In a forum which repeatedly returned to the right of minority groups and dissenting voices to have a place in the Auckland Pride festival, Pride board members stressed that they would be overseeing creation of appropriate policies regarding matters such as diversity and security. Discussion of the place of corporate involvement in Pride was a feature of this afternoon's hui Also at issue during the at times heated and passionate discourse was the presence of corporate floats and the contentious Israeli embassy entry in the 2014 parade. Board member Shirley Allan acknowledged the was work to do on a clearer policy of "who can and who cannot participate and criteria for organisations." She stressed several times that the Auckland Pride Festival, at three years old, was a new event and that board members, as volunteers, had limited time available to work through such issues. Discussion of the place of corporate sponsorship revealed a divide between those who felt that the Parade, which was the part of the Festival most discussed, needed corporate sponsorship to cover its substantial costs and those who felt the event should be more exclusively by and for the glbti communities. The need to facilitate more inclusion and involvement of minority groups such as youth, trans people, people of colour and the less-advantaged was also passionately advocated. There was no dissent from the floor when last year's Festival closer, the Proud Party, was described as "abysmal." And ways of reducing the cost barriers to some groups' involvement and the organisation of free events were also raised. Allen reiterated that there would be changes in a variety of Pride policies but these would take time to work through various stages of consultation and consideration.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Saturday, 14th November 2015 - 9:19pm