IN Magazine: January/February 2020

CELEBRATING CANADA’S LGBTQ LIFESTYLE

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2020

MISS MOÇO IS SERVING BUSINESSWOMAN SPECIAL 24/7 JADE ELEKTRA TALKS ABOUT ART, ACTIVISM AND HIV

YVIE ODDLY IS KEEPING IT WEIRD 1

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JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2020

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IN MAGAZINE

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inmagazine.ca PUBLISHER Patricia Salib GUEST EDITOR Christopher Turner ART DIRECTOR Georges Sarkis COPY EDITOR Ruth Hanley SENIOR WRITER Paul Gallant CONTRIBUTORS Fraser Abe, Glenn Bell, Bobby Box, Henry Chan, Maria Chowdhery, Lacey Elizabeth, Adriana Ermter, Bianca Guzzo, Ashley Kowalewski-Pizzi, Karen Kwan, Paul Langill, Wade Muir, Emily Norton, Ivan Otis, Michael Pihach, Jumol Royes, Fredsonn Santos Silva, Adam Segal, Kahmeelia Smith, Connie Tsang, Julia Valente, Brandon Voss, Doug Wallace, Casey Williams DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND SPONSORSHIPS Bradley Blaylock CONTROLLER Jackie Zhao

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2020

ADVERTISING & OTHER INQUIRIES (416) 800-4449 ext 100 info@inmagazine.ca

EDITORIAL INQUIRIES (416) 800-4449 ext 201 editor@inmagazine.ca

IN Magazine is published six times per year by The Mint Media Group. All rights reserved.

180 John St, Suite #509 Toronto, Ontario, M5T 1X5

On the cover: YVIE ODDLY Photographer: Brandon Voss (Voss Events)

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CONTENTS

92 Issue 92

After years of anticipation, The L Word: Generation Q dropped on Showtime in December. Above, the original and new cast members took to the “pink carpet” in downtown Los Angeles for the official premiere and party.

January / February 2020

INFRONT

06 | STONED-COLD BEAUTY In search of the ever-elusive beauty and grooming high, we explore Mary Jane’s infiltration and efficacy in skin care, cosmetics and fragrance

15 | PROFILE IN YOUTH: LEON TSAI The Taiwanese-immigrant transgender woman, feminist, LGBTQ+ advocate and body-positive activist is a young person to watch

28 | QUEERING MY BODY: ON EATING DISORDERS AND COMING OUT Having lesbian representation acts as a protector between me and my urges

08 | A LOOK INTO THE FUTURE Get a glimpse at the vehicles that will influence what we drive in the 2020s

16 | ESTATE PLANNING ESSENTIALS FOR LGBTQ COUPLES There are some important issues that same-sex couples should consider

30 | THE IMPERIAL COURT OF TORONTO PRESENTS: CORONATION XXXIII The Crowns That Care Gala delivered an evening of dancing queens and kings

09 | BREAKING THE ICE Do you find it hard to make gay friends?

You’re not alone 10 | HEALTHY FRESH STARTS A roundup of tools to help you kickstart healthy habits in the new year 11 | FLY-BY Escaping the winter weather? Here’s why Rexall should be your go-to destination before you flee to warmer climates 12 | ON THE TOWN Scenes from the party circuit

FEATURES 13 | 7 QUESTIONS WITH JADE ELEKTRA The artist, DJ and activist talks about art, activism and HIV 14 | SWEET JAMAICA The land I love sometimes breaks my heart

18 | MISS MOÇO IS SERVING BUSINESSWOMAN SPECIAL 24/7 We chat with Toronto’s brunch-queenmeets-entrepreneur

44 | PICKING FIGHTS So many battles still to fight…what are the best tactics to follow?

20 | STRAIGHT WOMEN FREQUENTING QUEER SPACES: YAY OR NAY? There are push and pull factors that lead straight women to gay bars

46 | FOGO ISLAND IDYLL Newfoundland and Labrador’s remote inn inspires lively story-telling, culinary reinvention and perfect, homespun hospitality

22 | STAR-STRUCK Queer Cosmos astrologer and author Colin Bedell aims for inclusivity, accessibility and acceptance within astrology

50 | FLASHBACK: FEBRUARY 21, 1903 IN LGBTQ HISTORY New York’s first ever anti-gay raid at the Ariston Baths

24 | YVIE ODDLY IS KEEPING IT WEIRD IN chats with the current reigning queen on what she’s learned since being crowned, advice to future Ru girls, and being authentic

FASHION 34 | SNOW PATROL Get ready to hit the slopes…or at least look like you’re ready

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LOOKING GOOD JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2020

Stoned - Cold Beauty In search of the ever-elusive beauty and grooming high,we explore Mary Jane’s infiltration and efficacy in skin care, cosmetics and fragrance

By Adriana Ermter

Pot, weed, grass, 420, dope, chronic…whatever you want to call Mary Jane, she’s an undeniable force. With her legalization in Canada, she’s now ever present and not only in smoke, but as the new buzzy ingredient infiltrating beauty and grooming products at a rapid-fire pace. Except that in its botanical extract form, known as cannabidiol (CBD), the active compound that is derived from the hemp plant won’t actually make your skin care and cosmetics reach high heights. Which leads us to ask, what’s all the hype about?

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“CBD is the focus of many headlines in the beauty space for a few reasons,” explains Michelle Bilodeau, cannabis advocate, writer and co-host of the podcast On a High, which operates in partnership with Business of Cannabis. “It is believed to be an anti-inflammatory ingredient. And in skin care, inflammation is the cause of many issues, such as acne, rosacea, eczema, psoriasis and even aging of the skin.”

Author and dermatologist Dr. Nicholas Perricone agrees.

Leveraging medical research, his eponymous website explains the ingredient’s uses and benefits in skin care, naming CBD as an antioxidant comparable to vitamins C and E thanks to the ability of all three to protect the dermis from free radicals and environmental stressors such as the sun’s UVA and UVB rays as well as pollution.

Dr. Perricone also says CBD is being recognized as an ingredient capable of maintaining healthy, balanced skin.

“It turns out that your body produces its own naturally occurring cannabinoids called endocannabinoids (they’re not at all related to the cannabis plant),” says Dr. Perricone on his website. “Their purpose is to support your skin’s endocannabinoid system, a complex network that’s job is to keep your skin in homeostasis – that is, a happy, healthy and balanced state. When this system is out of whack, well, so is your skin. Your complexion may be irritated, oily, dry, blemish-prone or even itchy.”

Your CBD checklist No matter the product, their claims require exploration, scientific studies and randomized clinical trials. “People need to be careful when looking at cannabis in beauty,” warns Bilodeau. “Hemp seed oil or cannabis sativa seed oil, which contain high amounts of fatty acids and are super hydrating for the skin, do not equal CBD. Some brands are using those terms as a marketing tool to jack up their prices and get people to purchase their products. Hemp seed oil and cannabis sativa seed oil have no anti-inflammatory properties.”

Knowing what to look for on the labels of your face serum, foot lotion or beard oil will help separate the real deal from the wannabes. Dr. Perricone, who uses pure cannabidiol powder in his men’s skincare line, recommends purchasing only products that list cannabidiol as an ingredient on their packaging. “If you see ingredients such as cannabis seed oil, hemp seed oil, hemp butter or cannabis extract, you can’t be sure your product will give you the same benefits as pure CBD,” he states on his website. “Some of these derivatives may only contain small amounts of cannabidiol.”

Where there is no room for speculation – regardless of the amount or type of THC-free CBD found in your beauty and grooming products – is whether CBD is able to make you feel high. It can’t and it won’t. Ever. CBD’s botanical compound sister tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a crystalline compound that is also extracted from the cannabis sativa plant, will put you in a Big Mouth Greg Glaser state of mind. But you won’t find it being swirled into your elixirs, lip gloss, or face or body creams. Mary Jane’s non-active sister is highly (pun intended) monitored and regulated to ensure quality, efficacy and proper implementation.

Along with treating these symptoms, CBD’s status in skin care is expanding with medical findings that assert it can diminish signs of visible aging by supressing skin inflammation to create smoother, clearer and calmer complexions, says Dr. Perricone. Backed by research and based on a 2014 study published by The American Society for Clinical Investigation, CBD is now credited as an effective “In Canada, CBD is available only through licensed retailers and ingredient to calm and soothe inflammation, while simultaneously it is only just now available in topical form – products will likely suppressing the sebaceous glands that cause excess oil production start hitting shelves later this year,” says Bilodeau. “In the US, CBD and unwanted spots. With adult acne on the rise and affecting 22 is more readily available as it is legal for use in products, even per cent of women ages 26 to 44 years, along with approximately though cannabis is still a federally illegal substance.” a third of that number for men, skincare brands are upping their game to create both anti-aging and anti-acne solutions in their face products. More research is crucial but due to current results GANJA GLOSSARY within this realm, CBD is being mix-mastered into an increasing number of niche and mass brands, including Dr. Perricone’s CBx Five additional cannabis terms you need to know: for Men skincare line.

Body creams and lotions with brands ranging from Lord Jones and Khus & Khus to Cannuka are also popping up with unique CBD incarnations and stating benefits of anti-inflammation and analgesic (pain-numbing) properties. Said to alleviate muscular aches and pains, these lotions and creams are now rumoured to be red carpet favourites, with celebrities such as Katy Perry, Melissa McCarthy, Ruth Negga and Sarah Paulson reportedly rubbing the formulations onto their feet before slipping into sky-high Louboutins.

Similarly, these calming and soothing benefits are being highlighted in the colour cosmetics category. To date, you can seek and find CBD in lip gloss, mascara and lip balms, as well as in CBD-infused fragrances, which purport to ease anxiety, relax and de-stress via their leafy-green-floral (not skunky) smell in a spritz of eau de parfum – courtesy of bottles like Fresh Cannabis Santal, Heretic Dirty Grass or Malin + Goetz Cannabis.

Cannabidiol: the compound derived from the cannabis plant that is being integrated into beauty and grooming products.

Cannabis sativa: a species of plant within the Cannabis family that can refer to both agricultural hemp and marijuana.

Hemp: type of Cannabis sativa plant. Formerly favoured for its seeds (which have been sprinkled on salads) and fibres (which have been woven into clothes), the hemp plant is now popular for its CBD extract.

Non-psychoactive or non-psychotoxic: will not have a detrimental effect on your mind, personality or behaviour.

In other words, it won’t get you “high.”

Psychoactive: when a CBD product contains more than 0.3 per cent of THC and is considered to have a euphoric impact, i.e., it may get you “high.”

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

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WHEELS

A LOOK INTO THE FUTURE

Get a glimpse at the vehicles that will influence what we drive in the 2020s

By Casey Williams

As we look to the next decade, many of the cars that will influence what we’ll be driving are already on the road… or soon will be. From a sleek German luxury car to an affordable Chevy compact, automated French lounge, all-capable pickups and Mustang-inspired crossover, these are the wheels to our future.

