GayCalgary Magazine - December 2013

DECEMBER 2013

® ISSUE 122 • FREE The Voice of Alberta’s LGBT Community

Interview with

BRITNEY

SPEARS

Mel B

Scary Stories

Aaron Douglas

comes to Lethbridge

PLUS:

Sarah Silverman Steven Taetz Kelowna - Ripe with Surprises ...and more!

Business Directory

Marina Sirtis

Getting Political

Scan to Read on Mobile Devices

Community Map

Calgary • Alberta • Canada

Events Calendar

Tourist Information

STARTING ON PAGE 55

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GayCalgary Magazine #122, December 2013

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Table of Contents

Chris Mercedes Azzopardi, Allen, Dave Chris Brousseau, Azzopardi, Dallas Constable Barnes, Andy Dave Buck,Brousseau, Rob Diaz-Marino, Sam Casselman, Farley Foo Jason Foo,Clevett, Chris Jenkins, Andrew Stephen Collins, Emily Lock,Collins, Lisa Lunney, Rob Diaz-Marino, David-Elijah Nahmod, Janine EvaSophie Trotta,Needelman, Jack Fertig,Steve Glen Polyak, Hanson,Carey Joan Hilty, Rutherford, Evan Kayne, Jason Stephen Salerno, Lock, RomeoNeil SanMcMullen, Vicente, Allan Jorge Neuwirth, Treviano,Steve NickPolyak, WinnickCarey and the Rutherford, LGBT Community Romeo SanofVicente, Calgary,EdEdmonton, Sikov, Nickand Vivian Alberta. and the GLBT Community of Calgary, Edmonton, and Alberta.

Photography Steve Polyak, Rob Diaz-Marino, RobPhotography Browatzke, B & J Steve Polyak, Rob Diaz-Marino, B&J Videography Steve Polyak, Rob Diaz-Marino

Videography

Steve Polyak,Sales Rob Diaz-Marino Craig Connell Printers sales@gaycalgary.com North Hill News/Central Web

Printers Distribution Web exPress

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

Legal Council

Courtney Aarbo, Barristers and Solicitors

SalesGeneral & General Inquiries Inquiries

® GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine GayCalgary Magazine 2136 17th Avenue SW Calgary, AB, Canada Calgary, AB, Canada T2T 0G3 T2T 0G3 magazine@gaycalgary.com

Office Hours: By appointment ONLY Phone: 403-543-6960 Toll Free: 1-888-543-6960 Fax: 403-703-0685 E-Mail: magazine@gaycalgary.com This Month's Cover Cher and Christina Main: BritneyAguilera Spears, courtesy photo byof Sony Pictures; Annie Lennox courtesy of Mike Owen; Michelangelo Di Battista Goudie.

Top Right: Mel B,Rex photo

by Alexander George Mid Right: Aaron Douglas, photo by NBC Universal Proud Members Bottom Right: Marina Sirtis, photo of:

by Paramount

Proud Members of:

Floyd Visser

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The Nutcracker

8

With Bells On

The Picture of Dedication An Alberta Ballet holiday tradition A Guys in Disguise Holiday Tradition

10 Introducing Steven Taetz, Electro-Cowboy 12 Marina Sirtis Gets Political 13 2014 Gay Games 14 XELLE Waves the Red Flag 17 Discussing Community Safety Holiday Crime Prevention Tips

17 HIV Community Link 18 Negative Messaging Around HIV/AIDS 20 Desperately Seeking Ryan

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Writers and Contributors

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PAGE 12

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

DECEMBER 2013

e n zi

Ryan Fisher stars in ode to Toronto’s nightlife

22 Kickstart-ing Gay Film Projects

a g a

Three LGBT Projects That Need Your Money

23 Lance Out Loud

m

Pat Loud, Family and Friends Recall the late Lance Loud in New Book

24 Deep Inside Hollywood

Casting call: Tom Hardy and Channing Tatum. Maybe.

25 How’s Your Furnace, Baby?

26 The Top Ten Things to do in Israel!

PAGE 28

®

28 Kelowna, BC Edmonton Rainbow Business Association

“Ripe with Surprises”

35 Funny Girl

Sarah Silverman talks HBO special, Miley and gay jokes

38 Disco Dabbler National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association

Frontman Brendon Urie on hot dudes, bisexuality and being naked ‘all the time’

PAGE 35

International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association

Continued on Next Page  www.gaycalgary.com

GayCalgary Magazine #122, December 2013

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Table of Contents  Continued From Previous Page

40 Scary Stories

®

PAGE 40

Mel B talks the gay ‘eye,’ a Spice Girls reunion and falling in love with a woman

42 Aaron Douglas comes to Lethbridge 44 My 8 Minutes with Britney Spears

Pop star on (not) being a gay icon, feeling like an outsider and that ‘adorable and hilarious’ comment

PAGE 42

46 51 52 54

Queer Eye A Couple of Guys News Releases Mr. GayCalgary December 2013 Dion Boink 55 Directory and Events 60 Classified Ads

a m

PAGE 44

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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.

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DECEMBER 2013 Print Deadlines Ad Booking: Fri, Dec 27

Submission: Mon, Dec 30 In Circulation: Sat, Jan 4 Please contact us immediately if you think you may have missed the booking or submission deadline.

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Community

Floyd Visser

The Picture of Dedication

By Nick Winnick Regular readers will remember Floyd Visser as an entirely deserving Mr. GayCalgary for November 2013.

Executive director for Calgary’s Society Housing AIDS/ HIV Restricted Persons (SHARP) Foundation, Visser has spent nearly a decade working in the interests of HIVpositive people in the Calgary community. GayCalgary had a chance to sit down with him recently, to ask him in more detail about his work, and how it fits into – or to all appearances, dominates – his life.

When Visser was brought on board in the winter of 2004, SHARP was undergoing a major transition. “Much the same as it was back in the early 1990s, [SHARP was] almost considered a hospice. Essentially for people dying of AIDS. And of course, with ARV [therapy] people are now living with AIDS, so we had to look at things quite differently in terms of how to help engage the people that we serve in their own health and wellness, and helping them to live better lives.”

On Visser’s watch, SHARP’s story has largely been one of success. The Foundation’s approach to the issues challenging its clients has been a thoroughly modern and progressive one, employing compassion, realism, and harm-reduction – a model for providing aid to at-risk individuals that has been successful the world over, particularly in comparison to the draconian attempts at prohibition and behavioural correction that were so prevalent in previous decades. “Do

they stop using drugs?” asks Visser, rhetorically. “Probably not. Do they use less? Yes.” In other areas, success is less ambiguous. “Do they stay medication-compliant? One-hundred percent. ... We’ve had

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GayCalgary Magazine #122, December 2013

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incredible success – like 95% or 98% success – in terms of clients getting to doctor’s appointments. The other really cool thing right across the board for the SHARP foundation is, ever since we introduced a nurse three years ago, we’ve been monitoring the number of interventions with EMS, or the number of times taking people to emergency, and that has gone down significantly.”

Even at the beginning of Visser’s time with SHARP, the world looked very different from the perspective of an individual with an HIV-positive diagnosis than it did ten years previous. Medication and care allow people to live, if not ‘normal’ lives, then at least lives worth living. Visser’s role, as he sees it, is to make this a reality for as many people as SHARP is able. “Yes, you can live successfully on the meds, if you’re good at routine, and if you’re good at lowering your stress levels, and if you know how to cook a good meal for yourself or have someone else do it for you.

If you have all those things in place. But not everyone has those abilities, and that’s where we come in.”

Compassion and holistic well-being are crucial to SHARP’s mission. “You’ve got to have quality housing,” Visser maintains. “And it doesn’t have to be high-end, but at least provide an opportunity for someone to create a home for themselves ... better housing, better health outcomes. We’ve seen the clients take more pride, they engage better. [You can’t] just be put into a room somewhere, and hear ‘Oh, we got you housed, so now you’ve got to get better.’”

Even when discussing his personal life, Visser’s mind immediately traces back toward his work, and the ways in which it permeates and, to hear him tell it, enriches his life. “Engaging with friends is super important – that’s the nice thing about my job: I’ve built such an amazing network of friends – and I would say friends – they’re not just supporters of the Foundation.” Lest the rest of us mortals begin to feel inadequate, it should be noted that Visser isn’t working during every waking moment. “Certainly things like ballet, and theatre, and exercise. When the weather is good – somewhat of a fair-weather athlete, I suppose. I still like to dabble in design.”

And, naturally, the relentlessly positive Visser has only glowing things to say about his partner, Tim, though he’s at a loss to define exactly how long they’ve been ‘together.’ “It’s a process, right? We know the exact date that we met, and that’s how we look at it, in terms of the 17 years. We met for coffee and we started chatting, and it was like we’d known each other our entire lives. You don’t often have that kind of connection with people. So, again... lucky, right?”

Visser lives, in his own words, a blessed life, which seems only to have drawn his attention and care toward those who have been less so. Under his tenure, SHARP has advanced a compassionate and even intersectional agenda “HIV does not stand alone. It’s interconnected and integrated with so many other issues, including housing and sexual orientation or gender identity or poverty. Particularly with the LGBT community, there are so many that deal with so many of those issues.” The fight against HIV may be far from over, but the future seems a bit brighter for those with SHARP in their corner.

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Hey, did you hear that former Ohio attorney general Jim Petro recently became a grandpa? That’s nice for him... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3783

Deep Inside Hollywood

Ellen Page and Evan Rachel Wood go Into the Forest

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Thinking Out Loud: Selective Social Justice

I’ve Stopped Assuming That The left Is Committed To LGBT Rights

Last week I staffed a booth at a local fair for IMRU, the LGBT radio show I co-host.

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Rainbow Flag Day

The SHARP Foundation http://www.thesharpfoundation.com

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How I found a little bit of hope during the government shutdown

During the government shutdown, my partner, Traci, and I found ourselves in Philadelphia with a handful of useless tickets to the important American... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3791

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The Nutcracker An Alberta Ballet holiday tradition

By Farley FooFoo For many fans of ballet, The Nutcracker is the first production that made them fall in love with the world of dance.

The Nutcracker Presented by Alberta Ballet - December 19 to the 24th At the Jubilee Auditorium in Calgary http://www.AlbertaBallet.com

Considering the scope and prodigiousness of the show it is easy to see why. Lavishly presented by the Alberta Ballet, scenery and costume designer Zack Brown pulls no punches in creating a world on stage that is magical, majestic and at once entrancing.

From the gorgeous gown of the Sugar Plum Fairy, to the strikingly anthropomorphised wolves and mice, the dancer’s costuming in The Nutcracker will leave you in awe. But it is the dancers doing what they do best that will be sure to leave you in amazement.

From the realistically mouse-like movements of The Nutcracker’s youngest performers, to the grace and athleticism of its principals, the dancing itself remains centre stage. In the title role of The Nutcracker, dancer Yukichi Hattori thrills the audience with his remarkable talent which includes leaping so high one might almost be forgiven for mistaking him for an Olympic high jumper. Now in his eighth season with the Alberta Ballet, Hattori’s skills have taken him from Japan to Germany to Canada, impressing audiences around the world at every stop along the way.

For those not yet anointed into the world of professional ballet, The Nutcracker is the perfect introduction. With its easy to follow storyline, magnificent staging and the exultant music of Tchaikovsky sure to keep your feet tapping along in time, The Nutcracker is guaranteed to transform any neophyte into a fan for life. For those among you who are already ballet enthusiasts, it is a wonderful production to remind you exactly what it is that first made you fall in love with dance. www.gaycalgary.com

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GayCalgary Magazine #122, December 2013

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With Bells On

A Guys in Disguise Holiday Tradition

By Farley Foo Foo “Drag is really good at ignoring real life, and real life is really good at not knowing drag is there. So when they’re forced to actually deal with each other that’s kind of where [the magic is.]” - Darrin Hagen.

How great would the world be if everyone who didn’t understand each other was forced to spend a couple of awkward hours trapped in an elevator together?

That’s the question that I was left with after watching a performance of With Bells On, a charmingly hilarious play presented by the Guys in Disguise, starring James Hamilton and Paul Welch. As any claustrophobic would tell you, the very notion of being trapped in a small, shaky elevator is a nightmare. For a drag queen dressed head to toe in a sparkly Christmas tree costume, cumbersomely over-the-top headpiece, painfully tall acrylic platform stilettos and with a full bladder on her way to compete for the title of Drag Queen of the Year, it would be a horror beyond belief. This is exactly the situation Natasha, played spectacularly by veteran actor Paul Welch, finds herself in when her world collides with that of her hapless and solitary neighbour Ted. Following the performance, award winning writer and director Darrin Hagen was gracious enough to sit down for a discussion about just what inspired him to write this unlikely and unique holiday production. “The weird thing about being a drag queen is if you don’t get ready at the club, if you get ready at home, then you ultimately have to get there.” And getting there, for the show’s distinctive heroine, is

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half the battle. “If you’re just in the gay bar then nobody thinks it’s weird at all. But if you leave the gay bar and walk home, suddenly you’re going to run into people that don’t expect that they’re going to see a drag queen.” Hagen continues, “So for me, the place for comedy is always where drag meets real life. And in that elevator that’s exactly what happens.”

Confining the world of the play to a four foot by four foot box presented Hagen with a new challenge and interesting departure from his usual style of production. “Most of my plays are short scenes that move around through time and space. And I knew as soon as I put them in an elevator and got them stuck, that’s suddenly one scene; one long scene! It was a kind of theatre I hadn’t written before. I usually write smaller, shorter scenes...

So to actually force two people to get to know each other was a bit of a challenge.”

For the fortunate audience, it was a challenge Hagen triumphed over to great comedic result. From the first moment of Natasha’s arrival and perhaps the most memorable character entrance I have ever witnessed, the laughs are non-stop. Hagen’s brilliant writing and the actors fantastic performances aside, even just the mere sight of the lovably diminutive and nondescript Ted, portrayed so earnestly by Hamilton, standing next to the ‘statuesque’ beauty of Natasha, all six foot nine hundred of her, makes for a hilarious visual. Even more surprisingly still, despite the restrictively small space encompassing the two actors, the physical comedy in With Bells On is frequent and impressive. “In terms of the physicality that’s something that evolved as the script evolved,” says Hagen. “A lot of it was discovered when Ian Prinsloo directed it at the Lunchbox [Theatre] in Calgary, the first time around, I kind of watched him do it and went ‘Oh!’ He found some beautiful stuff in it.”

Having mounted With Bells On for now the fourth run, I asked Hagen if that makes it easier to get back into the feel of the show or if he and the cast struggle to find a new feel each time. “In theatre you can’t actually do the show over and over again. You can try, it’ll never happen. So just let go of that expectation.”

For those who have seen previous versions of With Bells On, be prepared for a whole new lighting scheme, new jokes, even an entirely new monologue added by Hagen for this production.

And for Hagen, he has learned to let go of the expectation that, as a director, he needed to maintain control over every aspect of the production. Instead, he and the cast have allowed each mounting of the show, and indeed each performance, to have a life of its own. “It took me a long time to trust that I could let go of control. That’s really when [the show] flies, is when you stop trying to control it. I mean, you’re totally in control of what’s happening, but [particularly for the actors] how you react in those moments has to be real and fresh, and you have to turn off the control for that. It’s a fine balance, but I thought there was nice new stuff tonight. I feel like it’s a new show.... I can’t believe how many times I’ve seen it and I’m still laughing.”

The theme of not having control and allowing for life to take you in unexpected directions is echoed in the production itself, particularly through the personal journey we witness in the character of Natasha. From the surface, one might fairly assume that when a relatively sheltered man find himself trapped in an elevator with a drag queen, that it is the more prosaic man who might be the one less open minded and willing to accept someone as ‘different’ as a drag queen. But that’s not necessarily the case. “That’s the thing I kind of love about this play, she’s kind of the narrow minded one. He’s ready for the experience and she’s like No! No! You’re Mr. Normal, I’m not interested [in getting to know you.]”

