Calgary SSP gay life

[Doug_Cgy]

Originally Posted by Chadillaccc

Well, you have to understand that most of them have never once been to Calgary and have probably never heard anything good about the gay life or the treatment of gays here. I used to be one of the people that said "sorry to hear that" because who the heck would imagine, from all the things we hear about the conservative society here (Stephen Harper lives here for Christs sake), that being gay here could be livable, let-alone enjoyable. I never thought I would enjoy living here at all before I moved here, but now I do. I'm pretty sure most people who have never visited or lived here feel the same as I once did.

I get they're basing an opinion off an untrue stereotype, but that simply doesn't make it right, and absolutely doesn't give them the right to be rude/insulting to someone from here. Like the article I posted a few pages back states, not all is rosy for the LGBT population in YVR (ie. Gay Bashing Capital of Canada). I also think that painting Calgary as a redneck, backwards hicktown just because we go blue politically is unfair. I'd venture to guess most that vote that way do it for economic reasons, not social reasons. Please don't take this as an attack on you, just creating a discussion

[YYCguys]

Originally Posted by kw5150

oh goodness..............dirty blowjobs, douchefags, buttwipes, twinks, back lots, twisthole, old drug addicts. Welcome to the life I never want to be a part of.

Ditto! I'm none of those, if anybody is interested or cares!

[YYCguys]

Originally Posted by Chadillaccc

The only place I go is the Back Lot now.

Let's set up an SSP gay evening at Back Lot!

[Dr Nevergold]

I think we should stop stereotyping entire geographic locations based on just purely personal experiences within the gay community. I'm sure every city can be clique oriented and every city has open, friendly people. Its just in how you meet your friends.

What is true is that certain regions or areas have trends, for example the religious belt in America, or the fact that certain regions are known for extreme tolerance of multiculturalism (gay or not gay), and other places are known for their strict adherence to cultural norms/traditions whether religious or non-religious.

Calgary is a city I've never stepped foot in, so I try to avoid thinking about it with a lens. I don't know the place, all I know is that politically its Conservative. For me personally that's a negative, but its not the entire picture. Politics never shows a full picture. Politics is fluid and things can and do change all the time, in unexpected ways. I still love the area regardless, it looks beautiful, it has a lot of things going for it, and the province is sitting on a gold mine in the form of its natural resources so it'll be economically secure for a while yet. There's a lot to like about the area, and while I don't know the area Alberta doesn't scream religious evangelical like many American locations do... So I couldn't possibly dislike it. Cold weather also doesn't scare me, so even though its a tad cooler than Toronto I wouldn't hold it against the city.

[freeweed]

Originally Posted by Brandon716

Calgary is a city I've never stepped foot in, so I try to avoid thinking about it with a lens. I don't know the place, all I know is that politically its Conservative.

This doesn't mean what you think it means. And without completely derailing this thread, I'll just leave it at that.

I will apologize for Stephen Harper on behalf of all Calgarians though. That guy is NOT what we used to (and generally still do) consider "Conservative" out here. He's just wearing blue out of convenience.

[Radley77]

Originally Posted by Brandon716

I think we should stop stereotyping entire geographic locations based on just purely personal experiences within the gay community. I'm sure every city can be clique oriented and every city has open, friendly people. Its just in how you meet your friends.

What is true is that certain regions or areas have trends, for example the religious belt in America, or the fact that certain regions are known for extreme tolerance of multiculturalism (gay or not gay), and other places are known for their strict adherence to cultural norms/traditions whether religious or non-religious.

Calgary is a city I've never stepped foot in, so I try to avoid thinking about it with a lens. I don't know the place, all I know is that politically its Conservative. For me personally that's a negative, but its not the entire picture. Politics never shows a full picture. Politics is fluid and things can and do change all the time, in unexpected ways. I still love the area regardless, it looks beautiful, it has a lot of things going for it, and the province is sitting on a gold mine in the form of its natural resources so it'll be economically secure for a while yet. There's a lot to like about the area, and while I don't know the area Alberta doesn't scream religious evangelical like many American locations do... So I couldn't possibly dislike it. Cold weather also doesn't scare me, so even though its a tad cooler than Toronto I wouldn't hold it against the city.

