GayCalgary Magazine - September 2013

SEPTEMBER 2013

® ISSUE 119 • FREE The Voice of Alberta’s LGBT Community

AJ McLean

Boys will be Boys

INTERVIEW WITH

JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT

Rae Spoon

Trans Musician at Folk Fest

PLUS:

Tyler Saint Matthew Rush Christopher Daniels Calgary Pride 2013 Coverage ...and more!

Business Directory

Community Map

Calgary • Alberta • Canada

Events Calendar

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Tourist Information

Indigo Girls

Now Touring Canada STARTING ON PAGE 55

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GayCalgary Magazine #119, September 2013

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GayCalgary Magazine #119, September 2013

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GayCalgary Magazine #119, September 2013

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Table of Contents

SEPTEMBER 2013

®

Photography

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

Videography Sales

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 ThisJoseph Month's Cover Main: Gordon-Levitt, Cher and Christina Aguilera courtesy photo by Relativity Media of Sony Pictures; Annie Mike Owen; Top Right: AJLennox McLean,courtesy photo byofBig Hassle RexSpoon, Goudie.

Middle Right: Rae photo by JJ Levine Bottom Right: Indigo Girls

Proud Members of: Proud Members of:

Surviving August Publisher’s Column

12 Inside Out

Celeb superfan Ross Mathews on his own talk show, road to success and being a ‘full tilt’ gay

14 Boys Will Be Boys

PAGE 14

10 No Redress for Past Discrimination

Backstreet ‘fag hag’ AJ McLean talks screaming gays, his nude Marilyn Monroe pictorial and mistaking men for women

16 War Horse

Calgarian Caden Douglas Comes Home

17 Discussing Community Safety The Citizen’s Police Academy

18 Mother Russia Is Abusing Her Children 19 The Robots are Coming

PAGE 34

Writers and Contributors

Chris Mercedes Azzopardi, Allen, Chris DaveAzzopardi, Brousseau,Dallas JasonBarnes, Clevett, Dave Andrew Brousseau, Collins, Rob SamDiaz-Marino, Casselman, Jason Janine Clevett, Eva Andrew Trotta, Collins, Marisa Hudson, Emily Collins, EvanRob Kayne, Diaz-Marino, Stephen Janine Lock,Eva LisaTrotta, Lunney, JackSteve Fertig, Polyak, Glen Romeo Hanson,San Joan Hilty, Vicente, Evan Krista Kayne, Sylvester, StephenNick Lock,Winnick Neil McMullen, and the Allan LGBTNeuwirth, Community Steve of Calgary, Polyak, Carey Edmonton, Rutherford, and Romeo San Vicente,Alberta.

Ed Sikov, Nick Vivian and the GLBT Community of Calgary, Edmonton, and Alberta.

Photography Steve Polyak, Rob Diaz-Marino

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Swallow-A-Bicycle Theatre presents Beakerhead sci-fi attraction

e n zi

20 Queer Eye - Part 1 30 Out of Town

a g a

Washington’s San Juan Islands

34 Indigo Girls tour Canada

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Iconic musical duo visiting Calgary later this month

35 Hot Plots for a Balmy Fall

CIFF Lines the 2013 Roster with Steamy Must-See LGBT Films

36 Christopher Daniels

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

Actor, Escort, Firebrand

Edmonton Rainbow Business Association

38 The Decade the City’s Art Scene Came into its Own

International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association

40 Rae Spoon

Alberta-raised trans musician to perform for Calgary Folk Fest

National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association

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Made in Calgary: the 1980s opens at the Glenbow

Continued on Next Page  www.gaycalgary.com

GayCalgary Magazine #119, September 2013

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Table of Contents  Continued From Previous Page

42 Matthew Rush

®

Mens Sana in Corpore Sano

Magazine Figures

43 Man at Work

Monthly Print Quantity:

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

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Tyler Saint talks leaving the work at work

44 Oh Joe

Gordon-Levitt talks Don Jon sex, ‘proud’ gay kiss and the harm in thinking he’s the ‘perfect man’

46 Queer Eye - Part 2

Proof of monthly figures are available on request.

51 A Couple of Guys

Distribution Locations:

52 News Releases

PAGE 43

54 Ms. GayCalgary September 2013 - Dee Patterson 55 Directory and Events 60 Classified Ads

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

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

Name changed to GayCalgary in 1998.

Independent company as of January 2004.

First edition of GayCalgary.com Magazine published November 2003. Name adjusted in November 2006 to GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine. February 2012 returned to GayCalgary Magazine.

February 2013, GayCalgary® becomes a registered trademark.

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

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

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

Copyright 2013. All rights reserved.

GayCalgary® is a registered trademark.

OCTOBER 2013 Print Deadlines Ad Booking: Wed, Sept 25

Submission: Fri, Sept 27 In Circulation: Thu, Oct 3 Please contact us immediately if you think you may have missed the booking or submission deadline.

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GayCalgary Magazine #119, September 2013

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Editorial

Surviving August Publisher’s Column

By Rob Diaz-Marino, MSc. I remember a time when August used to be a slow month for us. That’s certainly not the case anymore.

The weekend of the 10th we made our way up to Red Deer in the evening to photograph the Pride celebrations at the Vat. Calgary’s Fake Mustache drag king troupe, along with several representatives from the ISCCA all performed alongside the hilarious girls of the Dirrty Show. The venue was packed solid, albeit a little hot and humid; organizers were ecstatic about the turnout, and were happy to meet us for the first time.

The weekend of August 24th we made our way up to Edmonton for ISCWR Coronation 38. We arrived the Friday night to cover the Out of Town Show, before the main event Saturday evening.

I usually describe Coronations to people as a 6+ hour drag show, but somehow this year the ISCWR managed to pull off a miracle and cut it down to be 5 ½ hours! The new monarchs were crowned nearly a half an hour before midnight. At hospitality afterwards, I was told by an outof-towner who had been around the Imperial Court circuit in Canada and the States, that such an efficient Coronation was nearly unheard of, with events in some cities pressing as late as 3am!

Of course, an undertone to this Coronation was the news of the recent passing of Mama José, the founder of the Imperial Court system, and first Empress of San Francisco. If you see members of the Imperial Court wearing a black ribbon over the course of the next year, this is an expression of mourning for her loss.

We were very proud of the outgoing Empress, Vanity Fair, and outgoing Emperor, JJ Velour. During the ball they presented the Pride Centre of Edmonton with a cheque for $22,000, with further amounts going to their other charities.

We also have high hopes for the newly elected monarchs, Empress 38 Dayzi Chayne and Emperor 38 JeffyLube XXXPress.

Only a week later was the September long weekend and Calgary Pride. I usually put myself into a grumpy mood leading up to it because I think of how much effort I’m going to be expending to do my part of our duties covering the many events.

The weekend started off a little early with the Louder dance put on by the YYC Badboys at Vinyl, and the Louder Pop Lounge downstairs at Hyde. Despite the work week not being

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over, there was quite an impressive turn out that night. For the past several events at Vinyl, a major highlight for Steve and I has been when the straight male bar tenders get into the spirit and lose some of their clothes. This time around we enjoyed convincing (all we did was ask) one particular bearded bartender with a gorgeous furry body to show a little skin for the camera. *sigh* His tips for that night must have been phenomenal!

I was in energy-conservation mode when we went out on Saturday afternoon to photograph and film the Dyke March down 4th street, and the festival that followed at Rideau Park. A straight friend of mine who lives along 4th street and doesn’t know much about the reason for the Dyke March, over a text, joked about it turning into a giant wet T-shirt contests if it rained. I dryly texted him back a photo of a marcher’s placard stating, “We are not your fetish”. “Oh, sorry,” he replied, stifled. I later gave him a proper explanation of the event, so girls, he gets it now, please don’t hurt him!

Later in the afternoon we attended the Bi-BQ at James Short Park, for which we (and they) were happy to see a much stronger turnout this year. We don’t often get the opportunity to hang out with our Bi brethren – or oftentimes when we see them out at LGBT events we don’t realize that they identify as Bi – so it was a great opportunity to chat.

The turning point for my pre-Pride lethargy was the much anticipated PURE Pride dance at Flames Central that night.

As we arrived, shortly after 9pm, organizers told us they had sold out of tickets. But this was to be expected – it was only a matter of whether it would happen in advance, or at the door. By 10:30 the place had filled up to the point where it was difficult to move through the crowd.

Even though my videotaping duties meant I couldn’t drink or dance, the energy in the room, the superb stage performances, and the great music really energized me.

Aside from my ass being sore from my seated perch near the stage, I barely felt tired at all by the end of the night – and disappointed that I had missed last call!

Oh well, the lack of drinking made it easier to get up bright and early the next morning to prepare for the Pride Parade and Street Festival. Originally forecast to rain, this day turned out to be a real scorcher. We found a spot along the parade route to photograph and video, and then joined the throngs of people tailing the parade to its destination at Shaw Millennium Park.

Continued on Next Page 

GayCalgary Magazine #119, September 2013

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 From Previous Page Pride organizers had estimated their turnout would grow this year to around 30,000 attendees. While this may have been the case for the first hour or two, the crowds died off early. Perhaps it was the beating sun sending people packing – Steve and I got a bit burned ourselves before we had a free moment to put on sun screen – or perhaps it was the large number of events happening opposite the festival that drew people away.

The Backlot was certainly lively for their Pride BBQ! Arriving here at around 4pm I was finally able to get something to eat for lunch. Meanwhile Steve was covering the drag show at Broken City, where I later joined him before we headed over to Commonwealth for the Fused 2 dance. There Steve finally got his lunch from Tubby Dog. We have never visited Commonwealth before, but it’s a really nice space. I had trouble visualizing it as its previous incarnation, the Warehouse, as it has been so long since we were last there. The audience was treated to a sexy fashion show, followed by a drag show.

What was special about this drag show is that this would be April Storm’s last performance before she takes a long break from drag. She came out on stage wearing nothing but a wig and a long-haired merkin. She decided to symbolize the end of her drag life by enacting a fake suicide, with fake blood and everything.

Of course, fake or not, I don’t react well to the sight of blood. I was managing fine until Steve told a friend nearby, “Watch him, he might pass out.” Then I was in trouble. I managed to stay standing to the end of the number, but as soon as I could lock the camera I crouched down so that I wouldn’t fall over. The drag show ended and I went searching for somewhere – in a very crowded bar – that I could sit down.

It ended up being on the patio out back, where April and several others were trying to clean all the blood off of her, and mop up the trail that she had left behind her on the way there. It was quite a sight. I found a seat, put my head between my legs and tried not to think about it.

We made one final stop at Local 522 for the Hot Mess dance, which like everything that day, was packed. I admired the energy of the people that were still dancing by this time.

Steve and I had agreed to give a blanket “no” to anything happening on the holiday Monday. We needed a day to recover, never mind do some grocery shopping and start processing all the video we had collected. But in the end we made a teensy exception for the Big Gay Pride Brunch put on

by Gay Friends in Calgary at the National on 10th. This was another venue that Steve and I have never had the pleasure of visiting before. It was so full that the huge main area with rows and rows of tables had run out of room and people were spilling over to other parts of the bar. We didn’t stay for brunch, but we took photos and had some good chats with the organizers and the staff of the establishment.

Online Last Month (1/2) Calgary ProPRIDE 2013 LGBT Professionals Unite!

Calvin Campbell is the Regional Lead for the Prairies, and a Director on the Board of Pride at Work Canada - and he’s... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3639

Possibilities Calgary Presents The 2nd Annual BiBQ Possibilities is currently Calgary’s only bisexual/pansexual/fluid-specific community group, aiming to create a strong,... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3638

Creep of the Week Tony Perkins

And so it was that the Defense of Marriage Act was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court and Prop 8 was dead in California. And the gays did... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3644

Deep Inside Hollywood

HR gives Alicia Silverstone the job

We’ve missed Alicia Silverstone. Like, a lot. Our worn out VHS tape of Clueless bit the dust and then we wore out the DVD, too (yes, it can be done)... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3648

Hear Me Out

Sigur Rós, LeAnn Rimes

Sigur Rós, Kveikur When frontman Jónsi Birgisson went stag for his kaleidoscopic solo venture, he introduced sunshine and rainbows to the... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3649

The OutField

Nike Summit just does it for LGBT sports

A year ago, the first Nike LGBT Sports Summit took place. Held near the industry giant’s Oregon headquarters, it brought together 25 LGBT coaches, athletes... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3652

Thinking Out Loud: DOMA’s Still Here But if you want to know how we’ll get full marriage equality anyway, just ask conservative Justice Scalia

The Supreme Court’s ruling on DOMA last week was incredible, no doubt – a turning point, a tipping point, a critical... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3653

Creep of the Week Greg Quinlan

Have you been feeling a little less gay than usual this month? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Ever since the Family Research Council declared July “Ex-Gay... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3645

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Online Last Month (2/2) Hear Me Out

Sara Bareilles, Merry Clayton

Sara Bareilles, The Blessed Unrest Maybe you didn’t ask for it, but Sara Bareilles wrote you a love song anyway. Actually, she wrote you... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3650

Thinking Out Loud: Still Waiting for a Great Lesbian Movie 28 years after Desert Hearts, lesbian cinema hasn’t changed much

Now that the excitement of the DOMA case has mellowed, my thoughts have turned to the second most important LGBT pride moment of my life: the release... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3654

Creep of the Week Pat Robertson

Oh, Pat Robertson. He really is trying too hard to present himself as the epitome of angry and dogmatic old man determined to go to his grave on the... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3646

Hear Me Out

Robin Thicke, Kanye West

Robin Thicke, Blurred Lines It’s probably safe to call “Blurred Lines” – Robin Thicke’s ubiquitous dirty ditty that your grandma... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3651

Creep of the Week Ken Cuccinelli

Let’s say, hypothetically, that you wanted to become Virginia’s next governor and you want to find a way to stand out and get noticed. You could run...

forward to the official grand opening this coming weekend of the 14th.

Oopsie Daisy!

Last month we launched a News Release area in the magazine that lists the news headlines for the previous month, with links to the full articles online. I wrote a script on our website to generate this list of headlines and links based on the existing script I use to generate the list of online articles. To make a long story short, the shortcut links used an “a” before the ID of the article when they should have been an “n”. The difference is that “a” brings you to articles and “n” brings you to news releases, so the links were pointing to articles with the IDs of the news releases. What a mess.

Anyway, while this mistake was in last month’s print edition, we were able to correct it for the online edition, and it has been corrected for everything moving forward.

GayCalgary Online This September marks the one year anniversary of GayCalgary Magazine being the #1 most popular Canadian LGBT publication, according to third-party statistics collected

by Alexa.com and Issuu.com. In that time we’ve made further gains on competitors for this title, with us now being ranked within the top 2000 websites (in the whole world) visited by Canadians! Our website “stickyness” continues to soar, with the average visitor sticking around for over 25 minutes, while most other Canadian gay media websites only keep visitors for 2 minutes or less.

This month we added a new section to our website. Well, it was an existing area that was previously buried under the Magazine section, but has been taking off so much that we decided to promote it for ease of access. If you’ve never seen our News section before, make sure you check it out! We post news releases just about every day, with all sorts of interesting information about what’s happening in the gay world - everything from entertainment to fashion, politics to sports, food to fitness.

Another upgrade that we made was an overhaul of our Newsletter system to allow us to send out a shiny new Membership newsletter to those who subscribe. This weekly email update contains a list of what’s new on the website, including articles, news releases, prize draws and more! You can subscribe to it directly by joining GayCalgary.com (with email notifications enabled), and we also post a web version of it onto our Facebook and Twitter groups.

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View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments This Month If you’ve still got some party left in you, there is plenty more pride to go around this month. Medicine Hat and Banff Pride are still to come, though unfortunately on the same day (Saturday, Sept 21st). To make matters worse, most of the AIDS Walks across Alberta are happening the Sunday immediately after. We’ve had to make some decisions, let me tell you.

But there is no question where we will be the weekend of the 28th - the Edmonton Expo, and the fundraising gala for the Pride Centre of Edmonton.

Evolution Edmonton Edmonton, you lucky dog, you’re getting a new gay club this month! We’re told the soft launch for Evolution Wonder Lounge went extremely well, and Edmontonians can look

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GayCalgary Magazine #119, September 2013

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Editorial

 Paul Richard

No Redress for Past Discrimination

By Evan Kayne My name is Paul-Emile Richard and my complaint is against the Federal Treasury Board. I was forced to leave the Federal Public Service(FPS) on August 31, 1985 because of discrimination. I was never able to resume my career. The discrimination I experienced had a very devastating effect on me. This led me to have clinical depression and I was subsequently never able to find employment comparable to the one I had in the FPS. I started having doubts about the nature and the motives of what I had experienced in the FPS. The concept of gay rights was virtually unknown in 1985 and it was not until the late 1990’s that I started realizing that my rights had in fact been violated. My rights were not respected in accordance with the 1978 Human Rights legislation and the 1982 Charter of Rights.

