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Editorial Holiday Christmas extravaganza

By Andrew Jacome 4 Feedback 4 Xcetera 5 COVER ILLUSTRATION

BY PAUL DOTEY

on dailyxtra.com One in 10 people are gay? Not even close Dispelling the stigma of HIV Debra DiGiovanni talks about life in LA, depression and gay fans Putin, porn and erectile dysfunction Video: Gay man discusses using PrEP MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM

Upfront Catholic school board blocks gay rights project 7 On the cover Sweet relief Many LGBT programs still need financial help 8

Out in the City Arts roundup Jerk It reading, Filthy Dirty Art Show, and holiday parties 17

VIDEO: YouTube’s sexy sensation Davey Wavey

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Daily Xtra Travel Winter cruises 22 Yoga retreats 24

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The outcome that we seek is this — gay and lesbian people daring together to set love free.

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Thinking about HIV

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Those videos are horrifying. This campaign operates in a moral universe that is diametrically opposed to the one in which nearly all Canadians live. These are people who place a greater value on the sexual freedom and pleasure of the HIV infected over and above human life and human health. And they are prepared to say almost anything, to attack and blame everyone under the sun — including victims and the police — in order to protect the sexual freedom of the infected.

This is what happens when you live in an ideological bubble. Their ideology tells them that one must never be “sex negative” and must never “stigmatize” anything related to HIV. Well, homiFO R

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So 130 people have been charged, but how many have gone to jail? How many had malicious intent and how many were the victims of soured trysts in which the law is used to club your former partner [“Thinking Twice About Reporting HIV Nondisclosure,” Dec 3, dailyxtra.com]? I would imagine more of the latter than the former, and for the most part I trust the justice system to sort one from another.

I understand that people who are living with HIV sometimes don’t disclose. The right response to that is to continue to do what I always do, which is to assume everyone is potentially HIV-positive and protect myself through condom use.

OTTAWA’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

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The holidays have a f u n ny r e l a t i o n s h i p with time. When I’m in the throes of summer, I fantasize about December delights. Cozy sweaters, Starbucks’ sugary simulated gingerbread and Christmas lights all seem like magical wonders.

But then winter comes around and I remember why we try so hard to make December as charming as possible: the bitter cold. Gone are the days of lazing about outdoors, watching cute guys stroll by in tank tops and shorts (both of which seem to be made with less and less fabric as the years go by).

Come winter, it’s a miracle if you even make eye contact with someone as you both slosh to your destinations.

It’s probably why everyone’s favourite winter pastime, whether they admit it or not, is staying indoors; my early Christmas present to myself was a subscription to Netflix to facilitate my hibernation. Flicking through title after title, I’m amazed that during all my wishful-December thinking I forgot my true winter love: Christmas television.

There’s a lot of schlock out there.

Eve’s Christmas (get it? Her name is Eve, and it’s Christmas), starring Clueless actress Elisa Donovan, is about

by Maria Menounos? Perfection. I understand that Mindy is not supposed to be a likable character — she’s absurd (no one ever falls in love at Christmas, a trope the show is poking fun at) and abrasive — but you can’t help but laugh along with her. Like when she declares that free gifts are only okay “if you’re like a poor mouse in a Christmas special or something.” This is also the episode where her hunky co-worker Danny dances to Aaliyah’s “Try Again,” so that should be reason enough to watch it.

Orange Is the New Black, “Can’t Fix Crazy”: Unless you’ve been living in a bubble devoid of great pop culture, you’ll know OITNB is Netflix’s crown jewel. Piper may be the show’s (boring, neurotic) protagonist, but the supporting players consistently steal the show. “Can’t Fix Crazy” is the Season 1 finale, where conflicts and lesbian relationships come to an explosive end.

It isn’t a feel-good, cheerful episode.

Like Home Alone before it, Christmas is merely the catalyst for scandalous antics. Our plucky lady inmates are staging a Christmas pageant; things don’t go as planned (of course), and it ends with Piper taking out her aggression on a fellow inmate’s face.

“Can’t Fix Crazy” cemented OITNB as must-watch television.

However you decide to spend your holidays, all of us at Xtra hope you have a safe and enjoyable one. Have an extra glass of eggnog for us.

ISSUE 8

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EDITORIAL ANDREW JACOME

a plucky New Yorker who makes a Christmas wish to travel back in time because, gosh darnit, Christmas makes her realize she should have married her loser boyfriend instead of pursuing her successful career. It was filmed in 2004, before feminism was invented.

Lifetime’s sole purpose is to pump out movies like Eve’s Christmas, and while there’s certainly an audience for it, it’s not my cup of tea. So I thought I would share my favourite holiday specials of yore, in case you need a break from watching Love Actually for the 20th time.

Lady Gaga and The Muppets’ Holiday Spectacular: Yes, it’s an obvious plug for Gaga’s Artpop, but Holiday Spectacular is like an IV of glitter directly to your eyeballs. There are more blonde wigs and outfit changes than you could possibly keep track of — exactly the kind of element Miss Piggy excels in. A close second choice is obviously The Muppet Christmas Carol, but Gaga makes this variety show special so absurd, it’s hard not to enjoy it. Maybe if they ever recast A Christmas Carol, Gaga could star as the ghost of Christmas past.

The Mindy Project, “Christmas Party Sex Trap”: Watching narcissistic and self-deluded Mindy Lahiri plan a Christmas party is great enough.

Having her use the party as a tool to seduce her crush is genius. Having her rendition of “Santa Baby” be upstaged

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cide — whether intentional, reckless or negligent — should be stigmatized.

CHARLES DAILYXTRA.COM

Rainbow projects Being left-handed, black or being gay is just as natural [“Ottawa Catholic School Board Wants to Resolve Gay Project Issue,” Nov 29, dailyxtra.com]. It is a rare occurrence to fall in love and to hold that person in your heart and be loved in return. It is something that should be celebrated! If it’s between two guys or two girls, all the better. It takes even more courage to defend that love.

GRANT MACDONALD DAILYXTRA.COM

Funny how only when people start talking about cutting public funding for private religious education it gets their attention.

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XCETERA NEVER SAY NEVER

Bravo, Barilla

One year ago, Guido Barilla said he’d never use gay people to pitch his pasta products, adding that if they didn’t like it, they could forage for their fettuccine elsewhere. The company has now done a 180, not only featuring a lesbian couple on its website, but establishing diversity training for staff, expanding health benefits for LGBT workers and giving money to gay rights causes.

LEGAL LOOPHOLE

PERFECTLY PLAYED PROPAGANDA Alyona Fursova and Irina Shumilova turned up at a St Petersburg, Russia, registry in their finest bridal whites and tied the knot — gay-propaganda laws and gay-marriage ban be damned. Shumilova, who identifies as transsexual, is still listed as male in official documentation and took advantage of that technicality to marry Fursova.

Vikki Reich (back right) and her family, in Barilla’s Share the Table campaign. VIKKI REICH

QUOTABLE

It used to be the love that dare not speak its name and now it’s the love that won’t shut the fuck up.

Bette Midler talks about how gay is “sort of ordinary now” in an interview with The Advocate.

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JOB OPPORTUNITY Freelance Reporters Needed Xtra Ottawa is expanding its base of freelance reporters. We need intrepid freelance reporters with strong news judgment and well-honed journalism skills.

As an ideal candidate, you thrive on being a news reporter.

Thick-skinned, you’re not afraid to tackle sensitive issues or ask hard questions, even within a small, tight-knit community. A creative thinker, you have a natural “nose for news” to identify great story ideas.

You are outgoing and skilled at networking with sources, newsmakers and community leaders. You are an aggressive self-starter who gets things done. A quick and thorough reporter, you will generate news stories for our website, dailyxtra.com.

Your commitment to fairness matches your meticulous attention to detail, spelling and accuracy. Your superior writing and self-editing skills enable you to quickly turn around error-free copy.

Ideally, you are proficient enough with digital photography to capture good images and process them for posting online.

Being an avid user of social media who understands how to harness its power to engage our communities and promote your work is an asset.

Email a detailed cover letter, resumé and news writing samples to managing editor Matthew DiMera at matthew.dimera@dailyxtra.com.

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Upfront

You would never tell a Jewish organization that their drop-in services should be run by the Catholic Church. Jeremy Dias • 8

School reconsiders gay rights project Principal initially told students their Grade 6 socialjustice topic was inappropriate

ways to best meet the needs of their students.”

Disappointed with their principal’s decision, Quinn and Polly mounted a small, silent protest of their own, attending school in rainbow-coloured clothes with small rainbow flags painted on their hands Nov 12. They said that a majority of their classmates support them.

Maloney pointed out that the school had, inadvertently, taught the kids a lot about social justice. “I said to the principal that I think that our girls have learned more about social justice in the last four days than they ever would have doing any kind of project. They have 11-year-olds talking about gay rights.”

On Nov 28, Hurley released a statement saying that Beauchamp would meet with the two Grade 6 students and their parents. Quinn and Polly may get to do their project after all.

“Our concern about the age-appropriateness of the original subject matter for Grade 4 and 5 students was driving our decision to disallow the presentation of the subject by the Grade 6 children,” Hurley wrote in the new statement. It is not

EDUCATION HG WATSON

When Quinn and Polly decided to choose gay rights as the theme for their social-justice project, they had no idea the lesson they were about to learn.

