Gillard, Keneally asked to march
Prime Minister Julia Gillard and NSW Premier Kristina Keneally have been invited to march in the 2011 Mardi Gras Parade.
The Parade’s newly-appointed artistic director Ignatius Jones put the question to both at the recent Sydney World AIDS Day launch at the Opera House.
“I said to them, ‘Look, will you march? Here’s an invitation’. Julia was a bit shell shocked, but Kristina was open to it. We have had many members of political parties march with us,” Jones told the Star Observer.
“The very fact they’re out there [marching], for a politician, is a little bit like it was for the rest of us back in the old days — the stakes are high.”
With the March 26 NSW election falling only weeks after the parade, the Star Observer had heard rumours that politicians wanting to march would need to prove their gay-friendly credentials before being allowed to take part, but Jones denied this.
“I’ve always thought of Mardi Gras as, ‘Hey, it’s a party we’re having, and you’re all invited’, as opposed to the way society has treated us for so long, which is, ‘You’re not included’,” he said.
“The Liberal Party, which for years has been such a thorn in the side of any civil rights movement, is now running an openly gay candidate against Clover Moore and an openly gay candidate in Randwick. That was unthinkable years ago; you just wouldn’t have a Liberal marching in the parade.
“If Tony Abbott wanted to march, I’d be happy to have him. The crowd gets it. I bet you if Tony Abbott walked down Oxford St, I bet you he’d be cheered to the rafters for having the courage to do it and for doing something that’s fundamentally very funny.
“If he was going to march I’d try to get a contingent of speedo-wearing marching boys with big ears.”
Jones said he expected the proximity of the state election and the way gay marriage had moved to the forefront of political debate would make for a particularly energised event in 2011.
“The parade is always much more powerful when there’s a burning issue,” he said.
“It will be an exciting one this year because we do have ‘that issue’. But we have to remember that Mardi Gras is about the greater issue of acceptance and celebration.”
The Prime Minister’s office did not respond before deadline, but a spokewoman for Premier Keneally said Mardi Gras was “a fantastic, vibrant celebration that Sydney is proud to host”.
“The Premier’s office will consider the invitation to attend next year’s event closer to the date,” the spokeswoman said.
info: For more in season 2011 head to www.starobserver.com.au
Well I’ve read all your comments and don’t really care if they both march or not , however there is change right on your doorstep bought about by poor management of infrastructure , spending and management of the economy , the first installment WILL take place in march , next year it will happen in Queensland next year and recently it happened in Victoria. Wake up Labor and learn to get the balance right , social issues are meaningless if you can’t get running of the the states and our country effectively taken care of , I’m sure I will see some selfish backlash from many of you over this post but there is more to life than waving the rainbow flag and buying your next party frock. To those on a pension reading this I feel the burden you must have with your power bills but Julia , Kristina and Clover don’t care , they are too self absorbed with their policy on a sustainable future to care about marching in a parade that celebrates cultural diversity. Good luck but I doubt they will turn up.
There’s one other woman who is using her contacts in the Gay Community to promote her own passion to be re-elected and that is of course Clover Moore…..She’s a WORRY….On Ya Bike Clover
Imagine if you get a job, you fight all the comments here and there about people who are Intersex, and the Ex Premier says a woman should of got it?
The Ex Premier uses her power and influence to denigrate you simply because of being born. You have been through so much shit, and now this? Someone trying to use their power to imply you should not be in politics? This is not a random slip of the tongue, and no apology has been made. This is Joan Kirners old suburb. Let us not forget the reality of all this, and the effect on those who dream that one day, one day they will free and judged by there ability to do a job. Let us dream one day Labor has a heart.
Symbolism is important.
I just would not like to see Gillard use this symbolism of Mardi Gras to justify keeping areas of discrimination and denying us Civil Rights, saying to any question about this “Look, I marched in Mardi-Gras and the government has removed 85 areas of discrimination”.
If you value your rights and freedoms, then you should be very careful about giving away the symbolism of full equality to people who have advocated against this concept.
What would be the list of laws you would like changed before you gave the symbolism of Mardi Gras to a Prime Minister? What areas of discrimination would you like removed? What would show you they respect you and value your freedoms?
Oh come on people – put your crazy knee-jerk reactions aside and think about this rationally for a moment.
