Outwords 202 July/August 2013 by Outwords

OutWords // Letter to the Editor

queer views, news, issues

FRINGE & OTHER

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OutWords | July/August 2013 | Issue 202 | Serving the GLBT CommunityJuly Since 1994 / August 2013

// www.outwords.ca // 1

At Red River College, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re committed to providing a safe, inclusive, welcoming environment for ALL.

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OutWords // Index

Wes Funk writes about LGBT prairie life

Jewish Theatre suffers from taking risks in support of LGBT community

Fringe Festival embraces the F word

Long-time Reel Pride volunteer wins award

Bringing The gay back to main street!

Sexing the sport costume

A summer of community celebrations Editorial

A WOLF IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING

California senate CHALLENGES Boy Scouts of America

Hundreds of Manitobans COME OUT TO support Bill 18

One family’s journey through gender confirmation

Letter to the editor

International news briefs

National news briefs

‘Good’ Canadian LGBT camps celebrate diversity

Celebrating OUTShine, Canada’s first GSA summit

The Elle Word

Fashion editorial

Examining the lesbian fashion community

The ins and outs of Twitter Tech column

Coming together as a community

Making rental apartments your own

Pride Photo Album 2013

Spirituality column

July / August 2013 // www.outwords.ca // 3

OutWords // Editorial

Editorial

Meg Crane

THE O-U-T

IN COMMUNITY

GIVING OUR THANKS WHEN THEY’RE DUE

his issue of OutWords is all about community, which is very fitting as OutWords has seen the community come together to support LGBT* initiatives a fair amount in the past few months. Our first annual Out for Words fundraiser was held at Red River College’s (RRC) Paterson GlobalFoods Institute’s Annex on June 1. Many local businesses and artists generously donated items for a silent auction. DJ Brendon Rurak graciously spent the evening pumping out tunes while servers brought around delicious appetizers created by RRC culinary arts students. Over 140 people showed up to enjoy the evening with us. It was amazing to see so many people come out to support this magazine and we are excited for next year’s event, which we hope will be held on the rooftop patio of the same location. If you weren’t fortunate enough to take apart in the fundraiser, make sure to get tickets for next year. Out for Words was part of the Winnipeg Pride Festival, where nearly 40 events associated with the celebration took place during the week.

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OutWords staff managed to get out to many of the events to take photographs, some of which can be found in this issue (page 34). OutWords had a booth at The Forks after the Pride parade and we were grateful to the Pride organizers for putting us close to and facing the stage. We got to see the amazing performances while chatting with all you lovely people who dropped by to say hello and pick up copies of the magazine. We were also able to attend Brandon Pride, where we handed out magazines and got the chance to speak with community members and readers a little further away from home. Pride brings the LGBT* community together for a celebration at the beginning of a season when many different communities come together. Winnipeg is full of festivals in the summer, such as the Fringe Festival, a preview of which can be found on page 23. Summer is also a time when the young ones scamper off to camp. On page 14 you can find some great information about LGBT*friendly camps for your child.

To change things up, in this issue fashion editor Jefre Nicholls created a lesbian fashion spread, which can be found on page 16, and I spoke with several women to find out if they think there is such a thing as lesbian fashion. Can women really be identified as lesbians by their fashion choices, or is it a little more complicated? Read the article on page 20 to see what a few Winnipeggers think. Also this month, OutWords was lucky enough to catch up with Wes Funk, a Saskatchewan author who writes about LGBT* characters living in prairie communities (page 21). We also got the chance to sit down with the past president of Reel Pride, David Wyatt, who won an award for all the hard work he has done for the festival (page 24). Communities are coming together to do amazing things and I hope you take time this summer to celebrate what the communities you belong to have done for you. - Tweet us at @OutWords or write us a letter telling us of your favourite community celebration moment this year!

OutWords // Letter To The Editor Published by the outwords volunteer staff:

A U G U S T

9 - 2 9

editor : Ksenia Prints Social media editor : Miles McEnery News and music editor: Danelle Cloutier Entertainment editor: Graeme Coleman Sports, books and movies editor: Meg Crane Fashion and Beauty editor: Jefre Nicholls Food and lifestyle editor: Shayna Wiwierski art director & layout: Dylan Bekkering Assistant layout: Michele Buchanan Financial officer: Darron Field distribution: Jared Star, Terry Wiebe web manager: Vic Hooper sales representative: Meg Crane Cover Photo: Brett Howe contributors to this issue: Megan Douglas, Rollin Penner, Peter Carlyle-Gordge, Erika Von Babe, Alexander Garofalo, Kage Griesbach, Larkin Schmiedl, Zanna Joyce, Marney Blunt, Corey Shefman, Ray Buteau. board of directors: Debbie Scarborough, Diane Ready, Kevin Hills, Sky Bridges, Dale Oughton, Darron Field, Helen Fallding, Gail Eckert, Liz Millward.

ON JOYCE BATEMAN’S ANTILGBT VOTE IN HOUSE OF COMMONS

am disturbed that an MP who represents the district that encompasses the Rainbow Resource Centre could harbour so much prejudice. She is fond of getting her photo taken with ‘the gays’ but that obviously does not extend to any form of legislative support. This is a woman who appears to be talking out of both sides of her mouth.

She says it’s about bathrooms, but it seems to me that transgendered people have been coping with public facilities for over 50 years. I don’t know where this bathroom hysteria is coming from. Oh, wait a minute. Yes I do. She is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, that one.

OutWords 201-63 Albert St. Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 1G4 Phone: (204) 942-4599 For office hours, please call. General Inquiries: info@outwords.ca Editor: editor@outwords.ca Creative: creative@outwords.ca Advertising: sales@outwords.ca Distribution: distribution@outwords.ca Accounts: billing@outwords.ca Event Submissions: calendar@outwords.ca Letters Submissions: letters@outwords.ca Website: www.outwords.ca OutWords provides news, analysis and entertainment for the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, two-spirit and queer community and its allies.GST 89671 7618RT, ISSN 1715-5606 (print) ISSN 1715-5614 (online) Canada Post Publication Licence 416 99032, Contents copyright © 2013 OutWords Alll rights reserved. OutWords is a member of the Manitoba Magazine Publishers’ Association. Articles are not necessarily the views of the staff, management, or board. We accept no liability for our advertisers’ claims.

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OutWords // International News // Compiled by Megan Douglas

Robert Joseph Greene (pictured) is the Canadian author behind the gay fairytale that led to a Russian student’s arrest. Photo by Gerry Kahrmann, The Province.

STUDENT ARRESTED FOR READING GAY FAIRY TALE AT PROTEST ST. PETERSBURG, Russia – A Vancouver author never thought his fairytale would be the cause behind a controversial St. Petersburg arrest. When a Russian student read an excerpt from Robert Joseph Greene’s The Blue Door – a fictional fairy tale chronicling a Russian prince’s love for a farm boy rather than a maiden – at a protest, he was arrested and fined. The arrest came two months prior to the February 2012 law passed in St. Petersburg, which criminalizes “public action aimed at propagating sodomy, lesbianism, bisexualism and transgenderism among minors,” reports the Calgary Herald. The State Duma, Russia’s lower house of parliament, is expected to pass a national ban later this summer. “I’m very saddened they are going backwards,” said Greene. “It’s about happy endings and positive reinforcement, so it’s been a challenge for me to look at it as activism and words that can lead to an arrest.” Russia decriminalized homosexuality in 1993, but anti-gay beliefs and attitudes are still widespread throughout the country.

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More than 30 activists were arrested during a pride parade in Moscow, Russia. Photo by Kirill Kudryavtsev, AFP.

ACTIVISTS ARRESTED DURING PRIDE PARADE MOSCOW, Russia – More than 30 activists were arrested in central Moscow during a pride parade. Police officers seized the campaigners minutes after they started their march and began to display banners and rainbow-coloured flags outside of the State Duma, Russia’s lower house of parliament. Activists rallied by the Duma to protest a possible federal bill that would enforce fines

President Goodluck Jonathan is the only thing standing between Nigeria and a harsh anti-gay law. Photo from World Economic Forum, flickr.com.

