Daily Xtra

Transcription

Daily Xtra

Inside
OUt
2013
preview
More at
dailyxtra.com
facebook.com/dailyxtra
@dailyxtra
#260 OCT 10–NOV 6, 2013
OTTAWA’S GAY & LESBIAN NEWS
GAY ZONE
MILESTONE
E 11
QUEER &
DISABLED
Bath time
Toronto filmmaker Malcolm Ingram
looks back at New York’s iconic bathhouse
E32
E 18
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2 OCT 10–NOV 6, 2013 XTRA!
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Published by Pink Triangle Press
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• Medicine and Surgery
• Dentistry and X-ray
• Vaccination
• Cat Boarding
Greece: Protest
against Russia’s
anti-gay laws
as Olympic
flame begins
trip to Sochi
Zara Ansar, Adrienne Ascah, Natasha Barsotti,
Nick Bostick, Richard Burnett, Layla Cameron,
Julie Cruikshank, Chris Dupuis, Will Eagle,
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4 OCT 10–NOV 6, 2013 XTRA!
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#260 OCT 10–NOV 6, 2013
Roundup
OTTAWA’S
GAY & LESBIAN
NEWS
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Baker Josephine Masterson at
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Editorial
A new generation
of hockey players
By Robin Perelle E6
Feedback E6
Xcetera E9
Upfront
Gay Zone celebrates
five years of supporting
gay men’s health Steering
committee co-chair wants
clinic open two nights per
week E11
Local news Harm-reduction
advocates lobby for safe
injection site in Ottawa E12
Bruce House elects three new
board members at AGM E13
National news Protest
as premier receives Egale
Leadership Award E14
International news
Kuwait to consider screening
tests to block gays from
entering country E16
Queer, disabled and
desirable A handful of
activists are exploring new
ways to look at sex and
disability E18
COVER PHOTO
BY DRASKO BOGDANOVIC
The revolution will be
streamed What is it about
the web that is so attractive
for queer Canadian
filmmakers? E22
Along the road to freedom
(The first) 25 years of lesbian
and gay activism in Ottawa
E24
Out in the city
Indigo Girls E31
Inside OUt
film festival
Small-town gay boy
Canadian filmmaker Malcolm
Ingram lights a new flame E32
Tubs of fun Malcolm Ingram
looks back at a legendary
bathhouse in Continental E33
The fantastic four Inside
Out’s director says the
condensed Ottawa film festival
offers some of the best queer
cinema available E35
Prom queens The director
of Jawbreaker returns with
GBF E36
The curious case of Alice
Walker Beauty in Truth
explores the resilience and
richness of the celebrated
author and activist E36
Farewell to film Project
documents the demise of the
old-fashioned camera E38
Xposed By Zara Ansar E39
Mustache ride Mansfield
Brothers bring vaudeville,
slapstick and facial hair to
Ottawa’s burlesque scene E40
What’s On E41
Daily Xtra Travel
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11:00 am - 10:30 pm
275 Bank St. (@ Somerset St. W)
For delivery please call (613) 233-8717
10 great destinations for
women “Gay-friendly” usually
means there’s a good men’s
scene, but what about the
sisters? E42
Stepping back in time
in New Hope Charming
Pennsylvania town is filled
with historical gems E44
Xtra Living E46
online
Edailyxtra.com
E Celebrities who have
officiated gay weddings
E Video highlights
from San Francisco’s
Folsom Fair
E 10 great wine
destinations in
North America
We’re with the Band
XTRA! OCT 10–NOV 6, 2013 5
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C L I N I C S
A new generation of hockey players
EDITORIAL
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What may have started
as a marketing ploy
seems to be an accurate reflection
of a remarkably welcoming team, if
the three young hockey players I met
Sept 12 are any indication.
Josh McKissock, Jono Ceci and
Tyler Mah range in age from 21 to 23
years old, play for the Simon Fraser
University (SFU) men’s hockey team,
and are nothing like the teenagers
I expected to meet.
I expected discomfort, maybe resistance, to their team’s decision to partner with the You Can Play campaign
to challenge homophobia in sports.
At the very least, I expected a
lack of awareness, maybe a dawning
understanding that the casual and
not-so-casual homophobia typical of
hockey locker rooms may be hurtful
to closeted teammates.
Instead, I met three articulate,
thoughtful and kind young men
open to welcoming gay teammates
to their ranks. They shattered my
stereotypes.
Granted, I don’t know too many
straight young men, but the few I’ve
met didn’t seem nearly as comfortable discussing potentially gay teammates as these three guys proved to
be. If they truly are a reflection of
their team’s character, then You Can
Play has found itself a more than
suitable counterpart for its first Ca-
nadian college-level partnership.
The SFU hockey team’s interim
sales and marketing coordinator says
he suggested the partnership to reflect the team’s spirit. “It’s a very different team than what you’ll find at
other universities. It’s very unique,”
Réal Maurice Joynt says.
It’s in his interest to say that. As a
non-varsity team only independently
affiliated with the university’s athletics department, the men’s hockey
team largely has to support itself.
Still, the differentiating factor that
Joynt decided to promote is certainly
well represented among the players I
met, only one of whom was prepped
by staff prior to our interview. And
isn’t it interesting that in Joynt’s
world, boasting about a team’s gayfriendliness is expected to garner the
right kind of attention.
“Our guys are definitely of the age
and of the era where it wouldn’t matter
to them. A teammate’s a teammate,
and we advocate for that,” says head
coach Mark Coletta, striking a deliberately optimistic note. “It doesn’t
matter: an openly gay guy or not. If
they can play and make the team, then
they’re going to be on the team."
I think campaigns like You Can
Play are working to turn the page to
the future, but we’re hardly there yet.
“Nothing changes overnight,” says
You Can Play co-founder Brian Kitts,
“but you can start a conversation.”
Yet, the players I met seem to have
already had the conversation and are
now simply ready to move forward.
To Mah, it’s a question of maturity.
“For high school students and athletes,
I think it’s important for them to know,
while they’re maturing and learning
about discrimination, that it’s very important to just be open to everything,”
he says.
Ceci agrees. By the time he was 17,
he was playing with an openly gay
teammate. He learned early on to
treat everyone with respect. McKissock sums it up simply as playing
with a team. “You’re all wearing the
same jersey — that’s who you’re playing for. You play for each other.”
Has a new generation of straight
allies emerged without my realizing?
Three young hockey players can’t
unravel decades of sports-culture
machismo, but they can certainly
help lead a fresh start, even as their
well-meaning coaches and marketers
scramble to cash in and keep up.
Robin Perelle is the managing editor of
Xtra Vancouver. Go to dailyxtra.com for
our interview with members of the SFU
men’s hockey team.
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.
FEEDBACK
Protest at Egale gala
Before we stab our LGBT leaders in
the back for not, as Harvey Milk used
to say, “turning the pages of history
a little faster,” perhaps we need to
ask ourselves: what have you done
besides hit “like” on Facebook about
things that impact us all [“Protest
Planned for Toronto Egale Fundraising Gala, dailyxtra.com, Sept 26]?
Too many hope someone else will do
something. Wynne’s staff should be
sending out messages, but let’s not be
naive that Hudak and those against
Wynne would like nothing more than
to see the LGBT in-fight. There won’t
be one open LGBT member of the
Hudak thugs in the next election, you
can count on that. I’d love for Wynne
to be more vocal, but we know she has
our back, while others don’t!
Vancouver’s genderneutral washrooms
Wynne has done not one thing to earn
any sort of recognition. Wow, you’re a
lesbian in a power suit. Congrats.
This is a growing trend in Canada
[“Vancouver Passes Gender-Neutral
Washrooms in Public Buildings,”
dailyxtra.com, Sept 25]. I’m happy
to see a municipality vote on this issue and help address the needs of the
LGBT community.
Universities have been making
gender-neutral washrooms across
Canada for a while, including just
recently at Grenfell Campus in Newfoundland, so it’s good to see municipalities catching up. Well done,
Vancouver!
MEG FENWAY (FACEBOOK)
LONDON, ON
CHARLIE
TORONTO, ON
IAN MACDONALD (FACEBOOK)
TORONTO, ON
I’m angry too. I was angry right away
when Wynne said she wasn’t an activist during her speech after winning
the leadership vote. This is kind of a
“have your cake and eat it too”–type
moment, isn’t it?
JACQIE LUCAS (FACEBOOK)
TORONTO, ON
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XCETERA
‘I never hated
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Cher on Madonna.
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Number of
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has released.
Closer to the Truth
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Sydney’s annual gay
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at which Shears did a
DJ set in 2013.
PUCKER-UP PROTEST
‘Some ppl are gay.
Get over it.
Love, God.’
Message on the sign
outside All Saints
Anglican Church in
Chermside, Australia.
Kiss-in, Italian style
Members of the Five Star Movement swapped same-sex
smooches in Italy’s lower house of parliament, interrupting
a debate over adding crimes motivated by homophobia and
transphobia to an anti-discrimination law. The measure passed
354 to 79 but faces strong opposition, with
Silvio Berlusconi’s party saying it will
fail in the Senate. MP Federica Daga
tweeted, “Equal rights and dignity
without gender. Because a kiss and
a hug are not scary.”
Gonzalo Orquin
Name of the Spanish
artist whose exhibit
at a Rome art gallery,
which included a
photo of a gay couple
kissing at a church
altar, was shut down
by the Vatican.
CHER SAYS NYET
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Number of followers
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CHER.COM
My friend called
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over there, and asked
me if I’d like to be an
ambassador for the
Olympics and open the
show. I immediately
said no.
Spanish dick pic
Actor Paco León
promised to post a
nude photo of himself
if he received a
million new
Twitter followers.
Justin Bieber
Holds the top
spot for the most
Twitter followers,
at 45,560,219.
www.andrex.ca
19
Bieber’s age.
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Upfront
They look at me and question me. ‘Do you have HIV?’ No. I explain to them I enjoy volunteering
and this is what I love to do. ‘Are you straight?’ I’m as straight as a stick. Yvonne Gil E13
Gay Zone celebrates five years
of supporting gay men’s health
Steering
committee
co-chair wants
clinic open two
nights per week
COMMUNITY NEWS
BRADLEY TURCOTTE
Supporters, founders and staff of the gay
men’s health clinic Gay Zone gathered
Sept 25 at Ottawa City Hall to celebrate
five years of providing sexual health
services and social groups to the city’s
gay community.
Steering committee co-chair Barry
Deeprose says he wasn’t sure how many
gay men would access its services when
Gay Zone first opened its doors on Sept
25, 2008.
The clinic, run out of Centretown
Community Health Centre (CCHC),
served about five men in its first few
weeks of operation, Deeprose recalls.
Soon the numbers doubled, and the
clinic now claims to have seen more
than 5,000 men in its first five years,
something Ottawa’s medical officer of
health, Isra Levy, tells Xtra “far exceeds
expectations in terms of numbers of
visits,” since Gay Zone is open only
three hours per week.
“We knew so much that this was
needed. We had convinced others to
go along with us, but we didn’t know
if the community would come along,”
says Deeprose, who is also the co-chair
of the Ottawa Gay Men’s Wellness Initiative (GMWI), the organization that
founded Gay Zone. “I am so proud of
the men’s community for responding.
Clearly, they were waiting, and clearly,
we got it right.”
In 2008, members of the GMWI saw a
OPH’s Andrew Hendrix, Ottawa board
of health member Timothy Hutchinson,
OPH’s Christiane Bouchard, Diane
Holmes, Barry Deeprose, Jeff Morrison
and Dr Isra Levy, Sept 25. BRADLEY TURCOTTE
need for a sexual health clinic exclusively for Ottawa’s population of men
who have sex with men (MSM), Deeprose says. Rates of HIV and syphilis
within the MSM community continued
to rise, but many gay men didn’t feel
comfortable getting tested at the Clarence Street clinic.
Coincidentally, CCHC expressed
interest in developing a joint initiative to address the specific needs of
gay men. “CCHC said, ‘We will open
the clinic another night,’” Deeprose
recalls. “‘We will pick up the cost for
security and what have you. Not only
do we have all the clinical facilities, we
have all the meeting rooms.’ This was a
new experience to me. It was goodwill,
good faith all around.”
Along with main partners CCHC,
GMWI and Ottawa Public Health
(OPH), additional organizations that
helped found the clinic by providing
programming and outreach include
the AIDS Committee of Ottawa, PTS
and the Youth Services Bureau (YSB).
Somerset West Community Health
Centre also continues to play a central
role by providing staff for HIV testing.
In 2012, they tested 153 people.
Somerset Ward Councillor Diane
Holmes presented Deeprose and OPH’s
Christiane Bouchard with a commemorative plaque signed by Mayor Jim
Watson, who could not attend the reception due to illness. “The Gay Zone
health clinic is a true example of how a
community came together with leadership, commitment and compassion to
respond to and resolve a need in our
community,” Holmes said.
Robert Alexander, of the AIDS Com-
mittee of Ottawa, highlights Gay Zone’s times more prevalent in gay men than in
book club, narcotics anonymous group straight men, Deeprose points out, and
and cooking group as important social HPV is a leading cause of the disease.
outlets and adds that, beginning in Men can get an anal pap smear to check
November, Gay Zone will offer a space for anal cancer, something Deeprose says
dedicated to young men. “We did a most gay men aren’t aware of.
needs assessment last year, and one of
Deeprose says the clinic is also seekthe things we uncovered was that the ing funding for HIV/AIDS prevention
younger gay men didn’t always feel and support programs through the
comfortable interacting with the older GMWI, which recently filed to become
gay men,” Alexander says.
a not-for-profit charitable
The AIDS Committee
organization.
GAY ZONE
of Ottawa, with YSB and
But Deeprose’s highThursday evenings
PTS, will co-facilitate the
est priority is to open Gay
5–8pm
space, separate from the
Zone two nights a week, a
Centretown Community
Health Centre
main waiting room.
prospect he sees as attain420 Cooper St
Deeprose envisions Gay
able in the near future.
Zone moving “beyond the
“I see us getting larger and
penis” in the future. The clinic will soon more diversified. Maybe one day we will
have access to an anoscopy clinic, led by have a full-service healthcare centre for
Dr Paul MacPherson. Anal cancer is 10 gay men.”
XTRA! OCT 10–NOV 6, 2013 11
LOCAL NEWS
Harm-reduction advocates lobby
for safe injection site in Ottawa
Status quo or vague statements about
improving access to drug treatment
isn’t an option for the head of infectious diseases at The Ottawa Hospital.
Mark Tyndall is working with Sandy
Hill Community Health Centre, the
Drug Users Advocacy League and other
community partners to apply to Health
Canada so Ottawa can open the country’s second supervised injection site.
“I believe that Health Canada will
eventually be forced to allow this to
open,” Tyndall says. “My hope is in
five years there’ll be a bunch of these
in Canada because it’s just so obvious
that it’s such a pragmatic approach to
a problem that we don’t know how to
deal with very well.”
While Tyndall and other harmreduction advocates say supervised
injection sites are a sensible and compassionate way to reduce overdoses
and the spread of HIV and hepatitis
C while connecting marginalized intravenous drug users to community
resources, Mayor Jim Watson and
Ottawa Police Chief Charles Bordeleau have consistently said they don’t
support a supervised site coming to
Ottawa.
“The police would be the first to
admit drug use is a problem in Ottawa,
that they feel that they’re spending a
lot of time on mental illness and lowlevel drug use that takes a lot of their
time and resources,” Tyndall says.
“It’s frustrating that we’re trying for
the same goal, but somehow they have
in their minds that a supervised site
would not be a reasonable intervention to try.”
In a Sept 25 editorial published in
the Ottawa Sun, Matt Skof, president
of the Ottawa Police Association, reiterated the common belief that a supervised injection site would increase
crime, which Tyndall says isn’t true,
adding there are approximately 90
supervised injection sites worldwide,
and crime hasn’t increased as a result.
On Sept 30, marking the second anniversary of the Supreme Court decision
supporting Insite, community partners
held a mock supervised-injection site
at 216 Murray St to demystify what one
would look like in Ottawa. —Adrienne
Ascah
12 OCT 10–NOV 6, 2013 XTRA!
Harm-reduction advocates say supervised
injection sites are a sensible and
compassionate way to reduce overdoses and
the spread of HIV and hepatitis C. THINKSTOCK
Pink Triangle Services
AGM reaches quorum
If you came for fireworks, you would
have left disappointed.
When Pink Triangle Services failed
to make quorum at its annual general
meeting on Sept 17, some community
members questioned if it was a sign the
organization is having internal problems.
But PTS’s AGM on Oct 1 was smooth
sailing. After a false start at 6:34pm,
when acting president Doug SaundersRiggins and executive director Claudia
Van den Heuvel realized they’d miscounted and didn’t have 25 members
present for quorum, the meeting restarted only four minutes later, once a
couple more members arrived.
Item five on the agenda was a review
of proposed bylaw amendments. That
issue, along with repeated failed at-
tempts to make quorum at last year’s
AGM, had previously ignited controversy. Several board members, including
Gary Leger and former board president
Denis Schryburt, left the organization.
But this time around, the AGM went
by like any routine meeting — papers
shuffling, motions passing, questions
asked and answered. Saunders-Riggins
gave people time to read through the
proposed changes, some asked questions, and then the bylaw amendments
were passed.
“Anticlimactic maybe, but welcome,”
Van den Heuvel said in an interview
with Xtra after the meeting. “One of the
legislations that we use to make sure
we’re on track is the Not-for-Profits
Act. In 2011, there were changes to the
Not-for-Profit Corporations Act . . .
With those changes all organizations
really have to review their bylaws and
make some quite serious amendments
to be in line with legislation.”
The charge that the bylaw amendments were actually a veiled attempt for
Van den Heuvel to grab power — with
T Eileen Murphy, grand marshal of
Capital Pride 2012, even referring to the
executive director as running a “dictatorship” — was hurtful and untrue, Van
den Heuvel says.
“It was upsetting,” she says. “It’s not
accurate. I still respond to a board. I get
my directions from my board and the
strategic plan, and we do performance
reviews. There’s a whole bunch of tools
to make sure that I don’t have unilateral
control of the organization.”
During the meeting, Jodie McNamara,
Capital Pride’s vice-chair of operations,
asked why PTS’s membership had gone
from 108 registered members in 2012 to
a current membership of 69 members.
Van den Heuvel says membership had
increased during last year’s controversy.
Aryn Ziebarth, the board secretary,
says this year’s membership drive was
also shorter.
One of the bylaw amendments changes the requirement for quorum. Previously, it was 25 members; now it’s 25
percent of the current membership.
The new board was acclaimed, since
only 11 people ran for 12 positions on
the board. Six board members attended,
four sent regrets, and one was going
to come but didn’t, Van den Heuvel
says. Returning members include Ziebarth, as board secretary; Robert Crevier, as the new president; Mike Jan, as
vice-president; Donald McGibbon, as
treasurer; Jennifer Mackin; and Kris
Bitterman. PTS also has new board
members, including Juan Diego Sarmales, Hannah Watt, Deborah Nurse,
Julien Geremie and Morgen Veres.
— Adrienne Ascah
For more on these stories,
go to dailyxtra.com.
Past board chair Mark Giberson, volunteer Yvonne Gil and executive director
Jay Koornstra, Sept 30. BRADLEY TURCOTTE
Bruce House elects three
new board members at AGM
Bruce House elected three new board
members and executive director Jay
Koornstra outlined progress made
within the organization at its annual
general meeting Sept 30.
Marc Brabant, Stephen Knight and
Jim Young join the board of directors,
while Greg Beck takes over as chair.
Mark Giberson will remain on the
board as past chair after serving last
year as chair.
In his six years on the board, Giberson says, he has seen an increase in
engagement, with the turning point
the development of the five-year strategic plan, which culminates in 2014.
In keeping with the objectives outlined in the plan, Bruce House increased its number of housing units by
12 percent, something Koornstra says
signals “continued growth.”
This past year, the organization
also conceived additional programming, including a buddy program for
clients who feel particularly isolated
and classes to educate service users
on budgeting and nutrition, which
further realize goals of the five-year
plan, Koornstra points out.
On the fiscal side of the organization, Bruce House saw revenue fall
approximately $20,000 from 2012.
Its total revenue in 2013 is $1,134,694,
while its expenditures for the year
total $1,156,643.
Koornstra says the organization
was financially “caught unaware” a
few times this year.
