Gay Life in Canadian Cities

[SaskScraper]

Regina's 30th Anniversary Queen City Pride is this week, The two big parties during parade weekend are The White Party on the Friday night at Q Nightclub & lounge and on Saturday
Trinity the Tuck, winner of Ru Paul's Drag Race All Star season 4, makes her second appearance in Saskatchewan this year by performing at Pride After Dark.



https://www.facebook.com/glcrclub
https://queencitypride.ca

Thorgy Thor from All Stars season 3 & also for her second time in Saskatchewan in 2019, brings her Thorchestra and comedy show performance to Regina during Pride. Thorgy Thor does her show this week in Saskatoon also during Pride.
Saskatoon also welcomes back for second time this year Latrice Royale, Ru Paul's All Stars Season 4 contestant, with her Here's To Life tour next month.



Saskatoon's Pride 2019 is the next two weeks.

https://www.saskatoonpride.ca/ for list of Saskatoon Pride events in June.

Louis Pub on U of S campus has drag bingo, Capitol Night Club Queeroke,
Drift has Gurl Party.




Local night clubs with claims to fame:
Diva's Night Club not only has largest Pride Rainbow flag outside South Africa but also North America's largest automated & motorized Black-light installation.



Pink gay bar has replied with it's own installation of the most Black lights in the country for its Glowjob parties. Pink has it's annual Pride Block Party Saturday Night June 22nd.




Katya, All Star Season 2 finalist having completed her Asia, AU, NZ, UK tour returns to Saskatoon bringing her Help Me I'm Dying North American tour to Saskatchewan in next month.

http://www.welovekatya.com/





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Take part in LGBTQ events in a city near you this Summer!
For full list of gaycities in Canada, North America and the World:

https://www.gaycities.com/places









Anyone that thinks LGBTQ rights are done and dusted needs to see what happened to cancel Edmonton's Pride Parade 2019. Race related fringe rights groups threatened the Pride committee, which is a different type of oppression than what gay rights movement has faced in the past.

Basically everything during Pride Week in Edmonton took place but with a March instead of a Parade, from which is the usual tradition.


https://globalnews.ca/news/5370118/e...de-march-2019/


Pure Pride had its event.



Evolution bar had a different past seasons Ru Paul's drag race performer each night during Edmonton Pride.

Most friends that went mostly just went for the parties, something for everyone

Originally posted by SaskScraper

Tickets also went on sale last month for RuPaul's Drag Race Werq The World 2019 Tour which is coming to Saskatoon and Regina later this Summer and Saskatchewan is one of only a few select States/Provinces with multiple dates.

https://vossevents.com/events/werq-the-world/

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Originally posted by vid

Is there anything for us gays that sit at home and watch documentaries on youtube until 2am every Friday night?

Vid, I missed your comment, well if you are interested in seeing the goings on about the tour checkout WorldOfWonder presenting The Werq the World tour as a tv series starting this last week.

https://worldofwonder.vhx.tv/videos/...%20The%20World

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[TorontoDrew]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

I can't believe people even go to these things anymore.

Certainly when they began 40 years ago they were pertinent and had a political reason for their being but today Pride parades have as much to do about gay rights as the Santa Claus parade does about the birth of Christ. They are nothing more than business ventures and a place for the city to make money on the tourist trade.

People go because it's a time and place where a community can rally together and feel safe and free from persecution. That's a bit like saying why hold things like Italian festivals, or St Patrick Day Parades. If you think things are all on par and Pride events hold no important anymore you really need to open your eyes.

I only just came out 7 months ago to my family and friends and this year will be my first time going to pride and feeling like part of a community.

Until people are safe to be who they are freely without fear across the globe these events are necessary. How many new Canadians come here to escape persecution for being LGTB and go to Pride for the first time and can truly feel at ease.

ssiguy, the west is still not where it needs to be in terms of acceptance, there is still a long way to go. If you don't understand the need for pride don't go to any events. It sounds like you need to though.

source: https://cdn.cnn.com

[G.S MTL]

Ciara is perfmorning in Montreal for gay pride at Parc Faubourg in August for free!!!! cant wait !!!

[SignalHillHiker]

Sweet.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfo...rade-1.5174360

[p_xavier]

What are your thoughts on this?

Pride Toronto apologizes for land acknowledgement that 'failed to recognize' Indigenous people
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toron...ment-1.5188127

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by d_jeffrey

What are your thoughts on this?

Pride Toronto apologizes for land acknowledgement that 'failed to recognize' Indigenous people
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toron...ment-1.5188127

In response to the flurry of tweets, Pride Toronto responded on Twitter, writing: "This acknowledgement was [written] by an indigenous person. Thanks for reaching out to Pride Toronto."

