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Dyke March route to change for WorldPride Organizers want march to retain its roots as a ‘radical political demonstration’ E 14

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Upfront Wellesley parking lot may become condo E11 PC Party running three gay candidates in Ontario election Brant candidate Phil Gillies says his party has embraced gay rights as attitudes shift E12 History Boys The opera-singing, swordfighting Julie d’Aubigny

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Out in the City Arts roundup A fresh crack at best ass E19 Cover story We should be dancing Toronto dancefloors are vanishing, leaving few places to bust a move E22 A shift in gay club culture makes way for a new kind of dancefloor E23 Lumineers The 2014 Luminato Festival’s gay-interest quotient reaches an all-time high E26 Style Life All-day style essentials to make the most of summer

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MARK MALONEY TORONTO, ON

The park should be renamed Treeless Cement Patch to more accurately describe its transformation.

RYAN TORONTO, ON

I don’t like it when they name things after living people. And where was the consultation? Wong-Tam has a nasty habit of asking for input while doggedly sticking to her original idea regardless of the input she just asked for.

SCOTT GLEN (FACEBOOK) TORONTO, ON

Gay PC party candidates I hardly think it’s worth applauding when the last horse finally crosses the finish line [“PC Party Running Three Gay Candidates in Ontario Election,” dailyxtra.com, May 26]. The other major parties supported equal rights for LGBT persons ages ago. What’s more, does Gillies even live in Brant anymore? If not, he should not be running there.

ARZIE CHANT (FACEBOOK) LONDON, ON

I take offence to your statement that in 2011, the PC Party distributed homophobic flyers. I saw the flyer before

[RE: GAY PC PARTY CANDIDATES]

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#771 MAY 15–28, 2014

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I wasn’t sure if Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam had sent, or shared with you, the background documentation on the proposed renaming of Cawthra Park to Barbara Hall Park [“Councillor Wants to Rename Cawthra Park after Barbara Hall,” dailyxtra.com, May 14]. I did some research on the matter: the park was originally named after William Cawthra in the 1800s simply because he was so rich. He had no major or particular connection or affiliation to the street, or to the wider Church-Wellesley area, other than being a major landlord and one of the city’s wealthiest citizens and landowners. I think it is far better to name it after someone who has had a deep relationship with a community she has fought for her entire life. I am currently writing a book on all 64 mayors of Toronto and can tell you Barbara Hall is very deserving indeed of this honour.

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When the news was announced that Fly nightclub would be closing after WorldPride this year, I clutched my pearls and let out a big “No!” How could a “world class city” like Toronto lose its only official gay club?

When cities like Hamilton and London, Ontario, are able to support gay venues filled with party-hungry queers, how is it that TO isn’t up to the task?

The questions and conversations continued with a few friend groups over the days and weekends that followed the announcement, but the talk always ended with us putting on our dancing shoes and heading to our favourite bar to dance until 3am.

I quickly realized that Fly’s closing actually has little or no effect on my life or on the lives of most gay people I know in Toronto. Don’t get me wrong; there’s nothing like an enormous space, filled with sweaty men dancing and having a great time with their hands in the air.

I remember first walking into Fly when I landed in the city — it blew my mind. So many men! Such huge sound! So much room to dance and jump surrounded by giant inflated penises and over-the-top décor! I hope that every young gay person gets to experience a giant gay club.

It’s an important step in one’s nightlife development.

But these clubs don’t mean much to me and never have. Give me a dancefloor the size of a postage stamp any day. Those tiny spaces are full of life and a kind of fearless abandon that big clubs seem to silence.

I grew up as a gay man dancing at Peroxyde, downstairs at Neutral in Kensington Market (remember that crazy aquarium?); Big Primpin’, at Stone’s Place; Hump Day Bump, at the Gladstone; and the tiny corners of The Barn for whatever was happening there that weekend. Hell, I had the most epic dance

party of 2014 one night after the bar in my kitchen! (Never underestimate the value of raiding a fridge in the middle of a Beyoncé dance-off.)

As flamboyant as the mega-venues are, they’re going the way of the dinosaur for a reason — no one really cares. Big spaces along our waterfront and on the outskirts of the city have become the go-to places for weekend warriors who want to party in large spaces. And I don’t mind, do you?

Does anyone?

As Rolyn Chambers and John Caffery — who are still heavily involved in the scene, and have been for years — both mention in stories in this issue, the trend is toward smaller spaces and parties. We can blame hook-up apps and ancient city bylaws, but we the party people of the city are the ones responsible, and that’s okay.

I recently DJed a party at Fly, to give all the west-end boys and fringe fags a chance to visit the club one last time — or, for many, for the first time ever — before the club closes its doors for good. About 70 percent of the crowd were regulars, 20 percent were revelling tourists, and a final 10 percent were just there to watch the live sex show that was promised.

My DJ partner and I thought it would be a big draw to have one final blowout in the massive club that everyone loved or hated . . . turns out, not as many as we expected actually cared.

They’ll continue to dance at fantastic venues around the city that offer double the dancing for a lower price.

The gays of Toronto don’t require a club like Fly anymore because we’ve got more options than ever. We want variety, we want shows. We want to be shocked and entertained, but really, we just want to let loose and have fun. Smaller bars with dancefloors, while we can count them on both hands, are where it’s at!

Fly’s closing is sad, but the fact is, it’s a sign of the times, and these are good times to be dancing.

Cawthra Park

I hardly think it’s worth applauding when the last horse finally crosses the finish line.

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

there was any controversy. The flyers were very colourful because they were designed by the local riding staff. The actual written words on the flyers were not homophobic. The flyers were created because the PC people in those ridings did not want sex education in schools. They did not want any sex education, not straight or gay. The party was and is against sex education for young children. The liberal media made a big deal about the flyers, but anyone who actually examined the flyers would have realized they were not homophobic. This election, there are three gay PC candidates. Let me assure you that there are many LGBT persons within the PC Party, some within ridings and some at the executive level. The liberal media go to great lengths to portray PCs as homophobic, but it just is not true.

PEGGY TORONTO, ON

Gay life in Jamaica The church is the problem (including most Christian fundamentalist ministries that originate from the USA), and until that’s addressed, things in Jamaica and the West Indies aren’t going to get better for gays and lesbians [“Jamaica’s Long Game,” dailyxtra. com, May 18]. The late author Christopher Hitchens said it best: “Religion poisons everything.” Nowhere is this more true than in Jamaica. Spiritual awakening? The nation, and the region, needs a secular awakening. North America needs it, too.

NEVILLE ROSS TORONTO, ON

These are excellent proposals for a government response, but LGBT folk also have a responsibility in dealing with countries that follow official policies of homophobia [“Canada Must Do More to Defend Global LGBT Rights, Government Told,” dailyxtra.com, May 16]. The fact is that gay men in particular have a penchant for visiting these countries “because they want to see that part of the world.” This only gives support and money to these countries and therefore support for their homophobic policies. It is essential for LGBT people to boycott any and all countries that practise official homophobia or that fail to deal seriously with homophobic violence. For that matter, as an action of solidarity, we should boycott any country that officially practises or encourages any kind of intolerance.

WAYNE M TORONTO, ON

WorldPride honorees How many times has Reverend Brent Hawkes been honoured by Pride Toronto [“Brent Hawkes, Fierce Femmes Among Pride Toronto Honorees,” dailyxtra.com, May 23]? I have a feeling Pride has a shopping list they run through every few years. The Inspire Awards, The 519 and Pride Toronto are always trotting out the same tired faces from the Church Street gay village every three to five years. It’s hardly very inspiring. It’s more of an old-boys’ club.

MICHAEL F PARÉ TORONTO, ON

Lindsay Anne Black retirement Lindsay Anne Black is a wonderful stage artist [“Canary in a Culture Mine,” dailyxtra.com, May 15]. She’s a very kind woman who I once had the pleasure of working with on a show.

I am so sorry to hear of this.

DAVID WOOTTON TORONTO, ON

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TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

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

24

XCETERA

FROM THE ARCHIVES 40 YEARS AGO

BODY POLITIC #13, MAY/JUNE, 1974 Adam and Steve are on the cover, with a gorgeous four-panel illustration by AW Kellogg, and religion is on The Body Politic’s mind. Quakers affirm the protection of sexual minorities, and Catholic priest Gregory Baum takes a hopeful stance on the future of gays in the church.

COVER STORY “For the cover story, John Caffery and Rolyn Chambers are arguing about the state of gay dance clubs in the city.

Should we commission an illustration?”

“How about we smash a disco ball in stop-motion?”

“But what would we illustrate?”

“A disco ball, crossed out, to say ‘no dancing’?”

“What if people think it means ‘no disco’?”

Age of the world’s oldest cat.

Poppy The elder cat’s name, whose favourite food is KFC.

“Oooh, like the Justin Timberlake album cover? Yeah, cool!” (Runs off to contact disco ball suppliers.)

KFC A lesbian couple was recently kicked out of the fast-food chain’s Bath, England, location for “heavy petting.”

“Hmm. Not quite the impact that we are looking for.”

“Back to illustration?”

“So, my suppliers tell me that nowadays disco balls are just made of Styrofoam, so they won’t shatter; they’ll just bust into chunks, of, well, Styrofoam.”

(Time passes.)

“Hey, remember those old step-by-step dance illustrations?”

“Maybe we could write the headline in dance steps!”

“Oh, that’s kind of cute . . .”

Heavy Pettin’

(In unison) “Meh.”

Name of a Glaswegian heavy-metal band formed in 1981.

(Time passes.)

“That lyric would make a great headline: ‘We can dance if we want to.’ ”

Duodildo Vibrator Name of a not-sonotable noisemetal band, also from Glasgow.

“Hey, we could show John replacing the word ‘can’ with ‘can’t’!

And have him looking angry, like this.”

(Makes peculiar angry face.)

Running vibrator Object found inside a Fresno, California, man’s large intestine after he complained of constipation.

1.5 metres Average length of the large intestine.

Longest intestine The average length of a blue whale’s large intestine is 145 metres.

(“The Safety Dance” plays on Songza, in background.)

“Yeah! And we could create a second version with Rolyn’s opinion.”

OUT ON THE STREET BY KYLE BURTON

Where is your favourite gay dancefloor in Toronto?

(Later, at the photo shoot, Phil helps get everybody into the mood. The results speak for themselves.)

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I’m straight, but I love dancing with gay people because they know how to party. I like Crews & Tangos. People are really open there.

Buddies. It’s top 40 — really good music and easy to dance to. The place is always full, and the drag shows are amazing.

I like Crews & Tangos. I like the atmosphere and the entertaining drag shows and all the stuff going on in all the rooms.

Byzantium. They have really good martinis, and it’s cool how the restaurant turns into a dancefloor at night.

