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#787 DEC 25, 2014–JAN 7, 2015
TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS
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2 DEC 25, 2014–JAN 7, 2015 XTRA! TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS
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XTRA Published by Pink Triangle Press TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS
#787 DEC 24, 2014–JAN 7, 2015
Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne at WorldPride. ADAM COISH
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Heroes & villains
From Laverne Cox to the Ford brothers, here are the newsmakers who shaped our year 8–10
Upfront
Out in the City:
Proud FM moves out of the Village Three staff members laid off 7
Arts roundup DINK, gay retreats in Mexico and Disco Daddy 13
sexual service ads Hard Labour:
The first time Q&A with acclaimed playwright Diane Flacks Playlisp’s best gay album roundup Video: Davey Wavey gets naked MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM
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History Boys The birth of heterosexuality By Michael Lyons 11
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Cover story A New Year’s breeze What to wear this New Year’s Eve 14 What’s On 16 Club Scene 17 Xposed By Anna Pournikova 18 Xtra Hot By Drasko Bogdanovic 21 COVER PHOTO BY MAY TRUONG SPECIAL THANKS TO COVER MODEL BRAD
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Ask the Expert, with Dr Pega Ren A hard penis is not a requirement for satisfying sex.
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Libby Davies Libby Davies is one of the most capable members of Parliament, one who knows how to think and is not afraid to take stands on controversial issues that may or may not be popular [“Canada’s First Openly Lesbian MP Won’t Run for Reelection,� dailyxtra.com, Dec 12]. She stands for the rights and equality of all people. We need more real representatives like her rather than the overabundance of party puppets who “always vote at their party’s call and never think of thinking for themselves at all.� WAYNE M DAILYXTRA.COM
My dear, you have been a voice for those that do not have a voice. Now, it’s time to take for yourself, sit and do for yourself and find your next adventure in life. Cheers. I bow to you — a lady for all. FRASER DOKE FACEBOOK
Proud FM layoffs This is just one more step toward obliv-
#786 DEC 11–24, 2014
It’s not that I don’t like Hot Wheels or Thomas the Tank Engine, but I can’t quite figure out my son’s predilection toward traditionally masculine pursuits.
Texts, voicemails, emails, newsletters, reminder alerts, calendars, alarms . . . today more than ever, humans are bombarded with “things that are happening today, tonight, tomorrow, this weekend, this month . . .� It’s exhausting. I’m having a mild panic attack just reading the previous sentence. You don’t even have to be a very social person to be inundated with appointments. We exist in a world that can’t stop talking. It’s like a constant show-and-tell. It’s what led to the buzz term “FOMO� (fear of missing out). But now, in response, we have JOMO — the joy of missing out. Screw everyone and everything in 2015 — and do more of what you want! It’s that simple. I’m inspired by Halifax filmmaker Andrea Dorfman, whose video How To Be Alone went viral this year (it was
officially uploaded in 2010 — that’s some really advanced JOMO). She encourages viewers to nurture JOMO behaviour by testing out being alone in “acceptable places� like the bathroom, coffee shops and the library. It’s not much of a stretch to “stall,� as she puts it, and read a paper or peoplewatch. Then there’s the gym and public transportation —perfect places to put in your headphones and listen to something new or something you love. But JOMO doesn’t mean always being alone. It can also mean hanging out with friends at home or, yes, in a bar; just pick and choose the friends to do it with to ensure maximum fun. Look at your inbox. Unsubscribe from anything you constantly delete. Remember that time you signed up for a newsletter for cool gay events in NYC? It might feel cool to still be getting it, but you haven’t been in four years. Get rid of it. Look at your Facebook, Instagram
’S
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Adventures in gay parenting
EDITORIAL PHIL VILLENEUVE
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Trading a blowjob for 20 bucks and a half pack of cigarettes had brought me to a new level of debauchery. Courtney Love would have been proud.
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ion for this station [“Toronto’s Proud FM Leaves Church-Wellesley Village,� dailyxtra.com, Dec 16]. Sad! ANTHONY MACFARLANE FACEBOOK
Egyptian bathhouse raid I am so disgusted that one person can profit from the humiliation of another, especially when they know they are apt to suffer rejection by their families and their jobs [“Police and Reporter Raid Egyptian Bathhouse and Parade Men Out,� dailyxtra.com, Dec 8]. For what crime? As a woman, I am especially appalled that, given the recent events in the Middle East, she
email comment@dailyxtra.com comment dailyxtra.com & facebook/dailyxtra.com tweet @dailyxtra
and Twitter. I noticed a friend-culling trend this year, but there’s no need to be that dramatic. On Facebook, just hide the feeds of people who bombard your timeline with events or photos of their wild social lives. Okay, you’ll need to blatantly root out these people on Instagram and Twitter, but improve your feeds by following magazines you love or writers and photographers doing cool, inspiring stuff. This will encourage more feelings of curiosity, rather than guilt. The whole point of JOMO in 2015 is to learn to be happy in your own world instead of validating yourself through someone’s else’s achievements and social calendar. I’ll warn you now: it’s going to be tough. Next year and beyond, we will be online and reachable more than we’ve ever been. I think the trick is to treat purposefully missing out as a vote of confidence in yourself. It’s not rude to reject an invite — it’s being your own life editor! Choose the best of 2015 for yourself, and this year will be a joyful one indeed. Phil Villeneuve is Xtra’s arts editor.
would be partial to this. Her rights can be lost quickly enough and she won’t be able to broadcast, wear makeup or voice her opinion. When people ask why we still need parades, this is why. We are so lucky. If there’s any way for it to happen, I want a follow-up as to how these men are. CAELAN DAILYXTRA.COM
Are we to presume these men are now all in prison, which is the equivalent of a Dark Ages dungeon? This is a disgusting example of how gay male sexuality continues to be shamed and exploited by different interests around the world, even by women, as seen here. Gay sex is still taboo. Gay male privilege is a lie. Rounding up gay men in sting operations has been done before in Canada. Today, it’s a regular part of gay life in what I call the “homophobic black zone,� which stretches across most of the Eastern world (Eastern Europe, Russia, the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia and Indian subcontinent to China). RYAN DAILYXTRA.COM
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.
4 DEC 25, 2014–JAN 7, 2015 XTRA!
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Cover model Ryan G Hinds shares his Y2K predictions: “There will be more love on the planet. In music, the future is about original creation and the end of sampling.” Perhaps too optimistic by far?
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OUT ON THE STREET BY KYLE BURTON
Who is your 2014 gay hero? Juan
Julian
AJ
Ellen Page. She used her fame as a platform to help other people come out. She’s a hero.
Chelsea Manning. She was arrested in the US for leaking military information and came out as trans in prison.
Justin Romanov. He was beaten by his father in Russia when he came out. He fled to Canada as a refugee and became an activist to help other gay Russians.
ACCOUNTANT
ACTOR
STUDENT
Jen BLOGGER
Musician Cara Delevingne. She has so much integrity and motivation and is an inspiring individual.
QUOTABLE
I always feel humbled. People say they would rather have a transgender [person] play that role. I feel that they are right . . . And they see this scene, where she comes out, and everyone just calms down. In an Entertainment Tonight interview, Jeffrey Tambor talks to Janet Mock about playing Maura, the trans character in Transparent
Amount of gold in the most expensive toilet paper in the world, valued at $1,376,900 per roll. Moist Towelette Museum More than a thousand mostly unused wet wipes from around the world are displayed at this East Lansing, Michigan, institution. Elephant rampage In 1963 a 12-year-old “dancing elephant” named Rajje escaped from a shoppingcentre performance and ran through the streets of East Lansing.
