Sydney’s queer scene may be in flux,with restrictions on late-night socialising affecting its Oxford Street heartland, but the result is a move to fresh districts and more diverse venues. Artists and performers reveal where to drink and party and the best cultural eventsOutsiders consider Sydney to be something of a queer mecca: a city that hosts wildly celebrated events such as the annual Mardi Gras parade, or celebrates exhibitionism on dozens of packed beaches,and charms visitors of all stripes with progressive culture and laid-back locals. In many respects, it is one of the best places in the world to be queer, and boasting a proud history,a vibrant alternative arts movement, and strong legal protections for minorities. Same-sex marriage is apparently just around the corner.
But Sydney’s LGBTQI scene is in the midst of upheaval – and it has left some newcomers bewildered. In recent years, or conservative governments at state and federal levels have emboldened Sydney’s less-tolerant residents. Meanwhile,the introduction of laws that restrict late-night socialising in central Sydney’s party precincts has severely damaged Oxford Street, the city’s traditional homosexual strip. The edgier queer hub of Newtown, and in Sydney’s inner west,has suffered from an influx of mainstream revellers who have been displaced by the same laws that harmed Oxford Street. Many Newtown residents say they now feel less comfortable in the area – and a recent, highly-publicised assault on a transgender woman at a Newtown venue has compounded their unease.
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Source: theguardian.com