Xtra Toronto #711

NEW TOWER ON CHURCH ST

City approves 23-storey addition ›9

ALVIN AILEY

Fit and famous dancers make Toronto stop › 19

FUCK GAY MARRIAGE

No wedding ring for Ryan Conrad › 24

TORONTO’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

#711 JAN 26, 2012

FREE

40,000 AUDITED CIRCULATION

Alone in Paris Seeking gay asylum and facing uncertainty in the City of Love

›13

COMMENT 6 XCETERA 7 NEWS 9 OUT IN THE CITY 19 XPOSED 25

MORE AT XTRA.CA

2

Toronto’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! JAN 26, 2012

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XTRA! JAN 26, 2012

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Toronto’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! JAN 26, 2012

HARVEY L. HAMBURG Barrister, Solicitor, Notary Public Many Years of Experience in Real Estate, Wills and Estate Administration

416-968-9054 One of Xtra!'s Best of Toronto 2002, 2007 & 2010 Serving our community for more than 25 years 120 Carlton St., Suite 215 (at Jarvis St.) e-mail: hhamburg@sympatico.ca

SHERBOURNE HEALTH CENTRE 333 SHERBOURNE STREET TORONTO, ON M5A 2S5

416-324-4103 • www.sherbourne.on.ca

LGBT HEALTH LGBT HEALTH IS HIRING for the following contract positions:

• registered nurse Lgbt (Maternity Leave, 10 month contract) • the b-side: eXPLorIng bIseXuaLIty – group co-facilitator • older trans womens network – group co-facilitator For more information, please check out the full posting on the Sherbourne website - www.sherbourne.on.ca - click on Careers at Sherbourne.

QUEERS WHO HAVE ADOPTED SUPPORT GROUP

Queers who have adopted, and their kids, are meeting monthly to give support, info share, and socialize with each other. Meetings will take place at sherbourne health centre, 333 sherbourne street, on the third saturday of the month, 10:30 am to 12:30 p.m. First meeting is January 21, 2012. Pizza lunch and childcare will be provided. To register for childcare, and for more information on this and other support group meetings, contact parentingnetwork@ sherbourne.on.ca, 416-324-4100 ext 5276 or visit www.lgbtqparentingconnection.ca/programs.

DYKES PLANNING TYKES DROP-IN INFO SESSIONS - 2012

Upcoming Dates: Jan. 10, Feb. 15, March 13, April 10. 6:30 - 8:30 pm at the Sherbourne Health Centre (333 Sherbourne - 2nd floor). The Dykes Planning Tykes Drop-In Sessions run once a month. Rachel Epstein, coordinator of the LGBTQ Parenting Network and facilitator of the Dykes Planning Tykes course, will be available to provide information, resources and support to lesbian/bi/queer women who are considering parenthood. Content of each session will be determined by participants. No registration required. For more info: parentingnetwork@sherbourne.on.ca * TRANS WOMEN/TRANS MEN WELCOME *

SPRING 2012 GENDER JOURNEYS GROUP:

wednesdays, 6:00-8:45pm, February 1 to april 11. Thinking about transitioning? This 11-week group provides you with reliable information and meaningful community connections for anyone thinking about their own gender changes. Respect for a wide range of possibilities across the diverse gender continuum. space is limited! contact yasmeen Persad to register: 416-324-5078 or ypersad@ sherbourne.on.ca.

Discretion assured. We welcome people of diverse cultural and ethnoracial backgrounds. TTC access, wheelchair accessible (with limitations), healthy snacks. supporting our youth (soy) seeks to improve the quality of life for Lgbt youth (up to 29) through the active involvement of adults working together with youth. working within an anti-oppression framework, soy develops initiatives that build skills and capacities, provide mentoring and support, and nurture a sense of identity and belonging.

416-324-5077 • www.soytoronto.org

HEY QUEER & TRANS YOUTH! WANNA WORK FOR SOY? (temporary contract Position) ‘Fruit Loopz youth Festival’ is coming on saturday June 30, 2012 @ buddies In bad times. we are now hiring a Project assistant. Please visit our website www.soytoronto.org for an application, or call Lorelei @ 416-324-5083 for more details.

MONDAY NIGHT DROP IN:

DIFFERENT? SO ARE WE. ✓ By youth for youth. ✓ Free, confidential and anonymous. ✓ Support, information and resources in your area.

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Monday Night Drop-In is a weekly drop-in where adult mentors and youth create community together. It’s a fun ‘queer’ space for socializing, relaxing and sharing a home cooked meal. youth are welcome to come check it out eVery Monday night from 5:30-8:00 p.m. at sherbourne health centre, 2nd floor, 333 sherbourne street. contact John at 416-324-4100 x 5339 or email jcaffery@ sherbourne.on.ca.

ALPHABET SOUP: If you are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, 2 Spirited or Questioning, under 20 years old and in school or planning to return to school, check us out! tuesdays, 4:00-6:00pm @ sherbourne health centre, 333 sherbourne st. contact John for more details at jcaffery@ sherbourne.on.ca or 416-324-4100 X 5339.

NEWCOMER IMMIGRANT YOUTH PROGRAM (EXPRESS): A safe and supportive space where newcomer and/or immigrant queer youth find a safe space to gather, share ideas, questions, and most of all HAVE FUN! Interested? tuesdays, 6:00-8:00pm @ sherbourne health centre, 333 sherbourne st. email suhail: soynewcomer@ sherbourne.on.ca or call 416-324-5080.

BLACK QUEER YOUTH (BQY): A safe space for Black, Mixed, African/Caribbean Youth under 29, who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual and questioning. Come chill, learn and socialize, free food & drinks - Spread the word! wednesdays, 6:30-8:30pm @ sherbourne health centre, 333 sherbourne st. email Lorelei: bqy@ sherbourne.on.ca or call 416-324-5083.

TRANS_FUSION CREW: TFC is a warm, inclusive space for transgender, transsexual, intersex, two-spirit, gender-questioning youth and our allies to chill out, make art, share information, get connected with referrals and work on amazing activist projects. thursdays, 6:00-8:00pm email: tfc@ sherbourne.on.ca or call yasmeen at 416-324-5078.

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XTRA! JAN 26, 2012 TORONTO’S GAY& LESBIAN NEWS

CONTACT US Address: 2 Carlton St, Ste 1600, Toronto, ON M5B, 1J3 Office hours: 9am–6pm, Mon–Fri Phone: 416-925-6665 Fax: 416-925-6674 Website: xtra.ca General email: info@xtra.ca

Roundup JAN 26, 2012

#711

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Mark Delavan as Scarpia and Adrianne Pieczonka as Tosca.

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XTRA

Published by Pink Triangle Press PUBLISHER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE

Brandon Matheson

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER & EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

Matt Mills

ASSIGNMENT EDITOR Danny Glenwright COPY EDITOR Lesley Fraser NEWS REPORTERS Andrea Houston, Rob Salerno CREATIVE DIRECTOR Lucinda Wallace PRODUCTION MANAGER Leslie Miller GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Andrew Tran, Darryl Mabey, Bryce Stuart JUNIOR ADVERTISING DESIGNER

Ashley Calla

ADVERTISING & SALES DIRECTOR Ken Hickling NATIONAL SALES MANAGER Jeffrey Hoffman NATIONAL ACCOUNTS MANAGER Derrick Branco RETAIL ACCOUNTS MANAGERS

Mike Mooney, Brian Garrison

ENGAGEMENT DIRECTOR Gareth Kirkby DISTRIBUTION & COMMUNITY RELATIONS COORDINATOR Craig Palmer CLIENT SERVICES & ADVERTISING ADMINISTRATOR

OPERA

Tackling Tosca

Eugene Coon

CUSTOMER SERVICE John Webster ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Cassidy Phillips

Tyler Dorchester, Chris Dupuis, Jeremy Feist, Gerald Hannon, Matthew Hays, Serafin LaRiviere, Marcus McCann, Anna Pournikova, Ruby Pratka, Frank Prendergast, Yuki Shirato, Dale Smith, Simon Thibault, Johnnie Walker, Shannon Webb-Campbell & Helen Whitehead

Issn 0829-3384 Printed and published in Canada. ©2012 Pink Triangle Press. Xtra is published every two weeks by Pink Triangle Press.

PINK TRIANGLE PRESS

Founded 1971

DIRECTORS Jim Bartley, Gerald Hannon, Jennifer O’Connor, Maureen Phillips, Ken Popert, Gillian Rodgerson & Tori Smith AUXILIARY DIRECTORS

Glenn Kauth & Didier Pomerleau HONORARY DIRECTOR Colin Brownlee PRESIDENT & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Ken Popert PUBLISHER & EDITOR-AT-LARGE David Walberg CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Andrew Chang

Hometown celebrity soprano Adrianne Pieczonka is singing Puccini’s Tosca at the Canadian Opera Company. Writer Gerald Hannon speaks to Pieczonka about opera, activism and life in Toronto with her wife and daughter.

›19

NEWS

A new tower on Church St

A controversial proposal to add a new wing to an existing building at 66 Isabella St means a new 23-storey tower will soon face onto Church St. Some residents were concerned, but Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam says the construction could not be stopped. › 9

Nursing strike will see rise in STIs

Toronto Public Health staff tell Xtra’s Andrea Houston there was an increase in sexually transmitted infections during a 2009 CUPE strike. An investigation reveals there could be another spike if nurses are locked out again this year. › 11

FEATURE

Gay asylum seekers

Paris and other European cities are home to an increasing number of gay refugees who have fled violence or imprisonment in Africa, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Xtra profiles several asylum seekers, learning about the challenges they escaped and those they still face. › 13

5

HIV criminalization changes?

The Supreme Court of Canada will soon hear a case that could change the way Canadians have sex. For the first time, Supreme Court justices will look at several key issues around HIV criminalization, including viral load, condom use and oral sex. › 16

OUT IN THE CITY

RuPaul returns

RuPaul’s Drag Race is back for its fourth season. Xtra speaks with the world’s most famous drag queen about her successful show and its premiere on OUTtv. › 21

ONLINE

NDP leadership candidates spar in Toronto

The eight candidates vying to replace Jack Layton met recently in Toronto to discuss their visions for Canadian cities. Xtra’s Rob Salerno found the candidates agreed on many issues, especially their aversion to Rob Ford. › xtra.ca

Woodpigeon

Xtra speaks to Woodpigeon singer and songwriter Mark Hamilton about growing up in Alberta.

Hamilton says road trips between Calgary and Vancouver were inspiration for songs on the group’s new album. › xtra.ca

REGULARS

Comment ›6 Xcetera ›7 Xposed ›25 Index ›28 Classifieds ›28 COLUMNS

Editorial ›6 Guest column ›18 Porndoggy ›30 LISTINGS

Art & photography ›20 Health & issues ›20 Leisure & pleasure ›20 Music ›20 Stage ›20, 23

COVER PHOTO BY BARBARA LABORDE

DAVID M COHN Criminal Defence Lawyer

30 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE MEANS RESULTS

- Impaired Driving - Drug Matters - All other criminal matters 481 University Ave. Suite 301 / Toronto ON / M5G 2E9 / www.davidcohn.ca (416) 777-1100 / david@davidcohn.ca

6

Toronto’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! JAN 26, 2012

 ›  › 

Comment Open the doors Editorial Danny Glenwright

A

SYLUM SEEKER. Those two words can strike fear into the heart of many a European.

They can also, with the necessary political spin, win or lose elections that side of the pond.

Britain is known for deporting asylum seekers not fit to travel, never mind fit to return to a country where they could be killed. In January 2008, the Brits kicked out Ama Sumani, a Ghanaian mother of two being kept alive on dialysis for bone marrow cancer. She had overstayed her visa. Sumani died in Accra a few weeks later, unable to access treatment.

In Australia, asylum seekers arriving in boats were, until very recently, either left to drown on the high seas or locked up in refugee prisons. Most were fleeing wars in Asia and the Middle East in which Australia was engaged. Years behind barbed wire and cement walls turned these people, who had already experienced horrors most will never know, into dysfunctional basket cases. Psychologists in Australia diagnosed some of the worst instances of posttraumatic stress disorder they had seen after refugees and their children spent months, sometimes years, in these confinement centres.

Sometime after the Cold War, when many claimants were “good” refugees escaping communism, the words refugee and asylum seeker became synonymous with illegal opportunistic aliens pounding down our Western doors and threatening to change the face of our “civilized” society.

This is baseless if you think about it. If I was prepared to get into a boat with my family and the few belongings I own and sail across unknown treacherous waters to some foreign country where I could be arrested or worse, my life at home would have to really suck.

Gay asylum seekers, like the vast majority of those prepared to forever leave their countries, are most often fleeing the prospect of murder, torture, arrest or a life in isolation.

In this issue Xtra speaks with gay and lesbian refugees in Paris, discovering that although many have escaped such barbarity, they continue to face lives in limbo in Europe. France maintains a “safe list” of countries where it says gay people are not persecuted. The list contains places like Senegal, where police regularly imprison gays and lesbians based on perceived sexual orientation.

The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission notes of Senegal that it is a “country in which same-sex relations are illegal, homophobia is widespread, and incitement toward violence against those perceived to be lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender is often encour-

aged by politicians and religious leaders.”

This could describe many countries in Africa and the Middle East where life for gays remains nasty and brutish.

Canada’s track record on this front has been spotty. While the Harper Conservatives have made international public overtures about the need to decriminalize homosexuality, their behaviour at home has been much less commendable. For example, in 2008 they deported Kulenthiran Amirthalingam to Malaysia, where he had already spent time behind bars because he is gay.

Canada’s guidelines for accepting refugees are based on the United Nations’ 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. This document does not make explicit provisions for gay refugees, so it is incumbent on claimants to prove not only that they are gay, but also that their sexuality would put them at danger in their home countries.

It is peculiar that those who have spent their lives trying to conceal and deny their sexuality have to then turn around and prove they are gay in the refugee application process.

Last March, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced a pilot project with the Rainbow Refugee Committee to help sponsor gay refugees who face persecution. At the time Kenney said Canada has

IT IS PECULIAR THAT THOSE WHO HAVE SPENT THEIR LIVES TRYING TO CONCEAL AND DENY THEIR SEXUALITY HAVE TO THEN TURN AROUND AND PROVE THEY ARE GAY IN THE REFUGEE APPLICATION PROCESS. a history of being a safe haven, noting that reaching out to private sponsors was “vital to refugees in need of protection.”

But in December, the government changed its mind, instead proposing rule changes that both the Rainbow Refugee Committee and the Canadian Council for Refugees say will make it much harder for gay refugees to find safety in Canada.

The government can still change its mind again and bolster Canada’s reputation as a global safe haven for gay refugees.

If Stephen Harper truly wants to create change for gay people abroad, he can start at home, opening the doors wide for all those who would be killed or arrested elsewhere. Currently, there is no international institution that attends exclusively to the issue of gay and lesbian refugees. Canada should take the lead in launching such an organization. If the government does nothing and continues to backtrack on promises to the gay community, both Canadians and despotic, homophobic world leaders will know our government’s pro-gay statements are nothing but empty words.

“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.

I WILL NOT TOLERATE A PUBLICLY FUNDED INSTITUTION TELLING ME I MUST EXPOSE MY CHILDREN TO THEIR ATTEMPTS AT INDOCTRINATION INTO THEIR HATE-FILLED TEACHINGS AND BIGOTRY.

INBOX

Send your correspondence by mail to 2 Carlton St, Ste 1600, Toronto M5B 1J3, email comment@xtra.ca, or log in to xtra.ca and comment directly. We may edit letters.

HIV and longterm care KENNETH POON’S PAINful story [“HIV and LongTerm Care,” xtra.ca, Jan 10] points to the very real need to further sensitize the entire long-term care world to the unique needs of current and future HIV-positive residents. If this is to happen, management must send a strong message to their staff that any of their residents who are HIVpositive not be negatively judged.

