] GC: One last question, if you could sum up your trip to Edmonton,

[what] would you say?

HD: Oh, I got to walk two poodles! [laughs] One last hug for each of us, and one last flash of that stunning smile, and she’s gone. Off to the next gig, the next club, the next party. Off to the next thrilled crowd. Off to the next oh so fortunate city. Brad and I take a moment to reflect upon our last 16 amazing hours and conclude to ourselves that one thing really is true; you catch more flies, and in this case poodles, with Honey.

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GC: You’re kind of a big deal though. [laughter all around]

HD: I wish that bank account reflected that!

GC: What are some of your latest releases and can you tell us

about any current projects you’re working on that we should keep an eye out for in the future?

HD: Well I’m currently doing a bunch of remixes at the moment, I have a mixed CD coming out on Classic Music in September, Derrick Carter and Luke Solomon’s label. I just did a collaboration with X-Press 2 that came out that was really fun. I have four remix projects that I have to finish, I have all my gear with me that’s why my backpack is so heavy, I have to work on the road because I’m always on the road. And I’m working on an artist album actually, my first artist album. That’s why I’m spending the summer in Berlin because I’ve collaborated with a couple people and am hoping to finish up some more tracks.

GC: It’ll be worth the wait I’m sure.

HD: Hopefully. [laughs] GC: What’s something about you that we might be surprised to

learn?

HD: That’s a loaded question. [laughs] That I’m quiet. I’m a Vegan.

I do yoga, I try to meditate. I write in a journal. I’m a romantic. I’m obsessed with fragrance. I’m kind of boring, I’m such a nerd.

GC: What’s your favourite fragrance?

HD: I have several different people that I like, but I try to wear oils

because I don’t really like synthetic fragrances. So I try to wear oils and just take care of my skin.

GC: What’s a guilty pleasure on your downtime? Like a TV show that you just love.

HD: Orange is the New Black. This is the new series, I have a friend of mine who’s on it, my friend Laverne Cox. She’s a friend that I’ve known forever. That’s probably my guilty pleasure and, oh, sometimes to fall asleep I watch The Devil Wears Prada. It’s just one of those movies, I just love it. Oh and Veep. I’m obsessed with Veep, it’s so good. I love Julia Louis-Dreyfus, she’s very talented.

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GayCalgary Magazine #118, August 2013

29

Out of Town

Washington’s San Juan Islands

 The view of Orcas Island from a ferry nearing the terminal. Photo by Andrew Collins

by Andrew Collins It’s amazing how easily you can feel completely removed from crowds, urbanity, and the busy pace of modern life, even when you’re within 50 miles of several major cities. A nice case in point is the San Juan Islands, a blissfully tranquil and picturesque archipelago in northern Puget Sound that’s just 65 miles north of Seattle, 40 miles south of Vancouver, and 10 miles east of British Columbia’s capital city, Victoria. These lovely isles with a friendly vibe, a strong following with LGBT visitors, and easy access - by ferry boat or plane - from all of these nearby cities make for a restorative summer getaway.

Although there are more than 170 islands in the archipelago, only four have regular ferry service. On three of these - Lopez Island, Orcas Island, and San Juan Island you’ll find hotels and B&Bs, vacation rentals (a good option for longer stays), restaurants, and other visitor services, including outfitters and tour operators offering whalewatching excursions, kayak and bike rentals (and guided rides), fishing tackle, and gear related to other outdoorsy endeavors.

Lopez Island Lopez is the smallest of the three main islands, with a sparse population and few formal attractions. This pastoral island is less hilly and has far less car traffic than the other main islands, which has made it a magnet for biking enthusiasts (you can rent bikes at a couple of shops on the island). If you’re seeking a peaceful getaway and don’t have much want of social interaction, Lopez Island is an ideal choice.

There are just a few accommodations on Lopez Island, including Lopez Farm Cottages (lopezfarmcottages.

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com) and Edenwild Inn (edenwildinn.com). Most of the island’s restaurants are in the village of Lopez, a compact community on the west side of the island, about a 5-mile drive from the ferry terminal. Don’t miss the Bay Café (bay-cafe.com) for lunch or dinner overlooking the water (there’s a large deck) - the contemporary American fare here is first-rate. Another excellent option is Vita’s Wildly Delicious (vitaswildlydelicious.com), which has a few outdoor tables on a lovely tree-shaded patio; this little gourmet food-and-wine shop is also useful for picking up picnic supplies and prepared salads. Caffe La Boheme bakery serves tasty cookies and sweets, Vortex Juice Bar & Café (vortexjuicebarandcafe.com) is well-regarded for its affordable and healthy vegetarian cuisine, and the Just Heavenly Fudge Factory store carries locally beloved Lopez Island Creamery ice cream, which comes in such delicious flavors as wild blackberry and toffee coffee crunch.

San Juan Island The most populated of the three islands, and also the seat of county government, is San Juan Island, which also has the region’s largest town, Friday Harbor, a lively center of shops, restaurants, bars, and inns, and the site of a terrific farmers market on Saturday mornings. Within walking distance of the ferry terminal, this is a great little neighborhood for a stroll. Be sure to stop by the Bean Café (thebeancafe.com) for a cup of well-brewed espresso; Pelindaba Lavender store, which sells all kinds of lotions, soaps, and edibles featuring lavender grown on the store’s farm a few miles away; and San Juan Islands Museum of Art, which shows rotating exhibits and recently announced plans to move into a new, larger space.

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Beyond Friday Harbor, the island has a few notable attractions, the most interesting of which is San Juan Island National Historic Park, which chronicles the strange - and now amusingly recalled - Pig War (of 1859), during which the United States and British governments battled, or perhaps bickered, over possession of San Juan Island.

The American government ultimately prevailed, and the maritime border between the United States and Canada now cuts down Haro Strait, the body of water between San Juan Island and Vancouver Island. The national park has two sections, larger American Camp and northwesterly English camp, and each has both historical exhibits and numerous opportunities for hiking, bird watching, and wildlife viewing. Overlooking Haro Strait, another highly popular destination on the island is Lime Kiln Point State Park, which has a short trail leading along the shore to an ancient, oft-photographed lighthouse. Visitors here are treated to great views across Haro Strait toward Victoria, BC as well as regular sightings during the summer months of orca, humpback, blue, gray, and other whales.

San Juan Island has a variety of inviting places to stay.

One of the region’s most popular venues for destination weddings, Roche Harbor Resort (rocheharbor.com) has quickly become a favorite of LGBT couples exchanging vows, now that Washington state has legalized same-sex marriage. It’s a scenic place to stay for any occasion, with a huge marina filled with pleasure boats, a few different restaurants overlooking the water, and a nice mix of overnight options, from standard rooms in a historic hotel to spacious, multi-bedroom village homes. Other properties on the island that are away from Friday Harbor and offer comfy accommodations and quiet, pretty surroundings include the stately Wildwood Manor (wildwoodmanor. com) and the artfully designed, eco-minded Juniper Lane Guest House (juniperlaneguesthouse.com). In town, within walking distance of restaurants and shops, the economical Earthbox Inn & Spa (earthboxinn.com) is a good bet, as are the historic Tucker House Inn (tuckerhouse.com) and the sleek and contemporary Island Inn at 123 West (123west. com). An advantage to staying in Friday Harbor is that you can walk to your hotel from the ferry terminal, which is handy if you don’t bring your car over.

Notable restaurants on the island include romantic and rustic Duck Soup (ducksoupinn.com), a 15-minute drive from town, which is known for its house-smoked oysters and misoginger roast duck, and Coho Restaurant (cohorestaurant. com) for Northwest-inspired Mediterranean fare in Friday Harbor. The Market Chef serves very good sandwiches and soups, and Cask & Schooner (caskandschooner.com) is a fun gastropub for brunch, dinner, or knocking back a few beers with locals.

(“scallibut”) cakes and fresh-made, sweet blackberry pies; check out the attached gallery, which carries works by some extremely talented locals. Also on this quiet southeastern side of the island you’ll find Doe Bay Resort (doebay. com), a very gay-popular lodging with several types of accommodations - the cuisine served at Doe Bay’s café is worth the trip, even if you’re not staying overnight. Most of the other noteworthy restaurants are in Eastsound, with Allium (alliumonorcas.com) a particular highlight - talented chef Lisa Nakamura serves farm-to-table fare in a lovely second-floor space overlooking the water. Downstairs, Madrona Bar & Grill (madronabarandgrill.com) is a more casual option for beer and fresh seafood. Mijitas is a good bet for hearty Mexican food, and relative newcomers like Hogstone (hogstone.com), for wood-fired pizza, and the Barnacle, for tapas and craft cocktails, have quickly become top picks among local foodies.

Accommodations Among accommodations, the Inn on Orcas Island (theinnonorcasisland.com) is a lovely gay-owned inn near the quaint village of Deer Harbor, on the west side of the island. Right near Eastsound (and the island’s little airport), the Kangaroo House (kangaroohouse.com) has five charming rooms and a lovely Arts and Crafts design. West Beach Resort (westbeachresort.com) is a stunningly situated compound of cabins and tent/RV sites with reasonable rates and a friendly staff. And Inn at Ship Bay (innatshipbay.com) is one of the most romantic lodging options on the island, its 11 rooms with gas stoves and plenty of cushy amenities - note the terrific restaurants here, too.

Getting to the San Juan Islands takes a little planning, since there’s either a ferry crossing or flight involved. The islands are big and spread out enough that it can be very handy having a car, or at least bikes, to explore a bit. The most frequent ferry service is out of Anacortes, Washington, about a 90-minute drive north of Seattle and a two-hour drive south of Vancouver; expect to pay about $75 for round-trip ferry service to the farthest (San Juan) island for a car and two passengers. The fare is much less if you leave the car in Anacortes (there’s inexpensive long-term parking there). Once a day, there’s also a passenger-only ferry from Victoria’s Inner Harbour to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, and car-ferry service from Sidney, BC (a 30-minute drive north of Victoria) to Friday Harbor.

