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Eight years of

pokes & tokes Henkl and The Brotherhood celebrate 200 episodes of Tyler Dorchester’s homegrown comic strip 14

QMUNITY GETS $7M7

SEX WORK DECISION9

UGANDA’S ANTI-GAY LAW10

Exploring: never stop Single Tablet Regimens (one pill, once a day) are a step forward in HIV treatment.

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While they’re not a cure, these treatment options are designed to be effective and convenient. If you’ve been exploring different HIV treatments, talk to your doctor about Single Tablet Regimens too. It’s good to know what is out there.

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#531 JAN 2–15, 2014

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XTRA VANCOUVER’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

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Vancouver’s most provocative annual performance festival turns 10 13 Editorial Fighting Trinity Western

By Marcus McCann 4 Feedback 4 Xcetera 5

Upfront Qmunity gets $7 million Community members urge public consultation soon 7 Ruby says he’ll sue over TWU approval Government should have told school to stop discriminating, Eby says 8 Council approves Sochi mission Delegation will lobby IOC for protection and Pride Houses 8 Sex workers celebrate Supreme Court ruling ‘This is a great day for women, from coast to coast,’ Bedford says 9 Gay panic defence in Dolan Badger murder Killer claims attempted rape, pleads guilty to lesser charge 9 Uganda passes Anti-Homosexuality Bill President Yoweri Museveni urged to veto measure 10 COVER ILLUSTRATION

BY TYLER DORCHESTER MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM

Scott Lively reacts to passage of Uganda’s anti-gay bill American evangelical bears much of the blame, activists say 10 Ask the Expert Three is better than two

By Dr Pega Ren 11

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Fighting Trinity Western GUEST EDITORIAL Marcus McCann

It was not that long ago — just 20 years — that Janine Fuller and her friends piled into an old van and drove out of Vancouver, embarking on a multi-city road trip.

They were raising money for a court challenge to oppose the seizure at the Canadian border of books and magazines destined for Little Sister’s Book and Art Emporium.

Little Sister’s held benefit readings and screenings from Toronto to San Francisco. In one delightfully irreverent fundraiser, Cleis Press released an anthology excerpting material that had been seized at the border. They called it Forbidden Passages.

A decade before that, Torontonians struck the Right to Privacy Committee, which helped defray the legal costs of gay men charged in the 1981 bathhouse raids. It also sent volunteer observers to court proceedings and lobbied governments to make sure that such police abuse never happened again.

It’s worth remembering that most of our victories haven’t been won because our political leaders have been gracious or taken our best interests to heart. No: by and large, they’ve been cowardly and risk adverse. Our victories have come through protest and sit-ins and letter-

writing campaigns. And, sometimes, by suing the bastards.

The latest controversy was sparked by Trinity Western, an evangelical Christian university in Langley, BC (see story on page 8). The school makes students sign an anti-gay pledge, and students can face discipline or expulsion for “same sex intimacy.” Trinity Western wants to launch a law school, and in December, it won important approvals from the BC government and from the Federation of Law Societies of Canada.

Some have said that the decision of the BC government will inevitably be challenged in court. I think that’s probably true, but it depends on what you mean by “inevitably.” In this case, “inevitably” doesn’t mean “with no work” or “without people pitching in.” It means, rather, that we can count on gay and trans communities to oppose the decision and to rally.

That’s why a group of people — myself included — are crowd-funding a legal challenge to the accreditation of Trinity Western Law. Prominent lawyers like Clayton Ruby and Angela Chaisson have expressed interest in the case. I suspect lawyers who care about this issue will put in a lot of free or deeply discounted time. But there are fixed costs that cannot be waived, including disbursements and filing fees.

Taking legal action is not my first preference. My first choice is for the

The outcome that we seek is this — gay and lesbian people daring together to set love free.

Xtra is published by Pink Triangle Press, at 2 Carlton St, Ste 1600, Toronto, M5B 1J3.

BC government and the law societies to refuse accreditation, as they ought to. For more than a year, people who care about this issue — law students especially — have been protesting and writing letters to push decision-makers into doing the right thing.

Court challenges are not the best way to challenge bigotry. They’re protracted, expensive, messy things. Even if justice prevails, courts can’t undo past harms. Even victories can result in bad precedents, which haunt the law for years to come. They can sap the energy out of an otherwise vibrant movement.

And they can’t get at many of the wrongs faced by gay and trans people.

No court case can cure the Catholic Church of its history of homophobia.

No court case will make parents accept their transgender child.

Indeed, formal legal equality is a narrow thing. It can address only the most basic of wrongs. But Trinity Western Law’s sexuality-based admissions policy is just such a case. It is a basic and obvious wrong.

Crowd-funding this legal challenge is a slight twist on an old theme. Gays have been taking the government to court for years. But thanks to technology, Ruby, Chaisson and I — and our allies — won’t need to embark on a road trip to get the job done, as fun as that would be.

To donate to the legal challenge, visit gofundme.com/twulegalchallenge.

Marcus McCann is a law student at the University of Toronto and the former managing editor of Xtra.

Feedback In Dolan’s defence I didn’t know Dolan well, but I know many who did and all agree that he was a kind, gentle man [“Gay Panic Defence in Dolan Badger Murder,” dailyxtra.com, Dec 13]. It is highly improbable that he would attempt sexual assault. This “homo panic” story stinks to high heaven.

“Powder locked himself in the bathroom” — what’s that about?

Tony Cave (Facebook)

Clearly something has gone wrong.

Dolan’s character is besmirched while “justice” may be a slap on the wrist.

Who was the assailant talking to on the phone? What did the other friends say? Were blood alcohol or drug tests taken? Are the witnesses afraid to come forward?

Too many questions to let this go without a trial — even if it would have meant an innocent decision, the facts would have come out. Outrage from a friend.

Dan Dickmeyer (dailyxtra.com)

Far too often serious crimes are bargained down. Our Crown attorneys are cowards. They would rather get a conviction on a lesser charge than face a real trial. This was second-degree murder, not manslaughter. One would hope that the gay panic defence would be ignored by a judge/jury these days.

We should all keep an eye out for the sentencing. Will the judge see through this travesty?

That Bear Guy (dailyxtra.com)

Shared queer space I would just like to exclaim how fantastic it is that the city recognizes queer space as a necessity for the city. Regarding Robin Perelle’s editorial “The Qmunity Consortium” [Xtra #529, Dec 5], I wish to point out that there is an organization in Vancouver which has as its mandate the establishment and maintaining of a centre that would serve the entire community, beyond what any one individual service provider could provide. It is the Vancouver Out Under the Rainbow Spaces Society (OUR Spaces), established in 2009 and a registered charitable society.

The centre that OUR Spaces contemplates includes space for support groups, recreation, performance and visual arts, meeting space, educational resources, a café, library, health resources and offices for queer-friendly social services and businesses. Under our vision, the centre would be managed by a central administrative organization dedicated to facilities management instead of the service providers who would occupy the building.

A shared model would allow service providers to rent from a non-profit landlord and to share meeting rooms, workspaces, studio space, washrooms, equipment and other resources if they so chose. We also think it would be a great way to bring organizations together in our community to facilitate more collaborative projects between the various groups. OUR Spaces is excited to participate in the process to help the LGBTQ community’s new space become a reality.

