Issue 32: May - July 2002

This issue of the OGT was paid for by advertising from the following businesses:

The Last Footwear Company

9 George Street

Dunedin

477-4369

Global Pacific Distributors NZ Ltd (Vigorex)

PO Box 51-052

Pakuranga, Auckland

021-134-6132

[email protected]

R&R Sport

70 Stuart Street

Dunedin

474-1211

www.rrsport.co.nz

Nicola Brown, Psychology Associates

124 Musselburgh Rise

Dunedin

455-5622

[email protected]

Gray’s Studio

201 North Road

North East Valley, Dunedin

473-7774

[email protected]

Public Health South

57 Hanover Street, Dunedin

474-1700

Relationship Services

18 Princes Street, 3^rd Floor

Dunedin

477-6766 or 0800 RELATE

Planet Pancake

134 Princes Street, Dunedin

471-7227

University Book Shop

378 Great King Street, Dunedin

477-6976

www.unibooks.co.nz

Bodyworks Club

284 Princes Street, Dunedin

477-8228

Presence

334 George Street, Dunedin

471-9000

www.dunedin-direct.co.nz/presence

The Break

1 Great King Street, Dunedin

477-2732

Queer Pride Symbols - What Do They Mean and Where Do They Come From?

by Victoria Devereux

A couple of issues ago we looked at the history and meaning of the pink and black triangles which the queer community has come to use as symbols of pride, activism and strength. Now let's turn to the rainbow flag and find out where it came from and what it represents.

The Rainbow Flag

Perhaps the most widely used and recognised symbol of the queer community today is the rainbow flag and its six colours - red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple.  

The rainbow flag was first used by the queer community in 1978 in the San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Freedom Day Parade. This flag was designed by San Francisco artist Gilbert Baker and consisted of eight stripes each of which represented a different aspect of the community: hot pink for sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for the sun, green for nature, turquoise for art, indigo for harmony and purple for spirit.

For the 1978 San Francisco Pride Parade two huge rainbow flags were made by hand, but the following year Baker approached a flag company to get the flags mass produced for that year's parade. However, hot pink fabric was not readily available and so this colour had to be eliminated. This left an odd number of colours - seven - which created a problem because the committee organising San Francisco's Pride Parade in 1979 wanted to split the rainbow flag down the middle and hang it from either side of the street lamps on Market Street. So, it was decided to also remove the indigo and turquoise stripes and replace them with a blue stripe. The result was the rainbow flag that we still have today.

The use of the rainbow flag as a symbol of the queer community soon spread from San Francisco to other cities and throughout the world. The colours of the rainbow flag have inspired a whole variety of related symbols such as freedom rings, and the flag, its colours and variations of the flag are included in as many different types of merchandise as can be imagined - for example, bumper stickers, t-shirts, key-rings, candles, door mats, mouse pads, jewellery, dog leads and book marks to name only a few. There are now many different versions of the flag as well which incorporate other symbols such as the peace symbol, the American flag, and so on.

The rainbow flag is used as a symbol of queer pride and sometimes as a way of telling the world (or at least those who can read the symbol correctly) that we're queer. In addition, because it's made up of different colours the rainbow flag also represents the tremendous diversity of people, experiences, beliefs and realities that make up our queer communities.  

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Dunedin Queers – Wake Up, Please!

by Nathan Brown

Extreme homophobia is out there in Dunedin. Mark, whose actual name has been withheld for privacy, says that he cannot even bring himself to walk alone in the area where he was attacked.

Mark was walking with his female flatmate at about 1am on the night of Wednesday, 20 March 2002. They were about to enter the 24 hour Star-Mart opposite the busy KC’s Bar on George Street when a group of men standing near the entrance to the store hurled abuse at Mark’s flatmate. Mark defended his flatmate but the abuse quickly turned to him. The group of 7-10 men began a verbal assault on Mark shouting insults such as “dirty faggot”, “you take it up the ass” and “dumb faggot”.

Closing in on the pair, he told them to back off. That was when one man punched Mark in the face. He tried to push him away before taking another direct hit to his jaw that sent him sprawling onto the road. Four of the men then proceeded to kick him while he lay in the gutter, dealing severe blows to his stomach and head. Mark says, “I remember being terrified they would go too far,” and remembers hearing one of them shout “Why don’t you f**k off you dirty faggot.” He says he felt intense pain before falling unconscious while his flatmate was screaming as others held her back.

The attackers then left the scene un-confronted by witnesses including security staff at nearby KC’s. Two other men approached and helped Mark to his feet as he regained consciousness. Disorientated and in shock, the two left the area and went home.

Mark’s flatmate called the police from their nearby flat. They did not visit Mark who later that night had to receive a CT scan after he began vomiting. The police seemed reluctant to take any action whatsoever given that it was highly unlikely that the attackers could be found.

“The next day I woke up and it all felt like a surreal nightmare,” remembers Mark. His flatmate said, “I can’t believe it goes on.” Both say that the attackers were university aged and were dressed in shirt, trousers and tie of the style worn at rugby club functions; however, neither of them recall seeing any club logos.

Mark believes that the queer community is presently too focused on what is happening inside the community and that we are forgetting that there is so much work that urgently needs to be done about educating the wider Dunedin community and that any programme to reduce homophobia must be sustainable and of a high profile.  

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Classic Lesbians Transported in Rally.....March 2002

by Ann Margot

We took our medic alert ER team along in case of emergencies. Our intrepid driver, Enrolled Nurse Karina, loaded a spunky orderly, Amy Kate, into the front seat ­ ready to leap out to check out clues. Nurse Caroline Buxom wedged herself between Charge Nurse Brigid and JR, Student Nurse in powder blue, in the back seat. Lots of sweaty thighs and heaving swerves as we rounded corners in the trusty BMW 2002.

What a ride! A big 129 checklist of questions and brain-teasers sent the vehicles all racing for the mystery destination. Wild suppositions, witty problems, screaming from the back seats, and all thirty or so of us were met at a river beach location with welcome drinks and goodies. There was a photo opportunity with the initiators Karen and Jan dressed up to the nines with their testing outfits looking pretty tasty.

Spinning off after the break through muddy skids, Nancy shot off first ­ not to be thwarted by the wee Morris Minor motor spinning over time! Behold, the end came nigh and questions were thoroughly assessed: "What do you do at Wesleydale camp?", "Deep breath, how many green silage bales to your left now?", "Travel the loop, once only, or you may have to go back to the start dickhead, oops vaginabrain...".

Prizes were presented at the party and the dancing began - I’d do it again any day!  

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Rainbow Labour Branch For Dunedin

by Victoria Devereux

On March 9 there was a public meeting in Dunedin with Tim Barnett MP. The purpose of this meeting was to receive an update from Tim about what's happening in terms of human rights for queer people in New Zealand, to find out where the government is at with various pieces of legislation that impact on our communities, and to discuss the possibility of setting up a Rainbow Labour Branch in Dunedin.

