On Saturday, February 11th, Calgary will be saying goodbye to one of its finest establishments. Club Sapien will be disbanding after nearly two years of operation. As this news began to permeate social media outlets, the queer community was overcome with sadness for reasons very personal to every individual and organization. Club Sapien was a breath of fresh air in our often fractured community.

Mike Gray, Operating Partner at Club Sapien, is one of Calgary’s true visionaries for a greater, safer, and stronger LGBTQA community.  He made a point to take time out of his schedule to talk to GayCalgary Magazine first and foremost, as he has been inundated with media requests due to this announcement. In Mike’s eyes community support is top priority, which is why he chose GayCalgary Magazine as his first media interview.

"This was a very difficult decision," starts Mike. "I have such a strong emotional attachment to the community. The bottom line was the numbers weren’t working to keep the business side of it afloat."

A strong attachment is an understatement. The outpouring of support and sadness filled up Facebook walls like nothing this community has ever seen. When GayCalgary Magazine contacted community leaders that have had the pleasure of working with Mike and Club Sapien, the response was overwhelming.

"Pride Calgary is truly saddened by the loss of Club Sapien. Mike and his staff welcomed the entire community with open arms, worked with and supported local Queer organizations through fundraisers and sponsorships, and above all else, provided a safe space for Calgary's entire LGBTQA community. Pride Calgary would like to express our deepest gratitude to the staff of Club Sapien for enriching the lives of so many, and setting a tremendous example of what community support should be," says Doug Hass, Communications Director of Pride Calgary.

According to Doug, Club Sapien’s contributions were crucial to Pride Calgary’s fundraising, and their putting on the most successful Pride that Calgary has ever seen.

The Miscellaneous Youth Network and Fake Moustache Drag King Troupe, are both devastated by the news. Fake Moustache is one of the sole financial supports of Misc Youth, an instrumental organization for LGBTQA youth.

"From the Misc Youth perspective, Sapien was nothing short of wonderful," states Justine Bonczek of both groups. "They were generous with their space - for example, giving us a show on St Patrick's Day - and always willing to work with our youth groups.  We were only able to start the Sunday portion of Mosaic because we had a space to send the kids."

"Sapien changed their license to fit in with the Fake 'Stache mandate of having youth friendly shows, and built the boys a dressing room. They encouraged other organizations to work with us - such as LesGirls -  and never ever took away our space. The reception that we got from Mike and Sapien was always one of enthusiasm and warmth and its nothing I or the kings will forget. That place was our home."

"There were nights that our shows would run two hours late - the most infamous one being our Awards Night - and Mike not only encouraged us to stay and finish our show on our schedule, but Tim, the resident queen, stayed and helped judge the whole damn thing..."

"Kings have gotten engaged on that stage. Kings have grown as performers on that stage, and most importantly, the community had a safe space to explore gender boundaries on that stage."

"I brought the Mosaic kids to Sapien, never worried that the staff would make them feel unwelcome... I thought I would watch my kids grow up in that bar. I thought I could be there every Sunday, watching our ten year old play pool every week for eight years until he would be eighteen, and then blow everyone away. I thought that I would be able to have more pyjama parties with the Mosaic Youth, which were nights that they had the whole place to themselves and we would watch movies on the projector in our pyjamas. I thought I could bring my kids again and again to Sapien until they knew that there were places in this city they would always be able to find home in. And when you're fourteen, queer, and in a city that can be so unfriendly and unhelpful to LGBTQ youth, home can be so hard to find. I thought I would watch Sapien grow...and that didn't happen."

You might be wondering, with such glowing support from community groups, why did Sapien have to shut its doors? Many different factors determine the success of a business, but nothing more than income. It is often a case of feast or famine.

Mike explains, "We have had a huge amount of supporters I like to call armchair supporters. They support us immensely and appreciated the fact that we are clean and safe. The only problem is that they are telling people this from their armchair at home."

Mike is quick to admit to he made some errors, however. "I do need to acknowledge my mistakes as well and there were definitely a few. I realize that we did something that didn’t work, and I am not laying blame entirely on external factors. We could have recovered if other factors had worked out as well."

As a business person Mike demonstrated integrity to a fault, not wanting to compete with other bars because he believed all could coexist successfully.  This philosophy might have worked if all businesses followed it, but Mike faced some tough and often hostile competition.

"The only way to compete with the other main queer bar in Calgary was to fight dirty," Mike asserts. "I was not willing to do that."

"We always thought that there was room for two large gay bars in Calgary," says Mike. "Unfortunately Twisted didn’t see it this way, and believe that they should be the only large gay bar in the city." Mike points out that this was apparent in many Facebook status updates from the Twisted Element and its staff.

"This made it difficult for us to compete with our own morals in mind. I would often get comments from close, personal friends that Twisted made them feel uncomfortable they were going there, yet they still did. You can’t play both sides and make a stand."