[someone123]

Originally Posted by Acajack

In response to the flurry of tweets, Pride Toronto responded on Twitter, writing: "This acknowledgement was [written] by an indigenous person. Thanks for reaching out to Pride Toronto."

You can often get in trouble now for not saying something or parroting back what one activist group or another wants you to. For example, you might get in trouble because your Instagram account of knitting pictures doesn't have enough explicit anti-racist content.

This is obviously incoherent because not every venue can feature every activist opinion, even if we completely accept them all (though this isn't quite how it works due to the hierarchy of oppression). On top of this, the aggressive enforcement robs people of freedom and agency. The mob might elect to tell you what you need to put in your messages, and who knows what they will want tomorrow. Did you want to remain apolitical, or merely focus on some technical area that has nothing to do with race or gender? Too bad! How dare you even question this when your suffering is nothing compared to years of violent oppression?!

[mousquet]

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

source: https://cdn.cnn.com

What the hell is this? I don't get it, feeling kinda disturbed by the picture.
Is this a couple of lesbians beaten?

I wouldn't like to be an asshole or a bitch to you guys here, but it's often not so hard for a heterosexual male to seduce a so-called lesbian. There's no need for beating them at all, eh.
You just give them a hot but not too greedy kiss on their shoulder or neck, then here we go, they want you.
Anybody who's once been a nightclubbing idiotic slut in their lifetime is well aware.

Now it's absolutely unfair and criminal to beat women anyway; whether real lesbian or not, it only deserves medieval torture on a public square.

[ssiguy]

Originally Posted by d_jeffrey

What are your thoughts on this?

Pride Toronto apologizes for land acknowledgement that 'failed to recognize' Indigenous people
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toron...ment-1.5188127

What's next, Santa Claus breaking out and proclaiming his guilt over flying over once-Indigenous airspace to all the 5 year old eagerly awaiting his coming down the chimney? Maybe instead of thank you note for the kids who left him those milk and cookies, maybe he just tell the kids that they should be ashamed of themselves for getting excited about all the goodies under the tree when that tree came from Mother Earth. I can't wait for the next Santa Claus Parade.

[Chadillaccc]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

What's next, Santa Claus breaking out and proclaiming his guilt over flying over once-Indigenous airspace to all the 5 year old eagerly awaiting his coming down the chimney? Maybe instead of thank you note for the kids who left him those milk and cookies, maybe he just tell the kids that they should be ashamed of themselves for getting excited about all the goodies under the tree when that tree came from Mother Earth. I can't wait for the next Santa Claus Parade.

I literally snotted while eating my breakfast. I love the analogy. It's so true, shit's getting insanely ridiculous.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by Chadillaccc

I literally snotted while eating my breakfast. I love the analogy. It's so true, shit's getting insanely ridiculous.

There is very little sense of scale. If you're in the most progressive 0.1% of the population, you can easily become "worse than Hitler" because you said 99% of the right stuff instead of 100% of the right stuff.

As the rhetoric becomes more extreme we will see more fault lines. Trans rights are a bit of a tricky subject. In some circles, it is taboo to admit the existence of biological sex (as in XX and XY chromosomes do not matter). And I have sometimes seen shaming for not accepting trans people in terms of physical attraction, e.g. you are a monster if you care if somebody you sleep with has a penis or vagina. These extreme positions are going to cause problems.

I remember trans activist material from maybe 2010 and it was way more reasonable, and focused on how people may prefer different forms of gender expression regardless of sex, and we should be okay with that. That was a genuinely good message to share with everyone and it seems quaint now; more aggressive messages get more attention.

Note also that not too long ago, gay rights activists argued that being gay wasn't a choice but rather must be rooted in biology somehow.

Fluid identity also hasn't spread to race. There were people who argue that anybody can identify as any gender whenever but were enraged by Rachel Dolezal. Not too long ago, the progressive line was that race was a construct! These days you're more likely to hear "stay in your (culturally imposed) lane". Assuming somebody's gender is increasingly taboo while assuming somebody's race is de rigueur!

[ciudad_del_norte]

Originally Posted by SaskScraper

Anyone that thinks LGBTQ rights are done and dusted needs to see what happened to cancel Edmonton's Pride Parade 2019. Race related fringe rights groups threatened the Pride committee, which is a different type of oppression than what gay rights movement has faced in the past.

