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Xtra moves online Pink Triangle Press to shut down its print operations and focus on digital properties 7
Editorial We’re still your local paper By Robin Perelle 4 Feedback 4 Xcetera 5
Cover story Ready to rumble Our exclusive interview with Mathieu Chantelois, the new executive director of Pride Toronto 10
Upfront
Out in the City
History Boys Karl-Maria Kertbeny: The queer man who invented heterosexuality By Michael Lyons 8
Arts roundup Uncle Dickie’s, #artlive vogue ball, and Andrew Kushnir’s Small Axe 15
ondailyxtra.com Fighting for inclusive
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Comment We’re still your local community paper EDITORIAL ROBIN PERELLE
I won’t lie: I’m going to miss our print edition. I’m going to miss our sturdy purple newspaper boxes marking our community’s presence throughout the Village and across the city. I’m going to miss seeing our community’s faces in the windows of those boxes, announcing our presence and celebrating our culture to all who walk by. I’m going to miss my colleagues, people I’ve worked with for years to tell our stories. People from whom I’ve learned so much, whose insight I’ve come to rely on, trust and cherish. I’m going to miss the feel of newsprint between my fingers. I’m going to grieve. And I know I’m not alone. For the last 14 years, my life has revolved around the schedule of conceptualizing, creating and sending an issue to press every two weeks. Putting an issue to bed and picking it up, printed, the next morning never lost its thrill. For others, the thrill has been discovering reflections of themselves in our pages. How many times have I heard from community members that our paper was a critical component in their coming-out process? It’s been an honour. I can’t replace the tangible feel of gritty, inked paper smearing our fingers, but I can, and will, continue to tell our community’s stories online. We’re not done sharing your stories — far from it. Though the realities of mounting print costs have made publishing a print edition impractical, we’re making the heart-wrenching decision to shift our storytelling entirely online now while we still can — while we still have the means to tell our stories. Shifting entirely online is only an extension of the direction we’ve already been taking. Even as we published slimmer and slimmer issues in print, we never stopped reporting online. If anything, our coverage of local stories has only increased since we launched dailyxtra.com in July 2013. In the last year and a half, we’ve published
a fresh local story nearly daily online, be it a breaking news story, an arts piece, a feature, one of our regular columns, a photo gallery, a video or an editorial. We’re already telling your stories online, and many of our readers — nearly double the readership of all three of our print editions combined — have already made the shift with us. We’re still the same Xtra that followed Little Sister’s bookstore when it had the courage to stand up to censorship and take Canada Customs to court. We’re still the same Xtra that followed Aaron Webster’s accused killers through every step of the court process and challenged the prosecutor who never said “gaybashing” — and ultimately convinced the attorney general to change BC’s prosecution policy on anti-gay crimes. We’re still the same Xtra that reported on the fight against gay-straight alliances in Ontario Catholic schools and pressured the province to force local school boards to allow them. We’re still the same Xtra committed to reporting our community’s news, nurturing our growth, exploring our culture, celebrating our sexuality and setting our love free. We’re still your local community paper. We’re also, in the space afforded to us online, reaching out to other communities like ours across Canada and around the world. What’s it really like to be gay in Russia right now? We had a correspondent in Russia for eight months last year, long after the cameras left Sochi. We got to ask LGBT people on the ground about their lives, their fears and their joys. That, too, has been an honour. And we’re just warming up. Imagine the stories we can tell online, from Pride in Iqaluit to Mardi Gras in Sydney, from homophobia in South Korea to change in Colombia. This is not a farewell. It’s an invitation. Here’s to many more years of telling our stories through whatever means necessary. Right now we’re moving our storytelling online to an already-evolving Daily Xtra. I sincerely hope you’ll continue to join us there. Robin Perelle is the managing editor of 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.
4 JAN 22–FEB 4, 2015 XTRA!
email comment@dailyxtra.com comment dailyxtra.com & facebook.com/dailyxtra tweet @dailyxtra
FEEDBACK End of Xtra print issues I’m sad to see the end of the printed paper [“Gay Publisher Xtra to Embrace Digital, Close Print,” dailyxtra.com, Jan 14]. But the reality is that I seldom pick up a copy anymore (and there’s a street box on my block). Part of that is probably due to my interests — I’ve lost interest in dance clubs and partying, and I haven’t been involved with LGBT charities for a while — but it’s also because the big LGBT legal and social battles are behind us (touch wood). To remain relevant in the digital world, where readers can get their gay-related news and entertainment from many distant sources, Xtra will need to redesign their website to make it more inviting, less cluttered and easily navigable. DAVID CHURCH DAILYXTRA.COM
I have been giving more thought to the demise of Xtra. It’s not making a profit print-wise — newsprint is expensive to buy. Plus, they’re laying off 12 full-time employees from the company’s publishing and administration divisions, which is a major strategic repositioning for an all-digital publishing company. Goodbye, Xtra. You have been great for the community. MICHEL F PARÉ DAILYXTRA.COM
Whether or not you agree with its ideology and biases, Xtra does provide a service to the LGBT community in Toronto. After all, it’s the only substantive LGBT publication in Toronto that regularly covers a wide variety of topics of interest and concern to the local LGBT community. Despite Xtra’s biased style of journalism, the comment boxes on dailyxtra.com do allow for the expression of dissent and differing views. In a way, Xtra is an accessible “central aggregator” of issues of concern to the Toronto LGBT community. That accessible, centralizing feature is still needed in a “sea” of disparate posts on blogs, Twitter, Facebook and other social media. I also agree that the physical presence of pink and purple Xtra
To remain relevant in the digital world, where readers can get their gay-related news from many sources, Xtra will need to redesign their website to make it more inviting and easily navigable. RE: END OF XTRA PRINT ISSUES Moving Entirely Online,” dailyxtra.com, Jan 17]. BRIAN MARSHALL FACEBOOK
Our voice just gets quieter and quieter as we self-assuredly rest in the complacent nest of acceptance we think we have. This is a really sad announcement indeed. We get what we deserve for our apathy and lack of participation. newspaper boxes throughout Toronto was an important “marker” for LGBT visibility. The removal of those boxes will be a loss. ENDOR DAILYXTRA.COM
I’m sad about this, but I understand why. Most of us now get our LGBT news via our phones. Lately, I’ve been picking up the print issue of Xtra and then realizing that, of course, I’ve already read the stories online. So, I’m wishing you lots of luck in reinventing yourselves as a digital “go-to” site. You’ve been amazing community builders in Canada these past few decades. Keep it up! DOUG KERR FACEBOOK
The corollary benefit of having gay images plastered across the cityscape will disappear and with that the political battles over our right to be visible. It truly is the end of era for gay rights and gay media. Onward and upward! ANDREW GRIFFIN FACEBOOK
Totally saddened to read this, but I understand the market forces that drove the decision. MATTHEW HAYS FACEBOOK
This is why the remaining “oldtimers” that originally started the gay movement are being left behind [“The Real Reason Xtra is
JOHN IN TO DAILYXTRA.COM
Xtra (Pink Triangle Press) is/was a far-loony-left rag that turned its back on gay men years ago and promoted Islam and trans issues to the exclusion of gay men. It was great to line my cat’s litter box. I guess I will switch to the Toronto Red Star. RON DAILYXTRA.COM
Only gay men like you! Oh you poor excluded gay men! Xtra, like Angles before it, has attempted to represent our entire community — not just gay men! By no means have gay men been excluded by either Angles or Xtra. I’ve worked for all of our community most of my life, and the snivelling bitching of self-centred (“I got mine”) conservative gay men has always been one of the most undesirable aspects of our community. Shame on you . . . you deserve it. DAVID MYERS DAILYXTRA.COM
Nous sommes Charlie Xtra is showing more balls by publishing this than some of the Canadian mainstream media, like The Globe and Mail and CBC. Good on Xtra! 1DIZZY1 DAILYXTRA.COM
TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS
Sushi
XCETERA
A BIWEEKLY HELPING OF POP CULTURE, SERVED À LA CARTE
#eggplantfriday Instagram recently removed this hashtag, which highlights large penises outlined in pants.
