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Paul Gallant, Krishna Rau CONTRIBUTORS

Paul Aguirre-Livingston, Dino Dilio, Dereck Dotto,Jeremy Foreshew, Anna von Frances, Marty Galin, David Hawe, Michael K Lavers, Serafin LaRiviere, Keith Loukes, Michael Pihach, Kevin Ritchie, Adam Segal, Richard Silver, Michael Thorner, Rick Vassallo, Lulu Wei ON the cover

Photograph by David Hawe

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Contents

issue 14

JOIN US FOR A KNIGHT YOU’LL NEVER FORGET. Lerner and Loewe’s

CAMELOT

ALAN JAY LERNER FREDERICK LOEWE

Book and Lyrics by Music by

Original Production

Directed and Staged by

MOSS HART

Based on “The Once and Future King” Directed by

by T.H. WHITE GARY GRIFFIN With

BRENT CARVER KAYLEE HARWOOD JONATHAN WINSBY GERAINT WYN DAVIES DAN CHAMEROY MIKE NADAJEWSKI LUCY PEACOCK

FABULOUS FIRE ISLAND A destination like no other by Michael K Lavers

AFTER SCHOOL SPECIAL Talking up community by Gordon Bowness

POP TSARS Ukrainian boy band Kazaky heats up Pride by Michael Pihach

PRIDE PUMP Sound Off

FOOD FORWARD by Michael Thorner

SPIRITUAL home IN LESLIEVILLE by Michael Pihach

TORTOISE SUNGLASSES by Paul Aguirre-Livingston

TECH FIENDS VS NATURE LOVERS by Rick Vassallo

CHURCH STREET IN FOCUS by Richard Silver

FITNESS PLANNING by Jeremy Foreshew

BARBER OR SALON? by Dino Dilio

BREAKING UP Relationship Advice with Adam Segal

TOP FIVE PATIOS by Anna von Frances

FIVE HOT PRIDE VIBES by Kevin Ritchie

DISPLAY CASE: SHARY BOYLE by Gordon Bowness

FRINGE ZEITGEIST by Serafin LaRiviere

LOW LIBIDO? Sex and Health with Dr Keith

CAUGHT IN THE ACT by George Pimentel, Derek Dotto

& Michael Pihach

Jonathan Winsby. Photo by David Hou.

stratfordshakespearefestival.com 1.800.567.1600

Discover • Debate • Discuss

ANTONI CIMOLINO General Director

Production Co-Sponsors

DES McANUFF Artistic Director

toronto talk exchange VIEW FINDER → “THAT ONE WHO WAS LOVING WAS aLMOST ALWAYS LISTENING” July marks the 65th anniversary of Gertrude Stein’s death. Born near Pittsburgh in 1874, Stein was an experimental poet and influential art collector who lived most of her life in France. Her most successful book was The Autobiography of Alice B Toklas, a memoir of her lover of 40 years. London, UK indie publisher NoBrow (nobrow.net) published this amazing version of Ada, a story that Stein wrote for Toklas in 1910, beautifully illustrated by the Berlin-based artist Atak. In Toronto, NoBrow publications are available at The Beguiling (thebeguiling.com).

In their own words Natalia Kills

→ “I’m

The 24-year-old queen of dark pop was in Toronto in June to promote her soon-to-be released debut album, Perfectionist. She opened for Swedish singer Robyn at Echo Beach, a volleyball-sand-pit-turnedconcert venue at Ontario Place. “I think we’re all perfectionists,” says the UK pop singer. “Everybody’s looking for the ideal, whether it’s buying a blazer, making an album. It’s a blessing with its own side-effects. It’s the source of a lot of ambition, drive and dreams. But at the same time, it’s all the frustrations and disappointments that come with it. It’s such an overwhelming feeling.”

NATALIA KILLS Her debut album, Perfectionist, will be released in Canada on Tue, Aug 16. Watch our interview with Kills at intorontomag.com.

July 2011

constantly looking for satisfaction.”

toronto talk exchange Sound off “Bangin’ booty butt clenches”

Pride’s International Grand Marshal

→ Last

month, Tourism Toronto, in partnership with Pride Toronto, released a 3. cheeky online video about the annual ritual of hitting the gym and pumping up for Pride week. The video, entitled Pride Pump 2000X, was meant to draw laughs and lure tourists to Toronto Pride, but critics say it perpetuates negative stereotypes. Here, four pundits throw a punch in the debate. Pride is an event of many things, one of those being pure fun. That’s what this campaign is designed to promote. It’s pretty obvious it wasn’t meant to be a real representation of anything. It’s meant to honour the ritual of getting ready for Pride, poking fun at the physical side of it. The fact it has generated so much conversation is evidence we may have hit on an effective marketing tool.

Andrew Weir, VicePresident of Communication, Tourism Toronto

It’s an utter failure and irresponsibly portrays all queers as vapid, vacuous and vainglorious. It doesn’t promote “pride,” festival events or Pride Toronto! Instead, it endorses an attitude that only buffed and beautiful bodies will be appreciated at Pride. The production is cheap and the jokes are lame. There’s nothing redeeming about it when juxtaposed against Pride Toronto’s current financial crisis coupled with the city’s continued efforts to force Pride Toronto to censor participants.

Lisa Duke, filmmaker, Proud of Toronto campaign member

It was an attempt to use satire to look at stereotypes in our community. I don’t want to discount critiques. They’re important, we’ll learn from it. By virtue of it being slightly controversial, it has gone more viral (it’s the first time my hands have been near something Perez Hilton has commented on). Had it been predictable, people wouldn’t be talking about it.

It was a fun, lighthearted piece of entertainment that some of us are taking far too seriously. We’ve got bigger things to worry about than a camp workout video that’s clearly supposed to be in jest.

Ryan Carter, television producer

“I am very concerned about violence committed against women considered different and non-conforming, especially queer and transgender women,” says Philippinesbased activist Angie Umbac. Ending oppression of queer women, among a long list of other LGBT-related causes, is just one issue Umbac spends her waking hours fighting for. It’s the reason Pride Toronto selected her as this year’s International Grand Marshal, an honour that highlights queer and trans human rights struggles around the world. “Angie has done exemplary work in human rights defense for LGBTs in the Philippines and the Asian region,” stated Margaret Ngai, co-chair of Pride Toronto, in a press release. “She champions issues of gender and development in both her personal and professional lives.” Umbac lives in Quezon City, the former capital, now part of Manila. She is a consultant for the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), advising on violence and discrimination against lesbians, bisexual and transgender women. A trustee of the Ladlad LGBT Continued on page 11

Glen Brown, Pride Toronto Interim Executive Director

→ Philippines dynamo Angie Umbac.

intorontomag.com

Better to be in the pink, than in the red

PwC is proud to celebrate Pride 2011 together with our people and the entire community. www.pwc.com/ca/diversity Sponsored by PwC’s GLBT Circle © 2011 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. All rights reserved. “PwC” refers to PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an Ontario limited liability partnership, which is a member firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited, each member firm of which is a separate legal entity. 1284-02 0611

toronto talk exchange Continued from page 9

How Tweet It Is Put your best food forward by Michael Thorner

ecent documentaries such as Food Inc and Fresh deconstruct

and

expose

how industrialized food manufacturing is affecting our global environment, health, economy and workers’ rights; Fresh goes a step further by providing ideas on how to reinvent our food system in a more sustainable way. Food Forward, the registered notfor-profit organization based in Toronto, raises the people’s voice for a better food system, integrating the public, politicians and various contacts within the food sector into the ongoing discussion.

Most of the engaging commu-

“The topic of social media for

nity dialogue takes place on Food

social good is quite interesting to

Forward’s various Facebook pages

me,” says executive director Darcy

and open groups — Higgins cur-

Higgins.

rently moderates around two dozen

→ DINNER CONVERSAT ION Food Forward executive director Darcy Higgins uses social media to foster discussion among the public, politicians and food providers.

Food Forward puts online net-

of them, which in only a short time

of social justice and marginaliza-

works at the centre of their inter-

have snowballed from a handful to

tion,” says Higgins.

active outreach. The group’s web-

50,000 members — all chock-full

site, pushfoodforward.com, has a

of resources and pertinent links.

“we’re

regularly updated blog that collects

A continuous daily stream of info

Forward’s membership and con-

news on healthy food, farm and

from Food Forward and its allies

nections with other local food

policy-related topics. There’s also a

(activists, local food eaters and

activists and entrepreneurs, create

comprehensive listing of non-profit

bloggers, broader networks like

events that engage people in solu-

Sustain Ontario and Food Secure

tions, and educate city councillors

“It’s critical to do something with the overwhelming problems around climate change and global poverty.”

Canada, and sustainable business

and city departments about the

owners) is shared via Twitter.

importance of policies that allow

Sharing

advocacy

opportuni-

ties such as the 2011 Toronto Core

“In the short-term,” he says, looking

grow

Food

for residents to do more positive action for healthy food.”

Service Review to help city coun-

Why work for sustainable food?

cil determine ways to address its

“It’s the only work I can do,” says

funding gap, as well as advertising

Higgins. “I want to make a change

and sharing events such as “Plant

in society. And it’s critical to do

a Seed for Earth Hour,” where peo-

something with the overwhelming

ple are encouraged to participate in

problems around climate change

food organizations and projects in

their own home, all can be found on

and global poverty.”

