GayCalgary Magazine - June 2014

JUNE 2014

® ISSUE 128 • FREE The Voice of Alberta’s LGBT Community

Interview with

DOLLY PARTON

Megan Hilty

Broadway Legend in Edmonton

Levi Karter

Getting his Six Pack

PLUS:

Whoopi Goldberg • Lily Allen Liz Vassey • Jim Byrnes Gay Rodeo • Summer Prides ...and more!

Business Directory

Scan to Read on Mobile Devices

Community Map

Calgary • Alberta • Canada

Events Calendar

Sarah McLachlan On Making Out with Women

Tourist Information

STARTING ON PAGE 71

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GayCalgary Magazine #128, June 2014

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GayCalgary Magazine #128, June 2014

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GayCalgary Magazine #128, June 2014

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Table of Contents

DaveAzzopardi, Brousseau,Dave SamBrousseau, Casselman,Constable Jason Clevett, Chris Andy Andrew Collins, Emily Collins, Buck, Jason Clevett, Frank Doll,Rob RobDiaz-Marino, Diaz-Marino, Janine Trotta, Jack Fertig, Joan JanineEva Eva-Trotta, Farley FooGlen Foo, Hanson, Evan Kayne, Hilty, Evan Kayne, McMullen, Stephen Lock, LisaStephen Lunney, Lock, SteveNeil Polyak, Mikey Allan Neuwirth, Steve Polyak, Rutherford, Rox, Carey Rutherford, RomeoCarey San Vicente, Jim Romeo SanSheffield, Vicente, Ed Sikov, NickNick Vivian and Scott, Skip Mars Tonic, Winnick the GLBT Community of Calgary, Edmonton, and and the LGBT Community of Calgary, Edmonton, andAlberta.

Alberta.

Photography

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

Videography

Steve Polyak, Rob Diaz-Marino

Printers Sales

North Hill News/Central Craig Connell Web sales@gaycalgary.com

Distribution

Calgary: Printers Gallant Distribution GayCalgary Staff Web exPress Edmonton: Clark’s Distribution Other: Canada Post Distribution Calgary: GayCalgary Staff Legal Farley Council Edmonton: Foo Foo Courtney Aarbo, and Solicitors Other:Barristers Canada Post

Legal Council

SalesAarbo, & General Courtney BarristersInquiries and Solicitors GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine 2136 17th Avenue SW General Inquiries ® Canada Calgary, AB, GayCalgary Magazine T2T Avenue 0G3 SW 2136 17th Calgary, AB, Canada T2T 0G3 magazine@gaycalgary.com Office Hours: By appointment ONLY

Phone: 403-543-6960

Office appointment ONLY TollHours: Free: By 1-888-543-6960 Phone: 403-543-6960 Fax: 403-703-0685 Toll Free: 1-888-543-6960 E-Mail: magazine@gaycalgary.com Fax: 403-703-0685 E-Mail: magazine@gaycalgary.com This Month's Cover Cher and Christina Aguilera courtesy of Sony ThisLennox Month's Cover Pictures; Annie courtesy of Mike Owen; Main: Dolly Parton, photo by Dolly Records Rex Goudie.

Top Right: Megan Hilty, Mid Right: Levi Karter by Cockyboys, Proud Members of: Bottom Right: Sarah McLachlan, photo by Kharen Hill

Proud Members of:

Edmonton Rainbow Business Association

Chris Stedman

A Humanist Chaplain on Connecting Believers & Atheists

12 Edmonton Pride

Like wine, the festival gets better with age

13 Stars of the Stage and Screen Third Street Theatre to raise funds Oscar Party style

PAGE 20

Writers and Contributors Mercedes Allen, Chris Dallas Barnes, Writers andAzzopardi, Contributors

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14 ConnecTeen at the Expo A Call 4 Help

14 Summer of Queer Fun

Womonspace Campout and Carol Cattell Golf Tournament this July

16 Alberta’s Progressive Surrogacy Laws Lawyer Ellen Embury praises the system and its end results

17 Parenting Proud Asking for Help

18 Michael Sam

Pioneering in American Football

19 Discussing Community Safety

Tips on Keeping your Home and Person Safe this Summer

20 It’s Rodeo Time!

Alberta Rockies Gay Rodeo Association is set to wrangle an impressive show

22 Getting Blunt with Whoopi Goldberg

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Publisher: Steve Polyak Editor: Rob Diaz-Marino Copy Sales: Editor:Steve Janine Polyak Eva-Trotta Sales: DesignSteve & Layout: Polyak Rob Diaz-Marino, Design & Layout: Ara Shimoon Rob Diaz-Marino, Steve Polyak

JUNE 2014

Entertainer shrugs off gay rumors, talks being ‘claimed’ by the LGBT community

e n i 25 Lethbridge Pride Fest Turns Six z a g a m 24 Deep Inside Hollywood Queen Latifah will bend it like Bessie Growing celebration moves to July

26 Modern Fiction 27 Dan Parent & Archie Comics Reflecting on Kevin Keller

28 Swimming in Poems

Author Dale Kwong Intertwines Self-Exploration with Nature’s Curse

29 Fiddler on The Roof

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®

Steeped in Tradition

30 Out of Town

Weekend in Philadelphia

32 The Wheel Pro’s Cruise Slick this Summer

34 Throwin’ Shade

International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association

Gay European Tourism Association

36 Liz Vassey Pops her Con Cherry in Calgary

Actress on new favourite vocation, keeping lean, and chasing Kristin Bauer

PAGE 43

National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association

10 Super-Hot Sunglasses for Stylin’ and Profilin’ This Summer

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GayCalgary Magazine #128, June 2014

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Table of Contents  Continued From Previous Page

38 Jim Byrnes

®

Bluesman, Actor, Legend

43 Megan Hilty

Magazine Figures

Broadway Legend coming to Edmonton

Monthly Print Quantity:

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

46 Cheers to Summer

PAGE 52

10 Must-Have Drink Recipes to Sip in the Sun

49 Free Lily Allen

Readership

‘Sheezus’ talks ‘fag hag’ epiphany, doing Beyoncé drag and haters

52 Sarah McLachlan Shines On

Musician on making out with women, the public’s curiosity about her sexuality and the time she inspired a transgender kid

54 Gee Golly, It’s Dolly Parton

Proof of monthly figures are available on request.

Legend talks boobs, drag and Christianity

57 Jonny McGovern is Sooooo Gay

Distribution Locations:

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

In The Gayest Video Special of All Time

58 Levi Karter

PAGE 54

Porn star on getting his six pack, breaking into the industry, and being more brazen live

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Queer Eye A Couple of Guys News Releases Mr. GayCalgary June 2014 - Shane Madden Directory and Events Classified Ads

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

Name changed to GayCalgary in 1998.

Independent company as of January 2004.

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

February 2013, GayCalgary® becomes a registered trademark.

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

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

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

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JULY 2014 Print Deadlines Ad Booking: Wed, Jun 25

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

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Editorial

Chris Stedman

A Humanist Chaplain on Connecting Believers & Atheists

By Evan Kayne Chris Stedman is an American writer, interfaith activist, and author of the memoir Faitheist. He serves as the assistant humanist chaplain at Harvard University. He was also a former Evangelical Christian who became disillusioned with religion in his teens when he realized he was gay. Chris was recently in town to speak at the University of Calgary.

Unlike a lot of gay men who have turned against the homophobic churches they grew up in, Stedman’s family was non-religious. When he was 11 that changed. Stedman became a born again Christian, largely due to two factors.

“The first is, about a year prior to converting, I started reading books that introduced me to the fact...I lived in a world where people could treat one another in inconceivably cruel and inhuman ways,” he describes. “Those books included Roots, Hiroshima, The Diary of Anne Frank.”

The books not only told of atrocities, but told them from a personal point of view which filled Stedman with a longing for justice and a desire to understand why people would treat one another this way.

Then, amidst having these crushing existential questions milling about in his head, his parents divorced.

“My family was my sense of stability and support throughout my childhood; as that began to disintegrate I was looking for a place to belong...a community.”

The evangelical church he joined seemed to provide this community and appeared to be working toward a just society, but Stedman soon realized it wasn’t as welcoming as it initially seemed. The church was very vocally and vehemently anti-gay – to the point of obsession.

“Homosexuality was referenced in sermons that were otherwise creepily disconnected from that subject...and gay people were demonized,” Stedman recalls. This was happening at a point in his life when he was starting to realize that he was gay. He researched what his church’s library had to say about homosexuality.

“There was a whole section dedicated to same sex attraction... these resources said, at best, homosexuality was a sign of youthful waywardness or confusion and, at worst, a sign of demonic possession.”

It was a terrifying message for a vulnerable 11-year-old to read.

“I tried following the prescriptions in these materials...how I could rid myself of these attractions through prayer and fasting. I would spend lunch periods in middle school in empty classrooms reading the bible and fasting. It was a really isolating experience and difficult period in my life.”

This went on for several years until one day his mother found his journal where he had documented his struggle. She then investigated several Christian churches nearby and found one that had a different perspective on homosexuality. She took her son to speak with the minister.

“This intervention changed the course of my life in a very significant way,” Stedman says.

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 From Previous Page

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The minister told him many churches held different views on homosexuality and gave him scholarly works where scripture was examined in a historical context. Stedman joined a progressive Christian church and found that welcoming community he needed just as he was starting to come out in high school.

“So, because I had these really positive experiences and I had these Christian ministers who had really helped me out...I decided I wanted to go to school to study religion, thinking I might go into the ministry eventually because I wanted to help people who struggled with issues in the way I had.”

Through the process of studying Christianity academically, and being pushed by his professors to critically think about his own beliefs, he realized his faith was never really there. What had been there all along was the desire to be part of a community, a desire for justice, and a desire to make the world a better place.

This crisis and denial of faith presented a whole new struggle.

“So many of the relationships I had built were through the church. I was in a Christian college studying religion and I had all of this pent up anger that I had spent all these years trying to reconcile myself through a tradition, ultimately, I realized I didn’t really believe in.”

Relating to Christians became problematic. He could argue the points and scripture in class, but individual conversations were difficult. Stedman’s method of discourse was limited to either debating God’s existence or going into a ‘don’t ask/don’t tell’ mode. Eventually he found that approach was limiting; it made it difficult for true exchanges of ideas.

“I decided I wanted to take a different approach to religious differences. That brought me into the work I do today, which is helping to support communities for atheists, agnostics, and non-religious people.”

In addition, as an interfaith activist, he works on exploring what are the values that non-religious and religious people share, and conducts constructive discussions on where the disagreements lie.

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Though, unlike the US, people don’t usually say publicly bigoted or hateful things to people of other religions or orientation, these

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disagreements still often occur in Canada. While in Calgary, Stedman had several conversations in which this underlying problem was discussed.

Screen Queen: 2014’s OscarCelebrated Films

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Given the actions of some religious organizations in the US, where they insist they must be allowed to discriminate against gays and view every law extending rights as somehow an attack and erosion of their rights, I asked Stedman if any dialogue is possible.

“A civil dialogue is not always an option. I strive to meet people more than halfway if I can, but there has to be some movement from the other side towards the middle. There has to be some willingness from both sides to listen to the other.”

Though a direct conversation with an extremist religious group might not be possible, Stedman never shuts them out. Through his work he has gained allies within moderate Christian communities who then have dialogues with the more extremist Christians on his behalf. These moderates then advocate for LGBTQ people, and other non-theists.

“Because they speak the language of that community, because they are seen as being invested in that community… they are more likely to be heard than I would anyway.”

Directly conversing with fundamental Christians can be a challenge for Stedman. He grew up in a family with three siblings where arguing became a competitive sport. For him it is natural to respond to conflict and disagreement with argument. He has learned this isn’t always the best approach, even when the opposing opinion holds dehumanizing views.

Case in point – Stedman recounted how after giving a talk an audience member very nervously approached him and stated he had a demon inside him. Though this angered Stedman he paused. He realized that while her view was harmful, her opinion was coming from a place of concern. After thanking her for her opinion, they went on to have an exchange of ideas about his views and why – through his experiences – it was possible her viewpoint may be harmful.

“She didn’t walk with a totally changed view on homosexuality – I’m pretty sure she left our conversation feeling it was immoral – but what she did get out of that conversation was a human point of reference for that issue. So when she hears people talk about homosexuality in the future, she could no longer think about it as this theoretical, abstract issue...instead it’s an embodied experience, it’s something that’s lived out by a person whose story she’s heard and made some connections with.”

This ‘human experience’ is what Chris believes is causing the huge change in favour of LGBTQ rights in Canada and the USA. In an opinion poll he recently read, the number one reason given by people who have changed their opinion on LGBTQ issues was having a personal relationship with someone who is gay or lesbian.

“It is my conviction, based on everything that I have studied about religion and psychology... the best way to change people’s mind on a particular issue is through the context of personal relationships, when

Continued on Next Page 

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 From Previous Page they’re given an opportunity to know and understand...someone whose experience of the world is different, and to humanize that perspective in a way you simply can’t do from a distance.”

“Anyone who holds that view is not living up to the humanistic principle of believing people can learn more and grow in their awareness of other people.”

Fundamental Christianity is not the only group to embrace the ‘my way or the highway/all or nothing/ religion is always a problem’ stance.

Stedman has observed this attitude among the atheist community as well.

As a non-theist who thinks it’s unlikely God exists and that ‘He’ will alter the course of human history in any way, Stedman believes if he wants to see progress happen, the world improve, and society change for the better, he has to push for a change to a cooperative method between religious and non-religious people. While the number of nonreligious people is growing, the number of actual atheists is still small.

This means they have to work with people in other communities, and learn from them; many religions do have a history of promoting social justice and human dignity.

“Part of what is limiting about that approach, it neglects to account for the fact there are very progressive believers who are...reformers, who are trying to move the needles in their community in the direction of justice.” We need these allies.

As to what Stedman thinks about people who are on the extremes of both sides of the religious debate being the people who garner the most attention, “...I really thinks that’s a big part of the problem. We live in a world that privileges conflict. Stories of conflict reign and they come to influence the view of religious differences.”

We have tiny groups like Westboro Baptist Church making headlines around the world with a tweet. It has become natural for most of us to click a link about a conflict over a story about cooperation.

Rampant religious illiteracy doesn’t help either. People don’t know anything about other religions or belief systems. Couple this with having their views shaped by the media, when a conflict does arise people don’t know how to civilly talk about it in a manner that conveys diversity. “…these atheist voices, the ones that get the most coverage, that speak the loudest, are the ones that are most conflict oriented. And I think you do have this silent majority of people who want to live a long time and not only co-exist but cooperate with people who hold different views, but don’t feel like their stories are being represented and perhaps feel other people don’t share that view because they’re not seeing that view reflected in the media.”

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“...there are many people speculating on why [young people are turning their back on religion]. Very few of the religiously unaffiliated are atheists. Only about 12 per cent say that they are. About 70 per cent said they believe in a god or universal spirit. So most of these folks aren’t leaving religions because they no longer believe in God but they are leaving religions. I think, and again it’s speculation until we have more data, but I think many of them are leaving religions because they see religious institutions as too entangled in money and politics.”

Stedman thinks there are other factors at play too – people can now change or abandon religions with fewer social consequences, and people are interacting more with others of different religious views and culture. He doesn’t think we’re at the twilight of religious belief; rather we’re in a time of religious transformation.

“I think atheist and agnostics and non-religious people are well positioned now to be able to step into the public square in a way we really haven’t been able to before, and be part of this conversation about religious change and transformation.”

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Event

 Edmonton Pride 2013, photos by GayCalgary

Edmonton Pride

Like wine, the festival gets better with age

By Krista Sylvester Despite turning 34 this year there are still many firsts for the Edmonton Pride Festival, which is larger and more recognized than ever.

A lot has changed since the first Pride events took place in Edmonton in 1980, according to Edmonton Pride Festival Society co-chair Terry Harris, who has watched as the festival has grown into itself.

“Edmonton has come a long way from the early 1980s when people were afraid to be out in the community for fear of their safety,” Harris says. “Many feared losing their jobs, their family and their friends as well.”

“Society has changed a lot in 35 years; members of the LGBTQ community are much more accepted in the greater community and can feel free to be themselves. With that said, there is still a need for continued education and awareness to ensure all members of the LGBTQ feel safe and accepted.”

Harris says that both on a political level and as a whole the city has increasingly become more and more supportive of the community.

“Former Mayor Stephen Mandel was a strong advocate and supporter during his tenure. Our current mayor, Don Iveson, has also provided his strong support. This year will be the 9th annual Mayor’s Brunch in support of Camp fYrefly.”

While the first parade/march was about one square block and consisted of only a handful of people, Harris says last year’s numbers topped 35,000 people. Former premier Alison Redford was the first provincial leader to attend a

Pride event in Alberta last year, and this year Premier Dave Hancock will participate in the parade.

“Not only has the festival grown in terms of numbers, but there are now over 35 events that run over 10 days. There are a wide variety of events – everything from the parade, Celebration on the Square and dances, to faith-based services, discussion panels, movie night and an art gallery.

The diversity of events really does reflect the diversity of the LGBTQ community in Edmonton.”

This year SHAW TV will be filming the parade and airing it over the 10 days of the festival, while the Edmonton Police Service Pipe and Drum Band will be joining the parade for the first time, which is history in itself.

Harris says there could be up to 40,000 people attending the parade this year, including many visitors from the south.

“We get a lot of visitors from Calgary. There appears to be a long history of support between the LGBTQ communities in Edmonton and Calgary. Many people travel between the two cities to take in their respective Pride festivals.”

Harris and the community are already looking forward to celebrating the magical 35.

“We want to provide a journey of the community’s rich history as we prepare for next year’s celebration,” Harris adds.

To showcase the cultural diversity within the LGBTQ community, GLBT Pinoy and Friends, representing Edmonton’s Filipino community, has been selected as this year’s parade marshal. GLBT Pinoy and Friends has been presenting its culture, talent, creativity and ingenuity in Edmonton since 2012.

“We are proud and thankful to celebrate our pride in Canada!” says Jude Youngzone, the group’s organizer.

Edmonton Pride http://edmontonpride.ca/pride_week/events/ Edmonton Pride Festival June 6th to 15th, 2014 http://www.gaycalgary.com/a4097 View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments

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Event

Stars of the Stage and Screen

Third Street Theatre to raise funds Oscar Party style

By Janine Eva Trotta For its inaugural fundraising gala night, Calgary’s Third Street Theatre is literally pulling out the red carpets and promising attendees a night of opulence and glam. Stars of the Stage and Screen is the leitmotif to this costume ball, which will take place Friday, June 27th at the Arrata Opera Centre.

“It’s a very Oscar themed party,” says Jonathan Brower, founding artistic director for the queer theatre company entering into its third production year. “We’re excited about it.”

He says the goal is to raise $10,000 to help cover the upcoming season’s costs: future theatre projects, artist compensation, and venue fees.

“We might like to try a bigger theatre in the future,” he says. The group currently performs its shows at the Motel venue in the Epcor Centre for the Perfomring Arts. “Maybe a commissioned piece as well.”

Brower says he is hoping to get servers and bartenders for the event draped in gold, like live Oscar statues, and Red Tree to cater.

Village Brewery is the official beer sponsor, and confirmed entertainment includes burlesque performers Raven Virginia and Sugar Mae B, boylesque performer Kyall Rakoz, vocalists Brandon Wood and Eric Wigston, as well as roaming hoop dancers, flag spinning and poi.

Those who pull out all the stops on their costumes will be rewarded. A panel of celebrity judges will be grading attire and awarding prizes to the best dressed.

Brower says he’s keeping his costume a secret.

“I was thinking Bette Midler originally but I’ve got something much different in mind,” he says.

Drag is, of course, encouraged.

Doors open at 8pm and a DJ dance party will conclude the night.

Stars of the Stage and Screen Presented by Third Street Theatre Calgary – June 27th @8pm http://www.thirdstreet.ca

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13

Community

Event

ConnecTeen at the Expo Summer of Queer Fun A Call 4 Help

By Evan Kayne ConnecTeen is a program offered by the Distress Centre Calgary, functioning as a confidential peer support service for youth in Calgary and area. The Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo might seem like an odd place for them to promote their services however, because teens interact with multiple media (Twitter/ Facebook/chat/texting), ConnecTeen has to be innovative in how it reaches out to its audience. One of those innovations is a superhero comic book dealing with the adventures of four ConnecTeen volunteers.

At the Expo I met Robyn Romano from ConnecTeen and Steele J. Duncan from ZEDS Comic Communications when they unveiled the comic book A Call 4 Help. Robyn told me the inspiration for this came a couple years ago when ConnecTeen was “...hosting a Mental Health Awareness Week Twitter panel. Derek from ZEDS tweeted and said Hey your logo looks pretty comic booky, have you guys every thought of doing a comic book to talk about your services?”

From there the comic book sprang to life. The artistic talents of Taylor Quinn, Steele J. Duncan and Matthew G. Nyitrai were essential in bringing this project to life.

It wasn’t completed overnight – they wanted to do it right. It was two years of interaction between the two groups. ZEDS came in and interviewed their volunteers to get an idea of how ConnecTeen works.

“We’re really hoping to accomplish an innovative way to get the word out there about our services to youth,” Romano says. “It’s a comic; it tells a story of what our volunteers do, as well as has ways to contact ConnecTeen embedded throughout.”

It’s another avenue for young people who may be having some troubling issues, issues that they may be too shy to discuss with family or friends. This could mean questions about sexuality, depression, bullying, or family conflict.

Admitting you may be having issues can be stigmatizing, especially for teens facing peer pressure or even bullying. Much as the comic book was an innovative way to promote their services, ConnecTeen has had to be innovative as to what avenues of communication they offer for teens requiring their services. Multiple platforms are available – a 24 hour phone service, website, Twitter, a chat program, and in November of last year they launched a texting service.

Romano feels the texting service is especially helpful.

“I think part of what happens when you have that texting service, people are more willing to share more,” she says. “They’re more willing to talk about things they may not feel comfortable talking about on the phone, because there’s that one extra barrier.”

Often that one extra barrier, one extra level of separation, gives someone in need the courage to start a conversation.

“We’ll see a lot more things come up in the texting that we won’t see come up in the phone calls,” Romano states.