The pair — both Grade 6 students at St George School, a Catholic elementary school in Ottawa — told Xtra that they approached their teacher earlier in the school year asking if they could choose gay rights as the topic for their project that would be displayed at a school social-justice fair in January. Pending the approval of principal Ann Beauchamp, the teacher saw no problem with their chosen topic.

But there was a problem. Beauchamp allegedly barred them from completing the project, telling both the students and their respective mothers, Ann Maloney and Kate Hamilton, that gay rights was an inappropriate topic for their project.

“I was really angry,” Quinn said.

“We just want to do a project so people can learn about [gay rights],” Polly added.

Maloney and Hamilton, who later met with Beauchamp on Nov 17, allege that the principal indicated that the Ottawa Catholic School Board (OCSB) would not allow the project to go forward because the subject didn’t reflect Catholic values and was inappropriate for the grades 4, 5 and 6 students who would attend the social-justice fair.

Maloney was surprised the appropriateness of the project was even broached. “Of course it’s going to be age-appropriate — she’s 11,” Maloney said. Hamilton also questioned whether the OCSB actually supported this decision.

After calling St George School to speak with Beauchamp, Xtra was directed by school staff to contact Mardi de Kemp, manager of communications for the OCSB. Xtra left messages with OCSB chairperson Ted Hurley, who also advised, via voicemail, the reporter to contact de Kamp, and with St George’s trustee Betty-Ann Kealey, who did not respond.

The OCSB released an email statement in response to Xtra’s inquiries saying that it has a “rich family life program that addresses all

Our concern about the age-appropriateness of the original subject matter was driving our decision to disallow the presentation of the subject.

OCSB CHAIRPERSON TED HURLEY

Ann Maloney’s daughter Quinn displays a rainbow flag she drew on her hand to protest her school’s decision to veto her and a classmate’s research project on gay rights. COURTESY OF ANN MALONEY

aspects of human relationships and family life in an age appropriate manner. The curriculum stresses the dignity of each and every person and teaches that there are many ways to be a family.”

In 2012, the government of Ontario passed the Accepting Schools Act, which requires schools to promote a positive and accepting environment for all pupils, including students of any sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.

Gary Wheeler, a spokesman for the Ontario Ministry of Education, told Xtra in a Nov 26 email that the OCSB is in the best position to comment.

“Our expectation is that school boards comply with the Education Act, which requires them to provide safe, inclusive and accepting school environments that support the achievement and well-being of all students,” he wrote. “We encourage schools and boards to work with their students, parents, staff and communities to find

clear whether the board supported Beauchamp’s original decision.

Hurley added that it is clear Quinn and Polly’s project is meant to combat bullying of gay people and noted that Pope Francis has indicated that he is in no position to judge the LGBT community.

“The core message is that gay rights are a human right and that the underlying attitudes that have led to discrimination need to be addressed in school and in society as a whole.”

Maloney had not yet had a chance to tell her daughter the good news when she spoke with Xtra on Nov 28. She was thrilled to hear that the school board wants to resolve the issue.

“It never occurred to me that they would change their mind,” she said. Maloney was scheduled to meet with St George administrators Monday, Dec 8, after Xtra went to publication.

“The support that we’ve had has been fantastic,” she said of Quinn and Polly’s new online fan base.

“We feel we’ve made an important point.”

MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM XTRA! DEC 11, 2014–JAN 14, 2015 7

COVER STORY

FRIENDS IN NEED Despite gains in LGBT rights, queer-run programs need financial help as much as they ever have ADRIENNE ASCAH ILLUSTRATIONS BY PAUL DOTEY

E

mpowerment. Community.

Hope.

Those are the kinds of uplifting words that come to mind when we think of the work LGBT charities do, but less lofty words like “money” and “funding” are essential to a charity’s success and its very existence.

“I think Jer’s Vision, PTS and Ten Oaks . . . we look like we’re really strong and really professional and really well-established, when really it’s always a struggle to pay bills, hire on new staff and meet the demands of our community,” says Jeremy Dias, founder and executive director of Jer’s Vision. “I think donors don’t always realize how much need there is out there.”

Because of the great strides made in LGBT rights over the past few decades, Dias says, many community members are under the impression that life is pretty good for queer people these days — and while it might be for some, others need support services more than ever.

Since the late 1970s, there have been considerable gains for LGBT rights in Canada. Beginning in 1977 in Quebec, nationally in 1996 and finally in Alberta in 1998, sexual orientation was added to provincial human rights codes and the Canadian Human Rights Act to provide

legislative protection from discrimination. In 2005, same-sex marriage became legal in Canada. From Calgaryborn pop stars Tegan and Sara to trans superstar Laverne Cox on the cover of Time magazine, LGBT celebrities talk about their identities with pride. While LGBT people have achieved great success in diverse fields, huge obstacles remain for queer and trans people, particularly youth.

Bill C-279, which would provide trans Canadians legislative protection from discrimination, passed in the House of Commons last year but is still languishing in the Senate. According to Egale’s 2011 national report “Every Class in Every School,” 70 percent of all participating students reported hearing homophobic comments daily in school.

More than one in five LGBT students reported being physically harassed or assaulted because of their sexual orientation. Among trans students, 49 percent reported being sexually harassed and 74 percent were verbally harassed about their gender expression.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people aged 15 to 34, with disproportionately higher numbers among queer and trans youth. According to Statistics Canada, two-thirds of hate crimes reported in 2012 that were motivated by homophobia were violent.

I

t’s against this backdrop of homophobia, transphobia, violence and inequity that Jer’s Vision, PTS and Ten Oaks offer support for LGBT people and their families while also endeavouring to inspire change. Jer’s Vision provides anti-bullying workshops for schools and community organizations. PTS, which was founded in 1984 and was the first registered gay charity to gain tax-exempt status in Canada, has LGBT support services and social groups and is campaigning to end youth homelessness. Ten Oaks offers summer camp programs for children and youth from LGBT families.

Funding these charities is no small feat. Jer’s Vision receives about a third of its funding from the provincial and federal governments, a third from corporate donors and a third from community members, Dias says.

When it comes to municipal funding, Capital Pride received $34,500 in 2013 under the City of Ottawa’s cultural and festival funding. PTS, which began its current three-year contract with the city in July, received $118,899.84 in renewable community funding from the city in 2013.

PTS has some financial stability thanks to municipal funding. However, lack of adequate funding from other sources led to Claudia Van den Heuvel,

We look like we’re really strong and really professional and really well-established, when really it’s always a struggle to pay bills, hire on new staff and meet the demands of our community.

JEREMY DIAS, FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF JER’S VISION

the organization’s executive director, taking a voluntary layoff in May. “We are the only for-queer, by-queer organization in Ottawa that serves queer people of all ages, and I chose to put the need for our programming and to maintain staff over my own needs,” Van den Heuvel told Xtra at the time.

She returned to help PTS prepare funding applications, but in November the organization announced her permanent departure as executive director.

“PTS has been a family to me, so it’s sad that financial circumstances have made it necessary for me to move on to a new phase in my professional life,” Van den Heuvel said in a statement, adding

she plans to do volunteer work for PTS. Seeing PTS struggle raises the question: if you’re queer, do you have an obligation to support queer organizations?

“I think obligation is a strong word, but I think there’s a missed opportunity when we don’t give back to our community,” Dias says.

H

olly Wagg, co-founder of Ten Oaks and co-chair of the organization’s development committee, has a different perspective.

“A lot of queer organizations think that queers should fund them just simply because they’re a queer organi-

8 DEC 11, 2014–JAN 14, 2015 XTRA! OTTAWA’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

Community members want . . . a safe space in which to explore and have other people who identify similarly to them to provide some mentorship around resources and experiences.

CLAUDIA VAN DEN HEUVEL, FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF PTS

I think obligation is a strong word, but I think there’s a missed opportunity when we don’t give back to our community.

HOLLY WAGG, CO-FOUNDER OF TEN OAKS

zation,” Wagg says. “You need to move past that in your fundraising. Nobody is going to fund you simply because you’re a queer organization.”

Community members support PTS, Jer’s Vision and Ten Oaks by volunteering, giving donations and attending fundraisers. Van den Heuvel stresses that community members are doing their part and PTS has to pull in more money from grants and foundations.

“I believe that funding organizations, which often have a mandate to support marginalized communities, need to take a look at their mandates compared to the amount of funds they are providing,” she says. “It seems contradictory

to say that the LGBTQ community is a significantly marginalized group and then provide such a small amount of funding.”

A

s Canada nears the 10th anniversary of legalizing same-sex marriage, Dias says many people have the perception that the biggest battles have been fought and won in the LGBT community, leading to a decrease in funding.

“The highest point of donations to queer organizations was pre-same-sex marriage, and since then we’ve seen [donations] slipping because there’s

this attitude that things get better, when really things don’t get better for a lot of people,” he says. “I think organizations like Jer’s Vision, PTS and Ten Oaks are expected to do the work of mainstream organizations for a fraction of the cost and with less support.”

Wagg, whose day job as a fundraising consultant with Good Works means she “lives, eats, breathes and sleeps raising money for charity,” doesn’t see it that way. Although she acknowledges fundraising is an ongoing challenge, she says it’s actually a good time for LGBT charities.