Excerpt from the complaint form submitted to the Canada Human Rights Commission One year after Pierre Trudeau passed the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1968-69 (an act which decriminalized homosexual acts between consenting adults), Paul-Emile Richard entered the Federal Public Service (FPS), and from the start he had to fight

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against a homophobic atmosphere. But it was subtler than direct taunting or physical altercations. Paul encountered exclusion, he was denied promotions, and he faced negative evaluations on work that was otherwise deemed well done: “...this started in 1970 in the Department of Finance - Federal / Provincial relations Division.

I worked there for 2 years then I moved on to the Department of Regional Economic Expansion, where I work till 1975.”

After taking a year off to recuperate from the hostile work environment, he returned to work; this time as the senior development economist in Agriculture. Paul’s office was in Quebec.

“That’s where it started to really go wrong. Reorganizations just to get me out...that’s how they get people out. You have to re-apply for your job and they don’t pick you, even though you qualify”. He faced harassment through things like exclusion – situating Paul’s office a great distance from the team he supported; and sabotage – documents Paul had prepared for important meetings would either vanish or would be expropriated from him. True, there wasn’t any direct bigotry aimed at him; these were civil servants, and they knew direct action like that would get them in trouble. Creating a hostile work environment for the resident homo, however...well, that was just regular work duties.

In 1984, Paul applied for and obtained a job in the Department of Industry. Although he performed well, they still were trying to force him out. The stress had built up so much his body reacted – he had gallstones. Upon informing a supervisor he would have to have an operation, rather than wishing him well or even asking how long Paul’s recovery would be, the supervisor informed him an upcoming evaluation would be negative. Paul tried to muster support from unions or other professional organizations for public service but ultimately in 1985 he was forced out.

“All throughout this it was bad evaluations that got me into trouble that were totally unreasonable, reorganizations...I apply for jobs, I even get job offers but at least twice these jobs disappeared before I could get there...just to get me out. Even though my performance was always well received, my superiors would always change their minds at evaluation time.”

Stripping his career and livelihood away from him psychologically traumatized Paul – over the next 20 years he faced unemployment, homelessness and suicidal tendencies. It was only after a therapist helped him realize he was the victim of a prejudiced system, that Paul began to pull his life back together.

In 2005, Paul filed a complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC). He explained his delay as a result of the consequence of psychological trauma. Unfortunately, the CHRC – like many human rights tribunals (Alberta included) – usually require you file your claim within a year of the discriminatory action or your complaint may be refused. They do have “discretionary powers” to look outside of that year term but it’s a maddeningly grey zone without any regulations or guidelines.

Consequently the CHRC ruled his complaint was “time barred”.

Upon appealing this decision to the Federal Court, the judge sided with Paul. While it was noted the CHRC usually has a one year timeframe for complaints, it was suggested they use their discretionary powers to take health concerns such as Paul’s depression into

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account. “What needed to be done was that the Commission needed to set up a series of criteria to establish when the discretionary power could be used,” Paul told me.

Back at the CHRC, the paperwork and appeals were piling up.

The government did admit to a certain amount of suffering caused by a homophobic work environment, but ultimately the commission returned to the argument that too much time had passed. Paul took this decision to the Federal Court of Appeal. Sadly, the decision came down against him – even though from the questions the judges asked it was apparent they couldn’t understand the government side of the argument. Again, it had to do with the passage of time, with the addition that it would cause an onerous prejudice for the government to prepare a defence – being that it was a long time since the incidents of discrimination occurred and government lawyers would have difficulty locating witnesses. By way of an example, the government said they were unable to locate the witnesses in their database.

“Well that’s a lot of bullshit again because all those public servants are all in the pension directory. They said they looked into the employee database... well it’s not the right database!” Paul was able to locate through Google and the Internet several coworkers complete with names, addresses, and telephone numbers.

Paul then appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada. But unlike some of the other courts, you must first request permission to be heard - and they refused. “I was disappointed of course because my lawyer said, with them, accepting that they discriminated against you and that you suffered, they could have settled the matter right then and there because they acted against the law,” but they found another way to get out of it. “The government just doesn’t want to admit their faults,” he says.

So while Paul’s legal quest seems to have reached an impasse, he is trying to drum up both support and interest from other LGBT people who suffered similar discrimination when they were employed by the federal government in the past. As well,

he does have several liberal MPs who are interested in his cause.

For example, Marc Garneau, Liberal Member of Parliament for Westmount/Ville-Marie has submitted a proposal for a Private Members’ Bill in the House of Commons which will be announced in a press conference at the opening of the fall session (probably in October). The bill will be to create guidelines so the CHRC has a little bit more clarity on situations where there may be a time delay between the discriminatory actions and the victim filing the complaint. One good thing which has arisen from Paul’s case is, with him setting this challenging precedent, the time bar may be weakened / disallowed; yet as Paul tells me, “a precedent doesn’t establish the law.”

Paul agrees to a certain extent the government is waiting him out until he dies because he’s an old man. Consequently, he is hoping with the public knowledge of his case, much like the Duplessis Orphans or the native residential schools, if enough LGBT victims come forward a class action suit can be formed.

As Paul’s situation illustrates, we may have our rights now, but we still have within our society those who fought and now wear the scars of past bigotry. A generation ago, bigoted and hateful behavior which would have been considered “part of the norm” in our schoolyards, in the public setting, and in workplaces today is deemed unacceptable. While we cannot change what has happened in the past, saying it has happened too long ago and we should forget about it cheapens the rights we have today.

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GayCalgary Magazine #119, September 2013

11

Inside Out

Celeb superfan Ross Mathews on his own talk show, road to success and being a ‘full tilt’ gay  Photo by Austin Young

By Chris Azzopardi Ross Mathews is talking to me from his own office in Hollywood and he can’t believe it. “It’s the dream,” he says, bubbling over with joy. “I’m getting to do exactly what I’ve always wanted to do.”

That dream began back in 2001 when the pop-culture fanatic landed a spot on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno as the host’s buoyant intern. It wasn’t long before Chelsea Handler took him under her wing and he became the comedian’s resident gay. Now, she’s letting him fly solo: Mathews launches his very own show, Hello Ross, with Handler co-producing, on Sept. 6 on the E! network.

In our recent chat, Mathew talks about how over-the-top gay his new show will be, why he learned to embrace his high-pitched voice and the trick to keeping it together when meeting Madonna.

GC: Your story of being this kid from a farm town who didn’t feel like he fit in, who was bullied and is now the star of his own show, must be really inspiring to young gay people. How do you hope your story inspires those who are going through what you went through as a young gay kid?

RM: When I was growing up, I remember thinking, “What is my life gonna be like?” I didn’t know what it meant to be a successful, happy, grown-up gay person because I didn’t see that. I didn’t see that in my small town. I didn’t see that represented on television. Even when I started on television in 2001, it was really at the beginning, before Queer Eye and Will & Grace, before Ellen was out, before Rosie was out; it really wasn’t represented anywhere. I started appearing on national television as people like Rosie and Neil Patrick Harris came out and shows like those became relevant, and I was part of something.

From this point forward, whenever kids are realizing they’re gay, they know what it means to be a happy, successful, openly and unapologetically grown-up gay person, and what that looks like and what life can be for

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them. And I hope people can see me on Chelsea Lately and see me on my show and say, “Hey, look, he’s got a partner and a family and a dog and friends, and he never apologized for who he is and neither will I.” GC: Do you realize that you are like the modern-day Ellen and the modern-day Rosie? You are now that person that you once looked up to.

RM: OK, now that freaks me out! I have a lot more to achieve to reach anything like that, but I will gladly fulfill that role for people, whomever needs it. I feel like I have a big ol’ wagon; everybody hop on it and let’s do this together.

GC: Who’s the tougher boss: Jay Leno or Chelsea Handler?

RM: (Laughs) Well, I would never categorize either one of them as tough in terms of tough on me. I will tell you, though: They’ve both given me incredible platforms, which is very rare for comics to do. I take it very seriously when they do that because they don’t do it lightly, and I know if they give me that opportunity, I gotta show up and be on point. That’s how you get the next opportunity. That’s how this town works. You get a shot, you deliver and you get another one.

GC: And now look at you in your own office.

RM: I know. Isn’t that nuts? And Chelsea is upstairs. You know, there’s been two pivots in my life when it comes to my career: one was meeting Jay Leno and the other was meeting Chelsea Handler, and both of them have been so instrumental and crucial and supportive and inspiring and have served as the most amazing mentors anybody in this town could ever have.

I don’t know what I ever did to deserve them, but I will spend the rest of my life thanking them.

GC: Don’t forget about Mark-Paul Gosselaar, who you interviewed recently when you guest hosted Chelsea Lately.

RM: When I guest hosted and I said, “Please welcome Mark-Paul Gosselaar,” and he walked around the corner, it was like I needed a time machine to go back to myself at 12 years old in my bedroom and be like, “Oh my god, guess what he just said?” – because it was the most surreal thing in the world. (Laughs) All of a sudden he’s there and he had heard me on Howard Stern talking about how, maybe, I had fantasized about him as a young kid watching Saved by the Bell, and he said he heard that and told his wife and screamed, “Ross Mathews masturbated to me!” It really was like my head was going to explode.

GC: No pun intended?

RM: (Laughs) Hilarious!

GC: Tell me about the “interactive” element of your new show.

RM: It’s a big party. This show is what I wish existed when I was a little kid, when I could reach out and be a part of pop culture. The audience is joining the conversation, and I’ll literally be in the audience with a microphone asking people’s opinions. When I have a guest, the people in

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the audience can ask the guest questions. We’re Skype-ing people in from all over the country so they can ask questions as well. Everybody’s welcome.

GC: There’s never been a show like this on TV then, has there?

RM: No, there hasn’t. I looked at all these shows that sort of talk about pop culture and the majority of them, if not all of them, were kind of saying, “Isn’t she a dumb bitch?” “Isn’t that stupid?” “He’s so lame.” There wasn’t a show that was doing what I’m doing, which is saying, “I love this stuff, you guys love this stuff, let’s talk it out.”

GC: How gay and fabulous is your set?

RM: Oh my god, it’s pretty great. It’s a little Palm Spring chic-y, but very comfortable as well. We’re trying to mix the two things. And it’s all a little elevated because I am super gay, so it has to be; people would be disappointed if it wasn’t.

GC: Ellen has her dancing. Rosie had her Koosh balls. What will be your signature thing on this show?

RM: I don’t know! I think that kind of thing just evolves, so I’ll figure that out. My thing is interacting with the audience; this show is really for the fans, so if that’s the legacy of this show, I’m thrilled with that.

GC: How did you decide on Hello Ross as the name?

RM: There was a lot of debate from a lot of people about the name, but there was never a debate on my end about the show. To me, it was always Hello Ross. That’s my Twitter, that’s my website, that’s the spirit of the show.

GC: Chelsea is a producer on the show. How involved will she be?

RM: She’s been involved every step of the way. She sees the whole process and she’s invested a lot in this. Not financially or anything like that, but to say, “I pick Ross, I think the audience wants to hear from Ross, I get behind Ross” means more to me than she’ll ever know.

GC: What have you learned from Chelsea about having your own show?

RM: That there’s a power in saying “I am what I am.” Never secondguessing that thing that only you own and only you know, which is your point of view and your perception of things and your truth. I know that sounds really hippy-dippy, but if you look at her, how many times do you think she’s probably heard, “You can’t say that”? And I’ve heard, “You can’t be that gay, you can’t be that high-pitched, you’ll never host a show with that voice.” But what I’ve learned from her is to use what makes you different

to stand out. I could’ve come to this town and taken hosting classes and done this and that and tried to lower my voice, but I would’ve looked like every other rock on the beach. The ones that work are those weird-looking rocks. Those are the ones you notice.

GC: When did you start to really love and embrace your voice?

RM: There was a point in my teenhood when I realized that the voice wasn’t changing. I was this gay cartoon of a person and it was a crossroad for me: I could either hate myself or I could love myself, and it’s just not in my nature to hate, so I said, “Fine, I accept myself fully. Go 100 percent.

Be you. Do you.”

GC: You talk about your Madonna encounter in your book. What’s the trick to keeping it together when meeting Madge?

RM: Clench your legs. Don’t just, like, lose it. And if you’re a huge fan, perhaps bring a diaper, because I have to tell you, that was so surreal. All I was thinking was, “Don’t say something that makes her kick you out.” I’ve shot pieces at zoos with animal keepers where they hand you a snake and you think, “This is exotic, this could bite me and this could kill me at any second.” It felt the same way when I met Madonna.

GC: There’s already talk of a follow-up to your first book. Where might you take the second one?

RM: The first book was about this person who loves pop culture and got plopped in the middle of it and tried to paddle and survive. I wanted to sort of establish who I was growing up, how I got plopped in pop culture and why that was such a big deal.

The next book is about what happens now. You achieved this dream; what’s it like? I have a partner, we’re starting a family, I’m trying to see the world and travel. Every day I live this crazy life and I think to myself, “You’ve gotta write this down.” I mean, the fact that I’m sitting where I’m sitting and I walk by celebrities every day on this lot and amazing things happen, and I go to these celebrity houses and I just can’t believe it. I am this superfan, but I get to be on the inside. I think that’s a story people want to hear.

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13

Boys Will Be Boys

Backstreet ‘fag hag’ AJ McLean talks screaming gays, his nude Marilyn Monroe pictorial and mistaking men for women  Photos by Big Hassle

By Chris Azzopardi When the Backstreet Boys dropped their latest album’s title track, “In a World Like This,” they did something special with the video: They ended it with a victorious moment in LGBT history, as an older lesbian couple finally celebrated their right to marry.

We caught up with self-proclaimed “fag hag” AJ McLean, a founding member of one of the biggest-selling boy bands in history, to chat about how his queer friends (and “Same Love” rapper Macklemore) inspired that video, doing Marilyn Monroe in the nude for an upcoming book and the time the band performed with men they thought were women.

GC: The video for the album’s first single, “In a World Like This,” celebrates marriage equality. Why was it important to take that stance with that music video?

AJ: It stemmed from me personally. I have a lot of gay friends and two of my best friends have been together for almost 10 years. And living in California, it’s been so friggin’ frustrating to me that they could not get it right; they couldn’t pass the bill. Then, literally, right after we dropped the video, they actually passed the bill (allowing LGBT people to get married) in California, and I was just ecstatic. I just love the fact that people love each other, no matter if they’re the same sex or not.

I think everybody’s equal, period.

I had just seen the Macklemore video for “Same Love” and that really inspired me. Knowing what the subject was about for “In a World Like This” – about love conquering all – we had talked with the director about basically having different moments in history that really were very impactful. We had 14

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done the first two, and then we were like, “What’s the last one gonna be?” I was like, “Why don’t we do something about samesex marriage? We have a huge gay following and it’s a huge deal.” The guys were all on board and we made it happen. I was so happy about it.

GC: When were the Backstreet Boys first aware they had a gay following?

AJ: We did a show years ago in Ybor City in Tampa and Divine Brown – the girl who messed around with Hugh Grant back in the day (laughs) – was hosting a drag show. We actually had no idea. We were all really young. Kevin (Richardson) was obviously older, so he had been around all his gays at Disney (when he worked there before Backstreet Boys) and he had been around drag queens before Nick (Carter) and me. We were in our trailer and we were watching these guys changing. We thought these were chicks – and all of a sudden they were taking off their clothes and I’m like, “Wait, that girl’s got, like, pecs. And oh, that’s a penis.” I was like, “What the hell is going on?”

We did three or four songs, the crowd went nuts and I was standing next to this 6-foot-6 drag queen who gave me a hug and a kiss. I was beside myself, and that was when we first knew that we had a big gay following. I was just like, “Wow, this is kind of friggin’ crazy.” Thinking back on it, I’ve been in this business since I was 3 and I grew up in musical theater, so I was raised and surrounded by gay men and gay women. I was hardly around anyone straight.

GC: It’s amazing you’re straight, actually.

AJ: It kind of is. Everyone always says, “When you look at a boy band, one of them has to be gay.” No, they don’t. Instead www.gaycalgary.com

of me being gay, I’m the fag hag.

GC: What do you think of all the interest and hope from fans that there is a gay member in the Backstreet Boys?

