Xtra, Vancouver's Gay and Lesbian News

FORCED H IV TEST HIV B Bill ill 39 see seen as iinvasive nvasiv ›9

STUDYING HOMOPHOBIA How to explain the bigotry? ›11

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EXPANDING COMMUNITY Mayhem’s new vision of queer ›17 #489 MAY 17, 2012

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COMMENT 5 XCETERA 6 NEWS 9 OUT IN THE CITY 15 XPOSED 22

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XTRA! MAY 17, 2012

Roundup #489

LEAH BROMLEY PHOTO

MAY 17, 2012

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NEWS

Bill 39 invasive, say critics

We can reunite you.

We’ve had 100% success with same sex sponsorship applications for more than 18 years.

And we do family law including adoptions, donor insemination agreements, and cohabitation agreements; wills and estates, employment law, human rights and civil litigation.

Health and privacy rights advocates are lambasting a controversial bill that would force blood tests on patients whose bodily fluids come in contact with first responders.

›9

NEWSFRONT

Live: The Vancouver Men’s Chorus

Will the gay community get a seat at the table as the province discusses its policing options? Will anyone? › 9

Xtra videographer Angelina Cantada brings you a backstage look at the chorus’s sold-out May 13 show, Queens! › xtra.ca/vancouver

Gay Haitians launch groundbreaking new group. › 12

OPINION

How to rim safely Try not to lick shit, Xtra’s resident expert suggests. ›14

OUT IN THE CITY

In One Person Author John Irving talks to Xtra about his new book, its queer protagonist and the inspiration behind the character. › 15

Kink in broader queer spaces Mayhem expands its definition of community. › 17

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ncement!

The Board of Dire ctors of the Wes t End Business Improvement Ass ociation is please d to announce th appointment of e Stephen Regan to the position of Executive Direct or, effective Apr il 23rd, 2012.

Stephen brings

17 years of asso ciation managem End Business Im ent to the West provement Asso ciation. Most rece President and CE ntly Stephen wa O of the Tourism s Industry Associa he lead the orga tion of BC where nization for four years.

Prior to working at the provincial level, Stephen sp working in various ent ten years management roles with Tourism Vanc this period he wa s seconded to th ouver. During e 2010 Olympic and served as a Bid organization City of Vancouve r Planning Comm issioner.

Stephen brings a wealth of experie nce to the West Improvement As End Business sociation as it lo oks to revitalize programs. its membership and Please join me in welcoming Step hen to the West End. John Nicholson, Chair West End Busine ss Improvemen t Association The West End Bu siness Imp

rovement Assoc by developing and iation champ delivering progra ms to enhance the ions the business success of its promoting the We members st End as a vibran business environ ment of the West t place to work, play and live.

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editorial › feedback › debate

Comment Welcome black, Conrad Naked EXTEye Gareth Kirkby

T B

ACK IN THE MID-1980S, Conrad Black had a column on perhaps the most prominent page of a monthly glossy business magazine inserted in The Globe and Mail.

I was an avid reader.

Not because I agreed with what he wrote: my politics lean left, and Black is to the left of almost nobody.

In fact, I could hardly wait for the magazine to arrive precisely because I usually disagreed with his take on issues with about the same vehemence as he pressed them.

The best columns, like his, provoke readers to formulate their own counter-arguments. Real arguments that don’t settle for lazily pleading a case based on feelings rather than marshalled logic, that don’t settle for questioning the writer’s credibility or calling them facile names often invoking a former mustachioed German leader. Black’s quality arguments challenged opponents to intellectual honesty, to build their own best counter-arguments anchored in facts and guided by logic.

That deserves respect.

True, he was already a household name after withdrawing $56 million from the surplus of the Dominion supermarket chain’s workers’ pension plan without consulting plan members. After losing at the Supreme Court of Ontario, he eventually settled by dividing the pot in half between workers and company shareholders.

Years later, he achieved even more notoriety for the US convictions for mail fraud and obstruction of justice that landed him, despite a convoluted set of appeals, in a Florida jail.

Recall the video of Black removing boxes of documents under cover of night? It’s easy to imagine him stewing in a jail cell, basting in anger at what he still insists was an unfair conviction for uncommitted crimes, periodically taking a break to teach literacy to fellow inmates or to write an occasional opinion piece for a paper.

John Raulston Saul has famously argued that Black is not even a true capitalist, let alone the giant of industry Black portrays himself to be in his two autobiographies.

Saul argues that Black took apart companies he acquired rather than creating new wealth and new jobs.

So, sure, I can understand the argument that he should not be allowed to return to Canada even temporarily, let alone turn it into permanent residence and renewed citizenship.

But Conrad Black deserves credit for preserving and creating good newspapers. When he bought Southam, some predicted he’d be dictating editorials and engineering mass layoffs. It didn’t quite play out like that. Yes, he put Fraser Institute economic libertarians in charge of unsigned editorials and hired more conservative editors — and let go liberal editors. But the blood-letting, the overt political meddling and the quality plunge came mainly after Black sold the papers to new owners.

And let’s face it: it’s not because of Black that, unlike Europe, there are no leftwing daily papers in Canada.

Meanwhile, Black started the National Post. The writing was lively and provocative at first, the investigative journalism first-rate. And it was unabashedly, unapologetically conservative — economically and socially. No pretending to objectivity here; the paper knew its mission and went for it with gusto. And published some hard-ass journalism before the cutbacks began and Black left and many readers went back to the Globe.

We often seek sameness, choosing friends who think like us, reading journalism that reinforces what we already believe. But that’s a dead end. In choosing to expose ourselves to a diversity of people and ideas, we have a chance to grow — if we’re lucky.

That’s why Conrad Black should be welcomed home. He creates conversations through his books, commentary and by starting new media. He challenges sacred cows, whether they’re government social programs or other publications.

Celebrating diversity of thought and opinion, celebrating freedom of speech and the right to protest extends — especially — to those with whom we most disagree. Even if that diversity includes a privileged, egoistic, swaggering old white man with an outrageous sense of entitlement.

More to the point, we don’t have to want to invite him to dinner in order to learn from this guy. But reading provocateurs like Black, and honing our own intellectually honest counter-arguments as a result, can make us all sharper.

Gareth Kirkby is director of engagement for Pink Triangle Press and has been a journalist for 25 years.

“The outcome that we seek is this — gay and lesbian people daring together to set love free.” Xtra is published by Pink Triangle Press, at 2 Carlton St, Suite 1600, Toronto M5B 1J3.

INBOX Don’t call me a homophobe BRAVO FOR FINALLY SAYING what we’ve known all along [“Homophobia Just a ‘Made-Up’ Slur: Simpson,” xtra.ca, April 24]!

Demeaning people who have a different opinion than your own is lowbrow and counter-productive. Ms Bacchus should pull her head out of her PC hidey hole and start treating every child — every person — equally.

My nephew has come home from school crying on several occasions because of the bullying he gets from gay kids and teachers. He is not “irrationally afraid” of homosexuality. He just doesn’t want to be gay and would rather not wear a gay agenda on his sleeve. Why is he berated? When are all bullies going to be addressed?

Charles Vancouver, BC CHARLES, YOU CALL IT A different “opinion” to make yourself feel better about yourself because you really know that this “different opinion” is prejudice. You don’t like gays. What sort of “different opinion” do you have about blacks?

Dave Vancouver, BC I THINK IT’S FUNNY HOW people or groups that have historically always set the status quo, laws, etc, turn themselves into victims when they feel their beliefs are challenged, when the minority becomes empowered to become more than second-class citizens.

Jay Vancouver, BC WHEN YOU’RE PREVENTED from persecuting, you yourself are not being persecuted.

RJ Toronto, ON SIMPSON’S RIGHT. CALLING people irrational and fearful when they just have different moral or philosophical positions is just plain stupid. Since “racism” and “sexism” are accepted terms, why not use “homosexism” and drop all the other name-calling? We want equal rights, we should play fair.

Mark West Vancouver, BC WHOOPS! I’M SO SORRY, KARI. I didn’t realize that my existence and demand for equal rights, recognition and dignity were an infringement on your complete and utter bullshit. My bad.

Lindsay Stevenson SO CONSERVATIVE ACTIVIST Kari Simpson thinks homophobia is a made-up slur? I wonder if she’s willing to say that face to face to Aaron Webster’s family and others who suffered a similar fate?

These type of comments I expect to come from unenlightened places like

IF THEY HAVE NO FEAR OF US BUT OUTRIGHT HATRED, I NOW OFFICIALLY LABEL THEM HOMO-HATERS.

Send your correspondence by mail to 1033 Davie St, Ste 501, Vancouver V6E 1M7, fax 604-684-9697 or email comment@xtra.ca.

the southern US, not from civilized BC. Terms like homophobe are too kind.

If they have no fear of us but outright hatred, I now officially label them homo-haters.

William Muller Vancouver, BC THERE IS A DEFINITE NECESsity to acknowledge the fact that there are active haters out there.

For some reason, the big two —abortion and homosexuality — just can’t be dropped.

However, giving these people any sort of attention (ie, responding in anger, outrage or fear), outside of a “reporting what’s happening” context, gives them validation that they have a legitimate or intelligent point.

In reading comments online, I found that people were getting incredibly offended by the thoughts and actions of this woman. I, in turn, felt nothing because I can’t be bothered to consider her anything but a rightwing fundamentalist who has a limited view of her surroundings and the negative repercussions of her “Christian” actions.

Also, she’s speaking up for a group that wants to remain hidden. Isn’t that an instant indication that what you’re doing is wrong? (On a side note, how are people allowed to immigrate to this country and not accept that racism, homophobia and sexism are not tolerated here? ) Yes, we need to fight hate, but we can’t validate crazy. We need to focus our community efforts on the education of the younger generation, not banging our heads against the wall with the older one. The new generation is more willing to accept differences, both in religious beliefs and sexuality.

Jeff Lynch Vancouver, BC WHAT IS THE GAY AGENDA? Was I supposed to get a membership card? Can I laminate it?

In all seriousness, my loving parents told me the only “agenda” I needed was one filled with love and support and facts to help mould and develop as my own human being. They were amazing parents, accepting of all and denying of none. Now that is a super agenda, I would say!

Simpson, please, please go away.

You cannot speak for the gay folks as you are not gay yourself, and the gays certainly do not tell you how to live your life. I’m sorry you are so angry, but your attentions could be focused on something that will actually help the world. How’s that for a new agenda for you?