“The LGBTQ community, by many funding organizations, has been iden-

tified as a priority community, which means now there’s actually, in our experience at Ten Oaks, more money available to us simply because of the population that we serve than there was 10 years ago,” she says.

That said, although the money is out there, whether your organization gets some of it is a different story, she says.

Convincing donors to give you grants takes time and expertise, and charities don’t always have the resources to do their best fundraising.

The “conundrum of every small charity in Canada” is choosing how much time you put into your programming versus your fundraising, she says.

Dias agrees it’s difficult to find time to focus on fundraising. “We invest so much time and energy into programming that sometimes we forget how to cultivate a donor,” he says. “Not being a mega charity like others, we don’t have that machine to get our message out there.”

Wagg says it’s crucial that charities don’t underestimate the time and expertise required to attract and maintain secure funding. Still, even when the need is identified, charities often don’t have the resources to do adequate fundraising, she says.

“They don’t have the money to hire a professional fundraiser or even somebody just to have oversight of the fundraising program, which creates a chicken-and-egg problem,” she says.

“If you don’t have the money to hire the fundraiser, you can never grow your fundraising dollars in order to be able to hire the fundraiser in the first place.”

Diversification is your friend when it comes to securing stable funding, she adds. “You need to make sure that you’re pulling in money from a variety of different sources so that if one of those sources dries up you can pull from somewhere else,” she says. “We’ve always had a very diverse funding structure. We have individual donors, major donors, event-based fundraising. We do grants.”

P

TS is working to diversify its funding. Still, municipal funding to queer organizations remains important, says Catherine McKenney, who was elected city councillor for Somerset Ward in October following Diane Holmes’s retirement.

“We need to consider the funding of LGBTQ organizations and assess if the support they currently receive

is sufficient,” McKenney says. “PTS, together with other organizations like the Ten Oaks Project, Around the Rainbow at Family Services Ottawa and Youth Services Bureau, are crucial in our community as they are often the first point of resources for many — including young queers and those who are new to the community — and they need our support.”

While Youth Services Bureau, along with Centretown Community Health Centre, offers support services to LGBT community members, Van den Heuvel says it’s not the same thing as accessing support from a queer-run organization.

“There is a need for LGBT services to be provided by LGBT community members,” she says. “Our community comes to these services in times of need, when they are coming out or at the beginning of transition, and that extra amount of sensitivity is needed.

Oftentimes, community members want a place where they can be assured that their identity or orientation will be supported, respected, [and they’re] provided a safe space in which to explore and have other people who identify similarly to them to provide some mentorship around resources and experiences.”

Wagg agrees it’s valuable for LGBT people or people from LGBT families to receive support services and programming from LGBT organizations.

“Our program exists because there’s a need in the community, and it continues to grow every year because there’s a need in the community,” she says. “For children of LGBTQ families, meeting somebody who has a family structure like theirs . . . You should see the power when those kids connect for the first time and realize that they’re not alone.”

For Dias, there is no substitute for the effectiveness of support services offered to LGBT people by LGBT people.

“There’s a real need to support queerrun services,” he says. “You would never tell a Jewish organization that their drop-in services should be run by the Catholic Church. In that same vein, queer organizations shouldn’t just be expected to fold into mainstream services. We should have our own support, and we should have our own strengthened community.”

Wagg adds that whether your donors are queer or allied, what’s key is connecting with their emotions, to make the suffering of others real to them, and then demonstrate how your charity is helping to alleviate that suffering while effecting positive change.

MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM XTRA! DEC 11, 2014–JAN 14, 2015 9

Trivial pursuits Beat the winter blues with a roll of the dice GAMING ANDREW JACOME

Winter: it’s the time of year when even the most mundane task seems next to impossible if it involves going outside.

It’s not even the cold that’s the worst part (though it is pretty bad) — it’s that going outside involves at least 10 minutes of prep work before you even leave the house. Throw in the pressure of having to find the perfect gift for everyone in your life, and suddenly the idea of hibernating like a bear until it’s spring seems like a genius idea.

It can be hard to connect with friends and loved ones when all you want to do is burrow into bed. That’s why Dave Gordon, from Strategy Games in Ottawa, has an easy solution: board games.

“Different folks have different reasons for liking board games,” Gordon says, but it seems the holidays are

always a good reminder for people to teamwork skills these days.” unplug and reconnect. “Christmas sees Working together doesn’t have to a large spike in business. Board games be against a game; even something as are a good family activity to engage in simple as laughing together is enough. over the holiday reunions.”

Cards Against Humanity is a party Horror stories of families being torn staple for this reason alone. “It’s popuapart by Monopoly are a dime a dozen — lar because . . . the game releases the some people can’t even look at a thimble players from any moral boundaries,” without quivering in rage — which is Gordon says. “It was even marketed in why cooperative board games are seeing a brash, cool and honest manner that a surge in popularity. Rather than sav- appealed to a lot of people.” aging the people you love It’s also a rare game that most or imagining tearing works better when there STRATEGY GAMES out their throats because are cocktails involved.

250 Bank St you landed on Boardwalk There are a few places strategygames.ca again, Gordon suggests a where you can play a game game where players work and buy a drink. Monopolatte (640 Somerset St W) features toward a common goal.

“A cooperative game is one where all a monthly mystery beer along with the participants are on the same team,” the claim of more than 750 games inhe explains. “Their goal is to win or house. The Loft (14 Waller St) houses lose as a team against the game. There just as many games, and employees seems to be more of a premium put on are more than happy to come to your

Board games are a great way for people to reconnect during the holidays. THINKSTOCK

table to recommend games and explain the rules. Think of the vibe at these places as less like bars that feature board games and more like board-game libraries that feature bars.

Strategy Games

250 Bank Street (located north of Somerset Street) www.strategygames.ca 613.565.3662

Games & Accessories Fun Board Games that make you think!

But if you want to avoid the noisy bar atmosphere, pick up a bottle of vino and a game to take home instead. It’ll be that much easier to collapse into bed later.

Happy Holidays!

Present this ad for 20% off your next purchase! Valid until December 31st, 2014.

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Paul McAllister

Bilingual Sales Representative

Phone: 613.818.8091 E-mail: info@ThinkPaul.ca

10 DEC 11, 2014–JAN 14, 2015 XTRA!

OTTAWA’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

2 minutes to ChurCh st or the subway all of toronto is at your doorstep

Paul Lafleur BSc RMT

REGISTERED MASSAGE THERAPIST MASSOTHÉRAPEUTE • Excellence in health care • Over 25 years experience Bigger Slogan (0ne lawyer, yours. injury and stress management • Pain, Covered by extended health care plans • ting you first)

toronto downtown Centre 30 CARLTON STREET TORONTO, ONTARIO M5B 2E9 CANADA Hotel Front Desk: 1-416-977-6655 www.holidayinn.com/TorontoCentre

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Move services slightly left 613-231-3396 www.PaulLafleurRMT.com Aids ribbon smaller moved down beside text Aids/HIV text Gift Certificates make the perfect Christmas gift!

One lawyer, yours. Putting you first.

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Family Law Civil Litigation Wills & Estates Immigration Law Notarial Services Reduced rates for wills and powers of attorney for people living with HIV/Aids.

tel: 613-261-9024 James@AndersonLawyers.ca www.AndersonLawyers.ca

Over

800 board games

play as long as

YOU WANT

all for $5

THE BEST OF GAY & LESBIAN OTTAWA — ON YOUR DESKTOP AND ON YOUR MOBILE DEVICE! Check out the digital edition of Xtra Living at

xtralivingottawa.com

The Loft Board Game Lounge 14 Waller St www.theloftlounge.ca @TheLoftOttawa

Bring this in to get a free latte on the house!

MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM XTRA! DEC 11, 2014–JAN 14, 2015 11

!

Celebrate the Holidays with WORKSHOPS!

Going Down: A Guide to Fellatio

5 January 2015 - 6:30pm - 8:30pm Want to give your pal the blow job of their life, but aren't sure where to start or what to do once you get going? This workshop is for you. From basic anatomy to tips for the advanced, we'll cover a wide range of information about the fine art of giving head. Cost: $20 ($10 sliding scale)

Jilling Off! The Ins and Outs of Solo Sex.

6 January 2015 - 6:30pm - 8:00pm Whether you're a newbie to solo play, or looking to change up your usual getting off routine, Jilling Off can give you some new ideas and techniques to try out on your own. In this hands-off workshop we will talk about some reasons for masturbating, breathing and other techniques for better and/or more frequent orgasms, toys for playing alone, lube and other slippery stuff, anatomy, and resources, as well as good one-handed reads. Open to women of all histories and identities. Cost: $20 ($10 sliding scale)

Sale!

Knotty Fun: An Intro to Rope Bondage

12 January 2015 - 6:30pm - 8:30pm Learn to tie knots and, more importantly, how to untie knots. We will also discuss safety, buying tips, and teach you how to tie enough knots to keep your friends tied up tight. This is an interactive workshop, and a length of rope will be provided for practice. As an added bonus we'll be showing off all forms of bondage gear.Cost: $20 ($10 sliding scale)

The Big O for Her! Tips and Tricks for Bigger, Better and More Frequent Orgasms!

