Tout d’abord merci d’avoir accepté l’invitation de PositiveLite.com de participer à notre série d’entrevues.

Nathalie Nadon, comedienne/chanteuse/auteure/ créatrice extraordinaire et maintenant directrice artistique de la Franco Pride prend quelques minutes avec nous pour nous parler de la première édition de la Franco Pride à Toronto.

Tu est trop gentil! J’avoue que quand tu travailles avec des gens extraordinaires pour accomplir des choses extraordinaires pour ta communauté, il faut que tu sois toi-même un peu extra! (sourire)

C’est très excitant! Peux-tu nous parler de l’évènement? Quand? Où? Comment?

La première édition de la Franco Pride aura au George Hislop Parkette (entre Charles et Isabella) le samedi 2 juillet de 14h à 23h.



Qui organise l’évènement? Est-ce un organisme en particulier ou un effort collectif.

Grâce à l’initiative de l’organisme GLBTTQ FrancoQueer, les francophones et francophiles auront pour la première fois cette année un volet 100% francophone lors de Pride Toronto 2011. Le temps d’une journée, les organismes, commerçants et artistes francophones du grand Toronto s’allient pour créer un village francophone où la diversité est célébrée dans toutes ses couleurs. Cette initiative est le fruit d’un partenariat entre FrancoQueer et Pride Toronto et qui veut assurer un rayonnement adéquat des communautés GLBTTQ francophones et de leurs alliés durant Pride Toronto. ENSEMBLES, FIERS DE NOTRE DIVERSITÉ ET DE NOTRE COMMUNAUTÉ.

Je ne suis pas francophone, plutôt un francophile. Je sais que ça peut sonner un peu étrange pour ceux qui ne connaissent pas l’expression mais un francophile est quelqu’un qui apprécie la langue française et la dualité linguistique de notre pays. Est-ce que les francophiles comme moi ou les anglophones auront leur place à la Franco Pride?

But of course mon chéri! Gardez en tête qu’à la foire communautaire, les employés et bénévoles des différents organismes francophones sans quand même bilingue. Ils pourront donc répondre à toutes vos questions en anglais sur leurs services en français. Nous aurons aussi une série de spectacles qui débutera à 14h. Un artiste sera en performance à chaque heure sur l’heure. Musique, rap, danse il y aura de tout pour tous les goûts.

Je suis mariée avec un anglophone qui est maintenant francophile comme toi et qui un francophone en devenir! Je suis donc très bien placée pour comprendre l’importance du bilinguisme dans un évènement comme le nôtre afin d’allier les deux cultures. Croyez-moi, dès que vous aurez mis le pied dans le village francophone, vous ne voudrez plus y en sortir!

Parle-moi des artistes qui participeront à la programmation. Il va dire, juste d’avoir Nathalie Nadon impliquée dans l’évènement serait suffisant pour attirer des FOULES mais je suis certain que tu as d’autres artistes d’envergure à nous présenter?

Dès 13h, une table bricolage sera installée pour les artistes en herbes et leurs parents. Un maquilleur sera place pour décorer les visages des enfants et les joues des parents. Les spectacles débuteront à 14h avec le jeune rappeur Clément Vianney Moudiongui- Beatbox et rythmes endiablés suivit du Concours Découvertes de la Franco Pride à 15h. Ce concours mettra en vedette les gagnants 2010-2011 du concours Découvertes COFRD (Oshawa). Une bourse d'étude sera remise au gagnant du concours. Les finalistes sont âgés entre 13 et 17 ans.

À compter de 16h, une programmation pour adultes débutera avec Franklyne- chansonnière gypsie, Danses du monde à 17h et un spectacle présenté par Fierté Montréal mettant en vedette les Drag Queen québécoises Miss Butterfly et Franky Dee à 18h.

Lorsque vous mettez ensemble un trio vocal coloré, une Drag Queen sensuelle et un jeune artiste de la relève, vous avez, comme on dit en français, un délicieux ménage à trois! Pride à la French sera plus sexy que jamais avec le trio vocal de l'heure Les Chiclettes et leurs solides harmonies et pas de danse complètement swing.

