Shop Yourself Stupid on Oxford St

The Bobby Goldsmith Foundation and City of Sydney proudly present the return of the one, the only
SHOP YOURSELF STUPID
Saturday 3 October 2009, 11am-6pm
Taylor Square, Lower Oxford St, Crown St, Bourke St and the surrounding area

Keep your diary free to welcome the return of Sydney’s favourite fundraising day. Shop yourself stupid out of the recession blues and help the Bobby Goldsmith Foundation (Australia’s longest-running HIV charity) at the same time. All the proceeds from Shop Yourself Stupid will directly assist people living in poverty with HIV.

Retailers and venues along Oxford Street and other shopping precincts in Darlinghurst, Surry Hills and Paddington will be throwing their support behind this great event. Buy up big and bring all your friends along to enjoy this extravaganza of shopping, performance, art and indulgence.

Join BBQ Madness in Taylor Square from 11am-1pm and there will be live music and entertainment from 11am onwards.

Make sure you look out for our friendly volunteers in Hyde Park, Oxford St, Crown St and Bourke St who will be collecting donations throughout the day. Please give generously to this important cause.

If you would like to volunteer for a variety of roles at Shop Yourself Stupid. It’s a great way to have fun, meet new people and help raise vital funds for BGF at the same time. If you’d like to volunteer to help us out at Shop Yourself Stupid, please call Nicole on (02) 9283 8666 or email nicole.kolotas@bgf.org.au or register online at www.bgf.org.au.

Midnight Shift to Close Upstairs Club for Revamp

The Midnight Shift will hold its last dance party on Saturday, October 4. The venue will close for a month after the Sleaze weekend so the upstairs section of the gay owned and operated club can be renovated and turned into a bar. According to the owner, Tim Berry, it’s going to be a new-style bar and a new-style gay clientele.

Berry blames the internet for the change to the scene and says that the party crowd just don’t party every weekend like they used to.

Carpet will be ripped up, new bars installed and a whole new interior installed. DJ's will still form part of the entertainment.

Berry is still being a little secretive about the complete concept, stating that he wants it to be a bit intriguing at this stage.

Given the demise of other gay hotels and bars of late, hopefully the new Shift Upstairs will give a new lease of life on the scene in Sydney.

Glittery Golden Mile to be Uncovered in October

The gay golden mile of Oxford Street will be a centre of art, music and performance throughout the month of October as part of the City of Sydney’s ‘Art and About’ initiative.

The ‘Uncover Oxford Street’ festival will feature over 20 events and exhibitions in shopfronts, gardens, galleries and public spaces along Oxford Street, in a celebration of the area’s vibrant and diverse culture.

Highlights of the festival will include the Bobby Goldsmith Foundation (BGF) Art Tours, a drag queen-led tour of the precinct’s art galleries; the Doppelganger Festival at the Oxford Art Factory, which will allow Sydneysiders to experience Andy Warhol’s Silver Factory, as well as art, design, music and performance from Sydney’s own underground scene; and the ‘Live Green House’ in Taylor Square North – an interactive urban home showcasing sustainable solutions for both house and apartment living.

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP said Uncover Oxford Street was part of the City’s commitment to revitalising the area under the banner of the Oxford Street Cultural Quarter.

“By working with communities, creative industries and businesses to establish the Oxford Street Cultural Quarter, we are committed to revitalising this area as one of Sydney’s most exciting cultural destinations,” she said.

The full program of Uncover Oxford Street and all Art and About events around Sydney is available at www.artandabout.com.au

Flinders Hotel Sold! Bears Move to a New Den

The Flinders Hotel will shut its doors as a gay venue under its current management following the October long weekend.

The venue’s soon to expire lessee, Sue Cameron, negotiated with a group of buyers who intend to shut the pub and conduct renovations.

The bar's manager has informed all the Bears and all the other girls nights that they work with about the developments, so that they can relocate, and some of the girls nights are taking a rest.

Harbour City Bears president Jonny Bastin confirmed the club would move its Friday Den Night to the Oxford Hotel. Bears on a Sunday will move to the Lord Roberts on Stanley St.

Mika Comes Down Under

British pop sensation Mika will perform one show only in Sydney this November.
The singer, who burst onto the charts with the smash hit Grace Kelly will play the Enmore Theatre in November and perform the at the Australian Idol grand final on November 22.