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Upfront

I campaigned quite aggressively for the first gay-rights bill. It was a very acrimonious and contentious debate. Brant PC candidate Phil Gillies E 12

Pride honorees announced Brent Hawkes, Fierce Femmes to be lauded at WorldPride PRIDE NEWS ROB SALERNO

Pride Toronto announced its honoured individuals and groups on May 22; those who will lead the Pride Parade, Dyke March and Trans* Pride March (the asterisk indicates that “trans” is an umbrella term that encompasses the gender-identity spectrum). All three events will take place on Yonge Street this year, reflecting a longstanding demand by Trans* March organizers for equal footing with the other marches. In previous years, trans activists marched down Yonge Street despite not getting official permission from the city.

The Pride parade’s grand marshal will be longtime human-rights activist Brent Hawkes, of the Metropolitan Community Church. Hawkes achieved global prominence in 2001 when he performed

NEWS BRIEFS

Jane Farrow bids for seat on Toronto City Council Author, activist, radio host, former Xtra contributor and one-time city hall insider Jane Farrow has launched a campaign to win the Ward 30 Toronto City Council seat held by Councillor Paula Fletcher since 2003.

Farrow announced her candidacy with the tagline “progressive, independent, fabulous” on her Twitter account (@FarrowJane) after filing her nomination papers May 20.

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The Pride parade’s grand marshal will be longtime community activist Reverend Brent Hawkes, of the Metropolitan Community Church, pictured here in the 2013 Pride parade. ADAM COISH

“I think it’s time for change,” Farrow tells Xtra. “People really want to, I think, get out of the partisan-politics business.

I think they want to have constructive dialogues that lead to action.”

Ward 30 was already a hot race before Farrow’s announcement. The left-leaning Fletcher is set to rematch against broadcast personality Liz West, who’s been described as a conservative.

In 2010, Fletcher retained her seat by just 259 votes. “It’s very obvious in this particular riding there’s an appetite for change,” Farrow says. “What I’m doing is stepping forward into a very big gap — a progressive form of change.”

Farrow isn’t worried about splitting the progressive vote with Fletcher.

“There’s a lot more colours in progressive than just orange,” she says. “I’ve

the first (retroactively) legal same-sex marriages in the world.

Leading the parade as honoured group will be 2 Spirits Toronto, a non-profit group that provides services to two-

spirit people. This year’s honoured dyke is Connie Bonnello, initiator of IBM Canada’s Teaching Respect in Schools program, which teaches kids strategies to combat bullying.

been approached by hundreds of people and asked to run in this ward. We live in a democracy. People are allowed to declare and get in, and I don’t have to ask permission from a party.” — Rob Salerno

The lot, across the street from Wellesley subway station, has approximately 150 parking spots and is transformed into a large performance venue during Pride weekend. The Wellesley Stage is Pride’s largest outdoor performance space and has in the past hosted performances by Mia Martina and Kelly Rowland, as well as the Blockorama parties.

The TPA has been entertaining proposals to redevelop the lot and has settled on a proposal from one developer.

The TPA does not yet have authority from the city to sell or redevelop the property.

Marie Casista, TPA’s vice-president of real estate, says there’s no guarantee the proposal will proceed. “It’s an integral part of the community in that it supports parking and therefore supports

Wellesley parking lot may become condo Pride may soon lose another of its performance venues as the Toronto Parking Authority (TPA) pursues plans to sell its Wellesley Street lot for a possible multiple-tower development that would also see a pair of adjacent properties on Maitland Street, including the Catholic Children’s Aid Society building, demolished.

The Dyke March chose as its honoured group a collection of activists, artists and educators they’ve aptly dubbed the Toronto Fierce Femme Organizers. The group comprises Kim Milan (Crosby), Catherine Hernandez, Gein Wong, Chanelle Gallant, Sedina Fiati, Leah Lakshmi, Dainty Smith, Monica Forrester, Belle Jumelles, Anna Camilleri, Alyson Mitchell and Vee Stun.

The Trans* Pride March has chosen two honoured individuals: homelessyouth advocate Alex Abramovich and educator and zine publisher Monica Forrester. The honoured group is Trans Pulse, a community research project investigating the impact of exclusion and discrimination on the health of trans people in Ontario.

Forrester says she’s excited that the Trans* Pride March has been given official sanction to use Yonge Street this year. “I think it’s important that we bring more visibility to the community within the bigger community of Toronto and the world. That’s something over the years that a lot of trans people rallied for,” she says.

The honoured positions at the parade and marches are a great way to recognize the work being done in Toronto at its biggest Pride yet, says Sean Hillier, Pride Toronto co-chair. “The recognition is well deserved,” he says.

the businesses,” she says. “But it’s a lot of land, and there must be something we can do with that land to revitalize it or make it something more than just a surface parking lot.”

The TPA is sensitive to the needs of the community and the lot’s use during Pride, but that doesn’t mean a stageready space will survive the proposed redevelopment, Casista says. “We are aware that it’s an important area for staging for Pride,” she says. “I think an important component can be market/ residential. I’m not saying the whole area, but that’s also part of maintaining a vital community.” — Rob Salerno For more on these stories, go to dailyxtra.com.

XTRA! MAY 29–JUNE 11, 2014 11

PC Party running three gay candidates in Ontario election Brant candidate Phil Gillies says his party has embraced gay rights as attitudes shift across province POLITICS ROB SALERNO

In a move that comes as something of a surprise for a party that has long been associated with a hostile attitude toward the queer community, the Ontario Progressive Conservatives are running three out gay men on their slate in this election — and at least one of them stands a serious chance of being elected.

Only two out LGBT candidates have run for the PC Party in its history: Toronto Sun columnist Sue-Ann Levy ran and lost in a 2009 by-election, and former cabinet minister Keith Norton ran and lost after coming out in 1990.

But now Norton’s former cabinet colleague Phil Gillies — who came out after leaving politics in 1987 — is seeking

a return to Queen’s Park in the southwestern Ontario riding of Brant. And as the PCs lost Brant in 2011 by fewer than 1,000 votes, they think it’s one of their strongest chances for a pick-up.

Since leaving office, Gillies has continued to be involved in politics, serving as an advisor to the PCs in a number of campaigns, working on environmental and endangered-species issues, and sitting on the advisory council of ProudPolitics, a non-partisan organization that encourages LGBT people to run for office in Canada.

Although he was still in the closet, Gillies is best remembered in the queer community as being one of just four members of the PC caucus to vote in favour of Bill 7 in 1986, which expanded human rights law in the province to

cover sexual orientation. He describes the experience as “bruising.”

“I campaigned quite aggressively for the first gay-rights bill. It was a very acrimonious and contentious debate,” he says. “It was really quite remarkable that when the trans rights bill went to the house, it passed unanimously. I thought that was great, the contrast with the first gay-rights bill.”

He says there’s been a strong change in attitude across the province, which is being reflected in the PC Party. “For a lot of us who were from ridings particularly outside of the big urban centres, [coming out] just wasn’t an option if you wanted to go anywhere in politics,” he says. “What a difference the last 20-odd years has made. “[PC leader Tim Hudak] was well aware of my role in working with MPPs

Jamie Ellerton is the PC candidate in the Toronto riding of Parkdale–High Park.

ROB SALERNO

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TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

that brought gay rights to Ontario in the ’80s. He’s actually told me this is one of the reasons he wanted me on the team.

The more of us who are working at the very centre of Queen’s Park, the further it goes to improving attitudes,” he says.

And in the wake of a 2011 election that ended on a sour note when a number of PC candidates distributed homophobic campaign flyers and were backed up by Hudak, Gillies says the party is actively reaching out to the LGBT community.

“I was running the campaign in Brant, and I was very upset and concerned, and I certainly made my displeasure known,” he says of the 2011 campaign flyers. “But in terms of my involvement in the last couple of years, I accompanied Tim Hudak and his wife, Debbie, and a number of other gay conservatives, both two years ago and last year, to the Starry Night Gala [at Pride]. I was delighted to see how well Tim was received by the community.”

One of the issues Gillies says he’d like to push for is improved health and mental-health services for LGBT people outside the province’s major urban centres, citing the Rainbow Program at CAMH as an example.

“A lot of people may not realize how important this is . . . When you face discrimination or tension in the family, all of these things that can arise out of a young person coming out as gay, it can

put pressures on people that lead to any number of problems,” he says. “I’m not saying for a minute that there should be brick-and-mortar facilities in all the smaller communities. That’s not feasible. But there should be people in the field who are trained in these issues.”

Meanwhile, hoping to establish a toehold for the PCs in downtown Toronto is Jamie Ellerton, who’s running in the west-end riding of Parkdale–High Park.

It’s a constituency the PCs have never won, but Ellerton wants to bring the party’s message to the riding.

“LGBT people, like the rest of Ontarians, are tired of getting a bad deal from their government. Young LGBTs are looking for job opportunities; they want to get ahead, but they can’t get into this job market,” he says. “Just because you happen to be gay or lesbian doesn’t mean you have to be a tax-and-spend socialist who wants government to manage your life.”

Ellerton lives in the Junction neighbourhood, runs his own communications business and has served as executive assistant to PC Leader Tim Hudak and Jason Kenney, the federal minister of employment. He is also a spokesperson for the lobby group Ethical Oil, which advocates for increased production of the Alberta oil sands, and sits on the board of the Iranian Railroad for Queer Refugees.

$

Ellerton says the PCs are allies of the queer community.

“Tim Hudak and the whole caucus voted en masse to have the Pride flag fly at Queen’s Park to show solidarity with LGBT people during the Sochi Olympics,” he says.

In the Liberal stronghold of Ottawa Vanier, the PCs are running Martin Forget, who is perhaps best known in political circles as the longtime partner of former Liberal MP Mario Silva.

Forget says that he and Silva maintain domestic harmony despite disagreeing on some political issues.

“We live together and we’re happy . . . but there are some concerns we don’t share about the economic agenda in the province of Ontario,” he says. “I think that’s very indicative that I disagree with the Liberal agenda.”

Forget says that agenda will turn Ontario’s economy into one resembling the ruined economies of Spain and Greece.

“The bottom line is the way to change this is putting people back to work. We need to stop the waste; we need to bring back the hydro bills at the right level, so that the people from the LGBT community . . . have the power to start small businesses and thrive,” he says.

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

The provincial election is Thurs, June 12. For more coverage of the campaign, go to dailyxtra.com.

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XTRA! MAY 29–JUNE 11, 2014 13

Dyke March route to change Organizers want march to retain its radical roots PRIDE NEWS ANDI SCHWARTZ

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For the first time since its start in 1996, Toronto’s Dyke March route is changing significantly.

Past years have seen hundreds of women walk west on Bloor Street, south on Yonge Street and east on Carlton Street to end their march in Allan Gardens. This year, the march will be reversed. Marchers will start in Allan Gardens, head west on Carlton Street, north on Yonge Street and east on Charles Street to end in George Hislop Parkette.

“The change made not only logistical sense, but also keeps focus on building community and maintaining the Dyke March as a radical, political demonstration,” says Laura Krahn, one of the lead organizers.

“It is symbolic of how the Dyke March is, in fact, a march, not a parade.

It goes in the exact opposite way of the Pride parade,” adds Dallas Barnes, colead of the Dyke March team.

