Over the weekend, thousands came together to celebrate pride at the 47th edition of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade.
What began as a protest for LGBTQIA+ rights continues as an iconic pillar in the community as a platform for advocacy, connection, visibility, and celebration. It is a strong recognition of the journey we are on towards equality and a reminder that we have come a long way – but there is still so much to do.
Amnesty activists joined together to proudly march down Oxford Street in Sydney, alongside more than 200 floats showcasing this year’s theme “Free to be”.
Human rights are my pride
History of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
The first Mardi Gras occurred on 24th June 1978, as an event to celebrate gay and lesbian culture and to protest the discrimination they faced every day. However, the march down Oxford Street ended with police arrests and violence against the protestors.
The following months saw many wins and losses for LGBTQIA+ rights, but by April 1979 the NSW Summary Offences Act legislation, which had allowed the arrests, was repealed.
From then on Mardi Gras gained momentum as a symbol of hard-won civil rights for the LGBTQIA+ community. The event was moved to Summer and now includes several community events as well as the annual protest and parade.
You can learn more about the history of Mardi Gras here.
Take action
Despite the progress made, the LGBTQIA+ community continues to suffer human rights abuses, evidenced by recent attacks on trans young people and their right to access healthcare.
A federal Human Rights Act provides legal protection for the LGBTQIA+ community, and for everyone in Australia, by protecting human rights in our federal laws.
Everyone should be treated equally under the law. Everyone should have a right to be their true self. And love should be universally recognised simply for what it is – love.
But right now, Australia doesn’t have a law protecting all our human rights and we see the consequences of this failure impacting Australians and the LGBTQIA+ community every single day.
Now is the time to protect our human rights in our laws. To make this a reality, politicians need to hear from their community. Ahead of the upcoming federal election, make sure that your Member of Parliament knows you support a Human Rights Act. The more MPs that support the Act, the more likely the government is to commit to legislating one.
Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 10 million people who take injustice personally. We are campaigning for a world where human rights are enjoyed by all – and we can only do it with your support.
Act now or learn more about a Human Rights Act.
