Danlelle Laidley

31 December 2023

Danielle Laidley is the most prominent transgender person in the country AKA Dean Laidley who played 151 games for West Coast Eagles and North Melbourne football clubs, winning an AFL premiership with the Kangaroos in 1996. She became one of the youngest senior coaches ever at 36, coaching North Melbourne for 149 games across seven seasons.

 

Her amazing career and personal life were never what they seemed on the surface. Danielle faced a private and lifelong battle with gender dysphoria and that constant struggle with her identity had led to legal troubles and addiction issues.

Her transition was publicly exposed without her consent by the St Kilda police when photos were taken and sadly distributed publicly, but this was just the start of her incredible journey.

Danielle’s captivating life story is now a documentary, Two Tribes is now streaming on Stan or you can read all about it, in her revealing memoir Don’t look away.                                                                                                                              

Eric Marcus

31 August 2023

Eric Marcus is the founder and host of the award-winning Making Gay History podcast, which mines his decades-old audio archive of rare interviews — conducted for his oral history book of the same name about the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement.

Eric is also an author of a dozen books including Is It A Choice?, Why Suicide?, and Breaking the Surface, A #1 New York Times bestselling autobiography of Olympic diving champion Greg Louganis.

 

He is the founder and chair emeritus of the Stonewall 50 Consortium and a founding board member of the American LGBTQ+ Museum.

Jonathan AKA Miss Betty Confetti

31 August 2023

As a child questioning his sexuality, his parents taught him the word gay, means happy and this lesson has come full circle since Jonathan has come out as a proud gay man, found his decade long partner and gave life to his glamorous drag persona, Miss Betty Confetti.

Jonathan went into his local costume store to try on a super hero outfit for an upcoming fancy dress party and instead of the obvious Superman costume, he left the store inspired to dress as another famous super hero, Jupiter from Sailor Moon. This was the moment Jonathan allowed himself to express a new side of his personality and became Miss Betty Confetti, one of Bathurst newest baby queens.

Betty perfected her act as a finalist of Australia’s got drag and helped to create a local thriving drag scene as well as creating Bathurst first and very own Mardi Gras parade.

Miss Betty Confetti went on to create headlines as one of the recent story time drag queens who’s upcoming Goulburn gig was cancelled as a result of worldwide negative press, hateful social media comments and a personal threat. Find out how a local community fought back and welcomed Drag story time to their small town and allowed Betty’s own courage, uniqueness, nerve and talent to shine and rain down, just like confetti. 

Will Kostakis

15 August 2023

Will Kostakis is an award-winning author for young adults. He’s been at it fifteen years, but his mum insists it’s just a phase and any day now, he’ll pursue a real career.As a high school student, Will won Sydney Morning Herald Young Writer of the Year for a collection of short stories. He also signed his first book deal and published his first novel, Loathing Lola at only nineteen years old.

Will has since contributed to numerous anthologies, including the ABIA Award-winning Begin, End, Begin: A #LoveOzYA Anthology as well as his contemporary novels, The First Third and The Sidekicks.In 2020 Will was awarded the Maurice Saxby Award by the School Library Association of New South Wales for his service to children’s and young adult literature.

His latest novel, We Could Be Something is a wonderful story of two young men, each on a journey of self-discovery. There stories converge on the same Sydney street and explains how our dreams shapes us and what they cost us.

Bill Rossi

15 August 2023

Bill Rossi is a successful entrepreneur and business leader and a proud advocate, a partner of twenty – two years and a father of twin daughters. Named Crain’s Notable LGBTQ+ Exec for three consecutive years Bill was consistently seeking ways to stand out and make a difference in the community.  He stands for diversity in the workplace and actively fights for equality and inclusion.

Bill’s personal and professional journey has been marked by significant achievements and challenges. This has inspired him to lend his leadership and voice to support others and incite meaningful conversation about issues that affect the LGBTQ+ community, especially young people who face the challenges he once faced. 

 

Declan Clausen

15 August 2023

Councillor Declan Clausen was first elected to the City of Newcastle in February 2015 and has served as the City’s Deputy Lord Mayor since September 2017.

As one of the youngest candidates ever elected to Newcastle City Council, Declan is passionate about sustainability, urban development, equality and his elected city of Newcastle where he lives with his fiancé Steven and cavoodle Toby.

Declan also holds a Master of Science in Sustainable Urban Development,

A Bachelor of Engineering (Environmental) with Honours and has completed the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative.

He was a known ally and supporter of the 2017 Marriage equality vote and his city of Newcastle proudly were the highest YES voters in regional New South Wales.

James Breko

15 August 2023

James Breko is a local Sydney celebrity hustling his brand of Trivia & Music Bingo.During Sydney’s lockdowns as MC work vanished, Breko quickly pivoted into hosting online Zoom Trivia for work teams across the Country. his zany brand of Trivia and Music Bingo has since been featured on The Today Show and on Nine’s hit TV show, Travel Guides.