The tour will be in support of Mika’s latest album The Boy Who Knew Too Much.
To date, Mika has only performed once in Australia. A glorious affair, Mika introduced the sold out audience to his world, as he brought his imagination to life on stage in an explosion of balloons, glitter and, err, pantomime cows. Those lucky enough to witness Mika’s Australian debut will attest to his buoyant performance, with all leaving the show enraptured and needing more.

Tickets on sale Monday, September 28 through Ticketek 132 849 or www.ticketek.com.au

Sydney Bears Evolve Thanks to Grants Received

The new Harbour City Bears committee is pushing to modernise the club with help from a series of council grants.

Marrickville Council has given HCB a $1000 grant to upgrade its website, adding to the $3500 granted them by the City of Sydney to purchase laptops.

The City’s Cultural and Community Services Committee has further recommended the club for a $4000 grant to stage a Bear film festival during the club’s 15th anniversary celebrations next year.

“When the new committee came in, we realised t we needed to modernise the club, because the membership base for HCB has grown quite dramatically in the last couple of years,” Bears president Jonny Bastin said.

“We had to get rid of some of the old outmoded processes and support the club more professionally.”

An answer on the application for a film festival grant is likely to come in the coming weeks.

“It would be fantastic because the proposed Bear film festival is part of the 15th anniversary celebrations next year, it will be one weekend of those celebrations, which we’re hoping to hold at the Chauvel,” Bastin said.

Bananas in Cabanas Time for Sydney

With the sun now out in all its glory, Fag taggers will be pleased to hear that Fag Tag will soon be descending upon yet another straight venue and bending it for the night on Saturday 3 October. Bananas in Cabanas will be the first gay party to take place at the much-talked about Ivy Pool. Luxurious cabanas, daybeds and dance floors will keep you partying at the poolside.

Fag Tag's Tim Duggan, is full of anticipation. "You can expect to be blown away by the Ivy. The pool is like a little bit of Miami dropped from heaven onto a rooftop in Sydney. With the combination of great music, venue, and a hot crowd, I'm more excited about this party than anything in a long time."

Located on the top floor of the Ivy complex, the Pool is an oasis in the designer concrete jungle - but take a few steps downstairs to the Change Room (a locker room-cum-nightclub) and you'll be tempted to spend more time there than poolside.

Gay Day at Jambaroo for Spring

You may have heard about Gay Day at Disneyland, well now the Aussie equivalent is about to take place. Aussie gay social group, 'Gay4play' is organising an excursion for the gay community and their friends to Jambaroo... where you control the action!

You can check out all that Jamberoo has to offer at http://www.jamberoo.net/rides_attractions.php

The excursion takes place 17th October 2009, leaving from the Flinders Hotel in Darlinghurst at 8:30am.

Places are limited to 30 so places are offered at a first come, first served basis.

The special package includes: Coach Transfers to and from Sydney, entry into the park, gourmet BBQ, return transport to the Flinders Hotel to party on.

Don't forget to bring swimmers, towel, and change of clothes incase you want to frolic in the water areas!

For more information, happy campers can goto:
http://www.gay4play.com.au/

Peru promotes Super-Mummy to Aussie tourists

The recent discovery of the mummy La Señora de Cao or ‘Lady of Cao,’ will be highlighted in a campaign next month to attract Australian travellers to Peru.

Media and travel industry presentations about the Cao mummy and Peru as a tourist destination will take place in Sydney and Melbourne on the 20th, 21st and 22nd of October.

Leading the delegation from Peru will be Rosana Guinea, Asia and Oceania Market Coordinator for PromPeru – the country’s national tourism board. Also presenting will be the Peruvian Ambassador, Claudio de La Puente and Lyda Garcia from the Wiese Foundation – caretakers of the mummy and the newly opened Cao Museum.

“Peru inevitably evokes images of Machu Picchu, the Inca Empire and the Amazon jungle but it is also has many mysterious cultural and historical treasures, unique in the world.” said Rosana Guinea.

“Recent archaeological discoveries, like the Cao mummy, are drawing record visitors.” she added.

Four years ago in the remote desert area of the Chicama Valley near Trujillo in northern Peru, archaeologist Regulo Franco found a perfectly preserved, 1,700 year old tattooed mummy with long braided hair.

