Xtra - Vancouver's Gay and Lesbian News Issue 486

BASSI GAYBASHING TRIAL PROCEEDS Brothers accused of attacking couple ›9

GOLD TRAIL MAKES 16 Trustees decide to be proactive ›17

VANCOUVER’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

SEX WORK IN CAMBODIA Don’t send us to sew, workers say › 18 #486 APRIL 5, 2012

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APRIL 5, 2012

Vancouver’s Gay & Lesbian Business Directory – is online!

XPOSED

indexdirectory.ca

If you can skate... ›27 . . . then you might have joined Vancouver’s gay hockey club, the Cutting Edges, for its annual skate and dance party at the West End Community Centre. Xtra was there and brought a camera.

NEWSFRONT

OUT IN THE CITY

Bassi brothers on trial for gaybashing

Maybe you can go home again

David Holtzman testiďŹ ed that he and his partner, Peter Regier, came home on June 12, 2010, to ďŹ nd two men on their front steps, one preparing to urinate. When Holtzman said, “Do you really need to pee here?â€? the situation allegedly turned violent — and homophobic. › 9

David Blue veers into the serious with Raving Theatre’s new play, Home Again. › 21

Remember Entre-Nous?

A gay matchmaking company rebrands itself as Preferred Partners, only to face new complaints with the Better Business Bureau. › 11

Sex work in Cambodia “We all hate human trafficking, especially when children are affected. However, rescuing consenting adult sex workers and sending them to sew is not economic empowerment,â€? says Ly Pisey in Phnom Penh. › 18

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Toronto Maple Leafs stars support gay players Xtra recently spoke with Toronto Maple Leafs players Luke Schenn, Mike Komisarek and John-Michael Liles to discuss homophobia in the locker room and the Burke family’s You Can Play campaign. › xtra.ca/toronto

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Comment We can all play Naked Eye Robin Perelle

H

IS VEHEMENT RESPONSE caught me by surprise.

“It’s not at all a good point,” Patrick Burke tweeted back at me, “and attempting to publicly shame players goes against everything we do.”

The driving force behind the campaign to make the National Hockey League (NHL) more hospitable to gay players was responding to my previous tweet challenging Pittsburgh’s superstar centre, Sidney Crosby, on his conspicuous absence from the You Can Play roster.

“True,” I backpedalled weakly, chastened but confused. “But wouldn’t it be great to add him?”

“It would be great to add every NHL player. Calling them out publicly lessens the likelihood of that happening,” Burke tweeted back.

My fingers paused over the keyboard.

“You mean invite rather than pressure support?” I slowly replied.

“I mean we’re working closely with the NHL and its teams to continue adding players. Trying to bully players into joining an antibullying campaign is only going to serve to scare players off.”

Backing players into a corner is not a productive way to gain their support, Burke reiterates when I call him a few days later.

“Then how do you gain their support?” I ask.

“Through education,” he replies without missing a beat.

Most NHL players are not informed, and many don’t want to talk about gay issues partly for fear of saying the wrong thing, he believes. “If you don’t know anything about it, you’ve got 1,000 questions,” he says, remembering his own questions when his late brother Brendan, the inspiration behind You Can Play, came out a few years ago.

“When I was 23 and Brendan came out, I didn’t know anything about it,” Burke recalls. “And it’s not like I was living in a shack.

I’d just never been exposed to the LGBT community.”

But unlike other potential allies chastised into silence rather than nurtured into support, Burke was offered a chance to learn.

“It’s a gift of knowledge that we’d

like to pass on to the next group,” he says now.

“The one thing that we try to do with athletes is be patient,” he notes. “We try not to condemn. We try not to yell and scream” — even when they repeat the homophobic slurs so commonly used, and so rarely challenged, in their locker rooms.

Sure, he gets annoyed when some of the guys ask stuff that’s insensitive, he admits, but he is determined to give them the same chance to grow that his brother gave him.

“For a lot of these guys, it’s kind of a ‘Holy shit!’ moment,” he says, referring to the moment they finally realize they might have a gay teammate, and that their homophobic language might affect them.

You have to give them a chance to have that moment — and to process it, Burke says. You can’t immediately turn around and ask them to join the You Can Play campaign.

As his mom says, “You have to give them a chance to have their first reaction.”

And with some of these athletes, you have to wait for their second reaction, Burke acknowledges.

But patience and a willingness to educate will always be more effective than a “Get the pitchfork” mentality, he believes.

“I don’t want an athlete not using slurs because they’ll be punished. I want them not using slurs because they don’t want to offend their teammates.”

Ultimately Burke’s goal is to empower gay athletes to come out, take the lead and be their own role models. “But we’re trying to change the culture with the players we have,” he says. “If we can get straight players on board, we can change the culture.”

With 50 players and counting now on board and a barrage of mainstream media coverage and even support, I’d say the cultural shift in the few short weeks since the campaign’s launch has already been significant.

As for Sid the Kid, Burke says he has yet to ask him to join his growing team of allies. So I guess the question is not when Crosby will step up, but what we can do to support him and answer any questions he might have.

Robin Perelle is the managing editor of Xtra Vancouver. Follow her on Twitter @robinperelle.

“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 1033 Davie St, Ste 501, Vancouver, BC V6E 1M7.

05.XV486.Comment.indd 1

INBOX Canucks support gay players THANK YOU FOR COVERING this important story [“Canucks Stars Have a Message for Gay Athletes: You Can Play,” Xtra #485, March 22]!

What the You Can Play team is doing is amazing, and the acceptance within the NHL has been incredible. The goal of the program is to eventually extend this to all professional sports leagues.

And how wonderful that the You Can Play rep for the Canucks is Ryan, who so generously shed his clothes for fans in ESPN magazine recently! xoxo @GayCanuck Vancouver, BC WHAT A GREAT TEAM. I THINK the Cutting Edges hockey club should extend an invitation to the Canucks for the next Pride parade.

Jim Balakshin Vancouver, BC COMING OUT IS ALWAYS A risk, and it is not about you, but about those around you. The ripples spread wide, and the “bigger” you are, the wider the ripples. If they encounter opposition (homophobia), it is anyone’s guess what will happen. I would think that coming out as a prominent person, whether in sports or any other public position, would be much riskier than doing so from relative obscurity. Anyone doing so has my respect.

Bart Vogelzang Ladysmith, BC YOU CAN PLAY IF YOU CAN pay. The sad reality of a lot of LBGTQ athletes in our sponsorshipbased world is that if you have the money or have “owned the podium,” as Canadians wish to put it, then you will likely be able to come out and you can play. Otherwise, the closet is a dark and unpaid-for space. Athletes wishing to become “poster” persons for a product are also not likely to come out — the problem with the whole financial aspect of sports. Wonder if the athletes of ancient Greece had this problem?

Alin Sénécal-Harkin Vancouver, BC DOESN’T YOUR HEADLINE, “IF You’re Gay, You Can Play,” somehow suggest permission is needed? If the NHL wants to be considered the best in the world, anyone should be allowed to compete. Sexual orientation is irrelevant.

John Clench Vancouver, BC AS A LONG-TIME CANUCKS fan, this You Can Play promo warms my heart. I am even more proud of the Canucks than ever. It’s a huge step in the right direction and one that is historic.

Vance McFadyen New Westminster, BC GREAT STORY. BUT THAT HAS to be the worst cover picture on Xtra. It made Henrik look like

I AM EVEN MORE PROUD OF THE CANUCKS THAN EVER.

Send your correspondence by mail to 1033 Davie St, Ste 501, Vancouver, BC, V6E 1M7; email comment@xtra.ca; or log-in to xtra.ca and comment directly. We may edit letters.

some sort of psycho. Get some fresh air, people.

Pete Ptakowski Vancouver, BC

Saving Vancouver Pride?

WHAT’S WRONG WITH A slate? I thought it was brilliant [“Members Oust Vancouver Pride Society President,” Xtra #485 March 22]. On one hand, we have a board falling apart, the society about to collapse and Pride 2012 practically cancelled because of Ken. On the other hand, we have a group of former board members volunteering for the thankless job to clean up after Ken one last time. Too bad Monika, Laura and Regan didn’t like the slate, but the other 97 members obviously did.

There was overwhelming support, and no one in the meeting asked any questions or showed any concerns about the individuals on the slate. The members had to vote, and they voted for the slate.

You can bitch all you want, but everyone was told that there was room for four more board members and nobody put their name forward. The slate wasn’t unfair or shady. The requisitionists and the Pride Society even hired a professional speaker to ensure everything was done properly and to avoid what happened at the AGM that got us into this mess in the first place.

The slate was literally a list of the only people in the room willing to join the board, and the membership overwhelmingly supported their mandate.

Harold Clark Vancouver, BC

comment I’m a 70-year-old gay man, and to see my home team support gays is fantastic [“Canucks Stars Have a Message for Gay Athletes: You Can Play,” Xtra #485, March 22].

—Brian Patteson Vancouver, BC To comment, go to xtra.ca.

READS TO ME LIKE THE ACRID smell of anti-democratic jism has just been spewed all over our community celebrations by a gang of procedural opportunists who, out of one corner of their mouths, say a previous election is invalid and with their nonballoted jackboot kick out a man who had steered us through three years of fantastic Prides.

This latest development reeks of a character-assassinating coup shrouded in the unsubstantiated and unspecific (at least in the media) leaky condom of claims of incompetence shot at a former leader who brought to Pride provincewide and global outreach under his elected leadership.

It is a good thing there are many nonofficial parties to go to this Pride season

so that my boycott of official VPS events this summer will not impede my need to party and show my pride in a true democracy of community organizations, rather than an installed travesty of what used to be one.

Stephen Emery Burnaby, BC PRIDE, PRIDE, PRIDE. MEH — it’s become so tired in Vancouver. Same story, same dealers, same promoters, same parties, same hands in the jar. I chuckled once when I heard that the only reason we bother having Pride in Vancouver anymore is to give the Prairie boys something to look forward to all year. Now that’s reaching for the stars. Who cares who’s on the board now? Give it a year or two and it will be the same mismanagement once again.

Linden Soles Vancouver, BC

Ejected for cruising online IF IT WASN’T A SEX-THEMED bar, it wasn’t the place for that [“Kicked Out and Detained by Police for Checking Gay Hookup Sites,” xtra. ca, March 26]. Sorry, but there are limits.

Yalçın Eyüp Çamuroğlu IF HE HAD KEPT IT TO GRINDR or Scruff, that would have been discreet. Your activities aren’t displayed on a 17-inch screen for the rest of the bar to see. The fact he was doing it on his laptop, though, makes it a far different matter. I assume the bar would have reacted in the same manner if a heterosexual man was doing something similar. The bar has the right to determine what is acceptable within its walls.

This guy is an idiot. When guys like him play the victim card on ridiculous things like this it makes people less likely to care about our issues when they are of actual importance.

Colin Rowley RIGHT, CUZ BREEDERS NEVER look at sexually suggestible sites in bars. What a load of shit.

Alan Brown SAYING “IT’S OKAY” THAT someone was kicked out of any establishment and detained by police for checking out gay hookup sites smacks of trolling or internalized homophobia. That being said, buddy did a poor job of reading his environment.

Having been raised in northern Alberta, I can assure you it is in your best interest — and I say that as a comfortably and openly gay male — to learn how to read and respond to the local wildlife, slack-jawed yokels included. It is especially piss-poor behaviour, however, to turn around after the fact (the facts including self-admittedly drunken and obnoxious behaviour) and try to turn the issue into a human rights violation.

Johnny Blackstar To comment go to Xtra’s Facebook page.

12-04-02 5:34 PM

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Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! APRIL 5, 2012

noteworthy › updates › ephemera

Xcetera OH, SCULLY

TOP 5

Vancouver stories on xtra.ca from March 9–22 Canucks stars support gay hockey players Robin Perelle To our future Ivan Coyote Luckily, my roommate wasn’t Ravi Richard J Dalton Jr Members oust Vancouver Pride Society president Shauna Lewis Not your average politician Matthew DiMera

— Gillian Anderson, best known to hordes of lesbian fans as Dana Scully, the no-nonsense FBI agent who slowly succumbed to passion on The X-Files, comes out in March to Out magazine, as she looks back fondly on some youthful relationships that freaked her teen peers out.

MASS EFFECT

JUST CROWNED

Video game features same-sex relationships

JUSTIN LANGILLE

5

I was in a relationship with a girl for a long time when I was in high school.

JUSTIN LANGILLE

1 2 3 4

SYRACUSE.COM

BUZZ

SOCIAL.BIOWARE.COM

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). –Jeremy Feist

MIRACLE ON ICE

EMPRESS XLI

EMPEROR XLI

Coco

T

The Dogwood Monarchist Society crowned its new empress at its 41st coronation on March 17.

Xtra caught up to Coco moments after she donned the tiara.

The Dogwood Monarchist Society also crowned a new emperor at the coronation. Xtra chatted with T moments after he assumed the position.

XTRA: How damn heavy is that crown?

COCO: I feel like I could fall over

SCORE!

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. –Jeremy Feist For a video of the on-ice engagement, visit xtra.ca.

XTRA: How did you get

to this point?

at any second!

T: Stretching. Lots of stretching.

XTRA: Who did you look to for inspiration while coming up in the scene?

XTRA: Who would you

like to thank?

T: Crema and Buster,

Gurl and Justine Tyme.

two really great emperors who are also drag kings.

XTRA: Do you empathize

XTRA: Now that you’ve won,

COCO: Top three? Joan-E, Carlotta

with the Queen?

COCO: Yes, but I hope I never look like her.

—Justin Langille

what will you do?

T: I’m going to Calgary!

It’s Canada’s Disneyland!

— Justin Langille

B R E A K I N G N E W S › M A R C H A L L C O A L I T I O N R E A S S E M B L E S T O F I G H T F O R G S A S › I N D I A N P O L I C E C E N S O R G AY P H O T O M O R E AT X T R A . C A E X H I B I T B Y C A N A D I A N A R T I S T › B O N D A G E T H E M E S O N T O R O N T O FA S H I O N W E E K R U N WAY

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dispatches › issues › opinion

Upfront SEX LAWS

WE HAD EXPECTED MORE RESISTANCE. 16th anti-homophobia policy passed › 17

GAYBASHING

Battle not over for BC sex workers Ontario court decision not binding here Jeremy Hainsworth BC SEX-TRADE ACTIVISTS AND LEGAL ADVOCATES ARE declaring a partial victory following the Ontario Court of Appeal’s March 26 ruling that strikes down the laws against keeping a bawdyhouse and living off the avails of prostitution.

But the court’s majority decision to continue to criminalize communication for the purpose of prostitution frustrates Pivot Legal Society lawyer Katrina Pacey.

Pacey says quashing the communication law is of “utmost importance” to her clients, who are pursuing a similar case in BC. “The evidence is clear that the communication law places the most vulnerable sex workers in exceedingly dangerous circumstances and creates barriers to police protection,” she says. “We just can’t see how that level of harm is justifiable.”

In its landmark ruling in the case brought by sex workers Terri-Jean Bedford, Amy Lebovitch and Valerie Scott, the Ontario court’s five justices struck down the Criminal Code ban on brothels, meaning sex-trade workers there soon will be allowed to set up shop in safe, indoor spaces.

“I would like to thank the Ontario Court of Appeal justices for pretty much declaring sex workers persons today,” Scott told reporters. “I didn’t think I would see it in my lifetime, but here we are.”

