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 The NoToPope rally in Brisbane Square drew a small but largely enthusiastic crowd of about 70 participants and onlookers on Saturday.
Gay-themed chants were aired as about 50 protesters marched through Brisbane's central business district.
Chants included: "Racist, sexist anti-queer, get the Pope out of here”, "Hey ho, hey ho, homophobia's got to go" and "Get your rosaries off my ovaries".
Organisers told Evolution Online they had experienced difficulties negotiating the permit to hold the protest, which forced a last minute change of venue and starting time.
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A spokesperson for Queensland's new Queer Coalition of Activists, Susan Shaw, told the protesters Pope Benedict was responsible for a long history of anti-gay statements and policies.
"In 1986, Benedict was the author of the infamous Vatican document, in which he referred to homosexuality as an 'intrinsic moral evil,'" Shaw said.
"In 1992, he further angered gay rights activists with a letter to the American bishops supporting legal discrimination of gays and lesbians in certain areas such as adoption and employment in the military, and schools.
"In this letter he also appeared to condone anti-gay violence, writing that if gays and lesbians demand civil rights, 'neither the Church nor society should be surprised when … irrational and violent reactions increase.’
Shaw said the promotion of homophobia by church leaders and the state “wreaks havoc” on young, queer people’s lives.
"As Sydney celebrates World Youth Day, what about all the queer youth who are discriminated against and alienated by the church’s hateful homophobia?"
Former Queer Radio co-presenter Felix Kellett read a speech prepared by co-presenter John Frame, who was unable to attend due to family commitments.
Frame blamed the influence of the Catholic Church for Queensland's unequal age of consent laws.
"The Pope and his minions, with their vile bigoted rhetoric, continue to persecute same sex attracted youth – telling them that their expression of sexuality is 'intrinsically evil'.
"And Queensland’s current law is a direct result of the effect of Catholic religious influence within Parliament.
"If our secular state is to have any claim to moral integrity, then the Bligh Government must act immediately to allow equal support and protection for all youth, by enacting true equity in law," he stated.
However, transgender activist and creator of the Queer Spirituality website, Linda Petrie, told Evolution Online that as a religious member of the LGBT community she had been offended by the "vehement" way in which the protest was promoted.
"It also worries me that some outside political activist groups latched on to our issues and tried to talk to them inappropriately.
"I'm dog tired of other politically-motivated organisations and groups tacking on queer issues in order to embellish their numbers.
"Gay people aren't a 'rent a crowd' for every Tom, Dick and Harry political group to make their marginal issues more homogenous," she said.
The NoToPope Coalition includes groups such as Socialist Alliance, Resistance and the Raelians.
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