Richard Engelhardt OUR Spaces president

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4 jan 2–15, 2014 XTRA! Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

XCETERA

NOT KEN & BARBIE

Gay dolls? Nyet

Elton John, Stephen Fry, George Michael, Graham Norton and Tom Daley were refused entry into the Russian embassy in London . . . that is, their nesting-doll likenesses were. British LGBT group Kaleidoscope Trust tried to deliver the dolls to the embassy Dec 18; they made it past the English bobbies but not a Russian official, who refused the gift.

www.westend-dentist.ca

MARRIAGE MAYHEM NO TO 377

TYING THE KNOT IN NEW MEXICO With barely a whimper from opponents, New Mexico became the 17th state to legalize gay marriage. But a federal judge’s decision to strike down Utah’s samesex-marriage ban is causing mini-explosions in the head of that state’s governor.

As Xtra goes to press, Gary Herbert has been doing his damnedest to stay the ruling, even as hundreds of couples line up at county clerk offices to secure marriage licences.

Fuck section 377. Im very proud to be illegal in any context. I owe that to my sikhi heritage and my mom.

— Kanwar Singh Saini, who posted a photo on Facebook — taken at a Dec 15 Toronto protest against the Indian Supreme Court’s reinstatement of Section 377, which criminalizes gay sex — of himself kissing another man. Facebook suspended Saini’s account and removed the photo because it reportedly violated the site’s “terms and policies” but eventually reposted it, saying it was “mistakenly” taken down.

OLYMPIC SNUBBING

Sochi no-shows Our head count of heads of state not going to the Olympics — so far.

Kris Peeters Elio Di Rupo

Minister-President, Flanders

Prime Minister, Belgium

Dr. Dean Wershler

General Dentistry

New patients welcome. Saturday and evening appointments available.

Stephen Harper

Barack Obama

Prime Minister, Canada

François Hollande

President, United States

David Cameron Prime Minister, United Kingdom MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM

President, France

Joe Biden Vice-president, United States

Viviane Reding Joachim Gauck President, Germany

European Union commissioner

T/ XTRA! JAN 2–15, 2014 5

6 jan 2–15, 2014 XTRA! vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

Upfront

Just because he’s saying Dolan was trying to rape him doesn’t mean that’s what happened. It doesn’t sound like the Dolan I know. Duane Gastant Aucoin • 9

Qmunity gets $7 million Community members urge public consultation soon GAY SPACE Shauna Lewis

BC’s queer resource centre, Qmunity, will receive $7 million for a new, larger multipurpose community centre in Vancouver.

Vancouver city council unanimously approved the funds as part of a rezoning and development application Dec 17.

In exchange for council’s permission to rezone sites at Burrard and Hornby streets, applicants Jim Pattison Developments and Reliance Properties will now give the city more than $15.8 million in community amenity contributions [CACs] to be allocated among several area amenities. At $7 million, Qmunity will receive the largest share of the contribution — nearly half.

“We’re so thrilled. This is such a long time coming, and we couldn’t be happier,” Qmunity executive director Dara Parker says.

“There was such an outpouring of the community and with so many different perspectives, from seniors to youth to volunteers and service users, that I think we saw that, really, Qmunity is an umbrella organization,” she says.

Parker says she expects Qmunity will receive the funding in six months. She says a formal public consultation regarding building plans will take place in June 2014 once a site has been secured.

“We can’t consult when we don’t know where it will be,” she says. “We want concrete tangibles in place.” But Qmunity is open to community suggestions prior to the formal consultation process, she says.

Parker says the project budget is $10 million and Qmunity is still working with the city, hoping to secure more CACs for the remaining funds.

“I couldn’t be more pleased for Qmunity and the GLBT community itself,” Councillor Tim Stevenson told council.

“This is the first time that council has had such respect for our community that we’re seeing a CAC of this magnitude,” he said. “It’s a dream come true.”

During the public hearing, approximately 20 speakers supported the Pattison rezoning application, many under the premise that Qmunity, which has provided resources to the LGBT community for more than 30 years, is in dire need of a new, larger, more physically accessible, multipurpose space.

The few opposed to the application cited impacts on views, building shadowing and unaffordable housing as primary concerns.

Drew Dennis, who sits on the City of Vancouver’s LGBTQ advisory committee, described Qmunity as “a viable organization” with experience providing services and operating a facility.

“Some people may have some baggage and past history with previous leadership at Qmunity,” Dennis acknowledged. “I absolutely stand behind Qmunity.”

“Qmunity has a long-term history of being able to provide programs to queer people within Vancouver and British Columbia,” agreed Dean Malone, who sits with Dennis on the advisory committee. “There’s no other organization that’s established and able to deliver these types of programs.”

Some community members expressed concern about any one organization’s ability to handle a project of this magnitude.

“It’s quite an extensive task to put on a service-delivery organization,” says Richard Engelhardt, president of Out Under the Rainbow (OUR Spaces).

Former city councillor Alan Herbert says he wants regular, ongoing and transparent consultation between Qmunity, other interested community groups and the community at large as plans for a new centre proceed.

The money is coming to our community, and now is the time to show leadership and that we respect and are happy to be getting these funds.

Dean Malone, LGBTQ advisory committee

“This is such a long time coming, and we couldn’t be happier,” Qmunity executive director Dara Parker said after city council approved a rezoning application that will see funding allocated to a new queer community centre. Shauna Lewis

“There must be a commitment to a full, public participation process in which all segments of the LGBT public, and others, will have the opportunity to speak, ask questions and hear details into what I suspect will be an evolving plan for the community centre,” he said.

Engelhardt would like to see a full consultation begin sooner than next summer.

“A consultation is planned for June, but I think the community should be updated before then so we have a bit of discussion going into June,” he said. “We need to start talking to one another.”

Malone urged community members to be proactive. “People have to be clear that if they have needs that they want the new community centre to serve, they have to contact Qmunity and let them know,” he said.

“The money is coming to our community, and now is the time to show leadership and that we respect and are happy to be getting these funds,” he added.

Funding for a new LGBT community centre was listed as a priority under the public benefit strategy in the city’s new West End community plan, passed in November.

Plans for the Pattison sites at 12621290 Burrard St and 1229-1281 Hornby St include two mixed-use residential, retail and office towers.

More at dailyXtra.com XTRA! Jan 2–15, 2014 7

Council approves Sochi mission Delegation will lobby IOC for protection and Pride Houses POLITICS Shauna Lewis

Vancouver city council has passed a motion to lobby the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to amend its charter to explicitly prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

The motion, proposed by Councillor Tim Stevenson, passed unanimously Dec 18.

The motion will also see city delegates lobby the IOC to make Pride Houses part of city bids for all future Olympic Games.

“I am pleased that it is a unanimous vote,” said Stevenson, who will now attend the Sochi Games in Russia as deputy mayor of Vancouver and meet with IOC officials.

Green Councillor Adriane Carr successfully amended the motion to make Stevenson’s Sochi mission city-funded, rather than paid for by private donations as originally proposed.

The amendment stemmed from concerns over donations offered by developers Peter Wall and Bob Rennie to help cover the costs of the mission.

