Xtra Toronto #774

#774 JUNE 26–JULY 9, 2014

TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

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5/9/14 2:28 PM

INVASIVE MENINGOCOCCAL DISEASE (IMD) OUTBREAKS IN MEN WHO HAVE SEX WITH MEN

NEW YORK CITY (August 2010 - May 2013):

22 cases Deaths: 7

LOS ANGELES (December 2012 June 2013):

4 cases

Outbreaks in TORONTO (2001) and CHICAGO (2003):

12 cases Deaths: 5

PROTECT YOURSELF. Meningococcal bacteria is responsible for causing IMD and can be found in the nose and throat of about 10% of healthy adults in North America and Western Europe.

IMD is devastating and approximately 10% of people who contract the disease will die.

TRANSMISSION RISK FACTORS CROWDED CONDITIONS: • Mass gatherings • Bars (e.g., Pride events) • Nightclubs • Bathhouse

INTIMATE CONTACT: • Wet kissing • Sex

SHARING: • Drinks • Food utensils • Toothbrushes

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

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

MENACTRA® is a registered trademark of Sanofi Pasteur.

Copyright © 2014 Sanofi Pasteur Limited. All rights reserved.

284-031-04/14 E01

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4 June 26–July 9, 2014 XTRA! TORONTO’s gay & lesbian news

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6 june 26–July 9, 2014 XTRA! toronto’s gay & lesbian news

#774 june 26–JULY 9, 2014 Adam Coish

Roundup

• TORONTO’S GAY& LESBIAN NEWS

Your guide to a mega Pride Prism party guide 31 The parade routes and stage schedules 32 & 33 Global DJ guide 34 WorldPride diva meter 36–39 Pride culture tour 40 Q&A with DJ Dimitri from Paris 42 Playlisp Interview with Nomi Ruiz 44 Style Life What to wear at Pride 46 Editorial Under siege, now and then

By Natasha Barsotti •8 Feedback •8 Xcetera •11

Upfront Condom exclusivity deal challenged AIDS committee protests WorldPride’s distribution of only Trojan products •13

208 Bloor St West Suite 404 Toronto, ON 416.922.6869 Cosmetic@DermOnBloor.com

Record number of gay candidates ran for office •18 Voter turnout trends up in Toronto Centre •18 Museum of History to add gay stories •19 BC law society reopens TWU vote •19 London farmers’ market must obey Toby’s Law Trails End owner ordered to take human rights training •20

Cawthra Park reopens in time for WorldPride •13

Cleanup, aisle two! Cruising in the social marketplace of the Maple Leaf Gardens Loblaws •22

WorldPride opening draws record crowd Thousands fill Nathan Phillips Square to kick off 10 days of parties •14

History Boys Portrait of a spy

By Jeremy Willard •24

Letting Catholic teachers march ‘no brainer’: trustee

Out in the City

Waterloo Catholic board accepts teachers’ choice to join Pride parade •16

Arts roundup The bodacious TS Madison •27

Ontario votes in Canada’s first elected gay premier

Fringe follies Queer highlights at this year’s festival offer a welcome dose of comedy •50

What’s On •53 Club Scene •54 Xtra Living •57 Deep Dish Glow Party and XXX Men’s Night By Rolyn Chambers •58

Botox @ $10 per Unit Filler @ $600 per Syringe Thermage Skin Tightening @ $1950

Classifieds •60 Xtra Hot

By Drasko Bogdanovic •61

on dailyxtra.com • Barbara Hall on Cawthra Park being renamed in her honour

*vaild for the months of June & July when mentioning this ad

•AIDS Vigil speakers reflect on 30 years of remembrance • Gay Olympian luger John Fennell says hiding sexuality was suffocating • Gay or queer: Xtra hosts town hall on the words we use

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More at dailyXtra.com XTRA! june 26–july 9, 2014 7

Comment Under siege, now and then EDITORIAL NATASHA BARSOTTI

The crime? A “homosexual” allegedly applying or wearing lipstick in public. It might even have been lip balm for all we know.

The details didn’t seem to matter to the incensed people who chased him into a store in a southern Jamaican parish and held him under siege for more than an hour.

As I watched the TV Jamaica report, I almost forgot about the man holed up in his refuge, so entranced did I become with the mass of people so willing and eager to hold him hostage. They clambered on top of cars and crates for a good sightline to the door. With mobile phones at the ready, they clamoured for him to come out and face their censure.

It was reminiscent of one of those Roman amphitheatre scenes. All that was missing was a Caesar-like figure to turn his thumb up or down. And for what? Putting on lipstick, or possibly lip balm? Brushing his lips with his fingers? Why? Even a hint of “scandal” or a snippet of gossip fuels the rhythm of island life, and I don’t say this patronizingly. It often takes very little to arouse excitement and titillation, and before you know it, you have an audience angling for the best vantage point to hear, view and provide running commentary on the unfolding theatre of the day.

I use “theatre” deliberately, because even in the midst of their outrage, laughter and remarks are bandied back and forth among the spectators, demonstrating a profound lack of concern for the terror they are unleashing.

In a way, the level of aggression and violence that is prevalent in countries like Jamaica and my own, Trinidad, where the murder rate is staggering, provides an apt backdrop to what went down in that carpark.

Not to draw a glib connection between a homophobic siege and the murderous violence that’s a byproduct of drug- and gunrunning. But it’s no surprise that such an act of casual ag-

gression is possible, particularly in a climate where leaders lack the political will to address the long-festering issue of anti-gay discrimination.

What would have happened had the store turned the man away, instead of providing sanctuary and calling the police? Would he have suffered the same fate as teenager Dwayne Jones, who was chased, shot and stabbed in Montego Bay last year? Or as that hapless young man who was beaten and kicked by security guards at Kingston’s University of Technology, where yet another crowd gathered to jeer and cheer?

Maybe I looked in the wrong places, but I found no follow-up stories or editorials in the island’s media condemning the “no lipstick” crowd’s actions. No expression of disgust, however empty, from the minister of justice, nor from the prime minister, who can’t or won’t give “a timeline” for her plan to address the buggery law.

Lest we forget, gay Torontonians — now hosting the world for Pride — have been in the same boat as that stillnameless lipstick man who fled his tormentors.

In October 1980, Xtra’s predecessor, The Body Politic, carried an editorial on the annual siege of Toronto’s gay St Charles Tavern, where thousands of people — “most of them young, most of them straight” — annually descended for Halloween with chants of “Kill the queers!”

The editorial concluded with a call to action that still applies in many places around the world whose citizens are now gathered in Toronto to celebrate: “Every citizen, every elected official should share every gay person’s dismay at having to face, each year . . . humiliation and hate . . . passed over in silence, that has drawn no criticism, no condemnation, that has not moved one single elected official to say, ‘This is appalling and disgraceful. This must be stopped.’”

Happy WorldPride to the nameless Jamaican man and to everyone else still struggling to live freely.

Natasha Barsotti is the staff reporter at Xtra Vancouver.

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

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

8 JUNE 26–JULY 9, 2014 XTRA!

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

FEEDBACK Cawthra Park reopens I’m glad the park is reopened, albeit with less green space and fewer trees [“Cawthra Park Opens in Time for WorldPride,” June 18, dailyxtra.com].

But I’m disappointed with the way the AIDS Memorial was caged up during the renovation and not considered for the renaming.

Both terms have their fans and their detractors. If there’s any consensus at all, it’s that you can use anything you like.

RE: ARE YOU ‘QUEER’?

Are you ‘queer’?

RYAN DAILYXTRA.COM

I think it was a bad decision to rename Cawthra Park after Barbara Hall.

I never liked her, nor did most people who lived in Toronto when she was mayor — since she was defeated twice when she ran for reelection. For most people in Toronto, Barbara Hall’s one term as mayor was quite enough. But like her tenure as mayor, nothing bad lasts forever. Wong-Tam has given future residents of the area a precedent for renaming the park. A future councillor may act to remove the name “Barbara Hall” just like Wong-Tam removed the name “Cawthra.” If the name “Cawthra” can be arbitrarily assigned to the dustbin of history, so can the name “Barbara Hall” — even more deservedly so.

KYLER J DAILYXTRA.COM

Lighten up?

Reading @philville Xtra_TO ed [“Lighten Up Yourself,” Xtra #773, June 12]. Why use WorldPride wk to invalidate trans & BIPOC queers response to words & images used ABOUT not BY them? @philville @Xtra_TO transphob & racism exist in the gay comm! We don’t get to call ppl ‘whatever the fuck we want’ bc ‘we were attacked too’ @philville @Xtra_TO So while I take your hope that ppl can just have fun at Pride, I wish it wasn’t through invalidating anger at exclusion.

HILLARYCONNOLLY TWITTER

Ontario elects first gay premier Has anyone noticed how Kathleen Wynne goes out of her way to downplay her sexuality in public [“On-

tario Elects Canada’s First Openly Gay Premier,” dailyxtra.com, June 13]? Election night was a perfect example. Had this been a straight male premier who had won the election he would have had his wife beside him during his speech, and he would have shown open affection to his wife at some point. Not Wynne! She stood onstage alone during the speech except for one brief moment when she summoned her partner to come onstage to exchange a high-five. She didn’t dare refer to her wife as “my wife” despite the fact that they are married. She didn’t dare show any affection. She did not even make reference in her speech about being the first gay premier. She only alluded to this fact by saying something along the lines “tonight shows how far we have come.”

Anyone looking in who did not know of the relationship might have thought that her wife was just a campaign manager. I am not criticizing Wynne. It actually shows what a very clever politician she is. While she might be the first gay premier of Ontario, chances are she will be the last, as our demographic radically changes with the continued flood of immigration from countries where being gay is not tolerated.

KEVIN BROWN DAILYXTRA.COM

It’s obvious from Xtra’s town hall meeting and similar gatherings that there’s no consensus around the terms “gay” and “queer” [“Gay or Queer: Xtra Hosts Town Hall on the Words We Use,” June 20, dailyxtra. com]. Both terms have their fans and their detractors. If there’s any consensus at all, it’s that you can use anything you like. As Xtra Vancouver editor Robin Perelle pointed out at the meeting, that’s all well and good but could become a problem when naming community organizations and infrastructure, such as Vancouver’s new community centre. Neither “Queer Resource Centre” nor “Gay Resource Centre” will fly. Some months past, we came up with Rainbow House, a term that offends nobody and likely includes everyone.

GORDON HARDY DAILYXTRA.COM

Trinity Western The very notion that this school could be pumping out tomorrow’s lawyers to represent people in matters of discrimination and values and rights makes me very angry [“BC Law Society Reconsiders Trinity Western Approval,” dailyxtra.com, June 10].

Religion has no place in government and no place in the laws that govern our society. A school that believes sexuality is a choice has no place in the licensing of practitioners of law.

Let them train their little drones to go and populate churches, not courthouses. In all matters of sexuality versus doctrine (aka “dogma”), let us never forget (and let some of us learn) that religion is “taught.”

It is an indoctrination in every way.

Sexuality is ingrained and it develops with maturity, with or without a belief system.

JOHN IN TO DAILYXTRA.COM

TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

THIS IS THE MAP THE TTC DOESN’T WANT YOU TO SEE

LOSS OF PALESTINIAN LAND Jewish-owned Land Non-Jewish Land

Jewish State Arab State Jerusalem

Israeli Land Palestinian Land

In 2013, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the

Israel+Occupied Land Palestinian-controlled Land

Middle East (CJPME) submitted this map as a paid ad in the Toronto Transit System (TTC). It shows the loss of Palestinian land over the last 65 years. Similar ads have been displayed in other Canadian transit systems but the TTC refused. This is an unacceptable

West Bank

attack on freedom of expression. CJPME is now challenging this decision in court.

Gaza

Queers Against Israeli Apartheid (QuAIA) believes

Palestine Mandate

Israel

Israel

that everyone should know what is really happening in Israel/Palestine. For years, the Israel lobby

UN Plan 1947

1946

94%

Israel

43%

Present

19491967

22%

12%

has been trying to ban QuAIA from Toronto Pride.

As well as censorship, Israel practices pinkwashing— celebrating gay rights in Israel to mask its violation of the human rights of Palestinians.

design: raymondhelkio.com

SAY NO TO CENSORSHIP. DON’T FALL FOR PINKWASHING PROPAGANDA. RIGHTS ARE FOR EVERYONE!

Learn more about these maps and how you can make a difference: cjpme.org

Learn more about Israel’s pinkwashing campaign and how to address it: queersagainstapartheid.org

More at dailyXtra.com XTRA! June 26–July 9, 2014 9

10 June 26–July 9, 2014 XTRA! TORONTO’s gay & lesbian news

XCETERA

Sushi

A BIWEEKLY HELPING OF POP CULTURE, SERVED À LA CARTE

FROM THE ARCHIVES 30 YEARS AGO

XTRA #9, JULY 7, 1984

#10

Baby’s first Pride! Only nine issues old, Xtra captures a shirtless John Greyson among the other wonders of Pride 1984.

Where Apple placed on the same list.

Mini Gay Boyfriend

OUT ON THE STREET BY KYLE BURTON

iPhone app that provides a boyfriend who fits in your pocket.

What does WorldPride mean to you?

‘Gay Boyfriend’ Song by female pop duo Garfunkel & Oates.

‘Fuck Me in the Ass Because I Love Jesus’ Another hit from the LA singers.

Bek

Eric

It’s offering an example of what people deserve . . . what freedom of expression means to people who don’t have it in their country.

Unity and celebration. I have friends visiting Toronto for WorldPride, and they can’t wait to be a part of it.

CONSULTANT

RETAIL

QUOTABLE

Let us be proud about who we are, and let us give a statement for love, respect and tolerance.

And most of all, let us be proud and think about those LGBTI people around the world who can’t make a gay pride in their countries.

London Pride headliner Conchita Wurst’s statement before her June 28 performance.

MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM

Mandy

Arash

It’s our opportunity to show the world how inclusive and diverse we are and how vibrant our culture is.

Rainbows. And lots of sexy guys.

Sorry, but this is not a politically correct answer.

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XTRA! JUNE 26–JULY 9, 2014 11

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

GHE-JAH-XTR-TorV_P03.indd 1 6/5/13 10:59 AM 12 GGDHIV June 13897E 26–July 9, 2014 XTRA! TORONTO’s gay & lesbian news

Upfront

I voted with my conscience.

Catholic school trustee Frank Johnson • 16

Condom exclusivity deal challenged

AIDS committee protests WorldPride’s distribution of only Trojan products SAFER SEX HG Watson

A local AIDS organization is raising concerns about WorldPride Toronto’s exclusive condom sponsorship agreement because it limits condom distribution along the parade route to just one brand.

Trojan, owned by manufacturer Church & Dwight, has been a sponsor of Pride Toronto for 12 years. Under the sponsorship agreement, it’s the only brand of condom that can be distributed at this year’s Pride parade and at the street fair.

Parade participants are instructed to contact a representative of Pride Toronto if they want to hand out condoms. But Mark Hammann, manager of education services at the AIDS Committee of Durham Region, says Trojan never replied to his requests, leaving his group without condoms to distribute on June 29.

“The issue is that our whole role is to promote the use of condoms,” he says.

In past years, the AIDS Committee of Durham Region had never been told that they had to hand out a certain condom brand, he adds.

Hammann says he understands this year’s sponsorship agreement. “But I really think in the case of condoms it’s unethical,” he says. This is about

WorldPride Toronto’s exclusive condom sponsorship agreement with Trojan has sparked some concern that condom distribution will be limited as a result. Adam Coish

preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS and STIs, he says. “To basically side with one company and to say no other condoms can be distributed bites in the face of

what we’re doing.”

The AIDS Committee of Durham Region is not the only group affected

by Trojan’s sponsorship deal. Toronto

Community

Cawthra Park reopens in time for WorldPride After 10 months of renovations, Cawthra Park (recently renamed Barbara Hall Park) has finally reopened with a new look — and a new name. “The last major hurdle is to get the power turned on by [Toronto] Hydro,” Dave Nosella, the manager of the project, told Xtra June 17, anticipating a June 19 reopening.

The park adjacent to the 519 Church Street Community Centre closed last

Aug 19 for what was supposed to be a nine-month renovation. But a particularly harsh winter delayed construction and raised concerns that it would not be ready in time for WorldPride, which kicked off June 20.

The first scheduled event in the park was the Queer and Trans Family Pride Party on June 17, hosted by The 519.

Matthew Cutler, the director of stra-

The newly reopened Cawthra Park has been renamed Barbara Hall Park, after the first Toronto mayor to march in the Pride parade. HG Watson

Public Health issued a memo to the Toronto HIV/AIDS Network on May 28 stating that condomTO, their branded condoms, could not be distributed at the Pride parade or other official Pride events.

Jann Houston, Toronto Public Health’s director of healthy living, says she is aware of Trojan’s sponsorship of WorldPride and respects the exclusive agreement. “Our focus is on the prevention of disease,” she tells Xtra.

Kevin Beaulieu, the executive director of Pride Toronto, believes the sponsorship deal allows them to hand out a great number of condoms. “I think Pride is a great opportunity to spread the message about safer sex practices and, in fact, to distribute condoms,” he says, encouraging everyone to have a safe and fun Pride Week.

Representatives from Church & Dwight and Trojan’s Canadian marketing firm did not respond to requests for comment.

Hammann and the AIDS Committee of Durham Region protested the sponsorship agreement on Twitter, using the hashtag “#NotJustTrojans.”

“While we like the support of businesses and corporations, we as a community need to make certain that these corporations aren’t just looking at how they can make a profit off of us,” Hammann says. tegic partnerships initiatives at The 519, explained in an email to Xtra that the party typically takes place in the splash-pad area of the park, which was unaffected by the renovations, allowing the party to go ahead as scheduled.

Barbara Hall Park is also home to The 519’s Green Space, which hosts some of Pride’s biggest parties, and the WorldPride AIDS candlelight vigil, taking place as Xtra goes to press on June 24.

The project is slated to stay within or close to its $1.6 million budget. “We’ve had no serious cost overruns,” Nosella says. Any extra costs incurred will be a result of paying some extra overtime to the contractor, who rushed to get the job done before WorldPride, he adds. — HG Watson

More at dailyXtra.com XTRA! June 26–July 9, 2014 13

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14 JUNE 26–JULY 9, 2014 XTRA!

WorldPride opening draws record crowd Thousands fill Nathan Phillips Square to kick off 10 days of parties PRIDE ROB SALERNO

A capacity crowd filled Nathan Phillips Square in front of city hall June 20 for the official WorldPride Toronto kickoff party, capped by an evening of live performances by Deborah Cox, Steve Grand and Melissa Etheridge.

It was a first for Pride Toronto, which typically kicks off Pride Week with a more subdued daytime flag-raising ceremony at city hall but went bigger this year to welcome the world.

An estimated 25,000 spectators filled the square, where comedian Deb Pearce emceed a lineup that included a speech from recently reelected Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and performances by British musician Tom Robinson, gay country YouTube sensation Steve Grand, local dance-chart topper Deborah Cox and lesbian rock legend Melissa Etheridge.

The ceremony began with a traditional First Nations prayer and recognition of the Mississaugas of the New Credit, on whose traditional territory Toronto sits.

Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam recounted the city’s long history of being on the leading edge of queer rights before delivering the official Pride proclamation from the city to the Pride Toronto board chairs. WongTam praised the other city councillors who showed up for the ceremony, then took a swipe at Mayor Rob Ford, who was not invited.

“Toronto is more than the actions of one man. We are Toronto,” WongTam said.

While Ford is scheduled to remain in rehab until after WorldPride is over, his four main rivals in the upcoming municipal election — Olivia Chow, John Tory, Karen Stintz and David Soknacki — were at the launch party.

Kathleen Wynne got huge cheers from the crowd as she came out onstage with her partner, Jane Rounthwaite.

“We just thought we’d get it over with and be elected as the premier

Top, lesbian rock legend Melissa Etheridge kicks off WorldPride in Toronto June 20. Above, country YouTube sensation Steve Grand.

ROB SALERNO

and first lady of Ontario in time for WorldPride,” Wynne said. “As your premier, I will work every day to make Ontario the safest, the most inclusive place, so that we can be that beacon for the world. You are all part of that.”

Tom Robinson kicked off the performances with a stripped-down version of his 1978 gay anthem “Glad to Be Gay,” which criticizes police brutality and government censorship against gay people.

Steve Grand told the crowd he was

excited to be at WorldPride, on his first trip outside the United States, before playing a trio of his original songs and the Elton John classic “Benny and the Jets.” When he closed his performance with his smash YouTube hit “All-American Boy,” he changed the lyrics to “All-Canadian Boy” as a thanks to the audience.

Melissa Etheridge brought down the house with a rocking performance that climaxed with a surprise duet with Serena Ryder on Etheridge’s 1988 hit single “Bring Me Some Water.”

When all the performances were over, a dazzling fireworks display scored to a mix of gay anthems, including “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” “True Colors” and “Defying Gravity,” closed out the night.

While the crowd ate up the celebration, the joy wasn’t universal. Next door, in front of Old City Hall, a small but loud group of a half-dozen demonstrators barked biblical passages at revellers as they left the square, demonstrating the continued need for Pride celebrations in Toronto.

The protesters did not appear to win any converts.

Watch videos of the launch, the performances and the premier’s speech on dailyxtra.com.

TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

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Waterloo Catholic board accepts teachers’ choice to join Pride parade EDUCATION HG WATSON

Introducing a motion to respect the right of Catholic schoolteachers to choose to join the WorldPride parade on June 29 was a “no brainer” for Frank Johnson, a trustee on the Waterloo Catholic District School Board.

He introduced the motion at a board of directors’ meeting May 26 in response to a letter sent from Parents as First Educators asking the board to sanction the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association for marching in the parade.

The teachers’ association’s decision to participate in WorldPride has caused controversy in the Catholic community. Archbishop of Toronto Thomas Collins said the teachers had an “inadequate and mistaken understanding of their faith,” in a statement released to press in late March.

Parents as First Educators, actively opposed to the teachers’ participation in Pride, sent the same letter requesting sanctions to Catholic school boards in Halton, Huron-Superior, London and York.

So far, the London and York Catholic school boards are the only ones to pass motions asking their local teachers’ association units not to march in the parade. Representatives from neither school board returned calls for comment.

Halton and Huron-Superior’s Catholic school boards chose not to oppose the teachers’ decision. Lindsay Liske, the chair of the Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board, says it’s important to promote an inclusive school environment. “It’s not our position to tell a person [what to do] or judge an individual,” he adds.

But Waterloo is the only Catholic school board to pass a counter-motion.

The Waterloo trustees voted eight to one in favour of respecting the teachers’ decision to march in the parade.

The Waterloo Catholic District School Board passed a motion May 26 respecting the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association’s choice to march in the WorldPride parade June 29. ADAM COISH

It’s not our position to tell a person [what to do] or judge an individual.

LINDSAY LISKE, CHAIR OF THE HURON-SUPERIOR CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD

Trustee Francis Doyle, who is also a member of Parents as First Educators, cast the sole vote against.

Two student trustees, whose votes count toward passing a motion but are rarely recorded, requested to be included as recorded votes. Their votes brought the total up to 10 to one in favour.

Johnson says he understands, as a former high school principal and teacher, the importance of creating an inclusive and welcoming environment.

“I have worked with a number of staff who identify as LGBTQ,” he says, adding that he also had students come out to him. He feared that if the board did nothing to counter Parents as First Educators, staff and students might worry that they are not accepted in

Waterloo’s Catholic schools.

Johnson made it clear that his motion does not specifically support teachers walking in the Pride parade.

However, he does not believe that people should be sanctioned for participating in an activity on their own time.

“The Pride parade is a one-day event; it will be over when it’s over,” Johnson says. “And then we will still have kids and staff in our system who may be worried or fretful.”

It’s a sentiment echoed by a majority of Johnson’s fellow trustees. “If we signal that the LGBTQ students in our system are to be welcomed and treated with love and dignity, this will make it easier for our staff to support our students in future,” trustee Anthony Piscitelli said in a written statement during the May 26 meeting. While board chair Wayne Buchholtz could not be reached for comment, he also voted in support of the motion.

Johnson is running for reelection to the Waterloo school board in October.

He knows full well that his motion may affect his chances.

“If it happens that come October people have long memories and they say, ‘You know what? We’re not going to vote for that guy,’ that’s okay,” he says.

“I voted with my conscience.”

TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

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MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM XTRA! JUNE 26–JULY 9, 2014 17

Ontario votes in Canada’s first elected gay premier

This is a beautiful, inclusive place that we live in, Ontario.

And I want us every single day to treasure that.

Kathleen Wynne

Record number of gay candidates ran for office POLITICS Rob Salerno

It was a jubilant night for Ontario Liberals June 12 as Kathleen Wynne led her party to a fourth mandate and became the first lesbian elected premier in a general election in Canada. But the Liberals’ crushing victory spelled defeat for all 10 gay and lesbian candidates from the other parties.

Wynne pledged to get back to work as soon as possible in her victory speech, in which she also thanked her partner, Jane Rounthwaite, and credited Ontario as being a place where anyone can be elected to its highest office.

“I am so proud to be standing in front of you as the first woman to ever have been elected as the premier of Ontario,” Wynne said to enormous cheers. “This is a beautiful, inclusive place that we live in, Ontario. And I want us every single day to treasure that. I want our kids to feel that as they grow up in our schools and understand what a gift it is to live in a place like this, where anyone can be the premier, it doesn’t matter.

“That thing I said in my leadership [race] about how Ontarians do not hold prejudice in their hearts — that Ontarians want to be an open and inclusive people — we have so proven that tonight,” she said.

The Liberal victory was also a triumph for Toronto Centre MPP Glen Murray, who returns to Queen’s Park

after winning his third election in four years. His margin of victory was more than 20,000 votes over the PC candidate, as the NDP sank to third place in the riding, scoring fewer votes than they have in any election since 1999.

Openly gay Green party candidate Mark Daye doubled his vote share over 2011 but didn’t crack five percent of the vote.

Declining NDP vote share was a key story of the election in Toronto, where the party lost three MPPs. Openly gay former MPP Paul Ferreira lost his bid to return to Queen’s Park by the widest margin of his four contests against Liberal Laura Albanese.

Ferreira says the results spell the end of his quest to return to electoral politics, quashing speculation he may run for Toronto City Council.

“It was a decade I devoted myself to running for political office in York South–Weston,” he says. “I was privileged to represent the riding for a short time in the legislature, and I can hold my head high and move on.”

In 2011, Ferreira blamed his narrow loss on a homophobic campaign against him in the riding, but this time he says that wasn’t an issue.

“The entire campaign, it didn’t come up a single time,” he says. “That’s partially, I think, because of who the premier is. I sincerely hope in the future for candidates who are openly gay that it simply isn’t an issue at all, and I think Kathleen Wynne’s victory will play a

Kathleen Wynne and a crowd of supporters sing along with Katy Perry’s “Roar” after her victory speech on June 12. Rob Salerno

pretty significant role in that issue creeping up in the future.”

There had been hope that the PCs might elect their first openly gay MPP, but Phil Gillies’s quest to return to

POLITICS

Voter turnout trends up in Toronto Centre Preliminary numbers released by Elections Ontario show voter turnout in the June 12 provincial election was up in several key Greater Toronto Area ridings, including Toronto Centre, the home of the Church-Wellesley Village.

More than 50,000 people cast votes in Toronto-Centre, where Liberal incumbent Glen Murray cruised to an

easy victory with 29,799 votes.

There was a five percent increase in voter turnout, to 53 percent, in Toronto Centre compared to the 2011 provincial election. That number will likely change as Elections Ontario releases the final number of registered voters and the number of declined and spoiled ballots.

In Trinity-Spadina, where NDP incumbent Rosario Marchese suffered a surprising upset at the hands of Liberal candidate Han Dong, voter turnout jumped 10 percent from last year. The hard-fought riding of Parkdale-High Park saw a similar increase, with about 60 percent of registered voters heading to the polls.

Glen Murray rob salerno

Queen’s Park ran up against a strong Liberal incumbent in Brant.

None of the other gay candidates on the ballot came close to victory in their ridings.

Brian Robinson, the supervising deputy returning officer at the Church Street Junior Public School polls, has overseen more than one election. “It’s usually always steady [turnout] in our area,” he says. But at about 3pm in the tiny gym of the school in the heart of the Village, Robinson had seen a lot of new faces.

“There are a lot of people who are coming who are not on the list who want to be on the list,” he says. “So that’s good.” — HG Watson

18 jUNE 26–july 9, 2014 XTRA! TORONTO’s gay & lesbian news

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Museum of History to add gay stories The Canadian Museum of History announced a formal partnership with the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives (CLGA) June 18 to include gay Canadian history in a newly renovated and expanded Canadian History Hall, set to open on Canada’s 150th birthday, on July 1, 2017.

The $30-million renovation, of which $25 million comes from the federal government and another $5 million will be raised by donations, will be the first major overhaul of the exhibit since the museum opened in Gatineau in 1989 as the Canadian

Museum of Civilization.

The History Hall, the centrepiece of the museum, is now incomplete and offers an outdated version of Canadian history, says Mark O’Neill, the museum’s president and CEO. While the museum hasn’t yet figured out how gay history will be incorporated into the hall, O’Neill says he wants the exhibit to be as inclusive as possible, including stories of the full spectrum of the “LGBTQ+” community and reflecting queer lives in different parts of Canada.

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BC law society reopens TWU vote Members of the Law Society of British Columbia passed a resolution, by a vote of 3,210 to 968, at a special general meeting June 10 urging the board to reverse its previous approval of Trinity Western University’s (TWU) proposed law school. While Section 13 of BC’s Legal Profession Act says that a resolution at a general meeting is not binding on the board, a statement from the society says directors will give the resolution serious and thoughtful consideration. The board could vote on TWU again as early as July.

“More than 75 percent of the members who registered and voted [at the meeting] have asked us to change our decision,” law society president Jan Lindsay said. Lindsay thinks the question ultimately will be decided by the Supreme Court of Canada, MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM

since several legal actions have already been launched — one challenging the BC government for approving TWU’s school and another challenging the Ontario and Nova Scotia law societies for rejecting the school. Lawyer barbara findlay received a standing ovation when she urged her colleagues to overturn the board’s April decision to accept future TWU graduates.

For admission to TWU, students must sign a covenant agreeing to uphold Christian biblical teachings, including no premarital sex and no homosexuality.

“I support freedom of religion,” findlay said. “You have every right to believe I am a sinner, but when your religious belief turns into action that discriminates against me, that’s when you cross the line.” — Jeremy Hainsworth 41_Anzeige_E_155x173mm.indd 1

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VIDEO: Melissa Etheridge and Serena Ryder kick off WorldPride dailyxtra.com 20 JUNE 26–JULY 9, 2014 XTRA!

London farmers’ market must obey Toby’s Law In what may prove to be a landmark decision for trans rights in Ontario, a tribunal ruled May 30 that the ouster of three transgender women and their boss from a London farmers’ market was discriminatory.

The case is the first closed under Toby’s Act, which in 2012 added gender identity and gender expression to the Ontario Human Rights Code as prohibited grounds of discrimination.

For the trans community, the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal ruling is just one of many much-needed triumphs.

“We’ve got so many battles that we’re fighting at all times that, when we get one, we pause and enjoy the victory,” says Michelle Boyce, of London’s Alphabet Community Centre. “But we have so many more fronts to battle.”

Despite the now explicit legal recognition of trans rights, and the policy launched by the Ontario Human Rights Commision in April to clarify the law, the fight is still young. In many ways, the hardest work is still to be done in implementing workplace-training initiatives and further defining who falls under the gender identity and expression definitions. The London market case is just the beginning.

The owner of the Trails End market, Edward Kikkert, had alleged that in September 2011 the employees at Karen Clarke-McIlwain’s candle booth were too scantily dressed for his “family” market. Clarke-McIlwain alleged she was given an ultimatum: remove the “guys dressed up as girls” from her booth or remove her business from the market. She opted to leave rather than be party to bigotry, she said at the time. Then she filed a human rights complaint.

The tribunal in May found Kikkert’s actions discriminatory and said that “transgendered people should be recognized and treated as the gender they live in, whether or not they have undergone surgery.”

Ontario Human Rights Commissioner Barbara Hall launched a new policy in April to clarify Toby’s Law, which in 2012 added gender identity and expression to the Ontario Human Rights Code. ONTARIO HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION

As part of the ruling, Kikkert must pay $40,000 in damages, take the Human Rights Commission’s online training course, and train his staff.

Though trans people have been protected under Ontario’s Human Rights Code for some 15 years, it was always under the categories of disability and sex, which wasn’t accurate, commission head Barbara Hall says.

“When that was the only thing available, some people were prepared to take advantage of that,” Hall says. But the problems ran deeper, with trans complaints filed under categories that didn’t fit. “Many people didn’t know it existed. Trans people themselves didn’t know they were protected, and all the people with obligations or responsibilities didn’t know.”

Boyce welcomes the Ontario government’s 2012 act to prohibit discrimination specifically on the basis of gender identity and expression. “Visibility is crucial,” she says. “It’s right there. They can’t miss it.”

Still, the visibility that the new law and now the Commission’s policy clarifying the law bring were a long time coming, Boyce says.“I think what took so long was ignorance of society about this community,” Hall says.

The policy has not come without its detractors. Christina Blizzard, of the Toronto Sun, came out against Toby’s Law in the wake of news that a man posed as transgender to get into a

women’s washroom facility. “This law must be changed,” Blizzard wrote in February. “We cannot let political correctness trump common sense, human dignity — and the safety of women.”

Opposition lies even within the gay community, notes Boyce, who recalls a time in London when trans people were thrown out of a Pride dance. That has since changed, with trans people on Pride boards across the country, but more needs to be done, she says.

“There’s a huge push-back by the GLB community, in particular the G community, whereby they don’t feel that trans is under the umbrella,” she says. “They think that the world revolves around them, and I mean, you don’t have to go far to see the comments on an Xtra blog post before somebody is bringing up ‘This isn’t a gay issue.’”

A recent report by the Canadian AIDS Society found that as much as 85 percent of trans responders had been harassed for being trans. For Loralee Gillis, research and policy coordinator at Rainbow Health Ontario and one of the complainants in the Pussy Palace case in 2000, the commission’s new policy is a necessary but small step to help decrease those numbers.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” Gillis says. “This is about preventing discrimination. That’s just the beginning. We want to live in a world where trans people are embraced and celebrated.”

TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

Healthy & proud Advanced screening as an essential human right STOREFRONT When Diane Charter and her partner, Arlene, first met, the idea of publicly acknowledging their relationship seemed impossible. “Arlene was serving in the Air Force at a time when the mere suspicion of homosexuality was grounds for immediate dismissal,” Charter says. And while Charter worked in healthcare, she, too, felt the industry was not welcoming. In fact, neither

to seeing the doctor and went only when absolutely necessary. The idea of cancer screening — seeing a doctor when you weren’t sick — never even occurred to us.”

As they grew older, Arlene experienced health problems, but the couple’s family doctor never suggested cancer screening.

