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Mourning a hero Community reels from sudden loss of Little Sister’s co-owner Jim Deva (left, with partner Bruce Smyth) E9
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Upfront Pride grows in Abbotsford Second annual Fraser Youth march gains momentum E10 Still QQ Remembering Granny Stevenson by Kevin Dale McKeown E11 Cover story Too sexy to serve? Trish Kelly’s thwarted electoral run in a cautious party system E12
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A fitting first tribute EDITORIAL ROBIN PERELLE
Do I wanna go out with a lion’s roar? Huh, yeah, I wanna go south ’n get me some more… She bop, he bop, a-we bop I bop, you bop, a-they bop Be bop, be bop, a-lu she bop…
T
hirty years after Cyndi Lauper publicly celebrated masturbation (albeit disguised under a catchy tune), Little Sister’s co-owner Jim Deva took up the call at Xtra’s Sept 9 town hall on the politics of being too queer for public life. “Masturbation is a really healthy thing to talk about,” he said. “Society would be a lot better and a lot more healthy if it actually talked about sexual issues. You know, we as queer people have been doing this for a long time. And this is one of the things that we have to take on: we have to be sexually honest with each other, and with society. It’s extremely important for the sake of all society.” Deva was responding to Trish Kelly’s short-lived run for the Vancouver parks board. Despite signing up lots of supporters and handily winning her party’s nomination in June, Kelly withdrew from the electoral race less than a month
later when some of her sex-positive art was splashed across a local blog, arguably with the intent to shame her. Kelly wasn’t ashamed, but Vision Vancouver dumped her. Don't get me wrong, I like Vision. I'm a fan of the many gay- and transfriendly policies the party has implemented this term, and I understand its reluctance to stake its re-election chances on the comfort levels of a sexually immature society. But I was still disappointed with its cautious calculation to cut Kelly and distance itself from any discussion of sexual honesty. “I think it was a really gutless and stupid decision that somebody made that somehow Trish was not going to be a viable candidate in the city of Vancouver,” Deva put it bluntly, suggesting that Vision not only misstepped but miscalculated voter comfort levels. “This is not Aldergrove; this is Vancouver.” Aldergrove’s alleged puritanism aside, other political observers have echoed Deva’s assessment of overly cautious gatekeeping. “We’ve gotten rid of the candidates that infuriate. We’ve also gotten rid of the candidates who inspire,” Michael Geoghegan says. “Whenever we do something that greatly restricts our pool of available talent, we end up with more mediocre results.”
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.
6 SEPT 25–OCT 8, 2014 XTRA!
The parks board pool would certainly be richer if Kelly, an outspoken, intelligent queer woman with city committee experience, were still in the running. “I believe that as a community, we are inherently sex-positive,” she told the town hall. “I’m queer and I’m political and I’m not afraid of my sexuality. That’s the essence of what queerness is.” Words that would make Deva's heart soar. Ironically, I wrote this column a week before his sudden death left me and countless others in our community reeling. I was going to scrap it to write a "proper" tribute to the man who has, more than anyone, helped shape our community. But I could practically hear him object. "Miss Perelle," he'd probably say, because that's how he liked to greet me, with more than a hint of mischievous glee. "What better tribute than a final pitch for sexual freedom?" I know it fits, Jim, but there's so much I want to add. Your courage, your commitment, your countless contributions, your cranky sense of humour. As we go to press tonight, I'm already planning our next issue: a special, full tribute to an inimitable mentor. This is only the first of many tributes to come, fitting though it may be. Because we all have so many stories to share of a man who dedicated his life to our freedom to share them. Robin Perelle is the managing editor of Xtra Vancouver.
FEEDBACK Davie Street party needs new plan I read with interest Xtra’s follow-up on the 2014 Davie Street party [“VPS to Consult Businesses About Davie Street Party,” Xtra #549, Sept 11]. The organizers are beating their heads against the wall trying to turn Davie Street into a beer garden. It is a failure and ruins the entire effort. There are a multitude of other street events that include beer garden areas and are hugely successful. Look at the new Khatsahlano Festival across the bridge. Its beer gardens are on side streets, not attempting to dominate the main street — which would require government-mandated fencing, and ruin the festival vibe. The current myopic approach to having a drinking-first venue dominating Davie Street has proven to be a flop. Recall the days when we first tried this out and had the beer garden on a side street (Bute, at Davie), with public, accessible entertainment across the street for all to enjoy. It was hugely successful in every respect. The street itself felt reclaimed from its usual traffic, as all were free to enjoy the vendors and entertainment, and the social aspect it brought. This year’s event still had unreasonably long lineups to get in and a terrible vibe of crowded separation, making the whole event very un-festive for those inside the “entertainment” areas and for those squeezing their way along the outside. The organizers need to open their eyes to a completely different plan —
one that does not focus on having the main strip as a drinking venue — and learn from other successful street parties. PAUL RICHARDS VANCOUVER BC
Queer Film Fest took “cowardly” stance “Safe, open and respectful dialogue for a diversity of viewpoints [“Queer Film Festival Criticized for Pro-Israel Program Ad,” dailyxtra.com, Aug 14]?” Seriously? And what exactly is the other viewpoint regarding the IsraelPalestine situation? That it’s okay to massacre innocent people? The KKK standing over their lynched black victim had a point of view. Hitler had a point of view. Rev Scott Lively, campaigning in Africa to bring in legislation that could put gays to death, has a point of view. But when the point of view is about racism, violence, homophobia, or oppression, it doesn’t count. The Vancouver Queer Film Festival (VQFF) took a cowardly stance on this issue, and deserved the resulting boycott by many former supporters who stood by Queers Against Apartheid and the courageous filmmakers who pulled out of the festival. I sincerely hope that next year the VQFF declines advertising revenue from pro-Israeli groups, and in the process brings back a multitude of supporters of the festival, who couldn’t in good conscience attend this one. MAUREEN ORMAN VIA EMAIL
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COMING OUT IN STEREO Twin brothers Adam and Luke Monastero recently teamed up to tell their parents they’re gay. Here’s part of how their video-recorded revelation went down: Luke: Adam and I are both gay. Adam: Yeah… Mom: You’re both gay? Dad: Really? Mom: Ultimately, it’s your life… You can’t live your life for someone else. Dad: You know what? You guys are 21. You have the rest of your life to be yourself. Luke [post-outing]: We’re officially out of the closet. I’m a free man. Adam [southern accent]: Ah feel a-live!!! Luke and Adam [signing off]: Monasteros… out!
