Ben Grubb is the founder and editor of Gay Sydney News, an independent publication covering LGBTQIA+ news. A journalist with more than 15 years' experience, he has reported and edited for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, WAToday, Brisbane Times, The Australian Financial Review, News.com.au, ZDNet, TelecomTimes and iTnews, primarily on the topic of technology. He previously hosted The Informer, a queer current affairs program on Melbourne’s JOY 94.9 radio station, and contributes to LGBTQIA+ media including Stun Magazine. Ben has also appeared as a technology commentator on Channel Ten's The Project, ABC RN’s Download This Show and commercial radio stations 2UE, 2GB and 6PR. Contact Ben: [email protected]
Mardi Gras director Kyriakos Gold, who is seeking re-election to the charity’s board this month, has threatened to sue the organisation unless it pays him tens of thousands of dollars in compensation for expenses and lost income to respond to what he alleges was a mishandled complaint-handling process examining allegations made against him, the outcome of which remains unclear.
A full-time Sydney Mardi Gras employee asked members of the charity's volunteer network to work unpaid shifts for two commercial LGBTQIA+ festivals while also being paid by one of those events, prompting questions about conflict-of-interest management at one of Australia's most high-profile queer organisations and whether those workers should have been paid employees.
Sydney Mardi Gras board candidate Savanna Peake has been rebuked by the Australian Labor Party for using a party email list to distribute Protect Mardi Gras campaign material, prompting renewed scrutiny over her handling of personal data just days after a university student was outed to her family by a separate mail-out promoting her candidacy.
Sydney Mardi Gras board candidate Savanna Peake has apologised after a university student was outed to her family when one of Peake's campaign flyers arrived at their home – prompting the organisation to review how members' personal details are shared during elections.
Mardi Gras board directors would be forced to suspend their membership of political parties while serving on the organisation's board under a proposal to be debated at this month's annual general meeting.
The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras has announced a significant financial turnaround, reporting a net surplus of $401,750 for 2025, a substantial improvement from the previous year's deficit of $1,242,774.
The outcome of the election will determine the makeup of the board that will steer Mardi Gras into its 50th anniversary, amid competing priorities over governance, community accountability and the organisation’s activist legacy.
The organisation behind the annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras festival and parade is poised to post a surplus for the 2025 financial year, according to two people familiar with the yet-to-be-released results.
Oxford Street gay bar Stonewall Hotel has extended its lease of neighbouring venue Diva bar, ensuring long island iced teas will continue to be poured from the pink-coloured watering hole for at least another three years, seven months and 27 days.
Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras has confirmed its official all-night flagship party will return in 2026 – but the venue remains under wraps, with organisers yet to reveal where the festival’s biggest night will be staged.
