As I write this editorial the totally unpredictable Dunedin weather has just turned from wonderful warm sunshine to torrential downpours and cool temperatures within the space of a day or two. Despite being born and bred here, this feature of our weather is something that I still find frustrating. But, even though winter is approaching, there’s still plenty of things happening here in the LGBT/queer community to take part in, experience and enjoy.  For example, there are the regular groups such as PFLAG, UniQ’s social support groups, Rainbow Families, the Purple Passions women’s soccer team, Ascent and there’s now also The L Club, a social group for lesbians over 45 (see Pages 4 and 5 and the back page for more details). There are also several exhibitions taking place over the next month or so that are of particular interest to our community (see Page 10), and there’s the wonderful celebration that is the Mid Winter Carnival in June too.

An important event happening very soon that I’d like to bring to your attention is the AIDS Candlelight Memorial on Sunday May 21. The cover features a national poster created by NZAF for this event and there’s more information on Page 4. In this OGT we’ve printed a press release from NZAF about the latest HIV .gures for gay and bisexual men in New Zealand – and they’re higher than they’ve ever been! The AIDS Candlelight Memorial provides the perfect opportunity not only to remember all those who have been taken by this disease and those who live with it currently, but also to think about how we can reduce the number of diagnoses and save precious lives.

This issue of the paper includes tributes to Konrad Kahuroa, together with some memories of Konrad from his mum. Konrad, who was a well-known and enthusiastic member of the Dunedin gay community, died suddenly and tragically at the end of last year at the age of 24. From reading these pieces and talking to people I know that Konrad touched the lives of many individuals in a very special way and that he is missed tremendously.  Long may his memory and his inspiration live on here in Dunedin.

This issue of the OGT has had a bit of a rough road to publication because around the time of copy deadline we found out that the Oamaru Mail, which has printed the paper for many years now, is no longer operating as a print site. Yikes! – what do we do now?! (This is the printable version of what went through my mind when I learned this!) After many phone calls (thanks Barb!) we finally found another place to print the OGT although in a slightly smaller format than we’ve been used to. So, please bear with us if there are some hiccups or teething problems with this issue and, if this happens, we should be able to rectify them in the following issue. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the Oamaru Mail for doing a wonderful printing job for us for many years, and I’d especially like to mention Murray who provided me with a lot of technical support particularly when we changed the programme that we use to create the paper so that it can now all be sent through to the printers electronically.

Enjoy the next few months and I hope you .nd lots of fun ways to keep warm and dry!

Tor Devereux, Editor

An acquaintance of only a few months was all it took for Konrad to become set, in my mind, as the benchmark by which to measure the gay experience. He lived honestly, he turned his sexuality into an advantage rather than a disadvantage, and he was a fantastic success. He could be bafflingly positive. For his first fashion show in 2002 he decided he was going to get Schwarzkopf as a sponsor. I snorted at that. But a few weeks later, Schwarzkopf was on board and a professional catwalk co-ordinator had volunteered her services, to boot. Konrad showed me what you can achieve if you believe in yourself. He remains the benchmark.

Anna Chinn

My little darling, Your sweet little

brother like hugs and warm

beaming smile will always be …

Thank you. Love Bethan

Dearest Konrad,

Somehow, years ago in my musical innocence, you got me on stage singing to what seemed hundreds of strangers. Somehow every time I  saw you you made me feel beautiful.  Your death shocked me to the core. I had such trust in your ambition and strength. I’m sorry for a world that can be so cruel. I’ve started wearing heels for you! I promise to remember to be glam … if only sometimes. And I promise to listen and care … always.

Much love, Doll face Pamela

Konrad,

You had massive ideas that you went through with and those events were stunning!  Thank you for including us in your amazing productions. You will always be an inspiration to us. They were glam darling ... just like you sweetie ... aside from being extremely good looking [totally international].

Take care out there ... RASA Dance Company xx

I remember the night that Konrad first introduced himself to me - it was the night that I won the "coveted" title of Mr Pride Dunedin at ReFuel during the Pride Week Celebrations in 2002. After the contest I was a bit blown away by my win, as take the piss as it was, so was real keen to just "get on with it" with my $30 bar-tab and celebrate with my friends. But Konrad, who would have been 20 at the time, locked onto me as soon as I re-emerged from the back room and didn’t disappear from my sight for the rest of the night. In fact, I have the distinct recollection of feeling slightly suffocated by the way he was constantly requiring my attention, which makes me laugh now as I recall the sometimes diffcult journey we went through to becoming friends.

