May/June 2013, Volume 201
THE TROUBLE WITH TOO MUCH MEDIA
In the first week of April, Winnipeg newspapers featured several articles focusing on anti-gay sentiment in the fair province of Manitoba. The story that made particular waves was the closing of a restaurant in Morris after the gay couple who owned it decided they wouldn’t tolerate any more homophobia. With quotes like, “They should get the hell out of here. I don’t really like them - the service and who they are. … It makes you feel uncomfortable,”...
BEING YOURSELF
Formerly a religionist and now an open-minded rationalist (since 2012), I felt compelled to put fingers to keyboard and contribute some thoughts on the freedom of expression.
I am disturbed that an MP who represents the district that encompasses the Rainbow Resource Centre could harbour so much prejudice.
SPECIAL EVENT: OUT FOR WORDS
Join us on Saturday, June 1, 2013 for an evening filled with friends, food, laughter and of course, cocktails, as we toast the heritage and roots of our LGBTT community!
INTERNATIONAL RAINBOW OF PRIDE IN WINNIPEG
Manitoba will become the first Canadian province to host the World Conference of GLBT Jews, Keshet Ga’ava (Rainbow of Pride). The 21st international conference takes place July 5 to 7 at the Winnipeg Convention Centre. The weekend is packed with meals, speakers, panel discussions and a film screening.
PARLIAMENT PASSES GENDER IDENTITY PROTECTION
Quebec government runs ads to combat homophobia | Yukon school’s controversial policy on homosexuality making waves in community | Canada funds efforts to combat ‘kill the gays’ bill in Uganda | Comic shop removes books of outspoken anti-gay writer | Anti-gay crusader violates human rights
PARLIAMENT PASSES GENDER IDENTITY PROTECTION
Arizona bill targets trans people using the ‘wrong’ bathroom | Starbucks CEO puts LGBT community before shareholder | Russian court rules gay pride legal | House facing Westboro Baptist Church painted rainbow colours | Trans teacher endures media harassment, dies from unknown cause | Anti-marriage protest in France attracts over 300,000 supporters
WHAT'S COMING IN WINNIPEG PRIDE
It’s the happ-happiest season of all! That’s right, it’s time to celebrate our Pride, and this year, we all have a lot of reasons to be proud. President of Pride Winnipeg Jonathan Niemczak said Pride Winnipeg’s proudest achievement this year was how they have become a greater presence, not just within the LGBTT* community, but within Winnipeg.
BRANDON PRIDE REACHES OUT TO RURAL COMMUNITY
Manitoba’s second largest city is spreading Pride through our prairie province this summer for the fourth year. Brandon Pride officially formed in 2009 and has been gradually growing since.
SPIRITUAL COLUMN: MENTORING AIN'T EASY
Robert is a resource speaker at the Rainbow youth group, offering a mentoring program to which Danny and Tom volunteered. Today, Danny is the first to meet Robert for coffee.
GSA COLUMN: WHAT CAN YOUR GSA DO FOR YOU
High school sucks. Being raised by a high school teacher, I was aware of this fact for a very long time. High school is where personalities clash and your face turns into a breeding ground for volcanoes while you and every single person around you is going through the awkward transition from childhood to the real world. I knew what I was getting into on my first day of Grade 9.
DOES PRIDE PROPERLY REFLECT THE COMMUNITY
Jim Rondeau, Manitoba’s minister of healthy living, seniors and consumer affairs, is a regular Pride Winnipeg participant. He remembers the origin of Pride as a political movement that arose from the Stonewall riots — a series of spontaneous demonstrations against a police raid that occurred in the early morning of June 28, 1969 at the Stonewall Inn, a gay club in Greenwich Village, New York City.
WHY COMPANIES SUPPORT PRIDE
Consider this: in 2010, Pride Toronto had an estimated economic impact of $136 million and created 600 jobs.
Although Pride Winnipeg does not produce such impressive figures, it’s an important contributor to the local economy and it can get a company’s brand noticed. Now that Pride Winnipeg is held at The Forks, companies are exposed to tens of thousands of attendees.
BALLET: MOULIN ROUGE
Royal Winnipeg Ballet principal dancer Vanessa Lawson will have her last performance before retirement in Moulin Rouge - The Ballet on May 5. A solo as artist Toulouse-Lautrec’s muse was created especially for Lawson, who spent 16 years dancing for RWB.
CELEBRITIES' COMING-OUT-STORIES
When celebrities come out, the world is watching. This gives special weight to the public acknowledgement of their sexuality.
HOW TO HOST YOUR OWN PRIDE PARTY
Although Pride is filled with many events around the city, who says that you can’t throw your own soirée to celebrate? We dropped by Red River College’s (RRC) brand-new Paterson GlobalFoods Institute and asked the students to create some fabulous appetizer and cocktail recipes to celebrate Pride in style.
ALL THAT JAZZ
We were set to meet at The Neighbourhood Bookstore & Cafe for a peanut butter and tofu sandwich. She was already there, perusing shelved books, searching for a recorded story that would inspire. This is exactly why I wanted to meet her. “Her” being Stylus Radio host Sarah Michaelson, a perennial local celebrity DJ known as Mama Cutsworth.
WINNIPEG FOLK FESTIVAL GEARING FOR ANNIVERSARY
Summertime is upon us and so are the five days full of music, culture and creativity that make Winnipeggers flock to Birds Hill Provincial Park every July. The 2013 Winnipeg Folk Festival is the celebration of the festival’s 40th anniversary and it’s looking like it’s going to be a grand celebration.
FASHION: WHITE AS SNOW, IN THE SPRING
Just as one must exfoliate their face and a snake must shed its skin, so it is true that in fashion, in order to put a new layer on we must take off the old. Spring 2013 Menswear saw the strongest runway presentation of white in recent years.
FILIPINO FASHION SHOWCASE IN CANADA
Just when fashionistas everywhere thought it was safe to dust-bag their Louboutins, a new fashion week has everyone texting, and this time it’s a fashion week with a heartbeat.
