It’s entirely possible that an early work by the next Atom Egoyan or David Cronenberg will screen on Wednesday night at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. With the 2013 Student Film Showcase featuring the best from post-secondary schools around the country and the Jump Cuts Young Filmmakers Showcase kicking off the evening with Toronto-area high-school students’ films, the night will be a coming-out party for a new crop of talent. Judging by the polished creativity of some of the entries, it’s safe to say that young people are more prepared than ever to start telling stories on film from an early age.

According to CBC’s Chris Boyce, the goal of this weekend’s CBCMusic.ca Festival is twofold. First and foremost, the CBC wants to celebrate Canadian music. Second, it wants to celebrate CBC Music, the broadcaster’s online music service, which launched a little over a year ago.

In 1996, Theatre Columbus premiered playwright Michael O’Brien’s “freely adapted” take on the famous Beaumarchais play The Barber of Seville, which was written in 1775. O’Brien’s version mixed in music from the 1816 opera of the same name by Gioachino Rossini, as well as original tunes by composer John Millard. The adaptation also propelled the story forward a couple centuries, with pop culture references galore. With Theatre Columbus co-founder Leah Cherniak at the helm, the musical ended the season with six Dora Award nominations (it won three) and plenty of critical acclaim.

Seventeen years later, Soulpepper Theatre is remounting this zany reimagination of The Barber of Seville, updated once again by O’Brien, Millard, and Cherniak. But, for some reason—the change in decade, or company, or sense of humour—whatever had made the original so magical, has faded, save for a few key performances.

Note: Some links are not quite safe for work.

Queen West’s “little sex shop that could,” Come As You Are, has avoided what looked to be imminent closure, thanks to the enthusiastic response they received to a public plea for customer support on Facebook, Twitter, and through media outlets across the city. The store raised approximately $55,000 (half from in-store sales, half through their website) since the beginning of its campaign, which included a one-day-only Use It or Lose It Sale and a surprise Tenga Easter Egg Hunt along Queen Street West with the participation of The Gladstone Hotel, Aslan Leather, Fuzz Wax Bar, The Drake Hotel, and Eyesore Video.

“We had a huge response from Toronto and across Canada, as customers we hadn’t heard from in years rallied to the cause,” CAYA worker/owner Sarah Forbes-Roberts told us. “We basically sold all our inventory off with no profit margin, so it was an extremely bold move. It means though we move in to our new fiscal year with money in our bank accounts and a balanced budget going forward. It was what we needed to do to save the business.”

What made the campaign so successful? The resounding support of customers old and new, many of whom were called to action via social media. “Customers were really upset that we were considering closing,” Forbes-Roberts noted. “Social media really helped get the word out and it was—ironically—the best social media campaign we’ve run. Customers can be fairly quiet on social media even though we make a point of using it extensively for everything we do. This time was very different. Folks came out of the woodwork to make it known they love the shop and the social good we do.”

“We’re still nervous, like all small business owners. We’re hoping for good summer traffic, and the good news is there are some new shops opening up around us, including White Squirrel Coffee in the old Peach Berserk space.”

With so much happening quickly, and such an intense focus on filling orders and moving inventory, CAYA’s business owners have yet to meet to decide on next steps. “We’re definitely considering all the options on the table. Many have spoken about us only existing online with no rent to pay, or little rent with a warehouse. However, we are fighting to keep the physical store open. Queen West has come out and said they want us to stay. It gives us an edge that other online competitors don’t have. Also, with the physical store we have a connection with neigbourhood and community that can’t be replicated online.”

Although the co-op risked a great deal by going public with their struggle, the results clearly have been worth it. “We really leave the experience with extremely warm feelings in our hearts,” said Forbes-Roberts. “Toronto saved us!”

2012 Good for Her Feminist Porn Awards
Berkeley Church (315 Queen Street East)
Friday April 20, 9 p.m.
$25 in advance or $30 at the door

Can you be a feminist and enjoy porn? According to female-focused sex shop Good For Her, the answer’s a clear yes (yes, oh, yes!). Channeling American sex educator and former porn actress Annie Sprinkle—”The answer to bad porn isn’t no porn…it’s to try and make better porn!”—they’ve been celebrating “better porn” since 2006.

