IN Magazine: November/December 2022

BOB

DRAG QUEEN IS

(AND FOR THAT WE’RE

BILAL BAIG AND FAB FILIPPO DISH

SEASON

inmagazine.ca

PUBLISHER

Patricia Salib

GUEST EDITOR Christopher Turner ART DIRECTOR Georges Sarkis COPY EDITOR Ruth Hanley

SENIOR COLUMNISTS Paul Gallant, Doug Wallace

CONTRIBUTORS

Jesse Boland, Aram Eginliyan, Adriana Ermter, Courtney Hardwick,Elio Iannacci, Karen Kwan, Luis Augusto Nobre, Ivan Otis, Brian Phillips, Taisha Ramirez, Fredsonn Silva Aguda, Andrew Wu

DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Benjamin Chafe

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Jumol Royes

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MANAGER

Tyra Blizzard

CONTROLLER

Jackie Zhao

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www.inmagazine.ca

for LGBTQ2+ content.

Toronto, Ontario, M5T 1X5

November / December 2022

INFRONT

06 | WELL FRAGRANCED

The latest perfumes don’t just smell good, they can make you feel good too in body, mind and soul

08 | IS IT LATER THAN YOU THINK?

We are already late for climate change, Indigenous reconciliation and 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion. But that doesn’t mean we should stop trying

10 | AFAMILY OUTING SHOWS HOW DIVERSE COMING OUT STORIES CAN BE Sharing your truth can be a struggle, but Jessi Hempel’s new book argues it’s always worth it

12 | HOW TO AVOID GETTING SICK WHEN TRAVELLING

With travel restrictions lifting, the wanderlust vibes are strong – but how can you avoid getting sick once you’re out exploring the world again? These tips will help you stay on the healthy track

13 | THE SHANGAZI KATI YETU STORY

Providing health literacy and equitable treatment for ACB women living with HIV

FEATURES

30 | SORT OF IN LOVE

14

| UNLOCKING MY SPECIAL SUPERPOWER: BLACK QUEER JOY

The ultimate form of resistance and rebellion, Black queer joy is rooted in community, connections, and a true sense of belonging

16 | GETTING REAL ABOUT FAKE DICKS ON TV

I love a good plant-based alternative, but some meat just cannot be substituted

18 | SUPREME IMPERIUM SHARES THE BEAUTY AND GRACE OF BALLROOM Take a peek into the Toronto ballroom scene

22 | BOB THE DRAG QUEEN IS HERE (AND FOR THAT WE’RE THANKFUL)

The Drag Race legend dishes about We’re Here, Sibling Rivalry, role models, working with Madonna, new music and his favourite queens

26 | REMIXING HISTORY

DJ Junior Vasquez opens up on surviving, slaying and synthesizing five decades on the dance floor

The creators of CBC’s hit show Sort Of share what’s in store for the highly anticipated second season, and explain what’s love got to do with it

THIS

34

| CATCHING UP WITH MAKING IT HOME CO-STAR KENNY BRAIN

The openly gay contractor/carpenter talks about everything and anything

48 | PARTY AND PLAY

Party drugs have, in some ways, become an anxious fissure through many modern gay communities

50

| IBERIAN IDYLL

Portugal lends Old World charm and traditional food fun to an ultra-luxury cruise along the Atlantic coast

54

| FLASHBACK: DECEMBER 1, 1988 IN LGBTQ+ HISTORY

The World Health Organization organizes the first World AIDS Day

FASHION

38 | THE FAB FOUR Ready for a new winter season of serious lewks?

On set with Sort Of ’s Bilal Baig and Fab Filippo. Read our interview with the co-creators of the hit TV show on page 30 (Photo by Jasper Savage)

By Adriana Ermter

Photo by Mulyadi on Unsplash

It’s safe to say that the recent global pandemic catapulted the word “wellness” into everyone’s vocabulary, transforming it from a simple noun into the must-say catchphrase. Bandied alongside popular expressions like “self-care,” “be mindful” and “me time,” wellness is now used as both a noun and a verb. It equates self-protection when said, for example, in conjunction with mask wearing and vaccine-jabbing actions, as equally as it is associated with drinks night with friends, bubble baths and multi-class passes to Pilates, HIIT and Spin.

Wellness’s surge to the top of our consciousness and, even, our priority lists has not died down despite COVID’s now new-normal status. Rather, the trend is alive and kicking, expanding in breadth in both spa and health services and in beauty and grooming product offerings. According to a 2022 McKinsey and Company report, wellness is currently a 1.5 trillion dollar industry – and growing by up to 10 per cent each year – complete with a brand new category joining the ranks: wellness fragrance.

SCENT AS WELLNESS

Believed to spark a sense of well-being in body, mind and spirit (ideally, all at the same time) when its wearer spritzes or dabs a little on, wellness fragrance is perfume that smells good to make you feel better. “Wellness-focused scents and perfumes that combine mindfulness and self-care support consumers’ physical and emotional well-being,” according to Trend Hunter Inc., a global research company that leverages human research, big data and artificial intelligence to identify consumer insight, explore innovation and create international trend reports. In their 2023 Fragrance Trend report, wellness fragrance is described as “infused with essential oils and incorporates luxury properties like gemstones and crystals,” to benefit consumers as they “take a proactive approach to their well-being rather than a reactive response.”

This proactive approach starts with the perfume brand’s manufacturers, who create a fragrance recipe made up of perfume notes to highlight the leading sensation they want wearers to experience, be it calmness, happiness, relaxation, energy, confidence, love or otherwise. While all perfumes are comprised of an assortment of synthetic and/or natural fragrance notes, specific ones are required to induce these types of sensory functions. For decades, scientists have explored the neurological impact of scents. Notes like lavender and chamomile are said to create feelings of calm and relaxation. Neroli, grapefruit and other citruses deliver on happiness. Strawberry, lily of the valley and peppermint induce energy and confidence, while jasmine and rose provide a sense of love and romance.

All are mix-mastered by “noses” (chemists who are experts at perfumery), with each fragrance intentionally crafted in layers: the top notes you smell on first spritz; the middle notes, which tend to waft forward after 10 to 60 minutes of wear; and the base notes, the ones that linger longest on the skin. Every note is carefully and specifically chosen to blend and to provide the desired smell. Wellness fragrances take this one step further by focusing not only on the scent of the fragrance but also on the sentiment the brand wants their perfume to elicit.

Feel-good formulas in brands such as The Nue Co.’s Functional Fragrances and Fewe’s Eau So Happy perfume include notes of citronelle, lemon, orange, neroli, pear, lily, rose and amber, to name a few, and offer consumers the opportunity to uplift, harmonize, revitalize and/or de-stress their mood. According to a 2016 study published by the National Library of Medicine, these perfumes

can and do achieve what they say they will. Because our olfactory system plays a major role in the brain to body’s central nervous functions and can modulate the activities of different brain waves, fragrances can influence our cognitive and emotional states.

Wellness fragrance brands like Ascention Beauty, Vyrao Witchy Woo and Pinrose are taking this theory one step further by infusing or accompanying their feel-good scents with crystals: minerals comprised of different elements and/or compounds. According to Live Science magazine, within the alternative medicine community, crystals and gemstones are widely believed to have healing powers and can interact with our mind, body and soul’s energetic system. Crystals such as clear quartz are attributed with healing and energy. Citrine is said to enhance concentration and creativity. Amber is credited with relieving stress and headaches, while rose quartz is said to stimulate love and trust.

“Each crystal is said to have a different effect on the mind and body,” explains Amy Mercee, a holistic health expert, in her book The Mood Book: Crystals, Oils, and Rituals to Elevate Your Spirit These energies, she says, can interact with our own physical and mental energies, positively impacting the way we feel and think.

Sound too good to be true? More research is being done in the wellness fragrance category, further validating its efficacy and its longevity as a trend. And industry bigwigs, like the International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (IFF), are helping to lead the way.

Global leaders in bioscience and sensorial experiences, the IFF recently launched a Science and Wellness program addressing consumer demand for a more holistic approach to health, beauty and grooming. “The IFF has a long history of research into the effects of fragrance on consumer wellness and emotions, along with an AI [artificial intelligence] exploration initiated in 2006,” Nicolas Mirzayantz, president of scent for the IFF, stated on the company website. “Combining the results of these ongoing studies with the AI unique capabilities, a 15-year pioneer, is allowing our perfumers to awaken emotions…and [increase] our ability to serve growing consumer demand for wellness solutions.” Through this program, science-based scents are being crafted to intentionally support our cognitive and emotional well-being – possibly, even, with a gemstone or two.

After all, infusing each day with a spritz of joy, self-esteem and, even, mindfulness can only be a good thing.

ADRIANA ERMTER is a Toronto-based, lifestyle-magazine pro who has travelled the globe writing about must-spritz fragrances, child poverty, beauty and grooming.

IS IT LATER THAN YOU THINK?

By Luis Augusto Nobre

Photo by Ehimetalor Akhere Unuabona on Unsplash

Some of my inspirations to write come from other people, or something that I have felt, seen or heard. A smile, a sunny day with a blue sky inviting me to be outside, a deep conversation… anything that I understand and want to put down in words. It wasn’t different for this piece here that I invite you to read and think about with me. The inspiration came from a foreign poem, but I found some connection to a famous song in Canada. Two different time periods, but some interconnection to help us realize the ephemerality of time.

Everything started when I watched a Brazilian TV show with celebrities answering intriguing and unusual questions about their lives. One of the answers resonated with me, and I couldn’t avoid writing about it. I heard the words, “Fetch yourself. It is later than you suppose,” and my mind blew up. The second sentence is from Hilda Hilst, a Brazilian poet, novelist and playwright (1930–2004). Suddenly I was immersed in deep rumination that, no matter what, I would always be late for some of my life commitments and goals.

It doesn’t matter how dedicated I am to my beliefs and social commitment, I won’t be on time to help people in this moment – like during the minutes that I am writing these words and you are reading them. Even doing my best, I won’t arrive on time to give “a hand” to those in need right now. However, I cannot give up, because my actions might still affect the future even if I start or continue the changes late, or if you and I work together to address those issues. Looking inside us, seeking the needs we have to improve for ourselves and others, consequently changing the world around us for future generations.

sentences). We still have responsibilities for ourselves and others – those are the consequences of growing up. Over the years, we have learned how to live with time passing so quickly in front of our eyes. Maybe we have become insensible to the effects and have forgotten that we are as late as the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland, running desperately to be on time without noticing the constant changes along our way.

For the present, we will never be on time. For the future, we can use our wisdom and fix things so that it won’t be late for future generations. It is our current commitment to a better future, even when we are not here anymore. Do you need examples? We are already late for climate change, Indigenous reconciliation and 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion.

Everything we do to mitigate our past and current actions comes too late for people who have been affected by the consequences of our lateness (and bad decisions). However, there are several opportunities to better address what is necessary for generations to come, to provide better opportunities, and to reduce the gap. We won’t fix everything, but those amendments will save lives when we are gone. They might even save them while we are still here.

I have written other essays for IN Magazine touching on the importance of keeping this legacy alive, maintaining the voices and leadership influences. We are in a constant relay race where we need to keep the momentum going for the next members of our community team – racing against time, and not against each other, as there is no winner in this race. A collective effort to be together, to cross the barriers as one.

This piece is one of my contributions to not leaving discussions without self-reflection, encouraging you to continue, as the clock doesn’t stop. I know that I cannot give up, and I won’t! Knowing that the future for me, for us and for those who haven’t been born yet depends on our current actions stimulates me to not be so late. To “keep swimming” (thanks, Dori), even with possible adversities, we have to give ourselves breaks to fetch and enjoy ourselves. Those “small” and necessary acts of self-reflection and kindness will recharge our batteries and heal us. I know that they recharge mine whenever I need it.

When doing this process to “fetch” ourselves, we also need to see the bright side as we might face our ugly sides, the sides we try to hide even from ourselves. These thoughts come from the second inspirational message I found while I was translating Hilda’s quote. Herb Magidson wrote a song with Carl Sigman called “Enjoy Yourself, It’s Later Than You Think,” which was a tremendous success recorded by Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians in 1949.

Both sentences remind us that we don’t have enough time to accomplish and change everything we want, but we also need to connect with our inner side and have fun. Not easy, as we cannot be impulsive from now on (remember those “time flies”

I feel that energy running in my veins when I cheer my communities in the Pride parades; when I see an inspirational speech; when I learn with my colleagues and peers; when I watch queer content beyond stereotypes; when I see more representation on TV shows, movies and business…when I am open to new information. I wish I could share exactly how I feel, so you would also feel it. I feel powerful enough to beat time, not be late anymore, and save what needs to be saved at the very last second. It is rewarding.

So I invite you to run with me against time. Maybe we will run together to produce enough energy to support our communities to survive and thrive. It could be late for us, but our sacrifice will save lives just as did the race run by Stormé DeLarverie, Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, icons from the Stonewall riots. Their efforts and voices reduced the lateness for us to be alive today. The journey is long and our pace can reduce the time gap until the moment when the time will be chasing us instead.

