DJ and producer Matt Effect joins GC’s Steve Polyak for Matt’s first time in town, and they immediately jump into how anal Calgary is... about cleaning. Matt would know, having been to a variety of cities and countries. In fact, he’s moved from Australia to San Diego where he lives now with his new husband.
Matt and Steve cover other differences between countries, namely: gay rights. While some countries are picky about who to give rights to, Matt isn’t picky about what events he’ll do. "I guess I just kind of like to have fun, more than anything," he says.
There is a huge network of people in the gay community making it easy for Matt to promote his business, especially through social media. At the same time, it’s easy to miss people in the masses. He and his husband shared mutual friends for years before they met.
Speaking of which, Steve points out, "...when you actually said his name, you actually had this nice smirk on your face. It was adorable!"
Matt’s quick to say how lucky he is, not only for having the opportunity to marry, but for having found the right person to marry. When asked whether his husband travels with him much, Matt responds, "he go-go dances." Possibly a hint for next year?
Matt and Steve further discuss Calgary. "Everybody’s fun and nice and, just approachable," he says. "Even the hotel staff – and they don’t have to be!"
Hotel staff turn out to be a good indicator of a city’s friendliness. Unfortunately, some are terrible at acceptance. This leads to a heartfelt monologue from Matt. "I think that’s what a lot of people don’t understand: what equality really means. They think it’s just getting married, but it’s the social acceptance, and people realising we are humans."
He points out that while there’s still a ways to go to achieve equality for gay people, there’s even more for trans people to overcome.
Finally, Matt thanks his fans for all the support and words of encouragement. "I’m very fortunate that I get to do something I love and meet some amazing people along the way."
Related Articles
Contributor Ivy Miller |Steve Polyak |
Locale Calgary |
Person DJ Matt Effect |
Topic Celebrity Interview | Celebrity Video Interview | PurePride |
