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Grant Bowler: Charmed Life

November 26, 2012, 9:21 am
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When it comes to his career as an actor, Grant Bowler has led a charmed life. Grant has been exciting our screens for nearly two decades, emerging as an international TV star in that time.

The handsome (and frequently naked) actor's big break came when he was cast as Constable Wayne Patterson in "Blue Healers".

Since then, he's appeared on other popular Australian TV shows: "Stingers" (as Sean Peck, 1999 - 2001), "McLeod's Daughters" (as Jarred Wuchowski, 2004) and "Outrageous Fortune" (as Wolfgang West, 2005 - 2009).



Grant Bowler shirtless in scene from McLeod's Daughters
 
Grant actually began his career with a Shakespeare theatre company. In a recent interview with Da Man magazine, Bowler said:
“Starting out a career in a Shakespeare Company was the best grounding I could have wished for. I fell in love with the classics, with touring and with performing in repertory. Doing three different plays in the space of 36 hours is a challenge I’d love to take on again at some point in my career … now to find the time!”
Sex appeal and classical theatre training... now's that how we like our hunk actors!



Grant Bowler sporting sexy facial hair in Outrageous Fortune
 
Grant is best known in North America for his work on some high profile American TV shows: "Lost" (as Captain Gault, 2008), "Ugly Betty" (Connor Owens, 2008 - 2010), "True Blood" (as Cooter, 2010). Who could forget the nude scene in "True Blood" or the fabulous scene from "Ugly Betty" of Grant rising, Poseidon-like, from the sea (a la Daniel Craig's 007 James Bond)? With those gorgeous big shoulders and sexy, wet thighs, Grant made an indelible impression on American audiences. Swoon!



Grant Bowler (and Vanessa Williams) in sexy scenes from Ugly Betty
 
Be sure to check out MORE shirtless shots (including larger images from "Ugly Betty") in our previous post: 'Best Of' Grant Bowler Shirtless



Nude scene from True Blood
 
Be sure to check out our previous post: Grant Bowler naked in "True Blood"




Grant Bowler as Richard Burton and Lindsay Lohan as Elizabeth Taylor in "Liz & Dick"
 
Most recently, Grant portrayed legendary actor Richard Burton in "Liz & Dick". Be sure to check our previous post: Grant Bowler in the critically panned TV bio-pic, "Liz & Dick"


Explore more Grant Bowler in our
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Grant Bowler: One of TV's sexiest stars

November 26, 2012, 10:53 am
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"...I like it when other people tell me what works for me. I’m very lucky these days that I get to wear some fantastic stuff. Once I know some clothes work well on a shoot, I try to steal them!" 
- Grant Bowler replying to DA MAN magazine's question about his fashion sense.

Fashion, or clothes for that matter, are not the first things that come to mind when talking about perennial shirtless TV hunk, Grant Bowler. He does, however, look incredibly sexy in a well-tailored suit. Generally, we prefer him to wear as little as possible.

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Nick Starcevic shirtless

December 8, 2012, 1:56 am
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I recently came across a file with some images that I had saved of Big Brother 8 contestant, Nick Starcevic. The handsome former American college football player from Minnesota was on the show back in 2007. Nick immediately created a buzz in the gay blogosphere due to his allergy to wearing shirts.


Nick Starcevic as a Big Brother 8 contestant 2007
 



Image courtesy of Greg in Hollywood
 I remember Nick was a real flirt with the men and women on the show. I did some research to find out what had become of Nick and came across this update from last year, by Greg Hernandez (Greg in Hollywood), who wrote:

"... I always wondered what happened to Nick who began the season by flirting with both men and women and was brave enough to name the famous guys he would sleep with if he were gay. At the top of his list was Ryan Reynolds. Good taste! Nick is straight but also allowed gay houseguest, Dustin, to rub suntan lotion on his back... Anyway, I found out what Nick’s been up to when I ran into him the other night at the NOH8 party at House of Blues. Earlier this year, a nude photo of handsome Nick was “leaked” on the internet but he told me he is spending his time working in the field of geology these days.
Nick Starcevic seems like a nice guy; he's handsome, well-built and an ally to the gay community. What's not to like? 
  


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Love, Alexander

December 13, 2012, 8:03 pm
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Meet Andreas Souvaliotis

September 20, 2013, 4:09 pm
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Canada is a progressive country in many ways but it has surprisingly very few openly gay CEO's. Recently, BOE Magazine's Rupa Ganatra did an interview with Social Entrepreneur Andreas Souvaliotis, founder of Air Miles for Social Change. Souvaliotis is an interesting and proud, gay man. Below is an excerpt.

