2B Magazine l 1 - Guide Gai du Québec

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Patrick Guay
2 l 2B Magazine
August 20 , 2011
Moncton, NB
www.citypridecelebration.com
* Must be 19 years or older.
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Index
...8
News
...10
Curative Therapies
...14
Nepal Gets Gayer
Montréal Fierté
City Pride Moncton Capital Pride
Film
...18
10
...20
...24
...34
inkedKenny @ G. Dentair e...36
...42
Martin Douvil ...54
Changing Suits
Daniel Baylis in Morocco ...46
Outdoor Sex Hot Spots
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...56
...62
18
24
42
54
2B Magazine l
5
Credits
Publisher André Gagnon
[email protected]
Editor Jordan Arseneault
[email protected]
Contributors Rex Wockner, Antoine Aubert,
Jordan Coulombe, Mark Ambrose Harris,
Danny Légaré, Tim Webber, Matthew Harris,
Stéfane Campbell, Indu Vashist,
Art Director & Photography César Ochoa
514.439.4636
[email protected]
Graphic Design Carolina Ramírez
[email protected]
Graphic Design Étienne Desforges
Junior [email protected]
Sales Pierre Druelle
[email protected]
514.523.9463
Cover Photo
Illustration
Martin Douvil
Title
(Don’t) Hurt Me
Luc Barrette
514.439.4737 / 1.866.521.3873
[email protected]
Sean Mackenzie
514.439.4447
[email protected]
Web Arnaud Baty
[email protected]
Admin Michel Masse
514.521.3873
[email protected]
2B Magazine
A division of HMX Group
Vol.9 No.4
Unauthorized reproduction, in whole or in part, without the written consent of the publisher is prohibited. All
rights reserved. ISSN 1917-2761
6 l 2B Magazine
Montréal Postal Address
P.O. Box 222, Station C
Montréal, QC H2L-4K1
Montréal: 514.521.3873
Ottawa: 1.866.521.3873
2B Magazine l
7
Uganda ‘kill the gays’
bill to return
Vancouver 2011
Outgames Human Rights Conference:
Youth, Sports, and Eurovision
© Clint Trahan of Shutterdreams
to have over a dozen sessions that explore all kinds of youth issues, and
engage that community in continuing the human rights battle started over
forty years ago”.
Uganda’s ‘kill the gays’ bill is to be reintroduced in Parliament, the U.S.based Center for Constitutional Rights said July 21.
The bill -- which was stymied last year via an international outcry -imposed the death penalty for a second conviction of engaging in gay sex,
and required family members, medical personnel, clergy and others to
report people they suspect of being gay or face prison time.
Colombia
to have same-sex unions
by Rex Wockner
According to CCR: “A new version of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill will
appear to have removed the death penalty in order to avoid international
outcry. In reality, it appears that provisions of the bill will link to other laws
that will trigger the death penalty.” The bill had been shelved previously in
May, 2011 before obtaining parliamentary approval.
“It’s a major commitment,” said Larocque. “Now funding will be
dependent on sporting organizations creating a culture of respect. It will
truly make a difference.”
Jerko Bozilovic, from Antwerp, Belgium, also attended the event to
promote his city hosting the Outgames in August 2013. LGBT orgs in Uganda targeted
The LBTI group Freedom & Roam Uganda reported Aug. 1 that its
offices were burglarized and sensitive information was stolen.
Taken were computers, printers, a server, telephones, a microwave oven
and documents -- including the database of the group’s members. No
members were in the building during the weekend break-in.
Colombia’s Constitutional Court on July 26 gave Congress two years to
“The mood is very low; members are filled with trauma and worries,” the
extend the rights of marriage to same-sex couples and said that if it doesn’t, group said in a statement.
then same-sex civil unions will become legal anyway.
Police found fingerprints at the scene and told FARUG there is a good
The ruling was unanimous.
chance of tracking the perpetrators because a rare kind of acid was used
during the break-in, apparently to damage locks.
“The court curiously delayed the date its ruling takes effect, on the
ground that the Congress must legislate on the matter,” said leading activist
FARUG said it wonders if the robbery was random or targeted. The
Germán Rincón-Perfetti. “In six attempts, Congress has shelved bills on group said that four days earlier, the offices of the LGBT organization
homosexual issues because of problems of religious contamination. For Sexual Minorities Uganda also were broken into. FARUG said it needs
the seventh time, the process will begin and if there is not a favorable help “financially, technically and emotionally.”
decision, then the court’s ruling will enter into force.”
A spokesperson said the group needs to hire a security guard, install
The court also said that although the nation’s constitution defines security cameras with battery backup, replace equipment, and reinstall
marriage as between aman and woman, that doesn’t exclude other the Internet.
definitions.
“The struggle continues,” the group
said. “These kinds of things are just one
It further ruled that, legally speaking, same-sex families are families, which way of distracting us. We shall not give in
has the effect of opening up various avenues of equal treatment for same- to them.”
sex couples.
8 l 2B Magazine
To open the conference, Larocque also arranged a provincial declaration.
BC Sport, the province’s umbrella sporting organization, as well as six
member organizations, committed to ending discrimination based on
sexual orientation and gender identity.
By Jeremy Dias
Greg Larocque smiles with a knowing sense that he succeeded at pulling
off a challenge of a lifetime. The conference co-chair, Larocque has been
working tirelessly for over a year on the project, organizing hundreds of
speakers and dozens of workshops to create an international conference
with a broad range of topics that included intersectional topics on youth,
seniors, health, law, workplace, spiritualty, and sport.
“We are so excited that [Eurovision star] Kate Ryan is our first
Ambassador and will write the song for our event,” said Bozilovic.
Bozilovic said that their human rights conference would continue the
dialogue about inclusivity in sports, and supporting youth, and also add
new focuses. Their new focus will reach out to African countries
with
© Jer Dias
historical links to Belgium, and create a declaration of human rights for
the European Union.
Jeremy Dias is the Founder and Executive Director of Jer’s Vision:
The conference is presented by GLISA, the international association Canada’s Youth Diversity Initiative; he is also the Executive Director of the
of LGBT sports organizations from around the world. The organization international Day of Pink. presents the World OutGames and Continental OutGames. The Games
include friendly sports competition, cultural celebrations, and a human For more information see: www.jersvision.org
rights conference. The first World OutGames took place in Montréal in
2006, and its conference led to the creation of the Montréal Declaration
was a summary of demands international LGBT movement in the clearest
and broadest term possible.
Conference participants have come from every continent, and represent
business, the academic world, community organizations and the labour
community. The event also boasts special guests including current and
former Canadian Members of Parliament: Libby Davies, Hedy Fry, and
Bill Siksay; BC legislative member Spencer Hebert; and Vancouver Mayor
Gregor Robertson.
“There are over 250 conference participants,” Larocque says proudly.
“The highlight for me for me however the youth sessions. We are proud
2B Magazine l
9
Editor’s Letter
The Curative Curse:
Actual pamphlet from www.pfox.org
Shining a Light the “Ex-Gay” Movement
By Jordan Arseneault
ment” which aired in June, to Guardian journalist
Patrick Strudwick’s undercover work to expose
state-sanctioned curative therapy in the UK (“She
tried to make me pray away the gay,” May 2011),
the prevalence of reparative therapists who continue the practice has become a hot topic this year,
harkening back to darker eras before homosexuality was decriminalized in (much of) the West.
Those familiar with queer history are reminded by
these stories that the threat of being thrown into
the asylum was once second only to the threat of
prison as a form of social control and punishment
for gay, lesbian and transgender people.
In the wake of New York State’s long-awaited
gay marriage victory and the reversal of Don’t Ask
Don’t Tell (DADT) in the US, there is a troubling
counter-theme that has emerged in literature and
the mainstream media this year. As if showing the
photo-negative of these homo triumphs, media
attention has been intensely focused on “curative
therapy”, otherwise known as “reparative therapy,”
is a discredited form of pseudo-psychology based
on the notion of homosexuality is a curable disease. Dozens (some say hundreds) of clinics and
therapists across the world, from Latin America
to the UK, base their practice on religious doc- Hidden
trines that view homosexuality as unnatural, and
A catalyst for much of the recent coverage
goes a step further claiming that they are able to
“cure” children, teens and adults of the aberration was Lambda-nominated author Tomas Mournthat is same-sex desire. From Anderson Cooper’s ian, whose teen runaway novel Hidden tells the
3-part investigation into the “’Sissy Boy’ Experi- story of youth who survive kidnapping, torture,
forced medicalization and homelessness. Hidden
is based on interviews with youth living in safe
houses in California after escaping covert “hospitals” where gays teens were brought by their
family against their will to be turned straight.
Mournian’s research revealed the frightening
conditions and family complicity in these stories of teens undergoing genital torture, solitary
confinement, and constant doses of Thorazine,
a controlled drug referred to as a “chemical lobotomy,” normally used on disturbed patients.
Mournian was commissioned by none other than
gay idol George Michael to make the short video
Hiding Out, where the reality of gay runaways is
10 l 2B Magazine
told with heart-breaking honesty: how they were
kidnapped by their own parents and brought
to these “hospitals,” and how ineffectual social
services and LGBT organizations are in helping
them. “I asked for help, I went everywhere I could
think of. Social services can’t help us because we
have to have our parents’ consent… and gay and
lesbian organizations are scared to touch the issue of what to do with an underage kid,” recounts
one of the survivors in the video. Mournian’s novel fictionalizes the story by focusing on one character, Ahmed, but is based on the true stories of
constant fear, police raids, and vulnerability that
define the lives of conversion therapy runaways.
to Preventing Homosexuality. While their clinical practice may differ, a similar outlook is to be
found in influential anti-gay organizations like
Exodus International, which preaches “Freedom
from homosexuality through the power of Jesus
Christ” and JONAH, Jews Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality. And, as if sprung from
an alternate satirical universe, there is PFOG, a
prominent organization for Parents and Friends
of ExGays. PFOX scarily echoes certain queer
theorists in claiming that “No one should identify
themselves based on sexual feelings alone; there
is more to your identity than your sexual attractions,” as if making shame about same-sex attraction a positive fact that their approach should
“Feelings Change”
build on. Their surreal youth-directed pamphlet
is entitled “Feelings Change: They are Only One
Like many of the anti-gay arguments that par- Part of You!”
alleled the growing gay rights movement from
the 50’s to the 1973, when homosexuality was
Watching CNN’s “’Sissy Boy Experiment’”
finally struck from the DSM-II, reparative ther- exposé of so-called therapists associated with
apists use fear tactics that associate gay behaviour NARTH, many gay activists’ assumptions about
with pathological urges, pedophilia, social aliena- these groups become clear: many conversion
tion, and punishment in the afterlife. One major therapists are closeted gays themselves, whose ingroup, the National Association of Research and ternalized homophobia has fuelled their commitTherapy of Homosexuality, or NARTH claims ment to the movement. George Rekers, once one
to “offer hope to those who struggle with un- of the most influential conversion therapists in the
wanted homosexuality,” i.e. since social stigma US, would later be dismissed from NARTH—of
causes people to want to turn straight, then it’s which he was a founder— after a scandal where
their role to provide that therapy. NARTH pro- he was caught traveling to Europe with a young
motes “research” on conversion practices, as male escort whom he’d hired to “help carry his
well as religious-inspired literature on the topic luggage.” (The escort claimed he had given Rekers
with titles like Growing Up Straight, Light in the sexual massages on the trip.) Reker’s curative exCloset: Torah, Homosexuality and the Power to periments left one of his patients so emotionally
Change, Pure as He is Pure, and A Parent’s Guide damaged that he later committed suicide. In one
2B Magazine l
11
tube videos, petitions, and critical media outlets
like the Guardian and The Nation to sound the
alarm. In yet another damning undercover report
by Truth Wins Out that emerged this July, the
husband of US Republican presidential hopeful
Michele Bachmann was revealed to be running a
clinic, Bachmann & Ass., that “endorses and practices reparative therapy aimed at changing a gay
person’s sexual orientation.” The desire to punish
and change people for their sexuality continues
to be at odds with the countermovement, which
seeks to change societal attitudes so that shame
has less control over LGBT people’s lives. The
debate goes on, but what we have seen from the
mountain of coverage this year gives us hope that
truth may indeed win out.
highly publicized case form this year, Iowa expastor Brent Girouex faced 60 charges of sexual
assault against teens for trying to help them “gain
sexual purity” by praying and ejaculating while
he molested them. This case was an echo of the
2010 downfall of University of Calgary psychiatrist Dr. Aubrey Levin, a.k.a. “Dr. Shock,” a conversion therapist who was charged with sexually
assaulting a 36 year-old male patient. Facts would
emerge about Levin’s history of using shock therapy in trying to “cure” South African soldiers of
homosexuality during the apartheid era, raising
questions of how the man was able to obtain his
position and keep it for so long up to that point.
people struggling with homosexuality and diffuse their inner dilemmas, rewire their mental
state as well as propagate the belief that homosexuals can change.” Here at home, the 2010
NFB documentary Cure for Love by Canadian
filmmakers Christina Willings and Francine Pelletier followed several fundamentalist Christian
“ex-gays” who claimed to have been rescued
from the gay lifestyle, revealing the uncertainty
and anguish behind their choices. Willings believes there to be ex-gay ministries operating in
every province across Canada, and that “mainly
they’re found in little non-descript strip malls,”
where their practices are entirely unregulated.
