editorial

Happy Birthday, OGT! That’s right – this issue is a celebration of 50 issues of the OGT. We’ve dedicated two pages of the paper to the OGT’s history and some reminiscences from a handful of the many people who have

been OGT collective members during the paper’s 11 year history. There are so many people who have been involved with the paper in so many different ways – editors, writers, artists, photographers, distributors, advertisers, readers and so on. Everyone, in their own way, has contributed to the paper’s success - yeah! The OGT has changed over the years in all sorts of ways, but I believe that it’s still as relevant and important in 2006 as it was back in 1995 when it all began. While we as LGBT/queer people may be more visible now and we certainly enjoy more rights and public acknowledgement,  there’s still a place for a publication that’s about us, that focuses on our issues, struggles and triumphs, that celebrates and promotes our culture, that highlights members of our community, that provides information and that helps people who are not yet out or who are questioning their sexual or gender identity to realise that they are not alone and that there is a community out there and support available.

And, while we’re still on the subject of celebrating, a big queer cheer to all those who were involved with organising events for Dunedin’s Pride Week a couple of months ago. A lot of time and energy went into making sure all the different activities happened and it’s that kind of commitment that makes our community more vibrant and supportive. A new group has emerged from a Pride Week event too which is awesome. The L Walkers is a new walking group for women that’s going to organise monthly walks/hikes around the

area for any women who want to get out and about.

While all these positive things are happening in our community, I’d also like to acknowledge here the sadness and frustration many have experienced as a result of the decision by the Presbyterian Church recently not to allow people in same-sex relationships (and, in fact, people in any relationship outside a marriage between a man and a woman) to take on leadership roles within the church from now on. Many within the church have been dismayed by the decision – and some have left as a result. A local Presbyterian minister who disagrees with her church’s new stand has written a response to this decision which you can read on page 3 of the paper.

December 1 marks World AIDS Day and this year, with the number of new HIV diagnoses last year the highest ever, the message is a simple but hard-hitting one. "As with last year’s campaign, we’ve gone back to basics by reminding people that while HIV is one of the most dangerous and devastating viruses in the world, ever, it is also incredibly easy to prevent," says Eamonn Smythe, NZAF’s National Positive Health Manager.

Best wishes for the festive season and the new year, and the collective looks forward to bringing you the OGT once again in 2007.

Tor Devereux, Editor

The OGT is a community newspaper run by a small collective of people.

We rely on you to let us know what’s happening out there in the community and to contribute copy for the paper - articles, letters to the editor, poetry, photos, reviews, short stories, etc.

So, if you’re planning an event or if you’re involved with a social or support group, let us know about it so that we can include the details in the paper. And, if there’s something you’d like to contribute, then contact

us about it. You can either e-mail us ([email protected]), call us (0274-793-113), or write to us (PO Box 6171, Dunedin).  (The OGT reserves the right to edit any material that is submitted for publication.)

The OGT is published four times a year and each issue covers 3 months.  The deadline for the next issue (which will come out early February 2007) is 15 January 2007.

NOTE: If you intend to submit copy, then please contact us at least a couple of weeks before copy deadline so that we can ensure that there’s space for your contribution.

Sources: www.365Gay.com, www.gaywired.com, www.pinknews.co.uk,

www.rainbownetwork.com

New cases of HIV infection in Australia surged more than 40 percent between 2000 and 2005, according to study results released recently. A steady decline through the late 1990s, after numbers hit an all-time high of about 1,700 in 1984, has been reversed: 656 in 2000; 930 in 2005. This has prompted fears drug treatment advances are making people lax about practising safe sex.

A natural history museum is being accused of displaying pornography by local church groups over an exhibit called "Against Nature", which shows same-sex animal pairs. One photograph attracting considerable attention depicts two sexually aroused whales rubbing together, while another shows two male giraffes engaged in sex. Other creatures to feature include penguins, parrots and insects. A statement at the exhibit reads: "We may have opinions on a lot of things, but one thing is clear — homosexuality is found throughout the animal kingdom; it is not against nature."

International pressure is mounting on the government of Cameroon to release nearly a dozen men sentenced to prison earlier this year on charges of being gay. In declaring the detentions an arbitrary deprivation of liberty contrary to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has called on the government of Cameroon to adopt necessary measures to remedy the situation, including the possible repeal of the offending law.

Two young undercover policemen are part of what is unof.cially called the Pink Patrol, set up to combat a growing number of attacks on gays in the club area of the city.  Uniformed patrols of the area have been stepped up also. In just three months the patrol has made 14 arrests in nearly a dozen attacks, with a police spokesperson saying most of those charged were known to police and were members of one gang.

