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#551 OCT 9–22, 2014

VANCOUVER’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

Jim Deva 1950–2014

AN XTRA SPECIAL TRIBUTE E 13–17

2 OCT 9–22, 2014 XTRA!

VANCOUVER’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

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Celebrating the life of Jim Deva He built “an incredibly powerful culture of love”E7

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#551 OCT 9–22, 2014

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XTRA VANCOUVER’S GAY& LESBIAN NEWS

DIRECTORS Jim Bartley, Gerald Hannon,

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JIM DEVA 1949-20149 E

VANCOUVER’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS #550 SEPT 25–OCT 8, 2014

To the man who empowered us

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“I do have trouble with the word hero. I sort of view myself as a conduit, empowering people to be active. We have so many brilliant, accomplished people in our community, and once in a while they just need to be empowered.”

— Jim Deva, on receiving Xtra’s Community Hero of the Year award in 2002 “It’s Jim from Sister’s,” he said without preamble when I picked up the phone.

“We need to go to Prince George.”

It was a May morning in 2002. As Xtra’s rookie reporter, I’d already worn a tread from our office to Little Sister’s a few blocks west on Davie Street, where I could often be found interviewing the bookstore’s co-owner Jim Deva. But it still seemed odd that he’d suddenly call to propose a road trip.

Not a road trip, he explained. A young gay man was dead. Just weeks after coming out to his family, he’d hung himself because he couldn’t take the harassment that his school refused to address. He was 18.

Jim was adamant. We need to tell Jamie’s story, he insisted. We need to go up north and investigate and challenge the school and every school district in BC. Three hours later, we were in his old brown van heading north.

Over the next four days, Jim and his partner, Bruce Smyth, drove more than 22 hours, at their own expense, to give voice to Prince George’s nascent gay community, to empower its members to demand accountability and to mourn a gay life lost.

To claim Jim Deva as my courageous, principled, irreverent mentor would be presumptuous. He was a mentor to so many; he touched so many lives.

I’m just one of the many people lucky

JANET RERECICH

Jim Deva was a mentor to so many; he touched so many lives. I’m just one of the many people lucky enough to have crossed and recrossed his path. enough to have crossed and recrossed his path.

The trip to Prince George changed me, gave me more confidence to tell our stories with courage, and compassion. Twelve years later, I’m still learning and still grateful to Jim and to Bruce (and their special cookies).

When I first met Jim shortly after arriving in Vancouver in 2001, I saw only bits of the picture: the fight against censorship, the refusal to accept gaybashing. Only as time went on did I begin to see the bigger picture that he was trying to show me. Jim was more than a compassionate leader who could make people feel welcome and knit us into a community. He was also a very intelligent man who always had a strategy to strengthen us over the long term and ultimately change the world.

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.

4 OCT 9–22, 2014 XTRA!

Robin Perelle is the managing editor of Xtra.

NOEL BUTLER EMAIL

Trish Kelly’s clipped run I have never met Trish Kelly, and I can’t say that I knew much about her until the hullaballoo about her being taken off the Vision election ticket [“Too Sexy to Serve?” Xtra #550, Sept 25].

I have nothing against masturbation or genitalia, but from my rather stodgy perspective I can appreciate how her public past might be used to discredit her as a candidate for elected public office.

I understand and accept that the LGBT community celebrates sexuality and is often considered sex-positive. I have a little bit of discomfort around the term sex-positive, though. I am asexual, and I am a Christian, but a Christian who loves and accepts my gay and trans brethren (and sistren!) with open arms. But I sometimes think that when one adopts a term such as sex-positive that one is also adopting to view things in black and white. If you are not “sex-positive,” then surely you are “sex-negative”?

I think that things are a lot more nuanced than that. Outside of the queer community one is going to encounter a huge variety of levels of comfort and discomfort about sex. For me, it is something private and personal, and I always cringe when on the receiving end of Too Much Information. There are many like me, and many of us vote in elections, and I think this is what

facebook.com/dailyxtra dailyxtra.com

I was a flamboyantly gay 16-year-old when I first met Jim Deva at Little Sister’s bookstore. My jaw dropped seeing all the images of our sexuality and culture throughout the store.

Jim and Little Sister’s manager Janine Fuller always had some helpful advice, especially when listening to any Samantha/Sex-in-the-City–like stories.

Years later, I felt honoured to work for Jim and witness the opening of his second store, Sweet Adult Boutique.

I really got to see his love for his customers firsthand, and I learned something about him that I already knew. He was a soul sent here to help other souls.

I will honour his memory by continuing to support our Vancouver LGBT community.

More at

EDITORIAL ROBIN PERELLE

@dailyxtra

Thank you, Jim Deva When Canada Customs seized shipment after shipment of gay and lesbian books at the border, Jim and Bruce fought back. They not only defended our stories, but valued them and empowered us to tell more, both to ourselves and to society.

When our stories made us more visible and therefore targets of anti-gay violence, Jim harnessed our outrage to demand better police protection and a reality free from homophobic “terrorism,” as he called it.

In the wake of Aaron Webster’s murder in 2001, Jim simultaneously sought more gay representation on both the board of the Davie Village business association and its community policing office and, with others, met repeatedly with the Vancouver Police Department to push for arrests and sensitize the force. “That we’d been isolated for too long was readily apparent,” he told me 10 years later.

The fact that police sent an honour guard to his funeral and the mayor delivered a eulogy praising him as a “city builder” shows how far he got with his strategy to strengthen our political standing as a community of note in this city.

That Mayor Gregor Robertson even recognized the “incredibly powerful culture of love” that Jim built shows that he never strayed far from the core of his strategy: to foster a community founded on love and the freedom to openly express that love and embrace our desire.

I stopped by the store two days after Jim gleefully celebrated masturbation and urged us all to be sexually honest at Xtra’s Sept 9 town hall. He was cheerfully outfitting a customer in what seemed to be the man’s first leather chaps, insisting on getting them hemmed before he’d accept any money.

He told me how much he’d enjoyed delivering that speech, and I laughed and left him to uplift yet another individual on his coming-out continuum.

“Go do your thing,” I told him. “I’ll see you soon.”

If only that could be true.

Jim Deva died Sept 21. He was 63 years old.

UNELECTABLE The politics of being too sexy for public life E12

might have made Vision a bit nervous about letting Trish run.

I still think it’s a shame that she didn’t get in. She is clearly a very gifted, intelligent, compassionate and passionate individual whose energy would greatly enhance the whole electoral process and add a lot of colour to city hall. Still I can’t help but think that she has also shot herself in the foot through her lack of discretion and her apparent inability or unwillingness to admit that this could be a problem.

AARON ZACHARIAS EMAIL

Congratulations to HIM Congratulations to the Health Initiative for Men (HIM) for their groundbreaking web series My Fucking Life [“FirstPerson Stories About Gay Sex,” Xtra #549, Sept 11]. Some very important (and sexy) topics! If you haven’t seen the episodes, go to myfuckinglife.ca.

MICHAEL HAACK EMAIL

Jane Bouey for school board I cannot think of any person better qualified than Jane Bouey [“Jane Bouey Seeks Reelection to Vancouver School Board,” dailyxtra. com, Sept 18]. She has been a fearless spokesperson for students with special needs, LGBT school community members and properly funded public education, and she understands that the best way to support the best education for children and youth is to support teachers and other school staff who are responsible for building good education and schools. Good luck, Jane! Good schools need caring leaders.

WAYNE M DAILYXTRA.COM

VANCOUVER’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

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XCETERA FACEBOOK’S A DRAG

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Like yesterday’s she’s Jessica, now she’s Jerome?

Facebook won’t leave the artists alone.”

PORNLY EXECUTED OUTING

— The reworked lyrics of the Ting Tings’ “That’s Not My Name,” performed by drag queen Brigitte Bidet to protest Facebook’s crackdown on drag artists not using their real names on the social network.

— Despite the evidence, Modern Family’s Jesse Tyler

“Well, I was caught stealing gay porn when I was 14. So, I always considered that my coming-out.”

Ferguson says he had to come out to his dad three more times before he got it.

WHITE SOX PRIDE

The gay son of the first black White Sox baseball player, Minnie Minoso, was one of five people who took part in a short film to counter negative reaction to the announcement that the Chicago club will sponsor an ongoing LGBT Pride Night on its home field. Director Sam Ciaramitaro’s moving Take Me Out to the Ballpark can be viewed at vimeo.com.

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TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME DAMNING DATA Gay teen Bruno Borges de Oliveira was murdered in São Paulo, Brazil, in January. Police later arrested six people, aged 16 to 23, who confessed to the killing.

216 337

Number of LGBT people murdered in Brazil from January to September, based on police records and media reports.

Minnie Minoso, the first black White Sox baseball player.

Charlie Rice-Minoso, the gay son of Minnie.

MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM

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6 OCT 9–22, 2014 XTRA!

VANCOUVER’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

Upfront

That the benchers would disrespect the overwhelming majority vote at the largest lawyer meeting in BC history is breathtaking. barbara findlay E9

Celebrating the life of Jim Deva He built ‘an incredibly powerful culture of love,’ mayor says PROUD LIFE NATASHA BARSOTTI

“The only measure of your words and your deeds will be the love you leave behind when you’re done.”

The lyrics of Fred Small’s “Everything Possible” reverberated through St Andrew’s-Wesley United Church Sept 27 as the Vancouver Men’s Chorus captured both the loss and gratitude of mourning community members who filled the pews to say farewell to Jim Deva, whose passion for freedom of expression and community empowerment moved a generation.

Still in disbelief almost a week after Deva fell to his death at his Haro Street home, filmmaker Aerlyn Weissman said she never imagined she’d be called upon to eulogize her “dear and wise friend.”