“It’s good the courts have recognized prostitution can be harmful if it’s not conducted in safe conditions,” agrees Vancouver sex-trade activist Jamie Lee Hamilton. “To I WOULD LIKE TO allow brothels, that’s a safe THANK THE step forward.”

ONTARIO COURT As for living off the avails OF APPEAL of prostitution, the court JUSTICES FOR ruled that only pimps and PRETTY MUCH anyone else benefiting from DECLARING SEX “circumstances of exploitaWORKERS tion” should be prosecuted PERSONS TODAY. from now on. That means sex-trade workers could —Valerie Scott hire drivers, bodyguards and receptionists to be paid from the money they make.

As the avails law stood, the Ontario court said it “criminalizes non-exploitative commercial relationships between prostitutes and other people” and violates sex workers’ Charter rights to “life, liberty and security of the person.”

However, the majority of the appeal court upheld the ban on communicating for the purposes of selling sex, citing concerns about noise, impeding traffic, children witnessing acts of prostitution, harassment of residents, drug use, unsanitary acts, violence, unwelcome solicitation of women and children by customers, and unwelcome solicitation of men by prostitutes.

Two of the five judges disagreed. “The world in which street prostitutes actually operate is a world of dark streets and barren, isolated, silent places. It is a dangerous world, with always the risk of violence and even death,” Justice James MacPherson wrote, with concurrence from Justice Eleanore Cronk.

Hamilton agrees with the dissenters on the dangers of maintaining the prohibition on communicating. “It creates more dangers because they have to jump into cars and get away from prying eyes,” she says.

Pacey points out that the Ontario ruling is not binding on the rest of Canada until it has gone to the Supreme Court of Canada, a move she expects from the federal government when it appeals. “It’s at that point we hope all the provisions will be struck down and we will have a largely decriminalized sex industry,” Pacey says.

Brothers Ravinder Robbie Bassi and Parminder Singh Peter Bassi arrive at Vancouver Provincial Court on March 21 to stand trial for assault. SHIMON KARMEL

Bassi brothers on trial for gaybashing “Each time he struck my head, he was going, ‘faggot, faggot, faggot”’: Holtzman Jeremy Hainsworth IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN WHETHER the Crown lawyer prosecuting two brothers accused of gaybashing a Vancouver couple on the couple’s doorstep two years ago will seek a hate-crime designation in the trial that began on March 20.

But Crown counsel Kirsten Murphy wasted no time telling Provincial Court Judge Raymond Low that homophobic slurs were yelled during the alleged attack outside the couple’s Keefer Place home.

David Holtzman testified that he and his partner, Peter Regier, came home on June 12, 2010, to find two men on their front steps. When one stood to urinate, Holtzman said, “I live here. Do you really need to pee here?”

“His response was, ‘Fag, are you serious?’”

“My response was, ‘Yes, I am a fag and yes, I am serious.’”

Murphy asked if the man said anything else.

“Yeah,” said Holtzman. “It was ‘Fucking faggots. I hate you.’”

Parminder Singh Peter Bassi is on trial for two counts of assault causing bodily harm in connection with the incident. His brother Ravinder Robbie Bassi is charged with one count of assault causing bodily harm.

Holtzman told the court that he wanted to go inside, but Regier tried to take a photo of the man urinating. When the other man warned the urinator that Regier was trying to take his picture, “assailant one rushed Peter and started swinging,” Holtzman testified.

Ravinder Bassi “charged Peter Regier and punched him numerous times in the head,” Murphy said.

“I remember feeling something on my face and getting a hit to the face,” Regier testified, adding the man seemed to be trying to grab his phone.

Regier said he was hit perhaps 30 times during a “barrage of homophobia.”

When Holtzman tried to intervene, he too was attacked, Murphy told the court.

Holtzman said he crawled into a planter to evade his attacker. “I didn’t want to get kicked or punched anymore. He was saying, ‘Fuck you, faggot. I hate you, fucking faggot’ and punching me in the head.”

Holtzman said his attacker kept “pummelling the back of my head” even after he climbed in the planter.

“Each time he struck my head, he was going, ‘faggot, faggot, faggot.’”

The defence had not begun its case at press time.

Both Regier and Holtzman identified the Bassis in court as their assailants. Neighbour Craig Costantino told the court he recognized Peter Bassi from playing soccer.

A detective also later identified Peter Bassi from a surveillance video.

Holtzman testified that the assault resulted in multiple bruisings and lacerations on his face and body. “I had a lot of swelling at the back of my head,” he said. He said his teeth were also chipped and his eyesight was affected.

“I would get white flashes,” he said.

“The medical professionals said there might be a chance the optical nerve had been damaged.”

Regier told Low he received staples to close a head wound and suffered cuts and scrapes on his forearms and head and much bruising.

Holtzman estimated he was hit about 50 times.

It wasn’t just punches, though. “He was biting me,” Holtzman said. “I was completely scared for my life.”

One of the first officers on the scene that night was Sergeant Toby Hinton. He testified that he found Holtzman and Regier bleeding from their heads and faces.

Under questioning from Peter Bassi’s lawyer, Michael Klein, Hinton said he had attended “countless” assaults and conceded that terms like “faggot,” “cocksucker” and “bitch” are regularly used in altercations.

Klein and Robbie Bassi’s lawyer, David Baker, also questioned why the couple had not mentioned the camera in previous media interviews. They suggested photographing the urinating man could have been seen as a provocation.

“I thought it would sexualize it,” Regier replied. “The purpose of taking these pictures was not sexual in any way.”

The defence lawyers have also questioned Holtzman and Regier’s ability to describe and identify their assailants, given that the whole incident lasted minutes and the assault about 40 seconds.

The trial has heard five days of testimony but is proceeding more slowly than anticipated since one of the Bassis allegedly threatened Holtzman in the courthouse cafeteria, within earshot of Klein.

Klein has agreed to submit his take on the alleged encounter to the court as an admission when the defence begins its case so that the trial can continue.

The lawyers will return to court on April 5 to fix a date for the trial to resume.

10

Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! APRIL 5, 2012

SEXUAL FREEDOM

Barred & detained Whitehorse man removed from bar for checking gay hookup sites Richard J Dalton Jr A MAN IN WHITEHORSE SAYS HE WAS kicked out of a straight bar and detained by police after the doorman accused him of viewing porn as he was checking gay hookup sites on his laptop.

Owen Williams says he was at the Gold Pan Saloon in the Gold Rush Inn in December when he checked the hookup apps Grindr and Scruff and visited the sites Manhunt and RealJock. He says the doorman told him not to watch “gay porn,” then had him removed from the building for drunk and disorderly conduct.

Then staff called the police.

“I do think it was a knee-jerk homophobic reaction,” Williams says.

Williams says a police officer handcuffed him, put him in the back of a police car and told him he couldn’t show naked people in a public setting.

Williams says he demanded that the officer write down the reason for his detention. The officer eventually com-

NO FLIP JUST SAY NO

TOP

or

plied but refused to sign the statement, Williams says.

According to Williams, the officer’s unsigned statement says, “Do not display pictures of naked people in a public setting.”

Williams admits he got cheeky with the officer when he found out their conversation in the police car wasn’t being recorded. “I said, ‘Are you free after work?’”

John Robertson, the general manager of the Gold Rush Inn, wasn’t present during the incident but says his staff told him Williams was drunk and was switching between various websites, including sites that showed men’s genitals.

“There definitely was porn,” Robertson claims.

He says the doorman asked Williams to move to the corner, but Williams refused. The doorman then asked Williams to leave, but he again refused, Robertson says. “It’s not a homophobic issue or anything like that. It’s the

patron himself,” he says.

While he was detained in the police car, Williams says, some friends passed by and intervened on his behalf, “hugging the cop car and demanding that I be released.”

Williams says the police officer unlocked the handcuffs and let him go without charges.

Sergeant Don Rogers, media relations officer for the Whitehorse RCMP, confirms that a police officer was called to the bar on that date but won’t comment

further, for privacy reasons, because no charges were filed.

Williams admits he returned to the bar later that night, intoxicated, to continue checking his online messages.

Robertson says surveillance video shows Williams throwing around papers. Employees filed an incident report, which, Robertson says, indicates Williams was verbally abusive.

When he returned to the bar with three friends on Feb 23, Williams says, he was presented with a barring or-

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“I do think it was a knee-jerk homophobic reaction,” Owen Williams says.

der, prohibiting his entry. The barring order says he was verbally abusive to staff members, hassled patrons in the lounge, caused a scene, watched porn on his laptop and refused to stop. It bars him until the end of 2012. If he enters the bar before the order expires, police could be notified and he could face charges.

Williams admits he was obnoxious to staff on his return visit, but he challenges the original reason for his removal. The bar is an adult environment, he says, so he should be able to check sites such as Manhunt.

Robertson says he’s heard that Williams has posted information on social media sites saying that the Gold Pan Saloon is homophobic. But the bar has gay and lesbian staff and customers, he says, adding, “people hopefully will discredit him.”

The Yukon Liquor Board recently upheld Williams’ barring order. Chair Wayne Cousins says the board merely determines whether a person violated the liquor act. A person can be barred for being intoxicated, riotous, quarrelsome, violent, disorderly or profane, or for contravening the law.

Williams tells Xtra he’s now seeking legal counsel for a possible human rights case. “The issue I have is whether or not using gay social networks is considered socially inappropriate,” he says.

“I understand why the staff of the Gold Rush may have behaved the way they did, though I still consider the initial reaction of the doorman to be homophobic, or at the very least a prejudgment of my character,” he says.

“I’d rather find a non-confrontational approach and generate understanding than causing stigma on any side,” he adds.

A+ Rating Since 1975

Breakspear leaving Qmunity Queer resource centre looking for new ED Shauna Lewis AFTER SERVING AS EXECUTIVE director for four years, Jennifer Breakspear is leaving Qmunity to head the BC Options for Sexual Health, formerly Planned Parenthood.

“I’m moving into a great opportunity for the next step in my career,” Breakspear says.

Still, she has mixed emotions about leaving Qmunity. “I’ve had a great time here. It’s been a rewarding, exciting, interesting, challenging four-plus years,” she says.

Jeffery Preiss, chair of Qmunity’s board of directors, calls Breakspear’s resignation “bad news.”

“The board is extremely sad by the news that Jennifer Breakspear is leaving us,” he says. “She has done amazing work at Qmunity.”

Since taking Qmunity’s reins in 2008, Breakspear has played an integral part in some significant changes at BC’s queer resource centre, including its rebranding.

“When I stepped in, we were The Centre, and a year and a half later we

Breakspear to join Options for Sexual Health. JANET RERECICH

became Qmunity, BC’s queer resource centre, and with that we moved into a website that was of the 21st century and we moved into social media engagement and we moved into a higher profile,” Breakspear says. “I’m very proud of all of us in that.”

“And then in February of 2010 we were the Pride House for the 2010 Olympics,” she continues. “That is certainly a highlight of which I am enormously proud.”

The application deadline for Qmunity’s new executive director is April 5, but Preiss can’t say how long he expects it will take to find a suitable replacement.

“We are hoping not to leave the po-

sition open for a long period of time.

But we’re focused on finding the right person rather than worrying about the timeline.”

Preiss doesn’t foresee Qmunity going through any major changes with the appointment of a new executive director.

Breakspear says she’s looking forward to working with Options for Sexual Health and its sex-positive mandate.

“We’re just tickled pink to be having her on board,” says Siobhan Aspinall, chair of the board at Options for Sexual Health, who met Breakspear at community events and admired her networking and fundraising abilities.

“Jennifer is such a kingpin at community building. She’s a great fundraiser and great leader.”

So when the executive director seat came open at the end of last year, Aspinall contacted Breakspear to notify her of the opportunity.

Aspinall predicts Breakspear will “fit like a glove” at Options for Sexual Health and says her work in the queer community will be an asset. “We want everyone to have a great, healthy sex life. We’re proud to serve all communities, including the LGBT community, and we think Jennifer will only serve to strengthen that link to the community.”

Breakspear starts at Options for Sexual Health in May.

more at xtra.ca

XTRA! APRIL 5, 2012

11

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Complaint filed against gay matchmaker Entre-Nous rebrands itself

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Shauna Lewis A VANCOUVER WOMAN HAS FILED a complaint with the BC Better Business Bureau (BBB) after a gay dating service promised her suitable matches but allegedly failed to deliver.

Jennifer Jones, 31, was hoping to find love when she approached Preferred Partners in January 2011. A year later, she had yet to go on a single date.

Mark Fernandes, of the BC BBB, confirms that Jones filed a complaint and says it’s still active. “We are working with the consumer and Preferred Partners to get a resolution.”

Fiona Dunbar, a dispute resolution officer for the Ontario BBB, says three complaints have also been filed there against Preferred Partners in the last three years. According to the Ontario BBB’s website, one complaint pertains to advertising and sales issues, and the other two pertain to the company’s products and services.

Despite repeated calls to Preferred Partners’ head office in Toronto, no one replied to Xtra’s requests for an interview.

Jones says she sought professional matchmaking help after having no luck in Vancouver’s lesbian dating scene.

“The reality is that we’re all looking for love,” she says. “I’m a professional, and I was honestly looking for someone who was in the same place as me in wanting a relationship.”

Jones called Preferred Partners’ Toronto head office and was immediately scheduled for a preliminary interview at the company’s Vancouver office, at 828 Drake St. During her initial interview, Jones says, the matchmaker told her to write down everything that she was looking for in a potential partner. “I want to have a family, and in my application I put 30 to 39 as my age range for a match,” Jones says. “I was told that there were many women that fit my profile. They said that I was an amazing person and that it would only take four matches for me, but then they told me that they would give me an additional two [matches] just in case.”

Jones says the matchmaker made her feel comfortable and confident. After negotiating a fee, she immediately signed a contract. “At the time I was unable to afford the $5,000 fee because of my financial situation, due to medical bills from a car accident,” Jones says. “They told me that they would do it for $3,000 but that I shouldn’t tell anyone that I had been given a deal.”

Two weeks after she signed the contract she got a phone call, but “it turned out that I knew that match so we never met.”

Two months passed without another call, so Jones called Preferred Partners to inquire about the delay. The company soon offered her another potential

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SUBMIT your resume today to dogcountry@live.ca Jennifer Jones was shocked to find out, months into her contract with Preferred Partners, that the company had few women matching her criteria — contrary to its initial sales pitch. SHAUNA LEWIS

match, but this woman was older than Jones’s desired age range and had just been diagnosed with cancer.

Jones declined the date and immediately called Preferred Partners back. “I assumed that this wouldn’t be considered one of my six matches, as I never would have accepted had I known of the situation,” she says.

That’s when she learned that the original matchmaker assigned to her file had left the office and been replaced. “I had another conversation with a new matchmaker and expressed my disappointment,” Jones says. She again described her ideal match. But this time she was “given the impression that the service didn’t have many women in my age range that fit my desired qualities. I was shocked.”

Four months later, she says, she was matched with a woman a decade older than what she had requested in her profile. Again, Jones declined the date. “I again had a conversation with a new matchmaker and expressed my unhappiness with the product and quality of service,” she says.

By December, she still hadn’t gone on a single date.

“I took action and contacted the Better Business Bureau,” she says.

“But Preferred Partners’ stance is that these women are considered two of my six matches, and therefore I am not entitled to a 50-percent refund.”

