GGN Radio :: On April 28th, it was announced that Health Canada had approved an end to policy that restricts men who have sex with men from donating blood products for three months, at the request of Canadian Blood Services.

“It’s been a long time coming,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has promised for years in election campaigns to end the decades-old discriminatory and homophobic practice.

The headlines were met with much glee and celebration; our community has worked tirelessly for this change.

But dig deeper.

“When you see what the headlines are, and you see the difference between the headlines and the fine print, it’s very clear that people are trying to pull a fast one on the Canadian public and on the queer community,” says Shakir Rahim, a lawyer who worked on the federal human rights challenge to the ban on men who have sex with men donating blood. He joined GGN Publisher Shaun Proulx on his SiriusXM chat show for a conversation about the issue this week.

“And that should really be a cause for anger,” Rahim added. “Because it’s not right. The queer community is being told something is happening when in fact what is happening is markedly different.”

Rahim also discussed:

• Why the move isn’t a repeal at all.
• That blood donation still hinges on stigmatized anal sex (a man who has vaginal sex with countless partners can still donate; a man who has anal sex with multiple partners still cannot)
• The ignoring of science, advancements, and the effectiveness of preventative measures such as condoms, and PrEP.

Listen now:

• GGN

The post GGN Radio :: Heath Canada’s Blood Donor Repeal: “A fast one on queer community.” appeared first on TheGayGuideNetwork.com.

SISTERS DOING IT FOR THEMSELVES :: Gregarious Jill Cruse is a true queer success story. The photographer and vice-president of Olivia Travel, the travel company for lesbians, sets an example for LGBT people everywhere, telling GGN that while she loves her work – loving her life and being grateful are the keys to a life of success.

GGN: You know we like grateful people around here.

JC: That’s the only way to be in life!

GGN: But that comes easier for some people than others.

JC: I would say that, but I also find that when you have gratitude, that changes everything. It’s  a really important daily practice to have gratitude for whatever you’re grateful for in life.

GGN: You must be grateful for the success of Olivia Travel.

JC: The owner, president and founder, Judy Dlugacz started the company forty years ago, but it really started as a record company. This was at a time when, for women, it was impossible to get record deals, because the big labels would say, “Oh, we’ve already got our one woman…We have our Joni Mitchell, we have our Joan Biaz, we don’t need anybody else.”

So at that time, in Washington DC, at a bar, several women became a part of a collective that said it wanted to change the world, to make the world better for lesbians. That’s where it all started, with that intention. They started their own record company, bringing these women to their cities and church basements to provide music that really sang to the heart of the people there. That also brought lesbians together, in a place other than a bar.

GGN: How did that become a travel company?

JC: After fifteen years, when the kd lang’s and the Melissa Etheridges were getting signed, there really wasn’t a place for Olivia Records, which was one of the most successful independent labels of its time back then.  Judy felt like, “Well, I get to be my full self… except when I’m on vacation … So let’s try the cruise ships!” She figured out how to get $50,000, which, back then, was hard for women. To get credit, a woman’s husband had to sign for you. It was not easy. Judy she sent a mailer – at a time there was no internet – a letter saying, “I have this idea, we’d love for you to come on a four-night trip, and you’d have to send all your money in now, and you can’t cancel!”.

GGN: You’re lesbians, but that’s called balls!

JC: We didn’t know what we didn’t know back then! So Judy started the company, and I had the right last name – Cruse – and she thought that was pretty funny, saying, “So you can be the Cruise Director!” So that’s how I got into Olivia.

GGN: A lot of straight people read this site. So it’s important to say here that as an LGBT person travelling, are all kinds of considerations, especially when you enter worlds that are different from ours in North America. Checking into a hotel, and the presumption that if it’s two guys or two girls, they’ll want two beds. Safety can be a concern, too.

JC: Yes, so whether it’s a ship full of men or a ship full of women coming together, there’s a real empowerment, and a feeling of never having to look over your shoulder to wonder who’s judging you. There’s a celebration that happens and like-mindedness of getting like-minded people together; that is an experience that you can’t really put into words. It’s something that you have to feel, because I think even as a lesbian or a gay man in the straight community, we don’t really know what it is to truly feel ourselves until you identify yourself.

GGN: What does success mean to you?

JC: I think success, when you sit quietly with yourself, is really about doing what you love, and what is happening on the outside is what is emanating from you from the inside, and when you have that come together, that is success to me.

GGN: Curveball question. There was a magazine that did a piece on the 20 most hated celebrities. Sixteen of them were women, women really achieving a lot of things. Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Lopez…

JC: Oh my  gosh! Well, who created that list?

GGN: Magazine readers voted, so the general public.

JC: Wow!

GGN: Keeping in mind women are the ones who buy most of magazines like this one.

JC: I wonder if it’s because of success. I wonder if it’s because of success, and it’s a different word and a different meaning for everybody, but I think we share what success is, and that is what is happening on the outside is what is emanating from you from the inside, and you’re doing what you love, and maybe people feel intimidated by that.

GGN: Do you find in your own life, as a successful woman?

JC: Oh my gosh! I think that everybody wants to be successful, and we can’t control what everybody thinks. What’s important is what you think, and doing what you love, and so yes, sometimes there is intimidation: people have viewpoints and judgments about you, but that is something I don’t really focus on, it’s really about going after what you love doing, and knowing that you’re doing something good in the world.

The post EMPOWERMENT :: Jill Cruse Breaks Barriers appeared first on TheGayGuideNetwork.com.

UNSTUCK :: If you feel stuck in your career but can’t imagine taking the leap and doing what your heart desires, this listen is for you. TheGGN publisher Shaun Proulx is joined today by singer/songwriter Chris Assaad, who quit his job as a lawyer to become a musician. Given that over a decade ago Shaun quit his job in finance to pursue his dreams, a whole lot of good, meaningful conversation is right here:

Win a Norwegian Cruise to The Bahamas! Click here.