A Call 4 Help printed copies were handed out at the Calgary Expo, but you can download an electronic version on their website. If you or a teenager you know needs to talk, there are multiple ways you can reach ConnecTeen: • Phone: 403.264.TEEN (8336) Answered 24 hours a day, but peer support is available from 5pm-10pm.

• Chat: Every day, from 5pm – 10pm. The sign-in for chat is found at http://www.calgaryconnecteen.com/.

• Text: 587.333.2724 Every day, from 5-10pm.

Visit this article online to see the video interview at the Calgary Expo.

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GayCalgary Magazine #128, June 2014

Womonspace Campout and Carol Cattell Golf Tournament this July

By Lisa Lunney

Womonspace has been a prominent feature of the LGBT community in Edmonton since its inception in 1981. What began as a support group has expanded into a larger community that offers both support and celebration. The group hosts dances six times per year in addition to other community events – including a summer campout.

Womonspace recently underwent some changes, with Mary McIntyre proud to take over as the new marketing director. Additionally, the group made improvements to the newsletters to ensure the community is kept in the loop for upcoming events, and for the community to offer feedback and ideas for future events.

The group has also named a new president: Kim Pizzey.

Kim is a familiar name as she also tackles the role of activities director and has been influential and involved in Womonspace. She says that the president position will be a big change for her.

Pizzey is looking forward to this year’s Carol Cattell Classic Golf Tournament and Campout, which will take place July 12th at the Bashaw Country Nine Golf Course. The event is designed for golfers of all skill levels and warmly welcomes all members of the community to join. Even if you’ve never picked up a golf club, this tournament can be an opportunity to learn the sport and have some fun!

Camping begins Friday night with golf, followed by a delicious steak supper on Saturday, Pizzey explained. For non-campers, there are bed and breakfast hotels in close proximity, ensuring everyone can be comfortable with their weekend accommodations.

Entry allots golfers nine holes of golf, lunch, supper and camping. Admission for members is $70; for non-members it is $80. For those who want to socialize but are not interested in golfing, individuals can take part in a great campout and steak dinner for just $40. Everyone is welcome, including pets!

Kim is optimistic about the future for new and familiar Womonspace events, including this July golf tournament, their August picnic and a jam-packed fall including their September dance.

Womonspace is a volunteer run non-profit group with the purpose of helping lesbians in Edmonton and surrounding areas to interact with one another in a safe environment, encouraging members to create lasting bonds of friendship.

Carol Cattell Golf Tournament Presented by Womonspace Camping: July 11th - 12th, Tournament: July 12th http://www.womonspace.ca

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GayCalgary Magazine #128, June 2014

15

Lifestyle

Alberta’s Progressive Surrogacy Laws Lawyer Ellen Embury praises the system and its end results

By Nick Winnick All around the world, LGBT couples are beset with struggles when it comes to welcoming children into their families. Adoption and surrogacy processes range from the draconian, with hoops and hurdles laid out for prospective parents, to the genuinely forward-thinking.

While ‘progressive’ might not be the first adjective one chooses to describe Alberta, a recent conversation with Ellen Embury – a Calgary lawyer who specializes in surrogacy law – suggests it might just be spot-on.

“I think that we’re extremely lucky in Alberta,” Embury says.

“Unlike Ontario, for example, we have legislation which protects the interests of people in non-heterosexual relationships who want to have children.” For the last eight years Embury has made it her mission to help couples – mostly gay and lesbian couples in long-term relationships – form families.

“In my mind, British Columbia and Alberta are the two jurisdictions that are at the top of the heap. They’re the most LGBTQ-friendly jurisdictions in the country,” Embury said, referring to changes made to Alberta’s Family Law Act in the summer of 2011. “[The changes] allowed gay men in particular to both be considered the parent of a child that they had conceived through assisted reproduction... as long as one of them is genetically linked to the baby who is carried by a surrogate... both dads are allowed to go on the birth certificate.”

Believe it or not, the news is good all the way around for prospective queer parents.

“In Alberta, lesbian women are actually in the best place ... if one of the women gives birth, and they’ve used a sperm donor, they don’t need a parentage declaration – there’s no court order. Their partner goes on the birth certificate from day one as the other parent.”

Trans, gender-queer, and androgynous individuals will also reap the benefits of these changes. The 2011 revisions to the Family Law Act struck down the gendered terms “mother” and “father” in favour of the singular term “parent.”

According to Embury, gay men in Alberta are increasingly opting for surrogacy as a means to have a child, especially since 2011. For the uninitiated, this process involves one partner contributing sperm to a donor’s egg to make an embryo, which is then implanted in a third party who will carry it to term. It is not difficult to find someone to help.

“There are many, many, many women out there who love the idea of helping a gay couple have a family,” Embury emphatically states. But it is costly. Though surrogates are legally prevented from deriving income from the service, they are entitled to reimbursement of their expenses during pregnancy, which typically ring in at roughly $20,000. Add to that another $20,000 in clinic fees and between $7000 and $8000 in legal fees; the process is not for the faint of heart.

“The men who tend to want to pursue this have thought so much in advance about wanting to be a parent... and, as a result, I find that they tend to be just incredibly devoted parents, both during the process and after,” Embury adds. “I do see a trend, however, in that more gay men are choosing to use what [are] called traditional surrogates.”

Traditional surrogates are women who contribute their own eggs to the process. While this almost completely eliminates the clinic fees, it also means that other services provided by the clinic – such as screening for genetic diseases in the embryo – are unavailable. And there are other restrictions.

“I’m always very clear with my clients – and I can’t imagine that any of them would do this to save money – but I always tell them, under no circumstances can you have sexual intercourse with this woman!

They always say, Oh my god, that would never happen! You can get a home-insemination kit on the internet and do it that way.”

Lest there be any lingering unease about a traditional surrogacy complicating the process of establishing legal parentage, it’s a longestablished provision of the Family Law Act (Section 7, Subsection 4, to be precise) that a person who donates reproductive material is not by that reason alone a parent. The contributing father is immediately declared a legal parent, and following less than a week of legal legerdemain, his partner will become co-parent in perpetuity.

When we asked Embury what has stood out most about these past eight years of building families for Calgary’s queer community, she answered: “[It is] constantly incredible to me how devoted these men are to the children... Many of them have gone through prenatal classes, and they’re so interested in figuring out how to swaddle, and following all the instructions... There’s the joy that you see on a mom’s face, for sure, but there’s absolutely no difference when it’s two men. It’s really, really, really thrilling.”

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GayCalgary Magazine #128, June 2014

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Lifestyle

Parenting Proud Asking for Help

By Jim Scott Since becoming new fathers last summer our lives have been turned upside down in too many ways to count here. Mostly it has been a really fun ride. All the firsts – first steps, first words, first kisses, first foods, first dances, and yes, even the first time using the potty - we have met with the requisite chest thumping pride like our boy just advanced the theory of relativity beyond Einstein’s. Of course there has also been the first cold, first cuts and scrapes, first nightmare, first disagreement, and first timeout, which admittedly I have needed some advice about how to handle. Being the curious man I am, I have found some really excellent resources which might come in handy for others.

I love conversation threads that operate like support groups, but haven’t found too many just for gay parents, and even less for gay dads. I recently discovered a great page on Facebook simply called Gay Fathers. On this page, my husband and I have found many other dads, of all ages, from around the globe, which we share a common experience with. Not only are the threads informative and based on what all of us are going through with our kids, they are also a place of support for the many men who are just coming out to their families and children.

Dealing with the unique issues of transitioning from the façade of a heterosexual lifestyle to one of being completely honest with one’s self, and one’s family for the first time in one’s life, is something I never even thought about until recently. Since I came out as a teenager, and never looked back, that is something I’m really grateful to have missed. I have been brought to tears many times reading some of these stories and admire the strength it must take to finally look in the mirror and have the courage to be honest, no matter the consequences.

Coming out is already hard enough, and when you have a somewhat understandably bitter spouse ready, willing, and all too often able to try and drive a wedge between you and your kids, it’s just heartbreaking.

I have found the men on this page to be stable, supportive, level headed, and, most of all, friendly and willing to share their own accounts of some very common things all parents go through. It is a true brotherhood and, right now, it is my go to resource to talk about pretty much anything concerning our family.

Then there is medical advice. From teething, to diet questions, vaccinations, to care for minor cuts and scrapes, I have the number for Health Link Alberta on speed dial. The help line is answered by registered nurses who are just phenomenal in my opinion. I have called at all hours of the day, and night, and I always get someone who is knowledgeable, patient, and makes me feel like I’m not just an overexcited new parent, even though, in most cases, I probably am.

would let me and, if he didn’t show any signs of a concussion, or was especially moody or cranky, he would more than likely be fine. He was and, as it turned out, the only basket case that night was me.

To reach these fine folks toll free dial 1-866-408-5465 and if you live in Calgary dial (403) 943-5465 and they will happily help you out.

The legal issues surrounding guardianship and parenting for same sex couples can be really overwhelming. In many cases we have to go through the court system and have a judge sign off to make our families legal whether you are adopting, fostering, or applying for permanent guardianship. Mine certainly falls under this category. Here, in Alberta, the Family Courts are amazingly efficient and provide legal services which don’t require hiring an expensive attorney if you don’t mind filling out all of the detailed paperwork and appearing in front of a judge to be ‘interviewed’. We have successfully used the Family Court Counsellors and the Family Justice Services to navigate the minefield of Alberta Family law. They have been nothing but supportive and informative through our own transition from being uncles to dads and, in my opinion, are a great resource for all things related to family legalese.

We are planning on going through with a legal adoption next year, and for that there is even a self-help guide we will use. That said, once we make application to the courts, we will still hire an attorney, just to put the icing on the cake, but you can save yourself a ton of money by tracking down all of the court documents and birth records, serving the parties involved yourself, filling out the myriad of affidavits, and going to the clerk’s office to file and get your court date. It’s pretty easy really, just takes dedication, attention to detail, and time… lots of time. To get all the information you need just go to http://www.albertacourts. ab.ca and look under the Family Court section for all the forms and numbers you need.

So there you have my three favourite resources that help me get through the maze that is being a modern gay parent. Some additional resources that deserve mentioning are this column, Proud Parenting, the Advocate Magazine parenting section, the LGBTQ Parenting Network, the Family Equality Council, thenextfamily.com, as well as Gay Family Values and Gay Adoptive Parents (both on Facebook). I encourage all parents to make use of any resources at their disposal, and if you have any questions, another resource you love, or want to plan a get together around Calgary, email me, Jim Scott, at parentingproud@gmail.com.

Until next month, enjoy your families!!

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My first experience with them came the third night we had our new baby boy. He was just starting to stand on his own and was sitting on our couch in the living room playing with a stuffed monkey, when all of a sudden he literally jumped up to his feet, bounced off the cushion, and went face first into the coffee table. I was only about a metre away, and even though it seemed like it went in slow motion, all I could do is watch, horrified, as it all unfolded. When he looked up at me he had blood coming from his mouth, but he wasn’t crying yet.

That came when I started bawling, convinced I had already ‘broken’ him. I scooped him up, found what was bleeding in his mouth, and immediately called the help line, convinced I would be on the way to the emergency room soon after that.

I was relieved to speak to a woman who was so sweet she could have been my own mom. After we went through a checklist of things – like was he conscious, what was bleeding, what was his demeanour, were his pupils dilated, how long ago had it happened, and did he knock out any of the few teeth he already had – she gave me encouragement, which calmed me down and then reminded me how resilient children are. She told me to put an ice pack on his busted lip for as long as he

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GayCalgary Magazine #128, June 2014

17

Politics

Michael Sam

Pioneering in American Football

By Stephen Lock It finally happened: we now have an openly gay athlete playing for one of the major team sports (those being hockey, football, and basketball).

We have had athletes who came out after retiring and we have openly gay athletes in other sports such as tennis, swimming, diving, and figure skating. In the UK there are a few openly gay soccer and rugby players. Here in North America, however, we have been slower getting to a point where having an openly gay player on a major sports team is accepted, and where a player who is gay can feel comfortable and safe coming out.

With Michael Sam’s draft into the St. Louis Rams we have reached that point. And it’s about time.

The Rams selected Sam with the eighth last pick of the NFL draft, late in the seventh round, number 249 overall. I am no sports commentator, and will leave that up to those who are to explain, but my understanding is that Sam was low on the list and not up amongst the star athletes. Regardless, he was drafted and is now an NFL player.

Predictably, there have been a variety of reactions and responses to his selection as well as toward his reaction upon being selected. Both ESPN and the NFL Network showed Sam grabbing his partner, Vito Cammisano, a former college swimmer, and kissing him after hearing the news over the telephone. This, it seems, garnered more negative reaction than the fact Sam is openly gay and has been since playing college football.

Several players, including Maurice Price of the Calgary Stampeders, tweeted anti-gay statements. Price has since had his Tweet removed and been fined by the Canadian Football League (CFL) for ‘repugnant’ and ‘inappropriate’ statements.

Sam’s record indicates that playing at NFL level might be a challenge.

He has been drafted as a pass-rusher and defensive end despite being a bit small – at 6’2” and 255 lbs – and he is apparently not as nimble and fast as the position usually requires. During his college career he accumulated 123 tackles, including 36 for loss, 21 sacks, six forced fumbles, and two intercepted passes.

While at the University of Missouri he played for the Tigers and ‘redshirted’ for the first year. In US college athletics, the term refers to a delay or suspension of an athlete’s participation so that he can extend his period of eligibility. A student’s athletic eligibility is normally four seasons – the number of years it takes to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree – but some college athletes are permitted to redshirt for up to two years, thereby spreading that four year eligibility over five or six years.

While a redshirt, a student athlete attends classes, practices with the team, and dresses for play during a game, but cannot compete in those games.

This is not necessarily as punitive as it may seem. The purpose of redshirting a student athlete is to assist the athlete to better balance academic requirements with athletic ones, gain some experience practicing with a team and to adapt to it before competing, or to gain time to increase size and strength during a period when physical maturity is still an ongoing process. It is actually seen as beneficial to both the athlete with professional aspirations and to the team itself.

Despite a general perception within the ranks of American football that he is too slow and too small, Sam was named the Southeastern

Conference’s Defensive Player of the Week two weeks in a row, CoDefensive Player of the Year, and named as a semi-finalist for several football awards.

Being drafted by a professional football team does not necessarily mean he will make the team. He will still need to prove himself during training camp and, like any player, if he can’t make it through that effectively, Coach Jeff Fisher will have to cut him. With all the attention surrounding Sam, having to cut him would become political.

Some pundits have pointed out, however, that the St. Louis Rams are a good fit for Sam. The Rams are headquartered on Sam’s home turf, Local fans and media are already aware of him and the stories around him being gay are, by and large, just part of the fabric of who he is – as it should be.

Coach Fisher is also known to be a strongly hands-on coach, capable of building a tight-knit group of players and highly experienced dealing with media. This should allow Sam to focus on football and build rapport with his teammates. Fisher has already shown his mettle when it comes to the media scrutiny around America’s ‘First Openly Gay Professional Football Player’, stating the Rams simply “drafted a good football player” and giving Sam the opportunity to prove himself on the field which, at the end of the day, is what counts.

Sam’s orientation may still pose an issue behind the scenes. For years, whenever the topic of an openly gay player arose, so too did the whole question of gays in the locker room. How would other players feel about walking around naked and showering in front of a homosexual teammate?

It is a ridiculous question. It suggests that we gay men can’t control ourselves when presented with another naked man in a communal environment; that all the straight hunks will get ogled or propositioned.

The issue of gay men in the locker room is more a heterosexual issue than it is a homosexual one.

As gay men we know when it is appropriate to become sexual with someone and when it is not. Heterosexuals seem to think all we think about is sex. Sam, or any other gay athlete, is not about to jeopardize his career because he got the hots for some stud football player.

As a now high profile player who is also gay, Sam must be aware he is in a unique situation. He has already stated he is a football player, not The Gay Football Player, despite the media casting him as such. He will, hopefully, avoid situations his heterosexual peers so often embroil themselves in and focus on being the best player he can be. He simply cannot afford, fairly or not, to have even a whiff of scandal attach itself to him.

Football players are Alpha Males and fans, generally, see such allegations as reinforcing their Alpha-ness; thus they tend to forgive relatively easily. I suspect that same attitude would not apply to a gay player. Sam would most likely be aware of this and act accordingly.

This discussion around his sexuality and how he may or may not express it does not exist for heterosexual players, and speaks to the climate within, not just professional sports, but North American culture in general. I am as guilty of that as other writers, having just discussed it. The truth of the matter is he will be judged by different criteria. It’s not right. It’s not fair.

He has his work cut out for him and he’s going to need all the support he can get from all his communities: his teammates, team owners, the gay community, the black community, and the fans. The man is a pioneer, albeit a reluctant one (as most are), and for that he is to be respected.

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GayCalgary Magazine #128, June 2014

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Community

Discussing Community Safety

Tips on Keeping your Home and Person Safe this Summer

By Constable Andy Buck Hello again everyone – and it’s a welcome return to the warmer weather. Hopefully we have seen the last of the snow and we can look forward to lots of sunshine in the coming months.

I want to start with some positive news. As you are aware, May 17th marked the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia. I managed to secure the necessary permissions from the City and Calgary Police Service executive to fly the Pride flag outside headquarters. It was a very proud moment that I shared on Facebook; hopefully many of you will have seen the picture. I think it was the first time that the Pride flag has flown from police premises here in Calgary, so certainly a momentous occasion.

Talking about the warmer weather, many of you may be going on vacation or leaving your homes for other reasons and I wanted to take the time to pass on some safety tips that will give you peace of mind, knowing that your home will be safe upon your return.

• Use the main entrance if returning to your room late in the evening.

• Ask the management for directions to locations you will be visiting, if there are areas you should avoid, and for recommendations on reliable taxis or tour guides.

• If you see any suspicious activity report it to hotel management.

Unfortunately I will not be able to attend the ARGRA event in Strathmore this year, as I will be in Toronto for a conference and World Pride, although I can assure you that CPS will still be represented. Good luck to everyone who is competing but, more importantly, have fun and stay safe.

Look after each other, and I will talk to you next month.

Crime Stoppers 1-800-222-8477 • http://www.ttttips.com Constable Andy Buck 403-428-8154 • pol4792@calgarypolice.ca

Make your home look lived-in while you’re away • Arrange to have your mail picked up and consider stopping newspaper delivery at least one day before you leave to be certain your request was received.

• Arrange to have the grass cut, the leaves raked or the snow removed as necessary.

• Use timers on a few lamps in rooms where the light will be noticed from outside the house.

• Have a neighbour check both inside and outside the house every few days. Ask them to pick up items delivered to you while you are away.

• If you have a clearly designated outside parking space (as is the case in many townhouse neighbourhoods), ask a neighbour to park their car in your space.

• Tell a neighbour you’re going away. Also remember to keep an eye on your neighbours’ house as well. Notify the police if you see anything suspicious.

You also want to be sure to stay safe when you’re out of town or overseas. Reduce your chance of being a victim of crime while traveling with these tips: • Use a reputable travel agent who knows your destination and can ensure you are staying in a reputable hotel.

• Leave the name, room number, and contact information of your hotel with family or friends at home. If camping, leave directions to the campground, along with your site number. It is also advisable to leave a map of your route and any stops you plan to take.

• Once at your hotel, place your valuables in the hotel safe.

• Report any lost or stolen items to the management and to the police.

• Avoid hotels that use keys, as they can be easily duplicated. Only stay at hotels that use coded cards.

• Close your room door securely and only admit people you are expecting. If you are unsure about the identity of someone who claims to be a hotel employee, call the front desk and inquire.

• Check to see that any sliding glass doors or windows and any connecting doors are locked.

• Use all of the locking devices provided (chain, deadbolt, etc.).

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GayCalgary Magazine #128, June 2014

19

Event

 CRIR 2013, photos by GayCalgary

It’s Rodeo Time!

Alberta Rockies Gay Rodeo Association is set to wrangle an impressive show

By Nick Winnick From its humble beginnings in 1991, the Alberta Rockies Gay Rodeo Association (ARGRA) has grown to host one of the defining events of southern Alberta summers. The 100%-volunteerrun organization is fixing to make this, the sixth Canadian Rockies International Rodeo (CRIR) and Music Festival in its new Strathmore digs, the biggest show yet. Recently, ARGRA’s communications director, Drew Davidson, had a chance to give us a rundown of what people itching for a good rodeo event – or even just a good party – can expect from this year’s festivities, running June 27th to 29th.

The Rodeo This is the bread and butter of the annual festivities. Many of the rodeo events will be known to the average rodeo-goer. Rough stock events, including bull riding, steer riding, and chute dogging, as well as the single and team roping events, are well-known in the professional rodeo circuit. There are also a number of speed events that place competitors on horseback, including barrel racing, flag racing, and pole bending. A few events, however – the much-vaunted camp events – are pure delights that can only be seen at a gay rodeo.

And unlike traditional rodeos, every event at the CRIR is genderneutral. Men, women, all points in between can compete on their own or in mixed teams.

The Music

The first of the camp events, steer decorating, is a speed event for teams of two. “The first contestant would bring the steer across a designated line,” Davidson explains, “and the second would be tying a ribbon on its tail. Once that’s done, the contestant would remove the rope [tying the steer’s] horns, and the contestant runs for the chute to hit the timer.” If the ribbon falls off before the contestants hit the timer, it’s a disqualification. Believe it or not, despite the hundreds of pounds of agitated steer, Davidson classifies this as an introductory event. “If somebody’s had no rodeo experience whatsoever, this is one of the events that people tend to come in on to try it out.”

Now in its fourth year accompanying the CRIR, the music festival is offering a wide variety of acts for a wide variety of tastes, though it maintains that quintessential western feel. The scheduled guests include Amy Bishop, who will be performing with Lisa Jacobs, and frequent collaborators Hashmagandy. Also on the roster are Netty Mac, Smoking Aces, and the prairie favourites Jason Hastie and the Alibi.

Goat dressing is another perennial favourite. Again in teams of two, contestants chase down a goat and attempt to put a pair of flashy underpants on its hindquarters, tail and all. If the pants come off before the contestants hit the timer, perhaps the goat scores points in its own internal recordkeeping, but the contestants most certainly do not. One can only imagine what the goats think of the process.