LUIS AUGUSTO NOBRE is the marketing and communications coordinator of Pride at Work Canada/Fierté au travail Canada, a leading national non-profit organization that promotes workplace inclusion on the grounds of gender expression, gender identity and sexual orientation. For more information, visit prideatwork.ca.

“FOR THE PRESENT, WE WILL NEVER BE ON TIME. FOR THE FUTURE, WE CAN USE OUR WISDOM AND FIX THINGS SO THAT IT WON’T BE LATE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.”

AFAMILYOUTING SHOWS HOW DIVERSE COMING OUT STORIES CAN BE

Sharing your truth can be a struggle, but Jessi Hempel’s new book argues it’s always worth it

By Courtney Hardwick

Jessi Hempel is no stranger to coming out – and neither is the rest of the Hempel family. Within the course of a few years, Jessi came out as a lesbian, her sister came out as bisexual, her brother came out as transgender, her father came out as gay and her mother came out as the survivor of a traumatic experience with an alleged serial killer.

After her article in Time magazine about her now-brother’s pregnancy journey went viral, Hempel started to realize her family had a unique story to tell. In her new book, A Family Outing (released by Harper Collins earlier this fall), Hempel explores how coming out started a chain reaction of other personal revelations and reckonings that caused each member of the Hempel family to question their place in the world in new, and ultimately liberating, ways.

We talked to Hempel about her book, why she wanted to share her family’s story and how she thinks it can help other people in their own coming out journeys.

identity shifts and wind up growing closer to each other? How did our closets affect us?

Why do you think your story resonates with people?

I think there is a universal aspect to coming out, and people can sometimes see aspects of their own life experience in our family’s story, even if they don’t identify as LGBTQ+. We are all born into a set of expectations about who we will become. Our parents have dreams for us. Our communities have cultures that shape us. Then we grow and, inevitably, the most authentic expression of ourselves runs into conflict with these ideas. Coming out involves travelling the distance between other people’s expectations of us and who we know ourselves to be. And I think everyone takes this journey in one form or another. I hope this book gives people, queer or not, courage to live the most truthful versions of their own lives.

Your whole family has come out in their own way. Have you noticed any similarities between each of your experiences?

What made you want to tell your family’s story?

In the spring of 2020, much of North America was hunkered down in quarantine. For a couple of weeks, I was energetically Zooming with old friends, planning Zoom trivia and attending Zoom yoga. But then my energy went away. I was depressed, depleted, the days suddenly quiet. And in those quiet days, the people with whom I spoke most were my family. Quarantining in five different houses in four different states, we spoke nearly every day. I began to reflect on how odd this was. We had had a very tumultuous childhood. We’d had long periods of strained relationships. And, in the space of five years, we had all come out. I was first, coming out as a lesbian. Then my dad came out as gay. My sister revealed she was bi. My brother announced he was transgender. And through it all, my mom came out as a survivor. So I began to wonder: what happened in our family that allowed us to navigate these massive

For each of us, there was a sense of alienation – before we came out, we felt there were things about us that were unknowable, that were shameful. Looking back, I wish I knew how to erase that alienation. We all stumbled into different truths about ourselves, but for each of us, finding a path to those truths helped us be more vulnerable with each other and ultimately feel more connected to each other.

How was your personal coming out experience unique?

I was the first person to come out in my family. Before I found my way out, we never spoke about gay people. In retrospect, one of our church organists was gay. My mother had a friend who was gay. But no one ever spoke about this, so I didn’t know it. This was also before Ellen DeGeneres came out on television, when I didn’t see out gay people in the media. I think this meant that it took me longer to come out than it might have otherwise. I certainly knew by the time I was in middle school that I liked girls, but I didn’t meet people who had lives that I could imagine for myself until I was in college.

Has sharing your coming out experiences brought you closer as a family? In what ways?

Yes, the conversations we had for the book definitely brought us closer to each other. There were many things we had never really talked about. My mom and I had a difficult relationship in my adolescence. We’d never seen the need to revisit it. She always knew I was upset by some things that had happened, but never really understood what had upset me. Through the process of interviewing her for the book, I also shared with her what I remembered. At the end of one particularly difficult conversation, I remember she said, “I’m so relieved!” I was kind of surprised, and asked her why. “Well, I always knew you were angry but I didn’t know what your story was. Now I do.” I think there’s a certain relief that comes from honesty. We don’t want to share things because we are afraid of how people will react, but when we finally just say the hard things, there is relief.

How do you think your mother’s experience compares to the rest of your family?

I think her experience is unique. I thought a lot while writing the book about how my dad, upon coming out, had a community that offered him support and, in time, a new social life. But there was no similar community for my mom. Perhaps she could have connected more with survivors’ groups. There were certainly no groups that she knew about for people whose spouses had come out. It was lonely for her, I think.

What kind of response did you get from the Time article about your brother’s pregnancy?

Most people responded with empathy to the story about my brother. Health providers reached out to see if my brother or I would be willing to be in conversation with them to improve the health care they offered to trans patients. People who had trans family members reached out to say the story had helped them understand their loved ones better. Trans parents reached out to say that the article made them feel seen. There were a couple of trolls on the internet, but they didn’t take away from the positive impact the story had on the larger public.

How do you think your parents’ secrets affected you and your siblings while you were growing up?

I think my parents were both unhappy. I don’t know that they even knew why. But their unhappiness had an impact on us. Dad reacted to it by travelling, and even when home, felt distant. Mom grew depressed and unpredictable. These states shaped the way we understood our own feelings as we grew, and we had to unlearn some bad patterns before we could thrive in our adulthood.

How do you think keeping secrets affects a family or relationships in general?

Not all secrets are meant to be shared. Not everyone must come out. I believe this. But many of the things that we keep secret hold power over us, and that power can be toxic. Often, we keep secrets because we are ashamed of things. And these secrets, even and maybe especially when they go unacknowledged, shape our relationships with each other.

Consider my father. He was so deeply ashamed of his homosexuality that he kept it secret even from himself. But the work of keeping

that secret made him retreat from us, so he always felt distant and unreachable. Once he let go of it and began to accept himself, he showed up differently in his relationships with us. He was more emotionally present, and a lot more fun.

What does your family think about the book and their stories (and former secrets) being so public?

My family put an incredible amount of faith in me when each person gave me permission to embark upon the Project, which is what we called this book in its earliest form. After all, I’m not just sharing their stories. I’m sharing my perceptions of their stories – my point of view. Had any of the four of them written this book instead, it would have been a very different book. Everyone did this because they love me, and they knew it was important to me to try to tell this story. And I wrote this story because I believe it has the potential to help other people who are coming out, or have family members who are coming out.

It’s scary to put faith in strangers – readers – and to ask them to treat this story with the love and tenderness I have for its characters. But also, this is not a recounting of every last detail of our lives. This is one book with some important things about us that we have all chosen to share.

Photo courtesy of Jessi Hempel (Photo by Christine Han)

COURTNEY HARDWICK is a Toronto-based freelance writer. Her work has appeared online at AmongMen, Complex Canada, Elle Canada and TheBolde

HOW TO AVOID GETTING SICK WHEN TRAVELLING

With travel restrictions lifting, the wanderlust vibes are strong – but how can you avoid getting sick once you’re out exploring the world again? These tips will help you stay on the healthy track

By Karen Kwan

With the world opening up, we are all looking to travel again. But how to do it safely and stay healthy? The last thing anyone wants is to be stuck in the hotel sick while friends are out sightseeing. The good news is that we have all picked up some great habits these past few years that’ll help us stay well when out in the world. While you can’t guarantee you won’t fall ill from the common cold virus, COVID-19, the flu, food poisoning or other common travel ailments, you can be proactive about minimizing your risk.

Wash your hands frequently

Washing our hands frequently throughout the day (with soap and water, for 20 seconds) is a habit we should all have adopted long ago. Now that we’ve gotten used to doing it, keep at it: handwashing helps prevent the spread of germs. Consider how often you touch your face (or used to touch, in the before times). Germs can enter your body via your eyes, mouth and nose, making you susceptible to respiratory infections.

Carry – and use – hand sanitizer

A sink with soap and water isn’t always available. Continue to keep some hand sanitizer with you so you can use it regularly when you’re on the go. Use it (if you don’t have access to a sink) before and after you eat, after you go to the washroom and after you touch any high-contact spots (think stairway railings and door handles).

Wear a mask where it’s required – and even if it’s not mandated, if it makes you feel more at ease

While mask restrictions may have been lifted at your destination, wear one if you feel uncomfortable with the number of people around you in an enclosed space, for example. Consider how the cold and flu season barely struck through the pandemic, thanks to people committed to wearing masks and washing their hands. Masks may not be mandatory on flights anymore, but don’t feel shy about wearing one.

Get a good night’s sleep

We often sacrifice sleep in the days leading up to travelling and during trips – we get so busy wrapping up loose ends at home and packing for the getaway, and then get excited to explore morning til night at our destination. But when you don’t get enough rest,

it impacts your immune system, making you more susceptible to getting sick. What happens? When your body is sleep deprived, it weakens immune function and also produces fewer infectionfighting antibodies. Try to maintain good sleep habits even when you’re away from home.

Stay hydrated Remember to drink enough fluids throughout the day (and eat hydrating foods such as melons, cucumber and oranges) as this helps your body fight off germs by keeping your nasal and throat passages moist. That mucus in your nose needs to be moist and sticky to keep germs and dirt from entering your body. When your nasal passages dry out because you’re dehydrated, they are less efficient at keeping germs out.

Watch what you’re eating and drinking

It can be tricky to avoid eating or drinking anything contaminated. Trust your gut (sorry!) and avoid anything that may not have been prepared safely: your meals should be fully cooked and served hot (raw ingredients can be riskier for pathogens that lead to food-borne illnesses). The Government of Canada recommends travellers drink water only if it has been boiled or disinfected or is in a commercially sealed bottle – and use these for brushing your teeth as well. Don’t forget about the ice being used, too: check that it’s been made with purified or disinfected water.

Invest in travel insurance

While these tips will help minimize your risk of getting sick while travelling, there are no guarantees. “The pandemic showed that anything can happen to really mess up your travel plans: new variants, changing restrictions, cancellations and the worry that you could get sick on your trip,” says Jennifer Weatherhead, a Toronto-based on-air travel expert and journalist. She says that even though we’re technically post-pandemic, you never know if restrictions and cancellations could happen again – and you never know if you might get sick while on vacation. Weatherhead recommends ensuring you have travel insurance that will cover you if you need to make changes or cancel. “Knowing that you’re covered if something goes awry will help ease stress, because no one wants to be stressed on vacation!”

KAREN KWAN is a freelance health, travel and lifestyle writer based in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter at @healthswellness and on Instagram at @healthandswellness.

THE SHANGAZI KATI YETU STORY

Providing health literacy and equitable treatment for ACB women living with HIV

Since 1985, the AIDS Committee of Ottawa (ACO) has been providing support, prevention, education and outreach services from an integrated anti-racism, anti-oppression social justice framework that promotes the holistic well-being of people in Ottawa who are living with, affected by, impacted by, or at risk of HIV/AIDS.

As part of its innovative programming, last year ACO launched Shangazi Kati Yetu (Swahili for “Aunties Amongst Us”). The 12-month project brought together African, Caribbean and Black (ACB) women living with HIV to create a dialogue and identify pathways for these women to advocate for equitable HIV treatment.

As the project comes to a close, we spoke with Haoua Inoua, manager of education and prevention at ACO, about the unmet needs for ACB women living with HIV, and how they can best be supported when it comes to optimizing treatment and treatment adherence.

Can you tell us a bit about your background and your connection to ACO?

ACO is my second home. They say that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. I had moved to Canada in 1999 with my one-month-old child as a person impacted with HIV. I first landed in Quebec because my native language is French, but after facing discrimination, I moved across the river to Ontario and discovered ACO in 1999. I volunteered for 10 years before getting my first job as an ACB support worker, and that’s really where I found my calling. I get to work closely with people to make sure they don’t have to go through what I went through.

How was the Shangazi Kati Yetu/Aunties Amongst Us project created?

Like all ACO programs, it began with asking participants what kind of programs or services they need. With Shangazi Kati Yetu/ Aunties Amongst Us, it began when a group of us women were discussing how, when it comes to matters of sexuality, we usually don’t discuss it with our moms. Instead, we go to our aunt. Even on our wedding nights, it’s often the auntie who comes to advise you on what to do or not to do. So, when we put together the proposal for a program about discussing health and sexuality for Black women living with HIV, it made sense to bring that context to it.

Can you tell us about the details of the program, the participants and the desired outcomes?

The program facilitated kitchen table conversations to provide a space for women to share their experiences on HIV treatment and adherence. These conversations included 30 women living with HIV who were representative of a diverse range of ages and sexualities. Themes identified from these conversations helped inform health literacy workshops that unpacked the barriers faced by ACB women living with HIV. The project will conclude with a report summarizing best practices to support women living with HIV to receive effective treatment and treatment adherence.

