IN Magazine: May/June 2019 by IN Magazine

MAY / JUNE 2019

A HISTORY OF THE TORONTO PRIDE PARADE WHY WOULD SOMEONE FAKE A HATE CRIME?

PLACING A STAMP ON OUR HEARTS: MJ RODRIGUEZ 1

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inmagazine.ca PUBLISHER Patricia Salib GUEST EDITOR Christopher Turner ART DIRECTOR Prairie Koo COPY EDITOR Ruth Hanley SENIOR WRITER Paul Gallant CONTRIBUTORS Fraser Abe, Dan Bazuin, Sean Black, Bobby Box, Colin Druhan, Adriana Ermter, Bianca Guzzo, Muluba Habanyama, Courtney Hardwick, Anton Khachaturian, Karen Kwan, Paul Langill, Viktor Luna, Ivan Otis, Michael Pihach, Ken Remark, Josh Rille, Jumol Royes, Adam Segal, Julie Shafer, Fredsonn Silva Aguda, Kahmeelia Smith, Kat Thompson, Doug Wallace, Casey Williams DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND SPONSORSHIPS Reggie Lanuza MARKETING AND PROMOTIONS MANAGER Bradley Blaylock CONTROLLER Jackie Zhao

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MJ RODRIGUEZ Photo: Shot exclusively for IN Magazine by Sean Black Makeup: Anton Khachaturian for Exclusive Artists using MAC Cosmetics Hair: Kat Thompson for Tomlinson Management Group Photo assistant: Julie Shafer

Wardrobe/Styling: Viktor Luna www.viktorluna.com

IN MAGAZINE Shoot location: Apex Photo Studios www.apexphotostudios.com

CONTENTS

88 Issue 88

Beyoncé and Jay Z received the Vanguard Award for being allies to the LGBTQ community at the 30th Annual GLAAD Media Awards on March 29, 2019

May / June 2019

FEATURES

INFRONT

15 | SMILING WITH PRIDE How one brand is celebrating diversity and strengthening the LGBTQ community

06 | BEAUTY SLEEP: IT’S THE REAL DEAL Why getting a solid eight hours of shuteye every night will keep you looking and feeling younger longer 08 | THE CHANGING FACE OF PRIDE Both participants and organizers across Canada are trying fresh approaches to Pride parade participation

10 | BEST RIDES FOR SUMMER FUN Grab your keys and soak up the sun 11 | HOW TO DEAL WITH MOVING-IN JITTERS Setting up house with your partner is one of the most momentous and emotional steps you can take in a relationship 12 | DRINK UP How to hydrate your body well 13 | THIS KIT SAVES LIVES What you can do in the face of Canada’s opioid crisis 14 | ON THE TOWN Scenes from the party circuit

16 | TORONTO BLUE JAYS HOSTING PRIDE NIGHT GAME Who’s ready for some baseball? 17 | LOONIE HONOURING LGBTQ2 CANADIANS IS NOW IN CIRCULATION! The new $1 coin commemorates 50 years of progress in recognizing the rights of LGBTQ2 Canadians 19 | YOUTH LIVING WITH HIV IN ONTARIO TAKE BACK THEIR NARRATIVE New event helps youth connect with their peers 20 | WHY WOULD SOMEONE FAKE A HATE CRIME? As if there isn’t enough hate in the world 22 | THE GAY PORN INDUSTRY IS THRIVING (AND HAS NEVER BEEN MORE LUCRATIVE) Porn star Trenton Ducati talks to IN about the positive impact subscription-based services have had on the industry 24 | A HISTORY OF THE TORONTO PRIDE PARADE “Now sissy that walk”

26 | PLACING A STAMP ON OUR HEARTS Pose starlet MJ Rodriguez revels in being taken seriously while paving the way for protection of her global trans-children 32 | BI BI BI Exploring the unique struggle bisexuals face within themselves and the queer community 35 | DRAG RACE THAILAND IS COMING TO TORONTO PRIDE The Season 2 finalists of this beloved show are hitting Toronto’s Pride festivities this year 46 | WINDY CITY WEEKEND More than just deep-dish pizza and hot dogs with no ketchup, Chicago can really tick all the right getaway boxes 48 | IS GAYNESS NOW PART OF THE MAINSTREAM IN BRAND MARKETING? There’s a long history of gay men allying themselves with swank – have we come full circle? 50 | FLASHBACK: JUNE 28, 1998 IN LGBTQ HISTORY Mayor Mel Lastman marches!

FASHION 36 | I AM WHAT I AM “And what I am needs no excuses” 5

LOOKING GOOD

BEAUTY SLEEP: IT’S THE REAL DEAL Why getting a solid eight hours of shut-eye every night will keep you looking and feeling younger longer By Adriana Ermter

Waking up puffy-faced and red-eyed, feeling grumpy and fumbling with the coffee maker? Been there, done that. In fact, not getting enough sleep is so common, it has somehow earned humble-bragging rights around the office water cooler. And we never tire of talking about it: how many hours we slept the night before, how to deal with jet lag and sleeping on planes, tips and tricks for getting a solid eight hours…the list goes on. Yet at the end of the day, when it comes to counting sheep, how big of a deal can it really be? And how many sheep are enough?

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On average, doctors recommend we need seven to nine hours of sleep each night – yet one third of the adult population isn’t getting anywhere near those numbers. And it shows. We’re wearing our lack of sleep front and centre on our faces, with every fine line and blue-tinged under-eye bag. And with each lost hour comes weight gain, increased stress and accelerated facial aging.

memory loss, inability to move easily, joint and muscular pain, heart attacks and aging skin. Sleeping Beauty was onto something Your body interprets a lack of sleep as a state of emergency, causing it to produce more hormones. These hormones then tell the body to divert oxygen and nutrients away from your skin and internal organs. “A reduction in sleep duration is associated with an increase in blood cortisol levels and decreased growth hormone release, both of which contribute to creating a catabolic state [destructive metabolism],” explains Zeilstra. “Simply put, lack of sleep contributes to a negative protein balance by reducing repair mechanisms and stimulating those resulting in muscular and cellular degradation.” And when your skin doesn’t get what it needs, it can break out with acne, look dull and feel dry, and dark under-eye circles, puffiness and fine lines crop up everywhere.

Know your zzzs Pillow talk your way to anti-aging Sleep provides us with a number of physical and psychological “Everyone wants to look young and attractive for as long as possible, functions. One of the activities keeping our brains busy during and your skin needs to maintain its collagen and circulation levels to ensure that,” says Toula Bintas, an aesthetician and co-owner of sleep is referred to as housekeeping. Brain housekeeping is when the brain checks and repairs itself, ensuring neural pathways are Allazo Skin Care in Toronto. While you sleep, your body creates functioning well and toxins that have built up during the day collagen – the structural protein found in skin that gives it a youthful are removed. “It’s also a time when the brain cleans up its stored and plump appearance. Approximately 50-plus hours of sleep per memories, a process increasingly compared to organizing files on week is optimal, so if “you only get five hours each night, you a computer,” says Jeff Zeilstra, the manager of high performance at may end up having twice as many fine lines,” says Bintas. Even Fatigue Science in Vancouver. “Like a computer, scientists believe, before the batches of crow’s feet pop up, you’ll probably experience an organized brain is better able to process higher-level cognitive under-eye circles, puffiness and a dull complexion. tasks such as learning, decision-making and reasoning.” When you don’t get your full eight hours each night, these functions Puffy eyes tend to appear smaller and squinty, while under-eye are compromised, and can be blamed for signs of aging such as circles range between blue, purple, black and even yellow hues. 6

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As we get older, both increase in size and darkness. Puffy eyes and dark circles can be attributed to your family DNA, but when you don’t get enough rest, the circulation in your face decreases, and swelling and blood can pool in the under-eye area, making puffiness and circles become more pronounced. This lack of circulation also impacts your complexion, often giving it a dull, dark appearance. “When we’re asleep, we’re still and not moving, allowing more blood to flow and circulate in our skin,” says Bintas. “So when you wake up, you look more refreshed and healthy, and your skin will most likely have a youthful glow.” Create a sleep schedule Start by locking down a consistent sleep schedule that allows you to have seven to nine hours of sleep each night. Consistency is key, so write down your schedule and set up bedtime reminders on your phone. Limit caffeine in general and avoid it after 4 pm. “Avoid naps and sleeping in on days off,” advises Zeilstra. “Having a hot shower before bedtime stimulates melatonin, your sleep hormone production – but avoid using technology 30 minutes to an hour before bed. The light from your TV, smartphone and laptop screens delay or reduce sleep hormone production.” Set your bedroom temperature between 19.5–20.5ºC (67–69ºF), and reduce noise with earplugs or a fan/white-noise machine.

NIGHTTIME PRODUCTS TO HELP YOU UNWIND AND SLEEP EASY Aveda Singular Note Lavender Fleurs Oil, $29, available at Aveda stores. Massage a few calming, relaxing drops onto your pillowcase before bedtime to help lull you to sleep. Mediflow Floating Comfort Pillow, $36, available online at www.mediflow.ca. Eliminate neck pain with this pillow’s water-based technology that allows you to sleep easy. Cilque Eye Mask, $45, available online at cilque.com. Get some shut-eye with a silky-smooth mask that covers your eyes without irritating your skin. LectroFan EVO, from $69, available online at soundofsleep.com. Neutralize noise with 22 digital sounds, including white noise, the ocean surf and a whirring fan.

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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PRIDE AT WORK

THE CHANGING FACE OF PRIDE Both participants and organizers across Canada are trying fresh approaches to Pride parade participation By Colin Druhan

MAY / JUNE 2019

This summer marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, demonstrations in New York City that many acknowledge were the catalyst for the modern fight for queer and trans rights. One year later, in 1970, early versions of what we now call Pride parades started cropping up across North America. Today these parades are a global phenomenon that take place in every part of the globe. They are largely celebratory affairs marking the progress the community has made in the fight for equality.

Andrea Arnot, executive director of the Vancouver Pride Society, says it was really about making sure there was an alignment of values among parade marchers. “It was very important to make sure companies had policies that were inclusive of trans people, so they had to sign the pledge to be part of our parade,” explains Arnot.

