Sara Kendall
I would hold the wand and help liberate political prisoners currently jailed for their sexualities and sex work. I would wave in safe spaces for all queers in exile from their countries, their classrooms, and their family homes. I would shake the wand to the sky and we’d have bumpin’ queers-of-colour-centric parties, and all over the whole mother-lovin’ planet we’d rock sexy to pro-homo and pro-woman lyrical content! And we’d all share the magic gay wand!!
Shelley Moore
I would make a new statutory holiday called Gay Day.
Andrew Parker
My one wish would be that Davie St be returned back to the community and that everyone feels safe and welcome. Bring it back to a destination again as opposed to a street to avoid. And for someone to play with my magic wand!
Chad Wilkinson
Who would believe that the Conservative Party had the only openly gay MP candidate for Vancouver Centre in the 2008 election? Or that California, the world’s seventh largest economy, democratically voted in Prop 8 weeks before Gus van Sant’s film about Harvey Milk was released to theatres across the world? Above all this — an infectious, profit-motivated mentality has managed to jeopardize the natural systems that sustain and regulate our planet as we begin a global descent into economic and ecological catastrophe. Homosexuals have a role in society just like everyone else, and I think we need to be clearer on our values.
Nelson Wong
I’d make it so that every straight person had more gay coworkers, relatives, or better still, friends in their lives. I’d also like to see stronger, more multi-faceted gay characters in TV and film.
Shazad Shah
I’d make the entire world carbon neutral. Then I would change the current political system. And after that I’d get rid of terrible reality TV shows!
Joanne Ursino
My personal one: I would like to get a pair of sparkly, blood-red Fluevogs that would even inspire Dorothy to ditch the bows.
My more serious one: Generous funding for Pride In Art so that it may continue to flourish and advocate its goals of celebrating queer artists and challenging homophobia. As an adjunct to that one, I would love that the show Gender Twist be shown at the National Gallery of Canada.
Gwen Haworth
I’d make more event spaces on Vancouver’s Eastside wheelchair accessible. This is a constant challenge when organizing low-cost, inclusive, queer events, but one I’m sure the LGBT community could creatively address if more of us put our heads together.
Bob Yates
Happiness for everybody. Not just gay people, but everybody should be happy.
Symone
First, I would stabilize Oprah’s weight at 160 pounds. Secondly, I would keep Davie St gay, gay, gay and fabulous. Lastly, I would want to educate the ignorant Neanderthals that feel that it’s all right to come downtown and verbally and/or physically attack my gay brothers and sisters. I mean, enough already!
Ross Johnstone
I would change that our political leaders would recognize the positive impact that arts and culture have on stimulating our economy and representing our identities. And I would make LGBT issues a priority for educators so that sexual minorities feel safe in their schools and community.
Brent Wildefyre
The first change I would make is who our Prime Minister is.
Irenusz Nowicki
I’d be with my boy Bryn. I came to Canada just for him.
Alain Vermette
No gaybashing whatsoever.
Vanessa Kwan
Stephen Harper will be trounced and roundly humiliated by a viable, exciting, charismatic, progressive SOMEBODY. And that Amber Dawn will become the new Director of Programming for Out On Screen. (At least one of these things has come true…)
Michael Hogan
I would make people care more. About themselves, others, friends, and strangers. Care about the earth ’cause it’s the only one we’ve got, about how they treat others and how others treat them, and about humanity and the direction we’re headed. I would make them care for those that have nothing and not about what you (we) don’t have, and to not let hate, fear and ignorance rule us.
James Chamberlain
That all school districts had anti-homophobia policies in place that protected queer students and straight students, and that all school boards would enforce them.
Joan-E
I would, à la Dorothy, offer Stephen Harper a heart, George W Bush a brain, and every little gay or lesbian child in the world, courage. I would wish everyone a home and a safe journey to it. Oh, and a sparkly pair of red high heels for whoever wants them!
I would take my magic wand and I would say “poof” to AIDS, cancer, and heart attacks. I would make The Laramie Project mandatory curriculum.
I would permanently secure my waistline at a glorious 32 inches, triple my dress collection, and have at least one great date with a nice guy who wants into my pants and not my gowns.
Buster Cherry
I’ve been thinking about what’s going on with a lot of hate crimes and gaybashing and the fact that the last one was not labelled a hate crime. I think my gay wand has to touch that one. And it would be nice to make all of that obsolete.
We need to teach more tolerance in high schools, in kindergarten even. We need to go back that far and let them know that holding hands, two women or two men, showing any kind of affection in public is just as normal as someone breastfeeding in public. It’s a human condition and we should be able to feel proud and not that someone’s going to chase us down the street with a baseball bat.
Text and streeter photos by Andrea Warner, main photo by TJ Ngan.
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