Parliament opens its doors to Wellington Pride Festival

Parliament opens its doors to Wellington Pride Festival

The Beehive will play host to the opening ceremony of the inaugural Wellington Pride Festival | Tū whakahīhī e Te Whanganui-ā-Tara, celebrating 30 years since the Homosexual Law Reform (HLR), on Sat 5 March.

An evening of remembrance, celebration and looking toward an even better future for the LGBTIQ+ community, members across many parliamentary parties have come out with their support for the Festival.

The Rainbow NZ Parliamentary Network chaired by MPs Jan Logie (Green), Louisa Wall (Labour) and Paul Foster-Bell (National) will co-host the event with Festival organisers Out Wellington Inc.

“It’s important to me to acknowledge and celebrate the work of those activists, in and out of parliament, who made the HLR possible and reflect on the challenges in front of us now,” Ms Logie said.

“I’m honoured to co-host this celebration of progress”.

Chair of the Labour Party Rainbow Caucus, Louisa Wall celebrates the work of former Wellington Central MP Fran Wilde, a key advocate in the fight for gay rights in New Zealand who sponsored the private members bill for Homosexual Law Reform.

‘As a proud member of the Parliamentary Rainbow Network it is a pleasure to partner Wellington Pride Festival in this inaugural festival and to begin this event honoring the legacy of Fran Wilde as the Community champion,” Ms Wall said.

Including Fran Wilde, speakers will also include those who were instrumental in passing the Law Reform Bill in 1986 such as MP Trevor Mallard, and prominent gay and lesbian activists who raised awareness in the public for the 18 month campaign between the introduction of the Bill in March 1985 and the final passing of the Bill in July 1986.

Influential members of the LGBTQI+ community will speak on the community today, with important perspectives from youth, gender diverse and culturally diverse communities.

Out Wellington Inc. Co-Chair and Festival Director Adrienne Girling is excited to present these voices to the public, a group who will “present what we as a community still have to overcome and will share their vision for the future”.

The occasion will include performances from talented members of the LGBTQI+ community and will launch the inaugural Wellington Pride Festival | Tū whakahīhī e Te Whanganui-ā-Tara.

Wellington Pride Festival | Tū whakahīhī e Te Whanganui-ā-Tara is a 9-day festival of events from 5-13 March which includes flagship events Wellington Pride Parade and Out in the Park on 12 March.

ENDS

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