“Here we are, together, to celebrate Jim’s life, and we need to do that for him and for each other,” she told the crowd, who lined up for a block outside the church to pay their respects.

Every speaker remembered Deva as a passionate leader who loved his community and was deeply committed to freedom of speech, the Davie Village and building bridges, both with city hall and the Vancouver Police Department, to foster greater respect for the LGBT community and our culture.

The presence of a police honour guard, a number of senior officers and the stirring bagpipe rendition of “Going Home” by Constable Tim Fanning that opened Deva’s Celebration of Life were testimony to how far that relationship has progressed.

Police Chief Jim Chu, who was out of the country, sent a personal tribute read out by Councillor Tim Stevenson. In his message, Chu said he last saw Deva at this year’s Pride parade, where Deva was dressed as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. “I tweeted we weren’t in Kansas anymore,” Chu wrote. But, he acknowledged, Vancouver was closer to Kansas in the 1980s, when Canada Customs seized shipment after shipment of gay books bound for Little Sister’s bookstore, which Deva and his partner, Bruce Smyth, opened in 1983. Little Sister’s refused to accept Customs’ censorship and took the border agency all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada, where it won a partial victory.

Having honed his activism in the fight for free MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM

“We honour his memory when we live out and proud and always fabulous,” said filmmaker Aerlyn Weissman, who delivered the first eulogy for Jim Deva at St Andrew’s-Wesley United Church, Sept 27. JAMES LOEWEN

expression, Deva turned to city hall and the police department, where he also sought recognition for the community’s presence and needs.

“Over the last few decades, Jim provided the police with ideas and advice, and at times criticism, to make us better,” Chu said.

Every so often in the global LGBT community, a Harvey Milk–like leader emerges from within, Stevenson said. “Jim Deva was Vancouver’s Harvey Milk. At the very heart of what Harvey Milk and Jim Deva were about was community.”

Stevenson remembered rushing to Little Sister’s when it first opened. The bookstore soon became a community oasis and centre and Deva a much-sought-after adviser, he said. “His compassion, his gentleness, his warmth, his humorous nature allowed many people to confide in him.”

While Deva always had his eye on the liberation of LGBT people everywhere, he was particularly

focused on changing Vancouver, Stevenson noted.

“To do that, he had to take on the powers-that-be at city hall. Over time, Jim went from fighting with city hall to working with city hall.”

“It’s impossible to imagine what our city would be like today if it had not been for Jim,” said a visibly moved Mayor Gregor Robertson, who called Deva a trailblazer who knew how to fight and, even more, how to love. “All of us here and so many who could not be here today — countless people — are really a testimony to Jim’s work,” he said.

Robertson remembered Deva’s “direct and forceful cross-examination” of him when he first ran for mayor. Deva tested him on several levels, he recalled, as he grilled him about homophobic attacks, how best to police the West End, and the need to reinvigorate its gay village.

“Jim is a city builder, someone who has built an incredibly powerful culture of love and under-

standing, of fighting for justice, of creating a city of leaders who look after each other,” Robertson said.

Robertson also said he plans to introduce a motion in council calling for Deva to be memorialized in the Davie Village (see story page 8).

Invoking her family’s Jewish traditions, Weissman said it’s common to say “May their memory be a blessing” when someone has died.

“It’s hard for us to find that place right now,” she acknowledged. But someday, she said, “we will remember him in those moments of self-realization as we read the stories we have imagined, as we write our histories and dream the poetry of our deepest desires, free from shame, free from hypocrisy and free from censorship.”

For more on Jim Deva’s Celebration of Life ceremony, go to dailyxtra.com.

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Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson told city council Sept 30 that he is bringing forward a motion directing city staff to propose options for a site to be named after Jim Deva in recognition of his advocacy for LGBT rights, social justice and freedom of expression.

The notice of motion states that staff will work with Deva’s family, the city’s LGBTQ advisory committee, the

“It seems to be really important that we move as quickly as possible to remember him in the Davie Street area.�

The motion directs city staff to explore the Davie and Bute plaza as a potential site to mark Deva’s legacy and the community’s contributions to Vancouver, based on the results of a recent consultation on the future of an “enhanced, permanent plaza� at that intersection.

The motion also notes that the citycouncil-approved West End plan recognizes Davie Village as an important

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Councillor Tim Stevenson (seen here delivering a eulogy for Jim Deva on Sept 27) says the late co-owner of Little Sister’s was such a pivotal ďŹ gure that it’s essential to mark his legacy in a signiďŹ cant way. JAMES LOEWEN

park board and the civic-asset-naming committee to identify an appropriate memorial site.

Deva, 63, died Sept 21 after a fall at his Haro Street home.

His death led to “a remarkable outpouring of community reection on his life and legacy as a champion for LGBTTQ equality, free expression, and social justice,â€? the motion states.

The city is grateful to Deva for his prominent role in shaping Vancouver and for his leadership and advocacy for human rights that resonated in Canada’s highest court, it continues, adding that Vancouver “is committed to building on Jim Deva’s legacy by continuing and expanding its leading advocacy for LGBTTQ equality, rights, and inclusion.�

Councillor Tim Stevenson, who seconded the motion, says Deva was such a pivotal ďŹ gure and so engaged with Davie Street that it’s essential to mark his legacy in a signiďŹ cant way.

8 OCT 9–22, 2014 XTRA!

historical and cultural hub for the city’s queer community and identifies Davie and Bute as the heart of the Village.

Stevenson says other options for memorializing Deva will be investigated, but he says the plaza is “pretty high on the list,â€? pointing out that the late co-owner of Little Sister’s was involved in its creation. “With the rainbow crosswalks there, it seems really ďŹ tting,â€? Stevenson adds, noting that Deva had “lots of ideasâ€? about how the site could be upgraded.

Apart from the Bute Street plaza, Nelson Park has been suggested as another possible option, Stevenson says, but he notes that the park is farther away from Little Sister’s. Finding a memorial site that is geographically close to the bookstore is preferable, he says.

Stevenson says the motion will be discussed at the next council meeting, on Oct 14.

VANCOUVER’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

Lapuz’s killer gets eight years Neel killed popular trans woman in money dispute, court hears CRIME JEREMY HAINSWORTH

The man who pleaded guilty to killing January Marie Lapuz two years ago says he killed her in self-defence in an argument over the price of sex services, the BC Supreme Court heard Oct 2.

Charles Jameson “Jamie” Mungo Neel pleaded guilty to manslaughter in June for killing Lapuz, a well-liked trans woman whom friends remembered as a kind, generous person. The 26-year-old New Westminster resident died Sept 29, 2012, as a result of stabbing injuries to her face, neck, chest and torso, Crown prosecutor Rusty Antonuk told Justice Frits Verhoeven.

Calling the killing a “terrible crime,” Verhoeven sentenced Neel to a total of eight years in custody. Neel will serve five years and three months because of time already spent in custody. The sentence recommendation was a joint submission to Verhoeven from Antonuk and Neel’s defence lawyer, David Tarnower.

Neel was initially charged with second-degree murder in connection with the fatal stabbing in Lapuz’s home on the 500 block of 3rd Avenue, New

Westminster. In pleading guilty to the less severe, included charge of manslaughter, Neel accepted responsibility for causing Lapuz’s death but denied any intent to kill her.

Before he passed sentence, Verhoeven asked Neel if he had anything to say. “I am sorry for all the trouble and pain I have caused,” Neel said and expressed his “dearest condolences to the victim’s family.” Verhoeven said he accepted that Neel has problems expressing himself and accepted the statement as sincere.

Antonuk told the court that the fivefoot-six, 110-pound Neel, then 20, had contacted the five-foot-11, 258-pound Lapuz for sexual services and agreed to meet at her home. “Charles Neel did know January Lapuz was a transgendered sex trade worker,” he added.

When he arrived at Lapuz’s home, Neel removed his shoes and pants, but a dispute ensued over a price, and a struggle started, Antonuk said. Lapuz grabbed some scissors and injured Neel’s left hand. Neel found a knife and defended himself, the court heard.

“The accused in stabbing January Lapuz overreacted in an explosive and

January Marie Lapuz was “sweet to everyone,” her mother wrote in a letter read to BC Supreme Court. Lapuz’s killer was sentenced to eight years in prison on Oct 2.

FACEBOOK.COM

highly violent manner,” Antonuk said.

Lapuz suffered damage to major arteries and internal damage. “The ac-

cused did not have the required intent for murder but rather used excessive force to defend himself,” Antonuk said.

‘This is not leadership’ BC Law Society referendum on TWU is disrespectful, findlay says EDUCATION JEREMY HAINSWORTH

Whether or not Trinity Western University’s (TWU) proposed law school is accredited by the Law Society of British Columbia will be decided by a binding, mail-out referendum involving all the province’s 11,000 lawyers, the society’s directors decided Sept 26.

Society directors (also known as benchers) had voted in April to approve the school.

At the heart of the debate is the Christian university’s community covenant.

For admission, students must sign the covenant agreeing to uphold Christian biblical teachings, including no premarital sex and no homosexuality. Failure to uphold these commitments, according MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM

to the student handbook, could result in discipline, dismissal or a refusal to readmit a student to the university.

That covenant has led to a polarization in the legal community as lawyers grapple with the need to protect gay people from discrimination and the need to uphold freedom of religion and association.

In June, thousands of BC lawyers voted three to one at a special general meeting to direct the society’s board of directors to reverse its earlier decision and reject the proposed law school.

While their resolution was not binding, the society’s directors promised to give it serious and thoughtful consideration. That consideration led to three motions voted on Sept 26: one urging the board to accept the resolution and

Queer lawyer barbara findlay attended the special general meeting in June where members directed the BC Law Society to reverse its earlier approval of Trinity Western’s law school. JEREMY HAINSWORTH

reverse its earlier approval, one suggesting the society wait for the courts to decide, and one suggesting the board hold a referendum.

