Here are some of our top gay news picks from October 20th to October 26th:

Local Vancouver News

• Davie Village aims to grow from gay roots: Vancouver’s Davie Village leaders hope to launch a plan by November that doesn't just celebrate the history of what was once the city’s only “gaybourhood,” but also aims to attract new locals and tourists.
• West End Community Plan (PDF)
• Civility in transit: Are we rude when we drive and ride?: From road rage to texting at the wheel, distractions are eroding behaviour of B.C. residents. Includes a short interview with Julie Lee from Melriches Coffee in the Village.

World News

• Support pours in for gay N.S. man left paralyzed after stabbing: We also recommend donating to help the victim of this attack, Scott Jones.
• The 7th Annual International Day of Action for Trans Depathologization
• Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz Explains 'Gay' To Her Son

Theatre Picks

• NYET: A Cabaret of Concerned Canadians: In May 2013, Russian President Vladimir Putin ushered in new anti-gay legislation that has received public outcry worldwide. Zee Zee enters the conversation with a cabaret of new work by esteemed queer and allied playwrights from across the country. Buy tickets for NYET on October 27th.
• Theatre review: Armstrong’s War is a refreshing take on the war hero genre

Gay / LGBTQ History

• 'Homo History,' Photo Collection Compiled By Jeffrey Gent, Showcases Vintage Shots Of Gay Couples
• Don’t Repeat the Past. Learn Your Gay History: OutHistory tells stories about the queer past, about people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender.  It uncovers histories of same-gender love and of gender crossing in the recent and distant past.

Travel through the silver screen into the world of classic horror movies at this year’s Halloween Ghost Train in Stanley Park.  A fun-for-all-ages adventure on the Stanley Park miniature railway it is sure to sell-out. Through November 2.

Baron von Zumzing’s Traveling Sideshow is a spooky but fun trip through a West End apartment building which helps raise funds for A Loving Spoonful.  October 31.

Fright Nights at Playland return featuring six haunted houses, twelves rides, and the freaky sideshow, The Monsters of Schlock.  Through November 2.

Read More at GayVancouver.net »

Priape, a gay sex shop with locations nationwide (including in the Davie Village), has closed its doors as of October 21st, shortly after it filed for bankruptcy. The chain blamed government restrictions on "popper" sales, a muscle relaxant marketed as leather cleaner that users inhale to get high, though their financial situation is said to be more complicated.

A fixture in gay villages across Canada, Priape has been struggling to keep afloat after Health Canada demanded poppers be taken off shelves with the threat of a 3-year jail sentence and $5000 fine. Although poppers are not illegal in Canada, they are considered a drug, and their sale is regulated by the Food and Drug Act.

Priape was located at 1148 Davie Street and helped provide for the leather and fetish scenes in the Village. It was founded in 1974 by Robert Duchaine and Claude Leblanc. The company employed about sixty people. For now, its online store, which has two employees, remains open.

Update: Priape saved from extinction by new owners in Montreal via Xtra News.

Here are some of our top gay news picks for October 13th to October 19th:

Gay/LGBTQ History

• LGBT History Month: 4 Queer Events On October 18: Get to know your LGBTQ history and learn about some of the historic events that happened in the US on the 18th
• LGBT History Month 2013: 21 Influential Black LGBT Icons
• A Queer History of Fashion: From the Closet to the Catwalk

Vancouver News

• Vancouver: where exotic flair meets seriously dreamy guys: A cute review of the Village and Vancouver as a whole from a tourist perspective
• Straight Surrey man gets savagely beaten twice ‘for being gay’: There is a bit of suspicion around this story that the attack had nothing to do with sexual orientation, but I figured it was worth mentioning

Theatre Picks

• Hedwig and the Angry Inch: One of my favorite live theatre shows and a very powerful performance. The story is about the life of Hedwig, an East German transgender singer
• Theatre Review: Of Mice and Men Aims Straight for the Gut

World News

• Alan Turing Honoured At Awards: 'The Gay Man Who Saved The World'
• French court backs gay marriage
• New Jersey court denies gay-marriage delay

Given there is so much to like about the current Ghost Light Projects production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch it is perhaps ironic that the show opens with the line: “Ladies and gentlemen, whether you like it or not…”.

Told as an extended monologue by Hedwig during one of her concerts, she recounts her metamorphosis from the young East German “slip of a girly-boy” Hansel to the tragic Hedwig who escapes communist rule through a botched sex-change. As she recovers from having been dumped by the G.I. who helped her escape, she forms the band we see tonight and helps to create a rock star out of a shy Christian boy who she renames Tommy Gnosis. Gnosis repays her by stealing her songs and goes on to being wildly-successful; not by accident Gnosis is playing at a sold-out BC Place concert, while Hedwig and her band plays The Cobalt.

Read More at GayVancouver.net »

The Fighting Chance Productions presentation of The Rocky Horror Show may not be perfect, but it is a great deal of fun.

With the stage play now forty years old, the movie version only a couple years younger and with cult following The Rocky Horror Show has garnered over the years, it came as a bit of a surprise that so many Rocky Horror virgins were identified in the audience opening night and subsequently branded with a large “V” on their foreheads in red lipstick.

For those other virgins who are planning on taking in the show, it tells the story of Brad and Janet who stumble upon Dr. Frank N. Furter’s castle looking for help after their car breaks down one stormy night.  The couple happens to have arrived on the same night the pansexual mad scientist unveils his newest creation, the well-built and well-endowed Rocky.  The ensuing hijinks include a number of sexual pairings, the re-murder of the Furter’s former lover Eddie and the discovery that the castle is actually a spaceship which has brought Furter and his minions to earth from their home planet of Transsexual in the galaxy of Transylvania.

Read More at GayVancouver.net »

Today I am proud to launch the official Davie Village website, a central hub for tourism, business and community information. As a Vancouver resident you can keep up to date with recent events and news, find new LGBTQ-friendly businesses around Vancouver, and learn more about our community. As a tourist, you have resources available to you to make the most of your trip.

This website was born out of a need to provide people with information on our lively community. For a long time the Davie Village didn't have a central resource for information, and finding LGBTQ history and news in Vancouver was near-impossible. My goal is to change that with the help and support of the individuals and businesses in this neighborhood.

I sincerely hope you enjoy our new community website. Feel free to contribute, or, if you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to contact me personally. I'd be glad to help you in any way I can.