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BEFORE THE EATON CENTRE Back-alley sex off Yonge St ›8

RCMP VS BDSM Officer targeted for liking kink ›9

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SHARRON MATTHEWS Cabaret diva hits Buddies › 17

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COMMENT 4 XCETERA 5 NEWS 7 OUT IN THE CITY 17 XPOSED 21

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Five reasons to see Sharron Matthews The delightfully quirky chanteuse touches down in Toronto for a series of shows featuring her trademark cabaret. Xtra speaks to Matthews about her plans to conquer the world.

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Pride coverage

An RCMP officer has been investigated after his photos appeared on a fetish website. The investigation will cast a chill over the BDSM community, activists warn. ›9

Xtra brings you more than four pages of coverage from this year’s Toronto Pride festivities, including photos, news and more. ›12

Comment ›4 Xcetera ›5 Xposed ›21 Index ›28 Classifieds ›28

Prepping for WorldPride

Even more Pride coverage

With this year’s Pride celebrations done and dusted, there is only one more practice run before Toronto’s gaybourhood welcomes the world. Xtra checks in with the neighbourhood business improvement association to see what they have in store for the coming months. ›11

If it happened during Pride, Xtra was there. Our film crews were out in the streets for the Trans March, the Dyke March and the main Pride parade. Our Pride video coverage is not to be missed. ›xtra.ca

OUT IN THE CITY

A stormy federal parliamentary session saw the passage of several controversial bills. Xtra looks at what passed, what didn’t and what to expect in the next session. ›xtra.ca

Painted tribute Artist George MacIntyre has completed his final painting in a series dedicated to Toronto gay landmarks, including The Barn and The 519. ›17

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Comment Pride needs to get creative Editorial Danny Glenwright

I

T IS THE LARGEST FAMILY REUNION in North America. An event that in one weekend draws the same number of people to downtown Toronto as the 100th anniversary of the Calgary Stampede is expected to bring in over 10 days.

Even the CNE, Canada’s largest fair, attracts a measly 1.3 million people over 18 days. The annual exhibition would have to bring in more than 20 million people in that time just to match Toronto Pride’s Sunday haul.

There are few events the size and scale of Toronto Pride anywhere in the world, never mind in our small country. There are arguably none anywhere near as fun.

And this year, in its 32nd installment and after several years of drama and maladministration, it went off without a hitch (well, unless you count newlyweds Carter Etherington and Breken Elwood, who tied the knot during this year’s parade).

Both Pride Toronto and City of Toronto staff, including city police, should be congratulated for this successful event. Unlike some officials, the police seem to have finally recognized what a good thing Pride is for Toronto — for city coffers, but more importantly as a way to bring our exceptionally diverse and multicultural city together for a great big queer blowout.

There were welcome reports that police relaxed rules around public drinking, and I saw more than one on-duty officer having much more fun than his or her job would typically entail.

It is ironic that members of our city’s Pride board flew to London following this year’s festival to study how that city deals with hosting WorldPride. The global gay gathering there was coming apart at the seams as Toronto’s celebration (and demonstration) was being executed here with what looked like ease.

In retrospect, the folks organizing WorldPride London should probably have boarded a plane to Toronto to see how it’s done. Either way, I’m sure Pride Toronto’s contingent took the baton in London confident that they are ready to bring the best WorldPride to Toronto in 2014.

When they arrive home, the Pride Toronto team should take time to reflect on what they did right and what

they could improve to make Pride even better in the years to come.

Thankfully, Toronto now has a Pride board that is introspective and listens to the community. Looking back on the suggestions put forward by the community advisory panel (CAP) in February 2011, it is obvious Pride Toronto was not simply paying lip service when it accepted and embraced the group’s 133 recommendations.

It has worked to heal rifts with the trans community and with Torontonians of colour. It has de-corporatized the festival and reintroduced a much-needed spirit of activism. It has outsourced parts of the event to community groups, including allowing The 519 to run what is perhaps Pride’s most successful beer garden. It has also dealt, well ahead of schedule, with what CAP chair Brent Hawkes in 2011 called Pride Toronto’s “biggest challenge” — its finances.

In a short time the organization has gone from deeply indebted to comfortably back in the black. Going forward, however, Pride Toronto’s biggest challenge remains financial. Now that its board has shown it can be parsimonious, it’s time to wean Pride off the City of Toronto’s fairweather teat.

It is no longer acceptable that disruptive groups like Kulanu and B’nai Brith (and their crony supporters at city hall and the Toronto Sun) can threaten this massive, diverse, 32-year-old celebration and protest simply because they don’t agree with the legitimate message of some participants. I may not agree with Kulanu’s message — hell, I don’t agree with the messages delivered by many parade participants — but I should not be allowed to undermine Pride and call for it to be defunded for that reason. The same rule should apply to Kulanu and any other group that would destabilize Pride for political purposes.

Pride Toronto needs to get creative and ensure similar nonsense does not upset future planning, especially ahead of WorldPride. For if there is one thing that is as certain as Pride’s massive and growing participation and the huge sums of money it brings into our city, it is the existence of homophobic politicians who will foolishly spurn our party because they continue to be blinded by their own ignorance and prejudice.

To these pancake flippers, Pride must be able to say, Stuff it — we don’t care and we don’t need you. Until we can do that, North America’s best Pride will remain at risk.

Danny Glenwright is Xtra’s assignment editor.

“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.

“IF THE RAINBOW FLAG IS TO MEAN WHAT WE CLAIM IT MEANS, WE OUGHT TO BE WORKING HARDER TOWARDS EQUALITY FOR TRANSGENDER PEOPLE.”

INBOX Dyke March I’M SO HAPPY TO SEE QUAIA are not only marching but are celebrated by their political diversity [“Toronto Dyke March Keeps Pride Political,” xtra.ca, June 30].

Just because we have our diverse gender identities in common doesn’t mean we have to sleep with Kulanu pro-Israelis. They have their space and fundraising efforts for rightwing Israelis, and QuAIA has many Jewish supporters with a cause.

Thank you to all that support this diverse and meaningful cause. Kulanu should have such a social conscience.

Hannah Fulman Toronto, ON

AIDS vigil THE ANNUAL AIDS VIGIL IN Cawthra Park is always a remarkably moving event [“AIDS Vigil Remembers Lives Lost,” xtra. ca, June 22]. What wasn’t so great last year was discovering that the engraved names on the 2010 pylon were so incredibly tiny you needed bifocals and a huge magnifying glass to read them. Costs to have names included have increased since I had the name of someone I cared about included in 2003, and the legibility of those names have correspondingly diminished. I can’t help but feel that my partner, who passed away in 2010, and all the other persons listed on the most recent pylon (and their surviving loved ones) have been dealt a disservice. Would those involved with the memorial care to defend its use of teeny tiny unreadable typeface?

Ken Kaukola Toronto, ON

Pride marshals WHILE BROTEN IS NOT necessarily as worthy a choice as someone who has been consistent, she is a wise choice [“Pride Toronto Honours Cheri DiNovo and Laurel Broten,” Xtra #722, June 28]. She had to oppose a powerful church while she’s part of a minority government. Clearly, she has sided with LGBT youth in a big way.

Randy Windsor, ON

Send your correspondence by mail to 2 Carlton St, Ste 1600, Toronto M5B 1J3, email comment@xtra.ca, or log in to xtra.ca and comment directly. We may edit letters.

at the table, that we can all have fun regardless of who we are, and we can see — firsthand — just how many corners of society we come from.

One thing that’s missing from the coming-out process is the reaffirmation that being different is okay, and that’s the hallmark of Pride — be proud, not of what you have but of who you are. That is the strength that brings us together as a group.

Hopefully, most of you guys and gals had a great time at Pride and I’ll be there next year!

Jonathan L Fort Frances, ON

Trans March EARTH TO PRIDE: YOU DON’T own anyone’s self-expression.

Hell, trans-rights people should take over Yonge St once a week, every week, if they want to.

John Andrew Simone Toronto, ON

comment The government (federal, provincial or municipal) does not allow the people to exist; the people allow the government to exist [“Trans Pride Goes Rogue — Again,” xtra.ca, June 29]. Political expression is a right in Canada. Get enough people marching and the streets are yours, bylaws be damned.

That’s true democracy at work.

—Christin Milloy Mississauga, ON To comment, go to xtra.ca.

Goodhandy’s

Pride

T H IS B U SI N E SS HAS clearly been singled out [“Goodhandy’s Fighting Copyright Tariff,” Xtra #722, June 28]. My advice is pay what you can and stay out of the line of fire. Speak to a lawyer and find a loophole. There is a way around everything.

Zacheus Merrill Toronto, ON

I WAS I N D OWN TOWN Toronto for the past two months before heading back up to frozen Northwestern Ontario.

I’ve been to Pride in Minneapolis, which is really corporate-feeling, with “Look at me with my $600 sunglasses!” and “Where did you attend graduate school?” types. I long for a large queer community inclusive of everyone, from doctors to fast-food workers who are all treated the same and welcomed the same. I am hoping that Toronto has a large enough Pride that there’s room for everyone

THIS IS NOT AN LGBT ISSUE. My only beef is the way this group chose to operate. I am a big believer in the arts. I even receive cheques from the Public Lending Right, because I wrote a book. I get a cheque based on how many copies of my book are taken out from Canadian libraries every year. I have musician friends who make royalties from SOCAN. I object only to this organization coming out of nowhere and sending massive bills to clubs and expecting us to pay

retroactively. I fully support paying $400 per year to support artists for the music played in my club. But I do not support their choice to do this retroactively and abuse smallbusiness owners who are struggling to stay alive.

Todd Klinck Toronto, ON

Corey Hart THE “I’M A STRAIGHT GUY: I have four kids” response to “Are you gay?” — as if having four kids proves you’re not queer [“Corey Hart’s Truth,” xtra.ca, June 30]. I’m sure he’s a nice guy, but he has no history of working with the queer community and obviously doesn’t have the sophistication of being able to answer questions because he doesn’t have that history. Here’s hoping the queers help him with his career, daddy.

Roy Mitchell Toronto, ON

QuAIA and Kulanu FOR THOSE QUEERS WHO believe that Israel is a secular country that doesn’t discriminate, please visit any Israeli human rights website and read what Israelis have to say about what’s going on in their country [“Dispute Panel Says QuAIA Can March in Pride Parade,” xtra.ca, June 26]. Israel does not criminalize gay sex, but it does criminalize sexual relations between people of different ethnic/ religious backgrounds. Racism and discrimination against minorities is blatant and acceptable in Israel.

Anyone non-Jewish is subjected to violence that is condoned by the government. Don’t take my word for it; go see for yourself.

Ash Surrey, BC AS AN OLDER GAY MAN who has attended every Pride celebration since 1984, I would agree that it has always been political. But, the politics always involved LGBT-specific issues: AIDS, equal marriage and, more recently, trans rights. It never ventured in the land mine of Middle East politics and the plight of Palestinians. It never pitted one group against another, and it never caused the division that we see today. Let’s keep the fun in Pride and not let it degenerate into one LGBT group fighting and name-calling another. We have come too far for Pride to be just another vehicle for mass protests for issues unrelated to LGBT rights.

Don Toronto, ON QUAIA DOESN’T DISCRIMInate, it only criticizes. But B’nai Brith’s request to ban them from participating is pure discrimination on political and ideological grounds.

Dimka Melnik

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noteworthy › updates › ephemera

Xcetera

Compiled by Jeremy Feist

PEPSICO If you’re against gay marriage, then I hope you like Coke: PepsiCo has publicly donated $1 million to the Human Rights Campaign, a US gay rights organization, and PFLAG. Pepsi, it should be noted, also owns Gatorade, Tropicana and the classic hillbilly staple, Mountain Dew.

MOODY FOODIES

THE ANTIHOMOPHOBIA DIET

BUZZ

TOP 5

stories on xtra.ca in June

1 2

Pornstar Erik Rhodes dies at 30 Jeremy Feist Details emerge about Luka Magnotta

Justin Ling

Oreo, the famous cookie brand/icing delivery system, recently came under fire for posting a picture of a rainbow-filled cookie in celebration of Pride. Of course, this brought on the ire of homophobes everywhere, who vowed to boycott. Well, following this illogical decision, we decided to look into all the other foods homophobes can no longer eat. The results are . . . quite slimming.

