Xtra - Toronto's Gay and Lesbian News Issue 715 by Pink Triangle Press

CHURCH ST C HANGES CHANGES F Farewell arewell to R Reither’s either’s ›11 TORONTO’S GAY Y&L LESBIAN E S B I A N NEWS N E WS

JOHN GREYSON LOOKS BACK 30 years of activism activis › 17 & ﬁlmmaking ›17

#715 MARCH 22, 2012

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GAME CHANGER Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke takes on homophobia in sports ›12

COMMENT 6 XCETERA 7 NEWS 9 OUT IN THE CITY 17 XPOSED 25

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XTRA! MARCH 22, 2012

Toronto’s gay & lesbian news

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XTRA! MARCH 22, 2012

Toronto’s gay & lesbian news

CRIMINAL DEFENCE LAWYER “Nothing I can say will express how grateful I am to have this finally over and in my favour. I felt you went beyond the call of duty to do the very best in my defence and for my personal state of mind during the last 13 months. Your aid and advice early on and throughout the process helped a great deal for myself and my family. I remained calm and was able to continue something approaching normal life during this great hardship. My life is my own again and I can at last move on. From me and my family, you have my thanks.” Liam, Toronto (child-pornography charges)

CRAIG PENNEY

205 – 120 CARLTON ST 416.410.2266

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 FOR DISPLAY ADVERTISING rates or information call 416-925-6665 or 800-268-XTRA or email ads@xtra.ca. Display advertising deadline for the April 5 issue: Wed, March 28, 4pm. FOR LINE CLASSIFIEDS rates or information call 416-925-6665 or 800-268-XTRA or email classifieds@xtra.ca. Line classified deadline for the April 5 issue: Fri, March 30, 1pm.

The publication of an ad in Xtra does not mean that Xtra endorses the advertiser. SEND A COMMENT to the editor: mail Xtra, 2 Carlton St, Ste 1600, Toronto, ON, M5B 1J3, Canada, fax 416-925-6503 or email comment@xtra.ca. Comments must include the writer’s full name, which is published, and telephone number, for veriﬁcation only. We may edit comments. SUBMIT A LISTING to Out in the City: oitc@xtra.ca. Listings deadline for the April 5 issue: Tues, March 27, 5pm. SUBSCRIBE Call 416-925-6665 or 800-268-XTRA, or email subscriptions@xtra.ca. $77.81 for one year (26 issues). $69 (US) in the United States; $125 (US) overseas. HST included where applicable. Xtra is free in metropolitan Toronto; elsewhere, retailers may charge up to $1 to cover transportation costs. GET DISTRIBUTION INFORMATION or suggest a distribution outlet: email craig.palmer@xtra.ca.

To read why Liam was found “not guilty” and to review over 80 testimonials and 160 case profiles, please visit:

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

EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE

Brandon Matheson

Greg Beneteau, Tyler Dorchester, Chris Dupuis, Jeremy Feist, Brad Fraser, Adam Glen, Matthew Hays, Serafin LaRiviere, Andrew Murphy, Alistair Newton, Robin Perelle, Anna Pournikova, Keph Senett & Dale Smith

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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

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Mike Mooney, Brian Garrison ENGAGEMENT DIRECTOR Gareth Kirkby DISTRIBUTION & COMMUNITY RELATIONS COORDINATOR Craig Palmer CLIENT SERVICES & ADVERTISING ADMINISTRATOR

Eugene Coon CUSTOMER SERVICE John Webster ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Cassidy Phillips

PINK TRIANGLE PRESS Founded 1971 DIRECTORS Jim Bartley, Gerald Hannon, Jennifer O’Connor, Maureen Phillips, Ken Popert, Gillian Rodgerson, Tori Smith AUXILIARY DIRECTORS

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XTRA! MARCH 22, 2012

more at xtra.ca TORONTO’S GAY& LESBIAN NEWS

Roundup #715

MARCH 22, 2012

ARTS

John Greyson’s impact Xtra chats with the artist about his 30-year career in ﬁlmmaking, queer activism and funding for the arts in Canada.

›17

NEWS

Yahoo censorship

NDP makes queer history

After an Xtra investigation found that Yahoo was blocking users from creating proﬁles with the word “sex,” the company responded by amending the problem. Yahoo users are now free to use the word in as many wonderful ways as they want. >xtra.ca

The NDP has smashed its own record with the election of openly gay candidate Craig Scott in a federal by-election in TorontoDanforth. The NDP now boasts the largest single-party queer caucus in Canadian history. › 9

REGULARS

Montreal campaign A group of Montreal activists worried about homophobic violence in the city’s gay village has started a new campaign aimed at residents and visitors. › 11

EXCLUSIVE

Brian Burke’s crusade In an exclusive interview with Xtra’s Andrea Houston, Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke talks about the death of his gay son Brendan, homophobia in sports and the You Can Play campaign he’s started with his son Patrick. › 12 COVER PHOTO BY STEVE PAYNE

ARTS

Cruising the Titanic In a new book, author Hugh Brewster documents the stories of gay passengers on the historic ship. Xtra chats with Brewster about RMS Titanic: Gilded Lives on a Fatal Voyage. > 19

ONLINE

Evan McKie World-renowned principal ballet dancer Evan McKie has returned to Toronto as a guest dancer at the National Ballet of Canada. He speaks to Xtra about his husband and growing up in Toronto’s gay village. >xtra.ca

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

Editorial ›6 Fraser’s Edge ›16 Porndoggy ›30

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XTRA! MARCH 22, 2012

Toronto’s gay & lesbian news

editorial › feedback › debate

Comment Come out, straight allies Editorial Danny Glenwright

HEN SCOTT HEGGART came out he was surprised at the reaction of fellow hockey players on his Ottawa minor-league team. The sports-loving teen had spent years worrying about how family and friends would react to his sexuality. But he mostly worried about what his athletic teammates would say. Heggart recently told the Ottawa Citizen he’d learned quickly in sports that the worst thing is to be a fag or homo. But when he eventually opened a Facebook account, changed his relationship status and shared a photo of his boyfriend, a strange thing happened. Heggart received one private message from a friend: “What you did man, it takes a lot of courage and I’m proud of you. And I’ve been talking to a lot of people and they all say the same thing.” Teammates soon apologized for things they’d said in the past; many others wrote with similar statements of support. Heggart says he realized then that teammates may have said horrible homophobic things, but they didn’t actually feel that way. Given the chance to support a gay friend, most chose acceptance rather than hate. It is a story repeated elsewhere, more often every day — the story of straight jock allies coming out as supporters of gay people. Andrew McIntosh was the captain of his lacrosse team at Oneonta State University in New York when he came out to his coach and teammates. He had tried to kill himself previously — so sick was McIntosh with fear that his team would reject him if they found out. But it was for naught. In an Outsports article, McIntosh recalls the day his coach called out a player for saying a lacrosse drill was “so gay.” That was all McIntosh needed — he immediately sent his coach a comingout email. “After he read the email, he called to meet with me,” McIntosh writes. “He told me that if we had a roster of 30 players and 15 of them did not want to play on the team because I was gay, he would tell them to leave the team.” It wasn’t the case. His teammates

didn’t care about his sexuality — they cared if he could play. It’s a message echoed this month in Patrick and Brian Burke’s You Can Play campaign. It’s simple: if you can play, you can play; to hell with what you do in the privacy of your bedroom or your brain. The message is catching on in the NHL, with the roster of straight-ally professional hockey players increasing every day. Xtra’s Robin Perelle recently interviewed Vancouver Canucks’ centre Henrik Sedin, who said the Burkes had yet to ask him to take part, but if they did, he would surely say yes. “I don’t think anyone I know wouldn’t do it,” Sedin said. How did this happen? It feels like a tipping point. Wasn’t it just yesterday the world of sports was the last great bastion of homophobia? In all of this there may be a clue to eradicating these so-called last spaces of homophobia where people are scared to come out. Sports, yes, but also religious circles, the military and, of course, parts of the developing world — and don’t forget the Conservative Party of Canada. Last year Rick Mercer famously implored gays in the public sphere to stop being invisible. But what about those invisible straight allies? It is often said that on every sports team there is a closeted gay person. If this is the case, then every sports team must surely have at least one closeted straight ally — someone like Patrick Burke, who has admitted he was more scared than his late brother Brendan when the youngest Burke came out in 2009. The positive reaction to Brendan’s coming out is well documented. This week I proudly use this space to thank the straight allies in my life and those in the public eye. You seem to be the new vanguard, our Trojan horse, in the ﬁght to topple these last bastions of homophobia. From Patrick and Brian Burke, who have admirably carried on the advocacy begun by Brendan, to all the coaches and players out there who refuse to allow homophobia (and racism and sexism) in the locker rooms. And to all you invisible allies, like the hundreds of hockey fans who erupted this week in cheers, rather than boos, when a lesbian orchestrated an on-ice marriage proposal at a Leafs game in Ottawa. At this juncture in the ﬁght to end homophobia, it is as critical as ever for gay people to come out, but it may be equally important that you straight folks do, too.

“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.

IF IT IS INAPPROPRIATE TO USE THE N-WORD IN REFERENCE TO PEOPLE OF COLOUR, I BELIEVE IT IS EQUALLY INAPPROPRIATE TO USE THE Q-WORD FOR PEOPLE OF DIVERSE SEXUALITY.

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.

Corporations & gay

Catholic schools

I’M GUESS I’M NOT LIKE “MOST of us” [“When a Corporation Takes a Stand on Gay Issues,” xtra.ca, March 13]. I generally think they’re trying to exploit me and don’t actually care if I live or die. If businesses really “loved us,” they’d have those pride stickers and flags (preferably more than just that rainbow one, which I don’t really relate to) year-round and refuse to do any business with anyone who hates us. I remember invisibility and prefer not to be noticed by corporate critters. Tim Murphy

T H E PA M P H L E T SAYS nothing that has not been said by the church in the past [“Catholic School Board to Take Another Look at ‘Offensive’ Pamphlet,” xtra. ca, Feb 29]. It sends the correct message to parents and children attending a religious school. The statements regarding homosexual parents is an affirmation of a warped objective reality all religions have rooted in their orthodoxy. What I ﬁnd disturbing is the fact that gay parents are supporting a religious institution that has no place in modern society. The problem isn’t with the religious institution. It is with the stupid parents who send their children to that school. Portia D Nerve Wellington, New Zealand

Grant Gordon THE GAY MARRIED COUPLES [“Grant Gordon Hopes to Take Toronto-Danforth,” Xtra #714, March 8] at Brent Hawkes’s Metropolitan Community Church really hated Dennis Mills when he was the Liberal MP for Toronto-Danforth. They were upset at his stand against same-sex marriage and would regularly post anti-Mills rants on the church’s website. So, it’s not surprising that the NDP held its nomination meeting in the actual church sanctuary at MCC. So much for the separation of church and state. Ron Watkins Toronto, ON

Pride Toronto AND PRIDE DESCENDS INTO more navel-gazing pointless bickering [“Proposed Pride Toronto Rule Changes Draw Fire,” xtra.ca, March 2] that simply alienates the community it represents. Let’s just agree to fold this up, stack the tables, put away the chairs and do something constructive. I’m tired of the whining. Let’s all go camping instead and commune with nature and give all this self-obsession about how fabulous we are a break. Join the real world. Anna Lise Dupres Pickering, ON

Elton John ACCORDING TO AN XTRA article in 2008 [“Elton John Will Headline Fashion Cares in September,” xtra.ca, Feb 29], the AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) had a fundraising cost/revenue ratio of about 75 percent. In other words, $0.75 of every dollar raised was spent on the cost of fundraising, while only $0.25 went to ACT’s programs. ACT’s horrible cost ratio for 2008 was due to the very expensive annual Fashion Cares gala, which the organization discontinued after a disastrous 2008 year. While I realize that people going to Fashion Cares expect to receive expensive food, alcohol and entertainment, I hope ACT has better ﬁnancial management now and that the 2012 Fashion Cares event will have a better cost/revenue ratio. David Warrick Toronto, ON

comment Recently, an American university with 50 percent Catholic enrollment has teamed with a local Catholic college to offer Catholic studies and theology courses for credit [“Drummond’s Glaring Omission,” Xtra #713, Feb 23]. Perhaps if that were offered in Ontario public schools, just as black studies and women’s studies are, it would resolve some of the cantankerous arguing about the fate of Ontario’s Catholic schools. If indeed $500 million could be saved (and I seriously doubt it), then some of that saving could go toward funding the new courses — and maybe some in Islamic, Protestant and Jewish studies as well. It could inaugurate a whole new area in combating the immense hatred that still exists for Catholics and Jews and that has developed for Muslims since 9/11. —Sharon Goodier Toronto, ON To comment, go to xtra.ca.

Gay hip hop H I P H O P IS S O D E A D already [“The Queer HipHop Movement,” xtra.ca, March 2]. People are actually “singing” again, not just talking. The ones who could actually sing are the ones who are once again becoming successful.

