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Can we all just line up over here and kneel down so that everyone has an opportunity to be in the photograph? This looks great. You all look fabulous and so clean. Brendan, glasses out, please. Thank you. Standing up straight, Long necks. Thank you so much. Now let's have your hands up and go have your pride. 5432 now! Oh, my God, That sounded like my mother's funeral. [00:00:30] Now let's do it again. And let's all say happy pride like you mean it. 54321. Oh, that was delicious. I'm Suzanne Tay. I'm with Wellington City Council and I got wrangled in today by Amanda. Thanks a lot, Amanda. Um and she's asked me to lead the parade, which is an absolute privilege. It's so great to be here with the community today. [00:01:00] Um, it's It's also quite sad because a lot of the community aren't here today. And it's nice to see a lot of young people here as well who are really, really proud to be gay and out there, and and we're going to be walking through the streets of Wellington. I'm gonna be interested to see what the responses are like from the people out there. And then the other thing I'm here for as well as my boss told me, I have to keep an eye on the health and safety. So I'm on a Segway. I think I'm probably the worst person right [00:01:30] now to be thinking about health and safety, but I'm sure it'll be fabulous and everyone's going to have a great time. I might go look at that flag. It's amazing. Wow, How big is it? Is it like 20 metres? Something like that? That is stunning. Oh, wow, that looks incredible. That is gonna look so epic going down Courtney place. Right? So we gotta make sure that we keep within the the two lanes that we're at. So you guys sometimes [00:02:00] may need to walk closer together, but the idea is to try and keep it as tall as possible and try not to drag it along the road because it's actually a very special flag. It's, uh, one of our international flags that's come all the way in from across the seas to be with us today. It's 50 metres long, and it has been at the front of many parades around the world. So everybody knows now where they are standing. I think we've got it all up. Let's see whether we can get it up in the air and see whether we can get it to [00:02:30] perfect. That's beautiful. If you guys keep it nice and level, then it's gonna look perfect. But hold it in one hand and wave with the other and enjoy yourselves. Have a great time. Thanks so much student association for for walking the flank. My name is Jonathan G. I'm here representing the New Zealand Union of Students Associations. So I'm here to say that, um, tertiary institutions should be an inclusive environment for, um, people of LGBT [00:03:00] Q I, um of that community. And you're doing something very special today with the pride parade. Uh, yes, we are. We're carrying this very, very, uh, special flag. Yes. So what does it mean to carry the rainbow flag? Um, so we got told about the the history of the flag and how, um, it was, um, stitched by, um, by families who had family members who died of HIV, um, in London. And it's been, um, around Pride parades around, um, in London. and Paris, [00:03:30] and it's just most recently been in Singapore. Um, and it's the first time ever that it's been here in New Zealand. So I think it's a very, very special thing. Yeah, so it's not only the main rainbow flag, but we've got a multitude of flags here. Can we go through? Uh, some of the other flags we've got. OK, so this one that I'm wearing is the trans flag, so that can also encompass gender queer non-binary, if that's the flag that people want to identify with, Uh, this flag here is the bisexual flag, and this one is the pan sexual flag. And this is the [00:04:00] main gay pride Rainbow flag. I know that the, um, bisexual flag is like pink and blue make purple or something like that. That's why they've chosen these colours for it. I'm not too sure about the other ones, but I'm not too sure about the symbolism of the flag. But, um, Pansexuality is, um I guess, sexuality that encompasses all genders, male, female and everything in between. What does carrying the flag in the pride parade mean to you today? [00:04:30] I didn't actually know we were going to be doing it. Um, but oh, my God, This is like a really huge honour. I'm, like, really, like, humbled to know that we we're gonna be carrying this and that. It's like the first pride parade in, like, almost 30 years and that we're going to be the ones that are, like, you know, carrying the torch for, like, future generations of LGBT Q people. Yeah, it's Yeah, it's a It's a massive honour. There's so much, um, sacrifice [00:05:00] involved in, like this particular flag. Um and yeah, it's a huge, huge honour to carry it. Yeah, definitely. Like, um, I started coming out this summer as bisexual, And so I came here, not really, you know, wanting to be a part of it, But I wasn't expecting to be part of something so huge and significant. So I feel very privileged to be here with the uni. Um, yeah, yeah. I mean, it's just an absolute honour. I mean, it's really hard not to want to cry when you hear about the story behind it, because it's so amazing what these [00:05:30] people have done after what they had to go through. And I just think that we're so