It is that time of the year again, the month of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. It has officially begun and the celebrations of love, equality and resistance are in full swing in the LGBT Community.
In the current state of the world, when you are feeling helpless or insignificant. Kindness, acceptance and a little bit of love can go a LONG way and do wonders for the mind and soul.
Just because it’s the Mardi Gras it doesn’t mean you have to only help during this month. Giving back to the LGBT community is essential to the progression of society’s views towards the LGBT community and can be done in many ways, at any time of the year.
How Can You Give Back to the LGBT Community?
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Attending events like Fair Day and the Official Mardi Gras Parade
Indeed, Fair Day was yesterday, but it is definitely worth a mention. Fair Day is an wonderful FREE event in Sydney which has been known to attract over 80,000 individuals from all walks of life.
It has a whole bunch of tents for food, drinks and a stage with drag shows as well as music. Most importantly, you’ll find a bunch of tents with petitions! You can sign the petitions and learn about the issues within the community as you go. There are a lot of petitions running at the moment that are aimed to make a whole lot of changes in Australia for the LGBT community.
Some of the petitions include marriage equality, adoption rights for LGBT individuals who wish to start a family and much more. Signing a petition is a great way to get the ball rolling to make a difference in current worldly issues and is a great, easy way to give back to the LGBT community.
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Attending a movie or two during the Film Festival
Mardi Gras film festival is a platform for queer documentaries and movies that are otherwise not shown on mainstream TV or movie theatres. This makes it the perfect opportunity to support local, national and international actors, producers, directors and many more of the LGBT community.
Their relentless efforts to put queer individuals on the big screen.
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StartOver
One start up to definitely keep an eye out for. Guys at StartOver had a stall at Fair Day this year and were promoted their new application which is soon to be released. Their application is called, you guessed it, “StartOver”. This application will be a platform for individuals who are either coming out, planning to come out or are confused on what to do and how to do it.
You are able sign up to the application which will allow you to receive free mentoring from someone within the LGBT community. Anyone can volunteer to become a mentor to, as long as you’re over the age of 18.
StartOver will be a great platform to give back to the LGBT community and assist individuals in a really vulnerable time in their life. People who sign up will receive a day of professional training on how to be a mentor.
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Share your story with a website like www.Story.LGBT
Already out and proud? Share your story with organisations like Story.LGBT to show those who are just coming out that it gets better! Story.LGBT is the first ever online catalogue of coming out stories and is designed to help to show people that they’re not alone.
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Say I Do Down Under
Support marriage equality by donning a ‘Say I do down under’ t-shirt or an Equality t-shirt.
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Equality Campaign
Fax your local MP. Let them know why ALL Australians deserve equality.
Why support the LGBT community?
The LGBT community is still largely marginalised and mistreated around the world, even in 2017.
Only yesterday, whilst giddily stumbling into my Uber driver’s car, still laughing and grinning from a day of being surrounded by likeminded people did my bubble get sharply popped by the needle of our driver.
“Why are the streets so busy?” asks my Uber driver. “Today was Fair Day!” my partner and I both said in unison, grinning. “That explains all the dudes in fucking skirts. Unbelievable” He says, shaking his head.
Awkward silence for the rest of the trip was deafening.
It truly sucks that in 2017, two girls have to choose to stay quiet. Rather than stand up for their LGBT friends out of fear for getting judged, mistreated or worse. It’s not good enough.
Any support, whether through showing up to rallies, attending the official parade or wearing it on your damn sleeve is undeniably imperative to the change of views of people who are like my Uber driver and those similar.
Breaking down barriers the progression of lgbtq rights in 2023 must be made the norm.
Thanks for reading!
Sister Roma Creates the Stop The Violence Campaign!
In 1991, Sister Roma was in San Francisco and introduced her STOP the Violence Campaign.
Introduction of the campaign was a reaction to the organised homophobia and transphobia hate crimes in the streets. A window placard system was devised to mark safe homes to run to in the instance of an attack or the threat of an attack.
STOP the Violence Campaign distributed window signs and whistles in the various neighborhoods, districts of the city as well as on college campuses which were used for people to call for help when being gay bashed.
