article on page 30 in the premier issue of Toronto

Transcription

ISSUE: #1 VOLUME #1 SUMMER 2015
er
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m
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Is
LO OK ING
THROUGH
MY LENS
TR AV E L
ONTARIO
How, Where
and When
Gay Men
are Marrying
SURFS UP
GAY
LI FEST Y LE
&
BORDER RIDERS
Meet the oldest gay motercycle club
in North America.
CULTURE
MA G AZIN E
“IT’S OUR TIME”
GAYLIFESTYLECULTURE.COM
[email protected]
GAY LIFESTYLE & CULTURE MAGAZINE
8
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EDITORS NOTE
Peter Robinson
Continued from page 2.
As summer approaches many of us are planning our summer
holidays , some are wondering where to go , and where we
will feel comfortable.In each issue we will have a travel
section that will include many destinations. In our premier
issue we have picked Ontario with loads of information for
you to make your summer plans.
“Its’ our time “It’s our time to have our own magazine that
will focus on our lives and how we fit in society.
We need to know where we are going,
how we are growing and being accepted
in today’s culture. Our cover depicts a
man on a slow train, metaphorically and
soulfully making his way to equality .
Within our pages we hope to take that
trip. One article that will focus on this
is an article reflecting how far we
have come. The story is an expose
of 2 gay men and their different
experiences.
As we continue to thrive and grow in all aspects of society,
it is the intention of GLC Magazine to be there to provide
relevant and meaningful articles reflecting our lives and the
different interests we have from each other. I recently learned
about a gay surfing group who produced a documentary
entitled” Out in the Line up “ I had no idea that this group
existed. We have included a story about them and in each
issue going forward we will include a sport section, highlight
a different sport and provide information on groups and
associations for our readers. We hope to take our readers
on a journey, Not only for the gay reader but for others who
might not see or understand the many things we all have in
common . We are all looking for the same basic needs, to
love and be loved.
20.THE FURBALLS THAT OWNED ME 22. HOW FAR HAVE WE COME?
24.ONTARIO’S GAY OUTDOORS 36. WORD ON THE EAT (TAKE ME TO THE PUB)
40 QUEENS AND COWBOYS 44. A MONTH OF PRIDE AND CELEBRATION
46. SS15 TOPS AND BOTTOMS
GAY LIFESTYLE & CULTURE MAGAZINE | “IT’S OUR TIME” | GAYLIFESTYLECULTURE.COM
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Hello!
I would like to introduce GLC Magazine.
It is our goal to provide a magazine which contains
intelligent and enjoyable information.
By focusing on Lifestyle and culture, we are eager to
present articles on travel, food, sport and any other
topics that the Gay person is interested in as well as
introduce more. Please let us know if you have any
topics you feel we should include.
Another topic we will discuss is
Gay marriage. “Say yes to the
Tux” When and where we are
tying the knot, the ceremony and
celebrations. Are we establishing
our own traditions or recycling
the marriage traditions already
in place?
Who would have thought 30
years ago that this would even
be possible?
Continued on page 2.
GLC
YELLOW LAB PUBLICATIONS LTD.
MORE TO READ: 4. DEAR GABBY 6. MEET THE MEDIUM
2
ISSUE #1 VOLUME #1 SUMMER 2015
CREATIVE DIRECTOR/GRAPHIC DESIGN
Philip Feder
One L Communications
WEB MASTER/CREATIVE
Jeff Hurst
Kingston Road Creative
CONTRIBUTING
Darryl Coote, Jeff Reynolds, Robert Salmond
Keph Senett, Tyler Omichinski, Brough Perkins
Daniel Cox, Gary Seward, Dillan Kopf, Gary Seward,
Charles Nonto
EDITORIAL EMAIL
[email protected]
ONLINE COORDINATOR
We sincerely hope that you will enjoy, learn and contribute
to GLC Magazine. Please email us with any ideas or
comments. This is our magazine “It’s our time”
When you see an advertiser who includes our orientation
in their campaign no matter where, please patronise them !
These corporate sponsors are our enforcers and we need to
keep them visible.
I hope you enjoy our first issue and continue to love yourself
and whomever you choose.
Peter
Editor-in- Cheif
Jeff Hurst
Kingston Road Creative
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Philip Feder
One L Communications
For advertising and anyother comments.
Please feel free to contact us at: [email protected]
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced
without consent of the publisher. The information in this magazine is
believed to be accurate, however GLC magazine cannot and will not
be held liable for the content and quality or performance of goods
and services provided by the advertisers in this publication.
3
Advice: guidance or recommendations concerning prudent future action, typically
given by someone regarded as knowledgeable or authoritative.
Dear Gabby,
I'm new to town and looking to meet new people.
I don't want to just meet someone to hook up
with, I'm looking for a meaningful relationship and
I'm concerned a hook-up won't lead
there. What sort of options are
there for me?
Sincerely,
New In Town
Dear New In Town,
You're right; it can
be really difficult
to meet new people
in town, and a lot of
the online places to meet
people can have a meat
market feel, no pun intended.
It is entirely possible for a hook-up to
lead to a long and meaningful relationship, but I can
understand your concern. It can also be really hard
to just try to go to the bar and hope that you'll be
able to hit it off with a stranger. I'm guessing from
your letter that you're a little shy, so if I'm wrong
feel free to take my advice with a grain of salt.
The best way to find people to start a relationship
with is often to start with looking for new friends
in town. Toronto has a number of great
classes and gay friendly groups that
exist for meeting new people. There's
a particular writing group that I've
been known to show up at from time to
time that caters towards the LGBT*
community. These places not only bring you
to a place of like-minded people, but also
people that share interests with you. The old
yarn that you meet your best relationships
through friends and the like remains true. If
you can't find a group like this that catches your
eye, Meetup and similar websites also have groups
for you to go out and meet people with similar
interests.
I hope that helps, and good luck getting out there!
Cheers,
Gabby
4
DEAR GABBY
Dear Gabby,
I met someone at the dog park and I'm
considering asking him out. I'm concerned,
though, that things going badly in the future
could make it so it would be awkward going
there again.
Please help!
Dog Lover
Dear Dog Lover,
It's always a challenge
trying to pluck a
relationship out of a
place that you have to go
to regularly. If you’re that worried, it does
suggest that there may be a problem with
your break-ups if you can't go somewhere
that someone else was and act maturely.
Often, it is perfectly reasonable to be able
to go somewhere like the dog park after the
fact.
Your concern might be
more based upon the
group of friends and
how previous situations
have ended up. If this is
the problem, you need to
make the difficult decision of
trying to balance finding a new dog park with
how amazing this person seems. If you are
interested in this person, realize that an
opportunity to be happy is worth far more
than the passing awkwardness that might
come from a failed relationship. You only get
one life to live and you should grab everything
you can from it.
Gabby
PICK UP THE PHONE
AND CALL.
NOT REALLY.
JUST EMAIL AND ASK ABOUT ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES IN THE NEXT ISSUE.
PLEASE CONTACT
[email protected]
5
Medium: an intervening agency, means, or instrument by which something is conveyed or
accomplished and comunicted with.
Meet The
Medium
Article By:Brough Perkins
“CAN YOU READ MY MIND?” OR “WHAT DO YOU SEE ABOUT ME?”
are common questions asked at dinner parties when I tell people what I do for a living. Of course the
answer is never as simple as the question... There are many preconceived notions (some good, some not
so open minded) about “people like me.” Very rarely have I met someone who isn’t interested in
the concept of psychic phenomenon, whether they be a y’aysayer or n’aysayer.
T
There are many preconceived notions (some
good, some not so open minded) about “people
like me.”
Very rarely have I met someone who isn’t interested in
the concept of psychic phenomenon, whether they be
a y’aysayer or n’aysayer.
The reality is that there are great consequences to explore both
personally and globally if indeed there is a life after death. Mediums
can help explore this radical notion but you have to be willing to seek
us out.
