OUTinPerth 189 April 2017

ISSUE 189 • APRIL 2017 FREE MONTHLY

WENTWORTH:

FRANKIE SAYS...

PERTH COMEDY FESTIVAL

RHYS NICHOLSON URZILA CARLSON STEPHEN K AMOS DEANNE SMITH LARRY DEAN

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culture

Queer sport has recently been flourishing in Perth.

There are now more clubs and groups than ever catering to social and competitive sports and covering a wide range of sports including tennis, swimming, touch rugby, hiking, ten-pin bowling, dancing, rock climbing, field hockey and water polo.

Up until recently though, it has often been a challenge to find out what’s available for sporty members of the LGBT community. That couldn’t have been more true with OUTinPerth’s short hiatus last year which left members of the community without a clear means of finding queer-friendly clubs, associations and groups.

This situation inspired local gay sportsman Gary Namestnik to start TeamPerth.info, a website with the goal of “promoting queer sporting and recreation in WA”. Launched in October 2016, the website is well on the way to becoming the hub for queer sport and recreation in WA with a growing list of clubs and groups.

Along with the website there is also a Facebook page, around which Gary hopes to build a vibrant community and inspire the founding of even more clubs.

Team Perth also serves as a platform for celebrating the contributions and successes of our queer sportspeople. A perfect example of this is Simon Thuijs from the Perth Pythons Hockey Club, who was recently recognised by Out for Australia as an LGBTIQ Role Model of the Year for his efforts in founding the Pythons Hockey club, as well as all his work creating the True Colours Project in 2014 to increase LGBTIQ+ visibility.

Gary was also instrumental in the founding of WA’s newest LGBT sports team, the White Pointers water polo team.

The club has been training hard and has been invited by the Brisbane Tritons water polo team to compete in a tournament in July against teams from the Eastern States.

If you are interested in joining any of the teams mentioned in this article then head on over to teamperth.info and get on board. If you can’t find what you want, then why not start your own club?

The Team Perth Facebook page is the perfect place for find others who share your passion. It’s never been a better time to get active in WA. For more info, head to facebook.com/TeamPerth Mike Turner

1 April 2001 marriage equality achieved in The Netherlands April 5 1997 Poet Allen Ginsberg died aged 70, just a year earlier he had a hit record Ballad of the Skeletons with Paul McCartney and Philip Glass 13 April 1987 Paul Lekakis begins five weeks at the top of the Australian charts with Boom Boom, Lets Go Back to My Room 14 April 1997 Ellen DeGeneres comes out on the cover of TIME magazine 15 April 1996 Author Jean Genet dies in Paris aged 75 16 April 1061 documents show gay couple Pedro Dias and Muño Vandilas married in a small chapel in Spain 17 April 1965 Gay people protest against unfair dismissal because of sexuality outside The White House, four years before Stonewall riots April 17 2013 Marriage equality passed by the New Zealand parliament April 24 2012 Perth’s Victory Life Centre hold a rally for the preservation of traditional marriage, sparking a noisy altercation with protesters 26 April 2017 Lesbian Visibility Day 28 April 2016 marriage equality achieved in Columbia

Q: I’m a 21 year old self described twink who loves a good podium twerk but I get a lot of unwanted attention from dinosaur daddies, what can I do to avoid this?

A: Stop wearing such short shorts and you might attract a different moth to your flame. I myself love having a chat with a dinosaur, they usually have lots of stories to tell about the sex parties from the 90’s and how much Ketamine has changed.

Q: “Occasionally” I find myself waking up after a drunken hookup and short of gnawing my arm off James Franco style to get away what else can I do?

This month it’s 20 years since comedian Ellen DeGeneres came out. The ground-breaking declaration saw Ellen appearing on the cover of TIME magazine and doing an interview on the Oprah Winfrey show.

A: Ahh, the Walk Of Shame! One technique I’ve perfected is called the “Piss Off” Step One: Book an Uber once you’ve realised the situation you’re in.

At the same time Ellen Morgan, the character DeGeneres played on her sitcom Ellen, also came out to her friends and colleagues. The episode was critically acclaimed and a cultural phenomenon, but the show was quickly accused of being “too gay” and was cancelled the following year.

Step Two: Pretend to pee yourself by pouring a glass of water in the bed.

Step Three: Yell “I have to go, I’ve pissed myself!” Then exit promptly.

They’ll never question it or talk to you again.

If you have any questions about love, sex, life & relationships, our Veronica Jean Jones can answer yours… just send them to editor@outinperth.com

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OUTinPerth

April 2017

3

inside out

NICOLE DA SILVA PG12 Having visited the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras for the third year in a row last month, I can say without a doubt it is one of the most exciting events Australia has to offer.

The parade, the costumes, the lights, all things camp and queer.

It’s a rite of passage for any queer or queer-adjacent person looking to celebrate and discover the community at large.

Each of the last three years I have visited, the after party has always been the zenith of the festival’s final weekend, and what a party it is! A massive soiree over three venues blasting music, in a space designated for celebrating the LGBTI community free of external judgement. ...but you better believe the judgement coming from inside the house.

As a gay man, it’s hard for me not to notice the sweaty, wellmuscled, scantily-clad men that fill the entertainment district.

As someone who doesn’t feel comfortable flaunting their body, I was in a diminuative minority of men with their shirts on.

Surrounded by my regular coterie of handsome pals, they are constantly approached by other men throughout the evening.

The strangers are eager to introduce themselves to my barechested pals.

I have to assert a greeting if I want to be acknowledged while they address my circle as if I am a featured extra. A guy even scoffed in disgust when I made eye-contact with them as I navigated between the bar and my pals.

As a white cisgender dude, I try to recognise my privilige whenever I can. I was reluctant to write this piece at all. Am I just bitter because I’m single and can’t be bothered to work out?

What am I saying about the beauty standards of gay and bi men that hasn’t been said before?

RHY NICHOLSON PG13

But it bears repeating.

No one should be made to feel sub-human because they don’t meet social expectations of beauty. Especially in a safe, queer space.

When most queer media will only print good-looking well-built men on their covers, when dating is reduced to shirtless avatars and people expect the full measurements of your dick upon greeting, when RuPaul says “love yourself” in one breath and “step it up” in the next...

DEANNE SMITH PG14

The message is there and it’s pervasive; Be perfect. Be a ‘10’.

Australia’s biggest celebration of LGBTIQ+ culture and community, a festival of inclusion for people of diverse gender and sexuality, a beacon of hope for those still stuck in their personal closets...

But if you’re not wearing pink on Wednesday, you can’t sit with us.

KOOZA PG15

Leigh Andrew Hill leigh@outinperth.com

Connect with OUTinPerth online

E.T.H.O.S PG17 ADVERTISEMENT

Heartfelt thanks to the LGBTIQA+ community for your support throughout my time in Parliament.

LYNN MACLAREN Authorised by A Beaton, 440 William Street Perth 6000

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Managing Editor: Graeme Watson graeme@outinperth.com Creative and Content Editor: Leigh Hill leigh@outinperth.com Advertising: sales@outinperth.com Graphic Design: Haze Koelmeyer Contributors: Lezly Herbert, Beau Carruthers, Clinton Little, Anthony K J Smith, Veronica Jean Jones, Mango Adonis, Paul Baines, Guy Gomeze, Misty Farquhar, Bella Broadway, Jane Zerbst, Mike Turner Photographers: Leigh Hill, Graeme Watson, Sheridan Fiamengo Disclaimer: Copyright on contributions to any ads published in OUTinPerth is retained by the author/advertiser respectively. Permission to reprint should be sought via the creative team. The views of this publication are contained in editorials. Opinions expressed in columns or articles are those of the author/s and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher. Publication of the name, image or likeness of anyone herein does not indicate the sexuality or behaviour of that person. Advertisers are advised that all advertising copy is their responsibility under the Trade Practices Act. The appearance of any advert/advertorial herein does not imply endorsement by OUTinPerth. Contact Ph: 9227 0360 or 0402 549 811 Web: www.outinperth.com Find us on: Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Instagram Mail: 3/ 337 Newcastle Street, Northbridge, 6003 Publisher: Speirins Media Pty Ltd Printed By: Fairfax Printing ISSN: 1447-2678 Issue: #189 April 2017. Cover: Nicole da Silva (Wentworth) Secret Message: #TeamNinaBoninaBrown

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OUTinPerth

April 2017

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news

Rainbow flag creator dies After Milk’s assassination in 1978 demand for the flag increased dramatically and it began to be commercially made. Due to a shortage of pink fabric the pink section was dropped, later the turquoise section was removed so the flag would look even when hung vertically.

Baker said he wanted to convey the idea of diversity and inclusion, using “something from nature to represent that our sexuality is a human right”.

Screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, who wrote the Oscar award winning film Milk and the recent mini-series When We Rise, noted Baker’s passing.

Gilbert Baker. the designer who created the iconic rainbow flag, died on March 31st aged 65.

“Rainbows weep. Our world is far less colourful without you, my love. Gilbert Baker gave us the rainbow flag to unite us. Unite again.” Black posted to social media site Twitter.

The San Francisco Chronicle announced Gilbert’s passing. The artist passed away in his sleep at his home in New York.

Veteran activist Cleve Jones marked Baker’s passing noting their long friendship.

The rainbow flag that is a symbol for the LGBTI+ communities was created by Baker for San Francisco’s Freedom Day celebrations in 1976.

Originally the flag had eight colours but since 1979 it has usually had six colours.

Baker created the flag after being challenged by gay rights activist Harvey Milk to create a symbol for the gay and lesbian community.

“My dearest friend in the world is gone. Gilbert Baker gave the world the Rainbow Flag; he gave me forty years of love and friendship.”

Jones posted.

Image: Gareth Watkins, Wikipedia, https://tinyurl.com/ mhc2tp4 published under a Creative Commons Attribution Unported 3.0 licence available at https://creativecommons. org/licenses/by/3.0/#.

Are WA’s anti-discrimination laws out of date?

LGBTI Rights Advocates are calling for an overhaul of the state’s antidiscrimination laws.

Long-term campaigner Damian DouglasMeyer said loopholes in the law were being abused by religious schools.

Douglas-Meyer was the spokesman for Gay and Lesbian Equality (GALE) in 2002, when the current laws were passed by parliament. The rights advocate said it is time for those laws to be revisited.

“Just two years ago a seven year old girl was forced out of a Christian School in Mandurah because she talked about her two dads in the classroom.

“This is a total abuse of a law which was only ever intended to give church schools some leeway in the hiring of staff,” Douglas- Meyer said.

When The Mandurah Mail broke the story in 2015, it became national news, with both Premier Colin Barnett and then Opposition Leader Mark McGowan criticising the school’s behaviour.

At the time, the child’s father told news media that the principal at this school said to him that had he known the girl’s father was gay “she would never have been enrolled.”

Douglas-Meyer said this discrimination was only possible because WA allowed it.

“When the Labor Government enacted the current anti-discrimination laws for LGBTI people back in 2002, a concession was made for church schools.

“This was done on the clear understanding it would apply only in cases where religious schools needed to hire people within their faith for any religious purposes of the school.

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OUTinPerth

April 2017

Eric Abetz wants the media to highlight gay people who become heterosexual Liberal Senator Eric Abetz has said he wants to see balance from the media when it comes to reporting on people in “gay relationships who then go on into heterosexual relationships.”

Speaking to Sky News’ Samantha Maiden on April 4th, Abetz was asked if he personally believed that “gays and lesbians can pull up their bootstraps and show a bit of discipline and become heterosexuals?”

The Senator for Tasmania said that evidence to that has been presented to Senate Committees.

“People who have been in gay relationships have then gone into heterosexual relationships, and I believe that can happen courtesy of the evidence.”

Andrew Burry passes away Andrew Burry, the Chief Executive of the WA AIDS Council unexpectedly passed away in March. Andrew suffered a suspected heart attack while on holiday in Taiwan.