Kenmore Air has flight-plane and conventional small-jet service to Lopez, Orcas, and San Juan from Seattle’s Lake Union - you’ll save a lot of time making the one-hour flight, but fares are rather steep, and once you arrive on island, you may end up spending a goodbit more on rental cars. If time is tight and you can afford it, flying makes sense, but for most visitors, traveling by ferry is an efficient, scenic, and cost-effective way to get here.

Orcas Island

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Regular visitors to the archipelago all seem to have their favorites, with Orcas Island - the largest of the bunch in area and second-largest in population - garnering quite a few votes for number-one getaway. What’s nice about this 57-square-mile island shaped a bit like a butterfly is the tremendous variety - you’ll find the highest point in the San Juans, Mt. Constitution (elev. 2,398 feet, and with an observation tower at the top, which is reached by a scenic car ride), several gorgeous beaches and harbors, a couple of endearingly quiet rural villages (Deer Harbor and Westsound), a quaint cluster of shops and eateries by the ferry terminal, and a bustling main village, Eastsound, near the center of the island. Visitors seeking total relaxation and quiet can find it on Orcas Island, but there are enough lively bars and restaurants to keep more socially inclined visitors happy.

One of the favorite dining options, for lunch and breakfast especially, is quirky Café Olga, which occupies a historic building that once housed a strawberry-packing plant and has become renowned for its savory scallop-halibut

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GayCalgary Magazine #118, August 2013

31

Community

 Archie Comics gay character Kevin Keller shares a kiss

Comic Books Come Out Archie’s Pal Kevin Keller and The Stonewall Riots

By David-Elijah Nahmod On August 7th, Archie Comics will publish issue #10 of Archie’s Pal Kevin Keller. The book may go down in history for its cover art: the image of openly gay Kevin kissing his boyfriend. It’s not the sort of image which usually graces comic book covers, yet Dan Parent, the creator/writer of the Kevin series, thinks it’s long overdue.

“He’s dating,” Parent said in a phone interview with GayCalgary Magazine. “There’s a kiss, but done in a very natural way that kicks off the story.”

This particular storyline was inspired by an attempt to boycott Kevin Keller that was organized by One Million Moms, a conservative, Christian identified organization which seeks to censor pop culture they find “unwholesome” or “unsuitable for families.” One of the characters in the new storyline is a potential member of One Million Moms.

“Veronica tapes the kiss and uploads it,” Parent reports.

“The Million Moms lady goes crazy, it gets media attention, and there’s a community forum. The Moms are on one side, the pro-Kevin camp is on the other.”

Parent said that it was the most political storyline Archie Comics had done to date, but promised that future issues would feature lighter fare. “There’s a lot of fun stuff coming,” he said. “There will be some competition between Kevin and Veronica.”

In recent years, the once wildly popular Archie series had fallen out of favor with comic book geeks. The who’s-datingwho antics of Archie and the gang seemed stale, but the introduction of Kevin, the first openly gay character in Archie Comics’ history, attracted a great deal of attention and put the company back on the map. Parent reports that the response to Kevin has been overwhelmingly supportive, and that the Million Moms boycott actually increased sales.

“We hear from the parents of gay kids who thank us for having a gay character in a normal fashion,” he said. “We’ve also heard from kids and older gay men who tell us that Kevin makes a difference.”

Kevin Keller isn’t the only cutting edge book coming out of Archie’s creative bin. October 2013 will see the release of 32

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 Dan Parent, Archie Comics

 Comic by Michael Troy

Afterlife With Archie, the company’s very first horror title.

Afterlife will have the denizens of Riverdale doing battle with flesh eating zombies! It will be an ongoing series authored

by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, the writer behind the company’s Archie Meets Glee series. Aguirre-Sacasa, a writer for TV’s Glee, is openly gay.

“There’s a big crossover of gay fanboys,” Aguirre-Sacasa said to GayCalgary. “I’ve been writing for ten years and never had a problem. Like everywhere, the comic world is evolving.”

Aguirre-Sacasa isn’t alone. Michael Troy is an openly gay comic book writer who has done a number of gay themed and gay interest graphic novels for Bluewater Productions. His most recent book, The Stonewall Riots, is now available. It’s a one shot title which recounts the historic night in June 1969, when patrons of The Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City, fought back against police harassment. The three days of riots which followed gave birth to the modern LGBT equality movement.

“Part of the reason we’re doing the book is to keep the story of Stonewall alive,” Troy said, speaking to GayCalgary from his home in the gay mecca of West Hollywood, California. “The younger generation has never heard of Stonewall. They have no idea of its impact. Rather than bitch about it, I’d rather educate. Stonewall is an important part of American history.

It should be taught in schools.”

Like Aguirre-Sacasa, Troy has been embraced by the world of comic book fandom. “I’ve been associated with gay comics for years,” he said. “There are more gay comic book geeks than you think. Comic book geeks, even when straight, feel ostracized, so they’re more accepting.”

It’s all part of the changes that are happening across the spectrum in society, according to Troy. “We’re the only group of people still denied our rights. One hundred years from now, this will be an embarrassment.”

Archie Comics http://www.archiecomics.com Blue Water Productions http://www.bluewaterprod.com

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33

My Gay Interview with Courtney Love

Scary straights, Kurt Cobain’s lesbian relative and being ‘normal in some ways’

by Chris Azzopardi Just give Courtney Love 10 minutes – the time I had to talk to her recently in the midst of her tour – and she’ll tell you a lot of things without you asking. She’ll tell them rapidly, because that’s how her mouth moves, and she’ll tell them at random, because that’s how her mind works.

In our quick chat, a blunt-as-ever Love told me about the modern-day rock queers she calls “ninja” gays, how she’s actually “really normal” and her desire to educate Kurt Cobain’s family on, I think, equal rights … or something.

GC: I know you know you have a lot of gay fans.

CL: I do, indeed.

GC: Have you noticed gays at the shows on this tour?

CL: Hell yes! There was one show in Port Chester, N.Y.; I probably won’t be returning there. There weren’t any kids and there weren’t any gays. It was all ladies who were my age … with their hubbies! Some of them didn’t take very good care of themselves. It was really freaky. I need the gays there. If I don’t have the gays, I just go nuts, because they always know every word and they’re the best core audience you can have. And it’s just nice.

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And you know no one’s gonna attack you and you’re not gonna get a crazy person. After the shows I can’t go and sign autographs without a bodyguard, and I don’t have a bodyguard on this trip, per se, and all it takes is just one freak, because I’m so polarizing. I wish the gay kids and the kids would just go in one clump and then everyone else would go in another clump, because then I could go over to them and sign autographs and stuff and feel completely safe, but I don’t feel completely safe so I just wave and jump in the bus.

And some people have traveled seven hours, or nine hours, or 20 hours – I hear all sorts of stories – to get there and I try to give them an autograph, but I get really freaked out that there’s just gonna be some crazy straight guy with some crazy ass agenda who’s gonna try and hurt me.

GC: You and the gay community have something in common: We’ve both been bullied. What’s your advice on dealing with haters?

CL: Don’t read the comments. (Laughs) I think you just let it rub off of you like a duck’s back. I said this recently on my Twitter feed; I was like, “Yo, Amanda Bynes, chill out,” and she went off on me and called me “ugly.” It’s like, “Dude, I’ve been called ugly since I was 13; honestly, that’s it? Ugly? That’s it?

Oh, ouch. You hurt my feelings.” I mean, it so doesn’t hurt my www.gaycalgary.com

GC: Last year you and Perez Hilton were going back and forth on Twitter, and you told him you could make him a better gay man. What are your gay guru qualifications?

CL: (Laughs) Well, be specific. What do you mean?

GC: He was talking about not getting laid and you were coaching him, joking that he wasn’t a very good gay man.

CL: Well, he’s mean; that doesn’t help. I’ve known that guy for so long, you have no idea. I knew him when his blog was a month old. But I don’t know what I meant. It was a tweet!

I don’t know how to make anyone a better gay man. I really don’t. What am I supposed to say … listen to more showtunes?

I mean, that’s ridiculous. And modern gay guys don’t actually listen to a lot of showtunes. There are a lot of rock gays, in New York anyway. There are a lot of little gay guys. I went to this thing Madonna was at and there’s all these kind of ninja gay boys – they’re really small – but I think they were her dancers.

Then there’s this kind of rock club called The Electric Room and there’s always these little rock gay guys who wanna get in, and they do.

GC: What will surprise people most when they read your memoir, which is supposed to be out at the end of the year?

CL: That I’m pretty boring. (Laughs) Just that I’m pretty normal in some ways. In some ways I’m completely extraordinary, and in other ways I’m completely weird and eccentric. And in other ways I’m really normal.

GC: Last words for your gay fans?

CL: I love them. That’s about it.

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feelings. That’s like calling me a slut. It’s like yeah, and … ? It’s true! But I’m not saying that I feel ugly.

GC: Five years ago you celebrated the passing of Prop 8 on your blog, where you noted you voted “yes” – a vote against marriage equality – on the amendment to ban same-sex marriage in California.

CL: I did not mistakenly vote yes. I voted the right way. I printed (on the blog) that I mistakenly voted yes.

GC: Thanks for clarifying that.

CL: Yeah, well, good. I’m just bad at math and I didn’t write it down quite correctly.

GC: How do you feel about the recent Supreme Court ruling that overturned Prop 8, making it legal for gay couples to marry in California?

CL: I’m really excited about it. I think it’s great. The saddest thing is to see, like, two old lesbians who’ve lived together for 1,001 years, and I’ve seen this happen with a relative of Kurt’s ... and Kurt’s family is so weird they won’t admit she’s a lesbian.

But whatever. He actually had an uncle die of AIDS and they won’t admit that he died of AIDS. It’s just completely freaky. I think it has a lot to do with a lack of education in Grays Harbor, and with his family I’ve offered everyone down to the last cousin a college education … and nobody wants it. It’s completely weird. Anyyyway. I feel like, um … wait, I just lost track of the question. What was the question?

GC: About your feelings on marriage equality in California.

CL: Oh, I knew this older lesbian, and her partner died and she had no civil rights to anything. Nothing! And all of a sudden the family moved in and they’d been estranged for 20-some years and it was ridiculous. Then I have a younger friend named Jason who got married in West Hollywood about six years ago and all of a sudden his husband died of a heart attack and he was left with absolutely nothing. I tried to get him a lawyer so he could fight it; I mean, they were married legally at a time when it was legal. Nobody would take his case. I don’t know why. It was really horrible. He was left with nothing. It’s disgusting. Just disgusting. Embarrassing and disgusting.

