Ultimately, and perhaps sadly, creating spaces where people feel included, safe and comfortable sometimes means drawing lines that exclude others.
Oxford Street
News of a new Sydney club called Pink Pony initially gave lesbians like me hope for a venue where we could truly feel at home, writes Isabella Freeland (@bellabeenaa).
Sydney’s soon-to-launch gay bar Pink Pony has changed its Instagram handle to “new.name.coming” following online backlash that accused the venue of culturally appropriating a song by a lesbian artist about inclusivity while at the same time marketing itself primarily towards gay men.
Oxford Street drag competition Slay 2 Stay will return for its sixth season this October, Universal Sydney has announced.
Flash, the gay Sydney dance party that seems to have beef with Gay Sydney News for reasons that are not fully understood, is moving from its original venue on Oxford Street to new digs at Kings Cross Hotel following a run-in with council over capacity issues.
Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras has signalled its desire to move away from producing all of its events in-house, announcing it is inviting external promoters, community partners and creatives to co-produce “signature” celebrations while it focuses its energy on producing “hallmark” events alone.
Palms on Oxford has secured Showgirl Sundays, the long-running drag showcase formerly hosted at Stonewall Hotel, after a dispute over how it was named in the nomination list for Sydney’s annual drag industry awards and amid ongoing tensions over the lack of payment for guest performers.
Stonewall Hotel’s top floor will be turned into an upmarket, all-male nude strip club with a cover charge, as part of plans to revitalise the 27-year-old Oxford Street gay bar.
A new rainbow crossing near Taylor Square has been proposed by the City of Sydney, which will include the progress flag design.
Oxford Street’s newest nightclub will be named Carousel after a secret carousel stage was uncovered underneath the existing one.