Mike Vancouver, BC

Border crossings I READ WITH INTEREST Richard Dalton’s story [“US Customs May Recognize Same-Sex Couples,” Xtra #486, April 5]. I have fumed at Pearson International Air-

port many times while my then-spouse and I were clearing Customs and were compelled to fill out separate forms. I took issue every time.

The lowlight was being told by one charmer that my relationship was akin to living with my uncle: he and I would have to fill out separate Customs forms as well. I found this discriminatory practice conducted on Canadian soil demeaning. I mentioned to the US official that I didn’t share a bed with my uncle. She produced the thinnest smile imaginable.

My spouse always told me not to make waves, concerned that I would be delayed or even detained if I got into a serious argument. I was reminded that New York City was still a flight away and the Customs queue was very long.

The best curveball came one day when we were getting on a plane with our eldest son, Max. Both our surnames appear on his passport. Even Customs could not dissemble this reality. And on that day, one form was sufficient despite the squirming on the other side of the transaction.

Max was a stumper — an irrefutable fact connecting his parents. I was delighted and dismayed. How ridiculous: needing a child with a very long name in order to enjoy the dignity of being recognized as a family.

Muriel Deschenes Toronto, ON

Prevention through empowerment I THINK IT MAKES SO MUCH sense [“Mpowering Young Gay Men,” xtra.ca, April 25]. At the end of the day, what people need is social support, empowerment, agency and resilience.

Jerry Wellesley-Gerardo IT IS HEARTBREAKING THAT one of the key needs of young gay men is to learn how to make real friends with other young gay men. The critical element for prevention and self-care proven in the original AIDS nightmare was that gay males took care of our friends long before any systems got involved. If this project just helps a group of young gay men to make young gay men friends — real friends — then it is a success.

David Toronto, ON

Not easy being gay and Asian DUH, THAT’S BECAUSE MANY Chinese people are anti-gay [“Gay Asian Youth More Likely Harassed: Study,” xtra.ca, April 5]. Traditional values, and not to mention, one of the most popular Cantonesespeaking TV channels, Fairchild, is blatantly homophobic. I know — I watch it with my mom every day. Their news is horribly biased.

Dee Yau

6

Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! MAY 17, 2012

noteworthy › updates › ephemera

Xcetera SECOND COMING,

GAGA-STYLE

Keen on derailing Lady Gaga’s Born This Way concert in South Korea, the head of Alliance for Sound Culture in Sexuality, Kang Ju-Hyun, came up with this solution: “We will pray to God that the concert will not be realized so that homosexuality and pornography will not spread around the world.”

Which means he missed Anglican priest Paul Oestreicher’s Good Friday outing of the Messiah in the UK’s Guardian.

Gaga’s tour will, in all likelihood, proceed as planned. Maybe Jesus Himself will show up, in matching Little Monster T-shirts, with John. You know . . . the disciple whom the gospels say He loved “in a special way.”

Unless He starts lip-synching, “I’m in love with Judas.”

— Natasha Barsotti

EVOLUTION ACCOMPLISHED!

I’ve just concluded that for me personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.

— US President Barack Obama lets the world know on May 9 that his views on gay marriage have evolved — in the footsteps of his vicepresident and secretaries of education and housing. There’s only so much silent treatment one can take at Cabinet meetings.

WHITEHOUSE.GOV

BORN (AGAIN) THIS WAY

OUT FOR OLYMPIC GOLD

BIBLE THUMPING

Gaylord of the rings ...

Stanford University grad Josh Dixon could become the first openly gay American male gymnast to compete in an Olympics if he qualifies for the 2012 London Summer Games. Teammates’ reaction when they found out he was dating another male student? “Oh, that’s cool.” Any homophobia he has had to confront has come from within, Dixon told outsports.com.

. . . plus other rings of Olympic proportions US wrestler Stephany Lee tied the knot with long-time partner Brigg McDonald in gay-marriage-friendly Iowa, where she also qualified for the London Games and added her name to the sparse list of out and active Olympians.

IOWACITYTOLONDON.COM

OUTSPORTS.COM

SAY UNCLE, ALREADY!

XTRA SEX SURVEY

MEDIA.PHOTOBUCKE

T.COM

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF SEX WORKERS?

What are the odds that the Bible got something as complicated as human sexuality wrong?

100 percent.

Dan Savage, as keynote speaker at a high school journalism convention called Journalism on the Edge, urged students to question the Bible’s “bullshit” stance on homos. Many students walked out.

Buy a clue . . . please!

Okay, listen up One Million Moms (or however many of you there really are): JCPenney, Toys ”R” Us, Starbucks, Archie Comics and the X-Men, Microsoft, Apple, Disney, Electronic Arts (see where this is going?) . . .

Joining that pro-gay bandwagon is sunglasses company Ray-Ban. In celebration of its 75th anniversary, the superbrand of shades has included us queers in its five-year-old Never Hide campaign, which features “regular guys and girls living their day-to-day lives with authenticity, with the courage to express themselves.”

Frankly, with a tag like that, they should have come to us first. We put the “rage” in courage, darlings.

THEY PROVIDE AN ESSENTIAL SERVICE 75% YOU PITY THEIR CAREER CHOICE 20% YOU ENVY THEIR CAREER CHOICE 5%

From the Vancouver edition of Xtra’s 2012 sex survey. For more survey results, go to xtra.ca>vancouver and search for sex survey.

BREAKING NEWS › VANCOUVER DYKE MARCH: FULL SLATE AND FINANCIAL STABILITY > ALEXEYEV CONVICTED UNDER ST PETERSBURG’S MORE AT XTRA.CA ANTI-GAY LAW > SCISSOR SISTERS TO DROP NEW ALBUM MAY 28 > WILL CANADA GET GENDER-NEUTRAL PASSPORTS?

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XTRA! MAY 17, 2012

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dispatches › issues › opinion

Upfront SAFETY

WE WANT TO TALK TO PEOPLE THAT HANG OUT AT THE FOUNTAINHEAD ON A FRIDAY NIGHT. Input sought for new West End plan › 10

HIV/AIDS

“Governmentcontrolled” consultation?

BC Libs say they want feedback for new policing plan Natasha Barsotti COMMUNITY SAFETY AND CRIME prevention are among the areas the BC Liberals say they’re seeking feedback on as they draft their new 10-year policing plan, but at least one criminologist questions how much consultation will actually take place.

Robert Gordon, director of Simon Fraser University’s school of criminology, says he’s skeptical about the way the planning process is being conducted. “I don’t know anybody outside my immediate academic circle who’s heard of this initiative,” he told Xtra May 11.

He’s not convinced the process will produce much more than “a government-controlled consultation.”

The Ministry of Justice running the consultation did not return Xtra’s requests for comment by press time.

An April 25 Victoria Times Colonist report on the first roundtable in BC’s capital noted that the meeting’s venue and time were not published — nor was the newspaper’s reporter permitted to cover the discussion.

“It’s their meetings. They decide how and what format it should take,” says BC Association of Chiefs of Police president Peter Lepine, referring to the government. “All I would look for is that there is an opportunity where people can speak freely and have sufficient time to offer their opinion. Whether that includes the media or excludes the media, includes the police or excludes the police — I think the bottom line principle from my personal perspective is that the environment needs to be such where people can actually provide the input.”

Gordon would prefer to see an independent panel review the province’s policing and its findings reported back to the legislature.

“That’s not going to happen,” he quickly adds. He says there’s been no effort to present the public with accurate information about what the policing system costs, what deficiencies it may have and what alternatives exist.

“Anybody attending this meeting that wants to offer suggestions to the minister, ought to make those exact suggestions,” Lepine says.

“It’s a provincial project, and

we’re there from a support perspective,” Lepine clarifies.

If the government is seeking feedback on policing across the province, gay advocates see an opportunity to discuss better protection for our community and more responsive police forces.

“What I’d love to see is a dialogue with the RCMP on LGBT issues,” says Little Sister’s and Sweet co-owner Jim Deva. “They’ve been absolutely impenetrable. They avoid it like a plague. If they’re actually starting to dialogue with the RCMP, it’s brilliant.”

Lepine believes the gay community is actively engaged in discussions on operational and recruitment matters in the RCMP. “People are actively hired and sought out, actually,” he says.

Jim Deva would like the RCMP to be more responsive to queer issues. “That’s not something you can sit down in two hours and explain.” JANET RERECICH PHOTO

Deva says he’d like to see the queer community “actually sitting down with people in authority in the RCMP that are capable of making decisions and talking about the issues.”

Qmunity’s new executive director, Dara Parker, says she’d also like the queer community to have a seat at the 10-year policing planning table. “Our priority is, as always, increasing queer competency within policing,” she says, citing progress made locally with the Vancouver Police Department.

“We would want to bring those same competencies to a provincial scope.”

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson says there will be one Vancouver consultation session on May 22, but the venue has yet to be finalized.

Not only would Bill 39’s compulsory testing invade people’s privacy, but it doesn’t even make sense medically, says Ken Buchanan, chair of Positive Living BC. LEAH BROMLEY

Invasive and ineffective: critics BC’s first-responder bill denounced Richard J Dalton Jr HEALTH AND PRIVACY RIGHTS ADVOcates are lambasting a controversial bill that would force blood tests on patients whose bodily fluids come in contact with first responders.

HIV/AIDS groups, the BC Civil Liberties Association, the provincial privacy commissioner and the provincial health officer say the bill, introduced April 30 by BC Labour Minister Margaret MacDiarmid, is ineffective and invasive.

“We think it’s a crude overreaction,” says Micheal Vonn, policy director for the BC Civil Liberties Association. “It’s unjustified and unnecessary, and it takes very, very cavalierly the legal and ethical doctrine of informed consent.”

If passed, Bill 39 would allow emergency workers to ask the court to force patients to get tested if their bodily fluids come in contact and there’s a suspicion they might have a communicable disease. The patient would be notified four days before going to court. The law would then require disclosure of the test results to the emergency worker, the patient’s doctor and the patient.

In a letter to MLAs in British Columbia, Ken Buchanan, chair of Positive Living BC, says the bill inadequately addresses privacy and psychological concerns of people with communicable diseases.

One HIV-positive man already has asked him about refusing emergency care, Buchanan tells Xtra.

Emergency workers have a system of universal precautions to prevent exposure, he says, and HIV transmission from an infected person to an emergency worker is highly unlikely.