The organization is now more mindful of unexpected expenses, he says,
though he points out that donations
and grants to charitable organizations
have fallen 20 percent nationally. But
Bruce House is “doing better than the
national average,” he says.
Still, planned roof repairs will likely
cost $8,500, and several key pieces of
machinery need replacing, Koornstra
notes. On the plus side, the number of
volunteer hours dedicated to Bruce
House rose from 4,389 in 2011/2012
to 6,021 in the last year.
Former Capital Pride grand marshal T Eileen Murphy continues to
volunteer after 13 years and says the
experience remains “fantastic.”
“If they thank you once, they’ll
thank you 100 times, and it just makes
you want to do more for them,” Murphy says.
Bruce House honoured several
steadfast volunteers at the AGM, including Yvonne Gil, who has been
there for 20 years. Gil describes Bruce
House as a “home away from home”
and says she often has to deflect uncomfortable questions while fundraising for the organization. Her HIV
status and sexuality are frequent fodder for nosy contacts.
“They look at me and question me.
‘Do you have HIV?’ No. I explain to
them I enjoy volunteering and this is
what I love to do. ‘Are you straight?’
I’m as straight as a stick,” Gil says
with a laugh.
Bruce House’s membership also
reflects phenomenal dedication, Giberson says, as there was never a board
meeting during his tenure as chair
where they didn’t achieve quorum.
The organization celebrates its 25th
anniversary in November, and Koornstra envisions a healthier community
for the next quarter century. “As we
look back at our 25 years of service to
people living with and affected by HIV
and our contributions to a healthier
Ottawa, a healthier community to a
healthier nation, we don’t just believe
in what is right; we also believe in
learning and growing and doing things
better and more effectively,” he says.
Founded in 1988, Bruce House is a
community-based organization that
provides housing, compassionate care
and support to Ottawa’s HIV-positive
population. —Bradley Turcotte
XTRA! OCT 10–NOV 6, 2013 13
NATIONAL NEWS
Protest as premier receives
Egale Leadership Award
A small group of protesters gathered
outside Toronto’s Ritz-Carlton Sept 27
as Premier Kathleen Wynne accepted
the LGBT Leadership Award at Egale’s
annual gala.
Egale’s executive director, Helen Kennedy, who has recently been criticized for
announcing publicly that she’d joined the
Liberal Party, said Wynne was chosen for
her courage in being an out politician.
“I think that’s a demonstration to
other people, especially younger people,
who may want a career in politics or who
may be afraid to be out in the corporate
world, that you can take that chance
and stand by your principles,” she said.
But some activists have argued that
Wynne’s record on LGBT rights does
not warrant an award. “What action
NDP calls for visa
ban on anti-gay
Russian legislators
The federal New Democratic Party is
calling on the government to take action
on LGBT rights in Russia and is taking
to the streets to build support for a visa
ban on Russian legislators responsible
for the recent homophobic laws passed
in the Russian Duma.
The NDP launched its campaign with
a petition-signing event at the Alexander
Wood statue on the corner of Church and
Alexander streets in Toronto on Sept 21.
The NDP’s foreign affairs critic, Paul
Dewar, Toronto Centre candidate Linda
McQuaig, Toronto-Danforth MPP Peter
Tabuns, and defeated Toronto Centre
14 OCT 10–NOV 6, 2013 XTRA!
has Wynne taken on Russia? What has
she done on harm reduction? And what
about the fact that LGBT people are
homeless and that in the regular shelter
system they are discriminated against?”
asked organizer Zach NoCameco Ruiter.
The protesters, a group that included
Idle No More supporters, also condemned Wynne’s record on poverty
and social assistance and held signs
demanding that welfare and disability
rates be raised.
“It’s completely disingenuous for
Egale to give Wynne an award at the
Ritz-Carlton for $300 a plate when
Wynne won’t even raise the minimum
wage,” Ruiter said.
But Kennedy defended the gala as an
essential fundraiser for Egale.
“We can’t keep operating without
people who can afford to pay for these
tickets and who do so, but I want to
acknowledge those people who aren’t
in the room,” she said.
Protesters condemned Kathleen
Wynne’s record on poverty and social
assistance in the province. ELAH FEDER
nominee Jennifer Hollett all braved
the rain to tell people about Russia’s
recently passed laws banning “gay propaganda” and newly proposed laws
threatening to take children away from
LGBT parents.
While much of the attention on LGBT
rights in Russia stems from the country’s upcoming hosting of the Winter
Olympics in Sochi next year, Dewar says
that the NDP is opposed to a boycott of
the Games. “The grassroots activists on
the ground in Russia have been saying
please don’t call for a boycott because
we want this to be about LGBT rights,
not about the Olympics,” he says. “We
need to see people speaking out, not
just when there’s a flashpoint as in
the case of Russia/Sochi; it has to be
ongoing. This should be something we
remember for every Olympics. This is an
opportunity for the world to celebrate
excellence but also excellence in human rights.”
The NDP says it collected about 200
signatures at the event. — Rob Salerno
Vancouver to get
gender-neutral
washrooms in
public buildings
City council passed a motion to amend
Vancouver’s building codes Sept 25,
making it the first municipality in
Canada to include clear provisions for
gender-neutral washrooms in public
buildings, according to city staff.
“It’s fantastic news, I think for everybody in Vancouver, for city council
to take this leadership step toward
building broader inclusion within building-code bylaw,” says Drew Dennis,
co-chair of the city’s LGBTQ advisory
committee.
Trans and gender-variant people
whose gender expression may not align
with their biological sex are often harassed or accused of being in the wrong
washroom, Dennis explains.
The amendment will give people more
flexibility in “single-stalled washrooms
that don’t have to be specified by gender,” says Dennis, who identifies as trans.
“It recognizes that there is a broad
range of users that might benefit from
this flexibility — of course trans and
gender-variant folks, but as well, parents of children of the opposite sex,
caregivers who have clients that are the
opposite sex and so on,” Dennis says.
“There’s myself and many others — a
Wynne acknowledged that the event
was taking place on traditional territory
of the Mississaugas of the New Credit
First Nation. Later, she responded briefly to the protest. “There are protesters
out there tonight because there is more
to be done... When people bring a point
of view and they’re saying that there’s
something else that needs to be done,
I get that,” she said.
Federal NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair,
who was among the evening’s guests,
met briefly with the demonstrators,
saying he’d pass along their concerns
to fellow NDP members in attendance.
Earlier on Sept 27, Egale launched
20 recommendations for the prevention of suicide by LGBT youth, the
culmination of a summit co-hosted by
Egale last year. Its recommendations
include appointing provincial and territorial suicide-prevention officers;
creating supports for trans youth who
are transitioning in schools, including
access to gender-neutral washrooms;
and providing increased training on
sexual orientation and gender identity
for medical professionals. — Elah Feder
whole spectrum of people — who are
harassed based on the choice of the
washroom that they choose to use. Allowing more flexibility, and allowing
for different types of washrooms and
different destinations, is a great step
forward in eliminating some of that,”
Dennis says.
Vancouver’s chief building official,
Will Johnson, worked with both the
LGBTQ and women’s advisory committees to draft the amendment.
Along with the provision for genderneutral washrooms in city facilities,
other approved amendments to the
building codes addressed accessibility
and adaptability for people with disabilities. —Shauna Lewis
For more on these stories,
go to dailyxtra.com.
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XTRA! OCT 10–NOV 6, 2013 15
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Johannesburg Pride postponed
following threats to organizer
Following news that its lead organizer has been subject to a
number of threats and attacks, Johannesburg Pride has been
postponed and relocated.
The Rosebank Killarney Gazette reports that the event’s
24th installment, originally scheduled to take place Sept
28 at Mary Fitzgerald Square, will now be held in Sandton
on Oct 26.
A press release published on Mamba Online says that the
decision to change the event date and venue was motivated
by concern for the queer community’s safety.
Chief organizer Kaye Ally, who has reported that she has
been held at knife- and gunpoint and told to cancel Pride,
says the coordinating committee held a crisis meeting
and concluded that Mary Fitzgerald Square is a “high risk
highly exposed” venue and thus unsuitable to host this year’s
celebrations.
Ally has also speculated that the attacks against her could
be originating from within the community because of reported scheduling conflicts with other Pride celebrations,
Mamba Online says.
Soweto Pride is also scheduled for Sept 28.
“We will attend all the other Prides leading up to Johannesburg Pride and extend an invitation that they attend our
event in solidarity,” Ally said in the report. —Natasha Barsotti
Johannesburg Pride organizer Kaye Ally says the event has
been postponed because of safety concerns.
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16 OCT 10–NOV 6, 2013 XTRA!
India’s Gujarat
state celebrates
first Pride parade
Kuwait to consider
screening tests
to block gays
More than 100 LGBT people and their
allies danced and walked through the
streets of Surat in the state of Gujarat,
India, in celebration of its first Pride
parade, The Daily Telegraph reports.
Parade organizers say it took a long time
to obtain permission to stage the event.
In a video report, BBC reporter Neha
Bhatnagar says the participants, including employees of multinational corporations, graduate students and TV actors,
walked under police protection, covering
a two-kilometre route. Just last month,
India saw the launch of what is being
hailed as the country’s first LGBT radio
station, aimed at creating “awareness
and acceptance of alternate sexualities.”
The programming and operations
manager of Qradio, an online station
meant to bring the LGBT community
and its issues into the mainstream, has
said the focus of the content will be on
documentaries, Pink News reports.
Programming is now in English and
Hindi, with plans to introduce other
regional languages, the report says.
—Natasha Barsotti
A Gulf News report says Kuwait will
look into a proposal to use tests, already
employed to screen expatriates entering
the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)
countries, to identify gay people in a
bid to bar them from entry.
According to a health ministry official, a committee will meet in November
to discuss the proposal, aimed at adopting more stringent protocols to help
“detect gays” trying to enter Kuwait
and other GCC countries (Saudi Arabia,
United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain
and Oman).
The report notes that Kuwait’s censors blocked the screening of an Egyptian film in 2010 because it featured a
lesbian storyline, among other taboo
themes.
Gulf News also notes that in 2011,
Bahraini authorities arrested more
than 100 people from other Gulf states,
the majority of whom were reportedly gay, for holding a party that was
described as “depraved and decadent."—Natasha Barsotti
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dailyxtra.com
XTRA! OCT 10–NOV 6, 2013 17
Queer, disabled &
SEX
ELAH FEDER
I
n the still we see Loree Erickson
in her wheelchair, her dress pulled
down to expose hard nipples and
her head thrown back as co-star
Sam slides a gloved hand between
her thighs.
The film, want, was Erickson and
Sam’s first time making porn. They
were nervous, they fumbled, but what
they’ve made is real and sexy, and it’s
getting us to rethink who’s desirable.
At the film’s premiere, one director
said it was so hot, Erickson’s wheelchair
just faded away. But the wheelchair is
the point.
“That’s not part of my vision,” Erickson says, “that you have to make any visible marker of my disability disappear
so that you can see me as sexy.”
Though she’s happy with the film
and the overall response it’s received,
Erickson is clear that want was born
of frustration. She’s daily made to feel
non-sexual. When she goes out, people
compliment her outfits, but she says no
one picks her up. In queer porn, bodies
like hers aren’t shown. “It’s still skinny,
white, hipster queers with tattoos.”
Despite some improvement in recent
years, with a wider range of bodies represented, Erickson finds casts are still
fairly homogeneous.
Andrew Morrison-Gurza, a master’s
student researching public perceptions of disability and the law, has felt
similarly excluded. “I don’t fit because
I’m not walking, I don’t have a six-pack,
I’m not six foot two, and I don’t have an
eight-inch dick,” he says, “so all of those
things together mean that I don’t fit this
very structured stereotype of what gay
men are apparently looking for.”
Though he’s remarkably free of cynicism, Morrison-Gurza describes the
gay men’s community, with its “body
beautiful” culture, as especially wary of
disability and says his sexuality often
makes people uncomfortable or perplexes them. Some assume he’s a virgin
or that he has no feeling in his legs. Others are thrown when he cracks dirty jokes
— something he particularly delights in.
Homophobia and transphobia can,
of course, further suppress sexuality.
In the context of healthcare and home
18 OCT 10–NOV 6, 2013 XTRA!
care, this is especially disastrous. In
Bent, a now-defunct online magazine by
and for queer disabled men, Randy Warren describes an unfortunate incident
with his caregiver, Todd. He’d been travelling for business, and one night after
going to sleep he woke up to a tongue
in his ear. He hadn’t told the caregiver
he was gay, and Todd, assuming he was
lonely, decided to surprise him with
a visit from a sex worker. It seriously
misfired. Not only had Todd failed to get
Warren’s consent, he’d hired a woman.
John Killacky, who had a spinal cord
tumour removed 17 years ago, remembers the clumsy handling of his sexuality
by hospital staff. Initially paralyzed from
the neck down, he’d asked his hospital
psychologist about sex. She told him
that since she wasn’t gay, she couldn’t
advise him. Other staff offered Killacky
and his boyfriend a video depicting sex
between an able-bodied woman and a
man with quadriplegia. Killacky and
his partner didn’t mind that there were
no gay materials but felt the video was
condescending and unrealistic.
“The woman... picks the guy up, puts
him in the bed like he’s a little baby doll,
gingerly gets in bed next to him, and
rolls him on top of her. And my heart
broke,” Killacky says. He points out
that the man would not have been able
to feel insertion, much less thrust, and
was stunned by the video’s insistence
on man-on-top sex.
Like Erickson, writer and performer
Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha
offers more appealing models of sex
and disability. Two years ago, she collaborated with Ellery Russian on Crip
Sex Moments, a suite of performances
drawing on their own experiences, like
the first time Piepzna-Samarasinha had a
lover with the same chronic illness as her
and the way this lover seduced her with
gluten-free brunches and cane foreplay.
Crip Sex Moments is just one of several pieces she’s created for Sins Invalid,
a project centring on performances by
trans and queer people of colour with
disabilities.
“It’s really common for me to get a
reaction from people who go, ‘Wow,
there’s enough material around that for
an entire show?’” But Sins Invalid isn’t
an arbitrary alliance of marginalized
identities — and Piepzna-Samarasinha
I don’t fit
because I’m not
walking, I don’t
have a six-pack,
I’m not six foot
two, and I don’t
have an eightinch dick.
Andrew Morrison-Gurza is researching
public perceptions of disability
and the law. N MAXWELL LANDER
explains that for her, the emphasis on
race is especially significant.
“It’s impossible for me to talk about
chronic illness without talking about
environmental racism” — what she
says is the disproportionate exposure
of people of colour and low-income
communities to polluted and otherwise
degraded environments. In her first
Sins Invalid performance, PiepznaSamarasinha describes growing up in a
rustbelt town in Massachusetts, what it
felt like being at school, overpowered by
the smell wafting down from the abrasives plant, and how each year another
teacher developed alopecia or cancer.
And yet, the mainstream disability
rights movement has been predominantly white.
“I came to disability studies with the
hope that I was coming home,” says Syrus
Marcus Ware, a local artist, researcher
and educator. As a queer, black, trans
man and identical twin with disabilities,
Ware had sought a place that embraced
all facets of his identity but found the presumption of whiteness to be pervasive.
In other spaces, he often feels he has to
check his disabilities at the door.
“When I go to a black queer meeting,
I’m only talking about that issue,” he
says, noting he feels he can’t question
why the meeting’s on the fourth floor
and there’s no elevator.
In his art he explores how his full
identity comes together, referencing
Audre Lorde, who wrote, “My fullest
concentration of energy is available to
me only when I integrate all the parts
of who I am.”
desirable
A handful of activists are
exploring new ways to look
at sex and disability
If we wait
until 2025 to
literally get in
the door to our
doctors or our
schools or our
apartments,
some of us
won’t be here.
Toronto activist Syrus Marcus Ware
says that when attending community
events, he often feels he has to check
his disabilities at the door. DANIELA COSTA
I
n 2005, Ontario enacted the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities
Act (AODA), intended to accomplish what preceding legislation
could not: a barrier-free Ontario.
New standards are rolling out in
stages, with an end date of Jan 1, 2025,
and in its annual reports, the province
describes progress on customer service, employment and transportation.
But it’s unclear when critical AODA
components, like accessible building
standards, will come into effect, and
on-the-ground change is slow.
“If we wait until 2025 to literally get
in the door to our doctors or our schools
or our apartments, some of us won’t be
here,” Ware says.
In his thesis proposal, MorrisonGurza argues that legislation can bring
true accessibility only if we shift cultural attitudes, particularly the idea that
disability is a deficiency existing within
an individual, something that a person
must overcome to navigate the world,
rather than a social problem.
In fact, disability affects a growing
number of us — currently one in seven
Canadians — and more as our population ages. Most of us need support of
some kind to live and fully participate
in society: glasses to see, inhalers to
breathe, painkillers for our backs and
so on. But we don’t necessarily identify
with the term “disability” or anticipate
future needs, making it easier to ignore
accessibility issues.
Being sexual and desired should never
be a prerequisite for access, but it can be.
Consider this: if your crush couldn’t get
past the stairs to your party, you’d choose
an accessible venue. If they got migraines
from perfumes, you’d ask invitees not
to wear them. Collectively, our crushes
could be a powerful force for change.
Conversely, when our bathhouses and
parties don’t have ramps or American
Sign Language (ASL) interpretation,
we’re not just failing to consider access,
we’re making implicit statements about
who’s sexy, Ware says. “What we’re saying is, we don’t anticipate or imagine
anyone from deaf communities and/or
people from disability communities...
to be a desirable person, because if we
did we would make sure that they could
come to the party.”
Queer feminist circles tend to be ahead
of the curve when it comes to these issues, but even within this community,
Erickson finds that theory often doesn’t
translate into practice. Party organizers
will post mission statements outlining
inclusive, anti-oppressive values and
then pick sex-positive venues, ignoring
the fact that some invitees can’t get past
the stairs.
And when events promise accessibility, they often neglect critical details.
A venue might have a ramp at the entrance, for example, but washrooms
located in the basement, or ASL interpretation might be provided but with
lighting too dim to properly see.
That’s not to say efforts aren’t being made. In 2011, Luke Anderson and
Michael Hopkins started up StopGap,
a volunteer-driven project that builds
small wooden ramps for businesses.
More than 100 businesses across Ontario, and as far as Cranbrook, BC, have
participated. Anderson, who uses a
wheelchair, explains that he and Hopkins
were inspired by their own workplace,
where every day for six years they had
to deploy a temporary folder ramp so
that Anderson could enter.
He admits that StopGap’s solution is
temporary and imperfect, but it spurs
conversation, cuts through the municipal red tape required for permanent
ramps, and it’s better than waiting for
2025.
And people with disabilities are not
the only ones to benefit — some business
owners have reported an increase in customers as more people get through their
doors, including parents with strollers.
Other affordable solutions exist.
“People with disabilities are actually
really smart at figuring out how to do
access on no money,” says PiepznaSamarasinha. “Oppressed people know
best how to create a space that works for
us, so you just need to ask.”
But first, we need to want it — and a
little pressure always helps. To that end,
Elisha Lim (who prefers the gender-neutral pronoun they) started up a pledge
to skip parties that aren’t wheelchair
accessible: “Why would I come to a party
if my friends are barred?” they ask.
Their Facebook event page includes a
list of venue recommendations, including detailed accessibility information.
At last count, 281 people had signed up,
and though momentum has slowed,
more continue to join. With broader
participation, initiatives like these
could help ensure that more people are
able to enter and navigate queer spaces.
S
ince its premiere in 2006, Erickson’s want has racked up awards
and generated tremendous enthusiasm from audiences. Even
her mother is now on board.
“It took her a while. She had
to get there, but she’s like, ‘So you’re a
pornstar. Well, I’m proud of you.”’
And Erickson’s just getting started.
She recently wrapped up shoots for
some new films, and as part of her PhD
dissertation, she’s enabling others with
disabilities to make porn, then interviewing participants about how the
process transforms their ideas of bodies
and “fosters resilience against cultures
of undesirability.”
At its core, accessibility ensures everyone can participate in our community. Films like Erickson’s go a step
beyond, working to make those with
disabilities feel not only welcome, but
truly wanted.
Go to page 41 for information about an
upcoming workshop, Everybody’s Doing
It: Talking About Sex and Disability, on
Mon, Oct 21.
XTRA! OCT 10–NOV 6, 2013 19
Loving Auntie Loo’s
Vegan bakery
specializes in
confections that
appeal to everyone
AROUND TOWN
ADRIENNE ASCAH
When Amanda Lunan was a little girl, she wasn’t
allowed to eat much sugar, but these days she has
a whole damn bakery.