Toronto’s burgeoning “food move-

Food Forward’s Facebook page.

ment,” a collection of key links to

Coming down the pike: plans for a

federal, provincial and municipal

panel and mixer on LGBT and gen-

food strategy information, a “good

der issues as they relate to food.

food” events community events cal-

“My sexuality does influence my

endar, and a get involved section.

advocacy and connection to issues

FOOD FORWARD Learn more on Twitter @pushFoodForward. MICHAEL THORNER Tweets at twitter.com/michaelthorner

Party List, an LGBT political party currently seeking a seat in the Philippine Congress, Umbac also fronts the Rainbow Rights Project (R-Rights), a non-profit organization that provides the LGBT community with a legal and policy reform think-tank. “With this honour I wish to celebrate the uniqueness and diversity of Filipino LGBTs,” Umbac writes in an email, “and also put a spotlight on the richness and dynamism of the Asian region where LGBT rights is not a single movement. Rather, it dances back and forth, adjusting to the local demands of many cultures, religions and languages.” For Pride week, Umbac will fly to Toronto for the first time to accept the honour and lead the Dyke March and Pride Parade. “Progressive” is how Umbac labels her predominantly Catholic country of more than 94 million, with a sizeable Muslim minority. “Legal protections for LGBT people from city to city, however, are inconsistent,” she writes. “We have yet to pass a national anti-discrimination law, which is pending in our legislature for 12 years.” That means there is no protection for LGBT Filipinos against discrimination in the workplace, at school, or businesses open to the public. Access to health care is limited, too. Umbac says bullying, violence and even murder are still all too common. Umbac is Pride Toronto’s sixth International Grand Marshal. “This honour recognizes all rights defenders who sacrifice to keep Pride alive and well in the Philippines, and indeed throughout Asia,” states Umbac. Michael Pihach

intorontomag.com

L I V I N G & H EA LT H

O PE N H O U S E

Global Modern After years of neighbourhood hopping, from Kensington Market to Little Portugal to Cabbagetown, lawyer, activist and artist Zahra Dhanani built her own domestic temple out of a 1960s, barn-shaped, two-storey house on a quiet cul-de-sac in Leslieville â&#x2020;&#x2019;

Story Michael Pihach | Photography Lulu Wei

July 2011

LIVING & HEALTH

You say you were once adamant you would not live east of Parliament. How did you wind up further east in Leslieville? I knew I wanted to live in a house. I’d been looking for years. I originally wanted to stay in Cabbagetown, but I couldn’t afford anything there. Then I found this house. The backyard was a big sell. It had a shed with electricity, so I made it into a studio, which has become my own sanctuary. It’s where I do arts and meditate. You used to live in a condo. Moving into your first home must have been a learning curve. I had to learn about furnace stuff. And…what are those things called again? Oh right. Eavestroughs. Why does living in a house work for you? I nest. I am always doing something artistic or creative. You see the fruits of that all over my house, from drying roses to painting statues to placing things in an artistic way. I’m meticulous about detail. I place things exactly where I want them to be. If somebody comes in and moves something, I’ll notice, and as soon as they leave, I’ll move it right back. Being in a house offers more opportunity to express yourself. You’re not hampered by condo rules. How did you make this house your own? It looks very different now compared to before. The living room was originally mustard, red and brown. There was carpet and laminate and more walls. I like modern design, so I made it into something a bit sleeker. I love natural organic elements, and I adore trees, which is why you see real wood everywhere. Your house is also a fusion of both western and eastern influences. This house is me and my experiences. I have blankets from parts of the world I’ve visited. Ghana. Morocco. Pillow cushions from India. Elephant statues from Kenya, which is where a lot of my family is from. I have Indian

→ LIVING DESIGN Zahra Dhanani with dogs Sun and Moon (top right) on the backyard patio, the shed-turnedstudio visible in back. The bedroom (middle left) and living room (opposite page) are peppered with global and spiritual symbols. The lips painting (middle right) is by Toronto artist Natalie Angela Terris. The kitchen (bottom) mixes modern and organic elements.

women figures made of papiermâché that dance when you touch them. It’s nostalgic in a way. Is your global aesthetic a reflection of your roots? I was born in Tanzania and that has had a big impact on me. You see elements of African art, textile and texture in my bedroom especially. Some of my African pieces are more than 30-years-old. Islamic concepts have influenced my sense of repetition and placement, and a South Asian sense of vibrancy is everywhere. What about the three framed Bollywood posters you have hanging in your living room? I adore Bollywood films from the ’50s to the ’80s. Those were the golden years for me on all levels of movie making: colour was just coming into film, the musical tradition was in full force and the scripts were soulful and intelligent. Bollywood from that era is an explosion of artistic and intellectual expression. Your house is dotted with statues of Tara, Shiva, Buddha and Ganesh, among other spiritual symbols. How does spirituality impact your design choices? I believe that spirit is everywhere. I keep symbols everywhere to keep me focused on the miracle of every moment and the temporariness of everything. I create little altars to life. It is all an external expression of my internal world.

Continued on page 14

intorontomag.com

L I V I N G & H EA LT H Continued from page 13

Your

home

contains

Toronto

to mention that there are 12 green

influences, too, like the lips

fields within a 10-minute radius.

painting by local artist Natalie

The beach is also just a 20-minute

Angela Terris.

walk. Doggy paradise.

It’s called “My Lips Are Your Lips If You Want Them To Be.” There’s a

How does being a lawyer, activist

Red Rocket coffee shop nearby. It

and artist influence the way you

was exhibited there. I just fell in

design your home?

love. My house is very glam and

I have always had a philosophy:

gay. Bling everywhere. I was raised

“It’s not what you do, it’s how you

in the era of Boy George, TLC,

do it.” I do everything with my soul,

Madonna, Parachute Club, The

heart and intellect. The way I law-

Village People, Aretha Franklin,

yer, educate, perform, advocate,

Diana Ross, Duran Duran, Depeche

dress, relate with others, live my

Mode, Prince, Boney M and Sheila

life, train people, write... literally

E. I love me some sparkle!

everything. How I have designed my house has come directly from

You have two poodles mixed with

my spirit, what I love and a metic-

Chinese crested (China poos)

ulous sense of placement. My

named Sun and Moon. How do

home is my temple. •

they appreciate your house? They fully own it! Both spend countless hours chasing squirrels in the backyard. We have 11 other dogs on my street, so they have non-stop entertainment. Not

→ REFUGE The dining room (above right), with plentiful natural light, and the back patio both showcase Dhanani’s extensive collection of spiritual art and statues.

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L I V I N G & H EA LT H

T r avel

Fire up your imagination → With

its glamorous history, crazy parties and pristine beaches, Fire Island is a destination like no other Story Michael K Lavers

ed wagons, deer, beach

vast majority of Fire Island. As such,

Long Island couple opened in the

hamlet a welcoming refuge from

parties and the occasional

the only vehicles that are allowed to

late 1800s. Playwright Oscar Wilde

homophobic prying eyes after World

tryst in the dunes are four

drive on the beach are those with

is rumoured to have stayed in the

War

images that encapsulate Fire Island.

FINS driving permits. Ferries oper-

small hotel that eventually opened

Frank O’Hara, Greta Garbo, Arlene

But there is far more to this beach

ate between the mainland and the

on this narrow strip of beach that

Francis, WH Auden and Pola Negri

community than sun, surf, skin and

vast majority of Fire Island’s 18

took its name from the wild cherry

were among those who could be

sex.

communities.

trees that grew on it. The Grove

found on the boards or at a cock-

Christopher

Isherwood,

Located roughly 50 miles east of

Cherry Grove and the Fire Island

became a popular place for actors

tail or costume party in the 1950s.

Manhattan, Fire Island is a 34-mile

Pines are the beach’s two distinctly

and members of New York’s theatre

Celebrities who have been spotted

barrier island that parallels Long

gay communities.

scene in the 1920s. They summered

in the Grove in recent years include

in rustic cottages that had been

comedian Wanda Sykes and actress

floated across the Great South Bay.

Kirsten Dunst. Last year I shared

Island’s South Shore from Fire Island Inlet in the west to Smith

II.

Cherry Grove

Point to the east. The Fire Island

This campy hamlet’s history dates

A hurricane devastated the Grove

a water taxi with Boy George

National Seashore encompasses the

back to the small restaurant that a

in Sep, 1938, but gay men found the

from the Grove to Ocean Beach.

July 2011

LIVING & HEALTH

The Grove is particularly popu-

of its theatrical tradition. The Arts

lar among lesbians and daytrip-

Project of Cherry Grove (artspro-

pers from New York City and Long

jectcherrygrove.org)

Island, but the hamlet arguably

eral productions in the Community

has more gender-benders per cap-

House — a barn that was floated

ita than any other place on earth.

across the bay from the main-

Grove residents take the “drag

land — each summer. Bella, Panzi,

queen capital of the world” moniker

Philomena,

extremely seriously. And the annual

other queens routinely star in

Invasion of the Pines on July 4

them. APCG was among the organi-

certainly proves this point.

zations that raised funds to combat

Angela

Mercy

sev-

and

This tradition began in 1976, after

the AIDS epidemic that devastated

Panzi and a group of her cross-dress-

the Grove and the neighbouring

ing galpals decided to challenge

Pines in the 1980s and early ’90s.

a Pines restaurant’s policy of not

The Monster was a long-time

serving anyone who was dressed

Grove mainstay, but the party goes

in drag. The story varies depend-

on each weekend at Cherry’s (cherrysonthebay.com) and the Ice Palace

“It is rumoured that Madonna once rode the ferry from the Grove to the Pines, but nobody recognized her because everyone else was dressed in drag.”

(grovehotel.com). That’s where a

Micael K Lavers

stages

then-relatively unknown Lady Gaga

O’Donnell and Carson Kressley are

performed at an underwear party

among the celebrities spotted in

in Aug, 2008. A growing number of

recent years.

→ sEA LEGS The landmark Belvedere (opposite page) is in historic Cherry Grove. The Ascension Beach Party (above) is in the more upscale Pines.

gay-themed parties and events also

Hotel Ciel, which was formerly the

take place at the Belvedere Guest

Botel, remains a Pines landmark,

July 4 weekend. Ascension (ascen-

House

(belvederefireisland.com).

but the ever-popular Tea Dance that

sionparty.com) is a series of par-

This landmark bayfront hotel is also

former model John Whyte started

ties,

one of the hosts of the Mr Fire Island

remains a tradition to this day. Low

events that takes place in August.

Leather Contest in May.

Tea takes place at the Blue Whale

(I spotted a shirtless gay congress-

from 5pm to 8pm, while High Tea

man, Barney Frank at the 2009

takes place on the aptly-named

Ascension Beach Party.)

Fire Island Pines

performances

and

other

ing upon who tells it, but the most

Located roughly half a mile east

High Tea Deck that overlooks the

Like in the Grove, AIDS devastated

probable scenario is that Panzi and

of the Grove through the notorious

harbour from 7pm to 10pm. The

the Pines in the 1980s and early ’90s.

more than a dozen of her friends

Meatrack, or the Carrington Tract

Pavilion

GMHC and God’s Love We Deliver

boarded a water taxi in the Grove

as it is officially known, the nota-

as_calendar?venue=pavilion)

reg-

are among the HIV/AIDS service

and “stormed” the Pines. More than

bly upscale Pines is the original site

ularly features some of the world’s

organizations that have their roots

three decades later, thousands of

of the Lone Hill Life Saving Station

most renowned DJs at all-night

in this remote stretch of beach. The

people line the Pines harbourfront

that the US Lifesaving Service

summer parties. DJ Lina’s weekend

annual Fire Island Dance Festival in

each Independence Day to welcome

built in 1876. The Home Guardian

sets at Sip ’n’ Twirl (sipntwirl.com)

July has raised nearly $2 million for

the invading drag queens and listen

Company purchased this rugged

have become an increasingly popu-

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS’

to Panzi announce their arrival —

stretch of beach that had been pop-

lar alternative to tea.

