@JamesJetsOften But a very happy #MardiGras to you. Mwah!
buggery.org
Better than a poke in the eye with a wet fish
Matches for: “mardi” …
I wish the part of my brain that keeps saying ‘you…
I wish the part of my brain that keeps saying ‘you should be in Sydney’ would STFU. Happy #MardiGras!
RT @EthelYarwood: @RealBobKatter The Un-Australian…
RT @EthelYarwood: @RealBobKatter
The Un-Australian Party
“Bourke or Bust” tour
@SydneyMardiGras parade
#BigotOnBoard #auspol http://t.co …
It’s a pity the Sydney Mardi Gras didn’t have room…
It’s a pity the Sydney Mardi Gras didn’t have room for the Human Rights Commission float, but it’s great they found room for ANZ and Optus.
RT @star_observer: Greens leader @senatormilne ope…
RT @star_observer: Greens leader @senatormilne opens up about being a mother to a gay son and her decision to march in @SydneyMardiGras: …
The 1996 federal election clashed with the @Sydney…
The 1996 federal election clashed with the @SydneyMardiGras. I never complained about my holy day being spoiled. #auspol #ausvotes
Happy Mardi Gras
It’s Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras tonight. I won’t be there this time – I’ll be at Chillout in Daylesford tomorrow instead. Here’s a happy shout-out to all my friends in Sydney. Hope you have a fun, safe and spectacular night. Especially my special friends at Ethel Yarwood Enterprises, who are organising the Surry Hillsong float.
A quick look at the morning news coverage of the event:
- The Sydney Morning Herald has a gallery of Mardi Gras photos from the last 30 years. Can’t help noticing the lack of images from the period 1979–1995, when the Herald’s treatment of the event was far less sympathetic than it is today.
- The Australian has an interactive timeline of Mardi Gras history that is even more surprising given that paper’s historical attitude towards teh gays.
- The SMH has a preview of the event with coverage of Surry Hillsong.
- Former High Court Justice Michael Kirby has an op-ed piece in the Sydney Daily Telegraph about why Mardi Gras is important, even if you find the bare bottoms and breasts a bit much, as Kirby plainly does. The Terror manages to misspell ‘Mardi Gras’ in the headline.
- The Sydney Star Observer has lots of coverage, including an article about the decision by queer arab group Beit el Hob not to participate in protest at the event’s theme (“Nations United”) and the nationalistic overtones that creates.
And a few selections from the blogosphere:
- ‘Therin of Andor’ won’t be going to the parade because he was hit in the head with a dollar coin at a previous event.
- Leigh stark bemoans the fact that Sydney’s public transport system is incapable of handling the Mardi Gras.
- Anthony Bosco has a message to GLBT people: “if you want to be accepted as “normal” – then maybe you should stop acting like a freak.”
- Hiraku asks, given that Australia has such a big gay and lesbian festival, how come we don’t have more out queer celebs?
- In a moving post, Ben Gresham (a survivor of ‘ex-gay therapy’ and a member of the Pentecostal church) explains why he is marching.
- ‘PoisonedHappiness’ is anguishing about having to attend the parade with some straight friends who he doesn’t think will be sympathetic to the event. And they don’t know he’s gay.
CC-licensed image above: ‘Mardi Gras‘ by alexanderino.
Midsumma Carnival
I spent a few hours at the Midsumma Carnival yesterday – an excursion into the gay world I so rarely inhabit these days. I was there to volunteer my time for PLWHA Victoria, whose Board I now sit on. It was a pleasant couple of hours, chatting with passers-by and spruiking our organisation’s activities, despite the rain.
After I was done I took a quick stroll through the rest of the fête — very quick, as it became apparent that there was so little there which would appeal to me. I used to really look forward to events like this, but then I always found them stimulating and informative. These days it feels like almost all the stallholders are commercial operations, and given that I’m not in the market for skin cream, rainbow-flag themed accessories, motor cars or package holidays there’s not much that interests me.
I presume the wares on display at the Carnival are meant to be representative of the desires and aspirations of gay men and lesbians, yet I’m not tempted. Maybe this means I’m not as “gay” as I once was, or perhaps the meaning of gay has changed and I’ve been left behind (or maybe I’m making too much of all of this: shopping is not culture).
It’s an issue I’ve been grappling with for a while: how do you “do” gay when your life doesn’t revolve around bars, nightclubs, dance parties and so on? If you don’t drink (I don’t), take drugs (ditto), go to Mardi Gras (not this year), have sex 10 times a week (can’t be bothered) then what does it mean to say “I am a gay man”? Being gay has always (for me) been about more than a sexual identity — it’s a cultural signifier. But, as I’m finding, it can be a very narrowly-defined one.
Sydney readers: something for your diary
If you’re a Sydney resident (or if you’re not and you happen to be in Sydney on 25 January – Australia Day eve), you could do a lot worse than make you way to the Manacle:
MANACLE are proud to be supporting ethel yarwood enterprises for the 2007 Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras parade. Last year MANACLE sponsored this crazy crew of performers as The Kate Moss Line Dancers (above), which won the Funniest Parade Entry Award. Since 1988 this team has produced some of the more legendary parade entries including Keith Haring (1997), Dick van Dykes on Bikes (1998), The Happy Little SODOMITES (2000), The Bougainville Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras (2001) and Jenny & Craig (2004) which also all won awards.
And believe us, this year the ethel yarwood enterprises’ entry is up to their usual level of humour and parody.
The staging of parade entries of this standard requires investment in time, effort and money. The ethel yarwood enterprises team obviously expend the time and effort to create these extravaganzas. MANACLE are pleased to be able to assist with financial aspects. On the Australia Day eve (25th January, 10pm – 1am) MANACLE is hosting an entry-by-donation fundraiser. A simple, inexpensive, painless gold coin donation to the lads at the door will put you in a raffle draw.
Prizes include:
- a double pass to the Opening Night of the Mardi Gras Queer Screen Festival My Queer Career film competition which includes the fabulous after party
- three-course dinner for two at Razors Edge restaurant, Enmore
- $50 bar tab at MANACLE
- MANACLE lager
The raffle will be drawn on the night with the winners being notified by sms or phone.
Also ethel yarwood enterprises team are looking for participants for their parade entry. If you’ve ever wanted to be in the parade this is an opportunity to be involved in some of the lunacy. Just contact Kabi at kabi@yarwood.com.au (casting couch optional
).
I am sworn to secrecy, but I can say that this is the parade entry we had to have – and it’ll only cost you a couple of bucks and a few minutes at the Manacle to make it happen. Go.