Furthermore, a positive test result would come back too late to allow an emergency worker to take anti-HIV

medications within the required 72hour period after exposure, Buchanan points out.

Provincial Health Officer Perry Kendall says that instead of testing the patient, the first responders themselves should undergo polymerase chain testing, which detects the virus itself, not the antibodies.

Kendall also says the legislation violates a patient’s right to refuse treatment and information. Other provincial health officials have opposed similar laws, first enacted a decade ago in Ontario, he says.

Kendall says the bill raises the issue of stigma. “Whose blood do I worry about?

Whose blood don’t I worry about?”

The provincial privacy commission asked MacDiarmid to withdraw the bill, saying in a letter it provides no demonstrable benefit and violates privacy rights. “Removing an individual’s right to control their bodily integrity is the most intrusive form of privacy infringements.”

MacDiarmid says the bill was carefully written to avoid stigma, allowing testing merely based on a first responder’s exposure to a patient’s blood or other fluids, not based on whether the patient is believed to have a disease.

But the bill would allow forced testing only if the emergency workers have reasonable grounds to believe they were exposed to a communicable disease.

MacDiarmid, who was a family doctor for 23 years and is a former president of the BC Medical Association, says she understands the bill is controversial but says the first responders’ right to know outweighs the patients’ privacy.

Under the BC Medical Association’s (BCMA) code of ethics, diagnostic procedures that would help someone other than the patient are recommended only if the patient consents or the law

requires the test. The BCMA says it generally supports the bill but would need to know more specifics.

Each year, no more than two people in BC report that their occupation may have been one of the factors contributing to exposure to HIV, according to the BC Centre for Disease Control.

Bronwyn Barter, president of the Ambulance Paramedics of BC, acknowledges that the law is invasive but says it would rarely be used, as patients usually voluntarily disclose infections.

She says the test results would comfort emergency workers and their families. “This is a peace-of-mind legislation,” she says.

Though the law requires a four-day notice to the patient, the delay in getting test results isn’t problematic, Barter says, because emergency workers potentially exposed to a communicable disease would have begun treatment immediately after the incident.

Discovering the status of the patient could allow doctors to change the course of, or in some cases avoid, treatment, she adds. She cites an emergency worker who had a liver dysfunction that could be exacerbated by anti-HIV treatment and a pregnant emergency worker who was concerned about side effects of treatment.

Barter says the law would require confidentiality and the patient wouldn’t have to be told of the result. Told by Xtra that the bill would, in fact, require patients to be informed of results, she says, “if they have something it’s good that they do know.”

A person who refuses testing could be fined up to $10,000 a day.

“We wanted to put significant penalties in place,” MacDiarmid says, adding that “a lot of this will be decided by the courts.”

10

Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! MAY 17, 2012

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Input sought for new West End plan VANCOUVER CITY PLANNERS SAY they will visit pubs in the gay village to gain community input for the new West End plan theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re drafting. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The nightlife in the Davie Village is important to the whole LGBTQ community across the city and we want to talk to people that hang out at the Fountainhead on a Friday night,â&#x20AC;? says Kevin McNaney, assistant director of city planning. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re trying to create as much avenues as possible so that people are more comfortable talking with us. Community feedback is hugely important,â&#x20AC;? McNaney says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We want to hear from as many people in diverse groups across the West End as possible throughout the spring and summer.â&#x20AC;?

City staff will also host more open houses, community walking tours and coffee shop dialogues, as well as conduct a survey to ďŹ nd out how people who live, work and play in the West End want the neighbourhood to change, if at all.

The new West End community plan is expected to take approximately 18-21 months to complete.

The outcome will directly inďŹ&#x201A;uence the areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s streetscape, character, development, parks, community amenities, historic elements and rental housing. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Shauna Lewis

Staff â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s next open house is Thurs, May 17, 4-8pm at the Central Presbyterian Church, 1155 Thurlow St. vancouver. ca/commsvcs/planning/westendplan

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11

STUDIES

Repressed sexuality or insincere pride?

New studies shed more light on homophobia Carly Rhianna Smith TWO RECENT STUDIES MAY OFFER more clues into what triggers homophobia, but neither conclusively explains why some people hate gays and lesbians.

Researchers at the University of British Columbia have authored a study that examines the effects of authentic pride versus arrogant, presumptuous (hubristic) pride.

“When people experience hubristic pride, they become more likely to be prejudiced towards out-group members,” says Jessica Tracy, a psychology professor at UBC and co-author of the study.

“The two kinds of pride are basically about how you feel about yourself.

People can experience both, so it’s not that you only experience one or the other,” Tracy says. “If you feel authentic pride, it basically means you’re feeling good about your accomplishments, you have confidence and self-worth, and genuine self-esteem.

“In contrast, people who experience hubristic pride tend to be more anti-

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In three experiments with samples of students from Canada and the US, people were induced into feeling either authentic or hubristic pride in a lab.

They were given questionnaires that gauged their feelings toward out-group members.

White people who experienced hubristic pride were more likely to express negative feelings about Asians.

Straight people judged a gay person who had committed a crime. Those experiencing hubristic pride were more likely to want to give the criminal a harsher penalty because the criminal was gay.

Tracy says one possible explanation is that, on a deeper level, hubristic pride hides underlying shame or low self-worth.

“Feeling hubristic pride leads to a feeling of superiority, which makes people care less about others who are different from them, which in turn makes them prejudiced against those people,” she says.

Another study, based on a series of experiments in the US and Germany,

Arrogant pride, and the low self-worth it often conceals, can’t alone explain homophobia, says UBC psychology professor Jessica Tracy. JOSHUA MCVEITY

has gathered evidence that, in some cases, homophobia can be a result of repressed homosexual desires.

Richard Ryan, a psychology professor at the University of Rochester who was involved in the study, says a person’s upbringing is a major factor.

If someone grows up with a controlling parent, especially a parent who exhibits

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anti-gay attitudes, they may suppress their desires.

“In this respect, people who are often outwardly hostile to gays and lesbians may themselves have, tragically, suffered from parental oppression,” Ryan told Xtra via email.

When someone represses something, anything that stimulates or activates

those repressed thoughts may feel threatening, Ryan continues.

“So in this case, those who grow up with controlling, non-accepting parents — who happen to have same-sex attractions — will find these internal desires threatening, and then may defensively feel hostile to others who represent them and thus stimulate them,” he says.

The study Ryan worked on measured the sexual orientations of about 650 college students. They were shown words and images with sexual connotations and a computer timed their responses. They were also given statements that were designed to measure levels of homophobia and authoritarianism in their upbringing and were asked to agree or disagree.

While both sets of studies explore the realm of homophobia, neither offers a concrete explanation. According to Tracy, there are many variables that contribute to homophobia, and you can’t logically deduce that her study offers an explanation.

“You take an average person who may or may not be homophobic; it’s the times that they are feeling this sense of hubristic pride that they will feel particularly homophobic. That doesn’t mean that if you see someone engage in homophobic behaviours you can then pinpoint and say, ‘Aha! It’s because they’re feeling this type of pride,’” she says.

Ryan says the study he was involved in can’t offer any conclusions, either.

“I think it’s an explanation for some people, but it is also important to note that there are many reasons that people adopt negative attitudes toward out-groups, such as people with differing sexual identities. Repression of the type we were studying here is only one of several pathways,” he says.

12

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

XTRA! MAY 17, 2012

GLOBAL NEWS

Kouraj in Haiti Revolutionary group â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;is the spark,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; founder says Natasha Barsotti MASISI MEANS â&#x20AC;&#x153;FAGGOTâ&#x20AC;? IN HAITIAN Creole. But the founders of the Caribbean nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ďŹ rst openly political gay rights organization, Kouraj, are reclaiming it and using it with abandon in naming and speaking about themselves and their community.

It is the central word in the mission they have set out for themselves: The Masisi Manifesto.

The manifesto starts with the lines, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We were born masisi. We will always be masisi.â&#x20AC;? It ends by evoking the slave-led revolution, more than 200 years ago, that culminated in Haiti declaring itself a free republic â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the ďŹ rst independent nation in Latin America â&#x20AC;&#x201D; under rebellion leader Jean-Jacques Dessalines. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yesterday we were Black, today we are Masisi, tomorrow we will be Human Beings,â&#x20AC;? the statement concludes.

For the president of Kouraj, Jeudy Charlot, the organizationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s creation is revolutionary in itself and already a victory. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To be homosexual in Haiti requires courage,â&#x20AC;? Charlot says via email (through translator Don Wilson). â&#x20AC;&#x153;The biggest obstacle for homosexual people

is that they are not accepted, and they cannot accept themselves,â&#x20AC;? he says.

Kouraj, which means courage, represents an awakening of sorts, he adds. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It represents a sign that some homosexuals have become engaged, have reacted, have acted,â&#x20AC;? he says on the groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We do not yet have numbers, but this will change. Kouraj is the spark, the possibility that there is an alternative to enduring suffering; it is the means that we masisi have chosen to ďŹ nally change Haiti.â&#x20AC;?

While Haiti does not criminalize homosexuality, there are no laws speciďŹ cally guaranteeing the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s masisi protection from discrimination. Charlot says there is talk about anti-discrimination legislation, but it remains at the level of lip service â&#x20AC;&#x201D; for now. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whatever you do is in secret,â&#x20AC;?

Charlot says, noting it was a long struggle to have his own family accept him. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I do not want to leave this country because I do not want youth who are born homosexual or transgender to have a more difficult life than others solely due to something

The presence of human rights organizations is not a source of relief either, Charlot adds, because they do not speak up on behalf of gay Haitians. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They do not provide any intervention on the rights of the LGBT community. Those organizations are hypocritical, which is why we created Kouraj.â&#x20AC;?

The police are dismissive in the face of reports about homophobic harassment or violence. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bringing a complaint to the police will result in them saying they do not deal with such cases, or they may simply ignore you,â&#x20AC;? he says.

Charlot says Kourajâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s immediate work is focused in part on an information campaign aimed at learning whether gays and lesbians understand what homophobia is, how it manifests and its consequences for gay Haitians. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are travelling Kouraj is the Caribbean nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first around the larger cities in the openly political gay rights organization. country so that we can recruit repthat often have missionaries from the resentatives for Kouraj in these cities United States that say they are bringing to understand the degree of homophoâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Good News,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They have this bia,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We need political and whole discourse on hell for us because ďŹ nancial assistance because we need we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t accept that it is God who can to move around when we are pleading a save us.â&#x20AC;? Following the devastating Jan- case, when we need to help another gay uary 2010 earthquake, Haitiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s masisi person who is victimized by violence.â&#x20AC;?

