Xtra, Vancouver's Gay and Lesbian News

CHRISTIANS LOSE Can’t refuse gay couple: ruling ›11

PILL TO PREVENT HIV US approves Truvada ›12

VANCOUVER’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

JENNA TALACKOVA On her Vancouver Pride debut ›14 #494 JULY 26, 2012

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PRIDE! Roger Chin on love, & other unforgettable Pride moments ›27

COMMENT 6 XCETERA 9 NEWS 11 OUT IN THE CITY 33 XPOSED 47

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XTRA! JULY 26, 2012

Side effects affecting your plans?

Talk to your doctor about managing your HIV. Visit the Canadian AIDS Society at cdnaids.ca/CanWeTalk to learn more.

Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

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Teachers are everywhere...

We’re part of the community too.

The Vancouver Elementary School Teacher’s Association, representing elementary teachers and adult educators in Vancouver, is proud to advocate for transgender, lesbian, gay, bisexual, two-spirited, intersex, queer and questioning teachers and students in our public schools.

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Roundup #494

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Jenna Talackova named Pride grand marshal ‘I almost think it was an act out of my vanity to join a pageant, and it ended up helping so much,’ the former Miss Universe contestant tells Xtra.

›14

NEWSFRONT

OUT IN THE CITY

Christian B&B discriminated

Fully fledged house of gay nuns

No, you can’t deny a gay couple a room just because you’re Christian, BC Human Rights Tribunal tells Grand Forks, BC, couple. › 11

Vancouver’s Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence will have extra cause to celebrate this Pride when their abbey achieves a status not seen in Canada for more than 25 years. ›33

US approves HIV prevention drug The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a drug that could significantly reduce the risk of HIV infection in uninfected individuals. › 12

Vancouver Pride Society sues WE newspaper The Vancouver Pride Society is suing WE Vancouver for $25,000, alleging the weekly newspaper misrepresented itself to potential advertisers as the publisher of this year’s Official Pride Guide. › 18

REGULARS

Commentary › 6 Xcetera › 9 Xposed › 47 COLUMNS

Naked Eye Gareth Kirkby › 6 Guest column Kevin Dale McKeown › 31 Blitz & Shitz Raziel › 45 CARTOONS

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OPINION

LISTINGS

Speaking freely

Parties ›44 Meetings & groups ›44 Art, festivals & performances ›44

The case of the vulgar comedian, his latest court appeal and his undervalued right to express himself freely. ›31

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editorial › feedback › debate

Comment

NUDITY IS NOT SEXUALITY, ANY MORE THAN APPEARING IN PUBLIC WITHOUT CONCEALING ONE’S NOSE IS AN ACT OF SNIFFING.

In youth’s image INBOX Naked Eye Gareth Kirkby

T

I M E TO G E T OU T T H E short-shorts and strut for Pride.

We’ve got a lot to celebrate. Many of our goals from the last two generations can now be checked off, human rights laws for gays and lesbians chief among them.

I’m most impressed with the new generation of activists, many of them still in high school, increasingly members of cultural minorities.

They’re using cogent, often sophisticated arguments to persuade others, including school board trustees, to help them build a better world. Even when that world conflicts with their own parents’ views.

I had trouble arguing against my parents at home as a teenager, let alone taking on their views at a school-board meeting.

The new activists have their own priorities, as should each generation of active citizens, though it’s also important that they learn from our collective history. They want to change the world to reflect their views of freedom and equality, adding new layers of flesh to the bones of Canada’s great Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Yet, perhaps in keeping with our time, most I’ve spoken with don’t even consider themselves activists but rather just people caught up in something they consider important.

Of course, that’s exactly what an activist is — and why so many in our community have always been activists regardless of our individual comfort with the label.

So, yes, we’ve made much progress for many in our communities to live comfortable lives. And yes, the next generation continues to make its own progress.

But our struggle for our day in the sun is not over.

Until kids grow up not being bullied, until students are routinely taught a gay-inclusive curriculum, our battles will not be over.

Until gay teachers are not under pressure to remain closeted. Until King George Secondary School is renamed after Jane Rule.

Until the “homosexual panic defence” can no longer be used to get a light sentence for murder.

Until police and the Crown vigorously investigate and prosecute gaybashings and routinely invoke the hate-crime designation at trial.

Until trans people have recogni-

tion of their rights and free access to surgery.

Until threesomes are legal. Until Canada Customs loses its power to seize anything it wants at the border (even material that would be legal if produced in Canada). Until government stops trying to censor or control every new technology, including the internet.

Until there is a free vaccine for AIDS. Until rational science and harm reduction is at the heart of all health policy and practice.

Until seniors’ residences respect sexual orientation and allow residents to have sex.

Until government funding treats gay tourism and queer arts and culture as worthy.

Until society embraces sexuality and gender as just facets of who people are — admittedly complicated, but desirable facets that pose no risk to anyone.

Until, in short, church and state have been pushed back from regulating people’s choices and imposing morality, and the Christian heritage is wiped from our legal codes.

And until countries around the world, including the particularly homophobic former British colonies, recognize sex- and genderbased rights and freedom for all — our work will not be done.

This will take a while, of course.

Gays and lesbians, and others who bend the borders of desire, will not be free until people overcome their individual and collective fear of sexuality.

Fear of sexuality, and gender difference, is deeply wired in Western culture and the world’s three major religions. Gays and lesbians, specifically our sexual expression, are the personification of that fear, the monster under the bed if you will.

I know this work will continue here and internationally as successive generations engage with our issues, add to the list, and go about changing the world in their image.

And that excites me, not least because after 15 years at Pink Triangle Press as an editor, publisher, producer and engagement director, I’m moving on in my day job, seeking and welcoming new challenges in meaningful work.

I move on with the spirit of Pride: celebrating who and what I am — who we are — and at the same time committed to doing my bit in my spare time to continue building community. Happy Pride, Vancouver! See you around.

Gareth Kirkby is a former managing editor of Xtra and senior manager of Pink Triangle Press.

“The outcome that we seek is this — gay and lesbian people daring together to set love free.” Xtra is published by Pink Triangle Press, at 1033 Davie St, Ste 501, Vancouver, BC V6E 1M7.

Comox St victory WHAT A LONG OVERDUE victory for renters in the West End [“Council Approves 1401 Comox,” Xtra #493, July 12]! Finally, a small bit of relief from renovictions and the oppressing wrath of the gentrifiers who adamantly oppose all rental housing, and therefore renters, in the tired old belief that they negatively affect their property values. If you don’t like renters don’t buy into a rental neighbourhood.

While this new development won’t solve all our rental problems, it will have some local effect on gouging landlords and their renovictions. New units will siphon off many potential renoviction customers who will prefer new and green to old and tarted up.

The tower will not be out of place as it is comparable in height to the 18-storey tower next door. The proposed prices are within range of local non-profit housing market rentals.

The loss of the church was a foregone conclusion as it was poorly constructed and plagued with structural problems over much of its existence.

The original church had been lost to fire many years ago.

When the site first went on sale, several local non-profits tried to purchase it, but the price tag and the potential cost of renovations made their interest no more than a pipe dream.

Vancouver is a city of renters — it is time we started building for the majority instead of the over-controlling minority.

Blair Petrie Vancouver, BC

Jesus didn’t hate homosexuality LIKE MANY CHRISTIAN MINisters, pastor Norm Funk of Westside Church thinks he is knowledgeable on the subject of human sexuality, which is a very complex and diverse phenomenon among the human population [“Homosexuality Is a Sin: Westside Church,” Xtra #492, June 28].

Whether or not homosexuality is clearly prohibited in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, Jesus is the best source we have regarding how to live a good life as best we can.

When Christ, a Jew, lived on this Earth, the Jewish people were occupied by the Romans, among whom homosexuality was quite visible regardless of how it was understood or experienced. In all his preachings to the crowds and multitudes, did Jesus ever warn them against such practices? Not at all!

Since Jesus never raised the issue, why do our present church leaders, including those in the church of my birth, the Catholic Church, continually do so?

In fact, Christ’s sharpest words were always directed, not at the Roman occupiers, but at the religious leaders of his time, exposing their hypocrisy and

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

many of their unjust rules and regulations, which had little or nothing to do with the experiences of ordinary people.

When Jesus invited us to “love one another,” he simply left it up to us to discover for ourselves where that love might lead us. The fact that a woman can fall in love with another woman, or a man with another man, is the experience of many people, though a minority, around the world.

When Pastor Funk claims that “God loves the sinner but hates the sin,” he is reinforcing such an overworked and misleading statement, which is only partly true. Any opposition to our loving relationships, same-sex marriage, etc, is tantamount to spiritual abuse, since all love comes from God, our loving creator.

Dennis Benoit Vancouver, BC HOMOSEXUALITY IS NOT A sin. It is no more sinful to be born gay than it is to be born straight.

Furthermore, the Bible does not take “a clear stance against homosexuality.” The passages in the Bible that are frequently used to condemn gay people are taken out of context and misinterpreted.

Sinful sexual behaviours mentioned in the Bible include lust, promiscuity, prostitution, adultery and incest.

These behaviours are immoral for all people — straight as well as gay.

It would appear that Norm Funk assumes that you can’t be gay and Christian. He is wrong. He did get one thing right: Christians are not allowed to judge or condemn. That is for God to do. Our job is to love one another unconditionally.

To find out what the Bible really says about homosexuality, go to lighthouseofhopechristianfellowship.ca and click the About Us tab on the upper left side of the home page.

Peter Weir Vancouver, BC

It’s just nudity THIS PIECE [“LEGAL UNease,” Xtra #492, June 28] was timely, informative and important. However, the designer of the graphic organizer on page 14 seems to have drunk a bit of Judeo-Christian Kool-Aid in listing nudity under “public sexuality.” Nudity is not sexuality, any more than appearing in public without concealing one’s nose is an act of sniffing.

Greg DePaco, secretary NIFTY (Naked Iconoclasts Fighting the Yoke)

Gaybasher gets parole I’D LIKE TO KNOW WHAT HE will do to attempt to restore what he has taken away from the gay community [“Fountainhead Gaybasher out on Parole,” xtra.ca, June 29]. If he stops other people from gaybashing

comment Re: “Fountainhead Gaybasher out on Parole,” xtra.ca, June 29

This makes me sad.

—Andy F Montgomery

That’s Canadian courts for you.

—Laura Ann Davis Scaife To comment, go to xtra.ca.

that would help. But of course, it won’t help Dowrey.

Roger Chin

THE MAN RUINS ANOTHER man’s life and is already out on the streets? I love Vancouver, I love Canada and lived there over six years, but the one thing that always bugged me is how easily criminals get off. I’m not an eye-for-an-eye person, but the other extreme isn’t any better.

Michael San Francisco, CA THE ARTICLE’S CONTENT leads me to believe Woodward is sincere, remorseful and is taking all the right steps to recover and become a person of real value to society. “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.” — Mahatma Gandhi Richard Vancouver, BC

Changing times IT’S A TRANSFORMATIVE TIME we live in [“Stats Canada: Vancouver First Again in Reported Gaybashings,” xtra.ca, May 22]. With my job I have the opportunity to see many different cities. I recently had multiple layovers in NYC, maybe the epicentre for the gay rights movement currently in the US. The energy is different; something has changed.

Just walking the streets seemed to have a profound effect on me. It brought back memories from when I was attacked in 2008. However, it was a lucid moment. It was a feeling of how far we have come in just a few years’ time.

The spotlight on gay rights in America is at the forefront of our collective psyche. Turn on CNN or even Fox news and the topic is mainstream. People are changing. It is one thing to watch it on TV, but to see it with your own eyes firsthand is incredible. Having the president of the United States stand up for gay rights may be the most important thing that’s happened in a generation.

As I walked down 42nd St near Times Square, I witnessed two young men holding hands, unafraid and confident. Among the masses of diversity, no one even seemed to notice. This is all we ever wanted. It will be a tough road ahead, but we are changing the hearts and minds of the world. I’m proud to be part of it.

Jordan Smith Vancouver, BC

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noteworthy › updates › ephemera

Xcetera

PEPSICO

MOODY FOODIES

POTENT QUOTABLES

Sometimes I wish I was gay. I don’t want to have gay sex, I just . . .

I don’t want to be left out of things either.

– Comedian and current it-guy Louis CK on The Tonight Show.

THE HOMOPHOBIA DIET

Oreo, the famous cookie brand/ icing delivery system, recently came under fire for posting a picture of a rainbow-filled cookie in celebration of Pride. Of course, this brought on the ire of homophobes everywhere, who vowed to boycott. Well, following this illogical decision, we decided to look into all the other foods homophobes can no longer eat.

The results are . . . quite slimming.

KRAFT/NABISCO Not only will homophobes have to go without the tasty black-and-white Oreo cookie, anything else owned

by Kraft/Nabisco — Ritz Crackers, Fig Newtons, Teddy Grahams and Wheat Thins — all have to go, too.

GENERAL MILLS Yes, even the heart-healthy cereal giant has endorsed marriage equality.

This means no more Cheerios, Lucky Charms, Trix and even (gasp!)

Count Chocula!

If you’re against gay marriage, then I hope you like Coke: PepsiCo has publicly donated $1 million to the Human Rights Campaign, a US gay rights organization, and PFLAG. Pepsi, it should be noted, also owns Gatorade, Tropicana and the classic hillbilly staple, Mountain Dew.

GIRL SCOUT COOKIES The Girl Scouts of America have always been incredibly accepting of queer kids and have repeatedly come under fire from anti-gay advocates for their inclusionary practices.

Which means no more Thin Mints, Do-Si-Dos or Savannah Smiles.

STARBUCKS

ISTOCKPHOTO/THINKSTOCK

If you’re a homophobe, you can kiss your daily caffeine fix goodbye. The ever-present coffee chain endorsed marriage equality earlier this year, which means you’re going to have to bid farewell to those sugary frappuccinos.

UNVEILING

Reaching the Valley Abbotsford, not generally known as a bastion of diversity-embracing warmth in the heart of BC’s Bible Belt, is now home to a 230-foot-long, 7-foothigh mural celebrating just that.

Produced by Abbotsford Community Services, funded by the BC and federal governments, and directed by queer University of the Fraser Valley art prof Shelley Stefan, the mural spells out the group’s statement of diversity, which reads in

part, “We are of all races, all religions, all cultures, all abilities, all sexual orientations, all genders, and all economic levels. We speak many languages.

We value diversity.”

“I’m out and proud in the Valley,” Stefan says, “and projects like this one go to show that people are working very hard to effect positive change out here in the Valley. We’re doin’ it in the Valley!”

—Robin Perelle

PAINT BY NUMBERS

Percentage of Canadians who identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender in a June poll conducted by Forum Research for the National Post. Interestingly, the number of openly queer people doubled to 10 percent among respondents aged 18 to 34.

BREAKING NEWS › IS VANCOUVER OVER-POLICING THE CASSEROLES PROTESTS? › KENTUCKY LESBIAN’S JAW BROKEN IN ALLEGED ANTI-GAY ATTACK › THE RAP WORLD’S EMERGING GAY EMBRACE › JAMYE WAXMAN’S HANDJOB TIPS › WORLDPRIDE LESSONS FROM LONDON MORE AT XTRA.CA

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HAPPY PRIDE, VANCOUVER! VANCOUVER’S GAY& LESBIAN NEWS

Gay panic for dummies Blitz & Shitz. On xtra.ca.

EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS TO THE ISSUE: Victor Bearpark, Niko Bell, Ken Boesem, Sondi Bruner, Nathaniel Christopher, Tyler Dorchester, Jeremy Feist, Jeremy Hainsworth, Beth Hong, Shimon Karmel, Gareth Kirkby, James Loewen, Kevin Dale McKeown, Joshua McVeity, Raziel, Mark Robins, Rob Salerno ISSN: #1198-0613 PRINTED AND PUBLISHED IN CANADA ©2012 PINK TRIANGLE PRESS. XTRA IS PUBLISHED EVERY TWO WEEKS BY PINK TRIANGLE PRESS

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

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dispatches › issues › opinion

Upfront EDUCATION

A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE TRANSITIONING NOW, BECAUSE OF ME.

Jenna Talackova speaks openly about being an advocate and a Pride grand marshal › 14

HUMAN RIGHTS

Quesnel makes 20 One third of BC school districts now protect queer students Nathaniel Christopher ONE THIRD OF BRITISH COLUMBIA SCHOOL DISTRICTS now have stand-alone anti-homophobia policies after Quesnel implemented its Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity policy on July 11 with unanimous board approval.

“The next step for us is to focus on the implementation,” says Quesnel superintendent Sue-Ellen Miller. “We have a committee with many stakeholders to develop the education components and the anti-homophobia workshops and other things. This is just the beginning step to break down the barriers. We’re excited about the things to come.”

The new policy recognizes homophobic bullying as a “routine form of bullying that takes place in all schools.” Citing research done by the McCreary Centre Society, Egale and the BC Centre for Safe Schools, the policy also recognizes that “LGBTQ students and any student who does not conform to rigid gender-role stereotypes can frequently be the target of homophobic or transphobic bullying.”

“There are sections of other policies that address discriminating and bullying, and we needed one to specifically address sexual orientation and gender identity,” says board chair Caroline Mitchell.

“We know that with kids it’s really easy to tease when they think some“There are kids who are out thing’s different, so the now, but it is certainly not teachers and a principal representative of kids who had been working [on] could be out now, but we’re this, and we felt it imworking on it,” says Quesnel portant everyone, both District Teachers’ Association staff and students, feel president Teri Mooring. safe in our schools.”

COURTESY OF TERI MOORING Quesnel District Teachers’ Association president Teri Mooring says she and her colleagues looked to neighbouring Prince George school district for guidance on how to proceed with their own policy. “They had their GSA going for a while now, and we heard nothing but good stuff about it,” she says. “The teachers have been extremely active and supportive, so it’s interesting that their board is lagging behind while ours has always been supportive with these types of issues.”

In March, Prince George school trustees rejected proposals for a stand-alone anti-homophobia policy, opting instead to improve existing, general policies.

Mooring notes that there are currently no GSAs in Quesnel but hopes the new policy will encourage a core group of supporters to start one in the near future. “It used to be that kids would wait until they graduated before coming out,” she says. “There are kids who are out now, but it is certainly not representative of kids who could be out now, but we’re working on it.”

She says it’s really important for small-town boards and teachers’ unions to take a public stand in support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans equality. “We’re a small northern community, and there hasn’t been anything here to promote a broader-base community conversation about these issues.”

Christian B&B discriminated Private business can’t reject gay couple, tribunal rules Nathaniel Christopher THE BC HUMAN RIGHTS TRIBUNAL HAS ruled that a Christian couple violated a gay couple’s rights when they denied the two men accommodation at their Grand Forks bed and breakfast in 2009.

