Daze of Summer

Done. The End. Summer is officially over. Fuck! Ok, so seriously it wasn’t all that bad. I mean it only rained 22 days in June. (that was the official count)
But that didn’t stop the bears in Ottawa. Everywhere I went, they seemed to have a good time. I guess summer really started in August. At least for the Ottawa Bears it did. Our logo launch at Breathless was a success and our float in the Capital Pride parade was pretty cool if you ask me. Every Pride event I attended everyone seemed to have a good time.
While on the topic of Pride in the Nation’s Capital it was actually allot of fun. It’s different than other Pride celebrations. It’s not as commercial as Toronto, yet not as liberal as Montreal. It’s one of those rare occasions that you can find something for everyone. I find people from Ottawa, the gay community included, just a tad up tight. Everyone wants Ottawa to be this great big city but nobody is quite sure how to push it forward. During Pride week, I think that Ottawa has come a long way in trying to captivate this concept. Of course it can be better. Everything can be better. If you want more, get involved. It’s as simple as that. I had a conversation with someone from the bear community who complained constantly that Ottawa had nothing to offer. In his mind, everything was boring. He didn’t like what the bears where doing, didn’t like the bars, thought Bank Street lacked atmosphere and character. Yet he rarely attended any events and yet the same coffee shop in Ottawa he said was a dump, he would frequent in Montreal. So as polite as a Mr. Ottawa Bear can be, (remember folks I’m supposed to be an ambassador for the bear community) I told him he could do one of two things. Help make the gay community something to be proud of or no longer attend functions and keep his fucking mouth shut. He chose to keep his mouth shut. Thank God. There is nothing worse than someone who complains and yet has no plan or idea to change what they don’t like. What’s changed in Ottawa this past year is that the complainers actually have ideas to change things! Thank you!
So my advice to everyone in Ottawa is to support your community. We have something to offer. We are not Montreal. We are not Toronto. Ok, come on, do you seriously want to live with 4 million people? Go right ahead. You love the night life in Montreal? Then go on weekends. But trust me; these cities have the same bullshit and the same drama as any other city. I think Ottawa has finally figured some things out about itself. It needs to have something unique to attract people. We need to make Ottawa a city that you want to stop off on your way to Toronto or Montreal. What that is remains to be seen but we’ll get there.
A village you say? I don’t know. I’m a suburbanite now. I no longer take part of a downtown core and I always believed that we could live amongst the breeders. We still can. I don’t look at quarters or districts or ghettos. They are terms most people seem to fear. I look at a village as a pocket on a coat. Every pocket serves a purpose to the coat. As a coat, the pockets hold certain things for specific occasions. Ottawa is just that. Little Italy, China Town, The Glebe (fuck I can’t believe I’m calling the Glebe useful) and why not a village? So what if a bunch of shops or restaurants put up some pride flags and support the gay community? What’s the worse than can happen? People will actually make use of section of the city. Gay peoeple will wander the streets amongst the straights... I thought they did that already so what's the big deal? Personally it’s fun to go for coffee when the crowd is a little on the queer side and the music is either Judy or Billie Holiday. Come on, be gay for one afternoon! I have faith in the good gays of Ottawa. They’ll get it right. It may take time but they’ll get it right eventually. We have to start someplace.
So I guess this summer was a learning experience for me. I attended as many functions and events as I possibly could in different segments of the gay community to get a better handle on what makes Ottawa tick. But then I realized at the end of my journey that what makes Ottawa tick is me. It’s me and you and everyone around us. We really are what makes Ottawa the city it is. Our gay community is a reflection of who we are. We may not like some of it or find that we don’t identify with parts of it but we embrace it. At least I do.
It could be worse; we could all be living in Dildo, Newfoundland. Come to think of it, that may not be so bad? It’s only a jump away from Spread Eagle. Now that’s another blog!
Until next time,

Big old bear hugs

Mr. Ottawa Bear 2009