Party Or Protest

by Ken Coleman

(The Gender Centre advise that this article may not be current and as such certain content, including but not limited to persons, contact details and dates may not apply. Where legal authority or medical related matters are cited, responsibility lies with the reader to obtain the most current relevant legal authority and/or medical publication.)

The 24th Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade got off to it's usual noisy start with the "Dykes on Bikes" being welcomed by cheering crowds of enthusiastic supporters. Unlike previous years, where the girls did a few laps of the parade route to warm up the crowd, this year they led the parade in a more subdued fashion. The mood became a little more sombre with the Remembrance Group marching from the end to the beginning of the parade route, with sections of the crowd maintaining a reverential silence as they passed.

The lead float, "St Muscle Mary's Cathedral" was greeted with wild applause, with an archbishop Pell look-alike acknowledging the cheers of the crowd as he waved from his throne - the small of incense wafting over those close to the roadway.

The pre-parade entertainment was well attended, with celebrities - among them Boy George - keeping those in the reserved seating area entertained until the parade began. Television personalities including Steve Bisley and Indira Naidoo compared the Bobby Goldsmith section, ably assisted by well-known entertainer Atlanta Georgia.

That the Mardi Gras has become more of a party than a protest has been a matter of much debate over recent months, with opinion divided fairly evenly as to which way to go. Those who have been involved in the parade since it's humble beginning in 1978 continue to espouse the view that it should remain essentially a protest, whereas there are those who weren't even born then, who see it simply as a huge occasion to party. Party of protest, the Mardi Gras has become an event which has captured the attention of many countries of the world.

Journalists from as far a field as Denmark were very interested in the event, and there was also a huge contingent from Japan seated in the press section who seemed a little bewildered as to what was going on.

With discrimination against gays, lesbians and transgender people still very much alive, the Mardi Gras provides a platform for all of us to get out there and show those who would choose to class us as second class citizens that we are here to stay, and that far from fading into the sunset, we are getting stronger and more visible than ever.

Next year marks the 25th anniversary of the movement. We need to prepare for the biggest festival ever. If you've never become involved before, let's show the knockers just how many of us there are by putting on the party of the century.

Have a wonderful year, and we'll see you again in 2003.

Polare is published in Australia by The Gender Centre Inc. which is funded by the Department of Community Services under the S.A.A.P. Program and supported by the N.S.W. Health Department through the AIDS and Infectious Diseases Branch. Polare provides a forum for discussion and debate on gender issues. Advertisers are advised that all advertising is their responsibility under the Trade Practices Act. Unsolicited contributions are welcome, though no guarantee is made by the Editor that they will be published, nor any discussion entered into. The editor reserves the right to edit such contributions without notification. Any submission which appears in Polare may be published on our internet site. Opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor, The Gender Centre Inc.I, the Department of Community Services or the N.S.W. Department of Health.