KRAFT/NABISCO Not only will homophobes have to go without the tasty black-and-white Oreo cookie, anything else owned

by Kraft/Nabisco — Ritz Crackers, Fig Newtons, Teddy Grahams and Wheat Thins — all have to go, too.

3

Source recounts dating murder suspect Luka Magnotta

Justin Ling

4

Magnotta trail leads to racist website

Justin Ling

5

Canadian soldier faces sentencing for killing gay man in Manitoba

GENERAL MILLS

Kaj Hasselriis

Yes, even the heart-healthy cereal giant has endorsed marriage equality.

This means no more Cheerios, Lucky Charms, Trix and even (gasp!)

Count Chocula!

BY THE NUMBERS

The Girl Scouts of America have always been incredibly accepting of queer kids and have repeatedly come under fire from anti-gay advocates for their inclusionary practices.

Which means no more Thin Mints, Do-Si-Dos or Savannah Smiles.

POTENT QUOTABLES

ISTOCKPHOTO/THINKSTOCK

If you’re a homophobe, you can kiss your daily caffeine fix goodbye. The ever-present coffee chain endorsed marriage equality earlier this year, which means you’re going to have to bid farewell to those sugary frappuccinos.

LITERARY AWARD

Pride parade condensed

Sometimes I wish I was gay. I don’t want to have gay sex, I just . . .

I don’t want to be left out of things either.

Pride may have come and gone in Toronto, but that doesn’t mean we can’t give it one last look before we move on with our lives. With that said, here’s the Condensed Pride! Same Pride taste, zero calories!

30,000 Number of marchers in the Pride parade.

158 Amber Dawn wins again

– Comedian and current it-guy Louis CK on The Tonight Show.

ADAM COISH

STARBUCKS

GIRL SCOUT COOKIES

After winning a prestigious Lambda Award last year for her debut novel, Sub Rosa, Amber Dawn’s work was recognized again in June, this time by the Writers’ Trust of Canada. The Dayne Ogilvie Prize, named for a former managing editor of Xtra’s Toronto edition who died in 2006, each year recognizes an emerging queer Canadian writer whose body of work shows great potential. “Canada has outstanding queer authors and readers. I’m honoured to be recognized amongst such talent. Winning the Dayne Ogilvie has offered me inspiration to keep writing,” says Amber Dawn, who is also programming director for the Vancouver Queer Film Festival. —Robin Perelle

Above: Amber Dawn signs her award-winning book for artist Robin Pacific, who established the Dayne Ogilvie Prize in 2007.

KATRINA AFONSO

Number of people married while participating in the parade.

Number of groups that marched.

2

0

Number of current mayors in attendance.

BR E A K I NG N E W S › T HOU SAN DS MARCH AT WOR L DP R I DE I N LON D ON › F U L L HOU SE › MAR R IAG E B I L L S STAL L E D I N PAR L IAM E N T › H U M A N H E A D FO U N D I N M O N T R E A L IS L I N J U N ’ S › R E M E M B E R I N G G A D B E C K › CO R E Y H A RT ’ S T R U T H M O R E AT X T R A . C A

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Upfront NEIGHBOURHOOD

IN A LANE OFF 230 YONGE ST [THE] DEFENDANT CAME IN AND TOOK OUT HIS PENIS AND AFTER HE GOT IT STIFF FRANK H CAME IN AND HELD THE PENIS AND PULLED IT BACK AND FORWARDS. 1917 court testimony › 8 PRIDE NEWS

Bringing ‘impact’ to Church St Minor delays as BIA prepares for WorldPride Andrea Houston THE INSTALLATION OF TWO swirling rainbow gateway markers at either end of Church St has been delayed due to drilling problems, says the spokesperson for the area business association.

David Wootton, of the Church Wellesley Village Business Improvement Area (BIA), says the city’s public utilities department has raised concerns about the difficulty of digging under the sidewalk to install the 22-foot signpost markers, which are part of the BIA’s Village revitalization plan.

“What we found out was that there is a Bell conduit line running all the way down Church St from Maitland to Carlton streets,” Wootton says. “We were about six inches away from the depth that we wanted, so it kind of put a hold on everything. It was finally resolved about a month ago.”

At one point, Wootton says, the BIA considered relocating the south marker.

“So that really threw everything behind schedule,” he says. “Our deadline was supposed to be for August, and that would have been the big reveal, but now they are telling us the end of October. So we will try and do the unveiling before the holidays.”

The BIA saved money over three years to purchase the markers, and the funds are listed in its 2012 budget summary. The cost for both markers is $87,500.

Looking ahead to WorldPride 2014, Wootton says Church St needs “impact.”

Meanwhile, the BIA is teaming up with Steamworks to shut down Church St for a party to raise funds for the Toronto People with AIDS

Foundation on July 15.

The street will be closed south of Wellesley to Alexander for a car wash and tea dance, which will run from 5pm to 10pm, Wootton says.

“We hope to have patios on the street, a sidewalk sale, DJs playing music all day,” he says. “Tea dances were really popular in the ’80s and ’90s. It’s really just a good reason to dance, get drunk and have fun on the street.”

On Sept 15, the BIA will partner with the 519 Church St Community Centre and the Lesbian and Gay Chamber of Commerce for a Village Fair. “They will be hosting a business expo in the park,” Wootton says.

The street will close north of Wellesley to Gloucester for ex-

IT’S REALLY JUST A GOOD REASON TO DANCE, GET DRUNK AND HAVE FUN ON THE STREET. —BIA spokesperson David Wootton tended patios and a sidewalk sale, he says.

The funding for these new events is being taken out of funds that would have gone to the Fetish Fair, which was cancelled earlier this year.

“We hope these new events keep a more visible presence on the street, a place for people to be here and be queer,” he says. “So far there’s been good response from the businesses on Church St.”

The BIA’s 2012 budget includes money for two 22-foot rainbow gateway markers to welcome visitors to the Village.

Police distribute stickers to spectators during the Toronto Pride parade. ADAM COISH

Smooth sailing at Pride parade ‘A celebration of equal rights for everyone,’ says DiNovo Bradley Turcotte TORONTO WAS LIT UP IN A KALEIDOscopic blaze on July 1 for the 32nd annual Pride parade. An estimated 1.2 million participants descended on the downtown core, many there to watch the colourful caravan of close to 30,000 marchers.

It was hard to miss Dave and Sonja Yuzwa, who staked out a spot early at the corner of Yonge and Carlton streets.

The straight couple said they make the journey from Oshawa, along with their friends Dave Warner and Sonja Fontaine, every year because they are drawn to the accepting atmosphere of Pride Toronto.

“It’s an awesome blast,” Warner said.

“Everyone is happy and having fun; nobody fights or argues. You can be yourself. You can be straight or as queer as you want.”

The group said they occasionally catch grief from their Oshawa friends for attending a queer festival but wouldn’t miss it for all the rainbow glitter in the world.

“Don’t knock it if you haven’t tried it,” Janet Yuzwa said with a laugh. “Attending Pride is probably one of the best experiences of my life.”

The experience of Pride is electric for most, with its diverse mix of marchers representing everything from politi-

cal parties to sexual identities to the struggle for human rights.

The Iranian Railroad for Queer Refugees advocacy group marched for the second consecutive year, after receiving an award from the Pride Toronto committee last year for best entry under the Dream Big theme.

Executive director Arsham Parsi said the fight for queer rights in his home country is far from over and his group will continue to raise awareness until the battle is won.

“We want to march on behalf of those people who are still in Iran and cannot speak. We want to say Iranian queers do exist and we need rights.”

As in other years, the parade included several organizations dedicated to improving queer lives. PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) had a strong contingent of queer kids and parents — including Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke and his son Patrick — many brandishing signs reading “Hug a gay child.”

PFLAG member Michael Ain said that he relishes the opportunity to spread his group’s message and that marching in the Pride parade is an opportunity for many queer kids to connect with their parents.

For co–grand marshal Cheri DiNovo, the highlight of her duties was being able to celebrate the recently passed

Toby’s Act and to help promote human rights for everyone.

“This year is a celebration of equal rights for everyone,” DiNovo said. “Not just in Ontario.”

Meanwhile, Pride’s executive director, Kevin Beaulieu, and the city’s police force reported a relatively seamless day of partying, despite the huge crowds.

Constable Wendy Drummond, media relations officer for Toronto police, said she checked in with the 51 and 52 divisions and was pleasantly surprised to learn there were no significant issues over the weekend. “I was very busy but, however, nothing significant to put a damper on the festival,” she said.

Beaulieu commended the organizers of the many die-ins, where participants lay still on the street for two minutes, saying he believes die-ins were last part of Pride Toronto in 1994.

He said he’s already anticipating another blemish-free celebration in 2013 and thanked the tireless efforts of all the generous volunteers. “I want to thank the LGBT community for all their support. Without them it doesn’t work; it doesn’t work without the 1,200 volunteers and the volunteers who work year-round to put it together.

And I’m thrilled everyone had a good time, and I’m looking forward to doing it again next year and looking ahead to WorldPride 2014.”

—with files from Andrea Houston and Katie Toth For more on this story, including photos and video from Pride, visit xtra.ca.

8

Toronto’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! JULY 12, 2012

GAY HISTORY

Busted for sex— in 1917 Creating sexual space in the ‘cracks and margins of official intent’

by Steven Maynard

I

n 1920, Daniel L, a 22-year-old presser at the Lowndes tailoring company, ducked into a laneway off Ontario St with Clayton S, a young, single labourer who worked at the Gendron Manufacturing Company.

In the relative seclusion of the lane, the two young workers had it off.

At first glance, the case seems unremarkable, save perhaps for the boldness of having sex in public. But there is a detail of some significance: the laneway.

In the early 20th century, Toronto was a maze of back streets and laneways. Used now primarily as routes to garages and sheds, laneways in the early 20th century were quite different.

They teemed with commercial activity and street life. At night, men searching for sex with other men found another purpose for the nooks and crannies created by the city’s many back lanes.

As Toronto’s late, great queer historian Rick Bébout aptly put it, “Life has ways of taking root in the cracks and margins of official intent. That’s its genius.”

In 1917, John P, a single, 28-year-old butcher, and Frank H, a single, 32-yearold chef, carved out some space in one of the city’s lanes. As the police constable who caught John and Frank put it, “In a lane off 230 Yonge St [the] defendant came in and took out his penis and after he got it stiff Frank H came in and held the penis and pulled it back and forwards.”

The location at 230 Yonge was significant. Known as the Albert St lane, this was a well-known cruising area. In 1917, during the month of April alone, 28 men were arrested for having sex in the lane.

Not all laneways became established cruising areas. It was the location of the Albert St laneway that made it such a prime spot. It was positioned within Toronto’s central shopping district — tucked in behind the factory, warehouse and department store buildings of Eaton’s and just up the street from Simpson’s. Cruising spots were often located

within retail shopping areas because the store display windows provided men with a legitimate excuse to linger on the street and strike up a conversation. The nearby laneways provided a place to carry on the conversation with less talk and more action.

Unfortunately for many men, however, the Albert St lane was also within spitting distance of the police station in what we now call Old City Hall. Because the police staked out the Albert St laneway and made so many arrests, we are left with a detailed record of those who frequented the lane and their sexual encounters.

Albert St lane appears to have been a favourite spot for middle-class men who ventured downtown from their suburban homes. The lane was the site of many cross-class liaisons. Charles V, a 44-year-old married man, met up with Robert C, a 32-year-old working-class man, in the Albert St lane at 8:50pm.

The site of Charles’s sexual encounter, in the shadows cast by the lane’s brick buildings, contrasted sharply with his parkside residence on Indian Rd in the west end of the city.

The court description of Charles’s encounter also captured something of

The Albert St lane in 1917. The map below illustrates the area at the time.

CITY OF TORONTO ARCHIVES

the danger involved in having sex in the city’s busy back-streets, particularly the risk of getting caught not only by police, but by passersby. As the spying constable noted, Charles came into the laneway “and caught hold of Robert C’s privates and rubbed them.