AJ: I think it’s awesome.

It’s great. I’ve worn a dress at my wedding. I’ve worn 6-inch Louboutins. I’ve got no fear and no shame.

There’s one guy named Matt and he’s a big, big Nick Carter fan. He’s this older gentleman from Tampa and he’s gay, and he’s been following us during this whole tour from China to Japan and now through the U.S. I think he really hopes that Nick might have a little bit of gay.

GC: What’s the verdict on that?

AJ: I don’t think he does. I’m gonna say no.

GC: You’ve performed at G-A-Y in London recently, and you’ve done San Francisco Pride in the past. Who’s louder: a bunch of screaming girls or a bunch of screaming gays?

AJ: If we did a full arena with the LGBT community, I bet you they’d be louder. When we did G-A-Y, there was about 2,200 people crammed into this little club, and they went buck wild. I feed off of a crowd anyway, but it was just so cool to sing a love song and grab this guy’s hand. He about melted.

GC: You really rock a tutu, AJ. After wearing one for a series of photos, have you considered a side career as a drag queen?

AJ: I thought about it. I thought it might be fun to do a music video where I’m a drag queen, but I got a thing with my facial hair. I don’t like to shave. Also, I might be the ugliest drag queen you’ve ever seen.

GC: You’d have to shave your legs too, you know.

AJ: Oh, trust me, I’ve shaved my legs before. My poor wife hates me because she’s like, “You have better legs than most women I know.”

GC: See, you’d be the perfect queen.

AJ: And I can walk in heels. I was a little wobbly at first. I was like a baby calf, but then I figured it out. I don’t see how women walk heel to toe in friggin’ heels, so, for me, I walk toe to heel.

It’s weird. I walk like a stork, but at least I’m not falling down.

GC: What inspired the Tyler Shields drag photo shoot?

AJ: Tyler and I have been friends with each other for about eight years. We’re always trying to push the envelope with each other and push each other to the next level. Once Tyler said he was gonna marry my wife and I, I was like, “You know, I’m gonna wear a dress in our wedding.”

We went to downtown L.A., I was in the full outfit with the hat and the heels, and he’s like, “You look too pretty. I want you to look all cracked out.” So we sat down on the curb – there’s a homeless guy pissing in the corner – and we took about 15 shots and that’s about it.

There’s gonna be more. You’re gonna see a lot more of me than you probably ever wanted to. Tyler is doing a coffee table book. It’s due out at the end of this year and it’s called The Dirty Side of Glamour. You just might see me completely naked in nothing but heels.

GC: Well, you gotta one-up the Jonas Brothers and their shirtless pics with some full frontal, right?

AJ: There’s no frontal, but you will see my little nonexistent ass. I’m in some very interesting poses a la the old Marilyn Monroe pinup look. It’s pretty funny.

GC: You’ve been outspoken about bullying and the suicides that have resulted in the LGBT community by making an It Gets Better video. A song on the new album, “Madeline,” was inspired by someone who was bullied into suicide, too. What do you hope fans who are or who’ve been bullied gain from that song?

AJ: I just hope that it shows that there are mean people in this world that will never understand or even try to understand what you’re going through, but there is always going to be more people who do.

Unfortunately, people that get bullied as much as some of these fans of ours have, or many of these young gay teens that got bulled into committing suicide, there comes a point where it starts on the other end – it starts on the bully side. You don’t have to like what someone’s gender is and you don’t have to like what they believe in. And if you don’t, don’t say anything. Just shut the fuck up. Let them do their thing.

I just hope the bullying stops. I hope that these young teens, or even full-grown gay men and gay women that are still struggling with bullying and still struggling with being looked down upon, know that you can do this as long as you surround yourself with the right people and believe in yourself and stay true to who you are.

GC: When you see other boy bands who’ve risen to the top in the last few years, does it remind you of the early days of the Backstreet Boys?

AJ: Oh, absolutely. We obviously miss certain parts of our career, and there are certain parts we don’t miss, but I think we wouldn’t be the men that we are today or the band that we are today had we not gone through all the shit we’ve been through, both highs and lows. It’s definitely cool to sit back and watch One Direction, The Wanted, Big Time Rush, Jonas and all these different groups. There are a lot of similarities, from the songs to the music titles to the producers that they work with to image. Everything. It’s like looking in a mirror. The only difference is 90 percent of the new boy bands don’t dance, and not all of them play instruments. But that doesn’t take away from their natural talent. They all sound great, they all look great and obviously they’ve got a bunch of screaming girls going buck wild for ’em. It is very reminiscent of us in our early days.

GC: Do you prefer where you’re at now in your career?

AJ: I do. We all have a newfound respect for each other. And we still act like a bunch of friggin’ twatsicles. I mean, I’m 35 years old and I just bought a friggin’ remote control car just to race around backstage. So we’re still kids at heart. We’ll always have that little piece of youth for the rest of our lives.

Also, being fathers now, we don’t want to be all chiseled and old. We still play jokes on each other. There’s an app called Burner where you can basically text someone from a fake number and really fuck with them. Nick really got me good talking about this fucking fan that I had slept with 10 years ago who has a kid that’s mine. I was having a friggin’ panic attack and sure enough, he came and knocked on the door and he’s like, “I’m that fan.” I’m like, “You son of a bitch.”

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15

Review

 Photos (C) Brinkhoff/Mögenburg

War Horse

Calgarian Caden Douglas Comes Home

By Jason Clevett It seems like actors with ties to Alberta continue to make waves. Recently Aaron Walpole, who has spent much time in Calgary came to town with Les Miserables.

Last year local boy Michael Lomenda hit the Jubilee Auditorium stage in Jersey Boys.

Now we can add Calgary born Caden Douglas to that list. Douglas, along with Edmonton’s Dayna Tietzen will be the latest Albertans to be part of a major national tour. War Horse runs in Calgary September 10th to 15th and Edmonton September 17th to 22nd. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.

“I think it is pretty incredible. If you are part of the arts community anywhere in the country Alberta artists have a very strong representation.

The theatre scene in Calgary is thriving, there are a lot of Alberta artists in Toronto where I have been for the last 10 years,” Douglas said of the Alberta connection. “It shows what great programs and opportunity for growth exist in Alberta and I think that is really important. …Of the Albertans that I have worked with in my career, we are from hearty stock out west and we are all hard workers and really talented and we all had such great opportunities growing up there it has allowed us to be very successful. I am grateful for that opportunity.”

Douglas will be on the road for a year with the show. Having friends who have done similar tours has helped prepare him for the highs and lows of life on the road.

“I’ve had friends who did tours of Hairspray and Mamma Mia. I work with people that I have learned were in the shows that I saw at the Jubilee when I was a kid and I am working with them as an adult. I got some really good advice on how to pack. I’ve been told to be open to the experience and what I will get to see and do in places that maybe I wouldn’t have been to otherwise. I am really looking forward to coming home to Calgary, that was a big selling part for me. I am really excited to go to New Orleans, I have never been there before. We get to visit parts of Texas and skip the winter which I am really excited about, we have 4 or 6 weeks in Florida right in February.

Then we get to go to Japan at the end of the tour for five weeks which is really exciting. I never thought I would get to visit there but we get to go to Tokyo to do the show. It is in English, but it will be like in Opera sometime where a ticker tape runs across in Japanese. Everyone talks about how great it is to share the work you are doing to places where audiences are really appreciative. We had our first show in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and the energy that was coming from the audience was really strong. Sometimes

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you get a standing ovation where the energy is so palpable and the audience is so appreciative that it is something very special. That night the audience was really grateful and appreciative and that people are excited about the work. A lot of people haven’t seen anything even remotely like War Horse before so they are really excited about it.”

War Horse has revived rave reviews and accolades including the 2011 Tony Award for best play. Douglas first experienced War Horse during the Toronto run in 2012 where he had a different role, as the puppeteer of the back end of Joey the horse.

“It was pretty straightforward. My agent told me I had an audition for War Horse in Toronto and I didn’t think there was much in it for me so I was kind of surprised. I auditioned for one of the horses which was a pretty extensive audition. After I got through it I thought, that will be pretty fun for whoever gets to do it not thinking at all that I was going to be getting it. I got a call back and ended up booking the show and played Joey’s hind for the 1 year run. I came down to fill in for a couple of people on the tour last year and in talking to the creative team, [I] am now playing Captain Stewart for the tour this year. After doing a show for the year you end up being really intimate with the work and you know the story that is being collectively told. War Horse is an ensemble piece so everybody is working together to tell the story, so you have a clear understanding of how the whole show works.

The transition of playing the horse to Captain Stewart - there were parts that I knew because I had watched it or been a part of it, so it wasn’t as big of a transition as I thought it would be.”

Getting to perform as a human is a new challenge and change for Douglas, who, in seeing the horse in action, was as amazed as audiences are.

“I was halfway through rehearsals and I was watching my friend Dayna, who is playing Joey’s hind, in the scene where Joey is learning how to plow.

I was just so taken with how beautiful the work is, it was a moment where I was like, I can’t believe I did that for an entire year. It was the hardest thing I’ve done in my career physically. It is definitely a nice change to play someone new. Like anything you learn and grow from every piece of work that you can, but then it gets to a point where it is awesome to work on something new. It has been perfect for me because I had such a wonderful time and learned so much in Toronto but was ready for a different set of challenges when the show closed. To get to do a show I love again with a whole different learning curve has been really exciting.”

Regardless whether one is a musician or an actor, there is always something special about “coming home.” Having seen many touring shows on the Jubilee Auditorium stage, it is special for Caden to be part of such an incredible show on the stage in front of friends, family and Calgarians.

The potential to influence others toward an acting career much like he was, inspires him on stage.

“I was just talking about this last night with some friends. Being kids… some of our very first experiences at the theatre were at the Jubilee Auditorium. To get to go back as an adult with a show that I love so much and is so beautiful, to get to come back and do it in my hometown in a theatre that was where I was inspired to pursue this as a career is really exciting. There were people in Calgary who were hugely influential in my growth and choice of career. Some were strangers I saw on stage and some were people that encouraged me growing up. The thought of potentially being a point of inspiration to somebody to pursue this is a pretty incredible thing. It makes me a bit emotional as it is coming full circle and I feel so blessed to get to do this show in Calgary.”

War Horse is a powerful piece of theatre blending puppetry with live actors that is like nothing else. In speaking to Douglas, the passion and love for the show comes through.

“It is a beautiful story about a boy and his horse, and the bond they have. They are separated by the first world war and experience the war in different ways and grow from it. Albert, who is Joey’s owner, searches for him the whole war. Ultimately it is a story of hope and how, in the worst most brutal situations, the human spirit can overcome and the best of us is revealed. It is a really important piece and I think it is really moving. Calgary is a horse city and I think that bond is pretty strong. It is a beautiful and uplifting show and there is nothing like it that has existed before.”

War Horse Calgary – Jubilee Auditorium - September 10th to 15th Edmonton – Jubilee Auditorium - September 17th to 22nd Tickets at Ticketmaster http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3659

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Community

Discussing Community Safety The Citizen’s Police Academy

By Constable Andy Buck Hello everyone. I wanted to start this month by talking about the terrible incident a couple of weeks ago that was of huge media interest. For those of you that didn’t see the news or read the papers, a gay man was assaulted by another male where homophobic comments were used, the victim suffering facial injuries that required hospital attention.

The whole incident caused quite a stir on social media, however some comments were not justified surrounding the police handling of the case. I wanted to speak to the victim before giving any reply or update as I thought it only right to clarify the situation and to get his perspective on things. Well, I had the chance to speak with him recently, and I can tell you that he is recovering well from his ordeal. The investigation is still in its early stages and there is much work left to do, however the victim has no issues or concerns with how he has been treated either by the original attending officer or from the detectives subsequently investigating the incident.

I have had the opportunity to read the report and to speak with the detectives, and I am happy to say that I am satisfied that this incident is being handled with all the diligence and professionalism that one would expect.

In light of some comments, it got me thinking that perhaps there was a lack of knowledge out there regarding the police service as a whole, and so I wanted to take this opportunity to give you some information about the Citizens’ Police Academy.

The Citizen’s Police Academy (CPA) is a Calgary Police Service (CPS) initiative that encourages citizens to learn more about their municipal police service. The Academy is hosted by civilian volunteers, CPS civilian employees and police officers.

What is the purpose of the Academy?

• CPS staff will process the security clearance.

• Current volunteers with the Calgary Police Service who wish to participate need only to call the Chief Crowfoot Learning Centre.

Please note: Applicants must complete this Security Clearance Check even if they hold an existing/current Security Clearance issued by the CPS or any other agency. Due to this unique program offered by the CPS, the sensitive nature of its content and the secure area in which the program is held, a higher level of security must be met.

Additional information The Academy is free of charge and runs twice a year, usually the fall and winter. It is a progressive course that runs for a 12-week period and weekly on Wednesday evenings for about three hours.

Location Calgary Police Service’s Westwinds Campus 5111 47 St. N.E., Calgary, AB Contact us Chief Crowfoot Learning Centre 403-428-8960 Hopefully this information will be of interest to you. It is an opportunity for you to come along and see what policing is all about without having to commit to a career in law enforcement.

However, who knows where it will lead!

Please stay safe, take care of each other, and feel free to contact me with any questions, comments or concerns.

To increase citizens understanding of the CPS, its role, daily operations, police limitations and powers by: • Presentations, followed by open discussions with police officers, CPS volunteers and various representatives from specialty units.

• Hosted tours of Calgary police facilities.

These presentations provide insight into the diverse nature of policing from a Calgary perspective from the various units across CPS. At the conclusion of the program participants will graduate from the Academy and receive a special address from the Chief of Police accompanied by their own course certificates.

For those interested in learning more about policing as a possible profession this program could be helpful.

Constable Andy Buck 403-428-8154 • pol4792@calgarypolice.ca http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3660

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How do I apply?

Applicants must be at least 18 years old and be able to successfully pass a Security Clearance Check.

To apply for the Academy applicants must: • Attend the Calgary Police Service’s Westwinds Campus (address below) and show two pieces of government-issued identification (one of which must have a photo).

• Attend the Police Information Check Unit service desk and ask for a Police information check -Citizens’ Police Academy application to be completed on site and submitted (there is no charge to apply for this security clearance). www.gaycalgary.com

GayCalgary Magazine #119, September 2013

17

Politics

Mother Russia Is Abusing Her Children

By Stephen Lock There was a time, during the first homosexual emancipation movement of the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, that Germany, the post-Czarist and newly created state of Soviet Russia, and England were in the forefront of legalizing homosexuality. It was in many ways a truly radical movement affecting the arts, politics, and the zeitgeist of the era, much like the gay liberation movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s did in North America.

With the recent bill passed by the Russian Duma (Parliament) effectively criminalizing the “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations”, and backed by the Kremlin, an international firestorm has erupted over what many in the West see as a regressive step in the area of human and equal rights.

Adding to the reaction is Russia hosting the 2014 Winter Olympics at Sochi and the concern gay and lesbian participants and spectators will face arrest or, at the very least, official harassment if they are at all open about their orientation... not that many, if any, Olympic-level athletes are or have been while competing. This issue could dramatically change that.

For several years now, queer activists in Russia have had to deal with violent right wing and Nationalist (i.e. skinhead) thugs viciously attacking them during Pride events or other gatherings and state police standing by doing nothing to prevent it or stop it when it did occur. In some instances, it was the LGBTQ leaders who would be arrested and detained.

The bill is seen by many as part of an effort to reject “Western values” and promote traditional Russian ones and as such has been heavily backed by the Russian Orthodox Church. Russia, of course, has a long history of not seeing itself as “European” and isolating itself from Europe, and not just under Soviet rule but under many of the Czars as well.

Many Russians view homosexuality as not only a sin and an aberration but, in the truest sense of the word, as a perversion. Lesbians and gay men are seen as somehow decreasing Russia’s already low birthrates and many politicians and other lawmakers believe, according to a recent Associated Press story, homosexuals should be barred from government jobs, forced to undergo “medical treatment”, or be exiled. Somehow the spectre of Stalinist gulags and the horrors and deprivation of state-run psychiatric wards don’t seem to haunt them or prevent them from advocating such outrageousness.

The law is not simply about “promoting homosexuality”, something many of our own socially-conservative and right wing types in Canada and the US constantly go on about when any discussion of equality rights arises. Under this law, such gatherings as Pride parades or marches are illegal. Discussion of LGBTQ issues and topics is a punishable criminal offence. Gay bashing is, tacitly at the very least, sanctioned with the victims blamed and often the ones who end up arrested - can the rounding up of gay men and lesbians be far behind? - all in the name of protecting Mother Russia from the pernicious and decadent influence of Western bourgeois liberalism. Papa Stalin would be so proud....