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Abbotsford youth are... beginning to discover who they are and who they could become. Mayor Bruce Banman E10
Community mourns Jim Deva Little Sister’s hero fought for our stories and nurtured our growth PROUD LIFE NATASHA BARSOTTI
A shell-shocked gathering of friends, co-workers and activists congregated at Little Sister’s bookstore to console each other and reminisce as they tried to make sense of the sudden death of Jim Deva whom they hailed as a hero, a mentor and a model of courage who inspired a community. Deva had been trimming tree branches at his Haro Street home when he fell from a ladder to his death Sept 21. He was 65 years old. Lawyer barbara findlay describes the news of Deva’s passing as akin to “having a bomb drop through a canopy of a forest.” “There’s a great big hole in the universe where Jim Deva used to be,” findlay says of the man, who, along with his partner Bruce Smyth and store manager Janine Fuller, tenaciously fought Canadian border officials’ censorship of gay books for two decades, a fight that went all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. For countless community members, the Davie Street store is a lightning rod for connection and activism, a space to congregate in times of crisis or simply to seek out Deva’s support and advice. “Jim was part of building a community back in the days when the number of people who were willing to be out could effectively be counted one hand,” findlay recalls. “Thanks to him and others like him, we now have a community which is strong and vibrant.” Barb Snelgrove says the community is “taking a beating this year,” pointing to the passing of ted northe in March, and now Deva. “A little bit of our backbone is a little bit weaker.” Snelgrove, who worked with Deva on a number of community initiatives, including the City of Vancouver’s LGBTQ MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM
The inimitable Jim Deva (left, with city councilor Tim Stevenson) was full of life at Xtra’s town hall Sept 9, as he encouraged attendees to be sexually honest with each other and society. JAMES LOEWEN
advisory committee, remembers him as a “cherished friend” who was undeniably passionate about his community, and someone whose opinion she could always seek — “as crusty as it always was,” she says with a chuckle. “I can’t even fathom him not being here anymore,” Snelgrove says. “A lot of what our community is, is because of the work Jim has done over the years; we are the stronger and the better for it, and I’m only sorry he won’t be here to see its growth.” Within hours of Deva’s death, Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson released a statement to honour him and offer condolences. “He was an inspiration to Vancouver and all Canadians, and his irrepressible courage and tireless advocacy for equal rights and free expression
played an enormous role in shaping the city that Vancouver is today.” Tributes continue to pour onto social media, as many have taken to Facebook and Twitter to express their shock at Deva’s passing, and to share their own memories of what he meant to them and to the community. Across Canada, members of the community are also reeling from the news. “Jim was a great leader,” says Ken Popert, president and executive director of Pink Triangle Press, which publishes Xtra. “He was one of the founders who created and shaped our communities, positioning Little Sister’s locally as an outstanding community resource and nationally as a force in the fight for freedom of expression.” “He still had much to give,” Popert
adds. “It saddens and angers me that we’ve lost him so suddenly and in such an arbitrary way.” Back at Little Sister’s, a visibly devastated Julie Stines walks around the store. “He’s family, I lost my brother,” she says. “He was my mentor. He had his days, but I could always talk to him about anything.” She says Deva’s vision of Little Sister’s mirrored the vision he had for the community. “He wanted people to have access to everything — lube, books, leather. That was what Jim Deva was about. It’s sex, everybody needs to have sex.” Deva lived to celebrate difference, Stines adds. “There was no discrimination about anybody who comes in here. It’s a safe place for anyone and everyone, that’s what it is — it’s a hub, it’s a beacon.”
Walking towards the back of the store, she points to the shelving and other infrastructure she constructed. “I walk about this place, and Jim lives in every book, in every leaf, in every piece of wood, every light fixture,” she says. “I can’t be here and not feel him.” A celebration of Deva’s life will take place on Sat, Sept 27 from 3:30-5:30pm at St Andrew’s-Wesley United Church (1012 Nelson Street). The family asks that donations be made to the LOUD Foundation Scholarship Fund (loudbusiness.com) in lieu of flowers. Watch our video of Jim Deva’s speech at the Xtra town hall on dailyxtra.com and pick up next issue for a full, special tribute to the man who helped shape our community. XTRA! SEPT 25–OCT 8, 2014 9
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“Two, four, six, eight, how do you know your kids are straight?” chanted attendees of the second annual Fraser Youth Pride march held Sept 21. The march was part of a larger community event hosted by the Fraser Valley Youth Society (FVYS) to celebrate diversity and promote acceptance. “I think the interest definitely has picked up in our own community,” says FVYS director of operations Samantha Williams. She says the event was much more organized this year and is gaining momentum as a fixture of Abbotsford culture. “I think that it’s important for the kids to know that they are in a community that accepts them,” she adds. “You want them to have fond memories of their childhood growing up.” Mayor Bruce Banman also urged the community to be proactive when it comes to creating an inclusive environment. He stressed that it was up to the community to raise awareness and support. “Abbotsford youth are at the beginning of a lifelong journey, they are beginning to discover who they are and who they could become,” he noted. The FVYS provides weekly drop-ins
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across the Fraser Valley, providing a forum for young people to ask questions, explore their identities and find support during a time that for some can feel isolating. While the safe space provided by the drop-ins is invaluable, events like the march show there’s acceptance in the wider community, and offer youth an opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated, organizers say. “We need to consistently send a message to the youth here that they’re accepted for who they are,” says FVYS board member John Kuipers. “These are small steps that we can take in our community – doing events like these, and just showing up and being inclusive to everyone. That’s what’s really important.”
The BC Civil Liberties Association conferred its Excellence in Youth Activism Award to the FVYS in recognition of the organization’s leadership, dedication and bravery in staging an event that has historically faced community opposition. For the youth involved, such efforts have begun to pay off. Mari Silzer has already experienced first-hand a change in her community. “It raises awareness; it says ‘hey, we exist,’” she says. Silzer recalls a time a few years ago when her mother would describe her as gay, simply because she didn’t understand what transgender meant. Having a queer community presence brings attention to people and issues that might be overlooked, she says.
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Remembering Granny Stevenson Champagne Charlie’s housed Vancouver’s first drag revue STILL QQ
KEVIN DALE MCKEOWN
The fun part of retelling the stories of Vancouver’s early gay scene is sitting down with early activists, divas and eccentric characters and reminiscing. The sad part is realizing how many of “our founders” are no longer available for reminiscing. It’s hard to believe that it has been just over three years since we lost one of our true founding fathers, a man who in later years was affectionately known as “Granny Stevenson.” My first encounter with John Stevenson, who died at 87 on June 1, 2011, was less than auspicious.
