Tanya Croft, Pride WA’s female co-president, reports from Brisbane Pride for OUTinPerth.
Brisbane Pride celebrated its coming of age with the 18th Brisbane Pride Festival in June. The festival’s theme ‘Pride not Prejudice’ highlighted that though life has changed over the last 18 years, there is still a way to go before discrimination is overcome. A recent survey by Queensland Association for Healthy Communities (QAHC) found that over 80% of GLBT respondents believe discrimination and prejudice does occur, with the majority of the prejudice directed against the aged, trans people and lesbians.
Pride’s penultimate events, the Rally, March and Fairday were held on Saturday, June 16. The day began with the Rally in Queens Square, which featured a keynote speaker from Amnesty International and several other speakers from Pride, QAHC and the Workers Rights Union.
This was followed by a march through the streets of Brisbane. Over a thousand people, led by Dykes on Bikes, proudly held up banners and rainbow flags and blew whistles. The March finished at Musgrave Park in time for Fairday festivities.
Approximately 20,000 people attended Fairday, which cost $10 to enter (Pride members and under 18’s got in for free). The entry charge was introduced by Brisbane Pride in 2006 to cover increasing running costs and to ensure the continuation of the festival.
QACH played a big role in Fairday and throughout the festival, as they ran their campaign ‘One Community Celebrating Diversity.’ The campaign was intended to draw attention to the prejudice based on ethnicity or culture, disability, gender, age or HIV/AIDS by GLBT people towards other GLBT people in the community. A crowd favourite, the QACH variety show, ‘Thank fudge you’re here,’ hosted by Vanessa Wagner, was held on the main stage and featured interviews, prizes and sketch comedy around the campaign. QAHC also hosted an ‘art expression tent’ which allowed people the chance to express their thoughts and feelings about the topic.
Fairday ran 11am-8pm with stalls, entertainment, food and bars and was followed by the ‘Official Pride Fairday After Party’ at The Wickham Hotel. Patrons partied until 5am with all proceeds to Brisbane Pride.
