Xtra Ottawa #275

#275 JAN 15–FEB 11, 2015

OTTAWA’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

CAPITAL PRIDE WOES 7

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#275 JAN 15–FEB 11, 2015

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XTRA OTTAWA’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

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Editorial Family matters

By Andrew Jacome •4 Feedback •4 Xcetera •5

Upfront

Out in the City Arts roundup Kick Ass Plays for Women, James K Moran’s Town & Train and art by Brian Potvin •11

Capital Pride files for bankruptcy •7

Cover story Cumming attractions Alan Cumming is an artist at his peak •12

Hard Labour A sex worker’s tale •9

Christopher Church’s debut novel •14

on dailyxtra.com ȯȯ Nous sommes Charlie ȯȯ Sex Now survey looking for gay and bisexual men to participate ȯȯ The costumes of Alice Through the Looking Glass ȯȯ Hole & Corner: My first dungeon party ȯȯ Video: PrEP approval in Canada stuck in limbo

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Comment

Family matters EDITORIAL ANDREW JACOME

Not My Father’s Son, Alan Cumming’s new book, has been making the rounds through the Xtra office. In case our cover wasn’t a dead giveaway, we love the book — and not just because we’re all fans of Cumming. (Though frankly, with an IMDb catalogue that includes Spice World and Sex and the City, how could you not love the man?) His relationship with his father is heartbreaking, and it made me reflect on my own families.

Like many gay men from strict religious backgrounds, I got a less-thanthrilled reaction from my parents when I came out. My dad eventually softened in his disapproval. He passed away before we could ever come to a full understanding of each other, but it opened the door for my mom and I to have honest conversations about my life. I think my brother was only worried that I’d be unemployed and playing video games for the rest of my life.

But I say families, plural, because I can’t just count my immediate family in the equation. Throughout the years, I’ve been lucky enough to meet people, exceptional people, whom I consider a part of my family. And like any good family, we craft our own traditions.

They might be a little less orthodox than what I’d share with my mother (as

fun as she is, I don’t think she’d appreciate spending Valentine’s Day drunk off her ass in a bingo hall), but they’re just as important to me. We celebrate our successes and mourn our losses.

We don’t always get to see each other as often as we’d like, and some of us may be living closer than others now, but our bonds are what keep us tied.

It’s going to sound lame — corny, even — but the people I work with here at Xtra are just as much my family, too. We can be a little dysfunctional, like any group of strangers thrown together, but we have strong traditions of our own. Getting the paper out and keeping the Daily Xtra website running is a tradition, I suppose, but we

email comment@dailyxtra.com comment dailyxtra.com & facebook.com/dailyxtra tweet @dailyxtra

ful. The more cultured members of our little clan host wine-tasting events and cheese-platter afternoons in an effort to refine our beer-and-chips sensibilities; the rest of us decorate the office walls with Madonna calendars and pictures of burly-chested men.

We even take turns being the drunken uncle during office parties. I’ve been guilty of that one more than I care to admit.

Our family extends beyond the four corners of the Toronto office: we have our Vancouver and Ottawa teams, freelance writers from around the world, and the people and groups in our community.

It can be easy to become insular when you’re surrounded by a core group of people, but unlike Drake, we love new friends. Meeting the people who make our community as colourful and eventful as it is, whether they’re

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

Xtra is published by Pink Triangle Press, at 2 Carlton St, Ste 1600, Toronto, M5B 1J3.

Capital Pride decisions The temporary board covered a lot of bases in its report [“Capital Pride Members Vote to Declare Bankruptcy,” dailyxtra.com, Dec 18]. Sadly, the last board, led by Jodie McNamara, messed up so badly that there is no choice but to declare bankruptcy. The meeting of the community was very respectful and there was a good discussion. The major problem was the meeting secretary, Elliott Youden, who could not keep his mouth shut and spoke out of place. He even yelled at some people. I’d only heard of him by reputation before the meeting.

Seems to be a well-deserved reputation.

LEE PICKENS DAILYXTRA.COM

Youth scholarships

fighting for social rights or throwing a fabulous party, is paramount to who we are. With New Year’s Eve freshly behind us, we look forward with anticipation to what else our community creates.

Remember your chosen families this year — they define us just as much as our DNA does — and, if you’re the touchy-feely type, remind them that they mean the world to you. And if you happen to see any of us from the Xtra team out on the town, feel free to stop us and say hello. We’re not all huggers, but we don’t bite.

It’s wonderful what Ms green and Cameron chose to do with their wedding gift, and I can understand their insistence on wanting the money they donated to go to the students they intended the money to go to [“Black LGBT Youth Scholarship Turned Down in Hamilton,” dailyxtra.com, Dec 31]. I can also understand the point made by the person from the awards organization that delaying the award allows for more potential recipients to hear about it.

What bothers me is the administration of educational assistance in general that distributes support unequally and with minor benefit to students. The best way to donate money to a student’s education is to give it to them directly. It might screw you out of a tax credit, but it will have the biggest positive impact.

Andrew Jacome is Xtra’s associate editor.

RYAN DAILYXTRA.COM

Remember your chosen families this year — they define us just as much as our DNA does. make the time to bond with each other beyond our working tasks.

We all look forward to the RuPaul’s Drag Race premiere — we even have an office pool going — as feverishly as the most ardent Leafs’ fans look toward a game. A surprising number of us are particularly gifted in the kitchen: treats and goodies often find their way into the office like dancing sugar plums, mysterious and delight-

FEEDBACK

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Ladies, what you are attempting to do is an absolutely terrific idea. You are being most thoughtful and considerate.

But you are being confronted by silly, needless complications and stipulations (perhaps even a whiff of homophobia).

If I were you, I’d give this Hamiltonbased organization the boot, place the funds in trust and take my time seeking out worthy and grateful recipients of such largesse.

MOONDOGGIE DAILYXTRA.COM

Trans TD customers It would appear that TD Bank and other financial institutions need new policies, procedures and staff training to address not only the issues identified in the above article, but also other problems that transgender people encounter with financial institutions while transitioning [“Trans Customers Locked Out of TD Bank Accounts,” dailyxtra.com, Dec 22].

ALEX S DAILYXTRA.COM

FO R

SA LE

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Upfront

Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starvingto death. Auntie Mame • 8

Capital Pride filed bankruptcy papers on Jan 7, 2015. BEN WELLAND

Capital Pride files for bankruptcy New Pride group will begin talks on Jan 20 PRIDE NEWS ADRIENNE ASCAH

The bankruptcy papers have been filed, and on Jan 20 a new incarnation of Capital Pride will begin.

Peter Zanette, who was a member of the interim board, served as treasurer for the purpose of filing bankruptcy papers on Jan 7. He says he and the trustees were unable to meet until the new year.

“It really didn’t make a difference in terms of the supposed deadline,” Zanette says, referring to Capital Pride members’ resolution to file bankruptcy papers on Dec 31, 2014. “It gave me more time to prep the files, as much as I could, to make their life easier.”

BDO Canada is acting as Capital Pride’s bank-

ruptcy trustee. Zanette says it was an “exhausting” process doing what he could to get the financial files in order for the trustee. Now that the bankruptcy is in BDO Canada’s hands, he says, the community can move forward with a new Pride organization. “I only hope the new people learn from the mistakes made in the past,” he says. “It would be a failure if they didn’t.”

That said, he’s encouraged by the community response, from the Bank Street BIA offering up a possible partnership for the Pride festival to the energy and interest of the community members who have been attending meetings and consultations since the news of Capital Pride’s “accounting irregularities” was first announced post-festival.

“There seems to be a good vibe to somehow get this thing going,” Zanette says of forming a new Pride organization and putting on a festival this year. “I think a partnership of a bunch of people — like the BIA, like the city — want to see this happen, along with other allies. It’s a matter of piecing it together. It’s a matter of then getting the governance fixed up.” Transparency, account-

ability and good governance will be key to any new Pride organization, he says.