Some suggested it might be a conflict of interest for the developers to privately fund a council initiative, though city staff dismissed the concern.

City manager Penny Ballem said she and other staff examined the initiative’s resources, proposed use of funds, transparency and oversight and concluded that there was no conflict.

Stevenson still welcomed Carr’s amendment. “The issue of conflict was becoming increasingly difficult for me, as it kept coming up in the press,” he said. “I felt in a bit of a quandary.”

Carr said she introduced the motion to clear any lingering perception of conflict of interest, despite staff assurances. “My intent was to establish clear responsibility,” she said. “My intent is also to defuse the situation.”

Carr’s motion was backed by NPA Councillor George Affleck and approved by council.

While Stevenson’s expenses for Sochi will now be funded by the city, his codelegates — Dean Nelson, co-creator of Whistler Pride House, and Maureen Douglas, who worked with the Vancouver organizing committee for the

The issue of conflict was becoming increasingly difficult for me, as it kept coming up in the press.

Councillor Tim Stevenson

Councillor Tim Stevenson welcomed an amendment to his Sochi motion Dec 18 to make his portion of the Russian trip city-funded, rather than paid for by private donations as originally proposed. Shauna Lewis

2010 Games — will still be supported by private donations.

“We will persuade the IOC to enshrine in the host city agreement that future community-based Pride Houses be included in the hosting of the Games to ensure that all people, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, rights and religions, are all welcomed through creating a safe and welcoming space to enjoy the Games,” Nelson said.

“We can’t change Sochi, but we can work to make sure it’s not repeated,” said Dean Malone, co-chair of the city of Vancouver’s LGBTQ advisory committee.

Ruby says he’ll sue over TWU approval Government should have told school to stop discriminating, Eby says EDUCATION Jeremy Hainsworth

Toronto lawyer Clayton Ruby says he’ll be seeing the BC government in court after it approved, on Dec 18, a law school for Trinity Western University (TWU).

“It’s immoral and unconscionable and we think unconstitutional,” Ruby says of the law school that, like the rest of TWU, will force students to sign a covenant promising to uphold Christian values — and refrain from gay sex — upon enrolment.

In approving TWU’s law school, Advanced Education Minister Amrik

Virk said BC’s Degree Quality Assessment Board reviewed the proposed law degree and found it met the quality assessment criteria for private and outof-province public institutions.

“Trinity Western University is a faithbased, private university that does not receive operating or capital funding from government,” he noted.

The law school received preliminary approval from the Federation of Law Societies of Canada on Dec 16. In granting approval, the federation said it examined only whether the proposed law school’s graduates would meet professional requirements needed for en-

try to the bar admission programs in Canadian common-law jurisdictions.

Ruby says he intends to seek a court order striking down the provincial approval, though crafting the suit could take weeks or months. “It takes time to do it right.”

Ruby thinks TWU’s law school would impose a “queer quota” on incoming law students by limiting the number of law-school seats they can apply for. He estimates that there are approximately 1,600 places in law schools across Canada and that the 60 new places proposed

by TWU would be off-limits to openly gay students.

David Eby, provincial NDP opposition critic for advanced education, tells Xtra he will be writing a letter to both Virk and Premier Christy Clark to protest the TWU approval.

“The covenant is clearly discriminatory, and in this day and age to approve a

“To approve a law school at an institution that doesn’t treat gays and lesbian students the same as everyone else that goes to the school is bizarre,” says David Eby, provincial opposition critic for advanced education. leg.bc.ca

law school at an institution that doesn’t treat gays and lesbian students the same as everyone else that goes to the school is bizarre,” Eby says.

Eby, former executive director of the BC Civil Liberties Association, says the decision indicates that discrimination against queer people is still acceptable in some quarters.

“I’m trying to circle the square of a government that says it’s against bullying but approves a school that discriminates,” he says. “It’s completely bizarre and indefensible.”

Eby was also dismayed by the federation’s preliminary approval. “I think it’s something we’re all going to look back on . . . as an embarrassment for everyone,” he says.

“The government should be saying to Trinity Western, ‘Please fix the covenant to treat everyone the same,’” he says.

8 Jan 2–15, 2014 XTRA! Vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

Sex workers celebrate ruling

‘This is a great day for women, from coast-to-coast,’ Bedford says SEX LAWS Justin Ling

“What’s my name?” she asks, laughing.

“I’m the Bedford in Bedford vs Canada.”

Terri-Jean Bedford, flanked by her compatriots Amy Lebovitch and Valerie Scott, laughed and cracked her riding crop as journalists crowded the victorious front-line soldiers in the war against Canada’s laws governing sex work.

In a year, the previous laws will be no more. What will replace them is still unclear. All three major political parties have adopted slightly varying policies of indifference on the future of legislating the world’s oldest profession.

But, for the time being, Bedford is ecstatic. “This is a great day for women, from coast to coast!” she cried as she walked up to the microphone in the lobby of the Supreme Court of Canada Dec 20.

In a unanimous ruling that paves the way toward decriminalization, the justices found Canada’s prosti-

tution laws overly broad and grossly disproportionate.

“A law that prevents street prostitutes from resorting to a safe haven such as Grandma’s House while a suspected serial killer prowls the streets, is a law that has lost sight of its purpose,” writes Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin.

The court repeatedly found that the existing laws put sex workers in jeopardy, violating Section 7 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which protects Canadians from laws attacking their life, liberty and security.

“This judgment sends a clear message to all the aggressors that the climate of impunity has ended,” said Émilie Laliberté, from the Montreal sex-work advocacy group Stella.

In the Downtown Eastside — where the Supreme Court justices said the federal laws contributed to a culture of fear and danger while Robert Pickton preyed on outcast sex workers — activists are also rejoicing.

Valerie Scott says sex workers must be brought to the table to help politicians craft new rules to regulate sex work in Canada. Marcus McCann

“It’s a huge victory for all the people in Vancouver — my sisters out there are going to be safe,” said Lorna Bird, of Sex Workers United Against Violence, who intervened on the case.

After the celebration ends, the countdown begins. Next December, sex workers will have the freedom to haggle with and screen their clientele, hire staff for protection and operate freely in their own homes.

“My work is done; the political battle now begins,” said lawyer Alan Young.

Justice Minister Peter MacKay expressed disappointment in the Supreme Court’s decision, saying that the government is “exploring all possible options to ensure the criminal law continues to address the significant harms that flow from prostitution to communities, those engaged in prostitution, and vulnerable persons.”

Following that statement, ex-police officer and current Heritage Minister Shelly Glover spoke to reporters in Winnipeg, vowing that the government would be bringing in legislation as soon as possible to remedy the vacuum that will be opened this time next year.

Gay panic defence in Dolan Badger murder Killer claims attempted rape, pleads guilty to lesser charge GAYBASHING Jeremy Hainsworth

The man charged with murder in connection with a fatal assault last January on former Vancouverite Dolan Badger pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter Dec 11, claiming he was only defending himself from Badger’s alleged sexual advances.

William Robert Kootenay, 23, claimed the incident occurred after a night of drinking, according to an agreed statement of facts filed with the Whitecourt, Alberta, court.

