Xtra Toronto #771

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#771 MAY 15–28, 2014

TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

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PREPPING FOR WORLDPRIDE

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2014

AN ORAL HISTORY OF THE 519 E 10

INSIDE OUT PREVIEW Our guide to the best of Toronto’s LGBT film fest E19

Exploring: never stop Single Tablet Regimens (one pill, once a day) are a step forward in HIV treatment.

Explore more at exploreHIV.ca

2 MAY 15–28, 2014 XTRA!

While they’re not a cure, these treatment options are designed to be effective and convenient. If you’ve been exploring different HIV treatments, talk to your doctor about Single Tablet Regimens too. It’s good to know what is out there.

TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

Roundup

XTRA Published by Pink Triangle Press TORONTO’S GAY& LESBIAN NEWS

#771 MAY 15–28, 2014

Volunteers paint a mural on the side of The 519.

SAME-SEX LEGAL ISSUES

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Brandon Matheson

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Printed and published in Canada. ©2014 Pink Triangle Press. Xtra is published every two weeks by Pink Triangle Press. ISSN 0829-3384

See you at The 519 How a dilapidated meeting hall became a home for the queer community E10 Editorial Jamaica’s long game

By Natasha Barsotti E4 Feedback E4 Xcetera E5

Upfront Seniors gear up for WorldPride Senior Pride Network coordinator says many LGBT seniors face discrimination E7 Online resource for gay dads is born E8 History Boys The lost language of gay

By Michael Lyons E14

Out in the City Arts roundup Touring Thrones E17 Wild at heart Olivier HébertBouchard performs E30

2014

INSIDE OUT PREVIEW

Our eight-page guide to the best of Toronto’s LGBT film fest

E19 What’s On E35 Club Scene E36 Xposed

By Anna Pournikova E38 Xtra Living E39

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JOHNNY TORONTO, ON

I wonder how many other struggling businesses in the Village plan to stay open during WorldPride 2014 — in order to attempt to make as much money as possible from the crowds and the tourists — but then close when Pride is over?

ELLEN TORONTO, ON

I see a lot of the older gay male generation referring to how the young gay community relies too much on social apps and doesn’t support the Village, et cetera. Here’s the thing: the Village isn’t to us what it was to you. A lot of my gay male friends don’t like going to the Village. It can be full of very vain, catty and superficial people.

It has become a venue for straight people (especially women) to make a spectacle out of gay men. It can also be a very racist and transphobic place. I can’t speak about before my time, but currently it is not a safe haven. It’s actually an unsafe environment for a lot of LGBT-plus people.

DREW SILVERTHORN TORONTO, ON

PrEP TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS #770 MAY 1–14, 2014

The apex of the Toronto gay scene was the ’80s and ’90s, and it has been in a slow decline since then [“Fly Nightclub to Close After WorldPride,” dailyxtra.com, April 29]. It will never be what it once was; that is, until the younger generation realizes that being out in the real world, seeing real people, in real time, is really far more authentic and superior to having your face buried in your phone or having your hands tap-tap-tapping endlessly on a keyboard in pursuit of some online phantom.

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Fly Nightclub closure

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Jermaine, 23, Jamaican and gay, knows what it’s like to live on the streets.

“You have to fight against the weather — night cold, sun, rain,” he told me on a recent trip to Jamaica. “Hurricane season come an’ ketch me on de road a’ready.”

At 18, Jermaine often found himself locked out of his home, his mother telling him to “go back where mih a come from,” while his father tried a little harder to wrap his head around his son’s sexuality.

“They didn’t understand about the whole gay and all ah dat,” Jermaine says.

“They weren’t taught in school how to handle situations like dat.”

For two or three years, he led an itinerant street life, punctuated by sofa surfing at the homes of sex-work clients and friends — until they wanted him out.

“Hygiene was a major issue,” he says.

“If you want a job, the way you look, the way you smell — the first impression . . . didn’t cut it.”

His first step off the streets was to find a reliable water source and clothing.

Then came a job, classes in English, food preparation and other life skills. While volunteering at the Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays (J-FLAG), he started an empowerment session out of which four people found jobs and another six went back to school.

His “whoa” moment came when the United Nations Population Fund approved his request for $1.5 million (Jamaican) to train 10 HIV-positive gay sex workers in health and employmentseeking strategies, using a peer-education format.

The government wasn’t falling over itself to help, so Jermaine started to help himself, and then his peers.

“I can’t tell you when, because you are going to hold me [to it] if I give you a timeline,” Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller recently told Jamaican media when asked about her 2011 promise to review the country’s archaic buggery law.

Simpson-Miller followed that serving of political evasion with another slice of obfuscation. “We are so busy trying to

hold things and to see . . . whatever decisions we take — because we have to take tough decisions — that it doesn’t impact in a very serious way the majority of our people.”

What if Jamaica’s parliamentarians legalized gay sex? It would certainly be a sign of forward movement, but with more than 80 percent of Jamaicans selfdescribing as homophobic, a victory on that score won’t translate into societal acceptance.

That’s long-game work, which is ongoing but proceeding in baby steps, whether it’s outreach to potential allies in religious circles, convincing media to eschew sensationalism for more balanced reporting about LGBT people and their experiences, or working within and outside the community to address the interconnected issues of marginalization, under- and unemployment, and homelessness among men who have sex with men.

According to a 2012 University of the West Indies study on the attitudes and perceptions of 1,000 Jamaicans regarding same-sex relationships, these are the stats activists are up against: “Approximately 88 percent felt that male homosexuality was immoral, 83.7 percent felt the same for female homosexuality and 83.5 percent felt bisexual relationships were immoral.”

These findings represent a six to eight percent increase in intolerance since 2011, the study shows.

Jermaine’s friend Christopher thinks change is more likely to occur “behind doors.” The very people who think nothing of shouting homophobic slurs in the streets will show a different side of themselves when there is no public to consume their venom, he suggests.

Even as he tries to embrace his sexuality and how to express it, Christopher refers to himself as “gay and . . .” He’s trying to integrate into society as a “precautionary measure.”

Jermaine says accessing education, employment and housing with harassment is key. “This country still don’ reach dat level.”

The apex of the Toronto gay scene was the ’80s and ’90s, and it has been in a slow decline since then. [RE: FLY NIGHTCLUB CLOSURE]

dailyxtra.com

EDITORIAL NATASHA BARSOTTI

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Comment Jamaica’s long game

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

Photographer Devon Poole reimagines the seven deadly sins E18

PLUS!

TEENS ON STEROIDS E10

GREAT GAY CAMPING E 28

FREE 36,000 AUDITED CIRCULATION

Steroid feature I wonder why gay teens are six times more likely to use steroids [“Mass Appeal,” Xtra #770, May 1]. Flipping through your publication and others, I noticed many ads promoting “body enhancements” like Botox, non-surgical facelifts and an assortment of cosmetics. Finally, the fullpage ads for Squirt, Cruiseline and Hardline — the models are obviously using steroids. The time of year when it is most obvious and pounded into us is during Pride, when it is one ad after another displaying a model with a “perfect body.” The not-so-subtle message is if you want to be accepted and attractive, this is what you need.

The pharmaceutical industry has also been active promoting testosteronereplacement therapies, and sales have soared. I realize that your publication and others depend on the revenue from these ads, so I especially want to thank you for putting this forward for discussion.

GORDON WASELNUK TORONTO, ON

My first-ever visit to Toronto a few years back involved a couple nights out at Fly. I have been back a couple of times since. The place blew me away.

Great environment, music, staff and drinks. I will really miss Fly. I have also been to a number of the other bars mentioned in the article. Such a shame to see these places close and become condo developments and to see the Village slowly fade away.

Who chose this image? This is an insulin syringe. Steroids are injected with a 3-millilitre syringe (not 1 mL) into the thigh or glute (not the arm) with a larger-gauge needle (one to one-and-a-half inches, not half an inch). They are suspended in oil that is too thick to fit in a small syringe like this, and this oil forms a depot in the muscle where it is gradually released.

RICHARD CROOKS (FACEBOOK) HALIFAX, NS

TJ BUSE TORONTO, ON

I’m glad that Xtra is reporting on PrEP, but this article deflects attention from the real issue in Canada [“If PrEP is a Party Drug, Then Cue the DJ,” dailyxtra.com, April 29].

Canadians are not shaming PrEP users because there are virtually no PrEP users in Canada. Canadians aren’t being called “Truvada whores” because (outside of a couple of clinical trials and in a few individual cases) we can’t even get Truvada for PrEP in this country. That’s the issue in Canada. That’s “what’s stopping” us — not shaming. Americans have FDA approval, CDC guidance and access, and they’re now in the privileged position of calling each other names. I wish that were our problem! We don’t even have Health Canada approval or access yet. That’s what you should be investigating and reporting on, not cutting and pasting from news reports in the United States as if all you have to do to get PrEP in this country is “call your doctor.” It’s not that easy here. Find out why not. Stop interviewing Americans and put some Canadian public-health official’s feet to the fire. You could have started with Mark Tyndall. Instead of cutting and pasting a quote from 2011, you could have picked up the phone and asked him if his thinking about PrEP had evolved or not.

IVAN TORONTO, ON

Family matters I think it’s interesting how many gay men, as they get older, reconnect with their straight family members — especially if they find themselves middleaged and alone in a gay community that values youth above all else [“All in the Family,” Xtra #769, April 17].

I’ve had that experience and so have some of my gay acquaintances. I now see the leftwing Toronto queer establishment as a hostile, negative force.

My beneficiaries are now my straight family members (who now accept me) and their children.

DAVID C TORONTO, ON

TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

XCETERA

Sushi A BIWEEKLY HELPING OF POP CULTURE, SERVED À LA CARTE Yves Saint Laurent

FROM THE PTP ARCHIVES 18 YEARS AGO

French biopic playing at this year’s Inside Out festival.

XTRA #302, MAY 23, 1996 Two poetic powerhouses sit down at a kitchen table together: Adrienne Rich meets Dionne Brand after reviewing her book of poetry No Language Is Neutral, and the two appear together in Brand’s conversational film Listening for Something, which screened at the fifth Inside Out LGBT Film Festival.

1991 The year Inside Out began.

OUT ON THE STREET BY KYLE BURTON

What is your worst quality?

Oprah That same year, the TV mogul discussed gay marriage for an entire episode and garnered some of her highest-ever ratings.

High ratings The first gay comedy on Taiwanese public television aired recently to good ratings and no complaints.

Penguins at North Pole

Ryan

Sasha

Mikhail

Norman

ARTIST

JOURNALIST

ADMINISTRATOR

I am emotionally unstable and have a high propensity for self-loathing.

Nothing — I’m perfect, ha ha!

I’m indecisive.

Especially in high-stress situations.

PERSONAL BANKER

I put too much pressure on myself.

QUOTABLE

I was about 10, 11, 12, when all of this stuff was going down that The Normal Heart is really about . . . I found it frightening. I did grow up very much with the banner over ‘casual sex is a death sentence.’ So I didn’t miss that boat completely.

Actor Jim Parsons on his personal connection to the story of The Normal Heart, which premieres at this year’s Inside Out festival.

See page 19 for more.

MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM

Name of the lighthearted show dealing with homosexuality in Taiwan.

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Same-sex marriage Not recognized in Taiwan.

Tomodachi Life Upcoming Nintendo life-simulation game that prevents gamers from marrying someone of the same sex.

#Miiquality Hashtag movement created by a gay gamer to protest Nintendo’s move.

Tye Marini Name of the young man behind Miiquality.

Arizona Marini’s home state.

‘Rise Like a Phoenix’ Name of Austrian drag queen Conchita Wurst’s breakout single, which won the Eurovision Song Contest.

XTRA! MAY 15–28, 2014 5

THE MEN YOU WANT!

IMD* OUTBREAKS IN MEN WHO HAVE SEX WITH MEN (MSM):

NEW YORK CITY (August 2010 – May 2013):

22 cases Deaths: 7 * Invasive Meningococcal Disease

INVASIVE MENINGOCOCCAL DISEASE YOU CAN DO WITHOUT Meningococcal bacteria (Neisseria meningitidis), responsible for causing meningitis and septicemia, can be found in the nose and throats of about 10% of healthy adults in North America and Western Europe.

In 2012 there was a

50X

greater incidence of IMD in the NYC MSM population than the age-adjusted rate for the general population of the US.

HOW IS MENINGOCOCCAL BACTERIA TRANSMITTED? Meningococcal bacteria is spread through saliva contact or inhalation of tiny droplets that are released when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

WHO SHOULD GET VACCINATED? MSM who may find themselves in crowded conditions such as bars, nightclubs, bathhouses, and mass gatherings such as Pride events.

MSM who may engage in the following activities: • Intimate contact – including wet kissing and sex. • Sharing food utensils, drinks, toothbrushes and so on.

• Smoking cigarettes or inhaling second-hand smoke since this damages the delicate cells lining the nasal passages and throat and increases a person’s susceptibility to meningococcal bacteria.

ASK YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT MENACTRA® VACCINATION. MENACTRA® is a vaccine to prevent meningococcal meningitis and other meningococcal disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis (strains A, C, Y and W-135) in persons 9 months through 55 years of age. MENACTRA® does not protect against disease caused by strain B, and is not a treatment for meningococcal infections or their complications. The length of protection is currently not known. As with any vaccine, MENACTRA® may not protect 100% of vaccinated individuals. The amount of time it takes for your body to develop enough antibodies to protect you from meningococcal diseases can vary. It can take several days to a few weeks after your vaccination. MENACTRA® should not be used in persons with known severe allergy to any of its components or its container. A recent large study found no evidence of increased Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) risk associated with the use of MENACTRA®. Persons with a previous history of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) may be at increased risk of GBS following receipt of MENACTRA®. Some people who receive MENACTRA® may have mild side effects such as redness or pain at the site of injection, headache or fever. Common side effects in infants include fever, increased crying, fussiness, vomiting, drowsiness and loss of appetite. These side effects usually go away within a few days. Allergic reactions may occur.

Talk to your doctor to see if MENACTRA® is right for you. For complete product information, visit www.sanofipasteur.ca.

MENACTRA® is a registered trademark of Sanofi Pasteur.

Copyright © 2014 Sanofi Pasteur Limited. All rights reserved.

6 MAY 15–28, 2014 XTRA!

284-031-04/14 E01

TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

Upfront

In 1991, I got queerbashed twice on Church Street, so I contacted 52 Division and said, ‘Where are the stats? Is this growing?’ Kyle Rae E 10

Seniors ready for WorldPride Senior Pride Network coordinator says many LGBT seniors face discrimination in retirement homes

MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM

WHAT’S UP WITH WORLDPRIDE? Xtra is hosting a WorldPride town hall featuring Pride Toronto executive director Kevin Beaulieu and four other community members on Thurs, May 15 at 7pm. It will be broadcast live on dailyxtra.com and remain on our website for further viewing following the broadcast. Go to dailyxtra.com for more information.

PRIDE NEWS

Former Pride Toronto co-chair found not guilty of sexual assault

COMMUNITY NEWS DAVID OWEN

“Celebrate diversity” and “positive space” stickers decorate the reception area at Toronto long-term-care facility True Davidson Acres. Carlos Herrera, the home’s administrator, has a Pride flag on his desk, while two water guns used in last year’s parade sit in the corner of his office. Although Pride is still weeks away, this facility acknowledges its residents’ diversity year-round as one of Toronto’s designated queerfriendly retirement homes.