With the program coming to a close, what key learnings have you gathered that will help further support ACB women living with HIV?

The key learnings we found were around unmet needs in relation to medication access and treatment information. In order to make informed decisions on individualized HIV treatment, it is critical for women to understand the available options to make the best decision for their health. Most of the women we spoke with relied on their service providers to make the decision for them, which led to poor outcomes. To me, that’s a form of violence against women. Not providing women with the information that they need to make informed decisions puts the providers in control over women’s health. Historically, this has been true in Canada for Black and Indigenous women, and we need to shift that narrative. Coming out of this program, it is clear there must be better access to treatment knowledge for women to properly advocate for themselves.

Is there any programming coming down the pipeline to further enhance the learnings from this project?

We’re aiming to launch our report at the end of November. Once the report becomes public, we’ll have the proof point to advocate for training. We need to train these women to advocate for themselves. That will be Shangazi Kati Yetu 2.0.

ViiV helped ACO bring this program to life through their Community Education and Services Grant. Why are partnerships like the one with ViiV important?

The partnership with ViiV is important because our objectives are the same: making a better life for those living with HIV. Working together, we can be more effective in making that happen. For us, funding is key to making our work realistic and viable – and to put into action the learnings in the Shangazi report, we’ll need funding. We are grateful for ViiV and thrilled that this partnership allowed us to bring Shangazi Kati Yetu/Aunties Amongst Us to life.

To learn more about how ACO is supporting ACB women living with HIV in Ottawa, please visit aco-cso.ca/.

Haoua Inoua

BLACK QUEER JOY BLACK QUEER JOY

The ultimate form of resistance and rebellion, Black queer joy is rooted in community, connections, and a true sense of belonging

By Jumol Royes

When was the last time you experienced joy?

Most of us are familiar with the milder feeling of contentment – the satisfaction that comes with knowing that our work is complete and our needs have been met. And thanks to pretty much every meditation app, wellness website and spiritual social media guru out there, gratitude – the active practice of appreciating what we have by counting our blessings – is part of the daily routine for many of us.

But joy? That seems to be a much more elusive emotion.

With that in mind, I recently embarked on a journey to rediscover joy, though not by choice. Well, not really.

I was going through a period where I just couldn’t catch a break. It felt like I was in a vast ocean, struggling to tread water while being tossed and turned by the waves – waves of foreboding fear, profound sadness and utter powerlessness. Anyone who’s ever been thrust into the role of family caregiver providing support to a loved one who is unwell knows exactly what I mean. Yet as I lurched from crisis to crisis on a daily – sometimes hourly – basis, I was buoyed by a paradoxical pull beckoning me towards joy.

My search led me to The 519 one evening for a community panel by and for Black LGBTQ2+ folks to explore joy, specifically Black queer joy.

I didn’t quite know what to expect. I wasn’t even sure I knew what Black queer joy meant. Just stay curious and be open to the possibilities, I told myself.

To know me is to know that I’m someone who looks for signs that the universe is conspiring for my own good. So imagine my surprise when, as I was signing in for the event, I bumped into a buddy from back in the day. Coincidence? I think not. We spent some time together reminiscing about the sense of community and family we had once felt within our tight-knit circle. He later added me to a WhatsApp group he had created – appropriately named “My Gay Godfathers” – as a way of staying in touch with the wise mother hens who had taken us under their wings back when we were young(er) gays.

I took this unexpected moment of reconnection as a sign that my pursuit of joy was heading in the right direction.

Settling into my seat, I was primed to hear from the panel of Black LGBTQ2+ community leaders, advocates, educators and artists on how to seek out and actualize joy in my life. And, boy, did they deliver. They reminded me that joy is my birthright and a practice deserving of protection, something that’s easy to lose sight of in a world that often supresses expressions of Black queer joy, the ultimate form of resistance and rebellion. I was encouraged to start my day with myself, whether through prayer, meditation, journalling, yoga, or any other practice that speaks to me, and

to ask, “Will this bring me joy?” before taking action throughout the day. I also came to understand that joy can be both a deeply personal and collective experience.

The biggest revelation of the night came when one of the panelists dropped a nugget of wisdom that ignited a spark deep down inside of me: coming out is the easier part. What’s more challenging is coming home to ourselves.

In that moment, I realized that I’ve been on a lifelong journey of remembering and returning to my true Self. While I’m not quite there, not still here, but somewhere in the messy middle, in the in-between, it’s crystal clear to me now that the journey of coming home to myself is key to unlocking my special superpower: Black queer joy.

I’m rediscovering that Black queer joy is rooted in community, connections, and a sense of true belonging. Connections to the ancestors, blood family and chosen family; communities where we

show up as we are and hold sacred and safe space for each other; belonging to ourselves so fully that joy is always with us, within us and available to us, even in moments of suffering.

As I walked to the subway after the panel discussion had ended, I worked up the courage to message one of my gay godfathers whom I hadn’t seen or spoken to in a very long time. I told him how grateful I was to have been on the receiving end of an abundance of love and joy all those years ago. His heartfelt response was everything I hoped it would be, and so much more:

“I’m certainly honoured to have been able to show [you] some of that. Especially back then. Just know that the love never stopped,” he replied. “Glad to see you back.”

It looks like my search for joy is leading me back home.

Back where I belong.

Photo by Pexels-RODNAE Productions

JUMOL ROYES is IN Magazine’s director of communications and community engagement, a GTA-based storyteller and glass-half-full kinda guy. He writes about compassion, community, identity and belonging. His guilty pleasure is watching the Real Housewives. Follow him on Twitter at @Jumol and on Instagram at @jumolroyes.

GETTING REAL ABOUT FAKE DICKS

ON TV

By Jesse Boland

When actor/hate-crime enthusiast Mark Wahlberg unzipped his fly at the very end of Boogie Nights, what he was unleashing was more than just a ferret-sized extension of fleshy manhood: it led to a trend that 25 years later would plague our televisions with an influx of flaccid faux phalluses. While seemingly mundane and harmless to anyone besides the rubber prop developers who have to explain what they do for a living at dinner parties, this trend of spurious appendages presents not only a new wave of unrealistic body standards but also an imbalance of gendered nudity expectations in entertainment.

For decades now, the presence of T&A on TV has been ubiquitous, thanks in large part to more daring television networks such as HBO, Showtime and AMC pushing the boundaries of risqué content, with more modern streaming platforms extending the trend even further. However, feminists and horny people alike have disdainfully noted the judicious absence of nudity among male leading actors on these shows, something that is just expected of their female counterparts. Even as more male characters have bared their rear ends on camera – although often via the use of a professional butt double – this depiction of nudity among men does not carry the same weight as it does for actresses, who are expected to show not only their rears but their fronts as well; both up top and down low.

While many male actors have advocated for equal representation of skin on the small screen, few have been willing to actually take the bold leap of dropping the towel in front of the camera as their fellow actresses have. In a 2014 interview with GQ, Kit Harington voiced his support for more male “representation” on the then airing Game of Thrones, a show notorious for its excessive exposure of women’s (hairless) bodies. “It’s only right, if you’re going to make a show where nudity and sex is a large part of it, that you be a part of that,” the actor was quoted as saying. Yet when asked about the possibility of his character, Jon Snow, unsheathing his own sword on camera, Harington coyly replied, “I wouldn’t say I’d be happy about [showing my penis]. It would have to be…well deserved.”

While Harington would go on to show his bare ass at least once on the show three years later, the King Crow would keep his pecker under wraps to the very end.

But finally, after a seemingly endless Groundhog Day of Meatless Mondays, Hollywood answered our demands for D and began schlepping in the schlong to our screens through attempted representation in primetime shows such as Minx, Big Little Lies, and Sex and the City’s rebooted series And Just Like That. However, what we were given – in lieu of the packages of television’s leading men – were prosthetics hardly more believable than the premium items in your local sex shops. In our demands for more shaft, we had been shafted!

The frustration of this dearth of dick on TV doesn’t derive from the public’s lack of access to see cock on demand (porn very much does exist, folks, as I was reminded by the guy watching it on his phone during my bus ride this morning) but from what this failed attempt at equipoise of the gendered body represents. Directors and producers have long assured female screen actors that showing their breasts, butts and crotches is fundamental to the authenticity of their characters and a staple plot device to moving the story forward. However, this act of exposing one’s body to the general public contains irreversible consequences in the long run, by creating a chronic expectation that these women’s bodies now belong to the viewer in the name of their own amusement. Game of Thrones alumna Emilia Clarke has been quoted revealing that following her run on the show – for which she had stripped bare in the very first episode – she would be reprimanded for “disappointing [her] Game of Thrones fans” by refusing to show her skin on screen in later projects.

Given the implicit expectation that women should willingly drop the sheet for the sake of their jobs, there is something inexplicably ghoulish in the fact that male actors may so bluntly state their discomfort at dropping their drawers – and when that happens, rather than be labelled “difficult” or “demanding” by directors (as women are), they are instead gifted with an expensive, custom prosthetic penis that’s perfectly matched to their skin tone and hair type and meticulously installed by a specialized makeup artist. When we say to men that their discomfort at exposing their genitals is valid enough that it should be included in the show’s production budget whereas women’s reluctance to show their breasts may

I love a good plant-based alternative, but some meat just cannot be substituted

cost them their careers, what are we saying about the value of a woman’s consent?

This inundation of prosthetic prostate-smashers presents an unfair inequity not just to the women of Hollywood, but to the male viewers watching. While unhealthy body standards objectively affect women disproportionately more than men, expectations of healthy or “proper” genital size/appearance continue to baffle men to a concerningly high degree. Outside of the saunas of our local gyms, the only real resource for phallic representation accessible to us comes from the fantasy world of porn, where we are expected to believe that eight inches is a common penis size and that bottoming may readily be performed at the spontaneous arrival of a hot UPS worker. Worse yet, with education being incessantly defunded every year across both Canada and the US and sexual education slowly dissolving in the name of puritan values, young people are increasing losing access to knowledge of their own bodies. (If you don’t believe me, text three cis men right now asking what they believe a vagina should smell like and see what they say…)

In spite of efforts by body positive movements to teach the general public that bodily features of all kinds are to be celebrated, the subject of the penis has remained “bigger is better.” While everyone is entitled to their own preference in body types when seeking sexual fulfillment, there is ruinous risk when we assign value to the parts of the human body. While many believe a mild curve in an erect penis to be a desirable trait, it may be questioned just how commonly it’s known that this curvature is caused by a condition known as Peyronie’s disease, which stems from an excess amount of plaque beneath the skin of the penis, creating amalgamated scar tissue. I apologize if that made Megan Thee Stallion’s “Captain Hook” a little bit less catchy for you.

There is most definitely a place for fake dicks in film and television, but they best belong in the trusted hands of dykes and trans mascs. While men in Hollywood may feel trepidatious in showing the authentic content of their crotches on screen for fear of being either ridiculed or objectified (you know, kinda like women are?), this bold step may not only help impressionable young male viewers at home better understand their own bodies, but also aid their female industry peers in their struggle for bodily autonomy in entertainment. If this is simply too much to ask for, that’s totally understandable –remember that thing called consent? – but the appropriate response then should be for women to rightfully demand prosthetic body parts to protect their own sense of security on set, à la Lily James’ depiction of Pamela Anderson in Hulu’s Pam & Tommy

But for the sake of reducing our carbon footprint and sparing the production team at Jim Henson Studios (or wherever decoy dicks are made), can men just grow some balls and show them to us?

JESSE BOLAND is that gay kid in class who your English teacher always believed in. He’s a graduate of English at Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University) who has a passion for giving a voice to people who don’t have data on their phones and who chases his dreams by foot because he never got his driver’s licence.

Sebastian Stan as Tommy Lee in Hulu’s Pam & Tommy series

Neil Patrick Harris as Michael in Netflix’s Uncoupled

Mark Wahlberg as Eddie Adams/Dirk Diggler in the 1998 film Boogie Nights

By Aram Eginliyan

In a time when drag has become part of our mainstream day-to-day lives and queer culture and references are seen in everything from ad campaigns to television, it comes as no surprise that the once underground scene that was ballroom and vogueing is also on its ascent to popularity. Shows like Pose and Legendary have given the world a peek into the world of a community that didn’t always feel accepted in the mainstream and society.

Ballroom was born out of a need to be accepted, respected and supported by other Black and Hispanic queer community members. In 2022, it’s an art form of presentation that encapsulates the idea of living your wildest and truest fantasies that the regularities of the mundane world would never allow you to live.

In Canada, we’re fortunate enough to have a thriving local scene of both Kiki and mainstream ballroom culture that invites all members of the queer community to come and hit the floor to live their most authentic fantasies. Houses formed by members of the scene – often led by ballroom’s legends, statements and stars – become safe havens for their family members and also become the starting point for walkers to hone their skills in their respective categories. They cover categories in everything from Performance (where vogueing both old and new takes the stage in a form of self-expressive dance unique to the ballroom community) to Face (where your beauty takes centre stage and your face becomes the spotlight of your inner and outer beauty), all the way to Bizarre (where the weirder, the better is encouraged to be the motivation to hit the runway in adornment only imaginable in the most creative and truly bizarre of minds). It’s all with the goal of collecting your 10s across the board from the judges, which will then land you in a spot for that final battle for the trophy and cash prize.