The statement of facts indicates that Kootenay was staying at the Admiral Inn in Whitecourt with his boss. It says he met Badger when he ran into two former acquaintances, Amanda Boiley and Archie Powder, who were drinking with Badger in the lounge.

The four eventually took a taxi back to Boiley and Powder’s house, where they kept drinking until they fell asleep or passed out. Kootenay claims he awoke to find Badger lying on top of him.

Badger’s friend Duane Gastant Aucoin is skeptical. He says it sounds like Kootenay is using a “gay panic defence” to try to justify his actions.

The statement of facts says Kootenay woke up to find his pants down and Badger wearing none.

Kootenay says he pushed Badger off, then struck him in the face and abdomen with his fists and kicked him in the abdomen. Boiley did not wake up, but Powder woke up and locked himself in the bathroom, the statement says.

The following morning, at about 7:15am, police responded to a call for a

Dolan Badger, an HIV activist and artist who lived for years in Vancouver, is remembered as a gentle, kind and supportive two-spirit man. Facebook.com

potential domestic assault. A constable arriving at the scene heard Kootenay, clearly agitated, inside the residence, the statement says. Inside, the constable found Badger on the floor with no pants, a small towel over his genitals.

The constable saw a large pool of blood around Badger and also by a couch and loveseat. A pillow was also covered in blood, the statement says.

The constable observed Kootenay on the phone yelling, “He tried to rape me.”

Kootenay was arrested for assault and offered little resistance, the statement says.

“It was noted that Dolan was still conscious though mostly unresponsive,” the statement says. Badger was pronounced dead about an hour later.

An autopsy found the cause of death was blunt abdominal trauma. A sexual assault test done on Kootenay found no semen in anal or rectal swabs.

Whitewater RCMP Staff Sergeant Rodney Koscielny said at the time of Badger’s death that the case was not considered a hate crime.

“Hate was not involved. It was not a gaybashing,” Koscielny said. “It was a fight that went wrong.”

But, Aucoin says, no one will ever hear Badger’s side of the story. People often use a gay panic defence to cover up a gaybashing, he says.

“It’s used to cover up a hate crime.

Put the blame on the victim. He [Badger] didn’t deserve that.”

“We’re just hearing one side of the story,” he repeats. “Who knows? Maybe they were having sex. Just because he’s saying Dolan was trying to rape him doesn’t mean that’s what happened. It doesn’t sound like the Dolan I know.”

Kootenay is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan 14.

Badger, who lived for years in Vancouver, was working as a support and outreach worker with the HIV Network of Edmonton, according to his LinkedIn page.

At the time of his death, he was remembered as a gentle, kind, warm and deeply supportive two-spirit aboriginal man.

More at dailyXtra.com XTRA! jan 2–15, 2014 9

Uganda passes Anti-Homosexuality Bill President Yoweri Museveni urged to veto measure HUMAN RIGHTS Natasha Barsotti

Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill no longer includes the death penalty, but its omission from the revised measure that was passed in the African country’s parliament Dec 20 brought little comfort to its LGBT citizens.

While homosexuality is already criminalized in Uganda, the new bill has introduced harsher penalties, including life imprisonment in a number of cases.

The bill provides for a 14-year prison term for a first conviction and life imprisonment for the offence of “aggravated homosexuality,” a Ugandan parliamentary announcement states.

It also criminalizes “promotion” of homosexuality, while those who fail to report homosexual activities to the police face time in prison.

As news of the bill’s passage broke, prominent Ugandan gay rights activist Frank Mugisha commented on Twitter, “I am officially illegal.” He urged his country’s president, Yoweri Museveni, not to sign the bill into law, saying it will initiate a “new era of fear and persecution.”

But even as the measure’s revised provisions sparked outrage, controversy also surrounds the process by which the bill was brought forward for a vote.

Ugandan Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi indicated that he didn’t know that it was up for debate and apparently sought — unsuccessfully — to have the bill’s consideration deferred, the parliamentary announcement notes.

Mbabazi said that the government was in unspecified “negotiations” over the measure and that a quorum was needed to pass it.

Other MPs — Sam Otada and Fox Odoi — expressed their misgivings about the bill, criticizing it as discriminatory and noting that homosexuality was already banned in existing laws.

“What two consenting adults do in the privacy of their bedroom should not be the business of this Parliament. It is not right to have the state allowed in the bedrooms of people,” Otada and Odoi said in their Minority Report.

Parliamentary speaker Rebecca Kadaga reportedly ignored the request for a quorum call. Last year, Kadaga, infuriated by Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird’s criticism of her country’s human rights record, returned to Uganda and promised to pass the bill as a “Christmas gift” to the people.

Advocacy group Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) also raised the quorum issue in its statement about the bill’s passage.

Ugandan MP David Bahati prays for his country’s soul. His 2009 bill to criminalize homosexuality just keeps coming back. Benedicte Desrus

“SMUG has received reliable information that the Bill was passed without the requisite quorum despite protests from some Members of Parliament,” it states. “There is also no evidence that the Bill was subjected to the Human Rights Checklist which the Speaker of Parliament launched late this year.”

“While the Bill is yet to be signed into

law by the President, SMUG condemns in the strongest terms the haphazard manner in which Members of Parliament passed it with little if any regard to procedure and to whether it complies with the 1995 Constitution as the Supreme law of Uganda.”

SMUG called on the “entire international community to remind Uganda

of its international treaty obligations and to join hands against the AntiHomosexuality Bill.”

Museveni has just under 30 days to sign it into law.

A number of governments, activists and human rights groups have also roundly criticized the bill and its longanticipated passage, some calling on Museveni to refrain from giving assent to the measure.

“Canada is deeply troubled that a group of parliamentarians in Uganda secured passage of a bill which proposes harsh punishment for homosexuality,” Baird said an emailed statement to Xtra.

“The Government of Uganda must protect all Ugandans, regardless of sexual orientation,” he added.

Baird also took note of Mbabazi’s concerns about a lack of quorum and urged Museveni “not to assent to this bill.”

The United States issued a strongly worded statement about the bill, saying it condemned legislation that “criminalizes consensual sexual conduct between adults or criminalizes simply being of a particular sexual orientation or gender identity,” even as it “respects the sovereignty of Uganda and the prerogatives of its parliament to pass legislation.”

The British government also registered its objections, saying the bill, spearheaded by MP David Bahati since 2009, will “damage” minority groups’ rights and Uganda’s international reputation.

For his part, Bahati says he’s glad parliament “voted against evil.”

Lively reacts to passage of Uganda’s anti-gay bill “How do you know this will produce violence and discrimination? How do you know that? That’s just speculation,” pastor Scott Lively replies when asked about the potential consequences of the Dec 20 passage of Uganda’s AntiHomosexuality Bill.

Lively is among a number of American evangelicals who are being blamed for the creation of the bill, having spent time in Uganda warning people about the “dangers of sodomy” and the “homosexualist movement.”

In a video recording acquired by Box Turtle Bulletin of a March 2009 lecture in Uganda, Lively says the gay movement is “an evil institution” and accuses gay people of being predatory.

“When they see a child that’s from a broken home, it’s like they have a flashing neon side over their heads,” he says.