Director Miriam Kresivo said a refer-

endum would be the most democratic option. But director Joe Arvay, who represented Little Sister’s bookstore in its fight against Canada Customs’ book seizures, questioned the need

Antonuk did not present the case as a hate crime and did not suggest that Lapuz’s gender had anything to do with the argument. The RCMP told Xtra at the time of Neel’s 2012 arrest that hate did not appear to be a motive in the case.

Neel’s father, David, sent a letter to the court from Thailand, where he runs a business. He said that his son was abandoned by his mother when he was 18 months old and that members of both sides of his family had been in residential schools. Neel is a member of the Kwakiutl First Nation.

David Neel said his son, who was born prematurely by caesarian section, has had social and developmental problems all his life. He expressed regret for what happened to Lapuz. “The family is shocked by what occurred and very upset by so much grief they have caused to the other family.”

Charles Neel, who has no prior criminal record, showed no emotion as a victim impact statement from Lapuz’s mother Betty was read. “She made everybody laugh. She loved helping people regardless of race, colour or age. She is sweet to everyone. Her smile is like sunlight up in the sky,” her mother wrote.

“Her absence is breaking my heart. She was everything I had.”

Read the full story on dailyxtra.com.

for a referendum, calling its result a foregone conclusion after the general meeting resolution.

“Those who voted in June are those who cared enough to vote,” he said, supporting the motion to rescind approval without further delay.

Director Cameron Ward agreed.

“British Columbia should not have a law school that discriminates against LGBTQ people,” he said. “This debate has nothing to do with religious freedom but is about discriminatory education of future lawyers and judges.”

Queer lawyer barbara findlay calls the decision to hold a referendum a slap in the face to the legal profession.

“That the benchers would disrespect the overwhelming majority vote at the largest lawyer meeting in BC history is breathtaking,” findlay said in a press release after the meeting. “On June 10, the legal profession turned out en masse to demand courageous and principled leadership from their Benchers. This is not leadership. This is anything but.”

Read the full story on dailyxtra.com.

XTRA! OCT 9–22, 2014 9

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Dear Dr Ren, I’m a 23-year-old gay man who might be called a late bloomer. I didn’t date in high school and have had only a couple of boyfriends.

Recently, I went to a bathhouse so I could have sex without worrying about getting all anxious. I really connected with a man there and we had great sex.

We have continued to see each other.

The problem is that we’ve never had sex again. I don’t know if I’m not being direct enough or if he doesn’t see me as boyfriend material. But we started off so hot! How can I find out what’s keeping us from being lovers?

— Tired of Waiting Dear Tired of Waiting, Maybe this an obvious question, but have you thought of asking him directly?

You say you “really connected” and you continue to see each other. But there are significant elements you aren’t telling me. What are you doing when you get together? Do you touch

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he befriends, and he may well assume you do the same. Casual, anonymous sex may be his preference, and without telling him your intentions, why would he assume you feel differently?

When you met, you were strangers sharing nothing but quickie sex.

You didn’t have to bother with social niceties, with getting-to-know-you anxieties. You were surprised and delighted when you thought you found an encounter of a more intimate variety, and you hoped you could eliminate the need for the tough business of speaking honestly. As you are learning, there are no shortcuts for clear communication.

Something else may be happening as well. It could be that your new friend’s

You went to the bathhouse to avoid the responsibility of social pressure. Perhaps he did as well. If no one initiates, nothing happens. when you greet one another? Are you touching at all?

Possibly you are both feeling socially anxious and are each waiting for the other to take the lead. You went to the bathhouse to avoid the responsibility of social pressure. Perhaps he did as well. If no one initiates, nothing happens.

Another possibility, however, may be that your new guy makes a clear distinction between those he fucks and those

sexual appetite is much different from yours. Maybe he goes to the bathhouse every few months because that’s how often he craves sexual release, and you just happened to catch him on one of those occasions. He may be thrilled that he’s found someone with the same sexual appetite. Remember, with no clarifying conversation, assumptions appear to be truth.

You now know that you can shortcircuit your social anxiety with anony-

mous sex, but you cannot get to know someone without conversation. Despite your reservations, you must express your intent if you are to establish the relationships you want.

You also know that, desire-driven, you can overcome your social anxiety in a sexually permissive environment like a bathhouse. Transfer that skill to less blatantly sexual — though equally gay-friendly — atmospheres and make it your goal to talk to at least one new person. You’ll quickly gain ease in this situation. The distraction of a steady stream of new men will lessen your dependence on your seemingly unattainable guy. Choice is good.

When you are meeting new people, think about what you have to offer and advance your good qualities. Decide what characteristics you seek in a boyfriend and look for them. Then let nature take its course.

Your bathhouse buddy may be waiting for a signal from you. Give him one. If that’s a dead end, move on.

There are lots of fish in the sea. Toss in your line.

Please indulge me these last few words to pay tribute to my lion-hearted hero, Jim Deva, too soon gone. He created a safe place before many of us could even imagine the possibility. Let’s support his loving legacy, the LOUD Scholarship Foundation, at loudbusiness.com.

Have a question for Dr Ren? Send an email to asktheexpert@dailyxtra.com.

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VANCOUVER’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

12 OCT 9–22, 2014 XTRA!

VANCOUVER’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

‘‘ ’’ COVER STORY

We’re not going to live in shame.

A TRIBUTE TO JIM DEVA 1950–2014

By Jeremy Hainsworth and Robin Perelle

MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM

AN XTRA SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT

›

XTRA! OCT 9–22, 2014 13

›

hen Jim Deva finally came out to Bruce Smyth, the man who would become his partner of 42 years, Smyth drove into a ditch.

“I said, ‘Oh my god, me too!’ We discovered together,” Smyth says.

It’s unlikely that the pair knew, in that moment of shared discovery, as Smyth fought to regain control of the car, just how pivotal a role they would play in the fight for gay liberation in Canada.

They weren’t even lovers yet.

Smyth and Deva had met several years earlier, in the grocery department of the Hudson’s Bay Northern Stores in Fort Simpson, NWT, where Deva arrived for a summer job partway through his education degree at the University of Calgary in 1972. Smyth says Deva took an instant dislike to him.

“He got so fucking pissed off at me that he asked for a transfer to dry goods in two days,” Smyth says, with a smile.

Despite the initial animosity, the two became close friends, then roommates in Calgary, and finally lovers. “What drew me to him was his laugh. We made each other laugh,” Smyth says.

“It was easy.”

J

im Deva was born James Eton Devaleriola on Dec 10, 1950, on a farm near Morrin, Alberta. Smyth says Deva refused to go through life spelling such a long last name.

“That’s how we got our Deva,” he says. “I don’t think he even realized it was ‘diva’ at the time.”

As a child growing up on a prairie surrounded by land and animals, Deva relished the open spaces.

He often described his childhood, with his four siblings and parents Ted and Doreen, as “idyllic.”

He later said his mother, an original supporter of Alberta’s social-democratic Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), instilled in

LITTLE SISTER’S ARCHIVES

Above, a young James Eton Devaleriola hails from a farm near Morrin, Alberta.

A history of Little Sister’s determination

By Guy Cribdon, with files from Robin Perelle

April 15 Jim Deva, Bruce Smyth and Barb Thomas open Little Sister’s Book and Art Emporium at 1221 Thurlow St in Vancouver and hold their official opening two weeks later on May 3. The store’s bookshelves and art gallery initially

14 OCT 9–22, 2014 XTRA!

B

y the early 1980s, Deva and Smyth were living in a communal house with four other people, bandying about business ideas.

“We didn’t know anything about running a bookstore, but it drove us crazy that you couldn’t find gay or lesbian books,” Deva told Xtra 25 years after he and Smyth opened the bookstore that would embolden generations of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people to tell their stories and to fight any attempt to silence them.

Within two years of opening its doors on April 15, 1983, Little Sister’s Book and Art Emporium was being targeted regularly by border officials at Canada Customs, who seized shipment after shipment of gay and lesbian books and magazines bound for the store, leaving its shelves increasingly bare and jeopardizing its very ability to survive as a business.

Deva had been warned to fly under Customs’ radar by porn importers whose advice he sought prior to opening the bookstore. If a shipment gets seized, just let it go, they told him; challenging Customs would only bring unwanted attention to the store.

But Deva and Smyth couldn’t just let it go. They couldn’t afford to run a business without stock, and, more profoundly, they couldn’t stomach the state’s censorship of gay and lesbian books.

owe so much to Jim and the Little Sister’s family for “ We the access to queer stories, whether it be in book or on the screen, that we enjoy today. ”

Censorship & bombs 1983

him a passion for politics and the importance of fighting for what you believe in.

“My mother was very political,” he told Xtra’s Sept 9 town hall on the politics of being too openly sexual to run for elected office. “She was an original CCF woman in the heart of rural Alberta . . . She really instilled in me the importance of being an underdog and fighting for what’s important. Not to win; it’s because it’s the point of the thing, it’s the issue of the thing. It’s because you should be strong and vote for what you totally, totally believe in. So that sort of runs through my entire body.”

Deva would bring that passion for principle, that determination to fight for what he believed in, to the bookstore that he and Smyth opened in 1983, in an upstairs corner of Vancouver’s thenemerging gay village.

The couple had moved to Vancouver five years earlier, where they settled into a Jervis Street apartment and each worked a variety of jobs, with Deva subbing as a teacher. But it was a difficult time to be a gay teacher. When some students ran into him at the old Gandydancer club on Hamilton Street, he quit.

“I decided I didn’t want to be a closeted teacher,” he told Xtra in 2002. Instead, he took a retail job at a game store in Gastown. “I knew really deeply and intrinsically that I had to close the door on the past to start a new life.”

share space, but art sales are slow and the bookstore soon takes over, despite the popularity of the monthly gallery openings. Since very few gay and lesbian books are available at this time in Canada, Little Sister’s has to import about 90 percent of its stock from the US.

