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Why members of country WA’s LGBTQI+ scene are airing concerns about Pride, Mardi Gras celebrations

When Bardi man Dwesmond Wiggan-Dann took to Facebook to share his feelings about what he believed Mardi Gras and Pride had become, he hoped to find like-minded voices who were not being “seen, heard or celebrated”. In that post, seen by more than 200 people, Mr Wiggan-Dann lamented the morphing of Mardi Gras into a worldwide commercial machine that “glamourised” the LGBTQIA+ community while disregarding underlying issues such as mental health, suicide and homelessness. “I travelled extensively across this great country, attending celebrations which I believed back then genuinely celebrated the original intent and purpose of what Pride and Mardi Gras meant to our community,” he said. “It has only been in the last couple of years I began to see Pride and Mardi Gras become exploited in some way by mainstream, as a mechanism to attract Tourism, by taking advantage of the pink dollar, and in some cases for personal gain.” For Port Hedland resident and former Kimberley Queen Ayleesha Tryed, Mr Wiggan-Dann’s post struck a chord. “It’s basically becoming not more of a celebration but more of a reason for people to get drunk using the LGBTQIA+ community’s reasons,” she said. “We had to fight for rights to get married and all that sort of stuff. “So, it’s definitely a celebration of being accepted into the community. “Don’t use it as a reason to get so drunk that you can’t remember your own name. Support us. “We are there to party just as much as you, but we are doing it in a way of celebration and not just an excuse.” Community must be put ahead of tourism Former Geraldton MP Shane Hill, one of the first openly gay members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, helped found the city’s annual celebration of diversity, equality and inclusion G-Fest from 2010-15. He agreed with Mr Wiggan-Dann, saying Pride celebrations meant more to the queer community than just a night to party. “It’s that time of year where everyone comes together and is inclusive. We can be with each other, we can hold hands and enjoy each other’s company openly. which we may very rarely get to do if we’re in the country,” he said. “The problem is it has become a more commercialised tourist-based activity. “I’m not saying we don’t welcome visitors to our community, but organising committees need to remember they’re there for the local community, not the tourism side of things.” Mr Hill said while life had improved for LGBTQIA+ people in regional areas, many still faced discrimination or feared showing affection to their partners in public places. “A lot of people who are, for example, working in the mining sector, still haven’t come out and don’t say anything because they don’t want to be targeted in a work environment or something like that, or in a small remote community,” he said. “At these community events you can talk to people, these may be the only opportunities they have to meet someone and bond with someone about what’s going on in their lives.” Mr Hill said regional and remote Pride and Mardi Gras organisers should consult the people they were meant to be representing about what kind of events would benefit them. “Keep the limit from about 500-1000 tickets and don’t have it any bigger,” he said. ‘Keep it local and bring back the likes of G-Fest, because I feel most people will support that kind of activity. “But go back to the community because as soon as it gets out to the corporate sector ... you lose that local touch.” Mr Hill said he was planning to move back home to Geraldton in the coming months after working in Perth for the last five years and get G-Fest back up and running. Mr Wiggan-Dann’s message hit home for Kununurra woman and KNQ co-founder Jo Warren, too. Formed just over two years ago, KNQ is a Kununurra LGBTQIA+ community group that holds monthly sundowners and an annual East Kimberley Pride event. Ms Warren said holding free events was a top priority. “Yes, it’s a party and we’re all having fun but what is underneath is how we’re connecting, how we’re supporting each other, how are we, and checking in that we’re all OK,” she said. “I am also a social worker so it’s imperative for me that this sort of thing is more than just a party.” Ms Warren said it was integral for events to remain inclusive, with support for the LGBTQIA+ community the core focus. “I grew up in a small country town; it’s really difficult to be different. We know that the rates of suicide and self-harm in the queer community is much higher than other sectors of the community,” she said. “That’s why it’s so important our events are about wellbeing and connecting and relationships.” Playing a role in recognition and support Broome Pride organiser Lucy Falcocchio said her organisation was committed to “walking the walk”. “I will never lose focus of the big picture that we all want to achieve, the vision of one community,” she said. “This is what we’ve spent years achieving in the Kimberley, and when we look at people we look at what’s in their hearts, not what side of the fence they’re batting for.” While working as a health systems development manager for the Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services, Ms Falcocchio worked tirelessly to build Broome Pride and said the calls for celebrations to be scaled back were from a “vocal minority”. Broome Pride, which hosts the biggest Australian Mardi Gras celebration outside of Sydney, has donated more than $77,000 towards community groups such as headspace Broome since its inception. Kalgoorlie pilot and gay man Kieran Hanna said while he hoped to see a change, he believed mainstream focus was the first step in acceptance of the LGBTQIA+ community. “I came out at 15, living in regional South Australia and I don’t know where I got the gumption because for years leading up to that I tried to hide it and I wonder how different things would have been if I was a teenager these days,” he said. “The mainstream pick-up and focus on the queer community with programs such as Ru Paul’s Drag Race and Schitts Creek, with Pride and Mardi Gras becoming more commonly celebrated, it has done some amazing things and those influences in popular culture have made it easier even though there might be issues still needing work. “The thing about drag is obviously it was around before the Stonewall Riots, but the riots were really kicked off and spearheaded by drag queens, so drag is really both an art form and a form of protest. “What I’d really like to see, to be honest, is the separation between queer issues and other minority group issues to stop.” Hanna said he would love to live in a world where being a nice person was all that mattered.

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Why members of country WA’s LGBTQI+ scene are airing concerns about Pride, Mardi Gras celebrations