Pride Foundation Australia launched its presence in Queensland with a bang over one weekend in late September.
On Friday 20 September, PFA board members Jackie Reilly and Ayan Dasvarma hosted the event ‘Growing Pride and Support with Queer Mob’ to showcase the Foundation’s growing program of queer First Nations support and capacity-building. Jackie hosted a panel discussion with Rocky Byrne from the Queer Council for LGTBI Health (QC) and new PFA Patron, Alex Blackwell.
Rocky provided a fascinating account of the work of Yarns Heal, a suicide prevention campaign for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and LGBTIQ+ Sistergirl and Brotherboy community in Queensland PFA was proud to provide funding to sponsor Rocky to attend the World Indigenous Suicide Prevention Conference in the US, enabling her to showcase the brilliant work of Yarns Heal and learn and build connections with Indigenous tribes, groups and mob from all over the world. We enjoyed hearing of conference highlights including the creation of a shared capsule of key items from each Indigenous mob in attendance, which will travel the world with each successive conference.
Alex spoke about her passion for building community and enabling capacity for LGBTQIA+ individuals and community in sport and more broadly, talking about the power of sport to bring people together and provide opportunity for people in our communities. Alex’s commitment and dedication to fostering talent and building opportunity for the next generation of our communities was evident, and we are incredibly proud to welcome Alex as our new Patron.
The audience and panel members spoke freely, providing opportunity to share experiences, ideas and opportunities for future initiatives. Hosted at the fabulous Wickham Hotel in Fortitude Valley, a long-term home of entertainment and community for the Brisbane LGBTQIA+ community, the evening was a resounding success, serving also as the launch of PFA’s new First Nations Grant program. We are grateful for the support of those who attended, as well as the financial support of the Hon Stephen Bates, MP for Brisbane with a generous donation of $250.
Following the evening event, Jackie and Ayan hosted a stall at Brisbane Pride the next day. Held on a sunny, gorgeous day in Musgrave Park, the event attracted a large crowd of diverse and fabulous folk from across the community. With a multitude of stalls showcasing community, sporting and other groups, fabulous entertainment and a crowd dressed in colour and sparkle, the day was a beautiful celebration of LGBTQIA+ pride. PFA engaged with a wide range of people on its stall, sharing stories about PFA’s work and key initiatives, with many people signing up to our mailing list to find out more. A highlight of the day was meeting representatives from two community groups that PFA has funded through its grant programs, supporting the delivery of a one-day community festival ‘Loud and Proud Logan’, and a Relationship Education Workshop by Relationships Australia.
