July 2012, Volume 194
HUMAN RIGHTS - It is not just the words that hurt
It was 25 years ago this month, but the words uttered in the Manitoba legislature on a warm July day in 1987 still have the power to sting. The government of the day, led by Howard Pawley, wanted to include sexual orientation in the Human Rights Code. The official Opposition fought against it. There was dissent among the government members and it wasn’t certain the bill would pass. And if it did pass, what would Manitobans think of it?
LUKA ROCCO MAGNOTTA'S WEB OF EVIL
Website on hot seat over slaying video; Sperm-donor lawsuit a complicated web; Vancouver, Toronto suffer most Gay-bashings; A new career for Talackova; Court battle looms over gay-straight alliances;
ORDER OF PERPETUAL INDULGENCE - Queen for more than a day
A little respect for gay football players; Vatican will have nun of it; A capital idea; These moms should have stayed mum; Over the rainbow; More Americans support equal rights; Orwell would like this one; York: No Gay Cures
CAMP AURORA - A life-changing Experience
It’s billed as a queer-positive summer camping experience and is based on Edmonton’s Camp fYrefly, which has been running successfully for several years. In fact, the Edmonton camp was visited by local lesbian film maker Jennifer Davis and four Winnipeg friends. They were so impressed by how it gave GLBTT youth confidence that they came back to Winnipeg, set up a committee and began raising funds.
GREEN PLANET - The muzzling of green advocacy
The Canadian Environmental Assessment Act is being overhauled to “simplify” the environmental review process of major industrial projects like mines and pipelines (read: Northern Gateway). Fair enough – a simplified process could create clearer and more direct avenues for public discussion and debate about the future of resource development in Canada. That is, it could if civil society were supported in having the capacity it needs to engage in this kind of debate.
RAINBOW BIZ – The high cost of discriminatory hiring
Most businesses agree that protecting the rights of LGBT employees is the socially responsible thing to do. But by embracing diversity, businesses can also add to their bottom line. A recent study by the Center for American Progress pegs the cost of workplace discrimination at $64 billion annually in the U.S. That’s about the size of the entire Saskatchewan economy.
SPRITUALITY - What do Rupaul and Jesus have in commonr?
The young man approaches the front door of a gay bar for the first time. He’s nervous and thinks to himself, so this is it! What if I recognize someone in here?
LOOK AFTER YOUR MONEY
Most of us have read or heard about incidents of identity theft in the news – some of us may even have family or friends who have been victimized. While banks, law enforcement officers and governments are doing their part to clamp down on this type of crime, Canadians have an important role to play, too.
REBECCA SWARTZ - Raising the bar on lesbian fiction
Probably the majority of people believe they have a book in them and they just have to sit down and write it. Easy peasy. But they never do. Life gets in the way. Besides, writing – or writing well – is not easy. It may take a little inspiration, but it also takes mountains of discipline, self denial, determination, passion and a spirit that never quits.
25TH ANNIVERSARY
Pride Winnipeg in pictures
TRAVEL - Take along some trip guides and maps to read on the airplane.
Is travel all that relaxing? That’s up to you and how you prepare for your holiday. What is it that you want to see or explore? Do you want to sit on a beach or climb Mount Kilimanjaro, or maybe it’s all the above. Either way, the relaxation part seems to get overlooked when you’re trying to pack, feeling rushed to get to the airport, having forgot important documents. By the time you get to your destination you are even more frazzled because you haven’t taken the time to get prepared, not the way you want to start your relaxing holiday.
THE COCKIEST FRINGE YET
It would be natural to think that the Fringe Festival (fringe def: not part of the mainstream, unconventional, peripheral) would have its fair share of queer artists (queer def: odd, strange) to contribute to the longevity and depth of Winnipeg’s (Winnipeg def: medium size city in the heart of the prairies home to numerous talented artists) version of this performance festival. So we asked the 2012 Fringe Festival organizers who are the queer artists and productions involved in this year’s milestone festival; 25 years is worth celebrating.
FASHION - A passion for prints and patterns
Mirror, mirror on the wall, may this season be the printiest of them all. From strong-statement jackets to micro-patterned plackets, print and pattern mix-match is the fabled next chapter in the never-ending story of the fashion-forward man. Layer them in contrasting style, go head to toe or balance bold prints with great casual solids. You dont need to sing into a wishing well anymore this spring, your prints have come!
