Summer safety on Oxford St
This year ACON’s Oxford Street Summer Safety Project will incorporate the Drag Tag LGBTI visibility event, which has been rebranded as Drag Jam.
Drag Jam, starting at the Oxford Hotel at 9pm on February 11, involves people dressing in drag and moving from venue to venue to highlight the LGBTI character of Oxford St.
Around 100 drag queens and kings and supporters took part in last year’s inaugural event.
Anti-Violence Project coordinator Robert Knapman said the Project was about protecting the LGBTI community from prejudice-related abuse or violence in the area.
“But it’s also about us all having personal strategies to stay safe over summer and being able to report any violence in order to get help and support,” Knapman said.
The Project is also recruiting Street Safety Ambassadors, including drag queens, kings and other performers, party and event promoters, DJs, community group representatives and others.
“We are very happy with the response so far,” Knapman said. “We’ve had great feedback and interest from several drag queens, Dykes on Bikes, the Gender Centre, Twenty10, Harbour City Bears, Sydney Convicts and the Stingers as well as Aboriginal and culturally diverse networks.
INFO: www.facebook.com/events/165007846936687/
Safe Spaces: www.facebook.com/groups/248213728585940/
