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 Oh the marvels of wireless technology... we have jagged a great stall
and we are now blogging live from Fairday. Download photos and
complete our exclusive online Fairday survey.
11.06am
Okay, our stall is finally setup. We have been here since about 7.30am. I guess we underestimated how long it would take to blow up hundreds of balloons. Still, they look great.
This is my first time in a Fairday stall, unless you count being in the Pride Rotunda.
Dean has given us a wonderful stall location, right on the south western corner of the stall quadrant. We can see everything going on.
I have to say, Russell Square looks fantastic. The new stalls are a big improvement and the licensed and unlicensed setup looks like it will work.
Speaking of the licensed and unlicensed setup, it was great to see the result of our poll that asked whether the Pride Committee had done the right thing in setting up licensed and non-licensed areas, to ensure people of all ages could enjoy Fairday. More than 70 per cent of respondents threw their support behind the Committee's decision.
Still, about 30 per cent of respondents thought Fairday should be turned into an 18+ event, so it will be interesting to see how things unfold once everybody has had a drink or two.
Time to do a walk-around of the stalls.
1.24pm
What a resilient mob we are! Given everything we have put up with over the years, did Mother Nature think a couple of rain showers would faze us?
Seriously, the rain looked a little ominous for a while and I was glad I was under a stall. It appears to have cleared up now, and the crowd has swelled.
The majority of the crowd are parked inside the licensed quadrant of the park and it seems to be working well. I feel a little for the performers though, as the space in front of the stage is a little emptier than usual.
It's amazing what sells and what doesn't. Turns out we are the only stall selling rainbow tattoos. They and our first birthday celebratory helium balloons are a big hit. We had 300 balloons to start with - most of them are gone and most of them to kids. We appear to be breeding well!
I can't quite see the stage, but I think I heard Lord Mayor candidate Max Kay opening Fairday earlier. What a long way we have come since Peter Nattrass spurned us.
 And the big news of the day is Rodney Croome's announcement to the crowd that he is the donor for Pride Co-Patrons Kelly and Sam Pilgrim-Byrne's baby. It was great to see the pride on his face when talking to him earlier.
I see Nigel approaching with his camera. It's time to upload our first batch of Fairday photos.
3.40pm
It appears as if the new liquor license setup isn't working, after all.
Despite the best of intentions and a lot of good will from the community, there are now large queues outside of the licensed area. Security is saying that the maximum occupancy of 2,000 people has been reached and they aren't allowing anybody in unless people leave.
This is one of the potential risks for the new setup we identified a couple of weeks ago in my blog Understanding the Fairday Drinking Dilemma.
 An additional problem is that there are no toilets in the licensed area. This means that, if you need to go, you can't get back in. Bummer.
Those who can't get back in are using terms like "lock out", "caged in", "segregation". Not good.
Stallholders have also noticed that the volume of people browsing the stalls is smaller than in previous years, with people not willing to give up their space in the licensed area.
The Pride Committee is majorly stressed, understandably. They have done their best to comply with liquor laws and, generally speaking, the day is running very well. They desperately want it to work and for everybody to have a good time.
There isn't much they can do now, but Co-President Dean Cahill has just asked me to apologise to patrons who have had to queue and inform everybody that Pride will investigate a new venue for next year... possibly the Supreme Court Gardens. What this means for Pride's partnership with Northbridge and the funding this brings from the City of Perth, I am not sure. But, I am sure this can be worked through.
I really feel for the Committee right now. I remember being on the Pride Committee and having queuing issues at Gilkiison's during the 2004 Pride Party. It was hideous and there was nothing we could do at the time.
If you're a Pride Committee member reading this, you've done a great job today and have done your best to comply with the new license conditions. I have no doubt you will sort it out for next year.
On a different topic, I have to say that the LGBT media scene has come a long way in a year. A year ago, there was only Ruth Wykes and Women Out West publishing regularly. Now we have the paper coming out regularly and our wonderful web site has been running for just on a year. The winners are our local LGBT businesses and community groups, who can now get their stories out and get people to their events. Very cool... and it is nice to be a part of it.
5.24pm
Well, the crowd is a stayer. It is still pretty thick in the licensed area and the line has cleared.
The upside with the new liquor arrangements appear to be bar sales. Dean Cahill just told me that bar sales have doubled this year and that the bar ran out of beer during the afternoon.