Efforts by the Dutch and Swedish governments to begin deporting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender asylum seekers back to Iran have brought strong protests from international human rights organisations, including Human Rights Watch. Under Iran’s criminal code, sexual intercourse between men is punishable by death; non-penetrative sex between men is punishable by 100 lashes for each partner and by death on the fourth conviction; and sexual intercourse between women is punishable by 100 lashes and by death on

the third conviction.

Pope Benedict has chided recently elected Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi on his government’s plan to introduce civil partnership legislation, warning that politicians who disobey the teachings of the Church could be denied the sacrament. Prodi’s left of centre coalition government campaigned for greater LGBT civil rights, including a hate crime law and recognition of same-sex couples. Five LGBT candidates, all members of the centre-left and including the first transsexual to win a national election in Italy, have beenelected to parliament.

I am glad for this opportunity to address the Otago Gaily Times community.  It gives the chance to say to all who are gay, lesbian, bisexual and/or transgendered that many dissented from the Presbyterian General Assembly decision to prevent those in gay or de facto relationships from becoming elders or ministers. Some

dissenters at the Assembly were ministers and elders from Dunedin. They are supported by other local Presbyterians.

We are ashamed of our church’s decision. It springs from a too literal interpretation of the Bible which reinforces ancient prejudices the church should have left behind. I particularly regret that you may have been further hurt by the decision and subsequent publicity.

Some in the GLBT community may now feel like second-class citizens in Presbyterian eyes. I am sad and angry about that. Some have already left churches.  I understand why they have and I regret that, but I also respect it. At the moment, however, some of us stay within this imperfect church. We wish to uphold within it the

requirement of justice for any who are discriminated against or oppressed. We will continue to af.rm God is on the side of those who are oppressed whatever decisions her church may make.

Anyone is welcome, without question, at the churches where those who dissented against the decision worship. My own congregation at Opoho Presbyterian does not discriminate and Knox Church does not either. Jesus would not have done this. He welcomed everyone and befriended and defended the most vulnerable. He is the one we follow.

The Human Rights Commission is looking at discrimination and human rights issues for transgender people. The inquiry will involve meetings with transgender people, their families, government agencies, health professionals and others who work with transgender people. The key inquiry areas are personal experiences, health and legal identity, but contributions of other experiences are very welcome.

Dunedin submissions can be made in person, either publicly or privately, on Wednesday 29 and Thursday 30 November at Community House on Moray Place. Please contact Jack Byrne to arrange meeting times or for more information: 0800-496-877 (press for reception then ask for Jack), 09-375-8647 or [email protected]

You can also make a written submission by post or email, or phone and talk to Jack directly.

Transgender Discrimination

Media Statement, 22 August 2006

Attorney-General Michael Cullen today released a Crown Law opinion which clarfies the position of transgender people under the Human Rights Act.

The opinion was sought as the issue has been raised in a private member’s bill in the name of Labour MP Georgina Beyer.  "I note that Crown Law states that "there is currently no reason to suppose that "sex discrimination" would be construed narrowly to deprive transgender people of protection under the Human Rights Act". I welcome the acting Solicitor-General’s clarifcation that due to existing protection the Human Rights Act does not need to be amended," said Dr Cullen.

This year I was approached by the Rainbow Families group to do a storytelling session for children during Pride Week with stories relevant to queer issues - e.g. same-sex couples, transgender folk, prejudice and acceptance. Easy-peasy I thought, I’ll just take some traditional tales and insert two Kings/Queens instead

of the King/Queen combo … but it ain’t necessarily so! I had chosen to do a story called "The 3 Wishes" whereby a quarrelling couple end up having to spend their last wish on removing a sausage from the end of the husband’s nose. It’s a funny story, and in the interests of equality I wanted to show that gay couples squabble

just like the rest of us and have to work at relationships too!

However, interesting things started to happen when I put a lesbian couple into the story. For a start, no longer could they refer to each other as "Wife" and "Husband" - these chicks needed names! And the idea that the husband went off to do wood-chopping while wifey stayed at home? That didn’t ring true either. So, in the end Jo and Jazz took it in turns, week about, wood-chopping and poem-baking … They certainly did squabble though and the story ended happily with a clever use of that final wish.

I also had a scout around for other stories that were relevant to the programme.  I managed to unearth a very funny traditional Scottish story where a man finds himself in a dream-like situation on a boat crossing a river. He looks into the water to see a beautiful maiden staring back at him. He smiles at her and she smiles back,

he itches his nose and she does likewise, he rubs his chin and there’s no stubbly whiskers and, suddenly, it dawns on him that this is his own reflection! In the course of the story he becomes a she, then a he again.

