Following the near financial collapse of Pride WA at the end of 2007, successive Pride Committees have returned the organisation to a financially viable position.  The Committees have taken decisions that have seen Fairday continue to grow and the Pride Party regain its popularity, with both events outsourced to private sector operators to remove financial risk and return a profit to Pride.

The above achievements indicate that Pride has been well managed by successive Committees over the last two years.

Independent of the strong event and management achievements of successive Committees over the last two years, it has been observed that both Pride Parade participation and spectator numbers have declined during this time and that this decline has continued a decline that has been occurring for a number of years.

The Pride Parade is an event that has played a role in achieving societal and legal change in Western Australia.  For many, it has played an important role in their coming out experience and, as a result, many people treat it with a special affection.

However, since the passing of law reform in 2002, the future of the Parade has often been debated by Pride members, with a number of forums, Special General Meetings and Annual General Meetings debating whether the Parade continues to serve its original purpose and whether it should be continued.

While many people hold the Parade dear, a large number of people have expressed views that the Parade has had its day and should be replaced by an event that better represents community needs today.

Following this year’s staging of the Pride Parade, the GAYinWA blog has published entries that have sought to stimulate discussion on the future of the Parade.  Numerous comments have been left on the blogs, with passionate arguments put both in favour and against the continuation of the Parade.  Given the diversity and strength of opinion expressed, the GAYinWA blog invited its 4,900 subscribers to participate in an online survey to obtain a more representative understanding of community views.

We have decided to present our survey results as a part of a discussion paper on the future of the Parade.  In addition to presenting the results of the survey, the discussion paper also presents some analysis and examines some options for the Parade going forward in the context of this analysis.

It is hoped that this discussion paper will form part of an objective discussion in the lead up to Pride’s Annual General Meeting early next year, where Pride WA members will have the responsibility of making a decision about the future of the Parade that is in the best long term interests of Western Australia’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

You can download the discussion paper here.  Let the conversation continue.

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Comments (7)

• |00:06 17-11-2009 Jamie  - Does the Parade have a narcissistic personality di
  The Parade is not simply about or for the GBLT community. If PRIDE only view the parade in terms of the GBLT community it is likely to die a slow and painful death. If however, they consider the Parade in its broader context I beleive there is enormous opportuity for creativity and expansion. No, this is not subtext for sending it to Bunbury, rather, it is about recognising that the GBLT community and the Parade exist in a larger context.
  
  I would like PRIDE to ask the people that attend the Parade what they think (not just GBLT community) before considering the options presented in your report. I think we may all be suprised by the response.
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• |04:13 17-11-2009 Salmon
  
  Hope everything goes well, and the Pride Parade will become better and better.
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• |09:10 17-11-2009 Kim  - Pride parade
  I agree with Jamie about the Pride parade being for more than just the GLBT community. It's also part of breaking down barriers with the general community. About standing up and out and saying we're here. I have helped marshall one year and then just been part of the crowd (due to work commitments) this year, and it was great being there, talking to the crowd and just having a good time. This is ;art of what its all about - breaking down barriers and getting other people to have a good time with us.
  
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• |09:38 17-11-2009 Andrew Baietta  - Couldnt agree more
  I couldn't agree more with Kim and Jamie. The Parade isn't just about 'us', it's about so many different groups of people who weren't necessarily sampled in this survey.
  
  Pride is conducting its own survey and a community forum very very soon, so that members of both our and the wider community can make their opinions known.
  
  I really think simplicity is the key here. What we want to know is fairly simple and I believe with some open discussion and some simple analysis we will get to where we need to be.
  
  I look forward to updating you on the details of the community forum in the next couple of days.
  
  Andrew
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• |11:18 17-11-2009 Daniel Smith
  I completely agree that the Parade is about engagement with the broader community - as outlined in the discussion paper, the original purpose of the Parade was to promote the visibility of gay and lesbian people. However, whether it is now achieving that with fewer and fewer LGBT people marching and fewer and fewer spectators attending is questionable. Andrew, great news that this discussion will be able to continue in a community forum. If, through the forum and Pride's survey, simple solutions can be identified that will result in more people attending the Parade and more people participating in it, then this discussion will have been very worthwhile.
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• |11:36 17-11-2009 Andrew Baietta  - more more more
  Daniel, I just don't understand your obsession with "more more more".
  
  Just because you think (emphasis on think) there were less people watching this year, does it mean that it's less relevant or less needed?
  
  I really don't think that there were any less people watching this year, and we have said countless times that there were more participants than last year. After all, whilst you were viewing the parade from the comfort of our VIP area (noticeably, not taking part) I was in amongst the crowds, witnessing the smiles on people's faces.
  
  This whole perception that you are trying to create, that there are dwindling numbers, just seems so odd to me. From where I was standing, the numbers were strong. Maybe more people attended 10 years ago, when there was more to fight for and when it was more of a novelty, but you make it sound like Northbridge was a ghost town that night.
  
  You may think I'm getting defensive or taking it personally, that's not the case, I'm simply stating my opinion as one of the hard working participants in the parade. Next year, if you think it's not relevant, perhaps you should get in amongst the streets instead of sitting up in your VIP area casting judgement on the rest of us.
  
  Andrew
  
  
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• |12:42 17-11-2009 Daniel Smith
  Andrew, I have marched in a number of Parades over the years and have been a big believer in the event. At the moment, my personal view is that the Parade, in its current form, is past its use by date and I chose not to march this year. However, I believe the Parade can be reshaped into something fantastic if we think creatively, which is why we have started this debate and why we have spent many hours over the last couple of weeks asking people what they think and attempting to make some constructive suggestions through our discussion paper (which I would love to hear your thoughts on).
  
  However, at the end of the day, this is not about you or me. This debate has been driven by people leaving comments on our site and 302 people telling us what they think in our survey. What form the Parade takes into the future will be a decision taken by Pride's members and whether or not the Parade is successful into the future will depend on whether both Pride's members and the broader community support the path chosen.
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• |03:31 20-11-2009 Parade an Icon  - GAYinWA Beat-Up
  Keep up the great work Pride WA and Andrew....
  
  Seriously peeps- this whole "debate" as we are seeing before us has been created by GAY(whenitsuits)inWA.
  
  "Many hours over the last couple of weeks" says Daniel is a perfect example of the commitment. Not the whole year, which is what the Committee members gave to Pride and the GLBTIQ Community.
  
  I look forward to the discussion that Pride leads and not the beat-up by this "part-time venture".
  
  This years Parade was fantastic and the crowd where I was watching from loved every bit of it!! Please let’s keep this icon that many of us truly love, the Pride Parade.
  
  Ps the Recommendation in your report Daniel -it is an opinion not a recommendation derived from Survey results.
  
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• |23:25 20-11-2009 Andrew Baietta  - Thank you
  Dear Anonymous,
  
  Thanks for your kind words. It certainly is a pleasure putting on these events for the community, all the more so when we get positive feedback such as this.
  
  We look forward to discussing the way forward during our community forums.
  
  Andrew
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• |16:06 20-11-2009 Gavin McGuren
  I started to draft a response to this latest rant but realised that all the evidence suggests you're out of your depth trying to process what has already been written. The debate has never been about the job the Pride committee is doing but rather the viability of the parade in its current form, but by all means continue on your own merry way. You really are a bit of a goose though, making personal attacks and questioning someone else's credibility when you don't have the courage to put your name to your posts.
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