Joanne Neilson entertains at the Outrageous party Almost two hundred and fifty people danced and partied into last night as Christchurch Pride Week drew to a close, and the organisers may create several similar events through the coming year. Although sound system problems initially interfered with the scheduled drag shows, Outrageous party-goers were eventually entertained by Joanne Neilson, Lilly Loudmouth and Little Miss Cinnamon. Co-organiser for Pride Jill Stevens says the whole week has been a success and everyone at the party seemed to be well-behaved and having a good time. She says she wasn't aware of an incident observed by GayNZ.com Daily News at the entrance to the event when a group of tanked-up men coming from a nearby bar had to be deterred from scaling a temporary fence enclosing the outdoor/smoking area. After a verbal confrontation with door staff they headed down Madras Street chanting "Fucking faggots" several times. Stevens says there will always be small-minded people and as an out lesbian she doesn't come across such problems herself in Christchurch. But, she says, it highlights the need for such gay-focused events in the city. Apart from the family-oriented Carnival event which was adversely affected by tropical cyclone Lusi which lashed the city, Stevens says the whole Pride festival has gone well and been well-attended. "We pumped a lot into Pride this year," she said this morning. "There were a lot of events all at once and Christchurch people are notoriously fickle about going out several nights in a row!" she laughs. "Christchurch Pride is about bringing people together, allowing us all to meet new people and get new experiences. There are a number of groups such as the Bears but everyone tends to have their separate areas and one of our jobs is to bring them all together," Stevens says. Based on the success of last night's party, Stevens says there are hopes that "a couple" more parties can be organised later in the year.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Sunday, 23rd March 2014 - 12:24pm