Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands
Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
| Anthem: "I am what I am" | |
 Map of the claimed 'Kingdom' | |
| Status | Defunct |
| Capital | Heaven, Cato Island |
| Government | Kingdom |
• Administrator | Dale Parker Anderson |
| Establishment | |
• Initative for founding | Brisbane Pride Festival 2003 |
• Establishment | 14 June 2014 |
• Defunct | 17 November 2017 |
| Population | |
• Estimate | 4 |
| Currency | Euro (proposed) (EUR) |
| Time zone | +10 |
The Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands (Sometimes shortened to Gay Kingdom) was a micronation established as a symbolic political protest by a group of gay rights activists based in southeast Queensland Australia.
History
On 14 June 2004, the group claimed the Coral Sea Island Territory and seceded from Australia and declared war on Australia after sailing to Cato Island, a small, teardrop shaped island in the Coral Sea Islands, in a boat called the Gayflower and raising the rainbow flag there. One of the group's members, Dale Parker Anderson (born 1965), was declared Emperor, as Dale I. The "secession" was staged in protest at a decision to ban same-sex marriage made by the Australian federal parliament.
Since 2005 the Australian group had reportedly been embroiled in internal disputes and secessions by various factions. These include two American-based groups, the Gay and Lesbian Commonwealth Kingdom, headed by Jaix Broox, the Unified Gay Tribe, led by Bill Freeman and Enrique Pérez, and the German based Gay Homeland Foundation led by Victor Zimmermann. Since none of these groups claims the territory of the Coral Sea Islands, their organisational nature is unclear.
The kingdom's claims were not recognised by any state, and as no permanent settlement had been established, the Coral Sea Islands remained uninhabited.
On the 17 February 2017, the Kingdom was dissolved in response to Australians voting in a referendum to legalise same sex marriage.
References
- "Mini-states Down Under are sure they can secede", by Nick Squires, The Daily Telegraph (UK), 24 February 2005.
- "If at first you don't secede...", by Mark Dapin, The Sydney Morning Herald - Good Weekend, 12 February 2005, pp 47–50
- The Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands - YouTube