However, this was one of the few traditional stories that dealt with such issues and all the others I found were in modern picture books (not many!) that had obviously been tailored to reflect new values? No, that’s not the right word because love is a traditional value - new family patterns, I guess. There are some Greek myths, but it seems if you are gay you have to look long and hard to find yourself reflected in traditional literature. Of course, there are stories that deal with issues such as fighting prejudice, self-acceptance and parental unconditional love (I considered telling a story about a woman who has a cooking pot for a child, but it

didn’t really suit my programme, though the message is there that your mother will love you no matter how many legs you have! - I like that).

So, now I am on a mission to find stories that will inspire and support all kinds of family "types". I am drawn to folktales and am grateful to those few writers who have ventured into the realm of creating their own stories to re.ect their communities. One bonus of this experience has been the Public Library’s awareness of

needing to find "alternative" picture books (but good ones, sometimes literaturewith- a-message can be clumsy and too evangelical).

I am very grateful to all the families who came to the storytelling session and to Barb Long for inviting me to be part of Pride Week and to embark on this new journey!

Intrigued by the above topic I was one of twelve who gathered during Pride Week, most appropriately in the clubrooms of Age Concern Otago, to share my hopes and concerns with others from the GLBT community. We were a diverse group with an age spread of more than forty years yet representing many aspects of GLB

and T.

Our discussions fell into two broad categories:

1. The desire now to socialise in a safe and supportive environment with others of our sexual orientation or identity.

2. A concern for the future about receiving safe and supportive health and social services as we grow older.

In preparation for the evening I had made some enquiries on the internet and directly to professionals providing care for the aged in Dunedin. It was not encouraging. A report from Toronto, Canada - "New Options in Long-Term Care for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Elders in Toronto" by Rosemary Bennett

- indicated an alarmingly high rate of discrimination against GLBT people receiving rest-home care. Locally it seems that there is no educational component about GLBT issues in courses for those working in elder-care at any level.

From my work with PFLAG I am aware that medical students at Otago receive only one fifty-minute session about GLBT issues during their six years of training as doctors. Many come from countries and religious traditions where homosexual activity is illegal and considered abhorrent. What expectations of safety could

one have of their treatment? One report from the USA found that 58% of health professionals there had either discriminated against homosexuals or observed such discrimination amongst their colleagues. This is an alarming statistic! What needs to be done?

To address the need for many GLBT people to meet and socialise we need more groups such as The L Club and Rainbow Families. They can be large or small and with many variations in focus and interests. They would need volunteers willing to take leadership roles and a suitable meeting place. What I believe would enable such groups to flourish would be the acquisition of premises which could be used as the headquarters or meeting place for many groups – a Rainbow Home for Dunedin’s GLBT people.

PFLAG South is presently seeking to relocate our office to a central venue to be more accessible to the public and to provide a supervised after-school meeting place for queer high school students to socialise. Such premises could well form the basis for a "Rainbow House" for use by the wider GLBT community. (We are

awaiting advice on an application for funding from the Lotteries Grants Board, but have been advised that we need to fundraise locally – be warned!)

The second issue identified at the discussion evening - that of safety and support for GLBT elderly - needs more research and an approach to the organisations responsible for standards, staff training and the provision of age-care, something that is presently beyond the resources of PFLAG South, but a project we would happily support. Are any OGT readers interested?

Mistress of Cliterature

by Philippa Jamieson, OGT Collective Member 1996-2000

Late in 1994, I think, I skived off work for half an hour to go to the hospital, where David Verrall was hosting the .rst meeting about the Otago Gaily Times. Being a literary sort of lesbian, I wanted to be in on the planning stages of the new magazine.  Georgie Ferrari and I were the only two women in a roomful of about ten men, most of whom I didn’t know. I had brought a list of things I wanted to see in the mag, and I particularly wanted to make sure that women were represented in it.

Soon afterwards I left town to do a publishing course. Coming back a year later I immersed myself in the OGT, then run by a collective of .ve or six members. No worries about the lack of women’s influence! Gradually the collective became more and more dominated by women, as is most volunteer work.

For a while I seemed to live and breathe the OGT, taking turns at writing, editing, design and layout, advertising and distribution. Lowest moment: having no money to post out the OGT and having to hand-deliver a single A4 sheet. Highlights: the camaraderie, the reaching out to people who might otherwise be isolated and the sheer delight of seeing our cultures in print.

I thought that the celebration of the OGT’s 50th issue was the perfect opportunity to research the history of the paper – and a good excuse to look back though all the past issues, something I’d been wanting to do for a while.

