The gay and lesbian kingdom

We are not permitted to do so. Micronations - tiny countries declared by ordinary people - repeat and reproduce the act of establishment maintained by sovereign nations. The Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands (also known as the Gay Kingdom of the Coral Sea) was a putative micronation established as a symbolic political protest by a group of gay rights activists based in Australia.

Over ten years later, Liberal Senator Eric Abetz famously brought up the Gay and Lesbian Kingdom in a tongue-in-cheek exchange during a Senate Estimates hearing, during a homophobic crusade against a government department flying the rainbow flag.

Today, the Brisbane-based journalist covers everything from current affairs, politics and health to sport and entertainment. God Save our King! By Septemberthe Gay and Lesbian Kingdom declared war on Australia over its stance on marriage equality.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. That year was a tough one for queer people in Australia. We work, we have lives, we love and have relationships. Inover kilometres off the coast of Queensland, a new, all-gay nation was created: the Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands.

In protest, a group of Queensland queer activists seceded. Later that year, Australia held its excruciating and completely unnecessary postal survey on same-sex marriage. The Gay and Lesbian Kingdom formally dissolved on November 17, Fantastic effort by those to give us the opportunity to marry with the same opportunity as straight people.

Inover kilometres off the coast of Queensland, a new, all-gay nation was created: the Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands. The new gay micronation was born, completely independent of Australia and with marriage equality for all.

They flew to a tiny patch of sand and grass — Cato Island — in the Coral Sea islands off the Queensland coast. Jordan Hirst Jordan Hirst is an experienced journalist and content creator with a career spanning over a decade at QNews. Your email address will not be published.

About The Author. The Emperor should be knighted! Related Stories. The Howard government passed the amendment bill, explicitly banning same-sex marriage. In the world as it is now and for an indefinite period — we shall not be left in peace. Its national flag was a rainbow.

Its coat of arms was the pink triangle. In Maythe Howard government introduced an amendment bill to “protect the institution of marriage” by defining marriage “the union of a man and woman to the exclusion of all others”. The Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands, whilst a creative approach to tackling discrimination, also demonstrates a radical story of micronationalism.

That year was a tough one for queer people in Australia. Politicians finally inked marriage equality into law back on the mainland. The petty move followed Aussie same-sex couples trying to get their overseas marriages recognised here.