The residents have participated in the parade since 2004, but WorldPride will include a set of events all seniors can look forward to. The Senior Pride Network is hosting its seventh annual conference on June 22 and 23.

Called Opening the Closet on Aging: Wired to Connect, it will focus on intergenerational relations in the LGBT community.

Heather Bain, older LGBT community service coordinator at the 519 Community Centre, says that this year’s focus is to overcome ageism and establish a network between adult and youth community members. Bain says other Toronto retirement homes have failed to create supportive environments for their queer residents.

On the first day of the conference, the Sunshine Centres for Seniors is partnering with the Senior Pride Network to host the Rainbow Bridges Festival on Ward’s Island. Bain says it will bring together people of all ages for food and fun.

DAILYXTRA.COM TOWN HALL

Being on the Pride bus is the only time you can shoot a police officer with a water pistol and get away with it.

Alf Roberts, an 84-year-old resident of Fudger House, came out shortly after he moved into the facility.

The residents at Fudger House, another queer-friendly, long-term-care facility located just outside the Village, at Sherbourne and Wellesley streets, are also excited about WorldPride festivities. June will be a busy month at the residence, with the annual rainbowflag-raising ceremony and preparing a float for the parade.

“Being on the Pride bus is the only time you can shoot a police officer with a water pistol and get away with it,” says Alf Roberts, 84.

Roberts, who was a church organist in Toronto for more than 50 years, came out of the closet shortly after moving into Fudger House four years ago. Now, he is head of the home’s Molly Wood Social Club, a group dedicated to LGBT topics and activities. “Coming here really opened me up,” Roberts

says. “When people asked me about being gay years back, I would say, ‘I am what I am,’ and now I say, ‘Yes, I’m gay.’”

Staff members at Fudger House set the standard for a queer-friendly environment in long-term care. Administrator Lorraine Siu says it upsets her when she hears that LGBT people are scared to move into long-term care because of the reputation it has for forcing queer people back into the closet.

In 2008, the City of Toronto developed a 146-page reference manual for creating LGBT-inclusive environments called Diversity Our Strength. Siu says that while all 10 City of Toronto longterm-care facilities received the training together, Fudger House saw a need to implement the toolkit’s messages because of the diversity of its population.

Designated LGBT-friendly homes

DAVID OWEN

work closely with representatives from The 519 and Sherbourne Health Centre. Bain, however, thinks the package in place for long-term-care facilities is insufficient. She says that only half the homes in Toronto have received updated training since 2008, and while Fudger House and True Davidson Acres have integrated it, she knows others have not. Further, with high rates of staff and volunteer turnover, it is difficult to maintain consistent levels of training.

Bain says serious issues exist for LGBT people in care facilities, such as staff members misgendering trans people and avoiding physical contact with HIV-positive residents. “Seniors shouldn’t have to hide their favourite photo or feel anxiety from having a partner come to visit.”

Former Pride Toronto board member and co-chair Luka Amona was found not guilty of sexual assault after a judge ruled that the alleged victim’s story was inconsistent.

Amona was charged with sexual assault stemming from an incident in August 2012, when the alleged victim — a former lover and Pride volunteer whose identity is protected by a publication ban — claims Amona drugged him and sexually assaulted him in his home after a volunteer appreciation party.

The complainant claimed to have blacked out at the party; however, witnesses testified that he didn’t appear drunk, was actively pursuing Amona at the party, and insisted on getting into a cab with Amona at the end of the night.

The complainant also could not explain why multiple text messages were sent from his phone to Amona during the party.

Superior Court Justice Michael Quigley delivered his verdict after both Amona and the complainant took the stand.

Amona was first elected to the Pride Board in a by-election in January 2011.

He secured a full term in an election in October 2011. But Xtra reported that he resigned from the board a year later because of “personal reasons.” He now lives in Manitoba and could not be reached for comment. — Rob Salerno XTRA! MAY 15–28, 2014 7

Online resource for gay dads is born Gays with Kids helps men navigate parenthood PARENTING GRAEME COLEMAN

After plunging into fatherhood and finding little information directed at gay dads, Brian Rosenberg and Ferd van Gameren decided to launch an online resource to fill the hole. Now they’re ready to introduce their brainchild to the world.

Five years ago, the couple collapsed in their cozy New York apartment and swore they would never drink again after an “indulgent” Memorial Day weekend. That’s when their adoption agency called to say a baby boy had been born in Brooklyn.

The next day Rosenberg and van Gameren, who had been hoping to adopt a child for some time, learned the baby was healthy and available for adoption.

They could pick him up from the hospital the following day if they wanted him.

“At the time we had nothing,” Rosenberg says. “We were completely overwhelmed and underprepared.”

Nevertheless, they told the agency they wanted the baby, then opened their wallets at a Manhattan store called Buy Buy Baby. “We walked in and said, ‘We’re going to adopt a baby tomorrow.

What do we need?’ Two hours and a lot of money later, we bought the entire store, basically,” van Gameren says.

When they got home, their confused doorman was waiting for them. “He said, ‘I think there’s been a mistake because this baby stroller was just delivered for you guys,’” Rosenberg says.

“We said, ‘That’s right. We’re getting a baby tomorrow.’”

The next day, they went to pick up the newborn at the hospital but were told they couldn’t see him until the paperwork had been filled out. “All we had was a picture,” van Gameren says.

“We couldn’t go up to the maternity ward because the hospital was giving

Ferd van Gameren and Brian Rosenberg with their son, Levi, and twins Sadie and Ella.

custody to the adoption agency, and the adoption agency was giving him to us outside of the hospital,” Rosenberg says.

But an hour and a half later, the agency’s attorney came out with baby Levi and handed him to the new dads.

“Neither of us had any experience taking care of newborns,” Rosenberg says.

They called their mothers for help, but one lived out of state and the other in a different country; it would take some time for them to travel to New York.

Then they contacted a baby-nursing agency, but no one could come for a few days. “So we called a baby store near our apartment, called Bump to Baby, and they got us in touch with a doula who came over and helped us with Levi. She showed us how to feed him, change his diaper and bathe him,” Rosenberg says.

We’d go to all these big stores and small boutique stores and everything; the big stores had labels that said ‘mommy tested,’ ‘mommy approved,’ ‘for moms, by moms,’ ‘we love moms.’

8 MAY 15–28, 2014 XTRA!

“It was great, but that whole whirlwind was absolutely beyond crazy.”

Two months later, van Gameren, who is Dutch, was told that his request for a green card had been denied. After spending 18 years in the United States studying, working and planning for a family, he was told he had to leave.

“We chose Canada, and we chose Toronto because it’s a big city,” van Gameren says. “We’re a blended family, gay dads, so we thought a big city was a good choice, very multicultural.” They found an apartment in Toronto and made the move.

Coincidentally, several days before Levi was born, the couple had signed a contract and put down a deposit with a surrogacy agency. “It was a nonrefundable deposit,” Rosenberg says.

“So we said, ‘Okay, we’ll try this. We don’t want Levi to be an only child.’”

Their agency found a gestational carrier in West Virginia who had three kids of her own and had given birth to twin girls for another gay couple. Within months, the new dads received another call. They, too, were going to have twin girls.

After Sadie and Ella were born, van Gameren and Rosenberg drove to West

GRAEME COLEMAN

Virginia and brought the girls back to their new home in Toronto, where Rosenberg says he felt somewhat overlooked as a gay father.

“We’d go to all these big stores and small boutique stores and everything; the big stores had labels that said ‘mommy tested,’ ‘mommy approved,’ ‘for moms, by moms,’ ‘we love moms.’ We’d go to these small stores with names like Moms to Be or Bump to Baby — everything was so targeting the moms,” Rosenberg says.

“I’m not a mom; I’m a dad.”

The couple discovered that few resources for gay dads existed. They talked about building an online community but were too busy to make it happen.

“Then finally, the kids were all toddlers and we said we still want to feel connected with other gay dads. And we went online, and sure enough, there are more gay-dad writers and bloggers now, but no one has come together to build a community,” Rosenberg says.

So the dads co-founded Gays with Kids, an online resource that aims to help gay dads navigate parenthood, from creating families to raising families. “‘Gay father’ up until a few years ago primarily meant a closeted gay man or

a man who didn’t know he was gay and got married, had a kid, then divorced and now is a gay man who has to come out to his kids. But that’s not often the case now,” van Gameren says.

Rosenberg says they want to cover all gay dads, from the ones who were previously married to women to the ones who became dads when they were out gay men, whether through foster care, surrogacy, adoption or other scenarios.

“If you’re a gay dad in some way, shape or form, we want Gays with Kids to feel like home to you,” Rosenberg says.

For now, the website offers content from bloggers, columnists and regular writers who tell stories about their everyday experiences raising their families. It also features a variety of family spotlights that highlight the diversity of real gay men with kids.

Rosenberg and van Gameren believe Gays with Kids will be the biggest online resource available for gay fathers.

They’ve had a soft launch for friends and family, but a bigger launch is planned for June 1.

For more information, visit gayswithkids.com.

TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM

XTRA! MAY 15–28, 2014 9

COMMUNITY

How a dilapidated meeting hall became a home for the queer community, in the words of the people who were there

See you at

THE 519

BY ROB SALERNO

SINCE 1975, the 519 Church Street

Community Centre has been the centre of the Church and Wellesley neighbourhood.

Although not officially a “queer” centre, The 519 is known as a home for Toronto’s LGBT people. So how did this inauspicious building become one of the most innovative bases of queer activism in the world?

BIRTH OF A QUEER SPACE The 519 was originally a hall for the Granite Club, but by the 1970s it had become a dilapidated hangout for the 48th Highlanders, and the city condemned it.

Kyle Rae (board member, 1981–86; executive director, 1987–91; city councillor, 1991–2010): The city was about to

destroy it, and the neighbourhood said, “Hold on, we need a place for meetings, a place for services.” So they give it to the community and set up a very special way of operating. At first the seniors dominated, but in 1976/77, an application comes from a group called Gay Youth Toronto. It was young gay people trying to get use of the building, and in the end they do get in, which 10 MAY 15–28, 2014 XTRA!

creates the tension with the seniors.

Then in ’78, the big kerfuffle with [anti-gay activist] Anita Bryant occurs. That is when the seniors walk away. When everyone organizes for Anita Bryant’s event up in North York, the buses load people up at The 519.

They have effigies of Anita Bryant and somebody burns the effigy and puts the torch in her crotch. The seniors go nuts because Anita Bryant was Miss USA in 1960.

Helen Rykens (519 staffer, 1983– 2013): It’s way more efficient than the

city-controlled system. We wouldn’t have been successful without that model.

Kyle Rae: Every year we’d go in and

defend our budget and say there’s an increase in staffing or we need new computers, and the city would determine, is this in the operating budget or the programming budget? For example, there was a battle in 1986. We bought those new steelcase chairs, which are still there. We had a battle with the budget committee: is that a capital expense or a programming expense? ’Cause it’s for the people to sit during your programs.

Helen Rykens: You get an active board in the community and they don’t want that building to be empty. You have to respond to the people who live in the neighbourhood because they’re going to elect the board.

Kyle Rae: The gay groups didn’t get

funding. They were all self-actualized.

That was the quintessential essence of The 519 back in the ’70s and ’80s.

INNOVATIVE FUNDING

Chris Phibbs (programming director, 1987–91): People would apply for

Many say the key innovation of The 519 was that the city owned the building and paid for its upkeep and core staff, but all programming was made and funded by the community.

space, and then we would map it out to see whether we could squeeze them in — does it respond to a need that the community has expressed? Whatever they do in that room is what they do,

Top, an architectural rendering of the new wing that was finalized in 2010. Above, many community members first got involved with The 519 through its food co-op.

Top right, a new mural is painted over an old mural. Right, volunteers prepare to paint the first of many murals that eventually grace the side of The 519.

and they charge two bucks for coffee every week in order to make money.

David Snoddy (former board member): The drag community and the bars

were always an active part of supporting The 519. If you were a new group, you’d partner with a local business and

a drag queen who’d get behind it or someone who had some sway within the community.

Philip Hare (519 bookkeeper, 1988– 91): My first Pride Day ever, it was the

first Pride focused on The 519. There used to be an auction in the park [to TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

tion, and at that point in my life that was enough, just to be in a gay place.

I’d just go in, and there’s something reassuring about being in a place that’s so gay-friendly, even though I wasn’t officially out at the time.

In 1988 they advertised a job for bookkeeper, which I had no experience at whatsoever, but I applied because I had just come out and I really wanted to work there.

For 30 years, Helen Rykens worked at The 519, retiring as manager of public access and facility services in July 2013. She was a rare constant in the fast-changing space.

Helen Rykens: I moved to Toronto probably ’78, ’79, and I lived in one of those apartment buildings on Jarvis Street, and I felt lost in a large city.

I walked around and found Church Street, and there was The 519 Community Centre. There was a food co-op there that I joined. I started there as a volunteer.

Helen [Rykens] was one of the first faces I met when I walked through the door, shaking and trembling as a young teenager coming out to LGYT. KRISTYN WONG-TAM, CITY COUNCILLOR fundraise for The 519], and Jack Layton was the auctioneer. I thought he was drop-dead gorgeous and I wanted to meet him, and I was crushed when I learned he was straight. But he was so sweet.

GOING THROUGH THE DOORS Kyle Rae: Kids were often drifting to

Toronto. There were far more street kids then than there are today. You’d have kids who would be working the street. They would go to The 519. There was a real mix of kids.

Philip Hare: I was aware of The 519

for years before I actually ventured into it. I knew about LGYT [Lesbian and Gay Youth Toronto], but I wasn’t brave enough to venture in the doors.

I’d pick up brochures about groups that were meeting there. I just knew it was a great place to get informaMORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM

Kyle Rae: She was absolutely amazing

at welcoming the people who were in tears from losing their jobs for coming out or losing their parents because they’d come out.

Kristyn Wong-Tam (city councillor):

Helen was one of the first faces I met when I walked through the door, shaking and trembling as a young teenager coming out to LGYT. I didn’t know where I was going or what I was looking for, and she just looked at me and said, “Up the stairs.”

Kyle Rae: Helen knew who belonged

here. With LGYT there were people who would hang out who shouldn’t be hanging around LGYT, and she knew who shouldn’t be here. Helen knew how to keep the building safe, keep the building’s integrity, keep the building working.

A QUEER CENTRE? Officially, The 519 has never been a queer centre — the city authorized it to serve the neighbourhood bounded

by Bloor, Bay, Gerrard and Parliament streets. It has always served a diverse group of communities.

Kyle Rae: It was by accident, by creativity, it turned into the gay community centre, but I fought that because once it becomes that, [other] people will feel it’s not part of their community. It’s great that queers from Scarborough came in, and it’s sad because you’re not going to get anywhere with the mayor of Scarborough or Mel [Lastman] in North York. Being a community centre gave it legitimacy.

Chris Phibbs: There was a program every Friday night for developmentally disabled adults. It was also user-run.

