Phase One Report - Pride Western Australia

Transcription

Pride WA Inc.
strategic review
phase one report
Kalico Consulting
April 2014
Acknowledgements
Kalico Consulting thanks all the members of the LGBTIQ community and their
supporters for contributing to the community consultations informing this
report. People were generous in making time to participate and offering their
honest feedback and perspectives.
A similar thank you to LGBTIQ organisations visited in other states whose
experiences and perceptions have added insight to the review.
Thanks are extended to members of the project reference group that went to
meetings, assisted with research and consultation planning, provided input
into strategy and read this report in its first draft form.
Members of the Pride WA project steering group provided valuable and much
appreciated assistance with planning, day-to-day implementation and project
management. Acknowledgement and thanks to Deborah Dearnley for her
research on international models.
Finally, thanks to all the members, volunteers and committee members over
the years that have put their passion and heart into creating an association
that celebrates and champions LGBTIQ people. Pride WA would not have
been able to sit here 25 years later and plan for a re-energised,
contemporary future without the efforts of all its supporters.
Contents
Executive Summary ............................................................................i!
1! About the review ......................................................................... 1!
1.1! Background ........................................................................................ 1!
1.2! Review Questions ................................................................................ 3!
1.3! Methodology ....................................................................................... 4!
2! Pride WA ...................................................................................... 6!
2.1! Purpose and objectives......................................................................... 6!
2.2! Structure ............................................................................................ 7!
2.3! Governance and management ............................................................... 8!
2.4! Finances ............................................................................................12!
3! International and interstate models ...........................................15!
3.1! International models ...........................................................................15!
3.2! Interstate models - culture and arts ......................................................17!
3.3! Interstate models - advocacy ...............................................................22!
4! Understanding the LGBTIQ community .......................................26!
5! Community consultations ............................................................34!
5.1! Community connection ........................................................................34!
5.2! Awareness of and connection to Pride WA ..............................................40!
5.3! Pride WA events .................................................................................43!
5.4! Perceptions and experiences of groups and stakeholders..........................50!
5.5! Future visions for Pride WA ..................................................................52!
6! Implications for planning ............................................................68!
Appendix 1: Advertising and promotion .........................................................74!
Appendix 2: Survey, submission and interview participants ..............................76!
Appendix 3: Comparative missions or purpose ...............................................79!
Appendix 4: Comparative funding .................................................................81!
Appendix 5: Pride WA events 2009 to 2011 ...................................................82!
Appendix 6: Event related comments ............................................................83!
References ................................................................................................88!
Figure and tables
Figure 1: Governance and management .............................................................9!
Figure 2: Pride WA Profit and Loss 2006-2013 ................................................... 13!
Figure 3: Positive connections to LGBTIQ community ......................................... 34!
Figure 4: How connected do you feel to the LGBTIQ community in your everyday life
............................................................................................................ 37!
Figure 5: How connected do you feel to the broader community in your everyday
life? ....................................................................................................... 38!
Figure 6: Membership of Pride WA ................................................................... 40!
Figure 7: Which Pride WA events have you attended over the past two years? ....... 43!
Figure 8: When should a Pride Parade be held? ................................................. 45!
Figure 9: What would you like to see more of in Pride Festival events? ................. 48!
Figure 10: How relevant do you think Pride WA is to the LGBTIQ community? ....... 53!
Figure 11: Relevance of Pride WA .................................................................... 53!
Figure 12: What do you think Pride WA should be doing? .................................... 56!
Figure 13: SWOT analysis of Pride WA.............................................................. 68!
Figure 14: Sexual identity .............................................................................. 76!
Table 1: Community forum participation .............................................................5!
Table 2: How many of your friends are LGBTIQ? ................................................ 38!
Table 3: Connections to LGBTIQ community...................................................... 38!
Table 4: Connections to broader community ..................................................... 39!
Table 5: Reasons for Pride WA membership ...................................................... 41!
Table 6: Which events should Pride WA keep holding? ........................................ 44!
Table 7: Factors discouraging participation ....................................................... 44!
Table 8: SWOT grid planning examples ............................................................ 69!
Table 9: Age range of survey respondents ........................................................ 77!
Executive Summary
Pride Western Australia Inc. (Pride WA) was incorporated in 1993 and grew
out of a 1989 community movement protesting laws discriminating against
Western Australian gays and lesbians. Pride WA oversees an annual Pride
programme, offering a range of events and celebrations including the Pride
Parade, Festival and Fairday. Pride WA is governed by a volunteer
management committee. The association does not employ any staff.
In August 2013, Pride WA Inc. (Pride WA) received funding from Lotterywest
to undertake a major strategic review of the association to identify the
purpose of Pride WA in contemporary Western Australia and develop a
sustainable plan and business model for the future. The strategic review has
a two-part approach: Phase One (research and consultation) and Phase Two
(planning). This report summarise the findings of Phase One.
Review methodology included research into international and interstate
models of other pride type organisations; and a review of studies that
highlight the demographic profile of LGBTIQ people and their lived
experiences. Community consultation methods included an online survey
(652 responses); community forums (62 attendees); written submissions
(5); and stakeholder interviews (4 held to date, with 2 more scheduled).
The research showed that Pride WA experiences similar challenges to
comparable organisations in terms of viability. Volunteer driven organisations
have become increasingly overwhelmed and most organisations have
experienced some level of declining event participation over the years.
Almost all examples reviewed have suffered at some time from internal
conflict, poor management and a dwindling interest from both the LGBTIQ
and wider community. Financial difficulties have compounded these problems.
Drawing upon the experiences of similar organisations, several key 'success
elements' for reform and revitalisation include:
•
strong leadership and good engagement with the LGBTIQ community
•
corporate and government sponsorship and partnerships
•
improved governance structures and systems and increased
professionalisation of day-to-day management
•
demonstrated evidence of positive outcomes.
For a number of organisations, undertaking such reforms has had a positive
effect with attracting grants and sponsorships. Government and the
corporate sectors are more likely to be partners when they recognise that
Pride WA Review Report
i
pride organisations can demonstrate good governance, reliable management
and evidenced social and economic returns.
Understanding the LGBTIQ community
Strategic planning requires understanding the community an organisation
wishes to serve. The overall prevalence of the LGBTIQ community in
Australia is difficult to calculate, but an estimate of 8% used by GRAI and
Curtin University (2010) appears to be a solid one from which to plan.
The LGBTIQ community is diverse and constantly changing. It is made up of
many different demographics groups, opinions and personal preferences. As
a microcosm, the LGBTIQ community reflects similar levels of diversity,
attitudes and biases as the wider community.
Census data shows that the number of same-sex couples living together is on
the increase, as is the number of couples living with children (12% of all
same sex couples living together).
As a whole, LGBTIQ people experience lower than average outcomes across a
range of health and wellbeing measures, especially in the area of mental
health, physical health and access to services. Trans* and gender diverse
people experience the lowest levels of general wellbeing.
Whilst the LGBTIQ community is ageing in much the same way the
mainstream community is, LGBTIQ elders experience particular challenges in
terms of maintaining connection and accessing services. Compared to the
general community, older LGBTIQ people are more likely to be single, living
alone and without children.
Evidence suggests that, although many young people feel more positive
about their same sex attraction, homophobic abuse is still experienced by
most same-sex attracted young people, with gender questioning young
people at higher risk of homelessness, self harm and suicide.
LGBTIQ people are increasingly meeting their community and social needs
through mainstream groups and are more likely to be a member of a
mainstream organisation than a LGBTIQ one. According to Private Lives 2
(2012), trans* people are more likely to be a member of a LGBTIQ
organisation and bisexual men least likely.
The relevance of the LGBTIQ community and Pride
Whilst social connection is increasingly 'mainstreamed', a LGBTIQ specific
sense of community is still important for about three in four people
responding to the survey. One quarter of respondents did not think the
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LGBTIQ community had much meaning in their lives - this included people
who want to connect more but find it difficult, as well as those that don't.
Although there were significant levels of dissatisfaction expressed about Pride
WA's performance over recent years, there were also very high levels of
praise and thanks. On the whole, the LGBTIQ community still values the
importance and place of Pride WA, with about three in four survey
respondents saying that Pride WA was still relevant. About one in fourteen
felt that Pride WA was not relevant and about one in six were not sure. This
translates to 23 out of every 30 people believing Pride WA is relevant, 2
believing it isn't relevant and 5 being undecided.
The difficulties experienced by Pride WA over the years to maintain relevance
and viability are generally recognised by many community members and
there was a wealth of feedback on how Pride events must become more
inclusive, of higher quality and better managed. Despite this, Pride WA is still
important for people and most (but not all) LGBTIQ community members
participating in the consultations wish to see the association strengthen
rather than decline.
Purpose
Findings show that Pride WA needs to be clearer on its purpose in benefiting
the LGBTIQ community. The current dual mission of cultural celebration and
championing rights needs to be reviewed in terms of how each can be held
equally by the association. Pride WA is somewhat unique from its interstate
counterparts in having such a dual mission, most organisations reviewed
tended to focus on either cultural celebration or advocacy.
A significant thread throughout the consultations was comments about the
extent to which Pride WA is art-based or rights-based or both. Many people
feel that Pride WA has focused too much on events at the cost of advocacy,
others think that Pride WA should just focus on cultural and community
celebration. Many people want Pride WA to do both.
A third focus of purpose that emerged from consultations is the desire for
Pride WA to take on a more central role in information coordination and
community building. In some ways this third stream, community building,
connects celebration and advocacy.
Pride WA needs to decide which (if any) of these elements will be its primary
focus or, if wishing to have a multiple purpose, how it can best hold different
objectives and functions within the one organisation.
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Activities
In terms of Pride WA events, the Parade and Fairday are the most attended.
Support for the continuation of Fairday was very high (87%), with about one
in five people uncertain about whether or not the Festival or Parade should
continue and one in fifteen people thinking that Pride WA should drop the
Parade. Uncertainly about the focus of the Parade and mixed opinion about
its benefits was also expressed in forums and stakeholder interviews.
Community support appears high for Pride WA to continue to run cultural
events, however people also want to see Pride WA play a role in advocacy
and community building, especially through the coordination and provision of
centralised information. Survey responses, submissions and forum feedback
suggest that whilst Pride WA has a role in building community capacity, it is
best for direct service provision to be left to specialised, funded organisations.
A number of people and agencies suggested that Pride WA could best
address advocacy through partnerships with other LGBTIQ groups.
Phase One findings indicate that Pride WA needs to strategically address the
quality, scope and consistency of its engagement with members, volunteers,
stakeholders, potential partners, allies and the Pride community. Whilst
community support for Pride WA is still very strong:
•
A significant proportion of people feel indifferent or mistrusting of Pride
WA and its ability to reform.
•
A number of agencies, groups and stakeholders spoke of an inconsistent
and ad-hoc approach to partnerships and relationships.
Pride WA must listen and respond to community feedback for greater
inclusion of diverse people and diverse preferences.
A number of people would like more frequent, smaller events throughout the
year, in which people can informally socialise.
Structure
Pride WA's current structure and operations rest upon a model whereby both
governance and management have primarily rested with the committee of
management. This, in conjunction with increased workloads, underdeveloped
governance policy, little corporate continuity and increased external
expectations, has led to challenges in terms of viability and stability.
Pride WA needs to find a way to reduce the level of decisionmaking and
direct management required of the committee of management so as to make
workloads and expectation more viable e.g. through delegating authority and
contracting out management.
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Regardless of specific directions in the future, governance and management
policy and systems need to be improved to ensure better continuity, clearer
delegations and reduced conflict. Policy and systems need to allow the
association to respond to external factors and requests in a timely manner;
build and manage relationships; and deal with day-to-day management.
Until such time as an executive officer or similar position can be appointed,
Pride WA may wish to move to three year terms for committee members,
with one third rotated each year. This could improve continuity and reduce
the sense that each committee often seems to 'start anew'. A hybrid model
of elected committee members and skills based appointments may also assist
governance and management.
The consultations suggest that more can be done in regard to membership
and volunteer services, communication and satisfaction. People mainly join
or volunteer because they genuinely want to support Pride WA, but
disorganisation, internal conflict, financial losses and reduced interest in Pride
events contribute to reduced membership and volunteer participation.
Financial viability
A significant issue in the sustainability for Pride WA is its lack of any secure
income stream. Twelve month funding cycles, with submission outcomes only
confirmed in the year the funds are to be used creates stress and greatly
impedes planning and implementation.
Ultimately, Pride WA must strategically find ways to provide for a more stable
and diverse financial base that has greater reliability and resilience. This is
not an easy task, especially in a climate of reduced support and higher
funding competition. However, there are examples from other pride type
organisations that show success in building some level of financial viability. A
clear message from interstate visits, research and stakeholder interviews is
that if an organisation wants financial or in-kind support, it must clearly know
who it is, have a focus for what it does, do it the best way that they can, and
be able to provide evidence of positive outcomes.
In conclusion, Pride WA has been an integral part of the LGBTIQ community
for some 25 years. In that time it has moved from grass roots advocacy and
law reform to celebration and events management. To a large extent a
measure of it success is in its continued existence (despite significant
challenges) and the continued genuine support that many in the community
hold for it. As with any family member, people view Pride WA with both
affection and frustration. Its future viability and relevance very much rests
upon its ability to engage and appropriately respond to the dynamic diversity
that is the LGBTIQ community of Western Australia.
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1 About the review
1.1 Background
In August 2013, Pride WA Inc. (Pride WA) received funding from Lotterywest
to undertake a major strategic review of the association to identify the
purpose of Pride WA in contemporary Western Australia and develop a
sustainable plan and business model for the future. It had become apparent
to the Pride WA Committee of Management that the existing model was no
longer viable. A lack of purpose and focus had resulted in dwindling support,
coupled with financial losses and increased criticism of events. This in turn
resulted in burn out and high turnover amongst those involved in the
management of Pride WA and organisation of events.
Kalico Consulting was engaged by Pride WA to assist in the strategic review.
Project objective
To undertake a strategic review of the purpose, function, structure,
governance and viability of Pride WA.
The scope of the review did not include evaluation of specific Pride WA events.
Phase One
Consultation and research on Pride WA’s purpose and structure, including:
•
community consultation on the purpose of Pride WA and mapping of
current groups within the LGBTIQ community
•
a review of similar organisations within Australia and internationally
•
a demographic analysis of the LGBTIQ population in Australia.
Phase Two
Strategic plan, governance framework and business model for building a
sustainable and viable Pride WA.
Phase One began in October 2013 and concluded at the end of February
2014. Phase Two will run from April to September 2014.
The review is overseen by a Pride WA Project Steering Committee,
comprising:
•
Michelle Rigg and Daniel Smith (Co-Presidents)
•
Graham Lovelock, Laura Foster and Sue Fisher (committee members)
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Project Reference Group
A project reference group (PRG) was established to guide Phase One,
meeting three times from October 2013 to April 2014. Members of the PRG
were:
•
Graham Lovelock, Pride WA Committee
•
Sue Fisher, Pride WA Committee
•
Tony Bober, WA Aids Council
•
Jude Comfort, GLBTI Rights in Ageing Inc (GRAI)
•
Craig Comrie, Youth Affairs Council of WA
•
Charles Denham, Community member
•
Phil Hampton, Living Proud
•
Pauline Logan, Community member
•
Louise Scott, City of Perth
•
Dani Wright, Freedom Centre
Phase One report
This paper reports on Phase One outcomes. Section 2 outlines the current
operation of Pride WA. Section 3 summarises the research undertaken on
overseas and interstate models and Section 4 explores demographic research
in relation to the LGBTIQ community in Australia. Section 5 outlines findings
from community consultations, including the survey, forums, submissions
and interviews. Section 6 draws together key findings to explore implications
for Phase Two planning. Sections 3 to 5 conclude with a chapter summary.
Language
A range of terms and acronyms are used to describe non-heterosexual
communities. Pride WA uses the term LGBTIQ to refer to its community meaning lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer and other same
sex attracted people. LGBTIQ is the general term used throughout this report,
unless a specific group uses an alternative description for their focus of work
(e.g. GLBT), in which case the alternative term is used.
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1.2 Review Questions
Overarching review questions
1. What should be the future identity and purpose of Pride WA? (Purpose)
2. What core roles and activities should Pride WA undertake in the future?
(Function)
3. What governance and organisational model would best ensure viability
and sustainability into the future? (Structure)
Sub-questions
Purpose
•
What do the LGBTIQ community want of Pride WA?
•
What are the key strengths of Pride WA that should be preserved?
•
What should the future focus of Pride WA be? e.g. community/cultural
events, advocacy, building capacity in the LGBTIQ community, providing
services?
•
What is missing in the LGBTIQ space in WA? Does Pride WA have a role in
moving into this space or supporting other groups to do so?
•
If Pride WA is to have a role in supporting LGBTIQ community groups what should that role look like?
Function
•
Having determined the future purpose and focus of Pride WA, what
functions/activities should be undertaken? What should Pride WA do and
not do?
•
If the future focus of Pride WA is to plan and present events for
community members, what events do the community want?
•
How should Pride WA work with other groups in the LGBTIQ community?
Structure
•
What governance and business model best meets the needs of Pride WA
moving forward?
•
How can sustainability be built into the governance and business model?
•
How should Pride WA organise itself at a corporate and operational level?
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1.3 Methodology
Desktop research was undertaken of international Pride type organisations,
with a more in-depth examination of four different examples. Kalico
Consulting visited the following organisations to look at interstate models:
•
Adelaide: Feast and Pride Parade.
•
Melbourne: Midsumma and Pride March Vic.
•
Sydney: Sydney Mardi Gras and Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby
•
Hobart: TasPride
•
Brisbane: Brisbane Pride
A literature review was conducted to explore demographic and profile
information about the LGBTIQ community in Australia.
A community consultation period ran from November 2013 to the end of
February 2014. Consultation methods used were:
•
Online survey for members of the LGBTIQ community and their
supporters
•
Community forums
•
DIY discussion kit
•
Written submissions
•
Stakeholder interviews
The promotional message for the consultations was - Your Community, Your
Say, Your Pride. Join the conversation at pridewa.com.au/sr2013.
Information about the review and community consultations was put on the
Pride WA website across three review pages: review (home), community
forums and more information about the review. Four audio-visual short films
were produced in conjunction with MIDLAS Social Media to promote the
review on the website and Pride WA Facebook page.
The consultation options were advertised in LGBTIQ and mainstream press;
and through mail outs, posters and promotional wristbands at Pride WA
events (see Appendix 1). Printed copies of the survey were sent to Umbrella
Multicultural Community Care Services, which runs a programme for elderly
members of the LGBTIQ community.
A total of 668 people began the online survey, with 16 being disqualified
because they did not identify as either a member or supporter of the LGBTIQ
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community. Data was cleaned and 652 full and partial survey completions
were analysed. Five written submissions were received and 62 people
attended community forums. Attendance at the metropolitan forums
(Joondalup, Perth, Midland and Fremantle) was low - ranging from zero to
three (Table 1).
Table 1: Community forum participation
Forum
Joondalup Forum
Perth Forum
Midland Forum
Fremantle Forum
Perth Youth Forum
Bunbury Youth Forum
Intersex, Trans and Gender Diverse
Forum
Interagency and Community Group Forum
Geraldton Forum
When
Sun 1 Dec
Tue 3 Dec
Sat 7 Dec
Sun 8 Dec
Fri 6 Dec
Tue 21 Jan
Wed 22 Jan
# of participants
0
3
3
2
11
13
5
Wed 29 Jan
Sun 9 Feb
9
16
Four stakeholder interviews have been undertaken, with a further two
scheduled. A DIY discussion kit with accompanying questions and submission
form was developed for anyone wishing to hold their own discussion group
about the review. No submissions were received through this consultation
method.
In undertaking an internal review of Pride WA organisation, history and
operations, Kalico Consulting reviewed the constitution, association files,
audited reports, annual reports and previous minutes. The consultants also
held a workshop with Committee of Management members in January 2014
to evaluate organisational structure and process. Appendix 2 provides a
profile of survey respondents, submissions received and list of interviews.
