Senator Sarah Hanson-Young bringing it back to topic at Saturday's rally. The National Union of Students rally outside the State Library last Saturday, lead by queer officer James Vigus, was all about handing over a petition supporting a reversal in the ban on gay marriage to Senator Sarah Hanson-Young.... or was it?
The 30,000 signatories were proudly paraded in front of the audience of around 100 people who braved an unusually cold and wet Spring day in Melbourne. The carefully wrapped pile of signatures was precariously poised on one of the Library columns as a series of speakers screamed their support into the megaphone.
Great, the National Union of Students getting behind a campaign against homophobia and supporting gay marriage. But hang on, what are they talking about? Student Union fees, blah, blah.... New government legislation about the operation of student unions, blah, blah..... All worthy topics for a Saturday rally but that's not why we were there. Some of us felt a bit cheated. Coming into the city to get behind the campaign for gay marriage only to be confronted by pimply students spitting their venom at the Rudd Government... well just about anyone really.
But it was their 'day of action' so I suppose they can scream about anything they want. They did get back to the main game eventually and the Senator spoke in support of the petition to reverse the government's stand on gay marriage. Start to finish, 30 minutes.
But I left thinking that with friends like this, who needs enemies. I am not sure whether just lumping the issue of civil unions and gay marriage into the angry custard of student issues is good enough. We were the crowd magnet being hijacked by all this other stuff that had no revelance to anyone who weren't 1) a student or 2) interested in student politics. The protest signs were all about getting rid of homophobia and supporting gay marriage. But the rhetoric was mostly something else altogether.
This week's The Spin will hear from James Vigus and discuss the protest meeting with the Southern Star Observer editor Andie Noonan. From 7pm this Tuesday on The Spin.
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