Young gay nation

Maybe the closest thing to a gay pride parade Browning, Montana, has ever seen was a pair of twentysomething men driving through town in a cherry-red hatchback. The sighting was enough to provoke a couple of rednecks in a pickup to chase Mike Glatze and Benjie Nycum a harrowing 72 miles through the Montana hinterland, hurling threats and beer cans at them most of the way.

The backwoods adventure was an unplanned part of Glatze and Nycum's Young Gay America project, a kind of ongoing roadtrip that seeks to give a voice to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, queer and questioning youth, especially in rural areas where the voices are less inclined to be heard.

The Halifax-based couple (who both have day jobs and do this as a "hobby") have visited 41 states and five provinces in their little red car, conducting hundreds of real-time interviews with gay youth and uploading them to their Web site, www.younggayamerica.com. This weekend they're coming to Montreal for Divers/Cité to show Exuberance, an exhibition of some 300 photos they've taken of people they've met along the way (wild-eyed yokels in pickups not included).

"Gay youth are too often depicted as struggling," says Glatze. "We're not trying to hide that struggle but to demonstrate that in all corners of North America LGTB youth are doing well, that their lives are happy." Exuberance runs at Divers/Cité's Place Émilie-Gamelin site until Aug. 7. » Matthew Woodley

Learn how to fly

Years ago, Claude Vaillancourt watched the film Fame for the first time and became instantly inspired. "When I saw it," he remembers, "I wanted to go to New York and go to the school," The place he fantasized about was NYC's High School for the Performing Arts, but in the end Vaillancourt ended up pursuing his theatre studies in Ottawa and here at UQÀM. Over those years, Vaillancourt realized that not acting, but directing, was his thing. This week, he combines his love for legwarmers and directing skills with his theatre group T.C.M. in a production of FAME: The Musical, which follows the trials and tribulations of young artists in the make.

"One of our missions is to encourage new actors who are starting out their careers," explains Vaillancourt. So it's fitting that many in the cast of 28 are graduates from the theatre programs at Dawson and Concordia. Coinciding with Divers-Cité, FAME runs until Aug. 2 at the Théâtre National (1220 Ste-Catherine E.), 790-1245. » Marites Carino

Fetish fixture

A little industry info for all you leather-loving fetish fiends out there: Northbound Leather has bought out U-Bahn - an amicable agreement - and has opened a new fetish-wear emporium, Cuir Northbound (1323 Ste-Catherine W.) just in time for Pride.

Northbound grew out of a Toronto family business and dressed many of the emerging punk, heavy metal, and new wave bands of the '70s and early '80s - including Iron Maiden, Platinum Blonde (!) and Carole Pope. Their fetish-fashion parties have become a fixture in T.O., something that Cuir Northbound manager Ron Harris hopes to eventually bring to Montreal. "They have such high production values - something we don't see in Montreal as often with this type of show," he says. "People here would absolutely love it." » Matthew Woodley

Coco pride

Surprisingly, this Saturday sees the stylish and sexy crew at Inobe Productions put on their first ever Coco Café for Pride week. Hard-working host Mahalia "Miss Thang" Verna explains: "We're doing the show in conjunction with Soul Meka. They've invited DJ Kani and DJ B'ugo to celebrate African Pride with them, and Kani and B'ugo have always been big supporters of Coco, so they thought this would be a great evening to get together to celebrate Pride."

The performers include Coco regular Mark Harris. Says Verna, "His poetry is very tied to social commentary, dark humour and satire, yet it's bittersweet I find." There'll be a dance piece by Ina, who's also known for her spoken-word chops, a comedic monologue by actor Patrizio Sanzari, and more. Saturday, Aug. 2, 9 p.m., at Salon Daomé (141 Mont-Royal E.), $6. Coco Café's next event is Boys' Night Out, at Quartier Latin, (318 Ontario E.) on Aug. 31. » Vincent Tinguely

Is it Art?

STREET SCULPTING: Move over skateboarders and scooterists - really, move over because the Trikke's trajectory is far from straight. The vehicle looks much like those metal push-scooters you see around, except that it's got three wheels and moves in a carving, ski-like motion that comes from transferring weight from side to side, thus propelling it forward. Trikke marketers have cleverly dubbed this motion "rock 'n' roll" and may be onto something because People magazine has recently documented celebs such as Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt and David Spade riding Trikkes around Hollywood lots. We recommend similarly open spaces 'cause you won't be making many friends riding one of those babys up sidewalks on the Main. $250–$370, depending on wheel size, www.trikke.com.

ArtsHole

NICKELS' TWO CENTS: On the literary side of Divers/Cité happenings, well-known gay author Thom Nickels will read from his book Tropic of Libra, sign copies and chat with the crowd this Friday, August 1, 8 p.m., at Chapters (1171 Ste-Catherine W.). • LION'S ROAR: Pleasure, creativity, romance and drama are the markings a Leo - the sign of the zodiac that we're currently passing through - and, according to Marcio Melo, the driving force behind his current exhibition of paintings, Moon Under Leo. His star-struck oil-on-canvasses show until Sept. 21 at the Delta Hotel (475 President Kennedy).

ARTISTAT: Amount of tax loot recently given, for the second year in a row, to further the cause of English-language theatre at the Saidye Bronfman Centre by the City of Montreal: $50,000

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