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QUEER FILMS AT VIFF Call Me Kuchu, and more ›15 #498 SEPT 20, 2012

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What BC’s education ministry can learn from Newfoundland ›11

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West End gets gay plaque The West End BIA kicked off its inaugural West End Fest Sept 8 with the presentation of a plaque to honour the Davie Village as the heart of Vancouver’s gay community. › 7

New proposal for gay seniors’ home Alex Sangha says the time has come for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and two-spirited elders and their allies to have an affordable place of their own to retire. › 8

OPINION

A grope in the dark Still QQ fondly remembers the bathhouses, darkrooms and unadorned orgies of 1970s gay Vancouver. › 10

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Nerds of love Non-monogamy and nerdiness in BC Poly Camp. › 13

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Naked Eye Robin Perelle

LEFT THE OPENING OF THIS year’s Queer Film Festival feeling vaguely dissatisfied. Don’t get me wrong: I love the film fest and I delay the start of my vacation nearly every year to catch at least its opening. Competent, courageous and consistently breaking new ground, Out on Screen has been our community’s best-run organization for years. But this year’s opening seemed to lack a little something. I think it was the youth. After last year’s winning antihomophobia short played to a packed opening-night house, a standing ovation followed its student creators up front, where they were embraced by a flock of diversicorn. This year, the winning team was absent. People loved their short, clapped like crazy and looked to the front expectantly. But the evening moved on, the moment unfulfilled. And I wondered what went wrong. Nothing went wrong, the fest’s executive director, Drew Dennis, assured me a few weeks later. The youth were simply unavailable that night, Dennis says. They chose to attend one of the youth nights instead. So you didn’t deliberately tone it down after last September’s ridiculous accusations of introducing children to “homosexist politics and pornography”? “No,” Dennis says; if anything, the festival and its educational arm reached more students this year, expanded its anti-homophobia competition, and launched a We Won’t Be Bullied fund. “I think this festival is an example of people not toning it down,” agrees Paul Nixey, its public relations consultant. “Of course the attack and the accusations, particularly when they first happened, [were] a big deal,” Dennis acknowledges. “We’re a small organization. We put our heart and soul into Out in Schools.” “It was a bit of a drain on energy and resources,” Dennis admits. But it was also an opportunity to review the organization’s youth policies, programming and practices — and to see them “stand up under scrutiny,” Dennis says. “So you didn’t pull back?” I ask.

“We really didn’t,” Dennis says. I wouldn’t blame the organizers if they did pull back. It’s a rational impulse to act more cautiously in the face of attack, to try to preempt the next round of pain. Not that it’s the best course of action in the long run, but the shortterm appeal, conscious or not, is entirely understandable. “I don’t see that as a driving force,” Nixey insists. “It’s not the first time they’ve faced criticism from the outside,” he points out. “I would give them more credit.” Dennis remembers REAL Women’s failed attempt in 2006 to target the film fest’s federal funding. It doesn’t feel like last fall’s attack is “lingering or casting shadows,” Dennis says now. Remember, I missed all but opening night, so I have little more than a limited gut feeling to go on. That, and the exiting programming director’s recent revelation that she toned down her language in the film guide, though the films themselves were not affected by last fall’s accusations. The guide is public, Dennis says when I ask about Amber Dawn’s reticence to say “fuck” this year. “It’s not a matter of, oh my god, suddenly things got edited.” I’m not trying to disparage the film fest. I completely understand the urge to be overly cautious when someone attacks an organization you love and help run. It casts a chill. I sympathize, and I have nothing but respect for the film fest’s organizers. I would simply encourage them to always stay true to themselves, to take a deep breath and move forward with their mission without compromising their core values. Dennis points to this year’s Lovers and Fighters slogan as proof that the film fest doesn’t need my pep talk. “If we consider our behaviour and our actions and the choices we’re making every time someone criticizes them, then where are we?” Nixey asks. “That doesn’t preclude us from taking a look at how we’re doing the things we’re doing. But it doesn’t mean you go into existential crisis every time someone questions what you’re doing. “Telling the stories in an unabashed way, without fear,” he says. “To me that boils down to, ‘We won’t be bullied.’” Robin Perelle is the managing editor of Xtra.

“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.

INBOX Thanks, girlfriends THIS IS IN RESPONSE TO THE lovely letter by Christa Keeler of Nanaimo [Xtra #497, Sept 6]. Thank you, Christa! As a gay man we are blessed and honoured that you are our friends. We don’t consider our “girlfriends” parasites and only use the term “hag” in a coy and slightly rude way because it rhymes, nothing more. Our straight female friends were a safe haven in high school when we walked down the halls thinking that everyone knew our “secret.” Our straight girlfriends did not subscribe to the massive amount of social conditioning that straight boys are taught at such an early age. Our “girls” liked what we liked. They did not judge; they cared. And we cared for them, dearly. Our friends were the sounding board when many of us were struggling with who we are and how we ﬁt into a world where we are bombarded with images and stereotypes that reﬂect none of what we feel. Our friends were the great buffer when we were not versed enough to stand alone yet. You got us when we decided to have an Oscar party one weekend and go 4x4ing in the truck the next. It is not enough to simply say you are welcome in our community; you are our community. This is a community that arguably does not only rely on what sex I have, but whom I choose to call my extended family — and that is you! Darren S Monette Vancouver, BC FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, a letter in Xtra Vancouver’s inbox brought tears to my eyes. Way to go, Christa Keeler! Her story really is an inspiration to anyone who has felt different or unaccepted. Glad to have her in BC . . . and hopefully dancing up a storm at our gay clubs! Mark Avrum Drutz Vancouver, BC

Straight swagger AT PRIDE’S DAVIE STREET Party, there were an abundance of fences, supplied by Super Save Fence Rentals. The young, obviously hetero guys swaggering about in blue struck me as rather out of place. Not that straight people aren’t welcome; it’s just these dudes didn’t strike me as allies. Did anyone else notice this? I ended up behind a group of them at the parade and they were having a great time talking in a “gay voice” and joking about everything. Is the Super Save Group a gay-friendly company? Do they deserve the Davie Street Party contract? Do their young employees receive a pre-event chat before they’re dropped into the mix of Pride weekend? Richard Bell Vancouver, BC

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

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POLITICAL FOOTBALL The all new

AN ODE TO GAY MARRIAGE

AN ODE AGAINST THE ODE TO GAY MARRIAGE

YOU’RE JUST ODIOUS

xtra.ca The deﬁnitive news source for gay and lesbian Canadians Closer than you think.

AFRO.COM

I ﬁnd it inconceivable that one of your players, Mr Brendon BALTIMORE RAVENS Ayanbadejo would publicly endorse I believe we should be doing Same-Sex marriage, speciﬁcally as a everything we can to Ravens Football make Maryland player . . . Many of your families stronger, which is why I support fans are opposed to such a view and feel it marriage for gay and has no place in a sport lesbian couples who that is strictly for pride, want to make a entertainment and lifetime commitment excitement. to each other. — Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo, in a Marylanders for Marriage Equality video.

— Maryland House of Delegates member Emmett C Burns in a letter to Baltimore Ravens’ owner Steve Bisciotti.

squirt.org MINNESOTA VIKINGS

Dear Emmett C Burns Jr, If gay marriage becomes legal, are you worried that all of a sudden you’ll start thinking about penis? . . . I can assure you that gay people getting married will have zero eﬀect on your life . . . They won’t magically turn you into a lustful cockmonster. — Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe gives Burns the verbal boot.

CRÈME DE LA GAY

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TOP 5 Gay who’s who

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Homoﬁcation: Is Alexandre Despatie gay?

Raziel (Blitz & Shitz blog)

Video: Vancouver’s 2012 Pride parade

Angelina Cantada (hosted by Raziel)

Vancouver Pride parade hot, sunny and high energy

Richard J Dalton Jr

How safe is Puerto Vallarta for gays?

Natasha Barsotti

Activists protest inclusion of Israeli-backed ﬁlms in Queer Film Festival

David P Ball

MATE MAGAZINE

Tom Ford, Chris Colfer, Sir Ian McKellen, Anderson Cooper and Andrej Pejić are listed among the world’s top 500 power gays in the gay lifestyle magazine Mate. Also making the cut are Renaissance man Leonardo da Vinci; India’s first openly gay royal, Manvendra Singh Gohil; Belgium’s prime minister, Elio Di Rupo; Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes, who helped create Barack Obama’s social media campaign in 2008; Martin Luther King’s right-hand man, Bayard Rustin; and Raymond “Perry Mason” Burr. How did the good folks at Mate come up with their selections? Inside info, public info, common sense, wellconsidered gossip and backbiting, which they “never shy away from.”

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IT’S A GROUP THAT HAS FOUGHT FOR OUR HUMAN RIGHTS FOR GENERATIONS. New proposal for gay seniors home › 8

DAVIE VILLAGE

Using their BOLD voices Eighth annual festival for older lesbians Beth Hong THE LOBBY OF THE VANCITY THEATRE IS FILLED WITH women hugging goodbye and the sounds of their laughter as the eighth annual Bold, Old(er) Lesbians and Dykes (BOLD) Fest comes to a close in Vancouver on Sept 9. The four-day celebration of senior lesbians and dykes offered workshops, musical performances, speeches and social events. The idea for this year’s theme, Bold Voices, came from an off-the-cuff suggestion for karaoke made by one of the participants at last year’s festival. “It was just a random suggestion — ‘Oh, let’s have karaoke!’” says co-organizer Claire Robson, sitting next to the conference’s founder, Pat Hogan. “And then we thought around the theme; we thought of standing up, speaking out, ﬁnding your voice.” Participants this year came from Canada, the United States and Australia. Robson estimates that up to 175 people attended the workshops focused on storytelling and truthspeaking, such as the Old Lesbian Oral Herstory Project and Creating an Archive of Dyke Memorabilia.