Lively described his campaign in

Uganda, where he also met with parliamentarians, as akin to dropping a “nuclear bomb” against the “gay agenda.” Later in 2009, MP David Bahati presented the Anti-Homosexuality Bill in parliament for the first time. In its original form the bill included the death penalty, but that was replaced with life in prison in the revised measure.

“Yeah, well, I don’t support the harsh penalties of the bill. I never did,” Lively tells Xtra. “I proposed language that would have focused on rehabilitation and prevention. I have been very clear from the beginning . . . I have never supported the bill. I did not advocate for it.”

That’s not true, says Reverend Kapya Kaoma, an Anglican priest who is a researcher at Political Research Associates. Now based in Boston but originally from Africa, Kaoma puts the blame squarely on Lively, a preacher whose

anti-gay message failed in the US before he emerged as a celebrity in Uganda.

“Africa became the dumping place for his extreme ideas,” Kaoma says in the film God Loves Uganda. “After listening to Dr Lively, the parliament felt that there was a need to come up with a new bill. The infamous Anti-Homosexuality Bill was introduced soon after the antigay conference that Scott Lively headlined in 2009.”

When pressed further about how the bill will affect the lives of LGBT people, Lively accused Xtra of not understanding the culture of Uganda.

Lively is now facing trial for crimes against humanity, specifically for his alleged support of the bill. The lawsuit, filed by the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) on behalf of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), accuses Lively of waging a “decade-long

American evangelical pastor Scott Lively is charged with crimes against humanity for his role in Uganda. youtube

campaign . . . in coordination with his Ugandan counterparts, to persecute persons on the basis of their gender and/or sexual orientation and gender identity.”

The suit names pastor Stephen Langa, Ugandan preacher Martin Ssempa, former ethics minister James Buturo, and Bahati as Lively’s alleged co-conspirators in coordinating a “dramatic, far-reaching response” against the “prospect of basic legal protections for LGBTI individuals.”

Lively tried unsuccessfully to have the case against him dismissed. In his ruling, Judge Michael Ponsor said, “the fact that a group continues to be vulnerable to widespread, systematic persecution in some parts of the world simply cannot shield one who commits a crime against humanity from liability.”

— Andrea Houston

10 jan 2–15, 2014 XTRA! vancouver’s gay & lesbian news

Three is better than two

Pride House co-founder applauds Vancouver Sochi delegation

A bisexual man’s cuckolding fantasies ASK THE EXPERT Dr Pega Ren

Dear Three Is Better, Your letter tells me that, although you enjoy relating to men on occasion, your primary erotic connections are with women. The threesomes you love let you get off watching both your target genders while affording you the cover of simply witnessing.

One of the thrills of threesomes is the risk that any pair may separate and form their own intimate dyad. That prospect keeps all the players on high alert, giving their best performances, lest they lose favour. Such sex, fuelled by competition, is rarely dull. Hot sex is a big draw.

So engaging in threesomes maximizes your arousal. That makes sense.

What else seems true is that you need female energy present to ignite your arousal. When your girlfriend is present, whether intimately with you or remotely with another desirable man, your erotic loop is complete. It may be the lack of distaff energy that accounts for your lukewarm liaisons with men.

And yet . . .

When you arrange these cuckolding experiences, you prefer watching another man with your woman. Do you wonder about watching two women together? If not, then let me suggest that you have managed to design the best possible combination of erotic triggers for you. You like sex with men.

You also like sex with women. And

Avi Avital mandolin Michael Brown piano BACH, RAVEL, DE FALLA, BARTÓK thinkstock

Dear Dr Ren, I’m a bisexual man in my 40s. I have had, and enjoyed, sex with both genders, though I form my romantic relationships with women.

The problem is I have a fetish that requires the presence of another man to make sex with a woman really hot for me. I’m questioning what this means, and I’m very confused.

I don’t feel like I’m repressing a gay identity because, even when I’ve been involved with men, sex isn’t nearly as hot as when there’s a woman present.

But being just with a woman isn’t completely working either.

I am most turned on when I can watch another guy have sex with my girlfriend. On “special occasions” she’ll do this with me, but mostly I satisfy my craving with cuckold porn.

This cuckold fantasy keeps me constantly craving and simultaneously dissatisfied. How can I lessen its grip on me?

— Three Is Better

“Avital was electrifying to watch and hear.”

BOSTON MUSICAL INTELLIGENCER

Rather than viewing your excitement about cuckoldry as a problem, why not welcome this peak experience as the combination of images and sensations that rank a 10 on your ‘hot meter’? your best sex is watching one of each have sex with each other. How many people would envy your clarity!

You complain only that coupled sex in between these peak encounters isn’t quite as thrilling. Do you believe you would be happy if every sexual experience involved your peak fantasy?

Unlikely. Anything done all the time loses its special quality.

We are terribly complex sexual beings. As we continue to research sex, we are learning that not only female, but also male, sexuality is more fluid than we once supposed. The broad spectrum of porn now available provides access to diverse and expansive fantasies.

Yours is as valid as any other.

As a guy who needs threesomes to keep things hot, make sure you appreciate your girlfriend’s willingness to accommodate your turn-on and ensure her good time as well. Keep relationship maintenance high on your list. A mate who embraces your unique desires deserves to be treasured.

Rather than viewing your excitement about cuckoldry as a problem, why not welcome this peak experience as the combination of images and sensations that rank a 10 on your “hot meter”?

It’s to your benefit to understand your individual definition of sexual satisfaction, and you seem to be clear about this. You know that a threesome in a cuckold setting creates a peak erotic experience for you, and you have fashioned an environment in which that can happen. Bravo.

Enjoy what you have and don’t waste any more time worrying about what it all means.

Dr Pega Ren is Xtra’s queer- and kinkfriendly sex therapist, specializing in relationship and sexual issues, including concerns of the aging population.

To learn more about her and the work she does, or to book a session, visit her website at smartsextalk.com. Have a question for Dr Ren? Send an email to asktheexpert@dailyxtra.com.

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OutintheCity ty

Forget the repeal of DOMA or those who are literally putting their lives on the line to fight the gay propaganda law in Russia; did you see the University of Warwick’s rowing-team calendar?!

Raziel Reid 16

Queer picks at the PuSh Fest Vancouver’s most provocative annual performance festival turns 10 ONSTAGE GREG ARMSTRONG-MORRIS

The PuSh International Performing Arts Festival — one of Vancouver’s signature arts events — celebrates its 10th anniversary of provoking audiences this year and, once again, queer voices will be well represented.

As this year’s program states, and past selections demonstrate, “pushing artistic boundaries is not only the PuSh Festival’s reason for being — we believe it’s ultimately what the performing arts are all about. Because when you cross that line between safe and risky, sometimes amazing things can happen.”

Two of those amazing things, Tucked & Plucked and Gender Failure, are productions by boundarypushing queer Canadian performers. Both were brought to the festival’s attention by renowned Vancouver music-maker and PuSh co-curator Veda Hille.

Hille recently spoke with Xtra while nursing herself through a cold. “One of the first things I look for as a curator — and it’s kind of a selfish thing — is do I want to see that show?” she said.

“If that internal desire isn’t there, I’m not so inclined to pursue it.”