Organizers expect WorldPride to attract 5,000 women to the festivities on Saturday, June 28. Allan Gardens offers the much-needed space to organize marchers and to set up a stage worthy of the impressive lineup of rally speakers beforehand, they say. “Allan Gardens will provide a great sense of truly gathering together as a community — it’s like launching the march from one big, dyke picnic,” Krahn says.

Dyke day will begin at 1:30pm on June 28 with a rally in Allan Gardens.

Participants are encouraged to gather earlier to create signboards, make friends and take in the Pride programming happening in the park. The march kicks off at 2pm and ends with a performance by the taiko drumming group Raging Asian Women in George Hislop Parkette.

The first Toronto Dyke March took place in 1996; three years earlier, the Lesbian Avengers organized what is recognized as the first official dyke march, in Washington. The group formed in the early 1990s to combat lesbian invisibility in queer activism.

To get back to these political roots, the Toronto Dyke March has been rebuilding since the radical “Take

Back the Dyke” march in 2010. At the time, community members organized the alternative event to resist Pride Toronto’s ban of the term “Israeli apartheid” and the corporate cooptation of the Pride festival. Since then, the Dyke March has been committed to keeping this political spirit alive.

“The march is a reminder that our work is not done,” Krahn says. “It is both a celebration of our accomplishments over the past year and also reminds and energizes us for all the work still ahead.”

Laura Krahn (left), Dyke March team lead, and Adriana Alarcon, Craft Action TO facilitator, have been working on a crafty new banner for the 2014 Dyke March. ANDI SCHWARTZ

The Dyke March committee is also running Craft Action TO, a craft circle that meets weekly to knit, crochet, cross stitch and sew the 2014 Dyke March banner.

Dyke March organizers will host their annual party and fundraiser on June 13 at the Gladstone Hotel. In keeping with the crafting theme, the event is called Beer Craft, with the tagline “A craft circle. With beer.” Attendees can expect to hear poetry and prose written and read by local women, followed by a dance party.

For more information and a map of the new parade route, go to dykemarchtoronto.wordpress.com.

TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

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The singing blade The opera-singing, sword-fighting Julie d’Aubigny seduced both men and women HISTORY BOYS JEREMY WILLARD

Born in 1670, Julie d’Aubigny (aka La Maupin) had a voice that was as alluring as her sword was deadly, and thus armed she cut her way across late 17th-century France, seducing men and women alike. The more I read of her, the more I’m convinced that this woman — who started breaking conventions and doing as she liked when she was just 14 — is my favourite queer woman in history.

Julie’s father, Gaston, seems to have thought that, irrespective of gender, everyone should know how to defend themselves on the perilous streets of Paris. Being secretary to the Comté d’Armagnac, the man charged with the education of Louis XIV’s pages, Gaston was able to give Julie much the same education as that received by the pages, and he personally taught her how to handle a sword.

Julie’s adventures began at age 14 or 15 when she seduced the count, who introduced her to high society and the royal court. To hide the affair, he arranged for her to marry Monsieur Maupin. After about a year, Maupin was given an administrative position outside Paris. It’s likely the count, fed up with Julie’s antics, arranged the position, hoping Julie would leave with her husband.

Instead she stayed, and with her husband absent and the count distancing himself, she unleashed violence and her rabid libido upon a confused Paris. When her lover, a man named Sérannes, was accused of killing someone in a duel, they both fled to Marseille, where they made a living singing in taverns and giving duelling exhibitions. Julie started dressing as a man, but not to hide her gender; on the contrary, she flaunted the contrast between her gender and attire to draw larger crowds.

Julie soon grew bored of Sérannes.

Tall, dark and athletic, with lily-white skin, comely breasts and curly brown hair, she decided that what would suit her best was a blonde girl, who would contrast charmingly with her own darker colouring.

Julie found such a girl, and when the girl’s aghast parents sent her off to a convent in Avignon, Julie followed.

She, too, entered the convent and soon arranged their breakout by hiding a dead nun’s body in the blonde’s bed and setting the convent afire so they could escape in the turmoil.

She soon ditched the blonde and, fleeing a death sentence, travelled from town to town before heading back to Paris in the hope of finding a career onstage. Along the way she met

Julie d’Aubigny flaunted the contrast between her gender and attire to draw larger crowds. JORI BOLTON

a group of squires, got into a disagreement with them and fought them, beating them all and driving her sword through one man’s shoulder and out the other side. The man was the son of the Duke of Luynes, and this encounter was the beginning of a long sexual relationship between him and Julie.

Julie tracked down the count and convinced him to speak with the king, who, probably amused by her boldness, annulled the death sentence, allowing her to reenter Paris. Despite a lack of musical training, Julie had been accepted into a music academy in Marseille because of her beauty, verve and pleasant contralto voice. Now she inveigled her way into the Paris Opera and, at approximately 20 years of age, made her debut as Pallas Athena in Cadmus and Hermione.

Untamed by her new career, Julie made a scene at a court ball. She attended in male dress but, as always, made it known she was female.

She danced with a young lady and, when Julie kissed her ardently on the dancefloor, three of the young lady’s suitors confronted Julie, who promptly humiliated them all in the gardens with her swordfighting skills. When she returned to the ball, the king confronted her. “You are the jade La Maupin?” he asked. “I have heard of your handiwork! Need I remind you of my decree against duels in Paris?”

While the king dithered as to whether his law applied to women, Julie fled to Brussels, where she started the next chapter of her adventures as the mistress of the Elector of Bavaria, Maximilian Emanuel.

Playwright Margo MacDonald, who inspired me to write this article, has written a play about Julie d’Aubigny, which will premiere in 2015.

History Boys appears in every issue of Xtra.

TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

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TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

Outinthe City

POLITICS OF THE

TOILET If Sheila Cavanagh had had her way, she would have spent the day discussing Freud’s Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality. The York University professor was in her Critical Sexualities seminar, trying to focus her students on the assigned reading. But all they wanted to talk about was the john. Initially, she was frustrated by their inability to stay on topic, but as the discussion progressed something clicked.

“It occurred to me that the politics of the toilet was something we actually should be discussing,” she recalls. “Historically speaking, the bedroom was a taboo area. But today it’s the bathroom.

Given they’re the last formally gendersegregated spaces, we know little about them apart from our own experiences.”

One class discussion catalyzed a two-year research project. Cavanagh interviewed nearly 100 LGBT folks from across the con-

Tyson James, Chy Ryan Spain and Hallie Burt, in Queer Bathroom Stories.

DRASKO BOGDANOVIC

Summer, is that you? You’ve been making some cameos, but please stay for the rest of the party! Diego Armand E28

tinent on their experiences with public toilets.

In 2010, she published Queering Bathrooms, a scholarly look at the subject. That was supposed to be the end of the line. But she didn’t feel quite finished. Despite having zero theatre experience, she entered the 2011 Toronto Fringe Festival lottery.

Two months after her show was put on the waiting list, she was told that another company had dropped out, clearing the way for her production.

“It wasn’t until I put the phone down I realized I had no director, actors or any technical knowledge of theatre,” she says. “I’d never produced a play in my life. It was an outlandish gut response to accept. But I’ve always loved theatre and believed stories needed to be seen onstage.”

Cavanagh’s shoot-first, askquestions-later response was ultimately the right one. The production was a success, snagging the festival’s Audience Pick Award. Now she’s bringing the piece to Buddies for Queer Pride. Her returning team of three actors play 72 characters struggling with everything from deciding which door to go through to how to hook up once inside.

“There’s something so inherently erotic and traumatic about bathrooms,” she says. “I really think people will be moved to the edge of their seats.” — Chris Dupuis

Dirty looks

In Toronto, we too often try to silence our performers, visionaries and freaks who take transgressive ideas about the body, art, politics and performance to the next level.

I refer specifically to rebellious relics like Donnarama, Reg Hartt, Enza “Supermodel” Anderson and Chris Edwards. Dreaming of these four encountering similar desperados such as Nick Zedd, Anne Heche, Margot Kidder and Jack Smith at a future Occupy event makes me have a hot flash. Thankfully, there are still spaces for those who refuse to be defanged. Places like Buddies in Bad Times, Videofag and Pleasure Dome.

Pleasure Dome has been presenting experimental media art since 1989; it isn’t really a place so much as a state of mind.

This time around, the art collective welcomes Dirty Looks NYC — a platform for queer experimental film, video and live art — to Toronto, screening a program of films and videos culled from their defining first three years of existence. Also at the Toronto event, New York performanceart doyenne Narcissister will present a rare and special Queer Bathroom Stories performance. runs Sat, May 31–Sun, June What is a 15 at Buddies in Bad Times Narcissister? She is a Theatre, 12 Alexander St. trompe I’oeil; a soothbuddiesinbadtimes.com saying, virtuostic, hyperbolic, renegade weirdo whose performance style tips You and Disney cruises — they just wandered over the edge of NYC’s Narcissister in. “There were three or four from each, and political camp using they were all dancers, so they were doing mask, dance, storyfull splits, jumping up and showing their asses. and I’m like, ‘Oh, my goodness!’” she says. telling and raw athleticism. As an extension Sofonda reflects on the beauty and variety of the It was crazy.” of her screening and performance at the Woody’s is hosting a relaunch party for posteriors that she, with the keen eye of Dirty Looks party, Narcissister will offer the contest, at which Toronto-area the connoisseur, has admired over her first-ever workshop at Videofag. The Squirt’s best-ass members of Squirt will be invitthe years. “All types of guys from contest gets a lift. event will investigate what it means to use ed to come out and have a few all around the world compete,” disguise as radical and physical transformadrinks, and folks can meet and she says. “And there are stution. “My performance refigures narcissism have their pictures taken with dents, bears — the hairiest through radical acts of self-love,” she says. the Squirt models. Going asses; the asses have been “Using a mask and a handful of merkin, I forward, the prizes will be so beautiful that I faint. play with the limits of burlesque, masquereven better, beginning with They’re so round and lusade and performance art.” — Keith Cole

A fresh crack at best ass Toronto is awash with culture, from exhibits at Paul Petro Contemporary Art to the latest revolutionary queer play at Buddies in Bad Times, but sometimes what really hits the spot is a row of magnificent bubble butts winking at you from beneath harsh stage lights in a rowdy tavern.

The Squirt Best Men’s Ass Contest at Woody’s has long been a staple of Saturday nights in the Church-Wellesley Village, where men of all sorts bare and work their asses to win applause and prizes.

The contest is almost always preceded by host Sofonda Cox and guests giving drag performances. “After a couple of numbers, we call volunteers up onstage to show off their best assets,” Sofonda says. “We’ve had a few battles. When you narrow it down to the top three, they battle it out in a dance-off or twerk-off or whatever.”

“They’re not allowed to show their wee-wee; it’s forbidden, but accidents do happen sometimes, MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM

cious, like apples ready for the pickin’.”

Occasionally, transgender guys compete. “The trans guys are beautiful, so yummy. I think a trans guy won once. Usually they wear a jockstrap,” she says.