Chevrolet Bolt The future-tech Bolt heralds an era of affordable electric vehicles. Its lithium-ion batteries propel it 416 kilometres on a charge, run 0-100 km/h in 6.5 seconds, and gain 160 kilometres of range in 30 minutes. The Bolt’s airy interior comes with Wi-Fi, Bose audio, wireless device charging, heated seats and heated steering wheel. Safety gear includes automatic emergency braking, lane keep assist and high-definition cameras. Prices start at $45,000. Beyond today, GM is using the Bolt as a test bed for its autonomous future.

A crossover based on the Bolt is expected to debut next year.

Ford Mach E Ford expands the Mustang family with an all-electric crossover that can travel 425 kilometres per charge and dispatch 0-100 km/h in under four seconds. It can reach an 80 per cent charge in 45 minutes. All-wheel drive enhances handling. Mustang styling cues include the front fascia, kicked-up rear fenders, and wide rump with triple element tail lights. Wireless phone charging and navigation come standard. Check the tablet-style touchscreen and the tinted, panoramic glass roof. Smartphones become keys. Prices will start at $50,495 when sales begin (expected late 2020).

Rivian R1T/R1S It travels 640 kilometres without gasoline and runs 0-100 km/h in three seconds – not only that, it also fords streams, tows 5,000 kilograms and hauls 800 kilograms of payload. And it grills dinner (really). It’s the all-electric Rivian pickup and SUV. A unique skateboard chassis contains batteries, height-adjustable air suspension, and electric motors to drive it. Luggage can be stored beneath the hood and inside a full-width tunnel, from where the optional grilling station deploys. Interiors flaunt leather and glassy screens. Deliveries should commence by Christmas 2020, with prices starting around $85,000.

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2020

Mercedes-Benz EQS Glimpse the near-future with this Mercedes S-Class concept. Batteries go 700 kilometres fully charged, can reach an 80 per cent charge in 20 minutes, and hit 0-100 km/h in 4.5 seconds. Fluid bodywork is adorned with a glittering LED light panel up front, holographic head lights, and light belt across the rear. The serene interior delights with flush twin-screen infotainment while wood, rose-gold speaker grilles, inlaid air vents and faux leather add ambience. View the sky through a glass roof. Given hands-off autonomous driving, passengers will have time to enjoy their surroundings.

Renault EZ-Ultimo Inspired by Parisian architecture, adorned with crisp lines and spatted fenders, this fully autonomous ride points towards 2030. Passengers enjoy a neo-retro salon that pays homage to classical French design and modern aesthetics with parquet American walnut floors, green velvet and dark marble. Gold lamps provide cozy lighting; Wi-Fi and wireless charging connect devices. Power comes from batteries beneath the floor that can be charged wirelessly. Four-wheel steering aids urban manoeuvrability while the active suspension lowers for entry/exit.

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CASEY WILLIAMS is a contributing writer for Gaywheels.com. He contributes to the New York-based LGBT magazine Metrosource and the

INChicago MAGAZINE Tribune. He and his husband live in Indianapolis, where Williams contributes videos and reviews to wfyi.org, the area’s PBS/NPR station.

Do you find it hard to make gay friends? You’re not alone

By Adam Segal

Dear Adam, I came out three years ago to a few close friends and family; it was pretty rocky at first but is getting better as time passes. The thing is, I’m having trouble meeting other gay people. I’m 32 and more on the masculine side. I recently started a job at a startup with lots of cool young people (some of whom are LGBTQ), but they all just assume I’m straight. I don’t really feel like anyone there knows me well and I end up feeling left out. I’ve tried the dating apps, but it just ends up being sex and nothing changes in my social life. I thought coming out would make things easier, but I don’t feel that different from before. What gives? — Phil Dear Phil, We often get sold this idea (especially in TV and film) that coming out is a singular event that we work our way towards, and once it happens everything will change and the world will open up for us.

It’s a harsh wake-up call when we realize that coming out is an ongoing process that in some ways never quite ends.

It’s great that you found the courage to come out to your close circle.

The thing is, you seem to be leading a double life where the gay part of your identity is fragmented off – only expressed with close friends and online. This isn’t to suggest that you need to centre your queerness in every thing you do, but keeping it relegated to the sidelines is only going to worsen feelings of loneliness and keep people from truly knowing you.

There’s no doubt that heterosexism makes everything harder – it forces us queer folk to have to perpetually remind others that their assumptions are wrong. While this is a kind of emotional labour, it might set you free from having to participate in a tiresome charade.

I also wonder if, in some ways, there’s some comfort for you in these assumptions – it kind of lets you off the hook from having to own your authenticity and face some of the risks that come with that.

You gathered strength to do the initial leap of coming out, then retreated to catch your breath – you might need to gear up for another round.

ADAM SEGAL, writer and therapist, works in private practice in downtown Toronto. Ask him your relationship or mental-health questions at @relationship@inmagazine.

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RELATIONSHIP ADVICE

BREAKING THE ICE

HEALTH & WELLNESS

HEALTHY FRESH STARTS

A roundup of tools to help you kickstart healthy habits in the new year

By Karen Kwan

Kicking off the new year with a resolve to live more healthfully?

You might have big resolutions. Lofty goals are admirable, but you might also consider smaller achievable goals that will add up and help you live well. These tools will help you kick through 2020 as a better and more healthy version of you.

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2020

Hydrate better If you struggle with remembering to drink water regularly throughout the day, the HiDrate Spark water bottle will help you out. Enter some personal info (such as where you live and how active you are) and the HiDrate Spark sets a daily hydration goal, tracks what you consume, and reminds you to sip by glowing. It also syncs to the app via Bluetooth so you can track your intake (as well as your friends’ intake on the HiDrate platform – which, if you have a competitive streak, will help make sure you’re reaching your hydration goals).

Sleep better Created by top sleep experts, the SleepScore app uses your smartphone’s speaker and microphone to track your breathing and body movement, which it then translates into in-depth findings about your sleep stages. Better yet, it provides you with tips on how to improve your sleep.

Brush better Strut into your next dentist’s appointment confident that your teeth are in great shape by improving your brushing habits using the Oral-B Genius X, which uses artificial intelligence to track your brushing style and provide real-time feedback. Missed a spot? The Genius X will let you know where you need to give more brushing attention.

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Exercise better Looking for a more personalized approach when it comes to your fitness tracker? The recently launched Fitbit Premium paid membership ($107 for one year) takes your data and delivers customized guidance and coaching in the form of programs, workouts, challenges and games along with advanced sleep tools, to help ensure you’re on the best track when it comes to your health.

Fuel better If preparing a wholesome breakfast is tough with your busy mornings, Holos will make it easier to fuel up with the right stuff before you hit the ground running. Portioned to offer what you need to kickstart the day well, including 20 grams of plant protein along with probiotics and omega-3s, it takes 30 seconds to prep the muesli the night before and then it’s ready when your alarm clock goes off in the morning. Available in four flavours: Vanilla, Cocoa, Peanuts + Maple, and Chai.

De-stress better Get those stress and anxiety levels down by practising regularly with Pip. Hold the Pip tool between your thumb and forefinger and it will measure electrodermal activity to assess your stress levels.

Using the Pip app, you can then work on lowering your stress levels through breathing exercises – and with its Loom app, you can see in real time how well you’re managing your stress levels, by transforming a sad landscape image into a happy one. The more calm you are, the faster the image transforms.

KAREN KWAN is a freelance health, travel and lifestyle writer based in Toronto.

Follow her on Twitter at @healthswellness and on Instagram at @healthandswellness.

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Fly-By

Escaping the winter weather?

Here’s why Rexall should be your go-to destination before you flee to warmer climates

By Ashley Kowalewski-Pizzi

After the hustle of the holiday season has wound down, all we’re left with is grey-brown snow that is past its Bing Crosby-loving days, frigid temperatures, and the desire to hide out until the spring thaw. Which is why so many Canadians find themselves grabbing their passports and fleeing to warmer climates with the birds.

Preparing for a holiday, however exciting, comes with its own set of stressors. From stocking up on travel essentials (sunscreen, always) to making sure your passport is accessible (and still valid) to getting up to date on your travel immunizations, it can feel overwhelming. Luckily, you can get almost all of your travel prep done in one convenient spot: Rexall. Your local pharmacy is considered a must for all sorts of last-minute travel buys (can’t forget that gum for takeoff and landing), but Rexall is more than just your average drugstore. We’ve rounded up three reasons why it should be your new convenient pre-travel stop.

You can get protected with travel immunizations Rexall can be a great place to start when you’re in the early days of planning for a holiday, but it is an absolute must once you’re a month or two away from your departure. Pop in to speak to a pharmacist, who can advise on – and sometimes even administer – most travel immunizations* (just like your flu shot), so you can take off feeling comfortable that you’re protected. Your Rexall pharmacist can provide comprehensive information on low-risk travel destinations and let you know which immunizations you need to stay safe while you’re away – everything from hepatitis and measles to cholera and routine vaccinations such as tetanus.

Stocking up on travel essentials is easy It doesn’t matter if you’re a master of the carry-on or prefer the checked bag route (over-packers, unite!): travel-sized items are an absolute must. Rexall is a quick and convenient stop to stock up on a huge selection of everything tiny and travel-appropriate for your trip, from toothpaste to hair products. Take it one step further and snag those refillable travel-sized bottles and containers, so you know that you’re not only reducing your packaging but are also within the airline’s liquids limit.

You can get the travel advice you need Not sure what level of SPF you need to bring, or which bug spray is going to keep you protected in tropical locales? Your Rexall pharmacist can help with all of that. Not only can they advise on and administer most travel immunizations*, they can also make sure you know which over-the-counter medications to pack in case your stomach doesn’t agree with the new destination or you have an allergic reaction. Not sure when you need to start your immunizations and travel digestion prep ahead of your trip? Stop by and chat with your pharmacist and you’ll feel prepared with all of the right information – and then escaping the winter weather and enjoying your vacation will be all that’s left to cross off the list. * Valid prescription may be required. Speak with your Rexall pharmacist for details.

Brought to you by

ASHLEY KOWALEWSKI-PIZZI is a Toronto-based writer and editor who has more pink lipsticks, neon Post-its and daily cups of coffee than the average human. When she’s not testing out beauty products, you can find her hanging around the city with her pup Odie. Follow her at @ashkowapizzi. 11

ON THE TOWN

SCENES FROM THE PARTY CIRCUIT

By Michael Pihach

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Art Attack at Buddies In Bad Times (photos by Connie Tsang) 1: Daniel Carter, Johnnie Walker, 2: Mark Aikman, Morgan Norwich, 3: John C J Murphy, Henry B. Higgins.