“There is a clear nexus between the Complainants’ sexual orientation and the denial of accommodation,” wrote tribunal member Enid Marion in her July 17 decision. “Their sexual orientation was a factor, if not the sole factor, in the cancellation of their reservation.”

Marion ordered Les and Susan Molnar to cease and desist their discriminatory conduct and to refrain from doing the same or similar in the future.

She also ordered the Molnars to pay Shaun Eadie and Brian Thomas $1,500 each as damages for injury to dignity, feelings and self-respect, as well as $344 for expenses associated with attending the October 2011 hearings, $850 for lost wages and post-judgment interest until the awards are paid in full.

Eadie and Thomas had each requested $2,500 in damages, but Marion decided on the lower figure as they were able to find alternate accommodation, and she saw no evidence of ongoing trauma, anxiety or other mental or physical detriment as a result of the Molnars’ discriminatory conduct.

“The only comment I have at this time is that I was never disrespectful to Mr Eadie or Mr Thomas,” says Les Molnar, who told Xtra July 17 that he disagrees with the tribunal’s decision. “Somehow it came out in the decision that my comments on the phone were disrespectful. In a less-than-a-minute conversation with them I was very respectful.”

In June 2009, Shaun Eadie spoke with Riverbend Bed and Breakfast co-owner Susan Molnar to book a room for himself and his partner, Brian Thomas. Five minutes later, Eadie told the tribunal, Molnar’s husband, Les, called him back to ask if he and Thomas were a gay couple.

When Eadie said yes, Molnar allegedly replied, “This is not going to work out,” and Eadie said, “Wow” and hung up. Molnar told the tribunal he said, “I’m sorry,” and described Eadie’s “wow” as angry. “I said to my wife, ‘Maybe I should phone them back, invite them for breakfast and talk about this.’ She said that he sounded angry and said, ‘I don’t think we should aggravate him anymore.’”

Eadie and Thomas filed a complaint with the Human Rights Tribunal the same day,

“If there is any lesson learned from this, we really hope that is if you are wronged, if you have your principles violated, that you have a moral obligation to stand up to that,” says Brian Thomas (left, with partner Shaun Eadie). NATHANIEL CHRISTOPHER

which was heard over two days in Kelowna last fall.

“If there is any lesson learned from this, we really hope that is if you are wronged, if you have your principles violated, that you have a moral obligation to stand up to that because it’s bigger than just what’s happened to that individual,” Thomas says. “If it’s not questioned or not challenged, it makes it right; it makes it okay. It’s not okay.”

Eadie is pleased with the outcome and hopes the three-year process is finally at an end.

“I feel very fantastic,” he says. “All my friends and family are very supportive.

That’s kind of what helped me get through everything was having their support. There’s five of us in my family who are gay, and they are all ecstatic that I accomplished it and that I stood up for our rights as a gay community — that somebody actually did it.”

During the hearing, the Molnars’ lawyer, Ron Smith, argued that the religious convictions of his clients, who describe themselves as evangelical Christians, justified their actions.

“Our position is clear,” Smith told the tribunal. “Given the unique purpose of this home and its dedication for Christian worship, the Molnars could not allow activities in their home that would offend what they believe is their god and their church.” He pointed out that Les and Susan Molnar’s home was not only a place of business but also where they lived, ministered and held religious fellowship meetings and said that the property had been blessed by clergy on two occasions.

Smith drew comparisons between this case and the 2005 Knights of Columbus case in which the BC Human Rights Tribunal upheld the Knights of Columbus’s religious freedom when it ruled they didn’t

have to rent their hall for a lesbian wedding, which would go against their core beliefs.

Marion, however, found that the function of the Molnars’ bed and breakfast, which they have since closed, was to offer temporary accommodation without any express restriction, to the general public.

“In this regard, I note that the Riverbend was operated as a for-profit business, and that the Molnars managed it as individual citizens,” Marion ruled. “Unlike the Knights case, the Molnars did not operate the Riverbend on behalf of the Church, and the Church had no direct involvement in its operations.”

Marion emphasized that the Molnars voluntarily chose to turn their home into a bed and breakfast out of their own free will for a number of reasons, including to “supplement their retirement income and to take vacations in a sunnier environment.

“Unlike the decision in Knights, I am not persuaded that the standard of restricting accommodation in single bed rooms to married heterosexual couples was adopted for a purpose or goal that was rationally connected to the Riverbend’s function, which was to offer temporary accommodation to the general public,” Marion ruled.

“The standard was rationally connected to the Molnars’ personal religious beliefs, but not to the function or purpose of the Riverbend.”

“My wife and I respect the decision of the Human Rights Tribunal,” Les Molnar clarified in a phone call to Xtra on July 18, “and we didn’t mean any ill will towards Mr Thomas or Mr Eadie, before or after, and don’t hold any hard feelings for them.”

“At this stage we don’t plan to appeal,” Molnar says. “We consider this matter a learning experience and consider it closed as far as we’re concerned.”

12

Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! JULY 26, 2012

HIV/AIDS

US approves HIV prevention drug Truvada results too good to ignore, says BC Centre for Disease Control doctor Nathaniel Christopher THE US FOOD AND DRUG ADMINIStration (FDA) has approved a drug that could significantly reduce the risk of HIV infection in uninfected individuals.

Already used to treat people with HIV, the FDA has now approved Truvada for use as a pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to be taken daily and used in conjunction with other safer-sex tools, such as condom use and regular HIV testing, to prevent infection.

The FDA’s July 16 decision was based in part on the results of the three-year iPrEx trial, which showed that Truvada’s daily use by men who have sex with men reduced instances of HIV infection by 42 percent — 90 percent for participants who took the medication consistently enough to have detectable drug levels in their body.

The findings were based on 2,499 HIV-negative men and transgender women, from six countries, who have sex with men.

Pedro Goicochea, an investigator for the iPrEx study, says Truvada is currently available for use as a PrEP only in

the United States, but he’s optimistic that it will be implemented in other parts of the world. “At this very moment there is another study taking place in France where they are evaluating the intermittent use of Truvada. I’m sure that after they have results it will inform any Truvada’s daily use by men who have decision that France makes,� he says. sex with men reduced instances of HIV “We also received comment from the infection by 42 percent in one trial.

College of Physicians in the UK, where discussions are starting to take place.� condom supplies on a monthly basis,� he “Of course, PrEP is very controversial says. “They also received regular checkin parts of the world, even in the US,� ups and regular HIV testing.�

Dr Richard Lester, the medical head Goicochea acknowledges. “It’ll take time to come to agreement, but I think of STI/HIV services at the BC Centre this decision from the FDA will start to for Disease Control (BCCD), says the evidence from the Truvada study is too open the discussion.�

Goicochea says some critics have ex- good to ignore. But he can’t speculate pressed concern that people taking the about when PrEP might be available in drug will have sex more often and freely British Columbia. “PrEP is certainly now an evidenceand engage in unsafe sex leading to higher instances of other sexually transmitted based strategy,� he says. “Certainly the infections. But, he says, condom use most relevant to our BC practices is the actually increased during the study. “But iPrEx studies of men who have sex with of course, this is under the conditions of men taking the medication prophylacthe clinical trial with monthly visits. So tically to prevent infection when they participants were consulted and given are at risk.�

“I can’t say today when and where PrEP will ďŹ t in,â€? Lester says. “I think that there’s deďŹ nitely a potential room for a move. Even though new infections are reducing year by year at the moment, they are still not as low as they could be, and there are people who are negative but want more control to protect themselves.â€?

Ultimately, the federal government would have to approve Truvada for use as a preventive medication, Lester says.

Bill Coleman, a Vancouver therapist who has worked with the HIV community for more than 25 years, is excited at the prospect of a new tool in HIV prevention. “The biggest problem for almost 30 years has been one message — which is ‘use a condom’ — and that doesn’t work for everyone,� Coleman says. “If you look at all the different options talked about for gay men, one is using a condom, another might be I’ll fuck and not get fucked because that’s less risky, or I’ll have sex with poz guys with undetectable viral loads. There is nPEP as an option if a person ends up in a risky situation, and now there’s PrEP. So if you combine all those together, you can reduce the risk quite a bit.�

The Ministry of Health and the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS recently launched an 18-month pilot project called Non-Occupational PostExposure Prophylaxis (nPEP). Under nPEP the BC government will now cover the costs for treatments following high-risk exposures to HIV that didn’t occur at work, such as unprotected sex and intravenous drug use. “I think that [PrEP] provides an additional option for people to reduce the risk of getting HIV, and I think anything

that lowers risks is good for everyone,� says Shawn Syms, an HIV/STI advocacy journalist. “Things to bear in mind,� he notes, “are that, regardless of the sex that people have, it’s pretty much been demonstrated that the vast majority of people who don’t have HIV don’t want to get it, and the vast majority of people who have it don’t want to spread it.�

Syms hopes the new treatment will lessen the psychological and legal impact of HIV criminalization. It is still considered a crime in Canada for HIVpositive people to have unprotected sex without disclosing their status if there’s a signiďŹ cant risk of transmitting the virus. “I hope that medical developments like this will reduce the incidents of HIV criminalization in time because they represent one more way that HIV advocates can demonstrate that the risk of HIV transmission is getting lower and lower,â€? Syms says. “Anything that makes HIV harder to transmit can improve the lot of HIV-positive people.â€?

According to Truvada’s medication guide, the most common side effects for people who take it as PrEP include abdominal pain, headaches and decreased weight. Serious side effects may include buildup of acid in the blood stream, severe liver problems, bone problems, changes in body fat, changes in the immune system, and worsening of an existing hepatitis B infection. These serious side effects, however, were uncommon in the clinical trials.

Truvada’s manufacturer, Gilead Sciences, also warns that if individuals unknowingly acquire HIV while taking the medication as a PrEP, they may develop resistance to Truvada, making the HIV harder to treat.

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XTRA! JULY 26, 2012

GRAND MARSHAL

From

Pageantry to Pride

Jenna Talackova speaks candidly about being an advocate and a parade grand marshal Natasha Barsotti

S

IPPING ON A SUMMER DRINK, Jenna Talackova quietly makes her way across W 2nd Ave, past a bus stop, into Characters Talent Agency near Granville Island. A gaggle of guys, immersed in conversation, stop and stare — which could mean they recognize the former Miss Universe Canada contestant or they think she’s gorgeous, or both.

It’s been four months since the Miss Universe franchise first pulled the Vancouverite from competition for not being “naturally born female,” then reinstated her after she fought her disqualification with the ultramedia-savvy, no-nonsense Los Angeles attorney Gloria Allred at her side.

“As long as she meets the standards of legal gender recognition requirements of Canada, which we understand that she does, Jenna Talackova is free to compete in the 2012 Miss Universe Canada pageant,” the Donald Trump– owned franchise conceded.

She did meet the standards, made it to the top 12, and was among four contestants named Miss Congeniality.

Now, Talackova is prepping for a different debut — she’s been named one of three grand marshals for the upcoming Vancouver Pride parade, which she’s never attended before.

Xtra recently chatted with Talackova, who reflected on her stint in the Miss Universe world, being named grand marshal, being an advocate, and what the future has in store for her.

Here is an excerpt from that interview.

XTRA: What have you been up to since competing in Miss Universe Canada in May? JENNA TALACKOVA: So much. I have an agent now, which is amazing. I’ve been working with an acting coach and just trying to open up my acting career more.

I’m working on an up-and-coming TV show — it’s going to be on a Canadian network — can’t say. I have a commercial coming out with Stuart Weitzman in August. Lots of travelling, lots of health and wellness. I’m judging a pageant, too.

Lots of yoga. Ever since this whole thing happened, my boyfriend and I are like, “Aaah, I think it’s time we go to yoga.”

Lots of people have come knocking on your door . . .

It’s opened a lot of doors. But I have to be very strategic with it all. I definitely would love to go for the trials for Victoria’s Secret, really train for it and see if I can make it in their show. That would definitely be one of my dreams. I was going to write a book, but I think I need to experience a bit more. I’ve journalled for the last six years. It’s going to be a self-help, meaningful book, full of af-

firmations, meditations — things I used to help myself through this whole experience growing up . . . It will be a bunch of things that will help people really treasure themselves for who they are.

What was your reaction when you found out you’d been selected as a grand marshal for Vancouver Pride?

The other two grand marshals are just amazing people, with amazing foundations, and I’m just honoured to be beside them. It should be a great experience.

The thing is, I may not be gay, but I believe so much in equality. I know that’s what the LGBT community strives for.

I can’t believe they’d ask me. It’s my first Pride parade. I’ve never been to a Pride parade in my life. It’s kind of awkward, I know, but I’m making the best of it.

I got to be in the LA Pride parade, but I’ve never been to ours. I’d never been to a Pride parade until that day, and it was just amazing seeing people just so free and so energetic and so proud to be who they were.

I’m just deeply humbled. I don’t even know what I’m going to wear.

Now that the Miss Universe Canada competition has come and gone, what have you taken away from the experience?

People may say I’m heroic, or any of

these kinds of labels, but I just strive for something I believe in, and I think everybody should do that. I can sleep really well at night, because I feel like I’ve helped a lot of people. All the fan mail and all the letters I’ve received — I almost think it was an act out of my vanity to join a pageant, and it ended up helping so much.

Have you been contacted by other trans people?

I just got this amazing book and chocolates, and I receive emails daily, especially when I was in LA Pride. They just all want to share a story with me.

Any particular story or stories stand out for you?

A lot of people are transitioning now, because of me. This one lady, she’s from Puerto Rico. She was telling me it’s been lingering in her mind for years, since she can remember, but she’s never had the guts to come out.

Now she’s transitioning and finding support, and I told her, “You live once.

We’re all souls; we’re all a beautiful essence. But you’re living in this life, in this moment, so if you’re not happy, and you know this is truly what you want to be, then the real people that love you — I had difficulties, too, with my mother and my brothers — you’re going to open their mind to a whole new consciousness.”

more at xtra.ca

XTRA! JULY 26, 2012

Having cracked the top 12 at the Miss Universe Canada pageant in May, Jenna Talackova’s dream now is to model for Victoria’s Secret.

SHIMON KARMEL

I’m not trying to say I was a gift to my parents, but it’s deďŹ nitely made them a lot more open and not so conservative, and it helps them in their lives now. And I told her that’s the gift she’s going to give to her family — just for being her true self. And now she’s transitioning.

Have those stories been the most common?

I get a lot of mail from partners of trans ladies, telling me their stories, how it’s just made them more open now. They’re not so scared to be out there. This is all a learning process, and I didn’t realize how much people did not know about this. It’s just opened up a lot more eyes.

Has it been mostly a positive experience?

It’s been a roller coaster. There’s a few things with some people. There’s going to be that yin and yang; not everyone is going to understand. And that’s ďŹ ne, too.

We don’t understand a lot of people. For the most part, it’s extremely positive.

Can you describe one incident when it wasn’t positive and you engaged the person?

I never engaged. A lot of parents in the pageant were really mad that there was some buzz around it. They felt like their girls were getting shunned. That’s totally not the case. I can’t help that it was like that. I knew I wasn’t going to win. But I had to compete, because I just reinstated myself. I had no control over that media.

That was one negative thing.

There are those who are skeptical about the beauty pageant environment . . .

They should be . . . so true.

In terms of waging a human rights struggle, there are those who are saying that beauty pageants are not environments that are — — Are somewhere to start something like this, right?

What’s your reaction to that?

It happened, and it helped. It’s not like I planned this or knew this would happen.

It was something I was doing out of . . .

I love a healthy body, I love a healthy outlook, I wanted to compete in Miss Universe, and then this blew up, and it actually helped.

I’m sure there’re going to be many more incidents, less vain-y kinds of things. But it happened. It happened in a beauty pageant of all things, and it’s changed my life.

I’m learning through this, too.

Donald Trump suggested that you had an “ulterior motive� for entering the competition. How would you describe your relationship with him and the franchise now?

I don’t really care for it. It happened.

I competed. That’s it. I’m not trying to become anything with it. I’ve done what I had to do, and I’m just concentrating on my career and my future. It deďŹ nitely paved the way for me, and it was my lottery ticket, I guess. We’re not business partners. I have nothing to do with him; he has nothing to do with me.

How has your boyfriend handled the whole thing?

Good. I told him not to worry when it all broke out. I have a huge rule about keeping him out of the public eye — no pictures, no nothing. He’s just a mystery man.

Are you feeling any pressure to take on those competitions?

I really don’t care to do pageants again.

But, we’ll see. I’m turning 24 in October.

I’m just working on my creative side right now, opportunities that I would just be daydreaming about before.

There have been beauty contestants who have brought up the issue of what it means to be “a real woman.�

There was Eriz Lanseta, winner of the Miss Gay Philippines last March. She was quoted as wondering how trans women can answer the question, What is the essence of being a woman? What would you say to her?

The essence of being a woman, to me, is balancing a family life and your passion. It’s a great juggle that I think only a woman could juggle. I’m a woman that actually juggles that and creates that atmosphere. Whether you can bear children or not, you can still create a family.

Have you been active in transgender rights before all of this?

No. There’s always a good time to start.

I’m not into labels. If society needs to label me like that, I get it. If you’re a woman, you’re a woman. If you’re a man, you’re a man. Pick one. You’re not in the middle, trans.

So even though I wasn’t an advocate before, I’m so honoured to even have that kind of name now, and deďŹ nitely, I want to bring more awareness to this.

I’m very open about my past and what I had to go through to be who I am. That’s just me telling my story. If they want to call me “advocate� for it, then let them.

Do you think your initial conict with pageant organizers has increased people’s awareness, even acceptance, about who can be considered a woman?

It was deďŹ nitely the starting point. I went to Thailand in 2010 for another

What’s next for you?

I’m leaving for Toronto next week to start shooting my pilot. I’m going to New York to work for [Stuart Weitzman]. I always loved his shoes. Now I’m going to be in his commercial. It’s mind-boggling for me. And deďŹ nitely Victoria’s Secret.

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I’M JUST DEEPLY HUMBLED. I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT I’M GOING TO WEAR. international [competition], and all the katoeys and lady-boys were telling me, We have the surgery, but they won’t change it in our passports. So I don’t even know if they can compete or will ever be able to compete in Miss Universe Thailand or something of that nature.

As for changing views of it, Miss Earth will not accept it. I don’t know about Miss World. It’s deďŹ nitely a battle, and not a battle I can just take by myself. I’d be silly to think that I can ďŹ ght a battle by myself, but when we all take a step in that direction together is when change happens.

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Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! JULY 26, 2012

PRIDE 2012

Community, and a queenly wave David Holtzman and Bill Monroe named Pride grand marshals Natasha Barsotti IF BILL MONROE PLANS TO REPRISE his long-standing, well-travelled turn as Queen Elizabeth for Vancouver Pride, he and HRH are keeping it close to their chests.

