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 Dear blaze readers, you’ll never believe it but we’re having a little sojourn in Melbourne. “Melbourne in July,” you rightly ask? Well, I’m giving a little paper titled “Queen of the Walk” at the Homosexual Histories Conference and, as dear Nancy might have quipped, “There’s nothing like love in a cold climate”!
As sometimes happens when I come to write my column I’m teeming with themes. Firstly, I wonder if you caught the delightful show The Fabulous Flag Sisters on SBS? It was a joyous romp, tracing the rise (and fall) of Le Sorelle Bandiera, three gender illusionists (one an Aussie boy), whose show improbably became a hit of mainstream Italian TV in the 1970s.
Naturally I’m always interested in anything with a gender bent. Conspicuous by its absence however was any analysis of drag or gender illusionism, let alone sexuality. I was left asking myself, “What did drag mean to these men? Were they gay? Why was the obvious drag/gay association not explored?”
We’ve also been watching Elders with Andrew Denton. Celebration of elders is a good thing in our youth-obsessed culture. I congratulate Denton, although I do find him unduly ingratiating. I’m always fascinated to hear how elders who have ‘achieved’ evaluate their lives and view divinity and death. As a queer secularist, or possibly a cultural Christian, I’m relieved when they don’t believe in a personal god or an afterlife which was so of his first two subjects, Sir David Attenborough and Dame Elisabeth Murdoch.
Speaking of youth-obsession and divinity, WYD (World Youth Day, an acronym rather too close to WMD perhaps?) is upon us. A major rub for me is that the NSW Government has contributed $118 million to an organisation that is hugely rich. In contrast, what do they contribute to our international event, The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras?
Naturally I’m concerned about the government regulation which permits prosecution for behaviour deemed “an annoyance or inconvenience”. This seems alarmingly broad in its potential sweep. Let’s trust that the NSW Government and police act rationally regarding the protests which will occur. I recoil from violence but I’m always attracted to a challenging protest slogan. Is - “SPONSOR A LION TODAY. 300,000 CATHOLICS. ONE STADIUM.” too annoying?
I’m reminded that Pope Benedict’s first encyclical was titled “Deus Caritas Est” (God is Love). Indeed I think the world would benefit from a lot more loving. Regarding sex and love, the Roman Catholic Church has huge issues to address: sexual abuse by clergy; support of abstinence education; opposition to condom use; and condemnation of homosexuality among them. In developing countries rife with poverty and HIV/AIDS it’s a crime against humanity not to support and promote condom use.
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