GayCalgary Magazine - June 2015

JUNE 2015

® ISSUE 139 • FREE The Voice of Alberta’s LGBT Community

Derrick Barry

Bringing Britney to Edmonton

Interview with

JULLY BLACK

David Benjamin

The Perks of Maturity

PLUS:

Kira Isabella • Tebey • Carly’s Angels Canadian Rockies International Rodeo Teddy Wilson • Josh Groban ...and more!

Business Directory

Adore Delano

Scan to Read on Mobile Devices

Community Map

Calgary • Alberta • Canada

Events Calendar

at Pure Pride Edmonton

Tourist Information

STARTING ON PAGE 51

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GayCalgary Magazine #139, June 2015

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GayCalgary Magazine #139, June 2015

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GayCalgary Magazine #139, June 2015

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Table of Contents

Photography

Steve Polyak, Photography J&B, Kurtis Allan Steve Polyak, Rob Diaz-Marino, B&J Videography Steve Polyak

Videography

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

Legal Council Courtney Aarbo, Barristers and Solicitors Distribution Calgary: Gallant Distribution General Inquiries GayCalgary Staff ® GayCalgary Magazine Edmonton: Clark’s Distribution 2136 17thCanada AvenuePost SW Other: Calgary, AB, Canada T2T 0G3 magazine@gaycalgary.com Legal Council Courtney Aarbo, Barristers and Solicitors

Office Hours: By appointment ONLY Phone: 403-543-6960 Sales & General Inquiries GayCalgary and1-888-543-6960 Edmonton Magazine Toll Free: 2136 17th Avenue SW Fax: 403-703-0685 Calgary, AB, Canada E-Mail: magazine@gaycalgary.com T2T 0G3 This Month's Cover

Main: Black.

Office Hours: ByJully appointment ONLY Top Right: Derrick Barry, photo by Kristofer Reynolds. Mid Phone: 403-543-6960 Right: David Benjamin, photo by Raging Stallion. Bottom TollAdore Free: 1-888-543-6960 Right: Delano, photo by Austin Young

Fax: 403-703-0685 E-Mail: magazine@gaycalgary.com This Month's Cover Cher and Christina Aguilera courtesy of Sony Pictures; Annie Lennox courtesy of Mike Owen; Rex Goudie.

Proud Members of: Proud Members of:

The mixed martial arts extravaganza of Tebey, and the literary prowess of Carly’s Angels

10 Jully Black

Canada’s R&B star on Pride, her career, and going independent

14 Lethbridge Pride

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Writers and Contributors

Mercedes Chris Azzopardi, Allen, ChrisDallas Azzopardi, Barns,Dallas Jeff Berry, Barnes, Dave DaveBrousseau, Brousseau,Sam Andrea Casselman, Chrysanthou-Charles, Jason Clevett, Constable Andrew Collins, Andy Buck, Emily Jason Collins,Clevett, Rob Diaz-Marino, Janine EvaJanine Trotta,Eva Stephen Trotta,Lock, JackLisa Fertig, Lunney, Glen Steve Hanson, Polyak, Joan Hilty, MikeyEvan Rox,Kayne, Carey Stephen Rutherford, Lock, Krista NeilSylvester, McMullen, Allan MarsNeuwirth, Tonic, Romeo SteveSan Polyak, Vicente, Carey V.N.Rutherford, Winnick, and Romeo the LGBT San Vicente, Community Ed Sikov, of Calgary, Nick Vivian Edmonton, and the GLBT Community andofAlberta.

Calgary, Edmonton, and Alberta.

7 Coming Soon to a Rodeo Stage Near You

Bigger budget means bigger festival

15 Buckle Up

This summer’s CRIR festivities promise rompin’ good time

16 Irish Pluck Moves Equality Forward 17 Discussing Community Safety

Avoid becoming a victim of fraud, and know what to do if you are

18 Positive Thoughts Surviving With Pride

20 Toronto Murals Inspire Important Discourse Artists create work to reflect on marriage equality and representation in sport

22 Calgary Expo

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

JUNE 2015

e n zi

Exuding love one decade strong, talk with Teddy Wilson of “InnerSpace”

a g a

24 Deep Inside Hollywood

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Rocky Horror remake, Judd Apatow, Animal Crackers, and JT LeRoy

25 Kira Isabella! We still love you Performing at CRIR 2015

26 The Emboldened Girls

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®

A candid conversation with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin

29 Summer Style Sheet Edmonton Rainbow Business Association

International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association

32 Britney’s coming to Edmonton Pride!!

Well, sort of. Interview with talented performer Derrick Barry

PAGE 32

National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association

Beach-Ready Accessories That Make a Splash

Gay European Tourism Association

Continued on Next Page  www.gaycalgary.com

GayCalgary Magazine #139, June 2015

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Table of Contents  Continued From Previous Page

34 Purely Adore

®

Adore Delano comes to Edmonton’s Pure Pride Magazine Figures

36 David Benjamin

Monthly Online Magazine Readership:

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The Perks of Maturity

Combined total of PDF and ISSUU Downloads/Reads –100,000 copies

38 Josh Groban Bears All

Troubadour talks bear fans, drag queens, gay rumors and his dream Broadway role

41 Queer Eye 47 A Couple of Guys 50 Ms. GayCalgary June 2015 - Janie Van Santen

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51 Directory and Events 56 Classified Ads

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Scan for Latest Issue:

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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. December 2014/ January 2015 is the last print edition.

February 2015 is the first digital only edition.

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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Readers Per Copy: 4.9 (PMB) Avg. Online Circulation: 310,000 readers Estimated Total Readership: >319,800 readers Frequency: Monthly

Proof of monthly figures are available on request.

48 News Releases

Scan for this Issue:

Total Readership of PDF/ISSUU/WEB

Copyright 2015. All rights reserved.

GayCalgary® is a registered trademark.

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Interview

Coming Soon to a Rodeo Stage Near You

The mixed martial arts extravaganza of Tebey, and the literary prowess of Carly’s Angels

By Carey Rutherford Okay, maybe both Carly and Tebey would disagree with such descriptions, seeing as Tebey is a country music singer and Carly’s Angels perform a comedic drag show, but this year’s Canadian Rockies International Rodeo and Music Festival (CRIR) is doing everything it can to get you to share their view of diversity in Alberta’s rodeo world. From June 26th to 28th, Strathmore will offer the likes of George Canyon, calf roping, LeAnn Rimes, Tim Hicks, bull riding, barrel racing, as well as Tebey and the Angels to cap off the diversity mandate the Alberta Rockies Gay Rodeo Association (ARGRA) has been pushing for 24 years.

Tebey will be performing on Friday night along with Tim Hicks and Kira Isabella (both Canadian Country Music Association vocalists of the year in the last five years) and Ty Herndon.

“It’s been a long, and kind of winding road for me,” Tebey says.

“I went to Nashville when I was 15 . . . and ended up getting a record deal with RCA in Nashville when I was 17 doing country music; made a record with Bob Rock (of Metallica, Bon Jovi and Aerosmith). The first single came out in 2003. [At 20] I moved back to Canada and became a songwriter. I wanted to stay in the music business.

“Over the years I have written a bunch of different songs for different people in different genres of music and then, about

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three or four years ago, I decided to start making my own records again . . . A lot of artists that are successful today made their living as songwriters [first]. A really big example right now is Sam Hunt. Sam is like the hottest thing in country music these days . . . and he had two or three number one [hits] as a songwriter over the last 18 months before he released his first single . . . Two singles ago [we did] a country cover of the Avicii song “Wake Me Up”. It was a massive hit for us, a top 5 single, and went gold in Canada.”

Tebey discusses their latest single, “When the Buzz Wears Off”. “[Surviving a broken heart] is a pretty common theme, especially in country music; we’re not reinventing the wheel here. But half the battle, as a writer, is to say it in a different way that hasn’t been said before.

“The thing with me is that I have some eclectic tastes in music: I feel like I’m not just a one-trick pony. Some artists do one thing, extremely well – like a traditional country artist, or a straight up pop artist. Me, I tend to move in and out. I’m still in the country music genre, but I like to blur the lines.”

Given the hits that he has penned – covered by Shawn Desmand, Cher, One Direction and Chad Brownlee – apparently it’s a good idea!

“I can relate to [CRIR’s diversity approach]: I’m half black.

My dad’s black, from Nigeria, and my mom’s white, from Peterborough, Ontario. So I’m used to being different, and I think

Continued on Next Page 

GayCalgary Magazine #139, June 2015

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 From Previous Page

Online Last Month (1/2) Creep of the Week Scott Walker

Think of the last time you’ve gotten an invitation to a wedding and thought to yourself, “Ugh. These people. I totally don’t think they should be getting married, and if I... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a4661

The Frivolist

6 Gay Places to Kick Off the Best. Summer. Ever.

Skip Palm Springs, forget Fire Island and put P-Town on hold. This year, you’re headed to a new LGBT-friendly destination for an unexpected getaway with all the perks to which... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a4663  Tebey

it’s really cool that they’re having this ‘diversified rodeo’, because that’s what I’m about!

“Before this we’ve released two albums, and in the past two years we’ve had three top 10 singles, and one gold-selling single.

So we’ve done well, and the crowds are getting bigger . . . With me, it’s about walking away with more fans than I had going in, and that’s how I treat every show.”

And now, for something completely different – it must be a June thing – both Tebey and Carly, the head Angel, are writing in the air while we speak.

“L-O-L-I-T-A-S, I think. I can’t spell in the air!” Carly bemoans.

Whatever it’s called, clearly the patrons of this Inglewood lounge like the Angels, because Carly’s trio of camp has been keeping it up for 15 years, and there’s usually a month or longer waiting list to get in to see the show. When GC asks why, Carly says their longevity has produced an effective word-of-mouth network, and the intimacy of a 70-seat dinner show makes it special.

“It’s a very polished show with a start, a middle, and an end; both scripted and spontaneous . . . I get a lot of my material just from the audience. They give you so much in this city . . . We [often] spend hardly any time on the stage.” “[CRIR] asked us to do the Saturday night, on the main stage, the same night as the Village People and Leann Rimes. It’s a little nerve-wracking to go from such an intimate crowd – where you’re very one-on-one – to something that’s such a stadium setup.

We’re trying to work out how we can keep the heart of Carly’s Angels there so [that] it’s not just another drag show.”

CRIR is exuding the mantra ‘Go big or go home’ this year, bringing in the big-name musical talent like Canyon, Rimes and Hicks, so when considering a drag element for the show, Carly says “they said Why not the longest-running one in town?”

GC mentions that, apparently, Carly’s Angels are looking for adventure, considering the effects of summer sun and heat on their drag outfits. Carly agrees, noting the sun “is not our friend!” and expands.

“They’re kind of cute, the ARGRA guys. [They said] We’ll get some Cub [Scouts] to come up and fan you. Do you have ANY idea how that’s NOT going to help? A portable deep-freeze would work for us . . . The dinner show (with the three girls) consists of six costume changes; it’s interesting because our style of drag is classic – old-school performance pieces – whereas the whole drag community is so enveloped with the RuPaul’s Drag Race, with all these young queens doing all this new stuff. We’d like to bring back the classic performance style.

Continued on Next Page  8

GayCalgary Magazine #139, June 2015

Creep of the Week Pat Robertson

Back in the late 90s on “Saturday Night Live,” Will Ferrell played Neil Diamond in a spoof of VH1 Storytellers. After Diamond has told increasingly incriminating stories... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a4666

Hear Me Out

11 Songs to Pimp Your Pride Playlist

You don’t have to part with your Madonna. You can keep your Diana Ross, your other divas and all the queer classics that stoke your Pride playlist. But is your rainbow losing its... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a4667

Creep of the Week Rick Wiles

Get ready to hunker in your bunkers, everybody, because rumor has it that should the United States Supreme Court rule in favor of marriage equality for all, the results might be... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a4669

Deep Inside Hollywood

The Lobster, Reese Witherspoon, Brokeback, Independence Day 2

Greek indie The Lobster gets an all-star cast Ever heard of Yorgos Lanthimos? No? It’s fine if you haven’t. He’s an independent filmmaker from Greece, whose daring, unnerving... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a4671

Cheers to Summer 2015

Party-Startin’ Drink Recipes to Sip in the Sun

Another hot-and-sweaty season is upon us – and it’s time to throw back a few cold ones.

From pick-me-up coffee concoctions to a cocktail that’ll tickle your pickle, these are the... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a4674

Screen Queen

Into the Woods, Selma, Maude The Complete Series, Dear White People, The Babadook, Wild

Into the Woods Throughout her longstanding career as Acting God, Meryl Streep has used her cinematic superpowers to, on occasion, expertly polish turds, turning them into beautiful... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a4673

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Online Last Month (2/2) Faith Michaels Drops Her “Panties”

The Second Single From Her Full Length Album, The Pop Album

Faith Michaels’ second single from her album of pop-oriented songs mixes camp, comedy, and sensuality with playfully strong dance beats.

“Panties is a track I began writing... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a4677

Creep of the Week

Health Insurance Companies

We all know that men can get breast cancer. It’s more common in women, but it can and does happen. Thankfully, we live in the United States of Gender Equality, where everyone... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a4679

Hear Me Out Tori Amos

“Tori Amos who?” My dear friend, then boyfriend, must have been dumbfounded when I – a gay man – uttered these words that, in retrospect, are among the most naive of... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a4680

Creep of the Week Jeb Bush

Newsflash: Jeb Bush has finally weighed in on the plight of anti-gay Christian wedding vendors. In an interview with David Brody for “The Brody File,” a Christian Broadcasting... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a4689

Deep Inside Hollywood

‘Three Generations,’ the O.J. show, Anthony Rapp, The Fifth Beatle

Three Generations puts trans teen story in spotlight British filmmaker Gaby Dellal, mostly known for her work as a director and actor in the U.K., just found herself in the middle... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a4690

Positive Thoughts

Surviving With Pride

The month of June is typically jam-packed with parades, events and festivities that bring many of us in the LGBTQ community together to revel in our uniqueness, pay tribute to... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a4692

 Carly’s Angels. photo by GayCalgary

 From Previous Page “That’s why I love Bianca del Rio so much: she’s a true original, comedienne queen. She is never going to release a goddamn album; God help us if she does! But every queen on the Drag Race has some song coming out, and I’d say only two per cent of them can actually sing!”

If you suspect that subtlety and diplomacy are not a big part of Carly’s portion of the Angels show, you would be guessing right. Wait until they have their question panel onstage, where the audience gets to ask questions about WHATEVER they want, from camp to Dr. Phyl(lis). This will be your first chance to see them without a month-long reservation list or a private party hiring fee.

“I’ve always had this motto: if you can make somebody laugh, then they’ll remember you. I’m not having children anytime soon, and so I don’t have any perpetuation of my name, etc., but I know that somewhere down the line, maybe in [another] 15 years, someone will say Oh my go;, do you remember the Carly’s Angels show? That will be my legacy.”

NSFW - Interview with David Benjamin - The Perks of Maturity

TeBey and Carly’s Angels June 27th

What he was wearing during the interview

CRIR, Canadian Rockies International Rodeo https://www.argra.org

To watch the special X-Rated part of the interview you will need a FREE account on the GayCalgary Magazine website and be over the age of 18 to view the additional content!... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a4685

Tebey http://tebeymusic.com/ Carly’s Angels http://www.carlysangels.ca/ http://www.gaycalgary.com/a4701

View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments www.gaycalgary.com

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Interview

by Jason Clevett It was May 15th, 2008. Jully Black, fresh off the success of her single “Seven Day Fool”, played a concert at the Grande Theatre. The high-energy star’s tone changed when she spoke of the loss of her sister, Sharon, at the age of 24. Dedicating the song “Catch Me When I Fall”, Black caught the crowd in the emotion of the song. It was especially significant to me in the audience – days earlier I had lost a dear family friend. After she show Jully met fans in the lobby and, when I told her about my friend, she inscribed a message on her CD about her to me. There is a disconnect between artists on stage and the fans in the audience, who rarely get to have a moment with those that write the music we love. Eight years later, this event is still significant to me.

