Activist Soup Kit

This soup kit honours Rodney Croome, one of Australia’s most influential LGBTQIA+ activists, whose work helped transform Tasmania from one of the country’s harshest legal environments into one of its most progressive and inclusive.

Best known for leading the campaign to decriminalise homosexuality in Tasmania and later for his role in marriage equality, Croome’s activism is a powerful reminder that persistence can reshape both the law and the nation.

For many years, Tasmania held onto the harshest anti-gay laws in Australia. As late as 1997, consensual homosexual sex remained a criminal offence, punishable by up to 21 years in prison. In 1988, activists protested at Salamanca Market, facing arrests and public abuse. In 1994, Nicholas Toonen took his case to the United Nations, where the UN Human Rights Committee ruled that Tasmania’s laws breached international human rights.

It was not until 1 May 1997 that Tasmania finally decriminalised homosexuality, becoming the last Australian state to do so.

This soup is more than a meal.  It’s a tribute to the long haul of activism that changed the nation. Made with earthy, nourishing ingredients, it speaks to resilience, care, and community. It is food for protest, for gathering, and for sharing stories across generations.