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Death by bigotry Leo Mantha was the last man executed in BC. Would a straight man have been spared? E 15
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VANCOUVER’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS
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XTRA VANCOUVER’S GAY& LESBIAN NEWS
#540 MAY 8–21, 2014
Carl Meadows wins the Pride Legacy Award for volunteerism. JAMES LOEWEN
Honouring their impact Second annual Pride Legacy Awards recognize community leaders E10
Jamaica’s long game By Natasha Barsotti E6 Feedback E6 Xcetera E7
Upfront Pride events lost money last year But directors say organization is financially stable E9 Parks board approves trans-friendly measures E10 Scientists warn against HIV injustice E10 Use of ‘queer’ varies across Canada NWT warming to it, Montreal indifferent, Toronto divided E11 Jury’s out on steroid harm Some men see a testosterone deficit when they stop using steroids E12
on dailyxtra.com E BC law society will
revisit decision to accept TWU law grads EOldest LGBT bookstore in US to close May 17 E New BC law makes it easier to change gender on documents MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM
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Cover story Death by bigotry Leo Mantha was executed; would a straight man have been spared? E15
Out in the City Artificial Cherry has bite People can be so uptight about the human body, poet says E19 Unforeseen possibilities Brett Josef Grubisic’s new novel is about a bookish prof and a sexual adventurer E20
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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.
Natasha Barsotti is the staff reporter at Xtra Vancouver.
I was saddened by your feature article entitled “’Roid Rage� [Xtra #539, April 24]. I wonder why gay teens are six times more likely to use steroids? Flipping through your publication and others, I noticed many ads promoting “body enhancements� like Botox, non-surgical facelifts and an assortment of cosmetics, as well as full-page ads for Squirt, Cruiseline and Hardline. The time of year it is pounded into us during Pride, when one ad after another displays a model with a “perfect� body. The not-sosubtle message is if you want to be accepted and attractive, this is what you need. The pharmaceutical industry has also been active promoting testosterone-replacement therapies, and sales have soared. I realize that your publication and others depend on the revenue from these ads, so I especially want to thank you for putting this forward for discussion. GORDON WASELNUK (EMAIL)
As gay men we’re in a unique place: the objectiďŹ er and the objectiďŹ ed. We often walk away from a ďŹ rst date with neither guy interested in the other. Steroids and phentermine are easy ways to get as close as possible to that ideal, heterosexual, college jock body, even if we die trying. You thought rejection and isolation were bad when you were closeted around non-gay people? Just wait and see how awful other gay men are to you. You’ll never be good enough.
#539 APRIL 24–MAY 7, 2014
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Jermaine, 23, Jamaican and gay, knows what it’s like to live on the streets. “You have to ďŹ ght against the weather — night cold, sun, rain,â€? he told me on a recent trip to Jamaica. “Hurricane season come an’ ketch me on de road a’ready.â€? At 18, Jermaine often found himself locked out of his home, his mother telling him to “go back where mih a come from,â€? while his father tried a little harder to wrap his head around his son’s sexuality. “They didn’t understand about the whole gay and all ah dat,â€? Jermaine says. “They weren’t taught in school how to handle situations like dat.â€? For two or three years, he led an itinerant street life, punctuated by sofa surďŹ ng at the homes of sex-work clients and friends — until they wanted him out. “Hygiene was a major issue,â€? he says. “If you want a job, the way you look, the way you smell — the ďŹ rst impression . . . didn’t cut it.â€? His first step off the streets was to ďŹ nd a reliable water source and clothing. Then came a job, classes in English, food preparation and other life skills. While volunteering at the Jamaica
Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays (J-FLAG), he started an empowerment session out of which four people found jobs and another six went back to school. His “whoa� moment came when the United Nations Population Fund approved his request for $1.5 million (Jamaican) to train 10 HIVpositive gay sex workers in health and employment-seeking strategies, using a peer-education format. The government wasn’t falling over itself to help, so Jermaine started to help himself, and then his peers. “I can’t tell you when, because you are going to hold me [to it] if I give you a timeline,� Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller recently told Jamaican media when asked about her 2011 promise to review the country’s archaic buggery law. Simpson-Miller followed that serving of political evasion with another slice of obfuscation. “We are so busy trying to hold things and to see . . . whatever decisions we take — because we have to take tough decisions — that it doesn’t impact in a very serious way the majority of our people.� What if Jamaica’s parliamentarians legalized gay sex? It would certainly be a sign of forward movement, but with more than 80 percent of Jamaicans selfdescribing as homophobic, a victory on
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that score won’t translate into societal acceptance. That’s long-game work, which is ongoing but proceeding in baby steps, whether it’s outreach to potential allies in religious circles, convincing media to eschew sensationalism for more balanced reporting about LGBT people and their experiences, or working within and outside the community to address the interconnected issues of marginalization, under- and unemployment, and homelessness among men who have sex with men. According to a 2012 University of the West Indies study on the attitudes and perceptions of 1,000 Jamaicans regarding same-sex relationships, these are the stats activists are up against: “Approximately 88 percent felt that male homosexuality was immoral, 83.7 percent felt the same for female homosexuality and 83.5 percent felt bisexual relationships were immoral.â€? These ďŹ ndings represent a six to eight percent increase in intolerance since 2011, the study shows. Jermaine’s friend Christopher thinks change is more likely to occur “behind doors.â€? The very people who think nothing of shouting homophobic slurs in the streets will show a different side of themselves when there is no public to consume their venom, he suggests. Even as he tries to embrace his sexuality and how to express it, Christopher refers to himself as “gay and . . .â€? He’s trying to integrate into society as a “precautionary measure.â€? Jermaine says accessing education, employment and housing with harassment is key. “This country still don’ reach dat level.â€?
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Why are gay teens nearly six times more likely to use steroids? E10
’ROID RAGE
If you look perfect, then the focus is on money and university degrees. Or vice versa. You are expected to be perfect in all aspects of life. Given that our dating choices are next to nothing anyway (the two to four percent of the male population that identifies as gay), just ďŹ nding someone is a long shot, despite more of us coming out. I think a lot of us just want to feel good by looking good, since we get little to no acknowledgment from within the gay community. TORONTO416 (DAILYXTRA.COM)
There are some very good leaders on Vancouver Island and Salt Spring Island who are leading the charge with gay men’s wellness. I’m not sure if such a small community approach is possible in Vancouver given the large city culture there. Yes, there are downsides to steroids, but there are also downsides to a lack of masculinity in our society, especially for gay men. Everybody has to judge for themselves what is best. JOLLYROGER (DAILYXTRA.COM)
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DECAL DISCRIMINATION
WE’RE IN KENTUCKY, TOTO Janet Mock
Alicia Menendez
TURNING THE TABLES
TRY MY SHOES ON FOR SIZE Author and activist Janet Mock gave Fusion TV’s Alicia Menendez a taste of what it’s like for transgender women to field invasive questions in media interviews. A sampling of Mock’s questions:
The owners of Kentucky’s Herald Embroidery recently posted five stickers on their storefront, one featuring a rainbow flag with a red line across it, implying that LGBT people aren’t welcome. While there was outrage online, many waxed comical about the images: Kathleen: Personally, I love the fact that the handgun is pointed right at the Bible verse. Gandolf the Gay: They’re “allowing” you to shop there if you have a beard.
523 Parliament St. Tel 647.988.489 Visit www.ftjco.com/custom
tom_beauchamparnold: Duck Dynasty. Exact same beard. Steven Leahy: What if you’re gay but have a beard and a gun? jakeinlove: The only thing missing from that lineup was an icon of a brain with a red slash through it. metrored: So this is the place to get all your Tom of Finland tees printed?
The owners felt obliged to clarify their bigotry:
“Do you have a vagina?” “When was the moment you felt your breasts budding?” “Do you use tampons?” “Did you feel like a girl?”
Menendez’s reaction after the interview: “That was awful!”
BROMANCING
Homosocial heteros Actors Keegan Allen and James Franco take a bed selfie.
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37/40 39/40
Number of straight male athletes at a British university who say they’ve cuddled or spooned with another man. Number of straight male athletes at a British university who say they’ve shared a bed with another man at least once.
— from a study entitled “Heteromasculinity and Homosocial Tactility among Student-Athletes” XTRA! MAY 8–21, 2014 7