“Not everyone wants to listen to music,” Davidson says. ARGRA is nothing if not prepared to, in his words, “cater to a little bit of everyone, of all age groups. Some people want to mingle, have some good food, and then go to the dance afterward.”

The Midway ARGRA has lined up an array of vendors and caterers. For the rustic palate, Calgary’s Blind Monk will be providing service on the midway, as well as providing for the rodeo contestants. For something outside of the traditional smoked-and-barbecued western fare, the Empenada Queen will also be in attendance, offering authentic Chilean flavours. And anyone who has been through Cochrane on a hot summer afternoon will be delighted to learn that McKay’s ice cream will also be available. Furthermore, Earth’s Emporium will be on hand, offering fair-trade, ethical goods from across the developing world, as well as a licensed massage therapist to work out the kinks of hard-knock rodeo events.

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GayCalgary Magazine #128, June 2014

Last but not least, the most intense, and likely the most dangerous of the camp events is the Drag Race. Teams of three competitors are given one haltered steer. One contestant, with the help of a second, coaxes the animal across a designated line. Once across, the third teammate – the one in drag, for whom the event is named – has to successfully mount and ride the steer. All three contestants then draw the steer back to the line to complete the event. The more flamboyant the drag the better, of course, though perhaps this would be a good time to give the expensive evening gowns a miss.

If all this sounds like your cup of tea – and, really, who hasn’t daydreamed about hopping on steer-back whilst wearing one’s finest sequined ball gown and stiletto heels – ARGRA’s rodeo school may be just what you’re looking for. For a cost of $25 per event, fledgling cowpokes can learn the fine arts of calf roping (on foot), steer decorating, chute dogging, steer riding, and goat dressing.

According to Davidson, “The nice thing about the rodeo school is that the majority of people who go through it will actually sign up to compete the following day.” That’s right – with just a few short hours

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training, you can be down in the dust and spotlights with the professional contestants, doing your damnedest to play personal shopper to an unimpressed ungulate.

which are strictly enforced.

The Association penalizes any contestant, official or contractor found to be treating any animals inhumanely.” Whether or not this is comforting depends on one’s personal definitions of the terms “abuse” and “inhumane,” one imagines, though both IGRA and ARGRA maintain that there absolutely are strict and effective standards of animal care in place.

ARGRA has even set aside a prize for the rodeo’s most ambitious first-time competitors.

“The new competitor with the most points will be awarded the [Founder’s Buckle],” says Davidson.

“Not necessarily for the best times, but if you participate in the most events, you could get your own buckle.

It’s a really nice feeling to have, if it’s your first time and you give it your all.” One caveat: the rodeo school is a pre-registered event which tends to fill up quickly.

If you’re feeling a particularly powerful hankering to try your hand at some real western skills, best to visit ARGRA.org and sign up post haste.

The Nightclub The CRIR’s venerable Tornado Nightclub will be in full swing for all three nights of the rodeo, offering more country music in the mix this time around, by popular demand. The club runs from 9pm to 2am on each of the three nights, with an indoor DJ and dance floor, and outdoor bars, tents, fire pits, and lounge areas. Each night will offer up a different DJ set, so that rodeogoers will always have something fresh to unwind with after a day of hard riding, or even hard spectating.

As with any event involving animals, the question of their welfare is top-of-mind. While strict vegans and stringent objectors to any use of animals in sport will certainly want to be somewhere other than Strathmore during the last weekend of June, many others will be able to take comfort in knowing that ARGRA abides by the animal welfare guidelines of the International Gay Rodeo Association, whose standards for animal care are actually more stringent than those in the mainstream rodeo circuit.

Davidson is unequivocal on this point. “We very much endorse and adopt the promotion of animal welfare, and human,” he says, “and responsible treatment of animals, be it their housing, feeding, training, or exercising during the competition. We’re always very concerned about wellbeing. Our stock contractors are informed about all of our policies and by-laws regarding animal welfare, and they are aware of the financial penalties for failing to comply.”

The Community

interested in taking part.

The Canadian Rockies International Rodeo

As to specific measures? “We prohibit electrical prods in bucking chutes, we don’t allow spurs, the flank-straps have fleece so that they’re not painful to the animals in any way. We also have a minimum size requirement for goats during the goat event, and they’re rotated out, so they do get appropriate rest. After eight ‘dressings,’ as we call it, the goats are rotated out.”

Presented by ARGRA Strathmore, June 27th – 29th http://www.argra.org

Quoting from IGRA’s bylaws, they affirm that: “this responsible use of stock does not rise to the level of abuse. IGRA does not abuse animals nor condone animal abuse, at any time, in any way, by anyone. The IGRA imposes specified rules related to animal welfare

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Fully cognisant of the prominent “G” in its acronym, ARGRA has partnered with several local queer advocacy and outreach organizations, in particular Camp fYrefly and the SHARP Foundation. Several fundraising partnerships over the course of the year, including ticket-selling events staffed

by SHARP volunteers and the Save4Change piggy bank project, provide all three organizations with some much-needed capital.

The youth of Camp fYrefly are even given free rope lessons in the CRIR rodeo school, if they’re

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GayCalgary Magazine #128, June 2014

21

Getting Blunt with Whoopi Goldberg Entertainer shrugs off gay rumors, talks being ‘claimed’ by the LGBT community

 Photos by HBO Home Entertainment

By Chris Azzopardi Never one to give a flying you-know-what, Whoopi Goldberg has made a career out of not caring. Ask her about her sexuality – to some, a lingering enigma since the ’70s, when Goldberg made lots of lesbians laugh at San Francisco comedy clubs – and she doesn’t get all the fuss. Ask her what she thinks about pot – actually, don’t even bother. She just wrote a column about it.

Whoopi loves a blunt.

It makes a lot of sense, then, that one of Goldberg’s earliest comedy heroes is veteran standup Jackie “Moms” Mabley, the 20th-century trailblazer – and later, a civil rights activist – known for a so-what attitude, her edgy humor and dressing like your grandma. The first female comedian to be featured at the Apollo, Mabley was also known to be a lesbian, a topic discussed in Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley, a Goldberg-funded documentary featuring a roster of comedy big shots: Joan Rivers, Eddie Murphy, Bill Cosby and Kathy Griffin.

In this recent interview with Whoopi, the comedian-actress talked about how being a lesbian had no effect on Moms becoming “the funniest woman in the world,” the longstanding rumors of Goldberg’s own sexuality and her commitment to the fight for gay rights.

GC: How do you think a black lesbian like Moms managed to have such a following in the ’20s and ’30s, a time when homosexuality would’ve likely been a career breaker?

WG: Nobody was thinking about it. If you weren’t funny, you didn’t work. Your sexuality, who you were – whether you were a man or a woman – didn’t matter. Funny trumps everything.

GC: You were an early ally of the LGBT community at a time when identifying as such was a much bigger risk. At that point in time, people

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GayCalgary Magazine #128, June 2014

would automatically assume an ally was someone who just did not want to come out of the closet.

WG: (Laughs) That’s what people thought! It was ridiculous. I was like, “Uh, no.” People just didn’t understand. You see bad situations or stupid situations, like folks having an issue with who you cared about, who you wanna be with, all that kind of stuff that has nothing to do with the realities of our world. The realities of the world I grew up in was: It was nobody’s business. If you’re not doing your job, then I’m gonna bitch. But I’m not gonna bitch at anybody ’cause they’re gay, or because they weigh a lot more than me. At the time, it just seemed so stupid to me that this was what people’s issues were.

GC: As an ally and as someone with a long history in the movement, what’s your take on the role you played then and the evolving nature of being identified as an ally?

WG: I don’t know yet. There was nothing anybody could do to me then, because I felt that these were my friends and my people, and no one had a right to judge them. I don’t want people messing with me, so I defend everybody’s right to be themselves. That has always been my battle cry. I think now, people get it. They understand it because they’re looking at themselves saying, “This is how I am.” I know if somebody’s messing with me, I don’t wanna hear it. I have to stand up. Get off my stage.

GC: People have long speculated about your sexuality, haven’t they?

WG: (Laughs) Yeah! And it’s like, there are a lot worse things people

could have accused me of – things that would really be upsetting! That’s not one of them. It never has been. I grew up in the theater. I grew up in a neighborhood where there was always gay folks. Always! So I never understood people’s freak out about it. Everybody is so damn paranoid about everything. They’re so concerned that (people) are gonna be like,

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“Oh, somebody’s gonna think I’m gay.” So what!

What happens if they do?

heard you say something, and then they make assumptions. Quite honestly, I was glad to be claimed.

GC: Considering how long people have wondered how you swing, watching Moms Mabley made me think: Should a documentary be made about your life one day, how do you want people to characterize your sexual identity?

GC: We were happy to claim you.

WG: Yes! You know, no one was trying to

claim me, nobody wanted me. Black folks didn’t want me. Nobody wanted me. But I’ve always been claimed by the gay community. Always.

WG: I don’t care. Don’t care! Because I’ll probably be gone by then! (Laughs) With all the amazing people who have come out, if you’re still talking about my sexuality – I’m the one you choose – you’re not doing your job.

GC: And maybe that’s why people have assumed you’re anything but straight. Through the years you’ve even made some vague remarks regarding your sexuality. For instance, on The View in 2009 you told Barbara Walters, when she made a comment about you coming out of the closet, “Please, that door’s been open for years.” Is your sexuality something you prefer to leave ambiguous?

GC: But don’t you think celebrities also play a role in the gay rights movement just by being themselves?

WG: They do now. But there was a time when people were like, “Oh, no, I’m not gonna say anything. Somebody’s gonna think I’m (gay).” It’s like, you’d be lucky if somebody thought you were gay! That’s my response to everybody. If that’s what you’re freaking out about, then you’re concerned about the wrong thing.

GC: In 2008, you held up a sign that said “For My Friends – Equal Rights” during a Prop 8 protest in New York. In 2010, you joined Cyndi Lauper in the launch of her Give a Damn Campaign to raise awareness of LGBT discrimination. But your gay advocacy dates back even further than that: You pushed an AIDS-stricken man in a wheelchair in the 1987 March on Washington. What motivated you to become an ally?

WG: Well, sure, there’s all of that, but I’ve always had gay people in my life. I mean, I grew up in Chelsea, a neighborhood that has all kinds of folks, because nobody had any money. We were all poor. There were men you’d call “uncle” who never seemed to have girlfriends, and they were your “uncle.” Later on you learned what it meant. These guys didn’t want to be with these girls. They had their love from their brothers. They wanted their men.

WG: No, I’m pretty clear. You’ve never seen me with a woman. Pretty much been married to men the whooole time! Not the same, but a few of them. (Laughs) Nah, I’m straight, but what does it mean? What does it really mean?

GC: It means you play a lesbian in Boys on the Side and people jump to conclusions.

WG: Yes, that’s the other one! Thank you. I love that movie. I always forget Boys on the Side because I did The Color Purple and I know people saw that first.

GC: What’s gayer: playing an actual lesbian or a singing nun?

WG: It’s all a challenge because you always have to find out what

your sweet spot is in a piece. My sweet spot in Boys on the Side was how much I loved Mary-Louise (Parker, who played Robin). The sweet spot for Sister Act was really religion – that everybody can have some relationship to religion and it doesn’t have to be what everybody else thinks that relationship should be.

GC: I love that answer, but I think you misinterpreted my question.

WG: I’m sorry. I’m on a cell phone. I can’t hear shit, honey!

GC: We’ll just go with what you think I said.

WG: I love you already.

GC: Whatever happened to your nun’s habit from Sister Act? WG: I think I sent it to France. Everybody needs something for

GC: And Moms, despite talking about young men in her act, had a thing for the ladies.

WG: Yeah, she worked a great game.

GC: She was all about living life on her own terms. Moms must

remind you of yourself in that sense.

WG: It’s crazy – she’s very much like me. Very much! Like her, I’m always trying to get the gig, and it can be a bit difficult because I’m not conventional.

GC: Thanks for chatting, Whoopi, and also for being an ally. Your advocacy in the gay community has meant a lot to a lot of people.

There’s many things people can wonder about, but if you don’t know by now, it’s because you don’t wanna know. I say to people, “Well, what do you think I am?” They say, “We think you’re gay.” I say, “If that’s what you wanna think, OK!”

WG: Well, we’re all one people, baby. People keep trying to divide us up into “you’re gay, you’re black, you’re white,” but we’re all one people.

What fucks with one fucks with us all. If we don’t recognize that, we’re in deep trouble.

Halloween.

I have been gay in films. I’ve done two: The Color Purple and I always forget what the other one is. People assume they know because they’ve seen you in a movie or because they’ve seen you do something or they’ve

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Gossip on a sea-faring, military-themed board game. And this time around it’s not even live-action. The movie is called Home (way to make that one practically un-Google-able, you guys), it’s due this Thanksgiving from DreamWorks and director Tim Johnson (Over The Hedge, Antz) and it’s… oh, wait, it’s also about aliens. Anyway, these aliens aren’t out to sink anyone’s battleships. They simply want a new home and think they’re helping humanity by trying to relocate them. RiRi voices a headstrong teenage girl named Tip (whose mother is voiced by Jennifer Lopez) who’s managed to elude the aliens. Tip wants to set things right and Parsons is, of course, one of the space invaders (alongside Steve Martin). On its way to the kind of predictably happy ending guaranteed in animated family movies, the film can claim at least one cinematic victory – it marks another step in the right direction by featuring a young, female, African-American heroine, something nobody was in a hurry to do after the middling success of The Princess and the Frog. It can’t rightfully be called a trend. But wouldn’t it be cool if it became one?

MTV plans to tackle the real-life real world A recent study has suggested that MTV’s 16 and Pregnant has bucked the trend of exploitation reality programming and actually had a positive effect on the number of teenage girls giving birth. In other words, kids are watching, taking note of what a bummer it is to be a teen parent, and avoiding the whole mess. So why not more programming that might sway kids in a positive direction? That’s the plan at the network (no, old person, they haven’t shown any Human League videos for quite some time) where a series of programs are due to roll out. Confirmed titles include True Life: I’m a Gay Athlete and something called Untitled Whiteness Project (honestly, we don’t know if that’s the title or if it really is untitled), as well as a variety of PSAs meant to encourage Millenials in the direction of understanding issues like racial privilege, gender bias and sexual orientation. And even if these shows are just drops in a bucket, they’re preferable additions to that one where teenagers threw tantrums over their birthday parties. We’ve thankfully forgotten the name and do not wish to be reminded.

More of that stuff you like

 Queen Latifa. Photo by Shutterstock.com

Deep Inside Hollywood Queen Latifah will bend it like Bessie

By Romeo San Vicente So she’s never returned to the glorious swagger of her stonebutch, bank-robbin’ Set It Off days. And she’s being very oldschool Jodie about talking/not-talking about her off-camera life. Still. But damn it, we love Queen Latifah anyway; we can’t help ourselves. And her new project isn’t hurting things at all: a biopic of bisexual blues goddess Bessie Smith, directed by acclaimed young lesbian filmmaker Dee Rees. Mostly we’re happy for Rees, of course. After making a splash with her critically loved yet under-seen Pariah, we were worried she’d get jerked around and ignored by Hollywood’s indifference machine. But HBO is partnered up with this one – tentatively titled Blue Goose Hollow – and that means no begging for a chance to direct basic cable sitcoms and TV movies nobody watches for this talented director. Who knows, maybe Latifah guided her longtime pet project to Rees; that’s a nice thing to wishfully imagine happening. And if it’s true then that’s more Get Out Of Gay Pride Jail Free cards for the warm, friendly, mind-your-own-business superstar. Look for this one to hit the airwaves in 2015.

It’s official. HBO is bringing back its cancelled cult sitcom The Comeback, starring Lisa Kudrow as an obnoxious, grasping, D-lister.

We wondered and wished and hoped and prayed and it’s happening.

So thanks, TV gods. You are not 100 percent horrible all the time, even if you did snatch Happy Endings away from our warm embrace. And gay people, you probably missed it the first time around (hence its initial cancellation), so don’t sleep on this caustic comedy anymore…

Meanwhile, Orange is The New Black? Picked up for a third season, you say? Yes, please and thank you. There is no greater piece of lesbian/ trans/funny/weird television programming happening in the United States right now and it should be a show forever, so this is excellent news for everyone… And what’s that? Pitch Perfect 2 is really casting and Elizabeth Banks will direct and everyone from the first film is “rumored” to be returning? We like that, too, just as long as they don’t ignore songwriter Ester Dean (the only person currently missing from the rumor roster); the a cappella world, to be truly satisfying, must have as many lesbians as it has songs about cups.

Romeo San Vicente has all the stuff you like.

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At home with Rihanna and … Jim Parsons The idea of Rihanna starring alongside Jim Parsons actually makes a little more sense than Rihanna starring alongside aliens in a film based

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GayCalgary Magazine #128, June 2014

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Event

 Lethbridge Pride 2013, photos by GayCalgary

Lethbridge Pride Fest Turns Six Growing celebration moves to July

By Krista Sylvester As the Lethbridge Pride Fest grows up, it’s also growing in numbers, from just a table party to what it has become today.

For the first time ever the festival will be held in July in an effort to reduce the chance of any rain or flood issues like what happened last year, says PrideFest Chairman Reid Hollander, who is proud of the growth the festival has experienced over its six years in existence.

“Pride grows every year in the city. I’ve watched this celebration go from a table of 16, to a patio party at a local restaurant, to renting the whole restaurant, to a week-long celebration. Word of mouth advertising has been our best bet to get our celebration out there and we continue to attract more people every year at a steady pace,” he says.

Moving the festival to July also avoids a conflict with World Aboriginal Day on June 21st, and increases the chance of hot sunny days, Hollander says.

Some new events include a community dance on June 27th.

“What’s special about this is that we’ve paired up with the Westminster Neighbourhood Association to do a Pride event allowing families and people under the age of 18 a chance to celebrate Pride with us,” Hollander explains. “We have also paired up with the Lethbridge HIV Connection to bring an event on June 26th. This is a fantastic opportunity to listen to a great cellist go through his life experiences, and listen to his music.”

Despite some anti-gay controversies in the past, Lethbridge has embraced the gay community and Pride events, according to Hollander.

“Everything we do today generates a headline of some sort. Cellphones with cameras and the Internet have made everyone a reporter of some sort. I’ve been in Lethbridge for 30 years and I can honestly say that this city and the people offer great support to all types of functions whether they are local, provincial or national.”

This is only the second year for the Pride Parade but Hollander expects a good turnout for the popular event showcasing a diverse community.

“Pride Fest allows people to see we celebrate and take pride in who we are, the same as everyone else does,” he says. “I’m really excited for everyone to have a really great time this year and I’m already looking forward to next year.”

Lethbridge Pride Fest July 2nd to 5th http://www.lethbridgepridefest.com

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GayCalgary Magazine #128, June 2014

25

Interview

 Hans and Alex wedding

Modern Fiction

By Skip Sheffield Hans M. Hirschi’s stories are a mirror on today’s LGBT community, the first generation able to legally marry and have children. Each tale in his new novel, “Living The Rainbow: A Gay Family Triptych”, offers a glimpse at how modern gay families live their lives, the unique worries they have, and how they deal with them. Love is at the core of all the stories, along with the message that gay families are as tightly bound and complicated as any other family unit.

GC: What can readers learn from the adventures in your stories?

HH: I don’t write to teach lessons. I often use stories to question beliefs. In the “The Opera House”, I explore how death can test faith. “Jonathan’s Hope” examines trust issues and “Family Ties” tackles monogamy. What I hope my novels do is ask questions and present possible solutions.

GC: Are the stories autobiographical?

HH: They are, somewhat. They deal with issues that are constantly on my mind as a gay father. I wrote “Family Ties” while my husband and I were pregnant. The prospect of fatherhood was constantly on my mind. Would I be a good father? What would people say seeing two dads with a child? “Jonathan’s Hope” probes, among other things, the age difference between the two main characters. I am twelve years older than my husband.

GC: Is that a problem?

HH: Not now but when I retire at 70, my husband will only be 58. When he’s 70, I’ll be 82. I’m sure we’ll work things out, but it scares me that I may not be there for him at some point. Or that he may have to care for me. The ending of “Jonathan’s Hope” is a glimpse at how that might look like, and it is bittersweet.

GC: What binds all three stories together?

HH: Love, hope and a message that gay families are just like any other family.

 Hans & Alex holding Sascha

GC: Do shows like Modern Family accurately reflect today’s gay families?

HH: While they have done wonders for people’s conceptions of LGBT families, they tend to portray us as camp, butch or neurotic.

They rely on stereotypes for laughs.

GC: What is the biggest difference between nuclear and LGBT families?

HH: LGBT parents tend to be a bit older and wiser. We plan long and hard for our children.

GC: What unique challenges do LGBT parents face?

HH: Homophobia is always showing its ugly face when you least expect it. It started for us right from the beginning. Homophobia from social services kept us from fostering and adopting. We ended up building our family through surrogacy and that has led to other forms of homophobia. More than once, we’ve been accused of buying our child.

GC: What does the world need to know about modern LGBT families?

HH: We’re as exciting and dull as the rest of them. My son’s diapers smell as badly as any other baby’s. We worry the same and we’re as willing to sacrifice ourselves for our kids as any other parent.

GC: Your worry is reflected in the last novel in the trilogy, “The Opera House”.

HH: The story explores the loss of a child, something I believe most parents contemplate in one way or another. I wrote it after my son’s birth. The fear of losing him was really difficult at times.

Those first months, I’d listen to every breath he’d take. Any silence would alarm me. I was so afraid of SIDS. GC: What’s next for you?

HH: I’ve just started a new novel. It is going to be about a man’s journey and travels. I have no idea where it’s going to take me; what the man is going to experience or what trials and tribulations may be ahead. My writing is very fluid and extremely unconscious.

I let my fingers do the typing and marvel at the words that come to life on the computer screen. Every now and then, I gasp at the unexpected plot turns, wondering how on earth I’m going to fix the problem I just created.

“Living The Rainbow: A Gay Family Triptych” is available now, digitally and as a softcover boxed set, on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble (Nook), and at selected local bookstores.

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Interview

Dan Parent & Archie Comics Reflecting on Kevin Keller

By Evan Kayne At this year’s Calgary Expo I had a chance to catch up with American comic book writer and artist Dan Parent.

