Mardi Gras Mayhem
Image: Image: SGLMG Facebook
By Jacqualine Hardy
We are just about to face one of our greatest challenges. If the Religious Discrimination Bill is passed by Parliament, in whatever form, the least it will do is push the LGBTQI cause back 20 years.
This is not the time for division and strife. You know how critics of our community love it when we look like a pack of seagulls squabbling over a hot chip.
As an involved community member and an out and proud lesbian for the last 40 years, I am outraged by the five motions set for discussion at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras (SGLMG) Annual General Meeting (AGM) by Troy Murphy and Kyle Olsen.
Control and Governance
Community for me has always been about diversity, inclusivity and celebration. These motions seem more like control and governance.
The first requests that motions defeated at the AGM be rested for 2-3 years.
The wonderful thing about SGLMG is that each year the membership becomes more diverse and more inclusive. Where are the Ls, where are the Bs, where are the Ts etc.?
The views of this new mix must be reflected in AGM decisions which may change as the mix changes. It “wastes time” is not a good enough excuse – make time.
In a democracy, everyone’s voice should be heard.
The second condemns Pride in Protest for leaking information about how Board members voted on different issues.
We know how our politicians vote. We have a right to know how our Board members vote. What happened to transparency?
The third calls for legal action against Pride in Protest and CARR for misusing the Mardi Gras brand.
This will be very expensive when you think about legal fees before even getting to court. A waste of time and money, better spent on more pressing issues. Focus, people.
Then it Really Gets Interesting
The fourth calls for all SGLMG members who are also members of Pride in Protest or CARR to have their membership dropped to Associate membership.
Is this segregation? Shut up and sit at the other end of the bus?
Treating one group differently from another is what we are fighting against with the Religious Discrimination Bill.
Way to go though, if you want to dump Board members elected by the membership but not supportive of your views or if you want to control a particular group’s voting opportunities. The Board should represent all community views, not just one group’s views – again, control and governance.
The fifth motion calls for the expulsion of Charlie Murphy.
What, no public trial first? How medieval are you planning on getting because our LGBTQI community did not fare very well in those times?
Seriously, if you are a SGLMG member, zoom into the AGM at 11 AM on Saturday, January 29 and have your say. And to the group of SGLMG members with the ‘repel all boarders’ attitude. Have you ever considered opening the door and negotiating with these groups? After all, you must have something in common, i.e. a productive and united future for all of our LGBTQI+ community.
Jacqualine Hardy is an SGLMG member and lesbian member of the LGBTIQ+ community promoting inclusivity and connection; hopefully adding another voice for the over 55s and those identifying as women.
Kevin Somerville has hit the nail firmly in the head!
In my view, as a member of both the old and new organisations continuously since 1995, Mardi Gras is not primarily a political organisation (particularly the new body). Its main job is event management – to organise the Mardi Gras parade and associated festival. Which provide the community with a platform for a diverse range of cultural and political perspectives – including those of Pride In Protest and any other voices with a message. But seeking to hijack SGLMG from within for your own political purposes is not the way to do it. As others note, SGLMG is a broad church. All voices, participants and parts of the wider queer community are welcome in our Gay and Lesbian parade and festival. Including Pride In Protest. And including the police and others PiP seek to exclude. Protest as much as you like, but please don’t destroy MY community organisation along the way.
Aren’t Mardi Gras heavily involved in staging Sydney World Pride in 13 months time?
They have stuffed up this years Mardi Gras again (‘Oh let’s just blame COVID’) and are so busy playing school yard politics that there is no way Sydney World Pride is going to anything other than a total embarrassment.
If it happens at all.
Melbourne queers must be laughing their arses off. Oh that’s right.. they don’t even think about Sydney these days.
The rot we have increasingly seen in Federal and State politics – largely thanks to religious bigots – particularly the Pentecostal sect who claim that the bible is the one true word of God yet they pick and choose which parts of it they accept and then treat some of Our Refugees and Asylum Seekers as badly as the Nazis did so many millions. They do this because they only want nice, preferable White but “good Christians” of colour may be acceptable. Muslims and others are held in secret Concentration Camps off-shore where decent journalists and people of Compassion and Decency – without be members of any religious business – are refused permission to visit.
Now we have the once seemingly united GLBTIQ+ community splintering with those currently in control of the SGLMG wanting to act like dictators. Maybe it is time for a spill of all members of the board and they all be replaced with people who want Inclusivity.
Replying to ‘Ben’:
Is *Groan* your considered comment, or are you not feeling well?
Our greatest enemies are always those within our camp. Those who seek to impose their political agendas and ideologies on everyone else. Those who subscribe to entryism. Not unlike those who sought to oppose the move of Mardi Gras to summer and to undermine Mardi Gras through what they called the Summer Offensive and Stonewall Week. The movement first needs to destroy the enemies within before fighting the enemies outside. Gay men and lesbians are diverse. They have different attitudes towards politics. Those who are seeking to marginalise the police, the Liberal Party and anyone who refuses to share their agenda is, indeed, our true enemy. Mardi Gras should include everyone. Mardi Gras is a broad church.
“Pride in Protest” focused on protesting against Mardi Gras, banning LGBTIQ police, ousting queers who vote Liberal…
*Groan*
I’m a 78’er and Honorary Life Member of Mardi Gras. I was there at the beginning, and I don’t wish to see the end of our freedoms.
If the Religious Discrimination Bill is passed in ANY form whatsoever, it will be the end of ALL we have struggled, fought and suffered for.
Stop squabbling amongst yourselves and realise all this division gives our REAL enemy, the ultra-right wing religious zealots, ammunition to pressure the passing of this quite literally, fatal Bill.
We have a common goal…DEFEAT this Bill in all it’s forms.
Just behave yourselves & focus. As an old man, I can assure you, you would NOT like reverting to the era of living in closeted fear.
If this Bill passes, that is precisely the end result.