privileged, and And I feel very humbled to be asked to, you know, be a part of carrying this flag with so much meaning behind it. Yeah, I think, yeah, it's such an incredible privilege to be able to to hold this flag. And, um yeah, and I couldn't help but getting bit of goosebumps when we were talk When, um, the history of it was, um, talked about to us. So, um yeah. No, it's really, really, um, fantastic that we have this opportunity and, um, they said that they want us to to carry it because [00:06:00] we're the, um we're young people and we are the leaders of the future who can hopefully sort of carry a a new sort of inclusive culture. Um um of the queer community, um, into New Zealand society. So it's it's very very, uh, special. Ok, Hi. I'm Adrian Girling, and I'm the chair of Wellington Pride. So kind of the chair of this whole operation, which just feels really surreal to me. Um, you know, we started modestly with a parade [00:06:30] two years ago in 2015 and started to take over the footpaths and the waterfront. And, you know, we started to make ourselves known and visible and people really got into it. But to see where we've come in such a short period of time. Two years on in 2017, seeing so many people, so many colourful floats and lots of different organisations represented. I'm just looking at just a [00:07:00] burst of colour here, balloons everywhere and glitter and rainbows and fairy wings. It's just we're taking over and we're going to actually shut down the streets. I can't wait. I'm so excited. So So where are you marching? What are the streets? So we're in Tennyson Street right now, and then we'll be leaving Tennyson going down Cambridge Street towards Courtney Place and then we'll be going all the way down Courtney Place to Taranaki Street. So you know, Courtney Place is one of our big, big [00:07:30] main streets in Wellington. So we're shutting down the traffic and we will be making our presence known and have so much fun. Then once we get to Taranaki, we'll go down towards the waterfront and sort of disembark somewhere on the waterfront so all of the vehicles and floats will leave at that point and the rest of us will walk into Waitangi Park and we will kick off out in the park for the day. So why is why are pride parades important? I just think we need our community. [00:08:00] There's so much to our community. We're not very visible. So I just I tell this story that I tried to get involved in the community just like four years ago in Wellington, and it took me months. It took me months to find a community and and it was a lot of digging online and it didn't feel like it was something that was easily accessible and visible. And once I got in, Oh man, I got in and you know, now it's hard not to see the community, especially today. But [00:08:30] but it's hard to reach out to people who want to join us and the rest of the city, our allies, to come and support us. And on top of that, there are still so many issues that we need to push forward for our community. I mean, there's shocking statistics for our young people. We still have really high suicide rates for our young trans gay queer youth. There's some you know difficult [00:09:00] truths about our community still, and so it's not just a big celebration, it's also Hey, we're still here and we need to make sure that we get what we need for our community and make sure that we keep people safe and that people can be proud to be who they are. And we can also do that by being fabulous and showing off all our amazing creativity and our amazing spirit. And I think that's what today is about. I'm Jan Logie. I'm a Green Party MP, and we are currently, [00:09:30] um, in Tennyson Street and Wellington, with a whole bunch of gorgeous looking queers getting ready for the Pride parade. Now, this is the first time in a few years that the Pride parades actually, um, gone on Wellington streets. It's been going around the waterfront for a couple of years. What is the significance of like going through city streets? I think it's really it's claiming our space, and there is something really poignant about it for me. I remember being on the last devotion parade through the streets and gathering, and it feels [00:10:00] like the town is yours. Not that you're kind of relegated to, you know, uh, a space on the edge that actually, you know, we are part of this town in the heart of the town. So what was that last parade like going through the city? Oh, see, I was a young thing at that time, and it was so fun. It was really That's my memory of it. I dressed as a, um, as a black theory, and, um and it was just like it really [00:10:30] was a total celebration. And we were all spending the day being like Happy Devotion Day. And it was, you know, like, that's such a gorgeous spirit to bring to the city. Yeah, OK, so we're inside out, and we've got a bunch of young people, and we're about to march in the parade. We are dressing in vers vests, uh, for no reason other than that's all decorations we could get. And we're just gonna hold up our signs and walk down the street and [00:11:00] hold up our banner and be young people in the parade. Can you describe what? What? You've what you've brought along. OK, so I've got a bunch of glitter hats and we've got these diamonds that we hope to coordinate. Everyone