It’s funny now, but I attended my first demonstration in the early 2000’s when the State Government removed some funding from the Qld AIDS Council.
I was convinced I would be arrested so I phoned my husband, just so he knew what I was doing, just in case I wasn’t home when he came home that night.
However, it didn’t take me long to become extremely capable of getting the message across with a megaphone in my hand. The largest group I ever spoke to was in 2009 outside the Labor Convention when they voted in favour of a conscience vote for marriage equality. There would have been at least 10,000 people all wanting to hear what happened.
Another memorable time we had a rally outside of Tony Abbotts office which was very successful. There were a lot of people around, but not one person said anything negative to us.
One night I was at a rally about the many suicides in the LGBTQIA+ community. Before I got up to speak, I started talking to a young man I had never met before. I got the impression from him that he had a partner who had committed suicide, and he had no one to talk to about this terrible event. So, I felt I couldn’t just leave him there, so I brought the boy home with me. However, as we were getting into the car, I asked him a question about his partner and he said “no, I just came along to listen” So there I was with the young stranger who was perfectly ok, and I was taking him home for the night.
It was definitely worth his while, because he was studying photography and needed a large lens that cost about $1500 new. And, luckily for him we had one that we no longer wanted or needed, so the next day, he went home a happy young man.
My main message at a rally was “don’t believe just because you have attended a rally and marched” that is/was enough. Enough is writing to your MP and the senators of your state and phoning to make an appointment to meet with your MP and encouraging friends and hopefully family to do the same. Even going with them as support to meet their MPs and senators. Plus providing your hard copy story. Then going through the whole procedure again – that is pretty much enough.