Brad Fraser returns to Toronto with a production of Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love after the play’s turbulent early life of nervous producers, artistic differences and bizarre casting issues. Fraser reflects on his earlier work, the play’s contentious present and how he still hasn’t gotten paid by a Calgary theatre.
2007
The year Google designer Chris Messina proposed the idea of hashtagging to Twitter.
OUT ON THE STREET BY KYLE BURTON
Have you started planning for Pride yet?
#sexualorientation An awkward hashtag that went viral after Ireland’s health minister came out. Leo Varadkar
Ireland’s first openly gay government minister.
Anastasia
Michael
Diol
Danny
My friends and I are already planning our costumes: pylons with neon rainbow colours.
I’d like to volunteer again for Pride this year, so just getting ready for that.
I’m combing my beard every day.
The gym. Doing lots of squats, specifically.
QUOTABLE
Hair, makeup, designer, photographer, stylist, manicure, hairdresser . . . I owe my life to gay men. It’s just what I’ve grown up with. It’s my family.
Naomi Campbell in an interview with GLAAD
MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM
2015
Buying? Selling? Renting? New! Thinking Pre-construction? Proudly Serving Our Gaelen Patrick Happy New Year to you andCommunity! all your friends and family! Search MLS listings directly from my Facebook page!
Real Estate Sales Representative
XTRA #141, JAN 26, 1990
TEACHER
Real Estate Sales Representative
May this be everyone’s best year yet!
FROM THE ARCHIVES 25 YEARS AGO
STUDENT
Gaelen Patrick
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
FINANCIAL ADVISOR
22
Number of years since homosexuality was decriminalized in Ireland. Marijuana
Recently decriminalized in the US Virgin Islands. Trunk Bay Location of a famous US Virgin Islands underwater park.
Buying? Selling? Renting? Achievement in Exceptional Thinking Pre-construction? Sales and Service Proudly Serving OurPerformance Community!
GAELEN PATRICK Proud Financial Supporter of the Church Achievement in Exceptional Sales Performance and Service Real Estate Sales Representative
Financial Supporter of the Church St.Pre-construction? 519 Community Centre with a donation Buying? Proud Selling? St. 519 Community Centre with a donation
from every sale going to the centre! from every sale going to the centre! Proudly Serving Our Community! Give me a me call or check out my social media Contact
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Not intended to solicit those already under contract with another Realtor.
Not intended to solicit those already under contract with another Realtor.
DHARMA FRIENDS GLBT Meditation Group Invites you to our January Teachings
INTRODUCTION TO BUDDHIST MEDITATION January 7, 14, 21 & 28, 2015, 7:00 – 7:30 (Regular meditation session, 7:30 – 9:00) Beginners are welcome. All are invited! 177 Mutual Street, Community Room For information call Robert at 416-929-5205 or email Jacqui at: DharmaFriendsCanada@gmail.com Find us online at DharmaFriends.ca or at facebook.com/dharmafriends
Atlantica The underwater home of Ariel, aka The Little Mermaid, in Disney’s version of the fairy tale.
16
Ariel’s age in the 1989 animated film.
VIDEO: The Great Travel Challenge, Part 2 Alyssa Milano Disney based Ariel’s body type and personality on this actress.
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6 JAN 22–FEB 4, 2015 XTRA! TORONTOS GAY & LESBIAN NEWS
Upfront
I want to build on the successes from our past and continue to bring Toronto memorable Pride celebrations. Mathieu Chantelois • 10
Why Xtra is moving online What Squirt, our YouTube channel and the new epicentre of activism share MEDIA NIKO BELL
When I heard Xtra was shutting down its print operations, I instantly thought of my hometown paper, the Nelson Daily News. The News published valiantly, if sloppily, for more than a century before it was bought out by a competitor in 2010 and promptly closed its doors. By that time, I was in journalism school, watching Halifax’s Daily News go down in flames. Everywhere, the story repeats: subscriptions dive, advertising evaporates, costs expand, and the web has no business model. So when you, like me, heard on Jan 14 that Xtra will soon be taking its print papers off the streets, you probably felt you had heard this story before. I know I did. At the request of my editor, however, I spent the last two days talking to some of the top decision-makers at Xtra and digging through all the documents they gave me. It left me more optimistic that Xtra’s story is not the story of the Nelson Daily News. Take what I say with a grain of salt if you like; after all, I freelance for Xtra. Nevertheless, this is what I learned. It’s not because the papers weren’t doing well. In fact, they were more popular than ever. As of today, Xtra prints about 70,000 copies between its three markets of Toronto, Vancouver and Ottawa. According to an independent audit commissioned by Pink Triangle Press (PTP) last year, an enviable 89 percent of those papers were picked up, a four-percent rise from 2013. And yes, publisher and editor-in-chief Brandon Matheson says that print ad revenues were slipping but not at the precipitous rate of other newspapers. If anything, Xtra’s papers were the victim of the web’s success. Xtra’s digital media head, David Walberg, told me that traffic to dailyxtra.com grew by about 30 percent in 2014, and the website’s readership is now estimated to be double that of the three print papers combined. In the same year, interest in Daily Xtra Travel doubled. It was clear,
The final issue of Xtra Toronto will hit the streets on Feb 19. PHIL VILLENEUVE
Matheson told me, that Xtra’s audience was migrating to the web in droves. Print was costing money and serving a rapidly narrowing slice of Xtra’s audience. “This is the economic reality of newsprint. Xtra is not immune to all the negative factors that other print media have been encountering,” he says. “When we looked at the number side and the financial side, and when we looked at the human resources side, it became clear that our best strategy was to reach more people, to be more timely, to be able to do things online that you can’t do in print. It just made more sense to proceed with a digitalonly strategy.” If you want a good example of Xtra’s burgeoning web presence, take a look at its YouTube channel. At the beginning of 2012, it was pulling in a few hundred views a day. Then Xtra’s web team started to focus seriously on video content, and by the end of the year, 15,000 videos were being streamed daily. In 2014, the
channel averaged nearly 40,000 views a day. To put that in perspective, for every person who picked up a copy of Xtra on the street, seven people watched a video on Xtra’s YouTube channel. “We’re building a pretty incredible archive of what gay life is like in our times,” says Frank Prendergast, who runs Xtra’s video operations. “Also, video is an emotional medium. It’s able to transmit excitement, anger. All these emotions can be reported in print or online, but there’s something about video that’s well equipped for emotion.” One of the most promising things about Xtra’s YouTube channel, he says, is how international it’s become. Canadian viewers come in only fourth on the source traffic charts, behind the United States, Brazil and the UK. Even Russia and the United Arab Emirates have racked up more than 100,000 views since Xtra hit YouTube in 2007. As bullish as Daily Xtra’s prospects are, however, the real reason for hope in
the future is Squirt (squirt.org). According to Walberg, 90 percent of PTP’s revenue now comes from the web, and the bulk of that comes from Squirt membership fees. As PTP’s self-described “gay sex cruising hookup site,” Squirt gives Daily Xtra a business model the envy of almost every newspaper struggling for life in today’s online-news hunger games: revenue without advertising. Squirt’s 700,000 active members make it a behemoth compared to Xtra’s readership, and its revenues subsidize Xtra’s news gathering, which in turn flows back into Squirt as shared content. It’s a little poetic, really: Xtra advocates for people’s freedom to have gay sex, and gay people’s desire to have sex keeps Xtra’s presses running. Squirt’s success, in fact, was an inspiration for Xtra’s digital-only transformation, Matheson says. The press had had to go through one technological shift already, when phone hookup service Cruiseline was overtaken by Squirt.
