On This Day: 17th August

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Thu 17 Aug 2023

World chess federation bars transgender women from competing in womenâs events
Transgender women cannot compete in official events for females...
Links: NZ Herald
National’s Chris Luxon Dismisses NZ First’s Transgender Bathroom Policy saying it’s...
Links: Express
Russian Transgender Blogger Fined For Breaching ‘LGBTQ+ Propaganda’ Law
Links: Express

Wed 17 Aug 2022

'One of the proudest moments of my life': Sonny Bill Williams on wife's change to wearing head scarf
Sonny Bill Williams has revealed his pride after his wife Alana's decision to adopt the hijab...
Links: NZ Herald
Independent review paints damning picture of Arise Church abuse allegations
Allegations of racism, sexual assault, homophobia, bullying and actively discouraging victims from going to the police are contained in a leaked copy of an investigation into Arise Church...
Links: RNZ
Rhubarb Rouge Talks Palmy Drag Fest
Links: Express

Tue 17 Aug 2021

RuPaul Reveals First Wax Figure ‘Out of Drag’ at Madame Tussauds
Links: Express
Sydney and Auckland’s Rainbow Communities Mourn Death of Francis Mossman
Links: Express
Tom Daley Almost Didn’t Make The Tokyo Olympics Following Surgery
Links: Express

Mon 17 Aug 2020

90 Year Grandfather Comes Out as Gay, Searches for Long Lost...
Links: Express
Drag Queen Children’s Events Postponed in Timaru, Amidst Conservative Christian Backlash
Links: Express

Sat 17 Aug 2019

Out and About @ G.A.Y and Family Bar
Links: Express
Review: ATC’s Six Degrees of Seperation
Links: Express

Fri 17 Aug 2018

America's first transgender candidate for governor
Vermont democrats have chosen transgender woman Christine Hallquist as their candidate for governor...
Links: RNZ
Austria official disciplined after gay Afghan migrant ruling
BERLIN — Austria's asylum authority says it has disciplined an employee and regrets "linguistic lapses" on his part following a cliche-ridden decision in which an Afghan man's application for asylum on the grounds of his homosexuality...
Links: NZ Herald
Challenge Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia
Today thousands of students across New Zealand will take a vow of silence, to draw attention to the silence surrounding homophobic, biphobic, and transphobic bullying in their schools and communities...
Links: Scoop
Meet Home And Away's first gay teen
Home And Away's Darius Williams clearly recalls where he was when Australians voted in favour of same-sex marriage in 2017...
Links: Stuff
Not gay enough: Afghan teen loses Austrian asylum case
To be granted asylum as an LGBT refugee in Austria, there are a number of criteria an applicant should apparently meet if they want their application to succeed...
Links: Stuff
Outrage over gay character casting
There's been outrage after a straight man was cast as Disney's first gay film character...
Links: RNZ
The Panel with Ali Jones and Mark Knoff-Thomas (Part 2)
She was the first woman to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 1987; and Rolling Stone magazine ranked her as the Greatest Artist Of All Time...
Links: RNZ
Trans candidate wants to restore democracy 'in spite of a despot'
The United States' first transgender nominee for governor says there is a "tidal wave" flowing against the "hatred and bigotry" of Donald Trump...
Links: RNZ
Nelson Anglicans Refuse to Bless Same-Sex Couples
Links: Express
Otago’s First Pink Youth Ball
Links: Express

Wed 17 Aug 2016

Review: Love, Loneliness, and Shame in Hippolytus Veiled
Links: Express

Mon 17 Aug 2015

Ask Agony Aunt Lisa: Is She Going to Yoga or Having...
Links: Express
Benjamin Henson to Direct 2016’s Summer Shakespeare, With Cast Auditions Now...
Links: Express
Marriage Equality Bill Introduced to Australian Parliament With Warning Over ‘Divided...
Links: Express
Aus marriage Bill introduced to Parliament
"This bill is designed to create an inclusive Australia, not a divided one" - Liberal MP Warren Entsch has presented a marriage equality bill in Australia, as a poll has found 69 per cent of Aussies back same-sex marriage...
Links: GayNZ.com
Aus: New poll backs marriage equality
A same-sex marriage bill will be introduced into Australia’s Parliament today, however it’s unlikely to make it to a vote...
Links: GayNZ.com
English rugby league player comes out
Keegan Hirst hopes his decision to be open will help others The captain of a second-tier English rugby league side has come out, making him the third professional openly-gay player in the sport...
Links: GayNZ.com
Range of events planned for Hamilton Pride
Hamilton Pride Week will be launched with a party on Friday 11 September, with a family picnic, quiz night, doggy day out and workshop on pleasure among the events announced so far...
Links: GayNZ.com