Charles V got his mouth towards Robert C’s privates [when] a man came and Charles V jumped.” Not to be deterred from the task at hand, “after [the man] passed Charles V rubbed . . . Robert C’s privates again.”

The Albert St lane was only a short distance away from “The Ward,” one of Toronto’s immigrant and workingclass neighbourhoods. The lane was used by some of the many young, single immigrant men who lived in The Ward’s crowded rooming houses.

Harry I, a Jewish man, slipped into the Albert St lane with another man where “they each got their penis out and each rubbed the penis of the other man.”

Harry’s trial differed from that of most men, for the judge was presented with a petition requesting that he be lenient with Harry. Testifying to Harry’s good character, the petition was signed by dozens of Jewish women and men from Harry’s neighbourhood. What does this tell us? It is a vivid reminder that men arrested for “sexual crimes” with other men in the early 20th century faced public exposure within their neighbourhoods. But public exposure did not necessarily mean complete rejection by the community. Although the petition did not save Harry from six months at the jail farm, it is evidence that for some men a tightly knit immigrant community capable of organizing a collective response was an important source of support.

I began this series of history articles by recalling a protest against police censorship held one night on Church St back in 1992. This year, in the week before Pride, I took part in the Queers for Social Justice night march. Walking side by side with the same person I did in that protest 20 years before, we set out along Queen St, past Old City Hall and up Yonge, past the site of the Albert St lane, now buried beneath the Eaton Centre, to Church and Wellesley.

After all these years, I still get a powerful feeling in my gut, the one that comes from being out on the street, asserting a queer collective presence in public. Our purpose was political — to reinject Pride with some politics. In the early 20th century, that queer political purpose was not yet possible. But the groundwork for it was laid by the men and many other brave queer people who decades ago staked out their own sexual claim on these very same streets.

Steven Maynard lives in Toronto and teaches the history of sexuality at Queen’s University in Kingston. He is finishing a book entitled Infamous Men. This is the third in a three-part series on Toronto’s gay history. Visit xtra.ca for more.

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9

SEXUAL FREEDOM

RCMP officer targeted for kink ‘This will push a lot of people back into the kink closet,’ King says Jeremy Hainsworth THE RCMP SHOULD JUDGE ITS officers by their professional conduct, not their sexual preferences, BDSM activists are saying after leaked photos of an officer on a consensual fetish website have caused a public uproar and led to calls for the officer’s resignation.

The photos became public when Vancouver Sun columnist Ian Mulgrew published them July 5 and described them as “sexually explicit torture images reminiscent of the pig-farmer’s crimes.”

The photos were initially alleged to depict Coquitlam Corporal Jim Brown, a veteran RCMP officer who played a purportedly minor role in the Robert Pickton serial killer investigation when he referred a tipster to investigating officers in 1999.

According to Mulgrew, the officer in the “graphic pictures . . . appears to wear only his regulation-issue Mountie boots and an erection as he wields a huge knife and a bound naked woman cringes in terror.”

Leatherwoman Tillie King tells Xtra the case is a perfect example of why people feel pressured to hide their sexual preferences.

“It highlights why people stay in the closet,” she says. “They could lose their

jobs or their children. Those are pretty high risks to take in life.”

King says people are judged the moment they step outside the norm sexually.

“For straight people, what they do in bed is never brought into the public light as to whether or not they can do their job,” she says.

She likens the situation to the RCMP witch-hunts in the 1950s and ’60s when queers in the RCMP were seen as security risks.

“People in his position often stayed closeted for a reason, and we all know the price of that,” King says. “This will push a lot of people back into the kink closet. That could be potentially tragic.”

Gay Vancouver psychotherapist and leatherman Bill Coleman agrees. The officer should be judged on his ability to do his job, not by photos of him in a sexual situation.

“Now you see a picture of him and now he can’t do his job?” Coleman asks.

“It doesn’t change people’s behaviour; it just becomes more closeted, and we know how dangerous being closeted can be.”

“He should be judged on his record as a police officer and not on a picture of him,” reiterates Coleman, who testified as an expert witness on BDSM at the

Little Sister’s vs Canada Customs trial about BDSM book seizures.

“I am a sexual being and people can’t pretend that I am not. If they don’t like that, that’s their problem,” Coleman says.

Black leatherdyke Kona agrees. The officer’s ability to do his job has nothing to do with his sexuality, she says.

“Every single person in this world does something sexually that offends someone else.”

Both Kona and Coleman say the situation could put a chill on the BDSM community.

Kona fears Vancouver’s BDSM community could be tarred and play spaces could become harder to find. “People are going to step back. How many people are going to go underground?” she asks. “How many people are going to go hunting for perverts in Vancouver?”

Ironically, both Coleman and Kona note, it’s people in the BDSM community who tend to have a greater understanding of the dynamics of power in human relationships — something Coleman says would inform how well a police officer does his job.

Coleman points out that BDSM practitioners engage by consent. That’s a long way from the mainstream media depiction of the officer sadistically subjugating and torturing a woman against her will.

Kona thinks someone with an axe to grind against the officer deliberately leaked the photos. She is concerned

that members of the fetish website not expecting to be outed or judged will now face judgment from those without an understanding of the nuances of BDSM. “Now there’s going to be a lot of tourists on there uninvited,” she says.

“There’s going to be a huge onslaught of people . . . that are going to pick

HE SHOULD BE JUDGED ON HIS RECORD AS A POLICE OFFICER AND NOT ON A PICTURE OF HIM. —psychotherapist Bill Coleman apart the way the community speaks about itself, the way they talk about relationships.”

Kona does not exempt the officer from criticism. “As a steward of public trust with a sophisticated knowledge of the law, he was stupid. He did not manage his personal life well,” she says.

The officer has been placed on administrative duties pending a codeof-conduct investigation — despite his commanding officer’s apparent reluctance to pursue the matter.

“The alleged issue was deemed to

Y RS EA

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be off-duty, non-criminal, adult consensual activity during which the individual was not representing himself as a member of the RCMP, and thus it did not appear to legal services to meet the threshold for a code-of-conduct violation,” Superintendent Claude Wilcott reportedly told Mulgrew. “Despite this legal opinion, a code-of-conduct investigation is underway to determine if there are any additional facts and ensure the fullest review possible.

“While I agree the staged images are graphic, it’s important to note that they appear only on an adult site catering to those who seek them out,” he added.

In a statement issued July 5, Randy Beck, RCMP BC assistant commissioner, says the Coquitlam detachment commander “first became aware of the existence of some graphic staged photos in December 2010. However, at that time, the detachment commander believed they existed only on the officer’s personal flash drive and thus, after consultation, he did not believe it met the threshold for a Code of Conduct violation.”

When the commander discovered in March that the photos were also online, Beck says, another investigation began. “While we must strike a balance between an individual’s rights and freedoms when off duty and the RCMP Code of Conduct, I am personally embarrassed and very disappointed that the RCMP would be, in any way, linked to photos of that nature,” Beck says.

10

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11

PRIDE NEWS

PRIDE HIGHS& LOWS 10 tidbits you might have missed Andrea Houston, David Hains & Katie Toth CALLS TO MOVE TRANS MARCH ROUTE

KYLE LASKY

LUCAS SILVEIRA PROPOSES ONSTAGE

Ward 27 Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam says she plans to push for the official Pride Toronto Trans March to include Yonge St in 2013. This year marchers once again defied the authorized Church St route and marched down Yonge St. Pride Toronto executive director Kevin Beaulieu told Xtra that he is not opposed to moving the march to Yonge St in the future. “[The Trans March] is on Friday night. There are some logistical issues with the road and traffic, so we work with the city to try and find a time and a place that’s safe and a location where it can be put on successfully.”

SARA CLAYTON NESBITT

Onstage, in front of thousands of people at Toronto Pride, Lucas Silveira, frontman for The Cliks, got down on one knee and proposed to his girlfriend, Skye Chevolleau. Silveira says he’d been planning the big moment for months.

He decided he would ask Chevolleau, who is also a singer, to join him onstage for a duet. “She’s really shy, but after thinking about it she said okay. I just knew I needed to get her onstage.” Her answer? “Fuck yes.” Silveira says he hasn’t stopped smiling since.

QUAIA BOOED

HOLE-Y ARMY MARCHES WITH THE DYKES

Local activist Nedal Sul says he was hit with a water bottle and booed while marching with Queers Against Israeli Apartheid (QuAIA) during the Pride parade. Sul says other people yelled at QuAIA marchers and gave them the middle finger. QuAIA member and marshal Tim McCaskell says approximately 150 people marched in the QuAIA contingent. Days before the parade, Pride Toronto’s dispute resolution panel decided that QuAIA was eligible to march, according to Pride Toronto and City of Toronto guidelines, and dismissed a complaint from the League for Human Rights of B’nai Brith Canada.

The Hole-y Army art project, made up of 103 elaborately crafted vagina puppets, was an explosion of sex and colour at the front of Saturday’s Dyke March. Canadian artist Coral Short created the puppets, which were also a part of New York City’s Pride celebrations this year. “The Dyke March is a protest march, and in Toronto it really was this year . . . It was a beautiful sight to see,” Short says.

FRANK NYITRAY

BUTTONS REFER TO LAUREL BROTEN AS GSA SUPERHERO

Queer Ontario vice-chair Casey Oraa says he is insulted by buttons distributed at Toronto Pride that refer to Education Minister Laurel Broten as a GSA superhero.

“The youth are the heroes,” Oraa says.

“They are the ones who led the charge.”

Oraa and GSA activist Leanne Iskander teamed up ahead of Pride to pen an open letter challenging Pride Toronto’s decision to name Broten co-grand marshal. The Ontario Women’s Liberal Commission (OWLC) created the buttons, says its president, Amy Carroll.

“Buttons featuring Laurel Broten were a natural fit for us. She is a strong female politician who took a principled stand on an important issue.”

HIDDEN CAMERAS AT HARBOURFRONT

If you weren’t too hung-over, the free concert by Canadian queer rockers The Hidden Cameras at Harbourfront was the perfect way to relax Sunday night after the Pride party weekend. The band, whose music is often described as “gay church folk,” is a powerhouse ensemble of horns, vocals and strings headed up by gay indie musician Joel Gibb.

ADAM COISH

For Ward 31 Councillor Janet Davis, this year’s Pride was more special than previous years. As she usually does, Davis marched in the parade — this year with PFLAG and 12 city councillors — but for the first time she was marching alongside her gay son, Keith. “It was very, very interesting.

He’s always been watching, so I usually spend the parade looking for him in the crowd. But this time was really special. He wanted to join me — it was his idea — and I can’t tell you the impact it had.”

Keith, a 32-year-old advertising copywriter, first came out at 18. He had gradually come out to friends and family over the years, but it was only last year that he chose to share his sexuality with the wider public.

WORLDPRIDE PROBLEMS IN LONDON

ANDREA HOUSTON

While Toronto’s Pride festivities were in full swing, news of the downscaling of London’s WorldPride event shocked many, including Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam, who vowed not to let the same thing happen to Toronto. “I am committed to Pride Toronto and all our community partners to ensure we don’t just host a satisfactorily okay WorldPride. I want us to set the benchmark for WorldPride. WorldPride is a fairly new institution, and I want to do the best job possible,” she says.

People drinking outside the boundaries of the beer gardens say they found police to be more relaxed this year about public drinking. A police spokesperson says that’s because of improved relations with the gay community. Inspector Gary Meissner, secondin-command for Division 51, says he lets his officers decide whether a situation calls for enforcing the rule against public drinking. “We need to use our discretion,” Meissner says. “So long as they’re not posing a danger to themselves or to others, then I leave it to my officers’ discretion.” Meissner, who donned a rainbowcoloured Hawaiian lei for the parade, adds, “We’re here to manage a world-class event. We’re here to see that diversity is respected; we’re here to have a good time.”

KYLE LASKY

DIRTY SEXY CHURCH ST

POLICE RELAX PUBLIC DRINKING RULES

ADAM COISH

JANET DAVIS MARCHES WITH HER GAY SON

It seems Pride Toronto threw a mega-party on Church St and left the business association to clean up the mess.

David Wootton, from the Church Wellesley Village BIA, says that after Toronto’s party wrapped up, the Pride board hopped on a plane to the United Kingdom for London WorldPride, leaving behind a very dirty gaybourhood.