According to Jones, Preferred Partners’ policy is that as soon as a contract is signed, clients relinquish 50 percent of their membership fees. If a client then contacts a potential date, even by phone, they are no longer entitled to any refund whatsoever.

“I should have looked more closely at the contract,” Jones admits. “I was out 50 percent at that point. But at that

stage I wasn’t looking at that and I take responsibility for that.”

Jones says the company initially wooed her, but now she just feels scammed.

“Preferred Partners offered me a product, and it turns out that, in fact, they don’t have many women in my age range that match my criteria. At this stage, I feel like it was a scam to take my money, as I have spent more time following up and initiating the discussions about matches,” she says.

Preferred Partners, which also has offices in Calgary and Ottawa, was incorporated in April 2010. Before that, it operated as another gay matchmaking company called Entre-Nous.

As Entre-Nous, the company faced numerous BBB complaints and even some lawsuits.

In November 2007, Entre-Nous was added to the Ontario government’s Consumer Protection Branch’s Beware List.

In June 2008, Terry Wong of Toronto was awarded a refund representing half of the almost $7,000 he paid to Entre-Nous for its matchmaking services, after suing the company in small-claims court. Wong said EntreNous misrepresented itself and did not live up to its contractual obligations. The judge agreed but ruled that Wong, too, bore some responsibility for the situation.

In January 2008, a Vancouver man filed his own complaint against EntreNous in BC small-claims court. He later told Xtra that the dispute had been resolved but would not comment on the settlement.

Fernandes told Xtra in September 2008 that the BBB had received 272 inquiries nationwide about EntreNous, 93 of them from BC.

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XTRA! APRIL 5, 2012

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

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XTRA! APRIL 5, 2012

sex LET’S TALK ABOUT

Xtra Vancouver’s 2012 Sex Survey results Compiled

by Robin Perelle

We asked and you didn’t hold back.

From your first time to your favourite pickup lines, worst disasters and best advice, you proved once again that truth is better (and hotter) than fiction.

How did it feel the first time you came?

Confusing.

Amazing.

Tingly all over.

Like I hit the ceiling. An amazing rush until my mother yelled, “Go to sleep!”

I was scared. I thought I was having a seizure.

I was totally freaked out, no idea what was going on. I was humping a pillow and all this jizz was everywhere.

It was earth shattering, life changing.

Not so great — my vibrator died.

Meh, a hand only goes so far.

Awesome and intense. My beautiful boyfriend fucked a double load outta me and made me cry.

Still ah . . .

What is the most atypical thing that has aroused you to masturbate?

Playing Fable II on Xbox. I must sound like the biggest dork . . .

LOL amazing! Discovering what a body is capable of is inspiring! Why am I blushing just thinking of it?

Sitting on a heat pack.

I couldn’t stop smiling . . . for days.

Seeing erections in a farm/zoo.

How did it feel the most recent time you came?

I’d been edging for 25 minutes with porn on and tons of lube. My cock jerked so hard; what a hot cum.

Used condom on the ground.

The wonderful complete silence of the forest.

Photos of friends on Facebook.

Work. It creeps me out. I work in healthcare and see gross things, but the adrenalin leaves me really horny.

An episode of Modern Family.

Delicious.

Cutting the grass with a lawnmower.

Ayooooooooooooo.

The cat kneading my crotch through my jeans.

Gushed all over the place. Powerful.

A lava lamp.

13

14

Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! APRIL 5, 2012

2012 SEX SURVEY RESULTS

What is your best pickup technique/line?

A TIGHT ASS 3% A HOT BODY 7% AN ADVENTUROUS ATTITUDE 20%

“Be careful what you ask for; I might say yes.”

A WARM SMILE 4%

“Want to see all my fur?”

“I’m new to the area. Show me around?”

A SENSE OF HUMOUR 8%

“My preferred pronoun is ‘us.’”

“Would you like to go for milkshakes sometime?”

What makes sex most satisfying?

KINKINESS 8%

“I’ll be fucking you in five minutes.”

Smile and hold that gaze. Works every time.

What is the worst pickup technique/ line you have ever been subjected to?

A guy once tried to convince me he was wealthy and his biggest fantasy was to show off a guy like me to his friends. Sadly, he had neither money nor friends!

A HOT, WET PUSSY 6% INTIMACY 34%

At what age did you first . . .

“Wanna fuck? How big is your dick? I’m Asian, mine’s small.”

When older guys message me and send pics of their cocks right away before saying hello.

Him: “Hi.” Me: “Hi.” Him: “Well, this cock isn’t gonna suck itself . . .”

“I’m bored, let’s have sex.”

MASTURBATE? 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% AGE 1

“Heeeeeey! You look a lot like my next girlfriend.”

The one where they ask if you’ve fallen from heaven. Gag.

A BIG, HARD COCK 11%

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

NEVER

32

NEVER

PARTICIPATE IN ORAL SEX? 15% 12%

A guy ACTUALLY asked me if there was a mirror in my pocket because he could “see himself in my pants.” True story: it happened on a Thursday night at Numbers. I told him it wasn’t a mirror and he must have mistaken me for someone without a brain.

Old drunk guys asking me if I’m cut or uncut at the PumpJack . . . over and over and over again.

He stroked my bicep and said, soulfully, “I can see by your eyes that you’ve suffered a lot.” Not as much as I’m suffering right now, buddy!

The “I’m going to hump your leg” phenomenon on the dancefloor. Jesus, get some class!

“Are you gay?”

The “I want you to do this to me, I want you to do that to me” whiner.

Many years ago, at a club with my thenboyfriend, an old dude came up behind me where I was dancing, leaned in behind me, reached his hand up under my ass to feel my crotch from underneath and tried to seductively speak into my ear and ask what my pants were made out of. WTF? I kid you not, I almost threw up right then and there.

By the guy at the deli: “Would you like your meat cut thick or thin?” — but it worked!

9% 6% 3% 0% AGE 4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

21

22

23

26

27

28

22 23 24 25 26

27 28 29 30

31

PARTICIPATE IN PENETRATIVE SEX? 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% AGE 8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

24

25

26

27

28

29

30 . . . 42 . . . 46

NEVER

COME OUT? 15% 12% 9% 6% 3% 0% AGE 12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

29

30

31

32

33

34

35 . . . 44 . . . 50 . . . 65

NEVER

more at xtra.ca

XTRA! APRIL 5, 2012

Do gentlemen really prefer . . .

NO 33%

Is there a racial group that you find particularly attractive?

According to Xtra readers, the direct, sincere approach works best. Confidence, friendliness and a genuine smile help, too.

BLONDS

26%

Anyone that makes me laugh in a haha funny way and not a haha-this-is-reallyawkward kind of way.

BRUNETTES

46%

REDHEADS

ASIAN 23%

SHAVED HEADS

17%

What is your ultimate sexual fantasy?

12%

Getting fucked by an entire football team.

BLACK 25% LATINO/A 34%

Sex with a prince. If you know any that are DTF, please send them my way.

If yes, choose the group(s) you are most attracted to.

Do ladies really prefer . . .

Sex with Lenny Kravitz!

23%

BUTCHES

CAUCASIAN 59%

FIRST NATION 9%

FUTCHES

Sex on the ice during intermission at a Canucks game.

16%

FEMMES

29%

In an online profile, the biggest . . .

TURN-ON IS

TURNOFF IS

A COCK SHOT

You prefer a woman’s body to be . . .

A COMPATIBLE PROFILE

RIPPED A CHEST SHOT

3% 47%

TONED

A FACE PIC A FULL-BODY SHOT NICE CLEAVAGE

LOVEHANDLED

A PHOTO WITH PERSONALITY/HUMOUR

Wait a bit till you go into the pants. Tease the person. When you finally dive in, mix things up (if this is your first time with that person) to see what they like. And remember, EVERYONE (well almost) likes to have their asshole worked.

Be yourself, be honest and be real.

Throw vanilla out the window and hit the sheets like a freak! You’ve got your entire life to be conservative; the bedroom is your place to let your freak flag fly. Explore and push your boundaries.

12%

FULLFIGURED

ROMANTIC TEXT

What is your number one sex tip for survey readers?

If you’re not having fun, believe me — they’re not having fun.

20%

SQUISHY

Sleeping with sexy street trash.

A perfect date, complete with stupid mushy romance shit that you see in movies, ending with really good sex.

32%

ANDROGYNY

INDO-CANADIAN 12%

18%

SEXUALLY EXPLICIT TEXT

Enjoy foreplay.

A SPREAD-ASS SHOT

Shave your ass.

You prefer a man’s body to be . . .

TEXT WITH PERSONALITY/HUMOUR % 60

Romance. Turn on the charm, light the candles . . .

Whispering sweet nothings in my ear — and putting my hand on their dick.

YES 67%

MIDDLE EASTERN 27%

What pickup technique/line works on you?

50

40

30

20

10

0

10

20

30

4 40

50

60

GORILLALIKE, WITH A FULL PELT

The celebrity you would least like to have sex with:: Justin Bieber

48%

Focus on giving pleasure more than getting it. It comes back to you double.

Be aware of different tastes and tempos.

8%

Use more toys, ladies. Toys, toys, toys!

GARNISHED WITH TUFTS OF HAIR SHAVED INTO SUBMISSION

45% 8%

MANSCAPED METICULOUSLY SMOOTH AS A BABY’S BOTTOM

26% 13%

Be sensual as well as sexual.

Dude, relax. Just because you came doesn’t mean you have to get up right away and put your clothes on and get ready to leave. Relax . . . lay with me. Let’s bask in the feeling of our orgasm together.

Seriously.

Note: percentages were rounded to the nearest whole number, so charts may not total 100 percent.

15

16

Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! APRIL 5, 2012

HIV PREVENTION

OFFICE CLOSURE Xtra’s office will be closed Fri, April 6 & Mon, April 9.

Regular operating hours resume on Tues, April 10.

VANCOUVER’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

Good boys don’t have sex Guest column Craig Barron

I VISITED A COUPLE OF PUBLIC WASHrooms the other night. They were on a university campus, not part of my usual tracks through the big city. I was attending a theatre conference — all that free coffee.

Two very different washrooms: a small one, secluded on the top floor of a heritage building, with attractive navy-blue tiles on the walls, subdued lighting — aesthetically pleasing as washrooms go. The other one was huge, on the main floor of a busy bland block of a building; garish, glaringly lit.

But what caught my attention — I was alone on both occasions — were the Zoom Media poster ads above the urinals in both washrooms. I hadn’t seen these specimens before. Really wished I didn’t have to see them now, the CANFAR HIV/AIDS “prevention” ads.

What the hell was that? That was my first reaction to the poster in the pleasant blue washroom: an illustration of a crazed young man brandishing a roll of duct tape. His loins taped and girded. An arrow leading from the boxed words, BAD IDEA. A representation of some sort of party boy, I supposed. I didn’t get the duct tape thing — though I know it’s a culturally

significant obsession to some — is it heteronormative marketing? Implied self-mummification?

Below there’s another box with the words GOOD IDEA and an arrow to the word ABSTAIN. Yes, an explanation is needed, and it follows: “Choosing not to have sex is the best way to protect yourself from HIV/AIDS.” Okay then, what I absorbed during this not-so-brief urinal visit: bad boy out of control versus good boy who doesn’t have sex. Pay attention: the bad boy will get infected, the good chaste boy won’t. How simple, this message of fear. But what about the vast universe in between, where most of us reside?

Over to the urinals up the street.

In front of my face a different poster put up by the same organization. At first glance this higher-traffic location seemed to have a more realistic message. Although once again the design is rather ghastly: two stick figures of people leaping out of an airplane; one has a parachute, the other doesn’t.

There’s an explanation in big letters: “You wouldn’t jump out of a plane without a parachute. Why have sex without a condom?” Below there’s more: “If you choose to have sex, using a condom is the best way to protect yourself from HIVANDAIDS.” The last sentence, I’m okay with that. But sex without a condom as an analogy to jumping bareback out of a plane? I don’t think so.

There are many reasons a guy may

not wear a condom (reasons to reflect upon and do better); it is not a conscious and considered decision to leap to death from a great height — splat.

While I have a continued interest in remaining HIV-negative, these posters were not intended for me. They are for another generation, primarily 18- to 21-year-old male undergrads.

But I do have an additional interest.

The current youth market, they were born in the early ’90s. It so happens

SEX WITHOUT A CONDOM AS AN ANALOGY TO JUMPING BAREBACK OUT OF A PLANE? I DON’T THINK SO. that in that era I was a member of an AIDS education department. Twenty years ago we put out a series of posters and brochures for gay men, the Safer Choices Campaign. It encouraged personal responsibility and featured attractive photos of local Vancouver men. Sex-positive in other words.

(Although, in fact, too sexy for a now-

extinct Denman St gay bar, where our brochures were routinely turned over to hide the front cover.)

We did some good work in the bad old days, when our small AIDS Vancouver office, shrouded in bamboo, had no identifying sign on Richards St. Our clients were dying, including some of our very young education volunteers.

Things are much better now, but far from acceptable: HIV may not be a death sentence, but it’s capable of compromising lives. Lives that continue to be stigmatized, even by the HIVprevention posters that grace our public washrooms. As the two I’ve just seen seem to say, if you become HIV-positive you are either a bad boy or a stupid boy.

I asked a young man, Mark, what he thought of the new abstinence promoting/duct tape poster. “Regressive,” he said. “And sex-negative.”

I wasn’t surprised; I’m confident that the youth at the urinals are smarter than the posters.

Someone has already sketched a small balloon beside the word ABSTAIN, a circled “WTF?” No more ugly posters, please. Let go the myth that sex-negativity is efficient, trying as some might to drive the whole damn problem underground.

Give us some attractive images of ourselves. We’re worth it. It’ll make us feel better; we’ll look after ourselves and others more. Works better than prehistoric images of fear. Fewer of us will just tune out.

more at xtra.ca

XTRA! APRIL 5, 2012

17

EDUCATION

16th school district passes anti-homophobia policy Gold Trail trustees ‘wanted to be proactive,’ board chair says Nathaniel Christopher ON MARCH 27 GOLD TRAIL BECAME the 16th school district in British Columbia to implement an anti-homophobia policy.

“We didn’t have any specific incident that was of deep and dire concern that was the cause of looking at this,” says board chair Carmen Ranta. “I think it was more of an overall concern.

“We know from the media that students have committed suicide in Canada. We know about the difficulties with these bullying issues surrounding sexual orientation and gender identity in schools and thought that we wanted to be proactive.

“It really has created more attention outside of the district, so far, than it has inside the district,” she adds.

Gold Trail school district is located in south-central BC about an hour north of Hope. The major communities there include Ashcroft, Cache Creek, Clinton, Lillooet and Lytton.

With 1,138 students, Gold Trail is one of the smallest school districts to

implement an anti-homophobia policy.

Unlike other districts that have passed anti-homophobia policies, its policy was not created in response to a request from staff or students but was initiated by trustees during a routine committee meeting. This is a first, according to the BC Teachers’ Federation.

“I’m certainly pleased that the initiative was taken by the board and that they did in fact bring it for the most part on their own and passed it with very little debate,” says Gold Trail Teachers’ Association president Cameron Rittinger. “I was at the board meeting last night, and they reported that they received little controversy within the community to it and they were very encouraged by that.”

Trustee Christopher Roden says the board received no feedback during the month the draft policy was posted for public input.

