Costume queen to give students a lesson in queer history

Australian primary school students will this year be reading about the Queen of the Mardi Gras parade, Ron Muncaster.

A profile piece about the well-known Mardi Gras costume designer will be included in a primary school book about Australian values.

The book, compiled by the Primary English Teaching Association (PETA) and Canberra’s National Museum of Australia, will be distributed to all PETA members and read to students in grades five and six.

The book was designed to give teachers alternative source material to that provided by the Australian government.

Ron’s story will appear in a section of the book titled Doing our best, a museum spokeswoman said.

“He talks about the pride he has in his work and how he feels when he sees the Mardi Gras parade,” the spokeswoman said.

Ron, who has won Best Costume award at Mardi Gras 14 times since the inception of the award in 1982, said he was “very honoured” to be included in a school reading book.

His story, which also features in the longstanding Eternity exhibition at the National Museum of Australia, is now well known.

“I saw a bunch of school kids sitting on the ground at the museum sketching my costumes,” Ron said.

“So to have kids in schools learning a bit about Mardi Gras is great. I think it could help some kids to understand.”