Qtopia says Sydney Mardi Gras board candidate Savanna Peake is not a member of the queer museum’s central board, despite her previously listing the role on her Instagram profile until Gay Sydney News began asking questions.
Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras
Questions have been raised over Pride in Protest's pay-as-you-can offer to help cover Mardi Gras membership fees for people wanting to sign up in support of its cause.
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.
Pride in Protest is fighting for social justice in the queer community and beyond, meaning we want to see an end to police violence, the cutting of Mardi Gras’ ties with companies linked to genocide, and full equality for sex workers, trans youth, everyone – without exceptions.
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.