LGBTQ+ pop-up in former Sydney church ordered by landlord to cancel events after religious protest | Sydney

A desecrated Sydney church converted into a new LGBTQ+ venue has been forced to cancel events and ordered by its host to stop “engaging in offensive merchandising” after religious groups protested its opening night.

Divine Playhouse opened last Wednesday with the intention of being a safe and inclusive space where artists can work and connect with audiences, its promoter said.

The 150-year-old building, located in the heart of Sydney’s central business district, has not been used as a church since it was deconsecrated in the 1930s. It was later converted into a children’s school and theatre.

The name of the new venue was changed to Unholy Playhouse at the last minute after concerns were expressed from the Christian community. Catholic men’s Fit for the Kingdom and Christian fraternity group Prodigal Sons, along with about 70 supporters who gathered there on Wednesday night, claimed the venue itself “makes a mockery of religious faith” and demanded that the New South Wales government withdraw a $100,000 Divine Playhouse grant from the state’s arts agency Create NSW.

The next day the hosts served an infringement notice on the venue’s promoter, Heaps Gay Events, claiming it “insults and mocks religious beliefs devoutly held by millions of Christian Australians” and gave it two days to shut down the operation.

The venue canceled its weekend events and its future remains uncertain. Following complaints, Divine Playhouse and Heaps Gay Instagram accounts were closed.

“We note that the trading conducted by HG Events has been the subject of significant protest and public criticism given its offensive nature,” the breach notice, seen by Guardian Australia, reads.

He adds: “Such aggressive trading has and will continue to create grievance and inconvenience to adjoining property owners and the general public.

“Where public protests are almost certain to occur in the future and are likely to endanger the public, our client considers it a reasonable time for aggressive trading to cease.”

The theater was ordered to “cease its offensive trade” by Saturday or possibly have its lease terminated. Lawyers representing the landlord did not respond to the Guardian’s request for comment before publication.

James Thorpe, founder of hospitality organization Odd Culture Group and co-chairman of the Night Time Industries Association, called the situation “deeply concerning” and raised questions about the impact it would have across the city.

“Freedom cannot mean the freedom to say what you believe while demanding silence from anyone who disagrees,” Thorpe wrote in a LinkedIn post.

“For generations, queer people have fought for places where we can gather, perform, be loud, irreverent, joyful, and fully ourselves.

“Christians have the right to preach, to protest, and to stand in front of the Divine Playhouse and pray. Queer artists have the right to make art that is confrontational, disrespectful, and yes, offensive.”

Sydney’s deputy mayor, Jess Miller, shared Thorpe’s statement on Instagram, adding that she “couldn’t agree more”.

Speaking at the venue’s opening on Wednesday, Miller celebrated the venue as a place for community. “This is what happens between us when we come to places like this: [like] after all, cathedral communities are much stronger together than they are divided,” he said.

Divine Playhouse organizer and Heaps Gay founder Kat Dopper said at the opening that the idea for the venue was to be “extremely accessible for the arts and cultural community to use without having to spend a million dollars.”

“I can’t wait to see what Sydney independent arts and culture can do with this venue,” he said.

In separate statements, Prodigal Sons and Fit for the Kingdom told Guardian Australia they were not trying to silence anyone; instead, they wanted to underline, in the words of the Prodigal Sons, “how deeply this material wounds a community of faith.”

Bands said they had issues with photos and videos shared from the venue’s opening night; these included an artist dressed as a pig offering McDonald’s fries as holy communion. A spokesperson for Fit for the Kingdom condemned what he saw as “hateful blasphemy that mocks what we hold most sacred” and listed “performers dressed as nuns brandishing sex toys” and “transvestites reenacting the nativity” as examples.

“There is no shortage of venues across Sydney where the LGBTQ community is free to express themselves and their artistic creativity,” a spokesperson for Prodigal Sons said. “Choosing an old church is a deliberate and conscious decision.”

The outrage that engulfed the venue was further amplified on social media by Christian influencers, including the Spanish and conservative First Family Party of Australia.

Religious groups are expected to gather at the Divine Playhouse on Friday to “join in prayer for the souls of the people behind this desecration.” A NSW police spokesman said officers would be present at the protest.

City of Sydney is evaluating an offer converting the church into luxury apartments.

Miller, Create NSW and Dopper have been contacted for comment.