In this month’s edition I am amazed to see how many sports articles we are publishing. With Apollo Western Cup coming right up at the beginning of April, I suppose this is appropriate. But I remember a time when our magazine had trouble finding anything sports-related to talk about.

You know there are two sides to the coin when it comes to magazines publishing articles about sports activities and fitness. There are those sporadic “get fit so you can get laid” pieces that pop out of nowhere to make you feel guilty for not taking care of yourself. They tend to recommend doing boring exercises that build muscle and trim fat, but really do little else for you. In a way it’s like strapping a bag of oats to your face - all you have to do is chew. There are so many fun and interesting ways to get the exercise you need, and while they may not replicate the repetitive motions required to build those unnaturally large muscles, they will keep you just as fit and happy to boot!

That’s why, for the past several months leading up to Western Cup, we have published articles about the many different LGBT sporting subgroups part of Apollo Friends in Sports, and Team Edmonton. There is an overwhelming array of choices depending on your level of skill and desired activity, and unlike the ol’ bag of oats, these activities also entertain your brain as you build skill and make like-minded friends.

So if you find that you’re having difficulty staying active, and you want to do something about it, then you have a choice. You can go on the exercise binge that you read about at a random time in a random magazine out of panic for not feeling good about yourself, do something boring in the privacy of your own home, and eventually lose the motivation to keep going with it. Or you can go out to any number of weekly sporting events in Calgary or Edmonton with your LGBT peers and have some fun, become a better player, and meet people who can help keep you motivated.

Cowboys and Indians

This month’s cover may strike you as deliciously controversial. In the spirit of Valentines month, surprisingly this is the first gay kiss that we have ever featured on our cover! Furthermore, this passionate kiss is between a cowboy and an Indian, which I see as an extremely powerful portrayal of love and peace between two groups that underwent a bitter struggle in our country’s past.

This is just one of several outrageous paintings by Kent Monkman (see page 8) being featured at Calgary’s own Glenbow Museum until the end of April. Accompanying Monkman at the Glenbow is the work of an award winning multimedia artist, Paul Wong (see page 53), whose video presentation entitled 2 Hot 2 Handle is on display in a special room on the 3rd floor. The presentation features photographs from last year’s ARGRA rodeo in Strathmore.

We attended a reception at the Glenbow, hosted in association with Fairy Tales Film Festival. Wong presented some brutally honest films from his collection of works that he hadn’t previously released, which drew mixed reactions from the audience. One piece featured a computer-generated arrangement of a whole year worth of Wong’s photographs, flashing by at 1000 frames per minute. While the effect was interesting at first, the sheer duration of the hyperactive slideshow left me with a headache, and Steve at the point of feeling nauseous. You see, it’s true that art can make you feel!

Nevertheless, Wong’s installation makes an interesting addition to the Glenbow. The wall leading to the entrance of the presentation room is painted as a rainbow flag, and the presence of photographs from the ARGRA rodeo on display in such a popular mainstream venue is just fantastic – it’s bound to blow a few minds. While I anticipate the Glenbow will receive complaints from those unable to handle such a public acknowledgement of queer history, the fact remains that history is immutable no matter how unpopular some may find it, and it’s wonderful that the Glenbow understands this...and us.

Here We Go Again!

The Calgary Eagle hosted the Western Canadian Leather Sir/Leatherboy contest on the 30th, and GayCalgary was out in full force to cover the event. While Steve took photos, I stayed behind the video camera to make a recording of our local contestants and out of town judges performing certain acts of fetishy intrigue on stage.

If you recall in my column last year, I spoke about how one of the contestants gave himself a razor blade tattoo, and the sight of blood caused me to pass out with a flash fever. This year I was pretty determined not to make an ass of myself in front of the panel of distinguished (and in some cases, downright sexy) leathermen judges; determined to prove I can handle, at the very least, witnessing anything else that is legal to do in a bar.

The fantasy scene for Dakota, the Leather Sir contestant, had him using an army knife to cut the clothes off his boy participant René. He had sliced into René’s jeans and shredded them enough to tear them off completely, when I saw red rivulets down his leg. At first I thought they had just used body paint under the jeans to simulate blood for when they came off...but then I realized the cuts were real, and one was pretty deep. René was a trooper and although this was not planned, they kept going, but I was no longer watching. They finished the scene and treated him for his wounds (he later shrugged off the nine stitches they put in at the hospital as if it was nothing), but I knew I was done for, a ticking timebomb no matter how hard I tried to put the sight of blood out of my mind.

So resigning myself to repeat history, I leaned forward and rested on my knees as I felt my ears start ringing and body go numb. It was an awful buzzing sensation and I kept expecting it to worsen or to feel some sort of sharp pain from my insides, but somehow I remained semi-conscious. Last year I distinctly remember losing track of time, but not so in this instance.

Lady Fawn who was sitting beside me at the time, noticed me in distress and arranged for a bottle of water. She told me, of all the people to pass out in the presence of, the leather crowd was probably the most capable of helping - being equipped to handle “dungeon emergencies” and all. Steve was in town this time, and made sure I didn’t fall off the bench until I had recovered. When the feeling passed, I sat up again and copious amounts of sweat poured down my chest and back. I saw Johnathan, last year’s Leather Sir winner and notorious Calgary Eagle owner, explaining to guest judge, 2009 International Leather Sir, what just happened to me. No doubt this included mention of the same occurrence last year, and they both looked at me with expressions as if to say, “that’s so cute!” So once again the big tough important leathermen think I’m silly and adorable, and I’m at a loss to say whether that is a good or a bad thing.

Speaking of adorable (and changing the subject from my personal humiliations), Edmonton resident Curtis took the title of Leatherboy after a compelling boot-licking fantasy scene, a woofy jock-strap display, and some innocent but cheeky responses during the Q&A period. Curtis recently adopted the bearded bear-look and has been working it with great success. His other half Max, who participated as a judge, I’m certain was very proud of his normally shy hubby.

Dakota got in by a slightly narrower margin, but passed the judging criteria nonetheless. He is an older gentleman who I’ve seen quite frequently at the Eagle for leather events and fetish demonstrations, and is definitely worthy to represent our region in the next phase of the competition. The 2010 Western Canada Leather Sir and Leatherboy go on to compete for the international titles.

Just...no more blood, mmkay? I’m getting light headed all over again just thinking about it.

This Month

There are a couple of exciting things happening this month that you should be aware of:

The Calgary Eagle will be undergoing a makeover in time for their 8th Anniversary. The bar anticipates they will be closed from Sunday the 14th until and including Friday the 19th, but check their website for updates. The Anniversary Party is scheduled for February 20th, so mark your calendar to go down and be among the first to see what has changed.

ARGRA is hosting their annual Sleigh Ride the afternoon of the 27th instead of their monthly dance. There is limited availability so if you want to take part, make sure you book early through their website (www.argra.org). It costs $25 per person, which includes the sleigh ride, hot dogs, hot chocolate, and a cozy bonfire.

Calgary has a new dance party to stir things up. Bad Romance Entertainment has come onto the scene with a special Valentine’s party scheduled for Saturday, February 13th. Read the article on page 40 for more information, and if it sounds like your thing, make sure to get you remember to pick up a BRE membership.