Recently, she says, there was a battle between dancers from The Lion King, We Will Rock

a contest on the night of the relaunch, when a group of volunteer hunks will compete for Squirt memberships and prize packs. — Jeremy Willard The relaunch of the Squirt Best Ass Contest is Sat, June 7, 9–10:30pm, at Woody’s, 467 Church St. woodystoronto.com

Dirty Looks NYC: Three Years is Thurs, June 5, 7:30pm, at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander St. Narcissister and The Mask: A Workshop is Fri, June 6, noon– 2pm, at Videofag, 187 Augusta Ave. Email pdome@bell.net to reserve. pdome.org

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TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

Buddies in Bad Times Theatre presents

BUDDIES AFTER HOURS

JUNE 12

Education Partner TD Bank Group

JUNE 21, 27, 28 & 29

Buddies celebrates its 35th anniversary as the world’s largest and oldest queer theatre with a massive birthday blow out! The event is hosted by Evalyn Parry and Clinton Walker and features a collection of some of our favourite performers.

8:00pm | The Chamber | Tickets FREE for youth 25 and under, $10 for adults 26+ | All advance tickets $10

35 YEARS & COUNTING

10:00pm | The Cabaret | Tickets FREE

CLUB CABARET / MUSIC COMEDY THEATRE Libido Productions presents

QUEER BATHROOM STORIES

MAY 31 – JUNE 15 Tues-Sun | The Chamber | Tickets $20- $25

written by Sheila Cavanagh | directed by Megan Watson | starring Hallie Burt, Tyson James, & Chy Ryan Spain Queer Bathroom Stories will open your eyes to the secret sex life of the toilet. Based on real life experiences and in-person interviews, these passionate, funny and emotive stories reveal the complexities of gender identity and sexuality.

Lash Entertainment presents

Theatre Outré presents

UNSEX’D

JUNE 13-14

8:00pm | The Cabaret | Tickets $20

Written by Jay Whitehead & Daniel Judes | directed by Richie Wilcox | sound design by Aaron Collier | lighting design by Rob Stanford | set and costume design by David Barrus | featuring Adam Beauchesne & Jay Whitehead Alberta’s award-winning Theatre Outré turns a queer eye towards 17th Century England, where two actors fight for the role of Lady Macbeth and will do anything to get the part. UNSEX’d is a cheeky, historically inaccurate, satirically biting, and gratuitously crude dramatic comedy.

David Kraft presents

DANCE FLOOR MAKE OUT

JUNE 13

10:30pm | The Cabaret | Cover $5

Pucker your lips and get ready to get down at D.M.F.O. DJ John Caffery and DJ Phil V spin tunes and Nancy Bocock provides an extra special performance at the sexiest night in town.

DELUSIONS STARRING MISS CONCEPTION

The Cabaret Company presents

7:30pm | The Cabaret | Tickets $25

JUNE 15

JUNE 6 & 7

A wickedly entertaining evening of pop divas past and present with everyone’s favourite lady, Miss Conception, singing the songs that made them famous. Guaranteed to knock your bras off.

Straight Camp presents

STUMBLE, TOPPLE, AND STAND

JUNE 8

2:00pm | The Cabaret | Tickets $10 & FREE 10 years old and under

Created and designed by Nick Carney | creators and performers Owen Fawcett, Katie Sly, & Spencer Charles Smith Straight Camp brings you messy queer fairy tales for all ages: the kind of fairy tales we wish we’d grown up with. A sensitive prince who just wants to play with his dolls, a daring princess who can take care of herself, and a fire-breathing dragon who is more scared of you than you are of her.

GENDERPLAY

A READING OF JP LAROCQUE’S FUN WITH DICK (AND JANE)

2:00pm | The Cabaret | Tickets PWYC

See Dick. See Dick cruise. See Dick cruise the toilets. A play about a man who found love in an unlikely place.

The Cabaret Company presents

FREE JANE

JUNE 15

8:00pm | The Cabaret | Tickets FREE

Everyone’s favourite beauty queen rebel is back with the notorious Free Jane.

An open mic for the ranters, poets, actors, drag queens, and strippers to get on stage and do their thing. Featuring a new play by Sonny Mills, directed

by Ellen-Ray Hennessy and a special appearance by Miss Shackleton.

PRIDECAB

JUNE 18

directed by Chy Ryan Spain | co-facilitators Shaista Latif and Alisha Stranges | ensemble Dominic Brasset, Eric Chang, M.E. Lepp, H. Orvis, Katie Pereira, Johnny Salib, Okjan Tengri, Jae M.T. The hallmark of Buddies’ Queer Youth Arts Program, the ever-popular PrideCab tackles what it means to be young and queer today in a series of original stories, songs, and performances created and performed by the Buddies Youth Ensemble.

FROM THE HORSE’S MOUTH CELEBRATES WORLD PRIDE

JUNE 19 & 20 8:00pm | The Chamber | Tickets $25

Created by Tina Croll and Jamie Cunningham Watch as 25 local performers from all walks of life share their humorous and poignant stories. This celebratory dance/theatre experience has received standing ovations and rave reviews across the United States for its captivating story-telling and exceptional dancing.

The House of Nuance presents

THE BIZARRE BALL AT BUDDIES: RAINBOW WARRIORS

JUNE 20

10:30pm | The Chamber | Tickets $10

Toronto’s vogueing sensation, The House of Nuance, brings the bizarre back to Buddies for a spectacular Pride ball. Get done up and strut your stuff, or just come and experience the wildest night this city has to offer. houseofnuance.com

LEGENDS OF N.Y. NITELIFE

JUNE 21-29

Tues-Sat, 12:00-5:00pm | The Ante-Chamber | Tickets FREE

A retrospective of over fifty classic images from 1987-90 from celebrated nightlife photographer John Simone. Join us for the opening reception on June 21 at 3pm or stop by throughout the festival to view the exhibit.

Glam-Glam Productions presents

THE B-GIRLZ: PRIDE NATION!

JUNE 21

8:00pm | The Cabaret | Tickets $25 in advance/ $28 at the door

The B-Girlz return to Buddies with a tribute to gay life. Live singing, comedic stylings, over-the-top dancing, the B-Girlz give it all in this outrageous glamour-disco cabaret!

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10:30pm | Full Facility | Cover $15

During Queer Pride, we open up the whole building for the best party on the block with DJs K-Tel and Triple-X and different performers every night including Fay Slift, Diano Lopez Sotto, Cassandra Moore and many more.

Pole Club presents

RISE

JUNE 21

8:30pm | The Chamber | Tickets $15

hosted by Sasha Van Bon Bon | featuring Shane MacKinnon, Charissa Wilcox, Kitty Neptune, Shanna Miller, Axel Blows, Jenny Venom, Diana Lopez Soto,Dew Lily, Mahogany Storm, Femmes du Feu, Blossom, Nari & Kelly Perras Smith Enjoy a decadent cocktail of art, dance, strip tease, and aerial acrobatics.

The gravity-defying ladies and gentlemen of the brass pole transform Buddies into a sexy, steamy playground.

WorldPride 2014 Toronto, Obsidian Theatre, IFT Theatre, and Buddies In Bad Times Theatre present

JUST ME, YOU AND THE SILENCE

JUNE 22

7:00pm | The Chamber | Tickets $10 in advance, PWYC at the door (all proceeds donated to FARUG - Freedom and Roam Uganda)

written by ADONG Lucy Judith | directed by Mumbi Tindyebwa Come experience a powerful new play by Ugandan writer ADONG Lucy Judith about the harsh anti-homosexuality laws that divide her country.

Just Me, You and the Silence traces the rise of a fictional politician who uses his new found power to introduce a bill that divides a nation. A panel discussion will follow the reading.

Buddies In Bad Times Theatre and WorldPride 2014 Toronto present

THE LADY HAMLET

Gavin Crawford and Sharron Matthews present

GAVIN CRAWFORD AND SHARRON MATTHEWS ARE VICIOUS BITCHES

JUNE 26

8:00pm | The Cabaret | Tickets $25

The King of the Monologue teams up with the Queen of the Songalogue for an evening of hilarity, music and idle gossip. Sharron Matthews and Gavin Crawford come together for the first time at World Pride to lovingly lampoon all things gay!

BUTCH FEMME SALON WORLD PRIDE EDITION: UNDER THE COVERS

JUNE 26

8:00pm | The Chamber | Tickets $10 in advance, PWYC at the door

Belle Jumelles and Titus Androgynous host an inclusive night of performances and partying for butches and femmes of all stripes. Come early to be social, get your flirt on and participate in some naughty bed time activities. Stick around and enjoy a raucous show featuring some of Toronto’s sexiest performers and an all night dance party with the city’s hottest queer DJs.

BITCH SALAD PRIDE

JUNE 27

8:00pm | The Chamber | Tickets $25

Bitch Salad unites the country’s fiercest female and queer comedians for one unforgiving night of laughter. Back for its sixth all-star Pride edition, this year’s super-sized show guarantees to devastate! Hosted by Andrew Johnston and featuring local sensations Steph Tolev and Laura Di Labio, the queen of the UK comedy scene Katherine Ryan, perennial favorites The Cheeto Girls and very special guest Drew Droege.

Glam-Glam Productions presents

HOMO NIGHT IN CANADA 2014

JUNE 25

JUNE 28

8:00pm | The Cabaret | Tickets PWYC (proceeds go to Wychwood Open Door)

8:00pm | The Chamber | Tickets $25

Two artists, both born to play Hamlet, also happened to be born women. With 1920s New York City as their sparring field, they engage in a war of wits that leaves their colleagues and lovers caught in the crossfire. Buddies teams up with World Pride to present a reading of this new work by renowned writer and thinker Sarah Schulman, who will be in attendance.

Now in its 14th year, this Pride tradition brings the very best in queer comedy to the stage for one hilarious night. Hosted by the infamous B-Girlz and featuring Susan Fischer, John Hastings, Shawn Hitchens, Elvira Kurt, Catherine McCormick, Richard Ryder, David-Benjamin Tomlinson, Dawn Whitwell and Lindy Zucker. glam-glam.com

IN LOVE AND CHAOS: RAW, RESILIENT AND FOREVER REDEFINING

JUNE 25

10:30pm | The Chamber | Tickets $15 seated, $10 standing

From the essence of Colour Me DRAGG spawns In Love and Chaos, a curated, synergistic showcase of Indigenous Two-Spirit, Black, and People of Colour Queer/Trans* communities, artists, and performers.

THE LADY OIYE’S TEA DANCE

JUNE 29

3:00-10:00pm | The Cabaret | Tickets FREE

Buddies provides cool respite for the weary and thirsty on Pride Day afternoon, spreading out the welcome, spreading out the welcome mat for a friendly gathering just off the parade route.

Design: lightupthesky.ca Photo: Drasko Bogdanovic, draskobogdanovic.ca

FESTIVAL SPONSOR

TD Bank Group presents

XTRA! MAY 29–JUNE 11, 2014 21

COVER STORY

WE SHOU Toronto dancefloors are vanishing, leaving few places to bust a move, says John Caffery

John Caffery, by day a coordinator at Supporting our Youth, DJs the Mighty Real and Pitbull parties.