The group is also working on a book were accused of causing the disaster, â&#x20AC;&#x153;divine punishment for their mortal of testimonials that will feature the experiences of gay Haitians to create sins,â&#x20AC;? the Kouraj website notes. they did not choose,â&#x20AC;? he states on the Kouraj website. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gays and lesbians always hope to go live in another country if their families become aware of their situation.

Families can reject them, and here in our poor country, there is not enough work,â&#x20AC;? he points out. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is what creates the dependence on the part of gay and lesbians.â&#x20AC;?

It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t help that the churches are â&#x20AC;&#x153;always reminding us what happened in Sodom and Gomorrah in their sermons,â&#x20AC;? Charlot says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They advise Christians to avoid sitting with us because we are Satanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s representatives.

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YESTERDAY WE WERE BLACK, TODAY WE ARE MASISI, TOMORROW WE WILL BE HUMAN BEINGS. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;from The Masisi Manifesto more societal awareness about the systemic discrimination they face. Charlot is hoping that the book, whose estimated publication price tag is $10,000 (US), will be ready in time for Livres en Folie, a large cultural event held in June.

Also high on the organizationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s priority list is raising funds to establish a headquarters. Kourajâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s membership now gathers on the downlow in peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s homes for meetings and parties. One friendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home, often used as a congregation spot, is referred to as a house of sodomy by his neighbours. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We cannot just meet anywhere due to the possibility of violence against us,â&#x20AC;?

Charlot says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We need to have a space of our own.â&#x20AC;? Â Don Wilson is a physician in Comox, BC, who lived for two years in Haiti. Xtra thanks Don for the translation.

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XTRA! MAY 17, 2012

13

SEXUALITY

Vancouver hosts Sexual Health Conference Organizers hope to foster healthy communities Shauna Lewis APPROXIMATELY 130 HEALTHCARE professionals, educators, students and individuals attended the 10th biennial Western Canadian Sexual Health Conference, held in Vancouver May 3 and 4.

This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s theme was Building Sex-Positive Communities: Inclusion for All. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In order to foster a healthy, sex-positive space, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really about honouring peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s differences,â&#x20AC;? says co-chair Edith MacHattie.

Just because some people are entrusted with teaching others about healthy human sexuality doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mean they understand their own desires, notes Liam Snowdon, who presented a workshop to help sex educators get in touch with their own sexuality.

MacHattie says a greater societal understanding of sexual health, and particularly queer sexual health, is critical. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have a mainstream healthcare system, and mainstream culture is not always inclusive or acknowledging of queer health issues or queer people in general,â&#x20AC;? she notes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lack of resources, a lack of support and a lack of understandingâ&#x20AC;? for young people questioning their gender and sexuality, says Lynn Hemming, a high school educator who came from Drumheller, Alberta, to

attend the conference. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are going to have to find resources and provide support for people,â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are young people that we are working with, that are grappling with the issues, and we have to become educated and become supportive.â&#x20AC;?

MacHattie says forums like the Western Canadian Sexual Health Conference and other knowledge-sharing symposiums have the power to create awareness of the importance of sexual health for everyone. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really important to create this kind of space. For some people it [sex] is going to be very important and for

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Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! MAY 17, 2012

SAFER SEX

Gay in the ‘Burbs’?

Do nice boys still rim?

Ask the Expert Dr Pega Ren

Dear Dr Ren,

Can’t find

Xtra?

Suggest a local business as a pickup spot for Xtra and we’ll add them to our distribution route.

Contact craig.palmer@xtra.ca

I’ve recently completed five weeks of meds to get rid of amoebas, contracted from rimming. This is not the first time I’ve gone through this.

The nurse I dealt with basically said, “Nice boys don’t rim anymore, due to this issue.”

Maybe it’s the porn I watch, but it seems that rimming is actually a very common, generally expected (not to mention pleasing) component of the active gay man’s sexual repertoire.

What to do?

— Ass Lover

Dear Ass Lover, Though the nurse’s judgmental remark was undoubtedly well intentioned, it was incorrect on several levels. Nice boys, and naughty boys, as well as girls of many stripes, rim.

It’s also true that rimming carries the risk of transmission not only of amoebas, but also of hepatitis A, genital warts, parasites such as shigella and giardia, and herpes and syphilis if an open area or sore is present.

These nasty complications are not passed just by licking someone’s ass, either. Any behaviour that brings someone’s fecal matter from their gastroin-

testinal tract to your mouth — rimming, fingering or even just sharing sex toys — can do it. You can even get infected from licking or sucking your lover’s balls or butt cheeks after anal sex.

If you’re thinking that a shower and a thorough anal douche will eliminate the risk, you’re wrong. While this is logical, remember that we are dealing with microscopic organisms. Remain conscious of where your hands, mouth and dick have been in relation to your partner’s ass. You want to keep “ass” last in the sequence to minimize the chances of contamination with your mouth.

Of course, I’m talking about thinking rationally about risk reduction at times when rationality and risk are low on the list of things you’re likely thinking about, after pleasure, excitement, maybe romance. If STIs were devious, plotting creatures, they’d be counting on this. We need to be considering our risk before we’re tipsy with pleasure. In other words, plan ahead.

Probably the best protection when rimming is to use ordinary household plastic wrap. It provides full visuals and heat transference and is easier to use than thicker, smaller and pricier dental dams. It even comes in gay-friendly rainbow colours! A generous dab of water-based lube on the butt-side will help it stay put, and you can also “pin” it in place with some deep tongue or finger penetration.

Keep in mind that you may not be aware of symptoms even if you are in-

fected, although you can still infect your partners. Sometimes all you may notice is some diarrhea. If you are HIV-positive and take meds that often cause diarrhea anyway, a bacterial or parasitic infection can go undetected and untreated. If you have AIDS, these infections can develop into more serious illnesses and may recur even following treatment.

For all these reasons, using a barrier for any sexual behaviours that involve a risk of possible fecal contamination with your mouth is just plain smart.

Sexy? Maybe not at first glance, but avoiding repeated infections could change your whole appreciation of plastic wrap.

I am reminded of a recent therapy session with a heterosexual couple, the woman suffering from chronic bladder infections. She also complained that her mechanic husband’s hands and nails were often rough and dirty, but she’d not considered the two might be related. When I suggested he wear gloves during sex, they both balked: “Not sexy.”

I related the story of listening, in grad school, to gay men talk about how they had learned to eroticize safe-sex practices and about how our homework assignment had been to write about (and practise!) ways we could do this ourselves. All these years later, the snap of a latex glove still makes me wet, considering, Pavlov-like, how good I know I’m going to feel in the next few minutes.

Granted, plastic wrap or dams are

difficult to swoon over, as they interrupt the flow of the action and require a modicum of communication. Still, the choice is easier after a couple of rounds of catching amoebas from licking someone else’s shit, isn’t it? That realization has got to be more of a downer than the inconvenience of stretching a barrier over your lovely’s rosebud and watching him squirm with delight, eh?

We have been talking about the specific instance of what can happen during unprotected oral/anal sex. It’s important to shift our perspective a bit to consider a more universal approach.

I don’t think many of us enter into new sexual relationships looking forward to discussing how we’re going to manage safe-sex decisions. Frankly, we’d rather not have the discussions or have to use the protection. It’s more fun, more romantic and quicker to avoid the topic and the mechanics altogether, but the days of risking nothing more serious than crabs haven’t been around since harvest-gold appliances.

I agree with you that rimming is a common and pleasing menu item for gay men (and others). Worrying about getting sick from doing it diminishes your enjoyment. Okay, so does having to rim through plastic wrap. Your choices are to give up rimming or learn to eroticize the safe-sex version. Door number two is the easy winner!

Got a question for Dr Ren? asktheexpert@xtra.ca

more at xtra.ca

XTRA! MAY 17, 2012

15

arts › entertainment › leisure

Out City IN THE

IN PRINT

listings › PARTIES Magic Sparkle Party Fundraiser or All Genders Wellness Centre featuring Amber Dawn, Jillian Deri, Velvet Fist, Night at Neptune and DJ PC Faggot. Friday, May 18, 7pm–1am. WISE Hall, 1882 Adanac St. Tickets start at $5. No one turned away for lack of funds.

Featuring Sienna Blaze, Coco, Dame Hope Diamond, Devana DeMille, Summer Clearance, Symone, Vivian VonBrokenHymen and more. Sat, June 2, 8pm. River Rock Show Theatre. $33. Tickets available at Ticketmaster or River Rock Box Office.

Not So Strictly Dance Party

MEETINGS & GROUPS Queer and Trans Poverty Study

This month’s Swing, a countryand-ballroom fusion, includes a West Coast swing lesson.

Sat, May 19, 8–11:30pm. Let’s Dance Studio, 927 Granville St. $10–15 sliding scale. Tickets available at Little Sister’s, or email notsostrictly@hotmail.com

The BC Poverty Reduction Coalition wants to interview persons working in queer or trans communities about the poverty issues these communities face.

Email jonny@bcpovertyreduction. ca or call 604-801-5121 x241. bcpovertyreduction.ca.

Hershe Bar

Qmunity’s Day Against Homophobia Breakfast

DJs Soulfunkee, Riki Rocket and Kasey Riot. Sun, May 20, 9pm– 2am. Red Room, 398 Richards St. flygirlproductions.com.

Truckerdisco Disco like you’ve never heard it.

DJs Tyler S Popinov, BigTop and Taffi Louis spin. Sun, May 20, 9pm–2am. Club 23, 23 W Cordova St. $8 before 10pm, $10 after. See the Facebook page for more info.

Canadian Mayhem’s Spring Fling Queer BDSM play party for folks of all genders. Dress code: whatever makes you feel good, but costumes and flights of fancy encouraged. Sat, May 26, 8pm–1am (doors close at 11pm).

Maritime Labour Centre, 1884 Triumph St. $20 advance, $25 door. Tickets available at East Side Re-Rides, Little Sister’s and Mintage. canadianmayhem.com

ART, PERFORMANCE & FESTIVALS Ignite! Youth Festival Young artists in music, dance, film, theatre and more. Mon, May 14–Sat, May 19. The Cultch, 1895 Venables St. LGBTQ night, Fruit Basket, is May 18. tickets.thecultch.com.