The city had to send power-washing crews to the Village to hose everything down. Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam notes that the $300,000 worth of in-kind services provided by the city covers road closures, police and garbage cleanup services, but not power-washing. Wootton estimates that the cost of the hosing down will range from $16,000 to $23,000. “The bill will go to Pride,” he says.

ANDREA HOUSTON

For updates on these stories, and our Pride videos and photo gallery, visit xtra.ca

12

Toronto’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! JULY 12, 2012

2012 PRIDE PICS

LOOKING

BACK A small selection of our favourite photos from Pride weekend Photos by Adam Coish & Kyle Lasky For all the other favourites that we didn’t have room to include, plus exclusive video coverage, search “Pride 2012” on xtra.ca or use the bit.ly links on page 15.

Trans March KYLE LASKY

Dyke March KYLE LASKY

Pride parade ADAM COISH

Pride parade ADAM COISH

Church St ADAM COISH

Pride parade ADAM COISH

Trans March KYLE LASKY

more at xtra.ca

XTRA! JULY 12, 2012

13

Pride parade ADAM COISH

Dyke March KYLE LASKY

Dyke March KYLE LASKY

Pride parade ADAM COISH

Church St ADAM COISH

Church St ADAM COISH

Pride parade* Church St

ADAM COISH

ADAM COISH

* This photo was banned from Facebook.

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Toronto’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! JULY 12, 2012

2012 PRIDE PICS Pride parade ADAM COISH

519 Green Space ADAM COISH

Dyke March

Pride parade

KYLE LASKY

ADAM COISH

Trans March KYLE LASKY

Pride parade

Dyke March

ADAM COISH

KYLE LASKY

more at xtra.ca

XTRA! JULY 12, 2012

Dyke March KYLE LASKY

Dyke March KYLE LASKY

Trans March KYLE LASKY

on the web For more photos and exclusive videos Trans March ›bit.ly/NnXfSS Dyke March ›bit.ly/NeWB8e Pride parade Pride parade

ADAM COISH

ADAM COISH

Pride Day ›bit.ly/PJvFly ›bit.ly/M1l2sm

Pride parade ADAM COISH

Church St ADAM COISH

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Toronto’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! JULY 12, 2012

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Fraser’s Edge Brad Fraser

T

H A N KS T O T E L E V I S I O N darling Anderson Cooper and hip-hop recording artist Frank Ocean, coming out is back in the news again in a big way.

And, of course, people are posing the usual questions about celebrities and whether it’s a good thing for them to admit to being gay. Does the right to privacy trump whatever good famous people might do by publicly saying they are gay?

There is a side to this debate that often gets missed. Both Cooper and Ocean are excellent candidates to examine when posing the question: is it sometimes too dangerous for some people to come out?

Anderson is a globetrotting journalist, and his work has often taken him to places where being publicly out could have a detrimental effect on the way he does his job, or perhaps even threaten his life. For example, if he has to interview some powerful anti-gay religious figure, could the integrity of the interview be coloured unfairly by the fact his subject hates everything Cooper represents? Or could his being gay and out make him a target on the streets of some African or Middle Eastern coun-

try when he is covering a news event there? These are valid concerns, and I know of a number of queer journalists who play their cards very close to their chests for this very reason.

In the case of Frank Ocean, the admission has even further-reaching implications since Ocean is part of the notoriously homophobic (and often misogynistic) hip-hop community.

No doubt there are many queers and bi people doing the “down low” in this genre, but for Ocean to admit to having been profoundly in love with a man for two years takes mega cojones, because he’s not just talking about sex, but about actual, deep, intimate emotions for another man, which, I suspect, is much scarier for a lot of his peers and listeners than simply thinking about sucking someone’s cock or taking it up the ass.

Interestingly, Ocean seemed to invite the attention that led to his coming out by refusing to change the pronouns in a song from “he” to “she,” a handy little bit of concealment many gay singers having been pulling off for years. It was questions about these lyrics that led to his revelation, and I’d love to have been a fly on the wall of the office of his collaborators Jay-Z and Kanye West when Ocean told them. Neither rapper is known for being friendly to the gay community. Are they and the rest of their ilk admiring of what Ocean’s done, or are they looking for ways to push him out of the business? And what of the music buyers who are now being

asked to purchase the songs of a man who admits to loving a guy? Will they continue to support him, or will they support the artists whose work doesn’t challenge them in any way?

What I find most encouraging about the steps these men have taken is that they have decided to do it while they’re at the height of their fame and power, rather than, like so many gay celebs,

FOR HIP-HOP RECORDING ARTIST FRANK OCEAN TO ADMIT TO HAVING BEEN PROFOUNDLY IN LOVE WITH A MAN FOR TWO YEARS TAKES MEGA COJONES. when their careers are in definite downswings and they’re desperately in need of some major attention.

The Queer Star Hall of Fame is full of such folks. The world-famous athlete who’s hit his or her expiry date, whose lucrative endorsement deals have dried up and who needs an attentiongrabbing hook to sell a memoir or call attention to some new job. The coy politicians who spend decades in of-

fice laughing off questions about why they aren’t married or referring to partners as “travelling companions” or “assistants” until they retire and admit they’ve always been out, just not to anyone outside their immediate circles of friends. The pop star/actor/ television host whose once brilliant career has faltered who then decides it’s time to announce the fact he or she’s been living a secret life and spill all the sordid details to keep the gossip vultures feeding and the public’s interest for another 15 minutes.

While I like to think of the act of coming out as personal and liberating for anyone who does it, at any point in one’s life, it is sometimes hard not to look at these “Johnny-come-outlatelies” as somewhat opportunistic in their actions. But, in the end, the important thing is they did come out and have provided examples for the many young people in the world who are struggling with the same issues.

Some of these people live in countries where being publicly gay is extremely dangerous. They could be imprisoned, tortured or killed simply for being who they are. And yet many of these people, just like gay cops, soldiers, athletes, freedom fighters and rebels all over the world, still have to admit to who they are despite the danger, proving, along with Anderson Cooper and Frank Ocean, that closets, in the developed world at least, really are only for clothes, brooms and cowards.

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arts › entertainment › leisure

Out City IN THE

ON DISPLAY

I LOVE THE COMBINATION OF TEXTURES AND FINISHES. METAL GIVES YOU SUCH FREEDOM THAT WAY. Welder Wendy Kelloway ›19

ON STAGE

A legacy of bright colours George MacIntyre’s painted tribute to gay Toronto Erica Lenti

A Summerside, PEI, native, MacIntyre began painting as a young boy.

ALL ODDS WERE AGAINST GEORGE Though he has no formal art trainMacIntyre. ing, he says his talent came naturally.

The Toronto artist was living “I had no lessons, but I painted all with HIV, and as he watched many my life,” he says. “I’m still learning of his friends succumb to the same along the way.” disease he was battling, MacIntyre After he was rejected by most of was doubtful he would live to com- his family because of his sexuality, plete the 12-painting series he had MacIntyre made a move from the been working on for more than a East Coast to Toronto, where he decade. found solace and friendship within “I never dreamt I’d see the end of the walls of the landmarks he has these paintings,” he says. painted.

But now, MacIntyre’s completed “All the buildings that are capcollection, a tribute to some of To- tured are very special,” he says. “In ronto’s most famous gay landmarks, each of the paintings [the buildings] is on display at the 519 Church St are brighter than their actual colour.

Community Centre. The final in- I like making them brighter and stallation of the series, a painting of shinier. It’s like bringing the inside the Rosar-Morrison Funeral Home of the buildings out.” & Chapel, recently had its grand MacIntyre faced several obstacles unveiling. in completing the series. While living It was MacIntyre’s dream come in Barrett House, he fell ill and hit true. an all-time low weight of 90 pounds.

“It was a legacy I wanted to leave Though he had doubts he would behind to educate people from all paint again, he bounced back. walks of life,” he says. “All my paintHe says he was most driven by ings have become my children.” the wish of his best friend Michelle The series bears its origins in 1997, DuBarry, who wanted him to coma time during which MacIntyre lived plete the series. It’s what makes his work all the more inspiring. “[DuBarry] said, ‘Finish all 12, and don’t forget me,’” he says. “So I did.”

Today, as he sports a collection of rainbow beads around his neck and a bright pink tote bag on his shoulder, MacIntyre is beaming; it’s hard not to imagine him behind an easel.

MacIntyre’s final painting in a 12-part series He has been living dedicated to Toronto’s gay landmarks is a tribute with HIV/AIDS for to the Rosar-Morrison Funeral Home & Chapel.

30 years; some dub in Barrett House, a residence for him a walking miracle. those with HIV/AIDS. Inspired by MacIntyre paints without comstaff and his “brothers” living with mission; he says his only hope for the AIDS, MacIntyre embarked on a 15- final unveiling of the series is that his year endeavour to document some work will inspire others. of the city’s best-known gay monu“My dream is that there will be a ments, including Woody’s, The Barn day people will understand and see and The 519. what I’ve done,” he says. “If I can do The final piece, a tribute to one of it, there are a lot more people out the first Toronto funeral homes to there that are HIV-positive or sick bury people who had died of AIDS, that can do something similar.” took more than three months to comMacIntyre hopes to continue his plete. Named Princess, after Rosar- painting career. In fact, he has plans Morrison owner James Munroe’s to start a new, six-part series this year. then-unborn daughter, the painting, He’s motivated to continue beatMacIntyre says, was the most difficult ing the odds. in the series to complete.

“I had to paint over the first can- MacIntyre’s collection is on display at vas with white paint to start over the 519 Church St Community Centre. again,” he says. “But positive thinkFor more info, visit the519.org. ing brought me all the way.

“I had to carry on.”

“I’d wanted to be on Broadway since I was a child,” says Sharron Matthews, who eventually outgrew the Great White Way.

MESSIANIC SHARRON MATTHEWS

Canadian performer rises above the rest

S

Chris Dupuis

HARRON MATTHEWS WANTS you to feel like a superstar.

Unless you’re Kim Kardashian.

“How exactly does someone become a celebrity for making a sex tape?” the Hamilton-born chanteuse fumes. “I watched it, for research purposes only. And the only interesting thing about it is that they’re both chewing gum the entire time.”

Matthews won’t say whether K-Kard and company get a mention in her cabaret spectacular, Sharron Matthews Superstar: Gold. But given the subject matter, audiences shouldn’t be surprised if the sibling celebutantes feature.

“It’s got gold hits and gold diggers,” Matthews laughs. “But it’s also about people who try to steal your personal gold, those things that make each of us unique.”

Self-actualization through storytelling and song is Matthews’s trademark. She cut her teeth as an actor for large-scale musical theatre at 20 while still a student at Sheridan College; her first Broadway gig came at 24. Though Matthews says she enjoyed playing to thousands and the commensurate paycheque, she gradually realized it wasn’t for her.

“I’d wanted to be on Broadway since I was a child,” she says. “But after a while I realized it wasn’t who I was. I wanted to create my own material, rather than just interpret other people’s. Striking out on my own forced me to find my own voice.”

Matthews’s show features quirky interpretations of cabaret standards, with sprinklings of Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake, Queen and Radiohead.

The show’s Toronto premiere launches a three-month tour, which will take her to Edinburgh and London, UK, followed

by Cape Town, South Africa. Though she’s warbled many a tune in Great Britain, the Rainbow Nation will be a whole new playing field.

“They said I couldn’t be blasphemous or profane, so I sent them a list of words to see what’s okay,” she says. “I checked to see whether I can say ‘shit’ or ‘bitch.’

I’m hopeful for ‘fuck,’ and I’d like to throw out ‘cocksucker’ if I can.”

Though Matthews still finds herself in bigger houses occasionally, it’s that small-space intimacy she’s shooting for regardless of venue size. When she launched her monthly Sharron’s Party cabaret series at the Gladstone Hotel in 2005, she developed what became a career-long habit: greeting audience

members individually pre-show.

“I was so nervous when I started working on my own, and talking to people on a casual level before the show was a way to combat that,” she says. “The first few minutes of any performance is always about trying to win the audience over. But if they feel a connection before you hit the stage, you’ve already got them in your corner.”