RE: Alberta Conservatism

FYI: Besides BC, Alberta has the second highest %age wise province with people that are irreligious. And besides Vancouver and Toronto has the third-most ethnically diverse city in Canada. Calgary has the highest concentration of head offices per capita. Alberta also has one of the highest concentrations per capita of engineers in North America, and the highest in Canada. And specific to gay marriage support, Alberta supports gay marriage by 74% (and that includes rural as well as urban areas).

Alberta was one of the first jurisdictions in North America to implement a carbon tax, and I believe even in a post-carbon world that Alberta is going to be a driver for innovation. Alberta has a wealth of environmental protection expertise with spending of $4.2 billion annually, with the next closest province at $1.5 billion annually in Ontario. If you care about the environment and actually want to make a living do so, Alberta is the best place in Canada to do that. I'd love to see a greater share of efforts put behind environmental prevention (like great light rail system or cycling infrastructure) instead of environmental protection.

Anyways, looking forward to flying out to Kelowna this weekend with my partner and a few friends for a ski trip.

[travis3000]

I've been to Calgary about 8 times. My cousins have lived in SW Calgary for 10 years now and I always go visit them and explore the city, etc. I find Calgary to be a fairly open place. The stereotype of a redneck city is simply not true. Calgary is actually a pretty liberal area and is moving closer to the left. Look at your mayor...Naheed, much more progressive than Rob Ford haha.

But, I can also attest that Toronto is a better city for the average gay person. The downtown core of Toronto is much more liberal than Calgary. Remember, Rob Ford won from his suburb voters in Etobicoke, etc... not from the downtown. Toronto has a gay village, Calgary does not. Toronto has world class theater, more entertainment venues, better high end shopping, fresh water (gays love beaches haha), more people, better restaurant options, and overall that "pizazz" which attracts gay people haha. I personally prefer Montreal myself, a city which has barely been mentioned in here. Their gay village is literally 3 times the size of Toronto's and is much classier. There are award winning restaurants right in the village, straight couples with children walking through it, a government which publicly recognizes and celebrates the LGBT history by creating events and and decorating the whole gay area, a subway stop painted in rainbow colours, and much more. Montreal is the most liberal city in Canada for the LGBT community, even more than Toronto. I can attest to this from personal experience and from visiting the city many times myself and witnessing it time after time as well as research and talking to the locals.

Calgary would be my 5th choice to live in Canada after Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Ottawa. I love Calgary, it's a great clean city that is economically healthy and has very nice people. But it just doesn't have that "pizazz" I look for. The most head offices per capita doesn't entice me. Rather culture, entertainment, the peoples attitudes, the city layout for walking/biking, the shopping, the feeling the city gives you when you are in it. When I'm in Toronto or Montreal... I can feel the heartbeat of the city, I can feel that pulse of culture and people. It's extremely hard to explain and put into words but I've talked to other gays and they all seem to understand. Calgary, while very nice, does not have that heart beat. The downtown core is dead and non vibrant (sorry to offend but if you go live in Montreal or Toronto you will see what I mean). For that reason, that is why 80% of gays end up residing in cities like these. The more outdoor/adventurous type wind up in Vancouver. But I hope you guys can see where I'm coming from.

[freeweed]

Originally Posted by travis3000

Calgary would be my 5th choice to live in Canada after Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Ottawa. I love Calgary, it's a great clean city that is economically healthy and has very nice people. But it just doesn't have that "pizazz" I look for. The most head offices per capita doesn't entice me. Rather culture, entertainment, the peoples attitudes, the city layout for walking/biking, the shopping, the feeling the city gives you when you are in it. When I'm in Toronto or Montreal... I can feel the heartbeat of the city, I can feel that pulse of culture and people. It's extremely hard to explain and put into words but I've talked to other gays and they all seem to understand. Calgary, while very nice, does not have that heart beat. The downtown core is dead and non vibrant (sorry to offend but if you go live in Montreal or Toronto you will see what I mean). For that reason, that is why 80% of gays end up residing in cities like these. The more outdoor/adventurous type wind up in Vancouver. But I hope you guys can see where I'm coming from.