After they found a new healthcare provider, Arlene was diagnosed with advanced colon cancer that had been growing for 10 years.

We can’t be complacent with rights, just as we can’t be complacent with our own health. of them were comfortable sharing their orientation with their doctor.

“We assumed healthcare professionals would be judgmental and disapproving of our life choices,” says Charter, who is a member of the Canadian Cancer Society’s LGBT steering committee and a Get Screened health ambassador. “We were in a guarded, tightlipped mode when it came

While people in the LGBT community today are far more knowledgeable about playing an active role in their health, Charter sees a parallel between the push for gay rights and an increased focus on preventive healthcare. “My generation fought hard to get freedom and acceptance for LGBTQ people,” she says. “But those freedoms can be taken away from us if we just sit

Diane Charter, a member of the Canadian Cancer Society’s LGBT steering committee and a Get Screened health ambassador.

back. We can’t be complacent with rights, just as we can’t be complacent with our own health.”

After 34 years together, Charter and Arlene were legally wed in a formal ceremony. Not quite a year later, Arlene died. “We probably could’ve had a few more good years together had we pursued screening more aggressively. As a health ambassador, I want to spread that message in my community and maybe help prevent another needless death.”

Get Screened health ambassadors engage with friends, family and social networks in conversations about cancer to increase awareness, knowledge and positive attitudes toward colon, breast and cervical cancer screening among LGBT communities.

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XTRA! JUNE 26–JULY 9, 2014 21

Cleanup, aisle two!

Cruising in the social marketplace of the Maple Leaf Gardens Loblaws

gay space JP Larocque

“For your information, dink, Social Safeway just happens to be . . . well, it’s just the . . . big thing, that’s all.”

“For those who get off on groceries.”

“For those who get off on men, hon. It’s a local tradition.

Every Wednesday night.”

In Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City series, the Marina Safeway is a grocery store envisioned with all the excesses of the Me Decade — a space of free love and social experimentation that had evolved well beyond its utilitarian roots. There, shopping for groceries took a backseat to social interaction, with singles cruising the aisles and dancing to disco and the promise of young love around every display case.

Maupin’s Safeway may seem like a relic from a bygone era, but retail spaces remain popular cruising spots for many gay men. A quick skim through Craigslist’s missed connections reveals that Toronto is still a hotbed of public cruising, with retail spaces like the food court at the Eaton Centre and the Maple Leaf Gardens Loblaws particularly high on the list.

So, while you might not make friends with salad, there’s a good chance you’ll find other forms of intimacy while shopping for one.

“With the advent of dating lines, then websites, then phone apps, the need for a geographical location in which to cruise has decreased, but there will probably always be people who prefer to go to a park or store to cruise,” says columnist Jeremy Vance Willard, one half of Xtra’s History Boys. “Whether because that’s what they’re used to or because it’s dangerous and fun or they just feel naughty wandering around a grocery store or clothing store eying up random guys. Maybe it’s more visceral or real than using an app.”

Since it opened in November 2011, the Maple Leaf Gardens Loblaws has factored into many conversations about the changing face of the Church-Wellesley neighbourhood. For some, the big-box retailer’s presence has been a sign of the gentrification of the Village, with independents slowly being driven out by higher rental costs and excessive condo construction. Others have viewed the grocery chain as part of a larger process of urban renewal, with a decaying landmark smartly reconfigured to better serve the surrounding community.

Either way, patrons seem to have embraced the space. The location has done brisk business in its first two years and continues to attract a significant amount of foot traffic. And in an interesting throwback to Maupin’s era of grocery shopping, the store was designed to encourage socializing.

“We absolutely see it as a meeting place,” says Mark Landini, creative director of Landini Associates, the graphic and interior design firm hired to shape the look of the store. “In fact, our aim was to create a modern version of a market town

Since it opened in November 2011, the Maple Leaf Gardens Loblaws has factored into many conversations about the changing face of the Church-Wellesley neighbourhood. ANDREA HOUSTON

Armistead Maupin’s Safeway, in his Tales of the City novels, may seem like a relic from a bygone era, but retail spaces remain popular cruising spots for many gay men. thinkstock.com

square — a social hub for the community, providing a place to meet, eat and fall in love. A place to sample, watch and be inspired by the food and . . . where people could slow down, browse and learn as well as switching off and socializing.”

Landini explains that urban planners didn’t give his firm guidelines so much as “guiding principles” dictated by the building’s history and overall layout. Eschewing a more standard museum-style approach with cordoned-off sections, the firm instead chose an integrated design, with a mixture of materials commonly used in urban spaces and a shaded lighting system that could emphasize

products while preventing the harsh fluorescent lighting of other food shops. The overall effect was meant to recreate the impression one has in an outdoor space or city street.

“We wanted the light and shade that one finds in nature, thus providing and encouraging a slower pace than normal so that customers would be more likely to slow down and enjoy and engage with the store . . . Certainly, it was our desire to create a social space,” he says.

For some patrons, the invitation to slow down, enjoy and engage has been taken to new heights.

“I’ve definitely had successful hookups at the

Loblaws, but it makes a lot of sense if you think about it,” says Marcus, a bisexual man who spoke to Xtra on condition of anonymity. He regularly cruises a number of public spaces in the city, including the Eaton Centre, the University of Toronto and the Maple Leaf Gardens Loblaws.

And what attracts him to those specific places is pretty clear.

“Well, proximity to other men is a big part of it.

Somewhere like [Maple Leaf Gardens] is near the Village, so you’re more likely to find people looking for sex . . . The other is a mixture of private and public space. You want somewhere that attracts many different types of men and that [can allow for] privacy and discretion but where you can also be safe if the situation is dangerous.”

A grocery store is a daily stop in many people’s lives, he notes, whether they’re partnered or not.

“Everyday tasks can be very attractive to some men. It’s a place where you can go and get off without the stigmas or questions.”

For Willard, retail spaces have always been a common space for cruising. “In Toronto in the ’20s and ’30s, retail spaces were certainly one of the main places to go to find other gay guys.

Especially the Eaton Centre or Simpsons — they were places where gay people worked, and stores like that were relatively tolerant places.”

But, Marcus warns, that tolerance goes only so far.

“You have to be careful. The store may encourage the public to visit and socialize, but it’s still private property. They want you to [patronize] their store, and there are still very strict laws around public sex.”

Which isn’t to say that men who are looking for sex are limited in their options.

“There’s no end of historical incidences where guys have found secluded and poorly policed places where they could hook up, from British molly houses in the 18th century to NYC’s The Bowery in the late 19th century to parks just about any place and at any time,” Willard says.

“If there’s no handy place to hook up, people create them.”

22 june 26–july 9, 2014 XTRA! toronto’s gay & lesbian news

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24 JUNE 26–JULY 9, 2014 XTRA!

Portrait of a spy 18th-century diplomat Chevalier d’Éon lived first as a man, then as a woman HISTORY BOYS JEREMY WILLARD

While attending an art show in 2011, British art dealer Philip Mould spotted an odd painting. It was being sold as a portrait of an unknown 18th-century woman in a feathered hat, but to Mould there was more there than met the eye — there was something about that five-o’clock shadow!

After acquiring the painting and doing some research and restoration, Mould confirmed it was of “a bloke in a dress with a hat.” But more than that, it was an image of Charles-GenevièveLouis-Auguste-André-Timothée d’Éon de Beaumont (or, simply, the Chevalier d’Éon), a French diplomat, soldier and spy who lived from 1728 to 1810.

The picture now hangs in London’s National Portrait Gallery.

D’Éon once claimed that at birth his sex was uncertain, so he was named after “both male and female saints in order to avoid any error.” Probably to inherit and have the career he wanted, d’Éon lived the first half of his life as a man, wearing only men’s clothing.

He earned a law degree in Paris and wrote many hefty books. His accomplishments and connections got him sent on a diplomatic mission to Russia.

He then served as an officer during the Seven Years’ War. For his achievements, he received France’s greatest decoration, the Order of St Louis.

With the rank of minister plenipotentiary (interim ambassador, essentially), in 1763 d’Éon was sent to London to negotiate peace with Britain. Without the knowledge of the French government, d’Éon was there as King Louis XV’s personal spy, his reports to be used for a possible invasion of Britain.

The king handled the arrangement clumsily. When d’Éon failed to get the position of ambassador to Britain, partly because of his wine bills, and was recalled to France, he refused to go. He seems to have blackmailed the king, the gist being that if he was forced to return, he’d publish information related to the king’s invasion plans.

D’Éon hung around London for years, providing fodder for journalists, who perpetually suggested that he was involved in intrigue. Beginning in about 1770, rumour spread that d’Éon

The Chevalier D’Éon once claimed that at birth his sex was uncertain, so he was named after “both male and female saints in order to avoid any error.” JORI BOLTON

was a woman, with Britons placing wagers as to his true sex.

Fed up, France offered d’Éon a pension on the condition that he return to France, live as a woman (I will refer to d’Éon as “she” from here onward, since it is at this time she began identifying as female), surrender any sensitive documents and retire from politics.

D’Éon returned to France, but, banned from the royal court, she grew tired of languishing at the family home in Burgundy and in 1785 returned to London. It’s unclear how the French government dealt with this; d’Éon was no longer given her pension, but that may have had more to do with the French Revolution, which was just getting underway.

To get by, she sold her many books and participated in fencing tournaments (wearing a dress the whole time, of course). At this point, she began to say that she had been born female, and after having had to live as male for many years was content to live

the rest of her life as her true gender, female. Nothing is known of her sexual orientation. It was in 1792 that the aforementioned portrait was painted.

When she died, a doctor decided that, contrary to what d’Éon had claimed later in life, she was biologically male. It was quite a confusing situation, especially given that doctors had said she was biologically female years before.

Perhaps it’s none of my business (though it is valuable to uncover cases in history of non-cisgender people), but it is hard to pin down d’Éon’s gender. Was she born male or female?

Was she intersex, transgender or a transvestite? I don’t think she was simply “a bloke in a dress with a hat.”

In any case, given that d’Éon identified as female for the latter portion of her life, I’m happy to think of her as a gender-quite-unusual woman.

History Boys appears in every issue of Xtra.

TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

More at dailyXtra.com XTRA! June 26–July 9, 2014 25

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Outinthe City Outin

Why is everyone obsessed with our struggle as an aesthetic, but they don’t really want to hear it from our mouths? Nomi Ruiz 44

BIG&BODACIOUS The queen of Vine, TS Madison, is coming to Toronto for the Fit Primpin’ party. We caught up with Atlanta’s big-dick bitch to talk about transitioning, music and fantasy sex games.

that small dwarf will rise to power, and we all want power. Besides, he also likes whores.

You can’t kill the dead, but Joffrey was the first I wanted dead.

XTRA: First of all, you have an amazing, award-winning butt. What’s your secret?

You have your own production company, Raw Dawgg, but did you always want to get into music?

TS MADISON: A girl never really tells her

secret for her derrière, but if you must know, honey, it was one of my answered prayers: some big titties, a big butt and a smile.

How long have you been transitioning?

I have been in transition for about 20 years now, and I started very young, about 17. Times have changed, and people are far more accepting of people who have accepted themselves.

I don’t hide the fact that I am a trans woman: either you’re going to deal with it or not.

Have you been to Canada before?

I have been to Canada, but I have never experienced a WorldPride. I can’t wait to be at the Toronto extravaganza because I hear it’s bomb.

I hear you’re a TV buff. Fuck/marry/kill: the cast of Game of Thrones.

TS Madison brings beauty and booty to Fit Primpin’.

I would fuck Jaime Lannister — because if the sister is having him, then the dick must be good — and I would marry Tyrion because

I still own my company, yes, but where is the rule that I can’t do everything? I’m a treasure that was always trapped in a chest. Although I love milking a good man, I still enjoy entertaining a crowd with my clothes on.

Do you have any stories from performing your singles onstage?

I really don’t have any crazy stories yet, but I will say the crowds have been so amazing that I have to stop and breathe before hitting the stage. It’s been a roller coaster, but it’s a ride I hope I never get off.

Any parting words?

I just want my fans to know I love them and I mean it. I am very humble and will always continue to grow. — Andrew Jacome TS Madison performs Fri, June 27 at Fit Primpin’, 99 Sudbury St.

The return of Vazaleen

For some Torontonians, a perpetual spotlight shines on the exact moment you learned of Will Munro’s death. What I remember most isn’t where I was or who told me, but the reaction of the 22-year-old friend I was with. When I relayed the sad news to him, he asked, “Who’s Will Munro?”

By the time he died in 2010, Munro had been battling cancer for several years. He’d been less present on the scene than the early 2000s, when you couldn’t go anywhere in the West End without running into him or at least a poster for one of his events. The Beaver was booming, and a younger generation of queers was content to drink and dance there, not knowing the name of its famous founder.

It may be that same younger generation doesn’t know the history of Vaseline. Named for a product that can spike your hair as efficiently as it can lube your ass, Munro’s queer rock night was a seminal moment. He’s called a MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM

Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet. DAVE FLEWWELLING

“community builder” as often as an artist or a DJ, and Munro’s monthly event was one of the most successful manifestations of his desire to bring queers together.

Following a “build it and they will come” mentality, he created a space for queer people who didn’t fit in anywhere else. Kids ventured from around the city to dance to The Scorpions in their Motörhead T-shirts. Vaseline — Munro eventually was forced to rename the night Vazaleen — wasn’t just a place to drink, dance and hook up; it built community in the most fundamental way possible by connecting people

who’d often never met.

In 2007, Munro moved Vazaleen from monthly to twice yearly, at Halloween and Pride, dubbing the Pride edition Shame and inviting those who came to be their freakiest selves. Whether Shame was the highlight of your Pride or is an entirely new concept, this year’s version will be unlike anything on offer. — Chris Dupuis Shame/Vazaleen, with Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, Jenna Syde and DJs Max Mohenu, Vee Stun and Michael Comeau, is Sun, June 29, 9pm, at Wrongbar, 1279 Queen St W.

10X10 again

Since the first exhibit in 2011, the 10X10 Photography Project has become a mainstay of Pride celebrations in Toronto. The concept of 10 queer photographers taking portraits of 10 queer Canadian artists was such a tremendous success that the organizers soon developed a 10-year plan — incorporating more than 100 photographers and 1,000 portraits and building a platform on which to celebrate those who have made significant contributions to the city’s thriving queer arts community. Alejandro Santiago, one of the photographers featured in this year’s exhibition, sat down with Xtra recently.

XTRA: Tell us a bit about your work.

ALEJANDRO SANTIAGO: I am always taking photos, whether it’s a concert, theatre, club or portraits. I have been photographing Hotnuts [the party], and somehow those photos made it into the Ryerson Image Centre’s queer photography exhibit, What It Means to Be Seen.

I feel really honoured to have my work featured in two exhibitions at once.

Describe the work that you are including in 10X10 this year.

So much of my photography is about collaborating and documenting the work of other artists. I love to magnify someone’s art through my photography and make them the hero of their portrait. I made it a point to spend time with everyone I photographed so that I could better understand how to portray them. Each shoot was different, but they were all collaborative.

Buzz, by Alejandro Santiago.

What is it about 10x10’s mandate (celebrating queer Canadian artists) that resonates with you?

10x10 was the perfect opportunity for me to photograph artists I love and am inspired by, like Heather Cassils and Robert Lepage. It’s so important to celebrate the culture makers in our community. If I’m taking your photograph, it’s because there is something about you that I want to share with the world.

I feel so lucky to live here. So many great friendships and collaborations have come out of my photography. The queer community in Toronto is so rich; it nurtures so many great young artists. It’s not easy to be an artist anywhere, but Toronto has a great tradition of cultivating artists. — JP Larocque 10x10 runs until Mon, Aug 18, with the opening reception Thurs, June 26, 7pm, at the Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St W. 10x10photographyproject.com XTRA! JUNE 26–JULY 9, 2014 27

28 June 26–July 9, 2014 XTRA! TORONTO’s gay & lesbian news

More at dailyXtra.com XTRA! June 26–July 9, 2014 29

Blackness Yes presents:

BLOCKORAMa TD Wellesley Stage

Still We Rise Sunday, June 29, 2014 12-11 pm

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30 June 26–July 9, 2014 XTRA! TORONTO’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA’S WORLDPRIDE GUIDE

PRISM POWER

JOHNNIE WALKER

Think those big, bulging Pride circuit parties are on their way out? Think again Pride means many different things to many different people, but one thing it means to everyone is sweaty parties with thick bass, shirtless hunks and ferocious drag queens. So, as Toronto queers watch the all-the-way double rainbow that is WorldPride stretch its effulgent, glimmering arch from one end of the city to the other, many of us have important questions about how Pride will be different this year.

Will the drag queens be taller? Will the hunks be even more shirtless? Will we all wear jockstraps made from glitter and nothing else?

To get to the bottom of these and other mysteries, we spoke to Prism Events’ Gairy Brown and Aussie drag queen DJ Kitty Glitter. Prism is responsible for some of the most ambitious gay circuit parties on the continent, and let’s just say they don’t plan on sitting out WorldPride. “We usually do five events,” Brown explains, “but with the combination of WorldPride and Canada Day, we added an extra.”

That would be Sunday night’s Peepshow at Maison, festively stuffed into an already packed itinerary. On Thursday night, Prism says goodbye to Fly Nightclub with College. On Friday, things get GI Joe–mosexual with the militarythemed Boot Camp at The Guvernment.

Saturday afternoon and early evening is set aside for Aqua at Yonge-Dundas Square, featuring the likes of Kitty Glitter, Sofonda Cox and Drag Race alum Carmen Carrera. On Saturday, Sofonda is joined by a host of international DJs for the White Party–esque La Leche at Sound Academy. Finally, Prism will shut down the beloved Guvernment with Revival: Last Dance on Monday night: a marathon dance party — during which DJ Abel will spin a seven-hour set — that goes until 8am.

Is your Google Calendar quaking in fear like a size queen who has finally met her hella-girthy match? That’s a lot of parties! But let’s hope you’ve already booked some tickets, because a lot of people are coming out. “We haven’t had a year with this many ticket sales ever,” Brown says. The hottest ticket right now? La Leche. “It’s going to be a very high-energy, Ibiza-style party.

It’s the biggest production that we’ve done. A lot of technology involved.

Screens, lasers, décor — it’s going to be MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM

Chus & Ceballos headline Aqua.

Prism mastermind Gairy Brown.

Carmen Carrera is the host of Aqua.

MIKE RUIZ

a really amazing interplay of music, sex, glamour and celebration.”

Ticket sales aside, which Prism event is Brown anticipating the most? “The one that I’m looking the most forward to is Aqua. I think the DJ lineup and the talent is exciting . . . we’re actually wrapping the entire venue in an eight-foot-tall rainbow flag. Of course, Carmen Carrera is hosting. We have Sofonda performing a Beyoncé tribute with about 15 dancers. Our DJ lineup is Kitty Glitter from Australia, DJ Aron from New York and headliners Chus & Ceballos from Spain.”

Prism regulars will already be familiar with Kitty Glitter, who has been hitting Toronto Pride every year since 2010. “Toronto Pride is so massive!”

Kitty says. “It’s kinda overwhelming for a little kitten from Down Under like me, but I am undeniably addicted.” For those whose knowledge of the Aussie drag scene is limited to Dame Edna, Courtney Act and Priscilla, Kitty is top-drawer glamazon with a penchant for high-energy pop/house music and next-level fashions. But will she drop any hints about the looks she’s planning? “I never know what I’m wearing

DJ Aron spins at Aqua.

until I’m about to walk out the door,” she admits. “It all depends on how I feel at the moment . . . and who I was just with!”

After the rainbows get packed away, Yonge-Dundas Square will probably still be standing (unless Carmen Carrera starts a riot, which is highly pos-

sible). The same cannot be said for Fly Nightclub and The Guvernment, which will close after the Prism events.

A huge loss for the party scene? Maybe.

But Brown has an optimistic take on the closures. “I don’t look at it as sad,” he says. “I think it’s time for the city to redefine itself again. It’s time for promoters like myself to become a bit more creative in the events that we do.

And to access new spaces. We will still be bringing in DJs. We’ll still be doing dance parties. In fact, we’ve already planned quite a few for the fall, which are going to be spectacular. So, for us, it is sad that Fly’s closing, because so many memories have been created there; however, I think that moving forward, it is exciting to see what can happen.”

Visit prismtoronto.com for tickets, dates and times.

XTRA! JUNE 26–JULY 9, 2014 31

XTRA’S WORLDPRIDE GUIDE

YOUR GUIDE TO A MEGA

WHEN & WHERE

A grassroots march and demonstration where women and trans people take to the streets to make their voices heard.

Monica Forrester, accessibility advocate and producer of the bimonthly Spirit Indigenous Sex Workers zine, and Alex Abramovitch, queer youth homelessness activist.

HONOURED GROUP

Trans Pulse, a community-based research group that looks at the impact of social exclusion and discrimination on the health of trans people in Ontario.

DUNDONALD ST

This year’s honoured dyke is Connie Bonello, who is responsible for the national launch of IBM’s Teaching Respect in Canadian Schools program.

Toronto Fierce Femme Organizers, including Kim Milan (Crosby), Catherine Hernandez, Gein Wong, Chanelle Gallant, Sedina Fiati, Leah Lakshmi, Dainty Smith, Monica Forrester, Belle Jumelles, Anna Camilleri, Allyson Mitchell and Vee Stun.

SUN, JUNE 29

MAITLAND ST

OLG Central Stage

Brent Hawkes, who has championed various human rights initiatives and, in 2001, officiated at the first legal marriage of a gay or lesbian couple in the world.

2 Spirits Toronto, a non-profit organization that offers services and support to two-spirit and other aboriginal people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS.

Alexander Street Parkette

WOOD ST

CARLTON ST

Green Space: Ryerson Quad

YongeDundas Square

Allan Gardens

MCGILL ST

Bud Light South Stage

GERRARD ST

GOULD ST

DUNDAS ST

Family Pride

This kid-friendly zone has activities and entertainment for the whole family throughout the weekend, including snacks, music, games, face painting and crafts.

GRANBY ST

CHURCH ST

Starts at 1pm at Church and Bloor streets. The parade heads west, then dances all the way down to the party at Yonge-Dundas Square.

WELLESLEY ST

TD Wellesley Stage

Village Stage: Community Cabaret

Live music, dance, DJs, drag and burlesque performers — a cornucopia of community in the heart of the Village.

ALEXANDER ST

SAT, JUNE 28 Rally begins at 1:30pm at Allan Gardens, at Carlton and Sherbourne streets; march starts at 2pm, moves west on Carlton Street, north on Yonge and concludes at George Hislop Park, between Isabella and Charles streets, just east of Yonge.

Green Space: Cawthra Square Park

GLOUCESTER ST

YONGE ST

Canada’s largest Pride parade gets even bigger this year with an extended route. (Tip: head north of Bloor on Church Street to preview the floats lined up along tree-lined Rosedale Valley Road.)

ISABELLA ST Norman Jewison Park

FRI, JUNE 27

Pre-march rally kicks off at 7pm in George Hislop Park (between Isabella and Charles streets, just east of Yonge Street); parade starts at 8pm and moves south on Yonge to YongeDundas Square.

WorldPride Parade

A substance-free space for everyone. Festivities include live performances on the stage, holistic services and confidential recovery meetings.

MUTUAL ST

Dyke March

CHARLES ST George Hislop Park

JARVIS ST

The trans community comes together in protest and celebration for their longest Pride march yet. A second march, not affiliated with the official one, leaves at the same time from George Hislop Park and ends at Allan Gardens.

North Stage

This open-air, barrierfree space features everything from spoken word to live music, drag artists to puppetry.

HAYDEN ST

CHURCH ST

Trans* Pride March

HONOURED INDIVIDUALS

SHERBOURNE ST

Pride Toronto grand marshal

N

BLOOR ST

Clean, Sober & Proud Place

Human rights activist Anna Rekhviashvili, community director of the largest LGBT organization in Georgia and one of the organizers of Georgia’s International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, held in Tbilisi in May 2014. To watch a video interview with Anna, go to dailyxtra.com.

WHAT

YONGE ST

Toronto is busting at the seams with WorldPride parking-lot parties, cruises, art shows, human-rights talks and late-night throw-downs. Winding their way through all this are the marches and parades — accompanied by the various marshals and honoured groups and individuals — that make Toronto Pride so inspiring. Below is a guide to all the street action.

BAY ST

Marches & parade

Allan Gardens

Get away from the hustle and bustle of Church Street in one of the oldest parks in Toronto and enjoy a wide variety of cultural programming and exhibits.

For comprehensive WorldPride listings, check out our Ultimate Pride Guide at upgtoronto.com.

32 JUNE 26–JULY 9, 2014 XTRA!

TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

PRIDE

HOT PICKS Queer Pride is a festival of theatre, comedy, art, music and parties that showcases our community’s unstoppable spirit. Runs through Sun, June 29. buddiesinbadtimes.com

Main stages & events

Sporty types run to benefit Fife House, the Egale Canada Human Rights Trust and the Pride and Remembrance Foundation.

Sat, June 28, 10am. Starts at Church and Wellesley streets. priderun.org

Johanna Sigurdardottir, former prime minister of Iceland

LOCATION

EVENT

5PM

Green Space: Cawthra Park

One World: To Frankie with Love

DJ Neill MacLeod

TD Wellesley Stage

Pop Goes Pride

Featuring Carly Rae Jepsen, Dragonette, Fefe Dobson, Molly Thomason and the cast of 1 Girl 5 Gays. Hosted by MTV’s Lauren Toyota and Phoebe Dykstra.

Bud Light South Stage

Decades

Featuring Rough Trade’s Carole Pope, Peaches, The Parachute Club, with Lorraine Segato, and Berlin, featuring Terri Nunn.

OLG Central Stage

Blu Rainbow

DJ Sydney Blu spins, with a special performance by Azari & III vocalist Starving Yet Full.

Yonge-Dundas Square

Trans* Pride PostMarch Showcase

1PM

2PM

3PM

6PM

7PM

8PM

9PM

DJs Paulo & Jackinsky

10PM

11PM

12AM

1AM

DJ Hector Romero

Hosted by S Bear Bergman and Tobi Hill-Meyer, featuring Crackpuppy, The Cliks and Against Me!

LOCATION

EVENT

Green Space: Cawthra Park

Lipstick Jungle

DJ Delicious

Green Space: Ryerson Quad

Main Event

DJ O’Halley Brothers

TD Wellesley Stage

I Know You Got Soul

A showcase of R&B, soul, hip-hop and dance-music artists. Featuring Estelle, Deborah Cox, Jully Black, Neon Hitch, Reverse, the House of Xtravaganza, and Queer Krip Hop, with Wheelchair Sports Camp and more. DJ Kitty Glitter spins an extended closing set.

Bud Light South Stage

Various

Gay Ole Opry showcase, with Chely Wright, Amanda Rheaume, Tim Chaisson, Mark Jacob, Don Brownrigg and The Secrets.

OLG Central Stage

DJ & Diva Central

Throughout Pride weekend, this stage features DJs/producers David Morales, Barry Harris, Quentin Harris, Hector Fonseca, Cajjmere Wray and a special vocal performance by “the original Weather Girl,” Martha Wash.

Alexander Parkette

Fruit Loopz

Presented by Supporting Our Youth, Fruit Loopz is base to a vibrant community of young queer and trans artists, but all are welcome at this family-friendly, drug- and alcohol-free, youth-focused space.

Yonge-Dundas Square

Various

SUNDAY JUNE 29

12PM

Pride and Remembrance Run

This three-day event brings together activists, academics, artists, journalists, policymakers and students from around the world. The daily plenary sessions, 4–6pm, are free and open to the public. Wed, June 25–Fri, June 27.

FRIDAY JUNE 27

Events and times are subject to change.

Note that Pride Toronto could not supply us with an official breakdown of performers and showtimes for their stages in time for our press deadline. We have done our best to provide specific details where we were able to find them.

SATURDAY JUNE 28

Human Rights Conference

Queer Pride 2014 at Buddies

4PM

5PM DJ Tizi

RuPaul Drag Race 2014 stars

6PM

7PM

8PM

DJ Francesca Lombardo

DJ Freemasons

9PM

10PM

11PM

12AM

DJ Rosabel

DJ The Cube Guys

Venus Rising: Celebrating 20 years with the House of Venus. Featuring Light Fires, Hercules and Love Affair, Peaches and Betti Forde.

Aqua Mega T-Dance, with DJs Chus & Ceballos, Kitty Glitter and Aron on decks. Includes a drag performance by Sofonda Cox.

WorldPride Smart Party, featuring Miss Honey Dijon and electro-superstars Austra.

12PM

8PM

LOCATION

EVENT

Green Space: Cawthra Park

Disco Disco

DJs Phil V, Kris Steeves and Diego Armand

Dimitri from Paris

Green Space: Ryerson Quad

TreeHouse Party

DJ Cindel

DJ Deko-ze

TD Wellesley Stage

Blackness Yes! presents Still We Rise: Blockorama 16

Bud Light South Stage

Dirty Disco

Featuring DJs Don Berns (aka Dr Trance), Robb G, Adam K, Andy Reid, Deko-ze and Jelo, with the incomparable Dave Audé closing out the night

OLG Central Stage

DJ & Diva Central

Throughout Pride weekend, this stage features DJs/producers David Morales, Barry Harris, Quentin Harris, Hector Fonseca, Cajjmere Wray and a special vocal performance by “the original Weather Girl,” Martha Wash.

Alexander Parkette

Alterna-Queer

DJ Steve Rock 2:30pm Hervana 3:30pm Unfinished Business 4pm Sister Hyde 4:30pm Zoo OWL 5pm No Pants Society 5:30pm Judy Virago and Igby Lizzard Trash Cabaret 6pm Pantychrist 7:15pm Ginger Coyote with Sid’s Kids 8pm Lydia Lunch 9pm Pansy Division 10pm

Yonge-Dundas Square

WorldPride 2014 Closing Ceremony

MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM

1AM

DJ Kim Ann Foxman

1PM

2PM

Blessing, Activist Love Letters (Syrus Marcus Ware), Ashley Bea, Troy Jackson, DJs Tamika and Roxanne

3PM

4PM

Runaway Renee, Shi Wisdom, DJ Pleasure, DJ Nik Red

WorldPride 2014 Closing Ceremony Pre-Show

5PM

6PM

7PM

9PM

10PM

11PM

12AM

1AM

Horse Meat Disco DJ Alain Jackinsky

LAL, Urbanesque, Ill Nana, Devine Darlin’, Vitality Black, Wesley Dykes-Darling, Michelle Ross, Diana King, DJ Carma, TheeSatisfaction and DJ Craig Dominic

DJ Isaac Escalante House of Monroe, Crystal Waters, DJ Blackcat, DJ Jojo Flores

This showcase performance features Tegan and Sara, Rich Aucoin, Hunter Valentine, Robin S, CeCe Peniston and God-Des & She. Includes parade awards and the handover to the next WorldPride host city.

XTRA! JUNE 26–JULY 9, 2014 33

Xtra’s WorldPride guide

As the world spins DJs from around the globe are bringing their best beats to Pride

Australia’s Kitty Glitter is making the 15,585-kilometre trek from Sydney to spin at WorldPride.

Eduardo Sabate Australia’s Kitty Glitter takes the prize for longest journey to WorldPride as she makes the 15,585-kilometre trek from Sydney.

That’s not to discount other spin masters travelling from South America, Europe, all over the US, and, of course, across our home and native land. While the DJ booths of bars and clubs all over Toronto are frequently manned by a mix of international and local favourites, having one of the largest Pride events in the world is a game changer. What’s different this year? It’s the ridiculous number of top-notch artists gathering for the very special edition of the festival, so to make sure you dance to as many possible, we’ve compiled a heaping and helpful guide.

Let the music play!

Thurs, June 26 Mado (Mtl) and TLA at Starry Night. 7pm. Cawthra Park, 519 Church St. No cover. greenspacetoronto.org Stéfane Lippé (Mtl) and Cajjmere Wray at Prism College.

10pm–4am. Fly, 8 Gloucester St. flynightclub.com

Fri, June 27 Hector Romero (NYC), Paulo (LA), Alain Jackinsky (Mtl) and Neill MacLeod at One World: To Frankie with Love. 5pm–midnight.

Cawthra Park, 519 Church St. No cover. greenspacetoronto.org Henry Krinkle (LA), Figgy (NYC), Gingy and Rory Them Finest. 7pm.

House/Maison, 580 Church St. $15. dripparty.com Chris Cox (LA), Deko-ze, Dwayne Minard, Alessandro (LA), Aural and Del Stamp (Van) at Pitbull: Worldwide. 9pm–4am.

Liberty Grand, 25 British Columbia Rd. $60. pitbullevents.com Tizi (Mtl) and Ria in Chroma, DJs Stix and Miz in Galleria at Lick It. 9:30pm–2am. Guvernment, 132 Queens Quay E. $25 advance, $30 door. girlplaytoronto.com Mark Vicente (Mtl) at AX Pride. 10pm–3am. Phoenix, 410 Sherbourne St. $20 advance, $25 door. meetmeatax.com

Manny Lehman (NYC), Eddie Martinez (NYC) and Erez Ben Ishay (Tel Aviv) at Bootcamp.

10pm–6am. Guvernment, 132 Queens Quay E. prismtoronto.com

Sat, June 28 Deko-ze and Nick Bertossi (Van) on the SS Steamworks Cruise. Noon–4pm. Pier 31, 333 Lakeshore Blvd E. $75 advance. steamworksbaths.com

Jockpride. 10pm–4am. Marquis of Granby, 418 Church St. $10 advance, $15 door. facebook.com/ jockpartyto

Bok Bok spins at Drip — Smith, Sun, June 29

Kitty Glitter (Aus), Chus & Ceballos (Spain) and Aron (Tel Aviv) at Prism Aqua. Noon– 8pm. Yonge-Dundas Square, 1 Dundas St E. prismtoronto.com

Scooter McCreight, Taco Tuesday (San Fran) and Shane McKinnon at Cub Camp. 11pm.

The Beaver, 1192 Queen St W. $10. beavertoronto.ca

The Cube Guys (Italy), Rosabel (Chicago/Miami), Freemasons (UK) and O’Halley Brothers (Brazil) at Green Space: Main Event. 1pm–1am. Ryerson Quad, 43 Gerrard St. $10. greenspacetoronto.org

Sun, June 29

Francesca Lombardo (UK), Kim Ann Foxman (NYC), Tizi (Mtl) and Delicious at Lipstick Jungle. 1pm–midnight. Cawthra Park, 519 Church St. No cover. greenspacetoronto.org Brenmar (NYC), Shaydakiss (Mtl) and Prince Innocence at Drip. 7pm. Smith, 553 Church St. $15. dripparty.com Kidd Madonny (Miami) and Deko-ze at Babylon: World of White. 9pm. Fly, 8 Gloucester St. $25 advance or $75 weekend pass. flynightclub.com

Isaac Escalante (Mexico), Alain Jackinsky (Mtl), Dekoze and Cindel (Chicago) at TreeHouse Party. 1pm–1am.

Ryerson Quad, 43 Gerrard St. $10. greenspacetoronto.org

Gordon John (UK), Alessandro (LA) and John Caffery at Pitbull: Gone Wild. 9pm–4am.

Phoenix, 410 Sherbourne St. $35. pitbullevents.com

10pm. Henhouse. 10pm.

1532 Dundas St W. No cover. henhousetoronto.com

Sticky Cuts, KLR and Marina (Mtl) at Toastr. 9:30pm–2am. White Elephant, 366 Queen St E. $25. girlplaytoronto.com

Javier Medina (Spain), Phil Romano (Italy), Tony Moran (NYC) and Jeremy Khamkeo at La Leche. 10pm–7am.

Sound Academy, 11 Polson St. prismtoronto.com

Sis n Bro and Mary Mack (Florida) at Inspiration and Liberation.

Ben Baker (NYC) and Nick Bertossi (Van) at Jockstrap:

Dimitri from Paris (France), Horse Meat Disco (UK), Phil V, Kris Steeves and Diego Armand at Disco Disco. 1pm–midnight.

Cawthra Park, 519 Church St. No cover. greenspacetoronto.org Lilly Russner (Brazil), Delicious, KLR and Stix at Girl Play’s afternoon tea-dance. 3pm–2am.

House/Maison, 580 Church St. $20. girlplaytoronto.com Bok Bok (UK), Girl Unit (UK), Juliana Huxtable (NYC) and Michael Magnan (NYC) at Drip.

7pm. Smith, 553 Church St. $15. dripparty.com Andy Butler (NYC) at Drip. 7pm.

House/Maison, 580 Church St. $15. dripparty.com Hector Fonseca (NYC) and Shawn Riker at the Fly Nightclub Farewell Finale. 9pm. Fly, 8 Gloucester St. $30 or with $75 weekend pass. flynightclub.com

Mon, June 30 Scooter McCreight, David Picard and Taco Tuesday (San Fran) at Trade: Gym Shorts, No Underwear Party. 3–9pm.

Black Eagle, 457 Church St. $10. blackeagletoronto.com Abel (Miami), Honey Dijon (NYC), Shawn Riker, Deko-ze and Mark Falco at Revival. 10pm–8am.

The Guvernment, 132 Queens Quay E. prismtoronto.com

For more WorldPride listings, check out our Ultimate Pride Guide at upgtoronto.com.

34 June 26–July 9, 2014 XTRA! Toronto’s gay & lesbian news

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More at dailyXtra.com XTRA! June 26–July 9, 2014 35

36 June 26–July 9, 2014 XTRA! Toronto’s gay & lesbian news

Xtra’s WorldPride guide

Robin S’s connection to LGBT crowds crosses eras, genres and countless remixes

Lady of the

T “Diva” fits the bill for Robyn S, who will perform her gay anthem “Show Me Love” at the WorldPride closing ceremonies.

house

he word diva has fallen on hard times. Polluted and mutilated by musicindustry hacks who insist on using the description for Nickelodeon showgirls (see Selena, Demi, Vanessa), its meaning has been gravely compromised.

Which explains why so many song lovers serve up serious cut-eye when the noun is uttered — even Mariah has moved on to “elusive chanteuse.”

Robin S feels it’s time to reclaim the D-word’s true meaning. The 52-yearold, NYC–born dance vocalist — known for such hits as 1993’s “Show Me Love” and “Love for Love” and a 1997 cover of Alton McClain and Destiny’s “It Must Be Love”— believes the title should be reserved for its old-school definition: “a woman of great artistic power.” That other definition, of a demanding, piranhalike caricature? Ms S wants it shot dead.

The Georgia-based performer — who is booked to sing at the WorldPride closing ceremony — is unapologetic, however, about owning the diva title. “Don’t even try and take that away from me, honey,” she warns, chuckling over the phone from her home in Atlanta. “I have no ill will to those who sing very light and very dainty, but women like me, we have a gift, so I don’t mind people calling it out the right way,” she says. “So many of us house vocalists have these rich, hardto-describe voices that come from deep within the church — which means we can

BY Elio Iannacci

sing rings around some of these airy pop Knuckles and the other Garage men singers. ‘Diva’ fits our bill.” and women weren’t the only ones to Ms S recalls her early performances inspire and be inspired by Ms S; she adand public appearances during the era mits she doesn’t know how many times of HIV/AIDS fear and men and women “Show Me Love” has been remixed over living on the down-low. “At the time I the years. The song has charted numerrecorded ‘Show Me Love,’ gay and lesbian ous times in Europe and North America life was rough,” she says. “I remember in various mixes and stands apart as a singing at a lot of underground events, house anthem, blending the chutzpah of top-secret parties and clubs where so Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” with the many people in the audience were [closrawness of Aretha Franklin’s “Respect.” eted]. It was tough, but I’m glad we have “That song is not a story about one moved on. Everyone should be afforded life,” she says of the hit that earned her happiness. That’s the one two Billboard Music thing that’s free. I used Awards. “It’s about many WorldPride to get so agitated when lives. It keeps evolving beclosing ceremony people would ask me why cause people keep going With Robin S, CeCe Peniston and Tegan and Sara I was so supportive of the through the same situaSun, June 29, 5pm [LGBT] fans because it tion. I see young gays and Yonge-Dundas Square was a foolish question for lesbians in the audience worldpridetoronto.com me. Why would I want to that weren’t even born deny anyone happiness?” when that song came out.

Her embrace of the children led the They went back, heard a remix and as legendary godfather of them all to reach young adults are reliving what I lived out to her. In what she calls a highlight of when it was released.” her career, she recorded a song in 2012 For her upcoming set at WorldPride, called “Right Now” with the late DJ and Ms S wants to thank her fans with pure producer Frankie Knuckles (it is featured fire, not smoke and mirrors. “Mama’s on his last album, Tales from Beyond the gotta be comfortable if you want to hear Tone Arm). She first encountered Knuckthe high notes,” she says with a laugh. les at New York City’s Paradise Garage, In other words, expect no Gaga-like where she learned what “transcending wardrobe. “Back in the day, I had these music” was. “You could close your eyes fantabulous costumes that wore me and go to whatever lovely, warm place you out to get in and out of them,” she says. needed to get to at the Garage. It was an “Nowadays, I’m coming in stretch pants escape route from the hate and darkness and white high-top Converse sneaks so I of life outside the club.” can lock in onstage and let it rip without

being in pain because of high heels and a sweaty sequined dress.”

Ms S has a list of rules she abides by when she’s performing. The main one?

Refusing to use any audio tricks that will fool her audience. “It’s always my live voice you are going to hear when I show up,” she says. “I refuse to sing over vocal tracks. I will not do it. I’d rather not sing at all. When I finish with my crowd, I usually have no more voice to speak because I lay my heart and soul down for the people!

That’s the way it should be,” she says. “No one can ever say I’m not tired when I leave that spotlight to go home.”

She hints that her set will include all her hits and possibly her favourite covers: a funk-laden version of Stevie Wonder’s “All I Do” and a nu-disco take on Phyllis Hyman’s “You Know How to Love Me.” What may also make the cut are the under-wraps “spiritual house” tracks she is working on, which blend her gospel roots with her signature sound, as well as a new single she released with DJ Escape called “Shout It Out Loud” (one of a few she plans to roll out with Escape).

“I’m going to give it to you real, so get ready,” she promises. “House music in its rarest or rawest form — especially when I witnessed it in places like the Garage — is good mood music and should be regarded to be as important as rock and roll. There is still a big need for the diva, and house is an integral part of the past couple of generations. People are just catching up.”

More at dailyXtra.com XTRA! June 26–July 9, 2014 37

XTRA’S WORLDPRIDE GUIDE

DIVINE DIVA METER How three legends performing at WorldPride measure up ELIO IANNACCI DIVA

TRACK RECORD

HER MODUS OPERANDI

VOCAL RANGE

ON TODAY’S DANCE SCENE

CeCe Peniston

According to the 44-year-old vocalist, “bad boyfriends make for good songs,� and this is reflected in singles such as “Movin’ On� and “Keep On Walkin’�— which speak to the good, the bad and the fugly of past relationships (as witnessed in her trio of ’90s albums).

Peniston credits her massive 1991 hit “Finally� for her longstanding success. “That song bought me a house, cars, clothes and a lifestyle that I love to live,� the Arizona-based artist says. “It’s on more than 4,000 compilations and a skin-care commercial. ‘Finally’ cheques keep rolling in!�

The Ohio-born vocalist has always maintained she’s a soul singer who dabbles in dance — like her hero, Patti LaBelle, who mastered the art of jumping across musical genres. “I’ve watched Patti backstage,� Peniston says. “Just seeing her [prepare] with her stylist was such a lesson.�

Peniston’s range (“five to seven octaves,� she says) has got her gigs performing in the Vatican for the Pope, at Aretha Franklin’s birthday party (the Queen of Soul requested it) and for Bill Clinton’s inaugurations.

“People want to feel something real, and house gives them that rawness that you don’t get in pop,� she says, noting that she doesn’t love the rush of EDM and circuit that plagues the clubs. “Everything has gotten so robotic and technical.�

Although everyone knows her for “Gypsy Woman,� the Philadelphiaborn talent has three albums and nearly 30 singles to her name. This includes such recent across-the-pond hits as “Oh Mama Hey� (with Chris Cox) and “Blow� (with Armand Pena, Harry Romero and Alex Alicea).

Feminist scholar bell hooks once described Waters as “fierce and politically on the job� — a description the singer still feels rings true. “I’m aware of the world,� she says. “I’m educated.

I watch Jon Stewart and the evening news — that makes itself known between the lines of my lyrics.�

Aqua

Sat, June 28 Yonge-Dundas Square

WorldPride Closing Ceremony

Sun, June 29 Yonge-Dundas Square

Crystal Waters Blockorama

Sun, June 29 TD Wellesley Stage

Martha Wash

WorldPride Closing Ceremony

Sun, June 29 Yonge-Dundas Square

38 JUNE 26–JULY 9, 2014 XTRA!

The powerhouse behind such anthems as “It’s Raining Men,� “Gonna Make You Sweat� and “Everybody Everybody� has survived four decades of clubland. Skipping through disco to house to circuit to EDM, Wash is a dancefloor chameleon. She really should be a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer by now, as she went on to change music history by suing C+C Music Factory and Black Box for not properly crediting her vocals on their chart-topping hits. This led to federal legislation that made vocal credits mandatory on albums and videos.

Her early days were spent supporting the late, great gay disco star Sylvester with Izora Armstead (her Two Tons o’ Fun/Weather Girls partner) before becoming the go-to voice for top gay house/circuit DJs aiming to create pre-Miley bangers. “I learned how to attack a song from Sylvester,� she says. “That’s why I have more drama than HBO in one track. I want people to reflect, stop and think when they hear me.�

A graduate from the Grace Jones school of chanteusery, Waters’s deep contralto is all about projecting cool, snappish sighs, gasps and whispers rather than Mariah-high notes. To her credit, Waters chooses songs that suit her smoky “la da dees la da das.�

Crystal Waters brings 100 percent to WorldPride.

Wash is a solid fiveoctave singer, belting out choruses with the love of God and gays behind her. She was trained in classical opera, led gospel choirs and headlined many groundbreaking discos in the 1970s.

“I’m happy house has come back in a big way. But when I saw Mary J Blige doing that Disclosure duet, I thought ‘Whaaaat?,’� she says, laughing at the UK duo’s recent re-release of “F for You,� featuring Blige. “They should have asked a seasoned house vocalist to work with them. I remember being on tour with Mary in the ’90s and she was not appreciating dance. She thought house was bullshit. Everyone was coming up to me in the ’90s and saying stuff like “When are you gonna make real music?� They put us down so bad that now it feels validating.� “For the longest time, singers have been in the background . . . and DJs were at the front of the bill. I hope it’s changing. Artists with voices [need to] get the play they deserve.�

It will be raining Martha Wash at Pride.

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“Ever since I saw the way they used ‘Finally’ in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, I began to respect drag culture. The effort put into creating a different vision of yourself is something all artists can connect to. I learned about the art of presentation from gay men and drag queens I’ve worked with. And, in this game, that’s half the battle.�

The former beauty queen (Miss Black Arizona in 1989) is now training for a bodybuilding competition while recording more “full-on house and dance-pop� songs, as well as neo-soul tracks with producer Paris Toon (she just released a down-tempo single called “Sick�). “I’m going back to where I started,� she says. “I have a new track called ‘Nothing Can Stop Me Now.’�

“Black women and gay men have strong commonalities. If you give trouble to a confident black woman or a strong gay man, good luck to you. Once you have life hit you in the face like we do . . . honey, you do not mess with that person!

Watching Lady Bunny and RuPaul also helped me find my own personality onstage.�

A house-styled album produced by DJ StoneBridge, the mastermind behind Robin S’s remix of “Show Me Love.� She’s also working on a reality-TV series called Unveiled.

The series casts Waters as a host who helps queer people who want to come out of the closet.

“Back in the day, when I played at the Paradise Garage [in the 1990s], I was trying to give the community relief because they were so ostracized by the media about AIDS/ HIV,� Wash says of the time when she released songs like “Carry On� and “Give It to You.� “The papers called AIDS a gay disease — which was not true. I felt my job was to give [crowds] the happiness that wasn’t outside of the clubs so that they could have the strength to face the realities of the next day.�

More remixes of 2013’s R&B-tinged Something Good album. Her club version of “I’m Not Coming Down� is currently hitting top 10 on the Billboard dance charts (the 60-yearold’s first Billboard hit in more than 20 years). “A remix can’t break your career,� she says, “but if you’re lucky, it can make you.�

MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM

For comprehensive WorldPride listings, check out our Ultimate Pride Guide at upgtoronto.com.

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XTRA! JUNE 26–JULY 9, 2014 39

PROUD CULTURE XTRA’S WORLDPRIDE GUIDE

There’s more to celebration than parades and parties JEREMY WILLARD

Pansexual orgies, gay cruises, parking-lot piss-ups, historical tours, kid-friendly face-painting sessions — WorldPride offers all manner of celebration and expression of what it’s like to be queer. However, the people perhaps best equipped to express this state are artists, and luckily quite a few of them — of both the local and international varieties — are putting on art shows during the festivities.

Camp Fires: The Queer Baroque

Like dear ol’ grandma in leather jackboots swingin’ a cat-o’-nine-tails, the Gardiner Museum’s Camp Fires: The Queer Baroque exhibit takes innocuous objects like candlesticks, teapots and vases and transforms them into erotic and compelling statements about sexuality. By looking at the concept of “camp” in the work of francophone Canadian ceramic artists Léopold L Foulem, Paul Mathieu and Richard Milette, the exhibit portrays subversive notions of queer identity.

Camp Fires: The Queer Baroque runs until Mon, Sept 1, at the Gardiner Museum, 111 Queen’s Park Cr. gardinermuseum.on.ca

Bent Lens: Pride on Screen

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and Inside Out LGBT Film Festival’s joint summer program, Bent Lens: Pride on Screen, explores queer stories through the past, present and future of cinema.

Included are the Queer Outlaw Cinema program, a free gallery exhibition, retrospectives, special events, free outdoor screenings and special guests that include transgender advocate Laverne Cox and writer/director/ performer John Cameron Mitchell.

Bent Lens: Pride on Screen runs until Sun, Aug 17. tiff.net/bentlens 40 JUNE 26–JULY 9, 2014 XTRA!

Tourist Trap, by Attila Richard Lukacs.

Over the Rainbow: Seduction and Identity Drawn from the private collection of Salah Bachir and Jacob Yerex, this exhibit acknowledges the archetypes associated with queer culture — like camp, celebrity and rainbows — and looks beyond to the ways that queer culture and mainstream representations of that culture influence each other. The show comprises paintings, drawings and photographs and includes works by Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Stephen Andrews and Annie Leibovitz.

Over the Rainbow: Seduction and Identity runs until Sun, Aug 17, at the Museum of Contemporary Art, 952 Queen St W. mocca.ca

Ross Watson WorldPride Exhibition

Ross Watson has no shortage of admirers: Stephen Fry said, “Oh goodness — your works get sexier and sexier and more and accomplished — lost in admiration!” Sir Elton John said, “I never tire of his paintings — he’s a leader in contemporary realism.” The Australian artist’s work fuses classical European art references with contemporary images and deals with sexuality, religion and the impact of social media. The Toronto exhibit includes Watson’s sexy surf

twins and lifeguards.

Ross Watson WorldPride Exhibition runs until Sun, June 29 at IX Gallery, 11 Davies Ave, Unit 101. rosswatson.com

Just Me and Allah: Photographs of Queer Muslims

“Mainstream Islam isn’t always welcoming of LGBTQ Muslims, yet a lot of the Muslim traditions and rituals bring queer Muslims comfort and provide a sense of belonging,” visual artist Samra Habib says. From people celebrating Muslim traditions in queer spaces to incorporating Muslim symbolism into everyday life, Habib’s video interviews and photographs give an intimate sense of how some queer people navigate their complicated relationships with Islam.

Just Me and Allah: Photographs of Queer Muslims runs until Wed, July 9, at Parliament Street Library, 269 Gerrard St; Sun, Oct 5, at the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Ar-

Guasparre, by Richard Milette, at Camp Fires.

Love You, by Attila Richard Lukacs.

GARDINER MUSEUM

TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

Mr Robinson,

by Attila Richard Lukacs.

Dali, by Samra Habib.

The Hit Parade

Duo, by Ross Watson.

