NSW Premier Chris Minns has slammed a potential ban on NSW Police marching at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras despite LGBTQ+ community consultation showing a majority do not want officers to take part.

In short:

NSW Police are facing fresh calls to be banned from marching at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.

Three resolutions relating to police marching in the parade will be put to a vote at the Mardi Gras annual general meeting tomorrow.

NSW Premier Chris Minns has slammed the potential ban despite LGBTQ+ community consultation showing a majority of members do not want police to take part.

  • Pup BiruEnglish
    111·
    4 days ago

    pride is a protest. it’s not a zoo - we aren’t here to be a spectacle, we aren’t here to be a tourist attraction for the state or federal governments

    we are here to fight for our rights and equality - which we still don’t have, despite some of the white picket fence crowd trying to say that since we have marriage it’s over

    police are the tool by which the majority oppresses the minority. as a symbol, police marching at mardi gras changes what it is - from a protest to an event - to a zoo for their amusement… their involvement is approval from the majority that what we’re doing is sanitised enough, is “ordinary” enough in their eyes

    are there queer police? of course! can they be proud of themselves, and of their job? again, of course! but when they represent the police force, in uniform, they represent a group whose purpose is directly against the protest that is the whole point of the event

    • iktEnglish
      2·
      3 days ago

      we are here to fight for our rights and equality - which we still don’t have

      What rights don’t you have?

      • NathA
        3·
        3 days ago

        Let’s be reasonable, here. I don’t understand why half the community wanted to exclude gay cops but I can absolutely see that queer people face oppression just for existing.

        Yes, we have come a long way since the 1970s when Pride started. But hate of queer people hasn’t gone away. It’s up to everyone to recognize that and fight against it whenever loonies start to stir it up in our communities.

        My examples are in Perth, because I’m in Perth. I’m sure this happens everywhere in Australia, though.

        • iktEnglish
          1·
          3 days ago

          i’ll admit i don’t like the drag queen storytime, just doesn’t sit right with me

          tbf i probably wouldn’t like tradie storytime or ceo storytime either, just seems…suspicious…but at the same time parents are more than welcome to just not go, not sure where the issue is

          the teenagers attacking gays is just maddening, i wonder where they are getting it from

          • NathA
            3·
            3 days ago

            The point to it is is that many kids don’t have any queer folk in their lives. Having a drag queen read to them gives an example of a drag queen in the world. That’s really all there is to it.

            Kids do not care. They just accept everything at face value. All they see is a nice friendly person reading a story. It is no different for them than a play school host reading a story.