In a statement the WA AIDS Council said the news came as a shock and it was with great sadness they announced their leader’s passing.

“Andrew served as CEO at the Council for over four years, held the position of Vice President for the Australian Federation of AIDS Councils, was formally General Manager of the AIDS Action Council of the ACT and also worked at the Victorian AIDS Council.

“Religious schools in WA receive hundreds of millions of dollars every year from taxpayers, yet these publically-funded, privately-run church schools, can discriminate against LGBTI people because the exemption clause in the law is far too broad.

“Andrew was an active and significant contributor to the HIV response in Australia whose knowledge, expertise and experience will be sorely missed.” the organisation said.

“Church schools should have the right to hire teachers from within their faith to deliver the school’s religious messaging, but this exemption from anti-discrimination law must never be used to justify blatant homophobia,” Douglas-Meyer said.

“The fact is that some church schools will continue to abuse the law and target LGBTI people through their special exemptions until they are removed.”

Douglas-Meyer suggested WA should adopt the same anti-discrimination protection as Tasmania.

“We should look to Tasmania where they have the balance right. It allows schools to hire and fire staff on the basis of religion but not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. WA can learn from what Tasmania has done.

“All WA’s LGBTI teachers, staff and students should not have to live under the threat of discrimination in publically funded institutions,” Douglas-Meyer said.

“My complaint has been that when people say that they have moved from a gay relationship to a heterosexual relationship, they are never reported, they give evidence to Senate Committees and it’s as if the evidence was never given yet when people say they were in a straight relationship going into a gay relationship then that is all that’s reported.” Senator Abetz said.

“It is up to the individual as to what they want to be and how they want to express themselves. That is up to them in a free society.

“Sadly, the evidence shows this loophole is being abused. Some church schools are hiding behind this law to sack or demote teachers and administrative staff who might be LGBTI, as well as rejecting LGBTI students or those from rainbow families.

“While this law may have had some public approval 15 years ago, there is little support for it now and the loophole should be closed.

Later in the day the Senator denied he was suggesting that gay people should become heterosexual. Senator Abetz said he wanted to highlight that the bias within the media arguing that there was not enough reporting about people moving from gay relationships to straight relationships.

“Andrews’s door was always open and although this sometimes got him in to conversations that he would rather not have had, his generosity of time and knowledge and his unwavering good humour meant that everyone was heard.” the Council said on their Facebook page.

Senator Louise Pratt noted Burry’s passing.

Speaking in federal parliament Senator Pratt said he has been a significant contributor the the HIV response in Australia and his legacy would be felt for many years to come.

OUTinPerth sends condolences to Andrew’s family, friends and colleagues.

Andrew joined the WA AIDS Council in 2012. Previously he headed the AIDS Action Council in the Australian Capital Territory from 2007 to 2012.

The AIDS Action Council said Burry had led their organisation through a time of change and ensure it stayed at the forefront of the HIV discussion on both a local and a national level.

“Andrew’s perspective on the current issues was always a bit irreverent but always inclusive and fluid, as he listened to individuals and the community who have always formed the base of our work.

Signing Off After more than 31 years on the airwaves, RTRFM’s long running program Beats Per Minute appears to have come to an end. The late night dance music program has been hosted by Colin Bridges since it first began in 1985.

On Friday March 31st Bridges ended the show with Tina Arena’s You Give Fire to My Life before signing off with a simple “Ciao”. Shortly afterwards Bridges announced he was ending the long running program.

Station Manager Stu McLeod praised Bridges decades of volunteering at the station, saying Bridges and the program would be missed.

“In all of RTRFM’s history, there is no other show that has had a sole presenter for that long.

The sheer dedication shown by Colin is amazing.

He has always had a passion for new music and has been delivering it to his audience for over 30 years.”

“Thursday nights/Friday mornings won’t be the same without crazy German techno and dance floor anthems blaring from the studios at 3am, we will miss you, Mr Bridges. Thanks for the music!”

world

China’s latest ‘boyband’ are all androgynous girls CHINA

Gay men reportedly rounded up, abused and murdered in Chechen Republic RUSSIA A spokesperson for Ramzan Kadyrov, the Head of the Chechen Republic, has dismissed a report in a Russian newspaper that claims authorities in the country are rounding up and killing gay men.

Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta has published an article on April 1st claiming that over 100 men had disappeared off the streets of Chechnya, including several television journalists.

The article claims that at least three of the detained men have subsequently been murdered.

The report claims that the detainees include a sixteen year old boy, who was released after several days but severely beaten.

It is believed the arrests began after a group requested permission to hold a Pride parade in a nearby region.

The Head of the Chechen Republic has denied the arrests have occurred.

Ramzan Kadyrov’s spokesperson released a statement describing the report as “absolute lies and disinformation.”

“You cannot arrest or repress people who just don’t exist in the republic,” the spokesman, Alvi Karimov, said.

“If such people existed in Chechnya, law enforcement would not have to worry about them, as their own relatives would have sent them to where they could never return.”

The newspaper report claims authorities posed as gay men on social network sites to identify gay men in the region. The report claims Russian President Vladimir Putin had sanctioned local leaders to take action against gay men in the region.

Gay related hate crimes on the rise in NYC UNITED STATES

One of China’s hottest new pop groups has revealed their members are all female, after framing themselves as a “boy band” to thousands of fans. Acrush formed last year after winning a competition and have been touring the country, garnering over 900,000 followers on Chinese social media giant Weibo. The group’s agent Zhou Xiaobai was inspired by Chinese pop sensation Li Yuchun to form an androgynous pop group; forming Acrush with members Lin Fan, Min Junqian, Peng Xichen, An Junxi and Lu Keran.

South Sudan knocks back LGBT law reform SOUTH SUDAN

Police have confirmed that the number of hate crimes committed in the city is on the rise. So far in 2017, the reported number of crimes is double what is was for the same period last year and many of those are attacks on members of the LGBTI community. So far in 2017 17 separate incidents have been reported. One of the most recent attacks saw a man subjected to gay slurs on the city’s subway before the offender punched the victim.

Dharmapuri accepts first transgender police officer INDIA

The government of South Sudan has responded to a report from the United Nations Human Rights Council saying they will consider ending the recruitment of child soldiers, outlaw female genital mutilation practices and bring an end to military conflicts in the region. Ending the country’s death penalty for homosexuality however have been ruled out. A government representative said the United Nations should respect the country’s traditional culture.

K Prithika Yashini has become the first transgender person to be accepted into India’s police force. The recently trained officer signed on as a sub-inspector on April 2nd and will be based in the capital of the Tamil Nadu district. Yashini’s quest to become a police officer has not been an easy one, she had to appeal to the country’s High Court after her initial application was rejected. Yashini told local media that she was excited on her first day in the job and her new colleagues had been very cordial.

Coupled attacked in Mororo KENYA A gay couple have reportedly been attacked in Kenya. A local newspaper has reported that a group of youths barged into a hotel room where the couple we staying and attacked them. The men reported that the mob stripped them naked and they were hit with glass,stones and whips.

Their attackers threatened to throw them into a nearby crocodile infested river. Local police stopped the attack and arrested them men who were being assaulted.

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OUTinPerth

April 2017

7

people

Since 2008, Lesbian Visibility Day has fallen on April 26 to celebrate the L in LGBTIQ+ and have lesbian voices be heard in our ever expanding community.

To mark Lesbian Visibility Day, rural Queensland resident Jane Zerbst shares her experience with OUTinPerth as a lesbian who refuses to be invisible in a place that tells her she should be. Here is her story.

Out of all of the Australian electorates, there is only one where the majority of voters are opposed to same sex marriage. It’s the division of Maranoa, and my home town of Chinchilla is right in the heart of it. For me, I didn’t need to see the results of some fancy study to know that this was the case. I didn’t need to see a YouTube video of Dave – the Big Brother contestant who famously came out to the entire country on national TV – call out the member for Maranoa (and former schoolyard tormentor as mentioned on SBS’ The Feed) David Littleproud to know this. I’ve lived it myself. I remember growing up, as LGBTI rights gained more visibility in the political arena, it was not unusual to hear extended family members and friends condemn the notion of equality and refer to homosexuality as a “sin” and something that wasn’t “right” or “normal”.

My sexuality had always been a lingering question for me, and on reflection I’m certain that I knew the answer from the moment I understood the question. I remember being asked when I was 13 if it was true that I wanted to get a sex change. I remember wondering that night, after coming home from school in tears, “what if they’re right and I’m different and I do like girls more than boys?”, and realizing that if I did (like girls more than boys) there was no way I could ever let that cat out of the bag. At

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OUTinPerth

April 2017

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0433 926 283 ‘Local Knowledge’

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the time, I thought it was easier to live a lie than manage the adversity that went with being true to myself. I remember doggedly fighting these feelings for a long time; passionately denying what I knew to be true when quizzed by well-intentioned friends, and vehemently regurgitating fabricated homophobic opinions to reinforce my cover, whilst keeping a tight lid on what I was grappling with in my mind.

I was 27 when I came out. At the beginning, I wanted to run, because I knew that by accepting my sexuality I was also signing up to a pretty hard road ahead; as far as I knew I would be the only “out” lesbian in Chinchilla.

I knew that moving to the big smoke would make that aspect of my life easier – I could meet like-minded people, shamelessly just be me, and maybe even have a relationship that was more than some sort of debauched, clandestine arrangement that served only to fulfil physical needs and farcical fantasies. 5 years later, I’m still here. I still get called KD Lang by the local homeless guy, and I still don’t know if it’s a compliment on my musical abilities or my lesbian prowess. I doubt he knows either. Truth is I’d be happy with either outcome.

When it comes to equality and acceptance though, there is only one acceptable outcome. To quote the esteemed member for Maranoa, Mr Littleproud, “This whole debate should be predicated on respect. We always afford people respect.”

Well, Mr Littleproud, it’s time for respect.

Jane Zerbst

health Treasurer Scott Morrison and Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar have recently caused an upset in the realm of affordable housing, with Sukkar describing the National Affordable Housing Agreement (NAHA) as an “abject failure.”

The Agreement between federal, state and territory governments is committed to achieving sustainable housing and social inclusion for people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, as well as other broader goals.

The National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness (NPAH) supplements NAHA’s objectives with a specific focus on homelessness, established to fund frontline homelessness services. In the 2015-16 period, the federal government provided $1.3 billion for states and territories to reduce homelessness.

The current NPAH sees the federal government commit an additional $230 million, to be matched by states and territories, to see to these goals.

Sukkar’s comments, along with a social housing plan that has remained largely unchanged for 20 decades, cause concern for local organisations that rely on such funding to take care of people in need of affordable housing.

As there are no requirements in Australia for organisations to keep records of LGBTI+ people who are experiencing homelessness, reliable data is hard to come by. Statistics from the USA’s National Coalition for the Homeless and the Williams Institute show that ~40% of homeless youth identify as LGBT+

In what appears to be a first of its kind in the world, the National LGBTI Health Alliance released the National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex - Mental health and Suicide Prevention Strategy. This strategy has been developed to systematically address the dramatic over-representation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and intersex people in measures of suicidality and mental illhealth. OUTinPerth spoke to Co-author Ross Jacobs to find out more.

Can you tell me a little about the background of how the strategy came to be?

“The strategy was made as a way to really underline the work of many individuals and organisations in collaboration with the MindOUT team over the greater part of a decade. It’s designed to address the invisibility of LGBTI people in national suicide prevention and mental health strategies that are released at a national level”.

Is it fair to say that when it comes to existing mental health and suicide strategies, that LGBTIQ+ people are at worst invisible and at best wildly misrepresented?

“Typically, LGBTI people are mentioned only once in such documents if they are mentioned at all. It’s known and named that LGBTI people have high risk for suicide or poor mental health, but even though this naming happens, there has never been a real attempt in these nationally guiding frameworks to say why this is the case, or what to do about it. ‘Gay and lesbian’ people are named sometimes, which is even less inclusive of the very real risks faced by bisexual, transgender and intersex communities and individuals. We thought it was time to change this.”

