let us speak for ourselves: on police, pills and young people 

By Aiv Puglielli, Victorian MLC for North Eastern Metro 

Why is it that the voices of those directly impacted are most often excluded, particularly when it comes to groups that experience stigma?

Be it on pill-testing, police at rainbow events, or the broader experiences of young people - we’re left out in the cold.

Reflecting on the recent aggression between police and protestors at the Midsumma Pride March, I can’t help but feel sadness.

Just about every report and major news outlet has published comments from Police Commissioner Shane Patton, rather than the festival organisers or the LGBTQIA+ community more broadly. Do we not have something to contribute?

According to Midsumma, investigation is underway into escalation of behaviour on “both sides”. The videos I’ve seen circulating of police’s violent interaction with protestors (who have largely identified themselves as part of the LGBTQIA+ community) are deeply distressing. The reality is, many queer people who want a safe space to celebrate have been made to feel unsafe by police. 

Having marched and participated in this year’s festival, I think there is a broader conversation to be had here about how we can respect the history of the Pride movement, including police’s interactions with that movement. Let’s not forget that Pride started as a protest, inspired by the Stonewall riots. In my view, the police are not fulfilling their obligations to repair this broken relationship. We can’t prevent further violence and escalation until queer voices are included in the conversation.

This applies equally to a whole range of important issues.

Later that evening, partying with festival goers at the nearby bowls club, I was reminded of another issue in which the views of those directly impacted have been sidelined– the circulation of untested illicit drugs, and the need for pill testing in our state.

Politicians and conservative voices have, for years, dismissed the reality that young people have always and will continue to take drugs. They insist that messaging “Just Say No” should be the foremost strategy for drug harm reduction in our state. Despite successive premiers urging people not to, I have regularly observed illicit drug use at gatherings like the Midsumma Festival. How strange!

Perhaps if the voices of those in the community who are using the substances were actually consulted, we’d see policy change much sooner? Maybe those are the voices that the new Labor Premier should be hearing.

During these first 12 months in parliament, I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard the politicians say they’re “seeking further advice” on a controversial issue. The words carry a bittersweet quality. They suggest the possibility of change but defer any real, immediate action. Implicit is the fact that those who are directly impacted are being ignored. Their advice is already freely available.

How many young people have been consulted about pills circulating at festivals? I’ve spoken to them, and they resoundingly support pill testing.

How many young people are consulted about lowering the voting age in Victoria? They want their voices heard and included in our democratic process.

What do my LGBTQIA+ peers think about the presence of police in uniform at Pride March? I’ve spoken with many. The answer is more nuanced than the one provided by the Police Commissioner that has been blasted across the media. Many would prefer to see less uniform visibility of cops at Pride, even those who themselves are part of our rainbow community.

Queer people are used to being kept out of the conversation. We literally had our right to marry the person we love decided by the broader public via plebiscite - we’re used to our rights being on trial. This should not be the norm.

If you’re trans, if you’re queer-identifying - chances are you’ve had some pretty shocking interactions with police. Those that came before us in the LGBTQIA+ community understand too well what took place during the early years of the Pride movement, and the brutality our community was subjected to at the hands of cops.

There are still cases of police covering up the homicide of queer people in this country, and yet the police commissioner fronts the media during Pride to tell us about the ‘spirit of the event’ and what the day ‘should be’.

Let us speak for ourselves.