Like all residents, they must be respected as they are, which includes ensuring their confidentiality. This story also highlights another injustice: the reality that a significant proportion of HIVpositive men are gay or assumed to be by some staff illustrates the need for long-term care facilities to address deeply entrenched homophobia. While homes like Toronto’s Fudger House are welcoming toward residents who identify as LGBT, as they are toward all their residents, more long-term care facilities need to follow in their footsteps. To vilify the personal support worker who behaved so disrespectfully and unprofessionally toward Poon will serve no constructive purpose. Far better to vilify the act and take concrete steps to ensure it is never repeated.

Leonard Molczadski Toronto, ON STAFF SHOULD BE USING universal precautions at all times to protect themselves from infection. All that would have been required was for them to do their jobs correctly. And those who can’t control themselves in what they perceive to be an emergency are a danger to patients and should be fired for that reason alone.

Patrick Cupido Toronto, ON

Gay blood ban NOT ONLY DOESTHE CURrent policy exclude gay men from donating blood, it also excludes their female partners from donating, since the policy states, “You are a male who has had sex with another male, since 1977” followed by “You have had sex with someone who has done any of the things listed above.”

What about the women who donate blood who don’t know that their male partners currently or have in the past had sex with other men? Not everyone is forthcoming and honest in their relationships.

Keri Flint Toronto, ON IN SAINTLUCIA WE HAVE A gender-neutral policy — a person is excluded from donating blood if they have had more than one sexual partner in the

last six months, regardless of gender. Behaviour, not orientation, is the rule; this is a science- and evidence-based policy. It seems Canada needs to get with the program.

Dr Marcus Day Castries, Saint Lucia

STI increase TORONTO PUBLIC Health would do well to use what time is remaining to educate the public about inspot.org, a website where guys can send anonymous e-cards notifying sex partners of a possible STI/HIV exposure [“STIs Likely to Rise If Nurses Strike,” xtra.ca, Jan 23].

This is easier than a face-to-face conversation or an intrusive encounter with a public health nurse.

I don’t believe a possible city strike will shut down the internet.

David S Toronto, ON

comment Affordable housing will never come [“Green Light for 66 Isabella Building Expansion,” xtra.ca, Jan 12]. I don’t think you can ask the city to force affordable housing; they all have their hands so deep in the pockets of corporations that they do what they are told!

This city is setting itself up for a crash.

Housing crash, condo crash and apartments filled with bed bugs. As the middle class are slowly taken down a peg or two they will realize that affordable housing should be taken seriously!

—Michael Toronto, ON

To comment, go to xtra.ca.

Gay bookstores ON A RECENT TRIP TO Vancouver I stopped in at Little Sister’s and bought a few books. They had books by local authors that had been signed — something you can’t get from an online big box — and I was happy to pay the little extra money [“The Way of the Dodo,” xtra.ca, Jan 12]. Conversely, I recently attended a book-signing event at Glad Day Bookshop. I talked to the owner of Glad Day about how he had advertised for the event, as I believe two people showed up, other than myself. He said that’s

the way the book world is now, that no one cares. He said he had posted a message on Glad Day’s Facebook page. I checked when I got home and I saw the group had only 139 members and the homepage was last updated in June. The owner said the world was moving too fast and he wasn’t interested in keeping up with it.

During the actual reading the owner and the organizer of the event talked quite loudly to someone, drowning out the author.

Why organize an event and then talk all through it? When you organize events in this way, saying you’ve given up on trying to keep up with the way the world works, I’m not sure what other result you could be expecting.

Adam Dunn Toronto, ON

Catholic schools MY CHILDREN ARE APproaching high school and I have chosen to send them to a Catholic high school, but I don’t wish for them to receive any religious instruction. [“Another Ontario Catholic Board Says No to GSAs,” xtra.ca, Jan 17]. As with the vast majority of people who choose Catholic high schools, religion was not a factor in my decision. Location, programs and friends were the criteria. There’s the problem. According to this school and every other Catholic high school in Ontario, religion is a mandatory course. When funding was extended to the end of Grade 12 in Catholic high schools in 1985, by then-premier Bill Davis, he promised access to all faiths and exemption, upon request, from religious instruction for public school supporters who attend Catholic high schools. I will not tolerate a publicly funded institution telling me I must expose my children to their attempts at indoctrination into their hate-filled teachings and bigotry. The law is on my side.

Nancy Hunsley Brantford, ON

RIP, Rosemary I LOVE D ROSE M ARY [“Rosemary Hardwick,” Xtra #710, Jan 12]. I loved the way she wore her heart on her sleeve.

I loved the way that heart beat fiercely to defend the needy. I loved the way her heart encompassed her friends with genuine fondness. I loved that she found someone to entrust with that oh so very sensitive heart — thank you, Beth. I loved that her heart recognized another who, from her childhood, she would call on for guidance and unconditional love and hope. Thanks, my friend.

Goodbye to this life, Rosemary.

Mary Schmid Pomona, Australia

more at xtra.ca

XTRA! JAN 26, 2012

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Xcetera

By Jeremy Feist (unless otherwise noted)

BOOTYLICIOUS

Bigots boycott biscuits

WASHINGTONEXAMINER.COM, LIVERPOOLDAILYPOST.CO.UK

GIRLSCOUTSLA.ORG

CONTROVERSIAL COOKIES

I DON’T THINK YOU’RE READY FOR THIS . . .

A tiny, narrow-minded contingent of the internet is lashing out at the Girl Scouts of America, calling for a boycott of their cookies because of their inclusionary policies toward lesbian and trans girls. So if you need one more reason to buy a dozen or so boxes of Thin Mints this year — other than the fact they’re the greatest thing since sex — do it to help out an honourable group.

THORAX

A newly discovered breed of horsefly, indigenous to Australia, has been named after Beyoncé Knowles because of its impressive golden derriere. Called Scaptia (Plinthina) beyonceae, the bug was discovered by Aussie scientist Bryan Lessard. The news eclipsed the discovery of another insect: the Scaptia kellyrowlandae.

FUTUREUPDATE.WORDPRESS.COM

THAT’S A WRAP

HE SAID, SHE SAID

Madonna doesn’t have a fucking chance.

–Elton John

LOS ANGELES SAYS, ‘NO GLOVE, NO LOVE’

In an attempt to strengthen a law that says male actors in porn films shot in Los Angeles must wear condoms during sex, city councillors voted to deny filming permits to non-compliant pornographers. Despite protests from free speech advocates, the movement was passed, effectively ending all bareback porn.

You know, unless they just shoot somewhere outside of LA. But what are the odds that will ever happen?

24/7

ABC cancels Work It after two episodes Hey, did you catch the latest episode of Work It? No? Well, neither did anyone else. After an avalanche of accusations of transphobia and misogyny, terrible ratings and even worse reviews, ABC has shit-canned the workplace “comedy” after only two episodes. So if you want to watch something poorly written, narrow-minded and obnoxiously unfunny, you’re going to have to make do with Rob Schneider’s new show.

PERMANENT

STIFFY

A 21-year-old Iranian man is now walking around with a permanent semi-stiffy after having the words borow be salaamat (good luck with your journeys) inked on his manhood along with his girlfriend’s initial. Within two weeks the man was diagnosed with “nonischemic priapism,” which is a fancy schmancy way of saying he has an erection day and night because the blood can’t drain out of his dick. Corrective surgery has proved unsuccessful, but the man says he does not regret a thing. Doctors at Iran’s Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences are less enthusiastic. —Helen Whitehead

GAWKER.COM

May the best man win.

ACCESSHOLLYWOOD.COM

–Madonna DAILY.SQUIRT.ORG

CARILLONREGINA.COM

DO AXE, DO TELL

Reporters on the red carpet got an earful before the Golden Globe Awards, where both Elton John and Madonna were up for Best Original Song.

Madonna’s win was capped off with an acceptance speech that was criticized for being snobbish, as demonstrated by Madge’s random British accent as well as the looks of “Oh, this bitch . . . ” on the crowd’s faces.

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Upfront COMMUNITY NEWS

A BAD DECISION OF THE SUPREME COURT WILL BE VERY BAD FOR THE HEALTH OF CANADA.

Tim McCaskell › 16

NEWS

Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam negotiated with developers to get them to improve surrounding parks.

Green light for 66 Isabella St building expansion Rob Salerno TORONTO AND EAST YORK COMMUNITY COUNCIL approved a controversial proposal to add a new wing to the apartment complex at 66 Isabella St on Jan 10. The new wing will almost double the size of the building while eliminating the private lawn and clutch of mature trees that currently sits at the corner of Church and Isabella streets.

The owners of the property had sought exemptions from council that would allow the addition because the new wing would cause the building’s resulting floor plate to exceed the maximum area allowed under the city’s tall-building guidelines.

Some residents were also concerned because construction would force more than 50 residents to relocate while their suites were renovated and reoriented so the units’ patios and windows would be unobstructed by the new building.

Notwithstanding those concerns, city planning staff had recommended approval of the project and were prepared to defend the proposal before the Ontario Municipal Board if council rejected it.

The new wing will have a four-storey podium with retail facing onto Church and Isabella streets and a step-back to a 23-storey tower. There will be new amenity space for residents of both wings of the building, including underground parking, and laundry and recreation facilities.

The developer also pledges to add 18 shade trees to the public right-of-way along Church and Isabella streets.

Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam negotiated with the developer to secure $450,000 in section 37 benefits associated with the project. The money will be used for improvements to Cawthra Park and the line of parks that runs parallel to Yonge St from Charles St to Dundonald St. Wong-Tam says she supported the expansion proposal over the wishes of existing residents because she believes the developer would have appealed a rejection to the Ontario Municipal Board and won.

Of the 211 units, 199 will be rental. One hundred of those units will have mid-range rents for at least the first five years. The developer further pledged that the existing building’s stock of rental units will be maintained for at least 20 years. The provision of rental units was a major reason for staff’s support for the proposal.

An amendment from Wong-Tam requires the owner to improve the relocation assistance fund for displaced tenants and to insure against damage to tenants’ property and vehicles during construction.

Another Ontario Catholic board says no to GSAs Gay teenager says he wants to support and educate fellow students Andrea Houston MITCH BURKE CAME OUT SILENTLY BUT with a bang.

One night in November 2010, the Ancaster, Ontario, student sat at a library computer and typed out a long Facebook status, telling his school, his community and the rest of the world that he is gay.

“After I hit ‘send’ I started to hyperventilate.

Then I ran home. ‘Oh my God. What have I done? Will anyone even notice?’” Burke says.

The next morning, there were 180 “likes” on his post, he says proudly. Burke, who was 15 years old at the time, later walked into his Bishop Tonnos Catholic Secondary School math class to a standing ovation.

The Grade 11 student now wants to open the door so other gay students can follow his lead and come out, even if it’s just to friends and family. He wants to start a gay-straight alliance (GSA).

But the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board (HWCDSB) has denied Burke’s request, and board chair Patrick Daly tells Xtra he will never allow any type of queer support group.

Burke is disappointed.

“The teachings of the Catholic Church, and the opinions of the students and teachers in a Catholic school, are very different, polar opposites of each other,” he says. “I really want to educate other students and create change at school.”

Over the past year, Burke has emerged as a social media star, role model and guinea pig for questions about sexual orientation from other students. He’s colourful and sassy with razorsharp wit — a dandy for the Twitter generation.

Since he came out, Burke says, the bullying he used to experience has pretty much stopped.

He says he still “hears the occasional ‘fag’ thrown around in the hallways. Mostly I got asked all the time, ‘Are you gay? Are you gay?’

After I came out people just stopped caring. I just wanted to be accepted and be loved for who I am, and that’s exactly what happened.”

Burke is now a familiar face in Ancaster. He started a Formspring page on which he answers questions from anyone, about anything.

“I see lots of students at my school struggling with their identity,” he says. “I came out because of them.”

There are more than 1,200 other students at Bishop Tonnos, so Burke finds it hard to believe he’s the only one who’s gay. “That’s a scary thought. There are a few students who have told me privately they’re gay but haven’t made the move to say it publicly yet. I really

I SEE LOTS OF STUDENTS AT MY SCHOOL STRUGGLING WITH THEIR IDENTITY. I CAME OUT BECAUSE OF THEM.

— Bishop Tonnos Catholic Secondary School student Mitch Burke

hope I can change that.”

At school, he says, many students like the idea of a GSA, and some teachers may also be on board.

This is not the first time an Ontario Catholic school student has been blocked from starting a GSA. Leanne Iskander and other students at St Joseph Catholic Secondary School in Mississauga were denied in March 2010.

Iskander’s group was eventually allowed to start a generic “equity group,” but they were forced to adopt the name Open Arms — the name her principal considered to be “Catholic sounding.” Iskander said the name means the group is not as visible to new students as it should be.

Burke says students should get naming rights for the group. “The name has to reflect LGBT,” he says. “A GSA is my main goal.”

However, Daly is adamant that GSAs will not be allowed in any HWCDSB school. He says he won’t permit any group focused on lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans issues, even if it’s called a generic name like Open Arms.

Daly says generic “anti-bullying clubs” are just fine, even if students disagree.

Burke says he wants a GSA because students don’t feel supported at school. Daly dismisses that claim: “They aren’t saying that in our system.”

The Ontario Liberals recently tabled the Accepting Schools Act, which mandates GSAs in all schools. However, the bill contains a loophole that allows Catholic boards to continue to prevent students from calling their support groups GSAs. The legislation is heading to committee in February, then to a third reading.

Education Minister Laurel Broten did not respond to Xtra’s most recent request for an interview, but on Dec 1 she was clear, noting, “There is no more debate on GSAs. If students want a GSA, it must be provided.”

Nancy Kirby, the president of the Ontario Catholic School Trustees Association (OCSTA) was quick to challenge Broten, telling Xtra that Catholic school administrators have no intention of allowing GSAs. They will “choose another name.”

OCSTA spokesperson Sharon McMillan says the position of the organization hasn’t changed. “A GSA is not a name that will be allowed in Catholic school.”

Casey Oraa, co-chair of Queer Ontario (QO), supports Burke. “This is happening all over Ontario, but students are scared to go public,” he says.

QO is submitting recommendations for the Accepting Schools Act. Oraa says the group wants the provincial government to tighten up the language so students are in charge of creating and naming their groups.

The bill needs teeth, he says. There is nothing in the language that forces boards like HWCDSB to comply with the legislation.

“Without a compliance mechanism, how will the government ensure boards don’t just ignore the bill? Catholic boards have already said they will disobey the law.”

Meanwhile, Burke says he has no plans to stop fighting for a GSA. “An anti-bullying club is just not good enough. I actually think the objective [of a generic equity club] is kind of lame because we all know which kids are mostly being bullied.”

10

Toronto’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! JAN 26, 2012

LEGAL

Ontario judge upholds public nudity law Rob Salerno AN ONTARIO COURT RULING THAT upholds the constitutionality of Canada’s public nudity laws has resulted in the conviction of one man. The decision should not affect previous rulings that protect the rights of Canadian nudists to hold private events or to be nude in public places where nudity is expected.

Brian Coldin, a naturist, was convicted on four counts of public nudity related to incidents when he was nude near his property, when he attempted to order at a Tim Hortons drive-through by walking up to the window nude, and when he was nude in the passenger seat when a friend used the drive-through at an A&W. Coldin’s lawyer had argued that Coldin was not nude because he was wearing sandals — a defence that Totally Naked Toronto Men Enjoying Nudity (TNTmen) had previously argued successfully before the courts. Coldin’s lawyer also argued that the laws against public nudity are unconstitutional on grounds of freedom of expression and security of the person.

