Cloud looms over Wellington Pride Festival as rainbow groups to boycott parade

Saturday, 22 February 2020

Several rainbow groups in Wellington intend to boycott the city's pride parade over what they argue is a misplaced focus on tourism and corporate sponsorship.

But an organiser of the parade says the planned boycott is a shame and sends the wrong message to young queer and gender-diverse people at a time supposed to be about community solidarity.

The dispute has put a cloud over the start of this year's Wellington Pride Festival, running over two weeks and showcasing the 'talent, hard work, and creativity' of Wellington's queer and trans community.

As part of the festival, more than 100 events organised by various groups are to be held between February 21 and March 8 across the capital, including the Wellington International Pride Parade on March 7.

Thorin the toy poodle sits quietly between skaters Abi Tucker, 10 and Imogen McClymont, 10 at Pooches in the Park at Out at the Park on Saturday in Wellington. Thorin's owner Lee Sheridan sprayed the poodle with pet safe temporary colour and went on to win people's choice award. Pooches in the Park is one of more than 100 events at this year's Wellington Pride Festival.

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An army tank joins the Wellington Pride Parade in 2019. There have been calls from rainbow groups to boycott this year's parade, to be held on March 7.

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National transgender organisation Gender Minorities Aotearoa, rainbow charity InsideOut, queer venue Ivy Bar & Cabaret and other groups which make up the Wellington Rainbow Affiliation Towards Hope alliance, signed an open letter this week asking for people to boycott the parade over an alleged lack of consultation with the rainbow community.

Gender Minorities Aotearoa national coordinator Ahi Wi-Hongi said the parade's organisers were more focussed on celebrating tourism than pride.

Ahi Wi-Hongi, national coordinator for Gender Minorities Aotearoa, says several rainbow groups feel used by organisers of the Wellington International Pride Parade.

Wi-Hongi said signatories of the letter felt 'let down' and 'used' by people running the parade, as they'd organised for 'far more corporate floats, rather than community floats'.

'[This] isn't about the rainbow community, it's about tourism.'

Wellington City Council had given funding to parade organisers with a focus on 'international tourism' and 'selling Wellington as a tourist destination', Wi-Hongi said.

Alex Larkworthy aka Ben Tova, left, and Abbey Pruden aka Bjorn TooLove are drag performers at Out at the Park in Wellington on Saturday. The event is one of many at this year's Wellington Pride Festival.

But city council spokesman Richard MacLean said the claim about tourism being a key focus for the parade was 'nonsense'.

'If it does happen to start attracting tourists, that's an even better thing,' he said.

MacLean said the council was aware of calls to boycott the event, but the council's role as one of the parade's funders was being an 'enthusiastic supporter'.

Sammy Pitt with their Sydney silkie corgi cross, Tato. Tato won best look-a-like and best in show at Pooches in the Park at Out at the Park on Saturday in Wellington.

It was not appropriate, nor was it the council's place, to get involved with the 'politics that are afoot at the moment'.

The signatories were calling on people to boycott the parade, but to attend other events at the festival.

Richard Tait, co-chair of Wellington International Pride Parade, said it was 'a really sad day when the community starts fighting', and 'turning on itself'.

'Families have disagreements, but we believe those disagreements should be kept in-house, and not aired publicly.'

The Chief of the New Zealand Defence Force made history last year by marching in the Wellington International Pride Parade.

Tait said the call to boycott was sending a 'wrong message to vulnerable people', however groups were entitled to hold their own opinions and disagree.

The letter being circulated was 'a shame', Tait said. It did not demonstrate unity, and was 'encouraging more dissension'.

While corporate groups were involved in the parade, it was 'hardly [a] corporate exercise'. The parade made sure it consulted with companies' 'pride committees' or people within organisations who were a part of the rainbow community, Tait said.

Tait said the parade welcomed all people, businesses and groups who wanted to celebrate pride.

Parade organisers looked forward to working with the signatories in a mediation process, in hopes to resolve the dispute, he said.

POLICE TO ATTEND PARADE

Meanwhile, Acting Wellington Area Commander Inspector Dion Bennett confirmed police would walk in the March 7 parade, in uniform, as in previous years.

'Staff and their families will join the capital throughout the festival to celebrate the diversity of our workforce and the community, and to promote inclusion and dialogue,' Bennett said.

'We are looking forward to taking part in a magnificent day filled with arohatanga for anyone and everyone.'

In Auckland in 2018, controversy erupted when the Auckland Pride Board disallowed police from marching in uniform.

A range of corporate sponsors withdrew their support, and the traditional parade down Ponsonby Rd was replaced with a smaller march through the central city.

The current dispute in Wellington has no relation to police walking in uniform.