Xtra, Ottawa Gay and Lesbian News

RAINBOW ON THE HILL Gay MPs connect with queer youth › 8

JOHN IRVING Renowned novelist’s first truly queer story › 17

OTTAWA’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS

GUIDEMAG TRAVEL The seduction of Spain › 23-26 #243 MAY 10, 2012

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A special report on the struggle for gay rights around the world ›13 COMMENT 4 XCETERA 5 NEWS 7 OUT IN THE CITY 17 XPOSED 21

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WE CATER TO VANITY MICHAEL BURTCH

Rock-hard win Rainbow Rockers Curling League champions, from left, Blaine Sack, Joe Taylor, Robbie Tremblay and Luc Martin celebrate their ďŹ rst-place win in the A division after their ďŹ nal game of the 2011/12 season on April 15. Xtra has more photos from the tournament.

› 21

NEWS

Scissor Sisters

Religious groups protest antibullying bill

The band is set to launch Magic Hour, its fourth studio album.

Group members chatted with Xtra about embracing their gay image and how the pop world is “littered with homosexuals.â€? › xtra.ca

During the ďŹ rst day of Queen’s Park committee meetings for two antibullying bills before the legislature, members of religious groups told MPPs the legislation is tantamount to slavery and promotes a gay lifestyle. Xtra was there. › 10

FEATURE

Homophobic onslaught From Nigeria to Russia, gay people around the world are increasingly under attack from rightwing, homophobic governments and religious leaders. Xtra looks at the criminalization of homosexuality in several countries and what Canada can do to stop it. › 13

Perfume Genius The hot indie musician opens up about the music video for his single “Hood.â€? The video, which features pornstar Arpad Miklos, was initially banned from YouTube but later reinstated after fans said the ban showed a double standard. › xtra.ca

REGULARS

Comment ›4 Xcetera ›5 Xposed ›21 Index ›22 COLUMNS

Editorial ›4 OUT IN THE CITY

Chinatown Remixed Get out your walking shoes — the annual street art festival is back.

Xtra speaks to several participants about what it means for Ottawa. › 19

LISTINGS

Art & photography ›18 Film & video ›18 Health & issues ›18 Leisure & pleasure ›18,22 Print & performance ›22

VIDEO

Martha Wainwright The singer chats with Lucas Silveira in an Xtra video exclusive about the death of her mother, Kate McGarrigle, and an upcoming tribute to McGarrigle. › xtra.ca

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Comment Open the doors INBOX Brian Burke Editorial Danny Glenwright

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SYLUM SEEKER. Those two words can strike fear into the heart of many a European. They can also, with the necessary political spin, win or lose elections that side of the pond.

Britain is known for deporting asylum seekers not fit to travel, never mind fit to return to a country where they could be killed. In January 2008, the Brits kicked out Ama Sumani, a Ghanaian mother of two being kept alive on dialysis for bone marrow cancer. She had overstayed her visa. Sumani died in Accra a few weeks later, unable to access treatment.

In Australia, asylum seekers arriving in boats were, until very recently, either left to drown on the high seas or locked up in refugee prisons. Most were fleeing wars in Asia and the Middle East in which Australia was engaged. Years behind barbed wire and cement walls turned these people, who had already experienced horrors most will never know, into dysfunctional basket cases. Psychologists in Australia diagnosed some of the worst instances of posttraumatic stress disorder they had seen after refugees and their children spent months, sometimes years, in these confinement centres.

Sometime after the Cold War, when many claimants were “good” refugees escaping communism, the words refugee and asylum seeker became synonymous with illegal opportunistic aliens pounding down our Western doors and threatening to change the face of our “civilized” society.

This is baseless if you think about it. If I was prepared to get into a boat with my family and the few belongings I own and sail across unknown treacherous waters to some foreign country where I could be arrested or worse, my life at home would have to really suck.

Gay asylum seekers, like the vast majority of those prepared to forever leave their countries, are most often fleeing the prospect of murder, torture, arrest or a life in isolation.

In this issue, Xtra looks at the issue of criminalization of homosexuality around the world and the increasing need for Western countries to accept gay refugees who face persecution or death in their home countries.

Canada’s track record on this front has been spotty. While the Harper Conservatives have made international public overtures about the need to decriminalize homosexuality, their behaviour at home has been much less commendable. For example, in 2008 they deported Kulenthiran Amirthalingam to Malaysia, where he had already spent time behind bars because he is gay.

Canada’s guidelines for accepting refugees are based on the United Nations’ 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. This document does not make explicit provisions for gay refugees, so it is incumbent on claimants to prove not only that they are gay, but also that their sexuality would put them at danger in their home countries.

It is peculiar that those who have spent their lives trying to conceal and deny their sexuality have to then turn around and prove they are gay in the refugee application process.

Last March, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced a pilot project with the Rainbow Refugee Committee to help sponsor gay refugees who face persecution.

At the time Kenney said Canada has a history of being a safe haven, noting that reaching out to private sponsors was “vital to refugees in need of protection.”

But in December, the government changed its mind, instead proposing rule changes that both the Rainbow Refugee Committee and the Canadian Council for Refugees say will make it much harder for gay refugees to find safety in Canada.

The government can still change its mind again and bolster Canada’s reputation as a global safe haven for gay refugees.

If Stephen Harper truly wants to create change for gay people abroad, he can start at home, opening the doors wide for all those who would be killed or arrested elsewhere. Currently, there is no international institution that attends exclusively to the issue of gay and lesbian refugees. Canada should take the lead in launching such an organization. If the government does nothing and continues to backtrack on promises to the gay community, both Canadians and despotic, homophobic world leaders will know our government’s pro-gay statements are nothing but empty words.

Danny Glenwright is Xtra’s assignment editor. Xtra takes a closer look at the criminalization of homosexuality in a three-page segment starting on page 13.

“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.

WHILE I REALLY ENJOYED the article and am thrilled that the You Can Play project [“Game Changer,” Xtra #242, April 12] is gaining considerable momentum, especially with my beloved Maple Leafs, I must say that even as an ally, I was a bit put off by the interview with Schenn, Liles and Komisarek.

And not from the players’ responses, either. While homophobia in the locker room is something we all want to get rid of, I think that what we have to remember is that this is a work in progress and that players are still learning and navigating their way around the change. If you’ve ever played team sports, specifically on a team of males, you know that this isn’t exactly a topic that comes up in casual conversation. While I understand wanting to know if there are/were players in the NHL that are out to their teammates, I hate to think that the (while perhaps well-intentioned) media would not follow Patrick’s lead in his stance on players’ sexuality. That being “no comment.” I hope that the players also take the same approach as they become more educated on the issue, instead of having to be caught offguard by a question that, in my mind, never should have been asked in the first place. I would encourage a bit more of the “kid-gloves” approach when dealing with those who may not be as knowledgeable or familiar with the topic.

Lily Sebert Port Credit, ON G R E AT ART ICL E! WE L L presented! Touching and inspiring! Brian and Patrick are tackling a huge task, but they can and will succeed; of that I am certain.

Brendan would have been so proud, just as we all are. Cheers and hugs to the Burke family for doing their share in making the sports world a better one.

Denis Leblanc Montreal, QC

Bikes I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO [Jennifer West] breathing the life back into a bike I have literally hanging from the rafters [“Romancing the Bike,” Xtra #242, April 12]. Actually, happy you were featured in Xtra or I would not have known. I have found in the past guys have been kind of condescending when I have taken my bike in . . . glad to read this. Thanks, Xtra!

Sylvia Stojek-Martin Ottawa, ON

Send your correspondence by mail to PO Box 70063, 160 Elgin St-Place Bell RPO, Ottawa, ON K2P 2M3, email comment@xtra.ca, or log on to xtra.ca and comment directly.

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Despite her stranglehold on the pop landscape, Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Ball was met with a less-than-warm reception in South Korea. Conservative Christian groups held prayer protests to voice concern over her appearance, which is just stupid — if you really want to stop Lady Gaga, just take away her Grace Jones videos!

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Gay men pay more for car insurance In a New York City survey of auto insurance premiums, it was found that gay men pay, on average, $400 more for insurance than straight men. Why the discrepancy? Reportedly, gay men are weak at spatial reasoning and navigation, which means they get into more accidents. And until recently gay males couldn’t get married, so they weren’t eligible for the lower “married� rate.

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BREAKING NEWS › UNITED IN ANGER: A HISTORY OF ACT UP MAKES CANADIAN DEBUT › GEORGE TAKEI IS AN OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD ADVOCATE MORE AT XTRA.CA

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EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE Luna Allison, Michael Burtch, Layla Cameron, Julie Cruikshank, Jeremy Feist, Andrea Houston, Rachel Kalbfleisch, Aaron Leaf, Steven Maynard, Armando Mendonça, Carly Rhianna Smith, Andi Schwartz, Katie Toth & Laura Zahody

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Upfront

WHEN YOU’RE LIVING IN A SCHOOL OF 1,000 PEOPLE AND YOU’RE ONE OF THE ONLY OUT KIDS, AND THE ONLY GAY ROLE MODELS YOU SEE ARE THE STEREOTYPES ON GLEE, YOU SORT OF FEEL ALONE. Jeremy Dias › 8

NEWS

Genderindependent kids need community Rather than a cure, experts say Andi Schwartz PARENTS AND ACTIVISTS AGREE: KIDS with non-conforming gender identities don’t need a psychological assessment — they need a supportive community.

This was the theme of a recent panel discussion at a queer health conference hosted by Rainbow Health Ontario (RHO) in Ottawa.

“This is not an issue for psychiatry.

Gender-independent kids are part of the community and deserve to be supported,” says Jake Pyne, who is coordinating a project through RHO to develop the tools needed to provide communitybased support for non-gender-conforming kids and their families in Ontario.

He is working with an advisory board of physicians, counsellors, activists and families to put together information that will help health and social-service providers understand and support gender-independent children.

One target is the medical community.

Historically, medical professionals have pathologized gender-variant and trans people. Gender variance ought to be understood as part of everyday life, rather than a psychological problem, Pyne says.

He would like to see more physicians working from this diversity perspective and moving away from the practice of conflating conformity with health.

The project will also produce materials directed at parents, who need support just as much as they need accurate information.

“Parents need to hear that your child is okay. It’s normal, it’s healthy,” Pyne says.

Fellow panellist Kimberley White is the mother of a child named Sadie.

Sadie is a six-year-old with a very fluid gender expression who sports a short haircut and traditional “boy” clothing but prefers to identify as neither a boy nor a girl.

White says she and her husband have been accused of being bad role models.

“People still think that we’ve done this to her or we’re putting her in danger by allowing this,” White says. “It’s so not a choice. It’s not about our politics at all.”

She says most of the conflicts her family has run into have not been about Sadie’s gender, but others’ reactions to it.

“We get told all the time she’ll grow out of it. It gets referred to as gender confusion, but Sadie is the least confused kid. What’s confusing for her is why it’s such a big deal,” White says.

She adds that the way most public spaces are structured causes problems for kids like Sadie. For example, bathrooms are consistently segregated by gender in schools, at public pools and even at summer camps. At Sadie’s school, she has to use a separate genderneutral bathroom on a different floor than her classroom.

“People are good at accommodating, but we should be beyond accommodations,” White says. “We should be able to do better than that.”

Ultimately, she would like to see structural changes to schools and other places that care for kids so there is room for gender-independence, rather than it being tacked on as an afterthought.

White has also faced the challenge of creating a community for Sadie in which she can recognize herself.

“We always say, ‘There are lots of kids like you,’ and her answer is always, ‘Well, where are they?’”

Though they have faced some hardships, White says seeing a therapist isn’t an option for her family. They want to tackle any difficult discussion together, and they know that Sadie is the only expert on Sadie’s gender.

The defining moment was the first short haircut, White says. It was hard to even find a hairdresser who would cut a little girl’s hair into a pixie-short style, but at the end, White, Sadie and even the hairdresser were in tears.

“It was like Sadie was seeing herself for the first time,” White says. “From that point, we’ve never really questioned anything.”

HIGHER GROUND

Concerned citizens Jupiter (left) and Myron hit Parliament Hill with more than 5,000 other protesters on April 20 to rally against regressive drug laws.

MICHAEL BURTCH

GLBTTQ Community Centre struggles to close Rachel Kalbfleisch A MOVE TO CLOSE OTTAWA’S GLBTTQ Community Centre was once again blocked by poor turnout at its annual general meeting April 30, a frustrating reality chair Kevin Hatt says reflects the main issue the organization has always faced.

“The membership has spoken by not coming. We all can speak with our feet, and I guess they’ve spoken,” he says.

Only four members showed up at the City Hall meeting — three short of the quorum necessary to vote — making it legally impossible to lay the project to rest. The five board members, unable to find a way around this technicality, drew the small gathering to a close and noted an AGM might not be the best way to go about dissolving the corporation.

“We’ll see whether we need an AGM or if we can maybe just wind it down on our own,” Hatt says. “We’ll have to figure out what we can do legally.”

Interest from the community is something the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Trans, Two-Spirit and Queer Community Centre of Ottawa has struggled with since its inception in 2006. It

faced similarly sticky circumstances at its second AGM, in 2007, when attendance made up less than half the quorum needed to vote and forced it into a limbo that lasted two years.

The project’s leadership attempted to revive it in 2009 but has since been unable to get it off the ground.

Today, 10 years after the release of the city-funded feasibility study that started it all, the board is ready to call it quits.

“I try to look at this as a good thing, because if there was really a bad need in this city or an issue or a problem, HEALTH this room would be bursting with concern,” Hatt says.