With the scene growing faster than it ever has in Canada, what better time to find out if ballroom is the place for you and your queen identity? I sat down with Supreme Imperium, the up-and-coming statement in the scene who in just one short year has swept trophies across the board both nationally and internationally. Here’s her take, as a reigning shining light in the Toronto scene, to help you understand what goes behind the walk and what kind of confidence it takes to hit the ballroom floor!

From sister to sister we know it’s not easy putting yourself out there to be judged when you walk. What did you feel the first time you hit that floor?

The nerves were REAL! But the excitement to display my own creative spin on best dressed definitely took over. I also felt pride in knowing that what I delivered melded fashion together with an experience!

You, being the goddess you are, walk multiple categories. What’s your favourite to walk, and why?

My favourite category to walk recently has been face! I’ve always judged my imperfections so harshly, and walking face has positively challenged me to embrace my features and my skin and to better care for myself.

For those who have never attended a ball and want to start being seen at the functions, what word of advice do you have?

1. Confidence is your best accessory! 2. Execution is equally as important as just meeting what a category calls for! Those two things are universal for ANY walker. If you’re not feeling your affect, and the nerves take hold of you more than readiness and excitement, it will be written all over your face!

How would you describe house culture and being in the House of Imperium?

I would describe house culture as a vulnerable and tight-knit

What drew you to ballroom and eventually start walking balls? A friend had introduced me to the scene by way of YouTube ballroom clips, and from then on I was hooked! The creativity and unlimited potential of all who walked is what captivated me!

Why do people choose ballroom names, and what made you choose Supreme?

I am learning the scene, like most newcomers and even vets who have been in the scene, so I won’t pretend to know the true meaning behind why names are chosen. I can assume that names are chosen because so much of our lives has been decided for us and this is a rare opportunity when we can decide for ourselves who we are, and who we want to be! Supreme has been my selfproclaimed name for over half a decade. To be supreme is “to be extraordinary” by definition. I enjoy presenting as such to myself and to the world. Ballroom is no different and I will continue to choose to be Supreme.

DENIM CHAIN JACKET: U3

SHOULDER DAYSUIT: Studio BOOTS: L’intervalle

JACKET & EARRINGS: U3

Alexander Wang

Microdose

setting. Typically you see your family on a weekly basis, so it is only natural that from there you grow to love them like you would a biological family. They motivate you, help you to improve and hone your craft! With them you can be vulnerable! For many, a “house” is the home they’re not able to have on a day-to-day basis. Being in the House of Imperium has taught me that if there’s a place where I can be my truest self, it is with them.

What’s your favourite category to watch when you attend a function?

My favourite category to watch would be performance! I am GAGGED every time I see what moves and combinations walkers can create on a whim! It’s inspiring.

For those who don’t know, what’s the difference between the Kiki scene and mainstream scenes?

The two can sometimes blend together, but from my knowledge to date: the Kiki scene is where you put on those training wheels! It’s where you get a feel for a mainstream ball on a more attainable level. The standard for how you rock an effect is still there, but with an air of lighthearted energy. Now mainstream is BLUNT! You can’t just “bring it” in any old garment – there needs to be a show, a story behind your look! The effort and presentation needs

to be seen, or best believe, it’s a “chop” and there is zero chance of you battling it out on the floor with an equally talented competitor. After all, a win isn’t as sweet if you don’t get to battle! Essentially, Kiki is the little leagues and mainstream is the big leagues!

What does ballroom mean for your queer identity? Ballroom has given me the opportunity to be surrounded by other queer folk. It has given my queer identity the space to loudly and boldly blossom without limitation. I can be as boisterous as I want and as meek as I please with no set expectations. That kind of freedom is priceless.

You’ve just celebrated your one-year anniversary in ballroom and you’ve made quite a splash in that short time, sweeping trophies both locally and internationally. What’s the Supreme secret to success when it comes to walking (and winning!)? I wish I could say there was a formula to securing a win! But earlier I mentioned confidence and execution. Those were the two key components that I had to nourish and foster after every loss so that I could win. I had to sit with my critiques from the judges and re-watch footage to see where I could improve. To win takes nerve! Feel it! Have it! Then take all of that energy and WALK, baby! You just might leave with a trophy!

ARAM EGINLIYAN is a Toronto-based wardrobe stylist, style writer and co-owner of Toronto’s The Fashion Hotline. A fashion chameleon and lover of all things fashion and luxury, he can often be seen playing with highs and lows in fashion, mixing and matching local vintage gems with high-end street style.

By Christopher Turner

Bob the Drag Queen burst into the spotlight back in 2016 after beating out 11 other contestants to be named America’s Next Drag Superstar on Season 8 of RuPaul’s Drag Race. After snatching the crown and heading out on tour, Bob – the alter ego of nonbinary comic/actor Caldwell Tidicue (who uses both he/him and she/her pronouns) – found his name was in lights at some of the hottest venues around the globe…and it still is today. As co-host of the popular podcast Sibling Rivalry, and co-star of HBO’s awardwinning We’re Here series, Bob has been reaching more people than ever before, continuing to make us laugh and changing lives along the way.

Drag Race may have been Bob’s introduction to mainstream drag, but the beloved TV show was hardly the beginning of his drag career. Immersed in drag culture from a young age – his mother owned a drag bar in Columbus, Georgia – Bob moved to New York at age 22 intending to become an actor and a standup comedian. That plan quickly changed. In the summer of 2009, he began dabbling in drag himself after watching the first season of RuPaul’s Drag Race on TiVo, first taking the name ‘Kitten Withawhip’ (a reference to the 1964 film Kitten with a Whip starring Ann-Margret), but ultimately landing on Bob the Drag Queen.

After his epic Drag Race win, Bob headed out on the road with his own comedy tour and pursued acting, appearing in television shows such as High Maintenance (2016), Tales of the City (2019) and A Black Lady Sketch Show (2019). He recorded several comedy specials (including Crazy Black Lady in 2019 and Live at Caroline’s in 2020), released new music and became the first Black Drag Race contestant to surpass one million followers on Instagram.

He also stayed close to other Drag Race alums, launching the Sibling Rivalry podcast in 2018 with his drag sister Monét X Change, and two years later began starring in We’re Here on HBO alongside Eureka O’Hara and Shangela. The series, which has been renewed for a third season, takes the trio around the United States to help small-town residents perform in drag to showcase the transformative power of the art form. Bob even popped up on Trixie Motel, the reality series that follows along as Trixie Mattel buys and renovates a rundown motel in Palm Springs, California.

We caught up with Bob recently on his day off from touring with Monét on their Sibling Rivalry tour, and chatted about everything from We’re Here and Sibling Rivalry, to role models and his favourite queens, to Madonna and music, and much more.

Let’s kick things off and talk about We’re Here.

I’ve consistently said that We’re Here is the best drag on TV, it really is. It takes a village to build a queen and there are a lot of amazing, remarkable artists working on We’re Here. It was so amazing, we were just recognized with two Emmy awards for last season. It was particularly wonderful seeing my dear friend Laila McQueen, who was on Drag Race with me, snatch up an Emmy trophy.

You’re coming back with Season 3? What can we expect this season?

We’re Here is a very heartfelt show. It is a real life show. We are truly talking about the queer experience from so many different angles. We just continue to expand how inclusive we can be, which I’m really grateful for.

Are there any stories from this upcoming season or a past season that have stuck with you?

I always tell people, if you’re only going to watch one episode –although I don’t know why you would only watch one episode – but you should really watch the Selma episode from Season 2 of We’re Here. [Editor’s note: In this episode, Bob mentors Akeelah, a trans woman living in Selma, Alabama, a city that has notoriously not been kind to Black or queer people; it also takes a deep dive into the history of the civil rights movement.] I don’t think anything has ever captured the story and the essence of the Black queer experience, the intersectionality, quite like that episode. And this is across television in general. This episode is so remarkable, so updated, so now, so current.

What kind of input do you, Shangela and Eureka have in creating the show?

We are involved in coming up with our numbers, our outfits, our ideas with our team, obviously. I’ll say to Domino [costume designer Domino Couture], ‘I want to look like a football player

and I want it to be a big jersey with a cat suit.’ Then Domino will use his expertise to make that vision really, really beautiful. But when it comes to the stories, we have producers who do that. So

Photo by Jacob Ritts

the story producing is another side. We have some really amazing story producers who help us tell these really remarkable stories.

What’s one thing about your relationship with Shangela and Eureka that we might not know?

We put it all out there. I think the reason why We’re Here works so well is that we’re able to do our own thing. It’s not quite like Queer Eye, where they’re all working on one project, one person. Shangela, Eureka and I each get to do our own thing and because of that we each get to shine in our own way.

You give so much guidance and advice on the show: what’s the one piece of advice that someone gave you that has really made a difference to you?

There’s a piece of advice about advice that I’ve been thinking about. When someone gives you advice, consider the source. So if your friend who is single is telling you how to get a man…you have to ask yourself, do you want to be like her? Consider the source. If someone’s telling you how to be happy and they are mopey and grumpy all the time…do you want to be like them?

I’ve always said to myself, whenever anyone gives you advice, always consider the source.

What is your advice to people who are looking to you as a role model?

Seeking out happiness is really important. It was really important to me to find happiness, and my journey to happiness has taken me really far. But some people don’t have to go that far. I had to go from Columbus, Georgia, to New York City to Los Angeles. And to Minneapolis, San Francisco, Alabama and Mississippi in the meantime. But not everyone has to go that far.

It’s all different advice to different people. To closeted people I would say, don’t let anyone pressure you into coming out; you have to come out when it feels right for you and when you feel safe. Everyone can’t come out in middle school; everyone’s situation is different. I’m a millennial and I grew up hearing, ‘you’re so unique, you’re so special,’ and we are special, but we all have different circumstances. So what works for me might not work for you, and what works for you might not work for me. There’s that saying, you can do anything you put your mind to, but that leaves out a lot of nuance. We get to redefine success for ourselves. Success doesn’t have to be the same for everyone.

Who do you consider a role model?

Well, I always look up to a lot of the queens who have paved the way for me in New York City: Peppermint, Bianco Del Rio, Sherry Vine. And, of course, icons who are slightly beyond my reach: Whoopi Goldberg, Madonna, Chris Rock, Wanda Sykes, who is one of the smartest people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting in my entire life. I love comedians; I’ve always loved humour. I have a great sense of humour and it’s really taken me very far in life.

Congrats on the Madonna gig this summer. That was amazing! That was really fun. [Bob emceed Madonna’s star-studded NYC Pride Party in June.] My team reached out and told me, ‘Madonna wants to work with you. She’s asking for you specifically and she won’t take no for an answer.’ So we got to work together. She’s really iconic and just brilliant. It was such an honour to work with her.

Anything you can share about the experience? Here’s something really funny. My mom’s Instagram name is @BobTheDragMom, and my mom is basically part of my PR team. [laughs] I mean, she takes my videos and sends them out to everyone! I mean anyone that she can send them out to. So Madonna started following my mom thinking that it was me, and my mom sent Madonna my music video that I had just come out with, ‘Bitch Like Me.’ And she and Madonna were chatting back and forth, but Madonna thinks my mother is me.

If you weren’t doing drag right now, what would you be doing? I’d probably be a theatre teacher. I went to school for theatre education and I love teachers. I think teachers are doing the Lord’s work and I think that they should be paid more than judges. Teachers mould the minds of practically every person in the country. That is massive. So, I’d probably be a theatre teacher at some high school in Georgia. My mother was also a teacher, so I have a lot of love for educators.

You have so many things on the go, it’s almost hard to narrow things down. But let’s talk music. You have more new music on the way, right? Tell us about that.

I’ve been working on some new music, which is very exciting for me. I just dropped a new single called ‘Bitch Like Me,’ which I worked on with Ocean Kelly, who is this really phenomenal

Bob Caldwell Tidicue by Jacob Ritts

producer, rapper and artist based out of Atlanta, Georgia, which is where I’m from. It was so exciting to work with him on this project and work on quite a few songs together. We got together with some other amazing collaborators and now I have this EP coming out in November. I can’t say enough good things about it.… I’m so proud of this EP!

We need to talk about that music video for ‘Bitch Like Me.’ Yes! When I decided to do a music video for ‘Bitch Like Me,’ I wanted it to be fun and unique, so I decided to do a vertical TikTok music video. I love TikTok – anyone who knows me knows that I’m obsessed and I’m on it all the time. I mean, I don’t know how I find time to do all the things I’m doing in life and do TikTok as well because I’m on it so much. But I decided to do a vertical TikTok music video, and I don’t think it will be my last. I think I’m going to elevate this art form even more.

I follow you on TikTok and, I mean, you are the king of transitions. I could never dethrone Plastique Tiara! Plastique is really amazing. She can be the queen and I’ll be the king because she is really phenomenal when it comes to TikTok.

