When you date a new guy, how do you find out about his exes?

CONSIDER this for a horror story. In your first year as president of one of Australia’s premier gay and lesbian cultural arts festival, you get a public liability insurance bill of around $80,000. A 600% plus mark up on previous years. It’s enough to make a grown man scream. Leigh Johns, Midsumma’s current president tells the story.

“We got the quote on the 14 November. Brenton Geyer, our festival manager, called me at my office and said ‘are you sitting down?’ He told me the amount and my response was one of shock. I then had a very animated discussion with our insurance broker and we just got on with the job of trying to resolve it.???

Some hard-edged negotiating and the difficult decision to drop the popular opening-night street party in Commercial road have reduced the insurance bill to $32,000. But Leigh is still cautious.

“Even though this is considerably less than the first quote, it is significantly more than we’ve paid in previous years,??? he says. “There’s still quite a challenge for us to raise the necessary funds.???

The fundraising message remains but is Midsumma’s plight part of the general financial malaise afflicting many gay and lesbian events today? Leigh thinks not.

“We have a very strict financial management program which means that we are solvent,??? he says. “There is no risk Midsumma will go belly-up. The problem we face is one enormous insurance bill that we could not possibly have anticipated. By canceling the street party, and through our own efforts negotiating with a range of insurance brokers, we have been able to reduce that bill considerably, but now we need to raise some money and I’m confident we will do it.???

Replacing the street party in Commercial Road is a much smaller opening night at Chapel Off Chapel in Prahran.

“It’s exclusive to Midsumma members, our supporters and sponsors. If you want to attend then you have to become a Midsumma member,??? says Leigh, keen to emphasis the financial importance of Midsumma memberships.

“Of course we still have Midsumma’s largest outdoor event, the Carnival in the Alexandra Gardens,??? he adds. “And there is still the Collingwood Pool Party and all the registered performance and visual arts events.???

In identifying a particularly strong component of the festival, Leigh points to the often overlooked visual arts program.

“It appeals to me because it’s just a little bit different,??? he says. “We see a lot of performing arts through out the year but we don’t see a concentrated gay and lesbian visual aesthetic any time except during Midsumma.???

The Midsumma Festival visual arts program includes the highly regarded New Q exhibit at the Counihan Gallery of the Brunswick Town Hall. Supported by the City of Moreland, New Q 2003 sets out to blur the lines of queer identity as seen through the queer lens.

“I love that event because it’s exclusively Midsumma,??? says Leigh.

In wrapping up, Leigh puts the overwhelming level of support from other gay and lesbian organizations is at the top of his list.

“In trying to resolve this insurance issue over the past six weeks we have been indebted to the gay and lesbian community,??? says Leigh. “We have had so many people call and give us ideas and leads in terms of insurance and it has certainly helped us get through the crisis.???

Melbourne’s 15th Midsumma Festival opens January 18.

Midsumma program and membership details go to: www.midsumma.org.au

or phone 03 9415 9819.

Article reproduced with permission of BNews.