She served on the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
Has participated in countless fundraising projects leading to strong relationships. She has helped a long list of causes that promote and serve the LGBT community. Also educates people within the community on sexual health issues.
One of her career goals is to be on the cover of Vanity Fair.
This was easily done with the help of Photoshop. When Sister Roma asked about her career highlights she said:
“I have the arduous task of looking at naked men all day long as the Art Director at Hot House Entertainment.”
Sister Roma is habitually, perpetually and happily single. But enjoys brief encounters when visiting her beloved Puerto Vallarta. With a schedule like hers, when would she have time to nurture a relationship?
Summing up her time with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
“In 25 years I’ve done it all baby! I’ve worked with everyone from AIDS to PAWS. Served food at Thanksgiving with Tenderloin Tessie’s. I’ve painted kids’ faces for LYRIC. Hosted a Masturbate-a-thon for the Center For Sex and Culture. I’ve moderated public forums on safer sex for the SF AIDS Foundation.
Mostly though, I’m a loudmouth who is very comfortable on stage. I’ve been the MC at countless events for years, including Folsom Street Fair, AEF Christmas Eve Dinner, Easter in Dolores Park, SF Drag King Contest, Mr. & Miss Gay SF Contest, San Francisco Pride, Halloween In The Castro, Castro Street Fair, and AIDS Emergency Fund County Fair – to name a few.
I’m thrilled whenever anyone thinks to invite me to be a part of their event.”
Some of Sister Roma’s favorite sayings
“Life’s a banquet and most poor sons o’ bitches are starving to death!”- Auntie Mame
“All men are created equal.”- Abraham Lincoln
“There’s only one true judge and that’s God, so chill, and let my father do his job.” – Salt N’ Peppa.
Sister Roma’s advice to others is simple
“Be yourself. Accept yourself. Love yourself. Live your life however you want, and don’t listen to what other people say or think, especially drag queens in a newspaper interview, for God’s sake!”
Sister Roma is an inspiration to the entire LGTBQ community which she serves with passion and integrity.
Sister Roma Professional Drag
In addition to all her community and charity work Sister Roma also acts professionally as well as in more casual drag performances in clubs. In 2003 she appeared in Ronnie Larsen’s Sleeping With Straight Men at Theatre Rhinoceros with Mink Stole.
Sleeping with Straight Men was produced to be a drama based comedy about the Jenny Jones murder case. Sleeping with Straight Men is filled with nudity and odd sexual scenes.
In Falcon Studio’s 1997 film High Tide
Sister Roma appeared with drag star and porn producer Chi Chi LaRue. High Tide had one of the largest casting of it’s time filled with beautiful men and large erections. This adult movie was based in the beautiful landscapes of Hawaii.
Men are on the beach, hot and drenched with sweat which makes for some steamy scenes. This movie features Anders a man who has lost his memory, who is trying to get away from his fiancee. He tries to get to a private island to give himself some private time to work out what is going on.
On the island he finds a man named Mr Tom Chase who had previously known him. Their connection reignites as Mr Tom Chase and Anders find themselves making out under a cascading waterfall.
Awards
In 2006, Sister Roma was nominated for Best Nonsexual Performance Gay Adult Video News (GAYVN) award for her portrayal of Mona Lott, the maid of Wet Palms which is a ten episode gay porn soap opera series.
Wet Palms is based upon a man named Peter Dune who is an avid night clubber and is a gorgeous underwear model. He moves on from his old life of partying to be with a man named Tucker Bang who is a kind man that write articles for “Jetsetter” a gay gossip magazine. Simon Jett The Wet Palms hotel manager’s brother is trying to get into Peters pants.
Longest Running Drag Show
Sister Roma also performed at San Francisco’s longest running drag show Trannyshack. Trannyshack is a drag show that runs once a week. It was originally founded by drag queen Heklina as a Study Bar which ran for 12 years.
This venue regularly draws big crowds to their shows. Sister Roma also writes a bi-weekly column Drag It for San Fransisco’s gay alternative magazine Gloss.
Jennifer is a marketer at Adultsmart! Embracing a non-judgmental stance, she believes in pleasure without limits—if it feels good and right, why not?
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