Russia now joins the ranks of other repressive regimes, although it has not gone so far (one is tempted to add “yet”) as some like Saudi Arabia that has the death penalty for being gay, as does Iran who has actually executed homosexuals (although Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran’s past president, denies it was because the youths were gay, saying Iran doesn’t have any homosexuals, but rather were executed for drug running and the sodomy rape of a minor), or Uganda that is considering an anti-homosexual bill which would impose life sentences and possibly execution on those found to be gay (and possibly those found to be lesbian, although most of these laws focus on males...sort of a perverse ‘sexism-in-reverse’ dynamic going on in which it is unfathomable how women can be sexual without men involved). Kenya has a similar bill before its Parliament.

In predominately Muslim Senegal, there are reports of bodies of homosexual men, or men believed to have been homosexual, being dug up and tossed out of Muslim cemeteries. That’s some pretty creepy stuff, right there.

In Gaza, homosexuality has been declared to be punishable by death with Hamas advocating the beating, torture,

Continued on Page 39 

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Review

The Robots are Coming

Swallow-A-Bicycle Theatre presents Beakerhead sci-fi attraction

By Marisa Hudson The robots are coming. Or, at least, facsimiles of them are. Swallow-A-Bicycle Theatre is soon to present a performance which promises to be a spectacle of science fiction and raw entertainment. I-ROBOT Theatre, which debuted as a stage show in November 2011, has been given an update and will be a main attraction for Calgary’s upcoming art and technological festival, Beakerhead, running from September 11th to 15th.

Inspired by the book i-ROBOT Poetry by Jason Christie, it is to be held in the newly transformed Artbox on 17E. The trailer for the show, as seen on Swallow-A-Bicycle’s website, is both enchanting and puzzling, with a clear throwback to the campy science fiction of the Sixties and Seventies.

Science fiction is a trend that never dies - in fact, as we power into the future, it seems to be less like fiction and more and more like fact. The questions that arise with the possibility of artificial intelligence are becoming dominant in popular culture, and i-ROBOT Theatre sets the stage by describing a world where we, as humans, live in harmony with all of the electronics in our lives. Everything from the car to the toaster has the capability of human thought and emotion, and our harmony with it is jeopardized by the advent of change - and the robots’ search for self actualization.

The promoters are being understandably mysterious about what the production itself entails, though it promises technical innovation alongside clever and creative writing.

However, a bit more light was shed by actor and writer Paul Welch, who plays a starring role.

Paul, the Artistic Director of Calgary’s Third Street Theatre and winner of the Betty Mitchell Award, is no stranger to the stage. In i-ROBOT he is Jonathon, an executive working for DreamCorp, a high-tech company that can be likened to Google - if Google spent more time attempting to fix animated consciousnesses into toasters, that is. Jonathan is pitching an android that has all of the functionality, versatility and preciseness of a robot, but with the ability to think and feel like a human. Naturally, the end goal is to make these androids indistinguishable from ourselves. Jonathan believes in this product so much he takes home the prototype to be his wife, and the fact that he truly loves this synthetic being is one of the themes the production addresses.

Paul also told me about Holleay Rohm’s character, who brings forth questions of her own as the android. Her struggle is that of the machine, and the differentiation between function and purpose in the larger scope of humanity. When the robots make the decision to rebel in i-ROBOT, they are fighting for their independence and sovereignty while also embarking on missions of self discovery. For her character, with her ability to think rationally and operate in a variety of parameters, who is to say she is not able to take control of her own destiny?

Integrating technology with the story, theatre goers will find both an aural and visual delight, as the play itself is set on a temporary soundstage. LED lights have been incorporated

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into costumes, and an array of tools from video to puppetry help i-ROBOT in its quest to see how far we can go in theatre technology, and what it can add to the telling of our stories.

The show is not the only way to get a techno-buzz this month, as Beakerhead promises an array of delights - from the molecular food craze to engineering an exciting morning commute on your way to work. Still, i-ROBOT promises to be a star among these delights and a truly unique theatre experience.

You can catch i-ROBOT Theatre from September 11th to its closing show on Sunday, September 22nd. Tickets are $25 per adult, with $20 tickets for students and seniors.

i-ROBOT Presented by Swallow-A-Bicycle Theatre September 11th – 22nd http://www.swallowabicycle.com http://www.beakerhead.org http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3662

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Photography

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ProPride 2013 Calgary, at Hotel Arts, Calgary

YYC Bad Boys Louder Launch Party, at the Backlot, Calgary

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Photography YYC Bad Boys Presents Louder, at Vinyl Nightclub, Calgary http://gaycalgary.com/pa573

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Photography 4th Annual Dyke March and Festival http://gaycalgary.com/pa574

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Photography Pure Pride Calgary, at Flames Central http://gaycalgary.com/pa577

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Photography Red Carpet Pride Kick off Party at Tops Steak House, Calgary

2nd Annual BiBQ, Calgary

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Photography Deep Roots IV at Broken City, Calgary http://gaycalgary.com/pa579

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Photography Pride Calgary 2013 Parade and Street Festival http://gaycalgary.com/pa552

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Photography

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Photography FUSED 2 - Pride Wrap Up, at the Commonwealth Bar, Calgary http://gaycalgary.com/pa557

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Photography Hot Mess Pride Party at Local 522, Calgary

Gay Friends in Calgary Big Gay Pride Brunch, National on 10th

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Out of Town

Washington’s San Juan Islands

 The Massachusetts State House rises over the Boston Common, part of the city’s beautiful Emerald Necklace park system. Photo by Andrew Collins

by Andrew Collins Summer may signal the end of high season at New England’s beach resorts, but September and October are the perfect months for visiting the region’s largest metropolis, Boston, along with its smaller neighbors, Cambridge and Somerville. At this time, the city comes alive as students return to the area’s many colleges, the leaves turn bold shades of orange and crimson in gardens and parks around town, and restaurants and bars with terraces and sidewalk seating entertain fans of alfresco dining for a few more weeks of warm weather.

Here’s a look at one of the nation’s gay-friendliest destinations, with a particular eye toward what to see during the fall months. But you’ll find tips here on things to do, cool inns and hotels, and hip dining and nightlife that should come in handy no matter what time of year you visit.

The South End This handsome neighborhood of narrow, tree-shaded streets lined with Victorian bow-front, redbrick townhouses has steadily evolved over the years into one of the city’s favorite destinations for an afternoon stroll, whether to admire the architecture, duck into tony boutiques, or seek out trendy neighborhood bistros and cafes. This upscale district is very much the heart of Boston’s gay scene, and it’s home to several long-running LGBT nightspots - the endearingly dive-y Boston Eagle, the classic dance club and video bar Club Café (www.clubcafe.com), the friendly sports bar Fritz (fritzboston.com).

A favorite pastime around here is dining out, with most of the top restaurants along the main thoroughfares of Tremont Street, Washington Street, and Columbus Avenue.

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Longtime favorites of the gay community, like Franklin Café (franklincafe.com) and Tremont 647 (tremont647. com), are as popular as ever both for dining and drinking.

But in recent years, quite a few other culinary stars have helped shine a light on the neighborhood, including Coppa (coppaboston.com), where you’ll find superb charcuterie and cheese plates, wood-fired pizza, and wines by the glass, and newcomer Estelle’s (estellesboston.com), which earns raves for its updated take on Southern cuisine, from crispy catfish burgers to buttermilk fried chicken.

Jamaica Plain Slightly out of the way Jamaica Plain, or JP as it’s affectionately known, is a few miles southwest of downtown Boston, in a relatively residential part of Boston that tourists sometimes miss. Especially if you’re visiting during the fall foliage season, this funky, progressive neighborhood with a solid gay and - particularly - lesbian following merits a visit.

Boston’s famed Emerald Necklace - a string of dozen green spaces laid out by eminent 19th-century landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted - has several significant sections in Jamaica Plain, including Franklin Park (with its historic zoo), Arnold Arboretum (with 280 acres of plants and trees connected by well-marked paths), Jamaicaway (a tree-lined parkway), and Jamaica Pond. You can continue along the Emerald Necklace visiting the other linked parks, including Olmsted Park in Brookline, the Riverway, the Back Bay Fens (where you can access the outstanding Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts), Commonwealth Avenue Mall, and finally the Public Garden and Boston Common. The entire string of parks is about 10 miles (and popular as a biking route), but it’s easy just to choose a few portions of it and explore those on foot. All of www.gaycalgary.com

the Jamaica Plain parks, for example, are great for strolling and jogging.

Cambridge and Somerville These two neighboring cities just across the Charles River from Boston are sometimes considered mere extensions of their larger neighbor, but each has a great deal going for it and sizable LGBT populations. Cambridge (cambridgeusa. org), with about 106,000 residents, is most famous has the home of Harvard University and MIT, and indeed these world-renowned educational institutions are worth visiting, especially the many esteemed attractions related to the arts and sciences - the Harvard Art Museums, Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, Museum of Science, MIT Museum.

On a sunny September day, it’s a pleasure simply to walk through verdant Harvard Square, or on a path fringing the Charles River.

You’ll also find quite a few performance spaces, from comedy improv to alternative music to modern dance. Check out the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.), where on Saturday nights Club Oberon (cluboberon.com) stages the queer-fabulous Donkey Show, a wildly entertaining disco extravaganza complete with hot go-go dancers. Actual gay bars have come and gone in Cambridge over the years, but one has persevered: The cruise-y Paradise (paradisecambridge. com) is a two-level club with porn showing on the TV screens in the main bar, and hot dancers in G-strings slinking about on the lower floor.

Cambridge has some particularly dynamic neighborhoods for exploring, among them diverse Central Square, with its live music venues and affordable ethnic eateries, and student-driven Porter Square, where - particularly along Massachusetts Avenue - the laudable dining options are many. Harvard Square is the hub of the eating action, but all throughout Cambridge, you can find plenty of inviting places to knock back local microbrews and feast on excellent food.

Among the favorite ethnic restaurants in Cambridge, and there are many, keep an eye out for the Maharaja (maharajaboston.com) for well-prepared Indian cuisine in an elegantly decorated dining room, Thelonious Monkfish (theloniousmonkfish.com) over in Central Square for sushi and mod Asian-Japanese fare, and Koreana (koreanaboston. com) for Korean fare. Cambridge is also at the forefront of locavore-minded, seasonal cuisine, with some true destination dining notables. T.W. Food (twfoodrestaurant. com) has helped to lead this charge with its farm-to-table menu - the Sunday jazz brunch is a lot of fun. Another gem, near MIT, is Salts Restaurant (saltsrestaurant.com), which turns out well-crafted French-inflected contemporary food, from bergamot-cured ocean trout to whole roasted boneless duck for two.

Somerville, with a population of about 77,000 and a location just north of Cambridge, is primarily residential, but it’s home to several cool dining and nightlife options, especially around bustling Davis Square, where you’ll find the inviting Spoke Wine Bar (facebook.com/SpokeWineBar), which serves commendable food and vino well into the evening, and hipster-favored Diesel Café (diesel-cafe.com), a worthy source of sandwiches, salads breakfast fare, and craft coffee, with an emphasis on local provisions. Bergamot (bergamotrestaurant.com), a short walk from Cambridge, is one of the hottest tables in Somerville, thanks to the super globally inspired modern American fare, the nightly $39 three-course dinner special, and top-notch cocktails (plus great beer and wine lists).

room property by the Charles River has become a desirable overnight destination, its rooms with huge windows overlooking the river, and its bars and restaurants drawing a see-and-be-seen crowd, especially Clink, where you can dine amid the grillwork of the former jail cells.

The South End’s gay-owned Encore B&B (encorebandb. com) is a romantic but reasonably priced option; the redbrick townhouse on a tree-lined street has four stylishly appointed rooms with private baths, flat-screen TVs, and plush bedding.

With rates starting at under $100 for a room with shared bath (rooms with private baths don’t cost too much more), the neighboring Adams B&B (adamsboston.com) and Oasis Guest House (oasisgh.com) are couple of the top bargains in the city. These gay-owned properties enjoy a great location

by Fenway and the Back Bay, and have compact, simply furnished rooms, plus outdoor and indoor common areas; if you just need a clean and safe place base for exploring, these are a good bet.

Gay-favored (and pet-welcoming) boutique-hotel brand Kimpton has a couple of dapper properties in downtown Boston: Nine Zero (ninezero.com) is situated by the Boston Common and has 190 super-swanky rooms, including several urbane suites with distinct themes (note the carved deer heads in the Lodge Nouveau Suite). Kimpton’s Onyx (onyxhotel.com) is close to Faneuil Hall and the North End and has 112 boldly decorated rooms, each with iHome entertainment systems.

In Cambridge, consider Kimpton’s dapper Hotel Marlowe, whose 236 handsomely furnished rooms have animal-print carpets and opulent velvet fabrics - the spacious suites are especially memorable, with their floor-to-ceiling windows and telescopes, perfect for ogling the Boston skyline just across the river. Guests can take out complimentary kayaks for a paddle on the Charles, and the restaurant, Bambara, serves delicious Italian-accented modern New England fare.

A convenient Harvard Square location accounts in part for the tremendous popularity the Charles Hotel (charleshotel.com), a light-filled 295-room hotel that’s home to the acclaimed restaurants Henrietta’s Table (for regional American) and Rialto (modern Italian), two popular bars, and a terrific urban spa, Corbu. The hotel lends guests complimentary bicycles to pedal along the nearby Charles riverfront. The nearby Hotel Veritas (thehotelveritas.com) has just plush but intimate rooms, with commissioned artwork by local talents, Turkish bath linens, iPod docks, and plenty of other perks - this is a lovely place to stay if you’re seeking a more laid-back, boutique hotel with exceptional one-on-one service.

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Where to Stay in Boston and Cambridge One of the most fascinating hotel adaptations in the country, the GLBT-popular Liberty Hotel (libertyhotel.com) is built around what had been the Charles Street Jail, an imposing granite building that dates to 1851. Since its masterful architectural conversion in 2007, this luxe 298www.gaycalgary.com

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Interview GC: Your latest album was in 2011, do you have any plans for a new album coming up?

ES: Yeah, we do, and Amy just finished a solo album that hasn’t come out yet. Then we are going to do an Indigo album in 2014. We are already starting the writing process for that. I would like to hunker down and get into doing some writing for that right away. We’re talking about maybe starting that in late May or late spring.

GC: Can fans expect a little bit more of your older stuff, a little bit more of your recent stuff – and if they’re lucky, maybe a sneak-a-peek?

ES: We’ll see what happens. Amy just wrote a new song that she put on her website. It’s a really powerful song and people should check that out.

GC: I was just looking at that, it seems like there is a lot of present social issues that might be grounded in that song. I know you guys have been following the whole ‘Stand Your Ground’ concept, and the war on drugs … is that the kind of message you’re hoping to get out to people?

ES: Absolutely - we are trying to relay a message, and it’s helping us and we hope that it’s something that can be talked about. It’s so important recognizing the issues. And then to have those changes come about. Actual changes. So both Amy and I as songwriters, we keep it in our mind and in our spirit.

Indigo Girls tour Canada Iconic musical duo visiting Calgary later this month

By Krista Sylvester The iconic lesbian musical duo Indigo Girls are bringing their solo act to Calgary on September 30th at Knox United Church.

The duo is made up of Emily Saliers and Amy Ray, and we had the opportunity to talk to Emily on the phone in advance of their visit. These girls know how to sing but their powerful message is just as important as their songs. This is what Emily has to say on a variety of topics including how excited they are to hit up Canada.

GC: It must be really exciting to come to Calgary for the first time with

your own show. Are you excited? Have any expectations? I mean, it’s the first time for everyone to get you guys solo.

ES: We have total excitement for it. We’ve been wanting to tour Canada… for a long time. We want to continue to tour in the United States because it’s such a big country. There’s always something to do and so we just finally said that we really want to tour in Canada. We’ve never done a comprehensive tour there; we’ve just hit the major cities and done all of the festivals. This tour we’re going to try to go back to small venues and travel in a van and do a lot of the stuff ourselves. It’s exciting that we still are that do-it-yourself kind of band. It’s really going to be like that, it’s really going to be stripped down, and we are going to take all of our instruments that we can fit in the van. It’s exciting to us.

We appreciate Canadian music and Canadian radio. We just played in Vancouver Island for a festival there. We’re psyched.

GC: That’s awesome. I guess it’s quite intimate, but what are the other benefits of playing those smaller venues?

