Mardi Gras says something
On a frigid autumn night hot pants were the most modest of accoutrements as the annual Mardi Gras Parade came to Sydney. Many marchers preferred the risqué, with bare chests and skimpy swimwear the order of the evening.
This year’s theme was “Say Something”, with organisers encouraging marchers to put out a message along with the colour and fanfare.
The parade has always been steeped in politics, with its inception shaped by pro-gay rights protests that began in 1978, and this year was no different. The floats paid tribute to the royal family, Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott got spoofed, and many politicians actively marched in the parade.
The City of Sydney’s (COS) 2011 Mardi Gras parade float depicted a stork delivering a baby to a giant pram at the end of a rainbow, which COS described as a celebration of same sex adoption rights.
“No other city in the world celebrates its GLBTIQ population with the enthusiasm Sydney does,” said Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP. “This year the City’s parade float is themed ‘One Step Closer To Equality’ and celebrates the recent passing of the State’s Same Sex Adoption Bill.
“The Bill was a significant win for the GLBTIQ community,” she said. “Allowing both adoptive parents to be legally recognised is an important equal right achieved.”
One hundred ALP members marched in the ‘Marriage Equality – It’s Time” float with Rainbow Labor, a grassroots internal organisation for GLBTIQ Labor members and supporters.
“It was so much fun being in the parade and great to support marriage equality” said Sacha Blumen, ALP Candidate for Sydney and long-standing member of Rainbow Labor. “It’s great to see that the Mardi Gras Parade is still a powerful platform for political change”.
Verity Firth MP, Minister for Education and Member for Balmain, also marched in the parade.
“I believe in complete equality regardless of sex, gender, sexual orientation and race,” she said. “Part of that equality has to include marriage, people should be free to love who they want to regardless of their sexuality, race or gender”
Members of the Liberal and Greens party also marched including Liberals MLC Don Harwin and Greens MP John Kaye.
Out of the large crowd, estimated at 400 000, police arrested only 18 people.
“Despite the arrests, what we saw tonight demonstrates that thousands of people can enjoy themselves safely at one of the State’s biggest events,” said Major Events and Incidents Commander, Assistant Commissioner Alan Clarke.
