Hot on the heels of Pride comes Caribana, a celebration of Caribbean culture in Toronto. Although the numbers are the same, close to a million participants, the vibe is a little different for the queer community.

CKLN radio host Nik Redman, 38, a self-described "black queer trans man" is careful to say he has never felt direct hostility from Caribana revelers but prefers to be where tolerance is assured.

"I don't want to spend my money anywhere I may not be accepted," he explained. "I don't know if the people at some of those places would be okay if two men or two women wanted to dance together or be affectionate. We don't want to be closeted."

Redman, who donned a costume and danced with the Toronto Island Mas Band last Caribana, does recall hearing reggae and soca artists singing homophobic lyrics at the festival in previous years.

Controversial artist Elephant Man has been dropped from a headlining spot at a Caribana-linked event following complaints about homophobic lyrics in his music. Circa Nightclub announced it had removed the performer from the Celebrity Ball lineup Tuesday evening, just hours after sending out a Facebook invitation listing him among the event's performers.

"Circa stands for peace, love and equality," a representative from Circa wrote on the club's Twitter account. "Elephant Man has been removed from the Celebrity Ball. Have a safe Caribana!"

Caribana definitely calls for discretion, but for those who choose to be involved it can be one big jump up! (from the files of the Toronto Star and CP 24).

 

Radio: Lady Gaga

I admit it: it was Lady Gaga's appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show that completely changed my mind about this pop star!

Pulling her name from the Queen song "Radio Gaga," Lady Gaga is a queer-friendly artist who has hit the top of the charts with quite a few songs. She applauded Ellen for being a role model for the gay and lesbian community.

“I always loved rock and pop and theater. When I discovered Queen and David Bowie is when it really came together for me and I realized I could do all three,” says Gaga, who cites rock star girlfriends, Peggy Bundy, and Donatella Versace as her fashion icons. “I look at those artists as icons in art. It’s not just about the music. It’s about the performance, the attitude, the look; it’s everything. And, that is where I live as an artist and that is what I want to accomplish.”

That goal might seem lofty, but consider the artist: Gaga is the girl who at age 4 learned piano by ear. By age 13, she had written her first piano ballad. At 14, she played open mike nights at clubs such as New York’s the Bitter End by night and was teased for her quirky, eccentric style by her Convent of the Sacred Heart School (the Manhattan private school Nicky and Paris Hilton attended) classmates by day. At age 17, she became was one of 20 kids in the world to get early admission to Tisch School of the Arts at NYU. She was signed by her 20th birthday and writing songs for other artists (such as the Pussycat Dolls, and has been asked to write for a series of Interscope artists) before her debut album was even released.

“My goal as an artist is to funnel a pop record to a world in a very interesting way,” says Gaga, who wrote all of her lyrics, all of her melodies, and played most of the synth work on her album, The Fame (Streamline/KonLive/Cherrytree/Interscope). “I almost want to trick people into hanging with something that is really cool with a pop song. It’s almost like the spoonful of sugar and I’m the medicine.”

Catch Lady Gaga's music on LesbianFunWorld Radio!
 

Contest: Winner!

Joanne from Canada is the winner of our July free t-shirt draw for the L-Word t-shirt. We don't have a photo yet (fingers crossed!) but that isn't stopping up from starting our August t-shirt draw!

The August t-shirt is "Sappho's Cafe-Bistro", shown below. It's a simple, elegant design honouring Sappho, and placing her firmly within contemporary Lesbian culture. No I am not telling you who she is, because that's the multiple-choice question! Be sure to enter the contest or drop by the store to purchase one of our great t-shirts.

The August free t-shirt draw ends August 15th as always, so drop by the website and enter! Remember you have to correctly answer a not-so-hard multiple choice question to be eligible. 

And here is a head's up about the September draw... it will be a photo contest of you in your LFW t-shirt! If for any wacky reason you don't own an LFW t-shirt yet, now is the time to buy one! It's just a friendly head's up so you have time to order your fave t-shirt and get it delivered in time to enter September's draw. But August is open to everyone.

T-Shirts: New

I am pleased to say that we have created a great new line of "True Spirit" t-shirts. We currently have the True American, True Canadian and True Belgian lines. 