“We had expected more resistance,” he says. “We expected more input and there was none. People had the opportunity to express their views on our site while the policy was under consideration.”

“We thought it was important that we have a policy in place to make it quite clear where we stood on the matter,” says trustee Christopher Roden (far right).

While the policy did not receive formal input from the community, Roden says a school video project, which was created after the board decided to implement the policy, reinforced his feeling that they were on the right track.

“I think we’re conscious that we have gays in our community and in our schools,” he says. “Knowing the problems that they can suffer, we thought it was important that we have a policy in place to make it quite clear where we stood on the matter.”

In 2011 digital media students at Ashcroft Secondary created a 55-second

claymation video in support of their lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans peers.

The video, which elicited a response from Rick Mercer, included the message “It’s okay to be gay.”

“The kids who made it were really closely linked with someone in the gay community; we had one student in our school who was out,” says Ashcroft teacher Sara Drennan. “Dealing with homophobia is a part of some people’s everyday life, and the students wanted to say something about it.”

Ranta believes people in smaller communities have a greater incentive to adopt a more tolerant approach.

“In a small community you get to know a person before you learn about what they stand for, what interests they have, what religion they are or whatever,” she says. “So the relationships we form, because there is only one drugstore and grocery store in town, those relationships come first, and other details of life that might stigmatize them come second.”

While she is adamant that the policy is necessary right now, Ranta believes some policies have a window of time and hopes that an anti-homophobia policy will be unnecessary in the future.

“We just got rid of our AIDS policy,” she explains. “We actually had a policy with AIDS in the title, which reflects the fear-mongering and worrying about this disease. We still have a policy on blood-borne pathogens, but it certainly doesn’t have the stigma for people living with HIV/AIDS. This shows how policy does reflect the times.”

Ranta says that the new policy will affirm and expand existing practices and that the board is currently drafting guidelines. ”I don’t think this will mean a dramatic change in how schools will function or operate other than providing clarity around direct principles of bullying in this area,” she says. “It’s meant to be preventative as well as proactive.”

BORDER CROSSING

US Customs may recognize same-sex couples But will proposed change apply to non-Americans?

Richard J Dalton Jr THE UNITED STATES MAY BE POISED to treat its own same-sex couples as families at the border, but it’s unclear whether the change would apply to Canadians and other non-residents.

Current US regulations allow families living together to fill out one Customs form if they are related by blood, marriage or adoption. But the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act defines “marriage” as a union between one man and one woman, so same-sex couples are often told they’re not families when crossing the border.

According to the existing form, “Each arriving traveler or responsible family member must provide the following information (only one written declaration per family is required).”

The Customs agency is proposing to allow those in a “domestic relationship” to fill out one form as well, such as two adults in a committed relationship with shared financial assets and obligations, including long-time companions and couples in civil or domestic partnerships.

The change would also extend to more children in the family, includ-

17.XV486.GoldenTrail.Customs.indd 1

ing foster children, stepchildren, halfsiblings, legal wards, other dependants and individuals with guardianship relationships.

The move is part of a push by the administration of President Barack Obama to recognize more rights for gays and lesbians. But Obama has not yet come out in favour of gay marriage.

Customs has proposed the change for US residents returning to the United States. “The proposed changes would not alter the residency requirements,” according to the Federal Register, a journal of the US government.

Despite that explicit language, a Customs spokeswoman doesn’t know if the change would apply to foreigners as well.

Gays and lesbians have complained for years that US Customs officials require them to fill out separate forms, telling them they are not families even if they’re married or living together.

In 2002, two Canadian men who had won the right to marry in Ontario were offended when, the following year at the US border, they were instructed to fill out separate Customs forms. Kevin Bourassa and Joe Varnell refused to do

“For me it’s a huge issue when our bond of marriage is broken at the border like that,” says Karen-Marie Perry (right, with wife Andrina) . RICHARD J DALTON JR

so and were denied entry, according to their blog.

In August, Xtra wrote about East Vancouver couple Karen-Marie and Andrina Perry, who were upset when Customs agents told them at the border that they weren’t a family.

Karen-Marie Perry says the new regulation, if adopted, would be good news.

“For me it’s a huge issue when our bond of marriage is broken at the border like that,” she says. “However, I’m still mindful of political work that needs to be done regarding borders’ heightened security and the diminishment of civil liberties, the harassment of trans folks at the border and the recognition of the rights of all queers, whether they choose to marry or not.”

When Xtra inquired about the Perrys’ case last August, a US Customs official said the definition of family that applied to US residents applies to foreigners as well. That would suggest the revised regulation would apply to Canadians and other non-US residents. But Customs was non-committal when Xtra called on March 27. A spokesperson says the agency’s legal department is looking into the matter.

Victoria Neilson, legal director for Immigration Equality, which pushes for equal immigration treatment for queer and HIV-positive people, thinks people who are not US citizens would still have to fill out separate forms under the proposed revision.

“We’re going to look into that and speak to the administration about what the reasoning is for the difference,” she says. “If they are respecting our families in one context, they should do so in the other.”

Anyone can comment on the proposed change until May 29. To do so, go to regulations.gov/#!documen tdetail;d=uscbp-2012-0008-0001.

12-04-02 6:22 PM

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Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! APRIL 5, 2012

INTERNATIONAL

Struggling for a legal distinction between human trafficking and sex work

Sex work in Cambodia S H aving the right to a career path like anyone else seems a small thing to ask. In Phnom Penh, however, transgender sex worker Sam Sela, from Women’s Network for Unity (WNU), the 6,400-member sex workers’ union in Cambodia, has been rejected for jobs even in low-wage restaurants and garment factories.

Being instantly recognizable as transgender means she is denied work even in this “live and let live” Buddhist society advertised in tourist brochures as gay- and lesbian-friendly. Sela explains, “I joined the WNU union because I faced so much discrimination from my family, friends and society that I could not get regular work.”

As well as transgender and male sex workers, WNU is made up of women who work in hostess bars, karaoke clubs or massage parlours and do freelance sex work. The union has 5,000 members in the capital Phnom Penh and another 1,400 throughout the country.

In Cambodia, the 2008 Law on Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation and the severe stigma attached to doing adult sex work make it almost impossible for sex workers to access justice, healthcare and social-security systems. In response, WNU advocates for legal and human rights, as well as safer working conditions, including condom use.

Above all, WNU aims to amend Cambodia’s antihuman-trafficking laws and have the government

support their right to work. The WNU slogan, Sex Work Is Work, demands that sex workers be taken seriously as people having an occupation and that a distinction be made between human trafficking and voluntary, adult sex work.

They are particularly troubled by some police arrests under the “rescuing and raids” program. Ly Pisey, WNU assistant, explains, “Guidelines from the Ministry of the Interior define all sex workers as victims, ensuring the police arrest everyone during raids, not just children and sex slaves locked in brothels. But we are not all victims.

“Also, the law targets every activity involved with sex work, such as soliciting in public and procurement. These activities allow us to perform our work — yet everything has been made illegal.

“Worst is the contradiction between the trafficking law and Cambodian government HIV programs,” Pisey says. “Anti-trafficking police seize condoms as evidence during raids to crack down on sex workers. Sometimes they have to swallow condoms to avoid arrest. Sex workers are now afraid to possess condoms. This goes against HIVprevention advice and endangers our health.”

Sela speaks in her capacity as a WNU organizer.

She has been twice elected to the position. “At WNU, we are adult sex workers over the age of 18.

No one is forcing us. We aren’t victims. We don’t have pimps. Poverty and debt make most of us enter sex work.”

She places a hand over her heart and her eyes melt. “I love my gay boys.”

Paula Stromberg

peaking in the WNU offices in northeast Phnom Penh, Sela adds that tricks with local Khmer men bring in less than $1.50 (Canadian). Cambodian brothels, unlike in nearby Thailand, are set up for locals, not tourists.

Many are dirty and uncomfortable. Clean toilets, showers, fresh sheets and towels are rare. Freelance sex workers earn $5 to $10 a night, enough to support a family.

Around the world, legitimizing the selling of sex is as inflammatory an issue as abortion rights, and just as sharply divisive. Abolitionist feminists, characterized as coming from wealthy countries, want to abolish the sex industry and free all sex workers, who they see as victims in need of rescue.

In an opposing stance that Pisey says is fairly new to Cambodia, WNU members are demanding the right to work like everyone else and want the police to stop brothel raids that oppress them in the name of “rescue.”

After a government pronouncement that sex workers are an affront to traditional Cambodian culture, WNU members joined with garment workers and their children to hold a Buddhist ceremony known as Bun Phka, where a group raises funds for a temple and other good works — a demonstration that sex workers respect tradition and religion the same as the rest of society. In a public march, they carried a banner reading, “We are your partners in poverty reduction.”

Another WNU official, Keo Tha, an eroticmassage sex worker, commented, “Cambodia is

a poor country. Poverty is the root of this complicated situation. We don’t have many options.

People are slow to accept that sex work is work.

We get no respect and become doubly vulnerable on top of our poverty.”

As graceful as an Apsara temple dancer, Sela straightens her already elegant posture and points out that transgender people have many talents that Cambodian society is not ready to acknowledge. “As well as working as an activist leader, I can do fashion design, sing, give dance performances, and I know a lot about cosmetics. People reject transgender people like me, yet I have a lot to offer.

“Like all WNU members, we’d like to be respected as legitimate workers and also have access to the same opportunities open to everyone, such as working in offices, shops and major companies.”

Adult sex workers at WNU want to be recognized as human beings who are making choices about their lives. They want rights other workers enjoy, such as access to healthcare, job training and education.

To avoid being marginalized as radicals, WNU is careful to align itself with other social justice groups and cooperate with, rather than criticize, the Cambodian government. The strategy is working. “For the past two years we’ve been working closely with government officials, and now we face less police violence,” Pisey says. “When we’re arrested, we experience less robbery of our property, less rape and fewer beatings. But we still need space to work safely.”

more at xtra.ca

XTRA! APRIL 5, 2012

FACT SHEET By the numbers Population: 15 million Gross national income per capita: $760 (US) Tourists in 1993: 118,000 Tourists in 2009: 2.1 million Percentage of Buddhists: 95 Canadians of Cambodian origin: 20,000 Canada’s contribution to the Khmer Rouge tribunals: $2.9 million MATHIEU YOUNG

Khmer years The Khmer Rouge was the name given to members of the party that ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979.

The tyrannical Pol Pot, a Maoist revolutionary who was at the helm of the party for three years, led the Khmer. In that time he presided over one of the worst genocides of the 20th century, resulting in the deaths of more than one million Cambodians.

Recovering from genocide

TODD BROWN AND CHEA THAL

While it has seen massive growth in the last decade, Cambodia remains one of the poorest countries in Asia. It is also one of the most corrupt, ranking just above North Korea and Afghanistan. Years of war and instability resulted in an older population with little education and low literacy rates, which means most still rely on agriculture for survival.

Cambodia’s fastest-growing industry is tourism.

Abuse of sex workers

MATHIEU YOUNG

The best way to fix problems of violence and poverty is to stand in solidarity with sex workers as they fight to transform the industry. For WNU members, sex work is a labour rights issue and sex workers’ rights are human rights.

Seeking support from workers around the world, Sela and Pisey ask that overseas readers send their names and addresses with a message from their own countries — “We support WNU sex workers in Cambodia” — by emailing wnusw. cambodia@gmail.com.

I

n the sex workers’ union office in Phnom Penh, a banner pinned to the wall reads, “Don’t talk to me about sewing machines. Talk to me about workers’ rights.”

Cambodia’s anti-human-trafficking law has given rise to police raids on brothels where sex workers are “rescued” and retrained for jobs in low-wage garment factories. Workers get minimal instruction to operate sewing machines and usually receive no wages during the two- or threemonth training period.

Women’s Network for Unity (WNU) assistant Ly Pisey points out, “When you finish your sewing training, you have no real profession and no marketing knowledge. People need skills to run their own businesses, like financial management and how to track profit and loss.”

There are about 350,000 workers in Cambodian

garment factories, and 80 percent are women. The garment industry is the country’s largest employment sector, but workers earn just $61 a month, the minimum wage, and face dangerous working conditions.

“You can never earn enough to support yourself, let alone a child or family,” Pisey says.

And there is often an ugly truth behind the “rescue industry,” which is largely funded by international aid. “International donors criticize our government for corruption and human rights violations, but Cambodian sex workers also ask that donors demand accountability that their programs don’t harm human beings like us. The law and the rescues and raids program lead to abuse.

“We all hate human trafficking, especially when children are affected. However, rescuing consenting adult sex workers and sending them to sew is not economic empowerment.” Pisey adds that “rescue industry” organizations get millions of dollars to set up programs without listening to what sex workers say they need.

“Ignoring women’s, gay and transgender voices is another form of violence. Well-meaning policies implemented without consultation with sex workers can also do harm.”

Paula Stromberg is an NGO journalist covering women’s empowerment, human rights and GLBT projects around the world.

PAULA STROMBERG

“For far too long, police and other authorities have unlawfully locked up sex workers, beaten and sexually abused them, and looted their money and other possessions.” Elaine Pearson of Human Rights Watch, from its 2010 report Off the Streets: Arbitrary Detention and Other Abuses against Sex Workers in Cambodia.

Gay rights

SEX WORKERS ARE NOW AFRAID TO POSSESS CONDOMS. — Ly Pisey, Women’s Network for Unity assistant

Gay sex is legal in Cambodia so long as it occurs between consenting adults in private. However, while Cambodians are traditionally openminded when it comes to gay rights, the government has been slow to enact legislation that protects gay people. In 2007, the Cambodian prime minister publicly disowned his adopted lesbian daughter, yet at the same time called on the public not to discriminate against gays.

The King likes queens clockwise from top left:

The evening streets of Phnom Penh are unsafe for sex workers; Cambodia remains one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia; eroticmassage sex worker Keo Tha and transgender MSM Sam Sela (right) are two of five officials at Cambodia’s Women’s Network for Unity; police regularly target and arrest sex workers living on the streets of Phnom Penh.

“It’s not their fault if God makes them like that . . . Gays and lesbians would not exist if God did not create them.”

Former King Norodom Sihanouk, who supports same-sex marriage.

Cambodia Pride The first LGBT Pride event was held in Phnom Penh in 2003. It is now an annual event.

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Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! APRIL 5, 2012

KEVIN’S CALLING

Call Me Mr Madam Still QQ Kevin Dale McKeown

T

HE DECISION TO BECOME A madam was taken in much the same manner I take most major decisions — impulsively.

It was three in the morning at the Granville St White Lunch, a time and place that launched many bad ideas in the early 1970s, and I was scribbling notes for my following week’s Georgia Straight column and half listening to a conversation in the next booth.

“I don’t want to work with Dagmire.

Her apartment is too far off Davie and her old pimp keeps coming around.”

“Well, we can’t work out of my place; my folks live upstairs.”

“If we could get together an apartment, we could . . .”

The conversation was between three gorgeous young drag queens of my acquaintance named Toni, José and Chrissy, and the next thing anyone knew we were scouting that large apartment building on Bute just off Davie called St James Place. We rented a suite on the second floor (weekly housekeeping included) and were open for business.

My role in all this, aside from having at that point an unblemished credit rating, was a bit unclear to everyone, but

the “girls” decided that I was going to be their combination den mother and house bouncer, and Chrissy styled me our “Mr Madam.”

Someone explained to me that guys didn’t usually become madams, but pimps.