In a 37-page ruling, Justice Jon-Jo A Douglas finds that although the legal definition of the word nude means to be wearing no clothes at all, one can still be in violation of the law if one’s state of dress or undress is such as to offend against public decency or order.

So Coldin was found guilty despite his sandals.

On the constitutional matters, the Crown had argued that nudity itself wasn’t expressive or imbued with meaning and therefore couldn’t be protected under freedom of expression laws, but Justice Douglas didn’t buy that reasoning.

While Douglas did find that being nude could be protected by freedom of expression, he rejected Coldin’s claim that he was expressing his beliefs as a naturist in the cases for which he was charged.However, Douglas’s ruling does seem to protect public nudity in places where it is already expected. For example, nothing in the ruling seems to affect previous decisions that allowed the establishment of the nude beach at Hanlan’s Point.

In fact, the ruling seems to go to lengths to protect the right of naturists to be nude in their private establishments, even those open to the public.

This would include privately owned nudist parks or events in private establishments, such as a naked night at a bar or club.

ONTARIO POLITICS

Readying for battle

Kathleen Wynne has faced tough political opponents before.

She knows more fights are around the corner.

Rob Salerno “DO I SEE THE WORLD THE SAME way as Mayor Ford? Absolutely not,” Kathleen Wynne says with a subtle laugh, “but that doesn’t mean we can’t work together.”

That search for compromise seems to be the main marker of Wynne’s first few months as minister of municipal affairs and housing and aboriginal affairs, where her party’s social agenda has clashed with the slash-and-burn approach to social services and the public realm favoured by the Ford administration at Toronto’s City Hall.

But Wynne is no stranger to opposition. Through electoral campaigns where opponents labelled her an “extremist lesbian,” to being pitted against Progressive Conservative leader John Tory, to the 2011 campaign in which the PC candidate in a neighbouring riding sounded alarms over her “radical agenda,” Wynne has maintained a dignified poise that has earned her the respect of voters and the opportunity to cooperate with potential opponents when in power.

Despite her obvious differences of opinion with Toronto’s mayor, as minister of transportation last year she was able to renegotiate an $8-billion transit plan that scrapped four planned light-rail transit lines spanning the city’s inner suburbs in favour of a new plan that put a truncated LRT line completely underground along Eglinton Ave and allowed the mayor a free hand to explore options to build a subway along Sheppard Ave without provincial money.

The negotiated agreement allowed both the McGuinty Liberals and Ford to claim victory on the file, but it appears to have also given opponents of the mayor’s plan time to organize support for reviving the original plan.

“We were in a situation that the municipal election had just happened, the mayor had run on a very clear mandate to make some changes to the transit plan that was in place, and I felt that it was my responsibility to work with him,” Wynne says. “I have a deep respect for the autonomy of municipal governments. One of the reasons that

RYAN FAUBERT

I got involved in politics was because of the disrespect the previous government showed municipalities.”

Wynne says that a political career wasn’t a lifelong plan, but her involvement in public life goes back to her high school days, when she served on her Richmond Hill high school’s student council. Over the years, she’s also found herself working as an activist and organizer both for her local North Toronto community and for the queer community.

She served as a board member for Ontario’s LGBT Youth Line and speaks fondly about the fundraisers she used to help organize for it, including the lesbian MAD for Dancing parties.

“Women used to come from all over for that. There wasn’t anything else for them at the time,” she says. “We raised more than $50,000.”

Wynne came out as a lesbian at age 37, after 13 years of marriage to a man with whom she has three children, now aged 31, 30 and 27.

“We went through a transition,” she

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING WE CAN DO AS A PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT IS STAY TRUE TO OUR PRINCIPLES. —Kathleen Wynne

says. “It was a tumultuous time, but I think it was done in a way that we’ve been able to retain those relationships.

“We co-parented. We [Wynne and her partner, Jane] had a house in North Toronto, and my ex-husband lived in a house with an adjoining garden. So the kids were back and forth between the two houses.”

When Wynne’s children were school-aged, she started getting involved in parent-teacher associations and sought election as a school trustee.

She was defeated in 1994 but ran again in 2000 and won, after a tumultuous campaign in which opponents first gave her the “extremist lesbian” label.

“I laugh, because I think that kind of hate mongering is just so counterproductive,” she says. “I have led a pretty traditional life, even though I have some impatience about some of our social structures. I think that the best thing I can do in the face of that is to confront it, to be as open as I can, to empower other people to be open.”

Wynne was first elected to the Ontario legislature in 2003. After stints in education and transport, she is now tasked with maintaining her government’s agenda in the face of pressures from conservative municipal governments and from the province’s swelling budget deficit.

“The most important thing we can do as a provincial government is stay true to our principles and to continue to work with municipalities to provide the resources that we think are important,” she says. “When a young mom goes into a community centre to take her young toddler for a swimming lesson, it’s not really important to her who provides the funding; what’s important is that the pool is clean and safe and there is a swim instructor there and that those services are available. It’s my hope that all municipal leaders will pay close attention to the needs of their communities.”

With the upcoming Drummond report rumoured to recommend cuts as deep as 30 percent from all ministries except health and education, Wynne’s job could soon include fighting to save those very services.

“Those programs need to stay in place. We’re going to fight tooth and nail for them, and because they’re interjurisdictional, they’re critical to communities,” she says. “The reality is that we had an economic downturn and there are going to have to be some changes that we make. I can’t predict what those will be at this point.”

With these challenges ahead of her, Wynne doesn’t see herself leaving public life anytime soon. “I’m going to work as long as I’m making a contribution,” she says.

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HEALTH

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The Hassle Free Clinic’s Jane Greer says people will have less access to testing if nurses go on strike. ANDREA HOUSTON

STIs likely to rise if nurses strike Sexual health services will stop and infections will increase, says Toronto nurse Andrea Houston IF PUBLIC HEALTH NURSES GO ON strike next month as planned, Toronto will likely see a spike in sexually transmitted infections, says a Toronto Public Health nurse.

TPH is currently studying the rate at which STIs occurred after the 2009 Toronto city workers’ strike. The data, which has not yet been released, shows there was an increase, says the nurse, who asked to remain anonymous to protect her job.

For 36 days in the summer of 2009, Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 416 and Local 79 — representing inside and outside city workers — were on strike.

“There were only two managers servicing the entire public health STI program,” the nurse says. “The official statement at the time was that all STIs are being followed up. It was a bold-faced lie.”

The STI program is responsible for all follow-up calls relating to new STIs, she says. There are six reportable STIs: HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, chancroid (which is not found in Toronto) and hepatitis B. “When a person is [diagnosed with an STI], we get a copy of the lab report and ensure people got treated, and with the right medicines, because that’s not always the case. Then we do all the contact tracing, making sure that every person that has potentially been exposed knows to get tested.”

That potentially life-saving service does not happen during a labour disruption, the nurse notes. “Also, a person with HIV may not want to out their status, so we will do it anonymously on their behalf. We call and say, ‘We can’t tell you who, but we have reason to believe that you need to go get tested for HIV.’” While on the phone the nurse will

explain the situation, perhaps do some counselling and later follow up. That call prevents countless others from infection, she says. “If we’re on strike, all that work is being done by a couple managers, and they really can’t do mass contact tracing. So there will be a lot of people out there who have been exposed and won’t know. And they will likely transmit STIs to other people.

The impact is clear.”

Toronto workers could face another lockout or strike as early as Feb 5.

CUPE Local 416, representing 6,000 outside workers, has offered a wage freeze to settle its contract. The city has refused and countered with a proposal to strip most workers of a job security clause.

Talks continue with CUPE Local 79, which represents 23,000 inside workers, including TPH and frontline nurses.

AIDS Action Now’s Tim McCaskell says Mayor Rob Ford’s plan to reduce or contract out city services, particularly frontline health workers, puts many lives at risk.

“This dramatically illustrates that the kind of cuts that Ford is contemplating and the kinds of attacks on city employees are a danger to everybody’s health. Not only will it cause misery and poor health to more people, but it also affects Toronto’s bottom line in increased medical expenditures.”

Effie Gournis, manager of the communicable disease surveillance unit at TPH, has been working with Dr Andrew Pinto from St Michael’s Hospital on a project. The findings will not be ready for publication for about a year, Gournis says.

“The study we are looking at, even in its preliminary form, shows there was an increase in some STIs after the strike,” she says. “It shows there were missed opportunities during the labour disruption to prevent further infection.”

There is no way to say definitively that the spike is caused by the labour disruption, she stresses, but there is “quite likely” a connection, particularly with young people 24 and under.

“I can tell you that preliminary data did show an association, with an increase in chlamydia in the younger age group,” she says. “Any kind of cut that prevents us from offering programs that have been shown to work repeatedly is a threat.”

Each HIV infection costs the city $1.2 million, says Ward 27 Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam. “That’s what it costs to care for someone with HIV.” Preventing even one infection is a financial savings for the city, she says.

Wong-Tam says TPH has similar concerns with bedbugs, which are an escalating problem in the Church and Wellesley area.

“It’s very difficult to stay on top of it. In an apartment building, it’s very likely that will spread, so you need people trained and ready to go,” she says. “We are losing the war against bedbugs now. Can you imagine if we remove public health staff that help people unable to take care of themselves? All it takes is a lockout and we will definitely fall very far behind.”

At the Hassle Free Clinic, health information custodian Jane Greer says staff felt the pressure from the heavy overflow in 2009. The strike put a major strain on all sexual health services in Toronto, she says. Greer worries how long the community will be without sexual health services this time.

“My biggest concern is people have less access to testing, because it’s not just nurses; it’s all the Toronto sexual health clinics. If those [city] clinics are closed like they were before, clinics like ours are completely overwhelmed.

Everyone talks about the garbage. No one talks about sexual health.”

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XTRA! JAN 26, 2012

FEDERAL POLITICS

New rules will hurt gay refugees Proposed government changes will make it harder for sponsors to help applicants Dale Smith T H E C A N A D I A N CO U N C I L FO R Refugees (CCR) is worried that proposed government changes to Canada’s refugee regulations could mean refugees who have been persecuted for being gay will not be allowed to apply.

Janet Dench, executive director of CCR, says the new rules would mean gay claimants and other marginalized refugees would be excluded or face much bigger hurdles.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) recently published the proposed changes in the Canada Gazette. The changes would limit refugees sponsored under the groups of five (G5) and community sponsors categories.

Refugees entering under the G5 category are sponsored by five or more Canadian citizens or permanent residents who act as guarantors for the claimant.

Community sponsors include both for-profit and non-profit organizations willing to sponsor refugees and provide funds for them after they are in Canada.

The government would instead bring in refugees recognized by either the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) or a state.

This follows a move to cap the number of refugees brought into the country by sponsorship agreement holders (SAHs). These are usually religious, cultural or humanitarian groups that have signed multiyear agreements with the ministry in order to be able to sponsor refugees more than once.

The government instead pledged to bring in more government-assisted refugees solely from the UNHCR list.

“Certain groups of people would be excluded,” Dench says. “In quite a lot of countries in Africa, it’s not the UNHCR that does the recognition but the state — but if that state does not recognize applications from refugees on the basis of sexual orientation, which is not by any means universally applied, then that would mean that the G5s couldn’t respond to them.”

At the moment, G5s annually sponsor approximately 40 percent of all refugees to Canada, and SAHs sponsor around 60 percent, with community sponsors submitting a handful every year.

Dench says a great strength of the private sponsorship program is that it has allowed Canadians to respond to refugees who are otherwise ignored,

The CCR’s Janet Dench says new federal rules make it more difficult for Canadian groups helping gay refugee claimants.

discounted or marginalized.

“Every time you try to build up a new requirement, there are new categories of refugees who will continue to be marginalized, and Canadians won’t be able to respond to them,” she says.

In the proposal, Sarita Bhatla, director general of CIC’s refugees branch, argues that the changes, along with giving the department the authority to return applications that are not filled out to the department’s satisfaction, will tackle wait times for private sponsorship of refugees.

But Dench says giving the department the ability to return incomplete

applications will present a new barrier to smaller groups trying to sponsor refugees.

“It just puts all the burden in the hands of the sponsors to figure out how to make it work and to make sure that they’ve answered all of the questions that need to be answered in the right sort of way,” she explains, noting that previously an immigration officer would help applicants and explain confusing sections of the application.

The application process is complicated, Dench says, and it requires a range of documents that vary depending on which country the applicant

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comes from.

“How are you as a G5 going to know if the refugee that you want to sponsor has got document A?” Dench asks. “How do you know if document A meets the requirements? It’s not clear how easy it is for people to know.”

Concerns have also been expressed about the use of visa offices to process applications for UNCHR-recognized refugees. Local citizens staff many foreign offices.

“This is where homophobia is going to raise its ugly head, because people who are working in the Canadian visa office are not separate from their own culture,” says Chris Morrissey, of the Rainbow Refugee Committee. “Even though the guidelines from Canada on sexual orientation and gender identity are covered, there is always that concern individuals have — Will there be homophobia? Will they be rejected? All of that stuff comes into play if it comes out of a visa office.”

Mo r e ov e r, b e c a u s e U N H C R recognized refugees must leave their country of origin in order to apply for recognition and eventual resettlement, Morrissey says there are additional challenges for lesbians fleeing persecution.

“There are so many barriers for lesbians in terms of permission [to leave the country, often required from their fathers], in terms of education, in terms of being able to survive in any way outside of sex-trade work,” Morrissey says.

“For them it’s much more difficult.”

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XTRA! JAN 26, 2012

13 BARBARA LABORDE

INTERNATIONAL

The streets of the City of Love are not always friendly places for refugees from the developing world.

A dubious I paradise Gay asylum seekers live in fear and uncertainty in Paris Ruby Pratka

t is a Saturday morning in the heart of the Marais, Paris’s well-known gay district.

A young African man paces nervously in front of the Centre LGBT Paris-Îlede-France, hands in his pockets, staring nervously at the unopened door.

Ibrahim Touré came to France from Ivory Coast in October 2011, on false documents. He says he is gay, and his sexual orientation had become known in his neighbourhood back home. He continued to stay on good terms with his ex-wife and small daughter and to work as an Abidjan taxi driver until civil war broke out in the country in late 2010.

“The new group that has come to power since the electoral crisis are Islamists, and they detest gays,” says Touré, who is himself a Muslim.

“There is a threat to my life, and I can’t go back.”

Touré lived in metro stations and shopping centres in Paris before an acquaintance told him about a Red Cross shelter. He has been living there for several weeks while he explores other options.

“I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye to anyone. I was working and my grandmother called and said the militias had come looking for me. My brother helped me get to the airport. I just left. I decided to claim asylum . . . I couldn’t even call my grandma back.”

Touré is afraid he will be sent back to his home country. It’s a logical fear: according to Philippe Colomb, president of the Association for the Recognition of Rights of Homosexuals and Transsexuals to Immigration and Residence (ARDHIS), France accepts only 11 percent of political asylum seekers, regardless of the reason. On appeal, that number rises to 24 percent. No specific statistics are kept for sexual orientation–based requests.

“This is too many people to whom France says no,” Colomb tells a group of about 60 asylum seekers of all ages, races and stages of the

process. “We need to get you the strongest files possible.”

Touré’s journey, like that of the dozens of other newly arrived and hesitant queer refugees crowding the centre’s monthly information session, is only beginning.

Asylum seekers in France must first register with local police, then make an asylum request with the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless People (OFPRA), explains Frédéric Chaumont, asylum accompaniment coordinator at ARDHIS. After submitting a summary of the facts, the asylum seeker is called to an interview with an OFPRA officer. This process takes three months to a year.

Chaumont says OFPRA decisions “generally come within three months but can take 12, 16 or 19 months.” During this time, he says, asylum seekers cannot legally work and struggle to survive.

“The most frequent response is a quick refusal,” Chaumont says. The refusal sometimes includes a deportation order.