The True American Spirit design celebrates the American spirit. The True American Spirit lives in every lesbian & gay man who fights homophobia, bigotry, prejudice, ignorance, intolerance and injustice. Celebrate freedom, liberty and justice for every individual.

The True Canadian Spirit lives in every lesbian & gay man who fights homophobia, bigotry, prejudice, ignorance, intolerance and injustice. Celebrate freedom, justice and equality for every individual.

If we don't yet have your  have your country, just send me an email and within 24 hours, you will be able to purchase a "True Spirit" t-shirt featuring your home. By the way, I dyed my hair "blueberry" for this photo! And check out all these other great new designs!

Lifestyle: Wine

Castel Oualou gives us a great red wine from 2007. This Cotes du Rhone is a nice ruby colour, and has a pleasant aroma. Castel Oualou is a domain (vineyard) located near Avignon, in southern France. The wine itself is actually 4 different grapes blended together:  Syrah, Cinsault, Mourvedre and Grenache. You've probably tried a Syrah (or at least heard of it).

Cinsault is a common blending grape with a strawberry flavour, low tannins (that thing that makes your mouth "pucker") and not too much to distinguish it. As a blending grape, you want a bit of a plain taste so it doesn't mask the other grapes.

Mourvedre is often to used in blends to boost tannins and colour. They are dark on the vine, almost black, and have a strong spicy flavour. This is the grape that adds the small "kick" to this Cotes du Rhone with a hint of cinnamon.

Finally, Grenache grapes are the backbone to most Cote du Rhone wines. It is a softer grape, and helps to balance out the harshness of the Mourvedre and the Syrah. Grenache has a blackberry flavour, with a hint of vanilla.

The Domain Castel Oualou is a fruity wine, which is no surprise when you think about the varieties of grapes which go into it. It's drinkable out of the bottle -- not that you drink it right out of the bottle! I mean, you don't have to pair it with food, it's good all by itself. At $13.95, it's a great price, too. Now, with all this info about grape varieties and flavours, you'll be able to take a bottle of this Cotes du Rhone to any party and talk about it with anyone!

Lifestyle: Books

Leslie Feinberg provides us with a dark view of the life of a middle-aged drag king and bouncer in New York City. Max Rabinowitz, a bouncer turned bartender in an East Village drag club, has hit a mid-life crisis. She feels lonely and detached from her circle of activist friends, who are puzzled by her sudden political immobilization. Like many of us living in post-9/11 America, Max is outraged by her government’s actions but overwhelmed by the demands of opposition. Yet when her friend Vickie, a cross-dresser, is murdered, Max taps into her old activist spirit and—in solidarity with the queer community and other forces for progressive change—reclaims her voice.

Feinberg challenges the reader's assumptions about homophobia, racism, anti-Semisim and gender bias. If you're living a comfortable middle-class life, without much conflict, without much activism, be prepared for a startling awakening. Feinberg can carry you along without you even realizing that you're heading into dangerous territory.

Feinberg's magnificent writing puts a human face on people you thought you may never have wanted to meet.

Sue's Art Stuff

Horses stand in a snowy field after 4 Days of Falling Snow. They are aware, content, peaceful. It's an image that calls to the heart of every human. It speaks of freedom and companionship, of endurance and contentment. Well, that's the official write-up. In fact, I called this painting 4 Days of Falling Snow because it took me 4 days to paint the snow! If I could look out my window in winter and see these three beautiful horses in my field, I'd be very content indeed!

Did you know that on average, I paint 2 paintings a week? I am often working on 3 or 4 paintings at one time (well, not at the same time, but you know what I mean). I also paint very affordable commissioned portraits. While many artists will charge well into the thousands of dollars, I don't believe our community can afford those kinds of prices. Owning a piece of beautiful commissioned art shouldn't cost more than a small car! Here are some examples of commissioned portraits I have done, all for under $300 (and some as low as $150!). the first is Meli and Puffy (I do a lot of pet portraits!), then Roberto and Kenneth (a wedding gift) and last but never least are Alison and Michelle. You can see my commission prices here.

Thanks! I'll be back next month with another newsletter. But until then remember...

 Love Women, Have Fun, Wear T-Shirts!

-- Sue