The post CHRIS ASSAAD :: Making Dreams Real appeared first on TheGayGuideNetwork.com.

TIME OUT :: Stop what you are doing and take ten minutes to watch this incredible TedTalk by Louie Schwartzberg. Believe us when we say it will change the rest of your day. Promise.

– TheGayGuideNetwork / Thinking Outside The Triangle

RELATED :: Up your dose with GGN publisher Shaun Proulx’s Power Thinking.

RELATED :: View Shaun Proulx Media’s confirmed 2013 workshop schedule here.

The post EMPOWERMENT :: Nature, Beauty, Gratitude appeared first on TheGayGuideNetwork.com.

YOUR SPANISH LULLABY:: Philip Tetro has the time of his life in Mexico City, coming across front row tickets for not only one, but two MDNA shows. Read on to find out what made him cry, dance and sweat in a land far away…

BROUGHT TO YOU BY :: W HOTEL, MEXICO CITY

It was in April last year when Shaun Proulx decided that he, Patrick Marano and I should go to Mexico City to see Madonna. Still feeding off the insane excitement I was feeling from the tweet Madonna sent me only days earlier, he says with typical Proulx-fidence: “I think we should manifest going to Mexico City. You coming?”

Of course I was. But then got lost in life. Seven months of hard-work, Pride 2012, two new television shows, a falling out with three of my closest friends, a new boyfriend and new apartment north of the city. Madonna in Mexico City came faster than I had anticipated, we didn’t even figure out flights until just before we left.

If it happens, it happens. But it will happen. More Proulx-fidence that, after two years, I’ve just sort of learned to trust. It works most of the time. And when it doesn’t, then “it wasn’t meant to happen.”

This, however, was definitely meant to happen:

Patrick and Shaun wanted some time alone time as this was a “sorta honeymoon” that they haven’t been able to take since their wedding last year, so they got there a day earlier than I did. I flew into the world’s second largest city (population 20,450,000) by myself a day later with a feeling of anticipation that I had never felt before. Something magical was in the air.

I got off the plane at around 3PM central time. My lack of sleep and anxiousness (not only for the new city, the language barrier, and of course, a Madonna concert) was like a cloud in front of my eyes. I was in a Mexican trance. In line waiting to pass through Mexican customs, I turn around only to spot a few familiar faces: Madonna’s musicians, back-up singers and some dancers are behind me.

Don’t say anything, don’t say anything, don’t say anything, don’t…

“Philip Tetro! Fancy seeing you here!” A part of Madonna’s management it’s Samantha Hess who helped me organize my tickets to the Toronto concert and has recognized me right away.

Don’t shit your pants, don’t shit your pants, don’t…

I play it cool (sweat), ask about her flight, tell her why I’m there (as if she didn’t already guess), and I’m on my merry way through customs. Or so I think. Of course, I don’t have a pen on me and have to go to the “pen-less loser section” and then head to the back of the line, all in front of Madonna’s posse, in order to fill out the Mexican customs forms I find out they need completed.

Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t…

I hurry out of the airport and sheepishly wave goodbye to Sam (we’re on a nickname basis at this point), feeling like she was that popular girl in high school and I was the band nerd, and attempt to order a taxi. Three taxi booths, four taxi booth people and finally a 35-minute cab ride through the eye-popping streets of  Mexico City streets later, I arrive at my destination: the gorgeous W Hotel.

We, again in pure Shaun Proulx fashion, stayed in the Yorkville-esque region of Mexico City: Polanco, special guests of The W. The neighbourhood and the hotel are absolutely beautiful. As soon as you walk in, an incredibly appropriate “Strike a Pose” light greets you from the lobby bar.

I’m hear my name and make my way to the end of a long path surrounded by white leather couches on one side and a waterfall pond on the other where Shaun and Patrick are enjoying W Hotel-size Grey Goose martinis at the back of the bar. After the hugs and kisses, I go check-in with the hotel staff. Conjuring up any sort of sentence I can with my University-level Spanish intellect, the staff responds in perfect English: “We heard you’re a huge fan of Madonna’s. This is for you.” And I’m handed a pamphlet about a Madonna art exhibit that had just happened in Mexico City not long before we got there; very few exist I’m told.

Even in Mexico, they know I’m a Madonna fan. Mission Accomplished.

RELATED :: Read Shaun’s take on their Great MDNA MXCO Adventure here.

I turn around to let Shaun and Patrick know I’m going to put my bags in my room before we go eat dinner and see the W Hotel doormen suddenly throw open both front doors. A sea of people walk through.

The same people I was in line with at the airport: MADONNA’S PEOPLE ARE STAYING IN MY HOTEL. Don’t shit your pants, don’t…

Not one for asking for more than I think I deserve, I don’t rush over and beg Sam for front row tickets to the Madonna concert that I flew over 6, 000 miles just to see, like you might expect me to have done. I was content with being away, period, and the thought of Madonna in any capacity is truly all I need.

Sam notices me again and sort of winks as she’s whisked away by the twenty people surrounding her, all waiting for the elevators to go to their luxurious rooms (I wonder if they all had hammocks in their rainfall showers like I did?). I freeze in place and absorb everything that is happening to me. Patrick and Shaun (whom I’ve called “Dads” since the day I met them) and I settle in, and then meet to go out for a night of authentic Mexican cuisine and drinks.

The next day, we go for breakfast and do some souvenir shopping. I’m planning my special Madonna outfit for the night in my head while Dads browse the shops of Polanco. Suddenly I get a text message, from an American number:

“Your wristbands are under your name at the Madonna Friends and Family booth at the stadium.”