Rupa Ganatra writes:
Social Entrepreneur Andreas Souvaliotis had several entrepreneurial roles within Corporate Canada until 2007, when he launched the world’s first national environmental and healthy lifestyle incentive programme, Green Rewards and AIR MILES for Social Change. He has seen huge success in his social entrepreneurial ventures in Canada and has been recognised by distinguished leaders for his work, including the Prince of Wales. We managed to grab lunch with Andreas as he passed through London and asked him a few questions.

Tell us about your background? 
Andreas Souvaliotis: I have been a misfit all my life. I was born gay, raised in a homophobic society (in Greece), blessed with some Asperger’s genes that pushed me to the fringes of mainstream society as a math savant and a music prodigy and escaped on my own to Canada as a teenager. I managed to build a life and a reputation as an unconventional, disruptive and energised immigrant in my chosen new country. Canada was my kind of home – inclusive, diverse, progressive, cool and always embracing young minds and new ways of thinking. My early career choices were only influenced by my extreme skills in certain areas (I studied Computer Science and began to work as a systems analyst) and it took a while before I could focus on what I truly wanted to do in life. Eventually I got an MBA and built a career as a business executive. 
* * * 
What do you think your journey has taught you about yourself? 
Andreas Souvaliotis: Misfits like me can take one of two routes in life: we can either suppress our uniqueness and work really hard at “fitting in”, as society always teaches us to do, or we can harness our unique minds creatively and become true changemakers for the world. It took me a long time to figure out the second option and I spent the majority of my adult life trying (unsuccessfully) to fit in… but now that I’ve tasted the awesome power of being a changemaker and an effective disruptor, now I know exactly how to harness my brain and soul for even bigger things in the future. 
* * * 
If you could be stuck in an elevator with anybody, who would it be? 
Andreas Souvaliotis: I am too old to be star-struck anymore and, as a changemaker, I would much rather have an opportunity to impact the thinking and perspectives of an influential and powerful individual. The Prime Minister of my own country comes to mind – he is a very opinionated and extremely controlling politician who, in a relatively short period of time, has managed to reverse Canada’s historical image as one of the world’s leading, modern, progressive, caring and environmentally responsible nations. I would truly enjoy an opportunity to have a values-based exchange with that man; to talk to him about genuine leadership and about building and creating instead of just obsessing about the next election campaign. I am marketer and it pains me to see how the brand of my awesome country has been bruised in recent years. I’d love an opportunity to have a creative discussion with my country’s ultimate brand manager.

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH ANDREAS SOUVALIOTIS
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Gay Super Heroes

September 21, 2013, 11:31 am
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While growing up, super heroes with their secret identities often resonate with gay teens. As young gay men we scan the cultural landscape looking for the outsider or misfit - people like us. Canadian blogger Colin James Morrison hails from Halifax, Nova Scotia and in the excerpt below shares his story of being a gay teen and long-time super hero fan.

Colin James Morrison writes:
I’ve been a comic book fan, or more precisely, a super hero fan, most of my life. As part of my pop culture oeuvre, I am a reigning expert in most things spandex-y and superheroic, and my vast knowledge of these amazing creatures in capes and tights... 
* * * 
And, when I saw that first promo image of a younger and more studly Superman, I couldn’t help but notice the subtle arch of his back, the rolled up jeans with the strategically placed patches, the too tight t-shirt rippling over the well defined six packs abs. Wait, could it be, were they really….? And no, I wasn’t dense enough to think that DC was bringing Supes back as some bi curious late teenager, and yet something about that image struck me…that clearly THIS was not your daddy’s Superman. So, were DC finally about to do the unthinkable in all it’s new found diversity and inclusion….were they about to give me a big flamin’ ‘mo of a superhero? 
Continue reading Colin James Morrison: Big Gay Superheroes
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Silence, Please! The Movie is Playing

September 21, 2013, 1:04 pm
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Leonardo DiCaprio in a scene from Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby
I haven't been to a movie theatre in a long time but I do remember how rude some people can be, talking on their cell phones while the film is playing! So I had to laugh at a recent post by Susan Goldberg, a busy married lesbian mom who writes about her parenting experiences with a lot of heart and humour on her blog, mama non grata. In the excerpt below, she shares her frustration of a recent movie going experience - one I am sure we can all relate to - in her small Northwestern Ontario city of Thunder Bay (population: 110,000).