Former chair and continuing board member Peter Zanette says that 10 years ago there wasn’t the same plethora of services being provided. A lot of community groups and health departments are now offering queer services in the smaller satellite offices around the city, and larger organizations like Pink Triangle Services have grown significantly over the last decade.

But according to PTS executive director Claudia Van den Heuvel, the rising number of organizations providing these services across the city only

Chair Kevin Hatt says the group has donated its remaining funds to the Ten Oaks Project. RACHEL KALBFLEISCH

increases the need for a community centre.

“I think it makes it hard sometimes for all of us because we’re all over the board and fractured a little bit,” she says. “Ottawa needs a centre, that is without question. It’s just a matter of how we go about doing that.”

She says the GLBTTQ Community Centre might have had more success if it had focused on securing a physical

location to rent out, instead of looking into the delivery of services.

“I know with certainty that we would want to be tenants, but we don’t necessarily want to support the idea of another organization doing what we already do,” she says.

One of the conclusions of the 2002 feasibility study was that a virtual community centre was needed to bring Ottawa’s services together online, and that’s something its members tried to focus on.

But since it has ended up in this same boat a few times now, legally frozen by lack of community interest, Van den Heuvel says it’s probably a good idea to shut down the project.

The board has been preparing to do just that. On March 31 it donated nearly all of its remaining funds — $5,000 — to the Ten Oaks Project Bowl-A-Thon.

Though Hatt says he was hoping to have the community’s blessing to dismantle the corporation, he remains optimistic that the lack of interest is a good sign. “But I really hope if in the future the community feels the need arises, that the project will be taken up again,” he says.

8

Ottawa’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! MAY 10, 2012

NEWS

Rainbow day arcs over Parliament Gay teenagers shadow MPs in landmark program Bradley Turcotte TUESDAY, MAY 1, WAS A DREARY DAY, but there were rainbows in the sky over Parliament Hill as Ottawa-area queer youths stormed the nation’s political hub to shadow openly gay members of Parliament.

A joint program between Jer’s Vision and the office of New Democrat MP Dany Morin, the first annual Rainbow Day on the Hill allowed six queer high school students to experience the inner workings of Canada’s political system and see what it’s like to be a gay politician working on behalf of Canadians.

Morin says the idea for the program was partly inspired by a similar annual event in which young women shadow female MPs for a day. Women’s Day on the Hill is considered a resounding success, as MPs Charmaine Borg and Mylène Freeman took part in it as youths. This led Morin to work with Jeremy Dias, of Jer’s Vision, to make the Rainbow Day a reality.

“We need to have positive role models for LGBT kids for several reasons.

It’s a period of your life when you are trying to discover who you are,” Morin says. “This is why we are doing this.

The kids who are here today are very involved in their student lives, and

they are the next leaders of tomorrow.”

In addition to Morin, participating MPs included Libby Davies, Randall Garrison, Craig Scott, Philip Toone and Scott Brison. With the exception of Brison, who wears Liberal red, all the openly gay MPs represent the NDP. The students’ day comprised a guided tour of Parliament, a visit to the Peace Tower, attendance at question period and lunch with their assigned MP. Nepean High School student Hannah Collins, 17, shadowed Davies; she cited Davies’ pragmatic approach to critical issues as the most crucial bit of counsel she received.

“I have a lot of over-exaggerated political ideology,” Collins says with a laugh. “[Davies] has big dreams, too, but she works in the details, because if she aims for those big dreams she will definitely not reach them. She gets farther if she has more realistic goals. You have to work small but have big ideas.”

Dias also strives toward big ideas.

Rainbow Day on the Hill coincided with the seventh anniversary of Jer’s Vision, as well as the 30th anniversary of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms; however, this is not the first program of its kind Jer’s Vision has attempted. When Dias’s anti-discrimination organization first explored the

MPs Dany Morin, Scott Brison, Randall Garrison and Craig Scott with youths at the Peace Tower. BRADLEY TURCOTTE

idea of partnering queer youth with adult role models, the proposal was met with resistance.

“One of the programs we tried to launch last year, unsuccessfully, was an

adult mentorship program — a coffee night for adults in the community to meet with queer youth,” Dias explains.

“We had tons of queer youth sign up for the program but no queer adults. A lot

of the adults we approached thought it was not appropriate or the right thing to do. They said they didn’t feel comfortable hanging around a bunch of kids.

It’s amazing how our own prejudice can hit us and we can be victims to our own stereotypes.”

Dias also noted that it is important for queer adults to overcome their own misconceptions of interacting with youths and to remember how they felt as gay or lesbian teenagers.

“As adults we need to not forget high school. We have to remember what it’s all about, and in that vein I think we need to be courageous. When you’re living in a school of 1,000 people and you’re one of the only out kids and the only gay role models you see are the stereotypes on Glee, you sort of feel alone,” Dias says. “Your parents are straight, your family is straight and your extended community is straight. Being in school can be very insular.”

Morin made sure the goal of Rainbow Day wouldn’t remain a foreign idea to straight members of Parliament. In a statement in the House of Commons, he spoke of his hopes for the future of queer Canadian teens.

“These students are leaders of their communities. Some of their lives have been touched and shaped by the scourges of both homophobia and bullying.

Despite this, and maybe because of it, they have the inner strength to stand up for what they believe in. I look forward to the day when one of them joins me as an MP here on the Hill,” he said.

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NEWS

Two of Meech Lake five in court Men arrested in popular nudist area fight charges Bradley Turcotte TWO MEN FROM A GROUP OF FIVE who were arrested in Gatineau Park last September and charged under Section 174 of the Criminal Code for public nudity are currently in court attempting to have criminal charges commuted.

As Xtra reported last year, the five men were apprehended by undercover officers from the MRC des Collines police near Gatineau Park’s Meech Lake. Naturists have converged at this picturesque location for decades, and the lake is cited in guidebooks as an ideal destination for those looking for a secluded nude beach.

However, over the last 30 years the National Capital Commission, the steward of Gatineau Park, has consistently installed signs near Trail 36 indicating that nudism or naturism is prohibited, but the warnings have been habitually vandalized or removed.

According to Martin Fournel, a spokesperson for the MRC des Collines police, one of the men now in court had called police two weeks before his arrest to inform them of nude people at Meech Lake, while the other man has previous convictions under Article 174 of the Criminal Code.

Laws concerning public nudity have been heavily debated in Canadian

courts in the past.

Although public nudity is of interest to authorities, Fournel says, MRC des Collines police are more concerned with acts of indecent exposure, with police actively searching for one perpetrator who remains at large.

“We are most concerned with people who are jumping naked in front of families or masturbating themselves in front of people,” Fournel says. “That’s another article in the Criminal Code.

There’s one [perpetrator] who we got complaints about last year. We got a description; we can see it’s the same individual, but we didn’t arrest him yet.

Those are the people whose behaviour is concerning us.”

Carleton University professor Patrizia Gentile told Xtra last year that this type of suppression by police is a common method of discriminating against gays and lesbians. “The crackdown on parks such as Remic Rapids and Meech Lake is a regular feature of anti-queer regulations,” said Gentile, the co-author of The Canadian War on Queers: National Security as Sexual Regulation. “This does have a long history. It is a systemic practice precisely because it has a history. I would not see this as a one-off act.”

Stéphane Deschênes, spokesperson for the Federation of Canadian Natur-

ists (FCN) and owner of Bare Oaks Family Naturist Park, says true naturists are unlikely to be guilty of indecent exposure and are unjustly labelled as sexual deviants.

“They have the misconception that the people who cause problems are the naturists,” Deschênes says. “I have visited naturist beaches all over the world, and they are always the cleanest and safest ones. Yet that doesn’t mean bad things can’t happen. You can’t find a public beach where they don’t have the same problems and nobody is suggesting that it’s the people in bathing suits that are the problem.”

For naturists seeking a designated

THE CRACKDOWN ON PARKS SUCH AS REMIC RAPIDS AND MEECH LAKE IS A REGULAR FEATURE OF ANTI-QUEER REGULATIONS. —Carleton University professor Patrizia Gentile Sign posted by the National Capital Commission near Trail 36.

MRC DES COLLINES POLICE

location to bare it all, there are several options in the Ottawa region. The Grand Barn in Vankleek Hill, which promotes open-mindedness and offers a clothing-optional environment, is one such alternative.

Loretta Erie, a spiritual masseuse and the Grand Barn’s events coordinator, says the naturist way of life is simply about choosing to shrug off the shackles of textiles.

“People don’t understand. They automatically put nudity with sex, and it’s not about that. It’s really hard for a lot of people because their mindset is if you are nude, it’s sex. It isn’t — it’s got nothing to do with that. It has to do with freedom of no clothes,” she says.

Deschênes agrees, saying the concept is just too difficult for many to grasp.

“Society is so oppressed and we’re told that nudity is bad. We’re conditioned to have a phobia of nudity,” he says.

“The only experience people have with nudity is in a sexual environment, so it’s hard to imagine anything else. It’s a very arbitrary social construct, but it’s deeply embedded in our psyche.”

Fournel strongly suggests that naturists contemplating a return to Meech Lake this summer choose different locales to strut their stuff.

“For 2012 we will do police surveillance again, and whoever is caught naked will be charged with a criminal offence. They need to go find other places. I know people have been going there for a long time, so it’s a need to change their habits,” he says. “Our message is there is zero tolerance.”

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Ottawa’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! MAY 10, 2012

ONTARIO NEWS

Religious groups blast GSAs ‘People came out of there just reeling’: Horwath Andrea Houston ANTI-GAY PARENTS AND RELIgious groups told the standing committee for social policy at Queen’s Park on May 7 that gay-straight alliances (GSAs) “promote the gay lifestyle� and that Bill 13 is tantamount to “slavery.�

More than 20 people spoke against Bill 13, the Liberals’ Accepting Schools Act, during the ďŹ rst of four committee hearings. The committee is also looking at Bill 14, the Progressive Conservative anti-bullying legislation. Education Minister Laurel Broten says the best elements of Bill 14 will be incorporated into Bill 13.

MPPs have been debating the two bills over the last several months. Bill 13 would make it law that schools establish welcoming environments for queer youth and provide supports, such as GSAs, if requested by students.

Charles McVety, president of Canada Christian College, was the ďŹ rst to speak and said that Bill 13 “embraces a radical sex education agendaâ€? and that children will be taught “about oral and anal sex.â€? “My daughter is a precious little 14-year-old girl. I beg you not to do this to my daughter,â€? he said. “This bill

goes against the Bible. The Bible is a very important document.�

Ekron Malcolm, director at the Institute for Canadian Values, called Bill 13 “a form of slavery� because students will be exposed to positive messages about being gay. “You are forcing your ideas on my family values, my black family values . . . How dare you take away my right to teach my children my heritage.�

Rabbi Mendel Kaplan, from the Chabad Flamingo synagogue, said the government is forcing schools to go against religious doctrine. “I was bullied in school. I don’t believe sexual orientation is a cause of bullying.�

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, who didn’t attend the hearing in person, told Xtra afterward that the committee was a “very unpleasant space for a lot of people. “People came out of there just reeling today, and I think it really speaks to why we need to have this bill in the ďŹ rst place,â€? she said.

Throughout the nearly three hours of presentations it became clear to committee members that many of those present misunderstood Bill 13 or had not read it. The bill is aimed at tackling

bullying, including anti-gay bullying, in Ontario schools. Many told the committee the reason they oppose Bill 13 is because it will teach radical sex and gender education to their children.

At several points committee members challenged the speakers, asking them to point to any section of the legislation that mentions sex education. “So, the GSA component in the bill is the sex education you’re referring to?

When you talk about sex education, you mean the word gay?� NDP MPP Peter Tabuns asked. “Gay means sex?�

To this, presenter Jim Kwan, from the Markham Voice website, said, “Yes.�

Liberal MPP Kevin Flynn asked if Kwan had actually read Bill 13. Kwan said he had not, adding, “GSAs promote the gay lifestyle.�

GSAs have been a lightning-rod issue in Ontario Catholic schools since Xtra revealed last year that the student support groups have been prohibited by many Catholic administrators. Since then, students in Catholic schools across Ontario have requested GSAs and been denied repeatedly.

NDP MPP Cheri DiNovo, who is also a United Church minister, said the speakers do not represent the majority

chair accessible while still ďŹ tting with our low budget and our grassroots approach to creating SM dyke community,â€? says Andrea Zanin, a co-founder and co-organizer of Unholy Harvest.

It was no easy task finding an accessible, affordable, sex-positive and kink-friendly space that can comfortably ďŹ t up to 100 people. The search spanned three cities — Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal — and took months of research before organizers secured a new home for the event. “We’re thrilled to have found fully wheelchair-accessible spaces in Toronto: the 519 Community Centre for our daytime activities and Orion’s Studio for our play parties,â€? says Zanin, who co-organizes the event with Ottawa kinkster Jacqueline St-Urbain.

An Unholy Harvest started as a small weekend leatherdyke event in Ottawa

in 2007 and has grown steadily since its inception. It was the closure of Breathless — the venue for the ďŹ rst ďŹ ve years of the event — that prompted the search for a new space. –Luna Allison

From left: Charles McVety, president of Canada Christian College; Rabbi Mendel Kaplan, from the Chabad Flamingo synagogue; and Ekron Malcolm, director at the Institute for Canadian Values, at the first public committee hearing for Bill 13. ANDREA HOUSTON

of faithful Ontarians. “This is a particular faction of these faiths. They do not represent the mainstream of any of those groups, and we have to keep that in mind.�

Meanwhile, Kim Galvao, the director of Concerned Catholic Parents of Ontario, rejected the idea that lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans youth are bullied more than other students, like “fat kids, short kids or kids with glasses.� She said Bill 13 “smacks of social engineering.� “Bill 13 provides too much sexually focused information,� she said. “Our children don’t need more sex education.

