Xtra, Vancouver's Gay and Lesbian News

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Roundup #491

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JUNE 14, 2012

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FEATURE

Christy Clark poised to go down in flames A stream of recent polls suggests that Christy Clark and the BC Liberals are sinking fast. Clark is now surrounding herself with former federal Conservative strategists as advisors. Can they save her?

›12

NEWSFRONT

Clark’s new antibullying strategy not new, critics say Premier Christy Clark’s new antibullying strategy will do little to protect queer youth and is mainly a rehash of previously announced policy, gay education activists say. ›9

Soldier invokes homo panic defence Jason Ouimet, a 30-year-old boxer and now-released soldier, claims he went into a rage when a gay man nine years younger, 35 pounds lighter and two inches shorter than him came on to him. The court bought it and sentenced Ouimet to just five years. ›11

OPINION

My boyfriend raped me Xtra’s expert on sex and relationships offers advice and resources to a gay man who was raped by his boyfriend. ›14

OUT IN THE CITY

Xanadu’s hidden gem ready to shine It might have won a Raspberry for worst film of the year, but what was once a movie bomb is now a campy gay musical set to open on the Granville Island Stage on June 21. ›15

Meet your partner & all promenade Vancouver prepares to host the 29th annual International Association of Gay Square Dance Clubs convention this month. ›16

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Commentary › 6 Xcetera › 7 Xposed › 21 COLUMNS

Naked Eye Robin Perelle › 6 Ask the Expert Dr Pega Ren › 14 Blitz & Shitz Raziel › 19 The Stuffington Post Graeme Gerrard › 30 CARTOONS

The Brotherhood Tyler Dorchester › 29 LISTINGS

Parties ›15 Art, festivals & performances ›15 Meetings & groups ›15 COVER PHOTO BY RANDALL COSCO

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No place like home INBOX Hard party Naked Eye Robin Perelle

XTRA Published by Pink Triangle Press PUBLISHER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Brandon Matheson MANAGING EDITOR Robin Perelle STAFF REPORTER Natasha Barsotti COPY EDITOR Lesley Fraser CREATIVE DIRECTOR Lucinda Wallace PRODUCTION MANAGER Leslie Miller GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Bryce Stuart, Andrew Tran, Darryl Mabey JUNIOR ADVERTISING DESIGNER Ashley Calla ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR Ken Hickling NATIONAL SALES MANAGER Jerey Homan DISPLAY ADVERTISING Corey Giles, Samantha Homenick CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING Jessie Bennett ENGAGEMENT DIRECTOR Gareth Kirkby DISTRIBUTION & SPONSORSHIP Craig Palmer ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Lexi Chuba

EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS TO THE ISSUE: David P Ball, Victor Bearpark, Angelina Cantada, Nathaniel Christopher, Randall Cosco, Matthew DiMera, Tyler Dorchester, Jeremy Feist, Graeme Gerrard, Jeremy Hainsworth, Beth Hong, Raziel, Pega Ren, Mark Robins ISSN: #1198-0613 PRINTED AND PUBLISHED IN CANADA Š2012 PINK TRIANGLE PRESS. XTRA IS PUBLISHED EVERY TWO WEEKS BY PINK TRIANGLE PRESS

PINK TRIANGLE PRESS Founded 1971 DIRECTORS Jim Bartley, Gerald Hannon, Jennifer O’Connor, Maureen Phillips, Ken Popert, Gillian Rodgerson, Tori Smith AUXILIARY DIRECTORS Glenn Kauth, Didier Pomerleau HONORARY DIRECTOR Colin Brownlee PRESIDENT & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Ken Popert CEO, DIGITAL MEDIA David Walberg CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Andrew Chang

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T WASN’T THE VENTRILOQUIST’S fault, exactly.

He didn’t mean to inspire the homophobic heckler, and besides, in the right crowd his joke about picking the supposedly gay men out of the audience could have been funny.

This just wasn’t the right crowd.

It certainly wasn’t my crowd.

This was a crowd of sheltered suburban jocks. A harmless and friendly enough crowd on the whole, gathered to honour and thank the volunteers amongst them. But a crowd that harboured at least one homophobe and not a single person courageous enough to openly challenge him — as I suddenly discovered moments after the ventriloquist’s gay joke fell at.

You could say the ventriloquist’s joke invited the homophobic heckle, or at least opened the door and emboldened him. But that wasn’t Don Bryan’s intention. I have no doubt that Bryan, whose act is well worth catching if you’ve never had the pleasure of watching a good ventriloquist live, had no malicious intent. He used to play The Castle in its drag queen heyday, he told me after the show.

Besides, Bryan can’t really be held responsible for his audience’s responses, though he may choose to give a second thought to crowd demographics next time he wants to try that joke.

Regardless, he’s not the one who encouraged his audience volunteer to gratuitously strike a limp-wristed pose when all he needed to do was be a little teapot.

And he’s not the one who suddenly, gratuitously yelled, “Like a fairy!� to egg the idiotic teapot on.

I still don’t know who dug that archaic insult out of his limited lexicon or, to be fair, how uncomfortable his neighbours might have felt. I only know the male voice came from somewhere behind my right shoulder, either at my table or the one adjacent.

And I know how I felt when I heard it. Like a deer in the headlights. An exposed deer that suddenly felt unwelcome.

A crowd that moments earlier had been sharing a friendly moment with me, a crowd that had done nothing explicitly to exclude

me, suddenly reminded me that I was, in some ways, a long way from home.

It’s not like I was ever in any danger. They didn’t even particularly hurt my feelings; I have thicker skin than that. But they rescinded their welcome. They reminded me that I don’t necessarily belong in their world.

They reminded me that, while branching out and broadening my horizons is worthwhile, maintaining a home base is essential.

Life inside the gay village can be complicated, of course, and not without occasional conict.

But home is where we don’t have to explain ourselves to outsiders.

Home is where we are known.

Home is where we are already out and proud and don’t have to constantly be on duty as gay ambassadors. Home is where we can just be ourselves.

Which is why it’s so critical that we participate in the City of Vancouver’s new West End plan. Our home’s future is at stake and we better help shape it, lest we lose it.

The city planners assigned to the project want us to help shape our home. They recognize the historical signiďŹ cance of the Davie Village to the gay community and are going out of their way to engage us in the process of determining its future. “This is really an opportunity for people to get involved and help shape the future of their community,â€? says lead planner Holly Sovdi.

Sovdi recognizes that the Davie Village has been the gay community’s hub for years and sincerely wants to know what role it plays now, and what role we want it to play.

He’s hoping the gay community participates in the city’s planning process and is even willing to seek us out in our gay spaces to solicit our feedback. The least we can do is tell him what we think and what we’d like to see.

Because even as we venture into new crowds and different parts of town, there’s no substitute for having a solid home at our backs, a home to which we can always return when we just want to be ourselves and know that we’re welcome.

Robin Perelle is managing editor of the Vancouver edition of Xtra.

To participate in the new West End plan, go to vancouver.ca/westendplan.

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

VANCOUVER MEN IN LEATHER has supported us at PFLAG Vancouver for several years now, and we want to acknowledge the Hard work they do. We understand the importance to the community, and we are disappointed to hear about the recent difficulties experienced at 560 [“Hard Party: We Won’t Return to 560,� xtra.ca, May 25]. On behalf of all of us at PFLAG Vancouver, we stand with you in your decision to change the venue for future events, and we applaud your efforts to stand up for all of us.

Colin McKenna Vancouver, BC EVER SINCE VINCE LEFT 560, we get inspectors constantly popping in for “inspections.� If we do not follow the rules, the club loses its licence. The promoters of the Hard party were told by me weeks before about no open sex. How they informed their ticket holders after that is unknown.

The club has applied for an extension on their liquor licence and will continue to follow the rule of the law. My loyalty to the community is strong. But I don’t support bullshit.

Furthermore, there are people that are gay who work for these “homophobic� owners. If I hear they’re homophobic one more time I’m going to scream!

They are not — move on. And PFLAG, shame on you.

Adam Dreaddy Vancouver, BC FUNNY HOW IT’S ONLY NOW, after the fourth party and after Vince has left, that this sort of crap goes on. Shame on everyone who continues to defend obviously hostile owners.

Fine, they don’t want play rooms. Then don’t book the event. They knew exactly what they were getting into but chose to take our money and then censure the activity that had always occurred before. There’s no excuse for this. Never going back to 560.

Jerry McL Vancouver, BC HOMOP HOB IC? AR E YOU fucking kidding me? Open your eyelashes, queens. They are giving us their space on Saturdays and hosting events like Hard, Bearracuda and Spit.

Let me paint you a picture of what homophobia would look like at 560: they’d ďŹ re all the gay staff members. They’d tell Adam Dreaddy and his PoniUp night to take a fucking hike and hire some shitty straight club promoter who would ďŹ ll the place Thursday to Sunday. And they would never let a gay party occupy the space on a long-weekend Sunday. These people have the audacity to say they’re being “homophobicâ€?? I’m personally outraged.

Bryan Loewen Vancouver, BC

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

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XTRA! JUNE 14, 2012

noteworthy ›updates › updates ›ephemera › ephemera

Xcetera Compiled by Robin Perelle

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COREY HART? I sure do. I still associate “Never Surrender” Surre with Grade 6 English. As a fellow Montrealer, Corey Hart’s Boy in the Box tape — yes, tape — kicked off my music collection.

Hart recently re-recorded h his 1988 song “Truth Will Set U Free,” which, he says, was aalways meant to pay tribute to a friend struggling with his sexuality, albeit obliquely in the original take. Hart says tthe new version, recorded with adds a verse, “lifts the 1Love and set to a club groove, g veil” and openly suppo supports “every individual’s inalienable right to be who they are a without fear or recrimination.”

Just don’t expect th the song to herald a comeback, says Hart, who recen recently turned 50. The straight ally says he’s still commit committed to being a dad first to his four children. But he will perform his new release at various p Pride festivals this su summer, starting with Toronto on June 30. Cross your fi fingers he’s coming here!

BIBLE THUMPING

RELIGIOUS LUNATICS

Know thy enemy “I figured a way to get rid of all the lesbians and queers,” North Carolina pastor Charles Worley told his congregation on May 13. “Build a great Pastor Sean Harris big large fence — 50 or 100 miles long — put all the lesbians in there. Fly over and drop some food.

Do the same thing with the queers and the homosexuals and have that fence electrified so they can’t get out. And you know what? In a few years, they’ll die out. Do you know why? They can’t reproduce!”

“It makes me pukin’ sick to think about,” Worley added. “Can you imagine kissing some man?”

What is with these North Carolina ministers? Worley’s sermon follows Fayetteville pastor Sean Harris’s parenting suggestion: “Dads, the second you see your son dropping the limp wrist, you walk over there and crack that wrist. Man up.

Give him a good punch.”

Not surprisingly, both brainwaves bookended North Carolinians’ trip to the polls to vote on gay marriage (which they banned on May 8). Funny what slithers from the pulpit when progress is proposed.

STOP, YOU’RE YOU EMBARRASSING US

L Y I N ’ LESBIANS?

A Colorado lesbian couple who claimed neighbours spray-painted “Kill the gay” on their garage door and left a noose on their doorstep may have been lying, The Denver Post reports.

Aimee Whitchurch and Christel Conklin made the claim in October 2011 after they got in a spat with their homeowners’ association over their large dogs. “This is where we live. We should feel safe. I am afraid to walk outside my place now,” Whitchurch told reporters at the time. “For someone to target us for our lifestyle — it’s ridiculous,” Conklin added.

Now the FBI says Whitchurch and Conklin rigged the noose and wrote the threat themselves. The women have been charged with false reporting and criminal mischief. Assuming the FBI is right and the women are convicted, who’s ridiculous now?

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I know the Bible’s right, somebody’s wrong.

Romans 1, 26 and 27, Ain’t no homos gonna make it to heaven.

The three-year-old boy who sang this little ditty from the pulpit of Indiana’s Apostolic Truth Tabernacle got a standing ovation from the congregation.

What is wrong with these people?

To watch the video, go to xtra.ca and search for Church cheers.

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9

dispatches › issues › opinion

Upfront RELIGION

C-31 IS DESIGNED TO MAKE CANADA QUITE AN UNATTRACTIVE OPTION FOR PEOPLE SEEKING PROTECTION. Rejecting gay refugees › 10

EDUCATION

Nominated for top United Church job Local gay minister in the running for moderator Matthew DiMera REVEREND GARY PATERSON, of St Andrew’s-Wesley United Church in downtown Vancouver, is one of 15 nominees being considered for the United Church of Canada’s top job and is one of three openly gay candidates.

Paterson says he is honoured to be one of the nominees. “It’s not a position that has a lot of power, other than the power of suggestion, of influence, of example, of speaking,” he says.

“It’s not like a pope, that’s for sure.”

The moderator, elected every three years to preside over meetings of the church’s gen-

ried and have been partnered for 30 years.

Stevenson, currently a Vancouver city councillor, says it took 12 years from the time he started in seminary until he was finally ordained in 1992.

