GayCalgary Magazine - Feb/Mar 2018

FEB/MAR 2018

® ISSUE 165 • $8.95 The Voice of Alberta’s LGBTQ+ Community

FREE ONLINE

Interview with

MORGAN MCMICHAELS

Anna Silk

Quick Chat about the hit series LostGirl

Amanda Lepore

World’s mega-famous transsexual

PLUS:

Ryan Steele • Thalia Almodovar Travel - Jasper, AB • Jasper Pride 2018 Caribbean Pride in the Dominican Republic ...and more!

Business Directory

Scan to Read on Mobile Devices

Community Map

Calgary • Alberta • Canada

Events Calendar

Jesse Jackman

Talks about fitness, filming and more

Tourist Information

STARTING ON PAGE 81

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GayCalgary Magazine #165, February/March 2018

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Table of Contents

Photography Videography

Steve Polyak, Diaz-Marino, SteveRob Polyak B&J

Sales Videography Steve Polyak

Stevesales@gaycalgary.com Polyak, Rob Diaz-Marino

Legal Council Printers

Courtney Aarbo, Barristers andWeb Solicitors North Hill News/Central

General Inquiries Distribution

® GayCalgary Calgary: GallantMagazine Distribution 2136 17th Avenue GayCalgary StaffSW Calgary, AB,Clark’s CanadaDistribution T2T 0G3 Edmonton: magazine@gaycalgary.com Other: Canada Post

Office Hours:

By Council appointment ONLY Legal Courtney Aarbo, Barristers and Solicitors Phone: 403-543-6960 Toll Free: 1-888-543-6960 Salesmagazine@gaycalgary.com & General Inquiries E-Mail:

GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine This Month's Cover 2136 17th Avenue SW Main: Morgan McMichaels, photo courtesy Calgary, AB, Canada VH1. Top Right: Anna T2TSilk, 0G3photo courtesy Corus

Entertainment. Mid Right: Amanda Lepore, photo

by Josef Jasso. Bottom Right: Jesse Jackman, Office Hours: By appointment ONLY photo by Titan Media.

Phone: 403-543-6960 Toll Free: 1-888-543-6960 Fax: 403-703-0685 E-Mail: magazine@gaycalgary.com

This Month's Cover Cher and Christina Aguilera courtesy of Sony Pictures; Annie Lennox courtesy of Mike Owen; Rex Goudie.

Proud Members of: Proud Member of:

Publisher’s Column

The Otters will play - Finding my Place between Traditional and Social Media

8 Crash and Burn

Queer Space Opera Comic Produced in Calgary

9

Sleeping Beauty

PAGE 16

Writers and Contributors

Mercedes Jeff Berry,Allen, JasonChris Clevett, Azzopardi, William Dallas Cooke,Barnes, Janine Dave Eva-Trotta, Brousseau, Kenyon SamFarrow, Casselman, OriolJason R. Gutierrez Clevett, Jr., Andrew JamesCollins, Pelligrino, EmilyChaman Collins, Rob PreetDiaz-Marino, Singh, Steve Janine Polyak,Eva Brandon Trotta,Schultz, Jack Fertig, JohnGlen Stein,Hanson, Mars Tonic, Joan Hilty, GayCalgary Evan Kayne, Staff, Stephen and the LGBT Lock, Community Neil McMullen, of Allan Neuwirth, Calgary,Steve Edmonton, Polyak,and Carey Alberta Rutherford, Romeo San Vicente, Ed Sikov, Nick Vivian and the GLBT Community of Calgary, Edmonton, and Photography Alberta.

Steve Polyak

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Loose Moose Theatre for Kids offers Engaging Rendition of a Classic

10 Chaman Preet Singh Speaks Out

The “No Moment”, Homosexuality in India, and Racism

13 The Outsiders

Storybook Theatre Delivers Heartfelt Portrayal of Teenage Tragedy

14 Queer Eye - Banff Pride 2017 16 The Busy Ryan Steele at Whistler Pride 2018 Talks about the Ryan and Amy Show, Comedy and Amazing Race Canada

17 Sherlock With A Twist

Stage West’s Baskerville turns horror into comedy

18 Queer Artist Rvssia

Queer Creators, Queer Content and the Queer Experience

20 Queer Eye - Whistler Pride 2018 22 GayCalgary Magazine’s Top 20 Most Read Articles in 2017 23 INTERVIEW - Thalia Almodovar Beats the Faces on VH1 Beauty Bar 24 Broadway Across Canada’s 2018/2019 Season

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New shows, popular favourites making their way to Alberta.

26 Positive Thoughts Surviving with Style

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27 Positive Thoughts: Justice for All

Immigration Equality advocates on behalf of both LGBT immigrants and all immigrants living with HIV

30 Jasper, Alberta A Community with a Warm Welcoming Heart

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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

FEB/MAR 2018

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®

40 Jasper Pride 2018

44 Caribbean Pride in the Dominican Republic

International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association

48 Looking Back on 2017 in HIV/AIDS – and What’s in Store for 2018 National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association

Gay European Tourism Association

The political climate challenges our ability to keep making gains in ending the epidemic, even as we’re beginning to see some new possibilities for success

PAGE 44

New Dates, New Activities and lots more!

Continued on Next Page  www.gaycalgary.com

GayCalgary Magazine #165, February/March 2018

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Table of Contents  Continued From Previous Page

49 Anna Silk of Lost Girl A quick chat about the sexuality of her character Bo on hit series PAGE 49

50 SIMPLY LEPORE World’s mega-famous transsexual returns to the dance floor this spring 52 Twelve Projects to Add Value to Your Home and Make It Easier to Sell 53 Tips for Selling Your Home While You Still Live in it 54 Addicted’s Spring Season of ‘Lust’ 55 Green cocktails for St. Patrick’s Day or anytime of the year McGuinness Melon Liqueur is perfect for making refreshing cocktails

PAGE 57

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56 Serena Ryder Provides an Electric Performance

57 Drag Race Season 3 All Star Morgan McMichaels Talks about Performing at Werk in Calgary, and RuPaul’s Drag Race 58 Muscle Daddy Jesse Jackman Talks about fitness, filming and being in the porn industry for over six years 60 76 81 86

Queer Eye News Releases Directory and Events Classified Ads

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Magazine Figures Monthly Online Magazine Readership:

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

Total Readership of PDF/ISSUU/WEB

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

Proof of monthly figures are available on request.

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. November 2017 limited print editions return.

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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Copyright 2018. All rights reserved.

GayCalgary® is a registered trademark.

Apr/May 2018 Deadlines Ad Booking: Wed, Apr 25th

Submission: Wed, May 2nd Online: Sun, May 6th Please contact us immediately if you think you may have missed the booking or submission deadline.

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GayCalgary Magazine #165, February/March 2018

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Publisher’s Column

The Otters will play - Finding my Place between Traditional and Social Media

photos by GayCalgary at Whistler Pride 2018 

by Steve Polyak When I envisioned GayCalgary.com and GayCalgary Magazine, it was to highlight the LGBTQ+ community of Alberta. Rob and I saw that our role should be like traditional media. We were to be in the background, write the publishers column, do article assignments, edit, take photos and so forth. The idea of being on the other side of the camera was not really supposed to happen except in very special circumstances.

With the brand being GayCalgary, focus was on the community, businesses, drag queens/kings, performers, and events with our writers creating the content along with the photos and videos we took. It would be no different than all other prior gay publications and mainstream media. Other than for a couple mainstream magazines, you would never see the owners, publishers or editors constantly featured throughout the magazine. If anything, you would see a photo of them by the column they wrote.

It felt like it was taboo to display yourself in the magazine.

I remember when Rob and I were out at bars or events, people would make back handed comments about other gay publications if the owner or editor had written a travel feature based on a trip they took. They would make comments like “oh look, [insert publishers name] is showing off another high-end trip that no one can afford. What a showoff.”

Hearing comments like that, Rob and I decided to hold off on writing travel articles.

With hesitation it took us six years after starting the magazine before we did our first travel feature. We were worried about the optics in the LGBTQ community because there could have been some negative backlash just like the other publication had received. It took us 5 more years before doing the next travel feature. Only at that point, we realized that we needed some time away and enjoy at least some of the benefits of running a magazine. It seemed ok if we had a freelance writer do the travel feature, but it was not ok for Rob or I to take a trip and write about it.

It should not be a surprise that I prefer to be behind the camera. Being fat shamed while growing up and seeing photos family photos, I started to avoid being in front of the lens. Rob has seen some of the photos of me growing up.

Either my mom was playing a nasty joke on me or she did not understand that sometimes the clothes she was buying would be bad for myself esteem later in life. There are true stories of my mom having my dad, brother and I wear Lederhosen to Chinook Centre. Her reasoning was that a relative from Europe sent them to us and we need to wear them.

Fat shaming also does happen in our community too. In the early years of the magazine, we had accepted an advertisement which unknowingly had a hidden message saying, “Steve is

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photos by GayCalgary at Whistler Pride 2018 

fat”. We did not notice the hidden message until after the hard copies were in circulation. The advertisement came in at the last minute from a theatre company that never existed.

I wrote about my life of being overweight, and the ad running in the magazine in an article “Big Boys Don’t Cry? Being Fat and Gay” in our September 2006 edition (http://www. gaycalgary.com/i35) With how I looked like growing up and the fat shaming in our community, of course I would have self-esteem issues.

It was one of the reasons why Rob was photographed more than me if we out in the community. Now with Rob no longer part of the magazine, it has created some challenges where it forces me to be in front of the camera more than I would like to.

Technology has changed, so has media. When we started doing video interviews, I could assign a writer to do it. Though that is not always possible, which puts me in front of the camera. While I edit the videos and I criticize myself for the clothes I was wearing or that I look like a slob. I have even terms for some of my ugly looks on camera which some of them came from my family when I was growing up.

Over the past 4 or 5 years, I have come across bloggers and social media influencers. While at Whistler Pride, I met Barb Snelgrove of Mega Mouth Media. She knows I stand back and watch her doing her selfies and post things live to her Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts. I have 6

GayCalgary Magazine #165, February/March 2018

looked at her funny several times doing it. For me, it is just something I don’t think ever do. She lives in the world of being a social media influencer but also lives in the world of radio at Roundhouse Radio 98.3 in Vancouver. She has created a famous brand and image of herself that people want to follow and listen to.

After spending a lot of time with her at Whistler and at Jasper, I still try to understand everything she does on social media. For me, the brand is GayCalgary, the brand is not me. I do own GayCalgary, I own the registered trademark of GayCalgary and the domain, but I don’t see myself being the face of GayCalgary. I see GayCalgary more than just me.

It is the product of results of what the collaborate effort is to produce the content that is GayCalgary. Thinking about it this way also kept me behind the scenes and not in front of the camera. So, taking photos for selfies would be very awkward for me.

This year, Whistler Pride had a “SOCIAL MEDIA – LGBT Destination Marketing Workshop”. Guys I would spend a lot of time with during Whistler Pride 2017 was Karl and Daan from Couple of Men, Stefan and Sebastien from Nomadic Boys, Kit and John from the Netflix series Eastsiders. Karl and Daan I had met a year prior at Jasper Pride and it was great to see them again. With everyone else, it was meeting new friends for the first time.

What these guys do for their social media feed and websites totally goes out of my comfort zone. We were together for www.gaycalgary.com

most of the same events and activities. As I stopped to do photos of the event, food or scenery, watching them do their selfies made me realize how much was involved to get that perfect single shot for them to post to social media. It also helps that they all have perfect bodies. Some of them still think they are not perfect enough but knowing what I put myself though with my weight and looks, these guys have absolutely nothing to worry about.

Also, the guys would also enjoy themselves and party. This is something that I have not really been able to do. When I am out covering events, it is work for me, not a party. Seeing them have fun reminded me of watching the otters playing away at the Vancouver Aquarium. They would do their photos while they party or pose for my camera. It was great to have willing subjects that would constantly posed for photos. They had so much energy too. I have energy but for me it is the constant go go go type of energy of making sure I get as much content as possible instead of using the energy to enjoy myself.

Even though these guys are doing selfies and enjoying themselves, they do still find time to write up some stuff and post it on their websites or social media feeds. With the magazine, the format of an article is a lot different. I also need to think about layout on the website and in the magazine.

For example, when I do an accommodation review, it is all about the room and the hotel, you never will see me in photos or in the video walk through. For them, they could easily be in robes looking out a window or on the bed in pj bottoms or underwear. If I did that, I think I would scare readers away.

I think the comments I would get would be something like, “Who wants to see that fat fuck?”. Sadly, that is a similar comment I have heard. So, when I do product reviews on video, you only see my hands or my torso.

While covering Whistler Pride, the guys would ask me if I wanted to join them while they did their selfies. I said no each time. Since I don’t do selfies, I felt it would be awkward for me to join them. I know how hard these guys try to get great shots, and I did not want to let them down by ruining their photos.

I always have the mind set that I am there to cover the event and that everyone else is more important to photograph than me. I am not there to party, and if I am there doing photos of myself, then I am not doing my job capturing the event. But every time I said no to these guys, I felt like I let them down and disappointed them. In the end, they just stopped asking.

Only on the last day as everyone was taking off, I finally said sure, I will do a selfie with them. Not everyone was able to do it with me before they left. I have regretted being such a stick in the mud instead of enjoying myself like they have during the trip.

The magazine started before social media happened, your image was very different. Perception was reality and it was a bad thing in most cases. If I was perceived enjoying myself and not taking my business seriously, I was criticized for it alongside of the fat shaming and anything else people would throw at you. Breaking out of that mind set to be a social media influencer like Barb and the guys is not easy.

All that baggage of my weight, perception of lack of professionalism, seeing the unflattering photos of my past and so forth has held me back. There is a lot for me to overcome to find that happy balance but after running everything for over 26 years with 14 years of that being the magazine, maybe it is time for me to enjoy some of the events while I am taking photos. Maybe if I get enough confidence, I will pop my head around to the other side of the lens every now and then too.

Follow them on Social Media Barb Snelgrove, Mega Mouth Media http://megamouthmedia.tumblr.com Twitter: @megamouthmedia Instagram: @megamouthmedia

Karl and Daan, Couple of Men https://coupleofmen.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coupleofmen Twitter: @coupleofmen Instagram: @coupleofmen

Stefan and Sebastien, Nomadic Boys https://nomadicboys.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nomadicboys Twitter: @nomadicboys Instagram: @nomadicboys

Kit and John, Netflix series Eastsiders http://www.eastsiderstheseries.com/ Twitter: @EastSidersTV http://kitwilliamson.com/ Twitter: @kitwilliamson Instagram: @kitwilliamson Twitter: @Johnhalbach Instagram: @johnhalbach

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Crash and Burn

Queer Space Opera Comic Produced in Calgary 

Watch the interview at http://gaycalgary.com/a5704

By Mars Tonic For a long time, science fiction has been a straight white man’s game. Luckily, as the political landscape changes so, too, do the landscapes of galaxies far away. Surely, no man has ever gone to some of these places before.

Finn, one of the two behind the queer space opera comic Crash and Burn and the project’s artist, explained the creation of the story. “It started out with a team of about three other friends of mine and myself, just kind of trading ideas about certain series we liked but couldn’t see ourselves in,” they said. “Especially in sci-fi, we found a lot of series where the universes were super imaginative and big and expansive, and we saw ourselves in the protagonists, but that creativity kind of ran out as soon as it came to queer identities. There’s a lot of series that say all the alien species duplicate the human gender binary and they perform it

completely as humans do. And so, we were trading ideas on how we’d do it differently.

“Eventually I took it a little more seriously, so I took those ideas and started turning it into something more linear, into a real story.”

Kate, the writer, joined the project about two years ago, and laughingly recalls her push to write out a storyline. “I have been the driving force between getting this out there – it was much more of a hobby project before I got involved. When we started, this is my favourite part, I asked why does the ship crash? Because I need to figure out the plot, so I can keep writing this. The answer was ‘... we don’t know.’”

The web comic updates one page a week every Friday, but the first issue was debuted at Calgary Expo about a year ago to a very positive response. “We had an 8.5x11inch sign that just said, ‘Crash and Burn, gay space opera’. It was very tiny. And people saw it and people loved it! So, we made a bigger banner.”

Crash and Burn http://cb-comic.com http://www.gaycalgary.com/a5704 View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments 8

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Sleeping Beauty

Loose Moose Theatre for Kids offers Engaging Rendition of a Classic  photo by Loose Moose Theatre

By Janine Eva Trotta

On a brisk Saturday afternoon Inglewood’s Loose Moose Theatre was a cozy host for a kid-centric adaptation of Sleeping Beauty, opening day. The funny, lively and quirky take will be on the stage Saturdays at 1pm and Sundays at 1pm and 3pm until February 18th.

Shows only run an hour long, so are perfect for audiences with young children. Even the squirmiest of tyke will be able to sit through this one, especially given the way the cast engages with the audience. A child is selected in the first half to come up on stage and play a game with the royal family. Songs are sung; kids are allowed to be vocal and participate in the dialogue. It’s truly a blast for the young crowd.

Don’t expect epic costumes or fancy stage sets but do expect a humble theatre experience that is short and sweet, exactly what you might expect if Sleeping Beauty was told through a child’s eyes. The acting is strong, and the performance enjoyable.

Should the Theatre for Kids series not be to your tastes, Loose Moose also does adult theatre sports Friday nights, gorilla theatre Saturday nights, and the High School Improv Invitational is coming up at the end of February. Visit their website for more details.

Sleeping Beauty Presented by Loose Moose Theatre Calgary – 1235 26 Ave SE Weekends until February 18th http://www.loosemoose.com/kids.htm http://www.gaycalgary.com/a5655 View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments

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Editorial

Chaman Preet Singh Speaks Out The “No Moment”, Homosexuality in India, and Racism

By Chaman Preet Singh “Listen to the voices of the ones who are sidelined, then a little will change.”

-By Owen Jones, theguardian.com

Chaman Preet Singh arrived in Canada 2 years ago from India. Through a series of alert connections between Edmonton and Calgary, he put in touch with GayCalgary Magazine. He had a desire to share his story of being gay in India and in Canada. His selfproclaimed need is to give information for anyone who, like he was, that might be suffering the oppression of social stigma and rejection because of their sexual orientation: he wishes no-one would have to go through the pain he has suffered.

As an University of Alberta IT student, Chaman Preet is passionate and focused in his description of his transition from resident of India to a resident of Canada, and what this has meant to his pursuit of happiness. GayCalgary has left this very personal story in his own words, with some minor editing, to keep the flavour of his honesty and spirit.

Battling from an emotional turmoil from a young age, I was born in an upper middle-class Sikh family in India, a country which is said to be diverse in terms of religion, language, caste and culture. Yet there is a similarity in matters of their pride and prejudices where homosexuality is still forbidden.