The users would DJ, they would collect the tickets, run the bar, select a theme, do the decorating. It was their only day out of their group home.

Kyle Rae: The queer community had

no idea it was there. They were at the bars on Friday nights.

Chris Phibbs: There was also a home-

less drop-in that would happen every Sunday morning. There’d be clothes available for them; there’d be a hot meal.

A BASE FOR THE COMMUNITY Still, The 519 has been a home to dozens of queer community groups who needed a safe, public, welcoming space to hold group meetings and organize.

Kyle Rae: I was coordinating Pride; the gay dance committee met there, and all the gay community organizations who had weekly or monthly meetings met there. And if you had a big public meeting, you’d use the auditorium.

Chris Phibbs: Notso Amazon baseball league met there. That was the reason I started going.

Kyle Rae: Political activism grew out

of The 519 because of the queer issues.

Helen Rykens: We had a thing in the

space-use policy where advocacy was encouraged. Because we were able to provide space for free, those groups were able to meet more easily.

Once they’d felt they’d dealt with the issues in their own communities, those groups would tend to disband.

The Polish Gays and Lesbians, when they started — it was very funny — the leader of the group said, “I’m very sorry, but I think some older Polish ladies will be protesting outside the building. Do we have to cancel the meeting?” And I said, “Absolutely not!”

Eventually they were accepted in the Polish-Canadian umbrella organization. That’s the sort of thing that could happen in The 519.

David Snoddy: Programming for gay people focused on coming out and integrating to the community because there weren’t supports.

Helen Rykens: I thought it was really

important to make space available for people who needed the room urgently, like if someone had had a bashing and wanted to have a community meeting.

No matter how busy we got, I kept the flexibility in the schedule. continued next page E XTRA! MAY 15–28, 2014 11

E continued from previous page

because the worry was it would just grow and grow and grow.

A BRIDGE TO THE POLICE

Helen Rykens: Years later, parents

would come in and say, “Someone told me my son’s name is on the memorial.

Did you know him? Could you tell me about him?” I would look in my records and find out who put in the name and try to get them in touch, and if not, I would take them out to the memorial and show them.

Kyle Rae: In 1991, I got queerbashed twice on Church Street, so I contacted 52 Division and said, “Where are the stats? Is this growing?” And they said, “There are no stats because no one is telling us about the gaybashing.”

So I started this phone line, this bashing line, so people could record their being bashed and they could submit it anonymously, or they could submit it with their name and address hoping police would respond. Every day we would fax them to 52 Division.

OPPOSITION Despite The 519’s community involvement and autonomous governance, it faced occasional opposition from neighbours and even city hall.

LE Wakelin (board member, 1975– 86): We had challenges with one of the

Chris Phibbs: It was just an answer-

ing machine in the beginning. We’d be sending it and the police were like, “None of these people are talking to us,” and we started forging a real relationship with 52 Division. In the end, we started doing fundraisers to buy bicycles for the police so they could do bike patrols. Nine bikes we bought — 10 years after they turned our community upside down!

mayors, a female, who seemed to think that we weren’t worth the money that they were giving for core staffing. We did about a six-month survey of who was coming, what they were doing, what the volunteers were doing, and discovered that for every dollar the city was spending, they were getting back $10 in volunteer time for people running programs.

David Snoddy: Some of the commu-

nity members were invited to go to the police training camp at CO Bick [police college] to provide some awareness. I became one of the volunteer community speakers. Toronto took it quite seriously at that time. That was a first to be done by any police service.

It started to show that with a little work with communities and partner agencies, you could build bridges with how the public views the police and how the police deal with problems of community safety.

A NEW NAME It’s officially The 519 Church Street Community Centre, but almost no one calls it that today.

Kyle Rae: When I became ED, I went

through a rebranding. We got Philip Hare to do a new design, and the letterhead said “The 519,” right in the corner. It became The 519.

Philip Hare: It was just kind

Kyle Rae: In 1984, [then-councillor,

building. Chris Phibbs hated it, but Kyle loved it. The original building had an arch at the front that became the crotch, and I added feet and little Disney gloves and a face.

THE FUTURE

THE AIDS CRISIS

Kyle Rae: We were in a struggle and that struggle’s gone. There are struggles that are around the world that we should be involved in leading on and changing that experience. But the world has changed from when we were fighting the police, the province, the city.

Chris Phibbs: The AIDS memorial

became a program of The 519 that did have some staff involvement. We helped do the design competition and the call for submissions and the second call for submissions. There were a lot of angry artists because the first one didn’t demand that they have names on it.

Helen Rykens: A lot of the

time when someone died, the funeral would take place somewhere else. The family would come down and a lot would be denied, and people from Toronto wouldn’t necessarily be invited. The idea was that people needed a place to grieve.

of a no-brainer. That’s what everybody was calling it.

The logo that I did was just “519” in sort of a loose, handPhilip Hare’s drawn style with “The” written above it. This is 1988, so 1988 logo design for The 519. the logo I submitted was hand-drawn. The original drawing Chris Phibbs: There was some pushwas just marker on paper, old school. back, but the neighbour stuff was dealt We also had a sort of informal logo with by having neighbourhood input that we put on T-shirts for fundraisearly on and being careful about where ing that was a dancing version of the it was placed and how it would grow, 12 MAY 15–28, 2014 XTRA!

future mayor] June Rowlands forced the city auditor to do a major audit of The 519, and the article in The Sun ended up saying something like, “It’s quirky, but it works.” We’d tried to get a new stove in the kitchen, and she did not believe they needed to have it. It wasn’t so much a queer issue, although she had a real problem with queer. She used this kitchen issue.

Parents would come in and say, ‘Someone told me my son’s name is on the memorial. Did you know him?

Could you tell me about him?’

HELEN RYKENS, 519 STAFFER, 1983–2013 Top, the completed mural puts a rainbow over the community on a cloudy day.

Above, a mourner at the AIDS memorial.

Chris Phibbs: The hope is that it’s not necessary because we should be able to meet and get organized anywhere, and in most big cities that’s probably possible. But there was a time where that wasn’t possible. We could only do that in our living rooms or at The 519.

Helen Rykens: Pride Uganda is still meeting at The 519; the Queer Refugee Program still meets and is advocating for queer rights around the world.

Go to dailyxtra.com for our video coverage of the launch of this year’s Green Space, the annual Pride fundraiser for The 519.

TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

An evening celebrating Queer Contemporary Ceramic Art and the Canadian Lesbian & Gay Archives.

RECEPTION Thursday, May 29 at the Gardiner Museum 6:00 - 8:00 pm TIckets $30 at clga.ca (cash bar) DINNER

In partnership with the Gardiner Museum and the special exhibition, Camp Fires: The Queer Baroque of Léopold L. Foulem, Paul Mathieu and Richard Milette, May 29 - September 1, 2014.

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8:00 pm The First Annual Guardians of the Archives Dinner To learn more, visit clga.ca or call (416) 845-3290

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XTRA! MAY 15–28, 2014 13

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The lost language of gay How a secret lingo known as Polari brought together a community HISTORY BOYS MICHAEL LYONS

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Picture this: you and me in a bar, a mixed crowd, mostly straight. I sidle up to you and shout over the din, “Bona nochy, my bijou bitch. Vada the dish on that dally gajo! Think he’d charver with this omipalone, or is he naff . . . maybe bibi?”

Maybe you’d think I’m completely insane, or maybe you’re one of the few people in the room who understands.

“Aunt Nell said he’s a dilly boy when the dinari’s bona,” you cackle, “but tonight he’s alamo, ogling you for a bold blag.”

You and I have just parlayed in majestic Polari, the “linguistic mongrel” of thieves, travelling entertainers and homosexuals.

Polari — which can be traced back to at least the 19th century, possibly as early as the 16th — isn’t so much a language as an in-group lexicon; it’s a secret lingo that grew and evolved as it borrowed from a number of disparate groups and languages.

In her dissertation on the lost gay language, Heather Taylor explains that Polari likely grew out of cant slang: phrases or catchwords passed among travellers, vagabonds and criminals.

Polari is a coded gay lingo that grew and evolved as it borrowed from disparate groups and languages over several centuries. JORI BOLTON

groups and circuses, mixing Lingua Franca into the cant that was used within those groups.

An influx of Italian immigrants to England in the 1840s added to this growing lexicon, since they often worked as entertainers, too. Travelling actors and circus people were despised, even to the point of being denied Christian burials; they used a linguistic relative called Parlyaree. Influences from “gypsy” — a derogatory term for Romani people — lexicon added back slang (a coded

Aunt Nell said he’s a dilly boy when the dinari’s bona, but tonight he’s alamo, ogling you for a bold blag.

Cant could be picked up quickly and was incomprehensible to outsiders, providing speakers a certain amount of secrecy. With its wide range of words for body parts, bodily functions and genitalia, cant was a true language of the demimonde.

Another likely influence is Mediterranean Lingua Franca, one of a number of bridge languages used to make communication possible between speakers of different tongues, which was cultivated by sailors and enriched with “nauticisms.” Injured or retired British sailors who had trouble adjusting to home life in the 18th and 19th centuries would join travelling

language in which written words are pronounced backward — for instance, “boy” becomes “yob”) and rhyming slang. Other elements were borrowed from Yiddish, the Cockney dialect and Shelta, a cant of Irish travellers.

As gay scenes began consolidating in urban centres in the 19th and 20th centuries, police action against them grew, necessitating the insular community of which Polari was a key component.

It reached its height as a secret gay language in London in the 1950s and 1960s, when police entrapment was routine. This was coupled with the rise of flamboyant “camp” culture, which the outrageous language is well suited to.

If the mid-20th-century’s statesanctioned crusades necessitated a language that offered protection and secrecy from heterosexual culture, the rise of political and societal protections in the late 20th century was what killed Polari. After England decriminalized homosexuality in 1967, public opinion slowly started coming around for the omi-palones and palone-omis (mannish women, ie lesbians).

With gay pride on the rise alongside a zeitgeist of virile gay masculinity, Polari, camp behaviour and effeminacy — seen as irreverent and carnal symbols of prior repression — were denigrated and rejected. Only as it fell out of use within the gay community did Polari begin to be studied seriously and documented.

Much was lost, as tracking the mostly spoken language proved difficult.

I didn’t even learn about Polari until late 2013, but I owe my newfound knowledge to the Polari Rosetta Stone program compiled by Damien Atkins for the Buddies in Bad Times production of The Gay Heritage Project.

Atkins’s spoof reintroduced Polari to many gays who might have gone their whole lives without hearing nary a “cod cottage” or a “zhooshy shush bag.”

History Boys appears in every issue of Xtra.

Visit dailyxtra.com for a collection of more than 150 Polari words.

TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

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TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

OutintheCity

I relate the most to Schumann . . . probably because of the impulsive, even wild, moments in the music. Olivier Hébert-Bouchard E30

Touring Thrones Responses to HBO’s touring exhibition Game of Thrones have been, in a word, mixed. Presented in New York, Mexico City, Austin, Oslo, Rio de Janeiro and Belfast, the show’s been called everything from innovatively terrifying to torturously mind numbing. How Torontonians will react when the mammoth spectacle descends on us is anyone’s guess. But if you’re looking to brave the lines in the hopes of scoring a rush ticket to the sold-out affair, here are a few things to keep in mind.

It’s all about the craft The hours put into costumes and props on most TV shows don’t get much hype. But checking out the GoT team’s handiwork up close is awe-inspiring.

Hundreds of tailors, embroiderers, dyers, weavers, carpenters and metal workers give the show a wow factor unlike anything else on the big or small screen.

The royal wedding crown from Season 4 of Game of Thrones will be on display at TIFF. ASHLEY SEARS

SYDNEY HELLAND

It’s interactive (sort of)

There are no hot guys

Designed to “bring the fans closer to the series, on both a physical and emotional level,” the exhibition’s interactive components vary in their level of interactivity. The “Blackwater Bay” video-game simulator lets you shoot flaming arrows at Stannis Baratheon’s ships while defending King’s Landing. “Ascend the Wall” replicates the Night’s Watch elevator through a virtual-reality headset complete with blasts of cold air. Oddly, the most popular feature is a replica of the Iron Throne.

Visitors wait for hours to snap selfies while seated on a plastic copy of the royal chair built from the swords of the Targaryen’s vanquished enemies.

Overwhelming art direction and ridiculously complex story lines aside, much of the show’s appeal can be attributed to its stunningly attractive and often naked cast.

But while there’s a video component to the show, those hoping to view unreleased Tyrion Lannister or Jon Snow nude scenes will be disappointed. Yes, I asked. — Chris Dupuis

SO MUCH

Game of Thrones: The Exhibition runs Wed, May 14–Sun, May 18, at TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King St W. tiff.net/exhibitions

Micah Barnes (far right) reunites with The Nylons at Sing!

SINGING Two high-profile Toronto LGBT artists are making rare live appearances this month as part of Sing!

The Toronto Vocal Arts Festival.

As lead singer for the Parachute Club, Lorraine Segato set radio afire with the group’s timely blend of new wave and pop, charting multiple successes with their eponymous debut album and two follow-ups. The group’s biggest hit, “Rise Up,” still endures as an anthem for social justice, personal empowerment and just plain fun.

“I had a bit of a relationship thing with that song for a while,” Segato admits. “I didn’t want to ride on its coattails, but I started listening to people’s stories about what it meant for them. I’m back into my loving-it stage, and I feel an incredible amount of gratitude towards it.”

Segato likes to mix things up when performing the song, and she’s excited to be singing it with renowned a cappella group Retrocity at the festival.

“They’re my new favourite experience band,” she says. “I’ve been following them around, so when I was asked to sing their acoustic version of “Rise MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM

Hervana rocks The Drake.

Up” with them, I said, ‘Yeah!’”

Micah Barnes’s appearance at Sing! will be as varied as his long and vibrant career. From his piano-man beginnings to the cutting-edge club tracks that took Los Angeles by storm, Barnes is a true musical chameleon. His latest foray into jazz placed his song “New York Story” in the top five of iTunes Canada downloads. The festival will find him in two roles: coaching vocal acts and reuniting onstage with famed a cappella group The Nylons.

“The Nylons were really the ones that taught me

the ropes,” says Barnes, who promises the band will perform favourites like “Kiss Him Goodbye” and “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”

“Right now I think they have the best voices ever.

They just keep getting better and better. Jumping back in has been pure heaven.” — Serafin LaRiviere Sing! runs Fri, May 30–Sun, June 1, at the Distillery District and features performances, workshops, a sing-along and a school workshop program. singtoronto.com

HERVANA It all started with a tweet in May 2013, when Carly Beath spotted a message from someone she had never met stating that Toronto needed an all-female cover band named Hervana.

“I was like, yes! This [name] has to be taken, this has to be a thing,” Beath says.

Hervana’s lineup includes Beath (Skirt Cobain) as lead singer, bass player/backup vocalist Erin Saunderson (Miss Novoselic), drummer Sonia Sennik (Dave Grrrl) and guitar player/backup vocalist Michelle Turingan (Pap Smear).