Michel Dorion, Drag Queen extraordinaire (dont la réputation n'est plus à faire!) et le talentueux Louis-Philippe Deslauriers, vedette de théâtre musical. Ce savoureux ménage à trois vous donnera l'envie de partager votre langue encore plus que jamais!

Ménage à trois- Pride à la French est présenté par Pride¸en collaboration avec FrancoQueer et animé par Michel Bénac, animateur vedette de la nouvelle émission Vendredi, tout est permis! présenté à Radio-Canada cet été.

À compter de 20h, défileront sur la scène du village francophone, le duo jazz Clayton/Dionne (Bernard Dionne et Samantha Clayton) suivit du groupe de théâtre musical La vie bohème. L'artiste québécois Clément Jacques terminera la soirée à 21h15 avec un spectacle qui vous fera entrer dans son univers folk acoustique où se côtoient espoir et mélancolie.

• Que doit-on surveillez à la Franco Pride?

Comme c’est notre première année, je dirais tout! Mais surtout le concept du village francophone créer de toute pièce par Marcel Grimard et l’artiste visuel Jason Brown. Je crois que le gens seront étonnés par le talent et la diversité qui règne dans la communauté francophone de Toronto.

• Est-ce que la Franco Pride deviendra un festival annuel?
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• Je l’espère bien et c’est que nous souhaitons accomplir avec l’aide de Pride Toronto et de Patrimoine canadien. Nous souhaitons revenir d’année en année avec la Franco Pride, surtout avec la World Pride 2014 à nos portes. De là l’importance de la participation et du soutien de tes lecteurs à cette première édition de la Franco Pride.

Merci encour pour nous renseigner de toutes les activités de Franco Pride qui sera un grand success. J'ai hâte de voir tous les spectacles que vous y avez organiser.

First thank you so much for agreeing to part of PositiveLite.com's Pride interview series

Nathalie Nadon, performer extraordinaire, and now Franco Pride organizer has taken a few minutes to chat about this first ever event taking place within Toronto Pride.

You are too kind! I guess when you are working with extraordinary people to acheive extraordinary things for your community, you kind of have to be super extra yourself!(GRIN)

This is very exciting! Can you tell me more about the event? When does it begin, and where will it be located?

On July 2nd, from 2pm to 11pm at George Hislop Parkette (between Charles and Isabella) French associations, vendors and artists will join forces to present a programme reflecting the richness and diversity of the French community of Toronto.

Who is organizing this event, is it just one organization or is it a collective effort?

French Toronto based GLBTTQ's FrancoQueer is launching the first Franco Pride in collaboration with Pride Toronto with the financial support of Heritage Canada. I have to say, if you want something done around here, get the staff and volunteers at FrancoQueer to rally up and you will get some fantastic results, like Franco Pride.

I'm not a francophone, more like a Francophile. I know it always sounds dirty to someone who doesn't know what it means. It's better explain as someone who appreciates French language and the dual linguistic nature of our country. Would us anglo French speakers, even if not perfect, would we be able to come in and join the festivities?

Mais oui, oui mon chéri!! We will have a French community fair but keep in mind that all the staff from various French associations in Toronto are bilingual so they will be able to answer your questions in English. Also, we will have a concert series starting at 2pm on the hour every hour! Music, dance, rap, Drag Queens it will be a great way for anglophones to get a taste of the Francophone culture in Toronto.

I am married to an anglophone who is now a francophile and a francophone in the making! So I know first hand how important it is to include the other culture and language of Canada to make our event a success! Trust me, you won't want to leave le village francophone once you are in!

Tell me about the performers, of which you will be one. Need I really say more, Nathalie Nadon is enough reason to come to Franco Pride, but let's talk about some of the other fabulous performers you have lined up. Anything else we should look out for at Franco Pride?