“In some ways, what Squirt is to Cruiseline, Daily Xtra is to the print edition,” Matheson says. So what now? In the following months, PTP will roll out a new mobile site, followed by a revision to Daily Xtra in the spring. The new release will collapse the Vancouver, Ottawa, Toronto, Canada and World pages into one customizable front page. Other improvements, like a makeover of the comments section, which Walberg admits is less than adequate, are in the pipes. Despite the disappearance of papers from the street, he promises that Daily Xtra will produce more local content than ever and stay true to its gay village roots. The final print editions of Xtra will appear in their purple boxes on Feb 12 in Vancouver and Ottawa and on Feb 19 in Toronto. At the same time, the press will cut 12 employees across Canada, two in editorial and the others in advertising and production. Five new digital positions will be filled. I still don’t know whether Daily Xtra’s new model will work, whether Squirt’s revenues will continue to sufficiently sustain Daily Xtra’s storytelling, or whether a new generation of queer people will be interested in reading a website like Daily Xtra. But even as it changes, the new Xtra will still have something in common with its 1970s roots. Like its parent paper, The Body Politic, before it, Xtra has always been a proudly activist paper, and now, as always, it will be publishing in the same medium where activism is happening. The first gay activists in Canada handed out leaflets on courthouse steps. Today, protests are organized in Facebook groups. “The two things that we do as an organization are to try to create debate in the community and to encourage activism,” Walberg says. “And debate and activism are two things that are predominantly happening online now. And I don’t mean activism in terms of clicktivism; I mean organizing realworld activism. So that’s really a good space to be in if that’s what you’re trying to accomplish in the world.”
MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM XTRA! JAN 22–FEB 4, 2015 7
Check out our columnists and bloggers on dailyxtra.com A sex worker’s tale
Trading a blowjob for 20 bucks and a half pack of cigarettes had brought me to a new level of debauchery. Courtney Love would have been proud.
Adventures in gay parenting
It’s not that I don’t like Hot Wheels or Thomas the Tank Engine, but I can’t quite figure out my son’s predilection toward traditionally masculine pursuits.
History Boys
The Wonder Woman comics from the 1940s are rife with BDSM. On almost every page there’s kidnap, slavery or bondage.
Hooking up in public
When I find myself exploring a dungeon party on a Sunday afternoon, I know why I’m there. I’m on a journey searching for those connections.
Not so straightforward, Part 2 The queer who invented heterosexuality HISTORY BOYS MICHAEL LYONS
Heterosexuality was invented by a queer person. You might find this fact uncomfortable, upsetting or hilarious, but it’s true. The concepts of the “heterosexual” and the “homosexual” were first used in a letter between two pioneering gay-rights activists that was written on May 6, 1868. The man who coined the terms, along with a few others for fornicators and masturbators that didn’t catch on, was Austrian-born Hungarian writer Karl-Maria Kertbeny. Kertbeny wore a lot of hats: journalist, nationalist, literary champion, spy, botany enthusiast, legal reformist and, publicly, heterosexual. However, as Hungarian sociologist Judit Takacs writes in her essay “The Double Life of Kertbeny,” he was something of an unreliable narrator when it came to the official story of his life — especially where his sex life was concerned. While he maintained an enthusiastic claim to his Hungarian heritage, and he was indeed the child of Hungarian parents, Kertbeny was born in Vienna on Feb 28, 1824. Christened Kertbeny Károly Mária at birth, he later changed his name to a more emphatically Hungarian form; as he began to travel, he met Hungarian writers and became their champion, at least in his mind. In his early 20s, he spent time attempting to translate the works of famous Hungarian contemporaries into German, but the venture was not favoured by Germans or Hungarians and largely failed. He travelled throughout Europe mostly penniless, writing where it could get him work and often ending up pawning his clothes for money. He briefly received funding from the Austrian secret police to start a subversive Hungarian culture journal, though he apparently didn’t take the work very seriously, as his police sources eventually dropped contact with him. Whatever his successes or failures, Kertbeny should be forever remembered as the inventor of the term heterosexual. He first proposed the word in a letter to Karl Heinrich Ulrichs; they were both advocating for the repeal of Paragraph 143 of the Prussian penal code, which imprisoned men for “unnatural fornication.” (This was later adopted into the German criminal code as Paragraph 175, the law gay men were prosecuted under during the Holocaust.) Kertbeny published pamphlets anonymously that called for the emancipation of homosexualität
Karl-Maria Kertbeny published pamphlets anonymously that called for the emancipation of homosexualität (homosexuals), the first time the word appeared publicly. YIGI CHANG
(homosexuals), the first time the word appeared publicly. Kertbeny claimed he was a “normally sexed individual” who accidentally stumbled onto the “existence of homosexualism and its slaves” because a friend had committed suicide after being blackmailed over his sexuality. Luckily, for posterity’s sake — maybe unluckily for Kertbeny and how he wanted to be remembered — he was an avid diarist. Takacs, who scoured Kertbeny’s personal journals from 1864 to 1881, found observations on the weather, his health, social commitments, legal disputes, money (or lack thereof ), sexual encounters with men and the STIs he contracted. Throughout his journal there are references to a young barber lad; another named János, whom he referred to affectionately as Jancsi; Lajos (or its diminutive Lajkó); Pali (or Palkó); and beautiful young waiters, among others. These entries include such references as “the barber would go but I didn’t want it,” “Lajos. Showed it whole. Beautiful,” “Lajko. Kissing” and “Lajkó has the clap. What will come of it?” Takacs notes that Kertbeny was extensively self-censoring, with names and entries abbreviated or crossed out — and with good reason, considering the air of
fear and paranoia surrounding his dalliances. In an entry from Nov 1, 1866, Kertbeny wrote, “Jancsi played for me. Great fear that my neighbour, a lieutenant, noticed my morning games.” His journals note that he followed the lawsuit against a theatre director named Feldtmann from Bremen, Germany. Feldtmann was arrested in October 1867 along with three 19-yearold men with whom, it was alleged, he’d practised “sexual crimes against nature.” In fact, one of the men had tried to blackmail Feldtmann before turning him in to the police. This or the long-term police harassment of fellow activist Ulrichs might have been what inspired Kertbeny to advocate for homosexual emancipation. (Takacs notes that Kertbeny had a habit of advocating for causes only when they directly affected him.) While Kertbeny’s anonymous advocacy may have played a role, how did the term heterosexual become the monolithic monster it remains today? This, and other exciting developments, will be revealed in my next column on the not-so-straightforward history of heterosexuality. For more History Boys columns, go to dailyxtra.com.
8 JAN 22–FEB 4, 2015 XTRA! TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS
Body check
Overcoming LGBT stigma at the doctor’s office and getting screened STOREFRONT SERAFIN LARIVIERE
CONTINUES
There’s a lot of misinformation out there, and we need to inform and empower people to challenge their healthcare providers on these issues.
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Get Screened is one of the society’s most successful ongoing initiatives. Mehta and her team train volunteers for grassroots outreach to friends and family while gathering clinical evidence from doctors and nurses treating the LGBT community. They’ve also recently produced the first-ever guidelines for healthcare providers treating queer patients while continuing outreach across the province with community programs and information tables at local Pride celebrations. “Any healthcare provider can access these materials on our website,” Mehta says. “There’s also information on how to order an at-home colon test through Telehealth, how to get a PAP test from your doctor and how to arrange a mammogram. These are all extremely effective screening tools, and they’re completely free. We just need to ensure that everybody knows about them.”
