Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras members have narrowly supported a move towards a publicly funded festival, passing the motion by just nine votes in an annual general meeting defined by several tight vote margins and competing visions for the organisation.
Across several hours on Saturday, members heard financial updates, questioned senior leaders, debated nine member motions and finalised any remaining paper ballots in the yearly directors' election.
Successful director candidates included Pride in Protest's Luna Choo; Protect Mardi Gras' Kathy Pavlich; Savanna Peake, a Protect Mardi Gras candidate and Labor Party member; and Jarrod Lomas, a Liberal Party member and president of the Pride Business Association who, while not campaigning as a Protect Mardi Gras candidate, was endorsed by the group because he supported its statement of principles.
Of the nine motions listed for debate this year, six were moved by members aligned with the Pride in Protest faction, two by Protect Mardi Gras-aligned members, and one – later withdrawn – by former director Melanie Schwerdt. While motions passed at the AGM are non-binding, they serve as a barometer of member sentiment and are considered by the board when determining the organisation's future direction.
Member motions
Among the motions, the most contentious proposals came from Pride in Protest. One sought to revive the perennial question of whether the NSW Police Force should be excluded from marching in the annual parade. It was defeated, with 611 voting against exclusion, 534 in favour and 40 abstaining.
Another motion sought to bar the Defence Force and the Australian Border Force from taking part in the parade. That proposal also failed, with 618 votes against, 525 for and 40 abstentions.
A further Pride in Protest motion calling on Mardi Gras to cut ties with genocide was narrowly rejected, with 563 against, 557 for and 57 abstaining.
In a statement issued after the vote, outgoing Pride in Protest board director Luc Velez said it was "disappointing to so many of us that the motion on police got so close to passing".
"But after today, we can concretely say that the accusations of our politics being fringe are unfounded.
"With 47 per cent [excluding abstentions] of the AGM voting to disinvite the violent NSW Police, we have shown that the police force are quickly losing its social license, and abolitionist politics have an important place in the mainstream."
Protect Mardi Gras co-founder Peter Stahel said he was pleased by "the fact the three exclusionary motions were defeated".
Despite those three motions failing, Pride in Protest did succeed in passing its remaining three motions.
The first of those successful motions sought support for transitioning Mardi Gras to a fully publicly funded model, supplemented by sales revenue such as ticketing, Fair Day stalls and membership fees. It passed narrowly with 573 votes in favour, 564 against and 47 abstentions.
It called on the organisation to pursue funding across council, state and federal levels, and to expand free community events. The accompanying memorandum argued that shifting to full public funding would lessen the organisation’s reliance on corporate sponsors.
Another Pride in Protest motion, titled "Embrace Trans Rights, Not Trump", urged Mardi Gras to condemn US President Donald Trump's "transphobic, white supremacist" administration, reject sponsorship from his supporters, and encourage parade floats to promote trans rights. It was carried with 578 votes for, 546 against and 62 abstaining.
A third Pride in Protest motion called for Mardi Gras to campaign for the abolition of religious exemptions in anti-discrimination law and hold politicians accountable for their positions on LGBTQIA+ rights. It passed with 664 votes in favour, 455 against and 64 abstentions.
It requested the Mardi Gras board formally write to the federal and state governments calling for urgent reform to anti-discrimination law, "and inform parliamentarians they will not be welcomed at the parade and Fair Day if they do not commit to this reform in a timely manner".
Newly elected board member Savanna Peake also had a motion carried. It reaffirmed the organisation's founding values of inclusivity, unity and respectful dialogue, passing with 535 votes for, 41 against and 494 abstentions.
Another successful motion, put forward by Kyriakos Gold, who unsuccessfully recontested his board seat, called for formal reconciliation with the bi+ community following what he described as its historical exclusion from membership in the 1990s. It passed with 449 votes in favour, 140 against and 551 abstentions.
Meanwhile, Schwerdt's motion to depoliticise the board never reached a vote after a last-minute amendment was proposed. The original motion sought to require directors to suspend political party membership while serving on the board to ensure political neutrality in governance.
The proposed amendment would have removed that requirement and instead created a standards and integrity committee to assess interests including political, advocacy involvement and self-interests.
However, a motion to allow the amendment was voted down after some members argued it would change the motion's intent and that proceeding would disadvantage those not in attendance who had already issued proxy voting instructions.
After the vote to permit the amendment failed, the motion was withdrawn.
Editor's note: Journalist Ben Grubb pays $50 annually for Mardi Gras membership to access discounts, including at retail stores and bars, but does not use the membership's voting rights.
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]