The longest running celebration of erotica focused on women and marginalized people, the Good For Her Feminist Porn Awards marks their seventh year this Friday, at the Berkeley Church. That’s right, feminist porn in church.

Lorraine Hewitt, who works at the store and is co-director of the awards, says the event was created in order to showcase and honour those who are creating ethically-made erotic media with a feminist sensibility. This includes websites, movies, and film shorts. “We wanted to not only celebrate the kind of movies that took into account female viewers, but also to give directors a platform through which to promote their work,” Hewitt told us. “Otherwise, it can be difficult for women coming into our shop to know what they are looking for.”

It’s all about celebrating sex in an authentic, non-aggressive way. Contrary to what people may assume based on the name of the awards program, it’s also about celebrating all genders, not exclusively women. “It’s [about] men as well,” says Hewitt. “It’s also about celebrating other identities, people of colour, people of size, older people, basically those people who are typically not the intended audience.”

In order to be considered for a Feminist Porn Award, a woman had to have had a hand (ahem) in the production, writing, direction, or overall creation of the work; the work must depict genuine female pleasure (active desire and consent, real orgasm, and women taking control of their own fantasy); and it must expand the boundaries of sexual representation on film and challenge stereotypes that are often found in mainstream porn, particularly those of an ethnic or ageist nature.

“Marginalized groups tend to get misrepresented in mainstream porn,” explains Hewitt. “Black woman called GhettoBootie12, older women depicted as cougars instead of well-rounded females who just enjoy sex, and people of size portrayed as grotesque or fetishized.”

Hewitt also points out the the names of many porn movies tend to turn people off—though a quick browse of the nominees suggests that while you can take the bigotry out of the porn, it’s not so easy to shed the cheesy monikers. This year’s titles include: Babes in Bondage 4; Brunch Bunch: Queerly SF; Live Nerd Girls; Mommy Is Coming; and FUCKSTYLES (of the queer and famous).

In all, there are 40 nominees under consideration for categories that range from Sexiest Straight Film to Most Deliciously Diverse Cast. Open to the public, attendees at the awards show can expect a lot of spectacle, from the night’s performances to the guests who arrive in anything from ballgowns to leather, according to Hewitt. Hosts and performers include Elvira Kurt, an award-winning Canadian stand-up comic and Second City veteran; Ryan G. Hinds, a Toronto-based actor, singer, dancer, and writer; Coco La Creme, a burlesque performer; and Olive-Or-Oliver, an award-winning transgendered burlesque performer, drag queen, hoop dancer, performance artist, playwright, go-go dancer, model, photographer, and soon-to-be video artist. DJ Sigourney Beaver (get it?) and Ill Na Na dance trope will also be performing. Plus, of course, clips of the nominated films.

“The event is open to everyone and it exposes people to things that they may have never known existed,” says Hewitt. “So if you are looking for something different to do it is definitely worth checking out.”

Once upon a time, Jansen was actually rather squeamish herself. “When I was younger, I was not very comfortable with my body or sex at all,” she says. “After I was dumped because I couldn’t have an orgasm, I decided to it was time to start learning about sex.” A friend gave her a vibrator, which, after she found success with it, Jansen says cemented her desire to educate herself.
The possibility of sharing her newfound sexual knowledge, however, didn’t occur to Jansen until she presented her sister with some sex toys as a bridal shower gift. “It was after she had opened all her salad bowls and wine glasses, and all of her friends freaked out—remember, this was 16 years ago!” recalls Jansen, laughing. “They all said, ‘What is that thing, and where do you stick it?’” When she explained their function and purpose, the women were impressed with her relaxed demeanor. “They said, ‘Wow, you are so comfortable talking about sex! You should do workshops.’ I realized then that women wanted a comfortable place to learn about these things.”