There are often comments that when it comes to LGBTIQ+ populations mental health and suicide data is incomplete or misrepresented. Was this part of the decision not to include specific statistics in the document?

“Concrete stats about LGBTI people is possibly the most common question we are asked at the National LGBTI Health Alliance.

But the truth of the matter is, that the current data landscape only gives us small glimpses into this reality – through studies of particular groups, or surveys, or pieced together information from health services. It’s really hard to come to definite conclusions about the true picture of mental health for LGBTI people since any combination of such studies has gaps, such as some studies looking at particular ages, or others omitting sub groups like intersex people altogether”.

Homelessness is a serious issue in the LGBTIQ+ community and Perth Inner City Youth Service (PICYS) is one such organisation that relies on NAHA and NPAH funding to help.

For almost 40 years, PICYS has committed to working with young people that “fosters a belief and empowerment, integrity and collaboration, and which provides a safe and secure environment.”

Besides helping to find accommodation, PICYS provide everything from drop-in services to music classes, donated food and clothing and links to professionals that can help in all aspects of life.

Syrena, a young transwoman, has been using PICYS services for approximately a year. She tells us that she’s seen dozens of LGBT people come and go over this relatively short period.

Speaking of her time with PICYS, Syrena says the service has allowed her to grow. No longer is she only planning for the next day, Syrena is now embarking on studies in hair styling.

Syrena was also able to have her name legally changed with the help of her case worker Zoe. She looks forward to music sessions at PICYS each week and she loves to have a space where she can just talk about life with the friendly staff and others who come by the centre.

“Without PICYS I don’t even know where I’d have ended up,” she tells OUTinPerth.

When asked about potential cuts to PICYS services, Syrena doesn’t need to think long about her response.

The strategy calls for collaboration; for coordination and for commitment from the Mental Health Sector. It is aimed to help prevent death by suicide and ill mental health within the LGBTIQ+ community by supporting organisations and government to develop effective suicide prevention initiatives that acknowledge and affirm the wide variety of bodies, genders, relationships, and sexualities that comprise the Australian population.

Ross explained that the Alliance wanted the goals to be as far-reaching as they could be to enable Mental Health services to use their own existing principles and see how they fit with LGBTIQ+ specific principles, thus making it easier for more services to prioritise applying this strategy, with aim of creating more safe spaces for LGBTIQ+ people to seek information and supports.

The principles are comprised of 6 main strategic goals: Inclusive and Accessible Care, Evidence, Data Collection and Research, Diversity of LGBTI population, Intersectionality and Social Inclusion, Skilled and Knowledgeable Workforce and Promotion and Prevention Can you talk a little about how these goals came to be? ”When we were pulling together all the information we could find in current documents, and then considering what the purpose of the strategy was - coordinating a national improvement in working with LGBTI people who are at risk - we realised that it needed to be a really open strategy. It needed to help guide the great work going on around the country in specialist LGBTI settings, but also give a roadmap to mainstream mental health organisations who really want to get better at LGBTI content but don’t know how.”

The goal ultimately being to improve both the access to and quality of mental health and suicide prevention services for LGBTIQ+ Australians. Ross went on to explain; ”What’s important for us is that the outcomes for LGBTI people are made better by services engaging significantly with our communities’ day to day experiences in contemporary Australia, which sometimes lead to poor mental health. At heart, the strategy tries to deepen and add nuance to an understanding of what it means to include LGBTI people in every possible setting.”

“Don’t cut the funding.”

Syrena counts on her hands how many trans people she has met through PICYS in the last few months.

“I’ve met dozens of trans people in my situation, but there are many who are not out because they don’t feel safe to share that part of their journey.”

Having bounced from service to service, Syrena says PICYS is incredibly understanding and compassionate towards the LGBTI+ community.

“Some services can help but they just don’t cater to our specific needs like this program does.”

“Thanks to this service I now have a clear idea of where I want to go in life whereas before it was just a blur. All I could look forward to was what’s in front of me.”

For more information about Perth Inner City Youth Service, head to picys.org.au Leigh Andrew Hill

Is there the sense that perhaps organisations are starting to understand why they need to know about LGBTIQ+ cultural competency and inclusive practice, but more needs to be done on how to do this and do this well? ”There is a real shift in understanding that services need to get better at working with LGBTI people but putting up a pride flag in your waiting room is not a replacement for deep engagement. If organisations can instead embrace the principles we explore in the Strategy, then real progress for helping LBGTI people get the help they need will be the result.”

So where to from here? ”This is a long-term strategy. We know that change won’t happen overnight. We’re really focused on getting the Strategy out there and understood. The response so far has been fantastic, and over the coming months we’ll be speaking with individuals and organisation about what the strategy might mean for their work, and how it can support a national coordination to getting to better mental health for our communities. Translating the strategy into real outcomes and concrete actions will be a huge focus for us for the foreseeable future!”

How can LGBTIQ+ people and our allies support this strategy and advocate for it in the spaces they live work and play?

“It would be great if everyone had a read through the document and shared it with the people in their own lives who are engaged with or work in, mental health spaces. But when you stop and think about it, that’s almost everyone!”

The National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex - Mental health and Suicide Prevention Strategy can be found at lgbtihealth.org.au If you or someone you love need support for their mental health and wellbeing- Talk It Out! QLife 1800 184 527 www.qlife.org.au (3pm-midnight) or Lifeline 13 11 14 (24 hrs) Bella Broadway

OUTinPerth

April 2017

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opinion

The recent backlash against Charlie Tredway, the newly crowned Mr. Gay New Zealand, over his positive HIV status and sexual practices highlight the continual need to discuss HIV stigma. Despite his negotiations of condomless anal sex with partner/s (and despite his openness about his HIV positive undetectable status), Tredway has faced bullying from commentators who seem to be approximately 15 years behind on HIV science, but apparently claim the moral high ground on what constitutes ‘safe sex’.

Regardless of the efficacy of an undetectable viral load, which has been most powerfully upheld by the PARTNER study, and by international HIV/AIDS organisations, there seems to be very little respect for Tredway and partner/s’ capacity to negotiate their sex and relationships.

While the stigma Tredway faces in his highly publicised position (as Mr. Gay New Zealand) may seem pretty extreme, it is not dissimilar to the multiplicitous experiences of HIV stigma faced by everyday gay men.

Home in Perth I receive a text from Jack*, a friend living with HIV, containing screenshots from a Grindr conversation from Craig*.

Jack and Craig hooked up last week and fucked with condoms (amongst some groping, frottage, and oral). It was great fun.

Our mutual friend Kane* lists that he is HIV positive on Grindr, using the U+ symbol in his display name and listing ‘HIV-positive, undetectable’ on his profile under the newly implemented ‘HIV status’ option on Grindr. Kane has sent me screenshots where guys on Grindr have sent him random messages such as “stop spreading HIV to everyone, you’re a sick fuck” and he’s even been accused of ‘lying’ about his status when it comes up during text conversation when exchanging pics and discussing sexual practice, despite it being listed on his profile in the first place.

When I sit down for a coffee with Kane, he tells me that he can’t help but feel that since he started listing his HIV positive status on Grindr, guys aren’t talking to him or replying to his messages.

about himself, so that he can stand above the stigma, and so that other HIV positive guys in the community can feel the courage to disclose as well. But he’s sick of countering myths, he’s sick of explaining the difference between HIV and AIDS, he’s sick of defending his right to have a pleasurable sex life, he’s sick of educating when he could be cruising.

He’s sick, but not because of a virus, but because of a community that seems so far behind. I want to hug Kane and Jack and tell them that things are going to be OK. But when I receive a message on Grindr that night from some guy I’ve been chatting to who asks me “if I’m clean” I can’t help but feel a little bit pessimistic. HIV stigma hurts our community. A conservative estimate of seroprevalence (proportion of people living with HIV) in Perth is 4.2% of MSM (men who have sex with men).

That’s just under 1 in 20 guys.

This might seem alarming but the good news is that guys who know that they are HIV positive and are on treatment usually end up being non-infectious with a sustained undetectable viral load. This means that even if you don’t use condoms the risk is thought to be negligible.

PrEP and PEP aren’t even clinically recommended if your only sexual partner is HIV positive with an undetectable viral load.

Furthermore, if you only limit your partners to guys who say that they are negative (or think that they are negative), and engage in condomless anal sex on that basis, you are putting yourself at a higher risk. A person is most infectious in the first few months of acquiring HIV, which is possibly where they might also show up as ‘negative’ due to the window period of a HIV antibody/ antigen test. There is a folklore wisdom that suggests that sex with a HIV positive guy with an undetectable viral load is safer - it’s true.

I call upon my fellow HIV negative guys to learn about HIV. To read up about stigma and disclosure. To think through your assumptions about HIV. To get tested.If you meet Mr.Right and he turns out to be HIV positive, he’s still Mr. Right.

Craig was bragging to some friends last night about his hot trick, Jack, and showed them some photos. Craig’s friends pointed out that Jack is HIV positive, something that Craig did not know. The next day, Craig has sent a barrage of abusive messages to Jack, accusing him of lying and putting Craig at risk.

In Western Australia disclosure of HIV status prior to sex is not required, however ‘reasonable steps’ to prevent transmission, such as the use of condoms, are required. From a legal perspective, Jack has done all of the correct things - and if he thought things were going to get more serious with Craig, he was planning to disclose his HIV status (although this can end badly too). If it’s just sex, Jack doesn’t want to go through the stress of disclosing to someone, and he knows he’s not putting his partners at risk, because on top of using condoms he has an undetectable viral load.

Jack is upset - this isn’t the first time this has happened. Craig is convinced that he now “has AIDS” and Jack is on the phone to me, teary-eyed and frustrated. “Maybe I should just put it on my profile.” Jack tells me. That can be a really scary thing to do.

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“It could be that… but I go through plenty of phases where I feel like no one is messaging me too! You’re being too hard on yourself, sometimes guys message back, and sometimes they don’t. It’s not necessarily your HIV status.” I tell him - I’m a little bit optimistic, and a lot naive and privileged as a HIV negative man.

Jack has told me before that in workshops for people living with HIV, they try to work through their internalised stigma towards HIV. That is, working through your own underlying beliefs about how people living with HIV ought to be viewed. Sometimes people just aren’t into you because they’re not attracted to you, but when you’re HIV positive you can get this sense of perceived stigma where you can’t tell if someone is rejecting you because of lack of attraction, or because you’re HIV positive.

If you believe the latter, is it because deep down you think that someone living with HIV is not worth talking to? This isn’t news to Kane, but knowing it doesn’t make it any easier. At some point I can sense in his voice that he doesn’t feel like anyone will ever love him, let alone have a few dates or casual sex with him. He wants to be open about his HIV status so that he can be honest

You can live a long and happy life together or just have a few casual fucks. There’s an abundance of resources online to educate yourself about HIV. If you feel scared about HIV, go to theWA AIDS Council and talk to someone. Think about going on PrEP if you think you’re at risk of acquiring HIV or you want to alleviate the fear. If someone discloses their HIV status to you, respect their privacy. Jack and Kane deserve better from us HIV-negative guys. They are our brothers and our stigma against HIV hurts us as much as it hurts them.

Let’s stand with Mr. Tredway and embrace a new era of HIV prevention while breaking down the cycle of discrimination.

Anthony K J Smith * Names have been changed. Any resemblance is a coincidence.

Following the sudden passing of our CEO Andrew Burry, we at the WA AIDS Council has been overwhelmed with love and support from the community.

For this, we thank you.

The WA AIDS Council remains committed to the prevention of HIV, and providing care, support and advocacy to People Living with HIV in Western Australia.

www.waaids.com

Western Australian

AIDS COUNCIL

people The last time OUTinPerth chatted to actress Nicole da Silva, she was eagerly awaiting the debut of Wentworth. Now the show’s fifth season has just debuted and Nicole has become an internationally recognised actress thanks to her portrayal of popular character Frankie Doyle.