Beath started playing guitar when she was 15 and recalls practising in her bedroom with her binder of Nirvana guitar tabs. She and Saunderson had played together previously in a band, while Turingan — who always lusted after Cobain’s lyrics — was the odd one out of her group of friends growing up, who were mostly into R&B and hip hop. Sennik has played in various bands across Ontario.

The group’s first show was this past March at The Drake, where the foursome was rewarded with a packed crowd and a bustling mosh pit.

Hervana’s sets include a mix of hits and more obscure songs that diehard Nirvana fans want to hear. The band tries to find a middle ground and also takes requests from the audience.

“We put our own energy into it; the vocals are obviously different. Kurt’s voice was so unique, and you can’t imitate it, so we do the best we can,” Beath says. “To us, it’s really important to celebrate Nirvana because they had this mainstream platform and were still willing to get up and say, ‘We’re not cool with racism and homophobia, and if you’re into that — don’t come to our show.’ We pay tribute to that, too.” — Lauryn Kronick Hervana performs alongside Spoils, Filthy Liars and Zoey (from Lunchlady) on Tues, May 20, 7pm, at Handlebar, 159 Augusta Ave. facebook.com/hervanaband XTRA! MAY 15–28, 2014 17

PRESENTING SPONSOR

Toronto LGBT Film Festival Parties Opening Gala Party

Local Heroes Party

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THURSDAY MAY 22, 10:00PM

THURSDAY MAY 29, 10:00PM

presents

Media Bar 77 Peter Street (South of Adelaide Street West)

Gladstone Hotel 1214 Queen Street West (Corner of Gladstone Avenue)

Join Inside Out as we kick off the Toronto LGBT Film Festival and celebrate the best in LGBT cinema from around the world.

For this very special edition we partner with the Hotnuts crew and superstar divas, Mary Messhausen and Produzentin, who will amaze and entertain us with their draglicious stylze and their dance and house music realness! This is the perfect way to get us all in the mood for 11 days of film, panel discussions and parties.

Toronto is filled with talented Queeroes and this year we celebrate the DJ! You won’t want to miss this jam-packed party. Come dance your face off to DJs Vee Stun (Vag Halen), John Caffery (Mighty Real, Pit Bull), Cozmic Cat (Cherry Bomb), Phil V (Big Primpin’, Business Woman’s Special), Joe Blow and Sigourney Beaver (Steers & Queers, Bent), Linguist (Andy Poolhall, Footwork) and Secret Agent (Sweaty Bettys, Here Kitty Kitty). Axel Blows and Shane MacKinnon will also grace us with their extraordinary gravity-defeating pole dancing abilities.

Tickets: $10 General Public/$8 Members Free with your Opening Gala screening and party ticket

Cover: $6 at the door or free with your Local Heroes screening ticket stub

Closing Gala Party and Awards

Back to the Future

SUNDAY JUNE 1, 10:00PM

FRIDAY MAY 30, 10:00PM The Steady 1051 Bloor Street West (2 Blocks East of Dufferin Street) The never-to-be-missed Transplanetarium After Party will not disappoint! The evening will feature DJs Daddy K and Nik Red on the decks, along with a special guest.

No cover

Hotel Ocho 195 Spadina Avenue (North of Queen Street West) Join Inside Out as we wrap the 2014 Toronto LGBT Film Festival. Dance the night away to the sounds offered by our beautiful guest DJ, Regina the Gentlelady (Light Fires).

Cheers to another Festival! Most women know what they want. Regina knows what you want. With the voice of a shady angel and a body made for breaking hearts, she delivers anthems from the alleyways, and sets the nights ablaze. Regina is shadow and light, high kicks and deep splits, fierce tongue and soft touch. You already need her, and you haven’t even met her yet. Regina is a celebration of love. Regina is a celebration of the night. Regina is Light Fires, and Light Fires is what you’ve been missing in your life.

Tickets: $10 General Public/$8 Members Free with your Closing Gala screening and party ticket

INTERCONTINENTAL TORONTO CENTRE CHARLES STREET VIDEO

gaycast.net STEAM WHISTLE

PARTY SPONSORS

18 MAY 15–28, 2014 XTRA!

TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

2014

INSIDE OUT PREVIEW

Fly Lady Di and Emily Law battle it out in Waack Revolt, screening in the Local Heros program (see page 27).

The Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival’s 2014 tagline is #seeforyourself, which encapsulates this year’s festival perfectly. From major premieres like The Normal Heart to the always-entertaining Local Heroes showcase (featuring the stunning dance film Waack Revolt), this is a festival that consistently takes chances and surprises its loyal audience. The scope of this year’s lineup is so large as to be intimidating. To help navigate the 11-day frenzy, Xtra has put together a guide to some of our favourite films; however, we highly recommend you see as many as possible for yourself.

MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM

XTRA! MAY 15–28, 2014 19

INSIDE OUT 2014 PREVIEW FEATURES

From Brazil with love Touching opening gala is both sappy and powerful Based on his short I Don’t Want to Go Back Alone, director Daniel Ribeiro’s coming-ofage feature debut, The Way He Looks, has the feel of those 1980s teen flicks, like My Bodyguard or a beloved John Hughes film.

Mind you, it doesn’t have any quirky slapstick or an eclectic pop-rock soundtrack. What it does have are great young actors who pull the viewer into the simple and tender story.

Leonardo (Ghilherme Lobo) is a teenaged boy with wavy, brown locks (he’s as cute as a puppy) who longs to be independent, leave his home in São Paulo and travel the world.

Blind since birth, Leonardo mixes in just fine at school (save for a few non-threatening bullies). His best friend, Giovana (Tess

Amorim), is a tall and languid young woman who speaks her mind and likes to call their friend Karina a slut.

Giovana is awesome. Like clockwork, she walks Leonardo home from school every day, asking him for his keys so she can open the gate to his home. They have a routine.

At home, Leonardo continually tests his loving yet overly protective parents. He doesn’t really do anything wrong except lean back too far in his chair, blast his beloved Beethoven or ask if he can study abroad.

Mom won’t have any of it; Dad may just cave.

One day, a new boy shows up in class. The teacher tells him to sit behind Leonardo. His name is Gabriel (Fabio Audi), and he has a

THE WAY HE LOOKS

THURS, MAY 22, face like an angel, a head full 8PM of dark curly hair and big pretty eyes that rival Bambi’s.

Giovana is smitten and so is Leonardo.

When the teacher assigns Leonardo to work with Gabriel on a project, the boys start to get to know each other: they dance to Belle and Sebastian, watch an eclipse and have an innocent yet very sexy shower scene. There’s some Giovana drama, a game of spin the bottle and a touching ending that is simple yet incredibly powerful. Yes, the script is full of clichés, but it all works, with its precise editing and many quiet, intimate moments between characters. — Sissydude

Sexy trouble Robin Campillo’s Eastern Boys is stark, suspenseful and surreal I can’t remember the last time I was so riveted by a film, especially the perfect first 30 minutes or so of director Robin Campillo’s Eastern Boys. It’s like Larry Clark’s 1995 film Kids mixed with the “what the fuck is gonna happen next?” intensity of Michael Haneke’s 2007 film Funny Games. It plays with your brain and your loins.

Olivier Rabourdin plays Daniel, a tired, middle-aged Frenchman cruising Paris’s Gare du Nord. We watch him as if by surveillance, with the camera shooting from way above, never zooming in close to the many young Ukrainian, Russian and other

20 MAY 15–28, 2014 XTRA!

Eastern European boys who weave through the crowds of train passengers. Even from a distance, with the boys’ posturing, cigarettes dangling on their lips, the new sneakers — we just know these bad boys, the gang of them, are sexy trouble.

Daniel senses the danger, but that’s also the thrill. He’s obsessed with one boy and follows him to a secluded area under a staircase in a shopping centre. The boy’s name is Marek (Kirill Emelyanov), and he agrees to meet the next day for sex at Daniel’s sleek apartment.

It’ll cost Daniel 50 euros.

The next day there’s a knock on Daniel’s

EASTERN BOYS SUN, MAY 25, :

6 30PM door; it’s a boy no more than 14, and he’s definitely not Marek.

We the audience know this kid is a member of the gang.

There’s a constant feeling of suspense and danger in Eastern Boys, a hovering sense that something monumentally horrendous is going to happen to Daniel or Marek. Yet most scenes are shot in bright, sunny daylight. It has the stark coldness of Hitchcock’s Vertigo: streets are vacant, stores lack shoppers. And I never knew there are parts of Paris that look like Mississauga.

Mind blown. — Sissydude

TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

For in-depth video coverage of Inside Out, go to dailyxtra.com.

All screenings are at TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King St W, unless otherwise noted. For complete festival listings, go to insideout.ca.

Deadpan duo Lisa Haas and Jackie Monahan in The Foxy Merkins.

Ghilherme Lobo and Fabio Audi in The Way He Looks.

Midnight cowgirls Madeleine Olnek turns the male hustler genre into a lesbian buddy movie

Olivier Rabourdin kisses Kirill Emelyanov in Eastern Boys.

MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM

Who among us has not wondered — only out of sociological curiosity, of course — why there’s never been a critical mass of sex-crazed dykes who simply have to get off as soon as the thought occurs, and have enough disposable income to pay for it, that would sustain a lesbian-only hustling industry? (Okay, maybe I’m the only one who’s wondered that.) Director Madeleine Olnek’s new comedy, The Foxy Merkins, obliquely explores this question through a sly, deadpan appropriation of the male hustler genre and her hapless protagonist: the asthmatic, bespectacled, jeans-andtee-clad newcomer to town with the sexy name of Margaret.

In part, the joke is on the tropes of the hustler movie. There are situations straight out of Midnight Cowboy, but in this parallel universe they’re more obviously absurd: the adoption by the wizened pimp/best friend, the sudden need to search for a lost parent, the trip to somewhere out of town with a mandatory bus scene and melancholy score. But the joke is also on us and lesbians’ agonizingly fussy courting and mating practises. (“A yellow bandana in your left back pocket means you have more than one cat,” Jo explains to Margaret in one scene. A different pocket means “that you like women that have been through the change.”)

The hangups and the self-consciousness that often come between women who have just met are made visible — and hilarious — by

THE FOXY their total reversal into the opposite. There’s a gem MERKINS of a scene in the hotel elevator in which Margaret SAT, MAY 31, and Jo get slickly picked up by two older women 6:45PM who are in town for a conference. Elsewhere, one of the characters explains that she started working as a lesbian prostitute because it was so damn easy: she was walking around and a woman in an SUV kept honking at her.

“It’s just . . . easy, you know? Just walk outside.” And the designated spots where the lesbian hookers hang out waiting for some work to come their way? The Chelsea-looking rows of brownstones and the outside of the Talbots department store. An older woman persistently propositions Jo in a way that’s only ever seen done by men, and this is a joy to observe despite her awful pickup lines.

The film goes to town with the fact that we have much less money and power than our gay brethren and straight men, the more likely consumers of sex for pay. An elderly woman tries to pay Margaret with a gift card. Another client goes down on Margaret in a dark cinema just so she can steal her snacks.

Many scenes will read absurd yet completely true. Can Olnek take on the nouvelle vague or the big Hollywood studio romantic comedy next, please? I’d pay much more than a Talbots gift card to see that. — Lydia Perovic

XTRA! MAY 15–28, 2014 21

PRESENTING SPONSOR

How to buy tickets ONLINE www.insideout.ca

BY PHONE 416.599.TIFF (8433) Toll-free: 1.888.599.8433 10am to 7pm daily IN PERSON TIFF Bell Lightbox Reitman Square, 350 King Street West 10am to 10pm daily

COMPLETE PROGRAMMING AT INSIDEOUT.CA | ALL SCREENINGS AT THE TIFF BELL LIGHTBOX

Opening Gala

Women’s Gala

C entrepiece Gala

C losing Gala

THE WAY HE LOOKS

TRU LOVE

LOVE IS STRANGE

52 TUESDAYS

THURSDAY MAY 22 | 8 PM

SATURDAY MAY 24 | 7:30 PM

TUESDAY MAY 27 | 9:30 PM

SUNDAY JUNE 1 | 7:30 PM

Daniel Ribeiro Brazil, 2014 Canadian Premiere

Kate Johnston and Shauna MacDonald Canada, 2013 Canadian Premiere

Ira Sachs USA, 2014 Canadian Premiere

Sophie Hyde Australia, 2013 Canadian Premiere

This charming trio of teenage friends at the heart of his feature-length adaptation, it will be hard to resist The Way He Looks, a sweet and sensitive portrayal of friendship; the desire for independence, and the longing for first love. With his debut feature, Ribeiro has crafted a touching coming-of-age story tinged with humour and laced with a dreamlike longing that will leave audiences rooting for the endearing teens. Portuguese with English subtitles.

Who knows what attracts us to someone: beauty, a dazzling smile or the way a laugh line crinkles just so. For 37-year-old Toronto dyke, Tru (Shauna MacDonald)—a notorious womanizer with intimacy issues—it happens to be all of those things and more, as she finds herself falling for her friend Suzanne (Christine Horne)’s mother, the beguiling 60-year-old Alice (Kate Trotter).

Director Ira Sachs (2012 Centrepiece Gala, Keep the Lights On) returns to Inside Out with a poignant and sensitive study of love, the strain of separation and the enduring bond of long-term commitment.

Propelled by exquisite performances from John Lithgow and Alfred Molina, a powerfully understated turn from Marisa Tomei, and solid support from the remaining cast, Love is Strange is a tender drama infused with gentle humour. The film’s subtle intimacy draws the audience into the extraordinarily ordinary lives of George and Ben, and will leave you in love with their love and devotion.

Sixteen-year-old Billie’s reluctant path to independence is accelerated when her mother reveals plans to change genders. In order to minimize the stress as Jane transitions to James, it is decided that Billie will live with her father, Tom, for a year and will see James once a week, every Tuesday.

As Billie attempts to adjust to the dramatic changes in her life, she develops an intense new friendship with two older schoolmates, which serves as a catalyst to independence and self-discovery.

Join us for a cocktail reception preceding the screening.

Winner of Best Director Award (World Cinema Dramatic), 2014 Sundance Film Festival

Teddy Award for Best Feature, 2014 Berlin International Film Festival

Join us for a cocktail reception preceding the screening.

2014 Tribeca Film Festival

FOUNDING MEDIA SPONSOR

22 MAY 15–28, 2014 XTRA!

PLATINUM SPONSORS

GOLD SPONSORS

SILVER SPONSORS

Join us after the screening for the Closing Gala Party and Awards.

BRONZE SPONSORS

TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

The Third One

International Focus On Latin America When it comes to telling hot, dramatic and charming LGBT stories on screen, things are going south! This year, we focus on Latin America, highlighting five films and a mixed shorts program that spans Mexico, Spain, Argentina, Brazil and beyond. Opening the Festival is the Teddy Award-winning film from Brazil, The Way He Looks, which helps set the tone for some of the best and most engaging Queer cinema south of the border.

THE WAY HE LOOKS (Brazil) THURSDAY MAY 22 | 8:00PM

THE THIRD ONE (Argentina) SUNDAY MAY 25 | 9:45PM

MIXED SHORTS: FOCUS ON LATIN AMERICA FRIDAY MAY 23 | 7:15PM

(Brazil/Germany)

EVERYBODY’S GOT SOMEBODY...BUT ME (Mexico) SUNDAY MAY 25 | 7:15PM

PRAIA DO FUTURO FRIDAY MAY 30 | 7:15PM MY STRAIGHT SON (Venezuela/Spain)

SATURDAY MAY 31 | 9:15PM Who’s Afraid of Vagina Wolf?