8 MAY 8–21, 2014 XTRA!
VANCOUVER’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS
Upfront
When we launched it, we started using the word queer and had a little bit of a blowback. Nicole Garbutt E11
Pride events lost money last year But directors say organization is financially stable PRIDE SHAUNA LEWIS
Despite falling nearly $100,000 short in revenue and losing money on every major fundraising event it hosted in 2013, the Vancouver Pride Society (VPS), its directors say, was in better financial shape for April than it has been in the last three years. April’s revenue exceeded past years’ revenue in April because of early parade entrance fees already collected, partnership funds and winter-event ticket sales. “We are way ahead of the game,” executive director Ray Lam reassured the VPS’s annual general meeting April 27. “We’ve started some changes already,” president Tim Richards added. Richards describes last year’s revenue shortfalls as unexpected anomalies. “But since last fall, there has been a tremendous amount of work by the operations team and the board to move us past where we were,” he said. “We opened up the season right away, and that’s something we’ve never done in the past. It’s gone tremendously well.” Last year, the VPS lost money on every major fundraising event it hosted, with the Davie Street Dance Party accounting for the biggest loss, at a 50 percent drop in ticket sales, which resulted in nearly $83,000 less revenue earned than the previous year, for a $16,403 loss. (In 2012, the street party made $100,129 in revenue. In 2013, it brought in just $17,214.) Organizers blame poor weather for the huge loss. But a few of the 20 members in attendance at the meeting wondered whether the VPS is benefiting from having a third party produce the Davie Street Dance Party. MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM
At the end of the season, as we worked through our financials, we started to see anomalies. It wasn’t what we had expected. PRIDE SOCIETY PRESIDENT TIM RICHARDS Vancouver Pride Society president Tim Richards (middle) is flanked by new board members (from left) Alan Jernigan, Tim Ell, Jill Taylor, Azza Rojbi, Herman Nilsson and Darren Ewert. SHAUNA LEWIS
“You went to a third party to produce the event, yet you’re still down in ticket sales. I don’t see where it’s beneficial to the society to just contract it out to a producer. The society seems to be on the bleeding edge of the risk,” Herman Nilsson said. Past VPS president John Boychuk said the VPS should demand greater transparency and accountability from third-party contractors. He’d like to see a detailed report from contractors outlining expenses and revenue for any events they produce. “I find it odd that you would not have a detailed report back from a third party who is providing services,” Boychuk said. “How do you know how to gauge the success of your partnerships?” he asked. “Especially if the VPS is going to be negotiating with them another
contract, or not.” Lam says the VPS receives reports from its third-party producers. The Davie Street Dance Party report “is available for any member to look at. It just wasn’t available at the time of the AGM,” he explained. Members asked that detailed summaries from each VPS committee be presented at the next AGM. The VPS also saw an increase of more than $150,000 in general and administrative expenses last year, mostly going to staff wages and contractor fees. Executives staying on for another term include Richards as president, Chrissy Taylor as vice-president, Bernard Leclair as treasurer and Rick Leonovich as secretary. Directors Emma Lehto and Rhawnie Vallins will also stay on for a second season.
New to the board of directors are Darren Ewert, Alan Jernigan, Tim Ell, Jill Taylor, Herman Nilsson (returning) and Azza Rojbi. Richards says he is thrilled with the new board. “I’m really excited about the new directors that stepped up today,” he said. “Diversity is key,” he added, noting the various business backgrounds, ages and ethnicities of the new directors. “One of the strengths of the board, and any board, is to have really diverse skill sets and backgrounds. I think that makes a really strong organization because you get better representation.” The official lineup for 2014 Pride events won’t be announced until the end of May, but the VPS has confirmed that Gay Day at Playland, Picnic in the Park and the Davie Street Dance Party, among others, will continue. XTRA! MAY 8–21, 2014 9
Honouring their impact Second annual Pride Legacy awards recognize community leaders COMMUNITY STACY THOMAS
Unity, diversity and humility were the pervading themes of the Vancouver Pride Society’s (VPS) Legacy Awards on May 4. The recipients and finalists, ranging from 17-year-old Cory Oskam to local legends Mz Adrien and Chris Morrissey, were unanimously humbled and overwhelmed by their nominations. But they were also inspired by each other’s efforts to bring Vancouver’s queer community into an age of equality and the knowledge that there is still much work to be done. “While it’s easy to dwell on how much further we have to go, Pride Legacy Awards is about looking at what we’ve already accomplished,” VPS general manager Ray Lam said. “My hope, leaving here tonight, is that people start asking the question, What is our legacy? What are we going to accomplish together as a community?” Now in its second year, the Legacy Awards were conceived by Lam as a way to highlight the outstanding work being done by queer community leaders, activists and volunteers, using the eight colours and themes of Gilbert Baker’s original rainbow flag as categories. “To be recognized for your 25 years of activism is something that beats the heart,” said Martin Rooney, Pink Award recipient for sexual health activism. In 2007, US Border Patrol picked on the wrong person when they barred Rooney, already an established activist, from entering because of his HIV status. His efforts to protest the American ban on HIV-positive visitors helped convince the government to lift it in 2010. “My doctor said to me, Sometimes legacy is being in the right place at the right time, and if you take that into account, I was in a place, at a time, that I could make a difference. So when that difference is recognized, even seven years later, it makes you valid,” he said. Archivist Ron Dutton received the Red Award for lifetime achievement for his decades of painstakingly collecting and cataloguing historical artifacts and documents from BC’s queer history. “The reassembly of our story is very much a personal passion of mine, and 10 MAY 8–21, 2014 XTRA!
TRANS RIGHTS
Parks board approves trans-friendly measures
Top, Andrew Shopland (left) and Dave Deveau received the Legacy Awards for youth and art, respectively. Above, Chris Morrissey received the Legacy Award for community leadership. JAMES LOEWEN
it’s going to become only more important over time — that assemblage of stories that are our story,” Dutton said. For her decades of work fighting for queer immigration and refugee rights and, more recently, queer seniors’ needs, Chris Morrissey received a standing ovation as she took the podium to accept her Blue Award for commu-
nity leadership. “I look forward to the day when I am able to nominate and hopefully present one Legacy Award to one of the people who has arrived in Canada as a refugee, who has become a permanent resident, a Canadian citizen, and who also contributes to the work and life of the LGBTQ community in Vancouver,” she said. Morrissey thanked her partner of 37 years, Bridget, who now has dementia and couldn’t attend the awards ceremony. Lydia Luk, Andrew Shopland — who received the award — and Justin Saint had the unique experience of being friends and finalists for the Purple Award for youth. Shopland, who runs the Mpowerment peer-support program at YouthCO, urged the audience to listen to the community’s youth and to support their initiatives. Dave Deveau — playwright, drag queen and event producer — received the Turquoise Award for art; Dean Nelson, WinterPride producer and Olympic Pride House co-founder, received the Orange Award for sports; Carl Meadows received the Yellow Award for his avid volunteerism; and Alex Sangha received the Green Award for creating safe spaces for South Asian and senior LGBT people and their allies.
All seven Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation commissioners approved a plan April 28 to make park facilities more trans-friendly. The proposal will mean more transawareness training for staff at parks, pools and recreation centres; more space for gender-neutral change rooms in new park buildings; new signs around change rooms, including the phrase “trans people welcome” below men’s, women’s and universal change rooms; more “all-body swims” at local pools; and easier access to subsidized recreation passes. “I’m elated right now,” said Drew Dennis, a chair of the board’s trans and gender-variant working group, which developed the proposal over the last year. “I feel very proud of the process.” The other chair of the group, Metha Brown, told an overflowing room at the
Above, Vancouver park board commissioners — from left, Constance Barnes, Trevor Loke and John Coupar — listen to questions from Jamie Lee Hamilton. NIKO BELL
park board’s English Bay offices how the proposal could position Vancouver as one of the world’s most transfriendly jurisdictions. Brown’s comments were followed by a litany of support for the project, including from a doctor, a lawyer, a veteran RCMP officer and the city’s advisory committees for women and for children, youth and families. The one real voice of dissent at the meeting was transsexual activist Jamie Lee Hamilton, who, though she supported the recommendations overall, argued that the report neglected transsexual people and failed to provide enough consultation. — Niko Bell
HIV/AIDS
Scientists warn against HIV injustice Criminal law is being used too broadly against people living with HIV in Canada because of a poor understanding of how the virus is transmitted, more than 70 scientists agreed May 2 at the 23rd Annual Canadian Conference on HIV/AIDS Research. According to the scientists, HIV is difficult to transmit sexually. Particularly in cases where a condom is used, or an HIV-positive person is taking effective antiretroviral therapy, the scientists say, the likelihood of HIV transmission is “negligible.” “This consensus statement represents our personal, professional and ethical responsibility to prevent any possible miscarriages of justice and remove barriers to public health efforts in Canada,” co-author Dr Mark Tyndall says.
The statement, published in the Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases & Medical Microbiology and signed by HIV physicians, medical researchers and the Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada, says incorrect interpretation of the science about HIV transmission may lead to miscarriages of justice. While the scientists note that some sexual acts are particularly challenging to study and that interpreting research related to sexual transmission of HIV is complex, they say there is “broad consensus within the scientific and medical communities based on more than three decades of research.” — Natasha Barsotti For more on these stories, go to dailyxtra.com. VANCOUVER’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS
Use of ‘queer’ varies across the country NWT warming to it, Montreal indifferent, Toronto divided COMMUNITY ERIN FLEGG
Four years ago, Nicole Garbutt cofounded It Gets Better Yellowknife to provide information and services to LGBT youth. “We had a lot of people who said, This is great — Yellowknife needs something like this directed at youth with access to information and programs.” There was just one sticking point. “When we launched it, we started using the word queer and had a little bit of a blowback from people about it,” she says. Group members released a statement explaining their choice, focusing on queer as a term meant to encompass as many identities as possible, to welcome a broad range of people. Garbutt says her research had shown that “queer” was the word more often preferred by youth. They seem to appreciate it as an umbrella term, she says, rather than something that might force them to identify more specifically on the LGBT spectrum. Garbutt says “queer” felt immediately natural to her, too, when she came out. Controversy over the word arose again a year later when organizers of the first Northwest Territories Pride Festival used the word queer and some gay men opted to boycott the festivities as a result. Yellowknifers have since warmed to the word, Garbutt believes. Yves Lafontaine, editor-in-chief of Montreal’s French-language gay magazine Fugues, says the word queer scarcely makes an appearance in that city’s culture. Rather than a switch from gay and lesbian to queer, he says, he’s seeing a switch from gay and lesbian to LGBTQ. “And for the francophone part, queer has no resonance,” adds Lafontaine, who identifies as a gay man. There was a youth group that briefly attempted to get the word “allosexual” to catch on, he notes, but he says people MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM
The word queer has no resonance with Montreal’s francophone community, says Fugues editor Yves Lafontaine. COURTESY OF YVES LAFONTAINE
were more inclined to make fun of the new term than to use it to describe themselves. Lafontaine also points to a poorly received tourism campaign a year and a half ago aimed at bringing visitors to “Queer Montreal.” The word has been scrapped from further marketing strategies, he says. In Toronto, Fab magazine’s last readership survey, in 2010, found that only 19 percent of respondents use the word queer to identify themselves; most prefer gay. Though the magazine (owned by Xtra publisher Pink Triangle Press) ceased publication last year, its readership was primarily gay men in the Toronto area. Marie Jolie Rwigema has been living in Toronto and calling herself queer for more than a decade. In a city the size of Toronto, she says, the LGBT community is split into smaller scenes, each with its own set of values and language to describe itself. “You can go to a party which is all black, you can go to a party that’s all South Asian, you can go to a party that are all trans, and each of them will use their own language to describe them-
selves,” she says. “It’s not simple.” Rwigema says she identifies strongly with the word queer for its history as an oppositional and anti-oppressive identity. She thinks the communities in Toronto that refer to themselves predominantly as gay and lesbian tend to be predominantly white. Victoria Schwarz grew up in cottage country outside Toronto and believes the word queer is a strong and unifying descriptor for a large and diverse group of people. But the word lesbian, she says, allows her to carve out a space under that umbrella that better reflects her femininity. “Even just identifying as a lesbian is a bit more pinpointed, a big more feminine and woman-centric,” she says. But she prefers to go one step further, most often identifying as a femme lesbian. “We’re assumed straight until proven elsewise,” she says. “Even in the gay community it’s little bit like that, and I think that’s one of the reasons I call myself a feminine lesbian, because it’s an important part of my identity. I’m not just a lesbian. I’m a feminine lesbian.”