Queer hip hop seems like a paradoxical anachronism to me, considering how hip hop started as poor black “folk art,” but blacks generally hate gays/queers. Queer hip hop is reminiscent of the Stockholm syndrome in the Twilight Zone. Hip hoppers are always complaining about things — I certainly don’t want to hear people complaining. Poetry and propaganda are for talking. Music is not for talking. Music is for singing. Joe Toronto ON A COUPLE OF THINGS: THE idea that blacks generally hate gays and queers is straight up racist. Homophobia is a part of every community, and often the assumption that blacks are more likely to be homophobic comes from messed-up liberal ideas that see white people (and sometimes others) as the only people civilized enough to be “openminded” about sexuality. The idea that hip hoppers are always complaining about things ignores all the messed-up histories of colonialism and racism that people of colour are subjected to every day. Music is often one of the most powerful outlets of protest/agency for those who don’t have power in our society. What you hear as complaining is way more complicated than that. I don’t know what hip hop you have been listening to, but rap and hip hop often provide some of the most honest voices in our society today about how we live in a segregated, class-based, racist, sexist, homophobic world. I know that hip hop has its share of homophobia and sexism, but to discredit it like you have done is ridiculous and racist. Jeff Tanaka Toronto, ON IF IT IS INAPPROPRIATE TO use the N-word in reference to people of colour, I believe it is equally inappropriate to use the Qword for people of diverse sexuality. To do so — no matter who the writer or speaker may be and whatever the context — is basically unacceptable to many of us. I believe it is hurtful and insensitive, and using it within our community amounts to a new type of “bullying” — from within: if one objects, one is just not “cool” enough or “hip” enough to really matter. We need to remember that for some people of diverse sexuality, this word — screamed at them in profound stupidity and extreme hatred — was the last one they heard before being bashed into unconsciousness. Let’s try being a little more sensitive to the trauma and pain that use of this word can and does resurrect for so many in our community and let’s just drop it from the hip lexicon. I believe that you need to review your editorial guidelines to develop a more sensitive and respectful response to the use of this word in your publication. Rex Leonard Toronto, ON

XTRA! MARCH 22, 2012

more at xtra.ca

noteworthy › updates › ephemera

Compiled by Jeremy Feist

WE ALL SCREAM

SOSOGAY.ORG

TWYLAH.COM

Xcetera

Ben & Jerry’s launches new flavour in support of gay marriage In light of the marriage-equality debate raging in England, ice cream giant Ben & Jerry’s has announced it’ll be renaming its apple pie ice cream in the UK “Apple-y Ever After.” Because if basic moral decency, numerous scientific studies and common sense won’t convince people that marriage equality is right, then maybe pie-flavoured ice cream will do the trick.

FANCY A COCKTAIL?

Hot for

Proctologymixology

TEACHER

If you’re ever in New York City and feeling particularly adventurous — or if you just have a death wish — why not try the Santorum cocktail? Named after the anti-gay politiciancum-frothy mixture of fecal matter and lubricant, the cocktail combines Baileys Irish Cream and Stoli with tiny chunks of what I really hope is chocolate bobbing in the drink. Although, much like Santorum’s platform, some might ﬁnd it a little hard to . . . *ahem* swallow.

MIRACLE ON ICE

After being outed as a gay pornstar and subsequently ﬁred from his position as a substitute teacher in Florida, Shawn Loftis (also known by his stage name, Collin O’Neal) has been given the green light by the Florida Education Practices Commission to return to teaching. Bear in mind, this is Florida we’re talking about, where the three Rs are “reading, writing and running away from alligators.”

SCORE!

ASS EFFECT

VIDEO GAME FEATURES SAME-SEX RELATIONSHIPS Mass Eﬀect 3, billed as one of the biggest video games of the year, has introduced elective same-sex relationships after toying with the idea over the past two installments. As the protagonist, Shepard, players can choose to enter into straight, gay or lesbian relationships. And if your character is having trouble getting in the mood, just enter the Konami code and you’ll be good to go (call Dr Mario if your “1-Up” lasts for more than four hours).

MARTINI: THINKSTOCK/VSTOCK

SOCIAL.BIOWARE.COM

During a hockey game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Ottawa Senators, Alicia, a Leafs fan, was brought out on the ice by oﬃcials and, in front of a crowd of thousands of screaming hockey fans, was proposed to by her girlfriend, Christina. The crowd roared their approval as Alicia said yes, and the couple kissed to seal the engagement.

B R E A K I N G N E W S › R O C K I N G O U T : W H AT ’ S Q U E E R AT C A N A D I A N M U S I C F E S T › C A R T O O N I S T S W I T H B I G H E A R T S › N E W M O R E AT X T R A . C A B R AVO R E A L I T Y S H O W P R O M I S E S G AY D R A M A › N A K E D C I V I L S E R VA N T S › C A M P S O M E W H E R E

XTRA! MARCH 22, 2012

Toronto’s gay & lesbian news

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dispatches › issues › opinion

Upfront NEWS

THERE IS NOTHING HAPPENING TO TOEWS THAT HE HASN’T ALREADY DONE TO OTHERS. Brad Fraser › 16

FEDERAL POLITICS

Prevent EMS delays: Hearst jurors

Craig Scott, flanked by Olivia Chow and interim NDP leader Nycole Turmel. ROB SALERNO

Rob Salerno

THE CORONER’S INQUEST INTO THE DEATH OF JAMES Hearst closed March 13 with jurors returning 29 recommendations to the City of Toronto, the Ontario Ministry of Health and Toronto Emergency Medical Services to ensure that similar deaths do not happen again. Hearst died of a heart attack June 25, 2009, in the hallway of his Alexander St apartment complex while waiting almost 40 minutes for emergency medical services. His death drew widespread attention and criticism of the actions of the paramedics involved, who decided to stage their response around the corner out of view of the building. There was speculation that their delayed response was due to the 2009 civic workers’ strike, although all involved have denied that they purposely delayed their service because of the labour action. Jurors, who heard six weeks of testimony in the long-delayed inquest, did not make any recommendations relating to the availability of EMS during a strike; however, they noted that the city has reached an agreement with its unions whereby all paramedics and 95 percent of emergency medical dispatchers will continue to work in the event of a labour stoppage. They did recommend that the city “ensure that there are no unjustifiable preventable delays . . . for any reason” in the provision of EMS. Coroner’s counsel Stefania Fericean says the evidence does not point to the labour action having anything to do with the delay that caused Hearst’s death. During the inquest, it was established that Local 416 EMS unit chair Glenn Fontaine had sent an email during the strike urging paramedics not to “compromise patient care by rushing.” It was initially speculated that the email was interpreted as a labour slowdown directive that may have influenced the delayed response, but the first responders and dispatcher involved denied receiving the email. Fontaine’s email was never made public. He resigned from the EMS earlier this year before testifying at the inquest. “There was no direct link between the strike activity and the actions of the paramedics in this case,” Fericean says. But Hearst’s surviving partner, Alejandro Martinez, is not convinced. “I cannot say 100 percent positive that the strike did not play a part,” he says. Although the inquest was largely about circumstances in Toronto, the verdict will be forwarded to all hospitals, municipalities and emergency medical services in Ontario. The jury’s recommendations largely deal with the string of events that emergency responders say led to the delay in service. The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care is recommended to train dispatchers to ask every caller, verbatim, “Okay, tell me exactly what happened.” The jury recommends making a much clearer distinction between “unknown medical problem” calls and “unknown trouble” calls. Unknown trouble suggests that there may be safety issues on the scene and that police assistance is required before paramedics go on scene, whereas police should not be called to “unknown medical problem” calls, the jury recommends. Toronto’s EMS chief, Paul Raftis, says he will give “full consideration” to the recommendations, even those that may lead to additional costs for EMS. For Martinez, who has attended every day of the inquest, the jury’s recommendations are little comfort for the loss of his partner of eight years. “I’m glad that my partner’s death is helping to improve the service that EMS is going to be providing to the people of Toronto, but I ask myself, Was it necessary for my partner to die for them to realize the huge holes they had in their system? I don’t think so,” he says.

WAS IT NECESSARY FOR MY PARTNER TO DIE FOR THEM TO REALIZE THE HUGE HOLES THEY HAD IN THEIR SYSTEM?

NDP holds on to Toronto-Danforth Gay lawyer Craig Scott to be part of the largest queer caucus in Canadian history Rob Salerno OPENLY GAY HUMAN-RIGHTS LAWyer and professor Craig Scott trounced his opponents to hold on to the TorontoDanforth riding for the NDP in a March 19 by-election. Scott captured 59.4 percent of the vote in the special election to replace the late Jack Layton. His closest rival, Liberal Grant Gordon, attracted 28.5 percent of the vote. Conservative Andrew Keyes (5.4 percent) barely edged out Green Party candidate Adriana Mugnatto-Hamu (4.7 percent). Scott said the Conservatives’ poor showing in the riding sends a message to the Harper government. “It’s a huge wake-up call,” Scott told Xtra. “The fact that we’ve done so well and that the riding as a whole sent a message that the Conservatives can’t but listen to will feed into the kind of opposition the NDP will offer in the House.” But Scott also said the NDP’s strong showing was a repudiation of the Liberal Party as well. “[Voters] said no to a party that is still mired in the old ways, and they said yes to a party that is ready to take on Stephen

Harper’s Conservatives right now,” he said to a packed room of supporters at The Opera House. Scott’s win returns a gay MP from Toronto to Parliament for the first time

THIS RIDING EMBRACED WHO I AM. THIS RIDING IS VERY MUCH A GAY-POSITIVE RIDING. since Liberals Rob Oliphant and Mario Silva were defeated last year. As the ﬁfth gay member of the NDP caucus, Scott shatters the party’s previously held record for the largest single-party queer caucus in Canadian history. “I hope it will make an important difference not simply by adding a ﬁfth member to the NDP queer caucus and a sixth member overall, but also the fact that this riding embraced who I am. This riding is very much a gay-positive riding,” he said.

“I’m hoping that just the mere fact that somebody who has something to offer more broadly [can be elected] will be seen as a victory for LGBT rights.” On stage at his victory party, with his partner, Aeh Ratchadasri, at his side, Scott thanked the riding’s diverse communities, including the LGBT community, for their support. He said he was eager to get to work in Ottawa. “I pledge to put my shoulder to the wheel, to work with the caucus in Ottawa, to put a staff team together in the riding . . . to make sure that we meet our responsibility to the people of this riding and to all Canadians, to ﬁght tirelessly for equality and human rights, for environmental sanity, and for a green economy that promotes good jobs and decent lives for all,” he said. The NDP is set to choose a new leader at a convention to be held in Toronto March 23 to 25. Scott says each of the leadership candidates supported his campaign and he doesn’t plan to endorse anyone. Candidates Thomas Mulcair, Paul Dewar, Brian Topp and Peggy Nash were all at Scott’s victory party.

XTRA! MARCH 22, 2012

FEDERAL POLITICS

Torontoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gay & lesbian news

Who will lead the

NDP

THE NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY WILL SELECT A NEW LEADER to replace the late Jack Layton at a special convention March 23 to 25 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. With seven candidates vying for the job and little policy distinction to tell them apart, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still an open contest. Whoever wins will become the leader of the official Opposition and could be the next prime minister. Squaring off against the Harper Conservatives, one of these people will be leading the ďŹ ght to protect and advance queer rights in Canada.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Rob Salerno, with ďŹ les from Katie Toth, Natasha Barsotti, Evie Ruddy, Lauryn Kronick and Dale Smith For full-length interviews with each candidate, visit xtra.ca.

Peggy Nash â&#x20AC;&#x153;For me, working around equality issues and specifically working to end homophobia has been a priority.â&#x20AC;?

QUEER CRED: First candidate to release a platform of queer priorities.

NATIONAL NEWS

Brian Topp

QUEER CRED: Actor Peter Keleghan released a video explaining that he was voting for Topp because he â&#x20AC;&#x153;love[s]â&#x20AC;? him, later clarifying that he meant Topp â&#x20AC;&#x153;is a great kisser.â&#x20AC;? Topp has called for an end to criminalization of HIV transmission and the creation of a minister for LGBTTQ aďŹ&#x20AC;airs.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gay Canadians, like all Canadians, share common issues and values.â&#x20AC;?

Thomas Mulcair â&#x20AC;&#x153;There has to come a point where, in your foreign policy, that type of refusal to recognize human rights becomes an impediment to closer relationships.â&#x20AC;?

Martin Singh

QUEER CRED: Having campaigned in the gay villages of Toronto and Montreal, Mulcair held a â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bears for Mulcairâ&#x20AC;? event at Vancouverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s PumpJack pub in February.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to say as a leadership candidate that I have any particularly inspired policy [addressing queer issues], as the partyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s policies are very much topnotch.â&#x20AC;?

Niki Ashton â&#x20AC;&#x153;When I talk about equality, I also talk about the need to end discrimination against LGBTQ Canadians and a real commitment to establishing equality for queer Canadians.â&#x20AC;?

QUEER CRED: Worked with the Canadian Federation for Sexual Health and the Halifax Sexual Health Centre.

QUEER CRED: Ashton says she was inspired to run for oďŹ&#x192;ce when her local MP was the only member of the NDP caucus to vote against same-sex marriage.

Paul Dewar

Nathan Cullen â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still a latent misunderstanding, sometimes homophobia, within the political class in Ottawa, particularly within the Conservative Party.â&#x20AC;?

â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have to make sure that we keep up with the support and services in our healthcare system for the queer community, and particularly the younger demographic.â&#x20AC;?

QUEER CRED: Told Xtra, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think sometimes what happens with the LGBT community is that they get pandered to, and issues get segregated and put oďŹ&#x20AC; as particularly diďŹ&#x20AC;erent.â&#x20AC;?

QUEER CRED: Dewar is well liked by Ottawaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s queer community. But although he told Xtra that he planned to table a policy document on queer priorities, he hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t as of press time.

