Gay lesbian kingdom

The Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands (also known as the Gay Kingdom of the Coral Sea) was a putative micronation established as a symbolic political protest by a group of gay rights activists based in Australia. In protest of the government's bigotry, a group of queer activists at Brisbane Pride decided to create their own 'Gay and Lesbian Kingdom'.

Under international law, 'oppressed people who occupy an EOT (External Overseas Territory) (have) the right to self-determination and self-government'. In , over kilometres off the coast of Queensland, a new, all-gay nation was created: the Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands. That year was a tough one for queer people in Australia. On June 14th, , a micronation called The Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands was founded as a symbolic political protest by a group of gay rights activists as a response to the Australian government’s refusal to recognize same-sex marriages.

The Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands (also known as The Gay Kingdom) was erected by gay right activists in to protest against the Australian government refusal to recognize same-sex marriage. Content warning: mentions of homophobia and transphobia. The nation was formed by queer activists, who boarded The Gayflower , flying to a patch of sand and grass in the Coral Sea Islands Territory.

This group of small and mostly uninhabited tropical Islands in the Coral Sea of Northeast Queensland, became the birthplace of a new queer micronation, protesting the opposition to gay rights at the time. The rising momentum for marriage equality was met with hysteria across the West. This legislation also explicitly stated that same-sex marriages performed in foreign countries would not be legally recognised in Australia.

The Government also legislated a ban against same-sex couples adopting from overseas. In protest of the government's bigotry, a group of queer activists at Brisbane Pride decided to create their own 'Gay and Lesbian Kingdom'. By asserting their occupancy, these activists could establish their own queer friendly government. Emperor Dale and his crew flew to Cato Island, where the capital city 'Heaven' was formed and a traditional 6-stripe rainbow gay Pride flag the official flag of The Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands was raised.

They created an official Declaration of Independence and installed a commemorative plaque which read:. God Save Our King! Cato Island, being a barren stretch of sand that featured a singular unmanned weather station, was not a feasible place to host a physical community, so they set up a website and various Facebook groups and forums to hold discussions surrounding what the Kingdom was and what it should do, as well as a PO Box in Southport, Gold Coast.

lesbian country

Emperor Dale wrote to multiple Australian MPs regarding their declaration of independence and their willingness to rejoin as Australian people after the legalisation of marriage equality. Unfortunately, they did not receive affirming responses. While nothing violent occurred after their declaration, a hard-right Liberal Senator did express ironic concern about the display of a rainbow flag in the lobby of the Department of Finance in I dare say that wasn't the reason it was.

That same year, Australia held a postal survey regarding the question of marriage equality. When The Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands, whilst a creative approach to tackling discrimination, also demonstrates a radical story of micronationalism. Micronations - tiny countries declared by ordinary people - repeat and reproduce the act of establishment maintained by sovereign nations.

This declaration of a right to secede is in itself a technique of remaining in visible depute with the government. The Gay and Lesbian Kingdom perform for their audience — journeying over the sea, stepping onto the soil, raising the flag, reading their declaration of independence — staging, imagining, and therefore claiming its place in history as a nation.

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