Sydney Mardi Gras members have narrowly voted against a motion to exclude NSW Police from marching in the organisation’s annual parade, paving the way for the force to participate in next year’s event.
At the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras annual general meeting on Saturday, members voted down a board motion that called for police to be excluded from marching “until such time as they demonstrate a commitment to improving relationships with LGBTQIA+ communities”.
There were 459 votes in favour of the motion to exclude the police, 493 against, and 26 abstentions.
A separate motion from activist group Pride in Protest that sought to indefinitely ban NSW Police from marching in the parade was also voted down, with 425 votes in favour, 522 against, and 29 abstentions.
Another motion voted down, from Rainbow Labor NSW co-convener Daniel Mitsuru Delisle, proposed limiting the police’s participation in the parade to LGBTQIA+ officers only and would have prevented them from wearing their official uniforms or carrying weapons.
There were 419 members in favour of Delisle’s motion, 482 against, and 36 abstentions.
The outcome means that NSW Police will be treated like any other applicant seeking to participate in the parade. It will be up to the Mardi Gras parade committee to decide whether the force can march and under what circumstances.
The main difference now is that police no longer have the rights previously granted under the Mardi Gras Police Accord, which members voted to terminate at last year’s annual general meeting.
The accord was a memorandum of understanding between Sydney Mardi Gras and the NSW Police that existed “to ensure all people attending our events feel safe”, according to Mardi Gras’ website.
The board never publicly disclosed when the accord was officially terminated following the vote last year. In May, Gay Sydney News reported that the board had formally ended the accord but was not provided with the exact date of termination.
The accord permitted police to march in the parade wearing their uniforms and carrying firearms. With its termination ahead of the 2025 parade, police must adhere to rules banning both real and toy guns.
The issue of the police’s participation in the parade came to a head earlier this year when former NSW Police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon was charged with two counts of domestic violence-related murder following the deaths of Sydney couple Jesse Baird and Luke Davies.
A NSW Police spokesperson confirmed to Gay Sydney News that the organisation had made a submission to be part of 2025 Mardi Gras parade and that it was “working with organisers on next steps” and was looking forward to meeting the new Mardi Gras board “in the near future”.
Four new Mardi Gras board members will be announced in the coming days once votes are tallied from the annual general meeting.
NSW Police’s spokesperson welcomed the outcome of Saturday’s annual general meeting but declined to reveal whether any conditions had been placed on the organisation in terms of marching in next year’s parade.
“The NSW Police Force has been marching in the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras since 1998 and for the LGBTQIA+ staff and allies within the NSW Police Force as well as their friends and family, this remains an important and significant annual event,” the police spokesperson said.
“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 NSW Police Force also values its ongoing close relationship with the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras to ensure the safety and success of its events.”
Pride in Protest’s Damien Nguyen said the group was disappointed with the outcome that will allow the police to march in the parade.
“But we know now that it’s a question of when, not if, the police will be removed from the parade,” Nguyen said in a media statement on Saturday afternoon.
“Today, the police were saved only by an intervention from the NSW Government, which has campaigned in the media and had Ministers sign up as Mardi Gras members to join the vote.
“This is an attack on the self-determination of our parade: a straight Premier is issuing orders to our community that we must welcome an institution that community consultations have demonstrated we don’t want, and that continues to abuse and harass us every single day.”
Gay Sydney News has asked Pride in Protest to name which ministers have signed up as members and will provide an update when we hear back.
Motions passed at the annual general meeting are non-binding, meaning that the Mardi Gras board ultimately decides how to treat them.
Several other motions proposed by members of Pride in Protest were also debated at the meeting. Their outcomes will be included in other Gay Sydney News articles.
Comment has been sought from NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley.
Editor’s note: Journalists Eliot Hastie and Ben Grubb pay $50 annually for Mardi Gras memberships to access discounts at retail stores and bars but don’t use the membership’s voting rights. Hastie knew Jesse Baird.
Gay Sydney News editor
Gay Sydney News reporter