Jully Black

Canada’s R&B star on Pride, her career, and going independent

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GayCalgary Magazine #139, June 2015

“I remember talking to someone who had had someone pass away recently at the show. I am getting goose bumps; you are bringing tears to my eyes. Thank you for that reminder because it means everything to me. Writing songs is not a hobby of mine – I am a storyteller, but I also realize that I have been called to be the voice of the voiceless. Sometimes a lot of us are afraid to be transparent but, for me, that has been therapeutic, and has been that way since I was six or seven years old. Before I could string a sentence together I was always writing something. It means everything to me; it really does,” Black said, when I recalled to her that moment. I was stunned when, a few days later in a post on her website, she dedicated the song to me there.

“It is important for us to remain connected and for people like myself, who have the opportunity to connect with and reach people, I think the most important thing to do is share the moment and let each other know that we are not alone. It is amazing that you say that because, at the time, I wrote a lot on my website, and had a lot of traffic to my website because I was so open. I am rebuilding my site. For the longest time Universal held my domain. I have been going through some stuff, and even something like a website domain – and being able to put something out there and reach people – I think this is confirmation that I am going in the right direction. I said that to my web designer yesterday – that I need to be able to go on there and speak. I know we are living in the era where bloggers become the star, but I just want to continue to connect with my fans, [whom] I consider my family. Thank you for sharing that; thank you so much for sharing that. It means so much to me that we made that connection and, eight years later, we are still able to talk about it.”

GayCalgary recently spoke to Jully over the phone in advance of her appearance at Edmonton’s Pride Festival. A lot has happened lately in her life and career: after a decade with Universal Music she left the label, in December, to refocus her career as an independent artist.

“One of the reasons why I decided to go independent after 13 years is because of lack of support. The new experience has been being able to form authentic relationships with people, like media and fans, and form brand partnerships. As much as it is work, the value of the one on one is how you build a career.

Even though I have had great relationships through my record company, these now are what I call ‘legacy relationships’.”

Part of that relationship is cultivated with fans through social media. Black is constantly posting updates on Facebook and Twitter.

“Social media means power, especially in being an independent artist and a new CEO, as far as my record company is concerned.

I have been able to connect with people all around the world. It sounds a little cliché but it’s true that social media is literally getting rid of the middleman. It is about getting it done; to come full circle. That is what social media has confirmed: that you can get it done if you really want to. You have to put some time into it – even one hour – I consider that a part of my work day.

Let me hit social media even for 30 minutes and connect even www.gaycalgary.com

with just one person; that one person’s day is made and they make my day. Wow someone cares in Belgium or Australia and is listening to my song as I am sitting in Markham, Ontario? That gives me inspiration and motivates me to keep on.

There is no retirement and expiration in music; being relevant or not relevant.

Music is forever. If you listen to the songs of the past – The Beatles, Tina Turner – there is no expiration on there.

Music has become this thing, like add water and stir. No matter how long it takes or how long it is taking... according to whose watch?

I am right on time, right on schedule, according to my watch. Social media has helped me stay on course.”

In addition to her music career, Black has been a correspondent for CTV’s etalk, mentor on Canadian Idol, and acted in Da Kink In My Hair. Through it all she has been an activist and supporter of the LGBTQ community, and appearing at Pride events means a great deal to her.

“Pride means love; it means power and fearlessness. It is amazing to support it. It is interesting when I look at the various Prides I have been a part of, and the whole concept of acceptance for the LGBTQ community – it starts in my family, in my bloodline. What people didn’t realize is it is personal. At the same time, I am not walking around having hetero pride so my goal is inclusion. It is important to celebrate those that have been confident enough to come out but, at the same time, I want the whole world to celebrate the concept of just love.

God is love. Be you and be free. Being an activist or lobbyist for pride to me, it almost creates separation at times. Ok, I support and love the LGBTQ and they love me back. But really we are just supposed to love each other anyway. It is amazing to see now my non-pride concerts and the inclusion – everybody is one big jambalaya of music lovers and people lovers, and it’s not about religion, it’s about relationships of all races and genders. It is amazing, so I found my purpose to come full circle and land right here in this conversation. I found my purpose

in connection and being a connector,” she said, adding that at 13, seeing her sister lose a friend to AIDS, and then eight years later losing a friend of her own to the disease, impacted her. “It impacted me even moreso as an adult because, for the longest time, we had to say that both of them had cancer. They didn’t even know each other – it was when I was 13 and then 21.

The fact that we couldn’t even say it was AIDS is a problem. Both of their lives were a lie. It still bugs me to this day. I do have friends now that are living with HIV, not dying from it. That is my message: you are not dying from this thing, even if it’s cancer, we have to really put life lived instead of this whole bounty on their heads of death. It has really given me that much more motivation to spread the gospel of life.”

In 2015 Black performed at Toronto’s World Pride.

“Last year’s World Pride memories will stick with me forever. One of my artistic directors [who] is confidently gay and out and about told me World Pride was coming, and we need you on that, about six months prior. I mentioned it to my agent and it was kind of just quiet. We took to the Internet and started using social media. Then another friend of mine knew people and we made it a campaign – Jully is getting on World Pride on the biggest stage in Toronto; that is what we are going to do. And we did it.

The power of words and actions. Being out there and watching people hold up signs that say ‘we are all human’ and t-shirts – it wasn’t just about me playing “Seven Day Fool”, bye, got my cheque. We wanted to touch each and every person in that audience. I felt like I was looking each person in the eyes and saying I love you and them saying I love you back. It was amazing.”

Black told us about being on set for the “Seven Day Fool” video shoot and being taken aback that the dancers admitted they could not usually be openly gay on video sets.

“Some of my dancers now were in the video and, at the time, they said it was the first music video set where they can be

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GayCalgary Magazine #139, June 2015

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openly gay because most times they have to pretend they are not. That really hit me hard. That would be like me pretending I’m not black or not a woman. I didn’t get it – you know? A lot of video sets, depending on the genre, they have to kind of play hard. If it is certain music they cannot just be themselves. If they are a little flamboyant, or they’re with their guy or girl or holding hands, they just couldn’t do it – it was taboo or shunned, or they were uncomfortable. The two-day shoot for the “Seven Day Fool” video, everyone was just comfortable. So for us to celebrate on the World Pride stage together, I don’t even know if my wedding day is going to top that.”

Black credits her family for raising her to believe that everyone is free to be themselves.

“I give my mom credit for that. As a 79-year-old woman she was raised in a certain generation, but she didn’t teach that. She wasn’t about exclusion. When I was told that, at the end of day one on the set, I was pulled to the side and told thank you so much for allowing us to be ourselves I was like, I am not giving you permission to be yourself, you are giving yourself that permission. I just want you to have a good time and be great and do what you were called to do. I just appreciate what you are contributing to this video and my purpose in life.

It is pretty cool. I think that the LGBTQ community knows first hand what its like to be in the valley, and really just continue to climb. That’s definitely helped me a lot in support and being able to stay on track” The night before our interview Black hosted an event for The Canadian Centre for Gender + Sexual Diversity.

“It was a tribute to Rufus Wainwright; he got the youth role model award. He has been doing a lot of work with youth.

That is another thing about being welcomed into the LGBTQ community; to get to know who the leaders are and were, to really provide that platform of inspiration and to know that Rufus took the baton, not just in being openly gay, but in the music business! That is one of the biggest leaps somebody can take, and to still garner success internationally. He mentioned not really being about being married. Even though he is gay he thinks marriage is a heterosexual thing, but being able to find love and be ok with marriage – he is a translator. What is amazing is being involved in that event. Really I was able to be educated, not to mention be able to just be a part of the fabric of what true love really means in our contemporary world. We need to take the labels off and leave that four letter word right there.”

Black has opened for Celine Dion, wrote with artists like Destiny’s Child and Nas, and collaborated with many artists.

One of my favourite Jully Black videos on YouTube is a collaboration with Dallas Green covering Rose Royce’s “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore”.

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GayCalgary Magazine #139, June 2015

“I am so happy you mentioned Dallas. We made a connection in Winnipeg, probably nine years ago, as two unknowns in the hotel lobby. There was a piano that wasn’t plugged in and he wanted to play it. We didn’t know each other, but we found the plug and sang.

Fast forward, he asked me to join him for that special moment. It is one I will always remember. He is so humble and talented. I also admire him as a business person. I have watched him build that with City and Colour and Alexisonfire, and build an empire, which is a beautiful thing. That collaboration led me to really think differently about my business. Writing for Destiny’s Child was a moment in life that, at the time, I was so focused on what’s next I didn’t really enjoy the moment. I think that’s important for people – to just take a moment and look around the room at where you are. Be grateful, because hindsight is 20/20, but it is better when you are living it in the moment. I opened for Etta James before I recorded “Seven Day Fool”.

I shared the stage with her in 2004. Three years later I did “Seven Day Fool”. That was special. There are so many, but last, but not least, I did the Montreal Jazz Festival and Patti LaBelle had lost her voice. I had a little bag of tricks and she came up to me and I gave her some concoction for her voice. I gave Patti LaBelle a concoction! She sang that night and she called me out and she said You people are going to know this lady’s name. We sang “Georgia On My Mind” together. I will never forget that moment together. She held my hand and said you remember this woman; you are going to know her name. It was awesome. I watched her work that room and say hello to everybody. I have always been about the personal touch; you never know who you are sitting beside. When I was at Universal I would go to the mail-room and thank the people that were sending my CDs out. Everybody matters, and she confirmed that in how she dealt with the sound people, craft services – she said hello to everybody and shook their hands.”

At the 2008 Juno Awards in Calgary, Black closed the broadcast with “Seven Day Fool”, showing she could look at home on the Saddledome stage. It was a breakthrough moment for the artist who had been nominated for Junos since 1997.

“It was another incredible moment, being on that telecast with my friend and mentor Russel Peters – who was the first person of colour to host that telecast – was a beautiful thing.

That year in itself, being nominated not just for R&B but single of the year, that has been part of my activism as well – to not have people be labeled by the colour of their skin or genre. She’s black; she’s R&B. He’s black; he’s hip-hop. That year Canada spoke, and I really appreciated that they looked at the Revival album and “Seven Day Fool” to be in the category with Feist and Michael Buble.”

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With her incredible talent and stage presence, it says something about the music industry that Black isn’t headlining arenas.

“I often ask myself the same thing. What I have realized is that I wasn’t ready. I say that in that I didn’t have the right people around me and wasn’t ready mentally. Age doesn’t equal maturity, and what I believe is, where this is headed is back to building a legacy and legendary status. Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner – that is where I see myself and so, therefore, even one bad apple is going to spoil the bunch. For many years I haven’t had the right management that understands who Jully Black is and the magnitude of this gift. I am so fortunate to be speaking to you today because last night, as I was winding down my night, it just started to dawn on me that the magnitude of my gift and my talent, my mind wasn’t there. Just last night I was like, Jully, your mind needs to match your gift. Because any time I step on stage people say you have such energy and presence and personality. What I feel in my body is like I am in yoga; it is so calm, but on stage what it comes out as is big. Now I am like, ok; God I know I just need to be surrounded with the right people. In the past six days five people got let go from my organization. What is interesting is I am loyal to a fault; usually I don’t let people go, which I think is typically Canadian. There are people at my former record company and I am like, you aren’t doing your job but you still have one; I don’t get it. If this was America, you’re fired if you aren’t producing. So now it is really time. I spent two and a half years dancing four days a week, two hours a day, just getting the dancing perfected. Yes, I am independent, but now it is about seeking out distribution rather than direct label signing, where you don’t have creative control or can’t speak to people for interviews. Arenas are in sight, but what I do love is that whether it is singing “Hallelujah” last night or packing the Phoenix in Toronto last week, that is my arena. Every stage I treat like an arena; I don’t think I would have gotten there mentally or spiritually had I just been elevated there right away.”

The youngest of seven children, raised by a single mother after her parents divorced when she was young, Black has overcome many obstacles. One of Canada’s greatest voices, she continues to inspire people, and being a role model is something she takes seriously.

“Being a role model is very important; to celebrate my sacrifices and really celebrate the fact that we all basically – even if you are born into tangible wealth – we all come from nothing because we have to create something for our lives. You can hand somebody a bag of money, but if you don’t have purpose, talent, maturity, guidance and leadership, you have also come from nothing. That is what being a role model has helped me to celebrate and use as my anchor to say, you know what? I was raised this way, you were raised that way, but where are you now and where do you see yourself? Are you able to be kind in the midst of your circumstances? I have recognized times in my life where it has been really challenging, and I might not have been the nicest person in those circumstances. As I journey in life I really admire my goal as a role model; it is not about what you do, but who are you? Who is Jully Black? That has helped me a lot in these various platforms that I have been called to speak at and on. People are getting to know who I am, and what I do is a byproduct.”

Those in attendance at Pride will not only get to see the incomparable Jully Black perform live, but also get a copy of her first album since 2009’s The Black Book.

“We did what I am calling a soft exclusive release last week at my concert. I will have the brand new CD at the show. That is how I am doing it for the next few months; only selling the new CD at my concerts before we go digital. I want to go back to the old school and have people have that unique, special experience hearing the show, seeing the show, hearing the new songs and going ahead and popping it into their CD player when they get into their cars. New music is definitely on the way. I recorded 77 songs to get to this point, and the turning point, and the decision to leave Universal was none of them were good enough.

Because they are chasing what’s on radio right now. Had I been

in another region, it’s a radio song. It is interesting because I have peers and various executives around the world that say this fits what’s going on over here, but you don’t live here. So now we are planning to hit the UK in the fall, but what I am happy about most is that Canada knows that I didn’t just pack up and leave. Now I am ready to fly and go to those arenas. How is it that my parents migrated from Jamaica so that we could dream and have a better life than them, but now I have to pack up and leave? It has always bugged me. I am happy that I have stayed this long. Canada knows I am theirs no matter where I end up.”

From that night at the Grande Theatre to seeing multiple TV performances, I can attest to the fact that when Black takes the stage, there is an amazing performance.

“It is going to be so much fun bringing the full band and dancers. Expect to be entertained and have your emotions going. Be prepared to laugh and cry, and sing and dance. I just really encourage everyone to come with an open mind and have a good time.”

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Jully Black http://www.JullyBlack.com Edmonton - Pride in the Park – June 6th http://www.EdmontonPride.ca http://www.gaycalgary.com/a4682 View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments

GayCalgary Magazine #139, June 2015

13

Community

 photos by GayCalgary

Lethbridge Pride

Bigger budget means bigger festival

By Krista Sylvester A lot can change in seven years and, for Lethbridge Pride Fest, a lot has. And that’s a good thing.

Armed with a bigger budget than ever, and its largest private board yet, there are many new and exciting things planned for this year’s festival, according to Lethbridge Pride Fest 2015 chair Levi Cox. “Our numbers seem to grow each year with more events… catering to all ages and all aspects of our community, including the McKillop Church and local high school QSA,” Cox says. “Lethbridge Pride Local… features a big heart and I’ll tell you this – we are definitely feeling the love.”

A bigger board means a bigger event, Cox explains, and he is excited to see what that means for festival goers who will have more activities to enjoy and take part in. The fest developed from humble beginnings: from mere patio tables to now booking larger venues with more people attending the week-long celebration.

“Surprisingly, some of our biggest challenges were our manpower and our board size in the last six years. We’ve had a board of about six or seven people organizing the events. This year there are 14 board members and it’s our most diverse group yet; including lesbian, gay, trans, bi and straight members, truly making our board LGBTQA.”

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While big changes have come from within, Cox says the community and the city of Lethbridge have also been very supportive – which, like many cities, was not always the case.

“More and more local businesses and community leaders join in each year. Our flag has flown at city hall for the past six years with local politicians and the police attending our parades. We definitely feel welcomed into the community, and there is also an amazing gay bar and theatre company; it’s been amazing,” Cox says, adding that the festival has received Heart of the City funding, which helps create community events in the downtown core.

This year’s new and exciting events include the Diva Cabaret at the Lethbridge Casino, featuring nine local drag queens, including Fendi Ashleen la Fierce.

“It’s a huge boost to Lethbridge Pride to be hosted at such a large, public venue. Also this year, we’ve hired our first Ru Girl, Shangela Laquifa, to host our big Pride dance on July 4th.”

It is the second year in a row that the fest will take place in July, which was designed to try to avoid weather issues that arose in the past.