Shortly after I began my run as the Georgia Straight’s gay columnist in the spring of 1970, I had already been to Champagne Charlie’s once or twice, but had never met the owner. Charlie’s was on Davie Street between Granville and Seymour. Today there is a vacant space there where a series of ventures were launched and lost, the most recent called “The Corner.” In the ’70s the block consisted of a row of storefronts, beginning with a tiny convenience store. Next to that was a blacked-out window with a featureless door you could easily miss, and next to that the celebrated Chez Victor. It was behind the blacked-out window and unmarked door that you’d find
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Vancouver’s drag age dawned in the late 1960s at Champagne Charlie’s, launched by the late John Stevenson.
Champagne Charlie’s, where in 1968 or ’69, John launched the city’s first full-on drag revue. Once you’d been buzzed inside you’d descend a staircase to the tiny basement room where Dee Dee Ambrose was the
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reigning diva, and her doo-wop girls were the whip-slender Sandy St Peters and the tall, legs-up-to-here Charity. Champagne Charlie’s was a dimly lit poor man’s vision of the Moulin Rouge. All blood-and-bruises colouring, dark corners and cabaret tables fanned out around a tiny central stage area. I must have written something less than flattering about the club when, on my second or third visit, I finally met the proprietor. Well, “met” maybe isn’t the right word. I encountered him at the front door, where he peered over the doorman’s shoulder and said in no uncertain terms: “You’re not welcome here, QQ. We don’t need journalists like you here. You’re barred.” I don’t remember how long my exile from Charlie’s lasted. Not long, as I soon became a regular and developed a warm and sometimes mentor-like relationship with John. “Mentor-like” is a good phrase to use in describing John’s relationship with many of us in those days. Ask anyone who was struggling to start a life in the emerging gay scene of the time and you’ll likely hear a story of John’s generosity and kindness. John was forever finding cheap accommodation, creating jobs, or just slipping a few bucks to anyone who needed a little help. I hope John knew how fondly he was spoken of in later years, and how much
his community loved him. John didn’t talk much about himself. His focus was always on getting the next show up and running, whether it was the next drag performance, the next club (and he opened many) or finding you a place in his busy world so you could wait tables, pour drinks, play the music, and generally get your own show up and running. Among the many things that were generally unknown about John were that he had been born and raised in White Rock, had a good run as a realtor in Montreal, and found his way into the gay scene via the lesbians at the Vanport. We also never heard about his military service, or his being on the frontlines in Italy taking out fascist tanks with a six-pounder. Champagne Charlie’s was just the beginning of John’s contribution to the spaces where we would gather and grow. The Downbeat, Basin Street, Jonathan’s The Talk of the Town… the clubs that John and his business partner Don Whittaker (aka Donnie Cordova) opened during a 30-plus year run are a litany of names familiar to anyone who ever went out on the town during that era. We’ll remember some of those in conversation with Donnie next month. Kevin Dale McKeown was Vancouver’s first out gay columnist in the early 1970s. Email him at stillqq@dailyxtra.com
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TOO SEXY TO SER Trish Kelly’s thwarted electoral run in a cautious party system COVER STORY NIKO BELL
The night of February 26, 1985, British Columbia’s minister of small business development, lying dead drunk in his hotel room, wanted a callgirl. He picked up the phone, called Top Hat escort service and asked “if a girl could be made available.” One was made available, and he paid $130 on a credit card in his own name: Bob McClelland. When the RCMP discovered McClelland’s name on a bill sheet during a prostitution investigation, he kept his job. Premier Bill Bennett would not fire him, and stayed mostly silent on the issue. His colleagues rallied around him, saying he was a “darn good cabinet minister” and that it was not right to “poke around in other people’s business, particularly gossipy, junky stuff.” Even the attorney-general critic for the opposition NDP told the Vancouver Sun, “I don’t think it’s appropriate to make a judgment about people’s private lives unless it interferes with his public life.” McClelland stayed on in office until the end of his term, and quietly resigned after his party was reelected. Twenty-four years later, during the 2009 provincial election campaign, two photographs surfaced online of NDP Vancouver-False Creek candidate Ray Lam. One of the photos showed Lam posing with his hand on a woman’s clothed breast; the other showed two friends tugging at his underwear, his pants around his knees. Lam’s Liberal opponent Mary McNeil called the photos, which were taken at a Pride celebration, “very offensive,” and demanded a public apology. NDP leader Carole James offered little more support, saying Lam showed a “lack of judgment.” Lam, who declined to be interviewed for this story, said he did not regret the photos but still quit the race, later becoming the general manager of the Vancouver Pride Society. Five years later, in July 2014, a Vancouver political blog posted an eight-year-old video of Vision Vancouver candidate Trish Kelly performing a dramatic monologue in praise of masturbation. The video came as no surprise to Kelly — it was part of her body of work as a sex-positive artist and activist — but her party reacted differently. Three days later, she stepped out of the parks board race. Kelly has been tight-lipped about exactly how much pressure Vision put on her to resign, saying she doesn’t want to distract from the larger debate. What she will say is that party leadership told her that her history would lead to a long, destructive and taxing smear campaign against her and Vision, and how it would hurt the party’s chances in the 12 SEPT 25–OCT 8, 2014 XTRA!
upcoming election. “They are the experts in this,” she says. “I had to believe that they were the experts and they knew what they were talking about.” There are two obvious differences between McClelland’s story and those of Lam and Kelly. First, McClelland received the support of his party, while Lam and Kelly were unceremoniously dropped. This may be partly because McClelland was a seasoned incumbent politician, but even his political opponents stood by him. Second, Lam and Kelly never really did anything wrong. From the string of pejoratives heaped on Lam’s pictures by journalists — “racy,” “incriminating,” “skanky,” “risqué,” “ugly” — a reader might think Lam had committed something horrifyingly illegal and immoral. But looking at the photos, it is
In other words, nobody under the age of 30 and even marginally interesting who wants to get into politics can allow their life to leak onto the internet. hard to imagine what offence Lam was accused of committing. Sexual assault? Not only is Lam prolifically gay, but the pictures were clearly, enthusiastically consensual. Sexual licentiousness? Lam had already been a key planner for the Pride Society for years. Had his accusers never joined the hundreds of thousands of people attending Vancouver’s annual celebration of uninhibited sexual expression? Kelly, likewise, talked in her video about sexual behavior that even most doctors now recognize as ubiquitous, normal and healthy. Even if her other work, like the anthology of lesbian erotica she coedited in 2005, had come to light, what reader of Fifty Shades of Grey could really throw the first stone?