Late to the game here, but need to point out that this is a pretty dramatic misunderstanding and oversimplification of what actually happened. This was nothing about oppression of gay rights by race related fringe rights groups. It's part of an ongoing question as to the degree to which pride is inclusive - even to the extent of becoming political and controversial. The parade wasn't cancelled because the white LGBTQ community was oppressed or threatened and so unable to have a party. The parade was cancelled because the committee was unable to make strides with the more marginalized groups, and made a series of poor decisions eventually loosing the support and faith of large parts of the community as a whole.

I'm not involved in either side - but be aware of the potential harm you do by making this sound like a bunch of "race related fringe rights group" were out to oppress the gays.

In fact, characterizing the situation as such is a good example of exactly what many find problematic within the LG community (for what its worth BTQ folks are typically a bit more marginalized so seem to be more aware of the issues here).

There are plenty of real contemporary examples about how LGBTQ rights aren't "resolved" - look at the current government in AB. But the cancellation of Edmonton's parade this year isn't that.

[ciudad_del_norte]

Originally Posted by mousquet

What the hell is this? I don't get it, feeling kinda disturbed by the picture.
Is this a couple of lesbians beaten?

I wouldn't like to be an asshole or a bitch to you guys here, but it's often not so hard for a heterosexual male to seduce a so-called lesbian. There's no need for beating them at all, eh.
You just give them a hot but not too greedy kiss on their shoulder or neck, then here we go, they want you.
Anybody who's once been a nightclubbing idiotic slut in their lifetime is well aware.

Now it's absolutely unfair and criminal to beat women anyway; whether real lesbian or not, it only deserves medieval torture on a public square.

Is...is this a joke? It sounds like the suggestion is that if somebody identifies as lesbian you shouldn't beat them - but maybe just stick to sexual assault?

[someone123]

Originally Posted by ciudad_del_norte

I'm not involved in either side - but be aware of the potential harm you do by making this sound like a bunch of "race related fringe rights group" were out to oppress the gays.

In fact, characterizing the situation as such is a good example of exactly what many find problematic within the LG community (for what its worth BTQ folks are typically a bit more marginalized so seem to be more aware of the issues here).

How come it isn't potentially harmful for you to call out the "LG community"?

More and more I encounter the stereotype that gay white guys are somehow the privileged upper class within the wider LGBT tent. This is just a stereotype, and it is particularly dumb because the LGs are the closest de facto allies to the BTs. If queer racial minority and trans activists succeed in killing off the old LGBT community groups they will be worse off.

[240glt]

Originally Posted by someone123

How come it isn't potentially harmful for you to call out the "LG community"?

More and more I encounter the stereotype that gay white guys are somehow the privileged upper class within the wider LGBT tent. This is just a stereotype, and it is particularly dumb because the LGs are the closest de facto allies to the BTs. If queer racial minority and trans activists succeed in killing off the old LGBT community groups they will be worse off.

This is kind-of how things appear ever since the fracas about the parade. Now all of a sudden we're the oppressors and the privileged ones. It's bizarre. I had to look up certain terms like CIS while following the story. I'd never heard of these things before.

I do admit I've moderated my stance on this quite a bit though. I still don't agree with banning police officers in uniform (my S.O. was an Alberta Sherriff for over 15 years before moving to a directorship with the government, and both my in-laws were Edmonton Police officers) But I do see the point about some people feeling left out, or not represented or marginalized. It's become a big street party when maybe that's not the direction it should be going. I personally don't feel marginalized, endangered or discriminated against in any way even despite some of the disgusting vile people running the province right now including the Premier, but a lot of people do. I made the mistake of opening my Twitter acct. for the first time in years though just to get some different opinions and the shrieking hysterics from both sides was nauseating. I'm glad we don't participate at all quite frankly.

[ciudad_del_norte]

Originally Posted by someone123

How come it isn't potentially harmful for you to call out the "LG community"?

More and more I encounter the stereotype that gay white guys are somehow the privileged upper class within the wider LGBT tent. This is just a stereotype, and it is particularly dumb because the LGs are the closest de facto allies to the BTs. If queer racial minority and trans activists succeed in killing off the old LGBT community groups they will be worse off.

Yet often are refusing to be so. I am gay myself and don't have any problem calling out other gays guys for being ambivalent about what is going with trans people today. Lesbian and Gay people, especially white ones have reached a point of acceptance in society that many haven't. Hell - the corporations are bending over backwards to get in on the gay market now.

White gays simply are more privileged. It doesn't mean they are bad people it doesn't mean that their lives have been easy but it means that some people have other layers of marginalization that white gays don't. Nobody is trying to kill off the community groups, they are just asking if they can be included - even though the corporations and broader society aren't necessarily totally on board yet.

Does it seem that much of a stretch to you that a gay white men might be more accepted or better treated in society than person of colour who is gay? Or god forbid a trans person?