Alongside her success on Wentworth, Nicole has also garnered acclaim for her performance in another TV show Doctor, Doctor and begun scoring some film roles too.

The second coming of Frankie Doyle

We caught up with Nicole to find out more about what’s in store for Frankie in the new season of Wentworth. Watch out, spoilers ahead, if you’re not up to date with the show.

What has the journey of the last four years been like for you?

It’s so interesting to speak to you because when we spoke before the show hadn’t gone to air and we didn’t know how it would be received and to be on the other end of that now, it’s pretty phenomenal considering the groundswell that’s been created around it, and the huge following it has it has in Australia and overseas.

Last year you pulled double duty, not only appearing in Wentworth, but also starring in Doctor Doctor. That’s a rare opportunity for an actor to get two great shows at the same time.

It really is, I felt like I had the acting Gods smiling upon me. It’s always great to be working when you’re an actor, but particularly to be on two shows that have

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been so well received, and two really contrasting characters, it is a beautiful gift that I’ve been given.

a lot of tattoos that on Frankie’s arms but not really on yours. How long do they take to apply each day.

I’ve made a career for myself out of playing the tough girl, the bad girl, so to then have Doctor Doctor come along, which is a complete contrast to that, was brilliant.

It takes a couple of hours each day. Season 1 to 3, I had about six tattoos including a half sleeve on my arm. Then in Season 4, because I wasn’t around much because Frankie was on the outside, the makeup artist and I decided wouldn’t it be great if Frankie got another tattoo, and let’s make it really difficult for ourselves, and make a full sleeve tattoo.

The new season of Wentworth has just begun screening, and in the first episode it looks like Frankie’s time on the outside might be over and she’s going to be behind bars again.

As things are in the Wentworth world, things can never be good for too long. So we do find Frankie in a bit of strife and she’s got to muddle her way through it.

How do you feel when you get the script and see your characters having a major turn?

It’s always a pleasure because you want to engage in drama, and have interesting drama. For me to have Frankie come back into the show and have this happen to her, I suppose for the actor it’s a great thing - for Frankie, not so much - but you revel in that stuff because that’s where the drama is.

This season is the first without central character Bea Smith, how has it been filming without Danielle Cormack on the set does it feel like someone’s missing?

Yes, especially as someone who was such a big part of the show, not only as Bea Smith but as Danielle, our friend, our colleague.

There was definitely an adjustment period and we were all tentative about what the show was without her.

When you appear as Frankie, there are

We kind of thought that was fun and interesting because she was on the outside and she can, not really predicting that Frankie would end up back inside and we’d have to spend hours every morning putting them on. It takes about two hours.

What can you let out the bag, what can you tell us about Frankie’s future?

I can tell you it’s tumultuous, and I can tell you it will put a lot of pressure on Frankie and Bridget, and you’re going to be seeing a lot more of Frankie.

Wentworth is on Foxtel’s Showtime channel. Head to www.outinperth.com and listen in to our whole conversation with Nicole where we discuss her support for marriage equality and her advocacy for gender equality.

Graeme Watson

culture The hilarious Rhys Nicholson returns to Perth after two successful Fringe World runs with his latest full-length show, I’m Fine.

Having toured the world with his unique brand of comedy, and appearing multiple times on Australian TV, the comedian has formed a strong bond with his fellow queer comics (and jokes they have formed a coven on the road.)

We caught up with Nicholson to talk toasted sandwiches, gush over Gina Liano and dish on Joel Creasey.

Your fellow comic DeAnne Smith mentioned a hotel you wanted to open together called Ironic?

Hell yeah! On tour, we’d started making toasted sandwiches in our shitty hotel rooms with the iron. It sounds gross but it’s delicious… we’d do it with clean towels, you know, there was no ironon-food action.

We were on tour for a long time so we’d started a running joke about this hotel called Ironic and

the waiters were all called Iron Maidens and the motif was a laundromat. The ovens are all shaped like washers and dryers and you could do your actual laundry there as well. There was also a cabaret venue there? It just grew and grew to the point where we’d be telling each other it was the best idea ever, then wake up in the morning and ask what the fuck we were talking about last night.

You had a show at Mardi Gras this year with our boy Joel Creasey but I’ve got to know - How was it working with Gina Liano?

Captivating! Now look, Joel and I are best friends but we have very different taste in television. I only know who Gina Liano is because she’s in the zeitgeist. I kept forgetting that under the big hair and sparkly dresses she is a star barrister. She’s so whip-smart. I met her half an hour before the show and she was so funny, knew exactly what to do on stage, she’s an incredible talent.

Joel and I asked her if she’d ever made her cry on

South African expatriate and New Zealand resident Urzila Carlson brings her unabashed comedy stylings to the Perth Comedy Festival stage.

Having become a mainstay on comedy television here in Australia, Carlson is essentially an honourary Aussie - despite her disdain for the current state of our Marriage Act. Speaking to OUTinPerth, Carlson tells us a little about her show’s provocative title; Unacceptable.

You’re heading all over the east coast before you hit Perth. Aren’t you sick of us yet?

the stand and she looks up from her phone for a second and goes “aw, fuck yeah” and goes back to it. Nothing fazes her and she looks incredible.

So you and Joel get along? We’re not going to see a season of Ryan Murphy’s Feud on you two?

Years ago, before Joel was famous (which is something I forget until we go out and everyone wants photos) we used to pretend on Twitter that we hated each other. I don’t remember why but we used to have fights online but actually be texting each other saying “Good one!” We were just 18-year-old boys who wanted people to look at us.

If we were on Feud though, Joel would have to be played by Ellen DeGeneres. Me? A stack of chairs with a red wig on top.

Rhys Nicholson will be at Perth Comedy Festival from Friday May 11th - Sunday May 14th. Tickets and more information available from perthcomedyfest.com.au

Yeah, but at least I can shower at the airport.

So tell us; What’s Unacceptable?

Basically everyone that defriended me.

That’s how it works isn’t it? The show actually started after I saw a homophobic post on Facebook. I wanted to say something but I also couldn’t be bothered getting into that whole back-and-forth.

I thought to myself how I could say something that would nip it in the bud, so I just went with “unacceptable.”

Is that a flight of shame, rather than a walk of shame?

My mum used to say that to us and it would just stop you dead in your tracks.

No nagging for that, it’s just unacceptable.

I let it run a bit while other young dudes made their own homophobic remarks, and then I just wrote “unacceptable.” It literally disappeared in less than a second.

He deleted the post and apologised to me.

I told I’m an old lesbian and nothing hurts me but there’s young people in his circle of friends that he doesn’t even know he’s hurting. It’s unacceptable.

UK favourite Stephen K Amos is World Famous. Appearing regularly on British television, the soft spoken comedian is a professional when it comes to making light of a dark situation.

since then. It started off talking about the things people say and making those funny, but you know the big thing I found is that generally speaking: most people in the world are decent people.

Drawing on his touring experiences as a veteran comic, Amos’ new show set out to explore the insanity of the world - but ended up evolving into something new as he learned there was a lot more common ground than he expected.

People just want to go through life, so in a weird way the whole ‘World Famous’ thing now means something more along the lines of that any one of us can be world famous because of social media and the internet making the world smaller. It’s more focused on the information you get and how you use it to treat other people.

No! I like what you guys have done with the place. I popped over on Saturday for a social visit! I literally saw a concert and flew right back. That’s the kind of relationship I have with Australia now - come for a sleepover and leave at 5o’clock in the morning.

Amos tells OUTinPerth how World Famous found its new voice.

You’ve been travelling the world with your comedy for years now - surely you are World Famous now?

That’s one of the luxuries of doing this job, you get to travel and meet people of different cultures and it’s really good to be able to get the vibe of what’s going on around the world.

I read that your show draws on interactions you’ve had around the world on tour?

I must admit, the show has really evolved

Do you agree with the critique that social media makes us live in “echo chambers” and that we only interact with like-minded people today?

I don’t think that’s true at all! I think it’s about your perspective. In the days before social media, yes you absolutely just interacted with people you knew were likeminded. Now, because of social media you’re exposed to all sorts of ideals.

Be it in the newspaper, online, comments sections, your news feed… some of your friends don’t know your other friends, and

As a comedian you can tread on thin ice, have you been called unacceptable yourself?

Oh yeah! Once or twice I’ve actually agreed and cut things from my acts. A lady once approached me after a show and said “Great show! But you probably shouldn’t use the word ‘retard’, that’s not cool. It really hurts some people.”

That made me realise she was right. I don’t need to say that word. It was like I’d become to numb to the word I didn’t even think about the meaning for other people and the derogatory weight behind it so I stopped using it that day.

Though sometimes people call me unacceptable and I tell them they’re full of shit and keep going with my life!

Urzila Carlson will be at Perth Comedy Festival from Saturday May 20th - Sunday May 21st. Tickets and more information available from perthcomedyfest.com.au they won’t all agree but they will be able to read those opinions online.

If you all agree with each other, and live in these “bubbles”, no one would argue.

Speaking of bubbles, Rhys Nicholson joked that you and the other LGBT comedians at comedy festivals have become a coven since there’s so many queer comics on the scene.

I think the reason for that is that comedy is a very strange job. It does attract outsiders, misfits, people who have a different view, or people who have been through something.

When I started in comedy there were not many out comics, but now there are so many different voices being represented and even still, those different voices are not talking about the same thing. We’re very well represented!

Stephen K Amos will be at the Perth Comedy Festival from Thursday May 4th - Sunday May 7th. Tickets and more information available from perthcomedyfest.com.au

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The show isn’t too political but I definitely come close to a lot of stuff…

I’ll be talking about gender, the Women’s March in Washington, straight guys being the worst (and how they can be better), anti-depressants for the first time. It’s a very personal show in some ways, but I hope it will be able to speak to everybody.

Self-described gentleman elf DeAnne Smith is bringing her award nominated comedy back to our shores for the Perth Comedy Festival.

The out comic blends a sharp wit and unexpected punchlines to take on the big issues, such as homophobia, sexism and of course, the Presidential elephant in the room.

Smith tells OUTinPerth her new show takes on Trump’s post-truth era with more fake news than he can handle.

Tell us about your show!

I’m not the best at describing my own shows, or even my style of comedy. This year the show is really fun, I’ve called it Post-Joke Era as kind of a nod to the post-truth era and the interesting political realm that we’re all in now.

Scottish comic Larry Dean made his Perth debut with his hilarious show Out Now, which told the story of coming out to a strict Catholic family as someone who doesn’t fit the mould of your typical gay man.

Dean returns this year with Farcissist, a new show that follows his life after coming out, experiencing a long-term relationship and having to readjust to the dating scene.

Do you find it difficult or therapeutic to get personal in front of an audience for a living?

Dean tells OUTinPerth how his material has become more personal and why he’s more attractive in Australia.

For me it’s really natural because the kind of comedy I’m most interested in are not just witty observations about life; thought that is fun! I really like personal comedy and I think the more specific you can be about your own struggles, the more universal it is. Maria Bamford is a great example, she’s very personal and absurd.

How does this year’s show differ from Out Now?

There’s a clear nod to Trump in your show’s title - with all the Russian drama at the moment, the US could end up with President Mike Pence. Isn’t that just as scary for the LGBTIQ+ community?

Yeah it is but at least… and it sucks we’re even in this position where we have to weirdly hope for Mike Pence… but he’s a somewhat sane person. He doesn’t seem mentally unhinged? I don’t want to defend Mike Pence but Trump is just the worst.

DeAnne Smith will be at Perth Comedy Festival from Thursday May 4th Sunday May 7th. Tickets available from perthcomedyfest.com.au

It’s funny - When your first show is about coming out of the closet people assume it’s about you, but it wasn’t really about me specifically. This show is more personal that last year, it’s about breaking up with my ex that I was with for three years and how I used to be an Elvis impersonator when I was a kid and a little more about my family.

How did you get into impersonating Elvis?

