Albury-Wodonga to celebrate regional pride and speak out against homophobia
Image: Image: Ann-Marie Calilhanna.
This month’s Albury-Wodonga Border Pride Fair Day is set to be bigger than ever, showcasing and celebrating the LGBTI community and its diversity.
On Saturday 19 May, LGBTI folks and friends will head to QEII Square in Albury for a huge day of fun, information, and activities.
This year, Border Pride Fair Day will also celebrate International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT), which falls on May 17.
Border Pride Fair Day is jointly hosted by the LGBTQI+ Alliance Albury Wodonga, which comprises local community groups and services including ACON, Hume Phoenix, WayOut Wodonga, Albury City Council, NSW Police, Victoria Police, City of Wodonga, Murrumbidgee Local Health District, headspace, Gateway Health, Murray PHN, Intereach, and Albury Wodonga Health.
ACON CEO Nicolas Parkhill said ACON is proud to support the event.
“ACON is thrilled to be a part of Border Pride Fair Day as it’s an important event that brings together regional LGBTI communities of Albury Wodonga,” he said.
“Events like Border Pride Fair Day provides ACON with an opportunity to connect with LGBTI people and people living with HIV in regional areas.
“As our communities are becoming more visible in regional Australia, working and partnering with local community groups and services to promote HIV prevention, support and LGBTI health is a key priority for us.”
Nathan Lorenzon, chair of the LGBTQI+ Alliance Albury Wodonga, said Border Pride Fair Day is a time for the LGBTI communities of the region to come together and celebrate equality, diversity, and inclusion.
“Despite significant progress made over recent years in fostering a more inclusive society in Australia including the legalisation of same-sex marriage, many LGBTI Australians and families continue to be targets of prejudice, discrimination, and exclusion,” Lorenzon said.
“Hosting Border Pride Fair Day during IDAHOBIT week provides a great opportunity for us to demonstrate that the Border region is welcoming and celebrates difference.”
Attendees will be treated to fantastic entertainment, games and performances, as well as a pop-up HIV and STI screening service.
Furry friends will strut their stuff in a special pet pageant for Best in Show prizes, and a Flying Fruit Flies Circus workshop will teach participants tricks to wow the crowd and win prizes.
Glenn Boyd, convenor of LGBTI group Hume Phoenix, was thrilled to see the broader community get behind Border Pride Fair Day.
“Hume Phoenix has supported the local LGBTI community of Albury-Wodonga since the mid-1990s and we have seen a lot change in that time,” Boyd said.
“Local businesses and services will be out in force to support the day with fantastic stalls alongside the community.
“The event comes at a time where regional support for LGBTI communities is so important.”
Border Pride Fair Day will run from 10am to 3pm on Saturday 19 May, at QEII Square, Dean St, Albury.
Excellent Breaking News:
In Victoria a bill passed the lower house to repeal the so-called “trans forced divorce law” (TFDL). This is an archaic, silly, draconian and very cruel outdated law that basically means that if you change your gender – while you are within a marriage, you are forced to divorce your own spouse. Hopefully the Victoria upper house passes this urgent bill to repeal this archaic and silly TFDL, as soon as possible.
The unicameral Queensland Parliament will vote on a similar bill to repeal the TFDL sometime this month.
Come on NSW – time to introduce a bill immediately to repeal the TFDL.