Although queer rights in New Zealand are progressing, we still have quite a long way to go to achieve the same legal rights as non-queer people. The current Labour-Alliance Government is working on various pieces of legislation in this area, including the Civil Union Bill. However, there's still a lot of work to be done and there are important things that we can be doing ourselves to assist this process such as educating and lobbying - not only politicians, but also the general public. I have been amazed on several occasions recently when heterosexual people have been genuinely surprised to learn that same-sex couples don't have the same rights as opposite-sex couples. I think that when the Property Relationships Act (which does include same-sex couples) came into effect on 1 February of this year many people assumed that we also received other relationship recognition and rights as well.

Following the meeting in March, it seemed that there are a number of people in Dunedin who are interested in setting up a Rainbow Labour Branch in order to start working locally on some of the issues that concern us as queer people. A group such as Rainbow Labour provides a structure for lobbying, progressing queer rights, and being proactive in achieving equality for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities. Currently there are five Rainbow Labour Branches throughout New Zealand - one in Christchurch, Wellington, Hamilton and two in Auckland.

In order to start a Rainbow Labour Branch in Dunedin we need to have at least 15 people from the same electorate sign up as members of the Labour Party (the minimum subscription is $5.00). This is simply a technicality, though, and anyone will then be welcome to be involved with the Rainbow Labour Branch regardless of their electorate.

There will be a meeting for everyone who is interested in being a part of the Dunedin Rainbow Labour group on Saturday June 22 at 2:30pm. If you are unable to attend the meeting but want to be involved, then please contact Victoria or Barb (phone: 453-1108; e-mail: [email protected]). Then, to really get things happening there will be a further meeting on Saturday July 20 at 2:30pm with Tim Barnett. Hopefully some members of the Christchurch Rainbow Labour Branch will also be able to attend so that we can talk with them about how their group is organised, what they do, and so on. The venue for both of these meetings is still being finalised - please contact us to find out where the meetings will be held.

Finally, remember that the Government is now no longer exempt from fully complying with the Human Rights Act. This means that if there are laws that discriminate against you because of your sexual orientation, then you have the right to lay a complaint with the Human Rights Commission. The Human Rights Commission can then declare that these laws are inconsistent with the Human Rights Act and the appropriate minister is compelled to explain the inconsistency to Parliament, as well as outline how they intend to deal with it. So, complain away! (Human Rights Commission contact details: InfoLine phone: 0800-496-877, fax: 09- 375-8611 (Attn: InfoLine), e-mail: [email protected], web page: www.hrc.co.nz

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OUT TAKES DUNEDIN 2002 GAY & LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL

by Victoria Devereux

As you will have realised from the cover of this issue of the OGT, the Out Takes gay and lesbian film festival is coming to Dunedin again this year. Last year was the first time that Out Takes reached this far south and, as a result of the success of the inaugural festival, it is returning in 2002.

Out Takes in Dunedin is certainly much smaller in scale than Out Takes in Wellington and Auckland, but it's still wonderful to be able to enjoy a weekend of queer culture on the big screen at our very own Metro Cinema.

Out Takes Dunedin 2002 is being brought to you once again by Reel Queer Inc. (a Wellington-based group that organises Out Takes nationally), together with local Dunedin group DykeWorks. Most of the funding for this event will come from the ticket sales, but DykeWorks has also applied for a small grant from the Dunedin City Council as part of the Creative New Zealand Creative Communities Dunedin Scheme. Hopefully this year's application will be successful as last year's was.

The Out Takes film festival will be held 7-9 June at the Metro Cinema (Town Hall Building, Dunedin) - so write these dates in your diaries now! Ticket prices are $10.00 for adults, $8.50 for students and $7.00 for superannuitants. Metro is quite a small theatre, so you might want to book your tickets in advance to make sure that you don't miss out on the films that you really want to see.

As a cultural event, Out Takes plays an important role for the queer community for a number of reasons. The films that are shown during the festival provide an opportunity for us to access positive images that reflect our lives and they allow us to participate in an arts event that is specific and relevant to us as gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals and communities. Out Takes also provides us with access to some of the best recent queer films that we probably wouldn't get to see otherwise 

The programme for Out Takes Dunedin 2002 is as follows:

Here's some more detail about each of the films.

By Hook Or By Crook

By Hook Or By Crook opens a carnival peephole into a world never before captured in a movie: the lives of real, working class butches (and the ladies who love them). The films avoids sentimentality and self-consciousness as it explores mental illness, difference and gender identity. The characters are believable, familiar and completely unique. A movie about butches by butches, this fresh film is genre and gender bending, and takes viewers by the hand and hurls them into a world that seethes with colour and life.

Audience Award for Narrative Feature, 2001 Outfest Los Angeles Film Festival.

Julie Johnson

This film is an engaging comedy/drama set in the heart of American suburbia. Julie Johnson (Lily Taylor) is a typical New Jersey housewife. She has a husband, two kids, a modest family home and unexplored intelligence. After years of secretly reading science magazines in the kitchen, Julie is finally shaken into action by the arrival of an advertisement for adult education classes. She begins an evening computer class, accompanied by her trashy but sweet best friend Claire (Courtney Love), and her life changes dramatically. Discovering she has real talent with physics, Julie finds the courage to separate from her husband and to let Claire move in.

Audience Award for Best Film, 2001 Outfest Los Angeles Film Festival

Presque Rien [Come Undone]

In this film two gorgeous young men, the shy Mathieu and the very forward Cédric, discover a passion for each other that is hot and smouldering like the French summer sun under which they bask. Each and every frame is as rich and luscious as the view that Cédric and Mathieu have; as they watch each other from afar, longing oozes between them. Cautiously, they slink a little closer to one another until Cédric seduces Mathieu. Time appears to stand still for the boys while they languish in each other's beauty, bathe in the sea and roll in the sand dunes. The intimacy of the beautiful cinematography takes us close-up to this hot, sexy and intense story of young love. At turns subtle and erotic, insightful and torrid, dark and moving Presque Rien is a bittersweet and sexually explicit account of young men in love. (This film is in French with English subtitles.)

The Monkey's Mask

The Monkey’s Mask is an offbeat murder mystery with a flavoursome twist – the private dick is a dyke. When punky young poet Mickey goes missing after reading some of her sexually raw compositions at a popular club, freelance P.I. Jill Fitzpatrick is engaged to track her down. Jill is an outsider, a working-class lesbian thoroughly unfamiliar with the poetry scene she'll be required to investigate. Jill soon meets Mickey’s poetry teacher, Diana. Although the older woman is married to an arrogant, handsome young Aussie, Nick, she does nothing to discourage Jill's obvious and immediate sexual interest and the two quickly launch into an increasingly wild affair. The Monkey’s Mask is based on a novel by Dorothy Porter.

