Mardi Gras: Last News

Holding hands in public – it’s such a simple human gesture, capable of telegraphing so much and yet this elementary gesture of friendship, love, affection, support and so many other basic human needs is off-limits, in public at least, to the majority of queer people in Australia and especially for gay men.A study conducted by ANZ in honour of their 11-year association with Mardi Gras back in 2017 showed that “members of Australia’s LGBTQI community are three times more likely to feel uncomfortable holding hands in public than other Australians” and that while 94% of respondents agreed that everyone should feel comfortable holding hands in public, only 43% of the LGBTQI community actually felt comfortable and confident enough to do so.And let’s face it, we’re not talking about the horrors of seeing two people eating each other’s faces on a train platform or dry humping in a library, this is two people engaging in the most innocuous forms of Public Displays of Affection possible and yet the sight of two men holding hands is enough to make this 42-year-old gay man blush with the romanticism and braveness of it all, having never walked down the street holding another man’s hand.Will this ever change? Will this simple gesture of love and affection ever truly be an accepted declaration between two men on the streets of rural or suburban Australia? Hopefully one day, Australians of all persuasions will feel safe to perform that most simple act of human connection – basic skin-on-skin contact with another human being of our choosing.© Star Observer 2022 | For the latest in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTIQ) news in Australia, be sure to visit

The NSW Police have apologised to  ‘78er Barbara Karpinski for ejecting her from the Sydney Cricket Ground stadium where she was watching the Mardi Gras parade on March 5. In response to questions from Star Observer, a NSW Police spokesperson issued the following statement on Friday: “The NSW Police Force is taking this matter very seriously and is conducting inquiries to determine why and how this incident occurred and ensure it is not repeated.”   “We apologise sincerely to the 78er who was asked to leave and to all 78ers and the LGBTIQA+ communities broadly. Our dialogue and communication with the LGBTIQA+ communities will continue to build on the solid relationship we have established together.”Barbara KarpinskiWhen Star Observer informed Karpinski of the apology last night, she thanked both the NSW police and Mardi Gras CEO Albert Kruger for their swift apologies, but she said that action rather than more apologies are needed. She said that although sceptical, she remains hopeful that communication and openness are the way forward.This is not the first time that NSW Police have apologised to Karpinski who was arrested as a schoolgirl in 1978.

COVID-19 required only in indoor public spaces.Parade routes are shorter than usual, because there aren’t enough police for the standard ones, even with officers working 12-hour shifts as they always do on Mardi Gras and the end of the Carnival season leading up to it.But with COVID-19 hospitalizations and case numbers falling worldwide and 92% of the city’s adults at least partly vaccinated, parades are back on after a season without them.And people are out and ready to let the good times roll.The crowd Sunday, when the huge Krewe of Bacchus paraded, “was a record for us in the 10 years we’ve been open,” said Thomas Houston, bar manager at Superior Seafood and Oyster Bar, located at the start of the truncated parade route.He expected similar crowds on Fat Tuesday — a state holiday — if the weather is good.

By Kyle Olsen and Troy MurphyThis Saturday, the members of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras will vote on a number of motions relating to the behaviour of activist group Pride In Protest. You can view Motions 1-5 here. We have designed these to hold Pride In Protest accountable for the damage their behaviour has caused Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, its staff, board, volunteers and Parade participants.For the past week, the Star Observer has published articles in relation to these motions.

Mardi Gras Fair Day in Sydney’s Victoria Park chances are that you have witnessed or even taken part in a Silverbacks demonstration in Team Sydney’s vibrant Sports Village. First established in 1993, the Sydney Silverbacks are an inclusive LGBTQI wrestling club training on Friday evenings year-round in Kings Cross.Sydney Silverbacks.

On Saturday, Australia celebrated its LGBTQI communities as Sydney held the annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. But, there was no rest for homophobes. In a shocking incident ABC Sydney crime reporter Mark Reddie and his gay friends were targeted by homophobic hoons just hours after the parade. “We were leaving a Mardi Gras party and there was a group of four of us.

The Iconic gym City Gym in Darlinghurst, which has been operating in the same location for over 40 years, and recently underwent a major 7-month, $1.5 million renovation, is holding a FREE Mardi Gras themed Fair Day on February 27 in support of mental health charity Beyond Blue.Beyond Blue is a charity particularly close to City Gym’s heart, having tragically lost three of their members due to depression in recent months, so the gym decided to take action and hold a special day to bring awareness, support and understanding around these important conditions.

DamGoodSweet: Desserts to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth, New Orleans Style, Guas’ twist has earned plaudits from top media outlets including The Washington Post, which crowned it “One of the Top 5 King Cakes in the Country.”This year, the “BB King Cake” — which provides 14 to 16 servings and is priced at $39.95 — comes with a DIY decorating kit featuring packets of white icing as well as packets of purple, green, and gold-colored sugar to allow customers to top their cake however they choose.The King Cake is also the centerpiece of a new “Mardi Gras in a Box” package from Bayou, priced at $135 and intended for up to eight people — each ready to assume a different character in the included Mardi Gras Murder Mystery Dinner Party Game, and each

Two years ago, one brave woman decided to set the wheels in motion for Wagga’s first-ever Mardi Gras. It was a massive success with more than 10,000 people filling the main street and gardens for the parade and after-party. But, in a heartbreaking decision the organiser Holly Conroy decided to cancel the 2020 event due to public safety as the coronavirus pandemic spread throughout Australia. Ms Conroy, however, as a proud trans woman refused to let that get her down and is already looking to the future. After locking in a date for the 2021 event, she reminisced on how the town and herself have changed since that very first parade. “Wagga has changed a lot in the past couple of years as well, but I think in many ways it has always been

“The week that everything shut down I myself lost $10,000 right then and there.” The album, entitled 1998, is as much a collection of iconic 90s duets as it is a moving tribute, with Greg having lost his mother during the recording.“In 2018, halfway through making the album, I had to put it on hold as we found out my mum had stage four cancer and only three months to live.“I came back at the end of last year to finish the album and dedicate it in her honour, with the proceeds of the album going to the Olivia Newton John Cancer and Wellness Centre.“When Olivia’s people found about that, Olivia was touched by it and sent me a beautiful video message, and that was another moment where I just started to cry.”Greg finished our interview by