The OGT has been in existence for 11 years and 50 issues, and during this time it’s had various ups and downs. There have been times when things have been tough financially and times when there have been only a few collective members doing all the work. But, the paper has survived through all these challenges and it’s still going strong in 2006 while other queer newspapers and newsletters throughout New Zealand have folded.

Tor Devereux

Until recently the OGT was enjoying a great financial phase since for many years all costs associated with printing and distributing the paper were being met by the income from subscriptions and advertising. However, when we had to change printers in May this year our printing costs rose significantly and this is no longer the case. So, we’re now in the position of applying for a grant or looking for sponsorship for around $500 per year

to keep the OGT going – but, never fear, we will find this money somewhere!

Currently we have a small collective – there’s just five of us – and there’s two other people who assist us with distribution. Although the collective is small, we have many contacts we can call on to contribute copy and filling the paper these days is never a problem. Some of our contributors are regulars and some we approach depending on the topics we want to include in the paper for a particular issue. And, of course, sometimes we’re

just sent copy which is great.

At the moment we have no problem getting enough advertisers – in fact, we’ve had to turn down some new advertisers recently because we have a maximum number of ads that we include in each issue to ensure there’s still plenty of interesting material for you to read! Many of our current advertisers are regulars – that is, they commit to advertising in every issue of the OGT for a year. And, there is one advertiser who has

been with us since the very beginning - Gabby Morris (real estate agent). That’s a fabulous record, Gabby!!!

I believe passionately in the importance of the OGT for our LGBT/queer community, which is why I’m still here 7 years and 30 issues after attending my first OGT meeting in April 1999! But, the OGT is a community newspaper and we welcome input from all of you. Please contact us with copy (political pieces, reviews, art work, opinion pieces, etc.), information, notices about events/groups, photos or suggestions of things you’d like to see in the OGT.

The OGT .rst appeared in February 1995 as an A4 magazine-style publication with 18 photocopied (black and white) pages. It was produced by the Out and Proud Collective which at that time was made up of about eight men and two women.

One of the founding collective members was David Verrall who had been the editor of the Pink Express, a newsletter that evolved into the OGT.  For the first year and a half the OGT was funded by HealthCare Otago "as part of its ongoing commitment to the lesbian and gay community through the AIDS project, a public health service of HealthCare Otago". At this stage the OGT was distributed by subscriptions, but it was free.

In 1995 six issues of the OGT were produced, but the following year the publication of the paper became quarterly. The layout of the paper remained the same until 1998, but after the first two issues the printing quality was improved as the paper was printed rather than photocopied, and some issues sported a colour as well.

The OGT met with some controversy early on as explained in the editorial of the August 1995 issue: "Over the last two months, the Otago Gaily Times has been getting attention from the mainstream media: our name and our funding have provoked outrage and angst." It would seem that the Otago Daily Times believed that

the Otago Gaily Times was a play on words that they had claimed first rights to and so they said that the OGT shouldn’t be using them. The ODT was concerned that readers might think that the OGT was an ODT publication and the ODT’s editor  claimed that "the subject matter of the newspaper [OGT] reflects badly on our newspaper [ODT] ..."

Around the same time, Mary O’Neill of Family Life International objected to the OGT being funded by HealthCare Otago and a local MP, Alec Neill (MP for Waitaki), raised the issue during question time in Parliament on 19 July 1995. Paul East (then Minister for Crown Health Enterprises and the person to whom the questions were addressed) supported the partnership between the OGT and HealthCare Otago as a legitimate way for the latter to achieve part of the health promotion service that they were supposed to provide. Alec Neill showed his complete lack of knowledge of the paper and lack of respect for the LGBT community by continuing his questioning

and asking if it was fair for people to have to wait for operations while "a minority group gets their monthly dose of partners wanted and situations vacant whilst reading the Otago Gaily Times". (The OGT has never run personal ads.) HealthCare

Otago also strongly defended its funding of the OGT by saying, "If funding of a homosexual newspaper prevented one case of Aids it had already paid for itself several times over."

Following all this media attention, the Holmes Show then came to town for the launch of the August 1995 issue and some collective members were interviewed. It sure sounds like those were exciting times!!! – probably more excitement than the collective really wanted, but they got the OGT through all of this and no doubt it helped to publicise the paper to some people who otherwise might not have known about it.

The December 1995 issue was the first to include a small number of advertisers: Gabby Morris (real estate agent), Echo Records, Munslow’s Fine Wine and Modernway Bookshop.  This was the beginning of a new direction for the funding of the OGT because by June 1996 the paper was no longer receiving money from HealthCare Otago.