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XTRA! MAY 8–21, 2014 11
Jury’s out on steroid harm Some men see a testosterone deficit when they stop using steroids DRUGS NIKO BELL
Tom, a government employee from Alberta, was 38, overweight, depressed and disliked his body. He had always lived a healthy life; making one exception for steroids wouldn’t hurt, he thought. At five feet 10 inches and 160 pounds, Tom (who asked Xtra not to reveal his last name) had always felt small. On steroids, he swelled to a fit, muscular 220 pounds. Better yet, testosterone was a rush. He felt young and energetic. His libido surged. At his peak, he took a gram of testosterone a week, as much as many professional bodybuilders. “It’s like putting a teenage person inside your body,” he says. But being a teenager has downsides. He became angry and unpredictable and had risky sex that damaged his long-term relationship. Now, seven years later, Tom says he is fighting to rid himself of steroids. “I’m tired of it. It’s affected my health, and it’s been a constant struggle to purge myself,” he says. If gay teens are using steroids much more often than straight teens, as Xtra reported last issue, then stories like Tom’s could be a warning. But despite doctors’ and anti-drug campaigns’ warnings about ’roid rage and shrunken testicles, the study of artificial testosterone is still in its infancy. Dr Harrison Pope, Jr, a psychiatrist at Harvard Medical School and a prolific researcher into substance abuse, likes to use a metaphor. Imagine that tobacco did not exist in common use until 1981 and the oldest lifelong smokers were now in their 50s. What would we know about the long-term effects of tobacco? We might have a few case reports on lung cancer and emphysema, especially among heavy users, but we would have no idea the magnitude of what was about to hit us. That is exactly, Pope says, where we stand with anabolic steroids. Not that steroids are necessarily always dangerous. Pope is the first to admit we simply do not know what the long-term effects of steroids will be. Anyone who says that steroids are safe is just as premature as anyone who says they are terribly dangerous. It’s just too soon to tell. What Pope does see, however, is the leading edge of what he calls an “epidemiological bubble.” As steroid users grow older, the rates of health complications from long-term use are slowly rising. As the oldest lifelong steroid users enter their 60s and 70s in the coming decades, that bubble could spell trouble. The best known side effect of prolonged steroid use is heart disease. Pope studied weight lifters who use steroids and found they suffer more than non-users from impaired heart function and buildup of plaque in the arteries, both of which can lead to heart attacks. Heart disease, however, is dependent on dose; heavy users like Tom who take huge quantities of 12 MAY 8–21, 2014 XTRA!
I’m tired of it. It’s affected my health, and it’s been a constant struggle to purge myself. TOM, STEROID USER
Experts say it’s too soon to tell what long-term effects, if any, may be associated with moderate steroid use. THINKSTOCK
testosterone are more likely to suffer the ill effects. Many gay men, Pope points out, are moderate users — they want to look more like Adonis and less like Hercules. A greater risk for light steroid users is hypogonadism. Even moderate doses of steroids signal the brain to shut down fully the body’s natural production of testosterone. When some men, especially older men, stop taking steroids, their bodies fail to pick up the slack. The resulting deficit of testosterone leaves them exhausted, depressed and short on sex drive and erectile function. The solution might be for young men to simply stop taking steroids as they enter middle age, were it not for a third discovery: steroids, it turns out, are addictive. Ruth Wood, a neurobiologist at the University of Southern California, discovered that hamsters — given the choice — will inject themselves with testosterone to the point of death. To her surprise, however, if she gave the hamsters drugs to block opioids, the addictive behaviour stopped. Somehow, testosterone feeds the reward systems of mammal brains — even without getting us perceptibly high. While Pope and Wood worry about the consequences of recreational steroid use, other experts think the dangers have been overblown. Rick Collins, a New Jersey lawyer and authority on steroid law, says that for steroids, as with most drugs, the dose makes the poison. Collins helped perform research at the University of South Florida that showed most modern steroid users are, in fact, adult, health-conscious, educated and aware of what they are doing. “We tend to too often look at the worst abuser as the benchmark,” he says. “And there are some people who will abuse steroids and hurt themselves. But from the results of our study, there appear to be a proportion of steroid users who are using it with a mind towards harm reduction and responsibility.” In the end, Pope agrees with Collins that, especially on the effects of moderate steroid use, the jury is still decidedly out. “It’s important to emphasize that there’s still a fair amount of guessing here,” he says. “Scientists make no pretence that we know all the answers, by any chance.” VANCOUVER’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS
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14 MAY 8–21, 2014 XTRA!
VANCOUVER’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS
COVER STORY
` May the Lord have mercy upon your soula Did the last man executed in BC die because he was gay? BY NATHANIEL CHRISTOPHER
T
here’s no doubt that Leo Anthony Mantha was a murderer; he confessed to it prior to his execution 55 years ago in BC. The question is why was he executed in a time when capital punishment was decidedly on the wane in Canada and most firstdegree murder sentences were commuted to life imprisonment? The answer, it seems, has everything to do with homophobia. Mantha was hanged at Oakalla Prison Farm for the murder of his former lover Aaron (Bud) Jenkins. “EXECUTED according to the sentence imposed,” reads his death certificate on a line normally reserved for violent deaths. The boxes to indicate whether a death is an accident, suicide or homicide are all unchecked. Shortly after midnight on April 28, 1959, Mantha, described by one witness as a “stocky, swarthy, toughly handsome man,” shuffled into a dimly lit abandoned elevator shaft that served as the prison gallows. He stood over the trap door in the centre of the rectangular room as the hangman, who had travelled from Montreal for the occasion, strapped Mantha’s legs, then slipped a black hood over MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM
his head and a noose around his neck. The hangman stepped back from his prisoner and pulled a lever on the floor. The trap door gave way. Mantha dropped “fast and hard,” leaving nothing but a trembling rope and a trace of phlegm in his wake, hanging for 12 minutes before the prison doctor declared him dead. He was the last man ever executed in British Columbia.
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‘‘
hrist, there’s no way they should have hung him. It was awful,” says Stan Piontek, who knew both Mantha and Jenkins and is now one of the last surviving witnesses from Mantha’s trial. “It was a crime of passion,” he maintains. “If Bud had been a girl, they would probably have given him a life sentence or sent him to jail — but not hang the person. That was awful what they did.” Piontek, who now lives in a West End high-rise, served in the Navy from 1952 until 1959. He and Jenkins both worked in the pay office at the Naden naval base in Esquimalt. Mantha, a marine engineer, first met Jenkins in the spring of 1958. They became acquainted through what Mantha described as a “crowd at Victoria — all homosexuals.” Piontek says the men got together
for drinks at each other’s homes or in pubs, and for sex. “Everybody went their own way,” he recalls. “Some guys would go to Beacon Hill Park and go along the bottom and do some sunbathing down there, but other than that everyone kept to themselves, pretty well. “Bud and Leo just hung out with each other,” he says. “They didn’t hang out anywhere in particular . . . Maybe coffee or at a house.” Mantha had been dating Jenkins for four months at the time of his arrest. He later told an army psychiatrist that he had never been “involved so deeply [affectionately]” with anyone. “No, no one had ever stirred me up like Jenkins, I don’t know why, except that I was loafing and drinking a lot and out every night,” said Mantha, who described his final weeks with Jenkins as a whirlwind of alcohol, sex and “very little sleep.” Mantha was born in Verdun, Quebec, in 1926. He would later tell a prison psychiatrist that he had his first sexual experience at the age of 16 with an older boy who later became a priest. Raised in a strict Roman Catholic household, Mantha struggled with his sexuality. His sexual encounters with women were unsatisfactory, and he eventually gave up. He noted that he wasn’t able to sustain an erection with women but would get hard easily — almost
Leo Mantha was hanged at Oakalla Prison Farm in 1959 for the murder of his former lover Aaron (Bud) Jenkins.