Curated by the Transmission Commission Collective, Hit Parade is an exhibition of visual art that responds to problems affecting queer communities globally, including legal and psychological issues and physical violence. The exhibition includes work by both local and international artists, and a percentage of proceeds from sale of the works will benefit the Will Munro Memorial Fund for Queers Living with Cancer.

Hit Parade runs until Sun, July 6, at p|m Gallery, 1518 Dundas St W. pmgallery.ca

Imaging Home: Resistance, Migration, Contradiction

chives, 34 Isabella St; and Thurs, July 10– Mon, July 14, at Videofag, 187 Augusta Ave. queermuslimproject. tumblr.com

Youth Solidarity Project

As part of an initiative by the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Michaëlle Jean Foundation to promote safe, inclusive and healthy communities for queer youth, young people MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM

aged 14 to 30 were asked to submit artwork on the theme of “solidarity with Canada’s two-spirit and LGBTTIQQ* communities.” On May 14, a vote was held to decide whose work best reflects the theme; the work of the six finalists is on display during WorldPride.

The Youth Solidarity Project exhibition runs until Sat, Nov 15, at the Art Gallery of Ontario, 317 Dundas St W. youthsolidarityproject.ca

In Uganda, Kenya, Guyana, the Caribbean, India, Toronto — across the globe — queer people have felt oppression. Through documentary video and photographic work, the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives’ Imaging Home: Resistance, Migration, Contradiction tells a captivating story of the challenges queer people have faced around the world. The event includes several guest speakers, including Ulelli Verbeke, Namela Baynes-Henry, Richard Lusimbo and Brayo Bryans.

Imaging Home: Resistance, Migration, Contradiction runs until Sun, Oct 5, at the CLGA, 34 Isabella St. clga.ca

The best of gay and lesbian Toronto — on your desktop and your mobile device!

Check out the interactive digital edition of Xtra Living at

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XTRA! JUNE 26–JULY 9, 2014 41

Xtra’s WorldPride guide

Dimitri’s disco

The celebrated DJ spins his first-ever Pride party Deko-ze & Andrew Jacome

time during Pride. It’s unusual and lovely to be able to play outdoors during the day, so I’m hoping to showcase the sunnier side of my disco-flavoured collection.

Dimitri from Paris is known for his dapper suits, retro sensibility and world-class Playboy parties. The slick, You’ve already done so much with internationally renowned DJ’s latest your career. What’s next? compilation, Dimitri from Paris in the House of Disco, came out this month, I’m blessed enough to be able to share just in time to prime the city for his my music for over 30 years and make visit to The 519’s Green Space, for Dis- a living of it. Not sure what else to co Disco. Our very own Deko-ze chats wish for! with Dimitri as he gears People like Daft Punk, up for his soon-to-be legLaurent Garnier, Bob Disco Disco endary WorldPride set.

Sun, June 29 Sinclar, Justice and (Dimitri spins 4–7pm) Martin Solveig have Xtra: Greetings, The 519 Green Space achieved international Dimitri! We are super greenspaceto.org success and cemented excited to have you for French house as a our WorldPride celforce to be reckoned with. What ebration. What can your longtime are your thoughts on the current fans and new followers expect? state of French house music?

Dimitri from Paris: Thank you.

The French scene is still quite I’ve always enjoyed playing in Toronhealthy. I particularly like what to and am looking forward to my first

P I T B U L L

E V E N T S

Disco mastermind Dimitri from Paris keeps the genre alive and healthy with his sought-after remixes.

younger producers like Yuksek, FKJ, Boston Bun and Le Crayon are doing, to name a few.

Rocca, “Disco Shake,” is coming out soon; it’s a proper live recording with a great-looking picture sleeve vinyl as well. After that, look for a new Eurocrats release.

How do you feel about the new crop of deep-house and discosampling house records of today?

Dimitri’s Do they compare to WorldPride the quality of early, playlist groundbreaking disco?

Chaka Khan It’s a case of apples and “I’m Every Woman” oranges, really. The vast (Dimitri from majority of contempoParis Remix) rary dance is the work Diana Ross of a single or very small “The Boss” (Dimitri group of people working from Paris Remix) off a computer. In the Dimitri from case of disco, you needed Paris & DJ Rocca a whole band plus a stu“Disco Shake” dio to record it in. The (Original Mix) souls each playing a real Sister Sledge, “Lost instrument allowed for in Music” (Dimitri a richer organic sound. from Paris Remix) There is still genius to be found nowadays; it’s Chic, “Le Freak” just harder for it to come (Dimitri from Paris Remix) out from an ocean of mediocrity.

Speaking of music, do you have any original productions coming soon?

My new track with collaborator DJ

Your Live at The Playboy Mansion comps have sold by the bucket-loads!

Who is your favourite Playboy bunny?

As strange as it may be, I’m in this business for the music, not the bunnies.

If you could hear any artist perform live right now (alive or passed), who would it be?

Teddy Pendergrass. RIP. Chic or Cerrone?

Chic, without a doubt, as they have R&B in their DNA.

Disco balls or bell-bottoms?

Seriously? Many things came back from the past. Luckily, bell-bottoms haven’t, so the world is not lost — yet.

P R E S E N T S

W perf ith orma nce by fa y slif s t!

THE OFFICIAL AFTER PARTY AT:

THE OFFICIAL PRE-PARTY AT:

AFFILIATE EVENT AFFILIATE EVENT

42 June 26–July 9, 2014 XTRA! Toronto’s gay & lesbian news

More at dailyXtra.com XTRA! June 26–July 9, 2014 43

Xtra’s WorldPride guide

Going deeper QUEER CONFESSIONS: AN LGBTQ MEMOIR READING SERIES Queer Confessions is a monthly Toronto-based LGBTQ memoir reading series that seeks to foster memoir writing in a supportive environment, and build community through storytelling. We are committed to showcasing diverse voices and experiences, including established, emerging, and beginner writers. Readings take place the first Thursday of every month at the 519 Community Centre in Toronto, and start at 8:00pm.

SEND US YOUR SUBMISSIONS!

We all have a story (or two, or three) to tell, so please consider submitting one of yours! No experience necessary!

Check website for monthly themes. Please include with your submission: the story (10 min max), your bio (50 words max), and the theme you are submitting for. Send your submissions to: queerconfessionstoronto@gmail.com

www.queerconfessions.com LIKE us on FACEBOOK: Queer Confessions

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Nomi Ruiz brings the nighttime to WorldPride kevin ritchie Playlisp A lot has happened since Nomi Ruiz released Jessica 6’s debut album, See the Light, in 2011.

The New York-born singer/songwriter, who rose to prominence as a singer for Hercules and Love Affair, has relocated to Greece, where she is working on a new album with producers that include Eli Escobar, Kasper Bjørke and Michael Moreno.

“All the songs are there, the concept and the artwork,” she writes in an email to Xtra. “I took my time with this one.”

Like its predecessor, the album is heavy on nocturnal club beats and Nomi Ruiz exposes R&B balladry but with more electronic her NYC house roots elements. at Hotnuts.

Jonathan Grassy Ruiz, who grew up in Brooklyn, came of age listening to the boombap of 1990s New York rap but moved done alone at night.” into dance music after singer Antony Lyrically, the new album’s themes Hegarty recommended her to Hercu- spring from Ruiz’s experiences as a les and Love Affair’s Andy Butler. Her trans woman. In the three years since smouldering voice wound up on two See the Light was released, trans acsongs — “Hercules Theme” and the tivism and issues have gained greater house-pop single “You Belong” — from visibility in North American media, the group’s 2008 debut album. and Ruiz is keen to add to the ongoing Ruiz’s high-energy presence was discussions through her music. a highlight of Hercules and Love Af“I wanted to address a deeper, more fair’s stage show, and after the tour she private and emotional side of gender formed Jessica 6 with Andrew Raposo politics,” she says. “We all tend to foand Morgan Wiley, who were also part cus on how society oppresses us, but of the Hercules live band. what we don’t talk about is how we The group became a fixture in New are oppressed and ostracized by our York nightlife and fashion circles, but lovers. They, too, are struggling to conRaposo and Wiley have since left. Ruiz form, and it affects our relationships has started performing as well as our sexual with dancers Georgia encounters.

Hotnuts: A Whole New WorldPride Sanford and Viva Sou“I wanted to make Sat, June 28, 10:30pm–4am dan, and last year she an album that conThe Garrison returned to her grimy tained lyrical content 1197 Dundas St W Brooklyn hip-hop that trans women roots on the mixtape Borough Gypsy. could closely identify with,” she says.

Ruiz likes dance music because, “There are albums that have healed me she says, its open structure is suited through lyrics, such as The Miseducato fantasy, compared with hip-hop tion of Lauryn Hill and Amy Wineproduction, which lends itself more to house’s Back to Black. I wanted to be narrative specificity. The new album that voice for a specific group of people, nods to both and, like See the Light, has but then again, maybe we can all idena distinctly nighttime vibe. tify with being ostracized by love.”

“I can’t wake up at 9am to be in the After Laura Jane Grace’s recent critistudio and feel some immediate mag- cism of Arcade Fire for casting The ic,” she explains. “This time around, Amazing Spider-Man star Andrew I wanted to create when I really felt Garfield as a trans woman in the video it, without any schedule, no immedi- for “We Exist,” Ruiz took to Twitter ate deadlines. Most of the writing was and asked, “When will the music in-

dustry allow trans artists to speak for themselves?”

Representations of trans experiences are still uncommon in mainstream music, and Ruiz is over trans experiences being treated as “an aesthetic.”

“I’ve become tired of hearing everyone else speak on our struggle,” she says. “They lump us into this LGBT label, and when a gay man or woman makes it in the music industry, they say it’s a big step forward for the LGBT community. But it really isn’t for us.

How many trans artists are out there with immense talent that can’t even find an agent to represent them? Or a label willing to release their record or support their tour?

“Why is everyone obsessed with our struggle as an aesthetic, but they don’t really want to hear it from our mouths?” she asks. “I guess it’s like Arcade Fire says: ‘They don’t want us to exist.’”

For dance music fans, Ruiz exists in a big way, and she says it will ultimately be on them, rather than label bigwigs, to take her career to the next level.

“I’ve never strived to become a star. I’ve only wanted to find my fan base, be able to perform for them, pay my rent and not worry about having to make a living,” she says. “I think my fans really want to see me succeed and become a ‘star.’ If that were to happen, it would be up to them and for them.”

44 june 26–july 9, 2014 XTRA! toronto’s gay & lesbian news

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PRESS PLAY FOR PRIDE All June, watch shows FREE on OUTtv.ca, including:

More at dailyXtra.com XTRA! June 26–JULY 9, 2014 45

Xtra’s WorldPride guide

HIGH CONTRAST Black and white and wet all over for Pride Diego Armand Style Life

In part two of our “what to wear” WorldPride report, I recruited my model/makeup artist/ multitasker friend Julia as a model. Julia’s must-have piece for Pride is her Calvin Klein sports bra. This versatile 1990s favourite will be the ideal thing to wear when she and her girlfriend host a barbecue on their rooftop before hitting the streets to dance it up on parade day. Here’s the summary: keep it graphic with black and white pieces or prints, statement sunglasses are essential, and a Queen Bey–inspired wet look will kill it.

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Sunglasses, Mykita, $680, Rapp Optical, 788 College St. Dress, $292, Northbound Leather, 586 Yonge St.

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Sunglasses, Linda Farrow for Prabal Gurung, $480, Rapp Optical. Grace one-piece swimsuit, Beth Richards, $260, Gravitypope, 1010 Queen St W. Grace one-piece swimsuit, Beth Richards, $260, Gravitypope.

Jacket, $29, Joe Fresh, in-store or online.

Sports bra, Calvin Klein, $30, Hudson’s Bay, 176 Yonge St. Shorts, $66, American Apparel.

Lolita crop top, $52, and miniskirt, $58, American Apparel.

Sunglasses, Theo, $680, Rapp Optical. Faye swim top, Beth Richards, $129, Gravitypope.

Shorts, $66, American Apparel.

Sunglasses, Dita, $590, Rapp Optical.

Sunglasses, Theo, $380, Rapp Optical. Crop top, $36, and vinyl miniskirt, $68, American Apparel, in store and online.

PHOTOS: May Truong MODEL: plutino group MAKEUP: Jacobi Shaw ASSISTANT: Donna Keosi

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48 June 26–July 9, 2014 XTRA! TORONTO’s gay & lesbian news

Date:

Jun 11, 2014

Downtown, UpCountry One of Toronto’s coolest furniture stores celebrates 25 years Storefront Serafin LaRiviere When I moved back to Toronto in 2000, I was struck by how significantly the design landscape had changed in the half decade since my departure. Shops once packed with overstuffed, cozy couches and big, poofy chairs now showcased a sleek modernity that favoured a bolder, cleaner look. Fourteen years later, the modern aesthetic is still thriving when it comes to downtown living.

Certainly one of the leaders in the city’s designer furniture craze has been UpCountry, now celebrating its 25th anniversary. The store is huge — a 40,000-square-foot mélange of cool chic and hip eclectic that goes against everything the Sears catalogue taught me about matching furniture as a child.

“Many people definitely mix and

match,” says Stephen Sutch, the store’s general manager. Sutch is a fan of what he calls “transitional design,” a blend of different styles and finishes that gives a home its own distinct personality.

“It can be so many things, from Arts and Crafts to antique to modern. It’s a very personal design statement.”

It’s certainly nothing like messieurs Roebuck and Sears ever imagined. I am instantly taken by a line of Felipe concrete occasional tables that are both classically beautiful and utterly modern.

The smooth, polished surface has a gorgeous tone, set perfectly into distressed raw steel frames. I particularly love the coffee table on large industrial castors and would pair it with the Soho sofa in distressed dove-grey leather or the Cloud kidney-shaped couch in darkgrey fabric that has the sheen of fine Italian suiting. Toss in a few of Nadia

The Phase bedroom suite, shown with the Dakota chair, is timelessly elegant.

Lloyd’s vibrant silk-screened pillows and a pair of round convex mirrors and you have a truly unique grouping. The best part: everything I’ve mentioned is created right here in Canada.

“We carry several Canadian designers,” Sutch points out. “They are on the cutting edge of design and are working

in our own back yard. That’s important.”

It’s also surprisingly affordable — particularly when you figure in the decay rate of the flat-pack fibreboard stuff that seems to crumble after just a few years of use. I paid $200 for a beautifully upholstered ottoman from UpCountry back in 2000, and the piece is still as

solid and unfrayed now as it was when I first brought it home. Contrast that with a storage ottoman bought from Ikea just four years ago, which has already sprouted loose threads and gone wonky on one side. Sure it was half the price, but now I need to buy another one.

“I think people are realizing that if they invest in a piece of furniture, it can last them a lifetime,” Sutch says. “It’s about craftsmanship and quality.”

Given the clean, unfussy lines of what I see on the showroom floor, it’s easy to imagine these pieces enduring both physically and aesthetically. The Phase solid walnut bedroom suite is timelessly elegant, as are the mix-and-match dining sets from Dine Art. These tables and chairs are particularly versatile, given the mix-and-match options for tabletops, legs and finish.

That’s not to say there aren’t some wonderfully quirky options available to the more adventurous consumer. It’s hard not to love the Madison loveseat, upholstered in brown and white cowhide, or the locally made pendant lights fashioned from thick industrial rope.

“There are so many ways to make a personal statement with your home,” Sutch says. “The important thing is for it to be comfortable, attractive and quality-made.”

UpCountry is located at 310 King St E. upcountry.com

More at dailyXtra.com XTRA! June 26–July 9, 2014 49

Fringe festival follies Queer highlights at this year’s festival offer a welcome dose of comedy Onstage Chris Dupuis

Perhaps it’s the unending lines, the strict no-latecomers policy or the occasionally unbearable July heat, but Toronto’s Fringe Festival has long been a place where audiences need a good laugh. While the annual summer event is home to all manner of works, it’s truly a place where comedy shines. The 2014 edition finds two queer theatre artists Largely recovered by 1997, Steele asking us to laugh at unlikely subjects. thought he was mostly in the clear. But In This Ain’t the Yellow Brick Road, in 2010, doctors found a mass growing writer/performer Jake Steele aims to on his brain that paralyzed him and find hilarity in his almost lifelong his- sapped nearly every memory he had. tory in the medical system. When he “Everything was gone,” he says. “It contracted HIV in 1981 from a blood took my parents a few months to contransfusion, the disease didn’t even vince me who they were. I had to relearn have a name. Fearing the how to brush my teeth, stigma that went along how to process emotions.

This Ain’t the Yellow Brick Road with the disorder seemIf I was having a face-toWed, July 2–Sat, July 12 ingly relegated to homos face conversation with Tarragon Theatre Extraspace and heroin users, he hid someone and looked 30 Bridgman Ave his diagnosis from his away, I would forget who The Common Ground family until 1994, when I was talking to.”

Wed, July 2–Sun, July 13 the illness really kicked Building the show Randolph Theatre 736 Bathurst St in. His immune system formed part of Steele’s fringetoronto.com barely existent, he then recovery from his most spent the next two and a recent brush with death. half years bedridden in a bleach-soaked “It’s a dark standup comedy where I apartment, fighting for his life. poke fun at all the shit I’ve been through,” “Somehow I survived, and I always he says. “I have to laugh at it for people to get asked how,” Steele says. “I don’t accept it. Somehow, the more fun I poke know, except that I’m tenacious and a at these things the easier it is for people pain in the ass.” to deal with the illness.”

From left, Julia Gartha, Tegan Macfarlane, Ben Chiasson and Fiona Sauder in The Common Ground. Tessla Stuckey

Jake Steele in This Ain’t the Yellow Brick Road. Sydney Helland

Writer/director Ken McNeilly’s The Common Ground gives an entirely different though equally serious subject a comedic twist: his PhD research saw the University of Toronto graduate examine the lives of children raised by queer parents.