Sun 17 Aug 2014

Gladiator Glory – Legend Bar and Club
Links: Express
Sassy Saturday w/ Miss Ribena – Poof Bar
Links: Express
Saucy Saturday – Family Bar and Club
Links: Express
Bangkok: "Relentless" HIV rates reported
A recent study has shown a “relentlessly accumulating epidemic” among young gay men and transgender women in Bangkok that Thai health workers are looking for ways to reverse...
Links: GayNZ.com
Catching up with playwright Sam Brooks
Auckland's Sam Brooks has made waves with clever and striking works like Another Dead Fag, Queen and Riding in Cars with (Mostly Straight) Boys...
Links: GayNZ.com
Facebook defends campaign donation
Sean Reyes Social media titan Facebook has responded to criticism it’s facing for donating $10,000 to the re-election campaign of a Utah politician who is against same-sex marriage...
Links: GayNZ.com
Hate church may picket Williams' funeral
Church members promote their message Members of the hate-fueled and anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church in the USA are planning to picket the funeral of actor Robin Williams, apparently due to his portraying a gay man in the movie The Birdcage...
Links: GayNZ.com
Jackson may film tragic sex-change story
David Reimer as a girl Film-maker Sir Peter Jackson is reportedly considering making a movie based on the experience of a Canadian man who a New Zealand doctor tried unsuccessfully to turn into a woman...
Links: GayNZ.com
Same-sex couples in surrogacy drama
One of two Australian same-sex couples who were last week prevented from leaving Thailand with children carried by a surrogate mother have apparently been allowed to leave with their children...
Links: GayNZ.com
Time running out to make voting simple
Election officials are warning that time is running out to get enrolled to cast an easy vote in the election on 20 September...
Links: GayNZ.com

Sat 17 Aug 2013

At least 31 same-sex marriages on Monday
At least thirty-one same sex couples will be marrying this Monday, the first day on which they can do so in New Zealand...
Links: GayNZ.com
QandA: Marriage changes
Questions, questions, questions! So many questions as the day marriage equality comes into force nears! The amazing people at Births Deaths and Marriages have answers for you here...
Links: GayNZ.com
Queenstown winter wedding draw opens
Sally and Mandy Whitewoods A same-sex winter wedding is up for grabs in a just-announced promotion organised in association with Gay Ski Week early next month...
Links: GayNZ.com

Fri 17 Aug 2012

Changes imminent for Out Wellington Inc Board
Out Wellington Inc will hold its AGM tomorrow, where a new board will be voted in...
Links: GayNZ.com
Official Ugandan sites hacked by gay activists
Gay rights activists have hacked several Ugandan government websites and posted messages slamming the harassment of gay and lesbian Ugandans...
Links: GayNZ.com
Parenting - a grandmother's view
Sally, Sue and George enjoy time together...
Links: GayNZ.com
PI opposition "not as strong as some might think"
Reverend Uesifili Unasa The Auckland Pacific Peoples Advisory Panel is throwing out claims opposition to marriage equality is overwhelming among the city’s Pacific community...
Links: GayNZ.com
Rally planned for day of marriage bill reading
File photo The first reading of Louisa Wall’s marriage equality bill is pencilled in for Wednesday 29 August, with a march and rally being planned in Wellington which will culminate in what’s hoped to be a “packed” public gallery at Parliament...
Links: GayNZ.com

Wed 17 Aug 2011

Capill granted parole after six years in jail
Anti-gay former Christian Heritage leader Capill has been granted parole, just over six years into a nine year sentence for sexually abusing children...
Links: GayNZ.com
Jonathan Kirkpatrick admits defrauding AUT
Gay Auckland man Jonathan Kirkpatrick has pleaded guilty to defrauding AUT of more than half a million dollars...
Links: GayNZ.com
Out@Work Council readies for election
The Out@Work Council is meeting today to discuss key issues for glbt workers heading into the election...
Links: GayNZ.com
Review: Christopher + His Kind
From heady hedonism to the horror of Nazi Germany, Christopher and His Kind portrays the stark change in Berlin in the early 30s through the eyes of the writer Christopher Isherwood of A Single Man fame...
Links: GayNZ.com
Students 'cream John Key' in day of protests
Rallies and protests are being held across the country by students who are set against a Bill which would make tertiary union membership voluntary...
Links: GayNZ.com

