The political impact of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras

This paper evaluates the political impact of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, now in its fifteenth year. The paper summarises the evolution of Mardi Gras from a protest march into a month long festival, culminating in a street parade. It traces the development of governance and organisational arrangements. The impact of this event in five contexts is then discussed: the political consciousness and organisational mobilisation of the gay and lesbian community; public attitudes; the major political centres; and the state. In particular the evolution of relations with the NSW state government, at political and executive levels, and with the police is reviewed. The paper concludes Mardi Gras has played a pace‐setting role in each context The success of Mardi Gras, at least in terms of attracting public attention, does however create new strategic challenges for its sponsors.     

The 1994 Mardi Gras telecast: Conflicting minorities and the judgment of public interests

In 1994 the ABC announced that it would screen an edited telecast of the forthcoming Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. This proposal stimulated a major public campaign by opposing groups. Some opposed the timing of the telecast and others opposed a screening at any time. This campaign was distinguished by its scale, the vehemence of some of the views expressed and by their generally uncompromising character. Amongst other issues, the legitimacy of homosexuality as a lifestyle was challenged, as were the claims of homosexuals to social and political standing. This paper considers the task facing those—in this case the ABC board—who must respond to such campaigns. The empirical core of the paper is an analysis of the approximately 5000 protest letters received by the ABC. This covers the gender and occupation of the correspondents, their postal districts and their interest group affiliations. Further, the arguments of correspondents are analysed to identify the principal themes and propositions. How this campaign might be evaluated is then considered on the basis of perspectives drawn from the liberal political tradition.