In 2016, because requests to march in the Vancouver Pride Parade outweighed the number of spots that could be offered, the Parade Working Group, comprised of local community members, In 2016, the Manhattan area of the Stonewall riots was designated developed a matrix to score each application to ensure a values a National Monument by US President Barack Obama, who said alignment. Applicants now fill out a form that includes questions America’s national parks “should reflect the full story of our such as “Does your organization have an active policy to promote country: the richness and diversity.” This is illustrative of the diversity based on sexual orientation/gender identity?” to make sure Pride parade’s journey from rebellious demonstration to broadly they are inclusive of the queer and trans community year-round, accepted, state-sponsored community event that often involves not just during Pride season. The form also asks if the organization sophisticated brand activations from companies seeking a piece of has a history of homophobia, transphobia or conflicting values. the global LGBTQ2+ community’s spending power of $7 trillion. Arnot says they don’t just take a company’s word for it, either. “We actually have super-sleuth volunteers who will do Google While many welcome the enthusiastic support for Pride parades, searches for news articles” or other details that might indicate that others lament that parades and associated celebrations have lost the the organization’s involvement isn’t genuine. defiant spirit that once defined them. This tension has led many to openly question the authenticity with which some organizations get There is a minimum score that organizations must reach on the involved in parades. Simply put, it’s no longer sufficient to simply evaluation matrix, but Arnot says applicants aren’t just left out wave a Rainbow Flag in June. With this in mind, both participants in the cold if they don’t make the cut. If an organization doesn’t and organizers across Canada are trying fresh approaches to Pride meet the threshold, Arnot says, she connects with them directly parade participation, to ensure that what happens on the parade because in most cases they want to be inclusive, but simply don’t know where to start. “The Pride Parade is usually the first thing route is reflective of a broader strategy. they think of, but we give them advice on supporting employees, Up until 2017, the Vancouver Pride Society (the organization creating policy, and engaging with community groups through accountable for who is in the city’s Pride Parade) required fundraising before applying again,” she explains, adding, “Whether organizations participating in the parade to sign the Trans Equality they take that advice is up to them.” Now pledge, a campaign to add gender expression and gender identity as personal characteristics protected by the BC Human Stantec, a design and consulting company, participates in the Rights Code and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Vancouver Pride Parade as well as several other Canadian Pride

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parades because that reflects the work the company does yearround to promote diversity and inclusion, says the company’s public relations manager, Ashley Warnock. “Our company values state that we put people first,” says Warnock, adding that “nothing demonstrates this better than participating in Pride.” The company has many employee-led initiatives that serve the needs of workers from equity-seeking groups. Its group for LGBTQ2+ employees, Pride@Stantec, promotes internal awareness of specific issues facing queer and trans people through educational activities and an enterprise-wide allyship campaign. One of the group’s initiatives encourages employees to place tent cards saying “I support Pride@Stantec” on their desks year-round, not just during Pride season, which leads to increased engagement when it’s time to celebrate. “Pride is one of the rare events where employees bring their families, friends – even pets,” says Warnock. At the other end of the country, Jazz Aviation is an airline based in Nova Scotia that will celebrate its seventh year of participating in the Halifax Pride Parade this July. Erica Fuhr, Jazz’s diversity and inclusion manager, has been part of the group organizing the company’s parade entries since 2010 in Halifax and other cities across Canada. She says marching in Pride parades celebrates the work the company does all year to promote an inclusive environment. “We don’t go back into the closet after the parade is over,” she explains. Jazz has a group for LGBTQ2+ and ally workers, offers ongoing training across a number of topics related to diversity and inclusion, and includes training on LGBTQ2+ issues as part of the on-boarding process for new employees. Fuhr is especially proud of the company’s guidelines to support employees who transition on the job, which were put in place before any employees even stepped forward asking for support.

According to Fuhr, because of the consistent engagement with Jazz’s workforce about how important it is to support the needs of queer and trans workers, it’s easy to get a lot of help when Pride season rolls around. “It’s always so impressive to see how many people take time out of their evenings and weekends to put the float together,” she says about the effort in Halifax. “It really is a big team effort. We’re very fortunate to have such a group of passionate and creative people at Jazz.” Also marching in the Halifax Pride Parade is the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society, which regulates the province’s legal industry. The Society uses Pride season to celebrate, but “it’s really about making sure that the space is provided for people to learn,” says Angela Simmonds, the Society’s manager of equity and access, who adds that the organization presents a series of educational sessions to take place during Pride season so members of the legal community are learning as much as they are celebrating. When it comes to the Halifax Pride Parade, some law firms choose to have their own branded float but Simmonds says the Barristers’ Society’s entry, which is organized with the Canadian Bar Association’s sexual orientation and gender identity community section, is about bringing together the entire legal community in a show of support for queer and trans community members. “A lot of people don’t actually know what the Society does,” she explains, “so we continue to go out to the community so there will be more of an understanding of how important it is to promote inclusiveness within the profession.” Pride activities need to be indicative of the work that’s being done to advance inclusion throughout the entire year, Simmonds says. “Some people see it as a box to check, but that’s not how we’re going to advance inclusion and increase access to justice, equity and diversity.”

COLIN DRUHAN is the executive director of Pride at Work Canada, a not-for-profit organization that empowers employees to foster workplace cultures that recognize LGBT employees. For more information, visit prideatwork.ca.

WHEELS

BEST RIDES FOR SUMMER FUN Grab your keys and soak up the sun By Casey Williams

Summer driving is the best, especially under the open sky in a convertible where you can get a real bronze tan. Whether manual or automatic, hard or insulated cotton, having a roof that disappears brings joy to warm evenings. Here are five classics that will have you dropping your top. VW Beetle Convertible This’ll be going away again after 2019, so get one quick. It looks best in Safari Uni beige or Stonewashed Blue with unique final edition wheels, diamond-stitched seats and leather-wrapped steering wheel. A power top, push button starting and Bluetooth add convenience, while crisp Fender audio and automatic climate control enhance comfort. Step into the peppy 2.0-litre turbo-four’s 174 horsepower and frugal 9.0/7.1 L/100 km fuel economy. A blind spot monitor and cross path detection come standard. Base price: $28,475 Mazda MX-5 RF The classic soft top deploys in seconds, but the RF’s power retractable targa roof is the one to get. Once you’ve deployed it, rev up the 181 horsepower 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine and click through six speeds with Judy’s own shifter. Handling is divine. Fuel economy of 9.0/7.0 L/100 km goes easy on the budget. Inside, this beauty has classic gauges, Bose audio, automatic climate control and heated seats. The rear fenders are mad sexy, but you’ll have to pack light because the trunk is best suited for gym bags. Base price: $39,900 Jeep Wrangler Rip off your top, flex your muscles and head for the trails. Not you, the Jeep! Recently redesigned, a new soft top (replacing the previous erector set) deploys in seconds. Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and classic gauges invite fun that’s backed by the choice of a 285 horsepower V6 or 270 horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder engine with eTorque hybrid, the latter best for hard core off-roading. Lock in four-wheel drive, strap in, and head for the trails – whether rugged dirt or paved. Base price: $33,695 Rolls-Royce Dawn Have you ever really seen the stars? If not from the bespoke leather interior of a Rolls-Royce, then you haven’t. There’s nothing like enjoying a heavenly summer evening while gazing hood-long at the Spirit of Ecstasy. The four-seat cabin is further enhanced by polished timber, polished chrome and cherubic audio. There’s a 563 horsepower 6.6-litre twin-turbo V12 engine behind the massive grille. Sport-minded drivers will select the Aero Cowling that covers the rear seats with a carbon fibre and aluminum tonneau. Slick. Base price: $450,000

MAY / JUNE 2019

Mercedes-Benz SLC Here’s your classic Mercedes roadster fully realized. The SLC transforms from a closed coupe to open convertible with the press of a switch. Choose the glass roof with Magic Sky Control to electrically adjust tinting. Get it with a 241 horsepower turbo-four or 385 horsepower biturbo V6. Flash 0-100 km in just 4.7 seconds (V6). Being a Mercedes, it’s safe, with built-in roll bars, active brake assist and blind spot warning. In spring or fall, crank up the Air Scarf and stay cozy with your special someone. Base price: $60,500

CASEY WILLIAMS is a contributing writer for Gaywheels.com. He contributes to the New York-based LGBT magazine Metrosource and the Chicago Tribune. He and his husband live in Indianapolis, where Williams contributes videos and reviews IN MAGAZINE to wfyi.org, the area’s PBS/NPR station.

Setting up house with your partner is one of the most momentous and emotional steps you can take in a relationship By Adam Segal

Dear Adam, I’ve been with my boyfriend for about three years now, and things only seem to get better as time goes by. We live about an hour apart and see each other most weeks. Often, he’ll stay with me for the weekend and vice versa – and I still get butterflies when I know Friday is coming up and I’ll get “real deal” time with him. Recently, we made the big decision to move in together. At first, I was super excited – less commuting and more spooning nights. But as we get closer to the big day, I’m getting really nervous. What if our relationship is so great because we actually have space from one another? What if things get boring and I start to feel like the lust is destroyed by domestic drudgery? I have had so many friends go through breakups recently, and I wonder if it’s because they’ve suffocated themselves in their relationships. How can we avoid that fate? — Pablo Dear Pablo, for those more domestic moments where you are doing laundry Long-distance relationships, as you’ve experienced, can force together and nothing particularly intense is happening. a certain spaciousness and intensify the sense of connection through those constant hellos and goodbyes. Having limited time Your concerns aren’t silly ones, and there’s a wisdom in knowing with someone we love can make us cherish them more, and often that your relationship might feel different when you’re under the makes us intentional about the quality of time spent together. The same roof full-time. I can’t tell you to suddenly drop your fears. long-distance situation may be keeping things lively, but it could In fact, it might be best to see your fears as a normal part of this also be sustaining a sort of ‘dating mode.’ Once you are cohabit- process of moving in together rather than as a sign that something ing and seeing each other is just “built-in,” it will be tempting to is off the rails. A lot of folks don’t even consider these challenges – default to spending time together in ways that are less conscious. so, guess what, you’re already ahead of the game. What you have It’s okay to enjoy the relief of not having to make plans every going for you, already, is that three years in, you continue to feel time you want to see each other, but it will serve both of you well more gratified by your partnership. The hope you can carry is that to make sure that dates still happen and that you don’t begin to the rewards of having more time together will only work to enrich take one another for granted. It will be equally important to allow something you already appreciate so much. ADAM SEGAL, writer and therapist, works in private practice in downtown Toronto. Ask him your relationship or mental-health questions at @relationship@inmagazine.ca.