hold them up so that they end up in the shape of a heart. Um, but I'm not managing that because that sounds too hard. And this right here is our cow that we're gonna push down the street and know it. So [00:11:30] why is it important for young people to be marching in pride? Kate, would you like to, um because it lets young people be seen in the queer community. And I think because we know that there are a lot of events and they're generally 18 plus and so it's really important for young queer youth to be able to be seen in the herd as well and enjoy this experience of who they are. Kate's just come on as co chairs to the inside out board, really lucky to have her thank you and inside out. What's that? Well, inside out is a national organisation that works with [00:12:00] queer youth and families in A. So we do we run national hoodies for it's like kind of a camp over three days for young people to connect with each other. We run day of Site, which is also a national um programme about um, bringing attention to bullying amongst queer youth. We make resources for families and schools. Our biggest aim is to create a world where it's safe for our young people to be who they are. I'm Stefan. [00:12:30] I just wanted to do something new and join in the parade, and I feel like it would help me meet people from different walks of life and different characters. Uh, yeah, I'm Jay, and I'm just It seems like fun. I want to give back to the community, and it's a chance to meet other people in the LGBT community. Hi, I'm, um I'm here to support diversity, and, you know, that comes with, um, people from all walks of life. So, [00:13:00] you know, it's important to just be a part of this and show that we support their their way of living. So why is a pride parade important? Or why is a Pride festival important? I feel like, um, some parts of the gay community and the concept of gayness isn't quite in the public's mind. We aren't quite fully aware or accepting of what goes on. So I just feel like a pride would bring [00:13:30] unity. Uh, yeah. Similar thoughts. I mean, there's often not a lot of visibility of the queer community and especially I'm trans in. The trans community in particular, doesn't have much visibility, doesn't have much acceptance. So it's a good chance to kind of get out there and really just have fun. All pride events are pro important. Uh, because pride is important, Um, because it's not really natural for an oppressed group to have pride. Um, so for us to get together and be like, [00:14:00] you know, we we're like in the minority. But we're alike, and we support each other and for the rest of the city to see that for us to be visible for like, a few hours is cool. Yeah, visibility is important. And, uh, I'm a teacher, so I've invited a lot of my families and students to come, So I want them to see, however, they identify in the future that this is just normal and you can just be yourself and have a good time, and [00:14:30] it doesn't matter what other people say. So I'm Lewis Wall, a very proud member of Parliament and a very proud member of our rainbow community, and we are in Wellington, uh, for the inaugural Pride Parade with a gazillion people around and just so much excitement, it's it's amazing to be here when we reflect on the last year, what have some of the biggest issues been for Rainbow people in New Zealand? Oh, look, I think the biggest issues now are around [00:15:00] the issues of full equality, and particularly for our trans and intersex community. I think that the complexity of gender identity is now becoming more and more and I'll say mainstream because people are starting to talk about these issues. I think historically, uh, we've hidden the fact that some of our Children are born into sex or that, uh, some of our Children have different, uh, gender identities to their biological identities, and parents haven't been able to articulate it. I don't think clinicians have been, uh, fully [00:15:30] able to articulate the needs of our communities. But the reality is we're a natural phenomenon, which means, uh, that we're not abnormal. We're actually normal parts of the human family, and I think the issue is about how we best deal, particularly with young people who becoming who they are as a challenge. But it's not a challenge when we all stand together and use our voice collectively to say we've got Children and particularly young people right around the country who need support. And so we have to [00:16:00] support our young people in that process. So what needs to change in the next year? Well, I think the biggest change has to be an investment, um, by our health system and getting the clinicians who are able to perform what seems to be the last part of that process. I think we've got psychologists. We've got endocrinologists so we can do the, um, diagnosis of gender dysphoria. Young people can be on a pathway to hormone therapy, but we haven't got the last bit of the process, right? That is we don't have a surgeon [00:16:30] who can perform surgeries in our own country. Um, I think that from my perspective, we are contributing to the youth suicide issue in our community, and I think we just have to just continue to speak out and highlight the need and actually force in the end, the government to treat us like equal