Limitations
The consultation process was not successful in attracting people to attend
community forums, with some feedback that the promotion of the forums got
lost in the promotion of the survey and Pride festival.
Survey results demonstrate the views and opinions of those people that
chose to do the survey. Whilst representing a significant sample of the
LGBTIQ population, survey results are not necessarily representative of all
LGBTIQ people.
Specific forums for Aboriginal and CaLD LGBTIQ people were in the original
plan but did not eventuate because the consultants could not successfully
make contact with networks through which to organise the forums.
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2 Pride WA
This section outlines the structure and operations of Pride WA and highlights
issues in current operations that can impact on good governance,
management and sustainability.
Pride Western Australia Inc. (Pride WA) was incorporated in 1993 and grew
out of a 1989 community movement protesting laws discriminating against
Western Australian gays and lesbians. Pride WA's original mission was to
'counter the oppression and discrimination endured by lesbian and gay
identifying people in Western Australia, and thereby promote the interests of
Western Australia lesbian and gay people and their communities'. Following
law reforms undertaken by the Gallop Government, Pride WA revisited its
mission and objectives and established a broader brief.
Pride WA oversees an annual Pride programme, offering a range of events
and celebrations including the Pride Parade, Festival and Fairday. Pride WA is
governed by a volunteer management committee. As of April 2014, there
were 326 members of Pride WA. The association does not employ any staff.
2.1 Purpose and objectives
The current purpose or mission of Pride WA is to 'encourage the cultural
expression and celebrate, champion and support the rights and freedoms of
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer and other same sex
attracted people living in Western Australia' (Pride WA Inc. Rules of
Association).
Within this mission, Pride WA identifies its specific objectives as:
a) To promote the visibility of the Pride Community;
b) To celebrate the diversity and cultural expression of the Pride Community;
c) To improve the self-esteem, health status, human rights and
representations of the Pride Community;
d) To make visible the positive contribution the Pride Community makes to
the wider Western Australian Community; and
e) To conduct fundraising activities to ensure the furtherance of the aims
and objectives of the Association.
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The purpose of Pride WA can be simplified as having a dual mission of
cultural celebration and championing rights (advocacy). The dual mission of
cultural celebration and championing rights links with the origin and history
of Pride WA. Pride WA's original mission was arguably more advocacy and
rights based, with the purpose of cultural celebration evolving from advocacy
and becoming part of the 2005 Rules of Association.
In comparing the mission and focus of other pride type organisations
researched in Phase One (Appendix 3 and Section 3), Pride WA shares a
common, broad objective to promote and celebrate the community through
cultural expression e.g. festivals and parades. Where Pride WA appears to
differ from its peers is in having a dual mission to also champion and support
rights and freedom, as reflected in objective c. In this sense, Pride WA is
closer with Denver (see Section 3), that also has a broad mission, resulting
in a range of programmes other than festival type events. Organisations such
as Feast, Midsumma, TasPride, Brisbane Pride and Sydney Gay and Lesbian
Mardi Gras (SGLMG) are clear that, whilst their objectives include the
promotion and support of LGBTIQ rights, this is largely through the primary
mission of cultural celebration, and indirectly through other LGBTIQ groups
that are supported by the festivals and events.
A key sub-question within this review was to look and think about how Pride
WA can best hold and honour a dual mission focus and do justice to both
cultural expression and advocacy. This was a question first raised by the
Committee of Management but has also emerged as a dominant conversation
within the community consultations (see Section 5).
2.2 Structure
For any incorporated association, the constitution or rules of association is
the primary governance document - setting out objectives, membership,
management and powers.
The current Pride WA Rules of Association (constitution) was approved at an
AGM held in February 2005. Key features of the constitution are:
•
Membership is open to all members of the Pride Community, which is
defined as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer and other
same sex attracted people living in Western Australia and those people
who support the mission of Pride WA. There is no provision for
organisational or corporate membership.
•
The committee of management is made up of two presidents (one male
and one female), a secretary, a treasurer, a membership secretary and
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seven other people. All committee of management members must be a
member of the Association.
•
The constitution requires a gender balance within the committee of
management and, where possible, two members under the age of 26
years. If gender balance cannot be achieved, the position is left vacant.
•
If a committee member that is serving their first term nominates for reelection, then they are automatically re-elected unless more than half
those members present at the AGM oppose such a motion, in which case
the current member must be treated like any other nominee and be voted
in through the election process.
•
Whilst the rules detail duties of the Secretary and Treasurer, the duties
and authorities of the Presidents are less clear, apart from chairing
meetings. The Presidents are not vested with any executive powers.
•
Decision making on the committee is via majority vote. If there is a tie in
voting, the status quo remains. There is no formal provision for decision
making outside of Committee meetings.
•
The committee may establish and delegate powers to sub-committees,
provided the sub-committee's convenor is a member of the committee
(s17.2).
•
The Rules are silent on the committee's authority to delegate to specific
offices (e.g. association office holders or executive officer), although this
may be implied in general powers at s 17.1.
2.3 Governance and management
The historical model of many community organisations has been one in which
the management committee has undertaken a primary role in the
management and/or delivery of the work of the association. Such 'grassroots'
organisations often exist with few resources - with management committee
members being both the stewards (governance) and doers (management).
This is the model that Pride WA has grown from.
In recent times, as many organisations have become increasingly complex
and there are higher expectations in terms of governance and oversight, the
functions of governance and management have tended to become more
separate. Modern not-for-profits have increasing sought to separate
governance from management, whilst acknowledging the overlaps between
the two (Figure 1).
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Figure 1: Governance and management
!
!
Governance)
Purpose!and!
direction!
Oversight!
Policy!
Evaluation!
!
!
)
Management)
Implementation!
Proecudures!
Day9to9day!
management!
Oversight!of!staff,!
contracts!etc.!
!
In order to better oversee good governance and good management, not-forprofit associations build upon their constitutions, to develop a suite of
governance and management policies, procedures and protocols. Such
policies ensure that the association ensures its corporate viability and
provides a level of governance certainty and continuity. The demonstration of
good governance has become one of the most critical factors in attracting
supporters and funders.
From the review of Pride WA documents, committee of management
workshop, community consultations and stakeholder interviews, there is
evidence that Pride WA needs to invest in developing clearer policy and
better holding of corporate knowledge and history.
Whilst on one level Pride WA has a strong sense of its organisational history,
there is not a lot of evidence that this has extended to organisational
continuity. For example, it was not easy to source the files of previous
management committees, find policies etc. Important communications and
documents have in the past been distributed by email without such emails or
documents being centrally held. This means that if the email address
becomes inactive and has not been stored, the information is lost.
Another factor is that the association has not had a stable 'home', although
the WA Aids Council provided meeting and record space for a number of
years. Pride WA is currently 'housed' (in terms of records, administrative
services and meetings space) at the Centre for Association Management
(CASM) and the committee has implemented a centralised email and
electronic records system.
Continuity issues are also linked to the annual changeover in the committee
of management. Although some members stay on the committee for a
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number of terms, providing continuity, at another level it appears that the
organisation has been prone to a culture of almost 'starting again' with each
new committee. For example, previous committees have developed some
documents on governance (e.g. members agreements, job descriptions,
codes of conduct), but these documents do not appear to have lived on
beyond the year they were developed. A similar observation can be made in
terms of a certain level of decisionmaking and stakeholder relationships. This
assessment was supported by feedback received from committee members,
stakeholders and some of the feedback received in the community
consultations.
Other findings in relation to governance and management are outlined below.
Delegations
Incorporations seeking to create some separation between overall
governance and day-to-day management, do so through the mechanism of
delegated authorities. Such delegations can sit either within a constitution or
policy and clarify matters such as who has the authority to:
•
make day-to-day operational decisions
•
approve expenditure within an agreed budget
•
represent the organisation
•
appoint and oversee staff, volunteers or contractor.
Clear delegations exist to ensure quality governance and management; allow
for timely responses; reduce the workload of the management committee;
and reduce the potential for conflict.
Whilst individual members of Pride WA's committee of management take on
organisational portfolio areas such as membership, website maintenance,
Facebook and marketing, almost all decisionmaking currently rests with the
committee of management. There are few clear, delegated authorities that
allow decisionmaking beyond the committee as a whole, for example, in
regard to the payment of invoices, managing contracts or day-to-day
operations.
There is no specific office/s or executive committee authorised to manage
Pride WA on a day-to-day basis, although feedback from some members of
the committee suggested that this can operate on a defacto basis, with some
members appearing to be more involved in day-to day issues in between
meetings than others. Coupled with a lack of clear delegations, Pride WA
does not have a clear, written policy and procedure for committee of
management decisionmaking in between meetings.
10
It is the consultant's assessment that the absence of clear delegations has
resulted in a number of challenges for Pride WA:
•
It has lead to the committee being overloaded with decisionmaking that
might more efficiently be dealt with through delegation.
•
It has, at times, reduced the efficiency of Pride WA to be able to quickly
respond to matters on a day-to-day basis.
•
It has lead to conflict around where authority lies to decide or respond to
particular matters.
Record keeping and administration
As discussed earlier, Pride WA has been affected by inconsistent record
keeping. This includes where physical records are stored and how electronic
records are managed. The current committee has introduced a number of
reforms, which it hopes will address some of these problems. Such reforms
include the use of internet space to securely store electronic records,
engaging CASM to undertake administrative tasks of the association and
ensuring that all members have and use a Pride WA email account.
Whilst a number of policy decisions have been made at committee meetings
over the years, not all of these decisions have been collected and stored in a
discrete policy and procedure manual. This has lead to a loss of corporate
knowledge and decisionmaking. Where this review found examples of
previous documents related to policy and governance, these have been
compiled and given to the current committee of management.
Workloads
A common theme to emerge from talking to current and previous members
of the committee of management is the sustainability of workloads for
volunteer committee members trying to deliver an ambitious programme of
events. The absence of any executive officer that can be delegated to
undertake day-to-day management means more work is required of the
committee. For example, from 2008 to 2011, the committee of management
met an average or 34 times a year - that equates to almost once every ten
days. Such workloads can result in conflict and a cycle of burnout, leading to
higher than desired changeover rates.
The current committee of management has attempted to reduce the
workloads of members by contracting-out administrative and event
management tasks. This has been done with mixed successes, linked in part,
to the late confirmation of annual income through grants and sponsorships.
11
Internal conflict
Pride WA's up and down history of internal conflict was acknowledged by the
committee of management and reflected in feedback received from the
LGBTIQ community and external stakeholders (see Section 5). History can be
difficult to address, because it can impact on public perceptions and
organisational culture and create distrust or apprehension, which in itself can
become self-fulfilling.
Whilst a level of conflict or difference is healthy for an organisation, there
was a strong sense expressed that much of the conflict experienced by Pride
WA over the years has been more divisive than constructive.
Structural factors that can ease or aggravate conflict (e.g. decisionmaking,
delegations, communication, workloads etc.) have bearing upon how easily a
management committee can fulfill its roles and functions without negative
levels of conflict. The absence of an executive officer and the need to 'hit the
ground running' in terms of event organisation, all impact on the adequate
induction of new members, the development of policy, stakeholder
engagement, strategic planning and evaluation. Put all together, structural
factors can create a perfect storm that can increase internal conflict.
Good governance puts in place policies and procedures that help prevent
conflict, as well as systems for how to effectively manage and learn from
conflict when it arises. It is noted that the intention in undertaking this
strategic review has been to provide a process that can identify governance
and management issues and plan for ongoing improvements.
2.4 Finances
A significant challenge for the viability of Pride WA has been its inability to
attract any form of recurrent funding. The funding model is based upon
annual sponsorships, donations and fundraising. Each year the association
has to put in funding applications and await the outcomes before being able
to fully commit to organisation strategies (e.g. contracting out certain tasks).
Figure 2 provides the income, expenditure and net profit and loss for Pride
WA since 2006. The figures are based upon a review of audited reports, with
an adjustment to 2011 and 2012, where $20,000 in Lotterywest funds for
2011 was received after the financial year end. Figure 2 shows that Pride WA
made a loss in three of the past eight years, with the degree of each loss
declining. Both income and expenditure for 2013 was significantly higher
than previous years, and includes the Lotterywest grant for the strategic
review and increased sponsorships.
12
Figure 2: Pride WA Profit and Loss 2006-2013
390,000
340,000
290,000
240,000
190,000
140,000
90,000
40,000
-10,000
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
-60,000
Income
Expenditure
Net profit/loss
The major factors for losses in 2007 was the Pride After-Party and from 2008
to 2013 Pride WA ceased to exclusively produce the event, rather working
with established venues on providing an after parade party option. In 2009,
expenses were all within budget but income was significantly less than
budgeted for.
The primary source of income for Pride WA over the last eight years has been
sponsorship by the City of Perth, grants from Lotterywest, earned income
(e.g. ticket sales, merchandise, advertising) and other sponsorships. It is
difficult to compare specific income categories across these eights years
because of different systems used to report income e.g. it is sometimes hard
to distinguish between grants and sponsorships, obtain a breakdown of
specific sponsorships, and determine the levels of in-kind versus cash
sponsorships.
A comparative funding table benchmarking sources of income against
interstate agencies (Appendix 4) show that in 2013, 46.6% of Pride WA
income was from grants, 30.6% from donations and sponsorships and 19.4%
from earned income.
In looking at Pride WA's income compared to Feast, Midsumma and SGLMG
(Appendix 4), the following observations can be made:
13
•
Feast's income was more than double Pride WA's and Midsumma's was
almost three times higher.
•
Pride WA receives less earned income as a proportion of all income than
Feast, Midsumma and SGLMG.
•
Midsumma has a significant amount of income received in-kind.
•
In 2013, Pride WA was more reliant on grants than the other three
organisations.
Data on actuals against Pride WA events was reviewed for the years 2009,
2010 and 2011 (Appendix 5). As of writing, similar data is not available for
2012 and 2013. The data in Appendix 5 shows the following:
•
Fairday is the most expensive event on the Pride WA calendar ($103,000
in 2010), followed by the Parade ($32,000 in 2010).
•
From 2009 to 2013, administration consistently has the highest areas of
loss. This is in part linked to not having discrete administrative income
funding.
•
Events like the Ball ran at significant losses.
•
From 2009 to 2010, just over 50% of all events made some level of profit.
14
3 International and interstate models
Part of the review's methodology was to look at comparable models of pride
type organisations from other countries and Australian states. In terms of
Australian examples aligned to Pride WA's dual mission, the focus was on
LGBTIQ organisations whose primary purpose is either the celebration of
LGBTIQ culture or advocacy around LGBTIQ rights. This section presents an
outline of the different models reviewed before summarising key
observations. Appendix 3 and 4 provide comparative tables in relation to the
mission and funding sources of the agencies reviewed.
Origins of Pride
In western democracies the most frequent reference for the genesis of pride
is the Stonewall riots that protested the treatment of the gay community by
police when they raided the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich, New York in June
1969. Undoubtedly, pride began as a protest against the discrimination and
persecution. Along the way pride events have evolved into a celebration of
the gains achieved and the diversity of the LGBTIQ community. Pride is also
a voice for the struggles of those living in countries where persecution is still
being experienced and the fight for equal rights has only just begun.
3.1 International models
The international research looked at cities that share some of the features of
Perth, including size and isolation. The research also examined examples of
pride events regardless of their similarities to Perth, to illustrate the diversity
in approaches and models. In focusing the research, Auckland (New Zealand)
and Vancouver, (Canada) were chosen for their similarities to Perth and
Denver (USA) and London (UK) for their innovative and successful operations.
Auckland
In 1991, Auckland held the 'Hero Parade' for the first time, with smaller
events running in other cities. Hero developed further to include a two-week
festival until 2001 when financial problems caused the Parade itself to cease
operating and only limited other festival activities to be run.
During 2011, public meetings were held to consult the LGBTIQ community to
gauge interest in reviving the annual pride event. Support was received not
just from the LGBTIQ community but also from the wider community,
including broad political support both locally and nationally. An organising
committee was established within a short time and secured core funding
from Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) and
15
support from the Auckland Council. The ATEED estimated that the event
would contribute $780,000 to the economy.
The Auckland Pride Festival and Parade returned in 2012. The Parade and
Festival are staged in February each year. In 2014, the Pride Parade started
at 7pm. The festival to includes cabaret, comedy, theatre, visual arts,
concerts, book launches, debates, walks and lifestyle events.
The Auckland Pride Festival Trust is appointed as the governance body. Paid
staff include the Festival Coordinator, Parade Coordinator, Sponsorship
Manager. Volunteers are also an important resource. Major sponsors are
Auckland Tourism, local government and corporates.
Vancouver
The Vancouver Pride Parade and Festival is the largest parade of any kind in
Western Canada. It was first held in 1978 and is currently run by the
Vancouver Pride Society (VPS). In August 2013, it was reported that 500,000
people attended the Parade. The annual event includes a festival and parade
with a fairday type event afterwards (12pm start in 2013).
Between 2008-11 the VPS reported surpluses each year as the pride event
continued to attract growing numbers of spectators. In 2012, internal conflict
and poor management left the organisation with a deficit of $76,000. There
was an increasing awareness of the need for the organisation to transition
from being volunteer driven to employing an executive officer who could
more effectively manage the task of organising pride. In late December 2012,
the first general manager was appointed and led a small team of staff, in
addition to 250 volunteers, to successfully host the 35th Pride Parade with a
reported attendance of 500,000 spectators and participants.
In mid-2013, the Vancouver City Council awarded civic status with an annual
contribution of $50,000 to the Pride Parade in recognition of its contribution
to the City. The VPS pledged that it would conduct an economic impact study
as a result of receiving the council grant to assist with future planning.
London
The first gay pride was held in London in 1972. In 2013 London Pride was
rebuilt after the disappointing events of the previous year when the
organisation failed to deliver the 'World Pride' event to its expected standard.
Following the collapse of London Pride, a number of public meetings were
held. The Mayor of London accepted a bid put forward by a group called
LGBT+ Community Pride to run the event for the next five years. Events for
2013 included a parade (1pm start), music festival, UK Black Pride event, a
16
two week arts festival and special programme of events for older members.
In 2013 an estimated 800,000 people attended the event.
LGBT+ Community Pride has set up a company responsible for management,
with a Community Advisory Board. Surplus funds are reinvested in Pride
events or distributed as grants. The company utilises over 1,200 volunteers.
The main areas of financial support are the Mayor of London (£650,000 over
five years), partnerships with commercial event producers, sponsorship
packages, ticket sales, donations and fundraising.
Denver
The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of Colorado
(The Center) took over running pride in 1989. Starting with 10,000 people
attending in that first year, it has grown to become one of the largest pride
festivals and parades in the United States, hosting 325,000 guests annually.
The Centre opened in 1976. In 2012, the Center had a budget of 1.8 million
dollars, employed 19 staff, had 500 volunteers and serviced 40,000 people.
In addition to the festival and parade (9.30am start in 2013), the Centre
runs a drop in centre and specific programs including a transgender, elders
and advocacy program.
The 2012 financial statement outlines income of $1,976,160 and expenditure
of $1,894,111. Earnings constitute the largest component of annual funding,
followed by grants, individual and community contributions, campaign funds,
special events, investment income and other income.
3.2 Interstate models - culture and arts
Visits were undertaken to all states in Australia in order to better understand
the organisation, experiences and challenges faced by other pride groups and
events. Visits were supplemented with a desktop review.
In broad terms it is possible to identify four categories of organisations when
discussing the groups that were visited:
•
Arts festival organisations (Feast and Midsumma)
•
Pride march organisations (Pride March Adelaide and Pride March Victoria)
•
Combined festival and march/parade organisations (TasPride, Brisbane
Pride and Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras)
•
Advocacy organisations (NSW Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby)
17
South Australia - Feast
Feast was founded in 1997 by a group of arts and community cultural
workers. Feast produces the Feast Festival over two weeks in early
November. Feast describes itself as following a community arts framework,
with those on the board reflecting an arts background. Feast does not
undertake advocacy or provide services. Feast estimates that about 5% of
audiences attending are international visitors and 8-9% are from interstate.
