Check back regularly and read the latest offerings from our leading team of bloggers. Updated throughout the week, our bloggers give you insight and opinions on everything from popular culture to sport, books to movies, stage to spoken word and fashion to politics - both within our community and the world at large. Current bloggers include Gavin McGuren, Daniel Smith, Fiona Wong, Nigel Etherington, Danae Gibson, Ania Anderst, Damien Douglas-Meyer and Kieran Bycroft. We are always looking for new bloggers too - so if you have something to say, be it once or on a regular basis, please send us an email.
Was it just me or did World AIDS Day 2007 slip by with less fanfare
than John Howard’s retirement? In the mid 1980s, Australia had one of
the fastest and most effective responses to HIV/AIDS, yet now that
success risks being overshadowed by a new threat:
complacency. The worldwide pandemic we once so proudly contained is
again threatening our society’s immune system, only now there’s a new virus — barebacking.
As I came to make more gay and lesbian friends in the years following
my coming out, I was struck by the prevalence of "orphans" Christmas
parties within my new circle.
What do we want? To save Pride! When do we want it? NOW! Members attending the Special General Meeting had plenty to say about what Pride WA Inc. needs to be doing, and plenty of members offered suggestions about how to save it. But here's one of the things they're actually doing...
It's
been a bumper month for celebrating queerness methinks. Recently the GF and I were in Melbourne and
bought the last two tix available for a Sunday matinee of Priscilla: The
Musical. Firstly, the matinee was at 5pm (surely that
is queer time's version of midday) and secondly, the seats in row Z were still
perfect. Sure, we couldn't see the
lipstick on the teeth of the actors but we had the joy of the aerial view Busby
Berkely style.
Did Jodie Foster just come out? Does Anthony Callea really have people "close" to him who would sell him out to the tabloids for the sort of prices they pay at the Murdoch rags? Is gay culture really over now that we all want nothing more than a church wedding and a white picket fence, and does anybody care?
With stubborn old John Howard finally crowbarred from office, Australia has finally rejoined the league of responsible nations by ratifying the Kyoto protocol. We also now have bipartisan support for national gay and lesbian law reform. What a difference a week makes.
Last week Missy Higgins announced she wasn't so straight after all, and this week she kicked off her tour with a sold-out event at the Belvoir Amphitheatre. Lesbians from every far-flung corner of W.A. travelled to see her perform. There were crew from Kalgoorlie, Bunbury, a mob from Geraldton, Albany and some forward thinking women from Mandurah and Rockingham even chartered a 20-seater bus!
Forgive me if I've been away for a few months, but where in sam-hill have all the Perth dykes gone? Did the bling police come in and tear the jeans, boots and black t-shirts off them and replace them with straight, high-waisted dress wearing cacklers, wielding teeny-tiny handbags and sporting strappy, high-heeled sandals? Have our venues become the enemy of comfortably dressed lesbians?
The 2008 Pride Parade may have been among the smallest, and certainly
the fastest in Pride's 19 years, but it remains a relevant and
important event according to this year's convenor, Charles Denham.
Gay favourite Rachel Berger is among the headliners this year as the Wild West Comedy Fest returns
to Perth for 26 days of hilarity and hijinks. Other Australian comedy
stars on the bill include Bob Franklin, Tom Gleeson, Fiona O’Loughlin
and Scared Little Weird
Guys.
Rebuilding trust was the key to the success of this year's Pride events
according to festival convenor, Kieran Bycroft. While some events did
less well than expected, many attracted good crowds and some film and
theatre sessions were sold out.
African-American and Latino voters were a powerful force in electing Barack Obama and also in passing Proposition 8 to ban same-sex marriage. Exit polls
showed 70 percent of black voters, and a majority of Latino
voters, voted yes to the ban. More here.
Three US states ban marriage
Three US states passed amendments banning same-sex marriage in the historic vote that also saw the election of the nation's first black president. Voters in California, Arizona and Florida approved proposals to outlaw same-sex
marriage. More here (free registration retired)and here.
California's marriage war rages on
Having failed to save same-sex marriage, GLBT Californians are taking their fight to court. City attorneys from San Francisco, Los Angeles and Santa Clara will seek to invalidate Proposition 8 on the grounds that it conflicts with the equal
protection pillars of the state Constitution. More here, here, here and here.
Caught with their pants down in Malaysia
Malaysian police raided four gay "parties" on the weekend and arrested some 70 people after finding DVDs, gay magazines, lubricants and boxes of condom. A small reminder to be cautious in Malaysia and Singapore, where the aptly named Straits Times gleefully prints your photo. Details here.