In the 14 years that Good For Her has been open, how has the industry changed?
Toys have totally evolved in the last 14 years. What you used to get was mainly latex toys, which were of a poor quality and all shaped like penises. Now you have a whole industry where there are options that are eco-friendly, rechargeable, body-friendly, and made of silicone. Now manufacturers recognize that some customers want something pretty, because women are starting to buy sex toys for themselves. They are now making purchasing decisions, rather than waiting for the toys to be given to them by their boyfriend or as a gag gift. Now, as women have more social and economic power, we’re also gaining sexual agency and freedom.
What were the initial challenges of owning and operating your own small business in Toronto?
The challenges that everyone has: wondering if people will walk through the door, hiring staff, finding enough hours in the day to do everything. You have to deal with customers, inventory, build a marketing strategy, know about finances, deal with the media, etc. You’re just juggling all kinds of things. I have a bachelor of commerce degree, which helped me a little bit, but I wouldn’t say that you come out of a business degree really knowing how to own a small business.
A big thing is accepting that there are things that you are good at and others that you aren’t so good at, and learning to delegate. I’ve been very lucky; the staff are all great, fabulous people. When I’m out, people always tell me that the staff are so helpful and professional, and it’s the staff who are there every day dealing with the customers, while I’m running around doing other things. They really make it such a great place.

Were workshops always a part of the model for Good For Her? What are some of your favourites?
Workshops were always a part of the store. My passion was always teaching, and it gives me the opportunity to do different types of things and have an educative moment with a customer. There are a lot of workshops that I really like for various reasons. What really feeds me are the ones where people discover something about themselves; not only might they learn how something works on their clitoris or penis, but they sometimes learn something new about themselves or their partner. One example is our Erotic Massage for Couples workshop, where people get to connect. By the end of the workshop there’s a whole new level of understanding in the partnership [about] how to explore each other, and a renewed passion and commitment. I always feel really energized after that one.
Your store also started the Feminist Porn Awards. Where did the inspiration for that series come from?
Just like how toys have really evolved, so have DVDs and films. Now it’s much easier to make films; it’s still expensive, but more people are getting behind the camera—women, trans people—and it’s not an exclusive club anymore. And now women are saying that they get off on porn and that they want porn. So porn is now made by women and people of marginalized communities and made for those groups. Originally it was thought that porn couldn’t be feminist and ethical, or that if it was, it had to be boring. Like feminist porn would be just kissing, with no one getting on top of each other. But now people realize that it can be hot!
We wanted to honour the people who make these kinds of videos, so we planned an event at the Gladstone called Vixens and Visionaries. Afterward people said that they had a lot of fun and wanted us to do it again, so it became the Good for Her Feminist Porn Awards. Six years later, it’s still going. It allows us to showcase and promote movies that are doing something a little different, so people don’t have to wade through the thousands of adult films that are made every year just to find what they want.

What are some common misconceptions you hear about Good For Her?
Because the name of the store is Good For Her and because we have women and trans hours (on Sundays), some people get the impression that we are all man-hating lesbians. But we love men! It’s not that men are bad; it’s just because of the society we live in and the way women are sexualized, some women will come into the store and wait until a man leaves, even if he’s not paying any attention to her. But I have met such fabulous men who really understand that, yes, this is important, and that women and trans people need a space where they feel comfortable. We love the men who come into the store, and we are currently getting more products for “him.”
Also, a lot of people think you have to be 18 to come in, but you can come in at any age. People can bring their kids in—we have a basket of toys. You can’t rent porn if you are under 18, but can buy a vibrator, ask questions, get condoms and lube, and talk to us. A lot of adult stores are 18+ but we aren’t, partially because we don’t have images of naked women all over the store. We have a high school across the street from us, and when the kids actually work up the nerve to come in, they find it kind of boring!
What’s the best advice you have for Torontonians about sex?
That good sex takes a little bit of effort. I think we minimize how much sex is a skill. Some people think that it should be natural, that people should just fall in love and have fabulous orgasms for the rest of their lives, and that’s just not the case for most people. If you want to have a really good sex life, it takes a little bit of work. And it’s not about how many positions you get into and how many toys you have or how many places around the world you’ve had sex. It’s hard, just like discussing finances or chores with your partner can be hard. But I think most people would find that if you put a bit of work into it, you reap huge benefits.
Photos by Joel Charlebois/Torontoist.

Detail of a photo of Robert Lepage. Photo by Érick Labbé and courtesy of the Sony Centre.