Susan Goldberg writes:
I took myself to the local (read: only one in town) movie theatre to see The Great Gatsby the other night.  
Quick crowdsource poll: How many of you go to movies by yourselves? Some people are horrified, or at least somewhat skeptical, when I mention going to movies by myself. Which I really don’t get — I mean, first of all there’s the whole child-care issue: if Rachel and I had to hire a sitter every time we wanted to see a movie, would see far fewer movies than the scant few we already do. Further, if we do splurge on a sitter, then I generally want to spend the time actually talking to her, not sitting side by side in the dark. I’m as happy as the next person for movie company, but, really, it’s not like we’re going to have a conversation, or anything. 
Except. 
Except that I live here, in Thunder Bay, where people do. They do have conversations. People in this city chat all the way through the commercials (including that asinine anti-obesity commercial sponsored by, of all companies Coca-Cola, that protector of all things healthy) and the previews and the film itself. Sometimes they talk to their seatmates — usually inane comments like “Didja see that?” or “She looks pretty angry!” or “Now, Doris, what is the name of that actress again? Oh! Oh! She’s the one from that show!”— and sometimes they talk directly to the characters in the movie themselves. It’s like watching Dora the Explorer with a bunch of adult-sized toddlers yelling “Backpack!” Except that they’re yelling things like “Yeah! Get him!” All this talking irritates me. And not just because I came here from Toronto, where nobody talks during the movies — where nobody you don’t know might talk to you at all, for days. 
Similarly, Toronto supermarket cashiers do not comment on or question your purchases the way they do here. No, all this talking irritates me because it means — drumroll please — I’m a bitch I CAN’T HEAR THE MOVIE. Look. I already live with two young children who make it nearly impossible to have any kind of continuous conversation, and on the rare evening that I get to fully immerse myself in some kind of cultural production, I don’t need fully grown adults treating a public movie theatre like their own private living room.  
Continue reading Susan Goldberg: What I think about when I think about going to the movies in Thunder Bay (when I can hear myself think)
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Dave Salmoni: "...my gay fans are the most appreciative"

May 30, 2014, 3:09 am
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Doesn't Dave Salmoni look sexy in his white tee shirt? Dave Salmoni (Into the Pride) is one of TV's coolest dudes. The Canadian hunk isn't just an animal trainer, he's a respected zoologist (he graduated in biology from Laurentian University), as well as a TV host and producer with his own South African-based production company, Triosphere.

The Advocate's Brandon Voss spoke with Salmoni about showering with Africa’s fiercest lions and how gay men can’t seem to keep their paws off him. Below is an excerpt from the interview.
Brandon Voss: I actually first discovered you when Towleroad.com posted your shower video earlier this week. How conscious are you of your gay fan base?

Dave Salmoni: I’m really conscious of it, and I think it’s awesome. They’ve been a really vocal group over the years. I feel like my gay fans are the most appreciative. I get lots of e-mails from them, and they’re not shy. A young girl may say, “Hey, I really like you, you’re kinda cute,” whereas a gay guy will be like, “Hey, take your shirt off more and you’ll get better ratings.”

Brandon Voss: Do you have any gay friends in your pride?

Dave Salmoni: I have a fair number because my mother’s a figure skating coach and there’s a strong gay community there. I definitely grew up with lots of gay friends. Toronto, where I live, is a pretty open city, so my friends are a pretty healthy mix of gay and straight.


Brandon Voss: You’ve gone into a pride of lions, but have you ever been to a gay pride parade? Now, those cats can be vicious.

Dave Salmoni: Toronto just had its gay pride a few weeks ago, but unfortunately I had to miss the party. I went to one gay couple’s wedding, and their anniversary party every year is about the closest I get to the gay pride parades. But you’re right -- sometimes you’ll get the very polite gay man who wants a picture with you and says, “I think you’re cute.” And then others just grope you [laughs].

Brandon Voss: You’ve worked closely with lions and tigers. How familiar are you with the bear community?

Dave Salmoni: Well, I started off as a bear scientist. My first degree was in bear behavior. But that’s probably not the same community you’re talking about [laughs].

Read the full Advocate interview here.