Since she folded Sharron’s Party in 2010, in favour of less frequent though more complex shows, she’s adopted the Lloyd Webber-esque moniker Sharron Matthews Superstar.

Could this be a sign of a messiah complex?

“I’m a spiritual person and I believe in the goodness of my fellow mankind, but I’m not trying to save the world,” she laughs. “I’m trying to take over. It’s not a messiah complex. It’s a Madonna complex.”

the deets SHARRON MATTHEWS SUPERSTAR: GOLD Thurs, July 19–Sun, July 22, 8pm Buddies in Bad Times Theatre 12 Alexander St sharronmatthews.com

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PUPPETRY OF THE PROUD Andrea Houston, Xtra reporter and Pride Toronto honoured dyke, wields a vagina puppet as she leads the Dyke March on June 30.

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An evening of fetish art spontaneity, featuring appearances by Master Tony, Richard Ryder; hosted by Dwayne Bryk and Iain Bennett. Funds raised beneďŹ t the Toronto People with AIDS Foundation. Sat, July 14, 10pm. The Black Eagle, 457 Church St. No cover. blackeagletoronto.com

WinWin Nell Tenhaafâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dazzling interactive show explores themes of order and disorder and the controller and controlled by using sculpture and biotechnology. Runs till Sat, July 14. Paul Petro Contemporary Art, 980 Queen St W. Free. paulpetro.com

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An exhibition of drawings and photography paying homage to the decadent and rich world of cabaret. Featured artists include Chris Hutcheson, Olena Sullivan and Ruth Gillson. Runs Mon, July 16â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Sun, July 22, 6pm. The Painted Lady, 218 Ossington Ave. Free. thepaintedlady.ca

HEALTH & ISSUES Legit Accessible legal counsel and an opportunity for same-sex couples with immigration needs to connect with others and ďŹ nd useful resources. Thurs, July 12, 7â&#x20AC;&#x201C;10pm. The 519 Church St Community Centre, 519 Church St. Free. legit.ca

Out to Lunch: LGBTQ Mad Pride Dinner Connect with others whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve experienced discrimination for being both mad and queer, make great art for the bed push, and chat with new and old friends about stigma and how to reclaim strength and

focus in your community.

Fri, July 13, 5:30â&#x20AC;&#x201C;7pm.

246 Sackville St. Free. madprideto.com

Annual Bed Push Mad Prideâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual bed push raises awareness about psychiatric survivors and those whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve endured the stigma of being labelled mentally ill and challenges institutional oppression of mad communities. Show your solidarity. Sat, July 14, noon. CAMH, 1001 Queen St W. Free. madprideto.com

Paul Bellini is at Glad Day Bookshop on July 12.

LEISURE & PLEASURE The Exceptional Lover (for Everyone) U-spot? G-spot? This all-encompassing workshop, led by Carlyle Jansen, covers the pleasure zones from top to bottom.

Learn how to unleash your inhibitions, become a more eďŹ&#x20AC;ective lover and, chieďŹ&#x201A;y, how to get oďŹ&#x20AC; in the best, most potent way imaginable. All welcome.

Thurs, July 12, 7â&#x20AC;&#x201C;9pm. Good for Her, 175 Harbord St. $25. goodforher.com

The Fab Columns Impervious troll Paul Bellini celebrates a balls-out, no-holds-barred anthology of the columns that peeved and delighted gays everywhere. Bear cookbook, anyone? Thurs, July 12, 7:30pm. Glad Day Bookshop, 598A Yonge St. Free. gladdaybookshop.com

Pup Night Woof, indeed. Argo hosts a party for novices and seasoned wolves alike. Get on all fours and get leashed around. Equipment available to borrow, or drag some dirty dog home and play till dawn. Thurs, July 12, 10pm.

The Black Eagle, 457 Church St. Free. blackeagletoronto.com

Great Lakes Regional Rodeo Ride â&#x20AC;&#x2122;em, cowboy. The Central Canada Gay Rodeo Association presents a road trip to remember ( high-ďŹ&#x201A;ying Western fun, dancing, entertainment and more) in Belleville, Michigan. Full details available online. Registration deadline Thurs, July 12. ccgra.ca

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XTRA! JULY 12, 2012

19

NEIGHBOURHOOD

Heavy metal Local welder offers elegant metalwork at Ikea prices WENDY KELLOWAYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S STUDIO MAY look like a cross between an auto mechanicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shop and a torture chamber, but the metal art she creates there is chic, elegant and (forgive the pun) on the cutting edge of interior design.

For 12 years, this Toronto artisan has been crafting everything from sleek steel wardrobes to delightfully whimsical candelabras with a combination of

For more listings, go to xtra.ca

Ontario Oyster Festival The cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best oyster shuckers celebrate with live bands, cocktailing and sun worshipping on Queen West. Funds raised support Environmental Defence, Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most eďŹ&#x20AC;ective environmental action charity. Sun, July 15, 2pm. Oyster Boy, 872 Queen St W. $35 gets you two drink tickets plus six oysters or tacos. environmentaldefence.ca

Sunday BBQ Choke back a few dogs with a room full of brawny, no-attitude men and let the beer dissolve worries of Monday. Sun, July 15, 3â&#x20AC;&#x201C;9pm. The Black Eagle, 457 Church St. Free. blackeagletoronto.com

G-Spots and Female Ejaculation for Everyone You can ring my bell. A hot and informative workshop about female ejaculation and how to spot the magic button. Myth or mandatory? All welcome. Pre-registration recommended. Wed, July 18, 7â&#x20AC;&#x201C;9:30pm.

Good for Her, 175 Harbord St. $33. goodforher.com

The Burlesque Assassins Screening A luxurious ďŹ lm combined with a sinful burlesque performance and gala. Featuring Roxi Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Lite, Armitage Shanks, Kiki Kaboom, Dusan Rokvic and others. Directed by Jonathan JoďŹ&#x20AC;e. Fri, July 20. VIP pre-party at 10pm, the Gladstone, 1214 Queen St W. Screening at 11pm, Bloor Hot Docs Cinema, 506 Bloor St W. $40 VIP pre-party and ďŹ lm, $20 ďŹ lm only. torontoburlesquefestival2012. eventbrite.com â&#x20AC;ş continued on page 20

sheet metal and salvaged iron that gives her work a look that is both charmingly vintage and coolly modern. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I love the combination of textures and finishes,â&#x20AC;? says Kelloway, who dubbed her studio Weld Done Designs. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Metal gives you such freedom that way.â&#x20AC;?

Looking at the artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s larger furniture pieces, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s almost hard to believe that each has been crafted and welded entirely by hand. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a polished, solid feel to the wardrobes, shelving and screens that would ďŹ t right in at any high-end urban-design store. She used to sell to such outlets but now focuses on dealing directly with designers and the public through her downtown eastside showroom. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I want people to be comfortable coming in to the studio space, to see how pieces ďŹ t in a home environment,â&#x20AC;? she says.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a canny move that allows her to showcase her scope and skill. The studio doubles as Kellowayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home, with elegant metal screens separating her living space from the display areas.

An astounding ďŹ&#x201A;oating metal staircase that she designed and built leads up to a loft, while delicate metal Japanese screens slide open and closed to create dimension and privacy.

The kitchen is a revelation, with

Shown here and far left, some of Kellowayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s handiwork.

Wendy Kelloway gave up a job as a bus driver to open her own metal-art studio.

blackened metal cabinetry and reclaimed timbers blending functionality with an ultra-cool aesthetic. Her signature candelabras dot the room, overseen by twisted metal face art that adorns the walls. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s magical.

I sneak a peek at the price tags and am surprised at how affordable even the larger wardrobes are: youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d pay about the same price for a ďŹ&#x201A;imsy fake-wood piece from Ikea, which would be dust

long before Kellowayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s masterpieces even begin to show signs of wear. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a price point where onein-10 can afford your work,â&#x20AC;? she says with a shrug. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d rather nine out of 10 can afford it.â&#x20AC;?

Given the hours and sweat equity invested in each piece, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clear that this artisanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s primary focus is a combination of personal fulfillment and creative impulse. Otherwise she would have

stuck with her previous job driving bus in Victoria, BC. But security and routine never stood a chance once Kelloway discovered her calling. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I knew the moment I sparked my ďŹ rst arc,â&#x20AC;? she says, of the spray of light thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s emitted from a freshly lit welderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s torch. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re making $25 an hour with benefits, it becomes kind of hard to leave. But I realized that money isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t everything, and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never regretted it.â&#x20AC;?

See welddonedesigns.com for more information or to arrange a viewing at Kellowayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Weld Done Designs studio, at 290 Carlaw Ave in Toronto.

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Toronto’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! JULY 12, 2012

listings ›

For more listings, go to xtra.ca › continued from page 19

MUSIC Full Flex Express Train Tour

Skrillex is at The Garrison July 13.

Grammy-winning DJ and producer Skrillex takes to the stage to engineer an evening of sonic and visual extravagance. The stellar lineup features Pretty Lights, Diplo, Grimes, Koan Sound and Tokimonsta. Fri, July 13, 4pm.

Fort York, Garrison Common, 250 Fort York Blvd. $41.50 early bird, $51.50 advance. ticketweb.ca

Sharron Matthews Superstar: Gold Drown yourself in gold glitter and behold the celebrated cabaret performer, making a stop in Toronto on her international tour of debauchery. Thurs, July 19, 8pm. Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander St. $20. buddiesinbadtimes.com

STAGE The Fifth Annual Toronto Burlesque Festival A sensational lineup of sexy events, featuring 120 performances over seven shows at various venues.

Showcasing the titillating work of Roxi Dlite, Skin Tight Outta Sight, Coco Framboise and many others. Full schedule, pricing and performances available online. torontoburlesquefestival2012. eventbrite.com

Kathy Griffin at Casino Rama The former queen of the D-list struts her sassy gams and serves up her usual brand of shocking and irreverent comedy. Not to be missed.

Fri, July 20. Shuttle bus leaves the Village at 6:30pm sharp. Casino Rama, 5899 Rama Rd, Rama. $65, includes transportation and $10 slot card. getoutcanada.com

Altar Boyz The off-Broadway smash that satires the boy-band formula hits Ossington. Written by Kevin Del

Kathy Griffin is at Casino Rama July 20.

Aguila, Gary Adler and Michael Patrick Walker. Quit playing games with my heart. Runs Fri, July 20–Fri, Aug 3, 7:30pm. Lower Ossington Theatre, 100A Ossington Ave. $45. lowerossingtontheatre.com

Backbeat So please, love me do. A raucous story that examines the genesis of one of the most influential pop outfits ever, The Beatles. Directed by the award-winning David Leveaux. Runs Sat, July 21–Wed, Aug 8, various showtimes. Panasonic Theatre, 641 Yonge St. $36–130. mirvish.com

Avenue Q The story of Princeton, the naive but well-intended college graduate swallowed by New York’s streets.

Sometimes a boy just needs a little purpose. Runs till Sat, Aug 4, various showtimes. Lower Ossington Theatre, 100A Ossington Ave. $45– 60. lowerossingtontheatre.com

Avenue Q is at the Lower Ossington Theatre July 20–Aug 3.

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XTRA! JULY 12, 2012

XPOSED Starry Night is my favourite party at Pride. It’s the Thursday night kickoff and all the downtown peeps come out.

Everyone is fresh-faced and ready to enter into the abyss that is Gay Christmas. Matthieu is one of the sexy brains behind the evening, and Traci Melchor is part of the sparkle that makes it special.

Anna Pournikova

THE

PRIDE

21

Kat got all dressed up in her rodeo fierceness to get into Steers & Queers at The Dakota, but they were at capacity 10 minutes after opening or some shit, so she strut those booty shorts down to The Drake for Big Freedia. Turns out Daisy Dukes are just as good for making it clap as two-stepping.

EDITION

Sofonda Cox is the one drag queen who always comes through. How she remains so hard-working and classy and fun is beyond me. When I grow up, I want to be half the woman she is. That should shut my mom up about the drinking and slutting around with pretty young things.

Jesse just got a new gold tooth; BooPat just got a new button-down.

They took their fresh to death out for a promenade on Queer West for the Big Freedia show.