“I think we should leave that as a surprise,” Monroe says. But he did offer the not-so-subtle teaser that it is, after all, the Queen’s 60th year on the throne, which, coincidence of coincidences, dovetails with his own 60th anniversary as a performer.

Read what you will into that.

“I was quite surprised; it was a lovely acknowledgment,” he says of his selection as a Pride grand marshal, along with Miss Universe Canada contestant Jenna Talackova and the late community leader and activist David Holtzman.

“A lot of people, because I had been in the community for so long, thought I’d been grand marshal before,” Monroe, now 78, says. “When you’ve been around the community for 32 years, they have a tendency to think you’ve done everything.”

Monroe’s fundraising resumé is legend.

He says the establishment of People with AIDS by his roommate, Kevin Brown, was a significant springboard.

Monroe co-created Starry Night, which

he performed in and emceed for the first 16 years, to raise funds for the foundation.

He has also been a great friend to the gay sports community.

“I was doing fundraisers for the Gay Games from 1982 through till 2002 — all different sports.

“At the first Gay Games, in San Francisco, I did the Queen with the Vancouver Men’s Chorus. They made me their first lifetime member [after that],” he says.

Monroe was also the first Canadian to receive the Fellowship Award from the International Gay Bowling Organization, one of the largest gay sports groups in the world.

Monroe says he has emceed too many Pride Day shows to count. “I had been in the parade practically every year since about 1986 — or somewhere in there.”

He sees Pride as a “knitting together of the community.”

He says he’s never had a hard time with the Vancouver audience. Except that one time.

“People are sometimes very vocal in their political things, you know, so I said to the crowd, ‘We got people here from all the different parties who’re going to say Happy Pride, so be polite. They’re guests; be nice to them.’

“I didn’t want anyone booing differ-

At top, David Holtzman (right) walks in the Pride parade in the late 1990s with his brother Andy for A Loving Spoonful.

COURTESY OF PETER REGIER. Above, Bill Monroe has been performing for 60 years. ROBIN PERELLE

ent ones, and the audience howled and laughed. Then someone wrote a letter that said I reprimanded the crowd, because underneath the polyester was the iron fist.”

“I’ve never seen me in polyester,” he quips, then laughs.

“It was all donated time in those days, which wasn’t easy. It was very expensive for me, because I couldn’t wear the same thing twice,” he notes.

It’s been great fun, he adds. “I still sing and I’m still a blonde.”

Like Monroe, Holtzman leveraged his considerable talents to build community.

Holtzman worked as executive director of A Loving Spoonful from 1996 to 2001. He also directed Leadership Vancouver from 2001 to 2006 and, in the

last 25 years, worked in Europe, Asia and around North America with the Department of External Affairs, Rick Hansen’s Man in Motion tour, World University Service of Canada and the Canadian Council on Learning. Most recently he served as Out on Screen’s director of operations and human resources.

Holtzman, who died suddenly of a heart attack while on vacation with his partner, Peter Regier, in April, was recently remembered at an emotional and festive memorial for his ability to bring people together.

“I was pleased and honoured and touched that they had selected him [as grand marshal],” a very moved Regier told Xtra July 20.

“Pride was important to David, so I know he would think it was a big honour. I will be there, with a few friends, definitely focusing on fun and playfulness,” Regier says.

“As a fixture on the floats of various organizations, he certainly wore his share of glitter and boas in Pride parades over the years,” Regier says.

“David loved a party.”

For Holtzman, the Pride parade was also about “sharing the LGBTQ story with the larger community — the story of inclusion, love, joy and life,” he adds.

“For me, when I think of David — David Holtzman had no shame, and he also had an incredible love of life.

Those two things together made him irresistible to me, and I think to many, many other people.

“He brought that to bear at every Pride parade,” Regier says.

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XTRA! JULY 26, 2012

PRIDE

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Pride Society sues WE newspaper VPS alleges WE misrepresented itself as publisher of Official Pride Guide Nathaniel Christopher THE VANCOUVER PRIDE SOCIETY (VPS) is suing WE Vancouver (formerly known as the Westender) for $25,000, alleging the weekly newspaper misrepresented itself to potential advertisers as the publisher of this year’s official Pride guide.

“In early 2012, the defendant fraudulently represented themselves as the publisher of the Official Vancouver Pride Guide,” reads the VPS’s statement of claim filed in BC small-claims court on July 13.

The statement, filed by Ray Lam on behalf of the VPS, accuses WE of acting “with great malice aforethought causing us to suffer significant financial losses in the form of advertising sales for the legitimate ‘Official Vancouver Pride Guide.’”

WE publisher Anne Devereaux declined comment for this article, but WE has 14 days from the time it was served to file its statement of defence in small-claims court. None of the VPS’s allegations have been proven in court. WE is published by Black Press.

According to the VPS statement of claim, the society had contracted WE

to publish eight editions of its official Pride guide between 2004 and 2011.

The VPS decided not to renew the contract in December 2011, claiming WE failed “to pay out revenue shares in a reasonable or timely fashion,” and put the contract to tender.

The VPS statement of claim alleges that, despite the non-continuation of its contract with WE, the newspaper continued to “fraudulently” represent itself “as the publisher of the Official Vancouver Pride Guide.”

“This fraudulent activity was brought to our attention in June 2012,” reads the VPS statement of claim.

“When confronted, the defendant claimed a single erroneous email was sent to one of our official 2012 festival partners and that they had not sold any advertisement on our behalf for the Pride Guide.”

The VPS statement of claim alleges that WE actively solicited advertising by “claiming to be our Presenting Media Sponsor.” The statement also alleges that WE used the VPS’s old logo in published sales material and included references to “the Official Vancouver Pride Guide,” “the 9th annual” and “the 9th edition” in un-

specified communications.

Such references are consistent with the language used in earlier communication, the VPS statement of claim alleges, “falsely promoting their connection to us.”

The VPS statement of claim further alleges that WE’s published Pride guide “contains several elements which are intended to mimic the Official Pride Guide.”

“This includes but is not limited to: the same layout, font, style, and graphics used in the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th editions of the Pride Guide published by the defendant; the use of the term ‘we’ in the description of an official Vancouver Pride event; a cover image which is similar to an image published online in January in a document titled ‘Vancouver Pride Society // Brand Guidelines’ and ads from long-standing Vancouver Pride Partners placed in the same preferred partnered placing as in previous years,” reads the VPS statement of claim.

“To date, the defendant has not issued an official erratum or acknowledgment of their wrong-doing and continue to be financially benefitting from their misrepresentations, while causing damage to our reputation and sales,” the VPS statement of claim alleges.

WE had not yet filed a statement of defence as Xtra went to press.

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20

Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! JULY 26, 2012

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Rescinding reparative therapy Ex-gay leaders admit sexuality can’t be ‘cured’ Natasha Barsotti

EVERY PERSON IS UNIQUE. ;HSR [V `V\Y KVJ[VY

“I THINK THE GENIE WAS OUT OF the bottle when Alan Chambers acknowledged that you can’t pray away the gay,” says Wayne Besen, who has been challenging the “ex-gay” notion for years.

Since January, Chambers, president of Exodus International, has repeatedly eschewed the “Change is possible” mantra his organization promoted for three decades, much to the chagrin of those still devoted to the idea that all gay people need to rid themselves of homosexuality is a good dose of prayer and therapy.

At a Gay Christian Network conference, Chambers said a majority of gay people, “meaning 99.9 percent of them, have not experienced a change in their orientation.”

Chambers then apologized for his organization’s use of the “Change is possible” slogan.

In a July 6 New York Times story, Chambers reiterates that there is no cure for homosexuality and says reparative therapy is an exercise in false hope for gays and might even be harmful.

According to The Times, accusations of heresy have now been levelled against Chambers, causing a rift in the ex-gay movement.

Besen says Chambers’ statements are going to have devastating consequences for the entire ex-gay industry.

“Right now, their message is celibacy for life, which is nothing but sexual frustration and loneliness,” Besen says. “And that’s a hard product to sell. If you take away the promise of a miracle, you’re not left with anything that’s inspiring, and that’s where they’re at right now, and I think it’s going to significantly shrink — it’s already shrinking — their ministries, and I think it’s going to hasten the demise of Exodus, or it will signal the end of Alan Chambers’ career.”

Evangelical professor Robert Gagnon called for Chambers’ resignation after the Exodus head also said homosexually active Christians are assured salvation. Gagnon says that stance compromises Exodus’s mission.

“The purge mentality that Alan appears to be operating with strikes me as an overreaction: an attempt by Alan at inoculating Exodus and himself from the intemperate reactions of strident homosexualists,” Gagnon writes on his website in a post entitled, “Time for a Change of Leadership at Exodus?” “It is not necessary that reparative therapy achieve complete transformation from ‘gay’ to straight in order to be helpful. One or two shifts along the Kinsey spectrum or a change in intensity of homosexual impulses can be beneficial.”

Chambers is not the only highprofile proponent of conversion therapy to recant. In May, retired

Exodus leader Alan Chambers admits that gay people can’t be “cured” by therapy.

EXODUSINTERNATIONAL.ORG

psychiatrist Robert Spitzer retracted conclusions from a controversial 2001 study he conducted that claimed “highly motivated” gays and lesbians could change their sexual orientation.

“In retrospect, I have to admit I think the critiques are largely correct,” Spitzer announced.

In an interview with Besen’s nonprofit organization Truth Wins Out, Spitzer admits the conclusions he made in the study were wrong. The study “does not provide evidence, really, that gays can change. And that’s quite an admission on my part,” he says.

“I felt that I needed to say that the study is not valid, but I thought I should also say to the gay community, I apologize for any harm I have done to them because of the study and my initial interpretation,” Spitzer says.

“I certainly apologize to any gay person who, because of this study, entered into reparative therapy and wasted their time and energy doing that.”

Besen predicts groups will emerge with promises to fill the vacuum Exodus leaves, but, he says, the damage is done. He believes the religious right will be reluctant to invest in the ex-gay industry again “because their poster boys and girls keep embarrassing them, either by coming out of the closet or getting caught in a scandal — it’s a very risky investment to make.”

In a statement of apology on the site Beyond Ex-Gay, co-founder and former Exodus leader Michael Bussee calls himself a proud gay man and says groups like Exodus will go out of business when people no longer feel that they must deny who they really are to try to become what they are not.

Last year, John Smid, a former director of ex-gay ministry Love in Action, also came out, saying it’s impossible to change one’s sexual orientation.

“I’m very optimistic right now that we’ve won,” Besen told Xtra July 20.

“We’ve got the leading group in the world saying it doesn’t work.”

more at xtra.ca

XTRA! JULY 26, 2012

21

COMMUNITY

Trying to house homeless queer youth New RainCity project seeks support Beth Hong AARON MUNRO AND HIS COWORKERS at RainCity Housing and Support Society are trying to raise funds and attract volunteers to a new project aimed at housing and supporting homeless queer youth in Vancouver.

The project, partially funded by a $250,000 grant from the Vancouver Foundation, will house up to six homeless queer youth (aged 19 to 24) fulltime and will serve as a community hub for youth to connect with peers, mentors and community-service providers.

However, in order for the Commercial Dr community house to open its doors, RainCity needs to raise another $250,000 to match the Vancouver Foundation grant. “What we see with youth who spend a lot of time on the street is they don’t have the ability to be able to spend that time to think about who they are, who they want to be, what they’re excited about,� says Munro, RainCity’s director of community development.

Munro hopes the project will eventually link youth with mentors in the community who are successful in career ďŹ elds the youth are interested in

pursuing. “We’re forming a LGBTQ2S community advisory group as we move forward, and we hope that members of the community will want to be involved in many ways, including coming over to teach . . . youth how to garden, cook or mentor youth in their place of employment,� he says.

Munro plans to work with organizations for queer youth such as YouthCO, Trans Youth Drop-In, GAB Youth and Watari, which supports at-risk youth primarily in the Downtown Eastside and in East Vancouver. “There is nothing like it right now,â€? says Michelle Fortin, Watari’s executive director. Having worked in the ďŹ eld for 28 years, Fortin says there is a deďŹ nite need for this type of housing project aimed speciďŹ cally at queer youth.

A 2007 study from BC’s McCreary Centre found queer youth were “overrepresented among marginalized and street-involved youth: one in three females and one in 10 males identiďŹ ed as gay, lesbian and bisexual.â€?

The report also indicated that the number of queer youth on the streets is growing.

Munro thinks this could be attributed to more queer youth coming out earlier.

THEY NEED POSITIVE COMMUNITY AROUND THEM TO BE ABLE TO BUILD THEMSELVES INTO THE KIND OF PERSON THEY WANT TO BE. —Aaron Munro, director of community development

Aaron Munro, from RainCity Housing and Support Society, wants to give homeless queer youth a chance to find themselves and thrive. BETH HONG

The downside to youth coming out earlier could be that they ďŹ nd themselves on the streets earlier if they lack support, he says. “I think particularly, youth who struggle with either gender identity or sexual identity, they really need that time, and they need positive commu-

nity around them to be able to build themselves into the kind of person they want to be,� Munro says. He hopes RainCity’s pilot project can serve as a model for other community housing projects across Canada.

Dr Elizabeth Saewyc, of UBC’s Department of Nursing and the principal researcher of the 2007 McCreary report, agrees that the project is unprecedented in Vancouver. “This is a fairly cutting-edge approach. To my knowledge, there have been only a few queer-focused shelter or housing programs that have been developed for LGBTQ young people, and I think they’ve mostly been in the US, in New York, of course, and San Francisco, in Seattle and in Detroit,� she says.

An attempt in 1999 to build a group home for homeless queer youth in Vancouver failed to get off the ground due to poor management and in-ďŹ ghting on the board of directors. Though the Pride House project was aborted, its 2002 needs-assessment study echoed the call for queer services for street youth. “Our research among street-involved youth shows those who identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual are more likely than heterosexual youth to experience several different kinds of violence, from threats and insults to physical assaults and even sexual exploitation,â€? Saewyc says.

Munro says he could have used this kind of support and housing while travelling as a young adult across North America. Now 35, he considers himself lucky to have found strong mentors and support networks in San Francisco and Vancouver. “One of my biggest hopes for this project is that we create an environment where people can build an identity that is positive for themselves,� he says.

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22

Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! JULY 26, 2012

IMMIGRATION

Refugee rejection unreasonable, court rules Jeremy Hainsworth A FEDERAL JUDGE HAS RULED THAT Canada’s refugee adjudicators should not rely on stereotypes to determine whether people are gay in cases where applicants believe they will be persecuted if returned to their home countries.

The decision stems from the case of a gay Nigerian man, wanted by police in his home country for homosexual activities, who was refused refugee status here.

A division of Canada’s refugee board ruled Aug 30, 2011, that Francis Ojo Ogunrinde had not proven he was gay, despite sworn affidavits.

Reviewing Judge James Russell ruled the Refugee Protection Division (RPD) of the Immigration and Refugee Board did not give Ogunrinde’s affidavits enough weight in its 2010 decision.

Ogunrinde, 40, has been living in Canada since October 2007, when he arrived as a refugee claimant. He sought Canada’s protection because homosexuality is a crime in Nigeria.

The RPD decided that Ogunrinde is neither credible nor gay.

After the RPD decision, Ogunrinde applied for a pre-removal risk assessment. He provided two letters from people saying they know he is gay, as well as a letter from a man saying he and Ogunrinde were in a relationship.

Ogunrinde also submitted documents from two Nigerians saying Nigerian police had been seeking him because of his homosexual activities.

In reviewing the case, Russell said

the RPD officer’s reasoning on some points “suggests that she had in mind a set of actions or behaviours which would convince her that the applicant is homosexual.

“Behaviours which establish a claimant’s homosexuality are inherently private,” Russell noted. “When evaluating claims based on sexual orientation, officers must be mindful of the inherent difficulties in proving that a claimant has engaged in any particular sexual activities. Claimants may not be in contact with past sexual partners for various reasons, including relationship breakdown, distance, or simply the passage of time.”

Russell found the RPD officer also rejected Ogunrinde’s and his friends’ claims of bad experiences with police, despite corroboration from US Department of State reports. He called the officer’s decision unreasonable.

“The evidence the applicant submitted was more than sufficient to establish he is homosexual and faces a risk on that basis if he is returned to Nigeria,” Russell ruled.

The case has been returned to the RPD for a new pre-removal risk assessment before different staff.

It’s an important ruling, says immigration lawyer El-Farouk Khaki. It establishes a framework for assessing — and believing — refugee claimants about their sexual orientation.

Khaki says that in the Ogunrinde case, there was plenty of evidence when looked at as a totality, something the RPD officer chose not to do.

more at xtra.ca

XTRA! JULY 26, 2012

23

PRIDE 2012

Genderfest broadens Pride ‘I would love to see Pride go in this direction,’ co-organizer says Niko Bell WHEN PUSSY LIQUOR PICKED UP THE Vancouver Pride schedule last year, she didn’t see any events that spoke to her. So this year, she organized her own addition to Pride Week.

Liquor says her celebration, Genderfest, will attract members of the community who do not fit in well at Vancouver Pride — transgender and transitioning people, queer people with disabilities and people with barriers to health or access.

Shayne Forster, who produces bathhouse events with Liquor and the sTeam collective, says that the gayand lesbian-focused dance parties and socials at Pride feel less welcoming to trans people. Trans men, for instance, can find themselves surrounded by gay men who may not be comfortable with trans bodies. That’s why, he says, a space for more genders is important.

“There are a lot of people, particularly young people, who identify outside of those genders,” Liquor says. “I’m not interested in setting up something adversarial. This is not an us-againstthem . . . This is a celebration of Pride that simply manifests differently

THIS IS NOT AN US-AGAINST-THEM . . . THIS IS A CELEBRATION OF PRIDE THAT SIMPLY MANIFESTS DIFFERENTLY THAN A LOT OF TRADITIONAL ACTIVITIES. —Genderfest organizer Pussy Liquor

Clockwise, from back left: Wellness Centre organizer Gwen Haworth, sTeam co-organizer Shayne Forster, Genderfest’s Alice Bailey, Genderfest founder Pussy Liquor, sTeam collective member Jack Fox, Wellness Centre organizer Ray Ranger and sTeam collective member Charlie Spats. NIKO BELL

than a lot of traditional activities.”

Out of about 100 events listed in Xtra’s Ultimate Pride Guide this year, 20 are specifically aimed at a gay, lesbian or gender-specific audience. Only five are aimed specifically at trans people.

That’s an improvement since last year, when approximately 30 events were gay or gender-specific, while only one was trans-focused.

