Gay Life in Canadian Cities - Page 88

p_xavier · #**1741** Posted **Aug 11, 2019, 2:38 AM**

Congrats! I love the more down to earth expectations.

SpongeG · #**1742** Posted **Aug 11, 2019, 4:20 AM**

Is Montreal's Gay Village becoming less gay?

As the city celebrates Pride weekend, experts debate how to preserve the Village's unique identity

Gretel Kahn · CBC News · Posted: Aug 10, 2019

'It was more underground,' long-time Village business owner Daniel Lussier recalled. (submitted by Raphael Thibodeau)

When Daniel Lussier opened his first bar in Montreal's Gay Village, nearly 30 years ago, the east-end strip along Ste-Catherine Street featured mainly leather bars, massage parlours, nightclubs and sex shops.

"It was more underground, with a more specific clientele," said Lussier, whose opened several more Village businesses in the years since.

By opening a business in the Village back then, he wanted to help make it a place where people of all stripes wanted to be.

And that's what happened. The Village now attracts a wide cross-section of visitors, regardless of their sexual orientation.

The Village's affiliation with the LGBTQ community remains unmistakable. It is a parade of colours thanks to a multitude of rainbow flags, not to mention the iconic rainbow balls, strung above Ste-Catherine Street one last time this summer.

But as the Village has been embraced by mainstream culture, some are worried it is losing the identity that once made it unique.

...

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montr...g7lwqd1d7zSQ2Q

SaskScraper · #**1743** Posted **Aug 11, 2019, 4:56 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpongeG

I guess its just feels like straight people have taken over pride. They've even dropped the "Gay" from it now its just called Pride. I have no problem with nudity either I just have a problem with straight people taking it over.

Davie had a street party and it was all straight people it seemed lining up to get a pic at the Fido booth or the Subway booth or the Tim Hortons booth, they had a bus ball pit that was all straight people.

They had a fenced off dance area that looked like it was mostly straight folk. All the gay crowd were lining up to get into a couple of bars that were packed.

I noticed that more at Vancouver Pride this year as compared to last year & year before as well, there seemed to be a larger proportion of str8 people at events.

Families and general public always shows up on mass for the parade but in addition this year some events that you would think would be mostly as gay was a mix. Bears-in-Space street fair was a mix, Cruise-T harbour cruises mostly gay, Westin pool party majority gay, certain circuit parties vast majority gay as expected, but the main gay bars client was dependant on upon usual demographic for the certain Davie street bars.

PJs bar had probably the longest queue to get in but thankfully for me & my friends knowing staff/having certain friends with pull, equals not having to wait.

The fenced off dance area on Davie Street I believe you're referring to was The Untoxicated Drag Show sponsored by Last Door Recovery Society featured over a dozen Western Canadian Queens & RuPaul Drag race winners and was used to attract not only the LGBTQ but also main stream demographics & similar in scope to Pride Street Parties in Saskatchewan. Pink Night Club, one of the gay complexes in Saskatoon, typically gets 3,000 people for it's Pride Street Party each year.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/untoxic...s-63135432779#

kwoldtimer · #**1744** Posted **Aug 11, 2019, 12:40 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpongeG

Is Montreal's Gay Village becoming less gay?

As the city celebrates Pride weekend, experts debate how to preserve the Village's unique identity

Gretel Kahn · CBC News · Posted: Aug 10, 2019

'It was more underground,' long-time Village business owner Daniel Lussier recalled. (submitted by Raphael Thibodeau)

When Daniel Lussier opened his first bar in Montreal's Gay Village, nearly 30 years ago, the east-end strip along Ste-Catherine Street featured mainly leather bars, massage parlours, nightclubs and sex shops.

"It was more underground, with a more specific clientele," said Lussier, whose opened several more Village businesses in the years since.

By opening a business in the Village back then, he wanted to help make it a place where people of all stripes wanted to be.

And that's what happened. The Village now attracts a wide cross-section of visitors, regardless of their sexual orientation.

