You probably took one look at the cover of our magazine this month and though "what the heck does that have to do with Pride Month?" So I guess an explanation is in order.
To date, the only "gay" advertising that we’ve noticed around the city was GLCSA’s "Gay OK" bus campaign a number of years ago, as well as the more recent billboards for Interactive Male. There has probably been a couple that we’ve missed, but still it’s rare to see an explicitly gay presence in Calgary’s mainstream advertising.
The bus ad you see on our cover will be running on the back of Calgary Transit buses throughout Pride Month. The main purpose is to promote our magazine and website to people that may otherwise not be aware of the services we provide. In addition, we also display the dates of the more prominent gay events that are coming up in the near future (namely Pride and ARGRA), for which our magazine will be a major source of information. Our hope is to reach gay and gay-friendly people that are isolated or too scared to enter the gay scene, as well as giving straight Calgarians a friendly reminder that we’re real people, not just the mythical beasts from Ralph Klein and Stephen Harper’s ramblings.
For many of us, our pets are like our children; they offer companionship and help to satisfy our care-giving instincts. For this reason, we thought our non-profit group article this month on the Humane Society would be a very relevant topic. While we were at the facility to conduct the interview and take photographs, we got to see a lot of the animals they had in their care – including the cats. You can check out the article on page 8.
We are cat lovers ourselves. We started off with two black cats: Salem and Otter. Poor Otter passed away in September of last year, so we got Sparky to keep Salem company. The only problem is that Salem is an older cat, and can’t really keep up with Sparky’s rambunctious pace. While at the Humane Society, we photographed a very special black and white kitten. After many tears, we decided to adopt him. He is ideal for our family – he has a calmer temperament to get along with Salem, and enough energy to keep up with Sparky. What we like the most is that he LOVES to cuddle with us, unlike Salem and Sparky who are more independent. I was shocked and delighted to discover him trying to nurse from my t-shirt as I held him – looks like I’m the new mom!
We’ve been unable to attend many of the movies for Fairy Tales because of this month’s press deadline. We saw "Mysterious Skin" at the opening gala, and what a powerful movie that was! This was my first time at a Gay and Lesbian film festival, and I was blown away at how readily this movie dealt with some very awkward subject matter. Steve and I are particularly looking forward to seeing "Bear Cub", though I suspect "Raspberry Reich" is going to steal the show. It’ll be a nice break for us after getting this issue to press, though it’ll all be over by the time this issue hits the streets.
Bar Banter
Twisted Element’s 1st Annual White Party last month was a huge success – they managed to completely transform the inside of the bar with the decorations they put up. Apparently White Parties are a regular occurrence in Eastern Canada, and owner RJ, being from Montreal, wanted to bring that to Calgary. Even DJ Krazay Steve played a completely different style of music to fit the night’s theme. It was amazing to see so many people dressed in white and glowing in the black light, I’ve never seen a bar environment so bright! Twisted happens to be our business review this month, so read about them on page 10.
The ISCCA had their annual Investitures event at Metro The Club, where Empress 29 Argintina Hailey-Would was officially "married" to Emperor 29 Dion Boink. This ceremony also dealt with handing out official titles to the upper house.
Highlights this Month
Well, they’re not really a bar, but perhaps a heading of "Bear Banter" would be appropriate! Pine Mountain (aka. Java Bear) is holding 2 gay speed dating sessions on June 19th and 26th. They have a very unique store – not only is it a coffee shop, but they also sell a great deal of trinkets and collectables, most prominently bear-themed. "Bears are just the best!" commented owner Bernice Deisman. She plans to have condensed psychic, tarot, and tea-leaf readings between dates at the upcoming events.
Texas Lounge has been hosting Ernestine’s Movie Matinees every Sunday at 11:00am. Each week they show movies from different genres – June’s selection has Shark Tale, Too Wong Foo, and The Bourne Supremacy – preceded by entertaining and humorous clips and commercials. If you can beat back that hangover, it’s a great way to spend the morning in the company of friends.
And who could forget Pride! The Dance, "XIST 2005" is happening on Saturday June 11th, followed by the Parade and Street Festival on Saturday the 12th. Check out the Official Pride Guide on page 14 for more information on these events, and other things that are happening during Pride Month.
The Calgary Eagle is having their Pride Leather Daddy competition on June 18th, which happens to correspond with a particular writer’s birthday! I’ll definitely be there. What fun is keeping a low profile when I can be tempting fate? Bring on the birthday bumps!!
Last but not least, Solar Café will be having their Summer Equinox party on June 21st. They always create a great ambience at these parties, using candles and other decorations while playing Celtic music and putting on performances and rituals. Also, don’t forget about GLCSA’s Celebrating Community Fundraiser on the 24th at Solar, as well as the ISCCA all-you-can-eat buffet brunch on the 26th.
Transportation to ARGRA – A Cheaper Alternative!
Looking for a cheap alternative to getting up to ARGRA this year? A cab will run you about $45 depending on where you live in a city, so you this should definitely interest you if you’re not able (or willing) to drive up there yourself.
Twisted Element and Goliath’s/Texas Lounge have teamed up to hire More Better Buses to run a charter bus between downtown and Symon’s Valley Ranch. The buses will run July 1st through July 3rd, during the ARGRA festivities. Fare is $10 for one way, or $15 for round trip. Pickup locations include Twisted Element (1006 11th Ave SW) and Goliath’s/Texas Lounge (308 17th Ave SW). For more information, contact Chris at (403) 651-1692.
Questions or comments about the magazine or other things happening in the community, please E-mail us at publisher@gaycalgary.com