Urbania

On the last night of daylight saving, everyone gets an extra hour of darkness – so says the local wino – which is not necessarily a good thing if, like Charlie, you happen to be embarking on a very dark night of the soul. Where does Charlie’s anger come from? Is there any excuse for his antisocial behaviour? Is Charlie the film’s hero – or something else? Gradually we learn about the terrible event that led Charlie to this night. Even then we’re not entirely sure what happened, because like all urban myths, this story comes in more than one version. Urbania casts a spell that's not easily shaken off, thanks in large part to Dan Futterman’s exceptional performance. His Charlie restlessly prowls the nocturnal landscape of New York City, an everyman lost in an urban no-man’s land.

Best First Feature, 2000 San Francisco Gay & Lesbian Film Festival

Best Actor (Dan Futterman), 2000 Seattle International Film Festival

Hope there's something in this line up that takes your fancy - enjoy!  

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SEQUINS OVER SYDNEY

A personal impression of Sydney's Mardis Gras Parade, March 2002

by Yoka Neuman

We left Paul's flat with the gorgeous view of Bondi Beach at 4pm, which I thought was ridiculously early but Paul assured me that it was not ... and he was right, of course. There was standing room only in the bus after just three stops, and would-be travellers were then turned away!! After the bus trip, as it was still only 5pm, we had a look around for the best place to stand and watch the Parade. Well, the best place available in a rapidly filling up Kings Cross turned out to be Hyde Park.

The centre of town was rapidly filling up; the underground and the buses steadily disgorged great hordes of people, some armed with plastic cubes or stools for standing on. I'd say the mix of spectators would have been 3/4 het and 1/4 gay which was not surprising when the next morning's news spoke of 475,000 people having watched the parade ...!

On the way we bought a little notebook and a pen since I'd forgotten mine. Unthinkable that I should go anywhere and not take notes! On our travels we also bought some gigantic filled rolls, and where better to consume them than Hyde Park ... And there were still some empty benches. So, we sat down and started to eat, well Paul anyway - I was too busy watching the world and its dazzling occupants go by.

We watched the steady business-like collecting together of groups that was taking place at the beginning of the Parade. At the same time, among these more serious groups busy with organising themselves and their floats wandered a number of colourful peacocks clothed in some of the most sumptuous dresses I've seen on men lately. Their meanderings involved much showing off, kisses all round and opportunities for admiring one another, of course! There was a wonderful selection of coloured wigs, including blue and screaming red on a couple of girls in pink and green blinding lamé outfits. The perambulations and assembling went on while we ate our rolls. Finally, sensible Paul suggested that he'd seen an unoccupied place along the railing surrounding the park. This turned out to be a great spot and we didn't budge from there for the next three hours or so. It was ideal for watching all the pre-Parade action - the preparations, preening and organisation.

A huge array of yellow costumes and bunches of yellow balloons indicated the gay Catholics. In addition, a pair of cardinals or bishops with acolytes were looking for someone or something. I saw them twice, coming and going, appearing distracted all the time. Surely they weren't looking for the nun in full regalia but with gaudy shorts on the bottom half?! The area that was off-limits for the spectators proved to be a fantastic stage for meetings, showing off, dressing up - or down - preparation, exchange of ideas, etc. One bright spark had brought gold glitter for the dancing group in white loincloth (and bras for the women). In the end half the road occupied by them was covered in the stuff and there was a lot of rolling around and very happy and contented dancers, glittering in the gradually fading light.

As everybody waited in formation for the Parade to start they enjoyed some loud music coming from a truck. Everybody sang Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Another One Bites The Dust" and, of course, "We Will Rock You" and "We Are The Champions" ... and I mean everybody, including some mystified looking Asian groups who were obviously tourists. They ended up being even more mystified when a group of gorgeous silver Asian boys came along, bottoms bared and looking for action!

There were a great many bare bums around, some in full American Indian regalia, some in very little else and some with tattooed messages - not for printing here! One western cowboy proudly came by showing off his chaps and well-hung mini cowboy shorts and hat, of course. I don't know how he'd worked it, but one queen in an evening dress had a bare bum as well. There were a few dressed-up and a few dressed-down roller skaters weaving in and out of the raggedy line saying hello to friends and doing pirouettes for the privileged ones, and one rolling nun ended up in a passionate embrace with a less mobile nun.

Unfortunately there seemed to be remarkably few dykes until that glorious moment when the first of a seemingly endless stream of growling, spluttering and roaring Dykes on Bikes came along. And then I simply could not help myself. With creaking limbs I climbed up on the ramparts and cheered! ... and cheered! ... and yelled! ... and waved! What a delicious line up that was. There did not seem to be an end to them and sometimes we were extra lucky and there was a hold up in their steady progression to the front of the Parade. One bare-bosomed dyke and her lovely pillion passenger stopped right in front of us for a long time. They were still four metres or so from my vantage point, but I made eye contact with them and waved enthusiastically.

Throughout the whole Parade there were hundreds of photos shot by friends, by the press, by the spectators in general - and by me! And these wonderful amazon women were certainly among the photographed, believe me.

There were tons of floats in the Parade including an Aboriginal float with its flag flying proudly aloft, a Maori float which had a banner on the front, "Happy Maori Gras" - a paraphrase of the greeting of the day, and a float that was entitled "The Ageing Homo" - and the dignified elders certainly got a great cheer. It turned out that the milling golden ones were meant to do a gay shuffle waving great rainbow-coloured feather fans and they decided to do a practice run or two in front of us to the viewers' delight. There was also a huge contingent of gay games participants and a PFLAG float, as well as many, many others.

There were all sorts of different t-shirts: "Walk a mile in our shoes", "Gaudy tart", "Biversity", "Leather Pride" to name just a few. And, of course, rainbow flags were everywhere - all the Dykes on Bikes had one and there were hundreds more carried, displayed and waved by those on the streets watching and those on the floats.

My memories of the Sydney 2002 Mardi Gras are of so much colour, so many balloons, so many gaudy, stunning and gorgeous costumes, so much variety and so much peaceful, friendly pleasure. Who needs more convincing that peace and love go together?  

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It’s The Good Times That Count

by Relationship Services Whakawhanaungatanga

What are you and your partner like together? When you’re not arguing, and not dealing with a crisis, how are you with each other?

After years of studying couples, American relationships researcher John Gottman is absolutely clear, how you get on when there is no conflict may be even more significant for the health of your relationship than how skilfully you attend to your disagreements.

After all, what are you having the relationship for? You may need to struggle through some hard, hurtful and boring bits. You might learn and grow through doing this, but generally it’s the feel-good things that make relationships attractive. It’s things like feeling connected, like knowing that you count, that someone finds you special, that you can feel and inspire passion. What ever it is you want in a relationship, it’s about adding something positive to your life. This might be especially important for gay and lesbian partnerships if you experience messages of disapproval from family, friends or colleagues.

 So where do you put your energy in your relationship? Do you spend your time actually having the relationship you want, or do you dwell on the points of disagreement? You don’t have to get on all the time. There will be strains and tensions in every relationship. There are any number of self-help books and communication courses that can help you to differ without damaging each other.

It’s the cumulative effect of small moments of warmth and acceptance, of fun, of kindness and affection that really makes your relationship. That’s what builds the resilience to keep hold of your love when you wonder if it’s worth it. If you never get round to having good times, how much point is there in sticking it out when the going gets tough?