They need less.�

Galvao attempted to downplay the bullying experienced by queer youth by pointing to a 2006 Toronto District School Board student census for grades 7 to 12 that found students were bullied primarily for other reasons, including

their physical appearances and cultural backgrounds.

Casey Oraa, vice-chair of Queer Ontario, says the study is not accurate because it did not include data from Catholic schools. Egale’s 2009 Canadian Climate Survey on Homophobia states that more than 60 percent of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans students reported they felt unsafe at school.

Egale, too, says the numbers could be much higher because the survey doesn’t include Catholic schools. “We were not given permission to implement the survey in any Catholic school divisions,� the document states. “LGBT youth are at great risk of bullying and suicide, and they need explicit protections,� Helen Kennedy, Egale’s executive director, has said.

project is look at different areas of Ontario that are not necessarily the most resourced for LGBT youth and help carry out a project for the youth of that whole county,� says Melissa Deleary, the community engagement coordinator for Youth Line. “The youth committee always decides what that looks like. In Barrie, it was a scavenger hunt and a music festival.�

The idea behind these events is to build local capacity for queer and trans programming, create social spaces for youth, encourage youth leadership and strengthen social and community networks. The project was inspired by a one-off event in Sudbury hosted by a Youth Line intern in 2009, and the organization’s next initiative is in Renfrew County on May 12.

The daylong event, taking place in Pembroke, is called Come As You Are,

and it will feature a series of workshops on expressing positive sexuality, performing in drag, making your own comic and creating rainbow alliances.

All workshops are open to youth 26 and under, and bus transportation will be provided from Arnprior, Renfrew and Ottawa the day of the event.

Come evening, there will be an allages dance party that’s open to the whole community. “It’s designed to really cultivate a sense of community for everyone,�

Deleary says. “To have couples of all ages come out and celebrate and have a safe and positive area to be themselves.�

The event is the first of its kind to happen in Pembroke. –Luna Allison

For more on this story, visit xtra.ca.

LOCAL NEWS

Unholy Harvest moving to Toronto THE ORGANIZERS OF AN UNHOLY Harvest, Canada’s largest leatherdyke and trans-folk convergence, have announced that the Ottawa-based event will be making a move to Toronto for its 2012 edition in October.

While the move represents a great loss to the Ottawa leather community, it comes with an important change for the better: An Unholy Harvest will be completely wheelchair accessible for the ďŹ rst time. “Harvest has grown considerably over the past ďŹ ve years, and, while we are terribly sad that our home venue, Breathless, closed last fall, it also gave us the opportunity to look for [a] bigger space that we hoped would be wheel-

An Unholy Harvest Fri, Oct 5–Mon, Oct 8 unholyharvest.ca

Youth Line moves beyond the big city AS PART OF A NEW PROVINCEWIDE initiative called Youth Line Loves Ontario, LGBT Youth Line is partnering with youth groups and queer-positive community agencies across Ontario to host social events for queer and trans youth who live in non-urban settings. “What we’re trying to do with the

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STUDIES

NATIONAL NEWS

Repressed sexuality or insincere pride?

The great GSA hunt

New studies shed more light on homophobia Carly Rhianna Smith TWO RECENT STUDIES MAY OFFER more clues into what triggers homophobia, but neither one conclusively explains why some people hate gays and lesbians.

Researchers at the University of British Columbia have authored a study that examines the effects of authentic pride versus arrogant, presumptuous (hubristic) pride.

“When people experience hubristic pride, they become more likely to be prejudiced towards outgroup members,” says Jessica Tracy, a psychology professor at UBC and co-author of the study.

“The two kinds of pride are basically about how you feel about yourself. People can experience both, so it’s not that you only experience one or the other,” Tracy says. “If you feel authentic pride, it basically means you’re feeling good about your accomplishments, you have confidence and self-worth and genuine self-esteem.

“In contrast, people who experience hubristic pride tend to be more antisocial,” she says.

In three experiments with samples of students from Canada and the US, people were induced into feeling either authentic or hubristic pride in a lab. They were given questionnaires that gauged their feelings toward out-group members.

Straight people judged a gay person who had committed a crime.

Those experiencing hubristic pride were more likely to want to give the criminal a harsher penalty because the criminal was gay.

Tracy says one possible explanation is that, on a deeper level, hubristic pride hides underlying shame or low self-worth.

Another study, based on a series of experiments in the US and Germany, has gathered evidence that, in some cases, homophobia can be a result of repressed homosexual desires.

Richard Ryan, a psychology professor at the University of Rochester who was involved in the study, says a person’s upbringing is a major factor.

If someone grows up with a controlling parent, especially a parent who exhibits anti-gay attitudes, they may suppress their desires.

“In this respect, people who are often outwardly hostile to gays and lesbians may themselves have, tragically, suffered from parental oppression,” Ryan told Xtra via email.

When someone represses something, anything that stimulates or activates those repressed thoughts may feel threatening, Ryan adds.

“So in this case, those who grow up with controlling, non-accepting parents — who happen to have same-sex attractions — will find these internal desires threatening, and then may defensively feel hostile to others who represent them and thus stimulate them,” he says.

For more on this story, visit xtra.ca.

Study will look at experience of student advisors Katie Toth CHRISTINE BELLINI IS ON A HUNT TO find Ontario’s gay-straight alliances.

She’s working with Julian Kitchen on a research project about GSAs in Ontario public schools. Their goal: document the experiences of GSA advisors across the province. Bellini is finding it easier said than done.

“The first stumbling block is just even to find out who are those GSA advisors?” she says, noting no academic discussion has been undertaken with teachers who’ve started GSAs in rural or northern Ontario. “There are GSAs

Students asked to support antiabortion motion TEACHERS AT A MISSISSAUGA CATHolic school are encouraging students to sign a petition that supports a federal motion to reopen the abortion debate, Xtra has learned.

In an email sent out to all teachers at St Joseph Catholic Secondary School, teachers are encouraged to ask students to sign. Xtra obtained a copy of the email from a source at the school.

11

Federal government to appeal Ontario sex-work ruling

in Sudbury, North Bay. Has anybody ever talked to those teachers and said, ‘How did you start it, what was the response from the school board, what’s the response from parents’?”

Bellini says lots of people are discussing kids’ experiences in GSAs. She points to Every Class in Every School, a national survey of students done by Egale Canada in 2011. She hopes her study, sponsored by Brock University, will give teachers a voice, too.

“Are GSAs really doing what we’re thinking they’re doing? I’m not sure.

Are they social clubs? Are they really helping to control homophobia in schools?” she asks.

Kitchen says that, judging from their first stages of research, the answer seems to be “yes.”

While GSAs can make schools feel safer, teachers who advise them don’t always have it easy. Kitchen quotes

one research participant: “I received anonymous messages regarding my involvement in the ‘Gay Agenda’ as well as Bibles sent to me . . . As we were just establishing the GSA it was very discouraging when we had to continually justify our existence and the need for it. Every activity that we did was scrutinized far beyond how other clubs and groups were.”

For Bellini, who teaches and works with a GSA at a Toronto high school, these challenges hit home. “My brother’s gay, and he did not have a GSA when he went to high school back in the ’70s,” she says. “But when I first became a teacher, I could tell it was not easy . . . it was a very conservative environment.”

Michael Payton, interim executive director of the Centre for Inquiry, says the school is manipulating students to lobby the federal government on behalf of Conservative causes.

“This is a clear example of indoctrination and pernicious lobbying that is being funded by taxpayers in Ontario,” Payton says. “Why is this allowed in a publicly funded school?

This is not education. It’s vile and manipulative.”

The Life Canada petition supports Kitchener Centre MP Stephen Woodworth’s motion in the House of Com-

mons to establish a parliamentary committee to study whether human life begins before birth; the motion was debated for the first time in Ottawa April 26.

Administrative staff at St Joseph’s previously blocked student Leanne Iskander when she wanted to start a gay-straight alliance. At one point students were banned from using rainbows in anti-homophobia posters. The principal deemed the rainbow image “too political” because of its association with Pride.

— Andrea Houston

If you’re a teacher who advises a GSA you can participate in the survey at fluidsurveys.com/s/ gsas-and-homophobic-bullying.

IN A STATEMENT RELEASED ON April 25, the federal government announced it will appeal a recent Ontario Court of Appeals decision that struck down two sex-work laws as unconstitutional.

Federal Minister of Justice Rob Nicholson and Ontario Attorney General John Gerretsen made the announcement just one day before the closure of the 30-day appeal window.

“It is our position that the Criminal Code provisions are constitutionally sound,” the statement read. “It is important to clarify the constitutionality of the law and remove the uncertainty this decision has created.”

Alan Young represents the three defendants in the case: Terri-Jean Bedford, Valerie Scott and Amy Lebovitch.

“It’s not an unexpected development.

It’s a fairly standard government response because it buys time and maintains the status quo,” says Young, who has long been known for his work in appealing laws that govern “consensual crimes” such as drug use or sex work.

“We’ve decided we will cross-appeal on the communication offence because it has problems. We’re going to impose a cost on this appeal — they may lose even more.”

While the March 26 Court of Appeals decision applies only in Ontario, a Supreme Court decision would apply across the country.

—Luna Allison For more on these stories, visit xtra.ca.

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Ottawa’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! MAY 10, 2012

HISTORY

Cruising on Rideau St Men resisted policing of gay sex Steven Maynard

I

N THE DECADES BEFORE BANK ST became the main drag of Ottawa’s gay village, where was the centre of gay life in the city? A tourist guide published in 1899 inadvertently advertised the hub of homosexual activity in Ottawa: “over the bridges electric streetcars and bicycles fly in rapid succession, while the sidewalks on either side are gay with life and colour.”

The guide directs our attention to the busy interzone between Wellington and Rideau streets.

If you were a man cruising for sex in early 20th-century Ottawa, the strip along Wellington to Rideau pulsed with sexual possibilities. This is confirmed by court transcripts of men charged with homosexual offences that reveal fascinating details about how and where men had sex in the city.

In the early 20th century, the fashionable area around Wellington and Sparks streets was known, according to our guide, as “the Broadway of Ottawa.”

In December of 1916, Joseph P and Edward R hooked up on Wellington. After some initial conversation and furtive groping, the two men ducked around the corner. As the police constable who arrested them explained to the court, Edward told the officer that Joseph “took him there to suck him off.”

But it was the threshold where Wellington met Rideau St that promised the most pleasure. What made this area so popular? For one thing, as the site of the city’s main train station, first Union Depot and, after 1912, the grand Union Station, this was the point of entry for many travellers and transient men coming into Ottawa. As the tourist guide described it, Union Depot and its adjacent streets were filled with “the never-ending coming and going of travellers.” Men who had sex with other men in and around the train station had to be very careful; the Canadian National Railway had its own police. In 1934, Alfred B, a 24-year-old labourer, and his friend Douglas H learned this the hard way when they were arrested

by Brenton H, “Special Agent, CNR.” A number of nearby hotels served the many people arriving in the city at Union Station. Men interested in sex

with other men took full advantage of the sexual space furnished by the hotels.

Around the corner from the train station on Sussex Dr, for example, stood the Grand Central Hotel. As Joseph R told the court in June of 1921, “I slept with [the other man] last night at the Grand Central Hotel, corner of George and Sussex Sts. He invited me to sleep with him. He put my penis in his mouth and sucked me.”

Descending into Lowertown, many men found it possible to make casual pickups along Rideau St. In 1922, James D met Peter M “when I was coming out of the Princess Theatre,” located at 160 Rideau St. “He asked me where he could get a room,” James explained to the court. “I told him he could get a room on Rideau St. He walked along with me down Rideau. He said he would give me $2 and it would take only five minutes. When at the Rideau St Public School he took me around at the back of the school. It’s very dark there. He put me against the wall and put something between my legs.”

In addition to hotels and theatres, cheap, allnight diners and lunch counters were important social centres within urban homosexual subcultures. The Bowles chain of lunch counters turned up numerous times in court case files.

In Ottawa, the principal Bowles Lunch was located at 30 Rideau St. In October of 1929, 17-year-old John M left his rural home and travelled to the big city “to see what it was like.” John arrived in Ottawa at 2am with no place to sleep. He headed for one of the few places open at such a late hour, the Bowles Lunch Counter.

It is unclear whether John knew in advance that Bowles was a popular homosexual haunt, but it was not long before he met someone. As John explained, “I went into Bowles Lunch near the Station on Rideau St.” There he met Moise B, a single, 29-year-old labourer. Sitting next to each other in their booth at Bowles, they talked until 6am and then left for Moise’s room “above his father’s shoemaking shop.”

It was, according to John, “an ordinary

Above, Rideau St and Union Station, 1926. Left, an Ottawa police constable.

CITY OF OTTAWA ARCHIVES

room with a bed in one corner.

“We got undressed and went to bed.

We were laying there a while and after a while” they had sex. It was to be the beginning of a relationship. John moved in with Moise and got a job at the Rideau Bowling Alley. According to John, they slept with each other every night, and for the next month or so they had sex “about four times a week.”