citizens and to prioritise the health services that we require. So at present, we don't actually have a surgeon in New Zealand that that will do those surgeries. That's right. He retired four years ago and we haven't replaced him. [00:17:00] And he was only one person, and he did. He actually could do the top surgeries, but we've never had anybody who had the capacity to do the bottom surgery in transitioning particularly, uh, from female to male. Um, but we now know we we've got over 100 people on the waiting list, and I think it's absolutely unacceptable that people have to wait 32 years to have a surgery. Uh, that actually is crucial to them being able to live and function in in in our community. And, [00:17:30] uh, we've had some media just recently about people who have chosen to go overseas and the complications of those surgeries. So when they come, come back to New Zealand, where they aren't covered by AC C. So you know, these are these aren't complex issues. This is our responsibility. People shouldn't have to do this by themselves. Communities shouldn't have to do it by themselves. No one chooses. Uh, so I think go through a pretty painful process. Both psychologically, uh, and physically So we have to as [00:18:00] a as a country, be responsive to the needs of all of our community, which includes our LGBTI and our trans communities. I'm with the dance float Dance. Wellington. Yeah. Hi. I'm Deborah Stewart, and I'm with the dance. Um, float as well. Thanks. Hi. I'm Mary North and I hang around with and Deborah. And what is the dance float? The dance float is, uh, to talk about and to show that the the Wellingtons, same sex, [00:18:30] um, dance group, which is a a open to everyone. That's for, um, same sex and friends. And that's, uh we have lessons every Sunday, and we do it by so everyone. It's open to everyone and everyone who come and learn to dance and have a lovely time. And you don't need a partner. You just come and have a great time. And how big is the group? Recently, we've been getting good numbers and we've got some new kids starting with us as well. And the numbers have been ranging [00:19:00] from 20 to 30 people every Sunday. So today is, uh, pride. And we've got a pride parade coming up. What are you going to be doing in the parade. We're going to be dancing the clap clap dance But there will be twirling and there will be flourishes. Did you guess? And we change partners. Yes, you do. Why do you think? Uh, something like a pride parade is important. I think it's it's as we've seen [00:19:30] with with Trump is that people think, Well, you don't need to have a pride parade. You don't need to have any of that sort of thing because everyone just accepts it now. But, um, as you've seen with the swing to the right wing right around the world, actually, we still have to be out there and and fight for for gay rights and for women's rights. And for all those rights that everyone thought we'd already got. Yeah, I, I just like Debra. I think you know, we definitely need to be still visible still out there educating people, still [00:20:00] making people aware of, um, people passing away with, um AIDS issues and also, um, LGBTI issues as well that are still being ignored or the stigma that goes with it still, And our friends and families are going to come out and cheer us and, um, I guess that doesn't happen often in a girl's life that we get applauded for being gay because there is stigma. There is, um we are the other. [00:20:30] We are marginalised, but not today. And, um, all our friends and families and coworkers are coming out to cheer us and join in. And one of the big differences in today's parade in Wellington is that it's actually going through the streets of Wellington, whereas for the last couple of years it's just been on the waterfront. So that's That's quite a big change, isn't it? Isn't it lovely? Isn't it lovely? Yeah. When was the last time it was on the streets? Do you know, I do remember. I do remember I was walking with the lesbian mothers because there were some cute girls there and [00:21:00] it would have been about 15 years ago. And I remember walking from Civic Square down Willis Street, and, um, it was quite business like, and that we all walked along. It has. It's This year's parade is going to be far more, um, filled with flourishes because we've got the drag queens organising it so 15 years ago, so that that would have been early two thousands. What? What was the response like from the crowds? Um, it was pretty good. But when we went past the [00:21:30] bars, it wasn't so good. And we did get pelted with eggs on occasion from the Christians, got together with their little packets of eggs and threw eggs at us mothers and Children. So I'm looking forward to the fabulousness of this parade and be able to do it again without getting attacked. Um, I'm James Bennett. I'm from Rainbow Pages. Um, we're one of the major sponsors of the Wellington Pride Festival. So we're really proud to to be the first time ever, Um, sponsoring this and being part of a parade that hasn't been around [00:22:00] for 27 years. And so what's your role to do? My role today is to drive the front vehicle, Um, my Rainbow Mobile, which you'll probably see, Um, and on the back of my vehicle, I've got, um, his lordship, the mayor and, um