SYDNEY — Forty Socialist Alliance members marched in the 25th annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade behind a banner reading "Medicare not warfare". The parade, held on March 6, was observed by at least 250,000 people, despite constant rain.
Led by Roman Catholic Archbishop George Pell's cousin, Monica Hingston, and her partner, in defiance of the Church's homophobia, the parade featured many political floats pushing the message of equal rights for same-sex couples, illustrated by costumes of George Bush and John Howard dancing and celebrating their "marriage".
Other political groups participating in the parade included Rainbow Labor with its message of "Put a big '1' in Mark Latham's Box", the Greens with "We've been doing it for years" (highlighting their continuing support for queer rights), and the Democrats with their "Survival of the species" entry.
The AIDS Council of NSW used its float to demand "Safe sex now!", so as to promote greater understanding of the alarming rise in transmission rates of HIV among gay men in Sydney. One gay man is infected with the virus every day in the city, according to the data given to the council, with one in six gay men in Sydney likely to be HIV positive.
Maurice Farrell
Unionists to contest Senate
MELBOURNE — At its March 13 state conference, the Socialist Alliance selected Lalitha Chelliah and Sue Bolton as its Victorian Senate candidates for the forthcoming federal election.
Lalitha Chelliah is a community nurse, and was a leader of the 1986 Victorian nurses' strike. She will be a Socialist Alliance spokesperson on health and Medicare issues.
Sue Bolton is the joint national convener of the Socialist Alliance trade union committee, and is a long-term campaigner for the rights of workers.
The state conference attracted alliance members and supporters from the Bendigo, Ballarat and Geelong regions, as well as Melbourne.
The conference committed the alliance to building the movement to demand "Troops out of Iraq", and planned the alliance's participation in the March 20 global day of action against the occupation of Iraq.
Graham Matthews
From Green Left Weekly, March 17, 2004.
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