You may remember him as the man who gave us the first gay character in Archie Comics: Kevin Keller.

As to what’s up with Riverdale’s openly out and proud teen, Parent gave me some good news and some bad.

“With Kevin Keller we have a couple of fun issues coming out...where he is a superhero and Veronica is his cohort in fighting crime,” he says.

Unfortunately that’s the end of the ongoing series; they will make an announcement at the end of the year regarding a series re-launch. They are going to change Kevin’s world around a little bit, but fans needn’t worry – Kevin will still be around in the other Archie stories.

In addition to breaking new ground with Kevin Keller, in recent years Archie Comics has been exploring different interpretations of the main characters. For example in Life with Archie there was a storyline occurring in a possible future. While it didn’t it didn’t impact the existing line of Archie comics, it did make quite a splash in the media and amongst fans as it explored the possibilities of what would happen if Archie marries Betty or, alternately, what would happen if he married Veronica. These innovations to the Archie universe brought in new readers and impressed older readers.

A lot of LGBT fans who grew up reading Archie have told Parent that they wished Archie Comics had published Kevin Keller 20 to 30 years ago. There are others who question why a comic book like Archie needs a gay character intruding on the Riverdale universe, but “for every naysayer you get, you get a hundred people who love him... you focus on the people who love him and that’s where we go,” Parent says Often the people who love the character are kids who are dealing with their sexuality. Parent often gets letters from them, or from a supportive parent.

“I got a really good letter from a military dad from Canada and he was telling me how much his son loved the Kevin Keller books,” Parent says. “He described his son as sort of gender neutral...I guess he’s about seven years old and he wasn’t really sure where he fit in. He gravitated right to the Kevin books just because of the fact Kevin had the issues who he was.”

Admittedly Kevin’s life is ideal, but the seven-year-old found similar ground with the character. Parent was touched by the father’s heart warming letter because, unlike what some people would expect from a military father (i.e expecting his son to embrace the hetro-normative), the father just wanted his kid to be happy and well adjusted.

Regarding limits to what the Archie comics will do, even in alternate/future realities, Dan admits there are constraints.

“As a joke I wanted to do a cover where Betty and Veronica were pregnant and Archie looks kind of stunned – but they wouldn’t let me do that,” he says.

The concept would have been a fake-out even if it had been published; the inside story would have seen Betty and Veronica pretending to be pregnant for a school assignment.

For a comic book company that has been around 75 years, Archie Comics (unlike DC or Marvel Comics) frequently bundles together reprints of old stories along with the new in the comic digest magazines. Given what I’ve mentioned above, you’d think any ‘controversy’ would involve the new stories, but that’s not always the case.

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 Watch the interview online

Creative editing of old stories has irked some fans.

Sometimes the editing is barely noticeable – for example, in the original story the Riverdale gang are going to a Madonna concert and in the reprints they will update that to Lady Gaga.

On the downside, “...sometimes there are old stories where Archie will say a line to Betty that Girls should stay in the kitchen where they belong,” Parent says. Or other scenes will illustrate guns or a character smoking.

Previously the editorial board would have proceeded to alter these lines or artwork, but now they more often leave them as they were. Parent thinks this is because the fans didn’t like it.

“People like the pure art; they don’t want to see it filtered,” he explains. “The best thing to do is – and they do this sometimes – is reprint the story with a disclaimer.”

As Archie Comics approach their 75th anniversary, Parent told me that they are working on a special commemorative item: a coffee table book that reflects on all the years of Archie Comics. There may be more things coming out, like new story lines, but in the meantime life carries on for Kevin, Archie and the town of Riverdale.

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GayCalgary Magazine #128, June 2014

27

Interview

Swimming in Poems

Author Dale Kwong Intertwines Self-Exploration with Nature’s Curse

By Carey Rutherford As the end of the Creative Non-Fiction Collective Society (CNFCS)’s annual conference crept closer to its end the evening got more interesting. The event was held in the lavish ambiance of the Palliser Hotel on the night of May 3rd.

While you may not know who the CNFCS are, the integral item here is that Dale Kwong and Denise Chong performed Kwong’s 2005 poem “L-Berta Rainbow”, which prosaically combines observations about the 2005 Calgary floods and how the changes in the city’s awareness of its sexuality was sweeping through the streets like those unstoppable floodwaters.

Don’t be misled by the Chong/Kwong collaboration: Denise and Dale are not related or dating. Their synchronicity as writers is based more on their investigations of identity as Chinese-Canadians, with Dale also chronicling her growing freedom to express her inner lesbian. The poem’s verses, with which she demonstrates this mixing of sexuality and forces of nature, wander together like disparate streams that meet in the joined power of the river in its exultant closing lines: “I choose to live my life victoriously.”

It’s clear what she is postulating in the burst banks of the Bow: “fount of insurrection gush forth and break all barriers.”

In the same vein Kwong has come out with a work called “Created

By Choice,” which was featured in the anthology A Family By Any Other Name earlier this year. This collection is part of a series by Touchwood Editions of Victoria, “about the idea that the 21st century family isn’t necessarily the traditional family we’re familiar with,” she describes.

Her titles include “Nobody’s Mother” (on childless women), “Nobody’s Father” (on childless men), “Somebody’s Child” (on adoption) and “What to Expect When You’re Not Expecting” (on unplanned families).

On “L-Berta Rainbow”, which explores queer relationships, and “the diversity within queer families,” Kwong says “I just took my whole experience, summarized by it takes a whole village to raise a child, with my adopted family, my extended family, my co-workers, my friends, and my condo neighbours.“ “The essay is (also) about how I came out to my mom (she was a little shocked), and how I didn’t come out to my dad, but he tried to let me know it was okay.” Kwong’s father passed away before she had the opportunity to tell him outright.

“I took a writing workshop from Fred Wah at the Banff Centre about 10 years ago, and he was teaching a Japanese style called utanniki, where you take two texts, chop them up, and put them back together again,” Kwong says. “In the weekend of the floods in 2005, I walked with my dog all up and down Memorial Drive, and (as described in the poem) I really did witness a street church baptizing people in the underpass beneath a bridge, and the other strange things I mentioned in the poem (water-weary dog; imprisoned wooden corpses). That week Ralph Klein threatened to invoke the ‘Notwithstanding Clause’ over the bill that was for same-sex marriage (2005’s Bill C-38, Civil Marriage Act), and I just felt that Mother Nature was pissed off: like, How DARE You?!”

“Even now, when I read that passage, I’m still not 100 per cent sure, but everyone who reads it says He knew. How could he not have known? He was telling you! But for me, there’s still that little grain of doubt.”

So it was remarkably appropriate when “L-Berta” finally made it into Calgary Poet Laureate Chris Demeanour’s collection. The Calgary Project simultaneously capped his stint as the city’s official creative scribe and amassed visual and literary works focused on our 2013 natural disaster.

“And 26 years later, I can’t even count how many Asians work at Global… and I’m completely out at work.”

Kwong notes that so much has changed in the last nine years, and yet so much hasn’t.

“We’ve come so far, but we haven’t gone all the way,” she says.

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GayCalgary Magazine #128, June 2014

Now Kwong is working on a comedy possibly called “Freedom 53” which is basically a non-fictional play or memoir “about a ChineseCanadian lesbian who gets a buy-out (at work), and reflects back as she’s packing up her office on how she started her job in 1988, as the Olympics had just started, and she was working on Beta-tape; it wasn’t even computers. And she believed she was heterosexual, and was one of two Asians that worked at Global TV.” So maybe it’s a tiny bit autobiographical...

Comedies, you know, have happy endings.

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Fiddler on The Roof Steeped in Tradition

 Photo by Stage West

By Jason Clevett The final two shows of the 2013/2014 Stage West season is a contrast of modern and traditional. The season will wrap up with Avenue Q opening June 26th, which is pretty much the polar opposite of current production Fiddler on the Roof.

It is great that the company continues to provide theatre from a range of productions that can appeal to different people. It is also interesting that the audience for both shows will likely be as different as the productions themselves.

Fiddler on the Roof debuted in 1964 on Broadway and was the longest running Broadway show until Grease surpassed it. With a film adaptation in 1971 and songs that have been ingrained in pop culture over the decades like “If I Was A Rich Man” and “Matchmaker, Matchmaker”, Fiddler on the Roof has been established as a classic.

Set in a little village of Anatevvka in 1905 anti-semetic Russia, Fiddler on the Roof centers on Tevye, the father of five daughters, and his attempts to maintain his family and Jewish traditions against outside influences. His three oldest daughters prove strong-willed like their mother and choose husbands that he does not approve of. As tradition is broken the outside world encroaches on their village.

The Stage West production stays true to the original. The large cast is loaded with talent, which build on the material.

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The simple set transitions easily between Tevye’s home and other locations in the village.

Fiddler on the Roof is a show that someone will either love or be indifferent to, regardless of who puts it on. It is long, as many musicals of that era are, and feels somewhat dated with strong religious overtones. By the same token it is true to that era and an interesting look into what life was like 110 years ago. Those who enjoy classic musicals will certainly have a great time. Someone who is not a fan of musicals will not.

The Stage West chefs have put together a really strong buffet for this show. Highlights include an African-spiced chicken and tempura coconut shrimp as well as the usual sushi, salad and carving stations.

Fiddler on the Roof Presented by Stage West Calgary until June 22nd http://www.StageWestCalgary.com http://www.gaycalgary.com/a4112 View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments

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Out of Town Weekend in Philadelphia

 Downtown Philadelphia’s striking skyline. Photo by Andrew Collins

by Andrew Collins Spring is a wonderful time to visit vibrant Philadelphia (visitphilly. com/c/gay), home to some of the most important and fascinating art museums and historic attractions in the country, not to mention a superb – even a bit underrated – restaurant scene and a rich selection of stylish hotels. It’s a lovely time of year to stroll around Independence National Historical Park, admiring the buildings in which the founding fathers conceived of the United States, and to wander through Fairmount Park, with its groomed paths meandering along the Schuylkill River. Here’s a blueprint for spending a perfect weekend in the City of Brotherly Love.

Friday Evening On your first night, kick things off with a memorable meal. In Philadelphia, you’ll find a heady mix of international culinary influences, a dedication on the part of many chefs to sustainable and locally sourced ingredients, and a thriving craft-cocktail and beer scene. Chef and restaurant partners (in business and in life) Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran have made an indelible mark on Philadelphia by opening several outstanding eateries, all of them highly popular with the LGBT community – you might even dine at one of their restaurants each night of your visit, or consider making a progressive dinner one evening by sampling one or two items at a few different spots.

Among the Turney-Safran venues, consider cozy and romantic Little Nonna’s (littlenonnas.com) for pan-seared potato gnocchi, grilled pork chop pizzaiola, and other classic Italian dishes; Barbuzzo (barbuzzo.com) for beautifully prepared Mediterranean tapas, cured-meat and cheese plates, and pizzas; or Jamonera (jamonerarestaurant.com) for traditional Spanish tapas.

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Saturday Start the day with a leisurely stroll around the City Center – well worth a visit is Rittenhouse Square Park. City-planning guru Jane Jacobs called this tiny patch of paradise the most successful urban park in the United States; indeed, Rittenhouse Square is picturesque, socially diverse, highly safe and largely unsullied by post-World War II architecture. Off the Square’s southeast corner is the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music, where Samuel Barber, Leonard Bernstein and Ned Rorem studied, as well as the Philadelphia Art Alliance, which presents outstanding exhibits and art shows.

Stop by La Colombe Torrefaction (lacolombe.com) for an expertly brewed espresso, or if you’re looking for a proper brunch, nearby Honey’s Sit ‘N Eat (honeyssitneat.com) is a terrific option (try the “Honey Cristo”: challah French toast stuffed with Lancaster County double-smoked ham and Swiss, and topped with two sunny eggs).

Depending on how much you’ve eaten during your morning stroll, in the early afternoon, make your way northeast about a mile from Rittenhouse Square to visit the famed and cavernous Reading Terminal Market (readingterminalmarket.org), which dates back to 1892 and contains more than 80 stalls carrying everything from local seafood to Pennsylvania Dutch specialties to decadent baked goods and homemade fudge.

Even if you’re not a big history buff, you can’t visit Philadelphia and not soak up at least a whiff or two of the city’s amazingly rich heritage. The Old City neighborhood, just a 15-minute walk east of Reading Terminal Market, contains the bulk of the city’s pre-1800s attractions, most them centered around Independence National Historical Park, which celebrates the very birth of our nation. Most famous is the Liberty Bell Pavilion, site of America’s beloved and cracked 2,000-pound bell. Although commonly thought to have played a significant role in Colonial history, the Liberty Bell actually rose to prominence during the 1830s as a symbol of the movement to abolish slavery.

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Nearby Independence Hall is where the Second Continental Congress met in 1775, the Declaration of Independence was adopted in 1776, the Articles of Confederation were signed in 1778, and the Constitution was adopted in 1787. It was also the site of the city’s first major civil rights demonstrations (which included the concerns of lesbians and gays). The list of important sights within the park goes on and on – you could easily spend a full day here.

Saturday Evening As the dinner hour approaches, book a table at one of the restaurants operated by another of Philadelphia’s culinary stars, local celeb chef Stephen Starr (starr-restaurant.com). It’s not easy to choose among the more than a dozen Starr eateries around the city, but two standouts include Jones (jones-restaurant.com), which is right by Independence Hall and serves eclectic Southern- and Caribbean-inspired dishes like fried chicken and waffles, and spicy jambalaya; or, around the corner, snazzy Talula’s Garden (talulasgarden.com), which specializes in artfully plated contemporary American fare, such as filet of beef with foie gras-brown butter and seared local brook trout with garlic-braised guanciale, snap peas and fiddlehead ferns.

The city’s compact gay district, nicknamed the Gayborhood, is where you’ll want to go if you’re up for some bar-hopping and clubbing. Favorite gay nightspots include long-running but handsomely revamped Woody’s (woodysbar.com), a youthful video and dance bar that’s quite crowded every night of the week. The three-story Voyeur Nightclub (voyeurnightclub. com) is the Gayborhood’s go-to for dancing into the wee hours (it’s open till a little after 3 a.m.), while Tavern on Camac (tavernoncamac.com) is a charming gay piano bar with a cozy restaurant in the basement. Other friendly options in the area include U Bar (ubarphilly.com), an attractive spot with exposed-brick walls and warm lighting; trendy but friendly Knock Bar and Restaurant (knockphilly.com), a great option both for dining and cocktails; ICandy (clubicandy.com), which has an inviting roof deck and hot dancers; and the Venture Inn (viphilly.com), the oldest gay bar in town, set in a historic tavern.

Sunday Now that you’ve become acquainted with Philly’s rich history, head to two or three of the city’s renowned art museums on Sunday. But first, kick off your adventure with brunch at wonderful Sabrina’s Café (sabrinascafe. com), near the Parkway Museums District. Fave morning dishes include huevos rancheros with smoky chorizo sausage and blue-corn tortillas, and house-made granola with Greek yogurt and berries.

If you have time for just one museum, make it the Barnes Foundation, an internationally acclaimed collection assembled by the late chemist Albert Barnes and moved from his suburban Philadelphia mansion into a stunning contemporary exhibit space in 2012. The collection is rather idiosyncratic, with works from a range of cultures, but there’s a particular emphasis on Impressionist and Modernist artists, especially Renoir, Cezanne, Matisse, and the lesser-known (and gay) Pennsylvania painter Charles Demuth. Give yourself at least a couple of hours to tour this singular museum.

include contemporary masterpieces by Picasso, Braque, and Matisse as well as works by a number of post-World War II artists. The outstanding Marcel Duchamp collection includes renditions of his Nude Descending a Staircase. Check out the fine collection of photos and paintings by gay artist Thomas Eakins of young, virile men crewing and boating on the nearby Schuylkill River.

And that’s just scratching the surface. The museum is adjacent to lushly landscaped Fairmount Park, which straddles the Schuylkill River and comprises nearly 9,000 acres of picturesque gardens, walkways and biking and bridle paths, plus about a dozen historic (mostly Colonial) mansions, which are open to the public.

Sunday Evening Philadelphia has some outstanding ethnic dining options. For stellar Mexico City-inspired fare, try Distrito (philadelphia.distritorestaurant. com), which serves the creative cuisine of talented chef Jose Garces. Or for delish Asian fare, head to informal Cheu Noodle Bar (cheunoodlebar. com), an inventive Gayborhood favorite for brisket ramen, coconut curry and barbecue pig tails with turnip kimchi.

Where to Stay in Philadelphia The city has a terrific mix of historic and stylish, design-driven hotels, with quite a few options within easy walking distance of Gayborhood bars and restaurants. Discerning fans of the arts favor the refined Four Seasons Philadelphia (fourseasons.com/philadelphia), on Logan Square, just a couple of blocks from the Barnes Foundation and other top museums.

Request a room overlooking the square, and be sure to enjoy cocktails or a light bite in the casually sophisticated Lounge, or dinner in the Fountain Restaurant, which serves nonpareil French food. Another draw here is the hotel’s soothing day spa.

Near stately Rittenhouse Square, the hip and modish Radisson Blu Warwick (radissonblu.com/hotel-philadelphia) occupies a marvelously transformed historic hotel with artfully designed rooms and cushy beds; Tavern 17, off the mod lobby, is a fun spot to meet friends for drinks or dinner, and cozy and stylish Stir (stirphilly.com) gay neighborhood bar is across the street. One of the largest and most inviting urban gay-owned hotels in the country, the reasonably priced Alexander Inn (alexanderinn. com) has 48 warmly appointed rooms and is steps from local bars.

Gay-favored Kimpton hotels operates the dapper Hotel Palomar (hotelpalomar-philadelphia.com), also close to the Gayborhood, as well as the sleek Hotel Monaco (monaco-philadelphia.com), which is in Old City close to Independence Hall – a nice alternative if you’d prefer to be near the city’s most historic attractions. Other LGBT-popular lodging gems include the Loews Philadelphia (loewshotels.com/Philadelphia-Hotel), which occupies the handsome 1930s PSFS Building; and the Hyatt at Bellevue (philadelphia.bellevue.hyatt.com), a 172-room grande dame on the legendary Avenue of the Arts.

Andrew Collins produces the website GayTravel.About.com and writes about travel for a variety of LGBT and mainstream publications.

If possible, also try to stop by the famed Rodin Museum, which contains the largest collection of the eponymous artist’s sculptures outside Paris, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which sits within a dramatic Greek Revival building amid 10 landscaped acres. Standouts in the permanent collection

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GayCalgary Magazine #128, June 2014

31

The Wheel Pro’s

Cruise Slick this Summer

 Photos by GayCalgary Magazine

By Janine Eva Trotta Like spring wardrobe rotation, as summer heats up and we stash back into distant drawers the heavy garb of winter, the tires on your car are also begging for a fresh, new look. Yes, a good pair of all seasons might get you through the next few years, but having a separate set of winter and summer tires could actually save you money in the long run, give you better handling and save on gas.

Jimmy “the wheel” Wright is not a mechanic by trade, but as a SEMA certified custom wheel and tire specialist with a B.Comm and MBA, he knows his way around a tire shop. The Wheel Pro’s, located in a little Italian barrio off Edmonton Trail, is surprisingly organized, clean and busy for a wheel shop.

“The all season is a misnomer, unless it’s M and S (mud and snow) rated,” Wright says. “To tell you the truth, when you’re sliding sideways it doesn’t matter if you’re in an SUV or compact car.”

The end result will be the same. Hit a slab of concrete when it’s minus 20-something with rubber and material that wasn’t meant to handle such cold temperatures, you will have pricey damage.

Wright says snow tires, over their lifespan, pay for themselves.

Especially if you have them already mounted on a sturdy, durable steel or aluminum rim and can install them yourself.

Not only will you save roughly $100 every spring and fall to have them switched out, a good steel rim should last you the

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Watch the video online 

life of your car. You will also be able to beat the seasonal rush to the mechanic shop.

Best of all, you get to have fun with your summer set.

“Summer is the interesting part,” Wright says. “Do you want to go bigger? Do you want colour?”

The options are staggering – really any hue under the rainbow and then some, and with just as varying a spectrum of price tags. The Wheel Pros sell new and used wheels, basically anything in great condition, or items that have been refurbished and tested to be true. Their installation equipment is current, utilizing modern simulation techniques to ensure the right wheel and tire combo is selected for the make, model and weight of your vehicle, and making certain no surfaces are scratched in the process.

Vintage hubcaps, fluorescent detailing, or classic factory wheels brandished with make logos – anything goes. “[Summer tires] are more of an expression of who you are,” Wright says, The current trend is to go bigger and lower. This means less rolling resistance and more traction. Your car is closer to the ground, but with more surface area making contact with the road.

Anodised rims and parts (lug nuts, bolts etc.) are also in.

Anodising is a process that converts a metal surface into a thicker, more durable, colourful, corrosion-resistant finish.

Think metallic purple, apple martini green, Oscar gold, or electric Popsicle blue.

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dust, sand or rocks getting through on hot ones. Protects from rusting, spills and stains.

Polish Clean and protect your rims with a spritz of Flitz Stainless Steel Polish. The little bottles retail for only $2.99. “We use it in the back, so that’s why we sell it out front,” Wright states.

He goes on to add that while buffing balls and shining pads are great cosmetic tools, keeping your tires out of the sun will help prevent the rubber from breaking down. Rubber should last seven years but UV rays, salt and other corrosive materials will shrink that duration.

Having a spare tire on hand is also a good idea. Though some newer makes have opted to nix the spare tire in favour of producing a lighter ride, there is some tire damage that won’t be remedied with an inflator. It doesn’t hurt to carry one of these with you in your trunk though (the Slime Inflator is equipped with LED light), but in the event of real tire damage a spare is optimal.

Lastly, if you thought hubcaps were a thing of the past, think again.

“Hub caps are still good if you want to go economical over the winter,” Wright says. And when you’ve tired of them or they’ve bent out of shape, a retro Cadillac hubcap makes an intriguing chip and dip platter. At least that’s how they roll at Wheel Pro parties. A 1962 hubcap will only run you about $25 (think potluck conversation piece).

“It comes down to what’s best for the customer,” Wright says.

“It’s not just shades of grey.”

Jim’s Top Ten Tire Tips 1. Check your tire pressure monthly. You’ll save on repairs and fuel.

