You won’t go wrong by starting with Little Sister’s Book and Art Emporium (1238 Davie Street, West End, 604-669-1753), Davie Street being a commercial and historic hub of the city’s sizable gay community. In the 198os, Little Sister’s founder Janine Fuller launched an anti-censorship battle that culminated in 2000 in a six-to-three ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada favoring Little Sister’s. The court placed the onus on Canada Customs to prove that reading ma-terial is obscene before refusing it entry into the country. For docu¬ments and details on the lengthy saga, go to www.lsisters.com.
Little Sister’s is also a mini-department store with a strong book and periodicals section, cards, videos, T-shirts, bumper stickers, leather, and whatever. It sells tickets for gay harbor cruises, plays, music ( including concerts by noted gay choirs), and the events of Vancouver Pride Week (www.vanpride.bc.ca) and the Queer Film Festival, both held in early August and culminating in a major parade.
Like similar events across the continent, the parade draws as many as 200,000 watchers. A few snapshots: I remember a weary Bo-Peep and her companion lamb limping home on the seawall, and scantily clad sailors packing up the sound system on a flatbed truck. Little Sister’s employee Mark Macdonald recalls the elderly West End gals who liked to hang from their apartment balconies and cheer on the craziness.
The Gay & Lesbian Centre (1170 Bute Street, West End, 604-660-949) is the place to meet people and get involved in the local gay scene, Macdonald says. Here you’ll find listings of events and team sports that range from slow-pitch softball to water polo. You can also refer to the brochure Little Sister’s Guide to Vancouver for dozens of bars, eateries, pool halls, galleries, and saunas that particularly support a gay clientele.
Macdonald notes Meiriches Coffee & Tea House, next door to Little Sister’s (1244 Davie Street, 604-689-5282), with a sun-blessed patio in back.
The upstairs Oasis (1240 Thurlow Street, West End, 604-685-1724) is a nicely appointed pub and restaurant, with great al fresco dining.
Other popular pubs with food include the spacious indoor-outdoor Fountainhead Pub (1025 Davie Street, West End, 604-687-2222) and Pumpjack (1167 Davie Street, West End, 604-685-3417).
For disco dancing and drag, it’s Numbers (1042 Davie Street, West End, 604-685-4077). For candlelit dining in an “early bordello” room ofvelvet banquettes and Art Deco wall sconces, head to the one and only Delilah’s (1739 Comox Street, West End, 604-687-3424).
At the racier end of the gay-life spectrum — definitely “fringe,” says Macdonald — check out Mack’s Leathers (1043 Granville Street, Downtown, 604-688-6225), which also does body piercing.
Gay-friendly accommodation includes Nelson House (977 Broughton Street, West End, 604-684-9793) and the West End Guest House (1362 Haro Street, 604-681-2889).
Little Sister’s publishes an annual Gay and Lesbian Business Association Directory (www.glba.org). For really up-to-date happenings, pick up a copy of Xtra West, the community’s weekly newspaper.
|