13 January 2015 - 6:30pm - 8:30pm So you know how to have an orgasm, but now you want MORE... in this session you'll learn tips and techniques for multiple orgasms, g-spot orgasms, more frequent and/or bigger orgasms! We'll talk about solo and partnered play, as well as lots of fun toys and tools you can use to enhance your orgasmic experience.

Cost: $20 ($10 sliding scale)

Boxing Week Sale! Dec 27-31st!

New, extended end of year sale!!

20% off all* in-stock merchandise from December 27th until December 31st!

First come, first served, get there early if you've got your eye on something fancy! *Sale excludes We-Vibe products, Diva Cups, art, magazine, and zines.

Discounts do not apply to special orders or items on hold. No other discounts apply.

Bonus - use promo code hohoho13 to get 20% off online at the same time!

ART!

PARTY!

Venus Envy Anniversary Party #14!

Babylon Nightclub Saturday, January 31st Doors at 10:30, tickets on sale at VE and online as of January 10th! $10, nobody turned away due to lack of funds.

All proceeds to the Venus Envy Bursary Fund

2nd Annual Filthy Dirty Art Show!

Saturday, January 3rd, 8-10pm Featuring live painting by Art Battle Champion Allan André!

Over 15 artists will be showing and selling their work, with proceeds to the Venus Envy Bursary Fund!

Artists include Jaime Koebel, Beki Elk, Ima Ortega, Robbie Lariviere and more!

Show will be up for the month of January.

Free!

Easier Than You Think: Talking to your kids about bodies, relationships and sexuality

18 January 2015 - 6:30pm - 8:00pm Children have a lot of questions: “Where do babies come from?” “What makes boys and girls different?”, “Why do people kiss?”. Answering them and sharing your values may seem scary but it all takes is a little know-how and practice. Join sex educator and mom, Nadine Thornhill for a fun, factfilled workshop that gives you the tools you need to make it easy to talk with your 3-8 year-olds. You will learn what kids of that age need to know, when and how to have the conversation and what to do when their questions catch you completely off guard!

By the end of this workshop you’ll be able to have “the talk”...without anyone blushing! This workshop is open to people of all genders, sexual orientations, family and relationship structures.

Cost: $20 ($10 sliding scale)

They Grow Up So Fast: Talking kids ages 912 about bodies, relationships and sexuality

19 January 2015 - 6:30pm - 8:00pm Many parents believe their child’s sex education should begin at home. But what do you say? Are tweens too young to starting learning about topics like consent, dating, sexual and gender diversity or sexual health? Evidence shows that youth who receive straightforward information early, are more likely to make positive sexual decisions when they are older. And establishing a pattern of open, continuous conversation around sex can lead to deep trust between parents and children. Join sex educator Nadine Thornhill for a lively, fact-filled session that will show you how to teach kids today, so they can make positive choices tomorrow. By the end of this workshop, you’ll have the tools you need to become the best sex ed teacher your kid has ever had!

Cost: $20 ($10 sliding scale)

I’ve Got Your Back: Talking to teens about sexuality

20 January 2015 - 6:30pm - 8:00pm As youth move through their teen years, they begin making significant decisions about their sexual readiness, relationships and health. Teens often turn to peers and media for information about sex, but the importance of parental trust and support cannot be underestimated. In this workshop, you will learn how to talk with your teen about personal choices, healthy relationships, social media and safer sex. You will also learn how to keep the lines of communication open so that your teen knows they can come to you when they need you.

Join sex educator Nadine Thornhill, for a lively workshop that will show you how to support your teen as they make the transition from child to adult!

This workshop is open to people of all genders, sexual orientations, family and relationship structures. Cost: $20 ($10 sliding scale)

Find us: Twitter – venusenvyottawa Facebook – Friends of Venus Envy Ottawa Instagram – venusenvyottawa

226 Bank Street. 613-789-4646. To order: 877-370-9288 or www.venusenvy.ca 12 DEC 11, 2014–JAN 14, 2015 XTRA!

OTTAWA’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

XTRA’S

DISARONNO WEARS VERSACE

Designed by Versace, this limited-edition bottle of Disaronno liqueur is great for anyone who likes to get tipsy in style. $30 lcbo.com

Y A D I L O H

DOROTHY AND TOTO COOKIE JAR

Dorothy and her faithful pup keep your cookies safe from the Wicked Witch of the West. $45 retrofestive.ca

E D I U G The world is cold and beautiful.

As the heavens bequeath tiny, ornate crystals and those precious flakes drift peacefully earthward, you think, What the fuck? Why do I live here? And what gifts will I buy all these people?

Well, you’re in luck: we’ve put together some ideas. Contained within these pages are items ranging from the filthy to the obscure to the intoxicating.

Alleviate the despair of the season by giving a dildo to a slutty friend, a board game to a geeky aunt or a bracelet to someone who likes bracelets.

—Jeremy Willard

WE-VIBE 4 PLUS

The future is here, and it’s vibrating your vagina from the other side of the planet. The We-Vibe 4 Plus can be controlled by your international playmates via a downloadable app. $190 Venus Envy, 226 Bank St venusenvy.ca

MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM

WORK WEEK SOCK PACK

This pack of five brightly coloured pairs of socks is perfect for men and women who want their feet to look charming from Monday to Friday.

The weekend is your own business. $29 Drake General Store, 73 Rideau St, main level at The Bay Rideau Street drakegeneralstore.ca

A-WREATH-A DUVET COVER

Designed by artist and illustrator Sissydude, this Aretha Franklin– themed ultra-soft duvet cover commands r-e-s-p-e-c-t. $99 society6.com/sissydude

XTRA! DEC 11, 2014–JAN 14, 2015 13

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

CARCASSONNE

A popular and relatively simple board game named after the medieval fortified town in southern France. There are lots of tile pieces involved.

Strategy Games, 250 Bank St strategygames.ca $35

SALLY T-SHIRT PANETTONE

Baked in-house and available in lemon and dark- and white-chocolate chunk, Italian Christmas bread is great as a gift or for sharing around the table on the holidays. $12–15 Bread By Us, 1065 Wellington St W breadbyus.com

14 DEC 11, 2014–JAN 14, 2015 XTRA!

GIGI 2

Steady, unrelenting, mouth-watering — just three of this vibrator’s eight modes. This waterproof toy has a G-spot-targeting head and a quiet, rechargeable motor. $135 Wicked Wanda’s, 327 Bank St wickedwandas.ca

A woman’s shirt featuring a sort of dancing person with an irregular head. One of many trippy designs by Ottawa aboriginal artist Rob Friday. $20 onemanparade.ca

OTTAWA’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

HOLIDAY SHOPPING GUIDE

PHILIPS SHAVER 9000

A shaver so high-tech, you might as well have a cyborg trim your whiskers. Includes a head that With her latest album, Ottawa singer/ moves in eight directions and a pod songwriter Amanda Rheaume pays that both cleans and charges. homage to her family’s rich cultural $300 Canadian Tire, heritage, including a great-greatvarious locations grandfather who was the founding canadiantire.ca

Keep a Fire WHITNEY HOUSTON LIVE: HER GREATEST PERFORMANCES

A CD/DVD package of some of Whitney’s best live performances, including her 1983 appearance on The Merv Griffin Show at age 19. $22 hmv.ca

father of Manitoba. $9.90. iTunes

überlube A long-lasting, multipurpose lubricant.

Great for eliminating athletic chafing and protecting your hair from chlorine in the pool. It’s also great for sex, duh. $18. uberlube.com

VEGAN FACIAL

TG1 CHEST HARNESS

Magnetic Poetry: Queer edition More than 200 words and word fragments in a box! Your clean fridge will never be the same. $15. Venus Envy, 320 Lisgar St. venusenvy.ca

This leather chest harness is for kinky transgender men who haven’t had top surgery. The leather chest strap can flatten up to a C cup. Each harness is tailored for the individual. $149 aslanleather.com

LUMBERJACK SHAVING SOAP

The Lumberjack line of products keeps even the most axe-swingingest man feeling fresh. Smelling of cedar and balsam, with undertones of vanilla and bergamot, you’re sure to create a stir in the lumber camp. $12 Purple Urchin, 884 Somerset St W purpleurchinsoap.com

This 60-minute customized facial uses only vegan products and is highly effective in treating skin.

Relaxed, warm feeling included. $110 By appointment only: b.naturalesthetics@gmail.com BNatural Esthetics, 336 Cumberland St facebook.com/bnaturalesthetics

Green & Black’s organic chocolate Green & Black’s organic and fair trade chocolates always make great stocking stuffers; new this year are sea salt and burnt toffee flavours. $4.

Bulk Barn stores. bulkbarn.ca

experience timeless weddings

All inclusive wedding packages from just $99 per guest at Ottawa’s leading four diamond restaurant, golf, spa and wedding destination Weddings from 10 to 350 guests Indoor and outdoor venues Four diamond dining from buffet, reception style and plated meals Modern and stylish Stunning photo opportunities Preferred room rates for your guests Full service Au Natural Spa The Marshes championship golf course Indoor and outdoor pools Expert event managers

Inquire today at 613-271-3582 or events@brookstreet.com Five Twenty Five Legget Drive | Ottawa Ontario K2K 2W2 | brookstreet.com

AT DAILYXTRA.COM 26MORE DEC 12, 2013–JAN 15, 2014 XTRA!

