Carmen's longtime Sydney neighbour and former legal guardian Kelly Glanney weighs in on the importance of Carmen's legacy, as an official Trust is being set up to preserve it. Amidst the glitz and glamor of Carmen's many life achievements - as entertainer, media darling, charity queen and cultural icon - it's easily forgotten how much courage it must have taken for a quiet Maori boy from rural Taumarunui to venture across the Tasman to Sydney in the late 50s - let alone to come aspiring to fame and fortune as a drag artist and female impersonator Not only did Carmen face the same pervasive ignorance and homophobia which sadly saw so many of our communities brave pioneers systematically beaten, ridiculed and spat on during that era. As a Maori, Carmen bore an additional, often even uglier burden - that of the deeply entrenched racism sadly still intrinsic to Australian culture at that time. In today's comparatively more tolerant society, it's possibly hard for some to even imagine just how awful things were at that time for people like Carmen. Under the White Australia Policy, even our own indigenous people were denied citizenship and the most basic of human rights. When Carmen and those like her were pursued for protection money by notorious Kings Cross enforcers like John Reagan or beaten, robbed or sexually assaulted by corrupt police, there was virtually no where to turn for help. Thus they turned to one another and in so doing, forged the foundations of the GBLT community we share and so value today. I believe it's vital we never forget what incredibly difficult times those were for gay, lesbian and transgendered people. We should therefore celebrate the tenacity, courage and dignity which Carmen displayed, not only in surviving but thriving in those awful circumstances - finding success in both Australia and New Zealand throughout the 1960s, 70s and beyond. For many of us who knew and loved her, it's these wonderful achievements in the face of such adversity that firmly casts Carmen Rupe as an antipodean Rosa Parkes. Much like the celebrated heroine of the Civil Rights Movement in 1950s America, Carmen simply refused to ride at the back of the bus. In so doing, Carmen Rupe blazed a trail for all who followed in her glittering, high heeled footsteps. Because of people like Carmen, who found the courage to place their heads above the parapet and make a stand against ignorance, intolerance and homophobic hatred long before it was ever safe nor hip to do so - that the rest of us live today relatively unencumbered by that degree of institutionalized bigotry. This for me remains the most poignant aspect of Carmen’s story and a vital component of the amazing legacy we hope to celebrate through the work of the Carmen Rupe Memorial Trust. As a glbt community icon, Carmen transcended national and cultural boundaries. This is why I believe the Carmen Rupe Memorial Trust will galvanize talented and passionate people on both sides of the pond to come together and achieve great things in Carmen's name. Kelly Glanney - 11th January 2012