Showing posts with label sydney mardi gras news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sydney mardi gras news. Show all posts
Thursday, September 29, 2011
A Gay Ole Time
Author:Deborah Erwin
Re-Posted From: Alternative Media Group of Australia
Posted:Tuesday, 27 September 2011
All walks of sexual nuance will be out en masse this weekend to celebrate, gyrate and drink at their favourite Oxford St venue.
Big Gay Weekend, a three-day party organised by New Mardi Gras (NMG), is a fundraiser for the city’s annual Mardi Gras Parade which celebrates sexual diversity and acceptance.
The producer for the weekend-long party James Bridge is a former manager at Midnight Shift and has been on Oxford Street’s “scene” for eight years.
“We’re aiming to fundraise about $40,000 this weekend,” he said.
The money will be spent on producing both community-based and NMG floats.
Mr Bridge said the organisation receives a lot of support from the City of Sydney and Events NSW, they rely heavily on donations. “Last year we lost over $30,000 running the parade,” he said. “But this year we managed to get all the party promoters to donate a portion of their ticket sales. This has never been done before so it’s very exciting.”
Chief executive of NMG Michael Rolik said the upcoming public holiday has been a fundraising tradition for the last 30 years.
“The main objectives of the weekend are to raise funds for the Parade and to support businesses on Oxford St,” he said.
The event involves dozens of restaurants, bars and entertainment venues and officially begins at 5pm Friday.
Part of the ticket sales for the parties on Oxford Street this weekend will go toward funding the annual parade.
“In recent years, due to a number of reasons which had to do with having different teams every year, it hasn’t been that successful. So we decided to park it and come up with the concept of the Big Gay Weekend,” Mr Rolik said.
Big Gay Weekend, a three-day party organised by New Mardi Gras (NMG), is a fundraiser for the city’s annual Mardi Gras Parade which celebrates sexual diversity and acceptance.
The producer for the weekend-long party James Bridge is a former manager at Midnight Shift and has been on Oxford Street’s “scene” for eight years.
“We’re aiming to fundraise about $40,000 this weekend,” he said.
The money will be spent on producing both community-based and NMG floats.
Mr Bridge said the organisation receives a lot of support from the City of Sydney and Events NSW, they rely heavily on donations. “Last year we lost over $30,000 running the parade,” he said. “But this year we managed to get all the party promoters to donate a portion of their ticket sales. This has never been done before so it’s very exciting.”
Chief executive of NMG Michael Rolik said the upcoming public holiday has been a fundraising tradition for the last 30 years.
“The main objectives of the weekend are to raise funds for the Parade and to support businesses on Oxford St,” he said.
The event involves dozens of restaurants, bars and entertainment venues and officially begins at 5pm Friday.
Part of the ticket sales for the parties on Oxford Street this weekend will go toward funding the annual parade.
“In recent years, due to a number of reasons which had to do with having different teams every year, it hasn’t been that successful. So we decided to park it and come up with the concept of the Big Gay Weekend,” Mr Rolik said.
Mr Bridge said an army of volunteers are integral to the parade’s whole operation.
“We rely on volunteers to do everything from bucket collecting (getting donations) to building websites. Even those on the Board are volunteers,” Mr Bridge said.
“The organisation wouldn’t run without them.” The Parade is more than an excuse to prance around in sequined costumes for most Sydneysiders, it is also a platform for raising awareness about social issues pertaining to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered individuals.
“The Parade started off as a march to get a point across in terms of equality,” Mr Bridge said. “Today marriage equality is at the forefront. To me, it seems like a no-brainer. Everyone should have the same rights. They should be able to marry whoever they want.”
“We rely on volunteers to do everything from bucket collecting (getting donations) to building websites. Even those on the Board are volunteers,” Mr Bridge said.
“The organisation wouldn’t run without them.” The Parade is more than an excuse to prance around in sequined costumes for most Sydneysiders, it is also a platform for raising awareness about social issues pertaining to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered individuals.
“The Parade started off as a march to get a point across in terms of equality,” Mr Bridge said. “Today marriage equality is at the forefront. To me, it seems like a no-brainer. Everyone should have the same rights. They should be able to marry whoever they want.”
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Gay Marriage - Tasmania Passed
The Tasmanian House of Assembly is the first state in Australia to pass an amendment to the Marriage Act, allowing marriage equality for gays and lesbians.
