By Emma Siossian,Marina Trajkovich

Copyright abc

Paul was finalising preparations for an LGBTQI+ inclusivity event on the New South Wales Mid North Coast when he stumbled upon vandalism that stopped him in his tracks.

Paul is a community worker with Kempsey Families which runs the It’s OK on the Macleay festival and said posters advertising the event had been targeted.

“Unfortunately, in Kempsey all our posters were torn down and in the main street they actually had comments written on them,” he said.

“We took them down or put new ones over the top of them, but then they did it again; they were pretty determined.”

Paul, who the ABC has agreed to refer to by only his first name, said he reported the incident to local police.

“We were worried there would be some demonstration … so we did want the police to know about it,” he said.

NSW Police has been contacted for comment.

The Kempsey Shire Council has supported the event since it began and said in a statement it was “disappointed to hear the signage was vandalised” and remained “committed to fostering a welcoming, inclusive community for everyone”.

Celebrating diversity

The festival was started in honour of teenager Baylin Hoskin who died by suicide in 2016.

It aims to celebrate diversity in all forms and promote inclusion, while connecting the Macleay and Mid North Coast’s LGBTQI+ community with mental health supports.

“It’s just embracing diversity … it’s not just about LGBT, it’s disability and for people to be who they want to be,” Paul said.

“Bit by bit there’s more and more people coming, which is good.”

Paul, who described himself as “a proud gay man”, also works with young people in the region’s schools.

He said while the community was becoming more accepting, there was still a way to go, highlighted by the recent vandalism.

“Kids are still being bullied because they’ve come out as gay … I feel like it’s more accepted in the big city,” he said.

Two drag queens performed at the Kempsey event and said society was gradually become more inclusive.

Dunghutti drag queen Chocolate Boxx, who grew up in Kempsey and is now a full-time performer in Brisbane, said events like It’s OK on the Macleay played a crucial role.

“The world is catching up. We are all just people. Let love be love, it’s all good … let’s all calm down and have a party.”

Drag queen Cassie O, who grew up in South West Rocks and now lives in Port Macquarie, agreed locals were becoming more accepting.

“There’s a lot more awareness now, there’s a lot more programs, which is really helpful for the youth, because back in the day there wasn’t a lot of that,” she said.

Regional disparity

Charles Sturt University’s Clifford Lewis is based in Bathurst and involved in rainbow survey research, examining experiences of queer people in regional areas.

He said the latest rainbow survey results backed a need for more inclusive events, along with specialist health care for LGBTQI+ people outside major cities.

There were still major disparities between cities and regional areas, where LGBTQI+ people reported a greater sense of isolation and loneliness, he said.

“It’s a very different dynamic in regional and rural communities.

“LGBT people in the cities have a greater sense of hope about the future, of wellbeing. In regional communities, there’s a greater need to hide who they are.

“While rural communities are changing, I don’t for a moment want to detract from the effort that’s gone in … there is still that hangover of discrimination and prejudice.”