Issue #915

by Martin King, Director

Twenty years ago, the very first Winter Pride, then known as Gay Ski Week, was held in Queenstown. In the same year, Tom Anderson launched Myspace, the first social media network to reach a global audience, while at Harvard University, second-year student Mark Zuckerberg was putting the finishing touches to ‘hot or not’ website, FaceMash. It was three years before Twitter, and four before the iPhone. No Instagram, no YouTube. And it would be 10 years until same sex marriage was legalised in New Zealand.

In other words, over the past two decades our little pride ski festival has witnessed huge technological and social change. During that time, there have been great strides for the LGBTQIA+ community, as we’ve faced down bigotry and overcome many challenges for hard-won rights, freedoms and respect. Through it all, Queenstown has provided a place where LGBTQIA+ visitors can feel safe and enjoy 10 days of socialising, partying and skiing, backed by the community and businesses. That spirit encouraged myself and my husband Mike to buy the festival back in 2018 with the idea of broadening it out, thus changing its name to Winter Pride.

When you see the rainbow flags this week, it would be easy to assume that acceptance and openness is a normal part of the queer community’s existence but it’s not and tolerance is regressing. Social media has created place for people to connect and campaign, but has also provided a megaphone for homophobia, transphobia, prejudice and hate, which means our community is now facing a fight to retain the progress society has made. And it’s not just online. Some festival attendees will come from places where their existence is illegal or marginalised. Even in Australia and NZ, there are places where people won’t feel safe enough to be themselves, at home or at work. It’s one reason I’m so proud of all the local businesses that are partners in the Pride Pledge or who just put out the pride flag out to say to the festival guests, ‘welcome’ and ‘you are safe here’.

All this, gives us even more reason to make every Winter Pride an incredible 10 days of joy and fun. The festival gets underway later this week, with more than 50 events and 5,000 tickets sold. Our ticketed events sell out every year, but there are also ski days, drag shows, games nights and free community events where Queenstown locals come and have a terrific time, make new friends and have a laugh.

Winter Pride is one of Queenstown’s major festivals contributing to its economic and cultural growth. I am immensely proud of that and proud of how true that this is indeed the festival in a small town with a bold heart. I don’t take it for granted, none of us ever should. Now let’s party Queenstown!!