Lunan, aka Mandi Loo, opened Auntie Loo’s at
507 Bronson Ave in October 2009 — combining
her love for animals and her passion for desserts
by opening Ottawa’s first all-vegan bakery.
With Auntie Loo’s fourth anniversary coming
up, Lunan and her staff have a lot to celebrate.
“It’s exciting,” Lunan says. “We’re doing an expansion and moving to Lowertown this autumn.
We got picked up by Farm Boy in March. Things
are really blossoming for us, and I’m really happy
about it.”
Lunan converted her grandmother’s old recipes to create mouthwatering cupcakes, birthday
cakes, squares, scones, pies and tarts that don’t
contain dairy, eggs, gelatin or any other animal
ingredient. The bakery’s success, though, could
never have reached these heights if only vegans
flocked to Auntie Loo’s desserts.
From the beginning, the confections have appealed not only to vegans or people with allergies,
but to anyone who enjoys delicious treats and a
sense of community. Auntie Loo’s has particularly
close ties to Ottawa’s LGBT community.
“We’re big on supporting things like Ten Oaks
and stuff like that, that really helps kids to figure
it all out and find, most importantly, a community,
because then you don’t feel like you’re the only
one,” Lunan says. “That’s the best thing you can
do for anybody — adult or child — because the
community always makes you feel better.”
From the AIDS Committee of Ottawa to Capital
Pride, Auntie Loo’s treats are always a welcome
addition to any gathering.
As Auntie Loo’s has grown, Lunan has stepped
more into the owner’s role, unlike the early days,
when she had to do everything herself. This has
paved the way for Matthew Tice, aka Mattycakes,
to become the bakery’s head baker and kitchen
manager. Tice is also in charge of the craft circuit
and special events.
“Last Valentine’s Day we had eight couples, and
me and my boyfriend taught the class,” he says.
“So there were 10 of us in this small kitchen. It was
jam-packed. We also had a bachelorette party here
a couple of months ago. That was fun.”
This fall, when Auntie Loo’s relocates to
20 OCT 10–NOV 6, 2013 XTRA!
When somebody
eats something
that you made ...
The joy in their
face, their smile;
that’s the best thing
about baking.
MATTHEW TICE (AKA MATTYCAKES),
HEAD BAKER & KITCHEN MANAGER
Baker Josephine Masterson at
Auntie Loo’s Treats. BEN WELLAND
112 Nelson St — near Rideau Street and handy to
the Bytowne Cinema — Tice says the added space
will allow for more special events and even more
tantalizing treats. From boys’ nights teaching
testosterone-laden chefs to make beer cupcakes to
more girls’ nights and in-bakery slumber parties,
the new space will also make room for a selection
of “take and bake” goodies that are
ready to be popped into your oven.
AUNTIE LOO’S TREATS
The bakery’s ever-expanding
Tuesday through Sunday
507 Bronson Ave
menu includes whoopie pies, vegan
auntieloostreats.ca
ice-cream cakes and gluten-free
wedding cakes, but for Tice the
sweetest part is seeing his happy customers.
“When somebody eats something that you
made, their reaction is just — I can’t describe it,”
he says. “The joy in their face, their smile; that’s
the best thing about baking.”
613-729-6911
282 Richmond Rd.
613-321-0969
18 Clarence St.
A classic gem with a luxe
ambiance, Giovanni’s is also justly
renowned for it’s thoughtful
and extensive wine list and wide
selection of fine spirits.
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TOM FORD
SEE DIFFERENTLY
English & French Service
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Open 7 Days/Week
237 Elgin Street (near Cooper)
613.216.6076
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XTRA! OCT 10–NOV 6, 2013 21
THE REVOLUTION WILL
What is it about
the web that is
so attractive for
queer Canadian
filmmakers?
ONSCREEN
JP LAROCQUE
The future of queer storytelling is on
the web.
In a recent piece in The Atlantic,
journalist Ben Terris acknowledged the
phenomenon of American web series
The Outs and the wave of queer-themed
projects making the rounds online,
describing it as “an auspicious time
for shows like this to find a home.” And
with series like It Gets Betterish, Hunting Season, Husbands and Where the
Bears Are generating tons of press and
developing sizable followings, many studios and networks have had to rethink
their programming strategies by calling
attention to a large and very moneyed
demographic hungry for LGBT content.
But perhaps most interesting in all
of this is that a large number of these
online LGBT shows are produced in
Canada.
Out with Dad, BJ Fletcher: Private
Eye, Leslieville, Seeking Simone, Gay
Nerds and Who the F**k is Nancy? are
just a few examples of homegrown web
series that have been part of the wave
of queer online content being shared on
social media. In fact, in a press release
issued by the Canadian Independent
Production Fund, a record 157 web
series applied to the organization for
funding in 2013, and of those, a significant portion dealt with LGBT issues and
themes relevant to the community.
So what is it about the web that is so attractive for queer Canadian filmmakers?
“I think LGBT storytellers are drawn
to the web out of necessity,” says Toronto interdisciplinary artist Jordan
Tannahill. “There is still the assumption... that LGBT stories are a niche
market that can’t attract prime-time
audiences. Most production companies
and broadcasters won’t touch them. So
artists who want to explore queer content are taking matters into their own
hands, and web series are affordable,
22 OCT 10–NOV 6, 2013 XTRA!
Filmmaker Austin Wong created Boystown, a web
series about a group of gay friends. ADAM COISH
accessible ways to do that.”
Tannahill is no stranger to web-based
storytelling. His performance piece
rihannaboi95, which picked up a 2013
Dora Award for Best New Play for Young
Audiences, uses live-streaming video to
tell the story of a teenager who is bullied
when footage of him dancing and lipsynching to Rihanna songs goes viral.
Over the course of several days, viewers
were encouraged to log on to a site and
watch the boy’s story unfold in real time.
“To me [confessional YouTube videos]
embody something vulnerable, raw, unrehearsed, urgent and candid. Whereas
more conventional narrative mediums
usually convey high production values
[and] something carefully considered,
rehearsed, dramatic and heightened.
So I felt a web video was really the best
aesthetic and conceptual fit for rihannaboi95. It just had the right ‘feel.’”
While Tannahill’s project embraces
the do-it-yourself aesthetic of many
contemporary viral videos, other queer
storytellers have used video-sharing
platforms like YouTube and Vimeo as
a space where they can offer up more
traditional, genre-driven alternatives
to broadcast and cable television — that
are nonetheless free of mainstream
expectations.
“When we started BJ Fletcher back
in 2008, ‘web series’ was pretty much
a new concept on the web,” says Regan
Latimer, executive producer of Bee
Charmer Productions and a founding member of the Independent Web
Series Creators of Canada. “One of the
biggest draws for me back then... was
the amount of creative freedom you
had in this particular medium. There
are no [industry] gatekeepers telling
you ‘yes’ or ‘no’ or ‘change this or that.’
That kind of freedom is often hard to
come by when trying to produce your
own content and stay true to your creative vision.” Latimer’s series, a comedy about a
lesbian private eye and her sidekick,
provided the filmmaker with the opportunity to create something that contained the playful elements of shows like
Murder She Wrote, Laverne & Shirley and
Cagney & Lacey while embracing a queer
sensibility that was true to her own life.
Still, Latimer was adamant that the
characters’ sexualities be an element of
individual scenes rather than the theme
of the entire series. “Their sexuality is
never made [into] an issue; it’s just one
aspect of who they are. It was important
to me to create a series that showed lesbian characters in everyday life where
their sexuality was not the main focus
of attention.
“If shows believe they need to separate and segregate themselves from the
pack based on the fact that they feature
gay or lesbian characters, how do we
then ever expect to be accepted into
the mainstream?”
Filmmaker Austin Wong, creator
of the upcoming web series Boystown,
agrees. “None of the characters [on my
series] are going through any coming-out
crises. They’re well past that. They’re
well adjusted, they have friends, they
live in a city that accepts them, and now
they’re just dealing with issues that
come with trying to find a partner and
trying to find your way... and some of
the attendant issues that arise because
they happen to be gay. But it’s not about
[being gay]. I take that as a given.”
Based on Wong’s short film Gaysian,
Boystown is about a small group of gay
friends navigating the ups and downs of
BE STREAMED
Queer
Canadian
web series:
A primer
BJ Fletcher: Private Eye
A comedy about private investigator Beatrix Jane (BJ) Fletcher
and her best friend and assistant,
Georgia (George) Drew, “as they
grapple with everything from
running surveillance to going
undercover to foiling would-be
saboteurs, all with varying degrees
of success.”
Leslieville
A drama series about a group of
lesbian friends navigating life and
love in the east end of Toronto.
Boystown
Based on Wong’s short film Gaysian, which was recently accepted
into the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival. A comedy
about gay single boys Steve, Aaron
and Geoff (and their gal-pal
Amanda), who live in Toronto and
search for love and sex in their city.
rihannaboi95
A solo show about a queer teen
dealing with the fallout of a video,
which goes viral, he posts of himself dancing to a Rihanna song.
Out with Dad
Nadine Bell’s web series Leslieville is about a
group of lesbians in east-end Toronto. ADAM COISH
A drama series about teenaged
lesbian Rose and her single father
Nathan that includes themes like
the challenge of coming out to
parents and other family struggles.
Seeking Simone
Toronto’s dating scene. Wong wanted
the show to explore universal themes
and embrace the comedic sensibilities
of hit shows like Sex and the City and
Modern Family while adding something
to the mix that hasn’t really been available on mainstream television — a gay
Asian protagonist.
“I never see Asians in lead roles,
and that was something that always
bothered me, and if they were introduced, there was usually some kind
of stereotypical reason for them to be
there — like they were an exchange
student or super good at math, or they
were the best doctor. But very rarely
is it that they’re just a person who has
issues that aren’t necessarily related
to being Asian.
“With [Boystown] and with web series in general, I saw a really good opportunity to have both queer content
out there, as well as having an Asian
lead — exploring stories that I haven’t
seen told and in a comedy format that
I think we’re missing.”
For other web-content creators, like
Leslieville’s Nadine Bell, online series
play a very important role in LGBT
self-representation. “All minority
groups seek to represent themselves,
and though our community is quite
large... it is continually underrepresented, [and] when we do get attention in mainstream stories, it’s very
much stereotypical or comedic relief
or the version of the LGBT person the
majority is comfortable with. With the
internet, we can make our stories available to our community easily, and also
in some countries, the internet is the
only window to an open LGBT lifestyle
people have.”
Which, of course, brings up the ques-
tion of national output. Although none
of the filmmakers who spoke to Xtra
could really pinpoint why Canadians have been so prolific on the webseries scene, the general consensus is
that the combination of a web-savvy
population and progressive national
politics allowed LGBT filmmakers to
feel comfortable sharing their stories
with others, which in turn has helped
to lay the groundwork for community
outreach.
“We’re not simply telling stories for
ourselves, who are lucky enough to live
in a country that is open and supportive
of LGBT people,” Bell says. “We are
telling them for those who don’t have
those freedoms so they can have hope
and know they are not alone.”
Wong agrees. “Younger people are
turning more to the internet to watch
things than television. So with this
generation, even people in small towns
can seek it out, stumble upon things,
and web series like [my show] will show
them another world that has diversity
both with sexuality and with race.”
And while web-based storytelling
creates new and exciting opportunities
for LGBT storytellers, Tannahill sees
the movement more as an extension of
a preexisting cultural tradition within
the community.
“I think queers are attracted to the
vanguard. LGBT web series are simply
a continuation of a rich history of queer
countercultural, on-the-fringes artmaking. I think our community has
always taken to new forms, ones often
overlooked by the mainstream, because
we see their potential as outlets to
express otherness.
“Web narrative is on the periphery,
and so are we.”
A lesbian actress tries to make
sense of the online dating community and often fails — horribly and
hilariously — at it.
Gay Nerds
A group of outsiders who don’t fit
the traditional “gay” mould use
pop culture to make sense of the
world around them. What if dropping stuff off at an ex-boyfriend’s
house was like being attacked by a
T-rex in Jurassic Park? Or cruising
an online sex app was like entering
The Matrix? Parodies galore.
Who the F**k is Nancy?
Two fabulous best friends drink,
dance and want to be famous, all
the while accruing as many Twitter
followers as is humanly possible.
XTRA! OCT 10–NOV 6, 2013 23
Marching
forward
(The first) 25 years of lesbian
and gay activism in Ottawa
To celebrate Xtra’s 20 years of publishing to
Ottawa’s gay and lesbian community, we’re
digging through our archives to reprint a
selection of noteworthy stories that highlight our
community’s rich history. We begin the series
with “Marching Forward,” which was published
in June 1996 to mark the 25th anniversary of
lesbian and gay activism in Ottawa.
T
This article was originally published in the
June 28, 1996, edition of Capital Xtra.
24 OCT 10–NOV 6, 2013 XTRA!
WENTY-FIVE YEARS
ago, a group of lesbian
and gay Canadians decided to fight back.
Unlike the Stonewall riots, which
galvanized the American struggle for
lesbian and gay rights, there were no
bottles thrown or windows shattered
on Aug 28, 1971.
But in a smaller way, the first march
on Parliament Hill symbolized the birth
of the modern lesbian and gay movement in Canada and Ottawa. Until then,
Ottawa had never been prominent in
the struggle for lesbian and gay equality
in Canada. Yet Ottawa certainly found
its voice when nearly 100 young lesbians
and gay men braved the pouring rain
to announce their demands to Parlia-
ment. A precedent was established that
would see Ottawa become the battlefield
where politicians and judges would
grant equal rights some day.
Much has been written about the
struggle for lesbian and gay rights on
Parliament Hill and in the Supreme
Court, but less has been said about Ottawa’s local gay community, which many
national activists called home and where
a vital community was established in the
shadow of Montreal and Toronto. Along
with the warriors who fought the battle
for gay rights on the national stage, there
were dozens of women and men who
created a proud community in our city.
This is their story and all our victory.
O
TTAWA’S LESBIAN AND GAY
community was long characterized by the political and historical conservatism of the Capital.
Author Gary Kinsman has just rereleased his book The Regulation of
Desire, which documents how the Canadian government regulated homosexuality. The latest version examines
how early gay life in Canada has affected
our communities today.
Kinsman says Ottawa’s lesbian and
gay communities were heavily shaped
by a series of national security campaigns conducted by the RCMP during
the 1950s and 1960s.
In 1980, journalist John Sawatsky revealed a frightening period in Canada’s
gay history, when he wrote about the
infamous Fruit Machine, in his book
Men in the Shadows. Carleton Uni-
versity psychology professor Robert
Wake was commissioned by the federal
government to build a machine that
could detect homosexuals by measuring
eye-pupil response to gay pornography.
RCMP insiders jokingly dubbed it the
Fruit Machine, and it never worked,
partly because few heterosexuals volunteered to be control subjects, since
they feared the machine might brand
them as queer.
Canadian Press reporter Dan Beeby
was among those who discovered that
RCMP operatives snapped pictures, followed people and tried to force suspected
homosexuals to list names of others.
“Any gay man or lesbian living in Ottawa, and particularly those who would
have been in the military or the civil
service, came under a lot of scrutiny,”
Kinsman says. “The national security
campaigns focused on lesbians and
gay men as being a supposed national
security risk, because of our alleged
character weakness that made us vulnerable to blackmail and compromise
by evil Soviet agents.”
RCMP agents were never too successful hunting for lesbians, but gay men
provided them with years of amusement. Kinsman says RCMP agents even
sat in the basement tavern of the Lord
Elgin Hotel, one of Ottawa’s oldest gay
hangouts, with newspapers in front
of their faces, taking photographs of
gay men through pre-cut holes in the
paper. Hundreds lost their jobs and
thousands had their names on lists and
in files created by the Mounties. Stories
of demotions, transfers and firings reso-
Charles Hill takes refuge under
an umbrella while addressing
demonstrators gathered Aug 28,
1971, on Parliament Hill.
nated in the minds of every lesbian and
gay working in Ottawa.
RCMP investigations reached beyond the civil service. Research shows
that non-government workers were
followed, interrogated and suffered
suspicious break-ins to their homes.
Added to all the social fears of coming
out, every queer man and woman had
to face the real possibility of losing his
or her job and facing a national security
investigation.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE
CANADIAN LESBIAN & GAY ARCHIVES
FROM OUR ARCHIVES
NEIL HERLAND
is why large hotels were popular sites,
or they had to be run as private clubs.
The Coral Reef Club, jokingly nicknamed “The Oral Grief” by its detractors, was officially incorporated as a
Caribbean club, though its lesbian and
gay popularity quickly overshadowed
any Jamaican connection. Originally
a mixed men’s and women’s bar, The
Coral Reef became a lesbian mainstay
with its Friday night pubs.
“It’s been around so long that even
14-year-old girls in high school know if
you’re a lesbian, you should go to The
Coral Reef Club,” jokes activist and
writer Heidi McDonell.
Hull was home to the Hotel Chez
Henri, where prohibitions against
same-sex dancing forced lesbian and
gay couples to dance in groups.
L
T
HE LARGE NETWORKS OF
closeted men and women that
existed in the Capital thrived
at private dinner parties and weekend
cottage gatherings.
Kinsman says many lesbian and gay
civil servants would not even support
community organizing, because they
feared a visible gay presence might
expose their own identities as queer
people. These closeted men and women
often left the repressiveness of Ottawa
by escaping to friendlier places.
“For some people, one of their survival strategies in the ’60s was not to be
gay or lesbian in Ottawa, but to be gay
when they went on trips to Montreal or
Toronto,” Kinsman says.
Today, many lesbian and gay Ottawans still escape on weekends to the larger
and more developed gay villages of
Montreal and Toronto. But Ottawa now
boasts a community of its own, developed over the past 25 years.
A quarter century ago, Ottawa had
few public spaces where lesbian and
gay people could socialize. The lounges
in the Lord Elgin Hotel served as Ottawa’s unofficial gay bars long before
the Ottawa police officially permitted
such establishments. Club Aquarius
and The Coral Reef Club were among
the first dedicated lesbian and gay bars.
At the time, Ontario’s liquor laws outlawed free-standing bars. Bars either had
to be connected to a restaurant, which
ESBIAN AND GAY LIFE MIGHT
have remained hidden behind
closet doors today if it weren’t
for the changes that swept across the
American social landscape during the
1960s. The fight for black civil rights,
women’s rights and finally lesbian and
gay rights were ignited, and there was
no turning back.
Not that Canada wasn’t progressive.
Under a fashionable prime minister
named Pierre Trudeau, the federal
goverment decriminalized “homosexual acts” in 1969. But when it came to
major history-changing events, Canada
didn’t have a Stonewall, Kent State or
Watts riot.
So it’s with considerable modesty that
we say the modern era of gay Ottawa
began during the second-last week of
August 1971.
On Aug 21, the Gay Day committee of
Toronto Gay Action (TGA) presented
the federal government with a brief
called We Demand, a list of 10 demands
that included creating a uniform heterosexual and homosexual age of consent and allowing gays to serve in the
military.
Seven days later, TGA members and
supporters demonstrated in Ottawa. It
was the first lesbian and gay march ever
on Parliament Hill.
The rain kept pouring and the placards became so drenched that marchers had to drop their signs. A young
graduate student named Charles Hill
addressed the crowd that day and became forever immortalized in the photographs and film clips of the rally.
“It was a very joyful occasion; people
were dancing,” Hill says. “It was the first
time we had done something like that.”
The enthusiasm of the march called a
small group of men in Ottawa to action.
After all, it was pretty embarrassing that
London, Guelph and Waterloo all had
gay organizations, but the capital didn’t.
On Sept 14, 1971, seven men gathered
at the home of Maurice Bélanger and
Michael Black to form Ottawa’s first gay
organization. On Oct 13, they adopted
a name and began calling themselves
Gays of Ottawa (GO), with Bélanger and
Paul Wise as the two chairs of the group.
The creation of GO would transform the
way Ottawa’s lesbian and gay population
lived, because it would establish a community. Finally there was a formal and
accessible way to connect with others.
“Before then, you always had to know
someone who was on the inside,” says
Barry Deeprose, now president of Pink
Triangle Services.
One of the first men to come out
through Gays of Ottawa was David Garmaise, in 1972. Garmaise was a nice
Jewish boy who grew up in a small town
in Northern Quebec. He graduated McGill University and moved to Ottawa in
1968 for a job at the post office.
