It's been an interesting few days in Nova Scotia vis-à-vis sex reassignment surgery, or SRS. As previously reported, on Sunday, the Nova Scotia Rainbow Action Project posted a letter from Health Minister David Wilson stating that "due to the lack of high quality scientific evidence to support the efficacy of the long-term outcomes of these procedures and lack of a strong economic argument for their benefit," it didn't look like SRS would be covered by the province anytime soon.

Fast forward to Wednesday, when CBC and other local media begin to report on this story. By that afternoon, it was announced that the minister had changed his mind and would repeal section 4.8 of the health insurance act, which denied trans people from having their surgeries covered. On Thursday, it was announced that the province would cover SRS.

It looked like good news and sunny days to all sorts of people, both transgender and cisgender, but there were clouds up ahead.

CTV Atlantic posted an online story about the recent changes. Directly below the story, a survey was posted, asking readers, "Do you believe provincial governments should pay for gender reassignment surgeries?" Although some might have found the question journalistically unwarranted and (arguably) in poor taste, the fact that the vast majority of respondents to the poll voted "no" demonstrates that even though the fight may be won, it doesn't mean that the victorious -- the individuals who support and fostered this change -- should not be supported.

In that spirit, the Nova Scotia Rainbow Action Project has created a toolkit for this very occasion. According to the release,

"The Nova Scotia government’s recent decision to fund sexual reassignment surgery has attracted a lot of media attention (both good, and not so good) and the public is starting to respond via letters to the editor, email, voicemail and twitter. It is important that members of the LGBTQI community (especially our trans members) and allies ensure our stories and opinions are out there as well."

They have created a comprehensive list of emails and contact information so that concerned individuals can voice their support, from letters to the editor to radio stations and more. 

I'm lucky enough to have this platform to voice my opinions, interests and concerns. And I am grateful for it. But not everyone can. So make your voice heard. 

"As long as there's some sort of communication, gays will work out how to use that for sex," says comedian Nath Valvo in the intro to The Grindr Guide, a series of mini-vignettes about the lives of Australian gay men who use the social networking app Grindr.

Although Valvo may have his tongue planted firmly in his cheek, he does bring about an important point: gay men now have more ways to communicate with one another. And with the seemingly instant accessibility to potential partners/dates/boyfriends/contacts that phone apps bring, the dating scene has changed.

Damien Dunstan's The Grindr Guide looks into the lives of a group of men at the issues, situations and shenanigans that living and dating in a Grindr world bring about. What could easily be a promotional fluff piece for the app delves into both personal and cultural issues that are experienced by its users.

Case in point: issues around race.

The series is slated to run about eight episodes, with five already posted. Keep an eye out for upcoming videos.

With the program In a Bind, Portland's TransActive has created a community education and donation program whereby they collect funds for binders for individuals who cannot afford them, as well as previously and gently used binders to redistribute amongst the community.

This is a great idea, one which would be lovely to see happen in a place like Atlantic Canada.

It was recently announced that the members of the Westboro Baptist Church are planning to picket the funerals of the children and adults who were killed in Newtown, Connecticut, on Friday.

As a response, Anonymous, the hacker collective, decided to respond with its own protest: publishing the names of the members of the church, with their phone numbers, email addresses and even home addresses.

Anonymous also posted a video detailing its views on Westboro and their actions.

But the members of the collective aren't the only ones taking issue with Westboro. There is also a US petition to have Westboro Baptist Church recognized as a hate group. The petition has nearly 100,000 signatures so far.

Halifax playwright Lee-Anne Poole is getting ready to take her play Short Skirt Butch on a tour of eastern Canada. It begins in Fredericton, New Brunswick, then travels through Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto, winding up back east in Halifax, with performances at the Queer Acts theatre festival.

The play debuted at least year’s Atlantic Fringe Festival, winning praise from both audiences and the press. Xtra wrote about the play last September, and since then, Poole has done a little bit of tweaking to her story of Jean, a recently dumped queer woman who decides to air her grievances. “I think of Short Skirt Butch less as a play and more like storytelling, with elements of standup comedy,” Poole says. “No matter what kind of relationship you are in, how many people are involved, sexually open or closed, heartbreak is heartbreak. It's horrible and it drives us a little mad sometimes.”

Poole is no stranger to telling stories. She has written original works as well as adaptations – she recently adapted Jean Genet’s The Maids, in a piece called The Obedients, calling it a “sexual re-imagining” – and is currently working on finalizing her latest project, Kinky Kitten Club. She also curates a blog called Filthy Emails, a collection of online mash notes. Down East caught up with Lee-Anne as she was getting ready to embark on her tour.

Q: How did the tour come about?

A: The three of us had a really great time on the Atlantic Fringe production of Short Skirt Butch last year. But it was a workshop production for us. I was writing up until the last minute and making rewrites during the run. All that being said, the Fringe run got amazing houses and some great reviews. People laughed their asses off, and I love that. I wanted to take some time after the Fringe run, really finish writing the piece and then give Stef and Bryden (the play’s lone actress, and the director) some time to really rehearse it (without me butting in with rewrites!). It’s also just such a fun, and funny, show. It’s been hard to let go of. We all wanted back at it and thought there would be an audience for it outside of Halifax, so we got to planning this.

Q: What are you expecting from your audiences?

A: During our workshop production word of this show spread like wildfire. We had our first few small houses with supportive members of the theatre community, and then it was like someone told the dykes! We ended up with packed houses of people standing in the back and sitting on the floor in the front. With audience members walking up to us afterwards to say things like, “It was so great to see a character that actually talks like me.” We were happy to have every audience member there, but it was a different sort of joy to see the audience this piece was made for appreciate it. The laughs were louder and longer, to say the least! We are excited to bring it back and to a wider audience.

Q: You're ending the tour with shows in Halifax, for Queer Acts. Any changes since the last incarnation of the show?

A: Definitely. We just finished workshopping some rewrites around the table, and I’m really happy with them. We’ve amped up how crazy Jean gets. She’s a bit of a caricature. Very blown up. She stalks, she steals, has a total breakdown due to this breakup. Not the most healthy way to deal with things, nothing I would recommend. But I think at the heart of it, everyone can identify with that feeling of loss . . . and maybe even wish we could act on some of those crazy thoughts that pop into our heads at times like that. Jean acts on all of them.

Short Skirt Butch opens in Fredericton on Sat, June 30, 8pm, Gallery Connexion
Montreal: Mon, July 2, 8pm, MainLine Theatre
Ottawa: Thurs, July 5, 9pm, Venus Envy
Toronto: Sun, July 8, 8pm, Glad Day Bookshop
Halifax: Thurs, July 19 to Sun, July 22, 10:30pm nightly, Queer Acts Theatre Festival, The Bus Stop Theatre

To reserve tickets, call 902-402-5706, or email dearhalifax@gmail.com.