too easily — from talking about sex with a man. He joined the Navy in 1951. Shortly after his discharge in 1956, a military psychiatrist diagnosed him with a “personality disorder with alcohol and sexual deviation” and found him unfit for duty, recommending that he
be placed under psychiatric treatment in Montreal. “He gives a long history of extreme conflict over homosexual tendencies which he recognizes as socially unacceptable and feels very shameful,” the continued next page E XTRA! MAY 8–21, 2014 15
E continued from previous page
report reads. “So long as he does not drink he can control them, although they still make themselves felt from time to time. Obviously the service is the last place in the world for a man with this sort of conflict.” By 1958, letters sent by Mantha, who was working up the coast in a tugboat, to Jenkins reveal that he had largely abandoned attempts to suppress his sexual orientation. In one letter he affectionately addressed Jenkins as “Budzie-Wuzie” and “you nelley old thing.” “Well, darling, I hope you are behaving yourself, also same for Gerry and Don,” he wrote. “Miss you terribly, hope you do likewise. Maybe we’ll be down in Victoria soon, I hope. ’Bye for now, much love and kisses, Leo.” Mantha’s affection was not reciprocated by Jenkins, who felt that his lover was becoming too possessive. “I was with Bud when he opened that letter,” Piontek recalls. “He seemed sort of upset because everyone did their own thing and cruised their own way.” The relationship began to unravel after Mantha returned to Victoria on Aug 5, 1958, and culminated in a fight on Sept 5. During this period, Mantha shared an apartment with Jenkins’s cousin Don Perry, at 451 Superior St in Victoria’s James Bay neighbourhood. “I was drinking that day and night — all that day — at the apartment. We drank a bottle of whiskey from 8 to 11 that evening — and beer,” Mantha later told an army psychiatrist. “We watched TV and argued.” Mantha described Jenkins as a cock tease. “I saw that he was just playing me for a fool and he got me so riled up,” he said. “He had started insulting me — said I was just a sucker, that he was just taking me for everything I had. We used to go out a lot and I would usually foot the bill, well, he was trying to tell me that he was no longer interested in me.” Jenkins then told Mantha that he wanted to end their relationship and marry a female friend. Mantha punched him, twice. Jenkins, who was 23 at the time of his death, was described in police documents as a “homosexual (feminine type).” He was the youngest of six children in a staunch Anglican family. “I met him on the causeway, and he was sobbing and there was some blood
on his eye,” Piontek recalls, motioning toward his right eye. Piontek took Jenkins to a cocktail bar in the Empress Hotel, where Perry worked as a waiter. Jenkins told Perry what had happened, and Perry advised him to wash the blood off his face and return to base. “His uniform was at 451 Superior St, and I went back with him there, and while he was getting changed we were talking, telling me how he was beaten up and everything else,” Piontek says. “It turns out that Mantha had been in the next room to us, and he would have heard everything.” “Well, I decided over this fight that our friendship had come to an end, which hurt me very much,” Mantha told the court, “and I was just disgusted with what had happened and couldn’t see much in the future, so I was contemplating packing it all in.” “What did you mean by ‘packing it all
`It has been long recognized that the homosexual is peculiarly prone to such outbursts.a PSYCHIATRIST DOUGLAS ALCORN 16 MAY 8–21, 2014 XTRA!
in’?” asked defence lawyer and Liberal MLA George Gregory. “Well, I figured I would drive up the Island Highway over the Malahat and give her the gas and just let her go and I would go over the cliff there.” On his way to the Island Highway, however, Mantha decided to stop at the Naden naval base in Esquimalt in a desperate attempt to salvage his relationship with Jenkins. “Well, I was hoping if I saw Bud and could speak to him and try to patch things up, and then I would not have to do what I was going to do,” he later testified.
Mantha sneaked into the barracks and entered Jenkins’s room, where he and his roommate were sleeping. He stabbed Jenkins twice with a 23-centimetre hunting knife. “I stood beside the bed and Jenkins was laying on his back. I think I bent down or reached down — I was going to ask him — and just at that moment he turned and moved,” Mantha told the court. “I think that startled me and the next thing I recall is his screams and I got panicky and ran out of the place. He started to scream and I ran away and out the same way I came in.” Jenkins’s roommate was awakened
by a loud, high-pitched scream. “Help me, oh God, help me,” cried Jenkins, who was bleeding from his nose and mouth. He staggered toward the door, collapsed in the hallway and died within minutes. Mantha escaped from Naden without being detected and returned to his apartment. Perry, who had since returned from work, advised Mantha that he couldn’t “keep a friend by being possessive or by beating them.” He then noticed blood on Mantha’s fingernails. Before they went to bed, Mantha called to Perry and said, “I am in more trouble than you think.” VANCOUVER’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS
Above left, a letter written by Leo Mantha to his lover, Bud Jenkins, in 1958. Above, Mantha (second from left) and Jenkins (to his right) enjoy an afternoon picnic with friends. Left, the murder weapon, a 9.1-inch hunting knife. Top right, Mantha’s lawyer, George Gregory, asks the federal cabinet to commute his client’s death sentence. PHOTO BY STAN PIONTEK
“What could be more serious than to beat your friend?” Perry replied. Mantha explained that he had followed Jenkins to the base after he left and attacked him once more. “How could you attack him more seriously than you had already done?” Perry asked. “I don’t mean I attacked him with my hands. I stabbed him with the weapon.” “My God, Leo, how could you do that to Bud?” Mantha was arrested at the apartment and confessed his guilt within five minutes.
D
uring the nine-day trial, Mantha’s defence lawyer argued that the murder was a result of uncontrollable passion inflamed by excessive drinking. He told the jury that no man in his right mind would break into a military base and murder a soldier — the chance of success was “absolutely nil.” He reminded the jury that Mantha MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM
was “charged with murder, not with being a homosexual” and suggested that if he was found guilty because “the world would be better off without Mantha,” the same line of thinking would also apply to Jenkins. Throughout the trial, Mantha’s sexual orientation was described as a problem that exacerbated his “brittle and explosive personality.” Victoria psychiatrist Douglas Alcorn told the court that the passions ignited by rejection on the part of homosexuals were more intense than for heterosexuals. “The homosexual is under peculiar stresses and peculiar strains which, frankly, manifests itself in outbursts of rage, panic, fear, beyond that which one would normally expect, and in a peculiar fashion in a heterosexual individual,” Alcorn said. “In other words, it has been long recognized that the homosexual is peculiarly prone to such outbursts.” In his charge to the jury, Justice John Ruttan advised jurors that they were dealing with an abnormal person.
“Certainly I think the accused was provoked, and that is why the fight started,” Ruttan said, “but do you consider a normal person could be provoked in a similar manner?” After about three hours of deliberations, the all-male jury found Mantha guilty of first-degree murder, which left the judge only one option. “Leo Anthony Mantha, the sentence of this Court upon you is that you be taken hence to the prison from whence you came and there kept in close confinement until Tuesday, the 19th day of March, next, AD 1959, when you shall be taken to the place of execution where you shall be hanged by the neck until you are dead, and may the Lord have mercy upon your soul,” said Ruttan, who quickly realized March 19 was, in fact, a Thursday. Without apology, he brought Mantha back into the courtroom to read the sentence for Tuesday, March 17. Gregory subsequently appealed the verdict to the BC Court of Appeal on the grounds that Ruttan had misdirected the jury. The court unanimously dismissed the appeal, as “no substantial wrong or miscarriage of justice” had occurred in their view. The final decision on whether someone would live or die rested with the federal cabinet. Then-prime minister John Diefenbaker opposed capital punishment, and most death sentences were commuted to life in prison. During his second term in office, from 1958 to 62, only nine of 51 capital cases considered by cabinet resulted in execution. Gregory was a personal friend of justice minister E Davie Fulton, who was the grandson of former BC premier and Davie Street namesake AEB Davie. Gregory, who addressed Fulton on a first-name basis in their correspondence, travelled to Ottawa with hope of obtaining clemency for his doomed client. In a letter dated Dec 18, Gregory tells Fulton he is “trespassing” on their friendship to obtain “speedy and authentic information as to the manner of handling of clemency appeals in respect of persons convicted of murder.” “This I assure you is not prompted by idle curiosity on my part but by the fact that a client of mine yesterday was sentenced to be hanged on March 17th,” Gregory wrote on legislative letterhead. Many others, including Perry, submitted requests for clemency. “I pray Leo’s sentence which is automatic will be commuted,” wrote Perry, who described both Jenkins and Mantha as good men. “His death per se would be no value to society. Even the tribal laws of Moses (Leviticus 24:20) were changing by the time of Jesus (St Matthew 6:38 and 39).” He concluded that any judgment
After some discussion, cabinet agreed with solicitor general Léon Balcer’s recommendation that “the law be allowed to take its course.” inflicted by society on Mantha would not affect Jenkins, who was “with God.” Cabinet refused to commute his sentence. “His brittle and explosive personality was caused in part by his early home life and his homosexual problem,” notes from the cabinet meeting read. “From the evidence it would appear that the crime was motivated by Mantha’s anger at the decision of the victim to break off their relationship.” After some discussion, cabinet agreed with solicitor general Léon Balcer’s recommendation that “the law be allowed to take its course.”