The Village's affiliation with the LGBTQ community remains unmistakable. It is a parade of colours thanks to a multitude of rainbow flags, not to mention the iconic rainbow balls, strung above Ste-Catherine Street one last time this summer.

But as the Village has been embraced by mainstream culture, some are worried it is losing the identity that once made it unique.

...

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montr...g7lwqd1d7zSQ2Q

Pretty much like gay villages in every city in NAmerica that ever had one, no?

Martin Mtl · #**1745** Posted **Aug 11, 2019, 3:09 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

Pretty much like gay villages in every city in NAmerica that ever had one, no?

We’ve been reading the same article for 10-15 years now. It’s superficial journalism, click bait during Pride week. And the author takes some convenient shorcuts. For exemple, the Bourbon has’nt been a « popular spot » for many years when it closed down to be replaced by condos. Meanwhile, next door, the Sky is still doing fine and packed, but no mention, of course, because that wouldn’t fit with the narrative of the article. Le Village is fine and it is still gay enough. It’s not like we have to build a wall to keep the straight people out.

ssiguy · #**1746** Posted **Aug 11, 2019, 6:29 PM**

"There goes the gaybourhood" has been a wide spread phenomena across most of the West over the last couple decades. They were formed in the first place as a place of security and community and those raison d'etre are now gone. This added to the fact that bars and nightlife no longer play such a dominate role in the gay community and nightlife in general has declined as a way of meeting people, and the rejuevenation of inner city neighbourhoods causing property values and taxes to soar also makes entertainment venues less profitable.

Most people who go to the gay villages are now students on the weekend and tourists but for the vast majority of sexual minorities, they are more of a novelty than anything else.

SignalHillHiker · #**1747** Posted **Aug 27, 2019, 6:48 PM**

Chadillaccc · #**1748** Posted **Aug 27, 2019, 7:08 PM**

That is amazing

I'm in love with that story.

whatnext · #**1749** Posted **Aug 27, 2019, 9:46 PM**

WTF is Montreal Pride thinking?!

Henry Lam was looking forward to marching in Montreal Pride's parade with a group of activists supporting the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong.

Lam moved from Hong Kong to Canada eight years ago in order to marry his husband; he wanted to express the solidarity that LGBTQ expatriates have for the reformers back home.

But one day before the parade, organizers barred his group because of unspecified threats from backers of China's communist regime...

....In a statement, Montreal Pride confirmed it received threats and had to remove Lam's group "for safety reasons."

The organization added that its policy is not to interfere in geopolitical conflicts. It did not reveal the nature of the threats, nor which police force had contacted them.

Montreal police have not responded to a request for comment.

A group of people wearing red shirts waved Chinese flags and sang the Chinese national anthem near the Pride parade route...

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montr...ride-1.5260820

Metro-One · #**1750** Posted **Aug 28, 2019, 1:55 AM**

Yeah, that is pretty weak, especially given mainland China’s stance against open homosexuality.

I have actually lost a lot of respect for the gay pride parade over the last couple years.

First expelling uniformed police officers after caving in to BLM. A big step in the wrong direction and creating more divides.

Then in Vancouver this year not allowing UBC and the Vancouver Public Library to enter the parade for hosting speakers whom they don’t agree with.

Now this.

I use to look at the parade as a very inclusive event that was very open and brought communities together. Now it is becoming an exclusive purity contest.

Chadillaccc · #**1751** Posted **Aug 28, 2019, 2:06 AM**

Yeah, it's become a bit absurd, to say the least. Here in Calgary, the Calgary Police Service didn't even apply to be in the parade this year, because they didn't want to cause backlash. That shit is fucking fucked up. The parade is this weekend.

Architype · #**1752** Posted **Aug 28, 2019, 2:32 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

I guess we can now call that 19th century gay architecture, and notice the antlers over each window.

Metro-One · #**1753** Posted **Aug 28, 2019, 2:34 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chadillaccc

Yeah, it's become a bit absurd, to say the least. Here in Calgary, the Calgary Police Service didn't even apply to be in the parade this year, because they didn't want to cause backlash. That shit is fucking fucked up. The parade is this weekend.

