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.

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.”

Queen - It's A Kinda Magic!

This is a theatrical creation of the very best Queen live in concert, this has captured the imagination of Queen fans worldwide and is sure not to disappoint. Unlike 'We Will Rock You', a musical using Queen songs, Queen - It's A Kinda Magic delivers the whole Queen experience.

The passion and excitement of Freddie Mercury, the amazing guitar solos of Brian May and all those unbelievable harmonies from the whole band. Delivered with modern day sound and lighting it creates the best of the 70's/80's rock era, taking audiences back in time.

Queen songs are anthems, the band legendary and Freddie Mercury iconic! Queen - It's A Kinda Magic transcends the void of reality and make-believe. The audience forgets that this is not a real Queen concert, giving the cast two to three standing ovations every night and waiting in the foyers after the show to meet the cast and relive their own Queen stories.

Click Below to see a short trailer of the show

Tasmanian Parliament Recognises Same-Sex Marriage

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."

Click the link to see ABC's News Coverage

Australian Government Changing Passport Options

Transsexual activists have welcomed a move to allow Australians to identify themselves on their passport in their preferred gender.

Intersex people, who are biologically not entirely male or female, will be able to list their gender on passports as "X."

Transgender people, whose perception of their own sex is at odds with their biology, will be able to pick whether they are male or female if their choice is supported by a doctor's statement. Transgender people cannot pick "X."

Previously, gender was a choice of only male or female, and people were not allowed to change their gender on their passport without having had a sex-change operation.
The United States dropped the surgery prerequisite for transgender people's passports last year.

The Australian Coalition for Equality said people would now be able to travel overseas without being stopped by officials because their passport doesn't match their public identity.

"From that point of view, it's a huge step forward," spokeswoman Martine Delaney said.

"It's an incredible embarrassment to be a woman for years but still have a passport that says they're male."

Ms Delaney said she knew of a man who had lived as a woman for 25 years but was unable to have a sex change for medical reasons.

In this case, US customs officials had detained her because they were confused about her gender.

Ms Delaney, 53, was born a man but underwent a sex change eight years ago.
The Hobart-based transsexual spent two years in a "transition" period, but did not travel overseas during that time.

She met senior advisers to Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd at Parliament House in Canberra in July to be told about the new guidelines.

Ms Delaney commended Mr Rudd and Attorney-General Robert McClelland, saying the changes would give "greater recognition" to transgender and intersex Australians.
"The flow-on effects acknowledge these people are human beings with rights," she said.

Under new rules unveiled on Wednesday, gender reassignment surgery will no longer be a prerequisite for "sex and gender diverse" people to get a passport identifying them the way they wish.

But they will need to present a statement from a doctor supporting their preferred gender.

The changes are expected to affect only a handful of people.
Mr Rudd said the reform was in line with the Government's efforts to remove discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.

Re-Posted from News.com.au

Britney Spears - Femme Fatale Australia Tour Rumour

Two years after her controversy-filled visit Down Under, Britney Spears is rumoured to return to our shores. An official announcement is yet to be made but it's believed Spears, who has just announced a new South American leg of her Femme Fatale tour, will come to Australia in late November/early December. Spears is grinding through the American leg of her extensive 67-date World Tour and is set to trek to Europe in September before she does two shows in Brazil in early November.

Reported in 'The Herald Sun' August 01, 2011