This is for guys like me

This is a riot. This is fabulous a “recruitment mockumentary, for Toronto's Gay Muddy York rugby team.  If you ever felt you didn't fit in, then this is for you.  If you ever felt you missed the gay fashion sense gene this is for you, can't dance, this is for you...  This is for guys like me. 





H/t to IN Toronto

Sex-Negative Education and Rape

It makes sense. You tell kids they can't do something, they will try to find a way to do it.  The trouble with the sex negative and abstinence-only education is that kids think of sex as bad and evil.  Its nasty and something to hide.  When they have questions, they have no one to turn too.  If they do have sex, they have no information.


I found this blog post Sex-Negative Education and the Spectre of Rape...

'Here’s my take: when you teach adults and children sex-negative messages, sex becomes an undifferentiated mass of “wrong.”  If all sex is wrong, then why try to tease out good from bad, pleasurable from painful? 

When students are taught not to think about sex, they aren't going to spend any time determining what they do and don’t want, or what they might be interested in.  Of course, they’re going to have sex eventually, but when it happens will they be able to communicate at all through the veil of guilt, shame, and self-loathing that sex negativity encourage?...' Read more here

After reading that check out this post about Catholic U in the USA.  Did you know the kids in this University are banned from premarital sex and masturbation?  Guess what ...

'...In fact, when I surveyed the sexual activity at Catholic U. in 2009, the university's attempts to clamp down on relations—it bans all premarital sex, masturbation included—only made students' "risky behavior" riskier. 

College students at every school are going to find a way to hook up; at Catholic, they were just forced to sneak behind the backs of the school administration and the residence assistants tasked with keeping them safe. Catholic University students had limited access to condoms and birth control and were less comfortable approaching authority figures over sex-related problems. ...' Read more here

Now all that applies to straight, gay,trans and questioning kids, I imagine there is a double or triple whammy effect on those gay,trans and questioning kids who could pile up multiple sins simply being who they are.

BC folks against the HST

Has your ballot arrived in the mail?

If not, you might not be on the voters list.

The Liberals’ strategy is focused on reducing voter turn-out. Each and every vote is going to be vital to defeating the HST - your vote could mean the difference. Christy Clark wants the HST.  You can stop her and the BC Liberals by voting.  You can only get your ballot by being on the voters list. 

If you don't recieve a ballot, you won't be able to vote. Check right now to see if you are on the voters list:

You have until July 22nd to request a ballot from Elections BC. For more information on how to vote, please visit voteyesbc.ca

Let the Blood Flow

Canadian Blood Services has an ad in the Village (Jarvis & Wellesley), Toronto's Gay Village that is.  Are these people that inept.  Its offensive at best to place this ad in the village.  

Perhaps when they allow gay men to donate blood they could think about asking us too.   I suspect if they let us donate they would see a huge increase in the blood supply. 


This ad rubs salt in the wound.  

As BrentTo says in his tweet :Advertising fail: Canadian Blood Services ad in the Village (Jarvis & Wellesley) http://yfrog.com/kjgktpcj #CanQueer #endtheban #cdnhealth

*Thanks to @brentTO  for the tweet on this.

I wasn't drinking, just taking odour out

It was shocking to read at first.  Spray your clothes with vodka to take the odour out.  No chemicals and less damage to the environment.  Well, at $23.50 for the cheapest 750 bottle of vodka in Ontario, I think I will stick to drinking it and maybe ignore the odours.

1. Febreze without the guilt If you douse your clothes and home with Febreze to remove odor, you can do the same with vodka…but without the cyclodextrin, and without supporting a company that tests on animals. (I’m talking to you, Proctor & Gamble.) The alcohol in vodka kills bacteria which cause odor, and vodka is basically odorless, as far as booze goes. Spritz your clothes and hang them in a well-ventilated room. (As with any natural remedy, sp0t-test first.)
Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/14-surprising-uses-for-vodka.html#ixzz1Rqade6p9

Now there was one use of vodka other than drinking it that sounded useful. Only a few drops needed, not a spray bottle full of it...