Lethbridge Pride Fest June 26th to July 4th http://www.lethbridgepridefest.com

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Community

 photos by GayCalgary

Buckle Up

This summer’s CRIR festivities promise rompin’ good time

By Lisa Lunney The first sanctioned Canadian Rockies International Rodeo (CRIR) was held modestly in 1994, marking this year’s festivities as the 22nd annual rodeo. Travellers from all over the globe now flock to join in the fun, and the Alberta Rockies Gay Rodeo Association (ARGRA) has become one of the largest gay rodeo associations in the world. This rodeo has it’s own signature flavour, but certainly expect to see the classic hay bales, horses, country music and the ambience of country living.

“Our rodeo is unique; by allowing everyone to participate in all our rodeo events. We do not discriminate.”

This celebration is a rare gem in Alberta. Where else can women feel free to participate in all rodeo events? Where else can music-goers, rodeo fans and campers leave all restrictions at the door—to simply enter the grounds and feel the freedom to be their true selves? It is a breath of fresh air, both figuratively and literally. An event all Albertans, and LGBTQT members, on a global scale can look forward to.

CRIR is a three-day event running from Friday June 26th to Sunday June 28th. The days are long and packed full of events, starting bright and early and ending just hours before the sun rises again. This is the perfect way to spend the first official weekend of the summer. Rain or shine, festivities will go on. Give your boots a few clicks and wish for warm weather.

CRIR grounds are controlled by security and ticket marshals, ensuring the grounds are safe for all patrons at all times.

Shane Culleton spoke to GayCalgary on behalf of ARGRA, sharing that the association is “excited to add evening concerts to our 22nd annual rodeo.” The amazing line up includes: Tim Hicks, Leann Rimes, George Canyon, Village People, Aaron Pritchett, Emerson Drive, Tebey, Kira Isabella, King and Cash, Carly’s Angels, and Ty Herndon.

In addition to big names, ARGRA is equally amped to showcase some home grown talent. “We also have 16 local musicians during our daytime festival. Everyone can expect a lot of great music, great food, and great beverages from our sponsors.”

This year’s rodeo events have higher stakes than ever before.

“We Added $25,000 in contestant prize money,” Culleton says.

Contestants and fans alike can expect to see pole bending, team roping, steer riding, breakaway calf roping and much more.

This is an authentic rodeo with a twist; both male and females are competitors and classic rodeo games have been revamped with a signature queer twist. LGBTQT crowd favourites – barrel racing, goat dressing and steer decorating – are just some of the events that all spectators can look forward to.

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The Canadian Rockies International Rodeo Presented by the Alberta Rockies Gay Rodeo Association 33 Wheatland Trail, Strathmore - June 26th to 28th http://www.argra.org

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GayCalgary Magazine #139, June 2015

15

Politics

Irish Pluck Moves Equality Forward

By Stephen Lock The equal marriage movement – and make no mistake, it is a movement – is slowly spreading out across the Western world, with Ireland being the latest nation to recognize that equality for all its citizens must, by definition, encompass equality in all aspects of life. For some of us, that includes being able to marry the person we love and plan to spend our lives with.

The difference in Ireland, however, is that it was the will of the people, rather than a government edict, which brought about equal marriage to the country. Other countries that have embraced equal marriage did so by a change in law instituted by their respective governments. This was the situation in Canada, following several years of lobbying and debate. When it came right down to it, equal marriage became law in Canada because the federal government said so. In Ireland, the question went to a referendum. The people of Ireland voted overwhelmingly in favour of same-sex marriage, with 62 per cent of voters voting yes.

The vote has been viewed by many observers as a ‘dramatic social shift’ within Irish society. Ireland has long been one of the more staunchly Catholic nations on earth. You think Irish and you think not only green but Church/Catholic. The country, however, has long been divided along sectarian lines, with Irish Protestants and their allegiance, quite often, to the British Crown on one side, and Irish Catholics, often with Republican/ nationalist sympathies, on the other.

Ireland was also a physically divided country, with the independent Irish Republic, or Eire, in the south governed out of Dublin, and the British-controlled province of Ulster, or Northern Ireland, in the North, governed from Belfast under direction from Westminster in England. While the Irish Republic enjoyed relative peace following the civil war waged in the 1920s against British control, spearheaded by the Irish Republican Army (IRA), the situation in Ulster was fraught with bombings; street fighting between British troops and antiBritish gangs; neighbours against neighbours, if one happened to be ‘Orange’ (Protestant) and the other ‘Green’ (Catholic).

Belfast was a war zone in the true sense of the word. Whole neighbourhoods reduced to almost post-apocalyptic skeletons of charred ruins, boarded up businesses and homes, crushing poverty and unemployment, and government-imposed curfews.

So for the Irish to set aside differences in a peaceful manner and work towards change together after such a history of strife – and the sad truth that such strife became normal – is truly a dramatic shift.

Predictably, of course, the Irish Church was vehemently opposed to granting marriage rights to homosexuals.However, the Church in Ireland does not have the influence it once did, especially amongst younger generations, the ones who voted overwhelmingly in favour of the amendment. Along with that lack of popular influence in the daily lives of Irish people came an increasing lack of dominance within Irish politics. The Church, which for centuries enjoyed a prosperous co-existence with government, one being almost an extension of the other, is, today, seen as almost irrelevant; or at least separate. One’s

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politics need no longer be tied up with one’s faith or vice versa.

That, in itself, is a major shift.

After the results of the referendum were announced in Dublin the archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, stated on national television that it presented a “challenge” for the Church. “It is a social revolution,” he said. “It’s very clear that if this referendum is an affirmation of the views of young people, then the Church has a huge task ahead of it. The Church needs to do a reality check.”

Meanwhile Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state and second in power to the Pope, stated he was “deeply saddened by the result”. He called the vote not just “a defeat of Christian principles” but “a defeat for humanity”, and vowed the Church’s challenge was to “strengthen [its] commitment to evangelization.”

The referendum was one of the most highly voted upon ballot casts of the last 20 years, with Irish expatriates returning home to cast their vote and 60 per cent of registered voters voting. The proposal was supported by all political parties, ‘big business’, and heavily endorsed by various celebrities. In short, it would not be untoward to say there was truly a groundswell of support in favour of equal marriage. I find that exhilarating.

Prime Minister Enda Kenny told a news conference, following the vote, that the referendum showed Ireland had answered “yes to their future, yes to their love, yes to equal marriage. That Yes is heard loudly across the world as a sound of pioneering leadership from our people.

“Ireland, thank you!”

Ireland now joins several Western nations in legalizing samesex marriage, along with the Netherlands (2001), Belgium (2003), Canada and Spain (2005), South Africa (2006), Norway and Sweden (2009), Portugal, Iceland, and Argentina (2010), Denmark (2012), Brazil, France, Uruguay and New Zealand (2013), Great Britain (2014), and Luxembourg and Slovenia (2015). Though some states have legalized marriage equality, it remains a ‘hot button’ issue in the U.S., with no resolution in sight for the near future. Finland is slated to bring in legalization by 2017 and Mexico, since 2010, legally recognizes same-sex marriages performed in various Mexican jurisdictions but has not actually made same-sex marriage legal federally.

Israel – long a beacon of democracy, liberalism, and support for LGBTQ rights amid a region not known for such attributes – legally recognizes same-sex marriages performed outside of Israel but, because all marriages are performed under religious authority and, in the case of Jewish citizens, this means the orthodox Chief Rabbinate of Israel, which does not allow samesex marriage, equal marriage amongst LGBTQ Israeli Jews is not yet officially recognized.

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Community

Discussing Community Safety

Avoid becoming a victim of fraud, and know what to do if you are

By Constable Andy Buck Hello again everyone. Well, summer is here and that can only mean one thing, right? The ARGRA Rodeo! Buckle up and head down to the rodeo grounds in Strathmore, just off Wheatland Trail, for the weekend of June 27th and 28th. It is going to be an amazing weekend of fun and entertainment. The ARGRA committee has worked incredibly hard to get some fabulous talent in for you, none moreso than The Village People and LeAnn Rimes.

Hopefully you will be able to find the time to come and show support. I will be there all weekend, so come and find me and say hi; I look forward to seeing you there.

From a policing perspective, it has come to our attention that there are a number of scams that are doing the rounds, so I wanted to provide a bit of information for you.

Economic crimes are property offences, which victimize individuals or legal entities through the commission of criminal offences such as theft, fraud and fraud related offences. To report any type of fraud or theft call 403-266-1234 in the Calgary area, or contact the appropriate jurisdiction i.e. RCMP if outside the city.

Most scams are operated outside of Calgary. To report these, contact the appropriate jurisdiction or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) for telemarketing, Internet or email scams. CAFC is a reporting agency only.

There are a number of things you can do to help prevent becoming a victim.

• Don’t give out any personal or financial information over email or the phone. That is very seldom how a legitimate job application works.

• Never deposit someone else’s cheque, or wire money to a person or place you do not personally know and trust. If you receive a cheque in the mail attached to such a request, assume it is fraudulent.

• Look carefully at the language of the ‘offer’. Errors in grammar and spelling, large and small, can be a tip that the email originated from a country in which English is not the first language. Not all employers from non-English speaking countries are certain fakes, but the detail is common to scammers.

• Avoid companies that are located outside of the country that only offer foreign mailing addresses and phone numbers.

• Avoid companies that advertise in unreliable locations such as classifieds, unsolicited emails, unsolicited letters and online websites.

• Avoid secret/mystery shopper ads that demand money up front for training or signing up, or ones that pay you before completing any work.

• Avoid ads that guarantee work without a screening process.

Most legitimate providers are looking for something special and screen their applicants.

with police, or valuable time and leads will be lost. Correctly assemble a concise and organized account of what happened.

If you have been caught in the middle, between the con artists and the investors, it can pinpoint the role you played and why.

• Contact the right agency to report your type of crime.

Jurisdiction is based on the type of crime and where the crime took place.

Remember that these types of incident, although on the increase, are still not common. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is! is never more appropriate. Common sense and the use of these tips should help limit your chances of becoming a victim.

As always, feel free to contact me with any questions, comments or concerns. Look after yourselves and each other, and I hope to see you at the rodeo! Talk to you soon.

Constable Andy Buck 403-428-8154 • pol4792@calgarypolice.ca http://www.gaycalgary.com/a4698 View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments

What to do if you become a victim of an economic crime: • Collect all the documents relating to the incident: contracts, written agreements and any other paper or digital information.

• Put together a written statement in chronological order with the following considered: What happened; where it happened; how it happened; when it happened and in what sequence; who was and is involved.

• If the offender is known to you call 403-266-1234.

• If the offender is unknown you may attend a district office to make a report. You must be properly prepared to speak www.gaycalgary.com

GayCalgary Magazine #139, June 2015

17

Lifestyle

Positive Thoughts Surviving With Pride

By Jeff Berry The month of June is typically jam-packed with parades, events and festivities that bring many of us in the LGBTQ community together to revel in our uniqueness, pay tribute to our leaders and honor achievements in our ongoing fight for equality.

For those like me who are long-term survivors of HIV/AIDS, there is even more to celebrate – the fact that we have survived long enough to be able to continue to achieve our own personal goals, have a career, or even start a family. But surviving HIV/ AIDS can often come with its own set of issues, such as isolation, depression, substance abuse, stigma, and early aging and mortality.

Over the last 30-plus years I’ve lost hundreds of friends, acquaintances and colleagues to HIV and AIDS. In the 25 years since I first tested positive and began treatment, I’ve developed strange conditions such as thrush, kidney sludge and shingles.

I’ve been poked, prodded and bled, and made out living wills and medical powers of attorney. I’ve stood in protest lines and marched on Washington, walked marathons and participated in a bike ride.

I’ve fallen in love, and broken hearts.

I’ve probably been on 10 different drug regimens during that time, which most likely saved my life but definitely have taken their toll. My viral load is undetectable, and my CD4 T-cells and CD4 percentage are near what a normal, healthy HIV-negative person my age might be expected to have. But as the population of people living with HIV and AIDS ages (approximately 50 percent of those living with HIV are now over age 50), we’re beginning to understand that there is much more to the story than simply numbers and percentages. Underneath the surface of the syndrome we know as AIDS lies a darker and much more sinister enemy. Those of us who have come through the fight know that enemy intimately, and we have the battle scars to prove it – but we need new tools and weapons to fight it.

I was first diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) shortly after I tested HIV-positive in 1989 and went into psychotherapy. PTSD, as defined by the Mayo Clinic, is a mental health condition that’s triggered by a terrifying event – either experiencing or witnessing it. Not everyone who experiences the event will develop PTSD. Some may just have difficulty coping for a while, but eventually they’ll adjust and get back to their “normal” life. It’s only when symptoms (which can manifest as intrusive memories, avoidance, negative changes in thinking or mood, or changes in emotional reactions) start to cause significant problems in social or work situations and relationships, that it becomes a more serious issue.

While my PTSD was related to childhood sexual abuse, it was triggered by living in the midst of a holocaust and ending up testing positive myself. The disorder was no less real to me, however, and I still struggle with the effects to this day.

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Just as veterans who return from war and who may have difficulty re-assimilating, long-term survivors of HIV/AIDS can often feel out of place and useless. In a perfect world we would pay proper respect to our own soldiers, and let them know we appreciate all that they’ve been through. Programs and services designed and tailored specific to our own unique needs as AIDS veterans are desperately needed. It’s time for us to create the structures and support systems that will help our veterans financially, mentally and physically, well into their golden years.

They – we – deserve no less.

In June, Positively Aware magazine and its publisher, the Chicago-based HIV service organization TPAN, will launch The Reunion Project (TRP), to help long-term survivors of HIV and AIDS honor our past, examine resilience, and identify and develop successful strategies for living – today and into the future.

The Reunion Project will be a series of summits and activities happening across the country, the next one being held in Palm Springs in November.

Those now coming into young adulthood never knew a time when HIV didn’t exist, and for their entire life effective treatments for HIV/AIDS have always been available – in other words, for them it’s always been a manageable chronic illness, such as diabetes or hypertension. While fear motivated us to fight to survive early on in the epidemic, it’s no longer an effective deterrent or motivator for those who aren’t experiencing the same sense of loss on a dayto-day basis. The fear of death from HIV/AIDS is now a distant memory, an abstract concept.

They say that with age comes wisdom – I’m not sure if I’m the best example of that, but I do think there’s another exciting opportunity for long-term survivors of HIV and AIDS, and that is to engage the next generation to talk about some of the experiences we’ve been through, challenges we’ve overcome, and triumphs we’ve achieved, to try to start to bridge the gap that currently exists between us. And I’m sure we could learn a thing or two from those who are, or will soon be, leaders in their own right.

It’s necessary to hear and share our stories with one another, for they define us. It’s where we come from; it’s who we are. We have the opportunity to learn from our past, and to mentor and guide an entirely new group – while honoring our history, and the fallen.

Jeff Berry is the editor in chief of Positively Aware magazine, and Director of Publications at Test Positive Aware Network in Chicago. Find him on Twitter @PAEditor. This column is a project of Plus, Positively Aware, POZ, The Body and Q Syndicate, the LGBT wire service. Visit their websites — hivplusmag.com, positivelyaware.com, poz.com and thebody.com — for the latest updates on HIV/AIDS.

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GayCalgary Magazine #139, June 2015

19

Community

Toronto Murals Inspire Important Discourse Artists create work to reflect on marriage equality and representation in sport

By Andrea Chrysanthou-Charles Colourful painted stick figures topped with mosaic circles are springing up on a Toronto underpass. On their own, they don’t look like much, but when they’re completed on June 10th, they will become something that is powerful – a true example of the sum being greater than all the parts.

The stunning mural, called “Album”, is meant to depict a traditional family album with images of anything but the traditional family. Created by Arts Etobicoke and Red Dress Productions, Album is inspired by article 16 of the Declaration, which speaks to the rights of all men and women to marry and to have a family.

“When we read this declaration, it was interesting to us because it was written in the late ’40s and marriage means something so different now,” explains Tristan R. Whiston, who collaborated with fellow artist Anna Camilleri, on the project. “As a queer or trans person, marriage takes on a different concept to me than it does to someone else, and it’s just interesting to see how the words ‘marry’ and ‘family’ can change over time.”

The mural also celebrates the contribution of LGBT athletes to sport. It’s an important concept, coming just two months before the Toronto 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games. It also comes on the heels of an international study titled: “Out in the Fields: The First International Study on Homophobia in Sport”. The study found that found only 1 per cent of respondents “believe LGB people are completely accepted in sporting culture”. The same report noted that 46 per cent believe “LGB people are not accepted at all” or “only accepted a little”.