4th Annual LOUD Awards GLBA’s LOUD Foundation recognizes youth active in the gay community. Thurs, May 24, 7–11pm. CBC Vancouver’s Studio 700, 700 Hamilton St. $55 GLBA members, $65 non-members. For more info, visit glba.org.

Rainbow 24: LGBTQ Voices 2012 Several CiTR radio programs produce a day of queer content.

Fri, June 1, 6am–6pm, at 101.9FM; streaming live at citr.ca.

Fit for a Queen Joan-E hosts annual benefit for the Shooting Stars Foundation.

1181 HAS THE CUTEST BARTENDERS. THEIR CHEST HAIR IS ALWAYS SO NICELY GROOMED, AND A GIRL REALLY APPRECIATES THAT KINDA THING. Blitz & Shitz ›21

This year’s theme is Queering the Workplace: How LGBT Inclusion is Good for Business. Speakers include BC Federation of Labour president Jim Sinclair, Telus’s Kasey D Reese and Electronic Arts producer Kelly Worrall.

Thurs, May 17, 8am. Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, 900 W Georgia St. $55. Tickets available at eventbrite.com.

Circles of Hope The Rainbow Refugee Society hosts an evening of film and storytelling to mark International Day Against Homophobia.

Featuring short documentaries by journalist Paula Stromberg.

Thurs, May 17, 7pm. Rhizome Café, 317 E Broadway. $10 suggested donation.

Vancouver International AIDS Candlelight Memorial AIDS Vancouver is the host of the 29th year. This year’s theme is Promoting Health and Dignity Together. Sun, May 20, 8pm.

1755 Beach Avenue at Bidwell. aidsvancouver.org/memorial

Salsa for Queer Folk and Allies Hang out, listen to music and learn some moves with Más Movement’s Michael Gabriel Rosen, then party to salsa, merengue and reggaeton rhythms.

Fri, May 25, 8pm. Rhizome Café, 317 E Broadway. $5–10 sliding scale. No one turned away for lack of funds.

Honouring Our Elders Tea Qmunity Generations hosts the kickoff of BC Seniors Week for LGBT elders 65 and over.

Younger partner or attendants welcome. Elders must be on, or join, Generations’ mailing list. Sun, June 3. Registration 1–1:30pm; tea 1:30–4:30pm. Coast Plaza Hotel, 1763 Comox St. RSVP required by May 28.

John Irving’s smart new novel intersects sexuality and gender

in PERSON Matt Mills

J

O H N I RV I N G B E C A M E A household name with his 1978 novel, The World According to Garp. He solidified that success with The Hotel New Hampshire, The Cider House Rules, A Prayer for Owen Meany, and many others. He has, for those works, conjured characters of variously ambiguous gender and sexuality, but he’s never published a novel in which sexual outlaws and the glorious sexual and gender differences among people are centrally featured. He’s never published a truly queer story; that is, until now. His 13th novel, In One Person, is just that.

Readers first meet protagonist Billy Abbott in 1955 when he is a 13-year-old budding writer and sexual being who finds himself almost overwhelmingly attracted to his librarian, Miss Frost, an older transgender woman. When asked by Miss Frost what sort of stories he would most like to read, Billy replies, “Do you know any novels about young people who have dangerous crushes, crushes on the wrong people?”

Billy’s crushes develop, including one that comes with a desire to fuck the star bully of his school wrestling team.

Billy and Miss Frost become closer in the following years until he graduates from high school.

As he matures, Billy self-identifies as bisexual, rejects monogamy and has sexual and romantic relationships with men, women and MTF trans people. We find him in LA in the late ’60s; he lives some years immersed in the gay culture of ’70s New York and some years more in gender- and sexually fluid Vienna.

He even briefly visits a dying friend at Toronto’s Casey House. He returns in the end to live in his hometown, First Sister, Vermont, the setting for his formative years and early friendship with Miss Frost. Though obviously not without its tragedies, Billy’s is a meaningful, industrious and seemingly satisfying life.

Through his characters, Irving demonstrates a startlingly sophisticated understanding of human sexuality: that it is as diverse as individuality.

The descriptions — written in the first person — of Billy’s lusts, fears, hopes, peeves and regrets will likely resonate especially well with gay and bisexual men. It’s also a hot read for anyone interested in the intersections of gender and sexuality. Life is hard in reality and perhaps harder in fiction, yet Irving has a way of presenting the characters of In

The degree to which people want to be engaged in the most intimate and private decisions of others has always amazed me,” says Irving. MATT MILLS

One Person as complex and nuanced human beings, sometimes victimized but never accepting “victim” as an identity.

“People are so very different, and our sexual identities matter, especially when they are hard to earn, especially when we have been made to feel that we are a minority and we have to struggle to assert who we are,” says Irving in a face-to-face interview with Xtra. “Miss Frost, I think, is also right that it’s not for other people to put those labels on us . . . That’s what she means when she says, ‘Don’t put a label on me. Don’t make me a category before you get to know me.’ . . . Both sexuality and gender are mutable.”

In One Person, as a story about sexual differences among people, has real potential to help effect positive change for gay and trans people, especially in the US. This is the novel I selfishly wish Irving had written 25 years ago. He says he’s had the sketch for it in his mind, along with

outlines for several other stories, for more than 12 years. But, he adds, one of the factors that pushed In One Person over the threshold from idea to publication is his son Everett.

“I did not know when I laid out the architecture for this story that I would have a gay son,” Irving says. “When I began writing this book in 2009, I very much knew that my youngest son is gay.

I was very proud of him for coming out.

While it would be utter bullshit to say I wrote In One Person because I have a gay son, I was very much aware of having him as my ideal reader. He knows it very well: the person I most wanted to read this book is Everett.”

IN ONE PERSON John Irving Random House $35 See this story at xtra.ca for a series of video interviews with Irving, including a reading from In One Person.

16

XTRA! MAY 17, 2012

Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

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XTRA! MAY 17, 2012

SEXUAL SPACES

Expanding community Mayhem’s new definition of queer Shauna Lewis VANCOUVER’S PREEMINENT LEATherdyke play parties have broadened their guest lists to welcome members of the queer community not previously included.

Well known and appreciated in kink circles for their regular sex-positive play parties, Mayhem’s events were previously geared primarily toward women, though past and future women were also welcome, thereby including some trans people.

But for the last two years, organizers have been experimenting with a broader vision of community. Now, queers of all expressions on the gender and sexuality spectrums will join those women and trans people who felt comfortable within the original parameters to create a broader sexpositive space for all.

For Mayhem organizers Arleigh and Mel, the move toward greater inclusivity stems from a desire to welcome all their kinky queer friends at their parties.

“When we first started [throwing Mayhem parties], we started with the idea of throwing a party that we really wanted to go to. And what we’ve discovered over the years is that a number of our friends were actually not coming out because they didn’t feel like they met the descriptors,” explains Arleigh, who asked that only her first name be used for fear of professional repercussions in a world still prone to misunderstanding and stigmatizing kink.

“But in 2010 we shifted the language to just say that it was a queer party, and that meant that gay men, trans men, bisexual men and anyone who identified as queer — male or female, any gender — could come,” she continues.

“It was really a success,” says Mel, who echoed Arleigh’s request to use only her first name.

WE’RE JUST TOSSING THE PARTY WE WANT TO TOSS. — Mayhem organizer Arleigh “So many people were just so enthusiastic about us opening it up, and so we just haven’t looked back,” Mel adds.

Arleigh says the broader, more inclusive definition of queer is consistent with Mayhem’s original mandate to provide a safe, fun, sex-positive party space for all.

Mayhem regular Pussy Liquor says she, too, has been actively carving out all-inclusive, queer, sex-positive spaces with the sTeam Collective, which hosts gender-inclusive bathhouse nights.

“It makes me feel more welcome and included in queer communities when parties open themselves up to a wider array of genders and sexualities,” Liquor explains.

“If I feel more welcome and included at events that are open and inclusive,

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The queer kink community has been enthusiastic about Mayhem’s decision to make its play parties more inclusive, Mel says. SHAUNA LEWIS

then I’m pretty sure other people feel the same way,” she adds.

“The events I’m focused on are for people who fall outside of the traditional ‘men for men’ or ‘women for women’ events that happen in the queer community,” Liquor continues.

“That’s a pretty diverse group of people: some who are trans, some who are cisgender, and some who are either in between or outside those definitions.”

“The sTeam Collective creates a safe, sexy space for queer-identified men, women and trans folk,” agrees Charlie Spats, who is part of the collective.

“As a trans person, I always feel most comfortable in spaces without gender restrictions because I am never sure how I’ll be received once I get there,” Spats says.

“I think that inclusive sexual events are a fantastic way to introduce people to what trans bodies look like and to introduce them in a sexual context,” he adds. “Most people don’t understand what a trans person is at all, let alone how they fuck! It demystifies trans bodies to see them all around you.”

“That being said, I recognize the need and desire for gender-exclusive spaces as well,” Spats says. “Men and women do socialize in sexual spaces very differently, and because there is no firmly established bathhouse culture that integrates male/female/queer sexuality, it’s being developed now by the people who attend the events.”

In a shared sexual space, participants may need to rethink the way they approach each other and initiate interactions, Spats notes. “In a traditional all-male bathhouse, flirtation is extremely forward and often approached hands-first. Queer and women’s com-

munities have a much stronger sense of consent culture, which not only means that the interactions with the men there have to be established out of some kind of commonly understood ground, but it also means that the men’s community is learning how to integrate consent into flirtation.”

So far, both sets of organizers say, community response to their inclusive queer events has been positive.

“We’ve had a lot of enthusiasm,” Liquor says. “A lot of people are very excited to have a sexy space that’s open for them to come play in and feel comfortable showing up as they are.”

“We’re just tossing the party we want to toss,” Arleigh says of the Mayhem events. “I imagine that there have been people who have been surprised by the penis action because perhaps they hadn’t actually read the poster.

But interestingly enough, the same people came back, so if they were offended, they got over it.

“Besides, there have always been dicks,” she grins.