Art With Heart in support of Casey House at the Art Gallery of Ontario (photos by Glenn Bell Photography and Henry Chan) 4: DJ Marilyn Mansion (Cam Lee), Jacob Robert Whibley, 5: Daniel Rozak, Nick Wilson, 6: Raoul Olou, 7: Stephan Jost, Stephen Ranger.

Shady Queens presented by BMO in support of Fife House Foundation at Danforth Music Hall (photos courtesy of Fife House Foundation) 8: Michael Demian, Sam Katz, 9: Denver Bast, Andrea Tsuji, 10: (Back row, from left): Richard Nalli-Petta, Emma Berry-Ashpole, Denver Bast, Katya Zamolodchikova, Matt Vaile, Trixie Mattel, Adam Avrashi, Sam Katz, (Front row, from left): Sadie McInnes, Courtney Constable, Jamie Smith, Bryce Sage, 11: Hollywood Jade, Tynomi Banks, Heymer Alvarado, 11: Trixie Mattel, Katya Zamolodchikova.

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IN MAGAZINE

INTERVIEW

7 QUESTIONS WITH JADE ELEKTRA The artist, DJ and activist talks about art, activism and HIV

Recently we sat down with Toronto-based recording artist, drag entertainer, DJ and community advocate Jade Elektra at Legacy 2.0 – a fundraising event presented by ViiV Healthcare and the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research – to hear her thoughts on art, activism and HIV advocacy. Here’s what she had to say.

Small steps lead to bigger ones and I’ve been slowly building a brand of activism here in Canada. I’m not RuPaul’s Drag Race-level famous, but I have carved out a space for HIV+ performers to showcase their talents and communicate messages because of my own treatment journey.

Tell us about yourself: who is Jade Elektra?

I guess I’d have to say that I’m a combination of all the strong women in my life: my mother and grandmother. I’m a singer, actor, producer, recording artist and, most importantly, a voice for the HIV+ community.

What’s next for Jade Elektra?

There’s a lot on the horizon. “Undetectable” is going to be a single with remixes in the coming year. My events – like MINGLE, which is my monthly social event to fight stigma and depression and raise funds for local AIDS service organizations – are definitely going to get bigger in 2020. I’m excited to have presented the seventh POZ-TO Awards just last month at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre.

In short: I’m looking forward to what’s next!

You were recently featured on the cover of HIV Plus Magazine.

What did that opportunity mean to you?

It was so unexpected. I did the interview and thought it would be a small piece after [I got] the chance to perform “Undetectable” as the finale at the 2019 United States Conference on AIDS in Washington, DC. I had no idea that they were going to put me on the cover! That has definitely raised my profile and has helped my philanthropy work. The entire experience has reaffirmed my belief that visibility is so important.

For many years, you’ve been an outspoken advocate for different communities. How did you first get involved with the HIV activism?

It started back when I lived in New York City. I started volunteering my DJ services for GMHC – the world’s first organization for HIV/AIDS prevention, care and advocacy – which led me to start volunteering for the Hetrick-Martin Institute, an LGBTQ youth support program. I’ve always believed that it is important to work with and mentor our youth.

What advice would you give to others looking to be a part of this movement and contribute to creating meaningful change in their community?

Find something that you are passionate about, and start there. We all can make a difference but it has to start where you are. Go volunteer at a local organization. Educate someone in your life.

The feeling of helping others can transform you into the kind of person who will influence others.

Why is it important for you to incorporate activism into your music and your art?

I look around and see so many drag performers clamouring for the spotlight. I don’t see nearly enough of them using their talents to make an impact on the problems we’re facing, to make a change in the world. I love putting messages in my music with the hope that the messages will live on after I’m gone. It’s about creating a legacy of empowerment for the next generation.

HIV treatment has come a long way in the past three decades, including the U=U movement. How has HIV treatment innovation impacted you and your career?

Well, to go from being afraid to take the meds back in the 1990s because of AZT to finally going on meds in 2005, I would say that the innovations in treatment have changed my life completely.

I’m 52 and the healthiest I’ve ever been, and this gives me the opportunity to do something good for my community.

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OPINION

Sweet Jamaica The land I love sometimes breaks my heart

By Jumol Royes

Jamaica’s national motto is an intrinsic part of the island nation’s brand identity, and a tribute to its multiracial roots as a welcoming place where people from different cultures and ethnicities coexist peacefully.

When asked where I’m from – an annoying question in and of itself, but that’s a conversation for another day – my typical answer is: I’m Jamaican-Canadian. Born in Toronto to Jamaican-immigrant parents, I was taught from a very young age to be proud of my Jamaican heritage. Whether I was in the kitchen with my mom on Sunday mornings helping her make fried dumplings (a Jamaican breakfast specialty), performing patois-laced skits in talent competitions with my sister (“Anancy an Wasp” written

by Jamaica’s most beloved poet, Louise Bennett-Coverley, was one of my favourites) or spending summer vacations on the island where we’d stay at our family house and reconnect with the many members of my extended family, Jamaica has always owned a piece of my heart.

Canada, likewise, has a long-running love affair with Jamaica: the country consistently ranks as one of the top Caribbean travel destinations for winter-weary Canadians – in 2018, Sunwing sent approximately 5,000 visitors each week through Montego Bay airport, the island’s main tourism hub, according to The Canadian Press. If you’re in search of sunny skies, white sand beaches and a serenely beautiful tropical getaway, Jamaica can’t be beat.

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2020

But look beyond its public image as an island paradise and you’ll find that Jamaica, like any place on earth, is far from perfect. In fact, it can be downright dangerous for members of the country’s LGBTQ2+ community.

The Gleaner, Jamaica’s daily newspaper, recently reported findings released by the Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CAPRI) that show anti-LGBTQ2+ laws and discriminatory practices – like the buggery law making same-sex activity between men legally punishable by imprisonment (a repeal of the law is currently pending) – cost the island $11 billion a year by driving down tourism and increasing the need for mental health services among the LGBTQ2+ population.

says Damien King, co-executive director of CAPRI. “Treating mental health [problems] costs Jamaica about $5 billion each year – only a third of which is public cost. The rest is a private cost. That $5 billion gives you a sense of what would be both the public and private savings that could be put to other uses if we were able to have a better attitude towards this marginalized group.”

The cancellation of Montego Bay Pride last fall is another cost of the homophobic views held by some Jamaicans. The fifth annual celebration was called off after the city’s mayor, Homer Davis, refused to allow an event that included a discussion about same-sex marriage to be held at the Montego Bay Cultural Centre, claiming it would “disturb the sacredness and purpose of why that building is there.” Montego Bay Pride founder Maurice Tomlinson – a Jamaican-Canadian lawyer and senior policy analyst with the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, who fled the island in 2012 and fights to change anti-LGBTQ2+ laws across the Caribbean – challenged the decision by filing a claim with the Supreme Court of Jamaica. After appeals by both sides, the Court of Appeal eventually sided with the mayor on a technicality.

(A separate event, the Walk for Rights, took place as part of scaled-down Pride activities.)

So what can be done to shift attitudes and show support for Jamaica’s LGBTQ2+ community?

Here at home, you can get involved with organizations like Rainbow Railroad (www.rainbowrailroad.org), a Toronto-based non-profit whose mission is “to help LGBTQI people as they seek safe haven from state-enabled violence, murder or persecution.”

In 2018, they helped 198 people travel to safety; 152 came from Jamaica. And if you plan on spending your next vacation on the island, consider donating to J-FLAG (www.jflag.org), an organization advocating “for the rights, livelihood and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Jamaica.”

(A fire destroyed their headquarters in 2018.)

I’ve heard it said that when you love someone, you must love them enough to tell them the truth, and it’s because I love Jamaica so deeply that I want her to do right by my LGBTQ2+ brothers and sisters.

“The incidence of mental health [problems] in the LGBT community is 69 per cent – more than triple the rate in the general population,” “Out of many, one people.” For Jamaica, it’s still a work in progress.

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JUMOL ROYES is a Toronto-based storyteller and communications strategist with a keen interest in personal

IN MAGAZINE development and transformation and a love of all things Real Housewives. Follow him on Twitter at @Jumol.

Profile In Youth: Leon Tsai

PROFILE

The Taiwanese-immigrant transgender woman, feminist, LGBTQ+ advocate and body-positive activist is a young person to watch

By Jumol Royes

Generation Z gets a bad rap and that reputation is undeserved. Need a little proof? The cohort born between the mid-1990s and the early 2000s are fiercely independent, social-justice minded and committed to making an impact. Does the name Greta Thunberg ring a bell?

Leon Tsai is another name you should know. A Taiwanese-immigrant transgender woman, feminist, LGBTQ+ advocate and body-positive activist, Tsai moved to Canada with her family at the age of 12, and came out as trans in high school. She’s currently studying at the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC), where she’s active on campus as a student leader promoting practices of equity and inclusion. A quote on her personal website reads: “Happiness is not the goal of life, happiness is a way of life.”

How does the intersectionality of your lived experience impact your daily life?

I’m a woman giving birth to myself while standing at the intersections of visibility and violence. The privileges I hold as an able-bodied settler-immigrant navigating through the city of Tkaronto have given me many opportunities for learning, unlearning and community building, as well as confronting systematic barriers within colonial-capitalist institutions. Yet the reality of my daily life is still a push and pull of survival, being a university student struggling with mental health, an advocate facing constant burnout, a trans woman of colour unsafe in public, an artist and storyteller desperate for work and a femme still healing from traumas of physical and sexual violence.

What do you recall about arriving in Canada, and what was the most difficult challenge adjusting to life in a new country?

I remember awkward newcomer programs, language barriers and finding social belonging among peers. I was introduced to other communities and interpersonal and socio-political possibilities. I gained the tools to question and explore my gender identity after understanding and discovering 2SLGBTQ+ expressions.

The most challenging part about adjusting was the socio-political violence experienced from bullying, workplace and street harassment, misgendering, slurs, and physical and sexual assaults. However, I give credit for providing the tools that have helped me to actualize myself into the light.

While studying at UTSC, you got involved with the Sexual Violence Prevention and Support Centre. What more needs to be done to ensure that university students, specifically trans women of colour, receive the support they need?

When I worked at the UTSC Sexual Violence Prevention and Support Centre, our roles were focused on youth and student representation, and campus awareness and education. But it became clear to me that the University-operated centre is still under a procedural and hierarchal guidance in response to sexual violence.

It’s difficult to work institutionally while centring the narratives and needs of survivors, especially when certain truths challenge those in power who are protected by systems. That’s why student unions across campuses often request annual reviews and updates to the language and policies around sexual violence prevention and support by the University.

You also volunteer with LGBT Youth Line. Tell us about the issues LGBTQ2+ young people struggle with.