Burning in hell on Earth
God Hates Fags! posters have become one of the symbols of the great divide in America. Now the son of
vile and crazy Rev Fred Phelps speaks out for the first time about the violent abuse he
suffered at the hands of his father. Read it here, along with
the response from his delightful sister, Shirley.
Circumcision HIV benefits in doubt
US analysis of data on 53,567 men who have sex with other men has
found that circumcision is ineffective in reducing HIV rates.
African trials have shown circumcision cuts the likelihood of male to female HIV transmission by up to 60 per cent. More here and here.
Only gay in the village proud but sad
Australian Olympic gold medalist, Matthew Mitcham, is proud but also sad to have been the only gay in the village at Beijing. The champion diver says his decision to come out before the games was a vital part of the gold medal performance that denied China a clean sweep. More here.
Lover cooked and served with herbs
A plague of gay cannibals threatens to overrun the planet, with the latest outbreak reported in Leeds, where a former Mr Gay UK is on trial for killing a former lover and attempting to eat part of his thigh. Anthony Morley, 36, is accused of murdering Damian Oldfield and cooking parts of his flesh. More here.
Big HIV rise among China's gay men
HIV infections have increased alarmingly among gay and bisexual men in parts of
China according to new data. There were an estimated 700,000 HIV/AIDS cases in China as of
October 2007, up 8 percent from 2006. Cases among gay and bisexual men jumped to 3.3 percent in 2007 from 0.4 percent in 2005. More here.
Dancing in a circle with your friends, it's quickly becoming the
perfect night out. However amid the fifth round of drinks and
renditions of I Kissed a Girl, you can't help but feel a rift over the
dance floor.
From the Pride theatre and film seasons through to the Great Gay &
Lesbian Debate, Parade and Party, I thoroughly enjoyed this year's
Pride Festival. View footage from the debate and Parade and read about my festival highlights and the challenges I think Pride faces next year.
In winning today’s Presidential election, Barack Obama has provided the
world with the opportunity for a new beginning and his country with the
opportunity to put the disastrous Bush years behind it.
For some time now it's been popular among members of Generation Y to
declare that something is "so gay" to indicate that it's dumb, silly,
bad, ugly, unattractive, geeky, embarrassing, gaudy or even just plain
dull. That’s so gay. That’s so gay.
That’s so gay. It's the dull that hurts the most.
While I may not be the first person to go out on a limb and declare
that Barack Obama will win this year's Presidential election, I may be
among the first to declare that Sarah Palin will win the Republican
nomination and challenge him in 2012. That is, if she hasn't
bankrupted the Republicans with her wardrobe expenses first.
The global financial meltdown and impending economic Armageddon may
have an unexpected upside. For the first time in half a generation,
there may finally be a pool of people with the time on their
hands necessary to build exciting Parade floats.
Was it just me or did World AIDS Day 2007 slip by with less fanfare
than John Howard’s retirement? In the mid 1980s, Australia had one of
the fastest and most effective responses to HIV/AIDS, yet now that
success risks being overshadowed by a new threat:
complacency. The worldwide pandemic we once so proudly contained is
again threatening our society’s immune system, only now there’s a new virus — barebacking.
As I came to make more gay and lesbian friends in the years following
my coming out, I was struck by the prevalence of "orphans" Christmas
parties within my new circle.
What do we want? To save Pride! When do we want it? NOW! Members attending the Special General Meeting had plenty to say about what Pride WA Inc. needs to be doing, and plenty of members offered suggestions about how to save it. But here's one of the things they're actually doing...
It's
been a bumper month for celebrating queerness methinks. Recently the GF and I were in Melbourne and
bought the last two tix available for a Sunday matinee of Priscilla: The
Musical. Firstly, the matinee was at 5pm (surely that
is queer time's version of midday) and secondly, the seats in row Z were still
perfect. Sure, we couldn't see the
lipstick on the teeth of the actors but we had the joy of the aerial view Busby
Berkely style.
Did Jodie Foster just come out? Does Anthony Callea really have people "close" to him who would sell him out to the tabloids for the sort of prices they pay at the Murdoch rags? Is gay culture really over now that we all want nothing more than a church wedding and a white picket fence, and does anybody care?
With stubborn old John Howard finally crowbarred from office, Australia has finally rejoined the league of responsible nations by ratifying the Kyoto protocol. We also now have bipartisan support for national gay and lesbian law reform. What a difference a week makes.
Last week Missy Higgins announced she wasn't so straight after all, and this week she kicked off her tour with a sold-out event at the Belvoir Amphitheatre. Lesbians from every far-flung corner of W.A. travelled to see her perform. There were crew from Kalgoorlie, Bunbury, a mob from Geraldton, Albany and some forward thinking women from Mandurah and Rockingham even chartered a 20-seater bus!
