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VenusNews » Halifax
June 2006
- Pride Sale
- Store Events & Sponsored Events
- Art
- Workshops
- Review: VixSkin toys
- Review: The Ultimate Guide to Pregnancy for Lesbians
- New Fun Stuff
- Community Events
- Halifax Pride Week Events
Pride Day Sale!
It's that time of year again! Venus Envy's annual Pride Day sale will be held Saturday, July 22. 20% off all toys and rainbow gear. Visit us on the Commons on Pride Day too!
Store open 10am - 6pm
Store Events
Workshop with Trans Cycling Odyssey
This trip started out as a discussion of how best to celebrate the life of Alexandria Tucker, a trans woman who was born in St John's, Newfoundland, and died in Victoria, British Columbia. It grew into a project which aimed to bring trans awareness, and suicide prevention information and support, throughout Canada. We agreed that the best way to do this was via a bike tour across Canada.
This workshop is a speaking engagement as part of the Trans Cycling Odyssey. We will be talking about our experiences of oppression as Trans people, Alex's death and its impact on our lives, the Trans Cycling Odyssey and Suicide prevention as it relates to Trans people.
More info: www.flyingtrannys.com
By donation
Saturday June 17th 6:30pm
Venus Envy, 1598 Barrington Street
Store Sponsored Events
Who's Yer Daddy?
Girl-ish Productions presents Who's Yer Daddy?: A party for lesbian/bi/queer/trans women and their friends
Saturday, June 17, 8pm - 2am
Stage Nine
Tickets $6 advance at Venus Envy, $8 at the door.
SheDog's Bathhouse for Women & Trans People
For more info on the bathhouse:
http://www.venusenvy.ca/Halifax/bathhouse.asp
Wednesday, July 19. 8pm - 2am
Seadogs Sauna & Spa, 2199 Gottingen Street
$12 advance at Venus Envy, $20 at the door
Reading Out Loud V
For the fifth year, Venus Envy and the Halifax Regional Library present Reading Out Loud, a celebration of GLBT lit. Join host Jane Kansas and other Hali-famous queer folks as they share their favourite stories. Readers this year include Candy Palmater, Joey Comeau and Mary Ellen MacLean.
Thursday, July 20th, 7pm
Spring Garden Branch Library - lower level.
This is a free event.
Art
June: Alana Smith
"Seduction": A new take on the classic pin-up
Workshops
| Jun 13, 2006 6:15pm |
Up Yours!: Anal Pleasure and Health cost: $20.00 (limited income $10.00) audience: everyone » details |
| Jun 15, 2006 7:15pm |
Strap-On Tools! cost: $20.00 (limited income $10.00) audience: everyone » details |
| Jun 26, 2006 6:15pm |
Take That! An Introduction to BDSM cost: $20.00 (limited income $10.00) audience: everyone » details |
| Jun 29, 2006 7:15pm |
Sex For One for Women cost: $20.00 (limited income $10.00) audience: women » details |
| Jun 30, 2006 7:15pm |
Going Down: A Guide to Fellatio cost: $20.00 (limited income $10.00) audience: everyone » details |
| Jul 10, 2006 6:15pm |
G marks the Spot cost: $20.00 (limited income $10.00) audience: everyone » details |
| Jul 13, 2006 7:15pm |
Sex Toys 101 for Queer Girls cost: $20.00 (limited income $10.00) audience: women » details |
| Jul 25, 2006 7:15pm |
Going Down: A Guide to Cunnilingus cost: $20.00 (limited income $10.00) audience: everyone » details |
| Jul 27, 2006 7:15pm |
Going Down: A Guide to Fellatio cost: $20.00 (limited income $10.00) audience: women » details |
| Aug 3, 2006 7:15pm |
I'm Coming! A Guide to Women' s Orgasm cost: $20.00 (limited income $10.00) audience: everyone » details |
| Aug 8, 2006 6:15pm |
Cheap Thrills: Do it Yourself Sex Toys cost: $20.00 (limited income $10.00) audience: everyone » details |
| Aug 10, 2006 7:15pm |
The Vagina Dialogues cost: $20.00 (limited income $10.00) audience: women » details |
| Aug 17, 2006 7:15pm |
Sex Toys 101: An Introduction to the Wonderful World of Toys cost: $20.00 (limited income $10.00) audience: everyone » details |
| Aug 24, 2006 7:15pm |
Going Down: A Guide to Fellatio cost: $20.00 (limited income $10.00) audience: everyone » details |
Reviews
Vixskin
What's could possibly be better than a 100% silicone dildo? After all they can be sterilized, retain heat, have no scent or taste and will outlive the family car. Vixen Creations, one of the pioneering North American silicone toy companies, answers this question with the launch of their new VixSkin line of toys.
