Gay family-friendly

Marrickville Council is holding a gay- and lesbian-friendly family day next weekend in association with the Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby.

The event, Kidz Day Out, will feature performances by local school children, the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Choir, storytelling and a belly-dancing workshop.

It will take place at Marrickville Town Hall on Sunday 19 November from 2pm to 5pm.

Mayor of Marrickville, Morris Hanna, said the event would be something all families can enjoy.

This event celebrates all our families in a fun way that the kids can enjoy.

Event manager Vicki Harding, author of the Learn To Include children’s books about same-sex parents, said the event came about after the Rights Lobby applied to Marrickville Council to hold a family day.

The council’s gay and lesbian liaison committee liked the idea so much they decided to get involved.

It’s a fantastic council, Harding said. They’re very aware of gay and lesbian issues, they have this gay and lesbian advisory group, they’ve been really proactive. Any council who will do an event like this is fantastic.

There are heaps of gay and lesbian people living in Marrickville. It’s where everything’s happening.

Marrickville Council’s gay-friendly policies caused controversy in May this year when the tabloid press revealed it had included teaching materials in preschools about families with same-sex parents.

The Daily Telegraph ran a front-page story on the issue with an editorial column that stated, Marrickville Council is guilty of virtual child abuse in treating a community-funded centre as a venue for gay education.

However, when the story was picked up by TV news programs, journalists were unable to find any Marrickville parents who disapproved of the lessons.

Harding said she didn’t believe there would be any parents who would object to the upcoming family day, either.

I don’t imagine so, no. We’re going to letterbox drop the entire area so we’ll see who turns up, she said.