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Il Vulcano Buono Arguably the world’s strangest mall, this shopping centre in Nola, Italy, was built to resemble a nearby volcano.
Nola A town near Naples that’s home to a warehouse from which 209 tons of Lindor chocolate were stolen in August. High-end chocolate
A 50-gram bar of To’ak chocolate, made in Ecuador, will set sweets lovers back $260. The Pinocchio lizard
A rare Ecuadorian reptile thought to be extinct for more than 50 years has recently reappeared.
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Upfront
The Fords and Ford Nation — the end of an error, as it were.
JP Larocque• 8
Proud FM leaves the Village Three staff members laid off from LGBT radio station COMMUNITY HG WATSON
Budget cuts have forced LGBT radio station Proud FM to leave the ChurchWellesley Village and to lay off three staff members. On Nov 28, the station bid adieu to its offices at 65 Wellesley St E. Since then, staff members Chris Howson, Danielle Loncar and Jordan Witherspoon have been laid off. Bob Willette, the program director at Proud FM, tells Xtra that management decided to move the remaining production to the Evanov Radio Group’s — Proud FM’s parent company — headquarters in Etobicoke and eliminate three positions as cost-cutting measures. Willette is emphatic that the layoffs stemmed from financial reasons and
Proud FM vacated its broadcast studios at 65 Wellesley St E on Nov 28. HG WATSON
were not a reflection on the staff members’ talents. Howson and Loncar, both on-air hosts, and Witherspoon, the promotions coordinator, did not respond to Xtra’s requests for comment. Willette says they will not be replacing the two hosts and instead will be increasing the number of radio features. Pearse Murray, who does the weekend morning show, is a volunteer and will continue to be heard on-air. Richard Ryder, a paid employee, will continue to host the afternoon show. The station has laid off a number of staff members over the years, with some hosts returning after being let go, including Ryder and Loncar. On Feb 6, 2012, Proud FM’s administrative staff moved from their Village location to Etobicoke because of high rents. At the time, Willette told Xtra that although the rents were high, they felt it was crucial to remain in the Village and be visible among the downtown LGBT community. “Media consumption and consolidation changes everything,” Willette says. “So the industry has to change its approach on how to make really entertaining, engaging and, importantly,
COMMUNITY
New smoking ban targets patios Beginning in 2015, the most recent amendment to the government’s Smoke-Free Ontario Act will extend the ban to include bar and restaurant patios. Other places where smokers will no longer be allowed to light up include children’s playgrounds, publicly owned sports fields and swimming pools. Restaurant and bar owners took a hit after the 2006 ban, which prohibited smoking in all enclosed workplaces and public places, came into effect. Almost all businesses lost customers and it took some time for smokers to adapt to the new restrictions. At that time, the only upside I recall was that my clothes didn’t smell like smoke after a night out. But there have been significant changes as a result of the last ban. A 2014 University of Waterloo report
indicates that there has been a solid decline in the number of Ontario smokers over the last decade (2002–2012), from 21 percent to 16 percent. The rate fell more sharply among teens than any other group. As the number of smokers decreases, so will the healthcare costs of smoking-related illnesses. In the LGBT community, however, smoking rates are nearly twice as high as those of the general population. The 2007 Toronto Rainbow Tobacco Survey reported smoking rates of 36 percent among Toronto’s LGBT community versus 17 percent among Toronto adults. A regular at the Church-Wellesley Village’s Churchmouse and Firkin who enjoys smoking on the patio takes a dim view of the upcoming ban: “I understand it, but if you’re rational about it, pick any
Effective Jan 1, smoking will no longer be permitted on bar and restaurant patios in Ontario. THINKSTOCK
of these automobiles going by — they put many more pollutants into the atmosphere than any smoker does.” Drew Kovosi, a manager at Churchmouse, has a different take. “We’ll adapt,” he says, adding that there’s a practical upside. “For us as a business,
it will be less of a headache because people want to be seated away from smokers anyway.” O’Grady’s manager Jayme Swanton agrees that her business will adapt to the outdoor patio ban, like it did to the earlier, indoor one. “Obviously, there
profitable radio.” He adds that the move to Evanov’s headquarters allows them to take advantage of resources there and to remain Proud FM. Three of Evanov’s other Toronto stations — Z103.5, multilingual AM 530 and Jewel 88.5 — are also housed in Etobicoke. In late 2012, the CRTC turned down Proud FM’s application for a stronger radio signal — a move many thought would have helped the struggling station. “We are really trying to find a frequency or distribution method that will allow many more people to hear Proud FM,” Willette says, noting that the station streams online, on an app and on Bell Fibe services. But, he says, the power of the FM signal has been the company’s biggest challenge. Willette says that the Evanov Radio Group remains committed to serving the LGBT community and that there are no plans to change the programming format or orientation. The company is in the process of launching a new LGBT-focused radio station in Montreal, AM 980 Radio Fierté, which will begin broadcasting in January. will be a hit at first, but it’s not going to stop people from coming out and enjoying themselves.” One problem she foresees is cigarette-strewn sidewalks. “They’re going to be a mess.” Another concern down the road is Pride. Swanton worries about managing in-out privileges for smokers while dealing with capacity issues. “It’s going to be chaos.” Further down Church Street, Yuri, who works security for Crews and Tangos, has a different opinion. “It’s going to hit us hard,” he says. “We get 400 to 500 people a weekend, and about 65 percent of them smoke.” Crews & Tangos is one of the few establishments with a decent-sized patio — and its own patio bar. “People don’t want to leave the building. They’re having fun.” Kovosi adds, wistfully, that he will miss the determination of smokers. “They are always the first ones on the patio in the spring and the last to leave in the fall.” — Hope Thompson
MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM XTRA! DEC 25, 2014–JAN 7, 2015 7
Heroes & villains of NEWSMAKERS OF THE YEAR
#VILLAINS
Stephen Harper and the Conservatives Our Bond villain of a prime minister continues to be up to no good, as he quietly tweaks laws, rejects landmark international rights documents and silences environmental research. But this year was a particularly active one for the Harper government, with the Conservatives continuing to debate and delay the transgender rights bill, the introduction of anti-privacy and anti-terrorism bills that would give the government unprecedented access to personal information, and a new anti-prostitution law that puts sex workers at risk. Remember when Pierre Elliot Trudeau said, “There’s no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation”? Well, Stephen Harper wants to be in your bedroom.
#HEROES
Law societies vs Trinity Western University It’s perfectly acceptable for an accredited law school to require that all its students abide by a covenant that forbids intimacy outside of heterosexual marriage, right? Yeah, I didn’t think so. Thankfully, the law societies of British Columbia, Ontario and Nova Scotia agree, with their members voting overwhelmingly against accrediting Trinity Western University’s law school.
#HERO
WorldPride in Toronto If you’re still hung over from this year’s Pride festivities, we understand. Toronto hosted the world for two glorious weeks, and queers from all corners of the globe flooded the city. They all participated in various festivities, including Canada’s largest LGBT arts festival, a human rights conference featuring delegates from more than 50 countries, and a six-hour parade. And then Mother Nature proved her love for all things queer by wrapping the city in a gigantic double rainbow, because we’re that awesome, you guys.