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GayCalgary Magazine #118, August 2013

35

Tough as Steel

Olympia Dukakis on her new lesbian role – and why it’s made her feel less ‘rosy’ about gay rights

 Photos by Christian Oth and Wolfe Video

By Chris Azzopardi When Olympia Dukakis tells you about the time she cussed out a threatening cab caller, you know she was born to play Stella, a ballsy lesbian who takes her blind wife-to-be (played

by Brenda Fricker) on a road trip in Cloudburst.

This, of course, isn’t Dukakis’ first time taking on a tough female. With unforgettable roles in Steel Magnolias and Moonstruck, she’s been cutting through the bull for the bulk of her career.

Dukakis did exactly that in our interview, too, when she derailed into a passionately heated rant on her frustration regarding the lack of distribution for the heartfelt dramedy Cloudburst, suggesting that maybe, when it comes to gay liberation, we still have a long way to go.

GC: You’re a hoot in Cloudburst, Olympia.

OD: Thank you. A “hoot” is good. My mother used to say that people were a hoot. It’s wonderful. I love it. Hoot!

GC: Do you know any lesbians like Stella?

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OD: Like Stella? No, not quite that … out there. Not that much, no. She’s feisty. She doesn’t let people walk all over her. She’s blunt that way. Life has taught her that lesson.

GC: Marriage is obviously at the core of the film, because these are two women going on a road trip together to get married.

OD: Who never expected to get married! It never even occurred to them. It wasn’t something on their radar.

Because most lesbians of that generation didn’t anticipate ever being able to legally marry in their lifetime.

That’s the point! That’s the point about how it’s changing.

That’s the point of what it was and what it’s moving toward now.

GC: How are you feeling about the progress we’ve made to recognize gay marriage legally?

OD: That I feel good about. I can see it changing. But I’ll tell you what I don’t feel good about: This film cannot get distribution in this country. Yeah, sit with that for a little bit. Sit with that! Don’t get too rosy in your view of things.

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You can’t get this GC: What are your distributed in this feelings on the lack of country. distribution of the film, then?

GC: What is the deal with that?

OD: I wish I did understand.

Sidney OD: Yeah, what is Kimmel Entertainment the deal with that? has the distribution It played 10 weeks rights. They sold it to in Toronto. It’s going Lifetime, and of course to be playing all over you know what Lifetime the world. Why can’t did with it. They played it it get distributed? The initially at 11 at night and DVD’s coming out and at 3 in the morning, and that’s why we’re doing they bleeped everything. all these interviews and everything, to let GC: Did the marriage people know that it’s of two gay people as a out there, especially political statement play  A scene from the movie Cloudburst the gay and lesbian into your desire to take world. this role at all?

GC: I spoke with OD: It did, mostly director Steven Soderbergh about this when his Liberace because I have some gay friends. I sent (the script) to movie, Behind the Candelabra, premiered on HBO recently. lesbians and they were very moved by it. I wanted to make He said Hollywood wouldn’t market his movie because sure that there was nothing that they found offensive. I they knew they were going to lose on investment. The only didn’t, but I wanted to make sure that they didn’t. They audience for it, they told him, was a gay audience; it wasn’t were very moved by it and so eager for me to do it. And mainstream enough. they were so happy that it was being done, because these two women are in their 70s, and of course their lives as OD: Well, that’s what they say, but it’s not playing two lesbians is very different from the lives of two lesbian 10 weeks in Toronto because it’s only playing to a gay partners who are 20 and 30 today. Their families rejected audience. I don’t know about Liberace, but that’s not true about Cloudburst. It’s playing 10 weeks in Toronto! There them, they had to hide, they had to pretend, and they had to do a lot of different things. are other countries it’s playing in; it’s not just the gay and lesbian community (wanting to see it).

GC: Were there specific scenes you thought might be offensive to the lesbian community?

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 Interview - From Previous Page OD: No, I just wanted to make sure that they felt that the characters were delineated honestly.

There wasn’t any particular scene. For example, I know everything about being GreekAmerican, and so I know when something doesn’t ring true, you know?

And I wanted to know if things rang true for them, and they did, so I felt really supported by that. I thought, “What’s the point in doing this film if it’s not going to mean something to the people whose lives are being somewhat represented in it?”

I have felt, myself, an outsider from the time I was young because of being firstgeneration Greek in neighborhoods that were dominated by Irish and German in Massachusetts. I know what that is.

And the truth of the matter is, you end up having problems with being a Greek and problems with being an American.

You kind of straddle that hyphen in the middle. So feeling like an outsider, I had my own version of that.

GC: Does that come into play at all when you’re playing a role like Stella?

OD: Yeah, it does.

You know what it is, not to feel valued and to be rejected … and not for who you are or what you’ve done, but just because you happen to have a stamp on you that says GreekAmerican, or gay or lesbian or black or Latino or Asian and on and on and on.

We human beings do such a job on each other.

GC: You’ve worked with director Thom Fitzgerald on The Event, 3 Needles

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and now this film. What is it about Thom and his directing style that keeps you coming back?

OD: He can be trusted.

When he tells me something, I don’t even ask anymore. If he says it, I do it. Yeah, he’s pretty damn good. Plus, he’s a terrific writer and he shoots a terrific film. All the locations were wonderful.

We shot up in Halifax, Nova Scotia. An incredible place. I couldn’t get over it. I would just stare at those rock formations in the harbor and at the mountains. I would just sit there and stare at them and somebody said, “Well, we didn’t wanna disturb you; we knew you were thinking about the part.” I wasn’t thinking about the part. I was thinking about how these two rocks in the middle of the harbor looked like a mother seal and a baby seal! (Laughs) GC: Here they thought you were deep in thought about your next take.

OD: I know.

They thought I was being an artist. I was just being a tourist.

GC: The gay community has always been drawn to the strong female characters you’ve played.

When did you first realize you had a gay following?

OD: I think it was with Tales of the City, wasn’t it?

That’s when it happened.

I started to get letters thanking me and people coming up to me on the street crying and wanting to tell me how much it meant to them. And I still get that, actually.

GC: What does it feel like receiving all that acknowledgement for that role?

OD: Of course at first I was very surprised, because it hadn’t occurred to me. I was just doing the best job I could. I wasn’t thinking about how I was representing any particular group, which was not true with Cloudburst.

GC: For Tales of the City, what was it like playing trans during that time, in the early ’90s? www.gaycalgary.com

OD: See, for me it was just a human being who had something in them that they had kept secret and silent and protected and who was now coming forward now. I understand that. I had that.

GC: How do you reflect on working with Cher for Moonstruck?

OD: We were very sympathetic with each other.

“Simpatico,” I think is the way she puts it. It was never a problem, never anything. It was easy. It was like we knew each other and we trusted each other without even thinking about it.

GC: Are you close with any of the gals from Steel Magnolias?

OD: Oh, not really. For a while Shirley (MacLaine) and I went back and forth. We’d see each other now and then. I’ve gone to see her show; she came to see me in something. But that’s about it.

GC: How was the role in Cloudburst a new challenge for you?

OD: Well, the challenge was physical for me. To restrain my movements, to shape my gestures, the way I physically behaved – Thom was very insightful about that and very watchful. And he was very particular about how he wanted my hair. I looked at myself a couple of times and I thought, “My god, that’s a man. I look scary. That is a man up there.”

GC: How did you get in touch with Stella’s butch toughness?

OD: Thom was the one who really pushed me in that direction. I happen to be kind of rebellious myself, to be honest with you. I don’t have trouble being confrontational.

I grew up in Lowell, Mass. and by the time I was 12 I had my own knife, so I was used to drawing lines and making sure nobody stepped over them – metaphorically, I’m talking.

This is so hysterical. Yesterday a friend and I were trying to get a cab. So we go to this one cab and this guy and this woman were there before, so we turn around and we go look for another cab to come down the street. They were at the corner and we had moved into the middle of the block. All of a sudden I hear a voice saying, “There’s a line here! There’s a line here!” and I look over and they’re still not in the cab and he’s yelling about a line. I said, “Line? What line? I don’t see a line.” He just wanted me to go to the corner and wait behind him while he got the cab coming down the street. He starts coming toward me, threateningly, and I said to him, “What are you, gonna hit me, motherfucker? You wanna hit me? Is that what you wanna do?” He stopped, dead in his tracks. And this woman said to him, “That’s Olympia Dukakis!” And he backed off. He didn’t wanna get in trouble with an aging 82-year-old celebrity who’s screaming at him in the street.

GC: Well, you certainly have the willpower of Stella.

OD: And he knew that. Thom knows that about me. I mean, I’m very judicious about it. (Laughs) GC: Did you learn any new vulgarities after doing this film?

OD: No, no, no, no.

GC: Well, you’re very fond of the “c” word in it.

OD: That I can’t take credit for. Thom wrote the script!

(Laughs) But the finger gestures, I have to take responsibility for most of those.

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GayCalgary Magazine #118, August 2013

39

The Unsung Stories of Merry Clayton & Darlene Love

The world called them backup, we called them stars  Photos by Radius TWC

By Chris Azzopardi When Merry Clayton recalls the song most dear to her, “After All This Time” – one of many Carole King-written tunes on Clayton’s self-titled 1971 solo album – she starts to recite the words: “Oooh, I get a feeling every night when you come home that life is sweet, yeaaaah, baby.”

But then, she can’t help herself. Clayton breaks out the song full force, her voice swooping into a belt. It’s in this moment of impromptu vocal prowess you wonder why Clayton never found the solo success she so deserves.

That mystery is documented in 20 Feet from Stardom, a film that finally puts background singers – including the renowned Darlene Love – center stage. And life from there, well, it really is sweet.

GC: When you first saw the documentary, and all that footage they’d compiled, what was going through your mind?

MC: That film … it took me to another place. Let me say it this way: It took my breath away. I could hardly breathe.

I made it through the whole film until they showed myself and my late husband and my band doing “Southern Man,” and then I lost it. I mean, totally lost it. I was crying. It just got to my heart.