MP. Grant Robinson. Um, and then we have, um, some other dignitaries in the the cars behind us. So, um, we're we're we're leading the parade right through the and then, um escorting the the VIP S through to out the park, which is going [00:22:30] to be a great day. Is this the first parade parade you've been in? Um, this is the first Wellington Pride parade I've been in. No, I've been in many a pride parade. I'm getting a bit older. Um, I used to be one of the organisers of Mardi Gras in Sydney, so I've walked in seven of those, um, I've done two Auckland Pride parades, and, um, this is the first Wellington. So what is the Mardi Gras like in Sydney? It's a beast. Um, I think Mardi Gras, because [00:23:00] it's been growing now for 37 years. Um, it's so well established. And it is a beacon for the Southern Hemisphere to support, um, the Rainbow Communities. And it's just turned into something that's quite special. And, um, I must admit I'm a Kiwi. I moved to Sydney for five years to to work for Mardi Gras. Um, my first Mardi Gras parade. You just feel oh, it's it's It's an amazing feeling because you've got 300,000 people on the side of the road. [00:23:30] Uh, usually around about 10,000 people in the parade. Um, doesn't matter where you are in the parade you just have there. You're just oozing everybody's energy, and it's it's quite astounding. This last Auckland pride parade. Um, I was in, um, and actually walked it instead of driving it. Um, and it was a whole different feeling doing it in your own country. Um, so proud of those guys and so proud of Wellington, um, pride for for getting this one back up [00:24:00] and running, and we hope to develop it in years. And I'm certainly going to put my support and my business support behind the Wellington Pride Festival in the coming years to develop it into an event that's recognised internationally. And I think we can get there. We're going to go from a small parade, maybe today with 20 odd floats to hopefully next year, increasing that by another 20 making it bigger, brighter, more beautiful and and more fabulous. I'm Grant Robinson. I'm the MP for Wellington Central, [00:24:30] and we are standing in Tennyson Street in Wellington ready to go in the first Pride parade in 20 plus years. There's a bit of debate going on because I remember a devotion parade but, um, yeah, amazing to see this happening and such a good thing. How was that devotion? Uh, parade received all those years ago. Yeah, I My memories are really quite vague for me. It was a really big deal because I'd only just moved to Wellington and only just come out, and it was sort of, you know, quite a a different experience. Um, I don't entirely remember how it was received. Actually, I remember [00:25:00] the party a lot better, actually, which was great fun down on the waterfront. Uh, but yeah, no. Look, I think a lot's changed, obviously in in that time, and that was 10 years on from homosexual law reform or thereabouts, and so was still quite new and fresh. And and there was still a lot of of what had happened during, um, law reform was lingering over us. I look around the crowd today and there's this huge group of young people who are growing up in a world that the one that we hoped we would create, you know, of actually feeling [00:25:30] comfortable in who they are. And this is a great way for them to get on the streets of Wellington and express that. So what are some of the challenges still facing Rainbow people in New Zealand? Oh, you know, there's there's the straight out legislative stuff around the trans community and gender identity generally, and that is becoming more and more prominent an issue. And obviously I think we're going to have to resolve that at a legislative level. Then there really is what, um, Charles shall always used to call the dignity agenda, which is how do we translate having made these legislative advances [00:26:00] into all people of all backgrounds, living lives of dignity. And you know that that requires attitudinal change, and that's hard. And so that's going to take a lot more time, I think, particularly in that context of schools and knowing that schools are still not all safe environments for our young queer community. That's got to be one of the biggest changes we make. There's a lot of work to do with the education review office with the curriculum, with schools themselves and making sure we create really safe spaces for young people. And so that's probably [00:26:30] for me sits at the top of the list. Health services, access for trans community to health services. And, um, we've got the current situation with NZAF really struggling to keep its funding going. Um, you know, they've got this fantastic ending HIV programme, but it's not gonna work unless they've got support from Central government for funding. Hello, I'm Thomas. I am with the Iman HIV Foundation float. Um, we all do the condom wrapping the condoms that they give out of the bars. So we got [00:27:00] it involved through that. But also, it's just I don't know, It just seemed like a really fun time. I swapped shifts at the last minute because I realised how fun it was gonna be. And it is a good cause. Me, Uh, I I'm supporting my friends. Uh, I'm a straight man, but that's OK. Uh, breeder. Filthy breeders? No, but, uh, as as Thomas