The LGBT Activists Marching Proudly At The Rising Tide Climate Protests

Hundreds of Queer activists joined the huge Rising Tide protest in Newcastle and Canberra last week, calling for an end to new approvals for coal and gas projects and higher taxes on profits from existing mines to support communities transitioning away from fossil fuels.

The 7000 strong protest which took place over ten days on the beach and amongst a sea of marquees and tents at the world’s biggest coal port in Newcastle led to nearly 200 arrests for acts of peaceful civil disobedience. 

At least four Queer activists were amongst those arrested. They will face court next year. But beyond the arrests, there were many other features including a section of the Rising Tide camp called ‘Queer City’. Here lunch was offered to the LGBTQIA+ community each day. The highlight was a Queer solidarity march on Saturday afternoon which coincided with the Trans Day of Resistance. 

Marchers carried placards such as “Queers for climate” and “No Pride on a dead planet” and the chant of “We’re here, we’re queer, protect the biosphere” resounded around the Rising Tide site. 

 

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Organiser says ethos of Rising Tide aligns with the Queer activism

One of the organisers of Rising Tide, Newcastle Queer activist Ivy Sunday Lane told Star Observer that she was drawn to Rising Tide, not just because of the climate crisis but because it is organised on principles of inclusivity, designed to make everyone feel welcome. She said it fitted with her experience of the Queer movement in Newcastle of “always being there for others” including for people of colour and people experiencing discrimination or abuse beyond the LGBTQIA+ community itself.  

Lane said that when Rising Tide called for someone who could organise support for the Queer community she stepped forward. This became especially important when NSW police who had granted permission for the protest to take place last year took legal action to stop it altogether in 2024. “Any increased police presence is more threatening for any vulnerable group,” said Lane.

Queer activist and the Greens Candidate for Sydney Luc Velez attended Rising Tide and joined the Queer march. He said “with chants like ‘we’re gay, we’re trans, no more coal on stolen land’, the Pride march at Rising Tide was a powerful example of organising done right – where our collective actions are rooted in solidarity across movements.” 

“As we were marching through the Rising Tide campsites, there were similar marches across this continent marking Trans Day of Resistance.”

“The intersectional framework of the march was also a reminder that our State and Federal Labor Governments are failing so many communities. Not only are they failing us all by opening new coal and gas projects, but they also have queer kids in religious schools out in the cold by refusing to modernise anti-discrimination protections for queer people at both a state and federal level.” 

Ivy Lane said that that there would be an ongoing need for support for the Trans community as climate disasters continued. “Trans people are often forced to the margins as they have extra health costs and suffer discrimination in employment. When 31,000 homes were lost in the Lismore region, several trans community members became homeless.”

She said, “This week, our Queer City and march sent a powerful message to the climate justice community. We’re here and we are here to stay. We show solidarity and in return we say, ‘don’t forget we are here.’”