sebastian white online :: blog archives

About Me

Photos | Writing

Search | Home

Harper's man in Montreal gets booed

All the excitement surrounding the 1st World Outgames is making last week's Gay Games look like a truly blase affair. Case in point: Stephen Harper's spokesman said the P.M. was too busy to attend the opening of the event yesterday in Montreal, so instead he sent his Quebec deputy, Michael Fortier. While Montreal mayor Gerald Tremblay was treated like a celebrity, Fortier's reception was not so gay. According to the Montreal Gazette:

Fortier's remarks were swallowed up in a rising tide of boos which grew even more deafening as much of the crowd began slamming their folding seats up and down. It was not lost on those in attendance that Harper has promised to revisit the issue of same-sex marriage in Parliament."

"Shame! Shame! Shame!" spectators cried, wagging their upraised fingers in unison.

His words lost in the din, Fortier gave up, compelling Tremblay to step to his side. "Please! Montreal is a welcoming and tolerant city. I'm asking you to listen to the representative of the federal government with respect," Tremblay pleaded.

It was no use.

The only applause Fortier got was when he uttered the names of Tewksbury and tennis great Martina Navratilova, who followed him out to read the Declaration of Montreal in English, French and Spanish.

For excellent coverage of the Outgames, check out Outsports.

Posted by Sebastian / Montreal / Sports / July 30, 2006 /

Back to Boston

"I have just returned from Boston. It is the only sane thing to do if you find yourself up there," Fred Allen once famously quipped. Indeed I just returned from four days in Boston but I didn't really want to leave -- everything was perfect! I've been away from the city for a few months now, and changes in that short span are evident everywhere. Building is proceeding at a frenetic pace and new restaurants and shops are popping up everywhere. I thought to myself, 'Boston is becoming a real city.' Yay! More photos here.

Posted by Sebastian / Boston / July 29, 2006 /

Stephen Harper called a bigot: what's new?

It seems Canada's prime minister is a bit too busy to attend the largest LGBT event in world history, the first World Outgames, which official opens tonight in Montreal. Alberta-born singer k.d. lang, who will perform tonight at Olympic Stadium, said yesterday that the P.M. has chosen to "support intolerance" by not attending the Outgames.

"It's a sad statement that the national leader of one of the most progressive countries in the world chooses to support intolerance rather than all-inclusiveness," she said.

"It's a very, very important moment in the GBLT [gay, bisexual, lesbian, transgendered] community's history, as well as Canadian history. It's momentous for Canada."

Harper's spokesman offered up a simple reason for his absence. The prime minister "simply can't be everywhere at the same time," he said.

Posted by Sebastian / Montreal / Sports / July 29, 2006 /

Way gay Montreal

The Gay Games just wrapped up in Chicago but later this week the more interesting 1st World Outgames -- the anti-Gay Games -- will open in Montreal, which the Toronto Star highlights today as one of the gayest places on Earth.

In case you missed the drama surrounding the two competing events, a brief recap: The Gay Games had originally been awarded to Montreal, but the Federation of Gay Games believed the city's spending plans for the event were too extravagant, so they changed course and awarded the games to Chicago instead. In response, Montreal organized decided to stage their own version of the Gay Games.

It turns out the Gay Games shouldn't have messed with Montreal. The Outgames has turned out to be larger than the Gay Games in all areas: spending, number of participants, number of events, and expected number of visitors. It also features something Chicago did not: the International Conference on LGBT Human Rights, which begins in a couple days, and will spotlight attention on the fight for basic rights for the LGBT population throughout the world.

The Toronto Star's piece today on Montreal: "For the past generation, Montreal's culture -- indeed, the culture of the entire province -- has been profoundly imbued by gay and lesbian influence. Indeed, it's tough to think of modern Quebec culture without its enormous gay and lesbian contribution...This is a province, in short, where homosexuality has traded stigma for cachet."

In case you're wondering what this photo is, last Labor Day in Montreal I snapped this shot at a promo event for the Outgames. I also have photos of various aerobic activities, but I have the taste not to put them on the Internet.

Posted by Sebastian / Montreal / Sports / July 23, 2006 /

South Beach

It's not every day I get to see models showing off their stuff, but that's precisely what I've been doing at the swimwear shows at Miami Fashion Week. Before anyone begins to get the mistaken impression that I'm a fashionista, let me set the record straight: I'm certainly not. A friend who helps organize the event dragged a gang of us. Why else would anyone want to go to Florida in the middle of July?