/ Brookstreet

@ BrookstreetOtt

XTRA! DEC 11,GAY 2014–JAN 14, 2015 15 OTTAWA’S & LESBIAN NEWS

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

GAIA WOODEN DILDO

Lovingly handcrafted in Ottawa by Rickard Andersson of Silvarus, these maple dildos are beautiful as well as pleasurable. $130 etsy.com/shop/silvarus

CATAN: ANCIENT EGYPT

HANDMADE LEATHER BRACELETS

Crafted by Denny Diamond, these elaborate pieces are a bracelet fetishist’s dream. Each contains silver, copper and Swarovski crystal. $85–110 After Stonewall, 370 Bank St shopfad.com

The classic game with a twist: build Egyptian-style villages, cities and temples. Three to four players; three levels of play. $75 The Comic Book Shoppe, 228 Bank St thecomicbookshoppe.com

SCISSORING (9X12 PRINT )

Toronto artist Yigi Chang has this and many other unique and shamelessly sexy prints available. $20 etsy.com/shop/yigichang

A classic gem with a luxe ambiance, Giovanni’s is also justly renowned for it’s thoughtful and extensive wine list and wide selection of fine spirits.

WE WELCOME PARTIES OF UP TO 60 PEOPLE. Valet Service 7 Days a Week. www.giovannis-restaurant.com • 362 Preston St. • Reservations: 613-234-3156

mgennis@sutton.com www.focusproperties.ca 1530 Merivale Road, Ottawa, Ontario K2G 3J7

Direct. 613.858.8210 Office. 613.254.6580 Fax. 613.254.6581 16 DEC 11, 2014–JAN 14, 2015 XTRA!

OTTAWA’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

OutintheCity Tony Adams, Cory Thibert and Madeleine Boyes-Manseau vet submissions for Jerk It. PAT BOLDUC

ADVENTURES

IN WANKING Jerking, diddling, flicking, rubbing, grabbing, jacking, jilling, pettingwhackingsmackingtickling. Okay, some of those are made up, but there’s no disputing the impressive number of ways that people masturbate. May Can Theatre hopes to represent a range of experiences and techniques at its upcoming Jerk It event.

May Can will collect anonymous masturbation stories up until Friday, Feb 6. A selection of the stories will be read aloud a week later at Jerk It. When they held a similar event in March 2014, they were surprised by the stories they got. “They weren’t all sexy and embarrassing. Some were sad, touching or involved self-discovery,” says Madeleine Boyes-Manseau, resident artist at May Can. “And that’s great.

The main goal is to gather stories that are compelling and show as large a cross-section of experiences as we can.”

MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM

To that end, they hope some of the submissions will come from queer people.

Nobody will know who the authors are; instead, the stories will be read by designated readers. “It’s better that way. Sometimes people don’t want to tell their story if others will know they wrote it,” Boyes-Manseau says.

For added insight and hilarity, some stories will be read by people whose gender doesn’t match that of the author. “Last time, I submitted one of my stories and a guy read it,” she says.

“Having a strong male voice reading the story of my first time masturbating was interesting. He was unsure how to read it, and that highlighted how fumbly and naive I was.” — Jeremy Willard Jerk It runs Thurs, Feb 12–Sat, Feb 21 at Arts Court Studio, 2 Daly Ave. artscourt.ca

Check out photos from Idle Hands, Chinatown Craft Walk and Bizarre Love Triangle Art Show. Xposed 20

Eat me!

You might think of nature as pristine and chaste. You imagine strolling across grass of the perfect length (mown daily

by Mother Nature to facilitate walking), while scores of doves flit through the rustling leaves overhead. A creek flows merrily nearby, and as you near the sapphire-blue water a fish leaps up, gives a jaunty fin wave and winks at you.

Robert Friday doesn’t think of nature that way. Nature is filthy. It’s dirty.

And it’s all about sex. At least that’s the tack he took when he created his latest painting, a contribution to Venus Envy’s second annual Filthy Dirty Art Show. He had to find a way to make his work — he specializes in depictions of nature — fit with the show’s theme.

The painting is filthy and dirty in a few senses: it depicts some of the cruder aspects of nature — the soil and the way creatures eat one another — and a kinky, quasi-sexual scene.

“So, it’s an anteater,” he says. “And its tongue enters the ant hole, and there’s this submissive ant, and it’s sort of like ‘Eat me!’”

The piece is less open to interpretation than his other work. “I’m an aboriginal person, and this is my version of aboriginal art,” he says. “My work is nature-based but sort of abstract and

Robert Friday prepares for the Filthy Dirty Art Show.

psychedelic; you might see something somebody else doesn’t.” It’s also his first painting with an overtly sexual element.

He chose the anteater in part because it was easy to make the animal’s gender ambiguous. “It’s not clearly male, female or anything in between; it sort of transcends gender,” he says.

“It’s more inclusive, and [inclusivity] is a big part of Venus Envy’s mandate.”

“I’m interested to see how other

artists contributing to the show address the theme. There may be a lot of hardcore sexual pieces, which is great,” he says. “I just thought it’d be a whimsical, fun thing to do for the show, having this anteater taking on this ant.” — Jeremy Willard Filthy Dirty Art Show opens Sat, Jan 3, and runs until Sat, Jan 31, at Venus Envy, 226 Bank St. venusenvy.ca

Nice gifts, naughty elves Santa’s workshop has two sides: the nice side and the naughty side. On the nice side, the elves are toiling away to ensure that all the good little girls and boys get some toys for Christmas.

With the assistance of the Centretown Pub staff, the Ottawa Knights are holding their 39th annual toy drive. The leather organization encourages folks to bring unwrapped and unopened toys. Cash donations are also welcome.

All toys and funds collected will go to the Children’s Aid Society of Lanark County.

And then there’s the naughty side — the side that we don’t often hear about and that Mrs Claus avoids. It’s where the naughty elves go to be punished by Santa.

And they love it.

PHOTOS BY DAVID HAWE

Another group of kinksters, National Capital Leather Pride (NCLP), is looking out for their own pleasure. After helping with the very successful Ruff ’n’ Tumble food drive in late November, NCLP is ready to unwind with a naughty elf-themed party.

NCLP founder Michael Tattersall hopes to see some sexy elves scampering about. “If people want to make their Christmas outfits more naughty, that’s perfect,” he says. “You don’t have to dress up to participate, but it certainly helps with the party atmosphere.”

Visitors to this side of the workshop can expect some tantalizing impromptu displays. “There’ll be people there with floggers and people there with rope, and if we get people with Saran Wrap, that’s even better,” Tattersall says.

“It helps brighten up your life a little bit in December.”

— Jeremy Willard Toys for Tots is Sat, Dec 13, 9:30pm. The Naughty Elf Party is Sat, Dec 20, 9:30pm–2am. Both events are at Centretown Pub, 340 Somerset St W. facebook.com/ centretownpub

XTRA! DEC 11, 2014–JAN 14, 2015 17

WHAT'S ON

Friday Fixxx One of the most popular ladies’ nights around, featuring DJ Isabelle Bechamp. Pre-Fixxx drag king show, 9–11pm; dancing from 10pm on.

Every Friday, 9pm–2am. The Lookout Bar & Bistro, 41 York St. No cover before 9pm. thelookoutbar.com

Gainsbourg Légionnaire

FOR MORE LISTINGS, GO TO DAILYXTRA.COM

ART & LITERATURE The Hard Cover Book Club Men are invited to gather and discuss The Paternity Test, by Michael Lowenthal, Thurs, Dec 18, 7pm; and Two Boys Kissing, by David Levithan, Thurs, Jan 15, 7pm.

Gay Zone, Centretown Community Health Centre, 420 Cooper St. Free. gayzonegaie.ca

Filthy Dirty Art Show What’s filthy-dirty to you? Several artists give their interpretation of this potentially quite sexy theme.

Includes work by Sagine Cavé, Ima Ortega and Robert Friday. Sat, Jan 3, 8–10pm. Venus Envy, 226 Bank St. Free. venusenvy.ca

Naughty Bits Book Club Book lovers discuss More Than Two: A Practical Guide to Ethical Polyamory. Thurs, Jan 22, 7:30–9pm.

Venus Envy, 226 Bank St. Free. venusenvy.ca

HEALTH & ISSUES Anonymous Drop-In HIV Testing The anonymous rapid test provides results on the same visit. Every day, 1–4pm. Centretown Community Health Centre, 420 Cooper St. Free. centretownchc.org

The Living Room HIV-positive people and their loved ones are welcome to access many resources, including a food bank, laundry facilities, internet, counselling and workshops.

Contact The Living Room for an appointment. AIDS Committee of Ottawa, 7th floor, 251 Bank St. Free. aco-cso.ca

Spectrum This Youth Services Bureau program offers queer and questioning

Centretown Pub, 340 Somerset St W. No cover. facebook.com/ centretownpub

PLAYS & MUSICALS Pomme and ’Restes Shipwrecked!

youth aged 12 to 25 a safe space to socialize, discuss sexuality and related topics, participate in workshops, receive counselling and more. Every Tuesday, 7–9pm. YSB, 147 Besserer St. Free. ysb.ca

Queer folks of every stamp enjoy good company and charmingly rustic surroundings at this queer pub night. Takes place the second Saturday of each month. Sat, Dec 13, 8pm. Gainsbourg, 9 Aubry St, Gatineau. No cover. facebook.com/ gainsbourglegionnaire

Two red-nosed clowns — a boy clown who wants to be Anne of Green Gables and another who always needs saving — find themselves marooned on an island.