Hagen’s Natasha seems to have this standoffishness about her as a result of feeling stigmatized and ostracized by the less colourful world she is forced to contend with when not in the safety and comfort of her drag community. “When a drag queen dresses up, you know you’re a freak. And I don’t mean that in a negative way. You’re trying to shock people. You’re trying to be provocative. But at the same time, you just want to fit in. You do everything you can to make sure people notice you, then you

kind of go Why is everyone staring at me? It’s that weird doubleedged sword of drag.”

For Natasha, her struggle is to leave behind her own preconceptions about Ted and to recognize that he too has his own issues and insecurities and needs. When you live in a world of ‘Magic Crystal Palaces’ you can easily forget how uneventful and dull other people’s worlds and lives can be. They may not be staring at you because they see you as a freak, but because they see you as something remarkable and beautiful, even miraculous.

For many people, the holiday season can be as terrifying as being trapped in an elevator. Having felt excluded, even vilified by a family, a religion, even a society that relegates those of us who are considered to be different as outcasts, Christmas time can be annoying, lonely, even painful. It is for people like this, Hagen wrote With Bells On. “I’m not a big fan of most Christmas programming. I’m not a big fan of forced gaiety, pardon the pun, people being obligated to spend money they don’t have. Christmas comes with all these obligations.

And I think if you’re going to go out and enjoy a Christmas show it should be something that challenges you a little bit or offers something fresh. And for those people that don’t like Christmas programming, they’re the ones that I want to come to this show. Because it’s not your typical Christmas program.

It’s for a diverse audience. It speaks to people that might not feel welcomed by the traditional family Christmas. It speaks to the people that got left out of the Christmas mess. For all those people that have ever felt left out of Christmas this is the Christmas show for them.”

Like a gigantically tall drag queen decked out in a sparkling silver Christmas tree costume standing next to you in a tiny elevator, With Bells On is not something you should miss seeing. Darrin Hagen’s play contains the important messages of friendship and tolerance, without any of the commercialism or schmaltzy faux sentimentality of many Christmas shows - and all wrapped up beautifully with the giant silver bow of a great drag performance on top. So open your hearts and your minds to a terrific piece of theatre that just might renew your faith in the Christmas spirit. And even if it doesn’t, you’re still in for one hell of a good laugh.

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With Bells On Presented by Guys in Disguise Until December 22nd, 2013 At the Roxy Theatre (10708 124 St) in Edmonton http://www.guysindisguise.com http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3798

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Introducing Steven Taetz, Electro-Cowboy

By Carey Rutherford Steven Taetz, Alberta-born gay dance music singersongwriter, is talking to us from New York, from where he’s embarking on a North American tour of...country bars?

“I moved out to Toronto about 8 years ago, and once I was there I was collaborating with dance (music) artists in that area.

Over the last 6 years or so, we released electronic-dance music, both in Canada and the US, and to a large part in Europe, actually. I had producer(s) working with me: they would do the instrumental, and I would write the melody.

“I’ve been writing, to a large part, for myself to be featured as a vocalist on those releases, but also for other artists: Roberta Carter-Harrison (of the Wild Strawberries) appeared on a few tracks with me, and I’ve written for a Brazilian artist, Amannda: she’s been on the Billboard (charts) a few times, and I’ve written all of the singles on her new album.

“It’s been a fun process over the last 10 years, trying to figure out my place in the songwriting community... When I left Calgary, I was really interested in electronic music, but I’ve been trained classically, and grew up with acoustic music. It was a fun tangent, but now I think it’s nice to be back with something more organic.”

Taetz doesn’t totally philosophize by saying he has ‘grown up’ musically, but he does pun that he feels like he’s getting back to his roots. Given the country-folk-roots flavour of his current self-titled CD, and its ambitious collaboration with earthy musicians from every part of Canada, we’ll allow him the little joke.

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Taetz describes a personal growth from Grande Prairie to California and then back to Calgary, where his interest in dance music flourished, but not his success. This stimulated his voyage to Toronto. Music in the Adult Contemporary genre, like James Taylor, Carole King, etc., provided him performance opportunities while attending the University of Calgary. This fanned the singing flame which has never left him, and gives him a foot to stand on with the styles and performers that worked with him on his latest pan-Canadian collaboration.

It goes like this: “3 years ago, when I was making the transition to acoustic music, I was trying to think how best to (re-)learn the songwriting process, and get to the heart of how to tell that story as a singer/songwriter might. So I began to approach artists from across Canada, focusing on choosing 1 from each province, and writing with each of those artists.

“In writing with those folks, I tried to tell a story from the point of view of someone from PEI, or how we could integrate something that was of interest or special about (other Canadian areas). Without trying to say there’s maple syrup in my coffee, or specifically talking about Quebec, or something like that.”

Steve mentions that, despite this reluctance to sink into ‘Canadiana Vignettes’ stories, something like the Northwest Territories’ midnight sun has relevance to the people living there which overcomes the stereotypical images of Canadian popular music. Presumably, when Snowbirds first came out, Anne Murray was breaking some new ground with it. But Steve sounds like he would like to avoid the well-worn paths of such musics. www.gaycalgary.com

Bridge that’s been built; the Glenbow (Museum) has been quite open to some major artists; the Folk Festival has become its own beast, which is fantastic; electronic music has been firmly established there; and I can’t sing Calgary’s praises more! ... The reason I’m hoping to wrap up this albumwalk in Calgary was a cominghome, and the whole topic of this album is relating to travel and homecoming, and the importance of returning to our loved ones.”

Steve mentions Calgary because he’s bringing this pop-roots mix to the Ironwood Stage & Grill on December 3rd. And, speaking of loved ones, when you see the show you can congratulate him on the marriage vows he just exchanged with his own loved one. May good fortune smile upon you!

“I don’t think that there’s such a thing as a dance or folk-music writer exclusively: there’s a lot of transitions.

You’ll see takeaway sessions or acoustic sessions where a dance (music) artist is becoming that ‘acoustic’ artist, whether they had intended to or not. And there’s a lot of ‘folk’ or ‘roots’ artists doing the opposite.

“I think one of the largest takeaways for me in this process was being able to collaborate with other people to tell one storyline that resonated with me, and hopefully resonates with others. I know I also have a knee-jerk reaction when I see someone saying ‘gay artist’...

Elton John, I think, really paved the way by being an artist who was ‘gay’: he had a persona that could go so many different ways, literally. For myself, as an artist, I think I appreciate music most when it resonates with other people, when it can be universal, and doesn’t have to be just specific to that artist.

“I think from the time I left Calgary, 7, 8 years ago now, there’s much more cultural appreciation: there’s the (Peace)

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 Photo by Matt Barnes

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Marina Sirtis Gets Political  Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

By Farley FooFoo Attending the recent Lethbridge Entertainment Expo was actress Marina Sirtis, famously known for her portrayal of Counselor Deanna Troi on the hit sci-fi classic Star Trek: The Next Generation. She took a moment to speak with GayCalgary Magazine about how much she enjoys smaller fan expos, her time spent filming the show, more recent projects and her decision to choose roles more political in nature.

“I like to do things that say something now, that have some kind of message,” Sirtis reveals. One such project the actress has been involved with and is due for release in 2014 is the movie Rivers of Milk and Honey, which Sirtis explains is “about a Russian family, well actually they’re not Russian they’re Armenian but it was when Armenia was behind the Iron Curtain, and everyone spoke Russian, and they emigrate to America and it’s basically the story of the family. There’s a little dig at the American Health Care service which is one of the reasons why I did it. Because you know, you can only get health care if you’re rich in America, if you’re poor you get to die, really. So I wanted to do it just for that actually.”

Another upcoming project for Sirtis which is slated for release in the new year is the movie A Dark Reflection, directed by Tristan Loraine and co-starring Rita Ramnani, Rowena Diamond and Sam Smith which, Sirtis promises, “the doo-doo is going to hit the fan” upon its release.

The controversial movie, Sirtis explains, “is about the airline industry and how they’re poisoning us.” Sirtis continues, “This is something that no one knows about, and the airlines have been getting away with this for decades.”

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Watch the full video: http://gaycalgary.com/a3800 

When asked about why a show as politically ground breaking, particularly in terms of equal rights advocacy, as Star Trek: TNG was, yet failed to have an openly gay character, Sirtis is quick to come to the defense of creator Gene Roddenberry. “I’m going to tell you what Gene said, this is from the horse’s mouth. How would you know who was gay and who wasn’t? It’s not like you guys walk around with a sign on you right? So when Gene was asked this question he said Well how do you know that character isn’t gay? Or that person on the bridge isn’t gay? We did do storylines about homosexuality. But I agree with Gene, you know, how would you know who was gay and who wasn’t? ... You have to remember that our show was on in the late eighties and early nineties, and gay rights in the last twenty-five years have come so far.

And although we’re doing a show about the twenty-fourth century, it’s generally written by twentieth century men. You have to kind of bear that in mind.”

Despite the great advances in LGBTQ rights since the show’s broadcast, Sirtis has taken it upon herself to advocate further for the equal treatment of gay, lesbian and transgendered individuals. “I’m doing what I can to promote gay marriage, because I live in California so it’s all good there but you know in other states I would do whatever I can to get that passed everywhere in the United States.”

To hear more of what Marina Sirtis has to say to all her LGBTQ fans, including her reaction to the best drag queen Deanna Troi cosplayer she ever saw, and just what became of the infamous Troi wig, watch the full video on our website.

http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3800

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2014 Gay Games

By Lisa Lunney Albertan LGBT athletes take note: the 2014 edition of the Gay Games, one of the biggest sports and cultural festivals in the world, is coming to the Northern United States. The Games will take place in Cleveland and Akron Ohio from August 9th to 16th of 2014. More than 11,000 participants are expected to compete and celebrate in world-class sports, events and parties.

It may not be NYC or Chicago, but that is the appeal. Those attending the games will be treated to outstanding Ohio cuisine, friendly faces and excellent sporting venues, all hand-picked by the Cleveland Foundation. This event will cater to patrons from around the globe, and is an ideal place to interact and network with others in the LGBT community and create new bonds that will last a lifetime.

Kimberly Hadley, Co-President and North American Referee Director of the International Gay & Lesbian Football (Soccer) Association encourages Albertan’s to participate in the fun and take advantage of the North American venue. This will be the last Gay Games in North American until at least 2022 (the 2018 Games have already been set for Paris, France!), shares Kimberly. A special discount code has been set up for Team Calgary registration.

Brilliant illustrator Jamey Christoph has already created the design of the medals to be awarded at the Games. His depiction combines memorable attributes of both Cleveland and Akron, and pays homage to the Games. The Gay Community Endowment Fund of Akron Community Foundation has made a $100,000 commitment to help make the 2014 Gay Games presented by the Cleveland Foundation a great success for Summit County.

The Gay Games are about participation, inclusion and striving to reach our personal best. As such, they are open to everyone regardless of sexual orientation, gender, political and religious beliefs, nationality, physical condition or athletic ability. Even if patrons don’t want to participate, there is plenty fun to be had from the sidelines cheering on friends and fellow community members.

The Gay Games send a bold message of equality and personal empowerment for members of the LGBT community: be proud of who you are, and show the world your absolute best.

Represent Alberta with Pride! On your mark…get set for the 2014 Gay Games!

Gay Games 2014 Cleveland and Akron Ohio Register by 12/31/13 and save $30 off registration.

Please use the special Team Calgary Discount Code: teamcalg http://www.GG9CLE.com http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3801

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GayCalgary Magazine #122, December 2013

13

XELLE Waves the Red Flag

By Jason Salerno The name XELLE has multiple meanings. It represents how the band strives to excel in everything they do: their music, videos, and live shows. The name reflects how they like big things: big voices, big hits, and making a big impact. And it’s a pun on the fact that the girls are not size 0 supermodels. They’re proud of their shapes and love to show off their curves.

The girls came together in a New York City gay bar. It was karaoke night and three strangers - Rony G, JC Cassis and Mimi Imfurst - took the stage to sing “Wannabe” by the Spice Girls. The performance was electric, the crowd went wild and the three decided to join forces, under the direction of acclaimed music producer Zach Adam.

In the next two years, the group unleashed a string of popular dance songs and music videos including “Party Girl”, “Queen” and “Hologram”. Their YouTube Channel logged in over 1.2 million views.

Now, they’re back – minus Mimi Imfurst who has decided to pursue a solo career - with a new club song that is very different from their previous tracks. “Red Flag” is a call-toaction, meant to inspire fans to stand up to fiends like Russian President Vladimir Putin who recently signed a new law placing restrictions on the discussion of homosexuality.

The girls are also announcing a new movement (IRaiseARedFlag.com) that encourages everyone who believes 14

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in human rights to post videos, pictures and social media updates with the hashtag #IRaiseARedFlag. The goal is to show the global community that anti-LGBT sentiment; behavior and legislation will not be tolerated.

GC: Tell us about your new club song, “Red Flag”.

JC Cassis: It’s about standing up for what you believe in and raising awareness when you see something wrong. Saying something is a red flag means that it is a problem and a warning of something worse that’s coming.

GC: Like the anti-gay atrocities happening in Russia today?

Rony G: What’s happening in Russia with the anti-LGBT crackdown is reminiscent of what happened in Germany before World War II with anti-Semitism. If we don’t stop it now, it will grow, spread and become more severe, leading to hatred, violence and death for thousands or even millions of people.

GC: Should the world boycott the Sochi Olympics?

JC Cassis: We think it would be more impactful if everyone around the world who is against what the Russian government is doing took action by pressuring the Olympic Committee, the sponsors, participants and attendees of the Olympics to make a strong statement of support for the Russian LGBT community and equal rights for all in Russia. The Russian government needs to be made aware that their actions are wrong and unacceptable to the global community and that the Russian

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LGBT community has allies around the world who will help them stand against injustice.

GC: How does “Red Flag” compare with your previous releases?

Rony G: Our other releases were more about having fun and not taking things too seriously. We like to say our sound combines the sass of TLC with the fun of The Spice Girls and the timeless pop excellence of ABBA. We call our sound megapop, because it’s everything you love about pop music, turned up all the way. But there are some things in life worth getting angry about and taking very seriously, like human rights. “Red Flag” is a political track, but it’s still a great pop song. We’re still XELLE and that means anything we release is going to be full of hot diva vocals, danceable beats, and powerful synth rhythms.

GC: Who are some of your nightlife inspirations?

JC Cassis: Great artists like Madonna and Queen inspire us to be bold and forward thinking, but we are even more influenced by the incredible creativity on display in gay clubs. Drag acts like Acid Betty and Mila Jam are big inspirations because they go all the way with their hair, makeup, performance and fashion. People like them remind us who will be dancing to the songs we make and that we must always make the fiercest songs possible.

GC: What’s something your fans would be surprised to learn about XELLE?

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Rony G: Most people probably don’t know that JC went to Harvard University and I served in the Israeli military.

GC: Describe a typical day in the life of XELLE. JC Cassis: We are constantly shopping on Amazon for wacky props and outfits, working with designers to make incredible looks, rehearsing dance moves till we drop, and, of course, playing shows all over the country.

GC: What’s the ultimate goal?

Rony G: To be a force for positive change in the world.

JC Cassis: We want to be a part of winning equality for all.

Xelle http://www.XELLEmusic.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/XELLEmusic Twitter: www.Twitter.com/XELLEmusic Instagram: www.Instagram.com/XELLEmusic YouTube: www.YouTube.com/XELLEmusic http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3802

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Community

Discussing Community Safety Holiday Crime Prevention Tips

By Constable Andy Buck Hello again everyone. Well, it’s that time of year again… yes, frigid temperatures and tons of snow! In all seriousness, it’s the Holiday Season, and while everyone loves the holidays it is extra important to keep you, your family and home safe. Here are some crime prevention tips to help ensure that everyone has a safe and happy time over the festive period.

Holiday safety at home • Don’t display gifts where they can be seen from a window or doorway. Put gifts out of sight before leaving on holidays.

• Put an automatic timer on interior lights and/or radio to give the illusion of having someone in your house. Have a neighbour or family member watch your house, collect your mail and shovel your walks.