“When we were brainstorming about this work, it was at the time of the Sochi Olympics, and there was a lot in the media about the Sochi Games, homophobia and what the LGBT athletes were facing,” Camilleri explains. “There’s this whole continuum of discussion about sexual orientation, athleticism and what an athlete looks like. We thought this is an opportunity to further this dialogue, and challenge the ideas our society still puts forward about both what it means to be an athlete and the idea of family.”

Whiston, himself, faced discrimination as an athlete in younger days. “I used to box as a female and what was so funny 20

GayCalgary Magazine #139, June 2015

to me is that there was this idea that if you were tough as a female you must be a lesbian, so fellow female boxers went out of their way to point out they weren’t gay and their protest was actually homophobic,” he remembers.

Anna and Tristan, co-directors of Red Dress Production, led local community workshops to create a variety of mosaics that will contribute to the final artwork. “It’s essential for us to engage the community because we really want to communicate with people,” says Whiston.

“Art making is fundamentally about communication, dialogue and emotional connection, so inviting people into the process means the conversation is deeper,” furthers Camilleri. “It’s so important for non-queer and non-trans people to work with queer and trans people to promote equality so it’s not always up to that one out-athlete who’s constantly having to fight those battles,” adds Whiston.

Camilleri is a multi-disciplinary artist who incorporates creative writing, visual art, and performance. She has been a writer-in-residence at the Triangle School, Canada’s first and only alternative high school for LGBT students, and has designed and built numerous community-engaged public artworks.

Whiston also carries a varied portfolio, working in independent theatre as a director, writer, and performer for over 20 years, and exploring an array of social issues including gender identity among LGBT youth. He is also an acclaimed audio artist and has created numerous public artworks.

Album is the latest of a series of human rights themed murals created by artists and community-based groups throughout the Greater Toronto Area in collaboration with Amnesty International’s Project “Urban Canvas” to celebrate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

This mural, which will live permanently under the Dundas St. W. bridge near Lambton House in Toronto, is also on the Pan Am Path, an 80-kilometre continuous trail for walking, running, cycling and wheeling that connects the city from east to west. The path was endorsed by Toronto City Council as a Host City Showcase Program of the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games.

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The vision of the Pan Am Path is to combine the power of art and sport to create a living path across Toronto. From May 16th to August 15th, 2015, the Pan Am Path is the venue for a city-wide Art Relay of installations and events. Each week a unique arts festival takes place along a different part of the path. Album is only one of the powerful and thought-provoking art installations that will remain on the path once the Art Relay is over, and may prove to be one of the most important legacies of the Pan Am Games.

According to Whiston, the goal of the Art Relay is already being met. “As I’m working on this mural, people are stopping

me and I’m spreading the story of the Art Relay. Everyone is so excited. This gets us out of our houses and out onto this beautiful path – and it’s free. To add art and animate the path, so that people can experience it in a whole new way, is the cherry on the cake.”

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GayCalgary Magazine #139, June 2015

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Interview

Calgary Expo

Exuding love one decade strong, talk with Teddy Wilson of “InnerSpace”

By Mars Tonic This year, the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo celebrated its tenth anniversary. It has been a long ride and this year, without exception, was peppered with cancellations and a mishap or two. However, the convention pulled together beautifully. Calgary Expo is special, and it draws repeat patrons every year.

“One of the great things about our job is we get to come to conventions like the Calgary Expo, and the Expo is really special,” said Teddy Wilson, one of the hosts on SPACE channel’s InnerSpace. “I think that’s because people feel the love here.”

He and his other hosts try to make it out every year and are often found at their large booth, taking pictures with fans and happily chatting away about upcoming programming.

“When you’re a guest at the Expo every morning, when you come in the back door, all of the volunteers clap. I’ve never been to a convention that’s done that! And it really sets the table for the day. I think that vibe really bleeds over in a great way.”

The landscape of fandom is changing, and the type of material fans have access to now is becoming more diverse and sophisticated with each season that goes by. The hosts of InnerSpace really know their stuff, and being able to sit and speak with Teddy about it was an absolute pleasure.

Not only were we able to discuss the channel’s programming, we were able to dig a bit more into the pioneering aspect of many of the shows.

While Teddy’s very knowledgeable about the pop culture landscape, it is a combination of passion and facts. “We are first and foremost fans. Ajay, Morgan and I are big fans of all things genre; we all have our own specific interests and think differently. We certainly never have to fake our arguments and debates. I feel like on InnerSpace we get to be an avatar for fans, and we take that very seriously.

And we really know how lucky we are to have the jobs we have.”

Likely one of the more popular topics in recent years has been the movement towards proper representation and diversity for people of all races, religions, genders, sexualities and disabilities. For example, the influx of women into sci-fi and other areas of media is becoming more and more noticeable, both onscreen and behind the scenes.

In an industry that is still heavily populated by men, the latest season of Face Off still saw a woman as the winner.

“I think Face Off is a wonderful show,” Teddy said.

“Most reality shows drive on conflict, but what I love about Face Off is that it’s one of the few reality shows that’s not about people being crappy to each other.

On the contrary: it’s about people being talented and showing that talent. It’s about the studio; it’s about the work they’re doing. It is a fantastic show and we’ve got a couple of female winners now.

What I find cool is that this season there were a lot of contestants who got into special effect make-up because of Face Off back in seasons one and two.”

Usually the contestants are big fans of scifi and horror, and are drawn towards the film industry for good reason. Love is the Watch the video interview online p

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 Orphan Black

 Bitten

 Face Off, photos by Bell Media

So what can we expect from the future of sci-fi and other genre film and television? Looks like more minorities, more plot, more ass-kicking, and more of a good time. If there has ever been a time to embrace the nerd you keep deep inside of your heart, it is now. And, luckily for you, Edmonton Expo is right around the corner.

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cornerstone of geek culture; companies like Weta Workshop, the group behind the special effects and props in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, hire on passion alone. Weta also had a booth at the Calgary Expo, which was flocked by fans at all hours, reverently handling props and looking through costume guides.

Though much of geek and nerd culture concerns love of a shared media, that isn’t always the case. As of late, a lot of concern has been expressed over the changing landscape of games, television, movies and other forms of storytelling.

Storytelling is an art form, and art has always represented the dreams, desires and reality of people. However, fandom culture runs deep, and there are those resistant to change. The call to boycott the newly released Mad Max: Fury Road, for example, is both hilarious and distressing. Fury Road is not the first movie to challenge action movie norms, but it certainly is one of the biggest and most popular to date.

But that doesn’t seem to matter. SPACE isn’t the only channel to pioneer new content, but it certainly has quite a bit in its collection. Bitten, which recently wrapped up its second season, is based off of a series by Kelley Armstrong and features a female main character – the only female werewolf. But that’s not the only reason you might want to watch it. “There is far more male nudity, by far, than there is female nudity,” Teddy exclaimed.

“And I think that’s great, because there are plenty of shows out there with scantily clad women; it’s about time there were shows with scantily clad dudes. The guys are super hot on it. They have their shirts off every second episode and, certainly I don’t think you want every episode to be all that, but I think it’s kind of nice that there’s an equality in skin on that show.”

Alongside Bitten there is also Orphan Black, which blew away its viewers in the first season and is still going strong, with the chameleon-like Tatiana Maslany flickering in front of the cameras. And soon we will all be able to watch Killjoys, a show being produced by SPACE and its U.S. counterpart Syfy, which is about interplanetary bounty hunters.

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Gossip Apatow goes all the way gay Andrew Rannells is working with producer/director Judd Apatow on an untitled comedy co-written by Rannells and Jersey Boys’ Mike Doyle. There’s not one single detail to be shared about the story, other than that it’s a star vehicle for Rannells, whose career is on a steadily rising escalator. He is the Grammy-winning, Tony Award-nominated star of The Book of Mormon, one of an elite crew of Hedwigs, and current co-star of Girls. Details of the project will come soon enough, but until then, the coolest part of this is kind of about Judd Apatow. After establishing himself as the chief purveyor of the man-child comedy, all Rogens and Rudds and Francos acting gay-ish with one another, heterosexual men figuring out how to reclaim their ability to be intimate with one another, Apatow is now producing Girls, directing Amy Schumer’s upcoming feature Trainwreck, and working on a project with a gay guy.

Don’t worry, straight men, you’re all still very, very important to us. But let’s enjoy this next, inclusive step in the Apatow Universe and see how the expansion plays out.

Animal Crackers are the new Legos

 Andrew Rannells. photo by KathClick

Deep Inside Hollywood Rocky Horror remake, Judd Apatow, Animal Crackers, and JT LeRoy

By Romeo San Vicente Rocky Horror: The TV Remake. Yep. Like all unnecessary remakes, this one was, perhaps, inevitable. The Rocky Horror Picture Show, 40 years old now, was asking for it by being so beloved. The cult favorite of misfits and queer kids holds the distinction of being the movie with the longest theatrical distribution run in film history. And that means it’s worth money. And that means someone wants to milk more from it. Gail Berman, former Fox entertainment president, has long wanted to remake the film, calling it a “passion” project for her. And Fox already loaned it to Glee for auto-tuning. So the next step is handing it over to High School Musical director Kenny Ortega for a TV version to air on Fox. The working title is The Rocky Horror Picture Show Event, and while there’ll be, of course, a new cast and what’s being called a “visual reimagining,” there’s a promise to be faithful to the script and songs. If the High School Musical association bothers you, consider Rocky’s trajectory as something akin to the human rights movement for the LGBT community. Once considered dangerous and dirty, now mainstream and cuddly, the outrageous musical’s transgressive yesterday is today’s cute karaoke. That’s a real time warp.

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OK, maybe they’ll be the new Legos, box-office-wise, anyway, when the animated feature Animal Crackers is released. It could be argued that the tiny, vanilla-flavored cookie, beloved by generations of children, has an even deeper brand identity than Lego, so anything could happen. The feature – not a remake of the Marx Brothers comedy, in case you were worried – is about a family employing a magical box of Animal Crackers to save a rundown circus from being seized by an evil ringmaster. (Although, let’s be real, circuses aren’t exactly America’s favorite day out anymore, so their existence may need to be explained to very young audiences.)

The movie boasts a few LGBT cast members providing voices: Ian McKellen, Raven-Symone, and the venerable Harvey Fierstein as “Esmerelda,” a character we hope is the ferocious queen of bear-shaped cookies. And they’ll join Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Patrick Warburton, Sylvester Stallone, Danny DeVito and Gilbert Gottfried. It hits multiplexes for family consumption in 2016. BYOMilk.

JT LeRoy: The hoax everyone bought JT LeRoy was a lot of things: a former teenage prostitute, an HIV-positive recovering drug addict, gender-ambiguous and the critical darling of the literary world with a best-selling autobiographical novel, Sarah. He was also painfully shy, choosing to allow celebrities like Lou Reed, Sandra Bernhard and Nancy Sinatra read for him at book events. Well, the last two parts are true, anyway, although shyness isn’t why LeRoy rarely appeared in public. He was, instead, a construction, an elaborate literary hoax. And now it’s all on film. Marjorie Sturm began a documentary about LeRoy in 2002, at the height of his fame, and she was there in 2006 when it all came crumbling down around an author named Laura Albert, whose pen name and alter ego had caused one too many questions without answers. The result is a The Cult of JT LeRoy, a provocative examination of how fiction is employed in building a celebrity, how we all want to believe in the redemptive power of tragedy through art, and what happens when the truth comes out. It’s making the film festival rounds right now, so catch it while you can.

Romeo San Vicente is looking for any TV show with gay lead characters.

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Interview

Kira Isabella!

We still love you Performing at CRIR 2015

By Carey Rutherford At 20 most people are still settling into their postsecondary education or, perhaps, getting a raise at their first or second job. Some of us, however, are looking back on a few years of national award-winning attention and five years as a professional musician. After touring her second album for nearly a year, Kira has still got her feet on the ground.

“It’s a very special album to me; there are some songs on there that are really close to my heart, and I’m just really happy that they’re out there for the world to hear them,” she says. “I think that I grew as a writer on that record and, having it out, really gave me confidence to go back down to Nashville and write even more. I’m just really looking forward to the future and some new music.”

This is not just empty optimism, for those not familiar with her work ethic.

“I just got back; I was in Nashville for about two months, pretty much writing every day, so now I have lots of new stuff.

I’m going to get together with my band and we’ll (tour) through the summer. I’ll probably sit down in August or September, look at the new stuff I’ve written, and we’ll decide what we’re going to go into the studio with.”

GC asks Kira how her fans have responded to this album, which takes on some challenging themes, and presents a wide variety of viewpoints amongst the songs.

“It’s amazing, especially with (the first single) “Quarterback”.

I’ve never experienced anything like with “Quarterback”, where the whole audience is singing along with the words, and in the (quiet) parts, you could hear a pin drop. Everyone is so taken with the song itself! I’ve had a couple of audiences where, on the ‘Monday morning when the word got out’ line, I put the mike out, and I don’t say anything, and literally the entire audience – hundreds, thousands of people – are singing along to this song.

“My band says Kira, you have gotta get it together, because I always get choked up in that one part. But they’re singing along! It’s a problem – I’m sorry, guys!

“I’m really grateful to have had the opportunity to cut that song; I’m really glad that they thought of me. I feel like it really brought me closer to the people that connect with my music. It means the world to me. . . It’s magical.”

At 21, she has already got five years under her belt since her first single was released, and you would think an early burnout would be a distinct possibility. Think again!

“There is something magical about being . . . onstage with my band, in the moment. Even “Love Me Like That”, which I have been singing for five years now – that was my first single. And there’s something to be said about looking into the audience and seeing all these people singing along to your music: it’s incredible. It helps make it fresh every time, and I don’t really think about the words when I’m singing them. . . I try to put myself mentally where I was when I wrote it.

“I’ve grown so much, in my opinion, just as a writer, and as a performer as well. I’ve been onstage performing since I was seven years old, and I feel that last year and this year, at 20 and 21, is when it finally clicked for me: I finally understood it.

“The crowd has always been willing to connect with me, and be there, and to want to sing along, and I finally found it in myself to be able to connect with them, and to be able to really

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make contact and feel what other people are feeling – to make as much connection as you can, being five feet away on a stage.”

Big life lessons you may have acquired, having this extraordinary job?

“I would say the thing that really clicked, when I say I really ‘got it’, I think just comes with accepting yourself, and being confident in yourself. I’m not, all the time, of course! But I found a way to make the stage my happy place. I don’t think about what people are thinking, or what I’m wearing; what people are thinking at all! That’s just my world.

“Once I was able to separate like that, and just be Kira Isabella – just be happy onstage and stop thinking about what anybody said – it was magical! So freeing! I’m still working on it; I work on it every single day, but it feels like I got over that hump.”

A last bit of Isabella philosophy: “I am, for the most part, a very introverted person, and I think a lot of artists are. There’s this constant struggle between wanting to share your art and what you’ve done, and being terrified that nobody’s going to like it. You really have to find that confidence in yourself. I always try to tell myself that ‘I had a purpose before anybody else had an opinion’. I read it somewhere, but it probably took two and a half years for me to really understand what that meant.

“I have always been in this, and I can’t be distracted by anything else. It’s about the music, and it’s a connection I want to make with people. There are always going to be people that don’t like it, but there are always going to be people that do.”

Nope, she’s not a kid anymore.

Kira Isabella http://www.kiraisabella.ca/ Performing at the Canadian Rockies International Rodeo http://www.argra.org

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GayCalgary Magazine #139, June 2015

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The Emboldened Girls

A candid conversation with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin

 photos by Melissa Moseley / Netflix

By Chris Azzopardi Lily Tomlin is watching Jane Fonda weep.

As the showbiz icon releases a steady stream of waterworks – she’s “wiping tears away,” Tomlin notes – Fonda pauses slightly to collect herself before answering.

The question? Why gay men have forever revered older women even when the rest of the world – and Hollywood – have not.

“I find the question so moving that it makes me cry,” says Fonda.

It’s one revelatory moment among many during this candid conversation with the 77-year-old actress and Tomlin, 75, who appear together in the new Netflix original series Grace and Frankie. The beloved pair play two golden girls forced to start anew after their husbands drop a big truth bomb: They’re in love with each other.

