Pride Seat Nominees
In 2018, Council accepted a donation of Pride Seats from Street Furniture Australia in recognition of its strong support for the LGBTIQA+ community and the marriage equality campaign. Community were asked to nominate a local person, group or organisation that has advanced LGBTIQA+ human rights, equity and inclusion in the Inner West. We would like to thank all the nominees below for their tireless work and all they've achieved for this community.
Seven seats were installed across the local government area. The locations of the colourful seats are listed below:
Recipient Location of Pride Seat
Alexander 'Lex' Watson Marrickville Road, Marrickville
The Feminist Bookshop Orange Grove Plaza, Lilyfield
Roberta Perkins Australia Street, Newtown
Robyn Plaister Norton Street, Leichhardt
The Pollys Club Marrickvillle Road, Marrickville
Timothy J Bishop Lackey Street Piazza, Summer Hill
Peter Bonsall-Boone Darling Street, Rozelle
and Peter de Waal
All the Pride Seat nominees are listed below in alphabetical order:
Alan Brotherton (1963-2015)
Alan dedicated himself to improving the lives and furthering the human rights of HIV positive and LGBTIQA+ people in a career that spanned over 30 years.
Through his involvement with advocacy, he helped ensure people living with HIV and AIDS were effective advocates for equitable and non-discriminatory care, support and fast-tracked access to HIV treatments.
Alexander ‘Lex’ Watson (1943-2014)
For many of his generation and beyond, Lex Watson was the face of gay activism in Sydney. He was a foundation member of the Campaign Against Moral Persecution (CAMP), the organiser of the first gay rights demonstration in Australia, a long time passionate advocate of homosexual law reform and of anti-discrimination legislation, a pioneer AIDS activist, and in later years, a keen advocate for the preservation of gay community history. His was a courageous life of towering achievement.
FOBGAYS
Founded in 2017, FOBGAYS is a grassroots community network for family and friends of South Asian LGBTIQA+ peoples. They celebrate identities that are shaped by the intersection of race, sexuality and gender. They create change in their communities from within by increasing the visibility of supporters, advocating and raising awareness for LGBTIQA+ rights.
Katherine Cummings
Katherine is one of the last of a generation of trans women who came of age when being trans was illegal and dangerous in Sydney. Her writing is part of the trans community’s history and her observations of the trials, tribulations and the occasional triumph of being trans and/or gender diverse continues to give trans people comfort and a sense of community. She wrote ‘Katherine’s Diary’ an autobiography that won the Australian Human Rights Award for Non-Fiction in 1992. Katherine is now in her 80s but continues to write and unite through Polare. Despite the hardships she has experienced in life she has remained very active and generous. Katherine continues to contribute and continues to be a role model for her community.
Lauren (Loz) Foy
Loz has been a member of the NSW Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby since 2009. In this time, she began as a general committee member and then moved to Secretary before taking on the role of Co-convenor over the past three years. Loz is a passionate campaigner for human rights, equality and ending discrimination. Loz demonstrate great resilience and leadership within the Inner West community. As Captain of the Newtown Breakaways AFLW reserve grade team, Loz also demonstrates spreading love, health and a supportive culture within sport. She provides guidance and is a role model to all.
Liz Dods
Liz has lived in the Inner West for 30 years and has been an active advocate and campaigner for LGBTIQA+ rights since the early 70s. Liz began her illustrious involvement in WA where she was responsible for the establishment of one of the first every queer press magazines that set the groundwork for what is now a solid gay press scene. Liz She moved to Sydney in the late 70s and began to become involved with the growing Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras movement. Liz was a Mardi Gras board member and after stepping down became an active volunteer at the Parade for 25 years. Liz is a shining star of commitment, support and longevity.
Liz Newell, Donna Ross, Maya Newell
Liz and Donna are lesbian parents, teachers and community members that have lived and worked in the Inner West for over 30 years. As parents they have raised Maya Newell, a remarkable young filmmaker and director of Gayby Baby. The film was very much a product of their family life, and indicative of the love, support and encouragement Maya has always received from her mums. Truly a family affair and a remarkable film, Gayby Baby has contributed to changing perceptions of LGBTIQA+ parenting and families. As a young couple, Liz and Donna were pioneers as lesbian parents, active with Rainbow Families and supporting other lesbian mums.
Local Labor – Hon Penny Sharpe, Mary O’Sullivan, Laura Wright
These three Labor women were the first openly Lesbian councillors of the former Marrickville Council. They were trailblazers in their community. Penny Sharpe was the first openly gay woman elected to the Former Council and it was her election that provided the pathway for Mary O’Sullivan and Laura Wright to be subsequently elected after her. Penny has also gone on to become a senior shadow minister in the state Labor team. She has become a leader in politics for LGBTIQA+ community across NSW and went on to deliver legislative reforms, such as same-sex adoption, being a leader in the marriage equality campaign and more recently safe access zones around abortion clinics.