I don't think you're offending anyone, nor saying anything we don't already know. Calgary is smaller than those other cities, and as a consequence has a much less developed urban core.

But things are changing, and rapidly.

PS: Calgary's "heartbeat", if it could be said to have one, is all about the outdoors.

[Allan83]

Interesting thread. I’ll just jump in to add that Calgary hasn’t had a conservative mayor in at least 20 years, and at least 30 years if you consider that Ralph Klein was a Liberal when he was mayor of Calgary.


On this thread’s topic in general, I consider myself gay clueless, so this is very informative for me. I grew up in a medium sized prairie city and I didn’t know any gay people growing up. I’m sure they were there, but I was unaware. I went through engineering at the UofC with a couple of gay guys. The first guy I first saw in a second year computer lab. He was wearing a black t-shirt with a big pink triangle and a double arrow earring, and I thought, “hmm, that guy could be in for some negative attention.” Nope. Couldn’t have been more wrong. Nobody cared, at least as far as I could tell. Both were later in my specialization, and both were great guys and very well liked. Nobody cared that they were gay. I’m sure there were many more gay people in engineering too but my gaydar is so bad that I can pretty much only pick out the really flaming gays, and the ones wearing t-shirts with big pink triangles on them. I kind of had Anderson Cooper pegged as a womanizer.

It did strike me as a bit odd that there were two gay guys in my engineering class, and I’m also a bit surprised to find so many gay people here. I would have thought that gay people would tend not be interested in engineering and construction, but clearly I have no clue. It seems to me that pretty much everyone on SSP Calgary is male, however, but a surprisingly high percentage are gay men. What does that say? I have no idea. I like to think I do a pretty good job of keeping up on social issues, but on this one I’m clueless. Thanks to this thread I now know a bit more.

[Retail-Insider]

Originally Posted by Deepstar

Maybe there aren't many Vancouver SSP members that are gay? I dunno. We seem to have enough here in Calgary (and enough straight guys interested in the discussion) to make a thread of it.

Trust us. MANY Vancouver SSP members are gay. This author included

[O-tacular]

Originally Posted by travis3000

I've been to Calgary about 8 times. My cousins have lived in SW Calgary for 10 years now and I always go visit them and explore the city, etc. I find Calgary to be a fairly open place. The stereotype of a redneck city is simply not true. Calgary is actually a pretty liberal area and is moving closer to the left. Look at your mayor...Naheed, much more progressive than Rob Ford haha.

But, I can also attest that Toronto is a better city for the average gay person. The downtown core of Toronto is much more liberal than Calgary. Remember, Rob Ford won from his suburb voters in Etobicoke, etc... not from the downtown. Toronto has a gay village, Calgary does not. Toronto has world class theater, more entertainment venues, better high end shopping, fresh water (gays love beaches haha), more people, better restaurant options, and overall that "pizazz" which attracts gay people haha. I personally prefer Montreal myself, a city which has barely been mentioned in here. Their gay village is literally 3 times the size of Toronto's and is much classier. There are award winning restaurants right in the village, straight couples with children walking through it, a government which publicly recognizes and celebrates the LGBT history by creating events and and decorating the whole gay area, a subway stop painted in rainbow colours, and much more. Montreal is the most liberal city in Canada for the LGBT community, even more than Toronto. I can attest to this from personal experience and from visiting the city many times myself and witnessing it time after time as well as research and talking to the locals.

Calgary would be my 5th choice to live in Canada after Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Ottawa. I love Calgary, it's a great clean city that is economically healthy and has very nice people. But it just doesn't have that "pizazz" I look for. The most head offices per capita doesn't entice me. Rather culture, entertainment, the peoples attitudes, the city layout for walking/biking, the shopping, the feeling the city gives you when you are in it. When I'm in Toronto or Montreal... I can feel the heartbeat of the city, I can feel that pulse of culture and people. It's extremely hard to explain and put into words but I've talked to other gays and they all seem to understand. Calgary, while very nice, does not have that heart beat. The downtown core is dead and non vibrant (sorry to offend but if you go live in Montreal or Toronto you will see what I mean). For that reason, that is why 80% of gays end up residing in cities like these. The more outdoor/adventurous type wind up in Vancouver. But I hope you guys can see where I'm coming from.