22 MAY 29–JUNE 11, 2014 XTRA!

DANCE IS A JOYFUL EXPRESSION OF THE body that brings community together, yet for queer people in Toronto, it’s getting harder to get down. Nightlife in our city is rapidly changing, and finding somewhere to work it out on the dancefloor is increasingly difficult.

A collision of factors is making it challenging to open new spaces or convert existing venues to feature a DJ booth and a dancefloor. No single factor is responsible, but there is a perfect storm for business owners and promoters trying to get gays dancing. City zoning and bylaws have created a web of red tape, and the gentrification of downtown and the recent recession have left many too broke to afford double-digit cover charges.

With all the growth in our city, the dearth of welcoming venues with good sound systems and dancefloors is surprising, especially given that Toronto once had so many, like Stages, Boots and the Boom Boom Room. Those treasured spaces, and others like them, have become unrecognizable as property owners change nightlife hotspots into gyms and condominiums. Throw in some pressure by city council to ban electronic dance music (EDM) on the CNE grounds and you have a political and economic shift that leaves me looking for Kevin Bacon, because it seems we are living in the movie Footloose!

Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti recently put forth a motion that EDM be banned at the CNE, even though EDM events are huge revenue generators for Toronto. His argument is that MDMA and ecstasy use “is not what city property and taxpayers’ money should be used for.” But Mammoliti doesn’t realize that many drug users are taxpayers, too; in fact, some are elected officials. The owner of Muzik nightclub, also on CNE grounds and where Rob Ford notoriously partied with Justin Bieber, initially complained that the nearby city-hosted events were unfair competition. When that argument went nowhere, Mammoliti suggested that the EDM events would ruin the youth of Toronto, similar to arguments against rock and roll or hip hop in earlier generations.

This isn’t the first time Toronto has gone through a fight like this. Mayoral candidate Olivia Chow cheered when councillors overturned the EDM ban in May, saying, “I helped organize the ‘I Dance’ campaign that helped overturn a one-month ban for exactly the same thing. Mel Lastman was the mayor at the time banning electronic dance music on city properties; we mobilized a huge campaign and had 20,000 people at Nathan Phillips Square and the vote was reversed. This time, it is my stepson [Councillor] Mike Layton’s [turn].”

“While not condoning the drug use, it’s going to happen and this is a way of reducing the risk,” Layton says. “[Mammoliti] was trying to make an emotional argument to fit his financial one and was using words that he knew would strike chords with people.”

Mammoliti, who seemed concerned about the issue, initially didn’t bother to show up to council to vote, nor would he respond when contacted

by Xtra. Mayoral candidate David Soknacki says, “I have a real concern that by simply writing a bylaw that people think the problem goes away, but it doesn’t; the problem just moves to other spaces, probably unregulated spaces, and the opportunity for risk and danger really increases.

The fact that we are talking about public versus private space, and one operator and a lack of competition, are all secondary to the main issue that people are safe.”

There is a history of pressure from within city government to crack down on regulated spaces to dance. Exacerbating the challenge for Torontonians who own clubs or want to dance in them are broader political and economic issues, such as the fact that zoning laws limit new dance clubs to south of Queen Street. In addition, property owners have been choosing to develop condominiums where clubs once existed and, for many, life in Toronto is increasingly less affordable.

Encroaching gentrification also continues to affect downtown. The owners of Fly and Zipperz, for instance, say their upcoming closures continued on page 24 E TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

LD BE

Photos by Drasko Bogdanovic

DANCING A shift in gay club culture makes way for a new kind of dancefloor, claims Rolyn Chambers 1999. THIS WAS PLANET EARTH AT A TIME when man roamed a lush and fertile gay village. A club just three floors tall changed all that. In 2014, news of its closure hit with the force of 10,000 crying gay men. A million tons of glitter and powder were thrown into the atmosphere, creating a suffocating blanket of dust that the rainbow was powerless to penetrate for a thousand years. It happened before; it is happening again.

This reworked monologue from the movie Armageddon is a bit over the top, but with the impending closure of Fly nightclub, the city’s last true gay dance club, some in Toronto’s gay community have been running around like the end is near. It is not. Instead of an ice age like the one that accompanied the last real end of the world, we are in the midst of a great change. What is happening now has been years in the making and can be better compared to the continental shift of Pangaea. Let’s call ours Pangaya.

Pangaea was the name given to the supercontinent that existed before the Earth’s

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plates shifted and created the smaller continents that we now inhabit. Pangaya is the Church Street gay village. In 1999, when Fly threw open its infamous metal-gated doors, Toronto’s gay community was at its height.

The landscape was very different. It was one big mass of thriving gay clubs, bars, clothing stores, sex shops, restaurants and bathhouses.

The social and economic climate of the day supported Fly and many other gay clubs, including The Barn, Boots and Five, not to mention countless bars and weekly gay nights in large straight clubs. Michael Schwarz, coowner of Fly for the last 11 years, remembers those days.

“The market has definitely changed,” he admits. “We aren’t making the money that we once made. I remember when we had 1,200 to 1,500 people through our doors on a Saturday night. And personally, my business partner no longer lives in the city, [and] I have three kids now. Plus, the landlord wants a much continued on page 24 E

Rolyn Chambers is Xtra’s Deep Dish columnist and a party animal.

XTRA! MAY 29–JUNE 11, 2014 23

We can’t dance E continued from page 22

“THE FINEST PIECE OF THEATRE ANY TORONTO COMPANY HAS MOUNTED IN MANY, MANY YEARS” –Toronto Star

RAQUEL DUFF Y DAMIEN ATKINS

We can dance E continued from page 23

were caused by rising rents. “I don’t think people want higher rent. He’s more interested in [the building] to pay the cover charges they used to, and it’s not just becoming a condo.”

Toronto,” Fly general manager Gilles Belanger says. “My Though part of this shift has been created by outside colleagues in LA used to charge $20 cover and now they forces like the booming condo market (Five Condo is charge $5. Maybe people will see that it does cost money currently being built on what was Five Nightclub, Zipperz to do things. You pay $40 to go to a movie . . . it’s hard to will soon be replaced with a 45-storey tower, and there bring in an international DJ and pay the rent. A club like has been talk of Crews and The Barn being demolished this could work if it were open four nights a week, but and turned into condos for years), we as gay men have also that is not happening in Toronto. If you look at what is helped it along. Just as Neanderthal man became extinct happening anywhere that has great real estate, it is losing and Homo sapiens evolved, we gay men are changing. Gay its spaces, and a nightclub can’t make the same amount rights “normalized” us, while technology altered us. We of money as a 14-storey condo.” can be out almost anywhere. We are marrying, raising “I’ve always lived around nightlife because I’ve always children. No longer is the gay club the primary social been lower income,” Toronto music writer Benjamin venue and meeting place. Why go out when you can go Boles says. “Nightlife doesn’t go online and order in? where rich people live, and when With this shift, some things rich people start moving into a (like large clubs) are being lost neighbourhood, suddenly nightto the seas of time, while others life that has been there a long time (smaller clubs, monthly parties) is a problem.” are rising up to take their place. It There was a time when the city happened in New York. It is haptried to focus new dancefloor zonpening here. From one massive ing in the entertainment district.

Pangaya village, like newly sepa“It made sense at the time because rated continents, three smaller all the garment factories had ones are in creation. WAYLA bar closed because of NAFTA; nothand other gay-friendly hangouts ing was going on there, but since have taken root in the East. The then things have changed,” Chow Steady, The Beaver, the Gladstone says. Now, the number of nightHotel, Henhouse and gay nights clubs has decreased significantly, like Big Primpin’ at Wrong Bar but the zoning laws prevent new and Hotnuts at The Garrison have nightclubs from opening outside solidified “Queer West.” And centhat area. Bars are licensed as restrally, Church Street, Toronto’s taurants, which means a certain gay mecca, though smaller, is still number of seats and only a small afloat. space dedicated to entertainment, But what will the gay club landsuch as a stage or dancefloor. This scape of the future look like withis why so many queer parties are out Fly? Where will the big-name pushing aside the chairs at night global DJs be heard? Where will for dancing. the international up-and-coming Belanger goes on to say, “I divas belt out their latest tracks? would do gay events in straight Where will scantily clad go-go clubs. I think the challenge is gomen gyrate on speakers for our ing to be trying to find interestamusement? Where will Toronto ing spaces in the downtown area. gays dance into the wee hours of People may have to get out of their the morning? comfort zones a little bit, but there Poised to take off, as perhaps an are some great dancefloors in the alternative Fly monthly or even city.” There is a queer history of a weekly, are Gairy Brown’s Peep using straight spaces for events Show parties at Coda, which have that goes back to Industry and been drawing large numbers of Limelight, and that history is alive Fly regulars for months now. And today with parties such as Yes Yes if George Pratt is smart, with a Y’all and Hotnuts. bit of intelligent reworking of its “For a period,” DJ Denise Benson says, “every sizable, current layout, his Flash strip club and Erotica lounge interesting straight bar venue had really vibrant queer in the heart of the Church-Wellesley Village could easnights. We are talking 300 to 700 people a week, and they ily become a weekend dance hotspot. Considering that were weeklies, not the monthlies like we see now, so there he once owned Club Colby’s (which had an upper-floor has been a whole shift in the number of strip club) in the late 1990s, this concept bars, the size of bars, how much dancing should not be foreign to him.

To add your opinion, can or can not happen and the number Though the world will enjoy Fly one go to dailyxtra.com. of mixed nights out there.” more time during WorldPride 2014, the It all leaves Toronto’s nightlife listings actual last hurrah will take place the looking a little thin, and the fact that so many queer people following Saturday, July 5. It’s only fitting that we party hook up online and avoid bars altogether doesn’t help. But, with our community and reflect on days gone by. And Benson says, “It can’t all be Grindr!” to remember those times, everyone will leave with one Toronto’s dancing feet might rest on unsteady ground, of the club’s hundreds of mirror balls as a final parting but one thing is always certain: queers will figure out where gift — a small, glittery meteor to remind us that even to go. “People are going to dance — it is primordial!” says though Fly has fallen, the gay club scene has not. It’s Chow. simply shifting.

FOR A PERIOD, EVERY SIZABLE, INTERESTING STRAIGHT BAR VENUE HAD REALLY VIBRANT QUEER NIGHTS. WE ARE TALKING 300 TO 700 PEOPLE A WEEK, AND THEY WERE WEEKLIES, NOT THE MONTHLIES LIKE WE SEE NOW. DJ Denise Benson

ANGELS IN AMERICA

TONY KUSHNER PART I: MILLENNIUM APPROACHES PART II: PERESTROIKA 2014 lead sponsors

24 MAY 29–JUNE 11, 2014 XTRA!

photo: cylla von tiedemann

TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

PRESENTING SPONSOR

Toronto LGBT Film Festival Final Weekend

PANEL FOR LOST GIRL Saturday, May 31 12:00 PM Join Lost Girl at Inside Out as we present an exclusive interactive panel featuring clips, tales from the behind the scenes, and discussion focused around creating, writing and bringing to life strong, engaging (and sexy) bisexual and lesbian characters within the genre of science fiction. What helps make Lost Girl so unique – aside from its proudly Canadian production team - is its ‘Gay Geek’ fan base. One search online is all it takes to prove this series brings fans to the height of obsession, intrigue and appreciation for its ability to brilliantly combine scifi, drama, humour, and sexuality into relatable stories for those coming of age, questioning or simply in need of well-written fiction that’s left of centre.

Anna Silk, Executive Producer Vanessa Piazza and Showrunner Michael Grassi in attendance.

More TBA.

THROUGH A LENS DARKLY: BLACK PHOTOGRAPHERS AND THE EMERGENCE OF A PEOPLE

PANEL FOR THE SERIAL MONOGAMIST

Saturday, May 31 2:15 PM

Join us for an exclusive sneak peek into the much anticipated feature film, Portrait of a Serial Monogamist, a romantic lesbian comedy from the award winning writer/directors Christina Zeidler and John Mitchell.

Join Zeidler and Mitchell and a who’s who panel of Canadian talent that includes Vag Halen’s Vanessa Dunn, Emmy-nominated writer/performer Diane Flacks, and other key cast for an enlightening conversation of intimate secrets about the indie filmmaking process—the prats and pitfalls from behind the scenes—and exclusive scenes from the forthcoming movie.

Thomas Allen Harris USA 2014 90:00 Canadian Premiere

Inspired by noted curator Deborah Willis’ groundbreaking photography book, Reflections in Black, gay artist and filmmaker Thomas Allen Harris reaches back in time to 1840 to explore how African-American identity became shaped by this medium.

The film features largely unseen footage of undisputed masters of photograhy, while highlighting the works of LGBT artists of colour.

Saturday, May 31 4:45 PM

WEB SERIES SHOWCASE

ME, MYSELF AND MUM

Sunday, June 1 3:00 PM

Sunday, June 1 5:00 PM

What do Spike Lee, Autostraddle, The Advocate, indieWIRE, Funny or Die and Variety all have in common? Their love and praise for the titles featured in our Web Series Showcase. Inside Out is thrilled to present the who’s who of the finest LGBT web series on the Internet. Please join us for a very special showcase of previews, premieres and presentations. All filmmakers will be in attendance for a panel discussion on the meteoric rise of the web series platform. Get the insider’s perspective on what it takes to develop your story, share your vision and find your audience. It’s Web Series 101 on the do-it-yourself approach to accessible filmmaking and storytelling. Find your inspiration.

See for yourself then do it yourself.

Guillaume Gallienne France 2013 85:00

French actor, writer and director Guillaume Gallienne (also starring in this year’s Yves Saint Laurent) adapts his one-man show into a flamboyant and hilarious film, in which an effeminate boy with a domineering mother is raised to be gay before he has a chance to define his own sexuality. Me, Myself and Mum deftly balances laughter, pity and poignancy, and produces a moving story of a man taking ownership of his complicated life.

Director’s Fortnight, 2013 Cannes Nominated for Best Film, Best Actor, Best First Film, Best Editing and Best Writing, 2014 Cesar Awards

ALL SCREENINGS AT TIFF BELL LIGHTBOX | FULL DETAILS: insideout.ca | #SEEFORYOURSELF

INTERCONTINENTAL TORONTO CENTRE CHARLES STREET VIDEO

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GAY AD NETWORK STEAM WHISTLE

XTRA! MAY 29–JUNE 11, 2014 25

LUMINEERS The 2014 Luminato Festival’s gay-interest quotient reaches an all-time high ARTS FESTIVAL SERAFIN LARIVIERE

Even the most loyal of Torontonians can surely admit that our city, while beautiful, exciting and full of fun stuff to do, is not terribly cool. Maybe it’s the proximity of chic Montreal that makes us seem a bit stuffy, or perhaps it’s city hall’s ongoing quest to carpet the downtown in wall-to-wall condos. Either way, it’s fortunate we have events like Luminato to spice things up once in a while.

This year’s festival promises some of the usual hipster offerings that have proved popular with audiences. Singer/ songwriter Rufus Wainwright will be warbling show-tune duets with other male artists, including Boy George, Josh Groban and Steven Page; it’s sure to be a crowd pleaser. Gentlemen Prefer Duets,

The Hidden Cameras will perform songs from their new album at Luminato.

Louise Lecavalier will perform her deeply personal dance piece So Blue with Frédéric Tavernini.

Sat, June 14 at 7:30pm in the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, 1 Front St E.

The TimesTalks Luminato roundtable conversations are sure to be fascinating, including luminaries like musician/ producer Daniel Lanois and Isabella Rossellini talking about their varied and successful careers. Lanois will be further feted in an all-star tribute to his catalogue of beautiful and timeless songs that will feature artists Emmylou Harris, Martha Wainwright and the amazing Mary Margaret O’Hara.

An international cast of senior citizens talk dirty in All the Sex I’ve Ever Had.

Sleeping in the Devil’s Bed: The Music of Daniel Lanois, Tues, June 10 at 7:30pm at Massey Hall, 178 Victoria St.

Also not to be missed is a performance

by Toronto’s Hidden Cameras, fresh back from their US tour. Frontman Joel Gibb and his crew of gospel-tinged cavaliers put on a high-energy show that is as infectiously melodic as it is thought-provoking. The Hidden Cameras, Sun, June 8 at 4pm in the Festival Hub at Pecaut Square, 55 John St.

But it’s always with the taboo and unexpected that Luminato truly excels as an arts festival. Certainly one of the most unexpected offerings will be All the Sex I’ve Ever Had, a raucous and fascinating discussion of love and sexuality by senior citizens from around the world.

“I think that it’s one of those things 26 MAY 29–JUNE 11, 2014 XTRA!

contributions in La La La Human Steps have led to worldwide acclaim as both a dancer and teacher.

So Blue is a deeply personal piece for Dance, always an exciting staple of the Lecavalier, who will perform the first festival, does itself proud this year. act solo before being joined by Frédéric Not to be missed are performances of Tavernini as they dance the relationship famed choreographer Pina Bausch’s between a mother and her son. legendary Kontakthof, “It was intimidating a piece often called the for me,” Lacavalier says.

LUMINATO FESTIVAL crowning achievement “Working with Édouard Fri, June 6–Sun, June 15 Various locations of the modern dance [Lock, the founder of luminatofestival.com pioneer. Showings of La La La Human Steps] Wim Wenders’s Oscarfor 18 years and loving nominated 3D film Pina will pay tribute what he was making, I thought, why do to Bausch’s creation of her Tanztheater something less than that if I’m working Wuppertal dance company through ex- with someone so good and talented? cerpts from four of her defining works. But I wanted to make something of my Kontakthof, Wed, June 11–Sat, June 14 at own, finally.

7:30pm in the Bluma Appel Theatre, 27 “It’s important for me to make a work Front St E; Pina, Sat, June 14 at 1pm at by myself. It lets me talk about living the TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King St W. and the fight and contrast in life. I realize that I’m so full of contradictions, and Another modern dance icon will be movement allows me to express it. For presenting her first choreographical me, this is food. This is nourishment.” effort, with the Toronto premiere of So Blue, Fri, June 13 and Sat, June 14 at Louise Lecavalier’s So Blue. Lecavalier 8pm and Sun, June 15 at 3pm in the Fleck is a head-turning artist; her standout Dance Theatre, 207 Queens Quay W. Ever Had, Thurs, June 12–Sun, June 15 at 7:30pm in the Isabel Bader Theatre, 93 Charles St W.

that makes sense, if you think about it for a moment logically,” says Eva Verity, director of creative production at the Mammalian Diving Reflex theatre company. “We’re so youth obsessed, and some people may not want to think of their parents or grandparents in that way. But you don’t just turn off the faucet when you age. You’re still you.”

All of the show’s performers have their own story to tell; no detail is spared as they discuss their adventures — and misadventures — in the world of marriage, liaisons, role-playing and orgies. This is the production’s first international cast, featuring members

from Germany, Singapore, Scotland and North America. Personally, I can’t wait to hear from Hank, a gay man from Philadelphia who goes by the name of Hattie-May for the show. I initially assumed that a senior homosexual’s story would involve plenty of repression and angst, but it sounds like Hattie-May’s had a gay old time in her decades of love and sex.

“Hank’s had a lot of lovely adventures,” Verity says. “The sense of restrictiveness doesn’t really come out as much because of his friends and social circles. He definitely found his own path in a beautiful way.” All the Sex I’ve

TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

June 6–15, 2014 Tickets on sale now

The Hidden Cameras, LiV Warfield June 8, The Hidden Cameras, 4PM, June 8, LiV Warfield, 9PM The Festival Hub is a fully licensed environment Presented By:

If I Loved You: Gentlemen Prefer Broadway — An Evening of Love Duets

Featuring performances by Paradisiacal Rites David Byrne, Boy George, Josh Saint Genet A non-narrative merging of dance, theatre, music and Groban, Brennan Hall, Ezra art which explores American hysteria, nationalistic Koenig, Steven Page, Andrew vanity and utopian fervour This production contains nudity Rannells and Rufus Wainwright Suitable for audiences 18+ Rufus Wainwright teams with Grammy- and Tony-winning music director Stephen Oremus to redefine dozens of the most beloved gems in the Great American Songbook, all love songs from Broadway musicals

June 10–14, Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (MOCCA) Presented in partnership with: Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art

June 14, Sony Centre for the Performing Arts Major Media Partner:

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XTRA! MAY 29–JUNE 11, 2014 27

DAY TRIPPER

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All-day style essentials to make the most of summer

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STYLE LIFE DIEGO ARMAND

Summer, is that you? You’ve been making some cameos, but please stay for the rest of the party! Summer in Toronto means being out for the whole day, being sure to absorb every last bit of sun before we lose it again. You can go from poolside drinks or an island trek to dinner on your favourite patio with no time to go home in between. I’ve rounded up some key tips and accessories to make sure you’re prepared to do it all.

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Come clean 1. World Tour tote bag, Stüssy and Herschel, $75. Stüssy, 1000 Queen St W 2. Backley cap, Carhartt Work in Progress, $45. Nomad, 819 Queen St W

SUMMER STYLIN’ TIPS

3. S/S Great Lakes linen shirt, Roots (draped over bag), $68. Roots locations 4. Jacket (in pouch), K-way, $55. k-way.ca 5. Beach towels, Hudson’s Bay, $40. North Standard Trading Post, 1662 Queen St W

» Bags in prints give the pop you need for your street-style swagger.

6. Sunglasses, Sheriff & Cherry, $145. kavut.com

» Hats are a must, to protect that pretty face from the sun (bucket and five-panel are my personal picks).

7. Jun-Ka cardholder, $80. info@jun-ka.com 8. Arrowhead swim trunks, Bather. $85. Nomad

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9. Slip-on sneakers, Vans, $65. Get Outside, 3456 Yonge St

» Linen shirts are not just for dads anymore, with great options in solids and prints, keeping you cool but collared.

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Urban jungle 10. Duffel backpack, Filson, $510. Nomad

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11. Reversible bucket hat, Stüssy, $55. Stüssy

» Sunglasses are getting smaller and rounder.