Moving to Canada for my Master’s degree came in my way as an opportunity to live freely and accept openly who I am, probably due to the reputation of candidness of any foreign country in India. What I believe is (that) one of the hardest paths in one’s life could be fighting for your own identity in the society When I was a child, I had no idea what homosexuality was.

But then I grew up and started to realize that my preferences were different, and since then I discovered I was gay. I never wanted to draw attention to who I liked, but I wanted the chance to be myself in a public space, without any more questions.

The struggle to survive and fight for your own identity was very high, which involved being mocked by people for being 10

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gay, undergone character shaming, teasing and every other possible hatred that shook up confidence upside down.

They said that I’m not “Normal”, but if the most “Normal” person is a straight, cisgender, upper middle- class man, be it a white or any other ethnic religion where first language is English, maybe the problem is the idea of normal itself, because that excludes so many people.

I have so much to write that I have to dig (in) my mind, because agony of life should be written and brought out to public. This is just a beginning to my story and I will unfold every emotion that came my way, where one day I decided and developed that courage to say “NO”.

The “No Moment” Just like any other homosexual, my “No Moment” came in my life, which was 3 years ago where I had beaten myself to blood and deep scars with a leather belt; where I wanted to punish myself for being who I am. Confined within the four walls of my room, crying and mustering the courage to go out, and trying to find reasons why should I go out at all? At some point I had to come at peace with myself, because I had already abandoned myself from important things in life. I realized I was barricading myself from friendships, relationships and family.

I realized everything was at stake against only sexuality.

It sounds like any other coming out story, but moments of uncertainty are of great significance that are etched to my soul deeply, a slow burn day in and day out, lying about relationships (and) my preferences; always holding up a certain act, not being able to discuss my real self with friends and family. Searching for answers and wondering why me?

I gave a go ahead to myself finally to have this open and painful dialogue about my sexuality. The definition of my “NO moment” was when I realized that I should stop cursing myself and accept my own sexuality and start loving my own self. It was an act of utmost courage to come out and live authentically. I broke out to be real once in life, to feel the most honest moment, to be myself.

By this time a lot of people had left, and a few had stayed, and it was worth coming out for people who had stayed. Since

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its life and full of challenges, the challenges were not over yet.

Yes, the hurricane had passed but the challenges regarding falsely portraited homosexuality to justify discrimination was not over. Especially in a society like India it seems to be more than a decade long fight.

Some Home Truths: Homosexuality in India India is one of the biggest democracies in the world.

Humanity in India has a lot of definitions, and tolerance to diversity is the foundation of what we are raised in right from the beginning.

Being gay is tough but being gay in India is tougher. It’s tough to be a gay surrounded by loud mouthed conservatives and ignorant people who flaunt their love for Indian Culture as an excuse to debase the LGBT community. Being gay in India means you’re either a sexually deviant predator or somebody who’s gotten spoilt of bad company. People in modern India (as they say) still consider sexuality a matter of choice. They still don’t understand that one’s sexuality is not by choice but by birth. Hindu mythology predominantly gives evidences of homosexuality, and there are temples in India which have carvings of homosexual sex; and not only this, Kamasutra which depicts human sexual behaviour, (which) originated from India, has a complete chapter referring to homosexuality.

Yet the Indian culture flag-bearers act ignorant and call it “Unnatural”.

India has a rich heritage behind, but people there still have myths and misconceptions about homosexuality.

Misconception that it’s a problem and can be cured by psychotherapy. When I came out as gay lot of my friends had un-friended me and walked away without saying anything, because they were too shallow in their mind to accept me as their gay friend: some confronted saying that “Are you seriously a homosexual?” But the biggest disappointment

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came towards me was from my own best friend when he tried to give me a cure, saying that I should start sleeping with girls and I will be fine: it’s just a bad influence that I’ve gotten into.

I was so much stuck in the cobwebs of the society there: as a result of which I wasn’t able to express what it feels like living in a society that will shake your mind mentally and emotionally for being gay.

It’s not that people aren’t aware, it’s just they don’t want to talk about it, because they consider homosexuality as a matter of shame for them. My decision of moving to Canada came as an opportunity to explore the other side of society, which openly accepts and supports one’s own individuality.

We all bleed the same color Business owners and gay activists came up with the culture of gay dating apps, which was a super cool idea when I came across it once I moved to Canada. Excited with the review, I downloaded one of the most popular apps, (and) put up a good picture and a good introduction about myself. Scrolling through the app, there were initially a few disappointments, but one after the other I continued to scroll down. I realized that I again do not fit into people preference list. From insidiousness of Grindr rapport, I came across bigotry where the preferences regarding ones class, creed and colour were stated explicitly.

And going through that, I too fell in the dirty mud, where I came across a maddening issue in Edmonton by experiencing racism for the first time within our gay community: where I was refused to be friends because I was not white; where I was shamed regarding my religion and English not being my first language, because I refused to hook up. And not only this, I was also even made to think that I was an ugly guy and that all came towards me from our gay community with whom I am meant to share kinship with.

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It has been rightly said that, “How can you be a bigot when you yourself are a member of an oppressed minority in the world?”. Nobody in their right mind can deny that racism is a big issue in gay community. I have always seen on television about gay prides happening all around the world, and everyone seems to be happy, celebrating and representing one unified community and being proud of their own self. And that is what pride means. But unfortunately, the rainbow flag is much whiter than it appears, and it is because of the fact of Racism and it cannot be denied. The community fights for equality, freedom and every possible human right, and still whine about people for not being of their skin colour But yes, like they say, not everybody is same: I did come across one of the most amazing people here who accepted me with their open hearts, appreciated me for who I am, and showered acceptance, love and affection. Like this one guy in his late 30’s, who came across as my first random hookup ever. In that moment, the way he treated me is the reality that is till (this) date etched in my soul. From the way he exhibited his affection towards me, to the moment he softly pressed his hands against my heart, asking me to calm down in life: everything!

Discrimination is the reality of our society and its prevalent, but I can’t deny the fact that till now this country has given me so much in terms of making me stronger emotionally and mentally. Making me confident to speak my heart out; to open up to people about my own self and making my will power strong today; that I have gotten strength, that I have started to open up to few of my family members as well. Nevertheless, this world is full of dreams, and despite infuriating challenges (the) world has put in my ways, I aspire to win each of them.

At the end we all are human beings, no matter what our skin color, caste or religion is we all bleed the same colour.

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GayCalgary Magazine #165, February/March 2018

Hope, a strong emotion I came to Canada with lots of hopes, expectations and dreams, leaving my own motherland behind because it never gave me that acceptance and love for my own identity. In this world there is so much to divide us on basis of ones’ caste, creed and skin colour. But one factor binds all of us together, and that is humanity.

Someone has rightly said, and I quote,” before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way you will be a mile from them, and you will have their shoes.” Let us just spread the word love and stop differentiating each other in our community on basis of one’s skin colour, caste or creed.

Let everyone in the community have a fair chance to spread diversity among each other. Let our representing flag fly high with all its diverse colors rather than just being whiter in color.

Without having hopes and dreams nobody can move forward in life. Whoever I was 2 years ago and whoever I am today are two different people, with my present self-having bucket full of hopes and dreams: a hope where one day my parents will hug me and tell me that they are proud of me; a hope where our community wins over hate for different religions and culture.

After all we all have been brought to this world to make it more beautiful and amazing.

Follow Chaman Preet Singh on Instagram @cps2093 or email him directly at cps2093@gmail.com Quote is from the following article. http://www.gaycalgary.com/u905

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The Outsiders

Storybook Theatre Delivers Heartfelt Portrayal of Teenage Tragedy

 photo by Benjamin Laird Photography

By Janine Eva Trotta

In its 41st Season, the Season of Change, Storybook Theatre has taken on the book we all read in grade school that haunted us with its bitter truths: the cycle of poverty; the snares of violence; children doomed to endings they cannot steer themselves away from. The Outsiders hears the voice of Ponyboy, a smart orphan raised by two brothers hoping to see him escape the gang bangs and failures that surround them and, indeed, make them; to tread higher grounds than they can.

Robert Morrison bravely and capably takes on the role of Ponyboy, in a tenacious, raw performance. The scenes are often gripping and vicious – the play is rated PG with a recommended audience age of 12+ for good reason. I found myself covering my son’s eyes when the blades came out, or a dubious Soc was taking swings on a poor Greaser pinned down by both arms.

Director Karl Stine did not delineate from the original storyline, playing homage to the 1983 film adaptation starring a young Matt Dillion and Tom Cruise.

Jonathan Molinski, who plays the wreck loose and sexy Dallas, could have doubled for Dillion 30-some years ago. Haylee Thompson is very believable as Cherry. Her voice is commanding, and her acting abilities strong; stronger than some of her peers on stage, though no one lacked effort. www.gaycalgary.com

What is, perhaps, the most notable thing about The Outsiders is not so much the story it tells, as the voice it tells it with. S.E. Hinton was only 16 when she wrote the piece, a piece that begs the question ‘why can’t we all just get along?’

Now, 35 years later, we still haven’t answered, but it remains a query we must never cease asking. What stops human beings from recognizing in another, regardless of address or skin colour or bank account, the likeness they inevitably share with themselves? The feelings we all harbour, of fear, sadness, remorse and striving?

Aptly there is a plan in the works to see this production of The Outsiders embark on a school tour during the 2018/2019 school year. In the meantime, you can see it on the stage of the Beddington Theatre Arts Centre until February 24th.

The Outsiders, Presented by Storybook Theatre Calgary – 375 Bermuda Drive NW February 9th to 24th https://www.storybooktheatre.org/ http://www.gaycalgary.com/a5686 View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments

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Photography Banff Pride 2017 http://gaycalgary.com/pa1612

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Photography

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GayCalgary Magazine #165, February/March 2018

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The Busy Ryan Steele at Whistler Pride 2018

Talks about the Ryan and Amy Show, Comedy and Amazing Race Canada



Watch the interview at http://gaycalgary.com/a5706

By Steve Polyak and Mars Tonic When we asked Ryan Steele about his time on The Amazing Race Canada, he had no regrets. “To this day, it was the coolest, best thing I’ve ever done in my life.

Everything was paid for, you’re travelling the world, you’re travelling Canada. I loved that it was still mostly in Canada, because when would I ever go to PEI? When would I ever go to Winnipeg or Ottawa and go to the cool places in those cities? It was such a great experience. I would love to do it again.”

While it was certainly a fun time for him, his main focus is his project The Ryan and Amy Show, which he collaborates with fellow comedian Amy Goodmurphy. “We actually completed our first short film,” he said, discussing the editing and tweaking process, and his hopes in submitting it into the film festival circuit. “We’re trying to put together our show as a pilot, as well, to try to sell to Netflix – or anybody who’d buy it, to be totally honest!”

It’s a labour of love – quite literally. “We’re still doing our live shows in Vancouver and making our Youtube videos. It’s

an ongoing thing: Instagram, Facebook, trying to stay relevant and do your thing and have a full-time job, and partner, and family, then all your extra time has to go towards that. But we both love it.”

We’re glad Ryan and Amy are still going, because we definitely need more videos like Busy Drag Queen in our lives (staring the indomitable Raye Sunshine). How did that whole concept come together, anyway? “One time I was in my Sunfire in Vancouver,” Ryan recounts playfully, “on the corner of Thurlow and Davie with my friend Cassie. And there was a drag queen waiting for the light to turn so she could cross the street, and she had her luggage, and she was just like... she wanted that light to change so bad. And we looked at her and we were waiting for the light to change too, and my friend Cassie was like, “she is so busy right now.” And I’m like “she is so busy, she has somewhere to go!” and it was just that easy. Busy drag queen.”

Ryan is a lovely, energetic, charming guy, but we’ll stop here, and you can watch the rest of the video to see for yourself.

Because readers, we’re busy.

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Sherlock With A Twist Stage West’s Baskerville turns horror into comedy

 photos by John Watson Photography

By Jason Clevett

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes has taken on many forms since he debuted in 1887.

70 actors have portrayed him in movies, Benedict Cumberbatch has built part of his career playing the detective. TV’s Elementary put a modern-day spin on the character. Holmes and his friend John Watson remain one of fictions most beloved and well-known characters.

One of Holmes’ most famous adventures is The Hound of the Baskervilles. The third story, written in 1901, is rated the best Sherlock Holmes novel. It tells the story of an attempted murder inspired by the legend of a fearsome, diabolical hound of supernatural origin.

Acclaimed British playwright Ken Ludwig has taken the story, added a comedic element, and created a different twist on the classic story, which plays at Stage West until April 15th.

Former Vertigo theatre artistic director Mark Bellamy is the obvious choice to direct the show, his experience in the genre results in a tightly put together, well crafted production. JP Thibodeau’s set design is versatile and sets a spooky tone right from the beginning. Put together with Michael Gesy’s sound design and all of the pieces are in place to recreate a Sherlock Holmes.

With the staging set, its up to the actors to bring the story to life.

David Leyshon (Sherlock) and Patrick Brown (Watson) do a stellar job as the main characters. www.gaycalgary.com

They capture the spirit and dry wit of the legendary pair, with excellent chemistry between the two. They play the straight men in the whirlwind around them as the other three actors - Braden Griffiths, Andrew Macdonald-Smith and Esther Purves-Smith – create dozens of other characters. From the Texas drawling Baskerville heir to the nature obsessed neighbor, the trio constantly changes characters in the blink of an eye. It’s an extremely talented cast that delivers their performances with gusto.

Your enjoyment of the show may vary. It’s slapstick style may not appeal to purists of Holmes work, but it also puts a fresh spin on a 115-year-old story that may expose people to Doyle’s work in a new light. There are some clever sight gags and lines and the heart of the original story still remains. Baskerville is another fun evening of theatre from Stage West.

Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery Playing until April 15th, 2018 Stage West Theatre Restaurant http://www.stagewestcalgary.com http://www.gaycalgary.com/a5696 View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments

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17

Queer Artist Rvssia

Queer Creators, Queer Content and the Queer Experience 

Watch the interview at http://gaycalgary.com/a5707

By Mars Tonic Vaska, professionally known as Rvssia, is a top-notch artist with a style all their own. Artwork, yes, but also the way they dress, veering dangerously between Sloth Creature and Androgynous Eastern European Art Dealer. They can be seen in their home environment of conventions and markets, where they create an amalgamation of prints, pins, stickers, and other detritus for the nerdy queer (their sticker featuring an illustration of the Babadook shrieking ‘SUP HETEROS’ was a bestseller).

Sitting down to speak with Rvssia, we had a great chat both lighthearted in some senses, and serious in others. In terms of LGBTQA content that’s out there, there seem to be two camps: queer content made for queers, or queer content made for straight women (you know the type – a mysterious lack of lube, realism, or even a basic understanding of any type of queer or gay culture). Rvssia has claimed land solidly in the first camp, though their content ranges from fandom to original, gay or straight or all that’s between.

the pages.” Surprisingly, they became far more invested this time, and started to continue the story with more wisdom under their belt.

Mad Dash features two characters: an assassin, and the attractive male target he is assigned to kill. Very quickly, though, it veers off from assassination to seduction. As entertaining as the premise is, Rvssia is careful to make sure the story is a legitimate piece of content, as opposed to gay fetish – though it didn’t start that way.

“I just thought it was normal, the gay fetish stuff,” Rvssia explains, in hearkening back to their much younger self wandering the bowels of the internet. “‘This is what gay stuff is supposed to be’. So, I modelled it [Mad Dash] on that. So, after all these years, growing up and realizing that this stuff is really problematic and kinda gross, should probably just not bother with that.” In rehashing Mad Dash, Rvssia aims to produce something that is not toxic, realistic, and fun.

Oh, and there’s graphic sex in it, which is always fun.

Of increasing popularity is the comic Mad Dash, a project Rvssia began “for shits and giggles” way back in the day, abandoned, and then returned to it just to see how much their art had improved. “I maybe did seven pages and gave up on it. And in November [2015] I was like, hey, I wonder what it would look like if I went back and redid

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When you’re young and on the internet, this is how we were exposed to anything beyond the heteronormative culture we see today. Unfortunately, a lot of what we saw – especially women – was slash and yaoi, the latter of which tends to be quite non-consensual when you get down to it.

Can we, as queer creators, change that landscape? If we can produce more content that is non-toxic, respectful of the queer experience, and not just written for base scintillation (though scintillation is great!), can we change how younger people enter the culture? Can we get rid of comics and shows like Killing Stalking?

And how do we find this content? “Queer creators online making their own content is probably the best in that regard. Try and find communities online that cater specifically to queer content. If you go to cons, try to hit up queer creators.” Find what you like, support it, and start making it if you can.

“If this is the type of content you want to see more of? Promote the shit out of it. If you find an artist who is queer and whose work you enjoy, promote that shit, share that shit. If they have a Patreon, donate to them, become a patron. That’s the kind of stuff that will actually make it a bigger thing.”

You’ll find Rvssia at the local conventions, or, if you’re lucky enough to be in New York during FlameCon, you’ll see them there as well. If not, take a gander at their social media.

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Photography Whistler Pride 2018 http://gaycalgary.com/pa1582

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GayCalgary Magazine’s Top 20 Most Read Articles in 2017

By Steve Polyak It is that time of year again to see GayCalgary Magazine’s most read articles from 2017! The list is created from the close to 6,000 articles we have online that have accumulated since the start of the magazine in November 2003. Several new favourites have appeared in the list compared to what was most read in 2016. From the top 20 most read, there are articles that go as far back as our January 2008 edition! The selection is very eclectic from celebrity interviews, to sexual advice columns, an adult film review, adult film star interviews, a cartoon and a video from Calgary Pride. It makes us wonder on what type of taste our readers will have for their favourites of 2018.

For those who are curious on how popular the top articles are, the most read article has been read more than twice the amount of times as the third most read article! The second most read article has been read just about twice as many times as the fourth most read article. The top four articles totals added together has been read about as many times as the remaining 16 top articles combined.

Check out the top articles of 2016 at http://gaycalgary.com/a5406 and also top articles of 2015 at http://gaycalgary.com/a4965. Which articles are your favourites? Any articles do you think should have been included in the list? Let us know in the comments section below.