T ST. AMEN PARLI
Many of us have phobias when it comes to health professionals. We dread the dentist’s verdict on a sensitive tooth or cringe at the cracking noise our chiropractor assures us is completely normal. For my friend Lorrie, it was the gynecologist. While Lorrie wasn’t living as a trans man, she was definitely on the butchier side of dykedom. She liked to think of herself as a guy and frequently passed for one, with her short spiky hair, warm resonant voice and manly swagger that made John Wayne look like he was auditioning for Swan Lake. So when a growth was discovered on one of her ovaries, Lorrie was reticent to pursue further medical treatment. She dreaded dealing with the healthcare system, was leery of homophobic doctors and loathed acknowledging that she possessed “lady parts” (her terminology, not mine). Any reminder that Lorrie was anything but the strapping roué she presented as in her dayto-day life was verboten. What followed were several years of alternative therapies, acupuncture and herbs prescribed by her safe and familiar circle of naturopaths and healers, until the growth — hitherto the size of a golf ball — blossomed into a fibrous grapefruit that needed to be removed through major abdominal surgery. I can’t help thinking that a healthcare professional more inclusive to folks who fall outside accepted gender norms would have saved Lorrie years of pain and embarrassment. Sadly, her experience isn’t unusual among the LGBT community. “We hear so many personal stories,” says Arti Mehta, coordinator of the Canadian Cancer Society’s Get Screened program. “One lesbian woman said that her doctor advised her that she didn’t need a PAP test, which isn’t true. We also had a trans man who had top surgery and yet still got breast cancer. There’s a lot of misinformation out there, and we need to inform and empower people to challenge their healthcare providers on these issues. That can be very difficult, especially if you’re not out to your provider.” There are also issues outside the gender spectrum that can affect queer folk. One man living with HIV ran the risk of being undiagnosed with colon cancer, given his already serious health issues. Luckily he survived, but his case highlights an occasionally narrow focus in treating patients with preexisting chronic diseases. “He had to go through the healthcare system with the stigma of HIV,” Mehta says. “Doctors are so focused on the HIV, which is, of course, important, but we need to focus on the rest of the body, as well, with regular screenings.”
2 y r a s r e v i n n A Celebration nd
For more information on screening, visit cancer.ca/ getscreened or facebook.com/lgbtqgetscreened.
MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM XTRA! JAN 22–FEB 4, 2015 9
COVER STORY
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Can Mathieu Chantelois take one of the world’s largest Pride festivals to the next level post-WorldPride? Xtra talks to the new executive director of Pride Toronto
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ournalist. Community ambassador. Media personality. Mathieu Chantelois is a man of many talents, and as of Thursday, Jan 22, he’ll be adding a new bullet to his resumé when he is appointed the new executive director of Pride Toronto. After successful stints on the boards of Montreal’s Divers/Cité and the 519 Church Street Community Centre, he is excited to help shepherd the organization into a new era. He talks to Xtra about his new role, representing the community and what we can expect from Pride Toronto now that WorldPride is behind us.
XTRA: Prior to Pride Toronto, you served as the chair of the board at The 519, were involved with a number of community groups, and worked in journalism. You spent the last year and a half as director of marketing and communications for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada. How did these previous roles prepare you for your new position?
10 JAN 22–FEB 4, 2015 XTRA!
JP LAROCQUE PHOTOS BY JAMO BEST MATHIEU CHANTELOIS: Strangely
enough, it feels like I have been sharpening the skills and building relationships in preparation for this role for quite some time now. Over the last 15 years, I have been leading many initiatives within the LGBTTQQ2ISA communities and have dedicated much of my time to community organizations. My educational background in journalism allows me to see the world through a different lens. I recognize the importance of constant communication and will strive to ensure that Pride Toronto continues to be transparent and accessible to its members. I also think my experience in project management and strategic planning will help Pride Toronto further flourish this year. I also had the opportunity to sit on the board of directors of Montreal’s Divers/Cité festival for 10 years, and for seven years I was the honorary chair of Toronto’s Green Space festival, which has raised over a million dollars to help support the 519 Church Street Commu-
nity Centre. I was also the board chair of The 519 for three years, which allowed me to gain experience on building successful development strategies to enable the centre to provide more support and programs to our community. What do you find most daunting about being ED, and what components of the role are you most drawn to?
We have a very diverse community, which means we don’t always have the same approach and opinions on certain matters. The diversity of our community is what makes it so beautiful and unique, and that is also what attracts me to this position. I moved to Toronto in 2000 to be a cast member on the Canadian reality TV show U8TV: The Lofters. The first time I went online to check my so-called fan emails, I had received emails from people saying they hoped my boyfriend and I would die from AIDS. I spent 12 months getting homophobic insults and threats. Although we’ve come a long way since
then, I know there’s still a lot of work to be done. There are still many other members of our community for whom we have to fight and whose victories we will work hard to achieve and ultimately celebrate. I’ve learned to always act according to my own set of values; I believe in respect, inclusiveness, accessibility, diversity, equal opportunity and collaboration. I know it’s important to listen to different points of view and ensure the best decisions are made to successfully move forward. Pride Toronto has strived to embody those values, and I am thrilled to help the organization become better and more representative of the diverse community that we serve. I am excited to have the opportunity to build bridges and to work with our community on creating a social, political and cultural impact in our city. WorldPride was a benchmark for Pride Toronto. In what direction are you lookContinued on page 12
TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS
MAKEUP BY CAROLINE LEVIN, P1M
MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM XTRA! JAN 22–FEB 4, 2015 11
ROBERT G.COATES,
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R.G. COATES ESTATE LAW P.C. 120 Carlton Street, Suite 307 Toronto, Ontario M5A 4K2 Tel. (416) 925-6490 Fax (416) 925-4492 web: www.rgcoates.com email: robert@rgcoates.com
C
B.SC, LL.B, TEP BARRISTER, SOLICITOR & NOTARY CERTIFIED SPECIALIST (ESTATES & TRUST LAW)
• Continued from page 10 ing to take both the event and the organization now that WorldPride is behind you?
WorldPride was a tremendous success, and I’d like to thank the team and the thousands of volunteers who helped bring the festival to life. We, as a community, really worked together to build the best WorldPride ever hosted. The cultural programming was truly worldclass. Toronto welcomed activists and intellectuals from around the world for a significant human rights conference, and the mainstream media covered a lot of important issues about our community. We had the biggest trans and dyke marches in our history. The parade was record-breaking. People from around the world fell in love with Toronto — a city that showed widespread support for our community. I want to build on the successes from our past and continue to bring to Toronto memorable Pride celebrations. We’ve learned a lot from last year, and we will have to create new opportunities to ensure continued success moving forward. This really requires the support of all our community members and stakeholders, whom I look forward to working with in the future, and from the board to ensure we are headed in the right direction. Is there a new goal in place? And are you looking to build on what has come before or scale back with this year’s festivities?
Pride Toronto is in the midst of developing a new strategic plan. We have a massive outreach and consultation campaign underway, which includes an online survey, community forums and roundtable discussions with our many stakeholders and partners. This work and the important conversations we’re having will help us determine the organization’s key priorities and map out our long-term strategy for the next several years ahead. We will honour our community’s history, build on the legacy of WorldPride, host an unforgettable Pride Week 2015 and ensure a bright and sustainable future for the organization for many years to come.
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What do you feel you bring to this role and organization that makes you different from your predecessors?
I have a tremendous respect for the work the Pride staff has been doing for the last years. I believe my experience working with the Green Space festival, the 519 Church Street Community Centre, Divers/Cité and several other not-for-profit organizations, has prepared me well for this role.
FIVE THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT MONSIEUR CHANTELOIS 1 Mathieu studied at a performingarts high school, where his best friend was Rufus Wainwright.
2
He and his partner were the first francophones to get married legally in North America.