WRISTBANDS FOR THE PIT. MADONNA’S GOLDEN TRIANGLE. TICKETS THAT NORMALLY COST UP TO $1, 500 EACH.

Sam saved my number from Toronto. Don’t cry, don’t cry…

I cry.

The three of us jump up and down like children on Christmas Eve. Shaun falls to the ground.

We were scheduled to be taken on a three-hour bus tour of the city, so off we go on a three-hour bus tour of the city. It felt like an eternity: all I cared about was the concert.

We get back to the hotel. I get ready and meet in Dads’ room for some tequila before a hotel driver takes us to Foro Sol (you can’t just hail a cab in Mexico City or else risk robbery / kidnapping). We get out of the car after some dizzying Mexican traffic, and are enveloped in a sea of thousands of Mexicans in a sight we called, Madonna Market: rows and rows of underground Madonna memorabilia, from socks to pillows, made by Mexicans to sell to the expected 55, 000 people each night. My excitement sky-rockets, but I don’t buy anything because I refuse to support the counterfeit Madonna Merchandise Machine. I really, really, wanted the socks, though.

Three security guards, two gates and thousands of people passing us later, we are brought to the Madonna Friends and Family booth. I get our wristbands. We are led through a tunnel and are given a night that I will never forget. Madonna performed the best I’ve ever seen that night, to a sold-out crowd of almost 60, 000. Up-close and personal, she winked at us a few times did not disappoint. She was on fire and even gave us a Spanish Lesson. My Dads’ eyes were sparkling as they watched, and since I had seen the show two months earlier, I was more entertained by their reactions to the songs/performances that I already knew to expect. And nothing is more special than Mexicans chanting the Vogue rap with their thick, strong accents.

It was, truly, one of the best nights of my life.

Just when I think it can’t get any better, Sam texts me – that same night – to see if I wanted to go to the second concert on Sunday. I respond, “YES, PLEASE”, without any hesitation, but Dads opt to see more of the city; Shaun needs time to recover from What Just Happened.

The next night I go to the second concert alone, which finishes at around 1AM, five hours before I’m due at the airport, which is very close to the stadium. I spend an hour in Madonna Market deciding whether or not I need Madonna socks, and hitch a ride to the airport with strangers to make my 6AM flight the next morning.

Yes, I hitched a ride with strangers to the airport. In Mexico.

I meet Shaun and Patrick in the morning and we prepare for our flight home. I’m in a Madonna daze for the entire trip and reminisce and consider: This is my reality. Madonna knows who I am, her entourage knows who I am, I happen to stay at the same hotels as them, and they give me front-row tickets to concerts. What else am I capable of? I guess we’ll just have to see.

For now, my main concern is not only Finding Madonna, but finding Madonna socks.

Thank you to Samantha Hess at Guy Oseary Management for making my dreams come true three times in 2012; And thank you to the amazing team at the beautiful W Hotel Mexico City for putting up with me voguing in the lobby, for not kicking me out when I stalked Madonna’s dancers, for not getting mad when I didn’t wear slippers in the spa and for not charging me when I made all my sheets/robe/room smell like Madonna’s Truth or Dare perfume. Muchas gracias.

RELATED :: Read Shaun’s take on their Great MDNA MSCO Adventure here.

The post MADONNA WATCH :: MDNA MXCO appeared first on TheGayGuideNetwork.com.

ESCAPE BY TRAVEL :: Everyone has a different definition of escape.  For S.Travel blogger Johnathan Sawicki, escape is not just a destination, but a state of mind.

For most, a good benefits package includes comprehensive medical, dental, vision coverage, perhaps a pension plan. But for me and many of my fellow gayviators you can take any of those away as long as we can keep our beloved travel benefits. Most of those who work in aviation have a natural desire to travel, a wanderlust fulfilled more by the journey than the destination. I fall precisely into this category.

Take a close look at my apartment and you’ll see the proof: my document holder, fully equipped, is ready to be snatched and taken to a new destination. A toiletry kit hangs on the back of my door, double-stocked with all my necessary beauty products. And finally, a pair of swim shorts stay in the bottom of my suitcase, because you just never know where you may end up spending the night. Combine all of these with my ability to pack a bag in less time than a Madonna song and you’ve got someone who is always ready for departure.

This travel readiness has come as a result of my sixth sense for travel opportunities. Friends and family know that if they’re holding a boarding pass in front of me, they won’t have to twist my arm to get me to join in on the adventure.

One of my favourite opportunities is being able to travel alongside friends who are flight crew members on layovers. Some airlines allow this if their flights have unsold seats at the time of departure. This offers a great last-minute getaway, especially with a more generous layover time in an interesting city.

“Where are you arriving from?”

“New York City.”

“How long have been away from Canada?”

“Sixteen hours”

“…and what exactly was the nature of your trip then?”

“Feeding a travel addiction.”

That is a fairly typical exchange I have when I’m welcomed back by Canadian customs. While most would think the 3 hours of time spent in the air, 2 hours spent in the airport and about 3 hours in transit would be a chore; I see it as an opportunity. My reward? An unforgettable 6 hours spent in beautiful city like New York with two of my best friends (image above).

As for sleep, that can wait until I’m home.  I might not be rested, but I’m revitalized.

This kind of attitude isn’t just applicable to jet setting; it’s about being able to spot an opportunity and just escape.  It isn’t about where life takes you, it’s about where you take life.  I am a firm believer that we all need to escape every once in a while.  This escape is what makes me thankful for what I have to come back to.

Johnathan Sawicki is an aviation professional and travel blogger in Toronto. Take a window by seat following him on Twitter and stay tuned for the launch of his blog, Mile High Memoirs.

Click here to find out how you can win a trip for two to Cancun, Mexico, courtesy of Transat Holidays and Shaun Proulx Media / S.Travel! 