As one of the youth ambassadors for LGBT Youth Line representing East Toronto/Scarborough, I’m honoured and ready to continue learning and unlearning for the communities that have yet to be heard. There’s a serious lack of community programs and publicly funded resources for queer and trans youth in [Toronto’s] east end and Scarborough – not to mention the intersecting dynamics of racial and gendered violence and microaggressions experienced by many on a daily basis. Scarborough is diverse and home to immigrant families and friends, but cross-cultural shocks, family and internal acceptance and social belonging are still some of the biggest struggles for local, racialized queer and trans youths.

Do you have any advice for young people who want to become allies for change?

With social media, social movements are being communicated through digital awareness and actions (at least in the contexts of Western popular culture). However, such advocacy can lose itself in the desensitization towards violence shown through media, as well as people thinking that solidarity is enough with re-posts and re-tweets and treating the work of healing, equity, inclusion, justice and community care as social media trends. To be an ally is to listen and to amplify what has been said, but not heard; to recognize and uplift those who have been screaming, but ignored; to support those who are still hurting in the dark; to confront the violence many still face every day in solitude; and to reflect on how we occupy and create spaces as well as the agency to give back and do what’s needed through our power and privileges.

It doesn’t always get better, but we get stronger; then we become better, together.

To find out more about Leon Tsai, visit her website at https://leontsai.wixsite.com/blossom

Peace Tea proudly supports inclusivity, diversity & love

JUMOL ROYES is a Toronto-based storyteller and communications strategist with a keen interest in personal development and transformation and a love of all things Real Housewives. Follow him on Twitter at @Jumol.

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ESTATE PLANNING

ESTATE PLANNING ESSENTIALS FOR LGBTQ COUPLES There are some important issues that same-sex couples should consider

By Fraser Abe

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2020

Even though same-sex marriage has been legally approved in Canada for 14 years (it was legalized in 2005), many LGBT couples opt not to get married. Some feel it is heteronormative; some feel it’s too expensive; others feel it’s an outdated tradition.

But whatever the reasoning, couples that have been together for a long time and decide not to get married still need to have financial and estate plans in place. Yeah, we know – short of discussing the political landscape with Uncle “All millennials are snowflakes” John at Christmas dinner, there’s no conversation more dreaded than finances and estate planning. Still, here are some reasons it is worth talking about.

If you and your partner live in Toronto or any of the country’s major metropolitan areas and are fortunate enough to be able to buy a home together – through determination, sheer force of will or (perhaps more realistically these days) a lottery win – estate planning is particularly important. Without this, if a couple isn’t legally married, the home won’t necessarily pass to the surviving partner upon death. Some instances in which that might come up: the home was already owned by one partner, only one person’s name is on the deed (a tactic often taken when one member of the couple has a poorer credit rating), or one partner’s parents helped pay for the home and are listed as co-owners. That’s why it’s important to have a will drawn up that states clearly who gets what when someone passes.

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IN MAGAZINE

A living will outlines a person’s wishes if they ever find themselves incapacitated and unable to make life decisions. Having such a document will help anyone, but especially LGBT couples who have unaccepting families. The 2013 documentary Bridegroom tells the story of Shane Bitney Crone and his partner, Thomas Lee Bridegroom, and what ensued after Bridegroom died in a tragic accident. Being young, neither thought anything would happen to them, but in the aftermath of Bridegroom’s death, Crone faced many struggles, including being barred by his partner’s family from attending his funeral.

If you’re travelling, bring along some form of documentation of your relationship (like a living will), in case you find yourself in a hospital that will only deal with “family.” That living will could do just as much good in Canada, if a partner experiences some traumatic injury and the hospital will only deal with “family.” If the partner’s birth family is unaccepting of their child’s sexuality or gender identity, it may be up to the able partner to act as the other’s advocate in the hospital (against, say, misgendering, forced feeding, or anything else the not-so-well-intentioned “family” may impose), and doing it on legal grounds will make the whole endeavour much easier.

If one partner has any sizable assets in a TFSA, RRSP or other investment vehicle, the proceeds will not necessarily pass to their

surviving spouse unless that has been specifically stated to be the wish. Again, this is where having a will would be useful, but failing that, naming your partner as beneficiary would be a positive step.

This is something to consider especially when the individual has held the account for much longer than they’ve known their partner (say someone started an RRSP at 20 but met their partner at 30), and the beneficiary has been unchanged in ages (often a parent).

Non-registered accounts cannot have beneficiaries named unless they are part of an insurance product, so a regular savings account will pass through to an estate unless otherwise specified in a will.

The only two things that are certain in life are said to be death and taxes, so why not talk about them both at once and kill two birds with one stone? In Canada, Old Age Security and Canada Pension Plan benefits are extended to same-sex couples (and even common-law couples), but if you file taxes as roommates, or don’t have a will in place, it may be hard to prove that those benefits should go to your spouse. And, like everything else involving the government, you’ll have to do the paperwork (https://catalogue.servicecanada.gc.ca/ content/EForms/en/Detail.html?Form=ISP3004CPP). If one partner is a high earner and the other isn’t, that income could be of great importance – CPP alone could be 60 per cent of the contributor’s retirement pension if over the age of 65, according to Canada.ca.

The site also says, “The enhancement will further increase the amount of the survivor’s pension depending on how much and for how long the deceased contributor paid into the enhancement.”

Many same-sex couples have children, whether from a previous relationship, adoption, surrogacy or some other method. In Canada, the same rights apply to same-sex couples as heterosexual ones, so if a couple opts to remain common law, the same rules also apply.

This means that, for example, if a couple is legally deemed to be co-parents (say both names are on a birth certificate), child support payments will apply if the couple separates.

Visitation rights are another thing to think about in the event of a breakup. And don’t forget about things like RESPs (registered education savings plans) for the little ones!

Planning for the un-fun parts of life is never fun, but it’s certainly much better than being blindsided while also undergoing grief. Make sure to have these conversations now and to visit a lawyer to draft up a will. Even if you think you don’t need one, it is worthwhile to go for a brief consultation.

FRASER ABE is a Toronto-based writer. His work has been published in Toronto Life, The Globe and Mail, Sharp Magazine, NOW Magazine and more. When he’s not busy writing, he’s shrieking Gia Gunn quotes at his boyfriend, Colin.

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DRAG

MISS MOÇO

IS SERVING BUSINESSWOMAN SPECIAL 24/7 We chat with Toronto’s brunch-queen-meets-entrepreneur about the local drag scene, starting a business, and Toronto’s hunger for drag brunch

By Bianca Guzzo

You can feel the personality that fills the room while sitting at a table at Miss Pippa’s in the Brockton Village area of Toronto. The west-end spot is part café, part wine bar and part floral/gift shop – a mix of comfort, chicness and cozy eccentricity. Immediately after stepping into Miss Pippa’s, you can tell each and every piece on display has been picked out with extreme care, which is thanks to Adam Moco and his husband, Anton Levin.

When Adam is not being an entrepreneur serving up drinks, food and flowers, he is serving up looks, lip syncs and wig snatches for brunch audiences as one of Toronto’s top drag queens: Miss Moço.

Whether at the café or at Miss Moço’s weekly performances, the customer mix is diverse. We sat down with the Toronto queen to talk about the good and the bad of drag going mainstream, the reality of being a working queen in Toronto, and bringing drag brunch to the city.

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2020

Before opening Miss Pippa’s, Adam and Anton moved to Portugal in 2015. “He’s a florist, so that’s where the flowers come in,” says Adam. “And he’s always wanted to have his own flower shop: he questioned doing it in Portugal, but it just wasn’t the place.” After spending a year abroad, Adam and Anton moved back to Toronto, and started to seriously consider opening up their dream shop.

“One day [Anton] just walked by [the café’s site], saw it for lease and said, ‘Okay, this is it,’” Adam recalls. “And we knew that just doing a flower shop wasn’t enough. I like wine, so we thought it was a perfect pairing. And with all of the gifts and things with the plants, it all just happened really organically.”

Adam calls himself an “entrepreneuress,” which makes perfect sense after finding out that running the café is only half of his professional story.

His journey with drag started as a child. He has been in touch with his feminine side since a young age, always exploring his expression with androgynous pieces, which evolved into wearing heels in his early 20s. A Businesswoman Special wig party hosted by Micheal Yurxa and April Wozny got him into a wig, and the rest followed naturally. “They asked me to take a photo in a wig to be on the poster, and then a few days later, I said, ‘Can I maybe perform?

Just pull something together?’ and that was it.”

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IN MAGAZINE

Drag was not something he had wanted to go into, Adam says, explaining that others’ perceptions of the drag community held him back from trying it out. But once he experienced performing as Miss Moço, he was hooked. “I got on that stage and now she’s a queen.” In fact, Miss Moço is currently a superstar in Toronto’s unique drag scene.

But that success wasn’t instantaneous. While the couple was living in Europe, “there wasn’t a drag scene, so I had to create one for myself,” Adam says. “I had moved to Portugal to work on my art, because I had just started doing drag, so I added that into the mix.”

He also brought screenings of RuPaul’s Drag Race to local queer spaces, and even started his own competition, Miss Drag Lisboa (for which he still goes back to Portugal each year).

Adam says it’s hard to compare Toronto’s drag scene to anywhere else in the world because of how different it is. For one, Toronto queens are infamous in the city for marathon drag: performing long sets of drag, sometimes four or five songs, taking a short break, and doing four or five more. “I think it’s great because it definitely prepares you to know a lot of music, and have a good repertoire, and prepares you to work hard,” says Adam. “I would love to perform song after song after song because I love to perform, so I think it’s a unique thing to Toronto.”

Drag brunch is relatively new to the city, but it’s exploding in popularity, with a more diverse audience than other drag venues in Toronto. Bars that host traditional drag performances in the Village tend to have more queer-based audiences, while drag brunches in other parts of the city attract a more family-centric, and younger, crowd. “My customers at a drag brunch are I would say 95 to 98 per cent straight,” says Miss Moço. “Every weekend I always ask who’s here for the first time, and I would say 80 per cent of the room is always new every weekend.”

Adam credits the Gladstone Hotel for the diverse audiences that come out to brunch. “I think the space I’m in, and the area that I’m in in this city, brings out a very unique and diverse group of people. I think also that because drag has become more mainstream, that has opened it up.”

Shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race have given drag queens and queer performers exposure and success in mainstream popular culture.

Queer audiences still mostly dominate drag performances in queer spaces, but as the worldwide drag fan base becomes more diverse, so do the number of fans who want to experience live performances.

While it’s fantastic that drag is becoming more beloved by the masses, there is still division within the community about these new audiences. “I think where it becomes a bit of an issue is when these people are coming into our safe space, where we know we can go and just 100 per cent be ourselves. Unfortunately, all it takes is that one rotten apple to spoil it for everybody,” says Miss Moço. While some queens may see the wider audience base as a disadvantage, Miss Moço sees it as an opportunity to open more people’s eyes to the world of drag.

