Brisbane City Hall never looked so fabulous as for the 54th annual Queens Ball Awards this week. Brisbane’s LGBT community gathered to recognise the people and groups who work so hard for our community’s benefit.
The night saw the hall decked out with rainbow flags both inside and out. Organisers also lit up the hall’s famed dome in rainbow colours. The evening saw a mix of black-tie glamour combined with 1970s Studio 54 campness. It attracted a who’s who of both the LGBT community and the political world with senior representatives of all parties attending. Lord Mayor Graham Quirk opened the evening while Deputy Premier Jackie Trad led a contingent of newly elected state MPs. Green Senator Larissa Waters also addressed the crowd and spoke of the continued importance of activism.
Queens Ball Award winners
Award winners on the evening included: Joel Devereux for Artist of the Year; Wendybird for Social Group of the Year; Sportsman Hotel for Venue of the Year; Open Doors for Community Support Group of the Year; Big Gay Day for Event of the Year, and Balls Out Bingo for Regular Event of the Year. QNews’ long time columnist Stephen also took home Activist of the Year for his tireless efforts promoting LGBTI rights, particularly in the area of assisting same-sex couples become parents via surrogacy.
The biggest award of the evening, however, was the Lifetime Achievement Award which this year honoured John Ebert (pictured centre) for his decades of service to the local LGBTI community. John’s award recognised the role he played during the AIDS crisis of the 1980s and the foundation of the LGBTI telephone counselling service which has become the Gay & Lesbian Welfare Association (GLWA).
A full listing of the award winners can be found at www.brisbanepride.org.au.
For the latest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) news in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
No Comment