With so much of homosexual life necessarily focused on the street, men had to carve out private space in public places, including lavatories. Beginning in the late-19th century, the city erected lavatories to provide facilities for the many people who lacked indoor plumbing. It was in October of 1921 in the lavatory in the Byward Market that Frank B had sex with Vincent L. As Vincent told the court, “I saw Frank

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I met him in the market.” Men on the street employed a variety of visual cues to communicate their interest in one another. “He made signs to me to go into the lavatory,” Vincent explained.

“He told me he wanted to jerk me off.”

Sometimes words weren’t necessary.

Once they were inside the lavatory stall, Frank “unbuttoned my clothes and put my person into his mouth. Nothing was said between us.” Despite their efforts to conceal their activities by remaining quiet, they were discovered by an Ottawa police constable. As the constable told the court, “I happened to pass there.

I was suspicious and I returned and I saw them buttoning their trousers.”

Men took great risks when hooking up on city streets and in public places, especially the ever-present threat of getting caught by a police constable or another passerby. But even after being apprehended, men did not simply acquiesce. Frank, for example, tried several different strategies to resist arrest. As the constable explained, “I asked him his name and he gave me his

name as Frank L.” Giving false names was a common tactic to avoid exposure. Even after getting caught with his pants down with another man in a public lavatory, Frank maintained his defiance. As the constable testified, “I insisted to know what took place [but] he replied he was not going to give me any particulars about this matter.”

Many of the tactics men used ultimately failed. Frank, for one, was convicted and sentenced to six months in the Ottawa jail. But if we focus solely on that outcome, we will miss what was really significant. Remember, these men were having sex and trying to outsmart the police decades before the emergence of a gay political movement. Men’s small, subversive acts represented a brave form of resistance to the policing of homosexual sex nearly a century ago.

Steven Maynard teaches the history of sexuality at Queen’s University in Kingston and is completing a book entitled Infamous Men. This is the third in a three-part series on Ottawa’s gay history. For parts one and two, visit xtra.ca.

more at xtra.ca

XTRA! MAY 10, 2012

13 © BILL GENTILE/CORBIS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

INTERNATIONAL

Several African countries are currently debating laws to further criminalize homosexuality.

Undersiege While gays and lesbians gain rights in many parts of the Western world, their counterparts in the developing world are increasingly seeing them taken away

Burundi’s anti-gay law Bradley Turcotte JEAN NGOZI IS A CHEERFUL MAN. ANIMATED, alert and smartly dressed, you would never guess he lived through a brutal war in the tiny East African nation of Burundi. Ngozi, who now calls Ottawa home, was extremely disheartened when, in 2009, Burundi’s president, Pierre Nkurunziza, signed Article 567 into law, criminalizing homosexuality. Under this law anyone caught engaging in homosexual sex faces two months to three years in prison and could incur steep fines most Burundians could never afford to pay.

While Ngozi says he always knew he was gay, growing up middle-class in the capital city of Bujumbura, he never experienced discrimination based on sexual orientation firsthand.

However, he is aware that some acquaintances have been persecuted because they are gay, and he says those who are targeted have little recourse in Burundi.

“They can’t go to the police,” Ngozi says. “If you tell them you were beat up, they’ll ask you why, and instead of protecting you they’ll just inflict more pain.”

Ngozi says there is no word for gay in his first language of Kirundi. To many Burundians, the entire concept of being gay or lesbian is foreign, as if it does not exist.

A leading Burundian researcher and journalist who asked to remain anonymous claims Nkurunziza implemented Article 567 as a political ploy to secure reelection in the predominantly Catholic nation. The link between politics and religion is nothing new in central Africa; in recent years several American evangelical organizations have sought to influence legislation in this part of the continent.

“It’s the extension of the anti-gay culture war that clearly has been lost in Canada and seems to be on the losing side in the United Sates,” Stephen Brown, professor of political studies at the University of Ottawa, says.

“They are exporting it to other countries and whipping up an anti-gay hysteria to which continued on next page ›

14

Ottawa’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! MAY 10, 2012

Canada While Canada’s Conservative government has been quick to publicly stand up for gay rights and position itself as an international defender of sexual minorities, it has also been criticized for not walking the talk. Canada has not made defence of gay rights part of its international development priorities, nor has it put forward substantial funding for furthering gay rights abroad.

Refugee groups have also lambasted the government for its controversial changes to policy for asylum seekers, which they claim make it more difficult for queer refugees to find protection in Canada.

For more on this story, search Canada’s gay rights defence is all hot air and Refugee groups respond to Jason Kenney’s letter to Xtra on xtra.ca.

Jamaica

FOR LGBT INDIVIDUALS ACROSS THE WORLD, OFTEN WHAT THEY NEED IS NOT FREEDOM OF RELIGION BUT FREEDOM FROM RELIGION. — Stephen Brown, professor of political studies at the University of Ottawa

The Caribbean island has long been associated with anti-gay laws, rampant hate crimes and homophobic rhetoric, including hate speech delivered by some of Jamaica’s most influential musicians. Just last year two men were murdered by machete, including a 16-year-old chopped to death for “questionable relations” with another man. Indeed, in 2006 Time magazine called Jamaica the most homophobic place on earth.

However, Jamaica’s new prime minister, Portia Simpson-Miller, spoke out in favour of gay rights during the election campaign last year, and activist Maurice Tomlinson recently told Xtra he thinks legislators are ready to do away with anti-gay laws in his home country.

For more on this story, search Gay activist: Jamaica “disappoints and surprises” on xtra.ca.

Liberia See main story, below.

Ghana The conservative West African country has been in the media of late as many of its leaders have spoken out against British Prime Minister David Cameron’s threats to cut aid to those countries, such as Ghana, where homosexuality is criminalized. Religious groups, women’s groups and members of civil society have banded together to denounce homosexuality and call on the country’s leaders to uphold anti-gay laws. For his part, Ghanaian President John Atta Mills last year stated, “I, as president, will never initiate or support any attempt to legalize homosexuality in Ghana.”

For more on this story, search The Cleansing and A Good Day in Ghana on xtra.ca.

Burundi › continued from previous page governments respond. They are attempting to reassert their own moral centredness or their own morality by enacting very severe legislation. They often portray homosexuality as moral decadence or as something imported from the West, which completely contradicts local history.”

Amnesty International Canada’s Burundi coordinator, David Smith, cites interactions with missionaries and American evangelicals for the ideological shift toward a negative attitude about gays and lesbians in many parts of Africa.

As for Canada’s influence, MP Randall Garrison, the NDP’s lead critic on queer issues, says Canada can and should do more to ensure human rights violations in Burundi and elsewhere are addressed.

“It is important for the government of Canada to take a strong stance on the issue of human rights, which include the rights of LGBT people around the world,” Garrison says. “I think it’s also important to call on other organizations, like La Francophonie, of which Burundi is a member, to create stronger rules to ensure that all member states meet a minimum level of human rights, which includes protection from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.”

Canada’s ambassador to Burundi, David Collins, also serves as ambassador to Somalia and Eritrea and is high commissioner to Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. Smith says Burundi is most likely the lowest country on Collins’ list of priorities. He instead urges action through the UN as the best way to assist gay and lesbian Burundians.

“[The UN is the best option] partly because of how public it is. If an ambassador goes to the government and makes a complaint, they can sort of shrug it off,” Smith explains. “Whereas a full human rights review in public at the UN is something more substantial. You have to actually have arguments that hold up when you try to justify a law that is inappropriate.”

In addition to his diplomatic duties, Collins is a permanent representative to the UN Office at Nairobi. Correspondence with Collins’ office in Nairobi was not returned at press time.

In October 2011, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird joined other leaders of Commonwealth countries in an attempt to take steps toward decriminalizing homosexuality. However, the recommendation was rejected and British Prime Minister David Cameron later threatened that the UK might pull aid from those countries that continue to ban homosexuality.

Baird’s office did not respond to Xtra’s request for comment.

Justine Semonde, charges d’affaires at the Burundian Embassy in Ottawa, also declined to be interviewed on this topic.

Meanwhile, on the ground in Burundi, several small gay rights organizations are fighting Article 567. Humure and the Movement for Individual Freedoms (MOLI) are two such groups bravely facing the harsh opposition to the rights of sexual minorities.

Brown encourages Canadians to consult with these groups to determine the most appropriate way to offer assistance, as there have been cases where intervention by foreign governments ended in more persecution.

“Sometimes donor countries will take unilateral action and can wind up harming people locally.

This was the case in Malawi. When the British suspended aid and cited gay rights as one issue, that led to a backlash against local LGBT people.

Obviously this is counterproductive; they then got blamed for aid being suspended. That is not helpful to LGBT causes,” Brown says. “For LGBT individuals across the world, often what they need is not freedom of religion but freedom from religion.

Some people’s specific religious perspectives are being imposed on the population at large and not respecting the rights of alternative sexual identity and sexual behaviour between consenting adults.”

Since coming to Canada as a refugee in 2000, Ngozi has taken it upon himself to give back, just as he hopes Canadians will do for gays and lesbians in Burundi. He has volunteered at a local clinic for several years and says his motivation for doing so has changed as he has helped more Canadians in need.

To his Burundian compatriots wrestling the strong arm of oppression, Ngozi offers up a French saying.

“I would tell them, ‘Tranquille la vie et l’espoir.’

Meaning, as long as there is life there is always hope. Even here in Canadian society it took some time; it didn’t start yesterday. It took time for people to get involved and get rights and be protected; it didn’t just start like that. The main thing is to be patient. We don’t need to prove anything.

As long as you are yourself, everything will work out. That’s my belief.”

Jean Ngozi is a pseudonym; his real name has not been used.

Religion stokes fear in Liberia Aaron Leaf IN A MARCH 19 VIDEO, FORMER BRITISH PRIME minister turned shadowy philanthropist Tony Blair and Nobel Peace Prize–winner and Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf sit awkwardly at a table being grilled about anti-sodomy laws in Liberia.

Asked by Guardian reporter Tamasin Ford if she’d sign a bill decriminalizing homosexual acts, Sirleaf replies, “No, we like ourselves just the way we are.

“We have certain traditional values in our society that we’d like to preserve,” she continues.

Until this interview Sirleaf’s views on gay rights were not widely known. Considered a progressive by the international community, she had largely been silent on gay issues.

The video came as a shock to Stephanie Horton.

A Liberian living in the United States, Horton, the founder of Sea Breeze, a journal of Liberian writing, didn’t really consider herself an activist until recently.

But this year, as the anti-gay rhetoric in Liberia became more heated, Horton decided to take a stand. Using the international attention that had been gained from Liberia’s 2011 Nobel Peace Prize win, Horton decided to write an open letter to Leymah Gbowee, the Liberian woman who, along with Sirleaf and Yemeni activist Tawakul Karman, shared the prize.

more at xtra.ca

XTRA! MAY 10, 2012

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Russia Russia decriminalized homosexuality in 1993 under the watch of former president Boris Yeltsin. But the fight to ensure a more progressive legal and social environment for gays has been dealt several negative blows.

Within the last six years, several Russian cities have voted for the implementation of so-called “gay propaganda” laws to increasingly silence the country’s gay community. Recently, gay rights activist Nikolai Alexeyev became the first person convicted under St Petersburg’s version of the law, which variously bans “propaganda of sodomy, lesbianism, bisexuality and transgenderism among minors.” The powerful Orthodox Church and other political authorities want to have such language encoded in law nationally. But Alexeyev tells Xtra he is not convinced these latest attempts to criminalize queer Russians are a major setback. In fact, he suggests, these “vague” bills are doing “a lot to promote the LGBT rights.”

Iran Under Iran’s sharia law, homosexual sex is illegal and carries a maximum sentence of death. Two gay Iranian teens, 17 and 18, were executed by hanging in the Iranian city of Mashhad in July 2008. Because transsexuality is not criminalized, gay men in Iran often elect to undergo sex change operations to avoid persecution. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad famously stated in 2007 that homosexuality does not exist in Iran. The Iranian Railroad for Queer Refugees has helped a number of Iranians immigrate to Canada.

For more on this story, search Escaping Iran on xtra.ca.

For more on this story, search How Russia’s push to criminalize gays could backfire on xtra.ca.

Malaysia Nigeria

Burundi See main story.

Canada’s foreign affairs minister, John Baird, last year spoke out strongly against crackdowns on gay rights in Nigeria, one of several West African countries to take steps toward further criminalizing homosexuality.

While gay sex is already illegal in the country, a new law passed by the Nigerian senate would make same-sex marriage punishable by a 14-year jail sentence and further criminalize witnesses and supporters of gay marriages. It would also ban gay rights groups in the country.

While homosexuality is already illegal and punishable by up to 20 years in prison in the Southeast Asian country, legislators in two of its states last year moved to further punish Muslim gays. Under the proposed new laws, gay Muslims could be punished twice for engaging in homosexual sex: under both state and federal law — meaning longer jail times for those convicted.

In November 2011, organizers of an annual gay rights festival in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, cancelled the event when police threatened to target those attending.

For more on this story, search Baird speaks out on Nigerian anti-gay bill on xtra.ca.

Before winning the Nobel and becoming a YouTube sensation by displaying lively wit during a taping of The Daily Show, Gbowee was best known in the West as the star of Abigail Disney’s harrowing documentary about the Liberian women’s movement’s attempts to stop the civil war there.

In her letter, Horton challenges Gbowee, who has taken no public stance on gay issues, to use her celebrity as a leader on human rights to stand up for the gay community in Liberia. The most passed-around portion of Horton’s letter, posted on dozens of blogs about Africa and gay rights reads as follows: “LGBT Liberians live in fear, disempowered and daily imperiled. The war for them has not ended.