“They’ve just all been made of silicone,” Mel adds with a laugh.

the deets MAYHEM’S SPRING FLING Sat, May 26, 8pm–1am (doors close at 11pm) Maritime Labour Centre, 1 884 Triumph St $20 advance, $25 door canadianmayhem.com

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17

18

Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! MAY 17, 2012

COVER STORY

Poems for

DAVIE VILLAGE From Daniel Zomparelli, with (conflicted) love

D

Raziel

ANIEL ZOMPARELLI’S debut book of poetry, Davie Street Translations, was inspired by you.

You, high on drugs and admiring glances from cute boys, dancing at a club to a DJ who plays nothing but Lady Gaga.

You at Hamburger Mary’s at 2am eating your feelings.

You walking the streets, lonelier than the homeless guy sitting on the sidewalk.

You in the presence of a drag queen who’s such a star, each step she takes is trailed by a spotlight. Even if the spotlight is only in her mind.

You on Grindr, needing to be loved.

And you at the PumpJack Pub, looking at your future in all of its saggy-scrotum and leather-chaps glory.

When I meet Zomparelli over coffee, the first question I pose is, “What is it about Davie Village you find inspiring?”

As soon as I ask, I feel dumb — hadn’t I read his book? You know, the one filled with a hundred pages of what he finds inspiring about the Village. I am about to start over when I notice him struggling for an answer.

“You only wrote an entire book about it!” I laugh, until he says it isn’t necessarily Davie St he finds inspiring but the culture it represents, for better and worse.

“The people who inhabit the Village are inspiring, and the amount of people it brings together is inspiring,” he says.

“I just question a lot of its culture,” he continues. “A lot of what I find inspiring is what I find wrong, complicated or confusing about gay culture, which is enforced in the Village.”

“A lot of the culture is about how you look and who you’re friends with, so it replicates a lot of the problems of high school, with popularity and cliques,” he explains.

The lives depicted in his poems are all connected by one main thread: yearning. A yearning to find their place in the world and fit in — and the sacrifices and self-destructive choices they make when they feel they don’t.

“We have to deal with so much growing up,” Zomparelli says. “We spend so

much time beating ourselves up, or letting other people beat us up, that letting go and opening up takes longer than it would for someone who didn’t have those experiences.”

In his poems about drugs (he writes about them all, including the holy trinity: MDMA, cocaine and Special K), he conveys how when we get beat up, or beat ourselves up, we start searching for a way to flee the bruises. “We all use coping mechanisms for our insecurities,” he says. “There are healthy ways to deal with them and unhealthy ways. Usually, the unhealthy ways are the fastest and easiest to approach.”

Despite their potentially dark side, Zomparelli still believes in the importance of gay villages. “Usually you don’t have a lot of gay friends when you’re first coming

A LOT OF WHAT I FIND INSPIRING IS WHAT I FIND WRONG, COMPLICATED OR CONFUSING ABOUT GAY CULTURE. out because you’ve been closeted,” he says.

Having a space to go, “knowing that there will be other gays there, makes it easier.”

“That being said . . . I find a lot of people stepping into the Village and then stepping out once they’ve found their groundings. I think as we become more mainstream we diversify, so you don’t necessarily have to fit into the culture of Davie St if you don’t want to.”

Davie Street Translations is an attempt to capture a moment in gay Vancouver’s time. Each poem is a snapshot, Zomparelli says. Or a love sonnet. Among his poems are odes to the drag queens Isolde N Barron, Jaylene Tyme, Vera Way and Raye Sunshine.

“They all said they liked them; I don’t know if that’s them being nice or not. I think they really like that it was immortalizing their characters,” Zomparelli says.

“That was the whole point of taking the Shakespearean sonnets — where he immortalizes his loves and immortalizes the beauty and youthfulness of it — and then replicating it for drag queens.

“To be honest,” he confides, “I’m not the craziest fan of drag queen performances, unless it’s done really well, so the queens I chose do it well. It’s their personalities when you talk to them in their drag queen persona. They’re captivating and they own attention. It’s kind of wonderful to be in their presence.”

My favourite poem in Translations is called “PumpJack” and is about growing older. It’s written as a conversation between two friends, with lines like, I think we’ll just get more kinky Yeah, like, first a slap, then a pinch, then butt plug Won’t we just be antiquing by then?

The poem stands out to me because it’s about two people embracing their fate instead of holding on to their past, as so many of us do, even when our past is painful.

The poem captures the liberation of aging, the same liberty that Zomparelli feels the PumpJack Pub evokes. “Whenever I go there I don’t feel the pressure to be anything specific,” he says. “You don’t need to be on all the time or flirty. Going to 1181 or those bars, there’s a pressure we put on each other to be really fun, have nice clothes, be working out all the time, have a great body, the right haircut . . . It’s just too much pressure. Whereas the PumpJack, everyone’s really nice, someone’s hand is on your butt at all times, saying you look cute, no matter what you’re wearing.”

While illustrating the anxiety we inflict on ourselves and each other, our desperation to be loved and our escapism when we don’t feel good enough to be loved, Davie Street Translations also offers a glimmer of hope: we are at our best when we accept who we are and who we are going to become.

Which, if we’re lucky, will be buttplugwearing antiquers, one hand holding a beer, the other on the backside of a young boy who needs to be reminded that not only is he cute, but that he’s going to be all right.

more at xtra.ca

XTRA! MAY 17, 2012

19

TRUE STORY Your ex-boyfriend slept with your boyfriend’s exboyfriend’s ex-boyfriend the night he partied with his ex-boyfriend and you.

Your boyfriend’s exboyfriend never gave up on your boyfriend so he tried to sleep with you. Now his ex-boyfriend messaged your boyfriend under another name.

Your friend’s ex-boyfriend is your ex-boyfriend who dated your other ex-boyfriend but is still in love with you.

Your ex-boyfriend’s exboyfriend’s ex-boyfriend’s exboyfriend is you.

ALPHABET (An excerpt) e is for I love you, you feel good inside, all-night sex, this burrito tastes terrible but the grass feels amazing, let’s not go back to Oasis, and let’s head to Numbers because I know someone who has some more of it, then head to the World, but leave your boyfriend behind because he’s sober as fuck and falls asleep by three. Roy? Yes, Roy will help you with another hit.

Jaw clench, teeth grinding, hard tab hit. House party dress-up and it’s wearing off so that bunny costume is pretty fucked up and I can’t deal with the three-day depression. Eat a banana. k is for I don’t even know what this party is about anymore, can you take me home and let’s have sex I just need to get out of this hole first. Sugar on my tongue and I can finally find my body again, I thought I left it at the coat check but it ended up on the second floor of Celebrities making out with my cousin. mdma is for ya. ya. ya. ya. ya. ya. ya. ya. ya. ya. ya. aw now I’m sleepy. hcl is for nose tingles, and don’t take it from him, or else you’ll be shitting in the stall. Let me call my guy, and I just need to dance a bit. I know I’m sweating, you don’t need to fucking tell me. What was that?

What was that? And. I. Can. Do. Anything. And. I. Am. Not. Tired.

One more line. One more line. One more line. One more line. One more line. One more line.

the deets DAVIE STREET TRANSLATIONS Daniel Zomparelli Published by Talonbooks $16.95

20

Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! MAY 17, 2012

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 June20 Artwork Deadline: Wed, June 27 Release Date: Thu, July 26

VANCOUVER’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

ULTIMATE

JULY 15–AUG 13, 2011

GUIDE EVENTS 11–67

Daily happenings across the city

THE MAP 36–37 Parade routes & homo hangouts

HIGHLIGHTS

Featured events & tips for Pride

xtra.ca The definitive news source for gay and lesbian Canadians

Founding Media Partner:

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XTRA! MAY 17, 2012

21

AROUND TOWN

Black fags and saints Blitz & Shitz Raziel

1181 HAS THE CUTEST BARTENDERS. Their chest hair is always so nicely groomed, and a girl really appreciates that kinda thing.

My mama always said, “Find a man with groomed chest hair, he won’t pee on the seat.” Little does she know it’s because he pees sitting down. Okay, I just made that up.

The only dating advice my mother ever gave me was, “It’s just as easy to date a rich man as a poor one.” I’m so proud to have come from wise golddigging stock! My point is, 1181 bartenders induce the perfect balance of arousal and jealousy, so I’d say they’re doing something right.

G-Luve presented his one man art show Hip Art at 1181, which was inspired by a commissioned piece he did for Berend McKenzie in drag. McKenzie is the writer and performer of Nggrfg, a play about being black and gay “in a world that doesn’t have room for either.”

I was disappointed that more art wasn’t showcased during the night because G-Luve, who cites Andy Warhol, Salvador Dalí, and Van Gogh as influences, is very talented. Known mainly

as a DJ, his portrait of McKenzie, as well as some of his other pieces I’ve seen online (including his odes to queens Symone, Miss Cotton and Carlotta Gurl), fuse the fun and intrigue of pop art.

There was an interactive piece on display where you could write any insults or names you were called growing up.

People added the racial prejudice they encountered with words like “nappy” and “chink,” as well as homophobic slurs including the ever so trite, “faggot” and “sissy.” There were even some religious attacks like, “Fenian bastard.”

So, what I learned is that the bullshit we’ve all faced is as diverse as we are, and that maybe Dan Savage has a point.

It does get better, especially if you learn how to turn the bullshit into art.

I added “pretty boy” to the list because I was called everything you probably think of me while reading this (and then some), but pretty boy was my favourite insult because I was such a vain 10-yearold that I thought it was a compliment.

“Thanks, I moisturize daily!”

You Should Know Pacific Theatre is a Christian company which often presents religious plays, including Doubt, A Parable, which recently ended its run, and its final show of the season 100 Saints You Should Know, which runs until May 26. What’s refreshing about Pacific Theatre is that they’re not afraid to tackle the con-

The To-Do List JACK! “This is house as it should be.

Soulful, deep and jackin’! Think intimate underground groove box with beautiful shiny people working it to the bone.” JACK! is a house night at The Den at The Barclay which happens the third Friday of every month.

See you May 18 with DJs Jay Douglas and Lisa DeLux.

QUEEN OUT

G-Luve’s (at right) portraits, some of which were on display at his one-man art show Hip Art at 1181, fuse the fun and intrigue of pop art, writes Raziel (left).

ALVIN GRADO

troversial and unflattering aspects of Christianity. Doubt is about pedophilia in the Catholic church, and 100 Saints deals with a priest named Matthew, played by Joel Stephanson, who has a penchant for collecting naked pictures of men. It also tells the story of a quirky gay teen named Garrett, played by Chris Lam, searching for his identity. Lam nails the coming-out struggle with heart, honesty and awkwardness.