Runs until Sun, Dec 14, various showtimes. Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre, 1233 Wellington St W. $19.47–40.71. fools.ca

HIV Positive . . .

Now What?

Sassy Saturday Night Drag

Les Misérables

A discussion group for people coping with HIV. Wed, Dec 17, 6–8pm. AIDS Committee of Ottawa, 251 Bank St. Free. aco-cso.ca

Queer People of Colour

DJ Lissa Monet — Babylon, Sat, Dec 20

QPOC of all genders, abilities, ages and orientations meet and talk in a supportive, open and nonjudgmental environment. Takes place the last Tuesday of each month. Tues, Jan 27, 7–9pm. PTS, 331 Cooper St. Free. ptsottawa.org

Capital King: Big Holiday Party The drag-king troupe celebrates its last weekly show at The Lookout.

Beginning in January they will move from weekly to monthly shows.

Fri, Dec 19, 9:30pm. The Lookout Bar, 41 York St. $3. facebook.com/ canadascapitalkings

LEISURE & PLEASURE

Naughty Elf Party

Lesbian and Bisexual Women Speed Dating

After the rigours of the Ruff ’n’ Tumble food drive, National Capital Leather Pride lets loose with a sexy, naughty elf-themed party. Sat, Dec 20, 9:30pm–2am. Centretown Pub, 340 Somerset St W. $5. facebook. com/centretownpub

Approximately a dozen single women enjoy a series of mini-dates.

Sat, Dec 13, 7:30–9:30pm. Kinki, 41 York St. $40. singleandeligible.com

Toys for Tots The Ottawa Knights’ 39th annual toy drive benefits the Children’s Aid Society of Lanark County. People are encouraged to bring cash or unwrapped and unopened gifts. Sat, Dec 13, 9:30pm. Centretown Pub, 340 Somerset St W. Free. facebook. com/centretownpub

PTS Holiday Potluck The community comes together through the sharing and eating of food. RSVP required. Thurs, Dec 18, 7pm. PTS, 331 Cooper St. Free. ptsottawa.org

Seniors’ Bowling Queer seniors 50 and older and their friends are invited out to bowl

The stage is festooned with feather boas, glitter and drama, with two shows nightly and a lineup of drag queens, followed by dancing to music by DJ Kitty Funkalicious.

Every Saturday, 10pm–2:30am.

The Lookout Bar, 41 York St. No cover. thelookoutbar.com

Oh My Jam a few frames. For more info, contact georgeis@rogers.com. Takes place the second and fourth Monday of each month. Mon, Dec 22, and Mon, Jan 12, 6:30pm. West Park Bowling, 1205 Wellington St W. $3 per game; free shoe rental. ospn-rfao.ca

MUSIC Quite a Queer Qhristmas Three choirs — Tone Cluster, the Ottawa Gay Men’s Chorus and In

Harmony Women’s Chorus — team up for a non-traditional Christmas concert. Sat, Dec 13, 7:30pm.

Centretown United Church, 507 Bank St. $10–20. tonecluster.org

NIGHTLIFE Thursdays Are a Drag Zelda Marshall hosts a night of performances by drag queens, drag kings and burlesque dancers. DJ Bill spins progressive house. Every Thursday, 10:30pm. Swizzles, 246B Queen St. No cover. swizzles.ca

DJs Lissa Monet and Debonair spin hip hop, R&B, dancehall and reggae for a crowd of sexy queers. Sat, Dec 20, 10:30pm–2:30am. Babylon Nightclub, 317 Bank St. $7 before 11:30pm. thequeermafia.com

Centretown Pub New Year’s Eve Party Revellers ring in the new year with party favours and champagne at midnight. Wed, Dec 31, 8pm.

Ain’t Seen Noth’n Yet’s production of the timeless musical about exconvict Jean Valjean’s quest for redemption. Includes such wellloved songs as “Bring Him Home” and “I Dreamed a Dream.” Runs Thurs, Jan 29–Sun, Feb 1, various showtimes. Centrepoint Theatre, 101 Centrepointe Dr. $48.25–66.25. centrepointetheatre.ca

SEX & BURLESQUE Jerk It As part of the Undercurrents Festival, May Can Theatre invites people to submit anonymous masturbation stories to be read at an event in February. For more info, visit artscourt.ca/events/jerk-it-2.

Strip Cheese III: Return of the Cheese Koston Kreme, Lana Lovecakes, Gracie Klutz and others present a burlesque homage to rock anthems, power ballads and love songs.

Sat, Dec 13, 7:30–11pm. Maxwell’s Bistro, 340 Elgin St. $15. maxwellsbistro.com

Almost New Year’s Evening of Sin There are few better ways to welcome a new year than with a nice round ass or breast waving in your face. Tues, Dec 30, 9pm.

Rainbow Bistro, 76 Murray St. Details to be announced on facebook.com/aneveningofsin.

Submit your event listing to ottawalistings@dailyxtra.com.

Deadline for the Jan 15 issue is Tues, Jan 6.

Contemporary Cuisine.

A heritage stone building rich with atmosphere.

Reservations welcome.

18 DEC 11, 2014–JAN 14, 2015 XTRA!

OTTAWA’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

XTRA AND ELEVATION PICTURES BRING YOU A CHANCE TO WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS TO

THE IMITATION GAME ON THURSDAY, DEC 25.

To enter, send your name and phone number to contests@dailyxtra. com, with “Contest: The Imitation Game” in the subject line, before Thursday, Dec. 18. Some restrictions apply.

Only winners will be contacted.

OTTAWA’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

The name just about says it all ottawamensyoga.ca

THE BEST OF GAY & LESBIAN OTTAWA — ON YOUR DESKTOP AND ON YOUR MOBILE DEVICE! Check out the digital edition of Xtra Living at

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BY ZARA ANSAR

Lip Sync Battle

At a fundraiser held at Babylon Nightclub Nov 13, costumed competitors were judged on their lip-synching abilities and overall performances. China Doll did double duty as both judge and performer to help raise money for the Ontario Lung Association. 1 Lip-synchers Luca Fiore, left, and Eva Borojevic, centre, are presented with the group category award by China Doll.

Idle Hands

At the Idle Hands sale on Nov 23, independent businesses, artists and crafters sold art, clothing, décor, edibles and more. The event was organized by Antique Skate Shop to raise funds for the McNabb outdoor skate park.

2 Davis Khounnoraj, left, and Adam Mallory, from Crown Flora in Toronto, show off their dinosaur planters.

3 Neve Stewart displays her knitted goods.

Closet Collective

The Closet Collective was held Nov 21 as a fundraiser for the Ottawa School of Art, Dress for Success and St Joe’s Women’s Centre. A number of fashionable bloggers, entrepreneurs, stylists and socialites were each presented with a bag ahead of time to fill with donated clothing.

4 Organizers Claudia Gutierrez and Carolyn Lacasse with the many clothes and accessories that were donated for the event.

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Chinatown Craft Walk

Raw Sugar Café and Shanghai Restaurant organized the Dec 9 Chinatown Craft Walk. Some of Ottawa’s most talented crafters offered their handmade goods for sale on the short stroll between the two businesses.

5 Justy Lisa Dennis and her owl creation. 6 China Doll, dressed as Santa’s mistress. 7 Katie Hurdon and her jewellery.

Bizarre Love Triangle Art Show

Bizarre Love Triangle was the theme for Cyclelogik’s seventh annual holiday art show on Dec 5. Hundreds of Ottawa-area artists participated in the event, with Essence Catering providing delectable treats and DJ Greg Reain spinning the tunes. 8 Andrea Stokes and Andrea Emery get cozy in a triangle. 9 Melissa Blackman and Delphine Sullivan are very serious.