Also, please keep hijacking Plastique’s TikToks.… It’s some of your best work!

[Laughs] Thank you. That girl is great!

How are you doing those transitions so quickly!? How much time are you spending on these? It takes me forever! Well, not too long. The more you play around on TikTok, the easier it gets. I did not edit my music video myself. I just want to make that clear. I did not edit that video! Someone else edited that. It was all my ideas and I showed them how to do it. I actually ended up teaching the editor all about TikTok because they are so advanced and TikTok is so rudimentary, so I ended up teaching them how to make the edits in TikTok style because they are so used to dealing with all the advanced equipment and programs. It’s much less fancy than what you’re used to doing.

Who are you listening to these days?

I really love Ocean Kelly, I just cannot recommend often enough that you listen to Ocean Kelly. I’ve also been listening to Mikey Angelo, a great queer rapper who I love. Obviously I listen to Doja Cat, she’s just so ferocious and so fierce, I just love her. There’s a great new rapper I love named Lady Blue. So, I’ve really fallen into obscure, rap TikTok.

What’s inspiring you right now?

Right now I’m inspired by girl rap, queer rappers and the TikTok rap scene. There used to be a lot of SoundCloud rappers and now there’s the TikTok rap scene, which I’m really, really into right now.

We should probably talk Monét and Sibling Rivalry. [Laughs] Yes, of course!

After all these years, how much fun is it working on the podcast with Monét?

The podcast started because I was doing a play in Berkeley, California, and Monét had just gotten on Drag Race [Season 10], so we were only seeing each other on these video calls. We’re best

friends and we argue all the time and it’s not an act, we don’t do it just for the camera or the podcast…this is how we interact all the time. And one day I said, ‘This is so funny, someone should hear these ridiculous conversations that we have. We should do a podcast and we should call it Sibling Rivalry,’ and Monét said, ‘Let’s do it.’ We’ve been doing it now for five years.… We’re the longest-running Ru-girl podcast, which I’m very proud of. We have an awesome fan base. I’m so incredibly grateful for those who follow us and enjoy our ridiculous content. It’s really been one of my favourite things that I’ve done with my career.

Talking Ru-girls and the plethora of Drag Race franchises kicking off around the world…

I think they’re doing Drag Race Mars sometime soon. Drag Race Neptune. [Laughs]

Do you have a favourite franchise?

RuPaul’s Drag Race. I still prefer the original. Call me an OG queen but it’s a really, really good show and the producers over there are just brilliant. Drag Race is a behemoth of a reality TV show. I mean, it’s the most Emmy-decorated reality TV show of all time. No reality TV show has ever won as many awards…I think it has 27 Emmys right now, which is huge! It won Best Reality Competition four years in a row; this year it was dethroned by Lizzo’s Watch Out For The Big Grrrls, which also is a brilliant show.

I’m wondering about All Stars. I know you had a couple of things to say when it came out, but if they were to do another all-winners season, is that something you’d be into?

I think my days of competing in drag are done. I don’t think I have any more competitions in me! [Laughs] But I do love the show and I will always watch.

Favourite queens from the franchise?

Monét X Change is my favourite queen from the franchise. Not because she’s my best friend, but because she is genuinely one of the most talented people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting in my life. Jinkx Monsoon is brilliantly talented. Alaska Thunderfuck is insanely talented. Peppermint is just an icon in her own right and a trailblazer. Bianca Del Rio, Trixie Mattel, I could be here all day.

What do you want people to know about you that they might not already know?

I don’t really hide a lot. I don’t have any secret talents. I put everything on the table, so I think I’m a pretty open book.

Favourite TV show, movie and song?

My favourite TV show is Breaking Bad. It’s just so good. I hate to sound like a basic cis straight white guy, but it’s so brilliantly written. My favourite movie is, hands down, The Color Purple (1985), and I cannot wait for the 2023 theatrical release of the musical with Fantasia Barrino. I don’t really have a favourite song… but right now, I can’t stop listening to ‘Boss Bitch’ by Doja Cat.

What’s next?

So, I’m working on a book right now that I’m hoping will be out pretty soon. It’s a fiction piece called Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert and it’s about Harriet Tubman writing a rap album. [Laughs] We’re hoping to get it out late 2023 or early 2024.

CHRISTOPHER TURNER acted as guest editor for this issue of IN Magazine. He is a Torontobased writer, editor and lifelong fashionisto with a passion for pop culture and sneakers. Follow him on social media at @Turnstylin.

REMIXING HISTORY

By Elio Iannacci

The trajectory of Junior Vasquez’s career is worthy of a Ryan Murphy-produced mini-series. Vasquez became one of the only gay DJs of his time to grab international attention, building from his early days in small, underground clubs like Bassline right through to his thousand-plus-crowds at Palladium and ArenA.

It all started when Vasquez – then Donald Mattern, his birth name – moved to Manhattan on Halloween night in 1971. He was looking for more than just a clever costume and a good party – he was hunting for a completely new identity. The Pennsylvania native realized he needed to get out of the hetero-centric environment he had grown up in and find the fuel he needed to thrive.

While living in the Big Apple, he discovered that he wasn’t able to find his new self while chasing an old dream of becoming a clothing designer – something he began to work towards while attending the Fashion Institute of Technology. Where he did find comfort was at the Paradise Garage and The Loft, two gay music meccas, where liberatory vibes helped clarify Mattern’s purpose. Tired of cutting hair and sweeping floors to pay for his tuition, he had a career epiphany while flipping through rows of vinyl at a record store on 42nd street. It was there, in the thick of the stacks of disco, R&B and soul music, that Mattern decided to drop out of school, change his name to Junior Vasquez and make his way into the world of DJing.

DJ Junior Vasquez opens up on surviving, slaying and synthesizing five decades on the dance floor

All images courtesy of Junior Vasquez

The rest is history.

Before becoming a household name on the decks and in the studio, Vasquez aided legendary producer Shep Pettibone on tracks in the mid to late ’80s (sessions ranging from Madonna’s “Causing a Commotion” and “Vogue” to Whitney Houston’s “So Emotional”) until he was eventually asked to remix major diva singles for his main fanbase: LGBTQ2IA+ clubgoers.

Vasquez noticed the shift in tastes happening under the mirror ball, with a growing gay community gaining access, visibility and power in a world that largely ignored, dismissed and oppressed them. His signature in the mid ’90s was blending classic house and disco into the aggressive, chant-heavy, drum-laden, build-up loaded genre dubbed Tribal House. His epic 14- to 16-hour club sets – inspired by the great gay DJs coming from African-American maestros such as The Paradise Garage’s Larry Levan and The Warehouse’s Frankie Knuckles as well as Italian-American groundbreakers like The Loft’s David Mancuso and Studio 54’s Nicky Siano – got Vasquez resident DJ gigs at the Sound Factory, Tunnel and ArenA in New York City (his booth was designed by Dolce & Gabbana).

Vasquez’s rise represents a pivotal moment in queer music history that showcases a growing force in the community. His mixes –which swabbed the vernacular, attitude and culture off gay dance floors – were able to broadcast all the LGBTQ2IA+ messages he heard from his community and amplify them via his compositions.

In the mid 2000s, Vasquez’s career was taken hostage by a dangerous addiction to crystal methamphetamine, which had him take a step away from the DJ booth for a number of years. Yet at the age of 76, whispers that Vasquez would be making an official return to New York City have not stopped. With his latest remix of Donna Summer’s “I’m A Rainbow” (for Summer’s posthumous I’m a Rainbow: Recovered & Recoloured ), and the recent mass recognition of house music – ignited by Beyoncé’s Renaissance and Vasquez’s remixes on Madonna’s 2022 release, Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones – the DJ is primed for a comeback. Over the phone from his home in Pennsylvania, Vasquez reminisced with us on working his icons to make iconic work.

There are so many conflicting stories about why you changed your name. Your parents are of Italian and German descent, so what’s the deal?

I liked the name, because I hung out on 14th Street a lot where it was very Hispanic and very Latin and all the ladies were screaming and calling their kids, ‘Junior, come back to the house.’ That stuck on me because it represented this new period in my life. I ran away to New York because I didn’t fit in so I wanted to reinvent myself.

You were a fashion design student and suddenly dropped out of school. What did music give you that fashion couldn’t? They both went together for me. I played a lot of music when I was drawing clothes – a lot of Barry White and The Supremes. I was a big Diana Ross fan, and I got so many ideas by listening to the way she hit the high notes.

You soon met Shep Pettibone and pretty much forgot about fashion. What did he have to offer you?

Oh yes. He was a big influence on me. He would pick his students to work with so they could learn how to edit music, and I was lucky to be one of them. I watched him really closely, but never asked questions. I never do. Soon, I found myself spending hours in the studio with him – sometimes three days in a row – eating Chinese food every night, and listening and hearing him test out the sounds, the hi hat, and hearing him repeat the music and listen for what he thought should be pulled out or exaggerated.

How did hearing David Mancuso and Nicky Siano change your sets?

I went to The Loft and The Gallery and saw them both play for their crowds and how they got the dance floor to react to what they were giving them. I got hooked. I learned from standing right beside their speakers and making notes in my head about how and why they’d put on certain songs to make a mood or tell a story. It felt like the same way I learned from my parents – just watching and absorbing. My dad was a drummer and my mom was an artist.

I got things from being at The Loft and The Gallery, but I didn’t copy. I’m not a replicator. I make every sound my own. I’d stand beside the speakers with Larry Levan at the Paradise Garage too, and when I went to bath houses early on to listen to Bette Midler – her voice and her performance and the echo of it off the walls – I remember hearing that blend together.

What was the biggest change you saw and heard when you moved from spinning at small clubs like Bassline to the Sound Factory?

First of all, the number of people. Baseline got very packed – it was a sweat box. Most people at other clubs would play really disco-y stuff, but I started seeing fashion changing and I began mixing everything so it would sound more of-the-times. I didn’t care if I made mistakes while I was mixing because I was human. But I noticed that the sound started getting harder.

After the Paradise Garage closed, everyone needed somewhere to go to and it felt like a new era. So many people used to say, ‘Where’s this white kid coming from playing all this serious

Madonna and Junior Vasquez in March 1995 at Webster Hall, in New York, to celebrate the premiere of the “Bedtime Story” music video

music?’ I also started to design the club backdrops and picked the dancers on several nights so I was ready for the change. When I went over to Sound Factory, it was all about Chicago house music, deep house. Lots of bass, percussion, hand claps and big vocals. When I wanted to get moody, I didn’t need a lot of tracks – and the crowd picked up on that and liked it. There was break dancing and all that early hip hop, and I just blended it.

Oh yeah. I didn’t see any of them as adult contemporary. For Annie Lennox, I was looking for base lines from other songs of hers than the original song they gave me to do – which was just to remix ‘No More I Love You’s’ – so I stole from [‘Take Me To The River’] and [‘Downtown Lights’] to take [the remix] to another level of drama. I used whippet drum sounds and snare fills because I wanted that bigger sound – she needed to sound strong and sensual and kind of radical like ‘Sweet Dreams’ was, not dreary or soft, which was the sound that was happening to a lot of singers in the ’90s. So many!

THIS WHITE KID COMING FROM PLAYING ALL THIS SERIOUS MUSIC?’ ”

I noticed a lot of them started getting produced to sound quiet and dreary – even though they had complex voices. I turned the volume up and focused on their powerful sides. I did it like this because I was always experimenting with what sounded the best out of the speakers on the dance floor so it was like I was giving them a boost. A club version of a song needs to be bigger than the single – it needs to hit harder and sometimes be more than the original. That’s why I had these long remixes where I can stretch notes or the chorus or add filters or sounds.

What changes did you see in the crowd?

I saw the confidence in the gay community growing. I felt it too when I played, because I allowed myself to be more creative and then I saw how the music sparked it in a lot of people and helped them to come out their shells. I felt like I gave them a home to go to. So many were thrown out of their house for being gay or queer or not what their family wanted them to be. It was interesting to see how the clubs would energize them to keep going no matter what was out there.

A few icons came along asking you to remix their songs. A big Billboard #1 dance hit for you was Annie Lennox’s ‘No More I Love You’s’ Sound Factory remix. How did you think to reshape a song like that – in its changing slower tempos – that seemed almost impossible to remix?

I liked challenges and I was hooked on her Eurythmics look and persona and sound during her whole Sweet Dreams (are made of this) [era]. That time for her was fierce because it sounded like [Eurythmics] combined male and female vocals together and she did these amazing gestures with her voice that, to me, sounded really powerful. I wanted to bring back the image I had of her that was so fierce – her with that orange hair and her suit on and the ballsy androgyny – I wanted that in my ‘No More I Love You’s’ remix. So I pieced together a medley with the songs off her album Medusa [‘No More I Love You’s’, ‘Take Me To The River’ and ‘Downtown Lights’] so we could get back to the way she manipulated her voice on the ‘Sweet Dreams’ song. I recreated this complexity with her voice with filters so you hear the cross between hyper masculine and hyper feminine. With her album Medusa, I knew she really needed an edge.

