As business owners, we need to support the LGBTQIA+ community.  Few months ago, we approached Thorne Harbour Health about getting involved with the organisation for World AIDS Day.  We were given a few options:

1. Educating the business with HIV AIDS and stigma
2. Donation to the charity
3. Buy red ribbon online

Given that there are only two of us in the business, but a bunch of followers on our social media platform, I decided to share bite size dialogues on our Instagram posts weeks leading up to World AIDS Day.

I also wrote a column to bring awareness about the stigma surrounding people living with HIV, it is still a very important topic among the discriminations in the gay community and often required revisiting.  I talk about the many challenges that people living with HIV face on a daily basis from dating, travel, blending into the community, and how the stigma from the community can prevent them from living a normal life.

Murray from Thorne Harbour Health also brought to our attention about a fundraising event - a trivia night with the Rupaul Drag Show theme.

We were told that the Pit Crew was being accessorised by AussieBum and DailyJocks to promote their brands.

So we decided to up the game by contributing 12 months of underwear (a pair a month but obviously we encourage you to change your underwear daily for hygiene, if you want simple underwear I highly recommend LURE but if you are the fancy type we have plenty of styles for you to Express Yourself).  Anyway our contribution of underwear is valued up to $840 to Thorne Harbour’s annual fundraising event Rupaul Extravaganza silent auction, the highest bid goes towards the health and well being of Melbourne’s gay community including those living with HIV and AIDS.

 

With the final batch of tables released, we bought a table of 6 so we invited a few friends in Melbourne for the event, one dropped out due to a ‘waiting for Covid test results’ situation. I think this is one of those things that will become part of our lives, but it is great that we have people in the community who is being responsible.

(L-R) Derek, Albert, Tony (customer: body positivity), Burton and Ed (aka Stanley)

 

It was a blast. I rarely go out so it was like my first party for a long time.  Our table was placed at the end of the 13m runway, there were amazing drag queen performers, hot topless volunteers helping everyone to their seats and helping everyone with everything.  You had to be there to feel the amazing energy given the pandemic that everyone is trying their best.

(above) photo by volunteer at Thorne Harbour Health

There were a few trivia throughout the night in between the drag performances.  Each table was asked to think of a name for their team, so we named ours ‘Where’s My Undies?’  just so that when the host called us out, it sounds funny and appropriate for Stanley Burton.  I have not watched the RuPaul Drag Race, however Albert was our winning card at the table, he has watched 10 seasons of the show (USA) so he recognised a lot of the questions, quotes, and highlights which formed the questions in the trivia.  We managed to get into Top 5 in Round 3. My involvement including cheering and taking photos of all the exciting atmosphere around us. It's not often I am at front row seats of anything.

Stanley Burton’s contribution of 12 months of underwear had a few bids and the highest bidder of $300 got to select 12 pairs of underwear from our online store.

 

Stanley Burton wants to thank the amazing team and volunteers at Thorne Harbour Health for making this night possible.  Also to Murray and Adrian for reeling us into this amazing cause.