DL: I didn’t even know it was gonna touch me, but I was very emotional watching it. A lot of my friends who know me personally, and family who’ve seen it, actually cried during the movie. There were friends who didn’t even know I went through that (career) struggle, because I wasn’t the type of 40

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person to ask for help. They were really surprised that I had gone through that and had never said a thing about it.

GC: Darlene, when this project first came to you, what were your initial thoughts?

DL: I was the first person involved in it. (Producer) Gil Friesen went to Lou Alder, who is a very old friend of mine, and Dick Donner, who is the director of the Lethal Weapon movies, and he said, “I have this idea to do a story on background singers, but I don’t know where to start.” They told him, “Well, if you’re gonna do a story on background singers, you’re gonna have to get in touch with Darlene Love first.” And that’s what he did, because I’ve been doing background singing full time since 1958.

GC: Was this a trip down memory lane for you?

DL: It was. They filmed it off and on for two years, so the director (Morgan Neville) had to do some digging, because there is no information on background singers … unless you talk to background singers! What he did find, like The Blossoms (the vocal trio led by Love) singing with Tom Jones back in 1971, I was like, “Wow, how did they find that? We have never seen that.”

MC: It was really something. It took me back to the years out on the road with my husband and my band. I didn’t have to do anything; my job was to just do my craft, and he took care of the band. He had his career. He had done eight or nine albums. So he wanted me to have a great career – and he worked very closely with me to see that that happened.

But they only wanted one queen, and it was Aretha at that time. And there was only one Diana Ross. That left me as the Merry Clayton who was basically almost unsung. www.gaycalgary.com

GC: It just wasn’t your time. But now is your time.

MC: I really believe that.

And listen to me, I am soooo ready for it. I’m in good health. I’m in good spirits. I look fabulous, honey. And I got it going on.

GC: Did you ever think of yourself as an underdog?

DL: Oh, no, I never did. I never felt that way, because once we got so big at doing background singing, people waited on us. People were just as excited about us being on their records as we were excited about doing them. I don’t think that anyone who was doing background ever felt bad about what they were doing.

MC: No, I don’t think I’m an underdog.

I think I’m an after-dog.

I think I’ve been totally recognized, if for nothing else but for the people I’ve performed with. You

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can’t be more recognized than being recognized for “Gimme Shelter” (Clayton sang on the 1969 track with The Rolling Stones).

That’s been all over.

By presidents, queens and kings, I’ve been recognized. The thing is, you get recognition, but not the recognition you think you should have.

GC: You gotta know that the gay community always puts our divas in the spotlight, right?

MC: That’s right, baby.

And I mean, when you got the gay community under your feet, you really don’t have too much of anything to worry about.

GC: How would you describe your relationship with the gay community all these years?

DL: If it weren’t for them in my audience, I wouldn’t have one.

They’ve always supported me over the years. Ninety percent of my audience is white – it’s not black – and

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 Interview - From Previous Page gay. So, you know, thank god! They know more about the background singers than anybody. They saw how we looked, they saw how we dressed, they saw how we moved around.

They were looking at that too. A lot of people have come up to me, even before the movie, saying, “I saw you when you sang with Dionne Warwick” or “I saw you when you were with Tom Jones” or “I saw you with Elvis,” so they watch that. They don’t just watch the lead singer; they watch the whole thing – the whole performance in front of them.

MC: They’ve always loved me. They always loved me and adored me and have allll-ways supported me! When I needed clothes, when I needed things to wear for shows, I’d call my queens, baby. They’d be like, “Don’t you worry; we got you covered.” The children, they’d be there to see me, protect me. I looooo-ve my gays, baby. (Laughs) I love the children and the children love me. But it’s always been that in my career. Always.

GC: A diva doesn’t go without her gays.

MC: Ever. Ever! From 5 years old. What I’m saying is, when you start singing, there’s always a wonderful gay friend in your family – not a part of your family, but always a friend your parents know or somebody knows – and they’re always very protective of you. They make sure you have what you need, they make sure you get to where you’re supposed to go on time and they make sure you’re cool. I mean, when I first started singing, please … there were wonderful gays who were like, “Oh, you need a gown for baby sister, for Merry? Let’s make her a couple of dresses, honey.” And I’d look good! We didn’t come with silver spoons in our mouth, so they would sit down and make me a dress, make sure my shoes matched my dress, that my hair was done and that I looked cute. So yes, I love my gays, baby.

GC: What’s your fondest memory of recording “Cornflake Girl” with Tori Amos?

MC: That’s my baby. I haven’t talked to my baby in a long time. I’m gonna have my co-manager find Tori because I haven’t heard from her in quite a while.

But she calls me in the evening: “Merry, what are you doing?” I said, “Hey, who is this?” “Tori.” I said, “Hey mama, 42

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what’s going on?” She says, “I need you to come and sing on this song with me.” I said, “OK now, you gotta pay me the lunch money.” So we did it and had a great evening.

Tori was with me when I did the song for Dirty Dancing, “Yes.” Her ma and dad were in town and she called me and she said, “Well, what are you doing?” I said, “I’m going to the studio, girl; I got this thing for something they’re doing called ‘Dirty’ … something.” She says, “I want you to meet ma and dad.” So they came to the studio where I was and hung out while I did “Yes.” We had a wonderful time.

GC: Darlene, in the movie you talk about cleaning houses to make ends meet when singing wasn’t cutting it. Tell me about the worst house you had to clean.

DL: (Laughs) My own! To this day, I always say, “Lord, please let me make enough money for somebody to clean my house.” And so far, it’s been working out.

GC: After doing this film, do you feel like the star you always wanted to be?

MC: I feel that I am absolutely the diva that I’ve always wanted to be. Not necessarily the diva, but just the woman who has paid dues and had fun in the process and has had, basically, a wonderful life. I really feel blessed to have been a part of this. Honestly, it feels like I’m in a dream and I’m waiting for someone to pinch me and say, “Girrrlfriend, wake up. Come out of it, suga.” It really is just a phenomenal dream, and I hope to stay in it until I close my eyes for the last time.

DL: Between getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and this, this kind of seals it because now, with this movie, my career will go on and on and on. This movie is doing for us what superstars’ records do for them. It has given us a voice. Now we have a voice.

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Ultra Diva

Ultra Naté super powers up the dance floor

 Photos by Karl Giant

By Shane Gallagher It has been six years since house music’s ultimate power diva has unleashed a fresh collection of beats to the dance floor. At long last, Ultra Naté returns with Hero Worship, an album that delivers a mighty pop punch, combining her most recent hits (“Everybody Loves The Night,” “Turn It Up,” “Destination”, and her duet with Destiny’s Child’s Michelle Williams, “Waiting On You”) with a slew of sure-fire future club classics. She’s already showering in praise from critics and fans, all heralding the album for its high-energy and inspiring progressive house. We sat down with her to discuss the new music, the old music, and to find out where the hell she has been.

GC: It’s been six years since your last album. Why the long break?

UN: The music industry has been crazy. I was in no rush to release an album until the timing was right. Things seem to have leveled out a bit lately. People seem ready

to buy music again. I think they have made the connection that illegal file sharing hurts artists.

GC: “Grime, Silk & Thunder” came out at the height of the online pirating problem.

UN: The industry was already in the tank by  “Hero Worship” the time of the album’s release but I had already done so much work on it. There was no going back.

GC: Would you have held the release if you could?

UN: No. This is what we do as artists: we make music.

GC: You’re noted for taking the opposite career path most musicians take. You began your recording career on a major label but have found more success recording with the indies.

UN: Indies are able to operate more freely than majors who have very specific dictates to follow. However, there are pros and cons to both. I’m not opposed to doing business with a major if the deal is fair.

GC: It’s been reported that your major tried to push you towards R&B, but that you preferred to go in a house direction so you parted ways. Is that true?

UN: There was an issue with my second album in that it garnered a solid house fan base. Warner felt house music

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 Interview - From Previous Page was fleeting and they had no desire to cultivate it in the states. We did our best with the next album to try to satisfy our underground audience while broadening the appeal with more R&B/pop songs. In the end the label didn’t get it and I was dropped.

GC: 1997’s “Free” was your biggest hit in America. Did you know at the time that you had a hit on your hands?

UN: Not at all. I knew I wanted it to be different, to stand alone amongst the music that was out at the time. But that was all we knew.

GC: It did even better in the UK. UN: I had pop success in the UK long before “Free” because the UK and Europe were always into house and dance music. There was no disco backlash like here in the states. It could be played on the radio next to a Michael Jackson or Seal record. That’s unheard of in the states.

GC: The next year you recorded “If You Could Read My Mind” for the Studio 54 soundtrack. What is it about that song that resonates so much with dance fans?

UN: There’s a familiarity to it and it’s amazingly catchy.

You can’t help but sing along.

GC: You recorded it with Amber and Jocelyn Enriquez.

Any fun stories from the booth?

UN: I don’t think any of us had the time to really have fun while recording it. All three of us had hits on the charts and we were running around, touring like crazy. I remember it was a major feat to coordinate all of our schedules to get us in the studio. When we did, we got on with recording and had to run off. Next time we met was when we shot the video that became the end of the movie. I don’t think I fully appreciated the magnitude of the song until we performed together at a “54” party in Germany. What a night! They had

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the white horse, the spoon, Grace Jones…the whole thing.

No expense was spared. I felt like I really was at Studio 54.

GC: What life lessons have you learned from your 25+ years in the music biz?

UN: Eventually everything changes: sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. Life is not stagnating; we are in constant motion.

GC: Why did you name your new album Hero Worship?

UN: It came in a moment. You know that inner voice we all have? I call it God whispering in my ear. It spoke to me. It’s how I’ve named all my albums and then I make the music to tell that story.

GC: Who have been some of your heroes along the way?

UN: My biggest heroes have been my manager Bill Coleman and my first A&R rep, Cynthia Cherry. They, along with www.gaycalgary.com

the Basement Boys, championed my career and whatever talent I had long before I did. Without their nurturing and guidance, I wouldn’t have had a career.

GC: Is there one song on the album that really speaks to who you are today?