Eonnagata lives between worlds: half theatre and half dance, part French and part kabuki, its main character a sword-wielding diplomat who lived life by turns as a man and as a woman.
Eonnagata tells the story of Charles de Beaumont, Chevalier d’Éon, who represented Louis XV in the Russian and English courts in the eighteenth century. A member of the French king’s secret network of spies, Beaumont’s sex was a source of speculation for decades; an autopsy ultimately confirmed that Beaumont was biologically male. Despite diplomatic and military successes, Beaumont died poverty-stricken, shunned by his old colleagues and unwelcome in the French court.
All very sexy stuff, narratively speaking.

Eonnagata, unfortunately, is a bit less so.
It’s compelling and highly accomplished, a hybrid of forms that tells a fascinating story in an appropriately innovative way. The performance piece is a collaboration between three accomplished artists: theatrical master Lepage, dancer Sylvie Guillem, and choreographer Russell Maliphant, who created the piece and are its sole performers. They have put tremendous thought into the staging of Beaumont’s story, and they have managed to create an episodic, fragmented narrative that evokes the disjointedness of living a life as dislocated as he did.
In addition to the three principals, lighting designer Michael Hulls did brilliant work, adding nuance and tremendous depth to the spare stage. The late Alexander McQueen designed the costumes; they too add layers of meaning and undeniable beauty. (It’s a rare mind that can conceive of throwing a net over a character and have them climb up into it so it becomes a skirt, a stiff crinoline that is both a cage and a chosen identity.) Guillem’s lines are lovely, and the central dance sequences were riveting. One in particular was stunning, during which the performers climbed through and over and across a table that, stood on its side, was revealed to have a mirror for its top—reflecting the performers’ movements while encapsulating ideas of identity, representation, and duality.
But though this made for a captivating performance, Eonnagata is somehow a little bloodless, too much head and too little gut. We wished for more showing and less telling: too many narrative asides told Beaumont’s story in a literal play-by-play, rather than allowing events—not to mention emotions—to flow from the character and the action on stage directly. At times the piece felt overly mannered, a little too attached to its own conventions to allow Beaumont to come fully to life.
Eonnagata is one of those rare pieces that stays with you—there’s a lot to mull over and a lot of meaning to tease out. It’s certainly worth seeing, and it’ll certainly change how we experience other performance pieces in future. It’s just that Eonnagata left us caring more about the show—its techniques and approaches and craftsmanship—than it did about the character it portrayed.
The second and final performance of Eonnagata is tonight at the Sony Centre.

Transgendered people have a gender conflict between brain and body—the characteristic “trapped in the body of another”—and some may even feel that their gender isn’t a binary male or female, but falls on a continuum between the sexes. It’s an oversimplification, but transmen and transwomen tend to feel much more comfortable when living a closer approximation to how they feel inside, even if it potentially subjects them to ignorance, ridicule, and violence from society at large. With transkids, who require adults to make decisions for them, questions arise of how to treat gender conflict at such an early age, or even if it requires treatment at all.

Bradley’s mother had noticed his attraction to all things feminine beginning at the age of 2½. The tipping point came one day when, under the care of a sitter, he returned home bleeding from the playground, having been attacked by two 10-year-old boys for playing with a Barbie doll. His mother was referred to Dr. Ken Zucker, a controversial “reparative” therapist who has extensively worked with transgendered kids and who subsequently evaluated Bradley over a few months, resulting in a clinical diagnosis of Gender Identity Disorder.
Dr. Zucker’s suggested treatment for GID is problematic and harsh: Bradley, now almost six, would not only be denied access to girls’ toys or be allowed to pretend he was female, but wouldn’t even be allowed to play with girls. His favourite toys were dolls, which his mother was instructed to confiscate. When he drew rainbow-coloured pictures of princesses, he was told to draw boys instead. Dr. Zucker warned Bradley’s mother that her son would be rejected by both male and female peer groups as he grew older if he wasn’t made to feel comfortable with his born biological gender.
The ultimate goal, both by Dr. Zucker and Bradley’s family, is obviously well-meaning: to help prevent the boy from becoming a societal outcast. The side effects, however, are that the individual is taught to fear his or her feelings, and that he or she must fight against what comes naturally, seemingly at the expense of that child’s happiness and to the benefit of everyone else’s comfort. Which then raises the question of what society finds more alarming—a kid who wishes to live quietly as the opposite gender, or 10-year-olds dishing out bloody street justice in a playground? Given the choice between the two, most parents would likely prefer their child to be the violent playground thug.