Here are a couple of shots from the weekend: in the first, my friends Chad and Justin look out to sea from the rooftop of the Raleigh Hotel before the VIP after-party began (yes, somehow we managed to become VIPs, thank you very much.). In the second shot, a blurry model struts her stuff at the Lycra show on Saturday night. If you squint you can see actress Tara Reid in the front row.

Below are shots of the Art Deco Delano Hotel on Collins Avenue, and some pebbles just off the main drag on the way to the beach. Though I have publicly professed my disdain for Florida in various forums, I have never dissed on Miami. The city is relatively attractive -- especially in the Art Deco South Beach -- and it's cosmopolitan as any city. It was interesting to talk to locals who have seen major changes in the city over the past decade as Miami has grown into a upscale destination catering to the ultra-rich of Latin America.

Posted by Sebastian / Florida / July 17, 2006 /

92 degrees and 40 percent humidity

I picked the perfect day to go to Miami.

Posted by Sebastian / Florida / July 14, 2006 /

Jocks

Here is proof that I hit the batting cages at the sprawling Chelsea Piers yesterday afternoon with a few friends. We're all still in work clothes because it was a spontaneous outing, but I've discovered my new workout. I loved it there!

Posted by Sebastian / New York City / July 14, 2006 /

In reversal, P'town says straight-bashing taking place

The Globe reports today that out in Provincetown on the tip of Cape Cod, "leaders are holding a public meeting today to air concerns about slurs and bigoted behavior. And this time, they say, it's gay people who are displaying intolerance."

"Police say they logged numerous complaints of straight people being called 'breeders' by gays over the July Fourth holiday weekend. Jamaican workers reported being the target of racial slurs. And a woman was verbally accosted after signing a petition that opposed same-sex marriage, they said."

That said, one police sergeant told the paper, "I don't necessarily view this as a big problem, but it's certainly a blip on our radar screen."

Story: "A New Intolerance Visits Provincetown"

Posted by Sebastian / Boston / July 14, 2006 /

Inevitable?

Last night's collapse of part of the Big Dig in Boston does not look pretty. I used to drive through the new tunnels twice a day, and every time, when I saw the dripping of water from the ceilings and walls I wondered how long the massive tunnel would stay put. Concrete slabs that make up the ceiling fell and crushed a car, killing the driver. This could be a turning point for the over-budget and corruption-plagued Central Artery/Tunnel project. The former head of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority said today, "I will not go into the tunnels with my family. I’d go in alone." The Herald has a great blog on the subject.

Posted by Sebastian / Boston / July 11, 2006 /

Happy Fourth

Hope everyone's near the beach today -- it's the only place to be! The Fourth is probably my favorite holiday. It brings me back to summers spent in North Haven, where the fun and colorful annual community beach party on the Fourth always kicked off the summer season. Being on Fire Island feels similar. Last night as a group of us was walking through the village of Cherry Grove, someone remarked how relaxing islands feel. I'm lucky that I got to spend a major chunk of my childhood on one; now that I'm older I can appreciate the experience so much more than I ever did.

As my idol Sarah McLachlan said once, "I love living by the water. There's a such sense of peace and serenity and understanding of one's place in the world when you're on the water. I couldn't imagine living inland--I'd go crazy."

Posted by Sebastian / New York / July 4, 2006 /

Summer Storm

Last night in Fire Island I sat on the deck of our house forever, waiting to get the perfect lightning shot. This was as close as I got to one. It was about 10 p.m. when I took this shot, but the lightning made it look more like dusk.

Posted by Sebastian / New York / July 3, 2006 /

Fire Island

I've spent the past couple days out in Fire Island and have been having one of the most relaxing vacations ever. This flip-flop carrying shot of my friends Dan and Ethan as we headed to an island party is a great example of the lazy life here.

Posted by Sebastian / New York / July 2, 2006 /

Happy Canada Day

In case you haven't a clue what's so special about tomorrow, it's Canada Day, Canada's equivalent of the Fourth of July, and the nation's 139th birthday. In 1867, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the Province of Canada (present-day Ontario and Quebec) joined together to form the Dominion of Canada. The holiday was known as Dominion Day until 1982.

Posted by Sebastian / Canada / June 30, 2006 /