Auckland Pride – Where it matters

Auckland Pride have creatives to support.

After a rollercoaster start to the year – which saw social distancing, venues closing and artists losing out on their work – the rest of us may be back to normal, but our creative industries are still at a standstill. As champions of queer artists, Auckland Pride have a responsibility to continue to support and empower the immense talent Tāmaki Makaurai has to offer.

Where it matters.

Black Lives Matter isn’t a moment, it’s a movement. It’s a call to action for Auckland Pride to ensure that queer and trans BIPOC (black, indigenous, and all people of colour) communities in Aotearoa are equitably resourced to share their stories and have safe spaces to celebrate in. 

This campaign is about putting money into the initiatives and events that are created for and by these communities. Initiatives that will showcase brilliance, uplift artists, and give space to QTBIPOC in Aotearoa. This campaign will support the following five initiatives:

The Well by AOMS (Afrika On My Sleeve):
Founded in 2013 by Makanaka Tuwe, The AOMS (Afrika on My Sleeve) Township is a response to how we live, co-exist and work together in a manner that honours the humanity of all involved. Developed in 2020, The Well is a series of Cultural Competency packages that were developed and co-created with communication specialists, academics and social change mentors. In the township, the well is where everyone gathers for water; a vital source of nourishment, rejuvenation and survival. 

Using storytelling as their framework, the mission of their offerings is to hold space that allows for the co-creation of a network that is committed to exploring transformational ways to build and imagine the future. With support from this campaign, The Well will be launched at an event in the second half of 2020.

BodyHaus: 
BodyHaus is a strip club night for queers, by queers! An evening of strip tease & live performances that is a safer inclusive space that aims to de-stigmatise this important line of work. The evening will prioritise trans and gender diverse people of colour who often don't feel safe enough to perform elsewhere. We want to create change by celebrating all bodies.  

Say Her Name - Vogue Night:
The Fem Queens of the Auckland Vogue scene have come together to produce Say Her Name - Vogue Night. They aim to reunite our community and stand in solidarity with Black Trans Lives and the Black Lives Matter movement. All profits from the night will go towards the “Black Trans Protestors Emergency Fund”. 

Halloween Vogue Ball:
This year arts collective/house of COVEN-Carangi will be hosting their third annual Halloween Ball. Halloween is one of the few seasonal celebrations in our calendar year where we have permission to express our inner monsters, freaks, and succubus freely – without cis-hets batting an eye.

Filth:
Filth is a QTBIPOC club night focused on creating an intended space for our marginalised whānau, prioritising those who the systems fail. Filth is wanting to put money into tangible safety practices and tools to help the next generation of artists. This includes a series of workshops and an equipment fund for up and coming DJs and artists.

So… why do we need you?

At Auckland Pride, we have the connections, partners, platform, time, energy and other resources to back these initiatives but what we don’t have is the cash, which is where you come in...

We are calling on our wider community and network to get behind this campaign, open your pockets and purses and support these incredible queer initiatives. Your money will go towards the creatives, artists and organisers that have cultivated the spaces and initiatives that directly benefit their communities.

We need to invest financial resources into Bodyhaus, The Auckland Vogue Scene, Filth, and AOMS The Well so that these creatives and communities can continue to do what they do best.

Every dollar counts, pledge a little or a lot. We'd be grateful if you would put your money where it matters.