It’s really easy to wait until there’s a problem to fix before paying some attention to your relationship. And it can be particularly complicated for gay and lesbian couples because relationship models tend to assume that everyone is heterosexual. Having to make it up as you go might be scary. It’s also an opportunity to be really creative and conscious about designing your relationship.

Making the decision to deliberately pay generous attention to each other is something you can do right now. You don’t need to wait for the holidays. You don’t have to make it a big, difficult, time consuming production. On the contrary, small and doable is good. Right now is even better. There are dozens of opportunities daily to do warm, companionable, loving things. Conversations about the most ordinary things can still express your friendliness and your interest in each other. Know and care what is happening in each other’s lives. Know who your partner’s friends are, what bugs them at work, and what they’d love to be if they could.

Ask about these things. You don’t have to have a marathon discussion. Chat while you eat breakfast, or do the dishes. Email or phone your partner to check in. When you make connections with each other, even little ones, you both feel noticed and cared for. Your moments of warmth, your shared jokes, your encouragement of each other, all these connections reflect the reasons you got into the relationship in the first place. Remind each other of the good times in your past as well. The more you are aware of the good times, the less fights matter. Not because the issues are unimportant, but because your differences don’t outweigh your connections.

Your relationship is not a dress rehearsal. It’s happening now. So enjoy the show. No need to worry too much about mistakes, when you’re together you can help each other out when you forget your lines.

If you would like help to encourage the good times in your relationship contact Relationship Services on (03)-477-6766 or on 0800 RELATE (0800-735-283).

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HEALTH COLUMN

Cervical Smears

It is generally recommended that all women between the ages of 20 and 70 years who are or have been sexually active have a smear every 3 years - this includes lesbian women since lesbians are also at risk of being diagnosed with cervical cancer. Some women may be advised to have smears more frequently than every three years. If a woman has not been sexually active for a time then she should continue to have cervical smears because HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) can take many years to develop. A woman who has had a hysterectomy may not need further smears, but this will depend on the reason for the hysterectomy and should be discussed with the woman’s smear taker.

Regular cervical smears are the best way of preventing cervical cancer because they detect changes in the cells of the cervix which have the potential to become cervical cancer. A cervical smear involves taking a small sample of cells from the cervix at the top of the vagina. The sample is then sent to the laboratory and checked for abnormalities. The cause of abnormalities or cell changes is thought to be Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) or wart virus infection.

Wart virus is very common - probably over 50% of people who are infected have no symptoms, although a few may have visible warts. In some women HPV infection may affect the cervical cells causing the cells to change. Often these changes may be temporary and the cells will return to normal without treatment. However, the changes may continue and develop into pre-cancerous lesions or even cervical cancer. This process of change is very slow and may take many years.

Cervical changes are relatively easily treated and, in fact, in the early stages treatment may not be required; instead more frequent smears may be taken to ensure that the cells have returned to normal. If this does not happen or the cells are found to contain a higher grade abnormality then the abnormal cells will need to be treated - this is generally done by removing the abnormal cells. Although this treatment is very effective, there is no known treatment for the underlying HPV infection. Because of this women who have had treatment for an abnormal smear may be advised to continue with more frequent smears to ensure that the abnormality does not return.

For more information about cervical smears, contact your Practice Nurse, GP, Family Planning (95 Hanover St, 477-5850) or the Sexual Health Clinic (57 Hanover St, 479-9565).

Ice Breakers

Icebreakers is for guys under 26 who think they might be Gay or Bisexual. It is a safe, confidential, free, social support and discussion group. Meetings cover such issues as coming out, social options in Dunedin, safer sex, self-image, and exploring gay culture.

Icebreakers can be contacted through UniQ (479-5332) as well as

by e-mail on [email protected].

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Pride Dunedin & Pride Week 2002

Pride Dunedin

Pride Dunedin has recently been formed with the aim of organising and hosting Dunedin's Pride Week, and also to provide an educational liaison group and a central funding body for gay-oriented organisations.

The fundamental values of Pride Dunedin are:

Pride Dunedin is an incorporated society and anyone can become a member by paying an annual subscription fee of $5.00. Subscription forms are available from Planet Pancake (134 Princes Street, Dunedin)

Pride Week Planning Gathers Momentum

Pride Week in 2002 will begin on 5 July and conclude on 14 July. About 20 people have begun to work feverishly to ensure that the proposed events will be hugely successful and to allow for growth in following years.

Many events are being planned - including Mr & Ms Pride Dunedin, soccer, a pet show and a pool tournament to name just a few of the events. Pride Week will conclude with the Pride Ball to be held at the Grand Chancellor Dunedin (formerly Wain's Hotel), followed the next morning by a recovery brunch at the same venue.

The following is the proposed schedule of Pride Week events (at time of publication):

Friday July 5  

Saturday July 6  

Sunday July 7     

Monday July 8    

Wednesday July 10         

Thursday July 11            

Friday July 12     Still to be advised - check Pride Dunedin’s web page

Saturday July 13  

Sunday July 14   

For more information about Pride Dunedin and/or Pride Week events, contact Malcolm West on 027-255-9090 or 471-7227, or e-mail [email protected] , or check out the web page at http://pridedunedin.sphosting.com  

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Powder - Closed!

by Nathan Brown

Long established queer party-night Powder has closed indefinitely less than three months into the 2002 party season, coinciding with the start of University.

Powder moved to the downstairs area of Metro Café & Bar in Lower Stuart Street this year after its previous venue, Fusion @ Fuel, closed down. Powder’s owner, Peter Reid, said “Metro proved unsuitable for the purpose of Powder. Problems caused it to be very unsuccessful.” Namely, there was no space for performances and patrons were slipping in without paying by saying that they needed to use the toilet. Furthermore, some drag patrons found their hair-dos mopping the ceiling much to their distaste.

At Metro, Powder kicked off the season with a fabulous turn out. But after that it suffered extremely low attendance compared to the glory days of last year. Owner of Metro, Damien Black, said, “We enjoyed having Powder at Metro; I think it added a great atmosphere to the place.” He added that Metro had really wanted to accommodate Powder and gave member-cards to Powder patrons offering 10% discount and other drink specials.

“Powder is on hold just until such time as a full-time queer bar in Dunedin opens,” says Peter who is now searching for an appropriate venue - see article below for more details.  

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Still No Place To Call Home

by Nathan Brown

Dreams of a full-time gay venue for Dunedin are fading after negotiations between gay entrepreneur Peter Reid and the leaseholder of The Cellar Bar proved unsuccessful. Peter had intended opening a gay venue called Fallen Angels in the bar located below The Provincial Tavern on Stafford Street. The bar is an intimate space known widely by the people of Dunedin who have visited the venue in its various forms for decades.

Failure to lease the Bar was due to the current tenant managing to buy the lease of the venue at a price that, Peter believes, is far greater than its worth. He says he cannot blame them for accepting their offer instead.