#VILLAINS #HEROES
Ontario English Catholic educators This year, the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association voted in favour of marching in the WorldPride parade as a show of support for their LGBT colleagues and students. It was an act of faith so loving and non-judgmental that you’d be forgiven for thinking individuals other than those within the Catholic school board did it.
#HERO
Laverne Cox 2014 was the year of Laverne Cox. From her Emmy-nominated performance on the Netflix hit Orange Is the New Black to her history-making Time magazine cover, Cox has made a name for herself as an outspoken advocate for trans issues, correcting hosts like Katie Couric and Gayle King on language etiquette in interviews, speaking up for trans woman CeCe McDonald’s need to use deadly force against her vicious attackers and being heralded as Glamour’s 2014 Woman of the Year.
The Duggars For two people whose sole talent is successfully reproducing, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar sure have lots of opinions on things that have nothing to do with them. The TLC stars got in hot water in 2014 for successfully helping to overturn an anti-discrimination law that protected the rights of queer and trans people in their community and for having affiliations with the anti-gay Family Research Council. Between this and the Mama June debacle, maybe it’s time we stop providing jerks with platforms to spread their hatred.
#HERO
Conchita Wurst A rundown of 2014 wouldn’t be complete without a nod to the fabulous Conchita Wurst. The Austrian winner of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2014, Thomas Neuwirth’s bearded drag persona was a controversial hit, celebrated by LGBT groups worldwide while being condemned by conservative and religious groups. PROUD TEACHERS: ADAM COISH; WORLDPRIDE: SPENCER XIONG
8 DEC 25, 2014–JAN 7, 2015 XTRA! TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS
2014
WorldPride, the fall of the Ford Empire, marriage equality and PrEP — 2014 was a big year for the LGBT community, both in Toronto and abroad. And yet for every hero, there is always a villain. Join us as we look back at the individuals and groups worthy of our praise — and our scorn. JP LAROCQUE
#VILLAIN
Jian Ghomeshi With accusations mounting, sexual assault charges looming and your former employer lawyering up, what’s the best possible PR strategy to save face? How about blaming your allegedly non-consensual, violent sexual behaviour on an erotic subculture of which you have little to no understanding? Ghomeshi stands accused of some pretty heinous acts, but his decision to use the BDSM community as a scapegoat on social media was a very public mistake that effectively hoisted the fallen host by his own petard.
#VILLAINS
The Fords and Ford Nation It’s the end of an error, as it were. With the Ford brothers finally out of the mayor’s office and the city regaining a comparative sense of normalcy under the Tory administration, it would be easy to write off the last four years of drug videos and drunken stupors as a collective bad dream. But the Fords did tremendous damage to Toronto’s civic character, cracking open the veneer of acceptance that had been fostered for decades to reveal a hotbed of intolerance, resentment and division. Even politically neutered, the Ford family remains a potent symbol of a portion of Toronto that isn’t interested in accepting the LGBT community. Sadly, we still have lots of work to do to repair our fractured city.
#HEROES
Gay-for-pay corporations Starbucks has drag queens, Burger King celebrates gay families, and Kellogg’s makes Tony the Tiger wear rainbow-coloured stripes. This was the year of corporations going to bat for the LGBT community, ignoring various calls for boycotts and religious backlash, and bravely marketing to our demographic. Congrats, everyone! Our copious amounts of disposable income are finally being acknowledged by capitalism. Freedom comes with a gift card and a delicious mushroomSwiss-bacon Whopper.
#HEROES
Ontario voters On June 12, Ontario voted in Kathleen O’Day Wynne as premier of the province and the first openly gay elected head of government in Canada. And perhaps what was most significant about both the campaign and victory was how little the media and her political opponents called attention to Wynne’s sexual identity. At a time when mudslinging in the political arena is common, Wynne’s win came across as a tentative step forward for both the province and LGBT rights. KATHLEEN WYNNE: ANDREA HOUSTON; THE FORDS: SISSYDUDE; CAPITAL PRIDE: BEN WELLAND
#HERO
Jill Soloway’s Transparent #VILLAINS
Capital Pride It hasn’t been an easy year for Capital Pride, with the Ottawa organization declaring bankruptcy without community consultation, owing various suppliers thousands of dollars and casting serious doubt on the future of the event.
Amazon entered the streaming television game with this touching and subversive series about a father (played with grace by Jeffrey Tambor) who comes out to his grown children as a transgender woman. Exploring sexuality, identity and familial dysfunction with intelligence and humour, the show is easily the year’s best and represents a clear turning point in queer televised storytelling.
#VILLAIN
Pastor Manning The passing of Reverend Fred Phelps left a career opening for crazy religious bigots everywhere, and so we now have Pastor James David Manning of Harlem advocating stoning homosexuals to hell, accusing President Obama of destroying the black community and suggesting that Starbucks flavours its coffee with the “semen of sodomites.” Well, I guess that explains the drag queens.
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MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM XTRA! DEC 25, 2014–JAN 7, 2015 9
CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE
#HERO
#HERO
BioWare’s Dragon Age: Inquisition Video-game developer BioWare is used to courting controversy and has given countless interviews describing its commitment to creating rich, entertaining games populated by diverse casts of straight, gay and bisexual characters. And with Dragon Age: Inquisition, the company went even further, creating its first trans character, a second-in-command named Krem who has been heralded as a huge step forward in gaming representation.
#VILLAINS
Catholic bishops So, that Pope Francis is kinda cool, right? He’s fairly progressive, as far as popes go. He made strides to welcome gay people and divorcees into the fold and is helping to bring the church into the 21st century, but then he has to deal with a bunch of buzzkill bishops going against him out of the fear that it would “undermine the traditional family.” Well, stay strong, Francis — something tells me that you’re on the right side of history.
#HERO
PrEP Approved as an HIV-prevention method by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2012, PrEP (under the brand name Truvada) is still not officially licensed for use in HIV prevention in Canada. Still, countless sexual health organizations have come out in support of the drug, and many in the community see it as a valuable tool for lowering the risk of infection.
Reluctant Hero: IOC The International Olympic Committee didn’t exactly make lots of gay friends with its decision to stay quiet on Russia’s numerous human rights violations in the lead-up to the Sochi Games. But by the end of 2014, the committee had shifted its position, announcing that it will add sexual orientation to its anti-discrimination language in host-city contracts — a move that some hope will see significant changes to LGBT rights in the countries where the games are held.
#HERO
Michael Sam #HEROES
Stories of Our Lives and filmmaker Jim Chuchu Banned by the Kenya Film Classification Board, the film Stories of Our Lives offers up five vignettes about the extreme difficulties of queer life in the African country, where homosexuality is illegal. The cast and crew remained anonymous during the production of the project out of fear of repercussions and revealed their identities only at the world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
#HEROES
International Pride celebrants 2014 was a big year for Pride celebrations in traditionally homophobic countries, with brave protesters hosting demonstrations in India, Serbia, Russia (above) and Uganda, to name just a few.
The St Louis Rams’ decision to draft Michael Sam — an openly gay football player — took many by surprise. For a sport that has a bunch of burly men in spandex shorts aggressively rubbing against each other, the idea of a gay football player seemed to make subtext a bit too textual for some in the industry. Still, the draft went ahead, and Sam has since revealed himself to be a charming role model and capable athlete — even if he’s since been cut by the Rams and the Dallas Cowboys.
