THE pre-flood drizzle cast itself aside to celebrate the dazzle of the very first Port Pride Walk.
Town Beach came alive with sunshine and colour on Saturday 17 May, as young, old, queer, and straight allies united to celebrate International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersex Discrimination and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT).
Walking the 2.5km distance to and from Port Macquarie Jetty, new friendships were formed, connections were made, and local support services, including Headspace, offered their services.
Rainbow cupcakes were generously supplied post-walk by Baked by Katie and a refreshing supply of donated Peter’s Lifesaver Rainbow icy poles quenched the thirst of participants.
Hailed as a success by organiser Dr Jake Little, the attendance list was a diverse and influential one.
“We had an impressive 60 people turn up”, he told News Of The Area.
“We had people from all parts of the community – people from local churches, local surf clubs, local businesses, representatives from Labor, Liberal, and Voices4Cowper.
“We were lucky to have been joined by Caz Heise [and] Councillor Nik Lipovac also joined on the day.”
Outside of celebrating IDAHOBIT, Dr Little saw an opportunity to “push back on a rising tide of discrimination against the LGBTQIA+ community, worldwide.”
“This group is under attack and being used for political gain,” he said.
“Thirty-five percent of LGBT Aussie people have experienced verbal abuse in the past 12 months, and this is not okay.
“We were standing up for our LGBTQIA+ groups but also standing up for all marginalised groups in our region.
With tourism top of mind, Dr Little believes there is untapped potential in the Cowper region.
“Maximising our diversity will boost tourism, health, business and productivity and show everyone how inclusive the region is and can be.”
IDAHOBIT was first introduced in 2011 to mark the same day in 1990 that homosexuality was removed from the World Health Organisation’s Classification of Diseases.
It signalled the close of a long-standing period where queer identity was treated as a disorder
When asked if this was the start of something regular within the community, Dr Little said there is an appetite to show what a diverse community can offer.
“A simple casual walk followed by free cupcakes can boost interest in the area; show people that they are welcome; and put the region on people’s destinations to visit.”
By Rikki WALLER