“Many people said it couldn’t be done and that I was hitting my head against a brick wall and all I was going to do was hurt my head,” he remembers.

“Other people told me that I was killing the church and that I should withdraw.”

“The so-called issue in the United Church doesn’t seem to be a great issue anymore,” Stevenson continues. “Within 20 years, the church has become an inclusive church, and the

BC Premier Christy Clark (right) and Education Minister George Abbott admire anti-bullying displays before announcing their new strategy June 1. JEREMY HAINSWORTH

Clark’s ‘new’ strategy isn’t: critics Clark’s $2 million 10-point program

Premier is ‘reannouncing herself,’ says Chandra Herbert Jeremy Hainsworth

“I think our sister churches could learn a lot from us,” says Reverend Gary Paterson. “They’ve been held up, I think, by poor biblical studies and poor theology and a prejudice that they’re not willing to explore.” COURTESY OF GARY PATERSON

eral council and executive, will be chosen in August by more than 350 voting delegates at this year’s general council in Ottawa.

General secretary Nora Sanders points out that many United Church congregations across Canada have now had the experience of having a gay or lesbian minister. “It becomes something real rather than just a hypothetical, when it’s a living, breathing person who’s serving them. I think it’s something that’s much better accepted in our church now,” she says.

Twenty years ago, Tim Stevenson became the first openly gay minister ordained by the United Church of Canada.

He and Paterson are now mar-

barriers for gay and lesbian people have broken down.”

If one of the gay candidates is elected moderator, Stevenson notes, “that will be the first time, really, the head of a Christian denomination is openly gay. It will be very symbolic for Christendom worldwide.”

“I think the United Church is a voice of hope, a beacon of possibility and, frankly, an appropriate embodiment of the gospel. I think our sister churches could learn a lot from us,” Paterson says. “They’ve been held up, I think, by poor biblical studies and poor theology and a prejudice that they’re not willing to explore.”

For more on this story, go to xtra.ca.

CRITICS SAY PREMIER CHRISTY CLARK’S new anti-bullying strategy, promoted to protect all children regardless of race, culture, religion, gender or sexual orientation, will do little to protect queer youth and is mainly a rehash of previously announced policy.

“We need to change our culture,” Clark announced as she unveiled the BC Liberals’ ERASE Bullying (Expect Respect and a Safe Education) initiative at a Surrey YMCA on June 1. “People who are bullies in school grow up to be bullies in the workplace. Every child in school will know that there is someone in school that will stand by them.

“The victim needs support and the bully needs consequences,” Clark said. “This is a beginning.

“Homophobic bullying is wrong and will not be tolerated,” she added. “That’s part of what we’re doing.

“Gay and lesbian kids are more bullied and more likely to commit suicide than other kids, and it’s going to be a big part of the program,” she said.

Clark’s new 10-point plan offers students new tools to report bullying and teachers more training to identify bullying, designates a safe schools coordinator for each district, and reiterates that school conduct codes must be consistent with the BC Human Rights Code.

“Everything on here is wonderful. It’s just some of it already exists,” says Ryan Clayton, co-coordinator of the Purple Letter Campaign, which saw Education Minister George Abbott receive hundreds of letters last year calling for anti-homophobia policy in schools.

Both Clayton and NDP MLA Spencer Chandra Herbert question the language suggested to strengthen the codes of conduct.

They say that language has existed since the 2003 Safe Schools Task Force report and is also referenced in 2007 legislative changes that mandated school boards to develop codes of conduct specifically referencing

the BC Human Rights Code.

Clark oversaw the 2003 task force as education minister. Its report recommended the ministry “provide schools with a framework to assist school boards in ensuring their policies and procedures are consistent with the values and categories detailed in the BC Human Rights Code and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.”

While Chandra Herbert welcomes the phone app and the safety coordinators, particularly for rural areas, he says much of Clark’s new strategy is from work done years ago. “She’s reannouncing herself,” he says.

“There’s a whole lot more that could be done,” Clayton agrees, “a lot of things that advocates have been asking for.”

“I wish homophobia was being addressed directly,” says Floyd Van Beek, a Grade 12 student from South Delta Secondary’s gaystraight alliance. “We feel homophobia is much more than bullying.”

Asked what the strategy will do to specifically address homophobia, Abbott says, “You have to now refer to it. We’ve left it to the districts.”

Asked if the strategy is pretty much the status quo, Abbott concedes, “It is the status quo of a couple of years now.”

In announcing the policy, Abbott named a multitude of people and organizations, none of which included the Pride Education Network (PEN), which has been trying to address homophobia without government support for years.

Asked why PEN was not involved, Abbott says, “There will be room across the province to include agencies and organizations that represent gay, lesbian and transgendered students.”

“Given their [PEN’s] expertise, it’s concerning,” Chandra Herbert says. “You’d think you’d go to the experts to develop policy.”

“A lot of these actions that are being proposed are already occurring,” he reiterates.

“I don’t see a lot of newness.”

1. Create stronger codes of conduct for schools that include language consistent with the Human Rights Act. The enhanced codes must include the following wording: “The prohibition of discrimination on the basis of an individual’s or a group’s race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, religion, marital status, family status, physical or mental disability, sex or sexual orientation, or age” 2. Provide training for 15,000 educators and community partners 3. Create a new smartphone app and online tools so kids can report bullying anonymously 4. Designate a safe schools coordinator in each district to monitor the online site, have direct communication with the Ministry of Education, manage the ongoing relationship with community partners, and coordinate the delivery of the training 5. Create provincial guidelines for threat assessments 6. Enhance online resources for parents 7. Develop protocols in each district to guide and coordinate work with community partners, such as Ministry of Children and Family Development childcare workers, police and mentalhealth professionals 8. Create a provincial advisory committee, with representatives from police, schools, social agencies and other community partners 9. Focus one of six teachers’ professional development days on anti-bullying and a safe school culture 10. Send anti-bullying training material to university teachertraining programs

10

Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! JUNE 14, 2012

IMMIGRATION

Rejecting gay refugees Bill C-31 will make it difficult to fully assess claims: expert Nathaniel Christopher REFUGEES’ RIGHTS ADVOCATES SAY a law proposed by the Harper government will increase the likelihood that gay asylum seekers will be rejected, deported or imprisoned.

“C-31 is designed to make Canada quite an unattractive option for people seeking protection. And it certainly will make it very difficult for anyone, whether or not they have good grounds for protection, to have their claim fully and thoroughly assessed,” says Lesley Stalker, a former legal officer for the United Nations commissioner for refugees, who addressed a May 30 forum on the bill in Vancouver.

Under the new process, claimants from designated “safe” countries of origin would face accelerated timelines and be denied the right to appeal a decision. Sharalyn Jordan, of the Rainbow Refugee Committee, decries the designated country provision as profoundly unsafe for queer refugee claimants.

“A list cannot accommodate the current complexity and flux in protection and persecution for LGBTQ people,” she says. “For example, the Ukraine has an elected parliament, an independent judiciary and civil society organiza-

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tions. Based on Bill C-31, it could be designated, and yet this week its parliament is considering a law banning speech or writing that promotes homosexuality, and neo-Nazis are attacking LGBTQ people in the streets of Kiev.”

A country may be designated for rapid processing without appeal if the minister of citizenship and immigration believes it has an independent judicial system, recognizes basic democratic rights and freedoms, and makes available a mechanism for redress, and if civil society organizations exist.

“South Africa recognizes same-sex marriages, yet there are 10 cases a week there where lesbians have been targeted for corrective rape and police have done nothing to investigate,” Jordan says.

“It’s precisely when country conditions appear safe on paper that LGBTQ decisions are the topics and the safety net and appeal is most critical.”

“A life-or-death decision should never rest in one person’s hands,” she adds, questioning the lack of appeal proposed by the new bill.

Expected to pass by the end of June, Bill C-31 would amend four existing pieces of legislation to provide faster protection to those believed by the government to genuinely need it while de-

Sharalyn Jordan says it will be particularly difficult for gay refugees to gather corroborating evidence in at most 50 days, as Bill C-31 would require.

NATHANIEL CHRISTOPHER

porting “bogus” refugees more quickly.

C-31 would give claimants 45 to 60 days from their initial screenings to their final hearings, depending on their countries of origin, and at most 50 days to submit all corroborating evidence 10 days before their final hearings. Currently there is no time limit on the process.

Jordan stresses that it is very difficult for gay claimants in particular to prepare and corroborate evidence within this time frame. She notes that proving a claim often involves tracking down ex-lovers for letters, as well as obtaining medical and police records from countries and societies that may be very hostile to gay people. She says also that it can take time for gay refugees to divulge traumatic life experiences to

government officials.

“Undertaking an asylum application entails accessing and working within a refugee system that was not designed with lesbian, gay, bi, trans or queer refugees in mind — requiring claimants to prove an often hidden and stigmatized identity and to disclose experiences that are often traumatizing and deeply private,” Jordan says.

“Bill C-31 will benefit genuine refugees who are persecuted because they are an LGBTQ person, as they will receive Canada’s protection in a matter of a few short months, compared to the current system, in which they must wait an unacceptable two years,” counters Ana Curic, spokesperson for Immigration Minister Jason Kenney.

“It is also important to note that under Bill C-31, the independent IRB [Immigration and Refugee Board] has the ability to delay a hearing if they feel that a claimant requires more time to prepare for their hearing,” Curic points out.

Bill C-31 would also place restrictions on asylum seekers the minister deems “irregular,” including people suspected of human smuggling or affiliation with a criminal organization or terrorist group.

If the government is unable to establish a claimant’s identity in a timely manner, the claimant would also be deemed “irregular” and sent to detention.

“The detention would be for a period of 14 days,” Stalker says. “They would have a detention review and would then presumably [be] remanded back into detention, because nobody is going to get out after 14 days under the circumstances. We are looking at massive detentions, and detention takes place in correction facilities in British Columbia. In some cities, Montreal and Toronto, they have facilities specifically for migrants.”

“The idea of establishing identity is an added burden and one that most particularly, I would argue, most impacts queer and trans refugees,” says Harsha Walia, of No One Is Illegal, who also spoke at the forum. “For queer and trans folks, within two weeks somehow miraculously from jail they are going to have to procure all these identity documents. Particularly for trans folk it will be incredibly hard to obtain these documents.”

more at xtra.ca

XTRA! JUNE 14, 2012

11

GAYBASHING

Soldier invokes homo panic defence Friends object to murdered man’s portrayal as rapist Kaj Hasselriis A FORMER CANADIAN SOLDIER WHO killed a young aboriginal gay man in Brandon, Manitoba, has been sentenced to five years in prison for manslaughter.

But to many friends and family members of victim Duane Lacquette, it felt like Lacquette was put on trial and unfairly judged a rapist.

In court June 7, killer Jason Ouimet expressed remorse for choking the 21-year-old to death on the night of Jan 16, 2010, when the two were alone together following a party. “I didn’t mean for anyone to lose their life on that night,” Ouimet told a courtroom filled with Lacquette’s friends and family members.

Jordan Lane Epp, a former boyfriend of Lacquette’s, doesn’t buy Ouimet’s apology. “You’re not sorry, don’t tell us you’re sorry,” Epp said in his victim impact statement, which was quoted along with Ouimet’s words in the Brandon Sun. “You’re just putting on a show because it’s your sentencing day.”

Crown prosecutor Jim Ross explained to the court that he struck a plea deal with Ouimet’s lawyers because Ouimet’s explanation of the killing was consistent with evidence in the case. “The Crown accepted a plea to

manslaughter based on provocation,” Ross told the Brandon Sun. On the night of the killing, Ouimet met Lacquette in a Brandon bar. Eventually, they went to Lacquette’s house with three young women. Ouimet expressed an interest in one of the women but passed out. The three women left, and, when Ouimet came to, he claims that Lacquette was lying naked on top of him, trying to give him oral sex.

Enraged, the 5-foot-9, 200-pound boxing champ punched the 5-foot-7, 165-pound Lacquette in the neck and then put him in a UFC-style chokehold.

When Lacquette died from strangulation, Ouimet fled the scene and initially lied to police about his involvement. He was later charged with second-degree murder but avoided a trial earlier this spring by pleading guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter.

In his ruling, Justice John Menzies accepted the lawyers’ joint submission that Ouimet was being sexually assaulted by Lacquette and reacted in anger.

Alyssa Desrochers, who was a friend of Lacquette’s, doubts the killer’s claims.

“I think Jason was down for [sex],” she speculates, “then when he wasn’t drunk anymore he killed Duane in the heat of the moment.”

Duane Lacquette (above) was killed in 2010 by Jason Ouimet, a 30-year-old now-released soldier who claims he went into a rage when Lacquette came on to him. The court bought it and gave Ouimet five years. FACEBOOK.COM

Ouimet’s sentence of five years is on the lower end of what perpetrators of manslaughter usually get. If he serves his jail time with good behaviour, he’ll likely be released into a halfway house after two and a half years.