“If there is no deportation order, or if it has been successfully contested, the asylum seeker is summoned to the national asylum seekers’ court after a waiting period that sometimes lasts a year,” Chaumont says. “The hearing lasts 30 to 45 minutes — much too short — and the decision is made public within three weeks.”

The pressure is on the asylum seekers to make their files as solid as possible. “It’s your word against theirs,” Chaumont tells the crowd of would-be refugees. “If you received threatening letters, we need photocopies. If you were arrested or something else happened, we want police reports.”

The majority come from West African countries where religious conservatism has a strong continued on next page ›

14

Toronto’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! JAN 26, 2012

A dubious paradise › continued from previous page  : Saloum and Bakary, gay asylum seekers

influence on local politics and being gay is a punishable offence.

Despite the fact some countries — including Senegal, Ghana, Benin, Tanzania and Bangladesh — imprison gays, they are on the French government’s “safe list,” making successful asylum claims from these countries much harder.

The non-EU countries of the former Yugoslavia are also on the “safe list,” although they are hardly welcoming places for gays. Many of the white faces in the room are from Serbia or Kosovo.

“The OFPRA uses the safe list to argue that human rights are generally respected in those countries and people who return to those countries won’t have any problems,” says Chaumont. “But in certain technically democratic countries . . . being openly gay is impossible, and you get negative reactions from the public, met with total passivity by the forces of law and order, and with implicit or explicit support from the religious authorities, and we mean all religions.”

Mali, for example, is on the “safe list,” but it isn’t for Mohamed, one young Malian man in the group.

from Mauritania, chat with ARDHIS coordinator Frédéric Chaumont after a group meeting. : Gay asylum seekers talk about their experiences at ARDHIS. : Asylum seekers in the ARDHIS group.

Front row (left to right): Artem (Russia), Saloum (Mauritania), Bakary (Mauritania), Bafode (Senegal) and Awa (Guinea). Back row (left to right): Yagouba (Mauritania), Edouard (Georgia), Mohammed (Mali), Frédéric (ARDHIS) and Pola (Guinea).

BARBARA LABORDE

“My father had me arrested,” he says. “The store where I worked was set on fire.”

There are myriad horror stories, from all corners of the globe.

“There’s a very bad situation in Uganda,” says Judy, a table tennis coach who came to France for a conference in September and never left. “Even yesterday I read in the papers, they passed a law that says we are going to be hanged . . . I am known as a lesbian; a bunch of us [gay activists] were seen on TV after the death of some of our activists, and

people from the government started following us.

If I were to go back to Uganda, they would send me to prison for life.

“I don’t know anything about anything,” says Judy, who speaks fluent English but no French.

“I haven’t had my [OFPRA] meeting yet. I wish they will let me stay. My parents didn’t let me go to university because I [am] a lesbian, but I want to study graphic arts.”

Olga and her girlfriend came from Russia on a tourist visa. “The last straw was when I came out

to my family and my mother and brother said they would rather I be dead than be lesbian,” she says.

Some stories end happily. More than once there is applause as someone announces his or her request has been accepted. Kemal, a young Turkish man who applied for asylum to avoid conscription in his home country, is all smiles. “Yesterday I got my status,” he says in English. “I’ll start learning French soon. In Turkey I studied international trade, so I’d like to look for some jobs in finance.”

Others’ stories continue indefinitely and may not end well.

“A lot of asylum seekers choose to stay in France, in secret, living in fear of being found out and seeing the destruction of whatever life they will have managed to build,” Chaumont says. “It’s a challenge for them to see that the paradise they’ve dreamed of might not be as welcoming as they’d imagined.”

Touré says he has no choice; he will stay in Paris whether he gets his papers or not. Olga and her girlfriend disappear from the meeting unnoticed, swallowed up by Paris, before Chaumont and his volunteers can register their names.

Facing an uncertain future Text and photos by Barbara Laborde

NAME ARTEM AGE 24 BIRTHPLACE RUSSIA

Artem fled to Paris after it became unbearable to live as a gay man in Russia. He was attacked in the street there and says he finally told his family he wanted to study in France. He has been with his boyfriend for three years, but his boyfriend currently lives in the United States. They want to find a way to live together.

Artem registered with OFPRA and has been waiting nine months for an answer.

He finds life in Paris “really tough” and is currently living in an apartment provided by a local association.

NAME MOHAMED AGE 24 BIRTHPLACE MALI

Mohamed fled his country via Senegal after his father discovered he is gay and tried to kill him. When Mohamed refused to marry a woman, his brother followed him; he soon found out about Mohamed’s sexuality and denounced him to the rest of the family. His father set fire to Mohamed’s home and business, and Mohamed escaped through a window.

His mother was more supportive but warned him to be careful. She had a heart attack and died a few days after he escaped.

Mohamed first fled to relatives in Paris, but his father threatened them and he had to leave. He no longer has contact with his family.

more at xtra.ca

XTRA! JAN 26, 2012

15

WE ARE DOING LONG-TERM VISIBILITY WORK ... WE ALSO NEED TO KEEP WELCOMING PEOPLE LIKE US.

— Ludovic Zahed, founder of Homosexual Muslims of France (HM2F)

: Ludovic Zahed founded HM2F, a group for gay Muslims in France. : The Paris LGBT centre is a welcoming space for gay asylum seekers trying to find a new home in France.

F

or those who grow up in religious environments, balancing faith and sexual orientation is an added challenge, even in France, where close-knit immigrant communities can be as homophobic and closed as they are back home.

“I’m a Muslim, I’m a homosexual, and people don’t like that,” says Touré.

When I tell him that in France there are some practising Muslims who don’t hide their sexuality, his eyes light up. “Really? At the same time?”

Ludovic Zahed, a doctoral student who founded Homosexual Muslims of France (HM2F), says there is no simple answer for those who want to embrace their religion, culture and sexuality.

“When I was a teenager I was very religious, very observant; I knew half the Koran by heart,” says Zahed, who was born in Algeria but came to France as a small child. “But at 17 or 18 I accepted that I was homosexual, that I was in love with this boy at the mosque and it was more than brotherly love. Now, in Islam that is forbidden. I found out I was HIV-positive at 19 and they said that was some kind of punishment.”

NAME AWA AGE 28 BIRTHPLACE GUINEA

SERGEI YAHCHYBEKOV

Zahed estimates that out of the dozens of Muslims, mostly youth and students, who have joined his association, only about 10 percent are practising. He is one of them.

He says he does not believe homosexuality is against the Koran, but he knows he has work to do to convince other Muslims of that.

“We are doing long-term visibility work, because

Awa says she became a lesbian so she could have “proper sexuality.” She was circumcised twice by her grandmother, who judged that the first operation hadn’t worked when she saw Awa with a lot of men.

Awa ran away from home after her father found out that she was in a relationship with a woman and beat her up. She has scars on her face from the beating and she lost several teeth. Her teeth were replaced in Paris.

Awa currently lives in a hotel and is waiting for an appointment with OFPRA. She has been in France since 2010.

the more visible we are, the fewer Muslims will see this as a problem, and the fewer Muslims will say it doesn’t exist. We also need to keep welcoming people like us.”

Jamel, who leads the group’s prayer and meditation committee, says, “I waited three years to find an association like this. For me, there is no incompatibility between sexuality and religion . . . God doesn’t want to keep people from being who they are.”

But Jamel says his family, from the Indian Ocean nation of Mauritius, doesn’t agree. “My mother and father are very traditional, very strict, and what other people say is important for them,” he says. “In my country, if you say you’re homosexual, people will pity you and reject you, and say, ‘What did we do to deserve this?’ There are some people who show their sexuality, who have a pride parade, but you have to be really strong to do that.”

Jamel’s parents don’t know about his sexual orientation, but he thinks they suspect something.

NAME JS AGE 24 BIRTHPLACE PALESTINE

In France on a student visa, he doesn’t know if he will go back home once his studies are finished.

He worries about the job market in France and the paperwork involved in staying legally.

Mohamed, from Ivory Coast, and Salim, from Algeria, also live double lives. In France they are active in the gay immigrant community, but in their home countries, they are not out to anyone.

Unlike Touré, who is ethnically African, Mohamed is from the Ivory Coast Lebanese community. There, he says, “the society is homophobic, but sexuality is just not a subject that excites people. You can live [your sexuality] if you do it anonymously. When I get back, I’ll have to make a choice.”

For Salim, however, switching lives became a bit too difficult. “Before [in Algeria], I had no gay life,” he says. Salim originally came to France on a student visa. “In France, I’ve been very out. When I went back to Algeria for vacation, I didn’t say anything.”

He returned to France the day before his student visa expired and filed an asylum claim. He has also filed a claim with Citizenship and Immigration Canada, after getting a good impression of the country while on a work term in Montreal.

“Both countries are studying my case,” he says.

“If Canada says yes, I’m going back there, because I love the two countries, Canada and France.”

In the meantime, Touré, Salim and dozens of other gay asylum seekers will remain isolated and in limbo in Paris, fearful of their illegal or irregular status, but much more fearful of being sent back home.

I met JS through the the gay Muslim association (he did not want to be identified for this story). He used to work in a government ministry, which paid well and afforded him a comfortable life. When he came to France for a conference, an ex-boyfriend sent pictures of their sexual life to the government and JS’s family. The story appeared on the covers of magazines, and he could not return to Palestine. He sold all his personal belongings to survive and now works as a sex worker. JS says he feels “like a machine without a soul.” He lives at his clients’ homes or at a space provided by a local sex work association. His sister was threatened by his family when she tried to send him money. He tried to commit suicide a few weeks ago.

16

Toronto’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! JAN 26, 2012

HIV CRIMINALIZATION

Canada’s top court could change the wa

Supremely intimate Marcus McCann THE SUPREME COURT OF CANADA IS preparing to hear a case that could reshape the contours of our sexual responsibility in the eyes of the law.

The hearing, slated for Feb 7, will consider Manitoba and Quebec cases where people did not disclose their HIVpositive statuses to sexual partners. It will be the first time in a decade that the court has tinkered with the rules, first set out in 1998’s Cuerrier decision, which require partners to disclose anything that would constitute a “significant risk of serious bodily harm.”

It’s hard to overestimate the effects of the 1998 decision. Since then, Canada has seen more than 130 people charged for not telling sexual partners they are HIV-positive. Similar charges are now being laid against people with other sexually transmitted infections, including hepatitis and herpes.

HIV advocates say that public health — rather than the criminal law — is the best place to deal with nondisclosure.

And even in cases where the law should intervene, it is out of all proportion for a poz person to face charges of aggravated sexual assault, says Cécile Kazatchkine of the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network.

It’s a popular charge among prosecutors, and it carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

On the one hand, the law of disclosure is becoming more harsh. At the same time, treatment options have vastly improved, making infection more of a chronic and manageable disease and less of a death sentence.

And that’s causing some people to change their minds. Isabel Grant, a law professor at the University of British Columbia, says her first reaction in the 1990s was, “of course that should be criminal.”

But she thought past that reaction, and she urges others to do the same.

“Are we doing anyone any good by prosecuting these cases?” she asks. “I would like people to ask themselves, Why are we singling out HIV?” At a practical level, mandating disclosure poses problems. For many, talking about HIV is no simple thing. For some

people, it’s next to impossible, emotionally and psychologically. And the stakes are high. People who talk about being poz run the risk of losing control of how that information is circulated.

“Some people lose jobs, some people lose loved ones, some people lose the support of their families for disclosing,” says Grant. “People risk violence if they disclose.”

Tim McCaskell, a spokesperson for AIDS Action Now, agrees.

“If I disclose to someone in a small or tight-knit community, they’re not a lawyer or a doctor. They’re under no obligation not to tell anyone,” he says.

“Often, the more vulnerable a person is, the more complicated that thought process becomes.”

That’s why if a poz partner uses a condom, Grant says, there should not be a duty to disclose. That way, poz folks can protect their partners, even if they can’t or don’t disclose their HIV status. The Supreme Court has never definitively ruled on whether condom use protects poz people from prosecution.

Other factors are perhaps trickier.

A person on a drug regimen plan like HAART (highly active antiretroviral therapy) can greatly reduce the number of copies of the virus in their system, by as much as 96 percent, making the virus hard or impossible to transmit — a fact that is increasingly being used by the defence in HIV-nondisclosure cases.

In the past, Grant publicly expressed concern about the workability of viral load defences in criminal prosecutions.

She has since changed her mind on this, too.

“I still think viral load is problematic,” she says. “But I think that if you’re going to maintain the significant risk test, it doesn’t mean anything if you don’t take into consideration low viral load.”

The two cases before the Supreme Court each touch on viral load and condom use. The court will hear appeals in both cases together in a tightly compressed format in a single day. The Manitoba case, Mabior, deals with multiple complainants, during a period in which

JOHN WEBSTER ILLUSTRATION

Deceptions, small and sometimes large, have from time immemorial been the by-product of romance and sexual encounters.

They often carry the risk of harm to the deceived party. Thus far in the history of civilization, these deceptions, however sad, have been left to the domain of song, verse and social censure.

—Beverley McLachlin, now the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, sharply criticized the majority decision in the first Supreme Court case dealing with HIV nondisclosure, Cuerrier, in 1998

How to wear a condom, according to one court

1

The condom must be used before the expiry date on the package.

2

The condom must be taken out of the package carefully. It should not be opened with teeth.

3

The condom must be stored in cool temperatures.

4

The courts’ role in adjudicating HIV cases leaves judges in the awkward position of adjudicating intimate details of our sex lives. At the Manitoba Court of Appeal, for instance, judges read into the record the following list of instructions for the proper use of a condom. While the list may constitute good advice, ought judges take on the role of Canada’s chief sexual health nurses?

The condom must not be squished or sat on.

5

The condom must be made of latex.

6

The condom must be correctly applied, which includes squeezing the air out of the tip of the condom and rolling it completely down the penis shaft.

7

Lubricant made out of specific materials must be used (no petroleum products, Vaseline or oils).

8

If there are any problems with the condom during intercourse, the condom must be replaced.

more at xtra.ca

XTRA! JAN 26, 2012

way you have sex the accused had a low viral load and sometimes used condoms. In the Quebec case, known as DC (the accused’s initials), a woman is charged with failing to disclose her HIV status to her partner before the first time they had sex. She disclosed afterward, and the relationship continued for several years. No partner in either case became HIV-positive as a result.

But when it comes to the complexities of sex and relationships, condoms and viral load are just the tip of the iceberg.

Do people have the same burden in all sexual situations? Is there a difference between lying and failing to volunteer information?

The BC Civil Liberties Association, an intervenor in the case, argues that when it comes to nondisclosure — rather than lying — not all sexual situations are the same.

“You don’t have a right to have unprotected sex,” says the BCCLA’s Micheal Vonn. “Cuerrier created an entitlement to be uninformed. That’s predicated on a whole raft of assumptions. Like, that everyone knows their status, which, of course, they don’t.”

But, she adds, “The onus shifts subtly in circumstances where people are presumed to be monogamous” and aren’t using condoms.

At the moment, there’s no hard and fast rule for when an HIV-positive person is under a duty to disclose. Poz folks have been prosecuted for sex with condoms and sex with low viral loads. In other cases, those factors have been a defence.

Everyone agrees that the law needs to be clarified. The danger is that the court may do so by removing the defences rather than affirming them, says Kazatchkine.

That would impose a duty to disclose in all circumstances, even when giving a blowjob, a scenario which poses virtually no risk to a HIV-negative partner.

The best possible outcome would be for the court to follow the science wherever it goes, rather than relying on gut reactions to HIV, says McCaskell.

“The best possible outcome? Not to overturn Cuerrier, but instead to establish factors in a scientific assessment,” he says. “I think they would want to leave it up to an expert witness.”

Everyone has a stake in this decision.