Tucked & Plucked is a talk-show-style performance hosted by beloved East Van drag queen Isolde N Barron and her drag husband Peach Cobblah — aka Cameron and Dave MackenzieDeveau, the always provocative co-conspirators behind Zee Zee Theatre. The show is an investigation into Vancouver’s rich drag history, and integral to this investigation are guest appearances by the city’s most famous (and infamous) drag queens, past and present.

“I’m curious to see how they combine their drag work with their theatre work, both of which have really high credentials,” Hille says.

The piece was originally commissioned by the Performing Arts Lodge Studio Theatre Society.

As a provider of affordable housing and social MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM

support for our elders in the performing arts, and with an onsite 150-seat theatre, the PAL partnership with Zee Zee has created a series of events stacked with equal parts hubris and self-mocking humour that’s rich in local drag lore.

Indie electronica singer/songwriter Rae Spoon and writer/performer (and former Xtra columnist) Ivan Coyote have been collaborating for nearly seven years. Gender Failure — their multimedia production that has played (frequently to sold-out houses) in London, Montreal, Toronto and New York — delves into their personal gender paths and is described as an equally hilarious and heartbreaking exploration of failed attempts to fit into the gender binary, and how that binary ultimately fails us all.

The most recent iteration of the show includes collaboration with Seattle animator and video artist Clyde Petersen, who approached the pair after seeing them perform in New York. The PuSh Festival has commissioned new work from Petersen that will premiere as part of this production, adding a brightly textured visual element to Coyote’s razor-sharp narrative and Spoon’s ethereal voice.

When asked what drew her to Gender Failure, Hille’s excitement overshadowed her flu-ish symptoms. “Both those artists are constantly readjusting and reinventing themselves in an artistic and aesthetic manner, which I find completely exciting. I’m always interested in seeing what they’re up to next.”

What they’re up to next is a book version of the show, also entitled Gender Failure, being published by Arsenal Pulp Press and set for release in April 2014, that will include text from the show, stills from performances and illustrations

by Petersen.

The PuSh Festival runs Jan 14 to Feb 2. Tucked & Plucked and Gender Failure are both part of the Club PuSh series, playing at Performance Works on Granville Island. pushfestival.ca

Gender Failure, by Rae Spoon and Ivan Coyote, chronicles their failed attempts to fit into the gender binary and how that binary ultimately fails us all.

PUSH FEST/JJ LEVINE

Tucked & Plucked, from Zee Zee Theatre, pays tribute to Vancouver’s rich drag history.

ZEE ZEE THEATRE/TINA KRUEGER KULIC

XTRA! JAN 2–15, 2014 13

Tables turned

To commemorate the 200th edition of The Brotherhood, the characters interview their creator, Tyler Dorchester recognized me, too, so I got to fool my American friends into thinking I was a big deal in the gay cartooning world . . .

COVER STORY TEXT AND ILLUSTRATIONS

BY TYLER DORCHESTER

Which of us would you get down with, and why?

Welcome, guys! Thanks for giving me this opportunity!

Ow! I mean, what’s next for you?

Not like we had much choice. You’re holding the eraser.

I dunno. A frantic attempt to use my fading boyishness to find love, I guess.

Get to it, then.

I was wonderin’ how you do yer work? Y’have more ideas than you do the talent to pull them off from what I’ve seen.

I meant for the cartoon.

Oh! Heh. I want to do a flashback to the days of your meth use so I can tell the addiction stories of a remarkable man who came out the other side. Also, Henkl uses his Sodomite Mind-Control Death-Ray on Ann Coulter, and I’m jacked to do a trip to two alternate futures: a dystopian theocracy and a sodomite utopia . . . or is it?

Umm . . . thanks? Well, the circumstances that led to this gig were pretty epic and a story in itself that I’d like to draw someday. The experience snapped my asparagus pretty good.

Since then, most things appear somewhat ridiculous to me. Whether that’s funny or terrifying depends on the day you ask.

Geez, that sounds pretty Zen.

I spent about four months critically ill. When I pulled through, I thought it had left me fearless. Later, I realized I had also become acutely morbid. “Carpe diem” isn’t so much my motto as it is a Bludgeon of Guilt each time I fail to seize a day.

Anyway, I didn’t gain a jot of talent, but the whole thing super-jazzed my creative impulse. I’m sorry — what was the question? I also recently found out I’m ADD . . .

14 JAN 2–15, 2014 XTRA!

Are you going to give the token lesbian a chance to ask a question?

Sure, there you go.

You’re welcome!

What’s been the most challenging and rewarding parts of this job, O Creator?

Brown noser.

Spending a shwack of money on the eye-popping, boner-inducing brotherhoodworld.com site and just getting a trickle of visitors is frustrating. It’s also sometimes tough to draw you six, especially since some of your original inspirations aren’t around anymore.

Thomas is in Philly now, a firefighter.

I miss him. The real Ian and I drifted apart, and though new friends and aspects of my own psyche step forward

to fill empty shoes, I’ve always been really bad at endings.

And th’ best part of th’ job?

A guy in Australia cut out the episode where you contract HIV, Thomas, and put it on his fridge for his gay little brother to see. For a cartoonist, making it onto the fridge is like being hung in the Louvre. Once a guy at Palm Springs Leather Pride

I can’t help noticing that you and I share the same physical and psychological features. We’re both short farm boys with blond beards whose love lives are a series of kicks to the balls that occur in a desert of desolation.

Only my mustache is blond, Stranger! And wait, I forgot I have a boyfriend — see?

That’s a pumpkin with a hole cut into it ... the hole appears to have been greased with hand lotion ...

Shut up.

No more questions.

VANCOUVER’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

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Nothing like ending the year on a high note, a slow clap and a creepy couple or two.

Creepiest couple

Tom Daley and Dustin Lance Black.

I don’t care about their 20-year age difference — 19-year-old Olympic diver Tom Daley and 39-year-old Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black have all the makings of a gay power couple — but their staged photo-op (shortly after fresh-outof-the-closet Daley gave an interview with Jonathan Ross saying he didn’t want to reveal whom he was dating to protect his privacy) was vulgar, and not in a good way. Leave the shameless fame-whoring to Kimye, boys.

Stunt-queen hall of fame

I can’t decide whether to induct Pope Francis or The Advocate for putting him on the cover. Francis said, “If someone is gay and seeks the Lord with good will, who am I to judge?” which is the greatest PR move since the gay bathhouse in a Vaticanowned building started running promotions with images of bears getting it on with priests . . . Francis’s media savvy may just save the Catholic church from imploding, but when The Advocate made Francis its Person of the Year, I had to give a slowclap to the mag for getting everyone talking — even if it is depressing that all it takes to be a gay hero in The Advocate’s eyes is a statement that, for once, doesn’t completely condemn us. Forget the pioneering efforts of Edie Windsor or Evan Wolfson — the pope isn’t judging!

Most effective coming out

BEFORE 16 JAN 2–15, 2014 XTRA!

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NBA star Jason Collins, who became the first out male athlete in a major American sport. Not only was his Sports Illustrated revelation eloquent, but it inspired other gay athletes, including soccer player Robbie Rogers and diver Tom Daley, to come out. And as my asshole always says, the more jocks the merrier.

Here’s hoping James Franco’s wish comes true in 2014.

