Is Capital Pride socially disabled?

A proposed smoking ban on municipal properties such as City Hall could hurt attendance at the Capital Pride festival, say organizers who are calling for a grace period this summer if the new rules are approved.

Starting July 2, proposed bylaw amendments would issue tickets for smoking on city properties such as parks, beaches, sports fields and areas outside municipal facilities, as well Marion Dewar Plaza outside City Hall where the 2012 Capital Pride festival will take place.


In a press release, festival organizers stated that smoking rates are higher in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, transgender and queer communities, and the proposed ban could discourage many people from attending the event.

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O P I N I O N

OK, I am a strong supporter of Ottawa's Capital Pride, but this request to the City to extend special rules so people can smoke at Pride is ridiculous. Do they really believe that the LGBTQ Community has 'special needs' when it comes to smoking cigarettes?

I smoked for many years, and one of the best things I ever did for myself was quit 15 years ago. When smoking in bars subsequently became illegal, I breathed a  sigh of relief that I no longer had to breath the fumes or go home stinking of other people's smoke.

Yet despite all the legal changes, it is still impossible to enjoy Ottawa's patios without having to wade through a cloud of second-hand smoke. Most smokers still do not abide by the rule to move 15' away from the building, so the smoke is even stronger because they all squeeze into a small space by the door.

Pride is no different. It is time for the LGBTQ Community to act like other grown-ups and stop imposing their self-destructive habit on the rest of us who wish to live without it. It's time to stop asking for special rules or nobody will ever take our community seriously.

Besides, I have no doubt that the decrease in smokers who come to Pride will be more than offset by the increase in non-smokers able to come and enjoy the smoke-free environment.

... and we welcome Washington State!

Washington state lawmakers voted to approve gay marriage Wednesday, setting the stage for the state to become the seventh in the nation to allow same-sex couples to wed.

The action comes a day after a federal appeals court declared California's ban on gay marriage unconstitutional, saying it was a violation of the civil rights of gay and lesbian couples.

The Washington House passed the bill on a 55-43 vote. The state Senate approved the measure last week, and Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire is expected to sign the measure into law next week.

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California's Prop 8 recinded and Supreme Court may not hear Appeal

I suggest that Obama will resolve this question on a Federal level when he is re-elected in November with a strong mandate.

  Until Tuesday, it looked like California's Proposition 8 gay marriage case would be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. But that looks less certain now.

The narrow California-only approach adopted by the 9th Circuit means the high court might choose to steer clear of the dispute.

If so, that would leave for another day — perhaps several years in the future — a national ruling on same-sex marriage.

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Fox is in the Muppet House

A couple of months ago, Fox News decided to attack the new Muppet Movie for being anti-capitalism because their evil nemesis is an oil tycoon. Their absurd 'arguments' - which are really just 2 people's opinions - can be heard in the first video where they attack the entire Hollywood conspiracy.

Shades of Tele-Tubbie's Gay Purse!



Here is Miss Piggy's response to the whole affair. Touché MissP !

IF U CN RD THIS, shame on you !

Provocative Hungarian Poster for ‘Shame’ - A Bold And Anguished Look at Addiction

The addiction is sex, a fact which elicited an NC-17 rating, though it is shown here, while unavoidably gratuitous, as no different than an addiction to booze or pills or powders. It is all-consuming and painfully unpleasurable.

2013 - 3rd World Outgames

Antwerp ... city of 172 nationalities, fashion, diamonds and gay nightlife invites you to the 3rd World Outgames in 2013.

Hot zones for single men?

It’s an urban legend repeated by cab drivers, echoed by bartenders and passed on by hairdressers. Anyone who has lived in Ottawa for a few months has probably heard the theory: 

Single women outnumber single men in the capital by a stunning 3:1 ratio.

The high proportion of women working in the federal public service skews the numbers, leaving armies of lonely spinsters unable to get a date and a happy cohort of bachelors to feast on the pick of the litter.

Or so the story goes. 

Around Ottawa, however, there are more single women in the city proper, while men cluster on the outskirts, with a few exceptions.

BLUE = Single Men
PINK = Single Women

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Sexual Minority Stress & Mental Health

Sexual minority stress, along with aging-related stress, jeopardizes the mental health of midlife and older gay men, according to a new study published by the American Journal of Public Health. In the study, sexual minority stress included the men’s perceptions that they needed to conceal their sexual orientation or being avoided because of their sexual orientation.

The study also found that legal marriage for same-sex couples may confer a unique protective effect against poor mental health. Having a same-sex domestic partner or same-sex spouse boosted the emotional health of the studied men, but having a same-sex legal spouse appeared to be the most beneficial relationship arrangement.

“This study shines a light on the mental health of a generation of gay men who survived the early years of the AIDS crisis and came of age on the heels of the gay rights movement.”

The study’s findings further suggest that targeted campaigns may be necessary to address this generation of gay men’s heightened risk for poor mental health. Sexual orientation stigma, the loss of many of their peers to AIDS and general aging-related stress, such as concerns over finances and independence, also affected the mental health of these midlife and older gay men.

READ THE WHOLE STORY HERE ...


For more information about this study, please see the American Journal of Public Health at:
http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/abs/10.2105/AJPH.2011.300384

Silence = Death 2.0

What would you do if you were old, disabled or ill - and the person feeding you put down the spoon and said that you are going to hell unless you change your sexual preference?       

         Sound absurd?

         Social workers around the world say  it’s happening every day.

         Gen Silent is the critically-acclaimed documentary from filmmaker Stu Maddux that asks six LGBT seniors if they will hide their friends, their spouses- their entire lives in order to survive in the care system.

Watch the Trailer here ...

"The revolution will not be televised"

Inspired by the spirit of Gil Scott-Heron, the brilliant Ronnie Butler Jr. warns us that ‘…the photos of your junk will be publicized…’.

This is one of the coolest videos I have seen this year! 



Find him on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/7fgsb7s
Email: info@thephotosofyourjunk.com