Starting at 2pm, we will have a youth program with make up artists , arts and crafts, Clement Vianney Moudiongui a fantastic French Rap artist and our Concours Découverte to find Toronto's next young talent. A scholarship will be offered to the winner.

From 4pm to 6:30pm, we will have lesbian bohemian singer Franklyne followed by two amazing Montreal Drag Queens Miss Butterfly and Francky Dee. This show is Sponsored by Fierté Montréal.

We also have Pride à la French on the Main Stage from 7pm to 8pm on July 2nd. When you put together a colourful vocal trio, a sexy Drag Queen and a hot newcomer you get what we Francophones like to call, a delicious ménage à trois! Pride à la French will be sexier than ever this year with the award winning vocal trio Les Chiclettes with their solid three part harmonies and sultry dance moves, Michel Dorion, Drag Queen extraordinaire (do we need to say more!) and sweet yet gorgeous Louis-Philippe Deslauriers, musical theatre sensation. This ménage à trois is a blend of musical styles and talent that will inspire you to "french" just a bit more that night!

At 8pm, we go back to George Hislop Parkette for some sexy jazz with Dionne/Clayton duo, La vie Bohème's French musical theatre stars (perharps including moi!) will open for Montréal folk sensation Clément Jacques.

And did I mention all this is FREE!!!

And finally do you think Franco Pride will be an annual event.

That is the goal. We hope that Heritage Canada and Pride Toronto will make this event a recurring event for years to come. In preparation for World Pride 2014, the support and attendance of all your readers is truly important for this first edition.

Thanks so much Nathalie for letting us know about another great first at Pride and our wonderful diversity.

Something very unusual happened to me yesterday. I got a phone call out of the blue from Dr No-Bedside-Manner’s office. (Attentive readers will remember me writing about my experience with Dr NBM here. ) He's my HIV specialist at the Toronto Positive Care Clinic that looks after me.

Actually it was earnest young pharmacist (EYP) placing the call – he works with Dr NBM and had been talking to him - with a suggestion that I drop Truvada from my regime. The reason? It’s potentially contributing to my peripheral neuropathy and also affecting kidney function, according to my blood-work. In fact I have to take THREE drugs to counter side effects of Truvada, which currently brings my HIV arsenal to eight different meds a day. That‘s way too much, in my view.

Anyway, I’ve raised the possibility of dropping Truvada before, but it’s been a no go. Now Dr NBM and EYP seem to have had a change of heart. I’m game of course. Truvada is a drug with an “interesting” profile of side effects, to say the least.  I’d say it’s potnetially far more troublesome than the oft-quoted villain of the drug cabinet, Sustiva.   In any event, I’m happy to flush the things down the toilet – or something. Bye bye Truvada it is.

(Btw, there are blogs/community forums which discuss side effects like this. Here’s one on the Isentress/Truvada combo – I also take Isentress.)  These forums may work well for some people but I must confess I don’t use them – I’m just not that obsessive.

In any event, the other part of that morning’s phone discussion with EYP involved my peripheral neuropathy issues. I’ve been on Gabapentin just one week, and EYP wanted to know how I was doing. I really don’t know the answer, but I think it might just be showing some improvement.  On the other hand, I’m not immune to the placebo effect. The mind is a curious thing. Check back with me in a month and I’ll tell you better how the Gabapentin is working.

But my feet SHOULD be worse. They had their hardest work-out in months this past weekend. I was in Quebec City with my partner and friends and while we took A LOT of cabs, I still ended up walking about 2 km one day. (I have a post on that trip, btw, with a ton of pics, in the works.) Anyway, my feet were pretty raw after that, and I was literally hobbling by the end, but at least I walked 2 km, which is a MAJOR achievement for me.

Trouble is all that hobbling is hard on the body. Your body compensates and you develop achy legs, achy thighs and in my case a truly achy back. Jeez, if it isn’t one thing it’s another.