This isn’t the actresses’ first time working together, of course.

In 1980, Tomlin and Fonda memorably joined forces with Dolly Parton to put misogynistic men in their place in Nine to Five. Decades later, the film is a feminist-celebrated comedy classic.

Will Dolly make a cameo on Grace and Frankie? During our freewheeling interview, the two longtime friends talked about the possibility of a Nine to Five reunion on their new series, but they revealed plenty more too. Fonda opened up about her own experiences dating high-profile gay men, one

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of whom proposed to her. Tomlin recalled the time she lashed out at Chita Rivera. But first, the crying.

GC: You’ve both addressed aging in Hollywood, and this show deals a lot with aging as well. Historically, gay men – we love our “Golden Girls,” we already love Grace and Frankie, we love our Chers and Bette Midlers. Why do you think, despite Hollywood’s reputation for ageism, there has always been a place for older women in the gay community?

Lily: I may be terribly wrong and cutting my tongue out for this: It’s like, well, we’re women of a certain age, and maybe we’re considered more audacious.

Jane: I find the question so moving that it makes me cry.

I had never thought of it before, and it makes me so moved.

I think Lily put her finger on it just now. Older women tend to be more audacious; they’re bigger and bolder and, god knows, gay men love big and bold, right?

GC: Does it go any deeper than that, do you think?

Lily: It’s like (drag performer) Lypsinka. I knew he was from Mississippi, and he’s like a little kitten in a way; his hair is so soft and pale red, and he’s got a big, high, very white-skinned forehead. When I first saw Lypsinka, I could just see this little boy – four or five years old in Mississippi – growing up around all these Southern women, and my family’s Southern too. I just saw him seeing through them and into their hearts. He saw the women being oppressed and being pigeonholed and how they act kind of audaciously just to free themselves. I just could see that little boy, and he satirized women’s behavior so brilliantly – all the stuff, the

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travails they have – and I just wept when I saw him because he was so brilliant. I think there are hinges between those two things. Jane is wiping tears from her eyes.

Jane: How she said that – that he sees through them into their hearts. And also: The notion of surviving.

Lily: And him making up this incredible creature who’s just so much fun to watch, and yet it’s painful. I could feel his little boy pain all through those years.

GC: You both have had a profound influence on the LGBT and ally movements. Can you share a moment in your lives as LGBT activists and trailblazers that stand out as particularly memorable to you?

Jane: Campaigning with Harvey Milk in the Castro District in San Francisco for Prop 6. He was the most joyous. He was like Allen Ginsberg. He was always smiling and laughing, and he was beloved and he was funny. The most lovable person. I was so happy when I was with him. And it was just so much fun going into those gay bars with him – oh my god!

Lily: I never got to meet Harvey Milk. I knew (LGBT activist and historian) Vito Russo; he was my good friend. I used to exchange so many stories with him. I was up on the Strip one night when I was not on Laugh-In yet. I was unknown and a woman that I was friends with who was a publicist had brought Chita Rivera to meet me, and Chita talked with a Bronx accent, and she’s talking really fast and you don’t know what she’s saying. I kind of zoned out for a minute because I could hardly understand her at that point, and then I suddenly heard her say, “purse nelly.” First she had said my “boy dancers” and the skin on the back of my neck bristled up, and that’s when she said “purse nelly” and then I just went ballistic. I said, “What did you say?!”

GC: You lashed out at Chita Rivera?

Lily: I lashed out. She said, “I dunno! WHADISAY?” I said, “You said, ‘purse nelly.’ I wanna know what that means. What you meant by that!” “I don’t know. Whadisay? Pursenelly?

Personally.” She was saying “personally”!

Jane: Personally! (Laughs) Lily: And I didn’t even cop to it. I was so embarrassed. I just doubled over laughing and fell on the floor.

Jane: I just went to my 60th high school reunion. I went four years to an all-girls boarding school, and in the days leading up to the reunion I kept wondering, “God, I wonder whatever happened to Pat Johnson?” Because everyone in the class knew that Patty Johnson was gay, or at least we thought that she was. But no one talked about it. Not even among ourselves. Nobody ever said anything. And she was at the reunion – there were only four of us at the reunion.

Lily: Four out of the whole class?! Awww.

Jane: And Pat Johnson was there, with an oxygen tank, mind you. It was the first time she’d been out to dinner in five years because she had some allergies to chemicals. And there she was with her wife! An amazing woman violinist!

And I thought, well, this is very great. I never ever would have imagined back in the day that Pat Johnson would be able to get married to her lady friend.

GC: Let’s talk about your friendship with each other. Was it smooth sailing from the very beginning?

Lily: Yeah, we hit it off right away. I was so excited when Jane came to see one of my shows way back in the day Jane: This was pre-Nine to Five!

Lily: Yeah. I was all excited. She came backstage and was very complimentary, and then next thing I knew…

Jane: I was offering her a role in Nine to Five, which was originally going to be a serious movie until I saw Lily’s onewoman show called Appearing Nightly. I decided I didn’t want to make a movie about office workers until she was one of them. And it had to be a comedy. It took me a year to convince her and Dolly to be in it! During that year we kind of saw each other because we’d be talking about different ideas and stuff, and so we kind of became friends before Nine to Five.

GC: What is different about working with each other on Grace and Frankie compared to when you worked together on Nine to Five 35 years ago?

Jane: We’re together more! I mean, it’s four months, almost every day for almost 15 hours, which is a real treat for me.

You know, Lily is very unusual. She has a real funny bone.

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So, watching her take on not just the scripts but life is a pleasure.

Lily: Thank you, Ms. Fonda!

GC: After doing the first season of Grace and Frankie, what advice do you have for women who are romantically involved with a gay man?

Jane: Try to stay friends. You know, it happened to a friend of mine when I lived in Atlanta, and she told me about it and it was very hard for her because she really loved him a lot.

Because she loved him, she was able to understand that he needed to become who he really was, and they remained very, very close friends and they still live in the same building. I think that’s the way to do it. Compassion, empathy, love, understanding – we need more of it.

GC: Have either of you dated a gay man before?

Jane: Oh yes! Oh my god. When I was young, I was the female that gay guys wanted to try to become heterosexual with. A very famous actor who’s gay – and I will not name names – asked me to marry him. I was very flattered, but I said, “Why?” This was 1964. And I mean, he wasn’t the only one. It’s very interesting. And I lived for two years with a guy who was trying to become heterosexual. I’m intimately acquainted with that.

GC: Did that come to mind as you were shooting this show, where you are married to a gay man?

Jane: (Laughs) No! Not until you made me think of it right now.

GC: Lily, have you had any similar experiences?

Lily: No, I didn’t; but I had girlfriends who dated gay guys in college and they couldn’t understand why so-and-so didn’t, you know, take them into their arms and sweep them away.

Because they danced together so well! They were beautiful, tall blonde people! They were just kind of breathtaking, and they did make a nice looking couple, but that was about as far as it would go – looks. I had a girlfriend and we got into a big fight about being gay when I first moved to New York.

She was watching Lust for Life with Anthony Quinn, who is so macho as Gauguin in that movie, and I said something like, “Look how macho this guy is – he’s unbelievable!” She said, “If I were gay, I’d beat down the door of the nearest psychiatrist.” I said, “If I fell in love with my refrigerator, I’d give it lamb chops!”

GC: Netflix has really been a pioneer in reaching beyond LGBT stereotypes and being LGBT inclusive, and it’s done it again with Grace and Frankie. How do you feel about the state of gay characters on TV as a whole? And what is it about this platform that allows Netflix to tell LGBT stories without getting gimmicky or exploitative?

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Lily: I think it’s been a long time coming. Although, it’s happened because of so many things that have gone before, and this culture has changed. Large parts of the culture have changed. Not the culture as a whole. You know, there’s still a lot of – Jane: Homophobia. I lived in the South for 20 years, and, unfortunately, homophobia is all too alive and rampant, but because there are so many more gay men and women in mass media and they’re very lovable – and more and more people are coming out – Americans know somebody who’s gay and lesbian. Once that happens, it’s a lot harder to remain homophobic.

GC: Did you ever think that gay marriage would be a reality in your lifetime?

Lily: No, I did not.

Jane: No, I didn’t either.

Lily: I mean, I began to suspect. The last generation or two that have come along, they so demanded to be visible and they’ve taken for granted everything that the gay community had fought for so hard for a long time – it was wiped away from their minds that they were not accepted or not loved. I mean, they may have known it but they didn’t own it.

Jane: I agree, and I’m very optimistic. I found what Justice Kennedy said – that it should be looked at as sex discrimination – cause for optimism.

GC: I remember when this show was announced, everyone was really hyped about you two getting back together, but they were also hoping for a Dolly Parton cameo. Has that been discussed as a real possibility amongst showrunners?

Lily: Well, it’s been discussed because so many people inquired about it and thought about it. Of course Dolly’s a good friend and the three of us really like each other and we’ve been friends all these years, but because Grace and Frankie is set apart, we want to establish our identity before we think about dragging the Nine to Five life into it.

Jane: It’s a different style. It’s a different animal. We wanna keep it that way. For now, anyway.

GC: What do you think your Nine to Five characters, Judy and Violet, are up to these days?

Jane: Violet’s probably heading up a Silicon Valley company! Maybe we’re married!

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Fashion

Summer Style Sheet

Beach-Ready Accessories That Make a Splash

by Mikey Rox Just because summer is cause to shed the confines of clothing to celebrate the skin you’re in, reality is, we can’t go commando everywhere. For those times that you legally have to cover your bits, here are our picks for summer essentials to keep you looking fly and having fun.

Shark-Print Swimming Trunks Like the Republican and Democratic parties, it seems that America is equally divided between two swimwear categories: bulky board shorts or barely-there Speedo-style suits. If you prefer to stay somewhere in the middle, Maui & Sons’ Shark trunks let you show a little leg while leaving the size and shape of your little swimmer to your admirers’ imaginations. pacsun.com

Polarized Bold-Color Frames It’s a crime against fashion to step into those harmful UV rays without a posh pair of polarized glasses, but the Westbrook New York Shades in blue can help keep the style citations at bay. Designed by NBA AllStar Russell Westbrook, these funky, chunky wayfarer frames are made from durable acetate and feature five-barrel hinges built to handle summertime wear and tear. jackthreads.com

3-in-1 Beach Game Set So what if you weren’t invited to play volleyball with Chip and all his glistening, bare-chested country-club cronies. Make your own fun with three-in-one game sets that offer hours of friendly competition.

The Sportcraft combo pack features quick-and-easy setup of ladder ball, washer toss and beanbag toss games, all housed in one convenient carrying case. (Besides, you know one of ’em is at least bi, so you’re not completely out for the count.) kmart.com

Old Skool Flamingo Sneakers Rock out with your flock out in the flamingo-print Old Skool sneaks from Vans, inspired by a reissued print from the shoemaker’s archives.

Constructed in the Van Doren style, these kicks feature a low-top laceup with a suede upper, padded tongue and lining, metal eyelets and Vans original Waffle Outsole. Something flamboyant this way comes. vans.com

Neon Throwback Shorts If all this talk about “dad bod” lately has you feeling several sorts of nostalgic, take a trip back in time with the Rooster Tails from Chubbies, rainbow-patterned shorts reminiscent of your pa’s sky’s-out-thighs-out weekend wear. Made of everybody’s favorite ’80s fabric – nylon – these fresh vestiges of what once was makes showin’ off your feet trophies all the more dad-tastic. chubbies.com

Mini Bluetooth Speaker You’ll want to pump up the jams on that prime piece of real estate you’ve nabbed on the sand – if only to drown out the sound of all those “pretty girls” – and the iBT72 expandable Bluetooth mini speaker from iHome helps you make that beat drop. This compact, accordion-style sound box has two audio sources: wireless streaming from your mobile device or direct line-in via the included cable and any device with a headphone jack. ihome.com

 Polarized Bold-Color Frames

Blue Pine Watch Watches aren’t worn for practical purposes any more – nowadays we’re all conditioned to check our pockets for the time – but a whimsical hand clock can add that extra umph your outfit might need. Take Swatch’s Blue Pine wristwatch, for instance. It’s like looking out from your private cabana in Fiji, wishing that time would stop altogether (and never start again), making it an ideal conversation piece at a seaside dinner with the new friends you’ve made on vacay. swatch.com

Embroidered Hula and Palms Oxford  Blue Pine Watch Alas, you can’t wear flip-flops and tank tops everywhere you go from May to September, so it’s best to keep some fancier duds in your duffel. Class up the joint while staying summer-festive in the slim lightweight oxford with embroidered hula and palms from J. Crew, which is easily dressed up or down depending on the occasion. Dapper button-downs also are available in embroidered anchors and woven pelicans. jcrew.com

Hemp Duffel Bag Speaking of duffels, you’ll need to conveniently carry all your summer style essentials (and souvenirs!), and the Natural Hemp Novel Duffel from Herschel Supply Co. is both lightweight and heavy duty simultaneously.

The natural hemp fabric construction is contrasted by chambray details and features a cotton chambray liner with silver pin detailing. Herschel’s signature shoe pocket also is built in – because it already knows and loves you. herschelsupply.com

http://www.gaycalgary.com/a4693 View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments

Tropic Time Snapback Hats You don’t have to be a sports fan (though it doesn’t hurt) to appreciate the Tropic Time snapback hats from New Era – full-cap and bill-only floral prints available in MLB and NBA teams. Pick from your favorites or choose one that gels well with your summer style, like the Miami Marlins 9FIFTY cap that’s inherently breezy. newera.com

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GayCalgary Magazine #139, June 2015

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GayCalgary Magazine #139, June 2015

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GayCalgary Magazine #139, June 2015

31

Interview

By Carey Rutherford Derrick Barry, America’s Got Talent competitor and Vegas performer, is bringing his rather astoundingly effective Britney Spears’ show to Edmonton. This is his second try, as when he was previously booked to that cold, northern town, customs wouldn’t let him bring his costumes with him due to something lacking in his work visa application. But that’s not stopped the advance of his career.

Britney’s coming to Edmonton Pride!!

Well, sort of. Interview with talented performer Derrick Barry

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GayCalgary Magazine #139, June 2015

“I actually just got cast in a film that I’m flying to Iceland for, next week, and it’s going to be my first film. (It’s) very exciting, because I hqve been hoping to break into television and film since I moved to North Hollywood when I was only 19 years old, and I did my first TV appearance earlier this year. “(Britney) has gone through her ups and downs, and right when I moved to Vegas to start impersonating her (2004) was when she had to cancel her Onyx tour because of a knee injury.

It kind of threw my world a little bit, because she wasn’t out there doing what she was known for. . . Here I was, having moved to Vegas, and my dreams are coming true every night, and yet one of hers just got crushed.

“I followed her Circus tour and her Femme Fatale tour – I was doing the after-party, and the main nightclub there.

Sometimes there were pre-parties, if she was doing a show on a weekday, and maybe I was there the weekend before, doing concert giveaways and promotional stuff to coincide with her most recent record. I didn’t actually tour with her, (but) the label would send things out that we could pass out; that sort of thing.”

GC asks how Derrick deals with the negative media that Britney is also famous for.

“I tried to always distance myself from what was going on in her life, and keep it more to her music and costumes and choreography, and paying tribute to what she had done as a teenager. (I like to focus on) the points in her career when she is one-upping herself, which I don’t think a lot of artists have the opportunity to do. . . I think Madonna’s one of the only other people in the business that did that time and time again.

But Britney was a lot younger when she started.”

Not that Derrick is biased, or anything!

“I always want to portray Britney in the best light, and that’s why I have always made sure that I did the most accurate depiction of what I think she is, and what the public remembers her to be . . . There are people I know who are not a fan of the person they impersonate: they either look like them, or they fell into it, or needed another character for a show, so they picked one. It’s interesting to me to have someone say they’re not a fan of someone’s music that they impersonate, because I could have Britney on 24/7. I listen to my set-list every single time before I do a show.”

And yet . . .

“I have always considered myself an actor. So whether I’m portraying a man, or a woman onstage, I’m acting and it’s not me, it’s a character. I was used to wearing wigs for shows – wearing makeup, wearing costumes and, obviously, impersonating a woman – the costumes and wigs are different (than impersonating a man). But the foundation is the same: completely taking away everything that I am; putting something in that I’m not. The best thing about impersonating a celebrity is that there’s so much material out there for me to study.