Not sure which summer parts should pimp your ride? Here are a few favourites of the crew at Wheel Pros.

2. All seasons are no season in winter. Keep safe and spring for a good set of winter tires.

Summer Tires

3. Buy a good set of wheels for those winter tires, and save on having them switched out every season change.

For the city to city highway slicker who might veer off to a KOA for a weekend Recommend: the Cooper All Terrain 3.

The aggressive tread design enhances wet traction and reduces rolling resistance. They are dependable on road and off but won’t sacrifice highway performance.

For the weekend off roader Recommend: Pro Comp Pro Comp tires offer several varieties of aggressive grip that handle well on a variety of rugged terrain, but still purr on the street. The Xtreme All Terrain Radial is recommended for serious off-roaders.

For the Super Adventurer who Carves his Own Path Recommend: Mickey Thompson or Cooper STT Maxx They won’t last as long as other treads and tend to be pretty noisy, but they will cut through mud and just about anything else in one’s way.

Accessorizing Cargo Carriers Recommend: Yakima Skybox Series “We like the Yakimas; good price on these,” Wright says. The hard-shelled, roof-mountable storage cases come in different volumes and lengths and are easy to put on and take off. Store your boards, camp gear, or racy wardrobe.

Floor Liners Recommend: Weather Techs Go beyond floor mats – these liners are custom fit to the floor of your car, meaning no spill over on wet, slushy days, and no

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4. Winter tires start working at 7°C. Beat the rush and have them installed before the first snowfall.

5. A good fit is essential. Be certain to have the right lug nuts and that they are properly torqued.

6. Know what your priorities are: tire types differ in performance, longevity, and noise level.

7. Quality counts. Spending more now on the right wheels will save you down the line.

8. Size matters too. Make sure the wheel size matches the car look and weight, and save your car’s suspension.

9. Does your car have a Tire Pressure Monitoring System? If you see an exclamation mark on the tire section of your instrument panel it does.

10. Wheels make the car. Find something that puts a smile on your face.

The Wheel Pro’s 4143 Edmonton Tr. NE, Calgary 403-226-7278 • http://www.wheelpros.ca http://www.gaycalgary.com/a4114 View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments

GayCalgary Magazine #128, June 2014

33

Review

Throwin’ Shade

10 Super-Hot Sunglasses for Stylin’ and Profilin’ This Summer

By Mikey Rox After a brutal winter that left most of us begging for mercy, it’s finally time to enjoy some fun in the sun. To help you step out in take-that-snow-and-shove-it style this season, peep these top 10 sunglass picks for scopin’ babes and throwin’ shade in summer 2014.

and temples, a keyhole bridge, and a real seven-barrel hinge, these smart frames provide poetic justice to square-, pear-, and heart-shaped faces. James Franco would be proud. (http:// www.moscot.com)

5. New York Glass 1. Fed Thrill Whether you’re strolling around Baltimore’s famous Inner Harbor, surveying the local scene at a historic municipal market, or retracing the roots of John Waters’ “Hairspray,” it’s best to soak up Charm City’s culture through the many-colored lenses of Fed Thrill sunglasses, named after the Federal Hill neighborhood the company calls home. Available in a wide range of demure and dynamic hues – categories include Classic, Collegiate, Pink Awareness, and Bold Expressions – these affordable, durable specs are as perfect for cracking blue crabs on the back porch as they are catchin’ rays at Camden Yards. (http://www.fedthrill.com)

2. Mashern It’s not often you can call something out of this world and literally mean it, but in the case of American Optical sunglasses it’s true. This brand of fashion-forward aviators has a long history of star-studded style, having once traveled to the moon and back; Buzz Aldrin of Apollo 11 fame took the frames to the lunar surface, and the rest is history. Today you can don the same storied shades in several high-quality metallic finishes like gold, silver and chrome. (http://www.mashern.com)

3. Panda You’ll love the way Panda sunglasses look and feel – there’s a style and finish to suit just about everybody’s face – but it’s the brand’s ethical modus operandi that’ll keep you coming back for more: For each pair of the bamboo wooden sunglasses you purchase, Panda provides the Gift Of Vision – a free eye exam and eyewear to a person in need. Seeing is believing. (http://www.wearpanda. com)

The only third-party supplier on the list, New York Glass (founded to give eyewear titan Luxottica a run for its money) boasts an impressive selection of independent labels that take pride in designing and manufacturing their own unique lines. From wooden frames to vintage styles to vibrant new designs, New York Glass offers options from standout sunglass companies like LOOK/SEE, Quay, Raen, and Randolph.

Also on their roster is Proof, the ECO collection from which (including the sophisticated Sawtooth Tiger style) is 100 percent renewable, biodegradable and hypoallergenic. (http:// www.nyglass.com)

6. Brooklyn Spectacles Brooklyn Spectacles – launched in 2012 by optical expert Jenny Ma – is on a mission to design interesting, fashion-forward, technologically advanced eyewear, and it’s accomplishing that goal one quality-crafted frame at a time. Available through a wide network of authorized retailers from coast to coast (check the website for a store near you), this still-burgeoning brand offers four distinct sun styles – Benson, Kent, Monti, and Tilden – in traditional and non-traditional colors, like Moss, Blonde, and Plum. (http://www.brooklynspectacles.com)

7. Nectar If you’re in the market for a pair of shades that have pop, pizzazz, panache and a price tag that’ll have you pinching yourself, move Nectar to the top of your list.

Dedicated to pursuing and promoting the sweet life, this surf-, sand-, and skate-inspired brand founded by two young entrepreneurs has its finger on the pulse of what’s hot, featuring an eclectic, chameleonic collection of brilliant, burst-of-color frames. You’re

4. Moscot Channel your favorite gay icons of the Beat Generation – paging Mr. Ginsberg! – with The Governor sunglasses from Moscot Originals. Made from block acetate with three dot rivets on the front 34

GayCalgary Magazine #128, June 2014

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guaranteed to find a pair to match every skimpy swimsuit you own – and then some. (http://www.nectarsunglasses.com)

8. Solo Eyewear Like several other eyewear companies on the market, SOLO provides eye care for people in need with each pair of handcrafted recycled wood sunglasses it sells. Good form. But unlike its competition, SOLO stands apart with its hand-painted sunglasses that juxtapose bamboo temples with acetate frames – and the result is nothing short of visionary. Each pair is spectacular in its own right, but Peacock, Tiger and Jellyfish are the best of the bunch. (http://www.soloeyewear.com)

9. Anderne

10. Krewe Du Optic Every style of KREWE du optic is unisex – yes, even those lavender aviators you’ve got your eye on – which completely eliminates the stress of wondering whether or not your androgynous sunglasses are a shade too feminine. Just accept the fact that they might be – and that’s OK. Besides, nobody can rock ’em like you do. (http://www. kreweduoptic.com) Mikey Rox is an award-winning journalist and blogger whose work has been published in more than 100 outlets across the world. He lives in Manhattan with his husband and their cuddle-buddy furbaby. Connect with Mikey on Twitter @mikeyrox.

Drawing heavy inspiration from the 1980s (among other decades), Anderne’s Sun Collection harks back to those sweltering days spent hanging out in a pastel-colored sub shop, playing Pac-Mac and lusting over the cutie behind the counter, while managing to remain altogether new at the same time. Splashes of pink, blue and orange pepper this throwback set that’s filled out with Lennon-era rounders and steampunk influences, all of which will have you reminiscing about that one perfect summer, no matter when you spent it. (http:// www.anderne.com)

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GayCalgary Magazine #128, June 2014

35

Liz Vassey Pops her Con Cherry in Calgary

Actress on new favourite vocation, keeping lean, and chasing Kristin Bauer Watch the interview online 

By Janine Eva Trotta and Mars Tonic She’s candid, approachable and humble. One might nary guess her lengthy career in Hollywood by the amicable voice that flows from the mouth of ex-soap star Liz Vassey.

Vassey got her start in TV when she was basically just a kid with dreams to sing on Broadway.

“I was nine years old and I saw my sister in a play, in Grease, and I though it looked fun and I wanted to audition for the next play that theatre company was doing,” she says on her walk into the role of thespian. “It was Oliver. I nailed the vocals and I got [the lead].”

Vassey went on to perform in tens of theatre shows throughout Florida before she auditioned for the soap All My Children at age 15, landing the role that would change her path.

“I had to sing on the show which was great,” she recalls. “It’s not where I saw myself really at all. TV is pretty seductive so I stuck with it.”

After two years of playing the role of Emily Ann Sago, the self-professed theatre geek went on to make cameos in some of the biggest hits of ’90s television: shows like Married with Children, Murphy Brown, Quantum Leap, Wings, and ER. She 36

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played Captain Liberty in the 2001 series The Tick, a role she is surprised never landed her in a convention previous to this year’s expo in Calgary, and more recently the character Wendy Simms in roughly 78 episodes of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

She says fans who are eager to meet her have been tweeting her photos of their Captain Liberty costumes.

“Cons weren’t as big a deal then; they were big but not this big,” she says on not having been invited during her Tick days. “[Calgary is] getting my Con cherry – I’ve never done this in my life.”

Vassey says she has asked friends what to expect, and was looking forward to being at the same Expo as a Breaking Bad star, a series of which she cites herself a huge fan. She would likely have also had fun sharing the experience with longtime friend Kristin Bauer, if scheduling conflicts had not prevented the latter actress from appearing.

“Kristin Bauer is one of the funniest people I know,” Vassey says. “I’m so happy for everything that’s happened to her with True Blood; [she] couldn’t be more deserving.”

Vassey and Bauer met roughly 15 years ago on the set of Fantasy Island on an episode aptly titled Estrogen. Vassey played Brenda, a man trapped in a woman’s body, and crazyeyed for Bauer’s character. www.gaycalgary.com

“I had all these scenes gaping at her and following her on a beach, and trying to hold her hand,” Vassey describes. “So we got to be friends in Hawaii.”

Despite the lengthy friendship that ensued the two have never worked on a show together, barring Vassey’s first episode of CSI during which they were never on the same set at the same time.

“We’ve talked about writing together but haven’t worked together,” Vassey says, at least not behind a camera. However, “horrifically drunk on martinis ten years ago”, the two did scheme up a humourous t-shirt business. Glibbing wouldn’t it be a heck of a lot easier if guys had all their insecurities already written out on a t-shirt, the two decided to create some.

“Somebody wore one to a premier and people took pictures and they liked them,” Vassey recalls. “We ended up in eight stores.”

She laughs.

“Thankfully we both got too busy to keep up the t-shirt business.”

Now it is writing that keeps Vassey busy.

“I’m actually more into that than acting right now,” she states.

Vassey began writing for TV while working on CSI. “In the tenth season they let me write an episode and since then I sold four pilots,” she describes. Along with working on the TV show Maximum Bob and meeting her husband, camera operator/cinematographer David Emmerichs (while chasing fires in a dusty warehouse on the set of the Tommy Lee Jones film Man of the House), Vassey says this opportunity was one of her top three career highlights.

Writing affords the actress the ability to work when she wants, not on the timetable of the industry. She says the most challenging aspect of being an actress has been “waiting for someone to give me permission to act.”

“Sometimes there are long pauses between jobs,” she explains, or you’re auditioning or not finding the right thing.

She likes writing because you can “sit down and do it whenever you want”.

Vassey just sold another pilot to a cable channel and is developing another show through Krysten Ritter’s (of Breaking Bad fame) production company.

She says that while she loves writing for TV, writing a film might be fun too.

“I wrote an hour-long show that I love that was based on something that happened in my life,” she says.

Though she never attended university to write, she said it is a passion she has always enjoyed since a child; something she knew she might do one day, and has taken related classes along the way.

She adds that being married to a director of photography is helpful for writing scripts “because then I can get people to come shoot it.”

“I started acting when I was so young and this is something different in the same field and it feels really nice,” she says.

Thankfully she has never had to deal with a really crazy fan, though she did get some strange recognition when she was on All My Children.

“When I was on the soap …people would come up and yell at me for what I was doing on the show,” she says. “I was really young, so that was weird.”

She says she also commonly gets mistaken for actress Lindsay Price, who has played on some of the same series.

As to how the actress still looks so good, she says her regimen is simple.

“I’m a huge runner; I run pretty much every day. My husband calls it my coffee. I’m a different person if I don’t run.”

To fit into a tiny costume she had to wear for CSI she did 500 crunches a night, but that isn’t her usual routine. She also keeps a vegan diet, making exception only for fish.

“So I stay pretty lean,” she says.

As for being at the Calgary Expo, her nerd flag was allowed to fly unhindered. Alongside portraying Wendy on CSI, who is a bit geeky herself, Liz has nerd cred in her guest spot on Joss Whedon’s cult classic Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, where she played a super villain in the Evil League of Evil.

Not only that, but she came up with the character herself.

Her friend, who got her a spot on the three act show, said she needed to provide a costume, and she brought her wedding dress.

“I was gonna be followed around by radioactive doves, and I was gonna have cohorts – Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue. And I was going to have incendiary rice.”

Despite her friend telling her that Joss Whedon wanted her for the part, she soon realized in the first introduction that he had no idea who she was. Laughing, she recounts the story, and admitted to her own adoration of Joss.

“My friend just got me to do it out of pure love for Joss, and I’m so happy I did it – but he got me there through false circumstances. But it was fun.”

Despite filming her part in about thirty minutes – she had a great time. “I got to meet Felicia Day, which was great. She was awesome in it.”

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GayCalgary Magazine #128, June 2014

37

Jim Byrnes Bluesman, Actor, Legend

Watch the interview online 

By Nick Winnick When Jim Byrnes shook my hand, I couldn’t help but think of the extraordinary amount of time, practice, and talent that has been channeled through it over the 65 years of his life. His knuckles had the particular gnarl that can only be seen in guitarists and fishermen, earned over long, hard use against wires and lines.

For all that he purports to be a cranky, “self-centred son of a bitch”, he is remarkably affable in person. I had a chance to sit down with him at his booth at the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo and, I have to admit, I was a little starstruck. Many of my fellow pre-millennials will remember him from his portrayal of Joe Dawson on the Highlander TV series.

“I felt myself as a surrogate for all the viewers of television, okay?” he says of his role on the show. “Some people know about the Immortals — most people don’t. All our viewers know about the Immortals. So I was their stand-in, their surrogate.”

What I didn’t realize, until many years later, was that Byrnes is an accomplished — to put it mildly — blues musician. He is a three-time winner of the Juno for Blues Album of the Year, and has been honoured by the Maple Blues Awards and the Canadian Folk Music Awards multiple times as their Best Male Vocalist.

Born in Missouri, the blues run deep in Byrnes’s blood, though I had to ask: has he ever felt disconnected from those deep roots, living for the last four decades in Vancouver?

“I grew up with it – it’s a part of me, you know? Wherever I go,” he answers. “I compare it to James Joyce, who left Dublin, Ireland, and never went back, but every word he wrote was about Dublin, Ireland.”

If the blues are Dublin to Byrnes, acting is his Ulysses.

He studied theatre at university, but when extenuating 38

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circumstances put an acting career on hold, he relied on his musical gifts to make a name for himself. According to Byrnes, it all comes from the same source.

“There’s a creative source in me that wants to communicate,” he says. “What I love to do is to find those emotions that you relate to, that he relates to, that she relates to, and that we can all find a common bond.”

Now that he is beyond established, acting continues to tempt him, and it’s the stage, not the screen, that calls the strongest.

Vancouver residents will be happy to know that he sees Shakespeare in his future.

“I love the stage. I started out as a theatre actor, and that’s very different from being a film actor,” he says. “I’ve spoken with Chris Gays at Bard on the Beach in Vancouver, and one of these seasons he’s going to bring me in, and I’m going to play Prospero in the Tempest, or something. I’d love to get back on stage.”

You can find out more information about Byrnes’s music, tours, and appearances on his website and, whatever you do, be sure to listen to a few of his songs to hear what his brand of dedication to his craft can produce.

“Music is such a special gift, and it brings together people in the way that nothing else does,” he says. “If I had to give up [something], the music’s the last one out the door.”

Jim Byrnes http://www.jamestbyrnes.com http://www.gaycalgary.com/a4117 View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments www.gaycalgary.com

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Megan Hilty

Broadway Legend coming to Edmonton

 Megan Hilty, photo by Richard Ascroft

By Farley Foo Foo Landing the understudy role of Glinda in the Broadway hit Wicked right out of college, fame seemed to always be in the cards for actress Megan Hilty. Not only did she go on to land that role of Glinda, taking over from fellow Broadway to Hollywood crossover star Kristin Chenoweth, Hilty also originated the role of Doralee Rhodes in the musical version of 9 to 5, the very same character made famous by none other than Dolly Parton herself.

But it was her portrayal of Ivy Lynn on NBC’s now defunct television show Smash, which allowed Hilty to achieve what few Broadway actors ever accomplish: becoming a household name. Having already conquered Broadway, television and now Hollywood, Hilty comes to Edmonton to perform at the Jubilee Auditorium in the Legends of Broadway benefit concert series presented by Jewish Family Services on June 16th, all while simultaneously preparing for her most important role to date: becoming a mother.

GC: Megan, your fans are very keen to know if another album is in the works?

MH: Yes! I think… I’m currently trying to figure out the details so I don’t have anything to announce yet, but hopefully I will soon!

GC: What was it like to work with Sean Hayes on Smash and Sean Saves The World, and with Lea Michele in Legends of Oz?

MH: [Sean] is not only the funniest man on television, he’s also one of the kindest people I have ever met. I consider myself a very lucky lady to have gotten to work so closely with him. The funny thing about animated projects – you rarely get to work with the other actors! So while I have many scenes and even a song with Lea, I didn’t ever see her.

GC: Who would you like to work with most on your next project? Any plans on doing another television show?

MH: Well my next project is my little girl that we’re expecting in September! After that I don’t know what will happen, but hopefully I can find a Broadway show that will take me. I have been dying to do something onstage so maybe next spring that will happen.

GC: With Glee and Smash and network broadcasts of musicals like The Sound of Music and Peter Pan, do you feel musicals are making a comeback in Middle America?

MH: It sure seems like it. One of the best things about being in Smash was knowing that we were bringing a taste of Broadway into people’s homes every week and exposing musical theatre to a whole new audience.

GC: How do you feel about being a prominent part of the renaissance of musical theatre?

MH: It’s really such an honour to feel like I have had the opportunity to be a small part of that.

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GC: You’re coming up to Edmonton to perform in the Legends of Broadway fundraiser series; are you excited to make your Edmonton debut, and does this mean you’ll be returning to your Broadway roots?

MH: I’m very excited to come to Edmonton! I’ve never been before so it will be fun to go explore while I’m there! The show that I will be doing definitely has a lot of Smash and other musical theatre songs in it so we will be bringing Broadway to you.

GC: After your spot on the web series It Could Be Worse, do you think webbased productions are going to continue to gain popularity? Would you consider doing another one?

MH: Absolutely.

My friend, Wes Taylor, created the series and it’s so well done. Web series certainly do seem like they’re gaining popularity and the production value is so great – of course I would do more if the opportunity presented itself.

GC: Do you think Bombshell should be made into an actual musical? And would you consider playing Marilyn?

MH: It is a great idea and it has got a lot of people really excited to see it but it really would take years to turn it into a musical. By then I’ll be too old to play Marilyn, but maybe I could play her mother!

GC: What is it like playing an iconic role like Glinda, originated by Kristin Chenowerth? What did you do to make the role your own?

MH: Exciting and terrifying. Kristin set the bar so high with what she did with that role so it was really tough coming to terms with the fact that I had to make Glinda my own knowing that I wasn’t going to please everyone. But, ultimately, it was a lesson that has helped me throughout my career. It seems that everything I have done since then has been taking roles that others have already made iconic and figuring out how to reinterpret them.

GC: What is the difference between how we see Broadway as it is portrayed on Smash versus what it is like being in an actual Broadway show, from conceptualization through to production?

MH: Well, we were making a television show so we had to up the drama, so we had to make it a little more dramatic than real life so that people would actually watch! But the basics are pretty much there – you workshop the show until everyone feels like it’s ready to have a full blown production; the show is then taken on an out of town tryout so all the kinks can be worked out before you take it to New York; and the next step is Broadway.

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GC: After having the opportunity to play Lorelei in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, what part in a revival would you love to play most?

MH: Loralei Lee! I’m not done with it! I’d give anything to do that show again!

GC: You have embodied many ‘sex symbols,’ from Ivy to Marilyn, Lorelei to Doralee, which you originated in the Broadway production of 9 to 5. Do you personally resonate with that in real life, or are you quite different from the characters you’ve performed?

MH: I’m a big goof-ball and that’s why it’s so fun to play these characters – I get to do and say things that I don’t get to in real life.

GC: Glinda, Ivy and Liz were all strong women who kept trying to be ‘good’. Would you love to play a character who really embraces her dark side?

MH: I think it’s important to have multi-dimensional characters who aren’t just good or bad. Even when you’re playing an ‘evil’ character you can’t look at them that way.

It’s that struggle of trying to be ‘good’ that is interesting to play (and watch).

GC: Was there anyone on Broadway who you especially looked up to or aspired to be like when you first got into musical theatre productions on Broadway? Any advice to the young ingénues who look up to you?

MH: I always (and continue to) look up to Bernadette Peters.

She is everything I aspire to be in this business, so you can imagine my surprise when they told me she was cast as my mother on Smash. Not only is she one of the most talented women on the planet, but she is also the kindest. She is such a team player too – she is extremely supportive of everyone around her. And the advice I give is simple: be nice to everyone you work with.

Don’t miss out on the exciting opportunity to see one of Broadway’s leading talents, Megan Hilty! Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.ca

Legends of Broadway: Megan Hilty Sings Broadway Smash Hit & More June 16th @ 7:30pm Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium Edmonton http://www.ticketmaster.ca http://www.gaycalgary.com/a4118 View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments www.gaycalgary.com

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Lifestyle

Cheers to Summer

10 Must-Have Drink Recipes to Sip in the Sun

By Mikey Rox

Fill a highball glass with ice. Add Vita Coco Coconut Water with Pineapple and coconut rum. Stir, sip and enjoy.