Genderfest will present the majority of this year’s trans-friendly events, starting on July 30 with a wellness clinic organized by the Catherine White Holman Wellness Centre, followed by the All Bodies Swim at Templeton Pool on July 31, an all-genders bathhouse event on Aug 2, and a dance party on Aug 5. Liquor hopes that pulling together preexisting events and adding a special party for Pride Week will help people with diverse genders and abilities feel more welcome and will influence the larger Pride celebration.

“I would love to see Pride go in this direction,” she says. “I would love to see Pride take on more.”

The Vancouver Pride Society’s communications director, Landon Krentz, says he is surprised to hear anyone say that trans people or people with disabilities feel left out of Pride. He says that his own presence as a deaf staff member proves just how inclusive Vancouver Pride can be.

Krentz says Pride has made a great effort to include people with disabilities — from reserving easily accessible spots along the parade route to providing American Sign Language translation.

As for trans people, he doesn’t think that more trans-focused events are the answer.

“We’re trying to move away from that,” he says. “I don’t think there should be more events that are exclusive to just one specific audience. I think everyone should be involved.”

Krentz says communities such as queer people with disabilities or trans people are still very small. The best way to welcome them is by making events inclusive to everyone, he reiterates,

noting that this year’s grand marshal is trans Miss Universe contestant Jenna Talackova. He also notes Pride’s close relationship with BC’s Trans Alliance Society.

The chair of Trans Alliance, however, thinks there is a problem with how Pride welcomes trans people. Marie Little says that for gay men and lesbians, Pride has become a celebration of acceptance and legal rights. Trans people, on the other hand, are still engaged in a political struggle. Little says that Pride should try to incorporate more trans people and trans issues into the celebration.

On the other hand, Little also thinks that it’s important not to create conflict within the queer community. “I’m just hoping that it doesn’t turn into an opposition to Pride,” she says. “And I’m hoping that over time, Pride and the people who are organizing the trans events can cooperate.”

For more information on events and schedules, visit genderfest.ca.

Genderfest Catherine White Holman Wellness Centre Meet & Greet Mon, July 30, 6–9pm. Grandview Park, Commercial Dr (between Charles and Williams streets).

All ages, free event. cwhwc.com

All-Bodies Swim Tues, July 31, 9–11pm. Templeton Pool, 700 Templeton Dr. All ages, suggested donation $5–20. allbodiesswim.org

sTeam: All-Genders Bathhouse Thurs, Aug 2, 9pm–1am. M2M, 1210 Granville St. $20 locker, $30 room, $35 deluxe/sling room. steambathhouse.com

Unicorn Born dance party Sun, Aug 5, 9pm–2am. Maritime Labour Centre, 1880 Triumph St. $15 advance, $20 door. genderfest.ca

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Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! JULY 26, 2012

An Important Message for Gay Men Gay men in British Columbia have a new tool to help reduce their risk of HIV infection. Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) is available at selected locations in Vancouver. PEP is a series of powerful anti-HIV drugs used to prevent infection after the virus has entered the body, but before it has taken hold permanently. In BC, PEP has been available for many years to those exposed to HIV on the job, and to sexual assault victims.

In 2010, Health Initiative for Men published a position paper calling for PEP to be made available to gay men and others at risk for HIV infection, regardless of how their exposure occurred. Allowing a high-risk population access to treatment that could prevent new HIV infections is not only the right thing to do, it is smart public policy; gay men make up over 50% of new HIV infections in BC. If we are truly dedicated to stopping HIV in this province, we cannot lose focus on the population that makes up the majority of new infections – gay men. PEP has been proven effective for gay men in jurisdictions around the world, and now it will be offered here.

PEP is a series of powerful anti-HIV drugs used to prevent infection after the virus has entered the body, but before it has taken hold permanently.

On July 9th, a pilot project for “non-occupational PEP” (NPEP) was launched in Vancouver. The “N” in NPEP signifies that the exposure was not workrelated (non-occupational), but it is exactly the same treatment as PEP. This means that gay guys who are exposed to HIV by a failed or broken condom, condomless anal sex, injection drug use or any other exposure can access this treatment at five locations in Vancouver, including the HIM Sexual Health Centre in the Davie Village (421 – 1033 Davie Street).

In 2010, HIM published a position paper calling for PEP to be made available to gay men and others at risk for HIV infection, regardless of how their exposure occurred.

PEP is not a “morning after pill” for HIV. It involves taking very powerful medication for four weeks, and many people experience serious side effects. PEP is an effective new tool for gay men, but it is important to recognize that it is just that: a tool. Gay men have been using risk reduction tools for years: whether condom use, sero-sorting, or strategic positioning, countless research studies have demonstrated that gay guys are responsible and thoughtful when it comes to reducing the number of HIV infections in our communities. We care about our partners’ health and well-being.

Although there is no charge for PEP at these pilot project locations, there can still be barriers to accessing PEP. Some gay guys report that discussing risky sex with a doctor makes them feel ashamed or guilty. Many risk incidents happen in situations that aren’t the norm for guys… the “slip up” factor. A drunken night, a oneoff hookup, sex with recreational drug use – for many, seeking PEP might also mean admitting a mistake or lapse in judgement. The HIM Sexual Health Centres (on Davie Street and on Commercial Drive) offer counselling services, nursing staff and peer support sessions that can help gay men become more aware of their sexual risks, and explore new techniques to reduce risk.

...gay guys who are exposed to HIV ... can access this treatment at five locations in Vancouver...

The best way to reduce your risk of picking up or passing on HIV is to use condoms during anal sex. That said, the fact remains that condoms can break or slip off, and that some guys aren’t using condoms 100% of the time. For gay men, the bottom line is this: if you think you’ve been exposed to HIV, you now have a new tool to fight off a permanent infection. Go to the HIM Sexual Health Centre or another pilot project site as quickly as possible after a risk incident. Remember: you have only 72 hours from the time of the risk incident to begin PEP.

Remember: you have only 72 hours from the time of the risk incident to begin PEP.

For a complete list of locations, visit

PEPinBC.ca

more at xtra.ca

XTRA! JULY 26, 2012

25

PROUD LIVES

Leather community mourns two losses Barney Hickey and Doug Gault remembered Jeremy Hainsworth VANCOUVER’S GAY LEATHER COMmunity lost two prominent members in early July with the passings of Barney Hickey and Doug Gault.

Both are being remembered as men dedicated to their community. “Two great men who worked hard on behalf of community and even harder still in their personal battle with health issues. Long time members of our community and friends to many of us, they will be sorely missed,� community activist Barb Snelgrove posted on Gault’s Facebook page. “There’s a sadness in the leather community,� Little Sister’s manager Janine Fuller tells Xtra. “It’s a huge loss.�

Hickey died July 9 at the age of 52.

He married Jan Meyers, his partner of 19 years, on June 30. “He wanted to be a June bride, so I made sure he was,� Meyers tells Xtra. “It turned out not only perfectly but wonderful.�

Meyers says Hickey’s body just gave up. “It was probably the cancer that ďŹ nally got him,â€? he says. “A very peaceful death.â€?

Meyers says the outpouring of affection and respect for Hickey has helped him as he mourns.

“I would define him mostly as an educator, a leader, a person who cared enough to make a difference,� he says. “I’m proud to have known him.�

Hickey, who was named Mr Vancouver Leather in 2003, worked in healthcare as a nurse and specialized in psychiatric mental-health nursing, HIV/AIDS nursing and inner-city health for marginalized populations.

His work was recognized in 2001 with an award from the Canadian Association of Nurses in AIDS Care for “exceptional contributions� to the development of HIV/AIDS nursing in Canada. He was also recognized by the College of Registered Nurses of BC in 2002 for excellence in nursing practice. “Barney demonstrates stewardship and integrity in his practice. He treats patients and colleagues with respect.

He is a true patient advocate,� Providence colleague Sandra Grimwood said of Hickey on LinkedIn. Hickey ran unsuccessfully for Vancouver city council in 2002 on the vcaTEAM slate. Vancouver’s major problems — from its drug trade to its homelessness rate — are all, fundamentally, health problems, Hickey told Xtra at the time.

Years before the Supreme Court of Canada ruled addiction was a health-

care issue, Hickey said addicts need safe injection sites, access to sterile needles and clean water to mix their drugs, and access to medical practitioners to help them when things go wrong.

Fuller says Hickey was an important advocate on health issues for queers and the disadvantaged. “Any bar we can measure ourselves by is the bar he put up,� she says.

Vancouver West End MLA Spencer Chandra Herbert describes Hickey as a man respected throughout the community. “A very generous heart, a very open man who knew what he believed in,� Chandra Herbert says. “He could cut through the crap in a way that was both charming and direct.�

Reive Doig knew Hickey from the leather community and says he brought the same dedication to that as he did to everything else in his life. “Barney was at heart a nurse,� Doig says. “He had that nurturing nature and he seemed to bring that to every aspect of his life.�

Gault was a primary organizer of Mr BC Leather for seven years and was Calgary’s ninth emperor. PumpJack Pub co-owner Steve Bauer remembers him as an active member of Vancouver Men in Leather, a man who was part of all the community’s events.

Gault died of cancer on July 10. He was 51. “He had a ton of people around him who were ready to be there for him getting out of the hospital,� Fuller says. “He never got to go home.�

Fuller remembers Gault regularly coming into the bookstore with his dachshund, Sadie. “When he lost Sadie, that was a rough time for him,� she says.

She says Gault was a long-time survivor of HIV and an example to the community. “He was a really important survivor of HIV/AIDS, someone who would talk about those issues when others didn’t.�

Gault was also passionate about the leather community, Fuller says. “He felt it was important to mentor people in the reality of that community and what it was about and with a great sense of pride,� she says.

Gault’s passing sparked an outpouring of emotion on his Facebook page. “Goodbye, our dear brother-in-law,� wrote Maureen Leskun. “Kevin was so lucky to have you as a partner for 10 years before he passed away. Forever in our hearts you will be. You were a wonderful son, spouse, brother, brother-inlaw and uncle.� “Thank you for being my friend, always being so upbeat, so supportive of me, and always sporting that dirty smile! I will never forget our drunken encounters, your always current, over the top, and bang-on jokes, and your willingness to just live life, truly an inspiration to me.�

Erica St-Asia Divine was Calgary Empress 28. “Douglas Gault was a true gentleman and very caring person,� she posted. “I was fortunate to have shared my stepdown as Empress 28 and have Doug do his double-decade walk as Emperor that night.�

A well-respected psychiatric mentalhealth nurse, Barney Hickey holds one of his awards in 2002. “Barney was at heart a nurse,� says his friend Reive Doig. COURTESY OF JAN MEYERS

Leatherman Doug Gault “was a really important survivor of HIV/AIDS, someone who would talk about those issues when others didn’t,� Janine Fuller says. FACEBOOK.COM

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Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! JULY 26, 2012

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more at xtra.ca

XTRA! JULY 26, 2012

27

COVER STORY

PEACH COBBLAH & ISOLDE N BARRON

Glitter and

GRACE Pride memories, meanings and mayhem Interviews by Raziel Photos by Joshua McVeity

The first couple of East Van, Isolde N Barron and Peach Cobblah, are going to reign — then fall down shitfaced — in all their sequined glory this Pride season.

ON WHAT PRIDE MEANS:

ISOLDE: Glitter in my vodka!

PEACH: We are fighters, we are in many cases survivors, and if we’re not going to pat ourselves on the back and stand strong, who in the hell is going to do that for us? Can I get an amen up in here?

ON PRIDE INSANITY: ISOLDE: I was a bird in a cage once to advertise a play I was working on. I was

in face and drunk the night before — bad idea — and therefore was tired and hung-over putting face on early for the start of the parade. It was the closest I’ve come to a panic attack trying to get my ass ready and at my float in time.

I was so relieved I decided to celebrate by sending our float walkers to grab me booze as we passed a liquor store, which I proceeded to drink like water in the hot sun for the entire parade.

I then drank more at the Playhouse shop after the parade and blacked out, coming to later at 1181 (across town from where I last remember drinking) with a quiche in my hand that I had apparently purchased and was offering the room, still in my full bird costume.

I blacked out again and came to with Brandon Gaukel — bless his soul — taking my eyelashes off and putting me to bed for three hours before I had to wake up again and put another face on to perform at Queer Bash!

PEACH: I can honestly say that nothing entertains me more than small dogs dressed up in rainbow colours. That embarrassment and secret delight in their eyes. But the drag and booze marathon that will be Pride weekend is probably crazy — why are we throwing so many parties, and why do so many of them involve being in dresses?

Well, that and cramming three drag queens and two gays in a tiny East Van apartment; that’s probably

wild, crazy and hilarious. It’s like the new two girls, one cup, except with far more glitter.

ON PRIDE REGRETS: ISOLDE: Darling, I regret nothing!

Except not taking advantage of you that one night you spent under my roof!

ON PRIDE TIPS: PEACH: Drink lots of water, wear little clothing and make out with a stranger.

Especially if his name is Raziel.

ON PARTS OF THE WORLD WHERE PRIDE IS ILLEGAL OR MET WITH PROTEST: ISOLDE: We only ever get what we fight for. As drunken and debauched as we all get at Pride, we must always remember the people who have fought for us.

PEACH: Our biggest weapon in the fight for equality is visibility. If they can’t see us, it’s easy for them to think we don’t exist. But we do. I’ve always admired that wherever we travel in the world, Isolde always holds my hand in public. Always.

And though we get a few looks, it’s part of that normalizing process — check it out, world, we are two homos who love each other, and we don’t give two fucks whether you like it, but you’ll at least see that we’re here.

Coming together is key.

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Vancouver’s V Va an ancou o ve ver’ r’ss ga g gay ay & lle lesbian essb bia ia n n ne news ews w

XTRA! JULY 26, 2012

AMY WILDING

Funny lady Amy Wilding may be sober and vegan, but she certainly isn’t boring. Or at least her Pride memories from when she was a drunk carnivore aren’t . . .

ON PRIDE ROMANTIC-FLING FUCKS: I love that phrase “romantic-fling fuck!” Can I use that one? My nickname used to be the Kissing Bandit. Used to be! So there was a lot of romancing and flinging and a bit of fucking. Instead of a lemonade stand, I had a kissing booth. There just wasn’t a booth and there was no charge. Looking back on those slutty kissing days, if I had charged per kiss, I would be a millionaire! Girls, boys, girls and boys — I kissed them all. I have calmed down a lot over the years. Handed my title on. Now there is someone more deserving running around living up to the legacy I left behind.

ON FORESKIN AND GRAPES: Last Pride, we were at the Davie St parade and decided to go into this tent, because there was a hot “nurse” standing outside telling us we should go in.

The tent held about 20 people — it was small and cramped and full of about 18 lezzies. And let’s not forget the two gay guys, half confused, half excited, looking around, like, What kind of gross lady-bits talk is this going to be? And is there still time to make a run for it?

There was a very small stage at the front. All of a sudden this guy is standing in front of us wearing only a T-shirt that says “I heart my foreskin” and no pants. What we didn’t know

yet: he had just shoved 19 seedless red grapes up his foreskin. With his hands on his hips and his manhood thrust forward, he asked us how many seedless red grapes we thought he had shoved up his foreskin. I have never seen more lesbians look all kinds of horrified and curious at the same time.

The two guys had their heads cocked at a 90-degree angle from start to finish of the presentation.

And what kind of presentation is this? We had been seduced into the Foreskin Awareness booth! While we watched him push each grape out, he had one of my friends sitting in the

front row count them as they dropped into a Tupperware container. I have not been able to eat seedless red grapes since!

But I must say, a very informative presentation on why we should just let guys keep their foreskin, including an up-close-and-personal look at how easy it is to keep it clean. I had no idea how easy it can be! I left that presentation a whole lot gayer and knowing way more about foreskin than I ever thought one could.

ON PRIDE ADVICE: Don’t eat any fruit without washing it first.

QUANAH STYLE & CADENCE WINTER MATTHEWS You can often find Cadence Winter Matthews and Quanah Style partying the night away in our Village, and this Pride will be no exception. Only they won’t just be partying the night away — they wouldn’t want the morning and afternoon to feel left out!

ON PRIDE BRAVERY: CADENCE: It doesn’t matter if you’re gay, straight, black, white, big, little, whatever — you need to live with honesty and courage. Walking down the street with whatever crazy ensemble makes you feel good, despite whatever looks or whispers may result from it. Refusing to apologize for who or what you are. Celebrating your own uniqueness every day of your life and doing whatever you can to ignore those

negative, self-deprecating voices in your head that we all have. To me, that’s what Pride is. It’s having guts and not taking anything seriously except yourself and what you stand for.

ON PRIDE ROMANCES: QUANAH: I wouldn’t use the term “romance” so much as sex in an alley . . .

ON THEIR FIRST TIME: CADENCE: My first Pride was almost by accident. I tentatively thought about going to check it out, ran into a friend on the bus to downtown, and swindled her into joining me. We took about a million photos with total strangers. We were 100 percent sober. We stayed for a few hours and went back home. I had a blast. I just remember feeling almost as though I could cry over how much love and joy was in the air.

QUANAH: I remember my mom taking me to my first Pride and being so wide-eyed, coming from a small town and all. I remember thinking, “I can’t wait to be one of those sluts!” and now here I am. My favourite part is that my mom’s coming this year, too!

ON THEIR ULTIMATE PRIDE MAYHEM: CADENCE: Last year a good friend of mine and I were dancing on a float for a nightclub. We hadn’t even thought about bed or sleep since the night before, but we showed up, got our shit together, shotgunned 12 beer between the two of us at 8:30am and proceeded to dance our asses off in the blazing heat for the next few hours.

QUANAH: Now that’s a hard question because Pride gets so crazy! Maybe once upon a time, many moons ago, when I pulled some straightup Courtney Love shit, stumbled onstage at Spit trashed, and forgot my words, then took off my clothes . . . shameless.

ON HATERS: CADENCE: We have a voice, and a loud one at that. We’re also notoriously good at getting attention. We need to use that to grab the rest of society by the balls and make sure they walk away knowing that we won’t be disrespected, we won’t be abused, and we won’t be ignored.

QUANAH: I say to hell with those small-minded buzz-kills. Cheers to the queers!

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XTRA! JULY 26, 2012

DJ KASEY RIOT

DJ Kasey Riot gets Davie Village Dirty every Thursday night at The Junction, and you better believe she’s bringing the beat to this year’s Pride.

ROGER CHIN Pride is an extra special time for our coverboy Roger Chin, not only as a celebration, but as the anniversary of meeting his fiancé. Their relationship embodies the true essence of Pride — making the love experienced during the week-long commemoration last all year round.

ON HER FIRST PRIDE: I was topless on a balcony during the parade on Beach Ave squirting girls with a water gun. I definitely felt liberated, if you know what I mean. Most memorable moment was probably seeing Chicks on Speed live at The Anza Club. It was the sweatiest, hottest, underground lesbian party I’ve ever been to.