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iontek says Mantha’s trial and execution triggered a “witch hunt” against homosexuals in the military. “They were doing witch hunts before this trial for gay people,” he notes. “They’d switch them out because they found they were gay; they drummed them out just like that. But something spectacular happened — a murder — so they did more of a witch hunt. They probably drummed out quite a few people about that.” In their 2010 book The Canadian War on Queers: National Security as Sexual Regulation, Gary Kinsman and Patrizia Gentile write that RCMP officers were sent to Victoria from Ottawa to assist in the investigation. Using Jenkins’s address book to find names of suspected gay men, naval security and the RCMP interrogated and purged
or transferred men who were gay or presumed to be gay. Piontek says he was given the “bum’s rush” out of the Navy and spent his last day in a cell. “The shore patrol came for me and threw me in a cell,” he says. “You’d have to go and get the linen and someone in the shore patrol would escort you and you’d get your tray of food . . . And the next morning, they took all my stuff back, signed me out and goodbye.” Most of the people involved in the case have since died, but many key players, including the lawyers on both sides, as well as the judge who issued the death sentence, publicly admitted in the years after the trial that Mantha’s sexual orientation had been a deciding factor in his fate. In 1996, Saturday Night magazine published an article commemorating the life and achievements of Ruttan, who died that year. “Decades later, Ruttan said he believed many other scoundrels deserved death far more than Mantha,” Lynne Olver wrote. “But they were not homosexuals, and their sentences were all commuted,” Ruttan reportedly said. Pat Johnson, writing for the Vancouver Courier in 1999, spoke with Lloyd McKenzie, who was crown counsel in Mantha’s case and later became a judge. “He had a very heavy load to carry in defending himself in this case because he was homosexual,” McKenzie told Johnson. “There’s no doubt about it. That was a strong factor militating against him.” XTRA! MAY 8–21, 2014 17
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VANCOUVER’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS
Out in the City
A bisexual scholar cruising bars and sex clubs? Not a chance. Brett Josef Grubisic E 20
Artificial Cherry has bite People can be so uptight about the human body, poet says IN PRINT RAZIEL REID
The latest anthology from Vancouver poet Billeh Nickerson is a conversation on the body, crushed hearts and Elvis Presley. Nickerson finds the literary in everyday life, and his poems remind me of the drunken confessionals you hear between friends in the bathroom stall of a nightclub: “. . . And then his low hanging balls hit the toilet water.” The smut is tasteless, but your mouth will drop so wide you’ll enjoy a big mouthful anyway. In “Five Things Men in Bed Have Told Me About Their Assholes,” Nickerson takes pillow talk to the next level. But really, whose asshole can’t lip-sync to Mariah Carey? There is a bit of fixation on the anus in Artificial Cherry; “Highway Game: Anal RVs” was inspired by Nickerson’s visit to an Elvis impersonators’ festival. “I learned about the trick of adding the word ‘anal’ to the names of RVs while I was in residence at Pierre Berton’s childhood home in Dawson City, Yukon,” he says. “It’s just so silly and absurd that I needed to bring it into a poem! All those tourists travelling along the Alaska Highway never seemed the same again.” Both the gory and the glory of the human body get poetic treatment in Nickerson’s hands — a section of the book is devoted to the liberation of flesh in all its beauty, grotesqueness and flaws. “Some people get so uptight and precious,” he says. “What shocks us, I would think, would be violence and rape culture and all these things, but we’re shocked of our bodies . . . Many of my poems ease some of the discomfort through the use of humour.” The cheeky, sweet poems in Artificial Cherry see the return of Nickerson’s wicked sense of humour following his 2012 anthology, The Titanic Poems, which marked the shipwreck’s 100th anniversary with a more solemn tone. “A lot of my work is about capturing the image or the moment that speaks to an emotion or a tragedy or joy,” he says. “This book was good for MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM
Giving the reader enough time to stew and be discomforted or relieved; that’s what I’m trying to achieve.
Poet Billeh Nickerson savoured the chance to meander and be playful again with his new book of poetry, Artificial Cherry. GERILEE MCBRIDE
me because I got to be a little naughty again but also play around . . . I didn’t get to meander with the other books; they were very succinct. It’s going to be nice to go and do readings and make people laugh again.” When he’s onstage, Nickerson blurs the line between poetry reading and standup comedy show; he considers Joan Rivers, Sandra Bernhard and Margaret Cho three of his greatest inspirations. “Looking back at more formative years for me, I realized I was really influenced by many female standup comedians,” he says. “I think that my
ARTIFICIAL CHERRY By Billeh Nickerson Arsenal Pulp Press $14.95
line breaks and my sense of time” is similar to how a comic tells jokes. “Giving the reader enough time to stew and be discomforted or relieved; that’s what I’m trying to achieve.” Nickerson’s meandering makes Artificial Cherry a surprising journey down a road where every step of the way is a catchy, rhythmic and sometimes even healing story. “I think my writing can sometimes be cathartic,” he says. “God forbid that if I die of some terminal illness I’m going to be the one telling jokes in the hospital bed right up until the end.” XTRA! MAY 8-21, 2014 19
Chile: Metro stations to help foster acceptance of LGBT people
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Unforeseen possibilities Brett Josef Grubisic’s new novel is about a bookish prof and a sexual adventurer IN PRINT GREG ARMSTRONG-MORRIS
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As much as I love being swept away to an exotic location by a piece of fiction, This Location of Unknown Possibilities, Brett Josef Grubisic’s second novel, delights in keeping me close to home. With Vancouver and Penticton as twin backdrops, Grubisic peppers the story with sufficient local detail to leave me feeling conspicuously voyeuristic. Like Marta Spëk, Grubisic’s main character, I know exactly what the overheated 99 B-line bus feels like at 4:30pm on an early March afternoon — humid and teeming. And like Jake Nugent, the industry-weary film director and Grubisic’s secondary lead, I know enough about attempting online hookups in the Okanagan to question its title as Canada’s Fruit Basket. While education, career path, surroundings — seemingly everything in the lives of these two characters — set them in opposition to each other, each is fully and honestly realized in Grubisic’s telling of their tales. “I wanted to try out a little selfexploration,” he explains. “Writers are saddled with the reputation of being narcissists, after all, and both Jake and Marta stand for parts of myself, though hugely exaggerated. Marta’s absurd bookishness, alienation and primness . . . they’re mine stretched almost beyond recognition. Ditto for Jake’s total arrogance and the sexual adventurer persona. “Ultimately, Jake made far more sense as a film industry A-type,” he says. “If I’d made him a sexually voracious professor, I’d have never believed it. Arrogant, yes. A bisexual scholar cruising bars and sex clubs? Not a chance.” When Marta is lifted from her
maids and stranded aliens — Marta’s real provocation comes from a wholly unexpected source. Fo r Ja k e , e x p e r t negotiation of nakedtorso-riddled sex sites ALEXANDER CROUSE proves to be less, well, chronic professorial fruitful in the arid doldrums by an unforeOkanagan. Not to menseeable job opportunity tion the arid desert of — to take her esoteric his internal life. knowledge of a littleBy placing these two BRETT JOSEF known character from journeys in close and GRUBISIC READS the fringes of English threatening proximity, Sat, May 24, 1pm lit and be crowned with Grubisic creates a dyVancouver Public Library 350 W Georgia St the dubious title of film namic energy that viAlice MacKay Room, consultant — she begins brates through the book, lower level to imagine a form of recurging us to the end. THIS LOCATION ognition not offered in “Both wind up with OF UNKNOWN POSSIBILITIES the ivy-clad towers of something new and By Brett Josef Grubisic Academia. better in their lives,” he Now or Never Publishing $19.95 But as the biopic of says, “but neither would the iconoclastic Lady have chosen it. Fate inHester Stanhope morphs into a made- tervened. That seems to be the way for-TV historical science-fiction fan- the universe operates from time to tasy mashup — complete with saucy time.” What happens when two (exaggerated) parts of author Brett Josef Grubisic’s psyche — a prim English lit professor and an arrogant sexual adventurer — collide?
VANCOUVER’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS
Party like it’s 1999 Britney and the Spice Girls reinvented BLITZ & SHITZ
RAZIEL REID
If Emma Bunton was my first love, Britney Spears was my second. She’s the soundtrack to my life! “Lucky” has been playing every time I’ve tried to kill myself. Fortune Sound Club gave me back my childhood with a Y2K dance party featuring Britney Spears impersonator Derrick Barry from Las Vegas and the drag Spice Gurls, home from their tour of Texas. The real party is always backstage. When the music is a distant thumping, you can hear all the crazy shit very important people say without the distortion of a millennium pop beat. Here are some of my favourite lines: “I always wear designer clothes so that I can be as messy as I want and instantly forgiven.” — Kash
Daniels, in Hermes “Look at my ass — it’s on Diplo’s Instagram!” — some random girl
showing me a picture on her phone “Classy with a K and two dollar signs, maybe.” — Berlin, when
Raziel backstage at Fortune Sound Club with Derrick Barry, who really could be mistaken for pre-Federline Britney. TALLULAH
and thought I was Baby Spice.” — me, admiring drag Baby Spice’s platforms “Pop music has gone downhill since S Club 7.” — some dude smoking a
joint in the corner “We’re the Spice Girls, yes indeed.
someone tells him his acrylic nails are classy
Just girl power is all we need. We know how we got this far. Strength and courage and a Wonderbra.”
“I’m doing coke out in the open because I don’t care.”
— the Spice Gurls chanting before hitting the stage
— a fabulous creature “Don’t be rude; do your coke in the bathroom like a civilized person.”
— Peter Breeze “Yeah, because my character is humourless and unimpressed.”
— Parker McMullin as Posh Spice, when told he’s always in character “Since Britney’s not here yet, can we drink her booze?” — everyone “You have to come to my goingaway party tomorrow night! I’m giving free bumps off my boobs.”
