Sleazy behaviour in check

The crowd of around 10,000 people attending the Sleaze party on Saturday night were, by all accounts, incredibly well-behaved.

Apart from a handful of GHB users needing medical assistance there were no serious drug-related incidents on the night.

Organisers and medical experts had feared widespread usage of the deadly drug Red Mitsubishi at the party, but it seems warnings about the hallucinogen may have paid off.

Gordian Fulde, director of emergency services at St Vincent’s Hospital, said he expected a much greater fallout from dangerous drug use at the party. There was less G than we thought and we’re told that, on the entrance to the party, people were being warned not to do G or Red Mitsubishi. Whether that was it or people weren’t as silly as sometimes they can be, I don’t know.

Police said there were no incidents to report from the party and congratulated the crowd for being so very well-behaved. A Surry Hills Police spokesperson said their presence on the night consisted of four gay and lesbian liaison officers.

Yet again, Sydney’s GLBTQ community has shown it knows how to party safely with no major incidents, New Mardi Gras co-chair Mark Orr said. He and fellow co-chair Steph Sands hailed Sleaze as a complete success and said it had consolidated NMG’s finances for next year.

With a successful Sleaze, it’s placed us in a fantastic position for the 2005 Mardi Gras season, said Sands.

Many partygoers dressed for the event’s porn theme, with dozens of tennis players, sailors, pool boys and nurses being spotted in the crowd. And, of course, there was lots and lots of bare skin.

Shows on the night included a rendition of Another One Bites The Dust from the cast of the musical We Will Rock You, plus a performance by 14 real-life porn stars.

But the most popular shows were the ones being performed by the hundreds of revellers who pole-danced their way through the night on the 10 or so poles installed in the Hordern.

Anyone wanting to be part of next year’s Mardi Gras festival must apply by Monday 11 October. Application forms can be downloaded from www.mardigras.org.au.