Just curious when the last time you visited was? Calgary has changed alot int he past 5 years. It used to be true that the DT core was dead after supper but not anymore. Stephen Ave seems to have people walking around or sitting on patios at all times of the day and into the night. This will only improve with future and current condos being built in the area.

As for theatre and culture, Calgary was polled as spending the most per capita on the arts and actually has a popular performing arts scene. There are many internationallyaward winning restaurants (I'm waiting for Rusty to jump in with a comprehensive list). Also Calgary has many festivals (Lilac Festival, Carribean Festival etc...) and an ever growing very popular Pride parade.

As for beaches, you got us there. We don't have a massive Lakefront. But we do have a new River revitalization project called Riverwalk and a future revitalization of St. Patrick's island. Prince's Island is currently quite well used and has things like Shakespeare in the park, the Fringe festival and generally lots of nice green areas to loung around in.

For high end shopping and retailers Calgary is second in Canada. You may have visited these malls in the past but they have expanded and renovated to be completely new.

http://www.coreshopping.ca/

http://www.chinookcentre.com/en/Pages/default.aspx

EDIT: I forgot Biking and Walking. For biking Calgary's unparalled in Canada for the amount of bike paths it has. It's true we are working on improving DT and inner city infrastucture but projects like 13th Ave's Emerald necklace and the new bike lanes on 10th in Kensington are improving this. YOu may have also heard of the Peace Bridge. For walking we are making strides to improve the city's walkability, but areas in the inner city rank in the 90-100% range. Also see the above mentioned Riverwalk.

[freeweed]

Originally Posted by Allan83

I kind of had Anderson Cooper pegged as a womanizer.

Yeah, he was the concrete proof that my gaydar is pretty damned useless.

I actually think the dude is an amazing "role model", or whatever. He's the first well-known gay person that I can think of who exhibits exactly zero of the usual stereotypes that homophobes like to make fun of. I love to be able to point to him and say "you would never know he's gay if I didn't tell you".

It's a little like the first actresses who didn't act like scared little girls in their movies. There's nothing WRONG with acting "gay", or acting "girly" - but it's good to see examples where people are more than just stereotypes.

[Radley77]

I grew up on a farm... While I didn't know anyone who was out in the small town I grew up with, it turned out later that the son of the local Iraqi immigrant restauranteur had a gay son, I had a gay cousin and another of the farming neighbours were gay.

Calgary's also come a long ways in terms of having one of the most vibrant retail scenes in Canada now. I remember only 5 years ago going to Montreal and Vancouver to shop for clothes. I'm now finding that the selection with the reno's in the Core and Chinook in Calgary are had to beat now. And foodwise, it seems there is a revolution taking place right now that is hard to describe.

I'm incredibly optimistic about the city, with projects like the National Music Centre about to kick off this year I feel as if Calgary is transforming from being an energy capital, to a financial and cultural capital as well. There just is an entrepreneurial buzz in Calgary unlike any other city in Canada.

The Western Cup is being held this year in Calgary, as the longest running LGBT multi-sport event in North America, and was formed in 1981 here in Calgary. This year it's also being sponsored by the infamous Cowboys:
http://www.westerncup.com/leagues/custom...lientID=4967&pageID=9825&link=WesternCup

What I find frustrating about the gay scene in places like Vancouver, Toronto or Montreal is the hate-on for the oil and gas industry in Calgary and a near obsession with union movements. Lots of anti-pipeline protests involved with the LGBT community in these other places is based on pure ignorance and the union association I feel as if tramples on individual rights and freedoms. I feel as if in order to be gay and live in a city like Toronto that you have to be a communist or be shunned with gay pride events being hijacked by unions and environmental protest organizations.

