Federation’s float for the Sydney Mardi Gras parade on Saturday 2 March will celebrate learning and inclusivity of LGBTIQA+ stories in education.
Our float stands against rising opposition to the LGBTIQA+ community, particularly in relation to drag story time and schools incorporating LGBTIQA+ inclusive materials in their curriculum.
It gives a nod to our past, in that drag queens have often (and still are) at the front of LGBTIQA+ rights movements.
In the past year there has been a rise in anti-LGBIQA+ hate across Australia which has largely been driven by right-wing extremists. This hate has been in the form of graffiti, hate speech, vandalism, threatening presences at events and venues, targeted complaints against LGBTIQA+ inclusive books and even death threats.
Consequently, LGBTIQA+ events have been cancelled or modified as the safety of performers and participants have not been able to have their safety guaranteed at such events, including children attending drag-story time in libraries.
Federation’s float seeks to:
- highlight the importance of LGBTIQA+ storytelling
- reflect on the need for young people to see themselves reflected in the content they learn
- show solidarity for drag performers who continue to participate in drag story time, despite the threats and opposition
- comment regarding the unreasonable opposition to LGBTIQA+ content in educational resources. People of all backgrounds should be included as part of our diverse learning communities in schools and TAFE.
The float celebrates the beautifully fun aspect of glamour and glitz, but with a serious political undertone that speaks to LGBTIQA+ people’s right to exist, the right for LGBTIQA+ people to see themselves reflected in learning materials and the need to support young LGBTIQA+ people and rainbow families.
Please note that number of places are limited and priority is given to members in Federation’s LGBTIQA+ Special Interest Group.