ES: That is the main one, that it is intimate. Recently we did a tour with another band in the US. We would get requests to do certain songs.

You get requests to do songs and we weren’t able to do them. Otherwise, when people requests songs and we know them, we can just play them.

It’s just nice to be there. It’s a different kind of energy when it’s that intimate and we’re going to be playing a lot of towns in Canada that we haven’t played before. That’s exciting to us. We like that.

GC: I guess the fan experience in the smaller venues is amazing. They probably feel like they’re right up front and center – does it feel that way for you?

ES: Yeah. It’s very stripped down, very much an on the road experience. In the States we travel on a tour bus and stuff traveling during the day, traveling in the van. Hopefully it will be enjoyable, but I think it’s going to be.

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GC: It must be really frustrating to have all of these situations that you need to talk about and get a message out about.

ES: It’s something to think about and something to write about, you know. There are problems all over the world and the US; it’s a complicated history from state to state. The history of a country that is so immersed in slavery that has shaped the country, that there are deep seeded issues with classes and slaver. Fortunately, it can come to light when people write about them, or people talk about them. It is frustrating. We just got the right to get my partner a green card, because she’s my spouse, and so weeks ago that wouldn’t have even been the case. It’s like come on, you know? Being an American is a constant state of vigilance of what is going on, being part of the solution for problems.

Everyone is complacent in some way. It’s like, there’s a lot to deal with.

Everybody’s involved.

GC: Have you noticed that people are becoming more aware of these issues and talking about them more and speaking out more?

ES: I have noticed that with the increase in accessibility to technology and social media that it’s much easier to disseminate information.

The good with the bad. The thing with social media, and Twitter, and Networking, it’s been a great tool because people can really be informed.

And then at the same time you have to really be vigilant where you get your source from, is it true, and all of those kinds of things. But, it’s a great tool for starting to find information, and making people aware of what is going on.

GC: While we are on the topic, maybe you could talk a little bit about the Abolish the Death Penalty T-shirts. Are you going to be bringing those with you to your Canada day tour dates?

ES: I’m not sure if we are or aren’t. You don’t have a death penalty in Canada. It’s more difficult to bring merch into Canada. I think we will end up having our merch printed in Canada, just because it’s easier that way. The first t-shirt we did dealt with immigration issues in the US. The death penalty one has a lot of important quotes and striking artwork, and we are giving them to different groups. One of them is in Texas, because Texas is the worst. And Georgia as well, because Georgia executes people too. We try to be part of the solution to that problem GC: What are you most excited about in hitting the road?

ES: I’m excited about this Canadian tour, because it’s just so

fascinating and interesting to get to know a country from the inside.

Indigo Girls In concert September 30th at Knox United Church http://www.indigogirls.com http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3665

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Review

Hot Plots for a Balmy Fall

CIFF Lines the 2013 Roster with Steamy Must-See LGBT Films

By Janine Eva Trotta Like eggnog to Christmas the worldly cinema grandeur of the Calgary International Film Festival defines the taste of fall.

This year ‘Long Live the Director’ marks the theme of the 11day festival span, which will take place September 19th to 29th at various screens throughout the city centre.

The list of LGBT tagged films in this year’s line up is a sweet mix of romantic and downright sizzling. GayCalgary Magazine is proud to once again sponsor some of these films and to highlight their intriguing storylines for you to peruse as you plan your CIFF itinerary this year.

Gerontophilia Canada – Bruce LaBruce As the cover shot suggests, this is a film about an attractive young man and his intimacy with seniors in a retirement home.

Part of the Canadian Cinema Series, Gerontophilia (literally meaning ‘love of the elderly’) follows the 18-year-old Lake (played by the dreamy Pier-Gabriel Lajoie) who, upon taking a job at a nursing home, finds himself drawn to its residents and the stories of their youth. When Lake discovers the residents are being drugged to keep them sedentary, he breaks one man free for a final Thelma and Louise style road trip.

This Alberta premiere plays at Eau Claire Tuesday, September 24th at 10pm and Thursday, September 26th at 5:15pm.

Blue is the Warmest Color France – Abdellatif Kechiche This coming of age story follows Adèle (Adèle Exarchopoulos) a 15-year-old girl who believes in the classic love story, until she meets Emma (Léa Seydoux) a blue-haired vixen who introduces her to ‘a whole new dimension of love, desire and attraction’.

Based on the French graphic novel Blue Angel, this film took home the Palme d’Or, FIPRESCI Prize at this year’s Cannes and promises much more than an average teenage love story.

Blue is the Warmest Color plays in part of the Headliner Series at Eau Claire Sunday, September 22nd at 6:15pm. Get your tickets in advance.

Oil Sands Karaoke Canada – Charles Wilkinson Brace yourself for a look at Fort McMurray like you never thought you’d see; a look through the lens of a heartfelt karaoke competition at Bailey’s Pub. Five contestants – including a towering drag queen – belt out more than a song in this strange documentary, and alter the perceptions we all have of the isolated, industrial oil sands community.

See it Wednesday, September 25th at 7pm or Sunday, September 29th at 4:30pm at the Globe.

Unhung Hero United States – Brian Spitz Does size really matter? It sure did to Patrick Moote’s girlfriend. After a giant public rejection to a marriage proposal made on the jumbotron of a UCLA basketball game, Moote embarks on a documentative journey to find out what people really think of the small penis. To get his answer he meets with the world’s leading sex pundits – including interviews with Dan Savage, Annie Sprinkle, and Jonah Falcon: the man currently holding title for world’s largest appendage. Moote journeys to porn conventions, Korean sex museums and witch doctors in Papua New Guinea all to discover why the world is so interested in phallic measurement. www.gaycalgary.com

This show plays at Eau Claire Saturday September 21st at 9:45pm and at the Globe on Friday, September 27th at 5pm.

Vic + Flo Saw a Bear Canada – Denis Côté The experimental and prolific Brayon director takes on an atypical adult love story in this bittersweet thriller. Victoria (Pierrette Robitaille) is a recently released convict in her midsixties who decides to settle in a sugar shack nestled deep in the Quebec woods with her former cellmate and lover Flo (Romane Bohringer). Amidst this ethereal setting both women must face their demons in order to begin living a life that resembles normalcy. Vic + Flo Ont vu un Ours received the Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Award at this year’s prestigious Berlinale.

The film plays Friday, September 20th at 4:30pm at the Globe and Thursday, September 26th at 9:45pm at Eau Claire.

In the Name Of Poland – Malgorzata Szumowska Father Adam is a good man, but a man nonetheless. When he moves to a small Polish parish he is cruelly tempted by young, troubled men of age. As his struggle against repressed desire surmounts, the village begins to notice the Father is not the man they thought he was.

This Alberta premiere takes place at Eau Claire Wednesday, September 25th at 9:45pm and shows again on Friday, September 27th at 4:45pm.

Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?

Taiwan – Arvin Chen Welchung (Richie Jen) lives seemingly in domestic bliss. His wife is beautiful, his son is affectionate, his job is good. That is until his mother-in-law plants a bee in his wife’s bonnet to have a second child, and simultaneously an old male flame reappears in his life to remind him of the romance he truly longs for and the different life he once lived.

Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow offers audiences a fresh look at a modern love triangle at Eau Claire on Monday, September 23rd at 5pm and Saturday, September 28th at 9:15pm at the Globe.

Goltzius & The Pelican Company Croatia/France/Netherlands/UK – Peter Greenaway This bizarre, erotic drama is director/screenwriter Greenaway’s second instalment in a three-part ‘Dutch Masters’ trilogy. Hendrick Goltzius is a 16th-Century printmaker and engraver of erotic art, famed for his detailed interpretations of the human form. To secure funding, the artist promises his proprietor erotic stories from court in addition to his personal passion – steamy takes on stories from the Old Testament.

The film tantalizes its viewers with an alluring perspective on voyeurism and an x-rated view of the Bible.

See it Wednesday, September 25th at 9:30pm or Saturday, September 28th at 2pm at Eau Claire.

Calgary International Film Festival September 19th-29th http://www.calgaryfilm.com http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3666

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Interview

Christopher Daniels Actor, Escort, Firebrand

By Nick Winnick Christopher Daniels’ bright blond hair and chiseled body are attention-grabbers, without a doubt, but the escort and model has a lot more to offer the world than the purely visual. I had a chance to speak with him ahead of his visit to Edmonton’s Evolution Wonder Lounge this month, and he pulled no punches when chatting about work, “work,” life, and how even our own side can get its messages muddled sometimes.

GC: One of the first things I noticed when researching your work is what an active online presence you have. Do you try to keep things at arm’s length, or dive right in?

CD: I don’t really think there’s too much of a difference between my professional porn life and my personal one. I use Twitter and other social media under my porn name, and I think I can get away with saying a lot more being in the porn industry, because people sort of expect outrageous behaviour. It allows me that freedom.

GC: So doing porn was liberating in a sense?

CD: Once I’d done a few scenes, and decided that this was something that I wanted to focus on... It’s freeing and it’s liberating, but it was kind of scary to cross over, because you realize that once it’s out there you can’t really go back.

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GC: You sort of buy that freedom at a cost of exposing yourself in a lot of ways.

CD: And you pretty much have to accept the fact that you will never do things like be a President, or be a schoolteacher.

I’m fine with that, but you have to realize that it could harm you in the future.

GC: I got the impression that you prefer working on camera to escorting. Is that fair to say?

CD: I go through phases, I think. I’ve been very fortunate to do first escorting and then porn, and then these appearances started happening more frequently, [because] I feel that it’s easy to get burned out on any one of those three things, especially if I’m only doing one at a time. I find that if I balance the three and switch it up, it’s much better for me physically and emotionally, and for my sanity.

GC: Doing both the porn work and the escorting, some people probably feel like they’re entitled to your body or your space to some extent when they see you in person. Do things ever get, you know, weird?

CD: I always try to be friendly and appreciative, but I think some people have a hard time understanding that there are still some boundaries. Just because I’m fucking on camera doesn’t mean that you can come up to me in the club and stick your finger in my asshole! ... But for the most part it’s positive, and people are appreciative, and I have fun with them, and it’s a good experience.

GC: You’ve mentioned in other interviews that it’s really critical for someone in your line of work to have strong support networks and good outlets, emotionally. What are the most important ones for you?

CD: I’ve been dating a guy for almost a year now, and he’s very balanced, and not in the industry. So having him helps balance me out. Having a lot of non-industry-related friends who knew me before I started at this, that helps ground me.

And also, having a group of friends that are ... doing the same thing I’m doing, they understand the stress and the drama the industry will bring up.

GC: Has your work ever become a source of friction between you and your man?

CD: It’s not something a lot of people can handle, but he’s a bit older than me, and it’s just not really an issue for some reason. He’s a confident guy, and there are a lot of things that only he and I share. He knows that what I’m doing is work, but that it’s not just work – there’s some enjoyment in it. If anything, he sometimes acts like a stage mom. There’s no jealousy, and if there is jealousy, we joke around about it.

We do have our issues sometimes, but that’s not one of them.

GC: DOMA is a landmark decision for the entire community south of the border. But from what I’ve read elsewhere, it seems like it’s giving you access to something that you don’t have a lot of personal interest in. What is it about marriage that you figure doesn’t really work?

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CD: I believe that we should all have the same rights, and I know a lot of couples out there that want the right to marry.

They can have whatever kind of relationship they want, and I think we need that. What I don’t support is this pressure on the gay community to make us more like straight people. I feel like a lot of people push this agenda of monogamy and having kids, and if that’s what you want to do, that’s fine! But I worry that it’s just going to make the gay community more like straight people, and I think that would be the most boring thing in the entire world. I think one of the best things about being gay is that we’re not like straight people. We have different kinds of relationships, we are colourful. ... I know so many straight, married people who are miserable. If that’s what we’re trying to aim for, then I don’t really want a part of that.

GC: Or to settle down with the one spouse, the two-pointfive kids, the dog, the white picket fence...

CD: Oh, I would shoot myself in the head. Hey, maybe in five years that will be my life, and I think that’s great, and I should have that choice, but I don’t think anyone should be pushing that on anyone else.

GC: Any other projects on the go lately?

CD: Mainly I’ve just been working on my book (Money’s on the Dresser). ... It’s a collection of short stories I started

www.gaycalgary.com

writing about two years after [starting] escorting. ... I had so much time on my hands travelling and shooting porn that I was spending a majority of my time in airports and hotel rooms, and the stories just started coming to me. ... I finished it about a year and a half ago, and I spent that time doing the real work which has been editing, and editing, and editing. ... The cover is designed, and hopefully it will be on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, and everything by the end of the year. I really want to focus on that and see what happens with it. That’s the next step for me.

Christopher Daniels Appearing at Evolution Wonder Lounge on Sept 14th Facebook: ctopherdanielsvegas • Twitter: @ctopherdaniels http://www.ctopherdaniels.com http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3667

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GayCalgary Magazine #119, September 2013

37

Review

The Decade the City’s Art Scene Came into its Own Made in Calgary: the 1980s opens at the Glenbow

By Janine Eva Trotta From September 7th to January 5th, 2014, Calgary’s Glenbow Museum will host its third instalment in a fivepart series displaying the best of what was happening in the city in a chronological ode to art decades.

Made in Calgary: the 1980s highlights a period of time when Calgary emerged onto the international art front, not for kowtowing to the popular media but for standing out on a limb and doing what felt right.

While the ’70s was a time of abstraction and copycat stylistics, the ’80s was a time of personal narrative in all media, a new frontier for representational realists.

“Calgary has a sensational history of it,” says curator for this instalment, artist Jeffrey Spalding. “The ’80s is when Calgary really comes into its own.”

Finally the artists who were holding genuine to their own forms were going to be noticed. Big names like the so-true-to-life-it’s-creepy sculptor Evan Penny, and the University of Calgary professor John Hall alongside his prolific wife Joice. “[Hall] essentially helped spawn and train a whole generation of representational painters,” Spalding says. “Artists said ‘screw it’, and began to embrace all these other strange themes and notions.”

Artists ceased their smudge strokes and still lifes in place of something more intimate and unique. The ‘damn broke’ and an outpouring of fantastic, statement art inundated the scene.

“It’s when a real renaissance starts to happen,” Spalding says; an end to the restrictive, singular ’70s school and a start to complete pluralism.

We see the dreamy, underwater couple painted by Dan Hudson; Joice Hall’s floating nudes; Polaroid shots of apples and roses pinned to painted trees and vases by Ian Baxter; the intriguing photography that brings us right to the table with Barbara Spohr; Ron Moppet’s zany symbols and collage; Chris Cran’s honest self portrait dualities; and Don Corman’s collection of blown up negatives the drugstore rejected.

“Seventies photography was fairly straight – black and white,” Spalding says. “In the ’80s it was used to create a strong image, opposed to snapping something that was clearly there.”

Artists were wearing their hearts on their canvas. Paintings of a woman’s knowledge of her partner’s affair haunt us; ceramic crows infest a multi-coloured vestibule of antiquated teacups. What was once displayed as mere handy craft was now being used to illicit emotions and stir memories.

“Ceramics became polychromed and about things, as opposed to… functional ware,” describes Spalding.

He himself has a large piece up at the Glenbow overlooking the reception area. The museum surprised the artist by securing the painting from a private collector. The canvas illustrates a misty view over the peaks of a Vancouver glacier range.

The curator says the most difficult aspect of assembling this show was in giving it flow, with so many contrasting pieces and styles to display; and in keeping it concise.

Ironically, a John Will piece is featured at the start of the exhibit, in which the artist unknowingly depicted Spalding’s task three decades before its reality. In a comical ‘Great Moments in Sports’ jest, Will illustrates a goalie in a net, swiping away items that shouldn’t get through. However in the net the goalie has let slide a piece of Spalding’s that made it into the 1970s show.

Indeed humour is rife throughout the exhibit, particularly in thanks to John Will. The former U of C professor pokes fun at smear strokes, the painstaking, obsessive dotted strokes used by his wife, and the French Canadian style of paintings particular of the time.

‘This is a prairie landscape’ he paints in balloon-like font floating over a vertically placed prairie landscape.

His creative ‘slice of life’ film is available to view on the fourth floor section of the exhibit, in which the artist equipped a woman with a donations box, a camera and mic and set her off in search of visitors to Banff who would be willing to be part of the film in exchange for some spare change.

Hilariously we watch as tourists know not what to do with their moment on film. As the credits role we find out that the two hundred and some dollar budget was not reclaimed by donations. The film’s random participants in fact pooled less than $20 all together.