What people are trying to say is that it feels like a lot of the community - mainly the Lesbian and Gay subset has reached a point of "well, we are doing pretty well now - the rest are on your own".

[someone123]

Originally Posted by ciudad_del_norte

Does it seem that much of a stretch to you that a gay white men might be more accepted or better treated in society than person of colour who is gay? Or god forbid a trans person?

Nope. But I can also flip that around and ask: does it seem like a stretch to you that a trans person of colour might experience more acceptance or have an easier life than a gay white male?

I know non-white people who had professors for parents who drove them around to every extracurricular activity imaginable and then paid for them to attend an Ivy League school. And I know white North Americans from rural areas who didn't always have food on the table or running water or electricity. There are black people who live to 100 and (I guess privileged and lucky) white kids who die of cancer when they are 5.

We are individuals and there is a lot of individual variation. Not everything should be collapsed down to stereotypes based on group identities.

I will not accept collective guilt for what other people do just because somebody wants to pigeonhole me into the same box based on characteristics like skin colour or sexual orientation. Aside from being unfair, framing issues in this way does little to aid in understanding.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by someone123

We are individuals and there is a lot of individual variation. Not everything should be collapsed down to stereotypes based on group identities.

I will not accept collective guilt for what other people do just because somebody wants to pigeonhole me into the same box based on characteristics like skin colour or sexual orientation. Aside from being unfair, framing issues in this way does little to aid in understanding.

What are you, some sort of Communist?

The movement to your way of thought is growing very, very quickly fueled mainly by those who are fanatically opposed to what you posted.

[ciudad_del_norte]

Originally Posted by someone123

Nope. But I can also flip that around and ask: does it seem like a stretch to you that a trans person of colour might experience more acceptance or have an easier life than a gay white male?

I know non-white people who had professors for parents who drove them around to every extracurricular activity imaginable and then paid for them to attend an Ivy League school. And I know white North Americans from rural areas who didn't always have food on the table or running water or electricity. There are black people who live to 100 and (I guess privileged and lucky) white kids who die of cancer when they are 5.

We are individuals and there is a lot of individual variation. Not everything should be collapsed down to stereotypes based on group identities.

I will not accept collective guilt for what other people do just because somebody wants to pigeonhole me into the same box based on characteristics like skin colour or sexual orientation. Aside from being unfair, framing issues in this way does little to aid in understanding.

I don't think I asked you to feel guilty. That's not what privilege is about. It's asking people to meaningfully listen and acknowledge that we're all part of a system that screws people over. It's asking the broader LGBTQ community to actually work with its members that are still facing barriers that have been alleviated for some.

The reason that people are getting frustrated with pride and these issues is because many really thought that the this community would actually be supportive. But instead its been years of people wanting to have a party and tell the rest that their time will come. Don't get me wrong, many things have improved and I think it's okay to celebrate that. But recognize that are substantial parts of the community that feel that they are being left behind.

Also, it's nice anecdotal exceptions of how good this or that trans person or person of colour does vs. a white person doing poorly are not the question. Systematic racism, homophobia, transphobia all exist and overlay on each other. I'm a gay non-white person and to be honest I've done pretty well for myself - in many ways would probably be considered more "successful" than many white gay guys my age. So in some ways I am an "exception". That doesn't negate homophobia and racism as factors in my life, or in the lives of others.

I would note that all politics are "identity politics" they always have been. The only difference now is that people are less likely to accept one identity controlling the discourse - and I don't think that is going to go away. The reason people are likely to single out straight white men, or within the LGBTQ community typically the white "LG" groups is because these are the identities that have been framing the discussion. Yet when others try to be included they are accused of being divisive. The division exists and in many cases has for a long time. It's just that now people are finding ways to point it out.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by ciudad_del_norte

I don't think I asked you to feel guilty. That's not what privilege is about. It's asking people to meaningfully listen and acknowledge that we're all part of a system that screws people over. It's asking the broader LGBTQ community to actually work with its members that are still facing barriers that have been alleviated for some.

The reason that people are getting frustrated with pride and these issues is because many really thought that the this community would actually be supportive. But instead its been years of people wanting to have a party and tell the rest that their time will come.

There's a lot of cognitive dissonance here. You say that this isn't about guilt or shame yet you are suggesting that white gays and lesbians are part of a system of oppression and callously want to party while others suffer; you imply that there's something more (unspecified) they ought to do in order to be more morally correct.

Yet when others try to be included they are accused of being divisive

Do you have examples of others being excluded by white gays and lesbians? White only dance parties or something similar? I have never heard of such a thing.