UN: That’s tough to nail down to one. “Right Now”, “Save Me”, “Turn It Up” and “Journey” all speak to the core of the album’s message. They make up the total picture for this body of work.

GC: What is the album’s message?

UN: It’s about the importance of giving back.

The unfortunate side of technology and social networking is that it’s designed to be an “I, Me, My” platform. I think people get carried away with it and lose sight of how important it is to play a supporting role sometimes. Giving back keeps you human and in touch with reality. It’s vitally important to the spirit.

GC: If you could give one piece of advice to young Ultra just starting out in music, what would it be?

UN: Do your homework on the business front. Plant seeds in many places. Cultivate them over time and most importantly, have fun and enjoy the ride.

Ultra Naté Hero Worship is available on iTunes now. http://www.peacebisquit.com http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3628

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This is Bear Country Where the Bears Are returns for season 2

 Photo by JayPG Photography

By Nick Winnick Intrigue. Comedy. Murder. Sexy men. The occasional torture wheel. As fans of Where the Bears Are already know, these are par for the course. For the rest of you, where have you been? This charming, earnestly funny, and only occasionally uneven web comedy series is now into its second season, thanks to the efforts of its creative team, and to the generosity and enthusiasm of its fans. Rick Copp, Joe Deitl, and Ben Zook have created something that’s easy to love, likely because they so clearly enjoy what they’re doing. Speaking recently with writer, producer, and actor Rick Copp, I was given a bit of a glance at how the sausage is made - and lovinglyframed, climbing out of the pool in HD. Though this season has two fewer episodes than the one previous, each episode is longer. Copp confided that, when it’s edited into a feature-length movie for the DVD, “it’s going to be more like the length of Gone with the Wind.

With bears.” This alteration to format is probably the most minor change between seasons one and two, and the growth process has been a direct result of fan support. “We were kind of stunned by the reception [of season one]. We made this for ourselves and the bear community, and we thought it’d be fun to do, but we never expected the response that we got.” And it’s not just in their native California or even North America that WtBA is gaining popularity. “I was just in Tel Aviv, sitting at an outdoor cafe with some friends, and a guy came up to get his picture taken. It’s still really unbelievable to us.”

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The scale and scope of the production has improved steadily as well, as the production team adds new sets, new cast members, and new equipment. “Because we invested our own money in the first season, we kept it bare-bones, shooting at friends’ houses, and it still ended up being very expensive because of all the post involved. This year, because of fans buying the DVD and the merchandise, we were able to up the quality and the look of the show. We have donations, and they’ve been critical for us, but it’s merchandise that is really helping us.” And, as any devotees of Mel Brooks will remember, merchandising (or, if you will, ‘moichandising’) is where the real money is made. While there aren’t any WtBA-branded titanium ball-stretchers yet, DVDs and t-shirts have kept this comedy series roaring on through the post-production of season two, and have the creative team looking seriously at their plans for season three. “As long as the fans keep supporting us! We’d love to do five, six, seven seasons.”

Naturally, as a denizen of the frozen north, I had to ask just how true-to-life WtBA’s depiction of the Los Angeles bear scene is. As it turns out: pretty accurate. “Silverlake [the area where Zook and Deitl live] seems to be ground zero for bears in LA. It all revolves around two bars ... and we’ve now shot at both of them.” If you’ve been watching season two, you’ll recognize one of those bars as the Faultline, the location of a delightful sequence that has the central members of the cast done up in leather. “For me,” Copp said, “it was my first time in leather, and I loved it! I didn’t want to take it off – it was very empowering!” He also confided that fan-favourite Ian Parks, who plays the character of Todd, “took to it right away.” Certainly no argument from anyone who has seen the episode. www.gaycalgary.com

Parks has been the subject of much fan adoration and speculation, and Copp certainly has a soft spot for him as well. “He’s nothing like the character of Todd. It’s funny: when you meet him, people are a little taken aback, because he’s surprisingly shy. He and I just did a bear cruise [in the Mediterranean]. He and I were roommates, so I got to know him even better than before, and he’s like a brother to me now. You know, we actually had a kissing scene, and it felt so weird to both of us.”

Copp certainly isn’t doing anything to hide his love for producing television in this web-based format. “It’s a joy for us that there’s no studio or network hovering over us, telling us what to do. It’s our baby and nobody can say no to us – that’s the whole reason we started it.” Though he confesses that he and his co-creators aren’t the most technicallysavvy bunch in the world, they’re certainly forward-thinking about their show, and the future of television in general. “I think the line is blurring faster than any of the networks or studios anticipated. I think all television will be web-based, eventually, but it’s a new frontier like the wild west – nobody knows exactly what’s going to happen.”

The team behind Where the Bears Are is set to meet that frontier in exactly the same as way the cowboys of the old west: brandishing whips and wearing leather chaps.

Where the Bears Are http://www.wherethebearsare.tv

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Interview

Adam Killian

The Hard Body Renaissance Man

By Nick Winnick Veteran of more than ten years of live performance and film production, and with nearly five years of on-camera work under his belt (or, occasionally, harness), Adam Killian is taking his show on the road to visit Calgary at the end of August. This hard body Renaissance man has done it all: dance, sex shows, directing, producing, performing, parades, and even some musical theatre in his college days. I had a chance to chat with Adam recently, to ask about his upcoming visit, his career, and how he keeps in the kind of shape we love to watch.

Killian entered the adult industry soon after graduating from UC Santa Cruz with a degree in the performing arts.

Since so many people enter the industry by happenstance, I asked him if he’d had his eye on it from the beginning. “How can you not have your eye on sex when you’re at university?” he responded. Fair enough. “I definitely was interested in all things sexual during my early university years. It definitely came naturally,” something that he attributes, in part, to a long history of movement and physicality, particularly in terms of his passion for dance. Always active, Killian sees the sports he played and the training he did as all contributing to his ability to move, to put his body right where he

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wants it at just the right moment. “From the beginning I was doing things that made my body function well in a dance environment. Dance is also a great teaching skill for performing – as dancers, we study the body. It was a great way to really become familiar and comfortable and explore, and learn how to use my body.”

It’s no secret that gay men are often held to a standard of body image that isn’t usually applied to straight folks. When I asked Adam if he felt pressured to maintain his sculpted physique, he demurred, mentioning that he started hitting the gym regularly only after moving to Los Angeles. It’s clear, however, that Killian’s physique is a labour of love, if it could be called labour at all. He’s certainly not an everyday gymgoer, and seemed much more enthusiastic about dance, hiking, and yoga. “I think yoga’s probably been one of the best things that I’ve discovered in life. It definitely helps, physically, with everything, no matter what you do. It helps your posture, so any job, sitting, standing, manual labour, will be easier to do. It covers all the bases. It helps calm you down on the inside, it helps tone you up on the outside.”

Combining this with his years of film production experience has made him a formidable presence on screen as well as on stage. For Killian, it’s all about performance, and he sees his experience on both sides of the camera as essential to what he does. “It makes me better at both. It has definitely been very helpful to be aware of what is necessary behind the camera in order to make it look good in front of the camera.”

He’ll certainly be showing off that talent when he visits Calgary, though he was coy about his plans for the show.

“I’m keeping it a surprise. It’s gonna be flirtatious and fun

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and erotic.” No doubt. In light of major political movement on the LGBT front, I had to ask Killian whether he seeks out pride events specifically, or if they’re part of his performance circuit. “I definitely do a lot of pride events through summer, because that’s pride season, but I’ve always been an entertainer. So whether it’s pride or an event for whatever other reason, I know I’m there to entertain.”

“I don’t generally get very political around any shows,” he told me, “or even in the parades.” Activist or not, however, a skilled performer will always feel the energy of the room. “I was actually in San Francisco when [DOMA and Proposition 8 were overturned], so that was pretty amazing. That made that pride weekend even more extraordinary. It was an amazing feeling in the air, because no one expected it to turn so quickly. People seem to be jumping on board. It feels like the scales have tipped, and they’re not going to go backwards at this point.”

Though he has been to Canada many times before, “This will be my first time to Calgary – I’m excited.” If Killian’s performances to date are any indication, there’s little doubt that he’ll arrive to a warm welcome.

You can catch Adam Killian’s show at Flames Central on August 31st, alongside Luciana and Alaska Thunderfuck.

Adam Killian Performing at PURE Pride, August 31st http://www.adamkillian.com http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3630

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Pure Alaska Realness

Drag Race Superstar hits Calgary for PURE Pride

By Jason Clevett “I’m sorry I am still in bed, getting my brain going. I just woke up but in my defense I did wake up earlier to clean the kitchen then went back to sleep.”

It’s the glamorous life for Alaska Thunderfuck, who was simply “Alaska” on Season 5 of RuPaul’s Drag Race. After auditioning for each season, Alaska joined the most recent cast, but had the shadow of being the boyfriend of season 4 winner Sharon Needles over her when she sashayed into the workroom.

“It was weird when I walked into the room, everyone knew who I was, but didn’t know who anyone was. So I think people were kinda counting me out from the beginning based on what they thought of me already. So I had to work really hard to find myself, and I think I did. Jade Jolie whispered to someone ‘It is like she is a bad Sharon…’ But even being a bad Sharon, is being pretty good. So that’s fine,” she laughed.

GayCalgary spoke with Alaska over the phone recently in advance of her appearance at Flames Central as part of PURE Pride. She and season 5 winner Jinkx Monsoon have been appearing across Canada at events, sponsored by OUTtv. We talked in depth about her Drag Race experience. The contestants are in seclusion during the 5 weeks of taping, something that being on the outside during Sharon’s season helped prepare her for.

“It’s so crazy, but I think being (on set) was actually easier, and it’s so hard being there because you’re constantly working and put through the ringer, and you have to wake up early and then do humiliating challenges until night and then do it the next day, all while thinking you’re going home immediately. So that was very hard. But it is also very hard being at home just not knowing, because you are not allowed to talk to each other at all. Even when she sent that video message, I didn’t get to talk to Sharon, it was just like me talking to a computer screen and they played it for her, so that was really hard not knowing how long she would be gone. We didn’t have any money, and I lost my job, she wasn’t there physically for me to like just hug and have her support so that was really hard. And I think it was really hard for her while I was away taping, because you know, we like each other. When I was away taping a bunch of crazy things happened, like someone lit our house on fire and our cat ran away, and I didn’t know about any of it - I was just in the bubble.”

