Up to 300,000 people lined Sydney's streets to watch the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Saturday as the largest gay pride march in the Asia Pacific region marked its 30th anniversary.
For the first time, serving military personnel were among the 10,000 costumed participants sashaying through the city's Oxford Street gay district, showing how much attitudes have changed since the first event in 1978.
That march, staged at a time when male homosexuality was still illegal in New South Wales state, was a demand for gay rights that ended with more than 50 arrests as police and protesters clashed. Since then, the Mardi Gras has become better known as a sequin-adorned extravaganza that attracts tourists from around the world and pumps millions of dollars into the city's coffers.
For the first time, serving military personnel were among the 10,000 costumed participants sashaying through the city's Oxford Street gay district, showing how much attitudes have changed since the first event in 1978.
That march, staged at a time when male homosexuality was still illegal in New South Wales state, was a demand for gay rights that ended with more than 50 arrests as police and protesters clashed. Since then, the Mardi Gras has become better known as a sequin-adorned extravaganza that attracts tourists from around the world and pumps millions of dollars into the city's coffers.
About 80 defence force personnel were given permission for the first time to participate, alongside a lesbian motorcycle group who call themselves "Dykes on Bikes" and a contingent of swimwear-clad gay lifesavers.
Posts