In the following weeks and months Konrad and I forged a friendship to which we were both committed although it did require us to work at it. I recall feelings of exhaustion that led me to question why I was spending so much time with him. But I suppose I knew I was 100% Nathan when I was with Konrad and I liked that. He always made me feel genuinely appreciated and allowed me to flesh my opinions out to a receptive ear.

Konrad then quite naturally became an integral part of the "gay-boy posse" that I was a part of and the period from 2002 to the end of 2003 was a time characterised for me in large part by my friendship with Konrad and I reflect on it fondly as a time of fun and outrageous games. I also remember a defining coffee meeting with Konrad when he announced his inspiration for a fashion show, and his realisation that he just needed to get up and do it rather than wait for his life to somehow happen… Many coffees, wines and get togethers followed as we mapped out his vision for what he wanted to achieve. In the space of a year Konrad had become actively involved in helping with Pride Dunedin Youth and later FUNQ, both of which I was involved with.

So it was hardly surprising that in 2004 Konrad, in his quest to progress towards the star-studded fashion career that he envisioned, moved to Wellington. It was from that moment that we missed the vibrancy and presence of Konrad on the Dunedin gay circuit.  For some his departure came with mixed feelings as they found his, at times, cavalier approach a little testing if not downright rude.  He certainly made me cringe at times and he definitely rustled my feathers quite frequently but because there was a heartfelt and yes, damn it, beautiful person beneath it all with whom I felt connected, I came to value and admire the forthright qualities he flaunted. So it is for this reason that he will always remain an inspiration for me to never aim for anything less than the best.

Nathan Brown

Konrad was an interesting vehicle owner who was a favourite revenue earner for the City Council Parking coffers. I don’t think he knew what a parking meter was for – nor what the role of a petrol station was in running a car. The number of times I got called to fix the car, only to find it was out of petrol and I had to tow him to the service station to fill up was farcical.

He won the Weetbix Driver of the Year Award too. One night he was taking a fellow bar manager to her home after a long shift and he somehow decided the little red car was capable of 4-wheel driving. Talking away to her, Konrad managed to steer the car across the traffic island in the middle of the road, go flying through the air, and then drive on still talking as though nothing unusual had happened.  A shaken passenger asked him if he had got his licence from the back of a Weetbix packet.

A few weeks later we had an awards ceremony and presented Konrad with a framed Weetbix 4WD Car Test Pass Certificate to commemorate that occasion!

Phil Rogers (Nga Mahu, Nga Kuia) -

In February 2006 seventeen Purple Passions women played five games over a three day weekend. Fun, fancy and football were the winners of the weekend. But to make sure we didn’t go home feeling like we hadn’t won any games, a beautiful purple medal was awarded to all who participated both on and off the field. Many thanks to Sue for making us all feel like winners.

The Purple Passions, our lesbian social soccer team, has been in existence for 20 years and the Masters Games highlighted, once again, what a wonderful experience it is to be around a large group of sporty, stroppy and sweaty women! Both young and old, experienced and inexperienced (at soccer, that is!) came together to form a team who were both passionate and determined to have a good time and participate at the highest sporting level. Well, at least we achieved one of our goals!

Many thanks to everyone who supported the Purple Passions Masters Games team. We are very thankful for the support that the gay and lesbian community offered.  Special thanks to Dykeworks, without your support we would not look so "dyke delicious" on the field.

Turn now to April 2006 and the Purple Passions are on the roam again - no, sorry, I meant to say that the Purple Passions are playing the game again. Every Saturday morning at the Logan Park Sports Grounds you can find the Purple Passions playing soccer. As always, the team on the day is diverse in both experience and age. Basically if you are keen to play then you pass the test as to whether you should play for the team.

When we say anyone is welcome to play we really mean ALL welcome.  If you want to know more about the wonderful experience that is the Purple Passions, feel free to contact Lisa Davis on 027- 479-5373 or 472-8677. The Purple Passions needs players and supporters, so come along on Saturday mornings - we would love to see you.

On Sunday 21 May, Dunedin will participate in the 23rd International AIDS Candlelight Memorial. The event will be held at St Paul’s Cathedral in the Octagon beginning at 7pm.

