Sunshine and STDs

The end of summer is sadly upon us, but at least the weather gods have deemed it fit to give us a beautiful weekend to go out on. And what timing! This week boasts two major gay extravaganzas out in the sunshine: the Paradise Boat Cruise, and the annual Beach Ball at Hanlan’s Point, which you may remember was postponed from Pride Weekend when the civic workers’ strike closed the ferries.

I haven’t decided which party I’m going to yet (both maybe?) but I do hope to see lots of bronzed or bronzing skin this weekend. (I’ll just be trying to even out the farmer tan I’ve managed to work up all summer). I’m leaning toward the Beach Ball, since it raises money for the AIDS Committee of Toronto.

And if you’re the sort of news reader who prefers doom and gloom, well why not curl up in bed with The Star’s new STD maps of the GTA? What neighbourhood has the highest concentration of syph? The answer may shock you. (The answer will not actually shock you). Anyone else find it odd that The Star refuses to acknowledge that The Village has the highest concentration of all the diseases the maps study, but instead calls the neighbourhood “east downtown”?

Rob Salerno is a playwright and journalist whose writing has appeared in such publications as Vice, Advocate, NOW and OutTraveler.

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