Drag queens, dancers celebrate Sydney’s gay Mardi Gras

SYDNEY - From drag queens to scantily-clad dancers, thousands of people paraded through Sydney, Australia on Saturday for the annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras which this year highlighted homophobia in sport.

Spectators thronged Darlinghurst's Oxford Street for the colourful parade which featured some 150 floats ranging from "dykes on bikes" motorcyclists to those calling for same-sex marriage.

Organizers said some 200,000 people were expected to line the streets to watch the more than 10,000 participants in this year's parade which also drew attention to discrimination on the sporting field.

"This fight against discrimination in sport is part of the great civil rights struggle that Sydney's Mardi Gras has led in Australia for 37 years," senior parade creative Ignatius Jones said.

"As long as even one gay or lesbian kid is afraid to play sport, one of Australia's defining activities, for fear of being denounced as a dyke or a poof, Mardi Gras has a purpose."

The parade comes as Australia's rugby league season kicks off and as the country jointly hosts the cricket World Cup with New Zealand.

Australian cricketer Alex Blackwell said she was proud and excited to be involved in the Mardi Gras along with straight allies from her sport.

"Coming out is a very personal choice, but I was able to summon the courage to come out myself because I had role models who came out before me," she said ahead of the parade.

"I hope this float will send a message to all athletes that everyone should be welcome in sport regardless of their sexuality."

Eliminating homophobia

The heads of Australia's major sporting codes—cricket, rugby union, rugby league, football and Aussie rules—last year pledged to eliminate homophobia in a coordinated effort ahead of hosting the world gay rugby championships the Bingham Cup.

The commitment came as a study found that Australia has the highest sport participation by lesbian, gay and bisexual athletes of all English speaking countries, but that homophobia and discrimination was common.

The Mardi Gras began as a "fun" human rights protest in 1978—but police cracked down heavily on marchers and more than 50 were arrested in the brief riot which followed. But the event helped bring legislative change, including the decriminalisation of homosexuality in New South Wales in 1984.

Police now take part in the march, as do the Australian military which will have its largest ever participation since it began marching in 2008, with more than 100 Australian Defence Force members in the parade.

"The growing participation at this parade shows that defence force culture has changed for the better," said the officer in charge of the parade Squadron Leader Vince Chong.   

"This record turnout of volunteers, on an amazing night like the Mardi Gras parade, shows what can be achieved with strong leadership pushing for cultural change, even in organisations like defence that are steeped in tradition."

Mardi Gras chief executive Michael Rolik said while progress had been made in terms of gay equality, prejudice still existed.

"I think our biggest challenge is really shaping attitudes, homophobia in schools, and the whole coming out process for vulnerable people... they're the issues," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. — Agence France-Presse