Mardi
Gras 2020: The Best Floats And Outfits From The Parade
There
were 200 groups and floats that made a splash in
glitter and latex down Oxford Street, with over
12,000 people taking part in the parade
The
theme for the 42nd Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi
Gras parade was “What Matters”, and
participants and spectators were out in full
celebratory force on Saturday night for the
festivities.
There
were 200 groups and floats that made a splash
in glitter and latex down Oxford Street, with over
12,000 people taking part in the parade.
On
the sidelines were around 200,000 spectators
cheering on the procession.
Three
people were removed from the parade after it was
believed they joined the procession without
authorised registration.
“Earlier
tonight, three people were removed from the Mardi
Gras parade, following unauthorised entry,”
stated NSW Police.
“NSW
Police are disappointed with their actions, which
did not comply with the conditions of the event or
the spirit of the celebrations.”
The
protesters, part of a queer activist grouped
called the Department of Homo Affairs, appeared to
be making a political statement towards Prime
Minister Scott Morrison.
They
carried signs condemning the Liberal Party and
wore masks with the PM’s face.
his
was the 42nd Mardi Gras parade since the protest
march in 1978.
When
protestors from the LGBTQI community gathered in
Darlinghurst in inner-city Sydney for
international gay celebrations in 1978, the night
ended in police brutality and arrests.
It
became a major civil rights milestone as people
took to the streets in the months that followed to
protest the arrests.
By
April 1979 laws covering the arrests had been
repealed, allowing for a peaceful Mardi Gras march
that year. It would be five more years, however,
before homosexuality was decriminalised in New
South Wales.
The
struggles of nearly half-century ago remain
relevant today, reflected in issues such as the
Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey, and the
Religious Discrimination Bill. But LGBTQI Aussies
are being heard. Darlinghurst is now a safe space.
It’s where Australians gathered in 2017 to
celebrate the legalisation of same-sex marriage in
Australia, and it’s the place where the annual
Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras takes place.