ON WHAT PRIDE IS: It was originally a protest.

Now, here, it’s morphed into a celebration, and some people might say it’s gotten really commercial. I even had a woman tell me there are too many causes! But the thing is, when you look at the past, it was all a cause. There may be many, but I like to think they’re multiple facets of the same thing.

ON HER WILDEST PRIDE MEMORY: One night at the end of a party we broke into the Second Beach Pool and skinny-dipped till the sun came up. The best part was that the security guard didn’t even care as long as he could watch!

ON PRIDE INGENUES: Drink as much water as you humanly can, all day, every day.

This will keep your stamina up and prevent you from passing out during a good party. Be prepared to get groped — a lot. Take it as a compliment, but start politely dancing away if you’re not interested. And finally, a disco nap between parties is essential.

ON FINDING LOVE AT PRIDE: My fiancé, Jim, and I met at Pride in 2007. That’s why we have the Celebrate Queer Vancouver plaque outside Little Sister’s. We were kind of late getting to the parade, so the only way for us to see was to stand on a fire hydrant together!

ON KEEPING PRIDE ALIVE: It’s one of those things where it has to be ongoing throughout the year. It’s not just this one thing during the year that you kind of build up to. It’s kind of like at Christmastime, when people say you should donate to charity; you know, those people are still in need the rest of the year. And people are still in need of Pride, for that selfesteem, that self-worth; people still need to build themselves up, and they still need to build their communities the rest of the year.

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You can always find Del Stamp on Davie! He works so hard; he has two full-time jobs, at Priape and Numbers, and still manages to throw a party or two, like the Hard party.

ON WHAT PRIDE MEANS: Pride is a complete celebration of who we are and what we’ve accomplished since Stonewall. It’s a celebration of us being ourselves.

Whether gay, bi, trans, straight — just celebrating who you are or who you want to be.

ON HIS BEST PRIDE MEMORY:

DEL STAMP

During the Sunset Beach festival, myself and a couple of my close friends, we were just turning it out for a solid three hours. It was so much fun! Everyone who was down there, honest to god, probably thought we were like, mangled. They were just standing there, and we were giving it. No one else, just us! It was perfect.

ON ‘STRAIGHT’ VENUES HOSTING QUEER PARTIES: I’m gonna check out the Ruff party at Vinyl, which is a new venue that will be used by the gays this year.

I love it; they’re just supporting the community. Whatever about the club!

Mikael Skold is a self-professed “trans fag,” and this season, he’s helping the trans community regain control of Pride’s reins.

ON GENDERFEST:

MIKAEL SKOLD

Basically, there’s a lot of commercial Pride going on, and [organizer] Pussy Liquor wanted to do something that was more queer vibe and not so much commercial Pride and wanted to do something that didn’t involve people outside of our community.

ON A PRIDE MOMENT HE’LL NEVER FORGET: It was my first year being publicly out as trans, and I decided I was going to walk the parade with no shirt on, which was a big deal because I still had breasts. And I was like, you know what?

I’m just going to write “trans fag” on my chest and walk in this parade. I was a little bit nervous because I figured there were a lot of people who weren’t going to understand what that means, but I was like, “Fuck it!” I was ready to

show everybody, which is god knows how many people, who I was.

ON FEELING LIKE A ROCK STAR WHILE WALKING THE PARADE: It reminds me of when I was in high school and I played one of my own songs onstage for 350 students. It’s like, you know you’re the centre of attention in a positive way and you’re getting a lot of positive feelings from the people who are watching you.

Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! JULY 26, 2012

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NOT AMUSED

Speaking freely

Proud supporters of Vancouver Pride VISIT US THIS SUMMER!

1905 OGDEN AVE

Guest Column Kevin Dale McKeown

B

Y ALL REPORTS, GUY EARLE’S performance at Zesty’s in 2007 was rude, vulgar and not at all funny — the hallmarks of a third-rate and soon-to-be-former comedian.

Earle was hosting an open-mic comedy night at the Commercial Dr restaurant five years ago when this story began.

According to testimony later heard at the BC Human Rights Tribunal in 2010, Earle felt that Lorna Pardy and a group of friends disrupted his act. He responded by letting loose with what he no doubt considered to be some clever putdowns on the topic of their apparent lesbianism. Earle left the stage at one point for a break and Pardy hurled a glass of water in his face. He worked the dousing into his next set and continued to mock and humiliate Pardy.

At some point Pardy tossed another glass of water at Earle. Later, in a post-show verbal confrontation, Earle snatched the sunglasses off Pardy’s head and broke them.

The story should have ended there.

Except that Pardy felt the affront to her dignity justified a complaint to the BC Human Rights Tribunal.

Unable to come up with anything more substantive, Pardy’s and the tribunal’s taxpayer-funded lawyers decided to invoke Section 8 of the BC Human Rights Code, which forbids us to “discriminate against a person or class of persons regarding any accommodation, service or facility customarily available to the public.”

What ensued was a Keystone Cops comedy of justice denied, presided over by tribunal member Murray Geiger-Adams. Earle was unable to attend hearings because he couldn’t afford the airfare; Geiger-Adams refused to allow Earle to participate by phone or any other newfangled technology; Earle’s pro bono lawyer, James Millar, sought a Supreme Court ruling that the tribunal had no authority to rule on the case, and Geiger-Adams chose to ignore the resulting Supreme Court direction that the tribunal not proceed with the case until the jurisdictional issue had been resolved. Dates were set that were impossible for both Earle and Millar, and proceedings commenced without their participation.

Many papers were shuffled.

In May 2011 Geiger-Adams ruled in Pardy’s favour and awarded her $15,000 from the impecunious Earle and $7,500 from the owners of Zesty’s, which by then had been rebranded as Zawa’s.

The tribunal also banned Earle from performing in this province — a power I was not aware anyone could wield.

This month, Earle’s advocate, Millar, brought the case back to the BC Supreme Court for “judicial review,” seeking to have the tribunal’s decision overturned on three basic points:

That Section 8 of the BC Human Rights Code is unconstitutional in that it is vague, overbroad and an unjustified infringement of Section 2(b) of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guaran-

KITSILANO vanmaritime.com @vanmaritime 604. 257. 8300

tees “freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication”; That a comedian’s performance is not the “provision of a service” but an artistic expression;

RATE PR EB ID L E CE

That the tribunal’s proceedings were inherently unfair, denying Earle any semblance of due process.

It’s now up to BC Supreme Court Justice Jon S Sigurdson to decide whether to uphold or overturn the tribunal’s ruling.

Had it been up to me, I might have argued that Pardy did in fact receive the full benefit of the service provided by comedian Earle — and then some.

But fortunately for everyone I’m not a lawyer.

Personally, I love comedians who really offend me. That’s why I read the opinion columns in the National Post.

And as a 62-year-old gay white man, I find plenty to be offended by. It keeps the blood moving.

It may be that the BC Human Rights Tribunal has never before acted on a complaint involving an artist’s expression and that this case is an anomaly amidst the tribunal’s serious work dealing with cases where individuals have been denied employment, accommodation, goods or services because of their gender, race, sexual orientation or disability.

Anomaly or not, the fact that the tribunal proceeded on Pardy’s complaint, with reckless disregard for the BC Supreme Court’s instructions, is cause for interest, concern and even alarm.

Geiger-Adams’s interpretation of the BC Human Rights Code turns a useful legal instrument into a dangerous piece of legislation that em-

PERSONALLY, I LOVE COMEDIANS WHO REALLY OFFEND ME. THAT’S WHY I READ THE OPINION COLUMNS IN THE NATIONAL POST. powers a bureaucrat to extinguish a citizen’s freedom of expression and run roughshod over lives and livelihoods. Tribunal members play at being judge and jury, without the procedural constraints imposed on real-life judges and juries, and all at the expense of the taxpayer, operating, in short, a kangaroo court.

As Ezra Levant commented on the case, “Does Commissar Geiger-Adams, the chief kangaroo, have some special, official sense of humour? So if he laughs, it’s legal, but if he doesn’t, it’s not?”

Yes, rightwing windbag Ezra. In standing with others who value freedom of expression above all else, one finds oneself in some pretty dubious company. But that’s the whole point of freedom of expression. Rightwing windbags, leftwing activists, authors of pedophile literary fantasies and third-rate comedians all have protection under the Charter to say, write,

Comedian Guy Earle’s (above) lawyer was in court this month to appeal the BC Human Rights Tribunal’s decision in the Zesty’s case.

MYSPACE.COM/GUYEARLE

draw and publish whatever they wish, or none of us does. Unless, of course, approved by Mr Geiger-Adams.

Geiger-Adams seems to stand with Canadian Human Rights Commission “hate speech investigator” Dean Steacy, who is on record as saying that “freedom of speech is an American concept, so I don’t give it any value.”

Remembering clearly a day that Vancouver police raided the offices of the Georgia Straight to cart off boxes of comic books as evidence in an obscenity trial, I have a keen sense of where this sort of thing can lead.

To my mind, one of the most chilling turns of phrase, which appears often in writings on these topics, is “legitimate free speech.” The implication is that there is an authority that can be turned to to arbitrate on the legitimacy of someone’s expression of opinion.

Apparently in BC that authority is Geiger-Adams.

There is a school of thought, in which I am enrolled, that isn’t at all convinced that we should be giving unelected citizens with no judiciary experience the authority to rule on “legitimate” free speech. In fact, some members of that school go so far as to hold that all forms of speech should be arbitrated only by public opinion, as expressed in ticket sales and critical acclaim or disdain.

Reasonable people can disagree, and Simon Fraser University associate professor Özlem Sensoy outlined the prevailing orthodoxy in an opinion piece entitled “Ann Coulter and Free Speech? Hardly,” first published in the Vancouver Sun on March 25. It is all about power, who has it, who doesn’t, and how those who have it silence and oppress those who don’t.

Sensoy closes her polemic by stating, “You can’t say whatever the hell you want.”

I beg to differ. I will think and write and say “whatever the hell” I want, whenever and wherever the hell I want.

Only publication editors, broadcast producers and theatre directors can determine whether I can say it in their particular forum. And nobody, certainly not Murray Geiger-Adams, gets to rule on the “legitimacy” of my free speech.

Kevin Dale McKeown, Vancouver’s first gay columnist, writes Xtra’s Still QQ column, a monthly homage to the seedier details of gay life in Vancouver during the 1970s. Still QQ will return to its regular slot next month.

HAPPY PRIDE, VANCOUVER!

JAMES LOEW

FROM ALL OF US TO ALL OF YOU! VANCOUVER’S GAY& LESBIAN NEWS

EN

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XTRA! JULY 26, 2012

Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

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arts › entertainment › leisure

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SHE CAME OUT OF THE ELEVATOR AND DOWN THE LOBBY TOWARD THE PARTY LIKE A CARICATURE OF BEAUTY. Blitz & Shitz ›45

Out City IN THE

COMMUNITY

FULLY FLEDGED house of

“People always ask me if we’re making fun of the nuns,” says Sister Petunia Encarnata.

GAYVANCOUVER.NET (MARY SHERIDAN)

gay nuns

Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence put Canada back on the map Sondi Bruner VANCOUVER’S GAY “NUNS” WILL have extra cause to celebrate this Pride when their abbey achieves a status not seen in Canada for more than 25 years.

Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence from Europe, South America, Australia and the US are said to be flocking to the Lower Mainland to herald the local chapter’s elevation to a fully professed house.

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence began in San Francisco in the early 1980s, after a troupe of gay men borrowed retired habits from a convent for their production of The Sound of Music.

The reaction from crowds in the streets was so supportive, they decided to use the framework of the nunnery to spread joy, banish guilt and serve the gay community. They’ve been serving ever since.

The San Francisco Sisters were amongst the first to visit HIV/AIDS patients in the hospital at the height of the AIDS crisis, and they worked to educate the gay community about the virus and to reduce its stigma.

Here in Canada, a Toronto chapter opened its doors in 1981 but disbanded in 1986 because the group was considered too controversial. While abbeys throughout the world have flourished in the last 20 years, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence didn’t return to Canada until 2010, here in Vancouver.

The Vancouver Sisters are unlike any traditional nuns you’ve ever seen. They don flowing white, horned wimples.

They wear elaborate, glittery makeup.

They sport brightly coloured, outrageous costumes.

“In our dress, we’re definitely very genderqueer,” says Sister Sweet Cherribum, who has been a member of the Vancouver Sisters for two years. “Some of us have beards. Some of us wear heels, some of us don’t. You don’t have to shave, you don’t have to tuck. You don’t have to add boobs or other parts — you basically come as yourself, as you choose.”

Some may interpret the Sisters’ ac-

tions as a mockery or criticism of the Catholic Church, but they say that is far from their intention.

“It’s not meant to be an attack at all. If anything, it is celebrating the best parts of being a Sister,” Sister Sweet Cherribum says. “I grew up Catholic, and nuns for me were the gentle ones, the caregivers. We spread the love, instead of spreading more self-hate.”

Using wit and humour, the Sisters aim to challenge societal norms, bring happiness to people’s lives and support the community.

“People always ask me if we’re making fun of the nuns,” says Sister Petunia Encarnata, who was also raised Catholic and even studied in the seminary to be a Franciscan brother (but left because of the pesky celibacy rule). “And I say no, far from that; we are honouring that tradition, but we make it our own and we give it a gay twist. We take our vows of spreading the joy seriously.”

The Sisters are a registered non-profit society, focused on fundraising for HIV/ AIDS, youth organizations and homelessness in the gay community.

Sister Petunia Encarnata knew she wanted to participate as soon as she saw the Sisters on the streets of Vancouver but was terrified because she had never done drag before.

“That was a tremendous breakthrough in my life, that I was not afraid to embrace any gender, and flow from a very butch guy, which I can be, to a very feminine, crazy drag queen and everything in between,” she says. “So that’s really powerful.”

The celebration of the abbey’s elevation, known as its exequatur party, is open to the public and will take place Saturday, Aug 4.

QUEER ARTS FEST

The Happiest Kinksters

the deets EXEQUATUR PARTY Sat, Aug 4, 3–5pm Milestones Grill 1210 Denman St yvrsisters.ca COURTESY OF KATE PRICE

“It’s meant to show how sweet it is when couples do play together and do trust each other,” says queer artist Kate Price, whose six-piece series, The Happiest Kinksters, is part of the Queer Arts Festival’s curated visual art exhibition.

“Kink has been a great way to express queerness, even when I’m in a heteronormative relationship,” says Price, whose partner is male.

“And I wanted to do something with cute, happy illustrations,” she adds.

Nothing says cute like nuns with spanking paddles. “I’ve always loved when people use religious outfits,” Price says.

The Queer Arts Fest runs from July 31 to Aug 18 at the Roundhouse Community Centre.

In addition to the curated and community art exhibits, this year’s festival also features theatre, dance, concerts, readings, workshops and Canada’s first lesbian opera.

—Natasha Barsotti

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Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! JULY 26, 2012

“Indeterminacy in art is made not as an attempt to bring order out of chaos nor to suggest improvements in creation, but simply a way of waking up to the very life we’re living.� — John Cage

QAF 2012 EVENTS ART PARTY! OPENING NIGHT GALA OF THE QUEER ARTS FESTIVAL! Proudly sponsored by Health Initiative for Men (HIM) Opening night gala of the Queer Arts Festival featuring live performances and fabulous company. MC: Barb Snelgrove +VMZ t o QN ] By donation t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t

RANDOM ACTS OF QUEERNESS CURATED VISUAL ARTS EXHIBITION Curated by Persimmon Blackbridge, Jeffery Gibson, & SD Holman This year the visual artists were asked to tackle the theme of “Random Acts of Queerness�, a nod to the centenary of experimental queer multi-disciplinary artist John Cage and his radical use of incongruent objects, methods and locations in his art. An inspiring display of odd juxtapositions and unconventional systems and strategies. +VMZ o "VH ] By donation (BMMFSZ )PVST 11am - 10pm Mon-Fri | 11am - 4:30pm Sat-Sun t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t

PRIDE IN ART

COMMUNITY VISUAL ART SHOW The Queer Arts Festival is happy to again present the Pride in Art Community Show. In the Great Hall of the Roundhouse, outside the main Exhibition Hall, the PiA Community Show will exhibit visual art works by queer artists in any medium. Works in the Community Show need not be themed. +VMZ o "VH ] By donation 'BDJMJUZ )PVST 9am - 10pm Mon-Fri | 9am – 5pm Sat-Sun t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t

CLEAN SHEETS 2012

QUEER PLAY READINGS Co-presented with Screaming Weenie Productions.

Clean Sheets is theatrical readings of the best in new queer plays from writers all over Canada.

5IF 4JOHVMBSJUZ PG %FTJSF by Judy M. Miles (Vancouver) .FNPSJBM by Steven Gallagher (Toronto) "VH t QN ] By donation

WHEN THE SUN COMES OUT Workshop presentation of Canada’s first lesbian opera, by composer Leslie Uyeda and librettist Rachel Rose. Starring soprano Teiya Kasahara, mezzo-soprano Shirin Eskandani, baritone Joel Klein, music director Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa, and directed by Robert McQueen, this ground-breaking work tells a cross-cultural tale of bravery and betrayal, truth and lies.

"VH t QN ] $20 advance, $12-30 sliding scale at door t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t

THANK YOU, YOU’RE NOT WELCOME In a series of frenzied vignettes excised from his life, or maybe stolen from another, dancer and choreographer Noam Gagnon presents a madcap tale that ushers you deep into a wild storybook world in the tradition of the Brothers Grimm. Written and directed by James Fagan Tait.

"VHVTU t QN ] $20 advance, $12-30 sliding scale at door t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t

BIG GAY SING!

Our 3rd year hosting this festive audience sing-along. Led by choral conductor Willi Zwozdesky, pianist Stephen Smith, and the Vancouver Men’s Chorus, this is the perfect way to keep the Pride celebration going after watching the parade. It’s karaoke with glitter!

"VHVTU t QN ] $20 t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t

THE GAYEST SHOW ON EARTH‌AGAIN Once more Darcy Michael will star in this off-the-wall variety show featuring some of Vancouver’s top performers in music, drag, sketch, and comic improv. Always a wild and hilarious ride – and totally gay. Warning: offensive humour and nudity very, very likely.

"VH t QN ] $20 advance, $12-30 sliding scale at door t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t

QUEEROTICA

Not your Grandmother’s poetry reading! Queerotica continues under the brazen curatorship of author/activist Janine Fuller, Manager of Little Sister’s Bookstore and Q Hall of Famer, and QAF Artistic Director SD Holman. A smash hit every year, come enjoy live presentations of queer erotic fiction and poetry.

"VH t QN ] By Donation

Media Sponsor

We acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia.

