The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival Parade Weekend Is Here
Image: William Brougham
The glitter, glitz, and glam of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade is finally here.
Today, after a Mardi Gras season full of challenges, Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras (SGLMG) launched the festival’s Parade weekend.
‘The Lead-Up To This Year’s Mardi Gras Hasn’t Been Without Its Challenges And Pain’
In her speech at the launch, City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said, “People from everywhere will flock to Sydney tomorrow night to witness the joy and excitement of more than 200 floats in the 46th Mardi Gras parade.
She continued, “However, the lead-up to this year’s Mardi Gras hasn’t been without its challenges and pain. I share the community’s disappointment about the decision to cancel Fair Day due to asbestos contamination, but we have to put the safety of our community first.
“Then there was the devastating news about Luke Davies and Jesse Baird, two young men taken in their prime of life in the most horrible circumstances, and our community is deeply distressed, and there will be a vigil tonight to celebrate their lives and grieve their loss.”
‘Community Wellbeing And Cohesion Is Best Achieved When We Stand Side By Side’
Moore also addressed the contentious issue of NSW Police being allowed to march in the Parade.
Earlier this week, SGLMG uninvited NSW Police before reaching a compromise, allowing them to march out of uniform.
“The New South Wales Police have a great deal of work to do to acknowledge and apologise sincerely for past crimes, and to lift efforts to respond to the needs of the community today,” Moore said.
“However, I believe that community wellbeing and cohesion is best achieved when we stand side-by-side in the cause of justice and safety. And I think it is a positive step that the police will be involved in the Parade, but it is clear there’s an urgent need for them to do work and to improve.”
Moore concluded, “I know the community is hurting, and I sincerely hope tomorrow night provides a safe environment to come together, to grieve together, and to support each other’s resilience and to celebrate the power and the joy of Mardi Gras and its achievements over 46 years.
Bear: Make Sure That We’re All Allowing Each Other To Have The Best Parade That We Can
Co-Chair of the SGLMG Board Brandon Bear reminded the community to look out for each other and allow “each other to have the best parade, and the best end to an amazing festival that we can.”
Bear said, “Tomorrow, as we go to Parade, we ask everyone to celebrate, to have fun, to make sure that they’re there in the spirit of Mardi Gras, but also to remember to look after each other, to be safe, and make sure that we’re all allowing each other to have the best parade, and the best end to an amazing festival that we can.”
‘We Come Together In Celebration, Joy, Love, And Self-Expression’
CEO of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras (SGLMG) Gil Beckwith spoke about the importance of the Parade.
Beckwith said, “We come together in celebration, joy, love, and self-expression. Most significantly, on this one special night, we come together, marching side by side.
“Our Parade elevates our amazing and diverse community, providing an opportunity for our community and allies to walk hand in hand up Oxford Street, with their friends, with their loved ones, so that we can all celebrate and recognise their love, their joy, and their stellar contributions to our community.
“It is a beacon for us all, knowing that love, equality, peace, and diversity are human rights for us all.”
Parade Here On March 2
Going from February 16 until March 3, this year’s Mardi Gras season is packed with over 100 community events, dance parties, theatre and music before climaxing on March 2 with the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade.
The first Mardi Gras march took place on June 24, 1978, along Oxford Street. The march, which was held to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall riot in New York City, was initially peaceful but culminated in police violence despite protesters having a permit to assemble.
As they marched from Taylor Square towards Hyde Park, the participants yelled ‘out of the bars and into the streets’ attracting more people to join the protest march. By the time they reached College Street, their numbers had grown to hundreds, and police began blocking routes and violently arresting and bashing participants.