1. Cherry POM While Southern Comfortloving frat boys are slinging back Soco and Limes like their paddles depend on it – because heterosexuality is only 55 proof in a house with wall-to-wall dudes – you can take a more sophisticated approach to the New Orleansborn spirit by serving up these come-to-papa Cherry POMs poolside this summer.

1 1/4 oz Southern Comfort Bold Black Cherry 2 oz lemonade 1 oz pomegranate juice Lemon twist garnish Combine liquids in cocktail shaker with ice. Shake to blend. Strain into large rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish with lemon twist.

2. Green Iced Tea Tea sommelier James Labe – did you know there was such a thing? – has created several healthy-as-they-come cocktails using various Numi Organic flavors. This recipe introduces ginger lemon to tequila for a whole new take on teatime.

1 Numi Decaf Ginger Lemon Tea 3 oz fresh cucumber juice 1 1/2 oz tequila Splash of Lemon Juice Infuse one tea bag in tequila for 30 minutes, then remove bag, squeezing out excess. Combine and stir ingredients. Serve on the rocks. Garnish with lime wedge.

3. Skinny Colada If you’re minding your beach body this summer – in hopes that someone else wouldn’t mind it, of course – you’ll want to add this simple-but-satisfying booze fix to the mix.

3 parts Vita Coco Coconut Water with Pineapple 1 part coconut rum

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4. Passion XO Fun in the Sun Spritzer When you can’t whisk yourself away to a tropical locale this summer, enjoy the next best thing with this fruity concoction of island flavors that’ll kick your gay staycation into high gear.

2 bottles of Passion XO Sun 12 oz reposado tequila 20 oz passion fruit juice 10 oz lime juice 4 oz agave nectar Lime wheels and mint sprigs Combine all ingredients in a punch bowl and serve over fresh ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with lime wheels and mint sprigs.

5. Berentzen Pear Bramble Berentzen – well known for its fruit liqueurs in Europe – has set its sights stateside with a slew of backporch-perfect recipes ideal for unwinding on a balmy summer’s eve. If you happen to live in a place where you can pick your own berries, all the better.

1 oz Berentzen Pear 1 oz gin 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice 3/4 oz simple syrup 4 blackberries 1 pear slice Muddle three blackberries in mixing glass. Add Berentzen Pear, gin, lemon juice and simple syrup. Stir gently and strain into large rocks glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a blackberry and slice of pear.

6. Añejo Highball Don’t have time to tailgate the Airstream Speakeasy as it travels cross-country this summer? Never fear. This bespoke mobile VIP cocktail experience, in partnership with Tequila Don Julio, brings the party to you with a few Mex-cellent masterpieces, including this recipe with a citrus splash.

1 1/4 oz Tequila Don Julio Añejo 1/3 oz orange liqueur www.gaycalgary.com

1/4 tsp fresh lime juice Ginger beer Lime wedge Combine Tequila Don Julio Añejo, orange liqueur and fresh lime juice into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well. Strain into a highball glass over ice. Top with ginger beer. Garnish with a lime wedge.

10. Ocean Berry

You can almost hear the bare-chested beach volleyball team slappin’ ass when you put your ear up to the glass. Do you need another reason to get this drink on?

7. Espresso Martini

1 2 1 4 1

Start the day with even more pep in your step with this decidedly weekend take on a weekday staple. Up and at ‘em.

1 1/2 parts Kahlúa 1 part Absolut Vodka 1 fresh brewed espresso Fill a shaker with ice, add Kahlúa, Absolut Vodka and a fresh brewed espresso. Shake vigorously, and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a couple fresh espresso beans.

Thai

1/2 oz Ocean Vodka oz fresh strawberries oz fresh lemonade fresh Thai basil leaves oz club soda

Muddle strawberries and Thai basil in the bottom of a shaker.

Add Ocean Vodka and lemonade, and bruise. Pour into a collins glass and top with club soda. Garnish with a basil leaf.

Mikey Rox is an award-winning journalist and blogger whose work has been published in more than 100 outlets across the world. He lives in Manhattan with his husband and their cuddle-buddy furbaby. Connect with Mikey on Twitter @mikeyrox.

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8. 43 Pineapple No faux luau would be complete without this sweet treat that’ll bring you one step closer to getting leied.

1 1/4 oz Licor 43 1/3 oz Luksusowa Vodka 6 oz pineapple juice Shake and strain over fresh ice in a highball glass and garnish with an orange wheel.

9. Wise Margarita The Owl’s Brew – artisanal, fresh-brewed, ready-to-pour teas crafted especially for cocktails – are essential to those lazy summer brunches where less work means more play. Sit back, relax and enjoy the view.

1 part fresh pressed watermelon juice 1 part Pink & Black 1 part tequila Shake with mint. Garnish with mint, lime and watermelon

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Free Lily Allen ‘Sheezus’ talks ‘fag hag’ epiphany, doing Beyoncé drag and haters

 Photos by Warner Bros. Records

By Chris Azzopardi Rebellious and fearless, Lily Allen has slayed some egos in her time. But with Allen’s recently released third album, Sheezus, the tabloid target is experiencing the contentment of marriage and motherhood.

Don’t think the Londoner’s gone soft, however.

Allen doesn’t hold back when telling you that UK journalists are lowbrow, why the music business is a mess, and how “I’m here for the people who like me, not for the people who don’t.” When she talks to you about her vagina, it’s like she’s promoting a new horror movie.

And though she won’t plainly hate on her pop peers, she will drop a comment caustic enough to suggest that Lily Allen, for all her attempts at curbing her bitterness, still has no problem being a bad bitch.

GC: What differences do you notice between talking to U.S. and UK journalists?

LA: Uhh, it’s actually more pleasurable here (in the U.S.). I find that it’s slightly more intellectual in the line of questioning. In England it’s very … it’s very obvious what they’re trying to do.

GC: Trying to get you to say something controversial?

LA: Yeah, yeah.

GC: You’ve always been a hot commodity for that. How do you deal

with all the media scrutiny?

LA: I mean, I choose to be here. I made my bed and I should lie

in it.

GC: Why do you think people are so hard on you?

LA: Because no one else says shit, so that’s why. I don’t mean

they’re all hard on me, but no one else gives them anything.

GC: A B-side of yours, “Fag Hag,” attracted a lot of attention from the gay community, for obvious reasons. At what point in your life did you realize you’d become a fag hag?

LA: My husband once turned around and went, “How come all of your friends are gay?” And I was like, “They’re not! What are you talking about?” He was like, “Yes, they are.” Then I looked around and I was like, “Oh, actually you’re right – they are.” (Laughs) GC: I imagine you had gay friends even before you were famous.

LA: Yeah, always.

GC: What’s the connection between you and the gay community?

LA: I don’t know if I’m the one who can say what it is. I can’t speak

for gay men. I just know that I love my gays. I’ve just always had gay friends and I can’t remember when I haven’t. My mom always had gay friends as well. There have just always been a lot of gays everywhere!

(Laughs)

GC: How much have gay people inspired your act and your music?

LA: Most of my glam squad back in the UK are all gay men, so when

things like (my recent performance at) G-A-Y come up they all start hyperventilating with their drag show ideas … and then, you know, the Beyoncé wigs come out.

GC: On “Fuck You,” a single from your last album, It’s Not Me, It’s You, you’ve even gone as far as to make statements regarding homophobia. Why is it important to take a stand on issues like homophobia?

LA: Because talking about any kind of oppression is important if you have a voice and a platform on which to speak. If people are listening, I think it’s your responsibility to talk about those things.

GC: Have you ever felt oppressed or like an outsider?

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GC: I think, for me, no era in music will measure up to the ’90s.

LA: Yeah, since I was a kid. I think that’s just more of a personality trait in me, but I think we all feel like that. I wouldn’t want to feel any other way. I want to feel different from the idiots.

(Laughs)

LA: I think it’s difficult. It’s hard because essentially a lot of big pop stars bought into record deals when the record industry was working a little bit better and were a bit taken, too, by the people who run the record labels.

Really, that is the case. If we were houses we would take mortgages out against ourselves … we’ve gotta pay off those mortgages!

(Laughs)

GC: When you’re doing Beyoncé drag, the gays know you’re doing Beyoncé drag.

But, as you’ve acknowledged, some people miss the point and use a performance like that as ammunition to stir drama. Do gay people get you better than the average person?

It’s not fair to blame it all on the artist, and it’s equally unfair to blame it on the labels. I just think it’s a really difficult time in music and people are adjusting.

I hope that things get to a better place quick.

LA: I’m just glad that someone gets it! (Laughs) (That performance) was directed at you guys; it wasn’t really for anybody else. I didn’t do a show for YouTube. I did a show for my homosexual audience at G-A-Y.

GC: What do you think your female contemporaries think of you?

LA: It’s not something I really think about, to be honest.

GC: What are some common misconceptions people have of you?

LA: If I speak about them, it makes me sound like I’m ranting about things. I’m very happy. I’m happy to be here and I wouldn’t want anyone to think that I was complaining, because I’m not.

I’m happy with myself and I’m very lucky to be here.

GC: Some people don’t think you seem so happy, based on Sheezus.

Critics have said they think you’re disdainful toward fame and pop music. What do you make of those accusations?

LA: I try not to read it. It’s like having an argument with your little brother or your little sister – they know where to get me. People really do just get it wrong and I get the wrong end of the stick. That’s when it really upsets me, because I feel like I can’t even respond. But, actually, more often than not they have an agenda in the first place.

If I respond, it just gives them more ammunition to go deeper and go farther with it, so I just let it lie and just hope that the people who do get me, get me and the people who don’t get bored and move on to something else. I’m here for the people who like me, not for the people who don’t.

GC: Have you ever wished you weren’t famous?

LA: Sure, there are tiny moments where I might wish that, but

I have an amazing life, a beautiful house, a beautiful husband and beautiful children. I’ve had a lot of those things happen to me because they’re my circumstances, they’re my work, so I can be nothing but thankful.

GC: Why is it that women get pitted against each other, but men

don’t?

LA: It’s easier to make women look stupid if you write them off

as being bitches that hate each other. It’s a story, isn’t it? And it’s a believable story! But it’s not the case, really, in pop music. I don’t think so, anyway.

GC: What do you think of the state of pop music right now?

LA: I think it’s amazing. The best it’s ever been.

GC: You’re full of it.

LA: (Laughs) What do you think? What do you think of the state of

the pop music industry? What are your thoughts on it?

GC: Nobody cares what I think. I’m not Lily Allen.

LA: I care what you think. You think it’s good?

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GC: But the title track on Sheezus name drops just about every current female pop artist.

LA: Well, I guess maybe that would insinuate how much I care.

(Laughs) GC: You’ve said that you’re giving up on drinking and drugs.

When you look back at those hard partying days, what’s been the wildest night of your life?

LA: If I could remember, it wouldn’t have been that wild.

GC: Is “Our Time” meant to be a gay anthem?

LA: Yeah, elements of it – “dressing up like we’re queens of the

night,” for sure. There are definitely elements of anthemic behavior going on.

GC: Was kissing yourself in the video for that song the most lesbian thing you’ve done since making out with those girl twins in San Diego?

LA: (Laughs) I can’t believe you even know that! That’s hilarious.

But no – that has been my most lesbian experience still to date and will probably stay that way if I live up to my wedding vows … which I do plan to do, by the way.

GC: Your baggy vagina, noted in your “Hard Out Here” video, has gotten a lot of press lately. Are you happy with your body?

LA: Yeah, I am very happy with my body at the moment.

GC: Now that you’ve opened up the dialogue regarding baggy

vaginas, how often do girls wanna tell you about theirs?

LA: Do people come up and tell me about their baggy pussies?

Never. (Asking the people around her) “Hey, how’s your bloody, baggy pussy? Yup, good? Lovely, lovely.”

GC: Did you say “bloody”? Too far, Lily. Too far.

LA: (Laughs) I know that’s not what you wanted to hear. As a gay

man, “bloody, baggy pussy” is really not hot.

GC: When’s the last time you thought, “It’s hard out here for a

bitch”?

LA: It’s hard out here for a bitch when you can’t find the bathroom.

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By Chris Azzopardi If you’re still wondering whether the soundtrack to all your heartache, Sarah McLachlan, swings both ways because she plays the guitar and she’s earthy, wonder no more. She’s been there, done that … but not in a long time.

While promoting her first album in four years, Shine On, the singer herself broke the silence in our recent interview, revealing that though she’s “pretty straight,” she’s loved up on the ladies.

GC: At what point in your career did you know you had a big gay following?

SM: Mmm … probably Boston 1991. (Laughs) GC: That’s very specific.

SM: I’m serious. Maybe 1992. It was with my second record (Solace)

and I remember going to do a gig in Boston. I hung out with a lot of women after the show and, uhh, there was one bartender in particular who was really hot! And I’m not gonna say anything else, but yeah.

(Laughs)

GC: Wait, no, no. You can’t just leave me hanging like that.

SM: (Laughs) She was a good kisser – that’s all I’m gonna say! That

was my first sort of foray. It didn’t go past that, but that was, mmm, yeah.

I just remember there being a lot of women holding hands in the audience – and not only that, but it was a really intelligent audience. I don’t even know how I could tell that, but I just remember this feeling of, wow, this is just a great, great audience. I wish I could say why, but anyway, that was sort of the beginning of it and I think it just progressed from there.

GC: So girls aren’t just good kissers but also super attentive?

SM: (Laughs) I can generalize with my fans in that way, and all

my fans – gay, straight – are coming for the music. They’re coming for church. I say that because that’s how I feel, especially about playing live; for me, that’s sort of my church. I get to be a part of something bigger than myself and be really connected to other human beings on a real emotional and visceral level. It’s very powerful.

GC: It’s a mutual feeling.

SM: It’s a mutual lovin’!

GC: You mention your girl-on-girl foray in 1991, and for the longest

time people have made assumptions about your sexuality. What do you think of the public’s interest in whether you’re bisexual?

SM: People are always interested in how people bend. I’ve never shied away from it. I mean, I’m pretty straight. Let me just put it this way: I’ve never had sex with a woman. I haven’t. I’ve made out with more than one woman, but it just sort of happened. And there may have been alcohol involved during one of them. (Laughs) GC: But not all of them?

SM: No, no. But yeah, I’m pretty much straight. But at the same time

I am such a strong advocate for gay and lesbian rights because I truly believe that we are all equal. We should be able to choose whom we love and how we love, and it’s not anybody’s goddamn business, really.

Sarah McLachlan Shines On Musician on making out with women, the public’s curiosity about her sexuality and the time she inspired a transgender kid

GC: Of course. I’m absolutely with you.

SM: Oh, I know you are! I figured I’m speaking to the converted here.

(Laughs) But it’s the same for any group that is ostracized or demonized for something that simply shouldn’t even be an issue. It’s the same with race and racism. It’s absolute bullshit.

I got involved with Lifebeat (the leading national nonprofit focused on educating America’s youth about HIV/AIDS prevention) really early on in New York. There was all this stigma around AIDS, and it’s horrific.

People are dying, they’re suffering – and it’s got nothing to do with anything except we need to help, the world needs to help.

GC: As the modern face of feminism and someone who made a bold statement with Lilith Fair, what are your observations on the inclusion and representation of women in music today?

SM: There’s a pretty good cross-section going on, but it’s very dangerous for young women to become complacent and think that there is no glass ceiling. Feminism has almost become a dirty word in the past 10 years, like, we don’t need that anymore; our mothers, grandmothers and great grandmothers did all that work and it’s done. It’s like, no,

 Photos by Kharen Hill

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honey, there’s still growth in equality in this country, much less the rest of the world, which is even more frightening. At any moment, if we’re not on the ball, our sexual freedom can be taken away from us. You know, our freedom to choose. In a lot of states, that’s in flux. So you cannot be complacent. We have to have vigilance and keep an eye on things.

Equality is still a fight that needs to be fought.

GC: When you look out at the females making music nowadays, what do you see?

SM: I see someone like Lorde who shows pictures of herself Photoshopped and un-Photoshopped and says, I have pimples, this is who I am, don’t take that away from me; don’t try to make me something that I’m not. She’s a great example of how a young woman should talk about herself, but you know, she’s a Kiwi.

I think Adele is a fantastic representation of beautiful, powerful strong music being made by women. She’s not a stick; she doesn’t try to be. She is bold and proud and beautiful and has pretty much the best voice out there. I bow down to her.

Then there are a lot of young girls who are being overtly sexual as women have been since the beginning of time, because it is a powerful tool. It’s a powerful tool that men pretty much control, though. I don’t think much has changed in that department. Women think they have total control, and they’re doing it because that’s what men have told them for centuries to do. I think it’s really naïve to think that it’s any different than that.

GC: How aware are you of the role your 1993 album Fumbling Towards Ecstasy has played in the lives of many queer people?

SM: I’ve heard that story a lot and it absolutely warms my heart. For me, some of the best validation an artist can have is to have someone you don’t know tell you that what you’ve created has had a profound impact on helping them through something. It’s absolutely fantastic.

I’m typically and purposefully ambiguous (in my music) because I don’t want it to be about a guy falling in love with a girl or vice versa. People fall in love. People.

GC: But furthermore, Fumbling was relatable to the gay community in that it was coming of age, and it explored issues of self-actualization, doubts and fears – all things gay people go through.

SM: Mmhmm, yeah. I mean, “Elsewhere” was on that record. “Good Enough” was on that record. I know with “Good Enough” I strayed away from ambiguity and was very much talking about “she.” That was sort of about the importance of women, the sisterhood of having other people.

For me, I was talking about a heterosexual relationship gone bad, an abusive male in that particular situation, and women coming to the rescue.

GC: Have you ever been inspired to write about one of your lesbian

flings?

SM: (Laughs) They were so short-lived. Basically, like, one night … or two nights.

GC: A long weekend?

SM: Yeah, over a long weekend all those years ago. (Laughs) GC: You mentioned “Elsewhere,” and I know lots of people who

connected particularly with this lyric: “Mother can’t you see I’ve got to live my life the way I feel is right for me / Might not be right for you but it’s right for me.”

SM: Absolutely. Total rite of passage. And that for me, personally, was directed toward my mother, but I met a transgender kid about a month ago who introduced me to his mom because he was involved in this program that was addressing all the issues that he was facing, which includes coming out to your family. As you know, that can be incredibly difficult. His mom was just wonderful. She gave me a big hug and said, “Thank you so much. You’ve done so much for bringing us together because I’ve connected through your songs. He’s reached out to me and explained what’s happening and he used your music to help explain it.” She just gave me the hugest hug and I’m like, “Oh my god, come here. Come here everyone. Group hug!” And we all started crying.

Again, what a beautiful thing. The greatest gift for me is that I get to be a part of something like that, something that is helping other people feel good about themselves, and feel whole.

SM: No, no … you can’t. Because I was how many years younger? I’m hoping that Shine On is a little more like that in that it’s joie de vivre, in that it’s really open. It’s certainly speaking to a different rite of passage.

This, for me, is the arc of the last six years of my life – separating from my husband, losing my father, and separating from my management and record label of 23 years ago. So all these male anchors.

GC: And loss. Lots of loss.

SM: A lot of loss. A lot of this is the second half of my life. I’m entering

into it and asking, “How do I redefine myself? What choices am I gonna make? Is this as good as it gets?” Hell no. I wanna suck the marrow out of every day, and that’s from the title too.

My best friend and I talk so much about all the issues we’re going through. She went through a really horrible divorce a couple of years ago too and she’s like, “I don’t just wanna endure. I don’t just wanna survive. I wanna shine.” That’s where the title came from. And I’m like, “Oh my god.” I always struggle greatly over album titles, and it’s like, that’s what this album signifies to me. I’m not succumbing to “this is as good as it gets.” I’m gonna push. I’m gonna keep pushing, keep trying, keep growing and keep discovering.

GC: How does music help you with that?

SM: It’s huge. It’s the single most important message of expression

for me. Embarrassingly, I’m not a great communicator. I’m working on that! But I am in my music. I shy away from conflict. I’m terribly conflict averse, and so a lot of things that should be said don’t get said in my personal relationships. So, for me, writing them down and processing through songwriting has always been a great way of getting stuff out.

The difference on this latest record is the forthrightness. I’m not trying to hide personalities or ideas in parallel universes or in different people.

It’s like, “No, this is me, this is where I’m at, this is what I’m talking about,” and I think it’s a lot closer to the bone. I think Fumbling was too.

It was raw, simple and direct, and I feel like this record is as well. I’m hoping that. It certainly was for me.

GC: Can you ever make an album like Fumbling again? I know you probably can’t recapture that time, that moment…

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Gee Golly, It’s Dolly Parton

Legend talks boobs, drag and Christianity

 Dolly Parton, photos by Dolly Records

By Chris Azzopardi When Dolly Parton calls you, greeting you by name with her unmistakable Tennessee twang, it’s a good idea to immediately establish that the lady on the line is the actual legend herself.

“Am I talking to the real Dolly or is this an impersonator?” I ask, just to be sure.

Proving she’s as sharp as the icon she’s become over the last six decades – easily the most honored female country music artist of all time, inspiring drag queens galore – Parton is quick with her comeback: “Oh, there’s no such thing as a real Dolly. I’m as real as you’re gonna get!”

Very real, as it turns out. Currently promoting her 42nd studio album, Blue Smoke, Parton talked about the country music community evolving beyond labeling gay people “perverse,” addressed rumors of her recent lesbian wedding and dished tit tips to drag queens (more stuffing, girls).

GC: Outside of the rhinestones and big platinum hair, why do gay people identify and empathize with you?

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DP: Did you say empathize or sympathize? (Laughs) I think there’s some of both! Actually, I’ve been around so long people just kind of feel like they know me. They’ve seen me enough. I’m more like a favorite aunt or an older sister or somethin’, so I just think people know so much about me they just feel like I’m part of them. I hope that’s what they think. That’s what it seems like!

GC: I see you as our fairy godmother.

DP: (Laughs) Yeah, I do look like the fairy godmother!

GC: You’ve acknowledged that you felt like an outsider since you were

a kid. “Coat of Many Colors” really is about feeling different. What role has that feeling of being an outsider played in the relationship that you have with the gay community?

DP: Well, I do believe that I have a lot of gay fans because I think they do accept me as I am – the differences in me – and I think they know that I see that and love that in everybody else. I am not a judgmental person.