This year’s theme came from a suggestion for karaoke, say organizers Pat Hogan and Claire Robson. BETH HONG

As in previous years, BOLD included workshops on serious topics, such as the suppression of lesbian history, interspersed with lighter workshops on topics such as sex after 50. “You have very spiritual space in one workshop room, and in the next you have giggles and raucous laughter,” Robson says. “We like to mix it up.” Sitting quietly by herself on one of the couches outside the conference rooms on the third day is 69-year-old Vancouver resident Nina Povarchook, originally from Edmonton. The soft-spoken self-identiﬁed femme with an outdoorsy streak says she feels comfortable wearing her makeup and being herself at BOLD. “I’m a bit isolated where I live, but I’m pleased to be connecting with other lesbians and dykes,” she says. Povarchook came out at 22 in the 1960s and remembers a time when the only word she knew to describe herself was “gay,” as terms such as “lesbian” and “dyke” weren’t even whispered yet widely. It was only when she began going to an underground bar with working-class lesbians in Vancouver that she learned about the diversity of identities within the lesbian community. “It’s wonderful to meet older dykes, and here at the conference, so far, I’m accepted,” she says. This feeling of acceptance and inclusion is one of the key reasons Hogan created BOLD in 2005. “We want this to be a space where older lesbians are seen and recognized and that the speciﬁc issues that we’re looking at are addressed,” Robson says. Older lesbians face greater challenges in society as targets of heterosexism, sexism and ageism, she explains. The lesbian community is not immune from ageism, Robson says, adding older lesbians don’t always feel included even in spaces that are supposed to be lesbian-friendly.

West End gets gay plaque Revitalized festival recognizes ‘heart’ of gay village Natasha Barsotti DON HANN IS PLEASED THAT THE GAY Alliance Towards Equality (GATE) is now etched into a commemorative plaque to be mounted on Davie St, to signify that Vancouver’s gay village is a place that matters. Hann attended the Sept 8 presentation of the plaque, which kicked off the West End BIA’s inaugural West End Fest, touted as a revitalization of the previous Davie Days event. Davie Village is one of 125 sites selected by the Vancouver Heritage Foundation’s Places That Matter project celebrating last year’s 125th anniversary of the city’s incorporation. The selected sites, submitted by the public, recognize people, places and events that helped shape Vancouver. “This was the location of much of the activity of the Gay Alliance Towards Equality, which was among the leading civil rights groups in Canada in the 1970s,” says Hann, who was a member of GATE. “Many of our demos and actions took place in this area, in this riding.” Like many young gay men and lesbians in the early 1970s, Hann moved to Vancouver in search of others like himself, settling in the West End, which was already emerging as Vancouver’s gay neighbourhood. It was a “foundational decade,” he says, “but it’s a forgotten decade in many people’s minds and imaginations. It isn’t in school textbooks; it’s not in university courses yet.” “It was a wonderful idea to have this plaque here,” he continues. “This is a small token of recognition, of remembrance.” Vancouver West End MLA Spencer Chandra Herbert says the BIA’s decision to kick off the festival with the plaque’s unveiling sends a “good signal” that the organization is starting to treat the Davie Village and the queer community as a key asset for how the area is marketed. “I’m really pleased the BIA thought that it was so important — that it would be the big speech of the day,” he says. “Of course, we have to consistently work and consistently keep pushing.” As the inaugural West End Fest unfolds, a steady stream of people work their way back and forth among the tents, booths and entertainment zones that dot Davie Street between Burrard and Denman. “Happy Pride, everyone,” quips gay sketch comedian Ryan Steele at the festival stage on Denman Street. “Pride light,” his co-conspirator in comedy Amy Gee amends. The BIA’s new executive director, Stephen Regan, says the recalibrated festival is just one of the steps the organization is taking toward making the West End more vibrant.

Left to right: The Vancouver Heritage Foundation’s John Blackmer presented the plaque to West End BIA chair John Nicholson, with Little Sister’s co-owner Jim Deva, MLA Spencer Chandra Herbert and Vancouver Councillor Adriane Carr. NATASHA BARSOTTI

“This was one of the things we wanted to do; we wanted to put on a different, revitalized festival. Everything we touch, everything we do, we want it to be the cleanest, we want it to be the safest, we want it to be the most vibrant. We want to have great events, and we want to really engage businesses and members.” The BIA’s tent near Burrard Street showcases illustrative, but not conclusive, plans of the kinds of changes to its catchment area — Davie, Denman and Robson streets — that the board has been discussing as part of a

THE BIA AND OTHERS CAN BE A POSITIVE FORCE, I THINK, IF WE DO IT RIGHT. —Vancouver West End MLA Spencer Chandra Herbert “visioning” document. Elements include new zoning, street furniture, lighting, trafﬁc ﬂow and calming measures, mid-point crossings on long blocks and patio placements, Regan says. He says the board completed its process at the end of May, around the same time the city launched its West End communityplanning initiative. “Our timing was perfect.” Economic viability is the West End BIA’s number one priority, Regan says. “We want to make sure that as the city goes through the plan — and they listen to residents, they listen to all the specialinterest groups — that they keep in mind business vibrancy. Businesses need parking, and they need access, and they need decent regulations and zoning,” he says.

“We support density,” Regan continues. “Do it well, but more density, more people.” Regan envisions a block-by-block outreach to businesses to get a sense of what they want. “Can we clean up your alleyway? Are all the awnings looking good? If there’s a vacancy on the block, we need to, as a community, focus on that block and on that business so that it doesn’t get graffiti, so it doesn’t get an accumulation of litter.” Chandra Herbert notes the BIA’s emphasis on clean streets but has had “encouraging discussions” with the organization to go beyond a graffiti paint-out. “Let’s bring arts and culture; let’s bring that kind of vibrancy to it, so it’s not a sterile ‘Oh, it’s clean, but there’s no life to it.’ Instead of being graffiti, it’s local art. “Wouldn’t it be great if we had a mural which was a tribute to the queer history of the area?” Chandra Herbert suggests. “You go down to lots of other successful queer centres in other cities, and they take great pains to commemorate the pioneers but also to celebrate the future of the area as both a place that is a centre for queer activism and queer history, but also, of course, very open to the wider straight, questioning communities as well,” he says. “The BIA and others can be a positive force, I think, if we do it right,” Chandra Herbert says. Chandra Herbert says the BIA’s previous Davie Days events, though they initially honoured the Village’s queer history, largely lost their connection to the queer community in the last few years. That connection was “sorely lacking,” he says. Regan says part of the strategic planning process is taking a fresh look at the area, including the Davie Village. “That’s things like the gay community and what is that heritage and pride, and how do we celebrate that?”

Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! SEPT 20, 2012

SENIORS

New proposal for gay seniors home Designated space more reliable than sensitivity training, Hogan says Niko Bell ALEX SANGHA SAYS THE TIME HAS come for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and two-spirited seniors to have an affordable place of their own to retire. His nascent plan, called Dignity House, must ﬁrst raise $25,000 for a study on the feasibility of low-income housing for queer elders and their allies. Sangha, a 40-year-old master’s student at Dalhousie University, is not the ﬁrst person to propose a gay retirement home for the Lower Mainland. Qmunity’s Generations Project went a different route. They have been working to integrate gay seniors into conventional seniors’ housing. The Generations Project has, for example, trained workers at Royal Arch in Vancouver to be sensitive to elder queers. As part of a new initiative this year, Generations is working with the BC ombudsperson to start training eldercare professionals across the province in queer issues. Dean Malone, the owner of Plum Living, meanwhile, started to plan a residential community for gay seniors in 2008. Four years later, he is still col-

lecting deposits to start the proposed community, which would include 150 condos and 25 assisted-living units. Whether condos, low-income housing or retirement homes, the need for a space for gay seniors is growing. Baby boomers are reaching retirement age, and along with them the ﬁrst openly gay generation. A 22-year-old who rioted at Stonewall or a 34-year-old arrested in the Toronto bathhouse raids will reach retirement age this year. As Sangha points out, many gay and lesbian seniors don’t have children or extended families to look after them. Without support, seniors can be forced back in the closet if workers and neighbours in seniors’ homes aren’t accepting. “I think it’s a vulnerable population,” Sangha says. “It’s a group that has fought for our human rights for generations. They also took a huge toll with the HIV epidemic, and I think it’s our duty to protect those who have helped us and given us our rights where we are today.” Pat Hogan is the organizer of BOLDFest, a conference for older lesbians in Vancouver. She says it is difficult to reliably educate other people, and

dedicated seniors’ housing would be a better way to create a safe space. She would like to see housing with a focus on communal, social living and, especially, low cost. But creating retirement housing for queer seniors won’t be easy. Dara Parker, executive director of Qmunity, says there’s a reason that such a project has not yet succeeded. “Mounting a major infrastructure project is difficult,” she says. “You need a lot of buy-in from a lot of different stakeholder groups, and there is huge capital and operating costs associated. So it doesn’t surprise me that there have been challenges in moving forward. It’s a huge expenditure.” While there are queer-friendly seniors’ homes in Canada — such as Montreal’s Pavillon Latour, Toronto’s Fudger House, Vancouver’s Royal Arch and Halifax’s incomplete Spirit Place — if completed, Dignity House would be the ﬁrst project explicitly for queer elders and their allies. Eric Harrison is the executive director of Gay and Lesbian Elder Housing in the United States. His organization built Triangle Square, an affordablehousing complex for gay retirees in Los Angeles that inspired Sangha to try the same thing in Vancouver. There’s no question that Triangle Square has been successful. Applicants now face a sevenyear, 300-person waiting list for a unit. Harrison says that creating Triangle