Artist Credit: Noel Silver—�The Stranger�

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XTRA! JULY 26, 2012

VANCOUVER’S THREE-WEEK MULTIDISCIPLINARY ARTS FESTIVAL CELEBRATING DANCE, LITERATURE, MUSIC, THEATRE, & VISUAL ARTS

JULY 31–AUGUST 18 @

THE ROUNDHOUSE COMMUNITY ARTS & RECREATION CENTRE 181 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver, BC

Purchase your tickets NOW at Little Sister’s & brownpapertickets.com

QAF 2012 WORKSHOPS ON MEN, WOMEN, AND THE REST OF US Transgender pioneer Kate Bornstein comes to Vancouver to perform her landmark solo show which wraps her favourite monologues and hot-off-the-press memoirs (A Queer and Pleasant Danger) into a deeply moving affirmation of spirit for sex-andgender outlaws. Bornstein is a towering legend of queer theatre — not to be missed!

"VH t QN ] $20 advance, $12-30 sliding scale at door t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t

TURKEY IN THE WOODS

Co-presented with Cranberry Sauce Equity Co-op World premiere of Jan Derbyshire’s hilarious new play. A burnt comedy for those with a certain type of humour. A drama for others. Directed by James Fagan Tait. Starring Morgan Brayton, Cherise Clarke, Suzie Payne and Jan Derbyshire.

"VH o t QN ] "VH t QN ] "VH t QN

PAINTING WORKSHOP WITH JEFFERY AUSTIN GIBSON This painting workshop is designed to help students interested in either landscape, abstract or figurative painting to elevate their work through a variety of techniques. All levels. Classes designed to be taken together, to build skills from one to the next, but pre-registered drop-ins welcome.

5IVST "VH t QN ] 5IVST "VH t QN 4VO "VH t QN $40 per class or $120 for all three *Bursaries available t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t

THE ARTIST IN YOU

MIXED MEDIA VISUAL ARTS YOUTH WORKSHOP WITH ROXANNE GAGNON Be prepared to get honest, a little dirty, and gain a better understanding of your individual, artistic expression. This workshop is designed for LGBT/ Queer/ Questioning youth with a keen interest in visual arts. Participants are welcome to attend both workshops, or drop in to only one.

$20 advance, $12-30 sliding scale at door

'SJ "VH t QN ] 4BU "VH t QN

t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t

$40 per class *Bursaries available

BOULEZ CONTRA CAGE

An Interdisciplinary argument for two musicians and two actors Starring David Bloom, Simon Webb, and flute/piano duo Tiresias.

Dramatizes the friendship of composers John Cage and Pierre Boulez, who embodied the polar opposites of post-war musical thought: the resolute structure of Serialism and the radical spontaneity of Indeterminancy.

"VH t QN ] $20 advance, $12-30 sliding scale at door t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t

LAW OF PROXIMITY

A unique dance project facilitated by MACHiNENOiSY’s co-Artistic Directors Delia Brett and Daelik, Law of Proximity is the culmination of a month-long performance intensive for queer youth. An exciting and informative physical dialogue on performance, art, identity and communication. Premieres at the Scotiabank Dance Centre.

677 Davie St. "VH t QN ] $20, $15 for students/seniors/members of

t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t

HELLO, CRUEL WORLD

YOUTH SURVIVAL WORKSHOP WITH KATE BORNSTEIN Bornstein’s book, “Hello, Cruel World. 101 Alternatives to Suicide for Teens, Freaks, and other Outlaws�, is an underground bestseller, and the basis of this workshop. She will talk about doing anything it takes to make your life more worth living. Anything. With the single rule: Don’t be mean. A group discussion will follow the lecture.

"VH t QN ] Free! t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t

FACE YOUR FEARS, ACT YOUR ASPIRATIONS ACTING WORKSHOP WITH ELAINE CAROL Co-presented with the Vancouver Queer Film Festival

MACHiNENOiSY & Queer Arts Festival

So you’ve written a script and you’re ready to work with a cast of actors: a critical skill for any director is to appreciate the art of acting. This workshop will give a brief overview of American method acting to help you understand and reach the emotional depth, complexity and courage needed to act. Open to 8 participants only. Deadline to apply: July 30.

"VH t o QN ] Free!

t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t

t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t

Sadly, all good things come to an end. Tonight we celebrate the closing of another fabulous festival, and thank all of our wonderful volunteers! Your last chance to view the art exhibits and mingle with the queer arts community. Hosted by Miss Pussy Liquor.

"VHVTU t o QN

Co-presented with the Vancouver Queer Film Festival In this artists-in-discussion style workshop, three Festival directors speak candidly about the challenges and successes of funding their projects. Intended to inspire filmmakers and cross-discipline artists to find the financial support they need. Drop in.

"VH t o QN ] Free!

CLOSING PARTY

ARTIST TALK: FUND YOUR FILM

For more information visit queerartsfestival.com Facebook: facebook.com/qafvancouver | Twitter: @qafvancouver | hash tag: #QAFVan

35

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Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! JULY 26, 2012

Sponsored proudly by FOUNDING SPONSOR

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ARRIVAL FROM SWEDEN Plays the Music of ABBA!

a pair of tickets to the

Burnaby Blues + Roots Festival Saturday, August 11, 2012 Deer Lake Park Burnaby, Bc Gates: 12:30pm Show: 2:00pm

Email your name and phone number to contest@xtra.ca Contest closes Aug 25th

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Arrival from Sweden also includes original ABBA band members Finn SjĂśberg on guitar and Roger Palm on drums. The music of ABBA: live on stage with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra! themusicofabba.com

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more at xtra.ca

XTRA! JULY 26, 2012

37

THEATRE

When open relationships are unevenly embraced Blowing Whistles breaks the rules Mark Robins STARTING UP AN INDEPENDENT theatre company, especially one with a focus on gay content, during the busy Pride season is not without its risks.

But for Landmark Productions’ Morgan David Jones and Shane Bingham, the risk is a calculated one.

They’re hoping their debut, Blowing Whistles, will not only resonate with Vancouver’s gay community but will also help reinvigorate the local indie theatre scene. A little bit of full-frontal nudity never hurts, either.

“The timing for Blowing Whistles is perfect, as it is all about Pride, and the fact it has a naked young [17-year-old] should help,” laughs Jones, who is both producing and directing the show.

According to Bingham, who is pulling his own double-duty as producer and actor, this is their chance to give back to the community they now call home and to provide an alternative to the more traditional parties that take place during Pride.

Of course, even the best of intentions and a glimpse of penis will get you only so far.

Having seen Blowing Whistles in separate productions in Sydney and London, both Jones and Bingham were struck by their similar reactions to the play and the responses they observed.

For Bingham, it was the play’s ability to move him that made him want to produce it at some point in his career.

Jones believes the play will connect with gay audiences.

“I originally saw Blowing Whistles during Sydney’s Mardi Gras in 2008, and I instantly fell in love with it,” he says. “The first half is kind of fun, but in the second half it is simply heartbreaking when it starts dealing with the realities of an open relationship.”

Playwright Matthew Todd’s dramedy explores the effects an open relationship can have when only half of a couple is fully onboard with the idea.

Jamie and Nigel have hooked up with a variety of guys in the past, and we meet them as they prepare for their latest adventure, on the night of their anniversary.

Having always been the more reluctant partner in these sexual encounters, Jamie’s fears are somewhat alleviated by the establishment of a couple of key rules for thirds. But when

the new hookup breaks one of these rules, the couple finds its relationship tested.

“There are obvious holes in the couple’s relationship, and Mark [the hookup] rips them wide open,” says Cameron Crosby, who plays Mark.

Blowing Whistles is also an opportunity to call out the gay community on its internalized homophobia, Todd says, pointing to language commonly used on hook-up sites by guys seeking “straight-acting” guys.

“I think gay culture does not always treat gay people with respect. We don’t always treat each other and ourselves with respect. I know I’ve been guilty of that. And I don’t think we can really deal with that until we discuss it out in the open,” he says.

“I want to help try to change some of the things that I see around me that are hurting us — that’s often us ourselves.”

Of Blowing Whistles’ cast of three, two identify as straight in this production, including Crosby.

“The gay part didn’t scare me at all. The thing that really scared me was the nude scene,” Crosby confides with a smile. “I figured if I got naked onstage nothing will ever scare me again. I like pushing myself as far as I can go in acting, and while it’s a challenge, I’m so sick of playing safe.

I wanted something that will scare the shit out of me.”

the deets BLOWING WHISTLES Shane Bingham plays Jamie and Cameron Crosby plays Mark (aka Cumboy_17) in Landmark Productions’ presentation of Blowing Whistles. JESSICA OOSTERGO

Thurs, July 26–Sat, Aug 4 PAL Theatre, 581 Cardero St $25/$30 lpvancouver.com

LGBT Seniors Have More Fun! The West End Seniors’ Network, QMUNITY & 411 Seniors Centre invite LGBT seniors (and their friends!) to celebrate Pride with us this year: August 2nd: G(r)ay & Glamourous. A social & dance for LGBT Elders & Allies. 5:00-8:00pm, Barclay Manor (1447 Barclay).

August 5th: Elders & Allies Pride Parade Entry. Walk with us or ride in our bus! To register, contact the Generations office at (604) 684-8449 or generations@qmunity.ca.

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38

Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! JULY 26, 2012

Taking a Chance on God

Thursday | Aug 16 Opening Gala

5:oo pm | International Village

Father John McNeil tells the story of his life as a soldier in World War II, a Catholic priest and a champion for gay and lesbian rights. This is a moving documentary about a man who continues to inspire LGBT believers around the world.

A group of female Filipino migrant workers struggle as they seek justice from their negligent employer in Taiwan. Unexpected lesbian love stories become intertwined in their fight.

Austin Unbound

5:oo pm | International Village Austin, a deaf and transgender man, drives from Portland to San Francisco for his top surgery, on the way recounting intimate glimpses of his life.

Love Me Not

Shahada

5:oo pm | International Village Set in the queer-friendly city of Berlin, three unique protagonists struggle with their Muslim faith and their personal desires in this multi-award winning drama.

North Sea Texas

7:oo pm | Empire Granville (4) Neglected by his mother, Pim grows up with unhampered gay feelings and fantasies about his neighbour Gino—a fantasy that slowly begins to realize when, at just 16 years of age, his mother abandons him.

Leave It on the Floor

9:30 pm | Empire Granville (4) Brad, a young gay teenager, stumbles upon the drag ball scene and struggles to find his place in the vibrant underground queer world.

Kiss Me

9:30 pm | International Village Mia falls unexpectedly in love with her future stepsister Frida—the love affair threatens Mia’s perfect life. Will Mia allow true love to turn her world upside down?

Saturday | Aug 18 Act Your Aspirations: Acting Workshop with Elaine Carol

Mosquita y Mari

7:oo pm | International Village

Two teenage girls, loyal to their families and culture, support each other through senior high school.

When their friendship evolves into young love, they are forced to choose between their love for one another and their families.

Nate & Margaret

7:oo pm | International Village Nate’s unconventional but close friendship with 52-year-old spinster Margaret (played by Natalie West from TV’s Roseanne) is tested when he gets a new boyfriend.

So Hard to Forget

9:30 pm | Empire Granville (4) After a hard break-up, Julie, an English professor, moves to a seaside cottage with her friends for a retreat—only to get entangled in another love affair.

Fierce, Fabulous & Under 25 8:oo pm | Vancity Theatre

A celebration of talent, film and the spirit of youth. The party is free for queers and allies under 25. Highlights of the night include watching the winning video of 2012 Rise Against Homophobia and the legendary open-mic cabaret. Bring your poems, your drag costume or any short live act you’d like to share. It’s your turn to shine brightly.

Jobriath A.D.

9:30 pm | Empire Granville (4) The documentary chronicles the story of Jobriath— the first openly gay rock star—using rare clips, studio footage and magazine stories from the 70s and 80s.

La Fille de Montréal

7:oo pm | International Village Ariane, now almost 50, has lived in her Montreal apartment since her college years. She reflects on her life as she prepares to move out. Director Jeanne Crépeau portrays a changing Montreal.

Revoir Julie

9:30 pm | International Village Set in the romantic countryside just outside of Montreal, Julie and Juliette meet up again after 15 years—an unexpected visit that evokes singing, drinking and long-awaited amour.

Wariazone

9:30 pm | Vancity Theatre This documentary introduces us to the remarkable lives of Warias—Indonesian trans women—showing their daily challenges and their courage to stay true to themselves.

Tuesday | Aug 21 The Green

7:oo pm | Vancity Theatre See Sunday, Aug 19 for film description.

Shahada

9:30 pm | International Village See Friday, Aug 17 for film description.

Monday | Aug 20

I Want Your Love

9:30 pm | International Village

Fund Your Film!

Sunday | Aug 19

Three Festival directors— Nathan Adloff, Eliza Greenwood and Angelina Cantada—speak candidly about the challenges and successes of funding their projects, providing you with tips and inspiration to fund your own project.

Joe + Belle

Leading young, rebellious lives, Joe and Belle accidentally meet each other and fall in love while on the run from the Israeli police.

In San Francisco, young 20something hipster men gather for Jesse’s going away party. The night starts off with reminiscing, but after a few cocktails, it turns into a sexy yet tender hook-up party.

2:00 pm | The Roundhouse

Michael and Daniel are a wellto-do gay couple that moves to the suburbs. Their tranquil living is disrupted when Michael is falsely accused of engaging in inappropriate behaviour in the high school where he teaches.

Lesbian filmmaker Aggie falls for her gay best friend Dennis.

The attraction raises questions for Aggie: Does this change her lesbian identity? Is a relationship between a lesbian and a gay man possible?

In this three-hour workshop, Elaine Carol will introduce you to the American method of acting which will help you reach the emotional depth, complexity and courage needed to act.

12:30 pm | The Roundhouse

7:oo pm | Empire Granville (4)

7:oo pm | International Village

Lukas, a 19-year-old trans man, moves to the city to go to college and falls for his cisgender gay friend. Attempting to gain acceptance among his new friends, Lukas keeps his transgender identity a secret.

Director’s Spotlight

The Green

7:oo pm | Empire Granville (4)

Romeos 7:oo pm | Empire Granville (7)

Friday | Aug 17

Lesbian Factory

5:oo pm | Empire Granville (4)

The Falls

5:oo pm | Empire Granville (4) Two young Mormon men are forced to choose between their faith and community, and their love for each other, as they serve a year-long religious mission together.

Ballroom Rules

7:oo pm | International Village Ballroom Rules follows five couples to the 2010 Gay Games in Berlin and captures their personal battles and passion for dance sports and for one another.

Tomboy

7:oo pm | Vancity Theatre After moving to the French suburbs, 10-year-old Laure introduces herself to the new neighbourhood kids as Michaël and embraces a boy gender identity.

Tomboy

9:30 pm | Vancity Theatre See Monday August 20, for film description.

more at xtra.ca

United in Anger: A History of ACT UP 9:30 pm | International Village

This moving documentary chronicles the story of ACT UP (Aids Coalition to Unleash Power), a group of activists united to end the AIDS epidemic during the mid-80s in New York.

XTRA! JULY 26, 2012

Thursday | Aug 23 Centrepeice Gala

Tickets

Questions?

Single Film Ticket $11 General Admission $8 Student/Senior/ Underemployed

Call the Box Office info line: 778. 875. 8360 Powered by Caya

Gala Film Ticket Same price as a regular single ticket and includes Gala party admission.

Wednesday | Aug 22

Six Pack $60 General Admission $42 Student/Senior/ Underemployed

Head of the Class

6:oo pm | International Village Who’s ensuring that our high schools are diverse and safe for youth? Featuring a discussion panel and a range of youthdriven short films, the program facilitates discussion and introduces local leaders of education, outreach and antihomophobia policy.

Festival Super Pass $150 General Admission $125 Student/Senior/ Underemployed The Super Pass provides full access to all Festival screenings, Gala films, select parties and events.

Mia 7:oo pm | Rio Theatre

Where to Purchase

When Alé, a trans woman, finds a diary-sized suicide note from a woman named Mia, she is deeply moved by the story and resolves to find Mia’s daughter and return the diary.

Online at QueerFilmFestival.ca Tickets available for purchase until 11:00 pm the day before the screening you plan to attend.

Jobriath A.D.

Saturday | Aug 25

Little Sister’s Book and Art Emporium 1238 Davie Street

Invisible Men

See Sunday, Aug 19 for film description.

LuLu Sessions

Forced to flee Palestine, Louie becomes an invisible man in Tel Aviv, having no legal papers, family or home. Invisible Men documents the daily struggles of being queer and lawless in the Middle East.

Friday | Aug 24

9:30 pm | International Village 7:oo pm | Vancity Theatre

Gender Like It Is

9:30 pm | Vancity Theatre Using the power of new film technologies and ideologies, this program explores how genderqueer new filmmakers are crafting narrative, infusing film with feminism and offering bold visual styles.

Angel

5:oo pm | Rio Theatre Angel, a transsexual prostitute, visits her family in Ecuador.

Despite financially providing for her family, she struggles to gain acceptance in her community.

4:oo pm | Empire Granville (3) Director Casper Wong documents the last 15 months of her friend and lover LuLu, who is diagnosed with breast cancer. Lulu Sessions celebrates LuLu’s life and hardwon achievements.

Keep up with the schedule and film information, find your way to the hot parties and play oneof-a-kind games on our Festival iPhone App. Brought to you by our friends at B’stro.

Let’s Be Friends: Facebook and Twitter “Like” the Vancouver Queer Film Festival fan page on Facebook or follow @queerfilmfest on Twitter. You’ll find Festival pics, party listings and the latest news in queer cinema.

Open daily from 10:00 am – 11:00 pm Tickets available until 11:00 pm the day before the screening you plan to attend.

From Coast to Coast is Queer

9:30 pm | Empire Granville (4)

Featuring indie short films, this program offers a playful and heartfelt glimpse of what it means to be “queerly Canadian.”

Be prepared to experience a range of ideas, cultural views, queer identities—and maybe a little laughter too.

North Sea Texas

5:oo pm | Empire Granville (4) See Friday, Aug 17 for film description.

Private Romeo

Stock Characters: The Cooking Show

9:oo pm | Empire Granville (3)

7:oo pm | Rio Theatre

In this locally flavoured documentary, a group of East Van youth face personal battles as they work hard to piece together their own theatre production.

Free iPhone App

Positive Youth

5:oo pm | Empire Granville (4) This inspirational documentary explores the reality of living with HIV in 2012 and follows four young people as they cope with HIV issues.

A group of male cadets are left behind at an isolated military high school, where a modernday gay re-enactment of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet unfolds with all the drama and tragedy of the beloved original play.