Carlie Smart, a close friend of Lacquette’s, told Xtra that she’s “very disappointed” with Ouimet’s sentence. But she’s perhaps more disappointed that Lacquette was characterized in court as a rapist.

“The victim [in this case] was switched around,” she says, “and the spotlight was put on Duane. His repu-

tation and status were very important to him, and I wonder what he would be thinking right now.”

Desrochers is also angry that Ouimet will probably serve only a few years in jail. “If Duane had been a white girl, Jason would be getting so much more thrown at him,” she suggests.

Stefon Irvine, a gay student at Brandon University who serves as the student union’s LGBT commissioner, agrees. “If you flipped the shoes and put this into a heterosexual context, it would have been handled [by police and courts] in a totally different way,” he says.

During the preliminary hearing, Ouimet’s lawyers tried to make a case that Lacquette had a history of picking up straight guys. Irvine feels that’s the equivalent of saying it’s okay to rape a woman because “she was asking for it.”

Smart, who knew Lacquette for two years before his death, doesn’t believe her friend sexually assaulted Ouimet.

“I never saw Duane become violent or start a fight with anyone,” she says.

Though Lacquette used to brag about picking up straight guys, Smart says, he wouldn’t have put himself in the position Ouimet claims he did.

Since the sentencing, Lacquette’s friends and family members have posted dozens of messages to his Facebook tribute page to express their support for Lacquette and denounce Ouimet’s five-year deal.

Desrochers, who worked with Lacquette at a hotel restaurant and often partied with him, remembers her friend as “always smiling and happy, always ready to go.”

Lacquette was out to everyone he met, including Ouimet. “He was very open about being gay,” Desrochers says.

“To him it was never an issue.”

Lacquette’s final post on Facebook was “Just dance . . . it’ll be okay.”

Ouimet, until recently a gunner at Canadian Forces Base Shilo, was “released” from the Armed Forces on May 25 following a review, a spokesperson for the base told the Brandon Sun on June 7.

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ANALYSIS

Christy Clark poised to go down in flames Can her new conservative advisors save her?

Natasha Barsotti A WEEK, AS THE SAYING GOES, IS A long time in politics. But the not-sosecret word is that Christy Clark and the BC Liberals will go down in ames a year from now.

Political observers such as Bill Tieleman even suggest that it could happen in less than a year and oat the idea of an early election call.

Tieleman, who advised former BC NDP premier Glen Clark, is among those speculating that the Liberals could head to the polls minus Clark.

She’s had more than a year-long job interview and failed it, he says bluntly. “There’s a feeling that the Liberals have failed, basically that Campbell failed — the HST was emblematic of his failure — and that Christy Clark is not any better,� he says.

While the economy, healthcare and the environment are probably key election issues, the question of leadership overrides them, Tieleman contends. “That’s why I say there is a possibility of a change in leadership and an early election this year.�

There’s no question that Clark and the Liberals have had “one bad issue after another tumbling on,â€? agrees political analyst and former Social Credit minister Rafe Mair, but he thinks it highly unlikely Clark will bow out at this juncture. “To have a new leader requires time, and time they do not have,â€? he points out. “It’s bad enough as it is, and if they go into another leadership convention, they’re going to have four, ďŹ ve members of caucus ďŹ ghting one another. The wise money says they’re better off to try to ride with what they have rather than go through that potential bloodbath,â€? he says.

There is no magic-bullet solution for the ruling party, Tieleman acknowledges. He says the fallback alternative to Clark is Kevin Falcon, but he polled

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even more poorly than Clark previously did, while George Abbott came in third in the last leadership convention.

Neither does Tieleman envisage former ďŹ nance minister Carole Taylor or current Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts wading into the fray. “Somebody who wants to be a future leader or premier doesn’t want to be associated with what appears to be a gigantic defeat, so I can’t see somebody coming in from the outside and saying , ‘Oh, I’ll make my name now,’ presuming that Clark will be convinced to leave,â€? he says.

Mair recalls that Clark had only one member of caucus support her leadership run. “Which means every other member has a death wish for her,� he maintains. Those who want her gone fear a Liberal wipeout akin to what happened to the BC NDP in 2001, when the party won only two seats. “To be absolutely truthful, I don’t think they have a chance,� Mair says of the Liberals.

RECENT POLLS PAINT A BLEAK PICture of what lies ahead for the BC Liberals if their current trajectory holds.

An online Angus Reid poll of 802 BC residents shows the NDP had corralled 50 percent of decided voters — a climb of seven percent since April. The Liberals were at 23 percent.

It’s an outcome Clark brusquely dismisses. “I think the Angus Reid poll contributes, ďŹ rst of all, to the growing cynicism about polls in general,â€? she told the CBC. “I think polls are getting less and less accurate, and I also think that these internet polls that some of the companies are doing now are the least accurate of all.â€?

Her rebuke ies in the face of news that the Liberals had themselves hired Angus Reid to get a feel for the public’s appetite for its jobs plan.

But if she didn’t care for the Angus Reid findings, the results of another survey revealed a similar scenario. A

Forum Research poll released May 3 showed support for the NDP at 48 percent. Like Angus Reid, Forum Research also had the Liberals at a static 23 percent. The Conservatives, under John Cummins, dropped ďŹ ve percent and are now at 18 percent; Angus Reid had them at 19 percent.

The conclusion? If this trend of voting intentions holds, the NDP will occupy 70 of 85 legislature seats, leaving the Liberals with a paltry 13.

And those dreaming of a Conservative presence in government? Polls suggest they’ll be seatless, with independents Vicki Huntington and Arthur Hadland snagging the two remaining places in the House.

The Forum Research poll also looked at support for the party leaders. The NDP’s Adrian Dix rides high at 39 percent favourability; Clark is at 25 percent, while Cummins dropped to 21 percent, from 28 percent in April.

Like Angus Reid, Forum Research gauged both Liberal and Conservative appetite for an amalgamation of the two parties. Six in 10 Liberal supporters want to merge with the Conservatives to head off an NDP victory. Conservative supporters are less keen.

Noting that the Liberal brand, in marketing terms, is not on the rise, Marci McDonald, the author of Armageddon Factor: The Rise of Christian Nationalism in Canada, believes such an alliance could be successful in BC because the electorate is very divided. “I think the issues are such these days that they lend themselves less to compromise and more to people digging in on entrenched positions. I think that with such polarization, economic conservatives automatically have to ďŹ nd themselves in alliance with social conservatives.â€?

But a recent National Post article suggests Clark’s and Cummins’ public postures make it clear that such a merger is all but dead in the water, at

least for now.

As for the floated idea of a name overhaul for the Liberals, fewer than a quarter of the party’s faithful want a brand name change, Forum Research ďŹ nds. Nonetheless, it’s a project Clark appears to be pressing ahead with.

Tieleman thinks such a move less than a year before an election is tantamount to political suicide. Why toss a recognized label that won the party “three consecutive elections and almost a fourth between 1996 and 2009,� he writes in The Tyee. “You don’t throw out the name Tylenol unless you’re absolutely stuck,� he tells Xtra.

Still, Tieleman stops short of declaring the NDP a shoo-in to form the next government. “I’ve seen too many times in BC political history when we thought the NDP was going to win when they didn’t. I think they have to work very hard,� he says.

He suggests Cummins’ Conservatives could pose a threat to the NDP’s current ascendancy, despite the former’s agging fortunes. “I said in a column after he became the BC Conservative leader that the NDP should be concerned about Conservatives poaching votes from their traditional supporters, because that’s what happened with Reform in the 1990s. I would expect that a lot of rural and semirural ridings, where you have a fair-size blue-collar population, they might say, ‘I like what John Cummins is saying.’â€?

But Tieleman concedes the Conservatives are more of a threat to the Liberals, potentially replacing them as the Official Opposition to the NDP. “We saw in 1991, the SoCreds just went from first to third, and the BC Liberals who had no seats and hadn’t had an elected member in many years under Gordon Wilson became the Opposition. I think that’s probably the BC Conservative strategy at this point, and I think that is entirely possible.�

If the Clark government goes down as badly as now seems likely, Cummins may squeeze in with a small number of MLAs, enough to form the Opposition, Mair says.

If anything, he says, Cummins may come up wanting on social issues. “He made some mistakes just after he became leader, then he sort of reversed himself, which was the right thing to do,� Tieleman says.

Cummins caused a stir when he told CFAX radio in May 2011 that being gay is a choice and that it wasn’t necessary to add sexual orientation as a protected category in the Human Rights Code because people are fully protected under it already.

He later released a statement saying

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XTRA! JUNE 14, 2012

Social conservative Ken Boessenkool (above top) is a former lobbyist for Enbridge Inc and Taser International and was a senior advisor to Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He became BC Premier Christy Clark’s chief of staff in February.

Sara MacIntyre (above) was Harper’s press secretary and is now Clark’s director of communications.

Polls paint a bleak picture for BC Premier Christy Clark and the Liberals less than a year before the province heads back to the voting booth. Above, Clark shows off her new anti-bullying strategy (see story page 9). JEREMY HAINSWORTH

his statement was misinterpreted. “All British Columbians, regardless of race, religion, gender or sexual orientation should have the same equal opportunities and protections in our society. We all should be treated equally before the law, and no group in society warrants preferential treatment,” he said.

While Mair doesn’t think support for Cummins hinges on his position on gays, he says it’s one of those factors that feeds into the internal machine of the voter, which says, “This guy is just a little bit scary.”

POLLS, NOT TO MENTION POLITICAL opinion, can be off-base, as the recently contested Alberta provincial election proved.

On the weekend before the April 23 vote, the Wildrose Party, under Fraser Institute alumnus Danielle Smith, sat 10 percentage points ahead of Alison Redford’s Progress Conservatives, having led the race from the start.

A week later, the PCs pulled off a come-from-behind majority victory — by almost 10 percentage points.

One Wildroser told the Toronto Star’s Tim Harper that the Conservatives, a

THERE’S A FEELING THAT THE LIBERALS HAVE FAILED, BASICALLY THAT CAMPBELL FAILED . . . AND THAT CHRISTY CLARK IS NOT ANY BETTER. — former NDP advisor Bill Tieleman

41-year-old dynasty, had “a lot invested in hanging on.”

But overwhelmingly, the Wildrose defeat has been blamed on outspoken candidates Ron Leech and Allan Hunsperger. While Leech talked up his Caucasian credibility (saying that, unlike Sikh or Muslim candidates, as a white man he could “speak to all the community”), Hunsperger warned that gays and lesbians will burn in “a lake of fire” if they don’t change their sexual orientation.

When Smith defended rather than censured her candidates’ free speech, many Alberta voters pulled the emergency brake.

“What really undid her were these bozo eruptions because it tore the veil off this sort of mainstream sheen that the Wildrose had acquired,” McDonald says. “What surprised me was everyone thought this was a huge shock.”

Wildrose is infused with Canadian Alliance social conservatism, McDonald points out. “People kept saying her big mistake was she did not disown these comments. Well, anyone who knows the history and formation of the party

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Defeated Wildrose candidate Link Byfield, who helped found the party, is the son of Ted Byfield, whom McDonald calls the godfather of social conservatism.

Stephen Harper’s mentor Tom Flanagan was also Smith’s strategist and manager. Everyone from Ezra Levant, one of Flanagan’s former students, to people close to the prime minister were championing Wildrose, McDonald says.

“I think that threw the pollsters off, because suddenly people in Alberta woke up to the fact that this was not a refreshing new face of conservatism.”

Back in BC, Clark, too, has tapped former federal Conservative strategists as advisors — such as social conservative and former Enbridge lobbyist Ken Boessenkool, who became her chief of staff in February.

Clark’s team also includes Dimitri Pantazopoulos, a pollster linked to Toronto’s Mayor Rob Ford and the federal Conservatives who is now listed as assistant deputy minister of trade and federal-provincial relations in the BC government’s online directory.

In March, Sara MacIntyre, Harper’s former press secretary, became Clark’s communications director. And in April, The Vancouver Sun’s Jonathan Fowlie reported that Clark’s office confirmed former Conservative MPs Chuck Strahl, Stockwell Day and John Reynolds had been trying to mend the centre-right rift after Clark’s Liberals lost two ridings to the NDP in by-elections where votes for the BC Conservatives were a factor in their defeat.

“What she’s doing is obviously tapping a centre-right sentiment, with more emphasis on the right recently, to bring the right into the fold,” McDonald says.

“I would think her key strategist is Boessenkool,” McDonald suggests.

“He’s a fine strategic mind, and he has seen the likelihood of an alliance and of moving the party that way.”

Strong advisors can make a good campaign out of a mediocre one, Mair says, but he still thinks Clark and the Liberals are fighting a rearguard action.

Though Clark is not suffering from the obvious “bozo eruptions” that derailed Wildrose, she may be suffering from bad advice to lean right at every opportunity — advice given by people from the same conservative family that guided Wildrose to defeat.

Ultimately, whether she goes down in flames or not, the polls make one thing clear right now: Clark is not well liked on either end of the political spectrum.

And that is a problem for any premier, especially one seeking reelection at the helm of a sinking ship.