Pimps, the story went, stood about dark lounges and clubs dressed in exotic leathers, drove pastel-coloured Lincolns and sneered a lot. That didn’t sound like fun to me, and besides, I never was able to muster a very convincing sneer.

Being a madam, on the other hand, required an ability to change three sets of bed linen four times a night, and not get in anyone’s way while doing so, and the wherewithal to throw together a four-in-the-morning repast for two tired working girls, three drag queens and the occasional leftover and hungover john.

I knew my calling.

Our operation was designed around a twist in the prostitution laws of the day.

This was a time when women weren’t allowed to peddle their bodies, but men were somehow left out of the official wording of the law. The lawmakers were either so obsessed with contemplating illicit female forms that they forgot that men had bodies, too, or they couldn’t imagine anyone being willing to pay for one.

Shows you how rarified is the air in Ottawa.

Chrissy clued me in on the game our first night in business.

Yahoo censors profiles containing the word ‘sex’.

Breaking news. On xtra.ca.

N I JO

VANCOUVER’S LGBT TENNIS CLUB

headlights from the parking lot so that someone (usually me) could come and let them in.

It was a formative time for me, as I pounded out my weekly column on our kitchen table, usually while the girls prepared themselves for an evening’s work. Many curious characters came into our lives during that period, including a merchant seaman who showed up late one night with Lady Jacqueline Wentworth Brown and spent several weeks camped out in a sleeping bag in our hall closet (he was a little guy). Finally finding his land legs, he went on to a career of his own as “Gary the Grinch,” running a string of boozecans through the late 1970s and into the ’80s. Ask anyone over 50 and they’ll have a bunch of Grinch stories to share!

The Grinch taught us to boost boxes off the conveyer belt at the front of SuperValu (fuelling the 3am spaghetti dinner parties). I also had my share of learning experiences at the hands of deranged tricks — including being chased down the back stairs one night by a naked man wielding a stiletto letter opener. It all reached some sort of climax with a pre-dawn explosion that turned cars in the basement to tinsel and confirmed rumours of a Balkan “terrorist” cell on the third floor.

Obviously, this story needs more than one installment. Watch for Chapter 2.

It was Chrissy Warren (above, in 1978) who taught Kevin Dale McKeown the rules of the game and styled him into a den mother/doorman/ bouncer kind of madam. COURTESY OF KEVIN DALE MCKEOWN (JAMES LOEWEN PHOTO)

“They can bust Dagmire or Bonny,” she explained, “because it’s against the law for them to hustle on the streets, but if they nab me or Toni they can only get us for vagrancy. So we hustle the johns up to the apartment and if it turns out they aren’t interested in what we can do

THE

for them, we turn them over to one of the real girls for the full treatment.”

This was the pattern we were to follow for the next six months. Our endeavours were supported by two cab drivers trained to deliver clients to our back door, signalling with their

The author was Vancouver’s first gay columnist, penning “QQ Writes . . . Page 69” for the Georgia Straight through the early ’70s.

For more memories of the era, and to contribute your own, visit stillqq.com.

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XTRA! APRIL 5, 2012

21

arts › entertainment › leisure

Out City IN THE

listings ›

THEATRE Fri, April 13, 9–11 pm. Numbers Leather Loft (upstairs), 1042 Davie St. Membership $5 event/$20 year.

Rubber and leather weekend for men. Thurs, April 5–Sun, April 8.

Event information at rubbout.com.

Roboteria v2.7

Priape and Rubbout present a fetish-fantasy party, with DJ Marcus Purnell. Shuttle bus available. Partial proceeds to Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Sat, April 7, 8pm–1am.

Performance Works, 1218 Cartwright St, Granville Island. Afterparty 10pm–4am. Steamworks, 123 West Pender St. Facebook.com/ events/283005908432232

Solid Gold Presented by Lipstick Jungle Events and DJ Lisa DeLux, with DJs SHE and Kasha Kennedy. Thurs, April 5, 10pm–2am. Tunnel Nightclub, 620 Pender St. $10 advance at Little Sister`s, 1238 Davie St.

Hershe Bar DJ Saratonin, along with Ricki Rocket and Kasey Riot, in the Dubstep room. Thurs, April 5, 9pm–2am. Red Room Ultra Lounge, 398 Richards St. $12 advance at Little Sister’s, 1238 Davie St, and Kokopelli Salon, 2052 Commercial Dr, or at flygirlproductions.com.

Lipstick Jungle & JetGirl DJs Matilda Ho and Kasha Kennedy.

Sun, April 8, 10pm–2am. Five Sixty, 560 Seymour St. $10 advance at Little Sister’s, 1238 Davie St, or at cremaproductions.com.

On All Fours Kink Engineering presents the Puppy Play Party, featuring a Best in Show hosted by Reive.

Come watch or play; new puppies welcome. Sat, April 7, 2–5pm.

PumpJack Pub, 1138 Davie St.

Truckerdisco Italo disco, nu disco, dark disco, past to present. With DJs Taffi Louis, Lisa DeLux and Jay Douglas. Sun, April 8, 9pm–2am. Club 23, 23 W Cordova St. $8 before 10pm, $10 after. facebook.com/truckerdisco

United XXX Join Big Roger on Good Friday weekend. Featuring DJs Joe Gauthreaux (LA) and Adam Dreaddy and Colt Studio’s Spencer Reed.

Thurs, April 5, 11:45pm–7am. Gorgo-Mish, 695 Smithe St. Tickets at Little Sister’s, 1238 Davie St; Priape, 1148 Davie St; and at clubzone.com.

Ruff: Easter Weekend With DJs Barney Philly, DRKN, Nick Bertossi and a performance

by Sister Alma B Itches. Thurs, April 5, 9pm–2am. Five Sixty, 560 Seymour St. $10 advance at Priape, 1148 Davie St, or $15 at door. ruffparty.com

Vancouver Men in Leather VML’s regular monthly social. Dress code: rubber, leather or shirtless.

A Titanic discovery ›25

For more listings, go to xtra.ca

PARTIES Rubbout 21

Slick: Invasion

BREWSTER INCLUDES THE STORIES OF SOME OF THE GAY MEN AMONG THE SHIP’S PASSENGER LIST.

Retro-futuristic, with DJs manos, Waxwork and Taffi Louis. Fri, April 13, 9pm–2am. The Den at the Barclay, 1348 Robson St. $5 before 11 pm, $10 after. facebook.com/ events/150097041779231

ART, PERFORMANCE & FESTIVALS Tiny Fists Tour Riot-grrrl rock cellist/composer/ activist Bonfire Madigan and queerriot-folk-liberation singer Evan Greer. Fri, April 6; doors 7:30pm, show 8:30pm. Café Deux Soleils, 2096 Commercial Dr. Contact shelley.stefan@ufv.ca.

Tops & Bottoms Vancouver’s queer improv group performs at its new home every Monday night. Free. Mon, April 9, 7pm. Oasis Lounge, 1240 Thurlow St. Presented by The Bobbers, who are looking for two new members.

Auditions Sun, April 22. Email davidcjones@shaw.ca for location and to book time.

Boys in the Band It’s Harold’s birthday, and Michael is your not-so-gracious host in this 1968 play. Fri, Apr 20–Sun, May 6.

PAL Theatre, 581 Cardero St. $25 advance at brownpapertickets. com/event/217822.

Wiggle 2012 This annual wearable art/ performance extravaganza from the House of Venus is a celebration of creativity and the avant garde. Sat, April 14, 8–11 pm. Fortune Sound Club, 147 E Pender St. facebook. com/events/166551553457924

It Takes Two Not So Strictly Ballroom`s spring dance party. Regulars can bring a newbie for free. Join Murray Schellenberg as he hosts and teaches nightclub two-step. Sat, April 21, 8–11:30pm. Let’s Dance Studio, 927 Granville St. $10–15 at Little Sister’s, 1238 Davie St. notsostrictlyballroom.ca

MEETINGS & GROUPS This Is Your Q What are the most pertinent issues facing Vancouver queers?

Join a group of SFU students who believe that a community forum is a good place to start. Thurs, April 5. Roundtable dialogues, 5–8pm; mingle/dinner break, 8–9pm; dance party and show, 9pm–1am. Cobalt Hotel, 917 Main St. facebook.com/ events/315893248475039

OUR Spaces 2012 AGM Group seeking queer community centre holds annual general meeting Sun, April 15, 3pm. Roundhouse, 181 Roundhouse Mews. Registration at 2:45pm. ourspaces.ca

In Home Again, Walt (played by Nigel Vonas, right) returns home to reconcile with his family (including his sister Clair, played by Tara Webster, left), after being thrown out for being gay. IAN REDD

Maybe you can go

Home again David Blue veers into the serious Mark Robins HEN THOMAS WOLFE wrote You Can’t Go Home Again in the 1930s, he might well have been talking to generations of gay people who have been ostracized by their families. But this is 2012, and Vancouver playwright David Blue is out to prove that perhaps it is possible to go home again.

A departure from the usual comedy for Blue, who has written and produced works that include Memoirs of a Single Gay White Male and The Most Happy Fag in the World, his new play, Home Again, is not only more serious, it is also more personal.

Set in rural Saskatchewan, Home Again tells the story of Walt, who returns with his partner, Ray, to his small hometown after having been thrown out of the house for being gay many years ago. Reunited with siblings Claire and Toby for their father’s funeral, Walt seeks to reconcile with both his feelings and his mother after discovering a surprise in his father’s will.

Citing an always awkward relationship with his stepmother, whom Blue was shocked to discover had descended into chronic alcoholism when he returned home one year for a funeral, Blue found inspiration for the character of the family matriarch in Home Again.

“Some characters are based on other members of my family, as well,

and some of them are combinations,” he says. “My older and younger brothers became a combination of Toby [the brother], my sister Jennifer and my best friend growing up became Claire [the sister], and my Aunt Ruth became Anna [the housekeeper].”

Despite the influence his family has had on his characters and the story, Blue is quick to point out that amongst the truth is also much fiction. “You have to make it interesting,” he laughs.

THE BULK OF THE SECOND ACT WAS...

JUST SO ANGSTFILLED, YOU JUST KNEW TENNESSEE WILLIAMS WOULD BE SLASHING HIS WRISTS. — playwright David Blue After completing his run of Confessions of a Mad Drag Queen last summer, Blue began looking for his next project and came across an early draft of Home Again. More comfortable as a comedy writer, Blue recognized both the challenge he faced in writing this more serious piece and the catharsis he achieved in completing it.

“For me comedy is a lot easier to write, but sometimes you have to challenge yourself,” he says. “I wanted to

tell this story, and I kept coming back to it. I guess there was some psychological stuff that I needed to deal with.”

Part of dealing with the ghosts from his past included the inevitable rewrites that toned down some of the harsher scenes, including the end of the first act, where Walt confronts his mother. Besides, Blue says, the play is about family, not just about a relationship between mother and son.

“The bulk of the second act was just between Walt and his mother, and it was just so angst-filled, you just knew Tennessee Williams would be slashing his wrists,” Blue laughs.

“Sure, it’s about a dysfunctional family, but it is still based in some reality.”

With family and home such an integral part of his story, Blue took time early in the rehearsal process with his cast and production team to explore what those terms mean to each of them. He was amazed by the drastically different answers he received.

“For a lot of gay men and women there are all kinds of negative feelings about their childhood homes, and it is sad,” Blue concludes. “Home and family is what you have chosen; it can be anything you want it to be, and, as the title suggests, there is a possibility that one really can go home again.”

the deets HOME AGAIN Wed, April 11–Sun, April 15 PAL Theatre, 581 Cardero St ravingtheatre.com

22

XTRA! APRIL 5, 2012

Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

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XTRA! APRIL 5, 2012

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

Check out American Life Leagueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unintentionally hilarious attack on Planned Parenthood.

The News Roundup. On xtra.ca.

Uniquely Westcoast Distinctive, Elegant, and Beautiful views.

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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 discovered Millet’s passionate love letters to San Francisco poet Charles

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

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 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,” he 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-radical-turnedauthor, our people now have a place in that story.

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

VANCOUVE R’S GAY & LESBI AN NEWS

ULTIMATE

Enter for your chance to WIN JULY 15–AUG 13, 2011

GUIDE EVENTS 11–67

Daily happenings across the city

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a pair of tickets to The Boys in the Band for their opening night performance April 20th at PAL Theatre 581 Cardero St Send your name and number in an email to contests.vancouver@xtra.ca Put ‘The Boys in the Band’ as the subject

Parade routes & homo hangouts

HIGHLIGHTS

Contest closes April 15

Featured events & tips for Pride

The all new

Pride is closer than you think.

The sun is shining in VANCOUVER and that can only mean two things: Short Shorts and Pride!

Book your Pride Guide Ad For Maximum Exposure Booking Deadline: Wed June 20 Artwork Deadline: Wed, June 27 Release Date: Thu, July 26

Closer than you think. squirt.org

26

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

XTRA! APRIL 5, 2012

GAY GASPED

Butches and bruises Blitz & Shitz Raziel

S

ATURDAY NIGHT I WAS ON Commercial Dr with my friend, pre-gaming (Starbucks green tea will get you so unsteady), totally minding my own business, when some dude turned the corner, slammed his elbow into my chest and called me a fag. My reaction? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Owie.â&#x20AC;?

Yes, I was gaybashed on the Drive and instead of punching the guy in the face or Instagramming his ass while screaming, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m going to put you on the cover of Xtra, you cunt!â&#x20AC;? I stopped in my tracks, gay gasped, and said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Owieâ&#x20AC;? like I wanted my mother to kiss it all better.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a rough world out there for a queen. Within two blocks I was harassed by a mentally unstable homeless person for not having change, saw some 12-year-old ODing outside of The Charlatan and got elbowed by a drunkard.

I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t retaliate out of fear of breaking a nail. Carson Daly might be a douche who belongs in 2002 because of his homophobic joke about the JetBlue pilot meltdown, but I so wouldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been one of the gays he was mocking. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Well, I could try and help restrain him . . . but I just put on a fresh coat of Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m Really Not a Waitress red.â&#x20AC;?

So yeah, I have a big bruise between my ribs. And no, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not going to take a picture and post it online. Who do I look like, Perez Hilton? Although I might make a teary, melodramatic, slightly hysterical vlog just to show everyone how Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m in dire need of attention. Keep ya posted!

That same night I headed to the fourth anniversary of Man Up at The Cobalt to party with a bunch of ladies who are good at building things. I thought they might be able to put my ribcage back together!

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m into beer-drinking, bitch-fucking, tool-belt-wearing dudes. Some lesbians fall into that category, and so I found myself unexpectedly aroused at Man Up. I was waiting for a butch to buy me a drink and make me her girl! Honestly, the diversity of my whorishness never ceases to amaze.

I had my eye on one of the guitarists of the band Manhug, who played a set before the drag kings hit the stage. I actually thought she was a guy at ďŹ rst. She looked like a West Coast boy who wakes up in the morning and takes a bong hoot before getting out of bed, never brushes his hair and wears nothing but ďŹ&#x201A;annel.

You know, the kind of guy you want to take home to meet Mom. I was so devastated when her mustache fell off.

Mamadonna Speaking of women Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sexually attracted to (itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the biceps), Poniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Madonna

The To-Do List XXX Start Good Friday weekend off right on Thurs, April 5 at Gorg-O-Mish with United: XXX, and roll into the early morning with pornstar Spencer Reed!