Dunedin will be one of the 4500 communities in 93 countries participating in this event which is a time to remember those we have lost to HIV/AIDS, to show support for those living with the virus and to mobilise community involvement in the .ght against HIV/AIDS. Despite over 23 years of education, our community is more at risk than ever before. Internationally AIDS has claimed more than 28 million lives, with over 42 million now living with the virus. In New Zealand, the past three years have seen a continued increase in new HIV infections with the numbers now equating to one new HIV diagnosis every 4 days. This pattern will continue if we do not stop ignoring the virus’ existence.

2006’s international theme - Lighting the Path to a Brighter Future - encourages participants to take action beyond one night a year by mobilising community action in the .ght against HIV/AIDS.  This year at the Candlelight Memorial remember those who have gone before, but remember also that you have the power to stop it happening to someone else you love or care for. Practise safer sex - wear a condom and help stop the transmission of HIV/AIDS here in New Zealand.

Dunedin’s observance of the Candlelight Memorial at St Paul’s Cathedral will include a non-religious service, speakers, song and supper. Balloons will be released into the Octagon to commemorate the occasion. Local AIDS Memorial Quilts will be on display. The event is free, but donations are gratefully accepted and go towards the ongoing work of Dunedin HIV/AIDS education, prevention and support groups collectively called The Working Together Group.

by Sue Thompson

Coming out happens after a long process through denial to final self acceptance, and telling the family can be a relief, even though other problems sometimes follow. Even the most loving parents and families often respond by going into the closet and have an experience similar to that of their gay child. They need reliable information and support, and often they have no idea where to turn. If you are planning to come out, tell the people you love about PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays). They may not want to come to a meeting at first, but we are willing to talk on the phone, email or meet individuals. Many people prefer to find information from our website (details on the back page of the OGT).

Mother of a gay son "I felt as though I had come home! All these ‘strangers’ were not strangers because we had a common focus. We talked, we laughed, we listened. Sometimes in our small groups we paused and revisited our individual grieving. Each person’s story was the same but different. I attendedthe PFLAG meeting to educate myself and our family about the social and support issues we need to know about. I shall continue to go if for no other reason than the bonding experienced there."

Parents of a 34-year old lesbian in a permanent relationship "We both enjoyed the .rst meeting, and I think it helped spur us on to tell more friends, neighbours and work colleagues that our daughter is lesbian and expecting a baby. Since that meeting we’ve done this on four occasions, and each time we were very happy about the responses of our friends/neighbours/work colleagues who were all very positive/supportive. We think the main value of PFLAG is to encourage parents and friends of lesbians and gays to ‘come out’ to more and more people they know and thereby help to lift the pro.le of lesbian and gay people and issues, to educate and dispel ignorance."

Mother of a gay son I heard about PFLAG through my gay son. My first meeting was great, friendly and no one had three eyes! I found companionship, fun, support and education. The hardest things I have had to deal with have been my own acceptance, telling friends and family, and prejudice. Some of the best moments have been the way that my relationship with my gay son has been enriched, that family and friends have accepted him and that I have met many new people and had the opportunity of making new friends and helping others. From attending PFLAG I have gained in con.dence and learned not to care what other people think, and that people with three eyes do not exist!

World Watch acknowledges the source of these stories as rainbownetwork.com and pinknews.co.uk

Organisers of the 2006 Gay Games have announced they now have more than 10,000 participants from over 45 countries committed to attending the event. "With just 100 days to go," said Brian McGuinness, games executive director, "our registration rates remain ahead of expectations with 12,000 participating athletes and artists expected to march into the 15 July 2006 opening ceremony". Registration for the most popular of the 30 sports, golf and sailing, has closed. Badminton, soccer and ice hockey are nearly full, while tennis, swimming, volleyball and basketball are running signi.cantly ahead of projections. The week-long event will also include band, cheerleading and colour guard performances, chorus, an ancillary arts festival and a series of community-organised social events and parties.

Scotland’s longest surviving man with HIV is moving to London because of a lack of support and constant abuse. Mr Percy, 44, has lived with HIV for 25 years. "I have been really annoyed by the lack of support from the Scottish Parliament to improve services and reduce stigma. I have had eggs thrown at me, people shouting at me in the street calling me a gay paedophile. I just can’t take it any more. I am angry that I am having to leave my own country because of this." Scottish police confirmed there had been complaints from the campaigner about verbal and physical assault, with some resulting in charges.