Just to set the record straight; I do not read minds, that’s my best
friend’s job (seriously, she is a natural telepath.) My partucular area of
expertise seems to be in communicating with the deceased, as well as
the occasional premonition or two. That is to say; I talk to your dead
loved ones as well as see in to the future. Bold claims require bold
evidence. In 2012 I was approached by a Criminologist working for the
Government of Canada. She asked me if I’d participate in being tested
and evaluated for a study she was conducting on psychics. Over the
course of that year she sent people in to see me “under cover.” As far as
I was concerned they were typical everyday clients of mine. The twist
was that these individuals taped my readings and then proceeded to
score the accuracy with the Criminologist afterwards. In order to qualify
for the study my readings had to provide three levels of evidence. The
first level; I’d have to produce a name or initial of the deceased loved
one that the sitter was hoping to connect with. The second criteria was
that I was able to identify or describe the cause of death, and the third
was that I relayed a specific message that only the sitter and deceased
would know. For example: “Your Grandmother Louise passed from
Breast cancer, I feel pain in my chest, she loves Hibiscus.”
A year after their initial scoring Donna (the Criminologist) would
6
conduct a follow up interview with the client to determine how their
session helped the healing process and whether or not any predictions
came true. I scored a 79% average for that two year study, which is a
high level of accuracy for a study of this type statistically speaking. You
can read about it in her book Medium7 (see: www.medium7.com)
Another common question asked is: “How do you do what you do?”
There are many ways to answer that, but for the purpose of this article
I am going to err on the side of my genes. My beloved mother, whom
predicted her own sudden death a year before it happened, seemed to
carry the genetic code that unlocks psychic ability. Recently the Dr. Oz
show tested famed Long Island Medium Teresa Caputo with a brain
scan. It seems Psychic’s just have “different brains”, which allow us
to shut out the everyday clutter. Just as each star slowly twinkles in to
view as the sun sets, when us Psychic’s “tune out the material world”,
we tune in to Spirit.
It seems I hit the “genetic lottery”, being born both Psychic & Gay.
However I think people were always more interested in my Psychic
skills than my sexuality. I often say I got a “free pass” being the weird
kid so I skipped out on some of the social pressures that often come
with being a gay teen. That isn’t to say it’s been an easy ride, at all, in
fact it hasn’t.
One of the greatest gifts that psychic ability has brought to me
personally has been to know that there is more to life than the
shallow material world that our physical senses tells us about. And
this notion has set me apart from many in a great deal of ways, such
as to not sweat the small stuff so much. When you know that there
is no end to life you’ll tend to become more generous with your
warmth and love, and you tend to find yourself helping others along
their own journeys more often. In short I believe the meaning of life
is not about survival of the fittest, but more in how we survive.
You can contact Brough directly via his website www.broughperkins.ca
ARE YOU FEELING
CONFUSED WITH YOUR SEXUAL ORINTATION ?
ARE EMOTIONS OVERWHELMING YOUR LIFE ?
If you are grieving a loss/divorce, dealing
with physical illness, anxious, or feeling low
self-esteem — I can help!
Over fifteen years’ experience in practical,
focused and personalized counselling for
individuals and couples.
Sliding fee scale
Rebuild your life and have better relationships
Anchors Counselling Services
Jeff Reynolds, psychotherapist
(416) 535-9247
Surfing: 1.a surface water sport in which the wave rider, referred to as a surfer, rides on the
forward or deep face of a moving wave, which is usually carrying the surfer toward the shore.
SURFS
Article By:Dan Cox
|
LIFESTYLE
UP
Thomas Castets - Pulling in - Indonesia
Thomas Castets is passionate about surfing. As a gay man, he became frustrated with losing his straight counterparts to
marriage and fatherhood. Castets started going on solo surfing trips and felt that they were lacking the exciting comradery
that was a large part of his fascination with his hobby. In 2010, he took his passion online and started a social media site
directed towards gay surfers called gaysufers.net. Once the LGBT surfing site was online, it quickly grew to 5,000 members
with a similar passion and drive to surf with friends. This community was a safe place for gay and lesbian surfers to chat and
plan surfing outings across the globe. What Thomas didn’t predict was that this simple idea of an online LGBT friendly surfing
website would lead to an amazing project that would impact the entire gay community.
8
David Wakefield - Off the lip- Australia
A
fter the launch of the website, Castets realized that most
of its members were not active in the stereotypical gay
community heavily portrayed in media, and that they
also lived very discreet lives. These people identified
themselves as either amateur or professional surfers
who happened to be gay and not as “gay surfers.” The common
thread Castets discovered was that surfing while being openly gay
was very much taboo and unaccepted by straight suffers and sponsors.
Unfortunately, this intolerance and blatant homophobia led gay men
and women in the surfing community to live in fear of being rejected by
peers and live closeted lives out of self-protection.
Online conversations through his website led Castets to begin traveling
the world to meet and surf with members of his newly formed global
community of LGBT surfers. After a surfing trip to San Diego in 2011,
Castets realized that surfing while gay was an issue that he wanted to
further explore and bring to a larger audience. He was heavily inspired
by the men and women he met, and he consequently decided to begin
a passion project, a documentary, to address the existing stereotypes,
bullying, and homophobia found in the surfing community.
Thanks to a Kickstarter campaign, $30,000 was raised to help Castets
and director Ian Thomson create Out in the Lineup. The documentary’s
primary premise was to address the LGBT community and its
at-odds relationship with the surfing community and industry.
The documentary, with the generosity of the volunteerism of the key
crew members, was filmed over the span of 12 months and includes
footage from five different countries.
At the forefront of the film, David Wakefield, an Australian surfer and
gay man, leads the audience on a journey of accepting one’s identity
as being gay but also as a member of the surfing community, a heavily
male-dominated, macho, and straight sport. This combination of
being both a surfer and gay individual completely defies the entire
surfing establishment, and the film’s primary goal is to discover why
this is still the case in a time in professional sports when other gay
athletes have been accepted by their peers and organizations.
Money and sponsorships seem to play a major role in mixing surfing
with the gay community. Many very talented surfers, mostly females,
who are perceived as gay but not “out” are heavily warned or even
threatened to avoid hanging out with gay people because it could
lead to a direct loss of a sponsorship. This stems from the concept
that “sex sells” but that only means “straight sex sells,” and the
organizational sponsors have no desire in promoting their product
using gay sex. The perceived sexiness associated with surfing stems
from idyllic males with blond hair, blue eyes, and perfectly toned
torsos or petite blond women, clad in skimpy bikinis, waxing a surf
board with a dusting of sand on their rear-end. These images are
what the mainstream community sees as surfing perfection, and the
9
Thomas Castets - Bottom turn - Indonesia
10
11
Riley Herman -USA
Thomas Castets and Riley Herman - Australia
12
ANDREWCHRISTIAN.COM
13
sponsors want to appeal to their largest audience.
In 2015, the World Surf League’s (WSL) rulebook states that there
is a zero tolerance policy for any form of discrimination, sexual
harassment, or abuse in the sport of surfing. Ironically, when
Thomson and Castets attempted to interview one of the leading surf
organizations on camera to discuss homophobia and discrimination,
they met aversion. The footage initially filmed from the company’s
representative decided to withdraw his interview, and the entire
segment had to be cut from the final product. This event only
strengthens the idea that surfing while gay is still a major issue and
one that needs to be addressed.
While the film centers on the surfing community, the message
that Castets and Thomson create transcends surfing and the gay
community. It reaches LGBT individuals from all walks of life.
People across the world live their own individual lives and rarely
experience the struggles and injustices others encounter on a daily
basis. We are simply unaware of the plights of others. The film
addresses that we are all different human beings. We have different
interests, jobs, hobbies, and lifestyles, and that is okay. Our sexual
orientation is only a part of who we are as people. It does not
define us. It does not establish our identity. Out in the Lineup is an
inspirational tale for anyone who has ever felt like an outsider.
Susie Hermandez at her break in San Diego - USA
The gay Surfers group in San Diego - USA
14
ANDREWCHRISTIAN.COM
WINNER
AUDIENCE AWARD
Award
Best Action Sports Film
WINNER
AUDIENCE AWARD
FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY
BEST SURF FILM
SYDNEY
(AUSTRALIA)
BEST
BEST
DOCUMENTARY
DOCUMENTARY
Sydney Surf
London Surf
Film Festival
Film Festival
2015
2014
Uncovering the Taboo of Homosexuality in Surfing
OUT NOW ON DVD
www.outinthelineup.com
16
luc crawFord design inc.