“We’ve got to get through this year, the 30th year, and build a solid foundation for 2016 and beyond,” Zanette says, adding that he hasn’t decided to what extent he’d like to be involved in the new Pride organization but that he will definitely attend the Jan 20 public meeting at Ottawa City Hall.

Christine Leadman, executive director of the Bank Street BIA, says nothing official has arisen since the BIA announced interest in a possible Pride partnership in Xtra in late December.

“We’ve talked to different individuals . . . but it’s just talk,” she says. “There’s nothing really on the horizon as a structure at this point.”

Until a new Pride organization is formed, no one can speak on behalf of Pride, so nothing can be decided until after community members meet on Jan 20, Leadman says.

“Our board is saying that we would certainly like to have that discussion with the community to see how we can be helpful in making the 30th anniversary happen in 2015,” she says. “It’s been

challenging because there’s no [official Pride] body, so it’s a challenge to try to have that discussion in an organized fashion.”

She agrees with Zanette that ultimately the new Pride organization will represent the will and the wishes of the community. “It really is up to the community itself to move the agenda forward,” she says, adding she’s looking forward to the Jan 20 meeting. “We will be there as we have been throughout the whole process.”

One community member who won’t attend is Jeremy Dias, executive director of Jer’s Vision and a former interim board member.

“Unfortunately, I’ll be out of the country, so I won’t be able to make it. However I have faith in our community to come up with something totally incredible,” he says. “I have no doubt that people are going to stand together . . . and build a Pride festival to celebrate our 30th anniversary.”

The public consultation on the Pride festival’s future will be held Tues, Jan 20, 6pm, at Jean Pigott Hall, 110 Laurier Ave W.

MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM XTRA! JAN 15–FEB 11, 2015 7

Check out our columnists and bloggers on dailyxtra.com A sex worker’s tale

Trading a blowjob for 20 bucks and a half pack of cigarettes had brought me to a new level of debauchery.

Courtney Love would have been proud.

Adventures in gay parenting

It’s not that I don’t like Hot Wheels or Thomas the Tank Engine, but I can’t quite figure out my son’s predilection toward traditionally masculine pursuits.

History Boys

The Wonder Woman comics from the 1940s are rife with BDSM. On almost every page there’s kidnap, slavery or bondage.

Hooking up in public

When I find myself exploring a dungeon party on a Sunday afternoon, I know why I’m there. I’m on a journey searching for those connections.

The making of Auntie Mame The beloved protagonist of the 1955 novel was forged on the battlefield HISTORY BOYS JEREMY WILLARD

From an early age, Edward Everett “Pat” Tanner III (1921–1976) enjoyed upsetting people’s sensibilities. Each morning, he’d sit in front of the window and make a show of flipping casually through the pages of Ballyhoo, a 1920s Playboy-style magazine, so that his classmates would see as they passed by on their way to Dewey Elementary School, in the Chicago suburb of Evanston.

Tanner eventually authored 16 novels, including the best-selling Auntie Mame, which he wrote under the name Patrick Dennis. Published in 1955, it’s a comic novel in the style of Evelyn Waugh. It was made into a play, film, stage musical and film musical — all within his lifetime — but people are probably most familiar with the 1958 film version starring Rosalind Russell.

Like a literary version of reading a dirty magazine in a window, the novel is all about challenging the status quo. Those of you who didn’t watch the film as a gay rite of passage may require a primer of the tale: when the young Patrick Dennis (a character in the novel as well as Pat’s nom de plume) is orphaned, he comes into the care of his Aunt Mame, an eccentric New Yorker whose motto is “Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death.” She wants to give him as liberal an upbringing as possible. Unfortunately, Patrick has a trustee, Mr Babcock, who wants him raised conservatively. When Babcock and Mame clash, the comic outcome is delicious.

It’s often thought that Patrick-thecharacter’s upbringing is based on that of Pat-the-author, but this isn’t so. Pat had a conventional upper-middleclass upbringing. However, Pat was always a bit like Mame — eloquent, theatrical, whimsical, worldly, living in a kind of fantasy world — much to the chagrin of his father, a champion swimmer who often called him a pansy (Pat was bisexual but probably didn’t know it yet).

I’d guess that Pat’s father’s attitude helped to foster Pat’s Mame-like qualities and caused them to become more deeply entrenched. Making life a bit more glamorous and fantastical helped Pat cope both with his difficult home life and, eventually, the Second

Author Pat Tanner was always a bit like Mame — eloquent, theatrical, whimsical, worldly, living in a kind of fantasy world — much to the chagrin of his father, a champion swimmer who often called Tanner a pansy.

SISSYDUDE

World War. To avoid being drafted to fight, Pat volunteered as a combat ambulance driver with the American Field Service (AFS) in 1942. To alleviate the boredom of the three-and-a-half-week voyage to Africa, where he initially served, Pat got up to various hijinks, including organizing a talent show. He also, according to a weekly newsletter put together by other volunteers, employed his experience having once trimmed a poodle to start cutting his chums’ hair (with varying degrees of success).

The leader of the AFS volunteers instituted 15 minutes of calisthenics each morning, including running on the spot. On the first morning, Pat started humming loudly and doing high kicks. When his peers followed suit, the leader gave in and on subsequent mornings would resignedly say, “Okay, kids — can-can!”

Pat used his imagination to cope with violence as well as boredom.

When he was later assigned to serve in Italy, he faced about as much danger as any soldier and sustained several wounds. He started to pretend he

was elsewhere entirely, in a suburban house, and assigned his friends roles in a make-believe suburban family. The fantasy helped him and his friends deal with the horrors around them. And then one day, Pat’s fantasy didn’t end.

He wouldn’t come out of it. He had a nervous breakdown and was honourably discharged and sent back to the United States, where he spent a few months in psychiatric care.

He didn’t take long to recover, and in 1945 he moved to New York City, which, after holding its breath during the war, was a magnet for cash and talent. It was there that he became a successful novelist. He created his most famous character, Mame, a woman imbued with many of Pat’s qualities — qualities that had become more pronounced to help him deal with his homophobic father and, to an even greater extent, a devastating war. The whacky, grand lady that so many of us love was to some degree fashioned on the battlefields of the Second World War. History Boys appears biweekly on the Ideas page of dailyxtra.com.

8 JAN 15–FEB 11, 2015 XTRA! OTTAWA’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

The first time

Courtney Love, semen trees and a back-alley BJ HARD LABOUR DEVON DELACROIX

In high school, I hung out with the riot grrrls. Their brand of feminism meant rejecting everything decent and normal.

Not limited to clothes and music, it also shaped their sexuality. Being a slut was a form of empowerment. Fucking was supposed to be violent and dirty, preferably involving handcuffs and hot wax.

Hickeys were worn like a badge of honour. Courtney Love was their goddess.

The first time I sold sex, I put a special notch in my riot grrrl belt.

Eighteen years old and fresh from my parents’ place in the suburbs, I’m stumbling home drunk when I clock this scraggly, older dude, puffing away on a Player’s Light. I’m at the point when awkward teenaged shyness is giving over to the realization that older men find me attractive. Whether it’s free drinks, drugs or cab fare, I’m figuring out I can usually get whatever I want from them, just by asking.

It doesn’t occur to me why he’s standing on a deserted street at 4am.

I’m drunk, out of smokes and desiring the tiny thrill of knowing he’s going to give me what I want just because he thinks I’m cute. When I ask for a cigarette, he smiles a mouthful of crooked, stained teeth, pulls out the pack and holds it open for me. The cigarette has barely landed between my lips when he lights it. He asks me how my night was, what I was doing, if it was fun. I bask in his attraction for me, speaking easily, confidently. His pockmarked skin and poor oral hygiene don’t matter. I just want his adoration.

When he asks for a blowjob, I don’t even think twice. It’s one of those

weird, split-second decisions. Any other time I would have been revolted, but my inner Courtney kicks in. And in this moment, that means letting some ugly guy have his way with me, just because I can. The words “Got any money?” are out of my mouth before I realize it.

He fumbles in his pocket and produces a crumpled 20. “I’ll take the cigarettes, too,” I say. He hands me the pack, and a quick glance reveals half a deck.

