THE SSO A-Z GUIDE TO QUEER SYDNEY

L IS FOR

Lent In its origins, Lent is a time when Jesus is said to have fasted for 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness as he prepared for what lay ahead of him of him with the crucifixion and death.

These days, Lent is the 40 days from Ash Wednesday through to Easter Sunday when Christians are encouraged to give up something they enjoy, in order that they get an inkling of what Jesus went through on those 40 nights when he went without.

Think of that -“ 40 whole days wandering around contemplating where his life was going without so much as an iPod, mobile phone, GPS or blackberry to keep him entertained.

There are many gays in this town who couldn’t last a half day without these accessories, so what else would many in our community have a problem giving up for 40 days? Stopping boozing or cigarettes is hard at the best of times, but 40 days? Very possibly. One well-known party boy used to announce every Ash Wednesday that he was giving up sex for Lent, but would have a hell of a time keeping his vow.

The year he was spotted on his knees at a popular sex club on Good Friday, he insisted the devil made him do it. Sure enough when the next Ash Wednesday rolled around, he announced sex was out for the next 40 days, and did indeed keep to the vow that year, but it was an Easter Sunday that he -“ and few who heard the stories of the tally he rang up in ending Lent -“ ever forgot.

Liberals Gay Liberals are a rare and often misunderstood breed. Often found perched in leafy environments (generally on the north side of the bridge or in a small section of the eastern suburbs), they can generally be identified by their his and his labradors, tucked-in shirts and tan slacks, although they may unleash unexpectedly bright foliage in a head-turning display in the middle of the Dome on Mardi Gras night.

Prominent gay Liberals include coalition-loving farmer/ Big Brother five-minute-famer David Graham and City of Sydney councillor Shayne Mallard, who says he loves the Libs because of their belief in personal and press freedom, among other things.

Both have promoted themselves as agents of change from within their respective parties, as Mallard told the Star in 2004, even when his party has actively worked against his own personal freedoms. If people throw their hands up and walk away, nine times out of 10 the vacuum is filled by their opponents.