But the real point I wanted to make is that, back to Dr NBM and EYP, I was bowled over by how proactive they were in phoning me. I mean that clinic is super busy, and these are two busy guys. Amazing really that I’d get a phone call and with a really consultative approach to my options at that.  Score one for the Positive Care Clinic peeps.

You know, people complain about the Canadian Health Service A LOT. Come election time it’s often named as the voting public’s number one issue. But the voting public are more likely than not only casual users of the system. As a HEAVY user of the system ever since I was diagnosed eighteen years ago, I’ve seen some amazing things happen.  Overall, I’d rate the service one gets quite highly. I once, for instance, went to our local hospital emergency when I had fallen flat on my back on ice. I could hardly move. But I was immediately booked in, went through triage, consultation with a doctor, X-ray and another review with the doctor, this time with X-ray results, all in the space of one hour. True, that’s the exception rather than the rule, but we seldom hear stories like this, and I think our health service get an unnecessarily bad rap. There are so many good people working  for us there.  In the case of HIV care, even from the publicly financed Catholic hospitaL I go to (don't ask) my care for the most part has ben respectful, expert and pretty exemplary in every way.  I mean they've kept me alive, for starters.  My GP, a woman doctor I've dealt with for years now, is an angel too.  I’d be interested what other heavy consumers think of the care they erceive, though.

 So those are the latest developments. Will my feet continue to hurt?  What impact wilol dropping Truvada have.  What will Oprah do next?  I’ve considered doing regular posts on these topics,  my experience with peripheral neuropathy in particular because it’s so common in HIVers, and many who are not experiencing symptoms yet may werll do so in time. Plus it’s kind of challenging to treat, and sharing may help. That kind of ongoing coverage sounds like the kind of thing I myself would like to read but could also be seen as incredibly self indulgent. Something to think about, eh?

I've been around for quite a long time.

I started volunteering in 1994, six months after I was diagnosed, about the same time as going on disability with a falling CD4 count, an uncertain future and few options. Seventeen years later I’m still at it. I’ve actually tried to “retire” once or twice but it hasn’t worked out, and right now I’m probably busier than ever.

I sometimes think about why do people volunteer? You’ll hear a variety of explanations centred on themes which ultimately are about altruism, aka trying to make the world a better place. But I’m convinced that many people, and I confess to being one, do it for themselves, do it because it feels good. It makes them/me feel more worthy, more needed, more complete. So in a sense, if you accept my hypotheses, volunteerism, for some of us, is selfish. Which sounds kind of callous, except that putting ourselves first, actively promoting our OWN self-care first, is just as noble an endeavour, I’d argue, as seeing our emotional and physical health secondary to that of others we struggle to assist

If that sounds cynical, I suppose you could make the same argument about charitable donations. Is our motivation to help others or to make ourselves feel good? Whatever, everybody benefits.

So here’s the thing. After many years of both good and bad experiences I’ve rationalized that the volunteerism I choose to engage in – and I’m choosy nowadays - must feel good for me. It must be enjoyable, it must be drama free and it must NEVER stress me out. If any of those criteria are not met, I’ve learned to move on. It’s probably the best lesson I’ve ever learned.

The flip side of this is that everybody wins. Tasks that you enjoy doing wholeheartedly are done better than those you hate or resent doing. It’s that simple.

Let me give you some examples. I’ve served on a variety of boards, chaired one at the local level, sat on the executive of two at the provincial and federal levels. Did I enjoy them? Meh! Even though I have the right skill set – I have a governance/finance background after all - stress and drama can and do raise their ugly heads through no fault of your own. And stress and drama I don’t do well. Thankfully, I’ve developed a keen sense of when it’s time for me to move on.

If I look at the volunteer roles I’ve undertaken over the last seventeen years, you’d probably be surprised at the ones I’ve found to be most rewarding. High on the list would be my very first volunteer stint. I was behind the front desk at ACT (the AIDS Committee of Toronto) , a receptionist who loved what he did. It was so different from what I had been doing in my “real” career and it gave me great personal satisfaction to be able to interact with and help people living with HIV. In other words, it felt very, very good.