Yes, you read that correctly. Someone set their house on fire. It seemed like emerging from the show meant learning bad news for both of them.

“Yeah someone arsoned our house, they set our kitchen on fire.

They set logs on our stove and lit all the burners while we were away. Lucky no one was hurt, but the house is pretty ruined. We don’t know who did it, we still don’t. It was terrible news to come home to, but at least I got to talk to Sharon. What’s really hard is that in-between period because you can’t tell anyone about the show, it’s like this huge thing and all you want to do it talk about it, but you can’t. It is really hard but, if you come through the other side I think you’re stronger, you’re better and our life now is really great. So it was hard but you go through hard things for a reason I guess.”

Alaska made it to the top 3, which included Roxxxy Andrews and winner Jinkx Monsoon. By the time the finale came around it

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 Interview - From Previous Page seemed that fans were split firmly between Alaska and Jinx while Roxxxy had become unpopular due to her behaviour on the show.

As the trio Rolaskatox, Alaska had her own insight into Roxxxy.

“What happened on the show actually happened but I think that the viewers really like to assign a villain because cartoons are more fun when there’s a villain. …Roxxxy had like one bad day, and suddenly she’s was the devil. She’s a wonderful person if you get to know her, and she’s insanely talented. I think it is just the nature of reality TV, people want to make people into villains, which is unfortunate because she is way more than that” It looked like drag race’s first super couple would be formed.

Even though she didn’t take the crown, Alaska’s life has changed for the better.

“Well I think the first super drag couple definitely was Manila and Sahara. And I don’t think I had to win for that to be so. People do say, oh you would have been the ultimate drag couple. But you know, we’re still awesome, no I didn’t win, but I got to go through the whole experience. I am happy for Jinkx. And I guess if they do all stars again, I will just have to win that, right?”

Now making her living doing drag, Alaska has several dates scheduled for the future. This career is a lot of work, but it is clear when speaking to her that she is loving it.

“Isn’t that cool? I get a work a lot, which is good, and it’s really hard work - harder than I ever worked in my life. …I feel like I actually have a job where I’m making more than minimum wage, which is pretty cool. We haven’t had to empty out the coin jar in some time to keep the lights on. …I just like getting to travel and I get to meet people and I get to meet drag queens all over the place, and it’s so cool that every city has drag queens in it. It’s really awesome and it’s a really special culture and I like getting to be a part of that.”

She will also be playing Frank N Furter in San Antonio this October.

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“I just feel like everyone wants to play that role at some point; every like, gay person growing up, and I always have. That was one of my first dabblings in drag, was dressing up for the Rocky Horror show. So yeah, I’m really excited about it, and hope I can live up to the legend.”

Whenever I have interviewed RuPaul she has always has some inspiring advice, and often passes on her wisdom to the queens.

“She told me during our tic-tac lunch, that’s it’s important to enjoy every moment of this experience. And so I definitely don’t all the time, but I do try to. I find that to be good advice to everybody.”

In the past year Jujubee, Chad Michaels and Sharon Needles have all appeared in Alberta to packed crowds. It is clear that Canadians love watching RuPaul’s Drag Race every winter on OUTtv. Alaska is looking forward to returning to Canada, including Calgary, to perform.

“I was in Toronto for pride, and we had so much fun, I got to perform on the trash cabaret and on the main stage - it was a really huge awesome time. I love Canada, I think it’s very pretty. I am one fourth French Canadian, it’s like part of my culture. I can’t wait to come back. What you will see is a surprise, I usually do sing live so that is a pretty safe bet. You’ll just have to come and see.”

Alaska Thunderfuck Live Performing at PURE Pride 2013 August 31, 2013 • Flames Central, Calgary http://www.purepride.ca http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3631

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Photography The O Party - Fundraiser, Calgary

Flood Relief Fundraiser at the Backlot, Calgary

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Amazing Race Canada Launch Party at the Blind Monk, Calgary http://gaycalgary.com/pa545

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Photography Hot Mess One Year Anniversary Party at Local 522, Calgary

ISCCA Fundraiser 10.20.30+1 at the Backlot, Calgary

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Photography Calgary Stampede Grand Stand Show

ISCWR Entertainer of the Year Show

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photos by B&J

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News Releases Wedding Businesses Can Capitalize on Recent Same Sex Marriage Legalization with Tips from Expert

FITNESS: And Squat

Approx 76,000 Legally Married Same-Sex Couples Live In States That Recognize Their Marriages

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$500,000 Raised By “Hell or High Water” T-Shirt Sales http://www.gaycalgary.com/n759

Stampede Grandstand talent record flood “anthem” for southern Alberta

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Gay Olympic Diver Matthew Mitcham Auctions Off Underwear Lawson Get Naked: ‘Brokenhearted’ singers, pose for a hot naked shoot for Cosmopolitan http://www.gaycalgary.com/n773

Australian Underwear Brand Cocksox® Celebrates 7 Year Anniversary with 7 Deadly Sins Ad Campaign http://www.gaycalgary.com/n774

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ChicGayHoneymoons.com requests surge for same-sex honeymoons http://www.gaycalgary.com/n761

Osteria de Medici Stampede tent hosts Calgary’s first & only LGBT Stampede event

MTV’s Teen Wolf, starring Charlie and Max Carver aired their first ever-gay kiss http://www.gaycalgary.com/n775

EY! Looks Like Ernst & Young has an Image Problem http://www.gaycalgary.com/n776

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Earl’s Stampede Summer Sippers, Sensational Seasonal Salads and...... http://www.gaycalgary.com/n847

Two Men ‘Free Of HIV’ After Bone-Marrow Transplant

Happy Heterosexual Awareness Month http://www.gaycalgary.com/n777

To Porn Or Not To Porn: Manstreaming – The Inevitable Mainstreaming of (Gay) Porn http://www.gaycalgary.com/n778

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Tensions Rise In The New York Gay Community After Alleged Attack On Subway http://www.gaycalgary.com/n764

Dusty Limits: Award-winning vocalist, director & at the forefront of the London cabaret scene http://www.gaycalgary.com/n765

Porn – Does it eventually bite you in the bum? http://www.gaycalgary.com/n779

Feeling The Effects Of Russia’s ‘Gay Propaganda’ Ban http://www.gaycalgary.com/n780

Air New Zealand To Play Host To 1st Same-Sex Marriage At 30,000 Ft http://www.gaycalgary.com/n781

Here Come the Guys! Gaydar Guys Help Create The World’s Sexiest Man http://www.gaycalgary.com/n766

Major League Baseball is Ready for an Openly Gay Player http://www.gaycalgary.com/n782

5 Reasons Gay Men Love Beyonce http://www.gaycalgary.com/n767

Out of Line, Online – Racism and Gay Dating. No Blacks.

No Asians. No Queens.

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n783

White Frog Debuts on DVD July, 16th!

This year it’s Calgary’s Stampede: 1.1M guests and $2.1M Red Cross donation

Tilda Swinton Stands Up Against Russian Anti-Gay Laws

‘Multi-Hipster Yard Sale’ puts money in the hands of effected communities

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n768

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n769

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n770

60

Le Creuset Introduces Truffle: Rustic yet refined new earthinspired colour for fall

GayCalgary Magazine #118, August 2013

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n784

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n785

www.gaycalgary.com

News Releases Hilton Carlsbad Oceanfront Resort Unveils Very Lucky 2013 Wedding Package for Same Sex Couples

Tulsa Transgender Teen Couple Show Off Gender Reassignment Surgeries http://www.gaycalgary.com/n801

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n786

Speed Demons by Gun Brooke is quite essentially a lesbian love story

Studburbia: Imagine All Your Dream Men In One Neighborhood

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n802

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n787

Tumbledown comes to DVD on August 26!

Gay Tourists In Russia Could Be Jailed Or Deported

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n803

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n788

‘Ex-Gay’ Begins 10-Day Campaign to End ‘Homo-Fascism’

Matt Fishel Releases When Boy Meets Boy Single

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n804

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n789

LGBT Groups Forced To Suspend Aids Education in Cameroon

CHARLIE HUNNAM: Pee Flap http://www.gaycalgary.com/n790

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n805

So what’s your magic number?

You know the number that I’m talking about…

How Gay Is X-Men?

What Is In The Label?

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n807

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n806

There is an Alternative To Apple’s Tumblr Censorship… PINGAY!

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n791

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n792

UK Government Updates Advice For LGBT Travellers To Russia

Westboro Baptist Church Criticises Queen For Royal Assent On Gay Marriage

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n808

Gay Olympians and Fans Assured Safety in Russia

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n793

Why Grandma, What Big Hands You’ve Got

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n809

Russia: Groups Post Fake Personal Ads To Torture Gay Teens

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n794

GRAHAM NORTON: Wahlberg ‘Wasn’t As Sexy As I Hoped’

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n810

Stoli Responds to Russian Vodka Boycott, Gays Still Aren’t Buying

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n795

GaymerX 2013: the first gaming and geek lifestyle convention with a focus on LGBTQ culture

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n811

New Study Finds Family Type Not A Predictor Of Bonding Between LGBT+ Parents & Adopted Children

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n796

RUSSIA: Court Appearance Delayed For Gay Tourists Arrested For ‘Gay Prop’

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n812

‘Who am I to judge?’ Pope Francis Accepting of Gay Clergy

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n797

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n813

Three Tourists Arrested In Russia For ‘Gay Propaganda’

GLAAD - LGBT org statement on discriminatory profiling bill

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n798

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n814

Marriott Celebrates Love and Pride with its Associates “Be You, With Us” Goes Personal

Petition To Putin Reaches over 221,000 Signatures

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n799

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n815

EGALE Demands Action From Education Ministers to End Violence & Hate Crime Against LGBTQ Youth

Stay Lucky

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n816

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n800

www.gaycalgary.com

GayCalgary Magazine #118, August 2013

61

Lisa has become very well known for her unique style of abstract artwork.