1. Whole Lesbian Sex: What Do Butches Want? http://gaycalgary.com/a178 2. Lesbian Sex Positions: More than just lesbian sex http://gaycalgary.com/a4172 3. NSFW: Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? An interview with “Best Top” Austin Wolf http://gaycalgary.com/a3741 4. VIDEO - Charlie Harding & Scotty Rage Interview http://gaycalgary.com/a5227 5. NSFW VIDEO INTERVIEW - Seth Fornea: Gingers are Trendin http://gaycalgary.com/a5533 6. Adult Film Review: XXX, To the Last Man, Rear Deliveries, Prick http://gaycalgary.com/a1281 7. INTERVIEW - Bernie Koppel: Love Boat’s “Doc” Talks Gay Hollywood, Aging, and Viagra Falls http://gaycalgary.com/a561

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8. VIDEO INTERVIEW - Ian Parks: Skyping with “Hot Toddy” from Where the Bears Are http://gaycalgary.com/a4069 9. INTERVIEW - From Greys To Gays: Garrett Wang speaks about ‘Others’ http://gaycalgary.com/a4369 10. NSFW VIDEO INTERVIEW - Billy Santoro, Fast Porn Nation: One Million Served? http://gaycalgary.com/a5068 11. INTERVIEW - Far, Far a Gay: Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence on queer plumbers in space, LGBT equality and surviving cosmic travel with Beyoncé http://gaycalgary.com/a5486 12. Whole Lesbian Sex: Anal Pleasure, Part 1: There’s Something About a Tongue... http://gaycalgary.com/a607 13. INTERVIEW - Jann Arden: A conversation with Calgary’s favorite daughter http://gaycalgary.com/a2627 14. VIDEO INTERVIEW - Brent Corrigan”: Former “Twink” porn actor on growing up and going Mainstream http://gaycalgary.com/a3342 15. NSFW VIDEO INTERVIEW - Casey Everett: It’s Fun & Hard http://gaycalgary.com/a5422 16. NSFW INTERVIEW - Cazwell Is the “Hot Homo”: The Notorious G.A.Y. Rapper Aims to Top Bobby Shmurda with Free Digital Download of New Rap Jam http://gaycalgary.com/a4353 17. VIDEO INTERVIEW - Kris Holden-Ried: Hungry like the Wolf http://gaycalgary.com/a3701 18. VIDEO - Calgary’s Mayor Nenshi shows his Pride http://gaycalgary.com/a2464 19. Alberta’s Top Ten LGBT Figures: Part Two http://gaycalgary.com/a2160 20. A Couple of Guys: Catastrophe http://gaycalgary.com/a5449

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Interview

 photos by Karriem Simmons - Kjamaal Photography

 photo by VH1 Beauty Bar

INTERVIEW - Thalia Almodovar Beats the Faces on VH1 Beauty Bar

By John Stein “I never say I’m trans because trans means transitioning and I’m all woman from head to toe, inside and out, in between and back,” says Thalia Almodovar, the breakout star from VH1 Beauty Bar, a new reality show that follows an eclectic group of hairstylists and makeup artists from the Inwood, Manhattan hotspot HOUSE OF DOLLS BY HENRY. “The world has always tried to label me but I don’t,” she continues. “This is who I am when I wake up and when I go to bed. This is who I’ve been since I was a child.”

Thalia’s led a private life until now. It all changed last month when VH1 released the first trailer of VH1 Beauty Bar. Since then, Thalia has had to contend with an onslaught of scrutiny and some unfair judgement from social media and several media outlets, alleging she has intentionally created herself to mimic Kim Kardashian. “While I love Kim’s style and think she’s a beautiful woman and I’m incredibly flattered to be compared to her, people need to know that I would never spend a dime to live my life being someone else. I’ve lived a life where I was forced to be an unauthentic self. I would never repeat that again. I love who I am today and the only person I want to resemble is myself.”

“Our show combines people from different religions, races, and sexual orientations for a full on sexy display of drama and glamour that is packed with surprises.”

According to VH1, Thalia is the center of attention who commands the beauty scene with her looks and makeup expertise.

Using his own face as a canvas, Kevin is known for his flamboyant makeover magic that has significantly grown his social media following and clientele. Master colorist Vee is a former bottle girl who hopes to one day own a salon. Notik is the resident barber who constantly draws in new clients to stay ahead of the game.

New to the salon are hairstylists Princess, who is determined to prove herself as a top “weave-ologist,” and her best friend Rell, the shop’s loctician (dreadlock specialist). Owner Henry runs a tight ship as he manages the salon and day-to-day operations alongside his business partner Tess.

“We’re all the sh*t,” explains Thalia. “We give our clients an experience no other salon in the city can and we party while doing it. It doesn’t get better than that. We’re all talented but honestly, www.gaycalgary.com

no one at HOUSE OF DOLLS BY HENRY defines Inwood as much as I do. I am the queen of this town,” she declares.

Whether or not she can be a role model for the transgender community is up in the air. “I look at someone like transgender rights activist Janet Mock who is flawless, strong, classy, smart and an amazing author with a beautiful story and I’m not sure I can be the spokesperson she is. My God-given talents are in make-up and stirring drama and I think, perhaps seeing me on TV will be enough to help another kid in the LGBTQ community find pride in their true self.”

“I act tough because I am and because I’ve had to be and maybe someone out there will find they can relate to that.”

Thalia admits she likely comes off as the villain on VH1 Beauty Bar, but sees no problem in it. “I grew up watching Spanish soap operas and the villain always has the most fun,” she laughs.

“Honestly, though, I’m a sweetheart once you get to know me.”

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23

Theatre

Broadway Across Canada’s 2018/2019 Season New shows, popular favourites making their way to Alberta.

By Jason Clevett January’s announcement of the newest series of Broadway shows making their way to Edmonton and Calgary’s Jubilee Auditoriums was met with much fanfare. GayCalgary.com spoke with Shana Levin, VP at Broadway Across Canada about the newest run of shows.

GC: How are you feeling now that the season is announced?

SL: I’m elated, I really am. We are really proud of the seasons across the

Country this year and it’s so exciting when the secret is out and we can talk about the shows that we have been planning for so long.

GC: Have you seen all of these shows?

SL: I have, it’s a perk of the gig, not only do I get to see lots of shows, I

am encouraged to see lots of shows, I won the lottery in the job department!

I will try to keep this brief… We have an amazing line up this season with incredible titles seeing Calgary for the first time. Each one brings a different experience but none will disappoint. Come help us celebrate 20 years of theatre Calgary and Edmonton!

GC: What can you tell us about the individual shows that are debuting?

Beautiful: The Carol King Musical: Calgary October 30 – November 4, 2018. Edmonton November 6 - 11, 2018 Carol King’s story is truly inspiriting and really engaging. I had no idea how many iconic songs she had written, I think it is something like 118 from 1945-1999. As a young woman, rising to level of stardom that she did in the music industry, while trying to balance her real life, with real relatable and hard personal struggles is nothing short of epic. The woman is a FORCE, an incredible talent and the show is a must see.

Illusionists: Direct From Broadway: Calgary January 8 - 13, 2019.

Edmonton January 1 - 6, 2019.

This is truly a spectacular night of Entertainment with five of the world’s most talented Illusionists of our time. The magic is next level and a really fun night out. The show has been selling out across the globe and the audiences unanimously love it.

Come From Away: Calgary March 19 - 24, 2019. Edmonton March 12 – 17, 2019.

I absolutely adore this show. Being that the show touches on 9/11, it’s a really profound theatre experience. I was enlightened by so much of the story that I missed on the goings on in Gander on 9/12, with so many stranded passengers in that little Canadian town in Newfoundland. We get to watch a town come together and welcome 7000 strangers into their

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homes and become family through the warmth of a community in what was one of the darkest times many of us will ever know (hopefully). I will tell you that, I cried the majority of the show, I left SO incredibly proud to be a Canadian and with a restored faith in human kindness.

GC: There’s been a mixed reaction to the announcement on social media. With shows like Hamilton and The Bodyguard on tour some are disappointed with this line up, especially with Les Miserables (Calgary July 17 - 22, 2018. Edmonton July 3 - 8, 2018) & Book of Mormon (Calgary September 11 - 16, 2018. Edmonton September 18 - 23, 2018) having been here within the last 5 years. Can you tell me a bit about the process of booking and routing these shows as I am sure it’s not a case of just snapping your fingers and going “Voila – Hamilton!”

SL: Programming is a very long and thought out process and we are booking shows years in advance. We work to bring the absolute best that Broadway has to offer to all of our Canadian markets. That said, there are so many variables at play, including patron survey feedback, fitting into the respective tour’s routing and the availability of the building in any given market. I basically liken it to one massive jigsaw puzzle where all pieces need to fit perfectly to book a show. Just because you don’t see titles this season, it doesn’t mean you will never see them, it just means the pieces haven’t fit yet. Les Miserables and Book of Mormon are both optional add-ons to the season package. While they have played Calgary previously, many people were either unable to get a ticket, or simply want to come again. On top of it to have the ability to share the news that Dear Evan Hansen will be featured on our 19/20 Calgary Season, quite early in its tour life, is a HUGE privilege. Overall our feedback has been really positive, people are excited. We do listen to all your feedback and do our best to do right by our patrons.

GC: One of my favourite BAC shows in recent years was Once, which may not have had they massive spectacle of other shows but ended up being an absolutely beautiful show. What are your thoughts on surprising people with shows that may not have a huge name, and why should people check out a show they may not be as familiar with.

SL: Well I am with you, Once is a title near and dear to me, I love that show. It doesn’t need to me a massive spectacle to make a lasting impression, right? There are certain shows we feel really strongly about presenting and making sure people get to experience them. It’s a struggle, but we continue to work on it. Many of the shows that mean the most to me are ones that I didn’t expect would resonate with me. It’s always worth it to go to the theatre is my motto.

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GC: When I attended BAC shows last year I heard a lot of people in the lobby as well as friends on social media comment on Phantom being the first show they ever saw and the memories tied to it making it special. What are your thoughts on how BAC shows leave a lasting impression on the audience and create special memories?

SL: I love that, we heard that a lot with Phantom and again from survey feedback about a repeat of Les Miserables. Live Theatre- it is such an important art form and unique experience. We are all so busy in our day to day lives that we so often don’t get a chance to stop, slow down and connect with other people. Theatre does that for us, it forces us to connect, to feel and to engage. At BAC, my colleagues and I have for years cited 3 words in, MUSIC, MAGIC, MEMORIES, you may have seen it in our marketing materials. We believe in the importance of those words and we believe in the shows we bring to your city, so thank you, we love make memories with you.

GC: BAC subscribers get first choice of seats, what other benefits come from being a subscriber?

SL: Broadway Across Canada – 2018/2019 Season Subscribers receive exclusive perks, including: priority seating access, guaranteed prices, easy payment plans, guaranteed same seats locations for all season presentations, ticket exchange services, lost ticket replacement, online upgrades and NY ticketing services.

GC: Where do you see BAC heading in Calgary and Edmonton beyond this season?

SL: We as dedicated as ever to bring you the best that Broadway has to offer and ensure that theatre remains an important part of our Canadian Cultural Fabric.

Broadway Across Canada Season Ticket Subscriptions are now available.

Individual on sale dates TBA. Visit www.broadwayacrosscanada.ca for more info

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25

Health

Positive Thoughts Surviving with Style

By Jeff Berry “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”

—Maya Angelou

I remember as a young child wanting to be “popular.”

Being popular meant you were part of the “in” crowd, had lots of friends, and were the life of the party. Everyone wanted to be with you; near you…they even wanted to be you.

I recall at one point fantasizing that if I were on crutches, then I would be popular. I guess I thought that everyone would want to sign my cast, provide comfort and consolation, and hold doors open for me. I must have pushed to the back of my mind the unsettling fact that I would have to break a bone to get there, and all that came along with it – the pain, the rehabilitation, the scar.

I tried my hardest to fit in, but I was always a bit different from an early age – soft-spoken, shy, and let’s just say, not the athletic type. When all the other boys were playing football or tag at recess, I would be playing wall ball with the girls.

Eventually, I would be bullied at school on a regular basis; they called me “Fairy Berry” (I hated that) and would snap their

towels at me in the gym locker room. Add to that the onset of puberty and the raging hormones that came with it, having sex regularly by sixth grade with the boy who lived down the road, and then the sexual abuse by my father, and it’s a wonder I even survived.

I attempted various ways of coping over the years, but nothing seemed to completely wipe away the internalized feelings of shame and unworthiness that lie deep inside. That feeling that was inevitably still there when I came down from the high; the feeling I was never quite able to drown out no matter how much sex I had…and I had a lot.

In 1989, just a few weeks before my 31st birthday, I received the devastating news: “You’re HIV-positive.” I had finally found my crutch, and the scars that came with it, but somehow it didn’t make me popular.

Fast-forward almost 30 years later, and time has given me, at least I hope, some perspective. I find that I’m much more empathetic and forgiving (at least part of the time!), because I’ve been there. I see my own life reflected back to me when I hear other people’s stories of pain and trauma. I’ve come to realize that each of us has our own path to survival and resilience; we just may be at different time points on the journey. Just as those who have led the way in front of me have picked me up and helped me along, I too try to offer a hand to those on the path behind me.

Recently I was able to indulge myself in an old passion of mine – deejaying. I was honored to be able to spin at Club Metro in Chicago in late August for Chuck Renslow’s memorial and the last White Party. I worked for Chuck (who was an early champion of gay rights in Chicago starting in the 1950s and the founder of International Mr. Leather) for about five or six years as a DJ in the late ’80s and early ’90s. Going back to my first love – music – all these years later was scary, but ultimately fulfilling. When I was initially asked back in July I immediately jumped at the opportunity and said yes. But then doubt started to creep in when I realized I would not be using any of my old vinyl or turntables, and would have to do everything digitally using a computer. I practiced, practiced, practiced, had a blast, and people seemed to have fun and were dancing (the ultimate litmus test for a DJ). The point is, if you have a chance to follow your passion, go for it. You only go around once (and I’m not talking records on a turntable!).

I think one key to my survival has been the love of family and friends. I was lucky; I realize not everyone gets that (but you can choose your own family if you need to). My mom made me believe I could do anything. And Dad, in his own way that somehow got twisted up along the way, loved me too.

So I’m not just surviving, but thriving, as Ms. Angelou so eloquently put it. Passion? Check. Compassion? I’d like to think so. Humor? A must. And style? I leave that up to you to decide.

Take care of yourself, and each other.

Jeff Berry is the editor of Positively Aware magazine, the leading national HIV treatment magazine published by a not-for-profit AIDS service organization TPAN, in Chicago. This column is a project of Plus, Positively Aware, POZ, TheBody.com and Q Syndicate, the LGBT wire service. Visit their websites – http://hivplusmag.com, http://positivelyaware.com, http:// poz.com and http://thebody.com – for the latest updates on HIV/AIDS. A version of this article appears in the November+December 2017 issue of Positively Aware

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Positive Thoughts - Justice for All

Immigration Equality advocates on behalf of both LGBT immigrants and all immigrants living with HIV

By Oriol R. Gutierrez Jr. Aaron C. Morris is executive director of Immigration Equality, a New York City-based immigration rights organization. The nonprofit group advocates for people from around the world fleeing violence, abuse and persecution because of their sexual orientation, gender identity or HIV status. Since it was founded in 1994, the group has won asylum for hundreds of LGBT and HIVpositive immigrants with a 99-percent success rate.

Before becoming executive director in 2016, Morris was legal director of Immigra-tion Equality. He joined the organization in 2008 as a staff attorney after two years as a staff attorney at the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

He earned his law degree in 2005 from American University Washington College of Law. Gridlock in Congress over comprehensive immigration reform led President Obama to sign an executive order to protect from deportation at least some indi-viduals who were brought to the United States as minors by parents who were un-documented immigrants. President Trump rescinded the

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Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), but that order won’t be effective until 2018.

The fate of the Dreamers – which refers to DACA enrollees who would eventually attain permanent residency if the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Mi-nors (DREAM) Act bill were to become law – is yet to be determined. Add in con-cerns over the effects of an executive order from President Trump commonly known as the Muslim travel ban, which was challenged in court, and immigration is one hot topic. Morris offers insights on what it all means for LGBTs and for HIV/ AIDS. Tell us about Immigration Equality.

We were founded with a three-part mission. The first was to find ways for same-sex couples who didn’t have access to marriage equality to plan their families. Un-like different-sex couples, you couldn’t get a green card yet through marriage.

The second was to establish the American asylum system as a way for foreign na-tionals who were going to be persecuted

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or tortured to stay safely and legally in the United States and have a pathway toward citizenship.

The first year that the federal government formally recognized sexual orientation as a protected ground under asylum law was 1994. The first case was with gay men, so we devoted ourselves to expanding that protection to lesbians, bisexual people, transgender and gender-nonconforming people.

The third part of our mission was to overturn the statutory ban on travel for peo-ple living with HIV to the United States.

Until 2010, if you were HIV positive, you could not get a visa to come to the United States or get a green card.

If you were LGBT and found to be here living with HIV, it was a reason to deport you from the United States. That was blatantly anti-LGBT because they created a waiver for different-sex couples who were married, and that waiver was not avail-able to our community.

We worked very heavily starting in the mid-2000s to lobby Congress with coalition partners to overturn that discriminatory ban. To see the parallels between the de-funct HIV ban and the Muslim and refugee ban is disturbing.

All of the nations affected by the new ban are also countries from where we have clients seeking asylum or refugee status.

To foreclose the possibility of offering them protection is a nightmare, and it’s a gross human rights violation.

What are some of the effects of the Muslim travel ban?

The number of refugees America will accept has been reduced from 110,000 to 50,000. We reached that quota in July, so we are currently not accepting refugees from anywhere in the world, which is obscene. To reduce the number by more than half sends the wrong message.

I spoke with a Libyan man who had been resettled right before the ban was insti-tuted. He told me that one of the few things that keeps a refugee camp a tolerable place is the hope that you might be resettled out of there. The ban squashes the hope of the refugees in those camps.

A lot of people have no choice but to leave their country, so there are many judges and asylum officers who have given our clients protection based on their HIV sta-tus, but we have yet to see a case declaring HIV as a protected ground in the way we did for sexual orientation or gender identity. We’re working on it. We’ll proba-bly get there eventually.

Give us an update on DACA. When DACA was signed in 2012, we were in a position to advise potential DACA recipients of the benefits and the risks.

We did a lot of safety planning for people, but most young people wanted to take the risk, particularly since this is the only nation they’ve ever known.

The Dreamers now feel like all of their security has been pulled out from under them, that they’re being attacked, when all they did was everything right. They ob-tained degrees, got jobs, paid taxes, started businesses and careers.

We have a client who is midway through nursing school.

He’s asking himself, “Should I finish this? Is it worth it? Will I get licensed at the end? What am I sup-posed to do with my life now?”

If Congress moves quickly in a bipartisan way, which it should because there is support throughout the United States and within Congress to solve this problem through passing the DREAM Act, then these young people will not have taken a leap of faith for nothing.

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What’s happening with comprehensive immigration reform legislation?

Let’s start with a brief overview of what used to happen versus what happens now. When we started heavily lobbying Congress, often it would be the queer voices in the room that were not being included among other immigrant groups.

There were various reasons. Some of the groups were conservative or religious or just not wanting to take a chance on adding queer people because they believed it would hurt a broader coalition. Today, it’s almost the opposite.