And what collection representing the ’80s in Calgary would be complete without some 1988 Olympics regalia? Don’t miss the vibrant recalling of Heidi and Howdy amongst other sentiments of the Calgary games, by Tim Zuck, which hangs on the first floor.

Spalding was so overtaken by the works he found eligible for this show that he decided to piggy back it with a sort of part two down the street at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) at which he has been director for the last two years.

September 21st, 2013 will mark the contemporary museum’s first show and grand reopening since its closure due to flooding.

“This allows me to make sure to acknowledge the contribution of more people,” Spalding says. “[The show] could have been twice the size again.”

The September 21st opening promises a dazzling display of light: three dozen disco balls are to be suspended on cranes, inflatable sculptures by Toronto’s famed Max Streicher are to be perched on rooftop, as well as an outdoor video program, live music, a visit

by Calgary Opera, cash bar and food trucks are all slated for the evening’s roster of events.

“It’s going to be magical,” Spalding forecasts. “We’re going to be trying to sparkle this year.”

Additional artist talks and family events will also be hosted in part of the Made in Calgary ‘80s series.

Made in Calgary: the 1980s At the Glenbow Museum September 7th to January 5th http://www.Glenbow.org http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3668

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GayCalgary Magazine #119, September 2013

www.gaycalgary.com

 Politics - From Page 18 beheading, and extra-judicial killing of homosexuals, all in the name of Islam, and things are not much better for homosexuals within the Palestinian Authority. Israel is unique in the region for not only its democracy but its legal protection of LGBTQ individuals and culture.

Russia is a Christian country with the Russian Orthodox Church enjoying considerable influence after years of repression, even persecution, by the Soviet system. It could be argued the Orthodox Church has regained the same level of influence and even power it had under the Czars. Sadly, it would seem the Orthodox Church in Russia has more in common with reactionary Islamism than it does with its more enlightened Western Christian brethren...and that’s saying something given our own history of church versus orientation issues.

When John Baird, minister responsible for Foreign Affairs, recently spoke out against the Russian bill, as well as the situations in both Kenya and Uganda, the sociallyconservative anti-feminist and anti-choice group R.E.A.L. Women quickly accused him of “abusing” his position and promoting “special interests”.

Gwen Landolt, the group’s national vice-president, accused Baird of “using an agenda that is not internationally accepted”, of “intruding on the sovereign rights of independent countries”, and of being “elitist” and “offensive to the Canadian grassroots political base.” At the same time, just for good measure one assumes, she tossed in how “homosexual rights elitists” silence opposition and have become a ‘’tyrannical minority.”

An interesting sidebar here: When Egale Canada was still based in Ottawa (now based out of Toronto), and while I served on its National board of directors, R.E.A.L. Women had their national office literally down the hall from Egale’s.

Not only that, but Egale’s vice-president at the time was,

coincidently, Landolt’s openly gay nephew. So, it’s not like she or R.E.A.L. Women didn’t have some opportunities for exposure to the realities of LGBTQ politics and culture. I always thought Thanksgiving and Christmas family dinners must have been very interesting... assuming he and Auntie Gwen were both invited.

While Harper’s Conservatives were never perceived as particularly ‘gay-friendly’, to their credit they are now able to set aside whatever views they may or may not hold around being gay or lesbian and come out, so to speak, on the side of democratic rights, both within Canada and internationally.

Rick Roth, spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs, has gone on record as stating Baird’s comments are not a “left versus right issue”, adding: “Canada believes that the criminalization of homosexuality is wrong, as is the suppression of fundamental rights like freedom of expression and freedom of speech. The expression of these rights should not be met with the death penalty, nor violence.”

Canada, as a Western liberal democracy, has an obligation - as do all other such democracies - to challenge those nations which repress and persecute minorities. Be it publicly hanging gay men in Iran or imposing repressive laws onto otherwise law-abiding individuals simply because they are gay or lesbian in Russia.

www.gaycalgary.com

http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3661

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GayCalgary Magazine #119, September 2013

39

Interview

 Photos by JJ Levine

Rae Spoon

Alberta-raised trans musician to perform for Calgary Folk Fest

By Lisa Lunney and Rob Diaz-Marino Rae Spoon, a Calgary-born singer who has touched on a number of musical styles including country and indie rock, will be returning to his hometown for an October 10th performance courtesy of the Calgary Folk Fest.

Spoon has released 10 albums to date, and having lived for a decade as a trans-man, has advocated preference for the gender-neutral “they” pronoun.

GayCalgary Magazine caught up with Spoon in anticipation of their(?) upcoming performance for the Calgary Folk Fest.

Although this year’s festival has already passed, the organization continues putting on concerts for folk artists throughout the year.

GC: You have a busy schedule of touring this fall! Are you excited to return to your hometown of Calgary?

RS: Luckily I tour so much that I get to come back to Calgary quite a bit. It’s always nice to see old friends, and Calgary has very supportive queer and arts communities.

GC: What was it like growing up in Calgary?

RS: Well, it definitely had its challenges. The homophobia I experienced as a queer teenager was often pretty difficult, and combined with the religiosity of my family it wasn’t the easiest situation. I find Calgary a much more supportive city these days, but 15 years ago it was definitely harder.

GC: Was it always a dream to become a musician?

RS: Yes, I decided at twelve that I wanted to be a musician. I started playing guitar at eleven and then began writing my own songs shortly after.

GC: What artists have inspired you most?

RS: Freddie Mercury, Dolly Parton, Kate Bush, Kurt Cobain and Beyoncé.

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GC: Last year you released a book of short stories, what sparked the idea to write a book?

RS: When Chelsea McMullan and I began working on the documentary My Prairie Home, she and I thought that the filming might progress more smoothly if I provided some overall structure. I wrote ten stories about my childhood for her, but I found that I really did enjoy writing so I continued on from there.

GC: Are there plans for more books in the future?

RS: Right now I’m collaborating on a book with Ivan E. Coyote based on our show Gender Failure. The book, also titled Gender Failure, is set to be published by Arsenal Pulp Press in the spring of 2014.

GC: Can you tell us about your latest album, My Prairie Home. The lyrics are powerful, raw and devastatingly beautiful.

Was it hard to share such emotions?

RS: It was a difficult process at times, but I do feel that the overall experience was positive. Re-visiting the past can be hard, but having the opportunity to create something meaningful out of it has been really good.

GC: You have toured internationally; no doubt you have had many terrific experiences. Can you share with us a few of your fondest memories?

www.gaycalgary.com

RS: The best international experience I’ve had was actually filming a music video in Venice. Chelsea McMullan, the director of the documentary My Prairie Home, made a music video for my song Ocean Blue. We had a great time filming and the location was fantastic.

GC: You last performed in the Calgary Folk Fest in 2004. Are you looking forward to your appearance on October 10th?

RS: Absolutely! I’m really excited for the show, and I’m looking forward to playing in the Folk Festival Music Hall.

Rae Spoon in Concert Brought to you by the Calgary Folk Music Festival Thurs, Oct 10th, 7pm • Festival Hall (1215 10th Ave SE) http://www.raespoon.com http://www.calgaryfolkfest.com http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3669

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GayCalgary Magazine #119, September 2013

41

Interview

 Matthew Rush, photo by Vincent Marco

Matthew Rush

Mens Sana in Corpore Sano

By Nick Winnick Those of you who will be in Edmonton on September 14th will have the pleasure of seeing Matthew Rush live at Evolution Wonder Lounge. Recently I had some time to chat with Greg Grove, the smart and self-aware man behind the Matthew Rush persona, about life, keeping in the kind of shape we all love to watch, and his latest acting project: “Pro Wrestlers Vs. Zombies,” featuring a (quite possibly literal) ton of veterans of the squared circle.

GC: Your body’s obviously the result of a lot of work and dedication.

When did you start lifting?

MR: I started lifting when I was a senior in high school. I was 6 feet tall and 130 pounds. I was a really skinny, nerdy kid. The moment I picked up my first weight, I was hooked. I quickly started to see my body change and people started treating me differently.

GC: Have you ever competed as a bodybuilder, or is it mainly for your own satisfaction?

MR: At first, it was an ego thing. People were noticing me and my confidence grew. Then a guy at my gym convinced me to compete in my first competition. I competed for a few years and worked my way up to nationals. Bodybuilding can be very political especially at national level.

It wasn’t fun anymore and I realized I didn’t have to prove anything to anyone. I left the bodybuilding world and I now train for my own personal health.

GC: You come off as a really funny, well-spoken guy. Do you ever run into people who expect you to be a slab of mindless muscle?

MR: I do get stereotyped as a “meathead,” but I use it to my advantage.

I play dumb to see what a person’s intention is - whether it’s to get to

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know me or to get me into bed. Most people that come up and talk to me are genuinely interested in who I am and how I got into the adult film industry.

GC: So, back in 2011, you had sworn off doing porn shoots, but you got back into it a little while later. Did you have a change of heart, or was it more a pragmatic decision?

MR: I left the industry because I thought I had found Mr. Right. When I started doing porn, I made a promise to myself that if I ever found “the one,” I would leave the industry. He asked me to quit, so I did. Long story short: he broke up with me and months later he became the porn star known as Jake Genesis.

GC: Apart from acting and your gig as a trainer, what takes up most of your time, day-to-day?

MR: Well, I have an amazing boyfriend and we have two dogs. After work it’s dinner and family time in front of the TV before bed. We have such crazy schedules that we don’t have time for much more.

GC: Pro Wrestlers Vs. Zombies has just become the movie I never knew I always wanted to see. Did you end up getting a decent amount of screen time?

MR: I definitely got my share of screen time. I play a pro wrestler who’s a video game freak. My character thinks that the zombie attack is part of a video game. He’s not the brightest, but I think he’s the most loveable.

GC: What was it like working with wrestling greats like Roddy Piper and the others?

MR: It was so much fun making this movie. Working with Piper, Hacksaw Jim Dugan and Shane “The Franchise” Douglas was a childhood fantasy come true. They were awesome and they treated me like one of the guys. I kinda had a bromance with Piper. He’s actually a very witty guy.

GC: So I take it you were a fan of the WWF in your younger days?

MR: I used to watch WWF every Friday night with my dad when I was younger.

GC: Was that part of what made bodybuilding appealing?

MR: It really didn’t influence my bodybuilding career - my ego and having two older brothers that would beat the crap out of me is what made bodybuilding appealing.

GC: So, the DOMA decision was pretty huge - kind of an amazing step forward. Has that changed your hopes or expectations, or the way you look at your relationship?

MR: It was a huge step forward for us. I’m not sure if you knew Wilfried Knight - he was a porn star and a very dear friend of mine.

He and his partner committed suicide [on March 5th and February 21st, 2013, respectively] after a long battle with Immigration. They were married in Canada, but it wasn’t recognized in the US. They fought for years to have their marriage recognized but they were unsuccessful.

They decided if they couldn’t be together in life, they would be together in death. Wilfried was such an amazing man. I loved being around him because he made me laugh. The DOMA decision was so bittersweet for me. It gives me hope for me and my boyfriend, but before the decision was made, DOMA took my friend.

GC: You’ve got a bit of an outspoken streak, from what I’ve seen in other interviews and on Twitter. Do you think doing porn has given you more freedom to talk about the sorts of things that are important to you, as if it ‘broke the ice,’ so to speak?

MR: Porn has given me a platform to speak my mind and use my “star” power for good. When I can, I try to give back to my community through charity work and whatnot. The industry has allowed my voice to be heard. I’d still be bitter and jaded if I had not done porn.

GC: What are some of your favourite experiences since creating Matthew Rush? On-camera or off.

GG: It’s been a hell of a ride over the past 12 years. Because of Matthew Rush, I have travelled the world. I’ve acted on stage and in movies. I have met some amazing people along the way as well. I don’t think any of this would have been possible without Matthew and his fans that have kept him around for this long.

Greg Grove, aka. Matthew Rush Appearing at Evolution Wonder Lounge on September 14th Twitter: @MeetGreg http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3670

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Interview

Man at Work

Tyler Saint talks leaving the work at work

By Nick Winnick Since 2006, hunky Tyler Saint has graced many of our screens, and enriched our lives (or at least our libidos) in the process.

But for all that we’ve seen him in, ever more creative permutations of partners, positions, and penetrations, the man himself remains quite private, and even, by his own admission, “painfully shy.” You might be pleased to know, then, that the Tyler Saint I spoke with recently was a warm, genuine soul, and that there’s a simple reason why he has kept his head down while others in the industry tweet and instagram up a storm: he’s on the job.

Our conversation started a little slowly as we warmed up to one another. My first false start was when I asked about whether, like many other models, there’s overlap between his professional and his personal life. He obliterated any ambiguity. “No. There’s no overlap at all.”

“I got into the industry at 40 years old,” he told me. “People would ask me over and over and over if I’d consider it, and I finally said yes.” Prior to jumping into the adult industry, Saint paid his bills by running his own business with its two employees – something that he continues to do today, despite the demands on his time from shooting and making personal appearances. It’s not without its strains, of course.

“My schedule is packed. I’m lucky if I get to the gym twice a week.” I wondered if that might contribute to a lack of a social media presence. “Hah! Yeah, the last thing I want to do is spend an hour on Twitter every day.”

He’s certainly not hurting for current projects, presently filming for several websites, as opposed to major studio productions. “I’ve actually been busier in the last two years than I was when I was shooting regularly.”

I asked him a little bit about how he maintains his impressively-muscled physique, given that woeful lack of gym time. For Saint, it’s all about maintenance and selfdiscipline. “Well, I don’t drink; just a lot of clean living, and portion control. I think most people eat basically healthy, but they eat too much.”

“I’ve had this body for the last 25 years,” he said. “The face has changed a little, but the body hasn’t changed in 25 years.” This is great news for a man still in the first decade of his modelling career. I certainly can’t speak for everyone, but I would be surprised beyond belief if there weren’t a ton of men aching to see a mainstream star with a little bit of silver at the temples. www.gaycalgary.com

We may have established a bit of a rapport, but I was still able to put my foot wrong with the no-nonsense Saint.

Angling for, perhaps, a bit of juicy on-set gossip, I asked after his favourite type of performer to work with, and got a characteristically forthright answer. “I never answer that question. I don’t want to elevate anybody over anybody else.

What makes one person better than the other? We’re all there to do a job.”

It’s a pragmatic, no-nonsense attitude that infuses all aspects of his work in the industry. Talking about the number of GayVN awards Saint has won (and it’s four, with another ten nominations), I had to ask how someone can maintain a career like his while being, as he describes himself, painfully shy. “I was pretty nervous when I first started shooting, but I got used to it.” Simple as that. As to whether he still grappled with his shyness in his recent shoots, he was just as quick to give the professional answer. “I’ve done so many things in my career that I’m not even bothered by it any more.

There’s only ever two or three people on set at once.” And while he certainly appreciates that people enjoy his work, that pragmatic attitude extends to the awards, as well. “I don’t even go to the awards shows. They don’t make me any extra money.”

“I actually used to do a lot of personal appearances. This will be the first one in a while.” Referring, of course, to his September 14th visit to Evolution Wonder Lounge. “I love them because I get a chance to meet the fans. It’s always nice to hear supportive words in person.” For Tyler, in-person trumps online interaction any day, especially since he has found that old truism of internet anonymity to be very real, in his case. “People on the internet can be very forward.

They have very little, very little in the way of boundaries.”

Harkening back to his very clear delineation between his work and his personal life, he went on to say, “I think what a lot of people don’t understand is that I’m doing a job. Tyler Saint is a character I play.”

And he plays it well, from all appearances. In an entertainment environment dominated by constant online dialogue and instant, real-time broadcasts from the people whose careers we follow, Tyler Saint may have managed a feat so elusive that there are few who even attempt it. As much effort as he pours into his performances on stage or in front of the camera, he manages to leave the work at work.

There might be a lesson in there.

Tyler Saint Appearing at Evolution Wonder Lounge on September 14th http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3671

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GayCalgary Magazine #119, September 2013

43

Oh Joe

Gordon-Levitt talks Don Jon sex, ‘proud’ gay kiss and the harm in thinking he’s the ‘perfect man’  Photo b Relativity Media

By Chris Azzopardi Who doesn’t see Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the “perfect man”? The one man who knows him best: Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

And neither should you, he says.

After playing a gay hustler in Mysterious Skin, a Mormon homophobe in Latter Days and Batman’s cool sidekick in The Dark Knight Rises, the actor takes on a porn-obsessed womanizer in his latest film Don Jon, a sex comedy he wrote, directed and stars in that contends there’s more to a person than meets the eye.

Surely, plenty of Gordon-Levitt meets the eye in Don Jon: that chest, those arms and all the near nakedness of the New Jersey lothario he plays. Yeah, it’s easy to see why people might think he’s pretty perfect.