Nenshi has often said "in Calgary nobody cares what you look like or who your daddy", but I think Calgary has an attitude that goes much beyond that. To me, Calgary is a city that allows the freedom for people to succeed in non-stereotypical roles. A city that values merit to a much greater extent than any other city in Canada.

[Radley77]

Originally Posted by freeweed

Yeah, he was the concrete proof that my gaydar is pretty damned useless.

I actually think the dude is an amazing "role model", or whatever. He's the first well-known gay person that I can think of who exhibits exactly zero of the usual stereotypes that homophobes like to make fun of. I love to be able to point to him and say "you would never know he's gay if I didn't tell you".

It's a little like the first actresses who didn't act like scared little girls in their movies. There's nothing WRONG with acting "gay", or acting "girly" - but it's good to see examples where people are more than just stereotypes.

FYI, Alberta has a few awesome LGBT role models including Mark Tewksbury Olympic gold medalist, singer KD Lang and Tegan & Sara. Frankly, can't think of any other Canadians besides comedian Rick Mercer that are as well-known.

[freeweed]

Originally Posted by Radley77

FYI, Alberta has a few awesome LGBT role models including Mark Tewksbury Olympic gold medalist, singer KD Lang and Tegan & Sara. Frankly, can't think of any other Canadians besides comedian Rick Mercer that are as well-known.

Oh for sure. But Tewksbury is .. how to put this... he has just a tiny little lisp and a certain manner of speaking. I definitely didn't think "womanizer" the first time I saw him speak on How It's Made. KD Lang is also not what I'd call a classic female beauty (in the straight sense). I only know Tegan & Sara from their music, don't know a thing about their personal lives.

I didn't mean that there aren't well known LGBT (still find using an acronym to describe people awkward, it's like WASP) people in Canada or elsewhere. I just meant that for the most part, they all seem noticeably "gay". And I'm not necessarily judging that, I just like to see it when not everyone looks like a stereotype. It makes it easier to try to explain to people like my parents that a gay person is pretty much like you and me - they just choose different sex partners. They're not some weird freaks.

It's surprising how many people I know think that every gay man is a complete flamer. Or that every lesbian is a bull dyke. Most of my gay friends aren't really like this. In fact they poke as much fun at the stereotypes as I do.

[Deepstar]

I'm not offended, as I think everyone already knows that Toronto and Montreal are much bigger cities with more vibrant cores. I disagree with the notion that downtown Calgary is dead and non vibrant. If you're talking about the commercial core/CBD which is what most out of towners usually refer to, then yes I could see your point, but of course as locals know that's not where the hearbeat of Calgary is. Other gays in Toronto or Montreal might understand where you're coming from, after all they are already living there, so not too surprising, but you also have to remember that there is a sizable gay community here that is very happy with Calgary.

Calgary has a lot to offer whether you're gay or straight. 80% of the gays likely end up in the larger centers because you will a better selection of partners...less chance of seeing the same people over and over. If you're a gay man in Calgary that's happily settled in a relationship, you could easily find Calgary enjoyable.

Originally Posted by travis3000

Calgary would be my 5th choice to live in Canada after Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Ottawa. I love Calgary, it's a great clean city that is economically healthy and has very nice people. But it just doesn't have that "pizazz" I look for. The most head offices per capita doesn't entice me. Rather culture, entertainment, the peoples attitudes, the city layout for walking/biking, the shopping, the feeling the city gives you when you are in it. When I'm in Toronto or Montreal... I can feel the heartbeat of the city, I can feel that pulse of culture and people. It's extremely hard to explain and put into words but I've talked to other gays and they all seem to understand. Calgary, while very nice, does not have that heart beat. The downtown core is dead and non vibrant (sorry to offend but if you go live in Montreal or Toronto you will see what I mean). For that reason, that is why 80% of gays end up residing in cities like these. The more outdoor/adventurous type wind up in Vancouver. But I hope you guys can see where I'm coming from.

[Dr Nevergold]

Originally Posted by freeweed

This doesn't mean what you think it means. And without completely derailing this thread, I'll just leave it at that.

I will apologize for Stephen Harper on behalf of all Calgarians though. That guy is NOT what we used to (and generally still do) consider "Conservative" out here. He's just wearing blue out of convenience.