Tex, Bandit and Lonestar are the original line-up of VixSkin toys, with more soon to follow. They offer all the great qualities of any 100% silicone toy (including Vixen's lifetime warranty) combined with the super-plush feel of Cyberskin and other realistic feeling materials. The VixSkin toys are dual-density silicone: they have a firm core overlaid with a fantastically soft & pliable outer layer. The result? An intensely realistic-feeling toy with none of the drawbacks of lesser materials - namely a tendancey to rip and an awful chemical smell. And did I mention they retain heat? Sweet. For anyone looking for a realistic toy with no compromise, these toys are for you:
- Tex: The original VixSkin dil is harness compatible base and a modest size that's not too big, not too small, but just right.
- Lonestar: A nice hunky toy, complete with squeezable balls. It may look like it's fit for a (size) queen, but the softness of its outer layer makes for a very comfortable ride.
- Bandit: Longer but slimmer than Lonestar, Bandit has a subtle taper from head to base and a g-spot/prostate-friendly curve … great for backdoor fun.
— reviewed by Maggie Haywood
The Ultimate Guide to Pregnancy for Lesbians
How to Stay Sane and Care for Yourself from Preconception Through Birth, Second Edition. By Rachel Pepper (Cleis Press, 2005)
The second edition of this unique book is full of practical information, resources and support all coming from the voice of a woman who underwent her own journey of a planned birth. It really did answer every question I had, and provided a lot of detail on topics I had never given any thought. She gives a lot of time to the big decisions in Chapter Two, "Thinking it Over and Making a Plan" which makes it a great read for anyone contemplating having a child. Topics such as the emotional and financial stresses involved, how to actually get pregnant, whether to choose an anonymous donor or seek out a donor you know, legal protection, creating a support network and the role of the non-pregnant partner(s) are covered.
Pepper understands that family can mean many things outside of the traditional, heterosexual, two-parent dynamic. If you are single, a lesbian couple, transgendered, bisexual or in a poly relationship you will find specific sections addressing your family situation. On the down side, having such a broad range of topics covered led me to skip many sections of the book, waiting to, once again, come across a section that applied to me specifically.
She is obviously writing this book from a very personal place, having invested a good deal of time, emotion and money into planning a pregnancy of her own. She came across many obstacles and wants to share those experiences with the reader. Unfortunately, in an attempt to bring her audience closer she peppers the book with many autobiographical and somewhat repeptitve antidotes that this reader found distracting. That being said, it is this same autobiographical element that makes the book accessible, comforting and easy to read. I would recommend this book to any lesbian, bi, or trans woman thinking of starting a family.
— reviewed by Allison Hooper
New Fun Stuff
Organic Lube!
With even the superstore going organic it was only a matter of time before it happened to sex stuff. And it's a good thing too. Sympathetical Formulas bring us three homeopathic, certified organic lubes for safe and healthy play. These vegan, organic lubricants are super-slick and latex-safe. Chemical-free, paraben-free, glycerin-free, and hormone-free, they even taste good! Or at least not bad. We're carrying four formulas:
- Original: great for all kinds of play, slippery and thick
- Raspberry: especially fun for oral sex, it actually tastes like real raspberries … because that's what it's made with!
- Menopause Formula: Containing homoepathic remedies proven to help the body restore its own natural estrogen levels, this fast-acting, topical gel provides temporary relief from symptoms of menopause.
- Post Pregnancy Formula: formulated to stimulate the body's natural healing response to the after-effects of childbirth
Vibratex Elastomer Butterfly
Elastomer is a great new material for sex toys. It's non-porous, latex and pthalate free and very soft. The Butterfly is made in Japan and has a shorter shaft and a larger clit area than most other dual vibes. The Butterfly also offers the ever-popular beads for stimulating the opening of the vagina!Dual vibe, $119.95
Community Events
Hey Mami!
