There’s more on this month than you can poke even a very large stick at. Here’s some of the great events that the community have been working hard to put togther…Pride have been working hard to get everyone organised for a great programme of events throughout the month. Grab a copy of the official Pride Guide at venues throughout the metro area, and don’t forget to keep an eye on www.www.outinperth.com for updates on new events as they come to hand.

GRAI

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GRAI, the GLBTI Retirement Association, are busy this month, with two events planned.

The first, ‘An Evening with Rodney Croome’ is to be held upstairs at the Brisbane Hotel. Rodney is a veteran gay rights activist and the foremost national spokesperson on queer rights. He is a board member on the International Gay and Lesbian Law Association, Rights Australia and a founding member of the Australian Coalition for Equality (ACE). Tickets to the event are available at GRAI’s stall at Fairday.

GRAI’s second event for Pride month is their third annual GRAI forum on the 24th of October at 6pm in the Auditorium of the University Club of Western Australia. Garry Trotter, Clinical Nurse Consultant – HIV disease at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney, and Jude Comfort, Research Officer with the WA Centre for Health Promotion Research and Lecturer in Health Promotion at Curtin University, will be presenting on some of the key issues facing the older and aging gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans* and intersex community in WA.

Garry Trotter is part of an expert team of NSW nurses who developed an educational curriculum in response to concerns raised by staff in aged care facilities with regards to stigma, discrimination and lack of knowledge related to HIV/AIDS.

Jude Comfort is the principal investigator on the first large scale survey on the health and wellbeing lesbians and bisexual women in WA. At the forum she will present information about the findings from her study of the survey results relating to older lesbian and bisexual women in our community.

Women in Uniform 2

Its baaaack! Everyone had so much fun last time at Pride’s Women in Uniform party that Pride has returned with a sequel! Dust off those uniforms and hop aboard for a legendary boat cruise on the Swan River. Exotic dancers, DJs, music to groove to and great entertainment will all make this an evening like never before. There will be giveaways and door prizes as well as prizes for the best uniform. This women-only event is being held aboard the MV Captain Cook on the 7th October, departing at 5:30pm and returning at 8:30pm. Tickets can be purchased for $20 ($15 for Pride members) via email pride@pridewa.asn.au or calling 9427 0828. Alternatively, tickets can be purchased at the Pride stall at Fairday. I can see those navy uniforms coming in handy now!

Bears

The Bears have deemed October ‘Octobearfest’, with a month of events and Den nights that are not to be missed. On 26th October from 9pm to late, ‘Octobearfest’ honours German, er, sausages with door prizes and a licensed bar.  The weekend of the 13th and 14th October is also busy for the Bears, with the Bears Night at the Den on Saturday 13th October from 9pm. Sunday the 14th from 3pm is the Bears Perth Pride Party Sunday Social. Please call 9271 1685 for venue details. Entry to all events is free for members of the Bears Perth or Pride as well as international and interstate guests; entry is $5 for all others. For any more information, log onto www.bearsperth.org. 

Music

Homophonix presents 15 minutes of flame – a new music cabaret. A wide range of songsters, including Nat Ripepi, Vinn Pitcher, Stephen Greenacre and Late Night Shopping, are performing their hottest material in an intimate cabaret styled evening. Doors open at 7pm Sunday 14th October at the Bakery ARTRAGE Complex, Northbridge. Tickets $12, $10 Pride members and concession. For further information log on to www.homophonix.com.  

During the Pride Festival, blueBUZZ will be sharing independent new music and media via bluetooth technology direct to your mobile phone. All you need is a phone with Bluetooth technology and some storage space. Please note that music and media will not be randomly spammed, and you will need to visit blueBUZZ at the Homophonix stall at Fairday or locate the BUZZ at other Pride festival events. Alternatively, if you have been creating new music or media that you would like to share, then sms blueBUZZ on 0421 064 224 for information on how to get involved. This free event is available until the 4th November at various venues.

The Women’s Acoustic Music High Tea Afternoon showcases a wide range of women from the wealth of talent that has emerged from the Western Australian community. At the Bakery ARTRAGE Complex on the 14th October from 3pm -6pm, Megan Maxwell will perform a mix of her original and cover songs. Djiva, Della Rae Morrison and Jessie Lloyd will present a series of Australian Indigenous contemporary original songs, and Nat Ripepi will finish off the afternoon with songs from her soon to be released album, The Moment. This is not a women’s only event, all are welcome to attend. There are limited numbers of tables available for High Tea, call Nicole on 0421 751 404 to book. Tea costs $25+ booking fee and includes savory and sweet morsels with a glass of wine. Tickets without High Tea cost $18, $15+ bf for Pride members and concession. Tickets available from www.moshtix.com.au and all Moshtix outlets.

