3.20pm: A past Hero Committee member says he's pleased to hear news of the Hero parade's return to Auckland, saying it's a huge financial risk, but the rich experience of the event is worth the time and energy. “I think it's fantastic,” says Vaughan Aaronjohn of the announcement. “Some people say ‘we don't need it back' – well I guess there's lots of things in life we've got that we don't need – but it's not always about us. What we can often forget is that the parade is such a high-profile part of the celebration of gay culture, that for the sixteen and seventeen-year-old kids who may be stuck in Temuka, it gives them a beacon of hope that there is another world out there.” Aaronjohn believes the local LGBT community is still strong and organised enough to get behind a large event. “If anything, I think what we've been developing over the last 15-20 years is a more cohesive community. Our community is a lot more recognisable than it ever was, and I think if nothing else, it was more factionalised in the past where you're such a minority so you ‘stuck to your own'. “I think there's been a bit more of a blend of queer culture – no longer are the boys, the girls, and the transgender community in their own little worlds. We're all part of the greater queer community now – it was fantastic to see the transgender space at the Hero Party this year.” Whoever organizes the parade is not going to be making a lot of money, but they will be taking a huge risk, Aaronjohn believes. “But in this day and age I don't think you can measure everything in monetary terms. If people are doing the volunteer work, they're getting more out of it than money – they're getting the things that money can't buy. “The experience, the camaraderie, and just the joy of being involved in such a monumental flagship event. That's what you get out of it. Not everything has to be for a buck.” Ref: GayNZ.com (m)
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Thursday, 19th April 2007 - 12:00pm