The conservative-looking Garmaise
would frequently check out the gay pornography magazines at a dirty magazine
shop on Bank Street. He never bought
a magazine because he was too embarrassed to face the cashier. One day,
mixed in among the covers of male flesh,
he spotted a newspaper that would
change his life.
It was a new publication from Toronto
with a funny-sounding name, The Body
Politic, Canada’s first national gay newspaper and the predecessor to the Xtra
papers. In the middle of the newspaper
was a listing of gay organizations across
the country, including Gays of Ottawa,
with meetings “every other week” at
St George’s Anglican Church, on Metcalfe Street. Unfortunately, it never said
which week the meetings were held.
The following Tuesday, Garmaise
found the guts to show up at the church
and staked out the entrance “for people
who looked gay.”
“I saw some that looked effeminate...
so I thought, ‘Hey, this must be the right
Tuesday.’”
Garmaise entered the church and
walked into a big meeting room, only
to discover he was in an Alcoholics
Anonymous meeting. Undeterred by
his blunder, Garmaise found out the
Gays of Ottawa meeting was down the
hall. For the next eight years, he would
join the ranks of Ottawa’s pioneering
gay activists.
I
N AUGUST 1972, GO OPENED
a centre on the sixth floor of
Pestalozzi, on the corner of Chapel and Rideau streets. The building
was a haven for social radicals of every
colour, and GO members were delighted
to find a landlord willing to rent space
to homosexuals.
Ottawa’s early activists were mostly
young people who were infused with the
idealism of the hippie generation. Older
gays and lesbians were annoyed by the
“outlandish” youngsters who publicly
proclaimed their sexual orientation and
tried to organize formally.
GO started a speakers’ bureau and
a telephone support line, aptly titled
XTRA! OCT 10–NOV 6, 2013 25
W
HILE THE EARLIEST GAY
groups in Ottawa were run
by men, an organized lesbian community was simultaneously
growing within Ottawa’s already established feminist community.
Not every lesbian was satisfied in the
feminist movement, which often closeted lesbians for fear that straight women
would be scared off. Marie Robertson
moved to town in 1975 and became one
of the first female organizers in GO.
26 OCT 10–NOV 6, 2013 XTRA!
Robertson was turned off by the prudish Ottawa Women’s Centre, which was
popular with other lesbians at the time.
“There was a lot of political bullshit
going on. If we were going to have a
demonstration, they didn’t want to
put the word ‘lesbian’ on a pamphlet.”
Robertson spent her early years at
GO as one of the few lesbians willing
to work with gay men. Her efforts as a
tireless lobbyist, Gayline counsellor and
educator won her the Lambda Foundation Award for Excellence in 1994.
Heidi McDonell came to Ottawa a few
years later and joined the local feminist
movement.
“You have to think of lesbian feminism,”
explains McDonell, who later became a
lesbian leader. “That was the biggest thing
going as a political movement — which was
separatist. And that’s why women were
never involved with GO.”
Lesbians also faced different issues
from gay men. Gay men had the privilege of being able to focus only on their
sexual identities. Lesbians were busy
demanding the most basic rights for
their gender, such as equal pay. The
invisibility of lesbianism made gay men
the focus of most public attention surrounding homosexuality, and even in
the mid-1970s, much of it was negative.
A
ROUND MARCH 1975, GAY
men in Ottawa were getting nervous. In the preceding weeks,
Ottawa police had begun holding news
conferences to announce the names of
men who had been arrested for using
male prostitutes. The local news media
faithfully published each suspect’s name
and address, something they didn’t do for
prostitution charges involving women.
The police further sensationalized
matters by telling the media that they
had uncovered a male prostitution
“ring” and that many of the sex workers
were juveniles, since the age of consent
for gay sex was then 21.
GO president Charles Hill warned
the editor of the Ottawa Citizen that a
closeted man might kill himself if his
name were published in the paper.
On St Patrick’s Day 1975, Ottawa’s
newspapers published the names of
four men charged with gross indecency,
in connection with a so-called juvenile
male prostitution ring. Hours later, the
body of Warren Zufelt, a 34-year-old
public servant, lay beside the 13-storey
Chesterton Towers apartment building.
Activist and Gayline volunteer Denis
LeBlanc recalls that Zufelt called the
Gayline just days before he died and told
the operator that he would kill himself if
his name hit the newsstands.
Fifteen protesters from Gays of Ottawa picketed the offices of the Ottawa
Journal and the Ottawa police. No more
names were released to the media, and
of the 16 men charged, none was ever
sentenced to jail or given fines; they all
received absolute discharges or sus-
On Feb 19, 1977, lesbians and gays protested
the CBC’s refusal to air public-service
announcements for gay organizations.
pended sentences. The events became
known as the “vice-ring affair,” and the
issues of outing and sensational coverage of homosexuality were first debated
in the Capital’s newsrooms.
“It was a big turning point. The media
and the police, even though they never
really acknowledged it, realized they had
made a huge mistake,” Plunkett says.
A month later, GO member Ron Dayman filed a complaint against the Ottawa
Citizen with the Ontario Press Council,
for biased reporting in the vice-ring affair. The entire affair laid a foundation
for mistrust between Ottawa’s news
media and the local gay community.
But for every loss, there was always a
bittersweet victory. After presenting a
formal request to be part of the 1975 Remembrance Day ceremony, LeBlanc and
Robertson were given permission to lay
a pink-triangle wreath during Canada’s
official remembrance ceremonies. Their
wreath commemorated the murder of
thousands of gay men and lesbians in
the Holocaust.
Another victory occurred in April
1976, when Ottawa city council voted to
ban discrimination based on sexual orientation from its employment practices.
As damaging as the vice-ring affair
was, local police continued organized
assaults against the gay community. In
May 1976, The Club Baths at 1069 Wellington St was raided by Ottawa police.
Nearly every Ottawa activist was attending a lesbian and gay rights conference
in Kingston that weekend. Hearing news
of the raid, members of GO wrote a press
release, drove back to Ottawa, and read
their statement on the 11 o’clock news.
The organized community response
to the raids, including assistance to arrested men, would form a model that
Toronto’s gay community leaders used
when its baths were forcefully raided by
police in 1981.
Baths, washrooms and parks within
a two-hour radius of Montreal were
raided that summer as part of a clean-up
operation for the 1976 Summer Olympic
Games in Montreal.
During that summer, Marie Robertson rounded up her friends and along
with Rose Stanton founded Lesbians
of Ottawa Now (LOON), the city’s first
lesbian organization.
As lesbian activism gained momentum in Ottawa, Robertson got a
mysterious phone call one day from a
high-ranking Secretary of State employee. The female caller refused to
talk over the phone and insisted on a
personal meeting. At a café, the mysterious woman claimed that the Canadian
government was feeling threatened by
the emergence of a lesbian movement
and that her group was being watched.
In the bars, men and women continued to share stories of RCMP investigations and job dismissals. Even after
such incidents ceased by the late 1970s,
the rumours and legends persisted, but
it didn’t matter because there was too
much momentum to stop the movement.
Ottawa’s lesbian community continued to grow during the late 1970s.
In the fall of 1977, cable viewers saw
lesbian and gay community programs
on Ottawa’s Skyline Cablevision and
Hull’s Telecable Laurentien.
Male Homophiles Anonymous was
established by a group of gay men in
Ottawa who felt GO was too political.
Barry Deeprose, who later joined the
“radicals” at GO and became an AIDS
activist, was a member of this society
for closeted men and recalls the overly
cautious nature of their secret Friday
night meetings. The “secret society”
was a stark contrast to the hundreds of
lesbians and gays who were dancing and
drinking each Friday night in gay bars
in Ottawa and across the river in Hull.
T
HE CHANGES THAT OCCURRED
during the first decade of Ottawa’s organized lesbian and gay
communities were unbelievable. But it
all went up in flames on the night of Feb
16, 1979. A fire destroyed the GO Centre
at 378 Elgin St, and all the paperwork
from that first decade was burned away.
About 10 people were in the building that night, attending a Friday night
drop-in. They quickly evacuated the
building and watched the city’s gay
community centre burn. GO eventually
moved to a home at 175 Lisgar St, and
finally to 318 Lisgar.
The GO Centre had served as the
national coordinating office of the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Rights Coalition,
and GO members worked hard after the
fire to stage the 1979 Celebration conference, which drew the largest national
assembly ever of Canadian lesbian and
gay groups. But that conference was the
last truly national meeting of lesbian
and gay groups in Canada. Ottawa’s role
as a national focus point for lesbian and
gay activism began to dwindle after the
1970s. Victories at the provincial level
convinced many activists to alter their
strategies and spend less time trying
to win a national battle and more time
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE CANADIAN LESBIAN & GAY ARCHIVES
The Gayline, which now holds the distinction of being the second-oldest gay
phone line in the world, after the one in
New York City. One of the earliest GO
creations was a community newsletter, which later evolved into Canada’s
longest-running lesbian and gay publication, GO Info.
“It’s just a really incredible way of
bringing together a community,” says
Lloyd Plunkett, who spent years as GO
Info’s production manager. “No community can really survive without a
decent newspaper.”
Another early institution at GO were
the community dances, which continued until recently.
“Dances were originally started as social situations, a way to stay out of bars,
baths and bushes,” explains Jim Young,
who served on the GO board during the
mid-1980s and helped organize dances.
GO played an active role coordinating a growing national movement and
hosted the first interprovincial conference of gay groups. Gay activists from
Quebec City, Halifax, Toronto, Vancouver, Saskatoon and Montreal gathered
May 19 to 20, 1973, and a federal election
strategy was established.
In 1975, more than 200 delegates
arrived in Ottawa for the third national
gay conference, which at that time was
the largest and most geographically
diverse meeting of lesbians and gays
in Canada. GO helped form an Ontario
and National Gay Rights Coalition. The
Ontario coalition still exists today as the
Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Rights of
Ontario. Ottawa’s early activists had the
enviable task of simultaneously creating
a local community and coordinating a
national movement.
Based in Ottawa, GO members were
frequently called on to wage the national battle for gay rights. On Oct 15, 1974,
GO picketed the Immigration Department in protest of screening policies
that discriminated against gays and
lesbians who sought entry to Canada.
The federal government ultimately
changed its policy, after the immigration minister met with GO officials.
As the number of openly gay people
increased in Ottawa, specialized programs and services sprung up. Ottawa’s
first gay church opened on Sept 22, 1974,
when the first Metropolitan Community Church service took place at the
Club Private men’s bar.
Through the
late ’70s and into
the ’80s we had
done enough
work on our own,
separate as
lesbians, that
we felt we could
integrate back
with the men.
MARIE ROBERTSON
Marie Robertson addresses an Oct 25,
1977, women’s rally on Parliament Hill.
trying to score provincial gains.
With this political shift came new
developments at GO. For years, LOON
had rented space from GO for its social
events, and now LOON members were
migrating to Gays of Ottawa.
“Through the late ’70s and into the
’80s we had done enough work on our
own, separate as lesbians, that we felt
we could integrate back with the men,”
Marie Robertson explains.
In the 1990 anthology Lesbians in
Canada, activist Carmen Paquette
writes about the history of lesbian separatism in Ottawa and how GO developed
a reputation as a group where lesbians
and their concerns were taken seriously.
The separation between Ottawa’s lesbian and gay communities was bridged
during the 1980s, as Gays of Ottawa
attracted more women to its dances
and large numbers of women bought
memberships with GO. Gays of Ottawa
became a truly co-sexual organization,
with women increasingly occupying
important and powerful roles. Later,
the loss of many gay men to AIDS and
AIDS activism opened even more positions for women.
McDonell says Ottawa’s smaller size
forced men and women to work together.
“Ottawa is actually kind of different
than most places. A lot of places, gay
men and lesbians work together a lot
less in organizations. The only reason
they worked together so much in Ottawa is because in the end they only had
this one space. They sort of shared it.”
Robertson admits there were splits
between men and women.
“We had some pretty dirty fights...
[But] I always found the men at Gays of
Ottawa willing to take that leap of faith to
understand a particular [women’s] issue.”
Along with changes in the women’s
community, a new era of openness had
also convinced many men and women
who were closeted throughout the 1970s
to come out in the 1980s. People who
had refused to sign cheques to GO and
used assumed names in the bars were
coming out to their families and coworkers. Civil servants and private
sector employees who had previously
concealed their lovers and their weekends were now living proud lives in
workplaces across the region.
Ottawa’s media was also beginning
a new era of openness. In June 1980,
the Ottawa Citizen published a special series on Ottawa’s lesbian and gay
community. Reporter Richard Labonté
came out to readers in a personal essay,
and two other reporters took readers
into the world of bathhouses and cruising parks. Many lesbians were annoyed
because the articles focused on gay male
promiscuity and ignored the reality of
their lives, while some gay men feared
the stories would increase bashings.
As the invisibility of Ottawa’s lesbian
and gay life faded away, so did the landmarks. In response, in the spring of
1981, the Lord Elgin Hotel decided to
start closing the downstairs tavern at
3pm each day, effectively shutting down
Ottawa’s oldest gay bar. Patrons never
forgot “John the waiter” — a married
straight man who had served drinks to
Ottawa’s gay community since the 1950s.
T
HERE WAS A NEW SENSE OF
optimism, which led many to
believe that gays and lesbians
were truly liberated. But as difficult as
the struggle for lesbian and gay rights
had been in the previous decade, few
activists could have ever imagined the
tribulation that one microscopic virus
would unleash in the years ahead.
Barry Deeprose, who had long abandoned Male Homophiles Anonymous,
was working as a Gayline volunteer at
the time. One night in July 1981, he
discovered an unusual article posted
on the Gayline notice board. It was a
story from The New York Times about
a rare cancer that had been discovered
in gay men.
“I had the sense that something dreadful had gone wrong,” Deeprose says.
Slowly the trickle of information
grew, but no one thought the plague
would touch Ottawa. At first, local gay
men tried rationalizing that it was an
American problem, then when doctors
in Montreal and Toronto began diagnosing cases, many Ottawa men said it
was a big-city problem. It would be only
a few months before local men began
experiencing their first symptoms.
T
HE FULL INVOLVEMENT OF
women in GO became a reality later in 1982, as GO elected
a 27-year-old chemist named Linda
Wilson as its first female president
and passed a bylaw that mandated
equal representation between men
and women on the board. A proposal to
change Gays of Ottawa’s name, to make
it friendlier to women, was defeated
mostly by women, who said the name
GO had a credible reputation in the
community.
Women leaders would hold more
important positions as the ranks of
Ottawa’s male leaders were depleted by
volunteer burnout and AIDS. By the end
of the decade, GO would become largely
a women’s organization.
Outreach to francophones was another goal of GO. In other cities, ethnic
differences were racially visible, but
in Ottawa, language formed the major
ethnocultural divide. From its early
days, GO tried to release all its printed
materials in both official languages, and
for many years the group’s official title
was Gays of Ottawa/Gais de l’Outaouais,
a token gesture that acknowledged that
many local gays and lesbians weren’t
anglophones.
By 1982, the Gayline was flooded with
desperate callers seeking information
about AIDS. Unsure operators told
callers to shower before sex and avoid
sex with people who had skin lesions.
“People would be calling us to find out
symptoms; people would be calling us
with symptoms,” Deeprose says.
In August, GO held a public meeting
with officials from Health and Welfare
Canada’s Laboratory Centre for Disease Control. Seventy people showed
up to hear what little information the
scientists knew.
Meanwhile, the women’s community
was growing. Ottawa’s first feminist
bookstore opened in September 1982.
Mayor Marion Dewar cut the pink ribbon at the Ottawa Women’s Bookstore.
It was a time when the mayor of Ottawa
was sincerely supportive of the lesbian
and gay community.
When 1983 rolled around, major
changes were in store for Ottawa’s lesbian and gay community. In order to
gain charitable tax status, GO decided
to split its social service efforts and create a new organization, Pink Triangle
Services (PTS). That decision would
ultimately weaken Gays of Ottawa, by
taking away its core functions.
But the future survival of Ottawa’s
lesbian and gay organizations was less
important at a time when the survival
of the city’s gay men was in question.
Another emergency community
meeting on AIDS drew a packed house
at the GO Centre. A Dr Jessamine, from
the federal Centre for Disease Control,
provided some of the first reliable information about AIDS.
“We had people standing in the hallways. They couldn’t even see the speaker,” says GO activist Lloyd Plunkett.
“People were really scared and wanted
to know what was happening.”
On Jan 7, 1984, Ottawa mourned the
death of Peter Evans, our first recorded
AIDS casualty. He died at the Ottawa
General Hospital, which soon became
the region’s AIDS treatment hospital.
Gay men were especially targeted during the early years of the AIDS epidemic.
Ottawa evangelist Bill Prankard fuelled the AIDS hysteria by launching a
campaign to close the Club Baths, along
with most of the city’s gay institutions,
including the GO Centre.
More than 100 Carleton University
students held a rally after the mural
advertising Gay People at Carleton was
defaced with swastikas and slogans such
as “kill fags.”
B
UT THE HATRED WAS NOT
limited to gay men at the time.
Ottawa city alderman Rhéal
Robert created a controversy when he
called GO Info “dirty and filthy” at a
council meeting, on March 7, 1984. He
was upset by a poem about female oral
sex, written by Marie Robertson in the
previous issue of GO Info. Robert didn’t
want the city of Ottawa to advertise in
the paper and asked the Ottawa poXTRA! OCT 10–NOV 6, 2013 27
A
FTER A LONG PERIOD OF
inaction on the federal front,
new momentum began on Parliament Hill. In October 1985, the allparty parliamentary sub-committee for
equal rights agreed that discrimination
against lesbians and gays should be
prohibited.
A group in Ottawa decided to get the
ball rolling by staging a national letter28 OCT 10–NOV 6, 2013 XTRA!
writing campaign, and after hundreds of
letters poured in, the Equality Writes Ad
Hoc Committee (EWAC) found a better
name. Within a year, Equality for Gays
And Lesbians Everywhere (EGALE) was
formed by Heidi McDonell, Les McAfee
and Caroll Holland to lobby Parliament
for lesbian and gay rights.
At the provincial level, Ottawa Centre
MPP Evelyn Gigantes scored a victory for all gays and lesbians across the
province when she got the Ontario legislature to amend the Ontario Human
Rights Code to prohibit discrimination
based on sexual orientation. A decade
later, she would face criticism from local
activists when her party, then in power,
allowed a free vote on lesbian and gay
rights and lost the vote.
In May 1986, a gay student named
Oscar at Gloucester High School came
out to the student body in a letter to the
school newspaper. Many students were
outraged, and a petition was sent to the
principal. The letter from Oscar was
one of many courageous acts in which
gay, lesbian and bisexual students were
coming out in Ottawa.
In 1987, for the first time in history,
lesbianism was specifically mentioned in
the House of Commons during a speech
by Toronto MP John Oostrom, who was
upset that lesbian events were being
funded by the government, as part of
Ottawa’s International Women’s Week.
The previous year’s International
Women’s Week had brought many lesbians together, and the momentum of that
year’s workshops helped form Lesbian
Amazons, a radical lesbian collective
that helped spawn Ottawa’s first-ever
International Lesbian Week.
During the late 1980s, lesbians became increasingly visible within the
women’s movement. Groups such as
REAL Women were part of an organized
backlash that formed not so much to
oppose the power that women were
gaining, but to oppose the visibility
that radical lesbians were gaining in the
women’s movement. Many conservative
women felt their image of womanhood
was threatened by lesbians and prochoice advocates.
On the AIDS front, new education
programs were being created to teach
“the new facts of life.” Young people
got a new comic hero when ACO unveiled its Captain Condom brochures,
designed to teach safer-sex practices
through humour.
But there weren’t too many smiles
from local politicians. Regional chair
Andy Haydon told local AIDS activists
on Oct 16, 1987, that he wouldn’t support
funding for AIDS programs because it
affected a specific group; he later advocated compulsory AIDS testing for all
the region’s employees.
As time passed, governments eventually decided that AIDS services needed
public funding. In November, the provincial government gave $232,000 to
ACO, and Grant MacNeil was hired as an
In June 1975, Ottawa hosted the largest and
most geographically diverse conference of
gays and lesbians in Canada to date, with 200
delegates. Protesters confronted RCMP officers
during a demonstration on Parliament Hill.
interim executive director, later to be
replaced by David Hoe.
By 1988, the AIDS crisis had erupted
in Ottawa. People were getting sick and
dying. ACO hired five employees to
manage its growing services, and Bruce
House was established to assist people
with AIDS find housing.