NEW YORK TIMES SHORT FILM

Most anticlimactic coming out

Jodie Foster, accepting a lifetime achievement award at the 70th annual Golden Globes last January. She didn’t say the actual words “I’m a lesbian” because she didn’t need to.

“I hope you guys weren’t hoping this would be a big coming-out speech tonight, because I already did my coming out about a thousand years ago, back in the Stone Age,” the notoriously private Foster joked.

Greatest performance Michael Douglas as Liberace. The scene in HBO’s Behind the Candelabra where he’s bottoming for Matt Damon is enough to garner him this nod, but Douglas also perfected Liberace’s voice and mannerisms, giving the most captivating, and glittery, performance of his career.

Favourite Twitter rant

Gay rapper Le1f, who let the world know how he felt about Macklemore’s “Same Love” hit: “That time that white straight dude ripped off my song then made a video about gay interracial love and made a million dollars.” Le1f’s rant asked whether any proceeds were going “to any gay people? the HRC? AIDS foundation? or does this straight white man keep the money?”

Profoundest activism Forget the repeal of DOMA or those who are literally putting their lives on the line to fight the gay propagan-

da law in Russia; did you see the University of Warwick’s rowing-team calendar?! The rowers stripped from their swimsuits to their birthday suits to help stop homophobia, and I don’t know about you, but I’ll take a bit of homophobia if it means I get to keep seeing those boys naked.

Hottest nude selfie

From pole vaulter Andrew Zollner to the Warwick rowing team, this year was all about the jocks (and their cocks). My personal favourite was Australian rugby player George Burgess’s nude selfie, which did not disappoint. Did I mention he has a twin brother?

Most fascinating person

Chelsea Manning. The rogue soldier, who, as she put it, lifted “the fog of war” by releasing classified American military files to WikiLeaks, began living as a woman the day after being sentenced for espionage. “As I transition into this next phase of my life, I want everyone to know the real me,” she said in a statement issued by her lawyer. “I am Chelsea Manning. I am a female . . . I hope that you will support me in this transition.”

Quote of the year

“I wish I was gay.” — James Franco Didn’t Honey Boo Boo tell you, James? “Everybody’s a little gay!”

Here’s hoping that in 2014, everybody realizes it.

VANCOUVER’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

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Vera's Top Ten Slogan List - The Countdown

#2 You guys can't beat our meat, but you can eat it Check back each issue to find out! The grand reveal will be on April 24th!

Two great locations!

1030 Davie St. 604.893.8372 1181 Denman St. 604.681.5450 Follow us:

Locations throughout the Lower Mainland

verasburgershack.com 18 JAN 2–15, 2014 XTRA!

Fri, Jan 3

Mon, Jan 6

AJ’s Café

Genderqueer

Join other HIV-positive gay men every Friday for this free social gathering/support group sponsored by Positive Living BC. 3–6pm. The Junction Pub, 1138 Davie St. positivelivingbc.org

This support group and social space for people who identify outside the male/female binary meets the first and third Monday of every month.

6–7:30pm. Qmunity, 1170 Bute St. qmunity.ca

Fatal-A-Tease

Get Stumped

Lost Girls Burlesque presents a monthly showcase, featuring performances by Justine Sane, Veronica Vex, Bunny Mewguns and more. Doors 8pm, show 9pm. Heaven’s Door, 1216 Bute St. $13. Look for Heaven’s Door on Facebook.

Enter your five-person team or find teammates on the spot at this pub quiz night hosted by quiz-master Richard M Romano Carlsen. 7:30–10:30 pm. The Junction, 1138 Davie St. No cover. junctionpub.com

VML Social The Vancouver Men in Leather host their monthly social in the back of the PumpJack Pub, for everyone from the curious to the serious. 9pm until late.

PumpJack Pub, 1167 Davie St. No cover. meninleather. homestead.com

Sat, Jan 4 Van-Pah Mush Vancouver’s group for pups and their handlers gives the pups a chance to romp around and play with toys while their owners socialize. Puppy gear is admired but not required. 2pm.

PumpJack Pub, 1167 Davie St. No cover. pumpjackpub.com

Rehab!

The Cobalt hosts a postNYE dance party celebrating the ’90s and the decade’s celebrities who attempted rehab. 9pm. The Cobalt, 917 Main St. $9. thecobalt.ca

The Show Heaven’s Door welcomes drag queen Myria LeNoir and guests every Saturday for live performances. Cocktails at 8pm, show at 9pm. Heaven’s Door, 1216 Bute St. No cover.

Look for Heaven’s Door on Facebook.

Sun, Jan 5 East Van Comedy Alternative comedy troupe Instant Theatre presents improv every Sunday.

8–10pm. Havana Theatre, 1212 Commercial Dr. $5–10 at eastvancomedy.com.

Tues, Jan 7 Men on Men A weekly discussion group for men to explore the joys and complexities of not identifying as heterosexual in a straight man’s world. The facilitated, themed workshops aim to build skills and encourage lively interaction. Every Tuesday, 6:30pm. Gordon Neighbourhood House, 1019 Broughton St. checkhimout.ca

Wed, Jan 8 Gab Youth This fun, inclusive drop-in group for LGBT youth and their allies meets Wednesdays at 4pm and Fridays at 7pm. Qmunity, 1170 Bute St. gabyyouth@ qmunity.ca

Connect with HIM The Health Initiative for Men offers a space for gay guys to meet other guys, discuss gay life and build community. Themed conversation nights open to all gay men (ESL and students of all ages welcome).

Wednesdays, 6:30pm. HIM, 1033 Davie St. For more info call 604-488-1001. checkhimout.ca

Gay & Grey Join this group of gay senior men every Wednesday for friendly, casual and supportive discussions on topics such as retirement, housing, dating, self-image and more. 7pm.

Roundhouse Community Centre, 181 Roundhouse Mews, in the second-floor boardroom.

Submit your event listing to oitc.vancouver@dailyxtra.com.

Deadline for the Jan 16–29 issue is Wed, Jan 8.

Sex Tape Davie Street’s dirtiest weekly dance party features celebrity sex tapes, spin the bottle, dirty dice, occasional strippers and the Wet N Wild Contest. With DJs Adam Dreaddy and Lisa Delux; hosted by Joey Vanity.

9pm. Oasis Ultra Lounge, 1240 Thurlow St. No cover. oasisondavie.com

Thurs, Jan 9 Gay and Bisexual Men’s Bereavement Support Group This free support group for men grieving the loss of a same-sex partner meets the second and fourth Thursday of every month.

7–9:30pm. Qmunity, Room 610, 1033 Davie St. qmunity.ca

Rainbow Refugee Committee This information and support group for LGBT people making refugee claims meets the second Thursday of each month. 7:30pm. Qmunity, 1170 Bute St. rainbowrefugee.ca

Timberline Vancouver’s country-western dance group meets every Thursday. Dancers of all levels are welcome. 7pm. St Paul’s Anglican Church, 1140 Jervis St. $10 donation partially benefits A Loving Spoonful. timberlinedance.org

The Sundown The Cobalt hosts a laid-back clubhouse-style night for queer women and their allies every Thursday. 9pm. The Cobalt, 917 Main St. $3–6. thecobalt.ca

Fri, Jan 10 RuPaul's Drag Race

Mon, Jan 13 Condom Packaging Party Join the guys at the Health Initiative for Men every other Monday as volunteers package condoms and lube for distribution around town.