A superior court judge has denied a lesbian couple’s request that both of their names be put on their baby son’s birth certificate. An artificial insemination statute in the state enables a husband to have his name on his wife’s child’s birth certi.cate if he has consented to her artificial insemination by another man, though this is the first time the statute has been tested with regards to gay couples. The judge said adoption would be a good way to establish parental rights for both women.

The Nigerian government is facing condemnation from the European Parliament over plans to make homosexual marriage illegal and to ban gay organisations. MEP Michael Cashman (UK), president of the Intergroup on gay and lesbian rights, accused the government of supporting a "homophobic" culture and threatening "the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender citizens". Gay sex is already illegal in Nigeria, with the justice minister calling homosexual unions "unnatural and un-African".

Transgender MP Vladimir Luxuria looks likely to win a seat in the Italian parliament after the recent elections. A member of the Refounded Communist Party standing in a staunchly communist constituency, she had been confronted with homophobia throughout her election campaign. In one instance 15 men, including former local councillors, pulled out a banner that read "hammer and sickle yesterday, willy and sickle today". She has promised to campaign for gay rights as well as support the economically vulnerable so should be a firm ally of Romano Prodi, the new Italian Prime Minister who supports gay unions.

The number plate H8 GAY (read "hate gay") has been withdrawn by the British Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency after a leading gay MP complained. The agency had refused to recall the plate after a complaint by a member of the public, claiming it was not offensive on the grounds of "political, racial or religious sensitivities", but was ordered to reverse its decision by the Transport Secretary. As one MP said: "If the DVLA sold H8 JEW or H8 WOG, there would rightly be a public outcry. Clearly this goes beyond the realms of free speech and is a directly and deliberately offensive and abusive statement."

Authorities in Malaysia have given permission for the construction of "Tongziland", an adults-only theme and amusement park aimed at affluent gay travellers. Preliminary designs for the park, due to open at Johor Bahru in 2009, include an authentic Chinese dynastic palace throne room inhabited by famous gay emperors, a transgender kickboxing arena, an iron ladies volleyball court, Cinderfella’s enchanted castle sauna, an old west themed lesbian round-up and a 10-storey tall tower of pride with rotating disco and lasers.

by Tor Devereux

Just when you think that life here in New Zealand is pretty queer-friendly, suddenly little things happen or pop up that remind us that life for those of us who identify as LGBT/queer isn’t always quite the same as life for those who identify as straight. Sometimes these things only impact on a select group within our community, but other things impact on us all.

A few recent examples that I’ve been aware of are:

• The census form once again failed to collect important data about our community - male or female were the only options to check as far as sex was concerned and there was no question about sexual orientation.

• It has come to light that fertility services throughout the country do not accept gay men as sperm donors (see story below for more details). • The negative response by some people to the NZ AIDS Foundation’s recent poster campaign targeting Maori gay and bisexual men (see Page 7 for thefull story).

• A Wellington film-maker, Andy Boreham, has been finding it extremely difficult to secure actors for a NZ AIDS Foundation advertising campaign (because the actors would be portraying someone who is gay).

• Despite the Civil Union Act and the Relationships (Statutory References) Act, same-sex couples are still not allowed to adopt children. The Relationships Act didn’t include changes to any legislation that was already being reviewed and, unfortunately, the Adoption Act has been being reviewed for many years (although no progress seems to be being made on it!).

• The straight media’s focus on what they regard as the "low" number of Civil Unions that have taken place in New Zealand during the first year they have been available and comments that this suggests that the new legislation was neither needed nor wanted. But, if there had been thousands of Civil Unions by same-sex couples then they would be accusing us of entering into legal relationships too quickly and without enough serious consideration!

So, while we have de.nitely made huge progress in terms of LGBT/queer rights in this country, there’s still work that needs to be done – and it’s not always  about changing laws but sometimes it’s more about changing people’s attitudes.

by Tor Devereux

Earlier this year the media revealed that the fertility services throughout the country do not accept gay men as sperm donors (according to Ministry of Health regulations). The reason given for this position was that gay men are a high risk group for HIV and other diseases. However, since all sperm donors are screened for a variety of conditions, including HIV, why is it necessary or useful to exclude an entire group of people, especially when there is a huge need for more donors? Does this policy actually make sense from a medical or safety perspective, or is it simply the result of a lack of understanding, fear and prejudice? Given that within a month or so a nationwide policy change was announced which would allow gay men to be sperm donors, it would seem that it was the latter.