President Trump has galvanized a coalition of the middle and the left and even people who years ago would never have given me the time of day. We are eager to have the biggest unified voice possible in seeking immigration reform.

Having said that, it’s always a battle. We haven’t had a real immigration reform bill since 1996. We are well overdue, but there are lots of other things that we could do to reform the immigration system that do not require a bill.

For example, there are about 300,000 immigration cases backlogged in a court that has just over 300 judges. That system is on the verge of collapse. There need to be more judges. There need to be more adjudication officers.

Another example: If you are threatening people with deportation to places where they’re going to get killed because they have HIV, they should have lawyers to rep-resent them.

The law does not provide that. It allows it only if you can pay for it yourself or if you have probono counsel like Immigration Equality.

The executive branch could do more on its own, independent of Congress, to make the immigration system fairer, more expedient and more humane.

Are the challenges LGBTs face different from those faced by people with HIV? There are logistical concerns and issues with the legal merits of a case. When we meet people living with HIV, the first thing on their minds is often logistical, related to health care or housing or their children’s needs.

Regarding the law, if it’s dangerous to be a queer-identified person in a country, it’s probably more dangerous to be queer and HIV positive. So in some way, it often makes the case stronger to be both.

That said, many straight people living with HIV are at risk for persecution in coun-tries that have a lot of HIV stigma.

Judges take that into consideration.

Currently, the U.S. government puts trans women in men’s detention facilities. A lot of our clients living with HIV who have been detained have had terrible health care in detention facilities.

Our goal is always to empower people, to support them and to encourage them to speak out in a safe way.

Oriol R. Gutierrez Jr. is the editor-in-chief of POZ magazine. Find him on Twitter @oriolgutierrez. This column is a project of Plus, Positively Aware, POZ, The Body and Q Syndicate, the LGBT wire service. Visit their websites — http://hivplusmag.com, http://positivelyaware.com, http://poz.com and http://thebody.com — for the latest up-dates on HIV/AIDS.

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Jasper, Alberta

A Community with a Warm Welcoming Heart

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More photos and videos online: http://gaycalgary.com/a5712

photos by GayCalgary 

By Steve Polyak I have lucked out on my trips to Jasper in the past. The weather every year kept getting better. Well for this trip it felt like winter weather wanted to join me for Jasper Pride 2017.

There is a Sundog shuttle service between Calgary and Jasper.

When you book your trip, you can request the shuttle to pick you up at one of the major hotels in downtown Calgary or at the Calgary International Airport. You also select which hotel or address you would like to be dropped off at in Jasper.

For the Calgary to Banff part of the trip, a Brewster Bus does that leg. It had picked me up at the Fairmont Palliser. At Banff, you transfer to the Sundog shuttle to Jasper at the Brewster bus depot.

It is not a tour bus, so it does not stop constantly during the drive but at least you can enjoy the view while someone else is driving in winter conditions. It is about a 4-hour trip from Banff to Jasper. There is no bathroom on the shuttle, so at least they will stop at the restrooms if people need to use them. For those who want to disconnect from the outside world, there is absolutely no cell service from any provider for most of that 4-hour trip on HWY 93 from Banff to Jasper. There is service at Marmot Basin and around the town of Jasper.

Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge is always an amazing place to stay. This year, my guest room was located very close to the lodge, so it was only a couple minute walk. Winter weather really kicked in on the first night so being so close to the lodge made it easy for my first event of Jasper which was at the Emerald Lounge. Read about my stay at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge on page 31.

During great weather or when it is daylight, the Emerald Lounge has a breathtaking view of Jasper. It is accompanied by a huge room, with large fireplaces, big chairs and tables, with lots

of windows to the great outdoors. After being in a car or shuttle for several hours, having the feeling of so much space around you is very refreshing. For more about the Emerald Lounge, read about it on page 32.

Right after dinner, I needed to head into town to cover some of the Thursday night events of Jasper Pride. Just like in big cities, when the weather is bad, you will have to wait a bit for cabs.

There usually are taxis waiting at Jasper Park Lodge, so the wait is not too bad.

I went to the launch of Jasper Pride Beer at Jasper Brewery.

For the past several years, Jasper Brewery has been creating pride beers with a theme. This year, they created two different types to also celebrate Canada’s 150. For 2017, the two brews that were released for Jasper Pride where a red rye lager and a white wheat ale.

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Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge http://gaycalgary.com/a5713 This was the third time I had the pleasure of stayed in Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge. Unlike your traditional hotels, most of the 440 guest rooms are scattered around the main lodge in other buildings or part of the signature cabins. This year I was by myself, so they provided me with a room that was close to the lodge. The weather for most of the time I was in Jasper was mostly blizzard conditions so having a guest room close to the lodge made it easier.

The 275 sq. ft room with king size bed had been recently renovated as part of all the room upgrades they have been doing over the past several years. The room had a front door as well as a back door. The front door is towards the main road and side walk to the lodge. The back door which was on the far side of the room, allows access to the court yard and the pathways that provide access Lac Beauvert.

The room felt spacious even though it was one of the smaller guest rooms. The year prior, the guest room I stayed in was part of a cabin with 4 individual guest rooms that connected to a shared kitchen, dining room and living room. It is interesting to see the vast differences that Jasper Park Lodge has available for guest rooms for the size of the group and the in-room amenities. Being close to the lodge, I was not too worried about not having a kitchen.

If I was hungry, I could easily pop over and pick up a snack at Fitzhugh’s To Go, or sit down at one of several restaurants.

The lodge has a beautiful spacious interior, with huge windows to see the lake. Also, there is a heated pool and tub, spa, meeting rooms, ballroom and kids play room. There are shops in the lower level too. During the summer time, the lake is crystal clear which is nice to walk or bike around. If you are more adventurous, you can rent a canoe, kayak, clipper or paddle boat, or a paddle board. There are winter activities available too, of course they are weather dependant.

Jasper Park Lodge is about a 15 to 20-minute drive to downtown Jasper. Cabs are available and shuttles too depending on if you are heading to the slopes or downtown.

Every Fairmont including Jasper Park Lodge have exceptional guest services. With nice large clean guest rooms with beautiful views, you can’t go wrong staying with your stay.

Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge Jasper, Alberta, Canada http://www.fairmont.com/jasper

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The Emerald Lounge http://gaycalgary.com/a5714 Right after checking in at Jasper Park Lodge, I joined other media at the Emerald Lounge. It is located just off the lobby on the other side of a huge fireplace. During clear weather, you have a spectacular view year-round.

With the blizzard that I had during this stay, you could not see much, so I was happy to have been able to see what it is like from prior years. There is a picture-perfect view of Lac Beauvert through huge windows and when the weather is nice, you can sit on the patio too.

For dinner, I had the Caesar Salad with chopped romaine, parmesan crisp, garlic croutons, bacon and housemade dressing. The parmesan crisp was a nice change to just shredded parmesan cheese on top of the salad.

Along with the salad, I had also ordered a small cup of the Nova Scotia Lobster Chowder with saffron crème fraiche so I can taste it. The waiter came out instead with a fullsize portion. After having one spoonful, I am very happy that they did. The last time I had a soup this good was in Vancouver in 2014 at a restaurant that is now closed. It was also a lobster bisque with crème fraiche. The version at the Emerald Lounge had surpassed the one I had in Vancouver. This is the best soup I have ever had. I could have easily asked for another bowl, or maybe the pot along with some of their house-made bread to wipe it clean.

For the entrée, I had the Slow Braised Beef Short Ribs, with brown butter, shitake mushrooms and whipped potatoes.

The meat was extremely tender. Some of the other media had ordered the Seared Atlantic Salmon with a saffron hollandaise, wilted spinach and lemon scented couscous.

I had ordered the Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée with Kahlua anglaise, chocolate sauce and summer berries for dessert. The presentation was like a piece of artwork, but you wanted to tap the top and break that sugar crust to taste the beautiful custard.

The restaurants at Jasper Park Lodge never fail to impress me. Just remember that the menu does change to what is in season. I am hoping that the next time I am in Jasper, that I will have a chance to have another bowl of that Nova Scotia Lobster Chowder.

The Emerald Lounge At Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge http://www.gaycalgary.com/u898 p photos by GayCalgary

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Coco’s Café: The Café with a heart http://gaycalgary.com/a5715 Sometimes you need to walk a block over from the main strip to find gem’s like this in small towns. Coco’s Café is one of those great finds. While I was there, I did see pride cupcakes, cookies and macaroon’s that were made in house with other baked goods.

They also specialize in vegan, vegetarian and gluten free options.

During the gay media meet and greet, I did get a chance to see that they have lots of different features available for breakfast which is served all day long. Someone in our group had bagels and cream cheese topped with lox. Another had the Huevos Rancheros Breakfast which was scrambled eggs with red sauce and cheddar, mashy beans, served with corn tortillas and hash browns.

Everyone enjoyed what they had ordered. From what I have been told, their Montreal Smoked Meat sandwich is very popular too.

While waiting for your order, they have a community bulletin board for posters of upcoming events in and around Jasper.

You can check out artwork that is hung around the café from a featured local artist. For Jasper Pride, they decorate their front window, cater and host some of the events too.

This little café in Jasper has an owner with a huge heart.

I sat down to do a one on one interview with owner Lynn Wannop. She talked about Jasper Pride and the local support from the community of Jasper. She has been part of the Jasper Pride board for most of the 9 years that it has been running. She took one year off to have her child who is enthusiastic when Jasper Pride happens.

The café had opened in 1991 and Lynn took it over in 2007.

She envisioned Coco’s to be an inclusive comfortable safe space, so everyone can hang out. Prior to Jasper Pride starting, she helped spearhead with other young business owners to come together to get gay pride to happen in their community.

As a straight ally, “I don’t care who you are sleeping with. It does not matter. It bothers me that people are mean to other people for no reason. There no reason that it should matter on who you are dating or going out with. It does not change anything. Growing up on Whyte Avenue in Edmonton in the 90s, I would hang out with a lot of gay men. On Christmas Eve, we would hang at Boots and Saddles for the all-night Christmas Dinner. I would sit there and see all these people being so thankful that they were having dinner with their friends because their families have disowned them. It just bothers me.”

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p photos by GayCalgary

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 Coco’s Café - From Page 33 Last year there was a diversity project where one of the posters created said ‘I am proud to be gay’ with a photo of one of the locals from Jasper. “If you put something like that up in the city, the backlash and bullshit that would come from it, is yet another reason why Jasper is an amazing place. Even though Jasper is a small town in Alberta, the population has a lot of open minded people and a strong young population that feel the same way as I do.”

“Because of the way the world is, you need allies since there are so many shitty people out there. I have a really hard time accepting compliments. A couple years ago someone yelled at me because I said, ‘I am only an ally.’ I was told to stop saying that. ‘Like you are not just only an ally. It is really important.’ So, I really thought about it and now I try not to say that I am only an ally because it takes a village, and this is so important. I am lucky because I have a platform for me to do this. I can feel the way I feel.”

During the 9 years that Jasper Pride has been happening, there has only been one protest towards pride. With openly gay MLA’s in the Alberta NDP Party being at Pride events and being a positive image for queer youth, Lynn had a very proud moment in Coco’s Café. “Having the support of Estefania Cortes-Vargas, Ricardo Miranda and Michael Connolly in the media, and having them at the GSA event at Coco’s Café with Kate Reid, talking to the GSA kids, was so cool that this was happening in my town.”

Lynn is proud of her daughter who was 4 when the interview with GayCalgary occurred. Her daughter gets totally into Jasper Pride. She painted one of the windows of the café for Pride and drew rainbow tattoos on body. She even dresses up in rainbow clothes during the days leading up to pride.

“It helps that everyone in town knows each other as either business or as friends. It has helped Jasper Pride grow since people on the board or someone close to them can easily plan room bookings, event locations, and work directly with the community. The board that we have built and having the community involvement help bring the people out to Jasper Pride. It makes other businesses want to be involved.”

Lynn puts her heart and soul into what she does at Coco’s Café, for Jasper Pride and the community.

Coco’s Café 608-B Patricia St, http://www.cocoscafe.ca p photos by GayCalgary

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Downstream Bar http://gaycalgary.com/a5716 With a busy schedule that I had covering Jasper Pride, I was able to pop in to Downstream twice during this trip.

First time was for the Pride DJ Party with Riki Rocket on the Thursday night of Jasper Pride. The restaurant had transformed itself from being a casual but high-end restaurant to have a DJ spinning great tunes and a busy dance floor.

p photos by GayCalgary

 Jasper, AB - From Page 30 Next, I had to run to Downstream Bar for the Pride DJ Party with Riki Rocket. It is a high end casual bar during the day and converts as needed at night to have a dance floor and a DJ. The bar was very busy with people dancing and enjoying themselves.

Read more about Downstream Bar on page 35.

Friday was a very busy day for me. This year I had decided that I would check out the museums and art galleries of Jasper.

When trip was planned with Tourism Jasper, we both did not know that blizzard conditions would have occurred the weekend of Jasper Pride. At least Jasper is small enough that I could walk everywhere I needed to go. I only needed to take taxis going to and from Jasper Park Lodge or Marmot Basin.

I joined other gay media for breakfast at Coco’s Café. Every time I am in Jasper, I am so busy that I usually only spent a couple minutes at Coco’s. This year, I was able to enjoy a meal and was back later to do a one on one interview with owner Lynn Wannop. Check out the interview and review on Coco’s café on page 33.

Most places in Jasper are within a 5 to 10-minute walk from each other. So, if you are driving, just park your car and enjoy.

Even with it snowing and very windy, it was still not too bad of a walk. If you are there as a tourist, you can pop in and out of the various amount of different retail shops, café’s and restaurants to warm up while buying some food or purchasing something cool.

I had expected to do most of the site seeing by myself, but I was happily surprised to have Barb Snelgrove from MegaMouthMedia, join me for some of my walk. From Coco’s we checked out The Den - Jasper’s Wildlife Museum which is located under Whistler’s Inn. This is a great way to see the animals of Jasper up close. The museum houses taxidermy animals from around Jasper which are housed behind glass with different scenes in each window.

From the interview that I had with Lynn Wannop of Coco’s Café, she had explained that Downstream Bar had hosted one of the first gay pride dances in Jasper. The bar was packed with about 40 locals and a lot of out towners. Most of the people in attendance were straight allies too. Downstream continues to be a great venue for current Jasper Pride events too.

As part of celebrating Jasper Pride 2017, Downstream Bar had created a Rainbow Cheesecake. The cheesecake was produced in house and contained most of the rainbow colours, missing the colour orange but not like anyone would notice. I love cheesecake and this one was exceptional.

While waiting for them to bring out the slice, some of the customers at the bar were filling me in on how amazing their desserts are. The chef had made from scratch a birthday cake for one of them with rum soaked peaches. They told me that it was amazing. You know when the place has great food when customers talk about it in the restaurant to total strangers.

I hope that on one of my trips to Jasper, that I can do a complete food review to try out some of the other items on their menu. Highlights from the menu is the Warm Pretzel Loaf, Braised Canadian Plains Bison Short ribs, and the Smoked Duck Club. They have an extensive selection of alcohol which is great for those who like to sample or have their favourite whiskey’s or scotch, rum, beer or wine.

Downstream Bar 620 Connaught Dr, Jasper AB T0E 1E0 http://downstreamjasper.ca

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The Den - Jasper’s Wildlife Museum http://gaycalgary.com/a5717 Located under Whistler’s Inn is this interesting collection of taxidermy mounts of local animals found in Jasper.

To get to The Den – Jasper’s Wildlife Museum, you go through Whistler’s Inn lobby to get some tokens to access it. You then follow a set of stairs down to a turn style gate. Everything is behind glass, but large animals are close enough to you that you can get great selfies.

The collection contains smaller animals like skunks, assorted birds, squirrels, racoons, along side bears of all sizes, a moose, cougars, mountain goats and more. A lot of the animals on display are labeled, so it is a great place for learning what the animals look like without them running away or trying to eat you.

During the times that I have gone, it is not too busy, so you can easily take your time. There is a lot of detail and different themes in each window. If you are expecting something massive like you would see in a big city museum, this will disappoint you. The purpose of this museum is to showcase the wild life in and around Jasper. When you see the animals out in the open and alive, you need to keep your distance, so this museum helps visitors get that close encounter experience. The museum is open to the public year-round, and you don’t need to be staying at the hotel to check it out. Whistler’s Inn and Whistler Stop Pub have also been a long-time venue and sponsor of Jasper Pride.

The Den – Jasper’s Wildlife Museum Lower level of Whistler’s Inn 105 Miette Avenue Jasper, Alberta T0E 1E0 https://www.whistlersinn.com/amenities/museum p photos by GayCalgary

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Jasper Yellowhead Museum & Archives http://gaycalgary.com/a5718 When I travel, I do try to check out the local history museums. I enjoy seeing the history of how a place has developed over time. It helps change your perspective when see some of the landmarks outside of the museum still around and how things have progressed over time.

This year, I had a chance to check out the Jasper Yellowhead Museum & Archives. The museum is located on the back side of town behind just about everything, so most people miss it when they visit Jasper. When people visit Jasper, they stay mostly on Connaught Drive, Patricia Street or at Jasper Park Lodge, Marmot Basin or other sites. Everything else you would assume is residential, which is why the Jasper Museum gets lost.

The museum is not very large but does hold a good deal of artifacts. There are displays that help explain different periods in time and items that were used. It holds the historical archives, which was not open when I was there.

There is also a gift shop. Along with the historic gallery, there are two galleries that get rotated that highlight artwork, photography and other things happening in Jasper.

One thing I have figured out from most of the small-town history museums is that they really need people to visit them. A lot of them are under appreciated and they run on fundraisers and donations. Next time you are in Jasper, check out some of Jasper’s unique history and buy something in their gift shop.

Jasper-Yellowhead Museum & Archives 400 Bonhamme St, Jasper AB T0E 1E0 http://jaspermuseum.org p photos by GayCalgary

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Jasper Art Gallery http://gaycalgary.com/a5719 Just a couple blocks main downtown road of Jasper is the Jasper Art Gallery. It is in the same building as the Jasper Library and Cultural Centre. The gallery is a non-profit run space handled by the Jasper Artists Guild. It features art work by local very talented artists. They are constantly rotating the artwork on display so visitors have something new to see.

When I was there, they were in the process of getting things ready for an event. The artwork was in the middle of getting staged or I would have stayed longer to take more photos. A lot of the artwork is available for sale too which helps the local economy. It is great location to purchase a souvenir of Jasper which is also locally made.

Jasper Art Gallery 500 Robson Street https://www.jasperartistsguild.com/jasper-art-gallery

 Jasper, AB - From Page 35 You need to stay away from the wildlife in Jasper. People forget that bears and other animals will attack you even if you are a couple bus lengths away from them. Warning signs are everywhere in Jasper, as well as on brochures in the hotels and information centre. Visit the Den and get your selfies. It is better than becoming a hungry bears next meal or impaled by antlers.

