7PM: The exodus is on from Coyle Park after another successful Big Gay Out. One lucky person nabbed the winning ping pong ball among the many dropped from a chopper in the LYC Big Ball Drop - winning them a trip to Mardi Gras in Sydney! There will be after parties at Poof and Family Bar, while the Mr Gay New Zealand contest is on from 7PM at Legend. 5.30PM: As the final stage performances draw to a close some of the estimated 15,000 people who attended this afternoon's LYC Big Gay Out are starting to depart Auckland's Coyle Park. NZAF spokesperson Joe Rich says the crowd estimate is "based on last year's estimate and it certainly doesn't seem like there's any less, or maybe more, than then." The NZAF creates the BGO to assist it highlight its safe sex programme and to facilitate HIV and health research amongst gay and bi men. "I think the level of brand awareness has been better this year than in the past," Rich says of the Foundation's safe sex brand LYC, or Love Your Condom. He says the GAPSS research project was so busy getting gay and bi men to detail their sexual habits that one of their tents ran out of researcher forms in just one hour. The hot, cloudless afternoon day has not created any health problems that he is aware of, but Rich notes that the information tent was doing a roaring trade handing out sunscreen. Rich says the crowd behaviour has been good with no unruly incidents reported to him. Maurice Williamson 4.10PM: National MP Maurice Williamson has addressed the BGO crowd, saying he is "humbled" by the reception accorded to his much-reported "big gay rainbow" speech in Parliament during the final reading of the Marriage Equality bill. He says his staff have calculated that it was tweeted, liked and otherwise flashed around the internet so much that it has been seen by over a billion people. X Factor contestants L.O.V.E are now performing on the main stage. Their hip hop act has many people up and dancing in front of the stage. Prime Minister key
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Sunday, 9th February 2014 - 12:44pm