Feast shows are curated with limited open access. The 2012 festival included
32 venues; 53 Feast produced shows and 33 co-productions; 21 Community
events; 6 parties; 15 visual art exhibitions; 11 film screenings; and 2 cultural
development projects. The 2013 festival included a Queer Ideas programme
of six events discussing issues such as discrimination and gender diversity.
In 2013, Feast received a grant to support participation for regional same sex
attracted and questioning young people. Initiatives included the touring of a
performance piece, Speak Out, to regional schools and communities; a
exchange program that provided a host and buddy system for regional youth
to attend the festival in Adelaide; and a Queer Youth Drop In Space.
Feast SA is an incorporated association with membership limited to board
members. Feast operates advisory sub-committees that provide input to the
board and are seen as a valuable component of the operational model. Staff
include Artistic Director, General Manager, Administrator, Visual Arts
Coordinator and Youth Project Officers. Volunteers are a major resource.
In 2012 the ANZ Bank joined as Principal Sponsor. There were a further 50
sponsors, partners and supporters, including Arts South Australia, SA Water,
the Premiers Community Initiative Fund and the Adelaide City Council.
South Australia - Pride March Adelaide
Adelaide's first pride march was held in 1973 and its second 30 years later.
Adelaide holds an annual community march, as opposed to a parade, that is
organised by Pride March Adelaide, an unincorporated committee of
volunteers. The vision of the march is to 'Celebrate Adelaide’s LGBTI love,
strength and diversity'. In 2013, the march began at 6.30pm and was
followed by the Feast Opening Night Party (ticketed event at $10 on the door
or ClubFeast members free). Participation in the march is free.
Victoria - Midsumma
Since being launched by the Gay Business Association in 1988, Midsumma
Festival Incorporated (Midsumma) has run an annual programme of events.
Midsumma describes itself as an arts organisation that holds events for the
benefit of the LGBTIQ community and to provide a platform for LGBTIQ arts.
18
Midsumma estimates that the festival attracts 6-7% interstate visitors and
about 0.5% international visitors.
Carnival is the signature event of the festival, with approximately 100,000
people attending in 2013. The event is free with income limited to sales and
donations. T Dance, an outdoor queer dance party, follows Carnival, along
with an alternative after-party. A three-week festival is run from mid-January.
2013 was the festival's silver jubilee with 132 events across 85 venues in
Melbourne and regional Victoria. The programme was shaped by three
categories: opening day events, premier events and registered events.
Opening day events were programmed, managed and produced by
Midsumma. Midsumma curated premier events through a submission and
selection process. Registered events were a combination of community
produced (open access) and Midsumma produced events. To encourage
healthy living, 2013 saw the presentation of Midsumma Team Melbourne
Sports Day, with over 400 people attending twelve sporting options.
Midsumma is an incorporated association that employs a year round Festival
Manager, with short-term contracts leading up to the festival. In 2013 this
included a Production Manager, Ticketing Manager, Production Coordinator
and Office Manager. A Volunteer Coordinator oversees the work of
volunteers (180 in 2012/13). The volunteer programme is supported by IBM.
It is planned for the Volunteer Coordinator to become a paid position in 2014.
Major public partners include the City of Melbourne, Arts Victoria, Tourism
Victoria, Hobson Bay City Council, Maribyrnong City Council and the City of
Yarra. Major corporate sponsors include NAB, GoWest, Telstra and IBM. Half
of Midsumma's revenue is received through in-kind contributions. Midsumma
manages its own ticket sales as a means of raising revenue.
Victoria - Pride March Victoria
Victoria holds an annual pride march (as opposed to a parade) in February
that is organised by Pride March Victoria (PMV), an incorporated association
managed and run by volunteers. It is estimated that about 30-40,000
spectators attended the 2013 march, with about 3,500 marching. The 2014
march commenced at 2.00pm, followed by a free park based celebration. In
the past few years, the celebration moved to a local hotel after 7.30pm,
where a percentage of the bar takings go to PMV.
In the past the after-march party was fully organised by PMV, however the
event resulted in heavy losses one year when the march and after party were
washed out. These losses led to some community backlash and PMV focused
upon a 'Back to the Community Campaign' to find out what community
members wanted from the event and from PMV.
19
Queensland - Brisbane Pride
The Brisbane Pride Festival commenced in 1990 with a march/rally and grew
to develop into a month long festival. For 13 years the festival was run as a
collective and in 2002, Brisbane Pride Incorporated (Brisbane Pride) was
formed to run the festival. The Festival is entirely run volunteers, with plans
to employ a part-time coordinator in 2014. Brisbane Pride does not curate or
produce events, apart from premier ones - events are put on by partners.
In 2010, Brisbane Pride experienced financial problems, having run a loss for
the previous two years. A new committee was established and a three year
plan developed. Reforms included moving to a skills based board; removing
events that ran at a loss; downsizing the programme; and working towards
constitutional changes so as to introduce two-year terms for the board.
The Pride rally and march was traditionally followed by Fair Day. In 2011 the
committee decided that Fair Day was no longer economically viable and the
event would not be held. Qnews put on an alternative event, Carnivale. The
committee has decided to begin hosting Fair Day again.
The festival was moved from June to September to link in with Brisbane
Festival. The rationale was to increase the viability of Pride by attracting
interstate visitors coming to attend both Pride and Brisbane Festival events.
Now Fair Day is held one week before the River Fire Festival, a key Brisbane
Festival event. Pride and Brisbane Festival cross promote and are looking at
other partnership options.
Brisbane City Council provides $21,000 over 3 yrs. The Queens Birthday Ball
is the major fundraiser. Brisbane Pride has set up a fund to receive a portion
of profits for redistribution into the community. In 2013, $13,000 was put in
the fund. Groups to receive support must have a mental health focus.
NSW - Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras (SGLMG) 'exists primarily to develop the
Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras for the benefit of Sydney’s LGBTQI
community, the enjoyment of a wider audience and as a global beacon of
diversity, acceptance and LGBTQI rights. We aim to raise the visibility of the
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex communities'
(SGLMG website). In common with other organisations, SGLMG is clear that
it is not '… an advocacy group, but a platform for expression', which may
include advocacy (Interview 22 November 2013).
SGLMG reports a major international audience and is the second largest
injection of tourist dollars into NSW, resulting in significant buy in from a
range of government and commercial sponsors and interests.
20
The 2013 parade had 112 individual groups and 9,686 participants. A grants
programme assisted groups with expenses to build their Parade entries. The
after party was held over seven spaces (12,000 tickets in 2013).
SGLMG organises a curated rather than open access festival. Some events
are produced by SGLMG, whilst third parties produce others. The 2013
festival was held over 100 events. Fair Day launches the festival. As with
most other states, SGLMG has noted a decline in support for dance parties
and greater demand for family friendly events. SGLMG have entered the
retail travel market with Mardi Gras Travel.
Staff in 2012/13 included CEO, program manager, brand and creative
manager, festival associate producer and marketing manager, business
manager and event producer. Nineteen contractors were engaged over
2012/13. SGLMG has over 1,500 volunteers.
SGLMG operates under a not-for-profit company structure with a Board of
Directors (elected and board appointed) and a sub-committee structure
including: audit and risk, finance, strategic and women. In 2014, SGLMG
established a Trans* and Intersex Working Group. SGLMG provides a range
of supports to community groups either through direct funding (e.g. Gay and
Lesbian Rights Lobby), complimentary tickets, direct support, cross
memberships, donations or waived fees.
2013 saw SGLMG report its first profit since 2009. Strategic partners include
Destination NSW and the City of Sydney. Major partners include the ANZ
Bank, Optus, Air Asia, Google, Gaydar, Finlandia, Beyongblue and Atlantis.
Official supporters include over 34 businesses. Approximately 8% of revenue
in 2012/13 was received in-kind (contra).
Tasmania - TasPride
TasPride has been in existence for about 20 years, growing out of a group of
people wishing to establish a Gay and Lesbian Community Centre. TasPride
Inc. is 'dedicated to celebrating, uniting and promoting the Tasmanian Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Queer community, through
providing opportunities for everyone to come together and share our pride'
(TasPride website).
The Parade (12pm start in 2013) does not have floats and finishes with a
community gathering on Parliament House Lawns. The Festival is each
November and a picnic is held each February. Events are also held
throughout the year, including the Queens Birthday Dance Party.
There are eleven festival sponsors and over 13 prize donors. The main
fundraising event is a dance party that is held on the Queens Birthday.
21
TasPride reports that their events are well attended and supported by the
community and, unlike feedback from some other states, decline in
attendances do not appear to be occurring in Tasmania. TasPride suggest
that this '… may be due to the fact that law reform at a state level has
happened later in time here and so still very relevant to our community to
celebrate and acknowledge' (Interview 25 November 2013).
3.3 Interstate models - advocacy
An overview of the LGBTIQ advocacy landscape in Australia reveals a diverse
range of organisations and community groups. Johnson, Maddison and
Partridge (as cited in Tremblay et al 2011, p.28) suggest that the
proliferation of movement organisations is a consequence of the divisions of
responsibility between state and federal governments, which sees:
... a number of different State-level organizations such as the New
South Wales Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby, Gay and Lesbian Equality
(WA), the Tasmania Gay and Lesbian Rights Group and Victorian Gay
and Lesbian Rights Lobby co-existing with various national
organizations and nationally coordinated campaigns. The latter
currently include the Australian Coalition for Equality, Australian
Marriage Equality and Equal Love.
When considering advocacy groups, there are some clear distinctions to keep
in mind. One is the distinction between individual advocacy and systemic
advocacy. Individual advocacy is directed at specific needs of individuals,
whilst systemic advocacy is directed at influencing and changing systems e.g.
government, agencies, laws and policies.
Another distinction is between groups that have developed out of concern
around a specific issue and population within the LGBTIQ community, such as
marriage equality, gender diverse and trans*, health, youth and aged
interests; and those groups which may be termed as broader based, focused
more generally upon the advocacy of LGBTIQ human rights.
This review focused on state based examples of LGBTIQ organisations
engaged in systemic advocacy across a broad mandate, rather than
specialised or issue specific advocacy groups.
Western Australia
Currently in Western Australia there is no example of a broad based
advocacy organisation. Examples of issue-based advocacy organisations
include the WA Gender Project and GRAI. Until recently, GALEWA (Gay and
Lesbian Equality WA) described itself as the peak WA lobby group for diverse
22
sexuality and gender. However, following legislative reforms of the Gallop
Government, GALEWA activity declined and the group has ceased to exist
(Pride WA Inter Agency Forum 29 Feb 2014).
GALE WA focused upon lobbying, meeting with politicians and working on
specific campaigns aimed at implementing gay and lesbian law reform.
New South Wales
Established in 1988, Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby (GLRL) advocates on
behalf of the lesbians and gay men and provides referral and educative
resources to the media, policy makers and the community. A voluntary
committee manages GLRL. The committee is required to be gendered
balanced, with a male and female co-convenor. GLRL runs volunteer working
groups and employs a policy and projects officer for two days per week.
Following a loss of nearly $50,000 in 2010-2011, GLRL undertook a number
of reforms, including boosting membership, reducing costs and attempting to
achieve Tax Concession Charity status.
While a gay and lesbian organisation, GLRL works with other organisations to
recognise the importance of equality for the intersex, trans* and gender
diverse community. Identified priorities in the current strategic plan are
organisational sustainability; anti-discrimination legislation; marriage
equality; lack of awareness of rights within gay and lesbian communities;
and homophobic Bullying in Schools.
The major sources of income are donations and grants, with SGLMG being
the biggest supporter ($15,681 in 2012/13), followed by non-member
donations ($12,000 in 2012/13). In 2012/13, grants were received from the
Attorney-General's Department and Marrickville Council.
Victoria
Established in 1997, the Victorian Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby's (VGLRL)
mission is to 'change society to achieve equality, human rights and social
justice for lesbians, gay men queers, bisexuals and same sex attracted
people in Victoria'. Current campaigns include anti-discrimination; seeking
funding to establish a Victorian LGBTIQ peak body; tackling homophobia;
workplace diversity; and equal marriage.
VGLRL operates as an incorporated association, managed by a voluntary
committee. Key positions include a female and male co-convenor. Four
positions on the committee are reserved for men, four for women and two
non-gender defined positions.
23
VGLRL is run completely by volunteers and without an office. It operates a
working group structure. Funding is received through fund raising events,
memberships, donations and bequests.
Tasmania
The Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group played a significant role in the
1988-1997 campaign to achieve gay law reform in Tasmania, which was
achieved in 1997. It is a community-based organisation that campaigns for
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender human rights in Tasmania.
It continues to play a role on issues such as anti-discrimination, marriage
equality, human rights and litigation watch through parliamentary lobbying,
media, community education and direct action.
SUMMARY
All organisations reviewed tended to focus on either cultural celebration or
advocacy. The Centre in Denver was the only example that focused on
celebration and advocacy, plus service delivery. Australia does not have a
similar model. In the Australian context there has been a general separation
of arts, advocacy and service delivery based LGBTIQ organisations. All
Australian organisations visited suggested that there is a primary difference
in orientation between being an arts/culture versus advocacy group. Many
felt it could be problematic for one organisation to do both, citing funding
considerations.
The transition from the early days of pride as a grassroots movement to the
parades and festivals of today that attract many hundreds of thousands of
spectators has not been without challenges. Volunteer driven organisations
have become increasingly overwhelmed with the amount of hours required
for the delivery of pride celebrations. Almost all examples reviewed, both
nationally and internationally, have suffered at some time from internal
conflicts, poor management and a dwindling commitment and interest from
both the LGBTIQ and wider community. Financial difficulties have
compounded the problems beset by these groups.
The research suggests there have been several key 'success elements' where
pride organisations have been reformed and revitalised. These include:
•
strong leadership and rallying of the LGBTIQ community
•
high profile supporters and endorsements
•
corporate and government sponsorship and partnerships
•
implementation of improved governance structures and systems
•
increased professionalisation of day-to-day management
24
•
increased attention to volunteer engagement and management
•
demonstrated evidence of positive outcomes.
For a number of organisations, undertaking such reforms has had a positive
effect with attracting grants and sponsorships. Government and the
corporate sectors are more likely to be partners when they recognise that
pride organisations can demonstrate good governance, reliable management
and evidenced social and economic returns.
Whilst there were a number of differences between the Australian LGBTIQ
organisations reviewed, some major common themes emerged, namely:
•
Festival based groups are increasingly facing viability issues due to a
range of factors including changing demographics and high costs
associated with putting on events. A number have experienced cuts in
funding, coupled with a decline in revenue and ticket sales. There is
higher competition from other festivals and increased 'mainstreaming'
within traditional audiences, with many LGBTIQ people choosing to
engage in broader community events rather than LGBTIQ specific ones.
•
Advocacy based groups are struggling more than culture/arts based
groups to attract grants and sponsorships. Whilst a number of festivals
have been successful in linking benefits with tourism, arts and health
priorities, financial support of advocacy groups is not high and indeed has
contracted across the advocacy sector as a whole.
•
The changing demographics of the LGBTIQ community has resulted in a
need to rethink festival programing, e.g. increased demand for family
friendly events and decreased demand for dance parties.
•
Trans*, intersex and gender diverse community members are seeking
greater recognition and representation within festival activities and events,
as well as greater acknowledgement as an advocacy priority.
•
All organisations acknowledged that there is minimal interaction between
the various pride festival groups at a national level and that there could
be some benefit from greater contact and collaboration, with the potential
to share experiences, resources, align some programing etc.
The international and national research gives a sense of broader context to
the challenges faced by community based associations such as Pride WA. A
common feature of all organisations has been that they are community
grounded, with most of them moving to models of improved governance and
increased professionalism. The research shines light on some of the
strategies used by pride type organisations to facilitate change and renewal.
25
4 Understanding the LGBTIQ community
The LGBTIQ community is broad and diverse, so defining such a community
is complex. Estimating the prevalence of the LGBTIQ population is important
for planning, but difficult to do. The Australian Census does not include
questions in regard to sexual identity or orientation, although since 1996 the
Census has been collecting data on same sex couples living together.
In Australia, there have been few population studies on sexuality. Research
coming from countries such as the United States show a range of estimated
prevalence rates, with variation linked to differences in definitions,
methodology, sampling and response rates (Kinsey Institute). Estimating the
LGBTIQ population is further complicated by whether or not a study is
seeking to estimate behaviours, orientation or identity - all concepts that are
different. In addition, prevalence rates can be affected by potential under
self-reporting of sexuality in surveys due to sensitivity and perceived social
stigma (Coffman et al. 2013).
The figure of 10% is often used as an estimate of the LGBTIQ community.
However, this figure derives from the Kinsey studies of the 1950s and has
been shown to have a range of sampling bias issues (Kinsey Institute). A
summary by the Kinsey Institute of studies conducted in the US since 1974
found prevalence rates of identity or orientation ranging from 1% to 10%
(Kinsey Institute). The US National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior
(Center for Sexual Health Promotion 2010) found that about 7% of women
and 8% of men in the United States identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual.
In Australia, the Australian Study of Health and Relationships (ASHR1, or
'Sex in Australia') is a population study of sexual and reproductive health.
First conducted in 2003 with a representative sample of 19,307 people aged
between 16-59 years, the second study began in 2013 but is not yet
completed. ASHR1 (Smith et al. 2003) found that 2.6% of males and 2.3%
of females identified as non-heterosexual. Among the respondents, 8.6% or
men and 15.1% of women reported some level of same sex attraction and
experience. These results are consistent with studies conducted in other
countries that suggest same sex attraction and experience is more common
than non-heterosexual identity.
Australian Census (2011) data found that the proportion of people identifying
as being in a same sex couple relationship has increased. Based on this trend,
it is possible that non-heterosexual prevalence rates in the ASHR2 study will
be higher than the 2003 study, but this is not yet known.
26
The ASHR 1 figures do not include people who are transgender, transsexual
or intersex. Estimates of intersex and transgender populations vary greatly
depending upon defining criteria and methodology. Intersex populations have
been estimated to range from 0.018% to 1.7% of the population in the US
(GRAI 2010, p.11). Conway (2002 as cited by Sinnot 2005, p.2) estimated
the prevalence of transsexualism to range from 1:500 (including those who
do not seek surgery) to 1:1000 (for those who seek surgery) for male-tofemale transexuals. Culture also appears to impact on prevalence, with a
1988 study in the Netherlands by Ekland et al. suggesting rates of 1:18,000
for male-to-female transgendered people and 1:54,000 for female-to-male;
whilst a 1988 study by Tsoi in Singapore estimated 1:2,900 for male-tofemale and 1:8,300 for female-to-male (as cited in Sinnot 2005, p.2).
In a literature review conducted by GRAI and Curtin University in 2010, a
figure of 8% was used to estimate the number of people identifying as GLBTI
in Australia.
Census data
Same sex couples residing in the same household have been counted in the
Australian Census since 1996. Between 1996 and 2006, same sex couples
were classified as defacto, regardless of how people self identified. In the
2011 Census, same sex couples were classified as they reported the
relationship. The Census does not provide information on sexual identify,
therefore single, non-heterosexual people and same sex couples that do not
live together are not counted as such in the Census.
In 2011, there were 33,714 same sex couples counted in the Census - 32%
higher than 2006. The number of same sex couples had increased by 72%
since 2001. It is likely that this trend is driven by both an increase in the
number of same-sex couples and an increased willingness to report same sex
relationships.
The following information on same sex couples comes from 2011 Census
data (ABS 2012):
•
Same sex couples account for 0.7% of all couple families (0.6% in 2006).
There are 109 male couples for every 100 female couples.
•
Younger people are more likely to report being in a same sex couple,
accounting for 1.6% of all couples aged 15-24 years. This compares with
0.1% of all couples over 65 years. The peak age is 35-44 years - (30% of
all same sex couples).
•
The prevalence of same sex couples is higher in urban areas. Same sex
couples account for 0.6% of all couples in Perth compared to 0.3% in the
27
balance of WA. The Perth rate is lower than Sydney and Canberra (1.1%),
with a national average of 0.9% for capital cities.
•
Most same sex couples live without children or other family members,
although this is more likely to be the case for men than women (86%
overall, 95% for men and 75% for women).
•
12% of couples had children living with them. Women were seven times
more likely than men to be living with children (22% vs 3%).
•
6,120 children under 25yrs lived in same sex families, with 78% of these
being under 15 years. Children in same sex families account for 0.1% of
all dependent children in families across Australia. Lone parents and nonresiding parents are not counted in the Census, so these numbers are an
under count of the total number of children with same sex attracted
parents.
•
In 2011 there were 120,200 Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander
(ATSI) people living with a partner - of which 0.9% were in a same sex
couple. When adjusted for age, the rate of ATSI people living in same sex
couples is lower than non-Indigenous. ATSI people in same sex couples
are more likely to live in a capital city and partnered with a nonIndigenous person.
•
Of those people born overseas - 0.6% were living in a same sex couple.
In second generation Australians, the proportion is same as for all
Australian born people.
•
Same sex couples are more likely to report no religion (48%) compared to
opposite sex couples (21%).
•
The incomes of same-sex couple families were generally higher than
those of opposite-sex couple families.
Social and health issues
LGBTIQ people are often over represented in range of indicators that can
lead to poorer health outcomes, such as obesity, tobacco, alcohol and
substance use; poor sexual health practices; mental illness; injury and
violence; and limited access to health care (GRAI 2010).
The National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing (ABS 2007) found that
homosexual/bisexual people were more than twice as likely to experience a
mental health disorder than heterosexual people. Using data from the survey,
further analysis by the National LGBT Health Alliance (2010) found that
homosexual/bisexual people are:
•
four times more likely to have ever been homeless
28
•
twice as likely to have no contact with family or no family to rely on for
serious problems
•
more likely to be a current smoker and twice as likely to have used illicit
drugs
•
twice as likely to have a high/very high level of psychological distress
•
almost three times more likely to have had suicidal thoughts, five times
more likely to have had suicidal plans and four times more likely to have
attempted suicide.
As the ABS survey did not ask about gender identity, the National Alliance
was unable to analyse the data for trans or intersex Australians.
Research reported by Living Proud in 2013 shows that the rate of suicide,
attempted suicide and suicidal ideation is significantly higher amongst samesex attracted Australians and even higher for same sex attracted young
people and transgender Australians. For example, same sex attracted young
people attempt suicide at a rate six times higher than heterosexual young
people and up to 50% of transgender people have attempted suicide at least
once in their lives (Dyson et al. 2003 and Couch et al. 2007, as cited by
Living Proud 2013, p.5)
In comparison to older heterosexuals, older LGBTIQ people are two and a
half times more likely to live alone, twice as likely to be single and over four
times as likely to not have children (Keogh, Reid and Weatherburn 2006, as
cited by GRAI 2010, p.1). As noted in GRAI's submission to the review,
issues for older LGBTIQ people include social isolation, difficulty in accessing
inclusive aged care services and homo/transphobia:
exacerbating these factors is widespread ageism, both generally and within
the LGBTI community, with negative stereotypes leading to our elders being
frequently overlooked or undermined. (GRAI submission 2013)
Private Lives was a national survey of the health and wellbeing of gay,
lesbian, bisexual and transgender Australians. The survey was first
conducted in 2006 (PL1) and again in 2011 (PL2), with 3,835 GLBT
respondents. The results of Private Lives 2 (Leonard et al. 2012) found:
•
The general health of males in the PL2 sample was lower than the
national average and the general health of females in the PL2 sample was
lower still.
•
Trans males and females reported the lowest levels of general health.
29
•
The most common health conditions among PL2 participants were
depression and anxiety/nervous disorders, with depression rates ranging
from a high of 50% of trans males to a low of 24.5% of males.
•
22.7% of respondents reported having a disability or long-term health
condition.
•
Drug use for non-medical purposes was higher than national averages.
•
The mental health of the PL2 sample was markedly poorer than that of
the general population. Trans males and females reported the highest
levels of psychological distress, followed by bisexual women and men.
•
55% of young females and just over 40% of young males (16 to 24 years,
recorded high levels of psychological distress, compared to 18% of young
females and 7% of young males in the national population.
•
The most common types of heterosexist violence reported were nonphysical, from verbal abuse (25.5%), to harassment (15.5%), to threats
of physical violence (8.7%) and written abuse (6.6%).
•
Rates of almost all types of abuse were higher for trans males and
females, with 6.8 per cent of trans females reporting having been sexually
assaulted in the past year.
•
A significant proportion of respondents reported occasionally or usually
hiding their sexuality or gender identity for fear of heterosexist violence or
discrimination: 44% in public and 33.6% when accessing services. Young
people aged 16 to 24 years were more likely to hide their sexuality or
gender identity.
Community connection
Private Lives asked questions about community connectedness (Leonard et al.
2012). The results showed that, overall, respondents were more likely to be
a member of a mainstream community organisation than a GLBT community
organisation (53% compared to 46%).
Rates of membership did not vary markedly according to sexuality but did
according to gender. Trans males and females were more likely to not be a
member of any mainstream organisation and more likely to be a member of
a GLBT community organisation. Respectively, 41.8% of trans females and
27.9% of trans males reported not being a member of a GLBT organisation
compared with 55% of females and 56.6% of males. Bisexual men and
women were less likely than same sex attracted men and women to report
being a member of one or more GLBT organisations, with bisexual men
reporting the lowest level of membership.
30
Sixty-five per cent of respondents reported that the majority of their friends
or acquaintances were not GLBT. This is an increase in the PL1 result of
58.1%. Over 71% of respondents reported having contact with GLBT friends
or acquaintances on a daily or weekly basis. Compared to the total sample,
bisexual men were more likely to report that few or none of their friends
were GLBT (46.8%) and less likely to have weekly contact with GLBT friends
or acquaintances (54%).
Use of media and internet
Other findings from Private Lives that may be pertinent for Pride WA planning
include:
•
Respondents were more likely to access GLBT online media than print or
broadcast, with the rates accessing GLBT media on a daily or weekly basis
being 48%, 19.3% and 16.1% respectively.
•
65% of respondents reported using the internet daily to maintain or
increase social networks generally, 20.3% reported weekly use, 8.6%
reported annual use and 9% said that they never used the internet for
social networks. Breaking this data down by gender and sexuality:
•
Trans males and trans females were more likely to use the internet daily
(67.4% and 66.1% respectively).
•
Bisexual women were more likely to use the internet daily compared to
lesbians (70.1% compared to 54%), with less difference between bisexual
men and gay men (58.3% compared to 60.6%).
The rate of internet use to maintain GLBT networks is significantly less than
general networks (34% reporting daily for GLBT networks compared to 60%
for general networks). Breaking this down by gender and sexuality:
•
Men were more likely than women to use the internet on a daily basis for
GLBT social networks (37.4% compared to 28.1%). Usage rates were
highest for trans females (47.5%) and trans males (43.5%)
•
Gay and bisexual men were more likely to report daily use bisexual and
lesbian women (38.5%, 33.1%, 30.6% and 28.1% respectively).
Young people
Writing Themselves in 3 (Hillier et al. 2010) was the third national study on
the sexual health and wellbeing of same sex attracted and gender
questioning (SSAGQ) young people. The study, with 3,134 participants,
found that 'the complex interaction of sexual attraction, identity and
behaviour was even more evident than in previous studies' (2010:IX).
31
The research showed that most young men participating in the survey were
attracted to men only (84%), while half of the young women (54%) were
attracted to both sexes and less than one third exclusively to the same sex.
Most young men (82%) identified as gay/homosexual. Young women were
more likely to identify as bisexual (42%) rather than lesbian (39%) and
chose a greater range of identity terms to describe their sexuality, such as
questioning, queer or 'other'. Of the 4.6% of all young people that chose to
select 'other' as their sexual identity rather than the given categories, 37%
identified as pansexual and 11% disliked labels.
In 2010, 3% of young people described their gender identity as other than
male or female. Gender questioning young people were more likely to have
always known their sexual identity, more likely to have disclosed their
difference to others, but also less likely to be supported. Gender Questioning
young people were at greater risk of homelessness, physical abuse, selfharm and suicide.
Other key findings of Writing Themselves in 3 include:
•
More than a third of young people realised their sexual difference before
puberty.
•
Young people felt more positive about their same sex attraction than in
2004, with 79% feeling good about their same sex attraction and fewer
young people feeling bad (4% in 2010, 5% in 2004 and 10% in 1998).
•
Just under two-thirds (61%) reported verbal abuse because of
homophobia, 18% physical abuse and 26% other forms of homophobia.
Young men and gender queer young people reported more abuse than
young women. Schools were the most common place of abuse.
•
There were strong links between homophobic abuse and feeling unsafe,
excessive drug use, self harm and suicide attempts.
•
Young people used the internet to learn more about being same sex
attracted, connect to others and as a place to work for change around
homophobia.
A large majority of young people (97.5%) had disclosed their same sex
attractions to at least one person, an increase from 1998 (82%) and 2004
(95%). Friends were the most popular first confidantes. The 2010 study
showed an overall increase in support young people received in disclosing
their sexuality. Young people from CALD and religious backgrounds were less
likely to tell their parents and less likely to be supported.
32
SUMMARY
Understanding the profile of the LGBTIQ community is critical to
understanding strategic focus. The community is a diverse one that cannot
be pigeoned-holed into set stereotypes. There is evidence of changing
demographics and emerging new identities and needs.
The overall prevalence of the LGBTIQ community in Australia is difficult to
calculate, but the estimate of 8% used by GRAI and Curtin University (2010)
appears to be a solid one from which to plan and lobby.
Whilst most people are comfortable identifying with sexuality labels such as
gay, lesbian or bisexual, and gender labels such as male, female or trans*, a
growing group (particular in younger people) are choosing to identify with
less binary descriptions. For example, in Writing Themselves in 3, just under
5% of young people rejected the use of traditional sexuality labels and 3%
rejected traditional gender labels. This finding was reflected in community
forum discussions with young people and survey responses (see Section 5).
Census data shows that the number of same-sex couples living together is on
the increase, as is the number of couples living with children (12% of all
same sex couples living together). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
People, and LGBTIQ people born overseas are less likely to live in a same-sex
couple, possibly reflecting increased stigma or cultural pressures to not live
as an out LGBTIQ person.
The stigma, discrimination and social isolation experienced by many LGBTIQ
people correlates with lower than average outcomes across a range of health
and wellbeing measures, especially in the area of mental health, physical
health and access to services. Trans* and gender diverse people experience
the lowest levels of general wellbeing.
Compared to the general community, older LGBTIQ people are more likely to
be single, living alone and without children. Social isolation within both the
LGBTIQ and mainstream community is a significant issue for older people,
and was reflected in the community consultations.
Similar to results found in the review survey (Section 5), LGBTIQ people are
more likely to be a member of a mainstream organisation than a LGBTIQ one.
According to PL2, trans* people are more likely to be a member of a LGBTIQ
organisation and bisexual men least likely.
Whilst evidence suggests that many young people feel more positive about
their same sex attraction, homophobia abuse is still experienced by most
same-sex attracted young people, with qender questioning young people at
higher risk of homelessness, self harm and suicide.
33
5 Community consultations
This section summaries the key findings from the community consultations,
which comprised an on-line survey, community forums, written submissions
and stakeholder interviews. The consultations provided a mechanism for the
voice of community members, supporters and stakeholders to be heard.
5.1 Community connection
The consultation began with trying to gauge what the LGBTIQ community
means for LGBTIQ people. The survey asked people 'what does the LGBTIQ
community mean in your life?'. In the majority of responses (approximately
75%), people said that the LGBTIQ community was important to them - that
it provided a safe place, a sense of family, connection, support and belonging,
as seen in the word cloud generated from the text (Figure 3).
Figure 3: Positive connections to LGBTIQ community
A number of people spoke about the role the LGBTIQ community has played
in helping them come out, feel good about themselves and in reducing
isolation. Other comments focused on the role the community has in
challenging social norms and promoting change. An underlying theme of
valuing the community was strong in the majority of responses.
It means that there are a huge amount of people out there who are like me
and who I don't have to be afraid of in terms of being shamed, criticized or
ridiculed for being a non-binary person.
The community has been a very important to me. It means a sense of place
and space. A group of diverse people under one umbrella.
This was my first Pride as an out gay man. As I marched in the parade I
realized that I had finally found my tribe. I felt so comfortable in my skin. The
34
LGBTIQ community and the PRIDE event helped me come to that place. That
is valuable to me.
At a broader level, the LGBTIQ community provides a visible presence of us
within Australian society and that connection is important to me.
It means having a social support network around for when things get tough.
By tough, I mean when we have to deal with prejudice in the wider
community.
The LGBTIQ community is important to me in helping me validate who I am
and my right to be here. I need a safe, accepting space to be. Although the
community has made a lot of progress over the years in becoming acceptable
in mainstream society, we have a very long way to go. Homophobia is out
there and strong!
The LGBTIQ community to me is like an extended family, it's something that
uniquely connects a cross section of people that I identify as being part of 'my
own'. It's people, it's places, it's a history that I feel is a part of who I am.
The LGBTIQ community is important in my life because it helps me to have a
positive attitude towards being LGBTIQ and combats the negative
stereotyping of LGBTIQ individuals. Being a part of the community also
reinforces my own concerns that issues facing LGBTIQ people are important,
and that other people want to see a positive change in the world too.
Is a major part of my life. Second only to my children and grandchildren.
About one in four responses spoke about not feeling very connected to the
community or the community not having much meaning in their lives. The
most common sub-theme in these responses was a sense that the LGBTIQ
community is not really a community or that the community is not very
accepting of diversity, resulting in a feeling of exclusion.
Perth does not have a real community. Community is about people knowing
each other and caring about each other and sadly Perth seems to be more
about politics and factions running things rather than being a safe place for
everyone to join together!
Our community seems to be hidden away, there doesn't seem to be enough
interactive, cause driven stuff available that promotes the community as more
than just a once a year parade/celebration.
Very little - found it very exclusionary and intolerant when I first "came out"
around 15 years ago, and have had little interest in it since.
Ageism is the cancer of the community for Gay Males. It inhibits mature gay
men being involved.
35
Increasingly little. I find the shift in LGBT community priorities (towards gay
marriage) to be inconsistent with my own priorities, values and beliefs.
I used to work very closely in the community but now no longer feel a sense
of "community" because there is so much bitching, back stabbing and
nastiness that goes on within it.
I have encountered a fair bit of 'biphobia' from people who are
straightforwardly gay or lesbian. As it stands, I think the LGBTIQ community
in Perth caters mainly for gays and lesbians, but not so much for trans or
intersex folk, let alone bisexuals. I feel that the "B" part of the LGBTIQ
acronym is a bit tokenistic at present.
Comments about a lack of community acceptance for non-binary sexualities
and genders were also highlighted in some of the community forums held, as
were concerns about ageism and cultural diversity. A number of forum
participants spoke of the need to address prejudice within the LGBTIQ
community as well as in the broader community.
The second most common sub-theme was from people who see themselves
as part of the broader community but not an LGBTIQ specific one - a sense
that whilst someone may have gay friends, they don't necessarily feel part of
a wider LGBTIQ community; or that the LGBTIQ community has become less
important with time.
I consider myself as part of the wider community rather than pigeonhole who
I am or the community I belong to.
It doesn't mean much to me, I don't see myself as part of that community, I
see myself as part of a larger Perth community in which several of my friends
and myself are gay.
Not a huge amount. It did when I was younger, but now as I near 50, it has
less and less meaning as I don't go out on the "scene" as much.
The third group of responses was from people who do not feel that the
LGBTIQ community has much meaning in their current lives, but they would
like to feel more connected. People spoke about limited options because they
are not Perth based, because the community doesn't cater for their age
demographic, or because they don't know how to become more connected.
Considering I live in a small, rural town, the LGBTIQ community is a rather
abstract concept. I interact with the community online and occasionally go to
events like Pride and the Fairday when I can.
When I was younger it was a great resource for meeting other gay people,
enjoying 'gay life' and being a part of the gay community. Now that I'm in
senior years there doesn't seem to be much of anything for gays that don't
want to 'party' anymore.
36
I like to know there is a LGBTIQ community out there and enjoy joining in
with the activities but I don't feel my age group is catered for enough. I
socialize in the broader community.
Not a lot now. The Perth community is a small one and as a result, I have had
numerous friends move away and my interactions with the community as a
whole has been massively reduced. As I'm now a single parent with a small
child I've also found that in recent years the majority of Pride events have
revolved around dance parties, sundowners and other events which are
unsuitable for children (or challenging for a single parent to attend).
I'm not really at all involved in the LGBTIQ community. Sometimes I want to
get more involved, but don't know how.
At the moment I feel very detached from the lgbtq community. I would like to
be able to find information as to what support and were the best places for
events to meet new people and make friends are. I've tried have not come up
with any results for 3yrs. I've been struggling now for 3 years.
GRAI's submission to the review reinforced survey comments received in
regard to age inclusion and reflected that older members of the community
often express a sadness at the loss of a special LGBTIQ focus, as needs are
increasingly met within the mainstream community. The submission also
highlighted that many elders feel that older people are not being catered for
in terms of events or recognised in terms of what they have to offer the
community, resulting in increased isolation from the LGBTIQ community.
Survey participants were asked to rate their sense of connection to the
LGBTIQ and the broader community. Figures 4 and 5 show that respondents
were more likely to feel a sense of disconnection with the LGBTIQ community
than the broader community. Almost 43% said that they felt not very or not
at all connected to the LGBTIQ community compared to 17% that felt that
way about the broader community.
Figure 4: How connected do you feel to the LGBTIQ community in your everyday life
37
Figure 5: How connected do you feel to the broader community in your everyday life?
In terms of friendships, 41.9% of survey respondents said that all or most of
their friends are LGBTIQ people (Table 2). Tables 3 and 4 show some of the
ways in which people interact with community.
Table 2: How many of your friends are LGBTIQ?
Proportion of LGBTIQ friends
None
A few
Some
Most
All
%
2.2
19.4
36.5
40.5
1.4
Table 3: Connections to LGBTIQ community
In terms of the LGBTIQ
community, in the past
twelve months, have
you:
No
1-2 times
a year
3-6 times
a year
Monthly
Weekly
Participated in a LGBTIQ
social or community
group
Attended a LGBTIQ sports
event
Attended a LGBTIQ
community or cultural
event
Gone to LGBTIQ friendly
bars, pubs or clubs
Participated in a LGBTIQ
friendly religious group or
service
Been a volunteer for a
LGBTIQ group
45.5%
23.5%
15.5%
7.8%
7.7%
87.5%
7.8%
3.3%
0.8%
0.6%
22.1%
46.5%
24.6%
5.2%
1.6%
18.8%
22.8%
31.9%
18.6%
7.9%
93.3%
2.9%
1.4%
1.4%
1.0%
72.5%
13.4%
5.3%
4.9%
3.9%
38
Table 4: Connections to broader community
In terms of the broader
community, in the past
twelve months have
you:
No
1-2 times
a year
3-6 times
a year
Monthly
Weekly
Participated in a social or
community group
Attended a sports event
Attended a community or
cultural event
Gone to bars, pubs or
clubs
Participated in a religious
group or service
Been a volunteer
38.4%
21.3%
18.3%
11.9%
10.1%
50.3%
15.2%
25.3%
28.2%
15.4%
36.6%
4.7%
15.6%
4.3%
4.4%
13.2%
17.2%
28.9%
28.9%
11.8%
85.6%
7.9%
2.5%
1.8%
2.2%
50.8%
21.7%
11.1%
9.2%
7.2%
The top four activities that people are most likely to do on a weekly basis is
go to a mainstream bar, pub or club; participate in a mainstream social or
community group; go to a LGBTIQ bar, pub or club; or participate in a
LGBTIQ social or community group.
Almost one third (29.7%) of respondents participated in a social or
community group on a monthly basis and 17.8% on a weekly basis, with
participation levels higher in mainstream than LGBTIQ specific groups.
People are more likely to volunteer, attend a sports event, attend a
community or cultural event or participate in a religious group or service as
part of the mainstream community than LGBTIQ community.
Most people attend a LGBTIQ community or cultural event 1-2 or 3-6 times a
year, possibly in keeping with the fact the such events are more likely to be
run on a less regular basis than equivalent mainstream events. Just over
22% or people had not attended a LGBTIQ community or cultural event in
the past twelve months compared to just over 15% not attending a
mainstream community or cultural event.
Findings suggest that people feel more disconnected to the LGBTIQ
community than the broader community and are more likely to participate in
mainstream community activities than LGBTIQ ones. The later finding is
consistent with the trend shown in Private Lives 2 (Leonard et al. 2012).
Comments suggest that while people are more likely to connect with
mainstream community, the meaning and value of the LGBTIQ community is
still strong for most respondents. One way of looking at this is that, although
people may not always actively participate in a wider LGBTIQ community, it
is important to them that one exists.
39
Some people resist the notion of a specific LGBTIQ community. For others, a
sense of discrimination, non-acceptance and 'bitchiness' impacts on the
degree to which the community has meaning in their lives. For another group,
there is a desire to connect but a sense that the community does not cater
for their circumstances or they simply don't know how to connect.
Whilst almost 43% of respondents did not feel connection to the LGBTIQ
community, 41.9% said that all or most of their friends are LGBTIQ,
reinforcing the sense that for many people, there is a difference between
their personal connection to a group of LGBTIQ friends and their connection
to the wider LGBTIQ community.
5.2 Awareness of and connection to Pride WA
Awareness of Pride WA amongst survey respondents was high - 29.7% said
that they were very aware of Pride WA and what it offers the community,
35.7% were aware, 25.7% were somewhat aware and 9% were not very
aware of Pride WA or not aware at all. Within the community forums,
awareness of Pride WA was generally high, although less so in the youth
forums held in Perth and Bunbury. Young people were largely aware of the
Pride Parade, less aware of Fairday and the Festival and had little awareness
of what Pride WA did apart from holding events.
When asked to describe their relationship with Pride WA, about one quarter
of respondents said that there were currently a member of Pride, just under
one in 10 had been a member but didn't know if they currently were, just
over one in five had been a member but were not any more and 43% said
that they had never been a member (Figure 6).
Figure 6: Membership of Pride WA
40
Table 5 shows that the main reason people joined Pride WA was to support
the organisation, followed by a desire to get involved with the LGBTIQ
community and to advocate for social change.
Table 5: Reasons for Pride WA membership
Main reasons for being a member of Pride WA
To support Pride WA
To get involved in the LGBTIQ community
To advocate for social change
To meet new and like minded people
For the membership benefits
Other reason1
%
88.1%
49.4%
36.4%
29.6%
20.5%
2.8%
Of the 106 people that said they had been a member of Pride WA but were
not anymore, 93 provided reasons for ceasing their membership. The most
common theme was due to the membership renewal system - no reminder
notices, no cards given out, poor communication or simply forgetting.
Lack of contact. No membership card sent to me after payment last yeardespite requests.
Poor communication from Pride-membership cards etc. never being received.
Communication went from the sublime to the ridiculous-either nothing or too
much.
We were never sent a renewal.
Delays in getting membership cards, if I got them at all. Witnessing some
dirty politics.
We have a post office box, where we can't receive any tickets etc. from Pride.
Also not a fan of paying a membership over the Internet or by phone.
Good job so far this year, got my membership card and Celebration ticket on
time - better than last year when I never received cards despite paying for 4.
The second most common theme was around Pride events no longer being of
interest, either because the events had changed or the circumstances of the
member had changed e.g. due to age, children or new priorities.
Didn't feel very involved with the events being offered socially and the biggest
reason being that I didn't have time for social or community events after
having a child.
1
Other reasons included to support the delivery of a regional GLBTI festival, to stay
informed, to run workshops on harmonising bias around sexuality and to increase
visibility of older LGBTIQ folk to younger LGBTIQ folk.
41
Didn't meet enough lesbians my own age with a view to establishing
friendships.
Pride does not often organise things that I am interested in doing. I am a
member of several other community and interest groups and don't have time
for Pride.
In the late 90s there used to be a month-long Arts Festival as part of the
Pride Month. For example, there were a lot of queer films (not the pitiful few
of recent years), exhibitions, plays, etc. When these events dwindled, I
stopped being a member as there was no benefit to me.
When the dance parties deteriorated in quality and started to be held in
'straight' commercial venues and the parade became mainstream and boring I
no longer wanted to be involved.
The next most common theme was that people felt Pride WA had lost its
relevance to the community, was ineffective or out of touch.
The organisation began, at least appeared to begin, only having the capacity
to keep its head above water and not serve the community. Pride lost all
meaning and focus. It was out of touch with its community.
Moved on in my life and found Pride had very little left to offer due to poor
management and changing social values and acceptance in the wider
community.
I believe Pride lost its way in recent years and ceased listening to what people
wanted.
I've found the inability of our community (not any one Pride Committee or
individual/s) to change the focus of Pride to reflect broader legal and social
changes - and to make it more reflective of WA/Perth rather than a generic
'Gay' celebration - frustrating.
My personal lack of involvement in LGBTIQ events and the apparent lack of
direction of Pride WA with respect to advocacy work.
Inaction on positive social change i.e. homophobia.
Another theme for stopping membership was in regard to poor internal
politics and organisation management.
Couldn't stand the in fighting.
Politics and in fighting with the white gay boys in one corner and the lesbians
in another and both factions ignore minority groups unless they have a
camera in their faces!
Each Committee seems to disregard the previous committee and treat each
year like it is their own.
42
I felt that there were internal politics that concerned me.
Pride went off the rails, lost money and my confidence.
Nasty politics and self serving people.
A further 10% of the reasons given linked to poor membership benefits,
leaving Perth or having other financial priorities.
5.3 Pride WA events
The survey asked which Pride WA events people had attended over the past
two years. Figure 7 shows that the most frequented event was the Parade
(78.6%) followed by Fairday (68.3%) and 2013's post parade Celebration
event (49.2%). About one in three respondents had attended a Festival
event.
Figure 7: Which Pride WA events have you attended over the past two years?
The most frequent response in 'other' was women's nights. Other responses
included marriage equality rallies, youth pride and trans* night.
When asked which events Pride WA should continue to hold, Table 6 shows
that Fairday had the strongest support, followed by the Festival and Parade.
Events that people were more likely to suggest Pride WA drops were dance
parties and the Parade. The greatest levels of ambiguity (maybe keep or
don't know) were in regard to the Quiz Night, dance parties and Celebration.
43
Table 6: Which events should Pride WA keep holding?
Event
Fairday
Pride Festival
Parade
Celebration
Dance parties
Pride Quiz Night
Definitely
keep
87.3%
78.9%
78.2%
65.7%
49.2%
49.1%
Maybe keep
Drop it
Don't know
6.9%
13.7%
12.9%
19.0%
27.7%
28.0%
1.0%
1.7%
6.4%
3.3%
8.6%
3.7%
4.8%
5.7%
2.5%
12.0%
14.5%
19.2%
The survey brought forth many comments about specific events. Whilst this
review has a focus on overall strategic direction rather than event evaluation,
a cross section of event related comments collected are provided in Appendix
6 for the purpose of future planning.
The survey asked what, if anything, discourages participation in Pride WA
events. Table 7 shows that the most common factor discouraging
participation was not knowing when things are on. This finding was
reinforced in community forum discussions where many people (especially
young people) said that they didn't know how to find out about events.
Table 7: Factors discouraging participation
What discourages you from participating in Pride WA
events?
Don't know about when things are on
Nothing discourages me
Not a priority
Nothing that interests me
More something I did when I was younger
Got no one to go with me
Too far away from where I live
Cost of events are often too high
Not family friendly
Not trans-friendly enough
Fear of being outed
Poor disability access
Don't like going to LGBTIQ events
%
31.9%
28.2%
22.3%
20.5%
17.9%
17.7%
17.0%
14.0%
5.9%
4.4%
2.8%
2.0%
2.0%
Other factors included:
•
Little catering for either older people or those under 18.
•
Different priorities and not enough time.
•
Little connection to the community.
•
Poor promotion and event organisation.
44
•
Poor quality of events.
•
Practical access issues around cost and transportation.
The Parade
The annual Pride Parade was the event that most people in the surveys and
community forums spoke about - influenced by the decision of last year's
committee to trial a daytime parade and a specific survey question about the
new time.
There were very mixed opinions about a day versus night parade, with
37.4% supporting an evening parade, 40.3% preferring a day parade and a
middle group that was undecided (Figure 8).
Figure 8: When should a Pride Parade be held?
Main reasons given for supporting a day parade were:
•
More family friendly.
•
More accessible in terms of older people, younger people (especially
under 18s) and easier public transport.
•
Better atmosphere - colour and carnival feel.
•
Will attract people who will not go to Northbridge at night - safer, less
alcohol.
•
Gives a more positive message of the community - 'less sleazy'.
•
In keeping with what happens in other cities around the world.
45
Main reasons for supporting an evening parade were:
•
Atmosphere and 'vibe' is better at nighttime - colour, lights, sense of
the spectacular, more of a party atmosphere.
•
Too hot during the day for both participants and audience.
•
More people will see the parade at nighttime - taps into higher
numbers of people in Northbridge at that time.
•
Hard to get to a daytime parade due to work and commitments.
•
Some LGBTIQ people feel safer at night - 'less outed'.
•
Daytime parade is too sanitised - loses the edginess of the nighttime
parade. Keep the parade at night and adult orientated.
A significant number of comments (about 23% of all people providing
comments) expressed favour for a parade that was held later in the
afternoon or early evening. The main reasons for this is preference were:
•
It is cooler later in the day.
•
People have more options for what to do afterwards - those not going
to Celebration felt a bit lost for what to do next.
•
Doesn't clash with Saturday morning commitments.
•
Celebration was good but too long to wait for the main event especially with no pass outs.
•
Later afternoon/dusk is a compromise between day and evening.
General feedback on the Parade
In Living Proud's submission to the review, it was noted that, whilst Living
Proud has a strong history of participating in the Parade, in recent years the
organisation has found it difficult to achieve the numbers for the Pride Parade
as many of their volunteers and Board members are actively involved with
other LGBTIQ community groups and organisations.
The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (SPI) provided a written submission
strongly supporting a nighttime parade and party event. The SPI
recommends that Pride WA utilise and incorporate the Perth Cultural precinct
as part of the Parade, with pre and post party 'pop-up' bars that will allow
Pride WA to raise revenue and to tap into the Parade audience, in much the
same way that Perth Fringe has utilised the space. According to SPI, 'the
Culture Centre area would give the Pride Party a new feel and reinvent the
Party in an more night time Street Party feel' (SPI submission).
46
Comments from the surveys and forums indicate that there is a wider range
of opinion about the overall purpose and value of the Parade than there is
about Fairday. In survey comments, Fairday is almost universally seen as a
positive celebration of the community, with and for the community (although
there were many ideas of how Fairday could be improved). In contrast, while
many people still support having a Parade, there are also a significant
proportion of people who question its relevance and real benefits.
A number of comments emphasised the need to be clearer on the purpose
and audience for the Parade. As noted in one forum, 'Pride doesn’t seem to
know what it is trying to achieve through the Parade'. There is varying
opinion about whether or not the Parade is about cultural celebration,
promoting the LGBTIQ community, educating the wider community or putting
on an event geared towards the enjoyment of LGBTIQ people?
The current relevance and purpose of the Parade was also questioned in all
interviews with external stakeholders. Whilst acknowledging the 'fun of the
Parade', stakeholders perceived the purpose and actual benefits of the
Parade to be less clear. For example, the Lord Mayor noted that there are
some within Council who are questioning the ongoing feasibility of the Parade
and what vibrancy and economic benefits it brings to the local area. From a
Council's perspective, the value of the Parade is in the floats - if it is no
longer sustainable to hold a Mardi Gras type event, the question should be
asked, is it worthwhile keeping the Parade going?
The specific economic benefits of the Parade for local traders have never
been quantified. As part of this review, an interview has been requested with
The Big N (representing Northbridge traders) but is yet to take place.
Anecdotal feedback from traders and the City of Perth suggest that the day
parade in 2013 was not economically valuable to traders and, for some, may
have restricted their normal trade.
A number of survey and forum participants spoke about importance of
enhancing the educative value of the Parade. One idea was to distribute
information about LGBTIQ groups and services to Parade audiences,
especially information that informs the audience about the groups that are
actually participating in the Parade and what they offer the community.
The Festival
Participants in the survey were asked what events they would like to see
more of in the Pride Festival. Figure 9 shows that the events respondents
would most like to see more of are social and community events (89%
priority or high priority); events throughout the year (81% priority or high
priority); and films (78% priority or high priority). The event with the least
priority was dance parties (28% low or no priority).
47
Figure 9: What would you like to see more of in Pride Festival events?
2.0%
10.7%
1.7%
7.1%
1.1%
6.7%
6.6%
1.1%
1.1%
5.9%
5.9%
4.4%
8.8%
0.9%
4.9%
3.5%
6.3%
12.0%
18.1%
14.0%
17.2%
20.3%
13.3%
21.7%
22.4%
15.8%
23.5%
49.8%
32.7%
39.8%
25.0%
31.5%
47.0%
48.9%
39.2%
44.3%
41.7%
30.5%
31.1%
31.7%
41.1%
39.3%
31.3%
20.6%
28.7%
24.1%
Visual arts Theatre and
performing
arts
Films
High priority
12.4%
10.6%
Spoken word
or literary
events
Sporting
events
Priority
25.0%
16.9%
Social and
community
events
Not sure
Dance
parties
Low priority
Family
friendly
events
Events in
regional
centres
Events
throughout
the year
Not a priority at all
Other ideas and comments from the survey about what people would like to
see more of from the festival included:
•
More alcohol free events.
•
Music events without loud music.
•
More for older people, under 18's and women.
•
Greater recognition of gender diversity.
•
More events that focus on physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing.
•
More local talent.
•
Higher quality events.
•
Sports events e.g. gay olympics.
•
Better promotion.
•
Ideas based events.
48
The themes of greater inclusion for gender diversity, people aged at either
end of the spectrum (i.e. under 18s and elders) and people with children
were common throughout responses.
Please consider focusing on events that are genuinely inclusive of the gender
diverse community.
HIGH PRIORITY - celebrations event for under 18s!!! Young people want to
celebrate after Pride too! This year for the parade I came all the way out for
the parade, then afterwards when everyone else was going to start the real
celebrations, my friends & I just had to go home and do nothing. It kinda
sucked. I think there should be an event specifically for under 18s so we can
celebrate too!
A proportion of events should be inclusive for lgbti elders. There are probably
as many 60-80 y'olds as there are 18-38 y'olds.
There were mixed opinions in both the survey responses and community
forums about the extent to which Pride WA should hold events throughout
the year or focus on a particular festival period. Some people were in favour
of more events across an annual calendar, whilst others felt that it was more
realistic to have a defined festival period. A third group suggested a set
festival period with some fundraising and community events throughout the
year.
I don't think running things throughout the year is feasible, particularly with a
committee of volunteers. Also, Perth seems to be geared towards festivals of
specific duration (PIAF, Fringe, specific film festivals etc) and people get
excited and buy in because the availability is limited. If it is always available,
people just get apathetic - and Perth in general is a very apathetic city!
I think the festival should be for a discreet period of time, so that it's like our
Festive season.
Events throughout the year should focus on being fundraising and awareness
raising events that promote the big annual celebration event. It would be
easy for PRIDE to dilute its effectiveness by trying to do everything.
Encourage more open events where people can just come along and meet
people, e.g. Fairday shouldn't be restricted to just one day a year, other
things... movie nights, coffee catchups, day outings or you could do one main
event with all the family friendly stuff and do small events during the year for
single areas of the community e.g. guys, girls and other groups of the
community.
Some people in both the survey and community forums questioned whether
a LGBTIQ specific festival was necessary. Suggestions included making the
49
festival part of the Perth Fringe Festival, having it for a shorter period of time,
or just focusing on one or two elements.
I think the arts are covered very well already, many gay people are
associated with the arts and doing great work - it's more the social and
remote side that people need support.
In the community forums held in Midland and Geraldton, there was strong
support for the festival extending beyond inner city Perth - an opinion
supported by a number of survey responses. The Geraldton forum suggested
that Pride WA work with regions to tour and/or share some shows,
particularly films.
Would like a queer film week which tours to regional centres. Definitely
should be a regional component to the festival. (Geraldton Forum)
5.4 Perceptions and experiences of groups and
stakeholders
In addition to getting feedback from individual members of the LGBTIQ
community and their supporters through the survey and community forums,
the review sought feedback from groups and organisations linked to the
community. Such feedback was received through the Interagency and
Community Group Forum, written submissions and interviews.
Feedback from community groups and agencies often mirrored the
sentiments of individuals, namely Pride WA has a long, positive history in
engaging with the community and providing events that act to bring the
community together.
Feedback from groups also, however, tended to express more ambivalent
feelings about Pride WA. In the Interagency and Community Groups Forum
for example, feelings about the relevance of Pride WA ranged from
disappointment to indifference. Whilst acknowledging the challenges of
running Pride WA with no staff and a voluntary committee, the following
experiences were expressed at the forum:
•
Previous disappointments in Pride WA make it hard to have faith. Pride
WA has had a conflictual past - this impacts on trust that Pride WA can
lead.
•
Pride WA needs to be better at building and maintaining relationships with
groups and agencies. People shared examples of poor communication, a
lack of follow-up and inconsistent messages.
50
•
Pride WA needs better decisionmaking. Sometimes the decisions are too
slow, decisions are made and then changed and it is not always clear who
can make what decisions.
•
Pride WA has often been captured by individual personal agendas. The
dynamics and outcomes in any one year can be influenced by who is on
the Committee, what their past is with other groups, issues of power and
personality clashes.
•
Pride WA suffers from problems with continuity. For external stakeholders
and community groups, it can be like having to start all over again with
each Committee, never knowing if an agreement reached previously will
stand currently.
Despite some level of criticism/dissatisfaction with Pride WA, people at the
Interagency and Community Group Forum generally saw the role of Pride WA
in cultural and social celebration as being critical for community wellbeing.
The potential of an expanded role for Pride WA in community building was
also discussed.
Concerns about continuity, operations and relationships were also expressed
in other forums, submissions and interviews. Building upon the themes from
the Interagency and Community Groups Forum, other expressed concerns
from groups and stakeholders were:
•
Pride WA needs to be more professional and consistent in its decisions
and interactions. For example, one current sponsor said that they had not
been acknowledged at last year's Festival launch.
•
It can be hard to know who one is 'doing business with' in relation to
Pride WA. A number of stakeholders interviewed suggested that the copresident model can be difficult to work with and there needs to be a clear
leader and contact point.
•
Pride WA has not always been responsive to following up on collaboration
suggestions or invitations. Examples include Pride WA being invited to sit
on network or reference groups but not responding to the invitation. Gfest
gave the example of being promised $2,000 in support but the donation
taking a year to arrive.
•
Pride WA does not always properly acknowledge and support the work
being done by other groups in the community.
•
Pride WA needs to be clearer on who it is, what it does and why, 'better to
do less and do it well than take on too much and not succeed'.
The MLA for Perth, Lord Mayor of Perth and Mayor of Vincent all expressed
support for Pride WA and the benefits it can have in community activation.
51
All three suggested that long term viability of the organisation would benefit
from find ways to demonstrably show the social and economic benefit of
pride events.
A common theme from consultations was that Pride WA needs to be better
(and more consistent) at working collaboratively. The picture to emerge was
one whereby Pride WA will often contact groups to participate in Pride events,
but such contact does not necessarily grow out of positive, consistent
relationships - especially the concept of relationship as a two-way processes.
Pride is not just about people receiving but it is about the community. It has a
lot to offer but it has to change and it has to work more with other
community groups. (Community Forum)
Pride needs to work in partnership - they have a really poor track record in
responding to and working collaboratively with other organisations. Why - its
because they have a particular MO which is about the festival so if something
(sic) comes to them with an idea that is not directly relevant to the festival
then they don’t get back to us because that is the whole focus. (Community
Forum)
There has been history of turf wars between organisations like GLCS and
Pride WA - no need for that as each have a role to play and there should be
greater cooperation between all of the organisations. (Community Forum)
5.5 Future visions for Pride WA
The community consultations asked people what they thought the purpose
and vision of Pride WA should be going forward. Responses, comments and
feedback fell within three main groups:
•
What people think about the relevance and purpose of Pride WA.
•
What people think Pride WA should be doing in the future.
•
What changes people think Pride WA needs to make in how it works.
What is the relevance and purpose of Pride WA?
Given changes in society that have seen greater legal and social recognition
of LGBTIQ people, along with a decline in Pride WA attendances, the review
survey asked people how relevant they thought Pride WA still was to the
LGBTIQ community. Approximately three out of four respondents (77%)
indicated that Pride WA was still relevant, with 41.6% saying that Pride WA
was very relevant. About 7% of responses did not think that Pride WA was
relevant and 16% were not sure (Figure 10).
52
Figure 10: How relevant do you think Pride WA is to the LGBTIQ community?
Another way of representing this finding is shown in Figure 17, whereby for
every thirty survey respondents, about 23 believe the Pride WA is relevant, 2
believe that Pride WA is not relevant and 5 are undecided.
Figure 11: Relevance of Pride WA
Relevant
Not relevant
Unsure
The spread of opinion from the closed choice question on relevance was
reflected in the open-ended question, 'What would you like to say about the
relevance of Pride WA to the LGBTIQ Community?' The majority of comments
said that Pride WA was still a relevant and important body, from both a social
and political perspective. People spoke about the purpose Pride WA plays in:
•
increasing social and political awareness
•
advocating for change
•
providing a means to connect and celebrate as a community
•
assisting people with the process of feeling good about themselves and
coming out.
53
A number of respondents (about 15%) said that they saw Pride WA as being
the primary representative and community 'leadership' body for the LGBTIQ
community in WA.
It's the main body to represent the LGBTIQ community as a whole. Their
relevance is only as much as the community makes it to be. What Pride WA
do, is to represent and to be a voice for the LGBTIQ community here in WA.
Acts as the outward face of the community so it needs to walk the fine line of
representing the interests of the LGBTIQ community while engaging, not
alienating, the broader community.
I think that Pride is the main body that stands up for Gay people.
Pride is the glue that binds us. At Pride events we see people we haven't seen
for years. It enables us to check in on each other and make sure we are ok.
This is a huge social asset. Pride brings joy and light to many lives.
Important for Pride to be the heart beat of the LGBTIQ community.
Pride is the conduit of the community. Absolutely vital.
I see Pride's relevance in two ways. One a voice of our community to the
broader community on relevant social issues. The other is as a vehicle to
connect our community, of all ages.
A range of comments encouraged Pride WA to 'keep up the good work'.
Although within the 'wider community' the relevance of Pride may fluctuate
from time to time, I believe there will and should always be a place for Pride
events and not only because they are so much fun! :) I took two of my young
friends this year who had never been to Pride before and their sense of
wonderment at the scenery, the knowledge they gained from seeing all the
different groups available in the pride parade and the sense of ease and
belonging they told me they felt. That, was priceless. That's why Pride will
always be relevant. Keep up the good work guys :)
Some comments suggested that Pride WA had a purpose in building
awareness, education and social change in the wider community.
Pride is positive for mainstream community too - opens up discussion and
changes culture. (Community Forum)
Whilst most of the comments saw Pride WA as having relevance, there were
also a significant number that spoke of the need for Pride WA to re-focus and
evolve, if it is to remain relevant. The consultation findings show that many
of the governance and management challenges that face Pride WA (see
Section 2) are well understood and appreciated by many members of the
Pride community.
54
Key areas identified for change in purpose and direction included:
•
Engage and listen more to what the community wants and how it has
changed.
•
Reach out to a broader demographic - the main groups identified here
were trans* people, youth people, elders, people with children and those
living outside of Perth.
•
Focus beyond one off annual events to include more community building,
community leadership and advocacy. Return to being the voice of the
community.
•
Improve organisational management, communication, promotion and
internal politics.
Reflecting the quantitative data, about 7% of comments suggested that Pride
WA is no longer relevant or needed. The sentiment in such comments tended
to focus on either the dilution of what Pride WA once was, or a diminished
need for a LGBTIQ specific focus.
Pride WA seems to offer only a public front for the queer community of WA,
but does not have much influence over the wider community like Mardi Gras
does. I feel pride is just about its events now.
It would have more weight if it were more than just about putting on a
parade and fair day. GLBTIQ people are becoming more and more accepted
as people and not an expression of a list of consonants. The 'gayness' of
someone is not the be all and end all of that person.
I think the relevance is waning because many young people don't know or
understand the social and legal changes that have occurred this century.
McGinty's reforms were huge but few LGBTI people in their 20s know
anything about them.
Clearly it is of great importance to some, but it seems to me that in these
days when gay people are far more accepted in society, it is becoming slightly
anachronistic.
What should Pride WA be doing in the future?
The review survey asked people, 'What do you think Pride WA should be
doing to help celebrate the LGBTIQ community and support the rights and
freedoms of LGBTIQ people?'
Figure 12 shows that, within the defined categories offered, support was
strongest for Pride WA to:
•
Advocate for LGBTIQ rights in WA (92.4% priority or high priority).
•
Continue to run the annual Pride Festival (92.2% priority or high priority).
55
•
Provide a central point of information on LGBTIQ services (87.6% priority
or high priority).
The least support was shown for:
•
Increasing benefits for Pride WA members.
•
Providing support services for the community.
A number of comments specifically noted that Pride WA should not try to
become a service provider and that this role is best left to funded service
providers such as the Freedom Centre, Living Proud, True Colours and the
WA Aids Council.
Figure 12: What do you think Pride WA should be doing?
0.8%
2.1%
1.7%
4.9%
6.1%
0.6%
3.4%
1.5%
1.3%
4.9%
1.5%
5.8%
1.5%
4.5%
0.9%
7.5%
11.6%
14.9%
22.6%
16.3%
16.8%
28.2%
29.4%
4.1%
7.3%
6.4%
13.9%
4.5%
36.9%
38.1%
41.0%
36.6%
43.1%
31.6%
64.1%
62.8%
31.2%
23.0%
50.7%
43.9%
40.1%
38.8%
34.2%
39.8%
19.1%
Continue to Fundraise for
run the
LGBTIQ
annual Pride community
Festival
projects
High priority
Provide
Advocate for Be a media
Provide a
Foster the
greater
LGBTIQ rights contact for central point development
support to
in WA
LGBTIQ issues of information of LGBTIQ
LGBTIQ
on LGBTIQ
arts and
people living
services
culture
in regional
WA
Priority
Not sure
Low priority
Directly
provide
support
services for
the LGBTIQ
community
Increase
benefits for
Pride WA
members
Not a priority at all
56
Linking Figure 12 to qualitative feedback received in the survey, forums and
interviews, three main areas of possible activity emerge:
•
Cultural and community events.
•
Advocacy and education.
•
Community connecting and building.
Cultural and community events
The role of Pride WA in helping to celebrate and connect the LGBTIQ
community was strongly supported in the consultations. People largely value
the Festival, Fairday and Parade, although there is not consensus on the
preferred purpose and format of the Parade, with a number of people
suggesting the Parade has lost clarity and vision.
GRAI's submission noted the importance of events such as the Parade,
Festival and Fairday as critical mechanisms that bring people together
through shared activities in a shared place. Such events help build
community identity and GRAI strongly supports their continuance. In order to
fully utilise events as a form of community building, GRAI encourages Pride
WA to play a more significant role in facilitating LGBTIQ cultural activities
that are age-inclusive and multi-generational. In addition to current activities,
GRAI advocates for events that link LGBTIQ generations and promote
knowledge exchange and a shared understanding of heritage. Participants
from the Perth Youth Forum also supported opportunities to hear from and
connect with other generations in the community.
There was support for both a discrete festival period as well as events during
the year that can bring people together. The consultations showed strong
support for smaller scale events, possibly focusing on specific groups e.g.
women, youth, elders and trans*. Many people acknowledged that holding
both a set festival of events and social events throughout the year, whilst
being desirable, might be difficult to achieve when relying on over committed
volunteers.
Good to have events throughout the year but don't lose momentum. Also
want the festival to be special, like a gay Christmas. (Community Forum)
Feedback stressed that Pride WA must stay abreast with shifting community
profiles and preferences. Specific feedback on the scope, quality and delivery
of events has been discussed earlier in this report.
Advocacy and education
A call for more advocacy and education was a major theme to emerge from
the community consultations - across the survey, forums and submissions.
57
There was a general feeling that the community has not maintained enough
of a political presence since the introduction of state legislation
acknowledging same sex relationships and defacto rights, and with the
folding of GALE WA. A number of people said that they felt the Pride WA has
'dropped the ball' on advocacy and essentially become an events orientated
organisation.
GRAI's submission noted that, although progress has been made, there is
still work to be done in regard to discrimination and equality. GRAI feels that
it would be beneficial to have a peak body in Perth to support WA LGBTIQ
groups working on legislative and social change. The need for a central voice
for advocacy was also identified in the Interagency and Community Groups
Forum.
Reflecting the diversity of the LGBTIQ community, some responses favoured
active work to achieve marriage equality, whilst other comments said that
marriage equality is not a priority issue for them and the focus should be on
alternative dimensions of equality and wellbeing. A significant number of
people noted that there is still a way to go to ensure that trans* and gender
diverse members of the LGBTIQ community enjoy the same legal protections
that have been extended to gays and lesbians. Many people said that they
thought there should be more education in schools and the community on
sexual and gender diversity.
Whilst support for increased advocacy and education was strong and the
community sees Pride WA has having a significant role to play in this regard,
not everyone thinks that Pride WA should be an advocacy and education
organisation per se. A significant number of comments and submissions
cautioned Pride WA against seeing itself as a replacement for GALE WA.
Dear god please don't try and bite off more than you can chew. Focus on
what you guys are good at, and that is celebrating gay life in our community.
Leave the tough stuff to the professionals :) Sounds grim but there are
organisations who have paid employees working full time to advocate for
specific issues, Pride is made up of volunteers who cannot give up that much
time and probably wouldn't have the qualifications to get involved in series
issues. You guys are amazing at bringing us together, putting on events and
those sorts of things.
A number of people want to see Pride WA work more in partnership with
other groups to lobby and advocate. Collaborations, alliances and
partnerships were favoured models.
Pride could be raising awareness and lobbying politically and in our media to
do what they used to and what GALE WA used to (but seem to have
dissolved) and actually get some real equality. Work with the community
58
services (GLCS WA and Freedom Centre) who are already doing the ground
work in community education and training and information provision by
putting the pressure on for the community to take up such education/training
by doing the lobbying and awareness raising and get past the discrimination.
Other local and national organisations are already doing much of this work,
and are best placed to do it. Pride should not be stepping on their toes, rather
working in partnership. I also think Pride has the ability and resources to
achieve advocacy and information and support through arts and culture and a
festival program.
In written submissions, WAAC, the Freedom Centre and Living Proud all
noted that an effective, resourced LGBTIQ equality lobby group is needed to
fill the gap left since GALE WA folded. WAAC's submission highlights a part
that Pride WA can play in supporting advocacy:
Pride's strength of galvanising and mobilising the community can be of
assistance in realizing this as a focus for their work through fundraising via
events. This would keep the history and roots of Pride in the community, by
the community and for the community (WAAC submission, 21/1/14)
Both the Freedom Centre and Living Proud do not see it as feasible or
appropriate for Pride WA to be a central advocacy body plus have a focus on
queer community and cultural events, as this may become a conflict of
interest with potential funders. Both organisations pointed out that the WA
Gender Project currently lobbies for the rights of trans and intersex people in
WA and suggest that Pride WA may be able to contribute funds raised
towards resourcing the WA Gender Project and potentially a new LGBTIQ
equality group.
Ongoing inequalities are a particular concern for the transgender subset of
WA’s LGBTIQ community, who are yet to be offered protection in WA statutes
for important issues such as discrimination in the workplace. There is a
strong sense within the transgender community that an image of unity is
presented by the LGBTIQ community when it suits the main agenda but that
the sub-communities represented by TIQ are dropped off when it doesn't suit.
A contemporary example discussed by forum participants was the recent ACT
marriage equality act, where it is understood that aspects that would have
secured trans* equality were deleted at the last minute in an attempt to
protect the new ACT laws from an anticipated High Court challenge. Forum
participants encourage Pride WA to 'acknowledge the historical
inconsistencies and consider how it may become unswerving in its advocacy
for equality and legal recognition of those who are intersex, trans* or
otherwise gender diverse' (Forum notes, 22/1/14).
59
In the interview with the Mayor of the City of Vincent (a sponsor of Pride WA),
the Mayor recognised the importance of advocacy and did not see a problem
with supporting a group that did both cultural celebration and advocacy per
se, but emphasised that the City would only be interested in financially
supporting culture or community activation - not advocacy.
Community connecting and building
GRAI's submission recommended that Pride WA embrace two issues that are
central to building a stronger LGBTIQ community - enhancing community
identity and the provision of a centre, or ‘hub’ to support community
development, 'both of which should be fully inclusive of our older population
to reap the great social rewards of shared intergenerational experiences'
(GRAI submission 2013).
As acknowledged by GRAI, the diversity of the community can make
community identity hard to define, and therefore hard to serve. Whilst many
members of the community may increasingly seek to have their needs met
through the mainstream community, GRAI believes that a specific LGBTIQ
identity continues to provide a pivotal 'sense of self that is irreplaceable' and
hopes that Pride WA will continue to support and nurture LGBTIQ community
identity in WA. GRAI's proposal for a community hub is closely linked to
enhancing community identity. GRAI speaks of the loss of community felt by
many older LGBTIQ people and the opportunities for intergenerational
interactions that a community hub could provide.
A centre such as this could be a prime objective of PRIDE, and provide a focus
for LGBTI arts and community projects for all ages, a venue for social and
activist meeting spaces, as well as being a potential ‘home’ for LGBTI
community groups. (GRAI submission 2013)
The need for active community building was also identified in the Interagency
and Community Groups Forum. In discussing current gaps or sustainability
issues in the community, the following themes emerged:
•
There is a lack of communication between groups and a need for better
information sharing and coordination e.g. central register of up-to-date,
contact details; ability to see when other groups are holding things to
avoid clashes; and sharing information and resources. It is hard to find a
central, up-to-date contact list for community groups. Out in Perth tries to
keep a list going but it is not really their role to provide centralised
information services.
•
There is a lack of a central community space or hub.
•
There are current gaps in services and events for elders. It was more
broadly noted that current options for social interaction tend to cater for
60
people aged 20-35 years, and people that either like sports or clubs. This
does not reflect the full diversity of the community.
•
It can be hard to keep groups going. Running a group requires some
knowledge, skills, resources and volunteers. Getting people for
committees can be difficult and a number of groups have folded for this
reason.
•
Social isolation becomes self-perpetuating - the less options there are for
people to connect with others and come together, the more isolated
people become, the more isolated people are, the less people there are to
help build community.
•
There needs to be more ways for intergenerational connection. As noted
by one participant, we are lucky to have a generation of older, out
LGBTIQ people who could be a real asset for helping young people come
out and building community in general.
•
Facebook and social networks is where a lot of communication and
organisation happens.
Forums and survey responses also highlighted a role for Pride WA in building
community connection, such as supporting other clubs, sharing information,
providing group insurance options and offering grants.
There still needs to be a positive community built and supported, which could
be achieved through Pride (alongside/in partnership with other local LGBTIQ
orgs, e.g. GLCS). I believe Pride should support and empower more
community members to be active and create community projects and
initiatives. (Survey response)
Our community is not so big that it should be working against each other all
groups should be getting together and sharing resources we are not working
together as a team. Pride could spearhead this as a new approach and bring
all the groups together where we cooperate and cross promote events.
(Community Forum)
When I first came out there were so many community organisations in Perth
but now there are hardly any left. We all need to work together to create
places that people feel safe and supported and that are diverse and accepting
of diversity. It is about social connection. (Community Forum)
The need for community building was also a strong theme to emerge from
the review survey. A number of comments spoke about Pride WA holding
simpler community events more frequently and helping the growth of new
LGBTIQ community groups and points of connection. More points of contact
that are independent of 'partying' were often mentioned across survey
comments.
61
Be a facilitator throughout the year of community events that focus on
bringing the community together for non-superficial reasons. Work with
GALE(WA), GLCS, Freedom Centre in particular to find ways to build
community and advocate on behalf of the community.
Suggest that social and community events are exactly that, similar to other
community events, nothing over the top, but that have a strong message and
programs that build social connection and appreciation of diversity.
People finding like minded people through shared activities will then give
them more confidence to act in ways that will help them in the political
/general arena - cultural, sporting, recreational. Get sponsors on board that
can help with resources such as space for a community garden (local council).
How about a gender centre. The Freedom Centre is great for the young-uns
not so great for everyone else.
There should be a central hub of information and a place for recently come
out people regardless of age or location in where they can find support or
social events.
Have semi-regular ongoing community groups/events or fund/support other
groups. Its great to have big annual events, but something more regular that
would bring in the community would be very welcome.
Reach out to establish and support existing LGBTIQ societies in local areas. I
know it's hard to find any LGBTIQ support or community in my local area in
the Southern Eastern area of Perth. It can be scary for younger people and
closer support could help ward off local unfriendly and conservative
individuals and politicians which don't give us a voice or safety.
A reoccurring theme was the difficulty many people experience in getting
basic information on what groups, services, supports and events are
available. Many people said that Pride WA has the potential to establish itself
as a hub for LGBTIQ groups and information 'not so much stepping in to offer
what other groups already do, but to provide a central contact for
information' (Community Forum).
What needs to change in how Pride WA works?
A significant degree of feedback received about a future vision for Pride WA
focused on not just on what the association should be doing, but how it
should be doing things. Feedback can be grouped within two main themes:
•
Greater inclusion.
•
Improved governance, management and engagement.
62
Greater inclusion
Many people are seeking greater, active inclusion of specific groups in Pride
WA events and planning in order to better represent and respond to
community diversity. This finding is in keeping with the experiences of other
interstate organisations. Four main areas of inclusion emerged from the
consultations - age inclusion, gender diverse inclusion, regional inclusion and
family friendly inclusion. There were also calls for greater cultural diversity,
but this voice was not as prominent.
Age inclusion
A significant theme to emerge was age inclusion. Many people spoke about
wanting to connect more but not seeing their age demographic catered for.
Whilst such comments come from across the age spectrum, the greatest
concentration were in relation to young people, especially those under 18
years, and elders, many of whom said that after having experienced a long
involvement with the community, they now feel excluded and marginalised.
GRAI's submission to the review recommended that the future of Pride WA
include a strong focus on LGBTIQ elders, 'as by deepening our multigenerational understandings, breaking down stereotypes and gaining an
appreciation of our diverse histories and present lives, we will be
immeasurably enriched as a whole community' (GRAI submission, 2013).
Gender diverse inclusion
Feedback from the survey and Intersex, Trans* and Gender Diverse (ITG)
Forum expressed concerns that many trans* and gender diverse people are
socially isolated. Such concerns are consistent with research that shows
trans* and gender diverse people often experience poorer social, emotional
and physical outcomes than the population as a whole (Private Lives 2, 2012
and Living Proud, 2013).
Many people acknowledged the positive work being done by the Freedom
Centre, Chameleons and WATSUP (WA Trans Support, Unity, Pride) to reach
out to trans* folk, but noted that there was no clearly accessible contact
group. The Forum reflected that whilst it is not Pride WA's role to fill specific
community gaps, there is an opportunity for Pride WA to support the process
of getting new groups off the ground and helping such groups to thrive and
participate in the broader LGBTIQ community.
The WA Gender Project (2007) highlights that there is still a long way to go
before trans* and gender diverse people have the same legal equality or
protection from discrimination that has been afforded gays and lesbians.
Examples were provided at forums and in survey responses of feeling
63
marginalised, discriminated against or stereotyped within the LGBTIQ
community as well as broader community.
Research and consultation findings show that a small but growing group
(often younger people) are choosing not to identify their gender within a
binary framework (i.e. female or male). For this group, gender based
divisions are problematic (e.g. gender based representatives, toilets and
sports teams). A current High Court matter is testing the extent to which
people legally have the right to not define themselves as male or female.
Regional inclusion
A desire for Pride to go beyond the confines of being city-centric was one of
the key themes to emerge from the Midland, Bunbury and Geraldton
community forums. It was also a theme to emerge from the review survey.
The Geraldton Forum said that it was great the members from Pride WA
attended the last Gfest, but also suggested that more could be done to
acknowledge the needs of regional LGBTIQ people.
Three main groups of ideas came from the consultations:
•
Support regional initiatives: For example, greater, continuous support and
promotion of Gfest by Pride WA.
•
Bring Pride events to regional areas: Ideas included touring visual
exhibitions or acts and bringing the Festival films to the regions.
•
Support regional people to attend Perth events: For example, the regional
youth buddy system developed by Feast in South Australia and working
with Perth based hotels to offer 'Pride Packages' for regional visitors.
Family friendly inclusion
The fourth voice calling for greater inclusion comes from people wishing to
see more recognition and inclusion of LGBTIQ families with children. About
one in eleven survey respondents (8.6%) had dependent children. Increased
recognition is asked for in terms of types of activities offered, access and
timing.
Improved governance, management and engagement
As outlined in previous discussions, there was strong opinion that Pride WA
has had a rocky road in keeping the association viable and that long-term
sustainability will require changes to governance, management structure,
community engagement and communication.
Some of the feedback received questioned the continuing need for an
association structure that required equal representation from men and
64
women. Whilst the historical rationale for such a structure was understood,
concerns included:
•
the difficulty in having two presidents and not knowing which one to go to
for what
•
discomfort with structures that are so gender based
•
potential limitations a committee's ability to respond to casual vacancies.
The Geraldton Forum was keen to have country representatives on the Pride
WA committee and felt that with new technology such as Skype, this could
be a viable option.
Participants at the youth forums spoke of the problems with structures that
have one or two youth representatives on a management committee and
support was shown for a youth sub-committee of Pride WA that can advise
the association and undertake its own planning and activities.
I would definitely get involved if there was a youth sub committee on Pride
with a youth rep on the committee. (Bunbury Forum)
ITG Forum participants discussed two potential models for greater inclusion
of trans* and gender diverse people in governance and decisionmaking, the
first being that Pride WA makes provision for a 'trans* representative on the
committee of management. Later discussion highlighted the potential benefit
of establishing a trans* and gender diverse sub- committee of Pride WA. A
sub-committee could be a way for people to organise within the banner of
Pride in regard to both advocacy and cultural celebration. People who
attended the forum said that they were happy to work further with Pride on
progressing any of these ideas. SGLMG has recently established such an
advisory group.
Other suggested sub-committees to come from the consultations included:
•
Arts and culture.
•
Politics and human rights.
•
Community building.
In trying to represent such a broad and diverse community, it is important
that Pride WA committee members are aware of contemporary and emerging
issues impacting on different groups within the community. Living Proud has
provided training in the past to committee members in order to increase
awareness of diversity in the LGBTIQ community, particularly of the needs of
young people and trans people. Living Proud suggests that such training
could become a regular feature of the relationship between the two groups.
65
The challenge of organising the level and scope of Pride events with a
voluntary committee and no staff was widely acknowledged and the efforts of
committee members generally appreciated. There was strong support for
Pride WA to have a business model that would allow for paid staff and/or the
contracting out of key tasks, such as event management. Better systems for
ensuring overall corporate continuity and less vulnerability to the preferences
of individuals and 'personal politics' were also widely recommended.
The difficulty in achieving ongoing, reliable income was recognised as a
critical impediment to sustainability and vision. Many people acknowledged
that, whilst the scope of what Pride WA could be is broad, the association
struggles with financial viability. Feedback looked at ways that financial
viability could be addressed through fundraising, partnerships and for-profit
activities. One idea to emerge from the Geraldton Forum was that Pride WA
establish a for-profit social enterprise, the profits of which could be put back
into Pride WA activities. Ideas included setting up a café or bar that could
provide training opportunities for young people, a gathering place for the
community and a revenue stream for Pride. Another idea suggested by
survey respondents was to raise revenue for the Parade by collecting
donations from the audience.
As outlined in previous sections, feedback indicates that people want Pride
WA to work more collaboratively with other groups, 'Pride needs to sit down
with other agencies and start working together- we could be working
collaboratively' (Community Forum).
SUMMARY
The consultations support demographic research and anecdotal evidence that
suggests LGBTIQ people are increasingly having their needs met by higher
participation in a more accepting mainstream community. This finding
reflects the gains made by the LGBTIQ community in creating social change.
Whilst community is increasingly 'mainstreamed', a LGBTIQ specific sense of
community is still important for about three in four people responding to the
survey. One quarter of respondents did not think the LGBTIQ community had
much meaning in their lives - this included people who want to connect more
but find it difficult, as well as those that don't.
About one quarter of survey respondents were a current Pride WA member,
with 21% having been a member in the past and 43% never having been a
member. The consultations show that people mainly join because they
genuinely want to support Pride WA, but that disorganisation, internal conflict,
financial losses and reduced interest in Pride events contribute to reduced
membership.
66
The difficulties experienced by Pride WA over the years to maintain relevance
and viability are generally recognised by many community members and
there was a wealth of feedback on how Pride events must become more
inclusive, of higher quality and better managed.
Although there were significant levels of dissatisfaction expressed about Pride
WA's performance over recent years, there were also very high levels of
praise and thanks. On the whole, the LGBTIQ community still values the
importance and place of Pride WA, with about three in four survey
respondents saying that Pride WA was still relevant. About one in fourteen
people felt that Pride WA was not relevant and about one in six people were
not sure about Pride WA's relevance.
In terms of Pride WA events, the Parade and Fairday are the most attended.
Support for the continuation of Fairday was very high (87%), with about one
in five people uncertain about whether or not the Festival or Parade should
continue and one in fifteen people thinking that Pride WA should drop the
Parade. Uncertainty about the focus of the Parade and mixed opinion about
its benefits was also expressed in forums and stakeholder interviews.
Community support appears high for Pride WA to continue to run the Festival,
however people also want to see Pride WA play a role in advocacy and
community building, especially through the coordination and provision of
centralised information. Survey responses, submissions and forum feedback
suggest that whilst Pride WA has a role in building community capacity, it is
best for direct service provision to be left to specialised, funded organisations.
A number of people and agencies suggested that Pride WA can best address
advocacy through partnerships with other LGBTIQ groups.
In planning for the future, consultation feedback suggested that Pride WA
must engage more with its stakeholders and community; become better at
collaboration and relationship building; and improve governance and
organisation. Additionally, people want Pride WA to be more inclusive of
community diversity in how the association is run, the activities undertaken
and the range of events that are held. These findings reflect the experiences
of other interstate and international pride type organisations.
67
6 Implications for planning
This section draws together key findings of the research and consultations as
they relate to Phase Two of the review - strategic planning.
A SWOT analysis is one tool for grouping findings for the purpose of
reflection and decisionmaking. A SWOT outlines current knowledge in terms
internal strengths and weaknesses; and external opportunities and threat.
Figure 13 provides a SWOT analysis in terms of Stage One findings.
Figure 13: SWOT analysis of Pride WA
Strengths
Weaknesses
Strong history of community
engagement and events.
Level of community distrust and
skepticism.
Overall community support for the
importance and potential of Pride.
Little ongoing income. Somewhat
regular financial losses.
Local government support and
increased corporate support.
Voluntary based - no paid staff or
office.
Volunteer and membership support
base.
Under developed governance,
delegation and management policies,
procedures and systems.
The diversity of skills, experiences,
talents and passion of LGBTIQ
community members.
Opportunities
Alliances and partnerships with other
LGBTIQ, arts, advocacy, corporate
and community groups and
networks.
Models of corporate support,
philanthropy and fundraising.
Research supporting the link between
wellbeing for LGBTIQ people and
objectives in regard to health,
employment and social capita.
External services and expertise that
can be contracted to assist.
Unsustainable workloads required of
committee of management members.
Threats
Reduced participation in Pride WA
due to mainstreaming of community
involvement.
Community and corporate attitudes
that law reform and change has been
achieved and a LGBTIQ specific focus
no longer necessary.
High competition for limited
resources in arts, tourism and
corporate financial support.
Reduced sponsorship if production
values of events is not high.
68
Allison and Kaye (2005) suggest one way to use a SWOT analysis for
planning is to think about the juxtaposition of strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats as a means of uncovering strategic choices. Table 8
provides an example of how this method could be applied to Pride WA in
Stage Two planning.
Table 8: SWOT grid planning examples
Comparison
Analysis
Example
Possible strategy
Strengths and
opportunities
Invest where
strength and
opportunity
matches lead to
advantage.
Strong community
support matched
with potential
alliances.
Develop alliance
models that build
upon areas of
community
support, such as
advocacy.
Strengths and
threats
Defend where
strengths are
matched with
threats.
Strong history of
community
engagement and
events matched
with reduced
participation.
Ensure that events
and activities are
inclusive and
reflect a diversity
of preferences.
Weaknesses and
opportunities
Decide how to
address weakness
where it matches
opportunity.
Unsustainable
workloads for
committee
matched with
external expertise
opportunities.
Contract out
functions such as
event
management,
website updates
and marketing.
Weaknesses and
threats
Divest or control
areas where
weaknesses match
threats.
Underdeveloped
governance and
management
policy matched
with increased
competition for
funds.
Develop a
governance
charter that
includes clear
delegations,
policies and
procedures.
Specific issues for consideration
Good strategic planning asks the following questions:
•
Who are we? (Purpose)
•
Where are we? (Current situation and context)
•
Where do we want to go? (Focus and direction)
•
How will we get there? (Strategy)
•
When will we know if we get there? (Evaluation)
69
In addressing these questions in the next part of the review project, the
following specific issues for consideration have emerged from Phase One.
Purpose and focus
Pride WA needs to be clearer on its purpose and specific charter. The current
dual mission of cultural celebration and championing rights needs to be
explored in terms of how each can be held equally by the association.
A significant thread throughout the consultations was comments about the
extent to which Pride WA is art-based or rights-based or both. Many people
feel that Pride WA has focused too much on events at the cost of advocacy,
others think that Pride WA should just focus on cultural and community
celebration. Many people want Pride WA to do both. A third focus of purpose
that emerged from consultations is the desire for Pride WA to take on a more
central role in community building and community facilitation. In some ways,
this third stream, community building, connects celebration and advocacy.
Pride WA needs to decide which (if any) of these elements will be its primary
focus or, if wishing to have a multiple purpose, how it can best hold different
objectives and functions within the one organisation. For example, Pride WA
may decide to focus on championing rights and building community through
the primary focus of celebration (similar to Feast or Midsumma). Or, like
Denver, Pride WA's long-term vision may be one of building a multi-focus
organisation. A broad mission must be balanced with available resources. As
many survey comments advised, 'it is better to do less well than more poorly'.
In considering the championing of rights element of Pride WA, other LGBTIQ
agencies and a number of individuals suggest that this is best done in
alliance with others and by supporting advocacy work currently being
undertaken. An alliance model by which Pride WA is one participant could
hold a lot of potential for future planning - it is one way to address
representation and resourcing issues and could allow for partnerships with
groups such as law schools and pro bono legal services. It can also address
potential conflicts in terms of sponsorships and grants.
Governance and management
Having clarified purpose and focus, Pride WA needs to create a governance
and business model that can oversee implementation. This will require
improving current systems and considering the creation of new ones. For
example, Pride WA may wish to use sub-committees and committee of
management representatives as a means of broadening engagement with
specific groups in the community and increasing expertise in areas of
strategic importance e.g. arts, advocacy, community engagement.
70
Pride WA needs to find a way to reduce the level of decisionmaking and
direct management required of the committee of management e.g. through
delegating authority and contracting out management.
Regardless of specific directions in the future, governance and management
policy, procedures and systems need to be improved to ensure better
continuity, clearer delegations and reduced potential conflict. Policy and
systems need to allow the association to respond to external factors and
requests in a timely manner; build and manage relationships; and deal with
day-to-day management.
Structure of committee
Pride WA has a gender based quota for the Committee of Management. This
is similar to the NSW Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby and the Victorian Gay
and Lesbian Rights Lobby. Depending upon perspective, quotas are a critical
component in achieving equality and diversity in decisionmaking, or an
impediment to getting the 'best people for the job'. Regardless of the pros
and cons of a quota structure, Pride WA may wish to consider the following:
•
provide for a number of positions that do not require identification with
binary gender
•
provide a protocol that allows a committee to effectively and efficiently
deal with casual vacancies.
Pride WA has a representational committee of management - that is,
committee members are elected by the association membership. This is a
popular model, found in many community based associations. A counter to
this model is one in which all or most committee members are skills based
appointments (more often found in government or corporations). A third
model, and one that Pride WA may wish to consider, is a hybrid one,
whereby a number of committee members are elected and a number
appointed. This is the model of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.
A hybrid model allows the elected members to assess and recruit specific
skills that they think are required. For example, there may be an
appointment made for someone with direct expertise in arts management. In
addition to helping committees have a good balance between representation
and skills, a hybrid model can bring an 'outside perspective' to thinking and
strategy. Hybrid models can exists with or without quota structures.
Until such time as an executive officer or similar position can be appointed,
and given the importance of the committee of management, Pride WA may
wish to move to three year terms for committee members, with one third
71
rotated each year. This could improve continuity and reduce the sense that
each committee often seems to 'start anew'.
Community and stakeholder engagement
Pride WA needs to strategically address the quality, scope and consistency of
its engagement with members, volunteers, stakeholders, potential partners,
allies and the Pride community.
Phase One research and consultation show that, whilst community support
for Pride WA is still very strong:
•
A significant proportion of people feel indifferent or mistrusting of Pride
WA and its ability to reform.
•
A number of agencies, groups and stakeholders spoke of an inconsistent
and ad-hoc approach to partnerships and relationships.
•
Pride WA must listen and respond to community feedback for greater
inclusion of diverse people and diverse preferences.
In being clear about who it is and what its focus will be, Pride WA must
ensure that this message is well communicated. Pride WA must look at ways
of winning back the support of people who have lost faith in the association
and harvesting the value of its supporters. Strategic relationships and
partnerships must be nurtured and management in a way that shows
consistency from one year to the next.
The demographics of the LGBTIQ community are changing and will continue
to change. It is important that committees of management don't over
assume that they know who the community is or what they want. Selecting
from a community does not guarantee that people know or understand the
full breath of community experience. Good management complements the
experience of individuals with grounded knowledge. Research studies, such
those outlined in Section 3.4, should be coupled with feedback from
consultations to help groups like Pride WA develop greater clarity on who
their community is; where and how they live; what their primary concerns
are and what it is they most want.
Financial viability
A significant issue of sustainability for Pride WA is its lack of secure income
stream. Twelve month funding cycles, with submission outcomes only
confirmed in the year the funds are to be used, creates stress and impedes
planning and operations. Wherever possible, Pride WA should actively
negotiate:
•
Three year sponsorship or grant agreements.
72
•
Changing the cycle of festival budgets and funding submissions to 2-3
years ahead, instead of just focusing on the current year.
Ultimately, Pride WA must strategically find ways to provide for a more stable
and diverse financial base that has greater reliability and resilience. This is
not an easy task, especially in a climate of reduced support and higher
funding competition for the three areas that Pride WA might put itself out
for: arts, advocacy and/or community building. None of these three areas are
high funding priorities in the current political climate.
However, there are ways to strategise on viable options for Pride WA.
Examples coming from Phase One research and consultations include:
•
Demonstrate through evidence the economic and social return on
investment. This is currently built into Feast, Midsumma and SGLMG.
•
Based upon evidence, seek government arts and/or tourism support. This
provides an important base of core funding for groups such as Feast and
Midsumma.
•
Stop doing events that cannot reasonably be made profitable or crosssubsidised. This was a decision made by Brisbane Pride when the
association lost viability.
•
Consider social enterprise models, whereby the profits of one area of work
(e.g. a small business) can assist non-profit areas of work. For example,
SGLMG's move into retail travel services.
•
Continue with strategies of seeking corporate sponsorships, with a
promoted option for in-kind support. For example, just under 10% of
SGLMG income is provided in-kind.
•
Continue to look at options for contracting out some functions. Evaluate
where they have both successfully and unsuccessfully been used.
•
Utilise specialised funding where it links with strategic objectives. For
example, seeking age related funding for events that focus on older
people or young people; or regional arts funding to tour Festival events.
•
Continue to build upon strong relationships with local government.
Pride WA should be cautious of committing to more than it can deliver. Focus
on what works well, limit and manage risk at any one time and possibly
reducing overall expected outcomes.
A clear message from interstate visits, research and stakeholder interviews is
that if an organisation wants financial or in-kind support, it must clearly know
who it is, have a focus for what it does, do it the best way that they can, and
be able to provide evidence of positive outcomes.
73
Appendix 1: Advertising and promotion
The strategic review and community consultations were promoted through
the following avenues.
Distribution of flyers and wristbands
Parade, Celebration and Fairday - distributed 3,500 flyers and 4,000
wristbands.
Flyers and wristbands at Beaufort St Festival.
Flyers and wristbands were sent out to every event listed in the Pride Festival
guide:
Parade
Celebration
Film Festival
The Butcher Shop
Red Stripe Clothing
Rooftop movies
Best of GALSWA
Outdance
St Andrews Subiaco
Freedom2b
Loton Park Tennis Club Open day
Chameleon WA
Fairday
WA Wanderers
PFLAG
WAAC
3rd Wednesday
Rainbow Family Picnic
Playgroups with Pride
Flyers were posted out to:
The Court
Connections
Luna Cinemas
Blue Room
The State Theatre Centre of
Western Australia
Perth Concert Hall
PICA
Freedom Centre
Gfest
Midland Womens Health Centre
True Colours Bunbury
FPWA
Quarry Health Centre
Magenta
GLCS
Hepatitis WA
Umbrella Multicultural Community
Care Services Inc
M Clinic
Headspaces - Midland, Bunbury,
Kimberley, Albany, Perth, Fremantle
Media advertisements
Out in Perth - Pride edition
Saturday Western Australian - 23/11
Regional lifestyle magazine - 18/11
Community notices: Herald Newspapers, Perth Voice, Community
Newspaper Group
74
E-newsletters and social media
Unions WA
State School Teachers Union of WA
WACOSS
Pride in Diversity
Gay Match Maker and Lesbian Match Maker scheduled Facebook and Twitter
posts
Email notices
Sent through Pride WA contact list - 12/11
Sent out to supplementary Pride email contacts list supplied by Pride WA 12/11
Libraries
Posted out flyers and posters, with community forum notices to libraries
surrounding the community forum venues.
Midland Public Library
Ellenbrook Community Library
Guildford Public Library
Ballajura Public Library
Fremantle City Library
City of Perth Library
City of Vincent Library
City of Melville Library
City of Cockburn Public Library
Joondalup Public Library
Whitford Library
Duncraig library
Woodvale Library
Maylands Public Library
Bayswater Public Library
Rockingham Campus Community
Library
South Perth Library
Victoria Park Library
Subiaco Library
Poster distribution
Posters (150) and flyers (1000) were distributed to the following locations:
Venues: Court Hotel, Hyde Park Hotel, Connections, the Brisbane, the
Queens
Suburb Locations (cafes/bars etc): Leederville, Mount Hawthorn, Mount
Lawley, Maylands, Fremantle, Joondaulup, Midland/Guildford, Subiaco,
Northbridge, City.
75
Appendix 2: Survey, submission and interview
participants
Survey respondents
668 people commenced the survey, with 570 (85.3%) completing the survey.
Of these:
•
76% identified as an LGBTIQ person and 0.7% said that they thought
they were an LGBTIQ person (questioning).
