The first of several planned World Youth Day protests was staged outside NSW Parliament House Wednesday, July 9, just 500m from the official WYD tent.

A handful of people chanting ‘Pope is wrong, gay is good’ and wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the slogans “go homo” and “this T-shirt is annoying” gathered in defiance of the recently introduced anti-protest laws connected to World Youth Day.

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No To Pope Coalition leader Rachel Evans told the gathering, which was outnumbered by local and national media, about the increasing rate of HIV in Africa as a result of Catholic teachings on condoms and to challenge the church’s views on homosexuality and abortion.

“Homosexuality is not a sin and we want to talk to Catholic youths about this issue peacefully,” Evans said.

“It is important that we have discussions about the policies of the Catholic Church. I think it is going to be very hard for the church not to address these questions.”

The protesters highlighted the state’s attempts to discourage peaceful protest during the Pope’s visit. About 630 sites across Sydney have been declared spaces where it will be illegal to “annoy” pilgrims by protesting, wearing an anti-WYD T-shirt or handing out condoms.

Despite the threat of conviction, a rally planned for next Saturday will go ahead, Evans said.

The special WYD laws have prompted criminal lawyer Daniel Hakim to offer his services for free to anyone fined for protesting peacefully.

Hakim told OUTinPerth’s sister publication Sydney Star Observer that he was “disgusted” by the implementation of such anti-constitutional laws.

“I will have my mobile on 24/7 over the entire WYD period for anyone to contact me if they have been charged for wearing a T-shirt, holding a placard or taking part in a peaceful protest,” he said.

”I will be happy to defend anyone, and cross-examine at length any pilgrim who decides to dob in or have a protest group arrested.”

Some rally organisers have already reported receiving phones calls from the NSW Police WYD squad.

Protests already planned during WYD include the Gay Christian Network’s July 13 service at Pitt St Uniting Church; gay Catholic group Acceptance’s gay youth forum on July 16; a kiss-in at Taylor Square with Vanessa Wagner on July 19 and a rally from Taylor Square to Moore Park on the same day where protesters will defy the law and hand out condoms to pilgrims.

Lawyer Daniel Hakim can be reached on 0400 280 977; the Gay Christian Network service starts at 2.30pm; the Acceptance forum is on July 16 from 7pm at UTS and the Taylor Square rally will start at midday, followed by the kiss-in at 3pm.

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Ani Lamont, Sydney Star Observer