RELATIONSHIPS

HOW TO DEAL WITH MOVING-IN JITTERS

HEALTH & WELLNESS

DRINK UP How to hydrate your body well By Karen Kwan

MAY / JUNE 2019

With the weather warming up, staying well hydrated becomes more of a priority (especially since many of us tend to also ramp up our fitness regimens during the spring and summer seasons). But how much water should you drink? Is it eight glasses daily, or does it depend on too many factors to have just one standard recommendation?

your activity, maintain your hydration levels with 500 mL of fluid per hour. “This will help with your athletic performance, decrease risk of injury – through lubrication and shock absorption – and help maintain your body’s core temperature,” says Postnikoff. If your exercise lasts longer than three hours, she adds, your fluids should contain some sodium to help maintain your electrolyte balance.

There is no rigid amount of water that is recommended universally With so many factors in play, what’s your best M.O.? Sip water for everyone, says Tara Postnikoff, a Toronto-based nutritionist, throughout the day. While you may be tempted to gulp down your though she points out that we are made up of 60 to 65 per cent daily needs all at once so you can tick it off your to-do list, that water and it’s important to maintain this balance. Keep in mind won’t be beneficial. “Your body likes balance. Greatly increasing that, other than water, some of the foods you eat and beverages your fluid intake at any one time will increase you need for urination you consume will contribute to your hydration needs (think fruit as your kidneys try to rebalance fluid levels in the body. So start such as strawberries, pineapples and oranges, plus the herbal tea with small changes rather than large ones,” says Postnikoff. “There you drink regularly). However, “it’s a good idea for adults to make is only so much your kidneys can process at one time!” water the primary fluid,” says Postnikoff, who offers nutrition services as well as coaching and training through her company, Keep in mind that you can over-hydrate. While hypernatremia (a Healthy Eating Active Living. She suggests aiming to drink high concentration of sodium in the blood) is uncommon, it can approximately half your body weight in pounds in ounces of water. be dangerous. You can monitor whether you’re doing a good job This way, she says, you avoid the intake of unnecessary calories, at meeting your hydration needs by keeping an eye on your urine. “If it’s dark yellow or amber, then you need to up your water intake,” sweeteners and flavourings. says Postnikoff. The goal is not for your urine to be clear; instead, If you’re hitting the workout circuit hard, you will need to up your aim for a pale straw or champagne colour. Make it a habit to have water needs more than someone who is more sedentary. During a quick peek in the bowl before you flush.

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

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HEALTH

THIS KIT SAVES LIVES What you can do in the face of Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s opioid crisis

Opioid-related deaths have rapidly increased across Canada. In a short 2 Â˝ year span from January 2016 to June 2018, there have been over 9,000 opioid-related fatalities. The rapid rise in these numbers has a major impact on Canadians from coast to coast and you may find yourself asking what you can do if you or a loved one faces an opioid overdose. The best way to be prepared and to potentially save a life is to recognize the signs of an overdose and knowing how to act quickly. Your Rexall Pharmacist can provide you with helpful information regarding opioid overdose and what you can do to help.

It is important to act quickly when you think someone is experiencing an overdose. Contact 9-1-1 or emergency services immediately and, if available, administer naloxone to the affected person. Note that anyone, regardless of personal opioid use, is eligible to receive a naloxone kit from any Rexall Pharmacy location along with the training required to administer it. What is a naloxone kit? Naloxone kits contain a medication called naloxone (either as an injection or nasal spray) that can temporarily reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, allowing time for medical help to arrive. Rexall Pharmacists are trained to support anyone who is at risk of an overdose, as well as the people who care for them. Naloxone kits are available at pharmacies across Canada, including all Rexall Pharmacies. The naloxone kit is an important tool to have access to, and can be the difference between life or death for someone experiencing an opioid overdose. Always remember to contact 9-1-1 or emergency services before administering naloxone.

What is an opioid? Opioid drugs are a class of medications used to treat pain resulting from different medical conditions.Opioids are available in many different forms such as tablets, syrups, patches and suppositories. Some common opioids you may know of include: -Fentanyl -Morphine -Codeine -Oxycodone As the country continues to experience a severe opioid crisis, learnAnyone using prescribed opioid medications or street opioids can ing to recognize the signs and symptoms of opioid overdose and overdose. knowing how to use a naloxone kit is paramount in saving lives. Speak with your Rexall Pharmacist or another trusted healthcare What are the signs of an overdose? advisor to learn more about opioid overdose, where you can get A person experiencing an opioid overdose can easily be identified a naloxone kit and how you can help save a life. because they will be showing symptoms such as: -difficulty walking, talking and staying awake Brought to you by -dizziness -confusion -slow, weak shallow breathing -small pupils -cold, clammy skin; blue lips or nails 13

ON THE TOWN

SCENES FROM THE PARTY CIRCUIT By Michael Pihach

2 3

MAY / JUNE 2019

Bjรถrk Party V at The Baby G - Photos by Josh Rille 1: Chris Manousos, 2: Spencer Fowley, 3: Mango Sassi, 4: James Bailey. Firefly Pub at The 519 - Photos courtesy of The 519 5: Geoff Stevens, Biko Beauttah, John Maguire, 6: Asuka Jade, 7: DJ Cool Wei. Snap! Toronto 2019 at Arcadian Court 8: Sarah Dominguez, Kevin Cooper, 9: Kent Munkman, Kyle Winters, 10: Sonja Scharf, Patrick Lightheart, 11: Armando Mendonรงa, Eric Lauzon, 12: Rick Kopfensteiner, David Fulde, James Fowler.

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PRIDE

SMILING WITH PRIDE

How one brand is celebrating diversity and strengthening the LGBTQ community By Jumol Royes

We’ve all seen it happen: Pride season full self at work without fear of judgment, the message about the campaign far and begins, and brands big and small roll out disapproval or barriers to my career wide, and Crest was able to reach its goal the rainbow-coloured carpet for a month, progressing,” says Justin Reekie of raising $25,000 before the campaign a week or maybe a weekend. But after the (@justinreekie), a P&G Canada employee came to a close. festivities are over and the rainbow flags who is also part of the GABLE network. disappear from view, we’re left to wonder “I’m lucky to work in such a safe and “LGBTQ refugees face significant barriers if these brands are truly committed to inclusive environment that continues to throughout their resettlement process and celebrating diversity and strengthening push boundaries and drive change.” the need for LGBTQ-focused settlement the community, or if the real objective is services remains high, whereas funding simply to harness the spending power of Working for a company that takes proactive for LGBTQ refugee claimants remains steps to ensure its employees feel supported low. With support from donors like Crest LGBTQ consumers. While it’s relatively and comfortable being out at work is a top and other organizations and individuals, we easy for brands to sponsor annual Pride events, it’s a bigger challenge for them to consideration for many in the LGBTQ are able to expand the program each year show ongoing support for the community community, like Ervin Cheah, a P&G to serve more people,” says Stacy Kelly, throughout the rest of the year. Canada employee: director of philanthropy at The 519. “Last year [2017-18], we were able to offer support It raises the question: Do brands have the “I had the privilege of being sponsored by to 13 per cent more refugee claimants on a right to market to the LGBTQ community P&G to represent Canada at a global LGBT one-on-one basis.” conference and walking in the Toronto Pride if they’re not giving back and having a parade. I only came out a year before joining The Older LGBTQ2S Drop-In, which offers real impact? P&G, so [having that support] was a big “space for the seniors group to meet every Crest is an example of a brand that’s taking deal for me and a big part of my coming week, socialize and participate in various an ethical approach to LGBTQ marketing out experience,” says Cheah. activities,” is another under-funded program and living its values by showing support for that has been expanding over the years, employees and engaging with Pride from It should come as no surprise that a says Kelly. Last year, The 519 was able the inside out. The brand’s parent company, brand that stands shoulder to shoulder to increase the number of staff members P&G Canada, established the GABLE (Gay, with LGBTQ colleagues is also working who are dedicated to the program because Ally, Bisexual and Lesbian Employees) on a grassroots level to strengthen the of partnerships like the one with Crest. It’s affinity group (www.phcareers.com/gable) community. In 2018, thanks in large part further evidence there are some great brands in 1996 with the goal of “creating an inclusive to an introduction facilitated by United out there that are taking action, creating environment where their LGBT employees Way Greater Toronto, Crest partnered change and being effective allies by standing feel valued, accepted and able to perform at with The 519 to raise funds for two of The behind and beside the LGBTQ community. their peak.” Today, that commitment to 519’s most under-funded programs: the celebrating diversity is very much alive Among Friends LGBTQ Refugee Support The best way to celebrate diversity is to Group and the Older LGBTQ2S Drop-In enable it, and that’s something worth smiling and well. Program. For every #CrestSmileWithPride with pride about 365 days a year. hashtag used, the brand donated $1 to The “As an out and proud gay male, I have 519. A group of influencers helped spread consistently been able to be [my] absolute

JUMOL ROYES is a Toronto-based writer, content creator and communications strategist with a keen interest in personal development and transformation. Follow him on Twitter at @Jumol.

SPORTS

TORONTO BLUE JAYS HOSTING PRIDE NIGHT GAME Who’s ready for some baseball? By Christopher Turner

On Thursday, June 6, the Toronto Blue Jays will host Pride Night at Rogers Centre. The first 15,000 fans admitted to the ballpark that night to watch the Blue Jays play the New York Yankees will receive a limited-edition rainbow hooded henley.

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Last season, 25 teams hosted a Pride Night for their fans at the ballpark, but in 2019, for the first time in MLB history, 28 of the 30 teams in the league plan to celebrate their LGBTQ fans. Last year, the Blue Jays helped kick off Pride Month in Toronto when they hosted the Baltimore Orioles. That night, fans received a limited-edition Blue Jays Pride Hat, and enjoyed a variety of Pride-themed activities, including food, photo ops, temporary tattoos and rainbow flag giveaways.

In addition to giveaways and entertainment, the overall mission of Pride Night is to provide an inclusive environment for fans. The Toronto Blue Jays are working hard to ensure Pride Night lives up to expectations. This season’s event will build off the success of 2018 with the goal of growing the team’s relationship with the LGBTQ community in Toronto to ensure a positive fan experience regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, race, religion or other. Tickets for the Toronto Blue Jays Pride Night at Rogers Centre on Thursday, June 6, are available now at bluejays.com/tickets. Gates open that night at 5:30 pm.