Funnily enough I used to be a massive Gary Glitter fan so when he did… what he did, my parents said “Right, we need to find him a replacement very quickly” so they just started buying me loads of Elvis CD’s and I got into him that way.

Not really, I talk about my break up and learning to date again. I talk about going on dates, how they may differ from a “straight date” and I touch on my sex life as well. It can get a bit risque so be careful!

Larry Dean will be here for the Perth Comedy Festival from Thursday May 11th - Sunday May 14th. Tickets available from perthcomedyfest.com.au

So does this show focus less on your romantic life that last time?

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culture

The inimitable Cirque Du Soleil is returning to Western Australia with Kooza - a throwback to the origins of the world famous Canadian circus.

A fusion of the classic circus traditions of acrobatics and clowning, Kooza highlights the physical prowess of human performance in a colourful melange of splendour and humour.

US performer Aaron Felske dons the mantle of the Trickster in what Cirque have described as one of their most physically demanding shows. Felske caught up with OUTinPerth to talk about how he got involved with the world’s most famous circus and what Perth can expect from the show.

As someone who studied the theatrical arts, was Cirque Du Soleil always your end game?

I’ve always wanted to be somewhere I felt artistically fulfilled and this is definitely one of those places. I feel challenged and that I can contribute the skills i’ve honed in college and throughout my career. I can utilize them in every respect with this show. It’s a world class, if not the best, circus in the world. To be a part of that was definitely enticing and I’m just lucky to be a part of it.

Cirque has done dozens of shows now, describing this one as the most “physically astonishing” - does that bold claim stand up to scrutiny?

Acrobatically it’s pretty astounding, yeah! We have people in the audience gasping out loud and clutching their loved ones. The last act is a teeterboard act with roughly fourteen artists on a seesaw type apparatus getting launched into the air and doing multiple flips and all sorts of dynamic acrobatics and that’s just one part of the show.

How does your character fit into the world of Kooza?

I understudy the Trickster character who is the lead ringmaster if you will. He really is in charge of creating this world so it’s a demanding character physically but I’m also acting and dancing - as well as acrobatics. For me, it’s a little more stressful because he’s a main character so I have to have the strength to carry that for two hours which can be quite demanding.

When I don’t do that character, I’m in the house troupe which is essentially an ensemble type of role that creates the atmosphere which is a lot of fun because I get to work with the team and get into it. Sometimes for me the lead character can be quite lonely because I feel detached from the rest of the cast, where as when I get to do the house troupe I’m much more a part of the group.

The show is also described as a tribute to traditional circus - Does that mean you have to tone it down?

It’s more traditional in the sense that there’s more comedy from the clowns, but still incorporated with Cirque acrobatics. So they’ve gone back to their roots from when the company first started, but I wouldn’t say they’ve toned it down, but rather mixed the drama and comedy, which I think is a great thing because when there’s too much of one thing it can become exhausting.

Cirque Du Soleil’s Kooza will be at the Belmont Park Racecourse from April 13th - June 11th. Tickets and more information available from cirquedusoleil.com Leigh Andrew Hill

One of the biggest pop culture conventions returned to Perth last month when Oz ComicCon took over the Perth Exhibition and Convention Centre for a fantastical weekend.

With growing LGBTIQ representation across pop culture mediums from comics to anime, TV to the big screen, and Perth’s hundreds-strong Gaymer collective, we were curious to see just how queer Oz ComicCon could be.

Local drag artist Miishy Ling (AKA Mimi) has become quite the phenomenon on the local cosplay scene, turning out looks from some of the biggest games like Warcraft, Overwatch and her Wizard look seen here from the Diablo franchise.

We asked Mimi to be our guide at the expo and explore what the convention had to offer to rainbow fans.

The cosplay circuit is a scene in itself, with representatives from all walks of life trying to best embody their favourite fictional characters. Unlike drag, cosplay doesn’t leave much room for personal interpretation, rewarding those who try to replicate costumes piece by piece.

whom are proud allies of the queer community and encourage Perth drag performers to come along and see what they’ve got.

First up was Duskraven Costumerie, who have a distinctly Steampunk style.

The stall was littered with leather-look wears and brassy ornaments that would make anyone feel like they were ready for adventure. Mimi tells us they’re the cheapest suppliers around for Craftiflex - an essential ingredient for the cosplayer or crafty queen.

We also paid a visit to Cherry Lane, where the wares have a punky rockabilly vibe. Cherry Lane curate an incredible collection of vintage outfits, custom couture and elegant corsetry.

Overall the expo was full of energy, with people of all ages enjoying the friendly crowd and the variety on offer.

Even someone unfamiliar with these fantasy worlds could get lost among the stands and amidst the enthusiasm of thousands of fans.

As a child of the drag and cosplay scenes, Mimi took us to two of her favourite stalls at the expo - both of

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music 50 Song Memoir The Magnetic Fields In 1999 The Magnetic Fields released their epic album 69 Love Songs, now they’ve got another multi-disc album that is equally as impressive. Featuring five discs and one song for each year of songwriter Stephin Merrit’s life. It begins in 1968 and works it’s way through to 2015. The songs range from quirky to heartbreaking and span a wide variety of musical styles, but all feature Merrits unique point of view and delightful ways of turning a phrase. A delightful collection. - Graeme Watson

So Good Zara Larsson Zara Larsson is one of the newcomers to watch out for. I find the album has tropical house vibes, which I find tiresome in this current trend of pop music. It is a good album because it shows her vocal prowess with some of her songs such as So Good and Symphony. Even if this album is accessible, it left me wanting her to branch out more than the trendy music we all have been hearing. It felt generic but I am optimistic of her future as a pop princess. - Mango Adonis

Spirit Depeche Mode Delivering music since the early 80s, Spirit is DM’s 14th studio album continuing their journey from pop, towards rock, blues and industrial sounds since the early 90s. Spirit explores everything wrong with the world right now, with hints of soulful, tender and bittersweet moments offsetting the darkness. Mixing techno-leaning keyboards, slithering synths and bluesy guitar, Spirit will make people think about the path we are travelling and how society as a whole seems to have lost its way. - Guy Gomeze

Arca Arca Considering Arca’s pedigree and production contributions to other artists works, such as Björk, FKA Twigs, Kanye West and Frank Ocean – I was expecting a greater listening experience; however, there are a couple of tracks that impart a level of brilliance and gravitas to what we could expect from Arca. Desafio is one such track – hauntingly engaging arrangement, fragile and delicate production with a meshing of the vocals into the whole arrangement which allows for a flavour of lamenting sorrow. So if you are a fan of the fragile, electronic and soft pop or indie rock genres, it is worth a listen! But on the whole, the album tricks and tantalises you with relaxation and something more before it shocks you back into awareness that one could have spent too much time hanging with RiRi.- Paul Baines

Paradise ANOHNI Fuelled by rage and disappointment with the state of the world, this is absolutely the soundtrack of our time. After the haunting opening track In My Dreams, each song is as intense as the last, showcasing her angelic voice protesting over pulsing beats and complex soundscapes. Paradise (the single from the EP) is undoubtedly catchy, but the final track “She Doesn’t Mourn Her Loss” is the unassuming winner. It ends poignantly with a spoken word reflection, delivered by what sounds like an indigenous woman, on working together to improve our world.

Misty Farquhar

Perth City Symphony will be paying tribute to George Michael with a spectacular concert at The Astor Theatre on 27th June.

Perth leading composers and arrangers are working with the orchestra to reimagine George’s best songs so the audience will be taken on an emotional journey. The show will include songs from both Wham! and George’s acclaimed solo career. Everything from Careless Whisper, to Freedom and I’m Your Man. The show will feature the talented WAAPA Gospel choir and will take place on the eve of what would have been George’s fifty fourth birthday.

Find out more at www.perthsymphony.com

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OUTinPerth

April 2017

Perfume Genius - Slip Away OMG it’s amazing Bright Lights , Bright Lights - Causing a Commotion lovely version of long forgotten Madonna single Alison Moyet - Nothing gorgeous tune from British singer’s forthcoming ninth studio album New Kids on the Block - One Night surprisingly catchy tune from 80s boyband Chilly Gonzales and Jarvis Cocker - Tearjerker beautiful classical tune from musical polymath and Pulp’s frontman Goldfrapp - Anymore (Danny Dove Remix) thumpin’ Dardust and Davide Rossi - Gravity stunning piano and violin track Coldcut & On U Sound featuring Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry - Divide and Rule (Dub Version) blurred beats and dreamy vocals, it’s heaven Todd Terje - Jungelknugen (Four Tet Remix) it’s beautifully odd Pantha Du Prince Islands in the Sky (Ambient Version) quirky tune from forthcoming ambient remix project The Drums - Blood Under My Belt unmistakably a track from The Drums Blondie - Long Time written by Blood Orange, it’s fresh and catchy

This year community radio station RTRFM 92.1 celebrate their fortieth birthday. The station first crackled onto the airwaves in April 1977 becoming the city’s first broadcaster on the FM band.

Beginning life as 6UWA, the official radio station of the University of Western Australia. The station was renamed 6UVS in its early years, in the early 1990’s it became RTRFM - a fully independent station supporting arts, local music and alternative viewpoints.

music

Fletcher’s flatmate Chris Keely invited him down to the studio to be part of the show.

“I had no idea what he had in store for this show. We started playing these records and were having a bit of a laugh, and then he said to me, ‘You over there, what’s your name?’

Madly looking around the studio, Fletcher put on a feminine voice and declared his name was Wanda. “It’s just the first name that came into my head.”

Asked what his last name was, he scanned the studio for inspiration. “There was an air conditioning control on the wall and it had Honeywell written on it, because it was from the Honeywell corporation.” In that moment the character of Wanda Honeywell was born.

At first the station was quite academically focussed and played a lot of classical music, but subversive elements soon began making some far more interesting programming.

E.T.H.O.S: The Each to His (or her) Own Show is something people of a certain age fondly reminisce about. We caught up with Bobby Fletcher, one of the driving forces behind the show to find out more about what was all about.

“ETHOS was on after midnight on Thursday, or Friday nights, depending on the year. It was a wireless show presented with gay abandon.” Fletcher said.

The show got it’s start around 1984 when a bunch of friends who all lived in the same apartment block came up with the idea doing a show where they just played kitch music, and pretended to people from the 1950s.

“They’d recreate those old style adverts and play lots of organ music. Lots of Klaus Wunderlich and Percy Faith, all that kind of stuff.” Fletcher said.

As time went on the original instigators of the program moved on, but a core team of Fletcher, James Eade and James O’Brien were the mainstays. On air they were characters including Wanda June Honeywell, Victim of a Tragic Zeppelin Accident, Dr Lesbia Brazil, Freelance Gynaecologist, and Pastor O’Brien, crazed fundamentally flawed mental fundamentalist.

Thursday nights at 6UVS became a busy place with many different people taking part in the show, most of them coming from the local queer community.

In later years Nicole Corbett joined the collective as The Countessa. Corbett recalled that Fletcher always mispronounced her name in a way that bordered on obscene.

Each week the show poked fun at religion and the establishment while also giving a very queer take on life, at a time when homosexuality was still a criminal offence. The show was also one of the first places that transgender people were given recognition.

“I guess people at the time saw them as freaks, but people in the gay community didn’t see them as freaks, they saw them as human beings.” Fletcher said acknowledging the show’s inclusive vibe.

Back then the station used to stop broadcasting at midnight, E.T.H.O.S was the first show to broadcast past midnight. In 1985 Colin Bridges began his late night dance music program Beats Per Minute which took over after E.T.H.O.S’s hour of craziness.

“Over the years it just got more and more absurd.” Fletcher said.

In the late ‘80s when the station moved into more hi-tech studios the team used to take advantage of all the technology available.

“We were getting to the point where we’d have a record on each turntable, cartridges playing sound effects, two CD players with sound effects of moneys and construction work, all sorts of bizarre sound effects, plus some reel to reel tapes.”