In our interview, Gordon-Levitt discusses the dangers of believing he’s the ideal mate, contributing to the gay rights movement and what he’s really doing during those masturbation scenes in Don Jon. GC: Let’s talk about this intense, seductive look on your face during those masturbation scenes. What were you actually thinking about? And were you really watching porn?

JG: Nah, I wasn’t really looking at porn. But I was pretending I was looking at porn.

GC: I’ve never pretended to watch porn.

JG: (Laughs) I have now!

GC: There’s a bit of sex in the movie – and you’re always the one having it. How do you direct yourself in a sex scene?

JG: See, the sex scenes – with one exception – are very, very highly stylized and they’re not so much scenes that play out in real time; they’re more like narrated storybook versions of a look inside the mind of this guy, and so shooting them is like putting together a puzzle. They’re made of lots of little pieces.

When you put the puzzle together it seems like a sex scene, but when you’re shooting it, it’s not like that at all.

GC: This is a movie that has sex at its core, and we see plenty of boobs but never any Joseph Gordon-Levitt bits.

Was it a conscious decision for you to avoid being completely naked?

JG: Yeah, because that would just be distracting. It’s really not the point of the movie. This is not a movie of brutal realism; it’s a comedy and it’s a story. It’s sort of a parable, so there would really be no reason to have any nudity. The only nudity that’s in the movie are these clips from real pornography videos, but they’re all very edited and cropped and they’re 44

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all very quick and sort of sanitized to fit into a Hollywood movie, if you want to call this movie a Hollywood movie. It’s sort of an atypical one, but it’s a movie about mainstream culture, so I wanted it to become part of mainstream culture.

I always intended it to be that way. I think, in that way, it’s self-referential and it wouldn’t be as strong or effective or as complete a film if it were outside of those Hollywood filmmaking traditions.

GC: How much did you want to get away with in this movie, and how much did you actually get away with?

JG: What’s in the movie is exactly what I wanted it to be.

I wrote it exactly that way. I don’t think it’s all that sexually explicit; there are some very modified and stylized clips from pornography videos because that’s a central symbol in the movie, but there aren’t really any realistic sex scenes. It’s not a movie that’s about shocking you with anything graphic.

GC: This film demonstrates what you’ve discussed in the past: that the media – the films we watch, the music we listen to, and so on – can really screw with our minds. When choosing films, do you think about how much influence you have on the people who watch them?

JG: I do, yeah. It’s always a balance between trying to keep an eye on my own self-fulfillment so that I’m always doing what’s inspiring to me, but also thinking about what this will mean to people who see it. I know for me, the movies and TV shows that I watch, and the songs or the books or the articles, are a big part of how I make sense of the world. I feel fortunate to be a part of that cultural conversation. And I try to be something positive.

GC: The way in which media affects romantic relationships is also explored in another film of yours, (500) Days of Summer, in which you embody more of the traditional female archetype. What parallels do you see between that film and Don Jon? JG: Yeah, there’s definitely a real parallel between(500) Days of Summer and Don Jon in that both male protagonists are quite selfish at the beginning of the story. Both of them in their own ways are very much objectifying the opposite sex.

With Jon, his ideas of what women are supposed to be, or what love or sex are supposed to be, are sort of preset, and he’s not paying attention to the actual people in front of him.

Then, they’re similar also in that they’re both coming-of-age stories, and by the end you see them both beginning to break out of their old ways and grow up a bit.

GC: You seem like the complete opposite of a meathead, so how did you get in the mind and body of Don Jon? www.gaycalgary.com

JG: Yeah, I worked out a ton. And I ate a ton of chicken!

You know, I think we all know guys like that, and we all have some of Jon and some of Barbara (his love interest in Don Jon, played by Scarlett Johansson) within us. I know that I have some of both. They’re both at extreme ends of the spectrum of cultural norms: what a man is supposed to be and what a woman is supposed to be. But I think we all have that tendency in a way. It’s easier to just oversimplify ourselves and our identities and our lives, and especially our loves lives.

It’s very seductive to think that it just ought to be simple – and in real life, it’s not.

GC: You use the word “faggot” at one point in the film, and even though it feels appropriate to the character, was there ever a discussion or any hesitation to use a word that many in the gay community find offensive?

JG: Like you said, that character would say that at that point. It’s at a moment when he’s sort of feeling threatened.

His buddy just said that there was a hotter girl at the club than his girl, and so in that moment of insecurity he uses that word. I think that’s usually where that sort of hateful language comes from: out of people’s insecurity.

GC: When it comes to directing, what did you learn from Gregg Araki on Mysterious Skin that you fell back on during the filming of Don Jon? JG: I remember working with Gregg and being very struck by the fact that he could watch the movie in his head while we were making it. It allowed him to be very decisive and specific because he knew how the whole movie was gonna cut together already, whereas oftentimes films are made and you just shoot lots of angles and cut it together later. With Don Jon, we took more of the approach that’s closer to what Gregg did. I already had in mind how I wanted the thing to be cut together while we were shooting. Another filmmaker who is like that is Rian Johnson (Looper). Another one is Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight Rises). These are the guys who are thinking that far ahead. Gregg really stood out in that regard.

GC: You first really reached a gay audience with Mysterious Skin. How aware are you of having a gay following?

JG: I don’t spend much time distinguishing people into categories like that, so to be honest, I can’t say it’s really something I think about any more than I think about, “Oh, how many black people are watching my movies?” and “How many Catholics are watching my movies?” I don’t really think about it in that way.

GC: If you were gay, you might realize how many gay people adore you.

JG: Well, that’s very nice to hear! I’m glad to hear it.

GC: With Don Jon and your new beefy body, are you prepared for the extra attention you might get from the gay community?

JG: (Laughs) I hadn’t thought of it. My body’s not like that anymore. I was working out every day to play that character, but bodybuilding isn’t really my thing. I’ve lost most of the weight.

GC: How do you reflect on your kiss with Topher Grace during a 1998 episode of That ’70s Show – the first gay kiss on North American primetime TV? JG: Yeah, proud moment!

GC: When you look back on that moment, how far do you think we’ve come since that landmark kiss?

JG: I was actually just talking about this with a good friend of mine who’s gay. We were saying there really has been a change. I mean, that was more than 10 years ago that we shot that episode, and a lot has changed. I do think that television and movies have played a big part in it. It’s certainly not solely responsible, but that has been a part of it becoming a more normal and accepted part of our culture – that some people are gay and that’s just how it is, especially for people who are not used to that or close-minded toward that. There’s been a pretty big change, and we’re certainly not all the way openminded – I mean, there was a civil rights movement in the ’60s and there’s still plenty of racism in the world – but we’ve come a long way. I certainly am proud to have made that small contribution of whatever kind to that progress.

GC: BuzzFeed recently named off 42 things that prove you’re the perfect man. Included on that list: the forearms, your chic style, that you look great in women’s underwear.

Even the 3rd Rock from the Sun pigtails got a mention.

JG: (Laughs) That’s exactly the kind of oversimplified fantasy shit that I’m making fun of in Don Jon. GC: So you don’t like being the “perfect man,” then?

JG: To be honest, I understand it’s all in good fun and that’s fine, of course. We all have our media that we consume that we can admit is not the most healthy or positive, and sometimes I eat French fries and sometimes I’ll smoke cigarettes. We all do things that we know are bad for us. But I think it’s worth pointing out that stuff like that, it’s not harmless, especially if you consume a lot of that kind of media.

I think it does seep into your brain and into your identity and will absolutely interfere in your ability to be happy – and that’s exactly what Don Jon is about. It’s a young man who watches too much pornography and a young woman who watches too many romantic Hollywood movies, and neither one of them can be satisfied in their relationship because they’re too busy comparing real life to these simplistic fantasies that they’ve seen on screen.

Real life is so much more beautiful and rich and nuanced than those oversimplified fantasies, but you won’t feel that beauty if you’re too busy comparing it to the 42 reasons why your favorite actor is the perfect man. There’s no such thing as a perfect man. Every human being is a unique person.

GC: There’s been talk of you starring in a remake of Guys and Dolls with Channing Tatum. Should we expect to see you in it?

JG: It’s one possibility. Chan and I really like the idea of doing a musical together, and we’re working on making that happen. We don’t know exactly how it will happen or what it’ll be or how long it’ll take, but we’re determined to do it.

GC: I must say that every gay man also likes that idea.

JG: (Laughs) I’ll keep that in mind!

www.gaycalgary.com

http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3672

View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments

GayCalgary Magazine #119, September 2013

45

Photography Adam Killian at Priape, Calgary

Birthday Drag Show Fundraiser for SHARP at the Texas Lounge

http://gaycalgary.com/pa575

http://gaycalgary.com/pa563

Garage Sale Fundraiser at the Backlot, Calgary http://gaycalgary.com/pa562

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GayCalgary Magazine #119, September 2013

www.gaycalgary.com

Photography Red Deer Pride http://gaycalgary.com/pa558

www.gaycalgary.com

GayCalgary Magazine #119, September 2013

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Photography ISCWR Coronation 38 Weekend, Edmonton http://gaycalgary.com/pa559

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GayCalgary Magazine #119, September 2013

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Photography

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GayCalgary Magazine #119, September 2013

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GayCalgary Magazine #119, September 2013

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News Releases New Study: Transgender People Face Substantial Discrimination in Military Service http://www.gaycalgary.com/n818

Apartheid South Africa Banned

by IOC for 28 Years; Jailing of LGBTs Goes Unpunished? http://www.gaycalgary.com/n819

Pride House calls for International Olympic Committee to host in 2014 http://www.gaycalgary.com/n820

Ban Russia from 2016 Summer Games, Egale open letter to the International Olympic Committee http://www.gaycalgary.com/n821

‘Paratrooper Day’ Brings More Anti-Gay Horribleness in Russia http://www.gaycalgary.com/n822

RUSSIA: First Study Of HIV Amongst Gay Men and Prositutes http://www.gaycalgary.com/n823

FITNESS: Testosterone Part 1 http://www.gaycalgary.com/n824

Same-Sex Marriage Update: CO, MN, OK, PA, RI, & VA http://www.gaycalgary.com/n825

Kings of Disco ‘Village People’ Celebrate 1st New Single in Over 25 Years & a New ‘Cowboy’ Too! http://www.gaycalgary.com/n826

OPINION: Will Sochi Haunt The Olympic Movement http://www.gaycalgary.com/n827

IOC urged to make visible pro-gay statement at Winter Olympics http://www.gaycalgary.com/n828

83 Members of Congress Demand LGBTs be Ensured Safety at Sochi Winter Olympics http://www.gaycalgary.com/n829

INTERVIEW: Queen Of The Bonk Buster Rebecca Chance http://www.gaycalgary.com/n830

COLUMN: Fat?

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n831

Tom Daley ‘Appreciates’ His Gay Fans http://www.gaycalgary.com/n832

Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet Returns to Calgary with ROMEO & JULIET http://www.gaycalgary.com/n833

So You Think You Can Dance Tour 2013

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n834

Grindr Users Choose Best Summer Destinations http://www.gaycalgary.com/n835

Queering My Religion: Anglican Views of Masculinity Challenged by Concordia University Research http://www.gaycalgary.com/n836

New Bible Translation Portrays Paul as a Defender of Homosexuality http://www.gaycalgary.com/n837

CHRIS COLFER: ‘Things Will Very Different’ Without Cory Monteith http://www.gaycalgary.com/n838

RECIPE: Dermie’s Walnut Coffee Cake http://www.gaycalgary.com/n839

Obama on Jay Leno: ‘I have no patience for’ Anti-LGBT Russia http://www.gaycalgary.com/n840

Should the Winter Olympics be Moved to Vancouver? http://www.gaycalgary.com/n841

Sharon Needles Releases New Single & Music Video: Call Me On The Ouija Board http://www.gaycalgary.com/n842

Stephen Fry: Open Letter To The Prime Minister and International Olympic Committee http://www.gaycalgary.com/n843

NEWS: Russian Gay Teenager Tortured By Anti-Gay Group Believed To Have Died http://www.gaycalgary.com/n844

Andrew Christian in conjunction with Island House-Key West release their HOT “Overboard” videos http://www.gaycalgary.com/n845

The Audition: Andrew Christian, Stoli & Gaycities bring the heat to Matinee-Las Vegas Festival.. http://www.gaycalgary.com/n846

OPINION: Big Boy, Flash That Flesh http://www.gaycalgary.com/n848

Curaçao Welcomes the LGBT Community to Honeymoon In Paradise http://www.gaycalgary.com/n849

dotgay launches new ‘Expression of Interest’ website http://www.gaycalgary.com/n850

Curaçao to Host the Island’s First Gay Pride Week http://www.gaycalgary.com/n853

STEPHEN FRY: ‘Athletes Should Find A Symbol’ For LGBT Russians http://www.gaycalgary.com/n854

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GayCalgary Magazine #119, September 2013

www.gaycalgary.com

News Releases Column: Freaks Like Me

Travel Alert: Gays Should Avoid San Antonio, says GetEQUAL TX

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n855

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n875

How do you get invited to Chris Munro’s “Go” Pool Party?

10 Moments When Gaga’s Applause Blew Our Minds

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n856

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n876

NEWS: Gay wedding ‘bombed’ on the Island of Haiti

José Julio Sarria (1922-2013) — Pioneering GLBT Activist & Entertainer Inbox

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n857

Lesbian Love: Meeting The Parents

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n877

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n858

FASHION: David Beckham In His Underwear… Again

REVIEW: Orange Is The New Black http://www.gaycalgary.com/n859

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n878

JUSTIN BIEBER: Gets Naked For Gran

Popular State & Main Restaurant Opens at Chinook Centre

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n860

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n880

Berlin LGBT Job Fair Sticks & Stones http://www.gaycalgary.com/n861

GLAAD Releases ‘Studio Responsibility Index’ Report on LGBT Images in Film

NEWS: Athletes Supporting Gay Rights May Be Punished By IOC

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n881

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n862

Why Gay Men Will Never Be Happy With Their Bodies (Or Will They?)

Home Improvement Sites Have Women Stuck in the Fifties, Says Newcomer See Jane Drill

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n882

Just Released: Cher’s First Music Video in a Decade, Woman’s World

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n863

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n883

Darren Young Comes Out, Gives gays a WWE Superstar to Cheer for

LGBT Rights Under Attack in Russia; Civil Society Demands Collective Action on Sochi Olympics

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n864

X FACTOR USA’s Emblem 3 Take On Bieber’s Naked Look

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n884

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n865

GETA calls on European Union to suspend talks on visa-free travel for Russian officials

FITNESS: How To Look Good Naked http://www.gaycalgary.com/n866

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n885

FEATURE: Hottest Calvin Klein Underwear Models

NEWS: Wikileaks Soldier Bradley Manning Wants To Live Rest Of Life As Woman

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n867

José Julio Sarria, founder of the International Court System, Passes Away

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n886

NEWS: Wentworth Miller Comes Out As Gay In Support Of Russian LGBTs

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n868

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n887

COLUMN: Cock Eyed

10 Things Gay Guys Should Stop Doing

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n869

OPINION: Wrestling With Sexuality

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n889

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n870

Russia Wants Gay Blood Ban, Promises Free ‘Ex-Gay’ Conversion Therapy

Did These Russian Athletes Violate Russia’s Anti-Gay Law?

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n891

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n871

Wal-Mart Will Offer Domestic Partner Benefits in 2014

NEWS: Perez Hilton Fears For His Life After Gaga Fans Wage War

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n893

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n872

IOC Director-General responds to call for positive action to oppose discrimination at Sochi

NEWS: Kiwi Same-Sex Couple Become First To Get Married At 30,000 Ft. on Air New Zealand

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n896

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n873

And more...

NEWS: Perez Hilton Becomes Target Of Gaga Monsters http://www.gaycalgary.com/n874

www.gaycalgary.com

GayCalgary Magazine #119, September 2013

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Dee Patterson is a born and raised Calgarian who has lived in the South East most of her life. Dee is a certified chef, and studied Hospitality Management in College. She occasionally works with High school students, teaching Culinary Arts. Presently she is 22 years old.

Dee is known to many as DJ Dopamine. Nearly 4 years ago she started DJing for fun to help out a bar that she frequented, and continued on to DJ at house parties. It was Mike Gray at Club Sapien who first approached her to DJ professionally for their girl’s night. She was a little surprised and unsure of

herself, but her talent would lead to PURE Pride bringing her on tour, and she has DJ’d at just about every city that PURE Pride goes to. She classifies her music style as a blend of Top 40, Electro, and Tribal.