Their lives are defined by danger and violence, persecution, hate speech and threats, discrimination and harassment. They are stigmatized, publicly rejected and almost completely abandoned by government. Their vulnerability affects all areas of their lives from every quarter — church, school, employers, landlords, media, street mobs, rapists, predators, political actors, opinion leaders, family.”

In Horton’s memory, pre-war Monrovia, Liberia’s capital, was not a dangerous place to be gay.

As long as one was “private” about one’s sexuality, it was largely tolerated. Among the city’s Christian elite, gays “were known for throwing the best parties.” In the hinterland, depending on one’s traditional practices, there was a level of acceptance for both homosexuality and gender switching. Zoes, the traditional priests who lead secret societies, were not homophobic, according to Horton. Even the iconic images of the Liberian war, rebel soldiers fighting in wigs and women’s

dresses, was “all part of the culture.”

“But going through war,” Horton says, “things happen in the mind.”

Being gay in Liberia is illegal: “voluntary sodomy” is punishable by up to a year in jail. However, the US State Department’s annual Human Rights Report found no instances of the law being used in recent years and no reported instances of violence against gays.

But in recent months the issue is everywhere: in newspapers, on campuses and debated on many of Liberia’s raucous call-in radio talk shows. In early April, Liberian anti-gay group Movement Against Gays in Liberia (MOGAL) distributed leaflets with a “hit list” of supporters of gay rights in the West African country.

Meanwhile, legislators have introduced two new bills that would make homosexual acts punishable by jail time or worse. One bill, known as the “Kill the Gays Bill,” was drafted by Senator Jewel Taylor, wife of former dictator Charles Taylor, and calls for a minimum of 10 years in jail and a maximum of the death sentence for engaging in homosexual acts.

The catalyst for recent events was Hillary Clinton’s now-famous speech in Geneva to mark UN Human Rights Day in which she declared gay rights to be human rights and outlined steps she was taking as secretary of state to use American foreign policy to promote the protection of queer communities.

Horton was so moved by speech she cried, but at the same time it gave her an uneasy feeling.

“America has beautiful rhetoric,” Horton says, “and I think her commitment is genuine. But I can’t take any Western politician seriously. It’s

all political. We know in Africa that they have arbitrary application standards. It’s hard to miss when you’re on the receiving end.”

And indeed, many Liberians took the speech as an admission that the US was meddling in internal politics: pushing a pro-West, pro-homosexual, “colonial” agenda. Last October, British Prime Minister David Cameron provoked a similar backlash when he said he’d cut British aid budgets to countries that persecute homosexuals.

It is commonly argued that homosexuality is at odds with “traditional” African culture. Leaders such as Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe have called homosexuality a Western invention. There are many country-specific cases that dispel this myth, the least of which is that many countries, more than 30 in sub-Saharan Africa, continue to enforce laws created by colonial regimes outlawing homosexuality and “sodomy” — laws that have since been abandoned in the European countries that created them.

When Sirleaf says, “We like ourselves just the way we are,” it’s a signal to constituents that she will not rock the boat. On the other hand, there’s no indication she will support a law that condemns gays to death.

Liberia is not the first African country to engage in this debate. Horton blames politicized Christianity, which she believes unites recent legal attacks on gays in countries as diverse as Uganda, Malawi, Nigeria and Liberia — countries on opposite sides of the continent but connected, Horton believes, by “a new virulently homophobic religion.” It’s a kind of Christianity pushed by adherents in the West that’s finding fertile ground in places with quickly growing church

populations and corrupt lawmakers.

Horton is not alone in this belief. In Massachusetts, where non-citizens can sue Americans for violations of international law, the human rights organization Sexual Minorities Uganda is suing American pastor Scott Lively, accusing the antigay evangelist of “helping spread propaganda and violence” against gays in Uganda for his alleged role in drafting that country’s harsh anti-gay law.

Both the UK and the United States have now said they will consider a country’s treatment of sexual minorities when allocating aid. But what about Canada?

According to a spokesperson in the office of Bev Oda, minister for international cooperation, “Canada takes human rights, including the persecution of LGTBQ individuals, into consideration when determining the most effective distribution of aid.”

When asked what that means in specific cases, the spokesperson says, “I can’t speculate on hypothetical developments, but I assure you, Minister Oda will continue to consider the human rights situation, including the rights of LGBTQ individuals, when distributing Canadian aid.”

Meanwhile, Horton doesn’t know if Gbowee personally read her letter, but her sources in Liberia tell her it was widely read there. Though it has received plenty of attention both internationally and in Liberia, she has yet to hear any official response.

on the web For more on this issue, search xtra.ca using the following article titles: › Trying not to be afraid in Burundi › Hillary Clinton’s historic UN speech

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Ottawa’s gay & lesbian news

more at xtra.ca

XTRA! MAY 10, 2012

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arts › entertainment › leisure

Out City IN THE

IN SONG

IN CHINATOWN, THERE’S AN INCLUSIVITY THAT AUTHENTICALLY LETS YOU BE EXACTLY WHO YOU ARE. Monique Andrews ›19

IN PRINT

INONE PERSON John Irving’s smart new novel, at the intersection of sexuality and gender

About 20 Tone Cluster members will represent Ottawa at the choral festival in Denver.

Tone Cluster is Denver Bound Choir will participate in international music festival Julie Cruikshank TONE CLUSTER IS ON THE MOVE, and the group’s taking a little bit of Canada with it.

In July the choir jets off for Denver, Colorado, to take part in the five-day Gala Choruses Festival.

Held every four years, the Gala Festival brings together international queer singing groups for a series of concerts held in stateof-the-art venues. With approximately 130 participating choirs, it is the largest event of its kind in the world.

This year’s festival will see the choral groups performing in three different venues in Denver; each group is given 30 minutes to show what they’ve got. For its set, Tone Cluster will perform a fully Canadian repertoire from a number of composers. “Usually in these festivals, it’s more like a showcase than a theme performance,” says outreach coordinator Gianluca Ragazzini.

The pieces have been selected to show off the choir’s vocal chops while giving audiences a taste of the diversity of Canadian music. The set list includes “Yanaway Heyona,” a traditional Iroquois song; “Gate Gate,” a musical arrangement of a Buddhist mantra composed and arranged by award-winning BC composer Brian Tate; and Ron Sexsmith’s “God Loves Everyone,” arranged by Vancouver Men’s Chorus composer Willi Zwozdesky.

The choir will also premiere two original pieces commissioned from venerated Saskatchewan composer David L McIntyre.

“Green” explores the love of nature, while “Yes” tells the story of two gay men living with AIDS. In addition to its solo concert, Tone Cluster has also been selected to take part in Songs of the Soul, a special evening concert that explores the connections between

music, spirituality and sexuality.

Planning a trip like this is no small feat, according to Ragazzini, who says the group has been preparing for almost two years.

About 20 choir members will fly to Denver, a relatively small group in comparison to some of the larger choirs, which will take closer to 60 members. “Sometimes small choirs are very interesting to listen to,” Ragazzini explains. “They have an interesting sound texture.

Also, in a small choir every voice is important.”

Tone Cluster will be the only choir from Ottawa at the festival.

“There’s an amazing diversity of music that we get to experience by being there,” Ragazzini says.

“We get to perform in world-class venues — it’s such an exciting place to perform. It’s just a fantastic experience, really.”

Before the choir takes off in July, Ottawa folks will have a chance to hear some of the songs it’s working on. The group’s Denver Bound concert will feature an extended set list, as well as guest appearances by the Ottawa Gay Men’s Chorus and In Harmony Women’s Chorus.

Along with Tone Cluster, these choirs will be the official hosts of Unison — a Canadian queer choral festival coming to Ottawa in 2014.

the deets DENVER BOUND Sat, May 26, 8pm Centretown United Church 507 Bank St $20; tickets available at After Stonewall, Mother Tongue Books, Collected Works, Leading Note, Books on Beechwood and Venus Envy

GALA INTERNATIONAL CHORAL FESTIVAL Fri, July 6–Thurs, July 12 Denver, Colorado galachoruses.org

Matt Mills NOVELIST JOHN IRVING BECAME A household name with his 1978 novel, The World According to Garp. He solidified that success with The Hotel New Hampshire, The Cider House Rules, A Prayer for Owen Meany, and many others. He has, for those works, conjured characters of variously ambiguous gender and sexuality, but he’s never published a novel in which sexual outlaws and the glorious sexual and gender differences among people are centrally featured. He’s never published a truly queer story; that is, until now. His 13th novel, In One Person, due out May 8, is just that.

Readers first meet protagonist Billy Abbott in 1955 when he is a 13-year-old budding writer and sexual being who finds himself almost overwhelmingly attracted to his librarian, Miss Frost, an older transgender woman. When asked by Miss Frost what sort of stories he would most like to read, Billy replies, “Do you know any novels about young people who have dangerous crushes, crushes on the wrong people?”

Billy’s crushes develop, including one that comes with a desire to fuck the star bully of his school wrestling team.

Billy and Miss Frost become closer in the following years until he graduates from high school.

As he matures, Billy self-identifies as bisexual, rejects monogamy and has sexual and romantic relationships with men, women and MTF trans people. We find him in LA in the late ’60s; he lives some years immersed in the gay culture of ’70s New York and some years more in gender- and sexually fluid Vienna.

He even briefly visits a dying friend at Toronto’s Casey House. He returns in the end to live in his hometown, First Sister, Vermont, the setting for his formative years and early friendship with Miss Frost. Though obviously not without its tragedies, Billy’s is a meaningful, industrious and seemingly satisfying life.

Through his characters, Irving demonstrates a startlingly sophisticated understanding of human sexuality: that it is as diverse as individuality.

The descriptions — written in the first person — of Billy’s lusts, fears, hopes, peeves and regrets will likely resonate especially well with gay and bisexual men. It’s also a hot read for anyone interested in the intersections of gender and sexuality. Life is hard in reality and perhaps harder in fiction, yet Irving has a way of presenting the characters of In One Person as complex and nuanced human beings, sometimes victimized but never accepting “victim” as an identity.

“People are so very different, and

“The degree to which people want to be engaged in the most intimate and private decisions of others has always amazed me,” says novelist John Irving.

MATT MILLS

our sexual identities matter, especially when they are hard to earn, especially when we have been made to feel that we are a minority and we have to struggle to assert who we are,” says Irving in a face-to-face interview with Xtra. “Miss Frost, I think, is also right that it’s not for other people to put those labels on us . . . That’s what she means when she says, ‘Don’t put a label on me. Don’t make me a category before you get to know me.’ . . . Both sexuality and gender are mutable.”

In One Person, as a story about sexual differences among people, has real potential to help effect positive change for gay and trans people, especially in the US. This is the novel I selfishly

wish Irving had written 25 years ago.

He says he’s had the sketch for it in his mind, along with outlines for several other stories, for more than 12 years. But, he adds, one of the factors that pushed In One Person over the threshold from idea to publication is his son, Everett.

“I did not know when I laid out the architecture for this story that I would have a gay son,” Irving says. “When I began writing this book in 2009, I very much knew that my youngest son is gay.

I was very proud of him for coming out.

While it would be utter bullshit to say I wrote In One Person because I have a gay son, I was very much aware of having him as my ideal reader. He knows it very well: the person I most wanted to read this book is Everett.”

See this story at xtra.ca for a series of video interviews with Irving, including a reading from In One Person.

the deets IN ONE PERSON

By John Irving Random House $35

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XTRA! MAY 10, 2012

listings › ART & PHOTOGRAPHY Chinatown Remixed This annual, month-long art festival takes place on Somerset St W. The exhibits all happen in nontraditional spaces, such as coffee shops, teahouses, grocery stores, laundromats and hair salons, in Ottawa’s Chinatown neighbourhood.

Sat, May 12 to Tues, June 12. Free. chinatownremixed.ca

Young at Art This annual, citywide art exhibit features the work of some of Ottawa’s best young visual artists at a variety of local galleries. Runs till Tues, May 22, various venues. Awards reception is Tues, May 15, 7:30–9pm. The Chamber, Ben Franklin Place, 101 Centrepointe Dr. ottawa.ca

The Human Zoo

For more listings, go to xtra.ca

FILM & VIDEO Bully Comes to Bytowne

Rideau Speedeaus

Bully screens at Bytowne Cinema on Thurs, May 10.

Join the Rideau Speedeaus Swim Club Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays for some wet fun. Ottawa U Pool, Montpetit Hall, 125 University St. To inquire about or register for the Learn to Swim program, email lts@ rideauspeedeaus.com. 613-562-5789. rideauspeedeaus.com

The documentary everyone’s been talking about has finally come to Ottawa. This film presents so many devastating moments that it’s hard to pick the most powerful one. Thurs, May 10, 6:40pm. Bytowne Cinema, 325 Rideau St. 613-789-3456. $7–10. bytowne.ca. For a review visit xtra.ca.

Creative Writing Play Date

Rocky Horror Picture Show It’s finally warm enough to wear your scant, scandalous Rocky Horror outfits with pride. Grab your gays and make it out to this screening of a classic, featuring the “Absent Friends” shadow cast. Sat, May 12, 10pm. Mayfair Theatre, 1074 Bank St. 613-730-3403. $10–15. mayfairtheatre.ca

Some Like It Hot

This is a group show that explores the notions of prison, prisoner, imprisonment and the inverse: our liberation, hope and the escape. Sat, May 26. La Petite Mort Gallery, 306 Cumberland St. Free. 613-860-1555. lapetitemortgallery.com

This wacky, campy comedy stars Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis — with the latter two spending most of the movie in drag, masquerading as female musicians.