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

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MONEY

LOONIE HONOURING LGBTQ2 CANADIANS IS NOW IN CIRCULATION! The new $1 coin commemorates 50 years of progress in recognizing the rights of LGBTQ2 Canadians By Christopher Turner

Fifty years ago, Parliament passed an act that helped initiate the decriminalization of homosexuality in Canada. Last month, the Royal Canadian Mint released a new loonie that celebrates LGBTQ2 Canadians and their allies who have advocated for equal rights. The Equality $1 commemorative circulation coin is one of a series of Government of Canada initiatives marking the 50th anniversary of a small, but important step towards decriminalizing homosexuality in Canada. Most consensual same-sex sexual activity between adults over the age of 21 was decriminalized in 1969, two years after Pierre Trudeau, then the justice minister, introduced amendments to the Criminal Code, famously declaring “there’s no place for the state in

the bedrooms of the nation.” Trudeau’s famous words on December 21, 1967, were an integral step in the decades-long efforts to achieve acceptance and equal rights for LGBTQ2 people in Canada. Canada’s new coin design was approved by the government of his son, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, on December 14, 2018. The approval follows new legislation that came into force last June, as part of Justin Trudeau’s 2017 apology to LGBTQ Canadians for past acts of discrimination by the authorities.

at the Royal Canadian Mint. “Celebrating 50 years of progress in recognizing the rights of LGBTQ2 Canadians is a powerful expression of Canada’s support of equality and inclusion.” You can find Canada’s new loonie celebrating LGBTQ2 Canadians in your change now!

“The Mint takes great pride in celebrating Canada’s culture, history and values,” says Alex Reeves, senior manager of public affairs

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

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YOUTH ACTION

YOUTH LIVING WITH HIV IN ONTARIO TAKE BACK THEIR NARRATIVE New event helps youth connect with their peers By Muluba Habanyama

Navigating your teenage years is never easy. Add in the nature of smaller towns and living with HIV, and your world can feel upside-down with few places to turn for support. I was diagnosed with HIV at age 2 in 1995. I struggled after losing both of my parents to HIV-related illnesses, and eventually stopped taking my medications and seeing my medical specialists. I am one of many young people who can relate to the struggle of taking medications, suffering losses, deciding when disclosure is appropriate, and more. To address these issues, the AIDS Committee of Durham Region (ACDR), in collaboration with other Ontario AIDS service organizations and stakeholders, created a space to help the community: the Pozzy and the HYPE Youth Summit. The Pozzy is a group led by and for youth living with HIV in Ontario. It has been running for six years, and in that time has helped young people connect with peers on life experiences and make friendships with others experiencing similar situations. The success of the Pozzy grew quickly and the youth participants wanted a celebration – a big gathering to continue these conversations and advocacy on a larger scale. That idea eventually became reality with the HYPE Summit, a three-day event that took place in May 2018 at the Fern Resort in Orillia.

The success of the summit was followed by small location gatherings, a fall friends-giving event, and matching youth who could be clinic buddies (attend appointments together) and medication buddies (take medications together). I’m now 25 and working as ACDR’s youth transition coordinator, and I plan to work with community partners to continue the work of the Pozzy and HYPE for several years to come. I want to keep building this program and build the skills and empowerment of youth coming after me. On a personal level, I could list three of my best friends that I have met from these connections. I could name 10 individuals who have lent me their help in my time of need. All of my peers deserve that. The overwhelming success of HYPE has led to an expanded event this year: an extra day and additional spaces for youth and service providers. The HYPE Youth Summit returns June 15-19 in Niagara Falls! There is no cost for attendees. To get more information or to be involved with the summit, contact transitioncoordinator@aidsdurham.com and/or hypesummit@ aidsdurham.com.

The HYPE Youth Summit was a smash hit, having 30 youth attend and participate in workshops. Delegates had tough conversations on health, disclosure, empowerment and future planning, all facilitated by and for young people living with HIV. On the third day of the summit, service providers joined the discussion and learned from the attendees. Some of the activities included a “cafe scientific,” where researchers presented HIV data and received feedback, as well as a disclosure activity where a service provider role-played a youth and vice versa, and discussed how to disclose to a romantic or sexual partner. There was also a youth panel where service providers could ask questions related to their practice and care. One of the most poignant moments of the conference took place when delegates got to state comfortably what stops them from accessing care or supports. There were frank discussions about the relationships between youth living with HIV and service providers. “Seeing young people across Ontario come together to talk about their shared challenges and experiences in order to effectively organize is so positive to see,” says Matthew Halse, of ViiV Healthcare Canada, which supports the annual Summit. “ACDR is an on-the-ground leader in youth engagement and providing services to folks living with HIV.”

MULUBA HABANYAMA is an activist, organizer and storyteller. She has been living with HIV for almost her entire life, and after studying journalism, she became involved in activism. She serves on the boards of the Ontario HIV Treatment Network, ICAD (Interagency Coalition on AIDS and Development) and The Teresa Group. Her work has been published in Huffington Post, Flare, MTV and more. She has been the youth transition coordinator at the AIDS Committee of Durham Region since November 2018. Her most valuable title is that of aunt to Amaja, Judah and Ezekiel.

HATE CRIMES

Why Would Someone Fake a Hate Crime? As if there isn’t enough hate in the world By Courtney Hardwick

A hate crime is defined as a crime that is motivated by prejudice on the basis of race, religion, sexual orientation or other grounds. A 2016 FBI report showed that hate crimes are on the rise in the US, and although these crimes don’t always involve violence, their lasting effects on the community and the victims are undeniable. One of the most notorious LGBT hate crimes in the US was the murder of Matthew Shepard, a young man who was attacked and beaten to death simply because he was gay. Although someone can be a victim of a hate crime no matter what their race, sexual orientation or religion, the most commonly targeted groups are the Black, gay and trans communities.

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With so much real hate and violence in the world, why would someone want to make up a hate crime? Why would they want to be labelled a victim? The answer isn’t simple. In January, one of the stars of Fox’s Empire, Jussie Smollett, reported that he had been attacked in Chicago by two men. Smollett, who is Black and openly gay, claimed the two men used homophobic slurs, put a noose around his neck, and assaulted him. The Chicago PD took the attack seriously, the LGBT community rallied behind him, and thousands of people expressed their support.

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Weeks later, however, reports started to surface that Smollett might have staged the attack. He was charged with 16 counts of disorderly conduct, including filing a false police report, although he maintained his innocence. The charges have since been dropped, but little information has been given as to why – and we’ll most likely never know the truth for sure. Despite the headlines that have dominated the news cycle in recent months, false reports of hate crime are very uncommon. The Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, says that of an estimated 21,000 hate crime cases that were reported between 2016 and 2018, fewer than 50 reports were found to be false. The center believes that less than one per cent of all reported hate crimes are false. When a high-profile attack like Smollett’s turns out to be possibly fabricated, that hurts not just the community that was initially affected, but every single person who has ever been – or ever will be – genuinely the target of an attack. Why? Because it makes it harder for them to come forward, and less likely that anyone will believe their story regardless of the evidence. Just look at victims of sexual assault. The #MeToo movement has only started to shed light on the sheer number of people, both male and female, who

have experienced some sort of sexual assault or harassment. Some of them are coming forward years after the fact, and it’s not hard to see why so many people choose to never come forward at all. It’s an uphill battle to get anyone to believe them – and the victims are scrutinized, judged and ridiculed by people who say they must have done something to provoke the attack. So if real victims choose to stay quiet to avoid the extra trauma, why would anyone want to put themselves in the position to be publicly judged like that? The motivation behind filing false hate crime reports may be more than just getting attention. Munchausen syndrome or “factitious disorder” is a mental illness in which a person acts as if they have a physical or mental disorder when, in reality, they themselves are causing the symptoms. Similarly, Munchausen by proxy leads a person to treat someone else as if they are seriously ill when that is not the case. The motive could be to garner sympathy from others, to collect money and gifts, or just simply to get attention. “Factitious victimization” is the psychological term for people who like to “play the victim.” For example, there were a number of people who claimed to be survivors of the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks who were later exposed as liars. Some did it for the

money, but others did it for the fame and attention that came with their “harrowing story” of escape from one of the deadliest – and most notorious – terrorist attacks in history. There is a difference between people who capitalize on an actual attack like 9/11, and those who orchestrate a fake attack. Inserting yourself into an existing disaster has signs of narcissism written all over it – those people want to make the tragedy all about them, and steal sympathy away from real victims who actually need the support. Someone who makes up their own story most likely either has a mental illness like Munchausen’s or has a motive like monetary gain. Pathological lying (or “malingering,” in psychiatric terms) is consciously lying for a purpose. Faking a hate crime doesn’t always involve physical violence, but it exploits vulnerabilities and takes attention away from people who need it the most: the ones who really are victims. They deserve to be believed, and we can’t let the small percentage of those who fake hate crimes (or any crime) influence how we treat the next case – because despite the attention the fake cases tend to get, most people who report a hate crime or attack are actually telling the truth.

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

MONEY SHOT

THE GAY PORN INDUSTRY IS THRIVING (AND HAS NEVER BEEN MORE LUCRATIVE) Porn star Trenton Ducati talks to IN about the positive impact subscription-based services have had on the industry…and how porn streaming sites like Pornhub aren’t necessarily the evil entity many think it to be By Bobby Box

Trenton Ducati, born Zachary David Ivey, has been a prolific gay porn actor for nine years, working with the biggest studios and performers in the business. (He now spearheads three studios of his own: Trenton Ducati, Nasty Daddy and Gentlemen’s Closet.) In his near decade of experience, Ducati has witnessed porn go from an industry many thought to be bankrupt, to the best and most profitable it has ever been. “I used to always hear: ‘Porn is dead.’ I’d hear that there is no money in porn, that nobody pays for porn. At the time, it was true. A model would show up and think that this could be their last shoot,” Ducati recounts over the phone. “With the advent of OnlyFans and Just For Fans, it’s become a great time to be a model.” Born in Houston, Texas, and raised in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Ducati stumbled on his porn career while working as a personal trainer. One of his clients, porn actor Jimmy Durano, saw potential in the bulky, blue-eyed actor, and unbeknownst to him sent his photos to a porn studio. Not long after, contracts were signed and Trenton Ducati (the name comes from an individual he was crushing on at the time plus his favourite motorcycle) was born. Throughout the conversation, Ducati repeatedly mentions how grateful he is for his career, asserting there has never been a more vibrant energy surging throughout. “Every model I’m around now is inspired, hopeful and innately interested. It’s non-stop,” he says. “I have literally been in the industry from when it was dying to now, when it’s on fire. Models have become their own studios. They are advertising to their own membership base, they’re having to shoot quality content, they’re having to shoot things fans have requested. It’s great!”

