While we are immensely appreciative of the work done by the staff and volunteers of the Pride Trust, we are dismayed by the recent trend to dumb-down and de-gay Pride.

1. Each year's Pride events should have a different, concrete human rights theme, such as "Equal Age of Consent", "Partnership Recognition", "Equality at Work", and "Parenting Rights". These are broad-based human rights demands which the whole community can support. Having a tangible human rights theme would give Pride events a focus, strengthen the sense of community spirit on the day, and increase the likelihood of mainstream news coverage.

   
   

2. Each year's theme should be included on all publicity and advertising, and spelt out on a massive banner at the front of the March and above the main stage at the Festival.

   
   

3. The Pride organisers should provide at least a couple of hundred placards emblazoned with the year's human rights theme to be carried by people near the front of the March.

   
   

4. All stage performers should be required to sign a general declaration of support for equality, which would be printed in the official Pride Programme and circulated to the media. They should also be asked to say a few brief words from the stage in support of the human rights theme of the year, (as in "Hi! I'm Kylie, and I'm proud to support an equal age of consent").

   
   

5. All commercial sponsors should be required to sign a general declaration of support for equality, which would be printed in the official Pride Programme and circulated to the media. Sponsorship should be accepted only on the condition that the company's lesbian and gay staff receive equal treatment in all aspects of employment.

If performers and commercial sponsors are not prepared to support equality, we don't want them at Pride. Those who don't respect our community should not be given a platform.

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