BRIEFS: Hostile takeovers – the Anglican church and straight bars

Anglicans trudge on, gays celebrate second guerrilla gay bar

Gay Anglicans trudge on

Ottawa became the first Anglican diocese to express support for blessing same-sex marriages Oct 13 in the wake of a national meeting in June which put a temporary kibosh on the practice.

The head of the Ottawa diocese, Bishop John Chapman, hinted that he will wait and see how other parts of Canada respond in similar local meetings, or synods, throughout the fall. The Anglican diocese in Montreal will host its annual meeting later in the month.

In June, leaders of the Anglican Church Of Canada voted not to start blessing gay unions nationwide, but instead passed a motion saying the nuptuals did not contravene Anglican core values.

The Canadian decision left the church’s US branch, the Episcopal church, out on a limb for blessing gays. Following the Canadian decision, the US church recanted its support for both anointing queer bishops and blessing same-sex unions.

Guerrilla Gay Fare’s second target: Suite 34

Guerrilla Gay Fare stormed its second target Oct 12. About 250 gays and their pals took over a straight bar, Suite 34 in the Byward Market, for a night of dancing and socializing. Suite 34’s managers brought in extra staff to handle the influx of gays who were asked to identify themselves by wearing white, including drag queen Saphire (right, photo by Bradley Turcotte). Guerrilla Gay Bar outings started in LA to promote queer visibility and to encourage gay-bar owners to make their spaces more fun.

Check out Xtra.ca’s video report on the first Ottawa Guerilla Gay Fare event.

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