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Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! JUNE 14, 2012

SURVIVING TRAUMA

VANCOUVE3 1RI%& My boyfriend *4 +645 "306/% raped me 5)& $03/&3 q Ultimate Pride Guide will be released in the July 26 Pride edition of Xtra q 22,000 copies will be distributed in Xtra and to local businesses q Largest and most comprehensive guide to Pride events in Vancouver #PPLJOH %FBEMJOF Wed, June 20 "SUXPSL %FBEMJOF Wed, June 27 3FMFBTF %BUF Thurs, July 26 Don’t forget to inquire about our QSF 1SJEF, 1SJEF and QPTU 1SJEF issues

Ask the Expert Dr Pega Ren

Dear Dr Ren, I have been in what I thought was a good relationship for the past year.

My boyfriend and I had a mostly monogamous agreement, although I suspected he strayed while travelling and I occasionally had anonymous hookups, though we never talked about them.

About a month ago Steven found out about one such experience of mine and became completely irate.

We talked it out and I thought we were okay, but several days later, during sex, he raped me “to teach me a lesson.� I ended the relationship and have since moved out, but I’m a mess.

What do I do? I don’t think services for rape victims are geared for gay men. Where do I go for help?

Traumatized Dear Traumatized, Wow. You have layers of hurt and loss to count, don’t you? You are suddenly single, you realize the “contract� you had with your boyfriend wasn’t what you thought it was, and you’ve been attacked sexually. Good for you for calling it what it was: rape.

And good for you, too, for leaving the situation immediately, despite what must have been a great deal of pain and confusion. After such a violation of trust, you would never have been able to rebuild a loving and mutually respectful relationship. The leaving would have been inevitable but could have taken a much longer time.

Many services are designed for women, but not all. Vancouver offers the BC Society for Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse, as well as the Health Initiative for Men (HIM), which is designed speciďŹ cally for gay men.

We know so much more about trauma recovery now than we did even a few short years ago. With the advances in knowledge brought by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we are learning how the brain processes all sorts of information, including trauma.

Recent investigations into how trauma memory is established, and how it can be mitigated or even expunged, have been tracked using fMRIs. So many broken soldiers have returned from the Middle East that research is being generously funded to learn how to help those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). What we know is that the longer someone lives with terrifying memories, reliving them without relief, the more hard-wired those memories become and the more difficult it is for the victim to return to a place of composure and normal functioning.

Sometimes researchers ďŹ nd connections in surprising places. Happily for you and others, this occurred when scientists noticed that victims taking the anti-hypertensive drug propranolol were placed in therapy immediately following a traumatizing event. They were asked to recount the event in detail, over a series of weeks.

What the therapists found was that

those on propranolol came to be at peace with the event, externalizing it and ďŹ nding that it lost its gravity.

Those soldiers with equal trauma reactions but without propranolol did not experience the same softening effect of the therapy. This treatment was most effective when begun shortly after the trauma, its reparative effect diminishing with time.

This is but one of the treatment modalities we are ďŹ nding effective in dealing with trauma. EMDR, a technique using eye movements, tones or tapping, is another. Some antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications may also prove effective during therapy with a sensitive and highly trained trauma therapist. You have options.

The point is that you have just recently been traumatized. Now is the time to find appropriate help. The longer you wait, the more established the trauma pattern becomes.

You have acted completely appropriately to this point. You did not excuse or mitigate your boyfriend’s behaviour, and you immediately removed yourself from the situation and the relationship. You realize that you would beneďŹ t from professional help. And you acknowledge that you are “a mess.â€?

You may ďŹ nd that you receive a less than supportive response in some social circles when you disclose that you have been raped, even though that is what happened. For years married

THE LONGER YOU WAIT, THE MORE ESTABLISHED THE TRAUMA PATTERN BECOMES. women were judged incapable of being raped. You may well encounter similar prejudice and ignorance. Don’t buy it.

That said, your friends can offer you tremendous support at this time. You are mourning the loss of your love and your home. No matter how that came about, your buds are the best ones to help you through that. Don’t be afraid to let them do so.

And next time, you may want to design a contract with clearer content. If you want a “monogamish� arrangement, ask for it. If you want a “Don’t ask, don’t tell� deal, say so.

If polyamory is for you, speak up.

Though your lover’s response was inexcusable, he’d likely defend it by saying you had deceived or betrayed him. Honest negotiation from the beginning might have prevented this horrible outcome.

But that’s for the future. Right now ďŹ nd yourself a sensitive and qualiďŹ ed therapist who can help you mitigate the damage this trauma can cause.

Then get on with a happy life.

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

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XTRA! JUNE 14, 2012

15

arts › entertainment › leisure

Out City IN THE

listings ›

ART, PERFORMANCE RMAN NCE E & FESTIVALS LS A Queer Cabaret baret

Queer Active is a new go-to resource for youth (ages 16–25) who want to participate in queer sports organizations in the Lower Mainland. Wed, June 13, 7–9pm. Caya, 808 Davie St. For more info, visit queeractive.com.

Quirk-e presents an s, evening of readings, theatre, music and films al by intergenerational queer old(er) and ed, young(er) folks. Wed, m.

June 13, 7–9:30pm. munity Roundhouse Community house Centre, 181 Roundhouse ion, $5–1 15 Mews. Door donation, $5–15 sliding scale.

DJ Riki Rocket spins hip hop, R&B, dancehall and more. Fri, June 15, 10pm–2am. Canvas Lounge, 99 Powell St. $10 advance, available online only. $5 door before 10:30pm, $10 after. flygirlproductions.com

Noir Fetish Ball Farewell to The Cobalt party; includes dungeon play space.

50/50 draw to benefit PACE. Resident DJ Logik and guest. Sat, June 16, 9pm–2am. The Cobalt, 917 Main St. $9 before 10pm, $12 after.

Lipstick It’s all about late-night cocktails and getting sexy on the dancefloor to the tunes of DJs Kasha Kennedy and Agent 99. Thurs, June 21, 9pm–2am.

Ginger62, 1219 Granville St. Free before 11pm, $5after.

VASM Dungeon Play Party Takes place in the dungeon space at M2M, 1210 Granville St. Fri, June 22, 8pm–midnight. $7 M2M members, $13 non-members.

Leather Brunch For Vancouver Men in Leather members. Also looking for chefs willing to help prepare the food.

Sun, June 24, 11am–1pm. West End location. Limited space.

RSVP required at vml.board@ hotmail.com.

Gear Saturday

A comedy about two wo lesbia lesbians ans from the future sent nt on a mission to recover a time capsule apsule from the Lesbian Collective, circa 2169. Thurs, June 14, 8pm (The Junction Pub, 1138 Davie St); Sat, June 16, 8pm (Roberts Creek Hall, Sunshine Coast); and Thurs, June 28–Sat, June 30, 8pm (Havana Theatre, 1212 Commerical Dr). For ticket info, visit leapingthespians.ca.

Pam Ann: Around the World The A-list hostess to the stars puts the humour, glamour and thrill back in flying, jetsetting into Vancouver on Sat, June 16 and Sun, June 17, 8pm. Vancouver Playhouse, 601 Cambie St. Tickets available at ticketmaster. ca or call 855-985-5000.

Bridging the Rainbow Cabaret Show A fundraiser for the Royal City Pride Society and Surrey Pride Society, featuring Mz Adrien, Taylor Mayd, Celestial Seasons, Kiki Lawhore and many more. Sat, June 16; 7pm doors, 8pm show. The Columbia Theatre, 530 Columbia St, New Westminster. For more info, visit royalcitypridesociety.com.

Friends of Dorothy Hosted by Ryan Steele and Amy Gee, featuring a performance by Raye Sunshine. Thurs, June 21; 8:30pm live show, 9pm movie.

Rio Theatre, 1660 E Broadway. $8 at the door.

Truckerdisco: Canada Day

Project Empty Bowl

MEETINGS & GROUPS Dear John, I Love Jane A peer-support group for women who have left, or are considering leaving, straight relationships.

Tues, June 26, 7pm. Qmunity, 1170 Bute St. RSVP to maureen@ leavingmenforwomen.com.

XANADU

IS READY TO SHINE

Once upon a Lesbian

Dress code: leather, rubber, fetish. Features dungeon and demos. Sat, June 30, 10pm.

PumpJack, 1167 Davie St. Follow Vancouver Men in Leather on Facebook.

DJ Taffi Louis teams up with Seattle’s Trouble. Sun, July 1, 9pm–2am. Club 23 West, 23 W Cordova St. $8 before 10pm, $10 after. For more info, check out Truckerdisco on Facebook.

Never Toning Down ›17

THEATRE TH T H HEATRE

For more listings, s, go to xtra.ca x

PARTIES Queer Active Coming-Out Party

Sweet

IF YOU DON’T LIKE A JOKE, DON’T LAUGH — MOVE ON.

An evening dedicated to the memory of David Holtzman, in support of A Loving Spoonful.

Hosted by The Beat 94.5FM’s Jonny Staub. Fri, June 22, 6:30pm. Coast Coal Harbour Hotel, 1180 W Hastings St. $100.

Tickets available at 604-6826325 and alovingspoonful.org.

Margins Zine Launch Margins is an unapologetic Vancouver-based print and electronic zine produced by a group of self-identified indigenous women, women of colour and queer women. Sat, June 30, 7pm. Rhizome Café, 317 E Broadway. Free.

Movie bomb remade as campy gay musical

A

Mark Robins

S ONE OF THE INSPIRATIONS for the creation of the annual Golden Raspberry Awards (the “Razzies”), which recognize the worst in film each year, the 1980 musical fantasy Xanadu, starring Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly, was one of that decade’s biggest bombs. But let the gays get hold of it — and suddenly it’s magic.

“At the centre of this awful movie was a gem,” says original Broadway producer Robert Aherns, who first encountered an illegal version of Xanadu onstage in Los Angeles in 2001.

Mixing Greek mythology with legwarmers and roller skates, Xanadu tells the story of the muse Clio, who descends from Mount Olympus to 1980s Venice Beach to inspire struggling artist Sonny to establish his greatest creation: a roller disco. Disguised as an Australian roller girl, in an obvious nod to Newton-John, Clio falls in love with Sonny, risking eternal banishment to the underworld.

“On the surface, the love story is totally heterosexual, but where it gets gay is in its flamboyance and in the fact that it doesn’t hold back. It really is bold, and no one on the team was too concerned that it was too gay,” Aherns says.

The fact that the movie version was such a failure didn’t dissuade Aherns, who obsessed over the film as a gay kid, persevered and finally acquired the rights to the story.

Aherns enlisted the help of writer Douglas Carter Beane, whose work includes the screenplay To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, to pen the script for his new Broadway stage version.

“Douglas had written a spoof called As Bees in Honey Drown, which both celebrated New York and made fun of it at the same time,” Aherns explains. “I had an idea that he would poke fun at Xanadu in the same vein. The movie was really flawed, and we were trying to let the show finally be what the movie might have been.”

The resulting stage version, which re-

All the songs but only five lines of original dialogue. Xanadu, the oh-sogay play, opens June 21 in Vancouver.

DAVID COOPER/ARTS CLUB THEATRE COMPANY

tains the film’s original songs but only five lines of its dialogue, not only satirizes the so-bad-it’s-good film, but builds on its camp sensibilities. With tongue firmly in cheek, Beane even lets one of the characters in his Xanadu acknowledge just how gay the show really is by declaring, “This is like children’s theatre for 40-year-old gay people!”

Local gay director Dean Paul Gibson, who is at the helm of this summer’s Arts Club version of Xanadu, immediately saw the camp.

“This show is fucking gay as all hell,” says Gibson, who sees Xanadu as an antidote to the more classic canon he is used to directing, including his work once again at Bard on the Beach this summer.

“From this horrible, horrible movie came this oh-so-right musical, which has been made gayer than gay in this live musical version,” Gibson says. “We gays have been sending stuff up since history began, and with a show like Xanadu we

can take these characters and blow them up even larger.”

Actor J Cameron Barnett agrees. He is immensely proud of the fact he is basing his own character on another larger-thanlife character from the 1980s: Solid Gold’s lead dancer Darcel Wynne. “Finally, I am not only able to be exactly who I am, but I’m able to turn up the volume. I’m so excited that I get to jump around and be gay onstage this summer,” Barnett laughs.

For Aherns, Xanadu never tried to be something it was not: “It was different and wacky and it makes no apologies. And that is exactly what being gay is: being true to yourself.”

the deets XANADU Thurs, June 21–Sat, Aug 4 Granville Island Stage, 1585 Johnston St Granville Island artsclub.com

16

Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! JUNE 14, 2012

DANCE

Meet your partner & promenade Vancouver hosts gay square-dance convention Beth Hong JOHN MCKINSTRY REMEMBERS HIS first gay square dance, in 1989, when he was struggling to cope with the deaths of friends and acquaintances to HIV/AIDS, then a relatively unknown disease.

“I needed to be a part of something,” the 66-year-old recalls. He went with a friend to St Andrew’s-Wesley United Church, where they danced for two hours with complete strangers. By the end of the class, he was hooked.

