Anika Moa rocks the stage The sun-drenched 2011 Big Gay Out is being lauded as the biggest and best yet by organisers Get It On! Initial police estimates during the day put the crowd number at 10,000, but attendees spoken to by GayNZ.com Daily News yesterday believed the crowd seemed much larger than past years. Elton Raharahara, a Get it On! spokesman agrees saying: "This year we had thousands more turn up to enjoy the entertainment and atmosphere of New Zealand's biggest celebration of diverse sexualities and gender." Raharahara says it was a great opportunity to reach the rainbow communities with the Get it On! message. "1 in 20 of Auckland's gay or bisexual men is living with HIV and it's imperative that we can increase already the already outstanding numbers of men using condoms and lube so that we can decrease rates of HIV." Among the day's many highlights was the headline performance by lesbian musician Anika Moa, who was typically frank and funny as she bantered with the crowd between songs, leading to a lesbian love-in in front of the stage as couples cuddled up and swayed along to her music. Moa expressed sadness that her girlfriend was too heavily pregnant to attend, then joked that it was her fault due to "one drunken night" when she forgot to put a condom on. Ali Mau was a surprise MC, drawing a massive cheer from the crowd when she appeared onstage, just months after publicly and proudly declaring her bisexuality at Queen of the Whole Universe. Politicians wandered through the crowd, with Phil Goff leading the usual strong Labour contingent in a meet and greet, stopping at the Gay Auckland Business Association (GABA) tent for a beer before taking a crew of MPs onto the stage to support him as he gave a speech reinforcing his party's strong history of supporting glbt rights. Prime Minister John Key was given a warmer than usual welcome, particularly when he announced his support for Auckland Central MP Nikki Kaye's efforts to bring a Mardis Gras style parade to Auckland. He had earlier battled to get to the stage because people were stopping to speak with him and pose for pictures, some lauding him and others confronting him with hard questions. The Prime Minister was grilled by Radio Ponsonby host and MC Steven Oates on his views on civil unions, which he voted against in Parliament. Oates asked Key whether his vote would be different if a conscience vote was held tomorrow, but the Prime Minister was not willing to give a direct answer simply saying, "I'm leaving it until my book. I know the answer, but just wait until my book." John Key and Nikki Kaye with Juliet Leigh and Lindsay Curnow Key was joined by Kaye and GABA President Glenn Sims in the GABA hospitality tent, to present funds raised to Mangawhai Heads couple Lindsay Curnow and Juliet Leigh whose business Blooming Bulbs was burnt down on January 15 in a homophobic attack. Curnow and Leigh were guests of GABA for the day and enjoyed the hospitality in the shady tent, where they mixed and mingled with their many Auckland-based friends, wearing distinctive Blooming Bulbs t-shirts. Christchurch hate victims Dave and Kym Zelton also enjoyed the day in the sun and remarked on the hospitality and kindness of Aucklanders as they soaked up the Big Gay Out atmosphere. There was a relaxed atmosphere at the event, with many people remarking it was a successful day, despite the sunburn and hangovers they were expecting to wake up with in the morning. "I wish there was a Big Gay Out every day," remarked one Hamilton visitor. "I love being surrounded by other gay people and I love running onto people I haven't seen in, well, since last year," he laughed, perhaps summing up the day for many, before heading back into the dance tent to enjoy the remainder of the afternoon.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Monday, 14th February 2011 - 11:26am