Cures that Kill
Luckily for public perception, the overwhelming opinion of recognized medical and social sciYou can view Francine Pelletier & Christina
entists is that reparative therapies do more harm
than good. Even groups that support a religious Willings’ Cure for Love for free on the NFB
therapeutic approach caution that “There exists website at www.nfb.ca/film/cure_for_love
considerable anecdotal evidence of extreme deYou can sign the Cures that Kill petition at
pression… and suicide following such therapies,”
www.dayagainsthomophobia.org/Sign(religioustolerance.org) an opinion shared by the
the-Petition,513
Canadian, American and Royal (British) Colleges
of Physicians. Meanwhile, LGBT groups across
the globe continue to fight the abuse, manipulation, and misinformation perpetrated by conversion therapy supporters. Groups like BeyondExGay, Ex Gay Watch, and Truth Wins Out use You-
Internationally, the IDAHO-led group Cures
that Kill / Curas Que Matan (dayagainsthomophobia.org) is trying to bring attention to
the ongoing pathologizing of homosexuality in
China and Latin America, where medical associations are not as influential in preventing
these “therapists” from being seen as legitimate.
Cures that Kill came out against social services
in Hong Kong for hiring Hong Kwai-Wah, who
specialises in “treating unwanted homosexuality,” this past June. Hong is chairman of the New
Creation Association, whose mission is “to help
12 l 2B Magazine
2B Magazine l
13
judgment declared that LGBTI people have the same rights as any other
person living in Nepal, which meant not only marriage, but also property
rights, adoption rights, the non-discrimination clauses, social security,
pay and pension rights, etc.
The Supreme Court ordered the government to issue citizenship IDs
to the trans people (known as third gender) according to their gender
identity and to amend or scrap discriminatory law policies against
LGBTIs. Additionally, the bench also issued a legal note to the Constituent
Assembly to recognize LGBTI rights while drafting the new constitution.
After the Supreme Court decision, when the Interim Constitution
was formulated, the suggestions were not even tabled. Pant describes,
“Implementation is a process. The ideas can be there, but people have to
understand them to act on them.”
Gay and Trans Revolution
in Nepal
Special report with
parliamentarian Sunil
By Indu Vashist
In the west, when gay people fight for their rights, it is usually to scrap
or change existing laws. But what if we had the opportunity to hit reset
on the whole system? Would gay rights look substantially different if we
were to start from scratch? What would laws look like if we could write
them without the baggage of sodomy laws, or marriage as defined as a
contract that occurs between a man and a woman? Nepal, a small, idyllic
country nestled in the midst of the Himalayas, got a chance to do exactly
that. It was the first country to legally recognise trans people, at the same
time as legalising homosexuality and gay marriage. Until 2001, it did not
have a single gay organisation, but 6 years later in the midst of political
unrest, the LGBT community and other disenfranchised groups received
some of the most progressive legislation and soon-to-be constitutional
rights in the world.
work, instead BDS started chronicling cases of homo- and trans- phobic
violence committed by the security forces and rest of society.
The journey started when Sunil Babu Pant returned to his native Nepal
after stints in Belarus, Japan and Hong Kong where he came to terms with
his own sexuality after encountering gay culture there. In Nepal, he saw
that there was a vibrant cruising culture that was being targeted by the
security forces. “Blackmail and extortion by police was common in those
days,” explains Pant. It was the death of a transperson that inspired him to
set up the Blue Diamond Society (BDS) as place that provided training,
support and resources for the community. Like many places with nascent
gay rights movements, BDS worked under the guise of health and human
rights, in reality, their work was not just confined to HIV/AIDS related
In 2006, the King agreed to reinstate parliament following weeks of
violent strikes and protests against direct royal rule. Parliament voted
unanimously to curtail the king’s political powers. In 2007, the LGBT
community approached the interim parliament to enshrine their rights
along with others in the constitution; however, at that time their demands
were not met. They ended up taking their case to the Supreme Court of
Nepal. In December of 2007, the apex court rendered its decision, “Lesbian,
gay, bisexual, transsexual and intersex are natural persons irrespective of
their masculine and feminine gender and they have the right to exercise
their rights and live an independent life in society.» This phenomenal
14 l 2B Magazine
The political background of Nepal during the early 2000s was that there
was an insurgency against the monarchy and the government that was
acting as the puppet of the monarchy. When the King declared a state
of emergency, the attacks against LGBT people by the security forces
increased. At this time, the BDS with Sunil Pant at its helm were working
with the pro-democracy popular movement. Pant explains the rationale of
the LGBT movement’s participation in the popular uprising, “All human
rights workers were working together. We advocated democracy for
everyone. We [as LGBT people] are credible and concerned citizens, we
wanted to play a critical role for the nation as citizens.”
LGBTI groups started educating the political parties to ensure that
their issues are understood and heard by them. At the last minute,
CPN (United), a small communist party asked people from the LGBTI
community to run under their banner. Sunil Pant put himself forward and
won the election, gaining a seat in the Parliament. From there, the LGBTI
activists had the opportunity to sensitize the entire Constituent Assembly
and Parliament on sexual minority rights issues, while Pant participated
in writing the draft constitution. Within the draft constitution, Pant made
sure that LGBTI rights are enshrined in every section. The constitution is
slated to be promulgated by August 28, 2011.
Since the Supreme Court decision many changes have taken place
within Nepal. The first pride parade was held last year. This year, in its
census, Central Bureau of Statistics officially recognized a third gender in
addition to male and female. People from all over the world go to Nepal
to get married. Nepal has been able to market itself as a haven for the
gay tourist who does not want to participate in a segregated gay culture.
Pant has decided to contribute more time to the Blue Diamond Society.
When asked where he sees the LGBTI community in Nepal is headed, he
replies, “I do not want to segregate ourselves from society. I don’t want
gay neighbourhoods, gay discos, gay stores... I want equality because that
is better in the long run. I want LGBT people to contribute and take part
in society.”
Rights for sexual minorities across the world follow different
trajectories. In the west, we are battling to change existing laws. There
is social upheaval and regime changes sweeping across, this could usher
in a new era for the rights of many oppressed peoples. Nepal remains
an inspiration and a wonderful story to ponder on of LGBT rights in a
small country in South Asia that took form in the midst of no less than a
revolution.
For more info on the IGLA award-winning Blue Diamond Society,
check out http://www.bds.org.np/
2B Magazine l
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Fierté:
At It Again
By Tom McGraw
As Montrealers and tourists alike reel in shock and amazement from
this year’s festival frenzy, it’s hard to imagine that there is still so much left
to look forward to this summer. From August 9th-14th Montréal Pride
Celebrations will be holding their annual rainbow-clad events, but this year,
with a vengeance. 2011 marks the 5th anniversary of the Fierté Montréal
celebrations. From the original mandate of a pride parade and community
day the festival has grown to span six days of culture, celebration and
general merry-making. Although Fierté Montréal President Éric Pineault
is quick to thank their sponsors, there’s more to this Pride than all the logos
on the programme. Co-sponsored by a certain Canadian chartered bank
and a certain impotence pill, one glance at the programme and you might
think this is just another gay party week (with the essentials of money
and, uh, mojo, at the forefront). In spite of this year’s seemingly apolitical
“Space Odyssey” theme, Fierté Montréal’s 2011 edition promises to be the
“the most extensive, diverse and complete program ever.”
Looking over the schedule, there is lot going on, even though the
celebratory aspect seems to override any possible social statement for
LGBT rights and causes. Montréal was late to the Pride tradition, which
started here only in the mid 90’s, and has undergone a few famous
structural shifts since Divers/cite gave up on the parade 6 years ago. Is it
possible that Québec’s progressive sexual politics has castrated our Pride
celebrations in that its organizers feel there is nothing more to demand of
their governments and the powers that be? Unlike NYC, we have no recent
major political gain to celebrate, and unlike Toronto, no homophobic
conservative mayor to rail against. Montréal Fierté’s 2011 slogan “Share
the Pride” even seems to suggest that LGBT rights are now a commodity to
export elsewhere, since the work is essentially done at home. But is it? And
even if it is, what’s with the Space Odyssey theme? Anyway!
Though the classics remain— Parade, T-Dance and community day—
many new events are making their way into the annual festivities. The 2011
edition presents a series of diverse arts and cultural activities from Photo
exhibitions to contemporary dance shows the program really has it all. For
the art lover in all of us exhibitions of photography and mixed media art
are available at a variety of venues. The Blanc de Memoire photography
16 l 2B Magazine
exhibit on HIV/AIDS related personalities will run throughout at the
Écomusée du fier monde. In front of Place Émilie-Gamelin, from the 11th
until the 14th will be a photo exhibit presented by Fondation Émergence
entitled From Apollo to DeGeneres which will feature photos of 50 LGBTA
celebrities and their lovers, a reshowing works presented this year for the
International Day against Homophobia. The iconic Berri square will also
play host from the 11th-14th to the Café des arts, which will feature the
works of seven artists who have made a difference for LGBT rights, their
works will be on sale within the café section.
One of the many Headliners of the festival is the theatre performance
of Les Anciennes Odeurs by Michel Tremblay. Performances will be held
at the Studio-theatre of Place des arts from the 9th until the 13th tickets
are 25$. One of the more off the beaten track events this year will be the
Megasession of yoga hosted by POPgayoga on Saturday the 13th from
3-5pm. POPgayoga boasts that the event will be the largest of its kind in
Canada and will include movements, music and meditation, so it might be
a good place to stop and clear your head before delving into the insanity
that will be Sunday the 14th. These cultural events not only class up the
festival, but will also help to enlarge the overall appeal of the Montreal
Pride Celebrations.
The theme Share the Pride is meant to help all of this year’s festival-goers
feel included in the festivities, but beyond that, it invites them to feel proud
of what we have achieved here. Creating awareness at home, and also for
the many parts of the world that still struggle for the freedoms Canadians
celebrate and enjoy.
As for the main events, this year’s parade promises to be just as wild as
ever with the added bonus of inspired competition. Prizes will be awarded
for the most crowd pleasing float, best choreography by a group, best
costume and make-up, best community group float, and best corporate
float. Competition for these awards can only mean that parade participants
will be kicking things a notch in a aim to outdo each other, which is always
better for us spectators. Community day (August 13) will see St. Catherine
east between St-Hubert and Papineau transformed into a giant meet and
greet for an enormous selection of the LGBT community’s organizations,
groups and sports teams, so feel free to come out and see what Montréal
has to offer. Who knows, you might even find the sports organization or
line dancing group that your life has been missing. The Mega T-Dance
will take place between Sunday august 14th from 2-11pm in place EmilieGamelin, with three DJs Charles Poulin (Québec), DJ Erez Bi (Tel Aviv) and
Montréal’s own Stéphan Grondin to set the mood. It promises to be quite
the sweaty way to finish off your weekend. In short the 2011 Montréal
pride celebrations offer up some class, some glittery ass (as always) and
many different ways to express your sense of pride so get out there and live
it up because the festival season never really ends in Montréal.
For all the info:
www.fiertemontrealpride.com
2B Magazine l
17
Homo away from Home:
The Gladstone Hotel
by Matthew Harris
It has continuously operated in Toronto for over 120 years. Its renovation helped spur the redevelopment of a neighbourhood. But for years,
the Gladstone Hotel was falling apart in Toronto’s formerly dodgy west
end neighbourhood, slowly decaying among the empty lots and car
washes. Many of Toronto’s other Victorian grand hotels – like the recently destroyed Empress Hotel – have been lost. Without intervention,
the Gladstone Hotel would have soon been one of them.
Enter Christina Zeidler. Christina is an openly queer, award-winning
filmmaker. Owning the Gladstone was never really part of the plan; she
has said she became “an accidental hotelier.” Her family brought the
property in 2003, and she was inspired by its potential. “Every town has
an old hotel like this that you think, if I could just get my hands on it, it
could be so cool,” she has said. “Well, I got my wish, and I had the chance
to turn this place around.”
While it had been decaying, the Gladstone still had some architecturally beautiful features left. This included its hand-operated elevator: only
two of which remain in Toronto. From these good bones, Zeidler added
an eclectic touch by bringing in thirty-seven different local artists to individually decorate each of the hotel’s rooms. In 2005, the hotel reopened
to general acclaim. Since then, it and the nearby Drake Hotel have become the centrepieces of the transformation of Toronto’s West End from
industrial wasteland to cultural hotspot.
But while the Drake became a sort of see-and-be-seen place among
the glitterati, the Gladstone has consistently maintained a much stronger
community orientation. In the process, it has become a central meeting
place for Toronto’s West End Queer community. The Gladstone regularly
18 l 2B Magazine
throws events ranging from Granny Boots – a queer cabaret night/curated
performance event – to art exhibitions such as artist Sholem Krishtalka’s
Pride 2011 That’s So Gay exhibition. The hotel also hosted the memorial
for Will Munro, one of Toronto’s biggest queer community builders. And it
has become a local favourite for same-sex wedding receptions.