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IN spoke with the 41-year-old porn actor about the evolution of gay porn, the impact streaming sites have had on industry profits, and how subscription services like OnlyFans and Just For Fans have brought new life to an industry many believed was on its last leg. With queer shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race entering the mainstream and gay marriage becoming more widely legalized, have you found gay porn has made similar strides? In my experience, gay porn, and the entire adult industry, has become far less taboo and more widely accepted. People who are shocked and turned off are minimal these days. I’ve found audiences are far more sex positive, they’re people who understand the art of pornography and see beyond the sex. They see the magic of the movie-making and the creativity that goes into these productions. They see deeper into our industry. They appreciate and understand everything it takes to make it happen. 22

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What kind of content is popular now? Have you found you’re filming more of a particular category lately? The daddy/boy stuff is everywhere. Daddies are always popular, that’s a standard. Bondage is doing very well right now as well. I’ve found that if you choose to shoot a standard guy-on-guy scene, there needs to be a catch in order for it to be successful; there needs to be something more to it. You know, some depth. For now, that’s the daddy role. It’s really trending, so that’s what we’re working on at my studios. Anything fetish, like feet, never really disappoints either. That’s a weird one, but it’s one of the most searched fetishes in the world. You work with the Free Speech Coalition and the Desert AIDS Project, which, among many other goals, aims to get PrEP to performers on set. What is your personal stance on bareback sex in gay porn? I think that times have changed. I think the science is proof of that. I think we are now able to make educated decisions on our sexual encounters and our sexual health. I believe in testing, but I also feel that the models should be able to make their own decisions about their bodies. Ultimately, if it’s a safe decision, I have no problem with it. The adult industry is one unjustly wrought with rumors and stigma. Are there any myths about gay porn that you would like to dispel? A large misconception is people think gay porn stars are on drugs 24/7. These are not the facts. You couldn’t have this job if you had issues with drugs or drinking because of the scheduling, the body maintenance, the physicality of the job and your appearance. It just isn’t possible. When I first came into the industry, I thought the same thing about the drugs. Young people need to know this isn’t the case. This is a real, full-time job that people work hard on. They’re in the gym, they are eating well, they are networking, they are building their careers. I always say: the greatest scenes are made before the scene, not during it. It’s the preparation, it’s the thought, it’s pre-thinking your behaviour, it’s talking with the director, it’s the social media upkeep, the OnlyFans and Just For Fans, it’s being comfortable with yourself. It’s this part – the rest of the story, before and after the scene – that I’m always trying to tell. Like when a model decides to go to the gym and not to the bar with his friends because he has a scene to film tomorrow. That’s what we need to talk more about: the full-time job outside of the filming. Streaming porn sites have undoubtedly hindered industry profits, but have also helped porn actors get better recognized. What’s your personal take on websites like Pornhub?

Have streaming sites hurt us? Yes. Have they helped us? Yes. Have they helped more than hurt? Definitely. In the beginning, these websites did hurt the studios, but they help us now.

memberships are concerned. So I can personally guarantee that people are paying for porn on all fronts. I think the ease of how we pay for porn now helps, too. It’s all very easy.

Pornhub is the empire. Pornhub has everything. And they have been working hard to make it beneficial for studios and performers to have their own channels on Pornhub so we can get ad revenue. Studios benefit from having my scenes up there (stolen or not) because the site hosts millions of viewers. I don’t have millions of viewers on my site. And they’ve created a system where they have gathered all of the eyeballs and direct the traffic back to the studios. In fact, they pay percentages to studios. We make money with Pornhub. It’s a giant advertising tool. It serves as a giant billboard for me, because some guy from Kansas who has never heard of me or my studios, now has.

I think there is room for both. I am a studio owner and I also have OnlyFans and Just For Fans, so I’m literally doing both. In both cases, the numbers are growing. I think they co-market each other. If you like a particular model, then you might check out the studio websites they work for. On the other end, if you see a certain model you like on the studio sites, you see if they have an OnlyFans. The studios have paved the way so that we can have these amazing platforms. We owe this amazing time period to the studios – who have been super supportive of models using these new, individual platforms – and I’m forever thankful.

If you work with Pornhub and you do the uploading yourself, that’s fine. But when people steal, Pornhub takes it down immediately. A lot of the stuff we – the studios and models – upload ourselves. I put it up there on purpose. I want my stuff up there free because at the end of the scenes, I put a link back to my site. Therefore, I want these people to see my best stuff and advertise within the scene in hopes that people will visit the sites that I do profit from. As far as my studios are concerned, we’ve already seen that return. Subscription sites like Just For Fans and OnlyFans have had a particular impact on the gay porn industry. As the owner of three porn production studios, do you regard these avenues as a potential threat? My studios have been growing as far as the customers and the

It seems like the adult industry is in a good place right now, in terms of profit. Which is surprising, considering how much free content is available for consumption. I know it’s a fairly obvious sentiment, but do you find people are beginning to understand that they need to pay for their porn? Customers can follow their favourite model and are assured the money spent goes directly to that model. I think these new avenues have re-groomed the consumer base to pay for porn. It’s teaching people that if you appreciate the performer, you have to pay for their art. And I feel like the consumers are beginning to understand that. This mentality has translated to the studio side as well: if you like it, you have to pay for it. This transition over the past four or five years has been a re-grooming process (not unlike the music industry during Napster, etc.). These new platforms has energized our industry and I’m so proud to be a part of it.

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.

PRIDE

A HISTORY OF THE TORONTO PRIDE PARADE

“Now sissy that walk” By Fraser Abe

Now maligned by some detractors as “just a party,” “too corporate” or even “too political,” the Toronto Pride Parade has come a long way from its grassroots beginnings almost 50 years ago. It may be hard to believe but it was only 50 years ago, in 1969 – the same year the Stonewall Riots began on June 28 in New York City – that same-sex sexual activity was decriminalized in Canada by the Liberal government (the legislation was introduced by then Justice Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, the same guy who had famously quipped, “There’s no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation”). Two years later, in August 1971, the first meeting of what was set to become the Toronto Pride Parade happened at both Hanlan’s Point, the most westerly of the Toronto Islands (and, later, Toronto’s unofficial “gay beach,” though it wasn’t until 2002 that a small stretch of that beach was officially recognized as “clothing optional”) and Ward’s Island. There, organized by the University of Toronto Homophile Association, Toronto Gay Action Now and the Community Homophile Association of Toronto, the first Toronto “gay picnics” were held. These picnics – which were started one year after Pride marches took place in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago to commemorate Stonewall – were the spark that led to the fire of Toronto’s Pride Parade.

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The picnics grew larger and larger, and by 1974, Toronto had its first Pride Week: a small and unofficially recognized series of events that culminated in a march from Allan Gardens to Queen’s Park. Since the city was loath to give out permits for any official marches or protests, participants carried banners and signs along the sidewalks. These early marches were held on Saturdays, not Sundays as they are now, because that was when the downtown core was most likely to be busiest with other pedestrians and passers-by. On Februrary 5, 1981, the Toronto Police conducted a series of bathhouse raids, dubbed Operation Soap. More than 300 people were arrested – the largest mass arrest in Canada since the October Crisis of 1970 (precipitated by the kidnappings of British diplomat James Cross and Deputy Premier Pierre Laporte, who was later murdered by the FLQ), and a record that would be broken only in 2006 during the Stanley Cup playoffs in Edmonton. The Toronto Police actions were roundly denounced by the LGBT community,

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who organized the next night to protest – 3,000 strong – against the police and their treatment of marginalized groups. Almost all of the charges against the men were eventually dropped. Many consider these raids to be a galvanizing moment for the LGBT community. In 1984, Pride was celebrated on Canada Day, a tradition that more or less continues to this day (Canada’s 150th anniversary, in 2017, led organizers to push Pride back a week). Still, there was no acknowledgment from the City of Toronto. Finally, in the summer of 1991, the city declared it Pride Week. In 1995, Mayor Barbara Hall marched in the parade – a tradition carried on by future mayors until 2011, when Rob Ford declined to do so. Though the Ontario Human Rights Code was amended in 1986 to include sexual orientation, it was another nine years before sexual orientation was added to Section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, thereby legally prohibiting discrimination on that basis by employers, landlords, service providers and governments (although, as most in the LGBT community can attest, discrimination is vast and vague and violations are not always enforceable). Sexual orientation was added to the Canadian Human Rights Act in 1996. Another Toronto Police bathhouse raid came in September of 2000, when six male officers raided an all-female party at the Club Toronto bathhouse, barging in on naked women and tearing signs off walls. At the end of the millennium, stirrings of same-sex marriage were happening. In 1999, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that gay and lesbian common-law couples should have the same rights as heterosexual common-law couples, though it was 2005 before same-sex marriage was allowed, thanks to Bill C-38 (the Civil Marriage Act), which passed by a vote of 47-21 on July 19, 2005. Canada was the fourth country worldwide to officially sanction same-sex marriage, after the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain. In 2010, participation of the group Queers Against Israeli Apartheid in the Pride parade drew controversy. Pro-Israel groups felt the term “apartheid” was an offensive way to describe Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, while the group felt that the term, which had gained prominence in the 1990s, was appropriate. Rob Ford, then a mayoral candidate, was a hardliner against any funding

for the parade if Pride Toronto allowed the group to march. After Ford was elected, he promised to defund the parade (even after the non-partisan city manager reported that the term did not violate the city’s anti-discrimination policy), but the group officially withdrew from the parade before he could make good on his threats. The 2016 Pride parade, which featured Black Lives Matter as an honoured group, was interrupted by BLM for about half an hour to raise awareness about a number of their calls to address racism within the LGBT community. There were numerous demands, including increasing the diversity of Pride Toronto’s staff and board, and providing funding to events for LGBT people of colour, but the most attention-grabbing demand was that uniformed police officers be banned from participating in the parade. Debate raged on both sides but, ultimately, the Toronto Police were barred from participating after a vote from Pride Toronto’s members in early 2017. Again, the city council debated defunding Pride – an event that last year saw 1.6 million people attend and spend an estimated $305 million over three days, according to Pride Toronto.

that gender-affirming surgery is no longer required to change sex designation in government documents. Things are getting better, slowly. But think of that pot-stirring uncle who’s “just playing devil’s advocate” and bemoaning, “When is the straight Pride parade?” Think of trans folks who are only now getting laws to protect them (which often don’t work well), or of LGBT people of colour who feel unseen, or of the gut-wrenching experience of coming out – and remember that even if Pride is “just a party,” it’s still a pretty good reason to celebrate. If it’s “too corporate,” remember that only 30-some-odd years ago, no one would have dared to associate with it. And if it’s “too political,” just think of how much work is left to do.