Peter, who also owns Powder, said “I have reassessed everything over the past week and am ready to begin a new search for a venue [to house Fallen Angels]. A new venue will need to satisfy certain criteria.” The space would need to be of flexible size, not too expansive or open in its layout, and have independent bathroom facilities if it were to exist within a present operation. When asked if he had any leads, Peter said that there were one or two possibilities but that he had not started looking properly yet.  

There had been much anticipation in the gay community throughout March and April as news spread about Peter’s plans. Consequently, the general feeling now was one of disappointment. However, Peter has a positive outlook and would like to advise everyone to keep listening to the queer radio show “Round The Bend” every Sunday at 10pm on Radio1 (91FM) for news.  

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Recipe: Pasta To Impress

Pasta with Courgette & Walnut Sauce

Serves 4

The vegetables are softened slowly to release their flavours.

You do not have to use posh onions or cheese but for forms sake please heat the serving dish and/or bowls before serving.

1. Melt butter in a fry pan. Add the onion, cover and sweat (leave it) for 5 minutes until translucent, then add the courgettes.

2. Stir well, cover again and sweat until the veges are very soft, stirring occasionally.

3. Meanwhile cook the pasta as per packet instructions until al dente.

4. While pasta is cooking, add walnuts, parsley and cream to the courgette mixture and stir well.

5. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Drain the pasta and return to the pan with the courgette sauce and mix well together.

7. Serve immediately with freshly grated Parmesan cheese to sprinkle over (the packet stuff is fine to use especially mixed with extra finely chopped parsley).  

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READING LIST: GAY FICTION

Some of Mike’s Favourites (Part 2)

by Mike Wooliscroft

The Folding Star by Alan Hollinghurst (1994)

Alan Hollinghurst is the second great “H” in the authorship of gay fiction, the other being Andrew Holleran. It would have been very easy for me to recommend his hugely applauded first novel The Swimming Pool Library, which was a novel centering on the friendship of a young gay aristocrat and an elderly noble looking for someone to write his autobiography. However, I have chosen his second novel, The Folding Star, which describes another almost intergenerational relationship where a 33 year old from England, disenchanted with his life, escapes to Belgium in search of a new life to tutor two adolescents. He falls in love with one of them and the reader is carried into a world of sexual obsession. Through his careful observation, description and characterisation Hollinghurst conveys cinematic renderings of place and scene with sensual pleasuring which delight absolutely.

In Another Part of the Forest: The Flamingo Anthology of Gay Literature edited by Alberto Manguel and Craig Stephenson (1994)

This stunningly richly fat collection of gay literature (almost 700 pages) is one of the best samplers of this genre. Not all stories are by gay authors - for instance, there is an extract from Graham Greene’s wickedly funny novella May We Borrow Your Husband which is one of what the author called his “entertainments” and draws on the tradition of love as a game, a sleight of hand, or a ruse. The scope of the anthology is international and the Australian author David Malouf’s “Southern Skies”, a short story of voyeurism and a would-be intergenerational connection, is incredibly tender. As well as a fine introduction to the collection as a whole, there is an introduction to each story which is both academic and readable. 45 authors are represented here including Allan Gurganus, Christopher Isherwood, Francis King, Peter Wells and Edmund White, whose individual titles I have recommended here and in the reading list in the last issue. So if you have doubts about approaching the work of any of these authors try this Flamingo Anthology as a kind of sampler.

A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood (1964)

Don’t let the date put you off. This book has been republished many times since then and because it is quite short it has been included in a number of anthologies. This is in some ways a fore-runner of Andrew Holleran’s The Beauty of Men (included in the reading list in the previous issue). A Single Man recounts the difficulties faced by a man in his 50s whose partner was killed in a car crash. Attempting to adjust to his new life alone, George is tantalised by sights of younger gay men and is tormented by his urges. This is Isherwood at his best - and that’s nothing short of excellent. Bitter at times, this novel is also nostalgic and compellingly honest.

A Domestic Animal by Francis King (1970)

Francis King is the author of a considerable number of novels and short stories. He has also written a short biography of E. M. Forster which is an excellent introduction to that author and his works and a good starting point before reading the major biographies of Forster by P.N. Furbank and Nicola Beauman. King also edited the diaries of J.R. Ackerley titled My Sister and Myself. A Domestic Animal is one of the finest of novels written about the longing of a man for another which will largely remain unequal and of a temporary nature. The central character is a middle aged novelist who has staying in his house, for a time, a spunky Italian football playing philosopher. Antonio, the Italian (surprise, surprise), has a seemingly unquenchable thirst for affection and admiration. Unsurprisingly, Dick the novelist is very happy to take care of his needs. This novel is a superb study of longing and intense desire.

Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin (1978 -)

Maupin’s Tales of the City quartet is one of the funniest pieces of gay fiction ever and was superbly translated onto the US television screens in that memorable  production in which Olivia Dukakis played the magnificent Mrs Anna Madrigal in Babycakes (the 4^th of the quartet) and who says (with such wisdom!), “Only a fool refuses to follow when Pan comes prancing through the forest.” The books are full of other great lines such as, “Too much of a good thing is wonderful.” Treat yourself - buy it or borrow it, but read it and laugh. Then hire or borrow or buy the video and entertain yourself all over again. Maupin is one of the finest comic talents in writing.

Partings at Dawn: An Anthology of Japanese Gay Literature edited by Stephen Miller (1996)

This was an absolutely blissful find for me when I came across a review copy very much cheaper than its normal published price. Included are gay stories from the 12^th through to the 20^th centuries; many of them are astonishingly beautiful and tender, while others are deliciously raunchy. For many of us the only gay Japanese author we know is Yuikio Mishima, who has one story included here, but there are many other Japanese authors also writing in this genre today. This really is one of the finest anthologies of gay stories I have ever read and the variety is considerable as it embraces both courtly earlier times and more modern funky times. If you have doubts about getting into this anthology start with “The Hunter”, written by Takahashi Mutsuo. The elements of the thoroughly blissful sexual connection are superbly conveyed in erotic writing second to none. But don’t ignore the others!

Easter by Michael Arditti (2000)

This is one of the finest end-of-twentieth century novels of any class, character or country and I recommend it to those who have struggled to be openly gay within the institution of the church. This novel is a scathing portrait of the Church of England though the CoE has parallels with the Roman Catholic and other traditional mainline churches. The crafting of the plot is in three distinct but interrelating forms with the same events recounted by different characters set in the context of the Lenten services leading up to Easter. This is a novel which can be relished by those who have no experience of the church and this novel has relevance outside of the church to embrace all institutions. However, the position of the church (and some of its clergy and lay people) as a supposed influence for good, charity and love is severely questioned. In dealing with the “big issues” of God, evil, and suffering and the fusion of both the sacred and the profane this is a mighty work and absolutely hard to put down.