Poz people stand to lose the most from an adverse decision, but every sexually active Canadian will be affected. Not just because the case has the potential to change our legal obligations to each other, but because it could hamstring sexual health workers and scare some away from getting tested for HIV in the first place.

“A bad decision of the Supreme Court,” says McCaskell, “will be very bad for the health of Canada.”

Looking at HIV nondisclosure: What’s at stake?

Sex with a condom Quebec’s attorney general concedes that using a condom negates the legal obligation to disclose your HIV status before having sex. The attorney general of Manitoba, on the other hand, argues that poz folks must still disclose.

Sex with a low viral load HIV-positive people using HAART (highly active antiretroviral therapy) can greatly reduce the number of copies of the virus in their system, by as much as 96 percent, making the virus hard or impossible to transmit — a fact that is increasingly being used by defence lawyers in HIVnondisclosure cases.

9

When removing the penis from the vagina [sic], the condom should be held around the base of the penis to prevent spillage.

10

Both parties should be sober.

– THE DAILY MAIL

Oral sex While not the explicit subject of the cases before the Supreme Court of Canada, intervenors have asked the court to clarify whether oral sex — which is not a highrisk sexual activity — carries the burden of disclosure.

Aggravated offences Is HIV still a death sentence?

That’s one of the questions before the court, as it considers whether an HIV infection “wounds, maims, disfigures or endangers the life of the complainant.” The stakes are high. The maximum sentence for aggravated sexual assault is life in prison.

WALLIS. E DWARD.

Whether to prosecute

THEIR AFFAIR IGNITED A SCANDAL.

This may be considered obliquely.

While some of the language used by intervenors is couched in language that shows discomfort with the continued criminal prosecution of HIV-positive people, the backbone of the legal arguments address when — rather than whether — to prosecute people for nondisclosure.

THEIR PASSION BROUGHT DOWN AN EMPIRE.

Lying vs nondisclosure Courts do not distinguish between failing to volunteer one’s HIV status and actively lying about it.

The BC Civil Liberties Association will bring this argument to the Supreme Court.

Limiting prosecutions to actual transmission SOURCE: R V MABIOR (MANITOBA COURT OF APPEAL), BASED ON EVIDENCE PROVIDED TO THE COURT BY DR RICHARD SMITH

“ONE OF THE MOST COMPELLING LOVE STORIES IN HISTORY.”

In the UK, charges are laid only when there is both actual transmission and intent to transmit HIV (or recklessness).

The UK model is referred to in court documents.

Assumption of HIV status Even in Toronto’s gay community, where one quarter of men are HIV-positive, the law allows people to presume their sexual partners are HIV-negative until they are told otherwise.

ABBIE CORNISH ANDREA RISEBOROUGH JAMES D’ARCY AND OSCAR ISAAC THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY PRESENTS IN ASSOCIATION WITH SEMTEX FILMS “W.E.“ ABBIE CORNISH ANDREA RISEBOROUGH JAMES D’ARCY AND OSCAR ISAAC RICHARD COYLE CASTING DAVID HARBOUR DIRECTORS LUCINDA SYSON & ELAINE GRAINGER MUSICBY ABEL KORZENIOWSKI MAKE-UP & COSTUME PRODUCTION HAIR DESIGNER JENNY SHIRCORE DESIGNER ARIANNE PHILLIPS EDITOR DANNY B. TULL DESIGNER MARTIN CHILDS DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY HAGEN BOGDANSKI, B.V.K. CO-PRODUCERS COLIN VAINES SARA ZAMBRENO EXECUTIVE PRODUCED PRODUCERS SCOTT FRANKLIN DONNA GIGLIOTTI HARVEY WEINSTEIN

BY MADONNA KRIS THYKIER WRITTEN BY

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SUBJECT TO CLASSIFICATION

ARTWORK©2011 THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

IN THEATRES FEBRUARY 3RD

17

18

Toronto’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! JAN 26, 2012

SEXUAL POLITICS

Embracing diversity within diversity Guest Column Yuki Shirato

W

HEN I WAS 18 I ALMOST jumped off an eightstorey building in Tokyo.

I am an only child and my parents had always told me to “prosper and populate the family” — as the Asian saying goes. When I realized I was gay I wished I had not been born.

After my only gay friend actually committed suicide, I became motivated to save the lives of gay people and, to be honest, myself. I made queer friends online and we started the first queer group at Japan’s oldest university.

When we reached our mid-20s, many of my gay male friends got engaged to women, succumbing to social and family pressure, while continuing to sleep with men on the side. At one point I was tempted to marry a lesbian friend — these “setups” are also common.

Finally, against my friends’ advice, I came out to my parents. They were devastated at first but gradually became supportive and understanding, eventually coming to the conclusion that I

should move to a place where gay people are more accepted, somewhere I could possibly raise kids in a gay relationship.

So I immigrated to Canada, which, in 2008, was one of five countries where I could marry another man, something I want to do . . . eventually.

When I started searching for a boyfriend, however, I was shocked to find how “white” the queer community in North America is. I was also surprised by numerous offensive online dating profiles that openly said things like “I don’t eat chocolate/rice” or “any race (Euro preferred).”

I’ve found that for many North American men, race is a, if not the, make-orbreak attribute they are looking for in a hookup or partner. To my surprise, many of those who “only date white guys” are also East Asians and other men of colour.

This is one intersection of racism and homophobia. Every ethnic group is different, but in general, gays of colour experience the hurdles of being a double minority. We face deeply embedded cultural, religious, social and legal discrimination inside our ethnic group as well as external racism. To put it another way, we have to overcome internal homophobia, because of our ethnicity and sexual orientation, and

external racism, because of our colour and sexual orientation.

Kenji Yoshino, an openly gay professor at the New York University School of Law, coined the term “covering ” to describe a form of discrimination that directs itself against the subset of the group that fails to assimilate to

TO MY SURPRISE, MANY OF THOSE WHO ‘ONLY DATE WHITE GUYS’ ARE ALSO EAST ASIANS AND OTHER MEN OF COLOUR. mainstream norms. He says, “Outsiders are included, but only if we behave like insiders — that is, only if we cover.”

I see many Asian and other non-white gays in Canada trying to assimilate into mainstream “white” queer culture by dating or marrying Caucasians — disavowing racial identities, almost, in exchange for their sexual identities.

The phenomenon is so prevalent it adversely affects the self-esteem of Asians and other non-whites who are

TORONTO NEWS proud of their cultural heritage. To be fair, I also know there are some Asian gays who are interested only in other Asians. They are called, and call themselves, “sticky rice.” I haven’t heard white gays who date only Caucasians label themselves in some sardonic way; this is accepted as just “normal.”

I think this is an issue precisely because Canada is more diverse and multiethnic than Japan and most countries in the world. It is more complicated: it is not just foreign immigrants, students or expats, but also non-white “born and raised” Canadians who experience this intersectionality.

Canada has seen tremendous progress in terms of legal rights for gays and lesbians (though to a far lesser extent for trans people). But this progress created another, rather advanced, level of social stigma. When I was in Japan, I needed only to deal with homophobia.

Conscious Canadians have long been aware of the intersectionality of racism and homophobia (and any other grounds of discrimination). In 2001, the Ontario Human Rights Commission published a report calling for a more holistic, intersectional approach in discrimination complaint cases.

As a newcomer, I want to put it to you, Canadians of all races and sexual orientations: the time has come for us to stand up for the minorities among minority groups. The similar “conformist” pressure applies to any sub-minority groups within the queer community, such as trans people, impoverished gay people and other marginalized groups.

We need more diversity within diversity. By adding more colours to this already picturesque country, I am convinced Canada can lead the world in embracing diversity and social liberalism.

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A VISIBLY MOVED BRIAN BURKE, the president and general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, was given PFLAG Toronto’s Ally Award at a Jan 16 reception held at Ed Mirvish Theatre.

“I’m greatly honoured,” Burke told Xtra. “This shouldn’t be an issue — hopefully they won’t be giving this award in 20 years . . . hopefully someone reaching out to the gay community, that won’t be newsworthy.”

Burke has been involved with PFLAG for some time and supported his son Brendan when he came out publicly in 2009. Brendan, who was on his way to a promising hockey career, was killed in a car accident in 2010.

There are no out gay hockey players in the NHL. Ron MacLean, a popular CBC sportscaster, says sports media is partly to blame.

MacLean says CBC management and The Globe and Mail chastised him after he raised the issue of gays in sport with Mark Tewksbury, an openly gay former Olympian, during the Beijing Olympics.

“I was taken to task by The Globe and Mail for having broached the subject,” MacLean says. “It’s silly.”

—Frank Prendergast To see a video from the awards ceremony, visit xtra.ca.

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THE HALIFAX MAYORAL RACE GOT interesting Jan 19 when Fred Connors announced he will stand for the city’s top job.

Connors is known among Haligonians as an entrepreneur, a hairstylist and an onscreen style expert on Canada’s X-Weighted TV show.

Connors announced that he is running for mayor at a Halifax awards ceremony.

He is quoted by The Chronicle Herald as saying, “I’ve decided to throw my hat in the ring because I feel that this city needs a bit more vision, and I think this city needs to have a leader that is going to listen to the voices of the people that live here.”

For the past few years, Connors has been involved in local politics as a big proponent of the development of Halifax’s north end, as well as for his public flouting of a bylaw that prohibits residents from raising chickens. Connors has created a Tumblr account as part of his campaign.

As for his political background, Connors has said, “I don’t have all of the knowledge, but I am willing to learn the answers.”

—Simon Thibault

more at xtra.ca

XTRA! JAN 26, 2012

19

 ›  › 

Out City IN THE

DANCE

Check this, Janet

WHY SHOULD WE BE RETROFITTING OUR EROTIC AND EMOTIONAL LIVES TO FIT WITHIN THE CONFINES AND SHACKLES OF THE HETERO WORLD? Ryan Conrad ›24

ON STAGE

Dreams of performing with Ms Jackson helped launch Daniel Harder’s dance career Chris Dupuis

newly appointed artistic director Robert Battle and a few guests, kicks off a four-month tour in Toronto.

Of the four pieces he performs (there are eight in total over two evenings), Harder’s biggest challenge will be the lead role in Home, guest choreographer Rennie Harris’s hiphop infused exploration of the lives of people living with HIV. Created in partnership with drug company Bristol-Myers Squibb, the work began with a call for people living with the virus to submit their stories, which were then used as a creative starting point.

While the work is abstract and doesn’t present a specific narrative, creating it allowed company members to connect with the realities of HIV today.

“When I looked at each individual’s journey, I was impressed by how they chose to approach the disease, not looking at it as a burden and con-

THE COMMON NARRATIVE OF A GAY youth inspired to take up classical dance usually involves alabasterskinned swans, broad-shouldered princes or perhaps a human-sized implement for cracking nuts. But in the case of Daniel Harder, company member with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, it all started with Janet Jackson.

Growing up in a suburb of Washington, DC, Harder had a long-time dream of becoming a hip-hop pro.

But after he caught the local stop of Ms Rhythm Nation’s 1998 Velvet Rope tour, he realized what it was he really needed to do.

“I had already decided in my mind I would dance for Janet someday, and seeing that show made me more sure of it than ever,” he laughs. “But when I did more research after the show I found out her dancers usually studied ballet. I realized if I ever wanted to dance for her I would have to do the same.”

Intent on building his technique, Harder took drop-in classes at a local studio. He got a break early on when a friend of his mother’s got a tip that Debbie Allen (of Fame fame) would be auditioning dancers for Daniel Harder still dreams of dancing her academy at the Kenwith Janet Jackson. EDUARDO PATINO nedy Centre. Though he didn’t make it through the first round, Allen approached him tinuing to push forward in their lives after the audition and invited him to without letting it hold them back,” attend her summer program in Los he says. “At the same time I saw the Angeles. Featuring a mix of artists amount of stigma around it and realand teachers from across the globe, it ized the ways that we as a community opened his eyes to the possibility of a have failed. HIV is just one facet of an individual’s life, and our community full-fledged dance career.

Returning home, Harder enrolled needs to work harder to reach out to in a performing arts high school and each other.”

Commitment to a broader comwas later awarded a scholarship with The Ailey School in New York; he munity is a key element of Harder’s joined the company shortly after. Its level-headedness. Though egos can current show, which restages a num- swell with early success (he’s only 24), ber of founder Alvin Ailey’s original he remains passionately dedicated to choreographies alongside those of ensuring future generations of artists will have opportunities like he had.

“I’ve been given so much at a very the deets young age, so it’s extremely important ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN to me that I can give something back,” DANCE THEATER he says. “Eventually I’d like to start Thurs, Feb 2–Sat, Feb 4 my own company and help give young Sony Centre for the Performing Arts dancers an opportunity to develop.

1 Front St E And, of course, if Janet calls I’ll have sonycentre.ca to go dance for her.”

Adrianne Pieczonka as Tosca, with (from left) Mark Delavan as Scarpia and David Cangelosi as Spoletta. MICHAEL COOPER

Canada’s Superstar Sapphic Soprano Adrianne Pieczonka lives for art and love

O

Gerald Hannon

PERA AND GAY MEN? Big-time buddies (there’s even a website, barihunks.blogspot. com, devoted to photos of and gossip about the art form’s sexiest baritones). Opera and lesbians? Not so much. Maybe they don’t stand out as visibly as gay men do in the opera-going crowd, or maybe all those hoary plots about women dying or killing themselves or being murdered for the love of some guy just don’t make it as date-night material.

When it comes to singers, though, gay men and lesbians are on more equal ground — we don’t seem to make it to the highest echelons. David Daniels, one of the world’s leading countertenors, is very public about his sexuality. That’s one. There are American soprano Patricia Racette and her partner, Beth Clayton, also an opera singer (Racette in particular is top tier, with a career that takes her in lead roles to every major house in Europe and America). That’s three. There were rumours about Jessye Norman, the superb African-American soprano.

And now, there’s Adrianne Pieczonka.

She laughed and said, “I love it!” when I told her that I intended to refer to her as Canada’s Superstar Sapphic Soprano. Superstar is a term so overused that it’s next to meaningless, but if it includes appearing before enraptured audiences in every major opera house on the planet and waking up to

bouquets of critical acclaim, Pieczonka has a right to the title.

She sang a radiant Ariadne here in Strauss’s opera last year, and Toronto audiences are in the fortunate position this month of hearing her as Tosca, the ultimate diva role in Puccini’s crackling melodrama of the same name (the opera takes place in Rome in the Napoleonic period and puts Tosca in the position of having to barter her body for the life of her revolutionary lover, a prisoner of the corrupt head of the Roman secret police. There’s love, jealousy, attempted rape, murder, a firing squad, suicide and a lot of good tunes — you can’t do better).

Born in the States but raised in Burlington, Pieczonka was a classic tomboy, more interested in sports than artistic pursuits. It became clear in high school, though, that she had remarkable vocal powers, and she decided to pursue a career in music. Coming out as gay was not particularly stressful — she had a supportive family, had no problem finding dates but perhaps feels a tiny bit guilty that the demands of building a career in the highly competitive world of opera didn’t leave any time for gay political engagement (she says that she’d be happy to make an It Gets Better video should anyone ask).

She built her career in Europe (some 18 years in Vienna and London) but lives in Toronto now, partly because she cherishes this country’s liberal values, particularly on gay issues. It doesn’t hurt that she married another singer, Canadian mezzo Laura Tucker

(whom she met in 2004 while both were performing here in Die Walküre) and that they have a six-year-old daughter, Grace. For all the glamorous travel and the ovations, she remains something of a down-home gal: loves to cook, is level-headed, practical, thinks ahead to the hopefully long-distant day when she realizes it’s time to leave the stage and concentrate on teaching.

