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 “Thank you Mum and Dad for making me just the way gay I am”.
These words, by Olympic gold medallist Matthew Mitcham, is just one of the many messages included in This Is Oz, a daring new online project that aims to promote social inclusion and equality for Australia’s GLBT community.
Since its launch in May, the project has attracted hundreds of people and images to its cause. And plenty more are in the pipeline.
For Adelaide-born dancer Rhys Bobridge, taking part in This Is Oz was an instant decision.
“Obviously this is a cause close to my heart,” he recently told GayNT. “Homophobia is something that has affected my life. If this campaign can make people rethink their outlook on some of these issues that would be a very positive result.”
 Rhys chose the message ‘Do your Dance for Diversity’ very carefully. “The human race is amazingly diverse. The world of dance is a good example of that. Through dance you can experience many different cultures without leaving your own backyard. I guess my message is: don’t just accept diversity, embrace it!”
Bobridge is among the hundreds of people who are now part of the social inclusion project, This Is Oz. Launched just over a month ago, the online campaign celebrates diversity, challenges homophobia and promotes social inclusion. It now boasts over 300 images, over 7,000 hits, and participants from all over Australia, and as far afield as North America, Europe, South America and Asia. But the numbers don’t stop there. Like a ripple in the ocean, the figures are steadily climbing.
“The response has been terrific,” said Stevie Clayton, CEO of ACON, the organisation spearheading the project. “We’ve had lots of high-profile people get on board and we really appreciate their support.” They include political and entertainment luminaries such as Senator Bob Brown, Justice Michael Kirby, Home and Away’s Jessica Tovey, SBS news presenter Anton Enus, MTV VJ Ruby Rose and broadcaster Julie McCrossin.
 But it’s not just leading lights and heavyweights, Clayton says, with This Is Oz attracting submissions from people from all walks of life. “The most inspirational part for me has been the submissions we've been receiving from all kinds of everyday people – mothers and fathers, students and teachers, individuals and groups – and all with really heartfelt and moving messages. That’s what we hoped This Is Oz was always going to be – an extraordinary reflection of ordinary people who want to make Australia a place where everyone belongs.”
The campaign was inspired by a US GLBT rights blog, Faces of Us. That project, which began in January this year, was established in response to another pressing equal rights issue: Proposition 8. “I realised how frustrated I was with the discussion on LGBT equality in the United States,” Faces of Us creator, Brendon Davies, tells GayNT. “It seemed like everybody was talking about certain parts of the US but a huge portion was being left out. I wanted to create a project that allowed people in every corner of the US to express their desire for equality to their legislators, friends, family, and neighbours.”
Davies says campaigns like Faces of Us and This is Oz are successful because they give individuals the ability to express their opinions in a creative way and put a human face on the problem. “Nothing is more effective than actually seeing the faces and names that go along with these issues.”
Clayton agrees, “As a form of political protest, it's much easier than marching in the street, will last longer and can be styled to produce a very specific look.”
 So what is that look? That’s totally up to you. Anyone can upload images. Anyone can share their message. This Is Oz is open to everyone.
“At one level, we hope the campaign will help change the homophobic attitudes that are still prevalent in so many parts and hearts of Australia,” Clayton says. “At another level, we hope to use This Is Oz as a resource to help improve services and opportunities for GLBT Australians by lobbying all levels of government for fairer laws, policies and procedures.”
Such is the strength of the campaign that there are now talks of broadening the concept to include other minority groups such as people with disabilities and Indigenous peoples, Clayton says. “This was also one of our aims when we started developing This Is Oz – to create a place where everyone belongs, not only on land, but also online.”
So what’s your message?
To get involved and upload your own message, go to www.thisisoz.com.au
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