Socialists banned from queer students’ conference
The 2015 Queer Collaborations conference, one of several student conferences organised by the National Union of Students over the mid-year break, should have been an opportunity for the 100 or so attendees to discuss the continued fight back against the homophobia and transphobia of the Abbott government.
With attacks on social services and health care pushing LGBTI people further into poverty, and the continued denial of marriage equality by the major political parties, there was much to discuss.
Unfortunately, the authoritarian and undemocratic conduct of conference organisers instead became the focus of the week-long event. Before the conference began, attendees were asked to sign an agreement that they would not disagree with the opinions of other participants, in effect prohibiting democratic debate of any kind.
During the week, organisers moved to ban people whose politics they did not approve of. Six left wing activists, most of them members of Socialist Alliance, were banned from the conference. One was also one banned from future conferences. Their “crime” involved objecting to highly secretive and bureaucratic rules that organisers unilaterally imposed on proceedings. In reality, the bans were concocted by people with a right wing political agenda, in an attempt to stifle debate and discussion.
Such authoritarian conduct is counterposed to building the inclusive, united movement we need to fight back against homophobia and transphobia. To be successful, our movement must involve as many people as possible who want to take a stand for equal rights. It must provide transparent spaces where strategy and tactics can openly and democratically be debated. It should not seek to censor or bureaucratically exclude people. This is the historical tradition of the student movement. We need to return to it.