“We build affordable housing for every demographic under the sun. I don’t see why LGBT people should be any different,” Alex Sangha says. NIKO BELL

Square meant bringing together every resource possible: government funding, ﬁnancing, foundations and charities, as well as $1.5-million in private donations. The key, he says, is educating people about how important housing is to the health and care of seniors. Five years later, he says, it is still hard work to keep donors interested and Triangle Square sustainable. Funding isn’t the only barrier. Sangha says some have challenged the idea of creating an exclusively queer space, calling it discriminatory. He disagrees, pointing to ethnicity-focused homes such as the Guru Nanak Niwas independent living facility in Surrey, which provides special language and food

services for South Asian clients but admits all ethnicities. “What’s wrong with having choice? If you have choice and a variety of options for people to choose when they retire, that’s a positive thing,” he says. “We build affordable housing for every demographic under the sun. I don’t see why LGBT people should be any different.” At this point, Sangha is soliciting donations for the feasibility study and has accumulated a dossier of letters of support from gay and seniors’ organizations, including Qmunity and the West End Seniors Community Planning Table. He recognizes, however, that it will be years before his project can come to fruition.

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XTRA! SEPT 20, 2012

DAVIE VILLAGE

Gay village ‘hub’ of West End Sovdi says new community plan ‘will recognize that’ Shauna Lewis THE GAY VILLAGE IS THE CULTURAL hub of the West End, according to recent findings from a city-led culturalmapping exercise held this summer. The findings come from information gathered at three open houses organized in July by city staff working on a new community plan for the West End. The plan will ultimately set short- and long-term goals for the area to guide its development. During the consultation process, people who live, work and play in the West End were asked to identify areas and neighbourhood landmarks they consider culturally significant to the community. City planner Holly Sovdi says participants pointed to local businesses, including popular gay bars and clubs, organizations such as Qmunity, and heritage landmarks. “Really, what we were looking to do was hear from West Enders, of all ages, what is culturally important to them in the community,” Sovdi explains. Participants were asked to place stickers on a map of the West End identifying buildings, locations and landmarks they felt were culturally significant to them. “At the end of the day, what was really clear was that the most significant cluster was located in the Davie Village,” Sovdi says. “It’s helped identify the Davie Village as an important LGBTQ hub,” he says. “And, as part of the plan, we will recognize that and be building on those strengths.” “It’s not surprising at all,” Christine Ackermann says of the findings. “It’s just very good recognition of what is the very best in our community.” Ackermann, who is president of the West End Residents Association, says she lives in the West End in order to stay connected to her queer community and its rich culture. “I can’t imagine the Davie Village without Little Sister’s or the Fountainhead or Oasis or PumpJack,” she says. “These are businesses, but they’re also cultural assets.” Ackermann says the Davie Village is not only a noted queer hub

WERA president Christine Ackermann says gay businesses in the Davie Village are “also cultural assets.” JAMES LOEWEN

for West End residents, but it’s also a recognized landmark for those living outside the area. Sovdi agrees. “The Davie Village plays an important role in the community and is an important cultural resource to many West Enders,” he says. Results from the cultural-mapping sessions will be compiled in an October report. Sovdi says the findings will contribute to shaping the West End community planning process, set to continue over the next 15 to 18 months. City planners will continue their consultation processes with the public throughout the planning phase, but Sovdi says cultural mapping and “asset recognition” was a crucial first step. “I think it’s important to recognize the importance of a place as the first step in planning for its future,” he says. For more information about the West End planning process, go to vancouver.ca/home-propertydevelopment/west-endcommunity-plan.aspx.

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I HAVE TO ADMIT THAT IT WAS with some amusement that I recently watched the lads of Vancouver Men in Leather get their cockrings in a twist over their fraught relationship with Five Sixty. Ah, I thought to myself. So we’re still at it! Of course we’re still at it. It’s just that most of the “still at it” going on these days is well past this old queer’s bedtime, so it’s off my radar. But backroom and darkroom sex has been a fixture for as long as anyone can remember. Steambaths are the natural home of such accommodations, inhabited as they are by hordes of naked and near-naked men looking for a dark corner, any dark corner, to act out their passions. There were even rumours in the 1970s that an earlier generation had enjoyed themselves lasciviously in the darker corners of the old Montreal Club, later the site of the definitely non-orgiastic Basin Street Cabaret. It was in 1970 or ’71, during my first ever visit to a bathhouse, when Walter and Brooks opened the Taurus Spa on Hornby Street, just south of Davie, that I caught my first glimpse of the possibilities. B&B Club owner Keith Rotsey dragged my bathhouse-virgin ass off to the opening party after we’d closed his bottle-club establishment for the night. At the top of a rickety wooden ramp on a mezzanine level at the back of the establishment, they had created a large, unlit space with a waterbed smack in the middle. I know it sounds odd today, but waterbeds were all the rage in the ’70s and seemed an exciting accessory to what quickly became known as “The Ballroom.” And ball we did! Well, some of us anyway. Walter and Brooks were pretty creative with the use of the nooks and crannies of their converted warehouse space, and several corners of the floorplan ended up with such descriptive names as “The Prayer Room” (complete with pew). But the most memorable darkroom action that the Taurus, or any other establishment in my memory, offered was up a flight of stairs to a storage space above the front entrance, coffee bar and pool table. There you’d find a truly dark room, unlit except for a faint spill of light from the doorway, which was just the reflection from the light at the bottom of the stairs. About 15 feet square, with benches built against three walls, this was a completely unadorned and unvarnished orgy room, without even the dignity of a stained and tattered mattress. Four walls, a floor, three ledges, all painted flat black. Near-total darkness. Party on, boys! But it got worse, or better, depending on your outlook. Certainly sleazier.

For if you worked your way through the 15 or 20 undulating bodies that could be found enjoying the big darkroom, against the furthest wall you’d ﬁnd the almost undetectable hole-inthe-wall entry to an even darker space. So dark nobody was ever sure how big it was. I don’t think a six-footer could stand upright in the space. If six or eight bodies found their way to that cubbyhole at one time, and they often did, that was pretty much a full house. It was dark, it was sweaty, it reeked of poppers, and nobody was ever sure who they’d had or who had had them. Now that, you Five Sixty amateurs, was an orgy! The Taurus was my ﬁrst bathhouse experience, and my only for a couple of years, though Vancouver enjoyed the services of at least six steamers in the early ’70s. But while the action was mostly gay in most of them by that decade, all but the Richards Street Service Club had evolved from

B&B CLUB OWNER KEITH ROTSEY DRAGGED MY BATHHOUSE-VIRGIN ASS OFF TO THE OPENING PARTY AFTER WE’D CLOSED HIS BOTTLE-CLUB ESTABLISHMENT FOR THE NIGHT. long-standing public steambaths that catered to mixed clienteles. So the “amenities” weren’t anywhere near as clearly geared to queer group-sex needs as those of the dear old Taurus. Our clubs were all bottle clubs at the time, operating on the thin edge of the law at the best of times, so the owners weren’t taking any more chances than they had to. Not, that is, until Keith’s B&B became Jim and John’s Playpen (later the Playpen South) and we were treated to our first semi-official “backroom” experience. Others followed, but very few. The Corral on Seymour Street had a space at the rear for those who could find it, but no effort was made to make it comfortable. There was some darkcorner groping in the former August Club after it became the Shaggy Horse, but that never quite got traction. So just for the record, the current crop of leathermen and circuit party queens didn’t exactly invent the idea of the backroom orgy. And, not to be too much of a nag about it, keep in mind that in the ’80s and ’90s my generation paid dearly for the wretched excesses of the ’70s, and many are still paying down that tab today. Kevin Dale McKeown was Vancouver’s first gay columnist, penning “QQ Writes . . . Page 69” for the Georgia Straight through the early 1970s. For more memories of the era, and to contribute your own, visit stillqq.com and xtra.ca.