Phone 613.722.0839
Fax 613.722.8070
email [email protected]
101-22 antares dr, ottawa
www.luccrawFord.com
film: 1.a film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still images which, when shown
on a screen, creates the illusion of moving images due to the phi phenomenon.
CULTURE
LOOKING THROUGH MY
W
Article By:Robert Salmond
hen asked to write my first article for the premiere
an espresso, and eventually found myself walking around my studio
issue of GLC, I wanted to write about the exciting new
looking over my equipment as the excited filmmaker in me started
Twenty First Century film and television industry that’s
imagining all the awesome movies I want to make. Then it suddenly
opening it’s doors more than ever. This now includes
occurred to me that I will be an openly gay filmmaker, who actually has
LGBT filmmakers, actors and stories on the big and
the opportunity to build a successful career in the industry. I could make
small screen. As I sat down at my video editing station, surrounded by
any genre of motion picture that can tell any story, including realistic
screens of all sizes, my desk scattered with script ideas, current projects,
gay stories with realistic gay characters; something that has never really
business cards, cold cups of coffee and with pictures of Big Hollywood
been possible until this century. Inspired by this, I changed my direction,
filmmaking gear hung on the walls for inspiration, I pulled up a single
because here I am today, breaking all kinds of new ground in my own
tab of the World’s favorite mega search engine. Eager to write my
life, so it only made sense to find the first film and filmmaker to break
masterpiece introduction article, I just stared at the screen waiting for
ground for gay people in cinema. Expecting my research to dig up some
that starting inspiration all writing requires. I stared for awhile, then
film from the 70’s era of “Free Love”, I was shocked to find that this
finally blinked, tried clicking on the empty text box a few times hoping
first film came at the very beginning of motion pictures in 1919 and
it would pop out a suggestion. When that didn’t work, I went and made
from the most unlikely of countries: Pre-Nazi Germany.
18
Classic old Cinema Signage
“Not Like The Others (Anders als die Anderen)” was a silent film directed
by Richard Oswald and co-written and starring Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld of
Weimar Germany in 1919. Hirschfeld was an openly gay, Jewish physician,
sexologist, and advocate who fought tirelessly against Germany’s strict
criminalization of homosexuality. Anders als die Anderen was banned
almost immediately after it was produced, and so Hirschfeld took 40
minutes of footage from it to remake into a documentary, but even that
was restricted to private viewing by physicians and lawyers . Then in
1933 with the Nazi party in control of Germany, Hirschfeld’s office was
ransacked and burned, destroying most of his work including the original
film, and it would be nearly a Century before it was to be seen again, when
it was finally restored by the Outfest-UCLA Legacy Project using footage
from the documentary and stills photographs to recreate this controversial
narrative as close to the original as possible. It can very easily be found to
view for free on Youtube.
No film would attempt to break ground for gay rights the way Not Like
The Others did for over 60 years, because it represented a realistic and
positive portrayal of two gay men falling in love that was completely
contrary to the popular images and stereotypes shown in all films until
around the 1980’s, which always portrayed homosexuals as lonesome
diseased and perverted deviants that needed to be fixed. In this story,
the two men - a successful violinist and his student - meet and start a
relationship shortly before being discovered by an malicious extortionist
This intimate embrace by the main characters from the
1919 German silent film, Different from the Others was
controversial and groundbreaking.
who uses his knowledge to blackmail the wealthy violinist, Paul Körner,
who eventually refuses to pay the man after his lover leaves him in fear
of being outed and shamed As retribution, the extortionist publicly outs
Körner in a German court room where he is sentenced to a week in prison
by a sympathetic judge and is allowed to return home before being sent
off to prison, but the once famous and sought after violinist quickly finds
himself shunned by family and friends and his career ruined in a story
all too familiar to gay people throughout most of the Twentieth Century.
The public shame is worse than the legal punishment and Körner, alone
and without his lover, tragically ends his own life with pills in his own
study. In the final scene, his lover, Kurt Sivers returns to Körners bedside,
heartbroken, and vows to take his own life, but Dr. Hirschfeld, a defender
of homosexual normalcy stops him with a bold statement saying: “You
have to keep living; live to change the prejudices by which this man has
been made one of the countless victims. ... You must restore the honor of
this man and bring justice to him, and all those who came before him, and
all those to come after him. Justice through knowledge!
Considering that Motion Picture had only just started to tell stories and
explore characters in a way that would come to shape what we recognize
today, Not Like The Others shows us that our fight to be seen as normal
human beings has been happening since the very beginnings of Motion
Picture and cinema, and it is thanks to brave pioneering men like Dr.
Hirschfeld, willing to stand up to Nazis and take that first bold step so that
movies like Philadelphia, Brokeback Mountain, MILK and so many more
great films could finally depict real gay people in real gay stories and help
shape the world we know today; a world where people like myself can be
openly gay and dream of success.
Remastered Feature Length: https://youtu.be/cJHlH19hbJo
http://www.openculture.com/2014/10/different-from-the-others-1919-thefirst-gay-rights-movie-in-history.html
http://www.hardenet.com/homocaust/hirschfeld.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Oswald
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Different_from_the_Others
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_film
19
Rodeo: 1.is a competitive sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding
in Spain,Mexico,and later the United States,Canada,South America,Australia and New Zealand.
LIFESTYLE
Article By:Jeff Reynolds
The Furballs That Have Owned Me
Welcome to my little corner of the world.
I am many things to many people. Therapist, coach, writer, artist, and, if you want to label it such, a gay life commentator. I will be, in this and
upcoming issues, pointing out cultural, social, lifestyle issues which make us the unique gay men we are. Issues both serious and humorous,
thought provoking and just plain funny. The quirks we gay men have as individuals, coupled, and in extended family.
Some say, to a gay man, pets are like our children.
Well, I’m here to correct this misconception. We are the children. We just don’t know it yet until our animal parents put us on the right track.
Pets run our damn lives. Case in point. The day Jazz decided to own me.
At the Humane’s Society on River Street one Saturday morning, I sauntered around looking for that special doggie. The din in the place almost
fractured my eardrums (Try being in a room with forty or so furry beings sniffing the possibility of a quite gullible homosexual entering their
hunting grounds). Barks, whining, etc. chorused the ‘pick me’ illusion.
As I went down the aisles, I came across Jazz. He, being much cagier than the others, mournfully laid in a furry ball against the farthest back
wall of his cell. I read with interest the brief bio attached to his cage gate. They guessed the breeds mixed in him were Schnauzer (orange
caterpillar eyebrows and goatee), German Sheppard (brown and black coat), and Chow (black splotched tongue) He had been on the streets for
about a year and half and of course, the blurb finished with the ‘needs a good home with a caring owner’.
Translation: This street kid is looking for a soft bed, chow, and a gullible human to push around. (Probably a good idea to lock up the
silverware while at it).
Since I have been lousy all my life with other languages, I didn’t do the above translation till much later and then too late. You see, all I
wanted were big sloppy kisses and unconditional love. In other words, a great ‘mark’ for a cunning k9.
During my reading his bio, Jazz had not raised his head but watched me closely under those orange eyebrows careful. Soulful deep hazel eyes,
kinda like Oliver Twist. (Only later I learned the Artful Dodger a more accurate handle).
When I knelt to get a better look through the chain-link fenced gate, the pooch knew he had set his hook in my mouth and time to reel me in.
20
He slowly got up, stretched lazily, and then padded over to where I crouched. Then in a twinkling, a big painted tongue raped my
face with long slobbery slurps.
Yep, caught and landed. I had a new owner!
Now we gay men are not known to do things in anything by half measure, so the next stop, Pet Smart. Bowls, bed, collar, leash,
food, and just a dozen or so toys. At the checkout, wondering if I could get the limit on my credit card increased while in store, the
freckled face kid on cash asked, looking down over the counter, “You want to grab the tag off that so I can scan it.”
“Off what?” I asked puzzled.
I followed his pointing finger to the angelical face of Jazz sitting there quite pleased with himself, a hot dog squeaky toy hanging
out of his mouth. Right then and there I should have thrown the sneak thief back in the car and drove back to demand a refund.