I don’t actually need the money and although I’m out of cigarettes, I could easily buy more. This transaction isn’t

There’s a species of tree that’s been planted throughout the downtown core: its proper name is Ailanthus altissima, but locals know it as the semen tree. Blooming in late spring, it fills the streets with the scent of cum.

Now with some dude’s jizz in my mouth, the overwhelming smell of semen around me and the moon streaming down, I feel like I’m in an Edvard Munch painting. I want to fall on the sidewalk screaming, throwing him up, along with the tequila shots and whatever else I drank that night. But I just keep walking, putting one foot in

Trading a blowjob for 20 bucks and a half pack of cigarettes had brought me to a new level of debauchery. happening out of need. It’s about desire.

Right now, I want to feel like a slut, and he’s going to give me that. I try to seem confident, even though I’m not sure what to do next. He smiles, takes my arm and leads me down an alley.

His cock is small, and there’s a distinct odour emanating from his crotch.

He ejaculates quickly and without warning, not bothering to pull out.

Suddenly confusion sets in. What the fuck did I just do? I leave him to zip up and stumble back into the street. I keep checking over my shoulder to see if he’s following me, but he hasn’t come out of the alley by the time I round the corner.

By this point, my inner Courtney has evaporated.

The clouds part to reveal a half moon. That’s when I notice the smell.

front of the other, focused on the safety of my tiny attic bedroom.

Back home, I sit on my single bed fingering the 20 and smoking one of the cigarettes out my window. It feels a bit like I’ve lost my virginity all over again.

I knew from then on the world would always look a little different, even though I wasn’t sure exactly how.

I wouldn’t sell sex again for seven years, but in that moment I realized I’d crossed a very particular line. Trading a blowjob for 20 bucks and a half pack of cigarettes had brought me to a new level of debauchery. Courtney Love would have been proud.

Hard Labour is a first-person look at sex work. It appears monthly on the Ideas page of dailyxtra.com.

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OutintheCity ntheCity theCity ty

“I don’t like a mean drag queen — I think that’s a very over-rated virtue.” Alan Cumming 12

ONE MAN’S PENIS . . .

THE PHANTASMAL ENGINE James K Moran’s horror novel features queer heroes and an ominous train

People see all kinds of things in Brian Potvin’s abstract art

In his long career as a somewhat ascetic parliamentary reporter, Brian Potvin would have been surprised if people found phalluses hidden in his work, but that’s just one of the ways his life has changed dramatically over the last decade and a half.

It began in 2000 when he came out of the closet. When he retired a few years later, his children bought him a course at the Ottawa School of Art. “I came out late and figured the next step was to become an artist,” Potvin jokes. “[One friend] says that in every painting of mine he sees a penis.”

The penises aren’t intentional — and they’re not the only thing people see; his work is abstract and invites different interpretations. “There was a painting I called Candles, because I saw candles in it,” he says. “But the first lady who saw it at the show said, ‘Oh my god, that looks like West Side Story.’ And she was right; it looks just like all the fire escapes.”

Potvin loved his work at the House of Com-

Brian Potvin, whose work is pictured here, will be at After Stonewall’s Meet the Artist event on Jan 29.

BRIAN POTVIN

mons but jumped at the chance to pursue a less stressful, more creative occupation. He started with acrylic and has lately been trying his hand at encaustic painting, where heated coloured wax is applied to wood.

Some of his pieces, including three of the encaustic paintings, are now on display at After Stonewall, which will celebrate its second anniversary with a Meet the Artist event on Jan 29 that Potvin plans to attend. His work has been on sale at After Stonewall since the bookstore

and art gallery first opened two years ago.

“It was very important to me to have my art in a gay establishment,” he says. “I felt I was finally participating [in the community], and hopefully my stuff was good enough that [After Stonewall] could make some money off of it while I did.”

— Jeremy Willard After Stonewall’s Meet the Artist event is Thurs, Jan 29, 6pm, at After Stonewall, 370 Bank St. afterstonewallgallery.com

Leading ladies TotoToo puts women at centre stage The large-breasted, 20-something screams pointlessly, luring zombies that her male protector must kill. The over-protective mother perma-hugs her young son, offering only unhelpful screeches while the men get on with the serious business of finding food and shelter.

The young wife bids her astronaut husband goodbye, and her only subsequent appearances are over the ship’s communication system, blowing kisses and flipping her hair.

Why are women so often so poorly represented — as weak, naive or superfluous — in stories?

TotoToo Theatre will do its part to redress this imbalance with an upcoming production of Jane Shepard’s Kick Ass Plays for Women.

MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM

“They have extremely strong female roles,” says Mieke Iveson, who is co-directing the plays with Luna Allison. “It’s great because I don’t think many plays with strong female roles get produced.”

Kick Ass Plays for Women consists of four one-act, two-women plays.

Because of time constraints, this production will include three of the four plays: Friends of the Deceased, Commencing and The Last Nickel.

Friends of the Deceased is about a bitter widow who has an eye-opening encounter with a young girl at her husband’s grave. The Last Nickel deals with a middle-aged woman who’s in a rough mental state after having dealt with difficult personal issues for many years. The protago-

Deirdre Brown and Mary Beth Pongrac star in The Last Nickel, one of four one-act plays in Jane Shepard’s Kick Ass Plays for Women. TOTOTOO THEATRE

nist in Commencing has a blind date that goes hilariously and poignantly awry. Not to give too much away, but one of the plays has a lesbian twist.

“All three plays are basically about loss and how self-acceptance — however difficult — can open the door to healing,” Iveson says. “It may sound like a bit of a downer,

but it’s not. By injecting them with a lot of comedy, Shepard has managed not to make them too dark and depressing. It’s actually uplifting.”

— Jeremy Willard Kick Ass Plays for Women runs Fri, Feb 13–Sun, Feb 15, at The Avalon Studio, 738A Bank St. tototoo.ca

James K Moran’s debut horror novel, Town & Train, has been decades in the making, but one thing has remained clear to him for most of that time: it had to have a queer hero.

The story is set in the summer of 1990 in a small Ontario town, because that’s when and where Moran started writing it, when he was 17 years old. He had his influences — his favourite authors, his strong desire to leave the town — but more than that, he “wanted to write a horror novel that would be the type of adventure a kid in any small town would love to be in.”

Moran says he’s captured the best of the teen years: the insights that you have only when you’re that age and that few people think to record. He gave the story a 17-year-old named John Daniel and a 25- or 26-year-old police officer hero named David Forester. And he gave it an antique steam engine that arrives in the night.

Then Moran went away to university, grew as a writer and as a person — he realized he’s bisexual — and when he revisited the story in his 20s, he realized that Forester is also bisexual (or should be made so).

He ended up creating several other queer characters, too, including a villain. “I wanted characters I could sympathize with but didn’t want to mimic the horror tropes I’d seen,” he says. “So, there is a queer villain, but he’s not the only queer character, so it’s not a pulpy book where the only queer characters are horrible monsters.”

Meanwhile, people are disappearing from the town, but nobody notices at first because people were already moving away in droves — it’s the recession, businesses are closing down, and dreams are dying. But Daniel and Forester soon suspect that something sinister is going on and it’s linked to an ominous train. — Jeremy Willard Town & Train is available at After Stonewall, 370 Bank St. afterstonewallgallery.com

XTRA! JAN 15–FEB 11, 2015 11

The star of stage and screen dishes on Broadway, his brave new book and, of course, Spice World

CUMMING ATTRACTIONS JOHNNIE WALKER PHOTO BY STEVE VACCARIELLO

“I

think if you’re going to be a drag queen, you should just know the words. Do you know what I mean?”

Alan Cumming asks the question while grazing on pomegranate seeds in a conference room at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. Impeccably dressed in a pinstripe suit and round Harry Potter glasses, the 49-year-old actor, author and singer is in Toronto in connection with TIFF’s Stanley Kubrick: The Exhibition (remember him as the flirty concierge in Eyes Wide Shut?). After arriving in town the night before, Cumming caught a drag show in which he noticed the queens covering their mouths or turning from the audience when the lyrics seemed to escape them. But after his playful critique, he’s quick to add a compliment: “They were nice. I don’t like a mean drag queen — I think that’s a very over-rated virtue.”