— Quanah Style “We may look like women, but we smell like men!” — Joey Vanity,
on sharing a hotel room with the Spice Gurls “When I was six years old, I smoked my first cigarette, lost my virginity MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM
It’s been a year since the Spice Gurls played The Rio for the first time, and they’ve come a long way. They opened the show performing “Stop” and “Who Do You Think You Are,” and the crowd at Fortune was so into it there were screams for an encore that lasted nearly as long as the set. When Derrick Barry hit the stage, things really felt Y2K because Britney’s body hasn’t looked that good since pre-Federline. “The first time I dressed as Britney Spears was Halloween 2003,” Barry says. “I ended up getting a blonde wig and walking down Santa Monica Boulevard with my friends, and the reactions were great. I can’t believe that was the first time, because it all felt — I don’t want to say natural — but it all felt like I had done it before.”
Barry was discovered by RuPaul’s All Stars Drag Race winner Chad Michaels and Brent Allen, the famed Bette Midler impersonator at La Cage in Las Vegas. He was signed to be a part of the show and quickly became its highlight. It’s eerie how much Barry looks like Britney. They have a similar facial structure, nose and smile. All he’s missing are the dead eyes and meth zits! One of the dancers in the “Work Bitch” music video recently said that during rehearsals Britney would show up in a “dishevelled and confused state” and “had difficulty executing even basic dance moves.” So really, Barry could have stepped onstage with a bag of Cheetos, twirled half-heartedly a few times and lip-synched — when she felt like it — and no one would have been able to question her authenticity. But the impersonation focused on Britney’s more impassioned performances, though it skipped her pièce de résistance (beating the paps with an umbrella). Barry took us from early Britney “Baby One More Time” to virgin whore Britney “Slave 4 U” to puppet-underconservatorship Britney “Till the World Ends.” The set even included a live rendition of “Oops! . . . I Did It Again,” with Barry’s vocals sounding about as impressive as the real thing. Well, at least the boy commits. XTRA! MAY 8–21, 2014 21
WHAT'S ON
Brief Encounters 21 — Guilt & Co, Thurs, May 8 BRIEF ENCOUNTERS 21
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Bingo for Life’s 19th Anniversary A special guest caller joins Joan-E to celebrate 19 years of community fundraising and fun for Friends for Life. 8:30pm. Celebrities, 1022 Davie St. Suggested $10 donation includes bingo cards. friendsforlife.ca
Thurs, May 8 Sail Away Applause! Musicals in Concert presents Noel Coward’s rarely staged musical about a love affair on a cruise ship. 8pm. CBC Studio, 700 Hamilton St. Runs until Sat, May 10. Tickets $20–25 at brownpapertickets. com or 1-800-838-3006. applausemusicals.com Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde Ghost Light Productions revisits the persecution of Oscar Wilde, set in a modern boardroom. 8pm. Carousel Studio, 1411 Cartwright St, Granville Island. Runs until Sat, May 17. Tickets $15–35 at brownpapertickets.com or ghostlightprojects.com. Brief Encounters 21 Ten artists, five pairings, two weeks to create: Brief Encounters returns for its 21st edition with three nights of thrilling interdisciplinary mashups. Doors 7pm, show 7:30pm. Guilt & Co, 1 Alexander St. Tickets $20–35 at brownpapertickets. com; cash only at the door. briefencounters.ca Helicopter The Junction’s new night features the strippers of fantasymen.ca. Doors at 11pm. The Junction, 1138 Davie St. $5. junctionpub.com
Oasis Club Nights with special guest DJs every Friday and Saturday night
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Australian rugby player suspended for using anti-gay slur dailyxtra.com 22 MAY 8–21, 2014 XTRA!
Rainbow Support Group BC’s Alzheimer Society offers a support group for LGBT caregivers and those caring for LGBT people with dementia. Call 604-675-5153 or email kturner@alzheimerbc.org.
Fri, May 9 Vancouver Men in Leather Put on your gear and join the men in leather for their monthly social. 9pm until late. PumpJack Pub, 1167 Davie St. pumpjackpub.com. Showtunes Night 1181 presents its monthly ode to show tunes. 6–9pm. 1181, 1181 Davie St. No cover. facebook. com/showtunesyvr The Normal Heart Raving Theatre presents playwright Larry Kramer’s look at the early years of the AIDS crisis. Runs until Sun, May 18. 8pm. PAL Studio Theatre, 581 Cardero St. Tickets $23–28 at ticketstonight.ca. facebook/ ravingtheatre
Underwear Friday Whether you prefer tighty whities, boxers or briefs, come show off your drawers on Friday nights. 8pm until late. Club 8x6, 1775 Haro St. $10 members, $15 guests; includes locker. 8x6.ca Conflict Resolution for Couples This weekly skillsbuilding course is designed for gay couples who want to work on their communication and relationship skills. Runs until Fri, May 17. 7:30–9:30pm. Health Initiative for Men, 1033 Davie St. checkhimout.ca Friday Yoga Drop-In The Health Initiative for Men offers yoga sessions every Friday night. Bring your own yoga mat. 7–8:15pm. Scotiabank Dance Centre, 677 Davie St. Free, but donations gratefully accepted. checkhimout.ca
Sat, May 10 Explicit DJs Taffi Louis and Pupluvyvr host a nocturnal adventure for hot men of all types. 8pm–2am. Club 8x6, 1775 Haro St. $15, includes locker. 8x6.ca Hustla: Maygay Peach Cobblah and guests present homo hip hop at its best. Doors 9pm. The Cobalt, 917 Main St. $12. thecobalt.ca Rainbow Concert Band Vancouver’s queer concert band presents Smorgasband, a delicious selection of songs all about food. 7:30–10:30pm. Vancouver Community College, Room 2010, 1155 E Broadway St. $10 advance at brownpapertickets.com; $15 door. rainbowband.ca
Sun, May 11 Mr/Miss Cobalt Drag Competition Hustla, Queer Bash, Jerk It, Apocalypstick and Spit come together for the ultimate East Side talent orgy. 9pm–2am. The Cobalt, 917 Main St. $6; includes ballot to vote. thecobalt.ca Cruisey Cinema Sunday Hang out with other porn-loving guys in a safe, comfortable space. 2–8 pm. Club 8x6, 1775 Haro St. $10; $5 each with a buddy. 8x6.ca Joan-Eleveneightyone Joan-E hosts an evening of drag fun and special guests, followed by DJ Mumbles. 10:30pm–3am. 1181, 1181 Davie St. No cover. facebook.com/1181lounge
Mon, May 12 The Bobbers The queer improv-comedy troupe is back in the Davie Village with a whole new show. 7–9pm. Heaven’s Door, 1216 Bute St. No cover. heavensdoor.ca
Tues, May 13 Dual Diagnosis: HIV and Cancer Dr Natasha Press and Dawn Clouthier share the medical perspective on HIV and cancer. 6–8pm. Chateau Granville, 1100 Granville St. Free and open to all; register at 604893-2239. positivelivingbc.org Shame Spiral Peach Cobblah brings some East Side drag to the West End. 9:30pm. 1181, 1181 Davie St. No cover. 1181.ca Little Mermaid Sing-Along Queer geeks sing and dance their way through The Little Mermaid. Disney costumes highly encouraged. 7–11pm. The Junction, 1138 Davie St. $5 suggested donation at door. junctionpub.com Men on Men A weekly discussion group for men who love or have sex with men. Every Tuesday, 6:30pm. Gordon Neighbourhood House, 1019 Broughton St. checkhimout.ca
Wed, May 14 Gay & Grey Join this discussion group for gay senior men every Wednesday. 7pm. Roundhouse Community Centre, secondfloor boardroom, 181 Roundhouse Mews.
Thurs, May 15 Gay Poz 30-Something Positive Living hosts a discussion group for 30-something, HIV-positive gay men on disclosing, legal obligations and the best options for meds. 6:30–8pm. Positive Living, 1107 Seymour St. Free. positivelivingbc.org The Sundown The Cobalt hosts a laid-back clubhousestyle night for queer women every Thursday. 9pm. The Cobalt, 917 Main St. $3–6. thecobalt.ca
Fri, May 16
Friday for this free social support group. 3–6pm. The Junction Pub, 1138 Davie St. positivelivingbc.org
Sat, May 17 The Gay Agenda Join Dave Deveau and friends for the second installment of The Gay Agenda. 9pm. The Cobalt, 917 Main St. $9. thecobalt.ca The Vatican The new men’s leather and fetish party moves to 8x6. 8pm–2am. Club 8x6, 1775 Haro St. Tickets $15 at Little Sister’s, 1238 Davie St, and at 8x6.ca. thevaticanparty.com
Sun, May 18 Hershe Bar Flygirl’s popular women’s party features DJs Riki Rocket and Kasey Riot. 10pm–2am. Red Room Ultra Bar, 398 Richards St. Tickets $15 advance at Little Sister’s, 1238 Davie St; Kokopelli’s Salon, 2052 Commercial Dr; and flygirlproductions.com. Ensoul Riley Cox hosts a new monthly party celebrating deep, soulful house and R&B. 10pm–3am. Cabana Lounge, 1159 Granville St. $5. cabanavancouver.com United Big Roger Events presents DJ Misha Skye. Doors 11pm. Gorg-O-Mish, 695 Smithe St. Tickets $30 at Little Sister’s, 1238 Davie St, or eventbrite.ca. bigrogerevents.com International Masturbation Month Vancouver Jax hosts jack-off parties for guys who enjoy masturbating together. 2–5pm. Club 8x6, 1775 Haro St. $10, includes locker. 8x6.ca Bearracuda Bearracuda returns for Victoria Day Weekend, with DJs Matt Consola (San Fran) and Matt Stands (Seattle). 9pm. Five Sixty, 560 Seymour St. Tickets $12 at Little Sister’s, 1238 Davie St, or bearracuda.com.