However, there are always some who don’t enjoy seeing gay people being treated equally and fairly under the law and, consequently, as soon as this policy change was made public there was suddenly a whole lot of talk about how sperm from gay men would create more gay children and therefore the recipients of sperm from gay men should be told about the sexuality of their donor! Could they not come up with something more original?! If gay people create gay children, then why do so many of us have straight parents? And, scientists have not proved anything about a "gay gene" to date. Apart from this obvious, scientific flaw, there is also another reason why asking sperm donors their sexuality and revealing that to the recipients is quite meaningless. This is simply that people come to realise and/or acknowledge their sexuality at different times in their lives so someone who claims to be straight at one point in their life might actually come out as gay or bisexual later on. Therefore, choosing or rejecting a donor on the basis of sexual orientation is really a bit pointless. Fertility Associate’s response to all of this was that a question about sexual orientation would remain on the form that their donors complete, but like the various other personal questions that are asked, donors are free not to answer it if they’d prefer not to.

So, another policy that discriminated against LGBT/queer people has been brought to people’s attention and, in this case, resolved very quickly and in a positive, fair manner. (If only this was always the way things worked out!) Well done to all those involved, especially the gay man in Wellington who went public with this and alerted us all to what was happening.

Press Release, NZ AIDS Foundation, 7 March 2006

HIV diagnoses among men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM) in New Zealand have hit an all time high, the New Zealand AIDS Foundation reported today. Last year there were 89 new HIV diagnoses among MSM, the highest number since the epidemic began and a 19% increase on the previous highest figure in 2004. It means that in 2005 there was one new infection among MSM every four days!

The rise is entirely due to an increase in men infected within New Zealand. Out of the 89 new diagnoses, 66 (74%) were infected within this country with almost all (94%) living in the North Island, speci.cally the Auckland region where three out of every four new HIV diagnoses were reported.

The figures are "deeply disturbing" says NZAF Board Chair Hoani Jeremy Lambert, "and present a challenge to the Foundation to ensure it keeps its focus sharply on HIV prevention for men-who-have-sex-with-men."  "However," he said, "if we are to succeed in turning these figures around we need the support of the leaders, business operators, community organisations and individuals in the gay community. In the early days of the HIV epidemic it was grassroots support for the safe sex message that produced the dramatic successes in reducing HIV incidence among New Zealand MSM. If we are not now to see that good work undone, we need to re-energise that community support."

NZAF Executive Director Rachael Le Mesurier said it was very worrying that the 2005 statistics pointed to an increase of unprotected anal intercourse among MSM in spite of an abundance of knowledge in this community about HIV and the consequences of unsafe sex. "There is no other explanation for this increase," she said, "other than the fact that more HIV positive men – whether they know their status or not – are choosing to have unprotected anal intercourse and more HIV negative men are choosing to have unsafe sex with men whose HIV status they don’t know."

Ms Le Mesurier said that further analysis was needed but it was highly likely that major factors in.uencing the increase would include: the success of HIV treatments causing people to be less worried about avoiding HIV, the growth of internet dating which is hugely increasing the opportunities men have for sex, the integration of the gay community into the "mainstream" making it harder to target HIV prevention messages designed for MSM and the eroticisation of unsafe sex."

"These present real challenges to the Foundation," she said. "For instance, the diversification and integration of MSM communities mean we are under pressure to develop a wider range of very narrowly targeted resources which is hugely demanding of staff time, resources and finances."

"‘No condom, no sex’ is a powerful message to give to prospective sex partners," she said. "If everyone were to use it, it wouldn’t take long for those who sometimes don’t use condoms to get the message that people who demand unprotected sex will always get less sex."

At the end of February this year the NZ Aids Foundation (NZAF) launched a new campaign, "Toa Takatapui", aimed at takatapui tane (Maori men who identify as having same-sex attraction).

According to Eriata Peri, NZAF Hau Ora Takatapui team leader, "Maori men who have sex with men (MSM) are part of the gay and bisexual male communities in New Zealand that continue to be over-represented in New Zealand’s HIV statistics … It is vital, as takatapui tane, that we take a leadership role in our own communities to try to turn these .gures around."