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COVER STORY

When leaders lead What Newfoundland could teach BC about education reform Natasha Barsotti

T’S BEEN 20 YEARS SINCE Newfoundland educator Susan Rose went to her province’s then-education minister to register her frustration with the homophobic comments a colleague was aiming at her, only to be told she would be ﬁred if she made a fuss. “Eventually, I got so overwhelmed with the homophobia I was dealing with from colleagues,” she says. One colleague told Rose her relationship would never be equal to his; another offered to cure her. For six years Rose objected to these attitudes in staff meetings and requested workshops to address the situation, to no avail. She eventually resigned but refused to go quietly. “It’s my mission to make a change in the education system,” she says bluntly. She knew that if the attitudes she faced in the staff room were bad, queer students were facing worse. Their exclusion from the curriculum only made matters worse. “We could go from K to 12 in the majority of schools in Canada, and

who ended up in their offices because of bullying, and statistics from Egale’s “First National Climate Survey on Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia in Canadian Schools,” which lays out the pervasive experience of discrimination — all of which she took to the Education Ministry. Still, after three years of evidence gathering and presentation, the footdragging continued. After hearing for the umpteenth time from ministry officials that the situation was horrible but they weren’t ready to act, Rose issued a thinly veiled ultimatum. She hinted to ministry officials that if they continued to do nothing she’d have no recourse but to advise students and their families of their legal rights. “If we have a kid in a school that came out as gay or lesbian and they’re being abused, particularly by their teachers, I said this is a major human rights violation, and it’s a legal case.” She pointed to examples of legal action that had been taken in BC, speciﬁcally, Azmi Jubran’s successful nineyear battle to hold his North Vancouver school board responsible for the homophobia he endured there, and the Surrey school board’s losing battle to

cannot continue in the school system and a society that claims to celebrate diversity. “Preventing violence for individuals in our society with differing sexual orientations is a key objective of the Violence Prevention Initiative,” the minister responsible for the status of women, Charlene Johnson, says in the release. “Through this initiative, our government is pleased to support the goal of making school environments safer for all students and to address issues of interpersonal violence for vulnerable populations in the province,” she continues. “We’re only beginning with junior and senior high right now,” Rose tells Xtra. “We’re going to move down primary a couple years from now because, for one, they’re nervous about the backlash. Even though we don’t have religious denominations in our schools, we still have people with strong religious beliefs that are still teaching.” But when you have the education minister saying he is expecting action on this portfolio, they’re going to do it, Rose believes. It had to come from the top down, she argues.

tive from the Department of Education who stepped in to the discussion. “Very quickly, the person travelling from the education department would stand up and say, ‘Yes, it is your school; your students spoke loud and clear.’ “Once they stood and spoke, the principals knew, ‘Oh, this is the department speaking,’” Rose says. “We’re actually going to start educating about gay and lesbian history. It’s going to be implemented in the curriculum,” she adds. “When you think about it, it’s a societal shift.”

C educator James Chamberlain is thrilled about Newfoundland and Labrador’s progress. He agrees with Rose’s assessment that provincial leadership is critical to giving teachers the skills and the permission to address homophobia in a comprehensive way. “Without it, educators are kind of going out on a limb in some regions of the province, and it can be socially quite isolating work without leadership from the Ministry of Education, superintendents and principals,” Chamberlain says. He believes the Newfoundland example should be a wake-up signal to

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there’s no mention of gay, lesbian, bi, transsexual,” Rose says. In 2010, Rose spoke to Xtra about the reluctance to tackle homophobia in schools and, in some cases, the outright denial of the existence of gay students that greeted her offer to present workshops. “It still boggles my mind,” she says. For too long, Rose says, she went knocking on the doors of unions, school board officials, various deputy ministers and directors of education to explain the fear and invisibility that homophobia breeds. Sometimes people empathized, but nothing was done.

ose realized she needed to form partnerships with community agencies, like Planned Parenthood and the Women’s Policy Office, to galvanize support and push the Newfoundland government to act decisively. She amassed stories from queer students about the discrimination they faced in schools, letters from physicians and psychologists about the kids

A spokesperson for BC’s Education Ministry told Xtra that Abbott would not do an exit interview. The new education minister, Don McRae, was not available either. In May, as he was preparing to take up a new position in the Vancouver school district, Chamberlain told Xtra that the policies individual school boards in BC are now passing are much more comprehensive than anything the government would create. “If there were to be provincial policy of some sort, I think that it would be very weak and ineffective and would let school boards off the hook. I actually think they would be counterproductive.” It’s an observation he reiterated earlier this month. “The ministry is not good at developing policy,” he says, dismissing the province’s Erase Bullying program introduced in June. Though the program was promoted to protect all children regardless of gender, race, culture, religion or sexual orientation, critics say it will do little to protect queer youth and is mainly a rehash of previously announced policy. “As far as I know, there are no components to it that would address education or prevention around issues of homophobia

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ban three gay-friendly children’s books. “I kept going back to, ‘Do you want to wait to be sued?’” Rose says. She says her “little tantrum” got Egale a contract to educate the educators in Newfoundland and Labrador’s ﬁve school districts. On Jan 12, in front of more than 170 school district officials, Newfoundland Education Minister Clyde Jackman came through. “What Minister Jackman said was we have left gay, lesbian, bi and transgender individuals out of the curriculum. We have people telling us that they are unsafe, and it has to change,” Rose happily paraphrases. Jackman ordered the districts to develop policies to protect queer students, to inform their principals, and educate their communities, Rose says. Later that month, the province also announced it would provide $90,000 to support administrators, teachers and students who want to establish gay-straight alliances in their schools. Xtra’s attempts to reach Jackman were unsuccessful, but a government statement says youth struggles with “issues around sexual orientation”

WHEN YOU HAVE THE EDUCATION MINISTER SAYING HE IS EXPECTING ACTION ON THIS PORTFOLIO, THEY’RE GOING TO DO IT. — Newfoundland educator Susan Rose In the aftermath of the education minister’s directive, Egale has now presented workshops to school administrators and guidance counsellors; teachers are up next. “We were all over rural Newfoundland and Labrador. You’d go into communities like the Northern Peninsula, small communities — some are very Catholic, some are very Pentecostal — so I knew issues were going to come up, and they did,” Rose recalls. But always, there was a representa-

the BC government that they can, and should, do “much, much more in this area.” He understands Rose’s incredulity about the lack of government leadership in BC — despite years of pressing both Liberal and NDP governments for mandatory policies to protect queer students, sensitivity training for teachers and staff, and curriculum inclusion. “The fact that Pride Education Network has been lobbying for this — 1996 was the ﬁrst official meeting we had with the Ministry of Education — it’s pretty pathetic that our government, current and previous governments, have not shown any leadership whatsoever on this portfolio,” Chamberlain says. While Rose sings her minister of education’s praises, Chamberlain couldn’t be less impressed with the revolving door of BC education ministers who have come and gone, including the most recent departure, George Abbott. Glen Hansman, second vicepresident of the BC Teachers’ Federation, says he hadn’t seen any leadership from Abbott either, despite having more access to him than any other education minister in the last 30 years.

and transphobia in schools. It’s only about punishment of bullies, which actually doesn’t work as a single focus for doing things.” It seems to be “more of a generic bullying thing, rather than a speciﬁc strategy around building queer-friendly schools and addressing homophobia,” Hansman agrees. That still leaves leadership on these issues in the hands of teachers, parents, students and trustees, Chamberlain says. “We’re still in a district-by-district patchwork process.” Hansman agrees that the grassroots efforts have been the most successful approach in BC, though to date, after years of effort, only a third of the province’s 60 districts have passed comprehensive policy. He concurs with Rose that government leadership is necessary, but he doesn’t see it as an either/or proposition. “Teachers have a lot of latitude in what they do, but there still needs to be that stamp of approval coming from the province in order for some people who potentially could be allies to actually do that work,” he says.

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arts › entertainment › leisure

Out City IN THE

THEATRE

THE FILMMAKERS INITIALLY FOLLOWED DAVID KATO — UNTIL HE WAS MURDERED.

Queer picks at VIFF ›15

POLYAMORY

The friendship line of love A Beautiful View returns to Vancouver for a third run Mark Robins AWARD-WINNING GAY CANADIAN playwright Daniel MacIvor believes the deepest relationships come from friendships. In A Beautiful View, which he returns to Vancouver to direct for the third time in as many years, MacIvor is out to prove that society’s insistence on conﬁning relationships to neatly deﬁned labels is contrary to our true nature. “I feel like we’ve been brainwashed by contemporary romantic storytelling from Hollywood. The idea that we all have a soulmate and that our relationships are going to be monogamous is a lie,” he says as he talks about the inspiration for his story of two

Colleen Wheeler, removing those labels and intentionally blurring the sexual relationship between their two characters is one of the most powerful aspects of the play. “While there is a deﬁnite sexuality to the play, it is much more complex and cannot be reduced to a single sexual moment,” Brown says. “It is about an honest connection as human beings, about the things we find attractive in people, not just the physical.” Wheeler agrees, explaining that A Beautiful View transcends simple sexuality, resulting in something more truthful. “It is not difficult to look at a beautiful woman and be attracted to her,” she says. “But in Daniel’s work the lines are blurred, allow-

Geeks and polyamorous people overlap at Poly Camp on BC’s Salt Spring Island. NIKO BELL

NERDSOFLOVE Why are these Poly Camp people so into sci-fi? Niko Bell

Diane Brown and Colleen Wheeler star in A Beautiful View, directed by Daniel MacIvor. RUBY SLIPPERS THEATRE/TIM MATHESON

women who develop a deep and complicated friendship. Written in a non-linear timeline, A Beautiful View explores the relationship between Linda and Mitch, who, after a chance meeting at a sporting goods store, are indeﬁnably attracted to each other. The play weaves the two women in and out of each other’s lives over two decades. MacIvor prefers to explore a deeper human connection in A Beautiful View, careful not to label the relationship these women share — a sort of quiet sexuality he says he learned from being part of Queer Nation. “Queer Nation was a very different world that was incredibly inclusive,” he explains. “It was so much different than LGBTQ labels, too; we were all simply queer. Labelling can be very divisive and sets us up for misery.” For actors Diane Brown and

ing us to be more honest about the relationship these two women share.” Brown and Wheeler also agree that much of the success of A Beautiful View comes from MacIvor’s ability to write such strong and multifaceted roles for women. “Maybe it’s a gay thing,” MacIvor says, at the suggestion that perhaps he is more attuned to his feminine side as a gay man. “But I think it is more environmental. Having been raised by my mother and aunt, and being surrounded by so much female energy and dialogue, I grew up in a world where there wasn’t a lot of testosterone, and I absorbed it.”