— filmmaker Aerlyn Weissman

1985

border. Materials deemed to be obscene will be seized and destroyed by the government; items passing inspection will be forwarded to their destination. The guidelines include depictions or descriptions of anal sex as grounds for prohibition.

May 29 Canada Customs seizes a shipment of the lesbian magazine Bad Attitude destined for Little Sister’s.

Customs officials will not say why the publication has been seized but inform Little Sister’s that it can fill out the requisite forms to appeal the decision.

1986

June The federal Department of Justice releases Memorandum D9-1-1, itemizing exactly what kinds of material should be considered obscene and stopped at the

Dec 8 Canada Customs seizes 59 titles headed for Little Sister’s for the busy Christmas season. Two days later, officials seize another 19 titles, including 75 copies

A TRIBUTE TO JIM DEVA

of the Jan 3, 1987, issue of The Advocate. Little Sister’s appeals the seizures and goes public, issuing a press release entitled “Canada Customs Declares War on Little Sister’s.” Press coverage of the seizures notes the ready availability of many of the detained titles through other bookstores and the Vancouver Public Library. By the end of the month, Customs has seized more than 600 books and magazines bound for the store, at least $4,000 worth of merchandise.

1987 May Little Sister’s and the BC Civil Liberties Association launch proceedings against Canada Customs for the detention of two issues of The Advocate. The trial date is set for May 1988.

June 3 Customs detains a shipment of books, including Anne Cameron’s book Dzelarhons, destined for Little Sister’s. The popular Canadian title, a retelling of northwest coast First Nations legends, is deemed obscene because

of the presence of one short story that recounts the story of a woman who is forced to marry a bear. Customs releases the book later in the month.

Dec 9 A bomb is thrown into the stairwell leading up to Little Sister’s from its Thurlow Street entrance. No one is in the stairwell when it explodes, but police estimate the bomb has caused $2,000 in damage.

VANCOUVER’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

drew me to him was his “ What laugh. We made each other laugh.

It was easy. ” — Partner Bruce Smyth

Left, partners Jim Deva and Bruce Smyth.

They had a decision to make.

On Dec 10, 1986, after Customs seized the bulk of the store’s critical Christmas inventory, Deva and Smyth publicly fought back. They put out a press release: “Canada Customs Declares War on Little Sister’s.”

Customs eventually relinquished the Christmas shipments, dumping the books on the store’s Thurlow Street steps, stuffed into a mailbag. (“They just threw them on the step like it was trash,” Deva said.) But the seizures continued unabated.

So Little Sister’s took Big Brother to court, as filmmaker Aerlyn Weissman put it in her 2002 documentary Little Sister’s vs Big Brother.

J

LITTLE SISTER’S ARCHIVES

1988 Feb 6 At 8:45pm, a bomb is thrown through the back door of Little Sister’s downstairs neighbour Thurlow’s Restaurant while Jim Deva dines with co-owner Gaston Nadeau. Broken glass showers the diners, but press reports maintain that no one is seriously hurt.

April Just weeks before their case against Canada Customs over the 1986 seizure of The Advocate is set to get underway, Little Sister’s

im Deva taught us to break the silence, to speak our truths, to challenge censorship and to live our lives freely, Weissman said in her eulogy to him, Sept 27.

“His refusal to bow to injustice and censorship was fuelled not by bitterness or hatred for his adversaries, but for love of his community,” she continued. “And by the knowledge, deep in his gut, that the struggle was absolutely necessary, for his own dignity and well-being and for the dignity of lesbian and gay and bisexual and transgender and two-spirited people everywhere.”

Drew Dennis, executive director of the Vancouver Queer Film Festival, still remembers the standing ovation that Deva, Smyth and the Little Sister’s team received from a sold-out audience when Weissman’s film screened in 2002 — despite attempts by BC’s Film Classification Board to shut it down. “And this was before the film had even started! We owe so much to Jim and the Little Sister’s family for the access to queer stories, whether it be in book or on the screen, that we enjoy today. And when I say ‘we,’ I mean all Canadians,” Dennis says.

“They were the forward guard, the knights of our community,” Weismann says. “They took up the flag and said, ‘We’re not going to live in shame.’

and the BC Civil Liberties Association learn that the federal government has conceded that the LA-based biweekly newsmagazine is not obscene after all. The case is closed. Seizures of other gay and lesbian materials destined for Little Sister’s continue.

books as unconstitutional, violating the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms’ guaranteed right to freedom of expression. The trial date is set for September 1991 but will be postponed three times.

1990

Jan 7 A smoke bomb explodes in the stairwell leading up to Little Sister’s at about 10pm, while the store is still open.

Smoke fills every corner of the store. No one is injured, but there is considerable damage to the floor of the landing and

June 7 Little Sister’s and the BC Civil Liberties Association file a new statement of claim in BC Supreme Court challenging Canada Customs’ powers to detain and ban

1992

stairwell walls. Remains of the bomb are soon discovered embedded in the notice board on the stairwell turn. It’s a Polish percussion grenade, military issue. No one claims responsibility and no one is ever arrested.

September Little Sister’s Charter challenge versus Canada Customs is postponed for a year just one week before its planned start date. It is now scheduled to begin on Oct 4, 1993.

They said, ‘We need our lives and our literature just like the rest of you folks.’”

The bookstore refused to back down, despite legal delays, mounting court costs, government appeals and even three bombs (see timeline on this page). More than a decade after Little Sister’s first filed suit against Canada Customs, the Supreme Court of Canada handed down a partial victory in 2000. The court upheld the government’s power to censor ideas it deemed obscene but told border officials to stop unduly targeting gay and lesbian books.

Less than a year later, border guards again seized several books of gay erotica on bondage and fetish destined for Little Sister’s. Deva and Smyth marshalled their energy and filed suit again, though the case would eventually fizzle because of lack of funds.

T

hroughout the court battles and to this day, the bookstore remains a hub, a de facto community centre, where people gather to gossip, to find out what’s going on, to support one another and to build community.

From the store’s earliest days, its character was inextricably entwined with its owners, Deva and Smyth, who literally lived at work, sleeping in a tiny room at the back.

With a smile on his face, Deva welcomed community members to chat, play pinball or drink coffee. Off to the side was the folding door through which could be seen Deva and Smyth’s rumpled bed, Little Sister the cat (and store namesake) curled up asleep.

Manager Janine Fuller remembers her first few days on the job in 1990. “When I first worked at the bookstore, there was a coffee machine that you had to put a quarter in and press a button. It was hysterical. They sold cigarettes and everyone smoked,” she told Xtra on the store’s 25th birthday.

1993 Sept 12 Delegates attending the 60th International Congress of PEN, the international writers’ union, pass a resolution in Valencia, Spain, condemning Canada Customs’ seizure of books as a violation of the fundamental right to freedom of speech.

Sept 27 BC Supreme Court Justice R Bruce Harvey agrees to the federal government’s request to adjourn the start of the Little Sister’s trial. Lawyers representing the government

›

argue that they need more time to prepare their case. The trial is rescheduled to commence on Oct 11, 1994. This is the third time the case has been adjourned since Little Sister’s and the BC Civil Liberties Association filed suit in 1990.

Nov 29 Canada Customs intercepts a shipment of copies of Gael Baudino’s Shroud of Shadow, sent to Little Sister’s

by Penguin Books Canada in Newmarket, Ontario. This is the first instance of Customs detaining a domestic ship-

JOHN KOZACHENKO

MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM

AN XTRA SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT

XTRA! OCT 9–22, 2014 15

“Entering the bookstore was like entering a carnival,” she and Stuart Blackley wrote in their 1995 book Restricted Entry: Censorship on Trial, about the store’s fight against Canada Customs.

“Every aisle was a sideshow displaying the ideas and trends of the times — with moods, depending on the aisle, that could be sexy, thoughtful or euphoric.”

Underpinning the bookstore’s philosophy was its unapologetic exploration and celebration of sex. Deva encouraged us to talk about our desires and to enjoy our sexuality without shame, says journalist Kevin Dale McKeown, who wrote Vancouver’s first gay column in the early 1970s.

Little Sister’s has always been an important bookstore and sex shop, he says. “It was where you went to get your lube and poppers and masks.

We gussy it up with rhetoric, [but] the day-to-day business of Little Sister’s was about the sex, with no apologies.”

Only a few weeks before his death, Deva cheerfully praised masturbation and encouraged everyone to be sexually honest at Xtra’s town hall.

“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.”

Three years ago, Deva and Smyth expanded their sexual outreach to straight people eager to embrace their own sexuality, when they launched their spinoff store, Sweet Adult Boutique, on Broadway Avenue. Sweet’s stock is primarily sex toys, lubricants and massage oils, and its clientele is primarily straight. “I feel like an apostle, but to straight people,” Deva told Xtra last year. “I’m giving workshops on how to fuck your husband, and it’s being very well received, and I think I’m doing some good in the world,” he laughed.

“Jim supported everyone who was striving to find their identity,” McKeown says. “Jim would always make sure there was room for the contrary voice,” he adds.

JULIE STINES

B

ack at the flagship store, Little Sister’s remains an integral part of the comingout journey for countless LGBT people, many of whom consider it a rite of passage to walk through the door.

Like so many others, activist Ryan Clayton set out to meet Deva, and to find those long-denied books. He was 18 when he first entered Little Sister’s in nervous hopes of meeting the man he knew as a legend. “I described it as a pilgrimage for the gay soul,” Clayton, now 27, says.

It was Deva who first encouraged Clayton to address a crowd, at an anti-gaybashing rally in 2008. “I don’t think anything I ever did didn’t have his influence,” Clayton says. “He’s left a legacy all across Canada.”