Read the article about the Den – Jasper’s Wildlife Museum on page 36.

Next place we visited was the Jasper Information Centre which is located dead center of town. A souvenir shop called Friends of Jasper is also part of it. The retail store had items on display with rainbows and pride along with Jasper keepsakes, collectables, toys and clothes. In the entrance was a big rainbow over the door that said, “I’m a Friend – Les Amis, Mes Amis”. It shows how friendly the community of Jasper is.

We headed over to the Jasper Art Gallery. The gallery showcases artwork from talented Jasper locals. Some of the art is available for sale too. Check out the article on Jasper Art Gallery on page 38. After this stop, Barb wanted to let me continue exploring on my own.

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My last stop before Jasper Pride Friday evening activities was the Jasper Yellowhead Museum & Archives. As you will see from the article about it on page 39, that it is on the backside of town. Even though it might sound it is a good distance away from everything, it is only a 7-minute walk from the Jasper Information Centre and the Jasper Art Gallery is in the middle of the walk to the museum. The museum does help explain how Jasper started and it was great to have finally visited it. It helps connect the dots for when you are checking out some of the sites and buildings throughout Jasper that have been there for decades or longer.

Saturday had me on the slopes of Marmot Basin covering Pride on the Hill. Marmot Basin is about a 20-minute drive from downtown Jasper. There are shuttles that do run from downtown to the slopes too. Marmot Basin does have ski and snowboard rentals available for those who don’t have gear. They do provide ski and snowboard lessons and have runs for beginners to advance.

Marmot Basin has 3,000 vertical feet of amazing ski and snowboarding slopes. The view is stellar but sadly with it still snowing heavily so it was impossible to get any great photos.

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Jasper Pizza http://gaycalgary.com/a5720 Every year, Jasper Pizza has decorated their windows for Jasper Pride. For 2017, Jasper Pizza wanted to create a rainbow pizza too as part of the celebrations. For those who like their traditional pizza, this is not for you.

Jasper Pizza came up with unique ways of showcasing the pride colours on their rainbow pizza. Tomatoes for red, corn for yellow, green peppers for green, blue was food coloured pineapple, and purple is red onion which turns purple when cooked. Even though orange was not directly in the layout of the rainbow, I assume that the melted 100% real mozzarella cheese and thick crust would be their representation of orange.

When I walked in, the restaurant was very busy. The kitchen is open concept, and it was very interesting watching them put together pizzas for orders. As you watch them, you try to figure out what type of pizza they are making, and which ones are most popular. The chefs are very skilled since they were making them very quickly to keep up with the demand.

p photos by GayCalgary

Luckily previous years provided excellent conditions with perfect blue skies for photos during pride. It is not set up for tourists so there are no gondolas for site seeing. If you want to site see, there is Jasper Skytram which will provide spectacular views of Jasper Valley and more.

Businesses every year take part in Jasper Pride with window decorations, but some will take it a step further. For Saturday night dinner, I decided to try the Rainbow Pizza by Jasper Pizza, followed by the Rainbow Cheesecake from Downstream Bar. Check out the article about Jasper Pizza on page 39 and Downstream Bar on page 32.

After dinner was the Jasper Pride dance at Jasper Park Lodge which was sold out. They had set up a second room with a screen for minors and people that could not make it in to the ballroom to watch the drag entertainment and burlesque numbers.

The weather had finally cleared up for Sunday and I was able to take photos around Jasper without having heavy snow getting in the way of the shots. As I walked around taking photos, you see lots of store windows decorated for Pride. The community comes together to celebrate and embrace diversity. Jasper is a beautiful town with a big heart. Regardless of the time of year you attend, you will find that Jasper will have something for you, but if you come during Jasper Pride, you will see how amazing the community is.

When they served my order, I think I saw the most colourful pizza ever. But taste is everything when you have pizza.

The crust is perfect, nicely covered in toppings and cheese.

Having the vegetables arranged in a pattern did provide you different tastes as you ate through a slice. I think that was the first time I have had corn on a pizza. It works, it provided a little bit of sweetness in those bites with the sweet tartness of the pineapple. I know people don’t like pineapple on their pizza, but I do enjoy it as well as non-traditional pizzas.

They do have a great selection of other pizzas on their menu that you can order year-round. Everything from your traditional thick crust pepperoni & mushroom, to Mexican or California pizza in either 10” or 12”. They do also thin crust pizza’s that they cook in a wood burning oven that are 10” in size. For those who are vegetarian, they do have several pizzas for you too.

Jasper Pizza are well known for their mouth-watering pizzas but if you feel like having something different, they do have a full menu that includes salads, chicken wings, and different pastas, steaks, ribs, burgers and more. Check the out them next time you are in Jasper, and during Jasper Pride, make sure you one of their special pizza for pride!

Jasper, AB https://www.jasper.travel/

Jasper Pizza 402 Connaught Dr https://www.jasperpizza.ca/

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GayCalgary Magazine #165, February/March 2018

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Jasper Pride 2018

New Dates, New Activities and lots more!

 Jasper Pride 2017, photos by GayCalgary

By Steve Polyak When gay pride organizations plan, they usually set their dates forever, but changes can happen.

Calgary Pride moved from the first weekend in June to the September long weekend because it usually was raining during pride. They there were too many major events happening one right after in the LGBTQ community in Alberta. Jasper Pride needed to change their dates too. For them it was because of growth and lack of available guest rooms. GayCalgary spoke to Jordan Tucker of Jasper Pride about the changes for 2018.

“In 2017, when the festival was in March, we really ran into significant challenges with guest room availability for purchasing to come to the festival. Moving to April definitely made a positive change there with the occupancy loads in town, so we be more inviting, more inclusive and more people will be able to attend Jasper Pride. Last year we were receiving many calls, emails and messages through social media that people just could not find a place to stay. We are hosting a festival to welcome the world to Jasper and really showcase their LGBTQ side of things and being inclusive and welcoming to everyone, but when people have no where to

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GayCalgary Magazine #165, February/March 2018

stay and we are in a remote area posed a major challenge as well.”

This year, they are celebrating their 9th year on April 19th to 22nd, 2018, which is the third weekend of April.

With those new dates, activities will also be changed since different parts of Jasper National Park start operating for the Summer Season too!

Thursday will have the traditional Pride Flag raising and later in the evening, the launch of the Jasper Pride Beer at Jasper Brewery. This year, the flavour is Citrus Circus Wheat Ale which is a citrusy wheat beer featuring Citra hops.

Friday night will open with the Ryan and Amy Comedy Show at the Sawridge Inn and Conference Centre. For those who have been to Whistler Pride, Ryan Steele has been a very popular bartender for Apre Ski for the last several years, he also bartends at several gay bars in Vancouver plus was a contestant on Amazing Race Canada. As a comedy team duo with Amy Ricky Goodmurphy, they create some extremely funny skits that you can watch on YouTube. Check out our interview with Ryan Steele from Whistler Pride 2018 page 16.

There is a cover charge for this event.

Back again at the Whistle Stop Pub is the FAB Albearta with another hot bear and otter event. Last year, the place was packed with guys with facial hair and hairy chests on www.gaycalgary.com

display. This year’s theme is Risky Bearness 80’s night.

Bring out your tighty-whities and a dress shirt to be like Tom Cruise in the movie Risky Business. This event has no cover.

Fruit Loop Mountain Party is happening at Four Peaks Night Club. They will have pop up performances by boylesque performer Fitzgerald Bitchwilliam III (AKA Fitzy) and drag queens, Teen Jesus Barbie and Plastika. DJ Queerbait will be DJing the night. This event has no cover.

Downstream Bar will again host the Thursday night dance.

With how packed both Whistle Stop and Four Peaks were for the Friday night, Downstream Jasper also will be hosting the Pride Burlesque & Dance Party. Both events at Downstream Bar have no cover.

A major change is to the Saturday night dance venue. It will now be at the Jasper Activity Centre, which is located downtown. Theme this year is Pride Party: Under the Big Top. Virgin Radio Hosts Ian & Chelsea will be emcees again. Drag performances will be by ‘Caravan of Glam’ drag troupe from Oregon, along with other guest performances. Liquor sales at the dance are also going directly to Jasper Pride which will help cover costs and remaining amounts will be seed for the 10th Anniversary of Jasper Pride.

“The really nice thing about moving to April is that for those who still want winter activities such as skiing or snowboarding, you get great spring ski conditions with nice

sunny days and warm temperatures. But we also open up a whole other realm of different activities for people depending on what your adventure level is. If you are looking for something that you want to experience in the National Park and get out and play a bit, you can do some light activities like going up the tram line or do some harder stuff such as hiking which is still leisure. Also, there is the guided group bike rides up here as well with Free Wheel Jasper which the cost of the event includes the full day bike rental. That’s really fun where the group will actually go from town to stop over at Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge which is about mid way and will have break with a little bit of nachos or a pint of beer, then head back into town.”

With the great spring ski conditions, Pride Party on the slopes is still happening on Marmot Basin. For those who don’t ski, the rest of the outdoor activities have changed.

New this year to Jasper Pride is the Glacier Skywalk and Glacier Adventure on the Columbia Ice Fields. Both events are unique to Jasper National Park and are a great addition to Jasper Pride. The adventures are available from Thursday to Monday! You need to book your tickets in advance since there are space limitations.

Several guided hikes have been added, one to Old Fort Point and another for the Valley of the Five Lakes Trail.

There is also a Jasper Wildlife & Highlights tour taking you

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GayCalgary Magazine #165, February/March 2018

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 Jasper Pride 2017, photos by GayCalgary

through the Athabasca Valley put on by Sundog Tours, who traditionally do the Malign Canyon tours. The Jasper Skytram will also be operating for Jasper Pride which you can take up Whistlers Mountain to see a 360-degree view of Jasper. They will have snowshoes available too for those who want to enjoy the summit further.

For those who want an adrenaline rush off the slopes, there is the Pride Motorcycle Tour where you ride in a side car on legendary Harley Davidson Motorcycles. It is just over an hour trip with a professional driver who will drive at a speed you are comfortable with and stop at sites for photo ops. This activity allows anyone to participate regardless of age or disability. Book in advance since there is limited space and the trip happens on both Saturday and Sunday.

In door activities now include a Jasper Food Tour which is great way to sample some of Jasper’s great cuisine. Several activities are also geared towards families and LGBTQ youth including Jasper Pride Dinner and a Movie, events at Jasper Artist Guild and Jasper Municipal Library.

As in the past, several restaurants had created “pride” or “rainbow” items, like the Rainbow Pizza at Jasper Pizza, Majestic Fudge at Jasper Rock & Jade, Pride Beer at Jasper Brewery, Rainbow Cheesecake at Downstream Bar and Pride Cookies and Cupcakes at Coco’s Café. With how successful it has been bringing people out into the community, Jasper 42

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Pride decided to create the “Fork and Spoon” mini food fest.

The list has expanded to at least 15 businesses taking part.

Also, part of the proceeds from items sold will go back to Jasper Pride. You can check the Jasper Pride website for businesses participating this year.

These new additions to Jasper Pride for 2018 will create further interest in exploring areas of Jasper National Park that were not available in prior years. Also, it shows that the community is even further coming together to provide more activities to keep visitors busy and entertained during Pride adding more value to staying in Jasper for the weekend.

Jasper Pride http://jasperpride.ca April 19 to 22, 2018 Various venues http://www.gaycalgary.com/a5721 View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments www.gaycalgary.com

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GayCalgary Magazine #165, February/March 2018

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Caribbean Pride in the Dominican Republic



More photos and videos online: http://gaycalgary.com/a5722

photos courtesy CHIC Resorts 

By Brandon Schultz In the Caribbean, no island is as synonymous with “party” as the Dominican Republic and, on the island, Punta Cana reigns supreme. The palm-lined beaches along the Coconut Coast, home to countless resorts vying to outdo each other in amenities and party-power, play no small part in making the Punta Cana airport the most visited in the Caribbean. This year, Blue Diamond Resorts added to DR’s raucous roster of celebration with the first Caribbean Pride, a weeklong bash hosted at its adults-only, ultra-luxury property, CHIC by Royalton, and even a hurricane couldn’t quiet the island’s pride.

Originally scheduled from September 16-23, Hurricane Maria’s double punch to the Caribbean (battering an already weakened region just days after Hurricane Irma tore through) managed to cut the festivities a little short, but not before proud partiers took over CHIC for five days of nonstop revelry.

The event’s Plan It guide was packed with debaucherous programs, starting the party early each day with alcoholic ice breakers like Crush It (mojito making), Sip It (mamajuana mixology) and Swallow It (hot shots mixology). Famed Toronto drag queen Miss Conception hosted afternoon games ranging from Dab It (poolside bingo) and Werk It (bathing beauty contest) to the popular Miss/Mr. Caribbean Pride Contest, Win It. For the more physical of the frolickers, Caribbean Pride offered multiple wellness-with-a-twist programs: Wiggle It (samba lessons), Twirl It (pole-dancing classes), Spike It (pool volleyball), Shake It (Brazilian Cardio), and even Ride It (bull riding). As packed as the days were, though, the nightly parties were the main attractions and included the Xposed Pool Party, Femme Fatale, Electric Circus, and the Sashay Away Saturday performance by DJ Darnell. For those up early and still feeling a little too much of the previous night’s celebration, morning

programs like Burn It (hangover cures) and Blend It (smoothie workshop) helped ease the groggy back into another day of hedonism. Pride swag decked the property from top to bottom as CHIC staff packed as much party into one week as possible.

Located in northern Punta Cana on Uvero Alto, less crowded on both sand and sea than the more populated Bavaro Beach, CHIC by Royalton isn’t just in all-inclusive, it bills itself as AllExclusive, referring to the property’s hyper-personalization of your stay, spanning from the color of the lights in your suite to the Sports Event Guarantee, assuring that you can view your favorite team’s game in any major sport at SCORE Sports Bar & Lounge. With daily blowouts, opportunities to indulge are endless. Ride a unicorn or get lost in the sudsy mayhem of a foam party, show off on the runway at a poolside fashion show featuring the CHIC Angels, dress to impress for a moonlight beach bash, or ogle shimmering mermaids swimming in a

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www.gaycalgary.com

photos by Brandon Schultz 

CHIC Mansion http://gaycalgary.com/a5723 If even the opulence of the Diamond Club isn’t exclusive enough for you, why not rent the CHIC Mansion? The 6-bedroom, 11,500 square foot mansion is a two-story home for you and your group alone, complete with its own private pool and Jacuzzi. Of course, all the perks of Diamond Club membership are also included with a stay at the CHIC Mansion, but a stay in this opulent house also comes with luxury airport transfers, a private chef experience, a cabana with an attendant, and a free spa treatment for each guest. Located next to the spa, the mansion is secluded from the rest of the property, providing ultimate exclusivity for tranquil relaxation or what-happens-in-Vegas-style afterhours revelry, but is still only steps away from all the action the resort offers. It’s the ultimate all-exclusive experience in DR. CHIC Mansion http://www.chicresorts.com/

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GayCalgary Magazine #165, February/March 2018

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CHIC Restaurants http://gaycalgary.com/a5724 Aside from the traditional resort buffet (which CHIC

by Royalton has, of course), CHIC offers four a la carte restaurants on site (and included). Vespa Italian Trattoria is CHIC’s nod to traditional Italian cooking, serving comfort foods ranging from pasta to pizza baked in the restaurant’s wood pizza oven; Pescari serves up CHIC’s sushi experience alongside other Japanese and seafood dishes, including its popular ceviche selection; Tagine is the property’s Middle Eastern/South Asian wonderland of spice and exotic flavors in an inspired setting; and Hunter Steakhouse sizzles steaks on display in its open kitchen.

Menus from any of these restaurants can be enjoyed in private outdoor dining rooms perfect for special occasions or even just a secluded, romantic dinner. Throughout the day, satisfy cravings at Munchies, CHIC’s poolside snack shack serving the hot dog and nacho comfort foods you crave between dips in the water. When your favorite game is on, grab bites from the grill at Excite, the property’s sports bar. And if you just can’t muster the strength to leave your room, or find yourself with a 2am hankering, take advantage of 24-hour complimentary room service and eat breakfast (or lunch, dinner, or midnight snack!) in bed.

CHIC Restaurants http://www.chicresorts.com/ photos by Brandon Schultz 

 Caribbean Pride - From Page 44 glass-walled pool at a mermaid party. CHIC is the premier social destination for upscale, round-the-clock parties—even when the public party is over, 24-hour complimentary roomservice keeps the private party going until you’re ready to crash in your handcrafted DreamBed, designed exclusively for Blue Diamond Resorts.

Diamond Club suites are also stocked with premium liquor taps to keep the drinks freely flowing. Diamond Club service also comes with VIP check-in and a personal butler who provides services ranging from unpacking and ironing to accommodating unique requests. Butlers will oversee the care of your suite, orient you to the resort and its programs, and check in with you daily to ensure you’re making the most of your time at CHIC. Still not sure if you want to spring for Diamond Club luxury? Other perks include an oversize 46

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soaking tub, a rain shower, and a private beach with plush cabanas serviced by a waterfront grill with an exclusive menu for members.

You may not want to leave the all-inclusive atmosphere of CHIC by Royalton at all, but take at least one afternoon to explore some of the natural beauty of the Dominican Republic beyond the sparkling beach of Uvero Alto. If snorkeling is your shtick, you’re in luck: the 30 km coral reef off Punta Cana is the island’s longest and tour operators will shuttle you to areas not affected by most of the coast’s busy boat traffic for calmer waters and maximum wildlife encounters. A less physical option is a serene catamaran tour of the Bavaro coastline, where you can gaze back at the island while enjoying a drink at sea. There’s also adventure to be had on land: Get down and dirty on a dune buggy, experiencing the lush landscape of Punta Cana up close and personal as you learn about island www.gaycalgary.com

Nexus Tours http://gaycalgary.com/a5725 CHIC by Royalton works exclusively with Nexus Tours to operate excursions and daytrips throughout the island. For those who want to keep the party going offsite, opt for the Caribe VIP Cruise. A short drive to a private party boat begins an afternoon of day-drinking along the picturesque coast of Dominican Republic, complete with a personal staff ranging beyond just a captain and including a DJ, bartender, and entertainment crew.

When conditions are right, and they usually are, snorkeling is an option for a first (sober) stop. Otherwise, head straight to the natural pool where shallow seas extend so far beyond the coastline you won’t understand how you’re able to stand, and join a dozen other boats that have anchored at this epic water party with thumping beats and free flowing drinks. Don’t worry, you won’t even have to get back on the boat for refills—the crew will keep you topped up throughout with drink deliveries before you re-board to dance away the journey back to shore.

p photos by Brandon Schultz

life away from the resorts and visit rural villages, stop in town for a drink, and learn about local customs with your guide.