the deets A BEAUTIFUL VIEW Wed, Sept 26–Sat, Sept 29 SFU Woodward’s 149 West Hastings St rubyslippers.ca

“COMIC BOOK HEROES HAVE ORIGIN stories,” Esha says. “So what is your origin story? What is” — she looks up and smiles — “your radioactive spider?” At Poly Camp, on the windy northern tip of Salt Spring Island, talking about superheroes is normal. By “radioactive spider,” Esha means the moment when a polyamorous person realizes his or her or their own identity. She’s also revealing a curious fact about polyamorous culture: non-monogamy, fantasy and science fiction often go hand in hand. That’s what brought Esha to polyamory herself. “Mine is science fiction and fantasy books,” she continues. Esha is sitting by the muddy-green pond in the orchard of Neptune Farm. Fourteen polyamorous people are sitting around her in the shade of the tent or the long grass, or tucked into the dragonfly-infested bulrushes. Like most people at Poly Camp, Esha isn’t comfortable seeing her full name in print. For her, it’s her parents who don’t know about her three boyfriends. For Josh and his wife, on the other side of the circle, it’s their friends. Esha is drawing on her legs in glaring orange highlighter as she goes on. “Science fiction and fantasy books brought me up, largely. Maybe people want to write about alternative relationships . . . And if you put it in a setting that’s odd and weird, it’s non-threatening.” An English graduate student from Victoria chips in: “That’s how Star Trek got away with dealing with a lot of topics in the ’60s.” “Give it a couple of light years removed and we’re all good,” laughs Eli, one of Esha’s boyfriends. These poly people came from Victoria, Duncan, Vancouver and Seattle to

camp for a weekend under the apple and pear trees, branches hanging heavy in the late summer. There are men and women, some still in school and some already retired, a scientist and a graphic designer. But as they talk, it becomes clear that Esha is far from the only one influenced by science fiction novels. One poly woman from Victoria mentions sci-fi author Robert A Heinlein, who described polyamorous relationships in his novels. A chorus of warm assent bursts from the circle. No fewer than five people credit Heinlein with drawing them to polyamory. But why do poly and science fiction overlap? Why are the people at Poly Camp, regardless of age or nationality, so comfortable discussing the latest Joss Whedon series or the evolution of superhero comics? “Poly people are nerds,” Scott Campbell answers simply. Campbell is as far out of the closet as a poly person can be. He’s been in a polyamorous relationship for 15 years, and he and his partner have been mentioned in The Seattle Times and Newsweek and are the inspiration for the web series Family. Campbell notices that the poly community collects an odd number of software engineers and fantasy-fiction fans. The Society for Creative Anachronism is full of poly relationships, he says. Fantasy and sci-fi conventions have polyamory panel discussions. And sure enough, look around Poly Camp and the nerd culture is unmistakable. Two of the camp organizers — one naked and one clothed — play Magic: The Gathering while their mutual girlfriend lazes in the shade and keeps score. Josh and Scott admire another man’s intricate homemade chainmail kilt. Another sings songs from Dr Horrible, accompanying himself on the mandolin. Campbell thinks that non-monogamy

and nerdiness appear connected because only certain people choose to call themselves polyamorous. Nerds, he says, like to identify with titles and definitions. That means that nerdy polyamorous people draw all the attention. “There are a lot of other people leading what we might call a poly lifestyle, but they don’t call themselves that,” he says. “And the geeks do because maybe they’re the ones who came up with the term in the first place, or maybe they just like to define things.” Esha also thinks that poly people give special attention to definitions and titles. “I think poly is about recognizing you can decide what your relationship looks like, so instead of relying on a default, you have to use your words,” she says. “And it helps a lot if you know what those words mean. I think it’s very basic to doing poly.” Following Esha, everyone tells a radioactive spider story. A husband and wife with a crush on a mutual friend. Falling for a college roommate’s girlfriend. Waking up the morning after and making breakfast for three. The circle nods and smiles and laughs knowingly, conspiratorially, as if they share the best hobby on earth. A 1976 study by psychologist Jacquelyn Knapp found that polyamorous people do indeed have character traits in common. They tend to be individualistic, academic, nonconformist and stimulated by complexity. They like endless communication. They enjoy picking over every subject in dizzying detail. Polyamorous people are the nerds of love. Sitting by the pond, the poly circle is trying to describe what poly people are like. “Alternative.” “Critical.” “We love discussion.” “We don’t take things for granted.” “We like grey areas.” Most of all, they want to reject the old and commonplace and look for the new and uncharted. They try not to mind what other people think. They feel just a little bit superior. They see themselves as the ultimate outsiders — boldly going where no relationship has gone before.

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

XTRA! SEPT 20, 2012

AROUND TOWN

Queen diva dick eater A

-A-A-ASS WAS BOUNCING everywhere at the Rickshaw Theatre. When Big Freedia whips her weave back and forth and says into the mic, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everybody, everybody; bounce, bounce; wiggle, wiggle; dougie, dougie; work it for Freedia!â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; you do, or else risk a chomp from the self-professed â&#x20AC;&#x153;queen diva dick eater.â&#x20AC;? She is not above calling out the selfconscious and awkward for not shaking it like they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t give a fuck. Which, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve come to realize, Freedia doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reppinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; some seriously messy empowerment, and I ďŹ nd that inspiring. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like what she spits out to a Diplo-esque beat: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Excuse, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mean to be rude, but gimme that mic, let me do what I do.â&#x20AC;? It takes an incredibly strong sense of self to truly not give a fuck without coming across as anarchic or, worse, apathetic. It takes a person in touch with her purpose, which, for the New Orleans cock cruncher, is making peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bodies jiggle in places they didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know existed. The concert was opened by Peach Cobblah (Hustla), who rocked what I think of as her â&#x20AC;&#x153;dyke wig.â&#x20AC;? I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stop marvelling about how fabulous it is that a boy who fucks other boys can throw

DAVIEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S GOT TALENT Oasis has $200 to give away every Thursday starting Sept 27, so showcase your talent for a chance to walk away with the prize! Judges will be voting along with the audience. Admission is $2 and goes straight to our Friends for Life.

on some makeup and a wig that looks like it ďŹ&#x201A;ew off the head of a dyke on her bike and look like a girl who fucks other girls. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know what thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s called, but I totally want to be it when I grow up. Big Freediaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s energy is infectious. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like the HIV of the 21st century: itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s transmitted through your ass, and thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no known cure!

Blitz & Shitz Raziel

The To-Do List

M-DOLLA All hail the queen! Madonnaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in town Sept 29, and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m jizzing in my wedding dress just thinking about seeing those biceps up close. For afterparties check out RuPaulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Drag Race star Pandora Boxx, performing at Rapture: Revolver at Five Sixty, or Carlotta Gurlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Material Girl transformation at The Junction.

Trophy wife Party threesome Paige Frewer/Ponyboy (ManUp), Trevor Risk (Come Friday), and Parker McMullin/Jane Smoker (Trifecta) have the combined experience to make it seem easy. They proved that once you get people in The Cobalt, all it really takes is some Cariboo and a Heidi Montag drag performance to keep them happy. Of course, Ponyboyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stage presence and fun beats from Phil David (Socielle) only helped. There were all the trophy wife necessities â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a wheelchair to collapse in after working up a sweat at Holt Renfrew, a collagen needle for a late-night snack, and all the stupid straight boys (and their credit cards) a girl needs. I was standing between two guys at the urinal (which sounds a lot more erotic than it really was) when they started discussing a trophy wifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eyes: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bra, did you see those titties?â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;What titties?â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;These girls showed me their titties while I was out having a smoke, â&#x20AC;&#x2122;cuz their friend didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have ID. They were

The West End Fest was boring but not a total bust, Raziel says, because he bumped into Vancouver West End MLA Spencer Chandra Herbert (right; West End BIA director Stephen Regan, left). VICTOR BEARPARK

all like, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll buy you a beer if you let him use your ID,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; and I was like, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll do it if you buy me a beer and show me your titties.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; So they did! And they were all pierced and shit!â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dude, they were probably, like, jail bait.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t care, bra, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d get arrested just

RUFUS L

N O

to see that shit.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;So would I,â&#x20AC;? I tipsily interjected, glancing down at the straight guyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dick while he pissed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Actually,â&#x20AC;? I said, once Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d had a look, â&#x20AC;&#x153;never mind.â&#x20AC;? This trophy wife is into handcuffs only if sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sitting on a much bigger mantel . . .

