‘EastSiders’ showcases sex and love but leaves out LGBTQ+ histories & realities

Are the days when LGBTQ+ communities stormed the gates of power in direct action long behind us? Some of us lived through the Stonewall rebellion of 1969, the Toronto bathhouse raids in 1981 and other global examples of resisting and fighting oppression.

Then the HIV/AIDS crisis of the late ‘80s and ’90s hit: LGBTQ+ activists, angry and afraid, witnessed, firsthand, its devestating impact. The support of LGBTQ+ communities fueled civil rights activism, made homophobia less acceptable and led to LGBTQ+ Pride celebrations around the world.

I was trained through ActUp, New York, in how to participate in civil disobedience campaigns. ActUp followed lessons from groups of the smartest protesters in the world. We pointed to political structures that blocked our causes, shouting: “The whole world is watching!” And it was.

I thought of those days as I recently watched EastSiders. The show’s first 2012 episode started with disruptive innuendos – something suggesting a satirical take on apocalypse, as the date “12.22.2012” (Dec. 12, 2012) flashed across the screen. Popular media explained this date heralded the end of one cycle of the ancient Mayan calendar – and this was widely misunderstood to signal the end of the world.

Scroll to Top

During the Canada Post strike announced September 25, 2025, the following measures will be undertaken to minimize service disruption to BC-CfE clients and providers.

  • The BC-CfE Laboratory has transitioned to private courier for delivery of outgoing reports and documents. Results required urgently can be faxed upon request. (Lab Contact Information: Phone 604-806-8775; FAX 604-806-9463)
  • The BC-CfE Drug Treatment Program (DTP) will fax outgoing forms and documents to the provider’s office. (DTP Contact Information: Phone 604-806-8515; FAX 604-806-9044)
  • St. Paul’s Hospital Ambulatory Pharmacy has transitioned to private courier for delivery of medications. We recommend requesting medication at least 2 weeks in advance in case of delivery delays, particularly to rural/remote parts of BC. (Contact Information: Phone 1-800-547-3622; FAX 604-806-8675)

During the Canada Post strike, we recommend that documents be faxed or couriered to our sites, versus utilization of regular mail service

The BC-CfE Laboratory is streamlining reporting processes for certain tests in order to simplify distribution and record-keeping, and to ensure completeness of results. Beginning September 2, 2025, results for the ‘Resistance Analysis of HIV-1 Protease and Reverse Transcriptase’ (Protease-RT) and ‘HIV-1 Integrase Resistance Genotype’ tests will be combined into a single ‘HIV-1 Resistance Genotype Report’.
For more details and example reports, please click on the button below