But remember I’m a naïve new puppy being trained so what the hell.
Fortunately I work from home so my client (a quiet woman going through a bad divorce and a soon-to-be ex-husband pressuring
her to sell home and business) hadn’t been waiting long. I settled Jazz in my study upstairs with food, water, toys and promises of
playtime later. I went downstairs, explaining my new puppy and settled down to do her session.
No more than five or ten minutes into the session when an almighty crash happened directly above us. Then a stream of barks and
woofs. I excused myself and raced upstairs. I had not told my client the barking seemed to be coming from outside the house.
I felt the breeze as I opened the study door and saw the opening where my air conditioner use to be. I watched mesmerized as
a black and brown furry being bounced from one side of the upper porch to the other. I opened the porch door, stepped out, and
looked down at a poor little old Chinese man shuffling quite quickly up the street. Poor guy.
Hooking Jazz by the collar, I felt the quaking slam of my downstairs front door. Damn, my poor client must have been scared stiff
with all this and looked down to reassure her I’d be right down.
For a small woman she could move fast. She made it half way up the street, stopped, turned, and did a banshee scream to the sky
which scared the crap out of me. She caught sight of me and yelled.
“The f…king bastard is getting NOTHING, NADA.”
And stomped out of sight.
A week later, I got a package from her. Business brochure, announcement of new ownership and open house, and a business
card of the sole owner, my client. But rather than a picture of a small, timid, mousy woman; the pictures were of a very chic,
determined faced businesswoman. The note to me enclosed said simply—
If Jazz has the guts to be free and live life to the max…
So damn well do I.
This began the fourteen year old relationship between myself and my doggie co-therapist. More about us next time. But maybe
someone could explain how a dog could get a screwed in air conditioner out of a window to me?
Cheers J.
21
Toronto: city in Ontario, Canada, founded 1793 as York, renamed 1834 for a native village
that appears on a 1656 map as Tarantou. the largest city in Canada.
CULTURE
How Far Have We Come ?
(We Are No Longer Anonymous)
Article By:Gary Seward
I
n our modern time being different seems to be the new normal.
Guys go to their 9-5 jobs on Bay Street with almost lumberjack like
beards, the colour pink can be proudly worn across all genders and
being gay is not seen as sordid as it once was.
Although there are varying arrays of acceptance in all cities, towns and
communities across Canada, In Toronto being a gay man walking down
the street holding hands with their boyfriend is now met with the same
ambivalence as their heterosexual cohorts. Gone are the days when gay
men needed to flock to the Village at Church and Wellesley.
Just a mere decade or two ago the Village was a hot bed of activity for
closeted and out gay men to be themselves. It was the only place where
being openly gay was safe. Before the days of the internet and Grindr
men went to bathhouses to meet other men in order to have sex or they
went to Allan Gardens with a handkerchief in their back pockets to
distinguish what they were looking for. Being gay also meant you had to
be anonymous.
While we live in a day and age where being gay is seen as a new normal;
where you can see a variety of gay men on TV and in the movies, the
struggle to get to this point was a long arduous one.
22
Recently I spoke with Torrie who is a twenty-something actor living in
Toronto who describes the Village as almost archaic and a symbol of a
dying generation of “closet queens.” He goes on to tell me that when
he moved to the city he never felt a sense of community; that he saw
the Village as a place where you only went if you were attending the
annual Pride event. When asked of the struggle of older generations and
Operation Soap (Toronto’s Stonewall) he goes quiet and stares blankly at
me. He’s heard of it but it’s clear by his expression that he’s scanning his
brain for the significance of it.
Operation Soap was a landmark occasion for gay men in Toronto, and
Canada, due to the barbaric and archaic way it was handled. Until the
2010 G20 protests in Toronto, it was the day the marked the largest mass
arrests in Canada, almost all of them gay men. And while the raiding of
several bathhouses and viciously attacking and arresting close to 300
men is seen as a black stain on Canada’s legacy it was also the stepping
stone for many gay men not to have to live their lives as if they were
degenerates. It is what happened after the raids that are significant. Men,
gay and straight, women, people from all races and denominations came
together to denounce an authority that could be so cruel and unjust. The
swift backlash from Operation Soap paved the roads of Church Street
forever in rainbow.
Torrie may not be able to recall the history of that infamous February 5,
1981 night but his own struggle is easy recollect as he tells me about what
it was like growing up in a small town and moving to Toronto after high
school.
“I was fully out in High School and no one cared at my school but
outside of it I couldn’t just be out. If I were at the mall with a boy I
needed to act as if he was my best friend and sneak kisses or gropes
when no one was looking. I mean, on the street of my hometown dudes
would call you a ‘faggot’ just for walking funny. So, we would get in his
car every weekend and drive to Toronto. We would walk down Yonge
Street in full PDA mode and not give any shits. It was great and no one
called us faggots.”
After talking to Torrie I was shocked at his comments that he felt the
Village was a dead zone for modern day urban gay men and spoke with
another gay man. His name is Jack.
When Jack was Torrie’s age the idea of being an out gay man was akin
to being a freak, something to gawk at and openly mock. It meant that he
wouldn’t be perceived as a man because men were expected to fall in love
with nice quiet obedient girls and copulate in order spread their legacies
onward. Being gay was not an option for him, which meant that love, real
love, was no longer in the cards.
Jack is a sixty something year old gay man who lived his entire life as an
anonymous gay man. As often as he could he would escape the monotony
of Hamilton to the Village where he would meet other gay men, usually
also closeted, and live a life he dreamed of for a weekend. He longed for
days like the ones Torrie has but was too afraid of being caught.
“My parents were pretty homophobic. One time me, my mother and
sister were watching TV and two guys kissed and my mother said ‘oh,
they’re going to hell, they should go to hell’. Which prompted my sister
to say ‘well, what if one of your own kids were gay?’ to which she replied
‘I’d rather go to my grave and never know.’ And we weren’t kids, this
happened when I was an adult.”
Jack would never fall in love; Torrie has fallen in an out of love several
times already.
While Torrie’s comments may seem a bit ineloquent, I certainly knew
what he meant. We live in a day and age where being gay is no longer
seen as being a freak, for the most part. In Toronto and other major cities
across Canada, a man can marry another man and reap the same benefits
as any other couple. Being a gay man means that we no longer need to
be anonymous. It means that we don’t need to be segregated into one
portion of a city and can branch out and create other communities, like
Queer West.
What should never be forgotten is the legacy of the Village at Church and
Wellesley, the legacy of a great battle for human rights. We will forever
live in the shadow of the great activism that came out of Operation Soap.
And like Chinatown or Little Italy the Village can still represent what it
once was without only catering to a niche and broken down category of
people and still be a safe haven for any gay man who needs to flee from
somewhere where they cannot fully be themselves.
C . N . To w e r To r o n t o O n t a r i o
23
Travel: 1.Is the movement of people between relatively distant geographical locations,and
can involve travel by foot, bicycle, automobile, train, boat, airplane, or other means.
TRAVEL
Ontario’s
Gay Outdoors
Article By:Keph Senett
After a long winter, there’s no pleasure more exquisite than the first no-jacket day. Vancouverites
watch for cherry blossoms and Maritimers track fiddleheads, but in Ontario it’s the cottages that
bloom as caretakers open them up for the season. Toronto is well-known for its cultural diversity,
but the warm welcome doesn’t stop at the city limits. Here are some of your best bets for an
Ontario gay getaway, all within a three–hour drive from Hogtown.
Prince Edward County
The Sand Banks
This island township comprises 13 villages, which in
addition to their gay-friendly reputation have also
earned comparisons to the Hamptons. You can credit
the burgeoning locavore movement, active artist
communities, and nearby wineries for the nod, but
make no mistake: the region has its own, particular
charms. Outdoorsy types will love the kilometres of
shoreline and sandy beaches, while solitude seekers will
have no trouble finding peace and quiet.
24
Getting there
Take the 401 east from Toronto, and head south on
Highway 62 at Belleville. There’s ample roadside signage,
or you can stop in at a Visitor Information Centre. The
main office is on Main Street in Picton.