The post JOHNATHAN SAWICKI :: Travel Lust appeared first on TheGayGuideNetwork.com.

ALTER EGO :: I’m addicted. And I don’t want help. I don’t want an intervention. My addiction?  TedTalks. In case you haven’t seen a TED by now, you must. It doesn’t matter your area of interest, there is a Ted talk for anyone. The concept is different people giving talks on their subject of expertise.  From science to fashion, it’s all fascinating.

I recently watched a 2004 TED talk about the power of glamour, timely given what seems like ever-increasing doses offered up in our day to day. The talk sees cultural critic Virginia Postrel clarifying that glamour is not something you are, but something you project. As Postrel says, glamour is “any calculated, carefully polished image designed to impress and persuade” (watch her TedTalk below).

I think the meaning of glamour is best stated in the musical Chicago:

Give ’em the old razzle dazzle
Razzle Dazzle ’em
Give ’em an act with lots of flash in it
And the reaction will be passionate
Give ’em the old hocus pocus
Bead and feather ’em
How can they see with sequins in their eyes?

As a fantasy buff, I can tell you that vampires also have the ability to ‘glamour’ human victims, by looking into their eyes and hypnotizing them in a certain way to make them bend to their will.

TedTalks make me think. After I watched Postrel’s talk on glamour, I thought of me: What version of me was I trying to project to the world?

The answer was easy.  I have been glamouring a glamourous one.

Aren’t we all? Think about it.  What are you posting on your Facebook page, your Twitter?  I’m traveling here… I’m hanging with these people… I’m eating this… I just bought that… Here’s another pic of me from my good angle and with good lighting.

We are all selling a very glamourous version of ourselves to the rest of the world – and to ourselves.  And why not?  The world does it right back to us.  Ads with photo shopped supermodels. Billboards with celebrities holding luxury items.

Coming from the adult film industry, I made a career through glamour in an environment that can often be anything but.

But where do we draw the glamour line?  Where do I?

Are we glamourous around our families?  Our best friends?  Do we feel the need to be?

I have, a lot.

But lately I am coming to understand that the people you feel you can drop the glamour for are the closest, most trusted people in your lives.  Those are the people who really count.

In fact, lately I’ve realized this: the more hideously unglamourous you are around those people who truly love you, the closer you become to them.

In the spirit of dropping glamour and being less calculated, GGN blogger Eddie Stone is now contributing as Patrick Marano, his real name.

The post PATRICK MARANO :: The Unglamourous Life appeared first on TheGayGuideNetwork.com.

For my whole life, Las Vegas has been made out to be this big, adult playground with flashing lights, casinos, strippers, restaurants, tons of alcohol and tons of food. Let me tell you, it is all that and a bag of potato chips, my friend. Let me tell you the story about my Vegas cherry-popping:

The energy there is so different than anywhere else I’d experienced before: the dry, hot air; the array of scantily clad men; the never-ending smell of cigarettes masked by air fresheners; the sound of music and sounds from slot machines; the over-priced coffee and under-priced alcohol; the portion size of your food (this was amazing) and the feeling of relaxation that made you want to lounge by a pool while listening to the best music of the 80s and 90s.

For six straight days, I felt that I was on vacation – the vacation that every person deserves: I felt welcomed as soon as I walked into the brand new Tropicana Hotel (which smelled like a field of vanilla and lavender); the reception desk’s wall was coloured in rainbow strobe lighting in honour of Gay Days weekend – yes, I, Philip Tetro, was in Las Fricking Vegas for Pride Weekend. The design of the hotel was like a resort in the Bahamas – “tropical fierce,” I’d call it. It goes without saying that the eye-candy was more than wonderful by the pool (The Tropicana’s Pool has been voted #1 in all of Vegas.) I may or may not have spent 8 hours a day ogling over the hairless boys dancing to house music, throwing beach balls, and tanning. I am a generally tanned person, but I have never been darker in my life. Thank you, Gay Days at Tropicana. Even when the rest of Shaun Proulx Media decided to go shoot machine guns and zip-line across the downtown, I poured myself another vodka-Fresca and decided that the sun was a better option for me than more air-time on The Shaun Proulx Show Season 3.

Not being one for gambling (there are always so many Madonna items I need to buy instead), Vegas has everything else I love: food, shopping, pools and cheap booze. There is always something to do, and even going to the corner store seems grandiose. Everything is bigger, better, more lit up, fast-paced, and fun. I would look forward to going for a walk along the strip because I couldn’t get enough of the lights and energy that every single adventure possessed.

I ate whatever I wanted, drank whatever I wanted, and did whatever the hell I wanted to do. But what happens in Vegas…

DOESN’T STAY IN VEGAS :: Catch the whole of the SPM Team’s Big Vegas Adventure when  The Shaun Proulx Show Season 3 debuts exclusively on ShaunProulxMedia.com

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THE TRUE ELITE :: Before moving to Toronto, I called a certain downtown hotel my home away from home.  Staying there every so often I had earned status within their loyalty program.  By no means was I any shade of platinum, but a few staff got to know me by name and I was always happy to return.

For one particular trip, a job interview, I had booked a basic room for one night, To my surprise, my then boyfriend was also be passing through Toronto that day. 

In line to check in, I couldn’t help but overhear the couple ahead of me. Stepping up to the counter they immediately asked the woman at check-in for an upgrade, the best available, because of their super executive platinum elite status… or something like that. She checked and politely told them that an upgrade wasn’t available at that time. They reminded her of their status – rudely – and proceeded on for several minutes about their entitlement as I watched. Finally, they admitted defeat and accepted their original room assignment.