Her performances aren’t limited to drag brunches, either. She takes her performances at corporate events as an opportunity to bring drag, and awareness of the LGBTQ+ community, to people who might never find themselves at a traditional drag performance. “I’ve always gone into anything I do business minded, so I’m here for mainstream, I’m here for corporate gigs – I’m also here for maybe shedding a little light when people don’t understand, especially at corporate gigs. It may be their first drag show, and I don’t mind being there to be a bit of a resource,” she says.

For a while, local queens were getting corporate gigs only during Pride season, but now companies are bringing in queer performers and drag queens all year round, which is a testament to their mainstream success and the changing environment surrounding drag performers. Miss Moço says it’s a reminder that the LGBTQ+ community exists, and deserves visibility outside of Pride season – and more people are starting to understand that.

While the mainstream success has resulted in more people eagerly coming out and supporting local drag performers, drag isn’t exactly what it looks like on television. Comparing local queens to the queens you see on Drag Race isn’t always a fair fight. “What you’re seeing is very scripted, and guided. Us queens are out here schlepping across the city, spending hours on our makeup getting ready for a gig, and we’re not getting paid from the moment we start getting ready. We get paid when we get to a gig. It’s a lot of work.”

Queens from Drag Race have big platforms that attract large crowds, but local queens need your support too. Canada’s local queens will get their time in the spotlight with the arrival of Drag Race Canada, which will no doubt bring some more attention to the Toronto drag scene. “I think it’s going to – I hope – make a very positive impact,” says Miss Moço.

Miss Moço is just getting started, and she’s already done incredible things in Toronto’s drag community. From hosting drag brunch at the Gladstone and introducing new people to the art of drag, to participating in a national Roots campaign, she shows no sign of slowing down. Recently, her drag brunch has been sold out weekly, and she’s even hosted actress Cate Blanchett at a brunch. She is continually finding new ways to make her performances interesting.

From starting out with a photo in a wig for a Businesswoman Special, the entrepreneuress is now serving Businesswoman Special 24/7, with flowers, wine, lip syncs and wig snatches.

BIANCA GUZZO is a writer based out of the GTA. She spends her free time watching Trixie Mattel makeup tutorials, though she has yet to nail the look.

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NIGHTLIFE

STRAIGHT WOMEN FREQUENTING QUEER SPACES: YAY OR NAY? There are push and pull factors that lead straight women to gay bars

By Bobby Box

When I first moved to Toronto, I briefly worked at one of the city’s most popular gay bars. I loved my co-workers and the environment, but the sacrifice to my social life and sleep schedule didn’t seem worth it. Neither, I should mention, did the harassment.

Since I worked at a gay bar, one might assume that I, a queer man, was being aggressively grabbed, solicited and shoved by queer male patrons – but you’d be wrong. The culprits were almost exclusively straight women.

Women in bachelorette parties are near-unanimously considered the worst offenders, with gay men describing them as “belligerent,” “rude” and “disrespectful,” often shoving their way to the front of a performance and hopping on stage with drag queens without an invitation. These designations mostly boil down to the same thing: among a certain collective of hetero women, gay bars and its patrons are a novelty and a source of entertainment. “ I was once in the During my employment, I began to better understand the argument. Village bar in London and a group of women were trying to pull The place was a complete zoo and straight women behaved like one of the go-go boy’s jockstrap off,” Greg, 30, recalls. they owned the place. And on top of that, they rarely tipped. Still, for every misbehaved hetero woman there was another woman “The only time I’ve ever had my ass grabbed in a gay bar was by supporting her GBF, and she was an absolute pleasure to serve. straight women with a bridal party,” Mikhail, 34, says. “Last year my hubby and I went out dancing and a group of drunk straight For this reason, I wanted to dig deeper into the collective mindset women kept pushing us into each other while chanting ‘kiss!’” he of straight women frequenting gay bars. And, honey, the opinions continues. “Another time, a bride pushed her finger through my came pouring in. shorts and touched my asshole. And just last month, my husband was knocked over by a drunk group who arrived at a drag show “I don’t mind as long as she recognizes that she is a guest in the 10 minutes late and wanted to be up front.” space and acts accordingly,” says Tabz, 27, adding he would only have an issue if the women regularly consort with homophobic men. Despite these harrowing experiences, Mikhail says he understands that straight women need a safe space to let loose as much as we Tommy, 38, agrees. “ Straight women who respect that they are in do – a non-violent space where they can be themselves without someone else’s space are fine. Bachelorette parties that treat gay inhibition or looking over their shoulder. men as a spectacle for their amusements? Hell no!”

The bar I’d been hired at has a reputation for attracting young heterosexual women, and local gays generally steer clear of it for that reason. A novice gay at the time, I didn’t think the clientele would be a problem. And, as a person who’s foolishly pursued a career in journalism, I needed the cash real bad.

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2020

In addition to the fact that these bars are safe spaces for queer people, many are sexual spaces as well, hosting backdoor corridors for people to hook up in various, very gay ways. Understandably, having a woman present does not feel appropriate. With straight women present, there is a discernible shift in energy. Even in a less extreme circumstance, the presence of straight women might influence gay men to reconsider taking their shirts off on the dance floor – a wildly freeing act synonymous with our culture.

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IN MAGAZINE

For a studied opinion, I spoke to Jason Orne, a queer sociologist and the author of Boystown: Sex And Community In Chicago.

He calls this behaviour being “on safari,” meaning straight women often visit queer spaces just as one might visit a zoo.

“I argue that there are push and pull factors that lead straight women to gay bars,” Orne shares with IN. “For every straight woman who is pushed to go to gay bars because straight bars are full of creepy bros who won’t give her any peace, there is another who caricatures gay men’s culture as safe and fun eroticism without questioning heterosexism or the rejection of respectability that comes with it.”

Orne brings to light an important counterpoint. He argues that while gay men are viewed as objects to be consumed at a gay bar, many women report gay men feel like they can touch a woman’s body.

As one Mel Magazine writer shares, the first instance of sexual harassment many women face is likely around self-proclaimed “harmless” guys, whether gay or straight, who feel emboldened to make comments about women’s appearance, touch them inappropriately, and say sexually explicit things, feeling justified because they don’t actually want to have sex with them.

And let’s not forget, hetero women’s money helps keep our spaces open. “In my town, Savannah, there’s only one gay space left,” Jacob, 34, shares. “If the bachelorette parties didn’t come, that space couldn’t financially stay afloat.”

As Orne explains, our culture is being watered down and sold to straight people to keep the lights on in our bars. “It’s not just

because some people aren’t going to [gay bars] anymore because gay men are assimilating into straight culture, but because rising rent prices and gentrification are forcing businesses to seek widening clientele, and gay culture sells,” he says. “I’d rather have a straight woman in my queer space that is knowledgeable of queer culture and respectful of her position in the space over a queer individual who is disrespectful to the sexuality and radicalness about the sex and gender variance that created us.”

He has a proviso. “I don’t think all spaces are for all people. I want straight people to question themselves when they go to a queer space: why do I feel entitled to go to this place?” he explains. “It’s the same question I think people should ask any time they enjoy something that doesn’t stem from a heritage they have. Not to not do it, but to just ask why. That act, I hope, would make them be a bit more respectful.”

While it can be easy to shrug off the answer as “queer spaces are for queer people,” we can’t forget that, for many, straight women were our greatest allies during adolescence. They protected and defended us against homophobes and bullies, and took us in when nobody else would. These women loved us regardless – many knew we were gay even before we did.

But I do think we understand that. In speaking with many great men, most of us are very comfortable sharing our spaces with straight women – though we all agree that certain places are more appropriate than others. All we ask for in return is some R-E-S-P-E-C-T. And, please, tip your bartenders

BOBBY BOX is a prolific freelance journalist in Hamilton, Ont. He currently works as contributing editor at Playboy.com and has had the privilege of speaking with the world’s most recognized drag queens, including, most recently, Trixie Mattel and Alaska Thunderfuck.

While proud of his work, Bobby is not above begging. He asks that you follow him on Twitter at @bobbyboxington.

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BOOKS

STAR-STRUCK Queer Cosmos astrologer and author Colin Bedell aims for inclusivity, accessibility and acceptance within astrology

By Ashley Kowalewski-Pizzi

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2020

“What’s your sign?” used to be considered a terrible pickup line, but has now become a go-to question for someone to better understand you. While there are plenty of memes floating around about finding out someone’s exact time of birth to get their birth chart so you can fit them into a box of compatibility, astrology is more than just a simple horoscope.

queer people, we are deeply behind the curve with resources and availability for couples, relationships and romance. I made a point to make sure that I outline the compatibility section to be both love and desire so that if there’s just a sexual connection, we can talk about desire; if there’s a romantic and sexual connection, we can talk about love and both.” He adds: “I think queer people have a beautiful understanding of how to reconfigure interpersonal dynamic – that’s why the symbol of the chosen family is very much under the umbrella of queer studies. But when it comes to the romantic and relational sciences, we’ve been largely excluded from the narrative.”

Colin Bedell is a queer-identifying astrologer and author of the new book Queer Cosmos: The Astrology of Queer Identities & Relationships, an extension of his astrology site of the same name.

His interpretations of the stars can be found on Cosmopolitan’s weekly horoscopes and he’s working to make astrology accessible, both within his book and with his online presence. Oh, and he’s a He applies a reading for a queer person by calling in the planet Gemini – and a twin – so it’s only natural that his most endearing that is opposite the gender they most identify with. He explains, qualities are his intuitive nature and ability to comprehend the “If you’re female-identifying, I like to talk about Mars; if you’re balance in energies. a male-identifying queer man, I like to call in Venus.” Non-binary people, Bedell believes, “are absolute geniuses at astrology His aim is simple: Bedell is working to “deconstruct heteronormativity because they’re already demonstrating both ends and understand from the conversation” on astrology and create a space where queer that there’s no binary.” For them, he calls in Uranium energy, people feel as though information is being provided from their which is considered “the queerest planet” because “Uranus rules perspective. In an excerpt from his book, Bedell writes, “Modern ideas on freedom and liberation…since our queer identities are society offers us a treasure trove of applicable secular and spiritual not supported by the status quo.” (If you’re not sure what any of resources that help queer people set themselves free from the barbed this means, Queer Cosmos offers a crash course in queer studies, wire of shame, develop skills to cultivate the personal practice of astrology, and how the two fit together.) authenticity, and sharpen our tools to rise above loneliness while we build functional relationships to service each other.”