Tues, May 15, 6:40 and Wed, May 16, 4pm. Bytowne Cinema, 325 Rideau St. 613-789-3456. $7–10. bytowne.ca

Comic Jam

Divergence Movie Night

Shake the dust off your drawing pencils at Ottawa’s monthly Comic Jam. Open theme; suggestions welcome.

Wed, May 30, 7–10pm. Shanghai Restaurant, 651 Somerset St W. Free, materials provided. 613-863-8264. comixjam.tripod.com

May’s movie is Queer China, “Comrade” China. A historical account of the queer movement in modern China — from unspeakable taboo to accepted social identity.

Wed, May 16, 8pm. Shanghai Restaurant, 651 Somerset St W. Free, suggested donation of $5–10. divergencemovienight.com

HEALTH & ISSUES The Living Room

5:15–6:45pm. Centretown Community Health Centre, 420 Cooper St. Free. aco-cso.ca/gayzonegaie

The Living Room is a free space for poz people and their loved ones. Food bank, free laundry facilities, internet, counselling, workshops, advocacy and support groups. Contact the Living Room to make an intake appointment.

AIDS Committee of Ottawa, 251 Bank St, 7th floor. Free. 613-563-0851. aco-cso.ca

Post-Adoption Support Group

Women for Sobriety A confidential and anonymous selfhelp recovery program for women with addictions. Every Sunday night, 7–8:15pm, at the Christmas Exchange Program, 1390 Prince of Wales, 4th floor. All women welcome. Free. 613220-3588. w.f.s.in.ottawa@gmail.com

Weekly Yoga at GayZone Free weekly yoga classes for gay men.

Open to everyone, from beginners to advanced students. Thursdays,

For queer- or trans-identified adoptive parents who want a non-judgmental space to talk. First Thursday of each month. Thurs, June 7, 6:30–8:30pm.

Centretown Community Health Centre, 420 Cooper St. Free. For more info, email celeste.taylor@hotmail.com.

LEISURE & PLEASURE Hump Night Mid-week debauchery at its finest.

Promoted by local queers Laurie Hawco and Ricky Alvarez, I Love 2 Hump features the Eva Darling Drag Show and DJs Martin and Grace spinning hip hop, electro and house. Wednesdays, from 9pm. Mercury Lounge, 56 Byward Market Sq. 613-789-5324. ilove2hump.com

A drop-in writing group facilitated by queer spoken-word artist Sean Zio. Poetry, fiction and nonfiction writers welcome. Tuesdays, 8–10pm. Mother Tongue Books, 1067 Bank St. Suggested $5 donation. creativewritingplaydate.com

Ottawa QBall Ottawa’s gay and lesbian recreational softball league is up and running for the season. There are only three spots available in the rosters for this year. Interested? Contact the league at registration@ottawaqball.com. ottawaqball.com

Ottawa Wolves Rugby This gay and bi men’s rugby team is now holding twice-weekly outdoor practices. Matches begin in May; the season ends the first week of September. New recruits are welcome to join anytime. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6:30–8pm. Springhurst Park (off Lees Ave). ottawawolves.ca › continued on page 22

more at xtra.ca

XTRA! MAY 10, 2012

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NEIGHBOURHOOD

Chinatown Remixed Local artists take flight at inclusive door-to-door street festival Laura Zahody T H E CO - OW N E R O F A Q U E E R identified business on Somerset St W says she’s giving up her walls to the area’s local arts festival, Chinatown Remixed, in order to give back to an inclusive community.

Other established neighbourhoods have a particular aesthetic that businesses need to adhere to, says Monique Andrews, of The Prana Group, a health clinic that bridges the gap between conventional and natural medicine.

“In certain neighbourhoods there’s a flavour of the day, you know. You go to Westboro and there are a million kid shops now,” she says. “But in Chinatown, there’s an inclusivity that authentically lets you be exactly who you are.”

During the festival, artists from across the city are hosted by participating Chinatown businesses. The format of the month-long festival is door-todoor, with guests going from business to business to view the art.

the deets CHINATOWN REMIXED Sat, May 12 to Tues, June 12 chinatownremixed.ca

It was a day spent at Chinatown Remixed 2011 that encouraged Andrews and her partner to move their clinic to Chinatown last September after 10 years in the Glebe, she says, adding that the clinic’s lease was coming up for renewal anyway.

“We came, we spent the day and we loved it,” she says. “Being in the queer community, an inclusive environment, was certainly something I was looking for, and I think that Chinatown offers that.”

Don Kwan, co-owner of Shanghai Restaurant and one of the festival’s organizers, agrees that both the area and the festival are inclusive. Chinatown is a vibrant, diverse and ever-changing community, says Kwan, who was born and raised in the neighbourhood.

Fostering connections between people from different cultures and backgrounds is one of the festival’s mandates, hence the word “remixed,” Kwan says. One of the ways organizers remix festival participants is by purposely matching businesses and artists from different backgrounds, he says.

“We feel we’re cultural architects in a way — building bridges between different cultures.”

Daniel Martelock, a participating artist paired with the Asian grocer

Doctors, partners and business owners Monique Andrews (left) and Tamara MacIntyre stand in The Prana Group hallway where Chinatown Remixed art will be displayed. LAURA ZAHODY

Kowloon Market, says the festival’s model is different than that of other art shows he’s been in. The Chinatown Remixed model encourages community building, he says.

“It’s not just ‘Here’s a space, good luck,’” he says. “It’s ‘Here’s a space, go find it and meet the people.’”

But it’s not only artists and businesses who build bridges. Festival-goers

PHILIP M. MACADAM B.A., B.MUS., LL.B.

also build community because of the door-to-door model, Martelock says.

“People are going into businesses they’ve never even heard of and might not have gone into on their own,” he says.

Martelock says he’s trying to foster community building with his contribution to this year’s festival. On opening day, he will be outside Kowloon Market with two blank canvasses – one for himself and one for public participation.

This year drag performer China Doll, who has participated in the festival since its inception in 2008, is paired with Aline Hair Design.

“I’ve always felt that everyone . . . organizers, business owners [and the] public have all been very supportive and welcoming of diversity,” she says.

“It’s wonderful to have The Prana Group’s support this year,” she adds.

“Everyone is very excited to have another queer-identified business on Somerset.”

This is China Doll’s first year participating as a visual artist. In the past she has performed and been the event’s official emcee.

She says she will break out the very best for the occasion by displaying a selection of iconic China Doll costumes at Aline Hair Design. The get-ups will be head-to-toe: wigs, sunglasses, dresses, rings, heels and other girly things.

She will also be at her venue on the opening day of Chinatown Remixed to give out oversized, personalized fortunes from her fortune cookie purse.

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Matrimonial anomaly Capturing quirky side of modern love Layla Cameron A VERY NONTRADITIONAL PLAY WILL be performed for the ďŹ rst time in Ottawa this month. The love story is familiar, but the circumstances are not, twisting religion and sexuality into a musical performance.

My Mother’s Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding will be staged at Centrepointe Theatre between May 10 and 13, for a total of ďŹ ve shows.

The musical, written by David Hein and Irene Carl Sankoff, is based on Hein’s own experiences.

The play’s narrator is David, whose mother, Claire, moves to Ottawa from Saskatchewan after divorcing her husband. Upon arriving in Ottawa, she rents a room from a lesbian graduate student in Sandy Hill. The student belongs to a choir, which also serves as a mini support group.

One of the choir members, Jane, takes Claire on a tour of Ottawa. Jane and Claire eventually fall in love. After Claire’s mother dies, she returns to Saskatchewan and struggles to tell her son about her new relationship.

Director Bob Lackey says there are many funny moments in play, including when Claire attempts to tell her

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Emily Veryard (left) plays Jane and Fiona Mackinnon is Claire.

son about her new partner without disclosing Jane’s sex. “In the end, the son is completely comfortable with it,� Lackey says. “When the song is over, he essentially interrupts her and says, ‘Mom, it’s okay.’�

The musical uses projected images of Ottawa as part of the set to help the audience visualize the walk Jane and Claire take through Sandy Hill. “It makes it personal; we can identify with everything that is going on,� says Karen Comber, one of the show’s producers.

The walk cements the pair ’s relationship. “There’s a love-at-ďŹ rst-sight, loveat-first-walk feeling,â€? Lackey says.

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“They end up at Parliament Hill looking over the Ottawa River. Claire learns that Jane is Wiccan, and she sings a song about what it’s like to be Wiccan, and during the song she has become attracted to Jane and at the end Claire initiates a kiss.�

First performed at the Toronto Fringe Festival in 2009, the play was picked up by Mirvish Productions and extended, running at the Panasonic Theatre in Toronto for more than three months, Lackey says. “We’re hoping to capture the fringe festival feel to it,� he says. “Costumes are going to be minimalist, and the space and the studio is a perfect place, as it can’t be too elaborate.�

The play won Most Promising Musi-

cal and Outstanding Individual Performance (Liz Larsen) prizes at the 2010 New York Musical Theatre Festival awards. It was also recently nominated for Best Comedic Play at the Canadian Comedy Awards. “I think this is an honest play,� says Comber. “There is humour and there are touching moments. It is about real life.�

the deets MY MOTHER’S LESBIAN JEWISH WICCAN WEDDING Centrepoint Theatre 101 Centrepointe Dr Thurs, May 10 - Sun, May 13 centrepointetheatre.ca

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XTRA! MAY 10, 2012

XPOSED

21

Balancing breath, mind and body… …in our busy lives

By Michael Burtch

ottawamensyoga.ca

Rainbow Rockers Curling League members Floyd Wood,Greg Crowe and Kevin Verberne (from left) at the closing banquet and awards ceremony, at the Ottawa Curling Club on April 15.

Rainbow Rocker curlers who hog the rock during games pay into a piggy bank, and at the end of the season one of the guilty culprits wins the entire pot. This year rock-hog Mark Davidson (not pictured) took home the prize, winning $92.45. Here, league promoters John Gazo (left) and Jonathan Allen break open the bank and count the shameful contributions.

WANT TO HELP STOP BULLYING?

Reem Girgrah, Mélanie Jubinville-Stafford and Yami Msosa (from left) attend a pro-choice rally on Parliament Hill. Organized by the Radical Handmaids, the rally was a response to Conservative MP Stephen Woodworth’s private member’s bill that some worry is designed to reopen the abortion debate.

New York artist Devin Elijah (left) exhibits his photography at La Petite Mort Gallery; he’s pictured here with Janelle Bosse and gallery owner Guy Bérubé. Elijah’s work-in-progress Polaroid series, A Chronicle of Love & Loss in Sickness & in Health, examines HIV, New York City and faces from his past.

Have your say & enter for your chance to implement your idea AND win 4 tickets to see Wicked at the NAC on July 11th! Submit your idea along with your name and contact info to lorilynn.barker@xtra.ca by May 31st

Jeff Morrison, Donald Walker, Marshall Rowat, Bobby Dagenais, Dean Laframboise and Chris Reichelt (from left) sign up members for the fifth season of Qball, Ottawa’s GLBT Softball League, at the Lookout Bar. While registration is now closed, you can still see about sparing for teams by visiting ottawaqball.com. The season opener will be played May 4.

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Arun Smith, Kaylee Cameron, Alaine Prudhomme and Sam Zaluski (from left) at Promdemonium, the “radical, communityoriented, gender-bending, bike-loving, enviro-humping, queer-diggin, slow-dancing, big-dress-wearing prom that you never had.” To learn more, visitpromdemonium.ca.

Scott Cleland (left) and partner David MacMillan attend the fifth annual Promdemonium, April 21 at the National Arts Centre.

Shannon Willmott (left) and partner Dan Sawyer hit the dancefloor at Promdemonium to the groovy tunes of DJs Yalla Yalla and Meera.

with us online. Add askus@youthline.ca to any IM program. us your questions or concerns at askus@youthline.ca.

