The theme of this year’s Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras pride march was ‘Say Something’, with 15 of the 130 floats addressing the issue of same-sex civil unionship. New South Wales Labor Minister Verity Firth said: “We must never forget that the first Mardi Gras in 1978 was about the struggle for equality and this aspect remains absolutely a part of the parade today.”
Organisers set up speech bubbles along the parade route and called on spectators to speak out against inequality.
The parade was led by eight people who organisers say have made an impact in the lives of people identifying as GLBTQ. They included openly gay actress Lily Tomlin, gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell and two Melbourne teens who protested against the ban on gay couples at a school formal. Other personalities in support of the march included Lord Mayor Clover Moore, 2DayFM’s resident journalist openly gay activist Geoff Field with his husband Jason Kerr at the marshalling area with the Marriage Equality float.
Check out hundreds more images from the parade here and here.