Surely if anyone’s an authority on nightclub performance, it’s Cumming. While his acting resumé is as lengthy as it is eclectic, the Scottish performer is perhaps best known for his turn as the Emcee from Cabaret. In fact, you can catch him right now in the Broadway revival, returning to the iconic leather jacket and white suspenders he first wore more than 20 years ago.

His story about the drag queens makes him think of Emma Stone (his current “Sally Bowles”), who certainly knew the words in her epic lip-sync battle with Jimmy Fallon. If Cumming were asked to do battle with the Tonight Show host? “I’d have to do a slow song,” he says. “A Shania Twain ballad.” With a smirk, he reveals his favourite song from Shania’s catalogue: “From This Moment On,” in spite (or

perhaps because) of her unique phrasing. “She chooses to breathe in the middle of the word ‘because.’” And then the Tony Award winner puts down his pomegranate seeds and bursts into song: “My dreeeams came truuue be—” pausing for a gulp of air, “—caaause of yooou. Seriously, listen to it.

It’s a choice. But it’s not one that I approve of.” He gently skewers the Pride of Timmins in the same archly scolding tone he used on the forgetful drag queens.

It’s hard not to be charmed by Cumming. He’s handsome, well spoken and has a conspiratorial way of telling a story that makes you feel like you’re sharing a well-loved private joke. He’s funny, and when he laughs the deep dimples in his cheeks bring out a boyish, almost elfin quality to his face. On screen, he’s often doing an accent: Russian as a Bond villain in GoldenEye; German as the superhero Nightcrawler in X-Men 2; American as the acerbic Eli Gold on The Good Wife.

As a civilian, he speaks with a soft Scottish brogue and the same easy candour found in his memoir, Not My Father’s Son. Cumming’s second book is worlds away from your typical celebrity tell-all. While his wry Scottish wit is on full display as he describes, say, a funny story about auctioning off a duet

by Patti Smith and Mary J Blige that neither knew she had signed on for, at its heart his book is a mystery and a family saga, unfolding in a series of cliffhangers and dramatic twists.

The book is divided into alternating “Then” and “Now” chapters. In the “Then” chapters, Cumming describes his childhood in rural Scotland. It is difficult to read at times; he remembers the trauma of growing up with an angry, violently abusive father who terrorized him and his brother.

Meanwhile, the “Now” chapters track his experience filming

12 JAN 15–FEB 11, 2015 XTRA! OTTAWA’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

on the British version of the reality show Who Do You Think performances — I count them every day.”

You Are? in 2010. Cumming’s episode of the program (which It’s amazing that a production that premiered in 1993 investigates celebrities’ family trees) centred on his maternal feels as fresh, daring and vital as ever — even when things grandfather. Tommy Darling, who died in Malaysia sometime go wrong. “There were some drunk people in the other after the Second World War, had always been a question mark night,” Cumming says, “and obviously, there’s drinks, you’re for Cumming and his mother, Mary, who was only eight at supposed to be in a club . . . But there was this kind of ugly the time of her father’s death. What had he been like? Why scene afterwards with the audience saying how disrespectful they were being.” hadn’t he returned to Scotland? And how did he really die?

In a departure from the original staging, the Sam Mendes– In the midst of investigating these questions, the “Now” and directed production ends with the Emcee stripping off his “Then” threads converge as Cumming’s estranged father sexy leather jacket to reveal a concentration-camp uniform returns in the present with shocking revelations and longdisplaying both a pink triangle and a Star of David. “So I’m buried secrets. saying, ‘I’m going to a concentration camp; I’m gay; I’m Gripping and emotionally powerful, Not My Father’s Jewish; I’m dead.’ And these people are still laughing.”

Son reads like the late-night confession of a close friend.

While the experience was jarring for both the performers “I couldn’t stop talking about it,” Cumming says. “I literally and the audience, for Cumming, those kinds of reactions are was obsessed with it.” His need to share his stranger-thanimportant for the message of the show. “The audience were fiction story is almost tangible. “It was an urgent thing. I don’t horrified that these people were not respecting this terrible think you can have something like this happen to you without thing that happened, but of course, the whole show is saying expunging it in some way. It’s great for other people in the that you’ve got to be vigilant because there are those people world to share in the same kind of anger or amazement or who don’t get it and are going to be the ones who are going horror that you have experienced. It makes you calmer.” to let it happen. And so the whole thing sort of happened in While he doesn’t shy away from his harrowing relationship with his father, he also spends time describing the microcosm right there.” healthy relationships he shares with his mother and brother.

Here’s a game: open up Cumming’s IMDb page and scroll “People tend to focus on the more violent bits, but actually, through his credits. You’ve seen him in more things than ultimately it’s about three people who survived. I think that you realized, haven’t you? His artistic output is prolific and it’s quite uplifting. ” remarkably varied. He’s just as likely to pop up in highbrow While the writing process was cathartic, Cumming worried fare like Julie Taymor’s Titus or a Jane Austen adaptation as how his family would take the candid memoir. “I was nervous something deliciously lowbrow, like Josie and the Pussycats about it coming out because of the effect it was gonna have or Burlesque. on my mom, especially, and me,” he confides. “But actually, it But does someone who’s really “done it all” still ache for couldn’t have gone better. My mom asked for 10 more copies new challenges or pine for the roles that got away? “Mostly it’s to give to her friends. And I thought that was the like, ‘Oh, I dodged that bullet!’” Cumming says. best review I could have got!”

“I’m not a yearner. People can waste so much NOT MY Cumming hopes Not My Father’s Son can help time yearning or aspiring for something. That FATHER’S SON others who have experienced similar abuse come takes up your energy. That takes you away from

By Alan Cumming to terms with their past, or at least start that the present and closes you off to what might hapHarperCollins pen. I feel I’ve tumbled through life and really conversation. “Everyone’s got fucked-up families. harpercollins.com fascinating things have come to me. And I just do I think that the word ‘dysfunctional’ is almost irwhat I like. I’ve actually more often had a terrible relevant as a prefix to the word ‘family,’ because time doing something that I really thought I was doing for my everyone’s is. And so many people say, ‘Oh, I’m buying your book for my mom.’ And I think, ‘Wow!’ As a family gift, art rather than for my wallet. Because when you enter into I wouldn’t put it at the top of my list. But I like it. I think it’s something because it’s a job to earn money, then you have really making people talk about things.” fun; you get on with people. But when you go into something If exploring his past with his father was the most painful and your heart is in it, your soul is in it, and it doesn’t go well part of writing Not My Father’s Son, discovering the truth and people are dicks, then that hurts you more.” about his grandfather Tommy Darling was perhaps the most When asked about his appearance in the critically reviled rewarding. As he travels with a TV crew through France, the Jaws 4, character actor extraordinaire Michael Caine famously remarked, “I have never seen it, but by all accounts UK and, ultimately, Malaysia, he pieces together an idea of it is terrible. However, I have seen the house that it built, and the grandfather he never knew. it is terrific.” Cumming has an equally sanguine take on his “The thing with Tommy Darling was I actually felt so close less prestigious work. “You can actually trace my filmography to him, so like him, and I know that I can spot the genetic line through when I was either renovating a house or getting a much more closely from that side than from my father’s side. divorce by the films I’ve done; that’s absolutely true,” he And I think that’s also why I was so sad for him, ’cause I really admits. “And why shouldn’t I do that?” could recognize parts of myself in him.” His grandfather was Recently, on the BBC’s HARDtalk, host Stephen Sackur a combatant in some of the most brutal battles of the war, and asked Cumming if he regretted saying yes to certain roles. “He Cumming believes Darling’s traumatic experiences shaped named certain films, like The Smurfs and Spice World. And I the man he became. “I feel like I have a form of PTSD from was like, ‘No. Why do you think I should just do rarefied, arty my dad. So, learning all this stuff about him, it was so intense. things just because you would like me to, rather than do The I did feel this — not sympathy, but complete connection to Flintstones to earn a lot of money?’ And finally I said, ‘And him. And to be able to go back to Malaysia and take my mom actually, I think Spice World was really good.’ And he went, there — that was such a beautiful thing to be able to do.”