NIGERIA ANTI-GAY LAW AWAITS PRESIDENT’S SIGNATURE ABUJA, Nigeria – Nigerian lawmakers have approved a law that bans same-sex marriage with penalties of up to 14 years in prison. The senate passed the bill in November 2011, but it slipped off the radar until the

of up to thousands of dollars for promoting homosexuality among minors. “Your rally is not sanctioned, you’re disrupting passersby,” police officers shouted, reported The Guardian. Authorities had refused permission for the rally for the eighth year in a row, claiming it would interfere with students celebrating the last day of term. The parade marked the 20th anniversary of the decriminalization of homosexuality in Moscow.

end of May this year, when lawmakers approved it in a unanimous vote. The law has been sent to President Goodluck Jonathan for his signature, reports the Associated Press. If signed, same-sex marriage in a church or mosque would be banned. Same-sex couples who marry could spend up to 14 years in prison and witnesses to the marriage could get up to 10 years in prison. Anyone advocating for LGBT rights or showing affection in public toward someone of the same sex could also face up to 10 years in prison. The U.K. has threatened to cut aid to African countries that violate the rights of gays and lesbians. Many African countries violate the rights of gays and lesbians, including South Africa, the one African country where same-sex marriage is allowed. In South Africa, lesbians have been brutally attacked and murdered in so-called “corrective rapes.”

OutWords // International News

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Boy Scouts of America now accepts gay boys into their organization, but still bans gay individuals from becoming adult leaders. Photo by Tony Gutierrez, AP.

CALIFORNIA’S SENATE CHALLENGES BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA DISCRIMINATION SACRAMENTO, California – California’s state senate has passed a bill that would revoke the non-profit status of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) in an effort to pressure the organization to accept openly gay adults. The BSA voted to formally accept openly gay boys into their organization starting Jan. 1, 2014, but it still bans gay individuals from becoming adult leaders. Democratic Senator Ricardo Lara said he sponsored the bill because the organization is out of line with California’s values and should be ineligible for a tax benefit paid for by all Californians. “We’ve given the Boy Scouts ample time to solve their discrimination problem. And they’ve chosen a path that still leads to discrimination,” Lara told reporters. If the bill passes the assembly, California will be the first state to enact a law withdrawing an organization’s tax exemption because it’s non-inclusive.

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CABINET OFFICE LET RAINBOW COLOURS FLY DURING PRIDE LONDON – Minister for the Cabinet Francis Maude showed the government’s commitment to equality in the U.K. by allowing the rainbow flag at the cabinet office to fly during Pride week, June 25 to July 1. Prime Minister Cameron met criticism when he declined to speak about the equal marriage bill and was thought to be distancing the Tory government from the gay

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rights movement in mid-May. But Maude intends to show that the government remains committed to equality rights despite Prime Minister David Cameron’s distancing attempts, reports The Guardian. Maude put a personal touch on the situation when he explained his personal connection to gay rights. “My brother Charles, who was gay, died from AIDS in 1993. Society was a far less accepting place for gay men such as him.”

July / August 2013 // www.outwords.ca // 7

OutWords // National News // Compiled by Megan Douglas

The Canadian Blood Services has loosened its policy against donations from men who have sex with men, but Egale Canada says the new rule is still discriminatory. Photo from gmhc.org.

ONTARIO CITIZENS HELPING REDEFINE GENDER IDENTITY

EGALE CANADA:

DEFERRAL PERIOD FOR

Ontario Human Rights Commission asked the public to define gender identity and gender expression. Photo by Leland Bobbé.

TORONTO – The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) launched a survey asking the public for their input on the definitions of gender identity and gender expression. Gender identity and gender expression were included as grounds of discrimination under the Ontario Human Rights Code in June 2012. Now the OHRC is revising its

FROM PASSIVIST

TO ACTIVIST

Winnipeg’s Phil Dupuis recently became an activist for Bill 18 after hearing homophobic slurs on TV. Photo from the WFP.

WINNIPEG – A local man is showing his support for gay-rights by becoming an activist for Bill 18.

policy on discrimination and harassment based on the public’s response. The survey encouraged the discussion of personal experiences with discrimination and organizational responsibility, in addition to seeking input on the definition of the new OHRC grounds and other, similar terms.

Phil Dupuis, a 45-year-old, married, straight man was surprised at his own reaction to a homophobic slur that he heard thrown at a gay student while that gay student was being interviewed on TV. “That set off the spark. I’ve never been an activist – presto! An activist was born,” said Dupuis. Dupuis has three daughters, two of which are lesbian. He also has a lesbian sister who is married. “They’re as much a part of the fabric of this province as anyone else,” said Dupuis. Dupuis created the ‘We the People: Manitoba Facebook page, through which he organized a rally supporting Bill 18 at the Manitoba legislative building near the end of March.

BLOOD DONATION

IS STILL DISCRIMINATORY TORONTO – Men who have sex with men (MSM) can now donate blood five years after their last MSM activity, but Egale Canada, Canada’s LGBT human rights organization, believes this new deferral period is no less discriminatory than the previous indefinite deferral period. In mid-May, Canadian Blood Services received approval from Health Canada to change the deferral period for MSM. Helen Kennedy, Egale Canada’s executive director, believes the eased deferral period doesn’t correct the problem. “It’s time to acknowledge that a person’s identity doesn’t put them at any greater risk for a sexuallytransmitted disease; rather, it is their behaviour that determines their risk,” said Kennedy. Kennedy said behaviour-based screening methods could be more precise and effective in reducing the risk of transfusion-based infections. Egale Canada has been lobbying to change the discriminatory MSM policy for decades and remains committed to fighting until LGBTQ* individuals enjoy the same rights and privileges as heterosexual Canadians.

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OutWords // National News

GAY MAN’S ORGAN

DONATION REFUSED

Rohit Singh, left, was not allowed to try on wedding gowns at Jenny’s Bridal Boutique in Saskatoon because she’s transgender. Photo by Liam Richards, Canadian Press.

TRANSGENDER BRIDE REFUSED SERVICE SASKATOON – A bridal boutique in Saskatoon was the subject of controversy in April, when the shop refused a transgender woman the right to try on a wedding dress. Rohit Singh, who identifies as a woman, was looking for a wedding dress, but was told that men weren’t allowed to try on bridal gowns. “I explained to her that I’m not a man, I’m a transgender and my sex-change procedure is going on,” Singh told the Calgary Herald. Singh said the shopkeeper said “It doesn’t matter to me,” then snatched the dress from her hands. Singh attended a support rally put on by the Gender Equality Society of Saskatchewan (GESS) in front of Jenny’s Bridal Boutique, the store that refused her service. A petition circulated that called for gender identity and expression to be added and included in the province’s human rights legislation. Singh said she will file a complaint with the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission.

WINDSOR, Ontario – A Windsor mother believes her late son’s organs were rejected for donation because he was gay. Nancy Campana’s son Rocky was an organ donor, but none of his organs were used after he died. In 2007, Health Canada changed its rules for organ donation to exclude high-risk groups such as gay men and injection drug users from being eligible organ donors. Campana said the Trillium Gift of Life asked her questions about her son’s sexual orientation and activity, and the tone of their conversation changed once they found out her son was gay. Campana says the reason given to her for rejecting her son’s

A mother from Ontario believes her son’s organs weren’t donated after he died because he was gay. Photo from CBC News.

organs was that trace amounts of drugs were found it Rocky’s system. But the Campanas believe this rejection is the result of his sexual orientation and they’re planning to pursue further action against the system that stamped her son as a high-risk organ donor.

PRO BILL 18 RALLY DRAWS HUNDREDS OF SUPPORTERS BEFORE INTERNATIONAL DAY AGAINST HOMOPHOBIA WINNIPEG – Hundreds of Manitobans gathered at the legislative building on May 16 for a pro Bill 18 rally. The Rainbow Resource Centre organized the rally in support of the International Day Against Homophobia to “Say No to Bullying and Homophobia. Show Your Support for Bill 18.” Bill 18 is the Public Schools Amendment Act (Safe and Inclusive Schools), a bill that’s meant to combat bullying in public schools. A section of the bill that has sparked controversy would allow students from all schools to form Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) if they choose. The Rainbow Resource Centre (RRC) has organized smaller events in previous years, but felt this year’s rally should be larger in light of recent controversy over Bill 18 in the Legislature. Speakers included executive director Chad Smith and youth from the Rainbow Resource Centre, Minister of Education Nancy Allan, and MLAs Jennifer Howard (Fort Rouge), Jim Rondeau (Assiniboia) and Melanie Wight (Burrows).

Wight expressed strong support of Manitoba’s LGBTQ* community in her Member’s Statement in honour of International Day Against Homophobia, delivered the same day in the house. “We have extended marriage and adoption rights to same-sex couples and included gender identity in the Manitoba Human Rights Code. We will continue to support the Rainbow Resource Centre, OutWords magazine, and Winnipeg Pride. To protect all students, we will pass Bill 18 to address bullying in all of its forms,” Wight said. Bill 18 has not yet been officially put to a vote in the legislature.