The word "toa" means a champion, a warrior or having valour. Peri claims that "the practice of safe sex is supported by self-pride, accepting that a warrior looks after himself and the health of his lovers". But Peri points out that the campaign has another message too. "It’s also about pride and combating homophobia. Often, as takatapui tane, we can experience prejudice in the form of not having our maleness acknowledged. We sometimes .nd that our birthright, as men, to take male roles on the marae, in our whanau and communities is challenged by people who don’t understand homosexuality and the traditional place it had in pre-European Maori society. The use of haka is a strong message to reinforce the fact that we have pride and unity as takatapui tane and stand up to take our place as men."

NZAF has come up with many different campaigns over the years, often targeting a specific group. Generally these campaigns are provocative, eye-catching and demand our attention – otherwise there wouldn’t be much point! However, these days they don’t usually create much controversy or get noticed in the mainstream media. But, this was exactly what the Toa Takatapui campaign did – and people like John Tamihere, John Banks and Brian Tamaki decided to make public their reactions to it.

Not long after the launch of this campaign, John Banks interviewed Brian Tamaki on Radio Paci.c and asked him about it. Banks and Tamaki then used the Toa Takatapui campaign as the catalyst to launch forth on their views about not only about this campaign, but also NZAF and queer people in general. Interestingly, Banks had as many – if not more – negative, homophobic and, quite frankly, astounding things to say as Tamaki.  For instance, Banks asked the following: "Well, I .nd it slightly offensive, as a white man, to see these once-proud warriors humiliated in this way by the AIDS Foundation as part of their campaign. Now listen, you and I understand that if these men want to do this, you know, they need to practise safe sex. But why wouldn’t the AIDS Foundations encourage them to join Destiny Church, .nd God and behave themselves?"

During the interview both Banks and Tamaki talked about their belief that gay men can never be happy in the following exchange: BANKS: "Well, they can’t be happy, when I look at the sad faces of all these Maori warriors on this homosexual ad, they can’t, they can’t be happy getting around behaving in this way, can they?"  TAMAKI: "Well I don’t know how anybody, it  doesn’t matter what their race or colour is, if they’re involved in such practices, how they can be happy, John, and I don’t think they are, to be quite honest."

And in his comments just prior to the interview Banks had these "choice" words to say about the men who are on the poster: "I’ve never seen so many dead beat losers in one photograph in all my life, that is outside a Labour Party conference, as these Maori Warriors for Safe Sex."

Former MP John Tamihere (a self-proclaimed "red-blooded heterosexual") announced that he was "offended" by the Toa Takatapui poster. He claimed that the poster is "an example of Maori culture being used by the gay community to advance its own agenda" and he accused the gay community of appropriating the word "takatapui" for its own purposes. For Tamihere’s information, the campaign was created entirely by Maori men, all those featured on the poster identify as takatapui tane and the word "takatapui" means "intimate companion of the same sex" and it has been used among LGBT Maori since the 1980s.

Obviously people are entitled to their own opinions and beliefs, but it’s comments and attitudes like this that contribute signi.cantly to creating a hostile environment for many LGBT/queer people and their families, and this can have very serious and even disastrous consequences, especially for those who are in the process of coming out and/or who are struggling with their sexual or gender identity.

by Andrew Metcalfe

It’s meant to be spring, but it is still trying to snow.  After seeking refuge from the bitter cold in a coffee shop (quite nice, but typical British chain of eateries that tries to look Italian but still has a monolithic corporate feel) and then scuttling towards home on Saturday lunchtime, there is a scene in front of me that you don’t usually see around here. Two men, in the middle of the pedestrianised High Street, are in a very intense embrace.  One of them is distressed and crying. His mate is holding on and comforting him, trying to .nd words to say that might make things better. Being brought up to feel that it’s rude to stare, I hurry by, pausing at the traffic lights to look back. Still holding on, he is there for his mate for however long it takes, despite the potential curiosity of passers-by.

It’s one of those scenarios where you would love to know what was going on, but can only fall back onto imagination. Was it a lost job, a messed up family encounter, a break up with a girlfriend … or  boyfriend?  Who knows! But whatever it was, there was no shame for them in giving and receiving what they needed for that moment. Not a typical male (gay or straight) thing to do, I suspect.