The Blackwater Lightship by Col Toibin (1999)

Toibin is the author of several novels and works of non-fiction and he is extremely perceptive. The gay Irish architect in this story says, “You know, in my family, my brothers and sisters – even the  married ones – still haven’t told my parents they are heterosexual.” But this sort of Wildean joke is rare in this essentially deeply unfunny novel. Although it is a novel about AIDS, it is not really so much a gay novel or even a book about sexuality but about mothering which becomes a gay issue in the book because those most proficient in this role turn out to be a couple of gay men. Few novels I have read convey so well that in the midst of death and dying we are in life with all its warts and foibles, prejudices and, just occasionally, pleasures

A Boy’s Own Story (and subsequent autobiographical novels) by Edmund White (1982 -)

A Boy’s Own Story is the first of White’s autobiographical works of fiction and has now assumed the status of a well-regarded classic. It was followed by The Beautiful Room is Empty (1988) which is much racier than the earlier book and not nearly as introspective. The Farewell Symphony (1997) is the third in the series and recounts his very active times in the promiscuous gay scene in New York through the late 1960s and 1970s and then on to Rome and Paris (where White now lives). The Married Man (2000) is the latest in this series of autobiographical fiction, charting the course of a love affair from its charmed beginning to its bitter ending and is as appealing, witty and wise as the previous volumes.

Losing Alice by Noel Virtue (1999)

Noel Virtue has spent much of his adult life in the UK because of the hostile nature of NZ society and particularly his Plymouth Brethren upbringing. This is recounted in Once a Brethren Boy (1995), a harrowing account of his life up to and including the time he moved to London. He has written many novels, but to my mind he grows in strength as his inner despair and the black mood of New Zealand small town/small mind society is written out of him. Not that these earlier novels aren’t good; they are but I’ve had enough of the glooms. Losing Alice is a thoroughly entertaining book (partly autobiographical) in which the hero has fled from Auckland to a rather antique and certainly unique household in London where daily life is supposedly kept under control by a host of ceremonies. But, of course, life cannot be constrained and so Alice goes AWOL. This novel is hugely entertaining and, I think, this is where Virtue’s greatest strength lies. His next novel, Lady Jean (2001), is of similar cast, character and style.  

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POETRY 

 Life

by Jane E Libeau

 The Ouroboros

 Ever circling

 Never ending

 A rhythmic flow

 An echo of being

 Healing motion

 Hands that heal

 Smiles that soothe 

Joy to a saddened soul

 Forgiving tones

 Encouraging words

 Talents unleashed

 Loving silence

 A second chance

 Wisdom shared

 What comes around

 Goes around  

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BOOK REVIEWS 

Fingersmith

by Sarah Waters (2002)

Reviewed by Victoria Devereux 

Like her other two novels - Tipping The Velvet and Affinity - Sarah Waters's third novel Fingersmith is also set in Victorian England, although its plot and characters are quite different but equally intriguing and captivating.

The novel is divided into three parts. Part 1 is told from the perspective of Sue Trinder, an orphan who has been raised by a "family" of thieves. Sue gets involved with a plot to swindle a young heiress, Maud Lilly, of her considerable fortune. The plan is that Sue becomes Maud's maid and assists Richard Rivers (or Gentleman as he's referred to by Sue) in seducing Maud and convincing her to run away with him and marry him in secret because once married Maud will have access to her fortune. Gentleman's plan is to then have his wife committed to a madhouse leaving him with all the money. For her part in this, Sue is to be paid more than she could ever imagine attaining in her whole lifetime.

The scheme appears to be running to plan, although as Sue spends more and more time with her mistress and gets to know Maud she also starts to feel uneasy about the plan which Gentleman has devised and the future that it will mean for Maud. This section of the novel ends with an unexpected twist which leaves the reader somewhat bewildered.

Part 2 tells the "same" story, but this time from Maud's point of view. Maud is also an orphan since her mother died giving birth to her in a madhouse where Maud was then raised by the nurses. At age ten, though, her uncle (who collects pornography) decides to take her to his house in the country where he essentially keeps her to help him with his book collection and to read from the texts to himself and his male visitors. Several years later Richard Rivers visits the house and makes Maud a proposal whereby she gains her freedom and he gains half her considerable fortune. This plan is as outlined above, but with one important difference - which I can't tell you about because that would spoil it for all those yet to read the novel.

After numerous twists and turns, Sue returns in Part 3 as the narrator, but the reader now knows more about Sue's situation than she herself does and so we read this part both in anticipation of Sue finding out the truth and wondering what the final outcome of the story will be.

Waters's attention to detail in Fingersmith is quite spectacular (the hardback version of the novel is a weighty 511 pages), but despite its length the narrative moves at a good pace and does not get bogged down. Waters makes the time, place and characters come alive with her descriptions and use of language, and she is able to create a very real, almost tangible atmosphere of dampness, greyness and scheming. One of the most interesting aspects of this novel for me was the experience of reading the same story but with new knowledge - as a result I kept reconsidering how I had responded to the characters and events initially and replaying the story in my head.

Ultimately Fingersmith is a story about betrayal, cruelty, fraud, liberty, truth and madness; it is full of intrigue, memorable characters and unexpected twists with a dash of lesbian romance thrown in for good measure, all of which makes for a wonderfully entertaining read. (Note: This novel is available at the Dunedin Public Library.)

A Natural History of Homosexuality

by Francis Mark Mondimore (1996)

Reviewed by Tony Weisstein

Gay issues seem to be getting a fair bit of attention these days, and there's certainly no shortage of heated debate over topics like gay marriage and "cures" for homosexuality, but there are actually surprisingly few sources of clear and accurate information about homosexuality. A Natural History of Homosexuality is a nontechnical overview of the subject which fills this gap nicely.

The book is divided into four sections which describe the history, biology, psychology, and politics of homosexuality. There's enough detail present to make this an excellent reference work - you'll find answers to three of this issue's "Queer Quiz" questions here - but Mondimore steers clear of unnecessary technicalities and organises the individual facts and arguments into a coherent and highly readable framework. The summaries at the end of each chapter and section are especially useful, and the whole book does an admirable job of noting where evidence is incomplete or ambiguous.

One notable weakness occurs in the final chapter of the biology section. Here Mondimore, in noting that the causes of homosexuality cannot be reduced to a simple question of genetics vs socialisation, draws several mistaken distinctions between human behaviour and that of other animals (e.g., "Animals have instincts that help them survive in the environment; only humans have the ability to learn from the environment and fit themselves to it - or it to them.") For a more accurate discussion of animal homosexuality, I strongly recommend Bruce Bagemihl's Biological Exuberance (also reviewed here). Nevertheless, A Natural History of Homosexuality is well worth your time.

Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity

by Bruce Bagemihl (1999)

Reviewed by Tony Weisstein

This book received a good deal of attention in the mainstream, gay, and scientific presses when it came out, and it’s easy to see why. Step by step, one argument at a time, Bagemihl takes on conventional beliefs about animal sexuality and refutes them with actual observations gleaned from years of methodical study. Even if you’re aware that homosexuality and transgender occur in animals, you’ll be amazed by the extent and richness of it - by gay courtship in ostriches, lesbian co-parenting in grizzly bears, and gobies that change from male to female and back again. You may also enjoy a wry chuckle at the many ways in which scientists through the years have attempted to explain away, conceal, and even cure homosexuality in animals.