Accommodations
There are dozens of vacation rentals available in Prince
Edward Country. Try VRBO (Vacation Rental By
Owner) at www.vrbo.com, or Purple Roofs
(www.purpleroofs.com) for explicitly gay-friendly
listings. Out in the County (www.outinthecounty.com)
has accommodations partners, and their site also lists
general information about gay-friendly Prince Edward
County.
To see and do
Visit Bruno and Jens at The Old Third winery
(www.theoldthird.com), brave the line-up at Slickers
(www.slickersicecream.com) for an old-fashioned
ice cream made with local ingredients, and watch the
sunset from Sandbanks Provincial Park.
Best time to visit
Prince Edward County is made for summertime. Nearby
Belleville will be having their annual Pride in the Park
celebrations (www.bellevillepride.ca) on July 4, 2015.
Sand River Ontario Canada
25
1000 Islands and Gananoque
1000 Islands
Historically referred to as a millionaire’s playground—the
1000 Islands are home to hundreds of extravagant homes,
including castles—this region welcomes visitors looking to
explore the ultimate in small-town living. Given the many
bays and channels around the islands, it’s no surprise that
the area attracts boaters, but there are plenty of things to
do both on and off the water. Since 2011, Gananoque has
celebrated LGBT Pride, and the rainbow stickers denoting
gay-friendliness can be seen on the doors of numerous local
establishments.
Getting there
Take the 401 east from Toronto. You can enter Gananoque
starting at exit 645, just after Kingston.
Accommodations
There are hundreds of available beds in Gananoque
and the surrounding regions; 1000 Islands Tourism
(www.1000islandstourism.com) has recommendations on
their site. If you’re looking to rent off the mainland, try VRBO
(www.vrbo.com). Note that the 1000 Islands span Canada and
the United States; if you wish to cross the border you’ll need a
passport.
To see and do
There is no better time to book a cruise with Gananoque
Boat Line (www.ganboatline.com) than this summer. In
anticipation of welcoming their 11 millionth passenger, the
line is giving away a prize of $11,000 and a private island for
a week. Don’t miss the view from the air with 1000 Islands
Helicopter Tours (www.1000islandshelicoptertours.com),
and catch a show at the theatre (www.1000islandsplayhouse.
com). The summer 2015 season features the world premiere
of “Bed and Breakfast,” a production by local playwright
Mark Crawford about “being out” in small town Ontario.
Best time to visit
The start of high season depends on the weather, but shows run
at the Playhouse from May to October, and the helicopter tours
are year-round. 1000 Islands Pride is typically in late June.
26
Muskoka Lakes
Like Prince Edward County, Muskoka Lakes refers to a
collection of communities—in this case, the villages and
hamlets surrounding Lakes Muskoka, Joseph, and Rosseau.
This is iconic “cottage country” for Ontarians (they don’t
call it a Muskoka chair for nothing). In addition to being
the site of classic Ontario cottage experiences, Muskoka
Lakes is also exceptionally welcoming. Their Chamber of
Commerce even sports a rainbow flag on their site
(www.muskokalakeschamber.ca).
Getting there
Take Highway 400 north to the Port Carling exit, or, for a
more scenic drive, pick up Highway 11 at Lake Simcoe and
go through Bracebridge.
Accommodations
Your choice of accommodations will depend on
where in the region you want to be, but Visit Muskoka
(www.visitmuskoka.com) and VRBO (www.vrbo.com)
are good places to start your search.
To see and do
Stop in at the Muskoka Lakes Winery/Johnston’s Cranberry
Marsh (www.cranberry.ca) for a tour and tasting of their
cranberry wines. See a live performance at the Actors’
Colony Theatre (www.actorscolonytheatre.com), book a
private yacht with Sunset Cruises (www.sunsetcruises.ca/),
and remember your vacation with cottage country swag
from The Muskoka Store (www.themuskokastore.com).
Best time to visit
Muskoka River
Muskoka Lakes is a year-round destination, with summer
activities beginning around May of each year. Muskoka
Pride (www.muskokapride.com) has been organizing
events since 2009, and their annual Pride Week is typically
in July.
Lake Superior Shoreline Ontario Canada
27
Marriage: 1. also called matrimony or wedlock, is a socially or ritually recognized union
or legal contract between spouses.
CULTURE
SAY
YES
TO
THE
TUX
ongrat
! C
ul
ng
Article By:Darryl Coote
“
A lot of people want to talk about what’s the
difference between a gay wedding and a regular
wedding and to be honest there is nothing actually
that different,” said Rachel CrippsGervais,
co-owner of An English Rose, a luxury wedding
planning company located in Montreal, Quebec.
“The only thing that’s different is it’s two men or two women who
are marrying verses a man and a woman,” she told Gay Living
Canada over the phone.
This sentiment was shared in almost the same words by the other
wedding planners spoken to for this article.
e
to th wedd
i
ed
Since same sex marriage was legalized throughout
Canada in 2005, there has been this notion that gay
men would celebrate their union differently than
opposite sex couples. However, this is mostly just a
big misconception, according to wedding planners
throughout Canada that specifically cater to this
demographic.
only difference is [...] is instead of having a man and a woman you
have two men or two women. And that’s it,” said
Darryl Persello, coowner of Two Dears and A Queer, a Vancouver,
British Columbia based wedding planning and consultation company.
From the ceremony alone there would appear to be very little
difference between gay and heterosexual weddings, aside from the
obvious, but where samesex male weddings subtly diverge is in their
emphasis on specifics, details and individualization.
“Everything is pretty much more personalized,” said Katherine Parris,
owner and wedding coordinator for Pride Weddings in Toronto,
Ontario.
She elaborated that it’s hard to pinpoint, but for some weddings it
might be monogrammed table runners or having the couples’ initials
projected on the walls. Lighting and candles have been important to
some of the gay couples she’s planned for to give their weddings that
sense of individuality.
She made note that these are priorities for heterosexual couples as
well, but that “for me, I just always see the emphasis on it.”
“Honestly, people want to know what’s the difference, and I say the
28
re now Invit
ua
s Ireland Y
ion
o
at
A Bit of Style on the big day
29
This attention to detail continues into the invitations, colour schemes
and backdrops.
“Both parties are always very involved in the planning and definitely
knowing what they like, and I find things are very detailed and very
specific,” she said.
This focus on detail could potentially be the result of having smaller
weddings, which seems to be common for same sex couples.
“I think gay people have probably a more exclusive group of friends
and family,” CrippsGervais hypothesized.“I think they’re more
choosy about who they invite to their weddings, to be honest.”
The extra money saved from inviting a small number of guests
can then be devoted to making the ceremony more intimate and
individualized.
CrippsGervais said a large gay wedding would have about 80 guests
(much smaller than a large hetro sexual wedding) so with a wedding
of around 40 people “you tend to be able to create five course
menus with wine pairings.”
Gay weddings, she said, tend to be more upscale than both samesex
female weddings and heterosexual weddings.
“[Same sex male couples] go for the very high end weddings. They’ll
take the top venues in Montreal or they’ll take a country wedding but
then create a very high end menu and have more money for attention
to detail,” she said.
There is a traditional wedding staple, however, that is generally modified
in both gay and lesbian weddings: that is walking down the aisle.
What tends to happen is in same sex female weddings both fathers
walk the brides. And in same sex male weddings the mothers will
walk the grooms to the alter.
However, what is also an option, which seems to becoming more
and more common in gay weddings, is for the men to walk the path
together, hand in hand.
“On the big day the couples are not necessarily walked down by
anyone, maybe just walked down together that
I noticed a lot,” Parris said.
She also added that there is less emphasis on some of the more
traditional aspects of weddings, which creates a more relaxed and
stress free atmosphere.
When asked what trends he sees for the upcoming wedding season,
Persello said that there really aren’t any and that most gay weddings
30
don’t divert too far from what one sees when they think of a
traditional wedding.
“Some [of the weddings we’ve planned] are religious with ministers
and very scripture based and some are very nondenominational
and spiritual and loving but with no religious component,” he said.
Since much of the rest of the world still has yet to recognize samesex
marriages, all three wedding planners stated that a sizeable percent of
their business came from outside of Canada.