• Avoid leaving boxes from purchases (electronics, etc) on the street for garbage pick-up. This advertises the contents of your house to thieves.

Holiday shopping safety • Shop before dark if possible and always park in a well-lit, well-traveled area.

• Lock purchases in the trunk of your vehicle. Keep all vehicle doors locked and windows closed.

• Be extra careful with wallets and purses. Carry purses close to the body and place wallets in an inside jacket pocket rather than a pants back pocket.

Holiday party safety • If you’re planning on drinking, eat something first. Food slows absorption of alcohol into the system.

• Pre-arrange transportation to ensure you have a ride home at the end of the evening. Consider public transportation, a designated driver, alternative driver’s services, or a taxi.

That’s all I have for this month. I want to take the opportunity to say “thank you” for your support over the last 12 months, I am truly blessed to have the best job with the Calgary Police Service. As always, you know how to get hold of me with any questions, comments or concerns. Please stay warm, stay safe and look after each other. Happy Holidays and I look forward to talking with you in the New Year.

Constable Andy Buck 403-428-8154 • pol4792@calgarypolice.ca http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3803

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HIV Community Link

By Lisa Lunney December marks the beginning of a new era for the AIDS Calgary Awareness Association. Over the years the organization has grown to cater not just to Calgary, but also surrounding communities. “The broader meaning of HIV/AIDS has changed too. We no longer talk about people dying of AIDS; rather, we talk about people living with HIV,” states Executive Chair, Susan Cress. The Association is shifting with the changing times, and it only seemed appropriate to mark a new chapter in their history with a name change.

This rebrand to HIV Community Link is the result of over twelve months of evaluation and careful consideration. The title connects all the communities in Calgary, Medicine Hat and Bow Valle, and was instilled directly from feedback from the community from ideas expressed in surveys, emails and day-to-day interaction. With the launch of the rebrand, HIV Community Link hopes to be an even larger and prominent part of the community within Alberta.

In celebration of the rebrand and in honor of World AIDS Day, HIV Community Link hosted a fun-filled evening for supporters to celebrate. On November 30th a large number of the community came together for United Voices, shares Weston Jacques, Communications Director of HIV Community Link.

This family-friendly event, held at Scarboro United Church, offered something unique for people to celebrate together, featuring Enchor, Calgary’s Mens Choir and One Voice Chorus.

Following the majestic choirs was a reception and a silent auction.

Patrons were able to interact with one another in support of a wonderful change within their community. The event was a success, states Jacques proudly - a great way to end a wonderful year.

In the New Year, HIV Community Link will further grow with their community and strive to make 2014 the best on record for informing and supporting communities in and around Calgary.

http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3804

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GayCalgary Magazine #122, December 2013

17

Politics

Negative Messaging Around HIV/AIDS

By Stephen Lock In a recent Calgary Herald column (Don’t count on medicine alone to cure HIV/AIDS - November 29/2013), columnist Susan Martinuk concluded that while science and medicine can treat HIV/AIDS, in her opinion we cannot and will not eradicate it, or even make any progress against it, if we don’t address the behaviours that lead to infection.

On the surface, she has a point and certainly AIDS Service Organizations in the developed countries, and some Third World countries, have spent decades addressing that through safer sex initiatives and other educational programs, often under strong adverse public reaction to such explicit programs.

However, she concludes by saying “...can we truly eradicate HIV - or even make headway against the HIV epidemic - if we continue to tell our youth it’s OK to participate in behaviours that are responsible for at least half of all cases?” This is reminiscent of much of the rhetoric coming from social conservatives throughout the 80s and 90s and, it seems to me, suggests a view that gay/bisexual male youth, who are still amongst the highest groups at risk for infection, “choose” to engage in sexual behaviours - sexual acts, in other words that can lead to HIV infection and, ultimately, to AIDS. It is estimated that by the end of 2011, 71,300 individuals were living with HIV/AIDS in Canada. This is a conservative estimate, obviously, since approximately 25 percent of those with HIV are unaware they are even infected as the symptoms sometimes do not manifest for years.

She quotes some unnerving figures, such as - in terms of reported cases - 48.6 percent of all adult HIV infections were amongst men who have sex with men (whether or not the individuals self-identify as gay or bisexual) and 61.4 percent of all positive HIV tests were also amongst this group. That is statistically significant and means half the men one may have sex with are HIV+ and know it. Those who don’t know aren’t even in that figure.

The Centres for Disease Control in the US reveal infections in young men increased by 22 percent between 2008 and 2010 and that approximately 92 percent of all HIV in young males aged 13 to 24 is due to same-sex sexual activity.

This of course brings home the very message ASOs have been putting out there for years; assume whoever you have sex with is HIV+ and practice safer sex. That means using condoms during intercourse. Every time.

As mentioned in last month’s column, that simply isn’t happening. Only 45 percent of the 1,500 post-secondary Albertans surveyed reported they used a condom the last time they had sexual intercourse and 67 percent reported they were not concerned about contracting a sexually-transmitted infection. The message hasn’t gotten through. The figures as revealed in media did not indicate sexual orientation.

Martinuk also says, “The numbers are clear - young, gay men have by far the largest burden of HIV infection and its prevalence is increasing, not decreasing.”

This is true and is why it is so important AIDS prevention education target youth who are, or are about to become, sexually active. I would further suggest, not just postsecondary or senior high school but junior high as well. If 92 percent of diagnosed youth fall into the 13 years old to 24 years old bracket, then obviously we need to be doing some work with that age range, with education around safer-sex

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being introduced by probably no later than age 12. However, doing so creates a major backlash.

Given these figures, the risk-reduction models in use clearly are not effective. In amongst the messages ASOs put out there in the 80s, when I was actively involved in HIV/AIDS work, was an emphasis on how to have the sort of sex we as gay and bisexual men have with each other safely. We did not engage in telling people to stop having anal intercourse or to avoid having it, although that is an option for some men. We believed, as I still do, it was important to affirm our sexual expressions as good and important and valid, but that in the age of AIDS we all had to do them more safely.

Certainly, we as a society would never entertain the notion of saying to heterosexual men and women, oh, vaginal intercourse is a primary avenue of HIV infection and you have to stop having it. Why, then, would we even remotely entertain the idea of telling gay/bisexual men, and other men who have sex with men, to stop having the sort of sex we have and which is such an important part of our identity, just as anyone’s sexual expression is?

Contrary to Martinuk’s idea that it is not okay to tell our youth - our queer youth, in other words - they can participate in these behaviours, I believe that’s exactly what we need to say. Yes, having oral and anal intercourse with another gay/bisexual male, or any other male who is willing and interested, is perfectly okay. Absolutely! We need to affirm that over and over. However, along with that we also need to push forward the message that while sex between males is good and affirming and even healthy, one simply must do so safely and that means using a condom every single time. It is the responsibility, and again this was a dominant message of 1980s-era ASOs, of both partners to insist on using condoms unless they both know - not assume, but know - they are both HIV-negative (and free of any other STIs for that matter).

To balance the two messages effectively and responsibly is a challenge, no one denies that, but it is a challenge that must be taken up by educators.

All this raises an interesting philosophical question: Do we have sex with other males because we are gay/bisexual or are we gay/bisexual because we have sex with other males?

I am of the view we have sex with other men because we are gay/bisexual. That is our orientation and the sex we have is an expression of that orientation, just as having sex with a woman is the expression of a heterosexual man’s orientation. To suggest we somehow try and discourage that is preposterous.

Martinuk’s analogy of lung cancer is a bit disingenuous.

She suggests that the theory of earlier testing and early treatment (combined with education, by the way) reducing the overall amount of HIV out there is in error. She says, “...[T]his theory would suggest that we don’t discourage people from smoking, but wait until they are diagnosed with lung cancer before taking action to cure the disease...[W] ouldn’t there be fewer people who need treatment and who have lung cancer if we encouraged people to stop an activity that is known to cause it?”

Despite the legal and social advances made around issues of sexual orientation in the last few years, there still is this view within the dominant culture (i.e. heterosexuals) that our sexuality, or at least the expression of it, is some sort of ‘choice’ and, when the reality of HIV/AIDS is added to the mix, that it is somehow appropriate to suggest we - meaning gay and bisexual men and other men who have sex with men - just stop. That’s not going to happen and nor should it. www.gaycalgary.com

Smoking is an addiction. Giving expression to one’s sexuality is not. What does need to be done, and was being done until funding and political pressure gradually suppressed it, was explicit, open, sex-affirming education.

The goal of ASOs was, at one time at least, to ‘normalize’ safer sex. That using a condom during anal intercourse was simply just something one did, as a matter of course.

Not a big deal. But in order for that message to enter the consciousness of a population, the education around it has to be specific. Condom use has to be made sexy and hot and normal and in order to do that effectively, educators and other workers have to be able to distribute explicit materials and talk openly about the sort of sex males have with each other.

In addition to that, the erotic images we access, and by that I mean our porn, must consistently portray condom use.

Much of it does, but there is a whole industry constructed around the ‘hotness’ of barebacking and even amongst those videos that do show the actors using condoms, the condoms just ‘magically’ appear on a cock as the top starts to fuck... we seldom see it being put on; it’s just ‘there’ all of a sudden.

To me, that sends a subliminal message that condoms are secondary, bit of a nuisance, only being used because we have to not because they are or can be an integral part of hot horny sex. And porn is all about seeing hot horny sex.

So while medicine and science play an important, even crucial, role in reducing and eventually eliminating HIV/ AIDs, each and every one of us also plays a role. A thin piece of latex can literally mean the difference between health and disease, between life and death.

http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3805

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GayCalgary Magazine #122, December 2013

19

Desperately Seeking Ryan

Ryan Fisher stars in ode to Toronto’s nightlife

By Jorge Treviano The director of the new film, Seek, discovered his star, Ryan Fisher, at a gay bar in Toronto.

“I was with some friends when I first spotted Ryan enjoying a night out with a group of guys,” recalls Eric Henry. “I’m not one to actually go up to an attractive stranger and start a conversation, so I remained the wallflower and did nothing.”

Soon after, Henry started writing the script for Seek and wrote the character of Hunter with Fisher in mind.

“The film offers a glimpse into all aspects of local queer culture, its drag queens, bars, nightlife, all set to the backdrop of the city of Toronto,” explains Henry.

The action centers on Evan, a shy, budding young writer who takes on an assignment profiling Hunter, an alluring club promoter who reigns over Toronto’s nightlife.

A year later, when he began casting the film, Eric Henry was determined to find his mystery man. Luckily, while combing through headshots, he came across Ryan Fisher’s resume. He contacted his agent and offered Fisher the role of Hunter without a single audition.

GC: Is this your first film?

RF: It isn’t my feature-film debut, however, it is the first queer film I have been a part of and the first queer character I’ve played. I’d say that was a huge draw to the project. I also loved how the script was about representing the characters - and the gay community as a whole - as relatively normally. It doesn’t focus on a torrid coming out story, or falling in love with a straight person. The story is, in my opinion, educational on how normal the queer community is. The characters just happen to be gay, or drag queens, or transvestites, or go-go dancers.

GC: Are you a king of nightlife like Hunter?

RF: I wish! I’m not a master of the nightlife like Hunter is.

He’s a bit more cunning than me.

GC: Are you easy to get to know?

RF: I think so. I’m certainly one of the most overbearingly social people in my circle of friends. I can show up to any party and make friends. I love going places where I don’t know anyone and just follow the flow of conversation. The idea is always to remain open and positive… and smile.

People flock to you.

GC: That’s one thing you share in common with Hunter.

RF: Yeah, and I’m a big flirt. I think it’s a great way to make people feel good about themselves, and makes any situation more comfortable. Most people respond well to it, but it’s gotten me into trouble too. It can give people the wrong impression, you know? I’ve been in some conversations I’d rather not be in and have been pursued by people I’d rather not be pursued by.

GC: What’s your favorite track to shake to on the dancefloor?

RF: On the dance floor, I’m a sucker for Top 40 but you should see me bust a move to some classic Motown!

GC: Does being in a movie make it easier to meet new people?

RF: You can never predict guys’ reactions to learning you’re an actor. I hang out with a lot of actors. When I meet people who’ve never really met an actor before, they always ask for a monologue or to see me cry. Which is… exhausting.

GC: If you could date one of the characters in the movie, who would you choose?

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GC: What advice would you give to Hunter?

RF: Hands down, Aiden Star, played by Jonathan Nathaniel.

GC: Why? RF: Have you seen 1 Girl 5 Gays? Who wouldn’t date Jonathan Nathaniel? He’s always positive and always cracking a joke. Love that guy.

GC: Do you think most gay guys seek Mr. Wrongs?

RF: It’s not just gay guys. People in general aren’t often good at seeing what’s best for them when it comes to love.

RF: Werk it. You’ve earned it!

Seek http://www.Seekthefilm.com http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3806

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GayCalgary Magazine #122, December 2013

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Community

 The Three Bits

 The Campaign of Evil: Russia and gay Propaganda

Kickstart-ing Gay Film Projects Three LGBT Projects That Need Your Money

By Chris Jenkins Making a pledge to a Kickstarter film or series is like making a pledge to public television. You’re not an investor and you won’t get a piece of the profits. You’re simply helping the recipient to present the kind of material you’d like to see.

“Making a show is hard work!” says Madison Singer of The 3 Bits, a gay web series that is currently seeking funding.

“Especially one like ours that is single-handedly combating the mainstream destruction of everything weird and wonderful.”

Singer’s goal is $50,000, which she says will pay for the next nine episodes of the series. “To achieve the high quality look of the show, we hire talented actors and rent professional equipment. It will take three weeks to shoot the next nine episodes,” she says.

Just as public television hands out DVDs or a tote bag to donors based on the size of their contribution, Kickstarter offers its own incentives. Items range from tee shirts to toenails.

Where Kickstarter and public television drives differ – and this is where it gets interesting – Kickstarter collects no money from donors until the pledge reaches its target amount. If it doesn’t reach that amount by the fundraising drive’s scheduled end date, donors keep their money and the drive is canceled.

Here are three LGBT projects currently seeking funding and worth consideration: The Three Bits Goal: $50,000 Rewards Offered: Pillow cases, Actor’s underwear and toenails http://www.gaycalgary.com/u604 Max Freeman and Margaret Singer’s queer web series, The 3 Bits, follows the antics of a trio of Brooklyn siblings—artschool twink Henry (Cole Escola), drug dealer–turned-gardener Roman (Singer) and Park Slope mommy blogger Madison (Erin Markey). It’s developed a rabid cult following, thanks to its mix of noirish drama, cheeky comedy and general shamelessness.

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The Campaign of Evil: Russia and Gay Propaganda Goal: $70,000 Rewards Offered: Producer credit, Dinner with Michael Lucas http://www.gaycalgary.com/u611 As most of the world moves forward toward gay equality, Russia is seemingly heading backward.

Violent attacks against Russian gays, and people suspected of being so, are more and more common. Videos of young gay people being taunted and tortured have been widely distributed on the internet.

Legendary porn mogul Michael Lucas documents gay life in modern Russia today, giving the world a first-hand look of what it is like to be a member of the gay community in his former homeland.

Evil Rising Goal: $3,000 Rewards Offered: Set visit, premiere tickets http://www.gaycalgary.com/u618 At the heart of the film is a story about love and loss, a lesson on giving in to evil and the consequences that come along with it. It centers around a young man who is bounced from group home to group home until he is old enough to take care of himself.

The instability he experiences heads him to grow cynical of the world until he meets Daniel, a man who represents safety, love, justice, and all good things about the world. But then Daniel dies and Samuel is presented with a unique opportunity to bring him back to life.

http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3807

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Review

 Author Pat Loud

Lance Out Loud

Pat Loud, Family and Friends Recall the late Lance Loud in New Book

By David-Elijah Nahmod In the just published book Lance Out Loud, family and friends recall Lance Loud, the young man who made history as the first openly gay man to appear on network television.