I had also planned to ask for an upgrade, but knew my odds were shot now. Seeing how the couple ahead of me had left the woman at check-in frazzled, I made a little joke about them and she seemed relieved. There was no one else in line so we ended up chatting. I told her I was in town for an interview, and when she learned it was aviation related, it turned out she had an interest in the industry as well. I gave her some information and advice and as a line started to form, we stopped chatting and she began to check me in.

I told her I overheard the last couple’s request, but wondered if there was anything available if I paid a fee. (After all, I was going to meet my boyfriend, and you’d be surprised how often you can get a reduced price upgrade the day of travel.)  

She told me what she had told the people in line ahead of me: “We haven’t got any upgrades right now.” But then she went back to checking her system. She looked up. “Here is what we’ll do. I’m going to give you a basic room now. Go freshen up for your interview, and then when you are back come see me and we’ll upgrade you and your partner when a room frees up.  It sounds like you could use it today!”

Thrilled, I thanked her profusely and offered to grab her a coffee before I headed out. She declined, but told me she appreciated my humor and job information. This brought me back to a lesson I learned growing up, The Golden Rule: Treat others as you wish to be treated.

I could have acted just as entitled as the previous couple. I could have added to her frustration. Instead, just by treating her with basic kindness and having general conversation, she went out of her way – and made my day.

Whether you are in a hotel, airport or in line at the bank or the grocery store, upgrade your attitude and watch your experience upgrade because of it. Because I travel so much, people always ask me how they can get an upgrade. That’s how. The person behind the counter is a human just like you, and their job is easiest when you’re happy. 

PS: That evening, my boyfriend and I returned to our upgraded room and found two beers on ice waiting for us, as well as a note wishing me luck on my interview, signed by my new best friend at the front desk. Cheers to having a suite attitude.

– Johnathan Sawicki is an aviation professional and travel blogger in Toronto. Take a window by seat following him on Twitter and stay tuned for the launch of his blog, Mile High Memoirs.

The post JOHNATHAN SAWICKI :: Upgrade Your Attitude appeared first on TheGayGuideNetwork.com.

IN THE PIT OF IT ALL ::

Last night was the absolute best night of my life. In case you don’t remember how, Madonna herself personally gave me pit tickets to her MDNA concert at the Air Canada Centre last night.

When we got to the venue, I went to the box office with my email confirmation and was redirected to the booth to pick up my tickets and wristbands. This booth was a little different than “Will Call”. It was simply titled “Madonna Friends and Family Tickets.” Cue heart attack number one.

After waiting in line with my baby blue and gold wristband with my mother and sister for an hour, the doors opened and we ran to the golden triangle we would call home for the next six hours of our lives. I texted Guy Oseary’s assistant, Sam – yes, you got that right, texted her- to come out and say “hello” to thank her for helping me organize my tickets, and the conversation went a little something like this: “Madonna loved your video. She watched it again from her home on her T.V. Enjoy the show!” Cue heart attack number two.

By this point, I’m on Cloud 9. My friend David [Robert] called me to go have a quick beer before the show, so I went to meet him (I still had about two hours before the show was to start). Not even five minutes pass and my mother calls to let me know Madonna’s team had come to look for me. Needless to say, I didn’t finish my beer. I return to find Guy Oseary with his camera taking pictures of fans before the show, as he is known to do. He notices me, so I go to shake his hand. He pushes my hand away and comes in for the biggest bear hug I’ve ever given someone (my attraction to older Jewish men is now in full-effect). I thanked him for the tickets and he thanked me for “everything.” Me?! He then goes on to say that “we love you.” We?! Cue third and final pre-show heart attack. I am already losing my shit by this point.

Madonna comes on stage at around 10:30 PM and performs like the Queen she is. She was definitely more into this show than I’ve seen in videos of the tour before (yes, I can tell you exactly what has happened at each show). She was smiling, she was glowing, she looked fantastic, she sounded fantastic and she was having so much fun.

The highlights of the show for me were definitely “Express Yourself” – performed as a majorette leader: you could not wipe the smile of her face with a million dollar bill; “Open Your Heart” – a Basque, folk street party, complete with her son, Rocco by her side, reminiscent of Madonna and the little boy from the music video; “Masterpiece” – I knew my mom wouldn’t be able to control herself for this song and, as expected, as soon as I saw her cry, I couldn’t help myself; “Holiday” – only performed once before on this tour, Madonna gave Toronto a vacation as she did a long, sing-a-long version of the most-performed song in her catalogue. The entire night was just magical.

During “Vogue,” “Like a Prayer” and “Like a Virgin,” I could smell her. During “Turn Up The Radio,” I am convinced she winked at me. I have never been happier in my entire life, and nothing or no one could have made it better. My life is complete.

See you in Mexico, Madonna.

Photo by Madonna’s manager, Guy Oseary.

The post MADONNA WATCH :: The MDNA Tour – A Review appeared first on TheGayGuideNetwork.com.

ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT :: Johnathan Sawicki loved the cruise he won from Shaun Proulx Media so much he joined our blogging team.

“Oh my God, girl, I got the call!  We won!  We’re going!!”

“You’re kidding me!  Okay, can’t breathe, can’t breathe; freaking out!” 

This was the phone call this past winter between my friend Ben and I after he learned he had won a cabin from SPM aboard an Atlantis cruise on the largest ship at sea. 

Over the next few days we received our itinerary and cruise guide, and for me it was more than just winning a dream trip that started to sink in. 

There would be over 5,000 people. I would be on a boat at sea for seven nights. Three foreign ports. Five themed parties and countless on-board events.

Rewind. Only a few weeks earlier Ben and I had been mulling over the idea of a gay cruise over cocktails with some friends. Just talking about embarking on an experience like that seemed overwhelming, a feeling compounded by all the stories we had all heard about a ship of homos at sea.  Infamous rumours of a gay cruise merely being a “floating bathhouse”; legends telling of the infamous “dick deck” (which we, for the record, never found), and of course the must-do pre-cruise diets and workout plans.