“For the role on (the TV show) Dig, I was a drag queen in a gay club in Jerusalem, and I actually first read in my Britney character (because) I just came home from the show one night and I read the lines for them, and then that evolved into (costume and wig changes) . . . When (the director) contacted me this time, she said there’s a role for you, and it’s a beautiful, blonde American transexual . . . The great thing is that there’s

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really no evidence that I’m either a man or a woman on film.

It’s all based upon interpretation.”

And this development, in addition to his successes as Ms. Spears, has him as excited as a schoolgirl.

“It’s very easy for me to be typecast in this business, because they do see me as Britney and, even if I have tried other characters, they look like Britney Spears dressed up on Halloween as somebody else (laughs). I get told I look more like her brother than her brother does! . . . But how much fun – to go onstage and be the most beautiful popstar in the world – and it now has opened up so many doors.”

Including, despite his Alberta misadventures, many Canadian ones.

“I have done Toronto a few times; Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Vancouver a few times. I feel extremely fortunate that Canada has been so welcoming.”

GC asks about the changing success of gender-benders in the modern media. “(RuPaul’s) Drag Race has really put drag in front of people again. For so long it has been the joke: whether on SNL or in television shows, they have had drag as a part of it, but it is really different to see a beautiful woman that you know is a man. I don’t think America was quite ready for that (when I was on America’s Got Talent).”

“The (most common) questions that I get are How long are you going to (perform as Britney)? or Are you tired of doing it? and I think what a disservice it would be to the fans, if I don’t want to do it, and I continue booking shows! My favourite thing about performing is that I get to perform as one of my idols. I’m extremely grateful to get to come back to Canada and perform for the first time in Edmonton – since we didn’t quite make that before.” (He’s so diplomatic, he’s practically Canadian). “It was horrible, to fly all the way there, and not get to perform, and I have never had my drag taken from me.

I have never had my stuff locked up before. It felt like such a violation! How exciting that I get to now go and do my show; and I think it’s much better than it was in 2010.”

There you go: spoken like a true Britney!

Performing at Pure Pride http://www.purepride.ca Starlite Room June 6th, 2015 http://www.gaycalgary.com/a4676 View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments

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GayCalgary Magazine #139, June 2015

33

Purely Adore

Adore Delano comes to Edmonton’s Pure Pride

 photos by Austin Young

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Interview

By Jason Clevett On June 6th Pure Pride hits the Starlite Room with a loaded evening of entertainment that includes Adam Killian, Britney Spears impersonator Derek Berry, and RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 6’s Adore Delano. Adore, who previously appeared in Calgary for Pure Pride, is excited to return to Alberta. Although she has spent the last year touring the world, pride events bear an extra level of excitement for the performer.

“It is really neat because there are a lot of families. We see gay couples and their families and older people – just the range of human beings is just so huge. It is not just targeted to the gay audience. It is really neat to see the difference, and seeing parents that are really fucking cool being there. I love pride and seeing people together,” she told GayCalgary.com recently.

Adore has frequently appeared with other Drag Race alumni and enjoys both headlining solo and the group appearances. “It is different on your own and holding the show down on your own. It has been really neat to get to know the girls on the road, on a personal and professional level. To see the egos and how they clash; I wish there was a camera back there because it would be amazing. It has been really neat though. I wouldn’t change it for the world. At first I was like I’m never doing this again but then, as it kept going, it is really a neat experience to travel the world, do what you love: play Halloween every day of the week and dress up and inspire people, and have fun.”

Although not on the Alberta dates, Delano enjoyed being part of the Battle of the Seasons tour this year. On some dates Darion Lake impersonated Adore during ‘Snatch Game’.

“I thought it was pretty accurate; Darion looked exactly like me and it was gorgeous. I loved it. The BOTS tour was so much fun! Some of them were all ages and it was really amazing – the turnout of young ones and parents and grandparents that were coming to the show. It definitely has a different energy when you are performing for them as well, because the entertainment is different. Kids just see colour; they don’t see gender, just the character. We are put on a platform where people can connect to our personalities and find out who their favourites are. It is an honour for them to say stuff, like I am an influence, to me.”

Drama between Adore and Laganja has become part of Drag Race HERstory, including Laganja commenting that Adore “came for her”, but she didn’t know what Adore said or did, just that she was hurt.

“It’s the funniest thing ever said on reality television. I was pissed at the time, but I think its funny along with everyone else. Watching it as a fan and viewer – it was hilarious.”

It is a long process from filming to the finale. At the time of the interview, the current season’s winner has not been announced. As one of the top 3, Adore said that waiting so long to find out the winner was awful.

“It was horrible! The wait was like six months for it to even start to air, then waiting four months for the finale is crazy. You wait almost the whole year. It was definitely tense in that room, but we all knew Bianca was going to win. I was so happy for her; it was really well deserved. It was such an intense situation for myself,” she said, before discussing the current season. “I am caught up pretty much. I missed a couple of episodes but I bought it on iTunes. I like Violet personally. As a person she is really cool and has a neat energy about her. I like Ginger’s story; I have seen some of her interviews and gotten to talk to her a lot during Battle of the Seasons, and she is a lovely person. I think Violet… I don’t know though! This is the first season that I am not 100 per cent attached to a favourite. I am not sure who will win. I can’t answer that… Violet, probably.”

Season 7 queens are already on the road, even those that have been eliminated.

“Everyone knows – once the fifth episode is airing – that is when you start making your coin and travelling. The real journey happens when the show’s ending because that is when www.gaycalgary.com

you figure out who you are as a real artist. You start soul searching and think of the next thing you are going to do. I always knew that I wanted to do an album, so it worked out perfectly. It is hard work – a lot of money and hard work and time – but it has happened.” Despite being the youngest top 3 performer Adore has kept her head on straight, in part, due to her family.

“My mom always said the way you act reflects on the way that I raised you. I can talk about a bunch of things but I always treat people with respect and am responsible and punctual. It happens in the drag world that people get money for the first time, and don’t know how to act, or they get lost. I am close to my immediate family and my mom is very hands-on with who I am as a person. She never lets me forget what my character is and [if] I am straying too far from my roots. I know where I’ve come from, so it’s not something that I really tried to do, given an opportunity, I have a mom that would kick my ass so that is probably where it comes from! This whole year I have done Europe, Australia and Brazil just one after the other.

I can’t believe I am traveling like that. It is surreal and very humbling. I don’t take it for granted. I am the youngest top three but I don’t get pressure from my age; more pressure at the beginning was from how am I going to carry on this journey as top three. I’m going to be myself, what I am most comfortable with, and whatever comes naturally to the character of Adore.

It is working out ok. Some people get it, some people won’t, and that’s ok.”

Delano laughed when asked how Drag Race compared to competing on the seventh season of American Idol in 2008.

“I was doing drag when I was 14, but I stopped it for American Idol. Then I started again and got on Drag Race. Idol didn;t prepare me for Drag Race at all. It made me more comfortable in front of a camera, but it is two separate worlds on totally different sides of the spectrum. One is a conservative station that prevents you from anything you want to say, and the other you can feel free to put yourself out there. One is liberating and one is like jail.”

Adore is looking forward to meeting fans with VIP tickets at Pure Pride and performing her original songs on stage for Edmonton.

“It is cool. I talk to a lot of fans on Twitter and Instagram and it’s great to meet them in person. Even from my American Idol days I can still recognize someone – I am really good with faces. I am really grateful to have the opportunity to get a little personal with them; it means a lot to them, and it means a lot to me that it means a lot to them. Before I was covering a lot of songs; it’s all original music now, and I am working on my second album, so I have a lot of material to play around with. I love covering songs, but I always need to put together my own shit. I am a Libra and bi-polar so expect the unexpected: get a little drink into me and I turn into Courtney Love on stage.

Everyone calls me a cat with rabies onstage.”

Adore Delano http://www.AdoreDelano.com Pure Pride Edmonton - June 6th, 2015 – Starlite http://www.PurePride.ca http://www.gaycalgary.com/a4683 View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments

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GayCalgary Magazine #139, June 2015

35

David Benjamin The Perks of Maturity

Being at Evolution Wonder Lounge for Edmonton Pride, modeling for Cell Block 13 and Falcon Studios

Watch the video interview online p

by V.N. Winnick It has been a year since we spoke to the charming and affable David Benjamin, and a lot has happened for him in this last spin around the sun. When we last spoke, he was preparing for one of his first live performances at Evolution Wonder Lounge in Edmonton. This time around, and a year after the fact, Benjamin has nothing but glowing words to say about the experience.

“Evolution was only the second time I had ever done a live performance...

So I really didn’t have that much to compare it to... The people are wonderful; the community is fun, energetic, optimistic... Hands down, Evolution Wonder [Lounge] is the best venue I have performed at over the past year.”

And what is he hoping to get out of the experience this time around?

“How do you top the best experience you’ve ever had?... From my point of view, I’m just hoping people come out.”

For Pride celebrations, in particular, Benjamin has a great deal of enthusiasm and a desire to see people attend. “There is a tendency, especially amongst our more cynical Americans – especially in New York, L.A., San Francisco – to be a little blasé about Pride; to really kind of take for granted [that] it’s still an important moment for the community to come together and show solidarity.”

Far from being only a professional success, Benjamin coyly refers to what one might call a more personal success on his last trip to Alberta. “I met the most adorable Albertan... we had an amazing time. You’re really putting me on the spot here... Let me just say that I have calls to make when I return to Edmonton, and I’m certainly hoping that the person on the other end picks up.”

As the interview continued, we asked David about what it was like to be nominated for not one, but five Grabby awards in his first year as an adult

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film star. True to form, Benjamin – eloquent, and a little self-effacing – told us: “A year ago – literally a year ago – I went to Chicago to introduce myself to the porn industry. I bought my own passage. No one knew who I was; I basically started my career two weeks before that [when I] shot my first scene... Should I be fortunate enough to take home one of the awards that I’m up for, I would be honoured. For me, this really is a celebration of my journey... It’s the community that I love giving me a big hug back, and I’m so appreciative of that.”

Benjamin’s story is a little unusual, in that he is entering the world of adult film during what he comfortably refers to as his ‘middle-age’. “Despite my reservation and my nerves around it, [my age has] actually been more of a blessing than a curse.” The very act of being able to be comfortable in middle-age, as a gay man, Benjamin maintains is ground breaking, for both him and others of his generation due, in large part, to the generation before, that was so very nearly lost in its entirety. “I believe... that the culture of youth in the gay community is dissipating quickly. We did not have the opportunity, until recently, to understand what it meant to be middle-aged and openly gay... The first generation was decimated by the AIDS epidemic, so those who survived, and those who were the examples, there were fewer of them. For the first time we have the full embrace of the gay middle-age experience... People feel in their prime. Men who are physically fit, who are intellectually curious, who are sexually adventurous, who are comfortable with their identity and their place in the community, and they are looking for men who are like them in all areas of life – in fashion, in entertainment, in porn. I really find that they are key to the support that I receive from my fans.”

In addition to having sex on film – and so well that he won two of those five Grabby nominations – Benjamin’s career has arrived him at modelling underwear for Cellblock 13. He is very excited to be the company’s exclusive

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NSFW - Interview with David Benjamin - The Perks of Maturity: What he was wearing during the interview

model for spring and summer of 2015, and it all stems, he says, from a shared philosophy with the brand’s creative director Timoteo Ocampo.

“We were both committed to this idea that there is an audience for a more mature, sexually-confident, playful, sexy gay man. He was designing for that, and I was primed to work as a model representing that, and there was a synergy almost immediately.”

To watch the special X-Rated part of the interview you will need a FREE account on the GayCalgary Magazine website and be over the age of 18 to view the additional content!... http://www.gaycalgary.com/a4685

Our conversation then took a veer toward the philosophical, as Benjamin got deep into the question of what, exactly, sexiness is, and where it comes from. He began, “Men don’t like to, necessarily, talk about wanting to feel sexy, and being sexy, but it’s true. I enjoy feeling sexy. I like putting something on, and being conscious of myself, and saying I feel good, I look good, I’m confident... The way we interact with the world is, in large part, shaped by a certain amount of style. It tells the world not only what our belief systems are, but who we are as individuals.” The rest of his comments about the sex appeal of diverse bodies, and the social psychology of sexiness, are definitely worth hearing in full.

As things began to wind down, we asked Benjamin what he thought of the small, but growing, contingent of straight women who are consuming gay porn. Far from seeing them as appropriators or interlopers on a gay male space, Benjamin says, “I love the ladies of porn. They are some of the most irreverent, funny, self-depreciating group of women that you will ever meet. They know that they are watching gay porn, and it is immaterial to them... I don’t want to speak for them, but what I really get is: they love the idea of living outside of a conventional experience... There are those among us who need and want to walk the path less travelled, and I think these women really react to that in gay porn. They see men who are out there, doing something very... unconventional, and they get off on that. And in return, I get off on their energy. They are so excited when we finally meet – they are some of the most devoted, energetic, voluble fans out there... I’m excited to have them on my team.”

Check out the rest of the massive interview video to see David Benjamin and our own Steve Polyak discuss the business of porn, David’s working relationship with Falcon Studios, how high-quality underwear ties in to maturity, age and sexiness, and why performing in Edmonton was so critical to building his confidence as a live performer. There might even be a sexy little surprise or two from the savvy, self-assured star.

David Benjamin Edmonton, June 5th, 2015 At Evolution Nightclub http://www.yourgaybar.com/ http://www.gaycalgary.com/a4684 View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments www.gaycalgary.com

GayCalgary Magazine #139, June 2015

37

Josh Groban Bears All Troubadour talks bear fans, drag queens, gay rumors and his dream Broadway role

 photo by James Dimmock

By Chris Azzopardi It all began with the bears.

“I’m like, ‘Are you a baseball team?’” says Josh Groban, recalling an early-career encounter with a man who informed the crooner about his growing number of gay bear fans.

Nearly 15 years later, members of the LGBT community – even the non-hairy ones – are still feeling struck and soothed by Groban’s elastic range. Stages is yet an-other swoon-worthy set from the singer. His first collection of songs from musicals, Groban takes on some of Broadway’s best for the album, which includes “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from Carousel and The Phantom of the Opera showstopper “All I Ask Of You,” a duet with Kelly Clarkson.

While discussing the release during a recent interview, the 34-year-old also high-lighted the significance of performing with the Washington, D.C. Gay Men’s Chorus during Obama’s 2009 presidential inauguration, the validation his younger “awk-ward” self felt after being named “Sexiest Newcomer” and how Ryan Gosling put the singer’s sexuality to the test.

GC: I was fortunate enough to see you during the summer of 2014 in Toronto for Rufus Wainwright’s If I Loved You: Gentlemen Prefer Broadway – An Evening of Love Duets, where you got your gay on.

JG: (Laughs). I’ll always put my gay on for Rufus.

GC: During an interview you did regarding that performance, Rufus referred to you as a “dreamboat.” At this point in your career, are you used to that kind of atten-tion from gay men?

JG: Yeah, it’s happened from time to time. Look, when Rufus Wainwright is compli-menting you, musically or otherwise, it’s a great honor. Something that was sur-prising to me that happened 38

GayCalgary Magazine #139, June 2015

when I first got signed at 19, 20 years old: I was at some kind of shop, and I was walking around with someone – it was probably my girlfriend – and this guy comes up to me and goes, “Hey, I just want you to know, the bears love you.” I’m like, “Excuse me?

What?” And I didn’t know what that meant! I’m like, “Are you a baseball team?”

GC: How did you figure out what type of bears he was referring to?

JG: I think some Googling had to take place. And it was like, “Oh. Ohhhh!” (Laughs) GC: And you’re like, “Not the bears in the forest.”

JG: Yeah, and not the Chicago Bears.

GC: If you could duet on a love song with any man, who would it be and why?

JG: If I could sing with any man, it would probably be Brian Stokes Mitchell. I love his voice, and I grew up listening to his voice. There’s such a warm tone to the way he sings, and he’s just such a great actor and a really great guy. We would do a kill-er “Pretty Women” (from Sweeney Todd), I think.

GC: You’re from L.A., and you went to arts schools, including Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan. I imagine you’ve been immersed in the gay community for much of your life. Did you find a lot of gay people gravitating to you at a young age?