Special Fundraising Event THE NORMAL HEART FRIDAY MAY 23 | 9:30 PM

MATT BO IN AT MER TEND

ANC E

Ryan Murphy USA, 2014 Canadian Premiere

Best from the Fests Inside Out presents: Best from the Fests, a unique showcase of eight of the most sough after LGBT films on the international circuit. These films have had their world premieres from A-List festivals such as Cannes, Sundance and Berline, and we are proud to bring them to our Toronto LGBT film fans and supporters.

DRUNKTOWN’S FINEST

SOMETHING MUST BREAK

(Sundance Film Festival)

(Goteborg International Film Festival)

MONDAY MAY 26 | 9:30PM

SATURDAY MAY 24 | 9:30PM

LAND OF STORMS

THE CIRCLE

(Berlin International Film Festival)

(Berlin International Film Festival)

WEDNESDAY MAY 28 | 7:30PM

THURSDAY MAY 29 | 7:15PM

ME, MYSELF AND MUM

THE FOXY MERKINS

(Cannes Film Festival)

(Sundance Film Festival)

SUNDAY JUNE 1 | 5:00PM

SATURDAY MAY 31 | 6:45PM

PRAIA DO FUTURO

WHO’S AFRAID OF VAGINA WOLF?

(Berlin International Film Festival)

FRIDAY MAY 30 | 7:30PM

(Frameline Film Festival)

FRIDAY MAY 23 | 9:30PM

Inside Out, in partnership with HBO Canada and Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research, is pleased to present a special premiere screening of the film adaptation of Larry Kramer ’s Tony Award-winning play, The Normal Heart. Directed by Ryan Murphy (Glee, American Horror Story) and featuring an all-star cast that includes Julia Roberts, Mark Ruffalo, Jim Parsons, Matt Bomer and Taylor Kitsch, the film is an emotionally powerful reflection on the advent of the AIDS epidemic.

The Normal Heart explores the nation ’s sexual politics, as gay activists and their allies in the medical community fight to expose the truth about the epidemic to a city in denial. Largely autobiographical, the film is set in New York City between 1981 and 1984, as seen through the eyes of writer and activist Ned Weeks (Mark Ruffalo), the founder of a prominent HIV advocacy group.

Ned prefers public confrontations to the calmer, more private strategies favoured by his associates, friends, and closeted lover Felix Turner (Matt Bomer), none of whom are prepared to throw themselves into the media spotlight. Their differences of opinion lead to frequent arguments that threaten to undermine their mutual goal.

The screening will be preceded by an exclusive VIP cocktail reception (including host bar and hors d’oeuvres) from 6:30-8:30pm. Details will be provided with ticket.

Ticket Prices: Film Only: $40 General Public/$30 Inside Out members Film (priority seating) and Pre-Screening Reception: $150 General Public/$125 Inside Out members (a tax receipt will be issued for the maximum amount allowable).

Tickets are available through the regular Festival box office.

All proceeds from the screening and reception will benefit Inside Out and CANFAR.

FUNDERS

MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM

XTRA! MAY 15–28, 2014 23

INSIDE OUT 2014 PREVIEW DOCUMENTARIES

Thank you, ma’am

Kate Bornstein in Kate Bornstein Is a Queer & Pleasant Danger.

Behind the scenes with proud pornographer mr Pam KATE BORNSTEIN IS A QUEER & PLEASANT DANGER SAT, MAY 24, 5PM

Bornstein this way Doc about trans activist’s life unveils a welcome warmth Activist, author, gender-fucker, Scientology survivor and SM enthusiast Kate Bornstein hasn’t just been a groundbreaker for the trans community; her seminal writings Gender Outlaw and My Gender Workbook provided a template for an entire generation to deconstruct societal understandings of gender. For many trans people, she offered the first glimmer of hope that accepting and manifesting their true selves could lead to happy and fulfilling lives.

How it’s possible that there’s never been a documentary about Bornstein before, I’m not sure. But this year sees the release of the much-anticipated Kickstarterfunded project Kate Bornstein Is a Queer & Pleasant Danger. Taking its name from her 2012 memoir, the film manages to provide a newly intimate portrait of a person who’s rarely shied from spilling the most visceral details of her life in public.

Director Sam Feder films Bornstein at speaking engagements, on photo shoots,

24 MAY 15–28, 2014 XTRA!

at the beach and lying around the house with her partner and their numerous pets. The documentary delves into her art practice, her process of discovering and creating language, and her struggle with intense depression.

Even if you think you know everything there is to know about Bornstein, Feder’s film will show you sides you hadn’t imagined were there. With unbridled warmth and occasionally self-effacing humour, she tracks the journey that’s made her the person she is today.

The film opens with Bornstein discussing her motivations for making it.

“The real reason why I agreed to do it?” she says. “Because you said you were going to make me a star. If I was a star, by golly, I could bring about world peace. That’s the ethical reason why. The personal little-kid reason is that I always wanted to be a star, just like I wanted to be a girl.”

— Chris Dupuis

“Here is a woman, mr Pam, who creates porn for gay men. How great is that? And how does that work?”

Pink Triangle Press director Nicolas Kazamia’s question is the driving force behind Wham, Bam, mr Pam, the Inside Out Film Festival entry about porn director mr Pam. The film takes a peek into the life of what most gay men would agree is a dream job. (The film was produced by Pink Triangle Press, which publishes Xtra.)

“The fact is, for better or worse, porn shapes our expectations and desires of sex,” Kazamia says. “The people who shape those fantasies are not the performers, but the people like mr Pam who create these works.”

She started out as a web designer and later became a film editor at Falcon Studios, but mr Pam has never spent much time in the spotlight.

“I am fascinated by women in the adult film industry who work behind the scenes,” Kazamia says. “Porn is mostly consumed by men and created by men, whether it be gay or straight. Women’s roles are —

mostly — in front of the camera, so when you find women creating content it’s quite rare, and so quite compelling.”

And quite lonely. Though mr Pam surrounds herself with people she treats as family, it’s clear that being a woman in such a male-dominated industry WHAM, BAM, takes its toll on her MR PAM personal and social life.

FRI, MAY 30, 10PM But she faces it all with a smile.

“I genuinely think she’s a great person; she’s complex and funny as fuck, as well as a cheerleader,” Kazamia says. “The fact is, being on a porn set is tedious, and I know people don’t believe this, but it’s pretty dull. It’s work.

It’s not erotic at all.

“What was interesting, however, was watching mr Pam direct; her approach was really very much her own. She can swear like a sailor but also coddle the models at the same time. It was pretty remarkable to witness her at work . . . she’s really a sweetheart. I hope that comes across.”

— Andrew Jacome

The director and her stars in Wham, Bam, mr Pam.

TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

For in-depth video coverage of Inside Out, go to dailyxtra.com.

All screenings are at TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King St W, unless otherwise noted. For complete festival listings, go to insideout.ca.

Stephanie Stephens in An Evening with the Impostors.

Fixing history Doc tracks struggle to rewrite colonial-era laws

Pretty in Port Hope On the road with four Toronto drag legends Many a drag queen has longed to grace the stages of New York, Las Vegas or Key West.

But Port Hope, Ontario? Hellz no, gurl!

Despite the burg’s unglamorous rep, last September four Toronto queens packed their stilettos and hit the 401 to play a gig at the town’s 400-seat Capitol Theatre.

The original point of the excursion wasn’t to make a documentary. The queens had been invited by local residents to do a fundraiser. But when organizer Stephanie Stephens ran into filmmaker Raymond Helkio in the Village, she invited him along to document the whole thing.

Stephens figured the show would be recorded just for posterity, but Helkio had other ideas. His previous short, Death of a Bathhouse, had screened at Inside Out last year, and he was longing to make a followup. Not content to simply film the girls and fork over the footage, he decided to turn the experience into his first feature, and An Evening with the Impostors was born.

Stephens, along with Rachael, Ala Mode and Teran Blake, make up the countrybound quartet. In keeping with the DIY aesthetic of his last piece, Helkio shot with handheld video cameras and iPhones.

Capturing the gritty hilarity of a group of queens on a road trip, the film prioritizes rehearsal blunders and backstage banter

MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM

over show-stopping numbers.

“At one point, Ala Mode steps on the mic and it smacks him in the face,” Helkio says, laughing. “But he just kept on going like nothing happened. Now that’s fierce.”

The Impostors takes its name from a piece of Toronto drag history. The original Impostors were a team who played Yonge Street club La Cage through the 1980s.

Owned by the Mirvishes and located where the Hard Rock Café now stands, it was open seven days a week and catered to a mainly straight crowd. Along with Stephens, the original lineup included famed queens Georgie Girl, Michelle DuBarry, Rusty Ryan and Christopher Peterson.

“My first La Cage show freaked the shit out of me,” Helkio recalls. “In the AN EVENING final number, one of the WITH THE IMPOSTORS queens started slowly SAT, MAY 31, taking off his drag in front 12:45PM of the audience. They used to end their shows that way to convey to the audience they were watching actors playing a part. At the same time, they were also challenging the nature of being queer in a way that’s missing from today’s shows.”

— Chris Dupuis

It all started in India. Under British rule in the former colony, it became the first country to write laws criminalizing homosexuality. Enacted in 1861, Section 377 punished “carnal knowledge against the order of nature,” catalyzing the movement that would see generations of gay people across the globe arrested, imprisoned and executed. It was then used as a template for similar laws in Canada, Australia, the Caribbean, East Africa and even Britain itself, which had no similar laws at the time. Today, half the world’s existing anti-gay laws trace their origin to Section 377.

Given her focus on international LGBT rights, it seemed only logical for filmmaker Nancy Nicol to head to India in 2009 when the Delhi high court struck down the law.

“I thought it was a really interesting way to take on issues around oppression,” the York University professor says. “Looking at the treatment of sexual minorities through the lens and legacy of British imperialism and colonialism.”

Nicol’s film No Easy Walk to Freedom charts the journey of activists and their opposition. In keeping with past works, Nicol stays out of the way, letting those involved speak for themselves.

“A social-justice movement is itself a kind of discussion,” Nicol says. “I try to

capture that dynamic through different contributors and their thinking on a particular issue. There’s always debate within social movements, and that’s a very positive thing because it’s the way we analyze and grow in relationship to social change. Documentary is a form that is completed not on the screen, but by its interaction with the audience.

What makes good doc is something that generates discussion and debate.”

Nicol’s work is part of a larger project called Envisioning Global LGBT Human Rights. Composed of 31 partners in 12 countries, the interdisciplinary research team looks at people fighting against antigay laws left over from British colonialism.

“People have heard about the situation in places like Uganda and they know it’s horrible,” Nicol says. “But sometimes they don’t know the extent of organizing and the brilliance and courage of people on the ground who are fighting to make change. What’s happening right now in India is powerful. It’s small in terms of the massive scale and diversity of the country, but it’s growing. India is the second most populous country on earth, so what NO EASY happens there has huge WALK implications for the rest of TO FREEDOM the world.” — Chris Dupuis SUN, JUNE 1 , NOON

Activists protesting in No Easy Walk to Freedom.

XTRA! MAY 15–28, 2014 25

INSIDE OUT 2014 PREVIEW SHORTS

Tawiah M’carthy, Brendan Healy and Alejandro Santiago’s Shoot the Shoot.

Tera Mallette and Drew Danielle Belsky’s Momentary.

Coming together All this year’s In Your Pocket shorts are team efforts It’s hard to picture two unacquainted lesbians meeting by chance in some public place, then quickly finding a secluded backstreet or park in which to get it on — only gay men do that, right? Tera Mallette’s short film Momentary challenges this expectation. “[In the film] two girls are walking in the city. They pass each other and there’s an instant spark of attraction, so they go down an alley to make out,” Mallette says. “It’s a loose narrative about lesbians hooking up like gay men do.”

Momentary is just one of many short films that make up the In Your Pocket program.

Now in its second year, In Your Pocket aims to promote accessible filmmaking; because

26 MAY 15–28, 2014 XTRA!

only works created using smartphones or iPads are accepted, even novices with no equipment can see their work screened.

This year’s Come Together theme, chosen by co-curators Marcin Wisniewski and Xtra writer Chris Dupuis, stipulates that each four-minute-or-less film must be the product of collaboration. Wisniewski and Dupuis were eager to explore unconventional pairings and examine the effect of collaboration on the creative process.

Mallette acknowledges that shooting a film on a smartphone or iPad means making concessions in terms of quality, but she appreciates the benefits: “Considering how

ubiquitous smartphone devices are, there’s no excuse for people not to produce more films.”

She’s also learned a few IN YOUR POCKET: things from her collaboration COME TOGETHER with Drew Danielle Belsky.

MON, MAY 26, 7PM “I’m a terrible person to & TUE, MAY 27, 7PM work with. I’m awful; I’m VIDEOFAG, never satisfied,” she says.

187 AUGUSTA AVE “But it’s kind of cool, because I could have made a film I would have made, Drew could have made a film she would have made, but the film we made together wasn’t one either of us would have made.” — Jeremy Willard

Drew Lint and Vika Kirchenbauer’s as yet untitled film.

TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

For in-depth video coverage of Inside Out, go to dailyxtra.com.

All screenings are at TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King St W, unless otherwise noted. For complete festival listings, go to insideout.ca.

Art with a message from FAG Feminist Art Gallery Video.

Aaron and Xavier embrace in Reveille.

Heartbroken Darcy and pals in Click.

Homegrown homos Local short films give Inside Out an emotional twist As usual, Inside Out is bubbling over with local talent. Here’s a selection of homegrown shorts to make you laugh, cry, dance and protest. — Chris Dupuis

CLICK What’s the difference between the Afghan war and a lesbian breakup? The Afghan war is shorter and less bloody. Chris Chew’s “sort of” sequel to last year’s hit Falling for Caroline starts with die-hard romantic Darcy having her heart stomped on as a 30th birthday present. Her girlfriends rally to help her recover with a simple two-step solution: get revenge and score some easy online hookups.

Part of Lesbian Shorts: Building a Herstory Sat, May 24, 2:30pm

MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM

REVEILLE Actor Ron Kennell’s directorial debut has already been making the festival rounds and racking up awards. Reveille adds a gay turn to the well-trodden path of wartime love stories. Just like every other day, Aaron and Xavier wake up in each other’s arms, but today is special: Xavier is being deployed to Afghanistan. With the flickering thought that this might be the last day they ever spend together, Aaron struggles to make every second count.

Part of Gay Shorts: Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda Wed, May 28, 9:45pm

the 1970s-era dance style of flailing arms and fierce posing for which Sonia Hong’s Waack Revolt is named. The time-travelling love story begins in 1940s Hollywood when lovers Emily Law and Fly Lady Di bond over their shared need to groove. But public outrage over their freakish moves forces them to flee both their era and their identities, and they float between time periods and genders while waacking up a storm.