Major Peter McDonald Trebilco (1927 – 2017)
Peter was proud 78er, activist, icon, mentor, colleague and friend. He was actively involved in teaching and academic life, with a focus on social determinants of health and mental health, and its prevention. He was very active through the establishment, growth and development of gay and lesbian advocacy and support organisations in Sydney and nationally. Peter spent literally thousands of hours answering phone calls from distressed, lonely, desperate and inquiring members of our communities. For 41 continuous years, Peter also provided support and mentoring to fellow phone counsellors.
Matthew Howard
Mathew has been championing the LGBTIQA+ community in the Inner West for more than 3 years. He has worked tirelessly as the Co-convener of Rainbow families to make Rainbow families the ‘go to’ organisation offering support to children and families in the community. His work has also involved creating acceptance and awareness of Rainbow families. Matthew invested much time and energy in the Inner West campaign for marriage equality through active media, rallies and community support. He’s been actively involved in lobbying for a Pride Centre in the Inner West to foster the rich culture the community brings and to create a safe space for all.
Norrie mAy-Welby
Norrie mAy-Welby has tirelessly worked since the early 1990s for those who are gender diverse, as well as the other segments of the LGBTIQA+ population. Having had gender reassignment from male to female in Western Australia in 1989 Norrie moved to Sydney and commenced a long and fruitful career in activism. In 2009, Norrie commenced the process of changing her classification from ‘F’ to ‘X’ for ‘unspecified’ with the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages. This was granted and rescinded one day after the decision was made public. Norrie took the case to the Supreme Court and in 2012 became the first person in Australia to achieve the status of an official ‘Non-Specified’ gender on non-medical grounds.
Peter (Bon) Bonsall-Boone (1938–2017) and Peter de Waal
Bon and Peter featured in the 1972 ABC documentary series Chequerboard and during the program they shared what became the first male same sex kiss on Australian television. They were founding members of CAMP NSW and set up the first gay and lesbian phone counselling service in NSW Phone-A-Friend at their Balmain home in 1973. They continued to be active in the gay rights movement and took part in the first Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in 1978. Throughout their lives they have continues to campaign for justice and equality and have been active members of Sydney’s Pride History Group.
Rainbow Families
Rainbow Families is a primarily volunteer run community not for profit that seeks to build a community which fosters resiliency by connecting, supporting and empowering LGBTIQA+ families and their children. Rainbow Families has been providing advocacy, support and peer networks to LGBTIQA+ families of the Inner West since 2016 as a unified community group and prior to that for decades as Gay Dads NSW and Rainbow Babies and Kids. Rainbow Families has been highly committed to supporting LGBTIQA+ families and their children who live in the Inner West providing regular playgroups, parent information sessions, advocacy work, antenatal classes and more.
Roberta Perkins (1940-2018)
Roberta was a trail blazer for Australian transgender people. She was an academic and writer, authoring numerous books on sex work in Australia and using her platform to fight for sex worker rights. Roberta established a refuge in Petersham for homeless trans people, which later became The Gender Centre. She was a founding member of the former Australian Prostitutes Collective NSW, which advocated for decriminalisation of sex work to improve the lives of workers in the state. The organisation’s work is today continued by the Sex Worker Outreach Project (SWOP) NSW.
Robyn Plaister
Robyn has been dedicated to the LGBTIQA+ community being involved actively for nearly 50 years. She worked on the Executive of CAMP from 1973 to 1978 and was on the organising committee for the first Mardi Gras in 1978. After the first Mardi Gras, Robyn nearly lost her job as a teacher when she appeared on the front pages of the Telegraph. Robyn was innovative in recognising where there was a need and started Lesbian Mothers’ Group in 1976 and Lesbian Teachers Group in NSW in 1978. Robyn is a role model to younger lesbians in teaching and in life.
Ross Higham AKA Rose Leaf (1961-2014)
Ross Higham AKA Rose Leaf was at the forefront of the Drag Industry in Sydney and the Inner West, working at many of the local gay and straight hotels including the Town Hall in Balmain, The Newtown Hotel, Imperial and Caesars. Ross would give his time willingly to support many local causes through the donating of time and work and putting on and designing shows. At the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis in the 80's, through dedication and hard work as Rose, Ross raised tens of thousands of dollars for HIV causes. Ross won many DIVA awards for the shows that he produced and starred in and in his final year before his retirement due to ongoing illness won the top award.
Summer Hill Rainbow Crossing
The Children, Families and Grown-ups of the Summer Hill Rainbow Crossing have established the first, permanent rainbow crossing in NSW. For almost five years the crossing in Summer Hill Square has been a meeting place for friends, supporters and members of the LGBTIQA+ community. The group has strong connections with the local area, schools and organisations. The area has become a symbol of love, tolerance and equality. Over the years many gatherings have taken place around the crossing, with messages chalked into its pattern. Children in particular love the crossing. The crossing featured prominently in the recent marriage equality campaign.
