lgbtq

Portugal in Moving Pictures

Indulge, Love

Is it too late for a #tbt? It’s Thursday, and it’s not so far back, after all… Here is a taste of our delicious Portugal trip. A sweet little movie that captures just the cherry of what it’s like to travel with a lovely lady like Allia (@buttonsmcleod  if you’d like to catch more from her on Insta). Feel free to check out the pictures from each day of our journey here (Day 1-15 of our Portugal journey!). It really is a place that you have to see to believe. Around every turn there was something breathtaking, adorable or hilarious.

I hope that voce gosta muito this little vid. I present: a peek into Portugal, from the perspective of two lesbians in love. Tchau and beijos!

 

Sintra in the Mist, Lisbon and Experimental Film – Portugal day 12

Indulge

It started with croissants and coffee, then an Uber ride to Sintra with a driver who knows the small town, Itumbiara, where I used to live in Brazil, and a ride into the fog-dipped town of Sintra. It was drizzling when we got there and amazing to see what a difference an hour could make, as the fog lifted. Parts of the town had art spaces, deliberately, while others were a little magical all on their own. 


Sunshine and amazing views. 

We took a tuk tuk up to the summit to see Pena Palace and saw a lookout point where all three of Sintra’s castles are visible at once. 

Lots of great, derelict buildings infuse Sintra with a spooky quality. Our guide, Rita, told us she doesn’t go up the mountain at night; Sintra has more than a few ghost stories and legends. 


Taking a break at Lawrence’s Hotel. We also made sure we tried Sintra’s famed pastries, queijadas and travesseiros. Back in Lisbon, after a short train ride we had fig and prosciutto pizza before catching some local art and film.

Cats Amore. Stop Motion by Martha Colburn. At Cais de Sodre. A play on word and reference to the sexy and sordid past of the neighbourhood. A sexual confessional was set up on site. And while ‘Perils of War’ played, people had seven minutes to unburden themselves. Martha introduced some of her lighter films… Which also had trauma and dismemberment, couched in environmental commentary. ‘Fear the vampire’ and ‘my secret shame’ rounded out the program. (Experimental films by Martha Colburn at Cais de Sodre.)

Flying pigs and a world of canned fish. Art in progress at Wozen Studio Gallery. 

Our second last night ended at Tosca Taverna for olives and wine.

Back to Lisbon – Alcantara and Timeout, Day 11 in Portugal 

Indulge

From the Algarves to Lisbon, we have put some miles on this rental car. At our new apartment in Rua da Costa we are cozy, nestled into a new neighbourhood. 

We went to a must- try food and drink hub: Timeout Market   


Met up with an old pal from Toronto and checked out cafe Tati, and an installation at Giv Lowe. 

Gin tasting back at the market and croquettes. 

Then off to Tosca for caipirinhas and good tunes. Later we met up with Jess’ friend, Nuno, who is a guide by day showed us the hidden gems of Lisbon – places we would never have found on our own. From late night food to the history of fado, written on the walls of alleyways, we strolled into the wee hours. So grateful to be here in such good company! Thanks to Jess and Nuno for an amazing inside look at Lisboa!

Lagos, Sagres and Praia da Mareta- the Algarves, Portugal Day 9

Indulge

We started our day in Lagos, to register for surf school, then explored the streets winding down from the main wall of the city to the marina. 

A short car trip took us to another beach near Sagres. 
Praia da Mareta: cliched slice of heaven Home to relax and get ready for surf school tomorrow. Grilling again for dinner and the low point of the night….sleeping with the mosquitos. 

Lisbon – day 3: tuk tuks, sangria and pasteis de Nata 

Indulge

A day of food and sight seeing. 

After walking the heat soaked streets we stopped by pink street for some refreshing Sangria

Pineapple mint rose sangria 


Tuk tuk to Torre de BelemRelaxing with wine and chocolate. Why cans we can’t I get a bottle for 2 Euros at home?

How does this keep happening ? 

This is, apparently, a dinner for two. 
Sol Douro restaurant. The end of day three. 

Lisbon, day 1

Indulge

Fado music. Night to day, out of order, but still a pretty good capture of day one: we ended with late night Fado music at Esquina de Alfama. So animated and authentic; it was recommended by our host at the final apartment we will stay at when we return; we enjoyed a hot pot of fish and shrimp. Mode of travel: we walked the streets, taking in the sights, over 6 k in total – through bairro alto and Alfama. 

To start we enjoyed tuna salgadinhos and pasteis de natal. 