Part of Mixed Shorts: Local Heroes Thurs, May 29, 7:30pm

WAACK REVOLT

FAG FEMINIST ART GALLERY VIDEO

The waacking I’m most familiar with usually involves a dick or three. But it’s

When Allyson Mitchell and Deirdre Logue launched the Feminist Art Gallery

in the garage of their Parkdale home, they arrived with one hell of a mandate: phuck the patriarchy and bend the walls of the conventional gallery system until they break, all without accepting a cent of government money.

Three years later, FAG is still going strong, nurturing and supporting a plethora of practices. A kind of musical scrapbook manifesto, their video flips through the ongoing mayhem of party pot-lucking, angry letter writing, free schooling, cat petting, directed reading, protest-sign making, herbal tea and gluten-free-muffintop-consuming days that make FAG a place like no other.

Part of Mixed Shorts: Local Heroes Thurs, May 29, 7:30pm

XTRA! MAY 15–28, 2014 27

INSIDE OUT 2014 PREVIEW PARTIES

Festival fiestas Inside Out is known for bringing fantastic queer cinema to Toronto, but it also throws one hell of a party.

Here’s a list of highlights you won’t want to miss.

OPENING GALA

CENTREPIECE GALA

DJ Produzentin spins and Mary Messhausen takes the drag stage to kick things off.

Celebrate the Oscar-buzzed film Love Is Strange with drinks at OCAD.

Thurs, May 22, 10pm, at Media Bar, 77 Peter St. $10, $8 members, free with opening gala ticket stub.

Tues, May 27, 6:30–8:30pm, at OCADU, 49 McCaul St. Admission with centrepiece gala ticket stub.

WOMEN’S GALA

LOCAL HEROES

Inside Out raises a glass to women in filmmaking and in our community. Also, take a look at the Generations of Queer exhibit onsite, which was curated by Lisa Deanne Smith.

Inside Out celebrates the DJ, with sets from Vee Stun, John Caffery, Cozmic Cat, Phil V, Joe Blow, Sigourney Beaver, Linguist and Secret Agent, while Axel Blows and Shane MacKinnon work the poles.

Sat, May 24, 5–7pm, at OCADU Gallery, 230 Richmond St W. Admission with women’s gala ticket stub.

Thurs, May 29, 10pm, at the Gladstone, 1214 Queen St W. $6; free with Local Heroes ticket stub.

TRANSPLANETARIUM: BACK TO THE FUTURE One of the festival’s crazier parties features DJs Daddy K and Nik Red on the decks, with a very special guest.

Fri, May 30, 10pm, at The Steady, 1051 Bloor St W. No cover.

CLOSING GALA AND AWARDS DJ Regina the Gentlelady wraps Inside Out for another year with a goodbye party for the books.

Sun, June 1, 10pm, at Hotel Ocho, 195 Spadina Ave. $10, $8 members, free with closing gala ticket stub.

Vee Stun, at Local Heroes CLAIRE LOUISE FOSTER

Regina the Gentlelady, at the closing gala ALEJANDRO SANTIAGO

Hotnuts girls, at the opening gala ALEJANDRO SANTIAGO

28 MAY 15–28, 2014 XTRA!

TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

Xtra brings you a chance to win a pair of tickets to Sheila Cavanagh’s Queer Bathroom Stories at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, Saturday, May 31 at 8pm.

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To enter, send your name and phone number to contest@dailyxtra.com, with “Contest: Queer Bathroom Stories” in the subject line, before Friday, May 23. Some restrictions apply. Only winners will be contacted.

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Queer Bathroom Stories acknowledges the support of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies at York University

AFFILIATE EVENT

Miss Cleo talks about being gay dailyxtra.com

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XTRA! MAY 15–28, 2014 29

Wild at heart Olivier HĂŠbert-Bouchard brings rebellious spirit to Stepping Stone classical music competition CLASSICAL MUSIC LYDIA PEROVIC

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Pianist Olivier HĂŠbert-Bouchard acts like a teenager when it comes to classical composers. “I have ‘phases,’â€? he says. “I get obsessed with a certain kind of music, then find something else.â€? HĂŠbert-Bouchard will compete in Toronto as one of the 30 ďŹ nalists of the Canadian Music Competition’s elite Stepping Stone Competition for young musical talent. “But consistently, I would say that I absolutely adore Ravel. I feel like I know him. Of the Romantic composers, I relate the most to Schumann . . . probably because of the impulsive, even wild, moments in his music.â€?

The Trois-Rivières-born musician would know something about that: he describes himself as an impulsive piano player who might have practised something one way for days but then decides in the middle of a performance to do it differently. This creative approach to a repetitive activity attracts him very much. It’s also one of the reasons he’s so passionate about new music. “With new music, you get to be part of the creation. Sometimes you get a piece written just for you or share your piano knowledge with a composer.

PÄ“teris Vasks, Tomas Adès, Einojuhani Rautavaara, Osvaldo Golijov (“My exboyfriend ďŹ rst introduced me to the amazing The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind), George Crumb and Arvo Pärt.

Competitions are a good way for a young pianist to get noticed and build connections, but what else does HĂŠbert-Bouchard recommend? “Be active. Be out there and visible; people are not going to look for you. Most of the great projects that I got happened because I started talking to people, talking to my friends, asking if they would like to work on a piece or an event with me, and it would start slowly from there. And now it’s going so well that I don’t have any social life.â€?

Later this year, HĂŠbert-Bouchard and his frequent music collaborators are starting their own indie label.

Pianist Olivier HĂŠbert-Bouchard “Time for some indie classical labels out there,â€? he says. “There are some New music is often colnew music labels, but laboration and a way to they only do new music.

STEPPING STONE COMPETITION explore. And as a player, What we’re going to try Wed, May 21–Sat, May 24 I feel more conďŹ dent that to do is to integrate new Edward Johnson Building, I can tell how somebody and old repertoire — to Walter Hall, U of T 80 Queen’s Park Crescent felt if we share the same make recordings based cmcnational.com historical context. For on concept.â€? Their ďŹ rst the composers from the project will unite Depast, we really have to guess.â€? Among bussy and contemporary French spechis favourite living composers he cites tralist composer Tristan Murail.

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Xtra and Soulpepper Theatre Company bring you a chance to win a pair of tickets to both parts of Tony Kushner’s Angels in America, on Monday, June 16 at 7:30pm (part 1) and Wednesday, June 25 at 7:30pm (part 2).

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To enter, send your name and phone number to contest@dailyxtra.com, with “Contest: Angels in America” in the subject line, before Thursday, May 29.

Some restrictions apply. Only winners will be contacted.

RAQUEL DUFFY, PHOTO: CYLLA VON TIEDEMANN

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XTRA! MAY 15–28, 2014 31

#TeamBianca The Sisters want YOU! Join the Toronto Mission of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence all ages, races, genders and sexual identities welcome. /TorontoSisters @TorontoSisters info@torontosisters.org torontosisters.org

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32 MAY 15–28, 2014 XTRA!

An interview with Drag Race favourite Bianca Del Rio TORONTO AT NIGHT RYAN G HINDS

RuPaul’s Drag Race fans have coalesced behind Bianca Del Rio, so local members of #TeamBianca were ecstatic when she recently announced a handful of Toronto appearances in conjunction with WorldPride.

The 519’s Green Space and OUTtv will present Bianca in her Toronto debut, alongside Adore Delano, Courtney Act and Darienne Lake, on June 26 and 28.

With the RPDR ďŹ nale days away, the question must be asked: was snatching a crown always an ambition? Bianca’s answer might surprise you. “Everyone does drag for different reasons. Some do it for exposure; some use it as a pathway to transitioning,â€? she says. “I didn’t plan on being a drag queen.

I didn’t plan on being a 38-year-old man in a dress. What I’m proudest about is that on the show we were all very skilled in different ways, and the world got to see that.� Without a trace of her trademark shade, she adds, “What was great about this season was having some older queens, because they know what they’re doing. I’ve always wanted to look like a cartoon . . . and not necessarily a pretty cartoon.�

When it comes to naming her fellow castmates, she does not shy away, and knowing her, would we expect anything else? “Courtney and I clicked with mutual respect. Adore and Trinity? I loved them. Bitch, Trinity can lip-sync a mothafucka down! That’s something I can nevah, evah do. Have I lip-synched?

Yes. Can she kick my ass at it? Yes! Now, do I hate Laganja? I don’t, because she’s a brilliant performer. My point was if you cry once, I understand. If you cry 10 times, you need therapy. She needs therapy. Or maybe a joint.�

Never one to mince words, Del Rio recently weathered a potential scandal because of a viral video clip wherein a fan in San Francisco took to the stage to call her racist. To put it nicely, it didn’t end well for him. “If you’re in a bar on a Monday night at 2am watch-

ing a drag show and you’re offended, then you’re a fuckin’ fool. You need to rethink your life. Rule of thumb: you’re never going to win if someone else has a microphone.�

She’s very clear about being an insult comic with an abrasive sense of humour. “I’m not a spokesperson for everyone. By no means am I curing cancer or paving the way for the world. It’s what comedy is: I say what everyone else is thinking, but they don’t have the chance. I’m

Drag Race frontrunner Bianca Del Rio will be in Toronto for WorldPride in June.

the Norma Rae of the drag world . . .

I’ve accepted responsibility when someone thinks what I’ve said is too much, but I stand by what I say and I do.�

What really stung was the accusation of racism against Latinos. “It’s hysterical, because my mother is from Cuba, my dad is from Honduras and I grew up in New Orleans, where blacks, whites and Hispanics all blended. You really didn’t know someone’s ethnicity until you asked.�

She brings that multiracial worldview to her performances, with hilarious, edgy results, more akin to a Don Rickles routine than anything TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

else. “I bring up an Asian girl, a black girl and a white girl onstage with me.

It’s equal-opportunity ‘hating,’ and we make jokes, no different from what I’ve done my entire life. However, now because of technology and RPDR, it’s heightened, with more attention. But I’m not complaining, because now I’ve got a lot more Twitter followers.”

A peek behind the lashes reveals a softer side that’s only hinted at on television. With the requisite dishi-

Bad Times’ QueerCab youth cabaret last year, she sent a personal greeting along with some homework: “Find out who Charles Pierce is, who Jackie Beat, Lady Bunny, Coco Peru, Varla Jean Merman are . . . all of these people that have been working for many, many years without Drag Race. Investigate, but stay true to yourself: there’s no other right or wrong way.

You’re gonna find a little piece of it at 18. You’re gonna find another piece of it at 21, then 25. Everything good

I’m not a spokesperson for everyone. By no means am I curing cancer or paving the way for the world.

It’s what comedy is: I say what everyone else is thinking, but they don’t have the chance. ness out of the way, she eventually opens up about both inspirations and being an inspiration. “I worship Chita Rivera and have gotten to go backstage to chat, starting when I was 17.

She doesn’t need to talk to some fag in a wig in her dressing room going, ‘Ohmygawd I love you,’ but she told me, ‘Every night you have to prove that you deserve to be there. You can have a bad night, but you have to deliver to realize that it’s a bad night. Every new experience, you’ve gotta go, I’m lucky to get to do this. I’m lucky to be in this city. I’m lucky to get to perform.’” So now that Bianca herself has gone from starstruck teen to a full-grown diva, how does she pass inspiration on to others? Through both word and deed.

When I mention Theo Rose, an 18-year-old Toronto queen who made her drag debut at Buddies in

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Xtra and Talisker Players bring you a chance to win a pair of tickets to A Poet’s Love, a concert of songs about romantic love, on Tuesday, May 27 or Wednesday, May 28 at 8pm, Trinity St Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor St W. To enter, send your name and phone number to contest@dailyxtra.com, with “Contest: A Poet’s Love” in the subject line, before Thursday, May 22. Some restrictions apply.

Only winners will be contacted.

and bad that happens to you is going to help. God, I sound like Yoda now.”

It’s great to see that underneath the lashes and faux bitchiness is a mother hen who is serious about tending to her chicks. “Younger kids reach out to me and say, ‘I can’t get into the club; can I meet you outside?’ So I meet them outside and take a picture, then realize it’s their mother or father bringing them. To be 13 and know who you are and what you are? That’s fabulous. Those are the people who are going to be running the world when I’m dead and gone, so kudos to them.”

To everyone on #TeamBianca, young or old, out there: whether it’s the maternal matron or the foulmouthed, vulgar, raunchy, lovable bitch who shows up at the end of June, WorldPride is going to be one sickening party!

XTRA! MAY 15–28, 2014 33

where words & music meet

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TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

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

ART

COMEDY & CABARET

Hungry Bottom Comics 2012–14

Unzipped: A Fundraiser for Buddies

This four-day celebration of the release of Eric Williams’s Hungry Bottom Comics 3 and The Collected Hungry Bottom Comics includes a reading and a sale of original artwork. Opening night is Thurs, May 15, 7–9pm; exhibit runs until Sun, May 18. Videofag, 187 Augusta Ave. Free. videofag.com

Sandra Shamas performs her one-woman show and Gavin Crawford draws from his rich bank of character sketches in a benefit for the queer theatre.

Thurs, May 15, 6pm. Buddies in Bad Times, 12 Alexander St. $47. buddiesinbadtimes.com

Standing Ground: Estates of Robert Flack and Will Munro This exhibit focuses on Flack’s Empowerment (1990) and Munro’s untitled photographs series (2004).

Runs until Sat, May 31. Paul Petro Contemporary Art, 980 Queen St W. Free. paulpetro.com

Hypnotixxx: A Slightly Naughty Comedy Hypnosis Show Brandon the Hypnotist takes audience volunteers on a risqué and slightly rude jaunt into the subconscious. Wed, May 21, 7pm.

The Flying Beaver, 488 Parliament St. $10 advance, $15 door. pubaret.com

Sex Lives and Videotape

Club120 Wednesday

An array of video footage provides a chance to contemplate the role that home video played in the recording of Canadian queer history pre-YouTube.

Runs until Fri, June 6.

Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives, 24 Isabella St. Free. clga.ca

Standup comedian Mandy Goodhandy presents a weekly open-mic comedy night. For more info, contact toddklinck@gmail.com. Every Wednesday, 8pm– 1am. Club120, 120 Church St. No cover. club120.ca

Queer as Fuck: Comedy Open-Mic Catherine McCormick, the creator of Laughs at Slack’s, presents a twice-monthly comedy night in the west end. Wed, May 21, 9:30pm.

The Steady, 1051 Bloor St W. PWYC. thesteadycafe.com

Carla Collins: Selfie-Centred In honour of Queen Victoria’s birthday, the self-proclaimed “queen beaver” performs her standup routine. Sat, May 24, 7 and 9pm. The Flying Beaver, 488 Parliament St. $20 advance, $25 door. pubaret.com

Russia and Back Again During the Sochi Olympics, Kristy Boyce travelled to Russia to interview members of the queer community and to take photos and video. She’s back, with a captivating show-and-tell. Fri, May 30, 7pm. The Flying Beaver, 488 Parliament St. PWYC. pubaret.com

A Very Christerical ’90s Cabaret: 5th Anniversary Edition Riffing cabaret marvel Chris Tsujiuchi, whom Sharron Matthews once described as “hot in the bum area,” returns with a host of special guests. Fri, May 30, and Sat, May 31, 8pm. Buddies in Bad Times, 12 Alexander St. $20 advance, $25 door. buddiesinbadtimes.com

HEALTH & ISSUES The 519 Legal Clinic A free, accessible service for low-income people. Volunteer lawyers provide legal advice, referrals and help with forms and letters. The confidential and private visits are first-come, firstserved. Bring any necessary

documents.