Now he heads Squares Across the Border, Vancouver’s official gay squaredance club, and still square-dances every week.

This month, Mckinstry and the Squares will host more than 800 dancers from North America, Europe and Asia for the 29th annual International Association of Gay Square Dance Clubs convention, taking place in Vancouver from June 29 to July 1. There are 52 gay square-dance clubs in North America, and clubs also exist in Europe and Asia.

While the number of convention delegates is as high as ever, Mckinstry is concerned about the dwindling number of new members joining his club every year.

Part of the declining interest could

be attributable to the sheer volume of options young gay people now have to meet and socialize in public spaces. For Mckinstry’s generation, joining a gay square-dancing group meant safety from harsh social stigmas. While he’s happy to see the freedoms younger gay people enjoy today, Mckinstry hopes they’ll still give square-dancing a chance.

“People think square-dancing is always square,” he quips. “This is not your high school square-dancing.”

Doreen Frisson agrees. The 49-yearold dropped into a Squares Across the Border lesson for the first time last October. A straight woman, she and her partner Jeff were seeking a squaredance club where they could learn to dance in different gender roles. In traditional square dance, strict rules dictate that men lead and women follow.

Frisson recalls grinning ear-to-ear at her first gay square-dance session, when she was finally able to learn the lead role. She says she and her partner have more fun with Squares Across the Border than they do dancing in straight clubs.

“I was having such a good time,” she recalls. “And just the proficiency, as well — they’re really good.”

Frisson isn’t fazed by being one of

the few straight women in the club.

She practises every week and enjoys dancing without the restrictions of traditional square dance. “Learning the male part makes me a much more flexible dancer,” she says.

Patrick Aubert came to square dance through his parents. Before moving to Vancouver last January, the 50-yearold lived in Toronto, where the local gay square-dance club included many straight couples and straight female members. Now settled in Vancouver, Aubert says he’s found a true community with Squares Across the Border.

THIS IS NOT YOUR HIGH SCHOOL SQUAREDANCING. “It’s friendships set to music,” says John Mckinstry, whose gay square-dancing club will host the annual International Association of Gay Square Dance Clubs convention in Vancouver this June. BETH HONG

“The club is very inclusive,” he says.

“Anyone is welcome, regardless of their age, race and gender.”

Asked if gay square-dancing for him is a political statement, Aubert is firm: gay square-dancing is first and foremost a fun activity for anyone in the community who loves the dance.

According to Aubert, square dance combines physical exercise, mental stimulation and a healthy dose of laughter. “The class that I go to, we complain afterwards because our faces hurt because we laugh so much,” he says.

This June will also mark the end of Mckinstry’s long-time term as the head of Squares Across the Border. Sitting at his dining room table in his Vancouver home, Mckinstry flips through a photo album from the last major international gay square-dance convention held in Vancouver, more than a decade ago. He even pulls out a well-preserved copy of Xtra West from the 1990s, promoting the club’s lessons and dances in the community.

Mckinstry has come to terms with the fact that the current generation of young gays will have different challenges and opportunities. He is optimistic about the future of the club and hopes that younger people will take a chance on square-dancing as an enriching social activity.

“It’s friendships set to music,” Mckinstry says. “We laugh so much every time.”

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NEVER TO

17

COVER STORY

NING N W O D

Comedian Darcy Michael stays true to his skinny new self Robin Perelle

I’m very glad to hear you’re not dying.

Is that why you changed your look?

HEN I FIRST MET Darcy Michael, he was a raunchy, weedsmoking, dick-driven, scruffy gay father living in Ladner and making people laugh. Today, he’s all those things, minus the scruffy.

Having shed 120 pounds and shaved off most of his hair in the last year, Michael may seem unrecognizable at first glance, but he’s still the irreverent bitch who used to play the Majestic and host Xtra’s community achievement awards.

Only now he’s embarking on a crossCanada tour, releasing a new special on DVD and developing his own talk show.

I sat down with Michael on May 30 to talk about change, success and never toning down. Here is an excerpt from that interview.

Well, I had a health scare. So I was like, okay, let’s pay a little more attention.

W

XTRA: It’s great to see you again, Darcy, but I have to tell you, I didn’t even recognize you.

DARCY MICHAEL: That’s the goal. I have a lot of enemies, so it’s really nice because now I can walk by and smile and they don’t have a clue who I am.

It’s weird, right? I get freaked out when I see reflective surfaces. I’m like, “Who’s that? Oh, it’s me.”

When I first met you, you were living in Ladner, scruffier, hairier, heavier, and you called yourself the Undercover Fag. Who are you now?

God, I don’t know. I’m adorable, though!

If I had known I was this cute, I would have put an effort in years ago.

I don’t know who I am anymore. I just know that I’m not dying and I feel fantastic.

But if you’re no longer the Undercover Fag . . .

I have no act! I know, I know!

I was going to say! Doesn’t that mean you have to change part of your act?

Well, the DVD — that’s all retired now.

The new DVD, One Skinny Bitch — I wanted to record it and get it out there because I knew the act was done.

Oh god, no! No, if anything, I could care less now. Well, you’ve seen the special.

It’s super raunch.

— Darcy Michael

I love the special! I was so relieved. It was great.

Yeah, if anything I think I have more freedom now than I ever did before because my confidence is through the roof. Probably over-confident, if anything. But, I could give a fuck! You know, I’m having a great time and if people don’t like what I’m doing, then there’s the door — you don’t get a refund.

No one’s safe. Nothing’s untapped anymore in the new show.

Is there anything you won’t touch?

DARCY MICHAEL: ONE SKINNY BITCH

Uh, no. I think if it’s funny, it’s funny.

Like, I talk about my cancer in the show, and people don’t like that sometimes. I deal with it in a different way than you deal with it.

You don’t want to sit next to me at a funeral is what I’m saying because that is when I’m the funniest. My mom won’t let my dad and I sit together because he can’t hold it together. Like, dark hours are when I’m super funny.

Fri, June 15 and Sat, June 16 Shows at 8 and 10:30pm Yuk Yuk’s, 2837 Cambie St $16–20 darcymichael.com

You know, my favourite part from the new special is about adopting a Filipina woman from Walmart. I walked around saying, “Oh-kay . . .”

the deets

I GET MORE FLAK FOR SAYING ‘FAG’ ONSTAGE THAN I DO FOR ANYTHING ELSE — AND THAT’S FROM THE COMMUNITY.

Okay, but you’re worrying me a little about the new act. When I first saw the ad for your special, I factored in your new look and your increasing success, and I thought, “Oh no, he’s not toning down, is he?”

R ANDALL COSCO PHOTO

Before and after. If Darcy Michael is no longer the Undercover Fag, who is he? And more importantly, who will he be on stage?

Oh-kay! It’s weird because I hesitate with jokes like that because — I don’t think there’s anything racist about the joke per se. But people get very sensitive about race-related humour. So I do get hesitant, but I do love that joke.

Do you ever take any heat for not being politically correct?

Not yet. But I just think the wrong people haven’t seen it yet! You know, because I do make some pretty racy jokes, especially in the newer stuff. Like, equating my weight loss to AIDS probably is going to get me into trouble, but hey — it’s the glow that counts!

But how important is it that it might get you into trouble?

I don’t care. When you dissect comedy, then you’ve clearly got too much time

on your hands. If you don’t like a joke, don’t laugh — move on. That’s the way I look at it. If someone says something that I find offensive, shitty for me.

Talking about comedy is like dancing about architecture. There’s no point.

You either laughed or you didn’t, and then you move on.

I get more flak for saying “fag” onstage than I do for anything else — and that’s from the community. I don’t care. Faggot is a word that I love and use and will take to the grave. I think we’re at a point in society where we’re trying to desensitize all our language, and I’m adamantly against that. We have words to use that are powerful and strong when they need to be, and fun and campy when they need to be. And if we start taking words out of our language, then we have no way to communicate with each other.

So you’re playing at Yuk Yuk’s in Vancouver soon, in time for Father’s Day. You, a weed-smoking, dick-driven, raunchy-as-hell dad. How cool is that?

Father’s Day weekend is perfect for me because there will be people coming to the show, bringing their dads and stuff, and it’s like, hey, there’s other types of dads out there. Just don’t bring Social Services, that’s all I ask.

I promise I won’t call them. Hey, is it hard having such a brand new look after all the years of getting yourself known with the previous look?

I’m like the Madonna of comedy — I’m just always gonna switch it up. Two more years, I’m gonna be Asian. Although, if I smoke any more weed today, I could be Asian . . .

It is so good to see you again, Darcy.

It’s been great, thank you.

Watch our full interview, plus clips from Darcy Michael’s new show, at xtra.ca.

18

XTRA! JUNE 14, 2012

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19

AMONG THE QUEENS

Fit for a Queen Blitz & Shitz Raziel

T

HERE WERE SO MANY PERsonalities backstage at the 11th annual Fit for a Queen, I felt like all the voices in my head had escaped. The show was one of the best drag events I’ve seen, and that’s saying something, because I get around . . .

Every time I’m backstage with drag queens I feel so lucky. It’s like vaudeville on a crack rock that’s been sprinkled with glitter and bath salts. Those bitches sparkle, and they’ll chew your face off!

Shooting Stars Foundation combines the arts and charity to raise money for people with HIV/AIDS. The funds provide supplemental healthcare, food and shelter. I love when you get good karma for partying. That’s how it should be.

None of this “I’m going to spend 15 hours a week volunteering at an old folks’ home wiping some decrepit queen’s ass, which is so wrinkled it looks like Rachel Zoe’s forehead before botox.� I want glamour for my charity, damn it! A man in a sparkly dress always suffices.

The tension was high backstage as the girls squeezed themselves into their corsets, but being nervous is good!

Nerves turn into adrenaline when you

hit the stage and make your stilettos skyrocket. Syren and Sienna Blaze brought serious stamina with their choreographed routines. Iona Whipp, who’s back from her New York trip after winning Vancouver’s Next Drag Superstar competition, made it seem effortless. Kiki Lawhore’s performance was theatrical and campy. The whore is a showgirl!

Joan-E hosted the evening (when doesn’t she?!) and was at her finest.

Maybe it was all the free wine backstage, but she has never made me laugh so loud. The crowd was in the palm of her hand. She sang “For Once in My Life� and “Minnie the Moocher� live, and her voice is so evocative! She should never lip slur again.

Party people Come Friday is The Cobalt’s new weekly, with Ion Magazine music editor Trevor Risk DJing. It’s one of the only Friday night parties offering an alternative to top 40 (and the people who like it). I thought that with a name like “Come� there’d be more gays in attendance, but I didn’t mind reppin’ — I live to dance for a room full of hipsters.

The night deďŹ nitely has potential, even if straight people can be such a yawn.

Tropical Love Connection (TLC) is every Wednesday at The Biltmore.

There’s some love up in there. Local band Juice performed an intimate

The To-Do List YARD SALE I used to go to yard sales with my grandma when I was kid and loved it. There’s just something about people’s old shit that I ďŹ nd exciting. It’s why vintage gives me an erection. I went to the Friends for Life yard sale last year and there was tons to look through. They get lots of donations, and I went home with some wonderful books! It’s also a social event, so come down to The Diamond Centre for Living, at 1459 Barclay St, on June 23 and say hi to some friends . . . for life.

Raziel is surrounded by the sparkling stars of Fit for a Queen: (back row, left to right) Kiki Lawhore, Mandy Kamp, Coco, Devana DeMille, Conni Smudge, Raziel, Joan-E, Vivian Von Brokenhymen, Syren, Dame Hope Diamond, Tatiana; (front) Sienna Blaze and Iona Whipp. VICTOR BEARPARK

set and had the danceoor tight. TLC gets its crowd moving in a kaleidoscope of colour to beats by DJs Peter Ricq, Robbie Slade, Wobangs, Bee and #Basedgoth, with visuals by Chase Waste. Check out its Facebook page for mixtapes!

Hustla is the standout monthly queer party. Dave Deveau is doing it solo — and well! His homo hip-hop night at The Cobalt is packed with the hottest boys. The Summer Slam edition

brought out dancing beach bodies, and DJ That’s So Raven turned up the heat. Success is as sweet as some Peach Cobblah!

PS I’m slowly turning into one of those old gay guys who loves owers and birds, so I went to the VanDusen Botanical Garden and hugged an Acer palmatum.

I’ve been smiling ever since.

EVERY NIGHT IS HALLOWEEN Sharing is good! RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 4 winner Sharon Needles is being brought to town

by TFD Presents (Tommy D wants me to be sure to remind you of that). And rightfully so! This is Sharon’s ďŹ rst Canadian show since her win. There’s a great lineup opening, and I can’t wait to see her perform live at Five Sixty on June 23. If you’re not riding that Poni, you don’t exist. I’m ďŹ lming an interview with Sharon backstage for xtra.ca!