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Calgary police arrest anti-gay activist AN ANTI-GAY CAMPAIGNER WHO made headlines last year when he argued before the Supreme Court of Canada for the right to distribute hateful literature about gay and lesbian people is at it again. Bill Whatcott was brieďŹ&#x201A;y arrested on March 6 after Calgary police received complaints about ďŹ&#x201A;yers distributed in neighbourhoods near the University of Calgary. The Calgary Herald reported that one resident called police after receiving a ďŹ&#x201A;yer that included anti-gay statements and pictures of genitalia infected with a sexually transmitted infection. Whatcott did not speak to Xtra for this story, but according to a posting by him on the website Free North America, Calgary police â&#x20AC;&#x153;put me in handcuffs and told me I was being put into preventive detention, as my ďŹ&#x201A;yers might cause someone to become violent.â&#x20AC;? He also claims that police threatened to have him institutionalized in a mental hospital. Constable Bryan Denison of the Calgary Police Service diversity team confirms that Whatcott was arrested for breach of peace and taken into police custody. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The problem was that there were people in the neighbourhood getting pretty irate with the material being handed out by Mr Whatcott,â&#x20AC;? Denison says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In fear for his safety, he was arrested and taken out of the area.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Greg Beneteau

Homophobic group to help award Diamond Jubilee medals

2007

A CANADIAN G ROU P WHOSE homepage currently states that two of the biggest threats to families are the â&#x20AC;&#x153;homosexual lobbyâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;the mediaâ&#x20AC;? has been appointed to help the government decide how to award Diamond Jubilee medals to honour Queen Elizabethâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 60 years of service to Canada. REAL Women of Canada, a socially conservative, anti-feminist group that often acts as an intervenor in court cases that oppose queer rights, will recommend medals under the social and volunteer category. An article on the groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s homepage also dismisses bullying, saying itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a justiďŹ ed reaction on the part of youth frustrated by the â&#x20AC;&#x153;special treatmentâ&#x20AC;? granted to queer or nonChristian youth in schools. The Queenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Diamond Jubilee program is awarding medals to 60,000 â&#x20AC;&#x153;outstandingâ&#x20AC;? Canadians, according to the governor generalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website. Coordinators have invited nongovernmental partners to advise about worthy Canadians who deserve medals. A spokesperson for the governor generalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s program says a committee chose the partner organizations from a number of different categories, such as health, multiculturalism, and arts and culture. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think they reďŹ&#x201A;ect the general views of women in Canada,â&#x20AC;? says Helen Kennedy, executive director of Egale Canada, which was not asked to participate. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Dale Smith For more on these stories, visit xtra.ca.

XTRA! MARCH 22, 2012

more at xtra.ca

OUR CHANGING NEIGHBOURHOOD

Closures in Village? BIA manager worries Church St won’t look its best for busy patio season Facials Body Treatments Massage Waxing

Rob Salerno AFTER 23 YEARS AT ITS CHURCH ST location under Steamworks, Reither’s Fine Foods abruptly closed its doors March 19. But while other businesses on the strip are rumoured to be closing, their owners say that’s hogwash. A persistent rumour has it that Zipperz bar and dance club is closing to make way for a condo project at the corner of Church and Carlton streets, but owner Harry Singh says that isn’t true. “I have three years on my lease here, and I don’t plan to move at all,” he told Xtra. Across the street from Reither’s, the Rainbow Village Café does appear to be permanently shuttered, although Xtra was unable to reach the café’s management or landlord as of press time. In January, the café’s windows were papered over and a sign was placed on the door announcing that it was “Time for renewal! Time for renovation!” The sign went on to tease customers: “What will it be? You will have to wait and see! It’s a mystery!” The mystery appears to be, “If they’re renovating, why hasn’t anyone seen any workers around the site?” While no one knows for sure what’s going on, rumours that the space will be taken over by Zelda’s, which gave up its prime patio space on Church St in

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2009 and decamped to Yonge St, are, apparently, false. A Zelda’s manager told Xtra the owners have no intention of leaving their space, which they own, on Yonge St. David Wooten, manager of the Church St Business Improvement Area, says he was told recently by the café’s owners that the renovations are going forward, despite the lack of evidence of any work happening. “I’m hoping that whatever happens, happens soon so we can make use of the summer. We don’t want another summer of a vacant patio like we did with Zelda’s,” he says. Up the block, in Xtra’s former digs, a

new Church St Medical Health Centre is set to take up shop. But rent payment problems led landlord Haim Klein to post a warning on the front door, which led some to believe the medical offices weren’t going forward. Klein says those issues have been sorted out and the offices will be under different management. Xtra was not able to reach the clinic partners before press time. A note posted to the door of Reither’s says owner Peter Reither “is retiring after years of dedication to the food industry . . . Auf wiedersehen, and thank you.”

NATIONAL NEWS

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MOTIVATED BY WHAT THEY SEE AS declining conditions in Montreal’s gay village, a group of activists has created a new campaign in an effort to reinvigorate the neighbourhood. The campaign, titled J’aime Mon Village, strives to make residents of and visitors to the neighbourhood aware of what some argue are underreported acts of intimidation and violence. The campaign has rallied four main spokespeople: prominent drag artist Mado Lamotte; AIDS activist Jean-Pierre Pérusse; Mr Leather Montreal 2011, Danny Godbout; and art curator Kat Coric. J’aime Mon Village was spearheaded by Ghislain Rousseau, who owns the business Fétiche Armada and who says he was inspired to action by incidents he experienced. “On two different occasions last fall, I had interactions with people outside of my store that could have easily turned violent,” Rousseau says. “Both of the people involved threatened me with violence. One used homophobic slurs. But when I called the police, there seemed little they could do.” Rousseau says he was taken aback when he heard recent statements from Montreal police officers saying things in the Village were relatively calm and orderly. “This does not reﬂect what we, who live and work in the Village, are experiencing,” he says. — Matthew Hays

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XTRA! MARCH 22, 2012

Toronto’s gay & lesbian news

BRIAN BURKE IS SPORT

ONSIDE The president and general manager of one of the most popular teams in the National Hockey League is an unlikely activist by Andrea Houston

EFORE HIS YOUNGEST son came out in December 2007, Toronto Maple Leafs president and general manager Brian Burke didn’t know a single gay person. That was about to change. The following summer, Brian and Brendan attended the Toronto Pride parade together. The famous father and son were just two faces among thousands of revellers in the crowd: cheering, laughing and watching the rainbow-decorated floats pass by. Like other dads, Burke worried he would embarrass his son. “I asked him, ‘Who is more embarrassed here? The GM of the Leafs or a kid at the Pride parade with his dad?’” he recalls. “He said, ‘Dad, are you kidding? I’m more embarrassed.’” The experience left an indelible impression on Burke and helped cement a bond with his son that would shape the next four years of his life. Publicly, Brendan was still living with a secret. With the support of his family, he made the decision in 2009 to come out to the world. While the act of coming out, especially under such unwelcoming pressures, was itself an act of rebellion, he went even further, proudly and naturally stepping into the role of advocate for gays in sport. Burke was behind his son every step of the way, appearing on ESPN and challenging anyone who dared contest Brendan’s declaration. Then, in 2010, the unthinkable happened. Just two years after Brendan came out privately to his family, Burke lived through every parent’s worst nightmare. Brendan, just 21, was killed in a car accident in Indiana. Burke’s journey since then is the tale of a man who now desperately wants to make his gay son proud. Brendan did not die in vain and Burke is making sure of that. Brendan, a former goalie for the Miami (Ohio) University hockey team, is now widely credited as the highest-proﬁle player connected to the NHL ever to kick

the locker-room door wide open, forcing professional hockey to address its deeply ingrained homophobic culture. To honour Brendan’s memory, Burke and his eldest son, Patrick, a scout for the Philadelphia Flyers, now carry on that legacy. Patrick recently founded the You Can Play project and produced a moving video featuring NHL stars. The message is a simple one: it doesn’t matter who you fall in love with. When a player steps onto the ice, it matters only how they skate, how they shoot, how they score. If you can play, you can play. Period. Burke and Patrick say it’s only a matter of time before the first gay NHL player comes out. “I think the first athlete that comes out will have a much easier time than he thinks,” Burke says. “The young generation gets it. It’s my generation that has to change their thinking.”

Over the last two months, I had met Brian at two public appearances: a Toronto PFLAG awards ceremony and a Canadian Safe School Network luncheon. He

calls me “kiddo” and is always happy to speak with Xtra. But trying to get Brian Burke one-on-one was challenging. He is a busy man. However, true to his word, after eventually agreeing to an interview, Burke came through, and I had the chance to sit down with him at his Air Canada Centre office. The week I met him, Burke and his son Patrick were all over the media launching You Can Play. Burke was also in the news for other reasons. The day of our interview, Don Cherry was calling for Burke’s resignation in the Toronto Sun. The two were engaging in a very public war of words about former Toronto Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson and whether there are too few Ontario players on the team. Another interview with Newstalk 1010’s John Moore ended abruptly when the tough-talking GM hung up the phone following an unexpected question: Moore asked about speculation that Burke might be ﬁred after failing to get the Leafs into the playoffs. But unlike Moore, I wasn’t going to ask Burke many questions about the playoffs. Our interview ended differently when, standing in the locker room, the sour smell of sweaty hockey socks lingering in the air,

A FAMILY TORN APART The Burke siblings, Patrick, Brendan, Molly and Katie. Brendan was killed in a car accident in 2010. COURTESY OF PATRICK BURKE

Burke leaned in and gave me a big hug. Beneath his rough exterior, I felt a softness, something he rarely shows publicly — and never at a hockey rink. Burke is gruff — he calls himself a “big Harley-riding, sports-playing, tobaccochewing tough guy.” But underneath is a warm intensity. The graduate of Harvard Law School is humble and chooses his words carefully, pausing when tears well in his eyes. He softens when he speaks about his children, especially Brendan, who Burke nicknamed “Moose.” “Brendan was a big kid, six foot four, and a good athlete. Patrick has an edge to him, more like his dad,” Burke says. “But Brendan was a sweet kid. Not a judgmental bone in his body. No temper.” Burke is an unlikely activist, but it’s a title he now wears with pride. PFLAG Toronto’s Irene Miller remembers the day Burke asked her for an application form. Miller, who did not know Brendan personally but had followed his story, says Burke’s message is incredibly powerful, mostly because he doesn’t really consider his work activism; it’s just what every parent should do. “Brendan was someone special, and that’s a testament to Brian,” she says. “He is a loud and wonderful voice that is spreading such a positive message. The sports world is one of the last bastions of society where it’s okay to be homophobic. Brian is saying, No, it is not. It’s not accepted.” Influenced by Burke and his sons, an “all-star team” of straight-ally players is also advocating this message. The You Can Play campaign includes players such as the Columbus Blue Jackets’ Rick Nash and the Maple Leafs’ Dion Phaneuf. Homophobic locker-room bullies, beware. Burke applauds the players and hopes more follow suit. “This is not a popular cause. You can get anyone to march for breast cancer. You can get anyone to march to save baby seals or to fund the United Way. There are all kinds of popular, sexy charities. The gay community hasn’t had that kind of support. I think this is important and that’s why I support it.”

LONELY PIONEER Brian Burke and his son Patrick recently launched the You Can Play project, which combats homophobia in sports. STEVE PAYNE

XTRA! MARCH 22, 2012

more at xtra.ca

WHEN HE CAME OUT, I SAID TO BRENDAN THAT NIGHT THAT IT CHANGES NOTHING. SO I WAS ESPECIALLY PROUD I DIDN’T HAVE TO TAKE ANYTHING BACK.

While most have heard the story of Brendan’s death, not many know how deeply it affected the Burke family. The father-son relationship, which was on the threshold of a newer, stronger bond, was suddenly ripped apart. As he recalls those difficult days, Burke hunches with his elbows resting on his knees, his tie casually draped around his neck, as if he’s too busy to bother tying it up. He struggles when it comes to discussing his son. “I can’t talk publicly about Brendan too much yet, but I’ll do the best I can,” he says, looking down. The pain is still fresh, and probably always will be. When he speaks about Brendan a wistful sadness washes over his face that forces him to look down at his feet. Burke describes Brendan as gentle, outgoing, cheerful and patient — “nothing like me.” Magnetic and handsome, talented and smart, Brendan was a great hockey player who Burke says probably would have gone into politics. “He wanted to make the world a better place.” That’s a mission Burke now carries on. He is beloved by his team and has their support in his advocacy work, but, in speaking to players, the enormous mountain Burke has set out to climb becomes clear. The willingness to accept a gay player is overshadowed by a hesitation to discuss sexuality, a topic still very much off-limits in the locker room. “As far as athletes are concerned, everyone has their own thing, their own belief. Some choose to keep it personal,” says Leafs’ alternate captain Mike Komisarek. While Komisarek’s heart may be in the right place, his conviction that being gay is a belief illustrates the difficulty of Burke’s task and the battle his son would have faced if he’d lived. But that’s a battle Burke is prepared to ﬁght. Leafs’ defenceman John-Michael Liles admits that the ﬁrst gay NHLer will face enormous challenges, both on and off the ice. “I think it could be tough. You never know. There are a lot of people in sports that have opinions and some aren’t very welcoming, and that’s not just players.” When Brendan was young, Burke says, he was taught to respect all people. “There was no racial humour tolerated, no homophobic jokes. There were no religious judgments that some kids had to deal with — parents telling them they are going straight to hell. So there was no big adjustment for me. When he came out, I said to Brendan that night that it changes nothing. So I was especially proud I didn’t have to take anything back.”