Tue 17 Aug 2010

Anger over "penguins and AIDS" comment
Concern is being expressed about a column in the Southland Times, which insinuates AIDS is somehow funny...
Links: GayNZ.com
Hold on same-sex marriage in California
A hold has been put on same-sex couples marrying in California, while a US appeals court considers the legality of Proposition 8...
Links: GayNZ.com
Living butch?
Pagan Kael and Sand Woods Do you identify with the term butch? Well if you do, a couple of proud butch women are seeking your story for an anthology they are putting together featuring "the good, the bad and the ugly" of living butch in New Zealand and Australia...
Links: GayNZ.com
New executive for Out Wellington
Out in the Square A new executive team has taken the reins at Out Wellington for the year ahead...
Links: GayNZ.com

Mon 17 Aug 2009

Ambach costs start at $170,000
Legal aid supplied to the man who escaped a murder conviction after beating elderly gay Onehunga man Ronald Brown to death cost just on $170,000...
Links: GayNZ.com
Anti-gay panic' bill debate starts tomorrow
Parliament will tomorrow begin debating a bill which seeks to strike 'gay panic' off the law books as a legitimate way to escape a murder verdict, and which is considered likely to get broad across-party support...
Links: GayNZ.com
Barebacking Versus Decriminalised Sex Work
In the latest DNA, Rob Marshment has a rather depressing tale of the latest machinations from fringe 'bareback' DVD producers, involving a sordid murder case...
Links: GayNZ.com
Brad Pitt makes another gay marriage stand
Movie star Brad Pitt has climbed back on his gay marriage soapbox, this time on American television...
Links: GayNZ.com
George Michael survives serious car crash
Gay singer George Michael has narrowly escaped injury after his car was involved in a serious collision with a truck...
Links: GayNZ.com
Youth group stays out of donations row
Rainbow Youth is declining to be drawn into the controversy surrounding the proportion of TVNZ's Dancing with the Stars phone voting proceeds extracted for administration costs...
Links: GayNZ.com

Sun 17 Aug 2008

A lesbian civil union on Takataapui TV
The next episode of Maori Television's LGBT programme Takataapui will be broadcast at 9:30pm on Monday 18 August: It's a hand-in-hand walk down the rainbow carpet-covered aisle for Claudette Hauiti and Nadine Mau as they celebrate their fabulous takataapui Civil Union...
Links: GayNZ.com
Getting a job? Sexual orientation should be a non-issue
Getting a Job: The HRC's advice booklet Can potential employers ask you about your sexual orientation? No, says a new guide from the Human Rights Commission...
Links: GayNZ.com
Shakespeare made more gay in Dunedin
Theatre director Neal Barber wants to accentuate the gay relationships which feature in The Winter's Tale, one of Shakespeare's more minor comedies, when it's staged in Dunedin's Globe Theatre this month...
Links: GayNZ.com
US: Wrestlers dismissed over nude photos
Two young wrestlers from Nebraska, including a former championship winner, have been dismissed from their team after posing naked for videos and photos on a gay porn website...
Links: GayNZ.com

Fri 17 Aug 2007

Alienation: The Bahai faith and LGBT equality
I'm reluctant to write this piece...
Links: GayNZ.com
Brown girls in the ring: Fa'afafine Boxing!
After a lengthy drive to the very South Auckland suburb of Otara we arrived just in time...
Links: GayNZ.com
NZAF's new Trust Deed: Voting in Sept
A review of the New Zealand AIDS Foundation's founding legal documents over the past year has culminated in a new draft Trust Deed, which members will have an opportunity to vote on in September at a Special General Meeting...
Links: GayNZ.com
WGN: Planning future Gay and Lesbian Fairs
On Wednesday 29th August, Rainbow Wellington and the 2007 Gay and Lesbian Fair committee will be holding a meeting of people who have been involved with the Wellington Gay and Lesbian Fair to discuss the event's future...
Links: GayNZ.com

