Negotiating the In-Between

LGBTIQ Participation in Broad-based Organising -A Case Study from the NSW Community Alliance

Abstract

This article explores the perspectives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and/or queer (LGBTIQ) people participating within broad-based organisations “in the mix” with leaders from socially conservative religious and cultural organisations who may fundamentally disagree with or disregard their identity or expression. Their experiences, and my own, not only show that common cause across such diversity is possible, but also useful in practicing pluralism. In order to contribute to the greater good through this form of organising, LGBTIQ people can draw on the practices and teaching of the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF). This article examines some opposition from within the LGBTIQ community towards broad-based organising and how the IAF approach might respond. I draw on scholarship, qualitative interviews with ten diverse LGBTIQ leaders who participated in broad based organisations in Sydney and Newcastle in Australia between 2015-2023, and my own experience as the lead organiser of the Sydney Alliance (the Alliance) during the same period; a period which included a national plebiscite and the passage of legislation for marriage equality. I conclude briefly with practical suggestions for practitioners hoping to build diverse broad-based organisations that include LGBTIQ leaders.