Two years after coming out to his dad, Brendan, who was a manager of the Miami University hockey team, revealed his sexuality to his team. Coach Enrico Blasi supported him, telling ESPN at the time that having Brendan as part of the team was a blessing. Burke doesn’t conceal his anger when he remembers the advice he felt he had to give Brendan when he came out. “It took a lot of courage,” Burke says. “I told him, ‘For the next couple months, you have to be careful; keep your head on a swivel . . . I don’t want any Matthew Shepard story here.’ That’s the sickest part of this entire story — I had to give him that advice. That’s the advice a father has to give a gay son. That’s pathetic.” Burke just wanted to keep his son safe. “The pioneer is usually a lonely guy,” he says. While Brendan received immediate acceptance from his father, that’s not the case in all families. “I get these gut-wrenching letters from parents asking me how to deal with their kid’s sexuality. I also get heart-wrenching letters from kids. It’s very upsetting,” he says. He recalls one letter from a fellow hockey dad. In it, the father described driving with his son, who suddenly asked his dad to pull

the car over. The son took a deep breath and came out. “The father turned to his son and said, ‘If it’s good enough for Brian Burke, it’s good enough for me.’” Patrick hears them, too: tough stories of kids kicked off sports teams, kicked out of homes. Some contemplate suicide. It’s rapidly improving, but not fast enough. Even one story is too many. “We are losing young athletes; some because we scare them off with homophobic slurs, some because they never get into sports in the ﬁrst place,” he says. Patrick says the You Can Play project is actually fighting both a reality and a stereotype. The reality is that homophobia has become deeply embedded in the hockey culture. It’s how players bond. Many don’t even realize what they’re saying is offensive: “fag,” “homo,” “sissy.” The stereotype is that players don’t care. “Many people think athletes are these big meatheads who walk around beating people up, never thinking twice. So we are battling that as well. Over the years, straight athletes have been conditioned to think they should not support gay rights. We need to give them a means to support gay players. The vast majority of them do,” Patrick says. The education starts at home with the hockey parents, he says. The cycle can end in the home. How parents raise their sons will be where the culture of homophobia will ﬁnally be broken.

Burke maintains he would have become involved in the cause even if Brendan hadn’t died. In 2011, the year after Brendan’s accident, Burke was back at the Toronto Pride parade, this time marching with PFLAG. He even tried unsuccessfully to convince Mayor Rob Ford to join him. At his side were Rick Mercer and numerous fellow parents and family members. It was a moving experience, he says. In January, Burke was honoured with the Ally Award from PFLAG Toronto. A man of few words, he choked back tears on stage and muttered, “I’m honoured,” softly into the microphone, before stepping away. PFLAG’s Miller applauds Burke because he is helping young gay athletes feel validated. She hopes that a young athlete in some small Canadian town, who sees Burke standing up to homophobic bullies, may decide to follow his dream into sports. He may come out sooner. He may decide not to commit suicide. “For Brian Burke to be on the cover of Xtra is huge,” Miller says. “That 15- or 16-year-old kid who is questioning and wondering who his role models are, seeing Brian on Xtra tells him he will be okay. “It will also shake up the rest of the sports world. It says he doesn’t give a damn what people think. He only gives a damn about changing pro sports.” Since the release of the You Can Play video, more and more NHL stars are adding their voices to a growing chorus of players pushing to end homophobia in hockey. Patrick predicts the NHL will see its ﬁrst openly gay athlete in the next two years. “We have hit the tipping point here. We are getting closer and closer to that moment.” When the day comes and a player enters his office to come out, Burke knows just what he will say. “I never had a chance to rehearse this the ﬁrst time for my son, but I’ll get it right the second time,” he says. “I’ll just say, ‘Welcome aboard.’”

on the web Watch our video interview with Leafs players Luke Schenn, Mike Komisarek and John-Michael Liles › xtra.ca Check out the You Can Play campaign › youcanplayproject.org

XTRA! MARCH 22, 2012

Toronto’s gay & lesbian news

SPORT

TACKLING HOMOPHOBIA IN SPORT W

Experts say there’s a long way to go

Keph Senett

HILE MORE PROFESsional athletes have come out of the closet in the past year than in the past decade, an expert on homophobia in professional sports says it is still the last great bastion of institutionalized homophobia. In 2011, dozens of athletes publicly came out across a spectrum of disciplines, ranging from swimming to cycling to soccer. Momentum gathered as several high-proﬁle organizational ﬁgures — such as Phoenix Suns president Rick Welts and ESPN radio host Jared Max — followed suit, and straight allies like wrestler Hudson Taylor, of the Athlete Ally foundation, and rugby player Ben Cohen, who founded the StandUp Foundation, helped put the anti-homophobia message on the international agenda. The same year, Major League Baseball got involved at the franchise level when the San Francisco Giants participated in Dan Savage’s It Gets Better project, and by the end of the season a total of eight MLB teams had produced videos for the campaign. Former basketballer Charles Barkley was vocal in his condemnation of homophobia in sports, and the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network ran its Think B4 You Speak campaign on televi-

sion during a National Basketball Association game in May. Gains were made even in the world of soccer, which has been heavily criticized for its lack of organizational support for an anti-homophobia strategy. In 2011, the United Kingdom’s The Justin Campaign, which advocates against homophobia in the sport, secured official endorsements from both The Football Association and the Union of European Football Associations. Indeed, if a spectator dropped in for the 2011 sports season only, it seems likely that he or she might conclude that homophobia in sport is an antiquated issue, a throwback to a different, less enlightened time. But according to Caroline Fusco, an associate professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education at the University of Toronto, professional sport remains a stronghold of homophobic attitudes. “Sport as a space has been one that has really been there for the production of a certain kind of hyper-masculinity. Particularly when you think of pro sports, the big ones: hockey, football, baseball. These all tie in to the rugged notion of masculinity, and these attitudes remain — that gay men aren’t masculine,” she says. Strategies like Brian and Patrick Burke’s You Can Play campaign, which is aimed at the National Hockey League, are trying to change that. Advocates go after the highestprofile names they can secure to create messaging that challenges that notion.

It’s an effective method. The events of 2011 seem to suggest a sea change in the sporting culture. But is the endorsement or coming out of a collection of high-profile sports figures a reasonable measure of the state of homophobia in sport? Is it the best way to tackle homophobia? Marc Naimark, vice-president of external affairs for the Federation of Gay Games (FGG), seems to think not. “The Federation of Gay Games [has] continued to offer opportunities for LGBT athletes to be active in sport in a safe environment while engaging straight athletes in clubs or at sports competitions,” he says. “When we consider sheer numbers, that is far more significant than the elusive out pro athlete.” This may be true, but it’s the story of that single athlete — not the thousands of competitors who participate in the Gay Games or the Outgames or any of the numerous single-sport tournaments that take place annually around the globe — that interests mainstream media. The story’s got to be sensational, and even then, there may be some resistance to the subject . Earlier this year, CBC sportscaster Ron MacLean told Xtra he’d been “taken to task” by the CBC and The Globe and Mail for broaching the subject of gays in sport. The conversation was in reference to out former Olympian Mark Tewksbury, which in turn was in reference to the Beijing Olympics.

EARLIER THIS YEAR, CBC SPORTSCASTER RON MACLEAN TOLD XTRA HE’D BEEN 'TAKEN TO TASK' BY THE CBC AND THE GLOBE AND MAIL FOR BROACHING THE SUBJECT OF GAYS IN SPORT.

“The media, of course, are really always thinking about their audience and money, and if talking about gays in sport hurts sales, then that’s going to cause some concern,” Fusco says, adding that the mainstream media generally have conservative values. Sportsnet writer Stephen Brunt says he hasn’t had an editor reject a sports story with a queer angle but conceded that he had been fortunate to work with a progressive selection of outlets. But whatever the truth is about representation in the media in Canada, it’s not a global measure. FGG communications committee volunteer Kelly Stevens says the sports world is moving from tolerant to supportive in parts of the world. “This is not global,” he says. “Many nations have bias and poor treatment of gay and lesbian people, including athletes.” There has been remarkable progress in European countries like Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom and in Canada. But what about athletes from the developing world? Does the fact that English wicket-keeper Steven Davies chose 2011 to become the ﬁrst out cricketer make a difference to a gay athlete from Senegal, for example? “Homophobia is also tied in to social class, to race as well,” says Fusco. “Who gets this hyper proving ground for masculinity?” This is not to suggest that the actions of high-proﬁle athletes do not matter; they certainly do. But something’s missing in the model. According to Fusco, antihomophobia campaigns need to take a more holistic approach. “These campaigns are really important, [but] there’s something about the implementation of the plan. It starts very early for boys and girls, at school, and schools need to be involved. Municipal, provincial and federal governments need to get on board. “And as for that athlete in Senegal, I think if the Canadian Olympic Committee really took on human rights, including sexuality . . . I think with international competitions, there’s so much travel across the world. We have a responsibility.”

SEA CHANGE BREWING? Though the number of openly gay, nonretired, professional male athletes can still be counted on one hand, last year saw a record number come out. Is the sports world changing? — Robin Perelle

DEC 2009 Welsh rugby player Gareth Thomas comes out while still playing professionally. He tells reporters he could not have come out earlier, for fear of risking his sports career. Two years later he announces his retirement from rugby.

MAY 19, 2011 MAY 2011 The National Basketball Association (NBA) creates a public service announcement called Think B4 You Speak, featuring players from the Phoenix Suns — Grant Hill and Jared Dudley — urging youth to stop using the word gay to mean dumb or stupid. “It’s not creative, it’s oﬀensive to gay people, and you’re better than that,” they say.

ESPN Radio morning sports guy Jared Max comes out on the air in New York. “Are we ready to have our sports information delivered by someone who’s gay? Well, you know what? We are going to ﬁnd out. Because for the last 16 years I’ve been living a free life among my close friends and family, and I’ve hidden behind what is a gargantuan-size secret here in the sports world.”

NOV 2011 Former Vancouver Whitecap David Testo becomes the ﬁrst professional soccer player to publicly come out in North America.

NOV 2009

FEB 2011

MARCH 2012

College hockey manager Brendan Burke, son of Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke, publicly comes out in an ESPN article.

Steven Davies becomes the ﬁrst British cricketer to come out publicly while still playing professionally One month later, Anton Hysén becomes the second pro footballer ever to come out, after Justin Fashanu, who killed himself in 1998.

The Football Association (the governing body of English football) and the Union of European Football Associations oﬃcially endorse The Justin Campaign, which advocates against homophobia in football (soccer).

Patrick and Brian Burke launch You Can Play, a campaign stressing that athletes should be judged on talent, not sexual orientation.

MAY 2011 MAY 15, 2011 Rick Welts, president and chief executive of the Phoenix Suns NBA basketball team, comes out publicly.

Major League Baseball’s San Francisco Giants participate in Dan Savage’s It Gets Better project to support gay and lesbian youth. By the end of the season, seven more baseball teams produce videos for the campaign.

XTRA! MARCH 22, 2012

more at xtra.ca

THEYCAN PLAY

HARVEY L. HAMBURG Barrister, Solicitor, Notary Public

IN HONOUR OF HIS LATE SON BRENdan, Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke has launched a campaign to curb homophobia and welcome gay players to the NHL. Xtra asked Vancouver Canucks stars Ryan Kesler and Henrik Sedin what they think of the You Can Play campaign.

HENRIK SEDIN

POSITION: CENTRE NUMBER: 33 AGE: 31

PHOTOS BY SERGEI BACHLAKOV

XTRA: Henrik, what do you think of the Burke family's new You Can Play campaign to welcome gay players to the NHL? HENRIK SEDIN: I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s something we support. And for them to carry on the legacy of Brian's son, and Patrickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brother, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a great way to do that and, like IÂ said, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re extremely supportive.

So why arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t you participating in the ads? [smiles] They have yet to ask me. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen a few of them. They picked good players, big names, and I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great.

Many Years of Experience in Real Estate, Wills and Estate Administration

RYAN KESLER

Canucks stars show their support for gay athletes Robin Perelle

416-968-9054 One of Xtra!'s Best of Toronto 2002, 2007 & 2010

POSITION: CENTRE NUMBER: 17 AGE: 27

Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a big name. If they ask you, will you do it?

XTRA: What do you think of the new You Can Play campaign?

If they ask. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think anyone that I know wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do it. To support the Burke family and Brian, who drafted us here, a big part of our careers â&#x20AC;&#x201D; it would be an honour, for sure.

RYAN KESLER: I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s awesome. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a really strong message and I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to eliminate that stigma of gay athletes.

How friendly a place is the Canucksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; locker room for a gay player? I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s friendly. I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t talk for all of us, but the guys Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve talked to, and myself and my brother, it would be no problem at all. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not going to change the way we see them or the way we treat them. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re one of us and theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re part of the team.

If there were someone here hesitating to come out, what message would you want him to hear? I think the message is like the rest of society: theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re no different than any other people. It shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be any problem. But we know it is in the rest of society as it is in sports. But in here, it would not be a problem.

Do you support the line, â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you can play, you can playâ&#x20AC;?? Absolutely, 100 percent. To have this message â&#x20AC;&#x201D; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a powerful message â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and to have the Burke family doing this, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great. And Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m hoping itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to help a lot of people.

Why do you think that message is still necessary? A lot of us are closed-minded. Not all of us [and] not just in hockey, but in society. I think this opens up the idea, and I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to change things for the better.

If one of your teammates were to come out, how would you feel? I would be deďŹ nitely okay with it. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re okay with coming out and strong enough to come out â&#x20AC;&#x201D; because we all know how people can be. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a very different world out there; people are very closed-minded. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s good to see that this campaign is going to open some peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eyes.

Serving our community for more than 25 years 120 Carlton St., Suite 215 (at Jarvis St.) e-mail: hhamburg@sympatico.ca

TURN YOUR XXX INTO $$$ Adult Magazines & DVDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s WANTED. Paying Cash. "#$ #00,4 t :POHF 4U

Mother of Gay or Straight Son(s)? $50 for 1/2 hour You are invited to participate in a study on the possible biological basis of sexual orientation. Mothers will ďŹ ll out a short questionnaire and give a small blood sample.

How friendly a place do you think the Canucksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; locker room would be if someone came out?

Please contact Dr. Anthony Bogaert (Brock University, St. Catharines, ON) at tbogaert@brocku.ca or 905-688-5550 ext 4230 for more information.

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a big family in here and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sure every single guy in here would be more than supportive and help them along the way.

If you decide to participate, our researchers will come to your home or place of mutual convenience. This research has been approved by the Brock University Research Ethics Board

Watch our video interview with the Vancouver Canucks on xtra.ca.

