Olympic Showtime

Despite scattered protests, Australia's Sydney Olympics organizers have refused to back down from their plan to use drag queens in the Games' closing ceremony. The cross-dressers, perhaps accompanied by "Muscle Marys", will appear on a float commemorating Australian cinema, in this case the 1995 movie The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, which features a band of transvestites trekking through the Australian Outback. Local newspapers are supporting the plan, noting that cross-dressing is “a part of the nation's art culture.” Closing ceremony director Ric Birch dismissed the anti-gay protests, noting “This element of the show is only a tiny part of a huge celebration. [As] for the right wing reactionaries, ...they're always going to be outraged.” Other floats in the closing ceremony parade will commemorate other Australian movies, such as Crocodile Dundee and Mad Max. (Reuters) ...Which will surely trigger protests by animal rights and anti-violence advocates.