2. Keep cut flowers fresh If you’re going to have fresh-cut flowers working hard to brighten up your decor, show some hospitality and give them a little drink. Several drops of vodka and a large pinch of sugar added to the water in your flower vase, changed daily, stunts ethylene production and will extend the vitality of bouquet.

If my friends could see me now!

Last night I had some friends over for dinner. I did well with the mix of people, from 24 to 64, we sang songs from Broadway. It was to borrow an old fashioned term a hoot! It went on past the midnight hour finally succumbing to our bodies need for sleep. We really wanted to keep going. It was one of those times you never want to end.

The food and wine was good. The intergenerational mix added much to the night. I am expecting to do this again, trying to recapture the magic. It will be different next time and with a couple more people my tiny kitchen will be pushed to its max as will the simple joy of making our own entertainment.

This weekend I will be headed to our farm, where we do this sort of thing often. We have space there and a commercial sized kitchen. Ideal for bringing people together. We will be hosting the Radical Faeries Canada Day weekend gathering and if you know faeries, you know they can entertain. We do it together. Only 20 or 30 of us make up the cast, crew and audience, it may as well be on Broadway. We are into it, we are the stars, the music is perfect, the dancers, as light as the country air and the curtain calls are many!

The gathering will as it has in years gone by bring together young and old, with all of us feeling the joy of our magic, letting that inner kid, child and maybe a little brat out for an entire weekend. The food will be vegetarian as always, it will be good of course, we are known in Fae circles as the 'gourmet gathering' and long will it be as we be blessed with such a good mix of people and place.

All of that brings me to this video below. Its something that happens often these days and some of us might like to try this action in a public place near you one day. The magic of the moment brings everyone exposed to it a moment of the joy we had in our little Toronto apartment last night.

We will of course be looking to bring more people into our not so secret society. No secret handshake, unless you want one, we don't have one but wouldn't object to you creating one that makes us dance or smile, or laugh, or sing, or just enjoy being together.

The video below isn't us. It is however a reflection of many a night here in this comfy apartment, a representation of our gatherings here and at the farm. Egad, have to go, its another curtain call...

Sober second thought

Sober second thought, of what...

A globe editorial said even though Bill C-6, A Bill to force the resumption of postal Services sailed through the upper chamber, the bill received considerable airing.  Let me tell you what happened in the Senate...

Conservative Senator: Okay the Man wants this passed by this afternoon, I`m sorry Honourable Members that you had to come in on Sunday, but its not like we actually sit more than 3 days a week anyway.  Get this through and we don`t have to be back here till fall sometime.

interjections by some Honourable Senator: this never happened in my day

Conservative Senator: The Honourable Member who was appointed by Trudeau says they never did it like this, ha ha remember wage and price controls, you guys campaigned against them and then brought them in.
Now where was I, oh yes, time to order those ungrateful mailmen back to work.  I would like to lend my support to the Prime Minister for giving me this great gig.  Our job, that`s funny as hell as its hardly work eh guys and gals, anyway back to the issue of incredible national importance, we must get the mail moving and the only way those mailmen will understand that they work for us is if we pay them less and reduce their pension, they should feel damn lucky to have a job, I work hard for Canadians and they should too.  I move we pass the legislation forthwith.

Liberal Senator:  With respect my honourable friend, some 30 of my fellow Liberal Senators couldn`t make it here to vote today.  Those of us that made it to this debate can at least add some sober second thought.  I mean that's why there be at least 105 Senators.  I flew back from Mexico for this so lets provide a thorough airing of the bill before we pass it.  I move we ask the head of Canada Post and the the head of the Strikers, whoops, I mean locked out employees.

Conservative Senator: So Mr. CEO of Canada Post. Before I start. I want to thank you for that lovely little weekend at your cottage, your selection of scotch is second to none sir.  Now lets get serious for a few minutes.  Did you want the government to order the mailmen back to work.