Activist Yogi Omar first met Deva when he sang with a gay and lesbian youth choir, but it wasn’t until he came out in 2011 that he was taken to Little Sister’s. Later, he talked to Deva about wanting to become involved in activism. “He said, ‘You already are. You’re thinking about it,’” Omar remembers. “He said, ‘Learn your past. Learn

impossible to imagine what our city “ It’s would be like today if it had not been for Jim. ” — Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson

ment of materials destined for Little Sister’s. Customs releases the books and sends them on to Little Sister’s in early December and claims, along with Canada Post, that the incident was a mistake.

Federal revenue minister David Anderson apologizes to Little Sister’s.

1994 Aug 25 Customs detains 10 titles on their way to Little Sister’s, including the children’s book Belinda’s Bouquet.

Sept 29 Just two weeks before Little Sister’s Charter challenge against Canada Customs is finally scheduled to be heard, the federal government amends Memorandum D9-1-1 to remove depictions of anal penetration from the list of obscene materials banned from importation into Canada.

Oct 11 More than four years after filing its statement of claim, Little Sister’s case against Canada Customs finally opens in BC Supreme Court. The trial will run for 40

Above, Bruce Smyth, Janine Fuller and Jim Deva gather at the store on Jan 19, 1996, to read the BC Supreme Court’s ruling on Canada Customs.

Right, Deva encourages everyone to be sexually honest at Xtra’s town hall on Sept 9, 2014.

the rules . . . so you know how to break them.’”

Without exception, the bookstore has “welcomed everyone and every part of our community and been a home to all of us,” Weissman says.

Deva had a way of making everyone feel heard, she says. “He was so full with love. How could you not love him? He was such a wonderful, open and funny person, his ears and his heart ever open to everyone. Everyone felt heard. Everyone felt included.”

He also had a gift for harnessing people’s outrage and empowering them to speak out and lead others.

When Aaron Webster was killed in Stanley Park by a group of youth on Nov 17, 2001, it was to Deva that Murray Bilida immediately turned.

Bilida was eating his breakfast sandwich at Melriches Coffeehouse when he heard about the brutal attack at the entrance to the park’s gay cruising trail. He knew instantly that it was a gaybashing and hurried next door to see Deva.

“Can you fucking believe this?” he asked Deva. “‘Somebody needs to do something about this,’” Bilida says he told Deva. “And Jim, in his wise and succinct way, said, ‘Well then, you better get busy, mister.’

days and feature testimony from such literary luminaries as Pierre Berton, Jane Rule, Nino Ricci and Pat Califia in support of Little Sister’s.

of reckoning” and warning them to stay away from work the next day.

and the BC Civil Liberties Association vow to appeal the decision.

1996

1995

Jan 19 The BC Supreme Court renders its decision in the Little Sister’s case. Justice Kenneth Smith rules that Canada Customs has discriminated against Little Sister’s and enforced the law with “arbitrariness, inconsistency and just plain foolishness.”

However, the court upholds Customs’ power to seize and detain material. Little Sister’s

March 29 Justice Kenneth Smith grants an injunction requiring Canada Customs to stop its seizures of Little Sister’s material until the Crown can prove to the court that Customs officers are applying “appropriate standards” in their examinations of Little Sister’s material. In separate proceedings, Justice Smith also awards Little Sister’s costs to a total of $168,740

Feb 24 A male caller phones Little Sister’s from out of town and warns Janine Fuller that a bomb has been planted in the store. Police investigate but find no explosive device.

March 1 Staff at Little Sister’s receive a hand-written letter threatening them with “a day

“And that was it. I went home and I got to work,” says Bilida, who organized the following day’s historic protest down Davie Street in less than five hours.

“He drew lines and connected dots that I don’t think a lot of people contemplated,” Bilida says.

Webster’s murder served as another catalyst for Deva, who, in the aftermath, pushed for better protection for the community from the Vancouver Police Department and helped form a liaison committee to sensitize the force. He also pushed for more community representation on the gay village’s business association on Davie Street and anti-homophobia programs in schools. As the police and city hall grew more attentive to the community, he later sat on the City of Vancouver’s

plus disbursements, a significant victory for the bookstore.

July 7 Little Sister’s opens at its new location, 1238 Davie St, having run out of space at its old Thurlow Street location.

1998 March 28 Little Sister’s appears in the BC Court of Appeal to contest the BC Supreme Court ruling in its case against Canada Customs.

June 24 The BC Court of Appeal, in a 2-1 decision, upholds the BC Supreme DANIEL COLLINS

16 OCT 9–22, 2014 XTRA!

A TRIBUTE TO JIM DEVA

VANCOUVER’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

gave hope and inspiration to so “ He many young gay, lesbian, bi and trans kids . . . and to people like me. ” — Svend Robinson, Canada’s first openly gay member of Parliament

BELLE ANCELL

Above, Jim Deva, Bruce Smyth and Janine Fuller pose for an Xtra photo-shoot to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Little Sister’s bookstore in 2013.

JAMES LOEWEN

new LGBTQ advisory committee as well.

“He was a champion for the West End community, for the Davie Village,” Weissman says.

“He was a liaison to the Vancouver Police Department, building respect and understanding for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and twospirited people.”

Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson recognized Deva as a “city builder” in his eulogy. “It’s impossible to imagine what our city would be like today if it had not been for Jim,” said a visibly moved Robertson, who called Deva a trailblazer who knew how to fight and, even more, how to love.

“All of us here and so many who could not be here today — countless people — are really a testimony to Jim’s work,” he said.

Court decision and rules that Canada Customs’ power to seize and detain material its officers deem obscene is not unconstitutional. Janine Fuller announces that Little Sister’s will appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada.

1999 Feb 18 The Supreme Court of Canada agrees to hear Little Sister’s appeal. The bookstore hopes the nation’s highest court will strike down the laws permitting Canada Customs officers to seize and detain

“Jim is a city builder,” he continued. “Someone who has built an incredibly powerful culture of love and understanding, of fighting for justice, of creating a city of leaders who look after each other.”

Longtime friend Barb Snelgrove, who still sits on the city’s LGBTQ advisory committee, calls Deva a true champion. “He was a warrior,” she says. “He was fierce, he was soft, he was a pit bull, he was a saint. He was impassioned and a true wit. He was all the best of things I love in a person.”

“All any of us can do is take what he taught us as we try to carry his torch forward. Work with compassion, humour, commitment and a deep love of community,” she says.

material they deem obscene at the Canadian border.

2000 March 16 The Supreme Court of Canada hears arguments in the Little Sister’s case.

Dec 15 The Supreme Court of Canada upholds Justice Smith’s BC Supreme Court decision and rules that Little Sister’s suffered “excessive and unnecessary prejudice in terms of delays, cost and other losses in having their goods cleared (if at all)

MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM

S

vend Robinson, Canada’s first openly gay member of Parliament, says news of Deva’s death left him reeling.

“I remember his passion, his decency, his wicked laugh, his unwavering commitment to justice and equality, not just for our LGBT people, but for all,” he says, reached in Europe.

“He gave hope and inspiration to so many young gay, lesbian, bi and trans kids . . . and to people like me,” Robinson says. “He was truly a hero.”

Hero is a word that Deva himself shied away from. “I do have trouble with the word hero,” he said on the eve of receiving Xtra’s Community Hero of the Year award in 2002. “I sort of view myself as a conduit, empowering people to be active. We have so many brilliant, accomplished people in our community, and once in a while they just need to be empowered.”

Asked what drove his partner through all the years, all the battles and all the growth, Smyth is succinct. “The community,” he says, stroking their dog Buddy’s head. “The store was only an

through Canada Customs.”

The court orders Canada Customs to stop targeting the gay bookstore, but it does not strike down Customs’ authority to seize materials deemed obscene at the border.

Lovers and Of Men, Ropes and Remembrance, edited by Larry Townsend), prompts Little Sister’s and the BC Civil Liberties Association to launch new proceedings against Canada Customs.

cases of public significance where the appellants lack the financial means to proceed.

“The issues raised are too important to forfeit this litigation because of lack of funds,” Bennett rules.

2001

2004

2005

July 5 Less than a year after the Supreme Court of Canada ruling, Customs seizes two issues of the gay comic book Meatmen. This act, followed by the subsequent seizure of two more books of gay erotica (Of Slaves and Ropes and

June 18 BC Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Bennett awards Little Sister’s advance costs to pursue its Meatmen lawsuit against Canada Customs. Judges have the discretion to award advance costs in rare and exceptional

Feb 18 The BC Court of Appeal reverses Justice Bennett’s ruling, which would have granted Little Sister’s the advance funding necessary to carry on its legal proceedings against Canada Customs.

Little Sister’s and the BC Civil

AN XTRA SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT

instrument to help the community.”

“More than anything else, Little Sister’s represents the power of community,” Deva concurred in 2013, as the store celebrated its 30th anniversary.

“Little Sister’s has never just been about one person, or two, or three, or four. It’s always been about community.”

Deva was trimming bamboo in the garden of his Haro Street home when he fell Sept 21, hitting his head. He died instantly, triggering a wave of grief across Canada. He was 63 years old.

As news of his death swept across social media and stunned Vancouver’s queer community, people piled sunflowers outside the store’s door, while, inside, Deva’s friends and family stared at each other in disbelief.

“I spent 42 fabulous years with the man. I have no regrets,” Smyth says. “We said everything we needed to say.”

“It’s always been an exquisite ride,” Deva told Xtra in 2002. “I compare it to a roller coaster, where you hold on to the bar and go for it.”

Liberties Association appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada.

2007 Jan 19 The Supreme Court of Canada rules that Little Sister’s case against Canada Customs is not special enough to warrant the taxpayers’ support and denies the store’s request for advance funding.