It made me think more about a story a friend had told me the night before at a wee gathering to celebrate a birthday. She had just come back from San Francisco and had revelled in parts of that city where diversity of all kinds was celebrated as a normal part of life. At one stage in her street wanderings she stumbled on a large, impressive-looking day centre for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. Rather than being tucked away on a back street (like it would be in Scotland), it was visible in every sense of the word - large glass windowed frontages proclaimed all that went on inside, which happened to be a gathering of transsexuals/transvestites with the most amazing dresses, handbags and wigs she had ever seen. They were obviously having a fabulous time. She could not help but compare it with her neighbourhood in Dundee, where the only place that a local transvestite could go dressed in all her finery and not get hassled was the local park – in a nice part of town.

Maybe such things that might seem "out of place" in the normal run of things are really important. Being man (or woman) enough to be vulnerable and not hide it all because it’s not the done thing to do. Being comfortable enough with who you are and what that means even when it is not what is usually seen around the neighbourhood.  I’m due home soon brie.y in Dunedin after three years away, and I’ll look with interest to see how much kiwis – especially males - are allowing themselves to be openly visible. I suspect things may not have progressed all that much, but who knows? If it can happen in a High Street in Scotland, why not in the Octagon?

by Jane E Libeau

When the lion roars

And the eagle soars

The heavens and earth unite

As wings draw near

If the beast does fear

The energies between

Earth and the cosmos .ght.

Where one belongs

Is where one must be

The lion walks the earth

The eagle .ies over the sea

One watches the other

They long to be seen

To know whom the other is

And where they have been.

With lions body

And eagles wings and claws

They .nd the space between

Heaven and earth’s cores.

They join together

Become as one

Land and sky

Are earth and sun.

The connection of these beings

Will satisfy their inner seeing

When one is one

And one the other

They are as close to being

In touch with each other.

As the eagle soars

And the lion roars

They acknowledge the

connection

And are bound to the other.

It had to be a phone interview - Sarah Waters was a busy woman. She had cancelled her Dunedin faceto- face interview with the Otago Gaily Times, and instead threw us the last small scrap of her time, from her Auckland hotel room, after all the other media had had a go.  It was a snap decision on her part, but I had nothing better to do and was ready with my old-fangled Teac micro cassette recorder.

"I haven’t actually. I’m still very connected to Wales because my family all live there, but I feel very much like a visitor … Y’know what, I’d .nd it hard to write authoritatively about the culture now. I don’t know … London for me is such a big, interesting place, so it’s not that I don’t want to write about Wales but that I do want to write about London. So, yeah, I haven’t yet, but you never know."

"It’s a bit of a departure, obviously, from the other books because of the change of period … It’s very much about ordinary people living out their lives against the backdrop of war in London, I suppose."

Not so much of a departure, though, that central characters are not gay – and not so much that you won’t find her Waters-marks throughout.  "Certainly, people who’ve read it can see preoccupations of mine. My interest is, well, for one thing, it’s the physical detail of things, like design and texture, and I think I’ve carried that over from the other books. And then, obviously, some of the emotional themes, like betrayal and things that just seem to crop up – imprisonment."

It was time for Sarah Waters to leave New Zealand. She had been a nice voice - exhausted but suppressing it, and yet thoughtful in answering questions. She clearly hadn’t had time to rummage through our tussocks or feel under our river banks for eels - she hadn’t had a decent tourist experience at all, which I thought a pity. But from London the world-famous author came, and that great metropolis, she had said, was enough for her.

by Anna Chinn

Part One, set in 1947, introduces straight Viv, lesbian Helen, lesbian Kay and (we suspect) gay Duncan, and hints at the skeletons in their closets.  Meanwhile, Waters gives us a panoramic view of that exhausted postwar landscape - people are living in near-derelict or else tiny homes, as if not trusting their arrangements to be permanent, not expecting stability. Memories of the war inform conversations, and fears of bombs disturb peacetime minds. This landscape has its own secret history waiting to be unlocked – for most readers will only have a passing idea of what London was like during World War 2.

Part Three is set in 1941, and serves simply to tie up the loose ends. Any remaining queries we had for the author about those skeletons get answered here.  This novel might sound – and is – quite a departure from Waters’ bodiceripping page-turners. It could hardly be as bawdy - wartime sucks. And the characters seem to be there less to entertain and amuse, than to be portals through which we might enter this unfamiliar world. It is different, yes, but that winning Waters writing remains.

by Barb Long

If only it could have been a whole evening … I could have continued to listen to this author read more excerpts from her new novel for quite some time. Sitting at school and being read to was never so exciting - the teachers can’t have been as gorgeous as the engaging Sarah Waters!

