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 Sydney Gay
& Lesbian Mardi Gras
Background
On June 24 in 1978, more than 1000 people moved down Oxford
Street in Sydney to mark International Gay Solidarity Day, a
commemoration of the Stonewall Riots. The Stonewall riots are
often considered the birth of the modern lesbian and gay rights
movement. The Stonewall was a bar in New York that Gay and
Lesbian activists in 1969 barricaded as a protest against incessant
raiding of Gay And Lesbian bars, by the police.
The Sydney march,
calling for an end to discrimination against homosexuals in
employment and housing, an end to police harassment and the
repeal of all anti-homosexual laws, almost ended in a riot of
its own, when police revoked the march permit and arrested 53
people. Further protests against the reaction resulted in
another 100 people being arrested.
The police subsequently
dropped all charges laid during the 1978 march and another
parade was held at the same time in 1979 and the Mardi Gras name
was adopted. The idea of Mardi Gras becoming a celebration
during summer was mooted in 1980. In 1981 the Mardi Gras Parade
was held in March before a crowd of 5000.
Crowds, and community support have grown steadily since then,
reaching over 650,000 in 1996. More than 150 gay and lesbian
community groups, as well as many individuals, throw their
efforts into creating floats and costumes for the three hour
long parade. The emphasis is on celebration, fun, education and
politics.
 Mardi
Gras Now
is a three week annual
festival which includes a performing arts, visual arts,
literary, music and special event program, culminating in a
parade that is world renowned, attracting hundreds of thousands
of spectators and thousands of entrants. The parade climaxes
with the world's largest party - 25,000 guests enjoy 12 hours of
unrivalled entertainment over seven venues on the Fox Studios
site in central Sydney.
Photos and text
material,
courtesy of Sydney Gay+Lesbian Mardi Gras
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