| While Calgary isn't exactly known as a queer mecca, it has an active culture of queer activists, artists and organizations that serve the lesbian, gay, bisexual, two-spirited, trans-identified and queer communities (LGBTQ) and are engaged in tireless work to make Calgary a safer city for queer people. Take up the fight!
Tune into queer culture
CJSW 90.9 FM, Calgary's many film festivals and artist run centres all support programming by and for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, two-spirited and transgender communities. In fact, many of Calgary's arts organizations have fought to increase representation of queer artists in local art exhibitions, performances and screenings. Local activist Stephen Lock has maintained a long-standing presence on CJSW's Speak Sebastian, while Nico Hoffered's riotgirrl roar can be heard over the airwaves on What She Said. When Fairy Tales International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival was founded nine years ago, the fervour around public funding of queer arts was a flash-point issue, with the Alberta Government threatening to pull the plug on funding to organizations that exhibited the works of queer artists. Now, Fairy Tales receives funding from Canada Council for the Arts and the Alberta Foundation for the Arts to present documentaries, panel discussions and community events throughout the festival as a way to raise community literacy and discussions around queer art.
For more information visit www.cjsw.com and www.fairytalesfilmfest.com
Get informed and get healthy
The Calgary Sexual Health Centre is a veritable whirlwind of health services, counselling and education around sexual health for all genders, ethnicities, ages and orientations. Whether staff members are distributing free condoms and dental dams or trucking off to Calgary high schools to present the centre’s anti-homophobia program, the centre takes the health and safety of the LGBTQ community to heart. The goals of the program are to validate the experiences of LGBTQ youth, reduce isolation and to encourage heterosexual youth to acknowledge and work towards eliminating homophobia. If you cannot volunteer, support the work that this organization and others like it are doing by making a donation.
For more information contact the Calgary Sexual Health Centre at 283 5580 or www.calgarysexualhealth.ca/Sexual%20Orientation.htm.
Take a stand against violence
During the recent book launch for Pink Blood: Homophobic Violence In Canada, author Doug Janoff mentioned that queer bashing was not exactly a hot topic because people wanted to focus on crusading for more glamorous feel-good issues like equal marriage. Still, homophobic violence is a problem in Calgary, with more than 17 per cent of queer youth reporting being physically assaulted at school, and a staggering 60 per cent of youth living on Calgary's streets dealing with sexual identity issues. At the recent OutRights Human Rights Conference focusing on LGBTQ rights, local activist Melissa Luhtanen presented information about Safety Under the Rainbow. With several Alberta organizations, she is working to promote safe spaces for queers and stop same-sex domestic violence and violence and bullying against youth.
For more information visit www.safetyrainbow.ca.
The Sexuality and Gender Diversity Advisory Committee has been running for 12 years and pairs City of Calgary Police with community leaders and liaisons from service organizations under one committee to discuss and work to solve problems affecting the queer community. Sergeant Beverly Voros has worked with the committee for just over a year, and considers partnership building to be important in developing trust between the community and police. "The committee brings forward issues, advises, and we take proactive measures to resolve them," she says. She cites the campaign to raise awareness around the issues of domestic violence within gay and lesbian relationships as an example. A postering campaign and development of community resources has resulted in more openness around reporting domestic violence in same-sex relationships.
For more information contact Sergeant Beverly Voros, Diversity Resources Unit at 206 8150 or Victim Assistance Unit at 206-8353.Keep it radicalFor a true hit of radical politics, go underground and witness the international movement of anti-assimilationist queer culture. Transsexual Menace, The Lesbian Avengers, The Anti-capitalist Ass Pirates, Vancouver’s Queeruption or Toronto's Limp Fist are but a handful of activist organizations based throughout Canada and beyond that are invested in the idea that queer activism is still fun, sexy and absolutely vital. They're also quick to point out that the promises of equality for all under the big queer rainbow have left a lot of us behind – queers of colour, differently abled, non-monogamous, pansexual, transgendered, genderfucking, kinky, working class, poor, homeless and queer youth – and offer resources and strategies for disrupting public space, making zines, posters and stickers or organizing a radical queer event in your own community.
For more information visit www.themenace.net, www.actupny.org/documents/Avengers.html and www.queeruption.org
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Queer Arts Organizations in CalgaryPropaganda Propaganda Collective – a new series of spoken word, performance and arts events with a radical feminist focus. Contact propagandacalgary@yahoo.ca.
Fairy Tales International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival – Calgary's week-long queer film paradise, where lesbian, gay, transgendered and queer heroes and heroines get sassy on screen. Visit www.fairytalesfilmfest.com.Herland Film Festival – one of the city's longest running film festivals, Herland has been a touchstone for the lesbian and queer communities for almost two decades.Visit www.herlandfestival.com.
Fake Moustache Drag Nights – get down with the fellas at their monthly youth-focused evenings of drag performance. Visit www.miscyouth.com/fakemustache.asp.
Calgary Outlink – Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity - Drop in to catch up on your Judith Butler reading, or check out the Centre's great library of books, magazines and videos on LGBT themes and issues. Contact 234 8973 or visit www.youthlinkcalgary.com. |
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