#VILLAINS
#VILLAIN
Russian President Vladimir Putin Need we say more?
10 DEC 25, 2014–JAN 7, 2015 XTRA!
#VILLAINS
NBC and the show runners of Constantine
Uganda’s Parliament
Adapting a comic to television involves a certain amount of creative licence, but the decision to alter a lead character’s sexuality is a bit more suspect — which is why the creators of NBC’s Constantine have had to go on the defensive over their version, which makes Constantine straight. There’s been lots of waffling, lots of talk of series chronology and lots of insulting back-andforth with the fandom, but the bottom line is this: the network didn’t have the balls to build a show around a bisexual hero. Period.
In February 2014, the Parliament of Uganda signed its infamous “Kill the Gays” bill into law, which was subsequently struck down by the Constitutional Court in August. Victory, right? Not quite. In refusing to comment on the content of the bill, the Constitutional Court left open the option for another anti-gay bill to surface, which it did — a harsher bill that seeks to punish not only homosexuals, but landlords of gay tenants and LGBT civil rights groups. One step forward, two giant leaps back.
JIM CHUCHU: N MAXWELL LANDER; UGANDAN PRESIDENT YOWERI MUSEVENI: RUSSELL WATKINS/DEPT FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT; OLYMPIC PRIDE: PAUL DOTEY; VLADIMIR PUTIN: ENRICO VARRASSO
#HEROES
American equalmarriage plaintiffs When historians look back on the fight for marriage equality in America, they will see a battle that was won slowly, on a case-bycase and state-by-state basis. Still, a critical turning point occurred in October of this year, when the Supreme Court chose not to hear appeals against lower court rulings that had overturned gay-marriage bans in five states. As a result, same-sex marriage is now legal in 35 states, representing more than half the country’s population. TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS
Not so straightforward
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A queer look at the beginnings of heterosexuality
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HISTORY BOYS MICHAEL LYONS
I was talking to a straight guy about queer sex the other day. I mentioned that I’ve had (sexual) relationships with trans men — guys who were assigned “female” at birth but started identifying and physically presenting as men at some point in their lives. My consternated conversational partner furrowed his brow, anxious about sounding insensitive: “So you have sex with . . .” I anticipated his thought: “The guy’s vagina. Sometimes, yes.” He puzzled this over for a minute; I could see the cogs turning. “So doesn’t that kind of make you straight?” he asked. Well does it? What is heterosexuality? We’re always questioning what homosexuality is — nature versus nurture, a biological inevitability or a social problem, something that’s existed forever or something completely made up — but we rarely stop to ask ourselves, What makes a heterosexual? Where did they come from? It may surprise many of our staunchly straight friends, but heterosexuals didn’t actually exist until the mid-19th century. Of course, different-sex sex and relations have existed for as long as the forerunners of homo sapiens have had the proper tools, so to speak. But our species managed to do without the label for millennia, and the “heterosexual” is a fairly recent development. Despite this fact, society has rejected a complex, diverse history of weird and wonderful sexuality and accepted heterosexuality as the default, or normal, sexual identity. So let’s take a moment to consider heterosexual identity as they consider ours: as a bizarre sexual phenomenon and social construction. Let’s take a moment to queer heterosexuality. Given the ramifications, it’s ironic that the word “heterosexual” — made up of “hetero,” from a Greek word that came to mean “different” scientifically, and the Latin word for sexual distinction — was invented in a letter between two pioneering gay-rights advocates. Up until that point, the vernacular for sexual deviants was “pederasts” or “sodomites” — it’s worth mentioning here that for much of the term’s existence, sodomy referred to nonprocreative heterosexual sex as much as the homosexual variety. Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, a German legal expert often seen as the great-grandfather of the gay rights movement, proffered the term “urning” for homosexual
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It may surprise many of our staunchly straight friends, “but heterosexuals” didn’t actually exist until the mid-19th century. SISSYDUDE
men, inspired by ideas of love from Plato’s Symposium. His strategy for advocating against legal punishment of his urnings was that “we make up a third sex . . . We are women in spirit.” The argument was that this naturally occurring “female psyche” made punishing men who experience same-sex desire pointless and cruel. It was on May 6, 1868, in a letter to Ulrichs, that Karl-Maria Kertbeny, a vagabond German writer-turnedsoldier-turned-self-taught-scienceenthusiast, invented the now widely used terms — along with a couple that didn’t catch on. Likely inspired by the botanical term “bisexual,” for hermaphroditic plants, he created a series of sexual categorizations: “Monosexual; homosexual; heterosexual; und heterogenit,” which are essentially masturbators, people who experience same-sex desire, ditto different-sex desire, and different variations of nonprocreative sex, respectively. These weren’t concrete, strictly compartmentalized categorizations for Kertbeny. Heterosexuals were just as likely to engage in non-procreative or homosexual activity as the queers. “Additionally,” he wrote, “normally sexed individuals are no less likely to engage in self-defilement [masturba-
tion] if there is insufficient opportunity to satisfy one’s sex drive. And they are equally likely to assault male but especially female minors who have not reached maturity; to indulge in incest; to engage in bestiality and the misuse of animals; and even to behave depravedly with corpses if their moral self-control does not control their lust.” Heteros were, to Kertbeny, enormous sexual deviants! It may seem like Kertbeny had an axe to grind about heterosexuality to the point that many, including himself, wondered about this. “How did I, a normally sexed individual, ever stumble onto the existence of homosexualism and its slaves, who, up to that point, I had no idea were present in human society?” The official story was that after a homosexual co-worker had been blackmailed over his sexuality, and consequently killed himself, Kertbeny had taken an interest in sexual emancipation against Germany’s punishing sex laws. The reality of his so-called normally sexed self was a little more complicated than his emphatic claims to heterosexuality. This and other lingual developments, I fear, will have to wait for my next installment on the not-so-straightforward history of heterosexuality.
David LeBlanc, Bruce Ferreira-Wells, Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants RCIC – ICCRC
PUTTIN’ ON THE RITZ The Irving Berlin songbook
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12 DEC 25, 2014–JAN 7, 2015 XTRA! TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS
Outinthe City ty
Tuxedo stripes on joggers are the best for countdown comfort and sprawling on the floor. Diego Armand 14
DINK cast members David Keeley, Jasmine Chen, Lise Cormier and Andrea Brown. GUNTAR KRAVIS
RUDE AWAKENING
Canadians like to think of themselves as being the politest people on Earth. But according to Caroline Azar, it’s all a delicate delusion. “We’re appropriate, for sure, but with an undercurrent of covert hostility,” she says. “I wanted to show us in a more truthful way. Not good or bad, specifically. Just as we really are.” Azar’s play DINK takes aim at the notion of Canuck civility. The show centres on Deb and Bill, an archetypal double income/no kids pair. Happily married and living in upper-middle-class bliss, their blindness to the experiences of people around them eventually gives way to a harsh awakening. Moving between Gatineau, Quebec, and Kandahar, Afghanistan, the show explores
hatred, misogyny, homophobia and classism in between Brechtian musical interludes. A veteran theatre artist and the co-founder of the seminal punk band Fifth Column, Azar had her first jolt of inspiration while renovating her mother’s home. “It took a lot of organizing, and I noticed these obsessive behaviours surfacing,” she says. “I was like a yuppie capitalist, disgusting myself as much as I found the bland sensation of it shallow and surprisingly easy.” Clocking these tendencies, along with a murder case that was making headlines at the time, she set out to make sense of drama through drama, exploring the themes weighing on her mind
through the world of the play. Filthy, risky and romantic in equal parts, DINK reflects a side of our national identity we prefer to pretend isn’t there. Though the description sounds potentially preachy, her motivations in writing it weren’t about changing the world as much as simply reflecting it. “I’m just describing what I see,” Azar says. “This show is a composite of present-day Canadian issues. For sure, it’s fun, but it’s a scary kind of fun. Welcome to our national consciousness.” — Chris Dupuis
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The Anima Casa Rural farmhouse.