RUBBOUT

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m into beer-drinking, bitch-fucking, tool-belt-wearing dudes,â&#x20AC;? says Raziel (right, with Paige Frewer, aka Ponyboy) at Man Upâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fourth anniversary, March 31. JESS MUNITZ PHOTO

night at Five Sixty featured an impressive re-creation of Madonnabowl by Raye Sunshine, Sienna Blaze, Lady Jem and dancers. DJs Adam Dreaddy and Nick Bertossi managed to keep things fresh, even while playing the same artist all night. With recent guests like the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s party darling Jodie Harsh, Poni is dominating Saturday gay nightlife.

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve worshipped Madonna ever since my teenaged suicide attempt (you see, dear lesbians, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just enforce stereotypes â&#x20AC;&#x201D; I am one!). When I came

back to life, I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t ďŹ nd God. I found the Queen. If Poniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s night of devotion was any indication, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not the only one.

PS I caught up with Tranapus Rex at Man Up, and he told me that the Mr/Miss Cobalt competition has catapulted him into a world of drag performance art. Keep your eye out for the drag king who sparkles. Who says the queens get all the glamour?

The only latex Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m used to is the one I put on my dick, but Rubbout is an annual staple in Vancouverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leather/fetish/ rubber community. Rubbout 21 is back the first weekend of April with their parties Invade, Ravage, Abduct, Surrender and Escape. All the kinks and details can be found at rubbout.com.

WIGGLE Wiggle is truly a wearable art/performance extravaganza. It has attracted the attention of Deborah Harry, Alanis Morissette and Michael Stipe. The escape from reality starts at 8pm on Sat, April 14 at Fortune Sound Club.

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XTRA! APRIL 5, 2012

XPOSED

Vancouver’s Gay & Lesbian Business Directory – is online!

Photos by Joshua McVeity

Cutting Edges’ Score Party

27

indexdirectory.ca

Vancouver’s gay hockey club hosted its annual skate/dance party at the West End Community Centre on Sat, March 31. If you can skate, you can score!

1

All listings published in Index are also featured on the searchable online version at indexdirectory.ca

2

indexdirectory.ca y 3

GENERAL DENTISTRY

dr. langston

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Offering cosmetic restorative dentistry in a comfortable environment

Serving the Community since 2000 new patient appointments available Mon & Fri

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suite 512-1033 davie street on-site parking available

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Home Again 1) Luc serves up the shots with a casual chest-pad & jock look. 2) Diego Acevedo and Scott Hicks. 3) John Gray, Brendan Bailey, Andrew Fenton and Casidy Morgan lace up. 4) Wayne Wallace and Matthew Joselin glide by. 5) Matthew King, Jeff Brown and Mario Chaves. 6) David Fullerton, Michael Austin, Austin Reid and Douglas Cave get into the Apuckalypse Now theme.

April 11 – 15

PAL Theatre – 581 Cardero St. Vancouver

by David Blue 604 684–2787

www.ticketstonight.ca and Little Sisters Book Store www.ravingtheatre.com

A World of Gay Adventure

Montreal

The third in a three-part series

The city’s food scene masters cuisine, ambiance and charm Story by David Walberg Photography by Carrie MacPherson

A

DIVINE CONFLUENCE OF traditions blesses Montreal’s food scene.

For starters, there is the simple fact of French heritage and the corollary commitment to method, to professionalism and to pride in food well prepared and well served.

But other traditions would seem to fly in France’s face. These are the Québécois traits that give cuisine in the province’s largest city its character and charm — traits shared, interestingly, not with France but with Denmark.

These two societies, being small and folksy, share a communal culture where everyone likes to be on the same level.

They take pride in jolly gregariousness and banishing hierarchies, romanticizing le p’tit gars, the little guy. In restaurants, this means a lovely sense of informal camaraderie, in stark contrast to the serious pecking orders of French cuisine.

They also share bad weather. Cold and dark for months on end, both places love comfortable and cozy interiors. Much of the joy of eating in Montreal and Copenhagen comes from warmth: warm and inviting hosts in warm and inviting environments.

IN TERMS OF THE FOOD ITSELF, MONTREAL has become known in recent years for highend reinventions of hearty peasant cuisine: comfort food for foodies.

Martin Picard, Quebec’s biggest celebrity chef, is widely believed to have kick-started

Le Gros Jambon, above and top left, opens early and closes late. Left, the Elvis sandwich arrives smothered in chocolate sauce.

the continent-wide fad for gourmet poutine variations.

His restaurant Au Pied de Cochon audaciously boasts an entire foie gras menu amongst heaps of meat and offal, including headcheese and a whole pig’s head for sharing. The duck confit comes in a can from which it is famously plopped onto your plate, quivering gelatinously. Fries are cooked in duck fat, piglets are roasted to a crisp and the eponymous pig’s foot is served with still more foie gras.

Picard’s latest cookbook includes recipes for squirrel and beaver in which the head, tail or paws are saved for presentation oomph at the table.

But times are changing, and other chefs are branching out to include lighter and subtler food.

Eloi Dion, chef at Van Horne (1268 Ave Van Horne), is a master of melding delicate flavours into complex symphonies. His panseared pickerel is served in a subtle kombu daishi broth that incorporates the distinct flavours of bacon, soy, mirin and sake. His demi-glace involves roasting bones for three days to ensure all bitterness is banished. It’s a pure demi-glace, without the lily-gilding crutches of tomatoes or cherries.

Van Horne co-owner Sylvie Lachance provides the room’s charm. She is an engaging, quirky collector of art and eclectica. The restaurant houses some of her acquisitions, including the doors from the Iran Pavilion at Expo ’67 and a wall devoted to paper plates silkscreened by Roy Lichtenstein.

The restaurant is small and intimate.

The tiny open kitchen suggests not the presentational pomp of a celebrity chef on display, but rather the sense that no one has thought to put up a door to contain the mayhem. It’s an amusing contrast to the tranquil dining room populated by tony patrons from nearby Outremont.

“I THINK IF THERE IS A TREND IT WOULD be simplify rather than fancify popular dishes — that whole purity of the plain-butquality ingredient,” says Patrick Meausette, who owns two restaurants — Cluny ArtBar and Titanic — with Rob Hack. “That is going on in other cities, too, but the Montreal twist is not to get fussy about it, to not keep raising the prices and the fancy names. I hate fancy, long-winded names for dishes — unless they are funny.”

Both restaurants occupy funky industrial spaces. Titanic (445 Rue St-Pierre) is in a former fur warehouse in Old Montreal, while Cluny (257 Rue Prince) shares an old foundry building with an art gallery.

“The new hit on our Titanic menu is scallopine Milanese,” Meausette reports.

“Breaded pork pounded thin and deepfried. We serve it in an onion-bread sandwich with a caper remoulade. No one bats an eye at a fried-meat sandwich. We try to keep it healthier by controlling the frying temperature, so there’s less oil absorbed, and serving it with spinach.”

XTRA! APRIL 5, 2012

29

Above, Van Horne co-owner Sylvie Lachance poses with a tuna tartare.

Right, fish bathes in a delicate kombu daishi as chef Eloi Dion and staff cook up a frenzy in the background.

Pastry chef Amy McKinnon, below right, bakes rustic pastries at Olive et Gourmando.

Far right, Patrick Meausette (in apron) and Rob Hack have turned a former foundry into Cluny ArtBar.

“We have always done the idea of improving simple, almost ‘home,’ or at least ‘country,’ cooking and using Mediterranean ingredients, sometimes out of context. We take recipes we love and modernize them: bundt cake with olive oil, yogurt and lemon zest. Or I make bread pudding without bread and substitute day-old croissants and add rhubarb or dried cherries.”

Lesbian pastry chef Amy McKinnon, of Olive et Gourmando (351 Rue St-Paul Ouest) agrees. “The current trend in Montreal dessert is a combination of high-quality ingredients, unique flavour combinations and a sense of nostalgia. It’s pretty common to see desserts that your grandmother used to bake, only made with a twist. Whether that twist is a high-quality cocoa or an added flavour element, there’s a lot of interesting mixtures of old and new.”

“I think we’re all really interested in knowing where our ingredients come from and are willing to put the extra effort into making products completely from scratch.

You’ll find a lot of places making their own cheeses, tonics, candies and breads.”

“The personal touch with dessert is another trend in Montreal baking right now,” McKinnon says. “It’s common to be served by the person who made your pastry. There are a lot of beautiful shops with a small staff or no staff at all in Montreal. Les Chocolats de Chloé, Cocoa Locale and Patisserie Rhubarbe are some of my favourites.”

THE MONTREAL TWIST IS NOT TO GET FUSSY ABOUT IT, TO NOT KEEP RAISING THE PRICES AND THE FANCY NAMES. —Patrick Meausette, restaurateur At Titanic and Cluny, the personal touch goes on behind the scenes, too. “We have been a haven for many lost souls, people new to the city, people getting their footing,” Meausette says. “Many of our staff are new immigrants, and some of them have come out while working with us, so I guess we are a nurturing environment.

I think the most important thing was to show them that it was normal to be gay or not and that they were accepted by their colleagues and the clients. Maybe some of the best thinking we have instilled has been with straight new immigrants who worked with us and who found a new understanding about gay people, which they admit they would never have had in their original countries.”

on the web

New & notable Chuck Hughes is a celebrity chef, host of the Food Network show Chuck’s Day Off. Garde Manger, his inaugural restaurant, quickly became a destination in Old Montreal. Just around the corner, Hughes recently opened Le Bremner, which he describes as a “seafood diner.” Le Bremner (361 Rue St Paul Est) is informal and has a comfy back patio reminiscent of a cottage deck. The restaurant specializes in cocktails and sharing plates, which include giant fried oysters and mackerel escabèche with crème fraîche.

Le Gros Jambon (286 Rue Notre Dame Ouest) is a new hotspot in Old Montreal, open early and closing late. Try the Elvis sandwich: peanut butter and fried bananas inside grilled bread topped with chocolate sauce.

Nora Gray (1391 Rue St-Jacques) is a new darling of local food critics.

Inventive Italian food and a thoughtful wine selection are wrapped in a sleek minimalist interior. Choose from wildboar ragu over pumpkin ravioli or pistachio-stuffed leg of lamb with a side of kale gnudi.

Van Horne ›vanhornerestaurant.com Le Bremner ›crownsalts.com/ lebremner Titanic ›titanicmontreal.com Cluny ArtBar ›cluny.info Olive et Gourmondo ›oliveetgourmando.com Nora Gray ›noragray.com

30

XTRA! APRIL 5, 2012

Vienna

FSKKING

A dynamic city where cultures co-mingle Armando Mendonça with files from Guidemag staff Take the phone off the hook and disappear for a while It’s all right, you can afford to lose a day or two When will you realize Vienna waits for you

T

H I RT Y - F IVE YE ARS AG O, piano man Billy Joel sang those lyrics in the song “Vienna,” on his breakthrough 1977 album The Stranger, celebrating a city where cultures co-mingle.

The City of Waltzes retains the elegance of centuries past. It’s a monumental city filled with churches, museums, concert halls and government buildings of such massive scale you can’t help but recall this city was once the centre of the AustroHungarian Empire. Now the capital of the rather small country of Austria, it seems a bit oversized but has regained some of its former importance by hosting a number of international organizations, including the United Nations and OPEC. Prince Eugene of Savoy, famous for pushing the Ottomans away from the gates of Vienna and back to the Balkans over the course of several wars, was widely known in his lifetime to prefer same-sex intimacies. His mark remains at his summer residence, the two Belvedere palaces. Situated amidst extensive gardens, the palace complex is considered one of the world’s finest baroque landmarks.

FROM

This year Vienna’s über-chic arts and culture scene is celebrating the 150th birthday of Gustav Klimt. A pioneer of the Modernist painting style, Klimt spent most of his life in Vienna and is best known for The Kiss, which is currently on display at the Belvedere. Almost 200 of Klimt’s drawings are on exhibit at the Albertina museum.

Near the Belvedere, the Museumsquartier (known as the MQ), the eighth-largest cultural area in the world, is a playground for art lovers.

The vibrant district is home to the Leopold Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, the Kunsthalle Wien exhibit centre, artists’ residences and studios — as well as a great selection of restaurants, cafés and bars. Cool lounge-like chairs are spread throughout the MQ. Although not as famous as those of Berlin and Paris, Vienna’s gay scene sizzles and goes late into the night.

Many of the clubs, bars and restaurants are clustered just southwest of the ring road surrounding the historic city centre, around Pilgramgasse, Neubaugasse, Museumsquartier and Karlsplatz U-bahn stations.

There are dozens of major events every year, including film festivals, circuit parties, bear gatherings and, of course, the Rainbow Parade in June.

One of Vienna’s greatest events, the Life Ball, will celebrate its 20th anniversary on May 19 at Vienna’s historic city hall, the Rathaus. Life Ball reinvents the great Viennese Ball tradition with glamorous, outlandish performances and inspirational speeches that celebrate the beauty of life and cultural diversity. Organized by AIDS

Vienna trip advisor BARS & CLUBS Mango Bar Red Carpet

LODGINGS BaKul Guesthouse Wombat’s City Hostel

RESTAURANTS & CAFÉS Café Standard Palmenhaus

SHOPPING & SERVICES Löwenherz Sexworld International

SAUNAS & SEX CLUBS Kaiserbründl Sauna Sauna Frisco

CSDVIENNA.AT

At top, a panoramic night view of Vienna. Above, queens strike a pose at the Rainbow Parade, Vienna’s Pride celebration.

Life, Life Ball raises money to support people in areas of the world most affected by HIV/AIDS. Holiday Inn Vienna City is a charming family-owned and -operated hotel with stylishly appointed rooms and a great terrace on which to enjoy breakfast. It is located near the Naschmarkt, a well-known meeting point with more than 120 market stands offering delightful culinary choices, from Viennese to Indian to Italian. The Saturday flea market is not to be missed; relax with a local beer for some great peoplewatching. The Naschmarkt area is within walking distance of many gay bars and Vienna’s most famous street, Mariahilferstrasse, the city’s main shopping avenue.

Fleming’s Deluxe Vienna City Hotel, also situated in the heart of the city, opened for business in early 2011.

This luxury hotel offers all the amenities you would expect from a deluxe property: multiple room categories, a brasserie and wine bar, fine dining, and fitness and wellness facilities. It’s

Find information on more than 100 gay and lesbian places of interest in Vienna at guidemag.com.

within comfortable walking distance of the underground and many sightseeing attractions. Fleming’s is a classact company that recently supported the CANFAR event in Toronto, Bloor Street Entertains.

Air Berlin offers non-stop service from Vancouver to Dusseldorf, Germany, with convenient connections to Vienna.

on the web Vienna Tourism GLBT ›wien.info/en/vienna-for/ gay-lesbian Holiday Inn Vienna City ›holidayinn.com/vienna-city Fleming’s Deluxe Vienna City ›flemings-hotel.com Life Ball 2012 ›lifeball.org or ›voxtm.ca/diversity

LIFE BALL May 19, 2012 This star-studded HIV/AIDS charity event and fashion show at Vienna’s Rathaus runs until 5am. It should be on everyone’s party bucket list.

VIENNA’S PRIDE & RAINBOW PARADE June 12–16, 2012 Celebrations, including the beginning and end of the parade, take place in Rathausplatz. The parade is June 16. A closing show is held in Rathausplatz.

Pride parties are held in clubs scattered throughout the city.