You’d have to fast forward fifteen years to find something that fulfilling. 2009 found me as an on-line spokesperson for Ontario’s HIVStigma.com HIV prevention campaign. (My colleague Brian Finch was also featured in the same campaign – it’s how we got to know each other). It really was an amazing experience - super-challenging, but really rewarding, an assignment which combined my passion for working with social media and an interest in HIV social justice issues. In simple terms, it felt really, really good.

Fast forward another couple of years and you find me on PositiveLite, working with the other bloggers to bring you what you see today. Again, it works for me because it’s a combination of things I like doing anyway. Brian Finch is 100% stress free to work with too.

Sometimes I feel like I’m doing my best work ever here. For instance I felt really good about the two humbling interviews I did with Paul Gallegos – the amazing poz activist from California who is @Pauly1999 on Twitter. (You can read those interviews here and here if you haven’t done so already. I’m as proud of them as I was proud of Paul for his advocacy work.)

Should I feel guilty that all the volunteer assignments I’ve mentioned here made me feel good? I don’t think so.

Last night I travelled to Peterborough, to PARN, the local AIDS Service Organization that I’ve been connected with - sometimes loosely, sometimes not - ever since my partner and I moved away from Toronto in 1996. I presented to new volunteers there, helping with their orientation training, and speaking about my experiences as a person living with HIV. It’s not nearly the first time I’ve done this – it’ been something I’ve done off and on for years – and again, it’s something I enjoy. Simply put, it makes me feel good. And that, I maintain is entirely what volunteerism can be all about. Is the experience diminished by those with that motive? I‘d like to think not.

If you volunteer in AIDS work, it’s very helpful, to think – to think hard – about what YOU want out of it. The best volunteer work is that which gives YOU the most satisfaction while being of most benefit to others. There is plenty of that kind of work out there, but to find it means having a clear set of objectives, not to mention a list of places you DON’T want to go. At least that’s my take on it.

What’s yours?

1) Judas (Extended Mix) Lady GaGa

 2) Run The World (Girls) (Relentless vs. Major Lazer Vocal) Beyonce

 3) On The Floor (Relentless vs. Rockwell & Saki Vocal) Jennifer Lopez featuring Pitbull

4) Moment For Life (DJ Klue Remix) Nicki Minaj featuring Drake

 5) Til The World Ends (Remix) Britney Spears featuring Nicki Minaj

 6) S&M (Remix) Rihanna featuring Britney Spears

 7) Where You At? (Dave Aude Remix) Jennifer Hudson

 8) The Time (Dirty Bit) (Relentless' Hyped Re-edit) Black Eyed Peas featuring Bill Medley, Jennifer Warnes & Fatman Scoop

 9) Rolling In The Deep (Jamie XX Remix) Adele

 10) Hello (Sidney Samson Remix) Martin Solveig featuring Dragonette

And my Flashback Track pick is "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-A-Lot. And it was totally amazing to see the reaction when I dropped this track in the middle of my set at my weekly dance party, CLUB LITE at Crews & Tangos every Friday night.

 And here is a link to a free download of one of my latest mixes. 

It’s almost refreshing that in a deluge of sexual adventures that gives the lie to the name "Toronto the Good" HIV is mentioned in Toronto-based fab magazine's gay sex survey only briefly. And that’s good, in a way. Even the experts will likely say that good sexual health does not involve obsessing about condoms, just using them when there’s a need to use them. Because our site is somewhat poz-flavoured, though, I will cover the section on barebacking. But first the fun stuff.

Picking highlights is harder than I thought, given that there’s much to titillate here. Anyway, here are the best bits.

Because this is adult material, and not all our readers want to read what gay guys do in bed – and many much more exotic places if one believes the survey results – the rest of this article MAY NOT BE FOR YOU.