Otherwise, Dee enjoys dancing, swimming, camping, and generally being outdoors. She has been with her girlfriend Madelaine for over a year now, who she first met at Club Sapien.

http://gaycalgary.com/pa584

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GayCalgary Magazine #119, September 2013

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Directory & Events 24

DOWNTOWN CALGARY

41 37 34

2 33

35

36

3 1 60

5 6

16

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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 #119, September 2013

55

Directory & Events Calgary Events

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

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

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

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

At 59 East Village Cafe with

Mondays

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

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

 Bonasera (1204 Edmonton Tr. NE)

Prime Timers Calgary

At 59 East Village Cafe

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

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

See 1 Calgary Outlink

 3rd

See 1 Calgary Outlink

 4th

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

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

Tuesdays

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

 Kerby Center, Sunshine Room 1133 7th Ave SW

 3rd

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

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

At 6 Goliaths

At 6 Goliaths

Between Men--------------------------- 7-9pm

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

Karaoke-------------------------  8pm-12:30am

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

See 1 Calgary Outlink

 2nd, 4th

At 5 Texas Lounge

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

 2nd

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

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

At 1 Calgary Outlink

 1st

Sundays

By ARGRA  2320 Sunset Ave SW

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

Deer Park United Church

See

Fridays

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

See 1 Calgary Outlink

See

Scarboro United Church Hillhurst United Church Knox United Church

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

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

• Bowling (Rainbow Riders League)

• Volleyball (Beach)

• Lawn Bowling

 lawnbowling@apollocalgary.com

• Outdoor Pursuits

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

• Running (Calgary Frontrunners)

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

• Slow Pitch

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

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

 beachvb@apollocalgary.com

• Volleyball (Competitive)  vb@apollocalgary.com

• Volleyball (Recreational)

• Peer Support and Crisis Line

 recvb@apollocalgary.com

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

• Yoga

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

Alberta Rockies Gay Rodeo Association (ARGRA)

 www.argra.org

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

Calgary Gay Fathers

 calgaryfathers@hotmail.com  http://www.calgarygayfathers.ca Peer support group for gay, bisexual and questioning fathers. Meeting twice a month.

 http://www.calgarymenschorus.org

• Rehearsals

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

✰

 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.

 tennis@apollocalgary.com

Calgary Men’s Chorus

 slow.pitch@apollocalgary.com

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

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

• Curling

 golf@apollocalgary.com

✰

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

 Weeds Cafe (1903 20 Ave NW)

Deer Park United Church/Wholeness Centre

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

 403-278-8263

Different Strokes

 http://www.differentstrokescalgary.org

FairyTales Presentation Society

 403-244-1956

 http://www.fairytalesfilmfest.com Alberta Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.

• DVD Resource Library

Over a hundred titles to choose from. Annual membership is $10.

56

Saturday, October 5th

Tornado Nightclub------------------  8pm-2am

By ARGRA  Arrata Opera Centre (1315 7 St SW)

Boy & GurL Concert------------------  Evening At 3 Backlot

 2nd

• Squash

• Tennis

• Golf

At 3 Backlot

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

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

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

LEATHER ONLY-----------------------  Evening

Rainbow Community Church

 Calgary Contd.

• Boot Camp

Hottub Pool Party------------------  7pm-1am

At 3 Backlot

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

ISCCA at 60 Cowboys Night Club

Saturday, September 28th

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

 1st

By

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

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

Communion Service-----------------  12:10pm Knox United Church

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

See

See 1 Calgary Outlink

Wednesday, September 25th

80’s Retro Drag-Extravaganza----------  7pm

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

Wednesdays See

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

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

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

Sep29

By 2 AIDS Calgary

Thursdays

 1st

AIDS Walk for Life----------------------- 10am

Saturdays

See 1 Calgary Outlink

Thursday, September 19th

Calgary Internaltional Film Fest------  All Day Sunday, September 22nd

 Old Y Centre (223 12th Ave SW)

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

At 6 Goliaths

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

See 1 Calgary Outlink

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

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

GayCalgary Magazine #119, September 2013

Gay Friends in Calgary

 http://www.gayfriendsincalgary.ca Organizes and hosts social activities catered to the LGBT people and friends.

Girl Friends

 girlfriends@shaw.ca

 members.shaw.ca/girlfriends

Girlsgroove

 http://www.girlsgroove.ca

Hillhurst United Church

 1227 Kensington Close NW  (403) 283-1539  office@hillhurstunited.com  www.hillhurstunited.com

HIV Peer Support Group

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

ISCCA Social Association

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

Knox United Church

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

Lesbian Meetup Group

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

Miscellaneous Youth Network

 http://www.miscyouth.com

• Fake Mustache • Mosaic Youth Group

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

www.gaycalgary.com

Directory & Events  Calgary Contd.

Mystique

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

• Coffee Night

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.

✰

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

See Calgary - Community Groups.

Jubilations Dinner Theatre

Trinity Best Health

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

Services & Products Calgary Civil Marriage Centre

 403-246-4134 (Rork Hilford)  MarriageCommissioner@shaw.ca Marriage Commissioner for Alberta (aka Justice of the Peace - JP), Marriage Officiant, Commissioner for Oaths.

Cruiseline

Safety Under the Rainbow

Scarboro United Church

 134 Scarboro Avenue SW  403-244-1161  www.scarborounited.ab.ca An affirming congregation—the full inclusion of LGBT people is essential to our mission and purpose.

Sharp Foundation

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

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.

SafeWorks

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

• Calgary Drop-in Centre

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

Wild Rose United Church

 1317-1st Street NW

• Centre of Hope

Restaurants

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

East Village Cafe (CLOSED)

• Sheldon M. Chumir Health Centre

 2nd floor, 610 - 8 Avenue SE

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

Retail Stores ✰

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

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

✰

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

✰

EDMONTON

DevaDave Salon & Boutique

Free and confidential HIV/AIDS and STI testing.

Unity Bowling

✰

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

Ellen Embury

 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.

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

 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.

• Safeworks Van

6 Buddy’s Nite Club------------------------- ✰

 11725 Jasper Ave  780-488-6636

 10220 - 103 St  http://www.yourgaybar.com

FLASH (CLOSED)

 10018 105 Street  flashnightclub@hotmail.com

 780-424-0077

 780-938-2941

The Junction (CLOSED)

 10242 106th St

Hooliganz Pub (CLOSED)

 10704 124 St NW

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

 11725 Jasper Ave  780-488-6557

Bathhouses/Saunas 11 Steamworks------------------------------- ✰

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

Community Groups Alberta Bears

 www.beefbearbash.com

AltView Foundation

 #44, 48 Brentwood Blvd, Sherwood Park, AB

 403-398-9968  info@altview.ca  www.altview.ca For gender variant and sexual minorities.

 7-104 Dept. of Educational Policy Studies Faculty of Education, University of Alberta Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2G5  http://www.fyrefly.ualberta.ca

Edmonton Pride Festival Society (EPFS)

 http://www.edmontonpride.ca

Edmonton Prime Timers

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

Affiliated with Prime Timers World Wide.

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

 sing@evmchoir.com

GLBTQ Sage Bowling Club

 780-474-8240

 tuff@shaw.ca

HIV Network Of Edmonton Society----

✰

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

by HIV.

InQueeries

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

Imperial Sovereign Court of the Wild Rose

 http://www.iscwr.ca

13 UpStares Ultralounge

 4th Floor, Jasper Ave and 107th Street

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

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.

 780-479-2038  www.evmchoir.com

Bars & Clubs Evolution Wonder Lounge

 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

 206A 2525 Woodview Dr SW  403-281-5582  besthealthcalgary@hotmail.com  http://www.besthealthcalgary.com

 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

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

 1322 - 17 Ave SW  403-215-1800  http://www.priape.com Clothing and accessories. Adult toys, leather wear, movies and magazines. Gifts.

 403-750-1128  www.DBBlaw.com Fellow, American Academy of Reproductive Technology Attorneys

 2nd Cup, Kensington

www.gaycalgary.com

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

 403-283-3555

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

• Coffee Night

Adult Depot-----------------------------

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

Book Worm’s Book Club

36 ATP, Alberta Theatre Projects

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

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

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

 403-797-6564

Theatre & Fine Arts

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

Living Positive Society of Alberta

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

Men’s Games Nights

 Unitarian Church (10804 119th Street)

 780-474-8240  tuff@shaw.ca

OUTreach

 University of Alberta, basement of SUB  outreach@ualberta.ca  http://www.ualberta.ca/~outreach Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender/transsexual, Queer, Questioning and Straight-but-not-Narrow student group.

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

✰

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

GayCalgary Magazine #119, September 2013

57

Directory & Events DOWNTOWN EDMONTON

1

15

N

13 11 6 12

1 Pride Centre of Edm.---- Community Groups 4 Edmonton STD---------- Community Groups

See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton

Mondays

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

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

Team Edmonton

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

6 Buddy’s-----------------------Bars and Clubs 11 Steamworks----------------------Bathhouses

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

Edmonton Events See

4

Team Edmonton

QH Craft Night-------------------------- 6-8pm See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton

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

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

Team Edmonton

15 Evolution----------------------Bars and Clubs

Fridays

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

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

See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton

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

See

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

 Robertson-Wesley United (10209 123 St)

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

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

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

Thursdays

Men’s Games Nights

 2nd, Last

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

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

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

Saturdays

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

Wednesdays

Team Edmonton

12 Woody’s-----------------------Bars and Clubs 13 UpStares Ultralounge--------Bars and Clubs

Team Edmonton

See

Youth Understanding Youth

Buck Naked Boys Club

 2nd

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

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

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

 2nd

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

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

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

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

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

Sundays

GLBTQ Sage Bowling Club

See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton

Youth Sports/Recreation-----------------  4pm See 1 Youth Understanding Youth

Counseling----------------------  5:30-8:30pm See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton

See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton See See

BookWorm’s Book Club

 2nd, 4th  3rd

Team Edmonton

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

Team Edmonton

See

Team Edmonton

• HIV Support Group

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

• Knotty Knitters

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

• Men Talking with Pride

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

• Movie Night

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

• Queer HangOUT: Game Night

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

The Big Bang-----------------------------  9pm

Natural Selection Tea Dance----------- 2-8pm At 15 Evolution

Saturday, September 21st

Investiture---------------------------------  9pm By

ISCWR at The Locker Room (Ramada Hotel)

Saturday, September 28th

The Edmonton Expo-------------------  All Day

Sep29

Paint the Town Red-------------------  7:30pm

Team Edmonton

By 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton  ATB Financial Arts Barns (10330 - 84 Ave)

Team Edmonton

 Edmonton Contd.

• Counselling

 2nd

Saturday, September 14th

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

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

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

 Northlands Park

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

 2nd

Sunday, September 15th

GLBTQ Bowling------------------  1:30-3:30pm See

Team Edmonton

Soul Outing-------------------------------  7pm

At 15 Evolution

Naturalist Gettogether See

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

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

• 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.

• Queer HangOUT: Craft Night

• 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 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

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

58

GayCalgary Magazine #119, September 2013

www.gaycalgary.com

Directory & Events Red Deer Events

Banff

Peace River

Medicine Hat

Wednesdays

Saturday, September 21st

Sunday, September 22nd

Saturday, September 21st

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

Banff Pride 2013-------------------  9pm-2am

AIDS Walk for Life

Medicine Hat Pride-------------------  12-5pm

See

CAANS

 1st

At

Sunday, September 22nd

AIDS Walk for Life------------------------  2pm

By CAANS Rotary Park

Wild Bill’s (201 Banff Ave)

By

HIV North

 Riverside Veteran’s Memorial Park (1st Street & 6th Ave SE)

Grand Prairie

18+ Pride Dance------------------------  9pm

By Medicine Hat Pride  The Club (954 7 St SW)

Monday, September 23rd

AIDS Walk for Life By

HIV North

 Edmonton Contd.

• 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)

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

• Tennis

 http://www.womonspace.ca Women’s social group, but all welcome at events.

Youth Understanding Youth

BANFF Community Groups

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

• Sports and Recreation

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

Restaurants 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”

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!

Bow Valley Cares Centre

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

LETHBRIDGE Community Groups GALA/LA

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

• Monthly Dances

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

• Monthly Potluck Dinners

 McKillop United Church, 2329 - 15 Ave S GALA/LA will provide the turkey...you bring the rest. Please bring a dish to share that will serve 4-6 people, and your own beverage.

• Support Line

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

• Friday Mixer

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

• Soul OUTing

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

 University of Lethbridge GBLTTQQ club on campus.

• Ultimate Frisbee

• Film Night

• Movie Night

• Volleyball, Intermediate

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

• Volleyball, Recreational

 Mother Teresa School (9008 - 105 Ave)  recvolleyball@teamedmonton.ca

• Women’s Lacrosse

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

Call for info.

 Bi-monthly, contact us for exact dates.

• Book Club

 Monthly, contact us for exact dates.

Theatre & Fine Arts Exposure Festival

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

The Roxy Theatre

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

 galia@uleth.ca

 Room C610, University of Lethbridge

Gay Youth Alliance Group

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

Lethbridge HIV Connection

 1206 - 6 Ave S

PFLAG Canada

 1-888-530-6777

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

Pride Lethbridge

 lethbridgepridefest@gmail.com

Community Groups Affirm

 Sunnybrook United Church  403-347-6073  2nd Tuesday of the month, 7pm Composed of LGBTQ people, their friends, family and allies. No religious affiliation necessary. Activities include support, faith and social justice discussions, film nights, and potlucks!

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.

MEDICINE HAT Community Groups Medicine Hat Cares Centre

Gay & Lesbian Integrity Assoc. (GALIA)

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

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

RED DEER

 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.

• Yoga

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

Womonspace

 780-482-1794  womonspace@gmail.com

Continued on Page 61  www.gaycalgary.com

GayCalgary Magazine #119, September 2013

59

Classifieds Announcements

100

If you are a homosexual female, please consider being a research participant in a scientific study of the experiences of jealousy by homosexual females. During the period of August through November 2013, a scientific study of differences in sexual and emotional jealousy experienced between homosexual females and the general population will be conducted in the Department of Psychology at Grant MacEwan University. There is little current research on the sexual jealousy experienced by homosexual individuals, and in order to fill this gap in knowledge, your participation would be invaluable. This research project will examine the sexual behaviours, gender attributes, relationship characteristics, and patterns of jealousy of homosexual females and undergraduate University students. Participation in this research will involve completing an online survey. Participation should not take more than 30 minutes. The survey is accessible at:

Wedding/Union

190

Researchers on this project are Dr. P. Melike Schalomon, Chair of the Psychology department, and her independent research student Megan Harris. A full consent form and debriefing form are available on the website before you participate. Please read fully the Consent Form before beginning the Survey.

If you have any questions, either before or after the survey, you can contact Dr. Melike Schalomon at 780-497-5331 or via e-mail at SchalomonM@macewan.ca. This project has been reviewed and approved by the MacEwan Research Ethics Board (REB). If you have any ethical concerns regarding this project, please contact the REB at REB@macewan.ca

140

Models/Escorts

460

Alberta Escort Listings

McDougall United Church (Edmonton), an Affirming congregation proudly performing same-sex unions or same-sex marriages since 1998. http://www.mcdougallunited.com

Audition 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

Erotic Massage

420

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

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

Products/Services 500

Most clothing $3! New style? New family?

Broke as a joke? We have a great selection of gently used clothing for men, women, children and babies. We also keep a selection of furniture and housewares too! Twice trendy makes it easy to get quality style without destroying your wallet. Come check us out! #14, 3434 - 34 Ave NE.

Consulting

527

Want to attract the LGBT local or traveler to your business?

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.

UltimateMaleMassage.com

McDougall United Church (Edmonton) Affirming Covenant Service-Nov 24, 10:30 am. McDougall United Church is located on 101 Street, south of Jasper Avenue (10025 101 Street). http://www.mcdougallunited.com

Rork Hilford MC, Commissioner for Oaths.

MarriageCommissioner@shaw.ca | 403246-4134

Adult Depot 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

517

GET A LIFE! STOP CLEANING!

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

520

Twice Trendy!

Used Quality Clothing

Marriage Ceremonies

Celebrate Affirming Covenant

The Fetish Slosh at the Backlot!

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

215

Mark Massage

http://www.gaycalgary.com/u583

Event

vanilla in sight. The Backlot supports and promotes the alternative lifestyles of Calgary so feel free to express your KINK!

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CANADA Community Groups Canadian Rainbow Health Coalition

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GayCalgary Magazine #119, September 2013

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