Thu 17 Aug 2006

AKL:
Auckland's iconic K Road gay club, G...
Links: GayNZ.com
BSA: Radio Live
The Broadcasting Standards Authority says Radio Live is “wrong” in claiming that balance is not required for talkback radio, whereas it is for the news...
Links: GayNZ.com
Paradise lost - breaking sport's big taboo
Fasitua Amosa The locker room of an American baseball team – complete with working showers for twelve buff men, dressed in nothing more than towels (if that) – is being recreated onstage for the Auckland season of the play ‘Take Me Out'...
Links: GayNZ.com
What are you playing at Mr Tamihere?
Uri Khein pens an open letter to Radio Live's resident on-air homophobe, advising him to address his callow and addictive prejudice against gays...
Links: GayNZ.com

Wed 17 Aug 2005

Herald takes lesson from moral minority
The NZ Herald has taken a lesson in "morality" from what it terms the "moral minority", and their consensus is clear: gays are immoral...
Links: GayNZ.com

Tue 17 Aug 2004

Destiny Church and the US Christian Right
When I had a look at Destiny Church's "Enough is Enough" lineup, something interesting caught my eye...
Links: GayNZ.com
Moral outrage should stop gay mums
The Maxim Institute would like to see moral outrage preventing lesbians from becoming mothers via sperm donation...
Links: GayNZ.com
Protests a reminder of dark days
The Destiny Church protests are a reminder of the darker days of history, says Associate Justice Minister David Benson-Pope...
Links: GayNZ.com

Sun 17 Aug 2003

Backlash helped to defeat Death with Dignity Bill
WELLINGTON - The Leader of the Opposition, Bill English, says he was surprised the Death with Dignity Bill was defeated on July 30, at its first reading in Parliament...
Links: GayNZ.com
Broadcasting Standards and Lesbian/Gay Rights
If someone wanted to complain about the content of Brian Tamaki's recent outburst on his Destiny Television TV2 slot, how would they go about it? I decided to review Broadcasting Standards Authority decisions related to lesbian and gay rights...
Links: GayNZ.com
Creche children speak out against Ellis
Two former Christchurch Civic Creche children, now aged 17, have broken their silence to repeat allegations that they were victims of satanic ritual abuse perpetuated by Peter Ellis...
Links: GayNZ.com
Nude Mika photo upsets Christchurch Christians
A full-frontal nude photograph of cabaret star Mika wearing false breasts has caused a mini-furore at the Christchurch Art Gallery amongst middle-aged Christian women, all of whom have complained in writing to the gallery asking for the picture's removal...
Links: GayNZ.com
Video single and tour for Charlotte Yates
Wellington-based singer/songwriter Charlotte Yates has just released a video for her new single Ruins Of Love, and is about to embark on a series of main-centre concerts around the country in support of her new album Plainsong...
Links: GayNZ.com

Tue 17 Aug 1999

Television item (New Zealand)
Queer Nation, ref: TZP218767.
Links: Nga Taonga Sound and Vision

Sat 17 Aug 1996

Television item (New Zealand)
Express Report, ref: TZP174581.
Links: Nga Taonga Sound and Vision

Thu 17 Aug 1989

Breakthrough On A.i.d.s. —scientists (Press, 17 August 1989)
On 17 August 1989, researchers from the United States National Cancer Institute announced a significant discovery regarding the A.I.D.S. virus. A research team identified a class of chemicals found in common algae that exhibited strong anti-H.I.V. (the virus responsible for A.I.D.S.) properties during laboratory tests. This group of compounds, known...
Links: Papers Past (on PrideNZ.com)

Wed 17 Aug 1988

Television item (Wellington, New Zealand)
Today Tonight, ref: TZP49025.
Links: Nga Taonga Sound and Vision

Mon 17 Aug 1987

Television news report: AIDS a growing problem in Switzerland (New Zealand)
Eyewitness news, ref F93540.
Links: Nga Taonga Sound and Vision

Fri 17 Aug 1984

AIDS Awareness roadshow continues in Wellington (Wellington, New Zealand)
Bruce Burnett from the newly formed AIDS Support Network continues a one person roadshow to educate at risk communities about HIV/AIDS. The roadshow lasts a month and covers Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington, Palmerston North(?), Rotorua and Auckland.