Persello said a lot of his clientele travel from abroad simply to wed in
and around Vancouver.
“You can make a total holiday/wedding/ honeymoon,” he said.
His company organizes weddings for all over the Vancouver area,
and with being so close to the ocean and to the mountains, wedding
couples have an array of options.
“People who are traveling here to get married, you can go to [Mt.]
Whistler, you can go to the islands .. there are lots of places to go that
are relatively close to Vancouver,” he said.
Montreal over to the east of Canada is similarly attractive for destination
weddings due to its French influences, particularly in its cuisine.
“I mean we’re very spoiled,” CrippsGervais said, “because within an
hour of Montreal, we’ve got downtown Montreal, which is very chic
and modern and historical, but within an hour you’ve got mountains,
you got lakes, you got vineyards, you’ve got farms.”
There is an aspect to both gay and lesbian weddings that differ from
heterosexual weddings, and which can’t be overlooked: They have
only been legal in all of Canada for almost 10 years and for much
of the rest of the world they are a celebration of love that goes
unrecognized.
“The [gay] ceremonies, I find, are more emotional and more intense,”
CrippsGervais said,“because it may have taken them a long time to
get to this day because a lot of my clients are coming from the US
where they haven’t been allowed to be married or they are coming
from Asia.
CrippsGervais recalled a same sex male wedding she did awhile back.
“One of them was in his 70s,” she said.“And he said he never
believed he would ever see this day where
he’d be able to get married.” More emotional, indeed.
The new look of a cake topper
31
Motercycle Club: A motorcycle club is a group of individuals whose primary interest and
activities involve motorcycles.
LIFESTYLE
Border
Riders
Motorcycle Club Summer Rides
Article By:Dave Eckert
he Border Riders Motorcycle club is the largest and one of the
oldest gay motorcycle clubs in North America. Founded in 1969
it currently has members primarily from Washington, Oregon,
and British Columbia. The club provides social and educational
opportunities for our members and guests interested in recreational
motorcycle touring. Our diverse membership is composed of both seasoned
riders and beginners, and we come from all walks of life and professions.
T
We also accept all types of bikes. Our members ride a variety of makes
and models ranging from sport to touring motorcycles, and we welcome
any motorcycle capable of sustained highway speeds. This is about riding
and group camaraderie rather than motorcycle brand. The commonality
that binds us is the love of motorcycling and the enjoyment that comes
from touring some of the best roads for motorcycling in Canada and the
USA—all in a spirit of friendship and safety.
In the off season, we do monthly meetings and look for social activities to
keep people involved. During the summer months, we host weekend runs
32
to great places throughout the Pacific Northwest. We invite male riders
to join us for the weekend runs and camping and always have a great
time come rain or shine.
In each local geography men also have a lot going on. Each month
there is a local meet and greet to discuss both club plans as well as
local rides and social events. The local rides are generally a full-day
ride after breakfast and we depart with a full tank of fuel, an empty
bladder, and appropriate riding gear for the day’s weather conditions.
The Pacific Northwest weather is not always great in the winter and
we might resort to another social event after breakfast.
Our winter club meetings gather the entire group together for a social
afternoon and evening that includes dinner and time to conduct club
business and summer planning. Our first camp of the season is always
in the same location, while the other months change from year to year.
For 2015 our summer camping schedule has a variety of interesting
locations:
The Boys of Borders
Sweet Rides
33
Club Members and Guests at the
2014 Victoria Day Weekend
May 15-18, 2015
The official season opener each year is our Victoria Day Run, so
named because it coincides with the Canadian holiday. While we
encourage this to be a motorcycle camping weekend - for this run we
also allow other vehicles. We will expect a large group at the Pine
Flats Campground in central Washington State where we truck in a
full camp kitchen to serve high-quality food. Friday night welcomes
riders with dinner and a bonfire and the joy of meeting new faces and
reestablishing old friendships. Saturday will offer some spectacular
motorcycle group rides; the chance to set out alone; or perhaps
just hang around the camp. Following the traditional
grill-your-own-steak dinner Saturday night the bonfire will be the
center for club activities. About a third of the people remain until
Monday to celebrate the Canadian Holiday.
June 19-21
June will take us to Fossil, OR where we have rented the entire
county park. Central Oregon offers outstanding day rides to places
like the John Day Fossil beds. Even in June the weather is
expected to be warm and dry with great riding and camping weather.
As always, the campfire social afterward will give people time to
re-connect.
July 17-19
The warmer days of July will take us to Dry Falls near Coulee City,
WA. Our day rides could include a visit to Grand Coulee Dam or
other scenic areas of central Washington.
September 18-20
Kanaskat-Palmer State Park near Enumclaw, WA offers a home
base for rides around Mt Rainier or a visit to Mt Saint Helens.
These rides offer spectacular views of the mountains.
October 19-21
Silver Falls State Park near Salem Oregon offers us a late season
activity with a weekend at the Ranch – a large bunkhouse that can
sleep the entire group inside, warmed by a central fireplace. If
the weather is good we can explore the mountain roads toward Mt
Hood or Detroit Lake. If not, we can do some easy hikes to see the
spectacular waterfalls. The bunkhouse becomes the hub of social
activities with videos, various board games, and all meals included.
We invite guests to ride with us and to explore the club and the great
Northwest area we are lucky enough to call home.
For more information see our website at www.borderriders.com.
Photo captions:
March Day Ride.jpg - Local Oregon riders set out for a day ride
Bunkhouse.jpg - Bunkhouse Weekend in the Fall offers time to
socialize
BRMC.jpg - Border Riders Motorcycle Club
August 14-16
The heat of August will be tempered by the trees and water at Paul
Lake near Kamloops, BC. Following this camp some people will
extend the trip and tour the roads of BC for an additional week.
These extended rides are a mix of camping and motels.
Club Members Relaxing at The Bunk
House
34
35
Food 1.s any substance[1] consumed to provide nutritional support for the body.
And contains essential nutrients, such as fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals
WORD ON THE EAT
AAr tr itci cl el e BBy y: : J e f f R e y n o l d s
W
hen I popped into the pub to set up the interview with
Andrew Dunn, manager of the Church mouse I got
warm and friendly smiles. Soon, I would discover
this held the norm not the one off. This corner street,
3 story pub greeted me the same way the day of my
interview. Well, add laughter. A bubbly Ashley went to search out
her boss. Josh, another of the service staff, quickly noticing me as he
came from the back, smiled and asked if he could get me a drink. This
hospitality set the tone of my experience.
As I settled on the British flag couch, Andrew, across from me, told
me he had been manager since the club’s beginning ten years previous.
Before the place had been a pizza joint and apartments. Last February,
he decided to renovate by adding the outdoor side patio and freshening
the inner spaces.
“It all started because of the carpets.” Andrew smiled at me. He didn’t
stop at chucking the carpet for great wooden floors. He had balanced an
inviting pub of old, with new clean lines, upbeat sound, and a feeling of
cozy without being closed in. I laughed when he told me that literally
there had been iron bars on the windows before. (Instead, now floor to
ceiling plain glass windows overlook a great view of Church Street).
“Now it feels like walking into your living room.” He summed up.
And I totally agree with him. Well this, and definitely Beatle’s tribute.
36
The wall across from ‘my’ couch has these guys in black silhouettes
walking in bowler hats across a white wall. The pictorial quietly yells
Yellow Submarine lyrics. The bar along the west wall to my right
reminded me of a great pub I use to go to in Dublin but add tables with
soft and wide seating for four and high café seats along the wall invites
a relaxed evening of enjoying good food and drink. (To my left were
two six seated booths and at the very back, old fashioned wooden table
and chaired room for the boisterous groups. (One long table already
had a reserve sign). Downstairs, with the long southern wall bar, large
windows, booths and such, just seemed to invite laugher and good
times.
We decided Andrew would bring a surprise sampling of what he liked
on the menu (well the deep fried pickle, I specifically asked for) but
first pulled me a pint of Barking Squirrel lager to enjoy as I waited.