McClelland, on the other hand, was not only caught clienting an illegal business but showed himself to be an outrageous hypocrite: he had been a dedicated, straight-laced social conservative who “expressed serious reservation about teaching sex education in public schools.” What, then, was so different that Lam and Kelly were booted for offenses so much lighter than McClelland’s? For one, times have changed since 1985. The internet spreads rumours much more quickly, and those rumours often come in the form of photos and videos, which seem to have a more visceral effect. It is easy to imagine things might have turned out differently if the BC public had grappled with a Bob McClelland sex tape. These days, it has become very difficult to keep anything hidden from the public eye. As Lam’s opponent McNeil said, apparently without irony, “In this digital age… If you want to represent your community, if you want to create positive change, if you want to make a difference for your children and grandchildren, you better damn well have been planning since junior high.” In other words, nobody under the age of 30 and even marginally interesting who wants to get into politics can allow their life to leak onto the internet. Unfortunately, says BC political media consultant Michael Geoghegan, this has a particularly insidious effect on the quality of political candidates. When political parties filter their representatives too cautiously, he says, the ones who get through tend to be either boring enough to avoid trouble, or ambitious enough to control their media presence from grade school. “Essentially what we end up with is insipid minions led by sociopaths,” he says. Geoghegan says in today’s highly vetted political world, eccentric candidates like Pierre Trudeau or Bill Bennett would struggle to get into the race. “We’ve gotten rid of the candidates that infuriate,” he says. “We’ve also gotten rid of the candidates who inspire. Whenever we do something that greatly restricts our pool of available
talent, we end up with more mediocre results.” And this touches on McClelland’s second advantage: unlike Lam and Kelly, he was a straight, white man. Lam and Kelly are both members of the queer community, which tends to express sex and sexuality more freely. “I believe that the spirit of queer culture is one that resists shame, and therefore has to be sexually positive and celebratory,” Kelly says. Outside the queer world, however, open discussion of sexuality is still dangerous politics. “Sex is the thing that most captures people’s attention, and seems to be the one thing people take umbrage to regardless of what they do in their own lives,” Geoghegan says. “It’s this strange combination of wanting to be a voyeur, and wanting to condemn the fact that
you got to see something.” Also unlike McClelland, Lam and Kelly are both under 40 years old and come from non-white lineage (Kelly’s mother is Métis), and Kelly is female. None of these qualities is generally considered an advantage in the eyes of the gatekeepers who decide which candidates will represent political parties. Jeanette Ashe, a professor of political science at Douglas College who studies how political parties pick their candidates, says parties tend to favour what they see as an ideally electable politician: male, white, straight, middleaged, successful, able-bodied and educated. Ashe studied candidates selected in BC’s 2005 provincial election, and found parties tend to pick from inside a range of “acceptable difference.” Nonwhite candidates did well as long as they were sufficiently “normal” in other ways, as did gay candidates and women. Too many deviations from the ideal, VANCOUVER’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS
R VE? who is queer or a woman or is sex-positive,” Ashe says. “But there’s no evidence for that… It’s not the electorate that has the biases; it’s political parties.” Ashe believes that dropping Kelly was a bad move, not just ethically, but politically. “I can’t draw anything that would suggest that the electorate would have punished her,” she says. That means it isn’t voters who need to be convinced, but political parties themselves. That’s why, says Mischa Oak, a gay Green Party candidate for the Vancouver school board, LGBT candidates need to stick together and support each other — even across party lines. “I think it’s very important that we have people from all different marginalized groups represent-
Moderator Robin Perelle, Trish Kelly and Romi Chandra Herbert share a laugh at Xtra’s town hall Sept 9. JAMES LOEWEN
BC’s first openly gay MLA Tim Stevenson (right, with Jim Deva) says he was always out in politics but it wasn’t always easy. JAMES LOEWEN
Trish Kelly’s short-lived run for the Vancouver parks board raises questions about how much of our sexuality we can openly share while still being considered viable political candidates. RANDALL COSCO
however, made a candidate unlikely to be chosen. But at the same time, Ashe also discovered something that offers hope for the future: political parties’ assessments of what the voters want were wrong. In the 2005 election, she found, voters did not discriminate against non-white, gay or female candidates. In fact, all things being equal, they voted slightly more for women than men. “The gatekeepers of the political parties are basing their decisions on this myth that they’ll lose votes because the electorate won’t accept a person MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM
ed in public office, and that’s why I was really saddened when Trish Kelly quit the race,” he says. “The more we stand up for people who are out there and clearly aren’t doing anything harmful or incriminating, the better we are as a group.” As much support as she has received, Kelly says she is done with elections for the moment. “I’m still pretty bruised about party politics,” she says. Instead, she wants to convince political parties to see the advantages of diverse candidates. Geoghegan agrees that a bit more diversity, especially when it comes to sexual expression, would be good for everyone. “I would like it if political parties in general showed more courage when standing behind candidates,” he says. “And instead of going to the lowest common denominator, said, ‘Yeah, they’re real human beings. They have sex lives.’”
Xtra’s town hall on sex-positive politics “When I got elected as the first MLA, I was considered extremely dangerous,” BC’s pioneering gay MLA and now city councillor Tim Stevenson told Xtra’s Sept 9 town hall on the politics of being too queer for public life. “I think that we’re all dangerous at a certain time because of the issues that we bring forward,” he says. Inspired by Trish Kelly’s clipped electoral run in July, Xtra hosted the town hall to ask how openly sexual candidates can be without compromising their electability. Kelly withdrew from the Vancouver parks board race after a blog posted a Rick Mercer-
type monologue of her praising masturbation. “Being sex-positive means I’m a woman, I’m queer and I talk about sex,” Kelly says. “Those elements alone are dangerous when you’re trying to get the approval of overall society, or when you’re working with a political party that has to hedge their bets on whether or not you’re electable.” Joining Kelly and Stevenson on the panel were Little Sister’s co-owner Jim Deva, who has spent his career fighting the censorship of our sexuality, and Romi Chandra Herbert, who founded BC’s first gay-straight alliance and has been helping queer youth find a voice ever since. – Robin Perelle Go to dailyxtra.com to watch our videos of the town hall and of Jim Deva’s speech.
