In the middle of July, a group of 40 or so Queer Students from the Cross Campus Queer Network will be making the pilgrimage to Canberra, for the annual national Queer Youth Conference – the infamous Queer Collaborations. So what is a queer collaboration? It is an assembly of representatives from most Australian Universities to discuss the current issues that young queer people face every day and to work towards making life safe, exciting, educational and open at campuses around Australia.
The broad spectrum of issues that these super-queers will wrestle with include gender, politics, safest sex strategies, international perspectives, self harm awareness, sexual deviances, mental health awareness, coming out and any others that may be voiced candidly at the conference. Anyone in attendance can be given an audience among their activist peers who will decide on sets of policies to synchronise and empower the queer movement at the tertiary education level.
But who will we send on such an important mission? The Western Australian group is a well trained troupe of G.I Barbies and Joe Dolls – all campuses have a number of student volunteers who have taken up the challenge to represent our unique cultural perspectives… and ‘tap’ the interstate booty! Canberra as hosts this year have entitled the conference Deceit of Government – Will we finally discover that Parliament house is actually a warehouse of mechanical figureheads run by Skynet? It is time to be loud and proud and demand a fair and equal future in any case.
As well protesting, there will be the usual interstate collaboration that is unique to queer students. Young hearts, minds and bodies serious about the future of the queer movement will be addressing current issues with as much force and pressure necessary to create the path for change especially in our nation’s political capital. The 2009 conference will be the 19th QC to be held since the inaugural event in Sydney in 1991.
Queer Collaborations is also the launching pad for the national publication Querelle. It’s all the more important this year as it is being produced and published right here in Perth. Querelle contributions from students who come from all over the city and wish to express themselves creatively with pictures, poems and stories that help us relate the experience of being young and queer to the rest of Australia. The credits for its production this year go to students at University of Western Australia and Murdoch University who have been making a huge effort since volunteering to undertake the task at last year’s conference in Melbourne. Congratulations Querelle team! Can’t wait to read it!
Adelaide Knowles
***