In the meantime, it’s great to add her to the very, very short list of out gay and lesbian opera singers. Her commitment to this city and this country’s values means that she’ll be a regular performer in upcoming seasons at the Canadian Opera Company (next year, she’ll be appearing in Poulenc’s Dialogues of the Carmelites, a 20th-century masterpiece set among Carmelite nuns at the time of the French Revolution).

This year, grab a ticket for Tosca. She’ll knock you out when she sings “Vissi d’arte”: “I lived for art; I lived for love.”

It’s Tosca’s great second-act aria, and though Pieczonka will have a version of love in mind different from Tosca’s, you’ll know she means every word of it.

the deets CANADIAN OPERA COMPANY’S TOSCA

Runs till Sun, Feb 26 (Pieczonka alternates performances with Julie Makerov) Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts 145 Queen St W coc.ca

20

Toronto’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! JAN 26, 2012

PHOTO EXHIBIT

listings ›

For more listings, go to xtra.ca

ART & PHOTOGRAPHY Yes. Yes. Try Less Gifted artist Jay Wilson showcases his mesmerizing and complex 3D sculptures and installations, made from everyday objects like toothpicks and orange peels. Runs till Sun, Feb 19. KWT Contemporary, 624 Richmond St W. Free. 416-624-2706. kwtcontemporary.com

Coming After A show featuring 15 local and international artists born after 1970 not featured in the popular gallery landscape, Coming After looks at queer identity and the impact of AIDS activism. Featuring Benny Nemerofsky Ramsay, Aleesa Cohene and more. Runs till Sun, March 4.

The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, 231 Queen’s Quay W. $3–6.

Free with membership. 416-9734949. thepowerplant.org

History, Glamour, Magic: Honouring the Heart of Will Munro

Catching up with Caravaggio

A collection of work from the visionary artist and party promoter who transformed the city and left us far too soon. Art Gallery of York University, Accolade East Building, 4700 Keele St. Runs till Mon, March 12. Free. yorku.ca/agyu

Between Two Worlds: A Photographic Homage to Caravaggio, by Franco De Simone, is on display at the Carrier Gallery in the Columbus Centre, 901 Lawrence Ave W, from Fri, Jan 27 to Fri, Feb 24.

Thom Alison @ Berkeley St Theatre on Mon, Feb 6.

HEALTH & ISSUES Positive Routes to Recovery A peer-facilitated support group for gay HIV-positive men that takes a harm-reduction approach to substance use. This safe and nonjudgmental environment focuses on individual goal-setting. Tues, Feb 7, 6–8pm. The 519 Community Centre, 519 Church St. Free. 416-392-6874. the519.org

An afternoon social for queer folks 55 and over. Meet new friends, and remember — it’s never too late to get lucky. Light refreshments provided.

Thurs, Jan 26, 2–4pm. SPRINT, 140 Merton St. Free. 416-481-0669 x287.

Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/xtra_canada or join us on Facebook at facebook.com/xtra.ca

Rainbow & Broadway

Lesbian Sex 101

Between a Word and a Thought

Sound strategies for picking up and, more importantly, what to do when you get her home. Wed, Feb 1, 7–9:30pm. Good for Her, 175 Harbord St. $33. 416-588-0900. goodforher.com

Toronto Roller Derby

LEISURE & PLEASURE Older LGBT

Get social!

Eggs over hard with a side of crystal balls. Correct your hangover and learn your future simultaneously.

Sun, Jan 29, 11am–3pm. Flying Beaver Pubaret, 488 Parliament St. $29, includes $5 brunch voucher.

647-347-6567. pubaret.com

Bon cop, bad cop. Whatever your pleasure is, learn the ropes of intimate role-playing and better your technique and imagination. Couples of all persuasions welcome. Thurs, Feb 2, 7–10pm. Good for Her, 175 Harbord St. $60 per couple. 416588-0900. goodforher.com

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Psychic Brunch

Role-Play Bootcamp for Couples

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is your source for Canada’s gay and lesbian news

A new season of Toronto Roller Derby begins Sat, Feb 4 at the Bunker @ Downsview Park.

Toronto Mendelssohn Choir Free Concert Enjoy the harmonies of a 150-voice choir performing in a breadth of styles, including Byrd, Verdi, Handel and more. Sat, Jan 28, 3pm.

Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge St. Free. tmchoir.org

Whip it. The DVAS and the Gore-Gore Rollergirls throw down with Chicks Ahoy to kick off the new season. Sat, Feb 4, 5pm. The Bunker, Downsview Park, 30 Carl Hall Rd. $12 advance, $18 door. torontorollerderby.com

Celebrating its 18th season, the Rainbow Chorus showcases a tribute to all things Broadway. Sat, Jan 28, 8pm. Harcourt United Church, 87 Dean Ave, Guelph. $5–20. 519-8292225. rainbowchorus.ca

Composer Zachary Florence presents an evening of music and storytelling accompanied by acclaimed performers Thom Alison, Eric Craig, Gabi Epstein and others.

Mon, Feb 6, 8pm. Berkeley St Theatre, 26 Berkeley St. $20. 416-368-3110. actingupstage.com

STAGE Ill Nana DiverseCity Dance Co Performing in the International Association of Blacks in Dance Conference, the troupe explores the intersections of race and sexuality through movement. Thurs, Jan 26, 9pm. Queen Elizabeth Theatre, 190 Princes’ Blvd. $50, $35 students, seniors. danceimmersion.ca

Leather Care Workshop and Leather Workshop Oh, God. Could it be the weather?

Worship it, savour it, but above all, take care of it. A workshop on how to treat and maintain your second skin and a chance to swap with fellow leather enthusiasts. Sun, Feb 5, 3pm. Black Eagle, 457 Church St. Donations encouraged. 416-4131219. blackeagletoronto.com

Singing for Love The Asian queer choir meets and welcomes new members. Cruise, croon and connect. No experience or auditions necessary. Wed, Feb 8, 5:30–7:30pm. The 519 Community Centre, 519 Church St. Free. 416427-4561. ariescheung.com/ singingforlove

MUSIC I Can’t Keep All of Our Secrets Love hunter Rae Spoon celebrates the release of a new record with a little help from pals Rouge and DJs Sigourney Beaver and Johnston Newfield. Fri, Jan 27, 10pm. The Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St W. $10–15. 416-531-4635. gladstonehotel.com

Ill Nana DiverseCity Dance Co @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Thurs, Jan 26

Home Hip-hop choreographer Rennie Harris extends the legacy of famed activist and dancer Alvin Ailey with a bold new production inspired by stories of those living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. Thurs, Feb 2, 8pm; Fri, Feb 3, 8pm; and Sat, Feb 4, 2pm. Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, 1 Front St E. $28–88. 647-438-5559. sonycentre.ca › continued on page 23

more at xtra.ca

XTRA! JAN 26, 2012

TELEVISION

RuPaul’s Drag Race returns

IT’S BITCHY, BOLD AND BRASH, AND it’s coming to a gay network near you.

Yes, RuPaul’s Drag Race has landed at OUTtv, and the fierce supermodel is set to conquer Canada all over again as she shepherds in a whole new generation of drag queens.

If you haven’t seen it yet, Drag Race is kind of like Tyra Banks’ America’s Next Top Model on crack. Whether in or out of drag, RuPaul’s contestants make Tyra’s gals look like finishing-school girls; no eyes are left unscratched as they strut, pout and rip each other to shreds vying for big money and a shot at a modelling career.

“That bitchy element is there because it’s so competitive,” says RuPaul.

“I mean, they’re going for $100,000 here. So they need to really work it.”

The series has been a steady ratings winner for the MTV and MuchMore networks and is now making the jump to OUTtv for its fourth season. Like Banks’ show, Drag Race highlights both the professional journeys of its contestants and the personal backstage drama that makes it such a guilty pleasure.

But RuPaul adds an extra twist to the proceedings, requiring her girls to design and construct outfits, compete in Survivor-style challenges and talk about their own personal journeys as gay men who perform in drag. The host also appears regularly out of drag, offering the advice and coaching he never received when first starting out 30-plus years ago.

“The biggest story here for me is

really legacy,” RuPaul says. “It’s me sharing my own legacy about how I’ve been able to unleash the fierceness unto the world. We’ve now had 50 kids who have come through our show and basically taken over the drag game.

“They’re working all around the world and making money. That’s the thing I’m most proud of, creating a portal for these kids to create their own stories.”

RuPaul offers tips on everything from makeup to personality representation but is careful to allow her protégés the room to build their own personas, rather than just copy their mentor’s.

“In terms of art, you need to have a template,” she says. “When I started out, I based mine on stars like David Bowie, Cher and Diana Ross. As you move forward on this path, you collect parts of your personality that become more revealed. When you reach your destination, you reach something real.”

Finding the real you by slapping on some makeup and learning to walk in heels might not be the journey for everyone, but it’s certainly worked for our favourite glamazon. With six albums, a few films and countless TV appearances under her belt, RuPaul is clearly a survivor in the ruthless game of celebrity.

Sure there have been hard times: 2004’s criminally under-appreciated album Red Hot featured some of the singer’s best vocal performances but was hampered by an eight-year dearth of queer media coverage during the Bush administration. RuPaul persevered in the dance club scene, produc-

ing another album and biding her time until friendly climes returned.

“They are always little windows of openness,” she says. “We experienced that in the ’70s with free love, then in the Clinton time, which is when I got famous, and then again in 2008 just before Obama got into office.

“But it’s the same old dance, really.

The human ego is so at home with fear and turmoil. Sometimes I think we really don’t want to be happy, actually.”

Facing up to feelings of unworthiness and fear has remained at the forefront of RuPaul’s work, not only with herself but with the young queens she mentors on her show. Sometimes it’s an uphill battle.

“I know I tripped early on over certain ideas about myself,” she says. “I needed to please other people, and I didn’t like the pain of being ostracized.

But if I’m holding on to an old useless idea, then I’m not able to make space for something new. So I gave up believing that I’m a victim of this world and so different from everybody else.

“It’s so embarrassing to admit, but I would create situations that would support the feeling that I was less than everyone else. The challenge is, are you willing to let go of that story? If you do, when you do, something new and amazing will open up.”

the deets RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE

Premieres Mon, Jan 30 9pm ET/PT OUTtv

An exhibition of photographs by SHIFT youth participants

January 31st - February 28th, 2012 Opening Reception:

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012 6.30- 8.30pm Sherbourne Health Centre Great Room (2nd floor) 333 Sherbourne Street, Toronto

(just south of Sherbourne and Carlton)

For details:

416.324.5077 soy@sherbourne.on.ca

SHIFT is SOY’s annual photography project for queer and trans youth who are interested in learning about photography, camera operation, darkroom printing and creative expression.

Special thanks to SHIFT friends and sponsors: • Toronto Arts Council • Sherbourne Health Centre • Gallery 44 • Xtra!

Photo credit: Thea

Serafin LaRiviere

21

22

Toronto’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! JAN 26, 2012

ON THE MENU

Food for thought The Artists’ Soup Kitchen fills the city’s creative stomachs Johnnie Walker

: Popular queer hangout

The Raging Spoon has been sold.

: Jess Dobkin with queer

baker and artist Karen Frostitution.

JOHNNIE WALKER

EVERYONE’S HEARD OF “STARVing artists.” But how seriously do you take the term? For celebrated queer performance artist Jess Dobkin, the answer is: pretty seriously.

“Artists still constitute an underserved community,” Dobkin says.

“Artists’ social contribution is really undervalued, and so many artists are among the working poor in Toronto.”

It’s with these concerns in mind that Dobkin conceived of The Artists’ Soup Kitchen, a project in the midst of a sixweek run at gay-friendly Queen West café The Raging Spoon.

A soup kitchen for artists sounds like the setup for a New Yorker cartoon, but Dobkin isn’t joking: “We are serving a real hot lunch to artists every week.

Each week we have a different host artist who brings their practice to the kitchen, so the menu changes each week . . . and we’re set up to serve 100 people.”

On Jan 9, Ulysses Castellanos brought a Dr Seuss–inspired meal (green eggs and ham) to hungry actors, writers and dancers.

On Jan 16, queer artists (and reallife couple) Helen Reed and Hannah Jickling served up Mystic Pizza, a lunch combining artistic pizza creations and

psychic readings. A team of psychics “read” the crust and grease stains left behind on the paper lunch plates, à la tea leaves. That piece of mushroom on the left side of your plate? It probably represents a blocked section of your emotional intuition.

Besides dispensing food (and fortunes) to the city’s creatives, The Artists’ Soup Kitchen also serves as a farewell for The Raging Spoon.

“The Raging Spoon’s building has actually been sold,” Dobkin explains.

“So, in a way, the soup kitchen can speak to the gentrification of Queen West and how these spaces that are important community hubs can be taken away . . . They’re just staying open for these six Mondays for The Artists’ Soup Kitchen. This is the last project that will be happening in that space.”

At least it’s going out with a delicious bang. On Jan 30, queer artist (and cofounder of The People Project for spectrum youth) Nat Tremblay will prepare a meal based on the idea of storytelling: “I want to recall animated raconteurs from my past, sharing stories around fires and at harvest celebrations to inspire laughter even in hard times.”

Then on Feb 6, Annie Onyi Cheung is designing a lunch served in miniature portions.

For Dobkin, who’s preparing a catalogue documenting the project (featuring photography, writing and recipes), The Artists’ Soup Kitchen is a relevant political dish: “We conceived the project before the Occupy movement, but I think it’s part of a bigger conversation that’s going on about funding, access to services and the economic climate in general.”

ARTISTS’ SOCIAL CONTRIBUTION IS REALLY UNDERVALUED, AND SO MANY ARTISTS ARE AMONG THE WORKING POOR IN TORONTO.

—Jess Dobkin

But there’s also a healthy mix of the timeless with the topical. As Dobkin explains, “We’re talking about the idea of nourishment. Physical nourishment, relational nourishment . . . And I’m interested in creating projects where we’re putting out an idea, and the people that come to the project are more than just audience members — they’re participants. They’re contributing to making it what it is.”

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STAGE The Boom Show Video on Trial star Trevor Boris performs standup with Yuk Yuk’s veteran Mike Wilmot alongside Montreal folk duo Burrows. Thurs, Feb 2, 8–11pm.

The Drake Hotel, 1150 Queen St W. $10. 416-531-5042. boomcomedy.com

The Laramie Project Lest we forget. The groundbreaking play portraying the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard and a small town on the verge of infamy is as timely now as it was then.

Featuring Lucy Eveleigh, Aaron Sidenberg, Avra Fainer and more. Runs till Sun, Feb 5, 7:30pm. Toronto Centre for the Arts, 5040 Yonge St. $28–29.50. 416-733-9388. encoreshows.com

Man 2 Man Boy meets boy — wait for it — in church. In celebration of Black History Month, the University of Toronto revisits Kwame Stephens’ play that juggles race, sexuality and religion. Tues, Feb 7, 7:30pm.

Hart House Theatre, 7 Hart House Circle, University of Toronto. Free. 416-978-2452. harthouse.utoronto.ca

XTRA! JAN 26, 2012

23

IN PRINT

The comfort of crime fiction Lesbians love Sara Paretsky Shannon Webb-Campbell WHEN CHICAGO AUTHOR SARA Paretsky arrived on the scene 30 years ago with VI Warshawski — her kickass, Johnnie Walker–slurping, opera-singing, sexual, female private investigator protagonist — she was writing in a league of her own.

Until Paretsky created Warshawski, there were very few lead characters in crime novels who were women.

Both writer and fictional character have evolved over the years.

“I used to think the animal that would best describe me was a tiger,” says Paretsky, 64, who recently released Breakdown, the latest Warshawski mystery.

“Mean-spirited yet graceful. More and more, I’m thinking I’m more like a snapping turtle. Mean and limber.”