At that time, many women over 30 – like Annie Lennox, Whitney Houston and Madonna – were thrown into this adult contemporary pool by record labels. Did you feel you were fighting against that with your remixes?

Remixes weren’t given a lot of respect by record companies at the time, even if DJs were commissioned to mix them. Many DJs I’ve talked to said record companies in the 1990s thought remixes were too gay-sounding or too Black-sounding for a wide release. Did you encounter that kind of homophobia as well? I went through that a lot of times because I wasn’t really accepted. So many of these songs or remixes – I don’t know where they are or who has them. It took a lot for me to make friends in the business, like Anthony Pinto and Clive Davis. Others would criticize my work or say it was too gay. The problem was always that these companies would give you the track and say, ‘Do whatever you want’ and then you would do your thing and your version would disappear because they’d want something else…even though I ended up having a lot of number ones on Billboard dance charts.

Junior Vasquez with Donna Summer’s career-spanning “Encore” box set featuring his Unreleased Private Collection Mix of “My Life”

“PEOPLE USED TO SAY,

Some of your earlier songs – both as Junior Vasquez and as your pseudonym, Ellis D – are defined as ‘Bitch Tracks.’ I want to talk about what that means to you and how you created them.

I used to go to the [vogue] houses in the Bronx and sit there and watch the Ballroom happen and listen to the music. There’s a certain tempo that made its way into my music. It’s like stabbing with the sound because you’re essentially stabbing your opponent with a vogue pose or gesture or whatever. I’d go to the Piers in my jeep and play music and hear the conversations and that made it into the music. We had a runway in a few of my clubs [which would divide the dance floor] – a lot of the house kids and drag queens waited the whole night to hear the bitch tracks and perform them with a spotlight on them. The big [Bitch Track] for me was ‘Work This Pussy’ and then ‘Get Your Hands Off My Man’ – I would make these songs for this particular runway crowd.

Madonna would look for dancers to work with her at the Sound Factory. Aside from obviously playing for partyers, did you want that environment to be a space for a lot of that queer art to get recognized?

Of course. I would do it with the sound too and mess with whoever was dancing in the spotlight. It was a different concept for me then, but I kept going at it. I liked to torture the dancers…not in a bad way, but to really challenge them with strange beats and stuff, mixing in looney tunes or lines from movies or switch around beats, the tempo, the keyboards, and slow them down or speed them up. They would learn how to react. It was a collage of sounds and interruptions [and it] made everyone on the dance floor pile around these voguers and drag queens and watch them carry on. It was art.

You worked on Madonna’s ‘Vogue’ before going on to remix ‘Secret’ and ‘Bedtime Stories.’ People are revisiting all three songs now because of the new Madonna album. What do you remember about your contribution?

It all happened because Shep [Pettibone] had worked with Madonna a long time – before that we did ‘Vogue.’ I’d like to say it came out of the Sound Factory because she would come down there. I would start playing sometimes at 10 pm, and she’d come into the booth. At that time it wasn’t crowded yet, so you could see the dance floor and she saw [dancers] Jose Gutierez and Luis Xtravaganza. They were the stars of that Sound Factory runway show. They were a big deal and she saw that they stole the show – they were primo.

We were like brother and sister for a while, but a real triumph for me was mixing ‘Bedtime Stories’ and ‘Secret’ – that was definitely a turning point.

How so?

Those remixes were very emotional for me. To make them took a spiritual tone because you can hear the gospel sound that I was drawing from. I was focused and wanted no distractions when I did them.… I really listened to what my heart, my soul and my brain were telling me with those ones. I had a lot of things happen in my life and that brings me back. When someone like Madonna or Whitney is singing, I hear it a different way and that’s why I change it. A lot of conservative people would knock the way I see it and mix as being too gay or too queer, but it got to a point where I would say ‘fuck it – I like the way it is’ and stand up for my work. It was like standing up for my vision.

How do you see the New York club scene today?

A lot of it changed dramatically because they’re back to the old strip joints and then bottle nights and champagne and lap dances. That’s going to change. It always does.

You were on Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens Live recently and said that you were making an album with Whitney Houston at some point. Do you still have the demos?

Yes. There are a lot of songs. I went out a Jersey and worked with her in her house. She’d buzz me and the guys working on the album through the intercom when I was in the studio and ask if we wanted breakfast, and she’d bring it down in her robe and fuzzy slippers. She was so cool. She did the right thing by me as far as when all her double album came out and put my remixes on it.

You’ve just become a voting member of the Grammys. Do you feel you have a fighting chance of getting appreciated by the Academy this year?

Well, they haven’t recognized me yet but I’m still on a mission to win a Grammy. I’m still waiting to get recognized and get a statue. I’m hoping my ‘I’m A Rainbow’ remix by Donna Summer will finally get me one, but we’ll see. I’m hoping they’re not going to overlook me now.

You’re currently working on new music. What are you most interested in exploring next?

More a throwback to my Bassline days – back to my roots with Chicago House. I like the idea of adding my electronic spin to it… and making another anthem or two.

ELIO IANNACCI is an award-winning arts reporter and graduate student at York University whose research interests include ethnomusicology and gender studies. He has contributed to more than 80 publications worldwide, profiling icons such as Barbra Streisand, Lady Gaga, Aretha Franklin and Beyoncé. His academic work is supported in part by funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

Keith Haring designed this poster for Bassline in NYC featuring Junior Vasquez

Sort OfIn Love

The creators of CBC’s hit show Sort Of share what’s in store for the highly anticipated second season, and explain what’s love got to do with it

Since its premiere on CBC last fall, Sort Of has drawn critical acclaim: in 2021, it won a Peabody Award for entertainment as well as three Canadian Screen Awards. Plus, Mindy Kaling praised it as “so good and original,” and Queer Eye’s Tan France beautifully remarked how “every once in awhile a show comes around that just blows you away.” Distributors picked up on the vibe: following its premiere, the big-hearted CBC original series had its American premiere on HBO Max, and it was also picked up outside of North America, including in the UK, Australia, Europe and parts of Asia.

Sort Of has not only drawn critical kudos, but has also won the hearts of audiences around the world. The series’ complex yet nuanced storylines in its debut season have been both embraced and celebrated for its authentic approach to, yes, queerness, but everyone can relate to its many other universal themes. At the heart of this “laugh out loud because it’s so true” series is compassion: compassion for the fact that what all people have in common –

every age, every gender, every sexuality, every culture, every race – is that we are all always in transition.

Whereas its first season was very much about identity and transition, Sort Of’s upcoming second season will dive right into the heart, as the season of love. It will explore what love looks like, in all its forms, and delve into the idea that there is no such thing as “normal” love. The new season will also introduce three new cast members: Raymond Cham Jr., Scott Thompson and Amanda Brugel. We’re already gagging.

Ahead of its second season premiere in Canada on CBC beginning November 15, we caught up with Sort Of’s co-creators Bilal Baig – whom we proudly had on the cover of our September/October 2021 issue – and Fab Filippo to learn more about the behind-thescenes workings of the series and the audience reaction they’ve received since the series made its first splash on screens. And, of course, they spill the tea on the new season.

Photo by Jasper Savage

Let’s take a step back and unpack Sort Of’s debut season. Since then, it has been both embraced and adored by audiences the world over with its approach to queerness and the universal experience of transition. Has that response to your work surprised you?

Bilal: Yes and no. I think both Fab and I knew that Sort Of was going to have some impact, but to this extent? I don’t think we anticipated it at all when we first started working together on the first season. Since the first episode aired, I’ve received so many messages on social media from fans around the world saying how Sort Of opened doors for them, jump-started certain conversations with their loved ones, and the absolute joy of seeing a character like Sabi [the show’s main character, a nonbinary millennial played by Bilal] represented on-screen – especially on CBC, one of Canada’s largest broadcasters! For me, it’s been an overwhelming but a truly gratifying experience.

Fab: Most definitely! The response of making top 10 lists in the press, the international recognition and the Peabody Award are things that surprised us in the best possible way. However, it always felt like we were making a show for everyone, and what’s been gratifying is the wide range of audiences, no matter how you identify, that respond to Sort Of. So, I suppose not so much surprised as gratified by how broad the audience is.

That’s a great follow-up! Not only has Sort Of racked up various awards, but, Bilal, you’ve also been recognized personally, such as being named one of Time magazine’s “Next Generation Leaders of 2022” and one of “The New Hollywood North” stars by Toronto Life. What have these awards meant to you?

Bilal: It tells us that we are going in the right direction. It shows us that people of all backgrounds and identities can connect to Sabi’s story and want to see more. To me, it means that representation truly matters.

Fab: It’s certainly validating and helps introduce the show to an even wider audience. Not just in the 2SLGBTQ+ or South Asian communities, but to other demographics…including your parents and grandparents! The recognition also exposes us as artists to the industry in different ways.

Okay, back to the upcoming second season. Can you tell us what’s in store?

Bilal: Without disclosing too much – because, of course, we wouldn’t want to give away any spoilers! – we pick up the season with Sabi being ready to make stronger choices for themself, knowing their boundaries, and having developed the self-worth to ‘take up space.’ We’ll get to see Sabi face new challenges in their work life, love life and family life. With the return of their father to Canada, Bessy in recovery in rehab, and workplace uncertainty, life is anything but simple, and Sabi will question if they will ever have uncomplicated, normal love. You know, that Rachel McAdams-type of love!

And speaking of love, the new season will be all about love. Friend love, family love, loving your work, love of place and romantic love. What I’m most excited to show viewers is us exploring the nature of all of Sabi’s non-normative relationships, with a focus on unconventionality – not only in queer- and gender-queer relationships, but in those of Sabi’s cis family. We will get to see the different kinds of love and how it affects the relationships of everyone.

In addition to last season’s cast returning, we’ll also be introduced to new characters in the second season. Who are they, and can you describe the importance of these characters and what you were looking for in casting them?

Bilal: We’re so excited for audiences to meet Gaia, played by the fabulous Amanda Brugel, who is 7ven’s mother and, just like 7ven,

ABOVE (l-r): Sort Of ’s Henry (Aden Bedard), 7ven (Amanda Cordner), Sabi (Bilal Baig) and Violet (Kaya Kanashiro)

an absolute force. She’s an artworld doyenne, known to crash 7ven’s world and steal her friends and even romantic partners! We’ll also get to meet Wolf, played by Raymond Cham Jr., who’s Deenzie’s offspring. Hyper logical, very (if not overly) practical, possibly on the spectrum, and extraordinarily reliable, he’s quietly intelligent when it comes to people’s emotional needs, comfortable in silences, and easy to be with – especially when it comes to Sabi. And then Bryce, played by the legendary Scott Thompson, who’s a 50-something too-groomed, intimidating Gay Suit.

Fab: The introduction of more characters allowed us the chance to expand the Sort Of world and the lens through which the show looks at people. Characters become 3D. We also tried to go against the expectations of the characters we’ve set up versus who they are in reality when brought into this world. When casting, I’m always looking for the same thing: someone who interprets what we’ve done and makes it their own.

Now that we’re in Season 2, how has the look of the show changed this time around, since it appears that Sabi’s outlook on life and love has also changed?

Bilal: You’ll instantly notice how everything in this second season is brighter, colours have more hue, Sabi’s world is evolving and changing! Slowly unearthing and discovering themselves…

Fab: The world in Sort Of is a little more grounded and a little more colourful. I’m excited because we also played with other camera styles because of where Sabi is in their life. We shot last season with mostly handheld cameras. This season we explored other ways to capture a rocky world.

One of the many noticeable elements about this show is how music plays an important role in building the world of the series. How does the choice of music and musicians play into the feeling of the show?

Fab: We’re always trying to promote new Canadian indie voices and have them contribute and promote artists who could use the exposure. That’s the idea with each new season. Our choice represents a cross-section of voices/music artists who share the lens of some of the characters in the series. Last season our music supervisors, Kaya Pino and Jody Colero of The Wilders, came up with the idea of forming a ‘music factory’ of sorts to develop the sound of the show. So we handpicked five up-and-coming artists from Toronto to participate in the creation of music for the series. Working as ‘5 Points Diamonds’ – consisting of Haviah Mighty, Säye Skye, TRuss, The Kount and Gay Hollywood – these musicians then gave the show’s music a life of its own with a truly unique process. Through these artists, an aural landscape was crafted that reflects the diversity and energy of the world of Sort Of. And again, for the second season, we can’t wait for everyone to hear music from Ceréna, Moël, Earth To Emily, Terrel Morris, Shan Vincent de Paul, and the one and only Vivek Shraya!

Another phenomenal aspect of Sort Of is your writers’ room and that it’s representative of the characters and points of view reflected in the series. Last season, Jenn Engels, Ian Iqbal Rashid and Nelu Handa were part of that first room. What does the room look like now, and what was the experience like when you gathered again to begin writing this second season?