The situation is explained in the March 1996 issue: "It was inevitable … The funding from HealthCare Otago which until now has been the primary source of revenue for the publication of the OGT as of June this year will no longer be available." At that time the collective decided that the OGT should remain free for as long as possible. Donations were asked for, the  number of advertisers was increased and the paper changed from bimonthly to quarterly.

However, the paper had struck difficulties by the end of the year. The December 1996 issue was a double-sided A4 photocopied sheet – quite a come down from the glossy magazine of the last two years. The reasons for this were a lack of money to print a full-sized magazine and a lack of volunteers to put the issue together. This

issue informed people that the collective had now decided that it needed to introduce paid subscriptions in order to bring in some much needed cash and that they would continue with the magazine in its usual format from March 1997.

Dear OGT,

Congratulations on achieving a magnificent half-century of publications, and for finding me happily living in Runanga on the West Coast with two spaniels, my own native bush and creek, and working part-time in Greymouth when I’m not

playing accordion in the Kokatahi Band or busy in the garden.

There were many battles involved in establishing the OGT.  The first edition (February 1995) sits alongside me as I write, edited by Georgie Ferrari and Logan Sisley, who also featured on the front cover of the third edition alongside Anita and Jason. I know Jason Tagg is in New York busy playing ukulele, but of the others I know not.

There were letters from the editor of the Otago Daily Times to the chair of the Otago Hospital Board decrying the misuse of their "registered title", questions asked in

Parliament and headlines in the ODT questioning the funding of "...(the) magazine for Dunedin homosexuals", and we even protested against the Christian Heritage Party on a rainy Sunday flinging confetti-type pink triangles all over the church parishioners, their umbrellas and the surrounding pavement … and it stuck for ages!

There have been many changes to the OGT, and I have enjoyed reading the copies sent to me. It proves one thing, which is that health promotion strategies do work, and 11 years of publication shows that the community’s original idea

has paid off.

Best wishes, and people can contact me at [email protected]

David Verrall, OGT Collective Member 1995-1996

Ann and Karina, OGT Collective Members 1998-2002

It ends with Alex Nicholls saying "okay everyone pull your pants up, time to go". The OGT meetings became a weekly ritual, amongst lots of laughter, eating, drinking and tossing around of ideas, we would churn out a paper.

We were aware our small group was a microcosm of the larger one out there,

providing a social network and a sense of involvement in the local scene.  We divided up the jobs differently for each issue, doing a bit of things we’d never done before. We profiled local icons and made drawings for the homoscopes, answered Dear Deb and Doug agony  letters (which we also wrote). Book reviews were a chance to try writing in a way that others might be enthused by.

There was a sense of building something valuable each time a paper was put together. The stuffing night was a real celebration even down to colouring

in feature elements on the front page.  All in all the OGT times were one of the

best ways we found to be part of life in Dunedin.

Finally! A streak of familiar pink printing ink peeps up at me from the bottom of the 14th shipping carton I’ve unsealed. I haul out a musty, dog-eared pile of newspapers and magazines and settle down on the hard concrete cellar floor. "Otago Gaily Times.

Free. Issue Two. April 1995." Ten double-sided black and white photocopied pages stapled together.  "Issue 3. Pride Festival Edition. June 1995." The infant’s wobbly steps become more secure. 20 pages folded and stapled magazine style, full cover

photo and an adventurous foray into blue ink.

"Welcome to the third edition. As usual it’s been a collective struggle." I bet this hasn’t changed over 11 years. A focus on David Verrall, the driving force behind the founding (and funding) of the OGT. It is David who gets me involved - to help out with "stuffing". The stuffing team meets in an upstairs room in the Hospital Psych Services building. Great fun and much laughter. Shock! One boy discovers

that the OGT envelope he is stuffing is addressed to his staunchly fundamentalist Christian brother.  Another boy has a cute smile and cheeky nature and

shortly after we become lovers.

Issue 4: Questions in Parliament as to why HealthCare Otago funds a "homosexual magazine". Issue 5: Glossy paper and an ISSN number. The OGT becomes a serious

New Zealand publication. Issue 7: My first piece of writing. Most stimulating - a book list! Issue 8: A meteoric rise from book lists to the editorial. A frighteningly relevant sentence: "Anniversaries are a good opportunity to take time out to re.ect where we

come from, and where we are going." Issue 10: The funding and labour crisis issue – only one A4 sheet!  Issue 12: Controversy! The cover of a man holding

a firecracker "offends" some lesbians. "Issue 14. December 1997. The Final Issue?" Hold on … what?