The ruling is a blow to Little Sister’s ability to take Customs back to court. Without advance costs, the bookstore can’t pursue its complaint.

2008 January While making plans to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Little Sister’s, Jim Deva and Bruce Smyth announce their plan to sell the store, but they never do. Though a few offers are received, none meet the co-owners’ requirement to maintain the staff, the store and its role in the community.

Instead, Deva and Smyth launch a second store in 2011, called Sweet Adult Boutique, aimed primarily at liberating a straight clientele.

XTRA! OCT 9–22, 2014 17

DAVID ELLINGSEN

How Yoda slew the Emperor GUEST COLUMN GARETH KIRKBY

Jim Deva faced the world with mischief writ large. His Yoda face — pointy ears, intense deep-blue eyes and toothless smile — conspired with a visitor: “I know you’ve been up to mischief,” his face said. “I like mischief, too. Tell me about it.”

You’d share. He’d share. His eyes would get even more intense and a tooth or two would appear.

At his core, Jim was a shit-disturber, the best kind: he always had a purpose in stirring it up.

In eight years at the editorial helm of Xtra Vancouver, I often interviewed him. For a while, I frequently met for breakfast with Jim and sometimes his partner, Bruce. We were conspiring a strategic community response to the murder of photographer Aaron Webster at the end of a baseball bat in a gay cruising area.

Jim was deeply affected by Webster’s death and plunged himself into a multidimensional re18 OCT 9–22, 2014 XTRA!

sponse. It must not be meaningless, he insisted. It was a catalyzing event that could alter the flow of history in how police, the Crown and judges deal with the local gay — and extended — community.

It’s partially achieved.

He wasn’t always strategic about an issue, sometimes holding his nose and plunging in. He was confident that he would somehow best any crocodiles that might be awaiting him below. He fought big crocodiles, the biggest of which was Canada Customs and the Canadian government.

Customs dared put Jim’s young bookstore at risk and, more to the point, confiscated the information queers need to live safe, full and diverse lives and to celebrate our sexuality and creative culture. As detailed elsewhere in this issue, Little Sister’s won a partial court victory over Canada Customs. And in that very public journey, Jim, Bruce and store manager Janine Fuller won over the Canadian public in a way still playing out through the contentious issues of marijuana laws, prostitution and government surveillance of all citizens.

He plunged equally into other issues, especially those connecting directly to building a diverse and welcoming West End for gays throughout the region to build community. He helped get city hall acknowledgment of our community under COPE and now Vision. And he did more, oh so much more, than most achieve in a lifetime.

He was often passionately confrontational in meetings with power holders. Jim knew from experience that progress on an issue requires beginning with visible contention. You have to push against the status quo and also the tiny steps that some are prepared to settle for. Otherwise, the powerful serve you jujubes from a gold plate while eating steak themselves. Ask for a lot, create friction and discomfort, settle for more than some are prepared to accept. Throw in a huge dose of love and goodwill. Try to co-opt your adversaries.

Rinse, repeat. That was Jim’s approach, and his legacy shows it works.

He loved to argue with friends, too. “Bullshit, Kirkby,” he’d yell in the midst of lighthearted banter at his store. And go off on a 10-minute rant

A TRIBUTE TO JIM DEVA

Above, past and present staff and supporters raise their glasses to co-owners Bruce Smyth and Jim Deva (centre) to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Little Sister’s bookstore in 2008.

that connected only tangentially to our original topic. It was a delight to experience. Rarely, he’d concede after a big laugh and, yes, with that conspiratorial look on his face.

Jim’s legacy is a lesson in never settling. Fight for it all. From the right to own your own sexuality and choose your own reading, to your right to a safe and fulfilling life, to your responsibility — and pleasure — in building an amazing and creative community. If we each do that, we will change the world.

To honour this five-foot-something giant with the conspiratorial gaze is to pick an issue you care about and fight for it with love in your heart.

Gareth Kirkby is a former editor and publisher for Pink Triangle Press, publisher of Xtra Vancouver.

VANCOUVER’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

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AN XTRA SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT

XTRA! OCT 9–22, 2014 19

Donations in Jim's honour can be made to: LOUD Business c/o The Gay & Lesbian Business Association of BC # 247 -280 Nelson Street Vancouver, BC, V6B 2E2 T: 604.739.4522 | admin@loudbusiness.com www.loudbusiness.com

Little Sister's is contributing $5000 in Jim's name to Loud 20 OCT 9–22, 2014 XTRA!

A TRIBUTE TO JIM DEVA

VANCOUVER’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

Out in the City

Who better to honour the spaceman himself than the epicene Ponyboy? Raziel Reid E24

Refreshing Oasis What does the Davie Village need from the once-gay lounge?

The biggest struggle is that they [Oasis] wouldn’t decide what they want to be.

GAY SPACE RAZIEL REID

Under new management, Davie Street’s Oasis remains closed, biding its time before revealing its latest incarnation.

The once-gay venue has gone through several incarnations in the last few years. By the beginning of 2014, Oasis had given up on trying to be a gay dance club and transformed into a straight sports bar and restaurant. It’s hard to say who abandoned whom first — long before the bar was remade as a sports lounge it had difficulty amassing a gay following despite attempts by promoters like Peter Breeze to bring in a niche market.

“The biggest struggle is that they wouldn’t decide what they want to be,” Breeze says. “When you walk in, you get this lounge feel, but then there’s a dancefloor and a DJ playing music, so it was conflicting. When I was working there, I was really pushing the dance-party direction, and I thought it could be the place where alternative gays went in the West End. But it didn’t work.”

There was a time in the early to mid-2000s when Oasis did have a solid identity and loyal patrons. When James Steck, now manager of Celebrities Nightclub, was at the helm of Oasis, it was “a hotel lounge without the hotel.”

“It was a martini lounge with a great patio, so it was a great place for people to come after work, have their cocktails, have a bite to eat,” Steck says.

“It was also a place they could come to have a full dinner, and then they could come and pre-drink before they went to the clubs. I think that’s still what the Village is missing. Now, hopefully, Jenn Mickey [the owner of 1181 and now Heaven’s Door] may pick that up.”

With bars like Heaven’s Door offering a place for after-work cocktails and bars like Numbers offering a place to dance the night away, what does Davie Street need Oasis to represent? According to Berlin Stiller, who worked the door at Oasis for more than a year, the Village doesn’t necessarily need a new venue, but new life in general.

“The whole time that I worked [at Oasis], nothing worked,” Stiller says. “I feel like all the MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM

PETER BREEZE, PARTY PROMOTER

James Steck was at the helm of Oasis from 2000 to 2006, when it was a popular gay destination.

“It was a hotel lounge without the hotel,” says Steck, seen here during his Oasis tenure. MATT MILLS

bars on Davie are tired; they have nothing more that they can offer or come up with. The gay community is a little bit picky with what they will and will not do, and because of that bars are left with less options, and you can only go back and do the same theme or concept so many times before people find it old.”

Breeze concurs. “Apart from 1181 and PumpJack, nothing is happening on Davie,” he says.

“Everyone goes to 1181, which is great at the beginning and at the end of the night, and PumpJack is an institution; it will never go away — there are lineups on Monday morning.

I think that so much is changing and there are so many options. I mean, it’s Saturday night and there are at least five different parties we can go to. That’s never happened before. They’re all gay parties, some at straight venues, and they’re spread out all over the city.”

“There’s a lot of great spaces in the city. I don’t think it has to be generalized and stuck to one little area when there’s all of Vancouver,” Stiller adds. “You don’t have to leave [a Village bar] at three and then wander to find an after-party.

Now there’s parties that go on until six in the morning, and it gives options to stay out longer if you want to.”

While it may no longer be necessary or even desirable to host every gay party in the Village, Breeze, Steck and Stiller all agree that Davie Street is still a place where they feel safe and connected to their gay roots.

However, as Stiller notes, for an increasing number of queer people, “partying and community are two separate things.”

Xtra reached out to the new manager of Oasis for an interview but did not receive a response by press time. According to Instagram, the venue may be renamed Playhouse and reopen as a wine bar. No word yet on whether it will be a gay or straight venue — but in this new age of nightlife, does it matter?

XTRA! OCT 9–22, 2014 21

Long live Man Up

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I gotta give it to the boys.

Not only do they know how to party, but they’re loyal.

And by boys, of course, I mean girls dressed as boys.

I’ve been reviewing nightlife for Xtra for more than three years now (my poor, poor liver), and Man Up has been dominating the lesbian party scene since I started. I found out from event promoter Paige Frewer/Ponyboy that the party had already been around for three years prior to my arrival in Vancouver. That fact alone deserves a slow clap. I’ve seen a lot of parties come and go, so to have an event achieve Man Up’s longevity in a scene where trends usually last as long as it takes to dry out is incredibly impressive.

I’m not at dyke events that often, but I’m constantly hearing horror stories from people who work in clubs who claim that girls are messier than boys and leave the bathrooms a wreck (gay guys get messy in bathrooms, too, but that’s a bit different) and that the bar never makes as much money as it does at gay events because some lesbians sneak in booze.

After attending Man Up, I can assure you that there were no horrors — unless you count the Bowie-singing contest during intermission. In fact, gay guys could learn a thing or two from the ladies. The Cobalt was more packed than I’ve ever seen it. It was even busier than it is during the annual Mr/Ms Cobalt competition.

The Man Up Bowie edition was The Cobalt’s first event since Pride, and a huge crowd came out. The scary monsters and super freaks were shoulder to shoulder in the labyrinth. Who better to honour the spaceman himself than the epicene Ponyboy? She has the cheek bones, the androgyny and, above all, the showmanship.