Its location is smack dab in the centre of the Queer West community: it
is two doors down from Queen West’s other major queer bar/restaurant,
the Beaver. And it’s a short jaunt down the street from the West End’s lesbian bar, the Hen House. Aside from the owner, many of the Gladstone’s
employees are queer, including the Gladstone’s creative director, Jeremy
Vandermeij, and bartender, unofficial “mayor” of Queer West, and allaround nice person, Sandy De Almeida. Jeremy says Queen West’s Queer
scene and the Gladstone offer something unique for the queer visitor or
resident: “a community of creative people who often have very diverse
politics, beliefs, gender identities and sexualities.” As Christina herself has
said, “It is ‘for real’ gay here. We do not have just a policy of acceptance,
but one of true diversity, where staff is openly gay if they want to be and
interact in an authentic way with guests.”
For those looking to visit, it should be noted that the Melody Bar is being
spruced up this summer. Some events may be cancelled, or not running
regularly. Vandermeij says that they should – depending on the situation
with the contractors – be fully open in September, with a fresh batch of
queer event programming. But if you are thinking of visiting, you are advised to phone ahead to make sure you are aware of the renovation situation at this jewel of a gay-friendly hotel.
Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen Street West, Toronto 416.531.4635
www.gladstonehotel.com
© Steffen Downes
Moncton :
is its central location. Located in the heart of
the Maritimes, it is the destination of choice
for big events, concerts or festivals that stop in
the Atlantic Provinces. “We wanted to reunite
people from all over the Maritimes, not only
from the city itself,” he explains, adding that if the
venture is a success, he will repeat the experience
again and again.
Small city with fierce pride
Joëlle Girard
From August 17-21, the city of Moncton, New
Brunswick will play host to the largest Pride
celebrations ever seen in the Atlantic Provinces.
A huge parade, five nights of festivities, six
different sites, a dozen DJs, several thousand
people set to attend, and yes, even Shangela
from RuPaul’s Drag Race will be there. Not bad
for a city of only 120,000.
The volunteer team of River of Pride, the nonprofit organisation that coordinates the official
Pride celebrations for the cities of Moncton,
Dieppe, and Riverview, has been working for
over ten years to commemorate and celebrate
the diversity of New Brunswick.
20 l 2B Magazine
As tradition dictates, River of Pride will begin
its 12th edition starting with the raising of the
rainbow flag at City Hall, followed by a Pride
parade and ensuing celebrations. “Every year,
more people take part in our activities,” affirms
Paul LeBlanc, committee president. This year,
however, organisers are particularly optimistic,
and with good reason, because they will benefit
from another LGBT festival, the City Pride
Celebration that will be held on the same dates,
from August 17-21.
Alex Roberts, president of Modern Vision
Events, the private company behind City Pride
Celebration, promises an extraordinary first
edition. “We want to make Moncton Pride one
of the largest in Canada!” One recent addition
to their sexy and exciting programme includes
Montréal DJ favourites Patrick Guay and Paskal
& Vesselinov spinning a Black & Blue-sponsored
event August 19 at Casino New Brunswick,
followed Saturday night Aug 20 with the
Superbia Party headlined by Pierre Fitch and Joe
Gauthreaux. What we have here is some circuit
party sexiness coming to the Hub City!
Steve Foster & Hector Gomez
Hector Fonseca, Tony Moran, Shangela Change in mentalities
Roberts has brought some big name DJs who
have recently acquired international standing,
like Pierre Fitch, Tony Moran, and the everfamous Hector Fonesca. Not to mention that
Shangela from RuPaul’s Drag Race will be
there. Even OUT TV, the popular Canadian
gay channel, will be part of the celebrations
following the parade. “It’s the first time they
will come to the Maritimes,” declares Roberts
enthusiastically.
For his part, Paul LeBlanc of River of Pride
answered our question by pointing out the
financial support and the media visibility that
has been offered to organisers by municipal
officials, current and potential sponsors, and
the Moncton media. According to LeBlanc, the
inhabitants of New Brunswick are very openminded. The River of Pride committee has been
very well received in the community.
From the point of view of financing, the
positive economic impacts are undeniable.
However, one question remains: Seeing as the “People know ‘the brand’ and call us to offer us
city has a population of only 120,000 people, sponsorship whereas before we had to take the
why Moncton? What is driving the organisers first steps,” declares LeBlanc.
of Moncton Pride to want to become one of the
At 62 years old, Paul LeBlanc is a regular at
largest in the country?
LBGT festivities. Throughout the years, he has
According to Roberts, he himself from New observed a real change of mentality in terms of
Brunswick, the main advantage of Moncton support, be it financial or social. “I’ve been part
2B Magazine l
21
© pierrefitch.com
of the Pride committee for a long time and it’s
very encouraging to see the positive evolution
of attitudes towards the cause,” he notes, adding
that after the pride celebrations this year, he will
be retiring from community organising.
Giving back to the LGBT Community
Recently, the president of River of Pride has
noticed that there is a certain willingness to
create community partnerships on the part
of businesses that already offered financial
support to Moncton Pride. For instance, the
Development Bank of Canada, sponsor of the
LGBT festivities, approached the committee
to organise discussions with employees about
sexual diversity.
“More and more, companies want not only
to lend financial support, but also want to take
something away from this collaboration,” he
explains. “It shows an openness and certainly
gives rise to a feeling of pride amongst gay
and lesbian employees who work for these
businesses.”
22 l 2B Magazine
Thanks to partnerships with EGALE Canada
and the organisation 1n10, River of Pride is
also set to implement the program “Report
Homophobic Violence, Period” (RHVP) with
the Moncton City Police. Another of the
organisation’s success stories is the creation of
several gay-straight alliances in New Brunswick
high schools.
© shangela.com
If all goes well, Alex Roberts – who is already
a proud sponsor of River of Pride – intends to
give part of the profits to different organisations.
All this depends, of course, on the profits
that his venture will make. Among the cited
organisations are the CARA Helpline, Paul
Leblanc’s organisation, and groups that fight
against all forms of harassment.
For more information on Moncton Pride:
http://www.fiertemonctonpride.ca/
For more info on City Pride Celebration,
its program and to buy tickets:
http://www.citypridecelebration.com/
2B Magazine l
23
Capital Pride:
Keepin’ it Real
By Boísin Murphy
When it comes to LGBT Pride celebrations in the mid-sized cities of
the world, it’s hard to reinvent the wheel. You have community stuff, the
parade, lots of outdoor events, and ideally, a few sexy parties that aren’t
too expensive. What Capital Pride has managed to do for its socially savvy
26th edition is to make a pride week that is truly representative of Ottawa’s
LGBT community, but still has enough glamour to attract some out-oftown attention. That means you’ll get a BDSM cabaret, a family picnic,
some lesbian stand-up, and over 65 events that are sure to make the trip to
Ottawa worth your while.
As the director of Capital Pride, Doug Saunders-Riggins understands
the importance of striking a balance between events that appeal to the
rainbow-flagging locals while keeping the sex appeal of a Pride festival in
a larger urban centre. “We’re a large festival but at the same time we’re
still very grass roots,” says Saunders-Riggins, pointing to the fact that it is
entirely volunteer run, with a board elected by members of the community.
An annual highlight for this stalwart Pride director is Tuesday’s Picnic
in the Park, co-hosted by Ottawa Family Services, which brought out
over 200 hungry kids and parents last year, showing the festival’s true
“community feel” colours. Five years ago, organizers tried to go big, closing
off Bank Street and inviting cash-sucking outta town DJs, and they’re still
digging themselves out of that deficit. But looking at the programme and
mission for the 2011 edition, Capital Pride ain’t hurting. After a rough start
with Ottawa City Major Jim Watssson almost kicking them out of their
cherished Marion Dewar Plaza, there’s nothing stopping them this year:
Canada’s capital is ready to get their gay on.
24 l 2B Magazine
Glancing at the programme, you’ll see a lot of elements that give
Capital Pride the big city scale with a small town feel. As if lifted from the
calendar of off-pride fests like Pervers/cité, Club SAW’s “reflective talk and
discussion” with Toronto Pride boardie and activist bad-boy Roy Mitchell
“will cover such topics as Toronto Pride 2010, the G20, Raelians, City
Hall, Heterophobia, Funding and Beer Gardens.” Like bigger Prides (and
unlike Montréal’s), Ottawa boasts a lusciously well-attended Dyke March
(Sat. Aug. 27, 1:30pm), which leaves from the über-central Human Rights
Monument and stops at nothing to make the city’s hefty lesbian presence
known to one and all. That evening, pride crowd-pleaser Lucas Silveira’s
band The Clicks will rev up the main stage before local live act Disco
Inferno at Marion Dewar Plaza for a modest $5. Following their decadeold Laugh Out Proud tradition, Ottawa’s comedy embassy Yuk Yuk’s will
be hosting three belly-aching nights of stand-up with Ellen Degeneres
veteran Thea Vidale and the honestly very funny Jessica Solomon.
Keeping it beautifully political, Capital Pride will be unveiling their
“We Demand” mural on Friday night at the corner of Bank and Gilmour
Streets, commemorating Canada’s first LGBT public protest, followed
by a dinner-screening of Stand Together, a documentary on the Ontario
queer rights movement at Shanghai Restaurant (651 Somerset W). And
one of the things you’ll love about Capital Pride is that although it’s grass
roots, she ain’t no prude! Smack-dab in the middle of the programme is
the “Fetishini Kinky Cabaret 3” at Breathless (318 Lisgar Street), a venue
heretofore unknown to us, which also hosts the “Play As You Like It Night”
immediately afterwards. And as if that weren’t enough, Ottawa’s youth
NGO Pink Triangle Services and non-profit trollop Jer’s Vision is hosting
their Pride Prom that same night at the Falldown Gallery, (288 Bank
Street), which is FREE for youth 14-25, but also open to us chicken hawks.
I’m already counting how many Red Bulls I’ll need to make it to the POP
UNDERWEAR PARTY at 2Bmag’s favourite Ottawa haunt, The Flamingo
Nightclub (380 Elgin), which promises “sexy people in their underwear
drinking champagne and fierce drag performances.” Event magic-maker
Sébastien Provost is sure to deliver a night you’ll want to end up at (while
ensuring the appropriate level of exhaustion for the next day).
Starting at the Garden of the Provinces and Territories on Sparks and
Bronson on Sunday, the Capital Pride Parade will be the culmination
of the festival’s community and splashier sides with floats by Flamingo
Nightclub and Stroked Ego alongside a myriad of Ottawa-Gatineau’s
LGBT social organizations. And, lest we forget to mention, 2Bmag and
new sister mag Entre Elles launch their Capital Pride editions at Venus
Envy on Wednesday, Aug. 24! The launch will celebrate the new revamped
lesbian francophone magazine Entre Elles and give Pride-goers a chance
to see what the mags are made of. Featuring a photo exhibit by Rah Illa
and Nathan Hoo, free tasty treats and a cash bar to benefit the Venus Envy
bursary fund: 320 Lisgar St, Ottawa, 8-10pm. www.venusenvy.ca
For the full programme, check out: www.capitalpride.ca
2B Magazine l
25
© Jessica Ruano
Orgasmic Tech Support:
Venus Envy will boost your sexual IQ
By Mark Ambrose Harris
There’s a certain charm to the classic sleazy sex shop. Who can deny
the allure of penis straws, cheap blow-up dolls, and endless troughs of
discount porn? However, if you aren’t hosting a bachelorette party and
need quality adult fare, be thankful for establishments like Venus Envy.
This bastion of sex-positivity first opened its doors in Halifax in 1998.
Conceived of by Shelley Taylor, the business soon expanded, with Taylor
opening up a second location in Ottawa in 2001, where she’s been stationed ever since.
Though VE began as a store for women and the folks who love them,
Taylor soon recognized the diversity of the clientele who appreciated the
store’s upbeat vibe, and she broadened the sexual spectrum of VE’s mandate. Now, aside from being a place where knowledgeable staff can help
you choose anything from masturbation sleeves to nipple clamps, VE is
community oriented. In addition to offering a bursary to women and trans
people in need who wish to further their studies, Taylor and her team work
tirelessly to bring sexual know-how to the masses. Taylor explains:
not a shameful one.” I asked Taylor how she and her co-workers assist
clients who are negotiating shame.
“Often we’re preaching to the converted, because people who are comfortable coming into the store are pretty comfortable with sex. But every
day we meet people at VE who have never been to a sex shop, or who are
experiencing some kind of sexual pain or difficulty, and they’ve come in as
a last ditch attempt to feel better or work things out. I think it helps that
we’re just normal about sex and toys. We can acknowledge that someone
is uncomfortable but present the material in a way that normalizes things
for them.”
Since Taylor has been with VE since the start, I was curious if throughout
the years she’s seen blurring between sexual practices and identity categories.
“Yes, most people we meet here aren’t too hung up on what parts should
go where. It’s still pretty common for us to show a dude the cock-ring section, which is attached to the butt toy section, and have them tell us clearly
that that isn’t for them. On the other hand, we see a lot of straight identified men buying anal toys. When we first opened, anal toys were bought
“Our goal is to offer sex education in everything we do; one-on-one in primarily by queers, harnesses were only bought by lesbians, and straight
the shop, out in the community, through social media and during our in- women always wanted a vibrator. Thankfully, much has changed.”
store seminar series.”
Join us for the launch of 2Bmag’s Capital Pride edition and new lesbian
With sex ed falling off the school curriculum, VE’s role as educator and monthly Entre Elles
Wednesday, August 24, 8-10pm
bookstore becomes all the more pertinent.