Forgive me if I've been away for a few months, but where in sam-hill have all the Perth dykes gone? Did the bling police come in and tear the jeans, boots and black t-shirts off them and replace them with straight, high-waisted dress wearing cacklers, wielding teeny-tiny handbags and sporting strappy, high-heeled sandals? Have our venues become the enemy of comfortably dressed lesbians?
Love All will return in 2009, with organisers bringing the event
forward to February to take advantage of the guaranteed summer weather.
The 2008 Pride Parade may have been among the smallest, and certainly
the fastest in Pride's 19 years, but it remains a relevant and
important event according to this year's convenor, Charles Denham.
Gay favourite Rachel Berger is among the headliners this year as the Wild West Comedy Fest returns
to Perth for 26 days of hilarity and hijinks. Other Australian comedy
stars on the bill include Bob Franklin, Tom Gleeson, Fiona O’Loughlin
and Scared Little Weird
Guys.
Rebuilding trust was the key to the success of this year's Pride events
according to festival convenor, Kieran Bycroft. While some events did
less well than expected, many attracted good crowds and some film and
theatre sessions were sold out.
African-American and Latino voters were a powerful force in electing Barack Obama and also in passing Proposition 8 to ban same-sex marriage. Exit polls
showed 70 percent of black voters, and a majority of Latino
voters, voted yes to the ban. More 
Three US states passed amendments banning same-sex marriage in the historic vote that also saw the election of the nation's first black president. Voters in California, Arizona and Florida approved proposals to outlaw same-sex
marriage. More 
Having failed to save same-sex marriage, GLBT Californians are taking their fight to court. City attorneys from San Francisco, Los Angeles and Santa Clara will seek to invalidate Proposition 8 on the grounds that it conflicts with the equal
protection pillars of the state Constitution. More 
Malaysian police raided four gay "parties" on the weekend and arrested some 70 people after finding DVDs, gay magazines, lubricants and boxes of condom. A small reminder to be cautious in Malaysia and Singapore, where the aptly named Straits Times gleefully prints your photo. Details 
God Hates Fags! posters have become one of the symbols of the great divide in America. Now the son of
vile and crazy Rev Fred Phelps speaks out for the first time about the violent abuse he
suffered at the hands of his father. Read it 
US analysis of data on 53,567 men who have sex with other men has
found that circumcision is ineffective in reducing HIV rates.
African trials have shown circumcision cuts the likelihood of male to female HIV transmission by up to 60 per cent. More 
Australian Olympic gold medalist, Matthew Mitcham, is proud but also sad to have been the only gay in the village at Beijing. The champion diver says his decision to come out before the games was a vital part of the gold medal performance that denied China a clean sweep. More 
A plague of gay cannibals threatens to overrun the planet, with the latest outbreak reported in Leeds, where a former Mr Gay UK is on trial for killing a former lover and attempting to eat part of his thigh. Anthony Morley, 36, is accused of murdering Damian Oldfield and cooking parts of his flesh. More 
HIV infections have increased alarmingly among gay and bisexual men in parts of
China according to new data. There were an estimated 700,000 HIV/AIDS cases in China as of
October 2007, up 8 percent from 2006. Cases among gay and bisexual men jumped to 3.3 percent in 2007 from 0.4 percent in 2005. More 
Dancing in a circle with your friends, it's quickly becoming the
perfect night out. However amid the fifth round of drinks and
renditions of I Kissed a Girl, you can't help but feel a rift over the
dance floor.
From the Pride theatre and film seasons through to the Great Gay &
Lesbian Debate, Parade and Party, I thoroughly enjoyed this year's
Pride Festival. View footage from the debate and Parade and read about my festival highlights and the challenges I think Pride faces next year.
In winning today’s Presidential election, Barack Obama has provided the
world with the opportunity for a new beginning and his country with the
opportunity to put the disastrous Bush years behind it.
For some time now it's been popular among members of Generation Y to
declare that something is "so gay" to indicate that it's dumb, silly,
bad, ugly, unattractive, geeky, embarrassing, gaudy or even just plain
dull. That’s so gay. That’s so gay.
That’s so gay. It's the dull that hurts the most.
While I may not be the first person to go out on a limb and declare
that Barack Obama will win this year's Presidential election, I may be
among the first to declare that Sarah Palin will win the Republican
nomination and challenge him in 2012. That is, if she hasn't
bankrupted the Republicans with her wardrobe expenses first.
The global financial meltdown and impending economic Armageddon may
have an unexpected upside. For the first time in half a generation,
there may finally be a pool of people with the time on their
hands necessary to build exciting Parade floats.