“I realized how many advantages kids see about having lesbian or gay parents,” he says. “The teens I interviewed talked about how authentic their parents are and how brave they were to come out.

They felt like they’d learned so much from their strength. Most of the teens I interviewed were straight, and a lot of them feel like they are ambassadors of the queer community. They’re in a really unique position to be a voice for social justice. That can be a huge pressure, but it can also be a rewarding privilege.”

Though McNeilly found the material he gathered extremely compelling, he realized that isolating it in academia meant dramatically limiting its audience.

“Every single interview with these kids I did was amazing, but who’s going to actually read a 400-page dissertation?” he says. “Originally, when we decided to turn it into a musical, we weren’t going to reference the dissertation at all, but then at some point we decided we had to make fun of it.”

The show itself is a bit like a version of the process McNeilly and his team went through. Four “queerspawn” teens are set to give a presentation on what it’s like to grow up in an LGBT family, but realizing it’s going to be mind-blowingly boring, they opt to turn it into a musical.

Aiming to keep things real, McNeilly cast four teenaged actors who could keep him on point about whether anything sounded boring or fake. Weaving its way through McNeilly’s research, the piece puts a humorous twist on the lived experience of the kids in his study.

Lest his description sound overly dry, he’s quick to point out his company’s talents.

“Collectively, this is one of the funniest casts I’ve ever seen, so nobody needs to worry about this being too academic,” he says. “Far from it. This show is ridiculously funny.”

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52 June 26–July 9, 2014 XTRA! TORONTO’s gay & lesbian news

What's on

Truth/Dare: A Satire — The Citadel, until Sun, June 29 Sam Pryse Phillips

For more event listings, go to dailyxtra.com

Art & Literature Naked Boys Reading In an event that’s as naughty as its name suggests, several boys read stuff naked. Readers are Justen Bennett, Michael Lyons, Taylor J Mace, Josh Middleton and Wrong Note Rusty. Thurs, June 26, 8–9pm.

Videofag, 187 Augusta Ave. PWYC– $10. videofag.com

Bending the Horizon In a celebration of diversity, this exhibit showcases the work of more than 30 queer OCAD students. Runs until Sat, June 28. OCAD Graduate Gallery, 205 Richmond St W. Free. ocadu.ca

Ross Watson WorldPride Exhibition Watson’s fusion of classical European art references and contemporary imagery, including sexy surf twins and lifeguards, has found favour with Sir Elton John and Stephen Fry. Runs until Sun, June 29, 11am–6pm. IX Gallery, 11 Davies Ave, Unit 101. Free. rosswatson.com

Bent Lens: Pride on Screen This exploration of queer stories through cinema includes a gallery exhibition, retrospectives, outdoor screenings and special guests Laverne Cox and John Cameron Mitchell. Runs until Sun, Aug 17.

TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King St W. tiff.net/bentlens.

the-making Steph Tolev and Laura Di Labio, viral video sensations The Cheeto Girls and special guests. Fri, June 27, 8pm. Buddies in Bad Times, 12 Alexander St. $25. buddiesinbadtimes.com

Sidewalk Cabaret Drag queens Igby Lizzard and Judy Virago perform a sidewalk cabaret for guests and passersby. Sat, June 28, 1 and 3pm. Drake One Fifty, 150 York St. Free. thedrakehotel.ca

Laugh Out Proud Robert Keller hosts a night of queer comedy at Yuk Yuk’s, with special guests James Adomian, Andrew Johnston, Ted Morris and Martha Chaves. Runs until Sat, June 28, various times. Yuk Yuk’s, 224 Richmond St W. $25. yukyuks.com

Transdangerous Cabaret A rare evening of comedy, readings and music with S Bear Bergman, Tom Cho, Dot Dot Dot, Scott Turner Schofield and more. Sat, June 28, 8pm. Glad Day Bookshop, 598 Yonge St. PWYC. gladdaybookshop.com

Homo Night in Canada This comedy blowout features Susan Fischer, Shawn Hitchins,

Elvira Kurt and David Benjamin Tomlinson. Sat, June 28, 8pm.

Buddies in Bad Times, 12 Alexander St. $25. buddiesinbadtimes.com

Health & Issues 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,

What Makes You Proud?

David Kelley LGBTQ and HIV/ AIDS Counselling Services invites people to come out and draw, write, doodle and chat about their pride while enjoying a barbecue.

Art materials are provided. Thurs, June 26, 4–8pm. Family Service Toronto, 355 Church St. Free. familyservicetoronto.org

The Toronto Gaymers host an evening of live music by Villainest, which performs SEGA-inspired rock and roll. Thurs, June 26, 9pm–2am.

Bovine Sex Club, 542 Queen St W. Cover TBA. facebook.com/ torontogaymers

Authors Elizabeth Ruth, Liz Bugg, Karishma Kripalani and JE Knowles read and reflect on their work. Sat, June 28, 11am–12:30pm. Glad Day Bookshop, 598 Yonge St. Free. gladdaybookshop.com

Soultry Jazz Brunch Featuring performances by LeiLa Dey, Ashely Bea James and Tanisha, this event raises funds for Black Families and Friends and the annual Queernament Basketball Tournament. Sat, June 28, 2–7pm.

BerBer Social, 49 Front St E. $45–50. iaminthelife.com

Comedy & Cabaret Leave It to Beavers: A Pride Comedy Show A celebration of queer female comedians, with performances

by Deanne Smith, Janine Brito, Sarah Simpson and more. For more info, contact goldstarcomedy@gmail.com. Thurs, June 26, 8 and 10pm. Comedy Bar, 945 Bloor St W. $15. leaveittobeavers. brownpapertickets.com

Bent Lens — TIFF Bell Lightbox, until Sun, Aug 17

The Big Pride Sing-Along The queer community chorus invites people to come and sing some uplifting favourites. Sat, June 28, 7 and 9:15pm. Betty Oliphant Theatre, 404 Jarvis St. $15. singingout.ca

VIP WorldPride Parade Viewing Fancy folks indulge in champagne, appetizers and prizes while enjoying a spectacular view of the parade from a terrace. Sun, June 29. $285. For more info, visit rainbowhigh.torontoworldpride.com.

Pride parade & Marches See page 32 for WorldPride march and parade dates and routes.

Sex & Burlesque Trans Bodies, Trans Sexualities Tobi Hill-Meyer hosts a workshop geared to transgender, genderqueer and gender-nonconforming people who want to learn more about caring for and enjoying their dangly bits. All genders welcome.

To register, call 416-504-7934.

Thurs, June 26, 7:30–9:30pm. Come as You Are, 493 Queen St W. Free. comeasyouare.com

BoylesqueTO: Welcome to Manada The all-male burlesque troupe performs a Canada-themed show, stripping their way from coast to Mountie-festooned coast. Fri, June 27, 9pm. Lee’s Palace, 529 Bloor St W. $25. manada.eventbrite.com

Theatre A Chorus Queen Three drag queens get loud, hilarious and melodious in their pursuit of fame on the stage. Runs until Sat, June 28, various times.

Hart House Theatre, 7 Hart House Circle, U of T. $49 regular, $45 matinees, $25 students; benefits the Toronto PWA Foundation. achorusqueen.com

Confessions of a Fairy’s Daughter The theatrical premiere of Alison Wearing’s comical and touching one-woman show about growing up with a gay dad in Peterborough.

Runs until Sat, June 28, various times. George Ignatieff Theatre, 14 Devonshire Place. $28. fairysdaughter.com

Truth/Dare: A Satire Created by Adamo Ruggiero and Salvatore Antonio, this staged reading and multimedia presentation revives the 1991 cult classic Truth or Dare, about Madonna’s Blond Ambition World Tour. Runs until Sun, June 29, 8:30pm. The Citadel, 304 Parliament St. $20 advance, $25 door.

Fringe Festival The festival features dozens of venues and 150 shows, including new and old plays, experimental works, dance performances and family-friendly events. Runs Wed, July 2–Sun, July 13. For more info, visit fringetoronto.com.

Shirley Gnome Guitar in hand, the musical comedian performs her brand of titillating and absurd music, including original tunes about her naughty adventures.

Fri, June 27, 7pm. The Flying Beaver, 488 Parliament St. $10 advance, $15 door. pubaret.com

Andrew Johnston’s annual comedy show features local legends-in-

Leisure & Pleasure

Queer Geek Mixer, with Villainest

She Writes

Bitch Salad

contact jcaffery@sherbourne.on.ca.

Every Monday, 5:30–8pm.

Sherbourne Health Centre, 2nd floor, 333 Sherbourne St. Free. soytoronto.org

Bending the Horizon — OCAD Graduate Gallery, until Sat, June 28 Erika Tran

For more WorldPride listings, check out pages 32 and 33 and our Ultimate Pride Guide at upgtoronto.com.

More at dailyXtra.com XTRA! june 26–july 9, 2014 53

CLUBSCENE Thurs, June 26

Remington’s Toronto’s all-male strip club celebrates Pride with 40 dancers spread over the weekend.

Two floors and pole dancing for every taste. Thurs–Fri, 5pm–4am; Sat–Sun, noon–4am. Remington’s, 379 Yonge St. remingtons.com Starry Night: Love Is in the Hair DJ Mado (Montreal) and TLA spin as RuPaul’s Drag Race queens, Bianca Del Rio, Adore Delano, Courtney Act and Darienne Lake take the stage.

7pm–midnight. Cawthra Park, 519 Church St. No cover. greenspaceto.org Butch Femme Salon: Under the Covers Belle Jumelles and Titus Androgynous perform and DJ Carma spins for the sexy slumber party.

8pm–2am. Buddies in Bad Times, 12 Alexander St. $10 or PWYC. buddiesinbadtimes.com

Drip, with Andy Butler — House/ Maison, Sun, June 29, 7pm

spin. 9pm–4am. Liberty Grand, 25 British Columbia Circle. $60. pitbullevents.com

Prism College DJs Stéfane Lippé and Cajjmere Wray spin studious circuit beats. 10pm–4am. Fly, 8 Gloucester St. flynightclub.com Yaga-Yaga Dancehall: Dongfest It’s going to get sweaty and real, with DJS Rudeboi and Dan Werb on the decks and hot hostesses Inessa and Holly. 10pm. Henhouse, 1532 Dundas St W. No cover. henhousetoronto.com

Fri, June 27 One World: To Frankie with Love DJs Hector Romero, Paulo, Alain Jackinsky and Neill MacLeod spin house and dance beats in memory of Frankie Knuckles. 5pm–midnight.

Cawthra Park, 519 Church St. No cover. greenspacetoronto.org Drip Friday DJs Henry Krinkle, Figgy, Gingy and Rory Them Finest on decks. 7pm. House/Maison, 580 Church St. $15. dripparty.com Trans* Pride Post-March Showcase Crackpuppy, The Cliks and Against Me! perform rock and punk. 8–11pm. Yonge-Dundas Square.

No cover. worldpridetoronto.com Pitbull: Worldwide DJs Chris Cox, Deko-ze, Dwayne Minard, Alessandro, Aural and Del Stamp

Babylon World Weekend: WorldPride 2014 DJ Sumation and guest spin for the homage to Queer as Folk’s Club Babylon. 9pm–6am.

Fly, 8 Gloucester St. $30 or with $75 weekend pass. flynightclub.com

Drip: Hercules and Love Affair Andy Butler spins, with guests DJs Bruce LaBruce and Members Only.

7pm. House/Maison, 580 Church St. $15. dripparty.com

Lick It DJs Tizi and Ria play urban sounds in Chroma, while DJs Stix and Miz play house and dance in Galleria for the all-girl event.

9:30pm–2am. Guvernment, 132 Queens Quay E. $25 advance, $30 door. girlplaytoronto.com

Vazaleen: Shame Performances

by Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet and Jenna Syde. DJs Michael Comeau, Max Mohenu and Vee Stun on decks. 9pm. Wrongbar, 1279 Queen St W. $15. wrongbar.com

AX Pride DJ Mark Vicente spins for the Asian boys and their friends. 10pm–3am. Phoenix, 410 Sherbourne St. $20 advance, $25 door. meetmeatax.com Forever XXXI: Pride Prom Your ’90s prom-party dreams come true.

Dressing up is highly encouraged.

Limo rides and a prom photo booth.

DJ She’s Like the Wolf (Pompe/ Montreal) spins; hosted by Matante Julie Paquet (Lipster/Montreal), Lady Catnip and Bobby V. 10pm.

Henhouse, 1532 Dundas St W. henhousetoronto.com

Kiss of Life: Hot and Heavy Pride The annual, all-inclusive dance jam returns with tunes selected by hosts Evan, Kayla and Michael. 9pm.

Henhouse, 1532 Dundas St W. henhousetoronto.com Fly Nightclub Farewell Finale DJs Hector Fonseca and Shawn Riker spin Fly’s swan song, thanking the world for 15 fabulous years. 9pm.

Fly, 8 Gloucester St. $30 or with $75 weekend pass. flynightclub.com Rebels DJ Fathom and friends spin for the post–parade closing party.

10pm. The Bovine Sex Club, 542 Queen St W. $5 before 11pm; $10 after. bovineclub.com

54 JUNE 26–JULY 9, 2014 XTRA!

Fit Primpin’ DJs Phil V, Craig Dominic, Kris Steeves, Max Mohenu, Nino Brown, Kevin Ritchie, Blackcat and Aural spin. TS Madison, the House of Monroe and Tynomi Banks onstage. 10pm. 99 Sudbury, 99 Sudbury St. $15 advance, $20 door. big-primpin.com

Toastr DJs Sticky Cuts, KLR and Marina spin, with hip hop, dancehall, top 40 and mashups on the main floor and house music on the second. 9:30pm–2am. White Elephant, 366 Queen St E. $25. girlplaytoronto.com Follow the Rainbow DJs Sumation, SouthPawBrown, X-Taci and Jed Harper spin.

Hosted by BenAnthony Lavoz, with performances by Devine Darlin, Sofonda Cox and more. 10pm–4am. Ryze, 423 College St. $15 advance. ryzeoncollege.com

Sat, June 28 Prism Aqua: Mega T-Dance DJs Kitty Glitter, Chus & Ceballos and Aron spin. Hosted by Carmen Carrera, with a performance by Sofonda Cox and the Aqua dancers.

Noon–8pm. Yonge-Dundas Square, 1 Dundas St E. prismtoronto.com

Prism Main Event: La Leche DJs Javier Medina, Phil Romano, Tony Moran and Jeremy Khamkeo spin the Prism Toronto/ Matinee party.

Performance by Sofonda Cox. 10pm–7am.

Sound Academy, 11 Polson St. prismtoronto.com

Lipstick Jungle DJs Francesca Lombardo, Kim Ann Foxman, Tizi and Delicious spin. 1pm–midnight.

Cawthra Square, 519 Church St. No cover. greenspacetoronto.org Green Space: Main Event DJs The Cube Guys, Rosabel, Freemasons and the O’Halley Brothers spin; four queens of RuPaul’s Drag Race perform at 4pm. All in support of the 519 Community Centre. 1pm– 1am. Ryerson Quad, 43 Gerrard St. $10. greenspacetoronto.org Drip DJs Brenmar, Shaydakiss and Prince Innocence spin.

7pm–5am. Smith, 553 Church St. $15. dripparty.com

Cherry Bomb Pride: Out of This World DJs Cozmic Cat and Denise Benson spin for the ladies and their friends.

10pm–3am. Mod Club, 722 College St. $15 advance, $20 door. facebook.com/cherrybombtoronto

Babylon: World of White DJs Kidd Madonny and Deko-ze spin for the White Party. 9pm. Fly, 8 Gloucester St. $25 advance or $75 weekend pass. flynightclub.com Pitbull: Gone Wild DJs Gordon John, Alessandro and John Caffery spin for the jungle-themed party.

9pm–4am. Phoenix, 410 Sherbourne St. $35. pitbullevents.com

Disco Disco DJs Dimitri from Paris, Horse Meat Disco, Phil V, Kris Steeves and Diego Armand spin. 1pm–midnight. Cawthra Square, 519 Church St. No cover. greenspacetoronto.org Drip: House of Ladosha DJs Bok Bok, Girl Unit, Juliana Huxtable and Michael Magnan spin, with a performance by La’Fem Ladosha.

7pm. Smith, 553 Church St. $15. dripparty.com

Bootcamp DJs Manny Lehman, Eddie Martinez and Erez Ben Ishay spin. 10pm–6am. Guvernment, 132 Queens Quay E. prismtoronto.com

Swagg2daRoof — Club120, Sun, June 29

and Cindel on decks. 1pm–1am.

Ryerson Quad, 43 Gerrard St. $10. greenspacetoronto.org

Cherry Bomb Pride — Mod Club, Sat, June 28 ALEX NURSALL

Sun, June 29

Swagg2daRoof: WorldPride Edition DJs Blackcat, Pleasure and Lady Supa spin dancehall, hip hop and R&B, with onstage erotic performances. 10pm–5am. Club120, 120 Church St. $20. club120.ca Peepshow DJs Micky Friedmann, Marco Da Silva and David Picard on decks. 10pm–5am.

Maison Mercer, 15 Mercer St. prismtoronto.com

Mon, June 30 Revival DJs Abel and Shawn Riker spin in the main room; DJs Honey Dijon, Dekoze and Mark Falco are on decks in the Skybar. 10pm–8am.