Joshua Tree, 1951

6:3o pm | Empire Granville (3) See Friday, Aug 24 for film description.

My Last Round

9:30 pm | International Village Hugo, a Chilean amateur boxer, lets his tough guy guard down to start a relationship with his younger lover, Octavio. Being gay and in love soon proves to be his biggest fight.

7:oo pm | Empire Granville (4)

Joshua Tree, 1951: A Portrait of James Dean

7:oo pm | Empire Granville (4)

See Friday, Aug 17 for film description.

Romeos

The Coast is Queer

See Thursday, Aug 16 for film description.

Strange, sappy, scrappy, sexy and spectacular are just a few words that describe this year’s program.

Come celebrate new short films by queer Vancouverites.

Kiss Me

5:oo pm | International Village

7:oo pm | International Village

Mia

9:30 pm | Rio Theatre See Thursday, Aug 23 for film description.

Closing Gala

Difficult Love

Set in the golden age of Hollywood, this movie is a fictional biography that captures the rise of the legendary actor James Dean and his alleged affair with his college roommate William Bast.

Thursday | Aug 23

Sunday | Aug 26

9:30 pm | Rio Theatre

Mosquita y Mari

9:30 pm | Empire Granville (4) See Friday, Aug 17 for film description.

A poignant documentary on Zanele Muholi’s life-long passion photographing the lives of black queers in South Africa, a creative pursuit that has caused both acclaim and controversy.

Margaret & Evergon

7:oo pm | Emily Carr University A powerful and personal documentary on the life of a celebrated gay photographer, Evergon, and his 80-year- old mother, Margaret, and their exceptionally close relationship.

Funeral Parade of Roses

9:oo pm | Emily Carr University This archival gem is set in the underground world of Tokyo in 1967, where Eddie a beautiful gender outlaw meets her rival and is wooed by an illustrious man.

Dirty Girl 7:oo pm | Empire Granville (7)

In a small town in 1987 Okalahoma, Danielle, the school’s “bad girl,” hits the road with her gay best friend Clarke in this youthful road trip comedy.

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Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! JULY 26, 2012

TECH

Life beyond Grindr Can any other app compare?

For some gay men, the mobile cruising app Grindr has become a de rigueur accessory — almost as important as owning a smartphone itself. And with more than 3.5 million users in 192 countries, Grindr has certainly earned its reputation as the most popular gay cruising app.

But why limit yourself to the 100 nearest guys on one cascade? There are plenty of other cruising apps out there to increase your odds of hooking up . . . err . . . networking with other “men seeking men.”

We’ve compared some of them against the big daddy to see who and what we’re missing out on by focusing on Grindr.

Rob Salerno

A4A Radar LINK: radar.adam4adam.com FEATURES: The US dating site Adam4Adam has been around since 2003, although its popularity is declining.

BUGS: Maybe we’re slow, but we couldn’t get this app to display more than 16 guys. Which is a definite bug.

Gaydar

Jack’d

LINK: gaydar.net

LINK: jackd.mobi FEATURES: Kind of like Grindr for gym queens, but don’t worry — there’s no BMI test required to join. This network seems to have a lot of users in Toronto. It can be filtered by distance and by city, or you can chat with whoever’s online around the world.

Profiles can contain a lot of information and up to three pictures. Users can filter the cascade by age, online status, ethnicity, availability of pictures, scene and how recently someone’s joined the network. Users can even browse a list of users who’ve viewed or “favourited” them. The whole app appears to run by donation.

BUGS: Jack’d seems to have combined the best aspects of all the other cruising apps.

The only downside is that profiles and pictures sometimes take a long time to load, and the interface doesn’t allow sideswiping through profiles or pictures.

FEATURES: The South African/UK-based cruising website has been around since 1999 and has more recently moved into the mobile market. Profiles can include multiple pictures, and there’s lots of room to get detailed and informative in your profile.

BUGS: Gaydar was always more popular in the UK than North America, and it doesn’t seem like the move to mobile has been hugely successful this side of the pond. A recent “nearby” search brought up men who were 100 miles away in less than 50 users. The cascade can’t be filtered by interest. Users who have free guest accounts can send messages, but they can’t initiate chats unless they subscribe to paid member accounts, which begin at $9 per month.

Scruff LINK: scruffapp.com FEATURES: Billed as a kind of Grindr for bears, Scruff users will find the app fairly familiar if they’ve used Grindr before. But there are a number of additional features, including options to make your profile more detailed, link it to your Facebook page or website, and save photos that users send you. The cascade can be arranged to display only those nearby, or the “global” function allows you to chat with users thousands of miles away or to search specific cities. There’s also a function that lets you rate users on whether or not you’d be interested in them. If that user rates you similarly, you’ll both get messages alerting you. While the profiles are generally more hirsute than Grindr’s, users seem to come in all shapes, sizes and furriness.

For an additional fee, you can increase your maximum number of blocks to 1,000, which still sounds like a small number.

BUGS: In the middle of our trial, Scruff developed some kind of connection error that took out the service and the Scruff website.

That doesn’t bode well.

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Squirt Mobile LINK: squirt.org FEATURES: The popular gay cruising site doesn’t have a mobile app, only a mobile-friendly version of its website. While this makes the site somewhat less convenient for smartphone users, it frees it from Apple’s puritan restrictions.

In practice, this means you get to see a lot of other users’ cocks and anuses. The website will still use your GPS to tell you who’s nearest and to give you lists of nearby cruising spots.

Upgrading to full membership for $6.95 per week or $89.95 per year allows members to view more profiles and more profile details. Free members can view only paid members, while paid members can see both paid and free members.

BUGS: To get the most from this site, you really have to upgrade to full membership.

But compared to the other apps we tried, Squirt does cut right to the chase.

FULL DISCLOSURE: Squirt is operated by Pink Triangle Press, which publishes Xtra.

more at xtra.ca

XTRA! JULY 26, 2012

Bender LINK: benderapp.com FEATURES: Hi-larious name.

Allows multiple pics.

BUGS: Not nearly enough users to be worthwhile.

41

BoyAhoy LINK: boyahoy.skout.com FEATURES: Kind of a more cruisey Facebook, BoyAhoy profiles include a wall where a history of profile pics, status updates and gifts from other users are displayed. Your BoyAhoy profile can even be linked to your Facebook. The platform allows users to display multiple pics. Users buy or earn points to find out who’s checking them out, give gifts or save pics of other users (which must be vitally important for users who don’t know how to capture screenshots from their phones).

Recon LINK: recon.com FEATURES: Like a Grindr for the fetish community. A recent search turned up lots of users, and because of the nature of the site, you know that you’ll already share a mutual interest.

BUGS: The search function is pretty wonky, and only the “near” option is of any use.

You can search users in your city, state, country or globally, but it can’t be targeted any further. And the city function has a funny habit of displaying users 40 to 60 miles away.

BUGS: Profiles can’t get very detailed, although a metric for how active or passive you consider yourself is a required field on every profile. You can upload only one public picture. Non-members reach their maximum profile views very quickly.

Grindr LINK: grindr.com FEATURES: Grindr has the most active users and has become a cultural touchstone for gay men the world over.

By using a smartphone’s GPS, it finds the 100 nearest users and arranges them in a cascade for easy browsing.

Users can chat in real time, send unlimited pics, block up to 10 users per day, and maintain a “favourites” list of users who’ll always be at the top of the cascade. For $2.99 per month, users can subscribe to Grindr Xtra, which puts an additional 200 users in the cascade, allows unlimited blocks and adds a number of navigational enhancements.

GuySpy LINK: guyspy.com

BUGS: Limiting the cascade to simply the 100 or 300 nearest users privileges geography over mutual interests or types. Grindr doesn’t allow much profile space for users to describe themselves, so it’s impossible to browse users by interest. Grindr allows only a single profile pic. All this combines to guarantee that every conversation will have some variation of “Hey, what’s up? Great headless torso.

Got more pics? What do you do? I mean for fun. I mean sexually for fun . . .”

FEATURES: This Vancouver-based upstart claims more than 300,000 members since launching in October 2010. It’s a cross-platform service that includes an app and a web version that is also trying to become a cultural hub with event listings and bloggers. The cascade seems to max out at around 260 guys, but they don’t appear to be arranged geographically. A somewhat stalker-y function allows you to browse users by their exact locations on a Google Map. For $1.99 per month, GuySpy+ enables travel mode, which allows users to browse in other cities. It also increases the number of guys users can see and cruise, and enables a function that notifies you when your favourite guys go online.

You can filter users by age, but not by what they’re looking for on the site. You’ll also quickly find that you see the same guys on Grindr all the time if you’re always logging in from the same place at the same time, especially if you check in from particularly gay locations, like anywhere in downtown Vancouver.

BUGS: That map function sure is creepy. You can disable your exact location from showing, however. Since GuySpy’s cascade isn’t ordered geographically and can’t be filtered by interest, it seems to combine the worst aspects of Grindr with the non-immediacy of web-based cruising.

Manhunt LINK: manhunt.net FEATURES: Manhunt has a history with the gay community, having survived more than a decade since it was founded as a phone chatline in 2001. With more than four million users, it is the largest gay cruising website in the world. The mobile app combines web users with mobile users, allowing you to maximize your cruising. But mixing in desktop users eliminates geographic targeting. The app allows you to filter users by ethnicity, body type and sexual activity. For a fairly steep fee — $5 for a week, $9 for a month or $85 for a year — you can view more user pics and keep longer buddy lists.

Speed Flirt LINK: dating.speedflirt.com FEATURES: Can’t say. This one wouldn’t load after we downloaded it from the app store.

BUGS: It’s an imperfect marriage of mobile and web platforms. Mobile profiles can’t display a lot of information (it’s a lot of “age/body type/position” profiles). Basic-version users can see only grainy thumbnail pictures of users. The mobile app doesn’t seem to have penetrated the market. In Toronto’s Village, we found only four mobile users within a mile.

Lack of a real-time chat function means users must rely on a messaging function instead.

COLLECTING

MATISSE

AND MODERN MASTERS

MAY 26 – SEPT 30, 2012 “Much more than a look at works from a who’s who of early European modern artists. It’s a look at how a pair of passionate women brought some of the most interesting and important art to America”.

Dana Gee, The Province

THE CONE SISTERS OF BALTIMORE

This exhibition is organized by The Baltimore Museum of Art, The Jewish Museum, New York, and the Vancouver Art Gallery.

Opening Celebrations Sponsor:

With generous support from:

Media Sponsors:

Presenting Sponsor:

Gallery Hours Daily 10am–5pm Tuesdays and Sundays until 9pm www.vanartgallery.bc.ca

Henri Matisse, Large Reclining Nude, 1935, oil on canvas, The Baltimore Museum of Art: The Cone Collection, formed by Dr. Claribel Cone and Miss Etta Cone of Baltimore, Maryland, BMA 1950.258

42

XTRA! JULY 26, 2012

Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Out Town ON THE

XTRA’S GUIDE TO FOOD, NIGHTLIFE AND FUN

CELEBRITIES NIGHTCLUB 1022 DAVIE ST, VANCOUVER 604-681-6180 celebritiesnightclub.com FRI, JULY 27 Stereotype Fridays presents Lazy Rich (Birthday Party) and Hirshee.

SAT, JULY 28 Blueprint and Buzzermedia present Cedric Gervais.

TUES, JULY 31 Pride 2012 Opening of Pride Week, with DJs Darylo, Timeline, JP Valdes.

WED, AUG 1 Bingo for Life and DMS Drag Show.

FRI, AUG 3 Pride Ball, with DJ Pornstar.

SAT, AUG 4 Let Them Eat Cake, featuring Shangela, of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

SUN, AUG 5 History IX, a party marathon for 13 hours straight.

Cruisey T

TAKE PRIDE IN YOURSELF AT 1042 DAVIE STREET

604-551-BOAT cruiseyt.com SUN, AUG 5 The Pride Party Cruise on the MV Princess. Enjoy a roast beef buffet dinner and dance to your heart’s content. Boarding starts at 4pm (sailings from 5–9pm). Advance tickets $50 (includes your meal) and can be purchased at Little Sister’s Bookstore, Priape or online atcruiseyt.com.

SUN, AUG 5 The Pride Go-Go Cruise on the MV Britannia sells out every year, so you won’t want to miss this event.

DJs Zach Shore and Brett T from Seattle will keep you entertained on all levels of the boat. Enjoy a roast beef buffet dinner and dance into the early hours of the night. Boarding starts at 5pm (sailings from 6–10pm). Advance tickets are $60 (includes your meal) and can be purchased at Little Sister’s Bookstore, Priape or online at cruiseyt.com.

MON, AUG 6 Pride Recovery Cruise on the MV Britannia. DJs Drew and Del Stamp will keep you entertained on all three levels of the boat. Performers Joan-E and Summer Clearance will give it their all. Enjoy a buffet chicken dinner and dance until you can’t dance anymore. Boarding starts at 3pm (sailings from 4–8pm). Advance tickets are $60 (includes your meal) and can be purchased at Little Sister’s Bookstore, Priape or online at cruiseyt.com.

FISH HOUSE RESTAURANT 8901 Stanley Park Dr 604-681-7275 fishhousestanleypark.com DAILY SPECIALS: HIGH tea $25 per person, runs from 2–4pm.

SALMON burger or fish & chips served with a beer for $12, runs from 2–4pm.

LUNCH specials: prawn salad or organic chicken burger served with a beer for $15, runs from noon–4pm.

The Psychic

Thee Oh Sees Great Live Music

Happy Pride!

Slick Idiot show & ticket information wwwliveatrickshaw.com

AUG 1

AUG 9

OCT 6 AUG 4 Sic Alps

OCT 20

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XTRA! JULY 26, 2012

43

TO ADVERTISE CALL 604-684-9696

FOUNTAINHEAD PUB 1011 DAVIE ST, VANCOUVER 604-687-2222

Food for the Village

WEDNESDAYS Red Truck pints; Beefeater gin highballs.

THURSDAYS Grower’s Cider; Alexander Keith’s pints.

FRIDAYS Polar Ice vodka highballs; Kokanee pints; Naughty Shots.

SATURDAYS Smirnoff Ice coolers; Granville Island pints; Naughty Shots.

SUNDAYS Caesars; OK Spring pints.

MONDAYS Labatt’s Blue pints; Jackson Triggs wines.

TUESDAYS Smirnoff Twisted coolers; Russell pints.

coscarestaurant.com 1118 Denman St

HAPPY PRIDE! BAR

G R IL L

V IE W

NUMBERS 1042 DAVIE ST, VANCOUVER numbers.ca SUN, July 29 T-Dance, starting at 3pm. $200 door prize.

MON–WED Dance party with DJ Del. $200 door prize.

THURS, Aug 2 Debauchery Party.

Prize worth more than $500.

FRI–SAT Dance Party. $500 door prize, Pride Sun beer garden and barbecue. $1000 in cash prizes.

RICKSHAW THEATRE 254 E Hastings St 604-681-8915

333 Menchion Mews (beside Westin Bayshore) www.liftbarandgrill.com 604-689-5438

Promote your restaurant or bar for as low as $100 per issue!

Price includes daily event listings or daily menu options.

To advertise in Out on the Town, call 604-684-9696 today!

VANCOUVER’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

JULY 28 Eeek, Philoceraptor and the 80th Action. 19+. Doors at 8pm.

AUG 4 Electric Frankenstein, The Stockers, 69 Guns and The Strugglers. 19+. Doors at 8pm.

AUG 5 Anvil, Skullhammer and Dead Asylum. 19+. Doors at 7pm.

AUG 7 Feral Children, Peace and Holzkopf. 19+. Doors at 8pm.

STEAMWORKS 123 W PENDER ST VANCOUVER steamworksonline.com THURSDAYS Lights-out party. 4pm–4am.

Find out who goes hump in the dark.

SUNDAYS Sticky buns Sundays.

4am– 8am. Sunday mornings starting at 4am, complimentary baked treats and freshly brewed coffee.

MON–TUES Cram-session student night: discount with student ID. Bring in your valid student ID and receive a free 90-day student membership and $5 off your rental, every Tuesday and Wednesday from 6pm–midnight.

WEDNESDAYS Lights-out party. 4pm–4am. Find out who goes hump in the dark.

44

Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! JULY 26, 2012

NO FLIP JUST SAY NO

TOP

or

BOTTOM ?

Mr. Mattress mattresses are VERSATILE!!

Padded on both sides.

EST.

1964

This means you can FLIP your mattress. Two sides, twice the life.

Sensible Prices s Friendly Service s Zero Pressure

HAPPY PRIDE! 1315 Venables St mrmattress.ca | 604.255.2113 A+ Rating Since 1975

MEET YOUR PERFECT MATCH

listings ›

Full Pride listings are in Xtra’s Ultimate Pride Guide, included in this issue. Details on a few events arrived late, but we’ve got them covered here. Happy Pride!

PARTIES Dine Above the Stars

PWYC, no one turned away for lack of funds. gabyouth@qmunity.ca

Five-course dinner prepared by chef Kim Thai, libations from Blasted Church Vineyards and visual spectacle courtesy of the Celebration of Light fireworks display. Fundraiser for A Loving Spoonful. Wed, Aug 1, 6pm. Coast Plaza Hotel, 1763 Comox St. $140. alovingspoonful.org

MEETINGS & GROUPS Aging with Pride

Pact East Van Pride Party Two gay brothers set out to create a Pride party that is aordable, local and queer. They created a monster, with DJ Cho Cha and performances

by Lady Jem, Celestial Seasons and Tranapus Rex. Fri, Aug 3, 8pm. Wise Hall, 1882 Adanac St. $10. wisehall.ca

VASM Pride Weekend Play Party

Preferred Partners caters to exceptional single men and women who are ready to settle down into a long-term committed relationship with the right person. We help our members achieve their relationship goals by matching them based on long-term compatibility.

CALL TODAY FOR YOUR FREE CONSULTATION

1 866-467-5252 CANADA’S PREMIER GAY MATCHMAKING SERVICE

For more listings, go to xtra.ca

The Vancouver Activists into SM oer a safe, sane and consensual play space, with a dungeon master to answer questions and provide pointers. Fri, Aug 3, 8pm–midnight.

M2M, 1210 Granville St. Regular rates apply. vasm.ca

Lunch and lively entertainment for ageless LGBTs. Hosted by Alexandra.

Tues, July 31, 1–3pm. 411 Seniors Centre, 704-333 Terminal Ave. No cover. qmunity.ca

Gay Pilots Get-Together Men in uniform gather to celebrate Pride. Fri, Aug 3, 5pm. Lickerish, 903 Davie St. No cover. gaypilot.ca

Salsa for Queer Folk and Allies Amateurs and pros learn smooth moves from Michael Gabriel Rosen, of Mas Movement, then party to salsa, merengue and reggaeton. Sat, July 28, 8pm. Rhizome CafÊ, 317 E Broadway. $5–10 sliding scale, no one turned away for lack of funds. rhizomecafe.ca

Pride Youth Dance

Cultural Asset Mapping

An alcohol- and drug-free celebration for queers aged 14 to 25. Sun, Aug 5, 8pm–midnight. West End Community Centre, 1200 Jervis St.

