Brisbane Pride Memorial Garden Event Targeted By Protesters
Image: Image: Tina Eastley
Brisbane Pride have hosted the planting of their annual memorial garden in New Farm park despite a group of protesters who attended the event.
The small group made their intentions to target the event known on Thursday in a public post on Facebook.
Brisbane Pride have issued a statement in response calling the protest “inappropriate.”
Brisbane Pride Memorial Garden Continues
A small crowd of around thirty members Brisbane’s LGBTQIA+ gathered on Saturday to remember the lives of those who had passed.
Each year people come together at the entrance to New Farm Park where the garden is planted.
Taking place in July the plants are arranged in a formation of different colours so that come to September they bloom in a beautiful rainbow formation.
However this year the event was tainted by a group of local protestors from within the LGBTQIA+ community.
Ahead of the event they took to social media to air their grievances about Vicki Howard, the member for Brisbane Central who is a member of the LNP, promoting and appearing at the event.
As the local councillor for the area Howard has helped with the event each year since 2012 and assisted in facilitating the space and resources for Brisbane Pride to make the event happen.
Image credit – Tina Eastley
The group vowed to turn up to the event to stage a silent protest, despite concerns from their own supporters at the appropriateness of the protest. The group maintained their position citing their opposition to Howard’s attendance as a member of the LNP in Queensland, following the recent decision by the LNP in Queensland to halt gender affirming care for young people under 18 in the state.
Earlier in the week Howard had sent out her own invitation to the event via a letterbox drop to locals in the area. In response the group said “After the horrific way the LNP has attacked transgender healthcare this year, we will not let Brisbane Pride continue to promote them unopposed.”
During the event the protestors participated and staged their protest when Councillor Vicki Howard spoke, holding up signs in protest at her attendance and involvement.
Brisbane Pride acknowledged the incident in a post on their Facebook page over the weekend.
“We want to express our heartfelt thanks to everyone who attended the Brisbane Pride Memorial Garden. It was a moving and beautiful gathering of remembrance, solidarity, and love — a powerful reminder of our shared history and ongoing journey” Brisbane Pride wrote on Facebook.
They acknowledged the importance of protest, but made it clear they felt this was not the right time.
“Our queer community is not a monolith and there exist a range of political views amongst us” they said.
“While we fully support the right to protest and express these differing views reflecting our community’s diversity, we are disappointed by the small group who chose to protest at this memorial meant for healing and unity. There is a time and place for political debate — the Brisbane Pride Memorial Garden is not it.”
They also acknowledge the community members who had not attended the event due to the protest amid concerns about the group behind it.
“To our community: we apologise to those who felt they couldn’t participate because of this group and we thank those in attendance for showing grace and commemorating those we’ve lost despite this inappropriate protest action.”
“We will continue to create spaces that honour our past, celebrate our present, and build a world safe for diversity” they concluded.
Speaking to the Star Observer, Brisbane Pride president James McCarthy thanked Rev Selina McMahon for presiding over the event and acknowledged actions of the protest group at an event he said “should be beyond politics.”
“The event was beautiful and deeply moving. The Rev Selina McMahon, who is trandgender and a member our community, provided words that were heartfelt, capturing both the sorrow and hope of the moment.
“It’s a shame this group decided to protest an event that should be beyond politics. But this group seemingly can’t help themselves. The fact some members of our community felt they couldn’t attend as a result is awful”
“What is truly annoying is that this event is not about the LNP. Vicki has always been a big supporter of this event and Pride, she is our local councillor and Pride does require the support of the Brisbane City Council to hold the event. This reality was obviously ignored. So they manufactured an issue to hold a protest.”
The Brisbane Pride Festival will commence in September this year with the annual march and fair day taking place on September 20.
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