Sydney Madri Gras Festival 19 February - 6 March 2011

Sydney Madri Gras Festival 19 February - 6 March 2011

Get Accommodation now at Metro Hotels, there are 4 great properties within close proximity to the Mardi Gras Festivities.

Have your say on Gay Marriage

An online survey by Wentworth MP Malcolm Turnbull into gay marriage is proving extremely popular and you still have the chance to participate.

To take part in the survey simply log on to www.malcolmturnbull.com.au and follow the prompts.

According to a spokesperson for Mr Turnbull, “There has been an overwhelming response to this survey, which shows this issue is obviously very important for the community.”

To date, over 1100 responses have been received from constituents within the Wentworth electorate alone. “However, for the survey to be as accurate as possible, it is important that even more people take part.” Said the spokesperson.

Minneapolis is the Gayest City in the United States

We've recently been introduced to the gayest country to travel to, which, oddly, is Nepal, but what about the gayest US city? We use the superlative as it relates to the most gay-friendly city, as judged by The Advocate magazine using the most highly scientific criteria:

For each city, The Advocate added up numbers for Gay.com profiles, listed officiants for Gay weddings within a 50-mile radius, openly gay elected officials, performances by lesbian sisters musical duo Tegan and Sara over the past five years, lesbian bars, gay and gay-friendly religious congregations and entries in YellowPages.com with "gay" in the business name or description.

And the winner of Gayest City to Visit in the USA is...Minneapolis, Minnesota! Congratulations, MN—you beat out other apparent shoe-ins, like New York City, Portland, Provincetown, and San Francisco. Time to put up some celebratory street signs!

Where: Minneapolis, MN, United States

Midsumma Melbourne celebrate Queer Culture

Midsumma, Melbourne’s premier queer arts and cultural festival, will bring the city to life over summer when the festival begins in the middle of January.

The festival spans three weeks, finishing on the 6th February, and includes art exhibitions, theatre, live music and nightlife events with queer-centric themes for the queer and wider community.

Celebrating its 23rd birthday, Midsumma has grown in stature and audience and plays a significant role in the broader Melbourne arts festival scene as well as the cultural life of Melbourne’s queer community.

“Midsumma enhances the sense of a ‘queer community’ in Melbourne, strengthens the sense of identity, and deepens the sense of belonging within our community, which in turn makes the community more resilient” says Adam Lowe, General Manager of Midsumma.

“By showcasing queer culture to the broader community, it helps destigmatise the queer community and reduce levels of marginalisation” Adam says.

Lisa Watts, Chairperson of Midsumma adds “The festival also provides a supportive forum for queer youth, by giving them a sense of belonging and overcome the sense of isolation they can feel”.

Midsumma attracts over 100,000 people from Melbourne and interstate. making it a significant tourist and cultural contributor to Melbourne’s economy.

The festival opens with Carnival, Midsumma’s single largest event, and features food, entertainment and activities.

Melbourne Apartment Accommodation at Metro Apartments on Bank Place

(Source: Visit Victoria web site)

Are you looking for affordable, comfortable, safe and central hotel accommodation for Mardi Gras 2011?

Looking for affordable, comfortable, safe and central hotel accommodation for Mardi Gras 2011??

Then look no further than Metro Hotel on Pitt, Sydney. Located at 300 Pitt Street in the Sydney CBD, Metro Hotel on Pitt is only 120m from Hyde Park and the marshalling area for the Mardi Gras Parade.

To make your booking contact the hotel now.

Toll Free call - 1800 333 800 (for callers within Australia only)

Hotel Reception - +61 2 9283 8088
Reservations – resmhop@metrohg.com

Web site – www.metrohotelonpitt.com

Mardi Gras Party 2010

Images Photostream of the Sydney Mardi Gras Party in 2010

Images courtesy of www.mardigras.org.au

11 Queer trends & milestones for 2011

The Top 11 queer trends & milestones for 2011

Bonjour Newtown Hotel
After gathering cobwebs for 24 months, the Newtown Hotel has a new licensee and make inner-west queers happy in 2011.

Au revoir Live and Haus
The departure of Live and Haus from club One Six Nine will leave room for a few new straight club nights. We hope the punters to Oxford Street are lovers not fighters.

Pet Shop Boys fever
The rumour mill has the Pet Shop Boys touring in Sydney around Mardi Gras time.

Baby boom
Progress in adoption means more queer couples hearing the pitter patter of little feet. Expect plenty of pugs’ noses to be put out of joint.

Girls get to grindr
Love it or loathe it, the Grindr app (allowing you to instantly find other gay men wherever you are) is pretty popular in this town and finally the girls will get to grind with the announcement of a grrrrl Grindr, due this year.

Scruff
Scruff is Grindr for furry fellas and it is set to see more bears and other hairy bits in 2011.

Dolly Parton on tour
The songbird with the tiniest waist in country music will tour down under. We think we will see a few Dolly drag homages in the crowd.

Mainstream alert
Young gay men calling themselves ‘mainstreamers’ and ditching the label of ‘gay’ may see old-school and new-school queers divided in 2011. Brace yourselves for handbags at 50 paces.

The Sum of Us
In August, Glen ST Theatre is reviving David Stevens’ play about an ocker dad (Steve Bisley) and his gay son.

Time Out re-branding
After three years, Time Out Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian section is getting a nip’n’tuck. Watch this space.

Need Sydney Accommodation? Metro Hotels

(source: Time Out Sydney January 2011)