This is good news for Pride's coffers and should set them up for a good year financially.
The flip side is that there were a number of people who waited for up to an hour in line to get into the licensed area, only to find that they couldn't get a beer. I reckon these people will be the crankiest, and fair enough.
While the Pride Committee has some work on its hands to come up with a better management plan for the liquor license next year, the general vibe I am picking up is that Fairday is a success.
The GAYinWA team has had a ball meeting our readers.
Thanks to everybody who came and said hello and purchased some of the great merchandise we have had on sale. It has been great getting your feedback.
One of the nicest comments we received today was from a lesbian woman and her partner who told us that GAYinWA was the only way they kept informed with what was going on in our community. They didn't get out much and, as such, they didn't come across the street press.
Thank heavens for the internet.
Back to Fairday. Congratulations to the Pride Committee. All of us at GAYinWA wish you a successful Pride Festival and we look forward to celebrating with you at the Pride Party in four weeks time.
Remember, check out our Fairday photos in GAYinWA Photos and be sure to complete our exclusive online Fairday survey and tell us what you thought of Fairday this year.
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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
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Dancing in a circle with your friends, it's quickly becoming the
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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.
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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.
written by Ric Tren., October 02, 2007 - 6:03:05 pm CDT
Thanks for the efforts on fairday..i believe a lot of problems with the licensed area could have been avoided if the committee had been visible and been able to adjust space as problems arose...eg letting patrons know that the bar had run out of beer.Having more than one entry and exit point ,Next year how about some toilets in the bar area? simple logic I would have thought.How under utilised was the area in front of the stage? could have been more lic area. Please don't move from Russell sq.
written by mikeiba, October 03, 2007 - 1:59:11 pm CDT
It's the one word I never thought I'd use regarding Fairday-discrimination!! My partner, our 7yr old son and myself rocked up early thinking we'd get a possie early in the licensed area to drink our wine (poured into a plastic cordial container to do the right thing) and enjoy our favourite day. Low and behold the security quickly pointed out that our son was not allowed to enter the licensed area as no photo id etc! Now, being 7 he's hardly going to be knocking back shooters plus I was under the impression that under 18's would be admitted under the supervision of parent/guardian. So here's the discrimination-if you have a child you are not allowed to enjoy a vino or anything else alcoholic!! This is not only unfair but segregating our community and discriminating against a sizable portion of our community. Fairday is a community event-families and friends having a relaxed day celebrating a wonderfully diverse community. What happened???
written by Grant Sutherland, October 05, 2007 - 6:24:29 am CDT
Well, yes the licensed area was a little disappointing, but then I did not go there just for a drink. Overall the day was enjoyable as usual and a big thanks to the organisers, it's a thankless tasks. The Pride Committee seem to be on the ball they already understand the complaints and are acting to improve the next fairday. Congratulations and big huggs and kisses for you tireless work.
written by Brad MCKAY, October 10, 2007 - 2:12:57 am CDT
After many years of attending fairday as a community member as well as a previous Pride Committee member, I would have to say this was my best and favourite fairday ever. Yes the lines were crazy, there were no toilets in the bar area but all in all I know my friends and I had a fantastic time. I would hate to see Fairday move back to Hyde Park as parking was hideous and fairday has grown out of the capacity of hyde park and it became a logistical nightmare. I think the entertainment this year was way to heavy on lesbians with guitars...( a select talented few would have been great) we need more variety and maybe with the bar sales from this year the committee may look at increasing the entertainment budget. Apart from that thank you for a fantastic day PrideWA... I wish you all the best for the remainder of the festival.
Happy Pride
written by Ryan Majid, October 11, 2007 - 11:10:16 pm CDT
I THINK WE SHOULD THANK THE PRIDE COMMITTEE FOR THERE HARD WORK WITH FAIRDAY . TO ME THE GAY COMMUNTY SHOULD STOP COMPLAIN ABOUT THING THAT ARE WRONG WITH FAIRDAY AND THEY SHOULD COME TOGETHER AND MAKE IT BETTER FOR EVERYONE . THEN GIVE SHIT TO THE PRIDE COMITTEE THEY COMITTEE TRY THERE BEST TO CELEBRATE PRIDE FOR ALL OF US LETS SUPPORT THEN THEN COMPLAIN ABOUT EVENTS .