The 16th Annual Kootenay/ Boundary AIDS Walk for Life will take place in Nelson on Saturday, September 18, 2010. The AIDS Walk for Life is Canada’s largest single day event for HIV fundraising and awareness, and 100% of all funds raised are used by HIV positive residents of the Kootenay Boundary.

So, what [...]]]> Dear friends,

The 16th Annual Kootenay/ Boundary AIDS Walk for Life will take place in Nelson on Saturday, September 18, 2010. The AIDS Walk for Life is Canada’s largest single day event for HIV fundraising and awareness, and 100% of all funds raised are used by HIV positive residents of the Kootenay Boundary.

So, what can you do? You can join a team, start one yourself, be a proud, independent individual walker, come and rock out to the White Lightning Blues Band and chow down at the BBQ at Lakeside, or, if you can’t make it to the event, you can donate! Spread the word and pass this email on to all of your contacts!

Pledge submission and registration begin at Hall and Baker at 11 am and the walk commences at 12:00 pm. You can bike, skate, dance, walk or fly the 3 km distance of the route. At 1:00 pm, join us back at Kootenay Lake Park for a BBQ and get your groove on with the Frank Brooke, Mara Sand, Kevin Mckenzie, Dave Planedin, and Bonnie Johnson of the White Lightning Blues Band.

HIV/AIDS, discrimination, and barriers to those at risk of, or who have acquired the virus, are not going to resolve themselves. New treatments offer hope, but there is still no cure. Education is our only vaccine. The past success of this event clearly exhibits that we are a community that cares. Thank you for your support, time and kindness.

To register, or for more details about how to get involved, contact Casey or Brahm at ANKORS: information@ankors.bc.ca, aids-walk@ankors.bc.ca or 250-505-5506. Thank you for your interest, and we look forward to seeing you there!

More info, sign up online: ANKORS Website

Casey Hicks | West Kootenay-Boundary AIDS Walk for Life Coordinator
ANKORS | 250-505-5506

Video via Scotiabank AIDS Walk for Life website.  Visit Nelson & Cranbrook pages.

I am assuming that the reason Carlito Pablo, writer of the article in The Georgia Straight, didn’t include any of the three regions, is because [...]]]> It was disheartening to see the lack of representation for the West Kootenay, East Kootenay and Rocky Mt. Regions in this article today:  ”Gay folks rise up across B.C. for Pride festivities.”

I am assuming that the reason Carlito Pablo, writer of the article in The Georgia Straight, didn’t include any of the three regions, is because there is no representation for any current Gay Pride events on the internet. Just to be clear, I’m not dissing the writer or the Straight, this is: “Just the facts, m’am.”

I know that there are some photos by a few individuals here and there, but the official sites for both East & West Kootenay Pride, and the Rockies as well – none have any current information which could be used in the article, so it’s not suprising that the regions are not mentioned.

Sad indeed. Have a look for yourself – I Googled Kootenay Rockies Gay Pride and the following sites are all that the search offered on the entire first page.

To add insult to injury in my inquiry, I found out that the Rainbow Rockies website is closing in January 2011 due to lack of interest.

E. Kootenay & Rockies Pride Website - THIS SITE WILL CLOSE IN JANUARY 2011 – This site, the Rainbow Rockies Group, will be closing sometime in January 2011. …the momentum to keep this online group as a real help has certainly reduced to the point where it is no longer practical to keep our website going.

Kootenay Pride Website - The most recent information on this site is a link to photos of Kootenay Pride 2007!

Filmmaker Gwen Haworth: Why it’s important for trans people to make their own media images [...]]]> Gwen Haworth documents her male-to-female gender transition through the voices of her parents, sisters, best friend and wife. The film explores the relationships of a family who unexpectedly find their bonds strengthening as they overcome their preconceptions of gender and sexuality.

Filmmaker Gwen Haworth: Why it’s important for trans people to make their own media images by Craig Takeuchi in Georgia Straight

Local filmmaker Gwen Haworth’s 2007 documentary about her gender transition, She’s a Boy I Knew is enjoying a local revival. This past year, it’s been shown at the UBC Film Production program’s 40th anniversary screening series The Big Picture, at the first annual Vancouver Trans Film Fest (part of the first Vancouver Trans Forum), and at In the House Festival. [read the full article in Georgia Straight]

She’s a Boy I Knew

Directed and produced by Gwen Haworth
Shapeshifter Films
70:00 • 2007
Available on DVD and VHS

“I loved She’s a Boy I Knew–made with loving care, it dares to reveal an inner journey without restraint. Beautifully executed, profoundly insightful. I found myself appreciating it as a mother, a friend, a sister and a filmmaker.” –Anne Wheeler, Director, Better Than Chocolate

Vancouver filmmaker Gwen Haworth documents her male-to-female gender transition partially through the voices of her anxious but loving family, best friend, and wife. Finding self-empowerment through self-representation, Haworth’s feature debut is a comic, heartbreaking, and uplifting autobiography that breaks away from marginalized depictions of transsexuals that populate mainstream media by focusing on a family whose bonds unexpectedly strengthen as they re-examine their preconceptions of gender and sexuality.

“Gwen Haworth creates an emotional space that engulfs the viewer in a way that’s extremely rare in any film, whether fiction or non-fiction.” –Kevin Griffin, The Vancouver Sun

http://www.artflick.com/distribute.html

Watch as the Kootenay’s emerging singer-songwriters strut their stuff alongside known local talents Lucas Myers and Krista Lynch, Lisel Forst and Robyn Lamb, Brahm Taylor, and the Black Albinos!

Vote to choose your favourite theme song for the [...]]]> ANKORS, Oso Negro, and Nelson Brewing Company present the 2010 AIDS Walk for Life Theme Song Contest TALENT SHOWDOWN!

Watch as the Kootenay’s emerging singer-songwriters strut their stuff alongside known local talents Lucas Myers and Krista Lynch, Lisel Forst and Robyn Lamb, Brahm Taylor, and the Black Albinos!

Vote to choose your favourite theme song for the AIDS Walk for Life – be there for the music, the pain, and the GLORY as this epic faceoff between artists comes to a head on Saturday, August 14th at Self Design High.

Doors Open at 7:30 pm for the silent auction, and the showdown begins at 8pm! Tickets are $10/$20 sliding scale and available at Eddy Music or the ANKORS Office. Call 505-5506 or email aids-walk@ankors.bc.ca for more information.