They will have an opportunity to work on their art in a beautiful valley surrounded by cherry, alfalfa and sugar-cane farms. A nearby town’s numerous festivals bring out scores of cowboys and mariachis. For 2015, Anima Casa Rural will include winter and summer programs.
DJ/producer Barry Harris, who gave us the best-known remix of Whitney Houston’s “It’s Not Right But It’s Okay” in 1999, now DJs every Friday at a new dance party in the Village. Disco Daddy, which debuted Dec 19, is billed as an “homage to the decadence of Studio 54.” Harris is a bit of a daddy, but he has no intention of playing only disco. “I wouldn’t want to be trapped from 1976 to 1981 week after week,” he says. “I’m expecting to play a little bit of everything from the past four decades.” Harris began DJing in 1983, after disco fell out of fashion. In 1988, he won a Juno Award for the hit “I Beg Your Pardon.” He’s also responsible for the Queer as Folk track “Dive in the Pool.” In 1997, he co-created the remix/production team Thunderpuss, which, in addition to the Houston hit, remixed tracks by such artists as Madonna and Britney Spears. Harris has a tremendous amount of material to draw upon for his Disco Daddy sets and plans to play it all: mini-sets of popular and obscure hits from various eras and genres, his own singles, and his Barry Harris INKED KENNY
DINK runs Thurs, Jan 8–Sun, Jan 18, at Factory Theatre Mainspace, 125 Bathurst St. fringetoronto.com/next-stage-festival
Gay down Mexico way
Readers may remember artist Julian Calleros from his whimsical penis piñatas. “Years ago, I was thinking about how I’m Mexican and how my being gay means people will think I like dick,” he says. “I combined those things and came up with penisshaped piñatas.” For the last year and a half, Calleros, Marcin Wisniewski and Aidan Cowling have been putting together an artists’ residency in Mexico called Anima Casa Rural. Artists from around the world will travel an hour outside of Guadalajara and stay on Calleros’s family farm.
DADDY’S NEW DISCO
For the winter program, people can choose to visit for a two-week session in either January, February or March (or they can come for the whole three months). Each session can accommodate approximately 13 people. The January session runs from the fifth to the 20th. It is curated by Wis-
niewski and called Body Becoming. “Marcin wants artists to look at ideas of what the body means politically, socially, ethnically, technologically, and how our perspective of the body has changed,” Calleros says. As well as benefiting from a change of scenery, artists may find inspiration in their chosen session’s theme. Most sessions will be shaped to allow attendees to gain insight from learning about local customs and the environment. “It’s also important to emphasize that it’s a safe place for queer people,” Calleros says. “We’re not going to sit around talking about Toronto’s gender politics, but if someone’s work has some gender- or orientation-related aspect, that’s great.” — Jeremy Willard
classic and newly created remixes. Thunderpuss worked nonstop until 2003, when Harris gradually began stepping back from music. “I DJed constantly, and we remixed everyone two or three times. I was exhausted,” he says. “And it’s better to burn out than to fade away, so I decided to take a break.” He’s making a comeback with a fresh perspective and lots of new material, including remixes of Ariana Grande’s “Break Free,” Sia’s “Chandelier” and Jennifer Lopez and Iggy Azalea’s “Booty.” Although he performed at WorldPride 2014, Disco Daddy is his first recurring club gig since his return to music. — Jeremy Willard Disco Daddy is every Friday at Marquis of Granby, 418 Church St. marquisofgranby.ca
animacasarural.com XTRA! DEC 25, 2014–JAN 7, 2015 13
E z e E r b s ’ R a A nEw Ye Bow down: Bow ties during the day can be a bit overdone, but a NYE bow tie is always festive. If you’re wearing a crisp white shirt, no tie is an option, too (just button all the way up, please).
The jacket: Solid but textured jackets in brocade, velvet or animal print say “less business, all party.”
GoiNg Out Unless you’re 17 or 70, it’s not okay to look like you rented a tux. It also doesn’t make sense to buy one that you would wear two or three times a year, so why not mix and match? Pick prints and textures that will complement each other, but most importantly, fit is everything. Brad, aka DJ Aural, wears clothes by Topman. Cummerbund and bow tie are Brad’s own. He will be DJing Pop Machine vs Bang Bang at WAYLA.
Shirt game: A graphic printed shirt can make wearing a jacket optional and throwing your hands in the air while dancing to Ariana Grande a breeze.
Cummerbund: This classic accoutrement ties your look together and holds in your post-Christmas tummy.
The printed pant: Have fun with it but keep the colour much the same as your jacket.
14 DEC 25, 2014–JAN 7, 2015 XTRA!
Shoes (not shown): Precisely. If you’re out at a club or a bar on NYE, shoes will likely get scuffed, salty or scratched. So leave your pride and joys in the box for the night.
TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS
Hello, countdown queens! It’s New Year’s Eve, and whether you’ve decided to ring in the new year with 2,000 of your nearest and dearest or to stick to the party next door, you should put your best style foot forward. After all, the new year often brings a clean slate, and you want NYE to set the tone for what’s to come. So think good vibes (and good shoes), and 2015 will be a smash. DIEGO ARMAND PHOTOS BY MAY TRUONG
STAYING IN If you’ve decided to stay in on NYE, nothing will be greater than to wear a slightly more formal version of what you would wear to bed. Lux lounge looks are still a strong trend and facilitate an effortless transition from the living-room dance party to resting your head after too much champagne. Lauren, aka Sigourney Beaver, wears looks by Topshop. She will be DJing at a wedding, so you are most likely not invited.
Luxe tux: Pieces that are tuxedo-inspired but made of soft and flowy fabrics. Tuxedo stripes on joggers are the best for countdown comfort and sprawling on the floor.
The housecoat: An essential layering item that you could wear over lingerie-inspired eveningwear. If you’re the hostess, nothing will say “welcome to my home” better than a kimonostyle jacket.
Shoes: A great time to show them off. Flaunt your Boxing Day beauties and kick out whoever steps on them.
MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM XTRA! DEC 25, 2014–JAN 7, 2015 15
WHAT'S ON
SOY Monday Night Drop-In Queer youth ages 14 to 29 gather to watch movies, participate in art projects and workshops, and chat with Supporting Our Youth’s community mentors. For more info, contact jcaffery@sherbourne. on.ca. Every Monday, 5:30–8pm. Sherbourne Health Centre, 2nd floor, 333 Sherbourne St. Free. soytoronto.org
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ARTS & LITERATURE
COMEDY & CABARET
The Black Queer Youth Initiative
Singular Sensation: A Musical-Theatre Open Mic
Butch: Not Like the Other Girls SD Holman’s photographs explore masculinity in contemporary communities, fighting the way women, gender and sexuality are defined in the mainstream. Runs until Fri, Jan 23. Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives, 34 Isabella St. No cover. clga.ca
Come Up to My Room The hotel’s annual art show features 24 installations by 40 artists spilling out over several floors of the hotel. Runs Fri, Jan 16–Sun, Jan 25. Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St W. $10. gladstonehotel.com
Giving It Raw Francisco Ibáñez-Carrasco launches his AIDS memoir in a place that inspired some sections of his book. Mon, Jan 19, 6–9pm. Black Eagle, 457 Church St. Free. blackeagletoronto.com
Jennifer Walls invites amateur crooners to perform their favourite songs accompanied by a live band. Every Monday, 9:30pm–12:30am. Statlers, 487 Church St. No cover. statlers.ca
A Laugh a Minute Mandy Goodhandy presents an open-mic comedy night at the 120 Diner. Tues, Dec 30, 10pm–midnight. 120 Diner, 120 Church St. No cover. 120diner.com
Too Queer: A Bi Visibility Cabaret (version 2.0) Writers, musicians, dancers, visual artists and more present pieces that relate to bisexuality. Sun, Jan 18, 8pm. Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St W. No cover. gladstonehotel.com
Ginger Nation All hail the red, orange and the pale! Shawn Hitchins relates his personal mission to increase the world’s
Angela Lansbury — Princess of Wales Theatre, until Sun, March 15
Black and multiracial youth aged 29 and under who identify as queer or questioning gather in a safe, social space. Every Wednesday, 6:30–8:30pm. Sherbourne Health Centre, 333 Sherbourne St. Free. soytoronto.org
ROBERT J SAFERSTEIN
redhead population. Runs Thurs, Jan 22–Sat, Jan 24, various times. Buddies in Bad Times, 12 Alexander St. $20. buddiesinbadtimes.com
HEALTH & ISSUES The 519 Legal Clinic A free, accessible service for lowincome people. Volunteer lawyers provide legal advice, referrals and help with forms and letters. The confidential and private visits are first-come, first-served. Bring any necessary documents. Every Thursday; registration 6–6:30pm. The 519 Community Centre, 519 Church St. Free. the519.org
LGBTQ Peer Support Drop-In Queer people with mood disorders get together for support and discussion. If the building door is locked, press the button under the intercom near the wheelchair entrance. Takes place the first and third Wednesday of each month. Wed, Jan 7, 7–9pm. Mood Disorders Association of Ontario, 36 Eglinton Ave W, Ste 602. Free. mooddisorders.ca
LEGIT Legal counsel for same-sex couples immigrating to Canada. Tap into the community and access useful resources. The second Thursday of each month. Thurs, Jan 8, 7–10pm. The 519 Community Centre,
519 Church St. Free; donations appreciated. legit.ca
MUSIC
LEISURE & PLEASURE
She’s Listening Five singer/songwriters perform to benefit Ovarian Cancer Canada. Thurs, Jan 8, 7pm. The Flying Beaver, 488 Parliament St. $15 advance, $20 door. pubaret.com
Bingo with the Regent The Imperial Court of Toronto hosts an afternoon of bingo and performance. Sun, Dec 28, 2:30–5pm. Flash, 463 Church St. No cover. ticot.org
Pink Ink An informal creative-writing drop-in for queer people aged 14 to 29. Every Saturday, Jan 11– March 29. Yorkville Public Library, 22 Yorkville Ave. Free. soytoronto.org
’90s Trivia With Miss Fluffy Soufflé hosting, teams of up to four people compete to see who knows the most about such topics as Orbitz, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and fly girls. Mon, Jan 12, 7–10pm. Wayla, 996 Queen St E. No cover. waylabar.com Shawn Hitchins in Ginger Nation — Buddies, Thurs, Jan 22
4PLAY UNDERWEAR PARTY << GEAR UP! >> UNDERWEAR OR LESS
SPINNING
DJ JOHN CAFFERY
everything is permitted
SATURDAY JANUARY 17 TO 3:00 (OR LATER) 10:00 COVER: $5 BEFORE MIDNIGHT, $10 AFTER
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16 DEC 25, 2014–JAN 7, 2015 XTRA!
TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS
Nightingales: Undiscovered and Unplugged Johnny Salib hosts a night of songs written and performed by Toronto artists, including Maccie Paquette, Shayne Stolz and Chris Tsujiuchi. Fri, Jan 9, 7:30pm. Buddies in Bad Times, 12 Alexander St. $15 advance, $20 door. buddiesinbadtimes.com
SEX & BURLESQUE Hot Kiss Horny folks of all genders and orientations enjoy a live performance by the band Starship Experience. Sun, Dec 28, 8pm–3am. Oasis Aqualounge, 231 Mutual St. $30. oasisaqualounge.com
South Asian Night When they’re not cruising the rooms and dark areas, horny men take advantage of a 50/50 draw, tel-maalish head massage and a safe-sex workshop. Thurs, Jan 8, 8–11pm. Spa Excess, 105 Carlton St. Regular rates apply. spaexcess.com
THEATRE & BALLET Nutcracker The National Ballet of Canada performs The Nutcracker, the tale of how Marie and Misha are brought into the Sugar Plum Fairy–strewn magical world of the Nutcracker on Christmas Eve. Runs until Sat, Jan 3, various times. Four Seasons Centre, 145 Queen St W. $25–409. coc.ca
Cinderella: The Gags to Riches Family Musical Ross Petty’s holiday panto is a silly, drag-queen-festooned version of Cinderella. Runs until Sun, Jan 4, various showtimes. Elgin Theatre, 189 Yonge St. $27–85. rosspetty.com
Next Stage Festival
CLUB SCENE Thurs, Dec 25
Woody’s Christmas Sofonda Cox and Carrie Glamshaw get the boys onstage for the Absolut Best Chest Contest, with $300 in cash prizes available to be won. DJ Mark Falco on decks. 8pm. Woody’s, 467 Church St. No cover. woodystoronto.com
Fri, Dec 26 Pon De Floor DJ Recklezz spins hip hop, R&B, trap, reggae and urban beats for the cruisin’ and boozin’ girls. 10pm. Church, 504 Church St. churchonchurch.com Regretro: Holiday Hangover The annual sweatpants party, with DJ Ace of Case, WeiBack and Party McFly. Snuggies and blankets welcome. 10pm. Henhouse, 1532 Dundas St W. No cover. henhousetoronto.com Disco Daddy DJ/producer Barry Harris spins house, disco and tribal beats for the Boxing Day party and every Friday following. Welcome back, homeboy. 10:30pm–3am. Marquis of Granby, 418 Church St. $10. marquisofgranby.ca
’90s All the Way DJ Craig Dominic spins the decade’s favourites, hosted by Benjamin Gibson.