JG: Like you said, I went to a wonderful arts camp at Interlochen.

I went to a great arts high school in Los Angeles – L.A. County High School for the Arts – and grew up in Los Angeles and with a wonderful arts background, and I got to meet all sorts of people.

Many of my friends were gay at these places – at camp, at school. www.gaycalgary.com

The wonderful thing I found about the arts and the arts connection was, I had come from a situation where I had a hard time making friends at school and I was bullied, and I finally went to school where everybody had the same inspiration for the arts, everybody had the same passion. It was the first situation where I had felt that everybody was friends with everybody, and everybody felt the most comfort-able being themselves at these places.

And so, for me, the arts were the first sce-nario where I found a connective tissue between everybody.

GC: When you look back, did that closeness to the queer community ever make you question your own sexuality?

JG: No, not at all. It wasn’t in any way, shape or form about my own life or my own sexuality – it was about understanding and accepting everybody, and being friends regardless of that. I think that’s also what the straight community needs to understand – that it’s about friendship and alliance. It’s not about questioning yourself or anything like that – it’s about the togetherness of it.

I think the wonderful thing about the arts is that I grew up in a community where I felt there was acceptance and friendship regardless of our own personal lives.

GC: And co-starring with Ryan Gosling in Crazy, Stupid, Love – that didn’t challenge your heterosexuality?

JG: (Laughs) Listen, if I was gonna be gay, that would’ve been the moment. That was probably my greatest test, and I failed.

GC: You came out as “not gay” on Twitter a couple years ago. How do you feel about people speculating about your sexuality?

JG: Honestly, if I were gay, I would have had no problem saying it from day one. It’s such a thing when people speculate. I would have nothing to hide if that were the case. People have speculated, have wanted to speculate – whatever, fine. I’m not gay, but if I were, I don’t view it as a bad thing. If I were, I’d say, “OK, fine, speculate all you want and let’s talk about it.”

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 top two photos by James Dimmock, bottom photo by Olaf Heine

GC: It’s not like you’re in a community where that wouldn’t be accepted.

JG: Exactly. I’ve grown up with gay friends; my parents have had great gay friends.

I come from such an openminded family background.

I am so lucky to have the par-ents that I have and to have grown up with the environment of “accept and be ac-cepted” and “love and be loved,” so when that kind of talk comes up, I think to my-self, “All right, I’m happy to say what is and isn’t true,” but at the same time, I don’t see why that’s like, “Ohhhh.”

Like that would be an insult. I don’t get that. If that were the case, I would just say it and it would be no big deal. That’s the thing that bugs me more than anything, though – that the mention of it would be considered provocative when, really, in this day and age it shouldn’t be.

GC: Assuming you selected the songs on Stages because they have relevance in your own life, which ones mean the most to you?

JG: There are actually a couple of songs that really have nostalgic memories for me. “All I Ask Of You” from Phantom was the first song that I ever sang professionally to get a record deal, so when I found myself at Abbey Road, singing that song and with Kelly (Clarkson), it was just like, “Oh, man!” Very rarely do I ever pat myself on the back or give myself a high five – I’m always kind of self-critical and moving for-ward – but it was one of those moments where I was listening to that orchestra and having memories of the 17-year-old kid in the ill-fitting tuxedo that first sang that song, and I’m like, “You know what, go you. You did it.”

A song like “Bring Him Home” is a song you can’t help but hear and think about what’s going on now in the world, and how many people are hoping and praying the same things today. The wonderful thing I’ve found about these songs is there’s so much relevance and poignancy to them today, regardless of the show that they’re in, and that was a wonderful discovery. One of the things that really dictat-

GayCalgary Magazine #139, June 2015

39

ed what we chose and what we didn’t choose was if they could live independently on their own.

GC: You obviously have theater aspirations. What’s your dream Broadway role?

JG: I’m a Sondheim nut. I like his stuff because it allows for really operatic singing without dancing. I’m a terrible dancer. So, for me, I would love to do something like Sweeney Todd or Sunday in the Park with George. I was introduced to Chess when I was 24 or 25 – I did it for the Actors’ Fund on Broadway – and I’ve always thought that show got a bum rap. Just the music alone can go toe to toe with the great musicals. I think it deserves, at some point, a chance. Maybe a different kind of direction, a different kind of vision, but that would be another dream role.

GC: You’d like to star in it?

JG: Absolutely. I mean, there are a bunch of roles that I think would be fun. It’s real-ly been a timing issue. It would be a dream come true to do something on the Broadway stage. With album and touring life, and when you have a record deal, you have to satisfy commitments. It’s just a matter of taking the time to do it right.

GC: Your girlfriend, Kat Dennings, recently appeared on RuPaul’s Drag Race.

JG: She crushed it!

GC: When’s it your turn to guest judge?

JG: (Laughs) She got me into that show! I mean, RuPaul’s incredible. The influence she’s had on everybody is just amazing, and then you see the competition. The epi-sode that Kat did – I took Shakespeare class, like I was in very heavy Shakespeare instruction when I was young and in theater school, and so watching them put on Shakespeare was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen in my life. It was a wee bit of a train wreck, and I think Ru knew that, but it was really funny to watch.

And yeah, you never know. I would be happy to be a judge on it, but I think I would be so impressed with the fashion that I don’t think I would know how to critique it. I’d be like, “Wow! I could not walk in those heels; congratulations to you! That is amazing! Well done! Ginger Minj – I salute you!”

GC: I like to imagine you doing karaoke. You’re out with friends, and you’re proba-bly drinking. What’s your go-to karaoke number?

JG: I hate to brag, but it’s a really unfair advantage. I kind of crush karaoke. The thing about karaoke is it makes everybody a ham. I’ll go in there, peruse the little binder, and just hang back with the tambourine for a few songs and then go straight into “We Are the Champions” and “I like big butts and I cannot lie… .” It just goes into all out ’80s and ’90s hip-hop and hair metal, and that’s basically a night for me. I remember I was singing “November Rain” and the guy came in to tell us we were out of time, and he heard me singing it. Instead of telling us to leave, he brought us free nachos.

GC: On your list of accomplishments, where does that time in 2002 rank, when People Magazine named you “Sexiest Newcomer”?

JG: Oh, somewhere floating in the middle, I’d say. When you talk about high fives to your younger self, when you read something like that, you think about every girl who rolled their eyes when you’d go up and say hi to them, and then you’re all like, “Good job!” If I could go back and tell that young kid, “You’re gonna be People Magazine’s ‘Sexiest,’ he would’ve had a lot easier of a time.”

Those awkward times give you character, though, I think.

GC: And then you think, “If only I knew then what I know now.”

JG: I don’t think you ever wanna peak in high school either. I don’t think you want to have your most confidence when you’re 15 or 16 years old, or you turn into Al Bundy. It’s good to go through the 15-, 16-year-old period where you don’t have your shit together, where you feel like you do need to figure out what your identity is, where you need to figure out where your walls should be and where your con-fidence needs to lie. If I didn’t have that period where I didn’t fit in and I didn’t make the team, then, truly, I don’t think I would’ve had as much of a desire to really find my true self in my 20s.

GC: Knowing how far you’ve come into yourself, it must be really rewarding to see you’re a source of inspiration for people now, many of them gay. Is there a story you can recall from someone who’s LGBT who was affected by your music?

JG: Oh, it’s every concert. I’ll meet people backstage and it’s always so wonderful for me. When you get to really look somebody in the eye and see that your song has helped somebody through a hard time or kept them from harming themselves or made them not feel so alone, it gives you perspective and it gives you a reason to do what you do. Without fail, during almost every show that I’ve done, I’ve met somebody from the LGBT community backstage that has said that my music in their own life has played a huge part in (helping them) feel a part of this universe and be confident in who they are, and also able to express themselves. I always try to find songs and sing songs that try to express those beliefs and those values, so it’s always very gratifying when somebody shares those stories with me.

GC: You notably sang with the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C. during Presi-dent Obama’s Inaugural Opening Ceremony in January 2009. What was it like being a part of such a big moment in LGBT history?

JG: Those steps and that environment were about equal rights in the African-American community 50, 60 years ago, and to be able to represent the LGBT com-munity and one of the great equal rights issues of our times – and share that mo-ment proudly on those steps – was a tremendous honor for me. I was so thrilled that this administration had the wherewithal to understand the importance of it, and to do that musically – it’s one of my favorite things that I have done of all time.

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Photography All Tease All Shade Pirate Burlesque at Evolution, Edmonton

ISCWR - Leather Feathers and Fur at Evolution, Edmonton

photos by Kurtis Allan

photos by Kurtis Allan

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Photography

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ISCWR - May Flowers at Buddy’s, Edmonton

ISCWR - That Drag Thing at the Ramada, Edmonton

photo by J&B

photo by J&B

GayCalgary Magazine #139, June 2015

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Photography Big Hair Don’t Care Drag Show at Cowboys Nightclub, Calgary

35th Annual Sandy Page LGBTQ Campout, Wayne Alberta

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Photography Alberta Next Drag Superstar Semifinals, at Evolution, Edmonton photos by Kurtis Allan

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Photography Alberta Next Drag Superstar, with MILK at Evolution, Edmonton http://gaycalgary.com/pa958

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Photography Fairytales Film Festival Open and Closing Gala’s with Hot Mess and Third Street Theatre event Stars of the Stage and Screen http://gaycalgary.com/pa959

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GayCalgary Magazine #139, June 2015

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News Releases Do You Have Facial Feces?

Sporting a lumbersexual beard may not be as hot as you think according to a survey conducted by a TV news crew in New Mexico.... http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1839

This Woman Wants To Sue You… For Being Gay You Are Being Sued - Panic not, as we will all be in the Dock with you if Sally Ann Driskell gets her own way. The Nebraska... http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1840

Luxembourg: Only Gay Prime Minister In The World To Marry?

Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel is to wed his partner Gauthier Destenay next week, according to Yahoo News, just... http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1841

NSFW - Chris Hemsworth: Massive Penis Is Basically Everything Thor actor Chris Hemswoth has shown off his rather impressive body and what appears to be an incredibly long schlong in the new... http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1842

Gay Kiss At Dodgers Stadium Makes History There is nothing that defines culture in our society more than sport. It is still the biggest reason why people are glued to... http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1843

Being Gay Is A “Behaviour” According To Anti-Gay Group With US Supreme Court ruling on same sex marriage just a month a way, the opposition is up to its usual dirty tricks with it’s... http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1844

Gay hookup site raises awareness of racism in online dating.

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Pink Triangle Press (PTP) operator of Squirt.org launched its latest advertising... http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1845

Epic New Novel Explores Post Apocalyptic Utopian Earth Where Gender Plays No Role Willem of the Tafel” is the gripping new novel from Hans M. Hirschi, the author behind the gay fiction darlings, “The... http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1848

LGBTQ Production Company to Film Second Indie Movie Family-owned LGBTQ production company, Small or Large Productions, will be shooting its second independent feature film, a crime... http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1849

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NSFW - Steam Room Stories: What’s your fetish?

The Steam Room Stories guys go a little Fifty Shades of Grey in the latest episode of the saucy web series. Steam Room hunks... http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1851

NSFW - Gregg Homme - Enter the “Playhouse” Collection: New collection lures and captivates GREGG HOMME has just announced the launch of its PLAYHOUSE collection, with an array of diverse underwear styles available on... http://www.gaycalgary.com/n1852

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“Queers and Trans and Allies – Oh My!” Camp fYrefly 2015 Premieres its Community Documentary

VIDEO - Cat-chella Festival: Meow Mix’s Kitty Girl Group Releases Hit Song!

MSQUARED2 Productions presents “Over the Rainbow” in association with Camp fYreflyCalgary, Institute for Sexual Minority...

This first single from “The Shelines” is Meow Mix Records’ highly anticipated follow-up to ‘EDM Cat Remix by DJ Ashworth’...

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Gregg Homme Is Seeking Our Next Model - Enter or Refer A Friend!

Number of Married Same-Sex Couples in the US Has Tripled in the Last Year, New Study Shows

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One in six married same-sex couples live in states that don’t recognize their marriage. The number of legally married same-sex...

Do you look hot in a pair of briefs? Know someone who does? Gregg Homme is recruiting the next star for our new collection. The...

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GayCalgary Magazine #139, June 2015

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News Releases Way Older Than Cell Phones: Expert Witness Revealed Same-Sex Unions Have Existed for Millennia

NSFW - How To Massage Your Prostate Prostate massage is a little known therapy that can provide enormous benefits to the male body. The prostate is a walnut sized...

Two days after the Supreme Court of the United States heard oral arguments in the marriage equality case Obergefell v. Hodges,...

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Egale Canada To Host OUTatNight Nation-Wide Fundraiser For Homeless LGBTQ2S Youth

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2015 Artists for Life Raises $30,000 For Local Charities

Rick Mercer, Victor Garber, Seinfeld’s Jason Alexander, and Academy Award winning Marlee Matlin are joining Egale to take a stand,...

6 Year Total Fundes Raised Now Surpasses $130K JTMF West is proud to announce the results for the 2015 Artists for Life event...

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Ireland Makes History Will Pro Gay Marriage Yes Vote

Miss Fame, Breakout Star From This Season’s Rupaul’s Drag Race, Releases “Rubber Doll”

After a high turn out, the votes have been counted for the historic same-sex marriage referendum vote in Ireland and Ireland has...

The First Single From Her Upcoming Debut Album This week, RuPaul’s Drag Race season 7 contestant Miss Fame releases “Rubber...

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TV Show is Cancelled After Allegations Of Child Molesting

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Hawaii Legislature Passes Important Bill Impacting Transgender Hawaiians

The American TLC Cable Company yesterday cancelled one its top TV shows 19 Kids and Counting in the wake of allegations that Josh...

The legislation will ensure that transgender people are able to change their birth certificates to reflect their correct name...

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Ellen DeGeneres Mother Of Hot Twins?

BTW : Our Guide to Gay Internet Speak

On her TV Show this week talk-show comedian Ellen revealed that she has been keeping a secret since 1989. She is in fact the...

When you are on Grindr or Scruff (and don’t even pretend you that you have never tried either) do you feel that everyone is speaking...

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Same-Sex Marriage Advances Impact Same-Sex Couples more Directly than Their Homosexual Siblings

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NSFW - Sexy Lingerie For Men Is Here

New study asks same-sex couples and their heterosexual siblings about their reactions to U.S. Supreme Court decision in June 2013....

Sexy Lingerie For Men Is Here at Last (!)

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Father’s Day & Grads Gadget Gift Ideas 2015

Ex Policeman Wows Simon Cowell With Beyonce Drag Act

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Aaron Carty a 29-year-old ex-policeman from London went full on Sasha fierce in the last episode of Britain’s Got Talent. Aaron...

Michael Sam Tells MSNBC’s Roberts “I Really Don’t Wish I Was Being Compared to Jackie Robinson”

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Indian Mother Looks To Arrange a Marriage for her Gay Son

Michael Sam, Defensive End for the CFL, appeared on “MSNBC Live with Thomas Roberts” (weekdays, 1pmET) today, May 26,...

Indian culture has a long history of ‘arranged marriages’ and like any other Indian mother advancing into her silver years, Padma...

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Odds are, if you have been in Calgary for a bit of a time, you have met Ms. GayCalgary, Janie Van Santen. As current rodeo director for the Alberta Rockies Gay Rodeo Association (ARGRA), Van Santen has been a staple in the Calgary community.

ARGRA began in 1993 as a small rodeo event without the animals. Similar to the first Calgary Pride, it was met with protests and a lot of controversy. Twentytwo years later it is promising to be the biggest rodeo yet, and Van Santen has been part of it from the beginning.

“I was an avid spectator for the first couple of years, then started working security, and then became a member of the board in 2006,” she says.

Van Santen moved to Calgary in 1985 from her home in Winnipeg. In 2008, Van Santen retired (at a young and vibrant age) from a career as a human resource manager for an oil and gas company, and is now working part-time on a project in Fort Saskatchewan in the same field. She is also spending much deserved time with her four horses and travelling the rodeo circuit with her partner of 30 years, Dale.

If you have the chance to visit the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, take a close look. You will perhaps spot Van Santen in a picture of the first Women’s National Hockey Team.