James Demers, another member of Fake Moustache and the Miscellaneous Youth Network, and an outspoken advocate in the community does not mince words when it comes to the Twisted Element, their ethics, and the ultimate closure of Sapien.

"Personally I am disgusted by the actions of the RJ as a gay bar owner. It is disturbing that we tolerate someone in this community who not only lies about his [level of] support of the community but actively seeks to destroy facets of it. Considering the oppression we have overcome as a minority, especially in such a small fractured city I do not understand why the community continues to support a business owner who is rotting it from the inside out. It is this kind of apathy which keeps us from achieving the success of communities like Vancouver and Toronto. Club Sapien was an opportunity and we have squandered it. Hopefully the community will learn from this mistake and we will appreciate the next real community dance club that opens for all of us."

Regardless, the bottom line is that Club Sapien made an attempt to offer something that many had been pleading for, and yet as a community we failed to sustain their basic requirements to continue operating.

"There was and is a very public outcry to Club Sapien closing," explains Mike. "If you are upset, make sure to make a strong decision about supporting and spending money at a viable business that accepts you for you."

Meanwhile, the process of shutting down his business has been a painful one.  One of the most miserable parts for Mike was when he had to break the news to his employees.  "I held my emotions in as long as I could until I told my staff and I realized how strong of an impact it was for them.  ...As someone that has been leaving the queer bar scene in Calgary I have certainly been keeping notes for others that would like to open up a bar of their own."

"Personally, I am very saddened by the closure of Club Sapien," says JT Clode, co-Chair of ARGRA. "[Club Sapien] was the one Dance Club that truly supported the LGBT Community. Now, more than ever, we need to support our friends, the bar owners: Backlot, Texas Lounge, FAB BAR and of course The Calgary Eagle, so that they continue to be successful, because we need them."

"Sapien was an amazing queer community space. They hosted a number of fundraising and community events that I was involved in and was nothing short of spectacular in every way. The loss of Sapien is like losing a good friend and [they] will be sorely missed," says Brianne Langille, Board Member of The Trans Equality Society and the creator of the Calgary Dyke March.

"Club Sapien established themselves as the community's club right from the beginning. When I needed a venue for the Project Blue Sky - It Gets Better Calgary's fundraiser, I knew that's where I wanted to have it. Not only did they say yes when I asked if they would host our event, Mike went to the club early one morning to ensure the pride flag was in place for my photo for the Calgary Herald. DJ Jay Fraid started work early the night of our event to DJ the event, and the rest of the staff took great care of us too. Losing Club Sapien will be a loss for our LGBT community, youth were welcome there until 9:00, unheard of anywhere else," said Morgan Worth, Project Blue Sky.

The organizers of Les Girls – Amanda, Tara, and Julie - also expressed their condolences.  "The ladies of Les Girls are sad to hear about the loss of an establishment in our community that has been a source of great support for many; a place to be yourselves, and always know you're welcome. We are proud to say we were able to hold an extremely successful event there, Mike was not only a great owner to deal with, but is also someone we adore on a personal level.  Tim and the staff went above and beyond to make our event successful, we can't thank them enough for everything they have done for our community and wish them all the best in their future endeavors."

"I'm the female resident DJ for Club Sapien," Dee Patterson (DJ Dopamine) explains.  "First off, I'm so thankful to the club for including the entire community as a whole, including the ‘L’ and ‘T’. Personally it was a way for me to get into the DJ scene as that is incredibly hard to get in to, period, especially in the gay community in Calgary. Mike didn't have to think twice about putting me in the booth. I think it’s an inconceivable loss to the Community. The thing is that we didn't show support to the club, period. Sapien will be missed like crazy and I hope that Calgary learns and that we are blessed to have another [LGBT club] that is as open as Sapien."

"In our experience, Mike was nothing but pleasant to deal with," says Rob Diaz-Marino, Editor of GayCalgary Magazine.  "He refused to get sucked into the politics right from the start, and upheld his integrity and professionalism through some challenging times. Taking the high road was a conscious choice that he made, and it was one that took a lot of strength to stand by. Though this is the end of the road for Club Sapien, Mike and staff can hold their heads high as they move on to future endeavours.  As they say, you can never keep a good man down, and I’m sure he’ll find other ways to continue as a positive force in our community."

Mike, on the other hand, is not convinced that closing his business will necessarily put an end to the ire of his rivals.  "I want to thank so many people but I fear if I do there will be retribution from those that never supported us."

Regardless, he has plans for the immediate future that mean the Club Sapien space is not entirely lost to LGBTQA individuals looking for an alternative hangout. "I would like to announce that I have reached a promotional agreement with one of Calgary’s biggest DJ and music promoters. The Sapien location, after some renovations will be host to a fantastic venue for the greatest DJ performances that Calgary will ever see."

Club Sapien is holding a farewell party this weekend (Fri, Feb 10th and Sat, Feb 11th).  Visit them on Facebook for details.