3
He has interviewed some very big stars, from Madonna to Catherine Deneuve to Hollywood heartthrobs Chris Evans, Zac Efron,
Key areas of focus for me will be stakeholder engagement and communications and bringing the cultural festival to the next level. I will, of course, take the opportunity during my orientation period and the strategic-plan outreach and consultations to learn more about Pride Toronto and our stakeholders. I look forward to bringing energy, drive and passion to an organization that deserves nothing less. Pride is an event with year-round relevance and one that is connected to many identities and communities. How do you intend to build bridges between the different groups within the community seeking representation?
I made myself a promise: to start the
Matthew McConaughey, Ryan Gosling, Michael Fassbender, Jake Gyllenhaal, Cillian Murphy, Alexander Skarsgård and Javier Bardem.
4
On a wild Friday night, Dutch DJ and producer Tiësto ended up spinning in Mathieu’s kitchen.
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He firmly believes that Kraft Dinner is the only remedy for hangovers.
beginning of each week by meeting a member/leader of different community organizations for breakfast. I’ll use these opportunities to introduce myself but mostly to learn about them, their organization and vision for Pride. I’ll share highlights of my morning talks on my social media platforms and will invite the community to a new kind of dialogue. I also see this as an opportunity to increase our membership and make the decision-making process at Pride Toronto as transparent as possible. What are your thoughts on Mayor John Tory’s statement that he would deny Pride Toronto funding in the event that Queers Against Israeli Apartheid
12 JAN 22–FEB 4, 2015 XTRA! TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS
M ADE WITH LOVE
THE CITY AND THE MAYOR’S CONTINUING SUPPORT IS IMPORTANT, AND WE ARE CONFIDENT THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD TOGETHER. participates in the festivities?
I’ve had the opportunity to get to know Mayor John Tory personally. He has always been a great listener, and I look forward to the opportunity to meet with him and have a dialogue about his concerns and remind him of the benefits and opportunities that Pride brings to our community and the broader city. We have fought hard, historically, to gain the city’s support of our communities’ signature summer event and have appreciated that support for some time now. The city and the mayor’s continuing support is important, and we are confident that we will be able to move forward together.
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Finally, what does Pride mean to you? And what is your ideal vision for Pride Toronto’s 2015 celebrations?
Pride is a celebration of art, culture, history and the successes achieved by our community. It is also an opportunity to educate and create awareness about, and thereby promote, greater equality for our diverse communities. I am proud to be able to be myself and to love who I want to love, without fearing persecution. Equality is a human right, and we will continue to recognize our history and celebrate what the LGBTTIQQ2SA community has achieved over the last 35 years for social equality and justice. We have stood united and will continue to stand united to show everyone we are proud of who we are and where we’ve come from. For the 2015 Pride celebrations, we will host one of the largest Pride celebrations, including a 10-day festival with a variety of programs and activities to meet the needs of families and individuals. I want to continue to promote an inclusive environment for the Pride 2015 celebrations and would like to see an increase in membership for Pride Toronto. I can’t wait to “Get Out and Play.”
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Outinthe he City ty
After interrupting a few too many shows and getting into a few too many shouting matches, you don’t see her name as much anymore. Ryan G Hinds 16
Not so black and white
DICKIE’S DO A new club night for the gay Renaissance man
A new play about the complexities of homophobia and race
Being an ally is complex. On one hand, many of us attempting to support marginalized groups have some experience of marginalization ourselves. At the same time, suggesting we understand the experiences of people living in bodies that are not our own often serves to alienate the very people we’re trying to connect with. Playwright Andrew Kushnir’s Small Axe started with precisely this sort of exchange. Discussing experiences of homophobia with a gay JamaicanCanadian friend in 2007, he felt a click. “I was making an exciting link and I remember feeling, ‘Holy shit! Even though you’re black and I’m white, as gay men, we basically have the same story,’” Kushnir says. “With lots of love, my friend said that while there were similarities, it’s not exactly the same.” A major moment of connection for Kushnir was precisely the opposite for his friend. Replaying the exchange, he wrestled with why his response was problematic, which led him to research how virulent and violent homophobia can be in parts
Playwright Andrew Kushnir and activist Gareth Henry. HAMISH BRIT
of Jamaica. He found himself wanting to create awareness around the issue but gradually discovered why it can be problematic for white artists to take on these challenges. Instead of appropriating other people’s experiences, he chose to let them speak for themselves. Conceived as documentary theatre, Small Axe is based on countless interviews Kushnir conducted with a number of queer people of Jamaican decent. Gareth Henry was one of the initial subjects he interviewed, and Henry became an informal cultural consultant on the project. “It’s important to utilize every medium available
to inspire shifts in people’s thinking and behaviour,” Henry says. “Theatre is a compelling way to get the message across and create awareness around social issues. It’s great at bringing together multiple perspectives. When you’re talking about the intersection of race, culture and class, it’s a strong way to fathom that complexity.” — Chris Dupuis Small Axe runs until Sun, Feb 1 at The Theatre Centre, 1115 Queen St W. tickets.ticketwise.ca/event/ smallaxe
HOUSEWERK #artlive ball helps launch World Stage 2015 season
Balls can change your life. “My first advice is to come,” says Will Eagle, or Father Titus Nuance, as he’s known within Toronto’s ballroom community. “I know that sounds a little obvious, or perhaps like a hard sell, but if you’ve not been to a ball before, you really owe it to yourself to experience it at least once. It’s not like anything else.” The House of Nuance was the brainchild of Eagle and Matt Sweet (Mother Trouble Nuance). After attending the First Almighty Ball at the Gladstone, the pair immersed themselves in Toronto’s ball subculture and the “kiki” scene. And although they initially walked the runway for fun, their passion for the form soon evolved into what would become Canada’s second house. “After perhaps a year or so, the House of Monroe had reached a MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM
Working the runway at the 2014 #artlive ball. JACKLYN ATLAS
point where they had really created a scene with traction in Toronto, and people were discussing when a second house would open and who would do it. On a long, snowy drive back to the city one day around that time, Matt convinced me it should be us. We decided that day to form the House of Nuance. It was so, and we’ve never looked back.” The focus of the popular 1990 documentary Paris Is Burning, the ball-
room community and related house system are known for incorporating diverse elements and costumes into performances and for challenging various conceptions of gender and sexual identity. So what can people expect to see at #artlive? “You can expect to see performers on a runway doing things that you didn’t think were physically possible,” Eagle says. “You’ll see people dressed in ways that make Halloween look
like a day at the office. Mostly, you’ll see me a bit drunkish near the stage living for the competition of it all, gasping at the shade and wondering when I should commit to taking my heels off.” — JP Larocque The #artlive ball is Sun, Feb 1 in the Harbourfront Centre’s Brigantine Room, 235 Queens Quay W. harbourfrontcentre.com/ worldstage/artlivevogueball
He’s virile. He’s worldly. He knows how to laugh. His prowess on the soccer field is surpassed only by his fondness for collecting rare books. He always looks impeccable, even when he’s dancing his face off. When something goes wrong, everyone looks to him to put it right. You almost want to hate him, but he’s just too damned charming. He’s Uncle Dickie and you’re invited to his next party: Uncle Dickie’s 3. Angus MacDougall and Kerne Mayers wanted to organize a recurring club night that plays music they like — deep house, techno, disco and tech house — and that caters unapologetically to a gay male crowd. It needed a name. Late one night they hit upon the idea of this gay Renaissance man, Uncle Dickie. “We were deciding what we wanted the party to represent, a theme, and came up with this fictional character,” MacDougall says. “He’s robust, he’s gay, he’s had a persona through the ages; you could have found him organizing a party in Ancient Greece.” Being the man he is, Dickie commissioned original videos to be shown at his first two parMIKE RINALDI ties. Now he’s formalizing his brand’s commitment to art with the launch of Uncle Dickie’s: Artist Series. This means that beginning with the upcoming Uncle Dickie’s 3, each party will include art commissioned specifically for the event. Mike Rinaldi is the first artist to be featured in the series; he’s created what he thinks will be suitable additions to Dickie’s art collection. “All the images I created for the event are homoerotic, and every man in the image is blindfolded,” Rinaldi says. “That plus vivid, almost sexual colours: red mixed with blue — opposing, but energetic.” Dickie wants you at the party. There’ll be dancing and art, and Montreal’s Seb Diamond and Kyle Kalma are supplying the music. But can there be any greater enticement than Dickie himself? — Jeremy Willard Uncle Dickie’s 3 is Sat, Jan 31, 10pm– 4am, at the Black Eagle, 457 Church St. blackeagletoronto.com XTRA! JAN 22–FEB 4, 2015 15
