OK, kiddo! Here are all the fantastically amazing posts tagged with Montréal
Homophobic Bullying Linked To Health Issues
A new study out of Montréal’s Concordia University has linked homophobic bullying to hormonal disruptions that can make youth more prone to memory loss, cardiovascular problems, bone density depletion, and even higher rates of suicide.
The research involved questionnaires and saliva swabs from 63 gay and lesbian youth. Results suggest that participants who endured the most bullying in day-to-day life had a higher rate of cortisol disruptions, which can cause negative health effects.
While I suspect that bullying of any kind would produce such a correlation, GLBT youth are indeed particularly prone to harassment.
Relatively unique to GLBT youth, the study also showed that having supportive family and friends who are responsive to gay issues significantly improved resiliency to homophobic harassment, making support groups a great countermeasure to the hormonal disruptions.
- Study links homophobic bullying to suicide, memory loss [Vancouver Sun]
Tories Snub Pride Parade Again
Last Sunday was Montréal’s 18th annual Pride parade, and it was fantastic! Organizations, businesses, churches, sports groups, hobby groups, and tons of other equal-rights supporters marched down a brand new parade route in view of over 100,000 spectators. The parade even included politicians from every party—except one.
As in previous years, politicians of all stripes were invited by Pride organizers to come and join in the celebrations, and—like the years before it—the Conservative invitees ignored it entirely. Their absence didn’t go unnoticed, either. Speaking to the media in French, author and television personality, Jasmin Roy, was particularly succinct: “I don’t think we could speak of this as indifference; it’s clear the Harper government doesn’t like gay people.”
Indeed, Stephen Harper’s Tories have fought against equal rights for gay people at every conceivable step, opposing everything from marriage equality (even after it had become law) and protection from hate crimes, to smaller offensive gestures like removing all references to homosexuality from their new immigrant guides.
Given their behavioural history, I never really expected to see Tory party representation in the parade. Actually, I would have been shocked to see it and probably would have joined in a chorus of boos—an appropriate gesture of no where near the level of disrespect and consequence that this government has already displayed toward us gays.
Still, this is a very public example of what our government doesn’t represent, and that’s all Canadians. Whether Tories like it or not, the government is here to represent everybody—not just those that voted for them. And while Harper’s Tories may have a profound lack of sensitivity and understanding toward gay people, we’re still a large and vibrant community whose contributions to the country should have been acknowledged with representation at our biggest and most important cultural event. Honte à vous, Monsieur ‘Arper!
- L’absence des conservateurs au Défilé de la Fierté est décriée [Métro Montréal]
- Montreal fetes Gay Pride [CBC News]
Conservatives Deny GLBT Festival Funding
Divers/Cité, Montréal’s annual GLBT arts and culture festival has been denied all federal funding, despite meeting the necessary requirements. The news came just days before the festival was to begin, and just weeks after the Conservative cultural minister, Diane Ablonczy, was removed from her duties for allocating $400,000 for Toronto’s Pride Week celebrations.
Like the fallout from Toronto’s Pride Week’s funding decision, the ideological underpinnings of this decision are pretty freakin’ obvious, and perhaps even stronger. While it could be weakly argued that Toronto’s Pride Week was a political event, and not a cultural event eligible for funding, this can not be said of Divers/Cité. There are no parades, no rallies, and no campaigning. (These take place mid-August during Montréal’s separate Gay Pride festival, Célébrations de la Fierté.) Divers/Cité consists, instead, of outdoor concerts, film screenings, photo and art exhibitions, and other select cultural events. Only the most uptight would find any of the events objectionable.
The festival is one of Montréal’s largest, drawing millions of tourism dollars and hundreds of thousands of participants. The festival is also the first applicant meeting all the requirements for funding to be denied. This is particularly relevant as the $155,000 price tag would have been a pittance next to the $2 million spent for Calgary’s Stampede, $6 million spent for the Just for Laughs and Montréal Jazz festivals, and $1.4 million for the French music festival, FrancoFolies. The money comes out of $100 million that has already been allocated for just these sorts of festivals in Canada.
Seems like there’s some new funding requirements in place, and they’re pretty straightforward. Anything supportive of the GLBT population and culture is ineligible. And if funding accidentally gets allocated for gay cultural events, there are consequences and measures to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Those Tories!
(Thanks to Slap readers John and Jim, who alerted me to the story during my birthday hiatus!)
- Denied grant, Montreal gay festival must rethink lineup [Toronto Star]
- Minister defends decision not to fund gay arts festival [The Canadian Press]
Montréal’s Fractured Pride
Yesterday marked the end of Divers/Cité, Montréal’s annual gay and lesbian Pride festival. Or, at least that’s how I used to describe it. This year, the event organisers designated the event as a “a pluridisciplinary arts festival.” Pride, the traditional symbol of cultural celebration and a protest of those who would make gay people feel ashamed, was a theme curiously absent.
In fact, there was one traditionally beloved event that was missing entirely: the annual Pride parade. It’s still coming, mind you. Sunday August 17th, for those that are interested. But, for the second year in a row it’s not being organised by Divers/Cité. Worse, rumour has it that Divers/Cité has actively thwarted the parade from taking place during the rest of the festivities and has taken no part in clarifying what happened to it.
This bizarre situation started last year when Divers/Cité cancelled the parade outright, citing an internal survey that showed the annual gay rights march negatively affected beer sales. A group called Célébrations de la Fierté quickly formed to save the parade, and after last year’s success have now extended it into a four-day celebration, complete with outdoor shows and sponsored parties. In other words, they’ve basically created a second Divers/Cité, two weeks after the first one.
