LGBT Community Absent In Oxford Street Revitalisation Plan – Star Observer

Dr Jan Filmer, Gender and Cultural Studies Lecturer at the University of Sydney, agrees, stating that this exclusion “potentially undermines sex shops, sex-on-premises venues, adult cinema/cruising spaces, saunas, and baths – those parts of Oxford Street’s queer culture that some think of as sleazy and that do not align with the palatable version of LGBTIQ identity, culture, and creativity this proposal embraces.”

Hendri Yulius Wijaya, author and writer, reiterated the importance of the LGBTQI+ identity of Oxford Street, stressing that it “is exemplary in its queerness. It is ‘queer’, because it’s such a gay-cultural complex, where you can find anything related to queer culture and also establish connections with others in the form of emotional, sexual, or even intellectual. It provides a safe zone for the LGBTQI+ community and preserves queer culture.”

The Oxford Street Cultural and Creative Precinct planning proposal is open for comment till November 5, 2021. The precinct goes from Hyde Park in Darlinghurst to Greens Road in Paddington.