January 21, 2010
Why does Europe tolerate its artistic geniuses committing sex crimes?
Among the remarkable details of Roman Polanski’s arrest last fall was the notably different reaction to it on the two sides of the Atlantic Ocean. While the North American media published explicit and condemnatory accounts of Polanski’s rape of a thirteen-year-old girl, in Europe the reaction was much more ambivalent. The governments of France and Poland both came to Polanski’s defense, and when... [More >>]
January 15, 2010
Olympic Countdown: Pride House debuts, but will athletes come out?
Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered athletes will find the first-ever Olympic pavilion welcoming them in 2010, a place at the Games to hang out, chill out, or come out. “The whole purpose behind Pride House” — actually a conference room at Whistler, B.C.’s Pan Pacific Hotel—“was really to create a dialogue about homophobia within sport,” says organizer Dean Nelson on the phone from... [More >>]
December 1, 2009
“Give a Day” campaign makes fighting HIV-AIDS all in a day’s work
Dr. Jane Philpott, founder of the Give a Day to World AIDS campaign. Photo by Molly Crealock. One day’s salary might not mean much to most of us, but to Dr. Jane Philpott, founder of the Give a Day to World AIDS campaign, it might be just enough to save a life. In 2004, the Markham, Ont.-based family physician gave a presentation to her colleagues about the AIDS epidemic. Knowing that she couldn’t... [More >>]
November 26, 2009
The new face of porn
A new generation of feminists are reclaiming porn, both as consumers and producers. A (very) intimate journey Erika Lust on the set of "Barcelona Sex Project," her "erotic experimental film" that exemplifies the style of the new crop of feminist-identified pornographers. Photo courtesy Lust Films. The first time I remember thinking critically about pornography, I was 15. It was... [More >>]
October 21, 2009
Ottawa’s Gay Guerilla Takeover turns any club into a D.I.Y. gay bar
Guests at Ottawa’s Heaven dance club expect to have a good time and dance the night away. What the mostly heterosexual crowd was not expecting this spring Saturday night was for the club to be overrun by the Gay Guerrilla Takeover. The Gay Guerrilla Takeover is an organization that does what its name says: once a month, a group of gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, queer, and queer-friendly people venture... [More >>]
October 19, 2009
Girls Gone Wild. So? Sometimes being brave means being bad
With Amy Winehouse, Lindsay Lohan, and Britney Spears splashed across tabloid covers, racing toward early graves, it’s easy to think they’re stupid or sick. But there’s something irresistably subversive about women who won’t behave The website “When Will Amy Winehouse Die?” reads like a macabre count-the-jellybeans contest. How many days does a junkie have left to live?... [More >>]
October 2, 2009
Fiction: Ten surprises and a Hippo
Happy Hippo “You ate my Happy Hippo,” Dave says. “I can’t believe you ate my Happy Hippo.” There is nothing else to say so he leaves. Outside Becca’s flat, snow is rain pretending to be frozen. Susicoyote “Oh, for fuck’s sake!” Becca said. She showed them a female coyote-mechanic wearing overalls, holding a wrench. “I want something to put together!” “Then you’d be whinging... [More >>]
October 1, 2009
In the developing world, fledgling queer rights have a long way to go
Out of the country, back into the closet. Illustration by Don Charles. I am on a gay beach, surrounded by half-naked, toned, tanned, Speedo-sporting gay men. Somewhere a random diva is belting out a dance hit. The tropical sun has ensured all bodies are dripping. At the makeshift beach bar, ice is plunked into orange and incarnadine cocktails, and the bartender screams, “Cheers to queers,” kissing... [More >>]
September 28, 2009
How the University of Manitoba revolutionized HIV care in Nairobi
John Mathenke, a Nairobi sex worker, was diagnosed with HIV in early July. He is working with the Sex Workers' Outreach Program to educate other sex workers about HIV prevention. Photo by Siena Anstis. Blended into the colourful storefronts of Nairobi’s River Road area is the Sex Workers Outreach Program (SWOP), a discreet but accessible clinic offering HIV and STD testing and treatment to the... [More >>]
September 16, 2009
Archie marries Veronica, subverts Freud’s Madonna-Whore Complex
In choosing Veronica over Betty, Archie Andrews overturns 70 years’ worth of cultural expectations “Just a matter of skill, that’s all!” Archie Andrews’ first words (said as he stood precariously atop his bike) may have seemed spontaneous in 1941, but 70 years have imbued the line with more weight than a supersized chocolate malt. The comic world’s most famous redhead proved to be... [More >>]