As local gay men wondered if their
government really cared, after a slow
response to AIDS, lesbians, too, felt the
government didn’t care for them in 1989
when the government awarded a $21,212
grant to REAL Women, a group that
criticized lesbians. Protesters from Lesbian and Gay Youth of Ottawa/Hull lined
the front of a REAL Women conference
in April, along with local feminists.
The summer of 1989 was an important period in the development of Ottawa’s lesbian and gay community. It
was the summer when a lot of straight
people in Ottawa learned what homophobia was all about. It also taught
the lesbian and gay community that
silence equalled death.
M
ALE CRUISING AND PARK
sex had occurred around
the grounds of Parliament
Hill and Major’s Hill Park since the
days of Confederation. As awareness
of these settings crossed over to the
heterosexual world, the danger to men
in the parks increased. Every couple of
years, the pages of Ottawa’s newspapers
reported another man mysteriously
murdered in the city’s parks. Years of
police harassment in Ottawa’s gay bars
and parks had left its mark on the community. Many gays and lesbians didn’t
trust the police.
In the summer of 1989, the Ottawa
Citizen reported an unusual number
of stories about men who had “fallen”
off the rocks near Major’s Hill Park.
Like other gay men in town, gay activist
David Pepper knew what was going on.
By summer’s end, three men were
dead and another four suffered injuries
resulting from falls. Local politicians
were puzzled as to why so many men
were frequenting the park late at night
and why they kept plunging to their
deaths. National Capital Commission
officials responded by reinforcing the
railings along the trails. Pepper responded by alerting his friends in the
gay community.
But it took a bloody night of terror
to wake up the police and local media
to the reality of homophobic violence.
On Aug 22, 1989, the badly beaten
body of a Château Laurier waiter named
Alain Brosseau was found floating toward the Hull shore. During the previous 24-hour period, a gay couple in
Orleans awoke at 4am and found a gang
of young men who had just broken into
their home. Alain Fortin was stabbed
in the eye and hand. His throat was
slashed and his back was sliced five
times. His partner, Wilfred Gauthier,
ended up with a perforated intestine
and a three-inch cut to his throat, which
permanently damaged his vocal cords.
Both men survived to testify against the
men who nearly killed them.
As the police investigated the attack
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE CANADIAN LESBIAN & GAY ARCHIVES
lice morality division to lay obscenity
charges against GO Info.
CJOH-TV reporter Jim O’Connell
sensationalized the issue in a report
where he told viewers he couldn’t show a
copy of GO Info on the air, then showed a
close-up of a GO Info ad for Gaymates, a
mail-in dating service. “We all know the
kind of recreation that these people are
really interested in,” chirped O’Connell,
who was later promoted to CTV’s Washington bureau.
Other homophobic media figures
included Dean Tower, who hosted a
call-in show on CFRA radio and later
on CHRO-TV. Tower verbally attacked
gays and lesbians on the air and hung up
when they called his radio show. Readers of the Ottawa Citizen would later be
subjected to the homophobic opinions
of columnist Claire Hoy.
One of the saddest chapters in Ottawa’s
lesbian and gay history ended in 1984,
when Solicitor General Robert Kaplan
sent a letter to NDP MP Svend Robinson
confirming that all the old RCMP files
on suspected homosexuals in the civil
service and elsewhere had been burned,
pulped or electronically erased. Although
the government no longer ruined the
careers of gays and lesbians, the fear of
coming out still remained after years
of purges. Robinson himself remained
closeted for another three years.
The fall of 1985 brought a municipal
election in which activist Denis LeBlanc
ran as an openly gay candidate. LeBlanc
lost, but a then-closeted man named
Mark Maloney won another seat and
became a strong advocate for local gays
and lesbians, along with fellow council
member Diane Holmes.
Just as Gays of Ottawa had created
offspring groups, so did PTS. The AIDS
Committee of Ottawa (ACO) was founded on July 9, 1985, at a PTS board meeting, when Barry Deeprose proposed the
creation of an AIDS committee. Board
member Bob Read agreed to join the
newly formed committee, which later
split off and became its own entity. In
the early years, Deeprose established
a buddy program modelled after the
innovative system developed by the
New York Gay Men’s Health Crisis, and
Read began the prevention and education effort. Other early AIDS organizers
included Sally Eaton and Ron Bergeron.
Later that year, the first AIDS test
became available, and many people who
thought they were safe discovered that
they had the AIDS virus.
I don’t think
anyone in 1971
would have
predicted where
we would be today
in terms of power
and influence.
BARRY DEEPROSE
on the couple in Orleans, a startling
connection was made between the
house beating and the murder of Alain
Brosseau.
According to the testimony of the
youngest assailant, a 16-year-old who
became a crown witness, he and three
friends went looking for a gay man
to beat up for cash. The first gay man
they attacked managed to escape onto
Sussex Drive with a stab wound. Their
next victim was Alain Brosseau, a waiter
walking through the park on his way
home to Hull. The young gang ended
their night of terror with a cab ride
to the address of a gay man they had
mugged a week before — the home of
Fortin and Gauthier.
On the Interprovincial Bridge, Brosseau was robbed, beaten and then
thrown off the bridge to his death by Jeffrey Lalonde, 18, Thomas MacDougall,
18, Duane Martin, 17, and the 16-yearold, whose name was withheld. The
victim’s family emphasized the irony
that Brosseau was straight.
It was the final straw for local activists. For years, Ottawa police had not
been protecting the gay community
from homophobic violence. Pepper began organizing a campaign to improve
the safety of Ottawa’s gay community.
Meanwhile, a Carleton University student named Pierre Baulne was grabbing
the headlines of local papers, trying
to voice his plea for better police protection and facing ridicule from gay
men who scoffed at his suggestion that
gay people wear whistles. During the
Brosseau murder trial, accused killer
Thomas MacDougall said the gang was
out “to roll a queer.”
Lalonde got a life sentence for throwing Brosseau off the bridge, plus 10 years
for the Orleans assault; Martin got eight
years; MacDougall got seven years; and
the 16-year-old got a suspended sentence for helping the Crown convict his
friends. Two other accomplices in the
Orleans attack also received sentences
for stabbing the men and breaking into
the home.
But Ottawa police kept silent, and two
years later, local politicians had forgotten
the issue. But some in the media who covered the Brosseau murder didn’t forget.
CBC radio host Jennifer Fry decided to
do a follow-up piece on her show. David
Pepper was among a panel of guests who
lamented that nothing had been done.
Ottawa Councillor Mark Maloney was
listening to the radio that day and was
disturbed that police had not made an
effort to curb hate crime in Ottawa. As
one of several closeted gay politicians
at the time, Maloney decided to take
a stance and helped organize a meeting between local gay activists and the
police advisory committee in July 1991.
The group continued meeting, and in
1993 the Ottawa police created a bias
crime unit to investigate and educate
the community about hate crime.
Two years later, Pepper was hired by
Police Chief Brian Ford as his special
assistant, based on the leadership and
community organizing skills Pepper
had showed in his four-year campaign to
improve safety for gay men and women
in Ottawa.
While that summer left a painful
scar on the community, the tragedy
of AIDS had left even deeper wounds.
Thousands reflected on those losses
by viewing the Names Project AIDS
Memorial Quilt, which came to the
Capital during the 1989 Pride Week.
In 1990, an HIV-positive ACO board
member named Don Walker opened the
People Living with AIDS Centre, which
later became The Living Room, a dropin for people affected by HIV and AIDS.
A francophone ACO board member
named André Lemieux founded the
Bureau Régional d’Action SIDA (BRAS)
later that year, to provide AIDS services
in the Outaouais.
As the organized lesbian and gay
community ended its second decade,
there were major changes in store for
the city’s oldest gay organization. In
June 1989, Gays of Ottawa changed its
name to the Association of Lesbians and
Gays of Ottawa (ALGO). There was also
increasing tension between ALGO and
its newspaper, GO Info.
Members of the paper were seeking
editorial autonomy, while the ALGO
board felt the paper should reflect the
position of the association. A series of
fights eventually ended with the resignation of many contributors.
A
T CITY HALL THE MOOD WAS
cautious. In the spring of 1990,
local activists asked the city to
proclaim Lesbian and Gay Pride Day
and council agreed, until they discovered it coincided with Father’s Day.
Many local politicians said it was insulting to have the two events on the same
day, and the proclamation was defeated.
A year later, when Pride wasn’t on Father’s Day, Ottawa city council agreed
to the proclamation.
By 1991, Ottawa had its very own
chapter of Queer Nation, a controversial militant lesbian and gay group that
advocated outing and public kiss-ins.
Pepper’s, a restaurant on Elgin Street,
was targeted for a kiss-in demonstration after an affectionate gay couple
was scorned by the restaurant manager.
But the heyday of local activism was
pretty well dead; Queer Nation quickly
lost its momentum. Much of the enthusiasm that had driven the activists of
earlier years had disappeared with the
growth and increasing acceptance of
gays and lesbian in town.
One of the early signs that ALGO had
lost its purpose was the clash between
the ALGO board and GO Info staff. In
1993, GO Info suspended publication,
and in the skirmish, Toronto’s Pink
Triangle Press entered the Ottawa market with its latest publication, Capital
Xtra. The emergence of a competing
paper was a heavy blow to GO Info,
which began publishing again but as a
smaller paper.
As the old guard of lesbian and gay
activists became too burned out to
lead their community, a new generation was ready for action. In 1993, an
ambitious Kanata city councillor named
Alex Munter became the darling of the
local scene when he became the first
local politician to come out. Munter
was one of several prominent Ottawa
figures who were outed that year in
Frank magazine, the satirical gossip rag.
“I was completely out in my personal
life, yet there was a level of ambiguity in
my public life,” Munter explains.
I
N 1993, THE ASSOCIATION OF
Lesbians and Gays of Ottawa added
the word bisexual to its title but
decided to keep the acronym ALGO;
it was eventually changed to ALGBO.
The debate over adding the word
bisexual included a lot of bitterness.
Kerry Beckett, then president of the
battered organization, said the poisoned mood that resulted from the
bisexual debate led to the group’s ultimate demise.
By the fall of 1994, ALGBO was in
financial trouble. A $12,000 budget deficit and the larger question of ALGBO’s
purpose loomed over the heads of a
continually shrinking board. Over the
years, the original GO organization
gave birth to PTS, ACO and the Abiwin
Housing Co-op. By the 1990s, there
was little for the mother organization
to do. The board members themselves
were unable to develop successful survival strategies. For years the women’s
dances kept ALGBO going, but as heavy
drinking declined, so did the profits.
In the spring of 1995, Ottawa city
council was again debating Pride Day.
This time, the controversy stemmed
from the inclusion of the words “bisexual and transgendered” in the title
of Ottawa’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and
Transgender Pride Day. Council finally
agreed to call it simply Pride Day.
After years of impending doom,
ALGBO finally gave up. In September
1995, Beckett and her board suspended
the operations of the organization, after
the group had accumulated a $16,000
debt. In November the board vowed
to pay off all debts and keep a mailbox,
leaving hope for a future revival.
Ottawa’s lesbian and gay communities had outgrown the existence of one
small organization, and in many ways
the death of ALGBO symbolized the
growth and success of Ottawa’s lesbian
and gay population.
One of the oldest institutions in the
community died a death that went
largely unnoticed by most of its citizens because there were more than 50
support and social venues for gays and
lesbians in Ottawa.
“I don’t think anyone in 1971 would
have predicted where we would be today
in terms of power and influence,” says
Barry Deeprose, who was saddened by
the loss of ALGBO, while hopeful of the
community’s future.
Activists like Heidi McDonell are
amazed at how many people have come
out in Ottawa over the last 25 years.
“There was this culture of closetedness that was always in Ottawa. So
people in general weren’t as open. It
used to be hard, even in 1982, to find
people who would be willing to go on
TV or radio,” McDonell says. “That’s
the biggest difference — the willingness
of just everyday gay people, normal
people — who maybe aren’t political,
just to be visible.”
T
HERE ARE MANY LESSONS
that have been learned by our
community in 25 years. The
importance of visibility is a concept
shared by all our community leaders.
As we celebrate the 25th anniversary
of organized lesbian and gay communities in Ottawa, we pay tribute to our
proud history. The names of men and
women in this essay reveal only a fraction of the countless pioneers who built
our community, some of whom have
been lost in faded memories.
As John Duggan, one of the community’s earliest leaders, said when asked
why so few records exist of those early
years, “It didn’t occur to any of us at
the time that any of this would be of
importance.”
XTRA! OCT 10–NOV 6, 2013 29
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OutintheCity
More than
meets the eye
In 2005 I heard Kodak Canada was shutting down. At first I
thought it was a downsizing exercise but soon realized it was just
the tip of the iceberg. Robert Burley E 38
Jade London and Sapphire Champagne
bartend at Majestic Mondays. LAYLA CAMERON
LEARN TO LOVE MONDAY
A new queer event has hit Ottawa’s
nightlife scene, transforming what the
venue owners call a “straight nightclub”
into a gay Monday-night party.
Ilon Tyan, owner of Mansion Nightclub, started the Majestic Mondays event
because he says he felt disconnected
from the community he used to work
with when he was a DJ at Club Edge. “At
Mansion we like to promote style; we like
to promote fashion,” he says. “I felt like
the gay scene would really appreciate it.”
The venue, however, will be unfamiliar to many in Ottawa’s queer
community. “I feel like there is a bit of
hesitance,” Tyan says. “Why is a straight
bar doing a gay night? Out of a lot of
other bars in Ottawa, we may be seen as
more straight because we hold hip-hop
events and stuff like that, which can be
seen as anti-gay.”
Sapphire Champagne, who hosts
Majesty Mondays, says that so far there
has been positive feedback from the
community. “The audience has been
amazing, from students, industry staff,
drag queens, local celebrities and everything in between. We are getting a good
mix of people.”
Ottawa drag queen Jade London bartends the event.
“The challenge is always getting people out,” Champagne says. “Mondays are
hard because people don’t necessarily
think of Mondays as fun. We are going
to change that.” — Layla Cameron
In a 2010 article for The
Guardian newspaper on
body image, Eva Wiseman
states that a regular internet user views an average of
5,000 digitally modified bodies each week. Think about
that for a second. That’s 5,000
bodies that don’t actually exist
but have been artificially rendered with technologies like
Photoshop. It should be no surprise, then, that our cultural
standards for how we should
look are quickly becoming
wildly unrealistic.
“ I ’m o n e o f t h o s e
people who hates seeing themselves in the
mirror or getting their
picture taken,” says
curator/artist Jason
St-Laurent. “I realized for many years
I was covering myself
Tokyo-based
photographer Hal’s
images of couples
encased in shrinkwrap.
up completely in both my
photographic work and
my videos. I started to
wonder if there was an
underlying issue here that
I should deal with. Do I
hate my physical self to
that extreme?”
His response to such
questions comes in the
form of SAW Gallery’s
current exhibition Transformer. Subtitled The
Body Remixed, the collection of videos, paintings, sculptures and
photographs takes
aim at the question of how we
perceive ourselves
by showing the body
in various states of
transformation.
Though the artists
featured are especially
diverse, St-Laurent sees
a particular resonance in
the exhibition for gay men.
“There are elements that may
be more poignant for gay men,
since we’re often early adopters of
all things related to bodily modifications,” he says. — Chris Dupuis
Three decades of the Indigo Girls
Amy Ray remembers the day she and
her Indigo Girls musical partner, Emily
Saliers, opened up for the Grateful
Dead in front of tens of thousands of
Deadheads.
“We’ve been touring for [nearly]
30 years, and that really remains the
most memorable concert for me,” Ray
says. “I looked over to the side of the
stage, and there was Jerry [Garcia]
watching us. The stadium was full and
the crowd loved us. The experience
was so surreal, it was a formative
experience for me.”
Today, almost two decades later, the
become hugely outspokenly pro-gay in
Indigo Girls are back on the road and a
recent times, but there’s still more than
long way from when the
half the states have job
folk-rock duo first met in
discrimination, [where we]
INDIGO GIRLS
elementary school in subcan’t get married legally,
Wed, Oct 16
urban Decatur, Georgia.
have high suicide rates
Centrepointe Theatre
“Gay audiences have
among young people, not
101 Centrepointe Dr
been fundamental to our
to mention a lot of issues
career,” Ray says. “They’ve
in the trans community,
stuck with us through thick and thin.”
issues about race and class. So there’s
Ray says she cried when Barack
still a lot of work to be done.” – Richard
Obama referenced Stonewall in his
Burnett
2013 presidential inauguration speech.
For the full interview with the
But she quickly points out, “Obama has
Indigo Girls, go to dailyxtra.com.
XTRA! OCT 10–NOV 6, 2013 31
Inside
OUt
2013
preview
Small-town
gayboy
Canadian filmmaker Malcolm
Ingram lights a new flame
COVER STORY
JP LAROCQUE
Filmmaker Malcolm Ingram describes
his career as “a lot of lucky stumbling.”
“I was one of those people who knew
what they wanted to do. I always knew I
wanted to be in film; I just didn’t know
where I was going to fit . . . I didn’t have
an agenda, but I was given a lot of lucky
opportunities.”
In his 20s, while working for the Toronto International Film Festival, Ingram crossed paths with American indie
auteur Kevin Smith, who was in town
promoting Clerks. The two became fast
friends, and with the filmmaker’s guidance, Ingram (alongside fellow Canadian
Matt Gissing) went on to direct the film
Drawing Flies, a wilderness-based com-
32 OCT 10–NOV 6, 2013 XTRA!
edy featuring Smith’s well-known stable
of actors, including Jason Mewes, Jason
Lee and Smith himself.
The project was enough of a success to
guarantee Ingram a second shot at the
helm, this time on his own. His second
feature, the Denise Richards-Breckin
Meyer vehicle Tail Lights Fade, was the
filmmaker’s first foray into true commercial cinema. Still, for all the talent
and money involved in the project, the
film was panned by critics and failed to
turn a profit. “That experience was very
humbling because it was one time when
I actually realized that a lot of people had
put a lot of faith in me on a lot of different levels, and I disappointed everyone.”
Shaken, Ingram stepped away from
the craft for a few years, vowing to
return only if he found a worthwhile
project that would require more of a
personal investment. After a few years
of self-described “floating,” he came
across an article in Fab magazine about
Zig’s, a small gay bar in Sudbury that had
been plagued by homophobic attacks.
The story resonated strongly with Ingram, and the idea for the documentary
Small Town Gay Bar was born.
Working with a compact crew, Ingram
travelled to the American South and
shot the film, which focuses on the lives
of a handful of gay men in two rural
Mississippi communities. Although
the project took him far away from his
hometown, he still sees common lines
that can be drawn between the lives of
the film’s subjects and his own. “I grew
up in Oakville, which is kind of a rich,
dopey suburb, but it does have a smalltown mentality. The high school I went
to wasn’t the most tolerant place in the
world . . . Being gay wasn’t part of the
program. So I felt as alienated in that
environment as I imagine someone in
the South would have felt being gay,
without the inherent danger that is
present in the South.”
The project also solidified for Ingram his personal responsibility, both
as a filmmaker and a documentarian.
“I was sitting down and interviewing a
kid whose brother had just been brutally murdered. And I had never made a
documentary before. And at that point,
you’re just like — the responsibility that
I am taking in making this guy have to
tell his story, it is my responsibility.
I become the keeper of his story, and it
is my job to pass the flame to as many
people as possible.
The
Continental
was such an
essential part
of things like
Studio 54, of
house music,
of really
interesting
creative
things.
Above, the Continental, a legendary
bathhouse that was both a social
space and a hotbed of culture in
the 1970s. Left, filmmaker Malcolm
Ingram points out the iconic building.
Right, Steve Ostrow, previous owner
of the Continental, emerges as the
star of Ingram’s documentary about
the bathhouse.
“So in making documentaries, I felt it
was my duty as the flame holder to fucking light the world on fire with his story.”
Not long after Gay Bar’s completion,
Ingram found out that it had been accepted into the Sundance Film Festival,
which was the achievement of a lifelong
dream for the filmmaker. American
queer channel Logo soon approached
him about creating another documentary — this time about the burgeoning bear culture. Ingram was initially
skeptical, concerned that he was too
close to the movement to do it justice.
Still, he went ahead with it, and the final
product — Bear Nation — met with a
decidedly mixed response.