XTRA! SEPT 25–OCT 8, 2014 13
14 SEPT 25–OCT 8, 2014 XTRA!
VANCOUVER’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS
Out in the City
Gay people can lead our city in terms of creating a better space to party. Matt Troy E17
Gabrielle Rose and Gavin Crawford star in Maureen Bradley’s first featurelength film, Two 4 One. VIFF
Pregnant pause A funny thing happened on the way to phalloplasty in Two 4 One FILM GREG ARMSTRONG-MORRIS
In Two 4 One, filmmaker Maureen Bradley’s debut feature, ex-lovers Adam and Miriam have a tequila-fuelled one night stand. The last time they had sex, Adam identified as Melanie, a genderconflicted lesbian trying to contend with Miriam’s polyamory. This time, with a slip of some donated sperm, they both end up pregnant. My first question for Bradley is: “Is the science accurate?” It’s clear from her chuckle that I’m not the first person to ask. “Yep, it’s very accurate, it’s very well researched. Thomas Beatie is the most famous.” MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM
Beatie is the author and activist who has given birth to three children since his 2002 sex reassignment surgery. As intriguing as his story may be, it’s not the story that Bradley wanted to tell. “Good drama is conflict. And facing the things we don’t want. Thomas Beatie’s story is fascinating, but he wanted to get pregnant — there’s no drama in that. There’s a lot of Oprahvalue but it’s not a movie. It’s a biopic,” says Bradley, who directed more than 40 short films before shooting Two 4 One. “We love to see people suffer and come through in the end. It’s that whole Aristotelian, cathartic thing. People can relate to that thing happening that you don’t want to have happen.” That “thing” for Adam couldn’t be
happening at a worse time. He’s embracing his masculinity. He’s considering phalloplasty. He tells his doctor he wants “to be complete.” He is, as Bradley puts it, “just on his way to get a penis.” Adam’s spoken desire “to be complete” presents the film’s core conundrum. What defines a woman? What makes a man? And what — or who — do you have to sacrifice to find out? “We all have a story and sometimes we screw ourselves up by believing that story is true,” Bradley says. This Buddhist perspective is delicately woven throughout the script as characters wrestle with what they think their story has been and what it will be. Actor Gavin Crawford’s unaffected take on Adam is sweetly understated. In the opening scenes, we see a guileless, underachieving mattress repair technician. But as histories are revealed, we discover the profound determination it’s taken to get Adam to this point.
Crawford’s quiet portrayal is fully real- realized, if not always likeable, Miriam, ized, but never forced. Bradley doesn’t hesitate. “Ninety-seven “I edited the film and I’ve seen those percent. I feel so fortunate to have scenes hundreds of times and they still worked with these actors.” get me,” Bradley says. “I never tire of Canadian film and theatre royalty watching Gavin.” Gabrielle Rose plays Adam’s mother, And then there’s Miriam. Miriam is Franny. A delightful amalgam of earth not an extrovert — she’s an explosion. mother and elf, she sparkles in her She seems to be in a constant state of harbour-side cabin, her serenity a hint self-contradiction, swinging dramati- to her son’s inner strength. cally between nurturer and narcissist. Budget limitations and a mere 15-day “So many people who read the script shooting schedule ultimately led to disliked her. We really love bad men Bradley’s decision to film in her home — Breaking Bad, Mad Men. But why town of Victoria. “I knew people here are we so hard on female would get behind me TWO 4 ONE characters? I really like and they’ve opened their At the Vancouver flawed characters. But doors,” she says. And International Film Festival philosophy aside, she’s the city’s position on Wed, Oct 1, 9pm real! And there’s probthe western edge of the Rio Theatre, 1660 Broadway ably more of me in Mircountry delivers the perFri, Oct 3, 11am iam than anyone else.” fect backdrop. As Adam International Village, 88 W Pender St A lesser script — and rides his vintage Ducati viff.org perhaps more imporalong coastal roads, the tantly, a lesser actor — vast sea and sky are alcould’ve presented Miriam as simply ways just over his shoulder, suggesting inconsistent and implausible. But Nao- an oceanic expanse of prospects. mi Snieckus embraces every opposing “Probably the biggest lesson of my 40s nuance of Miriam’s character so fully, was realizing you can liberate yourself if we believe her. In fact, due to the actor’s you just stop believing in the inevitabilcommitment and charm, we couldn’t ity of your own story,” Bradley says. For imagine her any other way. Adam and Miriam, the unexpected disWhen asked how much credit she covery of the next chapter in their story would give Snieckus for creating a fully is, well, pregnant with possibilities. XTRA! SEPT 25–OCT 8, 2014 15
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VANCOUVER’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS
Art, leisure and revolution A new era for Vancouver’s underground scene GAY SPACE RAZIEL REID
Partying is an art. Or at least it should be, according to Vancouver promoter Matt Troy. “Providing a service, not selling a product — that’s the new art model,” he says. “Creating a wonderful, interactive mind and body experience. This type of art doesn’t really have a name yet, but I think that it’s the future.” Troy is the director of The Vancouver Art & Leisure Society, a non-profit that aims to “advocate, present and program art and leisure in unconventional and unexpected places and ways in the city.” The Society opened its doors Sept 12 at 35 East 3rd St, a warehouse that was
“Gay people can lead our city in terms of creating a better space to party,” says Matt Troy, director of The Vancouver Art & Leisure Society, which now runs events in a warehouse on East 3rd Street. DANNY GRAY FOX
formerly a doggy daycare. However, any lingering dog smell has quickly been replaced by club kid sweat, paint, couture and food as the warehouse is
transformed into a venue for raves, art and fashion shows, and even a pop-up restaurant. For Troy, a graduate of Emily Carr,
the line between art and partying has always been blurred. “All my art shows have always had DJs and all my DJ’d parties have always had art,” he says. “Going to a club was unthinkable, clubs were all the same old, same old. For people in the arts, we had all our own spaces — we were partying in dental labs, automotive repair shops, basements, warehouses, art galleries…” Vancouver’s underground scene has a history of queer artist developers, like visionary Paul Wong who helped lay the foundation for a city bridge between art and rave. “[Wong] is a mentor to me,” Troy says. “He has been doing unconventional, transgressive events in the city for decades.” But things in the underground are changing. With Vision Vancouver city councillor Heather Deal introducing The Indoor Arts & Culture Pilot Event Program, organizations such as The Vancouver Art & Leisure Society have a government source helping it get the permits and licenses needed to throw legal events. For promoters like Troy,
AIDS Walk basks in summer’s last encore Fall sees new Main Street strip spur gay nightlife BLITZ & SHITZ
RAZIEL REID
You can keep throwing money at AIDS, but it’s not sticking. It was different back in the ’80s when Madonna and Elizabeth Taylor were hustling to raise funds and awareness for the new disease that was seriously dwindling their biggest fan base. But now when I see celebrities like Sharon Stone or Elton John organizing events to bring in money for HIV/AIDS research , I can’t help but feel that their continued efforts are a little, well, insane. One definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Money hasn’t cured AIDS, and it’s not going to. I believe the oligarchs who rule our world already have cures for the diseases they create — there is nothing new under the MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM
sun — but have chosen not to give the cures to the masses because keeping us sick and medicated is good for business and deals with the whole overpopulation thing quite nicely by ridding the world of all its undesirables. You know, fags, junkies and emaciated Africans. Who needs ’em? You don’t have to be a conspiracy theorist (or an “enlightened one” as I prefer to be called) to see the big picture and realize that for decades we’ve been going around in circles waving dollar bills in our hands. Of course, donating to local organizations like The Dr Peter AIDS Foundation, A Loving Spoonful, and Friends for Life is a beautiful way to spend your skrilla because these charities work tirelessly to offer their love and support to people living with HIV/AIDS. It’s the mentality that money is the cure that I find antiquated and shallow.