“Got you a pint. The glasses are still warm from washing,” he said
placing my beverage before me. Disappearing to put in the food
order, I again liked the detail to good service. Andrew explained later
why the focus on top notch serving and staff. Being in the middle of
the gay village, the pub patrons were more likely to be in the food
and hospitality business. “The service has to match these guys’ high
standards or you’re going to hear about it.” He grinned.
Good Eats On Church Street
The pub likes to have local micro-brewed beers on tap. Three of which
are locally brewed within the city. As I’m scribbling away, I took a swig
of my Squirrel and for an amber lager, my drink tasted full flavoured but
light and refreshing. This brew is paired in the Sunday special, Spuds and
Sauce priced for only five bucks. (Can you say patio?) This simple yet
complex brew actually would herald the main theme of
Andrew brought me to sample proved to be the largest contribution.
Andrew had picked the burger of the house, the fish taco, and of course,
my deep fried pickle. A bowl of the soup of the day (Pea Soup with a
twist) completed the offering. As I raised my prized pickle, Andrew
noticed something amiss. “Hold on, you got to have the dill sauce.” And
went to get some.
Lordy, glad I waited. Biting into
the crunchy coating, I had a hot
juicy dill explosion in my mouth.
I quickly dipped my prize into
the sauce and had another, more
intense, dill experience. My
squirrel cooled and added to my
taste experience. I laughed and
said I could eat a bushel of these.
The fish taco is a deep fried baas
covered in a chipotle/lime/sour
cream sauce in a soft taco shell.
A Cold One On the Patio
Again a balance of taste and
textures. Crunchy fish and heat
The Churchmouse.
Sensual balance
from the sauce lead me to my Squirrel to cool things off a bit. Definably
pleasantly woke up my mouth and taste buds.
As I scribbled and drank, Josh came by going off shift. He stopped and
said good-bye with a smile. Match Ashley’s bubbly laugh and joking
The burger (no frozen patty here as some Church Street burger joints
downstairs with the at-bar customers, would be the first of this equation.
favor) consisted of a fresh grilled meat patty topped with Monterey Jack
melted cheese, beer braised onions, pickles, tomatoes, lettuce and crisp
The next piece my excellent brew. The music playing next. But what
37
bacon. Surrounded by a fresh warmed Brioche, this masterpiece has
been finished off with three deep-fried onions around a Union Jack
pick.
Well first, even minus the onion rings, I had to get my mouth to
open beyond wide for this tower. But well worth every bite.
Going past me again, Andrew said my sampling made him hungry.
We both laughed as he added if he ate all his favours, he’d need
stretchy pants. He had started to go up to his third floor office but
then muttered, “That’s going to stick, eh”. (Well Mr. Stretchypants,
only if your staff read this).
Chef Kumar’s pea soup matched again what I was indeed getting
used to. He cooks for the senses. Not only did his soup have a nice
refreshing taste but added colour with nicely soft but firm carrots to
entice the eyes.
But most of the menu seems to follow this pattern of rich but light.
Even to my ending with the toffee pudding this applied. A hot ginger
date cake with melted toffee and whipped cream.
When I first read the menu, I noted the standard British pub fare.
Ploughman’s Lunch, Sheppard’s Pie, etc. But then you get some
creative re-inventions as well. (Like Mini Yorkies stuffed with pot
roast, mashed potato, drenched in Guinness Gravy). Its things like
this which makes you feel special. Andrew told me they tweak the
menu annually to their customers’ likes and dislikes. Customer
service is taken serious here. Glutton free menu, vegetarian meals
(like black bean burgers) and a massive table of all menu items
broken down to inform about nutrition values and warn of any food
allergens adds to a deep feeling of a caring experience.
When I left, pleasantly full and relaxed, I went the backstairs to
see and thank Chef Kumar. The only thing he asked, or seemed
interested in, “What did you think of the soup?” When I answered
great, I got rewarded with a big grin and hand shake.
No one but Andrew knew I had been reviewing the place. So I
entreat you, if you want a balanced sensual pub experience, try this
great place. I give The Churchmouse four out of five stars.
Prime Real Estate On The Patio
38
WELLESLEY
ST.
ST.
D AVE.
JARVIS ST.
CHURCH ST.
YONGE ST.
MAITLAND
HOMEWOO
CHURCHMOUSE
ous food
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CARLTON ST.
firkinpubs.com/thechurchmouseandfirkin
475 Church St Toronto ON
416.927.1735
Conveniently located at the corner
of Church and Maitland.
39
Rodeo: 1.is a competitive sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding
in Spain,Mexico,and later the United States,Canada,South America,Australia and New Zealand.
LIFESTYLE
Queens and
Article By:Robert Salmond
Cowboys
hen you hear the word Rodeo, it’s likely that
you’ll think of Bulls, Spurs, Gold Buckles and
strapping heterosexual cowboys in dirty Levi
jeans wearing Stetson cologne and making all
the pretty ladies hot under the collar to the roar
of the Sunday crowd. Since it’s first Official competition in 1869 this
most masculine of sports, like most sports, has not been a welcoming
place for LGBT people. However in 1976, on the fringe of society,
the World’s first gay rodeo was held as a charity fundraiser in Reno,
Nevada and in 1985, Fourteen Gay Rodeos later, the International
Gay Rodeo Association (IGRA) was formed and has held annual
events in Canada and the US ever since.
W
My small town and farmyard childhood steeped me in Ranch and
Rodeo culture; Garth Brooks was our Lady Gaga (at least until the
churches figured out that “We Will Be Free” was a pro-gay song) and
most weekends were spent checking fence or rounding up escaped
cows or pigs or sheep with my step dad on horseback or in an old
40
Lime Green ‘69 Three-On-The-Tree Chevy truck. He grew up on the
Canadian Prairies doing things the old fashioned way and only on
horseback like a traditional cowboy and as the most influential man in
my life before he passed in 2009, he left me with a deep appreciation
for that life and those ways. Oftentimes I miss the life, the country
fair and the rodeo; all the noise and the chatter of excited crowds
and happy families and the smells coming from the hundreds of head
of livestock in corrals and flaring plumes of smoke from barbeques
filled with tasty burgers and steaks and the excitement of seeing
rough ‘n’ tough warriors of the ranch sweat and bleed to be the best.
Nevertheless, the dominant heterosexual masculinity and general
church going culture of it hasn’t exactly put out a Welcome Mat for
openly gay men, even if we do have roots in that same culture, so
I’ve stayed clear of the country fair and the rodeo since leaving home
Fourteen Years ago and it wasn’t until I watched the documentary,
“Queens & Cowboys: A Straight Year on the Gay Rodeo” that my
eyes were opened to Gay Rodeo and IGRA. Continued on page 42...
macho straight men of rodeo still reserve the opinions that “They’re
not Cowboys[...]Cowboys are about Tradition” or the older audience
base can only deal with the topic in responses like: “Gay cowboys!?
Go stick it up your ass!”
Article By:Keph Senett
“Queens & Cowboys: A Straight Year on the Gay Rodeo” is a Five
time award winning documentary by filmmaker Matt Livadary that
takes audiences deep inside a complete year of the IGRA Gay Rodeo
circuit, meeting the Season’s Five main contenders along the way
who recount their story of finding a place in the culture and the sport
they love, including gay cowboy, Wade Earp (actual descendant of the
famous Gunslinger and Lawman, Wyatt Earp).
Livadary does a good job of establishing the culture of Traditional
Masculine Rodeo throughout the documentary and highlights the
many challenges Gay Rodeo has faced and still faces today: from
low attendance numbers to venues quickly finding excuses to refuse
rentals to the IRGA’s chapter-based organization. During a portion of
the documentary, Livadary attends some traditional rodeos to get some
traditional cowboy opinions on gay rodeo and quickly reminds us that
as much as things have changed, we still have a ways to go when the
42
In spite of all the obstacles and lingering social aversions that still
exist for LGBT people, Matt does a good job of taking on a journey
behind the fences of the Gay Rodeo to show us a strong and vibrant
community that is full of song, dance, and good-hearted camaraderie
in an environment where gender and sexuality are a non issue and
the boys can wear skirts and the girls can wear spurs to the cheers
of the excited fans. Livadary also shows us that while our inherent
sexual identities have given us need to create an entirely separate
international organization, Gay Rodeo and IGRA isn’t steeped in
Sexuality like so many other LGBT events, and by all rights, I would
call it good Family Friendly Entertainment by (most of) the standards
of my midwestern upbringing. I look forward to attending this year’s
Gay Rodeo in Calgary Alberta from June 26th to 28th and having the
chance to reconnect with with my roots in a place where I don’t have
to be anyone but myself. If anyone else is thinking of attending one
of IGRA’s Gay Rodeo’s, visit IGRA.com for a calendar of events and
cities - even if you don’t have country roots and have never been to a
Rodeo, you are bound to have way more fun than you might imagine.
