Two Melbourne Inner-City Councils Elect Queer Identifying Mayors
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Melbourne’s Merri-bek City Council and Yarra City Council have both elected Queer identifying mayors.
On November 15, Merri-bek City Council elected Greens Councilor Adam Pulford, while south of the river, Yarra City Council elected Greens Councilor Edward Crossland.
‘As A Proud Queer Person, I’m Honoured To Represent Our Progressive And Diverse Community’
During his acceptance speech, Pulford said, “I am so incredibly grateful to be here tonight and to be entrusted in the role of Mayor. As a proud queer person, I’m honoured to represent our progressive and diverse community here in Merri-bek—leading our Council over the next 12 months with the support of my fellow councillors.”
“We have such a vibrant community here in Merri-bek who are constantly in touch, sharing their ideas, priorities and concerns with Councillors. I look forward to continuing to work with community members.”
A ‘Great Honour’
Crossland, in a statement, said it was a “great honour” to be elected Mayor of Yarra.
He explained, “I’m particularly keen to work collaboratively with the Councillor group and community to plan for our growing city, address housing affordability, Yarra’s financial sustainability objectives and ensure we’re planning ahead to provide the infrastructure and services our current and future community needs.”
“I am incredibly proud of our city and remain committed to supporting and celebrating our wonderfully diverse community,” he added.
Queer Representation Matters
Victorian Greens LGBTIQA+ spokesperson, Gabrielle de Vietri, highlighted the importance of this Queer representation in local government.
De Vietri said, “Representation matters. These elections send a strong message to LGBTIQA+ people in both Merri-bek and Yarra that they are accepted and supported.
“The Greens have a proud history of queer representation at all levels of government, and are committed to fight for the rights of LGBTIQA+ people across the state.”
During the 2020 local government elections, the Greens put forward more than 20 candidates who identified as LGBTIQA+.
Merri-bek City Council includes the suburbs of Brunswick, Brunswick East, Brunswick West, Coburg, Coburg North, Fawkner, Glenroy, Gowanbrae, Hadfield, Oak Park, Pascoe Vale, and Pascoe Vale South.
Yarra City Council includes the suburbs of Abbotsford, Burnley, Carlton North, Clifton Hill, Collingwood, Cremorne, Fitzroy, Fitzroy North, Princes Hill, Richmond and parts of Alphington and Fairfield.