Our hotel. 

A taverna set in a building from the 1700s. Tried some white port. 

What if God was one of us?

Late lunch at Zero Zero, after the indoor market. 

Where it all began: This is going to be a daily ritual. 

Summer to-do: day 17 – take a stand

Open Letters

Make a step towards progress by getting involved in something you believe in. Raising awareness about the homophobic laws in Jamaica and asking for a review of these antiquated laws is a cause I can get behind (especially since it’s my wife’s home country and I haven’t been there yet). 

British laws from the colonial past target gay men, specifically with buggery laws that criminalize gay-ness or gay ‘acts’ (though I doubt any straight people are being arrested for their participation in anal play); these laws can be widely interpreted to catch any act that alludes to a person being non-heterosexual as ‘obscenity’ or indecency. So, tucking your partner’s hair behind their ear, putting on his or her sunscreen, or living together are cause enough to substantiate a claim of ‘homosexuality’ and the attending violence; the result is that LGBTQ people who are victims of violence are seen as criminals and face discrimination from the officers they report to, and even reporting can put them at increased risk because acknowledging that they have been victimized makes them more vulnerable.   
    
   
   
Jamaica has one hell of a track record. When a recent murder, of two known gay men, occurred – the news paper quoted neighbours sneeringly referring to the homicide as a “fish fry.”  People have been stabbed. Raped. Set on fire. Run over multiple times. And police have treated the  victims as the criminals. 

It’s shameful that violence of any kind is supported, especially when the targets are a marginalized group with no legal recourse. Before meaningful change can happen, legislation has to change… To protect victims of violence from behind labelled as criminals. 

Hurricane Bianca world premiere 

Art, Indulge

What’s better than queens, queers and some outstanding cameos from Margaret Cho, Alan Cumming, RuPaul and Rachel Dratch? Not a damn thing. Seeing the premiere of Hurricane Bianca, a campy, colourful revenge comedy was second only to rubbing elbows with the star herself, and some gorgeously glam local folks and celebrity imports. Larger than life, Bianca Del Rio, travelling with her entourage, swept in like a veritable force of nature and she was on. Megawatt. Just an arm’s length away. Above, my wife poses on the carpet with Bianca.

While part of me was thrilled and awed just to see her (and to learn that she is just as witty and biting as she is on tv), the other part remained relieved that I flew under her radar, because one highlight of the film was the scathing shade she throws. And man, does she have an arm.
The premise: Del Rio goes undercover as a high school science teacher, schooling the hicks and homophobes, all while navigating the world of romance and friendship. I discretely reveled in the vicarious joy of her scathing one-liners, leveraged against some very very mean girls. Have I secretly wished I could say similar things to bigots and twerps? My lips are sealed.

An unexpected highlight for me: seeing Xanthippe from The Unbreakable Kimmi Schmidt! She is in Toronto, doing the circuit, for her film, First Girl I Loved, which played in the festival. Make it your mission to check out next year’s festival!   

Sun daze 

Indulge

Gorgeous weather and a day full of plans. Although I’m exhausted from yesterday’s 2 pm- 10:30 pm dance rehearsal, you can’t just stop moving. I tend to do best when I’m busy. 

  • Get ready 
  • Mark some essays 
  • Head to the Inside Out film featival’s Filmmakers’ Brunch
  • Go to a coffee shop to mark
  • Screening of The Same Difference (intros by my lovely wife) 
  • Then costume try on and full run through of my dance company’s show 
  • Sleep?   
  • Ready.     
  • Film fest. Got to meet Nneka, the talented director of today’s film ‘The Same Difference’.    
  • Then it’s off to the studio  
  • Time to dance it out. And the weather, just like yesterday is sweltering. 
  • And who doesn’t like to end the night with tequila at Reposado? With Nneka who is my wife’s new friend – thick as thieves – after an afternoon and evening of fun in the six.   
  • We are so friendly, in fact, that our friends’ pic was used to promote the festival memberships  

everyman

Art, Open Letters

Every coming out story is set in a small town. Whether urban, suburban or remotely rural … When you are dealing with family, the stories we tell, the people who have known us our whole lives and who make up our world, changing how others tell the story of your life, and questions like ‘what will everyone think?’- it doesn’t matter what locality or geography surrounds that experience as much as it matters that it can feel like your whole world is shattering. Your piece of it, big or small, will never feel the same again. I just watched a film and although I will never know what it’s like to live in Oklahoma … I have lived moments of heartbreak like that film.