Coronation this month was spectacular! Congratulations to the newly elected Empress 29 Argintina Hailey-Would, and Regent 29 Dion Boink. This is the 4th year in a row, GayCalgary.com has photographed and videotaped the Coronation, and we have never seen such an amazing turnout. Calgary Alderman Druh Farrell even showed up for the ceremony to give a nice speech about the ISCCA. She added that her decision to wear a business suit was a concession that, had she worn a dress, she wouldn’t have impressed anyone.
We were very happy to support the Pride Rainbow Project at their 500 FT. Benefit Party last month. The Pride Rainbow Project is composed of a group of youths from the Unitarian Church. They have been showing their support for equal marriage by putting together a very long rainbow banner from material donated to them. Their goal is for the banner to eventually reach 3.2 kilometers (2 miles) long, to break the current record set by a group in Florida. We were extremely impressed to see these young people taking the initiative to make a change in society. It was a lot of fun meeting them, as they were all thrilled and very appreciative of our support.
The day after, we attended the Interfaith Statement on Same Sex Marriage Press Conference at the Unitarian Church of Calgary, where representatives from Christian, Jewish, and Muslim faiths clearly stated their support for equal marriage. The Raging Grannies – a very vocal pro-gay group of elderly ladies who fly in the face of many media-enforced stereotypes – sung a song they had created, accompanied by the claps and stomps of the audience. All in all, the event was a very powerful experience.
This month we feature an article on page 30 about what’s new with PrideVision TV, and the problems that they’ve been having with cable provider Shaw and satellite service Bell ExpressVu. After you read this article you’ll be able to see why we, as customers of Shaw, have decided to flip over to Bell ExpressVu. We feel that Shaw is purposely punishing those who wish to have access to gay content, and as a media giant, illegally overstepping their bounds and setting a discriminatory precedent for other television providers. From our Reader’s Choice Survey, we found that 44% of our readers use Shaw as their Internet Service Provider. If you feel so inclined, you can write Shaw a complaint letter, or perhaps even show them the power of your gay dollars.
Bar Banter
Congratulations to Solar Café, who hit their one-year mark at the beginning of this May! This month’s business review on page 8 is dedicated to them. Empress 28 Erica Divine, who just stepped down in April, is now working days in the kitchen at Solar. Let me tell you – he’s a fabulous cook, and he’s been using his own personal touch to make some changes that’ll blow you away!
The Bay Downtown threw a marvelous fashion show at the Twisted Element for their new clothing line, Springfield, which we featured in last month’s issue. It’s very promising to see Canada’s oldest corporation branching further into the gay community.
On a quick note, Metro Boyztown has changed their name! They’re now known as "Metro The Club" as of mid April, and continue to open their arms to Lesbian clientele as per their membership amendment last month.
In the News
With Stephen Harper pushing for an election, there’s a chance that the Conservatives might get into power. We all know how Mr. Harper and the Conservative party feel about the issue of gay marriage – if elected, they will likely throw their weight around to try and block the equal marriage bill. Canadians for Equal Marriage is requesting donations to fight back against our well-funded opponents whose ads have been popping up more and more frequently in the mainstream media. Visit the Canadians for Equal Marriage website at www.equal-marriage.ca for more information.
Highlights this Month
The Fairy Tales Film Festival is upon us once again! It runs from May 27th to June 5th – a whole 7 days now! Check out our article on page 10, or the Official Pride Guide on page 14 for more details.
Sponsorship
We are proud to be Pride Calgary’s Official Pride Guide and Print Media Sponsor this year! We will be hosting a pre-emptive version of the Pride Guide this month, with a more detailed version in our June issue. Pride Calgary has made some big changes this year, so be sure to read the article on page 35.
Related Articles
Contributor Rob Diaz-Marino | Steve Polyak |
Locale Calgary |
Topic
Calgary Pride |
ISCCA |
Marriage Equality |
Publisher's Column |
Solar Café |