‘Oh, I’ve never seen it.’ And I said, ‘Then don’t cast asperIt’s fitting that Cumming is releasing a book that reflects sions!’ I love that film.” Besides, his role as a documentary on his past in the same year he returned to his star-making filmmaker following the every move of Baby, Sporty, Ginger, turn in Cabaret. Not that it was easy. “I am so fucking old!”

Posh and Scary made him an instant hit with co-star Emma he says with a laugh. “When I came back to doing it this time, Stone. “Emma Stone is a huge Spice Girls fan!” he says, with I couldn’t remember anything about it. I had to go to the a grin. “We have Spice Girls lip-sync battles in my dressing Lincoln Center Library and watch the video of it from last room with the Kit Kat Girls!” It’s probably safe to assume time to remind myself. But I have been doing it for 20 years. they know the words.

I did it in London, New York. I’ve only done . . . it’s only 660

MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM XTRA! JAN 15–FEB 11, 2015 13

A mystery novel with no murder Christopher Church’s debut, Signs Point to Yes, features a gay psychic detective IN PRINT JOHNNIE WALKER

Mason Braithwaite is ready to give Miss Marple a run for her money. Created

by Ottawa-born author Christopher Church, Braithwaite is a gay psychic detective and the protagonist of Church’s new mystery novel, Signs Point to Yes. Xtra chatted recently with Church about sleuthing, queer representation in the mystery genre and why he plans to keep his series non-lethal.

XTRA: Your mystery series has a novel twist: no one dies. Why did that angle appeal to you?

CHRISTOPHER CHURCH: I think

murder is an appealing trope when it’s not a personal experience. While I lived in Ottawa and Calgary, I never knew anyone who was murdered, and it never came anywhere near me. But in Los Angeles, the culture is different, and murder is a lot more present and part of everyday life. Off the top of my head,

I can think of three people in my circle who have been shattered by the murder of a loved one. So, the idea of creating a story where no one dies is an escape from reality, the way a pulp murder mystery was an escape from reality when I lived in safer places.

core he is a deeply moral person, loyal to his friends and trying to do what’s right.

What makes him stand out from other detectives in the genre?

He’s atypical because he’s not especially clever or functional, but he manages to figure things out. His psychic powers are also atypical of psychic detectives — can you believe that’s an entire subgenre? — but he doesn’t really understand how it works or how to control it.

What’s your hero, Mason Braithwaite, like?

Mason is a guy who’s trying to shift his way of living from reacting to things into taking action.

The plan through the first few books is that he’s learning how to do that. He’s not the brightest guy when it comes to social conventions or reading other people, but he’s sorting out his priorities, and at his

What’s your take on LGBT representation in the mystery genre?

There was a period where it seemed like we were seeing more gay characters

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in literature and film, but at the same time they were getting killed off, as if they were being punished for being gay. That is the downside of gay people not taking charge of things ourselves.

In the last decade or so, my sense is that fiction has been evolving in the right direction; there are positive gay protagonists who don’t need to die and don’t hate themselves.

How many Mason Braithwaite mysteries do you plan to write, and where do you see them going?

I have a concept for six books in the series. He’s going to get deeper into his psychic experiences, I think, and become more confident and skilled in that field. In the second book, which is in progress, he and his roommates spend a long weekend in the Mojave Desert.

Where would you like to see Unlike a lot of people in Los Angeles, I that evolution take us? think I have a desire to get out of town, get into the wilderness, so I’m taking I think the only people who can queer up Mason out there. So many Canadians the detective genre is us: queer writers.

I know have that instinct, too: going We have the responsito the cottage or out bility to create engaging into the woods for the gay characters. I hope to SIGNS POINT TO YES weekend, just getting see more gay characters

By Christopher Church into nature for a while. who are dynamic, who Dagmar Miura Publishing It surprised me that it’s dagmarmiura.com aren’t victims and who unusual here; in Canada can think about things it was always such an besides sex. I wanted ordinary thing, a shared Mason to be a gay man with a pedestrian experience that everyone understood sex life. He has extraordinary experieven if they didn’t do it very often. ences but not an extraordinary sex life.

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

WHAT'S ON FOR MORE LISTINGS, GO TO DAILYXTRA.COM

Jerk It — Centrepoint Theatre, February PAT BOLDUC

identity, sexual orientation and gender identity. Mon, Feb 9, 6–8pm.

Centretown Community Health Centre, 420 Cooper St. Free. centretownchc.org

Kage Wolfe at geeKISSexy V — Zaphod’s, Sat, Jan 17 CHRIS HUTCHESON

LEISURE & PLEASURE Capital Kings: Third Manniversary Ottawa’s own drag-king troupe celebrates with a night of hot guys shaking their butts. Fri, Jan 16, 9pm. The Lookout, 41 York St. $3. facebook.com/canadascapitalkings

Seniors’ Bowling Queer seniors 50 and older and their friends are invited out to bowl a few frames. For more info, contact georgeis@rogers.com. Takes place the second and fourth Monday of each month. Mon, Jan 26 and Mon, Feb 9, 6:30pm. West Park Bowling, 1205 Wellington St. $3 per game; free shoe rental. ospn-rfao.ca

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

Friday Fixxx

ART & LITERATURE

and sexuality. Tues, Jan 20, 6:30pm.

Venus Envy, 226 Bank St. $10–20. venusenvy.ca

The Hard Cover Book Club

Trans Health Services

Men are invited to gather and discuss Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan, Thurs, Jan 15, 7pm; and Arctic Summer by Damon Galgut, Thurs, Feb 19, 7pm. Gay Zone, Centretown Community Health Centre, 420 Cooper St. Free. gayzonegaie.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

After Stonewall’s Meet the Artist Event After Stonewall celebrates its second anniversary by inviting the public to meet some of the artists whose work is on display in the store. Thurs, Jan 29, 6–8pm.

After Stonewall, 370 Bank St. Free. afterstonewallgallery.co

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

I’ve Got Your Back: Talking to Teens Sex educator Nadine Thornhill hosts a workshop on talking to teens about bodies, relationships

Services include hormone therapy assessments, referrals for trans-inclusive medical services, counselling services and transition support. For an appointment, call 613-233-4443 x2109. 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, 251 Bank St, 7th floor. Free. aco-cso.ca

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, 41 York St. No cover before 9pm. thelookoutbar.com

Sassy Saturday Night Drag 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, 41 York St. No cover. thelookoutbar.com

Offbeat: Strictly Dance Hot queers grind to dance music by DJs Kitty Funk and Dan Valin and enjoy visuals by Bustedlimb. Sat, Jan 17, 10:30pm. Babylon Nightclub, 317 Bank St. $5 before midnight, $7 after. queermafia.com

Homo Phono Queers and their pals dance to house and R&B by MC Straightedge and DJ All Star Aga. Sat, Jan 24, 10pm–1am. Raw Sugar Café, 692 Somerset St W. $5.

The Grind: 14 Years of Foreplay Venus Envy invites folks out to dance and enjoy some sweaty beats

by DJs CPI, Debonair and Yalla!

Yalla! Sat, Jan 31, 10:30pm. Babylon Nightclub, 317 Bank St. $7 advance. venusenvy.ca

Gainsbourg Légionnaire Queer folk of every stamp enjoy good company and charmingly rustic surroundings at this Old Hull pub night. Takes place the second Saturday of each month. Sat, Feb 14, 8pm. Gainsbourg, 9 Aubry St, Gatineau. No cover. facebook.com/ gainsbourglegionnaire

THEATRE Jerk It As part of the undercurrents festival, May Can Theatre invites folks to submit anonymous masturbation stories to be read at an event

in February. For more info, visit artscourt.ca/events/jerk-it-2.