The West End Fest was boring. There should be more food and entertainment and fewer overpriced hippie dresses. It was great to see such a big crowd checking out the drag performances, although most of the people on Davie Street were straight families and not the gay people who inhabit it . . . But it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a total bust. I bumped into West End hero Spencer Chandra Herbert, who is a cutie, even if I did have to resist the temptation to give him the number of a stylist. Someone told me the way he dresses is his â&#x20AC;&#x153;shtick,â&#x20AC;? but I bet if we got the boy in some Dolce, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d be calling him mayor!

listings â&#x20AC;ş

G M

H N

T E

PARTIES Colour Me . . . Maybe Our City of Colours and the LOve party series team up to raise the proďŹ le and social options of Lower Mainland gays who may face cultural or language barriers. Sat, Sept 22, 8pmâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;midnight. $5 suggested donation, free with $5 OCC membership. Party Room, 928 Beatty St. ourcityofcolours.com

Celebritiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Eighth Anniversary Dress like a celebrity for a fashion show by the Toxic Twins, nonstop go-go dancers, dance performances from the House of Celebs, and celebrity impersonators. DJs Drew, Zach Shore and Mattilda Ho spin. Sat, Sept 22, 8pm. Celebrities Nightclub, 1022 Davie St. $10. celebritiesnightclub.com

Davieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Got Talent Host Joan-E shares the spotlight at the launch of a new talent contest, with $200 in cash prizes up for grabs. Register at talent@ oasisondavie.com. Thurs, Sept 27, 8:30pm. Oasis Ultra Lounge, 1240 Thurlow St. No cover. oasisondavie.com

Rapture: Revolver .%7 !,"5/54 /& 4(% '!-% ). 34/2%3 ./7

OCTOBER 2, 8PM, ORPHEUM THEATRE Tickets online at vancouversymphony.ca or call 604.876.3434

Pandora Boxx, of RuPaulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s All Stars Drag Race fame, hosts a Madonna afterparty, with DJs Zach Shore and Nick Bertossi. Sat, Sept 29, 9pm. Five Sixty, 560 Seymour St. $25â&#x20AC;&#x201C;30. tfdpresents.com

25&537!).72)'(4 #/- s 47)44%2 #/- 25&537!).72)'(4 s &!#%"//+ #/- 25&537!).72)'(4/&&)#)!,

â&#x20AC;ş continued on page 17

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XTRA! SEPT 20, 2012

VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

From survival in Uganda to addiction in the US

QUEER PICKS ATVIFF Denise Sheppard

The 31st annual Vancouver International Film Festival features more than a dozen queer films among its 380 screenings from all over the globe. To check out the full list, go to viff.org/festival and type “queer” in the search box. Here is a sample of this year’s offerings.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Call Me Kuchu

The Invisible Ones

Keep the Lights On

“They kept on saying we are not here. But of late . . . we are here.” In a country whose polls suggest that 95 percent of its population does not support homosexuality, the oppression is not just stifling; it feels nearly insurmountable. In 2009, the Ugandan parliament introduced a bill demanding that gays and lesbians be turned in and put to death. Filmed in the thick of this oppression and its resistance, Call Me Kuchu captures firsthand the heroic actions of a handful of queers who made a conscious decision to stay in Uganda and fight for their human rights — even though it meant putting their own lives at huge risk. The filmmakers initially followed Uganda’s first openly gay activist, David Kato — until he was murdered in his own home. Although at times deeply painful to watch, this film is important to witness, especially for anyone under the impression that advocates of a gay genocide are people of the past.

The Invisible Ones is not a conventional documentary. Rather than focusing on a moment of historical significance or a specific individual, the film is intended to be a reflection of the everyman. More specifically, it offers a brief glimpse into the average, ordinary lives of queer seniors in France who share their lives and loves. With the bittersweetness of a Chaplin film, the dozen or so interviewees remain nameless for the most part, sharing detailed accounts of gay and lesbian oppression, secrecy, wonderment, love and lust. In the words of a 60-something woman recalling her homophobic upbringing, “From the polymorphous sexuality so dear to Freud, our parents shaped us into perfect little conformists who knew how to suppress our desires. It took me years to realize that.” An especially nice touch — though all too brief — is the film’s archival snippets of French gay gatherings in the 1960s, further moving the “plot” away from it from being a literal tale to a more visceral one.

Keep the Lights On took the shiniest awards at Los Angeles’s Outfest 2012, receiving both Best Screenwriting and Best Film. The film opens with a glimpse of innocence, its first 15 minutes buoyant with light and joy as young lovers Erik and Paul find a tender place in each other’s arms. Then the rest of the couple’s decade together unravels, coated in a thick residue of crack addiction. The plot — seemingly well intended, with its addictionhurts-everyone message — becomes almost entirely focused on the should-he-stay-or-should-he-go quandary, as Erik is repeatedly drawn into Paul’s toxic web. As a result, the film’s one likeable character becomes unlikeable, relinquishing most of his dignity and rights to his partner’s dysfunction. Though clearly heralded by many, this film oozes desperation and downfall much in the same way that Drugstore Cowboy did, making it a tough emotional haul for those looking for a tender night out.

Check out our video interview with the directors on xtra.ca.

CALL ME KUCHU (USA/Uganda, 87 min) Thurs, Sept 27, 9:30pm, Empire Granville, 855 Granville St Mon, Oct 1, 3pm, Empire Granville, 855 Granville St Fri, Oct 5, 5pm, Empire Granville, 855 Granville St

THE INVISIBLE ONES

KEEP THE LIGHTS ON

(France, 115 min) Fri, Oct 5, 8pm, Empire Granville, 855 Granville St Sun, Oct 7, 9:15pm, Empire Granville, 855 Granville St Fri, Oct 12, 11:45am, Empire Granville, 855 Granville St

(USA, 103 min) Wed, Oct 3, 9:15pm, Empire Granville, 855 Granville St Thurs, Oct 4, 11:30am, Empire Granville, 855 Granville St Filmmaker Ira Sachs in attendance.

The Heart of Richmond AIDS Society presents Heart & Soul!

Tenth Annual Dinner Dance Fundraiser Saturday Oct 20, 2012 at 5:45pm at the Radisson Vancouver Airport Hotel

Heart &

Early Bird price: $85 each or table of eight @ $600 (until Oct 3rd) Reg @ $95 after Oct 3rd Call- 604-277-5137 Email- tickets@heartofrichmond.com

www.heartandsoulfundraiser.com

Live Entertainment by the Fabulous .... Vivian Von Brokenhymen, Conni Smudge and Symone MCs – Fred Lee (CBC,Vancouver Courier and The Province) and Dawn Chubai (City TV) - Raffle, Door Prizes, Silent and Live Auctions - Buffet Dinner and music by Hot Wax. WestJet Raffle - Trip for Two anywhere WestJet Flies. MEDIA SPONSORS:

The all new

10th

Anniversary!

Soul

2012

Your next hookup is closer than you think.

more at xtra.ca

XTRA! SEPT 20, 2012

VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

From survival in Uganda to addiction in the US

QUEER PICKS ATVIFF Denise Sheppard

PHOTOS COURTESY OF VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Call Me Kuchu

The Invisible Ones

Keep the Lights On

Check out our video interview with the directors on xtra.ca.

CALL ME KUCHU (USA/Uganda, 87 min) Thurs, Sept 27, 9:30pm, Empire Granville, 855 Granville St Mon, Oct 1, 3pm, Empire Granville, 855 Granville St Fri, Oct 5, 5pm, Empire Granville, 855 Granville St

THE INVISIBLE ONES

KEEP THE LIGHTS ON

(France, 115 min) Fri, Oct 5, 8pm, Empire Granville, 855 Granville St Sun, Oct 7, 9:15pm, Empire Granville, 855 Granville St Fri, Oct 12, 11:45am, Empire Granville, 855 Granville St

(USA, 103 min) Wed, Oct 3, 9:15pm, Empire Granville, 855 Granville St Thurs, Oct 4, 11:30am, Empire Granville, 855 Granville St Filmmaker Ira Sachs in attendance.

The Heart of Richmond AIDS Society presents Heart & Soul!

Tenth Annual Dinner Dance Fundraiser Saturday Oct 20, 2012 at 5:45pm at the Radisson Vancouver Airport Hotel

Heart &

Early Bird price: $85 each or table of eight @ $600 (until Oct 3rd) Reg @ $95 after Oct 3rd Call- 604-277-5137 Email- tickets@heartofrichmond.com

www.heartandsoulfundraiser.com

The all new

10th

Anniversary!

Soul

2012

Your next hookup is closer than you think.

XTRA! SEPT 20, 2012

ADVERTISING FEATURE

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XTRA’S GUIDE TO FOOD, NIGHTLIFE AND FUN

FOUNTAINHEAD PUB 1011 DAVIE ST, VANCOU VER 604-687-2222 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.

OASIS ULTRA LOUNGE 1240 THURLOW ST 604-685-1724 Oasisondavie.com MONDAYS “Tops and Bottoms” Improv Comedy Show - 8pm TUESDAYS Karaoke with Gogan WEDNESDAYS “Praise the Roof” An evening patio party with $8 double mojitos and $20 pitchers of sangria THURSDAYS “Escapade” 90’s night with DJ’s Lisa Delux and Ana – $4 vodka, $4 beer FRIDAYS 7pm - “Dressing on the side” A dinner drag show hosted by Symone and guests. Call for reservations. 10pm – “Fag Fridays” with DJ Adam Dreaddy SATURDAYS “Peaches” with DJ Kasha Kennedy, Kasey Riot and guests SUNDAYS “Social Sunday” Patio party with DJ George V – $8 pitchers

STEAMWORKS 123 WEST PENDER ST VANCOUVER steamworksonline.com

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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. Sunday Service 5pm-10pm. Special lockers $8 with DJ Jay Douglas. Check online for special events!