On page 121, Delilah Loud recalls a brother who walked to the beat of a different drum. Delilah and other family members were with Lance on the night he died of AIDS in 2001. “I looked up through my tears to see a giant shooting star careening horizontally across the sky, a fantastic and sparkly celestial body in the beautiful starry night,” Delilah wrote.

“What Delilah wrote about Lance dying was one of the most touching things I read,” said mom Pat Loud. “We didn’t want the book to be sad, we wanted it to be about Lance’s ebullience.”

Viewers first met the Loud Family in 1973, when PBS premiered An American Family, television’s first reality series. For seven months, the Louds permitted cameras to record their day-to-day existence. It was the show’s second episode which drew the most attention: Pat flies to New York to visit then twenty-one year old Lance, who took his mother to see a performance by the legendary drag queen Holly Woodlawn. Through it all, Lance wore his homosexuality on his sleeve. He wasn’t playing a character, he was being himself. Audiences of the period were stunned.

“Lance never compromised his personality,” said Pat Loud. “He never bowed to what others expected of him.

She explained the origins of the book’s title. “He had a column in Interview magazine called Lance Out Loud,” she recalled. “He’d review records. If he didn’t like a record, he’d say how awful it was. But many of the record producers were advertising in the magazine. His boss told him that he couldn’t do that to advertisers. He lost the job, but he remained true to himself.”

The book paints an affectionate portrait of a gay man who loved art, pop culture, family, friends, and life.

“I didn’t whitewash Lance,” said Pat Loud. “I wanted to present the whole character of him. But the book isn’t just about Lance, it’s about an era, it tells you a lot about those times.”

Dozens of photos from Lance’s life as a writer, musician, son, brother and gay icon are accompanied with short remembrances by those who knew him best. It becomes quite touching to see how profoundly he affected those whose lives he touched, and how close his friends remain to his mom, more than a decade after his passing.

“Every year on Lance’s birthday I have a party for his friends,” said Pat Loud. “I did this when he was alive and I’ve kept it up. Lance’s friend Christian Hoffman is like a son to me. He now lives here in Los Angeles, and told me that I could come live with him if ever I needed to.” Loud named Holly Woodlawn and singer Rufus Wainwright as being among Lance’s friends with whom she remains close.

In his contribution to the book, Wainwright recalls Lance’s belief that the greatest sin in life is to be a bore.

Pat Loud says that the book has been well received, garnering a rave review in the Los Angeles Review of Books.

“We miss Lance every day,” she said. “Because of Lance, we are an open minded lot of people.”

Lance Out Loud

By Pat Loud. Now available.

http://www.gaycalgary.com/a3808

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GayCalgary Magazine #122, December 2013

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Gossip wishful thinking. But if the director of The Heat and Bridesmaids can’t wish out loud for Channing Tatum to become gay, then none of us can. It’s not like Tatum didn’t already get S&M crazy with Danny McBride in his cameo appearance in This Is The End, and whatever Feig has in store for the actor eventually cast will be much less provocative. So come on, Channing Tatum, we’re all counting on you to make out with a guy on the big screen.

Guinevere Turner Creeps up on you Guinever Turner, star and co-writer of the ’90s lesbian indie classic Go Fish, has never stopped working. Or working it. She wrote the screenplay for American Psycho and died on screen, glamorously, at the hands of Christian Bale, she’s produced projects, written even more and stayed true to the indie film world throughout. Now she’s going to direct. The movie is called Creeps and it’s a dark-ish comedy about a pair of best friends, a lesbian and a gay man, who, according to the sassy Turner, “decide to quit drinking and doing drugs for a week so they can have great skin for a party.” Stop and read that again, because it’s the single greatest plot synopsis for a movie in the history of cinema. When will you get to watch it? When the money comes in, that’s when. The entire project is being crowdsourced by an IndieGoGo campaign – trans porn action hero Buck Angel even volunteered to run naked down Hollywood Boulevard if the price was right, how’s that for a perk?

– and we can’t think of a better, sillier, weirder idea to toss cash at.

Link now: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/creeps-a-darklycomedic-feature-by-guinevere-turner Ellen DeGeneres keeps making new TV shows happen

 Channing Tatum , photo by Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com

Deep Inside Hollywood Casting call: Tom Hardy and Channing Tatum. Maybe.

By Romeo San Vicente At this point we won’t believe anyone is playing Elton John in Rocketman, the biopic of the rock ’n’ roll legend’s life, until the day the film opens and we see that actor wearing some oversized glasses and/or those gigantic “Pinball Wizard” platform shoes.

But just in case you’re more trusting, they say it’s going to be Tom Hardy. We can get with this. Hardy is hot, he’s idiosyncratic, he’s played gay before and he’s one of the more dynamic young actors working today. Now let’s wait and see if it all falls apart. And while we wait, somebody go put a homosexual bug in Channing Tatum’s ear, please, and get him to say yes to Paul Feig (director of The Heat and Bridesmaids), who wants the Magic Mike star to play gay in his new romantic comedy. John Milhiser (one of the new batch of SNL regulars) is already set to play an Average Joe gay guy whose life gets turned upside down when he starts dating his dream man.

Feig threw Tatum’s name around and it started rumors that the actor was already cast as the dreamy one, and that turned out be 24

GayCalgary Magazine #122, December 2013

There’s nothing like being successful to make you even more successful. So along with having the most popular talk show on daytime TV, Ellen DeGeneres is producing up a storm. There’s an untitled sitcom pilot set up at NBC, written by DeGeneres’ longtime colleague Liz Feldman (2 Broke Girls), that will center on a lesbian and her gay male friend who decide to have a baby together just as he marries the love of his life. Then there’s the one-hour drama over at CW. It’s called Players and it’s ambitious. Set in Hollywood in the 1930s, it involves a young woman who moves to Los Angeles to get revenge for the death of her sister caused by a studio boss. But when she arrives she finds herself manipulated into becoming the fake romance for a closeted movie star and also pawn in a mob deal.

Nowadays you just work at Jamba Juice until you get frustrated and move back to Des Moines, but in the ’30s the movie biz was a lot wilder, apparently. Anyway, we can’t wait for both of these shows to become real things to binge-watch on our iPad. Zachary Quinto accepts Invitation with possible regrets Frankly, we thought filmmaker Karyn Kusama was a lesbian.

Turns out she’s not, but can you blame us for assuming the woman who directed Girlfight, Aeon Flux, Jennifer’s Body and an episode of The L Word might play for the lady team? An honest mistake if ever there was one. And, more honestly, her gender-role defying work has kept her on our radar all this time. Well, now she’s got a new project, The Invitation, starring Zachary Quinto, Big Bang Theory’s Johnny Galecki, Luke Wilson and Topher Grace. Co-written by Kusama’s husband Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi, the story revolves around a man (Wilson) invited to his estranged ex-wife’s dinner party. Once there, he realizes that something very strange has come over his ex and that she and her guests may have something fairly ugly planned for him. Due in 2014, we dare this thriller to be disturbing enough to make us fear eating. Won’t happen, but we still dare.

Romeo San Vicente personally volunteers to teach Tatum how to convincingly kiss a man.

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Lifestyle

How’s Your Furnace, Baby?

By Carey Rutherford How’s your furnace, baby? Things hot enough for you at home? Getting the occasional chilly reception when your utility bills arrive?

Direct Energy, noticing that the temperatures have dropped, has decided to share some of the experience they’ve gained visiting a good portion of the 883,000 semi-detached homes that Albertans currently inhabit.

“We visit thousands of homes each year in Alberta and we see so many simple fixes homeowners could do to reduce their energy bills,” said Dave Walton, Director of Home Ideas for Direct Energy. The press release GayCalgary Magazine received about this new initiative didn’t mention if Mr. Walton was ‘hot’ himself, but it does provide more prosaic information about how to keep our readers happy through the cold, hard months of Canada’s dark season.

Dave continued: “Now is the time for homeowners to take action on home energy efficiency and make those small changes around the house. Costs are always higher throughout the winter and the mercury is starting to drop.”

Dave’s Direct Energy colleagues gathered data based on a typical Canadian home, defined by the Canadian Real Estate Association, Statistics Canada and Natural Resources Canada as: 1,860 square feet, 40 years old and two stories. Does this sound like your home?

Well, ‘weather’ it does or not, they have some suggestions about how to reduce your wintery utility costs. And while it may seem counter-intuitive to spend money to save money, notice that these costs are mostly one-time-only, and the savings are annual. And, as a further incentive to gather your hard-earned pennies while you can, Dave includes ideas on treats to buy with the saved monies from these seven efficient habits:

1) Replace your furnace filter every 3 months to keep your furnace running efficiently - save $53.00/year - put the savings toward a ski lift pass; 2) Seal leaks around doors, windows and exterior wall electrical outlets to keep the warm air in - save $37.90/ year - enjoy 22 more cups of coffee this year; 3) Insulate your basement to improve the overall comfort of the basement and prevent warm air escaping along the joist cavities - save $67.00/year - buy a Canadian Olympic sweatshirt; 4) Insulate your attic to cut down on heating costs, a minimum of 12 inches of insulation - save $42.30/year - buy four pairs of mittens; 5) Lower the temperature setting on your thermostat by two degrees - save $150.00/year - get yourself the cashmere scarf you’ve always wanted; 6) If your furnace is older or experiencing frequent breakdowns, upgrade to a high efficiency furnace - save $197.60/year - escape the winter cold altogether and put this towards a plane ticket to the sunny south; 7) Clean your ducts to remove dust and debris and help your furnace do its job - save $53.00/year - buy a handful of new books to cozy up on the couch with.

Direct Energy notes that while not every homeowner can undertake all seven steps at once, even just implementing three easy changes (sealing leaks, changing the furnace filter regularly and lowering the thermostat by two degrees) could add up to $240.90/year. If you can manage all 7, you could save up to $600.00. Dave also notes that if you add a humidifier (so you feel comfortable at lower temperatures), open curtains on your south-facing windows during the day and close them at night (heat banking),and consider installing insulating window treatments, you’ll save even more, though he won’t offer numbers for those effects.

Now, these numbers, as Direct Energy carefully claims, are based on current gas and electricity prices and the average home mentioned above, but don’t be dissuaded by such careful enthusiasm: reducing energy use means you can save the world and save money at the same time! Where else can you do that?

Happy Holidays!

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Don’t you feel better already? But wait, there’s more!

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GayCalgary Magazine #122, December 2013

25

Travel

The Top Ten Things to do in Israel!

By Sophie Needelman, Editorial Coordinator for www.gaytravel.com It is not every day that one gets the opportunity to travel to a culture-rich country in a controversial part of the world with a history and significance greater than most modern travel destinations combined! I was lucky enough to spend six weeks in Israel this summer getting to know the various sites, cities, and incredible features of what this beautiful country has to offer- and have tons of insights and tips to report back! Between visiting the big cities and exploring some local neighborhoods, towns, and off-the-beaten-path finds that are too good not to share, I have officially lived the full Israeli travel experience. While planning your next visit to Israel, be sure to add these incredible hotspots to your to-do lists!

this incredible port city so make sure you don’t let this photo opportunity pass you up.

Snorkel in the Red Sea, Eilat The city of Eilat is like the Vegas of Israel, with huge resorts and spas and plenty of tourist boardwalk attractions to go around! A unique aspect of this coastal city, though, is the incredible Red Sea that it borders. The Red Sea is not only historically- and biblically- significant, but it is also home to an incredible coral reef nature reserve that can only be experienced in the water. Water temperatures are warm and water quality is crystal clear, so this is a notorious city to practice water sports including snorkeling- and for good reason too! Some of the most colorful and exotic fish call the Red Sea home, and snorkeling is a great way to experience some of the Eilat locals.

Visit the Tel Aviv LGBT center, Tel Aviv

Eat lunch at the Yemenite Cheese shop, Tsfat

Among an overwhelming number of homophobic neighbors, Israel is a beacon of prideful light- with Tel Aviv as the heart center of this inspiring LGBT community. No matter where you go in Israel, it is perfectly clear that Tel Aviv is not only the most gay-friendly destination in the Middle East let alone Israel, but a city that paves the way in expression and equality of the LGBT identity and rights. Tel Aviv is the gay center of the Middle East, and the Tel Aviv LGBT Center is literally at the heart of it all! This incredible organization is housed in a cozy little abode complete with a cafĂŠ, gardens, and comfy places to hang out with friends. This center features a variety of events, workshops, and classes at any given day so no matter when you are in town pay a visit to this inspiring organization in its adorable home!

There are many things the northern city of Tsfat is famous for- including being the founding site of Kabbalah. These days, tourist visit Tsfat for its incredible views of the Galilee as well as its proximity to the controversial Lebanese and Syrian borders.

Others love to spend their time in Tsfat shopping for candles, jewelry, or art while perusing the winding cobblestone streets of this gorgeous city. Every time I visit this town, I make sure to stop at the Yemenite Cheese shop for their whatever their daily special happens to be. This hidden gem is a great place to experience often less accessible parts of Middle Eastern culture, with a great representation of Yemenite cuisine at its finest. If you are as sensitive to spicy food as I am be sure to order your cheesy creation on the mild side!

View from the top of the Bauhaus Gardens, Haifa There are a number of incredible sights to see throughout Israel, but the best view in the entire country is definitely the view from the top of the Bauhaus Gardens hill in Haifa. This lookout spot offers visitors panoramic views of the Mediterranean Sea, the entire city of Haifa, the miles of Bauhaus Gardens spanning from hilltop to coastline, and neighboring towns and villages in the Israeli north. After walking the grounds of the Bauhaus Gardens themselves, be sure to make your way to the top of the Haifa hill to the Louis Promenade with a fully charged camera in tow! On a clear day you can see for miles as the sun sets over 26

GayCalgary Magazine #122, December 2013

Attend a drag show at Evita, Tel Aviv It is no surprise that Tel Aviv is the ultimate destination for LGBT nightlife in Israel, the Middle East, and the entire world for that matter! Of all of the gay bars and clubs, Evita is by far my favorite hotspot to hit up. This incredible venue offers great dance party tunes, incredible people watching, and even better drag show events multiple times a month. On any given evening you might find a famous drag queen or LGBT figure perusing the beautiful LGBT people hitting up this hotspot. I made sure I incorporated a drag show into my Israeli itinerary and I am so glad I did- the Evita drag show was the best drag performance I have ever seen both live and on the big screen. The fabulous www.gaycalgary.com

Israeli drag queens especially loved tourists in the audience and I even got incorporated into their evening of routines and acts!

They are also darling enough to throw in plenty of English into their usually Hebrew numbers to create a diverse and inclusive environment for locals and visitors alike. When you hit up this hotspot, tell the ladies that Sophie sent you!

Go antique shopping, Jaffa The port city of Jaffa is famous for its rich history and coastal presence, long before Tel Aviv was even on the map. Jaffa is a gorgeous and ancient town just south of the big city of Tel Aviv- and even offers the best views of Tel Aviv from the many cute boardwalk restaurants and cafes lining the coast. You will definitely want to fuel up at one of these great eateries because there is plenty of great antique shopping around the entire area of Jaffa. Whether you are shopping for your own humble abode or just window shopping, the furniture and antique stores in and around this city are absolutely not to be missed!

Visit the new Science and Technology center, Be’er Sheva At the cusp of the Negev desert, Be’er Sheva is a city rich with academic institutions and educational organizations fit for any and every age of local and visitor alike. This city leads the way in research and technological developments, and the best way to experience the progressive work done in around this town is at its brand new Science and Technology center right in the heart of town. This interactive center features a number of exhibits that make the Israeli science and technology that leads the world forward on a daily basis accessible to locals and visitors of any age. No matter who you are visiting with, be sure to make a trip to this eye-opening new site- complete with full size functional and educational sculpture garden that will teach you more about physics than you ever learned in high school!

Walk through the Old City right before a holiday, Jerusalem

any site in this bustling country. Just remember, the closer to a holiday of any religion, the more exciting the Old City will be!