Featuring photo exhibit by Rah Illa and Nathan Hoo
“As far as I can tell from talking to hundreds of first-year university and colVenus Envy
lege students every year, almost nobody is getting decent sex ed in high school.”
320 Lisgar St, Ottawa
Take a peak at the VE website, and one phrase pops out as a crucial
613-789-4646
aspect of their mission statement, that “sex should be dirty in a good way,
www.venusenvy.ca
26 l2B2BMagazine
Magazine
2B Magazine l
27
town-- Flamingo! And they’ve been making sporadic Ladies Nights since
their inception last winter in late January. Ladies Nights at Flamingo tend
to be a month apart at the least, with out-of-town queer women DJs, gogo
dancers, burlesque shows and drag shows.
Ottawa has always had to deal with being the middle child between Toronto and Montreal, vying for attention among two historic gay villages
renowned for their parties. However, there are at least two other kinds of
events in town that can offer refuge to queer women and dykes if they’re
not the party-all-night and drink-till-you-drop kind.
Ottawa Outings
F.C Estrella
A resounding question is echoed through Internet forums and whispered behind hands in chance meetings at trendy free trade cafes: “Where
are all the dykes at in Ottawa?”
Women looking to pick up, hang out, and get to know other women
seem to rely on the queer house party/potluck via Facebook invite to lure
more L-Word into their lives. But what about the ladies who want to bust a
move on dance floors, with breakdancing butches and fashionista femmes?
Where can a fresh-faced baby dyke or new-lesbian-in-town go to mingle
with the Sapphic masses?
It’s slim pickings in this government town. We’ve got two week nights
specifically for queer women: Wednesday and Friday.
Wednesdays at Mercury Lounge (and Bar 56 directly below it) have the
late-night events charmingly called “HUMP” and “Fresh Beaver”. Doors
open at 9pm and everyone hits the pavement by 3am, with a drag show
squeezed in around midnight. The beats are always fresh and the decor is
full of long red drapes and avant-garde gallery calibre paintings.
The Friday Fixxx at The Lookout (“Ottawa’s Favourite Gay Bar!”) with
DJ Isabelle is the Ladies Social, an evening that goes on till 2am. The bar is
smaller and less posh than the Wednesday night venues. Also, the music
is uninterrupted as The Lookout drag shows usually happen on Saturday
nights. The Lookout’s also added the “Pre-Fixxx” Ladies Cocktail Hour
from 8-10pm, where you can watch L-Word on the big screen, have $5
cocktails, and not have to pay cover for the dance party later in the night.
Venus Envy’s Shelley Taylor throws an event every season or so for the
Venus Envy Bursary Fund. Certain Sort is usually billed as a “A dance party
for all kinds of queers”. An upcoming Certain Sort for Ottawa Pride is happening at Club SAW for August 27 with drink specials and a trio of musical
disc-jockeying by DJ Bratface (Montreal), DJ Y’alla! Y’alla! (Ottawa), and
CPI (Ottawa - thetastates.com). Cover is $5-15 sliding scale.
Move over Lookout, Swizzles, and Edge! There’s a new hot pink bar in
Divergence Movie Nights (DMN) tend to predominantly attract a female
queer crowd, though male-centered movies prove to be the exception.
These are monthly events at licensed establishments (Shanghai Restaurant
and Raw Sugar Cafe) that screen rare LGBTQ films. A special Pride edition
of DMN is slated for August 26 at Shanghai Restaurant, where they’ll be
screening “Stand Together”, a documentary on the Ontario gay liberation
movement. DMN is one of those great events where you can show up for
the movie and then get cozy with someone either physically or intellectually with topics ranging from activism to kink.
Speaking of kink, there are seasonal events that the women and trans
folk queer kink community look forward to, organized not just by Ottawa
folk. The biggest and most notable is An Unholy Harvest (UnholyHarvest.
Ca), “Canada’s only annual weekend event for leatherdykes, trans folks and
kinky gals of all bent persuasions”. If you’re a kinky dyke and haven’t gone
to this event yet, it’s time to strap on your leathers or corsets and party in
collars or whips! Unholy Harvest is in its 5th year, and falls from October
7-11. This 2011 kinkfest is circus-themed with prizes given out to the best
costumes.
Sure, O-Town doesn’t have the constant stream of parties as the neighbouring big cities, projecting its stereotype of a straight-laced civil servant
that gays it up only once in awhile, but if you know where to look (and have
the right friends on Facebook) you can start finding dyke places and queer
spaces to hang out and have fun-- no matter what your interests are.
The Buzz Bar & Restaurant
374 Bank St.
TheBuzzRestaurant.ca
Shanghai Restaurant
651 Somerset St. W.
ShanghaiOttawa.com
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2B Magazine l
29 71
month. And this past June 17, the bar was insanely packed for its inaugural
Friday night.
Visibly satisfied about the success of the first night, Desjardins sees a
lot of possibilities in for the bar’s future. “We wanted to open the fastest
possible now that it’s done, we’re entering phase 2. We are opening the
kitchen in a few days – La Cantine Royale with chef Hugo Desforges – and
in two to three weeks, we’ll have a stage to welcome bands.”
Open “Minds”
The philosophy of the Royal Phoenix Bar – a name that is a cross
between the mystic bird and the Royal Sous-marins, the legendary
restaurant from next door – is meant to imply openness to diversity and
people of all genders and orientations. Val Desjardins insists, “People are
queer, but it’s not that that unites us. It’s more art, love of art, love of
creative expression.” And effectively, there was a little bit of everything
on opening night: gays, lesbians, heteros, queers, curious, arty partiers,
yuppies and the beer-can crowd.
Finally, a Queer Bar in the Mile-End:
Welcome to
the Royal Phoenix
The event-promoter powerhouse assures us that the programming will
also be very diverse. “I’ve been in the business for 10 years. I know who I
want to work with,” she says. Between Gay Bash nights, the Queer Slow
Dance, and Hipster Karaoke, there is also room for projections of all sorts,
rock night and various partnerships with some of the city’s most popular
festivals. The Royal Phoenix will also be the locale for a much-anticipated
Open Mic night August 9 for the rad young things of Pervers/cite, hosted
by Sister An T Horné
By Joëlle Girard
The Royal Phoenix Bar, located on the corner of Saint-Laurent and
Bernard, is the new hotspot for the queer community north of Mont-Royal.
For the regulars of Faggity Ass Fridays, fans of the Roller Derby league,
looky loos and certainly for those who love a certain artsy eclecticism, the
Royal Phoenix is the new party location for the hors-village community.
The project was born when a friend of Val Desjardins, champion of
Montreal nightlife, told her, “I want to open a queer bar in Mile-end and I
won’t do it without you.” Passionate about organising events, Val jumped
at the chance to join in the venture and become the artistic director of
the establishment, completely revamping the former Klinik in less than a
30 l 2B Magazine
We’ll be seeing you at the Royal Phoenix,
5788 Boulevard Saint-Laurent. Check out “Royal Phoenix Bar” on
Facebook.
2B Magazine l
31
Mind your manners:
Steve Petrow has advice
for every occasion
from Petrow’s website, www.gaymanners.com.
Queery features questions from queer folks,
whereas Straight Talk contains dilemmas from
allies. When asked what subject people needed
the most help with, Petrow divulges that weddings
are high on the list.
By Mark Ambrose Harris
Even the most reputable and referenced
etiquette guides tiptoe around anything queer.
These omissions are odd, because let’s face it,
artful napkin folding has to be the gayest thing
this side of Gaga. To remedy the situation, author
Steven Petrow compiled a wealth of advice
for Steven Petrow’s Complete Gay & Lesbian
Manners: The Definitive Guide to LGBT Life.
The book addresses an eclectic collection of
exclusively queer issues, such as coming out or
lesbian motherhood, to more standard etiquette
fare, such as place settings. Thrown into the mix
are formal conundrums with a bent twist, like
verifying if a wedding venue is friendly towards
genderqueer brides and grooms, or brides and
brides, or… well, you get the idea. There are two
reoccurring Q&A segments in the book culled
32 l 2B Magazine
“All of these questions come up because there
are no other sources to turn to; we’re invisible
in mainstream etiquette books. Add to that the
fact that we’re undergoing a seismic shift right
now when it comes to gay weddings. I hope that
folks who are planning their ceremonies will
understand that they’re the first generation to
be doing so and that their choices are setting the
foundation of tradition and etiquette to come.
It’s both a lot of responsibility and a great way to
express our love and commitment to each other.”
It’s safe to say that most etiquette guides don’t
include hanky codes. Whereas more traditional
tomes on decorum ignore sex altogether, Petrow
doesn’t shy away from carnal delights. He
writes about public sex guidelines, bathhouse
behaviour, and one-night manners. And though
weddings are dandy, Petrow also talks about less
conventional forms of coupledom, from how to
broach the subject of kink, to opening up the
relationship and polyamory.
Though the book’s subtitle includes the
acronym LGBT, the main title, writ large, is
Gay & Lesbian. Nonetheless, Petrow addresses
early on the variances of identities that are
possible, especially under the rubric of queer.
Furthermore, the guide also handles trans
matters. Petrow explains that throughout the
development of the book, he received guidance
and feedback from people working in trans
issues, including Shannon Minter of NCLR.
Petrow illustrates just how much societal
mores have shifted. For instance, the chapter
on being out at work explains that many
organizations now actively seek out queer
candidates for their teams. And yet, there will
always be someone reluctant to budge. When
asked if his guide might incite some sticklers to
bend their rules to the bent side, he isn’t so sure.
“I actually think these authors don’t understand
how much they’ve left out of twenty-first century
manners. Beside LGBT matters, think about
Facebook, Twitter, GPS dating apps, texting and
how these new technologies apply to dating,
sexual etiquette, relationships, weddings and so
much more. I think Emily Post needs to get an
iPad and download some new apps.”
Steven Petrow’s Complete Gay & Lesbian Manners:
The Definitive Guide to LGBT Life
Steven Petrow with Sally Chew
Workman Publishing, 2011
417 pages, $21.95
2B Magazine l
33
© paperblog.fr
Crocodile Tears:
Teen Trouble in Flanders:
Bavo Defurne’s North Sea, Texas at the FFM
By Jordan Arseneault
A coming of age tale set in a sleepy seaside town involving a clueless
mother and an impossibly sexy teenage neighbour: no, it’s not a new feature by Thom Fitzgerald or a play by Québec’s Michel-Marc Bouchard.
While North Sea, Texas has all the hallmarks of a Canadian art-house
drama, it hails from Belgium, and will get its North American première at
this year’s Festival des films du monde, Aug. 18-28.
Director Bavo Defurne has been making a name for himself on the
international festival circuit with such crowd-and-critic pleasing shorts
as Campfire (2000) about Boy Scout love. When it came to making a feature, he knew what his backers and potential audience wanted to see. The
coming of age tale “is a theme that touches me a lot,” Defurne says, “and
one that is very important in people’s lives. A lot of people who see it have
that reminiscence,” he adds, revealing his attraction to universal emotions.
“You remember your first love more than your seventeenth,” he says factually— making me wonder, who was my seventeenth love? His Campfire is
still shown in schools and hailed for showing “the beauty of creation,” even
by a certain Catholic priest admirer.
Reached by phone on a break from shooting in the North Sea town of
Oostende, Defurne is surprisingly cheerful about the hopeful potential for
a story about same-sex teen love, which he admits, rarely ends well. In
North Sea, Texas, lonely teenage queer Pim, played by blonde freckled ballet dancer Jelle Florizoone, is in love with his scruffy dark-haired neighbor
Gino (Mathias Vergels), who luckily turned 18 during the shooting, which
makes lusting after him feel a little less taboo. Set in a kind of 1960s Neverland of indeterminate chronology, “before May 1968, in a world where
the word gay wasn’t used so often,” Bavo clarifies, the camera follows the
characters threw summers of lust, love, and disappointment, until one day,
a stranger comes to town...
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Melancholy and Belgian cinema go hand-in-hand—just look at any of
the Dardennes brothers’ films—and Defurne is no exception. “It can be
very hard to grow up gay, there’s a lot of homophobia and teen suicide. In
a way every film that has a sad message and a sad ending is very true [to reality].” Without giving away any of the film’s scant plot elements, Defurne
suggests that things might not work out the way we want them to for little
Pim. But, he insists “I’m really not into realism; I’m more into memories
and the inner world, the things you see when you close your eyes,” muses
Defurne, whose setting for the film transcends time and nationality, but
recalls the post-WWII Belgian obsession with all things American, which
is to say, with dreams. The “Texas” of the title is not the state, but a village
pub where Pim’s self-obsessed mother brings him to hang out with adults.
“Pim’s mother dreams of exotic countries and a better life. Everybody in
the film has a vague sense of longing for a better life in a better time.” The
question he wishes to pose with North Sea, Texas, is Will we be strong
enough to follow our dreams? It’s a theme that’s sure to strike a chord with
Canadian viewers, especially for those of us who grew up in similar noplaces with similar yearnings.
But, he admits, it’s important to show that there is hope. “Belgium is one
of the few countries in Europe where gays can legally marry,” says the director, making the very current link between legal rights and psycho-social
integration of which gay marriage activists are so fond. Still, Bavo had to
cope with the casting “hell” of having 220 boys audition for the lead roles,
dealing with the homophobic parents who forbade their sons from attending call-backs to act in a gay film. Happily though, young Jelle’s parents were
more than supportive, even allowing him to travel to Montréal for its muchanticipated première this month. Bravo, Bavo! See you at the FFM.