Wed 17 Aug 1983

Lack Of Legislative Rights Anger Gays (Press, 17 August 1983)
On 17 August 1983, Mr Hugh Gaw, the general secretary of the National Gay Rights Coalition, expressed a need for greater progress in securing legal rights for homosexual men and lesbians in New Zealand. He highlighted the limited advancements made since the establishment of the country's gay rights movement 11...
Links: Papers Past (on PrideNZ.com)
The Sex-drive Factor (Press, 17 August 1983)
In a unique cultural twist, Brazil has redefined the concept of drive-ins, where rather than serving as venues for banking or cinema, they are primarily spaces for sexual encounters. According to the article by Martin Walker published on 17 August 1983 in the "Guardian," these drive-ins consist of large, walled...
Links: Papers Past (on PrideNZ.com)
Television: interview with Garfield Johnson about the Johnson Report and sex education (New Zealand)
ref: TZP110524. An interview with Garfield Johnson, the chair of the committee which published the Johnson Report. The Johnson Report's recommendation was that sex education should be made available in primary and intermediate schools.
Links: Nga Taonga Sound and Vision

Tue 17 Aug 1982

Lawyer May Try For Parole For Jorgensen (Press, 17 August 1982)
On 17 August 1982, Ronald John Jorgensen, currently facing charges of assault, may soon have his lawyer apply to the Parole Board for his release. Mr D. C. Fitzgibbon, Jorgensen’s legal representative, indicated that after observing the proceedings of a two-day preliminary hearing, he would consult with other legal counsel...
Links: Papers Past (on PrideNZ.com)
Whitehorn’s World Sex And The Single Policeman (Press, 17 August 1982)
The resignation of a Royal bodyguard due to a homosexual relationship raises concerns about the societal attitudes towards homosexuality and blackmail. The article draws a parallel to a previous incident involving an English journalist who was set up by the secret police in Eastern Europe. This journalist was blackmailed not...
Links: Papers Past (on PrideNZ.com)

Mon 17 Aug 1981

Feminists Challenge Good-old-boys Network (Press, 17 August 1981)
At the Bohemian Grove in Monte Rio, California, an exclusive gathering of 2,500 elite figures from American politics and business is marked by a peculiar tradition known as the "Cremation of Care." This ceremony features a wooden skeleton symbolising worldly concerns being set ablaze by priests dressed in scarlet robes,...
Links: Papers Past (on PrideNZ.com)

Sat 17 Aug 1974

Fiction Gallery (Press, 17 August 1974)
On 17 August 1974, two novels were reviewed that delve into complex human emotions and experiences. The first, "The Examination" by Rudolf Nassauer, is described as a strange and somewhat unsettling narrative that unfolds through a tapestry of dreams and fantasies. The story revolves around a German refugee who, after...
Links: Papers Past (on PrideNZ.com)

Fri 17 Aug 1973

Charming Wizard Flies In (Press, 17 August 1973)
On 17 August 1973, Ian Brackenbury Channell, also known as the "wizard" from Oz, arrived at Christchurch Airport from Melbourne, creating a scene of excitement and protest. Accompanied by an aura of tension, the reception lounge was filled with university feminists prepared to "hex" the wizard, leader of the controversial...
Links: Papers Past (on PrideNZ.com)

Thu 17 Aug 1967

Theatre British Satirical Comedy Next (Press, 17 August 1967)
The Canterbury Theatre Company is set to present two contemporary English theatre productions in the upcoming weeks. The first play, "The Killing of Sister George," written by Frank Marcus, will debut on Saturday, August 26, 1967, for a six-day season. The second play, "The Homecoming" by Harold Pinter, will follow,...
Links: Papers Past (on PrideNZ.com)

Sat 17 Aug 1963

Nurse Denies Indecency Charges (Press, 17 August 1963)
On 16 August 1963, a significant inquiry was held regarding allegations against a Charge Nurse, referred to as “X”, at Cherry Farm Hospital in Dunedin. The inquiry, led by Mr W H Reid, the strict inspector under the Mental Health Act, focused on claims of indecency and improper conduct towards...
Links: Papers Past (on PrideNZ.com)

This list of events is generated from a number of different sources: media items on PrideNZ.com, archived pages from GayNZ.com, our rainbow timeline and links to rainbow-related stories on other media sites. There may be some inaccuracies - please let us know if you find anything that needs changing. If you would like to see a full list of dates click here