Dancers Responding to AIDS since

often with crude jokes and moni-

ular among naturalists and fisher-

In addition to tea and all-night par-

it was first held in 1995. Lambda

kers — before they walk down the

men in the mid-1920s. The com-

ties, the Pines practically invented

Legal and several other leading

red carpet and retrieve their free

pany renamed the area Fire Island

and certainly perfected the mod-

LGBT advocacy organizations also

drink at a local bar. It is rumoured

Pines in 1952 as it began to con-

ern-day gay circuit party. The first

have their roots in the Pines.

that Madonna once rode the ferry

struct the hamlet’s first homes.

— Beach ’79 — took place on July 4,

Both communities certainly take

from the Grove to the Pines, but

Home Guardian also a built a yacht

1979, and raised money for a new

pride in their ability to take care of

nobody recognized her because

harbour from a natural inlet.

(thepinesfireisland.com/

fire truck. The Gay Men’s Health

their own on one of the East Coast’s

everyone else was dressed in drag.

Rock Hudson, Montgomery Clift,

Crisis’ annual Morning Party took

most pristine beaches. And the stun-

I’ve been known periodically to don

Ava Gardner, Frank Sinatra, Joan

place through the late 1990s, while

ning sunsets that Fire Islanders rou-

a second- or even third-hand frock.

Rivers, Calvin Klein, Natalie Wood

the Pines Party (pinesparty.com)

tinely enjoy make this strand a truly

Let’s just say one has to master the

and others made their way to the

raises funds for the Fire Island

magical place to live, work and play.

art of walking in heels on treacher-

Pines in the early days. Democratic

Pines Property Owners Association

ous boardwalks beforehand!

National

Charitable

Committee

Treasurer

Foundation

and

the

In addition to its unapologeti-

Andrew Tobias and New York

Stonewall Community Charitable

cally irreverent drag tradition, the

television personality Robin Byrd

Foundation. IndepenDance (inde-

Grove remains immensely proud

summer in the Pines, while Rosie

pendancefi.com) takes place over

MICHAEL K LAVERS Editor of the Fire Island News since 2008. fireislandnews.info. intorontomag.com

October 21–29, 2011

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LIVING & HEALTH

N eti q u ette

Can’t see the forest for the trees →Tech

fiends face off against nature lovers as tensions rise in cottage country over acceptable levels of connectivity Story Rick Vassallo

cc Robert S Donovan

n an ad currently on TV, a couple with a dog arrives at a cliff top overlooking the ocean. The woman says, “Wow, I never get tired of looking out at this spectacular view.” She turns to her significant other and he’s miles away, texting on his new device. The camera pans to show her and her loyal canine friend sitting in the long wispy grass, taking in the sights without him. It’s a scene that plays out over and over again: We simultaneously choose to ignore or interrupt our time with lovers, family and friends to check our phones, texts and computers. With summer now here, the conundrum of where to put our finite attention spans moves to the outdoors and cottage country, where cellular towers have sprung up everywhere, like spring crocuses. The expectation to chill can fly in the face of the expectation to stay connected, and never more so than while at someone’s cottage as a guest or on a nature getaway. Howard Barrie is an avid boater. He’s been piloting his yacht cruiser near the islands of Georgian Bay for 23 years. Lately he’s been noticing that a number of his guests don’t know how to be on a boat for any length of time. Sometimes at his insistence, sometimes at theirs, he’s forced to drop guests off at a bus or train station because they are out of sorts in such a remote and natural setting. “Exposed to the raw living conditions of boating, the few amenities, the restrictions of even going for a walk… can be unanticipated,” says Barrie. “Everything becomes a protracted exercise in order to get any-

thing done. For some, they can’t wrap their minds around this. “It’s also the challenge of entertaining yourself,” says Barrie, in his late 50s. “Some people just have no affinity for those old-school attributes like conversation, cultivated quiet time, card games, joke telling and story telling. Without technology at hand, for some it can be too much of an adjustment.” Barrie says technology has also

“Nature can make you feel very small and very insignificant. It becomes a much smaller world without technology, like in some way you don’t exist.”

→ hang up Try tuning into the natural world, no device necessary.

changed boating in and around Georgian Bay. “Ten years ago, only the people with printed charts could navigate the waterways. Now you don’t have to have the navigational skills, you can simply plot the course on a GPS ahead of time and your boat will get you there.” Pat Morel, a guide at White Squall paddling centre in Georgian Bay, sees GPS technology as just one more tech distraction. “There are people with their GPSs trying to map the whole trip even though they’ve already hired guides for that purpose. “They’re attempting to understand where they are with their maps, as if the experience in nature is not itself enough.” She pauses, then adds emphatically, “It’s an addiction.”

Morel, who doesn’t own a cell phone, says it’s “sad… if you can’t disconnect for five days, without news, without phones, without texting.” She has a theory on why wilderness getaways bring out the worst in tech fiends. “Nature can make you feel very small and very insignificant. It becomes a much smaller world without technology, like in some way you don’t exist.” Policy at White Squall forbids teenagers and young adults from bringing cell phones on guided trips, but staff can’t make the same demands on adults. “[Guides] carry cell phones and navigational radios but still [other adults] insist on bringing their laptops, stashed in their kayaks in waterproof cases. “In truth, there’s so much going on in nature,” says Morel. “It’s much more interesting than what they’re seeing on their maps, if you can take the time to develop and appreciate what’s going on around you.” Practicing the “power of now,” to contain the mind’s tendency to run off in all directions pulled by technology, is a hard discipline for most of us. It’s the real world, the one that is unmediated by digital technology, that illuminates our spirit and informs us in untold ways. Pay attention to it. You don’t know what you’re missing. At the very least the price of staying connected to city friends may cost you that most coveted of summer connections: An invitation back to the cottage.

RICK VASSALLO Wellness consultant and holistic-based therapist. rickvassallo.com. intorontomag.com

L I V I N G & H EA LT H

neiGHBourhood sley

le Wel

St E

— Church/Wellesley by Richard Silver

RL-11-000-1d June Ad IT_4.1563 W x 5.1563 11-05-18 10:22 AM Page 1

Few areas in the world can boast the number of loves begun and lost

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than the Church/Wellesley ’hood.

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→ MOVIN’ ON UP New condos are changing the character of Church Street, but some things never change.

The long-time centre to Toronto’s LGBT

community

has

changed

THE GOOD NEWS

greatly over the years. Once a ques-

If you sit at the corner of Church

tionable place to purchase a home

and Wellesley, you will see your life

or condo, it’s become very fashion-

and old friends walk by… just try

able. Where once the gay commu-

your hardest to look your best at all

nity was shunned and hid in dark

times. Everything is available there

dank bars, we are now out on the

and I mean everything.

street and have spawned one of the biggest festivals in the city.

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in focus

THE BAD NEWS

With all that comes rising prop-

If you sit at the corner of Church

erty values and expensive rent-

and Wellesley, you will see your life

als. Restaurants struggle with high

and old friends walk by… but after

rents. Clubs fight to hold onto fickle

a certain age, it gets much harder to

late-night partiers.

stop traffic or even a pedestrian…

Expect to see more chain restau-

unless you should fall.

rants and stores and less “mom and pop” or “pop and pop” retail.

Best of all

Expect to see more condominium

Location , location, location. You

high rises due to the great suc-

are within easy access to subways,

cess of Radio City and some of the

shopping, eating and partying. Just

other buildings on Carlton Street.

remember, as you age, what used

That means that some of the

to be cool music becomes a lot of

Victorian stock may dwindle espe-

noise. Nothing you can do about it. It

cially as Ryerson University keeps

is just generational. It just happens.

expanding. RICHARD SILVER The Bosley Real Estate salesperson blogs at torontoism.com.

L I V I N G & H EA LT H

Savour the city — with Marty Galin

EXPLORE THE SPACE AROUND YOU

Being 11 years old was so special. Every Friday after school my mom and I went to the local butcher, who knew my name and my birthday. He would reward me with a beef pepperoni stick. Walking into The Friendly Butcher recently made the past come alive for me. →

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lives every time I enter this butcher shop with a heart. It feels like she

He offers choices of beef, chicken,

is there once again with me smil-

turkey and even lamb.

ing beside her.

PROUD TO SERVE OUR COMMUNITY

He also makes one amazing chili

The Friendly Butcher is a mixture of

and a stew for lunch. The servings

butcher shop and hot and cold food.

are large enough that any cowboy

You can eat there or take home. Ken

would forget his horse’s name.

MacDonald runs the Yonge St shop

Everyone loves good ribs. You have

and has a barbeque outside with a

come to the right place, partner. He

great patio. The salads are perfect.

shared his secret recipe with us.

My favourites are the three grain, the artichoke and the potato with Dijon mustard. Soups are made on

Ken’s Famous Ribs Use a rack of back ribs.

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Season to taste with pepper, gar-

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lic, cayenne pepper and salt and

from carrot ginger to tomato bacon.

rub mixture on to the bones.

All are made with little sodium The

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utes to get the juices flowing in

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Ken’s meat pies are some of the best in the city. In the morning he puts out two hundred, and they are

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L I V I N G & H EA LT H

F itne s s

Plan to succeed → The

best workout results start with pen and paper Story Jeremy Foreshew

he difference between those who are successful in fitness and those who devote hours to working out without seeing results is a little focus and some simple planning. I sat down with life coach Tammy Faulds to hammer out the best strategy for you to finally take your fitness to the next level. THE GOAL Start by getting a pen and paper. “Write your goals down,” says Faulds. “There’s something to seeing your goals written in black and white that helps to make them more concrete and tangible.” Your chances of success are best when your goal is realistic and measurable, so instead of settling for “slimming down” or “being a better runner,” you should pick something more specific like “reduce my body fat by five percent in three weeks” or “run a 10km race

July 2011

five minutes faster by October.” Now here’s a little help for you to set a realistic fat loss goal. Each pound of fat is about 3,500 calories. So if you want to lose a pound of fat per week you will need to burn 500 calories a day through activities such as lifting weights (6 calories per minute), running (13 calories per minute) or playing soccer (16 calories per minute). To lose a second pound of fat per week, reduce your caloric intake by 500 calories. Usually the easiest way is by getting rid of drinks, sodas and juices. Stick to water and your waistline will shrink dramatically. THE PLAN Prioritize time for your goal and include it in your daily schedule so that you are better prepared to keep your commitment to your goal. Sure, you will be tempted to go off-plan along the way, so Faulds suggests a little visual-

ization. When the idea of a triple-grande-frappasomething with whipped cream starts to take over your every thought, try to think about the new you strutting your stuff on the beach. If all else fails, go with the buddy system. Faulds recommends keeping yourself accountable by having

“If you want to lose a pound of fat per week you will need to burn 500 calories a day.” people there to cheer you on when times get tough and you need it the most. Of course, there’s also the option of keeping your goals on your social networking channels like Facebook and Twitter. Remember that when it comes to successes and challenges, you’ve got to keep it

all in stride. “If you stumble,” Faulds says, “just pick yourself up… and get back in the game.” THE reward “Building in a reward helps you keep focused,” says Faulds, “helps motivate on days when you really don’t want to work out.” Give yourself rewards for the small success you encounter on the way to your end goal — you’ve worked hard, so savour the moment. Set milestones and reward yourself appropriately along the way but remember: No results, no rewards! Of course, the greatest reward is the satisfaction of having done something amazing for yourself, achieving a goal and finally getting some real fitness results .

