It’s the first Thursday of the month, and I know you know what that means. You woke up today, and the very first thing you said to yourself was, “It’s Georgia Straight publication day.”

You were (mostly) right. Our Pride Issue goes live today, and we were more than fortunate to feature the incredible Kimmortal on our cover ahead of their Khatsahlano Street Party show.

The thing you got wrong is that, for one month, we are the Georgia Gay. I hope you enjoy this issue as much as we loved putting it together. Pick it up at a box near you today!

Now, on to the newsletter, which we ALSO loved putting together and which includes everything from the World Cup and Canucks trades to the opening of a new queer events space and the local staging of a 1992 Whoopi Goldberg classic. We contain multitudes, after all. 

— Nathan
Editor in chief

If you haven’t heard, there’s a little thing called the World Cup going on. Though Canada is done playing games on home soil, it’s not done in the tournament. This weekend, Les Rouges take on the Atlas Lions (an admittedly very cool nickname that Morocco has for its soccer team) in Houston. Here’s how the two teams stack up.

It’s opening night of the Cornley Drama Society’s new production of 'The Murder at Haversham Manor', and after months of rehearsal, the cast and crew are ready for a perfect performance. Surely, everything will go according to plan, right? Wrong. Things will go very wrong in the Arts Club Theatre Company’s production of The Play That Goes Wrong, on now until August 16 at the Lindsay Family Stage at Granville Island. Props fail and cues are missed in this chaotic comedy sensation, but these accident-prone thespians push through to deliver a 1920s whodunnit like you’ve never seen.

Tickets are on sale here from $39, and going fast—don’t miss this chance to catch the international sensation live!

It takes some courage to open up a hospitality business right now. Opening one in a Chinatown location that’s been through a couple different tenants in the last several years, when you’ve already been at odds with city officials over the other business that you run, is even more of a leap of faith. But the founders of Pony Room, a new queer events and restaurant space, are undaunted.

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Vancouver's largest free festival is back! Khatsahlano Street Party returns to West 4th Avenue on July 11, with a Wonderland theme, transforming 10 blocks into a fantastical dreamscape. Enjoy live music from headliners Uncle Strut and Art d'Ecco, 300 local vendors, food trucks, and vibrant beverage gardens. #WanderIntoTheWonder

Nostalgia factor aside, there aren’t many 1992 comedies that hit the same way in 2026. The Whoopi Goldberg vehicle Sister Act—about a lounge singer who is forced into witness protection where she’s disguised as a nun and attempts to blend into a convent—is one of them. The film was adapted into a musical in 2009, and this weekend, it hits the Theatre Under the Stars stage with East Van’s Kat Reynolds in the main role. “Seeing a hero’s journey from the point of view of a Black woman is very rare, especially in this city,” she says.

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Ready to let out your wild side?  Head to one of the many pervy, provocative and body-positive events happening at Vancouver Fetish Weekend, July 23-27, including the world famous VIP Fetish Cruise!  Epic night-time club events, daytime social meetups, with attendees from all over the world celebrating sexy self-expression!

The Vancouver Canucks brought in a local boy this week, trading for longtime Montreal Canadiens veteran (and former Vancouver Giants star) Brendan Gallagher. Hopefully, this one goes a bit better than when they brought in a different local boy (and former Vancouver Giants star) last year. Here are our thoughts on the move.

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That’s it!

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