As you can probably tell, around these parts we are big fans of TV's hunkiest animal trainer, Dave Salmoni. The Canadian stud, who is very gay-friendly guested on a Halloween episode of supermodel Tyra Banks' talk show back in 2009. Dave gave his gay fans an extra dose of eye-candy when he dressed up in a loin cloth as Tarzan for the entire interview!

Check out the video HERE

Woof!

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Five popular "model" searches

June 5, 2014, 12:56 am
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Fans of musicians, models and actors are always using Bing and Google to search for sexy images of their object of desire. I thought I'd post 5 of the more popular "model" image searches that have brought people to QueerTwoCents. Enjoy the pics!

In no particular order:

Steven Strait
Sexy Steven, pictured above, has appeared in films and television shows but has yet to breakout big. But he certainly has many admirers. Visit Steven's shirtless photo gallery.


Brandon Stoughton
Handsome model Brandon is best known for being the hottie featured in Britney Spears's music video, Womanizer. Visit Brandon Stoughton's hot photo gallery.

Brandon Stoughton

Nick Youngquest
Hunky Nick is a British footballer. Visit Nick Youngquest's sexy photo gallery.


Nick Youngquest

Colton Ford
Colton is a former gay porn star turned singer. See a few more of Colton Ford's brawny pics.


Colton Ford

Ryan Barry
Is a successful fitness model who once dated Reichen Lemkuhl (an actor-model and former co-winner of The Amazing Race). Ryan Barry is dreamy, visit his shirtless photo gallery.


Ryan Barry

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What do actors Benjamin Hart, Jesse Metcalfe and Dylan Bruce all have in common?

June 5, 2014, 1:17 pm
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What do actors Benjamin Hart (pictured above), Jesse Metcalfe and Dylan Bruce all have in common? All three men are some of TV's sexiest hunks. I put together a collection of their shirtless galleries for you to view. Enjoy!

The very muscular Benjamin Hart first burst onto our TV landscape playing Adam Rhodes on the Australian soap opera, Neighbours and as Foz on the British soap opera, Hollyoaks. View: Benjamin Hart's shirtless photo gallery

Canadian-born (Seattle-raised) Dylan Bruce set hearts aflutter a few years ago playing Dr Chris Hughes on the American soap, As The World Turns. He's now playing the role of Paul Dierden on the hit sci-fi TV show Orphan Black. View: Dylan Bruce's shirtless photo gallery.

Dylan Bruce

When Jesse Metcalfe played the sexy gardener John Rowland on Desperate Housewives, his place as one of prime time's sexiest heartthrobs was secured. More recently, he's been starring as Christopher Ewing on the reboot of the classic TV show, Dallas. View: Jesse Metcalfe's shirtless photo gallery.

Jesse Metcalfe

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Dignity House: An Affordable Option for Low-income LGBT Seniors in Vancouver

July 23, 2014, 8:30 pm
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[Vancouver, B.C.] For two years Alex Sangha has been working on building Dignity House, an affordable option for low-income lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender seniors living in Vancouver. The facility would be the first in the city to target the aging LGBT community by addressing what he says are the specific needs of LGBT people. "It's a known fact that LGBT people have higher rates of substance abuse, depression and suicide. They are more at risk of isolation and loneliness because often times they are estranged from their families, or they haven't had kids." Sangha knows Dignity House is still a long way from becoming a reality. Two years is very little in the world of planning, he said. Up until now Sangha and his team had been conducting needs assessment and feasibility studies. "The greatest challenge as we move forward will be getting the support of the government and health authorities. We either get the green light, or we keep on waiting in line," he said.

Read more at The Tyee


YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED
Will Gays Have to Go 'Back in The Closet' Once They Enter Senior Care Facilities?
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Survivors of AIDS Epidemic Now Reaching Retirement Age

July 23, 2014, 9:30 pm
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[Vancouver, B.C.] According to a report by the Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange, in 2008 approximately nine per cent of all individuals living with HIV in the country were 50 and over -- about 5,850 people -- and the number is expected to increase as more efficient treatments continue to extend patients' life expectancies. There is no data on how many of these individuals over 50 are in fact gay, though the 2008 statistics suggest 51 per cent of all patients living with HIV in Canada were gay men or "men that have sex with other men." What will happen to them as they enter an already overcrowded care system? [These men are] An invisible demographic According to Statistics Canada, between 2015 and 2021, the number of seniors in Canada is expected to exceed the number of children aged 14 and younger for the first time ever. While data on the general senior population is easy to find, the number of LGBT seniors is an unknown statistic.