VIENNA IN BLACK Oct 24–28, 2012 A five-day, four-night international leather and fetish event, with dinner and brunch events, a bike tour and much more. The weekend coincides with Austrian National Day (Oct 26), when the Austrian military parades on Heldenplatz (Heroes’ Square).

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A World of Gay Adventure

Berlin Germany’s capital is a mecca for gay tourists Armando Mendonça with files from Guidemag staff

B

ERLIN IS ONE OF THE MOST gay-friendly cities in the world. A vast and diverse set of gay scenes, thoughtful civic amenities and tourist-friendly pricing make Germany’s capital a popular destination. The city is a mecca, and not only for gay people.

Prices here are reasonable compared

to other European capitals, and rentrefugees from other EU countries and beyond are flocking in, creating an evermore-cosmopolitan ambiance. English is firmly established as the second language of most people, especially in the west, so English-only tourists will have little trouble communicating.

Berlin’s — and the country’s — most notable monument is the Brandenburg Gate. Restored over a two-year period, starting in 2000, this iconic structure, located west of the city centre, served

XTRA! APRIL 5, 2012

31

HUSTLABALL.COM

Left, the Bode Museum on Museum Island. Above, HustlaBall is one of the most sexdrenched events on the circuit.

DALBERA

as the entrance to the city palace of the Prussian monarchs. The square immediately behind, Pariser Platz, is home to embassies and the luxurious Hotel Adlon Kempinski, which offers a twostar Michelin restaurant, a luxury spa and an outdoor terrace overlooking the gate. Sunday brunch is a sublime culinary experience.

Located in the middle of the Spree River, which flows through the city centre, is the famous Museum Island, consisting of five internationally significant museums: the Old Museum, the Old National Gallery, the Bode Museum, the New Museum and the Pergamon Museum. The entire complex, worth a trip for the buildings themselves, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999. Once you

get through the extensive collections, or if you need to rest, you can escape by way of the charming cobblestone paths to the island’s hidden gardens, quality restaurants and boutiques to recharge.

Look no further than KaDeWe for your shopping pleasure. Located in the city centre, close to the Wittenbergplatz U-Bahn station, KaDeWe is Continental Europe’s largest department store. The variety of brand names and quality of product is comparable to Holts in Canada, but bigger. The surrounding area features an array of exquisite shops, wonderful restaurants and quaint parkettes. Other shopping districts include Alexanderplatz, Friedrichstrasse, Hackescher Markt, Kurfürstendamm, Tauentzienstrasse, Spandau Old Town, Schlossstrasse and Schönhauser Allee. Flea markets are also very popular and can be found throughout the city.

Gay life is easily found in the Schöneberg, Kreuzberg, Prenzlauer Berg and Friedrichshain neighbourhoods. Best known to tourists are the quiet treelined streets of Schöneberg, a little south of the area between Wittenbergplatz and Nollendorfplatz U-Bahn stations. It has a well-established, multifaceted gay community, and you’ll often see same-sex affection and leathermen in full regalia alongside families and kids on bikes. It is also the location of the big summer street events: the Stadtfest lesbian and gay festival and the Christopher Street Day celebrations.

Most of the gay bars, clubs and shops are located in Schöneberg, including the gay-owned and -operated Axel Hotel, which offers chic accommodation, outdoor and rooftop terraces, wellness facilities, bars, and a cocktail lounge and restaurant. Christopher Isherwood, who wrote so evocatively of Berlin, lived in this neighbourhood (at Nollendorfstrasse 17) more than 70 years ago. As in other German cities, › continued on page 32

32

A World of Gay Adventure

XTRA! APRIL 5, 2012

Montreal beats

on the web For a full list of Montreal festivals ›tourisme-montreal.org Mutek ›mutek.org Piknic Électronik ›piknicelectronik.com Osheaga ›osheaga.com

Piknic Électronik.

CARIBBEAN COMFORT

Montreal is now solidly established as a city with a Hot Music Scene — and not just because The New York Times and Rolling Stone say so. During the warm summer months, at the peak of the city’s extensive festival season, there are opportunities aplenty to hear what’s on offer: from big names to small, in a range of genres. Just in time for those making summer plans, the organizers of three key music festivals have revealed their plans for 2012.

The five-day, multi-venue Mutek festival (May 30 to June 3) is the main event of an international organization dedicated to promoting cutting-edge electronic music and sound art. Founded in 2000, Mutek has grown steadily in scope to become one of the world’s leading events of its kind, featuring many of electronic music’s most established figures, while providing a platform for new talents.

Jeff Mills, Nicolas Jaar and Shackleton will headline the 2012 lineup, which also features Kode9, Jimmy Edgar and Apparat Band.

If you like your electronica a little more accessible, check out Piknic Électronik, a weekly outdoor dance party that kicks off May 20 and runs every Sunday through the end of September.

Held on Île Ste Hélène in Parc Jean-Drapeau, under Alexander Calder’s gigantic L’Homme sculpture, it’s an afternoon/evening rave that draws clubbers outdoors and away from the heat of the city. It features both A-list and emerging DJs and draws an eclectic crowd of hipster gays, sophisticated professionals and teens too young to get into the clubs.

Also held in Parc Jean-Drapeau is the largescale, multi-stage Osheaga Music and Arts Festival (Aug 3 to 5). Now in its seventh year, Osheaga draws the big-name touring bands, including, in the past, Coldplay, Ben Harper, Sonic Youth and Arcade Fire, as well as less well-known up-and-comers. The recently revealed 2012 lineup includes Feist, Florence and the Machine, Sigor Rós, Snoop Dogg, Metric, the Black Keys, MGMT and The Weeknd, among many others.

MIGUEL LEGAULT

Strolling Lions Dive beach in Curacao. CURACAO TOURISM BOARD

Curacao is gaining recognition as one of the gay-friendliest Caribbean destinations. And with its natural beauty, rich history, stunning architecture and vibrant arts scene, it has something for everyone. Gay-friendly bars and accommodations are plentiful, and many hotels belong to the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association; at 17 members and counting, Curacao has the largest IGLTA membership in the Caribbean.

Boston’s Edge magazine has named it the best gay destination in the Caribbean, and Frommer’s chose it as a top destination for 2012, the only Caribbean country to make the list.

The island’s big gay celebration is the annual Get Wet Weekend in September, a four-day Pride-ish event filled with parties, cultural events and dances, put on by Curacao Gay Plasa, the local gay community group. Many hotels offer discounts for the event, and the country’s tourist board offers island-wide savings packages for those who book travel during Get Wet Weekend.

There’s always lots to do, however, and with its pristine dive sites, secluded beaches and year-round sunshine, it’s a great place to unwind any time. Nightlife is focused in the capital city of Willemstad, a culturally diverse UNESCO World Heritage Site sprinkled with colourful 18th-century Dutch buildings.

Visit gaycuracao.com and curacao.com for more details.

Off-season delight Discover Key West’s off-season charms with free accommodation for three nights at the popular Island House guesthouse for gay men.

Guests who book a four-night stay at the resort before the end of June 2012 will receive three bonus nights (mid-July to mid-October, weeknights only).

Voted best gay resort by Out Traveler and Planet Out, Island House offers a poolside café/ bar that never closes; complimentary happy hour every evening; a health spa with gym, Jacuzzi, steam room and sauna; and a naked pool party every Sunday afternoon.

Visit islandhousekeywest.com for conditions and details.

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Berlin › continued from page 31 the straight folks blend right in. A few minutes’ walk from Nollendorfplatz station is Mann-O-Meter, a queer community centre with information on gay Berlin.

The U-Bahn will take you from Schöneberg to Eberswalder Strasse and Schönhauser Allee stations, in what was once East Berlin. Around and between the two stations, the Prenzlauer Berg neighbourhood is full of interesting sights. East German gay society emerged from an alternative art and political milieu, which came of age under the old regime behind the wall. The district retains, almost a generation later, a distinct appearance and atmosphere from that of the former West Berlin. There are gay sex shops, saunas, restaurants and bars here, but gay sensibilities and perspectives owe less to American and Western European models than to their own historical roots.

Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain districts also have an alternative feel and are growing in popularity with gay people looking for lower housing prices and a more multicultural mix.

There are many beautiful parks scattered throughout Berlin, not least the cruisy Tiergarten, where one can enjoy the summer sunshine without a stitch on and raise nary an eyebrow — not surprising in one of the most gay-friendly cities in the world.

GAY PRIDE/ CHRISTOPHER STREET DAY FESTIVAL June 21–23, 2012 Numerous events, a street fair in and around Motzstrasse, Gay Night at the Zoo and festivities along the Spree River, all leading up to a parade.

FOLSOM FAIR BERLIN Sept 8, 2012 Europe’s largest leather and fetish event runs noon until 9pm, with more than 20,000 people attending. The fairground features food and drinking areas, shopping, information booths and live music from Europe’s hottest DJs.

HUSTLABALL CIRCUIT FESTIVAL Oct 19, 2012 The biggest HustlaBall franchise brings together people from around the world who are looking to explore their erotic senses freely without fear of discrimination.

For more information, visit airberlin.com.

Berlin trip advisor BARS & CLUBS Blue Boy Bar Prinzknecht

LODGINGS Tom’s Hotel Arco Hotel

RESTAURANTS & CAFÉS AndaLucía Tapasbar Maharadscha Indian Restaurant

SHOPPING & SERVICES Mister B Prinz Eisenherz

SAUNAS & SEX CLUBS Apollo Splash Club Treibhaus Sauna Find information on more than 200 gay and lesbian places of interest in Berlin at guidemag.com.

on the web Visit Berlin ›visitberlin.de/en KaDeWe Shopping Centre ›kadewe.de Axel Hotels ›axelhotels.com

more at xtra.ca

XTRA! APRIL 5, 2012

indexdirectory.ca Vancouver’s online directory of

indexdirectory.ca

ACCOMMODATIONS - BRITISH COLUMBIA Bluff View Cottage 250-539-3475 The Eagle’s Nest B&B 1-866-766-9350

ACCOUNTANTS Accounting+ Best Books Inc Felicity Webb

604-374-1424 604-215-8872 604-721-7537 604-947-0420

ADULT Wega Video

gay-owned and gay-friendly businesses

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PRINTING

Emelle’s Catering 604-875-6551 Out To Lunch Catering 604-681-7177

Vancouver Gas Fireplaces

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Hot Stone Massage Therapy

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Paul: 604-685-7422 Gary: 604-875-1413 The Maids Home Services 604-987-8181

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604-558-2005

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COMMUNITY GROUPS & SERVICES Community Based Research Centre QMUNITY West End Seniors’ Network Society

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macstation.com 778-384-1210

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Harbour Air Seaplanes 604-274-1277

Aaron Construction 604-318-4390 maison d’etre design-build inc 604-484-4030

ALTERATIONS Simdy’s Fashion Alterations

604-633-0828

ALTERNATIVE HEALTH Access Healing Centre 604-568-4663 BC Compassion Club Society 604-875-0448 Dr Anita Komonski 604-568-7655 Inhale Smoke Shop 778-786-0977 Medicinal Cannabis Dispensary 604-255-1844 MyCannaMeds mycm.ca

APPLIANCES Coast Wholesale Appliances coastappliances.com Red Door Discount Warehouse 604-569-3232

ARTISTS Emily Carr

604-844-3810

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COUNSELLING ah-ha! Counselling & Consulting 604-537-0130 Alex Sangha 604-842-7340 Bekar Counselling 778-990-1825 Dragonstone Counselling 604-738-7557 Lehmann Counselling Service 604-614-8121 Preece & Associates Psychological Consulting 604-685-5968 Tricia Antoniuk 778-378-2633 Willow Tree Counselling 604-521-3404

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Axle Alley Dueck Downtown George & Berny’s Repairs Ltd Jim Pattison Hyundai Northshore Jim Pattison Toyota Downtown

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BANKING RBC Royal Bank

royalbank.com

BATHHOUSES Steamworks Vancouver 604-974-0602

BATHROOM Ripples Kitchen & Bath

604-879-6999

BEAUTY CARE David Blue Hair Design

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BEDDING Bernstein & Gold Interiors Simmons Mattress Gallery

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604-683-1433

Aarm Dental Group 604-647-0006 Dr Dean Wershler Inc 604-688-4080 Dr Langston Raymond 604-687-1008 Dr Sam Daher 604-662-3290 Redtree Dental 604-873-3337 Yaletown Laser 604-70-SMILE

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Walkey & Company Funeral Directors 24hrs: 604-738-0006

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Bernstein & Gold Interiors Bravura Interiors Jordans Interiors Liberty Yaletown Interiors

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GRAPHIC DESIGN SERVICES Spread Media Inc

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Safeway

Davie St: 604-669-8313 Robson St: 604-683-6155

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HOME ENTERTAINMENT SERVICES Wallmount Tronics

778-960-4447

HOME IMPROVEMENT & REPAIRS Crown Roofing & Drainage 1-877-628-5010 Klondike Contracting Corporation 604-708-3337 maison d’etre design-build inc 604-484-4030

JEWELLERY Benée Rubin Jewellery Design Saatchi & Saatchi Fine Jewellery

604-278-8456 604-685-5625

KITCHENS Coast Wholesale Appliances coastappliances.com Klondike Contracting Corporation 604-708-3337 Red Door Discount Warehouse 604-569-3232 Ripples Kitchen & Bath 604-879-6999

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Out On Screen 604-844-1615 Queer Arts Festival queerartsfestival.com

Bell Alliance Lawyers & Notaries Public 604-873-8723

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Nextstep Communication

33.XV486.IndexListings.indd 1

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Dr Anita Komonski

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1-800-626-1538

Feeling Photography 604-318-1277 The Shooting Gallery 604-254-5869 Vancouver Photo Walks 604-318-1277

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604-294-6574

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Priape 604-630-2330 Squirt.org squirt.org The TABOO Naughty but Nice Show 1-800-626-1538 Wega Video 1-800-361-9929

SHOPPING Denman Place Mall

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TRANSPORTATION Helijet International 1-800-665-4354

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Black Rock Oceanfront Resort 877-762-5011 Bluff View Cottage 250-539-3475 Harbour Air Seaplanes 604-274-1277

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WALK THE TALK Christy Clark makes more