In a world where the essence of re-

ligion is often lost by its dogma, what these broken characters have to learn is that your faith is only as strong as your faith in yourself.

PS So Bristol Palin, are you mad at Obama for supporting gay marriage or are you just jealous because some babies have two dads, and yours doesn’t even have one?

On long weekend Sunday, May 20, get your drag on at The Junction with Queens, Dreams, and Questionable Scenes starring Joan-E and featuring Robyn Graves and Coco. That same night at The Cobalt, Apocalypstick is bidding farewell with so many kings and queens performing I would type them all but my fingers are getting sore just thinking about it. It’s gonna be major!

SHORTS David C Jones is a local comedian, director and filmmaker who is showing three of his shorts at the Vancouver Film School, 420 Homer St, on May 24. The films include The Bonus, produced by OUTtv, George, a documentary soon to be featured at the Queer Film Festival, and for a little range, a film with straight content (wait, that’s legal?) called Scarred. I’ll say.

“ONE OF THE YEAR’S BEST FILMS.”

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“Glenn Close delivers one of the year’s standout performances.”

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22

Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! MAY 17, 2012

XPOSED Real Estate Photos by Jess Munitz

One in Every Crowd book launch Award-winning storyteller Ivan Coyote launched her new book of short stories at The WISE Hall on May 3.

ADRIAAN SCHIPPER

Ask a

1

REALTOR

Question: Hi! I’m a first time home buyer thinking of buying a condo in Vancouver.

How much on top of the purchase price of a home should I expect to pay for things like taxes and additional fees?

2

Answer: That’s a great question! I think this can be confusing for first time buyers because there are so many variables and so many little things that initially don’t come to mind. In reality, though, there are just two major fees along with a number of others that are far less significant.

3

For the purchase itself yo u s h o u l d ge n e ra l l y expect to pay around 2% on top of the purchase price of the property. The biggest expense here is the Property Transfer Tax, which is unavoidable and always the same: 1% on the first $200,000 of the purchase price, then 2% on the balance. The other expenses include such things as a property inspection, home insurance, a n a p p ra i s a l , a n d t h e services of a notary or lawyer, but these are re l a t i ve l y ve r y s m a l l compared to the Property Transfer Tax.

4

5

1) Shyla Seller, Billeh Nickerson, Mette Bach, Chelsea Novak, Jordan Abell.

2) Tessa Bourguignon and Rina Larsson.

3) Jen O’Neill and Adam Molnar

www.AdriaanSchipper.com 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

# 409 1367 Alberni St, Vancouver NEW PRICE $283,500 ‘The Lions’ is a favorite for first time home owners or investors. The location is second to none, steps from Coal Harbour, Robson Street, and Stanley Park.

The building offers first class amenities, including a full gym, media room, meeting rooms, guest suites, and a common party room with pool tables, stage, and televisions. This studio suite has a functional layout, and has in-suite laundry and storage/flex space. Rentals and 1 pet allowed. 1 parking and 1 storage locker included.

Klaus Rode 604.760.5856

)Y\JL >HYK 9LHS[` 3[K

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Real Estate

PROFILE

Recently Sold Gibsons, Sunshine Coast LISTED: $499,000 SOLD: $490,000

5) Kelly Christensen, Zavi Swain, Teesa Donck, Chanessa Lau.

Find an agent that you trust and can work closely with as they will be able to guide you through each step of a real estate transaction, negotiate the best price for you, and give you specific costs for your unique situation.

South-West ocean views & lots of privacy from this custom built one level home on desirable Gower Point Road. With nearly 1/2 an acre there is plenty of outdoor space to enjoy including 2 large decks & beautiful gardens, and you are just minutes to the beach, hiking & more. The home is energy efficient with brand new appliances, natural gas & HRV and has a bright open-concept kitchen, living & dining area with 3 beds & 2 full baths. Vaulted ceilings w/large windows allow natural sunlight to flood each room.

This like new home is perfect for a new family, those retiring or someone commuting to the city. Call us for a complete information package.

6) Vikki Reynolds and Sam Bradd.

All the best, and happy house hunting!

Joel O’Reilly & Denise Brynelsen

4) Taryn Hayes, Renata de la Parra, Myriam Dumont.

6

For the mortgage, the biggest up-front expense will be the mandatory CMHC Mortgage Loan Insurance if your down payment is less than 20%. The cost of this insurance depends on several factors, but just to give you an example it will be 2% of the mortgage value if you get a 25 year mortgage with a 10% down payment and you are employed by a third party. When inquiring about a mortgage, always consult with a mortgage professional.

your neighbourhood realtor

1-604-741-1837 | brynelsenoreilly.com Megan Mackinnon (778) 628-1761 meganmackinnon.ca RE/MAX Select Realty

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XTRA! MAY 17, 2012

23

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

TO ADVERTISE CALL 604-684-9696

";PC>%?LCHA Helpful Hints

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P rofessional R esponsive

! C N S ! ? H N L ?

Choosing the right real estate agent to guide you through the entire house buying process is essential to your success. A big mistake many homebuyers make is skipping from agent to agent to ďŹ nd their dream home.

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t! Instead, make it your intention to ďŹ nd an agent you are going to stick with.

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If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re planning on selling your current property and buying another, you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really have to pay attention to what the market is doing. If you sell your current home for a â&#x20AC;&#x153;lowâ&#x20AC;? price, you will probably also buy at a low price. If you are upgrading to a larger home, this actually works in your favor!

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Cell: 604-992-2052 www.michaelchiu.net OPEN HOUSE Sunday, May 20th, 2-4pm #210 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1705 Nelson Street Spacious 2 bedroom, 2 bath, 2 balcony suite on a tree lined street in the heart of Vancouver. Private SW facing end unit offers in-suite laundry & storage, plus 1 secured parking. Pet friendly building; conveniently located within a short walk to recreation, shopping, transportation and schools. Offered at $524,800.

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IANEGGLETON NEW LISTING 508-1177 Hornby Street, Vancouver. $358,000 High quality materials & good design has completely transformed this 1 bdrm + den condo in to a clean and modern space; it truly is the details that make the difference! Notable features include beautiful solid hardwood & new tile, custom casings & baseboards, stylish lighting, renoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d kitchen with butcher block counters and stainless appliances, & a gorgeous new bathroom. Free laundry on every ďŹ&#x201A;oor. 1 underground parking + secure visitor parking & bike room. Roof top gym, hot tub and outdoor space. Solid building with a grand lobby, 4 elevators, & huge contingency fund. 2 pets allowed, rentals limited & currently at max.

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Re/Max Clara Hartree PROUDLY SELLING VANCOUVER AND THE NORTH SHORE

24

Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! MAY 17, 2012

indexdirectory.ca Vancouver’s online directory of

indexdirectory.ca

ACCOMMODATIONS - BRITISH COLUMBIA Bluff View Cottage 250-539-3475 Harrison Hot Springs Resort & Spa 1-866-797-5305 The Eagle’s Nest B&B 1-866-766-9350 Accounting+ Best Books Inc Felicity Webb

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

ADDICTIONS Orchard Recovery

604-947-0420

ADULT Wega Video

1-800-361-9929

AIDS/HIV RESOURCES A Loving Spoonful 604-682-6325 AIDS Vancouver 604-893-2201 AIDS Vancouver Island 250-384-2366 ANKORS, Kootenay/Boundary HIV/ AIDS Network, Outreach & Support 1-800-421-2437 Dr Peter AIDS Foundation 604-331-5086 HIM - Health Initiative for Men 604-488-1001 Positive Living Society of BC 604-893-2200 Youth Community Outreach (YouthCo) AIDS Society 604-688-1441

AIRLINES Harbour Air Seaplanes 604-274-1277

ALTERATIONS Simdy’s Fashion Alterations

604-633-0828

Access Healing Centre 604-568-4663 Alternative Health Choices Unlimited for Health & Wellness 604-465-7998 Dr Anita Komonski 604-568-7655 Ingite Smoke Shop 778-786-0977 Medicinal Cannabis Dispensary 604-255-1844 Med Pot Now Society 604-569-2119 MyCannaMeds mycm.ca

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

ARTISTS Emily Carr

604-844-3810

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

604-875-9988 604-675-7900 604-731-8644 604-985-0055 604-682-8881

AUTOMOTIVE SALES & LEASING Dueck Downtown Jim Pattison Cars Unlimited Jim Pattison Hyundai Northshore Jim Pattison Toyota Downtown

604-675-7900 604-924-4542 604-985-0055 604-682-8881

BANKING royalbank.com

BATHHOUSES Steamworks Vancouver 604-974-0602

BATHROOM Ripples Kitchen & Bath

604-688-2583

BEDDING Bernstein & Gold Interiors Mr Mattress Simmons Mattress Gallery

604-255-5097

BLINDS 604-263-0050

604-687-1535 604-255-2113 604-733-0166

EDUCATION & INSTRUCTION

HOME IMPROVEMENT & REPAIRS

Emily Carr 604-844-3810 Vancouver Elementary School Teachers’ Association 604-873-8378 Vancouver Photo Walks 604-318-1277

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

BOAT CRUISES & CHARTERS

ENTERTAINMENT

Waterway House Boats 1-877-WATERWAY

ActorWorks Vancouver 604-723-1776 Ballet British Columbia 604-732-5003 DanceHouse 604-801-6225 Museum of Vancouver 604-736-4431 Playland 604-253-2311 Scotiabank Dance Centre 604-606-6400 Sounds & Furies Productions 604-253-7189 Vancouver Symphony Orchestra 604-876-3434

BUSINESS SUPPLIES & SERVICES Mail Box Plus

604-683-1433

BUTCHERS Tango’s Gourmet Meats 604-681-2121

CAMPGROUNDS & CAMPS Triangle Recreation Camp camptrc.org

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

CLEANING & MAID SERVICES Clean Sweep Ensuite Paul 604-685-7422 Gary 604-875-1413 The Maids Home Services 604-987-8181

CLINIC Travel Clinic

604-736-9244

EVENT PLANNING & PROMOTIONS Flygirl Productions

604-839-9819

FARMERS’ MARKETS Vancouver Farmers’ Markets 604-879-3276

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

CLOTHING - DESIGNER

FINANCIAL SERVICES

Astor & Black Mr Mz Boutique

Jennifer Maier

604-785-0002 604-558-2005

Original Leather Factory Walk This Sway Designs

604-418-6328 604-685-4871

604-366-4386

FLORISTS Coal Harbour Florist + Green Design 604-669-5678 Hanamo Florist 604-685-3649