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9 OTTAWA’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

Massage – Certified/ Registered Urban Escape Massage Therapy 613-799-2900 urbanescape massagetherapy.com

THE BEST OF GAY & LESBIAN OTTAWA Adoption The Children’s Aid Society of Ottawa 613-747-7800 casott.on.ca

AIDS/HIV Resources AIDS Committee of Ottawa

Computer Consultants

Housing

Kasuwade Friendly Tech

613-695-8181 johnkingteam.com

613-804-4200 friendlytech.ca

Contracting & Renovations Merkley Supply Ltd

John King Team

Jewellery & Jewellers Davidson’s Jewellers

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Counselling

Lawyers

Gilmour Psychological Services

Anderson Lawyers

Powersports Canada 613-224-7899 powersports canada.com

613-230-4709 ottawapsychologists.com

Clothing – Men’s

Estate Planning

Stroked Ego

Mann & Partners, LLP

613-238-5014 aco-cso.ca

Alternative Transportation

613-667-3008 strokedego.ca

Community Groups & Services AIDS Committee of Ottawa

613-722-1500 mannlawyers.com

Nelligan O’Brien Payne LLP 613-238-8080 nelligan.ca

Legal Services Anderson Lawyers

thenewoaktree.com

Centretown Community Health Centre

Centretown Community Health Centre

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The New Oak Tree

Health & Personal Care

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Mann & Partners, LLP

Furniture

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Home Improvement & Repairs

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Mann & Partners, LLP 613-722-1500 mannlawyers.com

Nelligan O’Brien Payne LLP 613-238-8080 nelligan.ca

Mortgages Mortgage Alliance 613-612-8400 mortgagealliance.com

Psychologists Gilmour Psychological Services 613-230-4709 ottawapsychologists.com

Publications Pink Triangle Press 1-800-268-9872 pinktrianglepress.com

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Ottawa-Carleton Mortgage Inc

416-925-6665 dailyxtra.com

613-563-3447 mortgages madeeasy.com

Real Estate

Motorcycles & Scooters

613-254-6580 focusproperties.ca

Powersports Canada

Focus Properties/ Michael Gennis

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John King Team

Optical Services

Recreational Vehicles

Eyemaxx Optical Studio

Powersports Canada

613-216-6076 eyemaxx.ca

Pharmacies Shoppers Drug Mart, Bank and Gladstone 613-238-9041 shoppersdrugmart.ca

Politicians Office of Mayor Jim Watson

613-695-8181 johnkingteam.com

• Prescription and General Diets • Drop off Appointments • Special Interest in Dermatology • Medicine and Surgery • Dentistry and X-ray • Vaccination • Cat Boarding

Dr. Emily Black Dr. Karen Sime

Dr. Miriam Boileau Dr. Tamara Richards

613-224-7899 powersports canada.com

Restaurants & Cafés Giovanni’s Ristorante 613-234-3156 giovannisrestaurant.com

Spa Services Nordik Spa-Nature

613-580-2424 ottawa.ca

819-827-1111 lenordik.com

Prenuptial Agreements

Websites

Mann & Partners, LLP

1-800-268-9872 dailyxtra.com

613-722-1500 mannlawyers.com

Squirt.org

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squirt.org

To advertise, call 613-301-9910 or email matt.oleary@dailyxtra.com.

Merkley Supply Ltd

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613-728-2693 merkleysupply.com

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Brookstreet Hotel 613-271-1800 brookstreet.com

Adoption The Children’s Aid Society of Ottawa 613-747-7800 casott.on.ca

AIDS/HIV Resources AIDS Committee of Ottawa 613-238-5014 aco-cso.ca Ian Carter – Bayne Sellar Boxall 613-236-0535 bsbcriminallaw.com

Alternative Transportation Powersports Canada 613-224-7899 powersportscanada.com

Bakeries Bread by Us 613-890-1423

Churches The Church of St John the Evangelist 613-232-4500 stjohnsottawa.ca

Community Groups & Services AIDS Committee of Ottawa 613-238-5014 aco-cso.ca Capital Pride capitalpride.ca

Gilmour Psychological Services 613-230-4709 ottawa-psychologists.com

Linda Young Insurance Brokers Inc 613-825-1110 lindayounginsurance.com

Jerry SG Ritt, MA OACCPP, Psychotherapist 613-233-9669

Manotick Insurance Brokers Ltd 613-692-3528 manotickinsurance brokers.com

Entertainment Camp Explora 819-423-5522 campexplora.ca

Estate Planning Mann & Partners, LLP 613-722-1500 mannlawyers.com

Furniture The New Oak Tree thenewoaktree.com

Health & Personal Care Centretown Community Health Centre 613-233-4443 centretownchc.org

Home Improvement & Repairs Merkley Supply Ltd 613-728-2693 merkleysupply.com

Counselling Antoine Quenneville, MA, C Psych Assoc 613-230-6179 x401 themensproject.ca

Lawyers Ian Carter – Bayne Sellar Boxall 613-236-0535 bsbcriminallaw.com Mann & Partners, LLP 613-722-1500 mannlawyers.com Nelligan O’Brien Payne LLP 613-238-8080 nelligan.ca

Legal Services

Mann & Partners, LLP 613-722-1500 mannlawyers.com

Housing

Nelligan O'Brien Payne LLP 613-238-8080 nelligan.ca

Andrex Holdings 613-238-1835 andrexholdings.com

John Shea Insurance Brokers Ltd 613-596-9697

Merkley Supply Ltd 613-728-2693 merkleysupply.com

Davidson's Jewellers 613-234-4136 davidsonsjewellers.com

Brookstreet Hotel 613-271-1800 brookstreet.com

The Children’s Aid Society of Ottawa 613-747-7800 casott.on.ca

Contracting & Renovations

Jewellery & Jewellers

Hotels

John King Team 613-695-8181 johnkingteam.com

Kasuwade Friendly Tech 613-804-4200 FriendlyTech.ca

Squirt.org squirt.org

Ian Carter – Bayne Sellar Boxall 613-236-0535 bsbcriminallaw.com

Centretown Community Health Centre 613-233-4443 centretownchc.org

Computer Consultants

Internet

Mortgages Mortgage Alliance 613-612-8400

Insurance

Motorcycles & Scooters

Recreational Vehicles

Powersports Canada 613-224-7899 powersportscanada.com

Powersports Canada 613-224-7899 powersportscanada.com

Optical Services

Restaurants & Cafés

Eyemaxx Optical Studio 613-216-6076 eyemaxx.ca

Pet Sitting & Boarding Place for Paws 613-446-2280

Pharmacies Shoppers Drug Mart, Bank and Gladstone 613-238-9041 shoppersdrugmart.ca

Physiotherapy Vijay Sharma Physiotherapy 613-238-8885 vijaysharma physiotherapy.ca

Politicians Office of Mayor Jim Watson 613-580-2424 ottawa.ca Paul Dewar, MP 613-964-8682 pauldewar.ca

Prenuptial Agreements Mann & Partners, LLP 613-722-1500 mannlawyers.com

Pride Event Organizations Capital Pride capitalpride.ca

Psychologists Gilmour Psychological Services 613-230-4709 ottawa-psychologists.com

Publications Xtra Ottawa 416-925-6665 dailyxtra.com

Real Estate John King Team 613-695-8181 johnkingteam.com

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Accommodations

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Absinthe Café 613-761-1138 absinthecafe.ca Courtyard Restaurant 613-241-1516 courtyardrestaurant.com Giovanni’s Ristorante 613-234-3156 giovannis-restaurant.com Mamma Grazzi’s 613-241-8656 mammagrazzis.com Perspectives Restaurant at Brookstreet 613-271-1800 brookstreet.com/dining

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Weddings

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Brookstreet Hotel 613-271-3582 brookstreet.com/ weddings

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A world of gay adventure

Travel Snap up a stateroom on an LGBT cruise and sail off into the sunset

Cruising through winter AEFA MULHOLLAND

It’s that time of year again when those of us in chillier lands eagerly eye outbound flights and temperatures in the Southern Hemisphere. It’s the perfect time to snap up a stateroom onboard one of the enticing LGBT cruises about to sail off into the sunset. This winter has some wonderful escapes on offer for lesbians and gay men, from a luxurious Amazonian riverboat adventure set for deepest Peru to the marvellous mayhem of two itineraries that coincide with the greatest LGBT carnival of them all, Sydney Mardi Gras.

Panama Canal to Costa Rica Cruise

Olivia’s Panama Canal to Costa Rica Cruise, on the five-star, 148-passenger, four-masted MS Wind Spirit, offers ample opportunities for adventure in Panama and Costa Rica as it sails from Colón, Panama, through three locks of the Panama Canal, to the UNESCOvenerated coral reef destination Coiba Island (the largest island in Central America). Continuing on, ports of call include the stunning Costa Rican beaches of Golfito and Bahia Drake — with its crags, crocodiles and tapirs — and the rainforest town of Quepos, before it’s time to disembark in Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica. Onboard entertainment is

taken care of by comedian Sandra Valls and singer/comedian Lisa Koch.

Jan 24–31, 2015 Olivia, olivia.com Clientele: Mostly lesbian Price: From $4,199 (all prices in US dollars) for ocean-view cabins

Silhouette Caribbean Cruise

Escape winter in the most luxurious way possible aboard the 2,800-passenger Celebrity Silhouette as she sails from Fort Lauderdale for the warm waters of the Caribbean. Among a host of amenities, the Silhouette boasts an incredible spa, an outdoor barbecue grill and wooden decks. Tea-dances, parties and

Above and right, frolicking onboard and onshore during an Olivia cruise.

OLIVIA.COM

events confetti the social calendar for this seven-day sailing to Labadee, Haiti; Philipsburg, St Maarten; and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Feb 1–8, 2015 Atlantis Events, atlantisevents.com Clientele: Mostly gay men Price: From $1,349

RSVP 30th Anniversary Caribbean Cruise

The 3,500-passenger Regal Princess is the birthday-party boat for RSVP’s big 3-0 cruise. The youthful Princess took to the waters only in May 2014, so it’s a shiny, new ship with such spectacular features as a glass-bottom sea walk (extending 8.5 metres off the side of the ship); a vast, ornate atrium; and an enticing Bellini bar. This cruise sails from Fort Lauderdale and visits the private Princess Cays, Cozumel and George Town in Grand Cayman, before returning to Florida.