For the schedule, check out www.ffm-montreal.org
www.northseatexas.com
Jacob Tierney’s Good Neighbours
out on DVD
By Mark Ambrose Harris
In populating a bleak Montreal winter with vacant hearts, and mixing
the tenuous political climate of a province on the cusp of a referendum
with few nods to Hitchcock, Jacob Tierney infuses local flavour into film
noir with Good Neighbours. The home-grown director/writer/actor/allaround-gem is perhaps best known for his politico high school comedy The
Trotsky. However, fans of Tierney’s earlier film Twist, a sombre Dickensian
vision of hustler culture, know the filmmaker is no stranger to the sinister
(and homo) elements of the human condition. With Good Neighbours,
based on a Chrystine Brouillet novel, Tierney explores the relationships
between tenants in an NDG apartment building as a serial killer haunts the
pre-referendum West-end borough. The trio, perma-smile Spencer (Scott
Speedman), feline inclined Louise (Emily Hampshire) and new tenant
Victor (Jay Baruchel), debate over bottles of wine while contending with
resident crazy kétaine alcoholic neighbour Valérie (a brilliant performance
from Anne-Marie Cadieux).
Tierney makes a cameo as Victor’s brother, who visits along with his
boyfriend played by Xavier Dolan. As Tierney points out in interviews, the
queer couple provides a sort of comedic role reversal. While Tierney and
Dolan enact a more traditional relationship model, with Dolan calling out
repeatedly asking where his grey socks are, the straight protagonists’ litany
of neuroses annuls any chance of meaningful human interactions.
What’s fun about Good Neighbours is that Tierney provides a plot “reveal”
early on in the film. However, this only heightens the plot’s intrigue, and the
suspense becomes driven by a question: exactly what depth of amorality will
the characters reach? Though Spencer is reticent to speak about his past and
Louise cares more about cats than people, even the adorable Victor has a
penchant for bending the truth. But these little quirks are only the tip of the
sociopathic iceberg. In combining the macabre and the hilarious alongside
Tierney’s A-game directorial skills, Good Neighbours will no doubt become
one of dark humour’s finest moments.
Good Neighbours by Jacob Tierney is out on DVD July, 2011.
©lostinreview.com
Beginners:
Homage to Father
J. Girard
With Beginners, director Mike Mills has made a both personal and
universal film about himself and his father Hal (played by Christopher
Plummer), who came out of the closet at 75 years old. Part drama and part
romantic comedy, the film manages to treat some of life’s most difficult
moments with humour, authenticity and insight.
After 45 years of marriage, the death of his wife allows Hal to finally
come out of the closet and live his homosexuality openly. A veritable
rebirth takes place as Hal explores the gay world, gains a sense of pride
and rediscovers love, sex and celebration, all in front of his son Oliver
(played by Ewan McGregor). For five years, Hal lives life to the fullest with
a newfound sense of freedom and adventure, before dying of cancer.
Fast forward to few months after his father’s death, and Oliver gets his
turn at love when he meets Anna (Mélanie Laurent), a charming French
actress passing through Los Angeles. The new relationship plunges
him back into his past. Between a childhood marked by a heterosexual,
yet absent father and a young adulthood punctuated by a surprisingly
emotionally accessible and enthusiastic “newly” gay father, Oliver learns to
come to terms with his own cynicism in regards to love.
Director Mike Mills wanted to preserve the spontaneity of the actors,
from rehearsals to set. “None of my conversations with Christopher and
Ewan had the tenor of ‘Here’s how we did things,’ or ‘Here’s how it was,”
clarifies Mills. “It was more like, ‘Here are these verbs and actions that my
Dad and I experienced. Go live them out now in a way that’s real for you,
so it will be real for an audience. Take away all the proper nouns and let it
be your thing.”
His discreet but effective direction allows the plot, and the characters,
to take on a life of their own. The natural feel of Beginners is what sets it
apart from a simple romantic comedy or typical drama – an authentic film,
through and through.
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Well
Rounded
Pieces:
inkedKenny at Galerie Dentaire
By Boísin Murphy
Tattoos, hair, sweat, beards, smokin’ and tough-looking men are this
photographer’s stock in trade. Based in Toronto, with frequent trips to
NYC where he is the art director for martial arts clothing company X-gear,
Inked Kenny has carved out a niche as one of the hottest homo imagemakers in Canada. Readers may recall seeing a couple of inkedKenny’s
sexy beasts in the February issue of 2Bmag, but now he’s back in full force.
For his first solo show in Montréal, Kenny will be including a few lovely
ladies for the first time, as well as showing off a slew of boner-inducing
dudes that populate his textured, sexually charged works. Although
the show’s vernissage is August 13, it technically opens on Kenny’s 44th
birthday, three days before.
“It’s gonna be a nice well-rounded piece of the direction I’m going and
what inspires me to photograph men,” Kenny says, reached by phone on a
break from a roof-top photoshoot in Toronto. It’s only his third year shooting
for a living, but this camera-toting bundle of testosterone has the eye and
the talent of a seasoned pro. In addition to having works in group shows like
Toronto’s 10x10 and Montréal’s ARTsida, inkedKenny was recently scouted
by Bruno Gmünder for their upcoming BRAVE and Turned on Tattoos
anthologies. One of the models he recently shot in Montréal will be featured
in the German erotic publisher’s 2012 Hair calendar, which has him just one
step away from getting his own book. “It’s a process but I’m getting there.
You’re always your worst critic,” Kenny confides.
For the vernissage, there’s a chance you will get to see a few of his models
in the flesh, something inkedKenny says adds to the feeling of the opening
being more of an event. “I know quite a few people in Montreal, like bar
tenders, who help me find people. In Montréal it’s a lot easier to find
362B Magazine
people, whereas Toronto is more conservative and it’s the hardest place
to find models,” he says, echoing a long-standing belief in the difference
between the two cities. But it’s odd that models would be hesitant, since
inkedKenny is adamant that his works are not as overtly pornographic as
one might expect: “I don’t like to shoot guys with rock hard dicks. Better
to show some bare ass, butt crack and big bulges. It’s sexier to be more
suggestive,” which is part of what’s allowed inkedKenny’s work to easily
be shown in bars like Toronto’s Black Eagle, as well as in galleries like
Dentaire and the White House Studio Project for Toronto Pride, which
featured Montréal artist (and tattooed Adonis), Gô.
Opening during Montréal’s Pride week is a smart move, as is keeping the
show up till early September so that it can be enjoyed over Fetish Weekend by
new legions of Inked Kenny fans. “Everything in the show will be very sexual,”
Kenny assures us, promising to “push the envelope with the fetish content,”
which is sure to make gallery-goers happy, and perhaps, a little horny.
Check out more of inkedKenny at www.inkedkenny.com
On display at Galerie Dentaire, Aug 10-30th.
1239 rue Amherst, (514) 523-5535
http://www.galeriedentaire.com/
2B Magazine l
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© César Ochoa
Lemon Cree:
Fitness without the Gym
her work which was aired on APTN. But their approach extends to a lot of
two-spirited and queer people who don’t feel like they fit in at the gym or
on a sports team, and that’s where I started to feel right at home.
I joined Ducharme’s Bounce Fit class on a humid July evening, along with
three other heat-defying participants for a generous hour and 15-minute
class that involved a lot of warm-up bouncing and manipulating the
exercise ball, moving on to resist-A-band and abdominal work that really
stretched my limits, but with an awesome soundtrack to keep you going.
“You might not know what’s in store,” she had warned me, and indeed I
did not: the class was way more fun and challenging than I had expected,
and in the end, I had a small but significant epiphany. Inspired by the
Pilates approach, the class winds down after some core-burning sit-ups
and ends with lying flat on your back to breathe and “meditate”. I don’t
usually like this part of a yoga or Pilates class, and as if she knew what
I was thinking, Theresa came over and said “Now Jordan, you have to
clear your mind, don’t focus on anything but your breathing, just your
breathing,” like she had caught me starting to think about dinner or work
(which I was). As I lay there breathing, with no gym queens or fluorescent
lights making me feel out of place, I realized that although looking after
yourself doesn’t come naturally to many of us, it doesn’t have to be
physically and aesthetically painful either. It can be fun, and make you
feel whole at the same time.
By Jordan Arseneault
Check out the $15 drop-in classes or affordable 20-class cards, valid
for 6 months. Their new referral programme is another incentive: bring a
I have a secret. I hate going to the gym and I always have. This has made friend and get a free class!
me feel like bad gay man and has kept from doing anything other than
biking and swimming for most of my life. Then, at 30, I started thinking
maybe it’s time to get serious. And no sooner than the thought crossed my
mind, a flyer for Lemon Cree fitness studio came across my desk, and a few
days later I found myself bouncing on an exercise ball shaking my thang to
Tina Turner, and wondering where this class had been all my life.
In their light-filled studio above Saloon on Ste-Catherine Est, Lemon Cree’s
owner and star instructor Theresa Ducharme teaches a kind of modified
aerobics with touches of Pilates, incorporating resist-A-bands and exercise
ball or resist-A-ball work, focusing on core strength and full-body fitness. Her
handsome basket-ball coach son, Christopher Yee, teaches the Strength and
Cardio class, which focuses on breathing and body awareness. This mother-son
duo is kind of a wellness powerhouse, whether they’re teaching at their studio,
or travelling around to train teachers for in First Nations communities.
“We’re helping a nation get back to health and wellness,” Ducharme
chimes, adding that in her classes “people know they can exercise, feel
safe, and get in shape.” With her wide smile and bright eyes, she has all
of the charms of the kind of phys ed teacher you wish you’d had in high
school. She and her son, along with her daughter, actress and stylist Jessica
Yee, have made it their mission to spread their fun, low-impact approach
to fitness to Native communities across Québec, including the Mohawk
community in Kahnawake, where Ducharme made a documentary about
38 l 2B Magazine
© César Ochoa
Studio Lemon Cree, 1331A Sainte Catherine Est, 2nd Floor, Montréal
514-567-9887, [email protected]
www.lemoncree.com
2B Magazine l
39
No One Puts Baby
in the Corner
at SCREAM Dance Academy
By Boísin Murphy
With her bleach-blond locks, bright red lips,
and naturally caffeinated vibe (she had a rooibos
tea while I chugged a coffee), the first impression
you get of Lynsey Billing is here’s a girl I’d like to
know. Young, beautiful, and wide-eyed, Billing has
been a choreographer and dance instructor for
over 14 years, teaching lyrical jazz, hip-hop fusion
and that gayest of dance genres, Broadway Jazz
out of studios on the Main and at Studio Bizz on
av. Mont-Royal. We caught up with Billing on the
threshold of opening her own studio at 6598A StHubert, the home of her Scream Dance Academy.
But that’s not to say you’re not gonna WERK.
Billing’s academy is referred to as a studio school,
with a dizzying array of drop-ins, group classes,
and troupes working towards various shows
throughout the year. In late summer/early fall,
she auditions for her show troupes, including
the mixed professional/learner show she puts on
in February called STAGE, which is like a talent
show of what her most committed students and
fellow dancers have been working on throughout
the year.
at Scream. “There are different dance schools for
different people, but ours is for the underdog!”
she proclaims. And it sounds like a lot of
inspirational stories come out that approach, as
was the case for Chris, one of her recent protégés
who used the skills he learned at Scream to get in
touch with his inner drag queen. “She has really
helped me to believe in myself,” Chris writes of
his mentor. “No matter what came in my way,
Lynsey would always tell me to continue to do
what I love. I remember telling her that I wanted
to do drag and the first thing she said was not ‘ok’
For a first-time dancer, Billing recommends a or ‘That’s nice’, she said ‘ GO FOR IT!’”
hip-hop fusion class, which incorporates a lot of
music-video-style upper body movement (unlike
As a rallying cry to the inner dancer that many
break-dancing which is very floor-based), and of us only let out on a Friday night at the club,
the basic jazz fusion, which you’ll want to do for Billing beckons you to “Learn ways to dance and
a few months before venturing into the more love it! And don’t let anyone tell you you can’t!”
demanding Lyrical Jazz, which is her specialty.
With a dozen teachers and classes going on
For all the info on classes, auditions, schedules
6 days a week, Scream’s goal is really to offer and rates, check out the website and don’t look
something for everyone, particularly for people back (unless it’s part of the choreography!).
who have been discouraged by learning dance in
the past.
If you’ve ever taken a dance class, as a teen or
an adult, and been scared away by the teacher or
because you weren’t getting it, then Billing has
the class for you. Over the summer, she offers 16
different drop-in classes from contemporary ballet
to waacking to the neo-salsa-inspired and genderliberating stiletto ladystylin’, all of which are
geared to making dance fun and accessible. “We
want to make every class special for everyone,”
Billing enthuses, “every class is like a party, with
lots of laughter and mutual encouragement.” In
“When I started out,” Billing confides, “people
fact, Scream’s motto is NO JUDGMENT!, which told me you’re too fat or not tall enough. All of
sums it up, exclamation point and all.
that baggage,” she adds, is not what you’ll hear
40 l 2B Magazine
Académie de Danse Scream / Scream Dance Academy
NEW LOCATION 6598A St-Hubert Suite 200,
514-523-4648
www.academiededansescream.com
2B Magazine l
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Changing Suits
IN BETWEEN MEN is a Change
in The Right Direction
By Trent Farber
“New York passing gay marriage is just one small step,” says Jennifer Gelfer, director of the hot gay
web series, In Between Men. “We aim to take the next giant leap.”
