BY SIMON BUTLER
BRISBANE — Angry at the expulsion of two gay men from Southbank parklands for kissing in public, 100 protesters gathered at the park on January 14 for a public "kiss off" denouncing the idea that such public displays of affection are limited only to heterosexual couples. Protesters demanded that the homophobic harassment of queers at Southbank come to an end.
Claiming that they had received complaints about the couple's public display of affection from three families and their scandalised children, police and Southland security told the couple that they had to stop kissing.
Southbank Corporation released a statement that claimed that the couple had merely been asked to "tone down" their affection. The statement also said that a heterosexual couple had received similarly prudish advice in early January.
The protesters rejected the idea that gays and lesbians should be discriminated against for fear of offending "family values".
In a January 12 press release, National Union of Students queer officer Mark Pendleton attacked Southbank: "Expelling gay and lesbian people from public places for simply demonstrating affection is homophobic and must not be tolerated. Community actions, such as the "kiss off", is an important way to demonstrate to the wider community that gay and lesbian community deserve the same access to community resources as heterosexuals."