Raziel soaks up what may very well be the final rays of Vancouver’s summer at Reset rooftop party at Scotiabank Dance Theatre Sept 21. JAMES LOEWEN
The true cure is knowledge, which is why I attended the second annual Joe Ford Tribute at Lux Lounge hosted by Linda Eckess and Conni Smudge. You should’ve seen how overexcited Auntie Conni got when professional pig Brent Ray Fraser stripped out of his police uniform. I thought she was going to keel over in her heels. The night was in honour of Joe Ford, who organized the
very first Vancouver AIDS Walk in 1986. Learning from his life and legacy is the salvation money can’t buy. Summer gave one last encore on the day of the AIDS Walk, and I soaked up some rays at Reset, a summer finale rooftop party at Scotiabank Dance Theatre hosted by Nicki Ravange. Funds benefited the AIDS Walk, which was perfect if you wanted to donate but
it means being able to maintain the freedom and spirit of an underground event without the worry of it being shut down — a huge victory for creativity in nightlife. “We used to have innovative programming at the bathhouse or at the gay club, but now we have the same DJ holding down every Wednesday for 10 years doing the same thing, no innovation, nothing,” Troy says. “That’s why we need these alternative spaces where we can feel safe and where we can create.” With upcoming events like Safe Fest, an all-ages music festival, The Art & Leisure Society is offering programming beyond the nine-hour dance raves people have come to expect from Troy, creator of the popular Backdoor series. But dance parties and what they inspire remain at the Society’s core. “There’s a change that’s been needed in this city for a long time and it’s not about gay people,” Troy says. “It’s about something a lot bigger. It’s about a space that’s not specifically for gay people but gay people feel like it’s their home. Andy Warhol’s Factory was never a gay venue — full of fags, though. Gay people can lead our city in terms of creating a better space to party,” he says. Read the full story at dailyxtra.com
not actually walk or exert yourself beyond opening a can of beer. The party featured DJs Jay Douglas and Riley Cox, who has been stepping out from behind the bar at 1181 lately to take to the decks. And as long as he remains shirtless, I’m all for it. The night before the AIDS Walk there were at least six queer-friendly parties happening all over the city. It’s a really exciting time for gay Vancouver nightlife. A new strip of sorts has developed off Davie, and runs from Main Street to Gastown. It includes venues such as The Art & Leisure Society, The Fox, The Cobalt, LanaLou’s, 303 and Brookyln, the latter being host to Adam Dreaddy’s latest monthly, New York, which is inspired by that rapid and unapologetic Empire State of mind. It wasn’t anything like the three years I lived in New York (there were no cockroaches or mice or Hasidic Jews) but the space is big and the atmosphere opulent. The club was packed full of a more diverse crowd than you’ll find in the village, which seems to be the main differentiating factor between this burgeoning new zone and Davie Street. But if we want these venues to keep catering to a gay demographic then we have to show up to them! Brooklyn was off the hook, but The Fox has been struggling to bring people in and recently discontinued Rough Trade and Brain Candy. Sigh. I’m blaming it on the oligarchs. XTRA! SEPT 25–OCT 8, 2014 17
queens. 8-10pm. Celebrities, 1022 Davie St. $10 donation at door for bingo cards. celebritiesnightclub.com
The Daisy Theatre — The Cultch, Thurs, Sept 25. For more on Ronnie Burkett’s show go to dailyxtra.com. THE CULTCH
Fri, Oct 3 Showtunes Night 1181 presents witchy show tunes for October. 6-9pm. 1181, 1181 Davie St. No cover. Leather Den For Men Vancouver Men in Leather and Club 8X6 host a leather play party on the first Friday of the month. 8pm–2am, Club 8x6, 1775 Haro St. VML members $10 with membership, $15 others.
Sat, Oct 4
WHAT'S ON FOR MORE LISTINGS, GO TO DAILYXTRA.COM
Thurs, Sept 25 Pinkwashing In August several filmmakers urged Vancouver’s Queer Film Festival to take a stand against the Brand Israel campaign. Join historian Elise Chenier for a discussion of the debate’s context. 5:30-7pm. Fletcher Challenge Theatre, SFU Harbour Centre, 515 W Hastings St. Free event. Rainbow Refugee Committee This information and support group for LGBT people making a refugee claim meets on the fourth Thursday of each month. 7:30pm. Qmunity, 1170 Bute St. rainbowrefugee.ca The Daisy Theatre Puppeteer Ronnie Burkett opens The Cultch’s new season with this ever-changing show, which runs until Sun, Oct 12. 8pm. The Cultch, 1895 Venables St. Tickets $18-$50. thecultch.com
#news #arts #travel #events Everything gay, every day.
DAILY dailyxtra.com 18 SEPT 25–OCT 8, 2014 XTRA!
