When the Gold Coast lost s only gay bar, this drag queen got to work | SBS Voic

Contents:

• A GAY BAR FALLY RETURNS TO THE GOLD COAST WH HOP TO UNE 'DISNNECTED' MUNY
• A MORN GAY’S GUI
• WHEN THE GOLD COAST LOST S ONLY GAY BAR, THIS DRAG QUEEN GOT TO WORK
• THE GOLD COAST DON'T HAVE A GAY BAR, BUT THE DRAG QUEENS BEHD FLAMBOYANCE HOPE THAT WILL CHANGE
• ATRALIA HAS LONG HAD A GAY BEACH SUBCULTURE BUT THEY HAVEN'T ALWAYS BEEN SAFE SPAC
• THE BEST GOLD COAST GAY CLUBS & BARSSEE ALL THGS TO DOGAY CLUBS & BARS GOLD COAST
• NSW POLICE: HUNTG GAY MEN AT BEATS
• TOP 11 GAY FRIENDLY HOTELS IN GOLD COAST

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.

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.

A MORN GAY’S GUI

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.

WHEN THE GOLD COAST LOST S ONLY GAY BAR, THIS DRAG QUEEN GOT TO WORK

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

Surprisgly, The Avenue is not a gay bar. "The razor sharp 27-year-old has been a fixture of the Gold Coast queer nightlife for six years, back when the cy had two gay bars to choose om.

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

"Baker says that the lack of LGBTIQ+ spac on the Gold Coast has impacted the way members of the lol muny nnect wh one another, wh hookup apps like Grdr beg one of the only ways to meet like-md queer the muny whdrawg to onle spac, there has been a re-emergence of "noughti-era discretn and ternalised homophobia". Source: Samuel Leighton-DoreAs far as major Atralian ci go, Baker's experience as a workg drag queen is somewhat unique, wh the Gold Coast now the only one of to not have s own gay bar.

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

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. 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. "But is a homophobic nightlife mec? "It mak a lot of other gay people unacceptg of themselv, which leads to this toxic masculy cycle.

NSW POLICE: HUNTG GAY MEN AT BEATS

" Natasha St Jam says there are still homophobic elements to nightlife on the Gold Coast.

(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.

TOP 11 GAY FRIENDLY HOTELS IN GOLD COAST

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

Before homosexualy was crimalised (1984 New South Wal all the way through to 1997 Tasmania), some beach areas beme “beats” – venu where gay men uld discreetly hook up bee society offered few spac for them to meet and be timate. But there’s a dark history – the plac beme the scen of vlent homophobic hate attacks.

In September 2018, the Liberal MP Shayne Mallard announced a parliamentary quiry to homophobic hate crim mted between 1970 and 2010. This clus 30 outstandg s of at least 88 murrs rulted gay men beg found ad at the bottom or on top of beach clifftops.