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The T on Toronto’s drag scene
THE BEST OF GAY & LESBIAN TORONTO Accommodations – Ontario Holiday Inn holidayinn.com
Accountants Ms Hema Murdock, CA 416-696-6653 Susan Calverley, MBA, MSc, CMA 416-605-1553
Advertising Raymond Helkio Advertising/ Design raymondhelkio.com
Automotive Sales & Leasing Ken Shaw Lexus 416-776-0055
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Butchers St Jamestown Steak & Chops 416-925-7665
Cemeteries St John’s Norway Cemetery and Crematorium 416-691-2965
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All hail the queens TORONTO AT NIGHT RYAN G HINDS
Drag queens, like raccoons, should not be seen in daylight. They are creatures of the night, agents of artifice and the best possible excuse to stay up late and go to a bar since alcohol was invented. Like stars in their own sparkling and drama-filled galaxy, some shine, some burn out, but all of them demand to be seen! Now, there’s obviously more to drag than what’s on the outside. Drag queens are the court jesters of the queer community; anyone who enters into the den of drag with a motive other than to give people a good time will end up sorely disillusioned. Make no mistake! Drag is a profession. No one likes a messy queen, and deportment is important, which is why tongues are wagging about a major queen on the scene right now . . . let’s call her Lamb. She was riding high for a long time and regularly booking the best gigs in town, but it went to her head and she started indulging her vices a bit too much. After interrupting a few too many shows and getting into a few too many shouting matches, you don’t see her name as much anymore. It’s a damn shame, because she’s as talented and connected as they come yet seems to no longer care about any of that. Remember on America’s Next Top Model when Tyra shrieked, “We were all rooting for you!” That’s exactly how many people tell me they feel about Lamb. Get it together, queen — you can make it through the rain! Toronto is both blessed and cursed with too many drag queens. It’s a blessing because it means there’s room (and stages) for everyone: RuPaul and her Drag Race ladies seem to have made everyone want to glue on some lashes, perfect their shading and Instagram the results. The flip side is a critical mass of too many people doing the same thing, which can lead to a queen with more a unique take finding it difficult to get a foothold or a really cookin’ regular night somewhere. If there’s a reigning style of drag in Toronto, it’s the “top 40 queen”: Church Street is full of these ladies, and it seems like there’s a new one every second. These are the queens who do Britney, Nicki, Katy Perry, Beyoncé and Madonna. When they’re good, they’re amazing (this includes Devine Darlin, Scarlett Bobo, Ivory Towers and Cassandra Moore, who are always at the
A classic visiting queen: the “big-titted, soulhonking mama of New York City,” Sweetie. TONY FONG
Drag queens are the court jesters of the queer community; anyone who enters into the den of drag with a motive other than to give people a good time will end up sorely disillusioned. top of their game when they hit the stage), but when they’re not . . . well, let’s just be polite and not embarrass them further than they embarrass themselves. I’ve always been fond of the oldschool live-singing queens, myself: Roxxie Terrain’s Monday-night show is a reliably good time if you’re a fan of Judy, Lena Horne, Shirley Bassey, Liza and older musicals. With support from Adam Weinmann on the piano, she belts them all and sometimes throws in tap dance for good measure. Jade Elektra’s another favourite who comes from a more elegant era of dragdom. Her Faux Girls night will be revived soon, and I hope it finds success with the masses . . . she’s a hard worker, in and out of drag, and she never fails
to put on a great show (when most other queens are content with a great number or two). Then there’s the dark, out-there, bizarro queens who have hearts of gold under a twisted, gothy exterior: Jenna Syde, Judy and Igby, and Donnarama serve up drag that isn’t necessarily nice, pretty or palatable but is endlessly watchable. Factor in the new wave of queens — Allura Bonet, Juice Boxx, Enya D, Atmos Fierce, Sapphire Tithi-Reign and Allysin Chaynes among others — and you have a scene that’s overflowing with drag queens. Don’t even bother asking me who’s my favourite . . . remember what I said about it being a blessing and a curse? Even narrowing it down to a top 10 would be impossible. TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS
TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS
14-10-03 3:34 PM
WHAT'S WHAT A SON AT ON
guests on a naughty trip into the subconscious. Wed, Jan 28, 7:30pm. The Flying Beaver, 488 Parliament St. $15 advance, $20 door. pubaret.com
info@transpartnetwork.com. Every Wednesday, 6–9pm (until Wed, March 11). Sherbourne Health Centre, 333 Sherbourne St. Free. sherbourne.on.ca
OUTrageous: Ice Queens
The Black Queer Youth Initiative
An evening of laughs with host Robert Keller’s comedy queens: Andrew Johnston, Aisha Alfa and Patrick Cadegan. Wed, Jan 28, 8pm. Yuk Yuk’s, 224 Richmond St W. $15. yukyuks.com
The Best of Dina Martina
Dina Martina — Flying Beaver, Fri, Feb 13
Hailed as “unfortunate” by some, Dina Martina’s performance combines quirky wordplay with unnecessary dance. Fri, Feb 13, and Sat, Feb 14, 7 and 9pm. The Flying Beaver, 488 Parliament St. $20 advance, $25 door. pubaret.com
HEALTH & ISSUES Still Trying: Fertility Support Group An informal support group for queer people who are trying to conceive. Mon, Jan 26, 6:30– 8:30pm. Sherbourne Health Centre, 333 Sherbourne St. Free. sherbourne.on.ca
Bisexual Men of Toronto FOR MORE EVENT LISTINGS, GO TO DAILYXTRA.COM
ART & LITERATURE
COMEDY & CABARET
Butch: Not Like the Other Girls
Ginger Nation
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 until Sun, Jan 25. Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St W. $10. gladstonehotel.com
Colours of the City An exhibit of Philip Cairns’s abstract paintings and drawings. Runs until Sun, Feb 1. Arcadia Gallery, 680 Queens Quay W. Free. philipcairns.com
Glad Day Book Club For the club’s inaugural session, book lovers gather to discuss Staceyann Chin’s memoir, The Other Side of Paradise. Tues, Feb 10, 7pm. Glad Day Bookshop, 598 Yonge St. Free. gladdaybookshop.com
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All hail the red, orange and the pale! Shawn Hitchins relates his personal mission to increase the world’s redhead population. Runs until Sat, Jan 24, various times. Buddies in Bad Times, 12 Alexander St. $20. buddiesinbadtimes.com
A peer-support and discussion group focused on community and solidarity. Tues, Jan 27, 8–9:30pm. Sherbourne Health Centre, 333 Sherbourne St. Free. torontobinet.org
Trans Partner Network Transgender, genderqueer and gender-variant folk and their partners access support and resources relating to gender transition. To register, contact
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 every month. Wed, Feb 4, 7–9pm. Mood Disorders Association of Ontario,
LEGIT
Women and trans folk enjoy a sex-positive, clothing-optional spa environment, as well as music by DJ Nix and a performance by drag king Billy Black. Sun, Jan 25, 8pm– 3am. Oasis Aqualounge, 231 Mutual St. $20. oasisaqualounge.com
Legal counsel for same-sex couples immigrating to Canada. Tap into the community and access useful resources. The second Thursday of each month. Thurs, Feb 12, 7–10pm. The 519 Community Centre, 519 Church St. Free, donations appreciated. legit.ca
Totally OutRight A sexual-health leadership program for gay, bisexual, transgender and queer men aged 18 to 29. Preregistration deadline is Wed, Jan 28. Every Saturday, Feb 21–March 14. ACT, 399 Church St. Free. actoronto.org/to
TNT Naked Night Men are invited to join Totally Naked Toronto for a monthly celebration of nudism and sex. Tues, Jan 27, 7–11pm. Spa Excess, 105 Carlton St. Regular rates apply. spaexcess.com Aisha Alfa at OUTrageous: Ice Queens — Yuk Yuk’s, Wed, Jan 28
MUSIC Rufus Wainwright in Concert Wainwright gives a solo performance to benefit Patients Canada, an organization that fosters collaboration between patients, family caregivers and the healthcare community. Fri, Feb 6, 7pm. Queen Elizabeth Theatre, 190 Princes’ Blvd. $30–100. ticketfly.com
SEX & BURLESQUE Girlesque Burlesque Expo This three-day celebration includes parties at Cherry Cola’s and the Mod Club, a display by the Museum of Canadian Burlesque and more gyrating ladies than you can shake a tassel at. Runs Fri, Jan 23– Sun, Jan 25. For more info, visit girlesque15.eventbrite.com.