Astrology, like so many of the other resources Bedell alludes to, can be used as a tool for self-discovery, self-understanding and Bedell explains he does not consider astrology an inherently self-acceptance, which is really the key to how we interact with the gendered metaphysical system, but he does consider many of its world around us – particularly when it comes to our relationships. practitioners, who work under the patriarchal claw, use inaccessible In times where social change and adaptability are so important and gendered language alongside heteronormative stereotypes. and necessary, using astrology as a mirror can help untangle the When discussing the presence of the hokey, back-of-the-book effects of trauma, suffering and the societally imposed norms that horoscopes found in magazines and newspapers, he points out that have been left unchallenged for too long. many of these publications cater towards women and are deeply coded in misogyny.

And what does Bedell say is in store for us in the new year? Many people have begun putting in the work on self-discovery and His book largely focuses on romantic relationships, breaking down understanding, but for 2020 – when Jupiter, the planet that rules the compatibility between signs – though he explains there is no wisdom and education, will be in steadfast Capricorn – Bedell says “good” or “bad” when it comes to compatibility, another way in we’re not done putting in the work: “2020 demands emotional which he is deconstructing some of the societally imposed norms. self-mastery. We’ve identified the problem; now we have to find This focus on romance is to invite queer people to the table when the emotional self-mastery to find the solution. If we do it, we’ll it comes to resources and the narrative surrounding relationships feel amazing effects.”

– all without gendered stereotypes or pronouns. “I think that for

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ASHLEY KOWALEWSKI-PIZZI is a Toronto-based writer and editor who has more pink lipsticks, neon Post-its and daily cups of coffee than the average human. When she’s not testing out beauty products, you can find her hanging around the city with her pup Odie. Follow her at @ashkowapizzi.

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COVER STORY

YVIE ODDLY IS KEEPING IT WEIRD

IN chats with the current reigning queen on what she’s learned since being crowned, advice to future Ru girls, and being authentic both on and off screen

By Bianca Guzzo

Yvie Oddly lives up to her name in every sense. She entered the werk room on the Season 11 premiere of RuPaul’s Drag Race with a remote-control car attached to a feather boa, and she hasn’t looked back since.

During her time on the show, we saw Yvie progress week after week. She took criticism and improved her craft, and lifted her competitors up to her level along the way, even performing in one of the most iconic lip-syncs in the show’s 11-season run. She spoke up when she felt she needed to, and was unapologetic in her criticism of her peers. Her honesty and authenticity got her all the way to the season’s finale, where she wowed with another iconic look and a stellar lip-sync against Canadian queen Brooke Lynn Hytes. Eventually, Yvie took the crown.

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She’s now spent the past six months as the US franchise’s newest drag superstar. We talked with the Denver queen about what she’s learned from her Drag Race win, about always being willing to grow and evolve, and how she stays true to herself.

have competed on Drag Race leave the show with an enormous platform to share their art and stories.

Yvie explains to IN that the community of “Ru girls” that queens enter after competing on the show is a lot different than fans may think. “They are much more welcoming than social media portrays it. There’s a mutual appreciation, which is great because you know you have a community.” The help of a community is important when you suddenly find yourself performing all over the world, as Yvie has been doing ever since her win. Having people around you who share similar experiences makes it easier to transition into a life where you are well-known all over the world.

Tipping culture is something that is huge in the American drag scene, and it’s one thing that a lot of American queens find hard about performing in other countries, where tipping is not the norm. But Yvie says she doesn’t really notice the cultural differences while performing in various countries around the world. The excitement of performing for a global audience hasn’t been lost on her either.

“I’m so excited to perform when I’m somewhere new. I think there are oddballs everywhere, so the excitement all sounds the same.”

By the way…since winning Drag Race, Yvie’s audiences haven’t been limited to everyday fans of the show. “It’s been pretty chill to meet some celebrities!” she says.

Yvie’s wildly different approach to drag was reminiscent of past queens who appeared on Drag Race like Sharon Needles, Jinkx Monsoon and Milk, who brought (and continue to bring) more conceptual approaches to their performances. You could describe Yvie’s looks as a little rough around the edges…but in the best possible way. That distinctly Yvie approach to her drag looks, Yvie’s style of drag on her season was quite different from what and her approachable attitude, made her an early fan favourite on we were seeing from other queens, and what we had gotten used the show. Through her run on Season 11, she reminded fans and to seeing from queens on previous seasons. Her looks were viewers that you always have room to grow and improve your craft, more conceptual art than pageant queen, but that didn’t stop her and in doing so become a stronger, and better, version of yourself. from exploring different avenues while still staying true to her performance style. She credits her strongest and most iconic look Watching Yvie as she often got into arguments with her Season on Drag Race as her show-stopping pink jellyfish ensemble – 11 sisters, fans of the show questioned whether her constructive a look she prepared for by painting her entire body pink in the werk criticism came from an honest place, or whether it was part of her room before the runway. Nothing is off limits, as she describes her strategy to play the game. Her raw honesty made her one to watch drag as “seeing a live birth.” from the beginning, and her eagerness to improve her art was inspiring to watch. “I just never saw the point in lying – I was going Yvie’s style is ever-changing and evolving, and that’s something to be me 100 per cent,” Yvie tells IN. “People need to learn how she’s passionate about retaining with her art, and performances. to speak up sometimes. I’m glad I could give someone a voice.” “I think being able to evolve my artistry and imagination has been something that I’ve enjoyed most.” Winning the crown and touring Expanding the drag artist’s platform the world hasn’t stopped her from trying other new things, and Yvie is a drag superstar during a time where drag queens and other always keeping it weird. Being odd is in her name, so it’s safe to queer performers are gaining more popularity in traditional popular say that it’s not going anywhere. culture. With this mainstream popularity comes a new opportunity for art to be seen, and messages to be heard. The drag community What’s next? has gone through a lot of transformation in recent years, and the It’s been a year since Yvie competed on the show, and watching it whole community is so different than it once was. Queens who now has taught her that everything she did happened for a reason,

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Photos by Brandon Voss (Voss Events)`

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and not to regret any of the choices she made, because it ultimately many, their only exposure to drag performers is what they see on got her the crown. There is one thing she wishes she could go a screen, and while shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race have done so back and play differently, though. “I guess Snatch Games,” she much to bring drag queens and LGBTQ+ issues to light, it can says with a laugh. Yvie’s portrayal of Whoopi Goldberg during also hinder the reality of what it takes to be a drag queen. It’s not the competition’s notoriously difficult challenge landed her in the all reading, and makeup, and sewing challenges. Drag queens – bottom two that week, along with Canadian queen Brooke Lynn especially the ones who don’t have the help of an international Hytes. The two lip-synced to Demi Lovato’s “Sorry, Not Sorry,” television show – have to hustle to be able to perform. Yvie wants and delivered the show’s most iconic and memorable fight to stay fans of the show to know that queens, whether they have big or in the race to date. It was so incredible that RuPaul decided they small platforms, have to work really hard to get to where they are. both deserved a second chance, which eventually saw both of them “It isn’t cheap. You’ve got to be savvy,” she says. together at the finale.

When she’s not on the road performing for the world, Yvie says she Winning the crown has opened a lot of new doors for Yvie, and enjoys just relaxing in her downtime. But soon enough, she’s right while she’s managed to stay true to who she was from the time back to excitedly performing to a new crowd, in a new country. She she entered the competition, her superstar status hasn’t stopped her has taken the world by storm, taking her one-of-a-kind act on the from evolving as a performer. Yvie says winning the competition road for everyone to experience for themselves. For a lot of fans, has taught her that she can continue to evolve more than she ever seeing one of their favourite queens from Drag Race live for the first time can be a different experience than seeing a performance on believed she could. television. Drag performances have the power to put the spotlight And that’s not all. Through her win, Yvie has continued to on bigger issues while still being a light-hearted medium that can open doors and break the glass ceiling for other drag and queer be enjoyed by a diverse group of people. performers who are branded as “odd” or “different.” There is now more space on the stage for performers who don’t fit inside the Yvie’s performances have always come from a deeper place, and traditional boxes of what people once believed drag performers are presented with a message: “You are odd and unique, and that’s were supposed to fit into. In fact, Yvie is often credited as one of okay!” This seems to be the energy she takes with her in every aspect the queens who have helped usher in this new era of drag that’s a of both her life and her performances. She has always preached that little more offbeat than the sequins and evening gowns that have your differences are what give you an edge. During her time on RuPaul’s Drag Race, she revealed that she was dealing with Ehlers been previously expected.

Danlos syndrome, a physical condition that causes hyper-flexibility With the horizons for drag being broadened, more queens who are in the body due to a lack of collagen production. It forced her to daring to be different, like Yvie, are being given a larger platform. slow down during a portion of the competition, but ultimately her They are shaking things up, and continue to diversify the drag differences made her an open, honest and stronger competitor. community and its audiences. Yvie admits that even though there are all types of different types of drag, some tend to be more glorified Through everything, Yvie has shown both her fans and all her than others. She says she hopes more people similar to her will audiences that she is different, and she’s not afraid to be. She is come forward and continue to break barriers for future queens to be unapologetically herself, and a self-proclaimed “oddball.” She a little different from what’s expected, and gain a bigger platform keeps it weird, but she’s also not afraid to keep it fresh and change to share their art. “It’s opening the doors for oddballs like me,” she it up when she feels she needs to. Yvie is never apprehensive when explains. The more mainstream drag performers get noticed, and it comes to speaking up. She’s loud when she needs to be, and she praised in traditional pop culture, the more it opens the doors for doesn’t regret it. something different to shine through.

So what’s next for the current reigning queen supreme? She’s It’s almost impossible to know exactly what to expect when you’re currently touring the world, having just finished a tour in Europe competing on a show with a stage as big as RuPaul’s Drag Race. and Mexico. Her next stop is performing in Australia, and then There’s no amount of binge watching that can prepare you for how she will settle into her new residency in Las Vegas for a show at hard and how fast you have to work. Yvie has a piece of advice for the legendary Flamingo. She’ll be sharing the stage with other fan the fresh crop of new queens about to make their first appearances favourites like Season 10 winner Aquaria, as well as Vanessa Vanjie on the world’s largest drag competition. “Just be yourself,” she Mateo, Eureka O’Hara, Kim Chi and Naomi Smalls, just to name laughs. “Just do it!” Another thing she wasn’t prepared for while a few. After some time in Las Vegas, she’ll be heading out with another batch of Drag Race alumni for Werq the World Europe. she was filming Season 11: “Smoke breaks are limited.”

Shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race have thrown drag performers into mainstream success; more people are gaining their first exposure to drag and queer performers from seeing them on television. For

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Yvie Oddly is just getting started. She’s not slowing down, and she’s not afraid to keep it weird, no matter how uncomfortable it might make you.

BIANCA GUZZO is a writer based out of the GTA. She spends her free time watching Trixie Mattel makeup tutorials, though she has yet to nail the look.

