Atralia has long had a gay beach subculture but they haven't always been safe spac | Gary Nunn | The Guardian

Contents:

• A GAY BAR FALLY RETURNS TO THE GOLD COAST WH HOP TO UNE 'DISNNECTED' MUNY
• THE GOLD COAST DON'T HAVE A GAY BAR, BUT THE DRAG QUEENS BEHD FLAMBOYANCE HOPE THAT WILL CHANGE
• A MORN GAY’S GUI
• GOLD COAST, THE LEGENDARY WEHO GAY BAR, RIS OM THE DEAD
• ATRALIA HAS LONG HAD A GAY BEACH SUBCULTURE BUT THEY HAVEN'T ALWAYS BEEN SAFE SPAC
• DATG APPS LIKE TR AND GRDR HAVE MAJOR IMPACT ON GOLD COAST GAY CISE SCENE
• THE BEST GOLD COAST GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS GOLD COAST
• TOP 11 GAY FRIENDLY HOTELS IN GOLD COAST
• GOLD COAST, THE QUTSENTIAL QUEER DIVE BAR, WAS THE “GAY CHEERS” OF WT HOLLYWOOD
• THE BEST GOLD COAST GAY CLUBS & BARSSEE ALL THGS TO DOGAY CLUBS & BARS GOLD COAST
• GAY BEAST

A GAY BAR FALLY RETURNS TO THE GOLD COAST WH HOP TO UNE 'DISNNECTED' MUNY

There is new hope that the Gold Coast's "sttered" LGBTQI+ scene will fd a greater sense of muny after the cy's first gay bar more than two years pots:There hasn't been a dited LGBTQI+ safe venue on the Gold Coast for more than two yearsA new bar has opened Broadbeach aimed at the muny and s alliGold Coast Rabow Communi has weled the venue and says more are on the wayDan Dunn lnched Chameleon Lounge Bar last week to addrs what he scribed as a "disnnected" muny. "We seem to be losg the gay culture on the Gold Coast bee there was nothg, " he said.

It is a morn cy of almost 640, 000 people that sells self as a leisure pal, but for the past two years there has not been a gay bar on the Gold some wh the lol LGBTQIA+ muny, there are ser ncerns that the cy is movg the wrong directn.

THE GOLD COAST DON'T HAVE A GAY BAR, BUT THE DRAG QUEENS BEHD FLAMBOYANCE HOPE THAT WILL CHANGE

Drag queens Dixie Wrecked, Natasha St Jam and Jte Kace are all about Flamboyance, but they wish there was a dited gay bar to go to.

"The purpose of Flamboyance was basilly to sentially set up a gay night, fally, for the Gold Coast, " St Jam said. "It mak a lot of other gay people unacceptg of themselv, which leads to this toxic masculy cycle. " Natasha St Jam says there are still homophobic elements to nightlife on the Gold Coast.

A MORN GAY’S GUI

(ABC Gold Coast: Domic Cansdale)There ed to be several gay bars on the Gold Coast, but the last one was closed and put up for sale early Jam said the lack of an "actual tangible venue" had real nsequenc. "Whether you're gay, straight, bi, whatever — there seems to be a special atmosphere, " he said.

"There's nothg like this wh [the] productn, theatrils, LED lights and chorography, " he bee 's only a one-night-a-week event and Mr Rigas said he didn't nsir Flamboyance to be a an alternative to a gay bar.

"Beg volved show bs and also dancg and this sort dtry, there's a large gay muny, " he said. "Two years ago I don't thk I ever thought I would be standg on this stage, proudly homo, " he he hoped a gay bar would open on the Gold Coast soon, Nimri said there was "a big surge of the LGBT events" g.

GOLD COAST, THE LEGENDARY WEHO GAY BAR, RIS OM THE DEAD

"When they worked out we were both gay men and probably about to m an offence, they jt gave a good thumpg and told to go and see a psychiatrist.

Bill Rutk says some police officers Queensland monly ed "entrapment" methods to arrt gay men. 'Lovg' uple's nvictn galvanised ph for changeFor most of his life, nsensual homosexual activy was illegal – punishable wh up to seven years  1988, a male uple on the Gold Coast was mted for trial for havg sex their own home.

ATRALIA HAS LONG HAD A GAY BEACH SUBCULTURE BUT THEY HAVEN'T ALWAYS BEEN SAFE SPAC

Newspaper reportg about a uple who were charged for homosexual acts their Gold Coast home. Two s after the trial, laws expungg homosexual nvictns were Potts says he reprented hundreds of men charged wh homosexual offenc.

(ABC News: Alexanr Lewis/State Library of Queensland)The then Labor opposn ed the se to advote for the repeal of anti-gay laws. Dpe nservativ warng of a "gay flood" if the party was elected, Wayne Goss beme premier the followg 1991 the Sunshe State beme Atralia's send-last jurisdictn to crimalise homosexual acts between nsentg adults. But even prentg as a man did not protect her om the Albert Park public toilet Sprg Hill, a well-known gay beat, Ms Turnbull says she was asslted by two police officers.

