Sex Party Names Candidate for Bradfield By-Election

The Australian Sex Party will nominate a human rights advocate who is also a burlesque dancer and trapeze artist, for the Bradfield by-election on December 5th. At 26 years old, Zahra Stardust (aka Marianna Leishman) is a strong, generation Y woman who believes in changing the world from upside down and using the stage as a space to talk about social injustice. She is a feminist writer and law graduate who also works as a trapeze artist, burlesque performer, showgirl, fire twirler and pole dance instructor.

“In an area that claims 50 years of conservative representation from white, heterosexual, able-bodied, suited, male protagonists, the Australian Sex Party is excited to provide a modern outward looking female candidate with social justice credentials to restore a historical imbalance in the electorate’s policy focus”, she said. “We look forward to hearing from and consulting with the youth and women of Bradfield about issues affecting their rights, priorities and desires and providing a more nuanced representation of the beautifully diverse electorate of Bradfield.”

Ms Stardust was concerned that for women in Bradfield seeking termination of their pregnancy, abortion remained illegal and that children in many of the schools in the area received inadequate sex education. She was disturbed that Bradfield residents would have their internet access filtered and that many people in the electorate were discriminated against because of the nature of their work, with no legal recourse under anti-discrimination law. With the electorate being a hub of religious activity she believed that an examination of child sex abuse in religious institutions was an important child protection initiative that should commence in Bradfield. She also believed that the large gay and lesbian population in the electorate was still being denied basic rights and that she would passionately advocate in the federal parliament to have gay marriage legalized.

With bachelor degrees in Law (Honours) and Arts (History) and an ongoing Masters in Gender and Cultural Studies, Zahra Stardust has had extensive experience working and volunteering in areas of gender-based harm, discrimination, refugees, and indigenous affairs. She hopes to seek resonance with people in the Bradfield electorate who care about social justice issues and human rights injustices, in areas of health, education, censorship, workplace relations and child protection.

Ms Stardust was a finalist in Miss Pole Dance Australia 2008, Most Unique Entertainer at Miss Nude NSW 2009 and has taught and performed in Amsterdam and Tokyo. She is also a proud member of the Gay/Lesbian/Bi-sexual/ TIQ community. She has worked and interned with the United Nations Population Fund in Eritrea on sexual and reproductive health programs; with UNIFEM Australia on gender, development and discrimination; and with the Kimberley Land Council in the area of Native Title. She has worked at Wirringa Baiya Aboriginal Women’s Legal Centre with victims of sexual assault and domestic violence and campaigned with Amnesty International, Mahboba’s Promise and Oxfam Australia.

Photos of Ms Stardust are available on the Sex Party website along with the party’s policies.