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IT’S HERE! The Evolution in Male Grooming

L I V I N G & H EA LT H

the grooming game

— with Dino Dilio

A spa oasis for men with expert staff to match the million dollar environment.

→ There are basically two places for men to go for a hair cut, colour and, in some cases, full grooming services above and below the neck: the barber shop and the salon.

The barber shop is my personal

Church St), went to both schools

choice over the salon because

and says he learned more on the

it’s quick, efficient and relatively

job than in school. Hair stylists I

inexpensive, starting at $15.

work with say it all comes down to

Many barbers are true wizards,

whom you really want to do hair

expertly using different length

on. They all agree there’s more

clippers, razors and scissors to

money to be made with women.

cut, chisel and coif your hair into

Colouring hair alone can run into

a classic or contemporary style,

triple digits, with maintenance as

crewcut,

high as cellphone fees.

flattop,

Mohawk

unique carved “works of art” in

While barbers are cheaper, note

under 15 minutes. As a bonus, the

that a cut with a clipper gives a

good ones will trim unruly eye-

harder line that grows out faster than cuts done with scissors and

“a cut with a clipper gives a harder line that grows out faster than cuts done with scissors and comb.”

comb. What it comes down to is the experience. Does the quick inand-out, old-fashioned, no-frills chop shop work for you? Or are you more into a leisurely upscale spa/salon with a Zen groove, herbal teas and water features. The

recent

men-only

boutique spas and stores like

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Mankind Grooming Studio (477

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Richmond St W) and the well-

A hair stylist — the term hair dresser is very passé — works in

(120 (62

(91

Carlton Bathurst Scollard

St, St) St)

#219) and have

touted Monsieur Barber Shop and Spa (415 Bloor St W).

a salon and spa, servicing both

A good hair cut can make you

women and men. Location usually

feel good all over. Do yourself

sets the price. Expect to pay $25

proud and get one.

and up for a cut, more for colour, in uptown or downtown Toronto. It’s important to know whether a stylist can cut men’s hair; many say they can but don’t deliver. Most hair styling training is about women’s

hair

while

barbering

courses seem to be dying out. My barber, Yen at Ho’s Place (509

Dino Dilio The freelance makeup artist and writer is resident beauty expert on CityLine. dinodilio.com.

L I V I N G & H EA LT H

relationship advice

SEX IS EASY TO FIND. LOVE ISN’T.

— with Adam Segal “After 12 years together it looks like my relationship with my partner is about to end. We’ve been struggling on and off for a few years and have recently both declared a desire to move on. When my last relationship ended, the process of separating was very traumatizing. The fighting and bitterness seemed to last forever and divvying up the stuff (and even friends) was brutal. Right now, things are at a standstill as neither of us seems willing to get the breakup train rolling. We live together so this will mean a lot of upheaval. Is there any way to do this with even a shred of grace and the preservation of my sanity?” Arianna

→

Let’s face it: Breakups are messy because

emotions

are

messy.

There’s no way to sanitize a breakup

long-term live-in relationship and, ultimately, you’ll need to work as a team until the deed is done.

to the extent that it is a perfectly

As with any loss, separation

peaceful event. However, there are

brings up grief and its many stages

measures you can both take to min-

(shock, anger, sadness: You know

imize the damage and respect the

the drill). In many ways, when a

12 years you had together.

relationship ends, what is being

Typically, when separating be-

grieved is the loss of the relation-

comes a never-ending dramatic

ship you both had hoped for. Unlike

rage-fest, it’s usually because a war

other times of crisis over your years

has been started. Relational conflict

together, this time around you

often stems from folks being inca-

can’t lean on each other for emo-

pable of expressing themselves with

tional support — this would be the

vulnerability rather than obses-

equivalent of ripping the Band-Aid

sively trying to win and be “right.”

off really slowly. Look to your close

The truth is that there has to be sad-

friends/family to be your back-up

ness and disappointment some-

as they have the advantage of dis-

where in both of you. Being able to

tance and perspective.

voice these feelings is a good way of

The best thing you can do to

finding some common ground and

encourage an amicable breakup is

potentially eliciting a sense of cama-

to take exceptionally good care of

raderie between the both of you.

yourself so that you’re less likely

A lot of couples seek out counsel-

to be reactive and make matters

ling as a way of mending an ailing

worse. If your partner behaves com-

relationship but seeing a profes-

batively, remember to always meet

sional could also support both of

inappropriateness with appropri-

you to navigate the breakup itself.

ateness — it’s your only chance at

You can utilize these sessions

keeping the peace.

to have frank discussions about move-out plans, financial matters and needs regarding certain friends you each want to have as primary supports. There’s a lot of grunt work involved in separating a

Adam Segal The writer and therapist works in private practice in downtown Toronto. Ask him your relationship or mental health question at relationship@intorontomag.com.

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A n a ly s i s

Remedial class →

In the wake of a controversial media story, the community acts up and speaks out Story Gordon Bowness Photography David Hawe

owls

indignation

had nothing in common with the

“Beyond Gay: No more rainbows.

atively and constructively about

Facebook

Church/Wellesley neighbourhood

No more Village. The rise of the

identity and community.

and blogs to calls for

and what he characterized as the

Po-mo Homo.”

boycotts in response to a recent

community’s hard-done-by polit-

There’s been amazing ideas and

cover story in Toronto weekly The

ical discourse and gawdy, sex-

passions expressed in response to

Grid. It was written by a young

obsessed culture.

the story. But the tone at times has

spread

of from

THE YOUNG, SHE IS A STRANGE RACE “There are people in my generation who complain all the time

gay man who, claiming to have

Compounding the story’s myo-

grown up free from discrimina-

pia and overgeneralization was

We don’t need more vitriol. This

about the Village,” says Jonathan

tion, felt totally disconnected from

the editors’ decision to position

isn’t another slam piece. This is an

Nathaniel, 24, co-host of MTV’s

the broader LGBT community. He

the first-person account as repre-

attempt to take the heated conver-

1 Girl, 5 Gays. “It really matters to

wrote that his world, the young

senting a wholesale societal shift.

sation ignited by the story to a pos-

some of them which scene they

hipster scene of Queen Street West,

The paper’s cover boldly claimed,

itive place, where we can talk cre-

Continued on page 30

been vitriolic.

intorontomag.com

insight

LEANNE ISKANDER, 16

LALI MOHAMED, 23

JONATHAN NATHANIEL, 24

BRENDAN HEALY, 36

Continued from page 29

join, the music they listen to, the clothes they wear.” Plus ça change. It happens every generation.

all these kids signed up already.

WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET

“Those young men in The Grid

“We set up a Facebook page so

story,” says Kennedy, “even though

that everyone could keep track

What is this thing called commu-

they didn’t know it or express it,

of what was going on. Then the

nity that the young may or may not

“We’ve seen it all before,” says

they were taking advantage of the

media picked up on it.” What hap-

relate to? Church and Wellesley is

Helen Kennedy, director of national

blood, sweat and tears shed in the

pened next surprised Iskander. “I

not the community, it’s a neigh-

lobby group Egale Canada and

1960s, ’70s, and ’80s. Should we

never would have expected such

bourhood; granted, a very impor-

veteran

politician.

begrudge them their freedom, as

an amazing response. I never

tant

Clones versus hippies, homo-core

naïve as they are? I mean why are

thought so many people would

history, the number of LGBT insti-

versus circuit, femmes versus fem-

we doing this work?

care. It really encouraged us to

tutions found there, the bar scene,

keep on fighting.”

the media outlets and the fact that

Toronto-area

inists — every generation defines

“Once you waded through the

neighbourhood

given

its

itself in opposition to the styles

stench

there’s

Lali Mohamed, 23, a former board

it’s still the entry point for a huge

and language of those who pre-

something interesting happening.”

member with the Youth Line,

number of people. But it cannot

ceded them. Kennedy, a 54-year-

Stench of entitlement or whiff of

was outraged when the assump-

stand in for the whole community.

old motorcycle-driving Dubliner,

freedom? There could be a young

tion that youth are apolitical and

What you see at Church and

recalls the fight between “bell-bot-

LGBT cohort coming of age without

narcissistic carried through into

Wellesley — and what you don’t

toms versus drainpipes.” I think it

a sense of political struggle.

entitlement,

the various responses to The Grid

— is really up to you. Compare the

“No way,” says Leanne Iskander,

story. “Young people today are

experiences of two young men like

“The tension between young and old is as old as time.”

the 16-year-old student fighting

doing really transformative work

Mohamed and Nathaniel.

to set up a Gay-Straight Alliance

in this city,” he says. “When we

Mohamed was born in Bonn,

in her Catholic high school in

don’t see young people as leaders,

Germany. His family moved to

Mississauga. “There are 30 kids in

when we don’t see young people

Toronto when he was 6; he grew

our group and they’re all socially

as engaged or socially conscious —

up in Etobicoke (Mayor Rob Ford’s

had something to do with slacks.

conscious. And not just around the

that’s just ageist bullshit.”

former ward). As a gay Somali

“The tension between young and

gay thing. I mean, racism isn’t over

Nathaniel isn’t so sure. “I think

Muslim he has no contact with

old is as old as time,” says Buddies

either.” Iskander, recently named

one thing that story stumbled

his family. “When I came out

director

co-Grand Marshal of the Pride

upon is the hunger of my gener-

I thought I was going to find a

Brendan Healy, 36. “The young will

Parade, can come across as shy

ation to be seen for who they are

sense of community and belong-

always say something that they

but she has an unshakeable sense

first, before their scene label comes

ing,” he says. “That didn’t happen.

think is very meaningful that the

of what’s right. If she’s got entitle-

up… before their sexuality comes

I wanted to find a surrogate fam-

old will see as ridiculous.

ment issues, then we need more of

up. They want their basic human-

ily, instead I was fetishized by the

“The tension between genera-

that. “I was really surprised when

ity to be seen first.

predominantly gay white men of

tions is the way history moves

the school denied our proposal for

“They just have to remember that

Church and Wellesley.” So he set

forward.”

a GSA,” she says. “I didn’t want to

the only reason that is a possibility

out to build his family, by join-

take no for answer. I mean, I had

is because of our forefathers.”

ing a queer discussion group at

Bad

Times

artistic

But is this new generation differ30

ent? Did The Grid get that right?