She was the first known governess of Peru – a powerful female leader in what was thought to be a society ruled only by men.

Wrapped in thick layers of cotton, she was entombed with precious gold jewellery, crowns, and ceramics, as well as two large ceremonial war clubs.

She was buried in El Brujo (The Wizard) – a major religious centre for the Moche People between the first and seventh centuries AD.

Alongside her was the body of a teenage girl with a noose around her neck, sacrificed to act as a servant in the afterlife.

“The discovery of La Señora de Cao gives us startling, new insights and confirms the elevated role of women in the Mochica world – a civilization predating the Incas.” said Rosana Guinea.

The Cao museum was opened in April 2009. Exhibits include the mummy and all her possessions as well as 5,000 year old weavings and ceramics.

PromPeru’s presentations will be held at the Mercure Hotel Sydney at 6pm Tuesday 20th October (media only), 6pm Wednesday 21st October (travel industry) and the Rendez Vous Hotel Melbourne at 6pm Thursday 22nd October (media and travel combined).

Lucky Door prizes will include Peruvian souvenirs and a trip to Peru courtesy of Lan Airlines, Green Tails Expeditions and Chimu Adventures.

Finger food and the ever-popular Peruvian cocktail Pisco Sour will be served.

Media and travel industry representatives can register to attend by sending an email to peru@miraworld.com or calling 02 9997 1526

IOTA Gets Sleazy

iOTA has never been to a Sleaze Ball before so he is hoping his performance at this year’s Game On event will be one the crowds talk about for a long time to come.

Although the six-time ARIA nominee and Helpmann Award-winning actor is excited about his debut, iOTA admits Sleaze Ball’s Game On theme will be a challenge. iOTA admits to have never been much of a sportsman, so says he finds the whole concept difficult to grasp.

iOTA is also rehearsing for the Griffin Theatre’s production of References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot.

Opening at the SBW Stables Theatre on Friday, 25 September, this José Rivera play tells a sizzling story of love, lust and the conflicts of war.

iOTA plays a coyote hungry for love and sex and food, trying to entice a house cat out into the desert to remind her of the wild side of life that she’s missing out on.

On top of his Sleaze Ball and acting duties, iOTA will play with his band, Jungle Hammer, at the Vanguard in October, and is also co-writing a show for Spiegeltent as part of the 2010 Sydney Festival.

Sleaze Ball is on Saturday, October 3, from 9pm. Second-release tickets are on sale through Ticketek.

References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot opens on Friday, September 25. Bookings on 8002 4772.

Honour Awards Community Service Nominees Announced

Now in its third year, Honour is an annual awards night which acknowledges two people who have displayed exceptional commitment to and leadership in NSW’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.

This year’s event will recognise the community work of performer Graeme Browning (aka drag diva Mitzi Macintosh) and political activist Ken Davis.

You’re invited to celebrate Graeme’s and Ken's contribution by joining them at a fabulously catered cocktail party with quality wines, fantastic entertainment and a silent auction featuring a gorgeous range of fashion, beauty, dining and travel experiences.

Proceeds from the night will go towards funding a range of ACON’s health promotion services such as:

* Counselling and mental health therapy
* Home-based care for people with HIV
* Emergency housing for people in crisis
* Stopping homophobic violence
* Reducing the harms of alcohol and drug use

A lot of this work is not covered by our government funding so we rely on the generosity of people in our community to help us raise the money we need to provide these important community services.

To help us raise these much-needed funds, we encourage you to bring along friends, colleagues and associates to enjoy a fun evening and to celebrate the unique character of our dynamic community.

For more information on this community event, visit:
http://www.acon.org.au/get-involved/honour-2009

Mancer Bear Artist on Show in Sydney

Australia’s number one Bear artist Mancer Bear is doing his final shows as part of the Art Geek exhibition at Polymorph Gallery. Mancer draws inspiration from the Bear and comic book and role-playing game scenes. Some of his pieces include: Daddy, Bear, and Muscle Daddy.

The last show is this Sunday so don’t miss out.

Location: Mancer Bear in Art Geek, Polymorph Gallery, Level 1 7/82 Enmore Rd, Newtown, NSW. Last showing is Sunday September 6, midday-6pm.

For those unable to visit before the exhibition ends, Mancer Bear’s work can be found at www.mancerbear.com

Rio de Janeiro has just been nominated for Best Global destination!