This social group is known for its lively conversation and donated free meals. 6–9 pm.

HIM office, Ste 310, 1033 Davie St. checkhimout.ca

BiFocus A peer-led social and support group to help bisexual and pansexual people cope with the challenges of biphobia and heterosexism. This all-genders group offers a confidential and nonjudgmental space to discuss shared experiences. The second and last Monday of every month, 7–9pm. Qmunity Generations, 1033 Davie St. Free. qmunity.ca

Tues, Jan 14 Dear John, I Love Jane This support group for selfidentified women meets twice a month to discuss topics of interest to queer or questioning women, especially those contemplating leaving straight relationships or identities. The second and fourth Tuesday of every month, 7–9pm. Qmunity, 610-1033 Davie St. Free. qmunity.ca

Wed, Jan 15 Bingo for Life Joan-E’s weekly Friends for Life fundraiser features brilliant prizes, cheap drinks and snappy drag queens. 8–10 pm. Celebrities, 1022 Davie St. $10 donation at door for bingo cards. celebritiesnightclub.com

TFD brings your favourite Drag Race superstars to Vancouver for a Battle of the Seasons.

Hosted by Michelle Visage, the evening will feature appearances by Jinkx Monsoon, Manila Luzon, Ivy Winters, Carmen Carrera, Willam and Pandora Boxx.

Doors 8pm, show 9:30pm.

Commodore Ballroom, 868 Granville St. Tickets $30–40 at Little Sister’s, 1238 Davie St or ticketmaster.ca. tfdpresents.com

Sat, Jan 11 Thomas Gold Global dance scene DJ Thomas Gold brings his solo releases and remix work to Celebrities for a live performance. Doors 9pm. Celebrities, 1022 Davie St. $18 at celebritiesnightclub.com.

RuPaul's Drag Race — Commodore Ballroom, Fri, Jan 10

VANCOUVER’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

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Aarm Dental Group 604-647-0006

Airlines

Boat Cruises & Charters

Harbour Air 604-274-1277

Waterway Houseboats 1-877-WATERWAY

Daher Orthostyle – Dr Sam Daher 604-662-3290

Amherst Funeral and Cremation Services Inc 604-831-3023

Addictions

Business & Professional Organizations

Felicity Webb 604-721-7537

Orchard Recovery 604-947-0420

AIDS/HIV Resources AIDS Vancouver 604-893-2201 AIDS Vancouver Island 250-384-2366 1-800-665-2437 ANKORS 1-800-421-2437 Dr Peter AIDS Foundation 604-608-1874 HIM - Health Initiative for Men checkhimout.ca Positive Living 604-893-2200 Vancouver Coastal Health 604-736-2033 STOP HIV/AIDS Team 604-838-1331

Alternative Health Ignite Smoke Shop 778-786-0977 Medicinal Cannabis Dispensary 604-255-1844 My CannaMeds mycm.ca YoGuy Men’s Yoga 778-995-1970

Apartments Capreit caprent.com

Archives Vivo Media Arts vivomediaarts.com

Art Galleries Vivo Media Arts vivomediaarts.com

Audio Visual Equipment Vivo Media Arts vivomediaarts.com

Bakeries Andy’s Bakery 604-251-5667

Beauty Enchante 604-669-9166

Dr Dean Wershler 604-688-4080 Dr Langston Raymond 604-687-1008

West End Business Improvement Association 604-696-0144

Redtree Dental 604-873-3337

Chiropractors

iRepair.ca 778-987-2571

Downtown Chiropractic 604-685-9444

Cleaning & Maid Services The Maids 604-987-5651

Clinics Travel Clinic 604-736-9244

Community Groups & Services West End Seniors Network 604-669-5051

Device Repair Education & Instruction Vancouver Elementary School Teachers’ Association 604-873-8378 Vivo Media Arts vivomediaarts.com

Entertainment Ballet BC 604-732-5003 Museum of Vancouver 604-736-4431

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PlayLand Amusement Park 604-253-2311

Community Based Research Centre 604-568-7478

The Dance Centre 604-604-6400

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Construction

Financial Services DeVie Business Solutions 604-298-4148

Valley View Funeral Home 604-596-8866

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Home Improvement & Repairs Maison D’Etre Build Inc. 604-484-4030

Interior Design

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Valley View Memorial Gardens 604-596-7196

Laundry Valet 604-568-2020

Martin Brothers Funeral 778-330-7799

Furniture Instant Bedrooms 604-270-BEDS(2337)

Grocery Safeway Davie: 604-669-8313 Robson: 604-683-6155 Urban Fare (Bute Location) 604-975-7556

Hair Stylists & Barbers Enchante 604-669-9166

Health Dr. Aaron VanGaver BSc ND 604-629-1120

Health - Men’s

Laundry Services Lawyers Dahl & Connors 604-687-8752 Barbara Findlay 604-251-4356 North Shore Law LLP 604-980-8571

Libraries Vivo Media Arts vivomediaarts.com

Liquor West End Liquor Store 604-689-3100

Marketing C&C Communications 604-664-8995

Farmer’s Markets Vancouver Farmers’ Markets 604-879-3276

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Linda Duncan, RMT 604-630-0101 Pacific Coast Massage Therapy – Christopher Robins RMT 604-687-4078 Rick Girardeau, RMT rickgrmt.com

Media Vivo Media Arts vivomediaarts.com

Men’s Services BC Society for Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse (BCSMSSA) 604-682-6482

Motorcycles & Scooters Motorcycle World 604-582-9253

Printing East Van Graphics eastvangraphics.ca Mail Box Plus 604-683-1433 Minuteman Press 604-572-8558

Psychologists Dr Joachim Sehrbrock, Registered Psychologist 604-366-3112

Psychotherapy Edward Sandberg, Counsellor/Therapist 604-728-6569

Publications Pink Triangle Press 1-800-268-9872

Bruce Eyewear 604-662-8300

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Pet Care

Real Estate Agents

Kitty Kare 604-813-4239

Darryl Persello 604-306-1340

Pet Stores & Supplies

Ian Eggleton, RE/MAX 604-773-1443

Dog Country 604-558-1995

Lyn Hart, Macdonald Realty Ltd 604-724-4278

Andrea Martens, BScPT, CAFCI Urban Active Sport Therapy Clinic 604-669-8233

Susan Cameron 604-266-1364

Renovations & Restorations Maison D’Etre Build Inc. 604-484-4030 Mr Build 604-732-8453

Restaurants & Cafes

Mail Box Plus 604-683-1433

Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival bardonthebeach.org

Transportation Harbour Air 604-274-1277 Helijet International 800-665-4354

Travel British Columbia Black Rock Oceanfront Resort 877-762-5011 Tourism Harrison 604-796-5581

Websites squirt.org squirt.org twospiritwolf.com 604-688-6648

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Gastown treasures Gearing up for winter The Drive’s organic soul The heart of gay Vancouver

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Iosono Counselling Services – Ron Paviglianiti, RPC 604-290-1445

Willow Tree Counselling 604-521-3404

Scotiabank Dance Centre 604-604-6400

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