Mirrored lenses give good shade.

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12. Destroyed denim Chuck Taylors, Converse, $75. Groovy, 323 Queen St W 13. XL hoody sweatshirt (folded), Roots, $138. Roots locations 14. Leopard-print piqué polo, Denim & Supply, $65. Hudson’s Bay, 176 Yonge St

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15. Jun-Ka card holder, $85. info@jun-ka.com

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16. Luca sunglasses, Stüssy, $145. Stüssy

» For footwear, stick with the classics. Slip-on Vans or Chuck Taylors are always trending.

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» You should always have a hooded sweatshirt with you for chilly nights and indoor AC. » Lastly, be sure to pack these two things every day: swim trunks (for unexpected bathing) and a rain jacket (for unexpected showers).

17. Black swim trunks (folded), Bather, $85. Nomad 18. Key ring, The Standard of Quality, $60. Nomad PHOTOS BY MAY TRUONG

28 MAY 29–JUNE 11, 2014 XTRA!

TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

STOREFRONT

The facilities at Iguazu Falls allow visitors to get up close.

DAVID WALBERG

WIN A LUXURY TRIP TO ARGENTINA Designer Trips presents Watch to Win Sweepstakes What would you do with 12 days in Argentina? Tour the sun-drenched wineries in the mountainous region of Mendoza? Submerge yourself in the vibrant and decadent nightlife of Buenos Aires? Knock the Eighth Wonder of the World off your bucket list with a trek to Iguazu Falls? Lose yourself to the heart-racing romance of the Argentine tango? Make a solemn pilgrimage to the tomb of Santa Evita?

Shop for gauchos?

Whatever your desire, Designer Trips and North South Travel (a member of the International Gay and Lesbian

Travel Association) has the perfect opportunity for you: the Argentina Watch to Win Sweepstakes.

The grand prize? A once-in-a-lifetime, 12-day, fully escorted, luxury trip for two to Argentina valued at more than $12,000. The journey takes you on a 4,600-kilometre round trip from Buenos Aires to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Iguazu Falls to the vineyard-blanketed hills of Mendoza near the Chilean border.

Entering the contest is so simple a niño could do it. Visit watchtowinargentina.com to view

enticing videos highlighting the regions you’ll be visiting and look for the “Watch to Win” code words. Complete the online entry form and submit for your chance to win. Three videos: three chances to win!

Buena suerte y buen viaje!

Or contact Darryl Grace at Designer Trips and North South Travel to skip to the prize and book your whirlwind Argentine adventure today.

A view of the breathtaking Argentine countryside.

DAVID WALBERG

Email darryl@northsouthtravel.com or call him toll free at 1-800-665-1882. northsouthtravel.com

AFFILIATE EVENT

MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM

PHOTO BY CASSANDRA SILVER

XTRA! MAY 29–JUNE 11, 2014 29

30 MAY 29–JUNE 11, 2014 XTRA!

TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

WHAT'S ON

HEALTH & ISSUES The 519 Legal Clinic A free, accessible service for lowincome people. Volunteer lawyers provide legal advice, referrals and help with forms and letters. The confidential and private visits are first-come, first-served. Bring any necessary documents. Every Thursday; registration 6–6:30pm.

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

Angels in America — Young Centre, Thurs, June 12–Sat, July 12 CYLLA VON TIEDEMANN

SOY Monday Night Drop-In Queer youth ages 14 to 29 gather to watch movies, participate in art projects 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, June 3, and Tues, June 17, 6–8pm. The 519 Community Centre, 519 Church St. Free. pr2r.org

Immigrant and Refugee Self-Care Workshop

Rainbow Review — The Libertine, Sun, June 8

FOR MORE EVENT LISTINGS, GO TO DAILYXTRA.COM

A workshop focused on tools that include body awareness, breathing and movement exercises, and selfmassage. Registration required.

For more info, contact edu@ griffin-centre.org. Tues, June 3, and Wed, June 18, 6–8:30pm. Centre for Women and Trans People, 563 Spadina Ave, Rm 100. Free. paulinehwang.ca/selfcare

FTM Support Group

ART

COMEDY & CABARET

Hit Parade: Call for Submissions

A Very Christerical ’90s Cabaret: Fifth Anniversary Edition

Artists are invited to submit work that responds to violence against queer people. All works will be exhibited and sold during WorldPride, with 50 percent of proceeds going to the Will Munro Memorial Fund for Queers Living with Cancer. For more info, contact hitparade2014@gmail.com.

Deadline to submit is Mon, June 2.

Standing Ground: Estates of Robert Flack and Will Munro

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

Coffee Talk with Ryan G Hinds: The Final Installment

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

For the cabaret juggernaut’s final pubaret show, he holds court with Wrong Note Rusty, Das Fagott Mannschaft and Jory Rossiter. Fri, May 30, 9pm. The Flying Beaver, 488 Parliament St. $10 advance, $15 door. pubaret.com

Sex Lives and Videotape

Too Queer: A Bi Visibility Cabaret

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

This inaugural bisexuality-focused cabaret features work by 11 artists, including Alana Boltwood, Cheryl Dobinson and Nina Bea. For more info, contact tooqueerbicabaret@ gmail.com. Fri, June 6, 7–10pm.

Videofag, 187 Augusta Ave. PWYC. videofag.com

MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM

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, June 6, and Fri, June 20, 7:30pm. The 519 Community Centre, 519 Church St. Free. the519.org

LEISURE & PLEASURE CelebrAsian Gala Dinner To celebrate 20 years of providing HIV/AIDS education to Asian communities, ACAS invites folks to an evening of divas, cocktails

and a sumptuous dinner. For more information, contact officeadmin@ acas.org. Fri, May 30, 6–10:30pm.

Old Mill Toronto, 21 Old Mill Rd. $75. acas.org

Inspire Awards 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

Brunch with Bennyfits A summer-long brunch deal where $1 from every plate of eggs Benedict ordered on the weekend goes to Fife House. Oliver & Bonacini, 33 Yonge St. oliverbonacini.com

Inside Out Film Festival A celebration of queer film, including the premiere of The Normal Heart.

Runs until Sun, June 1, various times.

TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King St W. $10–30. insideout.ca

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

RUNNERS & BENDERS Get Out! Running Group People of all experience levels stay in shape while darting around Toronto’s streets and trails. Every Sunday, 10–11:30am. Fuel Plus, 471 Church St. Free. getoutcanada.com

Yogi Bare: All-Gender, Clothing-Optional Yoga From toga-draped to bare-assed, folks are invited to get comfortable at this soothing yoga session.

Every Sunday, 1:15–2:30pm. Glad Day Bookshop, 598 Yonge St. $20, $15 students. yogibare.ca

SEX & BURLESQUE Bigger, Better and Multiples Carlyle Jansen hosts a women-only workshop on achieving multiple, extended and full-body orgasms.

Registration recommended. Wed, June 4, 7–9:30pm. Good for Her, 175 Harbord St. $33. goodforher.com

The New Wave: Flogging and Impact Play Men and women aged 19 to 35 are invited to an impact play party, featuring special guest Thane James, current Central Canada LeatherSir. Sat, June 7, 5–8pm.

Black Eagle, 457 Church St. Free. blackeagletoronto.com

Rainbow Revue Brunch, followed by something sweet. This edition of the Great Canadian Tease Burlesque Brunch includes performances by Dolly Berlin, Fionna Flauntit and DD Star. Sun, June 8, 12:30pm. The Libertine, 1307 Dundas St W. $15. greatcanadianburlesque.com

THEATRE Love and Human Remains — Unit 102 Theatre, until Sat, June 7 CLARA ALTIMAS

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

Love and Human Remains Witchboy Theatre’s inaugural production is Brad Fraser’s play about a group of 30-somethings looking for sex in a frozen Canadian city while a serial killer stalks the night. Runs until Sat, June 7, 8pm.

Unit 102 Theatre, 376 Dufferin St. $20. witchboytheatre.com

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

Baker’s Dozen It’s the butcher, the baker and candlestick maker, but now — rub-a-dub-dub — the baker’s dead, his husband the butcher is accused of murder, and nobody knows the whereabouts of the candlestick maker. Sat, May 31, 4:15pm, and Sun, June 1, 2:45pm.

Pia Bouman School, 6 Noble St. $15. torontofestivalofclowns.com

Angels in America Seven people negotiate New York City during the AIDS crisis. This twopart play begins with Millennium Approaches and ends with Perestroika. Part one runs Thurs, June 12–Sat, July 12, various showtimes; part two runs Fri, June 13–Sat, July 12, various showtimes. Young Centre for the Performing Arts, 50 Tank House Ln. $29–74. soulpepper.ca

Unsex’d Set in 17th-century England, this is the historically inaccurate and gratuitously crude story of two male actors fighting for the role of Lady Macbeth. Runs Fri, June 13, and Sat, June 14, 8pm. Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander St. $20. buddiesinbadtimes.com

XTRA! MAY 29–JUNE 11, 2014 31

CLUBSCENE Thurs, May 29

Sat, May 31

Ladyplus DJ Todd Klinck spins for the T-girls and their friends and admirers, with spontaneous T-girl go-go shows and private VIP dances. 8pm–2am. Club120, 120 Church St. $8 before 11pm, $15 after. goodhandys.com Local Heroes Party DJs are the queeroes of the year at this official Inside Out event. Featuring Vee Stun, John Caffery, Cozmic Cat, Phil V, Joe Blow, Sigourney Beaver, Linguist and Secret Agent.

Performances by Axel Blows and Shane MacKinnon. 10pm. Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St W. $6, no cover with Local Heroes screening ticket stub. insideout.ca

Toastr DJs Lucie Tic and Sticky Cuts spin hip hop, dancehall, trap, R&B and house for the ladies. Same location, with a new name. 9:30pm.

White Elephant Bar, 366 Queen St E. $8. facebook.com/toastrto

Fri, May 30 XXX Men Only DJs Alain Plamondon and Shawn Riker spin as the naked men perform for the porn shoot and stage show at midnight.

Live porn models and the darkroom in full effect. Men 19 and up only.

10pm–4am. Fly, 8 Gloucester St. $10 before midnight, $15 after. tvaxxx. com, flynightclub.com Regretro: No Judgment Edition DJs Case of Base, Wei Back and Party McFly spin for the inclusive dance party. 10pm. Henhouse, 1532 Dundas St. No cover. henhousetoronto.com Back to the Future DJs Daddy K and Nik Red are on decks for the Transplanetarium afterparty. 10pm.

The Steady, 1051 Bloor St W. No cover. insideout.ca Nice Up Yes Yes Y’all and Dudebox present an all-inclusive, all-love, allnight event. DJ James “Nightingale” Redi and the YYY DJs on decks. Half the proceeds go to The 519. 10pm.

