May and Gay! It’s hardly a coincidence that we’ve had a rather successful and active month. Students, queer and ‘regular’ people from all walks of life united on the 17th of May for IDAHo, the International Day Against Homophobia.
We rallied together for a peaceful protest and march that began at Wesley Church in the city and ended there after half an hour of chanting and rally cries. Recognition for same sex marriage rights and acknowledgement of civil rights in general for people who gather under the Queer banner is probably the most important part of our calendar year and CCQN is very active around this time, with many events of its own.
IDAHo may have been the spark for the month’s frivolity, but the flame and fire was the Genderfuck Ball. We do this once a year around IDAHo to raise money for Queer Collaborations, the national Youth Conference for Queer students. We raise as many eyebrows as we do dollars in one of the most diverse and enjoyable nights of the year.
June is a little quieter for us, disadvantaged by the fact that it doesn’t rhyme with the word gay. We’re making preparations for the pilgrimage to Wollongong – to argue endlessly about the fact that there isn’t anything to do in Wollongong but maybe we’ll fit in some queer student politics.
I think June is a time for relaxing a little, considering queer students have exams just like everyone else it might be a good thing. Some of us will take the time to make sure that as the Western Australian contingent to Queer Collaborations, we will be up to speed with the latest politics and intimidation tactics from the eastern states representatives, and others will be working on their own workshops and presentations for the national conference.
For those who have only just joined up with CCQN this year, either because it is your first year at University or have only recently started enjoying the flavour of the queer candy available to you, semester two is going to be a great opportunity to learn and experience as much as possible from a community of peers who are queers. Keep an eye out for CCQN stalls at your University O-Days at the start of semester two.
Adelaide Knowles
CCQN
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