Mardi Gras

Last night saw the end of the month long Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival. The World famous parade started at 8pm and millions of people - both locals and tourists lined the streets to watch the 150 floats and hundreds of performers parade up one of the main streets in Sydney. People jostled to get the best views with the hoards 10 deep in places and people standing on 1 or 2 or more milk and bottle crates just to get a view of the multi coloured floats and costumes adorned by the performers.

The Mardi Gras parade now in it's 30th year started as a protest. Homosexual people demanding equal rights as well as tolerance within Australia. Now it draws a world wide crowd and people walk proudly up Oxford street for the same reason, to express openly who they are and what the gay community stands for.

I am not sure that Brad and I meet the mould. We don't feel the need to dress up in the tightest speedo's we can buy, adorn ourselves in glitter, strap some fairy wings to our backs and head out to march for our beliefs. That is not who we are and I don't believe that the vast majority of people who were out and about last night were "who they are as well".

http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/2008/03/01/1204227053034.html

Check out the photo's

My soap box feeling for the festival is that it is great for tourism in Sydney. (It must bring in millions of dollars) however it seems (to me) to have lost the point. Yes there still is a lot of discrimination (and probably no more so than in Australia) however if we dress as fairies, we will be treated as fairies and that is what a lot of people were saying last night.

Brad and I turned up too late to find a good spot (well we actually didn't see any of the parade as we couldn't get anywhere near the road). Instead we went to a straight bar, had a few beers, bought some pizza and walked home. We had quite a good night although I also fear that we could be turning into grumpy old men.....

OK I'll get off my soap box now.....