In 2016, women who were present at the highly publicized bathhouse raid in 2000 rejected a police apology, with one telling the CBC: “We see that the apology is well-meaning and well-intentioned, but we don’t see the apology as meaningful because it doesn’t reflect a change in the actual practices of the police.” The apology in question was one by police chief Mark Saunders, who officially apologized for the 1981 raids, among others. In the same year that Saunders issued the apology, the Toronto Police were still conducting “morality raids” on the LGBT community. The six-week-long “Project Marie,” conducted in Marie Curtis Park in Etobicoke in the fall of 2016, had undercover police issue tickets to at least 72 people, mostly men, who were seeking sexual activity. The police later admitted they didn’t speak to their own LGBTQ liaison officer or to the LGBT community before conducting this project. 2017 was the year that the Canadian Human Rights Act was amended to expressly include gender identity and gender expression as protected grounds via Bill C-16 , though it had been tabled as early as 2005. Some provincial and territorial laws changed earlier; in 2012, for example, a Human Rights Tribunal in Ontario decreed

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.

COVER

PLACING A STAMP ON OUR HEARTS Pose starlet MJ Rodriguez revels in being taken seriously while paving the way for protection of her global trans-children By Sean Black

“Cats out of the bag!” American actress MJ Rodriguez recently posted on her Instagram page, spilling the tea on the highly anticipated return of the hit series Pose (Season 2 will begin Sunday, June 9). “So excited!!!” noted Rodriquez – and, of course, so are we.

She is a graduate of the prestigious Newark Arts High School and later attended Berklee College of Music, where she was both a 2009 Star-Ledger scholarship recipient and a 2009 Young Arts first level-scholarship recipient.

MJ Rodriguez is exactly the person you hope she’d be: regal, bright, affectionate and warm. An old soul ensconced in youthful vivacity.

The 28-year-old is open and unapologetic about how she identifies in terms of gender. “Personally, I’ve always expressed myself as someone who is just simply who they are. I never really tied anything to [a particular] gender. I just saw myself as a feminine being walking through this space [of life], and that’s what made me so confident in who I am today. I was also that way when I was a kid.”

Drawing on years of classical training in performing arts as well as stints of adolescent rebellion, she embodies a character whose story isn’t that dissimilar to her own…only happier. MJ got involved in the underground NYC ballroom scene at 14 years of age, commuting a short distance across the Hudson River from Jackson Township, New Jersey, where she was born and raised. (She fesses up to gnawing guilt over sneaking out of her house – “I’d tell my dad,” like the good girl she was.) She learned to vogue on those trips into the Big Apple, with the escapades sanctioned by her close-knit and supportive parents. MJ is particularly close with her mother, Audrey, and still lives with her at home.

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Parental lenience and freedom over earned trust, paired with the creative outlet of ballroom, together helped her to both lose and discover herself. The confidence she exudes on screen today derives from real life. “I got to know who I was at a very young age.” MJ is grateful that her parents were attuned to her uniqueness and embraced the fact that she was different. And, she points out, “When I say ‘different,’ I don’t mean it in the context of something bad. I mean it in the context of something beautiful.” It’s important for MJ to acknowledge her good fortune in her parents and upbringing. Her parents’ commitment to foster the potential they saw in their child was ultimately what has landed her success. But school helped: The school she attended had programs like music, voice and drama, and MJ now champions quality education for all children, just as she was afforded. “It was one of those spaces that allowed me to feel comfortable and confident. I was always confident in what I loved: my artistry,” she reflects gratefully.

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In her portrayal of Blanca Rodriguez-Evangelista, she glows with a confidence that she shared with me over the phone (several times) after the photo shoot which first brought us closer. The effortless comfort she exudes in her own skin is perhaps her most endearing quality. Hardly a newcomer to theatre or Hollywood, MJ is acclaimed for her portrayal of Angel in the off-Broadway production of Rent in 2011, for which she received the Clive Barnes Award. She has appeared in television series such as Nurse Jackie (2012), Carrie Diaries (2013) and Luke Cage (2016), marking the first appearance of both a transgender actress and character in the Marvel franchise. In the independent film Saturday Church (2017), a tender musical about a 14-year-old boy struggling with gender identity, her portrayal of Ebony earned her a well-deserved nomination for Best Actress at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival. “I think our visibility is very important because when we show ourselves on TV and through social media, or when we express ourselves by speaking [out about our lives], it is important. People need to know that we are human. There is still more work that needs to be done when it comes to our lives.” Recent news of the second killing in the US this year of a person of trans experience – on the eve of the International Transgender

Photo: Shot exclusively for IN Magazine by Sean Black. Makeup: Anton Khachaturian for Exclusive Artists using MAC Cosmetics; Hair: Kat Thompson for Tomlinson Management Group; Photo assistant: Julie Shafer; Wardrobe/Styling: Viktor Luna www.viktorluna.com; Shoot location: Apex Photo Studios www.apexphotostudios.com.

COVER Day of Visibility, March 31 – is a call to action for the rising star.

Alliance focuses on building safe and supportive communities for boys and young men of colour, where they can feel valued and have clear pathways to opportunity.

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“A lot of people dehumanize us when they see us, or when they find out about or suspect our trans-ness,” she says. “I think that we need to constantly speak out about it. We need to [enlist] individuals “It was quite amazing,” she recalls. “I got to meet President Obama who have even greater power and more of a platform. I mean, as – I almost died on the floor. We exchanged very quick words before I had to go on stage and present. I was so honoured because he a trans woman, I now have a platform, but there are others whom we need, [allies] vouching for us too. We shouldn’t be demonized. told me, ‘I’m happy that you’re here, and I’m so glad to see you.’ We shouldn’t be ostracized. We need to make sure that we keep And I got to tell him the same exact thing. I didn’t know that I would reach out to so many young African-American men and our voices loud when it comes to our trans community and the men of colour. And it felt great, because I finally felt like, you deaths that are happening.” know, I was making a stamp on their hearts, and opening their minds to trans rights, and trans individuals. I had a lot of them The timing of her recent turn in Pose is poignant, allowing us to come up to me after I spoke and say, ‘I never knew about women relive the bittersweet juncture of New York City’s underground ballroom scene as it collides with the catastrophic outbreak of like you, or I never knew what to do in circumstances when AIDS. In our present day, as LGBT individuals we are confronted someone like you was put in situations where you’re helpless, with another test of time worldwide, with regressive legislation and I want to do more. I want to make sure you’re okay. I want to make sure you’re protected.” impacting our basic human rights in many countries, including the recent proposal in Brunei to introduce death by stoning and Like most transgender individuals, MJ has felt the pains of rejection amputations for adulterers and homosexuals within the Southeast and ostracization simply for living her truth. Asian country. In real life, the role of Blanca has given MJ heft, and arguably “But seeing young men come up to me – not just African-American young men, young men of all colours, different beautiful shades aligned the trajectory of both her off-screen lived experience and her acting career with her advocacy. Recently, she attended – who came up to me, and they were telling me how much they and performed “Home” at Sheryl Lee Ralph’s fundraiser Divas appreciated me, I was kind of important. I cried a little bit in front of their faces, which I didn’t want to do, because I wanted to look Simply Singing. “Beauty Sang Tonight!” tweeted Ralph following strong. [But overall] I felt great about that [event]. I did something the event. MJ was joined onstage by her Pose castmates Dominique Jackson, Hailie Sahar, Indya Moore, and writer/producer Our Lady J. good, and it feels good. My heart feels pretty big.” The series marks a great stride in history for the LGBT community, boasting the largest cast of trans actors in a scripted television series. MJ looks up to those who helped pave the way for her in her ability to live her truth, especially fellow actor Laverne Cox (Orange is the New Black) and her launching (with trans activist and writer MJ is earning notoriety and fame through highly visible award Janet Mock) of the hashtag #girlslikeus, now at over 602K tweets. presentations, runway shows and socially engaged platforms, not to mention personal appearances including this year’s Golden Globe Awards and the GLAAD Media Awards. Her visibility is “I have to give a shout-out to Laverne Cox. I mean, she was the shining bright. one who actually catapulted that hashtag [#girlslikeus], and it just went soaring. A lot of individuals in our community started posting “I feel like they’re taking me a little bit more seriously as far as pictures of themselves, and [sharing visibly] their issues and artistically, and it makes me feel good, you know? It makes me feel actually being happy living in this world that can be sometimes like I’m wanted in a space where I never thought I would be wanted. crazy, but also beautiful if you really just accept yourself.… It was So, it’s kind of uplifting. And I’m just gonna keep on constantly only right for me to carry that on, and to make sure that I constantly doing it, trying to make sure that I advocate [for others] through do that, and let other women know of my experience that we, yes, my work, and hopefully try to be a [touchstone] for people that, girls like us are happy, proud, and not worrying about what other you know, don’t feel like they have a person to look to.” people [think]. Maybe [one day] they might actually take the lead, and post about us even more and show some love to us, and show that there’s value in our lives, and that we don’t have to be The highlight of her career came in February this year, when stigmatized, pushed aside – that we actually matter, and that our former US President Barack Obama invited her to present to a room existence matters.” filled with young men of colour, many cis gender and heterosexual members of My Brother’s Keeper Alliance (MBK Alliance), an By placing stamps on hearts, MJ Rodriguez is stomping out hate. initiative of the Obama Foundation since 2017. She also sat on panels the following day. Within the Obama Foundation, the MBK

SEAN BLACK is an HIV+ artist, Los Angeles-based journalist and college educator. He holds an MA in photography from California State University San Bernardino and an MFA from the University of Miami. He has photographed and interviewed icons and luminaries including Kylie Minogue, Alicia Keys, Dita Von Teese, John Waters, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Laverne Cox, Rep. Barney Frank, Dustin Lance Black, David Arquette, Gilles Marini and Melissa Rivers. Follow him @seanblackphoto.

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BISEXUALITY

BI BI BI Exploring the unique struggle bisexuals face within themselves and the queer community By Bianca Guzzo

We already know that representation of the LGBTQ+ community has grown in mainstream media. And while we can all agree that we’ve come so far, and that there is still a ways to go, there seems to be a continued lack of representation for the bisexual community. Bisexuals are definitely on the radar, but a lot of the representation they receive in mainstream media is confusing, and outdated.

