☕️ Mardi Gras: the protest, the party, the police

Tonight, Sydney will be lit up in rainbow colours as Mardi Gras, the city’s LGBTQIA+ community’s annual celebration, culminates in a massive parade and all-night parties. 

But this year, as with many years before, there is bitter with the sweet. The alleged murders of Luke Davies and Jesse Baird by a NSW police officer have re-opened old wounds in the community and revived debate about what role police should play in Mardi Gras.

In this weekend’s newsletter, I’ll explain the history of Mardi Gras, why this year is so fraught, and both sides of the debate around police participation in the parade. 

The origins of Mardi Gras

The first Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras was a late-night parade on 24 June 1978, when a group of LGBTQIA+ people and allies marched down Oxford Street, the heart of Sydney’s ‘gaybourhood’, shouting ‘Out of the bars and into the streets!’ 

From the beginning, Mardi Gras was a combination of party and protest. On the one hand, it was about commemorating the 1969 Stonewall riots, where queer people in New York City fought back against police attempting to arrest them for attending a gay bar and wearing “gender-inappropriate” clothe. On the other, it was about celebrating gay and lesbian culture. 

This was a time when the community faced significant discrimination and oppression — sex between men was illegal and you could legally be sacked if you were discovered to be gay or trans, because anti-discrimination laws were still years away.

The name Mardi Gras was taken from the Catholic street parties held around the world before Lent, as organisers hoped it would feel more like a party than the Pride parades that were being held in the U.S. at the time. But the party spirit came up against a hard wall of police resistance. 

At that first Mardi Gras, 53 people were arrested, some violently, and many were beaten by police in custody. 

The following Monday, The Sydney Morning Herald published the names, addresses and occupations of those arrested, a devastating blow which cost some their jobs and others their lives. The newspaper formally apologised for this in 2016 and said they regret it wholeheartedly. 

After public pressure, most charges were dropped, and the following year the Mardi Gras we know today was born, with film screenings, a dance party, Fair Day, and a march. 

My research showed me one big difference, however: in the parade’s early days, the only groups allowed to have floats in the parade were “gay groups”, “gay liberation organisations”, and “gay-owned” businesses.

Recent developments

Earlier this month, Sydney couple Jesse Baird and Luke Davies went missing. Police allege they were murdered by a NSW police officer known to Baird.

This came months after the release of a final report by the Special Commission of Inquiry into LGBTIQ hate crimes in NSW. That inquiry looked into unsolved deaths in NSW, suspected to be motivated by LGBTIQ hate, between 1970 and 2010.

The inquiry focused on the police’s investigation into deaths of people from, or presumed to be from, the LGBTIQ community.

It found multiple instances of missing documents, “lost or destroyed” exhibits, and “serious” and “concerning” shortfalls in the police’s handling of some investigations. It heard various instances of botched handling of evidence and some signs of anti-LGBTIQ bias among police officers investigating these deaths.

Commissioner Justice John Sackar said police had been “adversarial” and “unnecessarily defensive” towards the inquiry. He recommended fresh inquests for a number of cold cases.

Last weekend, months after the inquiry handed down its final report, NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb delivered the Force’s apology to families of hate crime victims.

Police in the parade

Following the revelation that a NSW police officer was the prime suspect in Luke and Jesse’s murder, Mardi Gras organisers asked NSW police to step back from this year’s parade, which they’ve marched in since 1998.

Shortly after, several queer leaders, including some 78ers (attendees of the original Mardi Gras) and independent NSW MP Alex Greenwich, called for police to remain in the parade.

Greenwich told 9 News: “There is certainly a great deal of work police need to do to improve trust and to improve community safety, but I think that starts with us working together, not excluding police from Mardi Gras.”

Others say they don’t mind if individual LGBTQIA+ police officers want to participate in the parade, but believe that the institution of the police should not be represented until they make serious reparations and demonstrate genuine change.

They cite the original parade, the hate crimes inquiry, and last week’s arrest as evidence that police should not be involved in the celebratory, reflective parade.

Those in favour of their presence, however, say this discounts the progress that has been made in comparison to the first parade, undermining efforts to resolve tensions between LGBTQIA+ people and police.

On Wednesday, Mardi Gras organisers announced NSW Police LGBTQIA+ liaison officers would march in the parade, out of uniform. According to NSW Police, liaison officers undergo specialist training and work to “build bridges” between the community and the force.

Get support

Wherever you fall in this debate, it is indisputable that it has been a difficult few weeks, and that this will be a more emotional Mardi Gras than most.

If you or someone you know needs help, support is available.

Queer support line (3pm to midnight daily): 1800 184 527

Lifeline (24/7): 13 11 14

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