(10-282; reb@brocku.ca or 905 688-5550 ext. 3035)

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XTRA! MARCH 22, 2012

Toronto’s gay & lesbian news

MEDIA

Free and easy. Bareback, gloveless love, sex without a condom. Call it what you want but unprotected anal intercourse is risky and considered to be “high risk” for transmitting HIV. In Ontario, guys who have sex with guys continue to be greatly affected by HIV and syphilis. That’s why we launched Get on it. – a campaign that provides information to help you make an informed decision about when, where, and why you need to be tested for HIV and syphilis.

Mainstream press, double standards Fraser’s Edge Brad Fraser

The signs. In most people, an early HIV infection has symptoms and they’re ﬂu-like: fever, sore throat, swollen lymph nodes, headache, and muscle pain. You can also get a rash. Sounds just like being sick right? Well, if you’re having unprotected sex, and you experience these symptoms two to four weeks after your saddlefree bromance, then you should get tested. Watch for the signs.

Being easy. No we’re not talking about you - we’re talking about transmission. Having an STI (sexually transmitted infection) like syphilis can make it easier to get HIV, or to pass it on. You might as well get tested for syphilis when you get your HIV test. Don’t make transmission easy!

The early bird gets the worm. Knowing the signs, the symptoms, and when to get tested will lead to healthier outcomes. Early detection means earlier treatment, which is good for your health and can reduce transmission to others. We’re all in this together and knowledge is power.

Get pricked. (We mean your ﬁnger.) HIV testing at Hassle Free Clinic is fast, easy, and totally anonymous. We’re making it so easy for you that for the next few weeks we’ve opened clinics across the city, extended our hours, and we’re open on weekends. Find a clinic, show up, get a number, and get tested. Four steps; results in 20 Minutes. It couldn’t get easier.

Get on it. For guys into guys.

come-on-in.ca

HERE WAS A TIME WHEN THE queer community was treated miserably by the mainstream press. We were constantly denigrated as perverts and moral failures, depicted as mentally ill child molesters — “homosexual pedophiles” — even though, then as now, the vast majority of all sex crimes were committed by people who identified as straight. It took a lot of protesting, letter writing, hard lobbying and the shaming of people who knew better, but eventually we were nearly accorded the same respect as everyone else. But recently, as the rightwing ideologues continue to use any slippery trick in their arsenal to gain control, there have been disturbing signs that the mainstream media is once again applying a shocking double standard when dealing with us. Sometimes this is quite subtle, which makes it even more dangerous. Let’s start with Canada’s “safety minister,” Vic Toews, who, among his many transgressions, was convicted of exceeding campaign expenses in 1999. When the Canadian equalmarriage debate was raging, Toews denounced gay marriage as a “black mass” and tried to get the government to invoke the notwithstanding clause to stop it. As we now know, through the completely legal release of a great many publicly available documents, while Toews was bashing the gay community he was also cheating on his ﬁrst wife with a much younger woman. But, apparently, and I’ve asked a couple of ﬁrst-rate columnists about this, the mainstream press decided it would give Toews a free ride because “his personal life is nobody’s business.” While this is indeed true, it‘s also true that a politician who’s taking a public moral stance against something while behaving in a morally contrary manner is a hypocrite and a liar and should be exposed as such. Protecting someone’s personal life and enabling a bigoted liar are not the same things, and I suspect if Toews had attacked someone other than the gay community the mainstream press might not have been so casual in its attitude. Even now, after Toews accused all Canadians who questioned the need for the Tories’ suspect online surveillance bill of protecting pedophiles, there are editorials in Canada’s largest newspapers stating that the personal attacks from Anonymous and VikiLeaks against Toews are unwarranted. Yet members of the media seem to have forgotten the Tories’ own history of cheap personal attacks and, for some, life-altering smears. There is

nothing happening to Toews that he hasn’t already done to others. Take, as another example, the brewing scandal ﬁrst reported by Xtra involving the rightwing organization REAL Women, a Christian group that exists to impose its fake religious morality on everyone else. It has been brought in by the governor general to consult on who should receive awards for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. The Globe and Mail refers to these sad people as “a conservative women’s group some critics call homophobic” and notes, “They say Winnipeg’s Human Rights Museum project was spearheaded by ‘left-wing extremists’ that included ‘representatives of homosexual and feminist interests.’” That statement (and others on REAL Women’s website) seems clearly homophobic, as does REAL Women’s stance against equal marriage. Why is

HATE WITHOUT REASON ISN’T AN OPINION. IT’S A SICK EMOTION. Canada’s national newspaper referring to this group with the qualiﬁer “some critics” as if there’s some sort of debate? It’s because of this double standard that the mainstream continues to present the ludicrous idea that there’s “another side” to discussing equal rights for gay people. In the same Globe article, a harridan from REAL Women pulls the usual “Conservative as victim” trick, bemoaning how repressive the gay community is because “They don’t want anybody who has a differing opinion to have any voice in Canada in any area.” There is nothing wrong with a differing opinion, but no one is allowed to deny another person the same rights because of their opinion. Hate without reason isn’t an opinion. It’s a sick emotion that leads one group of people to think they have the right to belittle, suppress, enslave and perhaps even kill another group of people simply because they are different. The society we live in doesn’t allow this, and, frankly, most of the “holy” texts these religious types use to justify their hatred don’t allow it either. There is no other side to the argument for equal rights for gays, or anyone else in a democratic society. So mainstream media, unless you’re going to ask the KKK to contribute to discussions on racism, or a group of men who think it’s okay to beat their wives to speak on women’s rights, I’d suggest you spend less time airing the hateful views of religious zealots and washed-up actors when you write about equal rights for gay people. It’s only fair.

XTRA! MARCH 22, 2012

more at xtra.ca

arts › entertainment › leisure

Out City IN THE

I BASICALLY PLAY THE CHARACTER WITH A RAGING BONER. Glen Matthews ›23

ON SCREEN

A loo work k back of film at the mak er

DVD set, retrospective series to launch March 30 ADAM COISH

Andrew Murphy

N CELEBRATION OF THE NEARLY 30-year career of award-winning filmmaker, writer and activist John Greyson, Vtape distribution is releasing a DVD box set of his short and feature-length ﬁlms and videos. Vtape has also partnered with TIFF Bell Lightbox, the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) and Inside Out to present Impatient: John Greyson Retrospective, beginning at the end of March. Among Greyson’s earlier works is the groundbreaking 1993 ﬁlm Zero Patience, a comic-musical that premiered as a direct challenge to the prevailing AIDS orthodoxy of the time and in response to Randy Shilts’s controversial 1987 book And the Band Played On. The

the deets IMPATIENT: JOHN GREYSON RETROSPECTIVE DVD box set/book launch Fri, March 30, 6pm TIFF Bell Lightbox 350 King St W Retrospective ﬁlm series runs to Thurs, April 5 Visit TIFF Bell Lightbox and AGO for tickets and show times tiﬀ.net ago.net

film was in the vanguard of modernizing the zeitgeist surrounding HIV/AIDS and gay men, and it was among the earliest film pieces to employ humour as a foil against the horrifying disease. “I wanted to engage the audience more critically,” Greyson says. “Not just make them reach for the Kleenex box, but to keep their brains in the room.” Three years later came Lilies, perhaps Greyson’s most commercially successful and critically acclaimed film. A drama set in a small town in Quebec, it’s a story of youth sexuality, Catholic education, intrigue and mystery. It is a rich political comment on the Mount Cashel Orphanage sexual- and physical-abuse scandal, still fresh then in Canadian headlines. They were compelling films, charged with queer themes and powerful political overtones — the kind of film projects that are notoriously difficult to finance. “At the risk of getting nostalgic, I was really lucky to be part of the late-’80s/ early-’90s new wave of Canadian cinema: Bruce McDonald, Atom Egoyan, Patricia Rozema,” Greyson says. “Lilies was one of the last films of that ilk, ending a period of altruist cinema in Canada.” It seems somehow ironic that, in the time of gay marriage and It Gets Better videos, gay films with powerful political messages are more difficult to fund now than they were 20 years ago. “To have that window before the door

WE HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY TO LOOK GLOBALLY TO SEE WHAT WE CAN CONTRIBUTE TO EXISTING ACTIVIST CONVERSATIONS OUT THERE IN THE WORLD. slammed shut — to get Zero Patience, Lilies, Proteus [2003] made — it’s hard to imagine those scripts getting funded now,” Greyson says. “I’ve returned in some ways to where I began, which is to the arts councils; Fig Trees [2009] would never get funded other than through those sources today. The Canada Council and the Ontario Arts Council have always been queer-friendly places to go.” There are also autobiographical threads running through Greyson’s many short films, installations and feature pieces. “A lot of the work never seemed that way at the time,” he says. “But looking back it reﬂects what I was interested in at the time, especially the activism I was involved in: AIDS Action Now in Toronto, anti-censorship, battles around copyright that came out of the artist community, and most recently, Queers Against Israeli Apartheid.”

So much has changed for gay people over the years. The battles are not all won here at home, but Greyson suggests we have renewed social responsibilities. “It’s night and day,” he says. “When we think about the ﬁrst video I made in ’84 [The Perils of Pedagogy] versus where we are today, we’ve achieved so much nationally and on the ground here in Toronto. But we have the responsibility to look globally to see what we can contribute to existing activist conversations out there in the world.” When I ask if his body of work could help queer youth of today understand the struggles that came before their time and perhaps inspire them to use film as an instrument of progressive political change in the world, Greyson smiles and responds cautiously: “The minute you start calculating, I think, is the minute you fall on your nose,” he says. “The subject remains urgent

and depends what definition is used . . . and so much more debate has been built into curriculum now. It could be hipper, but it’s in place. “I put my energy into types of activism which aren’t about tolerance or just about liberal coexistence,” he adds. “It’s my priority to put it into tougher issues. But I really do value, on a day-to-day basis, those people who are doing that work, whether around fighting for equal rights, adoption or gay marriage — now a billion-dollar industry that I’m making a critical film about as we speak. That work needs to be done, too.” Greyson says things have to work at different levels. “That’s where I probably softened over the years,” he says. “I probably was a bit more militant in focusing on the radical agenda in the past. Things have to work at different levels, and that’s the life we live. I would rather people do activism that they’re comfortable with and that they see a connection to. I may disagree with their activism, but that’s fine, too.” Andrew Murphy is director of programming for the Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film and Video Festival. Visit this story on xtra.ca for a video interview with Greyson; a book review of Zero Patience, by Susan Knabe and Wendy Pearson; and additional links.

XTRA! MARCH 22, 2012

Toronto’s gay & lesbian news

IMMIGRATION LAW

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The annual photographic fundraiser celebrates the work of new and emerging artists with silent and live auctions and a student photo competition. Support young talent and help raise much-needed funds for the AIDS Committee of Toronto. Sun, March 25, 6–11pm. National Ballet School, 400 Jarvis St. $90. snap-toronto.com

The Penis Project Size absolutely matters. An exhibition showcasing the work of 25 visual artists and 30 performers. DJ K-Tel provides the soundtrack to cocktailing. Fri, March 30, 9pm. Buddies, 12 Alexander St. $7. buddiesinbadtimes.com

Graﬃti Show on Art Censorship Local graﬃti artist Spud takes on Rob Ford and blurs the line between vandalism and street art. Runs till Sat, March 31. Don’t Tell Mama Gallery, 108 Ossington Ave. Free.

17 Liz Coucean’s ﬁrst solo exhibition features more than a dozen paintings and charcoal drawings of partially and totally nude women competing for the viewer’s attention. Opening night reception Tues, March 22, 7–9pm. Runs till Thurs, April 19. EIA Gallery, 302 Carlaw Ave. Free. lizcoucean.com

FILM & VIDEO We Were Here This moving documentary about the early days of AIDS in San Francisco focuses on ﬁve subjects who are still around to tell their stories. Panel discussion follows. Wed, March 28, 7:30pm. Wilfred Laurier University, Brantford campus. Reserve spot at 866-563-0563. aidsnetwork.ca

Impatient: John Greyson Retrospective VTape presents a comprehensive, multi-venue look at the Canadian icon’s proliﬁc career. Featuring seven features, 21 short ﬁlms, the launch of a DVD box set and book, and more. Fri, March 30–Thurs, April 5, various showtimes. TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King St W; AGO, 317 Dundas St W. ago.net/johngreyson-retrospective

Blood and Sand The third annual Toronto Silent Film Festival presents a screening of the classic Valentino film about a poor village boy who defies all odds and becomes the most famous matador in Spain. Take a bow. Sat, March 31, 4pm. Revue Cinema, 400 Roncesvalles Ave. $12. torontosilentfilmfestival.com

LEISURE & PLEASURE Older LGBT Social Anniversary Celebrate the afternoon social’s ﬁrst year on the block and meet new friends. Transportation available. Thurs, March 22, 2–4pm. SPRINT, 140 Merton St. Free.

Snow-Tubing Adventure Hit the hills, or another mound, in one of the best snow-tubing

For more listings, go to xtra.ca playgrounds in Ontario. Sat, March 24; shuttle to Snow Valley departs from Church and Wellesley at 8am. $45. getoutcanada.com

Toronto GayGamers March 2012 Meet-Up Point your sword skyward, twilight princess, and nerd out with fellow gaming enthusiasts. Bring your own portable gaming system, cards or board games. All skill levels welcome. Sat, March 24, 3–10pm. O’Grady’s on Church, 518 Church St. Free.