Be Mein Valentine Skin Tight Outta Sight, Rebel Burlesque and Boylesque TO present their sixth annual Weimar Republic–themed Valentine’s burlesque show. Fri, Feb 13, and Sat, Feb 14, 9pm. Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St W. $25. bemeinvalentine2015.eventbrite.ca
Cabaret Valtaire: An Evening of Surreal Love Sasha Van Bon Bon, Kitty Neptune, Fay Slift, Judy Virago, Axl Blows, Coco Framboise and many others give sexy, silly and saucy performances. Sat, Feb 14, 9pm. Lee’s Palace, 529 Bloor St W. $20. ticketfly.com
THEATRE 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 until Sun, Feb 1, various showtimes. Buddies in Bad Times, 12 Alexander St. $39–45. buddiesinbadtimes.com
Sandra Battaglini, Zabrina Chevannes, Adrienne Fish and others kick off the new year by shittalking relative strangers. Sun, Jan 25, 7pm. The Flying Beaver, 488 Parliament St. $10 advance, $15 door. pubaret.com
Rhubarb Festival Buddies is transformed into a hotbed of experimentation, with more than 30 original works that explore new possibilities in theatre, dance, music and performance art. Runs Wed, Feb 11–Sun, Feb 22, various showtimes. Buddies in Bad Times, 12 Alexander St. PWYC–$20. buddiesinbadtimes.com
Singular Sensation: A Musical-Theatre Open Mic 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
Brandon the Hypnotist’s show promises to take hapless
LGBTQ Peer Support Drop-In Group
Sapphic Aquatica: Second Anniversary
Her2
Gossip Gals Comedy Show
Mesmerized: Comedy Hypnosis
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
36 Eglinton Ave W, Ste 602. Free. mooddisorders.ca
Blithe Spirit
Her2 — Buddies, until Sun, Feb 1 TANJA-TIZIANA
Angela Lansbury plays the implausible medium Madame Arcati in 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
XTRA! JAN 22–FEB 4, 2015 17
CLUB SCENE Thurs, Jan 22
Sun, Jan 25
Heavenly Thursday Kim Jee Young on the piano in the lounge, 6–9pm; Jade Elektra and Heaven Lee Hytes perform, with DJ Relentless on decks, at 11pm. Zipperz/Cellblock, 72 Carlton St. No cover. facebook.com/ zipperz
Bear Day Meaty men toss down the suds and chat up their admirers at this weekly Sunday social. 4–8pm. The Lodge, 518 Church St. No cover. ogradyschurch.ca
The Danny Show Danny Adhim hosts and showcases Toronto’s best comics and performing talents every week. 7pm. 120 Diner, 120 Church St. No cover. club120.ca Absolut Best Chest Contest Georgie Girl, with Farra N Hyte and Sapphire Tithi Reign, gets the boys to show their pecs and abs for a chance to win $300 in cash prizes. DJ Mark Falco provides the beats. Midnight. Woody’s, 467 Church St. No cover. woodystoronto.com
Fri, Jan 23 Fabulous Friday Fierce & Flawless, with Ivory Towers, Katherine Hytes Dior and Carlotta Carlisle, at 8:30pm; Indigo Vibes, with DJ Roxanne, in Tangos and Club Lite, with DJ Relentless in the Zone, both at 10pm; Bitchapalooza, with Daytona Bitch and Katinka Kature, at 11:30pm. Crews & Tangos, 508 Church St. crewsandtangos.com The After Party DJs Linguist, hey! DW and Aeryn Pfaff spin house, tribal and tech for the late-night partiers. Hosted by Ashley Xavier. 10pm–4am. Club120, 120 Church St. No cover before 11pm, $6 after. club120.ca Tapette: Édition Je Vous Salue Party DJ Phil V spins all that French house and disco you didn’t even know you loved. Go-go garçons in the house. 10:30pm. Henhouse, 1532 Dundas St W. $5. henhousetoronto.com
Sat, Jan 24 Sin DJ Mark Falco plays house and dance beats for the testosterone-heavy, men-only event where everything is permitted. Sponsored by squirt.org. 10pm. Black Eagle, 457 Church St. $5 before midnight, $10 after. blackeagletoronto.com Buddies Afterhours DJ K-Tel throws down top-40, dance, house and retro faves in Tallulah’s, with a different drag performer working the stairs every weekend. 10:30pm. Buddies, 12 Alexander St. $5 before midnight, $8 after. buddiesinbadtimes.com
Squirt.org Best Men’s Ass Contest Sofonda Cox, with Devine Darlin, gets the boys to show off their plump and juicy for $300 in cash prizes. DJ Chris Steinbach on decks. Midnight. Woody’s, 467 Church St. No cover. woodystoronto.com
Sapphic Aquatica: Second Anniversary DJ Nix spins oldschool hip hop, R&B and house to celebrate two years of sexyand-safe partying for women and trans people. Drag king Billy Black performs; erotic author Sanina launches Boundless Seduction; Rainbow Railroad holds a raffle to raise funds. No cis men, please. 8pm. Oasis Aqualounge, 231 Mutual St. $20. oasisaqualounge.com Punk Rock Bingo Punk rockers Sid’s Kids kick off this evening of punk rock bingo, with DJ Triple-X on decks and giveaways of concert tickets, CDs, DVDs, piercings and dinner vouchers. 8pm. Painted Lady, 218 Ossington Ave. No cover. thepaintedlady.ca
Mon, Jan 26 Woody’s Monday DJ Blue Peter spins for the return of the dodgeball league. 8pm. Woody’s, 467 Church St. No cover. woodystoronto.com Muddled Mondaze DJ Triple-X spins old school, retro, indie, alternative, punk, goth and rock for bar-industry workers. 8pm. The Cavern Bar, 76 Church St. No cover. facebook.com/ hicavernbar
Buddies After Hours — Buddies, Sat, Jan 24 DYLAN NEILL
Tues, Jan 27
Thurs, Jan 29
Crews & Tangos Thursday Do Gooders, with Carlotta Carlisle and Katherine Hytes Dior, at 9pm; Industry Night, with Brook Lynn Hytes and Vitality Black, at 11:30pm. Crews & Tangos, 508 Church St. crewsandtangos.com
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
Wed, Jan 28 T-Girls Gone Wild DJ Xtaci throws down the tunes to coax the ladies to the stage and the dance pole for some uncensored fun. 9pm. Flash Erotico, 461 Church St. No cover. erotico.ca Punk Rock Bingo DJ Triple-X provides the punk rock beats as daubers get pounded and folks get pissed trying to win concert tickets, CDs, DVDs, piercings, dinner vouchers and more. Hosted by Jenna Syde, with guest Champagna Enemea. 9pm. The Beaver, 1192 Queen St W. No cover. beavertoronto.ca College Night DJ Craig Dominic spins top-40, house and dancefloor faves back where it all started. Hosted by Devine Darlin. 11pm. The Marquis of Granby, 418 Church St. facebook.com/ collegenight wednesday
Fri, Jan 30 Regretro DJs Case of Base, Wei Back and Party McFly spin for the guilty-pleasures dance party. 10pm. Henhouse, 1532 Dundas St W. No cover. henhousetoronto.com No Recip DJ LeatherData spins tech house for this sex-positive genderqueer party. Hosted by Deviant Otter and Abeardedboy. 10pm. Black Eagle, 457 Church St. $5. blackeagletoronto.com Jack DJs Hey DW!, Olenonly and Aeryn Pfaff spin. 10pm. Club120, 120 Church St. $5. club120.ca Back to the ’90s DJ Craig Dominic spins the decade’s dancefloor faves and McFly beats. 11pm. Byzantium, 499 Church St. No cover. byz.ca Best Men’s Ass Contest Georgie Girl, with Carlotta Carlisle, hosts the guys exposing their plump behinds for $300 in cash prizes. DJ Mark Falco on decks. Midnight. Woody’s, 467 Church St. No cover. woodystoronto.com