The Guvernment, 132 Queens Quay E. prismtoronto.com

Tues, July 1 Canada Day Woody’s celebrates with cheap day prices all night long. 8pm. 467 Church St. No cover. woodystoronto.com

continued on page 56

Canada Day — Woody’s, Tues, July 1 DAVID HAWE

Treehouse Party DJs Isaac Escalante, Alain Jackinsky, Deko-ze

TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

L A U N N OUR A TE A M I T L U E D I U G E PRID o.com t n o r o t g at up

Weekend Hours:

9am till 3am daily!

Just 1 block away from Pride.

Come more than once!

Forget walking on sunshine,

join the Sisters

and walk on rainbows!

info@torontosisters.org /TorontoSisters @TorontoSisters torontosisters.org More at dailyXtra.com XTRA! June 26–July 9, 2014 55

Top of the world to you

READER OFFER: Xtra readers can re-

ceive a free glass of champagne in London’s highest champagne bar, in The View from The Shard, when they show this article at the ticket desk. Terms and conditions apply.*

Wed, July 2 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

STOREFRONT

Situated at the top of The Shard — Western Europe’s tallest building — sits London’s newest premium visitor attraction, The View from The Shard.

At almost twice the height of any other viewpoint in London, guests can now experience 360-degree views for up to 64 kilometres across the capital.

Travelling skyward in two highspeed lifts, the multi-sensory journey takes visitors 244 metres above the city, where 1,000 years of history unfolds beneath you. The first viewing gallery, on Level 69, features London’s highest champagne bar — the newest addition to the attraction — giving guests the chance to enjoy a glass of champagne while taking in the stunning panoramic views below. Ascending higher, Level 72 is an open-air platform and the highest accessible point of the building. Here, guests can experience the sounds of the city below and gaze up to the shards of glass that form the sculptural building as they disappear into the sky. The View from The Shard is

continued from page 54

Thurs, July 3 Kink 101 Canadian Leatherman Paul C hosts a night of BDSM education, discovery and play. 10pm. Black Eagle, 457 Church St. No cover. blackeagletoronto.com

Fri, July 4

The View from The Shard is the only place to experience all of London all at once.

the only place to experience all of London all at once and is a must-see for visitors to the city. *Terms and conditions of reader offer: Subject to the guest being 18 years or older. Offer is valid from May 30, 2014–Dec 31, 2014 only. Proof of age may be required. Valid for walk-up sales only. Offer excludes Saturdays (valid Sunday to Friday only). Can be exchanged only between the hours of noon and 8:30pm. Valid only when purchasing a full price on the day adult ticket at a rate of £29.95. This offer can be redeemed only once and is non-exchangeable and non-refundable. This offer is subject to availability. The voucher has no monetary value. For further terms and conditions of entry, please see our website: theviewfromtheshard.com.

Pheromone Friday DJs ReckLezz and Sister Mister spin for the weekly ladies’ party.

10pm. Garage, 477 Church St. $5. sistermisterto.com

Sat, July 5 Short Circuit DJ The Robotic Kid spins Italo, nu-disco, deep- and tech-house tracks. 10:30pm. Black Eagle, 457 Church St. No cover. blackeagletoronto.com

Sun, July 6 The Hollywoody Broadway Show Miss Conception performs drag and a bit of song. 6pm.

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

Remington’s Pride — Remington’s, Thurs, June 26–Sun, June 29 until 4am

Mon, July 7 WAYLA’s ’90s Trivia Kaleb Robertson hosts the weekly quiz evening. 7pm.

WAYLA, 996 Queen St E. No cover. facebook.com/ waylabarnounge

Tues, July 8 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

Wed, July 9 Club120 Wednesday Mandy Goodhandy presents the weekly open-mic comedy night. Performers must arrive between 8pm and 8:45pm.

To book in advance, contact toddklinck@gmail.com.

8pm. Club120, 120 Church St. No cover. club120.ca

Submit your event listing to listings@ dailyxtra.com.

Deadline for the July 10 issue is Wed, July 2.

Dan Savage's TOUR WORLD’S BEST AMATEUR DIRTY MOVIE FESTIVAL!

JULY 12TH 7PM & 9PM

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TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW! ONLY AT WWW.HUMPTOUR.COM 56 JUNE 26–JULY 9, 2014 XTRA!

TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

xtralivingtoronto.com

Naturopathy

THE BEST OF GAY & LESBIAN TORONTO

gesund 416-913-5170

Holiday Inn holidayinn.com

Accountants

Fuel Plus 647-352-8807

Susan Calverley, MBA, MSc, CMA 416-605-1553

Adult Yonge Cinemas yongecinemas.com

Advertising Raymond Helkio Advertising/ Design raymondhelkio.com

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

Bars & Clubs (Toronto) Fly Nightclub 416-410-5426

Butchers

Community Groups & Services

CareerCycles.com 416-465-9222

Cemeteries St John's Norway Cemetery and Crematorium 416-691-2965

Galleria Dental, Dr Iudita Costache 416-534-9991

Dog & Cat Grooming Tailspin Dog Spa 416-920-7387

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

Counselling

Astra Florists

Change4U2 416-827-7578

Florists astraflorists.com

Graphic Design Services

David Moulton, MEd, Canadian Certified Counsellor davidmoulton.ca

Mixtape Strategy

David W Routledge (MSW, RSW) Psychotherapist 416-944-1291

Cosmetic Dermatology on Bloor 416-922-6869

Dental Services

Career Counselling

Dr Martin Sterling 416-923-8042

City of Toronto, Economic Development Division toronto.ca/business

Phillip Coupal Counselling 416-557-7312

St Jamestown Steak & Chops 416-925-7665

gesund 416-913-5170

Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto 416-406-6228

Coffee Shops

Ms Hema Murdock, CA 416-696-6653

Chiropractors

Churches

Adelaide Dental 416-429-0150 Broadview Dental Clinic 416-466-6400

mixtapestrategy.com

Health & Personal Care

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

Home Improvement & Repairs Bryant Renovations Ltd 416-260-0818

Internet

Dr Iudita Costache – Galleria Dental 416-534-9991

Squirt squirt.org

Dr Kevin Russelo & Associates 416-966-0117

Juice Box 416-924-4671

Renovations & Restorations

Newbright Painting 416-985-8639

Bryant Renovations Ltd 416-260-0818

Personal Trainers

Newbright Construction 416-985-8639

SKLPT your body 1-866-600-3428

Lawyers

Pet Care

Harvey L Hamburg 416-968-9054

Tailspin Dog Spa 416-920-7387

Pharmacies

Ivan Steele Law Office 647-342-0568

Pace Pharmacy and Compounding Experts 416-515-7223

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

The Village Pharmacy 416-967-9221

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

Psychotherapy Bruce M Small, Conscious SelfIntegration 416-598-4888

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

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

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

Publications Pink Triangle Press 416-925-6665

Massage– Certified/ Registered

Restaurants & Cafés Cora Breakfast & Lunch chezcora.com Hair of the Dog 416-964-2708 Lola’s Kitchen lolaskitchen.ca The Blake House 416-975-1867 The Churchmouse & Firkin 416-927-1735

Spa Services Cosmetic Dermatology on Bloor 416-922-6869

Tax Services CJH Tax Services 647-270-8057

Telecommunications

Xtra 416-925-6665

Acanac 416-849-8530

Radio Stations

Veterinarians

Meats & Delicatessens

Proud FM 416-213-1035

St Jamestown Steak & Chops 416-925-7665

Real Estate Agents

Blue Cross Animal Hospital 416-469-1121

gesund 416-913-5170

Gaelen Patrick – Sutton Group Realty Systems Inc 416-801-9265

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

Nicholas Banks iPro Realty 877-306-4776

Juice Bars

Check out the interactive digital edition of Xtra Living at

xtralivingtoronto.com

April–Sept

The best of gay & lesbian Toronto — on your desktop and your mobile device!

MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM

Painting

Waterproofing Waterproof Masters 905-822-2888

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

2014

Accommodations – Ontario

Philip Kocev 416-364-2036

The besT gay & lesbof ToronTo ian

A taste of Havana Handcrafte d wood furn iture Riverdale café cultu re East-end art institution Exploring Kensingto n Market TOR ON TO’ S GAY & LES BIA N NEWS

01_XLT2014

-1_Cover-Ca

fePamenar.in

dd 1

14-04-04 6:36 PM

XTRA! JUNE 26–JULY 9, 2014 57

DEEP DISH

1

BY ROLYN CHAMBERS

Glow Party

XXX Men’s Night

SAT, JUNE 14 AT CLUB120

FRI, JUNE 13 AT FLY

It comes out of nowhere, fast and furious. It’s all over my shirt, sticks to my face and, worst of all, gets in my eye. But I’m not the only one. Everyone is covered in it. We look like messy, milky men as we bump into each other blindly under pulsating lasers. Really, this is happening. York Pride Fest’s Keep Calm and Paint On, a glow-in-the-dark paint party at Club120, is one of the most unique and outright fun parties I’ve been to in years. We’ve been told to wear something white that we don’t mind getting paint on “or just go naked.”

Club120 co-owner Todd Klinck is, surprisingly, not here to supervise the messy madness.

“Kids these days,” is all he has to say. Head kid and organizer Jacob Gal is up onstage in swim trunks armed with an arsenal of paint-shooting devices firing non-toxic colouring into the white-clad audience. White shows off the paint better and under black lights glows magically like one of those tacky yet mesmerizing black-velvet paintings you buy at flea markets. The club is covered in clear plastic, and we take refuge every so often in the paintfree, second-floor VIP zone between strategic advances to the front. As we battle our way between others who’ve taken heavy hits from paint cannons, we watch for roving brush-andbucket-carrying infantry who sneak up and splatter us with psychotic paint lust. Next time, I’ll leave my drink outside the battle zone. My gin and tonic is now a gin and non-toxic mess.

Cheers? Choke.

1 Glen & Chris 2 Chris, Mason & Nathan 3 Jack 4 Travis & Jeovanni 5 Kevin

Deep Dish appears in every other issue of Xtra. For this week’s Xposed column, by Anna Pournikova, go to dailyxtra.com.

58 JUNE 26–JULY 9, 2014 XTRA!

It comes out of nowhere, hard and throbbing. It’s in and out, and out and in, and up and down, and down and up. But I’m not the only one trying to track its ooey-gooey trajectory.

Penises are hard to follow. I’ve come to check out what the commotion is all about at the final XXX Men’s Night at Fly (launched just two months ago, it ends with the closure of this legendary club). But “the party will continue,” organizer Ryan Russell assures. Perhaps he’ll move it to his other home base, the Black Eagle, or Club120.

Russell, by the way, is looking big, beefy and bald. Having shaved his head, he looks even more like a hard-core pornstar than ever. Always one for new challenges, perhaps he’ll enter next year’s Mr Gay Toronto contest. Current titleholder Obed Urquilla and current Mr Gay World Christopher Olwage, visiting from New Zealand, are making their rounds promoting the organization, which is fairly new to Toronto.

It’s like a pageant, but for gay men, and even includes a written test. Watching the action onstage, though, the only thing being tested is my companion’s patience. “Are they done yet?” he asks. “I just wanna dance.”

But the show is just about to begin: four very erect men (Stuart Ross, AnacondaHunga, Sebastian Woods and Landon Long) mount the stage and proceed to entertain each other for our entertainment. Sucking, fucking, rimming and, yes, even a bit of fisting. It’s like a grab bag of grabbing bags. Every orifice is invaded and all eyes watch wistfully. Next time, before I shake the hand of a porn performer post-penetration, I’ll ask him to wash up. My nice Niveaoiled palm suddenly becomes a greasy Gun Oil grip. Handshake? Handjob.

6 DJ Aeryn Pfaff 7 Obed & Christopher 8 Ryan Russell 9 From left, Stuart Ross, AnacondaHunga, Sebastian Woods & Landon Long

2 3

5

4 9

6

7

8 TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

THE FINAL PARTIES!

ADVANCE TICKETS $15 AT FLY NIGHTCLUB, OUT ON THE STREET AND ONLINE AT WWW.VIPTKTS.COM/THELASTDANCE

FLY NIGHTCLUB 8 GLOUCESTER STREET TORONTO INFO 416 410 5426 FLYNIGHTCLUB.COM • BOTTLE SERVICE: BOTTLESERVICE@FLYNIGHTCLUB.COM More at dailyXtra.com XTRA! June 26–July 9, 2014 59

Classifieds Announcements

BOOKING DEADLINE: WED, JULY 2 @ 1PM

Real estate

Personal

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Real estate agent

Erotic MassagE

PROUD LIFE

A warm welcome to LGBTQ friends and family from Toronto and around the world. On Pride Sunday, start your day worshipping with us, 10:30 - noon. 300 Bloor Street, between Spadina and St. George stations. This year is our 19th as an affirming congregation of the United Church of Canada!

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

NUDE MASSAGE FOR MEN Fast open mouth breathing, erotic therapeutic massage with optional sex and body wash. Outcalls only. tobyfrechette@gmail.com.

416-466-1444 $80/ hour Mon-Wed- Fri 10 am - 8 pm

Cee DesChenes

This proud dyke left us two years ago and is dearly loved and missed by friends, family, partner Suza and wonder dog Alfie.

EmploymEnt General Seeking Mom(s) for Co-parenting

PLEASE RECYCLE THIS PAPER!

Notices

Married, Separated or Divorced Gay Father?

We’re here to support you on your journey.

Our meetings are informal, confidential, and helpful.

Gay Fathers meet the second and fourth Thursday of every month at 8pm at the 519 Church Street Community Centre.

www.gayfathers-toronto.com

RegisteRed Massage

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

In<<header>> MeMorIaM

Forgive me, If you are not living.

If you beloved, My love, If you have died.

All the leaves Will fall on my breast, It will rain on my soul All night, all day.

My feet will want to march To where you are sleeping, But I shall go on living.

HealtH & Fitness

Calm, active, healthy father of one, 6’ tall, lots of good energy, life experience, love, patience, wisdom for a special child in my life. You are kind, loving, good listener, want to have a baby, and father and co-parent in our child’s life. Let’s talk mark201873@gmail.com

Hair/Skin & Beauty MALE, FEMALE, TRANS affordable hair removal services by friendly, discreet, experienced CERTIFIED Wax Technician, in an immaculate, upscale home Wax Clinic.

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Pet considered.

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Models & escorts

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

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DAILY

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

40 Wellesley St E, Ste 201.

By appointment 416-944-3784 4seasonsmassage.ca BRENT ROUSSEAU RMT For treatment of muscle injuries, pain and stress management, and enhancement of physical health and well being.

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

Broadview/Danforth. brentrousseau.com

Japanese Male RMT 416-804-9248

Deep tissue to relaxation massage by a professionally trained RMT. Covered by extended health plans for massage treatment.

Sanji Masunaga, Wellesley + Jarvis area

email: sanjism@yahoo.com

XTRA OFFERS FREQUENCY DISCOUNTS. Contact us to learn more!

7 in 10

readers use Xtra to locate gay-friendly businesses.

Massage Certified FULL BODY MASSAGE $60 /1hr - $90/$1.5hr. Enjoy a medium to deep pressure massage for a complete relaxation of the body. Avail Mon-Sun 11 am to 9pm. Call or text Marcos 647-881-1545. marcosmassage@gmail.com www.marcosmassagespa.com

SIZZLING ALL-MALE SERVICES Chill with our alternative, clothing optional massage.

Look hot and beach ready with our safe leg, groin and torso shaving and clipping. World Pride visitors - save some coin with our unique web specials.

Convenient, private downtown location. Extended hours. Call or text 416-347-5501 for instant planning. “Doin’ Men” for 9 years. m4mmassagetoronto.com

Relaxation Massage Buffet Massage: traditional, anal/prostate, & Taoist Erotic.

Breath orgasms. Sex and Life Coach. Paul Barber 647-821-3131 canadian bodyworker.com

Professional services Counselling DaviD W. RoutleDge MSW, RSW PSychotheRaPiSt

...helping you become the person you have always wanted to be droutledge@rogers.com www.dwroutledge.com (416) 944-1291 downtown location - affordable rates

Painting NEW THOUGHT THERAPY Personalized Effective Conversations.

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60 JUNE 26–JULY 9, 2014 XTRA!

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BE BOLD!

Bold your line classified.

LegaL ServiceS

El-Farouk

Khaki Barrister & Solicitor

Legal Aid Accepted Pre-Removal Risk Assessments Same Sex Spousal Sponsorships Humanitarian & Compassionate Applications Sexual Orientation, HIV and Genderbased Refugee Claims Independent Immigration Applications

Refugee & Immigration Law Located in the heart of Toronto’s Gay Village

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AGGRESSIVE CRIMINAL DEFENCE 416.410.2266 craigPenney.com

TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

XTRA HOT

DRASKO BOGDANOVIC

NAME: CURRTIS J AGE: 26 SIGN: LEO

“Follow your passion and do what makes you happy,” says Currtis, a dancer originally from Halifax. Currtis’s perfect date would include a nice dinner and a nighttime walk on the waterfront. “Best part about being a dancer is twerking,” the former backup dancer for Madonna confesses. Besides his Adidas varsity jacket — his favourite piece of clothing — he prefers to wear CK underwear; in fact, he owns about 30 pairs. You can find Currtis at the beach or in Trinity Bellwoods Park. “The surroundings make it seem like you’re not in a crazy big city,” he says, before reminding readers to look for his really big . . . smile. facebook/instagram: currtisjay To comment on or become an Xtra Hot guy or gal, email Drasko at xtrahot@dailyxtra.com.

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XTRA! JUNE 26–JULY 9, 2014 61

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62 June 26–July 9, 2014 XTRA! TORONTO’s gay & lesbian news

More at dailyXtra.com XTRA! June 26–July 9, 2014 63

RED

H E R E C O M E S T H E N E IG H B O U R H O O D .

S