Convenors’ Report

A year of lobbying: a Committee member's perspective

Mardi Gras Developments

DISCRMN8 INVSBLE CRMNL16

Pride Week 2002

Farewells & Thanks

THE LOBBY TEAM

Female Convenor
Somali Ghosh

Male Convenor
Andrew Picklesi

Secretary
Suzy Tay

Treasurer
Luke Gahan

Committee Members
Nikki Maloney
Anthony Powell
Shane Garland
Grant Colquhoun
Paula O'Sullivan
David Scamell
Matthew Baird
Amanda Millar
Robert McGrory
Luca Balboni
Jenni Millbank

To Contact Us:
Phone: 02 9360 6650
Fax: 9331 7963
glrl@glrl.org.au

NEWSLETTER: September 2002

A year of lobbying: a Committee member's perspective

A year ago I was sitting at the GLRL AGM wondering how the hell I could get involved in the whole rights lobbying process. Still feeling fairly new to Sydney and NSW every thing was just that little bit new and different.

I have never regretted putting up my hand and nominating myself to join the Committee. It has been a productive year and I have now climbed over the learning curve and believe 2002-2003 will be an even better year.
In the past twelve months I have been involved in various different activities in the Gay and Lesbian community. A highlight was being apart of the Mardi Gras float. We sent out a simple message but an important message. That night I was interviewed and shown on SBS news. I was asked what our float was and responded that we were marching again with the same placards as previous years, as nothing had changed in the area of Gay and Lesbian law reform in NSW. From fair day to the Mardi Gras Parade, the rights lobby had fantastic coverage and received a lot of interest from people in the community during the festival period.

During the year I was also asked to represent the lobby on a Sydney community radio station in a discussion around the proposed changes to Age of Consent in NSW. The interview raised quite a lot of awareness to the issues facing young Gay men in our state. It broadened peoples understanding of the issue, from that of ‘the age of which you can have sex’ to the surrounding issues of health, education and social welfare.

In July I was able to get a day off work and travelled down to the University of Canberra to set up a stall out front of “Queer Collaborations”. This is a conference put on by university students and Queer Departments at different Campuses each year. It was rather different being there as a non-student this time round. Many young people from across NSW saw the Lobby for the first time. Students from both rural and urban NSW took our fact sheets and membership forms and an overall appreciation of our presence at the conference was given.

I highly recommend that the rights lobby continue a presence at this event in future years, and perhaps even run a plenary session as well as an information stand.

I would like to thank the out going 2002-2003 committee for their fantastic effort this year. A big hug and thanks to Alex and Anthony for their valuable leadership and direction in the struggle for Gay and Lesbian Rights in NSW.

I look forward to another year in the constant campaign for law reform and recognition of Gay and Lesbian rights.

Luke Gahan