As the Albany Pride Festival’s 10th edition comes to its climax this weekend there’s a busy schedule of activities. An early morning park run, a massive Fair Day event, drag bingo, sporting events, and the enormous Barn Dance party.
Across the city, landmarks have been lit in rainbow colours. As people gather for Albany Pride’s regular end of month drinks, the numbers swelled by many out-of-towners visiting for the festival, the iconic town hall is shining in the colours of the Pride flag.
From the balcony of the Premier Hotel it creates the perfect backdrop for photos as old friends are reunited and new friendships are forged. As the final weekend of the month long festival begins, sitting down in front of the row of rainbow lights is Kevin Blythe.
Kevin keeps vigil over the rainbow to make sure none of the lights go walkabout, the illumination of the town’s landmarks is his contribution to the festival. He’s the ultimate ally, a parent whose determined to quietly bring about change to the town in Western Australia’s Great Southern region.
“For a lot of years I’ve been a big supporter of the community.” Kevin says, sharing that he spent years working in theatre and music, including a long stint of living in Sydney. He recalls that growing up in rural Western Australia he didn’t really meet people from the LGBTIQA+ communities.
The friendships he made during his time in Sydney were the first thing he thought of when his own child came out to him and let him know he was transitioning gender, and becoming his son.
“He asked me how I felt, and I said, ‘Mate, I worked for 16 years in the theatre in Sydney, and some of my best friends are straight'”. Kevin recalls with a laugh.
While Kevin gave a casual response that still sadly is missing from many young people’s coming out experiences, he shares that he was impressed by how his own father took the news.
“I was impressed by my Dad’s reaction to it, because he is very old school, and doesn’t understand being gay or lesbian. My son sat him down and said, ‘Pop – this is what’s happening, how do you feel about it?’
“My Dad just said, ‘I’m old school, I don’t understand this sort of stuff, but you’re grandkid, and that’s all that bloody matters.'”
Recalling his own father’s reaction is an emotional moment for Kevin as he shares how pround he is of all the generations of his family. This year his son Jesse has become following his dreams studying acting at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. Kevin recently travelled up to Perth to help him move into new accommodation.
As we share stories in front of the marvelously lit Town Hall, a car full of teenagers zooms past shouting homophobic slurs, barely comprehensible as they woosh by. It’s a timely reminder that this is a town whose population includes many people who hold strong views against people of diverse sexuality in gender.
In 2024 local councilor Tom Brough suggested there plus symbol in LGBTIQA+ indicated an acceptance of ‘minor attracted people’. An accusation that drew a strong rebuff from the local community. Brough went on to be the Liberal candidate at the 2025 state election, but was unsuccessful. Around the same time community group Keep Children Safe Albany appeared and began campaigning against the Pride festival and LGBTIQA+ related books held in the town’s library.
The campaign against the local LGBTIQA+ community turned Kevin into an activist. Last year he was firing off emails to council members appalled at the suggestion they might start banning specific books from the town’s library.
“I wrote to them and told then that there’s a book in there which has a story about two young women who get their father drunk to have sex with him to get pregnant.” he shares. “I’m not sure which part of the Bible it’s from, but it is in there!”
From the early evening Kevin gently tweaks his lighting set up making sure his beacon of hope looks its best.
As the sun sets and darkness falls people walking by comment on how impressive the lights look, and far more people driving by let out a whoop of appreciation than the occasional blur of slurs from yahoos driving by.
OUTinPerth co-editor Graeme Watson is also an employee at Edith Cowan University, which includes The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts.