Feb 8–15, 2015 RSVP Vacations, rsvpvacations.com Clientele: Mostly gay men Price: From $1,059

Australia and New Zealand Cruise Odyssey

Trot onboard Holland America’s 1380-passenger MS Amsterdam for a week of Australian summer fun with none other than Olivia Newton-John.

The crew of fine, funny women includes

Lisa Koch, Vickie Shaw and Karen Williams. Departing Sydney, the cruise explores Tasmania, Fiordland National Park, Dunedin and Christchurch, before docking in Auckland.

Feb 13–24, 2015 Olivia, olivia.com

22 DEC 11, 2014–JAN 14, 2015 XTRA!

OTTAWA’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

party boat has left Miami’s docks for four fantastic gay days on the ocean to celebrate Miami Pride. The boat in question is the activity-packed Majesty of the Seas. With parties, cocktail parties, beach barbecues and a Key West stop en route to the Bahamas, it’s an understandably popular departure, so book early if you’re keen to take part.

April 13–17, 2015 Source Events, sourceevents.com Clientele: Mostly gay men Price: From $429

Amazon Discovery Top, the view of the sunset from a cruise ship is always incredible. Above, a dinner of freshly caught lobster. Left, an Atlantis Events cruiser enjoys some quiet time.

JEFFREY LUSCOMBE

Feb 24–March 8, 2015 Atlantis Events, atlantisevents.com Clientele: Mostly gay men Price: From $1,599

Singapore to Hong Kong Cruise

Clientele: Mostly lesbian Price: From $2,099

All-Gay French Caribbean Cruise

Explore the French Caribbean on the 72-metre SV Mandalay, built in 1923

and remodelled in 2012, as she sails from St Martin to Anguilla, Nevis, St Barts and Tintamarre and back to St Martin. Visit the famed Saltine nude beach and shop on St Barts; experience the quaint bistros and beaches of the Dutch and French sides of St Martin; sip daiquiris on Anguilla; snorkel, cycle or scuba on lush Nevis; and picnic on deserted Tintamarre.

Feb 15–21, 2015 Source Events, sourceevents.com Clientele: Mostly gay men Price: From $1,849

Auckland to Sydney Mardi Gras Cruise

Holland America’s floating pamper palace, the 11-deck Oosterdam, will see 1,900 passengers board in Auckland.

The vast vessel then charts a course for Napier, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin before crossing the Tasman Sea for Melbourne and the final stop, Sydney, where a smorgasbord of Mardi Gras celebrations awaits, complete with a trio of LGBT mega-icons: George Michael, Kylie Minogue and Boy George.

Celebrity Millennium will be the floating address for 2,138 passengers for the 11 days of Atlantis Events’ Asian journey from Singapore to Hong Kong.

Teak decks, a solarium with a thalassotherapy pool and a gloriously indulgent Persian-garden spa add to the luxurious nature of this cruise. After leaving Singapore, this trip of a lifetime goes on to explore the stunning lagoons of Koh Samui, the cultural contrasts of Bangkok, the French colonial sights of Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang’s golden sands, UNESCO-acclaimed Hue and the 1,600 islands of breathtaking Halong Bay. The final port of call is glittering Hong Kong.

March 29–April 9, 2015 Atlantis Events, atlantisevents.com Clientele: Mostly gay men Price: From $1,599

Miami Pride Cruise 2015

This is the sixth year in a row that this

One of three Amazon riverboat adventures on offer from Brand G this year, but the only sailing not sold out at press time, this all-gay rainforest odyssey explores the world’s most biodiverse region from the comfort of the fivestar, 32-passenger, colonial-era Delfin II. Daily shore excursions offer insight into the culture, wildlife and history of this fascinating region. There are more than 1,000 species of bird in the Peruvian Amazon alone, plus countless mammals to encounter. Once the riverboat portion of this adventure ends, travellers continue on to the Sacred Valley, near the Incan capital Cusco, and to 15th-century Machu Picchu via a scenic train trip.

April 20–30, 2015 Brand G, brandgvacations.com Clientele: Mostly gay men Price: From $3,995

If these all-LGBT dates don’t rock your boat, there are many other “affinity group” options: organized gay groups on mainstream cruises. You’ll find a link to an extensive list of them in this story on dailyxtra.com.

More on dailyxtra.com I s taking a cruise vacation right for you? ips and tricks for T high-seas cruising ‘Straight’ cruising the gay way

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A world of gay adventure

Travel

Get your downward dog on A yoga retreat will leave you stretched and unstressed

includes meditation, massage, delicious home-cooked food and use of a heated pool, Jacuzzi, gym and sauna. Run by the charming Mark, Tom and Nancy, the relaxing, romantic Finca has an enthusiastic roster of devoted return guests who come back year after year to this hidden gem.

AEFA MULHOLLAND

Frog Meadow, Vermont

Frog Meadow bills itself as a “country bed and breakfast and massage oasis for men” and runs a summer men’s gathering each July. Yoga, pilates and guided massage-exchange sessions all star, along with workshops and excursions to the gay men’s beach at Rock River and local distilleries and artisans’ studios.

Other optional activities include soaks in the wood-fired hot tub and saunters along the leafy trail network that surrounds the 25-hectare property.

If daily drudgery and the tasks of the day are downward dogging your progress toward enlightenment, limber joints and a stress-free life, consider escaping to one of these LGBT yoga retreats around the world.

Blue Osa, Costa Rica

Set on Playa Tamales on the idyllic Osa Peninsula, the gay-owned and -run Blue Osa Yoga Retreat and Spa has the glittering ocean in front and a swath of atmospheric rainforest at its back.

Those attending the weeklong retreats can swim in the ocean each morning and surf between sessions.

Blue Osa also offers monthlong immersion yoga-teacher training. The next such offering is June 19 through July 18, 2015. The next gay men’s yoga program takes participants on a Tantra yoga journey and runs May 23 to 29, 2015.

Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, Stockbridge, Massachusetts

Sacred Sexualities, a retreat for lesbian, bisexual and transgender women, takes place from March 6 to 8, 2015, led by the Reverend Irene Monroe, a lesbian feminist theologian who has been featured in Oprah Magazine. The retreat centre is perched on a hilltop that overlooks Lake Mahkeenac and the woods below. The centre is a vast 15,000-square-metre facility on 120 acres. More than 750 programs are on the calendar each year.

Kalani, Pahoa, Hawaii

Situated close to the dramatic lava flows of the Big Island, the LGBT-owned and -operated Kalani offers an extensive list of yoga retreats, many for the LGBT community. It’s a very appealing way to escape winter. Gay men can pick from a calendar that includes men’s yoga retreats, a men’s hula retreat, a men’s yoga and massage retreat, and a men’s tropical holiday. The New Year’s Naked Men’s Yoga Retreat runs Dec 27, 2014 to Jan 2, 2015, overlapping with Thrive New Year’s Retreat for Gay/Bi Men (Dec 29, 2014 to Jan 3, 2015).

Hawaii Blue Hands Yoga and Massage Retreat takes place from March 31 to April 5, 2015. Kalani offers lesbianspecific retreats during the year, as well as popular women’s retreats, such as the Pulse of the Radiant Feminine Heart and the Kalani Experience. Trans guests are welcome to participate in the year’s array of workshops and retreats, including men’s and women’s retreats. Other Kalani workshops focus on hula, Hawaiian 24 DEC 11, 2014–JAN 14, 2015 XTRA!

Over the Rainbow, Wales, UK

Finca la Maroma, in Southern Spain’s Andalucia region, overlooks valleys of almond and olive trees.

culture, massage and performing arts.

Harbin Hot Springs, Middletown, California

More and more gay men (and a few gay women) are making for Middletown, just north of the Napa Valley, in Northern California, for the slew of workshops and retreats put on at Harbin Hot Springs. Popular with Bay Area naturists, Harbin has amazing massage and yoga offerings, plus beau-

tiful trails and an enticing selection of those eponymous hot springs. Yoga and meditation classes take place almost on the hour from 7am until 7pm daily, with added bonuses such as Reiki, belly dancing and weekend movies. Harbin is set on 2,000 hectares, and guests can choose to camp or to stay in tent cabins, dorms, private rooms or cottages.

Finca La Maroma, Spain

In lovely Andalucia in southern Spain,

FINCALAMAROMA.COM

gay men’s guest house Finca La Maroma looks out over valleys of almond and olive trees just a few kilometres from the coast. It offers occasional yoga retreats, such as Exploring the Heart (held from May 3 to 8, 2015) and Rhythm and Flow (held from May 10 to 15, 2015), both naked men’s retreats. These book up quickly, so reserve your places early.

Guests can add a “chill-out weekend” before or after at a discounted room rate. In addition to yoga, the program

Over the Rainbow is a gorgeous restored Georgian mansion on seven hectares of woodland on Cardigan Bay, close to Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and the craggy and dramatic western coast of Wales. Castles, dolphin-spotting opportunities and quaint towns crammed with tearooms and antique shops abound in the immediate vicinity. This vegetarian, lesbian guesthouse is the site of several lesbian yoga retreats during the year, run by Jenny, one of the founders of the UK’s Inner Yoga.

Read this story on dailyxtra.com for live links to many of the retreats mentioned.

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