Meanwhile, Jonah was exhibiting many of the same interests as Bradley, finding much more interest in everything feminine, and self-identifying as a girl. Jonah’s family was just as torn as Bradley’s, daunted and terrified by their son’s behaviour, with no parenting frame of reference to tackle this challenge. Enter gender specialist Dr. Diana Ehrensaft, who has treated about sixty families with transkids and doesn’t see gender conflict as a negative dysfunction. Ehrensaft believes that if Jonah isn’t exhibiting anxiety or depression, there is currently no need for therapy, and that coercive treatment can be ineffective and counterproductive in the same way that she believes reparative therapy is damaging for homosexuals (the American Psychiatric Association, among other credible organizations, feels that conversion therapies for gay people are unethical, and that homosexuality is merely a variant of human behaviour, not a pathology).
Jonah is now known as Jona, and is referred to by her parents in the feminine pronoun. Her parents say she is comfortable, happy, and flourishing.
Ehrensaft also doesn’t take a transgender diagnosis lightly, saying that it must be done very, very carefully, but that intergendered children are sometimes a naturally-ocurring reality and exactly what that means is highly variable. Dr. Zucker disagrees, believing a child’s desire to live as the opposite biological sex to be akin to a Black child believing himself to be White—in other words, a treatable mental dysmorphia. With about eighty kids on the assessment waiting list for his Toronto clinic, Zucker obviously isn’t the only one who feels that gender conflict is a potentially curable disorder.

Unsurprisingly, Bradley’s therapy seems to be failing. When male toys were substituted for his Barbies and Polly Pockets, he chose not to play at all. According to his mother, he’s withdrawn and emotional, and finding it difficult to resist girls’ toys and especially the colour pink. Zucker’s view is that it could be even tougher for Bradley to live in society as the opposite gender than it might be for him to attempt to continue life as a male. Status quo, boy rules, girl rules.
Granted, nobody is claiming that life for an openly transgendered person is easy. Discrimination in the job market is rampant, and the transgendered are an easy target of mockery, spectacle, sexual fetish, and alienation, and are also frequent victims of violence. Yet, gender identity is so ingrained and important that transgendered people are often willing to accept this fallout in order to have parity between mind and body.
Many experts are now beginning to believe that allowing this identity to form early in a supportive environment could dodge much of the societal anxiety that comes with an intergendered identity. People like Zucker think it merely creates more transgendered people where there otherwise wouldn’t be as many, and because society doesn’t readily accept it, it’s a peg that therefore must be tamped down as soon as possible. This dangerous view also effectively normalizes the aforementioned schoolyard bullying, whilst demonizing gender-dissonant toys and innocent role play. If impulses can’t be smothered or denied, ostracism, mockery, and violence ultimately become part of the “treatment.”
A child exhibiting transgendered characteristics is obviously a tough challenge, and well-intentioned parents are torn between multiple ideologies and disparate research. In addition, parents might have an inconclusively defined understanding between which behaviour could indicate transgenderism and which is just the normal flux of a growing, curious mind.
The urge to protect one’s child from the challenges of society are strong, but so is the hope for that child’s happiness and positive self-esteem. As in the NPR broadcast, however, two different treatments have two different results: one is resulting in a thriving child and a redefined understanding for her family; the other fosters a withering boy who doesn’t want to be a boy, living a confused, tortured childhood. Which seems healthier?
Middle photos by Marc Lostracco; bottom photo by fffriendly.