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4 Acco m m od Resources ations Acco unta nt Banking Ba Apar tments Ar t Ga s Ad ul t Adve rtisi ng Busin ess &nkruptcy Bars & Club lleries Ar t Supplies Agencies AI DS/H IV Ar tis s Bicy Professio na Butchers Ca l Orga ni za cles Bookkeeping Bots Ar ts & Craf ts tio ns Busin ok Co m m un ity rpet Cleaning Caterin ess Su pp lies & Magazines g Gr Ch ou at ps s & Se Lin Contractin & Se rvice es Cheese Shops Choc rvice s Crises Servg & Renovations Co s Co m pu te r Co ns ul olatiers Dermatologices & Shelters Cros okware Cosmetic ta nt s Co ns tr uc tio Gardening y Drag Entertainms-Dressing Dating Se Services Counsellin n & Barbers Graphic Design Serviceent Events Framingrvices Dental Service g Home ImprHealth & Personal Care s Grocery Gyms Hair & Posters Furnitures ovements Removal Ha In Inv nv & Repairs HoHealth Food & Nutritio ve ir Stylists essttm men ent Serrv n tels Illustra viiice ces Leather Li t Se tors InsuranHome Furnishings elle le lerry ry & fe Legal Se Jewel ce Interior De elle le lerrs Certified/Re rs Juice rvices Lim Jewel ce Bars Kitc sign ou gi st sin t er ch e he ed Massage en Services Lo & Storage ns ns Lawyers r Personal TrM usic Optical Serv Meats & Delicatesse cksmiths Massage s ice ns in ain de s M er Op or xd s tg to Pe ire ages MovingPh t Care Pet ctory.cametris ts Or ho otog grra ap ph Si he ga e r s Pl um tting & Bo Publicatio er m bi b ng arding Pet nic Food Painting g Po P ol it icciiaan Stores & Su nss Ps P sy Re crea tio ns Real Es tate Real lit ycch h ollo ho pplies og gi g issttss Pssy n Re fle xo y ycch gen Cafes Sexu logy Re no Es tate Ag ho e otth nt ts he s Real erra aap py Ta x Se rv iceal Counselling Spa va tio ns & Re storat Es tate Investmentsy Se io s ns rv ices Take Re stau ra nt Tree Service Te le co m m un ic Ou t & Deliv s& at io ns Tr an s Trophies er Yoga y Ta Upholstery sp g Acco com m oda Web Sites or ta tio n Tr avel Agttooing attio tiiio on HIIV nss Acco V Resour mod Weddings c un nttants Adu Women’s Seen ci es Banking Ba ces Aparttmen ullt Adve nttss Art Ga rvices e rt t isi nk sin all n ng ru l lle g er pt rie A Ag ies i sA cy Bars encie Art Su Busin ess & ess AI up pp AID pllie DS ess Arttisttss Ar cci S/ / Professio na & Clubs Bicycles Bo S Butchers Ca rtts & Cr okkeeping tis l Orga ni za C afts rp Bo et tio ok Cl ns Busin es s & Magazinet eaning Cate Co m m un ity s rin s Su pp lie s & g Chat Lines p & Se rv Contractin y Grou ps Se Cheese rvice s ice s Co pu Crises Servg & Renovations te r Co ns ul Shops Chocolatiers ns Cook m p ices & Shelt ta nt s a re e Co Dermattollo Cossm ers Cross- war met etic ic Service Co ns tr uc tio n og gy y Dr D Dr es ra ag sin g s En errttaain E g Dating Se Gardening Cou nsse ellllin inment E ling Graphic De tte rvices Dent un Events Fr & Barbers He sig al Services F am min i g&P alth & Pers n Services Grocery Gy Posters Fu Home Im Furrn onal Care He m ni s mpr itu it Ha tu p ovem re re ir Re e ments m alth Food & ts & Repairs Inv Inve essttm Nutrition Hooval Hair Stylists men ent Serrrv r Hotelss Illu viice I usst me Furnish ce ess Je stra Leather Li t Se rato ew we torrss Ins ellle ler e ing ns r y fe ur u s & an Le Je ew ce c Int gal Service we le Inte ler errs Juice Certified/ errio ior iorr De D sign s Limousin el e d/R Re eg g gis istte tc t hens ere er e Services Baarrss Kiitc ed d Meats Music Op ns Lawyers ts & Delic ptical Service Lo r ck li ca sm at te es essse iths Massa en Pet Care Pe s Op nss Mor ptomet orttg ge ga ag age ess Moving ganic ing & ora Pl um bi ng t Si tting & Boardi rists Org ag ge ng Pet Stor Food Painting Po lit e l itiici g Personal Stor iccia ia an nss Ps yc Esta es tVA Tr teNC y & ch ain Re Rea ho Su ol ers OU all Es lo l pplies Phot og giist VE issttss Ps ta t R’ teSAg P sy AGA ge ycch Reno en BUva ographers nt Yts h ho ts&Re otth SItio RLEalSB he NEnsSS&DI erraap Es E py st IA y ta at N Pu te t Re RE e Inv I b bl stor CTat lic ica essttm Serv attio OR tments io ns ioY n s Real ns Restaura ve t R crre SPice RINsGTa k12e Ou eatio 20ke nts & Cafe s Re Transp flex live erry xo xolo or tation Trt & Deliv y ttooin s Sexual Con Refle log l y oing g Ta avel AgencieTatto Tax unselling Spgy Sites Weddin x Se S er rv vic i ice ce es s s a Te Tr gs Women leco om mmunica ’s Services ee Services Trophieslec ic ion nss Yoga Upholsteryattio Web

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1) Keeping the crowd limber. No arthritis here! 2) Meg Torwl and Adrienne Bradley. 3) Jeanette Piry and Carol Irene Weis. 4) Ralph Henderson, Vancity sponsors Adanma Ugoalah and Mike O’Toole, George Cameron and Clyde Rowett.

5) Don Alison, Bryan Araiza and Paul Avery. 6) Don Meakins, Walter Kalyn and Mauro Joao. 7) Clockwise: Judy Lonergan, Generations coordinator Alexandra Henriques, Cheri Fry, Vera McKee and Vera Traff.

Expand your contact list.

Canada’s gay & lesbian business directory — in print and online.

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21

A World of Gay Adventure

Manchester England’s sexy northern city Story & photos by Matt Mills

S

OME OF THE MOST LIVABLE and visitable cities in the world are those with histories of profound socioeconomic decline from formative periods of unbridled prosperity. It’s in those places, often in the looming shadows of greedy metropolises, in which gay travellers are most likely to find innovative expressions of art and culture by interesting and welcoming locals. Manchester, in North West England, is one of those cities. It rebuffs the glamour and gravitas of London and so may not be a destination that springs immediately to mind for gay travellers planning sojourn in the United Kingdom. But as a city in the midst of rejuvenation, or for those looking to become truly acquainted with authentic British culture on an intimate level, Manchester really is worth a stop. It just might be among the most gay-friendly places you’ll visit.

The hearth and home of Manchester’s gay community lies along and around Canal St in the city’s core. It’s here that the original 1999 television series Queer as Folk was set and shot, which is perhaps why this charming and tidy cobblestone street with its

Canal St, above, is the epicentre of gay nightlife in Manchester.

Manchester Pride 2011 grand marshal Pam Ann and her flight crew before the parade.

At right, handsome ruggers in the 2011 Manchester Pride Parade.

Mixologist Ray demonstrates the Smokey Old Fashioned at The Alchemist, far right.

contiguous string of spacious gay bars and clubs feels so familiar even to the first-time visitor. This is not by any measure a gay village or community in decline. The place hops at weekends, with a selection of nightlife for every taste. There is also a complete and mature gay community apparatus — the Western gay franchise system of rainbow flags, community centres and organizations, historical markers and Pride celebrations.

Central Manchester is very walkable. Following the city’s Lesbian and Gay Heritage Trail is a great way to find the lay of the land. On foot, grab a copy of the Manchester Gay and Lesbian Village Guide from the Manchester Visitor Information Centre on Piccadilly Plaza. Then from Canal St, spot and follow the rainbow-flag tiles embedded in the pavement. Following the whole route could take a couple of hours, but you’ll likely get pleasantly distracted along the way. Tap into Manchester’s gay zeitgeist quickly by picking up a copy of local publication Outnorthwest or by tuning in to Gaydio at 88.4 FM or online at gaydio.co.uk. You’ll find Mancunians friendly and eager to know and welcome visitors, especially those from Canada.

XTRA! JUNE 14, 2012

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At left, vibrant graffiti near Piccadilly Gardens. Above left, a reveller in the 2011 Manchester Pride parade. “Father of computer science, mathematician, logician, wartime codebreaker, victim of prejudice,” reads the dedication on the Alan Turing Memorial in Sackville Park, above right.

Snapshot At Via, a large for-everyone social venue on Canal St my first night in Manchester: “Fancy a snog?” asked the gorgeous and smiling young guy with the tattooed arms.

I stood out as a stranger in the city, and likely as Canadian. He intercepted me on the way to the men’s room.

I thought I knew what a snog is but didn’t want to be wrong.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m not from around here. What’s a snog?”

He rolled his deep brown eyes, glanced away and back.

“A French kiss,” he dared with curled lip and raised eyebrow.

It was a soft and brief encounter, a warm, sincere and welcoming kiss between strangers, one of those tiny but unforgettable travel highlight moments. And it embodies the friendly cheekiness and swagger of Mancunians. That’s not to suggest spitswapping is a customary greeting. The story is merely a titillating example of a sentiment expressed in myriad ways to visitors: random conversations on street corners, sample tastes in shops, friendly smiles and ribbing from those who overhear your accent.

Culture Football has been the most popular sport in the United Kingdom since the 1860s, and it is Manchester’s beating heart. Home to Premier League teams Manchester United and Manchester City, as well as the National Football Museum, the city revolves around the

game. The season runs virtually all year, and even if you’re not a sports fan or know nothing about soccer, the spectacle ought not to be missed.

For the theatre buff, the architecturally fascinating Royal Exchange Theatre offers a seemingly perpetual roster of affordable programming and community events. It’s also a good place for a quick coffee or tea when you’re out and about during the day.

A book lover? Chetham’s Library is a remarkable example of 15th-century architecture, bearing distinction as the oldest working public library in the English-speaking world. It’s also the site of early collaboration between Communist theorists Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Call ahead for access, tours and reading-room time.

Interested in artistic expression as activism and shaper of popular culture? Manchester Art Gallery has a great collection of pre-Raphaelite works. Admission is free.

Make a brief visit to the Alan Turing Memorial in Sackville Park. You’ll remember Turing as the genius who broke the Enigma Code, allowing Allied forces to predict the movements of German U-boats during the Second World War, and who laid the foundations for modern digital computing.

Despite his contributions, he committed suicide in 1954 following his conviction and public humiliation for gross indecency after admitting to having had sex with another man.

This year is the 100th anniversary of Turing’s birth, and there’s something about using your iThing to snap and

face-tweet a picture of that statue that smacks of sweet justice and the circle of life.

Cuisine One of the most tiresome clichés about the UK in general and Manchester in particular is the pork-pie and takeaway curry reputation for bland, boiled and batter-fried food. Mancunians seem to preemptively and apologetically insist they have been trying really hard to build their in-kitchen brain trust. And honestly, it’s not at all peculiar when in Manchester to squelch hunger pangs by simply wolfing down whatever street meat you happen upon.

Cuisine just isn’t as central to cultural expression as it is in some cities — nor is hockey, snorkelling or bullfighting — and that’s just part of the practical charm. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t some real resto-gems to be found in Manchester. Australasia offers a world-class dining experience.

The décor and vibe are modern-chic, the service is incredible and the menu of Euro-Asian fusion delights is todie-for. Every detail is topnotch here, making it easily worth a splurge. For a more casual choice, Smoak Bar and Grill offers a delicious selection of beef dishes that might be described as British-American fusion. The place has great atmosphere.

For a truly unique cocktail bar experience, take your friends to The Alchemist. Aside from fine food and amazing cocktail concoctions, this place offers a cocktail master class in which resident

mixologists will teach your group of six or eight how to make some of the amazing drinks offered at the bar. It’s a lot of fun and you get to drink your work. Try the Smokey Old Fashioned; it’s more experience than cocktail.

Pride Manchester Pride, which falls in the second half of August, is a fantastic spectacle. This is a well-developed and -attended, star-studded celebration that seems to be by, about and for gay people. In 2003, having wrestled with the corporate-sponsorship-versuscommunity-constituents conundrum and in the face of a looming financial crisis, the Manchester Pride organization took an initially controversial but ultimately effective approach to liberating itself and ensuring its future stability. Rather than relying entirely on corporate sponsorship and government support money to pay the bills, Pride’s constituents — its communities of gay people and festival attendees — became its financiers.

Manchester Pride charges a cover fee — not for stage areas or beer gardens, but for general festival admission.

The gay village is entirely fenced off for the duration of the event, a period of days, and admission is restricted to those who have purchased the requisite wristbands. Attendees actually pay for Pride, quite modestly, on an individual basis. The notion of paying for Pride may be something of a bitter pill, but Manchester Pride is not beholden to the whims of corporate sponsors or

Be YOU in Manchester

conservative politicians; it is run by gay people, it puts on an amazing celebration, and donates tens of thousands of pounds to local gay and lesbian organizations each year.