MLA Melanie Wight expressed strong support for the LGBTQ* community at the pro Bill 18 rally on May 16. Photo from yourmanitoba.ca. July / August 2013 // www.outwords.ca // 11

y e n r u o j s a father’ By Rollin Penner

Day 1 We’re airborne, Vic and I, high above the frozen landscape of Northwestern Ontario, heading for Montreal. We’re going for Vic’s gender confirmation surgery. It was just over three years ago that Vic called me into the basement bedroom to which he was largely confined for close to five years by a combination of social anxiety disorder and an instinct for self-preservation, and told me that he was transgender. I was stunned but I seemed to have a pretty accurate perception of what the next few years were going to be like for both him and me: difficult. Very difficult. And sometimes way beyond difficult. But if someone had told me then that three years later my son Vic would be standing in front of a public audience speaking to them, fearfully but eloquently with great humour and dignity about his journey, I would’ve said that it will all be worthwhile. And it has been. Vic has always been my son, but of course I have only known that for three years. It’s so obvious to me that this young man sitting next to me is the same person who I once thought was a little girl named Victoria, who wore little dresses and littlegirl bathing suits and constantly smiled. I’m sad that the smile disappeared for so long, but so incredibly relieved now that it’s back. I’m deeply grateful to have been given the opportunity to play a small part in helping Vic recover that beautiful smile. Montreal, here we come.

Day 2 The recovery centre in which Vic stayed last night and to which he will return on Friday after his surgery is a revelation. I have a new fantasy that the world at large develops the

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“Here’s a little known fact about us, the parents of transgender children. We hate pronouns. And if there’s one thing a transgender child is going to be impatient about, it’s those bloody pronouns.” same attitude towards transgender people that the staff have here. I’m not holding my breath. We’re sitting in the common room of the recovery centre. Sitting to my right is a woman in her mid 60s. Across from me is another woman, perhaps 20 years old. On the couch to my left, Vic is showing off his Alienware laptop to a third woman, who I’m guessing is in her 40s. In the dining room directly in front of me, a young man is visiting a young woman who is also here for surgery. All of them are transgender. They’re talking, laughing, making jokes, discussing surgeries, families, lives, pain, joy. They’re laughing uproariously about the awkwardness of genital examinations. I look at Vic and then at the rest of them and I’m aware that all of them share at least one personal characteristic. They’re incredibly brave. I’ve never seen so much courage in a single room.

Day 3 The attendant came to get Vic. I walked with them to the elevator, gave him a hug, and said good luck as if he was just going to write a test or something normal like that. What do you say to someone whose life is about to change forever? When this is over, I’ll go back home and then my therapist and I will deal with MY issues, like how much I sometimes miss Victoria. The part of my life where I had a daughter named Victoria whom I loved

and adored is not a part of my life that Vic shared. I may have memories of her, but Vic doesn’t. Vic only has memories of himself, as he always was, a boy in a girl’s body who had to fight, first to define reality and then to hold on and be true to it, just so he could survive. Having seen first-hand what they go through, it does not surprise me that the rate of suicide among transgender people is very, very high. And Vic is one of the rare ones who lives in a country that doesn’t persecute or criminalize him and who has a loving and supportive family that protects him from the very real dangers that threaten so many less-fortunate members of the transgender community. He’s not likely to be beaten or murdered, as long as he is careful, but the truth is those things happen all the time to people like Vic.

Day 4 I haven’t seen Vic so happy since he was a little girl. Correction: since I thought he was a little girl. “Congratulations, it’s a girl,” the doctor said and I had no reason not to believe them. I suppose someday, when society catches up to reality the doctors might say, “Congratulations, it appears to be a girl.” Or maybe not. Vic has a lot to be happy about today. He’s feeling well. The pain is manageable. He has balls. That’s three things right there. Four, actually. Also, the doctor came by

OutWords // News

and told Vic that his results are the best he’s ever seen from metoidioplasty surgery. Vic decided on that rather than on phalloplasty, which is more invasive and more difficult, requiring three surgeries and several tissue grafts to complete. Very few people in the non-trans community understand that for most trans people, if not all, gender confirmation surgery isn’t about sex. For Vic, it’s about being able to pee standing up, he says. Having been ordered out of both men’s and women’s washrooms in his young life, I guess it will be nice for him to be able to whip it out at a urinal and pee on somebody else’s shoes if they’re being disrespectful.

Day 6 Is surreality a word? Because if it is, today was definitely that. Nudity happens, right? I haven’t seen Vic nude since he was… well, I can’t actually remember. So today was the day. The nurse came in to change Vic’s dressing and Vic wanted me to stay, so I did. It appears that the surgeons did a very good job, and beyond that I’m not really going to say much. I’m glad I’ve seen it. I expect that eventually I will be as comfortable with Vic as I am with my other sons.

Day 8 Vic is rapidly returning to normal. Peeing standing up is apparently as awesome as he expected. Anesthetics and painkillers can have a constipating effect which is NOT good for someone who has just had genital surgery, so stool softeners are required, and those have their own unpleasant effects. Ugh. I look forward to returning to a life in

which bowel movements are not a topic of dinner conversation.

pronouns are. We do really well but every so often, we slip up.

Day 9

Day 11

No drain, no pain! An exciting day for Vic! The drains that the surgeons leave in to help get rid of the post-surgical internal bleeding have been removed and it turns out the drains were responsible for about 90 per cent of the pain Vic was still experiencing. Add to that, the fact that he had his first shower since the surgery and you have the recipe for a good day! I’m happy about his shower myself. Suffering from dysphoria, as Vic and most transgender individuals do, sometimes seriously interferes with people’s ability to take care of their own bodies. When Vic told me he was transgender I finally understood why he had such an aversion to taking baths or showers. Thank goodness that symptom has disappeared since Vic’s body has become more and more his own. He’s becoming proud of the way he looks. Shopping for clothes is not the horrible experience it used to be.

Once again, we’re airborne. I think Vic is looking forward to getting home even more than I am. No one ever said life would be fair and it certainly hasn’t been fair to him. But, it’s getting better and Vic won’t hesitate to acknowledge that there are many out there whose situations are so much worse than his. Maybe he and I will be able to figure out a way to help other men and women in Winnipeg who need to get to the Centre Métropolitain de Chirurgie Plastique in Montreal for their own surgeries. Most of them can’t afford to pay for the airline tickets and incidental expenses up-front, and I don’t know of a single one who has the circle of support that Vic has. Vic has said that his family is like the X-Men teamed up with the Avengers, which is high praise for a bunch of misfits like us. I have no idea how we would put our minimal powers to work for anyone else, but I would like for us to try.

Day 10 Here’s a little known fact about us, the parents of transgender children. We hate pronouns. Remembering to use the pronouns he, him and his when I’m talking about Vic, well that’s a tall order for a brain that’s been used and abused for half a century. And if there’s one thing a transgender child is going to be impatient about, it’s those bloody pronouns. Vic is so impressively patient and generous about everything else that I believe his unwavering insistence that his family gets that right is a measure of how important

- Rollin Penner is the father of Vic, a young man who had recently undergone gender confirmation surgery.

July / August 2013 // www.outwords.ca // 13

Camp Aurora and Camp fYrefly:

Lighting Up the Lives of GLBT Youth I By Peter Carlyle-Gordge

n ancient Roman mythology, Aurora was the goddess of the dawn, renewing herself every morning and flying across the sky to herald the arrival of the sun. Aurora the goddess is mentioned in Shakespeare, Tennyson and Thoreau. She’s also an important visitor in Manitoba every summer when the promised lighting up of darkness represented by the goddess is incorporated into Camp Aurora, an annual GLBT youth camp established in 2007. Now about to enter its sixth year, Camp Aurora is a place for GLBT youth to meet for fun, friendship, education, and counselling. Above all, it’s a place where they can feel safe and be their authentic selves with like-minded people. You might say that it chases the shadows of homophobia away. It’s a chance to connect, learn a lot and make what can become lifelong friendships.

