Saturday 2 March 2013

Sydney Mardi Gras 2013


Absolutely loved the parade last night- there was an electric atmosphere filled with music, love and pride (as well as glitter, feathers and a little bit of leather)! Celebrating the gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, trans-sexual and trans-gender communities, it was truly heart-warming to experience.

Lesbians on motorbikes (aptly named 'dykes on bikes') were swiftly followed by the Sydney Mayor and representatives from the services, in uniform: police men and women, fire men and women, ambulance staff, park rangers, life guards, army and navy personnel. It was the 35th year the Sydney Mardi Gras has taken place and the first year that the Australian Army representatives had been permitted to march in uniform.

There were amazing floats and parade partakers from night clubs, schools, youth groups, political parties, faith groups, Australian national sports organisations (I liked that the swimmers and water polo players had sprayed themselves with body glitter so that they looked fresh out of the water),  large companies, HIV charities and same-sex marriage support groups. The 'hairy bears' group made us laugh- gay men who are particularly rotund, hairy and bearded. I was told to look out for the 'fruits in suits' group, but we must've missed that. It was a whole bunch of fun; just google the images and videos and you will see what I mean. Here are some of the best images.

As you would expect, some of the costumes were absolutely amazing. The really impressive ones were mostly worn by people who looked very professional, like this was something they do regularly. These beautiful drag queens and lady-boys were my favourite part, but as a second to that I appreciated the 'rainbow babies' section, where same sex couples walked and danced along with their children. We were actually stood by a gay couple and their two children.

As someone with gay friends as well as family members, it was great to be able to join in with all the happy cheers of encouragement, of course whilst admiring the outfits and hot bods!


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