and Shorter, one of my closest friends, You know, I support I support their lifestyle. I support their choices, provided that they're safe about it, which they are, which otherwise, they wouldn't be if they're not safe. So, you know, love is love. We're all here for everyone. So that's me. [00:27:30] Um, I'm Sean. Uh, same as Thomas. I'm just here to support the IN and any HIV float. Um, when I moved down to Wellington last year, um, the condom wrapping, condom wrapping and condom packing and the YC group kinda provided a space for me to kind of like grow, um, grow within the community and actually make other gay friends and such, um and yeah, it's just been great ever since. Like, I met Tom, who's one of my best mates through everything. And [00:28:00] yeah, it's just been an awesome time ever since. And that's why I'm here today. Basically, I'm Kelly Anna. I'm just here to support my friends and look pretty basically my job, But I'm with ending. I'm with ending HIV as well, and we go every Wednesday to pack, um, condoms at the centre. So if you're in Wellington and you want to do it, then come along from 5 to 7, that's a plug. It's a lot like being in a knitting club like you just gas bag while you're doing something simple with your hands. It's really nice chips. You might not get any because I eat them [00:28:30] all, but there are chips, but yeah, it's it's it's a fun time. So we're just bringing that fun time to the parade today, so hopefully that comes through. So what are the biggest issues with HIV education in in this country today? Stigma is definitely one of the biggest issues. Um, for those who are both at risk of contracting and also those who have contracted, um, general education in schools for, um, non heterosexual purposes is also [00:29:00] a big issue coming from, uh, rural high school and such. We didn't really get any education at all. Outside of you know, where a condom. If you're doing it with someone else, um, left it at that. And then yeah, also, just a lot of misinformation about treatment as prevention programmes, Uh, tas and, um, pre exposure prophylaxis. Um, prep The thing with the education with sex ed in schools is it could be incredibly hit and miss. [00:29:30] Some schools are brilliant and some schools are terrible. And when I was at school, our sex said for same sex people amounted to gay people exist, but I have a friend of mine who was absolutely terrified of being gay because he came away thinking legitimately thinking that if you have gay sex, you will have you will get AIDS because HIV is spontaneously created [00:30:00] when you have gay sex, which is absurd. But it terrified him for ages. And, um, you know, we do. We need something more comprehensive, and we need everyone to do it curriculum type thing, as opposed to just, uh, you know, no guidelines skills. Do what you want to the level that you want, as we currently have now. So, ladies and gentlemen, what we're gonna do now is we're gonna have the cutting [00:30:30] of the ribbon, which is quite significant for our LGBT T I community. Shut up, Ladies and gentlemen, can we just have a moment as Kevin is going to give us our blessing that will protect us while we're walking in the parade? Uh uh. [00:31:00] [00:31:30] You killed him. So now we're gonna have the mayor who's going to speak very loudly so that you can all hear. Thank you. Just thank you, Amanda. And it's great to see you here today. Now, I I've worn my best blank. Amanda said wear you blank. I don't normally wear these to bed. At least not on a Saturday morning. Monday to Friday? Yes, I do. Uh, but I think [00:32:00] it's about time we upgraded the robes. I think it's about time. Here in Wellington. We reflected a mode. Modern Wellington added a bit more colour and perhaps even a rainbow. So give us a year or two and we'll see at the next parade. We'll make sure we've got some rainbow robes to match. The bling and the flair. I'm looking forward. Uh, bride, uh, week and the festival and the parade today to absolutely taking over Wellington. I want to hear the shit you shouting out loud. I want to see some colour, [00:32:30] and I wanna see some flair. We've lived in Wellington for many decades around gay pride around homosexual law reform around marriage, equality. And I wanna thank the leaders Here are representatives of Parliament as well for the contribution you made. Thank you. Yeah, we're going to start cutting the ribbons now, So if you wanna take a photo of this very symbolic today, Wellington, Justin Lester cuts a red ribbon [00:33:00] symbolising sex and blood. No, it doesn't. Blood is in family. Then we have Suzanne Tamaki, Get off your bike club. There she is. Suzanne Tay from the Wellington City Council, who are who is our cultural events organiser. She'll cut the purple one, which means spirituality, ladies and gentlemen. So what? The wall is next cutting the blue ribbon [00:33:30] which represents royalty. Ladies and gentlemen, we heard from the Green Party. Janie, she's cutting the green ribbon, which is growth. We have Nick Grunge. Who is going to cut the orange turban representing. Then we have Dana Demilo [00:34:00] cutting the yellow ribbon, which is remembrance. Last but not least, we have Ginny Ginny. Where are my love, Ginny? Cutting the peak ribbon, which symbolises