NO PRIDE WITHOUT PROTEST.

THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF MARDI GRAS

Content warning: Homophobia, transphobia, suicide, racism, police brutality

[WORDS BY JACQUI ADAMS AND CLAIRE MATTHEWS]

Bricks, rocks, and punches: all were thrown at police in retaliation for decades of homophobic persecution one fateful night in 1969 – an event that would come to be known as the Stonewall riots. The New York City protest sparked a global movement for gay liberation, one which had been brewing for many years prior in the revolutionary atmosphere of the 60s and 70s. Inspired by this show of resistance and acting in solidarity with the U.S Gay Liberation Front, Australia’s first Mardi Gras began as a protest in 1978. Now, over 50 years since Stonewall, the gay liberation movement has experienced a rapid transformation due in large part to the success of queer activists and grassroot campaigners in bringing about social and legal change. As LGBTQ+ communities continue to assimilate into mainstream society, many have questioned whether the radical spirit of Pride has been ‘tamed’ and the event de-politicised to cater to corporations and the neoliberal establishment.1 Particularly in Australia, there has been a gradual shift away from the political roots of Mardi Gras towards a more sanitised, corporate atmosphere. So, what do we still have to riot for? Shouldn’t we be celebrating how far we have come in a show of unity and joy? Do politics still belong at Mardi Gras? These are the questions which dominate discussions around Sydney’s annual Mardi Gras parade. But before it was a parade, it was a protest.