“I couldn’t win because the bear’s
journey is such a personal journey. And
I can never make that perfect documentary, and it was something that so
many people had criticisms of — saying
things like I made the wrong movie,
that essentially I didn’t get it. Bears be
bitches, man. And the claws came out.”
The subject matter of Ingram’s latest documentary, Continental, came
more easily to the filmmaker. Ingram
Tubs
of fun
Malcolm Ingram
looks back at a
legendary bathhouse
in Continental
ONSCREEN
MATTHEW HAYS
had always wanted to tell a story about
gay history, and the famous bathhouse
where Bette Midler got her start had always fascinated him — especially when
considered as both a social space and
a hotbed of culture. “Everything that
appeals to me in the zeitgeist is really
rooted in the ’70s. And the Continental
was such an essential part of things
like Studio 54, of house music, of really
interesting creative things. It was very
much ground zero for a lot of that stuff.”
Beyond historical specificity, the
topic of bathhouses is also of particular
personal importance to the filmmaker.
“I actually kind of had my introduction
to gay culture through bathhouses .
. . When I first came out, there was
this place called the Barracks, and that
was where I discovered bear culture.
Who knew a history lesson could be
this much fun? From its opening,
eye-popping title sequence, Continental spills over with lively interviews, hilarious anecdotes, crazy
stock footage and loads of gossip.
Ingram’s skill as a documentary
filmmaker comes into full play
here. Continental is the story of the
legendary bathhouse, which existed
from the late 1960s to the late ’70s.
This, of course, was a pivotal time
for the gay community and for civil
rights advances, and the film shows
us how an institution that operated
24/7 and was essentially one gigantic orgy was part of that change.
People showed up, partied, had sex,
shopped in the boutique or had a
coffee, then had more sex. Some
men would stay for days at a time.
The star of the documentary
emerges as Steve Ostrow, an entrepreneur who realized men
wanted to meet up
And that was a very social
with other men for sex
CONTINENTAL
experience.”
but often had no way
Sat, Oct 19, 2:30pm
So what’s next for Inor nowhere to do it. He
National Gallery of Canada
gram? Having told the
set up shop, soon to
380 Sussex Dr
stories he wanted to tell,
realize that the police
insideout.ca/ottawafestival
he is taking a break from
would not allow for
documentary filmmaking
such an obvious gayand plans to pursue creative projorgy outfit. But Ostrow explains
ects in reality television — a genre he
that after a couple of raids the
views as having considerable potential.
police pointed out that if he sim“The great thing about reality televiply bought some tickets to their
sion is that there’s a spoonful of sugar
weekly fundraising ball — $8,000
with your medicine. You can impart
worth each week — the raids would
knowledge, you can represent voices
stop. Ostrow agreed, given the
that haven’t been represented before
burgeoning success of his business
in an entertaining way, and that’s an
and his need to protect his custominteresting challenge for me.”
ers’ anonymity.
For all the turbulence in his career up
While acknowledging that the
to this point, Ingram approaches both
bathhouse culture accommodated
his past and future with an admirable
those who remained closeted, Consense of calm. “I’ve had the privilege
tinental also shows us that Ostrow
of knowing what I wanted to do since
was himself a man discovering his
I was five years old, and I did it . . .
own gay sexual identity and that he
Once I got into Sundance, everything
and bathhouse staff always fought
else was gravy. I have that peace where
for the decriminalization of gay sex.
I’ve done the thing that I’ve set out to
It’s a strange time to look back at bedo, and I got to do it before I was 40.
cause there was a sense of euphoria
Q
That’s such a privilege.”
that went with the sexual revolution
and there was no stigma of AIDS.
Interviewed for the film, author Edmund White quotes Susan Sontag,
who suggested there was, in fact, a
brief window of about 30 years —
from the widespread dissemination
of birth control pills and antibiotics
to treat STDs to the outbreak of the
AIDS crisis — when people could
live with complete sexual abandon.
The Continental bathhouse stands
as a potent symbol of this time.
But perhaps the strangest part
comes with the Continental’s status
as a multipurpose space. Leave it
to gays to decide they had to put on
a show. Ostrow had a dancefloor
installed (the first glass disco floor
ever, he claims) and recruited talent to perform live. Most legendary
is the story of how he discovered
Bette Midler, who was a struggling performer paying her way by
waitressing, and how she got her
start there, accompanied by a thenunknown Barry Manilow on piano.
(They didn’t get along at first,
Ostrow says.) Peter Allen played
there, as did Sarah Vaughan and
Patti LaBelle. It sounded like quite
the party.
But Ingram, to his credit, doesn’t
gloss things over. A disgruntled
White suggests that the shows got
in the way of the sex party, which he
feels was the main reason the Continental existed and should have been
its focus. The Continental became
the talk of the town, and as such, all
sorts of people starting showing up
to check things out, among them
Johnny Carson, Hitchcock, Woody
Allen and Diane Keaton. Ingram
doesn’t skimp on gossipy details:
Nureyev loved rough trade! Holly
Woodlawn occasionally performed
while lying down, as she was too
wasted to stand up!
Given what would come down the
pipes not so long after the Continental shut its doors, Ostrow’s story
makes for a beautiful — and quite
uplifting — story arc. He got to pursue
his lifelong dream of being an opera
singer and now works to better the
lives of older gay men. It’s a fitting
punctuation mark to an invigorating
documentary, which, in the Grindr
era, seems almost like science fiction.
By the final credit roll, I was sure of
one thing: watching Continental made
me want to see the Continental. Q
XTRA! OCT 10–NOV 6, 2013 33
OTTAWA LGBT FILM FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS
ALICE WALKER: BEAUTY IN TRUTH
Friday, October 18 | 7:30PM
Alice Walker’s extraordinary journey
from sharecropper’s daughter to activist,
journalist, poet and Pulitzer Prizewinning novelist of The Color Purple
comes to vivid life in this compelling and
inspirational documentary.
STRANGER BY THE LAKE
(L’INCONNU DU LAC)
Friday, October 18 | 9:30PM
Stranger By The Lake is a captivating
blend of beauty, eroticism and suspense.
In a picturesque lakeside cruising spot
in southern France, men sunbathe
nude and hunt for anonymous sexual
encounters in the nearby forest.
French with English subtitles.
CONTINENTAL
Saturday, October 19 | 2:30PM
The Continental Bath and Health Club
opened in 1968 and quickly became a
landmark for gay liberation. The Baths
became a social hotspot where New
York’s cultural elite mingled among gay
men to witness live performances from
artists including Bette Midler, the Pointer
Sisters, Labelle and Natalie Cole.
SARAH PREFERS TO RUN
(SARAH PRÉFÈRE LA COURSE)
Saturday, October 19 | 9:15PM
Empire Theatres
Sarah is a gifted runner who lives for the
sport. When she is accepted into the best
athletics program at McGill University,
Sarah has to figure out a way to pursue her
dream. Sarah’s focus begins to unravel as
she develops an intense attraction to fellow
runner, Zoey. French with English subtitles.
WORLD’S BEST SHORTS
Sunday, October 19 | 4:45PM
Take a trip around the globe without
leaving the comfort of your seat. This
collection of short films includes
comedies, dramas and everything in
between in a delightful package that will
entertain, educate and enlighten.
For more information visit www.insideout.ca
BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR
(LA VIE D’ADÈLE – CHAPITRES 1 & 2)
Sunday, October 20 | 8:00PM
Bytowne Cinema
Adèle is a sensitive 15-year-old student
whose sexual desires are awakened upon
meeting Emma, an assertive art student.
Adèle tentatively begins to visit gay bars
and it is not long after that she and Emma
are in the throes of a passionate affair.
French with English subtitles.
TICKET
S ON
insideo SALE:
ut.ca
IN-PER
SON: W
ilde’s
and Ve
nus En
vy
THIS FESTIVAL IS MADE POSSIBLE IN
PART BY A GRANT FROM THE ONTARIO
ARTS COUNCIL’S TOURING PROGRAM.
34 OCT 10–NOV 6, 2013 XTRA!
Inside
OUt
2013
preview
Blue Is the Warmest Colour, one of the most
talked-about films of the year, is screening
at Inside Out. Go to dailyxtra.com for a video
interview with its director and stars.
Thefantastic
four
Inside Out’s director says the condensed
Ottawa film festival offers some of
the best queer cinema available
CHRIS DUPUIS
Seven years ago, Toronto’s Inside Out
LGBT Film Festival gave birth to a miniversion of itself in Ottawa. Conceived by
former director of programming Jason
St-Laurent (who now helms Ottawa’s
SAW Gallery), the four-day event is
jam-packed with some of the top film
picks from the Toronto edition. Xtra
chatted with current director Andrew
Murphy to learn what makes this year’s
fest a must for Ottawa queer audiences.
XTRA: What’s different about present-
ing queer film in Ottawa versus Toronto
or another major Canadian city?
Toronto is over 11
days with many more movies and a much
larger queer community to draw from,
so I suppose it’s different by default.
ANDREW MURPHY:
Ottawa, with its reputation for being a
government town, is a bit more reserved,
very respectful. Or maybe our audience
is worried about getting kicked out of
the National Gallery if they raise their
voices? Seriously, though, when I see the
Ottawa audiences coming, you can tell
they’re there to experience film and to
experience it with their community. That
makes me feel warm inside. Good movies
find their audience, and if we can help in
some way to connect the two, then my
job is done. And if people meet people
face to face and enjoy themselves rather
than via mobile apps, that’s a bonus. How do you select the works for the
Ottawa fest specifically from the ones
originally selected for Toronto?
Ottawa is only four days, so it’s that much
more painstaking to whittle down only lots of dick, and the Palme d’Or winner
the best of the best from the films we that just had its North American debut at
have and present a top-drawer festival. TIFF, Blue Is the Warmest Colour, about
I’m super stoked to get into the theatres a sensitive 15-year-old girl whose desires
to present them and gauge audience reac- are awakened when she meets an assertions. We kick things off with Toronto’s tive art student.
Audience Award winner,
Beside the films, what else
Reaching for the Moon,
INSIDE OUT OTTAWA
happens at the festival?
LGBT
FILM
FESTIVAL
which follows a tempesThurs, Oct 17–Sun, Oct 20
We’re always looking for
tuous love affair between
Various venues
insideout.ca/
great hook-up possibiliAmerican poet Elizabeth
ottawafestival
ties in our nation’s capiBishop and Brazilian artal. We’re hosting a sweet
chitect Lota de Macedo
Soares in 1950s Brazil. We also have the reception before the opening film at La
top French-language LGBT films that pre- Petite Mort on Oct 17 that’s free with the
miered in Cannes this year: Sara Préfère film ticket. This year we’re also partla Course [Sarah Prefers to Run], about a nering with a local group called Queer
young female runner caught in a bisexual Mafia to co-present a party called Oh
love triangle, L’Inconnu du Lac [Stranger My Jam on Oct 19 at Babylon. I’m still
by the Lake], a dark, sexy film noir with studying up so I know what to pack.
Leather? Tank tops? Suit?
Ottawa is a very queer but also often
very closeted town. Does presenting
a program like Inside Out work to promote queer acceptance or is it mostly
about entertainment?
It’s definitely a combination of the two.
As I learn more about our cities and the
festival, I try to tailor-make them for
the audience, to entertain, but at the
same time challenge and expose them
to something they might not otherwise
have seen or heard of in their everyday
existence. We have pure escapism, sexy
fare, coming-of-age for those hopeless
romantics, as well as more challenging
fare. Seriously, take the four days off,
buy a pass and just go to movies. It’s
Q
going to be awesome.
XTRA! OCT 10–NOV 6, 2013 35
The curious
case of
Alice Walker
Beauty in Truth
explores the resilience
and richness of the
celebrated author
and activist
MATT THOMAS
Outspoken author Alice Walker once
said, “Activism is the rent I pay for living on the planet.” Walker is known to
many as the woman behind the wildly
successful Pulitzer Prize–winning
novel The Color Purple. Her rich literary career and advocacy work have “I’m not a lesbian, I’m not bisexual,
always been fuelled by her deep desire I’m not straight, I’m curious,” says
to deconstruct society’s most complex Alice Walker.
conflicts — class, race, sexuality and lence and sexism within an Africangender — and examine the way they American narrative. From passionate
have affected the psychology of the Af- town halls decrying the work to prorican-American community for genera- tests in the street, Walker became a
tions. In the documentary Alice Walker: lightning rod for a community cautious
Beauty in Truth, award-winning direc- of self-critique or any positive associator Pratibha Parmar lovingly explores tion with the gay community.
the life of a woman consumed by the
According to the documentary, the
beauty of language and its ability to torrid and tender love affair between
effect social change regardless of the Celie and Shug made The Color Purple
dark places it takes her.
the first major novel to depict love beThe youngest of eight children, tween two women as a natural and
Walker grew up in small-town Georgia. beautiful thing. “I’m not a lesbian, I’m
She began writing poetry as a means not bisexual, I’m not straight, I’m curito express herself and understand ous,” Walker states. “If you’re really alive,
her world in the face of the crushing how can you be in one place the whole
poverty and rampant racism in the time? That doesn’t work for me.” The
Southern US during the Jim Crow era. film covers her romantic relationships
With an ingrained passion for equal- — from her first marriage, to Jewish
ity politics, a brash young Walker civil rights lawyer Melvyn Rosenman
stayed primarily in the South to im- Leventhal, which led to constant hamerse herself in desegregation activ- rassment from the KKK, to her very
ism before moving to New York City public relationship with songstress
to renew her interest in writing. There Tracy Chapman — painting the portrait
she would write her first published of a woman whose craft is as passionate
collections and work as a contribut- and undefinable as her sexuality.
ing editor at Ms magazine alongside
From her early days on the front
feminist icon Gloria Steinem. She lines of civil rights battles in the South,
helped open doors for many African- to her crusade against female circumAmerican women writers looking for cision in Africa, and more recently
a place to express themselves.
highlighting humanitarian struggles
Published in 1982, The Color Pur- in Rwanda, the Congo and Palestine,
ple is Walker’s 10th book.
Walker has spent her life
ALICE WALKER:
The film adaptation was
fighting for people’s right
BEAUTY IN TRUTH
directed by Steven Spielto experience the beauty
Fri, Oct 18, 7:30pm
berg and stars Oprah Winof a life lived outside the
National Gallery
of Canada
frey, Whoopi Goldberg and
shadows of oppression. In
380 Sussex Dr
Danny Glover. The musical
exploring what has made
debuted in 2005 and was
Walker the wise woman
nominated for 11 Tony Awards. One she is today, Parmar has created an
of this documentary’s most dynamic inspiring tale of a resilient woman who
sections deals with the controversy refuses to be categorized, and every
the book and film caused because of community she has touched is better
Q
their depiction of homosexuality, vio- for it.
36 OCT 10–NOV 6, 2013 XTRA!
Promqueens
The director of
Jawbreaker returns
with GBF
WILL EAGLE
Get ready to crush hard on Michael J
Willett. You’ll recognize him as Marshall
Gregson’s bleached-blond gay friend
Lionel from the United States of Tara.
In GBF he plays Tanner, a teenaged
boy accidently outed thanks to his best
friend Brent (Paul Iacono), who signs
up Tanner for “guydar.” Through some
creative licence with the way GPS technology works, Tanner is discovered
and finds himself thrust into the
spotlight as the new trendy accessory — the gay best friend. He gets
stuck in a tug-of-war battle between
his high school’s three queen bees,
all of whom want him to be their
GBF for various nefarious purposes,
primarily so they can win the prom
queen crown.
Willett plays Tanner with an unassuming charm that feels refreshing,
honest and perhaps even unexpected.
He’s a regular kid at school who happens
to be gay and likes comics, and we get
to witness his bemusement, reticence
and eventual acceptance at being a star
in the school’s social scene.
This Darren Stein–directed movie
plays with the genre much as Scream
played with horror, making references
to other classic teen movies and giving
the plot format of friends broken apart
and used by bitchy, beautiful, popular
girls a gay twist. It’s not a parody; it’s a
pastiche that builds on movies such as
Clueless, Mean Girls and Jawbreaker,
which was also directed by Stein. Classic scenes, like the slow-motion walk
down the high school corridor seen in
GBF
Fri, Oct 18, 5:30pm
National Gallery
of Canada
380 Sussex Dr
Jawbreaker, make an appearance in
GBF, along with a makeover montage,
which is set to Ellie Goulding’s “Anything Could Happen.”
“Those sequences are always about
wish fulfillment,” Stein says. “It’s fun
to play dress-up, and we got to be loose
and improvise with the outfits and reactions. It’s such a classic construct.”
When it comes to his own prom, Stein
says he’s mostly blocked it out. “It was
bizarre. I knew I was gay. I went to an
all-boys school and had shipped in a girl
from Florida that I knew from a film
program. My mom did her makeup.”
Fans of the 1999 black comedy will
enjoy Rebecca Gayheart’s appearance
in GBF. In fact, the young and talented
cast is supported by a peppering of more
widely known faces and names, including
Jonathan Silverman (Weekend at Bernie’s),
Evanna Lynch (Harry Potter), Natasha
Lyonne (But I’m a Cheerleader) and Mia
Rose Frampton, who played the girl in the
jewellery store whom Kristen Wiig calls “a
little cunt” in Bridesmaids. Stein had asked
specifically for Frampton when casting.
The spectacular Megan Mullally stars as
Brent’s mother, and it’s her description
of the sex scene in Brokeback Mountain
that almost steals the whole movie. “Megan watched the full scene and ad-libbed
everything. She’s mind-blowing to work
with,” Stein says. “I thought, ‘I’m going to
be meeting Karen from Will and Grace;
how will I handle this?’ She was very collaborative and supportive.”
It’s hard not to enjoy GBF because it
plays with everything we loved about
those that paved the way before it. “After Jawbreaker,” Stein says, “I said I’d
never make a movie of this sort again,
but it’s a case of never say never.” GBF
may just become a cult classic — and
it’s definitely not to be missed at this
Q
year’s festival.
Outonalimb?
Out in the Dark, directed by Michael Mayer, tells the story
of two men caught in an impossible love story. Nimr is a
Palestinian student. Roy is an Israeli lawyer. They hook up.
Seems like a pretty straightforward boy-meets-boy story.
But when you are crossing the Palestinian-Israeli divide,
nothing is that easy.
Filmmaker Elle Flanders sat down with Mayer and Nicholas Jacob, who plays Nimr, when they
OUT IN THE
were in Toronto for the Toronto InterDARK
national Film Festival. Go to dailyxtra.
Sun, Oct 20, 2pm
National Gallery
com for the video interview about Out
of Canada
in the Dark, pinkwashing and conflict
380 Sussex Dr
in the Middle East.
Roy (Michael Aloni, left) and Nimr (Nicholas Jacob)
in Out in the Dark.
OTTAWA LGBT FILM FESTIVAL SPECIAL EVENTS
Join us before the show to celebrate our seventh Ottawa Festival!
GALA RECEPTION
LA PETITE MORT – 306 CUMBERLAND STREET
THURSDAY OCT. 17, 2013 | 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
(Free event exclusive to Reaching for the Moon ticket holders)
OPENING GALA
REACHING FOR THE MOON
THURSDAY OCTOBER 17 | 8 PM
Queer Mafia and Inside Out present
OH MY JAM: PUMPS N BOWTIES EDITION
BABYLON NIGHTCLUB - 317 BANK STREET
SATURDAY OCT. 19, 2013 | 10:30 PM
Official after party with DJ D-Luxx Brown on the decks,
party photo booth, epic visuals by Bustedlimb and special guests.
Partial proceeds will go to the Families of Sisters in Spirit.
THIS FESTIVAL IS MADE POSSIBLE IN PART
BY A GRANT FROM THE ONTARIO ARTS
COUNCIL’S TOURING PROGRAM.
XTRA! OCT 10–NOV 6, 2013 37
Robert Burley’s photographs capture
the abandonment and demolition of
Kodak Canada complexes.
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Farewell to film
Project documents the demise
of the old-fashioned camera
Cameron
Carpenter
organ
impromptu rave held in one location
before its destruction.