Rio de Janeiro, September 2, 2009 - Rio de Janeiro has been a magnet for lesbigay travelers since the 18th Century. In 1757 the Portuguese Vice-King invited French marines to attend the first transvestite ball in the Americas at his royal quarters.

Because of its long lebigay tradition ABRAT-GLS and a number of individuals and companies have made Rio an even better lesbigay haven today and as a result of this hard work, Logo, a unit of Viacom's MTV Networks announced, on August 19th, thatTripOutGayTravel.com, its comprehensive travel site dedicated to the LGBT traveler and MTV Network's first stand-alone, travel-focused site, will present its first ever "TripOut Gay Travel Awards."

The awards honor the most stylish, exciting and hottest destinations and services that attract, pamper and market to the LGBT traveller.

Rio de Janeiro was one of a selected few nominated for Best LGBT Global destination!

We are also delighted to see that Chicago´s Zoom Vacations has been nominated as best gay tour operator. Zoom Vacations has been a great promoter of Rio to North American travellers for years. We do urge Rio´s supporters to vote for our Chicago friends as well.

Let's help Rio get this title so that we can keep on improving our products and services to our lesbian and gay patrons!

Click here to vote for Rio de Janeiro:



http://www.tripoutgaytravel.com/vote-for-best-global-destination-2009-tripout-gay-travel-awards/

'Currawong Creek' Cuties Released by Aussie Photographer Paul Freeman

Scenes of drovers, farm-hands and cowboys cavorting naked in earthy waterholes – Paul Freeman’s new monograph Outback: Currawong Creek is the ultimate larrikin fantasy, writes Garrett Bithell.

Renowned Australian photographer Paul Freeman has just released his new monograph, 'Outback: Currawong Creek'.

Outback: Currowong Creek is the sequel to last year’s Outback, which showcased the intimate male camaraderie in the parched Australian bush.

If you are looking for a collection of stunningly beautiful photographs of men that move you and take you on a story-telling journey , and not just a bunch of pics of ‘hot’ guys in samey poses, what better way to celebrate photographer Paul Freeman’s self- publishing business turning five, than with a sixth book of his work - Outback Currawong Creek.

With 240 art photographs of male nudes and portraits on 200 luxuriously large format art stock pages, this beautifully bound and dust-jacketed book continues Freeman’s photographic story of hardworking and intimate male camaraderie in the Australian rural heartland.

Another reward for the loyal fan base he has built around the world, while competing to present his distinctive gorgeous and artistic brand of portraiture against the conglomerates and giants of publishing.

For those who thought Freeman’s popular Bondi series would be a hard act to follow, with its focus on fabulous Sydney men in a stunning coastal cultural context. Last year Outback carried and captured our imaginations during a rollicking pictorial ‘boys own’ adventure in the parched farming landscape of Australia.

Scenes of mates cavorting naked in outback creeks lends a ‘Bear Pond’ flavour to an Outback Currawong Creek filled with drovers, farm-hands and cowboys, working and at play, a wonderful array of uniquely beautiful men in a breathtakingly beautiful country, transformed again by Freeman into a timeless romantic world of photographic art.

For those seeking unsurpassed photos of the Australian breed of beauty, this new release is a must have.

Dykes on Bikes Get Around

The lesbian motorcycle group, Dykes on Bikes, is often perceived as an exclusive group for old butch lesbians who like to drink beer and act tough.

In 1987 Kimborley O'Sullivan and Kath Savona went to the New York Pride Parade. They were inspired by the sight of 1000 women riding on motorbikes and decided to create a Dykes on Bikes group in Sydney. Deb Thompson, the first President of the group, says their aim was to “challenge male dominance over the Mardi Gras”. Only 15 Dykes on Bikes took part in the first parade in 1988, but by 1991, around 200 women had joined, riding everything from BMW’s, Ducatis and Harleys to simple scooters and postie bikes.

Since then Dykes on Bikes groups have formed in Queensland and Victoria, and they run day rides, weekend trips and events for women who love to ride motorbikes.

It's not all butch though, with women more of the lipstick persuasion being involved. This is a stereotype that they would like to overcome.

For more information about the Dykes On Bikes, or how to get involved - goto:

dykesonbikessydney.org.au

dykesonbikesvic.org.au