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ESSAY

QUEERING MY BODY: ON EATING DISORDERS AND COMING OUT Having lesbian representation acts as a protector between me and my urges

By Emily Norton

TRIGGER WARNING When I was 18, I fell in love. Well, it was something that looked a lot like love from where I was standing. It was my first year of university, and I didn’t know what to expect. I hoped for a new beginning. I hoped that a big city would urge me to shine in ways my small town never could. But I was greeted at Toronto’s doors by the ghosts of my longings.

During my first relationship with a woman (my first relationship at all, actually), I developed an eating disorder. Eating disorders are complicated mental illnesses. There are different types, habits, reasonings, and ways in which they manifest. For me, it was pure self-hatred that fuelled my urge to erase my existence by denying myself nourishment – and in doing so, denying myself my life.

Internalized homophobia is a fertile breeding ground for mental illnesses, and I had shame written all over me.

This relationship sent me spiralling. Loving her meant telling people I loved her. Loving her meant telling people I love women. Loving her meant telling. It meant a heavy door held open. A heavy door that wanted to slam itself shut. It meant, me, confronting the one thing I had been trying to avoid for years.

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I had never thought about my body until the day I knew I had to start coming out to people. And when I say “had to,” I mean I knew it was the only way for my first relationship to be successful and happy. I wanted that more than anything. But it was hard to believe in the possibility given my own hesitancies and fears, and her openly homophobic family.

Of course, the actual act of coming out is not some requirement for LGBTQ+ people to earn their official community membership, but there is a constant pressure and desire to do so. After years of denying myself the joy of embracing my identity as a lesbian, I wanted to finally be out and proud. I wanted to hold my girlfriend’s hand in public and share photos of her kissing my cheek. I wanted to feel like I could live my life authentically and openly, but my mind prevented me.

It wasn’t evident to me at first. Why do I suddenly care about losing weight? Why am I thinking about every bite and sip I take?

I had never had body image issues before those moments, and I struggled to grasp why all my energy was being focused on something

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so seemingly trivial. All the time I was growing up, I have been thin. Clearly, thin privilege, cisgender privilege and white privilege have benefited me throughout my life. I have never doubted that my body “fit” in society because it always led me to believe so. But when I finally allowed myself to embrace my identity as a lesbian, my image and understanding of myself changed drastically. I was no longer the girl who felt she could take the world by storm, but a mere shell of that person.

It has been a few years since the worst of my disordered eating. And though my recovery has inevitably been imperfect, it has brought me clarity and confidence in myself, my body and my sexuality.

Additionally, a lot in my life has changed since that time. To be frank, my life has gotten exceptionally and proudly gayer, and I love it.

A survey conducted by The Trevor Project found that more than 50 per cent of LGBTQ+-identifying youths have been diagnosed with eating disorders. And keep in mind that many people are never officially diagnosed. According to research published by the US National Eating Disorder Associate (NEDA), among men who have eating disorders, 42 per cent are gay, and the people who binge ate, purged and/or abused laxatives were largely bisexual, lesbian or gay. There are experiences LGBTQ+-identified people go through that affect them with specificity. Gender dysphoria, coming out, oppression-based trauma, bullying and the pressure of labels are all things LGBTQ+ people experience and are impacted by socially, mentally and physically.

There is, of course, more research to be done, but there is a clear relationship between eating disorders and the oftentimes difficult existence as an LGBTQ+ person. Despite the portrayal of eating disorders as “white girl illnesses,” they affect many more people than that.

When I had completed my most pressing coming out, I unsurprisingly felt relieved. It wasn’t immediate or complete, but the relief was there. It was there in the moments when I’d say “lesbian” aloud without flinching. It was there in the moments when I’d comment on a cute girl’s buzzcut and not feel ashamed. It was there when I introduced my now girlfriend as such to my classmates at a school event. And it was there when I met my favourite professor and she introduced me to lesbian poets I had never heard of.

I gradually became more surrounded by LGBTQ+ people and representation. I focused on engaging with the things and people that made me feel seen, respected and celebrated. My fears of being rejected by those I loved because of my sexuality, the self-hate I drenched myself in because of those fears, and the need for a distraction from my lonely, closeted life – all that slowly began to weigh less on my mind. Without the constant mental drawbacks of internalized homophobia and disordered thoughts, my anxiety eased, making space to begin embracing myself wholly. Flaws and all.

Being able to acknowledge my identity was the first step. After that, I started seeking out LGBTQ+ representation in whatever ways I could: television, film, academia, music, literature. As a writer, I love words. And lesbian writing quickly became my saving grace in recovery. Reading the words of someone who understands what

it’s like to live in a lesbian body was essential. It birthed a sense of connectedness to my community and taught me to look at my body with lesbian eyes. It helped me grow empathy for my sexuality and the body I had taken my fears and hate out on for years. Having lesbian-specific representation acts as a protector between me and my disordered urges.

Recovery is not a straight path to a holy achievement. Not a means to an end. In fact, for me, it’s a super gay path to surprising, frustrating and hopeful ends that are never really the end.

The stress of discrimination, gender expectations, and the lingering of childhood fears remain a regularity in my life. But because of my community, I am able to fight those things. I am able to acknowledge that my body is here for a reason, and it is not to fade away.

EMILY NORTON is a writing student and poet from Toronto. Her work centres on themes of identity, reclamation, honesty and, of course, lesbians. If she’s not writing, she’s probably watching TV or thinking about her dog. You can find her on Twitter at @_emnorton.

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PHOTO ESSAY

The Imperial Court Of Toronto Presents: Coronation XXXIII

The Crowns That Care Gala delivered an evening of dancing queens and kings Text and photos by Wade Muir

When I was asked to donate my time to photograph The Crowns That Care Gala held by TICOT (The Imperial Court of Toronto), I had no idea what I was getting myself into. The expectation was that I would send around 100 images...I ended up delivering almost 1,000. I couldn’t stop taking pictures. I saw the heart of old-school drag: a group of gender-bender-y artists with a pre-Drag Race aesthetic, slotted into a royally structured hierarchy, all deeply steeped in love.

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TICOT, which was established in 1986, is a chapter of the International Imperial Court System, a.k.a. IICS (est. 1965). One of the queens from the Gala night put it to me like this: “This was created way before Facebook.… We had to have a way to keep track of each other – a way to make sure everyone was okay.” I could see and feel it: a group of people who have bravely faced struggles

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with love, self-love and acceptance, not to mention existential fights like the AIDS epidemic. I have since learned that the IICS is one of the longest-standing LGBTQ+ communities that strives for equality while raising awareness and funds for various charities…and at the same time creating a safe space for some good-old drag.

These photos are from the 33rd Coronation, where Toronto’s Emperor and Empress of The Randy House of B.L.A.K.E. stepped down after crowning their new Empress: Rebekka Blake. Last year, through the tips of their drag performers as well as raffle tickets and silent auctions, TICOT donated $16,000 to Rainbow Railroad, $16,000 to Toronto PWA (People with AIDS Association) and $15,000 to SOY (Supporting Our Youth) – and have donated over $1 million to the community since they began.

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PHOTO ESSAY

WADE MUIR is a queer Toronto-based photographer/artist (who feels a lot). You can check out more of his work on Instagram at @wademuir or at www.wademuir.ca.

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FASHION

SNOW PATROL Get ready to hit the slopes…or at least look like you’re ready PHOTOGRAPHER: Ivan Otis CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Paul Langill HAIR AND MAKEUP: Julia Valente STYLISTS: Fredsonn Santos Silva, Lacey Elizabeth and Kahmeelia Smith ASSISTANT STYLIST: Maria Chowdhery MODELS: Charley Shea-Pelletier and Aidan Trapman

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Shot at Mirakistudios in Toronto

SWEATER: Obey (available at Simons) T-SHIRT: My Luelle SKI GOGGLES: Bolle

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FASHION JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2020

JACKET: Canada Goose OVERALLS: Naked and Famous HEADPHONES: Beats by Dre SCARF: Jean Paul Gaultier GLOVES: Xian (from the Toronto Fashion Academy) SNEAKERS: Banu (available at Simons)

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TRAVEL JACKET: DSquared2 T-SHIRT: Nintendo (available at Simons) PANTS: Y-3 Adidas (available at Simons) SNEAKERS: Hip and Bone (from the Toronto Fashion Academy) SKI GOGGLES: Bolle GLOVES: Kombi (available at Simons) SOCKS: TopmanÂ

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JACKET: Hunter HOODIE: Hunter WINTER LEGGINGS: Nike SOCKS: H&M SNEAKERS: Hip and Bone (from the Toronto Fashion Academy) SIDE BAG: Coach

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FASHION

JACKET: Stephan Caras TURTLENECK: Simons PANTS: Xian (from the Toronto Fashion Academy) SUNGLASSES: Oakley GLOVES: Xian (from the Toronto Fashion Academy) SIDE BAG: Coach

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JACKET: Canada Goose TANK: Guess BLACK TIGHTS: Topman HAT: Spyder SCARF: DieselÂ

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JACKET: Canada Goose MESH HOODIE: Xian (from the Toronto Fashion Academy) HAT: Calvin Klein

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FASHION

TUXEDO COAT AND PANTS: Bustle TOP: Mayer Man GLOVES: Rhowan James

JACKET: Canada Goose

VEST: Sixth June (available at Simons) TANK: Guess

PANTS: Hip and Bone

BOOTS: DC Shoes

GLOVES: Xian (from the Toronto Fashion Academy)

WATCH: Apple

SNOWBOARD: Rossignol

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BINDING: K2

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FASHION

JACKET: Hunter T-SHIRT: Nintendo (available at Simons) PANTS: Xian (from the Toronto Fashion Academy) SKI GOGGLES: Bolle GLOVES: Burton

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INSIGHT

PICKING FIGHTS

So many battles still to fight…what are the best tactics to follow?

By Paul Gallant

After same-sex marriage was legalized in Canada back in 2005, I wrote several stories based on some form of the question, “What’s the next battle for LGBT Canadians?” I interviewed a lot of thoughtful people and their answers broke down into four broad categories: making growing up better for young people, increasing trans rights and awareness, fighting homophobia in less cosmopolitan parts of the country, and supporting LGBT people in other countries, particularly countries with anti-gay laws.

I never could have predicted that, 15 years later, people would be rallying against the Toronto Public Library’s commitment to free speech. Yet last fall, LGBT activists and organizations, including Pride Toronto, went after the library for allowing a space to be rented out for an event headlining writer Meghan Murphy.

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I think Murphy’s ideas – she essentially denies that transsexual women exist – are hurtful and wrong. She deserves to be protested.

But I also think her position is unconvincing and marginal, particularly up against the brilliant work of many other trans and feminist thinkers. It’s not the job of the Toronto Public Library – which, back in the day, stuck its neck out to carry LGBT materials once considered repugnant, dangerous and deserving of censorship – to silence Murphy. It’s the job of other thinkers to outshine her so much that her ideas rightfully wither in the sunlight. But now we have Pride Toronto, an organization which has fought for the right to have controversial participants march in its parade, “banning” the library from its events. Hoo boy.

