No No Go Go update.

Hello to our supporters. Thank you for your initial efforts to encourage Adelaide’s LGBTIQ Feast Festival to distance themselves from transphobic and racist venue Go Go Lady Boy, and to encourage Feast to apologise for involving themselves with this venue for the Feast Festival in November 2015. We’d like to update you on what’s happening. Following the petition, we had a meeting with Feast Board representatives and Feast’s Patron to discuss our concerns. As a result of this, we’re glad to report positive communication from Feast about their willingness to take reformative steps in this area. They shared a willingness to carefully review and reform their internal practices that had initially negatively impacted how our complaints were responded to. They also showed willingness to engage in public responses highlighting the harmful nature of terms such as ‘Lady Boy’. Their feedback unfortunately suggested that they were in a very difficult legal position in terms of publicly dissociating themselves from the particular venue. We can report however at this stage that Go Go Lady Boy has closed down, presumably for a rebrand. Whilst there are a few potential reasons for this, it is positive in that the offending slur has been removed. We’re awaiting further communication from Feast at the close of March, which should highlight their next steps. For now, thanks again for all your fantastic support.