I brushed off the idea; thinking it was definitely not for me. 

Then some luck and fabulous fate kicked in. Ben had won the very thing we’d earlier agreed was an experience far more than we could swallow.

Privately, aside from gay cruise stereotypes, I have often succumbed to nerves when trying new things. In fact, more often than I like to admit, I find myself missing out on potentially great opportunities because of nervousness about the new, hesitation, or sometimes shyness.  I’m type-A, a Leo (gregarious and outgoing by nature) but even still I can feel intimidated when life gives me something seemingly great. 

Ben and I knew the first thing we had to do was kick any previously conceived reservations to the curb.   We agreed that we would dive in headfirst and hope for the best.  As I got my thoughts in order and began to feel a little relief from my nerves, it gave way to some excitement, which led to One Big Question: where do you even begin preparing for a gay cruise?

By quickly packing your bags absolutely full, of course! Off we flew to Fort Lauderdale to meet our home for the week, Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas.

What I found aboard the Allure was an experience like no other, nothing like what either Ben or I expected.  Of course we let loose and partied in venues that made you forget you were even on a boat. But what I didn’t expect were the people I met throughout the week. I never would have imagined making so many friends. Some had traveled from as far away as Australia for this cruise; we were a ship of diversity, literally all shades of the rainbow.

There was even some romance lite. Imagine my surprise when I found myself spending one of my final evenings at sea on a date night with someone I’d met a day earlier.  Cocktails at a cute venue before dinner on one of the ship’s restaurants; this was not the sort of stuff that had made me feel anxious a week earlier. 

And that was the beauty of it.  My initial fears merely that, there I sailed, having a great time. 

Since the cruise I’ve been lucky enough to re-connect with a few friends we met on board, surprising one new friend at his going away party just outside Boston, and playing tour guide for new friends from Dallas in Toronto for the first time.  There are plenty of fabulous folks I met that I haven’t stayed in touch with, but I know that if I ever took a cruise like this again, I’d immediately be amongst friends.

All of this was possible because I took a chance. In a way, just getting on the cruise helped change me, but not as much as changing my attitude before I left. The experience served as a reminder that not everything is as it seems, and to learn that you must first step outside your comfort zone. 

Such a simple lesson that I don’t want to forget; it extends to subjects like relationships, jobs, education, in daily moments, and big picture living. 

I will always appreciate getting this a big gay floating reminder to live my life boldly.

Johnathan Sawicki is an aviation professional and travel blogger in Toronto. Take a window by seat following him on Twitter and stay tuned for the launch of his blog, Mile High Memoirs.

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“PARIS IS ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA” – AUDREY HEPBURN :: I am a fan of Paris Hilton. I like her style, I like her perfume, I find her intriguing. In 2006 I was her official Toronto host when she debuted her first album, Paris. I’ve watched every episode of her BFF reality show.

In my post Paris Is Burning I shared the news of Hilton embarking on becoming a house music DJ, and, as she kept details of her label and producers top secret, I speculated a PR plan to create a lot of press; talk, and hype leading up to the release date, set for the end of 2012. (For her new album she’s enlisted the help of some of the biggest names in the game: deadmau5, Afrojack, and David Guetta.) 

Can Paris Hilton, whose star has been eclipsed in recent years by Kim Kardashian, re-invent herself as master of a respected skill, toiling in house music, the very genre that gave rise to the god-is-a-DJ phenom? 

I adore Paris and find her to be a genuinely kind person, but I think she may not know what kind of road she had ahead of her. Just because she has the means to devote herself to being taught a skill – and the name brand in place to draw attention to her new endeavour –  doesn’t mean she has an actual musical and technical gift.

I saw a video of her playing live and I felt bad for her and embarrassed for the electronic music dance scene (EMDS), and I agree with WantTickets.com blogger, Ben, who wrote, “… this really should be about the music, but the way that she appears to be exploiting the mainstream rise of house music does not sit well with me at all. Maybe I’m wrong here but I don’t recall her ever expressing her love of house music…”

Perhaps Ben does recall the 2009 Winter Music Conference in Miami, when Paris asked DJ Steve Angelo the worst thing anyone could request of a electronic music DJ: to play hip-hop.

Maybe she’s changed her musical tastes since, and I can assure you some tracks will rock. How can they not? If her Paris single ‘Stars Are Blind’ single went Top 10 in 17 countries with no help of the likes of deadmau5, Afrojack or David Guetta, some of her new tracks will simply have to be good given the backing she’s had.

Still, the majority of house-heads I know feel she doesn’t know anything about house music or even like it, and predict she’ll never be accepted into the scene as a serious DJ. The electronic music dance scene is a very cultivated group; all the money, lighting, costumes, and crew won’t simply buy her access. 

But this is just one more reason why I’m a Paris Hilton fan: with everything against her, she goes for it anyway.

– Dancefloor royalty, Miss Raquel is publisher of Scenester magazine and host of The Miss Raquel Show.  Join her on Twitter.

The post RAQUEL RICHARDS :: Paris Hilton, Queen of House? appeared first on TheGayGuideNetwork.com.

LIKE A BIRTHDAY ::

Madonna’s age is simply a number: she looks better today than she ever has and she has no plans on stopping. August 16^th is a day to reflect upon the work of a genius who has inspired me and everything I’ve done since the day I was born. I would not be the person I am today without Madonna’s messages of empowerment, self-esteem and guidance.

Thank you, Madonna, for everything you’ve done for me. I know I will tell you this in person one day soon, but I know you will truly never understand how much you have meant to me my life.

Happy Birthday.

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This morning, Madonna officially released the video for the third single off MDNA, “Turn Up The Radio.”