Ever heard the phrase keep your friends close and your enemies closer?
What better way to prove to Gillard (and to a lesser extent Keneally) that the community is not some group of sex-addicted bitches moaning and whinging for equality.
Having them march in the parade will show them the diversity – and the commonalities – they have with us.
Seriously, sometimes I am truly embarrassed to be a member of this community.
We are all to quick to jump to a rage rather than sit and think laterally about the issue.
Well done Ignatius Jones and the team at Mardi Gras. Such forward thinking is what we have been demanding from you for a few years now and I for one am pleased you are listening.
Swinging Voter I had no idea you are planning a Klu Klux Klan float at Mardi Gras sponsored by One Nation.
swinging voter needs to take his meds
the gay community seems to have dominated sydney politics in the last decade. Paul keating, bob carr, david campbell….all the while the nsw community is no longer growing by birthrate. apparently bob carr’s vision for sydney is to flood the place with gay friendly asian expatriate in order rail road hetrosexuals out of town….apparently bob carr wants to change the demographics of sydney thru immigration so that it becomes more gay friendly…apparently bob carr wants to discriminate in favour of asian expatriate in the workplace in order to justify shutting out hetrosexuals from steady income public servant positions…. it could be time for a chnage in government!
I am Gay and dont march in the parade, let alone some politician? Dont get me wrong Mardi Gras was good in 1994 but now days leaves a lot to be desired. It was a “March” back in 1978 but in 2011 its just sleaze.
I’ve marched for the last 8 years, but if Mardi Gras is going to start inviting people who have publicly opposed same-sex marriage, they can have their little homophobes’ parade to themselves, and can invite John Howard and Fred Nile to join them while they’re at it. Count me out. What a bloody disgrace.
Grow up Andrew…who cares what you personally think of the PM and the Premier Having the Prime Minister of Australia or even the Premier of NSW march in our parade would be amazing… to have PM Julia Gillard march would be akin to Barack
Obama marching in a gay pride parade in the USA…. hugely powerful
in it symbolism… revolutionary in fact!
In the history of the Mardi Gras parade to date the highest ranked politicians marching have been Federal Senators and of course The Lord Mayor Clover Moore.
Hillary Clinton has marched in the New York Pride Parade – I’d like to see Kristina Keneally march in Mardi Gras.
Keneally has been far more active than any other previous state Labor leader advancing gay and lesbian rights, introducing:
(i)a state partnership scheme,
(ii)surrogacy rights
(iii)same-sex adoption.
(iv)Recently her Attorney General,Hatzistergos has taken up the call for national recognition of transgender/genderless people.
Most impressively, she spoke very candidly on her support for adoption. It was a long way from the usual carefully crafted statements political leaders tend to make on the issue.
I cannot stand either of them and their media whore ways. They have no place at our parade
For all of their failings the gravitas and symbolisim of having the Prime Minister of our country and or the Premier of NSW marching in the Mardi Gras Parade would be enormous.
I am not sure having politicians who advocate against some of our Civil Rights is a good thing for Mardi Gras.
We still have people who have to hide their sexuality to get into some Government funded Nursing homes, and others who face discrimination in many areas of Government funded employment as Billions are given to religious institutions who can legally discriminate in Health, Education, Nursing homes, and more.
There is still so much work to be done before we could say these politicians advocate for full equality for all Australians –that they value us and want us to have a fair go. The same fairness they expect from us.
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals’ freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one’s ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.
I cannot truly say, Gillard and Keneally, fully support our Civil Rights or greatly value all of them. I can say, they have made huge changes to help reduce areas of discrimination, but they back laws that oppress us and deny us many freedoms.
I would like to see Labor once again become the progressive party, the party of a fair go for all Australians. Marching in Mardi Gras, while advocating against our Civil Rights, is not “moving forward”. Promising to remove all areas of government sanctioned oppression, and giving Australia a Bill of Rights, then marching in Mardi Gras, would not insult the corner stone of Mardi Gras, and restore Labor Federally, and in NSW, to the Party of a fair go.
Are we permitted to bring rotten tomatoes and eggs to the parade this year then, because that would be about the only benefit in having these politicians in it.
Ive noticed that Julia Gillard has let her hair go to ruins lately.
Can’t take my eyes off the red hair with the very grey roots.