End up at yet another sparkling beach to rinse off the mud (yup) before heading back to CHIC. Pro tip: Bring junk clothes for this one—they’ll be ruined (there’s a mudproof, waterproof box atop your buggy for sensitive items like your wallet, phone, and camera).

Though the nearest major city is about an hour’s drive away, there’s still some off-property nightlife to be found in Punta Cana, too. Coco Bongo, the legendary performanceturned-dance-party of Cancun fame, opened a Punta Cana location in 2014 and it’s been a must-visit for revelers ever since. A circular theater with a central stage under state of the art lighting and sound systems surrounded by dance floor and VIP tables, the open-bar party features 2.5 hours of lavish performances featuring all manner of entertainers from acrobats to singers, and dancing, dancing, dancing. Some may not be comfortable with the sardine-packed nature of the crowd, but others will recognize its validation of the show’s popularity. It’s not a quiet evening of dinner theater; it’s a wild night of drinking theater!

With the success of Caribbean Pride 2017, Blue Diamond Resorts recently announced that the party will return to CHIC Punta Cana during the week of September 15-22, 2018. www.gaycalgary.com

Nexus Tours http://www.nexustours.com/

Caribbean Pride 2018 will include more than 50 events over 7 high-energy days of non-stop celebration, offsite excursions, and performances from international DJs and drag queens, including Toronto’s Miss Conception, who will return after launching the inaugural Caribbean Pride with such success in 2017.

Caribbean Pride in the Dominican Republic http://www.chicresorts.com/ http://www.gaycalgary.com/a5722 View Bonus Pics/Videos • Share with a Friend • Post Comments

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47

Health

Looking Back on 2017 in HIV/AIDS – and What’s in Store for 2018

The political climate challenges our ability to keep making gains in ending the epidemic, even as we’re beginning to see some new possibilities for success

By Kenyon Farrow

I can safely say this was a year for the record books, and in some ways that we’d never expected.

Given the Trump Administration and the Paul Ryan (R-WI) / Mitch McConnell (R-KY)-led House and Senate, we were in danger of losing so much ground by the efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. The President’s budget called for major cuts in domestic and global HIV spending. Work to end mass imprisonment and the war on drugs was set back by the appointment of Jeff Sessions as Attorney General, who vowed to ramp up the full prosecution of people under criminal drug laws, no matter how minor. The threats to immigrants in the United States have created an even more hostile environment, particularly for people of color, and the list can go on and on.

But the HIV community fought.

Not only did the community fight, we won several key battles. HIV/AIDS organizers Jennifer Flynn, Jaron Benjamin and Paul Davis created a national, grassroots strategy of civil disobedience that mobilized thousands of people to demonstrate against the rollback of the ACA. And their strategy – which many believe was the deciding factor in pushing back round after round of terrible bills – helped do what many of us always say we want to do: move HIV out of its silo and connect it to larger movements for social justice. Positive Women’s Network, under the leadership of Naina Khanna, created toolkits and mobilized call-in days for people living with HIV around the country to become local leaders in the fight. In conjunction with the grassroots mobilizing, The Federal AIDS Policy Partnership worked tirelessly on The Hill to advocate against the regressive bills that would have left millions without health coverage.

It’s no exaggeration to say that if it were not for the HIV community stepping up with those waves of civil disobedience, reproductive rights/justice, disability justice organizations and the entire country could have lost all of the unnamed benefits and protections that the Affordable Care Act put in place.

Not Just Defense: Progress in the Pre-Trump HIV Agenda Not all the work that happened was fighting against losses. Many people in the community continued to pursue the fights that were important before this Administration and Congress took seat in office. Advocates in several

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states introduced legislation to end or severely reduce the use of HIV criminalization laws. We were most successful in California and Colorado, where we won clear victories.

Advocates across the country continued to support Michael Johnson in Missouri; though he remains in prison, he did win an appeal which led to a reduced conviction of 10 years, and an admission by the prosecutor that the law (one of the most severe in the nation) should be repealed.

Missouri advocates are currently working to build off the momentum to develop a new bill to repeal this law.

Other activists continued to join the national movement to develop local, county and state “ending the epidemic” or “getting to zero” plans. The ACT NOW: END AIDS coalition led a fiery plenary session at this year’s USCA conference, showing the collaborative leadership of activists, providers and health department leadership. Treatment Action Group and Southern AIDS Coalition partnered to support key jurisdictions in the South to develop End the Epidemic plans; Nashville, Alabama and Louisiana have held meetings to begin working on those in 2018. And in New York state, the first to launch a plan, there’s evidence that the strategy working: they recently reported drops in new HIV diagnoses – even among Black and Latino gay and bisexual men, where very few jurisdictions have seen any success. Unfortunately, rates of HIV remain extremely high among Black gay/bisexual men nationwide, and HIV rates for Latinx gay/bisexual men and transgender women continue to climb, for reasons we have yet to find.

Resources for transgender women and men facing HIV remain low.

One of the most significant game-changers in HIV happened this year when CDC announced it was adopting the science that shows people who are undetectable are also untransmittable. This change happened not just because of the incontrovertible science on this issue. The Prevention Access Campaign, which launched the U=U movement, organized for more organizations and health departments to sign on to this statement, and continued to advocate for CDC leadership to do the same.

Issues Brewing for 2018 So while there were some major successes in the field over 2017, we still have some major issues developing in 2018 to which we will be paying close attention.

In addition to the outright attacks on the ACA, the tax reform bill (the final version of which is being voted on the week this article was written) threatens to upend the individual mandate upon which the ACA depends. This would mean that individuals could choose not to purchase insurance, removing the incentive for insurers to offer plans on the ACA marketplace to begin with. This would leave fewer options in plans for people living with HIV, and make the existing plans largely unaffordable. And people with HIV living in states that did not expand Medicaid have even fewer options for coverage.

Other issues brewing for 2018 abound, with many direct threats to existing HIV research, prevention and care. Recent news reports have suggested Congress www.gaycalgary.com

is considering moving resources from the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program into opioid addiction treatment and services. Indeed, Evidence-based harm reduction models and drug treatment are critical to a comprehensive strategy to prevent HIV. But there are debates about whether the focus on creating more infrastructure on opioid use in rural and white America would come at the detriment of resources for urban and Black and Latinx communities – including resources for HIV care.

While federal spending on research through the NIH is often touted as one of the few areas of bipartisan support in Congress, HIV research funding has specifically been questioned by Republican members of Congress and may not be receiving overall increases to the NIH budget that have been appropriated in recent years. And while AIDS research funding itself remains in question, the NIH has begun its process of restructuring and setting priorities for its global AIDS research networks, which will affect the HIV research portfolio through 2027.

News and Facts Matter We have a lot of things happening at once that may challenge our ability to keep making gains in ending the epidemic, even as we’re beginning to see some new possibilities for success.

We end the year with news that we may be going back to explicit or implicit gag orders on word usage, Bush-era style, including words central in HIV like “transgender” and “evidence-based.” The Federal Communications Commission voted to end net neutrality, which means even public health news sources like TheBody.com could be blocked by internet providers because they don’t like the content that provides news and information about sexual health for people and communities living with HIV. But the reason I’ve remained in HIV so long is not just because I’m a Black gay man. It’s not just because, despite being HIV negative, it remains a primary issue that impacts me and my community.

I have continued to do this work because I have found community in some of the bravest, smartest, strategic people I’ve ever known, despite being among those who are the most socially maligned. The HIV community knows how to show up, despite our many differences, when we need to save people’s lives.

We remain committed to facts, to evidence, and to sharing information as resources to help people feel less alone, less afraid.

In the HIV media, we will continue to provide the news, the analysis and the opinions of the community. We don’t have a choice – lives are at stake now. But for us, they have been for a long time.

Kenyon Farrow is the senior editor of TheBody.com and TheBodyPRO.com.

Follow Kenyon on Twitter: @kenyonfarrow. This column is a project of Plus, Positively Aware, POZ, TheBody.com and Q Syndicate, the LGBT wire service. Visit their websites – http://hivplusmag.com, http://positivelyaware. com, http://poz.com and http://thebody.com – for the latest updates on HIV/AIDS.

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Anna Silk of Lost Girl

A quick chat about the sexuality of her character Bo on hit series



Watch the interview

 Photo courtesy Corus Entertainment

By Mars Tonic When it comes to the people on the television series Lost Girl, we at GayCalgary have a bit of a ‘gotta catch em all’ mentality. Why? Because the show is goddamn amazing, from its fun story, great acting, sexy characters, and – oh yeah – the fact that main character and succubus Bo gets down and dirty with anything that has a pulse.

We had the pleasure of meeting Bo – actual human name Anna Silk – and were able to snag a moment of her time, which is quite precious. It was very tooth-and-nail with other journalists. Someone lost an eye. (Just kidding) Check out the video below to view her in the utter gloriousness, and don’t forget to check out our other interviews with the cast, like Kris Holden-Reid, Rachel Skarsten and Richard Howland!

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GayCalgary Magazine #165, February/March 2018

49

SIMPLY LEPORE

World’s mega-famous transsexual returns to the dance floor this spring

 photo by Josef Jasso

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www.gaycalgary.com

By William Cooke Amanda Lepore’s new e.p., LEPORE., was no easy feat.

From start to finish, it took over five years to complete.

Amanda and her team knew they could not simply duplicate the achievements of “I…Amanda Lepore,” her acclaimed 2011 album debut that featured the smash hits, “My Hair Looks Fierce,” “Turn Me Over” “Cotton Candy,” “Champagne” and “My Pussy”.

“We had to figure out the perfect equation to really showcase Amanda‘s devilish side and capture her million-watt personality,” explains producer Knifekick.

According to Bill Coleman from Peace Bisquit, the label releasing the e.p., their aim was to marry Amanda’s love of Hollywood glamour and vintage bombshells with a fearless kick up your Louboutins humor and a showgirl-worthy groove.

“The album needed just the right amount of camp that would compliment the canon of classics Amanda performs in her nightclub shows,” he says, adding “We think we nailed it.

We’re excited for fans to hear the next evolution of music from the hardest working gal in nightlife”.

We spoke with Amanda Lepore from her Manhattan home.

GC: What inspired the LEPORE. e.p.?

Amanda Lepore: Traveling around the world and meeting my fans inspired LEPORE. I have been performing more live shows lately and I wanted to be able to add new songs to my act. It has been a long time since I released new music.

GC: How would you describe the overall sound?

Amanda Lepore: Sexy, flirty and fun! LEPORE. is a fabulous little party for your ears.

GC: What is its main message?

Amanda Lepore: To always love your beautiful, sexy and glamorous self.

GC: How does LEPORE. build from the “I…Amanda Lepore” album?

Amanda Lepore: My music continues to be that happy place.

“I…Amanda Lepore” was the perfect batch of songs to release first. The new songs have a more retro / burlesque meets kiki feel to them. They are perfect for today’s fans. Cheers to my musical collaborators who worked hard to captured the energy I wanted to deliver in this new e.p.

GC: Has the club scene changed in the last seven years since “I…Amanda Lepore”?

Amanda Lepore: There are always new club kids on the scene but they do their thing and I do mine. I never follow trends. I create them. The songs on the album are not really what they’re playing at most clubs…yet.

GC: Let’s break the songs down, beginning with “My Panties”.

How would you describe the track?

Amanda Lepore: “My Panties” was co-written with Cazwell, my bestie who I’ve collaborated with on so many songs. He really gets me and truly knows how to write the songs I love. When we decided the musical direction for LEPORE., Cazwell and I went into the studio with NY indie producer and songwriter, Knifekick, to lay down the retro-ish foundation that became “My Panties.”

GC: What inspired you to recreate David Bowie’s “The Jean Genie” and how does your version differentiate from the original?

 photo by Marco Cerrone

Amanda Lepore: “The Jean Genie” is one of my favorite songs of all time. I love, love, love David Bowie. I had been performing a karaoke version of “The Jean Genie” in many of my shows for so long. I simply thought it was time to cover the song and record it as a tribute to my favorite artist.

GC: That leads to “Too Drunk To Fu*k”.

Amanda Lepore: My manager, Bill Coleman found “Too Drunk To Fu*k” for me. It was written by the Aussie DJ/Producer/ Songwriter twins, NERVO who recently scored a Top 10 pop hit with “Best Friend” featuring Sofi Tukker. The producer on that track is RedTop, who I collaborated with on “Convertible,” my duet with Mya from “I..Amanda Lepore”. We recorded several different versions over the years but could never get it quite right. It finally clicked when we decided to take it an almost ’60’s, go-go box direction; as a throwback that was more in line with the rest of the e.p.

GC: What do you want fans to take away from LEPORE.?

Amanda Lepore: I want them to love it, dance to it and sing it over and over again.

For more information, visit AmandaLepore.net and PeaceBisquit.com.

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Real Estate April – Revamp the Flowerbeds You might be reworking your flowerbeds during April no matter what, but if you’re looking to sell, make sure you think about curb appeal. You want your home to be inviting and attractive from the street, so prepare for the summer with this in mind.

May – Paint the Exterior Just like the interior paint update, the outside of your home might need a new look, too. For those planning to sell, go with a nice, neutral color that will appeal to everyone. Bright pink or black are likely to scare off some potential buyers.

June – Trim the Trees Another project you might do regardless of whether or not you’re selling is to trim your trees. Get rid of all the dead branches and anything that’s low-hanging. Again, look at your home from the street and make things look nice and tidy.

July – Clean the Windows

Twelve Projects to Add Value to Your Home and Make It Easier to Sell

By GayRealEstate.com It’s the beginning of the year, the time many people make resolutions that they may or may not successfully keep.

If one of your resolutions is to sell your home, there’s no better time than the present to start adding extra value to your house. Even if you’re not planning to sell until summer or even until the end of the year, doing these small projects slowly will help you avoid the rush in the days and weeks before you sell. Best of all, you can do many of these projects at any time of the year. While we’re setting these twelve projects at one per month, you can rearrange this calendar to fit your particular needs or compress it by doing one of these projects every two weeks.

January – Paint the Interior Over time, every room in your home will lose a little of that new luster. Giving it a new coat of paint can perk everything right up, even if you paint it the exact same color. In order to get the most response from your painting job, try going with light, neutral colors, as this will appeal to the widest audience.

Painting is also one of the easiest tasks to do while it’s cold outside, although you may want to let in some crisp, cool air to help ventilate the room.

February – Consider a Remodel What better Valentine to give your home than an updated bathroom or kitchen? During February, plan out a room remodel that transforms a part of your home that might be showing its age. Besides adding value to your home, this also gives you a great new space to enjoy up until the point you sell.

March – Outdoor Cleanup Anything you want to remove from your landscaping? Now’s the time to do it since it likely hasn’t started blooming yet. Note that the keyword is remove, not move. If you want to transplant anything, be sure to check the weather first. If it looks like it’s going to get cold again, you may want to wait.

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July is one of the hottest months, so you’re not going to want to be outdoors that much. Take this time to clean all of the windows in your home. This is actually a task people don’t do that often, especially for the windows in rooms they don’t spend a lot of time in.

August – Redo the Flooring If your floors are starting to show their age, it might be time to put down new tile, new carpet, or new laminate. You don’t need to redo all the floors in your home during August – that’s a bit much! Instead, pick the most worn part of the house, or the room with the oldest flooring, and give it an update.

September – Tackle the Garage, Attic, or Basement If you’re like most people, your garage, attic, or basement has become a catchall for everything you’ve accumulated over the years, don’t want to get rid of, and don’t have a place for. Take this month to go through some of that stuff. You might find that you really don’t need all of it. Even if that’s not the case, you may be able to organize it and pack it away more efficiently.

October – Fall Cleaning During October, go through all of your closets and weed out what you don’t need, just like you did with the garage, attic, or basement. You could also continue your purge of those spaces if you haven’t got it finished. This not only makes it easier for you to move, it also creates a clean space you can utilize for more storage if needed.

November – Pick a Project!

Did you miss getting something done earlier in the year?

Take November as your make-up month. If you got everything accomplished, use this time to do another project of your choice.

December – Find Your Real Estate Professional You’ll likely be spending much of December preparing for and participating in various holiday functions, so you may not want to add another project to your full calendar. Instead, take this month to find your real estate agent. Even if you’re not quite ready to sell, you can still look at agents in your area and make a list of the ones you want to talk to. If you’re in the LGBTQ community, you may want to take some time to find a local gay or lesbian real estate agent. You can start this search at www.GayRealEstate.com, a website full of helpful advice and a directory of LGBTQ real estate experts.

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Real Estate

Tips for Selling Your Home While You Still Live in it

By GayRealEstate.com Selling your home can be difficult, and for most of us, living there while it’s on the market can be even harder.

Trying to schedule showings around your work and home schedule can drive you crazy, even with a gay real estate professional working with you.

Here are a few tips that will make the entire process easier.

Leave When an Agent Is Showing the House First, be ready to pick up and leave at any moment. It’s very difficult for a real estate agent to successfully show your home when you’re sitting right there. Potential buyers will likely be much too nervous to really inspect the home and speak freely as they should.

Fortunately, agents are required to schedule showings and let you know ahead of time when they will be by. This will let you know when you need to make arrangements to be somewhere else, so you’re not surprised in the middle of dinner and have to walk out of your own home.

Mind Your Pets

Your agent can assist you with staging your home so that it looks as bright and as spacious as possible, even while still serving as your living space.

If you’re looking for a LGBTQ real estate agent, they’re not hard to find.

You can search online at www.GayRealEstate.com for a list of agents in your city.

While some people love to meet curious dogs and playful kittens, others are allergic or simply aren’t pet people. Some of our trusted companions can be nervous and unpredictable when strangers come into the home when you’re not there. For the comfort and safety of everyone involved, please take your animals with you when you leave for showings.

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Clean, Clean, and Clean Some More You can never have your home too clean for showings. Since you’re living there, you’re always going to be making small messes all over the house. Even the smallest thing like a few dirty dishes in the sink needs to be taken care of before potential buyers arrive. This means you’re going to be sweeping and vacuuming much more often than you’re used to.

In addition to cleaning, you also want to keep everything as organized as possible. Throw away or organize your mail each day, keep the kid’s room looking tidy, and get your closets, the garage, basement, and attic in order. That sounds like a lot of work, but if you make it a point to clean and organize every day, it won’t be that bad.

Put Away Anything Confidential or Valuable In an age where identity theft is more common than we’d like to admit, you can’t risk leaving out anything with identifying information on it. Put away any paperwork that has your date of birth, social security number, account number, or other information on it.

Additionally, make sure your valuables are locked up. While a licensed real estate agent will be there with the potential buyers the entire time, you don’t want to take any unnecessary risks.

