Queer conference stresses activism
By Ana Kailis
BRISBANE — Two hundred students from around the country attended the very successful Queer Collaborations Conference here from July 2-9.
The conference opened with a rally at Albert Park where speakers from a range of organisations discussed issues currently facing the lesbian and gay movement. Activists also reported back to the rally about campaigns on their campus.
Darwin activists from the Northern Territory university told how they, and other queer activists, successfully won the battle to include sexuality in the anti-discrimination bill recently adopted by the Northern Territory government. They also gave details on how they won the Student Union election on an openly gay ticket. The rally ended with a kiss-in and speak out in the Queen Street Mall.
There were many plenaries and workshops over the three days. At the opening plenary, which focussed on activism, University of Queensland Women's Officer Carolyn Ride discussed the need for coalition building not only in relation to issues of sexuality, but with others seeking social change.
Lavinia Savell, a member of the Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group (TGLRG) informed the conference of the most recent developments in the campaign to end the criminality of homosexuality in Tasmania.
Jeff Ward, an HIV/AIDS activist spoke of the need for activists to keep the HIV/AIDS issue high on the agenda.
Tom Flanagan, from the Democratic Socialist Party, spoke of the need for lesbians and gays to build broad alliances with other progressive forces around issues and campaigns. He pointed to the movement in Britain which won an unlikely ally after supporting the British miners strike. British miners in turn supported the campaign against the Thatcher government's attempt to criminalise homosexuality.
Other plenaries covered issues of diversity, lesbian sexuality, the queer family and queer culture. Workshops took up topics such as anti-vilification, lesbian history, alternative media and women and sexuality.
The huge success of this conference should help to build the Queer Collaborations Conference in Melbourne next year.