After finally surmounting the hostility I felt towards Perth, which caused me (like so many young queers) to relocate to the east coast for ten years, recent events have sent me into a relapse. I have finally been able to pinpoint exactly what it is that shits me about our queer community. That unspeakable ‘C’ word… Conservatism.

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Perth’s 20th annual Pride Parade passed with barely a mention in the mainstream press… with one extraordinary exception. The West Australian may have buried two tiny photos and less than a hundred words on the parade somewhere deep within the pages of its Monday edition (following the parade), however they did dedicate an entire page of their Saturday edition (on the day of the parade) to an editorial by openly gay journalist, Daniel Hatch.

Hatch argued that after 20 years and a host of law reforms, perhaps it is time for the Pride Parade to lie down and die. ‘If a horse was this lame, you’d shoot it,’ starts Hatch’s piece. He goes on to say that our society has progressed so far that a parade through the streets of Northbridge is no longer relevant and dwindling numbers of participants and spectators prove this point.

Firstly, numbers of both participants and spectators actually rose this year and for all those standing atop or walking behind floats, the parade most certainly felt relevant. It is very easy to sit back and cast judgment about how second-rate you may think the parade is but much harder to actually roll up your sleeves and do something to improve it.

‘Sure, it’s not for everyone, but most things aren’t,’ said Pride Treasurer, Andrew Baietta. ‘The benefit doesn’t have to be the same for everyone, but just because not everyone benefits from it, doesn’t mean it’s not relevant.’

We may have come a long way with law reform but we still have a long way to go. The Pride Parade is not only a chance to further the recognition of our community but honours and celebrates those who have fought so hard to get us to where we are today.

Hatch moves on to the inevitable comparison between the Perth Pride Parade and the Sydney Mardi Gras, quoting local a Pride Grinch: ‘It really has become an embarrassing imitation of the Sydney parade.’

‘The point I would like to make is that it is a PERTH celebration of “all things queer” and I am tired of it being compared to Sydney,’ said Pride co-President Charles Denham (not Denholm Mr Hatch!).

‘This is not Sydney and does not pretend or aspire to be. It’s like saying the Perth Christmas Pageant is a poor imitation of the Macys Parade.’

But it would be terribly unfair to single out Hatch- there are many grumpy, conservative queers out there who can’t be bothered standing up for anything anymore. The cult of queer assimilation is sadly endemic here in Perth and although many gay men and women are now quite open about their sexuality, they seem all too eager to distance themselves from the sequined and feathered freaks of the Pride Parade and to stress they are not ‘that type of gay’.

Queer activists, although dedicated to fighting for our rights, are few and far between in Perth and struggle to gain support. Earlier this year, Equal Love held enormously successful rallies for same-sex marriage rights, attended by thousands of people in every capital city but one… Perth.

Perth Pride Parade is the one of the few remaining vestiges of queer activism left to us here in the most isolated capital city in the world.

‘It still increases visibility of our community, I don’t care what anyone says,’ said Baietta.

And that visibility is something that is especially needed here in Perth where the gays seem to want to retreat into the mainstream woodwork.

Lets stand together, loud and proud and work on bettering the Pride Parade rather than belittling it. Because just like many others, I’m here, I’m queer and Pride is most certainly relevant to me!

Amy Henderson.

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