Les Misérables 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

Kick Ass Plays for Women Strong female characters abound in TotoToo Theatre’s production of Jane Shepard’s collection of oneact, two-women plays. Runs Fri, Feb 13–Sun, Feb 15, various showtimes.

The Avalon Studios, 738A Bank St. $25. tototoo.ca

SEX & BURLESQUE geeKISSexy V: Browncoats ASSemble Browncoats Burlesque invites you to join your “favourite boobs” as they

misbehave alongside guest Kage Wolfe. Sat, Jan 17, 8–11pm. Zaphod Beeblebrox, 27 York St. $12 advance, $15 door. browncoatsburlesque.com

Magic Male Revue The men of Magic Male Revue return to Ottawa for an evening of butt shaking. Sun, Jan 25, 7pm.

The NuDen, 1560 Triole St. $25 advance, $30 door. facebook.com/ magicmalerevue

Thinking Outside the Box This workshop provides new pussy-pleasing ideas, such as techniques for going down, communicating desires and the fine art of fingerbanging. Mon, Feb 2, 6:30–8pm. Venus Envy, 226 Bank St. $10–20. venusenvy.ca

Erotic Talk: Talking Dirty for Everyone In this workshop, Megan Butcher teaches participants how to make talking about sex just as great as doing it. Tues, Feb 3, 6:30–8pm.

Venus Envy, 226 Bank St. $10–20. venusenvy.ca

Submit your event listing to ottawalistings@dailyxtra.com.

Deadline for the Feb 12 issue is Tues, Feb 3.

Spectrum This Youth Services Bureau program offers queer and questioning 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 People of Colour QPOC of any gender, ability, age or orientation 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

LGBTQ Newcomers Group Refugees, asylum seekers and other newcomers come together for conversation about cultural

Capital Kings’ third Manniversary — The Lookout, Fri, Jan 16

MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM XTRA! JAN 15–FEB 11, 2015 15

XPOSED

2

PHOTOS BY ZARA ANSAR

Spins and Needles

The Spins and Needles Holiday Party was held at Pressed Café on Thursday, Dec 18. DJs Jason Skilz, D-Mass (On Da Floor) and Grumpy B (Fau Mardi) spun some jackin’ house, funk and techno beats, while attendees could choose to take part in one of two crafts: making tissue-paper stars or printing their own wrapping paper.

1 Anne Marie and Dennis tried both printing and star-making. 2 Julie chose to turn her wrapping paper into cards. 3 Curtis shows off his tissue-paper star. 4 Simon Labelle, aka DJ Grumpy B from Fau Mardi, takes a break from the decks.

Fever

1 4

6

Babylon Nightclub satisfies Ottawa’s disco cravings at its Fever party the first Saturday of every month. The party is organized by Cynthia and Nat, who also creates special cocktails for the night, while DJ Illo spins the classic disco tracks. The AIDS Committee of Ottawa is always on hand, giving out pamphlets and condoms. While many come in costume, Cynthia and Nat stress that dressing up is not a requirement — but it does make it more fun.

5 Cynthia and Nat give Ottawa Fever. 6 DJ Illo spins some classic disco. 7 Katarina, guest DJ Ray Ray and Claira Valentina share a moment onstage. 8 Fritz and Bill, feelin’ the Fever.

9 Derek, Giscar and Jennifer: ACO’s Safer Partying Outreach Team. 10 Chico shows some out-of-town guests a good time at Fever.

5 7

8 16 JAN 15–FEB 11, 2015 XTRA!

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AIDS/HIV Resources AIDS Committee of Ottawa

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Housing John King Team

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

Centretown Community Health Centre 613-233-4443 centretownchc.org The Children’s Aid Society of Ottawa 613-747-7800 casott.on.ca

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A world of gay adventure

Travel

Sin City’s

soft side Skip the casinos and indulge in a luxurious weekend of pampering in Vegas

BRANDON MATHESON

Infamous for its reputation as a gambling, boozing and “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” party mecca, Sin City has been showing a softer side of late that each year gains in popularity with gay and lesbian travellers: that of upscale, luxury getaway.

Nestled among the more raucous entertainment palaces are enclaves of serenity and indulgence for mind and body. A hot-massage stone’s throw off Las Vegas Boulevard — aka The Strip — I checked into the eco-friendly Vdara Hotel and Spa, part of the Aria Resort and Casino. Nestled beside the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas and Bellagio, the Forbes four-star-award hotel is a smoke-free, no-casino oasis. The vibe and décor are

meticulous, contemporary elegance.

My spacious suite offered a comfortable living area separated from the bedroom by a console housing back-toback flat-screen TVs. A spacious marble bathroom had both freestanding walkin shower and Roman tub for two. With a kitchenette and quaint dining area for two, the accommodation reads more designer apartment than hotel room.

Vdara is attracting enough LGBT visitors to register on the company’s radar, according to David Gonzalez, public relations manager for MGM Resorts International, which operates Vdara. Of course, it’s difficult to track who’s gay, but some customers self-identify and the number of same-sex pairs requesting one bed has increased, according to Gonzalez.

Steak and sides at Jean Georges Steakhouse.

BIONDO PRODUCTIONS

Perfect pampering Is there any better way to adjust to a new time zone than with a luxurious spa treatment? Entering Espa at Vdara at 8:30am, I perused a menu of signature treatments that included specialties for both guys and girls. I opted for an 80-minute personalized treatment: traditional Swedish massage, aromatic oils, hot stone massage and full-body salt scrub. Final destination: Heaven.

On. Earth.

Rejuvenation continued in the men’s wet spa area, with tea with lavenderinfused honey, servings of nuts and fruit, lots of water and invigorating rounds between the steam room, whirlpool and dry sauna.

If your first-day goal is to relax and unwind, start with the spa and then spend the afternoon with a good book and great cocktails at Vdara’s spacious pool and lounge-chair area.

Vdara is among a small group of hotels that have eschewed the “party pool” for a more serene setting. It’s social, but relaxation and sun worship trump the Weekend at Bernie’s vibe found at some hotels. The pool deck affords views of surrounding modern glass architecture set against a clear blue desert sky, or you can opt for more private retreats or spa cabanas with semi-private plunge pools.

Alternately, check out The Shops at Crystals, the largest collection of luxury brands in Las Vegas, featuring a shopping list of world-class designer boutiques: Tom Ford, Jimmy Choo, Tiffany’s, Hermès, Paul Smith,

Louis Vuitton and Versace. Crystals is a comfortable walk, or the BellagioCityCenter-Monte Carlo tram, which stops at Vdara, will whisk you there in just minutes.

A treatment at Espa includes sameday reentry privileges to the wet area, perfect for a refreshing hot tub or sauna after an afternoon poolside or shopping.

Start your evening at Aria, with cocktails at Sage, specializing in rare beers and spirits. Craig Schoettler, Aria’s first “property mixologist,” set out to break the boundaries of modern mixology and crafted a menu of sublime cocktails infused with puréed fruit, homemade bitters and boutique liquors. I fell in love with An Elusive Spring (Buffalo Trace Aria Select bourbon, blackberry syrup, lemon juice, mint bouquet).

For dinner, head upstairs to Jean Georges Steakhouse, a world-class steak and seafood eatery with a menu of eyewidening delicacies. Jump into the starters with Wagyu beef carpaccio with black-truffle fritters and lime salt or

caramelized foie gras with black-olive seasoning, lychee and brioche. From the wood-burning grill, mains include certified Kobe beef from Japan, an Australian six-ounce Wagyu filet mignon and a challenging 36-ounce porterhouse; be sure to sample the accompanying house-made flavoured salts, mustards and steak sauces. Jean Georges is renowned for its Australian tomahawk chop — a thick, marbled steak roughly the size of an adult’s face with a footlong protruding bone handle, it’s easily shared. Broiled bone marrow with parsley-lemon gremolata and blacktruffle mac and cheese are wonderful side additions. Surf the turf by adding a North Australian lobster tail; colder Aussie waters produce a flavour similar to Maine or Atlantic Canada lobster.