14 // July / August 2013 // www.outwords.ca

The camp will run Aug. 27 to 30 at Camp Brereton in the Whiteshell Provincial Park. According to Rainbow Resource Centre youth programs co-ordinator and Camp Aurora organizer Jared Star, the camp is targeted at GLBT youth aged 14 to 19 and there is room for 43, with an additional 10 peer youth counsellors aged 20 to 26. The camp is offered at a deeply discounted cost of $25, though Star said the camp costs $250 or more per person and organizers rely on grants and individual supporters. “We encourage people to support opening up a place for a young person to attend,” he says. “The community has been generous in the past and we also receive financial support from the Winnipeg Foundation, Youth in Philanthropy, Rainbow Resource Centre, Healthy Child Manitoba and the Assiniboine Credit

Union.” Donors get a tax receipt for any amount over $10. Camp Aurora was modelled on Edmonton’s Camp f Yrefly, which began in 2004. This year, the Alberta camp will take place July 11 to 14 in Cochrane, Alberta. It runs as a partnership with the University of Alberta and the Calgary Sexual Health Centre. Like Camp Aurora, it caters to around 40 GLBT youth and costs them just $25. Five years ago, Camp f Yrefly also spread to Saskatchewan and this year a camp will be held in Saskatoon from August 15 to 18. That camp alternates annually between Saskatoon and Regina. Many of the campers, aged 14 to 24, come from northern or rural areas where being “out” is a challenge. The camp offers a safe place and some campers have later gone back to their home towns and started a Gay-

OutWords // News

For many queer teenagers, meeting new people at GLBT camps causes initial anxiety, but by the end many have formed new friendships and gained confidence and leadership skills. Socializing occurs through various group activities, including bonfires, sing-alongs, a dance party, canoeing, outdoor games, talent shows and workshops. After last year’s camp, the 44 participants set up their own Facebook page to stay in touch. One person wrote, “What I liked most about Camp Aurora was being able to be myself for the first time with others and in a big group of people.” Star, who will attend his first camp this year, says Camp Aurora helps build a

“Many of the friendships formed last long after the camp and we have also had participants feel empowered enough to check out the resource centre and become volunteers.” Jared Star, Rainbow Resource Centre Straight Alliance in their school. The Saskatchewan camp, like the others, is designed to instil confidence and foster leadership skills. It is supported by the University of Regina’s faculty of education and by the College of Education at the University of Saskatchewan. The original Edmonton Camp f Yrefly was set up by Dr. André P. Grace and Dr. Kristopher Wells of the University of Alberta, to empower GLBT youth to become agents of change in their schools, families and communities. At Manitoba’s Camp Aurora, every effort is made to make campers feel welcome and at ease, with gender-neutral washrooms and a rainbow flag raised each morning.

community spirit and for some, it’s the first chance they’ve had to come out to a peer group. “Many of the friendships formed last long after the camp and we have also had participants feel empowered enough to check out the resource centre and become volunteers,” he adds. The deadline for applying to Camp Aurora is July 15. Cost is just $25 but that fee can be waived in cases of economic hardship. Check our www.campaurora.ca for more information. This article is part one of a two-part series on GLBT youth camps. The second, in the next issue, will look at groups that try to “ deprogram” same-sex people and make them heterosexual. - Peter Carlyle-Gordge is a Winnipeg- based freelance writer, former producer for CBC radio and former Maclean’s writer.

OUTShine surpasses all expectations Debriefing OUTShine, Canada’s first GSA summit By Danelle Cloutier

ver 300 students and 100 educators made history May 17 to 20 as participants of Canada’s first GSA summit. OUTShine brought together LGBTQ* youth and straight allies from all over Canada to Toronto for workshops and discussion groups, a queer prom and a queer film festival. On the phone from Toronto, Helen Kennedy, executive director of Egale Canada and one of the organizers, was touched by the success of the event. “It exceeded our expectations,” said Kennedy. “One of the real values of the summit was the exchange of information and networking between the youth themselves. In many ways, they will become their own support network when they establish friendships and exchange ideas and how to take the things that they’ve experienced at the summit back to their own communities.” Kenneth Jeffers, co-ordinator of Gender-Based Prevention Office of the Toronto District School Board, which helped organize the summit, agrees. “I got asked tons of questions by educators, and also by students too as they began to sort of put pieces together, about how to become active in their school communities and struggle and challenge and fight for their rights, and I think that that was the magic for me of the conference.” The youth are fighting for their rights with a charter that they created online before the summit and worked on during the event. The OUTShine GSA Charter Project is a combination of youth voices about what is needed to make school communities safer and more inclusive for everyone. Jeffers said youth will be able to add to the charter at the next summit in Winnipeg in 2015. - Danelle Cloutier is the news and music editor for OutWords.

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OutWords // Columns/Opinions

the ELLE Photography: Jefre Nicholls Stylist: Erika Von Babe Hair: Alexander Garofalo courtesy of The Manor Hair Lounge and Day Spa Models: Kage Griesbach and Erika Von Babe

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OutWords // Letter to the Editor

word A

t one point or another, we have all been presented with the impossible piece of advice “don’t judge a book it its cover.” Our lives, however, are filled with opportunities to make first impressions, pass judgments and apply socially constructed stereotypes. Stereotypes like “pink is for girls”, and ideas like “boys should only play with boy toys” have been tied to a common custom in western culture for well over a hundred years. Today our world has changed. Fashion in particular has been blurring, swapping and redefining the pillars of stereotypical masculinity and femininity since the late ‘70s. In our ever-evolving queer community, we are the masters of our own image, identity and appearance. In this issue of OutWords, when trying to tackle one of the trickiest enigmas of a fashion editor’s career, “What is Lesbian fashion?,” I went not-so-straight to the source and asked Kage Griesbach and Erika Von Babe to help try and define the style of the sapphically-inclined. All clothing, shoes & accessories are models’ own.

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March2013 2013////www.outwords.ca www.outwords.ca ////1919 July / August

what is

lesbian fashion?

By Meg Crane

esbian fashion—is there such a thing? Social media sites such as Tumblr and Pinterest, and lesbian magazines with fashion spreads might indicate that there is. Prevalent images of lesbians in mainstream society also support this idea, but not everyone is convinced. Christina Hajjar, a University of Winnipeg student, believes ideas of what a lesbian looks like come from popular culture. Even television shows that aim to bring awareness to the LGBT community uphold common stereotypes. “For lesbians, you’re expected to be either femme or butch. But even with femme lesbians, there are those stereotypical indicators people think are part of your sexuality, like your hair, clothing, shoes,” said Hajjar. Because of these stereotypes, straight women whose style includes elements of stereotypically lesbian fashion may be mistaken as being lesbian. “A lesbian with long hair who doesn’t have those stereotypical attributes becomes invisible to the gay community because she doesn’t conform to that fashion,” said Hajjar. “I think a lot of femmes will tell you that they don’t feel visible in their own 20 // July / August 2013 // www.outwords.ca

it doesn’t mean they should. “I don’t think it’s necessarily right to judge somebody on their appearance so much [as] to make a statement that is so personal,” said Lavack, although she noted that often people do. She said that a neutral passing of judgment is okay, but ideally people wouldn’t make those assumptions at all. “It’s based on curiosity, I suppose, and trying to figure out the world. There’s nothing wrong with that as long as you don’t necessarily associate anything negative or something super-positive,” said Lavack. “I don’t think that there is a lesbian fashion. I think there are stereotypes that people use as general rules and guidance,” she said. These stereotypes can be used by lesbians when they first come out to help them identify themselves to other lesbians. “It’s just a way of connecting, but as you progress I guess you would develop your own

community because of those stereotypes,” said Marie Prairie, a Winnipeg-based model. “People get mislabeled in ways that don’t match their identity. They get labels placed upon them instead of claiming labels for themselves.” Prairie doesn’t think anyone should ever assume they know the sexuality of someone else without being told. “They could selfidentify as anything,” she said. “To say that there’s this one thing—a lesbian fashion—that most people who identify that particular way, they gravitate towards… I think that’s actually harmful to a community,” said Prairie. But she knows it is a perception some people have. “The nongender conforming people are the ones that the outside world, the normative society, sees because they’re visible.” The most prominent people in the LGBT community come to be seen as a model for what the rest of the community looks like. Anyone who does not fit that norm is assumed not to be apart of it. Fashion and co-owner of fashion line Bi.polar Couture, Liliane Lavack said that even though a person can sometimes accurately guess another person’s sexuality based on the way they walk, talk and dress,

style.” Style has to do a lot more with personality and culture than sexual orientation, said Lavack. “You dress a certain way depending on who you want to attract.” For example, a sporty person attracted to sporty people will dress sporty to attract that type of person. Lavack said that sometimes people may try to dress as though they are straight as a safety precaution. “Gays are still obviously a minority, so maybe in a work area you won’t necessarily let your style come out if you think that’s it’s going to affect the way that people see you and if you think that they will degrade you if you are gay. You’ll try to conform to the general public and their look.” Having certain style elements that are attributed to lesbians can affectively bring the community together, but it can also alienate those who do not conform. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if there truly is a “lesbian fashion” or not. What matters is that it is safe for everyone to dress how they want to and that everyone is allowed to communicate the labels they choose for themselves to the people around them. - Meg Crane is the sports, books & movies editor for OutWords.