Every Thursday; registration 6–6:30pm.

The 519 Community Centre, 519 Church St. Free. the519.org

FTM Support Group Trans men share their experiences in a supportive environment. Takes place the first and third Friday of each month. For more information, contact ftmtoronto@yahoo.ca.

Fri, May 16, and Fri, June 6, 7:30pm. The 519 Community Centre, 519 Church St. Free. the519.org Queer Bathroom Stories — Buddies, Sat, May 31– Sun, June 15 DRASKO BOGDANOVIC

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SOY Monday Night Drop-In Queer youth ages 14 to 29 gather to watch movies, participate in art projects

One Night Stand — The Mod Club, Fri, May 16

and workshops, and chat with Supporting Our Youth’s community mentors. For more info, contact jcaffery@sherbourne.on.ca. Every Monday, 5:30–8pm. Sherbourne Health Centre, 2nd floor, 333 Sherbourne St. Free. soytoronto.org

Positive Routes to Recovery A peer-led support group for gay men working through substance abuse issues. Takes place the first and third Tuesday of each month.

Tues, May 20, and Tues, June 3, 6–8pm. The 519 Community Centre, 519 Church St. Free. pr2r.org

LGBTQ Peer Support Drop-In Group Queer people with mood disorders gather for support and discussion.

If the building door is locked, press the button under the intercom near the wheelchair entrance. Wed, May 21, 7–9pm.

Mood Disorders Association of Ontario, 36 Eglinton Ave W, Ste 602.

Free. mooddisorders.ca

provided. For more info, contact craftactionto@gmail.com. Every Wednesday until June 11, 6–8pm.

Yorkville Public Library, 22 Yorkville Ave. Free. craftactionto.tumblr.com

Glad Day Bookshop, 598 Yonge St. $20, $15 students. yogibare.ca

Inside Out Film Festival

One Night Stand

A celebration of queer film, including the premiere of The Normal Heart.

Runs Thurs, May 22–Sun, June 1, various times. TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King St W. $10–30. insideout.ca

The Toronto Burlesque Festival hosts a glamorous gala headlined

by Immodesty Blaize (UK) and Medianoche (NYC). Fri, May 16, 8pm. The Mod Club, 722 College St. $40 advance, $50 door. torontoburlesquefestival.com

Punk Rock Bingo Jenna Syde hosts a night of getting pissed and playing bingo to punk rock. All proceeds go to charity.

Takes place the last Wednesday of each month. Wed, May 28, 9pm.

The Beaver, 1192 Queen St W. No cover. beavertoronto.ca

In Conversation with Justin Trudeau and Seamus O’Regan Justin and Seamus speak on a variety of topics, including queer issues. For more info, contact andre@justin.ca. Thurs, May 29, 6pm. The 519 Community Centre, 519 Church St. Free. events.liberal.ca

Inspire Awards

LEISURE & PLEASURE Hola Group Fundraiser The Spanish-language-focused non-profit social organization raises money in preparation for WorldPride. Sun, May 18, 10pm– 2am. Flash, 463 Church St. $5. flashonchurch.com

In addition to cocktails, performances and general revelry, some remarkable people in the queer community will be recognized.

Fri, May 30, 7pm. Hart House, 7 Hart House Circle. $40–100. inspireawards.ca

RUNNERS & BENDERS

Play Again?

Get Out! Running Group

Gamers gather to play Super Mario, Tetris and other games on a big screen, as well as board games like Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble. Every Tuesday, 7pm–2am.

Henhouse, 1532 Dundas St W. Free. henhousetoronto.com

People of all experience levels stay in shape while darting around Toronto’s streets and trails.

Every Sunday, 10am–11:30am.

Fuel Plus, 471 Church St. Free. getoutcanada.com

CraftActionTO: Dyke March Banner Project Crafty dykes hang out and create banners for the Dyke March at WorldPride. All materials are

Yogi Bare: All-Gender, Clothing-Optional Yoga Whether toga-draped or bareassed, folks are invited to get comfortable at this soothing yoga session. Every Sunday, 1:15–2:30pm.

SEX & BURLESQUE

Sapphic Aquatica Women and trans people enjoy a sauna, an outdoor heated pool, plush playrooms and ice-breaker games. Takes place the last Sunday of each month. Sun, May 25, 8pm– 2am. Oasis Aqualounge, 231 Mutual St. $20. oasisaqualounge.com

THEATRE The Last Confession David Suchet, best known for playing Belgian sleuth Poirot, stars as Cardinal Giovanni Benelli, who must investigate the sudden and mysterious death of Pope John Paul I. Runs until Sun, June 1, various showtimes. Royal Alexandra Theatre, 260 King St W. $35–119. mirvish.com

Hedwig and the Angry Inch Nathaniel Bacon stars as Hedwig in the rock musical about “a slip of a girly boy” from East Germany brought to the US as an army bride. Lower Ossington Theatre, 100 Ossington Ave. Runs until Sat, June 7, various showtimes. $49. lowerossingtontheatre.com

Queer Bathroom Stories Based on actual washroom experiences, this work looks at the complexities of gender and sexuality and the secret sex life of the toilet. Runs Sat, May 31–Sun, June 15, various showtimes. Buddies in Bad Times, 12 Alexander St. $20– 25. buddiesinbadtimes.com

XTRA! MAY 15–28, 2014 35

CLUBSCENE Thurs, May 15 Back End Burlesque Daytona Bitch and Red Herring host and perform on the drag stage along with a rotating cast of the funniest and sexiest performers they can find. The third Wednesday of every month in the Zone. 8pm. Crews & Tangos, 508 Church St. $10. crewsandtangos.com Random Play DJ Dwayne Minard spins disco, yacht rock, new wave and ’70s and ’80s beats. 10pm.

WAYLA, 996 Queen St E. No cover. facebook.com/waylabarnounge Trailer Sass: Monster MAYhem Allysin Chaynes hosts the glamorous and trashy dance party, while DJ Aqua Vulva spins doo wop, ’70s and ’80s non-hits. 11pm–2am.

The Beaver, 1192 Queen St W. No cover. beavertoronto.com

Fri, May 16 Pop Asia: Block Party DJ Sumation throws down in the main room; M Fatale battles Dark Champagne on the dancefloor, with their arsenals of vogue, waacking and poppin’ moves.

VJ Gary White mixes the video play in the Lounge. 10pm–3am. Fly, 8 Gloucester St. $5 before 11pm, $10 after. flynightclub.com Barbershop HoMotown from the speakers, with DJs Michael K and Phil V. Allysin Chaynes hosts.

10pm.

Madonna-thon — Byzantium, Sat, May 24

Cherry Bomb DJs Cozmic Cat and Denise Benson spin for the ladies and their friends at this monthly event. 9pm–3am. Andy Poolhall, 489 College St. No cover before 10pm, $8 after. facebook.com/ cherrybombtoronto

Henhouse, 1532 Dundas St W. $5 after 11pm. henhousetoronto.com DFMO DJs The Robotic Kid and Mark Falco spin, with guest performance by Fay Slift. 10:30pm– 2:30am. Buddies, 12 Alexander St. $5. buddiesinbadtimes.com

Ryze Up Vol 4 DJ Tom Peters (Berlin) makes his TO debut spinning serious house, EDM and tech beats with Cevin Fisher (NYC), Sharron Young, Ryan Wiley and Andy Roberts. 10pm–5am. Ryze, 423 College St. $15–25 advance, more at the door. ryzeoncollege.com

Cruiseline’s Best Men’s Ass Contest Georgie Girl performs and coaxes the boys to expose their butts for $300 in cash prizes.

DJ Mark Falco on decks. Midnight.

Woody’s, 467 Church St. No cover. woodystoronto.com

Culture Cub: A Fuzzy Look Back DJs Fforeplay, Andrew Awesome and Dislexia spin ’80s, ’90s and 2000s tracks for bears, cubs, otters and their friends. Throwback performances by Fay Slift and Nancy Bocock. 10pm. Henhouse, 1532 Dundas St W. $5 after 11pm. henhousetoronto.com

Sat, May 17 Torn: Rubber Saturday The Toronto Rubbermen Network presents an interactive event featuring live demos and rubber fetish wear to try out. No dress code. 4–9pm. Black Eagle, 457 Church St. No cover. facebook.com/ torntorontorubbermen

Sissyboy Hissyfit: Gag Me with a Spoon Edition DJ Orange Pekoe spins ’90s hip hop and bossy bottom faves, with live performance

by Jordan Tannahill 11pm–2am.

The Beaver, 1192 Queen St W. $5. beavertoronto.com

Baby, Look How Far We’ve Come Here Nathan Carroll presents a speech-impediment cabaret, featuring Wade Muir and a special appearance by Ryan Bommarito as Beyoncé’s rhythm section. Music of Allie X, City High, Death Cab for Cutie, India Arie and more. 8pm.

Free Times Café, 320 College St. $5–15. freetimescafe.com Fit: Fourth Birthday Party DJs Kris Steeves and Phil V give the crowd a workout to celebrate another year. Hosted by Kinnon. 11pm–2am. The Beaver, 1192 Queen St W. beavertoronto.com

Sun, May 18 Hola Fundraiser The Latino non-profit organization needs your support in preparing for WorldPride and continuing to provide social connections, orientation and activities to the Spanish-speaking queer community.

10pm. Flash, 463 Church St. $5. flashonchurch. com

Sultry Saturday: Madonnathon DJ Cajjmere Wray spins a full night of Material Girl, with live performance by Heaven Lee Hytes.

11pm–2:30am. Byzantium, 499 Church St. No cover. byz.ca

Sun, May 25 Go Hard: All White Affair DJs Blackcat, Lady Supa and Craig Dominic spin R&B, dancehall, hip hop, soca and house for the almostvirgin white-clad crowd, with an 80/20 breakdown of old and nu school. 10pm. Club120, 120 Church St. club120.ca

Mon, May 19

Wed, May 21

Thurs, May 22

120 Wednesday Calling all standup comedians! Mandy Goodhandy presents the weekly open-mic night. Performers must show up between 8pm and 8:45pm. To book in advance, contact toddklinck@ gmail.com. 8pm. Club120, 120 Church St. No cover. club120.ca

Inside Out: Opening Gala DJ Produzentin spins, with Mary Messhausen on the drag stage, to kick off the Inside Out LGBT Film Festival. 10pm. Media Bar, 77 Peter St. $10, $8 members; included with opening-gala screening and party ticket. insideout.ca

Dodgeballer Night The Gay Ball Society hosts a flirty social, with DJ Blue Peter on decks. 8pm.

Woody’s, 467 Church St. No cover. woodystoronto.com RuPaul’s Drag Race Viewing Party Scarlett Bobo and Daytona Bitch host the dinner and bitchfest every Monday, with Bradley serving up food and libation. 8pm. The 8th Deadly Sin, 6 Gloucester St. No cover. the8th.ca

Dinner and Drag Race Finale House of Filth hosts a viewing of RuPaul’s Drag Race, with Judy Virago, Igby Lizzard, Allysin Chaynes and Nancy Bocock. Untucked to follow, finishing with a live performance.

9pm. Henhouse, 1532 Dundas St W. No cover. henhousetoronto.com

GREG WONG

36 MAY 15–28, 2014 XTRA!

Blue Collar DJs Tyler Johnston and Joel French spin danceable heartland rock hits by Springsteen, Dylan, Fleetwood Mac, Mellencamp and more. 11pm–2am. The Beaver, 1192 Queen St W. No cover. beavertoronto.com

Culture Club — Henhouse, Sat, May 24 ANDREW AWESOME

Mon, May 26 Drag Industry Night Queens dazzle Queen West at the only weekly drag night on the west side.

11pm–2am. The Beaver, 1192 Queen St W. No cover. beavertoronto.com

Stumpgrinding: Dance Freely/ No Parking on the Dancefloor DJs Secret Agent and Mary Mack spin no-wave, post-punk and guilty pleasures at the monthly party.

11pm–2am. The Beaver, 1192 Queen St W. beavertoronto.com

Tues, May 27

Fri, May 23

Varsity Tuesday Sofonda Cox hosts the amateur So You Think You Can Strip? competition, with a $100 cash prize. 11pm. Remington’s, 379 Yonge St. $5 before 11pm, $7 after; no cover with student ID before 11pm, $2 after. remingtons.com

Sat, May 24 Women’s Gala Reception Inside Out raises a glass to women’s

College Night DJ Sumation spins top 40, house and dance beats for the studious hump-day queers.

10pm. Church, 504 Church St. No cover. churchonchurch.com

Crews & Tangos Sunday By Request, with Michelle Ross and Carlotta Carlisle, 6:30–9pm; Sexy Sunday, with Devine Darlin, 9–11pm; Sultry Sunday, with Farra N Hyte and Lady G or Jada Hudson, 11pm–2am. Crews &Tangos, 508 Church St. No cover. crewsandtangos.com

Ultimate Thursday DJ Craig Dominic spins top 40, dance, EDM, urban, dancehall and soca beats.

10pm. Crews & Tangos, 508 Church St. No cover. crewsandtangos.com

Woody’s Friday Star-studded preview of A Chorus Queen, the official drag musical of Pride, 9–11pm; Best Men’s Ass Contest, hosted by Georgie Girl, with Vitality Black, $300 in cash prizes and DJ Mark Falco, at midnight.

Woody’s, 467 Church St. No cover. woodystoronto.com

Tues, May 20

Sissyboy Hissyfit — The Beaver, Sat, May 24

gala film Tru Love. 5–7pm. OCADU Gallery, 230 Richmond St W. Admission with gala film ticket. insideout.ca

Pretty Girls Make Grave Mistakes A Brit pop, alternative and indie night in the west end. 11pm–2am.

The Beaver, 1192 Queen St W. No cover. beavertoronto.com

Wed, May 28 Top Shelf Comedy Christopher Allin and Brian Ward present some of the best and brightest up-andcoming comedians. 9pm. WAYLA, 996 Queen St E. No cover. facebook. com/waylabarnounge

Submit your event listing to listings@dailyxtra.com.

Deadline for the May 29 issue is Wed, May 21.

TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

R E S O L C S I E D I PR !

K N I H T U O Y N THA ate Pride Guide im lt U r u o y k o Bo m exposure. u im x a m r fo d a ne: Booking deadli 6 Monday, May 2 ne: Artwork deadli 29 Thursday, May Release date: ne 4 Wednesday, Ju

#news #arts #travel #events Everything gay, every day.

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SALONE SALONE SALONE SALONE -ÌÞ }Ê ÕÀÊV Õ ÌÞÊ v ÀÊ ÛiÀÊ£ÎÊÞi>Àð salone.caÊUÊ >ViL \Ê-> " i/ À Ì ÊUÊ{{xÊ ÕÀV Ê-ÌÀiiÌÊUÊ/ À Ì ÊUÊ{£È° È£°£ÈÈÎ MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM

XTRA! MAY 15–28, 2014 37

XPOSED

1

ANNA A NNA POURNIKOVA PHOTOS BY BECCA LEMIRE PHOTO 1E Worn fashion journal cel-

2 3

5

4 6

8

7 38 MAY 15–28, 2014 XTRA!

ebrated seven years with a special edition and a special event — Secondhand Prom.

