Looking at Sam Cavallaro when he’s leading a march of a thousand people protesting about the government’s stance on marriage equality it’s hard to believe that the young activist once had a fear of public speaking, but in getting to know Cavallaro we discover he is a man of many surprises.
Cavallaro’s not sure where his political beliefs came from, but he acknowledges that growing up in a small rural town was a factor.
“I think that you have to push the boundaries and really push out and make sure that you’re being heard or that your rights are being made sure of, because there is the ‘only gay in the village’ syndrome”, says Cavallaro in his office at Curtin University’s Student Guild where he serves as the Guild’s Education Vice President.
“I came to University and I was looking for something political to do, because I always had these ideas that you came to Uni and it was this brave new world of politics and things like that. I always had this sense that there was something wrong with the world and wanted to get involved, coming to Uni I met other people involved in the marriage equality campaign and I just went from there.”
At the last rally for marriage equality as the crowd marched down William Street a police officer boldly ordered the crowd off the street and on to the pavement. Out the front of the march Cavallaro ignored the directive and kept on marching. Cavallaro acknowledges his confidence is something that has developed through his activism.
“I’m glad I come across as confident, it’s not something that I was born with, it’s something I’ve grown to have and I think it’s being involved in the campaign that has allowed me to develop that. I guess I didn’t think twice about listening to the police officer, I knew what I had to do there, and what I had to do for the campaign. So I had to ignore him and just keep going on.
“That confidence though is just something that I have developed. I actually had a lot of problems with public speaking coming from a small town. That sense of you’ve always got to keep quiet, stay at the back of the class, don’t let anyone question you or question your sexuality, if you speak out you’re under the spotlight, but since I’ve been involved in the Equal Love campaign I’ve been able to come out.”
Keeping the protests fresh and interesting is something that the Equal Love team are always focussing on as they approach each stage of the campaign.
“It’s always a new case and we’re always trying to find new things to bring to it, we’re always trying to find new speakers and push the boundaries a little bit more. It’s always the case, no matter what – the day before, the week before, there will always be something we haven’t organised and we’ll be scrambling”.
Reaching beyond its student base is sometimes seen as a challenge for the organisers of WA’s marriage equality campaigns, but Cavallaro says he understands why some older members of the community are harder to energise for this cause.
“There are still a lot of people who are willing to come out and protest and keep fighting, but I do think there is a sense of ‘why haven’t we got there yet, why do we still not have equality.’ I don’t think that’s anything we’re going to achieve soon, and I don’t think the marriage equality campaign believes that that is something that will be achieved when we finally get it.”
Surprisingly Cavallaro’s degree has been in fine arts and sculpture, not the usual law or politics backgrounds activists often come. Looking from which forward the young activist shook off suggestions of a future political career.
“I think activism is something I’m always going to be a part of. I look at parliamentary politics and I cringe when I see what is going on, but I don’t think I could have a life without being involved actively in the political landscape.”
The Rally for Marriage Equality is at Supreme Court Gardens on May 11 from 1pm
Graeme Watson