This has many people understandably confused. During the real Divers/Cité, I’ve been asked about the parade both on the street and via email. One New Yorker even wrote me to say his vacation plans were ruined by the change:
I come all the way from lower New York each year, and have already scheduled my vacation around [the parade] only to find it is now in August. I will not now spend a dime or attend any event this year.
And is it any surprise? Since neither organisation wishes to acknowledge the other, both locals and travellers are scratching their heads as to what exactly is going on.
If you ask me, attendees don’t understand or care about the internal politics of the planning committees. These organisations really ought to take a cue from the gay community in general and unite themselves to celebrate what makes them special. Even if they want to remain seperate entities for organisational reasons, the time split only serves to showcase a bitter fracture.
Quel embarras.
More Churches Bless Gay Couples
Montréal and Niagara are the two latest Anglican churches to approve the blessing of same-sex couples within the past month, defying a national decree to disallow such blessings.
The Canadian Anglican Church decided in June that same-sex blessings are compatible with core church doctrine, but decreed that they be banned anyway. This mixed message has caused a bizarre rift in the church, with several priests being ejected for blessing couples. That may sound a little drastic, but I’m assured that there’s nothing quite like blessing a loving couple within the parish community to undermine years of goodwill, charity, and other selfless services to the Church.
- Niagara Diocese Approves Blessings For Gay Couples [Anglican Journal]
- Montreal Anglicans vote to bless same-sex union [Globe and Mail]
Montréal’s Gay Pride Parade Cancelled, Saved
Divers/Cité has completely turfed Montréal’s Gay Pride parade after a survey suggested that the traditional gay rights march didn’t improve beer sales enough to justify the insurance and security costs.
Thankfully, upset community members came together last week to save the parade, which has now been scheduled for July 29th at 1pm, a week before the Divers/Cité festival. A new non-profit organisation, Célébrations LGBTA Montréal, has been formed to control the event.
Hmm… I wonder what priority the Divers/Cité festival planners would give beer sales today if it weren’t for past parades?
- Montreal Gay Pride Parade Cancelled [Hour]
- Gay pride parade eyed for end of July [Montreal Gazette]
- Montreal Pride Parade reclaimed by Community [To Be Publications]
Woman Kicked Out Of Gay Bar
Stop me if you’ve heard this one: A woman walks into a gay bar and sits down for a beer. The waiter comes up to her and says: “This establishment is for men only; please leave.” (rimshot)
Not busting a gut? Neither was Audrey Vachon, who filed a human rights complaint after she was asked to leave Bar Le Stud in Montreal’s Gay Village.
Now, I’m a gay Montrealer and I’ve never felt uncomfortable having women frequent the gay bars here. Last year, I walked into a bar with a group of gay friends. We ordered drinks, were talking, laughing, and having an all-around great time when someone noticed something peculiar… The place was packed to the rafters with lesbians. (Our theory: As gay guys, we’ve been genetically wired to not notice women, so it was perfectly natural for us to not realise we were in a lesbian bar.)
My bottom line: Gay-friendly doesn’t have to mean gays only. If a group of gay guys can enjoy a drink in a lesbian bar, a straight gal should be able to do the same in a gay bar. Why not?
- Woman lodges human rights complaint after being evicted from gay bar [Canada.com]
- Can minorities discriminate? [Globe and Mail]
- Woman bounced from Montreal gay bar [Toronto Star]
Magazine Names Canada’s 5 Gayest Cities
Out Traveler, a gay and lesbian travel magazine, has named Canada’s top 5 gayest cities. While I’m not going to list them here, let’s just say that Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, and Montréal should be expecting a few extra gay tourists this year! Wait, that might be a little too obvious. How about: Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto and Montreal should be expecting a few fewer intolerant tourists this year. Yes, that’ll do.
As for my thoughts on the selections… Having grown up in Edmonton until my early 20s, I can authoritatively say: “Huh?” Mind you, things have probably changed in the city’s gay community, of which I knew pretty much nothing, having been closeted for the entire time. Plus, Edmonton still has the world’s largest shopping mall. That’s pretty gay, right?
So, congratulations to the cities that made the cut! And may all the ones that didn’t have an absolutely traditional Friday the 13th.
- Gay travel magazine picks its top Canadian cities [CTV News]
- E-Town’s a gay town [Canoe.ca]
Can We Address The United Nations?
Montreal gay groups are anxiously awaiting a decision from the UN Economic Social Council on whether or not three gay rights organisations will get consultive status at the UN. Consultive status would allow the groups to formally address the international community.
Encouragingly, Lousie Arbor, the UN high commissioner for human rights, spoke at the International Conference on LGBT Human Rights last month.
I hope that [my speech] will send a signal to the entire world community that we have to be very present to those who historically and currently today are still—if not totally—voiceless and very much the victims of exclusion and marginalization.
Well, here’s hoping for a positive outcome! Addressing the UN would be a powerful statement. I can see it now… “Dear countries that oppress and harm us: Seriously, stop it.”
Athlete Weddings Galore
Well, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. Numerous gay couples and athletes attending the 1st World Outgames in Montréal this month have chosen to wed while they’re here!
Canada is, of course, only one of four countries with equal marriage rights, and this gives Outgame participants the perfect opportunity to get a real wedding. (You know, none of that “civil union” nonsense.) In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if some couples even seek refugee status from their home(ophobic) countries while here. (I hear it’s all the rage in India, after all.)
So, to all the soon-to-be-wedded couples, congratulations! I’m sure you’ll be very happy together with proper recognition! Uh, provided our new conservative government will issue you your visas…
- Wedding bells ring in the Outgames [Montreal Gazette]