As the midnight hour approaches, make your way to the gay nightclubs. Liaison at Bally’s is the first gay nightclub housed inside a casino on The Strip. DJs in two separate rooms spin an eclectic mix of hip hop, rap and top 40. Liaison

18 JAN 15–FEB 11, 2015 XTRA! OTTAWA’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

SCOTT FRANCES

has booth-style seating, multiple bars and a stage with surprise live performances. Not far off The Strip is Share, with a stylish modern nightclub on the first floor and a luxurious and private ultralounge/bar vibe on the second floor.

On Friday nights, a large bizarre clown head signals it’s time for Stripper Circus, a sexy show of gyrating go-go dancers that leave little to the imagination.

Nature & glamour After sleeping in late, latte and rental car keys in hand, venture just outside the city limits to experience the serenity and calm of the desert (minimalists will love it). The majestic Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is 29 kilometres from The Strip, an easy 25-minute drive. En route you’ll get a feel for life in Las Vegas’s neighbourhoods (where liquor stores, drug stores and shopping are less expensive than The Strip). Once at the park, a 32-kilometre scenic loop showcases the rugged

beauty of Nevada’s desert terrain and geological formations. At designated stopping points, you’ll find nature lovers and city slickers scampering along easy walking trails, exploring endless gullies and crevices or hiking more strenuous trails to vantage points with spectacular sightlines. Near the park entrance is a discovery centre that provides history and insight and a gift shop. At $7 per carload (good all day for reentry), the second most popular tourist site in the Las Vegas area is a bargain.

After a few hours communing with nature, plan a swanky evening of refined dining and breathtaking entertainment at the Wynn and Encore, spectacles in design and opulence. Combined, they hold more Forbes five-star awards than any other casino resort in the world, and they even boast an “LGBT concierge” to provide guests specialized information.

Reserve a 7pm table at Andrea’s at Encore, the glamorous Asian-inspired restaurant hotelier Steve Wynn named for his wife — and purchase tickets

AL POWERS

Above left, Temptation Sundays at the Luxor’s fantastic pool. Top, the tranquil whirlpool area at Espa at Vdara. Above, high-end shopping at Crystals.

to the 9:30pm show of Le Rêve (The Dream).

Chef Joseph Elevado’s modern Asian cuisine complements Andrea’s hip, high-energy dining experience that is integrated with the Surrender nightclub. Perfect for sharing are table plates of crispy pork korokke, Wagyu beef tartare and seared foie gras bao, or choose from five sashimi dishes. There are no wrong choices on the list of mouthwatering mains: Saikyo Miso black cod, five-spice garlic lobster tempura, spicy adobo shrimp and Jidori chicken breast all delight.

Wynn’s stunningly beautiful waterbased Le Rêve blends mystery and romance with gravity-defying acrobatics.

Theatre-in-the-round creates an intimate experience where The Dreamer pulls audiences into the world of the show, especially if you opt for less expensive front-row seating. Three times a guest and I have braved the “splash zone” seating and left dry.

If a jaunt to the desert isn’t in the cards, daytime attractions from fun to fascinating abound. Head north to old Vegas, where the Neon Museum and Container Park are must-visits; on the strip, The Linq Promenade and High Roller observation wheel make for great fun in the sun. Quirky but interesting is the Atomic Testing Museum to glimpse the impact atomic-age mushroom clouds had on Vegas — and the camp of the Miss Atomic Bomb beauty pageant. continued next page •

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• continued from previous page

Saturday excess Commit to a Saturday night out on the town Vegas-style: experience cocktails, dining and entertainment at the upscale Cosmopolitan Las Vegas. To prep, make three reservations: tickets to the headliner at CLV’s Chelsea theatre; pre-show dinner reservations at Rose Rabbit Lie; and a seat at RRL’s free midnight show Breakfast at Piffany’s.

Reinventing the social club, Rose Rabbit Lie blurs the lines between restaurant, bar, cabaret and high-energy dance club. The various club rooms (some hidden and worth searching out) have a seductive cocktail-culture vibe that shifts from relaxed to raucous; throughout, casual elegance is enforced by a reasonable dress code (consult RRL’s website before you get there).

Start the evening at Rose Rabbit Lie, allowing time for pre-dinner cocktails in the intimate, manor-like Library, then migrate — cocktail in hand — to your table in the upbeat dining room, with its boisterous live entertainment. For a starter, try the snow-pea salad, caviar flatbread or crispy oysters Rockefeller.

The Berkshire pork belly, rabbit fricassee and slow-roasted octopus are all perfect plates for sharing. For mains, duck-confit pasta or short-rib Stroganoff are highlights among an array of tantalizing offerings.

With show tickets in hand, head upstairs to The Chelsea theatre, a 40,000-square-foot black-box theatre with unobstructed views and sharp acoustics. We caught Chelsea Handler’s Uganda Be Kidding Me tour; upcoming shows include Billy Idol (Feb 21) and Amy Schumer (April 24).

After The Chelsea, return to the Library at Rose Rabbit Lie for another round of cocktails and an intimate midnight show with one of Las Vegas’s most quirky performers. Clad in a kitschy dragon onesie, Piff the Magic Dragon (“Maybe you’ve heard of my brother, Puff?”) is infamous for stumping Penn and Teller with his magic on the British TV show Fool Us. Piff performs with Mr Piffles, the “world’s first magic performing chihuahua” — and, if you think magic is for dorks, Piff opened for Mumford & Sons on their 17-date UK tour.

Diva Sunday Brunch fans flock to Simon at The Palms to enjoy chef Kerry Simon’s signature approach to American comfort food.

The vast offerings include a buffet and made-to-order fare: French toast, omelets, sushi rolls, salads and carving stations. Simon’s must-try dish is meatloaf, made from a secret family recipe, served with mashed potatoes and succotash. A restaurant staple is the whimsical “junk food platter”: Hostess cupcakes, Sno Balls, cookies, Rice Krispies squares,

RYAN FORBES/AVABLU

Above, Yusho’s bright modern vibe. Left, a cabaret performance at Rose Rabbit Lie. Below, Rose Rabbit Lie’s duck confit. Bottom, signature French toast at Simon.

KABIK/RETNA DIGITAL

PATRICK TREGENZA

Froot Loops treats, brownies and cotton candy, and more. Consider enjoying Chef’s food poolside: a private cabana at The Palms’ chic, Hollywood-vibe pool comes with a $150 minimum food and beverage purchase, so if you start with brunch, you’ll be well on your way.

If you’re in the mood for a pool-party vibe, in season (Sundays, May through September, 1–7pm) check out Temptation Sundays at the Luxor hotel, Las Vegas’s longest-running gay pool party. Hosted by JSon of Naked Boy News, Temptation is a sexy social scene around an expansive pool area. With a vibe more modern nightclub than “boom boom” circuit party, it’s easy to chat with new friends to a soundtrack of high-energy music by resident DJ Matt Lucio and special guest DJs. The crowd is a good mix of locals ($10 admission) and tourists ($20 admission),

with occasional sightings of headliners from The Strip. Full-day rentals of elite deluxe cabanas complete with LCD TVs and refrigerators start at $300. Lounge in luxury in plush daybeds starting at $150. Bottle service starts at $100.

After a day at the pool, book a table at Yusho, the Japanese-inspired grill and noodle house at the Monte Carlo.

With décor informed by vintage industrial spaces, anime and Japanese ramen shacks, the feeling is airy, bright and casual. Inspired by his travels throughout Japan, Singapore and mainland China, renowned Chicago chef Matthias Merges crafted his interpretation of traditional Japanese street food in a menu broken into five categories: pickles and relish, noodles, grilled/fried, steam buns and sweets. Meats and veggies are grilled over an open fire; order the duck breast with shiitake marmalade and Xinjiang lamb with cucumber and cumin. Traditional steam buns arrive open-face; crispy cod and pork shoulder deserve inclusion in your choices for the three-bun sampler.

