Damn These Heels!

The Village is proud to be a sponsor of the SLC Film Center's Damn These Heels Film Festival!

All ten screenings plus the panel are free and open to the public and the range of films is quite extraordinary. Here's some highlights:

Friday, June 13

THE WALKER

Everyone loves a good scandal! Carter Page (Woody Harrelson), an openly gay socialite who serves as confidant, companion, and card partner to some of the Washington DC's leading ladies, finds his morality tested when he is implicated in scandal, blackmail, and murder.

Saturday, June 14

LOVE MY LIFE

Girl meets girl, comes out to family, and discovers others have secrets of their own in this charmingly offbeat, colorful and always upbeat love story from Japan.

EDGE OF HEAVEN

Germany’s entry to the 2007 Oscars. The picture is perfectly cast weaving the lives and emotional arcs of four Turks and two Germans through love and tragedy between (the beautiful countries of) Turkey and Germany.

Sunday, June 15

A JIHAD FOR LOVE

Special guests Director Parvez Sharma and Producer Sandi Dubowski (TREMBLING BEFORE G_D). After Premieres in 15 countries, being banned in Singapore, selling out everywhere including India and Turkey and five international awards, A JIHAD FOR LOVE comes to the U.S. Parvez Sharma travels the many worlds of Islam discovering the stories of its most unlikely storytellers: lesbian and gay Muslims.

Visit SLC Film Center's website for a full list of film screenings and times.

Revenge of Yoga

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SD Dance is back with the sequel to Yoga the Musical. The original was a lot of fun and very gay friendly, with plenty of talented dancers in poses not suitable for beginners.

Sexytime Recap

Our mini health fest was a success! Over 20 guys were vaccinated for Hep B and 65 attended the dinner and discussion on HIV/STD's at Rodizio Grill. After seeing those STD slides during dinner, I for one will never be able to look at juicy sliced meat the same way again.

A big thanks to Planned Parenthood for vaccinating us and Glaxo Smith Kline for providing such an excellent meal and speaker. If you missed your chance to get your Hep B shot, not to worry. We'll be offering free vaccinations again in the coming months.

Btw, gayhealth.com is a great online resource for anyone wanting more in-depth sexual health info.

Pink Party Part Deux!

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Village Car Wash and Yard Sale

Shop for unexpected treasures while we give you a wax job you'll never forget at our 2nd Annual Village Car Wash and Yard Sale!

When: Saturday, May 31st @ 9am-1pm
Where: Planned Parenthood/Trio Parking Lot (654 S 900 E)

All funds raised go to the Village Summit.

Doing some spring cleaning and have some used items you'd like to donate? E-mail John Wood or call (801)573-5825.

GaYmeNight!

When: Thursday, May 22 @ 7pm

Where: Kenny, Michael, and Marc's (587 11th Ave)

What: Board Games, Card Games, Wii, Guitar Hero! A fun way to meet guys outside of the clubs (and you won't come home smelling like an ashtray). We'll have some snacks and drinks, but feel free to bring something to share.

Questions? E-mail Mikey.

Joel's Big Birthday Bash Pics

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Joel helped to raise $900 for the Utah AIDS Foundation by asking party guests to bring a donation instead of birthday presents. Thanks to everyone who came and had a great time!

The Expectations of Others

I'm making it a personal challenge to reference Jean Kilbourne in ALL of my posts. I can't help it- I like a lot of what she says in her highly acclaimed video series about advertising and sexism, Killing Us Softly III. At one point during her lecture/film she talks about the bizarre, polar "expectations" about what a women should be.

Something similar is happening to Gay men. We're expected to be:

• "Out" and "straight acting"


• Fashionable, but not too feminine


• Health conscious, yet sex-crazed barebackers

Here's some other non-polar but equally bizarre expectations (or stereotypes) brought up by the guys from coffee talk:

"People think that because we're Gay - and they have a friend who's Gay - we would be interested in dating said Gay friend."

"We're supposed to be better equipped to deal with irate gay customers."

"According to Right wing Christians we are amoral child abusers."

We're all pretty much up to our ears in the expectations of others and ourselves. It's important to try to objectively take a look at these expectations. Where do they come from? What harm-or good-do they do to each of us and our community?

Josh Newbury leads coffee talk discussions on Wednesdays @ 7pm @ Salt Lake Roasting Company.

Gay Movie Night With Plan-B

THE BOYS OF ST. VINCENT
Monday, June 2 @ 7pm
Tower Theatre
The intense, powerful true story of a group of men who revisit their childhood at the St. Vincent orphanage, where they endured horrific sexual and emotional abuse at the hands of the priests. Fifteen years later, the men finally come forward and bring charges against their former tormentors.
Presented in partnership with Plan-B Theatre Company, in tandem with their production of the play "The Tricky Part".

PLAN-B THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS 'THE TRICKY PART'
May 30-June 15
Studio Theatre @ Rose Wagner
Tickets $18 355-ARTS
A true story of sexuality, spirituality and the mystery of human experience. Between the ages of 12 and 15, the author had a sexual relationship with an older man. More than 30 years later, he has transformed his story into a riveting, often funny and always surprising journey through the complexities of Catholicism, desire and human trespass. Featuring David Spencer.

Cowboy Kickoff Picturepalooza!

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Thanks for making the Cowboy Kickoff a success! You helped us raise over $1600 for the Village Summit and showed the citizens of Sandy that 1) gays do exist, and 2) they know how to have a great time!

Special thanks to Ron Thurber, Glen Sexton, Russ Gorringe, Joe Baker, Kevin Christensen, Travis Nowers, Chris Trujillo, Michael Cox, photographer David Daniels, and the Village Core Group!

Bear Ruckus!

Do we treat HIV like Leprosy?

"Are you clean?"

More and more often I hear the word "clean" being used to describe oneself as STD-free. Ever see "clean only" on a guy's online profile? Much like lepers were considered morally and physically "unclean" 2000 years ago, this adjective perpetuates the social stigma experienced by those who have HIV or another STD. HIV is a disease that doesn't discriminate. It is not God's punishment for sex, and getting infected certainly doesn’t imply any level of moral inferiority.

In the movie Philadelphia, Andrew (played by Tom Hanks) who is stricken with AIDS says, "Look. I'm no different from everyone else who has this disease: I'm not guilty, I'm not innocent. I'm just trying to survive."

You can help destigmatize HIV by using the terms “STD-negative” or “STD-free” rather than “clean” when discussing this serious and sensitive subject. That makes it easier for guys to open up about their HIV status, leads to safer sex practices, and reduces the transmissions of STDs.

Submitted by Matt Gerber, Village and Utah AIDS Foundation Volunteer

Gay Sex 101: Hep B

Why should gay men worry about Hep B?

• Because the virus is MOST COMMON among gay men. 2 out of every 5 gay men tested for Hep B in clinics have had the virus. Most of them were not aware of it.
• Hep B is easier to catch than HIV because it is 100 times more concentrated in an infected person's blood and can exist on surfaces outside the body.
• Hep B is responsible for 80% of the world's primary liver cancers.

Hep B is preventable by vaccination. Typically it costs $120, but because we want to help you protect yourself from a preventable disease, we have teamed up with Planned Parenthood to offer the Hep B vaccine FREE at our test site on May 19th. Its part of our Village Sexytime Health Fest!

Save money. Save your life. Get vaccinated!