Drag queens abound in the town of red dust as Port Hedland transforms for Pride in the Pilbara festival

Rainbow flags and drag queens are not the most common sight in Port Hedland but this week they were hard to miss as the Pride in the Pilbara festival came to town for the first time. Throughout the week residents were welcomed to multiple events aimed at recognising and celebrating Port Hedland’s LGBTIQA+ community. From Sunday, June 11 to Saturday, June 17 a handful of drag queens helped lead celebrations, markets, art classes, bingos, and quizzes for residents to enjoy. Gloria Jacob, formed Port Hedland’s first LGBTIQA+ organisation, Port Hedland Lesbian, Allies, Gay Scene, and helped organise Pride said the festival was broadly welcomed by the town. “The Pilbara Pride festival has been really well supported, even the family day we had people dropping in with their kids,” she said. “Pride is all about creating awareness so that’s all we wanted to do and we had heaps of kids who came along, they had their face painted and we had a dance workshop where they learned how to do the vogue moves from Madonna. “We were all pretty much there just enjoying ourselves and enjoying each other’s company. “If anybody wanted to stop by and have a chat we were there to do that.” Throughout the week drag queens could be seen about town helping out with different events. On Wednesday, June 14 they led a drag queen bingo at the Esplanade Hotel, on Thursday a trivia night at the Walkabout Hotel, and on Saturday they hosted a Story Time. Ms Jacob said it was important for drag queens to be heavily involved in the festival because they represent what Pride was all about. “Pride Week is all about community and inclusion and drag queens are the most visible part of pride,” she said. “Some people have a wish to dress up as women even though they are men and that is what drag queens are. “They are people who want to dress up because that’s how they feel more comfortable, more themselves, and more accepted. “One of the drag queens, Nigel, he was there on Sunday and one of the workers and his kids came up and said, ‘Is that you, Uncle Nigel?’ “They didn’t know it was him but they accepted and it was beautiful. “That’s what we want, people to understand. In the lead-up to the festival, some of the signs advertising Pride were vandalised. During Sunday’s (June 11) Pride Walk, festival attendees brought buckets and mops to try to clean the signs as a show of defiance to the vandals. Meanwhile, Ms Jacob took her golf buggy, which she was leading the march with, and made an impromptu decision to drive through South Hedland Square shopping centre. She said shoppers were taken aback but excited to see the spur-of-the-moment march through the shops. “Charter Hall did want to do stuff with us that weekend but they weren’t able to organise it because it was too close,” she said. “They were aware that we were doing the walkabout. “I think the drive-through was a little bit of a last moment but it was mostly supported. “I think they were a little bit surprised and shocked, but we were whistling, we were happy and people were waving back.” Pride in the Pilbara culminated with a market, parade, and a dance party on Saturday night, June 17.