It’s the calm after the Olympic storm that saw Canada’s athletes achieve record-breaking accomplishments, making a country proud! Not so much on the world stage last week was also Bent Village, a two-night discussion about the state of the Church/Wellesley Village.

When it comes to the future of the Village—people care passionately

The first night at the Gladstone Art Bar was standing-room-only. Attendees came prepared with amazing questions, concerns and comments about the Village and our four panelists (two from the Church/Wellesley Business Improvement Area and two distinguished queer activists) handled the lively conversation beautifully. So, what did we learn?

We learned the Village is not dead or even on life-support, for that matter. However, there are many issues being voiced by the community that certainly need dealing with, including:

• Reaching out to queers of colour, lesbians, trans people and diverse ages
• Rents for businesses
• Business that support gay clients
• Gays supporting local business
• Security
• Violence (both physical and non-physical)
• Drugs
• Youth

While this is no small feat, the energy and enthusiasm of those who attended both evenings was palpable and proves that—when it comes to the past, present and future of the Village—people care passionately.

With all the positives that came from the two nights of Bent Village, there was one unfortunate situation that happened. Much to our surprise—and at the last minute—Bent Village Part 2 at Gladaman’s Den was preempted by the Olympic hockey showdown between Canada and the United States. This was an understandable business decision made by the venue’s owner the afternoon of Bent.

We had to scramble to alert everyone as to the change of time (6:00pm instead of the advertised 4:00pm). For the most part we were successful and two of our four panelists were able to accommodate the time change. Unfortunately, one of the panelists from the Church Street BIA didn’t receive the notification in time and was inconvenienced. For that we are sorry. Unforeseen things happen sometimes at the last minute to throw a wrench into the plans.

I hope he has more class than to publicly attack and malign two people who volunteer their time

Even more unfortunately, this man decided to write a rather scathing email to Bent’s organizer, chastising him for the mix up. To add insult to injury, he chose to copy everyone on the CWBIA, the Pride Committee and others, maligning the Bent Expressions organizer and me.

As an events planner, he must know sometimes situations occur at the last minute that are unexpected. In this case, we were pushed back two hours. I certainly hope he remembers this the next time he plans an event and finds himself scrambling at the last minute to accommodate a sudden change. I also hope he has more class than to publicly attack and malign two people who volunteer their time to create a dialogue in our community.

Thanks again to all the people who showed up and spoke up and thank you to our panelists. See you all at next month’s Bent Expressions!

Cheers,
Andrew Vail

Depending on whom you listen to, the Village (Church & Wellesley) is either dead, on life support or just going through a renaissance period of rebirth and reinvention. While die-hards stand by the venerable Village steadfastly, many on the Street and in the media are sounding the death knell as bars and businesses shut shop for good or for lower rents in other areas. Is Church Street dead or merely resting? Read the full story

I’ve been watching the Olympics and enjoying the great performances of our athletes—especially in the moguls races. One can’t help but feel a sense of pride as a Canadian watching the Games. I must admit, I was dubious about the success of the Games and am somewhat cynical when it comes to the spectacular cost of Olympic venues host cities face. However, once the opening ceremonies got under way, I had the glow of a proud Canadian, watching the incredible show unfold. Read the full story

Does Madonna Know What’s Happening
to Gays in Malawi?

A young man was arrested in Malawi recently for distributing posters calling for gay rights. Peter Sawali was posting signs that read, “Gay Rights Are Human Rights” when he was arrested by police and charged with conduct likely to cause breach of peace. Read the full story

With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, I thought it would be nice to focus on a little love, baby, love—and politics and the law and how it is and will affect queer people around the world.

While the churning maelstrom of Proposition 8 in California has been experiencing high-profile coverage (and the ensuing nastiness that accompanies it), there have been a few advances and breakthroughs in the fight for equal marriage for gays in other parts of the world. Read the full story

Could Gay Rights Groups Be Deemed Terrorist Organizations?

Last week, Fisheries and Oceans Minister Gail Shea was in Burlington, Ontario giving a speech at the Canadian Centre for Inland Waters when she was smacked in the face with a soybean curd pie. The confection-hurler was one Emily McCoy of New York City who is a member of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). McCoy made Shea eat her pie because she is opposed to the Canadian seal hunt. McCoy was charged with assault. Read the full story

Recently, very out-of-the-closet and very outspoken actor Sir Ian McKellan slammed professional sports players, organizations, fans and the overall establishment for being homophobic. He made his comments on a BBC radio show a few weeks after Welsh rugby player Gareth Thomas came out of the closet.

In the interview, when it comes to homosexuality, McKellan said that sports stars “become little shrinking violets because they’re afraid, probably, of being booed from the terraces, and that must be a horrible experience and shame on people who do it.” While some people might think he’s making queer political hay, he’s actually right on point with his point. Professional sport has a long, rich history of flagrant gay bashing and homophobia and it shows no signs of backing down. To wit: Read the full story

Natural disasters like last week’s massive earthquake in Haiti or the tsunami that killed so many a few years ago or wars, acts of terrorism, famine and the suffering in their wake is incredibly overwhelming.

We have a very privileged vantage point of the world. We are so lucky to be where we are and so relatively unscathed by the catastrophic randomness of life that triggers unimaginable suffering on our planet. We’re a little spoiled by the luxury of not having to worry about our survival from one moment the next. Read the full story

A Look At Pride From Both Sides Now…

I’m a cynic by nature. I have never been someone who takes everything he sees at face value. I like to look at all the angles before I make up my mind about something—and sometimes that is a process. Just because I’m cynical doesn’t mean I’m negative. I’m simply Queer and Questioning!

Last week I wrote a piece about a new initiative coming from Toronto’s Pride Committee called 40 Plus Pride. It ended up setting off a debate about ageing and how Pride has been approaching—and plans to approach—an ageing queer population. It even led to a spirited discussion with my fellow GGT blogger (and young guy) Maha on the Shaun Proulx Show. It seems no one is going quietly into the night when it comes to this issue, regardless of age. Read the full story

Believe it or not, I actually arrived early to The Shaun Proulx Show yesterday in advance of my fellow GGT blogger Andrew Vail for our on-air debate (okay, it was a chat) on his recent Middle Edge post.  I’m never early.  Ever.  Being the opportunist he is, Shaun took full advantage of this Hailey’s Comet occurrence and got me to do an extra segment on their Poll Of The Day, aging.  Who ages?  Here it is: