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.
The number of entries was consistent with recent years according to Mr Denham, but the number of people marching in some groups was smaller than anticipated.
"Some of the marching groups were smaller than the
numbers entered on the entry forms, something which we have no control over at
all," Mr Denham told GAYinWA.
"There
is always a tendency for marching groups to bunch up which makes the Parade look
a lot smaller than it really is, and we are looking at ways to manage this
better in the future."
The standard of parade entries was up this year, which Pride believes may be a result of the prize money on offer.
"The
feedback I have received has all been very positive indeed – the quality of the
floats and costumes were seen to be much better than in recent years and the
content of the parade greatly improved also," Mr Denham said.
"I believe that the introduction of
the prize money and trophies contributed to this which is something I hope will
grow in future years."
Mr Denham said the cracking pace set by the parade came down to inexperience.
"It did
travel too fast which was caused by a variety of circumstances, one of them
being the fact that I have not organised a parade before and now know what needs
to be done to slow it down," he said.
"The people that like it to move quickly are the
police
– no criticism of them
– but I will shoulder the main responsibility for
this due to my inexperience."
The parade has seen considerable variations of interest and activity over two decades, with notable peaks in the mid-1990s and early 2000s. Spectator numbers have been down in recent years, with colder than expected weather in 2007 and 2008 likely to have contributed to the turnout.
The familiar William Street banner was missing this year but will return to advertise next year's festival.
According to Mr Denham interest in the 20th annual parade next year is already high and Pride anticipates that it may be the biggest and best to date.
"It will never be the size of the Sydney Mardi Gras as we simply don't
have the population, but for the size of Perth we put on a substantial, high-quality parade every year, enjoyed by many thousands of people," he said.
"We have never
lost sight of the fact that it is a parade of the GLBT community and so it has
never been commercialised or compromised, which is something I believe the whole
GLBT community can be proud of."
Mr Denham rejected any suggestion that the parade had outlived its purpose and was no longer relevant.
"I
believe that shelving the Parade would be doing a great disservice to the whole
community," he said.
"It is the only time we can be out
and proud publicly without any fear of retribution – at the same time giving a
lot of enjoyment and some education to the whole community."
Parade night is traditionally one of the biggest and safest nights of the year in Northbridge. This year there were several incidents of violence after the parade that are not believed to be directly linked to the nature of the event.
You can view, download and e-card Nigel and John's photos from all
Pride events, including the Great Gay & Lesbian Debate, Fairday,
Pride Parade, Pride Party, Court Street Party and Pride Womyn's Party
now in GAYinWA Photos.
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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
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Guys.
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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.
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Lesbian Debate, Parade and Party, I thoroughly enjoyed this year's
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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.
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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.
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.