Paretsky was in Toronto on Jan 17 to promote her new thriller at the Star Talks series at the Toronto Reference Library. Breakdown finds VI, now 50 years old, on a dangerous and complex murder case.

Paretsky has topped The New York Times bestseller charts and received last year’s Mystery Writers of America’s

the deets BREAKDOWN

By Sara Paretsky Penguin USA $26.95

Grand Master Award. She has an insatiable readership and a significant lesbian following.

“I know that I do, and many of the women I am really close to, I would say two thirds are lesbians,” she says. “So even though VI isn’t a dyke, there is a strong following. I don’t know if it’s the strength of her personality or her operating solo in the world. I always thought it would be rude and inappropriate to ask my friends. Maybe it wouldn’t be.”

Paretsky says she can’t remember a time when she didn’t write. Her 17 VI Warshawski books have been translated into nearly 30 languages.

Raised in a violent household, Paretsky says her fascination with crime fiction was a refuge, and writing it was cathartic.

“I do really believe that you are experiencing the fear and death vicariously, and I think there is a way in which it makes you feel protected from violence and death because you’ve had the emotional experience in the book,” she says. “So you think now it won’t really happen to you. I don’t know. I don’t read as much crime fiction as I used to; it was once all I read. Now I read a lot of general fiction.

I still get a lot of comfort from crime fiction.”

Sara Paretsky was recently in Toronto promoting her latest book. SHANNON WEBB-CAMPBELL

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Hughie The two-character, oneact play that has graced Broadway and other stages internationally gets the Hogtown treatment with Dora Award–nominated actor Michael Kash and David Collins.

Think Midnight Cowboy in the lobby of a low-rent New York hotel. Runs Wed, Feb 8–Sat, March 3. The Theatre Centre, 1087 Queen St W. $25, $20 students and seniors. 416538-0988. theatrecentre.org

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24

Toronto’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! JAN 26, 2012

IN PRINT

Not the marrying kind

Activist Ryan Conrad critiques the gay equality movement Matthew Hays

really going to warp the minds of queer and trans youth. I was lucky growing up because I was never expected to get gay-married and I had the freedom to develop into the kind of person I am because I wasn’t being inundated with fanatical homo-flavoured family-values rhetoric that situates marriage as the ultimate goal and the only good way to have a healthy gay relationship.

SAME-SEX MARRIAGE REMAINS A contentious issue in the US political arena, and many progressive Americans marvel that it has been legal in Canada for years.

But Ryan Conrad doesn’t join in the celebration of what many see as Canada’s great leap forward. The US activist — who is now working on a PhD at Concordia University in Montreal — is part of the American group Against Equality. The collective takes issue with mainstream concepts of gay and lesbian activism.

Xtra recently sat down with Conrad in Montreal.

XTRA: Some people see the fight for marriage equality as a very basic sign of respect for the relationships of gay and lesbian people. Why isn’t this just a simple matter of same-sex couples being treated the same way oppositesex couples are?

RYAN CONRAD: Oh, honey, if you need the church and state to tell you that you’re worth it, you’ve got more selfesteem issues than your flagrant wedding ceremony is going to compensate for. I mean, seriously, do we have to stoop to straight people’s level? Why should we be retrofitting our erotic and emotional lives to fit within the confines

One of the most interesting points you make is that so much money is now being devoted to legal battles over same-sex marriage, leaving other issues behind.

Ryan Conrad thinks straight people should be conforming to queer norms. LAURENCE COLLIN

and shackles of the hetero world? How about straight folks adjust their laws to better match the varied ways we queers make family and not the other way around? Fuck being equal. Let’s use our queerest gift — creativity — and pave the way to a future that’s not just equal, but better.

But some gay people simply want to settle down in a cozy relationship and stockpile Ikea furniture. What’s so wrong with that?

None of us has a problem with domesticity or even monogamy. Hell, you should see me in the kitchen working it in my apron. We just don’t think people who want that kind of life should benefit from special rights administered by the state while those of us who don’t want to marry, for whatever reason, are being coerced to marry to access basic rights and legal protections that all people should have. I also worry that the overwhelming media representations of gay identity and politics in which everyone is being shown as desperate to wed is

It is rather distressing how little attention this issue gets. Having recently expatriated to Montreal from Maine, I can tell you that during the gay-marriage campaign in 2009, the gays there spent more than $6 million in nine months on a losing battle for gay marriage. That is in one of the poorest states in the country where the very few agencies that provide essential services to LGBTQ2S people are cutting programs and closing doors. This kind of voracious, single-issue spending is totally insulting. Imagine what kind of services and long-term cultural change could happen if our social ser-

vice agencies had even a fraction of the budget these shortsighted campaigns do. Instead, we have queer and trans youth organizations closing left and right, while the pile of lifeless bodies gets higher and higher.

Politics always makes for strange bedfellows, and you’re now on the same side of this argument as some pretty odious politicians. Does that ever make you squirm?

I think situating us as on the same side, let alone in the same bed, as heterosupremacists and religious zealots is a mistake. The binary being created by the liberal mainstream gays and the homophobic religious right is a distraction from what we are actually trying to get at. We are trying to challenge the logic that marriage should determine whether or not people live or die — we’re talking about healthcare, financial security and immigration status, among other issues. And after all, we are advocating the destruction of the centrality of marriage and the nuclear family unit, so I don’t think we can be so easily situated with pieces of human trash like Fred Phelps, Maggie Gallagher, Dick Cheney and all the rest of them. The whole you’re-either-withus-or-the-terrorists mentality that pervades the pro-gay-marriage camp sounds very George W Bush and leaves little room for actual critical thinking.

the deets QUEER CRITIQUES OF GAY MARRIAGE AND DON’T ASK TO FIGHT THEIR WARS

Ryan Conrad (editor) Against Equality Press $10

more at xtra.ca

XTRA! JAN 26, 2012

I love how happy Jason, David, Juan, Mike and Alex are in this picture. Maybe not Alex, but the rest of them are ecstatic!

It’s kind of a picture of the evolution of beards, too. From Jason all the way to Alex, the beard just gets thicker, from clean-shaven to stubble to scruff to full-on beard. There’s a lot going on here. Business Woman’s Special just keeps getting better by the month. As the beards grow in size and numbers, so does the strength of the party.

XPOSED

Anna A nna Pournikova

Sitting very, very pretty are Olivia, Barb and April (the organizer of Business Woman’s Special).

Look at the tights, the bracelets, the boobs. This photo showcases everything I love about girls. Oooh, the sass is thick in here.

25

Everyone loves the “Call Your Girlfriend” video by Robyn where she rave dances around like the perfect little continuous-shot Tinkerbell that she is. But not everyone loves it as much as Heidi does. She even dressed up as Robyn from the video for Business Woman’s Special. I want to be her best friend for life.

Recognize this goof? Why, it’s Aeryn Pfaff looking rather dapper and very butch for him. He’s so butch, in fact, that there’s a slight detection of Angus Young from AC/DC there. It’s only a hint, maybe an unconscious inspiration, but it’s most definitely there. Just the tip of Angus Young on a very butch Aeryn Pfaff. Loves it.

I only ever run into Scotty B Goode at one of two places: art galleries for opening nights and women’s arm-wrestling championships.

Seriously, those are his two haunts. I hear he sometimes goes to the Dakota, too, but that’s just his side hustle.

At the Angell Gallery for John Kennedy’s show, I chewed his and Aurielle’s ears off about my fucking dog.

I’ve totally become one of “those” people.

So ashamed.

Look how smooth and clean Robert’s fade is on his haircut. It really is a work of art. Even better than Beyoncé’s lace front weaves (cough cough; kidding — you can always see girlfriend’s seams). I see him at my gym on the regular, and that hair looks just as amazing after an hour on the elliptical as it does at night.

I haven’t seen Adam in ages, or Elyse for that matter. I had the biggest crush on Elyse forever and ever, years ago. I doubled her on the back pegs of my BMX when I was much younger, and she had this hot septum piercing that drove me nuts. Just thought I’d massively overshare with the world right there. Bet I won’t regret that when I see it in print.

Not one iota.

John Kennedy is one of my favourite artists. He’s showing at the Angell Gallery on Ossington currently, and if you get a chance, you should check it out.

He uses a bright, monochromatic colour palate to create stunning yet moody landscapes that capture the viewer instantly. I could just gaze at them for hours. So much better than TV.

The big talk was that the Henhouse is changing hands. Katie’s no longer going to be the owner. See, people, owning a resto/bar is really, really hard.

Way harder than it looks and way less glamorous. I’m interested to see what it will be like under new ownership.

Oh yeah, and this is Jeremy from the Gladstone and his friend Aimee.

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Toronto’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! JAN 26, 2012

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NIGHTCLUB L THURS, JAN 26

Absolut Sultry Saturdays, with DJ/ producer Cajjmere Wray. 11pm. Byzantium, 499 Church St. No cover. byz.ca

Bingo, with Teran Blake, from 2–5pm; Don’t Mess with the Boss, with Michelle Ross, at 9pm; Farra N Hyte, with guests Sabrina and Natalia, at 11pm.

George’s Play, 504 Church St. No cover. playonchurch.com

Squirt.org Best Men’s Ass Contest, with Sofonda and DJ Chris Steinbach. Midnight.

Woody’s, 465 Church St. No cover. woodystoronto.com

SUN, JAN 29

Retro Night. Strippers dance to ’70s and ’80s music. 5pm–2am. Remington’s, 379 Yonge St. $5 after 8pm. remingtons.com

Bingo, with Teran Blake, from 2–5pm; Playgirl, with Heaven Lee Hytes and Teran Blake, at 9pm; HOLA Drag-a-Thon fundraiser, from 11pm–1am. George’s Play, 504 Church St. No cover before 11pm, $5 suggested donation after. playonchurch.com

Ladyplus Parties, for t-girls and those who love them, with DJ Todd Klinck. 8pm–2am.

Goodhandy’s, 120 Church St. Ladies and ladyplus members no cover, gents $5. ladyplus.com All That Jazz. Live jazz every Thursday.

9pm. WAYLA, 996 Queen St E. No cover. whatareyoulookingatbar.com Clint Lyckher, Charo Batista and DJ Alex at 9pm; Vocal Rehab karaoke, with DJ Elyse, in The Zone, and DJ Craig Dominic in Tangos at 10pm; Drama Queens, with Heroine Marks and guest, at 11pm. Crews & Tangos, 508 Church St. No cover. crewsandtangos.com Rocket! with VJ/DJ Sumation playing top 40 and dance videos every Thursday.

10pm–3am. fly, 8 Gloucester St. No cover. flynightclub.com Smirnoff Best Chest Contest, with DJ Mark Falco. Midnight. Woody’s, 465 Church St. No cover. woodystoronto.com

FRI, JAN 27 Bingo, with Teran Blake, from 2–5pm; Don’t Mess with the Boss, with Michelle Ross, at 7pm; Teran Blake and Miss Conception at 9pm; Muy Caliente, with Sasha Montenegro, at 11pm. George’s Play, 504 Church St. No cover. playonchurch.com Girlesque 7: An Evening of Decadence. A burlesque one-nighter with five members of the Burlesque Top 50. 8pm. Revival Nightclub, 783 College St. $35 advance, $40 door. greatcanadianburlesque.com Frenzy Fridays in the men’s sex club.

8pm–4am. Urge, 199 Church St. $9. urgetoronto.com Men of Steel. Strippers onstage.

8pm. Remington’s, 379 Yonge St. $10. remingtons.com Ivory Towers, Katherine Dior, Olivya Chin, Heroine Marks and DJ Chris at 8:30pm; Club Lite, with DJ Relentless, in The Zone, and Ethnic Vibes, with DJ Roxanne Hector, in Tangos at 10pm; Bitchapalooza, with Amanda Roberts, Daytona Bitch and DJ Sarah, at 11pm. Crews & Tangos, 508 Church St. No cover. crewsandtangos.com The Cheap Show, with host Lena Over and special guest Heaven Lee Hytes. 9pm.

Zelda’s, 692 Yonge St. No cover. zeldas.ca Mighty Real, hosted by Max Mohenu, with DJs John Caffery and The Robotic Kid spinning acid, disco and house. 9:30pm.

Cold Tea, 60 Kensington Ave. No cover.

Fay Slift performs at Fuck U Friday @ Buddies on Fri, Jan 27. dancefloor. 10pm. The Barn, 418 Church St. No cover. thebarnnightclub.com Push It! with DJs Cozmic Cat and Lucie Tic. 10pm–3am. Slack’s, 562 Church St. No cover before 11pm. slacks.ca Fuck U Friday, with drag performance

by Fay Slift and DJs Steve Rock, Triple-X and Posterboy. 10:30pm. Buddies, 12 Alexander St. $5 with non-perishable food item. buddiesinbadtimes.com Cruiseline’s Best Men’s Ass Contest, with Georgie Girl and DJ Chris Steinbach.

Midnight. Woody’s, 465 Church St. No cover. woodystoronto.com

SAT, JAN 28 Bingo, with Teran Blake, from 2–5pm; Don’t Mess with the Boss, with Michelle Ross, at 7pm; The Voluptuous, with Farra N Hyte and Vitality Black, at 9pm; Dance Music, with DJ Oscar, at 11pm.

George’s Play, 504 Church St. No cover. playonchurch.com Hot Wax and Temperature Play Workshop, with Master Tony. 3–7pm. Black Eagle, 457 Church St. $10. blackeagletoronto.com Cherry Bomb on Ice, with DJs Denise Benson and Cozmic Cat spinning for the ice/dance rink. Skate rental available.

8–11pm. The Natrel Rink, 235 Queen’s Quay W. No cover. harbourfrontcentre.com Naked Dance, with TNTmen. 8pm–2am.

Goodhandy’s, 120 Church St. $8, $5 for members, $4 for students with ID. tntmen.org Triple Threat: Devine Darlin, Lady G and Jada Hudson, with DJ Jay, at 8:30pm.

Robyn DeCradle and DJ Chris in Crews; Super Saturdays, with DJ Craig Dominic, in The Zone; and Superfly, with DJ Quinces, in Tangos, all at 10pm. Crews & Tangos, 508 Church St. No cover. crewsandtangos.com Slinky, with DJs Triple-X and Poster Boy spinning classics. 9pm. Flying Beaver Pubaret, 488 Parliament St. $5. pubaret.com

Joe & Steve’s Funny Video Show from 4–6pm; Wacky Video Mix from 6–8pm.

Black Eagle, 457 Church St. No cover. blackeagletoronto.com Stage-to-Screen Show, with Donnarama and Daytona Bitch, at 6pm; Drag Legend Show, with Michelle Ross and Georgie Girl, at 9pm; Georgie Girl and Donnarama welcome Sofonda at 11pm. Woody’s, 465 Church St. woodystoronto.com Michelle Ross, Lady G, Jada Hudson and Vitality Black at 7pm; Devine Darlin at 9pm; Party Rock Sundays, with the Toronto Drag Kings, at 10:30pm; Kera Keys, Farra N Hyte and DJ Sarah at 11pm.

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

MON, JAN 30 Dirty Bingo, hosted by Lena Over, Gloria Hole and Roxy Rollover. 8:30pm. Zelda’s, 692 Yonge St. No cover. zeldas.ca Glitz & Glam, with Carlotta Carlisle, at 9pm; Candice Star Search at 11pm. Crews & Tangos, 508 Church St. No cover. crewsandtangos.com All-Star Karaoke, with Danny Reddey and his 30,000 songs. 10pm.

George’s Play, 504 Church St. No cover. playonchurch.com Mix Fix Mondays, with DJs Shan Dub and Boots Boogie playing funk, disco and classics. 10pm–2:45am. Crawford, 178 College St. $5

TUES, JAN 31 Bad Boys’ Night Out, with DJ Chris Steinbach. 4pm. Woody’s, 465 Church St. No cover. woodystoronto.com Don’t Mess with the Boss, with Michelle Ross, at 9pm; Divine Intervention, with Heaven Lee Hytes, at 11pm.

