Parade decision ‘unfair’
New Mardi Gras has taken a hardline approach to community parade entries, leaving some long-time participants on the sidelines.
Animal Liberation NSW were last week informed that after four years of taking part in the parade, their entry for 2010 would not be accepted.
New Mardi Gras CEO Michael Rolik said a strict approach to community entrants had become a necessity as the parade continued to expand.
Animal Liberation had not been the only group affected, he said, although for privacy reasons he could not elaborate on which other groups had been denied a parade place.
Animal Liberation’s theme protesting animal cruelty to chickens was a worthy one, Rolik said, but not one that was appropriate for Mardi Gras.
“The community category is for members of GLBTQI groups, from within the community. We couldn’t see the entry from Animal Liberation actually met that criteria,” he told Sydney Star Observer.
“Animal Liberation is a broad-based organisation which, at the end of the day, advances their interest in animal liberation, not necessarily the gay and lesbian community.
“I acknowledge they’ve been in the parade for a number of years, but the parade is getting bigger. We’re not going to refuse bona fide community groups, but in the instance where the group is ambiguous or not a gay and lesbian community group, then we’re going to enforce that standard.”
Animal Liberation NSW spokeswoman Lynda Stoner labelled the decision “unfair”, considering the float was to be comprised of predominantly GLBTQI-identifying participants and feature community and animal rights activists Katrina Fox and Tracie O’Keefe.
“The decision was made because we weren’t specifically working for queer rights — and that’s true — but the greater population of our movement is queer and working to improve all society,” Stoner said.
“People in our organisation wanted to come together and unite, to stand up for gay rights, queer rights and animal rights. I don’t see why there’s a conflict in what we’re doing, especially when you take into account some of the corporates.
“I don’t understand what they do for queer rights or queer awareness raising. I don’t see why we were discriminated against as opposed to them.”
Rolik said some commercial organisations had a rightful place in the parade. “Commercial organisations that are involved support the event, which provides support for community businesses and groups,” he said.
“Anyone who’s not a sponsor, who’s not demonstrating their support, we don’t let in. We’re really clear, we have a place in the organisation for those who invest in the festival and parade.
“To have a blue chip like ANZ, sends a really strong message to the wider community, that their organisation is a big supporter of the gay and lesbian community.”
info: The 2010 Mardi Gras parade is on Saturday, February 27.
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Whilst I can understand the angst that groups such as Animal Liberation may feel at being denied participation in the parade, I can also understand where New Mardi Gras is coming from.
For many years now the parade has included non gay and lesbian floats, publicising issues that have little or no relationship to gay and lesbian rights. This is, after all, a gay and lesbian parade that is supposed to be pushing for visibility of gays and lesbians – not the rights of animals, or the wilderness, or whales, or joe’s car detailing service. The inclusion of such floats detracts from the intent of mardi gras and, in all truthfulness, resulted in an overly long and too often tediously boring parade.
Kudos to New Mardi Gras for taking the first step in returning the parade to its grass roots.
New Mardi Gras claims that it cannot name which other groups have been denied a parade place for privacy reasons. Where does the “privacy” come from?
The groups are obviously happy to have their names associated with Mardi Gras or else they would not have asked for a parade place. There is no privacy involved here.
Also, the criteria for rejection have been stated, so there is no privacy there.
Let’s have some openness and let Mardi Gras members and the public know what the Mardi Gras board or staff have decided.
I will tell you the problem – The problem is that the Mardi Gras has well and truly passed it’s use-by date!!!!!
Mardi Gras is stuck in 1978 – come on it is 2010 for goodness sake!!!!!
So now we’ve got all our idealism off out chests, what about the practical issues here? The parade was getting too big. Too many participants, too much crowding in the marshalling area, having to deal with NSW Police, RTA and the City of Sydney about safety and security…. The parade needed to be reduced. So, who stays? Who goes? Well there will never be 100% agreement on that. Recently on Samesame (before this story broke) someone actually said they were sick of seeing the Dykes on Bikes in the parade every year!! At least Animal Liberation have gained a level of publicity they would never have achieved by marching with thousands of others on the day.
Couldn’t have said it better, Ashar.
So supporting those who have supported us does not advance glbt causes. What a sham, shame on Mardi Gras.
What a scam! Corporations only support concepts which make them profit, there’s nothing communially minded in that. How quickly the members of the New Mardi Gras forget who it was in the wider community that came to the support of ours – grass-roots organisations like this one. People who knew the the intrinsic value of justic, equity, and fairness for all – not some faceless behemoth motivated by greed and consumption. Shame on you New Mardi Gras!
ANZ float let through instead. Well you know what they say, “money makes the world go around”, and they are a bank after all. Don’t we all love the big banks? Isn’t following the US corporate lead a good thing for us all?
This isn’t an ANZ advertising/marketing scheme, they really ‘do’ care about the LGBTQI community!
But some lipstick company will be able to have a huge float! And some backpackers hostel who will bring their straight participatnts straight from the airport on the night of the parde will be allowed entry. Well don’t worry folks, because everyone already knows that this Mardi Gras season will absolutely SUCK! Parade and party split. Only TWO weeks of festival and a whole lot of crappy decisions from NMG like this one make be feel okay about sitting the whole thing out this year and saving my money for other things!
If it’s good enough to include blue chip companies because they are ” a big supporter of the gay and lesbian communty”, why is it not good enough to include ratbag grass roots activist groups, who are also big supporters of the gay and lesbian community, and have been for much much longer than the corporates (who only became gay friendly because of the agitation of activists such as those who are now banned from particpating in an animal rights entry in the parade)?
The Fat Tuesday corporation is ensuring its irrelevance to cultural change, and has instead become a window dresser for big business.
OH NO! What?? No land rights for gay whales, even the ones with ANZ frequent flyer credit cards????
If it’s good enough to include blue chip company’s because they are ” a big supporter of the gay and lesbian communty”, why is it not good enough to include ratbag grass roots activist groups, who are also big supporters of the gay and lesbian community, and have been for much much longer than the corporates (who only became gay friendly because of the agitation of activists such as those who are now banned from particpating in an animal rights entry in the parade)?
The Fat Tuesday corporation is ensuring its irrelevance to cultural change, and has instead become a window dresser for big business.
This is disgusting. Mardi Gras…. when you lose the animals, you lose us.