LGBT Indoor Golfing Tee off for a nine-hole round in a high-definition, realistic golfing environment. A half-hour skillsenhancement session kicks off the afternoon. Rentals included. Sun, March 25, 2pm. Lakeshore Links, 750 Lakeshore Blvd E. $40. getoutcanada.com

Spring Speed Dating for Gay Professionals Deal breaker? Waste no time mourning and move on to the next one with an evening of rapid-ﬁre dating in a chic, tasteful locale. Full details online; 20 spots available. Tues, March 27, 7–9:30pm. torontogaysingles.com

Erotic Memoir: A Writing Workshop with Susie Bright The famed sex educator, writer and performer delivers a workshop on erotic journalling that will get you writing on the spot. Tues, March 27, 7:30–9:30pm. Come As You Are, 493 Queen St W. $35. comeasyouare.com

Singing for Love The queer Asian choir meets and welcomes new members. Cruise, croon and connect. No experience or auditions necessary. Wed, March 28, 5:30–7:30pm. The 519 Church St Community Centre, 519 Church St. Free. ariescheung.com/ singingforlove

Sex-Positive Parenting Workshop Sex educator and phenom Susie Bright leads a workshop on instilling sexual sanity in your kids while addressing the ethical and emotional dilemmas along the way. Wed, March 28, 7:30–9:30pm. Come As You Are, 493 Queen St W. $35. comeasyouare.com

FemCab 2012 Award-winning comedienne Elvira Kurt hosts Nightwood’s 29th annual commemoration of International Women’s Day. Featuring appearances by Olivia Chow, Kristyn Wong-Tam, Rosina Kazi, DJ Cozmic Cat and more. Thurs, March 29, 8pm. Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queen’s Quay W. $25. nightwoodtheatre.net

Strip Search! Shake what mama gave you and qualify for a spot in this summer’s ﬁfth annual Toronto Burlesque Festival. Panel features local burlesque luminaries Miss Tanya Cheex, Dew Lily, Irish Mist and Naked Toni, of Naked News fame. Sun, April 1, 7pm. Revival Nightclub, 783 College St W. $20 advance, $25 door. ontariostripsearch2012esearch.eventbrite.com › continued on page 19

XTRA! MARCH 22, 2012

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IN PRINT

A Titanic discovery Author Hugh Brewster uncovers stories of gay passengers Alistair Newton “LOOKING OVER THE PASSENGER list, I only ﬁnd three or four people I know, but there are a good many of our people I think.” This intriguing line comes from a letter dated April 11, 1912, penned by the painter Francis Millet to his friend Alfred Parsons. By the time the letter reached its destination, its author was dead. If April 11, 1912, seems like a reasonably inauspicious date, the events that transpired four days later are permanently inscribed on the Western psyche. The letter’s salutation instantly reveals why: “On board RMS Titanic.” April 15, 2012, marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the fabled ocean liner. To mark the occasion, author, playwright and journalist Hugh Brewster wrote a new contribution to the ever-expanding ﬁeld of Titanic scholarship. However, as the former member of the gay rights group Toronto Gay Action and former writer for Xtra’s predecessor, The Body Politic, is quick to point out, most people only think they know the real story of the Titanic.

“They know the James Cameron movie, and that’s about it,” Brewster says, and he should know. Brewster was involved in the publication of Robert Ballard’s best-selling book The Discovery of the Titanic and is himself the author of numerous books on the subject. He even served as a consultant on Cameron’s ﬁlm. In his new book, RMS Titanic: Gilded Lives on a Fatal Voyage, Brewster includes the stories of some of the gay men among the ship’s passenger list. Two of Brewster’s protagonists in this exploration of the private lives of the Titanic’s bright lights are Francis Millet and Major Archibald Willingham Butt, who served as military aid to presidents Roosevelt and Taft. Millet and Butt are both thought to be “our people.” “I actually became interested in Millet seriously when I wrote a children’s book about John Singer Sargent’s famous painting Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose,” Brewster explains. “I started to research this painting and discovered it was painted in Frank Millet’s garden.” Brewster conducted extensive research at the Smithsonian, where he

Francis Millet died in the Titanic disaster. John Singer Sargent’s famous painting Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose was painted in his garden.

discovered Millet’s passionate love letters to San Francisco poet Charles Warren Stoddard, as well as the original copy of Millet’s final letter from the Titanic. “In writing about the Titanic as a microcosm of the Gilded Age, I definitely wanted to write about gay men as part of it,” Brewster says. RMS Titanic follows the stories of several confirmed bachelors who travelled on the ship. A queer examination of the time of the Titanic’s voyage will invariably prove challenging. Before the scientific and

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listings › humanitarian revolution that began in Germany in the late 19th century, homosexuality was considered something one did rather than what someone was. This lack of a contemporary understanding of divergent sexualities makes the study of queer history difficult and speculative. As Brewster notes, “letters were burned and destroyed, so gay history is about reading between the lines.” “One of the things that always struck me about the Titanic is the coincidences,” Brewster says. One such coincidence involves another of the Titanic’s doomed passengers. William Thomas Stead was an English journalist whose crusade against sexual impropriety and the exploitation of children led to the passing of the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1885 in the UK, which also criminalized homosexuality. “At the same time Millet is writing his last letter on the Titanic, WT Stead — the man who put Oscar Wilde in prison — is writing his last letter. Maybe they met at the post office,” Brewster muses. For Brewster, “Titanic is a universal metaphor for hubris and human folly and arrogance. In our world today, there are very few parables left; there are very few universally known stories.” And thanks to the gay-radicalturned-author, our people now have a place in that story.

the deets RMS TITANIC: GILDED LIVES ON A FATAL VOYAGE Hugh Brewster HarperCollins $30

› continued from page 18

HEALTH & ISSUES The Salaam Support Group A safe and supportive forum for queer-identiﬁed Muslims to discuss sexuality and spirituality and to foster new relationships. Fri, March 27, 6:30pm. The 519 Church St Community Centre, 519 Church St. Free. the519.org

Positive Routes to Recovery A peer-facilitated support group for gay and gay HIV-positive men taking a harm-reduction approach to substance use. This safe and non-judgmental environment focuses on individual goal-setting. Tues, April 3, 6–8pm. The 519 Church St Community Centre, 519 Church St. Free. the519.org

PRINT & READINGS Troubled Masculinities: Reimagining Urban Men RM Vaughan hosts the launch of the new anthology, featuring a discussion with the authors and performances by Takami Spears, Alex LaFortune, Chase, Sam Abel and Lexington Vaughn. Contributing authors include Michael Comeau, Will Munro, Joseph Vaz and more. Thurs, March 22, 6–9pm. Buddies, 12 Alexander St. No cover. buddiesinbadtimes.com › continued on page 23

Audre Lorde Mos Def Saul Williams Sarah Jones Suheir Hammad Zadie Smith Chrystos Francesca Lia Block Timothy Findley Allen Ginsburg Cherrie Moraga Sapphire Assatta Shakur Talib Kweli Leslie Feinberg Joanna Kadi Eli Clare Kate Bornstein Makeda Silvera Gloria Anzaldua Amber Hollibaugh Ntozake Shange Rha Goddess Mystic Aurora Levins Morales Me’Shell Ndegocello Joy Harjo Essex Hemphill Bahamadia Lynn Breedlove Meena Alexander Dorothy Allison Beth Brant Jessica Care Moore Medusa Svati Shah Your Name Here.

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Flying Beaver celebrates first anniversary Cabbagetown cabaret club serves up great food and lots of laughter

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IT REMAINS A DEEP MYSTERY WHY a vibrant city like Toronto doesn’t have a more active cabaret scene. It’s certainly not that we’re short of talent, with luminaries like Sharron Matthews and Louise Pitre making their homes in the Big Smoke. But for the last year, one Cabbagetown club has been making waves, with a bubbling roster of comics, singers and musicians reigniting the speakeasy landscape. Now celebrating its ﬁrst anniversary, The Flying Beaver Pubaret is the latest venture for Toronto restaurateur Heather Mackenzie and irrepressible comedienne Maggie Cassella. The two joined forces while brainstorming ideas for a new eatery on Parliament St. Cassella was originally on tap as a frequent performer for the club but quickly decided to plunge into co-ownership with Mackenzie, with each gal divvying up responsibilities according to their strengths. Of course, things have proven much more catch-as-catch-can in the hurlyburly of running a thriving restaurant and club. “Well, originally Heather was going to handle the food end of things with me running the show production,” Cassella says. “But you can’t just split the baby and say, ‘Here — you look after that half and I’ll look after this half.’” So Cassella has found herself both behind the microphone and, occasionally, snuggled up next to a griddle as she mucks in with the occasional brunch prep. Far from your typical diva, she’s found such experiences to be surprisingly entertaining. “Oh my God, we laugh constantly,” Cassella says. “It takes away from the seriousness of the work. Plus, there’s nothing else to do sometimes, like when the contractors mistakenly reset the rads upstairs and it starts pouring rain inside the restaurant. You can only laugh.” For her part, Mackenzie is happy to have found a business partner who is as hard-working and insightful as she is lighthearted. “I’ve learned so much from Maggie,” Mackenzie says. “She’s brought in this whole performance side that I never thought of and has a very unique way of looking at business.”

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One thing both agreed upon was that their establishment should emulate Mackenzie’s former club Slack Alice, pulling a varied crowd from the entire social spectrum. “I mean, it’s 20 years since the days of all the guys being on Church St and the women at The Rose on Parliament,” Cassella says. “But even still, I had a guy come in a while back and ask if men were welcome. I told him, ‘Of course they are. We’re an asshole-free space, not a men-free space.’”

WE’RE AN ASSHOLE-FREE SPACE, NOT A MEN-FREE SPACE. — co-owner and comedienne Maggie Cassella And while Mackenzie and Cassella call their space a pubaret in deference to both the pub atmosphere and the live cabaret acts, The Flying Beaver’s menu is head and shoulders above your local beer parlour. The panko-encrusted ﬁsh-and-chips is to die for, while there are fresh salads and entrées worthy of Mackenzie’s reputation as a devoted foodie. Cassella is also glad the restaurant’s new menu has plenty of healthy options — including a selection of gluten-free dishes and beer. Of course, running a restaurant often means sacriﬁcing any semblance of a real life, so it’s a good thing Mackenzie and Cassella enjoy each other’s company. “We do get along really well,” Mackenzie says. “We manage to get the job done and have fun doing it, while keeping each other calm in emergencies. One of us is always there to slap the other one in a crisis. It’s good to be able to rely on someone like that.” “It’s true,” Cassella chimes in. “I’m the wife she never wanted.”

the deets THE FLYING BEAVER PUBARET 488 Parliament St pubaret.com 647-347-6567

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ON STAGE

The Nunâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Vacation â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Like Threeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Company if it were produced by HBOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

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SeraďŹ n LaRiviere I ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT NUNS have it pretty good. After all, black is the most slimming of colours, and even the worst home-perm disaster remains unremarked upon when hidden under a habit. But letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s face it: being married to Christ is a perfectly lovely idea until you realize there ainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t gonna be nothing going on south of the border that isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t menstrual or bathroom-related. So it makes sense that even the most saintly of nuns needs a holiday once in a while, as occurs in Tom Walmsleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new play, The Nunâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Vacation. The piece poses that timeless question: â&#x20AC;&#x153;How do you believe in God and still get laid?â&#x20AC;? Sister Shannon is a sheltered nun who has spent most of her adult life in a quiet convent contemplating the mysteries of life and spirituality. Oh, and tonguing a little labia as well. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been involved in a confusing but rewarding liaison with fellow postulant Rose for quite some time, but as their illicit relationship begins to unravel, Shannon feels the need to escape the safe conďŹ nes of her order and discover her true nature. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s her ďŹ rst time experiencing real hurt and conďŹ&#x201A;ict,â&#x20AC;? says Sandy Duarte, who plays Shannon. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s discovered love for the ďŹ rst time, but because of her religion and faith thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an in-

ternal struggle with her heart loving someone it shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t.â&#x20AC;? Enter ex-priest Brody, long-time friend to Shannon and now a psychiatrist living in Toronto. Brody (Glen Matthews) doffed the collar upon accepting his own homosexuality. Shannon races to his unsuspecting arms, hoping to trade her confused lesbian nun-hood for a seemingly uncomplicated life as a complacent (and, hopefully, sexually fulďŹ lled) wife and mother. Of course, Brody has no idea of his friendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plan, distracted as he is by a hunky bi-curious client named Pierce (Stephen Chambers). The shrink ďŹ nds himself both startled and dangerously aroused when his patient confesses to feeling some sexual curiosity toward other men. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I basically play the character with a raging boner,â&#x20AC;? laughs Matthews. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Brodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s borderline ravenous, after being a priest for so long and now leading a reserved day-to-day life as a serious professional.â&#x20AC;? Tensions mount as a sexual triangle intensiďŹ es, with Shannon wanting Brody, Brody wanting Pierce, and Pierce willing to settle for either. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a classic farce, really,â&#x20AC;? Matthews says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also this underlying theme that adds God and really interesting discussions around sexuality. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kind of like Threeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Company if it were produced by HBO.â&#x20AC;?

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The Nunâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Vacation stars Sandy Duarte, Stephen Chambers and Glen Matthews (standing). DAN HUZIAK

the deets THE NUNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S VACATION Fri, March 23â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Sun, April 8, 8pm Toronto Free Gallery 1277 Bloor St W dhrproductions.com

For more listings, go to xtra.ca Forte performs on March 31.

Tarek Fatah speaks on April 2.

â&#x20AC;ş continued from page 19

PRINT & READINGS (CONTINUED)

The Arab Spring and Gay Rights

DIFFERENT? SO ARE WE.

Award-winning author Tarek Fatah gives a talk on the diďŹ&#x20AC;erence between Islam and Islamofascism. Mon, April 2, 5:45pm. The Courtyard Marriott, 475 Yonge St. $40, $35 members, $20 students. Includes buďŹ&#x20AC;et. thefraternity.org

Suzette Mayr The eh List Author Series presents the author of Monoceros, a tragic and timely story of a young gay man who commits suicide as a result of incessant bullying. Tues, April 3, 7â&#x20AC;&#x201C;8:15pm. Runnymede Public Library, 2178 Bloor St W. Free.