Gay and Bisexual Men’s Bereavement Support Group This free support group for men grieving the loss of a samesex partner meets the second and fourth Thursday of every month. 7–8:30pm. Qmunity, Room 610, 1033 Davie St. qmunity.ca
Fri, Sept 26 AJ’s Café Join other HIVpositive 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 Queer Women On The Drive This monthly women’s crafts-based get together meets on the last Friday of each month. 7–9pm. Senior’s Lounge, Britannia Community Centre, 1661 Napier. For more
info contact generations@ qmunity.ca Dangerous Liaisons Denman Street’s sex club hosts a pansexual, kinky, play party where fetish, sex and dancing all come together in one steamy night. 8pm–1am. Club 8x6, 1775 Haro St. $10 cover includes locker. 8x6.ca
Sat, Sept 27 Jim Deva Celebration of Life Celebrate and honour Little Sister's co-owner Jim Deva, a tireless activist and a mentor to so many of us. 3:30-5:30pm. St Andrew's-Wesley United Church, 1012 Nelson Street at Burrard. The family asks that donations be made to the LOUD Foundation Scholarship Fund in lieu of flowers. Monroe: Drag Roulette The game is simple: each queen brings a song, the songs all get jumbled up and the performance is chosen at random. 9pm–2am. Heaven’s Door, 1216 Bute St. $5 cover with partial proceeds benefiting the DMS. Search for “Monroe roulette” on Facebook.
Sun, Sept 28 Word Vancouver Vancouver’s literacy festival features gay authors Billeh Nickerson and Brett Josef Grubisic in the CUPE tent at 11:30am. Library Square, 350 W Georgia St. Free. wordvancouver.ca Gay Girl Love Tour Are you making lesbian-dating mistakes? Check out this workshop on flirting and dating. 1:30–6:30pm. Meeting Room 2, Qmunity, 1170 Bute St. $35. Register at gaygirldatingcoach.com Caliente Nights Miss Fantasy and Casha Only present hot
Dan Savage Lovecast Live NorthWest Podcast Fest presents an afternoon with columnist Dan Savage. 2:30pm. Vogue Theatre, 918 Granville St. Tickets $39-$59 at northerntickets.com
Latin beats, Salsa lessons and drag. 9pm. The Junction, 1138 Davie St. Cover $5. junctionpub.com
Mon, Sept 29 Suits Positive Living organizes a monthly dinner for HIVpositive working guys at different restaurants on the last Monday of the month. Contact richardh@positivelivingbc.org for more info and to register. positivelivingbc.org Long-Term Survivors A weekly discussion group for people who have been HIVpositive for more than 15 years. 6:30-8pm. Room 549, St Paul’s Hospital, 1081 Burrard St. Free. positivelivingbc.org Naked Yoga Nude Dude Yoga focuses on gaining body awareness. 7–8:30pm. Club 8x6, 1775 Haro St. $15 per class. 8x6.ca
Bone Yard Mosh Join the pups and their handlers at their monthly get-together. Puppy gear is admired but never required. 2-4pm. PumpJack Pub, 1167 Davie St. No cover. vanpah.com Mr/Ms/Miss Gay Vancouver Pageant The Rhinestone Phoenix Charity Foundation presents its 35th annual pageant. 6pm. The Museum of Vancouver, 1000 Chestnut St. Tickets $30 at door. Search Facebook for The 35th Annual Mr/Ms/ Miss Gay Vancouver Pageant The Junk Yard Denman Street’s sex club hosts a noholes-barred sex party on the first, second and third Saturday of the month. 8pm–3am. Club 8x6, 1775 Haro St. $10 cover, two for one before midnight. 8x6.ca
Shame Spiral Peach Cobblah brings East Side drag and debauchery to the West End. 9:30pm. 1181, 1181 Davie St. No cover. 1181. Ca
Brain Candy–Electric Circus The organizers of Brain Candy and Electric Circus are collaborating on a hybrid ’90s dance party. Doors 9pm, show 11:30pm. The Cobalt, 917 Main St. $10 cover before 10pm, $12 after. thecobalt.ca
Wed, Oct 1
Mon, Oct 6
Connect With HIM The Health Initiative for Men hosts weekly conversation nights open to all gay men (ESL and students of all ages welcome). Wednesdays 6:30–8pm. HIM Office, 310-1033 Davie St. checkhimout.ca
West End Darts This gay and lesbian social dart club plays Monday nights at various bars in the Davie Village. Teams consist of four people and the cost to play is $5 per person per night. For info email: westenddarts@telus.net
Absolutely Badminton This friendly badminton club welcomes everyone, including beginners and spectators. 7pm. King George Secondary School, 1755 Barclay St. Drop in $6, Annual membership $130. absolutelybadminton. wordpress.com
Queer Improv The Bobbers comedy troupe are now at 1181 every Monday night. 8–9:45pm. 1181, 1181 Davie St. No cover.
Tues, Sept 30
Bingo For Life Joan-E’s weekly fundraiser for Friends for Life features prizes, cheap drinks and snappy drag
Wed, Oct 8 Stack The Rack Help Qmunity and sample some fine wine. 6:30-9:30pm. Rosewood, Hotel Georgia, 801 W Georgia St. Tickets $165 at eventbrite. ca. qmunity.ca
Submit your event listing to oitc.vancouver@dailyxtra.com. Deadline for the Oct 9–22 issue is Wed, Oct 1. VANCOUVER’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS
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XTRA! SEPT 25–OCT 8, 2014 19
XPOSED
Online at xtralivingvancouver.com
PHOTOS BY JAMES LOEWEN
THE BEST OF GAY & LESBIAN VANCOUVER Accommodations – BC Quality Hotel Vancouver 604-682-0229
Accounting Services Felicity Webb 604-721-7537
Addictions Orchard Recovery 866-233-2299
AIDS/HIV Resources
1
AIDS Vancouver 604-893-2201 AIDS Vancouver Island 800-665-2437
RESET SUMMER FINALE
ANKORS 800-421-AIDS
More than 500 people made the trek around Stanley Park Sept 21 for the 29th AIDS Walk, raising a total of $187,175. Then it was up to the rooftop patio of the Scotiabank Dance Theatre to raise more money and enjoy the last vestiges of summer’s heat.
