Fun And Games
NO POLITICS OR COMMENTARY FROM ME THIS MONTH, JUST SOME FUN MOMENTS THAT WERE CRAMMED INTO A COUPLE OF VERY BUSY WEEKS.
First up, it was hard to miss the Gay And Lesbian Mardi Gras in Sydney! The city filled up with excited visitors, Fair Day (in its temporary location) was a blast, and the Parade, although threatened by rain, was a glittering, glamorous, gloriously gay success.
I have to own up and admit that I didn’t make it to the Party! I was too pooped. But we have great pictures from both the Parade and Party starting from page 66 and there are heaps more in the Digital version. As spectacular as the Parade was, a highlight for me was bumping into the adorable Thom Ward and Emily Barclay from Please Like Me, a show I adored.
The first Australian LGBTI Awards were presented a couple of days before Mardi Gras at a gala dinner at the Sydney Opera House and you can read more about them on page 22. My partner and I were seated at a table with comedian Joel Creasey and his date and Christine Forster and her partner Virginia Edwards. Christine was up for an Award in the Politics category (which ended up going to Penny Wong), and Joel presented the Sportsperson Award, which he did hilariously. Joel also gave me some great gossip about other gay comedians like Rhys Nicholson, Josh Thomas and Tom Ballard – all totally inappropriate to print. Yet! Ian “Molly” Meldrum received the Lifetime Achievement Award and it was a privilege to be able to say hello and take a selfie with him.
Finally, I want to tell you about this month’s cover star, Jacob Woodhouse. We found Jacob while casting for a bloke who could carry the Sports issue. Many thanks to John Scott at Platform Me agency for sending Jacob to DNA. The shoot with photographer Christian Scott was an eight-hour marathon but it f lew by because Jacob was so professional and ready to explore all our ideas. It wasn’t until the day of the shoot that I learned about Jacob’s professional rugby history – check out his story on page 42 and find out what makes him perfect for the cover of our Sports issue – apart from looking spectacularly sexy.
Our major feature this month is an in-depth account of the life and crimes of Chelsea Manning. With her discharge from military prison coming up next month, this enigmatic figure in American and LGBTI history faces an interesting future. Andrew M Potts’ story traces her early troubled life as Bradley, time in the army, how she accessed the data she eventually leaked, and her gender transition while incarcerated. It’s a wild ride and, I suspect, her life is yet to provide some more interesting twists and turns.
Join us next month for our special Weddings issue and, meanwhile, enjoy this month’s reading. Remember, if you are a Print subscriber you automatically have access to the Digital version with extra content for the tablet or mobile device. Go to DNAmagazine.com.au/digital to redeem your free Digital subscription.
Joel Creasey gave me some great gossip on his fellow gay comedians, Rhys Nicholson, Tom Ballard and Josh Thomas!