us as a community. We can now officially say, Let's start pride Wellington 2017 [00:34:30] at the moment where you can see the drag queens on the plate with the beautiful colours of, uh, balloons and rainbow bags. And next up, we've got, um, HIV ending HIV is a new campaign for the New Zealand AIDS Foundation, uh, moving towards the idea that we actually be able to have zero discrimination and zero, infections, uh, in 2025. So that's pretty cool. He's got some gorgeous men on the back of the truck there. [00:35:00] Look at that. He's got his shirt off. Ah, So dreamy Take her home. And then we've also got a whole bunch of the volunteers from the New Zealand AIDS Foundation that pack all the condoms. So it's really cool to see them out. Really nice to see some great support from the community. And we've also got a whole lot of people from Wellington coming out to see the parade. It's fantastic. Then we've got the PPT. A. Uh, they're one of the unions here for [00:35:30] teachers in the PS A. So the union members right here It's fantastic. They were all out and they're having a great laugh supporting with the CT US. And of course, we've got the DS W swing group. Now they are great. You can see them naked in the pool sometime. Very nice. I see. It's an amazing sea of colour. An amazing sea of rainbows. This is incredible. This is incredible. That Wellington has got back to this. I remember [00:36:00] the devotion parade. It was it was amazing. And it is just heartening to see the mayor, you know, on a float leading out our community. Oh, this is unreal. Absolutely unreal. Yeah, very emotional. Um wow. Yeah. Wow! This is absolutely astounding because my mind goes back 30 years and this would not have happened. And we [00:36:30] have so many different groups, so much joy, so many people standing up and say, Well, I am who I am and it's good to be who I am It's wonderful. Yeah, I was on one of the first we had and we did have tomatoes and eggs chucked on us. But this is just so wonderful. And I mean, look at that crowd. I mean, there's so many happy people and it's just wonderful visibility and a good on Wellington. Great. [00:37:00] And just look at the amount of flags and colour That is wonderful. Oh, we've got a faith. Communities united in love build bridges, not walls. And all these signs wonderful. We we had the mayor and, uh, the local parliamentary member in the same car in the parade. It was wonderful. What support? [00:37:30] We've just had a sort of a Christian group which are gay. We've had the trans people, which are also fabulous. Now we've got a whole lot of people which oh, there's a lesbian social group. They're actually quite we're actually banging the drums. Behind them are the police. Where are you from, My love? Oh, pride dot com How fabulous. But I miss cola and I've just come down to support Wellington pride because the girls always come up and support us. So I'm down here supporting them as well. Are you in a bad one? [00:38:00] Are you having a good one? Are you having a drink? I will. In a minute. I think it all. So So what? Do what do we have here? OK, so here we have. I'm gonna have a look because I haven't got my glasses on, but they look like a gay drum banking association. So So you're saying everything is kind of soft focus at the moment? Yeah, it is actually because I can't really see because I haven't got my granny glasses on. It's not a good look, actually, but I'm looking at the one behind, and it looks quite now if they turn that banner [00:38:30] around, you probably could see if you want to bend over into my my floral bouquet. Can you see what says lesbians bend a bit further? New Zealand Lesbian Group. Well, social group, That's well, everyone needs one of those and we've got the New Zealand police coming up behind. And there is Oh, my gosh! Here's my dra Oh, no! Those are the Those are dogs! OK, sorry, My bad. Let's give them away. Can you do a Yhoo? [00:39:00] A gay Yhoo? Can you do a gay Yoho? And our last lot? We're coming to the end of it now. Our last group looks like they're gay. The cheerleading association. I could be wrong or a NZ. Who do you bank with? You don't bank. I'm like it. Sort of like a tap and go machine myself. I never decline. So a NZ are the last group And then we've just got a whole lot of bunch of people down here who I think are just [00:39:30] out to support Fabulous, fabulous people. Fabulous! It's been a fabulous day. Happy pride. Wellington, everyone. How? Ok, they're actually letting off. What? I like to look at it as it's a buka spray. So that's why now I'm not gonna get this out of the synthetic. We thank you. Have a fabulous day. Thank you, babe. Happy pride [00:40:00] it, Amanda, How did it go? This is amazing, I. I sort of kind of expected or hoped for about 30. Well, no say 20 floats and 300 people today. As you can see, we've had about 29 floats and about 1400 people. So it's amazing. This has been absolutely incredible, I think, because it's being held in Wellington after 27 years, an amazing accomplishment for the Wellington City Council. Also for our gay [00:40:30] community. I think this is a an A an eclectic array of spirit Mana and Tonga that we've done today. I'm really, really happy. Really happy. Thanks, Annie.
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