Don’t be fooled by the sour looks on Caitlin and Tyron’s faces — they share my love for these perfect four words: Black. Gay. Booty. Bounce.

Psst . . . word on the street is that the one on the right has a huge cock.

But you never know with these Pride rumours.

Peter and Zoe made me take their snap at least five times trying to get the perfect stink-face for this special edition of my Pride column. It took some work, but we got there in the end.

Thumper was on lock at The Garrison. It’s really grown into a robust evening of Queer West folk in craft drag and whitty quips. And look who I found sniffing around the door when I rolled up: Porcelain Desires (wearing an amazing Portuguese dad button-down over Cher’s Golden Globe outfit in tatters), Gay Rob and Miss Rolyn Chambers.

The Beaver is ground zero for Queer West, a place and term coined by Will Munro. And thank god he did. Now it’s a virtual hub of hotties, like Alex and Alice: too cool for Church, too heartbreakingly gorgeous.

This is the actual outfit Danielle chose for Pride. Bra, shorts, trucker hat and a button-down. It looked great as she biked like a bat out of hell en route to Wrongbar. The breeders on Queen West didn’t know what hit them.

Matty D and Dana looked like Led Zeppelin incarnate, just cold maxin’ outside of Wrongbar. Dana wasn’t super into a photo, but Matty D, and that tiny waist of his, convinced her in the end. Wins all around.

How could I resist Glenn? He was traipsing around Church on Pride Saturday, dancing to his own music and shaking his hips for tourists with “Rob Ford blows buckets of KFC cocks” written on his chest. Clearly, we are soul mates no longer waiting with bated breath for each other’s return.

Dave Munro (brother of Will) has done an amazing job keeping Will’s legacy alive, putting on countless charity events for cancer in his brother’s name. Here, he is pictured with a gorgeous example of craft drag at its absolute worst/finest, Mikiki.

22

Torontoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! JULY 12, 2012

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NIGHTCLUB LISTINGS THURS, JULY 12 Flashback, with DJ Chris Steinbach spinning retro. Flash boys show it onstage. 5pm–2am. Flash, 463 Church St. Regular rates. flashonchurch.com Kotha: South Asian Night in the bathhouse. 8–11pm. Spa Excess, 105 Carlton St. Regular rates apply. spaexcess.com Muscle Thug Thursdays in the sex maze. 8pm–2am. Urge, 199 Church St. Free entry with gym membership card. urgetoronto.com Pup Night. Puppy-play party for collar lovers and leash tuggers. 9pm.

Black Eagle, 457 Church St. No cover. blackeagletoronto.com

FRI, JULY 13 Full Flex Express, with DJ/producer Skrillex, DJs Pretty Lights, Diplo, Grimes, Koan Sound and Tokimonsta performing on multiple stages. 4pm. Fort York, Garrison Common, 250 Fort York Blvd. $41.50–51.50. fullflexexpress.com That Time of the Month. Female hiphop, soul and R&B evening. 10pm.

Henhouse, 1532 Dundas St W. No cover. henhousetoronto.com Spectra Showcase nears the finals, with Mandy Goodhandy, Deb Pearce and talented competitors. 10pm.

Goodhandy’s, 120 Church St. PWYC till 10:30pm, $7 after. spectrashowcase.com B.East returns, with DJ Cory Activate.

10pm. WAYLA, 996 Queen St E. $5. whatareyoulookingatbar.com Grapefruit, with DJs Shane Percy and Aural and performance by Donnarama. 10pm.

fly, 8 Gloucester St. $10, $5 with printed pass before 11pm. grapefruit4u.com Her: Happy B-Her-thday Frank Edition, with DJs Produzentin, John Caffery and The Robotic Kid. 10:30pm. La Perla, 783 Queen St W. $5. herherher.com

SAT, JULY 14 The Candy Land Kiki Ball. All the usual categories, with a candy pop twist.

6:30–10:30pm. The 519 Community Centre, 519 Church St. $3.

Cabbagetown Group Softball League’s annual fundraiser at 8pm; squirt.org Best Men’s Ass Contest, with Sofonda, Sasha Montenegro and DJ Chris Steinbach, at midnight. Woody’s, 465 Church St. No cover. woodystoronto.com Kink in the City 2, a fundraiser for the Toronto People with AIDS Foundation, with Mr Spearhead Ambassador Dwayne Bryk and Eastern Canada leatherboy 2011 iAIN. Appearances by Richard Ryder, Mark Fisher, Master Tony, Tarna and more. Fetish attire encouraged. 10pm.

The Black Eagle, 457 Church St. No cover. blackeagletoronto.com

SUN, JULY 15 Georgie Girl’s Old School Show, with Michelle Ross, at 6 pm; Day-Rama Show, with Donnarama and Daytona Bitch, at 9 pm; Georgie Girl and Donnarama welcome Sofonda, Heaven Lee Hytes and guests at 11 pm. Woody’s, 465 Church St. No cover. woodystoronto.com

Ladyplus Parties, with DJ Todd Klinck.

8pm. Goodhandy’s, 120 Church St. $5 till 11pm, $10 after, no cover for ladies or members. goodhandys.com

Glitz and Glam, with Carlotta Carlisle and Katinka Kature, dazzles the stage. 9– 11:30pm. Crews & Tangos, 508 Church St. No cover. crewsandtangos.com

Buffet Thursdays, with Clint Lyckher and Nikki Chin, at 9pm; Heroine Marks, Ivory Towers and Alex DJtothestarz at 11:30pm; Ultimate Thursdays, with DJ Craig Dominic in Tangos and Vocal Rehab, with Elyse Douglas, in the Zone, both at 10pm. Crews and Tangos, 508 Church St. crewsandtangos.com

TUES, JULY 17

FRI, JULY 20

Varsity Tuesday, with So You Think You Can Strip? Sofonda gets the varsity boys to take off their undies.

5pm–2am. Remington’s, 379 Yonge St. $5 after 9pm, no cover with student ID. remingtons.com

Christmas in July: PWA Bike Rally, with Shane Percy riding all night long. 10pm– 3am. Flash, 463 Church St. $5 guest members. flashonchurch.com

MON, JULY 16

WED, JULY 18

Animal Haus, with DJ Chez. 10pm.

Goodhandy’s, 120 Church St. $5 until 11pm, $10 after. beefdip.com

Black Queer Youth. Social space for black, multiracial or African/Caribbean queer youth. 6–8:30pm. Sherbourne Health Centre, 333 Sherbourne St. soytoronto.org

Mischief, with DJs Deko-ze and Dickie; DJ Catacomb in the Lounge. 10pm. fly, 8 Gloucester St. $10 before 11pm, $15 till 1am, $20 after. flynightclub.com

Stage to Screen encore performance and taping, with Miss Conception.

8pm. Buddies, 12 Alexander St. $25. buddiesinbadtimes.com

TUFF: Exxxtreme Sports Edition, featuring the naked BMX Boner Show.

Hosted by Benjamin Gibson and Matt Thomas, with DJs Matty Ryce and TLA. 11pm. Smith, 553 Church St. No cover. smithatnight.com

Rude Jake. 6pm. Festival runs till July 22.

Melody Bar, 1214 Queen St W. No cover. torontoburlesquefestival.com

THURS, JULY 19 The fifth annual Toronto Burlesque Festival starts with a meet-and-greet teaser, with Sucre à la Crème (Montreal), Koston Kreme (Ottawa), Mlle Belle Jumelles and more; live music by Big

AX-a-Gogo Summer 2012 brings out hot gaysians and their admirers, with DJ Alex, Sofonda Cox and the AX Maximus dancers. 10pm. fly, 8 Gloucester St. $5 before 11pm, $10 after. meetmeatax.com Back to Life: Boy’s Life Reunion, with DJs Billy Carroll (NYC) and Cory Activate and performance by Sofonda Cox. 10pm.

Chroma, 132 Queen’s Quay E. $10 before midnight, $15 after. theguvernment. com/chroma

23

DJs Ivan Gomez (Barcelona), Shawn Riker and Alexx. 10pm. fly, 8 Gloucester St. $10 before 11pm, $15 till 1am, $20 after. flynightclub.com The White Party, with DJ Aural. 10pm– 3am. Flash, 463 Church St. $5 guest members. flashonchurch.com Fit, with DJs Kris Steeves and Phil V spinning. 10:30pm. The Beaver, 1192 Queen St W. $5. beavertoronto.com Squirt.org’s Best Men’s Ass Contest, hosted by Sofonda and Farra N Hyte, with DJ Chris Steinbach. Midnight.

Woody’s, 465 Church St. No cover. woodystoronto.com

SUN, JULY 22 Amateur Strip Contest, with $100 in cash prizes. 10pm. Flash, 463 Church St. Regular rates. flashonchurch.com Kendall Partington performs. 11pm.

Zipperz, 72 Carlton St. No cover. zipperzcellblock.com

MON, JULY 23 Glitz and Glam, with Carlotta Carlisle and Katinka Kature, at 9pm; Devine Darlin and Nikki Chin at 11:30pm. Crews & Tangos, 508 Church St. No cover. crewsandtangos.com

For complete listings on the go, scan the QR code below or visit xtra.ca.

SAT, JULY 21 Sodom Stone Age, with DJ Blackcat and performance by Nikki Chin, Adam Norrad and Sebber Hirtenstein. 10pm.

Goodhandy’s, 120 Church St. $7 till 11pm, $10 after, $5 students. sodom.ca

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A World of Gay Adventure

India

Above, sunrise over the Ganges river.

Stark contrasts and unabashed affection

Agra’s Taj Mahal, at right, is the world’s most photographed building and is perfect from any angle.

Story by Ken Hickling Photos by David Walberg

Below, a quiet moment on the steps of the Jama Masjid mosque, overlooking Old Delhi’s Meena Bazaar.

T

HE STARK CONTRASTS stand out most in my mind: poverty and extravagance, ancient and modern, pristine and positively grimy, delightfully aromatic and downright smelly — my trip to India was defined by disparities.

My six-day, breakneck tour of northern India — hosted by Out Journeys, which specializes in gay and lesbian travel to the subcontinent — began in the capital. I wasn’t sure what to expect as the bus inched its way through traffic gridlock into the city centre, but we were soon surrounded

by Delhi’s eclectic mix of architecture, both old and new. The numerous Hindu temples, Mogul forts, Muslim mosques and British Raj–era palaces were a refreshing change from the columned and buttressed Occidental style

I am so accustomed to seeing.

The jewel in Delhi’s architectural crown has got to be the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the world’s largest presidential palace. Flanked by Parliament House and the Secretariat, the complex is enormous. Just up the street from this palace on steroids is an area known as the Bungalow Zone: street after street of mini-palaces and magnificent gardens dating back to the British Raj, now home to India’s political elite. Delhi residents obviously have a completely different definition of the word bungalow — these are no modest single-level homes!

Just north of New Delhi is the walled city of Old Delhi. Although much of the wall has disappeared, many of the magnificent entry gates remain. The old section of Delhi is a tangle of streets littered with bazaars, chowks (open-air markets) and an ever-present throng of people and livestock. My first time weaving through

traffic — some of it oncoming! — in a rickshaw was more than a little hairraising. But once I relaxed my whiteknuckled grip on the armrest, the ride was actually quite enjoyable; rickshaws are really one of the best ways to explore this part of Delhi.

Sightseeing in India is always accompanied by street vendors. I was constantly surrounded by young men trying to sell me maps, postcards and a plethora of shiny objects. I was surprised to find that this interaction also often involved my favourite pastime — flirting. On more than one occasion a vendor hooked his arm in mine or held my hand as he showed me his bejewelled trinkets. And there was always a wink and a smile in the sales pitch.

I soon noticed that this sort of interaction was occurring all around me. Indian men are not afraid to touch each other, hold hands or walk arm in arm. Shows of affection are clearly not the threats to masculinity they are in much of the West.

After leaving Delhi, we headed to Varanasi, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Situated on the banks of the River Ganges, it is known as the City of Temples; to go there is like visiting another era.

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25

Planning your trip to India

An elephant ride is the best way to trek up the hill to the Amber Fort, above, located just outside of Jaipur.

At left, Jaipur is renowned for its many jewel markets selling raw and cut gems, as well as custom-designed jewellery.

