How a Contiki love story blossomed into an inspirational Queer organisation: Discover Fusion Pride!

Charity and Peta met on a Contiki, became fast friends, fell in love, and got married – a true romance for the ages (and you can read all about their love story). But more than a beautiful couple, Charity and Peta are loud and proud activists for the LGBTQIA+ community in Sydney’s Northern Beaches area. Together, they founded Fusion Pride, a local organisation which, over the last three years, has changed and shaped the area’s Queer landscape and shed light on the amazing community that has always lived there.

Recently I got the chance to catch up with Charity and Peta again to discuss all things Fusion Pride and discover what exactly it is these brilliant women are doing, and find out how you can also make change in your local community.

Hi Charity & Peta! Can you tell me a little bit about what Fusion Pride is? 

“Fusion Pride is a group of volunteers here in the Northern Beaches area of Sydney with the goal of connecting the rainbow community. Fusion Pride is first and foremost about finding each other.”

“We organise social events for Queer folks of all ages! We had an amazing launch party supported by famous drag queens, local businesses and local council members – even the mayor – and that’s what really put us on the map; and since then we’ve hosted other events.” 

“Fusion Pride also offers visibility and advocacy for the local LGBTQIA+ community, as well as support and resources for individuals in the area. We work with local businesses as well as services which host ‘rainbow nights’ ranging from arts and crafts workshops to free drop-in counselling sessions.”

How did it start?

“Fusion Pride kind of came around by accident, actually. It was back in 2022, we had our business here in Freshwater – Freshwater Nutrition – and we wanted to get involved in the Mardi Gras season [Australia’s main Pride festivities]. We reached out to our local council to ask what they were planning to do for Mardi Gras, and they replied telling us that unfortunately they didn’t have anything planned.”

“Through the email chain, our local Council Place Coordinator, Deb Richardson Bull, shared that there was an event happening called Rainbow Beaches, run by the amazing Emily Buckle from Dee Why Surf Lifesaving Club, and so we got in touch with her to see how we could be involved. We attended the Rainbow Beaches event, which is an all-ages event where everyone can come and wear their colours to show the beach is for everyone, and after that, we remained in touch with Deb and Emily and set up a meeting for the following month.”

“Basically, we felt that the Northern Beaches didn’t have enough Queer representation or support and we needed to do something. We just thought “Someone has to do it, we have to take action” and so we did. We wanted to find Queer leaders in our community, collaborate with Queer businesses, find resources, and really bring out the community in the area.”

During our second meeting, Emily introduced us to the incredible Sean Moran, who had been working on an action plan for LGBTQIA+ advocacy, and Fusion Pride was born. Together, we developed the concept for our first event to kick off Sydney World Pride, known as Pride Picnic: an accessible, inclusive, free, family-friendly event to connect and celebrate our beautiful local rainbow community.” 

Are these events hosted only during the Pride season?

“No! We’ve been fortunate enough to work with a lot of local businesses who have enthusiastically put on events and/or hosted weekly activities or monthly events for the Queer community that we haven’t necessarily had to put all the legwork into; which allows them to be run throughout the year.”

“The main annual event that we host is the Fusion Pride Picnic that kicks off the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras celebrations in true Northern Beaches style. We’ve also been fortunate enough to participate in the Mardi Gras parade on Oxford St. in Sydney! Other events that we host are local pub quiz nights, we’ve hosted speed dating for singles to mingle, and some incredible drag performances.”

“Not all of our events are big or complex. Sometimes it’s just as simple as gathering within the community like  going for a walk and getting coffee.”

And you work closely with local businesses?

“Absolutely! We’ve had businesses reach out to us saying that they’d like to organise something and asking for help and guidance. Sometimes it’s just about connecting and discussing inclusive language or gathering an idea of what the community is looking for and how they can provide, and other times it is organising in person events, etc.”

“It’s really great to see that these businesses are genuine. They don’t want to ‘rainbow wash’ anything, they really want to create space for the Queer community and do it with actual purpose. Fusion Pride is sort of the overarching rainbow group in the Northern Beaches area and the support and collaboration of many Queer-owned and allied businesses makes everything possible.”

“A great example is our annual ‘Stroll and Roll’ we organise, which is a local beachside pride march. Folks of all ages gather together in all our rainbow gear for the walk – which is accessible for people with dogs, prams or for those with wheelchairs – and we head out for our oceanside stroll and roll in true local fashion. Last year there was a little bit of rain, creating rainbows, and even whales breaching the surface. We start and end the march at the Collaroy  Tennis Club where we have a free sausage sizzle provided by our local Bunnings (an iconic Australian hardware store chain) as well as free face painting for any kids and tennis courts reserved for us. It’s an event that has something for everyone, allowing all to get involved and feel comfortable in a space that is welcoming, safe and a homebase of sorts for many of our events.”

Why was it important to you both that you start Fusion Pride? Especially in the Northern Beaches area?

“The Northern Beaches area is where I [Peta] grew up, and at the time it was always quite a ‘classically conservative area’. Growing up you’d never see any same sex couples walking down the streets holding hands, you know? Even when Charity and I moved back here in 2019, we’d walk down the street holding hands and nothing would necessarily happen, but we definitely got a few interesting looks.”

“So, I guess Fusion Pride was especially important in the Northern Beaches because I knew there were other Queer folk like us, and we all just needed to find our place. For the people that moved to the area, like Charity, it was important to find authentic connection, and for those born and raised here like me, it was important that the Northern Beaches feels like a home where you can be accepted for who you are.”

