City of Stonnington postpones Glitter Nova event due to safety concerns after protest threat

City of Stonnington, in accordance with advice received from Victorian Police, Council, Minus18 and The Victorian Pride Centre, postponed last night’s Glitter Nova event at the Victorian Pride Centre due to safety concerns following a planned protest.

Glitter Nova was designed in collaboration with the Stonnington Expressions youth committee and Council’s partners to be a safe, fun, joyful event for young people to connect and celebrate with their community.

In a statement released advising of the postponement, Council shared “we apologise for any inconvenience caused and confirm that the event will be postponed to a later date which we will advise shortly.

“We were looking forward to this event, and understand that many young people were looking forward to it also. The decision to postpone has not been taken lightly – the safety of our community is paramount.

“We have recently become aware of a planned protest at Glitter Nova this evening and, in order to maintain our commitment to creating safe and inclusive events, we felt the wisest and most prudent course of action was to postpone the event in order for us to ensure the safety of our attendees.

“Creating safe and affirming spaces for young people is more important than ever and, as such, we understand and acknowledge the disappointment that will be felt by the young people who planned to attend, the performers, and our partners.   

“We are currently in the process of planning the re-scheduled Glitter Nova event. We will update our community when the new date has been set for the event.”

Council stressed that their decision to postpone the event does not legitimise the statements made by the protest groups, noting that their primary focus was on the safety of young people and their right to be able to gather connect and celebrate in a welcoming and inclusive environment.

However, supporters of LGBTQIA+ community still went ahead and gathered at the Victorian Pride Centre including drag artist Belial B'Zarr, scheduled to perform at the event along with at least 50 supporters.

Belial B'Zarr told the ABC the sudden cancellation was a "poor choice" adding "a lot of the kids may not know what they're walking into if they haven't gotten the information. I feel like it is my responsibility to be there."

Victoria Police officers ran proactive patrols of the area to deter any anti-social behaviour.

Image: Credit: Glitter Nova Belial B'Zarr Facebook