Fab: In addition to Bilal and myself, we were excited to have Ian and Jenn back for this new season. We also brought in fresh voices to this season: JP Larocque, Kyah Green and Léa Geronimo Rondot. So, the combination of fresh voices with those who were there from the start gave us the opportunity to play. Because we had already made a season and people understood the world we had created and loved, we had the freedom and room to play a bit more within that world. And when we played a bit too much outside the lines, we had our returning writers to keep us grounded.

This season, a training and mentorship program was created with the goal of growing diversity both on and off screen. How has this important layer added to your experience as artists, and what are your hopes for programs like this?

Bilal: The program was specifically created to give opportunities to BIPOC trans and nonbinary folks interested in getting into the industry, and a chance for them to have hands-on learning. Despite the many new voices that are starting to be heard, the TV and film industry is still primarily a white male dominated environment.

This program is an example of how not only this show, but the industry at large, can actively support and invest in the future of these certain participants – but also plant the seeds so that as the show grows, this program grows with it. If we are lucky enough to get a third season, our hope would be that these participants can be brought back and continue their learning as fully hired crew members while a new cohort begins their training – thus creating more and more opportunities for growth in their careers, and more trans and nonbinary representation within the industry. Fab: In a way, this mentorship program does exactly what the series does, which is to open aspects of the world to people. It’s gratifying in a similar way in that it provides insight and exposure into a previously unknown experience. When you expose people to the world, they want to be a part of it. It enables people to feel seen and heard, and that’s empowering. We take the mentorship program extremely seriously, and our aim is to give people opportunities and chances that then result in actual work.

To sum it up, the new season is about…

Bilal: Relationships and love – Rachel McAdams type of love! The love from friends, family, old flames, new crushes. The regression, advancement and transformation of those relationships as well. Fab: Ditto Bilal – love! Not just romantic love but all kinds. By the end of the first season, Sabi feels more grounded in who they are. Once you have a more grounded sense of yourself, you allow yourself to feel more open and expose yourself to bigger ideas of love. And that’s what we explore with Sabi in Season 2.

Season 2 of Sort Of premieres Tuesday, November 15, at 9 pm (9:30 pm NT) on CBC TV; episodes will also stream on both CBC Gem in Canada, and on HBO Max in the US on December 1. Catch up on the first season by streaming free on CBC Gem.

Catching Up With MakingItHome Co-Star KENNY BRAIN

The

By Christopher Turner

Kenny Brain is back and customizing spaces across the country while a legion of fans ogle their TV screens. Along with designer Kortney Wilson, Brain stars in the HGTV Canada series Making It Home With Kortney & Kenny, which returned for its third season on October 11. While the season has just begun, Brain guarantees that fans will see plenty of the duo’s chemistry as they help a new set of homeowners turn their dysfunctional and dated properties into dream homes.

Proudly hailing from Grand Falls-Windsor, Newfoundland, Brain replaced Dave Wilson beginning in Season 2, after the Wilsons announced in December 2019 that they were separating after 18 years of marriage. Brain seemed like an unlikely choice to take over as co-star of the series: after all, at the time the former model was best known as a the brains behind one of the most memorable houseguest alliances on Season 2 of Global’s reality competition series, Big Brother Canada. But before the alliance, Brain was a general contractor and carpenter whose passion for

renovation had been sparked in his early 20s after helping some friends renovate their home and cabin. He says once he got a taste for transforming spaces, he couldn’t let that creative outlet go, so following his stint with BBC, Brain set his sights on a career in residential and commercial renovations. Cue Making It Home With Kortney & Kenny.

Pairing Wilson and Brain proved to be a smart move. HGTV reports that last season the series was a runaway hit both on-air and online, ranking as the number-one visited show site on HGTV. ca. Reno lovers love the chemistry between the dynamic duo, and love the strategic renovation decisions that keep the homeowners’ needs and style in mind.

IN caught up with Brain recently and chatted about everything and anything, including the hit HGTV Canada series, Big Brother Canada regrets, coming out, his relationship status, and whether or not he’d shave off his trademark beard.

Let’s kick things off and talk about Season 3 of Making It Home With Kortney & Kenny. What can viewers expect this season?

Big things! This season has been a roller coaster in the BEST way. The ups and downs of renovating these homes under such tight timelines wasn’t easy, especially since the designs are bigger and bolder than ever. On top of that, the homeowners, their personalities and their stories are so inspiring and deserving, so the stakes have never been higher. However, I think the biggest thing to expect from this season is way more fun and laughs. Kortney and I didn’t go a day without making each other laugh until we almost wet ourselves, and I think that is going to be really fun to watch.

What’s one thing about your relationship with Kortney that we don’t know?

Half the stuff we talk about can’t be aired on TV.

Are there any stories from this upcoming season or a past season of Making It Home With Kortney & Kenny that have just stuck with you?

There is one in particular from this upcoming season that hits hard. Really hard. I don’t want to get too deep into it because it’s something you really have to witness to fully comprehend the magnitude. However, I will say that it has honestly changed my mindset and how I react to things in my own life that may not be going that well. These homeowners and their incredibly positive attitudes, even in the face of the hand they have been dealt, will shatter your heart and rebuild it in the same episode.

Do you consider yourself a role model for LGBTQ+ viewers across the country?

I definitely did not set out to be a role model for anyone. I have many flaws and I make many mistakes...fairly often, actually! But

I make no apologies for that because I think the biggest growth in my life has come from taking chances and making those mistakes. I’m very much still figuring things out as I go. The only thing I’ve ever wanted to do is be my most authentic self and be the happiest I can be while doing something I love – and if someone sees that and it resonates with them, I am truly honoured.

Who do you consider a role model? That’s a tough question. It’s tough because the people who surround me all inspire me in some way, shape or form. My father’s sense of adventure, my mother’s heart, Kortney’s work ethic and honesty. Every time I speak to a friend who is going through something, either good or bad, I am reminded of some aspect of how incredible they are because of how they carry themselves. So I have many role models in my life.

I’m wondering how you got your start with Making It Home With Kortney & Kenny. Before HGTV we knew you from Big Brother Canada, which is a very different show… VERY different show in so many ways. However, both are very much pressure cookers: Big Brother Canada because of the social aspects of the game and the trust issues (still getting over those), and Making It Home for the tight timelines to deliver something custom and perfect for some of the most deserving people.

The jump between the two was sort of out of the blue for me. I had been working in and around the Greater Vancouver area doing renovations, and I got a call asking if I would be interested in auditioning for a renovation show. I obviously had no idea what it was at first, and I almost didn’t do it. However, ultimately I am a ‘yes man’ and think life is about experiences, so I decided to give it a whirl. And I couldn’t be happier that I did.

Kenny Brain and Kortney Wilson in a promotional image for the HGTV Canada series Making It Home With Kortney & Kenny

Speaking of Big Brother, you were the brains behind Big Brother Canada Season 2’s fallen ‘First Five’ alliance. Hypothetically speaking…would you ever revisit the experience on an All Stars season?

This very thing pops into my mind on occasion. Would I – and COULD I EVEN if given the chance? It wasn’t easy for me in there, and I struggled being cooped up like that. You have no idea how long a day is when you have NOTHING to occupy yourself but your own very overactive and paranoid brain. But the more I think of it, the more I realize I am not the same person that stepped into that madhouse the first time – and like I said, I am a ‘yes man’ and super-competitive, so I think I wouldn’t be able to say no should the offer ever come knocking.

Most people will remember that you played it straight during your time on Big Brother Canada.… Do you have any regrets about that strategy?

Absolutely not. Did it work? Not really – but I don’t regret it for a lot of reasons. First and foremost is because it gave me one of my favourite moments from the show: when I came out to the entire house around the hot tub. They were all so incredible, and it sparked some really amazing conversations about WHY people have to ‘come out’ at all and how hopefully at some point in the future ‘coming out’ will be a thing of the past. Not one of the housemates had to come up to me and shake my hand and say, ‘Hey, just so you know...I’m heterosexual.’ So why should I have to do any different? I also didn’t exactly state I was straight – I just eluded telling them I was gay.

I know I got some kickback about that [with some people] in the media stating I was ashamed of myself and I set the gay community back by doing so – but I had come out to my family and friends on the outside prior to the show, I had come out to Canada in the Diary Room [where players speak directly into the camera to tell viewers about their emotions and strategies], I came out to Sarah [Miller, a fellow player] first and then to my fellow housemates when the time was right. I’m very proud of who I am; I’m just apparently not very good at Big Brother strategies.

When did you come out? And what was that like for you? I was 23 when I came out and overall I had a very positive experience. I would say that I am very lucky, but I know that it’s not just luck. I have worked very hard my entire life at surrounding myself with people who love and support me just as much as I do them. I don’t have room in my life for bad energy, and if you aren’t okay with something as simple as who I love, then I don’t have space for you in my life. Period.

Am I making it sound like I had way more confidence than I actually did? Absolutely. Even with a great support system, I was scared to death to expose myself like that. However, I attribute that support system – and some luck being born in Canada – to why I had such a positive experience. So many people do not have the same story, or they live in a place where no matter what people they surround themselves with, it isn’t safe for them to come out.

This is why I hold the people in my life very close to me. My friends were all supportive and loving. My family were there for me and made me feel seen and loved. My dad was the last person

I told, and I would be lying if I said it went great. I am the last male in my family with the surname ‘Brain’ and that means a lot to my dad, so he did have some concerns. We talked it out and he realized there are so many ways a family can form and grow, and being gay just means there is more planning involved. He has since become my biggest cheerleader and supporter, and our relationship has never been stronger. He’s actually going to be in an episode of this season! I won’t give away too much but he may pop up driving his Harley. He’s a man of the road, after all.

How long have you had your trademark beard?

Honestly, at this point it feels like I was born with it. I think the last time I fully shaved my face was Grade 11 – I was a really hairy kid and used to be very self-conscious about it. So I’ve had some form of beard or scruff since then.

I don’t think I would ever fully shave it off. It’s almost like a security blanket now. I would feel hyper-exposed – but then again, if an incredible opportunity came along where a shaved face was needed…it’s hair, and it would grow back.

Are you single?

I am indeed.

Your celebrity crush? Murray Bartlett and Tom Holland.

What do you want people to know about you that they might not already know?

I feel like there’s a fair amount about me floating around on the internet as it is. I think that’s maybe what I want them to know: that as much as you can read and watch, there is still more. I’m still just a guy who grew up in a small town in Newfoundland who has to pinch himself when he gets a minute and realizes where his life has led him. I have bad days, I sometimes get really nervous before shooting, I say the wrong thing and beat myself up over it. I read what people say online sometimes and it can bother me. I’m human and I’m figuring it all out and trying to learn as I go.

What’s next?

I have a whole bunch of exciting things happening in my world. I recently moved to Calgary to be closer to family and also started a renovation business with my sister, Laura. She hated her job. She wanted to work more with her hands and have a more gratifying career. I can totally relate to that. It’s why I went back to trade school to become a carpenter. She is apprenticing under me as a tile setter. We are focused on being an LGBTQ+- and womanrun inclusive space, and I can’t tell you how exciting it is to start something I’m so proud of with someone I love so much.

I also just did a national activewear shoot with Simons, which should be released in October and November – so keep your eye out for that! There may be some acting happening in the new year, but don’t want to get too much into that just yet!

Season 3 of Making It Home With Kortney & Kenny is currently airing on HGTV Canada on Tuesday nights at 10 pm ET/PT.

CHRISTOPHER TURNER acted as guest editor for this issue of IN Magazine. He is a Torontobased writer, editor and lifelong fashionisto with a passion for pop culture and sneakers. Follow him on social media at @Turnstylin.

SILK BLACK BLOUSE: Velo Collection

JUMPSUIT: Adidas

BLACK MAXI BELT: Vintage Store

BLACK BOOTS: Dr. Martens

Closet

MINI

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PINK SILKY BLOUSE: Zara TWEED CHECKED SUIT: Shelli Oh ROBE BELT: H&M EARRINGS: Hot Feathered Mess

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PUFF SLEEVES DRESS: Hosh Canada

BICOLOR

PARTY AND PLAY

Party drugs have, in some ways, become an anxious fissure through many modern gay communities

By Paul Gallant

I remember attending a 2004 forum on party drugs, with a particular focus on crystal meth, hosted by the AIDS Committee of Toronto. I left feeling alarmed. The evidence from health experts, service providers and former users was frightening. A rewired brain, teeth falling out, a fucked-up life, an inability to have satisfying sex without being on drugs: it all seemed like clear signposts of a disaster I personally wanted nothing to do with.

Almost 20 years later, party drugs are still here and have, in some ways, become an anxious fissure through many modern gay communities. For some guys, drugs like crystal meth are a razor-sharp route to hot sex and a sense of belonging, while others tell tales of being freaked out by tweaked-out hookups. Or, worse, others have watched the lives of friends and fuck buddies fall apart because of their addiction. Or, even worse, others have had their lives torn apart by their addiction to crystal. The drug has become part of the furniture of our community. Emojis of diamonds, vials and candies are part of the coded language on hookup apps, mapping the borders between those who party and play and those who have a personal no-drug policy. Even though many guys have been on both sides of this divide, it can be highly contested.