OutWords OutWords////Books Entertainment & Movies

Saskatoon author brings about change, slowly but surely

Prairies and pumps

Wes Funk working on fourth novel

By Shayna Wiwierski

By Larkin Schmiedl

n his novel Dead Rock Stars, author Wes Funk describes a young, pop cultureinfatuated gay man who’s bullied in his small Saskatchewan town. Having grown up in a hamlet of 200 far off the beaten track, Funk knows what that’s like. He calls this novel “partly autobiographical,” and said he gets emails all the time from people who found comfort in it and could relate to the character. Some have called Funk himself the poster boy for diversity in Saskatchewan. “I was aware of the fact that I was gay from a very young age and I never really hid it or anything. To do that in the ’80s in rural Saskatchewan is almost a really brave, stupid thing,” he said. Despite his non-secrecy, Funk said his family never figured out he was gay. When he came out officially at age 17, Funk said the news went over “like a lead balloon.” His parents went into denial and stayed there until Funk married his partner in 2006. “They sort of had to come out of their bubble,” he said. Then there was school. “I was [raised Mennonite], plus I was a teacher’s kid and a gay boy, so it’s almost like I had a sign that said ‘pick on me’ on my forehead,” Funk said. “The other boys in my class of course were real roughnecks. But usually I could manage to hold my own.” The author is careful to note that he doesn’t think the bullying he experienced as a kid was over the top. “I don’t think it was any worse than any bullying that goes on today,” he said. “Now with the Internet, bullying is in our face; we know it’s a real problem.” Funk’s experiences are reflected in his writing, where a passion for diversity exists right alongside his clear love for prairie life. In fact, he said, “A lot of people have said to me that they found my book refreshing, because it wasn’t about typical Saskatchewan stuff, it was about real, hardcore issues.”

Author Wes Funk has been called Saskatchewan’s “poster boy for diversity” for his wide-ranging books. All photos are: Courtesy of Wes Funk.

Funk has been writing his whole life. Growing up isolated, he began drawing and writing at an early age. Then in his early thirties, Funk decided to take it a little more seriously. At 44, he has now published three novels and a chapbook of poetry and short stories. Funk is currently at work on his autobiography, after all of his novels were met with good success. Dead Rock Stars serves as curriculum for gender studies at the University of Saskatchewan, as well as reading material in a Saskatoon high school. An audiobook version and an illustrated version of Dead Rock Stars, which he calls his “most powerful work,” are being created. Funk channels more of his passion toward speaking with LGBTQ youth groups. He’s visited a few schools and said he’d like to speak to more. He also spends time hosting a Saskatchewan-wide literary TV program, called Lit Happens. The novel Dead Rock Stars is available as an e-book from his site, www.wesfunk.ca - Larkin Schmiedl is a freelance journalist living in Edmonton, Alta. He’s an LGBT contributing editor with rabble.ca, hosted a queer-issues radio show called Gaydio for two years, and loves to write about social and environmental justice.

Wes Funk’s Cherry Blossoms targets a wide audience

In the modern-day Wizard of Oz story, Cherry Blossoms, Saskatchewan-belle Cherry Markowsky experiences a notquite mid-life crisis that has her packing her bags, leaving her husband and their farm, and moving to Saskatoon. With her dog Ruffles, some clothes and her red pumps in tote, Cherry embarks on the life she never had – living in a big city, working a nineto-five job in a chic boutique and just discovering who she is. With excitement comes confusion for Cherry, as she is torn between two men, the dashing teacher from Saskatoon and her husband Dermott, whose affinity for rural life was the epitome of her leaving. There’s also the fact that she discovers that her gay twin brother dresses in drag, and that her young adult son who recently took a break from university fell in love with her pregnant boss. Cherry Blossoms is a quick beach read that takes chick-lit to a local level. Not many novels have Saskatoon set as an exotic, glamorous, bustling city, but Saskatchewan-author Wes Funk changes the perception of the flat-land province to be something more extraordinary. The end of the novel will have readers either cheering or disappointed in Cherry’s choice. Regardless, Funk presents a story of self-discovery set in the Canadian prairies that truly has the message that there’s no place like home. Cherry Blossoms and Funk’s other novels are available to order from the site www.wesfunk.ca - Shayna Wiwierski is the food & lifestyle editor for OutWords.

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OutWords // Entertainment

Gay content causes drop in attendance Winnipeg Jewish Theatre deals with controversy of Angels in America By Zanna Joyce

n the early 1990s, the relatively unknown playwright Tony Kushner premiered a play that has since been heralded as one of the greatest works of our time. Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes, split into two parts called Millennium Approaches and Perestroika, brought humanity, mythology and pathos to the sad story of AIDS in an era of institutionalized homophobia and irrational fear. Received with great acclaim in New York, it attracted outrage when shown on other stages around the country. But in the years since it has won several awards, including a Tony and the Pulitzer Prize, it has inspired the creation of an opera, symphony and film, all of which garner major recognition. So what happened when this play came to Winnipeg?

The Winnipeg Jewish Theatre (WJT) presented the two parts of this play, Millennium Approaches and Perestroika, over two seasons. In each of these runs, the theatre saw attendance slip down to about 65 per cent. When WJT’s artistic producer Michael Nathanson called subscribers to renew for the current season, he found that some people were quite clear that they would not be renewing season tickets due to Angels. “Oddly, Perestroika did not draw as well as Millennium Approaches, despite the fantastic reviews both shows received and the overwhelming word-of-mouth,” he said. Is it because of the gay content? Nathanson indicated that while there

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“I think [the play’s] message of hope, compassion and the potential for inclusion remains as powerful today as it did when first written,” - Michael Nathanson, Winnipeg Jewish Theatre.

were no forthright criticisms based on the show’s gay theme, people would use terms such as “not comfortable” in describing their reaction to the subject matter. Arthur Blankstein, a longstanding ticket holder with the WJT and one of the coordinating volunteers with Anakhnu, the Jewish LGBT community initiative, feels that there were several factors at play. Activities such as an upcoming international Jewish LGBT conference have been well-supported by the broader Jewish community. He speculates that the play itself may have not been what either older or younger potential audience members were interested in. At least one of his friends indicated that he did not want to go to Perestroika after seeing Millennium Approaches, because “he did not need to be depressed further.” Given the tight financial margins most theatres operate within, such a drop in attendance could be devastating. Although Nathanson says his confidence is somewhat rattled because of the attendance drop, he has emerged from this experience feeling proud of the productions. “Ultimately, my job is to select plays that honour our mandate and that I feel will make for an evening of great theatre. If it’s a great play that may be somewhat controversial, I’ll program it.” Nathanson hopes that, should there be any lingering reactions that disrupt important work being done to build strong bridges in the community, the WJT can play a role in healing them. “I’m happy for WJT to be part of any dialogue that exists around the issues around

the LGBT communities. For me, as a Jew, it strikes me as a moral imperative that we have greater understanding for other oppressed communities.” Blankstein feels that parallels can be drawn between this experience with Perestroika and other LGBT initiatives. “The gay community in general didn’t support the production,” he says, noting that in Winnipeg there is generally not the cohesion seen in other cities, except during the Winnipeg Pride week. In the end, Nathanson made the strong argument that this story still needs to be told. “Homophobia still seems to be a somewhat acceptable prejudice for many, so the gay content of the play still strikes me as essential for us to deal with today. I think its message of hope, compassion and the potential for inclusion remains as powerful today as it did when first written.” - Zanna Joyce is a Winnipeg-based freelance writer who has been published on both the Op Ed and Book pages of the Winnipeg Free Press.

Fringe

OutWords // Letter to the Editor

A look towards the

The 26th annual Fringe Festival brings another gay and merry season to Winnipeg The 26th annual Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival is kicking off another 12 days of fun and creativity this July. This year’s Fringe Fest is running from July 17-28, with lots of exciting performers waiting to dazzle our city. By Marney Blunt

The Fringe Fest gave us a sneak peek at some of this year’s exciting LGBT* performances: 1.

PERFORMANCE: God is a Scottish Drag Queen – Mike Delamont

WHAT’S IT ABOUT: God is A Scottish Drag Queen is based on a character that was created by comedian Mike Delamont and Jacob Richmond, playwright of Ride the Cyclone. From Justin Bieber and the Pope, to the Mayans and monkeys, God covers it all. WHY YOU SHOULD SEE IT: God is a Scottish Drag Queen won Pick of the Fringe for Best Solo Show in Victoria and #1 Pick of

the Fringe in Vancouver and has sold out every festival to date. Come see why CBC Radio says Mike Delamont “can do more with a throw-away line than most actors can with a monologue,” and why Montreal Gazette simply said “talent beyond belief.”

PERFORMANCE: Ginger Nation – Shawn Hitchins

WHAT’S IT ABOUT: Shawn Hitchins’ account of being a sperm donor to a lesbian is guaranteed to cause some hilarity to ensue, but it will still warm your heart. Hitchins’ main goal is to repopulate the world with redheads and create a “ginger nation.” Throughout his performance, Hitchins recounts lifelong memories that include everything from adolescence to shoulder rubbing with fame and the discovery of what it truly means to be a ginger and proud of it.

WHY YOU SHOULD SEE IT: Shawn Hitchins has toured all over North America and the UK and has hosted events for the Luminato Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, and Sing-a-Long-a UK, as well as being a panelist for MTV’s “1Girl5Gays”.

PERFORMANCE: Confessions of a Fairy’s Daughter – Alison Wearing

WHAT’S IT ABOUT: Confessions of a Fairy’s Daughter tells Alison Wearing’s personal account of growing up in a small town with a gay father in the 1980s. Based on her new memoir, published by Alfred A. Knopf, Wearing uses a blend of imagery and music to tell her story about going from a carefree childhood to eventually realizing the complexities of her family, followed by eight years of mixed emotions with confusion, disbelief, scandal, celebration and other wild events. WHY YOU SHOULD SEE IT: Alison Wearing balances intimacy, history and downright hilarity.

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OutWords // Entertainment

Confessions of a Fairy’s Daughter is a captivating tale of family life: deliciously imperfect, riotously challenging and full of life’s great lessons in love.

PERFORMANCE: Against 4. Gravity – Mind of a Snail (Chloe Ziner and Jessica Gabriel, a queer shadow puppetry duo from Vancouver) WHAT’S IT ABOUT: Chloe Ziner and Jessica Gabriel use live music and an overhead projector to display a journey of ups and downs as the main character, “the human,” follows their heart. They meet anti-gravity protesters, an advice-giving snail and have several near-death experiences. Unlike in traditional shadow performances, the performers in Against Gravity are visible and can interact with the audience throughout the entire show. WHY YOU SHOULD SEE IT: Against Gravity creates a little world that is quirky, surprising and playful - you probably won’t see anything else like it at this year’s festival.

PERFOMANCE: Circle – Bob Brader and Christel Bartelse (written by Suzanne Bachner)

WHAT’S IT ABOUT: Christel Bartelse and Bob Brader multitask in Circle as a few different characters each – gay, straight, and bisexual – all connected in eight different sexual encounters in this award-winning comedy. Circle’s players include a bisexual married man, as well as a closeted-country music superstar who is trying to conceive a baby with his lesbian best friend. The lesbian

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best friend just wishes to be dominated by her mistress.

Decades-long Reel Pride volunteer wins award

WHY YOU SHOULD SEE IT: Circle is an audience-tantalizing, unforgettable ride. A slimmed-down version of a long-running OffBroadway hit, Circle was called “white hot, screamingly funny!” by the Greenwich Village Gazetteand , and “ingenious” by The New York Times. The Orlando Sentinel recently raved, “Alternately hilarious and poignant, Circle is a cleverly staged show and expertly executed by two very talented actors.”

David Wyatt recognized for 25 years of dedication

PERFORMANCE: Better Looking Boys – Dennis Trochim (Leithelle Productions)

WHAT’S IT ABOUT: Directed by Leith Clark, Better Looking Boys is about four gay men living it up and loving it up in Winnipeg. Alex has a perfect life with a good-looking husband and a new home in River Heights. Steve, Alex’s husband, feels there is a large void in his life, so for comfort he makes regular trips to the gym where he begins to get attention from a gym hottie. Mark, Alex’s best friend, envies Alex’s life but instead throws himself into recreational drugs and sex with his hot boyfriend, Troy. Mark craves life but Troy is only ever interested in wild partying and has no time for love, instead choosing to flirt with his new gay friend, Steve. How will the chaos and debacles end up? WHY YOU SHOULD SEE IT: Leithelle Productions is revisiting and revamping the play since it was a 1997 hit. The former production featured Leith Clark as Alex, but now Clark takes on the task of directing the comedy he feels is still one of the best acting gigs of his life. The 26th annual Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival will take place on July 17-28 in the Exchange District. Tickets range from $5-10 and will be available at www.mtc.mb.ca or their downtown office at 174 Market Ave.

- Marney Blunt is a journalism major in Red River College and the University of Winnipeg’s Creative Communications joint-degree program.

By Meg Crane

edicated, hardworking, committed and humble – those are the words Reel Pride Film Festival chair Geof Langen used often in an interview with OutWords to describe past chair David Wyatt. Wyatt was recently presented the Investors Group Arts & Culture Award for Volunteer Excellence for his 25 years of work with Reel Pride. “He’s an incredible source of knowledge we’d be lost without,” said Langen, who nominated Wyatt for the award. He gives an example of how during Reel Pride’s planning, organizers will come up with ideas of how to do things, but Wyatt will remind them that they already unsuccessfully tried something similar in a previous year. “He is the voice of reason for Reel Pride,” Langen said. “I’m very honoured,” said Wyatt, who was surprised to have won. “I don’t think the film festival has ever been a one-person effort. It’s always been a team of people and I think there’ve always been people who have worked harder than me. So I don’t think that I really deserve this on my own, but I stayed around a very long time and I’m proud of the contributions I’ve made.” Wyatt has been involved in Reel Pride in many ways, including as vice-president, treasurer and member of the programming committee. He has also created and maintained a detailed account of all films played by Reel Pride over the course of its 26-year existence. “I thought somewhere it should be recorded just what we’ve done. Over the years we’ve done so much,” said Wyatt. “Comprise it all in a list like that, it makes a kind of picture of where we’ve been and where we’re going.” According to Wyatt the list is almost 700 films-long and he has seen and enjoyed most of them. Edward II, Zero Patience and Gun Hill Road are a few that stuck out as favourites. Wyatt said he helps with the film festival because it is a fun thing to do, although he jokes that if he sat down and added up all the hours he spent on it, he would probably want to do something else with his time. Still, Wyatt is looking forward to this year’s Reel Pride Film Festival which will take place Oct. 15 to 20. He said there are some new things in the works, but they’re not quite ready to reveal any information to the public.

- Meg Crane is OutWords’ sports, books & movies editor.

mine MY KNOWLEDGE will do many things IT MIGHT build a home OR MAYBE start a business MY KNOWLEDGE, EARNED AT UCN. UCN is diverse. Our students come from all over Manitoba and neighbouring provinces. You will share classes with people right out of high school, as well as mature students. UCN is inclusive and is for everyone. Picture yourself here. To find out more, visit www.ucn.ca and call 866-677-6450 (Thompson) or 204-627-8500 (The Pas)

OWN YOUR FUTURE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF THE NORTH

OutWords // Entertainment

BRINGING GAY

BACK TO MAIN Opera Ultralounge launches LGBT* night where Club Desire once lived By Graeme Coleman

he address of 441 Main Street is a place of nostalgia for members of the LGBT* community. The architecturally astonishing Imperial Bank of Canada building was home to Club Desire for about five years. The gay bar was so popular that it became a hotspot for straight club-goers, who eventually took over the scene before it closed in 2009. After a couple short-lived nightclubs came and went, Opera Ultralounge opened in late 2011. With all-white decor, large chandeliers, and a strict dress code, Opera originally targeted an older crowd. Ryan Wibawa, one of Opera’s six owners, said, “it was meant to be an ultralounge for people who would book booths and then spend on bottles and stuff.” When the owners didn’t think they had that clientele here, the dress code was eliminated to reach a larger audience. Even though Opera was an LGBT*-friendly venue, the LGBT* community had not been specifically targeted. Being a part of the community himself, Wibawa decided it was time to expand. “We were only open three nights a week, so I told the management I was interested in opening a fourth night for the LGBT* community,” said Wibawa. He brought up the idea about a year ago, but Opera decided to wait until they were more established. After Gio’s had closed, Wibawa thought it was the perfect time to introduce Taboo Thursdays at Opera. “I wanted to bring a new

venue for the LGBT* community because Fame and Club 200 were the only ones. The community was complaining that they didn’t have other options,” said Wibawa. Taboo Thursdays kicked off in June and “feedback has been positive. So far, people are happy that they have another venue and atmosphere.” Opera is the only non-gay Winnipeg bar that currently has a night designated to the LGBT* community. Brett Owen, a dancer and active community member, said he had a good time at the opening of Taboo Thursdays and hopes it leads to other venues hosting LGBT* nights. For LGBT* people who prefer going out on a weekday, options can be limited. “Not everyone works a Mondayto-Friday schedule,” said Owen. “It’s sad that

we don’t always feel safe in ‘straight’ bars, but it’s the truth.” Owen was happy to hear Taboo Thursdays will be ongoing and isn’t just limited to the summer. Wibawa said Opera plans to bring in future entertainment, such as porn stars or drag queens from ”Rupaul’s Drag Race.” “We only have one night a week, so we want to keep it new and shuffle it all the time,” said Wibawa. “We also want to become more involved in the community.” Taboo Thursdays takes over Opera Ultralounge every Thursday. More information can be found at www.operaultralounge.com. Have you gone? Tweet us at @OutWords to tell us what you thought! - Graeme Coleman is the entertainment editor for OutWords.

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OutWords // Sports

gende World of sport slowly opening to non-binary view of gender By Larkin Schmiedl

Gender is often viewed as a binary in North American culture, with the general belief that everyone is either female or male. The world of sports is no exception. In fact, the separation of male and female athletes is a norm in sports competition. The clothing athletes wear reinforces a gender binary in sports, much as it does in daily life. Throwing a wrench into the mix are queer and transgender athletes at both recreational and professional levels—people who demonstrate that gender isn’t as binary as many would like to think. The dividing world of professional sports A ‘shining’ example of gender binary sports gone wild is the Lingerie Football League, founded in 2009 and now boasting 16 teams across North America. The league features teams of women playing football clad in lingerie, knee pads, shoulder pads, helmets – and nothing else. Playing to soldout crowds, the league recently decided to attempt to make its athletic image more serious. Renamed Legends Football League, players won’t wear lingerie on the field and the league’s logo will stop depicting “sexy” female figures. The league stands as an extreme example of gender-segregation in sports attire. In a more professional realm, many were shocked when the Badminton World Federation attempted to enforce a new dress code in 2011, requiring all female players

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to wear skirts. Claimed as an attempt to popularize the sport and raise TV ratings, the new dress code was shelved a year later amidst backlash. Yet despite some growing resistance, women in all sports generally wear more revealing outfits than men. “One of the most telling examples relates to [Olympic] beach volleyball; the women have to wear bikinis and the men wear tanks and shorts. They’re required,” said Ann Travers, a sociology professor at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, whose work focuses on sports and gender. Gymnastics, track and field and regular volleyball also require Olympic female athletes to wear skimpier outfits than their male counterparts. In her academic work, Travers dissects how sport is male-dominated and how sexsegregated professional and amateur sports play a role in defining the world of sport for everyone. She writes in The Sport Nexus and Gender Injustice that sport, as it is today, “contributes to gender injustice, homophobia and transphobia by promoting the ideology of the two-sex system.”

Trans discrimination Transgender athletes get stuck in the middle of the system, as trans people do not fit neatly into the binary division of gender. Fallon Fox, the American transgender female Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter

OutWords // Sports

“Sport, as it is today, contributes to gender injustice, homophobia and transphobia by promoting the ideology of the two-sex system.” Ann Travers, sociology professor.

who was outed in March, has had to deal with upheaval in her career, facing a sporting body that does not understand the issues of transgender athletes and has no policy in place to deal with it. It’s unclear whether Fox will be able to continue to be licensed to fight in the MMA. Other sporting bodies have developed policies for transgender competitors in recent years. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has one of the more progressive policies, according to Cyd Ziegler, editor at OutSports. In the NCAA, a transgender woman has to undergo one year of hormone therapy before she can compete against other females. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has a transgender policy that requires two years of hormone therapy and genital reconstruction surgery before athletes can compete. Travers thinks the IOC’s policy is unfair. “Most transgender people do not have sex reassignment surgery, at least not genital reconstruction. [At] the International Olympic Committee, the requirement is for genital reconstruction, even though there’s absolutely no basis for it in terms of fairness or anything like that.” Transgender people have been fighting for access to sports and against discriminatory policies for many years in different leagues and sports. In athletics, their issues are often intertwined with those of intersex people. Their genders are not clear-cut according to a two-gender system since they were born with genitalia or bodies that do not fit into neat male and female categories.

Travers, whose recent work concerns the relationship between sport, inclusion and gender identity, said that swimming and gymnastics are two particular areas where transgender athletes face problems because of the snug-fitting costumes. “There are transgender athletes who avoid certain sports because of the clothing; because of what they either want to show or not show. I’ve interviewed some transgender children who love swimming but have given it up. They were competitive swimmers but they gave it up because of that very issue. That may change in the future, but right now that’s a huge issue.” LGBT sporting teams and leagues do exist in most major urban centres, but participation of transgender athletes is not typically high. Wally Mah, who organizes Winnipeg’s Out There Sports running group, said he has never had a transgender runner join the LGBT group. And he said the female and male participants wear sporting attire typical of their genders. Thomas Novak, co-ordinator of Out There Sports, said he’s had one transgender badminton player join the team. He noted that women are generally allowed more flexibility in clothing styles, whereas for a man to wear a skirt would be more notable.

founders Kathryn Best and Coree Tull grew tired of playing dodgeball in environments that felt unsafe for them and their friends. Since September 2012, teams with names like Group Therapy, Spandextrous and Friends of Dorothy have competed in a growing league. Players wear creative costumes, and Best said the space for non-gender binary outfits is wide open. “I don’t even know that that’s a thought or a question,” she said. Best used to play in a queer women’s floor hockey league, and when some of the members came out as trans, the league organizer decided to institute a no-trans policy. Best and a few friends left the league and agitated to change it. When she started Double Rainbow Dodgeball, Best said, “It soon felt a bit more like activism, because it broke down gender norms.” Partner-in-crime Tull said, “Something that I think is really cool about the queerness of our league... [is] I think dodgeball has opened up sport to a group of people who don’t always fall within that gender spectrum to play on a women’s league or a men’s league... It pulls people of all genders together.”

Battling the divide, one team at a time

journalist visiting San Francisco, Calif. He acts

There is one place where all of this is changing. In Vancouver, a new dodgeball league intentionally seeks to foster inclusion for a diversity of genders. Double Rainbow Dodgeball advertises itself as a queer and trans-positive league. It was born when co-

- Larkin Schmiedl is a travelling freelance as LGBTI contributing editor with rabble.ca, hosted a queer-issues radio show called Gaydio for two years, and loves more than anything to write about social and environmental justice.

July / August 2013 // www.outwords.ca // 29

OutWords // Columns & Opinions

Tweet on Twitter with the Tweeple

Tech Coulmn

Corey Shefman

The first in a series of Social Media HowTo columns breaks down the 140-word sentence

ou’ve heard all about Twitter and want to know what it’s all about, but don’t know where to start? Well, you came to the right place. Welcome to Twitter 101, the first in a series of Social Media HowTo columns that will appear in this space.

So what’s the big deal? Twitter was the first microblogging platform. Founded just before Facebook launched its now ubiquitous “status” feature, Twitter’s primary purpose has not changed since its 2006 launch. In 140 characters or less, users “tweet” their thoughts, rants, observations and, occasionally, what they had for lunch. But despite often getting maligned for the activities of its less-sophisticated users, Twitter has proven to be a remarkable communication tool specifically because of its forced brevity and the speed at which information must be shared. When the Arab Spring dawned in Egypt, Twitter was the vehicle for getting the 30 // July / August 2013 // www.outwords.ca

information to the West. During Hurricane Sandy and the earthquake in Haiti, Twitter helped people identify danger zones. Most serious journalists and commentators tweet. The short-form journalism Twitter requires has become a new medium for the public to interact more directly with the media and politicians. And although Twitter has had an unprecedented democratizing effect on how governments, corporations and the media operate, it’s not all serious. Celebrities as diverse as Margaret Atwood, Teju Cole, Justin Bieber and Neil Patrick Harris have developed communities within Twitter, where followers interact with them, follow their activities and consume yet another kind of media.

How do you join the Twitterverse? First rule of Twitter: Although you can, technically, make your tweets private, don’t. If what you want to tweet is not fit for public consumption, or you don’t want it publicly available, you shouldn’t be putting it on the Internet. There are a few different “models” for how a person can get started with Twitter. Probably the most popular way to start is as a “consumer”. The consumer starts off on “best of ” lists and follows popular tweeters based on their interests: journalists, movie stars, musicians, politicians, etc. As you get more comfortable telling the difference between the good, the bad and the pathetic, you can retweet the tweets that you like. Retweeting puts someone else’s tweet on your Twitter stream. Some people retweet funny comments, others retweet important news they want to share. Throughout this whole process, you should try to engage with others on Twitter. If someone posts an opinion you disagree with (or agree with), let them know about it. Tell them why they’re wrong. If someone posts about how it’s not supposed to snow in April (seriously Winnipeg, what’s up with that?), tweet your agreement. How do you find these tweets? Search with “hashtags” (the # sign). The hashtag indicates that the word or words which immediately follow it are

a kind of label or bookmark. Hashtags can be informative (like #cdnpoli for Canadian politics or #ywg for tweets about Winnipeg) or could flag a meme (like #stuffkidssay). Eventually, if you’re funny enough or have enough time on your hands to collate interesting news stories, you might be able to sustain a popular Twitter account with your own content. The key to Twitter is to have a niche. That is not to say that you have to participate exclusively in one area of interest, but by participating in sub-communities of Twitter, you will get more out of the experience. – Corey Shefman is a geek, and proud of it.

Our favourite Twitter accounts Don’t know where to start? Check out these Twitter accounts. compiled by Corey Shefman

@kady – Kady O’Malley is a CBC journalist covering Canadian politics. She is one of the most prolific #cdnpoli tweeters. If it’s Canadian and political, she’s covering it. @JoseCanseco – The former Toronto Blue Jays player has his own unique brand of humour that is often just too good to be true. Follow the #YesWeCanseco hashtag for his bid to unseat Toronto Mayor Rob Ford. @Gawker – Part gossip-blog, part citizen journalism. This is where the “Rob Ford ‘Crackstarter’” campaign came from. @engadget – The Twitter account from the tech news blog of the same name. A great source to stay up to date on the latest and greatest in technology and gadgets. @RealTimeWWII – A history student tweeting on the Second World War developments on the day they occurred. History in real-time! @Cmdr_Hadfield – The Canadian astronaut and current commander of the International Space Station has been tweeting incredible, highdefinition photos taken from space. @TheAdvocateMag – The Advocate’s Twitter feed. @bkives – Timely updates on Winnipeg happenings from @WinnipegNews (Winnipeg Free Press) Bartley Kives. Also, make sure you follow OutWords magazine on Twitter at @outwords.

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OutWords // Columns & Opinions

Spirituality

JOINING OUR COMMUNITY

ulling her grocery cart behind her as In a special for she left her seniors’ our community apartment block, she could hear the rhythmic celebrations music of what she issue, the thought was an ethnic spirituality parade. As she got to the corner of the street column she looked up and was examines just confronted by a young what it means man marching in the gay Pride parade, in a speedo, to celebrate bouncing his private with pride parts and lifting up his muscle T-shirt to expose a flat hairless chest. The look on her face was one of disappointment. A woman wearing a “proud of my gay son’” T-shirt, nudged her way in beside her. “Going shopping, were you?” she softly said with a smile. The older lady responded, “Hi, thanks for asking. My poor old mother would never have understood all this.” “My son is grateful that I’m trying,” added the other lady. With a concerned voice, the older lady said, “I feel they deserve all the equal rights they marched to have, so why continue to flaunt themselves like this? As the mother of a gay child, may I ask you a personal question?” “Hope I can answer,” the mother responded. “What would you say to your son if he said he wanted to get married?” “Oh, that’s easy. ‘I can’t wait to tell your father,’” as both ladies laughed. “May I share something with you?” the older lady added. “By all means, please do,” the mother replied. “Our church is split over the use of the word ‘marriage’ for same-sex unions, and it reminds me of this parade.” “How’s that?” Ray buteau

32 // July / August 2013 // www.outwords.ca

to intervene, as they will continue to do in our democracy.” As the parade danced on, both ladies were now faced with a woman grabbing her breasts and twisting them about, and another dancer wearing a T-shirt with the words “gay rights are human rights.” As both ladies nodded their heads in recognition, they embraced and wished each other well. The groceries could wait, she thought to herself and turned around and walked slowly back to her apartment, knowing that the confrontations and antagonisms would continue until the civil courts intervened. Then she smiled as she thought that a divine power, by way of a T-shirt, was reminding all of us of what many religious communities were failing to acknowledge, that “gay rights were human rights.” Next month’s article: Robert meets Tom for coffee.

“It’s in your face, and no-one seems concerned for how some of us feel about it,” she said, adding, “there seems to be two sides on the issue and neither seems to respect the other. I’m talking too much, you’re missing the parade,” she said in a regretful tone. “Standing here is what they really appreciate. Please explain what you mean by the two sides not respecting each other.” The older lady gave a short version of what she had heard in her church the Sunday before. The previous Sunday, her minister had expressed that for many religious people, whether their God was called Yahweh, Allah, - Ray Buteau is a former Catholic priest and author of Father, Krishna, or whatever, the word the book No Longer Lonely. “marriage” had been seen as referring to You can visit Ray’s website at www.raybuteausweb.com procreating couples that would continue the cultural and religious survival for the next generation of their religious communities. Though same-sex encounters existed, as ancient pottery and paintings often depicted, same-sex practices were often forbidden, and in some countries, still were. The older lady added, “For our church GAY RIGHTS community to ARE HUMAN say that it was RIGHTS. an ‘affirming’ community, it would be accepting the right of our gay members to have a same-sex marriage. And our minister asked how we rationalized the commandments ‘to love and not judge one another?’” The mother added, “When a minority group Dylan Bekkering Illustration By can’t have its rights respected, even by religious groups, then the civil courts need

Renting to

own

// Lifestyle & Food

By Jefre Nicholls

Turn your rental unit into your dream home

t’s a right of passage, the moment where someone hands you the keys to one of the largest purchases in your life. A feeling of ownership, to have finally found somewhere to lay that welcome mat, an address that is entirely yours. Unfortunately, these days with average Canadian student debt of $28,000 in tuition alone, according to RateSupermarket.ca, saving for that down payment for your dream home can seem next to impossible. So how else does one get that warm and fuzzy feeling in a world where homeownership comes hand-in-hand with a brochure on midlife crisis? The answer, my property-impaired friends, is simple: create the appearance of “owned-sweet-home” in a rental or leased space. For the recipe to this renovated rental makeover, OutWords has turned to top industry professionals for their tips and trimmings on how to turn your mortgage-free monthly into a space that feels all your own. Nick Olsen, a New York-based interior designer and blogger who has been wallpapering a name for himself in the North American design community, has this advice to give to all those size queens out there: he recommends adding a large-scale mirror measuring about half the size of the wall you intend to place it against. Positioning it across from a window in the space will allow for maximum exposure of natural light and will relay a bright and airy feeling in any space,

no matter the square footage. Additionally, incorporating a considerable canvas or oil painting in place of a feature wall is a modern, fabulous way to create energy in a space and establish a focal point in any rental that you can take with you when you move. Acclaimed interior decorator Allison Hennesey points out that an easy way to upgrade your temporary space is switching up the shady light fixtures and lamps that come standard. “Most rentals have dreadful, cheap ceiling lights and fans,” says Hennesey. These affordable changes are a wise investment because they are easy transplants to your new space when you are able to make the move. For an elegant modern feature fixture that blends well into any interior style, Hennesey’s stamp of approval goes to the WallPops line of chandeliers (www.wallpops.com). With a price tag starting well under the $40 mark, they’re sure to lighten any budget. A final point that both designers agree on is that when it comes to creating a homey feel in your rental, less is more. As we take baby steps towards shedding the interior appearance of a dorm room disaster or handme-down nightmare, filter and get rid of items that have lost their purpose or are no longer in style. Spend more on items that polish off a room but are also take-withable furnishings, like area rugs, end tables and curtains. These

items can be altered in the future to fit into whatever new space you claim as your own. By cutting down the rug, altering the curtains, or interpreting the table in a new undiscovered way, these personal gems will continue to evolve with your personal style and maintain a consistent sense of home wherever you end up. Hopefully, for those of you like me who were born without the gay decorating gene, the above tips will help patch the gap of time between rent and own, allowing you to take pride in wherever you rest your head at night, regardless of whose name is on the deed. - Jefre Nicholls is the fashion editor for OutWords.

May / July / August 2013 // www.outwords.ca // 33

OutWords // Columns/Opinions

PRIDE

2013

34 // July / August 2013 // www.outwords.ca

OutWords // Letter to the Editor

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OutWords // Columns/Opinions

Find us on facebook.com/ReelPrideWpg 36 // July / August 2013 // www.outwords.ca