“A lot of my songs were very illustrative and picturesque,” David Bowie said in a 1974 interview. “I was never very confident in my voice, you see, so I thought rather than just sing them,

Raziel Reid poses with Man Up’s Paige Frewer, reincarnated as David Bowie. TALLULAH

which would probably bore the pants off everyone, I would like to portray the songs. That’s really how it all started. I wanted to give them dimension.”

Other performers at Man Up included Sailor Ripley, Peter Pansy, Boi Job, Cazzwell Van Dyke, Tony McShane, Just Call Her Heather, Will Endowed and alternative burlesque sensation Victory Belle.

Almost as exciting as the performers was getting to see The Cobalt’s new Sidebar, its recently opened extension to the main bar. It’s sure to quickly become East Van’s 1181, with a similarly narrow lounge perfect for a social drink. It has just enough grit to differentiate itself from its West End counterpart, but it has an equally warm and intimate atmosphere. With original Woodward’s Building tiles adorning the ceiling, it doesn’t look like an extension of The Cobalt but like a completely separate entity, making everyone’s favourite Eastside hangout now a two-for-one.

The best part of my night at Man Up was meeting Kayl Worska, a 22-yearold Portugese filmmaker whose short

In/Operable screened at the Vancouver International Film Festival. “Even though older ladies sometimes mistook me for a boy, my eyelashes would eventually give me away,” Worska says in the film.

Worska told me that he spent all his money on a plane ticket to Canada to attend the festival — money he earned selling figs in his front yard. Figs! I couldn’t make this shit up if I tried. He was also helped financially by friends, and even an ex-girlfriend, who believed in him enough to donate money to help get him across the Atlantic. He said he was enjoying Vancouver but feeling isolated. “Everyone is so cold,” he said.

“No one shows their love.” He then gave an example of how warm and tactile friends in Portugal are compared to what he’s observed in our city.

Over David Bowie beats, Worska and I talked about the illusion of gender and the theme of his beautiful film, about realizing “you can transmute the body, but identity is inoperable.”

Watch In/Operable on Raziel’s daily blog on dailyxtra.com.

VANCOUVER’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

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Thurs, Oct 9 Darling This dark, gritty musical based loosely on Peter Pan includes a gay relationship among the “lost boys” of 1929 Boston. Runs until Sat, Oct 18. Renegade Production Theatre, 125 E 2nd Ave. $20–25 at darling.brownpapertickets.com.

Fri, Oct 10 AJ’s Café Join other HIV-positive gay men every Friday for this free social gathering/support group sponsored by Positive Living BC. 3–6pm. The Junction Pub, 1138 Davie St. positivelivingbc.org Better than Sex This weekend consciousness seminar uses talk and touch to learn how to turn sex into an integrated whole-body experience. Friday 7–10pm, Saturday and Sunday 10:30am–7pm. Cambie at 10th; address provided upon registration.

Open to single men and couples. $350. Register at menintouch@ outlook.com, 778-786-3677 or betterthansex.org.

Friday Yoga Drop-In The Health Initiative for Men offers yoga sessions every Friday night. Bring your own yoga mat and towel.

7–8:15pm. Scotiabank Dance Centre, 677 Davie St. Call 604488-1001 for more info. Free, but donations gratefully accepted. checkhimout.ca Naked Heaven Party The PacificCanadian Association of Nudists invites you to a night of clothes-free dancing, courtesy of DJ Galactica spins. 8pm–2am. Club 8x6, 1775 Haro St. $15, $10 members. 8x6.ca RUFFwild Opening Party Steamworks presents DJs Brian Maier (San Fran), Matt Stands (Seattle) and the Ruff men.

9pm–3am. The Pint, 455 Abbott St. $25 at door; $20 advance at Little Sister’s, 1238 Davie St; Topdrawers, 809 Davie St; or ruffparty.com.

MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM

United: Thanksgiving Big Roger hosts an all-night afterparty with San Diego DJ Tristan Jaxx for WildBear Weekend 2014. 1–7am.

Encore Dance Club, 1058 Granville St. $40 at door; $30 advance at Little Sister’s, 1238 Davie St, or ticketzone.com. bigrogerevents.com

Sat, Oct 11 Hustla: Goblin Ya Knob-lin Peach Cobblah hosts an early spooky party, with guest Scarlett Bobo.

9pm–2am. The Cobalt, 917 Main St. $12. thecobalt.ca

Sun, Oct 12 Prime Timers Monthly Meeting Gay and bisexual senior men meet monthly for coffee, dinners, day trips and more. 1:30pm. West End Community Centre, 870 Denman St. Info at primetimerscontact@ shaw.ca.

WildBear Sunday DJ Matt Consola spins this portion of WildBear Weekend. 9pm–2am. Heaven’s Door, 1216 Bute St. $25 at door; $15 advance at paypal.com. All proceeds go to Camp Moomba. campmoomba.com VML Social The Vancouver Men in Leather host their monthly social in the back of the PumpJack Pub, for everyone from the curious to the serious. 9pm until late. PumpJack Pub, 1167 Davie St. No cover. meninleather.homestead.com Truckerdisco Vancouver’s most eclectic dance party celebrates its third anniversary. Guest DJ DiscoVasco joins Taffi Louis for Italo, nu-disco, edits, anthems and oddities. 9pm. Lux Lounge, 1180 Howe St. $6.12 advance at Little Sister’s, 1238 Davie St; Beat Street, 439 W Hastings St; Zulu Records, 1972 W 4th Ave; or eventbrite.ca. truckerdisco.com New York Adam Dreaddy presents his monthly New York state of mind in a three-storey, two-venue,

multifaceted social club. 10pm– 3am. Brooklyn Gastown, 91 Powell St. $14 at door; $10 advance at Stratosphere Hair, 1259 Granville St. brooklyngastown.com Hershe Bar DJs Riki Rocket and Jenna J spin for this popular lesbian party, with singles bracelets, drink specials and a sunken dancefloor.

10pm–2am. Red Room Ultra Bar, 398 Richards St. $15.75 at flygirlproductions.com or eventbrite.com.

Mon, Oct 13 Hiking Bears in Stanley Park Meet the Vancouver Hiking Bears at the Stanley Park bus loop for some outdoor exercise on WildBear Weekend. 10:30am–12:30pm. Free.

Search “Wildbear hike 2014” on Facebook.

Long-Term Survivors A weekly discussion group for people who have been HIV-positive for more than 15 years. 6:30–8pm.

St Paul’s Hospital, Room 549, 1081 Burrard St. Free. positivelivingbc.org Poetry Slam with Natasha T Miller This week’s featured Van Slam poet is Natasha T Miller, a 28-year-old African-American lesbian activist. 7pm. Café Deux Soleils, 2096 Commercial Dr. $5–10. cafedeuxsoleils.com

Tues, Oct 14 Philosophers’ Cafey The Health Initiative for Men hosts this drop-in discussion the second Tuesday of each month to explore thought-provoking themes. 6:30–8:30pm.

310-1033 Davie St. Free. checkhimout.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

Linda Fillmore hosts the Prairie Fairies Fowl Supper — Hellenic Community Centre, Sat, Oct 18 BELLE ANCELL

Wed, Oct 15 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 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 Bingo for Life Joan-E’s weekly fundraiser for Friends for Life

features prizes, cheap drinks and snappy drag queens. 8–10pm.

Celebrities, 1022 Davie St. $10 donation at door for bingo cards. celebritiesnightclub.com

partner not required. Cash bar.

8pm–11:30pm. Let’s Dance Studio, 927 Granville St. $12–15, sliding scale, at Little Sister’s, 1238 Davie St. notsostrictlyballroom.ca

Faux Girls Emperor XLIII JJ Nation and Empress XLIII Kiki Lawhore host cocktails and a drag show. 10pm–1am. The Junction, 1138 Davie St. junctionpub.com

The Junk Yard Denman Street’s sex club hosts a no-holes-barred sex party on the first, second and third Saturday of each month. 8pm–3am.

Club 8x6, 1775 Haro St. $10; two for one before midnight. 8x6.ca

Thurs, Oct 16 Anonymous A mask-mandatory event for men only, where who you meet is a mystery. 8pm–1am. Club 8x6, 1775 Haro St. $10 admission, includes locker. 8x6.ca

Fri, Oct 17 Felix Cartal Vancouver’s own DJ Felix Cartal performs. 10pm–3am.

Celebrities Nightclub, 1022 Davie St. $15 at electrostub.com or celebritiesnightclub.com.

Sat, Oct 18 Bizarre Bazaar The Dogwood Monarchist Society hosts its annual bazaar. 3–6pm. The Junction, 1138 Davie St. $3. junctionpub.com Prairie Fairies Fowl Supper A touch of country, a jug of Golden Wedding, all your favourite performances and an overwhelming scent of Bengay: join the 15th annual Fowl Supper for a prairiestyle fundraiser and turkey dinner with all the trimmings. 4:30pm– 12:30am. Hellenic Community Centre, 4500 Arbutus St. $60 at fillmorefamily.ca.

Carole Pope Girlgig Productions presents the anti-diva: up close, personal and raunchy. Doors 8pm, show 9pm. The Emerald, 555 Gore St. $35 at Little Sister’s, 1238 Davie St. carolepope.com Not So Strictly Ballroom Vancouver’s queer ballroom dance club kicks off another year of dance parties and classes with the inimitable Murray Schellenberg as DJ, host and samba teacher (lesson at 8:45pm).

Newcomers always welcome;

Big Freedia with Peach Cobblah New Orleans’ Queen of Bounce stops by on her Just Be Free tour.

9pm. The Cobalt, 917 Main St. $15 advance at Zulu Records, 1972 W 4th Ave; Red Cat Records, 4332 Main St; and ticketweb.ca. bigfreedia.com Cherry Pop: Bitches of Salem Jane Smoker and Valynne Vile host this sexy new monthly night celebrating all things strip, sweat, glitter and grit. 10:30pm–1:30am.

