BY GEORGIA CLARK
SYDNEY — "The first Mardi Gras in 1978 was a political protest at which many came onto the streets to fight for queer rights, and experienced police brutality and vilification in the media simply for fighting for our right to exist. The Mardi Gras today is still a force to be reckoned with, but are we still fighting against prejudice, bigotry and hatred? — Collective Action Against Homophobia (CAAH) leaflet.
There's no denying it, we're living in desperate times. A white, over-fed government is refusing to recognise years of genocide against the indigenous people, multinational capitalist corporations are destroying our environment, wages and working conditions are falling faster than you can say "profit margin" and police powers are growing by the Olympic minute. And top all that off with a rampantly hetero-normative regime that attacks with gusto those who choose to colour outside the lines. It hardly adds up to an ideal society.
CAAH is a collective of activists concerned about the ever-present homophobia and keen on working together to achieve our goals. At the end of last year, Liberty Christians held a forum entitled "Coming out of Homosexuality — How to Cure your Children of Homosexuality". Angered by this crap, students and activists got together, called ourselves CAAH and organised a counter-protest to celebrate our homosexuality. And guess what? — the conference was cancelled.
Sure, we could sit on our bums writing angry letters to faceless government officials' underpaid secretaries, but they wouldn't be read and our bums would be sore. Instead, we see the answer in direct action that brings people together on the street, challenges the powers that be and shows the people how we feel about homophobia.
Saturday, June 24 is the anniversary of the first gay and lesbian Mardi Gras in Sydney in 1978 and CAAH is organising a rally against homophobia. We are urging all lesbian, gay, transvestite, transsexual, bisexual and queer people to come out in support for this event. We have won many gains, but the road to liberation is still long.
Our demands are an end to homophobia, queer youth suicide and homelessness, and racism and sexism, as well as equal age of consent for same-sex couples and more funding for HIV\AIDS research and people living with HIV/AIDS. We will be retracing the route of the first Mardi Gras march. Meet outside Darlinghurst Courthouse, Oxford Street, 5pm, June 24.
[CAAH meets every second Saturday, University of Technology Sydney, Tower block, Broadway (follow the signs inside). Phone Andrew on 0415 976 706 or Nikki on 0401 226 778.]