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.

  • Pride in Protest has consistently campaigned for the exclusion of NSW Police from the parade citing a culture of homophobia within the force and an adversarial attitude towards unsolved gay hate deaths.

    Far be it from me to have any say in this matter, but I don’t believe the cops who want to march are the same cops exhibiting homophobia and disdain for gay hate deaths. I would think that encouraging more engagement with the community would do more good than excluding people.

    “It’s a bit hypocritical to ban them from marching if you’re going to rely on them, as everybody does for major events, for security.”

    I think this is a fair point.

    • I don’t believe the cops who want to march are the same cops exhibiting homophobia and disdain for gay hate deaths.

      Sure, but if they’re in uniform they’re representing that institution as a whole. Marching in uniform, in formation, with guns, no less.

      “It’s a bit hypocritical to ban them from marching if you’re going to rely on them, as everybody does for major events, for security.”

      I think that’s legally mandated. If there were any other option available I’m sure Pride In Protest would be pushing for that too.

    • 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

        • 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.

          • 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

            • 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.

  •  𝚝𝚛𝚔   ( @trk@aussie.zone ) 
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    7 days ago

    I’m not part of either community so grim the view of an outsider…

    Why wouldn’t “you” (the people organising and participating in the march) not want police as part of it?

    The Venn diagram of homophobic police and homosexual police are surely two distinct circles - why wouldn’t you want the circle that’s part of your team to be included? Are they not deserving of the same support the march is encouraging?

    • Why wouldn’t “you” (the people organising and participating in the march) not want police as part of it?

      Because some of those organising it where the ones that had the crap beaten out of them by police not so long ago. Perhaps as the years roll on things will change but right now I completely understand why.

      My grandfather, who fought in WW2 in New Guinea lost his shit when my dad bought his first Japanese car (or so my dad told me decades ago) way back in the day, now, no one cares.

      • Because some of those organising it where the ones that had the crap beaten out of them by police not so long ago.

        Right, and in all likelihood so were the current police who are now wanting to join the march.