I love these second-chance proms that crop up in the city because it gives us a chance to do what so many of us didn’t have the chance to do in high school: rock the fuck out with the person we really wanted to go with, in exactly what we wanted to wear. Look at the smiles on Bella and Beth here. Worth an annual go, I say.

2E Eliza, Noel and Keith were found getting down on the dancefloor. I love Eliza’s ’60s backup-singer look. Killer shadow/dress combo, for sure. The shindig celebrated the release of The Worn Archive, a 400-page book showcasing the best of 14 issues of the fashion/art quarterly.

3E Erica and Beth did something interesting in their prom attire. I like how Beth has that neck scarf in the same fabric as Erica’s shirt.

Just so we all know who collared her. Or, as Jay-Z loves to say, “I got the hottest bitch in the game, wearing my chain.” Mmmmmhhmmmm.

4E OMG, OMG, OMG — Nando and Steven are so fucking cute. Jesus Murphy.

5E Oh hello, Nicole and Julia — the lady couple with the most. Nicole has that young Britney thing going for her: prom queen, captain of the cheerleading team, the girl all my young lezzie friends wanted to bang in high school. And on the right is Julia, the porcelain vision of Tilda Swinton that so many of my female friends (gay and straight) want to fuck now.

And they get . . . with each other. Whoa.

6E This year marked the 99th exhibit of graduate work at OCAD University. Some

crazy number of people attended over four days — like, 25,000. What makes this event such a grower is the sheer number of true Torontonians who show up.

Fashion sense is always on point and not such a shower, like the fashion events, but that’s kinda what makes it so hot. It’s understated. It’s about the art. And style. Like Ash here. Even the way he’s standing, so one red stripe is covered and his man-clutch almost escapes your gaze. It’s conservative enough for the family/boardroom but versatile enough for the dancefloor. Makes me love my city to look at Ash’s face.

7E See what I’m saying about the Torontonians here, with Nigel and Nick? This city (and especially OCAD) is made up of the fabulous and the rejected and the too-bigfor-this-small-town from all over the world, and honey, they are all going through OCAD at some point. Nick’s got that Jake Gyllenhaal/ updated Ethan Hawke thing about him, and Nigel is actually hurting me a bit with those fucking glasses.

Have you noticed how great everyone’s glasses are getting lately?

8E And my favourite and final look at the OCAD GradEx: Canadiana. How can you tell it’s Canadiana? One word: plaid. Patrick (left), Peter and Jeff are all rocking Toronto Canadiana here — there are two beards, two plaid shirts and two camelcoloured coats with three (count ’em!) button-ups. This look is popular with young urban men of all sexual orientations around the world, but after taking an extensive poll in the past two years, I gotta say no one’s beardand-plaid game is as tight as our Canuck boys. Bar none.

Xposed appears in every other issue of Xtra.

For this week’s Deep Dish column, by Rolyn Chambers, go to dailyxtra.com.

TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

E xtralivingtoronto.com

Pet Stores & Supplies

Renovations & Restorations

Helmutt’s Pet Supply 416-504-1265

Bryant Renovations 416-260-0818

Pharmacies

Newbright Construction 416-985-8639

Pace Pharmacy and Compounding Experts 416-515-7223

THE BEST OF GAY & LESBIAN TORONTO

Holiday Inn Toronto Downtown holidayinn.com/ torontocentre

Ms Hema Murdock, CA 416-696-6653 Susan Calverley MBA, MSc, CMA 416-605-1553

Advertising Raymond Helkio Advertising + Design raymondhelkio.com

Automotive Sales & Leasing Ken Shaw Lexus 416-776-0055

Bars & Clubs Fly Nightclub 416-410-5426

Butchers St Jamestown Steak & Chops 416-925-7665

Cheese Shops Leslieville Cheese Market 416-465-7143

Chiropractors gesund 416-913-5170

Churches Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto 416-406-6228

Coffee Shops Fuel Plus 647-352-8807

Community Groups & Services City of Toronto, Economic Development Division toronto.ca/business

Computer Sales & Service Contemporary Computers ccomp.ca

Concierges As You Wish Concierge 647-208-2884

Construction Newbright Construction 416-985-8639

Counselling CareerCycles.com Career Counselling 416-465-9222 Change4U2 416-827-7578

David Moulton, MEd Canadian Certified Counsellor davidmoulton.ca

David W Routledge (MSW, RSW) Psychotherapist 416-944-1291 Phillip Coupal Counselling 416-557-7312

Dental Services Adelaide Dental 416-429-0150 Broadview Dental Clinic 416-466-6400 Dr Kevin Russelo & Associates 416-966-0117

Bryant Renovations 416-260-0818 G J MacRae Foundation Repair Service – Since 1975 905-824-2557 Newbright Construction 416-985-8639

Insurance Kenton Waterman – Investors Group Financial Services 416-860-1668

Investment Services Kenton Waterman – Investors Group Financial Services 416-860-1668

Massage – Certified/ Registered gesund 416-913-5170

Bruce M Small, MSc Psychotherapist 416-598-4888

Japanese Male RMT 416-804-9248 The Power of Touch

Nick Mulé, PhD, RSW Psychotherapist 416-926-9135

647-330ALEX(2539)

Meats & Delicatessens

Mortgages

Proud FM 416-213-1035

Investors Group Financial Services – Kenton Waterman 416-860-1668

Dog & Cat Grooming

Lawyers

Linda Rudolph at The Mortgage Centre 416-282-1677

Harvey L Hamburg 416-968-9054

Moving & Storage

Ivan Steele Law Office 647-342-0568

Agility Moving & Storage Ltd 416-654-5029

Law Office of El-Farouk Khaki 416-925-7227

Naturopathy

Paul T Willis – Barrister & Solicitor, Notary Public 416-926-9806

Painting

Robert G Coates 416-925-6490

Personal Care

Fashion Take a Walk on the Wildside TM 416-921-6112

Florists Astra Florists astraflorists.com

Foundation Repairs Basement Waterproofing G J MacRae Foundation Repair 905-824-2557 G J MacRae Foundation Repair Service – Since 1975 905-824-2557

Gardening Davenport Garden Centre 416-929-7222

Graphic Design Mixtape Strategy mixtapestrategy.com

Timothy E Leahy – Forefront Migration Ltd 416-226-9889

Legal Services Craig Penney, Toronto Criminal Defence Lawyer 416-410-2266

Lighting Living Lighting on King 416-364-9099

Pink Triangle Press 416-925-6665 Xtra 416-925-6665

Juice Bars

Tailspin Dog Spa 416-920-7387

Publications

St Jamestown Steak & Chops 416-925-7665

Galleria Dental, Dr Iudita Costache 416-534-9991

Juice Box 416-924-4671

Psychotherapy

gesund 416-913-5170 Newbright Painting 416-985-8639 Dermatology on Bloor dermonbloor.com

Personal Trainers Evolution Fitness 416-220-7883

Pet Care Tailspin Dog Spa 416-920-7387

Radio Stations

Real Estate Nicholas Bohr – RE/MAX Hallmark Realty Ltd, Brokerage 416-465-7850 Philip Kocev – Sales Representative 416-364-2036 RE/MAX Baywatch Ltd, Brokerage 705-756-7629

C’est What?

Brew/Vin Pub Restaurant 416-867-9499 Cora Breakfast & Lunch 27 Carlton St 416-340-1350 277 Wellington St W 416-598-2672 Hair of the Dog 416-964-2708 Lola’s Kitchen lolaskitchen.ca The 8th Deadly Sin 416-960-3473 The Blake House 416-975-1867 The Churchmouse & Firkin 416-927-1735

Sex Shops Bed Time Toys bedtimetoys.ca Condom Shack 416-596-7515

Spa Services Dermatology on Bloor dermonbloor.com

Tax Services CJH Tax Services 647-270-8057

Theresa Forget, Sales Representative RE/MAX First Realty, Brokerage 905-686-3800

Telecommunications

Real Estate Agents

Buddies in Bad Times Theatre 416-975-8555

Nicholas Banks iPro Realty 877-306-4776 Gaelen Patrick – Sutton Group Realty Systems Inc 416-801-9265 Roy Runions, Sales Representative RE/MAX Hallmark Realty Ltd, Brokerage royrunions.com

Acanac 416-849-8530

Theatre

Veterinarians Blue Cross Animal Hospital 416-469-1121

Waterproofing Waterproof Masters waterproofmasters.com

Websites dailyxtra.com 416-925-6665 Squirt.org squirt.org

Health & Fitness Evolution Fitness 416-220-7883

Health Foods & Nutrition The Big Carrot 416-466-2129

Home Improvement & Repairs Basement Waterproofing G J MacRae Foundation Repair 905-824-2557

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

xtralivingtoronto.com

APRIL–SEPT 2014

Accommodations

The Village Pharmacy 416-967-9221

Restaurants & Cafés

THE BEST OF GAY & LESBIAN TORONTO

A taste of Havana Handcrafted wood furniture Riverdale café culture East-end art institution

MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM

XTRA! MAY 15–28, 2014 39

BOOKING DEADLINE: WED, MAY 21 @ 1PM

Classifieds ANNOUNCEMENTS

HEALTH & FITNESS

NOTICES

PROUD LIVES

REGISTERED MASSAGE

Married, Separated or Divorced Gay Father?

Commemorate those who have recently passed away.

This space is donated

by Xtra. Call 416-925-6665 x0 for more information.

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Ideally, photos will be digital images at 2� x 3� with a resolution of 250dpi.

We’re here to support you on your journey.

Our meetings are informal, FRQĂ€GHQWLDO DQG KHOSIXO Gay Fathers meet the second and fourth Thursday of every month at 8pm at the 519 Church Street Community Centre.

PSYCHIC/ASTROLOGY Love specialist

reunites lovers, solves all impossible problems.

www.gayfathers-toronto.com

Call now: 1-647-477-4279

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CLEANERS HOME, CONDO & OFFICE CLEANERS call Tomas - 416.878.9527 email: info@ecoscleaning.com FULLY BONDED AND INSURED visit: www.ecoscleaning.com SQUEAKY CLEAN Domestic Cleaning Services.

Your Neighbourhood Cleaner (prices and estimates available on request).

Call Mark: 416-924-1951 (Res.) 416-347-3951 (Cell) e-mail: copelandf@rogers.com mark-copeland.com

To place an ad, call 416-925-6665 x0 or book your line classiďŹ ed at classiďŹ eds.toronto@dailyxtra.com

NO MESS, NO FUSS, JUST SUPERIOR WORKMANSHIP

Commercial/Residential, Interior/Exterior Painting l Design & colour consultation Light Reno’s and Repairs l Window Cleaning l Better Business Bureau Celebrating 13 years in Xtra l References provided on request l Fully insured

Sean 416.985.8639 newbrightpainting@gmail.com

BE BOLD! Bold your line classiďŹ ed.

ARRESTED? CHARGED? AGGRESSIVE CRIMINAL DEFENCE 416.410.2266

CraigPenney.com

El-Farouk

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BRENT ROUSSEAU RMT For treatment of muscle injuries, pain and stress management, and enhancement of physical health and well being.

Day, evening, and weekend appts. available. Insurance coverage, Visa accepted, free parking, 416-708-3996.

Broadview/Danforth. brentrousseau.com

NEW YOU MASSAGE & HEALTH CTR. Offering Swedish Massage, Physiotherapy, Shiatsu and Acupuncture. Joseph Alves RMT, Michael O`Brien RMT, Vince Warcop PT, Angela Lin PT. Located at 40 Wellesley Street East.

Book online at www.newyoumassage.ca

PERSONAL

REAL ESTATE AGENT

EROTIC MASSAGE

Craig Head Specializing in Condos Bosley Real Estate Ltd., Brokerage www.craighead.ca

EXPERIENTIAL EMBODIED EROTIC EXPLORATIONS

77%

Weekend Touch Explorations Full-Day Erotic Experiments Afternoon Touch Exchanges Explore & Experience Erotic Sensual Touch Group or Individual Sessions

of readers have taken some action as a result of seeing/ reading about a product/ service advertised in Xtra.

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MODELS & ESCORTS

EMPLOYMENT HAIR/SKIN & BEAUTY MALE, FEMALE, TRANS aordable hair removal services by friendly, discreet, experienced CERTIFIED Wax Technician, in an immaculate, upscale home Wax Clinic.

Stephen (647)973-4247 or www.maircare.ca,YA

COUNSELLING

Counselling + Coaching + Bodywork Communication — Relationship — Life Skills Gay Men — Male Couples $ZDNHQ 6WXGLR

LEGAL SERVICES

HEADtoFITA MASSAGE THERAPIES Frank Fita RMT oering Swedish, La-stone hot-stone, Thai-yoga massages. Specializing in treatments for work-related and sports injuries. www.headtoďŹ ta.com Across from Wellesley subway.

For appointment or info call 416-473-0065.

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PAINTING

Newbright Painting

4SEASONS MASSAGE THERAPY & WAXING Charles Guo, RMT Registered Massages, Waxing Hair Removal. Receipt for massage insurance. First Time Client 20% o waxing.

40 Wellesley St E, Ste 201.

By appointment 416-944-3784 4seasonsmassage.ca

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NEW THOUGHT THERAPY Personalized Eective Conversations.

Depression, Anxiety, Gender, Sexuality, Life/Executive Coaching Todd Kaufman, MDiv 647-230-2068 Genesissquared.com. See our ad in this issue of Xtra

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40 MAY 15–28, 2014 XTRA!

TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

XTRA HOT

DRASKO BOGDANOVIC

NAME: KATIE SLY AGE: 27 SIGN: AQUARIUS

“The process of writing a play is the loneliest descent into madness I’ve ever known,” says bisexual playwright and performer Katie Sly. “I write from my experience, my bowels, my cunt, and it costs something huge. It’s worth it — it’s more than worth it — to have the privilege to share my soul, but it demands a willingness to go temporarily insane.” Sly has a passion for mid-centurymodern furniture, her favourite clothes are corsets made out of red hemp, and when asked how she likes to get fucked says, “Past the point of civility.”

Sly hosts Too Queer: A Bi Visibility Cabaret, Fri, June 6 at Videofag, 187 Augusta Ave. To comment on or become an Xtra Hot guy or gal, email Drasko at xtrahot@dailyxtra.com.

Keep things hot while the temperature drops.

Bring a little Stag Shop home.

StagShop.com

TORONTO 532 Church St StagShop.com MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM

XTRA! MAY 15–28, 2014 41

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42 MAY 15–28, 2014 XTRA!

TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

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XTRA! MAY 15–28, 2014 43

next stop: TOTEM CONDOMINIuM

RECEIVE ONE YEAR OF METRO PASS WITH PURCHASE* A True Walker’s Paradise! Totem Condominium scored A PERFECT 100 on walkscore.com!

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Mon-Thurs 12-6 pm Sat and Sun 12-5 pm

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