Brianna Pike, Melbourne
Fourteen RMIT students marched into the main cafeteria of the university's city campus on September 21 to hold a "kiss-off" against homophobia, as part of the RMIT queer collective's Week of Sexuality.
Marti Fooks, organiser of the "kiss-off" and RMIT queer officer, told the captivated audience of 100 students who were eating lunch: "Homophobia, heterosexism and discrimination exist at RMIT. Dish licker, poofter, faggot, rectum ranger, muff diver, lesso, lemon — we've heard it before and we're fucking over it.
"We are here today to be seen, because for too long we have not had a visible on presence on campus. I want queers and everyone from all walks of life to feel like they can fuck whoever they want."
The 14 queer students then proceeded to kiss in the centre of the cafeteria. After this, they marched from the cafeteria to Bowen Street, as part of an RMIT Student Union-organised "full-funding fiesta" to demand full funding from the university for the student union in 2007.
Stopping the band and addressing the crowd of 200 people at the fiesta, Fooks said: "I'm sorry to interrupt but sometimes you just have to to get your point across. We just had a kiss-off in the caff. Over the last two years I have only ever seen one queer couple kissing in there. This is the RMIT queer collective. We are sick of being silenced.
"This university is trying to silence all students, not just queers. RMIT is currently tendering to fund research for the defence department — an initiative called the Joint Strike Fighter. This university wants to make us research how to kill people more effectively ...
"I am a queer rioter against any damn jet fighter and I would rather fuck who I want than kill who I am told to. The fight against homophobia and war is everyone's fight. Get involved in your student union."
The RMIT queer collective meets Tuesdays at 1pm in the "queer space", building 12, level 4, city campus.