Oh yeah … the ship is deserted, leaving only the captain. A bullying editorial: "YOU want the OGT, but you want SOMEBODY ELSE to do it. This isn’t good enough." Shock tactics – close the magazine. OK, one more chance. A meeting time set for the next year.  Philippa and I wait at the café, expecting no-one to remember or care. Around 10 people turn up. Issue 15: The "Phoenix" OGT - new design and content, newspaper format. At the end of the year I step aside from editorial work, but continue to help out for some time. Prominent throughout this important 11-

year record of Dunedin’s social history are countless wonderful and beautiful people, my fabulous Dunedin gay family. I think of you all. Congratulations, OGT,

on reaching your 50th. Now it’s time to really rock and look toward to your 75th!

Mit herzlichen Grüßen, Ian Stewart (Hamburg), OGT

Collective Member 1995-1999 and off & on until 2004

Celebrity authors Sarah Waters and Stella Duffy have been a bonus, but it’s people who haven’t already given 100 interviews that day, who are speaking just for the OGT, that I’ve found to be the more rewarding subjects.

Volunteering for the paper is a chance to hone interviewing and writing skills, and it’s satisfying to give readers an impression of a character from our community, or simply to rant about any topic Tor will accept.

On a more personal level, I admit that on everyone I’ve had the chance to interview I have been a leech. I’ve grown fat and strong, in terms of gay pride, by nicking my subjects and causing their ideas to flow so that I can feed off them.

"You know, if you are gay, then you better try and be the best you can." That’s one example of a remark that has been absorbed into my bloodstream. Said by actor/educator Rangimoana Taylor, it is not about trying to compensate for

anything, but is about exploiting the advantages that come from being queer.

The existence of specifically queer media like the OGT is one of these advantages.

Devoted entirely to our issues, queer media is where we can commune and communicate with others like us, and where we don’t have to sift to find opinions, information and news directly relevant to us. This leech is grossly grateful for the opportunity to be involved in its  production!

In April 1997 the paper was published again and the editorial was very upbeat and positive about the paper’s future: "The magazine is thriving again, thanks to your subscriptions, donations and continued support from advertisers.

As well as being available by subscription, the OGT will be sold at selected Dunedin bookshops … Thanks to the increased number of volunteers who put this issue together."

Unfortunately, though, by the end of the year the OGT was no longer thriving and at the top of the cover of the December 1997 issue are the words "Final issue?". Basically the problem was that the collective of six people was about to become one person and more volunteers were desperately needed. The editor of this issue

also suggested that perhaps the paper needed a "completely new image, new talent, new enthusiasm", but he added that he’d be willing to continue the paper himself even if no new people came forward to assist.

The next issue of the OGT (Issue #15) was printed in May 1998 and the paper had been completely revamped:

• There was a new collective.

• The format had changed dramatically - the OGT had become an A3-size black and white newspaper with 12 pages.

• There was a logo (slightly different than the one we currently use).

• The OGT had an email address.

• The paper became free again.

• There was an increased number of advertisers

(about the current number).

The "new" paper looked professional, positive and exciting - the OGT had come of age and, it would seem, found a recipe for success.  The paper at this stage was meant to be bimonthly, but there were only four issues published in 1998 and five issues in 1999, and in 2000 the change was made (again) to a quarterly

publication.

T

here have only been relatively minor alterations made to the OGT since all the changes were made in 1998. These modifications include the following:

• In February 1999 the logo was changed to the current one.

• The paper went online in April 1999 and has had a webpage ever since then.

• The cover and the back page went pink in February 2001 and have remained this colour.

• In May 2005 the OGT moved with the times in terms of production – we purchased a new programme called Adobe InDesign to create the paper and now we send the completed pages through to the printer via email in the form of pdf files (rather than the physical paste-up sheets that we were working with before that).

• Over the last couple of years we’ve had to change the type of paper that the OGT is

printed on for financial reasons - that is, we’ve had to start using thinner paper!

• In May 2006 we had to find a new printer and as a result the length of the paper’s pages had to change very slightly from A3 to tabloid.

So, here we are 50 issues on. The OGT is now published quarterly – in early February, May, August and November. It’s a tabloid-size black and white newspaper with a pink cover and back page, it’s free and it’s produced solely by volunteer

effort. 1000 copies of each issue are printed and these are available throughout Dunedin at cafes, some businesses, tertiary campuses and the public library. Copies are sent to most high schools in Otago and some in Southland, other local organisations, queer groups throughout New Zealand, local health professionals and some MPs (the queer ones and the local ones!). Some copies are also sent to libraries throughout the Otago area while others are distributed in Southland and

Christchurch. Readers can also choose to become subscribers (for a small charge) and have a copy of the paper sent to them each time it’s printed.