George’s Play, 504 Church St. No cover. playonchurch.com Karaoke with Foofer, every Tuesday.

9pm–1am. WAYLA, 996 Queen St E. No cover. whatareyoulookingatbar.com TICOT Industry Tuesday, with Candice Kelly, Nikki Chin and DJ Devine, from 9–11:30pm; Vocal Rehab, with DJ Elyse, in the Zone, and All Request, with DJ Quinces, in Tangos at 10pm; Bittersweet, with Amanda Roberts, Honey Brown and DJ Relentless, at 11pm. Crews & Tangos, 508 Church St. No cover. crewsandtangos.com

Eurohouse, with DJ Truewind. 10pm–3am.

WAYLA, 996 Queen St E. $5.

The Drag Show: Club Kids, hosted by Daytona Bitch and Heroine Marks. 9pm.

Zelda’s, 692 Yonge St. No cover. zeldas.ca

Dance Camp Electric Circus, with DJ Mark Falco and DC’s Pop Candy Lounge downstairs. 10pm. fly, 8 Gloucester St. No cover before 10:30pm, $10 after. flynightclub.com

Mad House Saturdays, with DJ ViVi Diamond spinning house, top 40 and remixes for mental-case cuties. 10pm– 3am. The Barn, 418 Church St. No cover. thebarnnightclub.com, themadhouse.ca

Battle Pop: Madonna vs Kylie, with DJ Craig Dominic. 10pm–3am. The Barn, 418 Church St. $5. thebarnnightclub.com

Pop Machine, with DJs Shane Percy and Alessandro. 10pm. WAYLA, 996 Queen St E. $5 after 10pm. whatareyoulookingatbar.com

Sports Gear Night. 10pm. Black Eagle, 457 Church St. No cover. blackeagletoronto.com

fly’s 13th Anniversary, with DJs Isaac Escalante (Mexico City) and Shawn Riker. Advance tickets at fly, Priape and wantickets.com. 10pm. fly, 8 Gloucester St. $20 for first 200, $25 for next 300, more at the door. flynightclub.com

Ballroom Basics Workshop, with DJs Cozmic Cat, John Caffery and the Toronto Kiki Ballroom Alliance. Part of the Will Munro: Glamour, History, Magic exhibition. 6–9pm. The Underground, York University, 4700 Keele St. No cover. theagyuisoutthere.org

Mr Big, with DJ Dwayne Minard. 10:30pm.

Smith, 553 Church St. $5 before 11pm, $10 after. 553church.com

Tranny Shack, with Stephanie Stevens, at 9pm; Amanda at 11pm. George’s Play, 504 Church St. No cover. playonchurch.com

Release party for Rae Spoon’s sixth CD, I Can’t Keep All of Our Secrets, with Rouge performing live and DJs Sigourney Beaver, Johnston Newfield and Kaleb Robertson spinning. 10pm. Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St W. Cover TBA. gladstonehotel.com i-Party, where all requests for DJ Sumation come via mobile devices from the

Varsity Tuesdays. So You Think You Can Strip? 9pm. Remington’s, 379 Yonge St. $5, no cover with student ID. remingtons.com

WED, FEB 1

more at xtra.ca

ISTINGS Men of Steel. Strippers onstage.

9pm. Remington’s, 379 Yonge St. $5. remingtons.com

WinJester Bucket-of-Comedy, hosted

by Michael McLean. 9pm. Winchester Kitchen & Bar, 51A Winchester St. winchesterkitchen.com Michelle Ross and Nicolette Brown at 9pm; Nite Skool, with DJ Relentless, at 10pm; Farra N Hyte and guest at 11pm.

Crews & Tangos, 508 Church St. No cover. crewsandtangos.com Hump Day, with DJ Mark Falco. 9pm.

Woody’s, 465 Church St. No cover. woodystoronto.com College Night, with DJ Sumation. 10pm– 3am. The Barn, 418 Church St. No cover. thebarnnightclub.com Amplify Wednesdays supports local DJs. 10pm. Goodhandy’s, 120 Church St. $5 before 11pm, $10 after. goodhandys.com

THURS, FEB 2 Muscle Thug Thursdays in the sex maze.

8pm–2am. Urge, 199 Church St. No cover before 10pm with valid gym membership card. urgetoronto.com Retro Night. Strippers dance to ’70s and ’80s music. 8pm. Remington’s, 379 Yonge St. $5. remingtons.com Ladyplus Parties, for t-girls and those who love them, with DJ Todd Klinck. 8pm– 2am. Goodhandy’s, 120 Church St. Ladies and ladyplus members no cover, gents $5. ladyplus.com

The Cheap Show, with Lena Over and Heaven Lee Hytes. 9pm. Zelda’s, 692 Yonge St. No cover. zeldas.ca Big Primpin’ hiphop party. 10pm.

Wrongbar, 1279 Queen St W. $5. wrongbar.com i-Party, where all requests for DJ Sumation come via mobile devices from the dancefloor. 10pm. The Barn, 418 Church St. No cover. thebarnnightclub.com Dirty Sexy Party, hosted by Sofonda and Joseph Patrick, with featured pornstar.

10pm. fly, 8 Gloucester St. $10, $8 with student ID. flynightclub.com Full Fetish Friday monthly theme night.

Leather, rubber, sportswear or uniform encouraged. 10pm. Black Eagle, 457 Church St. No cover. blackeagletoronto.com Cruiseline’s Best Men’s Ass Contest, with Georgie Girl and DJ Mark Falco. Midnight.

Woody’s, 465 Church St. No cover. woodystoronto.com

SAT, FEB 4 Triple Threat, with Devine Darlin, Lady G and Jada Hudson, at 9pm; DJ Craig Dominic in The Zone, and DJ Quinces in Tangos at 10pm; Robyn DeCradle and guest at 11:30pm. Crews & Tangos, 508 Church St. No cover. crewsandtangos.com

Reality Bytes: ’90s Night Xtra Cheese Edition, with DJs 4est, Lindzrox & Jrox and guests. 9pm–2:30am. Augusta House, 152 Augusta Ave. No cover before 11pm, $5 after.

Northbound Leather’s Fetish Night, with DJ Jimi LaMort. Dress code in effect: leather, rubber, PVC, fetish sex wear, drag, lingerie and underwear, uniforms and goth. 9pm–3am. Goodhandy’s, 120 Church St. $5 before 10pm, $15 after. goodhandys.com

All That Jazz. Live music with Jeff Hewer.

9pm. WAYLA, 996 Queen St E. No cover. whatareyoulookingatbar.com Don’t Mess with the Boss, with Michelle Ross, at 9pm; Farra N Hyte, with guests Sabrina and Natalia, at 11pm.

George’s Play, 504 Church St. No cover. playonchurch.com Clint Lyckher, Charo Batista and DJ Alex at 9pm; Vocal Rehab karaoke, with DJ Elyse, in The Zone, and DJ Craig Dominic in Tangos at 10pm; Drama Queens, with Heroine Marks and guest, at 11pm. Crews & Tangos, 508 Church St. No cover. crewsandtangos.com

The ’90s House Music Tribute Party, featuring Michael Watford live and DJs Dino & Terry, Kevin Williams, Groove Institute, Tyrone Solomon and JMK. 10pm. Revival Bar, 783 College St W. $15 advance, more at the door. unitedsoul.ca Pitbull: The Mile High Club, with DJs Mark Falco and Dwayne Minard and DJ B-Tech in the Lounge. Advance tickets at Priape and online. 10pm. fly, 8 Gloucester St. $10 advance and till 11:30pm, $15 before 1am, $20 after. pitbullevents.ca The Barn Saturdays, with house, top 40 and remixes. 10pm. The Barn, 418 Church St. No cover. thebarnnightclub.com Priape’s Toy of the Month. 10pm.

Black Eagle, 457 Church St. No cover. blackeagletoronto.com Smith Saturdays, with guest DJs every week. 10:30pm. Smith, 553 Church St. No cover till 11pm. 553church.com

Rocket music-video night, with VJ/DJ Sumation. 10pm–3am. fly, 8 Gloucester St. No cover. flynightclub.com

Squirt.org Best Men’s Ass Contest, with Sofonda Cox and DJ Chris Steinbach.

Midnight. Woody’s, 465 Church St. No cover. woodystoronto.com

Smirnoff Best Chest Contest, with DJ Mark Falco. Midnight. Woody’s, 465 Church St. No cover. woodystoronto.com

SUN, FEB 5

FRI, FEB 3 Don’t Mess with the Boss, with Michelle Ross, at 7pm; Muy Caliente, with Sasha Montenegro, at 11pm. George’s Play, 504 Church St. No cover. playonchurch.com

Joe & Steve’s Funny Video Show from 4–6pm; Wacky Video Mix from 6–8pm.

Black Eagle, 457 Church St. No cover. blackeagletoronto.com Stage-to-Screen Show, with Donnarama and Daytona Bitch, at 6pm; Drag Legend

27

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Fierce & Flawless Fridays, with Ivory Towers, Katherine Dior, Heroine Marks and Olivya Chin, at 9pm; Club Lite, with DJ Relentless, in The Zone, and DJ Roxanne Hector in Tangos at 10pm; Bitchapalooza, with Amanda Roberts, Daytona Bitch and DJ Sarah, at 11:30pm. Crews & Tangos, 508 Church St. No cover. crewsandtangos.com

The Drag Show, hosted by Daytona Bitch and Heroine Marks. 9pm. Zelda’s, 692 Yonge St. No cover. zeldas.ca

Cozmic Cat and Denise Benson DJ Cherry Bomb on Ice @ the Natrel Rink on Sat, Jan 28.

XTRA! JAN 26, 2012

Titonius Karto Show at 9pm; Georgie Girl and Donnarama welcome Sofonda at 11pm. Woody’s, 465 Church St. woodystoronto.com Every Other Week, with Michelle Ross and Jada Hudson, or Lady G, at 7pm; Devine Darlin at 9pm; Party Rock Sundays, with the Toronto Drag Kings, at 10:30pm; Kera Keys, Farra N Hyte and DJ Sarah at 11pm.

Crews & Tangos, 508 Church St. No cover. crewsandtangos.com Playgirl, with Heaven Lee Hytes and Teran Blake, at 9pm; Miss Play ‘10 JLO and Sabrina at 11pm. George’s Play, 504 Church St. No cover. playonchurch.com

MON, FEB 6 Dirty Bingo, hosted by Lena Over, Gloria Hole and Roxy Rollover. 8:30pm. Zelda’s, 692 Yonge St. No cover. zeldas.ca Glitz & Glam, with Carlotta Carlisle, at 9pm; Candice Star Search at 11pm. Crews & Tangos, 508 Church St. No cover. crewsandtangos.com All-Star Karaoke, with Danny Reddey and his 30,000 songs. 10pm. George’s Play, 504 Church St. No cover. playonchurch.com Mix Fix Mondays, with DJs Shan Dub and Boots Boogie playing funk, disco and classics. 10pm–2:45am. Crawford, 178 College St. $5. crawfordbar.com FML Mondays industry night, with rotating DJs in the Vizion Lounge.

10pm. Fuzion, 580 Church St. No cover. fuzionexperience.com

TUES, FEB 7 Bad Boys’ Night Out, with DJ Chris Steinbach. 4pm. Woody’s, 465 Church St. No cover. woodystoronto.com Karaoke with Foofer. 9pm–1am.

WAYLA, 996 Queen St E. No cover. whatareyoulookingatbar.com TICOT Industry Tuesday, with Candice Kelly and Nikki Chin, from 9–11pm; Karaoke, with DJ Elyse, in the Zone, and All Request, with DJ Quinces, in Tangos at 10pm; Bittersweet, with Amanda Roberts and Honey Brown, at 11pm.

Crews & Tangos, 508 Church St. No cover. crewsandtangos.com Don’t Mess with the Boss, with Michelle Ross, at 9pm; Divine Intervention, with Heaven Lee Hytes, at 11pm. George’s Play, 504 Church St. No cover. playonchurch.com Varsity Tuesdays. So You Think You Can Strip? 9pm. Remington’s, 379 Yonge St. $5, no cover with student ID. remingtons.com

WED, FEB 8 Tranny Shack, with Stephanie Stevens taking the stage at 9pm, followed by Amanda at 11pm. George’s Play, 504 Church St. No cover. playonchurch.com Hump Day, with DJ Mark Falco. 9pm.

Woody’s, 465 Church St. No cover. woodystoronto.com Michelle Ross and Nicolette Brown at 9pm; Nite Skool, with DJ Relentless, at 10pm; Farra N Hyte and guest at 11pm.

Crews & Tangos, 508 Church St. No cover. crewsandtangos.com College Night, with DJ Sumation. 10pm– 3am. The Barn, 418 Church St. No cover. thebarnnightclub.com Amplify Wednesdays supports local DJs. 10pm. Goodhandy’s, 120 Church St. $5 before 11pm, $10 after. goodhandys.com

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This research has been approved by the Brock University Research Ethics Board (10-282; reb@brocku.ca or 905 688-5550 ext. 3035)

28

Toronto’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! JAN 26,2012

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Commemorate those who have recently passed away.

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Notices

MARRIED? DIVORCED? GAY? BI? HAVE CHILDREN? Gay Fathers meets at 8 PM the second and fourth Thursday of each month: The 519 Church Street Community Centre Room 304

Our meetings are informal, confidential and very helpful. We’re here to support you on your journey.

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EN.COM SOUNDS almost like a gimme when it comes to gay porn urls, and a rather rare one at that. I mean really: Men. That’s the url for an entire supersite about men fucking men. If brevity is the soul of wit, then I’m pretty sure Winston Churchill just shit his pants.

Men.com is a new gay porn site that encompasses four satellite sites: Big Dicks at School (focusing on teacher-student fetishes and classroom fucking), Str8 to Gay (which is all about turning straight boys over to the good side), Drill My Hole (a punishment site for those of you who like your porn as earthshattering as possible) and The Gay Office (because your office would be so much better if you could bend the cute intern over the photocopier and fuck him cross-eyed while Sue from accounting gives you the thumbs up).

One membership to Men will net you a pass to all four sites. Want to see Trevor Knight shove a phone up Jessie Colter’s ass one day and then watch a prison gangbang with Phillip Aubrey, Gavin Waters, Cliff Jensen and Christian Wilde the next? That would be oddly specific, but Men will

of gay porn for the admission of one flat fee has slowly been gaining steam as a savvy way for consumers and creators to reach common ground. Men.com, arguably, employs this strategy most effectively.

And here’s the kicker in all this: the site is updated daily.

Just in case you were worried that the internet would run out of porn, Men will give you new spank material every goddamn day. On the off chance you manage to blaze through the entire archive (which, on the day this article comes out, will have reached 200 videos) in the space of a day, there will be fresh new butt-fucking the day after.

To put this in perspective: it took me three days to get around to folding the laundry I had sitting in a bag in my closet. In the amount of time it takes me to fold socks, the people at Men can get at least six guys to bang each others’ brains out, edit all the footage into three videos, Gavin Waters is one of many upload it to their sites, and get stars found on men.com. it to you so you can jack off to it.

We live in a golden age of grant your wish anyway, because the internet. Just think of it this way: internet is fucking awesome. you can get an endless fountain of With the rise of tube sites drawing hot man-fucking for an entire year eyes away from professional porn, for less than the cost of a month’s Men exemplifies the progression worth of Starbucks. How cool is that? of porn sites in an age where porn is being watered down by blurry, Jeremy Feist is a Toronto pornstar. out-of-focus Xtube jack-off sessions. Porndoggy appears in every issue The concept of multiple sites’ worth of Xtra.