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Ottawa’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! MAY 10, 2012

Ottawa’s online directory of gay-owned and gay-friendly businesses

indexdirectory.ca

listings ›

For more listings, go to xtra.ca

indexdirectory.ca ACCOMMODATIONS BRITISH COLUMBIA The Eagle’s Nest B&B

FIREPLACES

1-866-766-9350

ACCOMMODATIONS - ONTARIO Ambiance Bed and Breakfast 613-563-0421 Brookstreet Hotel 613-271-1800 Holiday Inn Toronto Downtown Centre 416-977-6655 The Gilmour B&B 613-236-9309 Trinity House Inn 1-800-265-4871

AIDS/HIV RESOURCES AIDS Committee of Ottawa Bruce House Bureau régional d’action sida (BRAS) Gay Zone

613-238-5014 613-729-0911 819-776-2727 613-563-2437

APARTMENTS Minto Apartments Limited

613-782-2227

ART GALLERIES Cube Gallery Galerie 240

613-728-1750 613-680-0866

613-834-1777

BARS & CLUBS Obsession Lounge

613-288-0506

BATHROOM Panoramik Home Improvements Inc

613-913-9595

FLOORING Ottawa Diamond Flooring Westboro Flooring & Décor Inc

613-274-3535 613-226-3830

Fresh Air Experience McCrank’s Cycles

613-729-3002 613-563-2200

BOOKS & MAGAZINES - ADULT Classixxx Adult Store

FLORISTS Select Roses Tivoli Florists

613-567-2600 613-729-6911

FRAMING & POSTERS Cambridge Design Gallery

613-232-2787

FURNITURE FoundDesign The New Oak Tree

613-523-2205 613-253-9797

FURNITURE - ACCESSORIES Alteriors Contemporary Furniture

613-722-1661

GRAPHIC DESIGN SERVICES 613-565-8224

Rainbow Foods

BOOKS & MAGAZINES - NEW mother tongue books

613-730-2346

CATERING Epicuria - Fine Food Store & Catering

613-745-7356

CHEESE SHOPS House of Cheese

613-241-4853

CHIROPRACTORS In Balance Chiropractic and Health Centre

613-837-8885

CHURCHES St Luke’s Anglican Church of Ottawa

613-235-3416

CLEANING & MAID SERVICES MetroPro Rent-A-Wife

613-728-5650 613-749-2249

613-726-9200

CONSTRUCTION 613-913-9595

COUNSELLING Antoine Quenneville 613-230-6179 x401 Dr Gordon Josephson 613-862-6902 Dumouchel - Paquette Counselling & Psychotherapy Services Luc: 613-235-9813 Robert: 613-234-0331 Dwight E Thompson 613-220-1265 Gilmour Psychological Services 613-230-4709 Jean Hanson 613-321-2726 Jerry S G Ritt 613-233-9669 Ruth Dulmage 613-731-5454 Western Ottawa Community Resource Centre 613-591-3686

DRY CLEANING

613-565-0763

HEALTH FOODS & NUTRITION 613-726-9200

HOME IMPROVEMENT & REPAIRS Panoramik Home Improvements Inc

613-913-9595

Andrex Holdings Phoenix Homes

613-238-1835 613-723-9227 x123

INSURANCE John Shea Insurance Brokers Ltd

613-596-9697

INTERIOR DESIGN cky Design Group Oleander for Home

613-317-0237 613-789-5999

JEWELLERY & JEWELLERS Davidson’s Jewellers Howard Fine Jewellers Magpie Jewellery S.V. Jewellers

613-234-4136 613-238-3300 1-888-9-MAGPIE 613-233-1628

Interiors by Cefaloni Panoramik Home Improvements Inc

613-234-8888 613-913-9595

LASER SURGERY 613-569-3737

Philip MacAdam Law Firm

613-234-6759

Mann & Partners, LLP Nelligan O’Brien Payne LLP

613-722-1500 613-238-8080

LIFE COACHES Anne Meloche

819-790-7053

MASSAGE CERTIFIED/REGISTERED Serge Houle, RMT The Ottawa Professional Therapy Centre

613-837-8885 613-565-0763

Readi Set Go

Dr Robert Ing

613-869-1662

MORTGAGES Evan Weiner, AMP J ason Wong Mortgage Alliance

613-224-4530 x224 613-656-3395 613-612-8400

MOTORCYCLES & SCOOTERS Power Sports Canada

613-224-7899

613-745-8391 indexdirectory.ca

613-695-8688

ESTATE PLANNING Mann & Partners, LLP

613-722-1500

EVENT PLANNING & PROMOTIONS confersense planners inc

613-232-4414 1-877-903-3882

Pharmacie Dany St-Yves White Cross Dispensary

819-776-1555 613-233-4029

Seniors’ Night Out is on May 16 and June 6. › continued from page 18

LEISURE & PLEASURE (CONTINUED)

POLICE SERVICES & ORGANIZATIONS Ottawa Police Service 613-236-1222 x5687

Vintage Queers Dance

POLITICIANS

The Ottawa Senior Pride Network presents the Vintage Queers Dance — the first queer seniors’ dance in Ottawa. Enjoy music from the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s and early ’90s. Open to all ages. Sat, May 12, 8pm–midnight.

Good Companions Centre, 670 Albert St. $20 advance, $25 door. ospn-rfao.ca

Office of Mayor Jim Watson 613-580-2424 Paul Dewar, MP 613-964-8682

PSYCHOLOGISTS Dr Lina Charette

613-233-6256

PUBLICATIONS Pink Triangle Press Xtra Ottawa Xtra Toronto Xtra Vancouver

416-925-6665 1-800-268-XTRA 416-925-6665 604-684-9696 613-656-3395 905-373-2236 613-884-1311

RENOVATIONS & RESTORATIONS Panoramik Home Improvements Inc

613-913-9595

RESTAURANTS & CAFÉS Absinthe Brookstreet Hotel Courtyard Restaurant Giovanni’s Ristorante Mamma Grazzi’s Obsession Lounge Ristorante La Dolce Vita ZenKitchen

613-761-1138 613-271-1800 613-241-1516 613-234-3156 613-241-8656 613-288-0506 613-233-6239 613-233-6404

SEX SHOPS Wicked Wanda’s Adult Emporium

613-820-6032

SEXUAL COUNSELLING Ruth Dulmage

613-731-5454

SHOPPING Readi Set Go

613-695-8688

Sophia Esthetic Spa and IPL Laser Services Spa Homâ

613-233-3366 819-595-3044

SPORTS & FITNESS EQUIPMENT Fresh Air Experience

613-729-3002

THEATRE Orpheus Musical Theatre Society 613-729-4318 Toto Too Theatre tototoo.ca

TRANSGENDER Ruth Dulmage

613-731-5454

UPHOLSTERY Kessels Upholstering

613-224-2150

WATER TREATMENT SYSTEMS Rainsoft of Ottawa - Eternally Pure Water Systems Inc 613-742-0058

WEBSITES

MENTALIST

613-232-5681

ENVIRONMENT/ GREEN PRODUCTS

613-567-0800

SPA SERVICES

KITCHENS

EDUCATION & INSTRUCTION Sylvan Learning

OPTOMETRISTS

J ason Wong Lee Caswell Lu Korte

819-776-1555

LEGAL SERVICES 613-747-7800

613-216-6076 613-232-8586

Rideau Optometric Clinic

Pharmacie Dany St-Yves The Ottawa Professional Therapy Centre

LAWYERS 613-233-4443

Eyemaxx Optical Studio Optical Excellence

REAL ESTATE

LCI Lasercom Clinics

COMMUNITY GROUPS & SERVICES

613-791-3224

OPTICAL SERVICES

HEALTH & PERSONAL CARE

HOUSING 613-523-9962

Jamie Anderson

PHARMACIES

Rainbow Foods

BICYCLES

Parker Clean

613-834-1777

GROCERIES

Romantic Fireplaces & BBQs Inc

Panoramik Home Improvements Inc

613-728-2693

Jack Of All Trades Design

BARBECUES

Centretown Community Health Centre The Children’s Aid Society of Ottawa

MUSIC LESSONS

Merkley Supply Ltd Romantic Fireplaces & BBQs Inc

Guidemag Squirt

416-925-6665 squirt.org

WEDDINGS Cube Gallery The Open Circle

613-728-1750 613-596-2817

YOGA Ottawa Men’s Yoga

ottawamensyoga.ca

Ottawa’s Gay & Lesbian Business Directory – is online!

For more information on advertising rates and deadlines, contact 1-800-268-XTRA or email: index.ottawa@xtra.ca

indexdirectory.ca y

Ottawa Knights Join the Ottawa Knights Gay Men’s Denim and Leather Club for their monthly night of fun and debauchery. May’s fetish theme is country and western.

Sat, May 12, 10pm. Cellblock, 340 Somerset St W (above CPs). Free. ottawaknights.com

Seniors’ Night Out Join this 50-and-over crew on the first and third Wednesday of the month for conversation and laughter. Meet new friends and reconnect with old friends over drinks and snacks. Wed, May 16 and Wed, June 6, 7:30–closing. Burgers on Main, 343 Somerset St W, second floor. Free admission, cash bar. ospn-rfao.ca

LIX Monthly Coffee Meeting The Lesbian Information Exchange has revived its monthly coffee meeting for lesbians to socialize, network and connect.

If you have a business, bring cards. If not, just bring yourself.

Mon, May 21, 6:30pm. MichelAnge Café, 35 Laurel St. Free. girlswanttoknow.com

Great Glebe Garage Sale It’s been an annual event for years: the residential streets of the Glebe, Ottawa’s trendy little shopping neighbourhood, overflow with people searching for hidden treasures and bargains. All the gays love it! Sat, May 26, 9am–3pm. glebeca.ca

LOG’s Annual Gathering Join other outdoor enthusiasts at the Lesbian Outdoor Group’s Annual Gathering. Bring your appetite!

Sat, May 26, 6–9pm. McNabb Recreation Centre, 180 Percy St. Free for LOG members, $10 for non-members. 613-564-1070. lesbianoutdoorgroup.ca

End-of-Season Party The Gay Ottawa Volleyball season is drawing to a close. After an exciting round of playoffs, plans are now underway for the end-of-season party. Everyone welcome. Sat, May 26, 7pm. Hard Rock Café, 73 York St. gayottawavolleyball.com

’Mo Diggity This new queer party features a dancehall grind-down by DJs Bear Witness and Yalla Yalla. Come out and shake your thing for everything it’s worth! Sat, May 26, 10pm–2am.

Fall Down Gallery, 288 Bank St. $5. falldowngallery.tumblr.com

Frontrunners Women’s Run Join the women’s contingent of the queer running group, Frontrunners, to get your body moving and connect with some dykes. First Saturday of every month. Sat, June 2, 9am. Meet at the Lisgar St entrance to City Hall, 111 Lisgar St. Free. ofr@ottawafrontrunners.org

Femme Family Tea Party Ottawa Femme Family is a local group for femme-identified people to talk about all things femme, feminist and fabulous. All genders welcome! The café and its bathrooms are wheelchair accessible. Sat, June 2, 1–4pm.

Alpha Soul Café, 1015 Wellington St W. Free. 613-761-8000.

PRINT & PERFORMANCE Launch of Twice Resurrected This lesbian vampire novel by Raven Wolfe is the follow-up book to Silent Echoes. Twice Resurrected is a prequel that explains the back-story between the main characters, Anna and Sarah. Thurs, May 10, 6:30–8:30pm. Mother Tongue Books, 1067 Bank St. Free. mothertonguebooks.ca

Tone Cluster’s Denver Bound Ottawa’s own queer choir, Tone Cluster, presents its repertoire for the ninth international GALA Choruses Festival. Sat, May 26, 8pm. Centretown United Church, 507 Bank St. $20 advance, $25 door. Available at After Stonewall, Mother Tongue Books and Venus Envy. tonecluster.ca

Announcing Westfest 2012 Westfest rocks out in the streets of Westboro Village for the ninth year.

The Friday-night headliner is gay ensemble The Hidden Cameras. Alllocal showcase on Sunday, including Andrea Simms-Karp. Interactive art

by Andrew Gayed and Cara Tierney.

Fri, June 8–Sun, June 10. Richmond Rd & Kirkwood Ave. Free. westfest.ca

Voices of Venus This series, organized by local queers Faye Estrella and Allison Armstrong, showcases women writers, with a focus on spokenword poetry. Wed, June 13; open mic at 8pm, featured artist at 9pm.

Venus Envy, 320 Lisgar St. 613789-4646. venusenvy.ca

A World of Gay Adventure

XTRA! MAY 10, 2012

Madrid

23

Spain’s dynamic capital Armando Mendonça with files from guidemag.com

M

TOURISM MADRID

ADRID, THE BUSTLING cosmopolitan capital of Spain, offers a breathtaking journey through time with its impressive monuments, palaces, fountains, religious houses and city squares. The city’s architecture is a pastiche of styles and eras; traces of the old Arab and medieval cities remain, mixed in with structures built during the time of the Hapsburgs, Bourbons and King Charles III, known as the “bricklayer king.”

The Cuchilleros Arch is the most famous of nine gates into Madrid’s main square, Plaza Mayor. It connects to La Cava de San Miguel, a street full of bars and restaurants where you can enjoy a wide range of Spanish culinary delights (see sidebar, page 24).

Tapas, small appetizer portions of various dishes, is a staple in Spanish cuisine. The locals, known as Madrileños, dine late and commonly have these small plates after work to tide them over until a 10 or 11pm dinner.

There are many tapas spots to choose from in the old town, in the Sol, La Latina, Plaza de Santa Ana, Cava Baja, Cava Alta and Plaza Mayor areas. There are a handful of great gay-owned and -friendly restaurants throughout the city, such as Carmencita and Divina la Cocina, in the Chueca neighbourhood; Arroceria Gala and Paelleria Vallenciana, in Puerta del Sol; and Gula Gula, on the Gran Via, to list a few favourites.

After a late-night meal, the vibrant club and nightlife scene awakens; the strumming of Spanish guitars echoes in side streets as Euro-pop builds inside the heaving clubs.

Neighbourhoods

TOURISM MADRID

Honour guard at the Royal Palace, top. Madrid boys with their dog, left. Above, the Pride Festival on Plaza de España. Below, Plaza de Cibeles and City Hall.

MIKE THOMPSON

The main gay neighbourhoods are Chueca, in the old quarter, and Barrio, located in the centre just off Gran Via. The majority of gay venues are situated in the maze of small streets around Plaza › continued on page 24

TOURISM MADRID

24

XTRA! MAY 10, 2012

Madrid

Notable places to visit

GETTING AROUND

Cuchilleros Arch Neptune Fountain Teatro Real Puerta del Sol Puerta de Alcalá Plaza de Oriente Plaza Mayor Royal Palace of El Pardo

Savour the flavours While in Madrid, sample these tasty Spanish dishes.