Queers for Reconciliation

The Queers for Reconciliation group was formed to support Jim Morrison during his term as 2006 Pride patron as he strove to promote reconciliation within the queer community. The Introductory Cultural Awareness Workshop, which is presented by Jim Morrison, will provide participants with an overview of Aboriginal cultural issues and insight into issues such as the Stolen Generation and the 1967 Referendum.  The workshop will be held on the 10th October at the Lotteries House, 2 Delhi Street West Perth, from 5-8pm. Cost is $10 and includes course notes and a light meal.

Jim Morrison will also host the Queers for Reconciliation Noongaroke and Party. You will be entertained by Noongaroke (karaoke for Noongars) as well as guest performers and dance music. This special event should not be missed, so come along on 19th October to the Bakery ARTRAGE complex, from 8pm till 2 am, and party your way to reconciliation! Tickets are $10 for Pride members and concession holders, or $15 for non-members and can be purchased from moshtix outlets or www.moshtix.com

Also not to be missed is the Message Sticks Indigenous Film Festival National Tour on the 6th and 7th October at Cinema Paradiso in Northbridge. The Message Sticks Film Festival features the latest Indigenous films from Australia, and includes shorts, films and documentaries. Entry is free. For more information head to www.afc.gov.au/blackscreen or www.lunapalace.com.au.

Chocolate Martini

The Bakery ARTRAGE Complex will play host to S.W.A.E., South West Aboriginal Entertainment on October 25th, when Mary G, the Queen of the Kimberley, provides a special Pride night of entertainment. Doors open at 7:30pm, visit www.myspace.com/thechocolatemartini or www.swaeonline.com for further information.

Launch Party

Australia’s newest ‘zine, MoTHER [has words…] Issue 2wo – The Future of the Feminine – is having the official west coast launch at Connections Nightclub. Live on stage will be Triple J unearthed contenders Brash and Sassy, DJs MichyT vs JJ.  Strykermyeyer, and Dee_Luxe and guests. This event is not only a launch party, but doubles as the 30th birthday of the brainchild behind MoTHER [has words…], the ever outrageous Scott-Patrick Mitchell. The party takes off on the 12th October, 8pm to midnight. Tickets are free from 8pm-10pm for those who email motherhaswords@hotmail.com with Launch Invite Request in the subject line; cost is $12 after 10pm.

Pride International Film Festival

The Pride International Film Festival is back on, with sessions starting on the Sunday 7th October and running through to Wednesday 17th October. As we go to press, we have been informed that there is much behind the scenes activity going on and a very special assortment of great glbtiq films are being confirmed for the festival especially for your delectation. Rest assured as soon as we have the details, we’ll share them! All films are being screened at Cinema Paradiso, Northbridge. See www.pridewa.asn.au for session details.

Celebrating Pride 2007 at University

The University of Western Australia is hosting a series of special events to mark Pride 2007.  UWA is committed to promoting an inclusive culture that welcomes, celebrates and affirms sexual diversity. ‘In Conversation with Rodney Croome’, a talk on contemporary GLBTI issues by the international human rights activist, will be held on 2nd October from 12- 2pm. A light lunch will be provided; please RSVP to lesley.roberts@uwa.edu.au or 6488 600, ext 3873.

The Intervarsity Winedown annual event is an opportunity for staff and students of the four public Western Australian universities to get together and celebrate Pride. The event is made even more significant this year as Western Australia is the first ‘pink’ state in Australia with full ALLY program coverage across the higher education sector. All are welcome, and light refreshments will be provided. The event runs from 5-6:30pm on 4th October at the UWA water sports complex. Please RSVP to lesley.roberts@uwa.edu.au or 6488 600, ext 3873.

The ALLY training session will be held in the UWA OSDS Seminar room 1 on 5th October from 9:30am -2pm. This regular event offers training to interested staff and students at UWA who wish to support LGBTI issues by becoming ALLYs. The session is a lively and interactive one with a panel of diverse guest speakers sharing their stories with the group. A light lunch will be provided. Please RSVP by 2nd October www.osds.uwa.edu/about/workshop.asp?workshop_id=253.  

Three movies will be screened as part of UWA’s Pride celebration in Seminar Room 1, OSDS. All are welcome, and there is no need to RSVP. TransAmerica will show 12-1:30pm on the 10th October; My Beautiful Launderette 12-1:30pm on the 17th October; and The Hidden History of Homosexual Australia 12:15-1:45pm on October 26th.

UWA is not the only University to be celebrating this month – Murdoch University is also bursting with Pride. They’ve organised a series of film screenings from the 25th to the 28th of October, as well as an exhibition dipping into the vast and diverse resources of the Gay and Lesbian Archive of WA (GALAWA). This impressive collection maps the personal, political, intellectual and celebratory moments from lesbian and gay lives, with a special focus on Western Australia.

The exhibition includes a giant In Visibility: Ten Years of Pride poster, which traces the history of political change in WA , development of the Pride Parade, dance party and cultural festival. It also takes a look at the  extraordinary Gay Museum displays captured by artist, Jo Darbyshire in her 2003 WA Museum exhibition, Exploring the History of Lesbian and Gay Presence in Western Australia. For further details http://equityaccess.murdoch.edu.au/diversity/mcds07.htm