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What does this lack of representation mean for those who identify as bi? How does it affect the way that those outside the LGBTQ+ community interoperate what being bisexual means? How does the need to categorize and label who you are affect the way that bisexual people identify themselves? If the B is big enough to be part of LGBT, why does it sometimes feel like bisexuality takes the back seat? When we look at how bisexuals are represented in mainstream media, a lot of the time when a character explores their bisexuality, it comes across as sexual experimentation, as opposed to a fluid sexuality. When the representation de-legitimizes bisexuality as simply being an experimental phase, it takes the very real and legitimate feelings that young people have about themselves, and their own sexuality, and tells them that it’s most likely just a fun experiment in sexuality. It dismisses the idea that bisexuality, and even pansexuality, can be a legitimate sexuality – and that’s a big problem.

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As humans, we love labels. You identify yourself by checking off a little box. When you fit into a neat little box, people feel like they have a better understanding of who you are, and anything that might be considered “different” or “scary” seems to be become more understandable once a label is placed on it. For a lot of people, both within and outside of the LGBTQ+ community, bisexuality can feel like a grey area, kind of in the middle of it all (pun not intended). A lot of people may see it as being in the middle of gay and straight. But sexuality is not just one way or the other. It is a whole spectrum, and while you may feel like you are at one, very distinct end of that spectrum, there are plenty of people who fall somewhere in the middle. When you look at the spectrum, sexuality can be fluid, and changing – and for a lot of people it is. And that’s beautiful and something to be celebrated. Bisexuality, and pansexuality, isn’t waking up in the morning and just deciding on a gender to be interested in for the day. It’s taking gender out of the equation completely, and being romantically/ sexually into someone based on who they are as a person. Identifying yourself, and coming out, can be difficult for a bisexual, and that can be linked back to a lack of representation. More mainstream visibility of bi folks is needed now, more than ever.

Though the list of real-life celebrities who have come out as bisexual is a lot longer than that of fictional characters in movies or on TV, there still seems to be a stigma around labelling yourself as bisexual, as opposed to simply a member of the queer community. Instead of coming out as openly bisexual, a lot of public figures will choose to label themselves as “open to falling in love with anyone.” And while we certainly can’t tell anybody else how to identify, there seems to be a barrier that stops some people from being open with their bisexuality. The negative connotation that has come with identifying as bisexual has come with the label for years. But not coming out as openly bi can add to the confusion felt by those looking to see themselves identified in mainstream media. Being bisexual, it can be hard to figure out your place on the spectrum. There can be a lot of self-doubt when it comes to identifying as bi or pan. A lot of that self-doubt can be linked back to the suggestion that being bisexual must be part of an experimental phase. Let’s face it: it’s a lot, and once you make it past all that, for some it can also be hard navigating, and finding your place in, the LGBTQ+ community. For some who are bi or pan, it may feel like they’re “not queer enough” to identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community. That feeling can be difficult for a lot of young bisexual people who are just trying to figure out where they belong. Feeling like you won’t be embraced as part of a community you thought you belonged in is hard to accept.

Something that should be noted in all this is that young adults who identify as bisexual are more vocal than ever on social media sites like Instagram and Twitter. Though there is a lack of mainstream representation, young people are connecting, and sharing their experiences, and maybe that means we will eventually see more representation of a wide spectrum of sexuality in more mainstream settings. Also, with more celebrities coming out, and identifying as bisexual, bi visibility has gotten better in recent years. But, as with the mainstream visibility of much of the rest of the LGBTQ+ community, there is still a ways to go. Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg of the many issues bi folks face, but bisexuality needs to continue to be recognized as a legitimate sexuality, and not used for a science experiment to determine if it’s “real or not” (yes, that is something that actually happened). Young people in the bisexual community need to see themselves represented on a bigger stage. When there is more visibility, and open and honest dialogue, more people will become comfortable with the fact that they maybe don’t fit into one specific box, or that maybe that label can change sometimes. After all, sexuality isn’t just black or white, it’s a full rainbow spectrum, and we’re all part of it.

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

MAY / JUNE 2019

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Drag Race Thailand Is Coming To Toronto Pride

The Season 2 finalists of this beloved show are hitting Toronto’s Pride festivities this year By Christopher Turner

Kana Warrior

The Tourism Authority of Thailand is set to make a splash at the upcoming Toronto Pride Weekend festivities by partnering up with Drag Race Thailand and beloved Thai queens Kandy Zyanide, Kana Warrior and Season 2 winner Angele Anang! If you’re not watching this show, you’re definitely missing out. It’s the first international spin-off of RuPaul’s insanely popular drag competition, and is fronted by Thai stylist and designer Art Arya, alongside co-host and famed Bangkok queen Pangina Heals. Drag Race Thailand may not include RuPaul herself, but the hit show proves that Asian queens have just as much charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent “C.U.N.T” as their American counterparts. Following the original show’s format, Drag Race Thailand sees queens fight for the prestigious title of Thailand’s next drag superstar, jewels made by Fierce Drag Jewels and a cash prize of B 500,000 (~ C$21,000).

Angele Anang

Kandy Zyanide

Throughout a truly sickening second season, contestants have presented drag as an art, delivering plenty of jaw-dropping lewks and sass as the season narrowed down to three finalists: Kandy Zyanide (25-year-old Sukan Dongnoi from Bangkok), Kana Warrior (29-year-old Kana Nakrob from Nakhon Sawan) and the recently crowned Season 2 winner, Angele Anang (24-year-old Nchalee Anang Channuan from Nakhon Ratchasima). Want to see what all the fuss is about? Kandy Zyanide, Kana Warrior and Angele Anang will demonstrate their exceptional talents at Thailand’s extensive Streetfair Booth on June 22-23, and at the ‘Drag Ball’ stage at Yonge and Dundas Square on Sunday, June 22, at 8 pm.

FASHION

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Left to right: SILVER COAT: Hip and Bone T-SHIRT : Guess PANTS : Xian COAT AND T-SHIRT: Rock ’N Karma EARRINGS: Warren Steven Scott SWIM SUIT BOTTOM: Body Glove TIGHTS: H&M JACKET AND PANTS: Hip and Bone SHIRT: Mikey Sin SCARF: Top Man 36

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MOTORCYCLE JACKET: Hip and Bone T-SHIRT: Guess PANTS: Xien BOOTS: Dr. Martens

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EARRINGS: Carla Szad SILVER COAT: Hilary Macmillan BODYSUIT: Guess NECKLACE: H&M

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HAT AND HARNESS: Northbound Leather EARRING: Carla Szad TOP: Rock â&#x20AC;&#x2122;N Karma 39

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EARRINGS: Carla Szad SILVER COAT: Hilary Macmillan BODYSUIT: Guess NECKLACE: H&M 42

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TRAVEL T-SHIRT: Mikey Sin PANTS: Nonie SS19 NECKLACE AND BRACELETS: Top Shop EARRINGS: Sou Diva BOOTS: Dr. Martens 43

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JEANS JACKET: Guess CROP TOP: Mikey Sin SHORTS: Estes by Michael Estes 44

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TRAVEL

WINDY CITY WEEKEND

More than just deep-dish pizza and hot dogs with no ketchup, Chicago can really tick all the right getaway boxes. Let me count the ways By Doug Wallace

It seems everybody wants to go hiking all of a sudden. Maybe the world’s problems are becoming too big to bear, but getting back to nature and tuning out seems to be all the rage. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good heart-pounding climb up a rainforest mountain, but there’s nothing like a decadent city escape to take you outside of yourself and “unquiet” the mind.

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Fifty-seven million people visited Toronto’s sister city in 2018. Our partnership with Chicago began in the early 1990s, in part because we had a lot in common – both being big, international, cultural hubs propping up a Great Lake. And today, despite the exchange rate, a weekend in Chicago is pretty good value: Toronto’s downtown hotel rates are actually higher. When I’m visiting a city for the first time, I do the touristy things and get them out of the way so I can skip them next time around. Not so in Chicago. I can never get enough of the Art Institute of Chicago or take too many pictures of my reflection in Cloud Gate, a.k.a. the “Bean.” And the Architecture River Cruise never gets tired, mostly because new buildings are popping up on the skyline here all the time (Chicago invented the skyscraper, after all). One of them, the new 150 North Riverside building, seems almost to defy physics. The Skyscraper Gallery at the newly opened Chicago Architecture Center exhibits scale models of famous buildings in Chicago and around the world in a 40-foot-tall space overlooking the river-cruise dock. Also terrific fun is the Center’s interactive model of the city, which has been expanded to include 3,000 buildings, its film and light show highlighting the city’s history and distinct neighbourhoods. 46

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Speaking of which, scoping out different ’hoods is one of the best ways to get under Chicago’s skin. Once you’ve combed through downtown, you can get the bigger picture by getting lost in other parts of town that may be unfamiliar to you. Neighbourhoods are also quieter, so you actually get in some relaxing, sans hustle and bustle. Some cities are just too big to explore otherwise; places like Tokyo and London have to be done section by section, because biting off more than you can chew yields guaranteed choking. Thankfully, the elevated “L” train system is easy and efficient, albeit deafeningly loud. We started a fun weekend far from the middle of town, checking into The Robey, a gem of a hotel built into a former Art Deco office tower in Wicker Park – perfect for the hipster in all of us. A retro vibe set the scene, carrying on way up to the rooftop bar and wraparound terrace, complete with a stunning view of downtown and an up-close look of the building’s spire. Cue the Instagram. Wicker Park has its own little high-street shopping bit, with little eateries scattered throughout. Vintage-wear worshippers scour the second-hand stores here and then stick around for tacos afterwards. We went for a long walk along The 606, elevated parkland on what was once the Bloomingdale rail line, its story similar to that of New York’s High Line. When the sun sets, the nearby Logan Square area is scattered with countless bars and clubs, including the classic-cocktail bars Pink Squirrel (a bar and bowling alley named after a 1950s drink of the same name) and Spilt Milk (housed in what was an apothecary in the 1920s). Seriously, they make it so easy to get into trouble here.