Remove Anything That’s Truly Personal When a potential buyer sees something they find distasteful or that clashes with their beliefs, it can cause them to instantly dismiss your home from their shortlist of properties. While it’s true that your religion, political beliefs, or other beliefs have nothing to do with your home, people don’t always separate the two. To that end, it’s a good idea to remove anything that’s overly personal from sight.

That doesn’t mean you have to scrub your home of personality, but take a critical look at your décor. You may want to take down or put away things that you could see someone else disliking. www.gaycalgary.com

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Addicted’s Spring Season of ‘Lust’

By James Pelligrino In celebration of the spring season of love, Addicted, the naughty little sister brand of ES Collection, has unveiled its “Lust” underwear collection. “This season’s underwear collection is highly sensual and sexual but with a sense of humor,” explains the collections’ founder, Ed Suner. “It’s sassy, jovial, and ironic but also fresh, sporty and stylish.” The “Lust” collection features tight-fitting briefs in fire-y flames, neon leopard and superhero prints, emblazoned with tongue-in-cheek sayings like “Horny,” “Love Me Hard,” “Ready to Milk” and “High Class Hooker.” “‘Lust’ offers the quality, fit and comfort Addicted has become famous for,” continues designer Carmen Monforte.

“All gear is designed with fashionable gay men in mind. They are intended for guys who feel good about themselves, are comfortable with their bodies and are daring enough to be overtly racy.”

As always, all garments in the collection are finely and meticulously crafted by Addicted’s superior artisan team. “As a men’s fashion label, materials and craftsmanship are top priority,” Monforte confirms. “More time is put into the sewing of each garment so that they are built to last, even through the roughest play. They are tailored to fit every body type perfectly.”

“They’re also interchangeable,” adds Nir Zilberman, the brand’s USA agent. “They’re perfectly suited to be worn on the field and in the bed. Who says sports briefs can’t be sexy too?”

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The pictorial campaign, directed by the renowned photographer Leonardo Corredor, captures the steamy side of Addicted’s “Lust” collection. The provocative images have been a big hit on the brand’s social media.

Addicted is the sister line from Addicted, the popular men’s athletic wear company. Since 2009, the brand has been dedicated to the design, manufacturing and sale of men’s underwear, swimwear, and sportswear. It was founded by Eduardo Suner, also the founder of ES Collection, and has distinguished itself by setting trends and pushing the envelope in stylish, sexy and very wearable men’s fashion.

Addicted’s “Lust” collection is sold directly at addicted.es, as well as at select retail partners worldwide.

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Green cocktails for St. Patrick’s Day or anytime of the year McGuinness Melon Liqueur is perfect for making refreshing cocktails

By Steve Polyak I am a proud “girly drink drunk”. I will drink beer if that is my only choice or needed to as part of a food review. With St. Patrick’s Day around to the corner, the image of drinking beer with green food colouring has never been appealing to me.

This year, Corby Spirit and Wine, wanted GayCalgary to try something different for St. Patrick’s Day. They sent a bottle of their McGuinness Melon Liqueur along with Jacob’s Creek® Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir to make their Sparkling Shamrock cocktail.

If you enjoy the smell of melons, you will love McGuinness Melon Liqueur. Just opening the bottle, the smell of the liqueur brings images of summer ripe melons. It has a bright green colour which is perfect for St. Patrick Day cocktails. McGuinness Melon Liqueur is also made in Canada. The Sparkling Shamrock Cocktail is an easy drink to make. It has a nice crisp refreshing taste too. You can enjoy it on St. Patrick’s Day, but I think once you have a glass of it, you will want to have it throughout the year. It is perfect for patio parties, wine and cheese functions, pairing it with other fruit and more.

Check out the St. Patrick’s Day inspired cocktail recipes from the mixologists at Corby Spirit and Wine. For more cocktail ideas, also check out https://mcguinnessmixables.com.

Sparkling Shamrock • 3 oz. Jacob’s Creek® Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir • 1 oz. McGuiness® Melon • Lime Pour McGuiness® Melon into the flute, top up with chilled Jacob’s Creek® Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir and squeeze a few drops of lime on top.

• 3 oz. Orange Juice • 2½ oz. Tonic Water • Ice Cubes • 1 Orange Wedge • Lime Twist Combine Blue Curacao, vodka, orange juice and tonic water in rocks glass filled with ice cubes. Stir well; garnish with orange wedge and lime twist.

The Emerald Lass • 1½ oz. McGuinness® Melon • 2 oz. Jameson® Irish Whiskey • 3 oz. Sparkling Lemonade • Mint Leaves Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Garnish with a mint leaf.

The Irish Sour • 1 oz. McGuinness® Melon • 2 oz. Jameson® Irish Whiskey • 3 oz. Soda • Lime Add all ingredients to a rock glass filled with ice and stir.

Garnish with a lime wedge.

McGuinness Mixables https://mcguinnessmixables.com

Luck of the Irish Screwdriver • 1 oz. McGuinness® Blue Curaçao • 1 oz. Absolut® Vodka www.gaycalgary.com

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Review

 photos by Jason Clevett

Serena Ryder Provides an Electric Performance

By Jason Clevett It has been a pleasure following the career of Toronto’s Serena Ryder. A multiple time Juno award winner whose received praise from icons like Melissa Etheridge, the last few years has seen Ryder receive an increase in radio play with songs like Stompa and Got Your Number.

After a stellar performance at last summers Oxford Stomp, Ryder returned to Calgary February 18th for a headlining show to a packed audience.

Serena Ryder is arguably one of the best Canadian singersongwriters of the current generation. She’s truly the all-round package. This show won’t be her last here, and I look forward to many more concerts and albums to come.

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Seeing Serena on the Jack Singer stage – a venue that has hosted so many incredible artists over the years – was a thrill for those that have watched her perform over the years. Touring in support of 2017’s Utopia album, Ryder appeared backlit singing a bluesy intro to a rousing version of Stompa which set the tone for the evening. Ryder is captivating to watch. It’s easy to forget that the youthful 35 year old has been doing this for over a decade, she’s become a compelling, seasoned performer who knows how to engage her audience both with banter between songs. Whether she strapped on a guitar, sat behind a keyboard or leading the audience in raising their hands like a revival preacher, she was a tour de force.

Her interaction with the audience was part of her charm. She encouraged dancing, singing, and even brought a young girl on stage to dance during Ice Age. Late in the set she sat on the edge of the stage, touching hands and making eye contact with the first few rows. The setlist focused primarily on her most recent Utopia and Harmony albums. She dipped back to her early days and 2007’s If Your Memory Serves You Well for acoustic versions of Leonard Cohen’s Sisters of Mercy and the always gorgeous Weak In The Knees. Unfortunately, nothing from 2008’s Is It Ok made it into the set. It’s one of my favourite albums and for long time fans of Ryder, it was definitely missed.

What was delivered however was stellar. A beautiful sing along version of It’s No Mistake, the fast paced Got Your Number and set ending Electric Love were all highlights. At 80 minutes however, the concert was criminally short. A track from 1999’s Falling Out for fans, or some songs from the aforementioned Is It OK could have filled out the night and really given a fuller experience to fans.

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Drag Race Season 3 All Star Morgan McMichaels Talks about Performing at Werk in Calgary, and RuPaul’s Drag Race



Watch the interview at http://gaycalgary.com/a5666

By Steve Polyak and Mars Tonic Tall, blonde, and beautiful, yet Morgan McMichaels still exclaims, “I look like shit! I’m drunk and sweaty!”

An American, Morgan is known (of course) for her stint on the second season of Drag Race. It’s been awhile since then – barring her appearance on Allstars – but that certainly hasn’t led to any gaps in her calendar. She’s been traversing the Canadian Pride scene quite extensively this past year.

L. A., of course, has been her stomping grounds, but she adores the scene in Calgary. “Calgary, I just love.”

The difference between Calgary and L.A, in terms of bar scenes? “I think there’s a lot more options in L.A., because it’s the gay mecca really. There’s a bar on every corner, a place to go every night, a drag show every night.”

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Viewers of the show will always remember one thing: Morgan is charismatic, unforgettably so, and it’s something that shines out of her not only one-on-one but on stage as well. Jumping on and off the stage, running through the audience, all of it.

The energy extends to afterwards, where Morgan mixes and mingles to the best of he ability. “Performing is my favourite part. Meeting people after the show. I got out and I take pictures, talk to people, I make sure everyone’s having a good time. I’ll be the last bitch in the bar tonight – I want to make sure everyone’s got that last picture, that last signature. People deserve it, they’re spending a lot of money to come see us, and without your people you’re not a queen. You’re just a man in a dress. People make the queen.”

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Muscle Daddy Jesse Jackman

Talks about fitness, filming and being in the porn industry for over six years 

Watch the interview at http://gaycalgary.com/a5733

By Steve Polyak Jesse Jackman is huge. He literally takes up the screen, which is a good thing when you are a porn star like he is. According to him, he’s been in the game for ages. “It’ll be six years next month, which is an eternity in porn years. The average porn career is two years. So, to be able to continue doing this and having people actually engaged in watching the films after six years is pretty remarkable.”

Jesse is seen as a daddy, but that’s not really his thing.

“If you’ve looked through my films – and I haven’t done that many films, like three dozen over the course of my career, I sort of paced it out – but you’ll notice that I haven’t really done any daddy/son, or stepfather type films. And that’s because in my personal life, and also when I’m filming, I

 photos by Titan Media

believe in egalitarianism in myself and my scene partner. I want to be with an equal, I don’t necessarily want the age difference there. A lot of people think of it as the creepy step dad, or the father figure having dominance for the younger actor. So anytime I filmed a scene it’s always been like, this is a co-star, we’re equals, we’re just having a good time.

“I have no personal issues with the daddy/son dynamic, I respect people understand that – as long as it’s not seen as exploitative. An older man taking advantage of a younger man? That just rubs me the wrong way.”

Jesse has also been branching off filming a web series which, while his character is a porn director, will be a nonpornographic role. It’s mainstream, which he’s quite excited by. It’s a production called Last Call, and has other TitanMen talents behind it.

“There’s a little bit of mild nudity in it,” he adds, with a playful little grin. “It’s nothing hardcore, it’s definitely mainstream.”

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Photography HOMO-CIDAL gets Twisted, Calgary http://gaycalgary.com/pa1613

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Photography Halloween Freak! Costume Contest at Broken City, Calgary http://gaycalgary.com/pa1617

DJ Kitty Glitter at Twisted Element, Calgary http://gaycalgary.com/pa1611

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Photography Cowboys Horror Story Drag Show at Cowboys Nightclub, Calgary http://gaycalgary.com/pa1616

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Photography FREAKSHOW - a Twisted Halloween at Twisted Element, Calgary http://gaycalgary.com/pa1619

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Photography HOT MESS Halloween Starring Trixie Mattel at the Palace, Calgary http://gaycalgary.com/pa1618

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Photography All Vinyl Loft Party Halloween Edition at the Backlot, Calgary

Meet & Greet for Money Pennies Reunion at the Backlot, Calgary

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Photography Money Pennies Reunion, Calgary http://gaycalgary.com/pa1615

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Photography Calgary Eagle in Residence at the Backlot, Calgary http://gaycalgary.com/pa1636

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Photography Texas Lounge and Goliath’s 30th Anniversary, Calgary http://gaycalgary.com/pa1681

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Photography HOT MESS Hockey Butts III at Dickens Pub, Calgary http://gaycalgary.com/pa1637

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Photography World AIDS Day Fundraiser at Dickens Pub, Calgary http://gaycalgary.com/pa1638

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Photography World Aids Day Fundraiser at the Backlot, Calgary

Lumberjack NYE at the Backlot, Calgary

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Photography 6th Annual Jingle Balls Drag Show at Cowboys, Calgary http://gaycalgary.com/pa1683

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Photography WERK The L.A. Takeover at the Palace, Calgary http://gaycalgary.com/pa1706

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Photography HOT MESS NYE Basement Sweatbox at National on 10th, Calgary http://gaycalgary.com/pa1756

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News Releases Lush Cosmetics Christmas Gift Guide 2017

Lush has officially launched our holiday collection online with more... http://www.gaycalgary.com/n2523

RECIPE - Traditional Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) Recipes from Mexico’s Velas Resorts Mexico’s Velas Resorts in Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta, Riviera Maya and Riviera Nayarit are offering a bevy of activities and special... http://www.gaycalgary.com/n2524

RECIPE - Luscious Lemon Loaf: Celebrate the Holidays with Cake I Love You

What better way to celebrate life’s big and small achievements than with cake? There is something inherently festive and special... http://www.gaycalgary.com/n2525

Giftgowns Announces Initiative for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Giftgowns, a Toronto based company specializing in redefining the archaic hospital gown, announced today the release of a limitededition...

WERK brings an L.A. vibe to Calgary for its first pop-up party event at The Palace Theatre on December 9, 2017 Tickets are now... http://www.gaycalgary.com/n2530

Tyler Titus is First Trans Person Elected in Pennsylvania

Tyler Titus won his race for the Erie School Board this evening, becoming the first out trans person ever elected in the state... http://www.gaycalgary.com/n2531

Danica Roem Defeats Bob Marshall to Become the Only Out Transgender State Legislator in the U.S.

Victory is “Historic” Moment and “Opening Salvo” Against Anti-LGBTQ Legislators Virginia House of Delegates... http://www.gaycalgary.com/n2532

Jenny Durkan to Become First Out Lesbian Mayor of Seattle

Currently just one out lesbian mayor of major U.S. city Victory Fund endorsed candidate Jenny Durkan is victorious tonight and...

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Russia and Egypt Attack Sexual Orientation Protections in Olympic Truce at the UN

Andrea Jenkins Becomes First Trans Woman to Win City Council Seat in Major U.S. City

Over the next two weeks, a decision will be made at the United Nations (UN) on whether governments globally will accept discrimination... http://www.gaycalgary.com/n2527

Bling Us: A crowdfunding campaign for Canada’s queer gallery

The producers of the Queer Arts Festival prepare their new home It takes a certain kind of imagination to see an empty, raw... http://www.gaycalgary.com/n2528

Minneapolis made history Tuesday night – electing Andrea Jenkins the firstopenly trans woman ever elected to the city council... http://www.gaycalgary.com/n2534

Election Night Victories Expand LGBTQ Political Power: Trans Candidates Become Historic Firsts 38 LGBTQ Victory Fund endorsed candidates won their races so far While returns continue coming in, election results so far demonstrate... http://www.gaycalgary.com/n2535

NSFW - Steam Room Stories: Gay Robot. Guest starring Max Emerson

New HRC Report: Food, Beverage and Grocery Sector Setting the Pace on LGBTQ Workplace Equality

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A Steam Room Stories fan favorite is back in the steam room and he’s brought a well-known social media star with him. The...

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Tickets Go on Sale for WERK, Calgary’s Newest LGBTQ+ and Friends Pop-Up Party

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Sector giants including Coca-Cola Co., General Mills Inc., Hershey Co., McDonald’s Corp., and Kellogg Co. continue to lead on...

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News Releases NSFW - Guyhop Launches, the Latest Gay ‘Cruising’ Site for X-Rated Hookups

Prime Minister delivers apology to LGBTQ2 Canadians

Social Smarts Networks announces the launch of http://www.gaycalgary.com/n2537

All Canadians deserve to feel safe and to have their most fundamental rights protected. But for decades, we failed countless individuals...

Athletic Stars Call on UN States to Protect Sexual Orientation in Olympic Truce

COOL YULE (Ep) by Steven Taetz Features New Christmas Hits

Today, 17 professional athletes came out against attempts by Egypt and Russia to thwart non-discrimination protections based on...

On November 22, 2017, Toronto-based singer, lyricist and composer Steven Taetz releases a new EP of Christmas swing and Adult...

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Orthodox-Calendar: Love one another or die!

Gay rights in Canada: “A cultural revolution of candour and openness”

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The world is on fire. We are seeing awful things every day. Terror has become the new normal.

People distrust and hate each other....

In the 1960s, reforming politicians in many Western countries faced an unconscionable fact: the criminal law was still being used...

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MAN-O, a seven-part digi drama about a young man’s deadly disorder - now online

The Calgary Public Library has Added Streaming Service, Kanopy with over 30,000 titles

“I hate the word, ‘manorexia.’” - Owen Owen (Adam Christie) is an actor, and a good one. He is called to auditions... http://www.gaycalgary.com/n2540

- Calgary joins major cities like Edmonton, Ottawa, Vancouver Island, Los Angeles, New York City, Baltimore, Seattle, Brooklyn,...

UN Member States Maintain NonDiscrimination Based on Sexual Orientation in Olympic Truce

New Animated Map Shows #MeToo Going Viral Within Hours

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The #MeToo message spread like a wildfire across?the globe, as shown in a dramatic new animation. The animated map of nearly a...

On November 13, 2017, all 193 United Nations Member States adopted the Olympic Truce Resolution maintaining language protecting...

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NSFW - Greeks Come True - Naked Calendar 2018

Emmy Nominated LGBTQ Series EASTSIDERS Returns for 3rd Season

Our venture last year- to introduce the world to the most intimate side of Greek male beauty, was met with great enthusiasm and...

The Great American Road Trip Is About To Get a Whole Lot Gayer Kit Williamson’s two-time Emmy-nominated LGBT series, EASTSIDERS,...

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VH1’s “RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE ALL STARS” Season Three To Premiere On January 25th

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Real Life Kosher Cooking Family-Friendly Recipes Perfect for Any Occasion or Meal

The Highly Anticipated Series Returns On An All-New Night With Special 90-Minute Premiere After a three-time Emmy® Award-winning...

Hundreds of thousands of home cooks regularly turn to food blogger Miriam Pascal to find recipes for food that is wholesome yet...

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n2551

NSFW - Steam Room Stories: Better to give than receive

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n2543

Do people actually like to give oral sex? That’s the debate on the latest episode of Steam Room Stories. After getting turned...

Giving Tuesday: Lush Gifts That Give Back

November 28, is Giving Tuesday: a global celebration dedicated to giving back in any way you can – volunteering, donating or even...

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n2552

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n2544 www.gaycalgary.com

GayCalgary Magazine #165, February/March 2018

77

News Releases GIFS TO MAKE THE HOLIDAYS GAY - PLANETROMEO takes “Gay as Christmas” to the next level

Gay EDM Musician Joey Suarez Becomes Newest Andrew Christian Ambassador

PLANETROMEO has created a collection of queer holiday-themed GIFs to help people share their holiday cheer just in time for Christmas....

EP Candy Kid featuring “Dancing By Myself” Now Available Ever since Joey Suarez was a teenager, he always had a dream...