The 519 Community Centre, 519 Church St. $5. the519.org Mighty Real DJs Jeremy Glen, John Caffery and The Robotic Kid spin house and neo-disco for the loving Kensington crowd. 10pm. Round, 152A Augusta Ave. $5. roundvenue.com Pheromone Friday DJ Recklezz spins as Sister Mister presents a party for queer women and their friends. 11pm. Church Street Garage, 477 Church St. $5. facebook.com/ churchstgarage

The Freedom Party — Beer Academy, Wed, June 11

Sun, June 8

Big Gay Patio Part of DuWest Fest, this is the largest patio on the street during the street festival and will feature a beach, drink special, day drag and DJs. 11am–11pm. Henhouse, 1532 Dundas St W. No cover. henhousetoronto.com

Blood Sweat & Queers: Cuntry Ho-Down Edition DJs Katie Richie and Kaleb Robertson spin some good-ole country beats. 10pm.

The Steady, 1051 Bloor St W. $5. thesteadycafe.com

The New Wave A night of flogging, spanking and other forms of impact play, with guest Thane James, Central Canada LeatherSir. Leather

CrushTO’s 2nd Anniversary: Prom DJ Jared Sweato spins to celebrate two years of queerfriendly, sex-positive club nights.

Featuring burlesque and private booths for consensual private time.

Bad or unwelcome behaviour will not be tolerated. 10pm. Club120, 120 Church St. $10. id-tap-that.com

Ladies’ Night: Boylesque Beach Party DJ Johnny B Goode spins diva jams and beach-party beats for the Surf Battle afterparty, starting at 2pm, with Boylesque TO performing at 8 and 11pm. Oasis Aqualounge, 231 Mutual St. Single ladies $10, single men $60, couples $50.

Sweat DJ Neill MacLeod spins for the Spearhead Toronto LDSC social.

5–10pm. Black Eagle, 457 Church St. No cover. blackeagletoronto.com

Scruff Invades Toronto — The Phoenix, Fri, June 6

Pop Machine DJs Shane Percy and Aural spin for the pop-, retro- and classic-dance-loving crowd. 10pm.

WAYLA, 996 Queen St E. $5 before 11pm, $10 after. facebook.com/ waylabarnounge

Sun, June 1 Woody’s Sunday Hollywoody Broadway Show, with Miss Conception, at 6pm; Old School, hosted by Georgie Girl, with D’Amanda Tension and Marsha Monster Mellow, at 9pm; Five Smokin Hot Divas, hosted by Georgie Girl, with Devine Darlin, Tynomi Banks, Carlotta Carlisle, Sapphire Tithi Reign and DJ Blue Peter, at 11pm. Woody’s, 467 Church St. No cover. woodystoronto.com

pieces and other prizes. No dress code; fetish wear encouraged.

5–8pm. Black Eagle, 457 Church St. No cover. blackeagletoronto.com

Mon, June 2 Drag Industry Night Queens dazzle Queen West at the weekly west-side drag night. 11pm–2am.

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

Tues, June 3 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

Mon, June 9 Crews Monday Glitz & Glam, with Carlotta Carlisle and Katinka Kature, 9–11pm; Dirty Monday, with Devine Darlin and Daytona Bitch, 11pm– 2am. Crews & Tangos, 508 Church St. No cover. crewsandtangos.com

2Deep DJs Ticky Ty and Aeryn Pfaff spin, with a fire-breathing performance by Scarlett Bobo; hosted by Gia Cox. 10pm–3am.

Church, 504 Church St. No cover before midnight. churchonchurch.com

Wed, June 4 120 Wednesday Calling all standup comedians for Mandy Goodhandy’s weekly openmic 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

Thurs, June 5

32 MAY 29–JUNE 11, 2014 XTRA!

Elle DJs L Rock and D XXX spin hip hop, R&B, world, house, reggae and more for the women and their friends. Presented by Strawberry Hills Promotions and Prism.

10pm. Church, 504 Church St. $5. churchonchurch.com

Sat, June 7

Queer as Fuck Comedy: New Talent Night Catherine McCormick hosts a night of LGBT comedy, open to standup comics who have less than one year of stage experience or have done fewer than 12 sets.

9:30pm–1am. The Steady, 1051 Bloor St W. PWYC. thesteadycafe.com

CrushTO — Club120, Sat, May 31 BECCA LEMIRE

Squirt Best Men’s Ass Contest Sofonda and guest Devine Darlin host Squirt’s Super Sexy relaunch event, with the boys showing their plump butts for $300 in cash prizes.

DJ Chris Steinbach spins. Midnight.

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

of A Chorus Queen. 10pm. Fly, 8 Gloucester St. $5 before 11pm, $10 after. flynightclub.com

Drag Roulette: Vol 2 Hosted by Aqua V Ulva. Queens, kings and guests spin the glitter wheel of death to determine whether they’ll lip-sync to their own songs or

ones that another performer has prepared. DJ Lesbian Menace on decks; performances by Demona Deville, Barbie Jo Bontemps and Spencer Munny. 8pm. The Steady, 1051 Bloor St W. $5 (dinner not included). thesteadycafe.com

Fri, June 6 Cue Poc DJs Chantelle Eff and Sissy Fuss spin for the queer people of colour event. Hosted by Hiba Al-aMode. 10pm–3am. Bar Neon, 1226 Bloor St W. No cover. facebook.com/ cuepoc.0 Scruff Invades Toronto Johnny Scruff and the Scruff crew rumble into town for a party in partnership with Pitbull Events, with guest DJs and giveaways. 10pm. The Phoenix, 410 Sherbourne St. pitbullevents.com Playlist DJs Sumation, Blackcat and Recklezz are on decks for the WorldPride 2014 sneak preview.

Drag performances by the cast

Tues, June 10 Vintage Jazz & Blues Linda Carone sings the soulful sounds of a bygone era every Tuesday. 9:30–11:30pm.

Rasputin Vodka Bar, 780 Queen St E. No cover. rasputinvodkabar.com

Raging Cholo House party gone wild, with DJ Supreme Cholo spinning hip hop, ’90s, electro, dancehall and reggae. 10pm.

The Steady, 1051 Bloor St W. $5. thesteadycafe.com

Wed, June 11

Fly Saturday DJs Josh Karmin and Shawn Riker spin house, EDM and circuit faves. 10pm–5am. Fly, 8 Gloucester St. No cover for the first 200 people before midnight. flynightclub.com

The Freedom Party RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant Milk, Tynomi Banks and Scarlett Bobo perform, with DJ Shane McKinnon on decks, at this fundraiser in support of Rainbow Railroad. Raffle prizes and art auction. 7:30pm. Beer Academy, 75 Victoria St. $50 advance, $65 door. rainbowrailroad.ca

Tramp DJ Jacqie Jaguar spins for the girls who love girls doing girls.

Female-identified folks and friends only. 10pm. The Steady, 1051 Bloor St W. No cover. thesteadycafe.com Purplelectricity Prince Party: 10th Anniversary Edition DJ Doctor Baggie spins hi-NRG Prince to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Purple Rain. CD and DVD door prizes.

10pm. The Marquis of Granby, 418 Church St. $7. purplelectricity.com Tapette: Almost Pride Edition DJ Phil V and his latest go-go hunk blast French house and disco hits for les hommes of the west.

10:30pm. Henhouse, 1532 Dundas St W. $5. henhousetoronto.com

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

Submit your event listing to listings@dailyxtra.com.

Deadline for the June 12 issue is Wed, June 4.

TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

523 Parliament St. Tel 647.430.8741 Visit www.ftjco.com/custom

IN THE NEXT ISSUE OF XTRA! DS ON STANAY, THURSD2.

JUNE 1

MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM

XTRA! MAY 29–JUNE 11, 2014 33

DEEP DISH

1

3

BY ROLYN CHAMBERS

Addiction Apparel Underwear launch

Fit Fourth Anniversary

THURS, MAY 15 @ EROTICO

SAT, MAY 17 @ THE BEAVER

Like a swarm of rabid twinks, they move like hungry locusts, covering everything in their path with lip-gloss and scented body lotion. It isn’t quite like this at Erotico lounge, but the launch party for Addiction Apparel’s new underwear line does bring out large numbers of frisky bottom boys. Most are here modelling the new line. Others are here admiring it, while (surprise, surprise) a large contingency of older gentlemen is here admiring the boys modelling the underwear, as well as the boys admiring the underwear. With a stripper pole overlooking Flash nightclub it only makes sense that an amateur pole-dancing contest takes place amidst performances by Barbie Jo Bontemps, Naomi Campbellsoup and a gaggle of newbie queens.

Seen critiquing and admiring the underwear and underwearers are Xtra columnist Ryan G Hinds, InToronto’s Michael Pihach, Pink Pages’ Antoine Elhashem, Bent Boys porn company’s Brandon Bent, along with Jade Elektra, Devine Darlin, Jada Hudson and the newly published Joey Wargachuk. Founded by cute young thing Nick Banerd, Addiction is billed as “Toronto’s first gay-tailored swim and underwear line.” He’s young, so I’ll forgive him for not realizing Toronto’s already had at least one.

Body Body had a shop right on Church Street and created not only its own line of underwear and swimwear, but clothing as well, all tailored to the stereotypical gay-gym-body form. A word to the young: marketing yourself to less than 10 percent of the population might be considered target marketing (Addiction’s website is foryourbottom. com), or it might just be seen as foolish. Think bigger. If it’s good for the gays, everyone else will follow. Like a swarm.

Like a herd of burly beef, they move like migrating cattle searching for new grazing grounds, covering everything in their path with the scent of Old Spice deodorant and after-lastcall poutine. Okay, so it’s not quite like this at The Beaver, but Fit’s fourth anniversary party does bring out a manly selection of fresh-smelling, well-fed fellas.

Unfortunately, the weather isn’t suited to the slutty anniversaryparty outfit I’d planned to wear as a present to everyone. You’re welcome? This was also the case last year. The much-anticipated gay-grotto, kiddie-pool party on the back patio was a breezy bust. “No one got in,” DJ Phil V sighs. “It was too cold.” No one wants to see his wiener shrink.

Especially in spandex. Instead, we dance to Phil and DJ Kris Steves’s interesting interpretation of popular songs from our distant past. Who knew there was a hi-energy remix of Dolly Parton’s “Nine to Five”? “I love that some guys wear sport stuff to this party,” Brandon, an outof-towner tells me. He’s not from here, so I’ll forgive him for not knowing that there was another sports-themed party, called Sporty Boys, which took place right here in this very space several years ago. A word to those who show up: there are not enough men in slutty sports gear. We want to see big baskets on basketballers, wrestlers doubling in size in their singlets, diving boards in water-polo-player Speedos, jockless rugby players and baseball players pitching.

Think bigger. If it’s good, everyone will follow. Like a herd.

1ESean, Ryan & Adam 2E Cal & Arthur 3E Pierson 4E Jade, Ryan & John

34 MAY 29–JUNE 11, 2014 XTRA!

2

5

4

7 9 6

5E Brandon & Luis 6E DJs Phil V & Kris Steeves 7E Laura, Matt & Malcolm 8E Tyler, Eli & Bryn 9E Wade 10E Matthew & Steve

Deep Dish appears in every other issue of Xtra.

For this week’s Xposed column, by Anna Pournikova, go to dailyxtra.com.

8

10 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

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