We live in unpredictable times. It’s harder to know what fights to pick and where each battle will take us. Here in Canada, getting nuts-and-bolts public policy adopted – for example, marriage and spousal benefits, inclusion in human rights documents, inclusive school curriculums – seems to have been the most straightforward part. (Activists who have worked hard to achieve these things: please feel free to roll your eyes at that last sentence.) Governmentsanctioned rights, on paper anyway, are an either/or proposition: you’re included or you’re not, you’re funded or you’re not. Get politicians to vote the right way and that part of the job’s done.

But the question of how LGBT people fit into the world – what straight people should think of us and what we should think of ourselves – is much fussier, much more existential. Which is why I think Murphy is such a flashpoint, along with British 44

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Columbian trans troublemaker Jessica Yaniv, who last October lost a human-rights complaint over genitalia waxing. Whether we like it or not, how LGBT people fit into society remains a work in progress. The “T” especially.

A couple of decades ago, it seemed progressive to assume certain people would “transition” from one gender to another, and that funding for surgery was the key public-policy issue. But with an increasing number of people identifying as non-binary, the idea of two genders has been thrown into question altogether. It remains unclear if, 20 years from now, we’ll all be wearing pronoun buttons or if we’ll all end up going by “they.” Will there be a multitude of genders or will gender become completely irrelevant in public life? It’s about deep beliefs about the core of human nature and human progress. Unsurprisingly, consensus in these matters is rare.

There has to be more discussion, not less.

Empowering LBGT youth should seem even more like a no-brainer and, on the policy side, even Ontario Premier Doug Ford caved in about including same-sex material in school curriculums. But then you have the It Gets Better Project, launched in 2010 to send messages of hope to young people who were feeling bullied and depressed. Despite excellent intentions, It Gets Better has been criticized for being more likely to make participating adults feel better than the young people the campaign is targeting.

Helping LGBT people in countries where they are oppressed seems like another obvious good deed. In fact, one of the best Canadian queer organizations, Rainbow Railroad, is saving lives, providing LGBT people safe haven in Canada from violence and discrimination that their own countries won’t protect them from.

But the organization’s work also has a downside: we can’t save the world one person at a time.

Making it safer for LGBT people to remain in their home country is the better option, but how do Canadians help with that? I was recently invited to visit Barbados, a country whose Sexual Offences Act prohibits homosexual acts, with punishment including life imprisonment. But what’s the right response? Should we boycott the country, deprive them of our Canadian dollars? That doesn’t really help the LGBT people living there; in fact, it might hurt them by making the country poorer. We could lobby our government

to take diplomatic action against homophobic countries, and in some cases it has. But many countries with homophobic laws suffered under colonialism, and so bristle at interference with their hard-won independence. In fact, Barbados’ Sexual Offences Act was first enacted by the British rulers in 1868, so you could blame the Brits. But then, subsequent democratically elected governments didn’t change it. Does that mean Barbadians hate gay people? Hmm. In 2018, Barbados elected a female prime minister, Mia Mottley, who won despite the fact that her opponents tried to damage her campaign by circulating rumours that she’s a lesbian. As a government minister, Mottley commissioned a study that called

for the repeal of the Sexual Offences Act. So maybe the timing is right for LGBT people to visit Barbados as an economic vote of support for the direction Mottley seems to be taking the country in? Or is it time to play political hardball with someone who might, if nudged, do the right thing? Hard to tell.

The passion that has driven LGBT activism since the 1960s is still there. And the struggles are still real. But the battle now, at least for Canadians, is not against laws and policies; it’s for hearts and minds. We might be driven by emotion and the desire for justice, but our tactics need to be more effective than cathartic.

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.

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TRAVEL

Fogo Island Idyll Newfoundland and Labrador’s remote inn inspires lively story-telling, culinary reinvention and perfect, homespun hospitality

By Doug Wallace

“We might not make it,” I say, as our car inches closer and closer to the Farewell Ferry gate, behind a line of motor homes and boats, even a semi heaped with a load of sod. As the next ferry is in three hours, our fingers cross tighter – and we squeeze into the last space.

Smiles all around. “You should run out and buy a lottery ticket,” one of the ferry guys says.

We buy a coffee instead and drop a few dollars in the accordion player’s case, looking out towards our destination: the rocky shores of Fogo Island off the northeast coast of Newfoundland and Labrador.

We’re making the trek to experience the famed Fogo Island Inn, the jewel of this rugged neck of the woods. Opened in 2013, it is owned and operated by a non-profit called Shorefast, whose mission is to develop economic and cultural resilience on Fogo Island, a region forced to reimagine itself after the collapse of the cod fishing industry in the early ’90s. The inn is one of the charity’s “social businesses,” with the profits invested back into the community in various ways.

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All the checkmarks of true five-star accommodation are present and accounted for. Designed by Newfoundland-born, Norway-based architect Todd Saunders, the structure is modern with its trademark stilts, yet very much in tune with the traditional Newfoundland aesthetic. The rooms are as authentic as they come, the wood floors and walls awash in white paint, punched up with colourful handmade furniture, patchwork quilts and homey crafts. The dramatic location, well off the beaten path, lends a feeling of escape. The trappings, too, are solid. Guests enjoy a locally curated art gallery, tea room, gym, library and cinema, not to mention wood-fired saunas, outdoor hot tubs and a top-notch kitchen.

What takes the concept of luxury to a unique level here is the luxury of time: everyone has absolutely all the time in the world for you – and they don’t need to point this out for you to feel it deeply. You get the sense that you are at Grandma’s house and can do anything you want, an impression that’s both freeing and fun.

That feeling is helped along by the buns and molasses we are sent right after check-in.

At the beginning of our three-day (minimum) stay, we are dispatched out the door and into an SUV with Al, a retired schoolteacher, who is assigned to drive us around for an hour or two to show us the lay of the land in the communities of Joe Batt’s Arm, Fogo and Tilting.

Everyone who visits the inn enjoys this welcome orientation by a local guide. And by telling us about his own life here, he tells us about Fogo itself, as he weaves in the history of the fishing industry and the details of Shorefast, all the while answering our questions and stopping by crafts shops and the local beach, pointing out 46

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where we should go for lunch, pinpointing his favourite hiking spots. We notice Rainbow flags everywhere, held over from recent local Pride events. Even more welcome.

The stories continue at the evening Crab Boil, where Aubrey (also retired) takes the floor in the resort’s Shed, a side building with a long, communal table. His history lesson lays out more details about the cod depletion and the community’s resilience and resolve.

On the daily hike with Laurie, another local ambassador, we trek over a rocky peninsula towards a cliffside monument, as she shares anecdotes about her childhood and points out edibles that will very likely end up on our dinner plates at some point over the weekend.

Foraging is big here, something we glean from the Inn’s Chef Jonathan Gushue, a returning Newfoundlander. He also tells a very eloquent story, one of the Fogo Island foodways and how they encapsulate a definite sense of place. “We’re trying to take traditions and interpret how they would look in a contemporary setting,” he says. “We build on how they aged meat, how they dried fish, how they made sandwiches – throwing small salted fish pieces into a wood stove, then putting them on molasses buns with partridge berry jam and some aged cheddar. We focus on flavours like a little view to the past, a taste of the past.”

The region’s seven seasons – winter, pack ice, spring, trap berth, summer, berry and late fall – each bring with them a different menu, which changes daily. Dishes range from traditional comfort foods to inventive combos of wild ingredients, whatever is at hand.

“We have people from all over in the kitchen – from Newfoundland, Ontario, B.C., Serbia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, the western US – and as chefs we all skirt the top of culture to pull ideas, many of them long forgotten until now,” says Gushue.

Root vegetables are popular (because they can be cellared), as are all manner of wild mushrooms, greens and berries – and cod, cooked in every way possible. Visitors tuck into pickled scallops with rhubarb and sweet cicely; poached halibut with smoked tomatoes and lobster cream. Things like moose tartare, saltwater lamb and roast duck thrill the carnivores, while squash dumplings and heirloom beets tantalize the vegetarians. My breakfast one morning consists of braised turnip greens, lamb bacon, black garlic and a fried egg. I feel like I’ve died and gone to heaven.

When we’re not eating, hiking, jumping on boats, or loving up the Newfoundland dogs that pop by every day at 5 pm to slobber all over everybody, we are staring off into space – there are binoculars in all the rooms for spotting whales and icebergs when those seasons loom large.

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After a few days, you can easily see and feel the draw of this place: the beautiful seaside vistas, the freedom to roam, the getting away from it all…it’s just like the television commercials. “I’ve never been here before” is the answer I get most often when I ask people why they chose to visit. Not a bad answer.

The pictures I post on social media of rooftop tubbing and stone-skipping and wood fires and lobster stew generate a ton of Likes and I’m bombarded with private messages. Yes, there is other, less expensive accommodation; yes, it is as beautiful as they say; yes, the people are fantastic. Yes, there is lots of cod. Yes, I would recommend it wholeheartedly – and with a full heart.

Happily, we don’t have to worry about racing to the ferry on our return trip to the mainland. Matters are taken well in hand: the transportation staff drives our car to the ferry the night before and parks it in the lineup. In the morning, the front desk tucks little lunches under our arms and we hop in a shuttle, the now legendary Fogo Island Inn hospitality carrying on well past the front door and back into the real world.

DOUG WALLACE is the editor and publisher of travel resource TravelRight.Today.

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FLASHBACK February 21, 1903 In LGBTQ History New York’s first ever anti-gay raid at the Ariston Baths

On February 21, 1903, at nine o’clock at night, two undercover officers entered New York’s Ariston Baths. NYC’s police had spent several weeks collecting evidence against men who entered the bathhouse, which they did in conjunction with the Society for the Prevention of Crime. It was the beginning of the first anti-gay police raids on an establishment. During the next few hours, the two officers spent time observing the bathhouse to gather evidence to incriminate individual patrons, who were later charged.

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At 1:45 am, a group of police officers entered Ariston Baths and blocked the exits of the establishment so that none of the 78 men inside could escape.

The raid resulted in 34 arrests and 16 charges of sodomy; the rest were let go with a warning. Twelve of the men were sent to trial that same year (five of those trials have transcripts that have survived the years and are viewable today), and seven of those men received sentences of multiple years in prison.

Of course, this was years before Stonewall. There were no protests or marches to oppose the decision. The men were simply ushered off to jail, victims of early America’s widespread homophobia, and forgotten by history.

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BOLD SHARP QUEER just like this cactus...

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Talk to your doctor today or visit DOVATO.ca Stock photo. Posed by model.

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Code: PM-CA-DLL-JRNA-190004-E Date: 11-2019