Far left, afternoon prayers in Delhi’s Jama Masjid, India’s largest mosque.

The old section doesn’t appear to have changed since it was first built.

It is still a network of unbelievably narrow streets littered with temples, shrines, shops and homes. The banks of the Ganges are dotted with ghats — steps — leading into the holy river, which is used for religious ceremonies, ritual bathing and — a scene that gave my emotions a jolt — open-air cremations. With its red-, orange- and yellowpainted buildings, brightly attired residents, and bolts of multicoloured cloth laid out to dry on the river banks, Varanasi is a strikingly colourful city.

In addition to its religious significance, Varanasi is probably best known for its fine silk weaving. Browsing the bazaars and chowks between the old and new parts of the city, I found some truly amazing silks and exquisite saris.

And just as in Delhi, the streets of Varanasi are pulsating with cars, people, rickshaws and livestock. So much so that walking in a straight line is out of the question.

Like those of Delhi, the men of Varanasi blur the lines of sensuality and flirtation. Heading down the city’s main street, I caught the gaze of a man on a moped who gave me a big toothy smile and blew me a kiss.

My first thought was that blowing a kiss has a completely different meaning in India — like, “Watch out for that pile of monkey poo right in front of you” — but our Indian guide assured me that it

Traditional ink-block printing on pashmina and silk is a common sight in Jaipur’s fabric district. Some of the ink blocks are hundreds of years old.

is a common way to compliment someone. Apparently many Indian men have no hang-ups about appreciating other men’s appearances or even suggesting they’re attractive.

A day of delightful flirtation later, we clambered on and off a series of planes and buses to travel to Agra.

Agra is best known for its contribution to the Seven Wonders of the World, the Taj Mahal. Having seen many photos of this mausoleum dedicated to love, I wasn’t expecting to be as moved as I was seeing it in person.

This architectural masterpiece is more sculpture than building, with its pristine white marble and intricate stone inlays, set in a sprawling Persian garden. Nestled among trees, flowers and reflecting pools, the gleaming building imparts a complete sense of calm.

I was told that the best time to visit the Taj Mahal is at sunrise or by moonlight, for an even greater sense of calm and beauty. I’m not really a sentimental person, but my immediate thought was that I have to bring my partner to India, if only to show him this.

From Agra, we rode by bus through Fatehpur Sikri and Bharatpur. I had dreaded the prospect of yet another bus ride, but this one, through the countryside, was memorable. This part of rural India, with its small villages, farmland, rolling hills and never-ending fields of yellow mustard and red chillies, is strikingly beautiful. But seeing the small villages, and getting a sense of what life is like for much of the population, was an eye-opening experience. My North American concept of basic needs, such as indoor plumbing and electricity, or essential luxuries, such as home appliances and computers, are inconceivable in this part of the world.

The northern tour ended in Jaipur, India’s “Pink City.” Everything was painted pink in 1876 to welcome Prince Albert, and the city maintains its hold on the title by receiving a regular terra cotta wash. Like many other cities in

India, Jaipur is a shopper’s paradise. The bazaars and markets are full of all the usual tourist trinkets and shiny objects, but locals and foreigners alike make the trek to Jaipur to purchase hand-knotted silk rugs and custom-designed jewellery.

Once the seat of Indian royalty, Jaipur boasts its share of monuments, palaces and temples. Probably the most magnificent of these is the Amber Fort, a sprawling 16th-century complex built on the side of a hill. Essentially, it is miles of courtyards, gardens and minipalaces. You can either hike up the hill to the fort or hitch a ride on the back of an elephant. However you choose to reach the summit, be sure to visit the Sheesh Mahal, a suite of rooms decorated with thousands of miniature mirrored tiles that make the rooms sparkle as if studded with diamonds.

Every palace, monument and fort in India begs to be photographed. Still, I was a bit confused and a little surprised — though happy to oblige — when a young Indian man asked if I would pose with him in front of a beautiful minaret and setting sun. While his friend aimed the camera, he stood next to me, smiled, then hooked his arm around my waist and leaned into my shoulder. No difficulty smiling into the camera for that shot! In Jaipur, just as I had discovered elsewhere in Northern India, the architecture is magnificent, the scenery is incredible and the men are always smiling and not afraid to be affectionate.

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

A bit of prep work is required for your trip to India. To start, all foreign nationals entering the country need travel visas.

Getting them can take a while, so plan ahead. Check with the nearest Indian consulate for forms and procedures.

You will need to consult with your doctor at least one month before you travel to ensure your vaccinations are up to date.

Depending on your departure city, flights to India can be long and sometimes complicated, requiring connections or layovers. For some people, sitting on a plane for many hours is not an option, so a connecting flight with a one- or two-day layover might be a good idea. For those who just want to get there in one shot, the bigger carriers offer frequent direct flights from major airports. If you choose to fly American Airlines, you might want to consider splurging on one of its sleeper pods. Getting eight hours of comfortable sleep while in transit really does make a difference.

India has a lot to offer, and for most of us it won’t be a yearly vacation, so you will want to see and do as much as you can while you’re there. Arranging your trip through a tour company can help with that.

Out Journeys (outjourneys. com) specializes in gay and lesbian travel to India, with catered trips and fixed travel packages. Although not focused specifically on the gay and lesbian market, Go India Journeys (goindia. co.in) will ensure your time in India is memorable.

on the web Tourism in India ›tourisminindia.com India interstate transit ›indiatransit.com Air India ›airindia.com

26

Guidemag.com A World of Gay Adventure

XTRA! JULY 12, 2012

Dallas& Fort Worth Finding the unexpected deep in the heart of Texas

I

Story and photos

by Matt Mills

N 2003 THE US SUPREME COURT issued a landmark ruling that decriminalized homosexuality across the United States. But Texas, along with two other states, has yet to officially strike unenforceable anti-gay sexual morality laws from its penal code. There are no state protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation for either housing or employment. And not only is there no state recognition of same-sex partnerships, let alone gay marriage, anything like it is specifically prohibited under state law. It’s the US Bible Belt, the Republican south. It bears an overarching socially conservative zeitgeist.

Why on earth then, with all that being true, would gay travellers want to visit the state’s third-largest urban centre, Dallas/Fort Worth? Very simply, for the gay communities — the people, culture and spaces — to be found there.

The area is home to enough gay people to earn it a score among the top 20 US cities on the Gay Index, as developed by demographer Gary Gates and made famous by urban theorist Richard Florida. There are, for example, at least 20 gay bars, restaurants and other gay and gay-friendly businesses

in Dallas/Forth Worth. They range from huge to tiny and milder to wilder, and they offer something for every taste. There’s an impressive arts scene as well: theatre, fine art, film and especially country music.

To see and do Though there are good public transit options, these are not pedestrian cities, so getting around may take some planning if you’re travelling without a car.

Often called The Strip, the commercial centre of gay social and retail spaces in Dallas lies in the Oak Lawn neighbourhood, just north of the sparkling new performance spaces of the Arts District. Stretching along both sides of Cedar Springs Rd, between Oak Lawn Ave and Throckmorton St, The Strip is a tidy but busy collection of gay clubs, restaurants and clothing retailers. Standouts in the area include the huge and welcoming mostly dudes western bar, the Round-Up Saloon (roundupsaloon.com).

For the club set, Station 4 nightclub (station4dallas.com) is just across the street. Be sure to catch the worldclass drag show, Thursdays through Sundays, upstairs at The Rose Room theatre and lounge (roseroomdallas.

There is a twice-daily cattle drive at the Fort Worth Stockyards, at top. The Dallas World Aquarium, above, is located in central Dallas and boasts an indoor ecosystem complete with jungle and waterfall. There are neighbourhood gay bars sprinkled all across Dallas. Troy, at right, is a dancer at Zippers.

com). It’s a spectacle not to be missed.

Breakfast at Buli (bulicafe.com), have lunch at Hunky’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers (hunkys.com) and try dinner at Black-Eyed Pea. Located three blocks east of downtown, Deep Ellum is a bohemian enclave with a funky and eclectic mix of shops, bars, restaurants and nightclubs in what was once an impoverished warehouse district. One of Dallas’s top attractions, Deep Ellum is alive with graffiti art colouring the walls and a big slice of humanity carousing the streets, shopping, drinking and eating (deepellumfoundation.org).

Bishop Arts District, centred on Davis and Bishop streets just south of the city centre, is a cluster of restaurants, boutiques and services.

This gay-friendly enclave is just five minutes from downtown Dallas.

You’ll find friendly merchants and a small-town-square atmosphere — definitely a unique area to discover (bishopartsdistrict.com).

For accommodations, check out the historic and lovely Daisy Polk Inn (daisypolkinn.com). It’s a small and quiet B&B within easy walking distance of the action.

The fine-art aficionado will be impressed. The Dallas Museum of Art (dm-art.org), the Kimbell Art Museum (kimbellart.org) and the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth (themodern. org) each have incredible collections of world-class work.

And for those visiting Texas for the cowboys and Western culture, the Fort Worth Stockyards is the place to be (fortworthstockyards.org).

Getting around Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (dfwairport.com) has TRE rail service (trinityrailwayexpress.org) to Union Station and seven more Dallas locations operated by Dallas Area Rapid Transit (dart.org). Single-fare rides, good for 90 minutes on a single bus, cost $1.75 for local and $3.50 for system-wide trips (exact change is required). Day passes are $4.

This city sprawls in every direction, so a car is the easiest way to get around.

The Oak Lawn area is walkable, but during the hot and humid season you may crave the air-conditioning of a car more than its wheels.

Dallas’s Stonewall In the early morning hours of Sunday, June 29, 2009, a band of police entered the newly opened Forth Worth dance and hangout bar, The Rainbow Lounge. It happened within hours of the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. The cops behaved badly, shoving patrons around before arresting a number of them on trumped-up charges. One of those arrested, Chad Gibson, suffered a brain injury while in police custody and barely survived.

The gay communities in Dallas and Fort Worth mobilized in protest against the raid. An investigation subsequently revealed that The Rainbow Lounge ought not to have been raided at all. Two officers were fired, all outstanding charges were dropped, and Gibson went on to receive damages for his injuries. The Rainbow Lounge remains a popular spot in Fort Worth, with a documentary film, Raid of the Rainbow Lounge, making the rounds on the festival circuit this year. As was the case with the 1981 Toronto bathhouse riots, The Rainbow Lounge raid effectively galvanized gay people across Texas to press their governments for change and to demand fair treatment from law enforcement.

“Those events have left a very positive legacy,” says Todd Camp, artistic director of Forth Worth’s gay film festival, Q Cinema. Camp was in the bar the night of the raid and helped organize the community response. “We have seen some truly stunning changes in city politics and how LGBT citizens are treated in Fort Worth in the aftermath,” he says.

Events AWOL Fri, Aug 10–Sun, Aug 12, 2012.

Various venues. A Week of Leather is the annual Leather Knights run, bar crawl and formal dinner party. Mr AWOL contest, spa excursion, cocktail parties, tea dance at the Dallas Eagle, cigar social and more. leatherknights.org

DALLAS PRIDE Sun, Sept 16, 2012. Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade, 2pm from Cedar Springs Rd; Festival in Lee Park, noon to 8pm. Events and festivities, live entertainment and parties. dallasprideparade.com

Trip advisor BARS & CLUBS JR’s Round-Up Saloon

LODGINGS Daisy Polk Inn Warwick Melrose Hotel

RESTAURANTS & CAFÉS Black-Eyed Pea Dream Café Uptown

SAUNAS & SEX CLUBS Club Dallas Midtowne Spa

SHOPPING & SERVICES Leather Masters Lost Antiques Read more about Dallas/ Fort Worth at guidemag.com, which lists more than 70 gay and lesbian places of interest.

on the web Visit Dallas ›visitdallas.com Dallas Tavern Guild ›dallastavernguild.org Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Bureau ›fortworth.com

XTRA! JULY 12, 2012

27

Quirky attractions IS QUEER OF THE YEAR Roadsideamerica.com is a great resource for quirky museums, ironic monuments and must-see oddities. From the unusual to the overlooked, the site lists a range of fun diversions. Among the highlights listed for Palm Springs are three celebrity statues:

The beat goes on THE STATUE: Most famous for singing with and being married to Cher, Sonny Bono served as mayor of Palm Springs from 1988 to 1992. A bronze sculpture depicts Bono in a relaxed, grinning pose in his “older politician” days. He was killed in a 1998 skiing accident during his second term as a US congressman. Location: Mercado Plaza, 149 S Palm Canyon Dr, intersection of La Plaza.