The team would put random callers live to air, play records off centre to create odd sounds, and bring in a bundle of noise making techniques to create impromptu worlds.

“We never planned anything. We had three boxes, the ETHOS boxes, and they sat in our house in Mount Lawley. Two had records in them, one was old records, the other was filled with 1950’s pamphlets and religious material… We’d pick up the three boxes, band them in the car and come to the station.”

“Every single week was a highlight, it was just madness.”

Fletcher said.

Support RTRFM in their fortieth celebrations by taking part in the $40 for 40 fundraiser, head to www.rtrfm.com. au for details.

Graeme Watson

Dr. Patrick Briggs F.R.C.S Eng, F.R.C.S.I, F.R.C.S.I. PlaS. SuRg.

PlaStIC & CoSmEtIC SuRgEon “By the time patients come to see me, they have been through enough emotional turmoil and it has been a long and challenging journey with many highs and lows.

As a Plastic and Cosmetic surgeon it is not only my responsibility to offer an understanding of this journey but with surgery assist patients to achieve the optimal outcome in a non-judgemental environment” – Dr Patrick Briggs

Specialist in gender re-assignment surgery with over 20 years experience GENDER RE-ASSIGNMENT PRocEDuRES: • MTF – Breast Implants • FTM – Breast Removal ADDITIoNAL SERVIcES: • Cosmetic Injections • Wrinkle Relaxers • Hair Removal (Medical Grade)

MEMBER OF: Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) Australasian Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (ASAPS) International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS)

P. 9381 9300 15 Railway Rd., Subiaco, WA 6008

www.cosmetic-plastic-surgery.com.au admin@drbriggs.com.au

OUTinPerth

April 2017

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health

Zuu training is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. I don’t think I’ve moved like this since I was an infant, or maybe an animal in a past life? Trust me, Zuu is as fun and crazy as it sounds.

This Australian fitness method is used globally by UFC athletes, rugby teams, the Army and the SAS. But there’s no surprises there – the workout is tough and among one of the hardest I’ve ever done.

It's like taking a bungee jump, but you’re required to workout at the same time. The best thing about exercise that is fun is that the time goes fast. Before you know it, you'll be high fiving your teammates or "pack" and be giving yourself a big pat on the back.

The style of training is centred around primal movement patterns and animal instincts. It bridges the gap between traditional strength and conditioning training and the core strength and flexibility associated with yoga and Pilates. Let’s just say it’s like HIIT (high intensity interval training) in the jungle. It combines strenuous cardio intervals, strength, mobility and flexibility.

I can honestly say that I have never felt a burn as intense as what I experienced in my first Zuu session. The next day the pain was all over, every single muscle in my body was hurting.

Zuu and Ankorr training boasts an all-inclusive culture and a great sense of camaraderie.

When class starts, it’s time to get head down and bum up (literally) as you crawl, slither and jump around the floor like a wild animal. Will you feel stupid? Absolutely. But everyone is in the same boat, so don’t sweat it.

But wait there's more! For those who are more advanced there is Ankorr. Ankorr is the world’s first resistance harness. The unique design allows the "anchor points" to move through 180 degrees of Sagital planes and 360 degrees of transverse planes. Ankorr provides a fluid resistance that has you under constant load while you execute a series of dynamic movements.

Zuu training will have you loving it and hating it all at the same time. If for no other reason than curiosity or for variety in your current training program, you must give Zuu a go.

Check out the Aspire Group at www.aspire-group.biz for the best Zuu training in town.

Beau Carruthers Beau is the owner and director of ONE Fitness Health Lifestyle in Subiaco.

@ LE CLUB

@ THE COURT

Expect to tackle exercises like the iguana, frog squats, bear crawls and the crocodile. The reasoning behind those names will become clear once you start moving.

Did you know that you can burn between 500 and 1000 calories in only 15 minutes of Zuu training? Who can't spare 15 minutes?

The best past is all you need is your body weight, so you can bust out the Zuu moves anytime, anywhere.

@ CONNECTIONS

Credit Sheridan Fiamengo

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April 2017

events

CLUBS Resurrection

Were the ‘90s and ‘00s the time you loved clubbing at Connections the most? Is that the period that produced the best dance music?

This night is for you. DJs JJ & Seb Sharp in the main room and Tim Brown & Feminem on the terrace are going to be playing all of your favourites.

Sunday April 16th from 8pm, Connections Nightclub, 81 James St, Northbridge

Lé Club: DJ Sprinkles Black Swan State Theatre Company bring the story that inspired Perth International Arts Festival’s stunning roaming Giants to the stage this month with The Lighthouse Girl.

Hellie Turner’s touching play tells the story of Fay, who lives an isolated life with her lighthouse keeper father on Breaksea Island in southern Western Australia.

As the First World War breaks out in 1914, Fay learns to transcribe Morse code from off-shore soldiers and becomes their last hope getting messages to their loves ones before heading to battle.

On the other side of Australia, Charlie and his best mate Jim abandon life in rural Victoria and seek excitement and adventure with the Light Horse Brigade - only to discover the harsh realities of life on the front lines.

Lé Club return and bring with them legendary queer philosopher, trans identifying activist and incredible deep house DJ, DJ Sprinkles for what’s set to be an amazing night. The last time DJ Sprinkles played she killed it!

Friday April 21st from 11pm, Connections Nightclub, 81 James St, Northbridge

inthedark presents Raven & Jujubee

RuPaul’s Drag Race’s BFFL team Raven and Jujubee are coming to Australia together for the first time for an unforgettable show with these All Stars!

Saturday April 22nd from 8pm, Connections Nightclub, 81 James St, Northbridge

Monthly Mason!

The adorable DJ Mason Andrews will be spinning his impeccable pop mixes on the Connections d-floor once a month from March onwards. Perth, you’re in for a real treat!

Saturday April 22nd from 9pm, Connections Nightclub, 81 James St, Northbridge

Lesbian Mud Wrestling

For over ten years Lesbian Mud Wrestling has been the biggest event on a Wednesday night, it’s people wrestling in mud!

Although not always lesbians, sometimes there are dirty boys too.

Turner’s work entangles the lives of Fay and Charlie, telling a greater story about a pivotal time in Australia’s history.

Every Wednesday from 8pm, Connections Nightclub, 81 James St, Northbridge

The world premiere of The Lighthouse Girl will take place in Albany, the birthplace of this ANZAC story, before launching its season in Perth.

Nothing but bright, bubbly, sugar coated pop tunes at this popular mid-week get together hosted by our very own BarbieQ. Drag shows at 1am, or even try your own wig on the stage for Dragathon!

The Lighthouse Girl will be at the Heath Ledger Theatre from April 28th - May 14th. Tickets and more information available from BSSTC.com.au

POP!

Every Thursday from 10pm - Late, Connections Nightclub, 81 James St, Northbridge

Must Be The Music

Each week Connections DJ’s play with you and tease you and they lead you through a journey through disco, house, progressive and even a touch of techno.

Every Friday from 10pm - 5am, Connections Nightclub, 81 James St, Northbridge

CLUBS

PUBS

Lé Club: DJ Fett Burger & DJ Sotofett

The Gayest Night Ever

Friday April 7th from 11pm, Connections Nightclub, 81 James St, Northbridge

Thursday April 13th from 8pm, The Court Hotel, 50 Beaufort St, Perth

A Night with Feminem

Gay prom is back! Relive your high school prom queer style with this throwback event at The Court. Get in your best super-spy gear and get shaken, not stirred, with this year’s James Bond theme.

The first of a double dose of Le Club’s this month brings back Norwegian heavyweight brothers Fett Burger and Sotofett for a no-holds-barred session on the dance floor.

After becoming an internet sensation on stage with Adele, our girl Feminem is back with a one hour early cabaret show talking about her magic experience and singing live!

Friday April 7th & Saturday April 8th from 9pm, Connections Nightclub, 81 James St, Northbridge

Beauty Shop 2: Back In The Salon One of Connies’ most popular stage shows returns this April, transforming the main room into a camp salon of whimsy and lipsyncing with all your favourite local drag stars.

Saturday April 8th, 15th & 22nd at 1am, Connections Nightclub, 81 James St, Northbridge

Easter POPtastic!

It’s Easter which means an extra big helping of Thursday night’s POP! POP music all night long in both rooms! 70s and 80s in the lounge and on the terrace, ‘90s and now in the main room! Drag queens for days and a 3am close.

Thursday April 13th from 8pm, Connections Nightclub, 81 James St, Northbridge

Don your rainbow apparel for the GAYEST NIGHT EVER at The Court Hotel. Scarlet Adams and Alexas Armstrong will be putting on shows to guide you through this fabulously camp soiree.

Gay Prom: 007

Sunday April 16th from 6pm, The Court Hotel, 50 Beaufort St, Perth

Back 2 The 90s

C’mon at bust a move at The Court Hotel with a throwback to the ‘90s with DJs Skooby, Francesco, Selina Burby. From the Spice Girls to No Doubt, these hits are sure to get you on the dance floor.

Saturday April 22nd from 8pm, The Court Hotel, 50 Beaufort St, Perth

Drag Factory

Throw on a frock, slip on a wig, pick out a tune and give drag a whirl. Wannabe drag queens, kings and performers can lip-sync the house down and compete for cash prizes!

Every Wednesday from 9pm, The Court Hotel, 50 Beaufort St, Perth

Karaoke Sundays

Warm up those pipes! The Court has a brand new tradition with Karaoke Sundays. With performances from host Feminem and $20 pizza & jug deals, it’ll be a perfect end to the week.

Every Sunday from 5:30pm, The Court Hotel, 50 Beaufort St, Perth

OUTinPerth

April 2017

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events

BARS Sundays at Swallow

The food is first rate, the choice of wines is adventurous and on Sundays they have sublime live music. Relax with a Sunday Session at Swallow Bar. Every Sunday from 4pm, Swallow Bar, 198 Whatley Cres, Maylands

Live Music at Chapels

Enjoy live music in a relaxed dining environment and have a drink while you’re there.

Every Fri and Sat Night, 7pm - 9pm, Chapels on Whatley, 196 Whatley Cres, Maylands

THEATRE & CULTURE West Australian Opera: TOSCA

Puccini paints in primary colours in Tosca. Three themes of defiance, sacrifice and betrayal drive the plot. Each of the three leading characters is confronted with the choice either to honor or to betray. And each makes their choice, facing the consequences unflinchingly.

Tuesday March 28th - Saturday April 8th, His Majesty’s Theatre, 825 Hay St, Perth

Battle & Victory

Whether to stir the passion and nationalistic fervour of troops going to war or to celebrate the victory of an army, the emotion of battle has inspired many musical works.

Featuring WAAPA’s Wind and Brass Ensemble.

Thursday April 20th, 7:30pm, WAAPA, 2 Bradford St, Mount Lawley

Jane Austen’s Drawing Room

The second of WAAPA’s 017 Historical Piano Series explores the English music-making of the fashionable Georgian era with a rich repetoire of songs for piano and guitar.

Saturday April 22nd, 3pm, WAAPA, 2 Bradford St, Mount Lawley

Fazioli Fascination

Paulo Fazioli’s instruments feature the best of Italian engineering and design, their beauty of tone and infinite variety of colour make these pianos extra special to players and audiences alike. A special program from Head of Piano Anna Sleptsova.

Thursday April 27th, 7:30pm, WAAPA, 2 Bradford St, Mount Lawley

The Lighthouse Girl

Black Swan State Theatre Company tell the courageous story that inspired the roaming Giants of the Perth International Arts Festival. Set during the first world war, a young girl finds her purpose transcribing Morse Code and the messages lead to something far greater.

From Friday April 28th - Friday May 12th, State Theatre Centre, 182 William St, Perth

COMMUNITY Perth Gaymers 2nd Birthday BBQ

Gaymers are having double the birthday fun with an all ages BBQ in Kings Park! Grab your cards, handhelds, board games and snacks and get involved with the Perth Gaymers.

