Carmen memorial, Wellington

This abstract summarizes an audio recording from the Carmen Rupe memorial event, held at Scotty and Mal's Cocktail Bar in Wellington on January 22, 2012. The recording features a sequence of speakers, including notable personalities such as former mayor Celia Wade-Brown, MPs Georgina Beyer and Grant Robertson, and other individuals like Jurgen Hoffman, Malcolm Kennedy-Vaughan, Pasi Daniels, Phil Rogers, Robin Waerea, Tom Stacey, and Trevor Morley. These speakers reflect on the life and influence of Carmen Rupe, a significant figure in the LGBTQ+ community, whose impact spanned from the 1970s into the 21st century.

The event begins with warm greetings and the acknowledgment of distinguished guests. The speakers recount personal stories that illustrate Carmen's role as a protector, mentor, and friend to many within the community. Anecdotes reveal their legacy beyond the public image—a generous and caring individual who was involved in various ventures such as coffee lounges and entertainment venues. Their efforts in providing a safe and welcoming space for a diverse crowd are lauded, as well as their pioneering spirit in the face of adversity.

Several speakers highlight Carmen's political activism, particularly their run for the mayoral office in Wellington, which was characterized by their vivacity and trailblazing attitude. Mention is made of the controversies they navigated, such as their appearance before the Parliamentary Privileges Committee for statements regarding the sexual orientation of members of parliament. Despite the challenges, their courage and unfaltering determination are evident in the narrative shared by these individuals.

The recording reflects on Carmen's farewell to New Zealand, where they embarked to pursue a singing career and considered further experiments with performance art. Despite their travels and opportunities abroad, their connection to Wellington remained strong, and their influence on New Zealand's sociopolitical landscape endured.

Attendees share intimate moments of laughter and sorrow, as they reminisce about Carmen's wit, leadership, and the sanctuary they provided to the community, particularly during a time when society became more tolerant and diverse. The memorial serves not only as a celebration of Carmen's life but also as a testament to the progress they advocated for within the LGBTQ+ community.

The memorial concludes with a spirit of camaraderie and music from the era reflective of Carmen's vibrant life.

This summary is created using Generative AI. Although it is based on the recording's transcription, it may contain errors or omissions. Click here to learn more about how this summary was created.

Celia Wade-Brown Dana de Milo Georgina Beyer Grant Robertson Jurgen Hoffman Malcolm Kennedy-Vaughan Pasi Daniels Phil Rogers Robin Waerea Tom Stacey Trevor Morley

1970s, aotearoa new zealand, australia, bistro bar, carmen rupe, carmen's international coffee lounge, celia wade-brown, dana de milo, dominion (newspaper), drag, georgina beyer, grant robertson, jurgen hoffman, malcolm kennedy-vaughan, mark williams, newspapers, pasi daniels, phil rogers, police, robin waerea, scotty and mal's cocktail bar, sydney, tavern bar (royal oak hotel), the balcony / le balcon, the purple onion, tom stacey, transgender, trevor morley, vice, vice squad, wellington

actions, advertising, amsterdam, archives, army, auckland, audience, author, bait, balance, belief, birthday, bisexual, boat, bottom, brisbane, broadcasting, brothels, building, burlesque, bus, cabaret, camp, canada, capital, career, celebration, change, charity, chicago, children, china, chinese, christchurch, christmas, cinema, class, close up (television), closet, clubs, coffee, coffee bar, coming out, coming up, community, competition, confidence, conservative, convictions, courage, creativity, crime, crown, cuba, cuba street, dance, dancing, data, difference, disappear, discrimination, diversity, drag queen, dream, drugs, empowerment, engagement, entertainment, events, expression, face, family, film, flying, food, friends, fun, future, gay, gender, gloves, god, gods, government, growing up, hair, harassment, hate, hell, high heels, history, hit, homosexual, homosexual law reform, hope, hospital, hospitality, hotel, indecent act, inspiration, job, journey, justice, kings cross (sydney), knowledge, ladies, language, law, lawyer, legacy, lego, lesbian, levin, library, london, love, lover, makeup, mayor, media, member of parliament, memorial, mirror, mobility, mock, morality, music, nature, news, opportunity, other, pain, painting, parents, passing, peace, people, persona, podcast, power, prison, privilege, privileges committee, public opinion, queen, rainbow, rainbow room, reading, religion, rent, respect, roast, robert muldoon, running, sad, safety, salvation army, scene, school, security, sex, shoes, sin, singing, soccer, social, social change, social history, soliciting, space, speech, sprung, straight, strategy, stuff, support, the closet, time, tolerance, top, tourism, trans, transport, transvestite, travel, trust, truth, unfolding, university, visa, vivian street, voice, walking, wig, winston peters, wisdom, women, work, worship, yoga