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

indexdirectory.ca NEXT VANCOUVER RELEASE DATE: OCT 18

Acco mm od Resources ations Acco untants Banking Ba Apartments Ar t Ga Ad ult Adve rtising Busin ess &nkruptcy Bars & Clubslleries Ar t Supplies Agencies AIDS/HIV Butchers Ca Professio na l Orga Bicycles Bookkeep Ar tis ts Ar ts & Craft Co mm un ity rpet Cleaning Cater niz ati ons Busin ess ing Books & Magaziness Contrac tin Grou ps & Se rvi ceing Chat Lines Chee Su pp lies & Se rvi ce Crises Servig & Renovations Co s Co mp ute r Co ns se Shops Chocolatierss Dermatologces & Shelters Cross-okwa re Cosmetic ultan ts Co ns tru cti on Gardening y Drag Enter tainm Dressing Dating Se Services Counsellin Graphic De rvi g ent Events & Barbers He sig Framing &ces Dental Services alth & Person Services Grocery Gy Po Home Impro nal Care He ms Hair Re sters Furniture ve Inv nves e tment Sements & Repairs Ho alth Food & Nutrition moval Hair Stylists tel Home rvice rvi s Illustrators ces Jew Leather Lif ewel elle lerry Insurance Int Furnishings y Certified/R e Legal Services Lim& Jewellers erior Desig rs Juice Ba B n Kitch K chens Lawy & Storage egistered Massage ousine Services Lo rss Kit wye ers rs Personal TraMusic Optical ServiMeats & Delicatesse cksmiths Massage ns Mortgag ces Optom iners Pet ind exdirec Ph ho es etr Ca tor oto tog Mo re ist y.c grrap Pet Sitting a s vin ap h ers rs P Plu & BoardingOrganic Food Paint g lum um Publication he mb biing i ng g Po cia ing Pet Stores c ian an nss Ps yc ho Re creati on s Real Es tate Real litiicia & Supplies h olo log gi stss P Pssy ycch Cafes Sexu Re fle xo log y Re no Es tate Agents Real iist ho o the oth he era rap ra py y va Es al ti tio tat Co i on ns un e s Inv se & Ta x Se rv ice lling Spa Se es tments Re sto rat ion s rvi s Te Re ce lec s Take sta ura Tree Services om Trophies Upmu nic ati on s Tra ns Ou t & Delivery Ta nts & Yoga g Accomm po rta tio n ttooing holstery We m mo od Tra da b Sites We at ati tion ons Accoun HIV IV Re R sourc ddings Wo ve l Agen cie s ur unta tan ntttss Adult nts Apa men’s Servi art rtm Banking Ba es Ap ultt Advert me en nts ts t Art G ller ces rti rtissin ing l iess A g Agencie Art Busin ess &nkruptcy Bars & ClubsGa ciess AIDS DS lie Artis S/ / Bicycles Bo Supplies Professio na t stts Art & AID Butchers Ca ok l ke Crafts Or ep ga niz ati on t ing Books & ts rpet Cleaning s Co mm un Bu Ma sin ga Ca ess Su pp lies u nit zines tering Chat ity ps & Se Lin Contrac tin y Grou ps & es Se S Cheese Sh erv rvi ce s rviice ce s Co mp Ren op s no pu ov Ch ute Crises Servig & Re va ter ati oc tio r ola Co ns ultan nss Cook ces & Shelt on ts Co ns tru tiers Dermato ers Cross- wa re Cosmeti cti tollog D ag Serv Dressing Da eticc Se rvicce ess Counse on g En E Gardening y Dr ting Servi ice nm l ling llin me Graphic De tter ttaiinm g ent E Ev ve en nts ts Fra & Barbers He sign Services F miing &ces Dental Services alt Gro P Po h & ste st cery Gyms Personal Ca rs Fu Home Im Furn rniit mp itu Ha pro re rov ir e Re ve He em me mo alt en h Food & Nu nts val Hair Styturre ts & Repairs Inv ve esstm tm me i list en trit s ntt Se Ho H s ion tel Home Furni rviice s Illu ce lusstr ess ewel stra Leather Lif errv rat ato to ors elle shings rss Ins lerry Insu y & Jewelle urance e Legal Se Jew nce Int In erior ers Certifi rrss Jui e Ba ran rvi rtifie o Desig ed d/ s gn /R Re n eg rss Kit gis isttered Me ces Limousine Servi ce Ki he en Music Op nss Lawy ats & Delica ces Locksm ch w ers pti ticcal r tes tessse iths Massa ye en Pet Care Peal Services Optom ns n s Mo m rtg r tga ge etr etris ag ge isttss Organic es es Movin v ing Plu mb ing t Sit ting & Boarding g & Fo Sto od rag rage Po Poliliti Pet Stores Painting g Personal ticcia ian ns s Estat Ps VAeNC Tra yc ho log ist & Supplies ReOU all Es VE tat tate R’S s Psyc ho e Ag Photographiners AGA ge Reno en BUva nts Yts&Re h oth SIN the LEalSB era tioES rrap ers ap EsIA ns S&DIR py y Pu tat taN P ub te Resto e Inv ECrat I ve blilica ccaati TOion essttm Servi tio RYs Resta on n s Real ces SPR T201 ak2e Ou al INGTak urants & Caents Recreation Reflens Outt Transpo livery xolog fes Sexual ry Tat lo rtation Tra& Delive T att too oo ing Co ve Tax Tax unselling Sp y Sites Wedd ces Telec a ings Womel Agencies Tree Servi Services l eco mm mu mun n’s Services ces Trophies om nic ica ati tio on ns s Yoga Upholstery Web

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XTRA! SEPT 20, 2012

XPOSED Photos by Alvin Grado

Out & About Members of the gay men’s outdoor excursions group Out & About met at 9am on Saturday, Sept 8 to climb Mount Strachan together. Xtra sent a photographer to trail along and enjoy the scenery.

listings › Food and wine pairings, auctions and gift bags are all on oﬀer at this fundraiser for Qmunity. Mon, Oct 1, 6:30–9:30pm. Old Boneta Event Space, 1 W Cordova St. $135–165. qmunity.ca

Lipstick Jungle Thurs, Sept 20, 9pm. Ginger 62, 1219 Granville St. No cover before 10:30pm, $5 after. facebook.com/pages/ lipstick-jungle

FESTIVALS & PERFORMANCE Arrival from Sweden Dancing queens get their moment when the self-proclaimed “most authentic ABBA tribute” teams up with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Mon, Sept 24, 8pm. Orpheum Theatre, 884 Granville St. $35–65. vancouversymphony.ca

Rufus Wainwright

1 1. Before: Out & About’s Mount Strachan hikers, ready to work up a sweat in nature. 2. Heading up the trail. 3. George Miller. 4. Organizer John Stackhouse. 5. Umberto de Sousa. 6. After: The hikers enjoy the view from the top.

4 2

For more listings, go to xtra.ca

› continued from page 14

Stack the Rack

Out of the Game put him back in the spotlight; now the diva returns, accompanied by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Tues, Oct 2, 8pm. Orpheum Theatre, 884 Granville St. $40–65. vancouversymphony.ca

Beerlesque II Clowns, fashion, burlesque and a male stripper parody mix with BC craft beers in this fundraiser for Roundhouse Community Centre programs. Fri, Sept 21, 6pm. The Roundhouse Exhibition Hall, 181 Roundhouse Mews. $55. roundhouse.ca

Tegan & Sara The rockin’ sisters headline this gig before heading out on the road with The Black Keys. Sun, Sept 23, 7pm. Vogue Theatre, 918 Granville St. $39.50. livenation.com

stories. Sun, Sept 30, 7pm. Rio Theatre, 1660 E Broadway. $10–15. raespoon.com

Patrick Wolf

Madonna

Acoustic pop music that is smart, theatrical and dramatic, with special guest Woodpigeon. Sat, Sept 29, 7pm. Rio Theatre, 1660 E Broadway. $25. networkedblogs.com/BuCJN

The material girl is still raking it in by delivering pop hits and misses in her inimitable style. Sat, Sept 29 and Sun, Sept 30, 7pm. Rogers Arena, 800 Griﬃths Way. $186–1,750. livenation.com

LEISURE & PLEASURE Bisexuality Pride Picnic

Qpoculypse A queer people of colour performance showcase to support and celebrate often underrepresented talent. Fri, Sept 28, 8pm. Rhizome Café, 317 E Broadway. PWYC. rhizomecafe.ca

A One M(org)an Show Morgan Nardi is handsome, charming and gleefully unreliable in this memoirish performance that fuses dance, song and comedy. Sat, Sept 22, 8pm. Scotiabank Dance Centre, 677 Davie St. $22–30. morgan-nardi.com, thedancecentre.ca

Rachel Rose and John Barton Two passionate queer poets read from their new collections, with additional musical entertainment. Sat, Sept 22, 7:30–9:30pm. Beaumont Studios, 316 W 5th Ave.

