to read the whole story cut and paste the following link: http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/864232–brendan-healy-vs-the-world
(excerpt:)
Healy made a big splash at Buddies last season with his direction of Nina Arsenault in her controversial play about her transgender journey, The Silicone Diaries. Besides being a huge hit, Arsenault’s work raised a lot of thematic and socio-sexual issues that Healy finds important.
“Nina says, ‘I’ll go through dozens of surgeries to become a woman, but I refuse to cut off my penis. Is that empowerment or is it enslavement?’ You couldn’t have asked a question like that 10 years ago. We used to have such focused political agendas; now we’re questioning whether or not we’re one community.
“Working with Nina is emblematic of what the whole gay community is going through. So now I’m empowered and everything is wonderful. Or is it?”
(another quote from the article:)
“I believe queer is a value thing more than a sexual orientation thing. Queer is a deep respect of difference and a celebration of the inherent differences we have in each other. Queer makes space for difference and allows for difference.
“A queer value is a message that the status quo needs to adapt. Although we are all different, we are also all fundamentally the same. I believe that in encountering difference, it will awaken something in you.”
(the article is written by theatre critic Richard Ouzounian.)