Sat, Jan 31 Pop Machine — WAYLA, Sat, Jan 31 MAY TRUONG
18 JAN 22–FEB 4, 2015 XTRA!
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 in the Zone, both at 10pm; Drama Queen, with Ivory Towers and Juice Boxx, at 11:30pm. Crews & Tangos, 508 Church St. crewsandtangos.com
Toastr DJs Sticky Cuts and Ticky Ty spin dancehall, hip hop, deep house, tech and trap for the ladies and their friends. 9:30pm. White Elephant, 366 Queen St E. $8. facebook.com/toastrto
Perspiration and Liberation DJ Mary Mack spins for the sweaty queer party. 10pm. Henhouse, 1532 Dundas St W. $5. henhousetoronto.com Pop Machine DJs Phil V and Aural spin top 40 and all-time pop faves with two-in-a-row smashes all night long. 10pm. WAYLA, 996 Queen St E. $5. facebook.com/ waylabarnounge
Tapette — Henhouse, Fri, Jan 23
Conception, at 6pm; Old School, hosted by Georgie Girl, at 9pm; Smokin’ Hot Divas, hosted by Georgie Girl, with Devine Darlin, Tynomi Banks, Scarlett Bobo and Alyson Chayns, at 11pm. DJ Blue Peter on decks. Woody’s, 467 Church St. No cover. woodystoronto.com
Mon, Feb 2 Crews & Tangos Monday Glitz & Glam, with Carlotta Carlisle and Katinka Kature, at 9pm; Dirty Monday, with Daytona Bitch, at 11:30pm. DJ Relentless on decks. Crews & Tangos, 508 Church St. No cover. crewsandtangos.com FML Monday Rotating DJs spin top-40, hip-hop and dance music for hard-working industry folks looking for post-weekend fun. 10pm. Flash, 463 Church St. flashonchurch.com
Tues, Feb 3 Karaoke with Foofer Thousands of songs to choose from if you can get the mic off Foofer. 10pm. WAYLA, 996 Queen St E. No cover. facebook.com/waylabarnounge Crush Beach Party DJ Nate Nightcall spins for the third annual beach bash, with go-go dancers and burlesque and drag performances. 10pm. Club120, 120 Church St. $10. 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, Feb 1 Woody’s Sunday The Hollywoody Broadway Show, with Miss
Varsity Tuesday Sofonda Cox hosts the amateur So You Think You Can Strip? competition, with $100 in cash 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
Wed, Feb 4 Toronto Wranglers Bust out with some do-si-do at this country-western hoedown every Wednesday. 7–10pm. Zipperz/ Cellblock, 72 Carlton St. No cover. facebook.com/zipperz
Submit your event listing to listings@dailyxtra.com. Deadline for the Feb 5 issue is Tues, Jan 27. TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS
XPOSED
2
ANNA POURNIKOVA PHOTOS BY MAHA RISHI 1 I know we were just at Business Woman’s Special for their anniversary, but it was an Electric Circus–themed party. Who the fuck in their right mind misses something like that? These two ladies, Katrina and Mariel, were cool enough to hang in the DJ booth. Honestly, cool lezzies are the new white straight men. At least, that’s my prediction for 2015. Get a cool lezzie friend if you want guest list to all the right places and some “I woke up like this” fashion sense. 2 Jeff’s not actually a slut; he’s just posed like one. It’s adorable when men pose like women who are posed like Sports Illustrated cum dumpster sluts. ’Cause when Jennifer Lopez gets oiled up and rolls in the sand, it’s supposed to be sexy and enticing, but when a 14-yearold slightly chubby girl does it, you know she ain’t raised right. When Jeff does it, it’s fabulous, it’s a dance move, it’s cute and it’s absolutely fun. Weird how that works, hunh? Context is everything. 3 “Back beat, the word is on the street that the fire in your heart is out.” How Gallagher brothers is Matt in this snap? FYI, these Where’s Waldo? glasses are really popular now in the Best End. I’m not mad at this ’90s UK-whiteboy throwback look, though (notice the white-turtleneckunder-white-crew combo). Hopefully, the good drugs from that era come back, too. I miss them so. 4 Nate works for The Blondes. I forget what he does, but I like that he is blond; most likely it happened by force at work. I also like that he and his boyfriend, Simon, are both wearing what is the new queer uniform: Umbro and other sportsrelated wear. I’m so happy we’re taking all that macho shit back, every last thread of it. It’s also cute that his nail polish matches his boyfriend’s shirt. They’re so cute I barfed in my mouth a bit when I saw
this picture. 5 It’s been ages since I’ve been to El Convento Rico; it’s still one of the best secret spots in Toronto. It’s on that weird corner of College Street, sandwiched between two clubs with shitty, bad-mannered bouncers, and then ahhh, ahhh, ahhh, Rico’s is there, sending out sparkles of fairy dust like a beacon in the night. This is also where all the Latino queens can be found: hello, Sasha Montenegro, my darling, looking like a JLo cool mil in this photo. 6 This rico suave was found on the dancefloor at Rico’s by Maha and his discerning eye. His name is JZ, and he is the most incredible person to show up in the column in the last six months. He’s already in the lead for best pic of 2015. That chain has a sparkly skull and scorpion on it, and dem braids — do you see this guy? I want to be his Spring Breakers best friend forever. 7 Speaking of hot lesbian couples, the best thing that has happened to the lesbian community is rap videos. Enter Erica and her lovely girlfriend Alyssa. I love them both equally for their nu-wave, hip-hop-meetsgoth flair. The way it works now is fashion is king (or queen in this case); no more of this crew cuts and cut-offs bullshit (not that I don’t like a good crew cut/cutoff Pride Day combo). Now it’s just hot or not, and our team is looking good this season. 8 How bad do you want to fuck Donnarama? Seriously, how bad is the itch to bend her over and porno-take her in some public toilet when no one’s looking? It’s all I can think about 90 percent of the time we are hanging out. The other 10 percent is spent admiring her costumes and laughing at her jokes and wondering if we would fight over who ate the last slice of pizza if we lived together. But mostly, it’s about how bad I want to fuck her brains out.
This is the final print edition of Xposed. You can continue to follow the column on dailyxtra.com. MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM
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