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Surfing the internet recently, I discovered Gay Sausage Sizzle in New Zealand – billed as Gisborne‘s “premier gay nightclub, where dance, music, and inclusivity come together.” No actual sausages, though!

The Victorian Pride Centre offers a free sausage sizzle each month to entice LGBTQIA+ people to their open house days. Multiple gay sporting groups have just concluded their year with a traditional team BBQ.

Are these prophetic signs that gays are embracing the humble sausage as a new queer icon? Move over, lovers of the humble Bunnings sausage sizzle!

Yes, it’s quick to connect this interest to phallic symbolism – the fact that they’re often long, thick, brown, tasty and covered in sauce doesn’t stem that thought.

As a 10-year-old living in a small farming township in the late 1950s, I was encouraged to be a supporter of the local football club. Mandatory training night came with the promise of a free sausage (more correctly, a Saveloy or Frankfurt) in bread, with White Crow tomato sauce. The bonus for us ‘innocent’ lads was, of course, getting to watch the team shower while we ate.

Perhaps, we’re simply embracing something nearly all Australians enjoy – the BBQ sausage, the ease of cooking it, and the pleasure with which this comfort food is received. 

This near-universal love of a sausage sizzle is also an unexpected leveller of society. Embraced by all ages, gay or straight, bigoted or broad-minded, it offers the opportunity of a neutral zone for friendly conversation or exchange of viewpoints.

Let’s see where the humble ‘sausage sanga’ takes us – perhaps towards new friends and allies.