Read more at The Tyee
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Harriette Cunningham, An 11-year-old Trans Rights Activist, Gets New Birth Certificate (Finally!)

July 23, 2014, 10:00 pm
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[Comox, British Columbia] A young Comox girl is among the first 30 British Columbians to re-designate their gender on their birth certificates after new legislation was passed earlier this year allowing the change. Harriette Cunningham, 11, was born a boy named Declan, but it wasn’t long before she began to understand something wasn’t right about the body she was born into. “She would rebel from getting her hair cut at a young age, and she would gravitate toward things our society would identify as really feminine,” said dad Colin Cunningham. “It was a journey of self-awareness, and at eight or nine she started to figure out where she was headed. She was already there and it was us that had to catch up really quickly.” From there, Cunningham said, it was a crash course of sorts for their family in LGBTQ and gender-identity issues, but at the end of the day, it was about standing by their child. In May, the provincial government finally passed Bill 17, which allows individuals to re-designate their gender on their birth certificates without having to undergo gender re-assignment surgery first. And just last week, Harriette received a new birth certificate that lists her gender as female. “I’m really happy. It matters to me to have me properly represented,” she told The Province. “It’s not just a piece of paper.” With her new birth certificate in hand, Harriette and her parents have already begun the process of applying for a new passport to match, in advance of travelling to Seattle next month for Gender Odyssey, a conference that examines matters relating to the transgender community.

Read more at The Province
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UBC Prof Explains Why “Gay Pride” Has Been Dropped In Favour of Just “Pride”

July 23, 2014, 10:15 pm
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[Vancouver, British Columbia] As Vancouver prepares for the official kickoff to this year’s Pride Week celebrations, a University of B.C. associate professor is encouraging people to consider the meaning of the word “pride.” In an opinion piece titled “Where did the ‘Gay’ in ‘Gay Pride’ go?” published in The Advocate, Amin Ghaziani says that 45 years after the Stonewall Riots in New York — demonstrations in response police raids at a gay bars that are regarded as a catalyst for the LGBTQ movement — the term “gay pride” has been dropped in favour of just “pride.”

In an interview Tuesday, Ghaziani said the goal of the article is “to encourage people to think about how often we use just the word ‘pride’ as a placeholder for something more specific, and what does it mean when we do that. “Doing so detaches, it removes any specific community from that event. Inadvertently those communities become silenced and that’s potentially dangerous. What we want to prevent is a re-closeting of individuals that have worked so hard to be visible.” Ghaziani posits that there are two reasons why the word “gay” has disappeared when talking about pride. One is that it helps some straight people feel less discomfort about being in gay spaces. The other is that it’s used by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer/Questioning, 2 Spirited and Allies communities in an effort to be inclusive rather inadvertently exclusive.

Dara Parker, executive director of queer resource centre QMUNITY, said there is still work to be done because for most people in the queer community, legal equalities haven’t translated into lived equalities. “There’s a ton of work to be done and part of that is being political in our language. It is important to name and use words deliberately,” said Parker, who identifies as queer. “Language is constantly evolving, especially in marginalized communities. One of results is ‘pride’ has become synonymous with LGBTQ.”

Read more at The Province
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Fraser Doke Shares His Life Story As An Elderly Gay Man Living With HIV

July 23, 2014, 11:00 pm
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Fraser Doke, living with HIV for three decades.
(Photo courtesy of Kristian Secher)

[Vancouver, B.C.] Fraser Doke never expected to live past his 30s. Diagnosed with HIV in the years doctors called it the death sentence, he didn't think he would experience life as a senior. Now in his 50s, Doke deals with health complications stemming from three decades of HIV medication, plus fear of discrimination in his old age because he is gay. His mistreatment concerns emerged in 2013 after a nurse at the University of British Columbia hospital asked him to "keep [his private] life not so loud." At the time Doke was recovering from a liver transplant when a visit by a "flamboyant" friend upset older patients in his ward. Doke has fought hard to live openly. At 13 years old, while his classmates worried about homework, Doke paid weekly visits to the Provincial Lunatic Asylum in Toronto where he received electroshock therapy. His mom believed this was the way to "cure his homosexuality." After a failed suicide attempt, Doke decided to run away. Homeless and alone, he hitchhiked to Vancouver, where he "worked the streets" for 11 years. With all he's overcome, going back in the closet is simply not an option. "My life is what made me [who I am] today, all the fights I've gone through. I have no shame and no reason to hide," he said. For over two decades, Doke has lived in a West End housing co-op called The Manhattan. After his surgery last year, he hasn't been able to work, instead receiving government subsidies to pay for rent, food and medication. But it seems every month the budget is getting a little tighter. "For now I am trying to find a roommate to make things more affordable," he said. "In the future, though, senior housing might be my only option. When that happens I want to know I will be accepted as an equal."