Saturday April 15th from 11am, for more info head to facebook.com/ groups/perthgaymers

3rd Wednesdays

A casual gathering of LGBTI friends and supporters for drinks, nibbles and meeting new people.

Wednesday April 19th from 6pm – 8pm, Brisbane Hotel, Cnr Beaufort & Brisbane St, Perth

Lesbian Walking Group

This friendly walking group is always open to new members and meets every third Sunday of the month.

For the details of this month’s walk, email Janice at jmlfrater@yahoo. com.au

WA Wanderers

The social men’s walking group for gay guys and their friends meets every third Sunday of the month.

For more information or to RSVP, call 0415 249 265

YOUTH Freespace

A safe social drop-in session for all people under 26 who are same sex attracted, intersex, trans* and/or gender diverse.

Weekly on Wednesdays 5 - 8pm & Fridays 4pm-8pm, Freedom Centre, 93 Brisbane St, Perth

GenderQ

A free session for anyone who is intersex, transgender, and/or gender diverse and questioning their gender and/or sex assigned at birth.

First Thursday of every month, 5 - 8pm, Freedom Centre, 93 Brisbane St, Perth

QCulture

COMMUNITY QLIMB: Queer Social Rockclimbing

Get your exercise vertical with QLIMB: a queer social rockclimbing event for all to enjoy. Bring a friend or meet some new pals and support the AIDS Council with baked goods and snacks.

Wednesday April 12th, 6:30pm, PWR Urban Ascent, 24 Jackson St, Bassendean

Perth Gaymers 2nd Birthday Drinks

Celebrate two awesome years of the Perth Gaymers with drinks at The Court Hotel. Head down to The Court for some libations with one of Perth’s most active social groups. 18+ only.

Thursday April 13th from 9pm, for more info head to facebook.com/ groups/perthgaymers

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OUTinPerth

April 2017

A drop-in session for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth who identify as LGBTIQ. Third Thursday of the month, 5 - 8pm, Freedom Centre, 93 Brisbane St, Perth

Outspace

A session for all people under 26 who are LGBTIQ. These sessions are activity-based so come along to try something new, get active and have fun!

2nd and 4th Saturday of the month, 12 - 5pm, Freedom Centre, 93 Brisbane St, Perth

Junior aGender

A drop in session for transgender and gender diverse youth under 18 and their families.

Last Monday of the month, 5 - 8pm, Freedom Centre, 93 Brisbane St, Perth

The world’s longest running adult entertainment expo returns this May to blow Perth audiences away.

SEXPO will take over the Perth Exhibition and Convention Centre for a full weekend with a program of international guest stars, hourly live stage shows, exhibitions, health seminars, demonstrations, lounge bars and even Perth’s biggest Drone display.

SEXPO is about celebrating all sexualities in a friendly and relaxed space, where exhibitors can showcase their products for potential users to sample, discover, learn and expand their horizons.

This year, the expo will also be looking to the future with a showcase on the rise of Virtual Reality in the industry - even offering demonstrations and free VR headsets to every guest!

Married at First Sight star Michael will also be making an appearance on the main stage, returning home to Perth for a very special stage show as his alter ego, Hollywood.

Don’t miss SEXPO at the Perth Exhibition and Convention Centre from Friday May 5th - Sunday May 7th. Tickets and more information available from sexpo.com.au

TV

The Mary Street Bakery The Mary Street Bakery was a little confusing, we couldn’t work out if there was table service or if you ordered at the counter.

Eventually a waiter took our coffee order, but then promptly forgot it. We ordered some food, that was amazing, Their spin on American styled chicken and pancakes was super tasty. How you create a pancake that thick is a mystery. The baked eggs with chickpeas was incredibly filling and great value for money.

The Mary Street Bakery is at 272 Railway Pde West Leederville, there is also the original bakery on the corner of Beaufort St and Mary St in Highgate. - Graeme Watson

The ABC’s captivating program You Can’t Ask That is back on our TV screens this month. The program aims to reduce stigma surrounding marginalised groups of people.

Each episode sees participants from a different group answering questions that were submitted anonymously online. The blunt answers are revealing, profound, and at times, hilarious.

The first season featured Muslims, people who are transgender, the obese, short statured people and the terminally ill. On its second outing the show shines on a spotlight on many more groups including children of same-sex parents, vision impaired, people with facial disfigurations and people who use the drug Ice. Co-creator of the show Kirk Docker chatted to OUTinPerth about the show and said this year, with the episodes being slightly longer, the show gets to really tackle some serious issues.

“People want to understand different minorities, people want to understand how other people think and feel, and sometimes they just don’t know how to find that information.”

One of the more confronting episodes of this series features people who have survived suicide attempts. Docker admits it was a topic that people are wary about addressing.

“The basic fact though is that eight people are dying every day, it’s double the national road toll.” Docker said. “It’s something we need to be talking about.”

The producer said the team had been particularly careful when putting the episode together and a lot of professional organisations had given feedback on the show before it aired.

“Not everyone agreed with us about the way we wanted to put it out, but we felt that we weren’t offering anything new in terms of method, but what we gained is an important conversation about what can happen when things go wrong.”

Docker said.

When finding people to answer the anonymous questions, the team look for people who have had a range of experiences, a prominent feature of the episode focussing on children of same sex parents.

“The eldest is 45, who had two gay dads in the ‘70s and ‘80s.

For us it was important to get a range of experiences, we’ve got a 12 year old right through to a 45 year old. We’ve got people with two dads, two mums, those who don’t like the situation and those who love the situation.” Docker said.

Ribs & Burgers Sometimes everything you need to know about a restaurant is right there in the name. At Ribs & Burgers you can expect the most varied selection of burger combinations in a supersaturated gourmet burger market and a range of ribs so fabulous you’ll think that the chef has raided the waste bin outside Cher’s plastic surgery. To Die For. Located at Railway Lane in the CBD.

Clinton Little

The episode focussing on the ice epidemic also delivered a wide range of people and reactions.

“We have people who are gay, and people who are straight, we have people who worked in the mines, and people who are homeless people who have had a great time on it, and people who have had a terrible time on it.” Docker said.

What is guaranteed with the show is that it’ll challenge your assumptions and open up some thought provoking conversations.

You Can’t Ask That is screening on ABC on Thursday Nights, the whole series can be seen on the ABC’s iView platform.

Graeme Watson

The confronting episode sees people who have survived suicide discussing what lead them to make their decisions and in some cases how their plans had long lasting consequences, despite their survival.

La Cholita La Cholita may serve up Perth’s tiniest tacos but at six bucks a pop they are beyond value for money.

We sampled the full range of their meat and vegetarian options and all were pretty amazing; but the pulled pork and pineapple taco is a game changer. Teamed with a classic Margarita pulled from the tequila menu boasting over 100 brands that will kick your ass in the good way, it’s a winning combination.

It also doesn’t hurt that the staff seem to be universally hot.

Between myself and my three other dining companions we didn’t even have to fight over who we would go “off menu” for. Add to that flattering lighting and prime William St people watching vistas and La Cholita delivers on all fronts La Cholita is at 57 Aberdeen St, Northbridge.

Clinton Little

Siena’s Famous Pizza or Pasta

fax. (08) 9444 1779 115 Oxford Street Leederville WA

$14

(08) 9444 8844 www.sienas.com.au CRU2951_MtLawley_OutinPerth_Ads.indd 4

5/1/17 1:39 pm

Try our new Parmigiana

$18

OUTinPerth

April 2017

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community group listings ALCOHOL and DRUG INFORMATION SERVICE to ALCOHOL and DRUG SUPPORT LINE— ADIS is a 24 hour confidential telephone counselling, information and referral service. If you’re concerned about your own or somebody else’s drug or alcohol use call ADIS on 08 9442 5000 or Country Callers 1800 198 024 (toll free) — www.dao.health.wa.gov.au; email: ADIS@health. wa.gov.au ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS RAINBOW GROUP meets every Tuesday 7-8pm, in the hall next to St Lukes church, cnr George and Rowland Sts, Maylands. If alcohol is costing you more than the price of the drink, please join us for sharing and recovery in a 12 Step Program with proven results. The only requirement for AA membership is a desire to stop drinking. For more information www.aaperthwa.org BEARS PERTH — BEARS PERTH - A Friendly men only social club for men with body and / or facial hair and their admirers. The dress code is masculine, and men of all shapes, sizes and amount of hairiness are welcome. Licensed Den Nights are on the 2nd Saturday and 4th Friday of each month 9pm till Late @ Loton Park Bulwer St (near Lord St) East Perth. There are also different events on the 2nd Sunday of each month, often at a members residence or alternative events as advised. Visitors welcome. Contact us via phone 0487 595 672, email: info@bearsperth.org, http://bearsperth.org or http://bit.ly/bpi-www CATHOLIC GLBT AND PARENT SUPPORT — This service provides pastoral support to all members of the Catholic GLBT community, including parents of GLBT children; giving an understanding & an opportunity for processing & healing feelings of confusion, hurt, anger exclusion or being marginalised. Individual consultation is provided as well as communal gatherings of the Catholic GLBT community for mutual & spiritual support.

For more information, please call 6336-8602 (leave a message if unattended) or email cathgaysupport@gmail.com COLOURFUL DAVE — A long standing member of the GLBT community, has written a book about his struggles with mental illness & accepting his faith in god with his sexuality. It’s titled ‘From Desperation to Finding Destiny’. Perfect for other Christians and those with faith who may be in a similar situation. Only $25, for orders please contact and address it to: Mr Colourful Dave, PO BOX X2222, Perth, WA, 6847 DYKES ON BIKES — A diverse, loosely-knit social group, occasional organised rides & gatherings plus annual appearance as the traditional lead float in the Pride Parade. If you are a female who rides a motorbike and loves women, then come along and check out dykes on bikes. General enquiries see our public group on facebook... Dykes on bikes WA or email dykesonbikeswa@hotmail.com FREEDOM CENTRE — Freedom Centre provides a safe space, peer support, information, and referrals for LGBTTIQ and Questioning young people (under 26).FC provides a range of services including an online Forum, trainings, workshops and our drop-in centre sessions which are open for: Freespace – every Wednesday 5-8pm & Friday 4-8pm, Outspace – 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month 12pm-5pm, GenderQ – 1st Thurs of the month 5-8pm, 1st People’s Qspace – 3rd Thursday of the month 5-8pm, Junior aGender - last Monday of even months 5-8pm, QMovie – last Tuesday of odd months 5-8pm. 93 Brisbane St, Perth WA 6000 Ph: 9228 0354 Email: info@ freedom.org.au Web: www.freedom.org.au www. fcyeah.tumblr.com GAY AND LESBIAN SINGERS OF WA (GALS WA) — GALSWA welcomes members from all shades of the sexuality and gender diversity rainbow and our allies. There are no auditions, singers of all abilities welcome. Rehearsals Thursdays 7 to 9 pm at the Royal Park Hall, 180 Charles St, West Perth (cnr of Vincent St). For more information see our

website: www.galswa.org.au, Email info@galswa. org.au or contact Jackie on 0405 081 638.

GAY & LESBIAN ARCHIVES OF WA — Located in the Murdoch University Library on the South Street Campus. For opening hours and access details, please contact the Library on 9360 2563.

GRAI (GLBTI RIGHTS IN AGEING INC.) — works to improve the quality of life for older LGBTI people, both in care and in the community. Providing visibility and a voice for LGBTI elders is key to this. Through research and advocacy we have achieved law reform to end discrimination for older LGBTI people. We work with the aged care sector, delivering training to achieve safe and inclusive aged care services. We hold community events to build better community supports and friendships.