So, I definitely suggest taking a night and watching “Queens &
Cowboys: A Straight Year on the Gay Rodeo” for yourself or with
your significant other. It can be rented or purchased on most digital
platforms, including YouTube and iTunes and is available on demand
from most major cable providers. For more info and to watch the
trailer, check out the official website: queensandcowboys.com.
Parade. is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and
often accompanied by marching bands, floats or sometimes large balloons.
A Month of
Pride and
Celebration
Article By:Dillan Kopf
With Pride Month right around the corner,
cities across the North American continent
are gearing up for a month of welcoming
celebration.
The Birth of Pride
This June will mark forty-six years since the Stonewall Rebellion, the
pivotal event that inspired the birth of modern gay activism
and, consequently, the tradition of Pride celebrations.
Pride marches began one year after the Rebellion as a
way to honor those men and women who stood up for
their rights against discriminatory police practices on
June 28, 1969. In the years since, the community has
widened and the marches of 1970 have become grand
parades and celebrations affirming our culture and just how
far we’ve come.
Celebrations in Early June
This year’s North American festivities commence with
Disney Gay Days in Orlando, FL spanning June 2–8 as
one of the earliest events of the month, graciously
conflicting with relatively few celebrations (as we’ll
see shortly). On the other side of the country, just
as far as you can go, Honolulu, HI hosts its Gay Pride
Parade on June 6.
On the Eastern seaboard, Boston Pride and D.C.’s Capitol Pride share
the following week (commencing on June 5 and running until
June 14). Capitol Pride, in particular, had a very strong
showing last year, including the first time the United
States Department of Defense participated in a Pride
parade. The DoD supplied a military color guard for
the presentation and retiring of the colors at the event.
Edmonton Pride and the Pride Winnipeg Festival share
the same dates as the festivals in D.C. and Boston. Held
in Edmonton, Alberta, the city nicknamed “Canada’s
Festival City,” Edmonton Pride is marking its 35th year
this June. Its northern competitor for your attendance,
Pride Winnipeg’s “Pride of the Prairies,” is one of
Canada’s biggest Pride festivals. It began in 1987 in
response to the legislative victory that added sexual
orientation to the Manitoba Human Rights Code.
44
Original Pride at the End of the Month
The middle of the month brings us Los Angeles
Pride (June 12–14), one of the very oldest Pride
celebrations, which celebrates 45 years of Pride
this year. This Hollywood-based event can proudly
boast the very first Pride march (organized to be
simultaneous with New York’s and Chicago’s), an
event held in honor of the Stonewall Rebellion the
year before. LA Pride and parade have been an annual
tradition since.
From June 19–21 is Gay Pride New Orleans, an event
that seems to be gaining steam each passing year. In
Canada, Toronto, Ontario is the site of Pride Week,
which runs from June 19–28. Starting June 20
and running until the 28th is Chicago’s 46th annual
Chicago Pride, home, once again, of the original
Pride march. Down south, Mexico City Gay Pride is
held on the 28th.
At the end of the month, New York, site of that famous Stonewall Inn
on Christopher Street, celebrates from the 26th–28th. The date of New
York’s Parade clashes with Chicago’s, but both of these original Pride
march cities choose to remain as near the date of the
Rebellion as possible.
Similarly, San Francisco, the gay capital of the
USA, celebrates from the 27th–28th. Across the
continent, countless similar celebrations come to a
glorious close on June 28 to honor the Rebellion on
Christopher Street Liberation Day.
This is just a small sampling of the hundreds of Pride events across
the continent this June. Be on the lookout for local events, or choose
a destination among the heavy hitters for a great time out. Book your
ticket and hotel room soon. It’s gonna be a blast.
45
STYLE
Fashion: Fashion is a popular style or practice, especially in clothing, footwear,
accessories, makeup, body piercing, or furniture
SS15
TOPS
and Bottoms
Article By:Charles Nonto
You have been dreading the cold
weather and waiting for all that snow
to melt. You’ve watched the major
spring/summer fashion shows and
said goodbye to the sexy models
and stars but what remains? The
fashion trends for SS15 that’s what!
In this very first issue we will be your
insider for men’s latest fashion trends
and icons.
This is your classic Scoop V-Neck
revamped in our super soft limited
edition see-through burnout fabric
featured on our Flash Scoop Neck
Tee. It’s got that chest-baring scoop
fit with a dark contrasting neckline
and neon contrast trim to spice
things up.
Andrew Christian
Flash Scooped Neck Tee
Available at:
Out On The Street
$67.00 CAD
www.outonthestreet.ca
46
It’s finally time to put away your wool knits and slim fit trousers
and jump into some bright chino shorts and floral short sleeve
shirts! Before your next retail therapy session, dig in your closet
for some old denim, rugged shirts and printed shorts.. The look
you’re going for is stylish and effortless.
Denim on denim is a classic look and will never be out of style.
But this spring, mix it up with some island shirts and vintage
short sleeve shirts. That’s where Lost & Found comes in. They
have a wide variety of short sleeve shirts for men also available
online for faster purchasing. Here are some examples of great
shirts you can find at Lost & Found:
GItman Vintage Bros.
Indigo Bandana Short
Sleeve Shirt
$198.00
All Available
at
Lost & Found
www.shoplostfound.com
Gitman Vintage Bros.
Hibiscus Blue Short
Sleeve Shirt
$198.00
Gitman Vintage Bros.
Aloha Short Sleeve Shirt
$198.00
Florals are back again. This trend
came into play two years ago and
has had plenty of retail success
since. Whether it’s peonies or roses,
having pretty flowers on your tops
or bottoms will definitely turn heads.
And that’s what you want! Watch out
stripes, florals will take root in men’s
wardrobes this summer!
These button down collar shirts are
100% cotton and made in the USA.
Here’s a tip; if you’re new to florals,
there are some guidelines to follow.
As sexy as it is to see a man in a
button up floral print shirt, it’s not so
sexy when he pairs it with the wrong
bottom! Plain white, grey or navy
chino short are a simple and safe way
to go with the Hibiscus short sleeve
shirt shown above. Beige cargos or
jean shorts are also a great mix.
These button down collar shirts are 100% cotton and made in the USA.
47
These pigment Beach Shorts are perfect for
throwing on over that skimpy suit you only want
to show off at the beach. They are taken off and
put on easily, thanks to their neon drawstring
waist, and are made with bright colored cuffs, cut
high enough to show off a bit of thigh. This limited
edition pair is made out of soft, but sturdy, bright
multicolor print fabric. Bright neon stitching pulls
together a truly classic look with a modern twist.
The trick is to mix prep and street wear,
this will project confidence and swagger
effortlessly. Being a trendsetter means
creating your own personal style and being
comfortable in your own clothes.
Jean and cargo shorts are simple and
versatile, but it’s time to expand your
wardrobe! Slip into some sweat shorts, and
tribal pattern shorts. Pairing those with a plain
or branded tee is the perfect outfit for summer
festivals or date night. I know what you’re
thinking. Sweat shorts to go out in public? Yes!
These are the most comfortable pairs of shorts
in the market right now.
Accessories are always a must but don’t
overdo it with the beaded earthy bracelets.
Less is more. And remember, when it comes
to choosing the fabric, remember to adjust to
the season. Stick to lightweight cottons and
seersucker for those hot summer days. Whether
you decide to go topless or bottomless this
summer, don’t forget to ask yourself… “are you
ready?
48
Andrew Christian
Pigment Beach Shorts
Available at:
Out On The Street
$86.00 CAD
www.outonthestreet.ca
where bears wake up early...!
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article on page 30 in the premier issue of Toronto

Transcription

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