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n2553

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n2560

Changing Attitudes to Transgender: New Data from Glamour Boutique Survey

NSFW - Steam Room Stories: Hang to the left or right

Glamour Boutique have conducted a new study to find out about attitudes towards transgender issues and the results are in! Over... http://www.gaycalgary.com/n2554

Disney Destinations Designated IGLTA Global Partner Corporate Member

Disney Destinations has been designated as a Global Partner Corporate Member of the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association.... http://www.gaycalgary.com/n2555

Sexual violence against men and boys in the Central African Republic

New video marks the first anniversary of the All Survivors Project The All Survivors Project, hosted by the Williams Institute,... http://www.gaycalgary.com/n2556

LELO Tips and Advices: How to Have a Sexy New Year’s Eve that Doesn’t Suck

Sexy New Year’s Eve Ideas for the Exhausted Order a pizza, queue up some binge-worthy shows... http://www.gaycalgary.com/n2557

Kill Your Television is proud to present the revival production of SHAKESPEARE’S R&J

Kill Your Television is proud to present the revival production of SHAKESPEARE’S R&J, a vibrant and hot-blooded adaptation... http://www.gaycalgary.com/n2558

Fab Five Of House Music Unite In Black Stereo Faith’s New Music Video, “SNL (SO IN LOVE)” Ultra Nateì & Quentin Harris’ Alt-Funk Collective Harkens Back to Classic Funk From the ’70’s Ultra Nateì, Inaya Day, Quentin... http://www.gaycalgary.com/n2559

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GayCalgary Magazine #165, February/March 2018

Does every man’s ‘Jimmy Dean’ hang to the left?

Aaron Ranson explores that very question after his girlfriend asked him outright... http://www.gaycalgary.com/n2561

New Study Showcases the Power of LGBTQ-Themed Ads

HORNET COMMISSIONED FIRST STUDY FROM NIELSEN TO DETERMINE IMPACT OF LGBTQ-THEMED ADVERTISING New study from the world’s leading... http://www.gaycalgary.com/n2562

SNEAK PREVIEW plus Guest Judges Announced for “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” Premiering Jan 25

Vanessa Hudgens, Tituss Burgess, Kristin Chenoweth, Marc Jacobs, Shay Mitchell And Nancy Pelosi To Judge The Mainstage VH1 today... http://www.gaycalgary.com/n2563

Town of Taber Council denies request to raise the Pride Flag for Taber Pride 2018

It comes with great disappointment to report that the Town of Taber Council has denied our request to raise again the Pride Flag... http://www.gaycalgary.com/n2564

“RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE ALL STARS” Season Three Premiere is the Most-Watched “ALL STARS” Episode

Trended #1 in the U.S. and Worldwide and Was the #1 Most Social Cable Series of the Night On the heels of VH1’s industry leading... http://www.gaycalgary.com/n2565

Prominent Turkish LGBTIQ Activist Arrested in His Home in Ankara

On Friday morning, Ali Erol, a prominent Turkish human rights activist and a founder of Kaos GL Association, Turkey’s first registered... http://www.gaycalgary.com/n2566

www.gaycalgary.com

News Releases 20,000+ LGBTQ teens will be subjected to Conversion Therapy

Adameve.com Asks: Should SameSex Couples Be Allowed To Adopt?

Practice used to change sexual orientation and gender identity has been criticized by health organizations as harmful An estimated...

When it comes to sex, adameve.com (https:// www.adameve.com), America’s most... http://www.gaycalgary.com/n2574

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n2567

Canada’s First LGBTQA+ Technology Conference Venture Out Returns to Toronto

Racy Valentine’s Day Ideas & Gifts from LELO

Valentine’s Day is one of the most important (read; stress-inducing) entries in any couples’ calendar. Every year, our inboxes...

Second annual event welcomes tech leader Dax Dasilva and Canadian Actress Natasha Negovanlis Conference connecting LGBTQA+ youth...

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WILL YOU BE MY VALENTINE’S GIFS? Love is in the air with new Gay GIFs from ROMEO

Parents Launch National Campaign To Advance The Gender Conversation

PLANETROMEO has created a collection of Gay-themed GIFs to help people flirt with each other just in time for Valentine’s Day....

In the midst of a national conversation about the rights of transgender youth, two parent advocates are coming together to unveil...

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n2569

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n2576

NSFW - Steam Room Stories: Single on Valentine’s Day

Venture Out announces Lightspeed Founder and CEO Dax Dasilva as 2018 keynote speaker

There’s no better time to show yourself some love than on Valentine’s Day. Aaron Ransom surprises fellow Steam Room Stories...

Dasilva will be sharing his ‘Colour by Icons’ immersive activation with conference attendees Venture Out, Canada’s first and...

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n2570

Transgender Employees Speak Their Truth In Lush’s New #TransRightsAreHumanRights Campaign

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n2577

NYC Pride Releases 2018 “Defiantly Different” Theme

Today, Lush is launching a NATIONAL campaign and our hearts have NEVER BEEN so full. As you know, Lush is an inclusive company...

NYC Pride announces 2018’s official theme, “Defiantly Different” as part of this year’s brand elements. “Defiantly...

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http://www.gaycalgary.com/n2578

Emmy Award-Winning “RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE” Returns for a Milestone 10th Season on Thursday March 22

STOMP Out Bullying Supports Young Activists to End School Shootings

STOMP Out Bullying is profoundly saddened and deeply distraught over the school shooting on February 14th at the Marjory Stoneman...

Full Season of 90-Minute Queen-Sized Episodes On the heels of VH1’s industry leading ten consecutive...

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Hornet Launches Global #DecriminalizeLGBT Campaign

Trulia Delivers Neighborhood Insights w/ Local Legal Protections Feature for LGBT House Hunter

Hornet, the world’s premier gay social network, today announced the launch of... http://www.gaycalgary.com/n2580

New feature gives homebuyers a better sense of what a home and its neighborhood offer by showing the LGBT non-discrimination laws...

VH1’S Emmy Award-Winning “Rupaul’s Drag Race” Ru-Veals New Cast for Historic 10th Season

http://www.gaycalgary.com/n2573

www.gaycalgary.com

VH1 today revealed the cast for the milestone 10th season of Emmy® Award-winning “http:// www.gaycalgary.com/n2581

GayCalgary Magazine #165, February/March 2018

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GayCalgary Magazine #165, February/March 2018

www.gaycalgary.com

Directory & Events DOWNTOWN CALGARY

11 16

10 12

2

6

3

7

15

1 8

4 5

13

1 2 3 4

Calgary Outlink---------- Community Groups HIV Community Link---- Community Groups Backlot------------------------Bars and Clubs Texas Lounge-----------------Bars and Clubs

5 6 7 8

Goliath’s--------------------------Bathhouses Twisted Element--------------Bars and Clubs Broken City-------------------Bars and Clubs Cowboys Nightclub-----------Bars and Clubs

FIND OUT!

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. ..........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!

Bars & Clubs (Gay) 3 Backlot-------------------------------------  209 - 10th Ave SW  403-265-5211  Open 7 days a week, 2pm-close 4 Texas Lounge

 308 - 17 Ave SW  403-229-0911  Open 7 days a week, 11am-close

www.gaycalgary.com

Dickens Pub------------------Bars and Clubs The Palace Theatre ----------Bars and Clubs Local 522---------------------Bars and Clubs Ten Nightclub-----------------Bars and Clubs

8 Cowboys Nightclub------------------------  421 12th Avenue SE  403-265-0699

 http://www.cowboysnightclub.com

LGBT Community Directory

CALGARY

9 10 11 12

9 Dickens Pub

 1000 9th Ave SW  info@dickenspub.ca

 http://www.dickenspub.ca

 403-233-7550

11 Local 522----------------------------------  522 6 Ave SW  403-244-6773

 http://www.localtavern.ca 14 Night Owl

 213 10 Ave SW

 http://www.niteowlyyc.com

 587-224-5200

16 Six 2 Eight Stage (closed)

 628 8th Avenue SW  587-352-2582

 http://www.628stage.com 12 Ten Nightclub (closed)

 1140 10th Ave SW

 403-457-4464

15 The Blind Monk (closed) -----------------  918 12th Ave SW  403-265-6200  12thave@blindmonk.ca

 http://www.blindmonk.ca  Mon-Sun: 11am-2am

13 The Pint-----------------------Bars and Clubs 15 The Blind Monk--------------Bars and Clubs 16 Backwards / Six 2 Eight------Bars and Clubs

Bathhouses/Saunas 5 Goliaths

 308 - 17 Ave SW  403-229-0911  whttp://www.goliathsyyc.ca  Open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day

Community Groups Alberta Society for Kink

 403-398-9968  masdenn@yahoo.com

Apollo Calgary - Friends in Sports

 http://www.apollocalgary.com  http://www.myapollo.com A volunteer operated, non-profit organization serving primarily members of the LGBT communities but open to all members of all communities. Primary focus is to provide members with well-organized and fun sporting events and other activities.

• Western Cup



http://www.westerncup.com

• Badminton (Absolutely Smashing)

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

10 The Palace Theatre -----------------------  219 8th Ave SW  403-935-2637

 https://www.thepalacetheatre.ca

• Boot Camp

13 The Pint

 1428 17th Ave SW  calgary@thepint.ca

 http://www.thepint.ca/calgary

• Bowling (Rainbow Riders League)

 403-384-9777

N

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

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

• Curling

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

6 Twisted Element

 1006 - 11th Ave SW  403-802-0230

 http:.//www.twistedelement.ca

Bars & Clubs (Mixed) These venues regularly host LGBT events.

7 Broken City

 613 11th Ave SW  info@brokencity.ca

 http://www.brokencity.ca

 403-262-9976

GayCalgary Magazine #165, February/March 2018

81

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

 golf@apollocalgary.com

• Lawn Bowling

At 5 Goliaths

At 1 Calgary Outlink

See 1 Calgary Outlink

• Rehearsals

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

Calgary Pride

• Outdoor Pursuits

1 Calgary Outlink

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

• Peer Support and Crisis Line

• Running (Calgary Frontrunners)

 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.

• Slow Pitch

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

 slow.pitch@apollocalgary.com

• Squash

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

 Weeds Cafe (1903 20 Ave NW)

• Yoga

 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.

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

Calgary Expo

 http://www.calgaryexpo.com

Calgary Gay Fathers

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

Calgary Men’s Chorus

 4th

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

Calgary Sexual Health Centre

Deer Park United Church/Wholeness Centre

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

 403-278-8263

Different Strokes

 http://www.differentstrokescalgary.org

 http://www.calgarymenschorus.org

FairyTales Presentation Society

 403-244-1956

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

• DVD Resource Library

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

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

• Telephone Support

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

Hillhurst United Church

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

HIV Peer Support Group

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

 http://www.iscca.co 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.

82

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

ISCCA Social Association

Calgary Queer Book Club

• Tennis

 tennis@apollocalgary.com

 3rd

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

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

 http://www.calgarypride.ca

 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.

 2nd

 1st

 lawnbowling@apollocalgary.com

 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.

 1st

See 1 Calgary Outlink

 Calgary Contd.

• Golf

 2nd

See 1 Calgary Outlink

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

See 1 Calgary Outlink

By

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

GayCalgary Magazine #165, February/March 2018

• Coffee Night

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

NETWORKS

 networkscalgary@gmail.com A social, cultural, and service organization for the mature minded and “Plus 40” LGBT individuals seeking to meet others at age-appropriate activities within a positive, safe environment.

Parents for Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)

 Sean: 403-695-5791  http://www.pflagcanada.ca A registered charitable organization that provides support, education and resources to parents, families and individuals who have questions or concerns about sexual orientation or gender identity.

Positive Space Committee

 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.

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://suclubs.orgsync.com/org/qcucampus Formerly GLASS - Gay/Lesbian Association of Students and Staff.

• Coffee Night

 2nd Cup, Kensington

Safety Under the Rainbow

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

Scarboro United Church

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

www.gaycalgary.com

Directory & Events  Calgary Contd.

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.

Theatre & Fine Arts ATP, Alberta Theatre Projects

 403-294-7402

 http://www.ATPlive.com

Fairytales

See Calgary - Community Groups.

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

Unity Bowling

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

Wild Rose United Church

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

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

 1317-1st Street NW

Restaurants & Pubs 16 Six 2 Eight --------------------------------- See Calgary - Bars & Clubs (Mixed).

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

Retail Stores Adult Depot (CLOSED)

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

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

 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

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

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

Priape Calgary (CLOSED)

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

Services & Products Calgary Civil Marriage Centre

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

Interactive Male

 800-913-8509  http://www.interactivemale.com

MFM Communications

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

SafeWorks

Free and confidential HIV/AIDS and STI testing.

• Calgary Drop-in Centre

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

• Centre of Hope

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

• Sheldon M. Chumir Health Centre

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

• Safeworks Van

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

www.gaycalgary.com

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

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

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

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

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

Third Street Theatre

 #3 306 20th Ave SW 

http://www.thirdstreet.ca

 403-703-4750

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

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

EDMONTON Bars & Clubs (Gay) 3 Buddy’s Nite Club (CLOSED)

 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

 780-938-2941

UpStares Ultralounge (CLOSED)

 4th Floor, Jasper Ave and 107th Street

4 Mama’s Gin Joint (CLOSED)

 11725 Jasper Ave  780-488-6557

Bars & Clubs (Mixed) These venues regularly host LGBT events.

Hooliganz Pub (CLOSED)

 10704 124 St NW

7 The Starlite Room

 10030 102 St contact@starliteroom.ca  http://www.starliteroom.ca 8 Yellowhead Brewing Co.

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

Bathhouses/Saunas 5 Steamworks

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

Book Worm’s Book Club

 http://www.ualberta.ca/~outreach Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender/transsexual, Queer, Questioning and Straight-but-not-Narrow student group.

Buck Naked Boys Club

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

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

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

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

Camp fYrefly

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

Edmonton Expo

Edmonton Pride Festival Society (EPFS)

 http://www.edmontonpride.ca

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

Affiliated with Prime Timers World Wide.

Edmonton Illusions Social Club

 780-387-3343

 groups.yahoo.com/group/edmonton_illusions 2 Edmonton STD

 11111 Jasper Ave

 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.

Edmonton Vocal Minority

 sing@evmchoir.com

GLBTQ Sage Bowling Club

• Queer HangOUT: Anime Night

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

• TTIQ

Fellowship of Alberta Bears

 www.beefbearbash.com

 tuff@shaw.ca

HIV Network Of Edmonton Society--------

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

by HIV.

InQueeries

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

Imperial Sovereign Court of the Wild Rose

 http://www.iscwr.ca

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

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

• Men Talking with Pride

Edmonton Prime Timers

 780-474-8240

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

• Knotty Knitters

 http://www.edmontonexpo.com

 780-479-2038  www.evmchoir.com

• Counselling

A support and information group for all those who fall under the transgender umbrella and their family or supporters.

• Women’s Social Circle

 andrea@pridecentreofedmonton.org Women’s Social Circle: A social support group for all female-identified persons over 18 years of age in the GLBT community - new members are always welcome.

Seniors Association of Greater Edmonton

 780-474-8240

 tuff@shaw.ca

Team Edmonton

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

• Badminton (Mixed)

 St. Thomas Moore School, 9610 165 Street

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

• Badminton (Women’s)

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

 badminton@teamedmonton.ca Women’s Drop-In Recreational Badminton. $40.00 season or $5.00 per drop in.

 University of Alberta, basement of SUB  outreach@ualberta.ca

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.

GayCalgary Magazine #165, February/March 2018

83

Directory & Events DOWNTOWN EDMONTON

1

8

5 4 3

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

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

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

 3rd

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

 2nd

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

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

Team Edmonton

7

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

N

3 Buddy’s-----------------------Bars and Clubs 4 Mama’s Gin Joint-------------Bars and Clubs

See 1 Youth Understanding Youth

Mondays See

2

6

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

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

• Blazin’ Bootcamp

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

• Bowling (Northern Titans)

 Ed’s Rec Room (West Edmonton Mall)

 bowling@teamedmonton.ca $15.00 per person.

• Gymnastics, Drop-in

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

• Hockey

 hockey@teamedmonton.ca

• Martial Arts

 crosscountry@teamedmonton.ca

• Curling with Pride

• Outdoor Pursuits

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

• Cycling (Edmonton Prideriders)

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

• Dragon Boat (Flaming Dragons)

 dragonboat@teamedmonton.ca

• Golf

 golf@teamedmonton.ca

84

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

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

• Cross Country Skiing

 2nd

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

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

Buck Naked Boys Club

 Edmonton Contd.

•Ballroom Dancing

 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

 outdoorpursuits@teamedmonton.ca

• Running (Arctic Frontrunners)

• Snowballs V

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

• Soccer

• Volleyball, Recreational

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

• Spin

• Women’s Lacrosse

 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

• Slo Pitch

• Ultimate Frisbee

GayCalgary Magazine #165, February/March 2018

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

 soccer@teamedmonton.ca

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

 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.

• Volleyball, Intermediate

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

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

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

Call for info.

• Yoga

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

Youth Understanding Youth

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

• Sports and Recreation

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

Restaurants & Pubs 12 Mama’s Gin Joint (CLOSED) See Edmonton - Bars & Clubs (Gay).

www.gaycalgary.com

Directory & Events Red Deer Events Wednesdays

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

CAANS

 1st

Friday, August 15th

 Edmonton Contd.

Products & Services Interactive Male

 800-913-8509  http://www.interactivemale.com

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 The Roxy Theatre (closed)

 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 Community Groups Jasper Pride Festival

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

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

LETHBRIDGE Community Groups GALA/LA

• Support Line

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

Community Groups

• Friday Mixer

Alberta Trans Support/Activities Group

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

Gay & Lesbian Integrity Assoc. (GALIA)

 University of Lethbridge GBLTTQQ club on campus.

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

 galia@uleth.ca

• Movie Night

 Room C610, University of Lethbridge

Gay Youth Alliance Group

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

Lethbridge HIV Connection

Theatre & Fine Arts Alberta Ballet

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

CANADA

 1206 - 6 Ave S

Community Groups

PFLAG Canada

 1-888-530-6777

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

Pride Lethbridge

 lethbridgepridefest@gmail.com

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 Interactive Male

 800-913-8509  http://www.interactivemale.com

Squirt

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

Theatre & Fine Arts Broadway Across Canada

 http://www.broadwayacrosscanada.ca

Canadian Rainbow Health Coalition

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

RED DEER Community Groups Central Alberta AIDS Network Society

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

LGBTQ Education

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

Pride on Campus

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

MEDICINE HAT Community Groups HIV Community Link

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

 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.

ALBERTA

• Telephone Support

• 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.

www.gaycalgary.com

GayCalgary Magazine #165, February/March 2018

85

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Help Wanted

240

GayCalgary Magazine is looking for sales people and writers in Calgary, Edmonton and through out Alberta. For more info, contact: magazine@gaycalgary.com 403-543-6960

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GayCalgary Magazine #165, February/March 2018

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