Montreal literary festival fights homophobia

Blue Metropolis launches anti-homophobia web page


Montreal’s Blue Metropolis Foundation has launched a new web platform to help fight homophobia, especially among young people and in schools.

The Foundation – whose 15th annual Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival runs April 22 to 28, 2013 – developed the web platform under the direction of author Annie Heminway, a New York University professor who’s a long-term Blue Met collaborator.

“We’re doing this because I personally believe words have the power to transform lives,” says Blue Met president William St-Hilaire, who also cites her late gay cousin “Jean-Yvan” as one of the inspirations behind the foundation’s new mission to help fight homophobia. “I was also a kid at risk and the journal I wrote stopped me from breaking down. My experience is that words can save your life.”

Blue Met’s new “Homophobie” platform suggests books to read and features excerpts, videos and links to lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans support groups and resources. An English version of this page will soon be up. The project will also organize queer events with such authors as Paul Yee and Ivan E Coyote. And with the help of Gai Écoute it will combat homophobia in schools.

“This project is a new way to reach more people, gay and straight,” says Gai Écoute president Laurent McCutcheon. “Many kids are intellectuals who like to read books – they don’t all play hockey!”

The non-profit Blue Metropolis Foundation is actively seeking new partners to sponsor the project, as well as its new LGBT literary track. Blue Met will inaugurate its LGBT programming when internationally acclaimed gay author Edmund White is feted at the 15th annual festival in April 2013.

“Edmund White is a literary pillar, in the gay community and otherwise,” says Gregory McCormick, Blue Met’s programming director. “He’ll also have a lot to say about this project and help spread the word.”

BMF Homophobia page

(currently available only in French)

bluemetropolis.org/homophobie

Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival

April 22-28, 2013

bluemetropolis.org

Richard "Bugs" Burnett self-syndicated his column Three Dollar Bill in over half of Canada's alt-weeklies for 15 years, has been banned in Winnipeg, investigated by the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary over charges TDB was "pornographic", gotten death threats, outed politicians like former Parti Quebecois leader Andre Boisclair, been vilified in the pages of Jamaica's national newspaper The Gleaner for criticizing anti-gay dancehall star Sizzla (who would go on to write the 2005 hit song "Nah Apologize" about Burnett and UK gay activist Peter Tatchell), pissed off BB King, crossed swords with Mordecai Richler, been screamed at backstage by Cyndi Lauper and got the last-ever sit-down interview with James Brown. Burnett was Editor-at-Large of HOUR until the Montreal alt-weekly folded in 2012, is a blogger and arts columnist for The Montreal Gazette, columnist and writer for both Fugues and Xtra, and is a pop culture pundit on Montreal's CJAD 800 AM Radio. Burnett was named one of Alberta-based Outlooks magazine's Canadian Heroes of the Year in 2009, famed porn director Flash Conway dubbed Burnett "Canada’s bad boy syndicated gay columnist" and The Montreal Buzz says, "As Michael Musto is to New York City, Richard Burnett is to Montréal."

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