The Greens' motion now calls on the Federal Government to change the Marriage Act.
The passage of the motion was greeted with applause from Labor and Green members on the floor of the House and a standing ovation by same-sex marriage activists in the public gallery.
Liberal members voted against the motion.
The debate was watched by a large national audience on the Parliament's internet broadcast.
Greens leader Nick McKim said the motion provided hope.
"By voting in support of marriage equality, Tasmania has written itself into this country's history books, as a national leader in advocating a compassionate and progressive society," he said. "It is now time for the Federal Government to act to remove legally entrenched discrimination."
Mr McKim said that if the Federal Government did not reform marriage laws by the end of the year, he would push on with plans for state legislation.
Premier Lara Giddings said the vote was a great day for the state.
"Tasmania has come a long way since 1997 when we rectified the terrible situation of having homosexual relationships considered illegal in this state," she said. "We've come a long way to show we are in fact a tolerant and compassionate community."
Australian Marriage Equality national convener Alex Greenwich said people nationwide followed the debate.
"What they heard today was a message of hope. They heard a message of hope coming out of the Tasmanian Parliament that one day gay and lesbian Australians will be treated equally by the law and by the Marriage Act," he said. "This gives us the momentum and the encouragement to go on and keep fighting."
Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group spokesman Rodney Croome said: "If every state and territory parliament were to do what we have seen in Tasmania today, it would be impossible for the Federal Parliament to continue to resist change. If Tasmania can do this, other states and territories can do it too."
Catholic Archbishop of Hobart Adrian Doyle expressed disappointment: "Our position on maintaining the current meaning of marriage is well known and the church will continue to lobby both state and federal politicians to ensure the Act is not changed."
Presbyterian minister Campbell Markham was also unhappy with the result: "Today's Greens motion is an attack on the basic rights of children."
The Greens' motion now calls on the Federal Government to change the Marriage Act.
The passage of the motion was greeted with applause from Labor and Green members on the floor of the House and a standing ovation by same-sex marriage activists in the public gallery.
Liberal members voted against the motion.
The debate was watched by a large national audience on the Parliament's internet broadcast.
Greens leader Nick McKim said the motion provided hope.
"By voting in support of marriage equality, Tasmania has written itself into this country's history books, as a national leader in advocating a compassionate and progressive society," he said. "It is now time for the Federal Government to act to remove legally entrenched discrimination."
Mr McKim said that if the Federal Government did not reform marriage laws by the end of the year, he would push on with plans for state legislation.
Premier Lara Giddings said the vote was a great day for the state.
"Tasmania has come a long way since 1997 when we rectified the terrible situation of having homosexual relationships considered illegal in this state," she said. "We've come a long way to show we are in fact a tolerant and compassionate community."
Australian Marriage Equality national convener Alex Greenwich said people nationwide followed the debate.
"What they heard today was a message of hope. They heard a message of hope coming out of the Tasmanian Parliament that one day gay and lesbian Australians will be treated equally by the law and by the Marriage Act," he said. "This gives us the momentum and the encouragement to go on and keep fighting."
Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group spokesman Rodney Croome said: "If every state and territory parliament were to do what we have seen in Tasmania today, it would be impossible for the Federal Parliament to continue to resist change. If Tasmania can do this, other states and territories can do it too."
Catholic Archbishop of Hobart Adrian Doyle expressed disappointment: "Our position on maintaining the current meaning of marriage is well known and the church will continue to lobby both state and federal politicians to ensure the Act is not changed."
Presbyterian minister Campbell Markham was also unhappy with the result: "Today's Greens motion is an attack on the basic rights of children."
Click the link to see ABC's News Coverage
Monday, March 14, 2011
Candidates on Parade - Political Pundits
Political pundits have long known Clover Moore has a lock on gay community support, but the Greens, Labor and Liberal parties mobilised for this years Mardi Gras.
Labor's float committed the cardinal Mardi Gras sin looking daggy, replete with election corflutes, while Liberals Bruce Notley-Smith (Coogee), Adrian Bartels (Sydney) and James Falk (North Sydney) waved from the back of a glam convertible, JFK and Jackie O-style, accompanied by a beaming Don Harwin (Liberal MLC). Mr Bartels has been chasing the gay vote with particular alacrity, taking out full page ads in the pink press wishing readers a Happy Mardi Gras - but say little else.
(Source: Wentworth Courier, March 2011)
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