Happy 50th OGT – it’s been a blast!!! And, here’s to the next 50 issues …

Past & Present

by Barb Long, OGT Collective Member 1996-1997 & 2002-present

I seem to have had an "on again, off again" relationship with the OGT, usually being coerced into volunteering for something  in the absence of others being available at the time. On one occasion this meant hours of walking the streets of Dunedin hand

delivering a double sided sheet to subscribers as we couldn’t afford the postage and at other times coming up with ideas for copy or interviews, encouraging others to participate in the collective or soliciting advertisers.

I guess one of the reasons that I keep saying "yes" to doing something is that I really believe in the importance of having our community in print and accessible to others.

For the past 7 years I have had the privilege of watching Tor’s passion and enthusiasm for the publication and the commitment she has to maintaining this resource for those who are out, those who are questioning and those who support us. I remain in awe of her energy to this and now watch with pride as our oldest son

"I felt like breath at her feet. Like the icy

cold mist that lingered in the valley, was I

the cold breath of Death?"

The fog hadn’t lifted for days yet every

day she stood alone in the valley and

watched and waited.

What she waited for seemed a mystery.

She was alone; she had always been alone.

There was nobody there who was meant to

know she was waiting. Like waiting for the

train that never arrived at the station she

stood there day after day on a frosty verge

of the valley’s lonely platform.

I know she was there, I would see her

walk the track she had worn for what may

have been years. I watch her through the

mist and fog as her slow and deliberate walk

cut through its thickness then closed back in

around her with every precise step.

She waits as I watch. I am the keeper of

lost souls.

My own journey began in the valley of

lost hope. It was so long ago that I cannot

put a precise time on it. The time has

faded from memory but the experience still

remains. Now, watching the waiter, that was

my experience also. And I don’t recall what

or who I waited for. Yet every day I would

wait in the valley of hope.

The outside world stands still when the

one who waits appears. The world as they

know it appears gone, lost and there in itself

is the answer to a question. The waiter has

closed their eyes to the world, closed out

the possibilities and focused upon a future.

They have stopped being alive and enjoying

every moment and look beyond for dreams

to come true. The fog surrounds them as

they no longer have a future because they

forgot to have a past. And every day as they

walk that well trodden path to the edge of

their existence they watch and wait for what

cannot be, and will not be.

The lost soul is then watched over by the

keeper of lost souls, like death that awaits

the final breath. The keeper of the souls

watches and acts as a scribe, registering

the time spent remembering their own time

spent lost with a sense of no time.

If summer ever came to the valley, if

a hint of light penetrated the mist, if one

moment of thought could change that

perpetual day, she alone could make

something happen.

It was not my role to make her see or

stand in her way; I could only watch and

wait.

In its own way I too stood alone in that

valley. I was there when she was there

and not there when she was not. To my

conscious thought I did not know where I

was when I was not there and on that day

I began to wonder. And in that wondering

I questioned whether I was there at all, or

even existed. I wondered if I was her mirror

or her dream or an illusion in another’s

mind.

I began to wonder what would happen

if I changed my thought, my outlook on the

valley of hope. So, I changed my thoughts

on the images I did see.

Through the gray fog I began to visualise

her with colour and as every day passed I

reformed the image of this lost soul, adding

animation to her gait. At first she would

speed her journey, then run, skip or dance.

The surrounds I did change to colours of

nature - yellows, reds and blues. Earthy

tones on the worn path dusted with verges

of green. Her expressions became audible

as she called out to the birds that .uttered

above with springful joy. Yet every day

she would stop at the edge of the valley

somewhat forlorn that she was there and

still waiting until one day when I had painted

all the possibilities of light and life she took

one step past the edge of the valley. One

step that led into another. Within a few steps

more the woman stopped and she and I

were standing facing one another.

As the woman’s face drifted into a

memory I found myself walking. No pathway

there to guide my way, no fog or mist to blur

my view. I walked on through the colours

and sound and never looked back to the

valley edge and never knew if I would see

the woman again.

I was not the keeper of souls or watcher

of waiters or death waiting on ominous

decay. But was I that woman who waited

and watched for the self that simply

re.ected back? If I had to think of that

more, well, maybe the watcher will tell me

more - if there is more to tell.

Unless you’ve been living under a frock for the past few years, you’ve no doubt played, heard of or been tortured by the Sony PlayStation range of Singstar Products.

Upon holding the game in my hands, I noticed something odd - there are only 20 songs. This is odd as previous editions had 30 songs. Is that a bad thing? Looking down the track listing I found the answer to be no, and HELL NO! So with that, it

was time to use the phone and round up my friends for a night of fancy dress, singing and drinking red wine.

I’ll take a moment to explain why the Singstar range is so popular with so many different types of people. It’s a social activity - hanging with your friends, having some fun and, age permitting, indulging in one of life’s small pleasures, alcohol.

