Nathaniel Christopher / 17 August 2015

Pride ‘best festival’ in New Westminster, says city councillor

New Westminster celebrated its sixth annual Pride week Aug 8–15, 2015, attracting more than 20,000 attendees, according to event organizers. “When we put the flag up, we’re not up here talking about w...

Nathaniel Christopher / 10 July 2015

Gay sexuality a gift from God, says head of United Church of Canada

United Church Moderator Gary Paterson describes sexuality — including gay sexuality — as a gift from God. “First of all let’s back up and say it’s not sin,” he says. “But somewhere the church built up...

Nathaniel Christopher / 8 July 2015

BC to fund HPV vaccine for boys and gay men under 26 years old

After years of requests from gay health advocates, BC’s Ministry of Health announced July 7 that it will offer free human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines for boys and young men who have sex with men, be...

Nathaniel Christopher / 2 July 2015

New Odyssey to open in time for Pride, owner confirms

The Odyssey Nightclub will reopen at a new location at 686 W Hastings St in time for this year’s Pride celebration, owner Bijan Ahmadian confirms. “My hope for the new space is to be a community hub t...

Nathaniel Christopher / 26 June 2015

New gay club XY opens in heart of Vancouver’s Davie Village

After months of extensive renovation, the Bute Street space that formerly housed Jupiter Café, J-Lounge and Heaven’s Door re-opened as XY nightclub on June 25. “I don’t know if you’ll be able to find ...

Nathaniel Christopher / 23 June 2015

Davie Street party to be fence-free, says Vancouver Pride

After years of community complaints about the fences surrounding the Davie Street Pride party, the Vancouver Pride Society (VPS) says this year’s party will be virtually fence-free. “At this point we ...

Nathaniel Christopher / 18 June 2015

How trans-friendly are Vancouver schools a year after policy passed?

June 16 marked the first anniversary of the Vancouver School Board’s (VSB) revised anti-homophobia policy, which aims to make schools more welcoming to transgender students. The revised policy address...

Nathaniel Christopher / 4 June 2015

Why gay hookup billboards more welcome in New York than Miami

When gay travel writer Michael Luongo noticed an advertisement for the gay hookup site Squirt in his New York City neighbourhood, he welcomed its sexual imagery. “In a city like New York there’s so mu...

Nathaniel Christopher / 27 May 2015

Canada to consider reducing gay blood ban deferral period

Canadian Blood Services (CBS) is hoping to move ahead with a proposal to shorten the deferral period for gay men’s blood donations from five years to one year. In July 2013, Health Canada changed its ...

Nathaniel Christopher / 22 May 2015

Bad day for a gay date in Vancouver?

For Andres Aguilera Martinez, Sunday, May 10 was a surprisingly homophobic day for a date. It started when a woman threw an empty beer bottle at Martinez only a few blocks from the heart of Vanc...