Rip and Roll

 This is the poster that has been in the news here recently.

It's a campaign by the Queensland Association for Healthy Communities to promote safe sex among gay men (you can just make out the red-wrapped condom that the guy is holding on the bottom left). After plenty of coverage all over Brisbane, the Advertising Standards Bureau received so many complaints that Adshel had to pull the plug on the whole campaign. Then there was the counter attack: people were up in arms. There was a rally outside Adshel. After an investigation, it was found that the complaints all came from members of the Australian Christian Lobby. Infact it had been an orchestrated campaign deliberately giving the impression that they were from the wider population and weren't linked in any way. So the ban was overturned and now all the posters are back and you can see them all over the place.

Which is good cos I reckon it's a great shot.

And the ACL gets a big eye roll from me.

Get Your Groove On

The Beat. Probably Brisbane's oldest and most famous night club, these days classified as a gay club but has a generous proportion of straight clientele too. And if you go on the right night you get a funky"cabaret" performance on the dance floor (think Priscilla, Queen of the Desert).
As with other clubs in the Valley, there is a 3am "lockdown" which means that after 3am there's no entry or re-entry. If you're already in, you can stay and party until 5am. It kind of reminds me of that mad panic you get in musical chairs when the music stops and you have to find a place to sit.... and then all is suddenly calm. Those few remaining wanderers on the street comprise the ones that peaked "early" and those whose need for a burger or a soirée on someone's balcony outstrips the need for another noisy drink among all those hot sweaty bodies. 

This post is dedicated to a young Parisian, Anne-Laure, who, when she was here, felt the heat of the Beat from her head to her feet! Bonjour Anne-Laure!

The Vatican vs South Brisbane

This is St. Mary's Catholic Church in South Brisbane, one of the most popular churches in Brisbane with a flock of 800. It is well known for its "rebel" priest Father Peter Kennedy. Many of his practices have been frowned upon by the Vatican including his wording of The Lord's Prayer ("Our MotherFather who art in heaven") and his political outspokenness (one example was the big banner outside the church last year demanding David Hicks be returned to Australia from Guantanamo Bay). His church recognises the land it is on as Aboriginal and has strong ties with the Aboriginal community in the area. Read an interview about it here. This is definitely not on as far as The Vatican are concerned and they have been threatening action for a while. A couple of days ago the Archbishop of Brisbane told the priest unless he tended his resignation, he would be fired as parish priest on 21st of February.

Musgrave Park

This is one of two big boomerangs that mark the southern entrance to Musgrave Park in South Brisbane. The park is an important Aboriginal site and is said to be sacred, having a buried bora ring beneath it. Brisbane celebrates Pride here in June, NAIDOC day in July, and it is also home to the city's annual Greek Festival, Paniyiri in May. Each year they hold a "Zorbathon" where they try and get as many people as possible to dance to Zorba the Greek. Apparently the record is 3300 people for 8 minutes! That photo is definately on my to-do list.