Rae Spoon Readings and songs to celebrate the release of First Spring Grass Fire, Spoon’s ﬁrst collection of short

In honour of Celebrate Bisexuality Day, Qmunity presents a picnic for bisexuals, pansexuals and their allies. Sun, Sept 23, 1–4pm. Nelson Park, 1030 Bute St. Free, but all encouraged to bring a plate to share. qmunity.ca

FILM & VIDEO Priscilla, Queen of the Desert The gay highlight of the very camp lineup of the Vancouver Retro Cinema Fest, running Sun, Sept 23–Tues, Sept 30. If the Denman Cinema has to close, help it go out with a bang! Sat, Sept 28, 8pm. Denman Cinema, 1737 Comox St. $20. vancouverretrocinema.com

Positive Women: Exposing Injustice A documentary about four positive women who speak out about their experiences. Sun, Sept 23, 6pm. SFU Woodward’s Theatre, 149 W Hastings St. $15. pwn.bc.ca

XTRA! SEPT 20, 2012

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

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XTRA! SEPT 20, 2012

indexdirectory.ca Vancouver’s online directory of

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

BICYCLES

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

ADDICTIONS Orchard Recovery

604-947-0420

ADULT 1-800-361-9929

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

AIRLINES Harbour Air Seaplanes 604-274-1277 Simdy’s Fashion Alterations

604-633-0828

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

CATERING

Flygirl Productions

Mail Box Plus

604-683-1433

BUTCHERS Tango’s Gourmet Meats 604-681-2121

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

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

CLINIC Travel Clinic

604-736-9244

CLOTHING - DESIGNER Astor & Black Mr Mz Boutique

604-785-0002 604-558-2005

Original Leather Factory Walk This Sway Designs

604-298-3770 604-418-6328

CLOTHING - VINTAGE Deluxe Junk Co

604-685-4871

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

604-568-7478 604-684-5307 604-669-5051

Mac Station Vancouver WhiteWay IT Solutions Ltd

APARTMENTS

CONSTRUCTION

ARTISTS 604-844-3810

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

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

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

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

BANKING RBC Royal Bank

royalbank.com

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 Counselling BC counsellingBC.com Dragonstone Counselling 604-738-7557 Integral Counselling 778-227-9423 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

Mail Box Plus

BATHROOM

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

604-879-6999

BEAUTY CARE David Blue Hair Design

604-688-2583

BEDDING Bernstein & Gold Interiors Mr Mattress Simmons Mattress Gallery

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

FARMERS’ MARKETS

604-683-1433

DENTAL SERVICES

PAINTING 604-484-4030

Wallmount Tronics

778-960-4447

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

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

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

LAUNDRY SERVICES Laundry Valet

604-568-2020

FESTIVALS & FAIRS

LAWYERS

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

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

FINANCIAL SERVICES 604-468-0888

FIREPLACES Vancouver Gas Fireplaces

604-732-3470

FITNESS & EXERCISE Hot Stone Massage Therapy

604-366-4386

FLORISTS

LEATHER LIFE

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

East Side Re-Rides Original Leather Factory

FUNERAL SERVICES

LIFE COACH

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

Nextstep Communication

FURNITURE

MASSAGE

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

Hot Stone Massage Therapy Metropolitan Relaxation Studio Relaxation Massage Vancouver Skyclad Naked Yoga & Massage

GRAPHIC DESIGN SERVICES

BATHHOUSES

Ripples Kitchen & Bath

604-839-9819

Vancouver Farmers’ Markets 604-879-3276

Jennifer Maier

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

Emily Carr

HOME THEATRE INSTILLATIONS

EVENT PLANNING & PROMOTIONS

BUSINESS SUPPLIES & SERVICES

COMPUTER SALES & SERVICES

caprent.com

ENTERTAINMENT

Triangle Recreation Camp camptrc.org

Waterway House Boats 1-877-WATERWAY

APPLIANCES

CAPREIT

maison d’etre design-build inc

CAMPGROUNDS & CAMPS

604-263-0050

CLOTHING - GENERAL

ALTERATIONS

Vancouver Photo Walks 604-318-1277 ActorWorks Vancouver 604-723-1776 Ballet British Columbia 604-732-5003 DanceHouse 604-801-6225 Museum of Vancouver 604-736-4431 Playland 604-253-2311 Scotiabank Dance Centre 604-606-6400 Sounds & Furies Productions 604-253-7189 Vancouver Symphony Orchestra 604-876-3434

BLINDS BOAT CRUISES & CHARTERS

Accounting+ Best Books Inc Felicity Webb

Wega Video

gay-owned and gay-friendly businesses

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

east van graphics Spread Media Inc

604-568-1206 604-440-8792

GROCERY Safeway

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

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

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

HEALTH & PERSONAL CARE Carruthers Dermatology Centre Inc 604-714-0222 Sinclair Wellness 604-629-1120 Vancouver Lipo Laser 604-904-0888 Yaletown Laser 604-70-SMILE

HEALTHCARE SERVICES Orchard Recovery Vancouver Coastal Health

604-947-0420 604-736-2033

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

MASSAGE - EROTIC

MEN’S GROOMING MASC

604-688-4555

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

604-765-4823

MOTORCYCLES & SCOOTERS East Side Re-Rides

604-327-7433

NATUROPATHY Dr Anita Komonski

604-568-7655

OPTICAL SERVICES

EDUCATION & INSTRUCTION

HOME IMPROVEMENT & REPAIRS

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

Emily Carr 604-844-3810 Vancouver Elementary School Teachers’ Association 604-873-8378

Crown Rooﬁng & Drainage 1-877-628-5010 Klondike Contracting Corporation 604-708-3337

ORGANIC FOOD & MARKETS Vancouver Farmer’s Market

604-715-0985 778-995-1665

PET CARE City-Dog.ca Pet Services 604-608-6959 Hemlock Animal Hospital 604-558-1400 Kitty Kare 604-813-4239 Latisha’s Pet Care 778-385-7313 The Vancouver Pet Expo 1-800-626-1538

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

604-568-8959 604-904-2008 604-433-2913 tisol.ca 604-566-9974

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

604-318-1277 778-865-4131 604-254-5869 604-318-1277

604-879-3276

maison d’etre design-build inc

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

ROOFING Crown Rooﬁng & Drainage

West End Seniors’ Network Society

Priape 604-630-2330 The TABOO Naughty but Nice Show 1-800-626-1538

SHOPPING

Integrative Healing Arts

PLUMBING

Rack n Hitch

Hillcrest Plumbing & Heating

SPORTS & RECREATION

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604-568-1206 604-683-1433 604-572-8558

PRIVATE INVESTIGATORS Baker Street Agency

604-294-6574

PSYCHICS Opal Professional Intuitive

604-655-4698

Dragonstone Counselling 604-738-7557

REAL ESTATE AGENTS Adriaan Schipper 604-818-8265 Amalia Liapis 604-618-7000 Annette Thomas 604-805-5572 Becci Dewinetz 604-230-1044 Charlotte Mauricio 604-312-2644 Chris Wendland 778-232-8319 Connie Buna 778-689-7653 David Gering 778-822-0775 David Tung 604-266-1364 Fuller Service Realty 604-724-7964 Ian Eggleton 604-773-1443 Ian Holt 604-506-4264 Jason Luke 778-834-6873 Ken Chalmers 604-803-4966 Kim Monk 604-740-6615 Klaus Rode 604-760-5856 Linda Shaw 604-787-2062 Lyn Hart 604-724-4278 Michael Chiu 604-992-2052 Phil Warren 604-684-6155 Steve Jamieson 604-307-9167 Susan Cameron 604-720-1214 Tim Hiltz 604-789-1133 Tyler Barrs 604-602-1111 Wayne Blackburn 604-209-4775 West Side Real Estate / Coldwell Banker Premier Realty 604-817-4856

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

RENOVATIONS & RESTORATIONS Mr Build 604-732-8453 Klondike Contracting Corporation 604-708-3337

604-669-5051

SEX

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604-879-1415

1-877-628-5010

SENIORS GROUPS & SERVICES

Denman Place Mall

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604-484-4030

RESTAURANTS & CAFÉS

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PSYCOTHERAPY

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MORTGAGE

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604-327-7433

Pro Works Painting TLS Painting

604-684-9254

SKIN CARE 604-738-1012

SPORTING GOODS 604-233-0057

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

STORAGE Freeway Mini-Storage/ U-Haul 604-251-2017 The Storeroom 604-685-5304

STUDIO SPACE The Dance Centre

604-606-6400

TATTOO & BODY PIERCING Adorned Precision Body Arts

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THEATRE ActorWorks Vancouver Bard on the Beach

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

TRANSPORTATION Helijet International 1-800-665-4354

TRAVEL AGENCIES GayTrip.ca

gaytrip.ca

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

VETERINARIANS Urban Animal Hospital

604-684-2632

WEBSITES Guidemag.com Squirt.org Xtra.ca

guidemag.com squirt.org xtra.ca

WEDDINGS Umbrella Events

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WEIGHT CONTROL Isagenix® LGBT Vancouver Integrative Healing Arts

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WINE & SPIRIT The Grape Escape Wineworks

604-254-1200

YOGA SpiRe Wellness 604-569-0963 YoGuy Men’s Yoga 778-995-1970 Skyclad Naked Yoga & Massage 250-813-2939

Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! SEPT 20, 2012

Classiﬁeds ANNOUNCEMENTS ›

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

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JD ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS Commercial and residential wiring and lighting. Licensed BC Hydro Certiﬁed Power Smart Installer. Good work, reasonable rates. Dan 604-218-1809

EMPLOYMENT › General

Adult

JOB OPPORTUNITY Daily Xtra Editor-in-Chief Dailyxtra.com, a new website to be launched this year by Pink Triangle Press to replace xtra.ca, needs an editor-inchief who will develop and lead a team of reporters, editors and video producers located in multiple cities. Possessing exceptional peoplemanagement skills and strong editorial judgment, you have a proven track record in recruiting, managing and motivating a successful team of journalists and content producers. Guided by our mission, you will grow our online audience of 1.5 million with an engaging mix of information, analysis and entertainment that will turn casual browsers into daily visitors. You will expand international content

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EMPLOYMENT @ XTRA Advertising Account Manager Xtra, Vancouver’s gay and lesbian newspaper, has an immediate opening for an Advertising Account Manager. You will service our existing client base of retail display advertisers, doggedly following the sales process from start to ﬁnish, providing exemplary customer service throughout.

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We will ﬁll this position as soon as we ﬁnd the right candidate. To read the full description of this position and details on how to apply, visit the Jobs section of Xtra.ca.

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