I’m a very loving and accepting person. I try to see the good in everybody, and I don’t care who people are as long as they’re themselves, whatever

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that is. That old saying “to thine own self be true” – no truer words were ever spoken, and I’m just honored and proud to be accepted.

GC: It’s more than just you being non-judgmental. You said growing up you felt different, something many gay people can empathize with. Do you sense that relationship?

DP: Yes, I do. I’ve always felt that. I’ve always felt that’s one of the things that’s drawn my gay fans to me. They do know that I do feel different, and all of my life I will be different. I always have been. But I enjoy and appreciate and respect that difference in myself just like I do in other people. God made me the way that I am and it’s my business to be true to that.

GC: If everyone was free of judgment like you are, what might the world be like?

DP: It’d be a lot better, I can tell you that. But people love to hate, and it’s just unfortunate but that’s the way it is. People like to judge, they like to condemn, they won’t accept anything they don’t understand – that’s just too bad. We have to work at those things anyway, but most people are not willing to. A lot of people are just blind and they’re not seeing through the spiritual eye, and we need to look that way and then we would be more forgiving, more loving and more accepting.

GC: You were one of the first major country artists to advocate for gay rights. Why did you decide to take that step and stand up for LGBT equality?

DP: Why wouldn’t I stand up for everybody, for all people? In the country field, we’re brought up in spiritual homes, we’re taught to “judge not lest you be judged,” and it’s always been a mystery to me how people jump all over things just to criticize, condemn and judge other people when that is so un-Christian – and they claim to be good Christians!

We’re supposed to love one another. We’re supposed to accept and love one another. Whether we do or not, that’s a different story. But that’s what we’re supposed to do.

GC: What are your thoughts on the progress the country music community has been making as a whole when it comes to embracing its gay listeners?

DP: In defense of a lot of people, they understanding as they do now. Now people these are real people with real feelings, that I think a lot of people, anytime you talked “perverse.”

didn’t have as true of an really see that this is real, this is who they really are. about gay people, thought

Now, they’re being more educated that this is who people really are.

There’s just been so much made of (gay rights) in the last two or three years, and it’s been brought to the front so people can really see it and be like, “Yeah, I guess there are a lot more gay people than we ever knew!

I have a better understanding of it now. I know that these people are for real.” I think they’re getting that now.

I think it was just a lack of knowledge. And when you’re with someone, of course you should have your rights. You’re gonna be with who you’re gonna be with even if you starve to death and have no privileges and no rights. I think people understand that more now.

GC: You’ve been such a wonderful ally to us ... so much so that

people have actually mistaken you as a lesbian yourself.

DP: (Laughs) Well, you know what, it’s true. In fact, there was some story recently (in the National Enquirer) where I was supposedly marrying my longtime friend Judy (Ogle) and that my husband was OK with it! I thought, “Where did they come up with all this?” I am not gay, but if I were I would be the first one running out of the closet.

GC: And right into Judy’s arms?

DP: Yeah, who knows! I might’ve said, “Judy, you wanna get

something going with me?” (Laughs) But our friendship is just a precious friendship.

GC: What do you say to “From Here to the Moon and Back,” your love duet with Willie Nelson on Blue Smoke, being used for the first dance at a gay wedding?

DP: I can’t imagine a thing that people don’t already know about me.

I think people would be surprised at how really at-home I am. I look like a party doll but I’m very home-lovin’. I’m a homebody, and I’m familyoriented. I don’t get out much unless it’s a special occasion. So I guess people might be surprised at just how calm I really am.

GC: When you look at yourself in the mirror, what do you see?

DP: I see ways to improve myself. I’ve never been a true beauty and

I’m always thinking, “I need to do this, or I could look better than that,” but I guess we all have that.

GC: You’ve said that drag queens do you better than you. Have you learned anything about yourself from watching people impersonate you?

DP: Most of the drag queens are about six feet tall already ... and then they put on those high heels! I ain’t big as a minute, so I always think, what I’ve learned about myself is, I’m not tall. I’m definitely even shorter than I knew I was!

But actually, I am very honored when the drag queens all do their thing because I think it’s a big compliment. I get a big kick out of some of them. Some of them are really good! Some of them are … comical.

GC: Some of them are so good you once lost a look-alike contest that you were in.

DP: (Laughs) I entered one of the Dolly look-alike contests down on Santa Monica at one of the gay clubs down there – I lived right up the street – so I just kind of over exaggerated myself and went and joined the party and walked across the stage. I got less applause than anybody. It’s pretty bad when I lose a Dolly Parton look-alike contest!

GC: If you were a drag queen, what would be your drag name?

DP: P. Titty … like P. Diddy!

GC: What tips do you have for drag queens who want to get your bust

size just right?

DP: Oh heavens ... I’m so little is why my boobs look so big. But (drag queens) are already big! They’re gonna need to really do some paddin’!

I’m larger than life, so just get them boobs the way that they fit into proportion to your body. Put it out there, whatever your imagination is of me.

DP: I would be honored. That would be a beautiful wedding song, “From Here to the Moon and Back” – wow! People often use “I Will Always Love You” – I wrote “I Will Always Love You” as a wedding song too – and it really kind of speaks to that, but yeah, “From Here to the Moon and Back” would be a beautiful wedding song. If you get married, you can play it!

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GC: What is something about your life that people would be most surprised by?

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Jonny McGovern is Sooooo Gay In The Gayest Video Special of All Time

By Frank Doll “Fans were always asking to know what happens on the set of a Jonny McGovern video,” says Skot Video, the Emmy nominated director of Jonny’s “Somethin’ For the Fellas (That Like The Fellas)” and “Man Areas” music videos. It was while filming “Man Areas” that Skot realized the potential for a full film. “There were so many succulent and sexy gentleman on set doing lots of slutty gay stuff, I figured why not give the fans what they’ve been begging for?”

And so, The Gayest Video Special of All Time was born. Some of the more shocking situations caught on film are Greg McKeon, aka Grg, bouncing dollar bills on his erection, Gogo boy Jay Roth showing off his amazing ass in hot shorts and Rowan Pierce, a young, blond, pierced twink demonstrating incredible flexibility by diving into a split wearing a wrestling singlet.

The original intent was to air the special on television but the content proved too raunchy. “We filmed this for the fans; to give them a glimpse into a day in the life of an underground superstar. We had to release the DVD independently,” says Skot.

The DVD includes six music videos from Jonny McGovern’s “The Gayest of All Time” album, along with never before seen comedy sketches, uncensored behind-the-scenes access to the “Man Areas” music video and five hilarious clips from Jonny’s podcast. There is also plenty of music, and not only from Jonny, but from Team Pimp members Adam Joseph and drag diva Erickatoure.

Practice” and “Lookin’ Cute/Feelin’ Cute”. But it was the internet release of the “Soccer Practice” music video that made Jonny an international phenomenon. The video introduced the world to the colorful antics of Jonny “The Gay Pimp” McGovern and his queer posse, dubbed “Team Pimp”. The music video received over three million downloads and was added to the rotation on MTV Europe and MTV Asia.

The overwhelming success of “Soccer Practice” landed Jonny as a commentary contributor on a variety of VH1 shows including Best Week Ever, Totally Gay, and 40 Dumbest Celebrity Quotes. It also earned him a slot on Comedy Central’s all-gay stand-up show Out on the Edge, hosted by Alan Cumming, which brought him to the attention of Rosie O’Donnell, who cast Jonny as a lead player on her LOGO-TV comedy show, The Big Gay Sketch Show.

In 2007, Jonny unleashed his second solo album, Gays Gone Wild.

It was followed with 2008’s Keep it Faggity: The Gay Pimp Remix Project and 2012’s The Gayest of All Time with hits “Dickmatized”, “Sexy Nerd”, “Man Areas”, “#TOTDF” and “The Gayest of All Time”, all included on the new DVD. The Gayest Video Special of All Time continues Jonny’s journey into the fabulous fairyland where queens rule, glamour is celebrated, every street is a runway and every corner a dance club. Much of the content was made possible from donations to Jonny’s Kickstarter campaign.

The Gayest Video Special of All Time is available for sale now at

https://www.createspace.com/367498

“Jonny’s universe is a very inclusive one”, says Skot. “Anyone of any size, color, sexual orientation, hell, even a Republican, can join in and have a good time.”

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Jonny “The Gay Pimp” McGovern’s career began in 2003 with Dirty Gay Hits, a collection of hilarious gay themed songs including “Soccer

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Interview

 Levi Karter, photos by Cockyboys

Levi Karter

Porn star on getting his six pack, breaking into the industry, and being more brazen live

By Nick Winnick Pride season is roaring toward us once again, and one of its signature Alberta events is Edmonton’s PURE Pride dance.

Anybody lucky enough to attend will be treated to some absolutely stellar performances by one of CockyBoys’ favourite models: Levi Karter. To tide you over until then (and console the rest of you), we were lucky enough to get an interview that will tell us what makes this hot, young star tick A self-confessed health buff, Karter has always been conscious of his shape when he’s in the kitchen.

“I always grew up with a good diet,” he says. “My mom always had a great diet, and she really ordered that... My mom is also a runner... I guess I was inspired. I wanted to be athletic; I wanted to be the guy who was muscular, big and stuff.”

Karter’s meticulous care of and attention to his body started at a very early age.

“When I started working out, I was only a fifth-grader. That’s when I got my six-pack and it never went away.”

Living proof that practice makes permanent, habits that he established early seem to have stuck with him for the long haul.

He described one of his earliest workout routines to us: “I had

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like an hour, an hour and a half before school... so I would just always turn on MTV – when they were still playing music videos in the morning – and just work out to that. I’d do crunches and push-ups and stuff like that with my mom’s five-pound weights.

It wasn’t until I was a junior in high school that I got into going to the gym and lifting weights and everything.”

It’s a promising sign of the times that even in what he describes as “a small college town, in the foothills of Appalachia, so it’s very closed-minded and conservative,” Karter didn’t experience much in the way of hostility during his coming-out process.

“I came out at 14 – my freshman year of high school. I guess I just always knew. You know, you do the whole truth-or-dare, and it just started clicking to me in eighth grade.”

“I was going to tell my friends, I’d be open about it, you know.

Kind of have my mom find out when she finds out, but the thing was that my mom was a teacher at the high school. So if I tell, it’s only a matter of maybe a day before my mom [hears], people are talking about your son being gay.”

Taking the next steps turned out to be easier than he had hoped.

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“I told my mom and I told my best friend, and when people are talking to me I’m not actually going to deny it, but I’m not shouting in your face. If you ask me I won’t say no.”

So, what was the inspiration to get into what we affectionately (and euphemistically) describe as modeling? Karter explains: “When I started watching porn ... I was like, oh, those guys that are modelling, they’re so cool, I want to be like that. It’s another reason that I wanted to work on fitness, because I want to be the guy ... that people are fantasizing about.”

His next steps were very nearly the stuff of fantasy. Karter turned 18 just a few months before graduating high school.

Diploma in hand, he rocketed out the door from his sleepy town of Athens, Ohio, and headed to Columbus, where he began stripping and go-go dancing immediately.

He briefly enrolled in college, studying hospitality, before realizing it wasn’t what he was looking for, and decided, “you know what, I want to take that next step. Not just go-go boys or a stripper, I want to do porn. ... I just thought that was the time.

You’re not tied down with anything. ... College is like an office job to me. I can’t see myself doing it, or happy there.”

Karter got in touch with Christian Collins of Helix Studios, who set him up with an online presence, where he quickly began amassing a following. By the time he had hit 1000 Twitter followers, Karter was getting offers from various studios to audition – clearly all of the morning MTV sessions and experience stripping had their intended effect. One Skype interview later, Jake Jaxson flew Karter out to seal the deal with CockyBoys studio.

Those of you with a penchant for Mark Wahlberg movies might compare Jaxon to Burt Reynolds’ character in Boogie Nights – an iconoclastic porn producer who just happens to believe that things like plot, production values, and emotion shouldn’t be optional, even in our wank material.

‘The CockyBoys manifesto’, on the studio’s main page, is replete with wisdom that recent alt-porn productions would seem to have taken to heart. Aphorisms like “Gay sex is ... a blessing like a fine wine, a great meal, or a roller coaster ride” or “Be safe. Be smart in all that you do. When in doubt, use the head holding up your ears!” and even “Mutual respect is the path to true power” adorn the site, communicating a philosophy that seems to resonate with Karter.

“There’s this vibe, you know. Everything Jake was telling me in the interview, he was explaining how they work, and what their vision is – I just thought it was beautiful and I really wanted to be a part of it,” Karter told us. “They view sex as art, and beauty, and self-expression, and not just to get off… I do express myself best physically ... I’m just glad I get to be a part of that team.”

What is the best part of the job for the young star?

“When ... I get a fan where they get it, and they see the real vision behind what we’re all doing – people taking time to really get to know you as a person and not just as a sex object, you know? I really like that.”

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Never let it be said that Karter forgets the main draw of his work.

“My favourite scenes [are] between Hayden Lourd and me... I remember... that was my fourth or fifth scene coming, and it was the first time that I really felt 100 per cent comfortable, and more confident in front of the camera than I did in the last few shots.

They really stand out to me.”

Those of you attending Karter’s live show in Edmonton will certainly be seeing a more uninhibited persona.

“I know I’m more confident in front of a crowd than I would be in front of a camera,” he confided. “It’s funny, if it’s an iPhone camera or a regular camera my bosses are using... but if they bring out the camera that we use for porn, I just look at it and I’m like Oh my god, that’s going to be on a website forever, so it’s like don’t fuck up!”

Levi Karter on Cockyboys http://www.cockyboys.com PURE Pride Edmonton - Starlight Room - June 7th @ 9pm http://www. purepride.ca http://www.gaycalgary.com/a4124 View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments

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Photography In the Know Fundraiser, Calgary

ISCWR at Queer Prom, Edmonton

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photos by J & B

ISCWR College Show at Evolution, Edmonton photos by Cheryl Patricia

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Photography ARGRA Last Chance Dance, Calgary

Juvenile Diabetes Fundraiser BBQ at the Backlot, Calgary

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ISCWR That Drag Thing, Edmonton photos by J&B

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Photography Fairy Tales Film Festival, Calgary http://gaycalgary.com/pa732

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Photography Homo-cidal Monster Squad at Evolution, Edmonton

Alberta’s Next Drag Superstar Semifinals at Evolution, Edmonton

photos by Farley FooFoo

photos by Farley FooFoo

#Tramplife at Buddys, Edmonton photos by Farley FooFoo

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Photography Alberta’s Next Drag Superstar at Evolution, Edmonton http://gaycalgary.com/pa725

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News Releases BADRICK’S LOCK STOCK AND BARREL BAR - All-in-One Soap is Infused With Natural Oils

The Sleek and Stylish Nokia Lumia 625 – Perfect for Every Mother

Director Malcolm Ingram Tackles World of LGBT Pro Athletes in Doc ‘Out to Win’

Soy Sauce Molecule May Unlock Drug Therapy for HIV Patients, MU Researcher Finds

NSFW - Near Naked JAMES FRANCO

NSFW - Party Hard With GREGG HOMME - New provocative collection launched

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NSFW - Happy Birthday David Beckham http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1346

Ground Breaking HBO ‘Looking’ Available On blinkbox, Google Play and Amazon

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NEWS: Study Reveals Why Gay Teens Binge Drink http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1348

OPINION: Gay Sex Ed At School

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NSFW - Tom Daley talk in the Steam Room http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1350

Good For Her is proud to announce the winners of the 2014 Good For Her Feminist Porn Awards! http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1351

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Homicide charges laid in the death of Dennis Manual BARREIRA

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Gaying It Up The Marvel Comics Way

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History! Michael Sam becomes first openly gay player in NFL http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1361

Lunchbox Theatre Restructure: Mark Bellamy takes on new role of Artistic Producer http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1362

2014 Artists for Life Raises $35,000 & Sets Fundraising Record http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1363

About 21,000 LGBT Workers in Idaho Lack Protections Against Ongoing Employment Discrimination http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1364

An Uncompromising Beauty: The Gaggenau 400-series Vario Cooktops

Indiana: Extending Marriage to Same-Sex Couples Could Add Over $39 Million to State Economy

Cooking without borders: the Gaggenau CX 491 Full Surface Induction Cooktop

Miami Dolphins Fines Don Jones Over Michael Sam Twitter Comments

Tips to Combat the Biggest Energy Wasters at Home

Meet Vito Cammisano: The Super Hot BF Of Michael Sam

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News Releases Conchita Rise Like A Phoenix At No 1 In Russia Despite Backlash

The World’s Most Glamorous Book is Back http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1381

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NSFW - New Andrew Christian Video Black|White

Forbidden Love: The Unashamed Stories of Lesbian Lives - AVAILABLE NOW in HD

Gay Penguins Become Best Fathers At Zoo

Cher Is Anti-Gay Church WBO Next Protest

OPINION: Rise Like A Mockingjay

OPINION: Slam Is The New Snort

NSFW - Steam Room Stories: Cut or uncut?

That is the question…

World’s Oldest LGBTQ Theatre Company Presents International & Canadian Works

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Canada must act against international hate laws targeting LGBTQ people

Happy 75th Birthday To Sir Ian McKellen

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ichannel launches new website focused on transgender Canadians

Wes Side Story: A Memoir, by Wes Funk

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Betabrand Discovers Gay Jeans - Jeanetics breakthrough: it shows its true colors as it wears

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NSFW - New Andrew Christian Video GLOW

Ontario Destinations preparing to attract LGBT, WorldPride visitors

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LGBTQ Youth Suicide Prevention Summit

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Amazon.com Renews $25,000 Grant to Lambda Literary’s Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBT Voices

Russell Tovey Teases Post Workout Body

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National LGBTQ Organization Calls on President Obama to Act on LGBTQ Equality

Do I Sound Gay?

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New Boxed Trilogy Examines the Many Colors of Today’s LGBT Families

Fighting for Their Right: Scarlett Rabe Lends Her ‘Battle Cry’ to LGBT Rights Campaign

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2014 JUNO Award Winners Tegan and Sara Join WorldPride and are to perform at Closing Ceremony

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Shane Madden has competed in ARGRA’s Canadian Rockies International Rodeo for about 12 years, and has participated in other rodeos throughout the United States. He has been horse-back riding since he was 7 years old and currently owns a registered quarter horse named Flame. Rodeos are his main interest for physical activity, aside from working out most days of the week.

By day he works in the Construction industry. He has been working in restoration construction for the past 3 years - a field that was in high demand about this time last year after the floods. Prior to that, he worked for a construction company specializing in aluminum paneling, among others.

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GayCalgary Magazine #128, June 2014

Shane was born in Calgary but moved around a lot when he was young. He accepted that he was gay at age 13 and came out to his family at 17. He and his brothers didn’t get along well so he lived with some friends in Washington before moving to St. John’s with his mom and other family. His uncle, who was a Captain in the army, inspired him to join the militia (army reserves) for a while before moving back to Calgary at age 19.

Shane turns 41 this month, and is recently single. He loves to dance, although he has been told his style can be a bit…provocative.

http://gaycalgary.com/pa731

www.gaycalgary.com

Directory & Events DOWNTOWN CALGARY

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10 12

2

6

3

7

15

1 8

4 5

13

1 2 3 4

Calgary Outlink---------- Community Groups HIV Community Link---- Community Groups Backlot------------------------Bars and Clubs Texas Lounge-----------------Bars and Clubs

5 6 7 8

Goliath’s--------------------------Bathhouses Twisted Element--------------Bars and Clubs Broken City-------------------Bars and Clubs Cowboys Nightclub-----------Bars and Clubs

FIND OUT!

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

......... Wheelchair Accessible

Spot something inaccurate or outdated? Want your business or organization listed? We welcome you to contact us!

 403-543-6960  1-888-543-6960

 magazine@gaycalgary.com http://www.gaycalgary.com/CalgaryTravelRSS http://www.gaycalgary.com/EdmontonTravelRSS Local Bars, Restaurants, and Accommodations info on the go! http://www.gaycalgary.com/Directory Browse our complete directory of over 650 gay-frieindly listings!

CALGARY Bars & Clubs (Gay) 3 Backlot---------------------------------- ✰  403-265-5211  Open 7 days a week, 2pm-close

 209 - 10th Ave SW

4 Texas Lounge------------------------------ ✰

 308 - 17 Ave SW  403-229-0911  Open 7 days a week, 11am-close

www.gaycalgary.com

6 Twisted Element

 1006 - 11th Ave SW  403-802-0230

 http:.//www.twistedelement.ca

9 10 11 12

Dickens Pub------------------Bars and Clubs Flames Central---------------Bars and Clubs Local 522---------------------Bars and Clubs Ten Nightclub-----------------Bars and Clubs

13 The Pint-----------------------Bars and Clubs 15 The Blind Monk--------------Bars and Clubs

8 Cowboys Nightclub------------------------  421 12th Avenue SE  403-265-0699

 http://www.cowboysnightclub.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.

9 Dickens Pub

 1000 9th Ave SW  info@dickenspub.ca

 http://www.dickenspub.ca

7 Broken City

 613 11th Ave SW  info@brokencity.ca

 http://www.brokencity.ca

 403-262-9976

 403-233-7550

• Western Cup 31



http://www.westerncup.com

10 Flames Central----------------------------  219 8th Ave SW  403-935-2637

 http://www.flamescentral.com

• Badminton (Absolutely Smashing)

11 Local 522----------------------------------  522 6 Ave SW  403-244-6773

 http://www.localtavern.ca

• Boot Camp

12 Ten Nightclub

 1140 10th Ave SW

• Bowling (Rainbow Riders League)

15 The Blind Monk

 918 12th Ave SW  12thave@blindmonk.ca

 http://www.blindmonk.ca  Mon-Sun: 11am-2am

 403-265-6200

• Curling

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

• Golf

 golf@apollocalgary.com

14 Vinyl & Hyde (CLOSED)

 213 10 Ave SW

 http://www.vinylandhyde.com

 587-224-5200

• Lawn Bowling

 lawnbowling@apollocalgary.com

• Outdoor Pursuits

Bathhouses/Saunas 5 Goliaths------------------------------------ ✰

 308 - 17 Ave SW  403-229-0911  www.goliaths.ca  Open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day

Community Groups Alberta Society for Kink

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

Apollo Calgary - Friends in Sports

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

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

 403-384-9777

 http://www.apollocalgary.com  http://www.myapollo.com

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

 403-457-4464

13 The Pint

 1428 17th Ave SW  calgary@thepint.ca

 http://www.thepint.ca/calgary

Bars & Clubs (Mixed) These venues regularly host LGBT events.

