Adventures of Gay Boys

Kelly Rowland for Sydney Mardi Gras Party

AUSTRALIA, Sydney: The New Mardi Gras organizers traditionally like to release it's DJ's and its guest performers slowly to create excitement as we get closer to the biggest weekend on the GLBT calendar in Australia.

What we do know is the following, DJ's performing include; David Guetta, Bimbo Jones, Carl Cox, Dusty Kid, Alan Thompson and local Scott Pullen.

What we don't know is who is performing on stage in the RHI Hall, until a few days ago when Sydney GLBT website SX published that Kelly Roland will be performing at this years Party.

"The singer, whose latest hit ‘When Love Takes Over’ (with French DJ David Guetta) was a global # 1 smash, will be performing at this year’s Mardi Gras Party at the Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park on Saturday, March 6, her official website – www.kellyrowland.com – has revealed."

Though when I accessed her website today no mention of her performing Down Under was present.

Mardi Gras organizers when contacted did not wish to confirm nor deny, but is the cat out of the bag!

I believe like last year it has slipped out before New Mardi Gras organizers wished and Kelly Roland was asked to remove it from her website.

The  same thing occurred last year also.

So who else will perform I ask? Lady Gaga will not be in Australia but George Michael will be! We can only hope.

Source SX News.

Happy New Year to all!

I wish you my readers a happy and prosperous new year, hoping that it brings you more joy than 2009. Play hard but play safe!

DNA # 120

Australian Gay Magazine this month features the sexy Nathan Owens on the cover and as seen below features in a full underwear spread...lucky us I say. He says in an interview that people try to tear his clothes off! well yes wouldn't you want to tear them off, I know I would.

Photography Credits: Ronald N. Tan

Wales rugby legend Gareth Thomas in 'absolute despair' over gay admission

WALES rugby union legend Gareth Thomas has announced that he is gay in an interview in Saturday's Daily Mail newspaper.

The Cardiff Blues full-back, 35, said he had been through “absolute despair” and did not want to be known simply as a “gay rugby player”.

The former Wales and British and Irish Lions captain is Wales' most capped player and ninth in the all-time Test try scoring list.

“I've been through all sorts of emotions with this, tears, anger and absolute despair,” he said.

“I wasn't sure if I ever wanted to let people know and, to be honest, I feel anxious about people's reactions and the effect it might have on my family.”

He added: “I don't want to be known as a gay rugby player. I am a rugby player first and foremost.

“I am a man. I just happen to be gay. It's irrelevant. What I choose to do when I close the door at home has nothing to do with what I have achieved in rugby.”

Say Cheese at Bondi Beach

Sydney, Australia.

Over 100 dancers surprised tourists and locals at Bondi Beach with a Flash Mob on Sat Nov 14th 2009, led by one of Australia's most famous & delicious drag queens - Joyce Maynge.

New Mardi Gras release statement to NMG members

SYDNEY, Australia

A survey was sent to all NMG members after sleazeball,it comes as no surprise. Both on the night and in the days that followed the party a major focus of the feedback we received was about the policing of the event, the presence of sniffer dogs on the dance floors and what many of you felt were quite arbitrary searches of our patrons.

Over and over you told us that you felt the police presence was an “invasion of privacy”, “intimidating”, “intrusive” and “over the top”. Your comments make clear that many of you are angry, not only as attendees of our parties, but also as Australian citizens who feel their rights are being eroded and as taxpayers who feel they are witnessing a misallocation of police resources.

You raised particular concerns about the Police conducting searches in very public areas, conducting searches without a reasonable level of suspicion and violating the privacy of the medical area. Such behaviour does not accord with the protocols agreed between New Mardi Gras and Police NSW.

More broadly it is clear that the Police’s increased presence both outside and inside the party is having a major impact on our audience’s enjoyment of this and other events. We make every effort at our parties to create a fantasy world, a place for people to relax and have fun. To have sombre-faced officers in reflective clothing roaming around the dance floor with sniffer dogs clearly makes our task much more difficult.

This is a major issue for New Mardi Gras. Sleaze Ball – like Mardi Gras Party and the Mardi Gras harbour party – are fundraising events for the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras. Any impact on ticket sales to these events has a very direct impact on our ability to sustain the Parade, the Mardi Gras Season and organisation as a whole.

Over-zealous policing has the potential to undermine one of the key events in the NSW calendar and one that brings in an estimated $30 million new dollars into the state through overseas and interstate visitation each and every year.

Because of this we intend to initiate a number of initiatives to seek more proportionate policing in the future, whilst reaffirming our zero tolerance to intoxication, substance use or other illegal activities.

We will be raising our concerns in a number of quarters, with our senior police contacts, with the Office of the Lord Mayor, with Events NSW and the Premiers Department representatives we liaise with as a NSW Hallmark event. We will also ask our members and patrons to share their views and experiences with those bodies and their members of parliament.

We have already commenced discussions with community health, legal and rights bodies and we will work with them closely to form a united community front on this issue and instigate additional programs to assure the highest levels of safety and protection for our community at our events.

We will establish a program to ensure our rights are well understood and respected, and we will endeavour to provide volunteers with legal expertise at our events to ensure that members and guests are fully aware of their rights if confronted with intimidating or over-zealous handling by police.

We will also raise the bigger question about the cost and benefit of operations like this. Was the commitment of taxpayer dollars to enforcement at Sleaze Ball worth the 18 minor personal possession offences reportedly recorded?