July 2011

insight

DAWN WHITWELL, 41

NIK REDMAN, 41

HELEN KENNEDY, 54

FRANCISCO ALVAREZ, 54

FAY SLIFT, ageless

Ryerson University, by volunteer-

out gay men just as I was defining

less fearful for some. But it’s still a

“When I was younger,” says JP

ing with the Black Coalition for

myself as an out gay man. I felt vul-

solitary journey. We each have to

Kane, 40, an elementary school

AIDS Prevention, two places where

nerable, because I didn’t know who

find our own way, solo. Coming out

teacher, “I’d go to Woody’s and

Mohamed found a varied group of

I was yet, but I also felt open to it.

to yourself is just the beginning.

look at all the muscley buff guys

queer people of colour with a pas-

“I never saw Church Street as rep-

Comedian Dawn Whitwell recalls

and think, ‘Oh, is that what gay

sion for social justice. “It was so

resenting one thing. I did and do

the first time she was surrounded

is supposed to be?’ Body issues

important to me not to feel like the

enjoy going there. I also love party-

physically by lesbians. She was per-

are tough to figure out. Eventually

only black gay person, the only gay

ing in Queer West. What a blessing

forming at a Strange Sisters caba-

I came to terms with my body. I

Muslim. I wasn’t alone.

to have that option. That’s what I

ret at Buddies. “Coming face to face

am just a big boy. And I like that.

love about Toronto, I have the lux-

with so many lesbians was really

That’s why I like queens, they take

ury of choices.”

intimidating,” she says. “What are

up a lot of space.”

“It’s still important to ask why aren’t there more people of colour in the Church/Wellesley Village.

One young man works to change

the rules all these women have?

Kane, who’s a popular drag per-

Racism keeps some of us out.” So

the face of Church and Wellesley

Why isn’t there a manual, or at

former called Fay Slift, came out at

Mohamed

least a who’s who?”

22 while attending the University

Deviant

because he needs to; activism is

Productions to start document-

co-founded

part of his DNA. The other loves

ing the stories of queer people of

the Village as it is because he can;

colour, he set up a queer program

it’s just one of many social options.

for Black History month and he’s

Both reach out and mix it up with

currently an outreach worker for

the people of the Village. Because

Egale. Why? “I wanted to survive.

they seek out the community, they

My need for a family was so great.

find it.

of Guelph. But he admits to keep-

“What are the rules all these women have? Why isn’t there a manual, or at least a who’s who?”

ing his distance from the queens when he first started coming to Church and Wellesley. “Maybe I had a phobia,” he says, “that feeling deep inside: I am not like that.” Over the next 10 years, Kane

And I didn’t want people who came

“Queen West is a great place for a

after me to experience the same

party,” says Mohamed, “but if you

isolation I felt.”

need tools to survive, the resources

Whitwell, now 41, grew up in

2008. “Queens are very outspoken.

Nathaniel, meanwhile, was born

are at Church and Wellesley. We

Hamilton and didn’t come out

They take huge risks by jumping

and raised in Brampton. He moved

need to support it, not bash it

until she was 29. “There you are,

out of these defined gender roles. I

to Toronto and came out at 19.

because it’s a cool thing to do.”

you’ve gone through the fear and

think that’s why some people don’t

anxiety of coming out and you’re

like them, they force you to look

ready to declare, ‘This is who I am.’

inside yourself and confront your own internalized homophobia.

“I’ve loved Church and Wellesley from the moment I first moved to

IT’S COMPLICATED

learned to appreciate the art of drag; he started performing in

the city. I still do,” he says. “It was

None of us are born into the

And then you are confronted with

very eye-opening, inspiring, over-

LGBT community; we each have to

the idea, ‘What if they don’t want

whelming as a new gay, a young

find our own way here, to the gay

me?’”

gay. Here was a place for me where

neighourhood, the lesbian label,

I felt totally comfortable and safe. It

the trans body. We are all immi-

powerful

was overwhelming to see so many

grants. The journey is becoming

community.

Fear

“Everyone has to go on a journey to come to terms with all the vari-

rejection

remains

undercurrent

ous parts of what gay is,” he says.

our

“If you still struggle, then you are Continued on page 33

intorontomag.com

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insight

Continued from page 31

“It isn’t queer to tell someone how to be queer.”

can overshadow similarities. “Not everyone is open to trans issues,”

for those who don’t have rights.”

have the same advice: Listen. Bay

street

brokers?

If the young don’t relate to our

homeowners?

current forms of political dis-

power

he says, “they don’t remember

Married-with-kids

that we have been a part of the

Radicalized

activists?

course, how do we engage them?

movement for 40 years, that trans

Blissed-out party fiends? Speak

We could poke them with a stick

going to be disturbed by how oth-

women were at the vanguard of

up. Claim your space. Community

like The Grid.

ers portray themselves.”

Stonewall. That’s just how our his-

is not a zero-sum game. There’s

tory gets erased.”

always room for more.

Some guys hate rainbow-waving

poverty

“Out

all

that’s

happened

around this story,” says Nathaniel,

queens. Some women are troubled

Redman, 41, grew up bounc-

by bois. And everyone over 30 won-

ing between Barbados, Montreal,

ders, “What’s up with those kids?”

Ottawa and Toronto. He’s a griev-

Work brings us together; for good

ing up and speaking out. I hope

Putting down others is so high

ance officer for the Steelworkers’

and for ill, there’s still plenty of

more youth show up and prove

school, but we keep going there.

local at U of T and is known in the

work to do. This isn’t the place to

that this article is just one person’s

“It isn’t queer to tell someone

clubs as DJ Nik Red; he’s been on the

catalogue all the struggles LGBT

perspective and not their own. I

how to be queer,” says Healy, a

scene for nearly 20 years. “We are

Canadians still face. Let one fact

care. It does matter.”

Montrealer who arrived here in

not recognized as whole citizens in

stand for the rest: On page 52 of

But provocation sucks up too

2000. “This means we have to have

this country,” he says, “there are

the “Beyond Gay” issue of The Grid

much oxygen. The young need

this conversation with respect,

still really relevant fights out there.

“I feel like for the first time in my

ARE WE THERE, YET?

generation, LGBTQ youth are act-

was a tiny classified ad from PLFAG

their space. “It’s a big mistake to

responsibility, thoughtfulness and

Canada stating, “One third of all

try and define the conversation,”

openness. Any conversation about

suicides are in the LGBTQ commu-

says Kennedy, “because young

community is going to be incom-

nity.” No matter how self-satisfied

people are already having their

plete…. It’s a complicated and

you feel in your own life, how can

own conversation.

beautiful attempt.”

you remain complacent in the face of that number?

COMMUNITY IS A VERB

Even in our bubble of downtown

Our community is a whirling dervish of change.

“All we can do is put out a ton of resources and let them cherry pick what they need.”

Toronto, poverty, bashings, and

Queer youth may be coming out

death exist side by side with our

earlier and they may have no rea-

“As co-chair of Pride I do believe

happy shiny freedoms. “It’s easy to

son to find their way to the broader

that there is something that con-

forget,” says Whitwell. “That’s why

community, at least initially.

nects us, some common ground

we have to remember.” Whitwell

Where does that leave us?

for all people who are not hetero-

has

sexual,” says Francisco Alvarez, 54,

edy classes for the past two years

many

who was born in Bogota, Colombia

(“There’s power in making a room

“where everyone has their favou-

full of people laugh”). She was

rite room but they live all together.

recently kicked out of a Catholic

If you take just one of the rooms

school board seminar on bully-

out, even if you hardly ever went

ing for being a married lesbian. “I

in there, you’re going to miss it. A

was shocked… It never occurred to

house needs heat, love, water, care

and raised in Ottawa. “Just like it means something to be Canadian, whether you are from the East Coast or an immigrant.

→ GRIDLOCK The Grid’s “Dawn of a new gay” story, with its Queen West hipster cover, sparked a passionate, at times vitriolic, response from across the LGBT community.

“When I was younger, I only knew

taught

women-only

com-

“I like to see it as a house with rooms,”

says

Redman,

gay men. I don’t think I knew a sin-

This

still

me that I would be discriminated

and maintenance. Maybe because

gle lesbian. Then when I started

needs to achieve a lot more things.

against, and for being married, of

you have a limited amount of time

volunteering in the AIDS commu-

Sometimes the LGB part gets that,

all things.”

and energy you shove everything

nity, I saw how important lesbi-

sometimes they don’t, some may

“For my generation, freedom is

ans were in the response to the

never get it. Transgender equality

a political struggle,” says Alvarez.

crisis. So many gay men were trau-

escapes them.”

“It’s a hard struggle, one that needs

So we’ll go on creating the most

LGBTQ

conglomerate

into just one room, but as a result, the rest of the house will suffer.”

matized and lesbians stepped in

In their roles as heads of large

to continue, especially given the

vibrant, inclusive and seductive

and really fulfilled a caring role as

organizations that try to embrace

politics of the time, with Mayor

community possible, so it’s there

nurses and social workers. That’s

our raucously diverse commu-

Ford, Prime Minister Harper and

when the next generation needs

when lesbians became a part of my

nity, people like Alvarez, Healy and

possibly Premier Hudak. Our victo-

us. And they will need us.

community.”

Kennedy know the pitfalls of talk-

ries can easily be erased so we have

As a gay trans man, Nik Redman

ing across difference — they’ve

to continue to assert our presence,

is all too aware of how differences

probably fallen into a few. They all

demand our rights and advocate

And we need them. •

intorontomag.com

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Continued from page 35

in spots

classes. With Lindy Zucker, Zoe Whittall, Mariko Tamaki, Mae Martin, Ange Beever and more. $10. 8pm. Fri, July 1. Comedy Bar. 945 Bloor St W. (416) 551-6540.

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pride top 10

Homo Night in Canada

Hugh Jackman in Concert Wolverine gets in

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touch with his charming nelly side as the Tonywinner sings and dances backed by a live orchestra. $49-$130. 8pm. Tue-Sat. 2pm. Sat & Sun. July 5-17. Princess of Wales Theatre. 300 King St W. mirvish.com. Survival of the Fiercest Kickoff Comic theatre

1. Trans March Take back the street. Starts at Hayden and goes down Church. 8pm. Fri, July 1. 2. The Cliks Cutting-edge rock led by trans vocalist Lucas Silveira. 10:30pm. Fri, July 1. South Stage. Church St and Wood. 3. Dyke March A down-home celebration of queer and trans women. 2pm. Sat, July 2. Starts at Church St and Hayden. 4. Carole Pope Iconic queer rocker still has a voice that’ll cream your jeans. 6pm. Sat, July 2. South Stage. 5. Clément Jacques Montréal folk sensation headlines new Franco Pride. Catch the opening act, a musical show by the stars of La vie Bohème. 9:15pm. Sat, July 2. George Hislop Park. Off Isabella St, east of Yonge. 6. Ill Nana A young dance crew with fierce moves and righteous rhythms. One of many appearances over the weekend. 9:45pm. Sat, July 2. Wellesley Stage. Across from Wellesley subway. 7. Pride Parade The main event. Hint: Don’t watch it. Join it. 2pm. Sun, July 3. Starting at Bloor St E and Church. 8. LAL An electro-jazz fusion of SouthAsian roots and West Indian fruits. Closes the Village Stage (always a wacky vibe as the weekend winds down). Church and Wellesley. 9pm. Sun, July 3. 9. Candy Coated Killahz Local duo with poppin’ electro grooves. 9pm. Sun, July 3. Alterna-Queer Stage. Besides Buddies at 12 Alexander St. 10. DJ Deko-ze Smoking hot local spin wizard with vocals by Coco “Cognac” Brown. A great combo. The whole Dirty Disco evening looks great, ending with techno superstar Jelo. 9pm. Sun, July 3. South Stage. 36

July 2011

artist Shawn Hitchens stars in a showcase to help raise money for his appearance in the Edinburgh Fringe. PWYC. 8pm. Wed, July 27. Buddies in Bad Times. 12 Alexander St. (416) 875-8555. buddiesinbadtimes.com. The Toronto Fringe Runs Wed, July 6 to 17 (see page 45). Here’s some LGBT highlights. The Giant’s Garden by Scott White is an all-ages musical inspired by Oscar Wilde’s The Selfish Giant, featuring a cast of 13 great talents like Paula Wolfson, Michael MacLennan, Mark Terence and Dale Miller. July 6-16. George Ignatieff Theatre. 15 Devonshire Pl. The Queer Bathroom Monologues by Sheila Cavanagh, a dialogue on how LGBT folk experience Toronto’s public bathrooms. July 6-17. Theatre Passe Muraille Mainspace. 16 Ryerson Ave. The Billy Willy Show by Billy Willy, a bizarre barn dance radio program by “America’s least favourite country and western superstar.” July 7-16. Randolph Centre. 736 Bathurst St. Living with Henry by Christopher Wilson, a musical about a gay man living with AIDS. $10. July 7-17. George Ignatieff Theatre. Operation Impervious written and starring Bil Antoniou. A romp that sees two friends infiltrate an anti-gay religious cult. July 7-16. Robert Gill Theatre. 214 College St, 3rd

floor. Hey kids, we’ve got a barn — and a psychiatrist — let’s put on a musical. Mickey and Judy, the journey through the psychology of a show queen by Michael Hughes. Tarragon Extraspace. 30 Bridgman. July 8-17. Most shows $10. (416) 966-1062. fringetoronto.com.

Party & Nighlife Green Space on Church

The 519 Community Centre’s fundraising outdoor parties continue — all free. One Word with DJs Deko-ze and Dennis Ferrer plus a host of drummers, circus performers and more. Fri, July 1. Lipstick Jungle. Three of the most powerful women in the house party circuit play together for the first time: DJs Ana Paula, Tracy Young and Alyson Calagna (see page 40). 1pm start. Sat, July 2. TreeHouse with a great assortment of beats to get you dancing and plenty of green space just to chill. With DJs Isaac Escalante, Stephan Grondin, and Ronen Mizrahi joined by Jamal, Jeremy Khamenko and more. 1pm-midnight. Sun, July 3. Cawthra Square Park. 519 Church St. the519.org. Prism The Pride series of circuit-like parties continues. The leather and fetish night Bootcamp with DJs Manny Lehman, Hector Fonseca and Jeremy Khamenko. With performances by Marcus Mojo and Cody Cummings. $50. 10pm-6am. Fri, July 1. Guvernment. 132 Queens Quay E. The outdoor water gun party Aqua, co-presented with Pride Toronto, with DJs Micky Friedmann, Dave and Gerardo and Mike Vieira. With performance by Kazaky (see page 39). $25. 1pm-8pm. Sat, July 2. Pride Wellesley Stage. Yonge & Wellelsey. Casino features DJs Honey Dijon, Rosabel (Rosario and Abel) and Aron with a performance by local queen Sofonda Cox. $70. 10pm8am. July 2. Koolhaus. 132 Queens Quay E. Revival features DJs Peter Rauhofer, Shawn Riker, Deko-ze and Jamal, with a performance by circuit diva Shokra (see page 41). $75. 10pm8am. Sun, July 3. Guvernment. Series pass: $185. prismtoronto.com.

Big Primpin Hot hip hop and cool homos. $5-$10. 10pm doors. Fri, July 1. Wrongbar. 1279 Queen St W. (416) 516-8677. Lick It GirlPlay presents DJs Torus from Montreal, G-Spot from Washington DC and Ria from Toronto. $20adv; $25 door. 9pm4am. Fri, July 1. Phoenix. 410 Sherbourne St. ticketbreak.com. Buddies in Bad Times The local queer theatre’s Pride parties. DJ K-Tel in the mainspace and DJ Triple-X in the cabaret. Featuring a performance by Miss Conception and guests. $15. 10:30pm doors. Fri, July 1. Same deal and DJ duo on Saturday with a performance by Donnarama and guests. On Sunday it’s Lady Oiye’s Tea Dance, with the cabaret open from 3pm for a low-key escape from the outdoor madness, with the mainspace opening in the evening with DJs K-Tel

→ big t ease Photos by Russell Brohier at Akasha Art Projects.

and Shane MacKinnon. No cover till 10pm; $5 after. 12 Alexander St. (416) 9758555. buddiesinbadtimes. com. See Theatre & Cabaret for more Buddies. Cherry Bomb Pride With DJs Denise Benson, Cozmic Cat, Sticky Cuts and more, plus a midnight performance by Candy Coated Killahz. Sat, July 2. Revival. 783 College St. cherrybombtoronto.com. Ride DJ Deb Parent and the Amazons Motorcycle Club present the annual women’s Pride dance. A benefit for My Sisters Voice and the Stephen Lewis Foundation. $25. 9pm4am. Sat, July 2. The Opera House. 735 Queen St E. ridedancetoronto.com. Vazaleen Night one, Dirty Load, features performance by burning Love,

lis tings & even ts Spitfist, Bathurst Queens, Kommando with DJs Mark Pesci and Don Pyle. $10. 10pm doors. Sat, July 2. Night two, Shame, featuring performances by Ssion and Kids On TV, with a DJ set by Lesbians On Ecstacy and DJ Kevin H (see page 41). $10. 10pm doors. Sun, July 3. Wrongbar. 1279 Queen St W.

in spots Top 5 patios Reviews Anna von Frances

Go Hard: Swagg da Roof

DJ Blackcat’s urban Pride party with Unruly Twin, Hotknife and a performance by Tyra TKO. Cover TBA. Sun, July 3. Goodhandy’s. 120 Church St. goodhandys.com.

Out of Town Concerts at the Barn The Westben music series runs Fri, July 1 to Aug 7. Highlights include the UBC Opera Ensemble and Westben Festival Orchestra production of Benjamin Britten’s comic chamber opera Albert Herring. $42. 2pm. July 1-3. The review Send in the Sondheim features Donna Bennett, Gabriella Prata, Colin Ainsworth, Robert Long and Brian Finley. $32. 2pm. July Sun, 14, 15, 17, 21-23. Isabel Bayrakdarian gives a recital accompanied by her husband Serouj Kradijian. $42. 2pm. Sun, July 24. Westben Arts Festival Theatre. Campelford. 1 (877) 883-5777. westben.ca. Stratford Summer Music

The 11th season starts Mon, July 19 and runs until Aug 22 in various venues including the outdoor floating barge stage. Highlights include A Serenade for Maureen Forrester featuring Krisztina Szabó, Jean Stilwell, Mary Lou Fallis and the Maureen Forrester Singers. $30-$50. 3pm. Mon, July 25. Avon Theatre (519) 273-1600. On July 30, the Saturday night cabaret series presents Marcus Nance in a salute to great black crooners with special guest Josh Young and accompanist Franklin Brasz. $75 dinner; $35 show only. 11:30pm show. The Church Restaurant. Stratford. For complete schedule go to stratfordsummermusic.ca. •

We’ll take a plastic chair in front of

donut

shop…

just

party. The best time to go is for late eats

→ secre t garden Amber’s fashionable patio out back.

because

and early drinks on Friday night, that

Torontonians will sit on any patio dur-

way you get the best of the business

ing our all too brief summer doesn’t

set, but you get out before it becomes

ersby. It has a secluded vibe that makes

mean we have to. Here’s a guide to the

a nightclub. If you’re lucky, you’ll catch

it feel homey and exclusive all at once.

best spots to see and be seen and get a

the odd celeb in the know like Drew or

This is one of the best places to catch

proper cocktail in the city.

Benicio. Sit at the tiki bar if you can, it’s

up over cocktails in the sun or chat into

got the best sightlines.

the wee hours with old friends on the

Amber 119 Yorkville Ave (416) 926-9037 Amber is the small downstairs spot

strip. (The owner also took over the

Thompson Hotel Rooftop 550 Wellington St W (416) 640-7778

neighbouring Voglie, now called Alto, so expect the upscale vibe to spread.)

Boutique 506 Church St (647) 705-0006

on Yorkville Ave that has the most gor-

The Thompson rooftop patio is one

geous patio out back filled to the brim

of the best spots for mixed-bag peo-

with the city’s who’s who of fashion

ple-watching in the city right now.

and film. The patio is classic white —

It’s a lot like the Drake Hotel when it

On a street known for rainbow ban-

it’s always been pure white, but has

first opened, or Yorkville a hundred

ners and trinket shops, Boutique stands

recently had a Golden Girls make-

years ago. If you want to see Drake (the

out as a streamlined small space with

over to make it more Miami white

singer, not the hotel) mingling with

black umbrellas and decidedly little

with wicker and green leaf accents.

the society girls accompanied by the

glitz. It’s a blink-and-you-might-miss-

The bartenders are sociable and can

DJ styling of a young art curator from

it spot sandwiched between Crews and

make one hell of a summer crisp mar-

Parkdale, then the Thompson rooftop

Play. There is a sexy, secret vibe to it all

tini. They always know who’s party-

is the only spot for you. It’s also got a

too — great for a quiet after-work cock-

ing where and take good care of regu-

good day vibe with an infinity pool that

tail, a second date, or the perfect place

lars. Open daily from 5pm to last call.

gets some of the best views this city

on Church to meet up for a drink before

has to offer.

the bar/club. They have deals on mar-

The Drake 1150 Queen St W (416) 531-5042 The Drake patio is an ephemeral

tini’s ($6) all night on Tuesdays, and

Fuzion 580 Church St (416) 944-9888

there always seems to be just enough room to hang with a friend and have a conversation without it feeling too

thing. On the one hand, it’s the new

As far as the Church Street strip is

tight or dead. Almost hidden from

Hemingway’s where all the cool suits

concerned, Fuzion offers the nicest

the street, it’s the perfect perch to see

mingle after work for drinks and nosh;

patio with its garden-inspired oasis on

without being seen. •

on the other, it’s filled with the west-

a corner lot. It’s one part nightclub, one

end pretty young things looking to

part patio that always enthralls passintorontomag.com

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Cabaret

Directed by Robert Woodcock Musical Direction by Rosalind Mills Choreography by Melissa Jane Shaw

Directed by Danny Harvey Musical Direction by Rosalind Mills Choreography by Melissa Jane Shaw

AuGuST 19 – 27 July 22 – 30 also on The 39 Steps July 8 – 30

Stage

&Save!

The Drawer Boy August 5 – 27

905.874.2800

www.rosetheatre.ca

25/05/2011 3:22:00 PM

“Toronto’s

Newest and Finest Concert Space”

MAX RAABE AND PALAST ORCHESTER

Fri. Mar. 9, 2012 8pm Koerner Hall The Berlin cabaret circa 1920, with authentic arrangements of Kurt Weill, Cole Porter, and Franz Lehár. “Irresistible.” (Los Angeles Times) Presented in association with the Goethe Institut Toronto.

ANGÉLIQUE KIDJO

Sat. Mar. 10, 2012 8pm Koerner Hall “Africa's premier diva” (TIME) performs rhythmic Afro-funk fusion with “irresistible energy and joie de vivre” (Los Angeles Times)

UTE LEMPER AND THE VOGLER QUARTET

Wed. Apr. 4, 2012 8pm Koerner Hall From Weill to Piazzolla and from Schulhoff to Piaf, this is an extraordinary portrait of the cultural melting pot of 1920s Europe.

TORONTO STAR

ADI BRAUN AND TRIO PRESENT “NOIR”

Sun. Apr. 15, 2012 7:30pm Conservatory Theatre “Cabarazz” vocalist Adi Braun presents a concert of delicious and dangerous music from the era of film noir.

MEOW MEOW

Fri. May 11, 2012 8pm Koerner Hall Comedic kamikaze cabaret! “Meow Meow blends performance art, cabaret, and pop culture into a style that defies labeling.” (Preview Magazine)

TICKETS FROM $20 rcmusic.ca 416.408.0208

PHILIPPE JAROUSSKY WITH APOLLO'S FIRE: HÄNDEL AND VIVALDI FIREWORKS

Tue. Nov. 1, 2011 8pm Koerner Hall French countertenor star Philippe Jaroussky and Apollo's Fire set sparks flying with Vivaldi’s Concerto in B Minor for Four Violins and La Folia (Madness).

273 Bloor St. W. (Bloor & Avenue Rd.)

ART & DESIGN

m u si c

pop tsars → House-pounding,

heart-pumping, heavy-breathing, whip-cracking, auto-tuned, zipper-ripping dance anthems… in heels Story Michael Pihach

It’s refreshing to hear a group of muscular, masculine-looking, even slightly-intimidating male pop stars from a supposedly conservative country challenge society’s notions on gender. “Many people have prejudices, and they get used to them,” they write. “Our project — it’s a show, it’s our stage image. Be broadminded. Kill stereotypes!” High heels are just part of Kazaky’s connection to fashion. The boys have become the muse of designers across the pond, from strutting the runway in Georgian fashion designer Anouki Bicholla’s Fall/

“

Winter 2011/12 show to appearing in → ho t uKRAINIAN BOY BAND You don’t get to say that too often.

f our performance can bring

answers have also passed through

pleasure to someone, then

an unidentified translator; no one in

what’s the difference where

the band speaks English.)

You’ve heard the music before,

Who is Kazaky anyway?

but it’s the uniqueness of Kazaky’s

So says Kazaky via email in answer

Kazaky, roughly translated, refers

showmanship

to why it’s important to support

to East Slavic military communi-

style (not to mention seductive

mutual

Pride.

ties in Ukraine and southern Russia

looks) that pushes the boys into a

writes, noting their admiration for

league of their own.

Gareth Pugh, an English designer

it takes place?”

The Ukrainian-based boy band,

(and no relation to Cossacks because

which took YouTube by storm last

it has a different spelling and

year with the release of two steamy,

pronunciation).

and

performance

Unlike the cheesy boy bands of

a gladiator-inspired runway presentation by Canada’s Dean and Dan Caten of Dsquared2 at this year’s Life Ball in Vienna. “Fashion and Kazaky — it’s a inspiration,”

the

group

famous for creating leather-and-

yesteryear, the young men of Kazaky

latex-laden,

body-morphing

out-

abs-in-your-face music videos, is

The four young, talented, chis-

are good dancers. What’s their style?

fits that the band also namedrops in

making its Canadian premiere at

elled-faced dancers — Stas Pavlov,

“We call it Kazaky style,” the band

their sex-me-up dance single “Love.”

Toronto Pride this year.

Kyryll Fedorenko, Arthur Gaspar and

writes, noting they rehearse four to

They state that it’s their first time

Oleg Zhezhel — are from the Ukraine

five hours a day.

performing at a Pride festival. Ever.

(with the exception of Gaspar, who is

Synchronized, bendy, angular and

For many pop stars, this would be

from Yerevan) and claim to speak a

modelesque, Kazaky’s dance style

ries about the group’s sexuality are

when they say how enthusiastic gay

variety of languages: Tagalog, Urdu,

is almost a modern reinvention of

off-limits.

fans are or how the gay community

Galician, Swahili, in addition to their

voguing. What gets people excited

supports them. Not Kazaky. Gay or

native tongue, Russian.

though, is the high heels. The boys

straight, they don’t care.

While online blogs have speculated that some members of Kazaky have

girlfriends,

official

inqui-

“We do not discuss such things,” they write.

Their music, which to date con-

occasionally wear ’em while per-

A cheeky way to keep fans guess-

“We are not interested in who,

sists of a two-song EP and a single

forming. Comfortably, too, tight leg-

ing? Chances are revellers at Pride

how and with whom. Creativity is

release, contains English lyrics. You

gings, bare torsos and all.

won’t care.

the first place for us,” they write.

could best describe their sound as

(yes, “they,” because the group,

house-pounding,

heart-pumping,

made an interesting combination of

despite requests to the contrary, pre-

heavy-breathing,

whip-cracking,

movements and realized that the

fer answering questions as a group

auto-tuned, zipper-ripping dance

‘plastique’ looked quite different,”

to “form a general opinion.” The

anthems.

they write.

“It was strange at first, but then we KAZAKY Performs at Prism’s Aqua party. Around 5pm. Sat, July 2. Wellesley Stage. Across from the Wellesley subway. For more on Kazaky, go to kazaky.com. intorontomag.com

A RT & D E S I G N

PA R T I E S

Get into the groove → From

J-pop and epic tribal to good ol’ queer rock ’n’ roll, Pride offers something for every type of partier. Check out these hot five vibes Story Kevin Ritchie

LIPSTICK JUNGLE

1pm-midnight, Sat, July 2, 519 Green Space Cawthra, Square Park

ANA PAULA

The 519 Church Street Community Centre ups the ante this year with four nights of partying overseen by the director of Montreal’s Divers/Cité Ian Abinakle with help from a broad spectrum of local promoters and club kids. “About five years ago the beer garden was not a place you wanted to be,” says Mathieu Chantelois, chair of The 519’s events. “By spending more money this year, we’re hoping to raise a lot more money for the Centre.” Thursday’s 1001 Starry Nights had a world music focus and featured a performance by trans belly dancer Antonella, an “elegant” kick-off to a weekend of international and local DJ sets. For Friday’s One World bash, the city’s top circuit party promoters put together

a line-up of DJs including jojo flores (at 6pm), Shawn Riker, Deko-ze and Addy who promise to deliver a series of epically rhythmic, tribalflavoured sets. The post-Dyke March Lipstick Jungle pairs Brazilian circuit DJ Ana Paula (3pm) with Miami White Party regular Alyson Calagna, who specializes in spinning at sunset. “It’s right after Aqua so we hope the boys will come and party with the girls in the park for a couple hours,” says Chantelois.

DESTINASIAN

10pm-midnight, Sat, July 2, Pride’s South Stage, Church and Alexander The Asian pop aficionados behind the DestinAsian parties will close out Pride’s South Stage on Saturday night with a mix of K-pop, J-pop and C-pop dance hits. DJs Quinces and DaVinci started the monthly party a year ago in partnership with the group Queer Asian Youth (QAY) to create a space for Asian partiers to get down to acts such as Korean boy band G Dragon and Chinese pop idol Jolin Tsai. “When I first introduced the whole concept of an Asian pop night in the gay community, it was a bit of a challenge,” says Quinces. “Not a lot of people are aware of its existence. Asian kids between 16 and 21 know more about it but there’s no venue for them to enjoy this music.” The two-hour event marks DestinAsian’s Pride debut and will feature performances by drag queen Olivia Chin and the DestinAsian

Quinces 40

July 2011

Dance Crew. Quinces is a busy DJ these days, organizing parties at Buddies and DJing at Crews and Tango but she expects the monthly version of DestinAsian will return to Vision Lounge on a regular basis in late August or early September. In the meantime, she’s expecting a big turnout on Saturday night that reaches beyond young Asian queers. “I’m hoping we can encourage the whole community to come out,” she says.

ART & DESIGN

BLOCKORAMA

Noon-11pm, Sun, July 3, Wellesley Stage, across from Wellesley subway

jojo FLORES

Thirteen is a lucky number for Blockorama. The annual Pride event organized by non-profit committee Blackness Yes! returns to its original location, in the parking lot across from Wellesley subway. The block party started in reaction to the lack of representation of the black community in Pride programming, but it became a victim of its own success when Pride Toronto took over the once out-of-the-way space and turned it into the main stage, forcing organizers into a roving series of smaller locations. “A lot of the committee members felt really strongly,” says Syrus Marcus Ware, Blockorama’s producer, “as one member put it, that we’d tilled the soil but when the land was ripe, we had to look for a new location.