The video, shot last month in Italy while she was there on her MDNA Tour, follows the singer coming out of her hotel to a mob of fans and paparazzi, as she escapes to a car. Her driver drives through the streets to pick up a gaggle of Madonna’s friends along the way while real fans scream her name and take pictures.

Madonna is evidently having a ton of fun, pointing to, singing with and embracing the army of people following her. Her eyes are filled with joy, and she looks younger and more beautiful than ever in all black, with legs and cleavage for days. A golden crucifix accessorizes her bust and a black headband keeps her hair voluminous.

The cut of the song is longer than the album version and the added, real sound effects of traffic, screams, camera clicks and flashes make for a really interesting soundtrack to the beautiful Italian city roads and streets. Madonna looks like an Italian movie star, and the video ends with her driver telling her that the party’s over and to put her seat-belt on. I guess even Madonna’s parties end sometime.

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Urg.  A bike ride?  Don’t get me wrong, I’m an active guy.  But I’m active in ways that make me happy.  Biking is not usually one of them.  The hills, the gears, other bikers, cars…

But marriage is about compromise (well, not really, but that’s the preconceived notion, so let’s go with that), and being married to Shaun Proulx, means you are going for a bike ride… or several.

You cannot imagine the joy I got from our friends at Sweet Pete’s when I was shown the ebike!  Like a miracle from heaven this bike has answered all my prayers!  The Giant ebike is exactly right for someone like me.  Someone who likes to be outdoors.  Someone who wants to travel ‘green’ without all the physical exertion to tire you out.  Someone who respects and appreciates the ‘little push’ that the electric motor in this bike gives.

This isn’t a scooter, you still have to peddle, the bike is simply helping you along your way.

Let me paint you a picture.  You hop on your ebike, turn on the little monitor, and being to peddle.  The small electric motor comes to life, like a strong wind always at your back.  It kicks in high gear going up hills, and there are three settings: eco, normal and sport.  Eco to save on battery life and sport when the going gets tough and you want extra help.  The small electric motor pops easily out of it’s harness and plugs into any electric socket to recharge.

If you like the idea of being ‘green’ and getting exercise, without being a sweaty mess when you reach your destination, the Giant ebike is for you!

I’ll see you out on the bike trails!

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BEAUTIFUL YOU ARE :: Whether you read this before or after Pride, Miss Raquel’s story – the first time she’s told it – on being herself without judgement following a decade on the beauty pageant circuit, will resonate.

Toronto Pride is my favourite festival and I feel really aligned with this year’s theme, Celebrate and Demonstrate. I feel empowered; I can truly be myself without judgment.

I feel this way because when I look at these words and what they mean, I, for once in my life feel I’ve reached a pinnacle where I can be myself instead of being my own worst enemy.

Back in the day I entered the world of beauty pageants. Not quite the Toddlers and Tiaras kind, but I did start at the age of 16 where I entered my first pageant, Miss Teen Toronto. I won Miss Photogenic (I still have the statue). Not bad for a first timer, yet not great since my dad was a professional fashion/commercial photographer who then pushed me to do photo shoots with top photographers, and entered me into the malicious world of modelling.

I ended up doing many pageants including Miss Toronto, Miss CHIN, Miss Hawaiian Tropic, Miss Bikini Toronto, Miss Speedorama; you name the pageant I was in it. I appeared in front of thousands wearing cocktail dresses and bikinis. I was on covers of various newspapers, in calendars, videos, and even a Toronto Sunshine Girl. I did fashion shows where I wore lingerie; for one company I was even an exclusive lingerie/bikini model.

I quit in my mid-twenties., I realized it wasn’t doing me well emotionally and in the end I wasn’t tall enough, skinny enough and I have hips and breasts which never don’t do well in the modelling world.

I’m not happy with my body and how I look, never have been. I know it sounds strange that I ended up in beauty competitions given this, but in reality that industry attracts unconfident people such as myself and it preys on insecure souls like me.

From my dad pushing me to be “like a model” and being surrounded by six-foot supermodels, to later being in the harsh entertainment industry, I ended up suffering from anorexia. I only ate here and there, which caused me to gain weight,  which let to me trying any diet pill or drug to get thin. I couldn’t win.

Even to this day, if I was 98lbs or say 200lbs I’ll always look fat to me. I’m not allowed to own a scale – doctor’s orders. And when I see one in someone’s washroom it takes everything I can muster to not step on it. Regardless of the result it will ruin my day.

But as Pride 2012 nears I find my worries about my body faults fade (a bit). I have a stronger sense that I’m okay with what I look like – HOW – and it’s due to this year’s theme of Celebrate and Demonstrate. I feel more than ever the strength to be me; hips, fat back, large breasts and all; I am a natural woman and this should be celebrated. .

My sponsors for this year’s Pride understand how I want to look. Cinelli hair makes my hair look great. DUSK has dressed me suiting my curves, Stag Shop as always has supplied me with fun attractive costumes. My make-up artist, Olga Kirnos who painted me for six hours while I watched straight 70s -90s porn at Oasis Aqua Lounge where I shot my Pride flyer shot by Andre M always makes me feel beautiful, and Shaun Proulx Media / GGT allows me to express myself.

My current motto is “I’m perfectly imperfect”. Although I’m not 100% confident in how I look I’m learning to accept my body for what it is, to celebrate it.

