2008 mardi
gras
The Sydney mardi
gras organisation continues to promote its festival and parade. On Saturday
1 March they held their parade - the 30th anniversary of the
first protest in Sydney.
The NSW state government and some councils support
it financially - but thankfully the major sponsors from a decade ago
(Telstra, Qantas, etc) have deserted the organisation. The major sponsor now is
gaydar, a homosexual meeting website.
In our report for
2008:
*
Parade crowd numbers - and photos
* 100 Revs
* Freedom 2 B[e]
marching in parade
* Messages of support from politicians
* Sponsors
*
Media reports
Parade crowd numbers
We again
challenged the media to report accurate crowd numbers. In recent years they
have quoted the inflated "organisers' figures".
Click here for our media release
(27/2/2008) that highlights the situation.
Our web pages for 2006 and 2007 and the mardi gras all highlight the problem of inflated crowd numbers. See photos taken in 2002 by clicking here.
AAP and The Age and SMH reported that
'tens of thousands' of people watched the parade. But by the next day, they, and
other media reports, were quoting the organisers
figures, saying that '300,000 people' watched the parade and
10,000 people marched. One organiser said there was 'anything up to 400,000
spectators'; "The crowds were up on last year, but it's difficult to measure
exactly how many people were there."!!!
Prior to the march, some media
'accurately' predicted the crowd figures: for example, the Herald
Sun wrote "Up to 300,000 people are again expected to line the central city
route".
Media reports:
Before parade:
Military
gets in step with Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
Herald
Sun, March 1, 2008 “Up to 300,000 people are again expected to line
the central city route to watch the internationally renowned procession”.
After parade:
Founders
cheered as Mardi Gras turns 30
The Age – and SMH
- from AAP - March 1, 2008
“Tens of thousands of people lined the central Sydney
route to watch the parade”.
Sydney
Celebrates 30th Gay Mardi Gras
AP, Mar 1, 2008 “Around 300,000
revelers cheered …”
Organisers
hail biggest Mardi Gras yet
ABC, Sun Mar 2, 2008
“Organisers say more than 300,000 people filled vantage points
around Oxford
Street”.
Organisers
happy with 30th Mardi Gras
SMH, AAP, March 2,
2008 “The biggest and best yet is the verdict from organisers”
“A
record 10,000 participants…”
“Mardi Gras organiser Marcus Bourget said …
attracted anything up to 400,000 spectators”. He said "The crowds were up on
last year, but it's difficult to measure exactly how many people were
there."
mardi gras parade
photos
Here are some photos of the crowd -
and all the
spaces...
The parade in Oxford Street - we are standing behind the
'crowd':
Large expanse of
road left
empty for the
parade:
Lots of
room behind the
crowd!
More photos of the parade are in the attached pdf document
below.
100
Revs
A new organisation called 100 Revs has
been set up - they issued a statement apologising to the homosexual
community for not welcoming homosexuals into their churches. The group
wanted 100 ministers and pastors to sign up to the apology and to march in
the mardi gras to convey their apology.
The group was been set up by Mike
Hercock and Colin Scott - Baptist ministers in inner Sydney. It may be true
to say the church has not been 'welcoming' (and that could apply to all sorts of
people). The statement even carefully says that one can 'apologise' regardless
of one's theological views about homosexuality.
HOWEVER, one needs to look more closely at who is organising the 'apology' -
it is being organised and supported by people who support the
FULL acceptance of homosexuality. Mike Hercock and Colin
Scott are involved in Hope Street (a ministry of the NSW and ACT
Baptist Churches) and run a church that welcomes 'rich, poor, gay, straight'.
100 Revs was launched at a Freedom 2 B[e] event run by
Anthony Venn-Brown, who is lobbying for the church to
fully accept homosexuality.
By the time of the mardi gras (1/3/2008),
82 people had signed the statement, with the number at 88 by 11
March 2008.
Click here for the list
at 11 March.
About 35 people actually marched in the mardi
gras parade under the '100 Revs' banner.
Click here
for Anthony's Venn-Brown's assessment of the 100 Revs project - along with an
interview and story of the 100 Revs
by French TV.
Freedom 2 B[e]
marching in parade
Freedom 2 B[e], the support group for
homosexual pentecostal Christians started by Anthony Venn-Brown, is marching in the mardi gras parade for the second time.
Less than 30 people marched with Freedom 2 B[e].
For AVB's report of the
parade and event, click here
.
Messages of support
from politicians
A number of politicians again sent
messages
of support to mardi gras:
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd sent a
message as did NSW Premier Morris Iemma.
Senator Bob Brown, Senator Lyn
Allison and NSW MP Clover Moore also sent messages.
Sponsors
This year
the main sponsor or ‘Presenting Partner’ is gaydar
, a company that runs an online meeting website for
homosexuals.
The major sponsors include
Virgin Blue, Pump, and the City of Sydney. Supporters, who often provide a particular service, include JCDecaux (street advertising),
and the Botanic Gardens Trust (hosting one of the dance
parties). Ikea was also a sponsor and had a float in the parade.
Media
articles before the mardi gras parade
Australia's
Mardi Gras turns 30 in 'Brave New Worlds'
AFP, 27 Feb
2008.
"Police, pastors and military personnel will be
among the drag queens and divas on parade at Sydney's Mardi Gras on Saturday .
. . "
"The March 1 parade by 10,000 people through streets thronged
with thousands of spectators will be unrecognisable from the city's
first "fancy dress" gay pride march which ended in clashes with
police...."
More realistic - no mention of 'half
a million'!
Parade
hides darker underbelly
News.com, February 26, 2008
"...
Exploitative sex, drug and alcohol abuse and isolation put another colour on the
rosy glow painted by the party crowd each year. ..."
Mardi Gras
loses its glitter
News.com, February 26, 2008
Some
homosexuals question the relevance of the mardi gras parade...
[Even some of
the organisers are asking some of the same questions about the parade - in
the mardi gras guide itself - click here .] Author: Jenny Stokes | Modified: 18 March 2008 |
