A smattering of biodegradable glitter on the streets and a few sore heads this morning are evidence that the city just celebrated the annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade. An estimated 250,000 spectators gathered on Saturday, March 2, as more than 12,000 participants lit up the traditional parade route along Oxford Street, Flinders Street and Anzac Parade for the 46th annual LGBTQIA+ pride march. Check out photo highlights from the parade below.
This year's theme, "Our Future...", served as a powerful call to action, inviting parade participants and spectators alike to envision and contribute to the path forward for the LGBTQIA+ community. It was a night that melded the legacy of protest with the joy of celebration, featuring 200 floats, led by the beloved Dykes on Bikes, First Nations and 78er floats.
The ABC’s live broadcast of the Mardi Gras Parade topped the free-to-air television ratings for the night, reaching approximately 1,834,000 households according to Media Spy (and as far as we can tell, that figure doesn’t count everyone who streamed it on ABC iview). Drag icon Courtney Act and ABCQueer’s Mon Schafter were at the helm of the hosting desk along with a smattering of reporters and guests hosts, including chart-topping musician G Flip and award-winning actor Remy Hii.
The most significant part of the ABC’s coverage was arguably when Mardi Gras CEO Gil Beckwith joined the hosts, and spoke candidly about the struggles that LGBTQIA+ people still face, as well as the Mardi Gras Board’s contested decision to allow the NSW Police to march in the Parade this year.
The Parade began with a minute's silence to honour Sydney couple Jesse Baird and Luke Davies, who were allegedly murdered by police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon on February 19. The tragic loss of the two gay men has overshadowed this year’s pride celebrations, and amplified calls from community to ban the police force from participating in the march (which began as a protest against police violence in 1978). The Mardi Gras Board reached a decision to not allow both the Federal and NSW Police forces not to participate in the Parade on February 28. However, this decision was soon amended, and the NSW Police were re-invited, under the provision that they did not march in uniform, and with a smaller group largely made up of mostly LGBTQIA+ liaison officers. Beckwith expressed hope that the discussions this year would lead to changes in how Mardi Gras will work with the police in future.
Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore has marched in the Mardi Gras Parade since the ‘80s, and this year she was there again alongside Independent Member for Sydney Alex Greenwich, who she has marched alongside since 2013. Clover has been an outspoken supporter of the New Equality Bill that Greenwich is working on in the NSW Parliament, which aims to remove all remaining discrimination of LGBTIQA+ communities and achieve holistic equality. NSW still has some of the worst laws in the country for LGBTIQ+ people, and Equality Australia is encouraging everyone to take a minute to send your NSW MP a message of support for equality in NSW – find out more here.
Another significant statement at this year’s Parade was made by Robert Cole, who paid tribute to his twin brother Malcolm Cole. An Aboriginal and South Sea Islander man, Malcolm made a splash at the 1988 Mardi Gras, dressed up as Captain James Cook riding a tall ship pulled by white people. Against the backdrop of Australia's bicentenary, Malcolm’s statement costume drew attention to the thousands of Aboriginal people protesting the celebrations of colonisation and the nation's convict past. This year, Robert marched with the Biennale of Sydney, which is returning from Saturday, March 9. Find out more about the background to this story on ABC News.
The Sydney Mardi Gras Parade is powered by more than 2,000 volunteers, and it it is reported that it will take about a month for all the biodegradable glitter that coated the roads to break down.