One thing you have to watch out for in Chicago are the diagonal intersections, where three streets create six corners. My partner, bless him, headed the wrong way down the wrong street one night and was more than an hour late for dinner. I think I drank a whole bottle of pink bubbles waiting for him. (“Meet you there!” now takes on a whole new shadow of doubt, sadly.) Orgasmic food moments? Plenty. Chicago is well-known for its culinary adventures – thick pizzas and ketchup-less hotdogs aside. There’s a ton of great Italian food, thanks to the town’s rich, 100-year Italian history. We ate our way through the menu at Siena Tavern, a cavernous, made-from-scratch kind of place, all rustic and raucous. At Coda di Volpe, we cut our way into pizza with shears, also devouring house-made pasta and a crudo I wanted to crawl into. This neighbourhood spot is up near Wrigley Field, an area that’s now reinventing itself: the dingy watering holes are being replaced with cool eateries, and rib joints are springing up among the city’s dozen or so comedy clubs that also cluster here for some reason. You will no doubt already be more familiar with the part of town just a few blocks east: Boystown ring a bell? We sampled the elixirs at Elixir before ogling the muscles on the rooftop at Sidetrack, finishing up on the dance floor with the kids at Scarlet Bar. When I say it’s gay night, I mean it. The next day, back downtown for one last hurrah, we finished our bourbon-soaked weekend by sharing a gallon-size rum cocktail that resembled an octopus with our friends at Three Dashes and a Dot. Where else in the world can you stumble into a basement tiki bar that’s packed on a Sunday night at 6 pm? Nowhere else, that’s where. Roundup of Chicago hotels There are a surprising number of new or newish hotels cropping up in Chicago, many of them opening in elegant, refurbished landmark buildings. The Robey took over a 1929 Art Deco office building in Wicker Park, a one-minute walk from the L Blue Line (the one to and from O’Hare). The rooms are modern and sparse, still carrying a torch for the building’s former life. Cocktails in the UP Room on the 13th floor will net you a 180-degree view of downtown – and a mean Old Fashioned. therobey.com Hotel Zachary is across the street from Wrigley Field. Rooms are a mix of contemporary and traditional, modern lighting and local art mixed with pinstripes and wingback chairs. The Zachary is a great home base for sports fans, comedy fans (all the top clubs are here) and gay-bar fans – Boystown is a convenient five-minute walk away. hotelzachary.com Moxy Chicago Downtown does form and function extremely well in the River North area, a short walk from Magnificent Mile. This is a sink-by-the-bed, pegs-for-your-clothes kind of place, but it’s extremely well designed. The lobby is like a colourful clubhouse, filled with art, games, a 24-hour taco counter, a coffee bar and a bar bar. moxy-hotels.marriott.com/ en/hotels/chicago-downtown

Found Chicago is also in the River North area, part of a chain whose charm lies in its budget-friendly quirkiness. Both private and dorm-style rooms are simple and sparse, but fun and snug. Public spaces are a blaze of colour, the furnishings and objets culminating in a 1970s rumpus-room look. Be sure to check out the Asian-inspired bar and lounge. chicago.foundhotels.com The Hotel at Midtown in Bucktown is a fitness oasis, a “sports resort,” part of the Midtown Athletic Club. Rooms are minimal and masculine, all hardwood flooring, toffee leather chairs and dark wood headboards. Guests can get in on the tennis, boxing, spinning, aquatics, golf simulators, even yoga on the roof at sunrise. There’s a spa, too. midtownhotelchicago.com St. Jane Chicago opened recently in what was a Hard Rock Hotel in the Carbide & Carbon Building, another Deco landmark. Rooms have a feel for the past, with a pink-and-taupe colour palette, black leather chairs, gold accents, marble bathrooms – all very 1930s. Guests on the lavishly decorated top-floor rooms have access to a private rooftop bar. stjanehotel.com Hotel Julian, located in what was once the Atlantic Bank Building, was named for the patron saint of travellers. You’ll find high ceilings, nice linens, leather headboards, elegant armoires and black-and-white bathrooms. Public areas are playful and cozy. The steak-forward gastropub About Last Knife is worth it just for the name. hoteljulianchicago.com

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

INSIGHT

IS GAYNESS NOW PART OF THE MAINSTREAM IN BRAND MARKETING? There’s a long history of gay men allying themselves with swank – have we come full circle?

MAY / JUNE 2019

By Paul Gallant

On a recent visit to the W Punta de Mita Hotel, on Mexico’s Riviera as many as 20 of his “Halstonettes,” but the beautiful young women Nayarit, I spot three conspicuously gay male couples poolside – and didn’t seem intended to be a cover for his well-known gay life; the there were probably more cocooned away somewhere since the Halstonettes were almost a test to see if you were in on the joke. place, with only 119 rooms, is known for its privacy. One of North America’s most fun gay scenes is just south, in Puerto Vallarta’s By the 1990s, attention had turned to the demand side of the Zona Romántica, but these guys chose a Marriott property an hour’s equation – the LGBT people who were increasingly coming out drive away from the action. I look at the couples more closely. of the closet and were spending so-called “pink dollars.” In a Their bathing suits don’t look cheap. Right! W is an upscale design- marketplace that was largely seen as unfriendly – or at least oblivious conscious brand that prides itself on being tapped into current trends. – to LGBT people, certain brands like Absolut and Subaru started to embrace queer consumers. Whether it was for the purposes of Why on earth would I be surprised that some luxury queens have social inclusion and equality or because these brands saw this picked this place over three-star spots closer to nightlife? There’s mostly childless demographic as having lots of disposable income a long history of gay men allying themselves with swank. The – wasn’t it all win-win? community’s divided reaction to the death in February of fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld, a creative visionary with too many repugnant “Gay-positive companies could achieve brand loyalty by specifically ideas to enumerate, highlighted the tensions between egalitarian including gay and lesbian people in their advertising. These comLGBT urges and a certain segment’s obsession with all that’s haute. panies were seen as an exception, a small group of companies that were heroes,” Steve Kates tells me. Now an associate professor at The history of some gay men’s obsession with upscale brands the Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University, Kates’ probably started on the supply side – gay men who took up the doctoral thesis was published in 1998 and the title was blunt in its scissors and sewing machine in order to make their claim to concern for the bottom line: “Twenty Million New Customers!: greatness. By the 1960s, Italian couturier Valentino had become Understanding Gay Men’s Consumer Behavior.” Kates reported one of the world’s best-loved designers, though knowledge about on how gay taste was shaped by newly blossoming gay villages his gay life didn’t become public fodder until the 2000s. In the where gay men embraced almost any brand that acknowledged their 1970s, the American designer Halston (the subject of a compelling existence. I would argue that while some brands, like Absolut, did it documentary at Toronto’s Inside Out film festival coming up this on purpose, fashion-oriented brands led by gay men, like Valentino, May) injected some modernity into the world of high fashion – a Halston, Lagerfeld, Gianni Versace and Jean Paul Gaultier, did it bit of cheek with all the chic. Halston would arrive at parties with by employing a more cleverly coded aesthetic, which embedded

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queerness in high fashion. Astute homosexuals could smell the gay and gain status in cosmopolitan milieus by exhibiting their expertise – and how much money they were making.

2000 ad for Downy Wrinkle Remover showed a picture of two men in bed, clothing thrown everywhere, with the cutline: “You were more concerned with taking them off than folding them up.”

Kates doubts his findings would be applicable now. Increased social acceptance and the power of the internet, which has moved much of our shopping and social lives online, have radically changed LGBT consumption patterns. These days we’re less struck by companies with an LGBT-friendly attitude than by those that stubbornly remain homophobic and transphobic. Many millennials go out of their way to eschew stereotypical “gay” messaging – they’re just like everybody else, damn it!

Yet the pink dollar still has clout. The 2016 census suggests that median incomes are higher in same-sex couples than in opposite-sex couples. Female same-sex couples had a median total income of $92,857, while male same-sex couples had a median income of $100,707 – the highest among all couple types. “In fact, over 12 per cent of male same-sex couples had incomes over $200,000, compared with 7.5 per cent of female same-sex couples and 8.4 per cent of opposite-sex couples,” states a Statistics Canada report on household income.

Meanwhile, social justice advocates calling attention to marginalized groups, like homeless LGBT youth, can make conspicuous consumption feel heartless. This concern is not misplaced. One Ontario-based study found that half of trans people were living on less than $15,000 a year. Pride organizations across the country have come under increased scrutiny for “selling out” to sponsors at the expense of sexual liberation and more tough-minded political messages. So much of the marketing specifically aimed at LGBT people has relied on stereotypes – ripped young white men, mostly – that it can be vexing. “At first, people were like, ‘wow, it’s great these companies are taking an interest,’ but there were so many assumptions being made about what it meant to be on the queer scene,” says Craig Haslop, a lecturer in media at the University of Liverpool. “Some of it was based on an assumption that simply because you were on the gay scene, your whole life revolved around it.” One

Rather than being specifically targeted, LGBT people are increasingly depicted as part of a diverse landscape: the same-sex couple, the mixed-race “big girl,” the Asian guy, the wrinkled matron that inclusivity necessitates. LGBT representation, like the interracial gay male couple in Ikea’s 2016 “All homes are created equal” commercial, probably titillates “right-thinking” straight people as much as or more than it does LGBT people. The remaining gay-focused brands – where advertising campaigns are singularly designed to appeal to gay men – seem to be sexy underwear. There’s Andrew Christian (twink), Addicted (party boy) and Nasty Pig (unapologetically sexually adventurous). Though they are fashion descendants of Calvin Klein, and exhibit much more fussiness about styling than mainstream brands, they are a far cry from the world of couture. Gay style has, it seems, come full circle and gone back into the bedroom.

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 the executive editor of Bold, a global travel magazine for Canadians.

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FLASHBACK June 28, 1998 in LGBTQ History Mayor Mel Lastman marches!

In November 2017, Mel Lastman was elected as the first mayor of the newly amalgamated city of Toronto. His first summer in office, Megacity Mel – known for his outspokenness, flamboyance and populist appeal – surprised some Torontonians when he opted to participate in the city’s annual Pride Parade for the first time. Lastman had previously avoided the parade when he was mayor of North York. “I cannot justify saying I’m the mayor of all the people in Toronto if I don’t participate. How can I walk in one parade and not walk in another one?” Lastman told reporters before the parade.

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Doug Kerr, WorldPride Human Rights Conference co-chair, saw this as a symbolic turning point for the city: “LGBT communities had overwhelmingly supported [Barbara] Hall in 1997, the first post-amalgamation election. That Lastman – a suburban somewhat conservative-ish old guy who didn’t get our votes – would join the downtown queers in their parade sent a positive message across the city and maybe even the country.… I remember thinking that we were turning a corner towards a more inclusive city.” Lastman rode along in a vintage fire truck, having a blast as spectators sprayed him with squirt guns. The following summer, Lastman got drenched again – but this time he came prepared with his own super-soaker water gun to fire at the crowds.

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