THE GRAVE: About five kilometres from Palm Springs, in nearby Cathedral City, Bono’s final resting spot is easy to spot — just look for the mound of flowers. Even though the cemetery removes them weekly on “No Flowers Wednesday,” the outpouring of love from Bono’s many fans maintains the floral monument. Location: Desert Memorial Park, 31705 Da Vall Dr, Cathedral City.

Sonny Bono’s grave marker. LIAM HUGHES

Yodel-ay-ee-oo!

In front of the shopping centre that bears his name sits a larger-than-life bronze statue of singing cowboy legend Gene Autry, which tourists report “looks creepy at night.” Location: Gene Autry Plaza, corner of Ramon Rd and Gene Autry Trail.

I love Lucy Across from the Palm Springs Art Museum a bronze sculpture depicts comedian Lucille Ball sitting casually on a park bench, perhaps waiting for her close-up. Some tourists have observed that the statue “doesn’t really look like Lucy.” Location: 100 N Palm Canyon Dr, at Tahquitz Canyon Way. roadsideamerica.com

Gene Autry, the singing cowboy.

TIGERPAW2154

YOUR TICKET TO MONTREAL? Matthew ew Hays

If you’re looking for a way to o get to Montreal this summer, you ou might want to consider applying plying to compete in Tourism Montreal’s treal’s “Queer of the Year” (QOTY)) competition.

Applications can be submitted itted online, and five finalists willl be flown to Montreal during the city’s ’s Pride Week (Aug 11–19) to compete ete in a number of activities that will be filmed, turned into shorts and nd posted online. An online vote then decides the Queer of the Year.

This is the third year for Montreal’s QOTY contest, and Tourism Montreal’s Tanya Churchmuch says the response to the event has been “overwhelming. People really have had a lot of fun with it. Everyone wants to come to Montreal, and the contests we set up allow for participants to experience the city in a very different way.”

Last year’s contest included a figure-skating match hosted by a drag queen. There were cooking classes and a character-themed photo shoot. This year, Churchmuch promises, things are “going to get really crazy. We’ve decided to make the tasks asked of our contestants stranger — but every bit as fun.”

Contestants are judged on five criteria — personality, talent, healthy lifestyle, community spirit and sex appeal — and the winner gets

VisitBritain and Xtra want to send you to London, England!

Visit the contest section of Xtra.ca for your chance to win two round-trip economy tickets courtesy of Air Canada.

Who will win the QOTY title? SID LEE AGENCY

another all-expenses-paid trip to Montreal (return airfare, three nights at the luxury Hôtel Le Germain and $5,000 spending money). The four runners-up don’t do badly, either: their stays are paid for and each gets $1,000 in spending money.

This year, noted digital artist Joe Sabia (who has worked on videos for Barack Obama’s reelection campaign and Google) has been brought onboard to co-produce the QOTY videos. “I’m really excited by what he will bring to the contest,” Churchmuch says.

She says the competition was hatched as a means of tapping into a younger queer tourist demographic.

“Older gay and lesbian tourists know about Montreal, but many younger people don’t know how inviting the city is to queer people,

or how much fun it is. We wanted to raise awareness among that group.”

Churchmuch says there’s one thing she knows about queer tourists who come to Montreal: “Once they come once, they come back. The rate of return is very high. Once people get a feel for how much fun Montreal is, they come back again and again.”

The application deadline is Friday, July 20.

For more info on the contest, see the Queer of the Year Contest page on Facebook.

on the web Tourism Montreal’s Gay Life blog ›tourisme-montreal.org/ blog/gay-life Follow QOTY on Twitter ›twitter.com/QOTYcontest

28

Toronto’s gay & lesbian news

XTRA! JULY 12, 2012

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

indexdirectory.ca

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

FLOORING 866-766-9350

ACCOMMODATIONS - ONTARIO Holiday Inn 416-542-6008 Neill-Wycik Summer Hotel 416-977-2320 Trinity House Inn 1-800-265-4871

ACCOUNTANTS Hema Murdock C.A.

416-696-6653

ADULT

ORGANIC FOOD

Craftwood Flooring

416-750-9097

FOUNDATION REPAIRS G J MacRae Foundation Repair Service

FUNERAL SERVICES Morley Bedford Funeral Services

416-323-0771

ADVERTISING

416-489-8733

FURNITURE - CUSTOM 416-266-4674

GARDENING Davenport Garden Centre

Raymond Helkio Advertising /Design

raymondhelkio.com 416-850-3795 647-291-0420

ALTERNATIVE HEALTH My CannaMeds

HAIR REMOVAL

HAIR STYLISTS & BARBERS Ragga Hair and Beauty Salon 416-368-8113

HEALTH & PERSONAL CARE Front Door Organics

647-348-0104

HEALTH FOODS & NUTRITION

Wise Daughters Craft Market 416-761-1555

Front Door Organics The Big Carrot

AUTOMOTIVE SALES & LEASING

HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING

Akasha Art Projects

ARTS & CRAFTS

BMW Autohaus

905-886-3380 xt 17309

BARS & CLUBS (TORONTO) Fly Nightclub Woody’s / Sailor

416-410-5426 416-972-0887

BUTCHERS St Jamestown Steaks & Chops 416-925-7665 416-266-4674

gesund

416-494-9371

CLEANING & MAID SERVICES CondoFresh

647-448-5213

COMMUNITY GROUPS & SERVICES Canadian Lesbian & Gay Archives (CLGA) Enterprise Toronto

416-777-2755 416-392-6646

COMPUTER SALES & SERVICE Around The Clock I.T. Solutions 416-657-4395 Contemporary Computers 1-877-724-9000

CONCRETE - CONTRACTORS G J MacRae Foundation Repair Service

905-824-2557

CONSTRUCTION G J MacRae Foundation Repair Service Newbright Construction

905-824-2557 416-985-8639

CONTRACTING & RENOVATIONS G J MacRae Foundation Repair Service

905-824-2557

COSMETIC SERVICES Dr David W Grossman

416-968-6437

COUNSELLING Becky Liddle Change4U2 David W Routledge Phillip Coupal Counselling

647-989-1555 416-827-7578 416-944-1291 416-557-7312

DENTAL SERVICES Adelaide Dental Dr Kevin Russelo & Associates Galleria Dental Yonge & Bloor Dental

416-429-0150 416-966-0117 416-534-9991 647-350-3501 416-920-7387

DRAG Take a Walk on the Wildside

416-921-6112

ENTERTAINMENT Village Vapor Lounge

Bryant Renovations G J MacRae Foundation Repair Service Newbright Construction

416-260-0818 905-824-2557 416-985-8639

Meticulous Inspections, Inc

647-287-1962

Kenton Waterman, Investors Group Financial Services 416-860-1668

Crewman & Co

Juice Box

416-924-4671

Tailspin Dog Spa

Clearview Institute

416-445-8439

LAWYERS Abrams & Krochak 416-482-3387 xt 22 Adam Weisberg 416-603-3344 Cynthia Borovoy Warren 416-964-0900 David M. Cohn 416-777-1100 Harvey L Hamburg 416-968-9054 Janice P Warren 416-323-7767 Kirk J. Cooper 416-923-4277 Law Office of El-Farouk Khaki 416-925-7227 Michael Battista 416-203-2899 Morzaria Law 647-259-1990 Paul T. Willis 416-926-9806 Robert G Coates 416-925-6490 Zubas + Associates Employment Law 416-593-5844

LEATHER LIFE Doc’s Leathers & Motorcycle Gear

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LEGAL SERVICES Craig Penney

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Pets At Peace Helmutt’s Pet Supply

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PHARMACIES The Village Pharmacy

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PHOTOGRAPHERS Michael Mooney Photography

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Dr David W Grossman

416-968-6437

PSYCHOLOGISTS 647-989-1555

PSYCHOTHERAPY Becky Liddle Bruce M. Small Jude Johnston

647-989-1555 416-598-4888 416-921-8629

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REAL ESTATE Lee Caswell Leon Belov Louis Amaral Gaelen Patrick Joe Sipione, Bryant Renovations

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MORTGAGES Ontario-Wide Financial Corp 416-925-3974

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416-922-5511

PROUD LIVES Commemorate those who have recently passed away.

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TANNING SALONS Afterglo Tan Bar

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MARRIED? DIVORCED? GAY? BI? HAVE CHILDREN? Gay Fathers meets at 8 PM the second and fourth Thursday of each month: The 519 Church Street Community Centre Room 304

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EMPLOYMENT ›

TRAVEL › PEI Beach Farmhouse 19TH CENTURY FARMHOUSE (4 bedroom). Mention this ad and get $200 off per week! Visit us at: www.northumberlandhouse.info

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Missing Dog PLEASE HELP FIND Gertie, beloved female Welsh terrier, last seen at Gerrard Square Mall entrance afternoon of Saturday June 16.

Call Anna @ 416-461-3688

Notices

Accommodations

LJ’s Laser Hair Removal Clinic 647-971-9855 Hamilton location 289-237-7089

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PUERTO VALLARTA MEXICO BOANA-TORRE MALIBU Condo Hotel. Largest pool in gay Vallarta. Located by gay beach. boana@pvnet.com.mx Call 011-52-(322)222-099-9 Direct line Montreal: 514-800-7690 BOANA.NET

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THEATRE Buddies in Bad Times Theatre 416-975-8555

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UPHOLSTERY Re-Wrap Custom Upholstery 416-214-6400

VETERINARIANS 416-469-1121

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416-201-3000

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Blue Cross Animal Hospital 416-654-5029 416-239-9565 416-259-2181

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C’est What? Brew/ Vin Pub Restaurant 416-867-9499 Cora Breakfast & Lunch Carlton St 416-340-1350 Wellington St 416-598-2672 Fire on the East Side 416-960-3473 Hair of the Dog 416-964-2708 The Blake House 416-975-1867 The Churchmouse & Firkin 416-927-1735

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PET STORES & SUPPLIES

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FIREPLACES 360 Living Inc

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416-406-6228

647-588-1774 416-985-8639 416-449-6204

Becky Liddle

Kenton Waterman, Investors Group Financial Services 416-860-1668

CHURCHES Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto

416-201-3000 416-466-2129

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PHYSICIANS

INSURANCE

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LJ’s Laser Hair Removal Clinic 647-971-9855 Hamilton location 289-237-7089

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ILLNANA

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URING THE SUMMER OF 2011, banished to my sofa with a carton of orange juice and a summer cold, a friend suggested I watch a little show called My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. I was vaguely aware of the show at the time, as it had been slowly popping up all over the internet, but it was only after blazing through the ďŹ rst season that I understood the appeal.

It was well written and beautifully animated, yes. But more than that, the entire thing was just so unabashedly cheerful, good-natured and unrelentingly positive it was impossible not to like it.

I bring this up because, to the best of my knowledge, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the best way I can describe what Anteros Media is.

The site had been gaining followers slowly on Twitter for a few months before releasing its beta version, but by the time it was out, I was curious enough to grab a membership and see exactly what was going on here.

Named after Anteros, the Greek god of requited love, Anteros Mediaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main goal is to feature men who connect on a sexual and spiritual level. Yes, these guys are hot, and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re watching them make hot, sweet, man-love on one another, but

Anteros Media features pornstar Conner Habib. JEREMY FEIST

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the people theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re working with. I know, how weird is that?

Despite being a new site, still in its beta stage, I found that it is easy to navigate and operates well. The video streaming is smooth, and despite its age, the site has an impressive selection. It also features a library of essays and literature on porn and sex, which I thought was a nice testament to its brand of intelligent porn.

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If I had to summarize my experience with Anteros in one word, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d say the whole thing is pleasant. Like My Little Pony, it balances strong artistic merit with such an earnest embracing of optimism that it becomes almost infectious. Yes, friendship and happiness and love and respect might not be the coolest things ever, but ultimately, there are worse things to believe in.

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