Biological Exuberance contains two sections: Part One consists of a general survey of animal homosexual behaviour, while Part Two includes profiles of various bird and mammal species in which homosexuality and transgender have been observed. The book’s compilation of observations of animal homosexuality from a huge range of sources makes it an excellent reference work, although its length (751 pages) and complexity can prove daunting. Given the controversial nature of the subject, Bagemihl’s conscientious reliance on facts rather than rhetoric is particularly welcome; the single chapter in which he abandons this approach to present a so-called “new paradigm” for biology is the book’s only disappointing section. This book is an ambitious read, but if you can spare the necessary time and concentration, you’ll be well rewarded.  

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exhibition

"Spiral and Beyond: Art & Feminism in New Zealand

1975-1987"

This exhibition is being curated by Dr Judith Collard as part of a third-year course that she is offering at Otago University in Art History entitled "Gender Issues in Art". The aim of the exhibition is to provide students with some examples of works by those women involved in the Women's Art Movement, mainly in New Zealand, that they might not otherwise see.

Because little of this work was collected by the mainstream institutional galleries, Dr Collard is also hoping to draw on some local collections.

The exhibition is open to the public and runs from 22 June until 10 August at the Hocken Library, cnr Anzac Avenue and Parry Street.  

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Reality

by Jane E Libeau

Am I a part of your dream or are you a part of mine? Am I alive or just a floating conscious drifting around in a vortex of multiple thoughts? Are they my thoughts? Have you ever thought that you may not even exist? I think therefore I exist. Words created to comprehend the reality we believe we are in. Visual senses. I see you, but am I seeing you? I hear you but am I? I translate the sounds that come from you to create a sense of understanding you. But do I?

Are the sounds oscillating from your throat a type of communication or is that want I want to believe. Can I believe that?

If I step through a doorway, am I stepping into the same reality or into another time or dimension? Can I take for granted that if I turn around and step back through the same doorway I will return into the same room? Yes I do take for granted that all I do is reality. My reality.

When I dream I believe that it is an unconscious reality yet I wonder if my dreamtime is in fact my true reality.  

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Queer Expressions & The Gay Games  

With any luck the season start up of the Purple Passions (with our 1 win -1 loss season standing at the time of writing this article) has found many of you inspired to make plans to be in Sydney in November for the Gay Games VI: Under New Skies 2002. The deadline is fast approaching with many events already at full registration capacity. The following article provides a historical overview of the Gay Games and asks its reader to consider this narrative as just one of many that have followed this event across the globe since 1982.

by Kellie Burns

Sometimes I think I am easily the luckiest PhD student in the world. Day in and day out I get to think, read, write, talk and train for the Gay Games. Apart from these simple joys comes the pleasure of hearing and watching my straight relatives, or better yet random strangers, conjure up the "appropriate" response or reaction to my chosen topic. Most often it is met with excitement but this is inevitably punctuated by the disparate;  "Oh, isn't that different."

More laughable, however, are the countless hours I spend deliberating the parameters and possibilities of the word "queer". What are queer politics? Can queer theory (which has been traditionally associated with the academic realm) be useful in understanding a self-proclaimed "gay" event such as the Gay Games? When is something gay and when is something queer? How do you know? Why do we care??? Just when I think I have discovered the secret to bridging queer theory with queer practice, I find myself "backspacing" and rethinking my revelation from a different angle.

Regardless of the critical lens I use to think about the Gay Games, I am hard-pressed to turn a blind eye to the event's cultural breadth and international reach. With so many athletes, artists, scholars and supporters partaking in an event of such proportions, it is fair to say that "queer" will wear innumerable faces at Sydney 2002, allowing for a multiplicity of queer expressions.

In this light, the history of the Gay Games, as it has been told to date, is a singular narrative used to describe this global event - one "queer expression" to recount an event that elicits, undoubtedly, millions of "stories". What remains unwritten in the "accounts" of the previous five Games are the rich and varied reflections and reactions of competitors, spectators, organisers, homophobes, protesters, politicians ... where do we stop? The chronology provided here hides much in its linearity. I invite you to "queer" your reading of this "story" - to ask: who is the storyteller and who is yet to be heard?

In 1981 San Francisco Arts and Athletics (SFAA), a non-profit organisation under the leadership of ex-US Olympian Tom Waddell, began to organise the first Gay Olympics. After being told by the United States Olympic Committee that the word "Olympics" could not be associated with their event, Gay Games I: Challenge '82 attracted some 1,350 athletes (in fourteen sporting events) from 12 nations. Considered a success by organisers and participants, plans were quickly underway to put the Gay Games firmly on the map as a quadrennial gay sporting event. Its successor, Gay Games II: Triumph in '86 was held again in San Francisco, this time attracting 3,500 participants and thousands of spectators.

Gay Games III: Celebration '90 saw the event move away from its city of origin and organising body. 7,500 athletes, competing in 23 sports, filled the streets of Vancouver, Canada along with an additional 2,000 participants attending the cultural festivals. The game's movement across the 49th parallel from the US to Canada was not the only change during this time. San Francisco Arts and Athletics was reconfigured and renamed the Federation of the Gay Games (which remains the central governing body of the event) and, arguably the most monumental change for the organisation and the event, was the death of founding father, Tom Waddell. Waddell died of AIDS in 1987 after a long life of athletic and activist triumphs, including participation in the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games.

It only seemed fitting that, with 1994 being the 25th anniversary of Stonewall Rebellions, that the 4th Gay Games: Unity '94 would be held in New York City - the media capital of the world. In this year, the US government passed a waiver which allowed people living with HIV to enter the United States in order to compete.

The bidding process was introduced for the selection of the 1998 host city. Arguably, the growing interest in becoming a hosting city was recognition of the economical benefits to hosting the gay games. With Amsterdam announced as the committee's selection, the games, Friendship: '98 were, at last, moving across the Atlantic - gay sporting culture was truly going global. It seemed all too fitting that its first trip "overseas" would find itself set in the European mecca of sexual expression.

Gay Games VI: Under New Skies 2002 will be the first gay games in the southern hemisphere and the first global gay/lesbian sporting event of such proportions in this millennium. 14, 000 participants are expected to participate in the 31 scheduled sporting events with thousands of additional supporters and participants partaking in the cultural festivities.

For more information about the Gay Games in Sydney in November this year, check out the official web page at: www.sydney2002.org.au  

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Purple Passions

Good news for any queer women wanting to play social soccer this semester. The Purple Passions will be fielding a team in the Unipol Social Women’s Soccer League.

Thanks to Andrea we have been sponsored by THE BREAK (cnr Great King Street and Moray Place, the old Doyles camping store) which means no fees - we can just turn up and play.