People usually manage to develop the language they need to efficiently attain their yearnings, yet, for those yearning to get high,

it’s easy to get trapped in transactional shorthand like “party now?” or “weed only.” We lack the language needed to step back, see the big picture, and talk about how drugs reshape our relationships and our communities and how we might be able to reshape them in healthier ways. This inability to share and relate, rather than transact, sabotages us. For example, users may keep their partying secret until they are in a crisis situation because they don’t want to admit to having a problem or even that they party at all. By the time peers figure it out, the quicksand of addiction has made it that much harder to get out.

So the Party and Play campaign launched this fall by the Ontariobased Gay Men’s Sexual Health Alliance (GMSH) struck me as welcome, but a long time coming. Built around a series of interviews with men who have sex with men – drug users, nonusers, healthcare professionals, activists and the like – the campaign aims to reframe how we talk about drug use in the community to make it less about good and bad gays, more about people seeking pleasure and people having problems, and whether, as a community, we can find ways to understand and help each other.

Several years in the making, GMSH’s campaign was originally dedicated to harm reduction: if you’re going to do drugs, here are some ways to do so more safely. “But the project we thought we

GMSHA staff (from left): Devan Nambiar, Adam Awad and Dane Griffiths (Photos by Mitchel Raphael)

were going out with is not where we landed,” says Dane Griffiths, director of GMSH, when I interviewed him just before the launch of Party and Play. Focus groups and assorted meetings with health service providers – many of whom admitted they didn’t understand party drugs and their place in the gay community –convinced the alliance to reframe the core message to be about candid communication. Something that was not stigmatizing or fear-mongering, but that opened up ways to talk about PnP so that users could practise harm reduction and get help as a user or as a quitter…if they wanted. Secrecy seemed like a major part of the problem. A recent study out of Australia, for example, suggested that one-third of gay and bisexual men who engage in chemsex (another term for Party and Play) would not be comfortable discussing it with their doctor.

In 2019, while GMSH was in the midst of discussions about creating their campaign, Toronto’s NOW magazine published a panicinfused article by long-time Toronto gay activist Tim McCaskell, which turned up the volume in the debate about crystal meth in the gay community. McCaskell seemed to be making a case for more fear. “At the height of the AIDS epidemic, the baths were full of posters and material warning people not to have sex without a condom. There are no similar messages warning people about crystal meth. Why?” wrote McCaskell. “The answer I hear is that we don’t want to tell people that crystal is dangerous because it might stigmatize people who are using. Project that argument back 20 years. We don’t want to tell people they shouldn’t have sex without a condom because it might stigmatize people who don’t use condoms. If we had followed that logic in the ’80s, thousands more of us would have died.”

Many in the harm-reduction community were annoyed by the article. Some research suggests that using fear and disgust to dissuade people from using crystal meth can be ineffective: those most affected often see awful outcomes as what happens to other people, not them. Research about an anti-meth campaign out of New York in the early 2000s suggested that “while white men, HIV-negative men and men not using crystal methamphetamine responded more positively to the campaign, men who used crystal methamphetamine were more likely to report that the campaign triggered methamphetamine use.”

Griffith, though, thought McCaskell’s article did something interesting: it got people talking, and the talking itself was worthwhile. “It showed us that in order to develop a campaign that would be meaningful, we’d have to zoom out and capture as many experiences of PnP as we could,” he says. “The stories of guys who are featured on the website include folks who are in recovery, folks who can use crystal meth or engage in PnP recreationally without experiencing harm and, frankly, we have folks whose lives have been devastated by crystal meth use and PnP.”

McCaskell is one of the people interviewed in GMSH’s new campaign, a move that seems to recognize that inviting more voices to the table, rather than waving studies around, can be a way of turning down unhelpful rhetoric: it’s understandable to be freaked out about drug addiction when we see people fucked up and struggling. “I remember one night [at a bathhouse] this guy was cruising me and we started playing around. He was off

somehow and couldn’t get it up,” McCaskell says in his video. “He started talking to me about using crystal meth and it was really screwing him up and he lost his job and he was going to go in rehab tomorrow and this was the last time. He wanted to do it tonight and it was going to be the perfect one and it was going to be the end. At that point I began to get worried about this particular drug and what was happening to people.”

Tenderness is not a word that’s usually part of the lexicon of prevention campaigns, but it’s something that the GMSH campaign seems to have embraced. To be simplistic: people often turn to drugs and alcohol because life is hard and addiction, if it happens, makes things even harder. Help shouldn’t be hard or humiliating.

If support and compassion are spread throughout the community – rather than being primarily dispensed by healthcare providers who may or may not be tuned into the life experiences of gay men – then it becomes more readily available. Having the ear of friends, acquaintances and fuck buddies can be instrumental in keeping ourselves out of harm’s way long before we get to the point of needing professional help.

If it comes to that, seeking that help should not be seen as shameful and stigmatizing. If there’s one thing we, as a community, have learned from the HIV/AIDS crisis, it’s that attitudes, as much as pharmacology, will keep us safe.

PAUL GALLANT is a Toronto-based writer and editor who writes about travel, innovation, city building, social issues (particularly LGBT issues) and business for a variety of national and international publications. He’s done time as lead editor at the loop magazine in Vancouver as well as Xtra and fab in Toronto. His debut novel, Still More Stubborn Stars, published by Acorn Press, is out now.

Sexual health & harm reduction worker Gavin Bejaimal

HQ’s Director Osmel B. Guerra Maynes (in front) and a friend

GMSHA coordinator for Party & Play/Chemsex initiative Jordan Bond-Gorr; HQ’s Dr. Tim Guimond; sexual health & harm reduction worker Gavin Bejaimal

IberIan Idyll

By Doug Wallace

lends Old World charm and traditional food fun to an ultra-luxury cruise along the Atlantic coast

Happily, there’s no such thing as too much Champagne – it’s like too rich or too thin. So I have no problem popping the cork on the Pommery chilling on the coffee table of my suite on MS Silver Dawn, checking into the 10th luxury liner from Silversea Cruises.

I’m on the ship’s maiden voyage and feeling special about it; just a quick toodle up and down the Atlantic coastline of Portugal to and from Lisbon. Glass in hand, I quickly grasp the concept of ultra-luxury – not just regular, ho-hum luxury, but a step beyond. Silversea was a pioneer of the all-inclusive luxury cruise, and they know how to lay it on thick: sumptuous fabrics, teak verandas, glam lounges, an opulent spa, eight restaurants, white-gloved butlers. I ogle the ginormous bathtub and spend a few quality minutes in the walk-in closet, which smells like new car.

The view from my balcony brings a big smile to my face. Truthfully, I have always favoured Lisbon over Paris (nothing against the French). I consider Portugal the Canada of Europe – sensible, polite, hospitable, convivial. Thanks to the deep Tagus River, we are tied up to one of Europe’s most romantic and diverse cities, the terraces atop each of its trademark seven hills offering breathtaking vistas.

Much of central Lisbon was flattened during an earthquake in 1755, rebuilt in an architectural style called Pombaline – a sort of pared-down Neoclassical look – named after the Marquês de Pombal who led the reconstruction. This gave the medieval streets a “modern” facade.

Throw in ample examples of Gothic, Baroque, Art Nouveau and Art Deco (Lisbon managed to avoid the bombs of the Second World War) and you have a melting pot of architectural beauty, the prettiest city.

I wander through the pedestrian-only Rua Augusta and the streets of the lively Baixa district, into the bohemian Chaido and Bairro Alto neighbourhoods. I people-watch in the mosaic-tiled public squares and pop into the shops of the gentrifying Príncipe Real. I get a real feel for Lisbon’s traditional way of life in the Alfama, Lisbon’s oldest neighbourhood, a labyrinth of skinny streets and tiny squares within the shadow of the medieval Castle of São Jorge, unscathed by said earthquake. This is also the home of the Fado music halls, a traditional style of melancholic music that still draws a crowd.

Lisbon’s rather antiquated tram transit system lends another romantic link to the past – clang-clang-clang went the trolley and such – and a few funiculars ferry people up some of the steeper hills. These are mostly for the tourists, but they’re fun.

With all the hills, it’s easy to see why everyone is skinny here, despite there being so many delicious things to eat. I lunch on giant portions of the freshest tuna and octopus, crisp sardines, bacalao or salt cod, the juiciest olives I have ever rolled around my mouth and some of the best wine in the Old World. I don’t really have a sweet tooth, but I can eat two or three of those custard tarts without batting an eyelash. You know the ones.

I also manage to learn a number of things about the foodways of Portugal on this voyage via Silversea’s S.A.L.T. program, short for Sea and Land Taste. This is a mix of culinary experiences on-board and off that highlight the food culture of whatever region the ship is sailing through. Shore excursions head off to restaurants, wineries and farmers’ markets, introducing cruise passengers to chefs, farmers and the like – anyone with a food story – drawing participants directly into the culinary environment. Cooking classes bring the food culture on board, with local dishes whipped up at the S.A.L.T. Lab under the direction of a regional chef. And one of the Silver Dawn’s restaurants, the S.A.L.T. Kitchen, serves traditional Portuguese meals with Grandmamade-it-like precision.

More history lessons, with tapas to match

The city of Porto, farther up the coast on the hilly banks of the Douro River, has been a trading post for centuries. It’s peaceful and friendly, but world-wise, smallish enough to not overwhelm but big enough to offer plenty of places to get lost in – Miragaia for the galleries, Baixa for the nightlife, Ribeira for the sunset drinks. The city has a number of miradouros, little lookout points with amazing views. And I’m mesmerized by both the ample street art and the traditional tilework on storefront facades, old meets new.

In Porto, you never have to worry about where your next meal is coming from. Some of the best dining experiences can be found in the little street corner taverns or tascas, affordable eateries that specialize in classic Portuguese cooking. My trick is to do lunch reconnaissance first, sidling up to cafés devoid of tourists, listening for only Portuguese

– the locals always know the best places. I get carried away ordering a “simple” lunch of bread sausages, cod fritters and fried sardines, not realizing that the half-portions will be massive and include side dishes. I soldier on, for almost two hours, noting that the businesspeople at the next table are ordering brandies – at lunch!

Later in the week on the Algarve, Portugal’s beach-filled southern coastline and the country’s summer playground, we sail into Portimão and I hop on a bus for Ponta da Piedade. This geographical oddity is a series of golden-yellow cliffs, with eroded rock formations jutting out of the water, the shore a treasure hunt of caves and grottoes. The wind whips up everyone’s scarves and hair, and I retreat to the shelter of the staircase down the cliffside to soak up every second of the landscape.

When it is finally time to relax, the Silver Dawn has my back – literally, in the case of the masseuse. The ship’s Otium spa concept isn’t just relegated to the spa itself, but fans out to my room, a Romanesque I-deserve-it attitude towards pampering. This level of room service has never been handled so deliciously. A staycation in your suite can include blankets and hot chocolate on the balcony, a butler-drawn bath with flower petals and music, truffle popcorn for movie-watching or to-die-for “snacks” like a lobster roll topped with caviar and gold leaf, or a foie gras burger, which isn’t a beef burger topped with foie gras, but actually juicy foie gras with a berry compote and a soft, soft bun.

I’m sure there’s a gym somewhere, but I’ll be in the spa sauna with a glass of fizzy. Just when you think you can’t drink one more glass of Champagne, you actually can.

DOUG WALLACE is an international travel and lifestyle writer, photographer and custom-content authority, principal of Wallace Media and editor-publisher of TravelRight.Today.

He can be found beside buffet tables, on massage tables and table-hopping around the world.

Isn’t that Kayoot?!

Let’s just say that these will boost your outfits up at least 3 levels of chic, get no less than 5 mentions a day, and all of the attention in the room. hehe ;-)

These earrings are constructed using high precision laser cutting. Being only 3 mm thick, they are super lightweight. They are made from high quality acrylic and 925 sterling silver.

FLASHBACK

World Health Organization Organizes

The First World AIDS Day (December 1, 1988)

World AIDS Day, observed each year on December 1, is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV or AIDS, and remember those who have died from an HIV-related illness.

A primary goal of World AIDS Day activities is the distribution of information. Each country creates and organizes its own agenda for the event, and some countries launch week-long campaigns, including ceremonies and activities.

The first World AIDS Day – which was also the first-ever global health day – was held on December 1, 1988. It was organized by the World Health Organization in an effort to raise awareness of the spreading pandemic. At the time, an

estimated 90,000 to 150,000 people were infected with HIV. Within two decades, more than 33 million people were living with HIV infection, and since 1981, when the first AIDS case was reported, some 25 million people have died of the disease.

WHO organized World AIDS Day, developing the annual themes and activities, until 1996, when these responsibilities were assumed by UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. In 1997, UNAIDS created the World AIDS Campaign (WAC) to increase AIDS awareness and to integrate AIDS information on a global level. In 2005, WAC became an independent body, functioning as a global AIDS advocacy movement, based in Cape Town, South Africa, and Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash