Star joins Leather Pride

Southern Star will be the official sponsor of 2009 Melbourne Leather Pride, both parties announced this week.
Melbourne Leather Pride takes place September 9-“27 with visual and performing arts events to celebrate the best in sexy leather, fetish and fantasy play.
A free health and sexuality program will be available and hot leather parties have been organised to shake off the winter blues.
Southern Star publishing editor Scott Abrahams said he was delighted the paper was supporting the festival and hopes the coverage will reach a wide range of readers.
-œPart of Southern Star ‘s role is to represent diversity within our own community, and showing support for Melbourne’s leather community is one way of doing this, he said.
-œOur partnership with Melbourne Leather Pride will further establish our place in reflecting the true diverse nature of the gay and lesbian community.
Melbourne Leather Pride festival director Alex Schoeffel said he was excited about the new partnership and urged the community to get involved.
-œWe are very excited to present SSO Media with the partnership to secure a productive and solid relationship to carry Melbourne Leather Pride into the future, he said.
-œThe opportunity to work with people of similar values who pride themselves on the development of the community and have been instrumental in the inception of most of Australia’s great GLBTIQ events is something we haven’t missed.
Six dance parties are on the program, as well as regular events Beyond, Leather Fair, Mr Leather Australia/New Zealand and the Closing Party.
All of the major events are inclusive, however, some of the fringe events impose restrictions.
Festival guides are available from Hares and Hyenas Bookshop and most community venues.
Melbourne Leather Pride is also sponsored by sexual products company PJUR as well as the Victorian AIDS Council, JOY94.9 and the International Gay and Lesbian Tourism Association.