•
7% said that they don't use the label LGBTIQ but see themselves as
having a 'non-mainstream' sexuality or gender identity.
•
13.8% identified as a friend, family member or supporter of an
LGBTIQ person/people.
•
2.4% did not identify as any of the above and were disqualified from
the survey.
Just under half of the survey respondents identified as female (48.4%), with
the same proportion identifying as male. Nine people (1.6% of people
responding to the question about gender) identify as genderqueer and 1.6%
use another term. The most common 'other' terms were non-binary or
bigender.
Figure 10 shows that the majority of respondents identified themselves as
gay (49.4%) or lesbian (30.8%). In the category of 'other', the most
common responses were dyke, transsexual and gynosexual, with other
preferred terms being homosexual, asexual aromatic, pansexual,
heteroflexible and genderfuck.
Figure 14: Sexual identity
76
Thirty-four people responding to the question about being a trans* or
intersex person (6.3%) identified as trans*, with trans* (assigned male at
birth) representing 2.8% of responses and trans* (assigned female at birth)
representing 3.5% of responses. No one identified as being intersex.
Other survey respondent characteristics:
•
About one in eleven respondents (8.6%) had dependent children.
•
Almost one quarter (23.0%) of respondents were born in a country
other than Australia, with 88.0% being born in the four main countries
of the UK, New Zealand, South Africa and Ireland.
•
Less than 1.0% of respondents were Aboriginal or Torres Strait
Islander.
•
16.8% described themselves as having a disability or ongoing health
condition.
Table 8 provides the age range of respondents, showing the most common
age range was 30 to 39 years, followed by 40 to 49 years.
Table 9: Age range of survey respondents
Age in years
10-19
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
60-69
70+
No response
%
3.9%
15.2%
23.0%
20.1%
13.8%
5.7%
0.7%
17.6%
The most common way in which people found out about the survey was
through email (48.8%), Facebook (36.2%), being given a Pride wristband at
a Pride event (18.7%) and the Pride WA webpage (10.9%)
Written submissions
•
Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
•
The Freedom Centre
•
Living Proud (formerly Gay and Lesbian Community Services)
•
GRAI - GLBTI Rights in Ageing Incorporated
•
WA Aids Council
77
Perth and interstate interviews
Brisbane Pride
Deeje Hancock (President)
FEAST, Adelaide
Margie Fischer (Chair)
Catherine Fitzgerald (Artistic Director)
Cassandra Liebeknech (General
Manager)
Pride March, Adelaide
Margie Fischer (Chair)
Midsumma, Melbourne
Monique Thorpe (Festival Manager)
Pride March, Victoria
Matt Renwick (President)
Sydney Gay And Lesbian Mardi
Gras
Siri Kommedahl (Co-Chair)
NSW Gay And Lesbian Rights
Lobby
Justin Koonin (Co-convenor)
Jed Horner (Project Officer)
TAS Pride
Rebecca Dorgelo (Chair)
Living Proud
Nadine Toussaint and Trish Langdon
MLA for Perth
Eleni Evangel
City of Vincent
Mayor John Carey
City of Perth
Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi
Perth Fringe Festival
Still to be undertaken
The Big N
Still to be undertaken
78
Appendix 3: Comparative missions or purpose
Auckland Pride
Festival Trust
Auckland
Vancouver Pride
Society
Vancouver
LGBT+
Community Pride
London
Gay, Lesbian,
Bisexual and
Transgender
Community Center
Denver
Feast
Adelaide
Midsumma
Victoria
TasPride
Tasmania
To facilitate New Zealand’s pre-eminent festival for
the Rainbow Community to celebrate their culture,
sexual orientation and gender identity.
To bring together the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
Transgender, Two-spirited and Queer community,
their friends, allies and supporters in celebration of
the unique spirit and culture of the LGBT community
by producing free quality, inclusive events such as
the Pride Parade and Pride Week Festival Events.
To be fully inclusive of all sections of the LGBT+
community, free at the point of access. Provide a
celebration of LGBT+ life and a platform to continue
to fight for equality and to challenge prejudice.
Establish pride in London on a sustainable footing
and grow the festival over time to better serve the
needs of London’s LGBT+ community and to
promote London as a beacon to the world.
To engage, empower, enrich and advance the gay,
lesbian, bisexual, transgender community of
Colorado by ensuring that every member of the
LGBT community has access to the programs and
resources they need to live happy, healthy and
productive lives.
List of aims and objectives focused on production of
the Festival.
Committed to presenting an annual arts and cultural
festival that, within a safe and healthy environment,
celebrates the pride and diversity of Victoria's
lesbian, gay and allied communities.
Dedicated to celebrating, uniting and promoting the
Tasmanian Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender,
Intersex and Queer community, through providing
opportunities for everyone to come together and
share our pride.
79
Brisbane Pride
Queensland
Sydney Gay and
Lesbian Mardi
Gras
New South Wales
Pride WA
The Festival is a celebration of Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual and Transgender culture through the arts,
sporting, community and political events. The Pride
Festival aims to bring lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender people of Brisbane together. In the
process, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
community unites – and through the media,
advertising and public visibility, their profile within
the wider community grows.
To inspire the world to love each other through the
power and beauty of diversity.
Aims and objectives focus the mission 'primarily to
develop the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras for
the benefit of Sydney’s LGBTQI community, the
enjoyment of a wider audience and as a global
beacon of diversity, acceptance and LGBTQI rights.
We aim to raise the visibility of the lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex
communities'
To encourage the cultural expression and celebrate,
champion and support the rights and freedoms of
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer
and other same sex attracted people living in
Western Australia.
80
24.0%
50.5%
0.5%
0.1%
9.5%
42.3%
28.4%
15.7%
$1,217,150
$1,138,267
Midsumma
yr end 31/3/13
32.0%
7.4%
9.0%
27.5%
24.0%
$58,406
Vic. Pride
March
yr end 31/3/13
$72,844
9.3%
58.0%
1.7%
30.6%
0.1%
$4,286,125
$4,331,818
SGLMG
yr end 31/3/13
81
0.3%
6.8%
4.0%
60.0%
29.0%
$51,632
$58,647
GLRL
yr end 30/6/13
Data has been derived from Annual Reports. No data available for Pride March Adelaide, Brisbane Pride or TasPride.
•
Ticket
sales/earned
income
Other income,
including in-kind
Fundraising
•
•
Membership
Donations/
sponsorships
•
•
28.7%
$904,592
Expenditure
Sources of revenue
• Grants
$898,139
Income
Feast SA
yr end 31/12/12
Appendix 4: Comparative funding
0.02%
19.4%
1.7%
1.7%
30.6%
46.6%
$368,495
$386,330
Pride WA
yr end 31/12/13
2,165.91
0.00
1,963.64
654.55
1,134.82
300.00
15,116.86
554.55
5,918.18
4,031.90
50,471.93
108,541.54
5,113.62
6,546.75
3,067.67
3,690.38
10,680.41
Income
2010
82
0.00
218.18
1,272.73
145.45
1,397.55
21,717.87
1,034.49
877.26
7,102.27
33,600.50
106,451.07
9,427.08
1,624.23
836.36
849.21
19,080.24
Expenses
1,259.08
1,486.35
Womens Dance
227.27
-5,263.56
6,601.73
1,338.17
-11,775.24
-1,548.27
-5,444.29
Merchandise
18,366.14
2,189.18
5,444.29
-7,158.01
0.00
798.37
3,082.23
0.00
6,590.90
640.91
0.00
23,085.29
1,893.45
4,190.50
-7,157.53
Fundraising
Film Festival
VIP Parade viewing
Women's Cruise
CarRally
Fruits & Suits
Festival Launch
Ball
15,927.28
2,691.82
Women's After Party
Youth event
7,272.73
After Parade Party
40,366.63
33,209.10
Parade
5,394.57
2,517.36
116,579.79
1,772.25
1,879.48
119,097.15
7,166.82
Annual Quiz and Auction
2,959.09
4,684.59
Fairday
4,838.57
Summer Quiz
2,024.81
-21,879.40
Profit/Loss
0.00
6,709.40
Sundowners
29,497.23
Expenses
Festival
7,617.83
Admin
Income
2009
Appendix 5: Pride WA events 2009 to 2011
2,165.91
-218.18
690.91
509.10
1,134.82
-1,097.55
-6,601.01
-479.94
5,040.92
-3,070.37
16,871.43
2,090.47
-4,313.46
4,922.52
2,231.31
2,841.17
-8,399.83
Profit/Loss
981.82
5,847.98
14,079.16
45,596.64
98,773.01
10,821.81
4,644.14
3,306.47
2,087.68
3,746.36
Income
1,523.59
3,031.13
5,206.47
32,151.85
103,194.76
19,058.71
2,430.44
1,617.52
2,297.35
11,346.61
Expenses
2011
-541.77
2,816.85
8,872.69
13,444.79
-4,421.75
-8,236.90
2,213.70
1,688.95
-209.67
-7,600.25
Profit/Loss
Appendix 6: Event related comments
General comments
I would like to see pride wa be more
involved throughout the year. Too
often I feel that pride lay dormant
from the end of the main festival until
it comes around the following year.
This can mean more events, more
communication, more statements re:
lgbtiq issues when topics arise in the
media and for pride wa to have a
stronger voice in general.
The events like fairday and the parade
are good community building events
and give younger LGBTI (or
questioning) people an indication of
the diversity, (in some cases
"ordinariness")existence and size of
the LGBTI community.
Keep doing the great work you are
doing! I like in Karratha and feel very
isolated up here at times but I look
forward to the big events like Pride
and Fairday so much that i will fly
down for them
In 2011 I worked at the "Fairday" and
volunteered as a Marshall for the
parade, in both cases I have never
seen so much disorganisation, people
running around on two ways and
mobile phones to make themselves
look more important does not make
for a well organised event in one case
there was a young committee member
literally screaming at people down his
two way and on one occasion actually
swore at a volunteer, not a good look
in my opinion, additionally, as a
reward for helping out for these events
I was promised membership to PRIDE
for one year, I never heard a thing
from that day onwards, so decided not
to volunteer again.
Encourage more open events where
people can just come along and meet
people, e.g. Fairday shouldn't be
restricted to just one day a year, other
things... movie nights, coffee catchups,
day outings or you could do one main
event with all the family friendly stuff
and do small events during the year
for single areas of the community e.g.
guys, girls and other groups of the
community.
Fairday
Fairday was an absolutely fabulous day.
So good being back in Hyde Park.
At the moment I feel very detached
from the lgbtq community. I would like
to be able to find information as to
what support and were the best places
for events to meet new people and
make friends are. I've tried have not
come up with any results for 3yrs. I've
been struggling now for 3years.
Doesn't seem to be much to choose
from and I never hear about what's
going on unless I look on the internet.
I found out the parade and fairday had
changed dates/ times etc by accident.
Lots and lots of racism as
demonstrated at Fairday 2014
discourages me greatly.
The possibility of having 2 Fairdays a
year would also be great. Once
towards the end of summer, and once
during Spring. It gives families and
those who've moved past drinking
events an opportunity to have a casual
event.
83
I think Fair day used to be something
my friends and I used to look forward
to, but now its just a farce and a
drinkfest. The so-called water provided
is a farce too. Think picnics in the park
without alcohol that everyone can
enjoy. The people who have to have
alcohol can always go drinking
afterwards if they want to.
Parade
I loved the daytime event, but would
have preferred it later in the day (34pm) so we could go out to dinner
then into the festival. The gap in
between was frustrating as we didn't
want to go into the festival too early
with no pass outs.
I think that the professional float
building program is a fantastic idea
and definitely improved the quality of
the floats that participated.
I wanted to give some positive
feedback about the parade on the
weekend - the colours and the
balloons were particularly well done i
think. The giant bird and cake floats
were excellent. I think there could
have been more community groups
and agencies involved though. The
small numbers of the dykes on bikes
was a little disappointing and riding up
and down at speed without helmets
was a little disappointing too. How
about including broader members of
the dyke community next parade by
calling for dykes on bicycles? It would
be tops to open the parade with the
traditional dykes on bikes leading the
way - followed by a stack of dykes on
bicycles :)
If you have a parade that attracts
thousands of onlookers, why overlook
the opportunity to fundraise from the
public watching. Get out there, get a
registration adn shake those collection
tins.
During the day and late in an
afternoon. Holding the parade at the
beginning of the festival is a great way
to open festival and encourages more
families and the wider community to
be involved, not just over 18 people
The parade could be like what Adelaide
Feast has -- everyone can march as
one. It's not about floats and people
gawking at queens in heels, wanting to
be entertained. It's about solidarity.
Might as well be the xmas parade if
held in the day-keep some sort of
edginess.
This years parade and celebration was
awesome!
I think the last few years of the parade
where damaging to the community, it
was extremely embarrassing to be
associated with it. This year was more
fun and inclusive - well done Pride!
Well done again on the daytime event.
The parade is the equal of Sydney's
Mardi Gras.
The floats in the parade were gorgeous
and the party was fantastic. Didier
and SSS were both amazing! Thank
you to all involved with Pride, I look
forward to 2014!
I much preferred the daytime parade
and enjoyed the event after. My
aunties, cousins, friends and kids all
came to the parade this year, which
they would never do before. We had a
great time out in the sun, cheering and
dancing! Not like last year when we
took our young niece and she told her
84
mum about the drunk man being
arrested at the train station on the
way home! Be like London and San
Fran and stick with the daytime!!!!
Parade this year was fantastic and the
party after, great job looking forward
to next year
Love being a part of something that
supports my kids .. and the Pride
Parade does tha.t
Love the Parade, and even
family/friends who are otherwise
dubious about the LGBTIQ community
like the idea of it. I think it should be
Pride's highest priority, and advertising
it plus the reasons for any changes
should be next highest.
I like the idea that we are actually
starting to act like some of the great
daytime pride parades around the
world. While it may not suit everyone,
you can't please all of the people all of
the time. It makes us visible & to be
honest, one of the best parades I
attended was in the US which
commenced at 11:30am & then went
onto their festival with 100,000 people
attending in a city the same size as
Perth! Awesome!
Festival
Holding the parade at the beginning of
the festival is a great way to open
festival and encourages more families
and the wider community to be
involved, not just over 18 people
I think Melbourne's Midsumma festival
is a great example of alternative
content for Pride WA to run.
Quality of events has declined
significantly. Eg. Warehouse dance
parties are now just another night up
the club. Fair day is a poor reflection
of what it used to be. Good theatre in
the festival such as the Outcast
Theatre productions no longer occur.
Little of interest over the past few
years so have stopped looking.
I'd like to see a focus on high quality
arts and community events, possibly
throughout the year so they can be
targeted and based on availability
(e.g., of new release films) rather than
a desperate exhausting attempt to fill
a fixed period festival. Minimise
events that are: better run by
commercial entities (parties) or
anachronistic (parade).
Further, I also think Pride misses the
point of representing and supporting
the culture of our LGBTIQ community how about a small grant opportunity
for community arts and cultural
projects - or a call out to local LGTBIQ
artists (as well as national and
international) - to present a festival
program.
I also think Pride has the ability and
resources to achieve advocacy and
information and support through arts
and culture and a festival program.
Think outside the box in terms of a
festival - perhaps a digital festival hub
connecting people across the state?
Tour a mini festival regionally! Bring
regional LGBTIQ to Perth and celebrate
them! I think Pride needs so new blood,
and also to secure a paid staff member
(with the appropriate skills and
experience in LGBTIQ, community and
cultural planning) to plan and manage
their annual program (particularly
apply for funding and sponsorship,
rather than hit up our community
through parties and fundraisers for
cash).
85
In the late 90s there used to be a
month-long Arts Festival as part of the
Pride Month. For example, there were
a lot of queer films (not the pitiful few
of recent years), exhibitions, plays, etc.
When these events dwindled, I
stopped being a member as there was
no benefit to me
Festival has been very poor for many,
many years. Needs a Festival Director
or designated arts people like in the
past.
Organise the Festival all year round
not leave it to the last minute. Patch
up all the broken relationships that
former committee members have
ruined. Committee members need to
co-opt people with the right skills not
just someone who wants to volunteer
for the good of it.
I'd like to see a focus on high quality
arts and community events, possibly
throughout the year so they can be
targeted and based on availability
(e.g., of new release films) rather than
a desperate exhausting attempt to fill
a fixed period festival. Minimise
events that are: better run by
commercial entitities (parties) or
anachronistic (parade).
Pride WA needs to learn from other
states. Even though Melbourne is
much bigger than Perth, it still has
more than 50 films on offer at the
International Queer Film Festival.
Run a high quality film festival at a
good venue - there must be a lot of
good LGBTIQ films around the world
that don't get the attention they
deserve. Many of the films at the
festivals I have been too have been
pretty poor, were it not for the gay
factor they wouldn't get a showing.
Films are one of the few things that
appeal to oldies and youngsters.
I think PRIDE can connect the gay
community with straight allies by
approaching Arts organisations to
support the festival by participating
and promoting their creative
endeavors. It would be wonderful to
see WAAPA theater students
performing in both the parade and at
Celebration providing street
entertainment, improvisational theatre
experiences and displaying acrobatic
and circus skills that students have
acquired as part of their study.
As a Community Arts festival to kick
off Spring PRIDE is a great idea and
Opportunity for the LGBTIQ
community.
There are plenty of arts events in
Perth, mostly run and wide attended
by GLBTIQ people. Other than a gay
film festival, there really is little need
for more arts events.
I think the festival should be for a
discreet period of time, so that it's like
our Festive season.
Pride seems to be on the right track
this year.. well done to all those
involved.. but there is still a lot of
work to do. I would like to see Pride as
big as Artrage/Fringe when it's Festival
time.
I think that working with the Fringe
Festival on the arts and culture side of
things is a smart option as that is
already so full of queer performers and
events, but is obviously more viable
and appealing to the community
(based on its success)
86
Celebration
Celebration was a brilliant event and
sneaky as headline were the best
choice for this event. it was definitely
ok as a daytime parade/celebration
event but if the whole day started a
little later in the arvo it would have
been more comfortable, set up was
brilliant though inside, with heaps
shade, room, food, drinks, tho next
time put each stage at opposite ends.
After parade at Russell square worked
well - but please work on people being
able to get a pass out!
This year's parade and celebration was
fantastic. Two stages were really good.
Two bars good. Maybe more food
choice, tho' I really liked what was
available.
Awesome effort - the parade and
Celebration were a hit.....Wonderful
day of catching up with friends with
much colour and music x
The no pass-out on Saturday was a
disaster for my group. We arranged
"skippers" to take people home only to
find out they had to pay to get back in
again. Also there was no area for
dropping off disabled people near the
entrance.
The celebration party was adults only.
What about the kids or teenagers who
watched the parade? All the mums
and dads as well. It would have been
good to have a section for children or
have it all ages until 6pm or something.
I know this would be hard to police
and I realise it would raise the costs to
have a roped off area but it felt a bit
exclusionary. Especially considering it
was at such a kid friendly time.
Why oh why were there no passouts
from the party??? I didn't understand?
We had wristbands and had paid to
enter but if we wanted to get
something from the car or meet
someone outside or anything like that,
that meant the whole day was over.
Seemed a bit crazy to myself and my
friends.
I am an artist that played at
celebration and it was fantastic to be a
part of it. I think this is the right
direction and as a local artist I was
glad of the opportunity to perform to
the community.
The Celebration and Parade were
fantastic this year. I would think
pushing the parade to maybe 5pm and
then having celebrations start later
you may attract more of a crowd and
also the type of music needs to be
more upbeat, dance, drag acts, etc.
The djs in between the sets of live
music were the thing that got
everyone dancing at celebration
The after party started at a good time
but you should look at getting one of
the radio stations in and get them to
set their stage up at another end of
the park (much the same way Channel
1 and 4 do in the uk fair day ) and
then have the other, with as you did
this year with Dj's etc .
Celebration should not have had "no
passouts". We would have enjoyed the
day a lot more if we were able to come
and go from the venue especially as it
ran for 8 hours
Events need to have areas designated
smoke free to make it more pleasant
for all participants and even more
family friendly.
87
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89

Phase One Report - Pride Western Australia

Transcription

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