Somehow, the year has whipped around and here, smacking us in the face again like a drunken straggler from a hen’s night beating her way to the dance floor podium, is the festival of all things acronymious, Pride.

And while to many Pride is a graceful (though a somewhat sequin besmattered) swan gliding smoothly through our fair Spring, for those in GLBTIQQOPP+ organisations, community groups and businesses all the paddling keeping that same swan afloat can get a little frantic. One wonders what on earth one is doing as the feet of a waterfowl?

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Flicking through the fantastic history section that Kieran Bycroft compiled for this year’s Pride guide, it’s humbling to realise how many people over how many years have fought, loved, volunteered, given, worked, and dedicated their time and efforts for the rights and the parties we can so easily take for granted these days.

Hard to believe that twenty years ago we were a community criminalised for having relationships. Hard to believe that still, today, relationship recognition seems to be so out of reach. It’s so difficult to understand why it’s not okay to share a ceremony that celebrates love and commitment with those of us on this team. Surely we have as much right as anyone to put our families through a day of tortuous ceremonies, outfits, reunions and cake decorations in the name of love?

Still, who’s griping? There’s still plenty of parties to go round This year, the Pride festival season is a season of birthdays. Pride turns the big 2-Oh and throws one of the most extensive festivals we’ve seen for years.. GLCS is 35 – and celebrating in fine style with Sweet, the High tea and Charity Bake-Off. The Freedom centre is 15 – join in for FC’s Open Day and Stars of The Future Events. All in all, it means more cake than you can comfortably eat and still be able to fit into your party frock. Which is delightful…

Like this year’s Pride theme. Homecoming. Coming back to see your ‘annual’ friends at Fairday? For me it seems to be about coming home to the community – which seems odd in some ways. But then, to come home to a community that has created some of the most significant health campaigns through the fight for treatment for HIV and AIDS, has fought tooth and nail for its rights, has created and performed all sorts of amazing events, parades, shows, films and so on, has built great community groups and support networks and done all sorts of weird and wonderful things along the way ( Lesbian Mud Wrestling anyone?) isn’t really such a bad thing after all is it?

OUTinPerth is a paper that is put together through the efforts of my OiP colleagues (a fabulous, funny, and talented bunch of people who are a joy, a delight and a pleasure to work) in collaboration with a whole glorious queer community of contributors, readers, distributors and supporters. We’ve tried to pack in a whole whack of diversity, colour and party in this, our first of three special Pride issues, to get you through the festival. So go on, bite into it, it’s for you.

Happy Pride, Happy Birthday.
And may your home-coming be joyous….

Zoe Carter,
Editor,
OUTinPerth