Her current series has been running for 5 years now, on everything from canvas to belt buckles, tabletops to silver jewelry. She started out painting from home before getting a studio in Art Central. She now paints every Saturday at Webster Galleries, where some of her larger abstract pieces are currently on display. The more technical side of her artistic brain has lead her to paint male nudes, examples of which can currently be seen on the walls at the Backlot.

Lisa has worked with just about every LGBT non-profit group in the city, often providing pieces of her artwork for charity auctions.

62

GayCalgary Magazine #118, August 2013

A self-described “simple girl”, in her spare time aside from painting she enjoys swimming, hiking, working out, travelling, and just hanging out with friends. She has been single for a year and a half now, but that isn’t a problem for her. She says she is very happy with her life in general, but still won’t say no if someone comes along that wows her.

http://gaycalgary.com/pa549

www.gaycalgary.com

Directory & Events 24

DOWNTOWN CALGARY

41 37 34

2 33

35

36

3 1 60

5 6

16

N

13

1 2 3 5

Calgary Outlink---------- Community Groups Aids Calgary------------- Community Groups Backlot------------------------Bars and Clubs Texas Lounge-----------------Bars and Clubs

6 Goliath’s--------------------------Bathhouses 13 Westways Guest House-----Accommodations 16 Priape Calgary----------------- Retail Stores 24 Courtney Aarbo-----------------------Services

FIND OUT!

Twisted Element--------------Bars and Clubs Vertigo Mystery Theatre------------- Theatre One Yellow Rabbit-------------------- Theatre ATP, Alberta Theatre Projects-------- 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

33 34 35 36

......... 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

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.

East Village Cafe (CLOSED)

 2nd floor, 610 - 8 Avenue SE

Calgary Eagle Inc. (CLOSED)

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

 424a - 8th Ave SE

http://www.gaycalgary.com/Directory

 1140 10th Ave SW

Club Sapien (CLOSED)

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

37 41 58 60

Pumphouse Theatre----------------- Theatre La Fleur------------------------- Retail Stores Theatre Junction--------------------- Theatre Cowboys Nightclub-----------Bars and Clubs 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.

• Western Cup 31



www.westerncup.com

• Badminton (Absolutely Smashing)

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

GayCalgary Magazine #118, August 2013

63

Directory & Events Student Night------------------------  6pm-6am

Calgary Events

At 6 Goliaths

Mondays

Drag Queen H2O---------------------  Evening

Saturdays

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

 Old Y Centre (223 12th Ave SW)

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

At 6 Goliaths

Thursdays

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

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

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

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

 Bonasera (1204 Edmonton Tr. NE)

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

Mosaic Youth Group--------------------  7-9pm

 Kerby Center, Sunshine Room 1133 7th Ave SW

 3rd

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

ISCCA at 3 Backlot

By

LOUDER-----------------------------------  9pm

By YYC Bad Boys  Vinyl (213 10th Ave SW)

LOUDER Pop Lounge---------------------  9pm

By YYC Bad Boys and Tornado  Hyde (213 10th Ave SW, downstairs)

Sundays

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

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

Saturday, August 31st

Tuesdays

At 6 Goliaths

See

Calgary Networking Club-------------- 5-7pm

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

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

At 3 Backlot

Student Night------------------------  6pm-6am

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

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

 Flames Central (219 8th Ave SW)

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

Pride BBQ---------------------------  Afternoon

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

Deep Roots IV-----------------------------  2pm

See 1 Calgary Outlink

See 1 Calgary Outlink

 1st

At 6 Goliaths

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

 2nd, 4th

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

At 1 Calgary Outlink

 1st

See

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

See

Karaoke-----------------------------------  7pm

See

At 3 Backlot

See

Fridays

Deer Park United Church Scarboro United Church Hillhurst United Church Knox United Church

Rainbow Community Church

Bare as you Dare---------------------  Evening PURE Pride Dance------------------------  9pm Sunday, September 1st ISCCA at 3 Backlot

By

By Boys for Beswick  Broken City (613 11th Ave SW)

Fetish Slosh----------------------------  Evening

Illusions-------------------------------  7-10pm

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

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

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

Friday, August 23rd

By Les Girls and YYC Bad Boys  Commonwealth (731 10th Ave SW)

Q the Arts-----------------------------  7:30pm

Thursday, September 19th

At 3 Backlot

 2nd

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

See 1 Calgary Outlink See 1 Calgary Outlink

 1st

 2nd

New Directions-------------------------- 7-9pm

Wednesdays

See 1 Calgary Outlink

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

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

Pool Night-----------------------------  Evening

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

See

Knox United Church

At 59 East Village Cafe with

Prime Timers Calgary

Wing Night------------------------------  5-8pm

See 1 Calgary Outlink

 3rd  4th

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

At 6 Goliaths

By Fairy Tales  Hyatt Imperial Ballroom (700 Centre St SE)

• Bowling (Rainbow Riders League)

At 3 Backlot

• Slow Pitch

 lawnbowling@apollocalgary.com

• Outdoor Pursuits

 outdoorpursuits@apollocalgary.com If it’s done outdoors, we do it. Volunteer led events all summer and winter. Hiking, camping, biking, skiing, snow shoeing, etc. Sign up at myapollo.org to get updates on the sport you like. We’re always looking for people to lead events.

• Running (Calgary Frontrunners)

 YMCA Eau Claire (4th St, 1st Ave SW)  calgaryfrontrunners@shaw.ca East Doors (directly off the Bow river pathway). Distances vary from 8 km - 15 km. Runners from 6 minutes/mile to 9+ minute miles.

 http://www.calgarymenschorus.org

 beachvb@apollocalgary.com

• Volleyball (Competitive)  vb@apollocalgary.com

• Volleyball (Recreational)

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

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

 recvb@apollocalgary.com

• Yoga

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

Alberta Rockies Gay Rodeo Association (ARGRA)

 www.argra.org

Calgary Gay Fathers

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

✰

• Peer Support and Crisis Line

 1-877-OUT-IS-OK (1-877-688-4765) Front-line help service for GLBT individuals and their family and friends, or anyone questioning their sexuality.

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

 Weeds Cafe (1903 20 Ave NW)

64

GayCalgary Magazine #118, August 2013

FairyTales Presentation Society

✰

 304, 301 14th Street NW  403-283-5580  http://www.calgarysexualhealth.ca A pro-choice organization that believes all people have the right and ability to make their own choices regarding their sexual and reproductive health.

• Volleyball (Beach)

 Arrata Opera Centre (1315 - 7 Street SW)

Different Strokes

 Temple B’Nai Tikvah, 900 - 47 Avenue SW

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

 403-278-8263

 http://www.differentstrokescalgary.org

• Rehearsals

 tennis@apollocalgary.com

• Monthly Dances--------------------------

Deer Park United Church/Wholeness Centre

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

Calgary Men’s Chorus

• Squash

• Tennis

• Lawn Bowling

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

 slow.pitch@apollocalgary.com

• Curling

 golf@apollocalgary.com

AIDS Walk for Life----------------------- 10am By 2 AIDS Calgary

Friday, August 30th

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

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

• Golf

Sep29

Sunday, September 22nd

At 3 Backlot

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

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

Blue Collar Night---------------------  Evening

 Calgary Contd.

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

Calgary Internaltional Film Fest------  All Day

Thursday, August 29th

Military Night-------------------------  Evening

At 59 East Village Cafe

• Boot Camp

Fused 2------------------------------------  6pm

 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..

www.gaycalgary.com

Directory & Events  Calgary Contd.

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

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

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

 Room 201, 420 - 9th Ave SE  403-410-1180  Mon-Fri: 1pm-5pm

 1317-1st Street NW

Restaurants

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

• Safeworks Van

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

• Coffee Night

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

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

36 ATP, Alberta Theatre Projects

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

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

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

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

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

 www.pridecalgary.ca

Primetimers Calgary

 primetimerscalgary@gmail.com  http://www.primetimerscalgary.com Designed to foster social interaction for its members through a variety of social, educational and recreational activities. Open to all gay and bisexual men of any age, respects whatever degree of anonymity that each member desires.

Queers on Campus---------------------

 279R Student Union Club Spaces, U of C  403-220-6394  http://www.ucalgary.ca/~glass Formerly GLASS - Gay/Lesbian Association of Students and Staff.

✰

• Coffee Night

 2nd Cup, Kensington

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.

www.gaycalgary.com

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

See Calgary - Community Groups.

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.

Cruiseline

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

✰

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

✰

 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.

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

EDMONTON

DevaDave Salon & Boutique

Hardline

 Calgary: 403-770-0776

 Edmonton: 780-665-6666  Other Cities: 1-877-628-9696  http://www.hardlinechat.com Telephone classifieds and chat - 18+ ONLY.

Lorne Doucette (CIR Realtors)

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

MFM Communications

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

✰

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

 403-750-1128  www.DBBlaw.com Fellow, American Academy of Reproductive Technology Attorneys

Edmonton Pride Festival Society (EPFS)

 http://www.edmontonpride.ca

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

Ellen Embury

Buck Naked Boys Club

 780-471-6993  http://www.bucknakedboys.ca Naturism club for men—being social while everyone is naked, and it does not include sexual activity. Participants do not need to be gay, only male.

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

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

24 Courtney Aarbo (Barristers & Solicitors)

 1138 Kensington Road NW  403-571-5120  http://www.courtneyaarbo.ca GLBT legal services.

 Howard McBride Chapel of Chimes 10179 - 108 Street  bookworm@teamedmonton.ca

Camp fYrefly

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

Services & Products

 #44, 48 Brentwood Blvd, Sherwood Park, AB

 403-398-9968  info@altview.ca  www.altview.ca For gender variant and sexual minorities.

 7-104 Dept. of Educational Policy Studies Faculty of Education, University of Alberta Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2G5  http://www.fyrefly.ualberta.ca

Jubilations Dinner Theatre

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.

 Calgary: 403-777-9494

 Edmonton: 780-413-7122  Other Cities: 1-877-882-2010  http://www.cruiseline.ca Telephone classifieds and chat - 18+ ONLY.