New Year’s Eve at the Pubaret People who come out for dinner and Carla Collins’s comedy show can stick around for dancing to music by DJ Jacqie Jaquar. Wed, Dec 31, 4pm–3am. The Flying Beaver, 488 Parliament St. $25– 40. pubaret.com Paul Hutcheson’s New Year’s Eve The beloved salt-and-pepperheaded comedian gathers his talented friends for a hilarious show. Wed, Dec 31, 10pm. The Gladstone Theatre, 910 Gladstone Ave. $25. gladstonetheatre.ca
Her2
New Year’s at Spa Excess Nearly nude men ring in the new year in a sexy spa environment. Includes a champagne toast at midnight. Wed, Dec 31, 11:30pm–7am. Spa Excess, 105 Carlton St. Regular rates apply. spaexcess.com
Blithe Spirit Michael Blakemore’s revival of Noël Coward’s beloved comedy. Runs Wed, Feb 11–Sun, March 15, various showtimes. Princess of Wales Theatre, 300 King St W. $29–130. mirvish.com
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Sat, Dec 27 Toastr: Après Xmas Edition DJs Sticky Cuts and Fox Trott spin for the women wanting to hit the dancefloor. 9:30pm. White Elephant, 366 Queen St E. $8. whiteelephant366.com Pop Machine: Best of 2014 DJs Aural and guest wrap up the year with a bang with 2014’s favourite top 40 and remixes. 10pm. WAYLA, 996 Queen St E. $5. facebook.com/ waylabarnounge Gitch Underwear Party: Holiday Edition DJ Todd Klinck spins, while Mandy Goodhandy and Jacob Montgomery host the Midnight Underwear Contest. 10pm–3am. Club120, 120 Church St. $5 before 11pm, $10 after; no cover for students and seniors 60+ before 11pm, $5 after. club120.ca
Sun, Dec 28 Bingo with the Regent The Imperial Court of Toronto brings out the numbered balls with a show and a couple of royals. 2:30–5pm. Flash, 463 Church St. ticot.org
Fri, Jan 2
Woody’s Monday DJ Blue Peter spins for folks taking advantage of the nighttime day prices. 8pm. Woody’s, 467 Church St. No cover. woodystoronto.com
Friday Faces DJ Jordan spins funk, disco, top 40 and hip hop for the east-enders. 10pm. WAYLA, 996 Queen St E. No cover. facebook. com/waylabarnounge
Crews & Tangos Monday Glitz & Glam, with Carlotta Carlisle and Katinka Kature, at 9pm; Dirty Monday, with Daytona Bitch and Juice Boxx, at 11:30pm. Crews & Tangos, 508 Church St. crewsandtangos.com
Big Primpin’ DJ Phil V and two other fly DJs spin hip hop for homos on the recovery. 10pm. Wrongbar, 1279 Queen St W. $5. wrongbar.com
Tues, Dec 30 Karaoke with Foofer Thousands of songs to choose from for the pre-NYE evening. 10pm. WAYLA, 996 Queen St E. No cover. facebook. com/waylabarnounge
Thurs, Jan 1 T-Girl Party DJ Todd Klinck spins upstairs for an evening of socializing with T-girls, their friends and admirers. 8pm. Club120, 120 Church St. $8 before 11pm, $15 after; additional $10 for all-night VIP booth access. club120.ca Ultimate Thursday Beauty and the Bitch, with Daytona Bitch and Katinka Kature, at 9pm; Ultimate, with DJ Craig Dominic, in Tangos and Vocal Rehab karaoke, with Elyse, in the Zone, both at 10pm; Drama Queen, with Ivory Towers and guest, in Tangos at 11:30pm. Crews & Tangos, 508 Church St. crewsandtangos.com
NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY GUIDE
Some of the best productions from this year’s Toronto Fringe Festival return for encore performances. Runs Wed, Jan 7– Sun, Jan 18, various showtimes. Factory Theatre, 125 Bathurst St. $10–15. fringetoronto.com
This Nightwood Theatre production tells the story of a group of women who form an unbreakable bond when they participate in a clinical drug trial for breast cancer. Runs Tues, Jan 13–Sun, Feb 1, various showtimes. Buddies in Bad Times, 12 Alexander St. $39–45. buddiesinbadtimes.com
11pm. Byzantium, 499 Church St. No cover. byz.ca
Mon, Dec 29
Reflections 2015 Piano crooning with Kim Jee Young at 6pm, James Quigley at 9pm and Kendall at midnight; DJ Cory Activate spins three decades of hits in Cellblock starting at 10pm. Light buffet served 8–10pm. Zipperz/ Cellblock, 2 Carlton St. $20, $25 advance (includes buffet and line bypass before 11pm). facebook. com/zipperz Fella: Woody’s NYE DJ Chris Steinbach works the decks, while eight lumberjacks work the bars.
Dame Georgie Girl gets the crowd going for the countdown. 8pm. Woody’s, 465 Church St. No cover. woodystoronto.com
Midnight Star DJ Paul Petro brings out his vinyl collection for the NYE partiers. 9pm. Bar Neon, 1226 Bloor St W. $25. facebook.com/barneon
Viva Pan Am DJ Kasady throws down gold-medal tracks as 20 dancers take it all off on three stages. Champagne toast for the midnight countdown. 8pm. Flash, 463 Church St. flashonchurch.com
New Year’s Eagle DJs John Caffery and Scooter McCreight spin nu disco, indie dance and deep house for the bearded lads, bears, leathermen, kinky women and diverse frisky folks. No dress code and no attitude. 9:30pm. Black Eagle, 457 Church St. $5. blackeagletoronto.com
Judy Virago’s NYE DJs Boy Pussy and Peg Zilla spin, with performances by Nancy Bocock, Allysin Chaynes, Buzz Huneedew and Quanah Style. Hosted by Judy Virago. 8:30pm. The Beaver, 1192 Queen St W. $10. beavertoronto.com That Time of the Year DJs Chandler Levack and Alex Molotkow spin soul, R&B and all the danceable hits to ride you into the new year. Free party favours. 9pm. Henhouse, 1532 Dundas St W. $5. henhousetoronto.com Mardi Gras Masquerade Don your fancy masks to ring in the new year. Farra N Hyte, Xtacy Love (Miss Crews & Tangos 2014), Ivory Towers, Alisha Van Horne and Tynomi Banks on the main stage; DJ Roxanne in Tangos and DJ Alex in the Zone. 9pm. Crews & Tangos, 508 Church St. crewsandtangos.com
Pitbull: NYE Whiteout Party DJs Shane Stiel (LA) and John Caffery spin house EDM for the dirty dogs in their pristines at the blizzard-themed white party. Go-go dancers swing their icicles in the main room and the Pop Parlour, where it’s all top 40 and faves. 10pm. The Phoenix, 410 Sherbourne St. $35. pitbullevents.com Fly New Year’s Eve DJ Sumation and Mark Falco spin in the new year with house, top 40 and dance faves; countdown and performance by Sofonda Cox. 10pm. Fly 2.0, 8 Gloucester St. $20 advance, $25 before 1am, $30 until 6am. flyyyz.com
Conception, at 6pm; Old School, hosted by Georgie Girl with D’Amanda Tension and guest, at 9pm; Smokin’ Hot Divas, hosted by Georgie Girl with Devine Darlin, Jada Hudson, Enya Dreems and Carrie Glamshaw, at 11pm. DJ Blue Peter on decks. Woody’s, 467 Church St. No cover. woodystoronto.com
Mon, Jan 5
Best Men’s Ass Contest Georgie Girl hosts and performs with Tynomi Banks, then gets the guys to expose their assets for the $300 in cash prizes. DJ Mark Falco on decks. Midnight. Woody’s, 467 Church St. No cover. woodystoronto.com
FML Monday Rotating DJs spin top 40, hip hop, dance and electro for the industry night. Presented by Mojo. 10pm. Flash, 463 Church St. flashonchurch.com
Sat, Jan 3
Varsity Tuesday Sofonda Cox hosts the amateur So You Think You Can Strip? competition, with $100 in cash prizes up for grabs. 11pm. Remington’s, 379 Yonge St. $5 before 11pm, $7 after; no cover with student ID before 11pm, $2 after. remingtons.com
Go Hard: Linked Up DJs Blackcat and Lissa Monet spin dancehall, R&B, hip hop, trap and soca for their first party of the year. 10pm. Harlem, 67 Richmond St E. $10 until 1am. harlemrestaurant.com Metal Meyhem DJ Saucy Miso spins heavy metal and remixes at this new first-Saturday party. 10pm. Club120, 120 Church St. club120.ca Fly Saturday DJ Sumation and other local spinsters hit the decks with house, top 40 and dance faves. 10:30pm. Fly 2.0, 8 Gloucester St. No cover for first 150 before 11:30pm, $10 before 1am, $15 after. flyyyz.com
Sun, Jan 4 Woody’s Sunday The Hollywoody Broadway Show, with Miss
Tues, Jan 6
Wed, Jan 7 Toronto Wranglers Bust out with some do-si-do at this weekly hoedown. 7–10pm. Zipperz/ Cellblock, 2 Carlton St. No cover. facebook.com/zipperz
Submit your event listing to listings@dailyxtra.com. Deadline for the Jan 8 issue is Tues, Dec 30.