Inside the gates, the bars and clubs of Canal St do a swift trade. You can walk freely in the streets with a drink in your hand. The atmosphere is electric. It’s one of the best Pride experiences to be had.

For complete listings and more information on the Manchester gay scene, visit guidemag.com.

To start planning your trip, go to visitmanchester.com.

on the web Outnorthwest ›lgf.org.uk/outnorthwest Visit Manchester ›visitmanchester.com Chetham’s Library ›chethams.org.uk Manchester Pride ›manchesterpride.com Manchester Art Gallery ›manchestergalleries.org Via ›viamanchester.co.uk Australasia ›australasia.uk.com Smoak Bar and Grill ›smoak-grill.com The Alchemist ›thealchemist.uk.com National Football Museum ›nationalfootballmuseum.com Royal Exchange Theatre ›royalexchange.co.uk

Find out why YOU should be at Manchester Pride? Voted ‘Best Pride’ for the last five years by the UK’s Pink Paper, isn’t it time YOU booked a trip to Manchester! visitmanchester.com/lgbt

24

XTRA! JUNE 14, 2012

London

DAVID LLIFF. LICENSE: CC-BY-SA 3.0

A city of colourful and confident character Aefa Mulholland

‘‘W

H E N A MAN IS tired of London,” proclaimed Samuel Johnson, “he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.”

Dr Johnson, that pernickety old snark, had putdowns for pretty much everywhere else, but he was a fierce champion of his chosen city. When his companion James Boswell countered, “The only disadvantage is the great distance at which people live from one another,” the doctor was swift to rally to London’s defence, “Yes, Sir, but that is occasioned by the largeness of it, which is the cause of all the other advantages.”

London is certainly large; there are 7.83 million crammed into the city and more than 12 million in the metro area. The size and sheer human density can be daunting, but, as Dr J pointed out, such largeness does lead to an abundance of “other advantages.”

Sometimes ostentatious and stylish, sometimes honest and earthy, London has grandeur, grit and every gradation in between. Another great champion of the city, two-time prime minister and lifelong Londoner Benjamin Disraeli, proclaimed that his hometown offered “a roost for every bird,” and this collection of completely eclectic components gives the city its colourful, confident and often contradictory character.

This year, London is even more colourful — and it’s got a distinctly celebratory air as the city gays up for an exciting summer. The city hosts WorldPride from June 17 until July 8, with a crowd of more than a million expected for the celebration.

And, of course, for those counting down the days till Antwerp’s Outgames in 2013 and Cleveland’s Gay Games in 2014, the city also hosts a small sporting event this summer: it’s London’s third time hosting the Olympics and Paralympics, July 27 to August 12.

On first visits, sashaying around major sites is obligatory. You have to cross those legendary spots off your bucket list — Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace, the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, the London Eye and the wealth of world-renowned museums. The Underground makes this easy to accomplish in a few days. If the weather’s on your side, go “overground”; central sights are often closer than you’d think looking at the maps. But, lest you spend your time solely in the centre, London has plenty more to offer than just palaces, pomp and pageantry. Leave behind the traffic-clogged arteries, long lines of tired tourists and commuter-jammed Tube and you’ll find a kaleidoscopic array of roosts for queer birds of every feather.

The River Thames has shaped London’s history, geography and personality since the first Romans settled here in the first century. On a nice day, or on a budget, an excellent way to take in many of the big sights, including the London Eye, Tower Bridge, London Bridge, Shakespeare’s reconstructed Globe Theatre, St Paul’s Cathedral and the Tate Modern, with bonus photo opportunities of Big Ben and Westminster, is to walk along the Thames’s South Bank. The laid-back bars at the British Film Institute Southbank (bfi.org.uk/southbank), site of the annual London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, make a perfect mid-saunter stop for a coffee or drink.

When it heats up, Londoners take to the slew of parks and gardens around the city. Gay-popular parks include Princess Diana’s former home, Hyde Park, and St James’s Park, a gay cruising ground since the 1700s (when it was noted that men would “signal to each other . . . then retire to satisfy a passion too horrible for description”). These days, London’s gays and lesbians also head north to Hampstead. Something of a local secret, Hampstead Heath’s separate men’s and women’s swimming ponds become a mecca for sunning, swimming and picnicking gay men and women whenever the sun shines. The spring-fed ponds are just two of 30 in the 320-hectare park. Nearby, in Hampstead Village, the 200-year-old King William IV (kingsboutiquehotel.co.uk) came out as a gay bar in the 1930s. Book ahead for Sunday lunch; it’s become an institution.

London offers a smorgasbord of eating experiences, from cheeky gastropubs, perfect for pints or a Sunday roast with Yorkshire pudding, to quintessentially British afternoon tea spots. It’s hard to choose between Devon cream scones at Kensington Palace’s Orangery, celebrity haunt The Berkeley’s (the-berkeley.co.uk) figureconscious treats, or Fashion Afternoon Tea (with pink meringues and Royal Doulton china) at The Mandeville (mandeville. co.uk). The Mandeville also does a burly afternoon tea with whisky and games. Who said afternoon tea had to be delicate?

For something more substantial, Thursday through Saturday, stroll Borough Market (boroughmarket.org.uk), under the arches of London Bridge station, for an ostrich burger or fish and chips with mushy peas. The white-hot Dabbous (dabbous.co.uk), in Fitzrovia, is next to impossible to get into but worth the effort, with its stripped-back fine dining and strikingly modern décor.

BARS AND CLUBS

Pretty in pink at London Pride 2011. COLM HOWARD-LLOYD

Nestled between Chinatown, Charing Cross Road’s dusty bookstores and the high-street shopping of Oxford St, Soho is London’s traditional gay hub. At night, the narrow streets around Old Compton St fill to overflowing with gay men, tourists, bicycle rickshaws and impatient cab drivers.

While Soho is London’s main gay village, there’s also a raunchy club scene in Vauxhall; in South London; various queer spots in North London, including Camden, home of the famed Black Cap (theblackcap.com); and Stoke Newington, where you’ll find several predominantly lesbian pubs. Increasingly, hip Shoreditch shenanigans pop up on the iCals of the city’s gay and straight scenesters. Try Dalston Superstore, home of über-cool gay nights such as Sissy Sports and Hot

COLM HOWARD-LLOYD

Boy Dancing Spot, achingly hip Jaguar Shoes ( jaguarshoes.com) or Passing Clouds (passingclouds.org), situated in a former print works in Dalston, to get the ambiance of the east.

Women who time their visit right can coincide with the BFI’s Southbank Surfing (southbanksurfing.com) night, where, if you’re solo and let the hosts know in advance, they’ll introduce you to people.

The rest of the month, Soho’s Candy Bar (candybarsoho.com) packs in the girls.

For bar and club listings, check Gingerbeer (gingerbeer.co.uk).

ACCOMMODATION The flamboyant Haymarket Hotel (firmdalehotels.com) pairs design and spacious rooms in a fantastic West End theatres– adjacent location. The Langham (langhamhotels.com) is a grand old meringue of a hotel where Oscar Wilde attended literary salons, 20 minutes’ walk from Soho.

The Cadogan (cadogan.com) offers Green Carnation packages, in homage to the carnation-wearing Wilde, arrested in room 118 in 1895. Budget stays can be had from $60 at easyHotel’s six no-frills locations (easyhotel.co.uk) in Victoria, South Kensington, Earls Court, Paddington, Barbican and Heathrow. Another wallet-friendly option, Outlet (outlet4holidays.com), lists gay-owned/gay-friendly apartments and rooms, and, for those who really love London, long-term lets.

Visit guidemag.com for city profiles on other popular destinations in England, such as Birmingham, Blackpool, Brighton, Bristol and Liverpool. Read about Manchester on page 22.

At top, night settles in on the River Thames. Above, one of the other queens of London.

Trip advisor BARS & CLUBS Admiral Duncan The Hoist

LODGINGS Astors Hotel Grim’s Dyke Hotel

SAUNAS & SEX CLUBS Chariots Vauxhall Pleasuredrome

SHOPPING & SERVICES London Eye Clone Zone For information on more than 200 gay and lesbian places of interest in London, visit guidemag.com.

on the web London Tourism ›visitlondon.com UK Tourism ›visitbritain.com Pride London & WorldPride 2012 ›pridelondon.org

Guidemag.com

XTRA! JUNE 14, 2012

A World of Gay Adventure

25

FROM HIGH ALTITUDE Last-minute getaways TO HIGH CAMP LA CAGE IN LAUDERDALE

La Demence takes its party to the Mediterranean.

Five must-dos in Palm Springs PALM SPRINGS ART MUSEUM

PALM SPRINGS FOLLIES A campy, Broadway-style night out.

Starting its 22nd season in July, the Palm Springs Follies is a classic variety act featuring music and dance of the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s — performed by “a cast old enough to have lived it” and occasional guest stars. Lorna Luft, the other Garland daughter, will perform for a month starting in November. › psfollies.com

PALM SPRINGS AERIAL TRAMWAY The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, the “world’s largest rotating tramcar,” offers a breathtaking journey up the sheer cliffs of the rugged Chino Canyon. Starting at Valley Station, on the north edge of Palm Springs, the 5873-foot ascent toward the snow-capped peak of Mount San Jacinto takes 10 minutes. It’s a oneof-a-kind experience that guarantees spectacular views, no matter the season. › pstramway.com

EURO PARTY & CRUISE La Demence is an infamous monthly party in Brussels, known for attracting as many as 2,000 gay men of all ages and styles: “leather boys, fashion victims, muscle queens, drags, young and old,” according to organizers.

Dress code–free, it draws heavily from France, the Netherlands and Germany; many make the trip on chartered buses from Cologne and Paris. Hot Italian, Swiss, Spanish, British and American boys round out the crowd.

Each July, La Demence also organizes a gay cruise, featuring nonstop pool parties. There’s still space available for next month’s voyage aboard the 700cabin Horizon.

The cruise is scheduled for Sunday, July 22 through Sunday, July 29. It departs from and returns to Marseille, with stops in Naples, Taormina and Ibiza, where the ship stops overnight.

Cabin prices start at $1,332 euros per person, double occupancy.

Glenda Guilfoyle at the Follies. NED REDWAY

MOUNT SAN JACINTO STATE PARK Known for its magnificent granite peaks, subalpine forests and fern-bordered mountain meadows, most of the Mount San Jacinto State Park is a designated wilderness area beloved by hikers and backpackers. With its dramatic landscapes and ever-changing light, it has long been an inspiration to artists and writers. The park has two drive-in campgrounds near the picturesque town of Idyllwild. › parks.ca.gov

More information at lademence.com.

JUNGLE RED

US PRIDE HOTEL DEALS

It’s big, it’s long and it’s hard. If you’re in the mood you can sit on it. It’s also Palm Springs’ most recognizable public sculpture. Installed in 2008, sculptor Delos Van Earl’s Jungle Red graces the entrance to Warm Sands, the most vibrant gay neighbourhood in Palm Springs.

Read more about Jungle Red in our Palm Springs city guide at ›guidemag.com

West Coast Wilderness Lodge

The Millennium Hotels and Resorts group is offering a special Pride rate of 15 percent off the best available rate at many of its US hotels. Here’s a sampling: Cincinnati: June 23–July 1 Minneapolis: June 23–24

St Louis: June 23–24 Boulder: Sept 16

Oceanfront lodge and Eco Spa on Sechelt Inlet, Sunshine Coast, BC One night accommodation, dinner for two with your choice of kayak, hike or bike activities!

every d til 8:0 ay 0pm

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ou

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Check the website for a complete list of locations and dates. Book online using the special rate code “PRIDE” at millenniumhotels.com, or call 1-866-866-8086.

67 1 2 ,6 ' $ 0 ( ( 81,21 67

7+ $9(

What began as a museum about the desert in 1938 has evolved into the centre of the desert’s art community.

The Palm Springs Art Museum focuses on modern and contemporary painting and sculpture, including works by historically significant West Coast artists and contemporary native American artists. › psmuseum.org

Hop down to Fort Lauderdale to visit the Riverwalk Arts & Entertainment District and catch the perma-tanned George George Hamilton stars Hamilton in a stage in La Cage aux Folles. production of La Cage aux Folles.

The Be Grand, Be Fabulous La Cage Escape includes a three-day/two-night stay at The Grand Resort and Spa, Fort Lauderdale’s largest gay men’s resort; two orchestra-level seats at a performance of La Cage at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts; daily continental breakfast for two; and a one-day unlimited-privileges pass for two on the Water Taxi.

Package rates start as low as $134.50 per room, per night, excluding taxes. Book until June 24. For reservations or more information, call 1-800-8181211 or visit grandresort.net.

The Riverwalk Arts & Entertainment District features more than 1,000 events each year, attracting more than 1,000,000 visitors. Check out riverwalkae.com for more info.

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26

XTRA! JUNE 14, 2012

Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Real Estate ADRIAAN SCHIPPER

Xtra’s guide to the lucrative gay & lesbian housing market.