STAGE Bliss CĂŠline Dion speaks through an oracle and addresses a group of Walmart cashiers in Olivier ChoiniĂ¨reâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s internationally celebrated play. Translated by Caryl Churchill. Runs Tues, March 27â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Sun, April 8. Various showtimes. Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander St. $33 or PWYC. totix.ca

Ryan Kelly HoliďŹ&#x20AC; Local talents Kelly HoliďŹ&#x20AC; and Ryan Kelly unite for an evening of spirited cabaret. Sat, March 24, 8â&#x20AC;&#x201C;10:30pm. Lower Ossington Theatre, 100A Ossington Ave. $25, arts worker, student discount available. lowerossingtontheatre.com

MUSIC Proud FM Showcase Slacker Canadian Music Fest presents Dragonette, Young Empires and Eric Solomon in celebration of the nelly presence at this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s festival. Fri, March 23, 8pm. The Hoxton,

69 Bathurst St. $30.51 advance. Limited wristbands and passes accepted. canadianmusicfest.com

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Constant Craving Forte: The Toronto Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chorus presents a spring cabaret, with selections from its upcoming 15th anniversary concert, Songs My Brother Taught Me. Sat, March 31; 3:30pm matinee, 7:30pm evening performance. The 519 Church St Community Centre, 519 Church St. $25 advance, $30 door; both shows $40 advance, $50 door. fortechorus.com â&#x20AC;ş continued on page 24

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ON STAGE

Bliss & horror Production merges story of sexual abuse with tabloid tales of Céline Dion Chris Dupuis

Tomboyfriend music video premiere on March 31. › continued from page 23

MUSIC (CONTINUED)

Tomboyfriend Music Video Premiere The eclectic post-punk brats celebrate the debut of their new music video with a screening party and performance. Sat, March 31, 8pm. AGO, 317 Dundas St E. $7, $5 members.

Spectra Auditions Queer Idol rebrands itself as a non-proﬁt organization that welcomes performers of all varieties. Knock opportunity on its ass and take advantage of this new platform to hone your craft and take it to the next level. Audition to be part of a new and exciting collaboration. Sun, April 1, 1:30–5:30pm. Register online. spectrashowcase.com

CELEBRITY COMES IN MANY DIFFERent forms. Olivier Choinière’s Bliss weaves parallel stories of two famous Quebeckers: pop diva Céline Dion and Isabelle Côté, the 22-year-old who made national headlines in 2002 when her father and older brothers were charged with holding her prisoner and violently sexually abusing her over a 17-year period. “The play has a different resonance in Toronto because Céline is known in practically every country on earth, while Côté is much more famous in Quebec,” says director Steven McCarthy. “Every culture has their own celebrities that don’t exist anywhere else. Because Quebec is this tiny French island in the giant English sea of North America, they have their own independent star system and tabloids to match.” First staged as Félicité in Montreal in 2007, the English translation received its inaugural Toronto production under McCarthy’s watch at SummerWorks in 2010. Remounted as part of Buddies’ season, the production is staged on a 12-foot square of white ceramic tiles where four Walmart employees of varying seniority recount the stories. Reminiscent of classical Greek tragedy, the actors describe the horriﬁc events in lieu of playing them out. Drawing unlikely comparisons between a pop

star’s glamorous life and the terrifying realities of abuse, the play exposes the dark side of our culture’s insatiable appetite for the private lives of celebrities. “There was a time when you could pick up a tabloid in Quebec every day and read stories about the two of them on the same page,” McCarthy says. “I’m thinking of the play as a piece about gods and monsters. Céline, as a celebrity and ambassador for the people of Quebec, has godlike status, while Isabelle represents the most unfortunate among us.” McCarthy ﬁrst stumbled on the work in 2010 while he was a directing student at Montreal’s National Theatre School. He’d been on the hunt for a play to stage as his ﬁnal project and knew he wanted to work with a hybrid of Quebec and anglo-Canadian culture. “I went to French school growing up, so I’m sensitive to the need to bridge the gap between French and English Canada,” the Sault Ste Marie native says. Though he admits he wasn’t a fan of Dion’s music prior to working on the show, the process led him to an unlikely admiration for Charlemagne’s numberone chanteuse. “I read a lot of stuff about her while I was researching the play, and I feel like it really shifted my experience of what taste is,” he says. “I started to think of her as a heavy-metal singer working in pop. Her music is all about power and

Trent Pardy, Jean-Robert Bourdage and France Rolland star in Bliss.

pure emotion, with no room for subtlety or misunderstanding.” He also sees Dion’s ability to stay true to her roots as key to her success. As the top-selling Canadian artist of all time, she has reached the rest of Canada and every corner of the world with her craft, without losing a shred of her Quebec identity. “She’s a celebrity in virtually every culture on Earth, but she’s totally rooted in her own culture,” McCarthy says. “Usually in order to transcend borders,

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a person’s culture is whitewashed from them. But with Céline her Quebecness is a huge part of what’s made her successful because it makes her seem accessible and real.”

the deets BLISS Thurs, March 29–Sun, April 8, 8pm Buddies in Bad Times Theatre 12 Alexander St totix.ca

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XPOSED Anna Pournikova Here’s how a night at Parts should go: first you fill up on meat (like Dyane, who took down that burger like a champion), then you move it downstairs for the sweaty dance party. Incidentally, I’ve always been suspicious of the allmale serving staff at Parts, but they were over-the-top good in the service department. Dyane and I were blown away. Once we made our way to the basement, we were met by a thick, hot wall of sweaty danceﬂoor in the air. Miguel, the new hottie (I say new because I have not seen him before and the sluts I was with don’t know him either) I met, was very charming. I just love that new-boy smell.

Turns out the Parkdale BIA is pretty BA (badass) when it comes to throwing jams. Fireside — a weeklong cultural festival in Parkdale — is in its first year but got off to a great start. Opening night was held at Goodfellas Gallery and they served Beau’s, which is a lovely microbrewery beer from Ontario. You should get some and thank me later. This pic of Andrea, “Legs” to those who know her well, shows the label, so now you have a visual to recall when you’re at the LCBO. Armand, of Perfecto magazine, is doing quite the job as a DJ on the side. After his stint in nowdefunct Fritz Helder & The Phantoms, he moved on to his first love of styling and new love of DJing quite seamlessly. The crowd at Parts was loving it, and it wasn’t even midnight yet. April is a famous beard. True fucking story. Every fashion gay in town knows and loves her. It’s one part legs and one part throwing Business Woman’s Special. But I’m leaning more to the legs. I wasn’t surprised in the slightest to see her ﬂashing those gams on the danceﬂoor with good friend Caroline.

Uber is a new car service in Toronto that works from an iPhone app or BlackBerry texting. Basically, you can order a car from anywhere in the city and one will come in less than 10 minutes. A decent town-car with a well-mannered driver, mind you. In any case, they had a luncheon at Marben to announce this sexy service and I ran into lots of the “right people.” And by right, I mean people with big mouths (they call them networks these days) to tell everyone about it. One such person is Bobby (on right) and his friend Chantel.

My girl Roxy Cottontail was in town to play a gig at the old Ultra, now called Cube, and we met for a wee cocktail at the Hennessy party at the Thompson first. We made it a bit of a reunion and invited DJ Betti Forde. Four-scoreand-two years ago, I went on tour with these two and it was endless stories and laughs and failed attempts at hooping everything in sight. The best/worst part was that Roxy found out she was allergic to her launderer’s detergent and could wear only the same onesie the whole tour. Every small town got a wicked eyeful of a spectacular nighttime onesie in the day. It was the best road trip on the books.

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XTRA! MARCH 22, 2012

Toronto’s gay & lesbian news

NIGHTCLUB LISTINGS THURS, MARCH 22 Retro Night gets stripper boys shaking their booties to ’70s and ’80s music all night long. 8pm. Remington’s, 379 Yonge St. $5. remingtons.com

THURS, MARCH 29

Party Time, with Rob and guests getting naughty in The Loft. 9pm. Statlers, 487 Church St. No cover.

Ladyplus Parties, with DJ Todd Klinck spinning for the mesdames and mesdemoiselles. 8pm– 2pm. Goodhandy’s, 120 Church St. Ladies and members no cover; gents $5 before 11pm, $10 after. ladyplus.com

Smirnoﬀ Best Chest Contest has hosts Nicolette, Mahogany and Tynomi Banks pinching perky nipples while DJ Mark Falco spins. Midnight. Woody’s, 465 Church St. No cover. woodystoronto.com

FRI, MARCH 23 Slacker Canadian Music Fest gets queer, with Proud FM showcasing Dragonette, Young Empires and Eric Solomon. Tickets must be picked up at the CMW box oﬃce at the Fairmont Royal York (British Columbia Room). 8pm. The Hoxton, 69 Bathurst St. $30.51 advance. canadianmusicfest.com The Cheap Show pinches pennies while Lena Over and Scarlet Bobo pinch the crowd’s cute butts. 9pm. Zelda’s, 692 Yonge St. No cover. zeldas.ca Sports Gear Night gives pitchers and catchers the perfect excuse to show oﬀ long, hard bats and dangling balls, while Bootblack Pooch plays fetch. Sports gear encouraged. 10pm. Black Eagle, 457 Church St. No cover. blackeagletoronto.com Casual Sex Friday encourages naughty cock-a-doodling, with DJs Sis and Bro spinning. 10pm. Henhouse, 1532 Dundas St W. No cover. henhousetoronto.com

SAT, MARCH 24 Haute throws a way-up-high Fashion Week afterparty, art show and shopping experience, with DJs Winnie and Linguist and an interactive fashion show presented by the art of WOR, Rebel Junction, Flock Accessories and Ila Byela Jewellery. 2:30pm–midnight. Rebel Junction, 183 Queen St E. $6 advance, $10 door. theartofwor.com

For complete listings on the go, scan the QR code below.

Amplify House is local-talent sexy, with DJs Randy James, Dre Luca, B2B, Adam P and Breezno amplifying the tracks, pole dancing by Charlie Howell and hula-hooping by Marcy P. Hosted by Lady Empris and Chris Bosno. 10pm. Goodhandy’s, 120 Church St. No cover before 11pm for men, $10 after, $7 on guest list; ladies no cover all night. goodhandys.com

Dragonette headlines the Proud FM showcase at Slacker Canadian Music Fest on March 23. 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 Cherry Bomb explodes, with DJs Cozmic Cat and Denise Benson spinning for queer women, men, trans folk and straight friends. 9pm–3am. Andy Pool Hall, 489 College St. No cover before 10pm, $7 after. cherrybombtoronto.com Montreal Madness speaks French kiss fluently. DJs Patrick Guay, Stéphane Lippé and Mat Ste-Marie spin the beats. 10pm. fly, 8 Gloucester St. $10 before 11:30pm, $15 till 1am, $20 after. flynightclub.com Pop Machine: Diva Discotheque 2.0, with DJs Alessandro and Shane Percy spinning all things pop. 10pm–3am. WAYLA, 996 Queen St E. $5. waylabar.com I Love Sex Parties: The Pansexual Version encourages the naughty, from flaunting to spontaneous orgies. Hosted by Mandy Goodhandy, with DJ Todd Klinck. 10pm–3am. Goodhandy’s, 120 Church St. $10 gents, no cover for ladies and worldonthefringe.com members. goodhandys.com Go Hard Second Anniversary celebrates bangin’ tracks, as DJs Blackcat and Unruly Twin throw down no-holdsbarred with sugar on top. 10pm. Alto Lounge, 582 Church St. $5 before 11:30pm, $10 after.

SUN, MARCH 25 Rough House doesn’t pull punches at this social dungeon cum house party for gay leathermen and (a few) dykes. Saline, bondage, percussion, rope play, electro, ﬁsting and more. 1–5pm. Goodhandy’s, 120 Church St. $10. roughhouse.ca Fashionista erupts for the Miss Crews and Tangos 2012 pageantry, with a surprise celebrity performance

and more than $5,000 in cash and prizes. 7pm cocktails, 9pm show. Crews & Tangos, 508 Church St. $10. crewsandtangos.com Miss Toronto Continental 2012, hosted by Farra N Hyte and Jeanette Dupree. A portion of the proceeds to support PWA’s Essentials Market. 8pm–2am. Goodhandy’s, 120 Church St. $20 advance, $25 door, $5 discount with non-perishable food donation. goodhandys.com

MON, MARCH 26 Glitz and Glam Mondays, with Carlotta Carlisle, 9–11:30pm; Candice’s Star Search at 11pm. Crews and Tangos, 508 Church St. No cover. crewsandtangos.com FML Mondays has rotating DJs, cute bartenders and even cuter boys on the ﬂoor. 10pm. Vizion Lounge, 580 Church St. No cover.