In Sydney Breko hosting events 5 nights a week as well as corporate events.His annual events include a Mardi Gras float, the Sydney Grand Final Eurovision screening & a camp Vivid Dance Cruise.

Breko has dabbled in radio, TV and has written for various publications including The Star Observer & The Huffington Post. He is the founder of DIY Rainbow & also served on the Board of the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras for 3 years.

James ‘Breko’ Brechney founded the viral rainbow chalking movement DIY Rainbow in 2013 against the backdrop of the removal of the Sydney Rainbow Crossing. Chalk rainbow crossings went on to be an international success with many global landmarks gaining a chalk rainbow crossing for LGBTI equality. The Facebook page is still active today, regularly sharing LGTBI news to it’s followers as well as organising events, rallies and raising funds for local projects.

James went on to work with the United Nations body UNESCO on an anti-bullying and anti-homophobia project across Thailand, where chalking rainbows were used to bring groups together and start a conversation about homophobia in primary schools.

In 2014 DIY Rainbow was named one of the 10 memorable pages of Facebook of all time, celebrating a decade of the social network, alongside The Humans of New York and others, which led to James chalking a rainbow at Facebook HQ in Silicon Valley and celebrating San Francisco Pride with the Facebook and Instagram teams.

James continued to be community leader speaking at rallies, conducting fundraisers, and producing Mardi Gras floats for the community to take part in. He has hosted several live talk show forums on the Oxford Street strip covering topics including Marriage Equality, World AIDS Day and the 78ers. 

Barry Charles

15 August 2023

Barry Charles is a respected member of the 78er’s but his fight for equality started at CAMP Inc meetings in 1971 and participating in several gay demonstrations and activities including the 1973 march from Sydney Town Hall and a 1978 protest march in San Francisco led by gay rights activist, Harvey Milk. On returning to Sydney his long-time friends told him of plans for the Mardi Gras event on Oxford St. “I was particularly happy to chant, ‘Out of the bars…into the streets’ which had been so effective on Castro Street”.

Barry later joined the law reform movement as Co-Convenor of Gay Rights Lobby from 1981 to 1984 and attended the first Police/Gay Liason Committee. He remains active in the fight for equality and was proudly marching alongside the 20th Anniversary float of 78ers in 1998.

 

 

Paul Hunghe AKA Lee’roy

2 March 2023

Paul Hunghe AKA Lee’roy was born in Glasgow, Scotland and completed his undergraduate degree in Film Studies at University of Glasgow. He spent 20 years working in fashion in London, Las Vegas, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Shanghai before moving to Sydney in 2019.

Paul is largely influenced by fashion, street art and club culture. His style of painting is probably best explained as a palimpsest. They are layer upon layer of versions of the same work. He is an appropriation artist and works mainly in acrylic on canvas using mixed media and collage.

Paul Hunghe AKA Lee’roy current work has superhero’s as a central theme. He places familiar characters in compromising positions and imagines how his childhood hero’s would react to some of the political and social challenges we currently face. Super Hero’s represent the very best and worst aspects of human character and it is these contradictions and the explicit nature of the work that demand your attention! Find out more at Lee Roy Styrene.

KARA ZMATIQ 

2 March 2023

KARA ZMATIQ is the iconic Live-Singing Drag Queen of Australia, best known for their stellar performances on Australia’s Got Talent and appearances on Radio, Feature Films and Reality Television.

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A serendipitous night out at Sydney’s Iconic Drag Club, Stonewall Hotel Sydney, took Braeden from being led by prayer, to being on his knees for a whole new reason, embracing his sexuality and newfound identity and alter-ego Kara Zmatiq.

​Sure, lip-syncing is where Kara began their career on sticky dance floors and dimly lit night club stages, but very quickly found their voice as a counter-tenor singer and Wedding Venues, Cruise Ships, Hotels, Resorts and Television quickly ushered them into their world and audiences.

​Following continually sold out cabaret shows nationally, ‘Australia’s Premier Live Singing Drag Queen’ (Fuse Magazine) and Soiree Cabaret Producer, KARA ZMATIQ brings the best of circus, dance, live-singing drag and burlesque to The Vanguard for World Pride 2023.

Curated and hosted by ‘Australia’s Best Live-Singing Drag Queen’ (Focus Magazine)

Experience a star-studded mix of classic “camp” hit songs set amongst sexy and incredibly risqué circus and dance performances with special guest appearances from some of the country’s truly fabulous LGBTQI+ burlesque and cabaret entertainers!

Expect the unexpected in a truly interactive, raunchy and sensory cabaret show.

Soiree Cabaret will “blow” your minds darlings!

TICKETING INFO