The Police themselves came out last week to say that Sleaze Ball “was probably the highlight of the night, where behaviour was concerned.” We will be asking the Police to match this behaviour with less intrusive police operations based on the presumption of innocence of our patrons and a respect for our rights and for published protocols.

Sleaze Ball Sydney

SYDNEY, Australia

Over the weekend Sydney held it's annual Sleaze Ball the theme this year was "Game On" and by all accounts it was awesome, a major improvement on last years party. My partner and I chose not to attend after last years disappointment.

Thousands packed into the two venue's, Horden Pavilion and the Dome at Sydney's Entertainment Quarter (Fox Studios).  It may have been raining cats and dogs outside but it was raining men inside.

David Guetta For Sydney Mardi Gras?? We hope!

Rumour has it that French house auteur David Guetta is to be one of the headlining DJs at Mardi Gras Party 2010.

You could say (with a sense of the understatement) that Guetta is getting his fair share of attention at the moment, having massive crossover success with his new album One Love and his smash hit When Love Takes Over with ex-Destiny’s Child Kelly Rowland.

During recent interviews on commercial radio Guetta let it slip that he’ll be fronting up for headline duties at next year’s Future Music Festival tour. Earlier this year Mardi Gras shared Paul Oakenfold with Future Music Festival, will Guetta be shared across the two events next year? And will he be bringing Kelly Rowland with him?

“I can neither confirm or deny that,” said Damien Eames, Head of Marketing at New Mardi Gras.

Vancouver Gay Pride

VANCOUVER, Canada upwards of 500,000 people lined the streets of Vancouver's West End Sunday afternoon for the 31st annual Gay Pride parade.

A beautiful sunny day with temperatures in the mid 20's ensured the boys above got that tan that we all seek during summer.

Participants and spectators traveled from all over the world to view the 160 brightly colored floats, many with topless men — and women.

8,000 Out for Gay Marriage in Australia

On Saturday, more than 8000 people across the country took part in the National Day of Action for same-sex marriage, with over 250 couples taking part in illegal gay weddings.

In Sydney the 1500 strong crowd gathered at Town Hall for speeches from Lord Mayor Clover Moore, actor Matt Young and journalist and author Katrina Fox. There was a real buzz on arrival, plenty of media, music from Technotronic and Aretha Franklin blaring from speakers, and a diverse crowd, some dressed in wedding dresses and veils, others in matching suits and ties.

The crowd then walked from Town Hall to Darling Harbour, where Labor’s National Conference was being held, chanting “Gay straight black white, marriage is a civil right” and “What do we want? same sex marriage! When do we want it? Now!” There was a speech from Greens MP Lee Rhiannon before Reverend Karl Hand from the Metropolitan Community Church presided over the group wedding ceremony.

While in Melbourne:
The Age reports that there were roses, wedding veils and even a three-tiered cake. 65 people took part in the mass wedding ceremony and almost 4000 gathered in Federation Square in central Melbourne for the Equal Love march. There were performances from pop singer Katie Underwood and vocal quartet The Nymphs.

In Brisbane hundreds gathered in Queen’s Park chanting “This is what democracy sounds like” and in Canberra there was a group of 100 people who assembled at Garema Place.

Marriage equality advocates are angry the ALP National Conference has failed to properly debate same-sex marriage, voting instead to keep marriage as only between a man and a woman.

Australian Marriage Equality spokesperson, Alex Greenwich, said in a statement “The ALP’s failure is deeply hurtful to same-sex partners, offensive to the majority of Australians who support same-sex marriage, and embarrassing to the entire nation at a time when even Albania is moving forward on this issue.”

Mr Greenwich said the ALP’s new policy for a national framework recognising personal relationships is no substitute for equality in marriage for same-sex couples, and actually highlights marriage discrimination.

“The ALP’s new policy effectively says all personal relationships will be recognised for all purposes, except same-sex couples still can’t marry.”

“Whether the new policy allows civil unions to have ceremonies or not is beside the point because civil unions entrench discrimination be giving same-sex relationships a second-best status.”

Mr Greenwich also rejected Attorney-General, Robert McClelland’s, view that the Federal Constitution prevents the Government from allowing same-sex marriages.

“The Rudd Government is using the Constitution as a smoke screen for its own prejudices and cowardice”, Mr Greenwich said.

The NSW Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby has expressed profound disappointment at the decision of the Australian Labor Party National Conference to keep the current definition of marriage, which explicitly excludes same-sex couples.

“The decision of the ALP national conference to continue discrimination in marriage law against same-sex couples is deeply disappointing for the gay and lesbian community. According to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, the Australian Labor Party is a party of the future, built on the principles of fairness and inclusion. However, this decision shows that this fairness and inclusion does not extend to same-sex couples,” said Emily Gray, GLRL Co-Convenor.

A 2009 Galaxy Poll, conducted by Australian Marriage Equality, found that 60% of Australians support giving same-sex couples the right to marry. Australia is falling behind other comparable nations in formal relationship recognition. Canada, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, South Africa and six US states grant the right to marry. The United Kingdom, New Zealand, Denmark, Switzerland, Finland and several other nations provide a civil union or registered partnership scheme.

Ms Gray concluded, “Same-sex couples have all the rights and responsibilities of married couples – but not the right to marry. There is no valid reason to continue this discrimination. It is time that all sides of politics caught up with community attitudes and makes a commitment to full equality.”

The Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby is urging community members to make their voices heard in the current Senate Inquiry into same-sex marriage.