New members welcome. Interested? Contact June on 08 9383 7753. PO Box 514 North Perth WA 6906 or 54 Bickley Cres, Manning 6152. E: info@ grai.org.au or visit www.grai.org.au GOLF BAGS — Golf club play every Sat morning at a variety of courses north and south of the river. We are a group of friendly gals who love our golf and good company. New players are always welcome. For details contact us at golfbagswa@ gmail.com HEADSPACE MIDLAND — headspace can help – headspace provides FREE information, confidential support and services for all young people 12-25 years and their families. Our experienced team includes LGBTIQ friendly Social Workers, GPs, Psychologists, Drug and alcohol workers and more. No referral is required and you can bring a friend for support. Drop in at 64 Morrison Rd, Midland (upstairs from the market) or call 08 9274 8860. www.headspace.org.au/midland HEPATITIS WA — providing information and support to people affected by hepatitis. If you would like to know more on hepatitis A, B or C, contact us on 9328 8538 (Metro) or 1800 800 070 (Country). 134 Aberdeen St Northbridge WA 6003 — www.hepatitiswa.com.au Living Proud LGBTI Community Services of WA — (formerly Gay & Lesbian Community Services of WA). Information, support, referrals and professional training. City West Lotteries House, 2 Delhi St, West Perth WA 6005. Qlife counselling and referral Line: 1800 184 527 Admin/Fax: (08) 9486 9855 Email: admin@glcs.org.au Web: www.glcs.org.au LOTON PARK TENNIS CLUB — Diversity is our advantage. Come on down and try something new at Perth’s Other Gay & Lesbian venue. It’s not just about tennis. Open to all levels of players – social and competitive – with an emphasis on enjoyment for everyone. With the city skyline as our backdrop, sit back on the embankment or balcony and enjoy a drink in a relaxed and fun atmosphere. A full social calendar ahead ensures a summer of fun for everyone. Enquiries@lotonpark.com.au Ph: (08) 9328 5065 — www.lotonpark.com.au M CLINIC – FREE STI/HIV SCREENING CLINIC — For Men who have sex with men.

Free, confidential, non-judgemental STI testing & Treatment. Please call (08) 9227 0734 for appointments. Central location. After hours options available. For more information email info@mclinic.org.au or visit mclinic.org.au OPEN ARMS FELLOWSHIP — Perth’s Only Welcoming & Affirming Pentecostal Church. “This is Church for those who’ve been told they don’t belong in church!” It doesn’t matter whether your Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Trans or Intersex, Young, Old, Or somewhere in-between Including their Family friends and supporters. Everyone is welcome meeting at UCIC hall, first floor, 97 William St, Perth. Sundays 6pm. For further information email: info@openarmsaustralia.org; or go to the website: www.openarmsaustralia.org; or call Pastor Graham on ph: 0405 285 233

FEES include GST Annual (Unfunded) $110 Annual (Funded) $200

OUTDANCE — Same Sex Partner Ballroom & Latin American Dance Classes - Group Classes & Social Nights for Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced Dancers. Private Lessons by appointment. Group Class - 6.30pm Tuesday Mt Hawthorn Community Centre. Class Enquiries: Judy 0417 911 214 or Warwick 0450 041 023. OUTdance Studio Principals: Darryl Davenport & Tania McGuinness.

P: 0414 666 034 F: 08 9403 2220 E: info@outdance.com.au PERTH INNER CITY YOUTH SERVICE— or PICYS as we are commonly known, we are a LGBTI inclusive organisation and welcome and celebrate each and every person. PICYS is available to assist young people between 16 – 25 who are experiencing homelessness; and 15 to 20 who are wanting to get support with their mental health and other life matters.

Check our website for more service info www. picys.org.au or call on 08 9388 2791 Mondays to Fridays 9am - 5pm.

PFLAG PERTH (PARENTS, FAMILIES & FRIENDS OF LESBIANS & GAYS — is a community group offering support and understanding for families and friends with loved ones who are GLBTI. Meetings are held every second month in Perth city (please call to register) Visit website for more information, news, events and meeting dates: www.pflagwa. org.au Email: info@pflagwa.org.au. Information Line: 0404 594 699. Facebook:www.facebook. com/pflagperth PRIDE WA INC. — To lead by example in creating a world where inclusion and diversity are embraced and celebrated. Pride WA encourages the cultural expression, celebration and human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer and all people of diverse sexuality and gender living in Western Australia.

We recognise that our collective strength lies in our diversity and willingness to embrace and respect the differences that exist both within our Pride community and the broader communities in which we live, work, love and celebrate. PRIDE WA stages events through the year, including their annual Arts and Culture festival PrideFEST, Pride PARADE and FAIRDY. Information can be found on www.pridewa.com.au or contact us; E: pride@pridewa.com.au, P: 9427 0836 PRIMETIMERS WA — If you are a mature gay or bisexual man, we are keen to welcome you to Prime Timers. The group meets at 2pm on the second Sunday of each month, at Lotteries House: 2 Delhi St, West Perth. PO Box 829, Mt. Lawley 6929. For more info go to www. primetimerswa.com or email: primetimers@ primtimerswa.com.

QLIFE – COUNSELLING & REFERRAL — QLife is Australia’s first nationally-oriented counselling and referral service for people of diverse sex, genders and sexualities. QLife provides nation-wide, early intervention, peer supported telephone and web based services to support Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) people of all ages.

Freecall: 1800 184 527 Time: 3pm to 12pm Web: www.qlife.org.au RAINBOW LABOR — New members welcome to join this GLBTIQ focused branch of the ALP. Branch meetings occur every month and we have a direct link to State Executive, and our own delegates to State Conference. Being involved in Rainbow Labor gives members the opportunity to have direct influence on the policies of the Australian Labor Party at a State and National Level. For further information please contact Oscar Lim, Secretary, Rainbow Labor on 0404044461. Go to e: rainbowlabor. branch@walabor.org.au –www.groups.yahoo. com/group/rainbow_labor_wa/

SAINT ANDREW’S ANGLICAN CHURCH — Open door worship 6pm Sundays. Welcome and affirmation for all GLBTI people. 259 Barker Road, Subiaco. 9381 1130. standrewsubi@ bigpond.com www.siriol.net/StAndrew SECCA (SEXUALITY EDUCATION COUNSELLING CONSULTANCY AGENCY) — Counselling for people with a disability, their partners, carers & family about relationships & sexuality. Professional education & consultancy services available covering sexuality & disability.

Fees may apply. Mon-Fri 9-5. City West Lotteries House, 2 Delhi St West Perth WA 6005.

Ph 9420 7226 / Fx 9420 7229. e: admin@ secca.org.au — www.secca.org.au SEX WORKERS — Magenta offers support, education, info & referral services for F, M & T/G sex workers (private, escort, parlours, street). Peer-based, worker-friendly staff for confidential & anonymous phone, inhouse & outreach help/advice. Free clinic for STI screenings. Stock at reduced price to workers. Mon–Thu 9am–4pm. 9328 1387. e: sexworker@fpwa.org.au TEAMPERTH— TeamPerth is a hub for bringing together all the queer sporting and recreation groups here in Perth and WA. Our goal is to promote diversity and inclusion in all sports, as well as to provide support and to help connect groups together.

If you’re looking to join a club, or if you’d like to start your own, go to our website at teamperth. info, check out our Facebook www.facebook.com/teamperth or email us at teamperthaus@gmail.com TRANSMEN OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA — A peer support network for FTM female assigned gender diverse people and their loved ones in Western Australia. P: Nick 0450 448 871 E:TransmenofWA@gmail.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/TransmenofWA W: www.transmenofwa.org WA AIDS COUNCIL — Strengthening our community’s health and quality of life.

Provides a range of services for people living with HIV/AIDS, Counselling ( issues include HIV/AIDS, relationships, sexuality & gender) Needle and Syringe Exchange, Peer Education, workshops & STI screening for men who have sex with men. Other community education, prevention and training services offered. 664 Murray Street, West Perth, Admin: 08 9482 0000 AIDSline 9482 0044, Mensline 9322 8401 (Toll Free 1800 671 130) www.waaids.com email: waac@waaids.com WASUA (WA SUBSTANCE USER’S ASSOCIATION) — WASUA is WA’s state-wide, peer based Drug User Organisation that provides harm reduction, advocacy and peer education services to substance users. Services provided include a 7 day per week fixed site Needle Syringe Exchange Program, Health Clinic for STI/ BBV testing, pre and post test counselling, Hep A/B vaccinations, Hep C/HIV education, alcohol & other drug support and treatment referral, Drug user & Pharmacotherapy advocacy. Contact us 22/7 Aberdeen Street Perth, Phone 9325 83 87 Fax 9325 6152, email: info@wasua.com.au WA GAY LEAGUE — Tenpin Bowling. Everyone is welcome. Sun from 11:00am at Warwick Superbowl. 12 Dugdale St, Warwick Grove. e: rayjc@iinet.net.au — www.wagl.org.au WA WANDERERS MENS BUSHWALKING — are a social walking group for gay guys and gay friendly guys who are keen to get outside and enjoy Western Australia’s countryside with an easy going and friendly group. 0415 249 265 www.wawanderers.com.au

To list a community group or service in the paper and online ph: 08 9371 9877 email: community@outinperth.com web: www.outinperth.com

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Based on the 1995 Japanese Anime classic, Ghost in the Shell () stars Scarlett Johansson as the cyber-enhanced being Major, a manufactured soldier who tackles the world’s most dangerous criminals. A human was saved from a terrible accident, with the only part remaining being the brain trapped in a synthetic body being controlled by those who manufactured her.

The film is reminiscent of the bleak futuristic cityscape in Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner. Like Blade Runner’s replicants, androids that almost perfectly mimic human beings, Major begins to notice glitches. When she has to eliminate a rogue cyber-enhanced being known as the Puppet Master (Michael Pitt), she discovers that she has been lied to and her life was not saved but stolen.

Directed by Rupert Sanders, this non-stop action thriller does pause every now and then to throw in some philosophy on what it is to be human. Do our memories define us or are we indeed trapped by them?

Australian director Cate Shortland (Snowtown) takes her audience to the graffiti-covered capital of Germany where a young Australian woman is searching for experiences. Backpacker Clare (Teresa Palmer) takes risks, as we see when she parties with fellow backpackers on her first night. After an intense one night stand with a German local, Clare finds herself locked in his apartment.

sonder : the realisation that each passerby has a life as vivid and complex as your own

family law wills & probate inheritance disputes debt recovery personal injury elder abuse Sonder Legal 2/62 Fitzgerald Street, Northbridge (08) 6558 1718 / 0449 886 499

Sonder Legal is proud to provide safe spaces for our LGBTI community

Adapted from the book of the same name, Berlin Syndrome () is shot in the bleak backstreets and abandoned buildings of forgotten parts of Berlin. It is an ideal location for Andi (Max Riemelt) who teaches high school English and has a liking for foreign girls. As Clare discovers, she is not the first tourist this charismatic psychopath has held captive. The battle between captor and captive is mesmerising and progressively more violent as Clare becomes more desperate to escape.

This cautionary tale for young travellers is particularly well done and some of the scenes will burn into your memory. The title adds extra tension to the edge-of-your-seat drama as it evokes the Stockholm Syndrome where the captive forms a loving connection with her captor. Don’t forget to breathe as you pray for Clare to escape.

The Bar () screens at Cinema Paradiso as part of the Spanish Film Festival which runs 27 April to 17 May. Directed by Alex de la Iglesia, the opening scene zooms in on several people who are making their way to a run-down Madrid bar. It is an eclectic mix with the matriarch owner and her timid assistant; a couple of middle-aged men; young man glued to technology; a neurotic older woman; a homeless man and on out-of-place attractive young lady.

When a man leaving the bar is shot dead and left on the sidewalk, the street vacates. Another man leaves the bar to go to his aid but is killed as well. The bodies mysteriously disappear while everyone in the bar is arguing, and they realise there is another man in the toilet who is obviously in distress. There is nothing on the news and after the captives debate conspiracy theories, they turn on each other.

This Spanish horror film has layers of satire about the construction dissemination of what we call news. It also shows a mirror to a society which lives under the continual threat of terrorism. But most of all it is an entertaining romp, albeit through the sewers of Madrid.

Lezly Herbert

ILLUSTRATION BY ANNE BARNETSON

OUTinPerth

April 2017

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