AJ’s Café Join other HIVpositive gay men every
Submit your event listing to oitc.vancouver@dailyxtra.com. Deadline for the May 22–June 4 issue is Wed, May 14. VANCOUVER’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS
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XTRA’S GUIDE TO THE LUCRATIVE GAY & LESBIAN HOUSING MARKET
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VOTED BEST REALTOR Xtra! Reader’s Poll
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Donates 5% of commissions to your favourite charity upon purchase of a new home
Award-winning service to the Gay and Lesbian Community for over 20 years
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Re/Max Real Estate Services 604.506.4264 s ian@ianholt.com
Vancouver’s gay volleyball association brought back its signature pageant, Mr Spiked, May 3 at Celebrities. 1E Dylan Lewis & Ellery Espino 2E Host Steve Letts & organizer Nelson Santos 3E Pageant judges Cayne Standish (Out for Kicks), Christepher Wee (Mr Gay Canada), Clayton Bergquist (Pacific Rim Curling) & Lance Sandover (WESA) 4E Mr Spiked contestant Nat Sian 5E Tony Lan 6E Zak Toftinoff 7EBackstage with contestants Nat Sian, Mike Pleasure, Mr Spiked 2014 Mike Van Nen, Zak Toftinoff, Tony Lan & Kleber Ramirez
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Health – Men’s
Farmers’ Markets
HIM – Health Initiative for Men checkhimout.ca
Vancouver Farmers’ Markets 604-879-3276
Healthcare Services
Massage – Certified/ Registered
HIM – Health Initiative for Men checkhimout.ca Sound Hearing Clinic 604-687-1488 STOP HIV/AIDS Team 604-838-1331 Vancouver Coastal Health 604-736-2033
THE BEST OF GAY & LESBIAN VANCOUVER
Hearing Aids Bedding
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Mr Mattress 604-255-2113
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
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
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
Device Repair
Education & Instruction Vancouver Elementary School Teachers’ Association 604-873-8378 Vivo Media Arts vivomediaarts.com
Entertainment
Community Groups & Services
Ballet BC 604-732-5003
West End Seniors’ Network 604-669-5051
Museum of Vancouver 604-736-4431
Community Organizations
Playland Amusement Park 604-253-2311
Community Based Research Centre 604-568-7478
The Dance Centre 604-604-6400
Vivo Media Arts vivomediaarts.com
Construction
Financial Services
Richmond Funeral Home 604-273-3748 Valley View Memorial Gardens 604-596-7196 Martin Brothers Funeral 778-330-7799
Furniture Instant Bedrooms 604-270-BEDS(2337)
Grocery Stores Nesters Market 604-682-3071 Safeway Davie: 604-669-8313 Robson: 604-683-6155 Urban Fare (Bute Location) 604-975-7556
Hair Stylists & Barbers
Eden Accents 604-523-3433
Home Improvement & Repairs maison d’etre design build 604-484-4030
Interior Design RodRozen Designs 604-558-4443
Laundry Services Laundry Valet 604-568-2020
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
Enchante 604-669-9166
West End Liquor Store 604-689-3100
Health
Marketing
Dr Aaron Van Gaver BSc ND 604-629-1120
C&C Communications 604-664-8995
Gallery Café & Catering 604-688-2233 Joe’s Grill 1031 Davie St: 604-682-3683 948 Denman St: 604-642-6588 2061 West 4th Ave: 604-736-6588 3048 Main St: 604-879-6586
East Van Graphics eastvangraphics.ca
Pacific Coast Massage Therapy – Christopher Robins RMT 604-687-4078
Mail Box Plus 604-683-1433
Rick Girardeau, RMT rickgrmt.com
Psychologists
Media
Dr Joachim Sehrbrock, Registered Psychologist 604-366-3112
Sex
Psychotherapy
Shopping
Edward Sandberg, Counsellor/Therapist 604-728-6569
twospiritwolf.com 604-688-6648
Vivo Media Arts vivomediaarts.com
Men’s Services BC Society for Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse (BCSMSSA) 604-682-6482
Minuteman Press 604-572-8558
Poncho’s Restaurant 604-683-7236
Storage
Public Relations
Motorcycles & Scooters Motorcycle World 604-582-9253
Optical Services
C&C Communications 604-664-8995
Freeway Mini Storage/U-Haul 604-251-2017
Publications
Studio Space
Pink Triangle Press 1-800-268-9872
Scotiabank Dance Centre 604-604-6400
Xtra (Vancouver) 604-684-9696
Abasa Optical 604-687-3937
Theatre
Xtra (Ottawa) 613-986-8292
Bruce Eyewear 604-662-8300
squirt.org squirt.org
Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival bardonthebeach.org
Pet Care
Xtra (Toronto) 416-925-6665
Kitty Kare 604-813-4239
Real Estate Agents
Pet Stores & Supplies
Darryl Persello 604-306-1340
Dog Country 604-558-1995
Ian Eggleton, RE/MAX 604-773-1443
Happy Pups Quality Pup Clothing 604-770-365
Lyn Hart, Macdonald Realty Ltd 604-724-4278
Black Rock Oceanfront Resort 877-762-5011
Pets First 604-590-7387
Susan Cameron 604-266-1364
Tourism Harrison 604-796-5581
Renovations & Restorations
Websites
Tisol 14th & Main St: 604-873-4117 12th & Arbutus: 604-730-1768 Grandview Hwy: 604-436-3001 Gilley Ave, Burnaby: 604-434-2812
maison d’etre design build 604-484-4030 Mr Build 604-732-8453
Transportation Harbour Air 604-274-1277 Helijet International 800-665-4354
Travel – BC
squirt.org squirt.org
Weddings 2 Dears and a Queer 604-306-1340
Yoga YoGuy Men’s Yoga 778-995-1970
DeVie Business Solutions 604-298-4148
maison d’etre design-build 604-484-4030
Counselling Counselling BC counsellingbc.com Iosono Counselling Services – Ron Paviglianiti, RPC 604-290-1445 Joe Ramirez Integral Counselling 778-227-9423 Lehmann Counselling Service 604-614-8121 Monique Silverman, MA, RCC, CCC 778-228-8456 Tricia Antoniuk, MSW, RSW 778-378-2633
Beauty
Willow Tree Counselling 604-521-3404
Enchante 604-669-9166
Couriers
24 MAY 8–21, 2014 XTRA!
Dr Dean Wershler 604-688-4080
Valley View Funeral Home 604-596-8866
Home & Garden
Andrea Martens, BScPT, CAFCI Urban Active Sport Therapy Clinic 604-669-8233
Linda Duncan, RMT 604-630-0101
Mail Box Plus 604-683-1433
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HUNG HOMO HOMESTAY : Sleep, Sex & Sightseeing in beautiful Victoria. Short or long term accommodations for gay/bi men in premium suite or 1 bedroom apartment. Separate entrances, private bath, steps from the ocean and Beacon Hill Park. Guests have access to Nasty Pig Playpen and/or can attend Man2Man Sex club orgies 4 x per week. Visit: www.hunghome.com or call 778-265-4190 for details’.
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A world of gay adventure
Travel
Atlanta Distinct neighbourhoods, Southern style and the best gay nightlife in the Southeast AEFA MULHOLLAND
The United States’ ninth-largest metropolis and the most populous city in the state of Georgia, metro Atlanta is home to more than six million people, to an array of atmospheric neighbourhoods and to a quintessentially Southern style. Famed former and current inhabitants include Jane Fonda, Spike Lee, Usher and Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone with the Wind. We’ll try not to hold the city to account for the decline of Justin Bieber, who moved there in 2008 to start his professional career. Downtown you’ll find the gleaming dome of the Georgia State Capitol, the Georgia Aquarium, the CNN Center and the World of Coca-Cola. But go beyond downtown’s sights, stores and skyscrapers to discover this sultry city’s true character. Follow main thoroughfare Peachtree Street northeast from downtown to Midtown, home to gorgeous Piedmont Park and the Botanical Garden, a multitude of restaurants, the main arts district and a large proportion of Atlanta’s LGBT population. Allow time to gaze and graze along the Midtown Mile, with its upscale stores and eateries. Going north again takes you to elegant Buckhead, with its grand homes, luxury shopping at Lenox Square and Phipps Plaza, and pricey destination restaurants and lounges. If you go southeast of Downtown, grittier Atlanta is on show in Sweet Auburn, a centre of black and civil rights historic significance that’s home to the Martin Luther King Jr National Historic Site and birthplace. In the Eastside district, gay-popular neighbourhood Virginia-Highland offers another shopping, dining and drinking scene, and beyond that lurks the city’s bohemian quarter, Little Five Points. Tucked alongside leafy, 26 MAY 8–21, 2014 XTRA!
AEFA MULHOLLAND
residential, LGBT-loved Inman Park, this offbeat corner is crammed with quirky vintage stores like Rag-o-Rama and the kitschy Junkman’s Daughter, independent record stores and coffee shops, a noticeable LGBT presence and what can seem like the majority of the South’s hipster tattoos. Charis Books nestles in a lively looking purple house on main drag Euclid and specializes in feminist and LGBT fiction and nonfiction. Candler Park, the gentrifying Old Fourth Ward — or O4W — and hip East Atlanta Village are other Eastside neighbourhoods to keep on your radar. In the Westside neighbourhood, where industrial scenery is swiftly giving way to artists, galleries and lofts, don’t miss Goat Farm, a 12-acre artists’ colony in an old wheel-making factory; the café is atmospheric. Just outside the city limits, Decatur is a longtime lesbian hotspot, perhaps courtesy of its womenonly Agnes Scott College. In the Midtown gaybourhood, eat at the lesbian-loved brunch temple Einstein’s or the boy-adored Joe’s on Juniper. The original, rainbow-flag-
flying Candler Park location of the legendary Flying Biscuit Café has a lovely corner patio and delicious Southern food; the Midtown location is a major LGBT draw. The original location of lesbian-owned Highland Bakery is in O4W, and there are also stores in Midtown and Buckhead. Little Five Points’ LGBT-popular Vortex burger joint is a great place to court coronary failure and tackle items with names like Cheesy Cheese Goo, Hell’s Fury and Fat Elvis. Outside Oakland cemetery, stop for sustenance or a soda at Ria’s Bluebird. Atlanta Pride is the big event on the LGBT calendar. It recently moved from earlier in the year to October. Atlanta Black Pride is held over Labour Day Weekend. East Atlanta Strut is a quirky one-day event held every September. The city is about an hour by car from hip college town and quirky music city Athens (where REM and the B52s got their starts) and from the river city of Chattanooga, Tennessee. An hour north of the city, historic Dahlonega, in the North Georgia mountains, is the gateway to the
HEATHER HOPKINS
VANCOUVER’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS
AEFA MULHOLLAND
MMANN
Clockwise from far left: a local vegetable market highlights produce from the Southern states; the view of midtown Atlanta from picturesque Piedmont Park; the leafy, artsy neighbourhood of Inman Park is home to many gay residents; shark watching at the Georgia Aquarium; drop by The Vortex in Little Five Points and try the Cheesy Cheese Goo dip or the Fat Elvis burger.
Bars
ZAC WOLF
Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest. Precious metal has given way to grapes, and this old gold-rush town has now struck it lucky with vines. There are plenty of galleries, quaint eateries and wineries to tour, plus some gay-owned and gay-friendly accommodations. MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM
Accommodations Situated in Atlanta’s arts district, the stylish 1924 Artmore Hotel, on West Peachtree Street, has a SpanishMediterranean feel and oodles of amenities. Another convenient Midtown address, the Marriott Renaissance, was,
until 2011, a Kimpton Hotel Palomar and still has much of that boutique character. In Dahlonega, gay-owned Mountain Laurel Creek B&B welcomes all guests to its six rooms and suites and lone cabin.
With a reputation as having the best LGBT nightlife in the Southeast, Atlanta has a lot to live up to. But it lives up to the hype — and then some. Mainstream Midtown options include classics such as Blake’s on the Park and restaurantby-day/bar-by-night Ten, on the 10th Street gay corridor, and restaurant/bar 10th and Piedmont, situated in the old OutWrite bookstore space. Tripps is another down-to-earth mixed Midtown LGBT destination. If you’re feeling indecisive or can’t stay in one place for long, try Ansley Square, a mainly gay mall that’s home to video lounge Mixx, LGBT pub Burkhart’s, martini bar Oscar’s and tiny watering hole Felix’s, plus LGBT book and video spot Brushstrokes. Neighbourhood sports spot The Hideaway is tucked away in the same complex. Jungle is the city’s largest nightclub, with big-name DJs manning the decks in the back, while lower-key events go on in the front Jungle Room. Away from gaybourhood antics, just east of downtown in the Old Fourth Ward, super-hip Sister Louisa’s Church
of the Living Room and Ping Pong Emporium is a bar, table-tennis place, gallery (a painting declaring “Jesus loves lamb chops” or “The bigger the hair, the closer to God”, anyone?) and all-round out-there space. Sound Table, opposite Sister Louisa’s, is another excellent spot for sporting ’80s throwback attire and sipping hip libations. Girl bar My Sister’s Room, once located in Decatur, is now happily resettled in East Atlanta Village. Another nearby classic, Mary’s, is a mixed straight/ LGBT cocktail bar with laid-back crowds and karaoke. Traxx Girls hosts a couple of weekly parties around the city, predominantly for African-American women.
More at dailyxtratravel.com. Read this story on Daily Xtra Travel for links to local businesses and attractions. For the most up-todate travel information on gay Atlanta, see our online city, listings, events and activities guides. XTRA! MAY 8–21, 2014 27
A world of gay adventure
Travel
Pride in Mexico City A non-corporate mix of politics, partying and anarchic celebration KEPH SENETT
For such a major metropolis, Mexico City is often overlooked during Pride season, but this capital is not only big and bustling — it’s also actively welcoming to LGBT people. The city’s very first Pride march took place in 1979, and 30 years later the Legislative Assembly legalized same-sex marriage. And, to make things easier for out-of-towners to visit, the Mexico City tourism board recently commissioned an LGBT guide, downloadable as a PDF from its website (see On the Web sidebar box for URL). So if you’re considering a trip to Mexico City (also referred to as “el DF,” for Distrito Federal), consider a pilgrimage for Pride. The very first thing you’ll notice in planning your Pride week is that the communications — posters, websites and guides — are not nearly as coordinated as you’re probably used to, and your planning will be further complicated by the fact that everything is in Spanish. Take a deep breath. Despite being a city of nearly nine million people (that number jumps to more than 24 million if you account for the greater metropolitan area), el DF is, in some ways, still emerging. The sooner you sync up with the city, the better time you’ll have. There are two main ways to find out what’s happening: track down a Pride guide or simply ask someone. Trust me: the latter is much more fun, but if you’re too shy, get yourself into the Zona Rosa to check out lesbian bookstore Voces en Tinta or Erotika Love Store and ask for a guide (guía, in Spanish). On the web, your best bet is to locate groups and events pages on Facebook, which often are updated with more frequency
ON THE WEB LGBT guide (downloadable PDF) mexicocity.gob.mx/lgbt/guias.php International Lesbian Festival mexicocity.gob.mx/lgbt/agenda.php International Sexual Diversity Festival chopo.unam.mx 28 MAY 8–21, 2014 XTRA!
than the official page (marchagay.mx). If you’re looking for the bear scene, you have your own portal at bearmex.com. Although there are parties and events leading up to and after the parade, the main attraction happens on Pride Saturday under the banner Marcha del Orgullo y Dignidad LGBTTTI (Pride and Dignity March). You’re probably familiar with the many variations on LGBT; in Mexico City, the letters refer to lésbico, gay, bisexual, transexual, travesti, transgénero and intersexual. Don’t get too hung up on the semantics — this is an inclusive celebration, and everyone is welcome. La Marcha begins at noon(ish), with people gathering at the base of El Ángel de la Independencia, the city’s most famous monument and the symbol of the Mexico City. If your experience of Pride is limited to recent years in the big cities (like New York, San Francisco or Toronto), one of the first things you’ll likely notice is that, despite its size (2013 drew approximately 100,000 participants), this is a grassroots event. With very few exceptions — the city distributed tens of thousands of free, branded condoms, for example — there is little or no corporate presence. And that’s a great thing. Everything from the handmade signs to the music to the vibe feels genuine. Once the parade gets underway, it moves down Paseo de la Reforma toward the Zócalo, Mexico City’s main public plaza and the second largest in the world (Moscow’s Red Square is bigger). The procession itself is a fabulous mix of politics, partying and anarchic celebration, with the music, costumes, pageantry and placards we’ve all come to expect. Several other events are scheduled for the weeks prior to and directly after La Marcha. Consider planning your travel around the Festival Lésbico Internacional de la Ciudad de México (the international lesbian festival of Mexico City), the Festival Internacional por la Diversidad Sexual (the international sexual diversity festival) or the Festival de Diversidad Sexual en Cine y Video (the sexual diversity film festival).
KEPH SENETT
Above, Pride revellers celebrate outside Palacio de Bellas Artes. Left, a float with an Aztec eagle warrior theme.
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VANCOUVER’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS
Puerto Vallarta is a leading culinary destination in Mexico. VISITPUERTOVALLARTA.COM
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Away from the crowded beach, the log booms on Trail 7 at Wreck Beach. BART BRAUN
Great nude beaches in Canada
1. Blooming Point
7. Oka Park
Northwestern PEI
West of Montreal
2. Chilliwack Lake
8. Paradise Beach
Near Chilliwack, BC
3. Crystal Crescent Beach
Near Saskatoon
9. Patricia Beach Near Winnipeg
Near Halifax
10. Wreck Beach
4. Hanlan’s Point
Vancouver
Toronto
— Bruce Bishop
5. Kelly’s Beach Kouchibouguac National Park, NB
6. Lac des Toutes Nues Northwest of Montreal
ON THE WEB For more information on nude beaches and naturism, visit the Federation of Canadian Naturists at fcn.ca.
Restaurant Week in PVR One of Mexico’s longest-running culinary events, Puerto Vallarta Restaurant Week, will celebrate its 10th anniversary in May. During the annual festival, which this year runs May 15 to 31, Puerto Vallarta’s most prestigious restaurants showcase innovative three-course menus. Three options are available for each course, and prices range from $15 to $25 before alcohol and tip. A leading culinary destination in Mexico, Puerto Vallarta offers a range of gastronomical adventures, from street food carts offering tacos and ceviche that have been operated by the same families for generations to top-rated
luxury restaurants. In the gay-friendly Romantic Zone, not far from the gay beach, are Archie’s Wok, Daiquiri Dick’s, Taste and Kaiser Maximilian. From there, an easy stroll will take you to the Centro Historico, where you’ll find Café des Artistes, Barcelona Tapas and El Arrayán. Vegetarian or vegan interpretations of Mexican dishes can be found at River Café, Que Pasa and El Patio de Mi Casa, to name a few.
ON THE WEB For a complete list of businesses participating in Restaurant Week, visit virtualvallarta.com.
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