“I’m very proud to be from here, but it was disheartening to not have a visible community around. But, by just being our authentic selves, not hiding or shying away from our relationship, I think we’ve managed to kind of break those walls down just by being visible and out there for other Queer folks and couples to feel comfortable too. We’ve had people come up to us at events, locals, who say “I never knew or felt like I would be accepted here”, but now they have the courage and community to proudly show up as their authentic selves. It’s truly beautiful.”

How do you think Fusion Pride has affected your local LGBTQIA+ community and beyond?

“The biggest thing that stands out to me [Charity] is just people being able to be themselves, be visible, be proud, come out to their community, to their families and know that there’s people behind them or to help guide them. The most important thing is the people aspect. Queer youth and youth in general, the Northern Beaches has extremely high mental health and suicidal ideation and suicide rates. And I would hope that the work that we’re doing is going to help these kids be able to see a future, if they want to be in the Northern beaches, without needing to hide or change who they are or feel they need to leave.”

“Our Northern Beaches Council have also really stepped up and taken action. You know, they have resources on their website now, links to all local Queer events, etc. And it’s been great to see these leaders of the Northern Beaches show up for us.”

“The council put on a Drag Story Hour at the local library with the captivating Drag Queen Charisma Belle, and unfortunately, the event got a lot of hate and some people, who were not even from our area turned up to protest it. This even escalated to a bomb threat at the library.  Thankfully security took action to shield and escort Charisma and the families attending the event, alongside a number of local Queer and allied individuals, who showed up to help – unasked. They brought umbrellas to block hateful signs and drowned out the negative noise from the protesters and ensured the families and Charisma entered and left safely, and these counter protesters were there by choice to do that. To help. To not tolerate that kind of hate in our area.”

“We’ve had Charisma Belle host a number of events with us since then and asked her why she’s said yes and agreed to coming back to the Northern Beaches after that, and her answer was: ‘Well, that’s the whole point right? If I didn’t come back, those people and hate would win.’”

“With Fusion Pride, I think we’ve managed to create safety, well-being and a kind of peace and joy for the rainbow community – and it’s what we hope continues.”

Fusion Pride has put on many events over the years, but is there one that you hold particularly close to your heart?

Peta:

“One that comes to mind is our launch party at the start of 2023. It was a ticketed event at local brewery, Freshwater Brewing Co, hosted by the hilarious comedian Mitchell Coombs with a stunning performance by RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under Season 2 runner-up, Hannah Conda. The event was sold out, which is crazy, and we had council members attend and even Olympic athlete Sharni Smale.”

“It was incredible, and Sharni was sitting there telling Charity about how we inspired her to wear rainbow head gear on the pitch and we were just like “Are you joking? You inspired us!”. Hannah Conda was performing an Aussie classic, Absolutely Everybody by Vanessa Amorosi, and everyone in the room was clapping and singing. Charity and I looked around the room and she said to me ‘What have we started?’ with this wry grin. I think that’s one of my favourites just because of the scale of the event and the success. There was just a lot of happiness and love and acceptance in the room.”

Charity

“For me, one of my favourite stories is a time we were hosting a beach cleanup with our business Freshwater Nutrition and invited Fusion Pride people to join along. One of the participants that joined us was a woman named Kerry in her 80s. She grew up on the Northern Beaches, she’s lived here her whole life, and she’s married to a woman; and she just kept repeating “Never in my life did I think there would be a Queer group and Queer events on the Northern Beaches.””

“Everytime we meet up for an event, she says the same thing and it’s just so nice to know we’ve been able to make such an impact. ”

What is Sydney Mardi Gras? Have you ever participated in it before?

“Mardi Gras is a protest turned celebration that was started in the 70s when San Francisco went to its sister cities – Sydney included – and demanded global advocacy to fight against police brutality, hate crimes and oppression, not just for the LGBTQIA+ community, but also for women and Indigenous folks.”

“And so, people took to the streets wearing masks because it was unsafe to be out and open as gay, so that’s where the name Mardi Gras came from: people hiding their identities without hiding their Pride. This first Mardi Gras was part celebration in addition to protest but it turned horrific shortly after it began with lots of police violence, arrests, beatings and people being ‘named and shamed’, outed and fired from jobs.” 

“Since then, each and every year, Sydney hosts Mardi Gras, a protest at its core, but also a celebration for the Queer community with an iconic parade, a calendar of social events and powerful messages celebrating diversity, justice and progress with love at its core. We have a Pride month in June as well, but Mardi Gras is the biggest and main event for Sydney-siders, running for 2 weeks from mid-February to early March.”

“Not everyone or all groups get to march, with limits on how many floats they can have and a lengthy application process, but our Fusion Pride Northern Beaches group was accepted two  years in a row and we’ve been lucky enough to march united, showing the world that the Northern Beaches is home to diverse people and welcomes all.” 

“My [Charity] favourite moment was just holding Peta’s hand and looking around, waving to the crowd soaking up the atmosphere. You feel like a celebrity and it’s amazing – all these people coming from all over the world, screaming and cheering, and showing up for the Queer community. Seeing Peta by my side, knowing she grew up here and has this support and space to fully blossom into the beautiful, loving person she is, and to watch her march down there –  I felt so proud.” 

What are your hopes for the future of Fusion Pride?

“We want to welcome more leaders in the Queer space into our founders community to be able to share ideas, stories and experiences that can continue nurturing our community. Since it’s volunteer work that we do, it can stretch us very thin – but it’s such important work that it needs to keep going and we need people surrounding us for that.”

“We’d like to have more events as well that touch on broader aspects. Maybe we have a gallery night for Queer artists, or we work with local counsellors and psychologists in the Queer space. In the next few months we want to create sub-committees as well, so we can keep generating ideas and activations and just growing Fusion Pride’s efforts and reach.”