There’s A Giant Gay Surprise Unicorn In Sydney’s Victoria Park Right Now

How was your day? What’d you do? Go back to uni, put in a shift at work, watch the Oscars, stuff like that? Can I just ask quickly: how many three-metre high rainbow-coloured unicorns made out of milk crates did you save from destruction? None?

Oh well, I guess your day wasn’t quite as good as mine, then.

The unicorn, which was either left by Mardi Gras revellers or simply dropped from Heaven, was spotted on the University of Sydney pedestrian footbridge over City Road at around 2pm today. Campus security was quickly called, and for a few horrifying moments it seemed as though the majestic beast was destined for the scrapheap.

Until a ragtag bunch of intrepid Sydney Uni students with a pocket full o’dreams banded together and — after being informed that security would quietly look the other way if the unicorn made its way off-campus — carried it bodily from the bridge to nearby Victoria Park, which is owned by the City of Sydney.

The unicorn’s imminent demise averted for the moment, the students then whipped up a furious campaign to either have it installed as a public art piece, find it a home in some philanthropist’s care, or otherwise preserve it for future generations. Calls were made to the offices of Lord Mayor Clover Moore, independent state Sydney MP Alex Greenwich, NSW Upper House Greens member Mehreen Faruqi, and the City of Sydney parks department.

Queer institutions like ‘DIY Rainbow’ founder and serial chalker James Brechney and national LGBTI newspaper the Star Observer jumped on board (disclosure: I am a former editor of the Star), a Change.org petition was started, and every queer and queer-friendly celebrity from Macklemore to Cher was lobbied for their support.

EMERGENCY: We have a 3 meter milk crate Rainbow Unicorn in need of a home currently in Sydney’s Victoria Park. Photos to follow. #auspol

— DIY Rainbow (@DIYrainbows) March 3, 2014

After three gruelling hours working the phones, salvation was at hand. A humble citizen named Charlotte offered to take our horsey friend under her wing for a friend of her own, who runs a pretty amazing-sounding gay club night called UNICORNS. Facilitated by Brechney, contact was established and arrangements to move the unicorn to a house across the road were made. At the time of writing, however, she still stands in Victoria Park; silent, watchful, exuding a wordless grace.

We may never know her origins; indeed, perhaps it is better that we never do. All we do know is that instead of being consigned to a rubbish dump, she has a long future of being grinded on by drunk men in little clothing, and a few humble students go to sleep tonight knowing that they were a part of something larger than themselves.

The world is a wonderful place.

–

Alex McKinnon is a Sydney-based writer and journalist, and former editor of The Star Observer.