Shop at hidden second-hand stores, Tel Aviv It is no surprise that some of the world’s best shopping is in the world, with European and Middle Eastern styles coming to a head in the most inspiring and unexpected ways possible. No matter what sort of garments or tzetchkes you are looking for, Tel Aviv will surely provide! A variety of vendors, from street stands to boutiques to full on department stores, provide locals and tourists with the latest up and coming fashions. And the best place to get the most fashion-forward finds is at Tel Aviv’s plethora of second hand stores and thrift shops scattered strategically around the city! The more off the beaten path places you can find, the better- think alley ways, side streets and tucked away corners for the best finds Israel has to offer!

Attend a Women of the Wall protest, Jerusalem The Western Wall is one of Jerusalem’s most infamous and sacred sites, with countless visitors a day from all corners of the world. Visiting this irreplaceable gem is life changing no matter how many times you go there. One of my favorite ways of experiencing the Western Wall in the Old City is with the feminist group Women of the Wall. This group of feminist men and women of all nationalities and backgrounds gather at the Wall at the beginning of every Jewish month to protest religious constraints on women during worship and other practices held at this holy site. I am lucky enough to attend one of the most radical and progressive universities in the world, and the protest conducted by Women of the Wall far exceeded any other rally or gathering I had previously witnessed. This alternative and unique way of experiencing one of the world’s most coveted religious sites is absolutely not to be missed, regardless of background or belief.

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The Old City of Jerusalem is one of the most culturally and historically significant sites in the entire world. Various world religions and heritages come together all within the confines of a few square kilometers. Whether you are looking for authentic Israeli food, shopping, museums, or people watching, the Old City epitomizes the rich offerings of this incredible country. The Old City is busy all year round, but the best time to get an especially great feel for the heart of the Israeli people by visiting this heart of the country before a holiday! The streets are packed with people of all ages and cultural backgrounds, which provides the ultimate people watching and fix for the senses as

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27

Kelowna, BC “Ripe with Surprises”

More photos and videos online: http://gaycalgary.com/a3812 

 Quail’s Gate Winery

By Rob Diaz-Marino This past October, my partner Steve and I went on a road trip through British Columbia to enjoy the culture and sights in a number of major centres. This wasn’t just a holiday – we had been invited by the tourism agencies of each destination to come and experience for ourselves what their neck of the woods has to offer to travelers. Over the course of a week we drove a circuit from Calgary through Glacier National Park, Kelowna, Victoria, Vancouver, Kamloops, and back to Calgary.

This month’s article on Kelowna is the first in a five part series describing our adventures through each destination, and what to keep an eye out for, if and when you have the opportunity to visit any one of them.

We arrived in Kelowna from the north on a Saturday evening, a good hour or two after sunset. It was hard to judge the size of Okanagan Lake, and the smaller lakes beside it on the way into town, because our eyes met pitch black when we looked out across them.

We were expected at 8pm for dinner at RauDZ Regional Table, but our stopovers in Glacier National Park had delayed us more than we expected, and it was already nearly 8:30pm. The two of us were starving - I had been downing candies to keep my blood sugars from dropping. As we were about 20 minutes away from the restaurant, they phoned us to check if they should continue to hold our table. For a restaurant that doesn’t take reservations, this exception felt like a big deal. With profuse apologies, we arrived shortly after without even checking into our hotel. We sat down to our table in the back corner of the cozy venue where we had an all-encompassing view of the open kitchen, the dining area, and the bar.

RauDZ (pronounced “Rods”), we found out, is a much sought after dining experience in Kelowna – so much that the management apparently made the decision not to take reservations in order to give everyone a fair chance. And that seems reasonable – why keep a table empty for someone who might show up (as we aptly demonstrated) when you have people who are already there, lined up at the front door.

Indeed, the restaurant was jam-packed with a lineup outside lasting past 10pm. We ate possibly one of the tastiest (and best looking) meals of our lives here, and that wasn’t just the hunger talking.

The single glass of champagne we each drank was enough to get us a little tipsy, so before heading to the hotel, we went for a stroll from RauDZ down Bernard Street to where it 28

GayCalgary Magazine #122, December 2013

 Sights on and near Bernard Street

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RauDZ Regional Table

u Roasted Carrot

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Soup with Parsley Oil

q Butcher Cut

Grilled 10oz Rib Eye Steak

Owned and operated by the award winning team of Chef Rod Butters and Audrey Surrao, this downtown Kelowna restaurant focuses on using fresh, locally grown ingredients. Each plate is practically a work of art – as much a feast for the eyes as for the taste buds.

Before our meal we were presented with a delicious amuse-bouche of roasted carrot soup with parsley oil.

Then for our main courses we had the day’s specials.

I took on the Codfathers special: pan roasted halibut with sauté of Dungeness crab, farro and beet greens, beet puree, roast beets and lemon caper gremolata.

Meanwhile, Steve tried the Butcher Cut special: grilled 10oz rib eye steak with butternut squash, potato pave, roast carrots and squash puree, Bosc pear with stout jus, and potato chips.

p Codfathers

Pan Roasted Halibut

q RauDZ

Signature Dessert

p Chocolate

Caramel Crunch

For dessert we shared the stunning looking RauDZ Signature Dessert made of double chocolate mashed potato broche, raspberry sorbet, and warm chocolate sauce. (Surprisingly the mashed potato tasted like a rich chocolate fudge!) And for good measure we also got the Chocolate Caramel Crunch, made with salted caramel ice cream.

Every bite of the food seemed unique with a different mix of distinct and delicious flavours. The portion sizes may look small, but both of us found ourselves quite satisfied and not needling to snack later. All too often at restaurants, we are forced to over-stuff ourselves out of obligation to finish what is on the plate, but this seemed like it was just enough food to fill our bellies with every bite welcome.

RauDZ Regional Table 1560 Water Street, Kelowna, BC http://www.raudz.com

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GayCalgary Magazine #122, December 2013

29

 Mission Hill Family Estate

ended by the waterside with a small park and a running fountain with an impressive abstract sculpture as the centerpiece. While the docks out in the water were well lit, once again we could only see blackness out over the lake.

On our way back we passed by a neat, old fashioned looking movie theatre with strips of scrolling lights and the names of movies above the doors in tiled letters.

This area felt like the trendy district, similar to Calgary’s 17th Avenue or Edmonton’s Whyte Ave. We made our way to the Coast Capri Hotel, a five minute drive away, to check in for the night in one of their Superior Room suites.

We were on the fourth floor overlooking the large outdoor swimming pool and hot tub in the courtyard. The room itself was very nice – newly built with a classy, clean cut décor. Totally beat from our travels, and satisfied from our full bellies, we went straight to bed.

After a peaceful night’s sleep, we went down to the lobby of the hotel the next morning for a satisfying continental breakfast. We explored the hotel a bit, checking out the pool area and the fitness centre.

Interestingly the east wing of the hotel has smaller rooms on the main floor with patio doors out onto the pool area, and we could see this being a popular spot during summer.

We also found 30

The Coast Capri Hotel http://gaycalgary.com/a3814 Only minutes from downtown by car, and within walking distance of Okanagan Lake, the Coast Capri Hotel is located at the north end of a mall complex in central Kelowna where you can find many stores to meet your basic shopping needs.

The hotel features complimentary parking, full conference facilities and business centre, a day spa, fitness centre, hot tub, and a large outdoor swimming pool. The pool and hot tub are located in a large communal courtyard that is accessible from the lobby of the hotel, and from numerous first floor Comfort suites in the east wing.

The available room types are Comfort, Superior, and Premium – all non-smoking and pet friendly.

We stayed in one of the Superior rooms (279 Sq. ft.) with a king bed, and a great balcony view out onto the courtyard.

Continental breakfast was complimentary, served in Vinter’s Poolside Grill. The built-in 4 ½ star restaurant, The Vintage Room, is open for both lunch and dinner.

The Coast Capri Hotel is a highly convenient and comfortable option whether travelling to the city for business or for pleasure.

The Coast Capri Hotel 1171 Harvey Ave, Kelowna, BC http://www.coasthotels.com/ hotels/canada/bc/kelowna  The Coast Capri Hotel

GayCalgary Magazine #122, December 2013

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Mission Hill Family Estate http://gaycalgary.com/a3815

Up in the hills of west Kelowna, this winery could almost be classified a theme park for its attention to architectural aesthetics, from the breathtaking arch over the entryway to the grassy hill framed by castlelike walls, to the abundant ivy clinging to many of the buildings.

There is much to do here: have a tasting of their wine, eat at their Cuisine du Terroir-based Terrace Restaurant, explore the grounds, go on a guided tour of the vineyards and other areas, or at the very least browse their wide selection of award winning wines.

Mission Hill Family Estate 1730 Mission Hill Road, Kelowna, BC http://www.missionhillwinery.com  Mission Hill Family Estate

Quail’s Gate Winery http://gaycalgary.com/a3816

The gardens around this 125-acre estate vineyard were looking particularly beautiful with the autumn leaves when we visited. From the second floor balcony of the main building, accessible through the wine shop (assuming you get past the wine tastings), you have a gorgeous view out over the rows of vines, all the way down the hill to Okanagan Lake. Furthermore, we were able to walk amongst the rows and see the actual grapes still growing on the vines.

Although we didn’t have time to visit the Old Vines Restaurant & Wine Bar, this would have been an excellent opportunity to experience their wines paired with their menu selections. Indeed their outdoor patio looked like it would be quite inviting during the warmer months.

Quail’s Gate Winery 3303 Boucherie Road, Kelowna, BC http://www.quailsgate.com  Quail’s Gate Winery

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GayCalgary Magazine #122, December 2013

31

 Okanagan Lake, from boardwalk near Manteo Resort

out that we were within the first 10 guests to stay in our suite since the north wing was rebuilt after a fire.

With a mild climate all year round, a total of 29 local wine makers find “Kelowna-fornia” to be ideal for growing their crops.

In fact, Kelowna’s 5 wine trails are a major attraction for tourists. (http://www. tourismkelowna.com/do/ wine/guide) We drove out to west Kelowna to check out two highly recommended wineries: Mission Hill Family Estate, and Quail’s Gate Winery. Both were very scenic - especially with the leaves in autumn colours and sold a large selection of their own wines.

As noon approached, we had to decide where we wanted to eat. We had been given recommendations for a few restaurants, and so we ended up choosing Smack DAB on the main floor of the Manteo Resort. Not only did the food live up to their slogan (“Crazy Good Food”), but it was a gorgeous view out over Lake Okanagan through their large patio doors.

Unfortunately the less hospitable autumn winds were blowing so we stayed comfortably sheltered inside.

I began to sense a theme as we went to our next destinations, Urban Distillery and Okanagan Spirits, for some liquor tasting. Okanagan Spirits brought us back to Bernard 32

Smack DAB – Crazy Good Food http://gaycalgary.com/a3817

 View of Okanagan Lake from Smack DAB’s Patio

 Fire Grilled Chicken Breast Sandwich

This restaurant on the shore of Okanagan Lake, featuring an open concept kitchen and forno oven, is open daily for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and for late night snacks. Boasting Kelowna’s largest lakeside patio, and largest selection of craft beer, Smack DAB is a great place to go for a great meal or take your friends for drinks.

We stopped by for lunch on Sunday afternoon. I had the Fire Grilled Chicken Breast sandwich, made with Monterey jack cheese, roasted red pepper, and basil mayonnaise. Steve had the House Crafted Beef Burger with bacon, mushrooms, cheddar, pickle, mayonnaise, and mustard. Though they may sound pretty simple, the flavour was stupendous! Even the local greens salad I ordered as a side was exceptional.

Smack DAB is definitely worth a visit if you’re looking for a good meal at an affordable price.

Smack DAB 3762 Lakeshore Road (Manteo Resort), Kelowna, BC http://www.smackdabmanteo.com

 House Crafted Beef Burger

GayCalgary Magazine #122, December 2013

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Urban Distillery http://gaycalgary.com/a3818 For me, alcohol is like the famous saying about art: I know nothing about it, but I know what I like. That changed after our visit to Urban Distillery, where we learned a great deal about gin, vodka, and whiskey. We found out a whole bunch of interesting facts about the distilling process and distribution of their “Spirit Bear” signature line, and about spirits in general.

We were taken for a tour of the back area to see the still, and they explained the painstaking process of filtering the ingredients to produce not just premium, but world class ultra-premium spirits. We then sat down for a tasting of said products. I tried gin for the first time in my life, and whiskey I’ve only tried a handful of times prior to this.

Though I can’t say I’ll ever get used to drinking any of these spirits straight up, my options for mixed drinks are much broader now!

Urban Distillery #6 – 325 Bay Avenue, Kelowna, BC http://www.urbandistilleries.ca  Urban Distillery

Okanagan Spirits http://gaycalgary.com/a3819 While Okanagan Spirits does make their own line of gin, vodka, and whiskey, we were much more interested in their award winning specialty spirits. We sampled a number of their deliciously sweet fruit-based liqueurs and brandies, made from 100% BC fruit. Out of curiosity we also sampled their Aquavit, and Taboo Genuine Absinthe.

Their 25 varieties of spirits are produced in their traditional copper-pot still. The staff on duty gave us a rundown of this complex piece of equipment as it was brewing a batch of peach brandy, but most of the finer details about its inner workings went in one ear and out the other. (In our defense, we are light drinkers and even the tiny quantity from the samples made it a challenge to think clearly!)

We couldn’t resist buying a sampler pack containing four of their fruit liqueurs, for us to enjoy at home.

Okanagan Spirits 267 Bernard Ave, Kelowna, BC http://www.okanagansprits.com

 Okanagan Spirits

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GayCalgary Magazine #122, December 2013

33

Bonfire Restaurant q Haida Gwaii

Salmon Cyl. / Prawn Tempura

http://gaycalgary.com/a3820 The Cove Lakeside Resort is hailed as Kelowna’s premium waterfront resort, and Bonfire Restaurant is given equal esteem.

Chef Grant de Montreuil is recognized for helping shape the signature flavour of Kelowna, through his passion for using fresh local ingredients. As we’re told, he has his own garden on site to grow some of the produce used in his recipes.

The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and has a massive 9 page menu for all of their offerings throughout the day. It would be difficult to run out of new things to try.

p Yarrow Meadows

Duckling Breast

We stopped by on Sunday night, which happened to be thanksgiving, and the place was certainly a popular spot for this occasion. But rather than go with the special menu offerings for that day, we decided to stick with dishes that would be available all year round. q Banana

Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding

p Okanagan

Stonefruit Cobbler

Selecting from the dinner menu, I had the Yarrow Meadows Duckling Breast with scalloped potatoes, season vegetable medley and stoney paradise organic coronation grape compote; Steve had the Haida Gwaii Spring Salmon Cylinders and BC Spot Prawn Tempura with orange fennel broth and bok choy, shiitake and garlic in oyster sauce, soy ginger sabayon and sesame fried maki. Both dishes offered some very interesting flavours quite opposite of one another: mine tasted more subtle while Steve’s was bolder. Meanwhile we had glasses of locally produced Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc paired with our meals.

For dessert we had the Banana Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding with rum caramel sauce and whipped cream, and the Okanagan Stonefruit Cobbler with vanilla gelato – both were deliciously sweet, and made for a nice finishing touch to our evening.

Bonfire Restaurant The Cove Lakeside Resort 4205 Gellatly Road, Kelowna, BC http://www.bonfirerestaurant.ca

Street, so we stopped by Moo Licks a few doors down for some ice cream and went to check out the lakeshore park again. Needless to say, the view was much better by day, and we caught a beautiful albeit quick sunset.

To finish off our day, we made the long drive out to Bonfire Restaurant at The Cove Lakeside Resort. By the time we arrived there, the last of the daylight had faded; so although along the resort was along the shore of Okanagan Lake, we didn’t get to enjoy the view. Instead we settled down in a cozy corner booth at the restaurant and had a great chat

with the restaurant manager as he served us some delicious locally grown food paired with a selection of local wines.

There was much that we didn’t have the opportunity to see during our short stay in Kelowna, such as the farmers markets and agri-tourism sites (http://www. tourismkelowna.com/do/farm-to-table).