Crush NYE: All That Glitters DJ Mothers spins for the queer, sexpositive dance party. Burlesque and drag performances by Belle Jumelles, St Stella and Kelsey Slammer. 10pm. Club120, 120 Church St. $10. club120.ca
house and soca stretching back to the ’90s. Complimentary party favours and champagne at midnight. 10pm–4am. The Coalition, 349A College St. $20, $15 each for groups of 5 until 1am. coalitionlounge.com
New Year’s Essence Hip hop, dancehall and sexy R&B, with DJ BBs Alikulapo, Hoiking and Teej Mahal. Dress to finesse. 10pm. The Steady, 1051 Bloor St W. $5. thesteadycafe.com
Pop Machine vs Bang Bang DJs Aural and Shane Percy take on DJ Miss Fluffy Soufflé in a twofor-one party combo, with Scarlett Bobo hosting and performing. Midnight champagne and 1am pizza. Chance to win $130 bottleservice coupon with advance purchased ticket. 10pm–3am. WAYLA, 996 Queen St E. $15 advance, $20 door. facebook.com/ waylabarnounge
Go Hard: The Glamorous Life Dress to impress as DJs Blackcat, Pleasure, Craig Dominic and DC spin R&B, dancehall, hip hop,
Annual Mr Remington’s Dancer Competition Cheer as your favourite sexy dancer takes it all off and toast with champagne at midnight. 10pm. Remington’s, 379 Yonge St. remingtons.com Buddies NYE Cassandra Moore hosts the year’s final bang, with performances by Pole Club and music by DJs K-Tel and Triple-X. 10:30pm. Buddies, 12 Alexander St. $20 advance, $25 door. buddiesinbadtimes.com NYE at Byz DJ Cajjmere Wray spins house for the champagnedowning countdown crowd. 11pm. Byzantium, 499 Church St. No cover. byz.ca
Scarlett Bobo at Pop Machine vs Bang Bang — WAYLA, Wed, Dec 31
XTRA! DEC 25, 2014–JAN 7, 2015 17
XPOSED
1
ANNA POURNIKOVA PHOTOS BY BECCA LEMIRE
Where the village begins and your search ends.
1 The Bent Beauty Supreme
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â&#x20AC;&#x201D; â&#x20AC;&#x153;a busted beauty pageant,â&#x20AC;? as the tagline says â&#x20AC;&#x201D; is a Gladstone staple. And who presides over the contest and bragging rights? None other than one of my favourite queer darlings, Keith Cole. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s money in the prizes, but who wants money when you can have fame? And the fame is worth its weight in flesh on this one. The winner gets to host Gaystone (Pride at the Gladstone). Keith is pictured here with Lauren Hortie â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the organizer and featured femme model in the Style Life spread on page 15 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; at the pageant. And IÂ have to just say this: heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aging so well, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s off the chain. IÂ swear Keith is looking younger now than he did back in the â&#x20AC;&#x153;letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s burn Fab magazines in the streetâ&#x20AC;? days, and that was at least a decade ago. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a fan of his Blanche Devereaux holiday outfit, too. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also very nice. 2 Leelando was one of the contestants in the Busted Beauty pageant, and doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t she look dashing in that 1940s Palm Springs meets Hawaii getup? She competed in such categories as â&#x20AC;&#x153;beach wear, talent and formal wear with Q&A.â&#x20AC;? Our community is the funniest (and best dressed) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; way better than the breeder Barbie set. 3 In the gin-soaked alternate universe in which I choose to spend most of my time, this is what the cast of Mean Girls would look like. From left, Hannah, Skevvy, Brittany, Trevor and Dolly are straight pressing it up at Bent Beauty Supreme. Hannah would play Karen, Skevvy would be Janis, Brittany would be Regina, Trevor is Damian, and Dolly could defo be Gretchen. In this fantasy, Cady is still played by a banged-up Lilo, as it will be in the new movie in real life. If only. 4 And finally, two partygoers from Bent Beauty Supreme: Robert and Jordan. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m really loving the collars and the fur (faux or not, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t
really care much either way) on black on black on black. â&#x20AC;&#x2122;Cause nothing beats a good winter black, except maybe winter white, but who the fuck has that kind of patience and hand-eye coordination? Maybe a Kardashian; Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sure those bitches can keep a good winter white clean. Even with a bunch of babies hanging off them. The rest of us have to settle for the glamour of a slick midnight black. 5 Oh, Christmas Camp: love the double entendre. Judy Virago and Igby Lizzard hosted a Christmas-themed drag show at the Drake, and the beauties came out by the buttload. Also, Judy and Igby have probably taken the ultimate best photo of the two of them yet, at least in this column . . . for 2014. 6 What is even happening here with this Kris Krinkle outfit? That beard is really treading the line between the grotesque and the glamorous, much like so many shows that I love on TV (uh, American Horror Story, hello!). And the Baywatch, normie hair with the Santa hat is just making my mind implode with jaw-dropping awesome. Why doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t every single Playboy Bunny look like this for the duration of the holidays? 7 MelleeFresh isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t aging. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s official. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s actually made some kind of deal with the devil where she looks the same for decades on end and makes lots of hit records. I wonder what she traded? She probably has to vote for a Conservative government for the rest of her life â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the horror! I just met Quanah for the first time, but Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d totally hit it . . . sober . . . with the lights on.
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XTRA HOT
DRASKO BOGDANOVIC
NAME: SERGEY MINKO AGE: 25 SIGN: TAURUS
“Living a passionate life, staying truthful to others and myself, and following my heart,” are values Sergey holds in high esteem. In his room you’ll find a pair of wings, and his dream home would include nothing less than “an espresso machine, a trampoline, a piano, a ballroom and a flying carpet.” A huge fan of performing arts and all things pretty, this Russian-born ballroom dancer takes life as one sweet pas de deux. You can often find him walking down Hazelton Avenue or hanging out at the Madison Avenue Pub. His perfect date includes “making animal sounds, smoking shisha and cuddling a lot.” Facebook: sergey.minko To comment on or become an Xtra Hot guy or gal, email Drasko at xtrahot@dailyxtra.com.
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