TUES, MARCH 27 TICOT Toonie Tuesday fundraiser, with Candice Kelly and Nikki Chin, at 9pm; Vocal Rehab, with DJ Elyse, in the Zone and All Request, with DJ Quinces, in Tangos, both at 10pm; Bittersweet, with Honey Brown and Olyvia Chin, at 11pm. Crews & Tangos, 508 Church St. No cover. crewsandtangos.com Bad Boys Night Out with DJ Chris Steinbach and the Bad Boy Prize Wheel. Woody’s, 465 Church St. No cover. woodystoronto.com

WED, MARCH 28 Hump Day, with DJ Mark Falco. 9pm. Woody’s, 465 Church St. No cover. woodystoronto.com Nicolette Brown and Jada Hudson take the stage at 9pm; Foreplay goes a long way, with Farra N Hyte and guest, at 11:30pm. Crews & Tangos, 508 Church St. No cover. crewsandtangos.com

FemCab 2012 celebrates feminine strength at Nightwood’s annual International Women’s Day celebration. Elvira Kurt hosts a night filled with community leaders, with appearances by MP Olivia Chow, Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam, Andrea O’Reilly, Raging Asian Women, Suba Sankaran, DJ Cozmic Cat and more. 8pm–midnight. Brigantine Room, Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queen’s Quay W. $25. nightwoodtheatre.net Steers & Queers’ Gay Ole Opry is homo on the range, with DJs Joe Blow and Sigourney Beaver spinning country and western. Performances by Ms Fluffy Souffle, Shane MacKinnon, The Barettas and Cherry Piqued, making her burlesque debut. 10pm. Dakota Tavern, 249 Ossington Ave. Cover TBA. thedakotatavern.com A Benefit for Counterpoint Orchestra and the Smirnoff Best Chest Contest have hosts Georgie Girl and Sofonda beating on sexy pecs, with DJ Mark Falco. Midnight. Woody’s, 465 Church St. No cover. woodystoronto.com

FRI, MARCH 30 Rangeela celebrates spring with a queer party full of bling, bhangra, Bollywood and, of course, boys for “Canada’s biggest queer South Asian event.” 9pm. Goodhandy’s, 120 Church St. $10 before midnight, $15 after. goodhandys.com The Penis Project gets cocky, with 30 performers and 25 visual artists showcasing the phallic. Performances at 10pm. DJ K-Tel hits the deck for the afterparty. 9pm. Buddies, 12 Alexander St. $7. buddiesinbadtimes.com Dance Camp: Disco House Inferno feeds the boys house vocals, with DJ Mark Falco spinning diva-rich tracks and VJ Gary White in the DC Video Lounge. 10pm. ﬂy, 8 Gloucester St. No cover before 10:30pm, $10 after. ﬂynightclub.com Push It gets sweet on tweets, with DJs Cozmic Cat and Lucie Tic dropping tunes while the lady peeps send requests and tweet hottie sightings to the TV screens at #pushit. 10pm–3am. Slack’s, 563 Church St. No cover before 11pm, $5 after. slacks.ca

SAT, MARCH 31 Tomboyfriend performs and premieres their new music video, with the vocals of Ryan Kamstra, Marlena Zuber and Sholem Krishtalka and the choral arrangements of backup troupe The Glory Hogs. 8–11pm. The AGO’s Weston Family Learning Centre, 317 Dundas St W. $7, $5 members. ago.net The Downtown Swim Club brings out the sexy flesh for Swim Fashion Show at 9pm; squirt.org Best Men’s Ass Contest, hosted by Sofonda and Robyn DeCradle, exposes the rest; DJ Chris Steinbach at midnight. Woody’s, 465 Church St. No cover. woodystoronto.com Bearracuda vs Pitbull goes down under, top dog and power bottom, with a threesome of spinmeisters — DJs Rob (Sydney), Shane Percy and B-Tech — throwing down for bears, boys and bare-chested dancefloor hirsutes. 10pm. fly, 8 Gloucester St. $15 before 1am, $20 after. pitbullevents.ca Hotnuts WilderMess Safari promises to breast-feed the pink zebra and get lost in the thick safari bush. Hosted by Mary Messhausen, with DJs Das Hussy, Produzentin and No Problem. Performances at midnight by Miss Jamaica and HD Drag. 10pm–3am. The Garrison, 1197 Dundas St W. $5. garrisontoronto.com Panic spotlights The Smiths, with DJ Lazarus spinning cool ’80s and ’90s retro and a touch of Brit alternative. 10pm– 3am. Velvet Underground, 510 Queen St W. $5 before 11pm, $10 after. facebook. com/djlazarus

SUN, APRIL 1 Hollywoody Broadway Show, with Donnarama and Daytona Bitch spreading their Sunset Boulevards for the men of Spearhead’s Easter Food Drive at 6pm; Drag Legend Show, featuring Michelle Ross and Georgie Girl, at 9pm; Georgie Girl and Donnarama welcome Sofonda, Charo Batista, Jade Elektra and D’Amanda Tension at 11pm. Woody’s, 465 Church St. woodystoronto.com Strip Search brings the burlesque tease as artists battle to become the 2012 Strip Search Champion and to win a spot in this summer’s Toronto Burlesque Festival. A fundraiser for the Toronto Burlesque Festival. 7pm. Revival Nightclub, 783 College St. $20 advance, $25 door. ontariostripsearch2012esearch.eventbrite.com

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XTRA! MARCH 22, 2012

Toronto’s gay & lesbian news

Toronto’s online directory of gay-owned and gay-friendly businesses

indexdirectory.ca

indexdirectory.ca ACCOMMODATIONS - BRITISH COLUMBIA The Eagle’s Nest B&B

866-766-9350

DRAG

PARTY PLANNERS

Take a Walk on the Wildside 416-921-6112/1-800-260-0102

Crewman & Co Pet Cuisine & Accessories

ACCOMMODATIONS - ONTARIO

ELECTRICAL CONTRACTING

Bond Place Hotel 416-362-6061 Deer Park Lodge Lakefront Resort 519-482-9116 Holiday Inn 416-542-6008 Neill-Wycik Summer Hotel 416-977-2320 Trinity House Inn 1-800-265-4871

B O Y Electric

ACCOUNTANTS

HAIR REMOVAL

Hema Murdock

416-696-6653

ADULT Stag Shop

416-323-0771

ADVERTISING

416-769-1100

FLOORING Craftwood Flooring

416-750-9097

raymondhelkio.com

AIDS/HIV RESOURCES Medical Compassion Clinic

647-291-0420

APPLIANCES Coast Wholesale Applicances coastappliances.com

ART GALLERIES Akasha Art Projects

647-348-0104

ART SUPPLIES Aboveground Art Supplies

416-591-1601

416-699-9955

G J MacRae Foundation Repair 905-824-2557

Helmutt’s Pet Supply Pet Cuisine & Accessories

416-504-1265 416-507-9968

PHARMACIES

LJ’s Laser Hair Lemoval Clinic 647-971-9855 Hamilton location 289-237-7089

The Village Pharmacy

HAIR STYLISTS & BARBERS

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Ragga Hair and Beauty Salon 416-368-8113

Michael Mooney Photography mooneyphoto.ca Becky Liddle

HEALTH FOODS & NUTRITION

PSYCHOTHERAPY

Front Door Organics The Big Carrot

John Montague Jude Johnston

416-201-3000 416-466-2129

HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING

PUBLICATIONS

360 Living Inc

fab Magazine Pink Triangle Press Xtra Toronto

416-920-7200

HOME IMPROVEMENT & REPAIRS Bryant Renovations 416-260-0818 G J MacRae Foundation Repair 905-824-2557 647-287-1962

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Kenton Waterman, Investors Group Financial Services 416-860-1668

Bryant Renovations

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C’est What? Brew/ Vin Pub Restaurant Cocina Lucero Grand Hive Mansion Restaurant and Bar Hair of the Dog The Blake House The Churchmouse & Firkin Zelda’s Restaurant & Bar

416-515-3836 416-410-5426

BOOKKEEPING Account 4it Canada Inc

416-907-4487

BUSINESS & PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS West Queen West BIA

416-820-2727

BUTCHERS

Kenton Waterman, Investors Group Financial Services 416-860-1668

JUICE BARS Juice Box

416-924-4671

LAWYERS

CINEMAS

Abrams & Krochak 416-482-3387 x22 David M Cohn davidcohn.ca Harvey L Hamburg 416-968-9054 Ivan Steele Law Oﬃce 647-342-0568 Kirk J Cooper 416-923-4277 Law Oﬃce of El-Farouk Khaki 416-925-7227 Michael Battista 416-203-2899 Morzaria Law 647-259-1990 Paul T Willis 416-926-9806 Robert G. Coates 416-925-6490 Scarfe Wells Criminal Trial & Appeal Lawyers 416-410-4060 Zubas & Associates Employment Law 416-593-5844

Rainbow and Carlton Cinemas 416-494-9371

LEATHER LIFE

St Jamestown Delicatessan

416-925-7665

CARPENTERS The Cliﬀside Carpenter

416-266-4674

CHEESE SHOPS Leslieville Cheese Market

416-465-7143

CHIROPRACTORS gesund

416-913-5170

CHURCHES Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto

416-406-6228

COMMUNITY GROUPS & SERVICES AIDS Committee of Toronto 416-340-2437 Canadian Lesbian & Gay Archives (CLGA) 416-777-2755 Enterprise Toronto 416-392-6646 Rainbow Ballroom & Latin Dance Club of Toronto 416-779-0662

COMPUTER SALES & SERVICE Contemporary Computers 1-877-724-9000

CONCRETE - CONTRACTORS

Doc’s Leathers & Motorcycle Gear Ferreira-Wells Immigration Services

RESTAURANTS & CAFÉS

SEX

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416-651-8889

SEX SHOPS

SEXUAL COUNSELLING AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT)

St Jamestown Delicatessan

MOVING & STORAGE

Gemini Tees

AIDS Committee of Toronto 416-340-2437 Change4U2 416-827-7578 David W Routledge 416-944-1291 John Montague 416-523-6449 Phillip Coupal Counselling 416-557-7312

Avery Moving & Storage 416-239-9565 EL Cheapo Movers West 416-599-2728 East 416-463-5779 Manhattan Movers 416-259-2181 Word of Mouth Movers 647-827-2637

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MUSICIANS

DENTAL SERVICES Adelaide Dental 416-429-0150 Dr Kevin Russelo & Associates 416-966-0117 Galleria Dental 416-534-9991 Midtown Dental Centre 416-966-DENT(3368) Yonge & Bloor Dental 647-350-3501

DISC JOCKEYS DJ Craig Dominic soundcloud.com/craigdominic

Dr Jason Hershorn

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Seeking Kevin We met 2 years ago at your place, one block south of Lawrence on Duﬀerin Street. Call Matt - 416-877-1200.

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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. Please visit our website: www.gayfathers-toronto.com

1-800-665-3769

TREE SERVICES Kelly’s Tree Care Ltd Sunset Beech Tree Care

416-462-0007 647-989-3509

T-SHIRTS geminitees.com

Re-Wrap Custom Upholstery 416-214-6400

CALLING ALL EARLY BIRDS! Book your ad in the spring edition of Index now and save. Call 416-925-6665 xt 214 or visit indexdirectory.ca to book your ad.

VETERINARIANS Blue Cross Animal Hospital

416-469-1121

Priape

416-586-9914

WATERPROOFING

ORGANIC FOOD Front Door Organics

OUTNPOZ a social group for PHA’s. Please visit us at www.outnpoztoronto.com for event listings. To be added to our mailing list, please email toronto.outnpoz@gmail.com

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COUNSELLING

gesund

416-201-3000

Afterglo Tan Bar

Midtown Dental Centre 416-966-DENT(3368)

416-925-7665

OUTNPOZ - A social group for PHA’s. Our next brunch happens March 11th, 12 Noon - upstairs at Bumpkin’s, 21 Gloucester St. Come out and join us. www.outnpoztoronto.ca

DID YOU KNOW?

416-340-2437

Glow Medi Spa 416-920-9998 LJ’s Laser Hair Lemoval Clinic 647-971-9855 Hamilton location 289-237-7089 M.E. MaleEsthetics 647-344-1825

MEATS & DELICATESSENS

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416-913-5170 647-330-2539

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SHOPPING

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Midtown Dental Centre 416-966-DENT(3368)

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TANNING SALONS 416-364-9099

MASSAGE CERTIFIED/REGISTERED

Robert Graham

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AIDS Committee of Toronto

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LIGHTING Living Lighting on King

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Front Door Organics

LEGAL SERVICES

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MNP Ltd

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General My CannaMeds

Gay pornstar criteria

S I HAVE SAID BEFORE, porn is nothing if not a respite for weirdos, perverts and sluts who enjoy the experience of showing off for the camera. That being said, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a certain amount of professionalism required if one expects to work in the adult entertainment industry.

not all 3 Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about you

Porn is about loving sex. It is not about you clamouring for attention. Granted, in the entertainment industry, fame is a decent barometer for your level of success. Fame is not, however, the end goal. If your sole reason for going into porn is for the sake of validation, you might be doing it for the wrong reasons.

care 1 Take of your body

Look, not everyone in porn is going to look like Matthew Rush, as much as I wish they did. Everyone is sexy to someone out there, so there will always be a niche for any body type. But for Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sake, it wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t kill you to take a shower. If you walk onto set unwashed, reeking of weekold swamp ass and trailing a dust cloud like Pig-Pen from Peanuts, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be surprised when people in hazmat suits hose you down. And if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re also bottoming, proper douching is kind of a requirement. Not that there isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a fetish for the difficult brown, but you kinda have to know your audience.

how to 2 Know play to the camera

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It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t matter if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re gay, straight, bi, asexual, queer, et cetera. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to go into porn, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s im-

Not everyone can look like Matthew Rush, but wannabe pornstars should take care of their bodies. PATRICK LIGHTHEART AND THE 10X10

perative that you actually enjoy sex (or failing that, convince us you enjoy sex). No one wants to watch someone lie motionless and silent for 15 minutes, his unblinking face a mask of blank indifference as the camera rolls. Porn involves a fair amount of acting, and not everyone is capable of it. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about knowing which facial expressions read as euphoric and which read as â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was kicked in the head by a horse when I was a child.â&#x20AC;? Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about knowing how to moan realistically and how not to shriek like

When in doubt, 4 just remember not to be a dick Porn might not be the hardest job, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still a job. Treat it like you would any other gig: show up on time, be prepared, be respectful to others .Â .Â . itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not that hard. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re showing up to set late, constantly getting high and trashing everyone you can for the sake of getting some publicity â&#x20AC;&#x201D; whoops! You fucked up. You have failed at the easiest, most fun job in the world. Ultimately, porn isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t such a hard job. All you have to do is ďŹ nd your niche and try not to act like a douchebag. Jeremy Feist is a Toronto pornstar. Porndoggy appears in every issue of Xtra.

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