N

 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

 slow.pitch@apollocalgary.com

• Squash

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

GayCalgary Magazine #128, June 2014

71

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

Calgary Events

At 5 Goliaths

Mondays

Saturdays

Saturday, June 14th

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

4th Anniversary------------------------  All Day

 Old Y Centre (223 12th Ave SW)

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

At 5 Goliaths

Thursdays

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

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

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

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

 Bonasera (1204 Edmonton Tr. NE)

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

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

 Kerby Center, Sunshine Room 1133 7th Ave SW

 3rd

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

At 3 Backlot

Beautiful City-----------------------------  3pm

By Calgary Men’s Chorus  Mount Royal University, Nickle Theatre

Beautiful City-----------------------------  8pm

By Calgary Men’s Chorus  Mount Royal University, Nickle Theatre

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

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

Tuesdays

At 5 Goliaths

See

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

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

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

Fendi & Conrad Show---------------  10-11pm

Beers for Queers--------------------------  6pm

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

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

Voodoo Lounge----------------------  11:30pm

See 1 Calgary Outlink

See 1 Calgary Outlink By

 1st

YYC Badboys at 13 The Pint

Student Night------------------------  6pm-6am At 5 Goliaths

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

 2nd, 4th

At 1 Calgary Outlink

 1st

See

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

See

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

See

At 3 Backlot

Deer Park United Church Scarboro United Church Hillhurst United Church

Worship Services------------------------- 11am Knox United Church

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

Fridays

Rainbow Community Church

Friday, June 20th At 3 Backlot At 3 Backlot

Thursday, June 26th

Wet Jockey Contest---------------------- 10pm At 3 Backlot

Friday, June 27th

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

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

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

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

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

Friday, June 6th

By ARGRA  Strathmore Ag-Society Grounds

Fendi & Conrad Show---------------  10-11pm

Boy&GuRL Live!----------------------  8-11pm

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

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

At 3 Backlot

At 3 Backlot

Friday, June 13th

Stars of the Stage-------------------------  8pm

At 4 Texas Lounge At 3 Backlot

 2nd

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

See 1 Calgary Outlink

 1st

See 1 Calgary Outlink

 2nd

See 1 Calgary Outlink

 3rd

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

Wednesdays

See 1 Calgary Outlink

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

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

See

Knox United Church

 4th

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

At 5 Goliaths

Beautiful City-----------------------------  8pm

By Calgary Men’s Chorus  Mount Royal University, Nickle Theatre

 beachvb@apollocalgary.com

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

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

• Volleyball (Competitive)

• Peer Support and Crisis Line

 tennis@apollocalgary.com

• Volleyball (Beach)

 vb@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.

• Volleyball (Recreational)  recvb@apollocalgary.com

• Yoga

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

Alberta Rockies Gay Rodeo Association (ARGRA)

 www.argra.org

✰

Calgary Expo

At 3 Backlot

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

 403-278-8263

Different Strokes

 http://www.differentstrokescalgary.org

Calgary Men’s Chorus

 http://www.calgarymenschorus.org

FairyTales Presentation Society

 403-244-1956

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

• 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.

• DVD Resource Library

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

Gay Friends in Calgary

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

GayCalgary Magazine #128, June 2014

Girlsgroove

 http://www.girlsgroove.ca 2 HIV Community Link------------------- ✰

 110, 1603 10th Avenue SW  403-508-2500  1-877-440-2437  http://www.hivcl.org

• Telephone Support

 M-F, 8:30am - 12:30pm + 1:30pm - 4:30pm

Hillhurst United Church

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

HIV Peer Support Group

Deer Park United Church/Wholeness Centre

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

Girl Friends

 girlfriends@shaw.ca

 members.shaw.ca/girlfriends

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

 Weeds Cafe (1903 20 Ave NW)

Calgary Gay Fathers

72

• 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

 http://www.calgaryexpo.com

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

By Third Street Theatre  Arrata Opera Centre (1315 - 7 St SW)

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

• Tennis

 Arrata Opera Centre (1315 - 7 Street SW)

Jun29

Boy&GuRL Live!----------------------  8-11pm

 Calgary Contd.

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

Rodeo & Music Festival----------------  All Day

ISCCA Social Association

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

• Fake Mustache • Mosaic Youth Group

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

Mystique

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

• Coffee Night

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

NETWORKS

 networkscalgary@gmail.com A social, cultural, and service organization for the mature minded and “Plus 40” LGBT individuals seeking to meet others at age-appropriate activities within a positive, safe environment.

Parents for Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)

 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

Knox United Church

 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.

Lesbian Meetup Group

 403-797-6564

 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.  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

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,

www.gaycalgary.com

Directory & Events  Calgary Contd. 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.

✰

 633 10th Ave SW  403-239-5511  http://www.6thandtenth.com

 M-W: 12-6pm, R: 2-7pm, S-N: 12-5pm

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

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

Courtney Aarbo (Barristers & Solicitors)

 Calgary: 403-777-9494

 Edmonton: 780-413-7122  Other Cities: 1-877-882-2010  http://www.cruiseline.ca Telephone classifieds and chat - 18+ ONLY.

Wild Rose United Church

 1317-1st Street NW

10 Flames Central---------------------------- See Calgary - Bars & Clubs (Mixed).

13 The Pint See Calgary - Bars & Clubs (Mixed).

Fairytales

Hardline

Adult Depot (CLOSED)

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

✰

 10210 Macleod Tr S  403-271-7848

 #102 2323 32nd Ave NE  403-769-6177

 1536 16th Ave NW  403-289-4203

 4310 17th Ave SE  403-273-2710

 http://www.adultsourcecalgary.ca

Best Health

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

 Calgary: 403-770-0776

 Edmonton: 780-665-6666  Other Cities: 1-877-628-9696  http://www.hardlinechat.com Telephone classifieds and chat - 18+ ONLY.

Holiday Retirement

 12 Deerview Terrace SE  403-879-1967  http://www.canyonmeadows.net

Hot Water Pools & Spas

 2145 Summerfield Blvd  403-912-2045  http://www.hotwaterpoolsandspas.ca

 403-355-3335  http://www.interactivemale.com

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

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

 #4 - 1126 Kensington Rd NW  403-283-3555  http://www.thenakedleaf.ca Organic teas and tea ware.

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.

 1209 5th Ave NW  403-263-3070  http://www.pushingpetals.com

Pumphouse Theatre--------------------

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

MFM Communications

NRG Support Services

 Suite 27, Building B1, 2451 Dieppe Ave SW

 403-471-0204  780-922-3347  nrg@shaw.ca  http://www.nrgsupportservices.com

SafeWorks

Theatre Junction------------------------

✰

Third Street Theatre

 403-703-4750

Vertigo Mystery Theatre--------------------

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

Webster Galleries Inc.

 812 11 Ave SW  403-263-6500  http://www.webstergalleries.com

 T-S: 10am-6pm, N: 1-4pm

EDMONTON Bars & Clubs (Gay) 3 Buddy’s Nite Club------------------------- ✰

 11725 Jasper Ave  780-488-6636 6 Evolution Wonder Lounge

 10220 - 103 St  780-424-0077  http://www.yourgaybar.com

FLASH (CLOSED)

 10018 105 Street  flashnightclub@hotmail.com

Book Worm’s Book Club

 Howard McBride Chapel of Chimes 10179 - 108 Street  bookworm@teamedmonton.ca

 780-938-2941

UpStares Ultralounge (CLOSED)

 780-471-6993  http://www.bucknakedboys.ca Naturism club for men—being social while everyone is naked, and it does not include sexual activity. Participants do not need to be gay, only male.

Camp fYrefly

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

Edmonton Expo

 http://www.edmontonexpo.com

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

 780-387-3343

 groups.yahoo.com/group/edmonton_illusions 2 Edmonton STD

 11111 Jasper Ave

Edmonton Vocal Minority

 780-479-2038  www.evmchoir.com

 sing@evmchoir.com

Fellowship of Alberta Bears

 4th Floor, Jasper Ave and 107th Street

 www.beefbearbash.com

4 Woody’s------------------------------------ ✰

 11725 Jasper Ave  780-488-6557

 780-474-8240

GLBTQ Sage Bowling Club

 tuff@shaw.ca

HIV Network Of Edmonton Society----

Free and confidential HIV/AIDS and STI testing.

www.gaycalgary.com

✰

 #3 306 20th Ave SW 

http://www.thirdstreet.ca

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

 403-398-9968  info@altview.ca  http://ww.altview.ca For gender variant and sexual minorities.

Buck Naked Boys Club

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

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

Lorne Doucette (CIR Realtors)

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

✰

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

Interactive Male

La Fleur

 403-266-1707 Florist and Flower Shop.

One Yellow Rabbit--------------------------

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

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

Retail Stores

 http://www.ATPlive.com

See Calgary - Community Groups.

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

Ellen Embury

Community Groups AltView Foundation

ATP, Alberta Theatre Projects

 403-294-7402

DevaDave Salon & Boutique

Restaurants & Pubs

5 Steamworks------------------------------- ✰

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

Theatre & Fine Arts

 3rd Floor, 1131 Kensington Road NW  403-571-5120  http://www.courtneyaarbo.ca GLBT legal services.

Cruiseline

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

Pushing Petals

 403-808-7147

8 Yellowhead Brewing Co.

 10229 105 St  info@yellowheadbrewery.com  http://www.yellowheadbrewery.com

Bathhouses/Saunas

Wheel Pro’s

 4143- Edmonton Trail NE  403-226-7278  http://www.wheelpros.ca “Experts in Everything for Wheels”

 403-253-5678  http://www.maxwellrealty.com/craigconnell

Unity Bowling

• Sheldon M. Chumir Health Centre

7 The Starlite Room

 10030 102 St contact@starliteroom.ca  http://www.starliteroom.ca

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

Craig Connell (Maxwell Realtors)

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

 10704 124 St NW

• Safeworks Van

Christopher T. Tahn (Thornborough Smeltz)

 11650 Elbow Dr SW  ctahn@thornsmeltz.com  http://www.thornsmeltz.com

Hooliganz Pub (CLOSED)

• Centre of Hope

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

Calgary Civil Marriage Centre

 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.

These venues regularly host LGBT events.

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

 403-819-5219  http://www.bcbhcounselling.com

 2nd Cup, Kensington

Bars & Clubs (Mixed)

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

6th and Tenth - Sales Centre

Barry Hollowell

• Coffee Night

Adult Source----------------------------

• Calgary Drop-in Centre

Services & Products

✰

 9702 111 Ave NW 780-488-5742  www.hivedmonton.com Provides healthy sexuality education for Edmonton’s LGBT

GayCalgary Magazine #128, June 2014

73

Directory & Events DOWNTOWN EDMONTON

1

8

5 4 3

1 Pride Centre of Edm.---- Community Groups 2 Edmonton STD---------- Community Groups

2

3 Buddy’s-----------------------Bars and Clubs 4 Woody’s-----------------------Bars and Clubs

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

Edmonton Events

See

Team Edmonton

6

N 7

5 Steamworks----------------------Bathhouses 6 Evolution----------------------Bars and Clubs Saturdays

7 The Starlite Room------------Bars and Clubs 8 Yellowhead Brewing Co.-----Bars and Clubs Friday, June 6th

Naturalist Gettogether

Great Canadian Bear Weekend

Mondays

Thursdays

Boot Camp------------------------------ 7-8pm

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

QH Youth Drop-in------------------  2-6:30pm

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

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

By Edmonton Pride (See their ad for more events)

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

PURE Pride Dance------------------------  9pm

See

Team Edmonton

See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton

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

 3rd

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

See

 2nd

Tuesdays

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

See

Youth Understanding Youth

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

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

Team Edmonton

Buck Naked Boys Club

 2nd

See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton

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

 2nd

Team Edmonton

Sundays

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fridays

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

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

Team Edmonton

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

Team Edmonton

GLBTQ Sage Bowling Club

See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton

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

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

Knotty Knitters-------------------------- 6-8pm See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton

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

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

See See

Wednesdays See

See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton

See

 2nd, 4th

BookWorm’s Book Club

 3rd

Team Edmonton Team Edmonton

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

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

Movie Night----------------------------- 6-9pm See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton

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

Men’s Games Nights

 2nd, Last

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

Youth Understanding Youth

Team Edmonton

See See

Team Edmonton Team Edmonton

See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton See

Team Edmonton

InQueeries

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

Imperial Sovereign Court of the Wild Rose

 http://www.iscwr.ca

Living Positive Society of Alberta

 #50, 9912 - 106 Street 780-424-2214  living-positive@telus.net  http://www.facebook.com/LivingPoz Living Positive through Positive Living.

• HIV Support Group

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

74

 2nd

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

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

 2nd

Saturday, May 17th

Birthday Luau----------------------------  8pm ISCWR at 3 Buddys and 4 Woodys

Jun8

Jun15

Saturday, June 7th

By PURE Pride  The Starlite Room (219 - 8th Ave SW) Tuesday, June 10th

Commerce Mixer------------------------ 5-7pm

By Alberta LGBT Chamber of Commerce At 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton Friday, June 13th

Gay Edmonton Pageant - Part 1--------  7pm ISCWR at 6 Evolution

Saturday, June 14th

Gay Edmonton Pageant - Part 2--------  7pm

By ISCWR  The Helenic Hall (10450 - 116 St) Friday, June 20th

Country Hoedown------------------------  9pm By

ISCWR at 6 Evolution

Saturday, July 12th

Carol Cattell Golf Tourney-------------  All Day

Saturday, May 31

By Womonspace  Bashaw Golf Course & Campground

That Drag Thing--------------------------  8pm

Making Mischief--------------------------  8pm

By ISCWR  The Locker Room, Ramada Hotel (11834 Kingsway)

 Edmonton Contd. community and support for those infected or affected

by HIV.

Edmonton Pride Week

By

 Robertson-Wesley United (10209 123 St)

By

By Fellowship of Alberta Bears  Coast Edmonton Plaza Hotel

By ISCWR  Ramada Hotel (11834 Kingsway NW)

Legend:  = Monthly Reoccurrance,  = Date (Range),  = Sponsored Event for members of the GLBTQ community and for their families and friends.

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

GayCalgary Magazine #128, June 2014

• Counselling

• Queer HangOUT: Game Night

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

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

• Queer HangOUT: Craft Night

• Knotty Knitters

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

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

• Men Talking with Pride

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

• Movie Night

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

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

• Queer HangOUT: Anime Night • TTIQ

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

• Women’s Social Circle

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

www.gaycalgary.com

Directory & Events Red Deer Events

Lethbridge

Wednesdays

Friday, June 27th

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

CAANS

 1st

Lethbridge Pride Fest

By Lethbridge Pride (See their ad for more events)

Jul5

 Edmonton Contd.

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

•Ballroom Dancing

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

• Blazin’ Bootcamp

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

• Bowling (Northern Titans)

 Ed’s Rec Room (West Edmonton Mall)

 bowling@teamedmonton.ca $15.00 per person.

• 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.

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

• Soccer

 soccer@teamedmonton.ca

• Spin

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

• Tennis

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

 tennis@teamedmonton.ca

• Cycling (Edmonton Prideriders)

• Volleyball, Recreational

 Dawson Park, picnic shelter  cycling@teamedmonton.ca

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

• Dragon Boat (Flaming Dragons)

• Women’s Lacrosse

 golf@teamedmonton.ca

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

Call for info.

• Gymnastics, Drop-in

• Yoga

• Martial Arts

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

• Outdoor Pursuits

 outdoorpursuits@teamedmonton.ca

• Running (Arctic Frontrunners)

 Kinsmen Sports Centre  running@teamedmonton.ca

Robertson-Wesley United Church

 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.

• Sports and Recreation

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

Restaurants & Pubs

Community Groups GALA/LA

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

• Monthly Dances

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

• Monthly Potluck Dinners

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

• Film Night

• Support Line

 Bi-monthly, contact us for exact dates.

• Book Club

 Monthly, contact us for exact dates.

Theatre & Fine Arts

• Friday Mixer

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

The Roxy Theatre

 University of Lethbridge GBLTTQQ club on campus.

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

 galia@uleth.ca

• Movie Night

 Room C610, University of Lethbridge

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

Community Groups

Lethbridge Expo

 http://www.lethbridgeexpo.com

Lethbridge HIV Connection

HIV Community Link

 102 Spray Ave  PO Box 3160, Banff, AB T1L 1C8  403-762-0690

JASPER

 1206 - 6 Ave S

PFLAG Canada

 1-888-530-6777

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

Pride Lethbridge

Accommodations Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge

 Old Lodge Road  1-866-540-4454  http://www.fairmont.com/jasper

Whistlers Inn

Gay & Lesbian Integrity Assoc. (GALIA)

Gay Youth Alliance Group

BANFF

 105 Miette Ave  1-800-282-9919  info@whistlersinn.com  http://www.whistlersinn.com

12 Woody’s------------------------------------ ✰ See Edmonton - Bars & Clubs (Gay).

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

Exposure Festival

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

Youth Understanding Youth

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

LETHBRIDGE

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

• Ultimate Frisbee

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

 hockey@teamedmonton.ca

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

• Soul OUTing

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

• Hockey

Products & Services Cruiseline

• Swimming (Making Waves)

• Volleyball, Intermediate

 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.

Jasper Pride Festival

 PO Box 98, 409 Patricia St., T0E 1E0

 contact@jasperpride.ca  http://www.jasperpride.ca

 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.

• Curling with Pride

• Golf

Passion Vault

 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!

 crosscountry@teamedmonton.ca

 dragonboat@teamedmonton.ca

Community Groups

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

• Snowballs V

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

• Cross Country Skiing

Retail Stores

All genders and levels of runners and walkers are invited to join this free activity.

 lethbridgepridefest@gmail.com

RED DEER Community Groups 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.

Continued on Page 77  www.gaycalgary.com

GayCalgary Magazine #128, June 2014

75

Classifieds Event

140

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

190

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

Adult Oriented

215

Womanforwomen.ca

Erotic Massage

420

UltimateMaleMassage.com

Best Erotic Male Massage In Calgary.

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

Video on website. 403-680-0533

Internet

Permanent Hair Removal Elecrolysis

Officiant - Marriage Commissioner Commissioner for Oaths in Alberta

Destination Location Style • Elopement Style • Quick and Legal • Formal or Stylish • Immediate or in the Future • Religion Free • Standard or Customized Ceremonies • Cross Cultural • Same Sex - LGBT-TTQ hilford@shaw.ca • 403-246-4134

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

Pet / Animal

Models/Escorts

460

Alberta Escort Listings

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

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

Consulting

527

Certified Personal Trainer

455

Do you want to experience more uninhibited bliss? Would you like to have a deeper sensual & sexual connection with your partner(s)? Want to feel happier, healthier, more confident & have a lot of fun? I can fully support you & guide you in allowing that & so much more into your life. My name is Jen & I am a Tantric Sensual Guide for Women only.

Electrolysis is the only method of permanent hair removal Hospital grade sterilization Individual filament Free concentration No obligation Call Brenda at Scandia Electrolysis 403-241-7589

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

445

51 year old male desires companion with LTR potential. Being single is awesome, being with another can be better. Seeking someone who is active, but not always busy. My location and schedule generally allows for weekends only - like Fairy Tales. Sex is a benefit, not the priority. No to drugs, kink, most nightlife.

Exchange pictures and stats later. Responses to ruchasing@gmail.com.

Dog Walking, Pet Sitting, Pet Taxi, House Services. Pet First Aid Certified. Insured & Bonded. Free Initial Consultation. Visit us at WWW.PEDESTRIANPOOCH.CA or call Mark at 403-477-1242.

Rork Hilford MC

mike@ultimatemalemassage.com

Companion Wanted

PEDESTRIAN POOCH Pet & House Services

Beauty / Skin / Hair 510

WEDDINGS AND MARRIAGES at your venue or in my home studio.

Male Friends

365

Products/Services 500

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

Cleaning

517

GET A LIFE! Commercial Cleaning

Does your business need a professional cleaner? Steve is bonded/Insured. Flexible prices and brings all his own supplies. Steve is a part of the LGBT Community and has been cleaning for over 5 years in Calgary.

(403)200-7384 getalifecleaner@gmail.com www.getalifecleaner.com www.facebook.com/getalifecleaner

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.

Massage

560

Massage Therapy in Edmonton

Certified massage therapist providing therapeutic and relaxation massage. Proud member/supporter of LGBTQ community.

Phone or text (780-918-5856) Dwayne Holm, CMT Downtown Edmonton (free parking)

Ads starting at $10/mo. for the first 20 words. Submit yours at http://www.gaycalgary.com/classifieds 76

GayCalgary Magazine #128, June 2014

www.gaycalgary.com

Photography

572

Scan below to view Classified Ads Online!

Hire an Amauter Photographer Need new photos? Want something for LinkedIn, Facebook, holiday cards? Personal, couples, share-able or adult - no limits, you retain all rights. Creative Queer photographer, cheap rates. photo@chaoticwow.ca

 Find Out - From Page 75 LGBTQ Education

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

Pride on Campus

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

MEDICINE HAT Community Groups HIV Community Link

 356 - 2 Street SE, Medicine Hat, AB  403-527-5882  1-877-440-2437

• Telephone Support

 M-F, 8:30am - 12:30pm + 1:30pm - 4:30pm

ALBERTA Community Groups Alberta Trans Support/Activities Group

 http://www.albertatrans.org A nexus for transgendered persons, regardless of where they may be on the continuum.

CANADA Community Groups Canadian Rainbow Health Coalition

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

Egale Canada

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

Products & Services Squirt

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

Theatre & Fine Arts Broadway Across Canada

 http://www.broadwayacrosscanada.ca

OUTtv

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

Theatre & Fine Arts Alberta Ballet

 http://www.albertaballet.com Frequent productions in Calgary and Edmonton.

www.gaycalgary.com

GayCalgary Magazine #128, June 2014

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GayCalgary Magazine #128, June 2014

www.gaycalgary.com

www.gaycalgary.com

GayCalgary Magazine #128, June 2014

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