With 10,000 people and half and tonne of glitter and the fact that same sex marriage is still technically illegal in Australia, the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) Mardi Gras parade in Sydney is kind of a big deal. It was the 37th Mardi Gras to be held in the vibrant city of Sydney and held host to a large array of charities, local authorities, political parties and sports clubs, showing their support towards the Mardi Gras.
The evening kicked off in its traditional way, with the ‘Dykes on Bikes’ convoy, warming up the crowd. You could just about hear us cheer them on over the sound of their engines and beeping horns.
The theme of ‘acceptance on the field’ was the main portrayal from the parade. With this key message, many local sporting groups turned up in abundance with giant footballs, men in hockey skirts and dance routines in speedos perfected to a T. All the main Sydney sports team and some high profile athletes made an appreance, embracing the idea of eradicating homophobia in sport.
One thing that did slightly confuse me was the fact that every single political party for Australia was represented in the parade, holding banners saying “we support LGBT” or “marriage equality for everyone”, yet equal marriage is still illegal. How can every political party, including the one that’s in power right now, be shouting about how they support LGBT and yet gay marriage still be illegal?
However, the whole atmosphere of the evening made you feel quite emotional and proud of how far we have come in equal rights. Everyone was so happy, shouting “Happy Mardi Gras” to one another, no matter if that other person was dressed in drag or was holding the hand of another man. The fact that there were charities which specify in helping gay parents bringing up there kids and charities which help and support parents of children who are gay, show that things are moving forward.