Teresa Savage
Teresa has championed, or been a volunteer in many iconic LGBTIQA+ groups in the Inner West for decades. She has run the 55upitty oral history project for over 5 years, documenting the history and achievements of activist women, aged 55 and over, most of whom live in the Inner West. She was a founding member of the former Leichhardt Council’s LGBTQI Action Group and acted as the Chair for many years. Teresa has worked tirelessly to ensure the Inner West LGBTIQA+ community is acknowledged and celebrated for their contribution to the area and its residents. She has helped create an accessible and connected community for all who live and visit here.
The Addison Road Community Centre (ARCCO)
ARCCO delivered a strong Yes Campaign during the marriage equality debate to show their support of the LGBTIQA+ community. They developed the yes vote garden - a physical installation that had yes in 23 different languages and over 300 yes flowers. This remained installed for the entire period of the Yes Campaign. They mobilised 21 different ethnic groups to engage in conversations to explain why we are voting yes and had champions from different ethnic communities talking to their communities to vote Yes. The Centre also boasts a beautiful rainbow crossing.
The Feminist Bookshop
The Feminist Bookshop was known and valued all over Sydney and beyond as a safe and welcoming place for all in the LGBTIQA+ rainbow families. It was not just a bookshop but a meeting place, offering support and advice to women coming out, or questioning their sexuality, and looking for community. Transgender people were always especially welcomed. As well as a huge selection of lesbian and gay fiction, the bookshop specialised in issues such as incest, child abuse, domestic violence, recovery from addiction, assertiveness, self-esteem, sexuality and raising families. Jane Waddy, Libby Silva and Gail Hewison were co-owners of The Feminist Bookshop from 1982-2011.
The Flying Bats
Established in 1985, The Flying Bats Women’s Football Club (FBFC) is the largest lesbian football club in the world, with over 100 active players. Throughout its 33-year history, the Flying Bats has provided women, including large numbers of queer women, the opportunity to play a sport they were historically discouraged from playing. It has also given something equally valuable to many, a sense of being part of a vibrant and supportive community. The Flying Bats Women's Football Club was formed as a means of providing women with a sense of support and community at a time when options were limited and lesbians were subjected to multiple forms of prejudice and discrimination.
The Pollys Club
The Pollys Club was formed in 1964 and is the longest running LGBTIQA+ social club in Australia, if not in the world. The mission of the Pollys Club is to raise money for charity. They do this by organising LGBTIQA+ themed dances, which are safe, all-inclusive, cost effective and fabulous fun. The funds raised are donated to charities focused on men’s health, women’s health, youth health, mental health and animal welfare. The Pollys Club has created a safe space for the community to be themselves. It's this that gives empowerment to those who remain in the closet.
The Unknown Activist
There are hundreds of activists among us who do small things daily to advocate and support the Inner West LGBTIQA+ community and are not recognised. Whether it be for signing a petition, flying a rainbow flag, donating to a cause, attending a parade or showing respect and kindness to all the unique individuals in our community, it is greatly appreciated. It’s the collective effort of the trailblazers and their supporters who create the momentum and movement needed to create a space of acceptance and RESPECT for all.
Tim Bishop
Long-term Inner West resident, Tim Bishop, has been instrumental for the past 25 years in enhancing the inclusion and equity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in the Australian LGBTIQA+ community. Most notable is his ongoing project www.blackmardigras.net, where he initiated, researched and compiled an interactive online archive to document and preserve a history of First Peoples’ entries in the Sydney Mardi Gras Parade; a treasure trove of incredible stories, photographs and rare archival footage, much of which stood to be lost or forgotten in the annals of time.
2 Boys in Saris
Aunty Omar and Aunty Muhammad are two boys dressed in Saris bringing South Asian food to the Inner West with the launch of their food truck: 2 Boys in Saris. The boys have been innovative in the way they create genuinely unique work and campaigns that have been refreshing and engaging for people, even outside of the South Asian context. 2 Boys in Saris contribute to increasing support for and awareness of South Asian LGBTIQA+ people in Sydney in a fun and delicious way.
Uniting
Uniting is leading in many areas of LGBTIQA+ inclusion, despite being a faith based not for profit organisation. They are involved in numerous community events and have developed programs for the LGBTIQA+ community. They have developed a transitioning in the workplace guideline and support program for transgender staff within the workplace. They have multiple training modules for staff to better understand LGBTIQA+ community culture and inclusion, as well as one specifically about disclosure and what to do if someone discloses. Uniting is an LGBTIQA+ inclusive organisation; “Welcoming you exactly as you are”.