LOOSE END FINALE Ivan Coyote says

MARDI GRAS The Village in beads

goodbye to Xtra › 9 Xposed › 17 promises › 7 AIDS/HIV g Agen cies & Crafts #484 MARCH 8, 2012 VANCOUVER’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS t Adve rtisin ts Arts unta nts Adul Art Supplies Artis & Magazines ing Books & Services datio ns Acco Galleries lies les Bookkeep Acco mmos Apar tments Art FREE ess Supp s Chocolatiers 22,000 AUDITED & Clubs Bicyc Business CIRCULATION Resource ruptcy Barsal Orga nizations Busin ion se Shop Cons truct Lines Chee Banking Bank & Professioning Catering Chatpute r Cons ultan ts Counselling ess ness Busin Busi Services al Services ices Com Carpet Clean Butchers ity Grou ps & Serv Cookware Cosmetic ices Dent Furniture Serv g ns mun Datin ers g vatio Com ts s-Dressin ing & Post ng & Reno Contracti ices & Shelters Crosment Events FramHair Removal Hair Stylis s ishing s Serv rtain Furn Gym Crises tion Home ior Design ices Grocery gy Drag Ente Inter DermatoloGraphic Design Serv Health Food & Nutri rs ers e ye Insurance he ens Lawy Gardening Health & Personal CareHotels Illustrators Ba Kitcc ens arss Kitch age uice Bars Juice rs Ju llers & Barbers ovements & Repairs smiths Mass ewelle Jewe y & Je ery llery s Moving ices Lock ewelle Home Impr t Ser ces JJewe ices rvic usine Servatessens Mortgage Painting men Serv tme ices Limo es tmen INSIDE! Inves Inve Legal Serv age Meats & Delic ists Organic Food COM s & Supplies metr Mass Leather Life Opto GUIDEMAG. r a py ION erap Registered al Services her y.ca ding Pet Store o t he SECTeal’s hoth ch ctor Boar y s & Certified/ Music Optic P Psyc g TRAVELMontr xdire s t s ts i Sittin inde g h o l ogists Delhi, P s yc holo te Inves tmen & more & StorageTrainers Pet Care Petol & i c i a n s Psyc Mile End P olii t ician ts Real Esta R i n g Polit bing gents esttaura nts Ag Personal p ›18–21 lumb Plum te Agen ons Rest oing hers P g r a pher esttoratt iions ogra Rest te Real Esta ery Tatto h o to Phot P ns & R attions vatio ns Real Estagy R Out & Deliv el Agen cies enov Reno Take Publicatio n R xolo Trav ices n fl exollo g Spa Serv efl Services attion Refle spor tatio eatio ecre Recr R tionss Tran Weddings Women’s al Counsellin unic ation IDS/ AIDS A s unica es Sexu i cies c s n enc omm g Sites Cafe Agen Web s ti s i ng A ices Telec dverrtisin Adve dult A ts Arts & Craft Adul Tax Services Trophies Upholstery ts A nts n Arttists ntan zines liess Artis unta u pplie ccou cc Acco nss A Tree Serv om a ti o n ries Art Supp Books & Maga datio mod ts Art Galle les Bookkeeping pplilies & Services Acc mmo ents ga Acco tmen Yoga Yog partm Apar Ap Bicyc ness Supp s Chocolatiers HIV Resourcesruptcy Bars & Clubsnizat ions Busi ho ion Orga atio Lines Cheese Shop Banking Bank ts Cons truct nts Ch ofe ssional Catering Chat & Profe selling Cons ultan c Coun ices Business Carpett C viices Cleaning om pute r etic Serv ices Com Butchers ity Grou a Cosm g Services es Dental Serviture ware w ou ps & Serv Cook ns How well Com mun ng & Reno Po ers Furntylists essing Datin ing & Post Re vatio s-Dres Contracti ices & Shelters Crosment E v ts Fram moval HairSishings Even is Spencer s Hair Rem Crises Servgy Drag Home Furn Desig ro ery GymNutrition Ho ra Entertain ices Groc n gn & Chandra Herbert e Interior yers DermatoloGraphic Design Serv Healt nce an ealth Food s Insurance Lawyers Gardening Health & Personal Care ls Illustrator Bars Kitchens representing Hotels rs Hote irs pair Juice Rep hs Massage & Barbers rov ts & Repa ents ge Locksmit ing y & Jewellers o emen p ovem Storage Imp the West End? Jewellery Services agess M ome Impr ov ng & Stora Hom Ho gage Movi t Services Limousinese Trainers ortg Mort M nal s n ens Inves tmen Legal Services D s Perso e g t elicaatess Food Painting herss pher ›11 grap ogra atss & Delic eat nic Meat Phot Photo Leather Life ganic Orga ered M lies l ea l ists Org Real egisttered Supplies Regis nss R fied/R Optometr Pet Stores & Supp i c atio n bliicatio Certi Certified/ P u bl y al Services & Boar e ra py Publ ding ding xology h otherap Board Reflexolog P s yc hoth Music OpticPet ation Refle eatio Sitting s yc holo ecre g is t s Psyc Recr tss R nts h o l ogists selling Spas ment me Care Pet i tician P s Psyc nvesttmen Pet Care tate IInves sIAN Estat tion Po l i c ia n ents s Sexual Coun eall E LESB Real unications b i ng Polit ommunica g ts&R GAY nts & Cafe iices Plum P l u m bing Agen elecomm Telec statte’SA VER Estat Y Restaura g T eal E COU erv ces T Real Serv lstery Web ate R ax S orations Estat EsttVAN n Tax oing oin COMMENT 4 XCETERA 5 NEWS 7 OUT IN THE CITY 13 XPOSED 17 MORE AT XTRA.CA RestCTOR hies Upho Tattooi ns S&DIRE INES ry Tatto ery vatio BUS Delive Reno Services Trop ut & Deliv O Out Tree e k a T Take cies es ic vices Serv Ser2011 Yoga n Travel Agen en’s Services Transpor tatio dings Wom Sites Wed

MIDTERM REPORT CARD

1-877-628-5010

gaytrip.ca

TRAVEL BRITISH COLUMBIA

Guidemag.com Squirt.org

Adesso Bistro 604-568-9975 Checkers/ Bayside Lounge 604-682-1831 Ciao Bella 604-688-5771 Joe’s Grill Davie St: 604-682-3683 West 4th Ave: 60-736-6588 Denman St: 604-642-6588 Lift Bar Grill View 604-689-5438 Out To Lunch Catering 604-681-7177

604-684-9254

SPORTS & RECREATION

Klondike Contracting Corporation 604-708-3337 maison d’etre design-build inc 604-484-4030

PLUMBING

604-669-5051

SEX

Baker Street Agency

Hillcrest Plumbing & Heating

604-879-1415

604-683-1433

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WEDDINGS Umbrella Events The Grape Escape Wineworks

604-315-4302

604-254-1200

WOMEN’S HEALTH North Shore Women’s Centre

604-984-6009

YOGA SpiRe Wellness

604-569-0963

Watch for the spring 2012 edition of Index in your April 19 edition of Xtra.

Index and Xtra, a winning combination

604-327-7433

Bernstein & Gold Interiors 604-687-1535 Jett Grrl Bike Studio 604-255-5097

604-468-0888

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MOTORCYCLES & SCOOTERS

PHOTOGRAPHERS

LEGAL SERVICES

Jennifer Maier

MORTGAGE Chris Cornborough

ORGANIC FOOD & MARKETS

FESTIVALS & FAIRS

604-263-0050

BC Society for Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse (BCSMSSA) 604-682-6482 Men’s Bereavement & Support Group 604-684-5307 xt 112

English Bay Eyeworx 604-685-7001

BICYCLES

Budget Blinds

MEN’S SERVICES

Hospital Employees’ Union heu.org The Vancouver Health Show 1-888-999-1761

LAWYERS

Flygirl Productions

Community Based Research Centre 604-568-7478 HIM - Health Initiative for Men 604-488-1001

HEALTH

Bell Alliance Lawyers & Notaries Public 604-873-8723 Dahl & Connors 604-687-8752 Ganapathi & Company 604-689-9222 Harrop, Phillips, Powell & Gray 604-688-8211 Holness Law Group 604-633-4878 Island IP Law 778-886-8626 Law Office of barbara findlay 604-251-4356 Rob Hughes 604-683-4176

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EVENT PLANNING & PROMOTIONS

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ActorWorks Vancouver 604-723-1776 Ballet British Columbia 604-732-5003 DanceHouse 604-801-6225 Playland 604-253-2311 ShowTimeTickets.com 604-688-5000/1-800-480-7469 Sounds & Furies Productions 604-253-7189 Vancouver Symphony Orchestra 604-876-3434

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GROCERY

COMPUTER SALES & SERVICES Mac Station Vancouver WhiteWay IT Solutions Ltd

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FLORISTS Hanamo Florist

Clean Sweep

ADDICTIONS Orchard Recovery

33

LIFE COACH next-step.ca

For more information on rates and booking deadlines, contact 604-684-9696 or email: index.vancouver@xtra.ca

12-04-02 4:28 PM

34

XTRA! APRIL 5, 2012

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

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Real Estate

Xtraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s guide to the lucrative gay & lesbian housing market.

TO ADVERTISE CALL 604-684-9696

ADRIAAN SCHIPPER your neighbourhood realtor

www.AdriaanSchipper.com

Helpful Hints

Direct: 604.818.8265 email: schipper@telus.net RE/MAX CREST REALTY(westside) Independently Owned and Operated 3215 MacDonald St. Vancouver BC V6L 2N2 Office: 604.732.1336

Preparing for an Open House Bad smells kill the deal.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s deďŹ nitely worth your time and money to ensure that your house is clean and odour free. Cigarette smoke, pet smells and other nasty odours will attack the senses of your potential buyers.

Try burning candles, baking cookies or boiling cinnamon sticks to create an inviting aroma throughout the house.

Showing oďŹ&#x20AC; your features Remember to always highlight your homeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best architectural features. Arrange your furniture in each room so that you have very obvious focal points that show oďŹ&#x20AC; the homeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best selling attributes. For example, if you have a beautiful ďŹ replace, place the furniture in a way that draws the potential buyerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eye to that feature.

GAMBIER ISLAND WATERFRONT Offered at $949,000 This spectacular waterfront home was custom built on a private property w/ stunning ocean & mountain views. Situated on picturesque Gambier Island, you will enjoy the vast opportunities the Island lifestyle offers, yet are just minutes away from all of the amenities in Gibsons. Main level entry into the exceptional â&#x20AC;&#x153;Great Roomâ&#x20AC;? w/ ďŹ&#x201A;oor to ceiling windows, a wood burning F/P that spans the 16â&#x20AC;&#x2122; ceilings and spacious outdoor decks leading to manicured gardens w/ steps to the beach below. A main ďŹ&#x201A;oor master suite, 3 guest bedrooms, a fabulous loft space & the gourmet kitchen are just some of the added features. 100â&#x20AC;&#x2122; of pristine & private oceanfront, ideal for swimming, boating & ďŹ shing. A magical setting within 1 hour from Vancouver.

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7 YEARS IN A ROW!

Susan Cameron

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Sunshine Coast, with its proximity to Vancouver, housing affordability & its welcoming, safe communities make it the ideal escape from the City.

Call us and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll help you discover our unique area!â&#x20AC;?

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732 SQFT 2 BEDROOM + PATIO

$341,000 #102-1280 NICOLA ST

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786 SQFT 1 BEDROOM LOFT

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ď&#x2122;&#x2030;ď&#x2122;&#x192;ď&#x2122;&#x2021;.ď&#x2122;&#x160;ď&#x2122;&#x2026;ď&#x2122;&#x192;.ď&#x2122;&#x201E;ď&#x2122;&#x2026;ď&#x2122;&#x201E;ď&#x2122;&#x2021; susancameronrealtor.com

P R E M I E R

R E A L T Y

Top 1% of Royal LePage Canada and #1 in the office join our newsletter at mikeandwill.com for lots of helpful tips and market updates.

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t look desperate

M LS M

I love what I do and it would be my privilege to help you make your next move E

M

DA

L L IO

M

Re/Max Clara Hartree

N

CL U B

If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in a hurry to sell, talk with your realtor! They are the experts and know how to price your home so that it looks attractive without making you look desperate.

IAN EGGLETON

E M B ER

DIAMOND AWARD

604-773-1443 WWW IANEGGLETON COM s ian@ianeggleton.com

Mike Wilcox 604 782 3545 Will Pratt 778 772 4252

PROUDLY SELLING VANCOUVER AND THE NORTH SHORE

more at xtra.ca

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Real Estate A market condition where the demand for property equals the supply of available properties for sale. There is typically a good number of homes available to choose from at fair and stable prices

35

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GLOSSARY

Balanced Market:

XTRA! APRIL 5, 2012

Turnkey investment opportunity in Vancouverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s West End. This suite was used as a furnished rental, and is in great condition. Steps from Denman Street, this convenient location is within walking distance to shopping, restaurants and Stanley Park. Rentals and 1 pet allowed.

Buyerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Market: A market condition where there are a higher number of homes to choose from, than buyers able to purchase. Houses will typically remain un-sold for longer periods and tend to sell at a lower price, allowing for increased negotiating leverage for buyers

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A market condition where there are a higher number of buyers than homes available to purchase. Houses will typically sell faster and at a higher price

West Coast Realty

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Cell: 604-992-2052 www.michaelchiu.net

604-831-9130

timothym@sutton.com www.timothyjamesmoreau.ca

Real Estate

PROFILE

Recently Sold # 505 969 Richards St , Vancouver, B.C. LISTED: $370,000 SOLD: $355,500 Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t miss this open 1 bedroom and den plan in the Mondrian II by Bosa. The suite overlooks the peaceful and well maintained courtyard. The building has excellent amenities, including a hot tub, well equipped gym, steam room, party room, bike room and 2 guest suites. The suite features include granite countertops, S/S appliances, hardwood floors, gas fireplace and soaker tub. 1 storage locker included. 1 pet and rentals allowed.

April 15, 2012

Klaus Rode

604-760-5856 klausrode.ca Bruce Ward Realty Ltd.

36

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

XTRA! APRIL 5, 2012

ClassiďŹ eds ANNOUNCEMENTS â&#x20AC;ş

EMPLOYMENT â&#x20AC;ş

MERCHANDISE â&#x20AC;ş

Notices

Adult

Vehicles for sale

MEDICAL MARIHUANA

THE GREAT CANADIAN MALE

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PROFESSIONAL SERVICES â&#x20AC;ş Construction

SILVER, 1997, AUTOMATIC Well-cared for family vehicle with low kms for its year: 216,000. AWD, CD, LX, Power win/doors. Recently serviced with new radiator & front brakes. Passed Aircare. Priced to sell, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m getting a bike! $4,595 OBO 778-834-6929

Display and Display ClassiďŹ eds deadline is Thur, April 5 at 4pm.

Interior/Exterior Renovations/ Restorations Decks Fences Tiling Hardwood floors Electrical Painting Plumbing

Travel agencies

GAY-FRIENDLY TRAVEL AGENCY? Promote your business through Xtra! Vancouverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ClassiďŹ eds.

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International travel

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Line ClassiďŹ eds deadline is Thur, April 12 at 1pm.

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Animal care WEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE INTO DOGS...

ARE YOU?

General YOU NAME IT Odd Jobs Includes: RooďŹ ng, Painting, Yard Work, Household Cleaning and More.

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DOG COUNTRY SPECIALTY is opening soon! Experienced, professional retail staďŹ&#x20AC; & dog groomers needed for new store in The East Village, Vancouver. Competitive salaries and fun, casual work environment. dogcountry@live.ca

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Sharon Jackson, RMT therapeutic deep tissue massage

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OFFICE CLOSURE Xtraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oďŹ&#x192;ce will be closed on Fri, April 6 and Mon, April 9.

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BACK IN THE WEST END! MISHU

ADVANCE DEADLINES for the April 19 issue of Xtra:

Painting

THOR CONSTRUCTION

TRAVEL â&#x20AC;ş

To place an ad, call 604-684-9696 or book your line classiďŹ ed at xtra.ca

RELAXING BODYWORK SPRING SPECIAL IS ON! Because you deserve it. In a peaceful setting in Langley.

9am-8pm Robert 604-857-9571

Classes & seminars Use Homeopathy for your Fertility, Pregnancy and Children Free Info Hour, April 11th, 4pm-5pm & Monthly, the 2nd Wednesday

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more at xtra.ca

XTRA! APRIL 5, 2012

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Call 604-684-9696 to book your classified or book online at xtra.ca

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