 403-262-3356  www.axisart.ca

Fairytales

 403-283-3555

 www.beefbearbash.com

Book Worm’s Book Club

Theatre & Fine Arts

✰

Alberta Bears

AltView Foundation

• Sheldon M. Chumir Health Centre

Adult Depot-----------------------------

Mystique

Community Groups

• Centre of Hope

Wild Rose United Church

Retail Stores

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

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

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

• Calgary Drop-in Centre

Unity Bowling

East Village Cafe (CLOSED)

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

Bathhouses/Saunas

SafeWorks

Free and confidential HIV/AIDS and STI testing.

 2nd floor, 610 - 8 Avenue SE

• Fake Mustache • Mosaic Youth Group

 403-797-6564

Sharp Foundation

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

Bars & Clubs

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 4 Edmonton STD

 11111 Jasper Ave

Edmonton Vocal Minority

 780-479-2038  www.evmchoir.com

 sing@evmchoir.com

GLBTQ Sage Bowling Club

6 Buddy’s Nite Club------------------------- ✰

 11725 Jasper Ave  780-488-6636

 780-474-8240

Evolution Wonder Lounge

 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.

 10220 - 103 St  http://www.yourgaybar.com

FLASH (CLOSED)

 10018 105 Street  flashnightclub@hotmail.com

 780-424-0077

 780-938-2941

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

Hooliganz Pub (CLOSED)

 http://www.iscwr.ca

 10704 124 St NW

13 UpStares Ultralounge

 4th Floor, Jasper Ave and 107th Street 12 Woody’s------------------------------------ ✰

 11725 Jasper Ave  780-488-6557

✰

InQueeries

The Junction (CLOSED)

 10242 106th St

 tuff@shaw.ca

HIV Network Of Edmonton Society----

Imperial Sovereign Court of the Wild Rose

Living Positive Society of Alberta

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

GayCalgary Magazine #118, August 2013

65

Directory & Events DOWNTOWN EDMONTON

1

15

N

13 11 6 12

1 Pride Centre of Edm.---- Community Groups 4 Edmonton STD---------- Community Groups

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

Team Edmonton

 3rd

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

 2nd

Tuesdays

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

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

12 Woody’s-----------------------Bars and Clubs 13 UpStares Ultralounge--------Bars and Clubs

15 Evolution----------------------Bars and Clubs

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

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

Friday, August 23rd

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

Saturdays

See

Team Edmonton Team Edmonton

Team Edmonton

See

Youth Understanding Youth

Out of Town Show------------------------  8pm

Naturalist Gettogether See

Thursdays

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

6 Buddy’s-----------------------Bars and Clubs 11 Steamworks----------------------Bathhouses

See

Mondays

4

Buck Naked Boys Club

 2nd

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

QH Youth Drop-in------------------  2-6:30pm

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

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

See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton See

Youth Understanding Youth

QH Game Night------------------------ 6-8pm See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton

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

Team Edmonton

See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton

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

 2nd

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

Team Edmonton

Sundays

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fridays

Soul Outing-------------------------------  7pm

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

Team Edmonton

See

Wednesdays See

See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton

GLBTQ Sage Bowling Club

See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton

See 1 Youth Understanding Youth

Counseling----------------------  5:30-8:30pm See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton

Knotty Knitters-------------------------- 6-8pm See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton

QH Craft Night-------------------------- 6-8pm See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton

See See

 2nd, 4th

BookWorm’s Book Club

 3rd

Team Edmonton Team Edmonton

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

QH Anime Night------------------------ 6-8pm See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton

Movie Night----------------------------- 6-9pm See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton

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

Men’s Games Nights

 2nd, Last

See See

Team Edmonton Team Edmonton

See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton See

Team Edmonton

 Robertson-Wesley United (10209 123 St)

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

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

Coronation 38------------------------  4:30pm

By ISCWR  Ramada Inn and Conference Centre 11834 Kingsway Sunday, August 25th

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

By ISCWR  The Locker Room, Ramada Inn and Conference Centre 11834 Kingsway Saturday, September 7th

Baseball Tourney------------------ 11am-5pm

By Emily Morgan Foundation  Centennial Park Saturday, September 14th

The Big Bang-----------------------------  9pm At 15 Evolution

Sunday, September 15th

Natural Selection Tea Dance----------- 2-8pm At 15 Evolution

Saturday, September 28th

The Edmonton Expo-------------------  All Day

 Northlands Park

Thursday, August 22nd

Sep29

By ISCWR  The Locker Room, Ramada Inn and Conference Centre 11834 Kingsway

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

• Counselling

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.

✰

 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.

66

 2nd

Saturday, August 24th

In-Town Show-----------------------------  8pm

 Edmonton Contd.

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

 2nd

By ISCWR  The Locker Room, Ramada Inn and Conference Centre 11834 Kingsway

 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.

GayCalgary Magazine #118, August 2013

• 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.

• 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.

• Badminton (Women’s)

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

 badminton@teamedmonton.ca

www.gaycalgary.com

Directory & Events Red Deer Events

Fort McMurray

Grane Prairie

Medicine Hat

Wednesdays

Sunday, September 1st

Monday, September 23rd

Saturday, September 21st

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

AIDS Walk for Life

AIDS Walk for Life

Medicine Hat Pride-------------------  12-5pm

See

CAANS

 1st

By

Sunday, September 22nd

AIDS Walk for Life------------------------  2pm

By CAANS Rotary Park

HIV North

By

HIV North

 Riverside Veteran’s Memorial Park (1st Street & 6th Ave SE)

Peace River

18+ Pride Dance------------------------  9pm

By Medicine Hat Pride  The Club (954 7 St SW)

Sunday, September 22nd

AIDS Walk for Life By

HIV North

 Edmonton Contd.

Women’s Drop-In Recreational Badminton. $40.00 season or $5.00 per drop in.

•Ballroom Dancing

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

• Blazin’ Bootcamp

 Garneau Elementary School 10925 - 87 Ave  bootcamp@teamedmonton.ca

• Bowling (Northern Titans)

 Ed’s Rec Room (West Edmonton Mall)

 bowling@teamedmonton.ca $15.00 per person.

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

• Outdoor Pursuits

 outdoorpursuits@teamedmonton.ca

• Running (Arctic Frontrunners)

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

• Slo Pitch

 Parkallen Field, 111 st and 68 ave  slo-pitch@teamedmonton.ca Season fee is $30.00 per person. $10 discount for players from the 2008 season.

• Snowballs V

 January 27-29, 2012  snowballs@teamedmonton.ca Skiing and Snowboarding Weekend.

• Soccer

 soccer@teamedmonton.ca

• Spin

 MacEwan Centre for Sport and Wellness 109 St. and 104 Ave  Wednesdays, 5:45-6:45pm Season has ended.  spin@teamedmonton.ca 7 classes, $28.00 per registrant.

• Swimming (Making Waves)

Products & Services Cruiseline

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

Robertson-Wesley United Church

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

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

• Tennis

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

 tennis@teamedmonton.ca

• Soul OUTing

• Ultimate Frisbee

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

• Volleyball, Intermediate

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

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

• Film Night

 Bi-monthly, contact us for exact dates.

• Book Club

 Monthly, contact us for exact dates.

Theatre & Fine Arts

• Volleyball, Recreational

 Mother Teresa School (9008 - 105 Ave)  recvolleyball@teamedmonton.ca

• Women’s Lacrosse

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

Call for info.

• Yoga

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

Youth Understanding Youth

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

• Sports and Recreation

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

The Roxy Theatre

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

BANFF Community Groups

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

LETHBRIDGE Community Groups

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

 10242 106th St

 780-756-5667

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

 11725 Jasper Ave  780-488-6557

Retail Stores Passion Vault

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

• 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

 lethbridgepridefest@gmail.com

RED DEER Community Groups Affirm

Bow Valley Cares Centre

Restaurants

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

Pride Lethbridge

Exposure Festival

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

Womonspace

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

• Support Line

GALA/LA

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

• Monthly Dances

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

 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 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.

• Monthly Potluck Dinners

 McKillop United Church, 2329 - 15 Ave S GALA/LA will provide the turkey...you bring the rest. Please bring a dish to share that will serve 4-6 people, and your own beverage.

Continued on Page 61  www.gaycalgary.com

GayCalgary Magazine #118, August 2013

67

Classifieds Event

140

UltimateMaleMassage.com

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!

Audition

215

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

Marriage Ceremonies

destroying your wallet. Come check us out! #14, 3434 - 34 Ave NE.

Consulting

527

Want to attract the LGBT local or traveler to your business?

Best Erotic Male Massage In Calgary • Studio with free parking• Deep Tissue and Relaxation • Licensed, Professional • Video on website

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MarriageCommissioner@shaw.ca | 403246-4134

403-680-0533 mike@ultimatemalemassage.com

Adult Depot

Models/Escorts

460

Alberta Escort Listings

Erotic Massage

Products/Services 500

420

Large selection of gay DVDs from $14.95, and toys. Open Mon-Fri 12-8pm, Sat 12-6pm, closed Sundays and holidays.

403-258-2777

Cleaning

Mark Massage

517

GET A LIFE! STOP CLEANING!

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.

Health

550

Trinity Best Health Store Vitamins & Minerals, Herbs and Greens, Active Lifestyle, Weight Management, Fitness Nutrition, Natural Bodycare. Located in Woodbine Square 2525 Woodview Drive SW 403-281-5582 | www.besthealthcalgary.com Gay Owned and Operated

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

Relaxation, Therapeutic, Foot Massage, Erotic Massage. Hot Asian Male Age:24 Swimmer Build YOU’LL KEEP COMING BACK FOR MORE, the BEST MASSEUSE. 4036308048 www. markmassage.ca 12pm to Midnight (24hrs optional) Females Welcome.

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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

520

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

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!

Ads starting at $10/mo. for the first 20 words. Submit yours at http://www.gaycalgary.com/classifieds 68

GayCalgary Magazine #118, August 2013

www.gaycalgary.com

 Find Out - From Page 59

MEDICINE HAT CANADA 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.

Theatre & Fine Arts Alberta Ballet

 http://www.albertaballet.com Frequent productions in Calgary and Edmonton.

www.gaycalgary.com

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.

GayCalgary Magazine #118, August 2013

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GayCalgary Magazine #118, August 2013

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www.gaycalgary.com

GayCalgary Magazine #118, August 2013

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