“It’s ultimately a project about a
Once upon a not-so-distant time, near- time when photography changed forly every household in North America ever,” Burley says. “It was an enterprise
had a good old-fashioned film cam- employing hundreds of thousands of
era. But as cheaper, higher-quality people and an art form that shaped
digital models have flooded the market the world over the last century. I saw
over the last decade, the medium has this shift as a significant moment in
quietly fallen into near extinction. the medium’s history, which I wanted
While many artists have lamented to record.”
film’s demise, Robert Burley set out
A professional photographer for
to document a specific aspect of it. more than three decades, Burley is
His current exhibition captures the particularly sensitive to the transiruins of crumbling film production tion, as it’s shown up relatively refactories around the edges of North cently in his career. He confesses a
American cities.
certain fondness for the magic of the
“In 2005, I heard Kodak Canada was darkroom, watching images appear
shutting down,” the Toronto photog- slowly in chemical baths instead of
rapher says. “At first I thought it was flashing instantly on glowing screens.
a downsizing exercise but soon real- But while he still uses both analogue
ized it was just the tip
and digital formats in
ROBERT BURLEY:
of the iceberg. Over the
his work, he doesn’t
THE DISAPPEARANCE
OF DARKNESS
next five years, all of the
sound terribly optimisFri, Oct 18–Sun, Jan 5
photographic compatic about the old-school
National Gallery of
nies found themselves
medium’s future.
Canada
in economic free fall.”
“Sadly, this product
380 Sussex Dr
gallery.ca
Like an archaeologiwas never manufaccal survey of late-20thtured as an artist’s macentury ruins, the exhibition captures terial,” he says. “It was created for
these sprawling abandoned complexes mass markets: consumers, Hollywood
in 30 large-scale prints and two grids and other professional applications.
of Polaroids. In a nod to the tech- All of these markets have switched or
nology that wrought this empire’s are in the process of switching to digidownfall, there is also a video piece tal media. One of the facts that became
created from YouTube footage of sev- clear over the course of this project is
eral Kodak factory demolitions and a that film, unlike vinyl records, cannot
framed first-generation iPhone with a be produced small-scale. At this point,
Facebook slideshow documenting an its future is really unknown.”
ON DISPLAY
CHRIS DUPUIS
SYMPHONIE
FANTASTIQUE!
*HZ\HS -90+(@:
^P[O[OL
5(*6YJOLZ[YH
November 1
&
Yoxon
Renée erguson
F
rk
Ma
;PJRL[ZMYVT
NAC Orchestra
Alexander Shelley, conductor
Cameron Carpenter, organ
CAMERON CARPENTER The Scandal
BERLIOZ
Symphonie fantastique
5:30 p.m. Pre-concert wine, Culinary Overture* tapas and live jazz
7:00 p.m. 90-minute world-class concert with the NAC Orchestra
8:30 p.m. Free coffee and cash bar reception with the musicians
* Culinary Overture tickets are $20 per person per concert for a variety of
delectable small plates prepared by the NAC culinary team. One complimentary
glass of wine per person is included with your ticket.
MEDIA PARTNER
nac-cna.ca/fridays
38 OCT 10–NOV 6, 2013 XTRA!
XPOSED
ZARA ANSAR
Bayshore Cocktail Party
Bayshore Shopping Centre hosted
a VIP cocktail party on Sept 19.
It featured a fashion shoot with
international models Brianna
Barnes and Dana Ponomareva.
1E James Jefferson, left, and
Leah Harper meet up at the
Bayshore party.
2E From left, Lillian, Suzette
Haywood (Syn Sue Salon) and
Patrice James (IFCO) in their
stylish threads.
3E Louis Alexander II Renaud, left,
and Osman Romero share a drink
and a cuddle.
2
1
4
Harvest Noir
Harvest Noir, the ultimate
end-of-summer party and startof-harvest ball, was held Sept 7.
Attendees enjoyed a chic picnic, a
fashion show, a bicycle flash mob
and a huge DJ dance party featuring
Timekode.
4E Jenn Farr poses with one of
the bikes from the Harvest Noir
bicycle mob.
3
7
5
Nuit Blanche
Nuit Blanche was held Sept 21 in
various locations throughout the
city. Despite the rain, many people
came out to see the eclectic range
of pieces from Ottawa artists.
5E Britta Evans-Fenton and her
99 Red Beacons — 99 red balloons
that toured the city blinking out a
Morse-code message from a member of the Canadian Forces. The
project was inspired by the Cold
War song “99 Luftballons.”
Unshaven Mavens
Pits 4 Tits Launch Party
Unshaven Mavens’ Pits for Tits
campaign launch, in support of
Rethink Breast Cancer, was held
Sept 6 at Mercury Lounge.
6E Amie Beausoleil has her head
shaved by House of Barons.
House of Paint
6
8
House of Paint is a five-day festival
of hip-hop culture. Events were
held under the Dunbar Bridge,
with performances from DJ Afrika
Bambaataa and others.
7E A break dancer performs at the
B-boy/B-girl crew battle.
8E DJ Acro teaches kids how
to DJ in the Seeds Youth Tent.
XTRA! OCT 10–NOV 6, 2013 39
Mustache ride
Mansfield Brothers bring vaudeville,
slapstick and facial hair to Ottawa
burlesque scene
ONSTAGE
JULIE CRUIKSHANK
It seems as though you can’t walk down
the street in Ottawa these days without
seeing posters for burlesque shows. To
say that it’s taking off is kind of like saying
that Miley Cyrus is a little bit into twerking. Burlesque has exploded, showering
the city in a fine mist of glitter and body
positivity. Now a new face is emerging on
the scene, and it has a mustache.
The Mansfield Brothers are an allmale vaudeville troupe. Made up of
three core members — Gregory, Stanley
and Alexander (as well as a supporting
cast of numerous others) — they bring
prop-based humour, physical comedy
and genderbending shenanigans to the
burlesque scene. Almost overnight the
Mansfields have gone from a filler act
designed to keep the crowd entertained
while the main performers changed
costumes to headliners in their own
right, treating audiences to their unique
blend of finely choreographed humour.
“Everybody adopted a unique name,
but the last name was always Mansfield. And everybody has a mustache,”
explains Gregory Mansfield, the oldest
brother and the co-founder, who rocks
a shaved head/duster-style mustache
combo. Alexander, who sports the most
facial hair, with an impressive curled
’stache and full beard, is the troupe’s
main dancer and choreographer, while
Stanley, with his darkly handsome mustache and soul patch, plays the straight
man and makes the most of the props
and costumes.
The brothers have now performed with
almost all of Ottawa’s seven burlesque
troupes. “We bring a unique aspect to
it,” Gregory says. “It is a very femaledominated art form. There’s starting to
be more and more boylesquers that pop
Hot ’n horny hookups.
of talent,” he says. “We really have to be
over-the-top to be memorable.” Routines
include dancing to Britney Spears in
Edwardian swimwear, an all-male performance of Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies”
and a charming take on the classic NFB
short The Log Driver’s Waltz.
Tongue-in-cheek genderbending is
one of the hallmarks of the Mansfield
style, but it’s always done in such a way
as not to undermine the empowerment
that burlesque represents for many of
the female performers. “We all have
very dominant facial hair, we’re all
clearly men, so let’s throw on some
wigs and dresses and see how this goes,”
Gregory says. Part of the humour comes
from the juxtaposition of intentionally terrible drag combined with tight,
complex choreography. “Using that
burlesque as an engine,
it’s incredible. It’s a total
THE MONTHLY GREAT
CANADIAN TEASE
vehicle for what we’re
BURLESQUE BRUNCH
doing.”
Sun, Oct 20, noon–3pm
The brothers draw
Maxwell’s Bistro and
Nightclub
their inspiration from
340 Elgin St
a variety of classic acts,
ROCKALILY’S ZOMBIE
including The Three
STRIPPERS HALLOWEEN
Stooges, the Marx BrothThe Mansfield Brothers are Ottawa’s all-male vaudeville troupe.
SHOW
BENJAMIN RIPLEY
ers and Mel Brooks
Thurs, Oct 31, 9pm
Babylon Nightclub
movies. With upcoming
317 Bank St
up, but there’s almost zero vaudeville. mean they don’t have
shows in both Ottawa
I mean, you can be pretty popular if you’re to work as hard. “The
and Toronto, they have
the only one doing it,” he says, chuckling. girls from Rockalily, the girls from Capital officially moved beyond filler status
As Gregory is the first to point out, Tease, everyone, they have all their own to become their own hairy stars in the
though, being the only gig in town doesn’t unique talent, and it’s a very high calibre burlesque universe.
Free
to join
Get 5 days
unlimited
access
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40 OCT 10–NOV 6, 2013 XTRA!
WHAT'S ON
FOR MORE EVENT LISTINGS, GO TO DAILYXTRA.COM
ARTS & LITERATURE
Centretown Community Health
Centre, 420 Cooper St. Free.
gayzonegaie.ca
Small Press Book Fair
After Stonewall Reading
An exhibit of everything from
cookbooks to graphic novels. For
more info or to arrange an exhibit
table, contact rob_mclennan@
hotmail.com. Sat, Oct 12, noon–
5pm. Jack Purcell Community
Centre, Room 203, 320 Jack Purcell
Lane. $20 for a full table, $10 for
a half table, free to the public.
smallpressbookfair.blogspot.ca
Nathan Burgoine reads from his new
novel, Light, followed by a booksigning and refreshments. RSVP
required. Thurs, Oct 24, 6–8pm.
After Stonewall, 370 Bank St. Free.
afterstonewallgallery.com
Ottawa LGBT
Film Festival
A festival that uses the promotion,
production and exhibition of queer
film to challenge attitudes and
change lives. Thurs, Oct 17–Sun,
Oct 20. Various locations. $10–80.
insideout.ca
The Hard Cover Book Club
Men are invited to gather and
discuss Wilde Stories 2013: The
Year’s Best Gay Speculative Fiction.
Thurs, Oct 17, 6pm. Gay Zone,
The Big Picture Launch
Andrew J Simpson launches his
eclectic anthology of short stories,
including one called “The David,”
about a man whose perfect penis is
the inspiration for a dildo. Fri, Nov 1,
7pm. Pressed Café, 750 Gladstone
Ave. Free. versustheneanderthals.com
HEALTH & SUPPORT
The Living Room
HIV-positive people and their
loved ones are welcome to access
many resources, including a food
bank, laundry facilities, internet,
counselling and workshops. Those
interested should contact The Living
Room for an appointment. AIDS
Committee of Ottawa, 251 Bank St,
7th Floor. Free. aco-cso.ca
Addictions Treatment
The LESA (Lifestyle Enrichment for
Senior Adults) program provides
resources for people 55 and older
experiencing issues with alcohol,
medications, drugs and gambling.
For an appointment, call 613-2335430. Centretown Community
Health Centre, 420 Cooper St. Free.
centretownchc.org
Men’s Yoga at Gay Zone
This class is suited to both
beginners and experienced
practitioners. Every Thursday, 5:15–
6:45pm. Gay Zone, Centretown
Community Health Centre, 420
Cooper St. Free. gayzonegaie.ca
Spectrum
This Youth Services Bureau program
offers queer and questioning youth
aged 12–25 a safe space to enjoy each
other’s company, discuss sexuality
and related topics, participate in
workshops, receive counselling and
more. Every Tuesday, 7–9pm. YSB,
147 Besserer St. Free. ysb.ca
Pink Triangle
Youth Drop-In
A peer-led discussion and support
group for queer and curious
youth aged 25 and under. Every
Hauntings
& flauntings
Famous Monsters
Trick My Treat 5
Brunch, followed by something
sweet and steamy. This monsterthemed edition of the Great
Canadian Tease Burlesque
Brunch features performers
Sassy Muffin, Lila Livewire and
Bella Barecatt. Takes place the
third Sunday of each month. Sun,
Oct 20, noon–3pm. Maxwell’s
Bistro, 340 Elgin St. $20.
maxwellsbistro.com
Queer people of every stamp
get on their wigs, fangs and
glitter and dance to the
music of DJs D-Luxx Brown
and Debonair. Sat, Oct
26, 9:30pm–2am.
Café Nostalgica, 601
Cumberland St. $5–
12. venusenvy.ca
Tiki Terror: A Halloween
Burlesque Special
Spooky tiki masks, hula girls,
zombies, ghouls and fire, with
performances by Charlotte
Champagne, Lily Inferno, the
Sin Sisters and more. Fri, Oct 25,
9pm–2am. Rainbow Bistro, 76
Murray St. $10 advance, $15 door.
tikiterror.eventbrite.ca
Barrymore’s Annual
Halloween Charity Ball
A diverse group of people come
together for a ghoulish good
time while raising funds for
local causes. Sat, Oct 26, 9pm.
Barrymore’s Music Hall, 323 Bank
St. $15 early bird, $20 advance,
$25 door. barrymores.on.ca
Rocky Horror
Picture
Show
Halloween is a
time for timewarping. Please,
no rice or confetti
— use bubbles.
Fri, Oct 25, 9pm
and 11:30pm; Sat,
Oct 26, 8pm and
10:30pm; Thurs,
Oct 31, 7pm
and 9:45pm.
The Mayfair
Theatre, 1074
Bank St. $10
members, $15
non-members.
mayfairtheatre.
com
Oh My Jam —
Babylon, Sat, Oct 19
Wednesday, 7–9pm. PTS, 331
Cooper St. Free. ptsottawa.org
BiAmore
People who are bisexual,
polyamorous and bi-curious get
together for activities and discussion
related to achieving healthy
relationships. Takes place the first
Thursday and third Monday of each
month. Mon, Oct 21, 7–9pm. PTS, 331
Cooper St. Free. ptsottawa.org
QPOC Drop-In
Queer people of colour gather for
fun, discussion, socializing and
support. Open to people of all ages,
genders, backgrounds, orientations
and abilities. Takes place the last
Tuesday of each Month. Tues, Oct
29, 7–9pm. PTS, 331 Cooper St.
Free. ptsottawa.org
LEISURE & PLEASURE
Rideau Speedeaus
Everyone — beginners to seasoned
competitors, all gender identities and
orientations — is welcome on the
Rideau Speedeaus swim team. Every
Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
Ottawa U Pool, Montpetit Hall,
123 University Pvt. To inquire
about the Learn to Swim
program, contact lts@
rideauspeedeaus.com.
rideauspeedeaus.com
Vintage
Video-Game
Tournament:
Mario Kart
64 Edition
Marathon gaming
to benefit Pink
Triangle Services.
For more info and
to register, contact
events@ptsottawa.
org. Sat, Oct 12, 4pm. Royal
Canadian Legion, Branch 351, 330
Kent St. ptsottawa.org
Capital Pride Festival
Annual General Meeting
Famous Monsters — Maxwell's
Bistro, Sun, Oct 20 BENJAMIN RIPLEY
The presentation of the annual
report is followed by the election
of a new board of directors. Wed,
Oct 16, 6:30pm. Ottawa City Hall,
Colonel By Room, 110 Laurier Ave W.
Free. capitalpride.ca
The Elton
John Experience
The Captain Fantastic Band
captures the essence of Elton
John, playing hits like “Crocodile
Rock” and “Your Song.” Sat, Oct
19, 8–11pm. Centrepointe Theatre,
101 Centrepointe Dr. $27.50.
captainfantastic.ca
Seniors’ Bowling
Queer people 50 and older and their
friends are invited to bowl a few
frames. For more information, email
[email protected]. Mon, Oct 21,
6:30pm. West Park Bowling, 1205
Wellington St W. $3 per game; free
shoe rental. ospn-rfao.ca
NIGHTLIFE
Thursdays
are a Drag
Zelda Marshall hosts a night of drag
queens, drag kings and burlesque
dancers. Alyna Moore performs and
DJ Bill spins progressive house. Every
Thursday: music 9:30pm–2am, drag
10:30pm–midnight. Swizzles, 246B
Queen St. No cover. swizzles.ca
Thirsty Boy
Thursday
The boys get sweaty to top-40
tracks at this weekly dance party.
The hour before midnight is “pump
hour,” when drinks are $4. Every
Thursday, 10pm–2am. The Lookout
Bar & Bistro, 41 York St. No cover.
thelookoutbar.com
Friday Fixxx
One of the most popular ladies’
nights around, featuring DJ Isabelle
Bechamp. Pre-Fixxx drag king show,
9–11pm; dancing from 10pm on.
Every Friday, 9pm–2am. The Lookout
Bar & Bistro, 41 York St. No cover
before 9pm. thelookoutbar.com
Majesty Monday
Sapphire Champagne presents a
new queer club night, with weekly
drag shows and a variety of DJs.
Every Monday, 10pm–2:30am.
Mansion Nightclub, 400A Dalhousie
St. $5. mansionnightclub.ca
We Love 2 Hump
Midweek is the best time to hump.
Ginette Bobo performs in drag,
and DJ Martin spins electro, house
and hip-hop mashups. Every
Wednesday, 5–10pm. Mercury
Lounge, 56 Byward Market Sq.
mercurylounge.com
Oh My Jam:
Pumps n Bowties
In celebration of the Inside Out
LGBT Film Festival, revellers don
their fanciest neck and foot gear
and dance to the beats of DJs
Blackcat and D-Luxx Brown. Sat,
Oct 19, 10pm–2:30am. Babylon,
317 Bank St. $7 advance, $10 door.
thequeermafia.com
SEX
Everybody’s Doing
It: Talking About Sex
and Disability
A workshop focused on how those
who experience difficulty with
mobility, sensation or pain during
sex can spice things up with toys
and accessories. For more info or
to register, contact 613-789-4646.
Mon, Oct 21, 6:30–8:30pm. Venus
Envy, 320 Lisgar St. $20, $10 sliding
scale. venusenvy.ca
Lessons in NonMonogamy: What Have
We Figured Out So Far?
This workshop is not an introduction
to non-monogamy, but rather
focuses on issues that may crop
up for those with several years’
experience. For more info or to
register, contact 613-789-4646. Sat,
Nov 2, 7:30–9:30pm. Venus Envy,
320 Lisgar St. $25, $15 sliding scale.
venusenvy.ca
Making an Impact
Those who enjoy hitting or being
hit learn about safety, available
products, technique and types of
scenes in this demo-filled workshop.
For more info or to register, contact
613-789-4646. Sun, Nov 3, 6:30–
8:30pm. Venus Envy, 320 Lisgar St.
$25, $15 sliding scale. venusenvy.ca
Submit your event listing to [email protected].
Deadline for the Nov 7–Dec 11 issue is Wed, Oct 30.
XTRA! OCT 10–NOV 6, 2013 41
A world of gay adventure
Travel
‘Gay-friendly’ often means
there’s a good men’s scene, but
what about the sisters?
great
destinations
for women
AEFA MULHOLLAND
2 New York
Where are the best vacation spots for
gay women? Does gay-friendly also
mean lesbian-friendly — or will women find themselves the sole sisters in a
sea of men? Here are 10 destinations
where women will not only find a
warm welcome, but will also discover
a wealth of places to meet and mingle
with other women, from bars to bookstores to cafés to clubs.
You’ll find vibrant scenes in both
Manhattan and in Brooklyn’s Park
Slope neighbourhood, plus lots more
in between. Grab coffee and maybe
some admiring glances at the East
Village’s Mudspot Café, or linger over
literature in Bluestockings feminist
bookstore/café on the Lower East
Side. In Manhattan, meet locals at
the legendary Henrietta Hudson bar,
or make new friends at a backyard
barbecue at Ginger’s in Park Slope. In
Williamsburg in Brooklyn, Metropolitan is the main drinking and dancing
address. Spend the night at 70 Park
Avenue, a chic Murray Hill hotel with
a daily free-wine hour.
1 San Francisco
San Francisco is still the number-one
getaway for girls. Explore the lesbianpopular Mission, Castro and Bernal
Heights neighbourhoods to get a feel
for San Francisco’s feminine charms.
By day, visit lesbian-loved coffeehouse
Dolores Park Cafe. Scene stalwart the
Lexington is the city’s only exclusively
lesbian bar. With a jukebox, pool
table and friendly regulars, it’s a
good first stop. End your night at
the hip Phoenix Hotel in the gritty
Tenderloin district. Crammed with
creative types and visiting rock gods
and goddesses, the poolside scene is
one to watch.
42 OCT 10–NOV 6, 2013 XTRA!
3 Portland
The alternative, lesbian-adored Hawthorne neighbourhood is home to
women-owned businesses, bars and
abodes, but you’ll find family all over
the city, particularly around the Mississippi, Alberta and Burnside areas.
Have coffee at Haven, where the music sounds like Lilith Fair on repeat.