We've (we as in people from this section of the forum and myself) had political discussions before, and I agree its best left aside. Although I'm pretty sure I understand what the CPC stands for and where its coming from, no it isn't the Tea Party south of the border, but I don't agree with your assessments of what it means to be Conservative. There's no rule or regulation against talking on the issue, but I don't really feel like going through the rounds with you on why I disagree with the CPC or why I don't think its quite what you think it is. You're free to believe in so-called "true Conservatism" or whatever you want to call it. I think its all nonsense and would never support a Con.

[Dr Nevergold]

Originally Posted by travis3000

I've been to Calgary about 8 times. My cousins have lived in SW Calgary for 10 years now and I always go visit them and explore the city, etc. I find Calgary to be a fairly open place. The stereotype of a redneck city is simply not true. Calgary is actually a pretty liberal area and is moving closer to the left. Look at your mayor...Naheed, much more progressive than Rob Ford haha.

But, I can also attest that Toronto is a better city for the average gay person. The downtown core of Toronto is much more liberal than Calgary. Remember, Rob Ford won from his suburb voters in Etobicoke, etc... not from the downtown. Toronto has a gay village, Calgary does not. Toronto has world class theater, more entertainment venues, better high end shopping, fresh water (gays love beaches haha), more people, better restaurant options, and overall that "pizazz" which attracts gay people haha. I personally prefer Montreal myself, a city which has barely been mentioned in here. Their gay village is literally 3 times the size of Toronto's and is much classier. There are award winning restaurants right in the village, straight couples with children walking through it, a government which publicly recognizes and celebrates the LGBT history by creating events and and decorating the whole gay area, a subway stop painted in rainbow colours, and much more. Montreal is the most liberal city in Canada for the LGBT community, even more than Toronto. I can attest to this from personal experience and from visiting the city many times myself and witnessing it time after time as well as research and talking to the locals.

Calgary would be my 5th choice to live in Canada after Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Ottawa. I love Calgary, it's a great clean city that is economically healthy and has very nice people. But it just doesn't have that "pizazz" I look for. The most head offices per capita doesn't entice me. Rather culture, entertainment, the peoples attitudes, the city layout for walking/biking, the shopping, the feeling the city gives you when you are in it. When I'm in Toronto or Montreal... I can feel the heartbeat of the city, I can feel that pulse of culture and people. It's extremely hard to explain and put into words but I've talked to other gays and they all seem to understand. Calgary, while very nice, does not have that heart beat. The downtown core is dead and non vibrant (sorry to offend but if you go live in Montreal or Toronto you will see what I mean). For that reason, that is why 80% of gays end up residing in cities like these. The more outdoor/adventurous type wind up in Vancouver. But I hope you guys can see where I'm coming from.

Rob Ford isn't in office because Torontonians are Conservative, he's in office because of a garbage strike more or less and the repercussions thereafter. Also, the Miller/Giambrone era forced very liberal, very pro-transit Torontonians who didn't agree with streetcars everywhere (aka Transit City) and preferred subways into the temptation of voting Conservative. I don't know why they didn't support Smitherman, my choice, but hey it is history.

Rob Ford is a fluke who had the best of conditions given to him for a run at office, the left and centre left was split into and lets not forget that he ran on a "i'm only going to cut the fat" mentality. He said he was going to invest more into subways and other things, which is attractive to a certain bloc of liberal voters. If you campaign on investing more while cutting unnecessary services, that isn't exactly a hard-right campaign. Ford campaigned as a centrist, people who don't know politics bought the message and regretted it later when they realized they elected a tub of lard with no brains.

Rob Ford doesn't represent anything about the social makeup of the city he led, besides he's now history for the most part, at least we'll find out Friday.

[Chadillaccc]

Originally Posted by YYCguys

Let's set up an SSP gay evening at Back Lot!

That sounds like fun!

[kw5150]

Anywhere other than the back lot and Im in. This should be open to all guys not just gays. Lets do it on a friday afternoon on Stephen ave somewhere.

Originally Posted by YYCguys

Let's set up an SSP gay evening at Back Lot!