This year I’m honoured to host my Big Gay 3-Day Pride Party

• One World: Where The Wild Things Are – Friday June 29 – The519 – Cawathra Park – Grammy Award-winner Frankie Knuckles, and Deko-ze, Addy, Ticky Ty, Mark Kufner. I’m hosting with Pat Boogie.
• TD Wellesley Dirty Disco stage – Saturday 1pm – 7pm. Don Berns takes it over 7pm – 1am. For full DJ line-up
• Deko-ze Presents: Come Get Your Fcukin’ Beats – Pride Edition – Comfort Zone – Monday July 2, 5am – 5pm. Deko-ze, Nick Bertossi, Jon Herbert, Jamal, Sumation, Josh Karmin, and a maybe surprise international guest DJ. I’m hosting along with Erin K, ClubStan, Charles, Pavia, and Sean Star.

This year marks my fourth year hosting a major Pride stage. I’m thankful to TK and the Toronto Pride crew for having faith in me to handle such demanding gigs. I have to tell you – it feels great!

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IT’S LIKE MDNA, AND THAT’S OKAY ::

Madonna’s MDNA Tour opens in nine days. NINE DAYS. I have been waiting four years for this moment: a new Madonna tour.

The stage, the looks, the songs, the sound, the dancing, the videos: what will they be? I need to know. I’m up all night reading Madonna pages and blogs trying to figure out who’s been blessed enough to be privy to this stuff. Although some sources have similar information, I won’t believe a single thing until May 31^st when the World Wide Web goes bonkers after the first show in Tel Aviv.

These were some of my predictions a few months back, but my opinion has changed a bit now that some (rumoured) information has leaked. I would still love if she performed “Nothing Really Matters” – a song from the Ray of Light album when she realizes how selfish she had been her entire life and that nothing matters but love (as it would fit with the “L-U-V” theme).

Most sources claim that “Open Your Heart,” a song that she’s only teased us with on The Drowned World Tour and Sticky and Sweet Tour (Part 2) , will be sung in its entirety. This will be the first time she sings this song since 1990!

I also think that since the sudden death of Donna Summer, someone whose work Madonna has acknowledged over and over again, she might do some sort of tribute to her. There would be no Madonna without Donna Summer or dance music as we know it today. Madonna’s paid homage to Summer in the past and I am sure she will do it again, especially since she had an entire Michael Jackson tribute to him when he tragically died in 2009.

I will do my best not to spoil the tour for GayGuideNetwork readers once it begins, but no promises! Open your hearts and feel love!

Behold: she is coming soon.

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LIKE A PERFUME VIRGIN :: Philip Tetro

Madonna has released a fragrance. Before you accuse her of jumping on the “celebrity fragrance bandwagon,” please know this: you will be pleasantly surprised.

The fragrance, Truth or Dare, is one of the most age-appropriate things Madonna has ever released. It doesn’t smell like cotton candy or licorice or red roses like most other celebrity fragrances. It smells like a 53-year-old woman should – sexy and provocative. This isn’t your grandmother’s perfume.

I was lucky enough to receive a sample of the perfume in early February (the week of the SuperBowl performance) and have been wearing it on-and-off ever since. It smells sophisticated, classy and sexy. I don’t tell people what fragrance I’m wearing until they question me. It doesn’t smell like anything else I’ve ever worn, so people are normally taken aback by it’s simple, yet daring tones (hence the name, “Truth or Dare”).

I also received the like-smelling promotional candle which, even though I’ve yet to light it, makes my bedroom smell like a garden of gardenias. It’s so potent, yet so elegant, even in a room.

The design of the bottle shows Madonna going back to her Catholic roots: it looks like a bottle of holy water at a gay church that I definitely would go to every Sunday. The simple white and gold design, at first, I thought was far too plain for such a great fragrance, but as it would turn out, Madonna knows what she’s doing. She’s letting the scent speak for itself, without the frills of a complicated bottle. The gift with purchase is also a gorgeous, black-leather tote bag (which I haven’t decided if I wanted to keep on display in my room, or use on an everyday basis. It’s THAT nice). The body lotion and shower gel are equally as fragrant.

Another marketing advantage to calling the perfume Truth or Dare was the re-release of her infamous 1990 documentary of the same name, which came out on bluray for the first time less than a month before the release of the perfume of the same name. If that’s not a business woman’s brain displayed at its finest, then I don’t know what is.

Madonna hinted on Twitter recently that she wants to make a men’s cologne, too. But, I don’t know – I might just always dare myself to always wear this one.

MORE MADONNA WATCH HERE!

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TOUCHÉ :: Our resident straight guy says his masculinity has been touched three times by other guys, and… well… we’ll let him explain:

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]]> https://thegayguidenetwork.com/derek-forgie-third-times-a-charm/feed/ 1 20339 https://thegayguidenetwork.com/madonna-watch-the-mdna-stage/ Tue, 24 Apr 2012 18:58:59 +0000 http://thegayguidenetwork.com/?p=20238 STAGES OF PERFORMANCE :: Philip Tetro is crazy (for Madonna)! Only he’d be excited to show you a picture of Madonna’s stage. This is #28 in a series that keeps leading him closer and closer to meeting his idol. Sources have revealed that this is the official stage from Madonna’s upcoming MDNA Tour. Of course, […]

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STAGES OF PERFORMANCE :: Philip Tetro is crazy (for Madonna)! Only he’d be excited to show you a picture of Madonna’s stage. This is #28 in a series that keeps leading him closer and closer to meeting his idol.

Sources have revealed that this is the official stage from Madonna’s upcoming MDNA Tour. Of course, nothing is confirmed until after the first show in Tel Aviv on May 29th, but this seems extremely believable.

The pit looks VERY big and that V-runway seems to head out pretty far. Madonna will literally be in the crowd when she’s performing on the sides. The projection on the floor is really cool, and reminds me of the SuperBowl performance. She did promise that it will be a “feast for the eyes,” and if it’s anything like the SuperBowl, it will be amazing.

I can’t wait until I know this tour inside-out.

What do you think of the stage? Y-E-S, or MDNO?

MORE MADONNA WATCH HERE!

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