Ten years after the debut of The Vagina Monologues, many people are still uncomfortable saying the word “vagina.” Why do you think this is?
We live in a society that instills shame in our girls from a very early age, teaching them how that part of their bodies is something to be shrouded in secrecy—rather than it being something sacred and an intrinsic part of who they are. You hear people telling their little daughters not to let people touch them in the “bad” place or the “naughty” place, which suggests (intentionally or not) that it’s the place that’s bad instead of the touching.
What effect has Eve Ensler’s flagship work had since its debut?
V-Day has created safe houses for women in war zones, including Africa and the Middle East, provided funding for the continued operation of thousands of shelters for battered women around the world, fought for the legal equality of women in oppressive nations, fought for an end to female genital mutilation, and, through the beauty of art, has given voice to the story of womanhood around the planet.
Do you find that many women still have trouble dealing with issues related to their health and sexuality?
Definitely. There are women who, depending on where they live, don’t even know that they have rights where their body is concerned. Their body belongs to their husband, parents, village, etc. But also, right here, are women who don’t feel comfortable talking to their parents—even their spouses—or turning to people who can answer their questions. They don’t mature into sexually healthy women because they’ve suppressed their feelings and been denied advice and information that could help them make better choices. Often the unhealthiness manifests itself as either extreme repression or promiscuity.
Though we all have women close to us who have been survivors of violence (whether we know about it or not), do we also tend to forget the situation of women in the rest of the world?
I think that most people are aware of the fact that there are atrocities committed against women in other parts of the world. It’s easy, though, to see it as something removed from one’s own life, especially when there are horrible things also happening here. The difference though is that in many parts of the world, the laws don’t even exist to protect the women. At least here if the violence is revealed, there is recourse. There are places where it’s ignored, and others where it is sanctioned. Imagine being abused regularly and knowing that there is no calling the police, because what’s being done to you isn’t a crime.
What does The Vagina Monologues offer the men in the audience, and how do you answer their potential claim that it’s “not for me”?
I think TVM can help any man who has a woman in his life who he loves to understand her better, be it his wife or sister or mom or friend. You can’t say that it’s “not for me” unless you’re also willing to say that gaining insight into stories of women’s lives isn’t for you too. There are two genders on this planet and we need to love and understand each other for humanity to continue.
You’re personally very vocal about honouring the presence of good men, and Ensler also includes men as victims of the culture of violence.
It is so important to me that honouring women never dishonours men. Men are beautiful and they are our brothers. Some, unfortunately, behave in ways that are an affront not only to women but to other men as well. A good man, to me, is one who is always mindful of how all that he is affects other people and strives to never be an instrument of pain. A good man using his voice to lift others up, not push them down. He sees his strength as a gift he can use to help his life and those of others. A good man aims to be haven, not a weapon.
You organize V-Day activities in Toronto—why is this movement so personal to you?
I was sexually assaulted as the age of nineteen, and years later was a Crisis Line Counsellor at the Toronto Rape Crisis Centre. I have heard so many stories that would make your blood run cold, and have travelled my own journey, and it’s definitely made me a more empathetic and more introspective person.
Women who have been abused often feel trapped and embarrassed, holding their crisis as a secret. What is necessary for the resolution process?
First and foremost, it’s the honest belief—and not just the logical understanding—that they are not to blame for what’s happened to them. So many women take the guilt onto themselves, either because they’re made to feel that it’s something lacking in them that justifies the abuse, or they can’t bear to face the reality that their power was taken from them. That’s especially true when the abuser is someone they love or someone they chose to be with. They question their judgement—their sanity even—and are terrified of being judged or seen as damaged if they reveal what has happened to them.
Eve Ensler personally invited you to represent Toronto—and Canada!—in New Orleans this year. What was it like to get that news?
That was one of the most emotional moments of my life. I am so in love with V-Day but it is the work of so many people, and I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t had an amazing experience as an actor in the show before I took over as Producer/Director. So I see it as a tip of the hat to everyone who has played a role in V-Day Toronto, not just now, and brought it to a place where I and the whole team are so fiercely passionate about keeping it great. Going to New Orleans is a thrill—being chosen by Eve to represent this movement there is just a tad mind-blowing to me. I can’t wait to meet some of the women of New Orleans who are brave and beautiful and battling on.
What’s next for you this year?
I will be in the cast of a new show, Me So Lovely, in August. It’s a new work around the theme of body image. I’ve also been approached about directing another show and am reading the script, and I’m job hunting right now! I work for a great company but feel that something new is around the corner. My soul is just very full right now and it needs to find somewhere where it can overflow. I’ve barely started.