“We’re really excited to have our space back.” Host Ryan G Hinds will introduce an electric mix of local and international performers, including dance crew Ill Nana, Toronto Kiki Ballroom Alliance, Abstract Random, Ayo Leilani and Brooklyn-based hip-hop crew OMG Michelle. The day will be capped off by a set by jojo flores (9:50pm) and the Pride debuts of New York-based house DJ Quentin Harris (9pm) and dance-pop performer Ultra Nate (8:45pm). When the main stage closes, the party will head west to 99 Sudbury where DJs Cozmic Cat and San Fran will join flores and Harris at the official after party/fundraiser for the Black Coalition for AIDS Prevention (Black CAP).

VAZALEEN SHAME

10pm, Sun, July 3, Wrongbar, 1279 Queen St W

ssion

Toronto’s storied queer rock ’n’ roll party returns as a fundraiser for the Will Munro Fund for Queer People Living with Cancer, a charity established in honour of the party’s founder who died of cancer in 2010. This year’s headliner is a Vazaleen alum: Ssion, aka Cody Critcheloe, the Kansas City-born, New Yorkbased punk performance artist. He recently took over the MoMA PS1 in New York to stage Bent, an elaborate rock opera about riot grrls, dieting and death in Los Angeles co-starring teen pop star Sky Ferreira, Casey Spooner and J Ashley Miller. Toronto’s electro-pop act Kids on TV and DJs Lynne Trepp (from Lesbians on

Ecstasy) and Kevin Hegge round out the bill. For fans of more hardcore punk, Munro’s older brother, Dave Munro, has also organized a related event the night before at the same venue. Punk: Dirty Load will feature a line-up of local queer and female-heavy bands including revered Toronto hardcore act Burning Love, all-girl punks Spitfist and trans rockers Bathurst Queens.

REVIVAL

10pm-8am, Sun, July 3, Guvernment, 132 Queens Quay E Grammy-winning remixer Peter Rauhofer (Cher and Madonna) is set to headline the climax to Prism Toronto’s annual festival of sweat and debauchery. Revival takes over the Guvernment and Skybar on Pride Sunday. Local opener Shawn Riker will join Rauhofer in the main room and two new names will hold down the crowd upstairs in the Skybar. Paris-based LeoMeo and Swedish-born, Berlin-based Micke Hi, both of whom specialize in mixing tribal, progressive and tech flavours, will be making

their Toronto debuts at the event. “Micke Hi is a really nice guy. He’s not one of those diva DJs,” says Prism’s Matt Barker. “He’s really breaking the mould of that, if you will, cunty DJ thing.” Local spinners Deko-ze and Jamal will also be on deck and Los Angeles drag star Shokra is set to perform.

PETER RAUHOFER intorontomag.com

YOU BELONG

July 1st, 2nd & 3rd Pride Parade on Sunday, July 3 at 2PM.

pridetoronto.com

intorontomag.com

display case by Gordon Bowness The pixie alchemist → No

one can make anxiety and metamorphosis as seductive as Toronto artist Shary Boyle

With work spanning drawing, painting, sculpture and installation (often

“Pride shows tend to focus on the sexuality of the artists,” writes

done live), Shary Boyle is celebrated around the world for her combina-

Krishtalka in his curatorial statement, “but what about the sexuality of

tion of craft and dark imaginings. These drawings, originally for the com-

the work?

ics anthology Kramers Ergot, are part of That’s So Gay currently showing at the Gladstone Hotel. The group show, featuring works by FASTWÜRMS, Michael Comeau, Team Macho, Alison SM Kobayashi, Emily Vey Duke and Cooper Battersby, is curated by Sholem Krishtalka.

“Queer art isn’t, and shouldn't necessarily be, a product of whom you take to bed.” That’s So Gay is open daily from noon to 5pm and is up until Fri, July 10. 1214 Queen St W. (416) 531-4635. gladstonehotel.com.

Beer comes in all colours, shapes, sizes, and tastes… hmmm…what a perfect match

THURSDAY AUGUST 4

BANDSHELL PARK • 4PM-10PM TASTY BREWS • LIVE MUSIC OLD FRIENDS • NEW FRIENDS!

SPECIAL GUESTS ACE OF BASE

NORVAL MORRISSEAU

Erotic, 49.5” x 77.0”

$5.19 FROM EVERY TICKET PURCHASED BEFORE PRIDE 2011 WILL BE DONATED TO THE 519

Get tickets at Queerbeerfestival.ca, Priape or The 519! Legal Age 19+. Proper ID Required. No Children or Pets. Rain or Shine. Please Enjoy Responsibly.

260 RICHMOND ST. EAST SUITE 100 TORONTO ON M5A 1P4 T. 416.777.0260 WWW.GALLERY260.COM

Oil on canvas | 30 x 40 in

FREE PARKING contact Gallery to reserve parking spot. MON - SATintorontomag.com 10AM - 6PM SUN 11AM - 5PM

ART & DESIGN

T heatre

A safe place for weird ideas →The

Fringe fest proudly proclaims its alternative bona fides Story Serafin LaRiviere

he Toronto Fringe Festival has a well-deserved reputation for supporting LGBT playwrights and performers throughout its 22-year history. The Fringe has consistently opened its doors to stories of bent orientation, gender and sexuality. Part of that openness is due to the Fringe’s lottery selection process. But in actively promoting and celebrating their queer contributors, the festival has played a huge role in bringing divergent artists and audiences under the same roof. That may seem de rigueur these days, but two decades ago it was a pretty big deal to get a largely straight audience to sit through a gay play. “The legacy of the Fringe is that it has been a place where we collect voices, so there’s always been an incredibly strong showing of queer artists on our stages,” says festival executive director Giddeon Arthurs. “It’s been a home for a lot of them, as queer art became more recognized and accessed by the general public. And that’s a really important part of our history that we want to encourage.” Arthurs speaks not only from an administrative standpoint, but from personal experience. As a previous Fringe artist, he saw first-

hand the acceptance and camaraderie engendered by the festival’s inclusive environment. When the posting for executive director came up four years ago, he jumped at the chance to contribute from within. “It was one of those miracle moments for me,” Arthurs says. “I applied and didn’t think I had a shot.” The hiring committee clearly felt differently, and their choice has continued to consolidate and expand the festival’s contribution to indie theatre artists. Arthurs has moved the festival beyond its summer confines

→ “ WHAT IS FRINGE ART?” Fringe executive director Giddeon Arthurs talks up queer plays like Living with Henry (above).

with new year-round projects like Fringe’s Next Stage Festival, a juried program that presents new and re-modelled plays, a subsidized creation lab for artists, and this year’s Visual Fringe for visual artists. “We needed to look at the Fringe and what it means to people,” says Arthurs. “I mean, what is fringe art? We need to challenge the established status quo of quirky indie shows, and represent what’s on peo-

ple’s minds as a community. That’s more interesting to me than a particular aesthetic.” And while he forswears naming any favourites on this year’s program, Arthurs points out that there are several LGBT offerings, with titles ranging from Living with Henry and Mister Baxter to Headscarf and the Angry Bitch. “It’s a really good showing of queer artists this year,” he says. “It’s appropriate because our theatre community and the queer community are connected. This is a place where anybody who has a story has the opportunity to get up and tell it.” There are, of course, other indie theatre festivals who offer opportunities to new and under-represented artists, but Arthurs believes the Fringe walks a significantly courageous line in bringing art to the people. “I think the difference from Rhubarb or Summerworks is that we have no curatorial process,” Arthur says. “So you’re not so much capturing what you think is the thought of the moment, but what actually is the thought of the moment.” TORONTO FRINGE Wed, July 6-17. fringetoronto.com. See page 36 for more LGBT highlights.

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sex & health — with Dr Keith

→ “Over the last year I haven’t been interested in having sex. What’s wrong with me?”

Your libido can be influenced by

tion problems — the latter is when

many different social, psychological

people want to have sex but can’t

and physical (or medical) factors.

get the equipment to work. .

Low libido can cause people prob-

Maybe your unenthusiastic atti-

lems. Issues inside your head (psy-

tude for boom-boom lies in some

chological) and outside in the world

medical reasons. Hormones, mainly

(social) tend to be more common,

testosterone, control our interest

but, that being said, you shouldn’t

in “getting some.” Low levels often

ignore the possibility of an underly-

mean low libido. Aging is the most

ing medical issue.

common cause of gradually lower-

Obviously social factors like fam-

ing testosterone levels. A variety of

ily, work or where you live can have

chronic illnesses like HIV and dia-

some influence over your interest

betes can also decrease these hor-

in sex. In addition, poor sleep, lack

mone levels so, after stabilizing

of exercise, large amounts of alco-

your chronic issues, supplementing

hol, recreational drugs and smok-

with testosterone medications may

ing could also be causing problems.

help. Make sure your doctor or phar-

They affect your overall mental and

macist reviews your medications for

physical health while at the same

likely libido-killing culprits such as

time altering your hormone lev-

beta-blockers (blood pressure med-

els which could lead to less inter-

ication), narcotics, anti-depressants

est in bedroom activities. If you’re

and anti-psychotics.

bummed out because your bum

Bringing

sexual

problems

won’t put out, then make sure you

with a doctor is often difficult but

are eating and sleeping well, exer-

it is essential so they can properly

cising and reduce the amount of

examine you and perform tests to

drugs, smokes and booze you’re

rule out other medical causes — like

putting into your body.

anemia (low red blood cells), thyroid

Psychological issues can decrease the amount of desire to have sex,

problems, breathing problems like COPD, and pituitary issues.

like depression, body-image prob-

Loss of interest in sex is a common

lems or personality types (some

problem and for some is a non-issue

people just don’t enjoy it!). Being too

having minimal impact on their

stressed out, ashamed of your body,

lives. If it is causing you grief make

or feeling isolated and alone all fit

sure to care of your body, reduce

into this category. If you think this

stress in your life, and visit a health-

might be you, take a trip to see your

care professional. Hopefully you will

family doctor (or better yet your

feel like a teenager again.

therapist) to explore some of these

Happy Pride! Be safe!

feelings. Your doctor should screen you for clinical depression; loss of libido is one of the key features (and is seen more often in the LGBT community) and you may benefit from anti-depressants. Low libido is separate from erec-

Dr Keith Loukes works in emergency in a Toronto hospital. Send him your sexual health question at sexhealth@intorontomag.com. This column should not be viewed as medical advice; always consult your physician.

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