For the purpose of this review (what a great excuse for a party) I stuck to girls and boys who like girlie songs (you know who you are).

As the Hostess, I frocked up in my best 80s retro frock and heels. The night progressed perfectly and a fun time was had by all, except for one comment from a young girl aged 24 who stated that she didn’t know many of the songs! The room

went sterile, mouths dropped open and the unified gasping caused such a vacuum that she sank into the couch with embarrassment. But, after that pearl clutching event, we poured a few more drinks and the party continued. It turns out that she did know more of the songs but just didn’t know the names.  Ah, the young generation.

I wish I could remember more about what happened that night – all I can recall is a blur! The singing seemed to get better (I did say seemed) and the whole idea of getting the most points went out the window as laughing, drinking, eating and

singing for fun took over.

The issue of 20 songs did come up on occasion, but I still feel it’s 20 quality songs as opposed to 10 songs I’d like on a 30 song game - but that is a personal opinion. Singstar Anthems has Donna Summer’s "I Feel Love", which is worth its weight in

gold, not to mention Bucks Fizz, Whitney Houston - oh god, I’m showing my age.

In summary, Singstar Anthems is for the DIVA in you, and if you don’t have an inner Diva just bursting to come out (behind closed doors) having it on hand for that impromptu party is always the sign of a person well prepared. Enjoy.

Andrew Holleran, a pseudonymous writer who closely guards his real

identity, has been one of the most outstanding writers about the gay world since

world of New York’s public bath-houses and on Fire Island it told of the frenetic

living amongst many of the gay community of that time shortly before AIDS.

again to gay living in New York and focused on the half-truths upon which many relationships depend to avoid total honesty particularly as regards sexuality. The tension between the main character’s openly gay living in New York and his closeted life at his parent’s home is skilfully conveyed. Holleran has admitted in an interview that this tension was "absolutely and completely" reflective of his own life.

It seems likely that the issues central to this novella may again be re.ective of what Holleran is experiencing in his own life, but given his anonymity we must be careful not to take this too far.

in all likelihood that seems to be the case. So there’s no point in grieving any longer than you want – or have to."

On the situation of the more mature single man he writes tellingly: "Nothing happened to him any more. Or rather: Everything that did had already happened before – many, many times … He was now a sort of homosexual emeritus. Sex had left him in its wake. He was a man who’d been riding the rapids of a river, who finally finds a cove, a still pool, and pauses there to catch his breath – though after a while he realizes it’s not just a pause, but rather the place he has ended up, beached in the sunlight, exhausted, no longer able to get into that cold and tumultuous river again."

by Mike Wooliscroft

Lisicky and Robin Lippincott. The writing is of a high order (being literary rather than genre) and the stories are well selected.

erotica from mostly less accomplished authors and while providing some stimulating reading this is, at best, a mixed bag. One advantage of these short stories is that

most can be read within 20 minutes so you know when to turn over to baste the other side when out in the sun, or move onto something else.

a Cuban .lm based on a short story by Senel Paz. It will have been missed by many but fortunately it is available from the Dunedin Public Library’s excellent video collection. Diego, an extravagantly gay artist with a cynical view of the Castro regime, forms a close friendship with David, a younger macho student at Havana

University. David, after first deciding to convert Diego, works through his homophobia to discover the intrinsic values of the older man.

to do both. Either way you have an excellent summer tonic. Now to add the gin!

We are well and truly on our way!! The board of trustees is formalised and word is getting out that we are in existence. It’s wonderful to have service providers approaching us for information! So, what are we offering?

for their support with this!

Do you want to be kept informed of events, activities and news? A regular e-newsletter has been created (available in hard copy also). Email us at [email protected] or call us on 027-366-4458 if you’d like to receive it.

but he very obligingly ran one which was open just to the gay and lesbian community. This made it a safe opportunity for people to meet with him.

SGnLS events, they are the social networks which informally evolve as our membership grows.

Lesbians Over 25 coffee breaks – we have begun meeting for Sunday coffee every 2-3 weeks at different cafes around town. This is a relaxed get together and we

warmly invite newcomers along!! With summer on its way we are planning to incorporate a (gentle) walk into it. Phone 027-366-4458 for dates and venues.

Interested women welcome to join our group of walkers/ hikers as we explore Otago

environs, 1st Sunday of the month, 1 pm unless length of walk dictates an earlier start.

Children and dogs welcome (however, more difficult grades may be unsuitable for children and at times venues may be dog unfriendly). Various landscapes

explored (easy, moderate, challenging).

Contact Leigh on [email protected] or Kate on