It was one of those damp misty nights with greying skies, a reminder that daylight saving time was soon to end, when I joined a full room at the University Staff Club to listen to an interview with Sarah Waters. For me it was one of those moments where I experience a sense of "coming home", that affirmative feeling of being in an environment where there is a large component of the Dunedin lesbian community in attendance.

The evening commenced with Sarah having a conversation on the couch with Professor Jocelyn Harris. Jocelyn was interested in exploring with her what stimulated the ideas for her novels and frequently tried to engage her in dialogue about how her academic knowledge had made an impact on her writing.

Sarah studied English Literature at the universities of Kent and Lancaster and, after a break, she returned to postgraduate study. She then gained a PhD in English Literature, her field of study being lesbian and gay historical fiction. She has also had articles on gender, sexuality and history published in a number of journals. She was short listed in 2002 for both the Orange Prize and the Man Booker Prize.

While Jocelyn may have been interested in what Sarah remembered from first year English, Sarah seemed more eager to tell the audience about her passion for lesbian and gay literature, particularly from the late nineteenth century, and how that led to her novels rather than the structure of her writing.

Review by Terry

Those who stayed were challenged by images of our world, domestic and global, which we would prefer to ignore. Performance art took over from "pure" dance as the company enacted powerfully symbolic scenes of birth, death and the horrors humans inflict on each other. We were led on this remarkable journey by the disturbing figures of a puppet master and his dummy – manifestations perhaps of Douglas as man and child.

Dance is the most corporal of arts and we were invited to consider the human body stripped of its coverings – first as a superbly controlled and con.dent woman confronted us, with tossing hair and flashing scissor blades, then later (and horribly) as the company cowered through the degradation forced on naked prisoners in a ghastly scenario all too reminiscent of recent coverage from Baghdad  – no tutus here!

Not that we were deprived of lyricism. There were some beautiful sequences of fluid voluptuous movement, of impeccably trained bodies twisting, falling and leaping with hypnotic grace. There was humour, too, as the dummy squeakingly voiced the secret thoughts of many of the less dance-literate: "Why are they running into a semi-circle? How can that girl fall and get up so quickly? Why has the other girl joined her? Do they know each other? What will the reviewers say?!?"

But the overpowering images, the ones that seared the eyeballs and burn on in the mind, were the sickening depictions of torture and degradation, the brutalising effect on prisoner and guard of the jails of Iraq. Artaud’s Theatre of Cruelty would recognise this theatre form. It is disturbing, but the impact is undeniable.

Review by Tor Devereux

I’m not going to write much about the plot of the .lm because I suspect that most readers of the OGT will have been to see the .lm already or will have read about it elsewhere. I thought that it was  essential, though, to include some comment about it here because of the impact and success this film has had, not only within our LGBT/queer community but within the straight community as well.

This love is certainly a tragic one, but at no point does the film become sentimental. It is raw and real, with moments of humour. It reminds us how far we’ve come in terms of acceptance of gay relationships in the last thirty to forty years, but it also reminds us that people are still harassed, abused, tortured and even killed because of who they are and who they love.  

• Golden Globes: Best Drama, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Original Song

• Oscars: Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Score

• 2005 Venice International Film Festival: First Prize

Review by Mike Wooliscroft

In writing about his investigation and research over a period of many years, Capote produced a new kind of genre which he termed a "non-fiction novel" or, to put it another way, literary non-fiction. What he meant by this was that he would bring a creative artist’s eye to the selection of material to be included while using journalistic skills and producing the literary style and structure of a fictional work.

Philip Seymour Hoffman, who plays Capote, is not like Capote in a physical sense but in the movie he has his mannerisms off-pat – his mincing, his particularly high-pitched voice and spoken cadences so it is not too difficult to imagine we are seeing the real person playing himself. Hoffman has well deserved his various awards for best actor.

The crux of the movie is the ethical dilemma Capote finds himself with when he falls at least a bit in love with one of the murderers and provides support in gaining at least one appeal and mentors the young man, but then as he progresses with his magnum opus on the killings realises that it is only through the young men’s executions that he will be able to complete his book. And so the seemingly supportive relationship becomes one of deceit. The tension makes for compelling viewing.

Review by Mike Wooliscroft