Boock and former Chief Censor Judge Bill Hastings. The creator of the Rocky Horror Show Richard O'Brien also spent most of his childhood in Hamilton. Openly LGBT New Zealand sportspeople include Equestrian Olympic medal winner Blyth Tait, Olympic speed skater Blake Skjellerup, footballer Hannah Wilkinson and Olympic diver Anton Down-Jenkins. New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard was the first openly transgender woman to compete in the Olympic Games. Gay and lesbian life in New Zealand today Today, New Zealanders are generally accepting of gays and lesbians, although some homophobia (such as the use of the word 'gay' as an insult) is present. Same-sex partners are accepted as the equivalent of heterosexual couples for immigration and most other purposes. The gay scene in New Zealand is reasonably small by international standards. However Auckland has multiple LGBT venues and festivals, as well as being voted the "15th gayest city" in the world in 2013. Outside Auckland, larger cities and some towns host one or two LGBT pubs, or clubs. Many smaller centres have LGBT organisations and social networks that cater to their community. In May 2015, PlanetRomeo, an LGBT social network, ranked New Zealand as the happiest country in Oceania (and the eleventh worldwide) for gay men. The internet is often used by gay men in New Zealand to meet others, especially in areas which lack specifically gay venues. Since at least 2005, the most popular LGBT site in New Zealand has been the not-for-profit site gay.co.nz, started as a community project by a New Zealand internet company. A fortnightly lesbian event called 'Flirt' is held in Auckland, on the first and third Saturday of each month. Elaborate Lesbian Ball events are held annually in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch. There are a number of gay and lesbian festivals in New Zealand. Hamilton, Wellington, Tauranga, Christchurch, and Dunedin host annual Pride Weeks, usually operated by the local UniQ, related youth-focussed organisations, or the New Zealand AIDS Foundation as a community-building initiative. The Out Takes film festival was a popular event in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, and while the organisation pulled the 2008 festival due to funding issues, it returned in 2009. Until 2008, the Hero Festival was held in Auckland each February, and included the Hero Parade, which attracted huge crowds, both gay and straight. Financial problems in 2001 led to the parade's demise, but the festival continued as a celebration of the city's