FUNERAL SERVICES

604-568-7478 604-684-5307

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

604-669-5051

FURNITURE

COMPUTER SALES & SERVICES Mac Station Vancouver WhiteWay IT Solutions Ltd

604-732-3470

FITNESS & EXERCISE

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

FIREPLACES Vancouver Gas Fireplaces Hot Stone Massage Therapy

CLOTHING - VINTAGE Deluxe Junk Co

604-468-0888

604-298-3770

macstation.com 778-384-1210

CONSTRUCTION

Bernstein & Gold Interiors 604-687-1535 Carriage House 604-245-0187 Instant Bedrooms Manufacturing Inc Yaletown 604-669-2337 Richmond 604-271-4121 Jordans Interiors 604-733-1174

GRAPHIC DESIGN SERVICES

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

east van graphics Spread Media Inc

COSMETIC SERVICES

GROCERY

Carruthers Dermatology Centre Inc 604-714-0222

Safeway

604-568-1206 604-440-8792

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

COUNSELLING

HEALTH

ah-ha! Counselling & Consulting 604-537-0130 Alex Sangha 604-842-7340 Bill Coleman 778-320-4850 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 Vilayvanh Sengsouvanh 778-866-5017 Willow Tree Counselling 604-521-3404

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

COURIERS 604-879-6999

BEAUTY CARE David Blue Hair Design

604-687-1535

CLOTHING - GENERAL

ALTERNATIVE HEALTH

RBC Royal Bank

BICYCLES Bernstein & Gold Interiors Jett Grrl Bike Studio Budget Blinds

ACCOUNTANTS

gay-owned and gay-friendly businesses

Mail Box Plus

604-683-1433

HEALTH - MEN’S Community Based Research Centre 604-568-7478 Integrative Healing Arts 604-738-1012

HEALTH & PERSONAL CARE Carruthers Dermatology Centre Inc 604-714-0222 Vancouver Lipo Laser 604-904-0888 Yaletown Laser 604-70-SMILE

HEALTHCARE SERVICES Orchard Recovery Vancouver Coastal Health

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DENTAL SERVICES

HEALTH FOODS & NUTRITION

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

Isagenix® LGBT Vancouver 604-340-9837/ 778-855-9957 mygoodness! gluten free 604-876-8878

HOLISTIC HEALTH Integrative Healing Arts Sequoia Thom MA

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778-960-4447

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LAUNDRY SERVICES Laundry Valet

604-568-2020

LAWYERS Bell Alliance 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

LEATHER LIFE East Side Re-Rides Original Leather Factory

next-step.ca

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MEN’S GROOMING 604-688-4555

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

MORTGAGE 604-765-4823

MOTORCYCLES & SCOOTERS

Dr Anita Komonski

PET STORES Bow Wow Haus Broadway 604-568-8959 Korna Natural Pet Supplies Ltd 604-904-2008 Pet Habitat 604-433-2913 Tisol tisol.ca Yaletown Bosley’s Pet Food Plus 604-566-9974

PHOTOGRAPHERS Feeling Photography sweet earth photographics The Shooting Gallery Vancouver Photo Walks

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RESTAURANTS & CAFÉS Adesso Bistro 604-568-9975 Ciao Bella 604-688-5771 Domino’s Pizza dominos.ca Gallery Café & Catering 604-688-2233 Joe’s Grill joesgrill.ca Lift Bar Grill View 604-689-5438 Out To Lunch Catering 604-681-7177 The Park & Bayside Lounge 604-682-1831 Vancouver Alpen Club 604-874-3811

ROOFING Crown Roofing & Drainage

1-877-628-5010

SENIORS GROUPS & SERVICES West End Seniors’ Network Society

604-669-5051

SEX Priape 604-630-2330 The TABOO Naughty but Nice Show 1-800-626-1538 Denman Place Mall

604-684-9254

SKIN CARE

604-669-8233 604-669-8233

PLUMBING Hillcrest Plumbing & Heating

RENOVATIONS & RESTORATIONS

SHOPPING 604-318-1277

PHYSIOTHERAPY & REHAB

604-879-1415

PRINTING

Baker Street Agency

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604-715-0985 778-995-1665

City-Dog.ca Pet Services 604-608-6959 Kitty Kare 604-813-4239 Latisha’s Pet Care 778-385-7313 The Vancouver Pet Expo 1-800-626-1538

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East Side Re-Rides

Pro Works Painting TLS Painting

604-298-3770

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OPTICAL SERVICES bruce eyewear 604-662-8300 English Bay Eyeworx 604-685-7001

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SPORTS & RECREATION The Vancouver Snow Show 1-800-626-1538 University Golf Club 604-224-7799 The Cutting Edges Gay Men’s Hockey Club cuttingedges.com

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PSYCHICS

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PSYCOTHERAPY Dragonstone Counselling 604-738-7557

REAL ESTATE AGENTS Adriaan Schipper 604-818-8265 Amalia Liapis 604-618-7000 Annette Thomas 604-805-5572 Becci Dewinetz 604-230-1044 Charlotte Mauricio 604-312-2644 Chris Wendland 778-232-8319 Connie Buna 778-689-7653 David Gering 778-822-0775 David Tung 604-266-1364 Fuller Service Realty 604-724-7964 Ian Eggleton 604-773-1443 Ian Holt 604-506-4264 Ken Chalmers 604-803-4966 Kim Monk 604-740-6615 Klaus Rode 604-760-5856 Linda Shaw 604-787-2062 Lyn Hart 604-724-4278 Phil Warren 604-684-6155 Steve Jamieson 604-307-9167 Susan Cameron 604-720-1214 Tim Hiltz 604-789-1133 Tyler Barrs 604-602-1111 Wayne Blackburn 604-209-4775 West Side Real Estate / Coldwell Banker Premier Realty 604-817-4856

RELIGIOUS GROUPS & SERVICES Christ Alive Community Church 604-739-7959 Renaissance Christian Church 604-636-4276 St Andrew’s Wesley United Church 604-683-4574 Trinity United Church 604-732-3075

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TICKET SALES ShowTimeTickets.com 604-688-5000/1-800-480-7469

TRANSPORTATION Helijet International 1-800-665-4354

TRAVEL AGENCIES GayTrip.ca

gaytrip.ca

TRAVEL BRITISH COLUMBIA Black Rock Oceanfront Resort 877-762-5011 Harbour Air Seaplanes 604-274-1277

VETERINARIANS Urban Animal Hospital

604-684-2632

WEBSITES Guidemag.com Squirt.org Xtra.ca

guidemag.com squirt.org xtra.ca

WEDDINGS Umbrella Events

604-315-4302

WEIGHT CONTROL Isagenix® LGBT Vancouver Integrative Healing Arts

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WINE & SPIRIT The Grape Escape Wineworks

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XTRA! MAY 17, 2012

ClassiďŹ eds ANNOUNCEMENTS â&#x20AC;ş

TRAVEL â&#x20AC;ş

ARTS & LEISURE â&#x20AC;ş

Notices

International travel

Restaurants

MEDICAL MARIHUANA

RESTAURANTS

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check out p. 24 for a list of gay-friendly restaurants. indexdirectory.ca

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Upcoming deadlines for Xtra 490 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; May 31, 2012 Display Advertising booking deadline: Wed, May 23 at 4pm Display ClassiďŹ ed booking deadline: Wed, May 23 at 4pm Line ClassiďŹ ed booking deadline: Mon, May 28 at noon

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25

Pride is closer than you think.

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VANCOUVERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

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JULY 15â&#x20AC;&#x201C;AUG 13, 2011

Booking Deadline: Wed June20 Artwork Deadline: Wed, June 27 Release Date: Thu, July 26

GUIDE EVENTS 11â&#x20AC;&#x201C;67

Daily happenings across the city

THE MAP 36â&#x20AC;&#x201C;37 Parade routes & homo hangouts

HIGHLIGHTS

Featured events & tips for Pride

26

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

XTRA! MAY 17, 2012

PORN

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The StuďŹ&#x192;ngton Post Graeme Gerrard

P

ONY IS A QUEER-PUNK DIVE BAR IN Seattle, and if Fetish Forceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new feature Pony Up is any indication, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the best damn queer-punk dive bar in the entire world. Just look at how they handle their beer deliveries.

The action begins with Mohawk-sporting Draven Torres delivering a keg to bartender Doc Benway. The pair distract themselves almost immediately. Benway tugs at Torresâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coveralls, pushing him back against the keg with a kiss.

Torres soon pisses on the bartender, before bending him over the keg for stability.

The tattooed and muscular Torres tops Benway before they ďŹ&#x201A;ip positions and roles for the exciting conclusion.

Maybe itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the bar manager in me, but shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t someone get that keg in the fridge?

The second scene takes place in the barâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s washroom, which, not surprisingly, has a glory hole between the two stalls. Director Tony Buff does as much as he can to eroticize a man pressed against a sheet of plywood with his cock in a hole, but it remains just that. Models Preston Steel and Rogue Status engage in a little watersports before they leave the washroom and continue in the bar itself.

Call about upgrade options.

When an unsuspecting Kurt Andrews walks into Pony, he is unprepared for the rope thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s soon cinched around his wrists, as four men cut off his jeans and ceremoniously fuck him.

In the roughest scene I have yet reviewed, Andrews is pinned down and gangbanged. The scene concludes with the men all pissing on him, as Andrews lies exhausted on the bar ďŹ&#x201A;oor.

The film ends with two demonstrations: sounding and watersports. Torres begins by masturbating with little more than a pinched nipple, then suddenly pulls out black latex gloves and a set of surgically sterile medal rods. He applies a small amount of lube, and inserts the ďŹ rst one with conviction. To be honIn Fetish Forceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pony Up, four men cut off Kurt Andrewsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; jeans, est, it was a bit much gangbang him, then piss on him in a queer-punk bar. FETISH FORCE for me.

Steelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s watersports demonstration is, The bar patrons seem unconcerned as Steel rims then fucks Status against the black by contrast, vanilla. Steel has one of those leather of a booth. This, for my money, is the Goldilocks bodies â&#x20AC;&#x201D; neither too beefy nor too skinny, but juuuuust right. best scene of the ďŹ lm.

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XTRA! MAY 17, 2012

27