‘A slap in the face’: Premier slams Mardi Gras police ban proposal

NSW Premier Chris Minns has criticised “hypocritical” proposals that would prevent police from marching in the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade.

At a press conference on Thursday, Minns said that a decision to exclude police would undermine the inclusive nature of Mardi Gras.

“The NSW Police Force has radically changed in the last decades,” he said. “There’s many, many gay and lesbian members of NSW Police that serve with distinction and regard themselves as members of the LGBTQ community.

“I think it would be a slap in the face for them if the organisers disinvite them.”

Minns told reporters that the Mardi Gras parade would still rely on NSW Police to help keep the peace and the parade safe during the march and other Mardi Gras events.

“It’s a bit hypocritical to ban them from marching if you’re going to rely on them, as everybody does for major events, for security,” he said.

Police Minister Yasmin Cately said NSW Police were representative of the community and that marching in the parade was a highlight for the many LGBTQIA+ officers and their allies.

“Police have been marching in the parade for more than 20 years, denying this would not only be devastating for these officers but in my view, it would divide rather than unite the community – the opposite of what Mardi Gras is about,” she said in a statement to Gay Sydney News.

A NSW Police spokesperson told GSN it worked closely with Mardi Gras organisers to ensure the safety of the festival’s events and would continue to do so.

“The NSW Police Force is dedicated to supporting LGBTQIA+ communities and takes pride in its role as a community leader for inclusion and diversity,” the spokesperson said.

Mardi Gras is holding its annual general meeting on Saturday where members will be asked to vote on three resolutions about whether police should be allowed to participate in the parade.

The vote comes after a deterioration in the relationship between some sections of the LGBTQIA+ community and police following the alleged double-murder of Luke Davies and Jesse Baird earlier this year by former police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon using a police-issued weapon.

Lamarre-Condon has been charged with two counts of domestic violence-related murder.

Sydney Mardi Gras initially excluded police from marching at this year’s parade before a compromise was reached to allow officers to march out of their uniforms. Since then, however, there have been continued calls to exclude the police, particularly from the activist group Pride in Protest.

At the Saturday meeting, Mardi Gras members will vote on three separate motions regarding police involvement in the parade, each differing slightly in wording.

The first, put forward by the Mardi Gras board, proposes that police be barred until “such time as they demonstrate a commitment to improving relationships with LGBTQIA+ communities”.

The board has not provided guidance on how members should vote on the motion. While it prevents the NSW Police Force from marching as an organisation, it does not bar individual officers from participating under other banners.

The board proposed the motion after a community consultation on police participation in the Mardi Gras parade, in which 54 per cent of survey respondents expressed that police should not be allowed to march.

The second motion, by activist group Pride in Protest, leaves officers with little chance of returning to the parade. It simply calls for the “NSW Police Force [to] not be allowed to march in the Parade”.

In a third motion, Rainbow Labor co-convenor Daniel Mitsuru Delisle has proposed that NSW Police participation in the parade be limited to LGBTQIA+ officers, who would not wear uniforms or carry weapons.

The motion also requires the NSW minister for police to report annually to parliament on progress in implementing recommendations from the Special Commission of Inquiry into LGBTIQ hate crimes.

It further stipulates that Mardi Gras broadcasts and communications about NSW Police include the historical context of their interactions with parade participants and proposes a review of police participation in the march in 2029.

Editor’s note: Journalist Eliot Hastie knew Baird. Hastie also pays an annual $50 Mardi Gras membership for its discounts, including at retail outlets and bars. He does not use his membership’s voting rights.