Dr Peter AIDS Foundation 604-608-1874 Health Initiative for Men 604-488-1001 Positive LIving 604-893-2200
Airlines
1E Kevin Murphy, Nicki Ravange and Mark Kenna 2E Jay Douglas, Grant Burns 3E Brittany Oake and Dan Bevan 4E Wayne Hussey and Daniel Chen 5E Novice Sister Lois Price, Novice Sister Koo-koo Kachoo
Harbour Air Seaplanes 604-274-1277
Alternative Health Ignite Smoke Shop 778-786-0977
2
Medicinal Cannabis Dispensary 604-255-1844
Antiques
Vancouver Prime Timers 604-564-4783
Community Organizations Community Based Research 604-568-7478
Construction maison d’etre design build 604-484-4030
Cosmetic Services Daher Orthostyle – Dr Sam Daher 604-662-3290
Counselling Counselling BC 604-729-6059 Iosono Counselling Services – Ron Paviglianiti, RPC 604-290-1445 Joe Ramirez Integral Counselling 778-227-9423 Lehmann Counselling Service 604-614-8121
Your Local Farmers’ Market 604-879-3276
Funeral Services Arbor Richmond: 604-273-3748 Valley View Memorial Gardens: 604-596-7196 Valleyview Funeral Home: 604-596-8866 Martin Brothers Funeral 778-330-7799
Grocery Stores Nesters Market 604-682-3071 Safeway Davie: 604-669-8313 Robson: 604-683-6155
Health Dr Aaron Van Gaver BSc ND 604-629-1120
Health & Wellness The Health Shows 888-999-1761
Health – Men’s Health Initiative for Men 604-488-1001 Community Based Research 604-568-7478
Tricia Antoniuk MSW, RSW 778-378-2633
Health Initiative for Men 604-488-1001
Willow Tree Counselling 604-521-3404
Sound Hearing Clinic 604-687-1488
Museum of Vancouver 604-736-4431
Couriers Mail Box Plus 604-683-1433
Automotive
Dental Services
Alan Davis 604-308-5545
Aarm Dental Group 604-647-0006
Boat Cruises & Charters Waterway Houseboats 877-928-3792
Business & Professional Organizations
Daher Orthostyle – Dr Sam Daher 604-662-3290 Dr Langston Raymond 604-687-1008
Healthcare Services
Health – Fitness & Exercise Body Energy Club 604-697-0466
Health Foods & Nutrition The Vancouver Health Show 888-999-1761
Hearing Aids Sound Hearing Clinic 604-687-1488
Holistic
Redtree Dental 604-873-3337
Sequoia Thom Lundy 778-786-3677
Dr Dean Wershler 604-688-4080
Home Improvement & Repairs
West End BIA 604-696-0144
Education & Instruction
Chiropractors
Vesta 604-873-8378
maison d’etre design build 604-484-4030
Gastown Business Improvement Society 604-683-5650
Downtown Chiropractic 604-685-9444
Cleaning & Maid Services The Maids 604-987-5651
20 SEPT 25–OCT 8, 2014 XTRA!
West End Seniors’ Network 604-669-5051
Farmers’ Markets
Apartments
Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art 604-682-3455
5
Community Groups & Services
The Dance Centre 604-606-6412
21st Century Promotions 604-980-3159
Art Galleries
4
Travel Clinic 604-736-9244
Monique Silverman MA, RCC, CCC 778-228-8456
Capreit caprent.com
3
Clinics
Entertainment Ballet BC 604-732-5003 Playland Amusement Park 604-253-2311
Lawyers Dahl & Connors 604-687-8752
Minuteman Press 604-572-8558
Psychologists
barbara findlay 604-251-4356
Dr Joachim Sehrbrock 604-366-3112
North Shore Law LLP 604-980-8571
Publications
Life Coach
Pink Triangle Press 1-800-268-9872
21st Century Dynamics 778-877-6276
Xtra (Vancouver) 604-684-9696
Marketing
Real Estate Agents
C&C Communications 604-664-8995
Darryl Persello 604-306-1340
Massage
Ian Eggleton 604-773-1443
Relaxation Massage 604-789-0857
Massage – Certified/Registered Linda Duncan RMT 604-630-0101 Rick Girardeau, RMT rickgrmt.com
Massage – Erotic Handsome Hands handsomehands.ca
Men’s Services BCSMSSA 604-682-6482 Health Initiative for Men 604-488-1001
Motorcycles & Scooters Motorcycle World 604-582-9253
Naturopathy Dr Aaron Van Gaver BSc ND 604-629-1120 Dr Reuben Dinsmore, ND 604-568-7655 Integrative Healing Arts 604-738-1012
Pet Care Kitty Kare 604-813-4239
Lyn Hart 604-724-4278 Susan Cameron 604-266-1364
Renovations & Restorations maison d’etre design build 604-484-4030
Restaurants & Cafés Ciao Bella Restaurant 604-688-5771 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 Oasis Restaurant & Bar 604-685-1724 Ten Ten Tapas 604-689-7800
Seniors Vancouver Prime Timers 604-564-4783
Pet Stores & Supplies
West End Seniors’ Network 604-669-5051
Happy Pups 604-782-7337
Studio Space
Tisol 14th & Main: 604-873-4117 12th & Arbutus: 604-730-1768 Grandview Hwy: 604-436-3001 Gilley Ave, Bby: 604-434-2812 Market Crossing, Bby: 604-431-8458 #3 Rd, Richmond: 604-276-2254 Richlea Sq, #3 Rd, Rmd: 604-241-7586 Langley Bypass, Langley: 604-276-2254 152nd St, Surrey: 604-536-2330
Physiotherapy & Rehab Andrea Martens 604-669-8233
The Dance Centre 604-606-6400
Transportation Harbour Air 604-274-1277 Helijet International Inc 800-665-4354
Travel – BC Black Rock Oceanfront Resort 877-762-5011 Tourism Harrison 604-796-5581
Travel – General Travel Clinic 604-736-9244
Websites Daily Xtra 416-925-6665
Weddings
Burrard Physiotherapy 604-684-1640
Hotels
Ceremony Pathways 778-688-5555 2DQ Weddings 604-306-1340
Printing
Quality Hotel Vancouver 604-682-0229
Wine & Spirits
Mail Box Plus 604-683-1433
West End Liquor Store 604-689-3100
Interior Design RodRozen Designs 604-558-4443
To advertise, call 604-684-9696 or email advertising.vancouver@dailyxtra.com.
VANCOUVER’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS
NEXT AD BOOKING DEADLINE: OCT 1 @ 4PM NEXT LINE CLASSIFIEDS DEADLINE: OCT 3 @ NOON
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XTRA! SEPT 25–OCT 8, 2014 23
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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.