This Just In: New Queer-Led Arts Venue, Formerly Known as 'Unholy Playground,' Is at Risk of Eviction After Religious Groups Protest
Sydney's newest LGBTQ+ performing arts venue could be evicted after Christian Australian groups say they've been insulted and mocked.
What was about to launch in June as Unholy Playhouse quickly underwent a last-minute name change to Divine Playhouse. Now, this briefly open arts and nightlife venue might be facing eviction by its landlord, after mounting pressure from Christian groups argued the venue "mocks religious faith."
Founded by Kat Dopper, the multidisciplinary arts practitioner behind local nights and pop-ups like Heaps Gay and Pleasures Playhouse, Divine Playhouse was conceived as a meeting ground for art, culture and community, with LGBTQ+-leaning hedonistic fun in mind.
Yet, according to Guardian Australia, the venue has been ordered to cease "engaging in offensive trade" after around 70 people protested its opening night. Located on Kent Street in Sydney CBD since 1858, the church was deconsecrated — meaning stripped of its religious blessing or sanction — in the 1930s and has since operated as a children's school and theatre space.
Although the abrupt name change was a surprise to some, the decision was made after Dopper held conversations with local Christian groups. At the time of the opening, she remarked: "While the project has received an overwhelmingly positive response, there has been a small number of people in the community who felt hurt by the use of the name 'Unholy'."
"I still stand by my decision to use that word as a reclamation for communities who may not have always felt included in traditional holy spaces, but I never wanted the name to become the story. I wanted the people, the art and the community to be the story and to create an inclusive, joyful space."
Now, all social media accounts linked to Divine Playhouse, alongside Dopper's, have been removed, while it remains uncertain whether postponed events will go ahead at all. Two religious groups that raised concerns — Prodigal Sons and Fit for the Kingdom — told Guardian Australia they felt that photos and videos from opening night mocked their religion, including "a performer dressed as a pig offering McDonald's french fries as holy communion."
With the venue's continued operation under threat, Sydney-based drag queen Fran Giapanni has launched a petition to keep Divine Playhouse open as a queer performing arts venue.
"If a lawful tenant can be driven out because a vocal minority objects to the LGBTQIA+ community and its creative expression, it sets a dangerous precedent. It sends the message that organised pressure campaigns can determine which communities are allowed to occupy public and cultural spaces," says the petition.
"While this has been framed as a matter of religious offence, no one has a right to veto a lawful arts venue simply because they find its creative expression objectionable."
Head to Guardian Australia for more information.
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