Gay community in hay, australia

Jumping off the town's only bridge into the murky waters beneath is a high school rite of passage in Hay. Liam Davies would know — he grew up here and described taking the terrifying plunge as about "as close to a town initiation as you can get". ABC News: Riley Stuart. The Rainbow on the Plains is a festival of fun, support, inclusion and celebration of LGBTQ+ community, people from culturally diverse communities and anyone who loves to celebrate inclusion.

But make no mistake: The festival, which has been planned since September last year, is going ahead. NSW town of Hay putting the gay into Hay. Mardi Gras. In many ways, the challenge is a reflection of Hay's macho culture. Whether the town is ready for it depends on who you talk to.

The town's main drag on a quiet Monday morning. Former Hay mayor Peter Dwyer has embraced the rainbow spirit. Kerri Mijok is one of three mums in town who created "Rainbow on the Plains" in a bid to break down their community's white-bread reputation. A fortnight after the second edition of the Rainbow Plains Festival in Hay came to a close, festival Vice Chairperson Liam Davies spoke with Gay Nation about the tremendous growth in.

Those against it do not want to be named for fear of being ridiculed. As one local woman explains, the men here work hard, drink hard and have a "blinkered" view of the world. The sign above this bank branch in Hay tells the story. It looks like it has been up there for a while.

Liam, who is gay, and Lyn Hunt, a lesbian who has returned to Hay after decades in the city, are also on the committee. A highway sign welcoming people to Hay does not include next weekend's inaugural Mardi Gras on its list of "coming events". 3 min read LGBTIQ+ community members in Regional Australia are seeing their lives change without having to leave their local areas as a result of the work being done to bring pride and kindness to country towns.

Not every shop is open for business on Hay's main street. The crowd cheers as the new record is announced – people. As far as country communities go, Hay — population 2, — is pretty sleepy. Eight-hundred kilometres separates the Riverina hamlet from Sydney and Adelaide.

A piece of paper stuck on one business reads "Gone fishing, back on March 7". For the town km from Sydney with a population of roughly 2, people, it’s quite a feat. Hay Mardi Gras Inc board member, Jade Auldist said the Rainbow on the Plains Festival know the value of the Mr Gay Pride Australia competition, having seen the personal growth in our former board members, Liam Davies, who was runner-up in "We are so honoured that Mr Gay Pride Australia has chosen to celebrate in our community,” she added.

Rainbow on the Plains. Bill Parr R and Barry Scott shoot the breeze on Lachlan Street. Party festival event at Hay. Rural NSW. November Partnering with Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. Welcome to Hay, outback NSW. It is a long way from Oxford Street, but next weekend people here will hold their first Mardi Gras.

ACON. Topic: Community and Society. This place could be called many things — quaint, quiet, conservative. Melbourne and Canberra are a little closer. In this town, the men are men in every sweaty, sunburnt sense. Right now, complicated is probably the best way to describe it.

A majority of people seem to support the event and say it will be good for business, but not everyone is sold. Supporting healthy lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans/transgender, intersex, queer and other sexuality, gender, and bodily diverse people and communities throughout Australia and the world, free from stigma and discrimination.

Whether Hay is ready for its Mardi Gras depends on who you talk to. The three-day festival begins on Friday and includes a civic reception, parade and recovery picnic to coincide with this year's celebrations in Sydney. The chairman of Hay Mardi Gras, Will Miller, says human rainbow symbolises the number of allies a rural community can have.