From what we could gather when speaking to locals, there are no gay bars in Kelowna per se. However there is an annual Kelowna Pride Parade and Street Festival that happens mid-August. (http://www.okanaganpride.com) If you’re an aficionado of food and drink, then there is plenty in Kelowna to keep your senses entertained – never mind the beautiful scenery and year round gentle climate!

Chef Rod Butters describes Kelowna as the “ultimate chefs’ playground” - if it’s that much fun to cook with fresh locally grown ingredients, then you know it’s even better to be there to taste them!

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GayCalgary Magazine #122, December 2013

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Funny Girl

Sarah Silverman talks HBO special, Miley and gay jokes  Photos by Janet Van Ham and Robyn von Swank

By Chris Azzopardi

And in her 20-year career – which began in 1993 with a spot on Saturday Night Live, and then led to a hit comedy special, Jesus is Magic, and her own sitcom, The Sarah Silverman Program – the comedian has established herself as one of the ballsiest voices of our time.

With an all-new HBO special, We Are Miracles, Silverman caught up with us to talk about crushing on Patti LuPone, being “older and wiser and dumber” and the meaning of life.

GC: I saw a children’s book the other day called “Why Dogs Eat Poop.” Guess who it reminded me of?

SS: Aww, was it me?

GC: Of course it was you.

SS: I knew it was either gonna be me or Helen Mirren.

GC: Your comedy special, We Are Miracles, sounds very inspiring. Will we be inspired?

SS: Yeah, I hope that you’ll leave that show completely changed. Just kidding. I mean, maybe a little bit. But probably not.

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There’s nothing too taboo for Sarah Silverman. Not AIDS, not poop.

Continued on Next Page 

GayCalgary Magazine #122, December 2013

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 From Previous Page GC: What can you say about the special?

SS: All I can say is that the special is mind-blowing and life-changing for the viewer. It’s just a really honest reflection – either literally or figuratively – of where I’m at right now, just in my life. Not that it’s

autobiographical at all – it’s still lies – but it’s just what I’m into now. Like, I’m older and wiser and dumber.

It’s different than my first special. It doesn’t digress into other videos or things. There’s a scene at the beginning and at the end but besides that it’s just the live performance. It’s just the standup special with a teeny-tiny audience – just 39 people.

GC: Tell me there will be poop jokes.

SS: Why of course, baby!

There’s at least one.

GC: You attract all sorts of people.

SS: It’s so weird that I have such a random and eclectic demographic, like the old, the young, the gay, the gayer.

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GC: And your style of satirical comedy, where you make fun of just about every group of people, seems to have the ability to unite people. When you look out at your audiences, do you feel that way too?

SS: Aww, yeah. Half of it is the energy in the room. It’s like sometimes you listen to Howard Stern and you might think he sounds like he’s being really mean, but if you’re in the studio and you saw the mischievous smile on his face, it’s a totally different thing going on.

GC: What’s your special ritual before you hit the stage?

SS: I write out a set list and yell at myself for waiting to the last minute. And I have a sugar-free Red Bull.

GC: No sugar?

SS: No. There are drugs they put in it.

Whatever it is. It’s the “limitless” pill. Oh god, I want the limitless pill so bad.

GC: Have you ever felt badly or regretted a joke you made?

SS: Yeah, I never wanna make anyone feel bad, but I also know that’s not possible. Everyone who watches comedy, they’re watching in the context of their own life experience, so you don’t know what’s gonna catch someone.

GC: Just recently the tables were turned and you were hurt by some age jokes during The Roast of James Franco on Comedy Central.

SS: I wanna be so protective of the rules of the roast, which is that there are none and that anything goes – and I protect that. I would never want to change anything that was said. It just was separate from the roast, and I said brutal things – that’s just how it is. But it’s separate from that. It just illuminated things for me in my life, and you’re right – it is just like that. In the context of my life, that stuck.

It’s like, I had feelings! But I still loved it. And I feel like I’m better for it because it forced

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me to deal with stuff. You know, Jonah (Hill) said the same thing. He said, “Everything that is my biggest fear in life was said tonight and I lived through it,” so there’s something cathartic about it as well.

GC: Did it make you rethink your approach to comedy and how something you say could offend someone, as well?

SS: No, no, no. First of all, I don’t talk about specific people in general. I mean, not as a rule, but I don’t tend to in my stand-up. Roast is a very specific thing.

GC: You push buttons, though. When does a gay joke become offensive?

SS: Well, what is a gay joke? Where, like, homosexuality is the joke? Is the punchline? I don’t see that a lot right now. That’s in an ugly past. Hopefully perceptions are finally changing with these fucking idiots.

GC: How much thought goes into what you wear onstage?

SS: Very little. I find an outfit I feel comfortable in – or that I did well in (laughs) – and I just wear it until I have to wash it. I’m just kidding. I do laundry.

GC: You do your own laundry?

SS: I do, actually. I’m in a building, so I don’t even have my own washer and dryer. There’s just one for every floor. It’s me ... and people’s maids.

GC: If comedy didn’t exist, what would you be doing with your life?

SS: I’d work with chimps and apes and monkeys – be a Dian Fossey type. I mean, I’d want to, like, always be by a really nice bathroom. So, close to Dian Fossey but with a nice place to stay.

GC: You’ll soon star alongside Patti LuPone on HBO’s People in New Jersey, which is being produced by Lorne Michaels.

SS: Oh my god! I don’t even know what to say about Patti LuPone. She’s everything you could dream of and so much more. I knew I was a huge fan. I knew I was excited. But she is the most awesome. She is so cool, she’s so funny and her improv skills are crazy. I mean, I couldn’t keep it together.

She’s the coolest. I think I have a crush on her.

GC: And she’s gonna be your mother. How does it feel living the dream of every gay man on earth?

SS: It feels so right.

GC: OK, the lightning round.

SS: Holy shit.

GC: Lady Gaga or Katy Perry?

SS: Katy Perry. I just like “Firework.” I love that song.

So good. And “Roar” – I like “Roar,” too! I love any kind of anthemic music.

GC: Is “Roar” your pre-show pump up song?

SS: (Laughs) Honestly, for a while, it was.

GC: Miley Cyrus or Hannah Montana?

SS: Miley Cyrus. I mean, I love “The Climb” and “Party in the U.S.A.,” but I’m interested in what she’s doing now. She’s expressing herself. She’s got the right to express herself.

She’s 20 or something. It’ll be interesting to see where it leads.

GC: Eminem or Coolio?

SS: No Doubt.

GC: What’s the meaning of life?

SS: I don’t know, but it involves Nerds Rope.

GC: Any last words?

SS: No.

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37

By Chris Azzopardi After years of speculation, Brendon Urie is coming out as ... “a straight dabbler”? Panic! at the Disco’s glam frontman, who celebrates bisexuality on the band’s single “Girls/Girls/Boys” from their fourth LP Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die!, opens up in our recent chat about his curious past with men and finding himself “attracted to dudes all the time.”

Disco Dabbler

Frontman Brendon Urie on hot dudes, bisexuality and being naked ‘all the time’

GC: What inspired “Girls/Girls/Boys”?

BU: Like every song on this record, the song is very autobiographical. Just very honest and very confessional about exactly how I feel. The biggest summarization of the whole song in general is in the lyric “Love is not a choice,” which I completely believe.

I’m proud of who I am and I’m gonna act accordingly. It’s really kind of loosely based on the majority of relationships I’ve been in, even now with my wife. Yeah, she’s attracted to girls, and I think some men are extremely attractive and I don’t wanna hide it. I have no shame in it. I like being able to shed some light on that. It’s nice to be able to open up like that.

GC: You basically answered my next question: Was this song inspired by a relationship with a bisexual woman?

BU: (Laughs) It was! I’ve been in these scenarios and I just find that attractive. Maybe not just the bisexuality, but the openness and the honesty that one can accomplish by just knowing, “This is me, this is who I am.” It’s so attractive to have that kind of confidence.

GC: Would you call the song a bisexual anthem?

BU: I mean, that’s a bold statement, but I’d be honored to call it a bisexual anthem – that’s kind of awesome. I feel like (bisexuality) needs to be celebrated, because a lot of times I feel like people are ashamed and they hide it and they might be a little scared to open up about it. Being able to do that is a big step for me.

GC: Gay rumors about you have been circulating since the beginning of your career. And last year you tweeted, “Everyone’s a little gay.” Do you truly believe that for yourself and for other people?

BU: Oh yeah, definitely. It’s natural. I find myself being attracted to dudes all the time. I’m like, “Wow, that’s a beautiful man.” There’s no shame in it; that’s how I feel. To stifle that would probably bring on stress and probably make somebody homophobic.

GC: How do you label yourself sexually, then?

BU: I guess if I had to classify myself, I’d say I’m straight.

But I have, in the past, experimented in other realms of homosexuality and bisexuality. Overall I’m more attracted to women. Like with my wife, I’m just so insanely in love and attracted to my wife that I go, “Well, OK, my love of musicals can’t trump that I love pussy.” (Laughs) GC: A straight dabbler?

BU: Yeah, sure. It’s fun to dabble!

GC: What’s it about D’Angelo’s music video for “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” that made you want to pay tribute to it in the “Girls/Girls/Boys” video?

BU: When I first saw that video, I was pretty young – I think I was 12 years old – but I don’t even know if it was something sexual. At that point I was just more mesmerized by how bold it was. I was like, “This guy is so confident that he has no problem being naked.” I did like his pants and how low they’d go. It got real close to seeing his junk. Something about it was so open and so just naked ... not just physically but figuratively. He’s really opening himself up to be that comfortable in front of the camera. This song was such a vulnerable song that I felt it just made sense to do something like that.

GC: Are you as comfortable with being naked as you look in the video?

 Photo by Fueled by Ramen

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BU: Oh yeah. Right now I’m naked. I’m naked all the time. If I’m home, I’m naked. (Laughs) GC: So you’re at home now?

BU: No ... I’m walking through a grocery store, totally naked.

(Laughs) GC: How aware are you that both women and men are swooning over this video? Are you getting salacious tweets?

How does your wife feel about all this?

BU: (Laughs) I’ve gotten a couple. My wife was on set, actually.

She was helping to oil me up! My wife is the coolest. She’s so down to let me do whatever crazy thing pops in my head. It’s kind of amazing.

But I’ve gotten tweets from fans, and it’s flattering. They’re like, “Your video is so hot.” I’m just a skinny white dude. I’m not built. I’m not some supermodel dude. I’m just a normal dude.

And I feel it’s flattering in a way, and also surprising – you think it’s sexy? Really? I was just spoofing a video that I really love, but it’s nice to get some good feedback.

GC: Thank your wife for me please.

BU: (Laughs) I thank her every day.

GC: You guys are known for putting on a pretty gay show.

It’s been about 10 years since you referred to your former bandmate Ryan Ross as your lover and chased him across the stage, trying to kiss him. What’s gay about the latest show?

BU: We have this thing we call “stage gay” where I become a different person on stage. I think I can say the same for the rest of the band: We become just a character, a different person on stage, and you treat every situation accordingly. So you get close to somebody on stage and there’s sexual tension and you’re all of a sudden this cocky person running around on stage. I like to bring that person to the character I play on stage.

It’s also just very flamboyant. Our costumes are pretty amazing. Some very flamboyant shiny, sparkly clothing. I have a pinkish, rose-gold jacket that’s my favorite thing ever. I gotta gay it up a bit.

GC: What about the heavy eye makeup? When’s that making a comeback?

BU: I miss the makeup, actually. I’ve been looking at ideas in the past couple of months to not replicate what we’ve done in the past but to do something new and different, because I do miss wearing the makeup.

GC: You’ve always prided yourself on being pretty odd. What do you find so weird about yourself?

BU: I always roll paper, which is a weird thing. I mean, I can roll a really good joint ... but all day I’m just rolling bits of paper.

My wife is impressed by it. She’s like, “Wow, these are perfectly rolled pieces of paper. Tightly packaged like a toothpick.”

GC: Maybe you have a second career in origami.

BU: (Laughs) Maybe! I should look into that.

GC: What’s on your iPod that would surprise people?

BU: Let’s see what I have here. This might actually surprise me. We’ve got Ace of Base. Gotta have Ace of Base. Here’s a funny one: OMC’s “How Bizarre.” I have weird one-hit wonders from the ’90s. Oh, and I’ve got Aqua. Definitely got Aqua.

GC: And show tunes, right?

BU: I have a whole folder! I’ve got Li’l Abner and Cabaret. I have The Sound of Music!

GC: What accounts for the shift in sound on Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die!, an album that meanders from your theatrical flourishes as of late and goes electro-pop?

BU: I was spending a good amount of time going to clubs and just watching people dance – things I really never did in the past – and going to Vegas, where I grew up, and just spending time at nightclubs. Basically not being the cynical hipster with the beer in the corner and actually joining in and being one of the people that I would’ve made fun of in the past. It’s liberating in a way. I wanted to make a record like that. I wanted to make a party record. One that got me excited. One that I felt could

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excite people to get up and dance – and dance like no one’s watching. And to celebrate life.

GC: What inspired the nod to Janet Jackson with the “are you nasty?” line on the song “Miss Jackson”?

BU: A lot of times my samples are stolen from a place of admiration. With the “Miss Jackson” line, I was watching Janet Jackson’s “Nasty” and, when she gets out of that car and says that line, I’m just like, “Ahh, it’s so good!” I don’t know why I love it so much, but I love it. I just started having the best time dancing around, singing that.

GC: You were naked when this all went down, weren’t you?

BU: Chances are that yes, I was naked. (Laughs)

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GayCalgary Magazine #122, December 2013

39

Scary Stories

Mel B talks the gay ‘eye,’ a Spice Girls reunion and falling in love with a woman  Photos by Alexander George

By Chris Azzopardi Mel B will tell you what she wants, what she really, really wants: to get back to being Scary Spice again. Not that the pop star, known as the Spice Girls’ wild child, ever got away from her alter ego. But even with a solo song out now – “For Once in My Life,” her first single in eight years – Mel B is ready to reunite musically with her gal pals.

In our interview, the Spice Girl chatted about the big part the group’s gay following played in their career, the time she fell in love with a woman, and the female artists du jour – and their girl power, of course.

GC: A gay club you were at recently with Mel C couldn’t stop playing your new single.

MB: They played it by surprise and I was like, “Woo-hoo!” Mel C and I made our own little selfie video of it. It was a nice little surprise.

GC: How have the gays reacted to the single?

MB: So far, so good. The reaction overall has been really supportive, and it’s been really humbling because I’ve done no promotion for it. I haven’t got a big record label behind me.

Nothing like that. I’m just doing it all myself, and it’s been really well received. I mean, I’ve had not just the support of fans but the support of celebrities, from Ellen DeGeneres to Kim Kardashian to Tony Hawk. It’s been quite a nice little rollercoaster ride.

GC: Well, we missed you.

MB: I know! It’s been a loooong time, that’s for sure.

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GC: Why does now feel like the right time for your first solo single in eight years?

MB: I got the bug doing America’s Got Talent, where I’ve been watching people perform week in and week out since March.

I literally got in the studio and just started recording with my producer and my writer and it developed from there. I was saying, “I don’t want to wait to promote it. I just wanna get it out there now.” And I just put it out there with no promotion, no nothing.

GC: Should we expect a full album?

MB: I wouldn’t say a full album, because I don’t wanna put that pressure on myself. I’m gonna be in the studio and I wanna do music, period, so it is what it is. I’ve got that passion back – that’s what I wanna focus on this year and all of next year, and as much as possible.

GC: How did you end up on Wisteria Lane – the fictional setting of Desperate Housewives – for the music video?

MB: Well, why not? I only had nine hours to film the whole video shoot, and I was a big fan of Desperate Housewives and we were like, “This is it. Let’s book the whole thing there.”

GC: Does making out with yourself, which you do in the video, count as lesbian action?

MB: It’s all about feeling good about yourself and loving yourself. When you dress up for a fun night out with your girlfriends and you look in the mirror, who doesn’t wanna kiss themselves? But if you want to take it the lesbian route, you can do that too!

GC: When did you know you had a gay following?

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MB: Spice Girls. We always had an inkling. We love our gay market and we wanted to make sure we provided a song for our gay market that they could really enjoy, and we did exactly that.

Everybody else followed, thankfully.

GC: Were there any Spice Girls songs you recorded with the gays in mind?

MB: All of them, from “Wannabe” to “Who Do You Think You Are.” That the gay market embraces you a little bit – it’s very humbling. And the gays will tell you whether they like it or not.

A lot of my team is gay, so they tell me what will work and what won’t work. They’re very straight, and they’re very honest. I like that about them. It’s just nice to be a part of that. It’s nice to be accepted in that world.

GC: How did you end up with such a gay team?

MB: The best hair and makeup are done by the gays, whether you’re a gay or a girl or a cross or whatever. They have the eye.

GC: What is your relationship now with the Spice Girls? Do you girls hang?

MB: Yeah, I was just in London a couple of weeks ago doing my show Stepping Out and I went partying with Mel C. I had dinner with Geri (Halliwell). I just did Emma (Bunton’s) radio show. Me and Victoria (Beckham) get together. We just got together last year at the Olympics. We’ve known each other for 20 years, and it’s like a sisterhood. It’s not gonna be broken anytime soon, especially after 20 years.

GC: But what about these rumors of Victoria not getting along with the rest of the girls?

MB: You always hear rumors about one of us hating one of us. If it’s not me and Geri, it’s Victoria and Mel. All of that is just rumors. The press just gets bored sometimes.

GC: It sounds like there might be hope for a Spice Girls reunion album?

MB: I’m always saying that.

GC: How about a reunion tour?

MB: We got together at the Olympics, so I like to never say never. It could always happen.

GC: How has Scary Spice changed since the ’90s?

MB: She’s still the same: an 18-year-old kid who runs around with curly hair, screaming. (Laughs) GC: As someone who helped trail blaze girl power, when you look at the newest wave of female artists, who is carrying that torch?

MB: Everybody is doing it in their own way, from Rihanna to Beyoncé to Miley Cyrus and Lady Gaga. They’re all doing it.

They’re all strong, independent women taking control of their own careers – and no matter what people say, they’re doing it and they’re doing it well.

GC: You told Howard Stern just a couple of months ago that you’ve kissed all the Spice Girls. Which one is the best kisser?

MB: Oh, they’re all good.

GC: Yeah?

MB: Of course they are.

GC: But can you pick just one?

MB: How could I? They’re all just as good … in their own different way.

GC: Though you’re now married to a man, you were in a fiveyear relationship with a woman. Because of that, people were assuming you’re bisexual. Were you intentionally hinting that you are?

MB: I didn’t have any intention of anything. You just fall in love with whomever you fall in love with. If people wanna put labels on themselves, then yeah – but no, I had a great relationship. It had a start, middle and an end, and that’s it.

GC: What’s next for you?

MB: Performing my music and getting my Scary Spice vibe out there musically.

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GayCalgary Magazine #122, December 2013

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Aaron Douglas comes to Lethbridge  Photos courtesy of NBC Universal / Sci Fi

By Carey Rutherford & Rob Diaz-Marino In the last decade, Aaron Douglas has been in feature films, TV movies, web movies, several different television series (both as mainstays and not), visited David Letterman more than once, and is now starting to write scripts himself.

GayCalgary Magazine had the pleasure of interviewing him for a third time as he was out for the Lethbridge Comic & Entertainment Expo, after hosting a hilarious discussion panel and signing autographs for adoring (and sometimes intimidating) fans.

While he is probably best known for his role in Battlestar Galactica, we caught him a bit off guard by bringing up the campy series Hemlock Grove as one of his credits.

“Did you like it? I liked it too. I liked working on it. They’re doing season 2 and I’m not back, so I don’t like it as much any more. …They’re going in a different direction, I’m sure it’s going to be great. …I would have liked to come back but they went another way.”

So what else has he been up to since he last spoke with us?

He was able to rattle off a whole list of projects, and a few new updates: “This year I did season 3 of The Killing. I did an episode of Falling Skies about a month ago. I did one of those Scifi movies of the week, Zodiak… I’ve been writing for the last few years, and I’ve got a feature script that I’ve been meeting with a studio in LA for the last couple of weeks and it looks like they’re going to make it! So, we’re going to be somewhere 42

GayCalgary Magazine #122, December 2013

filming a movie I wrote, in the spring, which will be very cool.

I got a call last night from my agent saying there’s a movie shooting in Salt Lake City that has offered me their bad guy role – you’re the first to find out about that! It’s not sealed, contract isn’t closed, but the offer’s there and I said yeah, I’d love to do it, sounds like fun. …So next year is either going to be profoundly busy or it’s all going to fall apart and I’m gonna come work for you guys!”

So dibs are called on the position for secretary. Aaron does like to tease - this was apparent for many who attended The Aaron Douglas Meet & Greet at Telegraph Tap House, where he got slightly drunk, pitted geek against geek with a trivia contest, and allowed the sexual innuendo to flow freely.

“I was a maniac… They asked me to come up early and do a meet and greet at a pub. Everybody has a couple of drinks and I get a beer…or 17. We just tell funny stories and just hang out. I really enjoyed that night, it was a lot of fun, other than the fact that the bar didn’t have the hockey game that I wanted – which is odd being in Canada. …When you’re in a pub there’s no kids, and when it’s late enough all the ‘churchies’ have gone to bed so I get to do whatever I want.

That’s very exciting for me!”

It’s no secret that the man is good friends with Star Trek TNG celebrity Wil Wheaton, from the multitude of anecdotes he has about their experiences together, and the friendly behind-the-back insults.

“Will and I met at a Con in Sacramento years ago. I remember walking in and seeing him sitting there and going Geez: that’s Will Wheaton! Wow! That’s really cool! ...Later, he was doing a www.gaycalgary.com

Watch the full video: http://gaycalgary.com/a3824 

panel, and was coming off the stage as I was going on, and as he was passing by me, we were both doing the Hey!, and then we both turned and said I’ve just gotta tell you I’m a huge fan.

We both had a fanboy moment, and I started talking about his work and he started talking about my work, and was in the middle of watching Battlestar with his son, so it was a really unique moment. …Wil and I have become really good friends.

He’s a wonderful man, remarkable human being, sweet guy…

FRACK YOU WIL WHEATON!” Considering how spontaneously funny he is, one has to wonder if he would be open to doing comedy instead of his increasingly frequent role as a bad guy.

“I’d love to do some comedy. Problem is…I just do dark show after dark show, so nobody sees me being funny other than my friends and people that attend cons. …Nobody sees me as the funny guy. In the industry it’s just like he’s dark, he’s big, I’m not Mike & Molly.”

We threw around some hyphoteticals, such as an appearance on Big Bang Theory where Wheaton regularly guest stars.

“Yes! Yes! I should do Big Bang Theory! Yes, somebody listen!

I would love to do a little stint on that, or Modern Family. Or Archer! …Somehow I could be on Sheldon’s bowling team. If I showed up, and Wheaton’s bowling, he’s going to beat him, and then I show and he’s really going to get his ass kicked. It writes itself!”

Aaron Douglas is well aware that the bear community loves him, so we asked whether he would ever be willing to make an appearance at a gay bear event.

“Of course I would! Any excuse to hang out with fun people and have a drink, tell some stories, and just be an idiot. Life is too short to be so serious. Invite me, bears, invite me! …I love the fact that you don’t make me go to the gym. I love you for it, I really do!”

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GayCalgary Magazine #122, December 2013

43

My 8 Minutes with Britney Spears

Pop star on (not) being a gay icon, feeling like an outsider and that ‘adorable and hilarious’ comment  Photos by Michelangelo Di Battista

By Chris Azzopardi It’s Britney, bitch.

No, really, it is. She’s on the phone. And Britney Spears – the meek, reserved, media-shy entertainer – doesn’t get on the phone with press very often these days.

She’s speaking to me from L.A. on a busy day full of frenzied promo leading up to her eighth release, Britney Jean, when she drops the word that elicited eye rolls from some in the gay community.

The word is “adorable,” and Spears – who, in a radio interview with San Francisco radio station 99.7 NOW FM, used it to describe her beauty team (they’re also “hilarious,” she said at the time) – mentions it to me when I ask her how wild the gay boys go when they’re in the midst of their pop princess.

“They’re adorable,” says Spears, 32. “They’re absolutely adorable.”

It seems like an appropriate time to tell her how that “adorable and hilarious” comment went viral and rubbed some the wrong way.

“Wait, what? Who felt the other way?” she asks, sincerely concerned she’s offended people, and even a little lost. You get the impression Britney Spears doesn’t Google herself.

So, I fill her in.

“I would never say anything to be mean to them. I love my gay fans. Gay people are always usually my best friends in the whole world,” she says. “I completely adore them.”

Considering the pop star’s clout in the gay community, it’s obviously mutual. From the then-17-year-old’s sexually 44

GayCalgary Magazine #122, December 2013

suggestive breakout hit “... Baby One More Time” – when the once-Mouseketeer, dressed in that iconic Catholic schoolgirl getup, merged childhood innocence with the onset of sexual desire – to “Toxic,” easily one of the greatest gay club jams of the aughts, Spears has influenced the queens and queers of the dance floor as much as they’ve influenced her.

“I get inspiration from them on almost all of my songs,” Spears says of her gay fans. “They’re somewhat girls, so it’s so inspiring to do stuff that they like to hear, like the cool ‘in’ stuff. Whatever I do for each record is definitely inspired by them.”

If you’ve heard 2007’s defiantly bold Blackout and its popdance follow-up Circus, and then, obviously, Femme Fatale, you know Britney isn’t just full of it. These are really gay albums. But her gayest? Is it Britney Jean?

“I would say so, yes,” Spears says, sounding almost unsure, as if the gayness exists equitably on all her releases (and, really, it does). “I just feel like it has that feeling. You can’t really put your finger on it. It just really has that feeling of ... that.”

“Work Bitch” has the feeling of “that” – of gay – so much so that Spears herself has said it’s a salute to her queer fans. The title is “a term of endearment” and was inspired by gay patter among her pals. What other queer street slang has she picked up from them?

She snickers, letting her Louisiana drawl fully flex. “I don’t really know that much. I mean, I hang out with gays all the time. They always surprise me. It changes weekly, you know?”

“The slang you learn?” I ask, just to be clear.

www.gaycalgary.com

“Yeah.”

So maybe Britney doesn’t watch RuPaul’s Drag Race on the regular, maybe she isn’t out getting all crazy at the gay clubs (she tells me that being a mom doesn’t allow for nights out with her friends at queer bars, but before children: “Yeah, always”), but part of her – a part she’s not really addressed until now – can empathize with the plight of growing up gay.

“Alien,” one of the most self-reflective tracks on Britney Jean, alludes to her own feelings of being an outcast, of being alone, of being Britney Spears: “Had to get used to the world I was on / While yet still unsure if I knew where I belong / That was then, like an alien.”

“The song is basically about when you’re all alone and you feel like you’re alienated from the world,” Spears says. “I think it’s human nature; we all innately do that sometimes and keep to ourselves, and that’s what the song is about.”

It was during her second release, 2000’s Oops! ... I Did It Again, with its self-empowerment mantra “Stronger,” that she recognized a big gay following. “I really started noticing more coming to the shows,” Spears recalls. “People were emulating my clothes and wearing the same outfits, and it was just really fun.”

Through the years, she’s met many of these gay boys after shows, where, she says, “a couple of them have told me about their heartbreaks and shared stories about their boyfriends, which has been really kind of sweet.”

I tell her we relate to people who fall down and get right back up. Britney, for all her success, has been to the top, but not without seeing the bottom. Between 2006 and 2008, Spears divorced Kevin Federline, fought tirelessly for the custody of her two boys and sobered up at a drug rehab facility. There was also the panty-less partying, the British accent, the head-shaving and the time she attacked a paparazzo with an umbrella. Life was looking bleak for Britney then, and she knew it. On “Piece of Me,” a track off Blackout, Spears called herself “Miss Bad Media Karma.”

But when she talks about the time she felt alienated, there’s no mention of this more recent regrettable history. It’s clear – not just from our chat, but the rare times she’s been on the phone with a journalist in the last five years – that she doesn’t care to look back. For the most part, anyway.

“Since I was in high school, I’ve been kind of a shy person,” Spears admits to me.

I ask, “Would you say you felt like an outsider then?”

Her voice drops. “A little bit, yeah.”

Because she felt different as a kid, but also, of course, musically – Spears, despite her public ups and downs, has

been a mainstay in the queer scene for the last 15 years – I wonder if Britney considers herself what many call her: a gay icon.

“I don’t know about that,” she says, surprisingly frank. “But I know I do have gay fans.”

I remind her that a large part of the community sees her as a gay icon.

Her response? “That’s nice. I don’t know about that.”

But surely she’s thought about her status in the gay community, right?

“Not really, no.”

What about equal marriage? Would Britney like to see her gay friends – she tells me later, via email, that she has an “amazing” relationship with them, many of which are her dancers – get married?

“Yeah,” she says. Then silence. (I give her the opportunity to elaborate over email after our phone chat: “Yeah, it would be a special moment.”)

“So you believe gay people deserve equal rights?”

“Yeah,” she assures. (Via email: “I think everyone should be treated equally.”)

At this point, seven minutes into the conversation, a publicist grabs Britney’s attention. She tells me to hang on a second. Because she’s getting whisked away for a Britney Jean listening session that she’s already late to, “This has to be the last question,” she informs, sounding distracted.

I ask about Las Vegas, where she’s launching her two-year residency, Britney: Piece of Me, at Planet Hollywood.

Expect half-naked men – she says, because obviously – but also “look forward to a really good time. They’re gonna definitely feel like they’re a part of a show.”

Milking every second of my scheduled 10 minutes with her by sneaking in one final question, I ask her which girl kiss she preferred: the cheek peck Rihanna gave her during the 2011 Billboard Awards, or the legendary Madonna lip-lock at the Video Music Awards?

There’s brief silence, a “thank you” and then a sudden click.

That’s it. Our eight minutes together.

And just like that, Britney Spears gives exactly what she promised: a piece of her.

