The Margaret River-based LGBTQIA+ community organization, Margi Pride, celebrated its first birthday this past weekend with a celebration at The River Hotel. The event, which included performances from drag queens and a burlesque show, attracted over 100 people, surpassing the expectations of organizers. The celebration came in the lead-up to the global LGBTQIA+ festival, Sydney WorldPride, which runs from Friday to March 5.
The co-founders of Margi Pride, Ryan Pollock and Ashlee, established the organization last year after recognizing the lack of a visible presence of the LGBTQIA+ community in the Margaret River region. The goal of Margi Pride is to create community and safe spaces for local residents and to raise the presence of the LGBTQIA+ community in the area. Despite a small group of protesters outside the venue, the birthday celebration was a success and the central theme was raising the visibility of Margaret River’s LGBTQIA+ community.
Advocacy groups like Margi Pride continue to thrive in other areas across the South West and communication between groups is key to creating change in the wider community. According to Lisa Dobrin, the CEO of Perth-based advocacy organization WAAC, regional advocacy groups allow for connections within the LGBTQIA+ community and provide access to services and events that support and affirm their identity. These groups also help educate and normalize what it means to be LGBTQIA+ and give a voice to a community that is often silenced and ignored.
