We'll probably be attending the council meeting on Tuesday, please come along and help show Orange Council that queer rights are human rights, and that queerphobia isn't acceptable.
You don't have to live in Orange to attend and support - we don't.
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Taken from the Facebook post of David Mallard - Green's Councillor for Orange, NSW:
"Friends, I’m disgusted that Councillor Kevin Duffy is moving to cancel the upcoming Orange Rainbow Festival.
His bringing this motion and the ensuing public debate will cause harm within the local LGBTQIA+ community, and it will also damage Orange’s public reputation and perception by potential visitors. This motion is politically opportunistic and follows a coordinated campaign of misinformation and hate that has targeted Orange City Councillors during the past few months.
We need to meet the misinformation and fear with positivity, pride and allyship. The opponents of the Orange Rainbow Festival are trying to turn reality on its head and misrepresent this event as one based on ideology, when it’s actually about providing the inclusion, acceptance and affirmation that we know is needed to prevent the homophobia and transphobia that leads to discrimination, stigmatisation, harassment, bullying and other harms to LGBTQIA+ people.
To defeat this awful motion, we need the community to come together and show our support for the Rainbow Festival and for an inclusive community.
We need as many supporters and allies as possible to come to Tuesday evening’s Council meeting, which starts at 6:30pm on Tuesday, 5th March in the Council chamber on Byng Street.
We need you to bring positivity, pride, a rainbow of colours, and most of all love for our entire community. Unfortunately it likely there will be opponents of the festival and of the wellbeing of the LGBTQIA+ community in attendance as well. Come ready to withstand their hostility and intolerance, and prepared to overwhelm that with our pride, acceptance and love.
Please share this news and the opportunity to lend support to the LGBTQIA+ community with anyone who might be willing to support our efforts. Get in touch if you have any questions or thoughts.
Orange is better than this, and we can begin to make that clear as we respond to Councillor Duffy’s motion in the coming days."
#AusPol #Australia #OrangeNSW #CentralWestNSW #RegionalAustralia #queerphobia #homophobia #transphobia #queer #trans #anarchism #pride #activism #PleaseShare
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