In a recent article titled "The First Gay and Lesbian Country" I brought to your attention a rumor that I had heard. Subsequently I have learned that the rumor is in fact true! Wow! I know how you feel. The first actual Gay and Lesbian country. Well, I wouldn't start throwing the celebrations quite yet. Sorry to rain on everyone's parade, but the struggle has just begun.

I have recently had the privilege to have some personal e-mails with the new Emperor of the Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands, Dale R. When I heard about the rumors of the first queer country, I decided that more investigation was in order. Thanks to Dale, and his Prime Minister, I was able to get many of my questions answered, as well as some more resources to help further investigate the hope of this country coming to fruition.

There are still many hurdles to overcome before the country is accepted by the world as a real country, one deserving full recognition and all rights thereof. So far, here is the information I have been able to confirm via representatives of the Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands.

1. On the 14th of June 2004, 7 gay activists (5 guys and 2 girls) settled in Australia’s uninhabited overseas territory of the Coral Sea Islands and declared the territory an independent sovereign gay nation.

2. We [the gay activists, and subsequently, The Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands] are deadly serious in our declaration and we have tried hard to cover everything we can possibly think of, every politician in Australia including the Prime Minister as well as the Governor General were sent copies of the declaration of independence as well as being issued with the necessary paperwork that formally succeeds our territory from Australia and that outlines our reasons for doing so.

3. By declaring the gay nation a Kingdom, Australia has to obey certain laws and rules as it is also a Kingdom. It must follow the British Law of recognition of foreign governments and there is an ancient British law that states that a person can not be charged with treason if they are assisting a defacto prince from trying to claim his crown and goes further to say that any one hindering those people or the prince from attaining his crown can themselves be charged with treason. So hence the Coral Sea Islands became a Kingdom and the resident with the “most” royal blood became the defacto prince/emperor which unfortunately much to his embarrassment happened to be Dale because his grandmother is a direct descendant of the British & French Royal Family.

4. To date Australia has still not formally recognized the kingdoms independence but in saying that, they have not said that they don't recognize the gay kingdom either. The Australian government's official response is that the matter raised in the Gay Governments declaration of Independence of the Coral Sea Islands is one of international law and that the Governor General as Australia’s head of state is “looking into it.”

5. The Gay Parliament also has just passed a resolution calling on Australia to provide the Gay Government with documented evidence and proof that the Coral Sea Islands were ever officially claimed by the British/Australian Crown in the first place. Whilst Australia claims the 1 million square mile territory and its many reefs and Islands in writing (the Coral Sea Islands Act of 1969) as they were “acquired” by Australia from England, they do not ‘own them legally” as no British or Australian flag has ever been raised in the territory, nor has there ever been any recording of anyone formally claiming them on behalf of the British/Australian Crown. In fact historically the only flag to ever fly in the territory is the gay rainbow flag, so it is our belief the British had no legal right to gift them to Australia. The Islands also have remained uninhabited until the gay migration in 2004 and hence as the gay flag is the first official flag to be raised on the Islands and the gay proclamation of independence and succession on June 13th 2004 is the first recorded proclamation in the territory our claim is legal and binding.

This is all the information that I have been able to confirm since the last time I reported on this case. The ruler, Emperor Dale R., has informed me, as well has his Prime Minister, that they are preparing a submission to the International Court of Justice in the Hague to have a ruling on the validity of their claim of Independence and to force Australia to recognize it. This is history in the making, and can be compared to the birth of the American Nation.

This is a time in history when Gays and Lesbians are being made less and less of human beings and citizens, and to see someone taking steps to ensure equality is fresh and new. My thoughts go out to them during their struggle, and my best wishes to their success.

Jase ;0)

Jason P. Ruel
Editor, Gay Lesbian

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