Tortillitas de camarones: shrimp fritters made with chickpea flour Spicy chorizo sausage & cheese tortilla: delicious hot or cold Costillas: barbecued mini-ribs Ceviche: fish/seafood marinated in lime juice Artichoke-rice croquetas with manchego cheese Prawn croquetas with béchamel Cocido: chickpea stew Torrijas: fried bread with honey or sugar MIKE THOMPSON

Madrid

Outdoor cafés are great for people watching, above. Calle de Alcalá, right, is Madrid’s longest street. Madrid’s nightlife starts late, below right.

› continued from page 23

Chueca and onward toward Gran Via. The area around Metro Lavapiés also has a cluster of clubs and restaurants.

A number of gay-owned and -friendly bars, cafés, restaurants, boutique shops, clubs and clothing stores are located in both areas. Same-sex kissing and handholding are common sights in these neighbourhoods, and in the city in general.

Gran Vía and Paseo de la Castellana are two of Madrid’s most famous streets and offer an unparalleled shopping experience, with Gran Vía known for its antique shops and charming cafés. Paseo de la Castellana is the place to go for deluxe hotels, art galleries and specialty boutiques.

Culture Madrid Gay Pride, or Orgullo in Spanish, is one of the largest Pride celebrations in Europe. It features a massive Saturday parade (this year it takes place on June 30) from Puerta de Alcalá to Plaza de España. Participants and viewers along the two-kilometre route number about 1.5 million people each year. Most of the Pride parties and celebrations are held in the Chueca neighbourhood, a short walk from the

city centre. The Pride Festival, on the leafy Plaza de España, starts after the parade, from about 6pm onward; the Plaza Chueca street parties attract as many as 300,000 people.

The Madrid Card is a great option for visitors who want to take in the major tourist attractions. It offers free entrance to more than 50 museums, the Discover Madrid walking tours (organized by the tourist board), the Teleférico cable car, the Real Madrid museum tour, a number of shows, and discounts in various restaurants and shops. Visit madridcard.com for more information.

The Golden Triangle of Art consists of three world-renowned museums that are home to some of Spain’s most famous works of art: Museo del Prado, Spain’s main art museum, which houses some of Europe’s finest paintings and sculptures, including works

by Spanish artists Velázquez and Francisco de Goya; Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Spain’s museum of 20th-century art, known for its collections of Pablo Picasso (most famously Guernica) and Salvador Dalí; and Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, which fills in the gaps left by the other two.

Madrid is a walker’s city, so be sure to allow plenty of time for strolling. The Metro is big, cheap (1.50 euros per single trip; day passes available) and efficient. English is the second language on the signs and maps are free at the ticket booths. The Metro closes overnight, with most stations opening at 6am. Some stations, such as Puerta del Sol, open at 5am, with commuter lines for the airport or Atocha Station intercity trains. Local buses are also a good option; they operate from approximately 6am–11:30pm and run in special lanes on the city’s main streets.

White-and-red-striped taxis run day and night; look for the city crest and a licence number on the side. If the green light is on, the car is available.

GETTING THERE There are no direct flights to Madrid from either Ottawa or Montreal. Air Canada flights from Ottawa route through Toronto. Other carriers offer flights from Ottawa with stops in US or European cities. Madrid’s Barajas Airport is about seven miles east of the city. The airport is connected by Metro Madrid Line 8 to the city, with stations at the terminal buildings. It takes about 50 minutes and less than $5 to reach the Chueca station, with two line changes.

Trip advisor BARS & CLUBS Bears Bar Griffin’s Dance Club

LODGINGS Hostal Puerta del Sol Petit Palace Ducal Chueca

RESTAURANTS & CAFÉS FERMÍN RODRÍGUEZ FAJARDO

SAUNAS & SEX CLUBS Sauna Octopus Sauna Paraiso

SHOPPING & SERVICES Juan, Por Dios!

Different Life Book/Sex Shop For information on more than 150 gay and lesbian places of interest in Madrid, visit guidemag.com.

on the web Spain Tourism ›spain.info Madrid Tourism ›turismomadrid.es/en MIKE THOMPSON

Be YOU in Manchester Find out why Manchester should be on YOUR places to visit list! visitmanchester.com/lgbt

Divina la Cocina Momo

Guidemag.com

XTRA! MAY 10, 2012

A World of Gay Adventure

25

Stroll, bathe or dine at Olympic Port, left.

Below, the quaint narrow streets of Sitges.

Barcelona&Sitges BARCELONA TOURISM

Spectacular beaches and bustling gay scene

B

Piknic Électronik goes Catalan

Armando Mendonça ARCELONA IS ONE OF THE MOST VIBRANT AND CELEBRATED tourist destinations in the world; it is particularly welcoming of the gay community. This Mediterranean port city is one of Europe’s busiest and is frequently included in gay cruise itineraries. Located on Spain’s northeast coast, Barcelona is one of the top destinations for gay Canadian travellers.

GAYXAMPLE

The L’Eixample quarter — commonly referred to as Gayxample — is the heart of the gay neighbourhood. With its many clubs, bars, restaurants and shops, it buzzes with activity both day and night.

Chic and elegant, the gay-owned and -operated Axel Hotel, with its amazing rooftop terrace, pool and cocktail lounge, is a full-service boutique hotel in L’Eixample that delivers superior dining, comfort and style.

Also located in Gayxample is H10 Casanova Hotel; it offers all the modern conveniences with class and style and is within walking distance of the hottest bars and clubs.

Barcelona is home to some of the best gay events in Europe, with the Pride Barcelona and Circuit Festival showcasing diversity at its best. One of the main events during Circuit Festival is Water Park Day. Check out all the fun at circuitfestival.net.

The beaches along the coast, just

minutes from the city, are simply breathtaking; the most popular gay beach, Barceloneta, is considered one of the best urban beaches in the world. Hidden behind a stand of bamboo is Mar Bella, the gay nude beach.

The metro is the best way to get to the beaches, but the bus service is a great alternative during off-peak times.

The pedestrian zone of Las Ramblas, with its shops, cafés and street performers, is a must-see in Barcelona. Equally important is the work of Antoni Gaudí, the famous Catalonian architect. One cannot leave the city without a visit to Casa-Museu Gaudí and to Gaudí’s unfinished masterpiece, the Sagrada Família basilica.

There are no direct flights from Ottawa to Barcelona. Ten airlines offer a range of direct, one- and two-stop flights from Montreal. Some of those connect through Toronto; others fly to a European destination for a connection to Barcelona. Barcelona’s El Prat Airport is a short 20-minute train ride from the city.

MIKE THOMPSON

SEASIDE IN SITGES Sitges is a hidden gem a short 20minute train ride southwest of Barcelona. A beautiful town with narrow cobblestone streets, colonial-style architecture and a breathtaking beachfront that stretches for miles, Sitges’ bohemian history has provided inspiration for such artists and writers as Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali and Tennessee Williams. It is no wonder this resort has become a mecca for gay visitors from around the world.

There are three main gay beaches in Sitges: the central Playa de la Bassa Rodona, opposite the Hotel Calipolis; Playa de las Balmins, a 15-minute walk east past the town church; and the secluded Playa del Muerto, a 10-minute taxi ride followed by a 10-minute walk past Terramar Hotel. The latter two beaches are mixed, with nude bathing in designated areas.

The centre of town can be best described as a labyrinth, with charming hidden nooks and quaint side streets where you will find designer boutiques, ice cream parlours, martini bars and galleries showcasing work from local artisans. Getting around

is easy, as most places of interest are within walking distance.

Nightlife in Sitges, like most Spanish cities, doesn’t get busy until after 1am, and there are plenty of restaurants, bars and clubs to choose from. Spotting same-sex couples holding hands, embracing and kissing is a common occurrence in this live-and-let-live town.

The Hotel Calipolis is conveniently located directly across from Playa de la Bassa Rodona. Light sleepers might consider requesting one of the top floors, however, as the city tends to get very festive in the wee hours. Apartments and bed-and-breakfast accommodation are available and affordable if four or more are sharing. Book well in advance to secure your accommodation, especially if you’re travelling during July or August.

Visit guidemag.com for more than 250 listings on places of interest in Barcelona and Sitges.

on the web Spain Tourism ›spain.info Barcelona Tourism ›barcelonaturisme.com

The popular Montreal music fest Piknic Électronik will launch a satellite season in Barcelona in July. Fans of electronic music will enjoy 10 dates over the summer at Barcelona’s magnificent downtown Montjuïc Park.

Two years in the planning, the Catalan expansion marks the 10th anniversary of Piknic Électronik, a fun-in-the-sun music celebration that is one of Montreal’s summer culture mainstays.

Piknic expanded into Canada’s National Capital Region by adding Gatineau as a locale last summer.

The Gatineau Piknic will return for a second season at the gardens of the Canadian Museum of Civilization starting June 10.

Piknic also hopes to be in Vancouver in June for a third edition and is actively working to confirm summer dates in Quebec City.

The complete program for the 10th season of Piknic in Montreal will be announced Tuesday, May 1. Lineups for Gatineau and Barcelona will be unveiled on May 8 and June 1, respectively.

Visit piknicelectronik.com for complete details.

GUIDEMAG.COM

Above, a café on the gay beach in Barcelona. The Magic Fountain of Montjuïc, right, debuted during Expo 1929.

BARCELONA TOURISM

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A World of Gay Adventure

XTRA! MAY 10, 2012

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STAY HILTON. GO OUT

MONTREAL’S

OSHEAGA FEST

TAKES SHAPE The lineup for the 2012 Osheaga Music and Arts Festival in Montreal is official — and more or less complete — and there are some big names on the long list.

The previous edition of Guidemag featured a few of Montreal’s many summer festivals, including Osheaga, whose lineup was trickling out at the time. At the same time, a fake lineup was making its way around the web, which got people talking but also got them confused, especially since there was some overlap between the prank and reality.

Most of the speculation has been put to rest as Osheaga’s publicity machine cranks up to speed. On April 26 it was announced that the previously confirmed heavyweights — including the Black Keys, Justice, the Weeknd, Florence and the

Machine, Sigur Rós and M83 — will be joined by ’80s feedback masters the Jesus and Mary Chain. Also confirmed are Fun, Santigold, Buraka Som Sistema and Wolfgang Gartner.

The full roster is available at lineup. osheaga.com; organizers seem to be building and sustaining the excitement by announcing the acts in dribs and drabs, so check back frequently for the latest.

Launched in 2006 with the intention of offering Canadians a Europeanstyle music festival, Osheaga is sometimes compared to the multiday, multistage Coachella, which takes place each year in southern California and recently saw the holographic second coming of Tupac.

This year’s Osheaga Festival takes place in Parc Jean-Drapeau from Aug 3 to 5.

The main stage at the 2011 Osheaga Festival. OSHEAGOTV

Fine dining in the desert.

COURTESY PALM SPRINGS VISITOR & CONVENTION BUREAU

Splash in a desert oasis Palm Springs is renowned as a winter getaway, but California’s gay oasis is also a prime locale for a summer desert vacation, with experiences ranging from adventure to pure relaxation.

If you’re looking for a big-city atmosphere with a booming club scene, you should look elsewhere; Palm Springs is a quiet, relaxing resort town. Certainly, there is a thriving nightlife, but that’s hardly the city’s main appeal. Sunshine, swimming pools, world-class golf courses and tennis courts, great restaurants and awe-inspiring mountain vistas are the reasons to visit.

With an average of 332 days of sunshine each year, it’s easy to understand the appeal. And while summer temperatures are hot, Palm Springs doesn’t have the energydraining humidity that plagues some Canadian and American cities.

One of the season’s big draws is Summer Splash, which runs June 1

through Sept 15. Hotels, restaurants, bars, retailers and entertainment venues band together to create a lineup of special events and discount offers. You’ll find great bargains on accommodations, restaurants, car rentals and local attractions.

This summer marks the fifth year of Summer Splash, which is sponsored by the Desert Gay Tourism Guild. For more information and DGTG’s event calendar, visit palmspringsgayinfo.com. For more information on Summer Splash deals, visit palmspringssummersplash.com.

Air Canada and WestJet offer a range of flight options to Palm Springs, including some direct flights.

About 10 airlines service the Palm Springs International Airport, so there may be options for connecting flights from your home city on US carriers.

An added bonus: conveniently located in the centre of town, Palm Springs’ airport is one of the most pleasant and manageable on the planet.

Hilton Hotels has launched a new promotion for the 2012 Pride season at 140 hotels worldwide.

The “Stay Hilton. Go Out” program offers travellers reduced room rates, double Hilton HHonors points, free high-speed internet, late checkout when available, and a free one-year digital subscription to Out magazine.

“Whether attending celebrations close to home or in top destinations around the world, Pride season is a peak travel period for our LGBT guests,” says Dave Horton, of Hilton Hotels & Resorts. “Our offer extends a warm welcome during this special time and is an extension of our presence at top community events.”

Travellers can reserve packages at more than 140 Hilton and Hilton Grand Vacations properties, including Vancouver, Los Angeles, Toronto, London and Sydney.

Hilton is the official hotel partner for several high-profile gay events, including WorldPride 2012 in London, England, where eight properties are offering the “Stay Hilton. Go Out” package.

For more information and travel offers, visit hilton.com/goout.

The all new

Premiere Hotel for Pride Toronto 2012 Brand New Multi-Million Dollar Renovation Less than 5 minute walk to Church St. ÕÀ iÌÊ,iÃÌ>ÕÀ> ÌÊUÊ*Ài Õ Ê-Õ Ìià Book your room now before we’re sold out 30 CARLTON STREET TORONTO, ONTARIO M5B 2E9

Front Desk: 1-416-9776655 Fax: 1-416-6462182

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Hilton Vancouver Metrotown.

HILTON HOTELS

more at xtra.ca

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