TO ADVERTISE CALL 604-684-9696

DAVID TUNG

your neighbourhood realtor

www.AdriaanSchipper.com Direct: 604.818.8265 email: schipper@telus.net

P R E M I E R

R E A LT Y

Selling Homes In Our Community for Over 19 Years

RE/MAX CREST REALTY(westside)

604.266.1364 | WWW.DAVIDTUNG.COM

Independently Owned and Operated 3215 MacDonald St. Vancouver BC V6L 2N2 Office: 604.732.1336

Real Estate

PROFILE

Knowledge, experience and advice for all your real estate needs

Top 1% of Royal LePage Canada and #1 in the office NEW West End centrally located one bed updated home in the Greenhorn. $329,900 NEW Why rent? Completely renovated studio in rainscreened 789 Drake $275,000 NEW 2 for 1! Rainscreened 2 bed, 2 bath, HUGE BALCONY in 789 Drake $429,900 NEW PRICE Live/Work loft inspired 831 SF home in West Pender Place $529,000 SALE PENDING Top floor 1 bed in THE ANDALUCA $425,00 JUST SOLD Garden Level 1 renovated 1 bed in 2059 W 2nd

E

M

L L IO DA

M

N

CL U B

M LS M

more info at mikeandwill.com

E M B ER

DIAMOND AWARD

Mike Wilcox 604 782 3545 Will Pratt 778 772 4252

IANEGGLETON NEW LISTING

Recently Sold

508-1177 Hornby Street, Vancouver. $355,000

1830 Stephens St, Vancouver

Notable features include beautiful solid hardwood & new tile, custom casings & baseboards, stylish lighting, reno’d kitchen with butcher block counters and stainless appliances, & a gorgeous new bathroom. Free laundry on every floor. 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.

LISTED: $1,578,000 SOLD: $1,580,000

604-773-1443 www.ianeggleton.com

ian@ianeggleton.com Re/Max Clara Hartree PROUDLY SELLING VANCOUVER AND THE NORTH SHORE

Thinking about moving to New West?

Brother & Sister Team David & Cindy can help! #511-549 Columbia Street, New Westminster $349,900 Stunning Top Floor warehouse style condo at C2C lofts! Boasting almost 900 square feet. tastefully decorated, super spacious, beautiful light with floor to ceiling windows, over 12 foot high ceilings, laminate flooring, laundry room, s/s appliances, s/s window coverings and quartz kitchen counters. Completely renovated, ready to move in!

David & Cindy Gering Royal Lepage Coronation West 778-822-0775 www.newwestcondo.com

Being passionate, driven and committed in providing above average service and results within his chosen career has placed Chris in the top 10% of REALTORS® for sales and listings within the West End area over the past year.

To learn more about Chris and the results he can provide to you as a valued client, please visit

www.chriswendland.com

Chris Wendland

Macdonald Realty Ltd. 1050 Howe St Vancouver Mobile: 778-232-8319 Phone: 604-689-5115 Fax: 604-689-5665

cwendland@shaw.ca

Gorgeous Kitsilano character house with three separate suites offering excellent revenue opportunities: occupy one and retire off the rents! Prime location, “North of 4th,” in the heart of Kits, close to the beach, seawall, 4th Ave shops. The house was substantially rebuilt and renovated in 1992, beautifully retaining its character details inside and out. The topfloor, two-bedroom (bedroom plus loft) unit is architecturally stunning, with a bright, open plan, big rooms, claw-foot tub, walkin shower and French doors to its own large sunny deck. The lofted second bedroom offers mountain and some water views. From the front porch, the mainfloor, one-bedroom unit features nine-foot ceilings, lovely leaded and stained-glass windows, fireplace, claw-foot tub and enchanting sun deck.

The garden-level, two-bedroom unit has a wonderful private garden outlook and its own English country– inspired patio. This is very special, a rare opportunity!

David Tung 604-266-1364 davidtung.com Coldwell Banker

more at xtra.ca

ADVERTISING FEATURE

XTRA! JUNE 14, 2012

27

Michael Chiu

Real Estate

“Finding Your Dreams A Home!�

GLOSSARY

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

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

P rofessional

I n Touch

Top 10% of all Lower Mainland Realtors - 16 years

D ependable

Former Gay & Lesbian Business Association Board Director

Susan Cameron

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

Xtra! West Reader’s Poll

R esponsive

E thical

Buyer’s Market:

VOTED BEST REALTOR

Donates 5% of commissions to your favourite charity upon purchase of a new home

Award-winning service to the Gay and ,ESBIAN #OMMUNITY FOR OVER YEARS

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

P R E M I E R

4 YEARS IN A ROW!

R E A L T Y

#1102 1188 Howe St Vancouver $300,000

West Coast Realty

AMENITIES GALORE! Great entry level or investment suite at 1188 Howe. Building amenities include pool, hot tub, sauna and gym. Recent upgrades include a renovated lobby and hallways. The suite was used as a furnished rental suite, and all furnishings are negotiable. Rentals and 1 pet allowed, 1 parking stall and locker included. Please allow time for viewings as the suite is tenanted.

Timothy James Moreau

604-831-9130

timothym@sutton.com www.timothyjamesmoreau.ca

404-1838 Nelson Street

#409 1367 Alberni St, Vancouver $278,000

West of Denman Street... in one of Vancouver’s most sought after location.

Nestled above the tree lined streets enjoy the fresh air from your ample size balcony.

Open design with bright interiors. NW corner well appointed one bedroom with full appliances. Fully rainscreened with warranty, new windows, new plumbing.

One underground parking. One locker, bike room, gym, sauna, whirlpool.

Truly an urban oasis within minutes to community amenities, vibrant shopping, fabulous restaurants, English Bay, Stanley Park. Pet friendly. 688 square feet of living space. Here today and gone tomorrow! $428,000.

GREAT LOCATION! “The Lionsâ€? is a favorite for ďŹ rst time home owners or investors. The location is second to none, steps from Coal Harbour, Robson Street, and Stanley Park.

The building offers ďŹ rst 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/ex space. Rentals and 1 pet allowed. 1 parking and 1 storage locker included.

NE

W

E IC R P

#2101 1228 W Hastings St, Vancouver

$969,000 COAL HARBOUR VIEWS! This spacious oor plan with overheight ceilings at the Palladio offers great water and mountain views from the living and dining rooms. The large open kitchen with heated ooring, gas stove and plenty of counter space will delight the hobby chef. The spacious den can be used as a home ofďŹ ce or guest room. The location is second to none, with the seawall just steps away and shopping and restaurants within minutes from the front door.

Rentals and 1 pet allowed. 1 parking & 1 storage locker

Klaus Rode

604.760.5856 | www.klausrode.ca

Bruce Ward Realty Ltd. 400 - 1525 Robson Street Vancouver, BC V6G 1C3

West End $428,000

MICHAEL K. CHIANG (C) 604-657-7266 Sutton Group - West Coast Realty

Have a Real Estate or Mortgage question on your mind?

› Call 604-684-9696 x124

or email realestate.vancouver@xtra.ca

28

Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! JUNE 14, 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

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

ADDICTIONS Orchard Recovery

604-947-0420

ADULT 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 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

APARTMENTS CAPREIT

caprent.com

ARTISTS 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 royalbank.com

BATHHOUSES Steamworks Vancouver 604-974-0602

BATHROOM Ripples Kitchen & Bath

604-879-6999

BEAUTY CARE David Blue Hair Design

604-688-2583

BEDDING Bernstein & Gold Interiors Mr Mattress Simmons Mattress Gallery

BLINDS 604-263-0050

BOAT CRUISES & CHARTERS Waterway House Boats 1-877-WATERWAY

BODY DESIGN & MODIFICATION

604-733-0166

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

HOLISTIC HEALTH

NATUROPATHY

Integrative Healing Arts Sequoia Thom MA

Dr Anita Komonski 604-738-1012 778-786-3677

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

HOME THEATRE INSTALLATIONS

604-568-7655

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

ORGANIC FOOD & MARKETS Vancouver Farmer’s Market

604-879-3276

PAINTING Pro Works Painting TLS Painting

604-715-0985 778-995-1665

CATERING

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

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

EVENT PLANNING & PROMOTIONS

CLEANING & MAID SERVICES

Flygirl Productions

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

FARMERS’ MARKETS

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

Vancouver Farmers’ Markets 604-879-3276

LAUNDRY SERVICES

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Laundry Valet

Feeling Photography sweet earth photographics The Shooting Gallery Vancouver Photo Walks

Adorned Precision Body Arts

778-231 2-653

BUSINESS SUPPLIES & SERVICES Mail Box Plus

604-683-1433

BUTCHERS Tango’s Gourmet Meats 604-681-2121

CAMPGROUNDS & CAMPS Triangle Recreation Camp camptrc.org

Travel Clinic

604-736-9244

CLOTHING - DESIGNER Astor & Black Mr Mz Boutique

604-785-0002 604-558-2005

CLOTHING - GENERAL Original Leather Factory Walk This Sway Designs

604-839-9819

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

FINANCIAL SERVICES Jennifer Maier

604-468-0888

FIREPLACES Vancouver Gas Fireplaces

604-732-3470

604-298-3770

FITNESS & EXERCISE

604-418-6328

Hot Stone Massage Therapy

604-366-4386

CLOTHING - VINTAGE

FLORISTS

Deluxe Junk Co

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

604-685-4871

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

FUNERAL SERVICES 604-568-7478 604-684-5307

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

604-669-5051

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

FURNITURE

COMPUTER SALES & SERVICES Mac Station Vancouver WhiteWay IT Solutions Ltd

macstation.com 778-384-1210

CONSTRUCTION

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 Carruthers Dermatology Centre Inc 604-714-0222 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

COURIERS Mail Box Plus

604-683-1433

DENTAL SERVICES 604-687-1535 604-255-2113

604-662-3290 604-873-3337 604-70-SMILE

ENTERTAINMENT

COUNSELLING

BANKING RBC Royal Bank

604-255-5097

EDUCATION & INSTRUCTION

CLINIC

ALTERNATIVE HEALTH

Emily Carr

604-687-1535

Dr Sam Daher Redtree Dental Yaletown Laser

BICYCLES Bernstein & Gold Interiors Jett Grrl Bike Studio Budget Blinds

Accounting+ Best Books Inc Felicity Webb

Wega Video

gay-owned and gay-friendly businesses

Aarm Dental Group 604-647-0006 Dr Dean Wershler Inc 604-688-4080 Dr Langston Raymond 604-687-1008

604-568-1206 604-440-8792

GROCERY Safeway

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

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

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

604-947-0420 604-736-2033

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

Wallmount Tronics

778-960-4447

JEWELLERY Benée Rubin Jewellery Design Gurvin Jewellers Saatchi & Saatchi Fine Jewellery

604-278-8456 604-736-5956 604-685-5625

KITCHENS

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

604-327-7433 604-298-3770

Nextstep Communication

next-step.ca

MASSAGE 604-366-4386 778-997-9642 604-789-0857 250-813-2939

Brian Mount RMT 604-254-4272 Burrard Health Centre Massage Therapy 604-816-0210 Coastal Winds Massage Therapy 604-568-2480 Linda Duncan RMT 604-630-0101 Rick Girardeau RMT 604-345-0248 Sharon Jackson RMT 778-320-5561

MASSAGE - EROTIC A1 Massage 778-828-4683 handsomehands.ca handsomehands.ca Masculine/Muscled/Mature Erotic Massage/Escort 604-719-3433 Sequoia Thom, MA 778-822-4408

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 Chris Cornborough

604-765-4823

MOTORCYCLES & SCOOTERS East Side Re-Rides

604-568-8959 604-904-2008 604-433-2913 tisol.ca 604-566-9974 604-318-1277 778-865-4131 604-254-5869 604-318-1277

PHYSIOTHERAPY & REHAB Andrea Martens Eric Hoppe

604-669-8233 604-669-8233

PLUMBING Hillcrest Plumbing & Heating

604-879-1415

PRINTING east van graphics Mail Box Plus Baker Street Agency

604-327-7433

RENOVATIONS & RESTORATIONS Mr Build 604-732-8453 Klondike Contracting Corporation 604-708-3337 maison d’etre design-build inc 604-484-4030

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

SHOPPING Denman Place Mall

604-684-9254

SKIN CARE Integrative Healing Arts

604-738-1012

SPORTS & RECREATION

604-568-1206 604-683-1433

604-294-6574

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

STORAGE Freeway Mini-Storage/U-Haul 604-251-2017

STUDIO SPACE

PSYCHICS

The Dance Centre

Opal Professional Intuitive

THEATRE

604-655-4698

PSYCOTHERAPY

MASSAGE CERTIFIED/REGISTERED

MASC

PET STORES Bow Wow Haus Broadway Korna Natural Pet Supplies Ltd Pet Habitat Tisol Yaletown Bosley’s Pet Food Plus

PRIVATE INVESTIGATORS

LIFE COACH

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ANNOUNCEMENTS ›

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