Read more at The Tyee
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Being 'Gay & Grey' in Vancouver

July 23, 2014, 11:30 pm
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[Vancouver, B.C.] In 2013, former city councillor Alan Herbert created Gay & Grey, a discussion group addressing issues that relate to aging as a gay man. The idea came about when Herbert noticed something unusual about HIV support groups in Vancouver. "Members weren't talking about being HIV-positive anymore. Instead, they were discussing everyday problems, like retirement, housing, loneliness and even other illnesses," he said. Herbert quickly realized that while HIV was the reason these individuals had come together in the first place, the conversations they were having had no direct relation to it. "After outliving many of their friends, they were having questions about aging -- something many never thought they would get to experience." Since the group opened its door last September, the one issue that keeps coming up every meeting is housing. "Ultimately people want to know: will there be a place for me to live openly when I get older?" said Herbert.

Read more at The Tyee
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"It's not as simple as male and female. Everybody needs a safe place to go to the washroom"

July 26, 2014, 10:00 pm
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Accessible-washroom signage is posted
at a washroom at the University of Winnipeg

[Winnipeg, Manitoba] When the Vancouver school board voted last month to recognize the rights of transgender students, there were security and police officers standing guard at the chamber doors. Supporters with placards and rainbow-coloured flags tried to drown out detractors who shouted down trustees while they debated revisions to its gender-identities and sexual-orientation policies. The firestorm was no different than the recent one in Manitoba when the government -- through Bill 18 -- proposed extending protection to students over sexual identity. On one side were parents and members of the public fearing educators pushing their agenda; on the other were medical and other experts who argued the policy change was important and necessary.

Experts in the transgender field believe gender-neutral washrooms are only a working symbol of changes to come. "We're at a very interesting time," said Dr. Simon Trepel, the co-founder of Winnipeg-based GDAAY (Gender Dysphoria Assessment Action Youth). "This is just a replay. It happened 20 years ago with homosexuality. It's not so much a civil rights movement as a human rights movement." Trepel, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and assistant professor at the University of Manitoba's medical school, said transgender youth and adults have for years hidden their true self-identity and not felt safe in "many areas of society we take for granted." In the near future, other transgender issues will surface, including legally changing names or sex on birth certificates and public education on using pronouns transgenders prefer.

Jared Star, youth program co-ordinator at the Rainbow Resource Centre in Winnipeg, said the issue of gender-neutral washrooms is based on "orthodox" ways of thinking. "It's all about body parts and tradition," he said. "It's not as simple as male and female. Everybody needs a safe place to go to the washroom. It's one thing they (transgenders) can do to take back some power and feel safe."

Read more at Winnipeg Free Press
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Egale Canada Human Rights Trust To Co-Host Panel Discussion In Calgary On Homophobia In Sports

July 27, 2014, 11:00 pm
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Egale Canada Human Rights Trust ("Canada’s only national charity promoting LGBT human rights through research, education and community engagement") will be co-hosting a reception and panel discussion on tackling homophobia in sports.

From Egale:
Egale is very excited to announce that it will be co-hosting a reception and panel discussion featuring Canadian Olympians John Fennell and Lindsay Alcock. Also joining the panel are Cyd Zeigler, co-founder of outsports.com and notable LGBT advocate, as well as Chandler Whitney, outfielder with the Walla Walla Warriors from Washington state. Coinciding with Calgary Pride, and co-hosted by the US Consulate, this panel discussion will examine the challenges connected to overcoming homophobia in sports, and the role human rights should play at major international sporting events. Following the recent controversy over lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights at the Olympics in Sochi last February, Egale believes it is a particularly salient time to advance this discussion.  
Date and Time: Friday, August 29th, 2014, 7-9pm  
Location: Hyatt Regency Hotel, Calgary, AB  
Get more info, visitEgale
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Must-See Events at Queer Arts Festival