So, cheers to The Break for their sponsorship, and if you want to kick a ball around, then come and play - lack of organisation and fun are prerequisites, and spectators are essential.

The league started mid-April and the games are on Saturdays at Logan Park. You can check the Unipol web page (www.unipol.co.nz) after Thursdays for the draw or have it e-mailed to you via the Purple Passions mailing list.

If you would like to be on this e-mail list or if you have any other queries, then contact Shar Briden at [email protected] or on 454-4229.

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A Walk On The Queer Side   

by Tor & Barb

Getting suitable weather for the queer walks always becomes a bit more challenging in the winter, but hopefully we'll get some fine - perhaps even sunny - Sundays for our monthly outings. And if we don't, then we tend to simply dress up warmly and brave the elements anyway! Remember that children and dogs are welcome to join in too.

If you have any questions or need a ride, then phone Barb and Tor on 453-1108. Also, if you know of any walks that are dog-friendly and that you think would be good for the queer walking group, then please let us know.

Here are the walks that we've arranged for the next few months. For all of the walks, meet at the duck pond at Woodhaugh Gardens at 1:00pm.

Sunday May 26

After meeting at Woodhaugh Gardens we will drive out to Outram Glen where the walk starts. This walk follows the Taieri River upstream from the Outram bridge and ends at Lee Stream, a lovely spot for the dogs to have a dip. Allow a couple of hours for this walk and it might be muddy so make sure you wear appropriate footwear. 

Sunday June 30

A number of tracks have been developed in the historic Silver Stream Water-Race at Whare Flat (at the bottom of Three Mile Hill). The walk that we'll do starts from the car park on Swampy Summit Road and takes about one to one and a half hours. This track provides expansive views of native forest, the Taieri Plain and the Silver Peaks. Parts of the walk might be exposed so make sure you bring warm clothing.

Sunday July 28

This walk is from one of Paul Hayward's books of "Intriguing Dunedin Street Walks". It should take about an hour and a half and we'll bring some copies of Paul's commentary about the buildings and areas on the walk because it makes for interesting reading.  

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view from the other side

by Enne Eskay

To speak of sexuality … Wait! This is a taboo subject in our society. Not to be spoken of openly. Maybe tittered at in its form of dirty jokes. Or else frowned upon in its nefarious form, pornography.

The only forms of open sexuality that can be witnessed in mainstream society are in the only acceptable forms that they can be alluded to: marriage and the existence of children. And in queer society, sexuality is spoken of nearly in defiance: a militant coming out, or a militant denial, of alternative sexuality.

However it is handled, sexuality ranks up there with the instinct for survival. It is basic to the core of our being as animate individuals. The anguish caused by a sexuality unspoken of tells us that this instinct, this force, cannot be put by the wayside.

Credit is due to the queer community for unearthing the obvious, and actually speaking about something that society would rather shut away. Where do you think the phrase "out of the closet" came from? Whether they are denying, hiding, thinking that their partner determined it, at least the queer community is talking about sexuality.

This untalked about instinct of ours is merely a time bomb. It has exploded in places as hate, as discrimination, and in its saddest form, as murder (for instance the Matthew Sheppard killing in Wyoming, USA). We are actually confounded by sexuality.

As a human race we are mystified by any "aberration" of these very basic human instincts: survival and sexuality. From suicide bombers to the concern of the young mother over her child playing doctor, we are saying that human beings are deeply touched by these two ways of being.

Queers who have articulated the inarticulateable are to be thanked for opening this so called pandora's box. Because once we acknowledge the reality of this instinct, we begin to speak about it. And once we speak about sexuality, we demystify it. And once we demystify it, we think about it. And when we finally think about our sexuality, we accept it. Then we have evolved as a human race.  

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queer quiz

1.  In how many US states is it legal to fire someone for being gay or lesbian?

2.  What is the name of the 15 year old boy in “Queer As Folk”?

3.  Who is the author of Gay Story Book which was first published in 1946?

4.  Name two queer female tennis players.

5.  Where does the word “bulldyke” come from?

Answers to queer quiz 

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what’s on

National UniQ Conference, May 17-20, University of Otago, Dunedin. Contact Alex at UniQ (479-5332) for more details.

Ice Skating Evening, Friday May 24, The Big Chill, 538 Kaikorai Valley Road, Dunedin, 7:15pm. Organised by WAQD. (See page 11 for more details)

Out Takes Dunedin, gay & lesbian film festival, June 7-9, Metro Cinema, Town Hall Building, Moray Place, Dunedin.

"Art & Feminism in New Zealand", exhibition, June 22 - August 10, Hocken Library, cnr Anzac Avenue & Parry Street, Dunedin. Open to the public.

Meetings to form a Dunedin Rainbow Labour Branch, Saturday June 22 at 2:30pm and Saturday July 20 at 2:30pm.

Venue to be advised (call Barb and Tor on 435-1108 or e-mail [email protected] ). Tim Barnett MP and members of the Christchurch Rainbow Labour Branch will be at the July meeting. All welcome. (See page 3 for more details)

Pride Week, July 5-14.

A Walk on the Queer Side

For all of the walks, meet at the duck pond at Woodhaugh Gardens at 1:00pm.  

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________________________________________________________

REGULAR EVENTS:

Powder is temporarily closed. See page 7 for more details.

Vivace Bar at ReFuel, Otago University Campus, under the Union Hall, gay bar every other Saturday night.

Lesbians Over 35yrs meet every Wednesday night 5:30pm.

E-mail [email protected]

Ascent Coffee Evenings, every 2nd and last Friday of the month at 9:00pm at Robert Harris Café (cnr of High St and Princes St), upstairs in the balcony area.

Lesbians at Arc, an over 35 lesbian group meets at Arc (135 High St) every Wednesday from 5:30pm onwards.

COQ on Wednesdays, Lounge Bar, Southern Cross (lower High St) from 9pm. Unofficial social coQtails, all welcome - join the crew.

Round The Bend Radio, Sundays, 10-11pm, Radio One, 91 FM

WAQD social support group for queer women, weekly meetings/social lunches, Wednesdays, 12-2pm, Women’s Room, 2nd floor, University Union. All queer women welcome.

UniQ Lunches, Thursdays 12-2pm, Clubs & Societies Building, University of Otago (84 Albany Street). To find out about any other UniQ events, contact Alex on 479-5332 or 021-245-9869.

Pride Dunedin, meetings to plan Pride Week events. Contact Malcolm on 027-255-9090, Leeann on 021-146-3254 or 471-7227, or e-mail [email protected]  for more details.

Planet Pancake open Monday-Thursday 8:30am-5:30pm, Friday 8:30am-9:00pm, Saturday-Sunday 9:30am-5:30pm. Internet access and free Playstation.  

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queer quiz answers

Answers to the Queer Quiz are:

1.  38 states

2.  Nathan

3.  Enid Blyton

4.  Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova

5.  A warrior Queen of the Celtic Hicca people, Boudica (“boo-dike-a”) who rose up against Roman colonisation in AD61.

For other listings, see the “Links” menu on our website…..

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