At first glance, In Between Men doesn’t appear to be groundbreaking television. It’s often compared
to Queer as Folk. But that’s a mistake. The important difference is that the Queer as Folk boys lived in
an insular gay world where they ate and breathed the LGBT community. In In Between Men, the guys
integrate in the mainstream world – the ‘straight’ world. They’re gay and yes, extremely attractive, but
they’re everyday guys living real lives with people from all walks of life. They’re how most gay men
truly live - and the normalness portrayed on In between Men may just change the way the mainstream
world views the gay community.
Dalton is the lead character of In Between Men. Played by Nick Mathews, Dalton is a young man
at the top of his game who finds little in common with the superficiality of most guys in the city. He
struggles with a lonely love life, wondering if he should settle for Mr. Almost-Right or hold out for
someone better.
Benjamin Reed, played by the Adonis actor Ben Pamies, is the iconic male figure. He is what gay men
want to be and be with. Oversexed and promiscuous but also intelligent and successful, Benjamin is
a loving friend and family man whose looks outshine everything except his career ambition.
The character of Dane, played by Chase Coleman, is the mirror opposite of Reed. He is naïve in love
and his pension for chasing after bad boys gets him in trouble.
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“So often, gay men look outside themselves for affirmation of worth,” says Gelfer. “Gay men are
not taught to love themselves. They’re told they should be something else, namely ‘straight’. Dane is a
product of that. He is the American dream – blonde, handsome, and a doctor – but he doesn’t allow
himself to realize what a catch he really is.”
The show points to the one thing people, gay and straight, have in common. We all live in a perpetual
state of in-between: in between jobs, in between relationships, friends, family, lovers…
“Everyone is looking for a place to belong, someone to love and a fulfilling career,” continues
Gelfer. “The world needs to see that gay men are more than the stereotypical camp characters media
has portrayed them to be.”
“They need to see that gay men are no different than everyone else.”
The first season of In Between Men consists of six ten-minute shows.
Watch them now at www.inbetweenmen.com.
442B Magazine
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Traveling and Other Drugs:
Daniel Baylis in Marrakesh
Chosen by The Advocate as one of the gay world’s “Top 40 Under 40”
for his globe-trotting blog The Conversationalist, Montrealer Daniel
Baylis has been traveling the world as part of a project to discover offthe-beaten-path places, a socially engaged wayfarer bartering his skills for
food and accommodation, reporting back with witty and often spiritual
observations. From Marrakesh— a traditional homo hide-away for the
likes of Yves Saint-Laurent and certain British authors— Daniel describes
the uneasy dreamy quality of a place largely left out of the Arab Spring.
www.danielbaylis.ca
I’m standing in the middle of plaza Jemaa El-Fna. It’s a form of ordered
chaos, with snake charmers to my left, beggars approaching me on my
right and a constant flow of motor-scooters and donkeys whizzing behind
me. Every step must be taken with awareness. If I point my camera in the
wrong direction, a hoard of men will approach me, demanding money. I
try to keep a low profile, but my tall-white-maleness makes any attempts
at flying below the radar virtually impossible.
A handsome man walks past me. I lock eyes with him, not intentionally
cruising, but subtly is not always my strong point. He has a beautiful Arabic
complexion, and hazel eyes that arouse me. He sees me seeing him, and
pauses. I look away nonchalantly. He approaches, throws his chin forward
and asks/interrogates, “Hashish?” I’ve discovered rather quickly that, with
my western-ness and alone-ness, I flawlessly match the demographic profile
of “Dudes-wanting-drugs.”
But I don’t want hashish. Or any other drug. Or even sex for that matter.
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As I stand here, in the cultural heart of Morocco, I’m not really sure
what I want. I’ve been on the road, backpacking, for six months. It’s been
stimulating and lonely and enlightening and exhausting. Sex has not been
a priority during my travels. Or so I tell myself. And it’s not. That doesn’t
necessarily mean that I am without desire, but my head is such a mess of
geo-spatial-cultural-confusion that I’m not sure what I want anymore.
This includes an uncertainty in determining what I desire sexually.
The hypnotic-eyed drug-dealer realizes that I am useless to him, and
moves on.
In my belly, the evening’s tajine churns. After hearing regurgitation
horror stories of travelers eating at the food stalls, I wonder if tonight will
be my date with the toilet. If it happens, it won’t be the first time that I’ve
vomited in a foreign country, alone. My stomach has an ability to clearly
tell me what it wants and doesn’t want. I wish my heart would take notes.
I start walking towards a group of men hovering around a storyteller.
I have the impression that this place, Jemaa El-Fna, was once deeply
mystical, but due to globalization and tourism and mobile phones and all
the other offerings of this contemporary age, it’s now a fragment of what
it once was. I suppose that some things are lost, some things are gained.
The storyteller circles are predominantly male spaces. In tight circles,
the Moroccan men watch with light flickering in their eyes. I’m captivated
by the intense attention they give to the storyteller. He speaks in animated
Arabic, and I understand nothing. But for me it’s enough to simply watch
the faces of the spectators. The men drape arms around each other. It’s
intimate, but not specifically sexual. There is a loyalty between friends that
is expressed with the holding of hands and kisses on the cheek. The explicit
male intimacy is not to be confused with homosexuality, I am told.
I am also told that Morocco is changing. The entire Arab world is starting
to detonate towards democracy. The King of Morocco is supposedly set
to relinquish his stronghold on the nation, thus permitting a shift towards
a more egalitarian state. I wonder what this means for the queers of the
country. I wonder where are the queers of the country? In the west we’ve
made convenient labels for these people: lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transfolk.
It helps people understand tendencies that went label-less and generally
unacknowledged for most of history. What it means to be ‘gay’ in the west is
an entirely nouveau construct. And that construct doesn’t apply here in Jemaa
El-Fna, or in most parts of the Arab world.
Equity Point (http://www.equity-point.com/en)- A fusion
between chic boutique hotel and affordable backpacker’s hostel,
Equity Point is in the heart of the medina and features a swimming
pool. Plus they host a traditional Moroccan dinner once a week. I take a final gaze at the men in the storyteller’s circle. They seem
impenetrable, but I know they are not. Hidden under their jeballas and
faux designer jeans are private parts, and private stories of a sexual world
that is foreign to me. And it’s a world where a visitor’s visa is difficult, if not
impossible, to attain. And I don’t have enough energy to attempt to enter. It’s
not a priority. Or so I tell myself.
Eating:
And so I turn my back and continue walking. I have no specific destination
in mind. And maybe, if I keep walking, I’ll come across something that
I unambiguously desire. Perhaps I will be struck with a clarity of lust and
intention and accessibility.
Sleeping:
Getting there:
ONCF (http://www.oncf.ma/) - Morocco has a comprehensive
system of trains, and to get from Casablanca to Marrakech, the
train is the best option. If you’re feeling like a princess, there’s a
first-class option.
Plaza Jemaa El-Fna - The heart of the medina comes alive each
night with food stands offering everything from traditional tanjine
and couscous dishes. If you’re feeling adventurous, try the sheep
brains. If you need some western comforts (read: alcohol), Café
Arabe (http://www.cafearabe.com/) is one of the few places in the
medina that offers a cold beer or a cocktail. Until then, I will wonder.
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Museum of
Experience:
Christopher Paul Schuller on
Berlin’s Schwules Museum
The Schwules Museum, (Gay Peoples’ Museum) in Berlin’s Kreuzberg
district houses a permanent collection dedicated to homo history and culture that until recently was unrivaled the world over (thank you, San Francisco). An arrestingly broad and detailed archive of photographs, books,
letters, and publications documents the gay history of Germany from the
Middle Ages to the present day. Museum connoisseurs may find the exhibits wordy and cramped; to follow them from the barbaric persecutions
of the feudal era through the underground scenes of Berlin at the dawn of
modernity back through persecution again into the relative enlightenment
of the turn of this century is in some ways to experience the claustrophobia that even now characterizes the lives of people stigmatized as “other”.
The Schwules Museum’s archives record a hidden history: Karl von Zastow’s insistence in 1869 that he belonged to a “third gender,” neither man
nor woman; Magnus Hirschfeld’s Institute for Sexual Science in 1920s Berlin; gay Holocaust victims; and less well-known local narratives. There are
century-old porn photos (cocks, by all available evidence, looked weird in
1890), breakfast invitations from the Prince of Prussia, and gowns from
the drag queens of sequined antiquity.
Where the museum shines is in the depiction of homosexuality in its
societal context. The story of gay rights in Germany is a sad one of two
steps forward, one step back: the Enlightenment overshadowed by Prussian pathologizing; Isherwood’s Berlin torn apart by the Holocaust; the
liberating impulses of the 1960s reined in by the scourge of AIDS. Far from
a schoolbook narrative of slouching toward equality, the journey through
this museum is a reminder of the enduring strength of fear and hatred and
that liberalism, for all its fundamental appeal, is fragile and fleeting.
Schwules Museum, Mehringdamm 61, www.schwulesmuseum.
de (Opening hours are very Berlin: Wed-Fri. 2-6pm, Sat.
2-7pm, entrance 5€)
Christopher Schuller is an arrestingly attractive and intelligent homosexual academic living and teaching in Berlin.
482B Magazine
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party every Thursday” was the place to be was
the trio of branché Montrealers who showed
up just in time for the show, and stayed dancing
until 6am (did we mention there is no last call
in Berlin?). Bassy: expensive drinks/cover (boo),
great music/show/crowd (yay).
Berlin:
Poor but Sexy (and rich in gayness)
By Boísin Murphy
Berlin ist arm, aber sexy, “Berlin is poor, but
sexy” or so declared the reunited city’s openly
gay mayor Klaus Wowereit in 2004 when interviewed on the city’s tremendous reliance on federal funding and staggering unemployment rate.
Even now, 22 years after reunification, Berlin is
one of the least prosperous parts of Germany,
but relishes in state supported infrastructure and
culture that attracts so-called “creatives” from
the world over. As gay culture is concerned, Berlin has something for every flavour and stripe,
from anti-capitalist queers squatting in caravans,
to the trust-funded hipsters glutting the bars of
Kreutzberg and Prenzlauer Berg, two respectively hip and less hip neighbourhoods. Indeed,
Berlin is a city obsessed with its own hip-ness,
and if you can get over that, you will have a very,
very sexy time.
For travelers more familiar with European
capitals like Paris and Rome, you will be struck
by two things when you visit Berlin: so much of
it is new or reconstructed; and there are gays
everywhere. Berlin is one of the rare cities in the
world where the gays have so thoroughly infiltrated all levels of culture and society that they
no longer see the need to restrict themselves to a
Village. Indeed, the very idea of restricting goes
against the zeitgeist of this impossibly vibrant
and culturally self-aware metropolis: the rem50 l 2B Magazine
nants of the demolished wall, both psychological
and physical, are everywhere. Almost as soon as
it fell, gays (and their brethren artists and social
radicals), spread across the city in various pockets defined by cheap rent (or no rent, as was the
case for the squatters) and now, there’s no turning back.
Staying at the Gay Hostel in Schöneberg was
a geil way to get a feel for Berlin’s historic gay
village, near the Nollendorfplatz U-Bahn. Resembling in many ways gay villages in North
America, the strip of businesses along Motzstraße includes the popular Hafen bar where you
can mingle with regulars and other tourists, and
the infamous Tom’s Bar, where what goes down
in the dark-room stays in the dark-room. Tom’s
Hotel, a well-known part of the strip, is the wellto-do daddy of the nifty, tangerine-themed Gay
Hostel, which you access off a side street. With
only three rooms— spacious as they may be with
lockers, high ceilings, and a common room—
the Gay Hostel was a relaxing lift-off point to
get spiffed up, away from the prying eyes of
omnipresent hipsters. And for only 22 € a night
in the heart of a European capital, it’s a steal.
The concierge was cute too, a Greek-born filmmaker who looked like he would have helped me
with more than just directions. The night I was
there, my room-mates were an excessively attractive Italian, a Costa Rican boy who spoke 4
languages, and a British couple who were there
for the weekend to party. As it so happened,
we were all on our way to the same club that
night. Bassy, the eclectic and Katacombes-like
venue in gentrified Prenzlauer Berg is home to
a weekly Thursday performance and club night
called Chantal’s House of Shame, which was
unanimously chosen by the tourists and insiders alike as the place to be on a Thursday (before
which the young gays and trendy-bears might be
spotted pre-drinking at Kreutzberg’s green-lit
watering hole the Möbel-Olfe).