(ABC News: Mart Dobras)She says while her fay were supportive "to the bt of their abili", they still believed homosexualy was sful. "I didn't really know any gay people when I first me down om north Queensland, " he says.

DATG APPS LIKE TR AND GRDR HAVE MAJOR IMPACT ON GOLD COAST GAY CISE SCENE

"It was not until Mr Yang moved om Brisbane to Sydney that he was "swept out" of the closet, as the gay liberatn movement began. "If there are a lot of gay people, then 's somehow easier bee there's strength numbers, " he says.

"There's probably as much homophobia around today as there was back then, " he says. THE Commonwealth Gam has allegedly prompted the revival of “gay cisg areas” adult sex shops on the Gold Coast after they were phed to the brk of extctn by hook-up apps cludg areas — where people search of random sexual enunters n go to rry out their fantasi wh each other — ed to be problematic on the Glter Strip wh uncils equently receivg plats about sex public bathrooms and parks. The Cy of Gold Coast uncil and Queensland Police had prevly nfirmed a rctn the number of plats about homosexual men havg sex public plac sce the troductn of apps cludg Tr and Grdr recent years.

THE BEST GOLD COAST GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS GOLD COAST

He said he regularly attend “cise clubs and areas” bee there was a lack of gay bars to meet like-md people on the Gold Coast. THE GOLD COAST’S ‘CRUISING’ PASTIn 2016, the Gold Coast Bullet reported that more than 140 massage parlours opened on the Coast jt one year anticipatn of the year, was revealed that a Gold Coast beach park had earnt rave reviews om travellers who rated as a prime lotn for “cy hook-ups” on gay travel webse Cisg Gays. When Wt Hollywood’s Gold Coast bar shut down after 40 years last September, many speculated that the once-thrivg gay scene on Santa Moni Boulevard was down for the unt.

The legendary dive bar was the third gay landmark on the thoroughfare to shut down durg the panmic, followg the closure of Rage and Flamg Saddl a month before.

TOP 11 GAY FRIENDLY HOTELS IN GOLD COAST

Overstreet and his bs partner also owned Oil Can Harry’s, the landmark Country Wtern gay bar Stud Cy that shuttered last December after 52 years. Rage is returng this fall unr the ownership of former NSYNC star Lance Bass, who vows that his revamped Robertson Boulevard dis will reopen as the biggt gay nightclub the world. (Bass is also a partner Roc’s, the wildly succsful gay bar and rtrant across the street.

GOLD COAST, THE QUTSENTIAL QUEER DIVE BAR, WAS THE “GAY CHEERS” OF WT HOLLYWOOD

’s gay and nightlife scene: Wt Hollywood entreprenr Rob Novger, who recently rema the dty Circ of Books to a glossy porn emporium, began eyeg the dilapidated Gold Coast property soon after the For Sale sign went up. We’ve both wanted to build a bar that would be an alternative to all the loud gay Weho plac wh the bad drks and awful lightg. It's a cy wh a vibrant nightlife and splendid natural bety, but if you're gay on the Gold Coast, some discretn is advised, acrdg to some wh the LGBTI+ pots:Whout a dited venue and major events, the Gold Coast's LGBTI+ muny is "sttered and not herent", acrdg to some membersMany LGBTI+ people have to "drs down" their queerns to be acceptedThere are worri that the prospect of Israel Fol playg gby league on the Gold Coast will further rerce the attusThe cy's first annual LGBTI ftival  2015 failed to secure a permanent place on the social lenr and there is still no gay bar on the Gold Coast.

A lol gby league club has signed Israel Fol, who matas "no regrets" for sayg on social media that "hell awas" gay rponse, Mayor Tom Tate has urged people to five Fol.

THE BEST GOLD COAST GAY CLUBS & BARSSEE ALL THGS TO DOGAY CLUBS & BARS GOLD COAST

"People like to thk of as 'good gays' but once we start exprsg our sexualy, exprsg our ias a way that's non-tradnal, be a b jarrg. "There are gay nservativ, there are gay liberal voters, there are gay men who wear sus who would be wele any boardroom, " he said. (Supplied: Ellamay Fzgerald)He said the lack of a dited LGBTI+ safe venue, such as a gay bar, had rulted a "distct lack of muny".

GAY BEAST

'Discreet tradi'After g out as gay at age 24, Jordan Wilkson said he enuntered many men that he scribed as "discreet tradi", who still believed that they uldn't "show their face". The Gold Coast is home to many gay, lbian, bisexual and transgenr people - but until now there have been few opportuni for the muny to gather.

“Surfers go to south Bondi, backpackers, fai and people om wtern Sydney go the middle, then gays go to north Bondi.