Goliath’s Charges Stayed

The staff and owners of Goliath’s Saunatel are breathing a sigh of relief today (February 2nd).  It’s still business as usual, after the 3 year trial incited by the Police Raid back in December 2002.  We received word that the charges had been stayed for 1 year for all parties.  We spoke to one of the owner’s of Goliaths, Darrell Zakreski, while he hosted a celebration party at the Texas Lounge to express his happiness with the court’s decision.  After the court’s finding today, he believes there is little likelihood that charges will ever be laid.

One of the key reasons the case was stayed apparently came from a survey conducted by Bruce Freeman, a PhD candidate in Anthropology at the University of Calgary.  The survey was given to residents of the Beltline district, in the immediate area of the Saunatel.  It showed that the Police’s grounds of "intolerable behaviour" were not founded by public opinion, and therefore demonstrated that Goliath’s had done nothing to violate community standards.

This is something that we would have normally left until next issue since it occurred this month, however the news was simply too good to pass up!  For anyone that’s been scared of using a bathhouse because of this incident, the standard set today should hopefully restore your faith. Score one for homo-kind!

It’s not over yet – the survey is still going strong!  We had 3 very happy winners from our January 22nd Earlybird Draw, and we still have 2 more winners to draw this March 1st.  We have to give away a $50.00 Gift Certificate for Swirl Body Products and Treatments, as well as a $150.00 Gift Certificate for the Bay Downtown!  Will one of them be yours?  Well it won’t be if you haven’t filled out a survey yet!  Grab a copy of last month’s issue, or fill the survey out online at www.gaycalgary.com.  It only takes about 5-10 minutes, so don’t forget!  Ballot boxes will remain at all the same locations from last month: The Backlot, Calgary Eagle, Detour, Goliath’s, Indulge, Metro Boyzown, Money-Pennies, The Rekroom, Solar Café, Texas Lounge, Twisted Element, and the Verge. The envelopes provided in the side compartment are pre-addressed if you’d rather mail yours in.  Even with February’s issue out, we will maintain a pile of last month’s issues beside the ballot boxes for your convenience.

There was apparently some confusion on our methods of choosing people to be listed in several of our questions.  For instance, we asked management of the bars and clubs to nominate one bartender, house queen, and DJ, however we were lax if they happened to give two bartenders instead.  Though this has excluded a number of very deserving people, we wish to remind our readers that you can still vote for them by using the OTHER field, and writing in their name.  As for the Drag performers, we took our list of local performers from 2004.  We do realize there are several that are no longer with us in Calgary this year, such as the fabulous Bianca LaBouche, however we did not want to discount all the work they did last year simply because of that fact.

Lastly, remember that your survey answers are only viewed by the two magazine publishers.  If you are still reluctant to reveal your yearly income, you may choose not to answer that particular question.

Congratulations to A Woman’s Place Bookstore!  They’ve moved to a new location in a much nicer part of town, and will be opening on February 4th.  They were supposed to be our business review this month, however due to their change of address, we’ve had to postpone them for a later date.  See their ad on page 20 for their new address and contact information.

With Valentines day coming up fast, do you want to pop the question to your beloved by saying "Will you enter into a non-religious civil union with me?"  Just doesn’t have the same ring to it...

GayCalgary.com has sponsored advertising in our Magazine and our TV screens over the past 2 months for Canadians for Equal Marriage.  They are reviewed in this issue on page 10.

Most of what the average person knows about this matter is what they have seen on TV.  For instance, it’s well known that several religious groups are strongly objecting to the prospect of allowing same sex marriage, saying that it violates the "Traditional Definition" or "Sanctity" of marriage.  We decided to do a little research into this topic since they seem to be clinging so vehemently to these words as if they are immutable.

One phrase we found particularly interesting was featured in the Tidbits section of www.christiangays.com, which says "Same-sex, same-gender unions have been celebrated in the church throughout history, dating back as early as 514 B.C., long before heterosexual marriages became a sacrament in 1215 [A.D.]!"  Even today in several cultures, "Traditional" marriage is simply a means of transferring the property of a woman to the man that she marries.  There’s a huge wealth of facts out there that can punch more holes in these right-wing protests than Swiss cheese – it’s just a matter of finding them and educating people about this other side of the story.  Some other good places to start are www.equal-marriage.ca, www.samesexmarriage.ca, and www.godlovesfags.com.  Arm yourself for the next time your straight buddies go on a rant!

Now on a lighter note, the ISCCA is hosting "Broken Hearted", a Bachelor and Bachelorette auction at Twisted Element on the 16th (See their ad on page 46).  Also, the Backlot is starting their Minute Man Speed Dating event the 2nd Saturday of every month.  If Valentines Day is no joy for you, these are excellent opportunities to make up for it!

Also, don’t forget to go down and celebrate the Eagle’s 3rd Anniversary on the 19th, and for all you ladies out there, Girlsgo is putting on the RED dance on the 12th.  There are tons of events this month for Valentines and otherwise, so check our Events Listing on page 16, or visit our online Events Calendar at www.gaycalgary.com to make sure you don’t miss anything you’ll regret later!

Happy Valentines everyone!

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Contributor Rob Diaz-Marino |

Locale Calgary |

Topic Bathhouse Raid | Publisher's Column |