Still with me?  Good! Since we mentioned the best bits, what are gay guys’ favourite body parts? Cocks got the highest rating at 39%. (I'm thinking 100% is more accurate, but more than a few guys like to - ermmm – beat around the bush on questions like this). Anyway, chests were next at 25% and asses ewre not far - ermmm - behind at 14%, faces at 7% and legs at 4% were next.

Tops or bottoms? Only 26% of respondents identify as tops, 50% as bottoms either exclusively or that most “versatile" of words, versatile. Which in plain language usually means they really like to bottom but will top at a pinch. But as one respondent noted “not all of us have anal sex and we still have hot sex lives.” True – oral sex is HIGH on the list of many and places like The Cellar  in Toronto or even more orally inclined, Blow Buddies in San Francisco attest to that.

"Masturbation can be fun" says that song from Hair and gay guys agree.  82% do it because it feels good; only 30% feel it is a habit. Regardless, we seem to do it everywhere – at a dentist’s office, in an ambulance on the way to hospital, during a geography lesson at school are all mentioned. (Nobody mentions in church which is what this writer remembers most as a youngster.)

More blow by blow. Oral sex (giving, receiving and mutual) is the most frequently enjoyed sexual activity for more than 90% of all respondents. Next is hand-jobs at 89% (really?), followed by being rimmed at 78%. Anal sex (bottoming) comes in at 78%.  No mention of inserting gerbils in to one’ s body parts at all! (Don’t knock it until you try it, LOL) Scat play (if you don’t know, don’t ask) thankfully ranked highest in the “won’t go there” department.

I loved the section which chronicles respondent’s best pick up lines. Here’s a sample ”Nice bulge. It would look better with my face on it.” ”Buying a guy a shot and telling him it’s to take the sting off how his ass will feel in the morning."| “I swallow.”  Worst pick-up line, in my book too? “What’s your sign.” Haven’t we all been there?

The bear truth - hirsute or not? 35% of respondents like their men to have some body hair, while 27% prefer them to be meticulously manscaped. 25% like smooth as a baby’s bottom, but only 6% like a complete shave, thank god.

Creative places for sex? Here’s a partial list. Pitcher’s mound at Riverdale Park at 3pm on a weekday (Unlikely).  In a casket a funeral home (equally unlikely). On the ferry to Toronto Island (maybe).  In the same room as my parents while they were sleeping (yuck.). St Peter and Paul Cathedral (holy shit). McDonald’s play place (you’ve got to be kidding).

The bareback section strikes a more serious note. One wishes the questions were more detailed. For example we learn 30% have barebacked many times and 6% always. But, mitigating the risk, is this where both partners were poz, or were they monogamous “neg" partners?   In any event 20% of respondents have never had bareback sex (which strikes me as a crying shame) and 35% have gone without protection a few times (we are human).

Here’s what some respondents said about barebacking: “with a long-term BF: still bad, I know, but we were monogamous and tested.”  ”I know it’s risky but have done it with guys I’ve trusted although this situation shouldn’t be relied on.”  ”Once i was made aware of the risk for sexually transmitted diseases and AIDS I was all “you can’t rock this boat without a raincoat.””   “I am not proud of my bareback experiences; they were all done in moments of weakness.”   ”I became aware that just because someone is younger or clean-cut doesn’t mean they don’t have scaries lurking in their trousers.” ”Made me paranoid for life: 20 years later I still go the doctor for very pimple, bump or freckle, even if I’m celibate.”

Respondents generally are not averse to bareback sex in certain situations. 37% will have bareback sex in a committed relationship (probably not realizing how complicated this can get, particularly as most respondents aren’t big fans of monogamy). 12% will never have bareback sex period, but somewhat worryingly, 12% will in any situation, whatever that means.

So this is a very brief rundown of what’s in the survey. There’s much more on fab’s website.  Despite the words of apprehension regarding bareback sex – and I’m glad we heard them - the overwhelming message is one of a sex-positive, sexually adventurous bunch, game to try (almost) anything. It’s a good empowering read. Go ahead and do it. Then do it.