The E Room — or Egyptian Club — is
Portland’s lesbian pub and club, but
AEFA MULHOLLAND
Clockwise from above: the cozy rooftop oasis at Praktik Metropol hotel in
Madrid; Berlin’s romantic café scene; the Castro is the lesbian epicentre of San
Francisco; the lesbian-owned Lobster Pot in Provincetown is always bustling;
folk art at Pioneer Courthouse Square in Portland.
edgier options, such as Babe Cave,
happen at the hip Holocene. Savour
cocktails at lesbian-owned Mint. Be
sure to check out stunningly designed
The Nines hotel, right on Pioneer
Square and the MAX light rail.
4 Provincetown
It’s hard not to love laidback P-town,
the LGBT-adored town at the tip of
Cape Cod. Streets fill with vacationing folks, and you’ll find particularly
high concentrations of community
at Spiritus Pizza on Commercial and
the lesbian-owned Lobster Pot. The
section to the left of the parking lot
at Herring Cove beach is where you’ll
find the women. Let big names from
the women’s comedy scene entertain
you at the Crown & Anchor. There
are gargantuan women’s events at
the Pied, May through mid-October.
Choose accommodation from the
array on offer from the Women Innkeepers of Provincetown.
5 Tokyo
Things seem pretty strait-laced in
Tokyo. Well, until you encounter
the Shinjuku Ni-chōme district, that
is. Sometimes called Ni-chō, it’s the
LGBT epicentre of Japan, with its
flashing neon, streets awash with people, and hundreds of bars crammed
into unlikely spaces, many in what
look like office towers. Bars are often
no bigger than a spare bedroom. For a
flirty, friendly, femme crowd, try corner café/bar Advocates, popular with
a mixed local and international set.
Miniscule but welcoming Kinswomyn
is the dowager dyke den here, having lasted longer than all others. The
current hottest women’s option is the
sleek Motel #203, owned by a legendary lesbian club promoter. Be sure
to seek out Gossip, an LGBT café/
bookstore in Omotesandō; it’s a good
place to get online or get information
about events. In the heart of the Shinjuku action, straightforward Lonestar
has small rooms that are clean and
convenient.
AEFA MULHOLLAND
Spend an afternoon at bookstore/
gallery Violette & Co. Hotel
Beaubourg markets to the LGBT
community and provides a perfect
launch pad for saunters along the
Seine and for exploring the city.
9 Berlin
AEFA MULHOLLAND
6 Sydney
Although the shinier village scene is in
Darlinghurst and adjacent Surry Hills,
and the settled ladies love Leichhardt,
Newtown is the neighbourhood to
head for if you just want to see girls
go by. Grab coffee at lesbian-run
Corelli’s, eat at the women-adored
Bank Hotel and drink at Sapphiccentral Sly Fox. Just around the
corner, revisit scenes from Priscilla:
Queen of the Desert at Tuesday’s LGBT
MORE AT DAILYXTRATRAVEL.COM
bingo or try lesbian speed-dating at
the iconic Imperial in Erskineville.
After a leisurely dip in the outdoor
Coogee Women’s Pool and a quick
pick-me-up at LOTL Espresso Bar,
run by Sydney’s lesbian magazine
publisher, lay down your head at Darlinghurst’s stylish Altamount.
include Blush, the site of Sunday
roasts and rambunctious parties in
a secret garden, and mixed LGBT
local The Oak. If the weather’s good,
go north to the Hampstead Heath
women’s pond. Outlet offers shortterm (or long, if you like) apartment
lets and shares with LGBT folks.
7 London
8 Paris
A thrilling array of bars and clubs
cater to London’s boisterous women.
A bold, bright scene centres on
Soho, home to the Candy Bar, but
head north to the Stoke Newington
neighbourhood to see where many
London ladies live. Places to play
A sultry scene spills over the streets
around the River Seine. Women flock
to hip Le Sofa for lunch and dinner.
Former boulangerie Le Nix is an
ideal place to start your soirée before
continuing to Gertrude Stein’s old
haunt, dance bar Le Rive Gauche.
Sometimes it seems that everyone with
even the slightest artistic bent is moving to Berlin. It makes for a hectic city,
where something new is always starting
and there’s always someone who speaks
English. The lesbian scene stays fresh
with a seemingly constant supply of
new nights and new faces. At the other
end of things, old-school women’s bar
Begine has been around since the old
days. More up-to-date antics can be
encountered at the weekly Mondo Klit
Rock Club, at Roadrunner’s Paradise,
or at women’s parties at the eclectic
Sudblock, near the grimy Kottbusser
Tor U-Bahn station. To relax after all
the excitement, sink into the steam at
the women-only Turkish baths at Schokofabrik, part of a women’s centre in a
converted chocolate factory. Book into
one of the bright, airy rooms at womenonly hotel Artemisia Frauenhotel.
10 Madrid
A seriously sexy city to start with,
Madrid is an amazing mecca for
mujeres. The bars and clubs of LGBT
neighbourhood Chueca overflow
into the streets from early evening,
but things don’t really get going until
midnight or later. Head for Plaza de
Chueca and find yourself surrounded
by women carousing over cocktails
and tapas. Truco is one of the busiest
bars, with an under-30 crowd and
great people-watching tables on the
plaza. Escape is the most popular
dancing destination. Daytime
distractions include the well-stocked
bookstore Libreria Berkana and the
slew of incredible tapas options at
Mercado San Miguel; vermouth on
tap and gargantuan portions of olives
are particular standouts. Stay at chic
boutique bargain Praktik Metropol,
just a few minutes’ walk from the
action. The hotel’s two-level roof
terrace is perfect for sunning, reading
or sipping an apéritif.
The online version of this story,
on dailyxtratravel.com, has links
to most of the businesses mentioned.
XTRA! OCT 10–NOV 6, 2013 43
Travel
DANNY GLENWRIGHT
ANTHONY SINAGOGA, VISIT BUCKS COUNTY
Stepping back in
time in New Hope
Charming Pennsylvania town filled with historical gems
DANNY GLENWRIGHT
There is a scene in the film Mary Poppins in which the magical nanny clasps
the hands of the young children in her
charge and jumps with them out of the
dirty streets of London and into a sidewalk chalk painting.
The group find themselves in a bucolic wonderland of wooden bridges,
horse-drawn carriages and bubbling
brooks. It is not unlike New Hope, a
tiny anachronistic tourist hamlet an
hour’s drive from the unsightly industrial suburbs of Philadelphia. A journey
to the Pennsylvania town of 2,500,
which the local Bucks County tourism
bureau refers to as an “eclectic community,” is as intriguing (and gay) as any
jolly holiday Mary has to offer.
My travelling companions and I
called New Hope “unbearably cute” —
not because it’s actually intolerable,
but more due to the endearing charm
that oozes from each of its historic attractions. At the top of this list is the
Bucks County Playhouse, a celebrated
theatre that dates back to the 1930s.
That’s when a group of local artists
teamed up to convert what was then
a crumbling grist mill on the banks of
the Delaware River into a functional
playhouse. The theatre was soon a New
44 OCT 10–NOV 6, 2013 XTRA!
England institution that over the years
attracted dozens of Broadway stars, including Grace Kelly, Bea Arthur, Walter
Matthau and Angela Lansbury.
It’s recently undergone a major renovation with the help of Tony Award–
winning producer Jed Bernstein, who’s
once again helping the theatre bring in
big names. Its 2013 summer season saw
Tyne Daly tread the boards in the world
premiere of Terrence McNally’s Mothers and Sons.
New Hope has long been a destination
for artsy types from surrounding cities,
and tourism remains its bread and butter. We were there for the 10th installation of its annual Pride, New Hope
Celebrates, an event that attracts gays
from across the region, including from
Lambertville, New Jersey, which is directly across the river from New Hope.
Each May, the denizens of what is
surely the Keystone State’s most queerfriendly square mile line New Hope’s
main drag for the parade and to catch a
glimpse of Miss Pumpkin, arguably its
star attraction. The stout drag queen is
the putative leader of a motley group of
queens who call New Hope home. After
the parade, our group stumbled to the
local homo hangout, The Raven, where
a delightfully soused Miss Pumpkin and
her posse executed the best drag en-
semble performance of “Total Eclipse
of the Heart” I’ve yet come across.
The Raven is everything a smalltown gay bar and entertainment complex should be, and a trip there is a
vacation within a vacation. It boasts an
outdoor swimming pool, 10 furnished
hotel rooms, a piano bar, an awardwinning restaurant, cute barkeeps
and, of course, a gaggle of lovable drag
queens. All that’s missing is a gay sauna.
But if you’re looking to be horizontal
after a long day exploring, don’t fret —
New Hope has many options. Start with
the Wedgwood Collection of Historic
Inns, three quaint guesthouses run
lovingly by Carl Glassman and Nadine
Silnutzer. I lodged at the Victorian
Aaron Burr House, a Dutch clapboard
the couple revived in 1990. Ask Nadine
(who’s a great resource for information
about New Hope) to sample her homemade liqueur and peanut butter cookies while she regales you with stories
about the ghost of the United States’
third vice-president, Aaron Burr, who
is said to hang out on the home’s second floor. (I chose a room on the main
floor just to be safe.)
Burr took refuge at the house after
killing Alexander Hamilton, the country’s first treasury secretary, in a famous
1804 duel in nearby New Jersey. His is
ANTHONY SINAGOGA, VISIT BUCKS COUNTY
Clockwise from top left: enjoy stunning fall colours in Bucks County; the
entire town comes out for New Hope’s annual Pride parade in May; dining at
Marsha Brown, a tasty Creole restaurant in a converted stone church.
one of many ghosts you can track down
on one of New Hope’s hair-raising evening ghost tours, on which you’ll also
surely meet some of the town’s more
colourful living characters.
Look out for Marsha Brown, the
Southern-belle owner of the eponymous
Creole kitchen and lounge, which was
built into a 125-year-old converted stone
church on New Hope’s Main Street.
Marsha Brown’s pricey seafood dishes
are worth every penny — especially the
stuffed lobster — and its knowledgeable servers are eager to go “off menu”
for those who want to experiment with
their own Creole combinations. Don’t
forget to also savour the church’s original stained-glass windows and other
artwork, especially the striking Redemption, a 12-by-6-metre mural of St George
hunting lions by Russian artist Valeriy
Belenikin that would be equally at home
in the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
That’s the thing about when you’re in
New Hope, just like when you’re with
Mary Poppins: suddenly you’re in places you never dreamed of. A weekend
in this quirky little town is a very jolly
holiday indeed.
Bucks County Playhouse
bcptheater.org
1870 Wedgwood Inn —
Aaron Burr House
wedgwoodinn.com
New Hope Celebrates
newhopecelebrates.com
The Raven
theravennewhope.com
Marsha Brown
restaurant
marshabrownrestaurant.com
New Hope ghost tours
ghosttoursofnewhope.com
Travel
City of Tel Aviv
launches free
municipal WiFi
Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai
checks out the city’s WiFi
connectivity. (GOISRAEL.COM)
Maya Angelou to speak
at summit on Olivia cruise
Maya Angelou — celebrated author,
educator, actor, historian, filmmaker
and civil rights activist (the list goes
on) — will be the keynote speaker
on Olivia Travel’s floating Equality
and Leadership Summit in February.
The summit will take place during a
seven-day eastern Caribbean cruise,
Feb 1 to 8, 2014, aboard the Holland
America MS Westerdam.
“This year we have already seen
groundbreaking progress for LGBT
rights and equality, and we felt the
time was right to hold a gathering
with influential women whose words
and actions carry a powerful message
of leadership and success,” says Judy
Dlugacz, Olivia Travel’s founder and
president.
“By having Dr Angelou lead the
summit as our keynote speaker, followed by messages of strength from
our other invited guests, we are expecting that the 1,900 women who will
be taking part in the cruise will leave
invigorated and inspired to take on the
world in new ways,” Dlugacz says.
Angelou will join a roster of
more than a dozen notable guests,
including civil rights pioneer Edie
Windsor, whose court challenge led
to the defeat of the Defense of Marriage Act; Debbie Wasserman Schultz,
Visitors to Tel Aviv can
now access free WiFi
connections in 80 locations throughout the
city. The initiative is part
of a new project by Tel Aviv
Municipality.
Locales include the city’s
Mediterranean promenade, Yarkon
Park and Old Jaffa, as well as
Dizengoff Square, Hilton Beach and
major city streets. The service is
accessible via computers, tablets or
smartphones with bandwidths
of at least 20 MB.
The Wall Street Journal has previously hailed Tel
Aviv as one of the “three most
innovative cities in the world.”
For more information about tourism
to Israel, visit goisrael.com.
For the most up-to-date travel
information on gay Tel Aviv, visit
dailyxtratravel.com.
MY
Montreal
Eva B is part vintage store, part
theatre, part café. EVA-B.CA
The place to B
Maya Angelou will be part of Olivia Travel's Equality and Leadership summit.
DWIGHT CARTER
Florida Congresswoman and chair of
the Democratic National Committee;
and Kate Kendell, executive director
of the National Center for Lesbian
Rights. Featured entertainers on the
cruise include the Grammy Award–
winning Indigo Girls and comedians
Judy Gold and Karen Williams.
For more information on the 2014
Equality and Leadership Summit cruise
or other Olivia offerings, visit olivia.com.
From must-attend events to hidden
gems off the beaten path, My Montreal
gets the inside scoop from local
residents about what not to miss when
visiting the city. In this installment, we
asked photographer Nick Bostick to
name a favourite city haunt. “Eva B is a magical place. Part vintage store, part theatre, part café —
well, it’s a lot of things. The owners
are constantly reworking the space
and changing stuff around. They
recently turned one room into a gi-
ant mass of clothes where customers
can take off their shoes and jump in
to dig for treasures. You know you’ve
found it when you see Michael Jackson dangling his baby from their
third-storey window.”
Located at 2015 St Laurent Blvd,
Eva B is open Monday–Saturday,
11am–9pm; Sunday, noon–7pm.
Visit eva-b.ca for more information.
For more in this series,
go to dailyxtra.com and
search for “My Montreal.”
XTRA! OCT 10–NOV 6, 2013 45
E indexdirectory.ca
Grocery
Lawyers
Pharmacies
Rainbow Foods
613-726-9200
Ian Carter–Bayne
Sellar Boxall
613-236-0535
Shoppers Drug Mart
Bank and Gladstone
613-238-9041
Mann & Partners, LLP
613-722-1500
Politicians
Health &
Personal Care
Healthy Smiles
Dental Clinic
613-317-2330
Health Foods
& Nutrition
Rainbow Foods
613-726-9200
Home Improvement
& Repairs
THE BEST OF GAY & LESBIAN OTTAWA
Accessories — Men
MensMarket.com
mensmarket.com
Accommodations
Ambiance Bed
& Breakfast
613-563-0421
1-888-366-8772
AIDS/HIV Resources
AIDS Committee
of Ottawa
613-238-5014
Bureau régional
d’action sida (BRAS)
819-776-2727
Chimney Repair
& Cleaning
Contracting
& Renovations
Ottawa Chimney
Services Ltd
613-729-1624
Merkley Supply Ltd
613-728-2693
Carol the
Dog Trainer
613-729-4808
Counselling
Electrical Contracting
Chiropractors
Antoine Quenneville,
MA, CPsyc Assoc
613-230-6179 x401
Mike’s Electrical Service
613-834-4659
Dr Gordon Josephson,
Registered Psychologist
613-231-4111
613-722-1500
In Balance Chiropractic
and Health Centre
613-837-8885
Churches
The Church of St
John the Evangelist
613-232-4500
Rent-A-Wife
613-749-2249
Gay Zone
613-563-2437
Stroked Ego
613-667-3008
Alternative Health
Coaching
Scottie’s Spot
613-231-3111
Padraig Coaching
& Consulting
855-818-0600
Power Sports Canada
613-224-7899
Art Galleries
Cube Gallery
613-728-1750
Jerry SG Ritt,
MA OACCPP,
Psychotherapist
613-233-9669
Clothing – Men’s
Wise Events
613-656-9466
Florists
Tivoli Florist
613-729-6911
Furniture
The New Oak Tree
613-253-9797
Dental Services
Healthy Smiles
Dental Clinic
613-317-2330
Graphic
Design Services
Dog & Cat Training
Carol the
Dog Trainer
613-729-4808
Event Planning
& Promotions
Caneast Shows
caneastshows.ca
Dominion Lending
Centre
613-224-4530 x224
Centretown Community
Health Centre
613-233-4443
Estate Planning
Events
Credit & Debt
Counselling
Community
Groups & Services
The Children’s Aid
Society of Ottawa
613-747-7800
Dog Walking
Gilmour Psychological
Services
613-230-4709
Cleaning &
Maid Services
Gay Men’s Sexual
Health Alliance
1-800-839-0369
Alternative
Transportation
DTN Contract Services
613-780-7033
Jack of All Trades Design
jackofalltrades
design.com
Merkley Supply Ltd
613-728-2693
Ottawa Chimney
Services Ltd
613-729-1624
Housing
Andrex Holdings
613-238-1835
Insurance
Nelligan O’Brien
Payne LLP
613-238-8080
Legal Services
Ian Carter–Bayne
Sellar Boxall
613-236-0535
613-722-1500
Davidson’s Jewellers
613-234-4136
Magpie Jewellery
magpiejewellery.com
Laser Surgery
LCI Lasercom Clinics
613-828-8946
613-569-3737
Paul Dewar, MP
613-964-8682
Social Groups
The Couples Group
couplesgroup.org
Prenuptial
Agreements
613-722-1500
Psychologists
Spa Services
Spa Homâ
819-595-3044
Massage – Certified/
Registered
Gilmour Psychological
Services
613-230-4709
Theatre
Spa Homâ
819-595-3044
Men – Accessories
MensMarket.com
mensmarket.com
Mortgage Alliance
613-612-8400
Jewellery & Jewellers
Classixxx Adult Store
613-523-9962
Tanning Salons
Linda Young Insurance
Brokers Inc
613-825-1110
Distributel Canada
distributel.ca
Squirt.org
squirt.org
Sex Shops
Dr Gordon Josephson,
Registered Psychologist
613-231-4111
Mortgages
Internet
The Foolish Chicken
613-321-4715
Nelligan O’Brien
Payne LLP
613-238-8080
John Shea Insurance
Brokers Ltd
613-596-9697
Manotick Insurance
Brokers Ltd
613-692-3528
Office of Mayor
Jim Watson
613-580-2424
Southern Cross
Grill on Queen
613-230-0400
Evan Weiner, AMP
613-224-4530 x224
Motorcycles &
Scooters
Publications
iTan Advanced Studios
613-562-ITAN
Orpheus Musical
Theatre Society
613-729-4318
Pink Triangle Press
416-925-6665
pinktrianglepress.ca
Upholstery
Xtra (Ottawa)
416-925-6665
Web Design
Kessels’ Upholstering
613-224-2150
B2W Design Inc
613-804-2384
Xtra (Toronto)
416-925-6665
Xtra (Vancouver)
604-684-9696
Jack of All Trades Design
jackofalltrades
design.com
Recreational Vehicles
Websites
Power Sports Canada
613-224-7899
Power Sports Canada
613-224-7899
Squirt.org
squirt.org
Optical Services
Restaurants & Cafés
Eyemaxx Optical Studio
613-216-6076
Absinthe
613-761-1138
dailyxtra.com
416-925-6665
Rideau
Optometric Clinic
613-567-0800
Allegro Ristorante
613-235-7454
Cube Gallery
613-728-1750
Courtyard Restaurant
613-241-1516
Yoga
Optometrists
613-567-0800
Pet Care
Carol the Dog Trainer
613-729-4808
Weddings
Giovanni’s Ristorante
613-234-3156
La Cucina Ristorante
613-836-1811
Ottawa
Men’s Yoga
ottawamens
yoga.ca
Mamma Grazzi’s
613-241-8656
SUMMER/FALL 2013
THE BEST OF
GAY & LESBIAN
OTTAWA
Exploring
Westboro › 10
Garden and
patio tools › 17
High-tech kitchen
gadgets › 20
Hidden gems
of Byward
Market › 32
DON’T
MISS OUT
ON OUR
WINTER
EDITION!
46 OCT 10–NOV 6, 2013 XTRA!
LAST CHANCE!
BOOK YOUR
AD NOW!
Booking deadline: Wednesday, Nov 20
Release date: Thursday, Dec 12
613-986-8292 or [email protected]
XTRA! OCT 10–NOV 6, 2013 47
THE ICONIC FILM - NOW A STAGE MUSICAL
(
888.991.2787 |
BroadwayAcrossCanada.ca
48 OCT 10–NOV 6, 2013 XTRA!

Daily Xtra

Transcription

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