July 30, 2014, 10:00 pm
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[Vancouver, B.C.] Kelsey Klassen has a very informative article about "Three must-see Queer Arts Fest events" in Vancouver, British Columbia. Here's an excerpt:
This year’s Queer Arts Festival brings together artists from over 20 countries navigating queer identity across the international diaspora, speaks to healing and renewal by addressing topics such as addiction, and provides solidarity for those struggling for queer rights.The festival's remaining highlights include:  
Alien Sex  
Tentacles wrestle the sexual status quo; secret identity exposes itself; and the Empire is challenged by authentic expression in a work that mixes whimsy, savage poetry, heartbreaking vulnerability and B-movie joy. Get your alien on in this transdisciplinary evening, featuring the work-in-progress presentation of Alien Sex. Come dressed in an outfit original to your planet of origin. Prizes will be awarded to the best-dressed queer aliens.  
I Sing The Body Electric: Walt Whitman and The Beat Generation 
Just in time for Pride weekend, Erato Ensemble’s I Sing the Body Electric celebrates the queer spirit of Walt Whitman and the Beat Generation, who dared to express an individual language and lifestyle in the midst of the conservative social mores of their times, changing our culture forever.  
Queering the International   
Recent homophobic events in Russia, India, Uganda, and elsewhere have made it timely to highlight artists who address queer identity on an international scale, and whose work celebrates the complex human condition. Queering the International asks the artists, “What is queer, what is international, what is your diaspora, and what is identity?” 
Read more at WE Vancouver
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The Fight for LGBT Voters Begins

August 1, 2014, 3:23 pm
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[Vancouver, B.C.] Which political party are you going to vote for in Vancouver's upcoming 2014 municipal election? Would it be Vision Vancouver, which is centre-left of the political spectrum or maybe the centre-right party, NPA (Non Partisan Association)? Or Perhaps the left-leaning COPE (Coalition of Progressive Electors)? What about the centre-left Vancouver Green Party? The Georgia Straight's Charlie Smith has an interesting article about how the Broadbent Institute took a political swipe at NPA candidate Kirk LaPointe implying that he should not be seen as a friend to Vancouver's LGBT community. Here's an excerpt:
The day after Kirk LaPointe announced his entry into the Vancouver mayoral race, the free-market Fraser Institute did him a favour. It released a report condemning the City of Vancouver's finances, using older data to present a misleading illustration of how it compares to the City of Surrey and other municipalities. The impression was that Vision Vancouver can't really be trusted to look after the books. 
Today was payback time for LaPointe and the NPA. On the eve of Pride weekend, the Broadbent Institute issued a Press Progress bulletin conveying an impression that LaPointe and the NPA are no friends of the LGBT community. (The Broadbent Institute's Vancouver-based director of strategic partnerships, Mira Oreck, "played an instrumental role in the campaigns of current Mayor of Vancouver, Gregor Robertson", according to her biography.) 
The Press Progress article notes that as editor-in-chief of the Hamilton Spectator in 1999, LaPointe wrote a signed editorial explaining why the paper chose not to publish a photo of two men kissing. In "Photo decisions based on needs, taste", LaPointe stated that "the image would be offensive to a number of our readers" and that it was a "provocative gesture" and "staged". 
One of the men in the photo, Bryce Rudyk, took exception to LaPointe's column. In a letter to the editor, Rudyk wrote: "In the space of a few typewritten lines, LaPointe devalued and marginalized our relationships, essentially saying that we were offensive and not 'normal' enough to run a picture in his paper". 
The Broadbent Institute would have done well enough to stop there, but it tried to drive the knife in deeper by claiming that the NPA has a "less-than-stellar record on gay rights". The justification? In 2006, the NPA-controlled council voted against a motion by Vision's Tim Stevenson to create an advisory committee on LGBT issues. At that point, LGBT issues were part of the committee addressing diversity. 
Here are some things that the Broadbent Institute neglected to mention in its Press Progress bulletin: 
• In 1986, the NPA's Gordon Price was the first out gay man elected to council in Vancouver history. 
• The NPA's Alan Herbert, a champion of LGBT rights, was elected to council in 1996. Herbert is a former chair of the Vancouver Pride Society and AIDS Vancouver. 
• In the 1990s, the NPA had three members of the LGBT community on the seven-member park board. 
• It was Vision Vancouver, rather than the NPA, that decided not to run bisexual writer Trish Kelly as a park-board candidate after she had been nominated. 
It's true that there has occasionally been a rocky relationship between the LGBT community and the NPA. 
Read more at The Georgia Straight
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