Sydney Makes History By Electing A Record Four LGBT Councillors
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The City of Sydney will be represented by a record number of LGBT councillors this term.
At Thursday’s City of Sydney Council meeting, new councillors were sworn in, including Adam Worling, Zann Maxwell, Mitch Wilson, and Matthew Thompson – all members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
The four new City of Sydney LGBT Councillors
Deputy Lord Mayor Zann Maxwell
Speaking about this record Queer representation, recently elected Deputy Lord Mayor Zann Maxwell joked, in an interview with Star Observer, “We should aim for a Rainbow majority next time, including the Lord Mayor!”
He continued, “But seriously, the City of Sydney is a special place for LGBTQ communities to feel safe and thrive. There’s lots of scope for us to work together to protect and nurture that. I’ll be coming to those conversations with my prime concern that the affordability crisis is suffocating a thriving queer culture.”
Maxwell identifies as a gay man (he/him). His first political job was as an electorate officer for then Opposition Leader Bill Shorten. Maxwell was also elected Deputy Lord Mayor at the Thursday council meeting, after being nominated by Lord Mayor Clover Moore. This is his first term as councillor.
Matthew Thompson “excited to be part of one of the youngest, and queerest, councils in the history of the City of Sydney’
Greens Councillor Matthew Thompson identifies as a Queer man (he/him). He is an activist and community service worker. He is also studying environmental science at UTS. This is his first term as councillor.
In an interview with Star Observer, Thompson said, “It’s deeply humbling to be the latest in a growing line of activists who have been elected as a Greens Councillor. I’m excited to get to work.”
Explaining why he ran for Council, Thompson said, “I want to push the City of Sydney to use the immense wealth and resources it has at its disposal to tackle the housing and cost-of-crises. Everyone deserves to have what they need to have a good life, and Council should be playing a bigger role to deliver that.”
He continued, “I’m really excited to be part of one of the youngest, and queerest, councils in the history of the City of Sydney. The average age of a Councillor in NSW is someone in their 60s, so I think this Council is breaking records in lots of ways!
“As the youngest Councillor elected in the City of Sydney this term I think there’s lot of incredible work we can do together to advance the rights, health and safety of queer people in our community.”
Mitch Wilson is the first trans, non-binary person elected to the City of Sydney
Labor Councillor Mitch Wilson identifies as trans and non-binary (they/them). Wilson is also the managing director of the Australian Festival Association. This is their first term as councillor.
“As a newly elected councillor, I want to commit to stand and to fight alongside our First Nations community for reconciliation and to ensure we as a council do all we can to progress First Nations justice,” they said during their swearing-in.
“I stand before you as the first trans, non-binary person elected to the City of Sydney,” Wilson continued.
“I want to thank the people of Sydney for this honour, but also for not making my gender an issue during the campaign. I think it shows our community’s inclusivity, and also that discrimination just won’t be tolerated here.
“Being trans is only one part of my identity, but I did want to acknowledge it, and I would like to hope that being elected to this council will show young trans kids that they can realise their own dreams and do it too.”
Pointing to their work at the Australian Festival Association, Wilson said, “I’m really excited for the city to deliver new special entertainment precincts, working in partnership with our state Labor government, and to also support more all-ages shows and make it easier to put live events on.”
‘Queer visibility is of utmost importance to me’ says Adam Worling
Clover Moore Independent Councillor Adam Worling identifies as a gay man (he/him). His background is in communications and public relations and he is also the director of a public relations consultancy. This is his second term as councillor.
Speaking to Star Observer/CityHub, Worling expressed his gratitude to the community for his reelection.
He said, “I ran in the 2021 local elections and missed out, but in some strange twist of fate, I was then elected by a countback halfway through the last term after the formidable Jess Scully resigned.
“To be re-elected in 2024 by the community is a great honour. I am thrilled that they believe and trust in my commitment to the job.”
Talking about the historic Queer representation of four LGBT Councillors in Sydney, he said, “Having four queer Councillors is amazing and I hope that collectively we can champion the revitalisation of the Oxford Street precinct.”
“Queer visibility is of utmost importance to me,” he explained.
“Last term I asked the City to investigate upgrading our rainbow crossing and path to a more inclusive design, the Progressive Pride flag. I always think about the 15-year-olds leaving a country town because of their sexuality and what they’d want to see arriving in Sydney. How can we make each and everyone feel welcome and seen? In what other ways can we say, ‘This is where you belong. You are safe, supported and seen’.”
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