A Queer Dance Party for Halifaxxx LBQT and friends
Ladies and Gentlemen Bois and Grrls... Everyone is welcome...This is a completely queer positive space and a straight-up dance party. Drink Specials all night! Femme DJ's Heart-o-matic and Francesca rock the ones and twos... Hip-Hop/Retro/Electro/Funk
Tuesday, June 13, 9pm-2am
Aqualounge (downstairs at the Argyle on Argyle Street)
Cover is $5.
My Fair Baby
The Midwifery Coalition of Nova Scotia presents My Fair Baby.
My Fair Baby showcases healthy, natural approaches to infant and women's health. Parents and parents-to-be will find a wealth of information about products and services for both baby and themselves at the fair. Amy McKay, author of The Birth House will be reading from 1:30 to 2:00 PM and then signing books at the Venus Envy booth.
Saturday, June 17, 1-4 p.m.
St David's Presbyterian Church hall, Brunswick Street, Halifax
(right behind the Spring Garden Library).
LGB Youth Project Queer Prom
The LGB Youth Project presents a night of glitz and glamour at their annual queer prom. Open to all youth 25 or under, they invite you to a gala event that is a safe and positive place to be yourself. This event is strictly drug- and alcohol-free.
For more details see www.youthproject.ns.ca.
Friday, June 30th, 8pm - 12am
CBIB 6136 Almon Street
$8
Halifax Pride Week
(See halifaxpride.com for more info)
Sunday, July 16
- Dykes VS Divas - For some people this is the highlight event in Pride! Enjoy the hilarity as some of Halifax's biggest Drag Divas takes on some 'Real Womyn'
Date TBA
- This Ain't Your Typical Rose Garden Tour - Take a stroll down the path with the nymphs and gnomes who tend Halifax's most Secret Gardens.
Monday July, 17
- Proclamation and Flag Raising - Come to Halifax's historic Grand Parade for this moving endorsement of the contributions made by Nova Scotia's LGBT citizens. A reception hosted by Mayor Peter Kelly follows in City Hall.
- *New event this year
Step Into the Light: A Performing Arts Gala - Celebrate Nova Scotia's outstanding LGBTQ playwrights; actors; dancers; classical and jazz musicians, in a gala revue of extraordinary music, theatre and dance.
Tuesday, July 18
- Queer Comedy Night - Laugh your way out of the closet with Nova Scotia's best LGBT comedians.
Wednesday, July 19
- Reel Out Film Festival- This year's festival is being curated by one of Nova Scotia's finest queer cinema artists. That's all we can say for now; stay tuned for more!
- SheDog's Bathhouse for women & trans people
Held at SeaDogs Sauna and Spa. Sponsored by Venus Envy.
Thursday, July 20
- Reel Out Film Festival- This year's festival is being curated by one of Nova Scotia's finest queer cinema artists. That's all we can say for now; stay tuned for more!
- Reading Out Loud- Traditionally hosted by Jane Kansas, this popular event honours LGBTQ poets and novelists (the famous and the not-quite-yet famous). Produced by Venus Envy at the Spring Garden Road Public Library.
Friday, July 21
- *New event this year
Queer Times: Queer Measures - A multidisciplinary evening, featuring performers and artists of all sorts and pleasures from across the city. Join us for a night of Music, Visuals, Sexperts & Anything and Everything.
Saturday, July 22 - PARADE DAY!
- Annual Halifax Pride Parade - A brand new Parade Route moving along Brunswick Street at the foot of Citadel Hill. Follow the Parade as it turns up Spring Garden Road, and makes its way along South Park to Bell Road. Then head to the Halifax Commons for a fantastic Fair and Fete, where Pride 2006 will present an open-air concert, free of charge, to the City of Halifax.
- Venus Envy Pride Sale
20% off toys and pride stuff - WetSpot II: the Pride Party for LBTQ women and their friends
Location TBA
9pm - 2am
Presented by Girl-ish Productions, sponsored by Venus Envy.
Sunday, July 23
- *New event this year
Faeries on the Ferry- We're taking Pride across the harbour to Dartmouth. A picnic event for all ages, on Sunday afternoon in Ferry Terminal Park in Dartmouth.
The University of Ottawa's Couple Research Lab is looking for participants for their online study on same-sex couple relationships! This study aims to better understand personal and relationship factors that contribute to well being and distress in same-sex couples.
To be eligible, you must be 18 years old or more, have a good knowledge of English and be in a same-sex couple relationship for at least 12 months. In order to thank you for your participation, you will be entered in a draw for gift certificates to a music store.
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