This year, I moved to the central hub of the Maranoa.

Roma (population ≈7,150) is very different to Brisbane (population ≈2.78million). It hosts a small airport, train station and the intersection of the A55, A7 and A2 highways. It is home to The Big Bottle Tree, The Big Rig, and the largest cattle sale yards in the Southern Hemisphere. Professionals work at the major hospital, the largest state school in the region, and a large Catholic school. There are major mining, oil and gas operations nearby. There are also two chain grocery stores in town.

The local social media pages are typical of the Outback. They have a heavy Christian influence with occasional racist, homophobic and transphobic posts, and replies that go unchecked. There are also lots of attempts at community building.

When we moved here, we knew no one.

Desperate to connect with the LGBTQIA+ community, I have joined the only relevant social media page, even though it isn’t active. I have occasionally had my gaydar ping, but upon checking “Are you part of the rainbow community?” I have had unsatisfactory responses. Two people have asked me what the 'Rambo Community' is, two have said yes, but were just passing through, one told me they had never heard of the 'rainbow community'.

Despite rumours of a solid rainbow presence, it was not evident online or in person.

In February, our plans to travel to Sydney for Mardi Gras were thwarted by a quote for $4,200 for flights. I refused to accept watching the live broadcast of Mardi Gras in my living room as a consolation prize. I decided to watch it with others, but I didn’t know anyone else. I floated a ‘watch party’ community event with the staff of the Roma Library, and recognising the value, they agreed.

I made flyers and stated my intentions clearly: 'All friends of Gays and Lesbians are invited to watch the 48th Sydney Gay And Lesbian Mardi Gras from Roma! We’re hosting a family-friendly, free watch party. . . Bring friends. Bring family. Don’t bring a bigot.'

I distributed flyers to local shops and community spaces and overwhelmingly the responses were positive. I started to feel good, and someone laughed that I should ask the local political representatives for support, so I did. Their office staff were supportive, but ultimately, the local MPs were not. I posted my flyer anonymously on local social media and turned off commenting. The post received only 'like' and 'love' reactions, to which a neighbour sniggered “I can’t believe 43 people supported that post”.

Then the media made contact.

The watch party was sensationally labelled 'Maranoa’s First Mardi Gras Event!' but behind the paywall, the article reflected my intentions: having an opportunity for our region to come and celebrate another cultural event in our community, not dissimilar to how everyone is invited to celebrate Lunar New Year or Christmas.

The article received a lot of really awful commentary, but the publisher removed the worst of them. The article was republished in another outlet a week later, and the commentary was mostly positive.

Then, the local Council succumbed to pressure I was unaware of and advised that the event could not proceed, “as we have no after-hours policy”. I had attended a trivia night at the library four days earlier, and know various other after-hours events happen regularly, but apparently this particular event would be problematic.

With support from a sympathetic librarian, I was still able to host the event behind the library in a community space.

32 people attended.

The Brisbane Pride Rally and March had about 6,000 attendees last year, representing 0.2 per cent of the estimated population of Greater Brisbane. My event attendance vs population ratio was 0.4 per cent – double the ratio of attendance at Brisbane's largest Pride event!

I was thrilled.

Attendees were between 18months and 73 years old. Children were able to engage in any of the six formal activity stations and four floor activities, but as the night progressed, balloon decorations were also incorporated into spontaneous games with new friends.

One teen made it to the event in spite of limited promotion (thanks to the social media ban) and lack of parental support that most teens rely on to attend events in town. The teen entered the space shaking. They confessed that they were terrified to be there. They were among a cattle farmer from out of town who had driven more than 70kms to be there, a young heterosexual couple with their toddler who value diversity as a beautiful thing, same-sex couples with children distributing food and smiles, home schooling parents with their kids, First Nations families and individuals learning about brotherboys and sistergirls, trans people wearing their pride colours, business owners, government employees, artists – everyday people from the Maranoa.

At one point I asked attendees, "Can you raise your hand if this is your first time watching the Mardi Gras?" About half the people raised their hand. Later, I learned that there might be an opportunity to enter a Pride-themed float into the parade for Easter In The Country, the Maranoa's largest event. I asked attendees to talk to me if they might be interested in making a float happen, in making a public show of solidarity in the Queensland Outback. Almost everyone was keen.

The teen that was nervous to be there, ended up leaving early. They became too overwhelmed by the positive affirmations the Mardi Gras watch party represented. They confessed that they didn't know that there was so much support in town. They expressed that, "This is the first time I can imagine being able to continue living in Roma, to grow up here".

Maranoa may have voted against Marriage Equality nearly a decade ago, but the people that live here now are everyday people with parents, neighbours, friends and family members that are part of the LGBTQIA+ community. The appetite for community building is clear. All levels of government need to ensure they remain in touch with their constituency before they continue assuming that their dated and divisive views hold relevance.

If you are lucky enough to have access to free and affirming resources in the street, like FROOTY, I invite you to be visible at LGBTQIA+ and generalist events in your city and beyond. Your attendance at events, even very small events in small towns, can have the largest positive impact. We’re here, we’re queer, we must not disappear!

The Easter In The Country parade is free and will run on Saturday 4 April in Roma, Queensland. Free Mum Hugs Australia will be bringing their Mardi Gras inflatable for a float, in addition to the Friends Of The Rainbow Community float proposed above. To join either float, meet them at 7:30am on Spencer Street.

Opinion from Kristiana Darling