Community

‘In imagining what the city could be, enchantment lies at the heart. Enchantment asks us to rediscover and reanimate social tissues and repair the severances between us. The desire to reconnect lurks everywhere, bursting to get out given the chance. It expresses itself best in small acts of daily and ordinary consideration. These seek to resolve any fissure between being ‘me’, the individual, and being ‘us’, the collective… At its core this means letting the city… cast a spell, because we are surprised by an open response.’ Charles Landry – The Art of City-Making (more…)

Workshops for gay men and men who have same sex attractions are run at the WA AIDS Council throughout the year. Each workshop has a different focus and they have been running for over 20 years. Some workshops focus on a range of sexual health and sexual technique issues (Nitty Gritties), others on effective communication and assertiveness (Talk to Me), and others on coming out, being attracted to other guys, and safe sex (Men on Men). The main purpose of these workshops is to provide a safe, comfortable space for guys to share their experiences with each other and learn form others. They are also about making contacts and networking, having a laugh and realising that you are not alone! (more…)

2008 has seen GLCS spread its wings into training and consultancy, as well as continuing to provide numerous core services to the community. Here are some highlights:

Our team of volunteer telephone counsellors has provided countless hours of support to the DSG and wider community.

A successful Women on Women course was run through May and June. (more…)

The Prime Minister’s Apology to the Stolen Generation in February this year has had a number of positive responses. The signing, in March, of a Statement of Intent, to close the gap in health status between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples marked another milestone along the road to reconciliation.

The Statement of Intent complements Reconciliation Australia’s Reconciliation Action Plans (RAPs) Program, which encourages all parts of the community—corporate Australia, local communities, schools etc—to turn good intentions into measurable actions. (more…)

On Friday October 10, Nicola Connolly and Tina Prestianni exchanged ‘wedding’ vows live on air in a ceremony at The Court Hotel. The ceremony was the culmination of a competition to win a package for a lesbian white wedding run by Perth Radio station 92.9 Breakfast Show hosts, Em and Wippa. Connolly and Prestiani were chosen out of three self-nominated lesbian couples to win the package by 92.9 listeners. (more…)

The winner of this year’s Project X ‘Reinventing Safe Sex’ Photographic Competition held by the WA AIDS Council (WAAC) has been announced. The winning image was entitled ‘Workplace Protection’.

The winner was chosen on Fairday, when members of the public were asked to cast their vote on 19 individual photographs submitted by a total of seven photographers. Approximately 470 people voted on the images, with Workplace Protection emerging the winner. (more…)

Of course, no matter how much you reinvent, one thing remains the same – people are gonna wanna party… and how! But then that’s where the subtle art of reinvention can apply: why not cut back on all the fees of hiring a venue and then filling it with lights, sound system, safety protocols, toilets etc etc by already using a pre-existing venue but reinventing it by making it bigger, better and brashier. Well, that’s exactly what Pride have done this year… or rather, will do this year when the Official Pride Party kicks off at Connections Nightclub. (more…)

After having travelled to the brink of no-return, Pride is now back with a gust of gusto sure to see it gather strength, momentum and respect as it heads toward the 20th anniversary of the Pride Festival next year. But until then Pride Festival Convenor Kieran Bycroft is slowly rebuilding the festival, or rather ‘reinventing’ it as this years theme – reinvention – suggests. And the result is sure to be electrifying, albeit localised and controlled. All up, it’s a stellar program, but not one which will see Pride overextending its capacity or current ability. (more…)

So how is Charles Denham, the man who donated $35,000 to help Pride survive, coping with the prospect of now being the convener responsible for the entire Pride Parade?

‘It’s somewhat daunting!’ he laughed. ‘The experience is very interesting. I’ve been in the parade on many occasions but I’ve never actually had to organize it, and The City of Perth have changed their rules which has put a whole new ball game into place. There are certainly some challenges there! (more…)

We asked some of the community’s leading lights ‘What does reinvention mean to you?’ and here’s what they had to say:

Reinvention for me is about going from a non-voting, door knocking Jehovah’s Witness, to a door-knocking political activist. About learning to move through the world as a man, after being brought up to move through the world as a woman. About morphing from a fresh faced baby dyke into a queer, hairy, transfag. Madonna ain’t got a thing on the reinvention I’ve done baby!
Aram Hosie, Pride Patron 2008. (more…)