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View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments GayCalgary Magazine #122, December 2013

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Photography

46

Calgary Taboo Show

Edmonton Taboo Show

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GayCalgary Magazine #122, December 2013

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Photography Texas Lounge & Goliath’s Anniversary

ISCWR at Alberta Legislature

http://gaycalgary.com/pa618

www.gaycalgary.com

GayCalgary Magazine #122, December 2013

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Photography Crowns for Kids, Edmonton Photos by Jeff & Brian and Rob Browatzke

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GayCalgary Magazine #122, December 2013

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Photography We Are Diverse-City at the Arratta Opera Centre, Calgary

Aids Calgary - United Voices at Scarbro United Church, Calgary

http://gaycalgary.com/pa617

http://gaycalgary.com/pa620

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GayCalgary Magazine #122, December 2013

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Photography World Aids Day Fundraiser at the Backlot & Hyde (Vinyl Downstairs), Calgary http://gaycalgary.com/pa619

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GayCalgary Magazine #122, December 2013

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GayCalgary Magazine #122, December 2013

51

News Releases COLUMN: Tis The Season http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1044 PHOTOS: 8 Child Stars Who Turned Out To Be Hunks http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1045 MUSIC REVIEW: 12 Inches of Pure Pleasure, 12” 80s Club Classics http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1046 NSFW VIDEO: Fireworks That Look Like A Penis http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1047 Bullying: My Experience http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1048 Cher Showcases New Hair Do http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1049 Marcus Collins Puts On Weight http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1050

Glee Boys Get Semi Naked With Adam Lambert and Demi Lovato http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1059 Apple’s and Oxford University Press Dictionary Defines Gay As Foolish and Stupid http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1060 OPINION: The Issue With Dictionaries’ Definition of the Word Gay http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1061 Porn King Michael Lucas Gives Putin The Finger http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1062 TECH REVIEW: Kobo Aura http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1063

MOVIE REVIEW: How To Survive A Plague http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1051

Judge Orders Disclosure of Documents Detailing Publication of Regnerus’ Junk Science http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1064

Olympic Hottie Chris Mears Get MRI http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1052

OPINION: Putin’s Peace Prize http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1065

Greek civil unions law only for heterosexual couples violates European human rights law http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1053

PHOTOS: 10 Iconic Pictures From The MTV EMA Awards http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1066

575,124 Voices Tell Gay Teens ‘It Gets Better’ http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1054 Secular Americans: Employment Non-Discrimination Act Doesn’t Go Far Enough http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1055 Wade Radford’s “Dirty Sexy Deadly” http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1056 COLUMN: Bully Boy http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1057

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LADY GAGA: Warns About Communications Over The Internet http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1058

GayCalgary Magazine #122, December 2013

COLUMN: It’s ok to be different, isn’t it? http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1067 SMARTPHONE REVIEW: Nokia Lumia 1020 http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1068 NEWS: GLAAD Accuses Baldwin Of ‘Degrading Gay People’ in New Anti-Gay Slur Storm http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1069 Las Vegas Hosts Nevada’s FirstEver Trans Pride Week http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1070

www.gaycalgary.com

News Releases COLUMN: B Stands For Bullying http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1071

RELATIONSHIPS: Having More Harmonious Gay Relationships http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1085

COLUMN: A Winter’s Tale http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1072

OPINION: Why I’m Tested For HIV, And Why You Should Too http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1086

NSFW - The Wanted’s Max Strips To His Undies http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1073

COLUMN: Testing Times http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1087

MSNBC Suspends Alec Baldwin’s Late Night Show http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1074

International Pop Group Blush Releases Original Song, Doing It Better, On World Aids Day http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1088

INTERVIEW: How To Survive A Plague, with David France and Peter Staley http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1075

Grans and Gays Confronting HIV: Human Rights Groups Honour Activists On World Aids Day http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1089

BOOK REVIEW: Confessions Of A Gay Rugby Player – Books 1 and 2, By Patrick Darcy http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1076

#GAYPROPAGANDA Movement Launches 1st Video To Illustrate Violence Against LGBT People in Russia http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1090

NSFW - BEN COHEN: Shows Off Underwear http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1077

Überlube’s Multi-Tasking Product for Style, Sport, & Sex Continues to Impress http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1091

America’s LGBT 2013 Buying Power Estimated at $830 Billion http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1078 Queer As Folk Creator Teams With Channel 4 for Two New Gay Series http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1079

LUSH - Let The Good Times Roll! http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1092 LUSH - Happy Christmas Package http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1093

BOOK REVIEW: Grand Slam http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1080

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Muppets Ready For March Movie http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1081

Online Buddies Manhunt.net Acquires Gay Dating App Jack’d http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1094

NEWS: Sexy And Hilarious New Web Series Starts http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1082

Forgiven - Liquid Formulation Of The First And Only Alcohol Metabolizer http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1095

ALLOUT: Coca Cola ‘Refused To Speak Out Against Russia’s Anti-Gay Laws’ http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1083

MUSIC REVIEW: The Overtones, Saturday Night At The Movies http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1096

CHER Unveils Possibly The Gayest Music Video Ever… http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1084

14 Tips to Beat Bullying http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1097

GayCalgary Magazine #122, December 2013

53

Dion Boink is a well-recognized face with the Imperial and Sovereign Court of the Chinook Arch (ISCCA) and in the Calgary LGBT Community in general for over 15 years. He holds the titles of Mr. Gay Calgary 15, bestowed on him by the now defunct Rainbow Lambda Society, as well as the ISCCA’s Emperor 26 of Calgary, and Regent Emperor 29 of Calgary, and many more. He still travels quite frequently to represent the ISCCA. Every December for the past 5 years, Dion has hosted his World AIDS Day Fundraiser. This year it took place at both Backlot and Hyde (downstairs to Vinyl) and raised an estimated $5,500 toward the AIDS Calgary Lunch Program.

Otherwise, Dion works as manager of a manufacturing facility. He lives in Taber but his partner of 5 years, Steven, to whom he recently got married, lives in Calgary and so he comes to town often. He has a 21 year old son who is totally supportive of what he does, was the best man at his wedding, and was the first recipient of the ISCCA scholarship. Dion has been bowling for 6 years as part of the Rainbow Riders bowling league, and has competed for the past 10 years at the ARGRA rodeo.

http://gaycalgary.com/pa621

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GayCalgary Magazine #122, December 2013

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Directory & Events 24

DOWNTOWN CALGARY

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35

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5 6

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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 (CLOSED) ----- 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 #122, December 2013

55

Directory & Events Calgary Events Mondays

Fridays

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

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

See

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

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

See

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

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

At 6 Goliaths

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

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

Feast’n Friar------------------------------  5pm

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

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

See

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

Knox United Church

At 59 East Village Cafe with

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

 Bonasera (1204 Edmonton Tr. NE) See 1 Calgary Outlink

At 6 Goliaths

Tuesdays

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

 1st

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

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

Prime Timers Calgary

At 59 East Village Cafe

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

 2nd, 4th

Karaoke-------------------------  8pm-12:30am At 5 Texas Lounge At 3 Backlot

 Old Y Centre (223 12th Ave SW)

Thursdays

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

 Kerby Center, Sunshine Room 1133 7th Ave SW

 3rd

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

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

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

 2nd

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

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

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

Wednesdays

At 1 Calgary Outlink

 1st

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

See 1 Calgary Outlink

 1st

See 1 Calgary Outlink

 2nd

See 1 Calgary Outlink

 3rd

See 1 Calgary Outlink

 4th

Friday, December 20th

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

Art & Music Show---------------------  8-11pm

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

Black & White Night

By

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

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

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

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

• Squash

Deer Park United Church Scarboro United Church

• Curling

• Volleyball (Beach)

 golf@apollocalgary.com

• Lawn Bowling

 lawnbowling@apollocalgary.com

• Outdoor Pursuits

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

• Running (Calgary Frontrunners)

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

• 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 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

Hounds and Hydes-----------------------  9pm At 3 Backlot

Saturday, January 25th

Sleigh Ride By

ARGRA

Hillhurst United Church

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

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

• Tennis

• Golf

Tuesday, December 31st

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

At 3 Backlot

Saturday, January 18th

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

ISCCA at 3 Backlot

At 3 Backlot

Sundays

 Calgary Contd.

• Bowling (Rainbow Riders League)

By ARGRA  The Blind Monk (918 12 Ave SW)

Saturdays

See

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

Saturday, December 14th

“Lump of Coal” Show------------------- 10pm

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

• Boot Camp

Rainbow Community Church

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

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

 Hillhurst United Church (Gym Entrance) 1227 Kensington Close NW At 3 Backlot

Knox United Church

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

GayCalgary Magazine #122, December 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

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 (CLOSED)

 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 (CLOSED) ------------- ✰

 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 #122, December 2013

57

Directory & Events DOWNTOWN EDMONTON

1

15

N 11 6 12

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

Edmonton Events 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

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

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

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

Team Edmonton

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

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

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

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

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

Sundays

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

Fridays

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

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

Team Edmonton

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Saturdays

Team Edmonton

See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton See

Youth Understanding Youth

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

Team Edmonton

See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton See

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

Thursdays

 2nd, 4th

BookWorm’s Book Club

 3rd

See See

Men’s Games Nights

• HIV Support Group

• Women’s Social Circle

• Men Talking with Pride

• Movie Night

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

• Queer HangOUT: Game Night

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

• Queer HangOUT: Craft Night

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

• Queer HangOUT: Anime Night

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

58

 2nd, Last

Youth Understanding Youth

Team Edmonton

See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton See

Team Edmonton

 Robertson-Wesley United (10209 123 St)

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

 2nd

 2nd

Tuesday, December 31st

Naturalist Gettogether See

See

Buck Naked Boys Club

 2nd

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

NYE Gala--------------------------------------8pm

By ISCWR  The Locker Room (11834 Kingsway)

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

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

 2nd

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

• TTIQ

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

Team Edmonton

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

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

• Counselling

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

See

See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton

 Edmonton Contd.

• Knotty Knitters

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

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

Team Edmonton

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

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

Team Edmonton

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

See

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

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

See

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

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

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

See 1 Youth Understanding Youth

See

Team Edmonton

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

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

See

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

See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton

Wednesdays See

12 Woody’s-----------------------Bars and Clubs 15 Evolution----------------------Bars and Clubs

See

Tuesdays

See

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

See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton

Mondays See

4

A support and information group for all those who fall under the transgender umbrella and their family or supporters.  andrea@pridecentreofedmonton.org Women’s Social Circle: A social support group for all female-identified persons over 18 years of age in the GLBT community - new members are always welcome.

Seniors Association of Greater Edmonton

 780-474-8240

 tuff@shaw.ca

Team Edmonton

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

• Badminton (Mixed)

 St. Thomas Moore School, 9610 165 Street

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

• Badminton (Women’s)

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

 badminton@teamedmonton.ca

GayCalgary Magazine #122, December 2013

Women’s Drop-In Recreational Badminton. $40.00 season or $5.00 per drop in.

• Gymnastics, Drop-in

•Ballroom Dancing

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

 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.

• Blazin’ Bootcamp

• Hockey

 Garneau Elementary School 10925 - 87 Ave  bootcamp@teamedmonton.ca

 hockey@teamedmonton.ca

• Martial Arts

 Ed’s Rec Room (West Edmonton Mall)

 bowling@teamedmonton.ca $15.00 per person.

 15450 - 105 Ave (daycare entrance)  780-328-6414  kungfu@teamedmonton.ca  kickboxing@teamedmonton.ca Drop-ins welcome.

• Cross Country Skiing

• Outdoor Pursuits

• Bowling (Northern Titans)

 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

 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.

 golf@teamedmonton.ca

www.gaycalgary.com

Directory & Events Red Deer Events

Lethbridge

Wednesdays

Saturday, December 28th

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

CAANS

 1st

White Holiday Party----------------------  9pm

By Lethbridge Pride Fest  Army and Navy (corner of 5th Ave & 6th St)

 Edmonton Contd.

• Snowballs V

Retail Stores

 January 27-29, 2012  snowballs@teamedmonton.ca Skiing and Snowboarding Weekend.

Passion Vault

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

• 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

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

 tennis@teamedmonton.ca

Cruiseline

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

Robertson-Wesley United Church

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

• Soul OUTing

• Ultimate Frisbee

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

• Volleyball, Intermediate

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

• Volleyball, Recreational

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

• Women’s Lacrosse

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

Call for info.

• Yoga

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

Womonspace

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

Youth Understanding Youth

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

• Sports and Recreation

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

Restaurants

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

• Film Night

 Bi-monthly, contact us for exact dates.

• Book Club

 Monthly, contact us for exact dates.

Theatre & Fine Arts Exposure Festival

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

The Roxy Theatre

 780-756-5667

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

 11725 Jasper Ave  780-488-6557

 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

BANFF Community Groups

LETHBRIDGE GALA/LA

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

Community Groups Medicine Hat Cares Centre

 356 - 2 Street SE, Medicine Hat, AB  403-527-5882  1-877-440-2437  info@aidscalgary.org

• Friday Mixer

• Telephone Support

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

 M-F, 8:30am - 11:30pm

• In-person Support

Gay & Lesbian Integrity Assoc. (GALIA)

 University of Lethbridge GBLTTQQ club on campus.

 galia@uleth.ca

• Movie Night

 Room C610, University of Lethbridge

Gay Youth Alliance Group

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

Lethbridge HIV Connection

 1206 - 6 Ave S

PFLAG Canada

 1-888-530-6777

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

Pride Lethbridge

 lethbridgepridefest@gmail.com

RED DEER Community Groups Affirm

 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!

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

MEDICINE HAT

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

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

Community Groups

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

 10242 106th St

Products & Services

• Monthly Potluck Dinners

Central Alberta AIDS Network Society

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

LGBTQ Education

 LGBTQeducation@hotmail.ca  http://LGBTQeducation.webs.com Red Deer (and area) now has a website designed to bring various LGBTQ friendly groups/individuals together for fun, and to promote acceptance in our communities.

Pride on Campus

 rdcprideoncampus@gmail.com A group of LGBTQ persons and Allies at Red Deer College.

• Monthly Dances

 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.

CANADA Community Groups Canadian Rainbow Health Coalition

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

Egale Canada

 8 Wellington St E, Third Floor Toronto, Ontario, M5E 1C5  1-888-204-7777  www.egale.ca Egale Canada is the national advocacy and lobby organization for gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, transidentified people and our families.

Products & Services Squirt

 http://www.squirt.org Website for dating and hook-ups. 18+ ONLY!

Theatre & Fine Arts Broadway Across Canada

 http://www.broadwayacrosscanada.ca

OUTtv

 http://www.outtv.ca GLBT Television Station.

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

www.gaycalgary.com

GayCalgary Magazine #122, December 2013

59

Classifieds Event

140

Celebrate Affirming Covenant

Erotic Massage

420

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

The Fetish Slosh at the Backlot!

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

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

Wedding/Union

Marriage Ceremonies Best Erotic Male Massage In Calgary.

Studio with free parking. Deep Tissue and Relaxation. Licensed, Professional.

Video on website. 403-680-0533 mike@ultimatemalemassage.com

Rork Hilford MC, Commissioner for Oaths.

MarriageCommissioner@shaw.ca | 403246-4134

Mark Massage

190

215

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

Models/Escorts

460

Alberta Escort Listings

Cleaning

It’s not about special treatment. You can’t assume the LGBT person, or the straight person will follow the pack anymore. The LGBT market is becoming more and more aware of what organizations support them, and which ones don’t, ultimately sending them away from businesses and communities that do not recognize them or their lifestyle. Does your staff need LGBT sensitivity training? Want to attract the market but unsure how to proceed?

Local, Domestic, International, We can assist.

Check us out at http://blueflameventures.ca, Email us at info@blueflameventures.ca, Call us at 604-369-1472. Based in Alberta.

Health

550

Trinity Best Health Store Vitamins & Minerals, Herbs and Greens, Active Lifestyle, Weight Management, Fitness Nutrition, Natural Bodycare. Located in Woodbine Square 2525 Woodview Drive SW 403-281-5582 | www.besthealthcalgary.com Gay Owned and Operated

Relaxation, Therapeutic, Foot Massage, Erotic Massage. Hot Asian Male Age:24 Swimmer Build.

YOU’LL KEEP COMING BACK FOR MORE. 403-630-8048 • www.markmassage.ca 12pm to Midnight (24hrs optional) Ladies Welcome

Internet

445

www.ABS-Hosting.com Make your mark on the Web... Create a blog, register a domain, build you personal website at www.abs-hosting.com

Certified Personal Trainer

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

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

517

GET A LIFE! STOP CLEANING!

Products/Services 500

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

Large selection of gay DVDs from $14.95, and toys. Open Mon-Fri 12-8pm, Sat 12-6pm, closed Sundays and holidays.

527

403-258-2777

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

Audition

Consulting

Adult Depot

Upcoming wedding/event/trip/class reunion?

If you want to look/feel better, increase your strength/endurance/flexibility, I CAN HELP YOU! call/text me 4038263305 or email me j_d_short@hotmail.com

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

Flexible prices and brings all his own supplies.

Steve is apart of the LGBT Community and has been cleaning for over 5 years in Calgary. getalifecleaner@gmail.com http://www. getalifecleaner.com (403)200-7384 www. facebook.com/getalifecleaner

Clothing/Fashion

520

Twice Trendy!

Used Quality Clothing

Legal

557

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GayCalgary Magazine #122, December 2013

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GayCalgary Magazine #122, December 2013

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GayCalgary Magazine #122, December 2013

www.gaycalgary.com

www.gaycalgary.com

GayCalgary Magazine #122, December 2013

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