Join city sta and the West End planning team to help identify key cultural assets in the community and oer ideas on how they can be

preserved and developed. Fri, July 27, 9am–noon. Barclay Room, West End Community Centre, 870 Denman St. spacingvancouver.ca

ART, PERFORMANCE & FESTIVALS Priscilla @ Priscilla’s Amanda Pushawn performs a live tribute to the ultimate dragqueen road movie. Thurs, July 26, 6:30 & 9pm. Priscilla’s Restaurant, 1047 Davie St. $35 dinner and show. priscillas.ca

Rent Fighting Chance’s 2009 production of the classic musical was a huge hit; now there’s a chance to get reacquainted with the tuneful exuberance and heartbreak of “La Vie Boheme.â€? Runs till Sat, Aug 18. Waterfront Theatre, 1412 Cartwright St. $15–40. ďŹ ghtingchanceproductions.ca

People’s Bookstore BeneďŹ t Show ccweber plays solo ute while books are browsed, CDs are sold and the donation bucket is ďŹ lled.

Proceeds go to the Qmunity Centre’s urgent-needs fund. Sat, July 28, 2–3pm. People’s Co-op Bookstore, 1391 Commercial Dr. No cover. peoplescoopbookstore.com

www.preferredpartners.ca

! "

www.terminalcitytickets.com TCRG is a proud supporter of:

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XTRA! JULY 26, 2012

45

ART OF PERFORMANCE

The world’s a stage

Art kidz Camera/Whore is the highbrow version of having a photo party in front of your webcam with friends after a couple bottles of wine. The participants, of which there were many — the Media

Arts Centre was packed, and the party spilled out onto the street — were filmed upon entry, making them the pulse of the exhibit. Once inside, the event was as much about collaborating with the multiple photographers and their booths as it was social. The return of the photo orgy, organized by renowned Vancouver artist Paul Wong, along with Matt Troy and Erica Lapadat-Janzen, reinforced that there is no shame in sleazy vanity when it’s an artistic statement.

Body Body at 1181 auctioned cute ginger artiste James Lauder’s pieces, and more than $1,500 was raised for Qmunity. There was a lesbian couple guarding their bid on a piece featuring androgynous supermodel Andrej Pejic wounded with Saint Sebastian-esque arrow wounds, and since they both looked like they could bench press me, I let ’em have it.

You can view Lauder’s work at astrolauder.com.

An entranced Raziel with Her Otherworldliness, Amanda Lepore. BOB ONOSHI

PS Amanda Lepore smelled so good it got me drunk. Maybe that’s because Amanda, her fragrance with perfumer Christophe Laudamiel, has a “dash of real Cristal champagne.” Only 5,000 bottles were made, and each costs $950 a glamorous pop.

For my Pride to-do list, check out Blitz & Shitz’s Guide to Pride in Xtra’s Ultimate Pride Guide!

September

23/12

604.915.WALK

A

S I LEFT MY EAST VAN APARTment, I vaguely wondered if my crop top and cutoff shorts might be too much — or too little — for a private cocktail party at Opus Bar. I know how catty those Yaletown gays can be when not only are you not wearing a three-piece, but you’re barely wearing one.

The Canadian Foundation for Creative Development and Innovation (Lord, just call yourselves Pretentious Bitches & Co and be done with it) hosted the intimate affair. I found the party kind of awkward.

Especially when Real Housewife of Vancouver Reiko Mackenzie walked in and all the thirsty fame whores rushed to drink her blood/get a photo. And yes, I was first in line. I was parched!

The Housewives gossip was rampant in the bathroom, as people wondered aloud if Jody Claman is as big a ridiculous bitch in actuality as she is on reality. And I swear, every time Mackenzie turned her back, people glared with jealousy at her Louis Vuitton purse (which looked too new to have been purchased at The Glass House . . .) and then muttered under their breath, “Drug money.”

The room was rife with anticipation for Amanda Lepore to make her appear-

ance before she made her way to Five Sixty to perform. If it hadn’t been for the free champagne, the wait would’ve been unbearable.

She came out of the elevator and down the lobby toward the party like a caricature of beauty. She’s otherworldly.

You can’t help but be entranced by her pale complexion, which glows like she’s some kind of divine. And she is! Lepore is her own god. She created herself, and her every breath, step, pose, pucker of her fabled lips, wiggle of her silicone hips and bat of her opulent eyelashes is pure performance art.

I mentioned to Lepore that when I interviewed Sharon Needles, she listed Lepore as one of her idols. When I asked Lepore what she thought of Needles, she lit up: “I love her! We’re making a song together,” to be featured on Needles’ upcoming album.

Lepore is so petite, and she seemed equally in awe and unfazed by everything around her. She was attentive and sincere to anyone who interacted with her or bombarded her for a photo, and she possessed a social grace (even while topless onstage) no doubt mastered by her longevity as a gay icon.

AIDS WALK for LIFE aidswalkvancouver.ca

Blitz & Shitz Raziel

The To-Do List THIS WAS LAST NIGHT Seven Vancouver DJs in two rooms full of adventure in tech-house, acid, modern electro, techno beats and more. Brought to you in epic fashion

by Bonz.ai, Roboteria and Galaxion.

Saturday, July 28 at Club 23. $10.

RENT I fail as a gay. Not only have I never seen a live performance of Rent, I haven’t even seen the movie. And to top it all off, I missed its Vancouver premiere, so now I’m going to have to go to a show with mere common folk.

That’s almost like — shivers — paying for a ticket. Rent runs until Sat, Aug 18 at Waterfront Theatre.

46

XTRA! JULY 26, 2012

VisitBritain and Xtra want to send you to London, England!

Visit the contest section of Xtra.ca for your chance to win two round-trip economy tickets courtesy of Air Canada.

Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

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XTRA! JULY 26, 2012

47

3

2

XPOSED Photos by Victor Bearpark

1

Picnic in the Park The Vancouver Pride Society hosted its annual afternoon of games, sports, music, booths and a beer garden on Sat, July 21 at Brockton Oval in Stanley Park to bring us one step closer to Pride.

8

7

Christy Clark

VancouverPoint Grey

1. Phil Clarke and his daughter Phoebe. 2. The kids’ area, with Picnic MC David C Jones. 3. It wouldn’t be a picnic without a rousing game of volleyball!

4. The Vancouver Pride Society volunteers who made the day possible.

5. Sandi Haer and Michelle Zhong. 6. Pride Society directors Rick Leonovich and Tim Richards, communications director Landon Krentz, directors Ray Lam and Emma Lehto.

7. The race is on! 8. James Hourston with Shadow and David Bourgoin with Kita.

6

4 5

Happy Pride Naomi Yamamoto North Vancouver - Lonsdale

Mary MacNeil Vancouver - False Creek

Indigo Girls Jimmie Vaughan and the 4ILTÂĽ!ÂĽ7HIRL "AND FEATURING ,OU !NN "ARTON

Jane Thornthwaite North Vancouver - Seymour

Harry Bloy Burnaby - Lougheed

Stephanie Cadieux Surrey - Panorama

!MADOU AND -ARIAM -ESHELL .DEGEOCELLO Kelly Joe Phelps 4HE $EEP $ARK 7OODS 4HE 7ASHBOARD 5NION .O 3INNER 3ATURDAY !UGUST TH $EER ,AKE 0ARK 'ATES OPEN AT PM 3HOW ÂĽ PM

Jon Yap Richmond - Steveston

ÂĽ ÂĽ ÂŻ BURNABYBLUESFESTIVAL COM Produced by the City of Burnaby in association with Live Nation Canada.

48

Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! JULY 26, 2012

Real Estate

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

TO ADVERTISE CALL 604-684-9696

Real Estate GLOSSARY

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.

7 YEARS IN A ROW!

Susan Cameron Bringing you home... with pride!

().

susancameronrealtor.com P R E M I E R R E A LT Y

PRIVATE ISLAND FOR SALE “Cates Island” is situated in Pender Harbour,just a short boat ride to shopping in Madeira Park, and has a 36 foot dock with protected deep water moorage.

Unobstructed 360 degree ocean views, approx 1,500’ of mostly low-bank shoreline & all of the services necessary for easy enjoyment such as city water & traditional power. The 3 bedroom/2 bath main house is complemented by a fully self contained 1 bedroom guest cottage, as well as a 1 room “bunk-house,” perfect as a studio or office. Without a doubt one of the most spectacular settings with complete & total privacy, perfect exposure & unimaginable sunsets. 1st time ever to come to market, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

$1,495,000

“The Sunshine Coast, with its proximity to Vancouver, housing affordability & its welcoming, safe communities make it the ideal escape from the City.

Call us and we’ll help you discover our unique area!”

Joel O’Reilly & Denise Brynelsen 1.604.741.1837 www.brynelsenoreilly.com info@brynelsenoreilly.com

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XTRA! JULY 26, 2012

49

Is it cheaper to buy a home in New Westminster? YES!

NEW LISTING!

#4 58 Richmond St. LARGE 2,500ft townhouse, 4 bath, 3 bed, den, dbl garage, skytrain, greenbelt, heated oors, pets ok, family room. $568,800 OBO

Jason Luke 778-834-6873 www.NewWestminsterTownHouse.info

and you can too. There is a reason behind the rich and famous, the entrepreneur and artist choosing to live on the water, rather than next to it.

NEW PRICE $509,000

$429,000

# 5-23260 DYKE RD RICHMOND, HAMILTON 1 BEDROOM/2 BATHS plus DEN. Den could be used as second bedroom.

Private small community of 6 strata oat homes on the Fraser River with unobstructed views.

Bright one owner home.

Spacious roof top deck for relaxing and watching the river ow by. Good storage and open plan with clearstory windows.

Ricki Willing 604.788.9727 Your Floating Home Specialist

www.oathomesales.com

PROFILE

VOTED BEST REALTOR

Re/MAX advantage

Sir Richard Branson owns one of these...

# 22-1525 COAL HARBOUR WY VANCOUVER WEST, DOWNTOWN WHAT A LIFESTYLE! 2 BEDROOM/2 BATHS plus DEN. Premier views of Stanley Park from FIREWATER, the biggest 2 bedroom oat home in prestigious Coal Harbour.

Tasteful, updated two bedroom retreat includes oating deck for watching the marine life go by.

Real Estate

Sutton Seafair Realty

Thinking about moving to New West? Brother & Sister Team David & Cindy can help!

P rofessional Xtra! Reader’s Poll R esponsive I n Touch

Top 10% of all Lower Mainland Realtors - 16 years

D ependable Former Gay & Lesbian Business Association Board Director E thical Donates 5% of commissions to your favourite charity upon purchase of a new home

Award-winning service to the Gay and Lesbian Community for over 19 years

HAPPY PRIDE! Re/Max Real Estate Services 0HONE s &AX 4OLL &REE s IAN IANHOLT COM

#316 3 Rialto Court, New Westminster

COME HOME TO BURKEVILLE 2451 Wellington Cr, Richmond

$625,000 This cozy rancher is over 1200 SF, sits on a 5500 SF lot with a private fenced yard. 3 bed & den, 2 bath, updated kitchen opens to large family room. Close to Canada Line, airport, Vancouver. Come discover Richmond’s best kept secret!

OPEN HOUSE SATURDAY, JULY 28 2PM-4PM

$349,800 #701 280 Ross Drive, New Westminster

CHARLOTTE MAURICIO

604-312-2644 charmauricio@gmail.com

$259,900

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

Recently Sold 2040 West 4th Ave. LISTED: $1,498,000 SOLD: $1,415,000

Unassuming Kitsilano luxury with amazing views! Unique 2,300-square-foot penthouse loft in the most desirable neighbourhood in town, just steps away from Kits Beach. Fully renovated in 2008 with all high-end ďŹ nishes, this is truly a must-see. An entertainer’s dream, with oyster-wash maple ooring, stainless and granite countertops, limestone backsplash, tons of built-in storage, three patios, three fridges and views from all three levels.

www.charlottemauricio.com

We’re In This Together... Happy Pride!

Have a Real Estate or Mortgage question on your mind?

› Call 604-684-9696 x124

or email realestate.vancouver@xtra.ca

Ian Eggleton 604-773-1443

ianeggleton.com ian@ianeggleton.com

50

Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! JULY 26, 2012

Real Estate Ask a

REALTOR

What advice do you have for couples buying their ďŹ rst home together?

Answer: According to a 2012 survey by Coldwell Banker Real Estate of 1,000 men and women, we rely on how we feel and how our lifestyle ďŹ ts into a home when looking for a place to live.

The survey found that 28 percent of women and 25 percent of men put more emphasis on their feelings about places they look at than they do on the layout, square footage or even price. But despite our dierences, there’s at least one thing we agree on — most women (62 percent) and men (61 percent) know within the ďŹ rst visit if the home is the right one.

For couples entering the home-buying process, here are some tips for harmonious househunting: q Each person should come up with their own list of a few things that are most important to them in a home. Then, they should come together as a couple to narrow it down to three to ďŹ ve key characteristics. q Communication is key.

Consider designating a point person for dierent aspects of the home-buying process, so information is not delayed or communicated to just one half of the couple. q Don’t get too many people involved; typically, more people means more stress.

What is most important is that both people are happy with the decisions being made. q Remember that this home will be a place to build memories and a life together.

Following these simple guidelines will help you keep the home-buying process fun!

Susan Cameron 604.720.1214 susancameronrealtor.com Coldwell Banker

Happy Pride!

Just Listed

Just Listed

$2,250,000 3BR+3.5BATH Aquarius Villas, 1,992 sf, #1202-1111 Marinaside Cr

$385,000 1BR+DEN The Canadian, 560 sf #1401-1068 Hornby St

$339,000 Bachelor Suite Max I, 460sf, 1 Parking #2001-928 Beatty St

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

TO ADVERTISE CALL 604-684-9696

HAPPY PRIDE

Just Sold! $379,000 1BR Corner Street Yaletown Park III, 500sf, 1 Parking Investor Alert! Great Location. #1502-977 Mainland Street $548,400 2BR + 2BATH Cosmo, Open Concept, 1 Parking Brand-new + Upgrades, 860sqft #2508-161 W Georgia St $424,400 1BR + Den + Solarium Cosmo, 1 Parking, 601 sf Brand-new + Upgrades #2505-161 W Georgia St $409,900 1BR + Den Modern, 575 sf, 1 Parking Air-conditioned, Westend #1104-1009 Harwood St

Michael Chiu

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

604 - 2095 Beach Ave $750,000 Great opportunity for someone looking to live in the West End. Located right on the edge of Stanley Park, across the street from English Bay beach, yet a very quiet building. Excellent management, building very well kept. Excellent owner retention - last sale was in 2008!! Facing a quiet, park-like setting. Rare opportunity to reside in this building. 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, hardwood oors. Original kitchen and 2nd bathroom, but ensuite has been updated. See for yourself and you'll fall in love with this property. Maintenance fee includes hot water, heat and property taxes!

Lou Cruz 604-345-3824 RE/MAX Executive Club 2011 RE/MAX Crest Realty (Westside)

Being passionate, driven and committed

Chris Wendland Macdonald Realty Ltd. 1050 Howe St Vancouver

in providing above average service and results within his chosen career has placed Chris in the top 10% of REALTORSÂŽ for sales and listings within the West End area over the past year.

Mobile: 778-232-8319 Phone: 604-689-5115 Fax: 604-689-5665

cwendland@shaw.ca

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

www.chriswendland.com HAPPY PRIDE!

DAVID TUNG

KANE SCHUTZ R

P R E M I E R

E

A

L

T

O

R E A LT Y

Selling Homes In Our Community for Over 19 Years

604.307.7570

604.266.1364 | WWW.DAVIDTUNG.COM

Taking PRIDE in your home

Knowledge, experience and advice for all your real estate needs

LBOF!TVUUPO DPN t XXX ,BOF4FMMT)PNFT DPN

R

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XTRA! JULY 26, 2012

Helpful Hints

West Coast Realty

Timothy James Moreau

604-831-9130

Characteristics of a good Realtor

timothym@sutton.com www.timothyjamesmoreau.ca

q is eager to help you ďŹ nd the right home

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Vancouver

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51

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indexdirectory.ca Vancouver’s online directory of

indexdirectory.ca ACCOMMODATIONS - BRITISH COLUMBIA Bluff View Cottage 250-539-3475 Harrison Hot Springs Resort & Spa 1-866-626-8960 The Eagle’s Nest B&B 1-866-766-9350

BICYCLES

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1-800-361-9929

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Waterway House Boats 1-877-WATERWAY

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Original Leather Factory Walk This Sway Designs

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APPLIANCES

COMPUTER SALES & SERVICES

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Mac Station Vancouver WhiteWay IT Solutions Ltd

APARTMENTS

CONSTRUCTION

CAPREIT

caprent.com

ARTISTS Emily Carr

604-844-3810

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

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macstation.com 778-384-1210

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

COSMETIC SERVICES Carruthers Dermatology Centre Inc 604-714-0222

COUNSELLING ah-ha! Counselling & Consulting 604-537-0130 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

Steamworks Vancouver 604-974-0602

DENTAL SERVICES

604-879-6999

BEAUTY CARE David Blue Hair Design

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BEDDING Bernstein & Gold Interiors Mr Mattress Simmons Mattress Gallery

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FINANCIAL SERVICES Jennifer Maier

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Vancouver Gas Fireplaces

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

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

FURNITURE 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

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

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LAUNDRY SERVICES 604-568-2020

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SHOPPING Denman Place Mall

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SKIN CARE Integrative Healing Arts

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

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PSYCOTHERAPY

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

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

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TRAVEL AGENCIES GayTrip.ca

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

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more at xtra.ca

XTRA! JULY 26, 2012

ClassiďŹ eds ANNOUNCEMENTS ›

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MERCHANDISE ›

Notices

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Miscellaneous

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HEALTH & FITNESS ›

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77% OF XTRA READERS HAVE TAKEN ACTION as a result of seeing or reading about a service advertised in Xtra.

604-684-9696 xt124 classiďŹ eds.vancouver @xtra.ca

EMPLOYMENT › Volunteers VOLUNTEER RMT NEEDED for Positive Living BC Healing Retreat, Sep. 1 & 2, at Loon Lake Camp, Maple Ridge.

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

Deadlines for Xtra 495, Aug 9, 2012

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Spiritual services

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53

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Our oďŹƒces will be closed on Mon, Aug 6, 2012

54

Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! JULY 26, 2012

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