To my utter shock, the cover at Bassey was a
whopping 10€ (about $14), which might sound
normal for Paris, but was obscenely pricey for
Berlin, where cover usually hovered at 3-6€, if
there was any at all. But the place delivered, with
a British electro vamp (think Katy Perry with a
Pet Shop Boys beat) singing live with sexy projections of her new video, backed up by middle-aged guys on lap-tops. Chantal herself was
a heavy-drinking, bleach-blonde grande dame
whose German I couldn’t understand any better
than my Berlin-born fag-hag for the night, Masha. Further proof that this “very gay not pervy
I was impressed that I had managed to stay
awake that long after really making the most of
my day. Starting with the requisite coffee and
croissant at Goldhahn and Samson on Helmholtzplatz, I had ventured over to see the land
art exhibit at the sprawling Hamburger Bahnhof,
a train station which has been converted into
one of the world’s foremost contemporary art
museums. While the installations were awesome
in their own way, the magnificent collection of
Keith Haring works in the permanent collection
really made my gay day, along with a staggering
suuply of Warhols, Rauschenbergs, Naumans,
Kiefers and photos by Canadian art-star Jeff
Wall. Then for complete contrast, my Québécoise exile friend and I hopped the S-Bahn all
the way down to Treptower Park to visit the
mythical location of the alt-queer film festival
known as Entzaubert. Based in a Wagenplatz,
or caravan squat in a bush-shrouded stretch of
green space on the outskirts of working class
Neuköln, the renegade queers of the Schwartzerkanal host a mighty DIY film festival reminiscent
of Radical Queer Semaine or Pervers/cité, with
an extensive Canadian programme that featured
Montréal’s own Jessica MacCormack, whose collaborations with musician Rae Spoon were part
of the short film programme.
After a day of wandering the canals of Kreutzberg with an old high school friend, I hopped
the U-Bahn and returned to Prenzlauer Berg,
ready to accept my fate that I had already partied
enough, and thought I would just get some rest
to make the most of my last day. But to my surprize, my NGO-consultant friend got her second
wind, and before I could say “Ja wol!” we were
meeting up at the city’s gayest all-night all-day
club: the converted power plant that is the Berghain. Famous throughout the homo universe for
its Friday night LAB.oratory all-male sex party,
from Saturday at midnight to Monday morning
the Berghain is a temple of house and electro
dance-mania with a crowd of beautiful, hardcore, dilettante and unflappable hotties, hand-
picked by Markus, the dictatorial doorman who
chooses who goes in and who doesn’t with a nod
or shake of his slicked-back head. Tips for not
getting turned away include not looking preppy,
and not speaking English too loudly (it helps
to go with a native speaker or tag along with
one). And the reward is worth the precarious
hour-plus line-up: a gigantic dance floor, with
adjoining rooms for bars on 3 floors, cushioned
lounging “cubes”, and an espresso/ice-cream bar
(yay!), as well as a second floor dance club called
Panorama Bar, where opening the shutters to let
in daylight is used to crowd-rousing effect. Before the outdoor garden opens at 10am, make
sure to check out the shadowy back-room on the
main dance floor, where the cutest, sexiest onesyou’d-least-expect hound around for sticky play.
Needless to say, it made up for missing out on a
trip to Tom’s.
My last day there amounted to biking around
and having one last hang-out at the alt-queer café
SilverFuture (Weserstraße 206), following by a
final tryst at the absurdly tasteless and purely
enjoyable Ficken 3000 (Urbanstraße 70, U-Bahn
Hermannplatz), where the Pork nights involve
dancey beats, louche regulars, anglo twinks
wearing pig snouts, and an authentic downstairs
back-room where you can have one last makeout before you’re get back to reality and say auf
wiedersehen, mein schwulenfruenden! (See p.
48 for more on Berlin’s gay history museum and
homoerotic publishing house Bruno Gmünder.)
Gay Hostel: Motzstrasse 28, 10777 Berlin, +49
30 21 00 57 09.
www.gay-hostel.de / www.hostelbookers.com
Chantal’s House of Shame @ Bassy Club,
Schönhauser Allee 176A, U-Bahn Senefelderplatz
Hamburger Bahnhof: Invalidenstraße 50-51,
S-Bahn Hauptbanhof,
www.hamburgerbahnhof.de
Tom’s Bar: Motzstraße 19 +49 (0)30-2134570;
U-Bahn: Nollendorfplatz
www.tomsbar.de
Möbel-Olfe: Reichenberger Str. 177 (entrance
via Dresdener Straße), U-Bahn: Kottbusser
Tor. www.moebel-olfe.de
Berghain: Am Wriezener Bahnhof, S-Bahn:
Ostbahnhof,
www.berghain.de + www.lab-oratory.de/dates
2B
2BMagazine
Magazinel
51
Out with 2B
©Zoe Casino
©Divers/cité photos: Sean MacKenzie
©Zoe Casino
©Divers/cité photos: Sean MacKenzie
Divers/cité had another big, hot crowded year with throngs of tourists and Montrealers coming out
for the New Society and Sunset Parties.Tristan (top) and James (above) were just a couple of smiling
cuties thatpopulated July’s monthly POMPe party at Espace des arts.
©Zoe Casino
Don’t Hurt him:
Martin Douvil comes out
of hibernation
Boísin Murphy
When you look at Martin Douvil’s Boy with Black Shoes, the first thing
that strikes you is the immediate sexual charge of seeing a young man’s
taut body squatting in nothing but sneakers and a baseball cap. The figure
looks away in a three-quarter turn, which as any painter knows is the most
challenging pose. The carefully shaded buttocks and right knee further
pronounce a claim to the third dimension, while the hands hang limply,
painted with an almost perfect attention to detail.
This 2010 work is one of the canvases being shown at his upcoming duo
exhibit RENCONTRE at contemporary art space Ka Vie Art on rue Beaudry (Aug 5-21). Like many of the oil paintings in this exhibit, the work
is a small-scale (10x12”) study, the result of an almost 4-year “hibernation”
to explore and fine-tune his technique. (In case you were curious, Douvil harness, I still want the image to be painterly,” he specifies. But that’s not
used himself as the model for Boy with Black Shoes). This will be the sexy to say he will hold back from packing a punch: “One of my goals is to find a
young painter’s first show since 2007, by invitation from Ka Vie Art.
way to depict the intimacy of two men in a fisting scene, without it appearing clichéd or obvious,” he explains. And without copying famous photos
“I’m accumulating ideas,” explains the bearded and smiling Douvil at by Robert Mapplethorpe. Indeed, Douvil has given himself the added chalCafé Kg. “I’ve been more interested in doing studies in order to incorpo- lenge of only working from live models, or from photographs he has staged
rate them into larger, more robust future works,” he adds. The studies of himself, in order to maintain the authenticity of the final piece.
hands, an ear, or feet will make up part of the show’s smaller scale works
that represent a concentrated return to the craft of painting and an excelThe next step after this show will be to branch out into larger works with
lent opportunity for buyers to get their hands on Douvil’s work while they more elaborate subjects. He also hopes to paint more from live models in
can still afford them. (Don’t) Hurt Me, this month’s cover image, and Dans studio, which is something that requires the kind of resources he has not
La Douche (2006) are examples of larger-scale works that are more in line had over the past few years. “It was a long time since I’d done a show. It’s
with the trend of contemporary oil painting, like that of Canadian art-star really like breaking the ice on the last years of hibernation,” says the painter,
Attila Lukacs.
thoughtful but somewhat giddy at the prospect. Martin Douvil will be the
in attendance at the vernissage for RENCONTRE on Friday, August 12,
Like Lukacs—whose Polaroids was featured in 2Bmag’s May edition— from 3-9pm, along with mixed media and tattoo artist Yannick Bertrand.
Douvil’s primary preoccupation is with the male form, and with finding
KA VIE ART, 1410 de la rue Beaudry, 514.657.3535
nuanced ways to depict male nudes without it looking too pornographic.
www.kavieart.com
“I don’t want my work to look like a porn screen-shot. If I put a figure in a
542B Magazine
2B Magazine l
55
© Dany Lapierre
© Francois Schnell
Sex in Public:
The Thrill of Risky Business
By Mathieu Lévesque
Not so long ago, when gay bars and saunas
were scarce and the internet had not yet come
to dominate human communication, many gays
partook in public sex, often out of lack of other
options. Parks were one of the most common
places for gays to find sex. Today, despite all
these new ways for gays to meet up, public sex
is growing in popularity and not just for gays.
Those who partake in it today do it by choice and
for the thrill of it. 2B takes a closer look at the
phenomenon.
Whether it’s in the public washrooms of
a university, a movie theatre, or a shopping
mall, in a parking lot, or outdoors in a park,
any rarely-frequented spot is an ideal place
for public sex. Couples and singles alike are
becoming more and more turned on by this
56 l 2B Magazine
practice, perhaps due to its thrilling mix of and identifying what goes on there. Very popular
with gays, the site squirt.org is a perfect example,
voyeurism and exhibitionism.
with a section solely devoted to public cruising
From the screen to
spots for thrill-seekers.
the cruising spot
Evidently, many single gay men and couples
partake in public sex. According to many connoisseurs of the practice, the excitement comes
from the risk of getting caught or from the fact
that a voyeur might be peeking on the action.
Defined by their visitors, these spots can be
quite varied: whether it’s a public washroom in a
university, a video store or a gym, the quiet corner of a park, train tracks to the east of Montréal,
or a theatre, it’s surprising to see the number of
places already established in the city. More than a
The phenomenon is far from new in the gay hundred cruising spots are already established in
community, but what is different now is there Montréal, and the number continues to rise.
are so many other ways for gay men to meet
other gay men for sex. Whereas before word of
Most of these places have been photographed
mouth was the primary means of finding out in order to allow new members to easily identify
about popular public sex spots, there are now them. Visitors can comment on the accessibility
Internet sites devoted to mapping cruising spots of the site, its location and say what they liked
2B Magazine l
57
© GalaDreamCreation.com
© Dany Lapierre
and disliked about it. Regulars can indicate the
The phenomenon is now popular in the U.S.
most frequented times and can rate the spot on a and Canada, in Germany and France and conscale of one to five.
tinues to grow. In Montreal, there are only two
spots that are known for dogging: the parking lot
Dogging
at Lac aux Castors on the mountain and in the
The public sex phenomenon has taken a slightly Botanical Gardens in Parc Maisonneuve.
different twist for heteros and even has its own
terminology: dogging. Dogging, which is mostly Discretion is Key
Evidently, sex in public and exhibitionism are
practiced by couples, consists of having sex in a
public place where others can view you. For ex- illegal practices in Québec. It is therefore advisample, a couple will have sex in their car, leaving able to be discrete because getting caught could
the windows or the doors open to allow voyeurs lead to a fine, or even being arrested, which
to watch or even to allow for a third participant could be humiliating. And out of respect, it is
to join in. Many couples practice dogging to spice preferable to avoid places where there could be
up their sex lives, or to reignite the spark in their children for example.
relationship.
Also, this type of practice could also be very
A happy mix of exhibitionism, voyeurism and risky for the transmission of STIs. One has to be
swinging, dogging is a flat-out phenomenon in prudent and protect oneself. And evidently, in
Great Britain, where it has grown rapidly in part case of outdoor sex, one has to be prepared for
thanks to the internet. The term dogging comes some inconveniences such as mosquito bites or
from the fact that certain men would claim that sand getting into uncomfortable places.
they were going out to walk their dog when they
were really going out for some action.
58 l 2B Magazine
© Matin Douvil, collection Etremag
Succumb.
RECOMMENDED BY
French baked bread / Sandwiches / French patisseries / Gelato / Pizzas
PA I L L A R D C A F É - B O U L A N G E R I E 10 9 7, r u e S a i n t - J e a n , Vi e u x - Q u é b e c , 4 1 8 6 9 2 . 1 2 2 1
2B Magazine l
59
Get Outta Town!
Le Norkik, Nautre Spa
By 2B Staff
Everybody knows how short the summer season can be, and hot it can get in the city. We love
to talk about the city’s big attractions, and be where the people are, but there’s nothing like
a weekend or mid-week get-away to really unwind. From country inns and adventure resorts,
to day-spas and charming hotels, Québec’s regions offer a wealth of choices for escaping the
throngs and humidity of the city.
And it’s not just for lovers of peace and quiet either. For a higher adrenaline get-away, horseback riding at Ranch 4 Saisons and zip-lining through the trees at Au Coeur de mon Verger are
just the thing to get you going. Québec’s spas have become one the country’s main attractions, so we’ve helped you choose two that are the height of taste and ambiance: Le Nordik,
in the Gatineau Region, and Le Montagnais, in the Eastern Townships, both perfect for day-trips
outside of Ottawa or Montréal. If you’re taking a trip to Québec City on your way to Charlevoix,
or for a weekend trip in the Capital, you’ll be charmed by the Auberge Place d’Armes.
Although mostly in the countryside, all of these establishments are proudly featured in the
Guide gai du Québec 2011, an insider’s guide to gay destinations from Gatineau to Gaspé, so
you know you can bring your boyfriend or girlfriend and get only the best service.
Don’t let the summer pass you by without enjoying a nature get-away in one of these superb
locations!
AUBERGE 3 CANARDS
For over 50 years, the Auberge des 3 Canards has garnered repeated praise, boasting a 4-star rating for both its food and accommodation. This resort inn is set in a unique
natural environment, classified by UNESCO as
a World Biosphere Reserve, and offering stunning views of the St-Laurence seaway and
the Charlevoix landscape. With their famous
hospitality and fine dining, there is no better
place to stay to appreciate the natural beauty of one of the most breathtaking regions of
Québec.