Complement your selections with a side of Yusho’s house pickles or assorted kimchi, and don’t shy away from the tasty rooster-ball ramen soup — it requires less commitment than the name implies.

Japanese beer and a large sake selection complete the Yusho experience. Ask your waiter for advice on customized pairings of sake with each dish.

To complete the weekend, head to the Colosseum at Caesars Palace for a nighttime concert. For gay and lesbian fans, Caesars has in recent years firmly entrenched itself as the Vegas home of the one-name diva-queen residencies: Bette, Cher, Celine, Shania — and Elton.

Late January through March, John will perform five decades of hits in his Million Dollar Piano show. Rod Stewart has dates scattered throughout January and February. For country fans, Reba McEntire joins Brooks and Dunn for summer 2015 dates.

For the perfect final night in Vegas, buy a ticket for Celine Dion’s concert (she’s on hiatus but will return) at the Colosseum. The show uses modern high-tech effects not expected alongside a large orchestra — from Celine performing inside a massive circular rainstorm to a mesmerizing optical effect in which she performs a duet with herself in holographic form. Celine’s sophisticated show, the elegant orchestra and the luxury of the Caesars showroom evokes vintage Vegas: the era of atomic cocktails, dapper suits and smart evening dresses.

Las Vegas remains the perfect destination for a wild weekend of boozing and gambling, but when you deserve a long weekend of luxury and pampering, you can #DoVegasDifferently.

For the most up-to-date travel information on gay Las Vegas, see our city, listings, events and activities guides at dailyxtratravel.com.

20 JAN 15–FEB 11, 2015 XTRA! OTTAWA’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

A world of gay adventure

Travel

Gay Las Vegas Headliners on The Strip have long dished out camp culture and a queer sensibility BRANDON MATHESON

A gay sensibility rests comfortably in plain sight behind the monstrosity of glitz and glam that is Las Vegas. Queerness is lost completely on many (most?) tourists doing The Strip. Others are confused about whether they’re witnessing gay “that way” — or just the bevy of theatrical oddballs they’d expect to find in Sin City.

For decades, the blue-rinse set thought Liberace was just theatrical.

They lapped up his frequent proclamations of heterosexuality, devoutly watching a pianist dripping in diamonds and pink feathers. “And doesn’t his handsome chauffeur, Scott, look like a wholesome Midwestern boy?”

Wearing red, white and blue sequined hot pants and jacket patterned after the Stars and Stripes along with white majorette boots, Liberace marched past the double entendre of “pianist” and an attempt by gossip rag Confidential to out him in 1957 to become, during the height of his fame, the highest-paid entertainer in the world.

Liberace defined “absolutely fabulous.” A curious oddity of prissy gayness, he laughed all the way to the bank on ticket sales to old Republican women and their begrudging husbands. Long before the sadness of his life story leaked into the tabloids and was dramatized in the film Behind the Candelabra, Liberace was the original Vegas gay diva.

He died of AIDS in 1987 but denied his gayness to the grave.

While the Liberace Museum closed in 2010, many of his costumes are on display at The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas. A foundation formed in 2013 to resurrect the museum but within a year announced that the effort had failed.

In conversation at Toronto’s Massey Hall a few years back, an audience member asked Penn Jillette how he and his silent partner, Teller, who have performed in Vegas since 1993, rose to become Sin City’s leading magic act.

“After a tiger bit the head off a gay guy,” Jillette quipped.

He was referring to a tragic incident in 2003 when, during a Siegfried & MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM

CAROL M HIGHSMITH

Clockwise from above: Roy Horn (left) and Siegfried Fischbacher with their white lion; Liberace — the original Las Vegas diva; Frank Marino as Joan Rivers.

Roy show, Roy Horn stumbled midperformance and was dragged offstage by a white tiger named Montecore, which clutched Roy in his jaws like a kitten. The cat’s powerful grasp punctured Roy’s neck. He suffered major blood loss and the ravages of a major stroke.

Don’t mistake Penn’s comment for homophobia; it’s comedy closer to catty and cutting drag humour, though Penn is the avowed heterosexual in Penn & Teller. Both rushed to hospital after their show to join other entertainers gathered to support Siegfried Fischbacher as he awaited Roy’s prognosis.

There is a queer sensibility to Penn & Teller’s stage show, now in its 13th year at the Rio. It’s cleverly laden with social commentary (they’re both libertarians, atheists and skeptics), wrapped in mesmerizing artistry and Penn’s witty narration. They skewer government interference in our lives, touching on issues from gun control and religion to the theatrics of airport security in a post-9/11 world. Much glides by the first-time tourist; after seeing them perform eight times, I find them clever and entertaining.

The Siegfried & Roy show at the Mirage closed immediately after the accident. The performing and life partners didn’t officially retire from show

business until 2010 and remain firmly entrenched as magic and entertainment royalty in Vegas history. But no magician can lay claim to being the gayest show in Sin City.

It might surprise some to learn that the longest-running Vegas headliner is a drag queen. In 2015, Frank Marino will celebrate his 30th year performing on The Strip — and as “the Queen of Vegas” (his social media moniker). His current show, Divas, is a high-end Vegas showroom production at The Linq.

On two occasions while attending Marino’s show, we’ve shared a classic showroom banquet with elderly couples in their 60s and 70s who were huge fans of Marino; we shared stories of his early days, about seeing him back in the mid-1990s at the Riviera. These weren’t fans in denial like Liberace’s — Marino is gay, gay, gay, and his legions of small-town fans — young, old, straight or gay — love him.

Situated in front of Caesars Palace in a large circus tent is Absinthe, the critically acclaimed “acro-cabaret” show by Spiegelworld. You’ll endure bum-numbing folding wooden chairs, jammed cheek-by-jowl with your neighbour, but every minute is worth it.

Absinthe, one imagines, is akin to a Weimar-era German cabaret morphed

FRANKMARINO.COM

with world-class circus arts. But some of the show’s oddball characters were likely delinquents at circus school — out back in an alley smoking, drinking and trying to one-up each other in cursing.

The sexual language and banter is for neither the prudish nor the faint of heart. Absinthe’s greasy emcee delivers vulgarities and offensive quips that would make insult comic Lisa Lampanelli blush.

Some straight girls are crazy for the gay guys. Attending a late-night performance of the Chippendales is an energetic and interesting experience.

Six gay men clustered at cocktail tables in row two stood out in a sea of raucous women (many clad in bridal tiaras or sashes) whose frantic energy and deafening screams outpace anything seen in a gay or straight men’s strip club.

To thunderous applause, the buffed male beauties danced (far better than I was expecting) routine after rou-

tine, easily ripping and tossing their way through 100 skimpy white tanks.

Curiously, the star who provoked the largest response from the women in the crowd was openly gay Jaymes Vaughan, of Amazing Race fame. And surprisingly, whether from the stage or in aisles interacting with the audience, many Chippendales acknowledged their gay fans with friendly winks and nods.

Any dancer who arrived with anti-gay machismo, apparently, had checked it at the stage door.

I was in Las Vegas in August 2014 the day Joan Rivers died. I immediately bought tickets to Frank Marino’s show that night, anticipating a sweet tribute.

Marino is famous for his portrayal of Rivers, who was a close friend, and performs a “Can we talk?” segment each show in character. It was clearly a difficult night for him, but he was brilliant.

At one point between numbers, Marino pokes fun at Elton John’s gayness, claiming the extravagant gown he is wearing was a hand-me-down from John. In another showroom, illusionist Jan Rouven tells stories of his friendship with Siegfried & Roy and also pokes fun at John’s gayness. The German-born magician pulls comedy from his “English as a second language,” referring to John as “her” and feigning innocence at the audience response.

There’s no note of cruelty or belittlement — Marino’s and Rouven’s banter is gay camp humour at its finest — and a kinship emerges that makes gay audience members feel welcome.

A queer sensibility abounds in Las Vegas shows. Perhaps many entertainers, like gay people, convey the experience of being outsiders in a “normal” world.

Though Vegas is far from normal.

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