CEO of Canada Post: No most honourable Senator. We wanted to work out our issues with the workers and certainly did not want to ruin your weekend.

Conservative Senator: There you have it, it was those mailmen that caused this whole crisis.  Over to you my Honourable Liberal friend.

Liberal Senator: So Mr. CEO, You didn`t lockout workers because you knew that would give the government an excuse to order an end to the strike, I mean dispute between you and the mailmen.

CEO of Canada Post: No my most Honourable Senator.  I was so involved in trying to settle the dispute, frankly I never heard the Minister of Labour say she would use back to work legislation to end our dispute.

Liberal Senator: Thank you for being so forth right and for making yourself available on a Sunday, I know you are a gracious family man and I too would like to thank you for your generous hospitality at your condo in Barbados.

Conservative Senator: I guess we need to talk to the mailmen now, is he here yet.  Be nice if he could make himself visible.  Oh there you are, dressed like that I am surprised they let you in sir.

Union Leader: Thank you for the opportunity to explain our side of the story.  Canada Post and the Govt want to contract out our work, cut our pensions and create a two tier wage contract. That means younger workers will get less pension and lower wages.

Conservative Senator: Do you really think you work harder for your pension than I do. How ungrateful.

Liberal Senator: I would like to interrogate the Union Leader now. Sir I want to say how troubled I am that it has come to this. I support my union mailmen. You deliver my bank statements, my pay cheque, see I am old fashion, still like to see the cheque, you would too if you saw mine, anyway, I am sorry it has come to this.  It really is a sad day. I would have at least preferred we waited a couple more days. I was in cabinet the last time you were ordered back to work, its not something I take lightly, but that is also why I am in this place, to pass judgement over the likes of you.

I can only add that I will be voting against this draconian action of my Friend, the Honourable Conservative Senator`s boss the Right Honourable Prime Minister of Canada. We could have waited a day or two more before ordering mailmen back to work.

Speaker: All in favour:  All opposed, The Bill passes.  Good work Gentlemen. I will be hosting an evening in my offices directly following this vote. breaking out some vintage scotch, given the enormity of today`s vote.

North American Security Perimeter Agreement

Many of us look forward to four years of fights with the Stephen Harper Government.  They have in the first session so far signaled that they will do what it takes to curb the rights of workers.  They will have many opportunities to do more of this in the following session.


It seems however the areas we most need to keep an eye on involve trade.  I know its hard to narrow the hard right turn this country is headed on and suggest trade maybe at the top of the list of concerns but it is.


Firstly we are about to sign the North American Security Perimeter agreement with the USA.  This will harmonise many of law as and regulations as to who gets into Canada, with those of the US. There has been no public debate. 


Prime Minister Harper said the following after a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama at the G8 meeting in Deauville, France in May of this year...

"The president and I are committed to pursuing a perimeter approach to enhance our security and accelerate the legitimate flow of people, goods and services between our two countries," Harper said. "We are pleased that discussions are on track, and we expect to have an ambitious joint action plan ready this summer following public consultations." CBC, May 26, 2011

It`s already the end of June and the Government of Canada has yet to signal any intention of consulting Canadians. Consultation I suspect will be with industry and trade organizations and not the rest of us.  The Government of Canada has not even published a report for Canadians of their efforts to reach an agreement with the US.  

Until I see more, and given Stephen Harper`s secretive nature, I can only assume Canada will sign an agreement, which in turn will give up many Canadian `freedoms`in the name of trade.   It is Fortress America.  The US will have access to more information on ordinary Canadians.  When crossing the border back into Canada, it`s likely we will be screened by an American border agent as we harmonize resources. 

Scrutiny of the deal looks to be one that is left to Parliament. Lets hope Harper won`t use closure to bring it into law.

I almost forgot, didn`t Harper use he money for border security for Tony Clements` riding.  300km from the border.