Yeah, it really does seem to take some of the excitement and joy (and purpose) out of the event knowing that the organizers are now following a more divisive path. The entire idea that the police marched with the parade was the signature that things have progressed in a positive direction. (at least for me and many of the people I know)

Also the cowering to threats and removing the targeted group from the event seems very hypocritical to the original idea of the event in the first place.

vid · #**1754** Posted **Aug 28, 2019, 3:33 AM**

It makes some sense with police because the gay pride parade has its origins as an anti-police protest, but to cave to an undemocratic and homophobic regime is unambiguously contrary to their goals. China is an example of much of what pride itself is protesting.

SignalHillHiker · #**1755** Posted **Sep 28, 2019, 4:40 PM**

The huns can get hitched.

Love it!

SaskScraper · #**1756** Posted **Sep 28, 2019, 9:05 PM**

The first Ru Paul's Drag Race UK is this next month…& I'll be getting my husband to translate

Bianca Del Rio talks about the English series during her September 2019 UK leg of her It's Jester Joke World Tour, tour which she has already brought to Canada, with total of two July dates in BC, and two dates in Toronto this last weekend...

• Video Link

Bianca has come a long way since I saw her in her home club in Hell's Kitchen couple years before she won Drag Race.

It's Jester Joke Tour seems to be one of the most extensive Ru Pauls's celebrity individual tours I've come across yet.

Bianca Del Rio finishes World tour in style with Five dates on the Canadian Prairies in November, Bravo

http://thebiancadelrio.com/2019-tour/

SignalHillHiker · #**1757** Posted **Sep 28, 2019, 9:11 PM**

Drag Race UK is going to be the best Drag Race.

Big Brother, The Voice, everything is done better there. Higher standards than the Americans, and more worldly contestants. We are in for such a treat.

Bianca BTW, literally just a couple of days before the finale, was in St. John's.

We all knew she would win, and were afraid she wouldn't be able to get from here to LA in time to claim her crown.

• Video Link

SaskScraper · #**1758** Posted **Sep 28, 2019, 10:16 PM**

^^I agree, UK has higher standards for certain shows. X-Factor, Big Brother as you mentioned, Strictly Come Dancing with Michelle Visage this year....

That's awesome, you sound like my husband,

he's more of a fan of Bianca that particular season too. For me at the time seeing Bianca's live club act, consisted of getting patrons drunk on shots to make fun of them. She now has had time to formulate a befitting live show with this current tour.

I maintain my allegiance with Courtney Act though, who I knew before, out of drag before Drag Race. Especially since she brought the house down at Diva's night club subsequently after the show with her fishy looks & vocal talent.
I do now think that particular Drag Race season Bianca rightfully won because she had more to gain from the crown, Courtney is onto more productions having won Big Brother UK, has her own show 'The Bi-Life' etc, which I think is a bigger bonus anyway.

Ru Paul's Drag Race is like that though, My Husband & I thought Brook Lynn Hytes was last seasons best, & therefore we bought tickets & saw her show in Saskatoon but opted out of Yvie Oddly/Akeria/Nina West Pure Pride show last month.

Just watched a snippit of that video you posted, one of the guys on stage looks like someone that's a Dj in Vancouver.

SignalHillHiker · #**1759** Posted **Sep 28, 2019, 10:18 PM**

Brooklyn was good. But... Yuhua, Cracker, and Vanjie? Each of them has more personality and longevity in their nail clippings than Brooke.

"I'm Chinese."
"Hamasaki?"
"Well you're not a REAL woman either!"

Trevor3 · #**1760** Posted **Sep 29, 2019, 12:46 PM**

One of the things that makes me proud to be from this town is that we have a pride week. It's not much but it's important for everyone, and especially young people, to know that there is a gay community here and that they will be welcomed. A little bit of visibility like this goes a long way.

A couple of hours up the highway there's that other town that wouldn't paint a rainbow crosswalk for some reason a couple years ago. Real head-shaker.