Fox Cabaret, 2321 Main St. $12. foxcabaret.com

Sun, Oct 19 Show Tunes The Junction celebrates show tunes, with video clips from musicals and more.

3-7pm. The Junction, 1138 Davie St. No cover. junctionpub.com

Mon, Oct 20 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; cost to play is $5 per person per night. For info, email westenddarts@telus.net.

Queer Improv The Bobbers comedy troupe is now at 1181 every Monday night, 8–9:45pm. 1181, 1181 Davie St. No cover. 1181.ca

Tues, Oct 21 Men on Men The Health Initiative for Men presents this weekly, facilitated, skills-building discussion group for all men who love or have sex with men. Every Tuesday, 6:30pm. Gordon Neighbourhood House, 1019 Broughton St. checkhimout.ca

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

Deadline for the Oct 23 issue is Wed, Oct 15.

XTRA! OCT 9–22, 2014 25

See y’all at the Prairie fairies fowl supper October 18th.

XPOSED

2

PHOTOS

BY EVAN EISENSTADT

1025 DAVIE ST. (604) 687-2222 1 3

4 5

JIM DEVA’S CELEBRATION OF LIFE After the formal celebration of Jim Deva’s life at St Andrew’s-Wesley United Church, attendees walked to Celebrities for a more raucous tribute, which MC and organizer Barb Snelgrove dubbed Devapalooza.

JAMES LOEWEN

1E Derek White, Celebrities promotions manager James Steck, Mike Murrell & DJ Drew 2E Author Ivan Coyote 3E MC Barb Snelgrove & her partner, Kristi Lundgren 4E Crema comes out of drag-king retirement for a one-night tribute to Deva 5E Velvet Steele 6E Little Sister’s manager Janine Fuller remembers her employer and friend, Jim Deva, who died suddenly Sept 21.

6

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Willow Tree Counselling 604-521-3404

Sound Hearing Clinic 604-687-1488

Capreit caprent.com

Art Galleries Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art 604-682-3455 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

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Sequoia Thom Lundy 778-786-3677

Dr Dean Wershler 604-688-4080

Home Improvement & Repairs

West End BIA 604-696-0144

Education & Instruction

Chiropractors

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maison d’etre design build 604-484-4030

Gastown Business Improvement Society 604-683-5650

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Cleaning & Maid Services The Maids 604-987-5651

Entertainment Ballet BC 604-732-5003 Playland Amusement Park 604-253-2311

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Lawyers Dahl & Connors 604-687-8752

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barbara findlay 604-251-4356

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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

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

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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

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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

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Websites Daily Xtra 416-925-6665

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Burrard Physiotherapy 604-684-1640

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Ceremony Pathways 778-688-5555 2DQ Weddings 604-306-1340

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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.

XTRA! OCT 9–22, 2014 27

A world of gay adventure

Travel

Desert oasis is more than just ‘gay and grey’

Palm Springs JEFFREY LUSCOMBE

What comes to mind when you think of Palm Springs? For most, it’s palm trees, sun, swimming pools and mid-century architecture. Then, of course, there is the large LGBT community and the huge number of retirees — affectionately known as the “gay and grey.”

Gay Palm Springs Palm Springs has a lot to offer the LGBT traveller looking for a hot time in the desert. In fact, the town’s gay roots go back almost 100 years, to 1919, when Chicago heiress Lois Kellogg (eccentric bohemian and rumoured lesbian) swept in to start construction on an enormous (though, sadly, never completed) Moroccan-Persian-style home.

Since then, gays and lesbians have been travelling to this desert oasis in search of sun-drenched same-sex frolicking. After all, not only did Rock Hudson have a house here (far from the prying eyes of his movie studio), übergay Liberace owned two!

Today, Palm Springs has one of the largest LGBT communities in the United States. And these folks love sharing hot fun with visitors. What are you into? Over the course of the year, Palm Springs probably has something to suit the taste of any LGBT traveller: a White Party in April, the Film Noir Festival in May, the Cinema Diverse Gay and Lesbian Film Festival in September, Pride weekend in early November and Leather Pride in mid-November.

28 OCT 9–22, 2014 XTRA!

If you head to Palm Springs during one of the non-festival weeks, you will still find lots to do after the sun goes down. After a good meal at one of the many restaurants downtown, hit one — or more — of the gay bars in town. The bar scene seems to start earlier than other cities, but make sure you hit Street Bar, Hunters video bar, Score: The Game Bar, and The Barracks and Tool Shed (for the leather and denim crowd). All have specialty nights throughout the week.

Let it all hang out One benefit of a Palm Springs holiday is that you can pack light. Very light. Back in the days when it was the winter playground of Hollywood stars like Frank Sinatra and Marlene Dietrich, resorts (with 20 or 25 rooms surrounding the ever-present pool) were built to accommodate all the families that flocked to town. Today many of these old resorts are gay-owned and have been transformed into men-only, clothing-optional guesthouses. In fact, no other city in the world has as many gay clothing-optional resorts as Palm Springs.

So those inclined to spend their holidays in the buff can strip down and enjoy the sun without the fear of tan lines.

Clothing-optional resorts are gated and walled, so you won’t have to worry about shocking anyone who might be strolling by. And yes, local drugstores carry 100 SPF sunscreen.

Popular gay clothing-optional guesthouses include Escape Resort, Vista

Work on your tan line if you like, but no other city in the world has as many gay clothing-optional resorts as Palm Springs.

PALM SPRINGS DESERT RESORT COMMUNITIES CONVENTION AND VISITORS AUTHORITY

VANCOUVER’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

PALM SPRINGS DESERT RESORT COMMUNITIES CONVENTION AND VISITORS AUTHORITY

Clockwise from left: Delos Van Earl’s Jungle Red sculpture graces the entrance to Warm Sands, the most vibrant gay neighbourhood in Palm Springs; for shopping, El Paseo is the Rodeo Drive of Palm Springs; Miller House, designed by architect Richard Neutra and built of glass and steel, is a great example of Desert Modernism; the Joshua tree is a common sight in the desert.

SCOTT BRASSART

PALM SPRINGS DESERT RESORT COMMUNITIES CONVENTION AND VISITORS AUTHORITY

Grande Resort, CCBC, Bearfoot Inn and La Joya Inn. Many rooms also include kitchens, private verandas, continental breakfasts and WiFi. Some of the resorts have day passes, so decide before you reserve if you want to stay in a place that allows non-guests to use the facilities (for instance, CCBC sells 12-hour day passes). However, the practice does allow you to check out some of the other clothing-optional resorts for a day visit.

For the ladies For the past 24 years, lesbians have descended upon Palm Springs each April for their own brand of entertainment.

Called “the biggest all-girl event in the world,” the Club Skirts Dinah Shore MORE AT DAILYXTRA.COM

Weekend (better known as The Dinah) coincides with the Ladies Professional Golf Association’s Kraft Nabisco Championship tournament (formerly the Dinah Shore Golf Championship).

Some of the events scheduled to get the ladies’ juices flowing during The Dinah are a comedy night, a film festival, pool parties, celebrity poker and ( just in case you boys thought this was your domain) a women’s White Party. And though many larger cities do not have even one hotel dedicated to the lesbian traveller, Palm Springs can boast two: Casitas Laquita and Queen of Hearts Resort.

For the greys The fact is, a lot of older people have

chosen to live in Palm Springs because of the year-round warm weather and the great number of leisure activities.

According to the 2010 census, 26.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older and the median age was 51.6 years. This is not South Beach, folks.

Still, older people, both gay and straight, are part of the charm. You will find a lot of friendly people and less attitude here than in many other gay destinations. Palm Springs welcomes everyone.

Other attractions Palm Springs is famous for its large number of Mid-Century Modern homes, and guided tours of these buildings are available year-round. But you

can always just stroll around the downtown yourself to get a flavour of great architecture by modernist masters such as Richard Neutra, John Lautner, Donald Wexler, Albert Frey and William F Cody. Palm Springs Modernism Week is held every February to celebrate the city’s architecture.

For those looking to escape their resort for a few hours or days, nearby Joshua Tree National Park is a great place to enjoy camping, hiking and climbing. The forest covers a land area of 790,636 acres, or an area slightly larger than Rhode Island. A large part of the park (429,690 acres) has been designated a wilderness area.

If you find the lure of the snowcapped mountains too strong to avoid, jump on

the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. Described as the “world’s largest rotating tramcar,” it will take you on a breathtaking journey up the cliffs of Chino Canyon. The ride from Valley Station (elevation 800 metres) to the Mountain Station (elevation 2,600 metres) takes 10 minutes.

Weather Over the course of a typical year, the temperature in Palm Springs ranges from 7 Celsius to 41. The warm season typically lasts from early June to the end of September, with an average daily high of 36, while the cold season lasts from the end of November until the first of March and has an average daily high of 24.

XTRA! OCT 9–22, 2014 29

NEXT AD BOOKING DEADLINE: OCT 15 @ 4PM NEXT LINE CLASSIFIEDS DEADLINE: OCT 17 @ NOON

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

PROUD LIFE Jim died tragically in an accident at home in Vancouver on September 21st, 2014. He leaves behind his loving partner Bruce and gaggles of family including sisters, nieces and nephews.

Jim and Bruce were together for 42 amazing years. Jim JIM DEVA has been a strong voice for 1950-2014 our community. His wicked Raised in Morrin, Alberta sense of humour, sharp wit and passionate nature will be greatly missed. A celebration of his life was held on Saturday September 27th, 2014. It was Jim’s passion to educate. In lieu of flowers, send donations to LOUD Business, LOUD Scholarship Foundation @www.loudbusiness.com.

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#news #arts #travel #events Everything gay, every day.

DAILY dailyxtra.com 30 OCT 9–22, 2014 XTRA!

VANCOUVER’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

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