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Directory & Events DOWNTOWN CALGARY

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10 12

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6

3

7

15

1 8

4 5

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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 750 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

 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

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

 slow.pitch@apollocalgary.com

• Squash

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

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

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Directory & Events Fetish Slosh----------------------------  Evening

Calgary Events

At 3 Backlot

Mondays

 2nd

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

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

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

Saturdays

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

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

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

At 5 Goliaths

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

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

Wednesdays

Fridays

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

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

See

ISCCA BBQs--------------------------------Dinner

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

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

At 5 Goliaths

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

Tuesdays

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

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

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

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

Beers for Queers--------------------------  6pm

Thursdays

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

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

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

 Kerby Center, Sunshine Room 1133 7th Ave SW

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

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

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

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

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

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

See 1 Calgary Outlink By

 1st

YYC Badboys at 13 The Pint

At 5 Goliaths

At 3 Backlot

Knox United Church

 Old Y Centre (223 12th Ave SW)

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

 3rd

Between Men--------------------------- 7-9pm Karaoke-------------------------  8pm-12:30am

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

 2nd, 4th

At 4 Texas Lounge

ISCCA at 3 Backlot

See 1 Calgary Outlink

 tennis@apollocalgary.com

• Yoga

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

Alberta Rockies Gay Rodeo Association (ARGRA)

 www.argra.org

✰

At 5 Goliaths

At 1 Calgary Outlink

See 1 Calgary Outlink

 3rd  4th

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

 1st

• 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

Deer Park United Church/Wholeness Centre

 http://www.calgaryexpo.com

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

Calgary Gay Fathers

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

 403-278-8263

Different Strokes

 http://www.differentstrokescalgary.org

FairyTales Presentation Society

Calgary Men’s Chorus

 403-244-1956

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

 http://www.calgarymenschorus.org

• Rehearsals

• DVD Resource Library

 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.

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

Gay Friends in Calgary

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

Girl Friends

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

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

 girlfriends@shaw.ca

 members.shaw.ca/girlfriends

• Peer Support and Crisis Line

2 HIV Community Link------------------- ✰

 110, 1603 10th Avenue SW  403-508-2500  1-877-440-2437  http://www.hivcl.org

 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.

• 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

Girlsgroove

 http://www.girlsgroove.ca

ISCCA Social Association

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

Knox United Church

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

Lesbian Meetup Group

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

Miscellaneous Youth Network

 http://www.miscyouth.com

• Fake Mustache • Mosaic Youth Group

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

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

52

Sundays See See See See See

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

Rainbow Community Church

Flashlight Night---------------------  6pm-6am At 5 Goliaths

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

 Weeds Cafe (1903 20 Ave NW)

Calgary Expo

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

 2nd

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

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

• Tennis

 Arrata Opera Centre (1315 - 7 Street SW)

 1st

See 1 Calgary Outlink

 Calgary Contd.

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

 2nd

See 1 Calgary Outlink

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

See 1 Calgary Outlink

By

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

GayCalgary Magazine #139, June 2015

support, education and resources to parents, families and individuals who have questions or concerns about sexual orientation or gender identity.

Positive Space Committee

 4825 Mount Royal Gate SW  403-440-6383  http://www.mtroyal.ca/positivespace Works to raise awareness and challenge the patterns of silence that continue to marginalize LGBTTQ individuals.

Pride Calgary Planning Committee

 403-797-6564

 www.pridecalgary.ca

Primetimers Calgary

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

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

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

✰

• Coffee Night

 2nd Cup, Kensington

Safety Under the Rainbow

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

Scarboro United Church

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

Sharp Foundation

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

Spectrum Volleyball Calgary

 http://www.spectrumvolleyball.ca  spectrumvolleyball@gmail.com Join us for recreational, competitive or beach volleyball.

www.gaycalgary.com

Directory & Events  Calgary Contd.

Unity Bowling

 http://www.cruiseline.ca Telephone classifieds and chat - 18+ ONLY.

Wild Rose United Church

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

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

DevaDave Salon & Boutique

 1317-1st Street NW

Restaurants & Pubs

Ellen Embury

13 The Pint See Calgary - Bars & Clubs (Mixed).

Hardline

Adult Depot (CLOSED)

 Calgary: 403-770-0776

 Edmonton: 780-665-6666  Other Cities: 1-877-628-9696  http://www.hardlinechat.com Telephone classifieds and chat - 18+ ONLY.

Adult Source----------------------------

 12 Deerview Terrace SE  403-879-1967  http://www.canyonmeadows.net

Retail Stores

 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

 812 11 Ave SW  403-263-6500  http://www.webstergalleries.com

 T-S: 10am-6pm, N: 1-4pm

MFM Communications

NRG Support Services

Priape Calgary (CLOSED)

 Suite 27, Building B1, 2451 Dieppe Ave SW

 403-471-0204  780-922-3347  nrg@shaw.ca  http://www.nrgsupportservices.com

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

SafeWorks

Pushing Petals

Free and confidential HIV/AIDS and STI testing.

 1209 5th Ave NW  403-263-3070  http://www.pushingpetals.com

6th and Tenth - Sales Centre

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

Barry Hollowell

UpStares Ultralounge (CLOSED)

 4th Floor, Jasper Ave and 107th Street

4 Woody’s------------------------------------ ✰

 11725 Jasper Ave  780-488-6557

Bars & Clubs (Mixed)

Calgary Civil Marriage Centre

These venues regularly host LGBT events.

Hooliganz Pub (CLOSED)

ATP, Alberta Theatre Projects

 403-294-7402

 http://www.ATPlive.com

Fairytales

Craig Connell (Maxwell Realtors)

See Calgary - Community Groups.

Cruiseline

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

One Yellow Rabbit--------------------------

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

 www.beefbearbash.com

GLBTQ Sage Bowling Club

 780-474-8240

 tuff@shaw.ca

HIV Network Of Edmonton Society----

InQueeries

Bathhouses/Saunas 5 Steamworks------------------------------- ✰

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

Community Groups AltView Foundation

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

 403-398-9968  info@altview.ca  http://ww.altview.ca For gender variant and sexual minorities.

Book Worm’s Book Club

 Howard McBride Chapel of Chimes 10179 - 108 Street  bookworm@teamedmonton.ca

✰

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

by HIV.

 http://www.iscwr.ca

Theatre & Fine Arts

 403-253-5678  http://www.maxwellrealty.com/craigconnell

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.

8 Yellowhead Brewing Co.

 10229 105 St  info@yellowheadbrewery.com  http://www.yellowheadbrewery.com

Wheel Pro’s

 3rd Floor, 1131 Kensington Road NW  403-571-5120  http://www.courtneyaarbo.ca GLBT legal services.

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.

• Sheldon M. Chumir Health Centre

 4143- Edmonton Trail NE  403-226-7278  http://www.wheelpros.ca “Experts in Everything for Wheels”

Courtney Aarbo (Barristers & Solicitors)

Edmonton Pride Festival Society (EPFS)

 http://www.edmontonpride.ca

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

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

 403-808-7147

Edmonton Expo

 http://www.edmontonexpo.com

7 The Starlite Room

 10030 102 St contact@starliteroom.ca  http://www.starliteroom.ca

• Safeworks Van

Christopher T. Tahn (Thornborough Smeltz)

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

 10704 124 St NW

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

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

 780-938-2941

Buck Naked Boys Club

 780-471-6993  http://www.bucknakedboys.ca Naturism club for men—being social while everyone is naked, and it does not include sexual activity. Participants do not need to be gay, only male.

• Centre of Hope

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

 403-819-5219  http://www.bcbhcounselling.com

www.gaycalgary.com

EDMONTON

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

 633 10th Ave SW  403-239-5511  http://www.6thandtenth.com

 M-W: 12-6pm, R: 2-7pm, S-N: 12-5pm

 Calgary: 403-777-9494

 Edmonton: 780-413-7122  Other Cities: 1-877-882-2010

Webster Galleries Inc.

• Calgary Drop-in Centre

Services & Products

 11650 Elbow Dr SW  ctahn@thornsmeltz.com  http://www.thornsmeltz.com

Vertigo Mystery Theatre--------------------

Hot Water Pools & Spas

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

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

 403-703-4750

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

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

 #4 - 1126 Kensington Rd NW  403-283-3555  http://www.thenakedleaf.ca Organic teas and tea ware.

✰

 #3 306 20th Ave SW 

http://www.thirdstreet.ca

Lorne Doucette (CIR Realtors)

La Fleur

Theatre Junction------------------------

Third Street Theatre

 403-355-3335  http://www.interactivemale.com

 403-266-1707 Florist and Flower Shop.

✰

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

Interactive Male

Best Health

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

Holiday Retirement

 2145 Summerfield Blvd  403-912-2045  http://www.hotwaterpoolsandspas.ca

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

✰

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

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

10 Flames Central---------------------------- See Calgary - Bars & Clubs (Mixed).

Pumphouse Theatre--------------------

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

Imperial Sovereign Court of the Wild Rose

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.

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

GayCalgary Magazine #139, June 2015

53

Directory & Events DOWNTOWN EDMONTON

1

6

8

5 4 3

1 Pride Centre of Edm.---- Community Groups 2 Edmonton STD---------- Community Groups

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

Team Edmonton

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

 3rd

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

 2nd

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

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

7

3 Buddy’s-----------------------Bars and Clubs 4 Woody’s-----------------------Bars and Clubs

5 Steamworks----------------------Bathhouses 6 Evolution----------------------Bars and Clubs

7 The Starlite Room------------Bars and Clubs 8 Yellowhead Brewing Co.-----Bars and Clubs

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

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

QH Youth Drop-in------------------  2-6:30pm

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fridays

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

Tuesdays

See

2

See 1 Youth Understanding Youth

Mondays

N

Team Edmonton

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

Team Edmonton

Thursdays

See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton See See See

 2nd, 4th

BookWorm’s Book Club

 3rd

Team Edmonton Team Edmonton

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Saturdays

See

Team Edmonton

See

Wednesdays See

See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton

GLBTQ Sage Bowling Club

See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton

Youth Understanding Youth

See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton See

Team Edmonton

See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton See See

Men’s Games Nights

Youth Understanding Youth

• TTIQ

• Counselling

• Women’s Social Circle

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

• Men Talking with Pride

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

• Movie Night

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

• Queer HangOUT: Game Night

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

• Queer HangOUT: Craft Night

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

• Queer HangOUT: Anime Night

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

54

See

Team Edmonton

Sundays See

Team Edmonton

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

Team Edmonton

Men Talking with Pride---------------- 7-9pm See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton

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

Team Edmonton

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

 Robertson-Wesley United (10209 123 St)

 2nd

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

 2nd

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

We provide a safe, welcoming, and non-judgemental drop-in space, and offer support programs and resources for members of the GLBTQ community and for their families and friends.

• Knotty Knitters

 2nd

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

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

Buck Naked Boys Club

 Edmonton Contd.

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

 2nd, Last

Naturalist Gettogether See

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

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

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

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

See 1 Pride Centre of Edmonton

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

Seniors Association of Greater Edmonton

 780-474-8240

 tuff@shaw.ca

Team Edmonton

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

• Badminton (Mixed)

 St. Thomas Moore School, 9610 165 Street

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

• Badminton (Women’s)

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

 badminton@teamedmonton.ca

GayCalgary Magazine #139, June 2015

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

• Gymnastics, Drop-in

•Ballroom Dancing

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

 Ortona Gymnastics Club, 8755 - 50 Avenue  gymnastics@teamedmonton.ca Have the whole gym to yourselves and an instructor to help you achieve your individual goals. Cost is $5.00 per session.

• Blazin’ Bootcamp

• Hockey

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

 hockey@teamedmonton.ca

• Martial Arts

 Ed’s Rec Room (West Edmonton Mall)

 bowling@teamedmonton.ca $15.00 per person.

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

• Cross Country Skiing

• Outdoor Pursuits

• Bowling (Northern Titans)

 crosscountry@teamedmonton.ca

• Curling with Pride

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

• Cycling (Edmonton Prideriders)

 Dawson Park, picnic shelter  cycling@teamedmonton.ca

• Dragon Boat (Flaming Dragons)

 dragonboat@teamedmonton.ca

• Golf

 outdoorpursuits@teamedmonton.ca

• Running (Arctic Frontrunners)

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

• Slo Pitch

 Parkallen Field, 111 st and 68 ave  slo-pitch@teamedmonton.ca Season fee is $30.00 per person. $10 discount for players from the 2008 season.

 golf@teamedmonton.ca

www.gaycalgary.com

Directory & Events Red Deer Events Wednesdays

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

CAANS

 1st

Friday, August 15th

 Edmonton Contd.

• Snowballs V

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

• Soccer

 soccer@teamedmonton.ca

• Spin

 MacEwan Centre for Sport and Wellness 109 St. and 104 Ave  Wednesdays, 5:45-6:45pm Season has ended.  spin@teamedmonton.ca 7 classes, $28.00 per registrant.

• Swimming (Making Waves)

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

• Tennis

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

 tennis@teamedmonton.ca

• Ultimate Frisbee

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

• Volleyball, Intermediate

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

• Volleyball, Recreational

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

• Women’s Lacrosse

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

Call for info.

• Yoga

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

Womonspace

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

Youth Understanding Youth

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

• Sports and Recreation

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

Restaurants & Pubs 12 Woody’s------------------------------------ ✰ See Edmonton - Bars & Clubs (Gay).

Retail Stores Passion Vault

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

Products & Services Cruiseline

LETHBRIDGE

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

Robertson-Wesley United Church

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

• Soul OUTing

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

• Film Night

 Bi-monthly, contact us for exact dates.

• Book Club

 Monthly, contact us for exact dates.

Theatre & Fine Arts

Community Groups GALA/LA

 356 - 2 Street SE, Medicine Hat, AB  403-527-5882  1-877-440-2437

• Monthly Dances

 M-F, 8:30am - 12:30pm + 1:30pm - 4:30pm

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

• Monthly Potluck Dinners

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

• Support Line

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

• Friday Mixer

Exposure Festival

The Roxy Theatre

 University of Lethbridge GBLTTQQ club on campus.

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

BANFF Community Groups HIV Community Link

 102 Spray Ave  PO Box 3160, Banff, AB T1L 1C8  403-762-0690

JASPER Accommodations Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge

 Old Lodge Road  1-866-540-4454  http://www.fairmont.com/jasper

Community Groups Jasper Pride Festival

 PO Box 98, 409 Patricia St., T0E 1E0

 contact@jasperpride.ca  http://www.jasperpride.ca

• Telephone Support

ALBERTA Community Groups Alberta Trans Support/Activities Group

 http://www.albertatrans.org A nexus for transgendered persons, regardless of where they may be on the continuum.

Theatre & Fine Arts Alberta Ballet

 http://www.albertaballet.com Frequent productions in Calgary and Edmonton.

Gay & Lesbian Integrity Assoc. (GALIA)

 galia@uleth.ca

• Movie Night

 Room C610, University of Lethbridge

Gay Youth Alliance Group

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

Lethbridge Expo

 http://www.lethbridgeexpo.com

Lethbridge HIV Connection

 1206 - 6 Ave S

PFLAG Canada

 1-888-530-6777

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

Pride Lethbridge

 lethbridgepridefest@gmail.com

RED DEER Community Groups

Whistlers Inn

 105 Miette Ave  1-800-282-9919  info@whistlersinn.com  http://www.whistlersinn.com

Community Groups HIV Community Link

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

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

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

MEDICINE HAT

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.

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.

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.

www.gaycalgary.com

GayCalgary Magazine #139, June 2015

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Classifieds Event

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Sales/Rentals

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The Fetish Slosh at the Backlot!

Safe Step Walk-In Tub Co.

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!

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

Help Wanted

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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.

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Private House Cleaner Will clean for the gay community. Very detailed. Includes vacuuming, dusting, cleaning floors, kitchens and bathrooms. Cute clean appearance. Must have own cleaning supplies.

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GayCalgary Magazine #139, June 2015

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Mail replies to Box 1018 c/o GayCalgary, or E-mail box1018@gaycalgary.com.

 Mail Forwarding To reply by post, mail to: Box # c/o GayCalgary 2136 17th Ave SW Calgary, AB, T2T 0G3 To reply by E-mail: box#@gaycalgary.com

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GayCalgary Magazine #139, June 2015

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www.gaycalgary.com

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