Auberge des 3 canards
115, Côte Bellevue
La Malbaie ( Pointe-au-Pic ), Qc G5A 1Y2
Tel. 418-665-3761
Toll free 1-800-461-3761
www.auberge3canards.com
60
GÎTE DU CHAMPAYEUR :
This charming little inn is located in Warwick, Québec’s national fine cheese capital, just a few kilometres from Victoriaville, in
Central Québec. Whether you are just passing through, planning a cycling adventure
around some of the many bike trails in the
region, golfing, skiing, or visiting some of the
artisanal cheese-maker to get a taste of Québec’s delicious cheeses, this inn is a delightful
place to stay. Four rooms with private bath,
and a lovely garden with hot tub (open year
round) await you.
Le Gîte du Champayeur 5, rue de l’Hôtel de Ville,
Warwick, Québec
819 358-9101
[email protected]
www.champayeur.qc.ca/
SPA LE MONTAGNAIS
Located at nearly 650 metres above sealevel, at the foot of Mont Métantic in Val-Racine, this Nordic spa has everything you need
for a day of rest and relaxation. Complete with
hot and cold spas, sauna and steam-room,
Spa Le Montagnais also offers massage therapy as well as a wide range of spa treatments.
The perfect place to escape the hustle and
bustle of the city while enjoying the picturesque Eastern Townships.
Spa Le Montagnais
215, chemin de la Forêt enchantée
Val-Racine (Québec) G0Y 1E0
email : [email protected]
Tél. : 819-657-4777
ou sans frais 1-877-703-4777
Fax. : 819-657-1065
www.spalemontagnais.com/
AU CŒUR DE MON VERGER SPA Montagnais
There is no better way to enjoy the natural
beauty of the Montérégie by paying a visit to
Au Cœur de Mon Verger. Step, climb and zip
line your way through their Treego course for
a fantastic and fun journey through the boreal forest from above. If you come in the fall,
stay to pick your own apples, pears, plums and
strawberries from their beautiful orchards. It’s
just minutes from Park Safari in Hemmingford,
Arnold paintball, several camping sites and local wineries.
Au Coeur de Mon verger
551, chemin Covey Hill
Havelock, Québec
J0S 2C0
(450) 247-2785
aucoeurdemonverger.vpweb.ca/
DOMAINE MONTÉ-BELLO
Surrounded by nature and located in the
picturesque village of Montebello, the Domain
Monté-Bello invites you to discover their comfortable, warm and classic bedrooms, condo
apartments, suites and magnificent cottage
by the river in the Gatineau region. With over
110 activities just a stone`s throw away, including river cruises, helicopter tours of the Montebello region, white water rafting, paintball,
numerous golf courses, illusionist and magician The Enchanteur, and Montbello’s historic
sites such as Le Manoir Papineau, The Domain
Montebello is the perfect place to relax after
a day of adventure.
Hôtel Domaine Monté-Bello
696, Notre-Dame
Montebello, Québec, J0V 1L0
Telephone: (877) 420-5096
toll free (819) 423-5096
Email: [email protected]
www.domainemontebello.com/
LE NORDIK – Nature Spa
Le Nordik – Nature Spa is a relaxation retreat located in Old Chelsea, a picturesque
and friendly town bordering Gatineau Park.
With its unique style, the Spa is dedicated to
the practice of relaxation techniques from the
Scandinavian countries, such as Nordic baths
involving hot and cold hydrotherapy. The site’s
major asset – one you can’t find in any urban
spas – is its magnificent location and natural
scenery in a wooded haven with a natural
rock face. In every corner of the site, whether
it is near the fireplace, in the Finnish sauna built
entirely of cedar, or under the outdoor waterfall, guests are always surrounded with the
most primitive natural elements: wood, stone,
water and fire.
passionately serves dishes made from local
products.
Auberge Place d’Armes
24, rue Sainte-Anne, Vieux Québec
Québec, Canada, G1R 3X3
Téléphone : 418 694-9485
Sans frais/Toll Free : 1 866 333-9485
www.aubergeplacedarmes.com/
Le Nordik – Nature spa
16, chemin Nordik Old Chelsea,
Québec J9B 2P7
Telephone: 819 827-1111
Toll free: 1 866 575-3700
www.lenordik.com
AUBERGE PLACE D’ARMES
Located on the corner of Old Québec City’s
only two pedestrian streets, the Inn links two
historical buildings that once belonged to a
19th premier of Québec and the founder of
the Holt Renfrew stores respectively. With the
Holy Trinity and Notre-Dame cathedrals next
door, Château Frontenac and its fabulous
promenade in plain sight, as well as countless
boutiques and great restaurants nearby, this
warm and inviting inn is the perfect place to
discover the charm of Old Québec City. The
Inn’s restaurant, Pain Béni will seduce you with
delights from Chef Simon Côté-Tremblay who
Arbre en arbre, au coeur de mon Verger
61
HOT
SPOTS
2B
August 2011 / PRIDE edition
Sun. Aug. 21
Piknic
Electronik
at Place de l’Homme,
Parc Jean-Drapeau.
While PE is probably already on your
calendar, this dog-days-of-summer edition
will feature sexy sounds by Mtl’s own Black
Tiger Sex Machine and LA’s Kraddy. 3-9pm,
$12 at the door. www.piknicelectronik.com
Sat. Aug. 13
BIG FREEDIA
@ Club Soda.
Back for a 2nd time this summer, with
DJ sets by Lynn T. from Lezzies on X,
MHMHMH + MINI, this insane lineup is a lesbionic tribute to the reigning
Bounce diva from New Orleans. Presale
$18, $23.25 at the door. 10pm @ Club Soda
1225 St-Laurent, with a sweaty afterparty
at Espace des arts, 9 Ste-Catherine Est.
www.clubsoda.ca / www.bigfreedia.com
Aug. 14
Montréal
Pride Parade!
Starting on the corner of Guy at 1pm,
moving east on René-Lévesque through
downtown, ending on Sanguinet at the Place
Émilie-Gamelin (Berri) where the MEGA
T-DANCE and closing show goes down.
www.fiertemontrealpride.com
Aug 18-28
North Sea,
Texas at the World
Film Festival.
A sweet and realistically told story of
Pim, who “dreams of a better life, imagining
princesses and beauty queens. But when Pim
turns 16 he dreams of Gino, the boy next door,
instead.” Heart-breaking without too much
coming-of-age sentimentality, Noordzee,
Texas is sure to be the queer favourite at this
year’s FFM.
www.northseatexas.com /
www.ffm-montreal.org
Sat. Aug. 20
Aug. 19-21
Ottawa Wolves
Present: If Looks Can
Kill… They
Will!
Jocks and Knee High
Socks
@ Café Cleopatra
Burlesque, grotesque, and eminently
queer, those masters of the inappropriate and glittery ways of underground
smut known as Glam Gam Productions
are back for 3 nights of murder and mayhem at 1230 St-Laurent (Café Cléopâtre),
$13 with non-perishable food donation.
www.glamgam.com
If you know the rugby bears who make up
the Ottawa Wolves team and produce their
sexy (and silly) calendar with photos by Dan
Ziemkiewicz, you will know that this party
is a furry-boy MUST. Advance tickets 8$,
at Bode Spa + Stroked Ego, 10$ @ the door.
Babylon Nightclub (317 Bank Street), Doors
10pm www.ottawawolves.ca
©Erick Contreras
Wed. Aug. 24
2Bmag and new sister mag Entre Elles
launch their August editions for Capital Pride
at Venus Envy! The launch will celebrate the
new revamped Entre Elles and give Pridegoers a chance to see what the mags are made
of. Wednesday, August 24, 8-10pm Featuring
photo exhibit by Rah Illa and Nathan Hoo
320 Lisgar St, Ottawa. www.venusenvy.ca
Sun Aug. 28
Capital
Pride Parade!
See page 24.
63 l 2B Magazine
62 l 2B Magazine
2B Magazine l
63
Q-6061 Montréal H, 35, 145 lb, 8’’
non circoncis. Beau jeune homme.
Gym 3 fois / semaine. Cherche
bouche chaude & gorge profonde.
C-6063 Cuba Chico sincero, honesto, me gusta la música romántica, los animales, la playa y paser.
Busco mi media naranja, si eres
mayor que yo mejor. Tengo 26 años
Adrián Castellanos
L-6060 London H, 33, 5’ 9’’, handsome black guy living in England.
Good built body, caring, honest,
seek mature Canadian man for
friendship and relationship.
C-6064 Cuba M, 23, 1,73 m, 85 kg,
Cuban. Honest, not complicated, a
true friend, romantic, passionate,
sexy, 100% masc. I am Yoandy, naturally tanned skin, brown eyes, athtletic and brawny body. I love nature and
healthy entertainments. I’m not looking for a perfect physical but a spiritual person. I also seek friendships.
6065 U.S.A M, 49, 5’9’’, 170 lbs, blue
eye / blondish hair. Frequent visitor
to Montréal. Handsome nature lover,
ISO masc. alpha top. Arabs, Turks or
hirsute any race, for friendship, poss.
+. Photo replies only.
6066 Cuba H, 47, Cubain noir.
Cherche des correspondants. J’aime le
cinéma, la danse, le yoga, la musique
et les langues. Écrire en français, espagnol, anglais, italien, allemand.
6067 Canada H, 46, 5’8’’, masc., ch.
court, beau cul, bien équipé, bronzé, sexy, rasé. Mon nom est Jean,
cherche H. 30-50 sex, amitié bienvenue.
C-6073 Pelo oscuro, piel canela,
ojos cafes, Chico de mente abierta,
sincero, sencillo y romantico.30 y.o.,
Espero correspondencia de chicos
de entre 30-50, serios, afines a mis
caracteristicas para ampliar mi cir6068 Cuba M, 23, Cuban. I study in culo de amigos.
university. I have open mind. Please
send me a letter.
6074 N.B. Canada Homme début
50e, désire faire la connaissance d’un
C-6069 M, 25, 1,73 m, 62 kg, Cuban, bel homme costaud, sportif, poids
good looking, dark haired, bright eyes. proportionnel, poilu de préférence,
Honest, sincere, I need a relationship âgé entre 18 et 35 ans, non fumeur si
30 to 75. I am versatile. Kisses, Roldy possible. Aimant la nature. But amiC-6070 M, 38, 1,86 m, 86 kg I’m ci- tié et possibilité de relation plus provil enginer. I want to find a serious fonde. Bienvenus aux haltérophiles.
couple and that he loves me. I speak 6075 Ghana Sexy, handsome black,
Russian, French and English.
guy 30, looking for serious man to
Q- 6071 Montréal H, 47, 5’12’’, 125 meet soon.
lb, 6.5’’ circoncis, look jeune, non 6076 A good-looking, honest, inpoilu. Rocker non sadomaso tendre, telligent, manly Ukrainian boy, 24
affectueux, pas efféminé, instruit, y.o., H. 177 cm, 74 kg, dark-blond
fumeur, pas de drogue, ni d’alcool. hair, green eyes, with university eduCherche H. 35-65 sérieux pour re- cation, good health, nice body and
lation durable, simple, affectueux, good character. I do not smoke and
franc, sens l’humour. Toutes ethnies do not drink alcohol. Seeks my spebienvenues. Obèse, violent, buveur, cial man, real best friend for corresdrogué s’abstenir.
pondence, good meetings, holidays
G-6072 Ghana M, 28, 5’8’’, 85 kg, together, friendship, romance, love
dark skin, short hair, hot, warm and and for happy long relationship.
passionate guy, athletic built and 6077 46 ans, 5’6’’, 142 Lbs, 8’’ NonTOP. I’m open minded, intelligent, circoncis, séro+, cherche mec 40-55
great sence of humor. Looking for ans, pas bedonnant, enjoué, cochon,
warm and loving long term rela- comme moi : pisse, odeurs naturelles
tionship. Interested in music, sports, (cul, aiselles, couilles, sueur), tendre et
photographing, cooking, gardering versatile. Black+ Têl XXX bien venus !
and traveling.
6078 40 y/o, 1.80cm, 82 kg, mulato.
Cantante profesional, deseo contactar amigos en Canada y el mundo
para correspondencia en mi club del
amor y la amistad.
6079 Ghana I’m Robert, sexy romantic Black guy looking for any
man to be my lover and to treat him
cordly, gay friends welcome too. Any
age is welcome plus meeting.
6080 Cuba 44 años, bisexual con
preferencia por hombres, trigueno,
ojos cafés, 1.70m, 65 kg, sagitario. Me
gusta la playa, el cine, las discotecas.
Busco amistad o relación estable con
hombre bisexual o gay completo (activo/pasivo) entre 19 y 50 años.
6081 Cuba 26 y/o, White hair, Black
eyes, clear skin. Gay looking for a
friend. I need love and peace. I like
music, cycling and chocolate. I’m
simple and complete.
6082 Rétraité soixantaine, barbu,
poilu, chevveux grisonnants, Allure
véome et intello. Doux, respecteux,
discret, passionné. Cherche homme
mur, libre le jour en semaine, pour
donner libre tours à un échange de
fantasmes…caresser tes rondeurs et lécher tes pieds me conduiront au 7e ciel.
6083 Saguenay 2H, 48 & 52, 165 &
145 lb, 6’ & 5’8 cherchent amis et
couples semblables pour profiter
des plaisirs à la campagne. Aimons
nature, musique, art, livres, voyages.
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