Australia PM to lead the march for gay rights
Australia PM Anthony Albanese is the first sitting leader to parade in Sydney’s Mardi Gras march.
Anthony Albanese has become Australia’s first sitting PM to participate in Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras march – one of the most significant events of its kind in the globe.
The public packed the city’s Oxford Street as nearly 12,000 participants and 200 floats passed.
Australia PM to participate in the lesbians and gay parade:
It is the first time the march has been held in its classic form since 2019 due to Covid restraints.
“This is a festival of modern Australia,” Mr Albanese expressed. He continued that it was “unfortunate” that he was the nation’s first PM to march in the parade while in position.
“People want to see that their country is inclusive and represents everyone no matter who they adore, no matter what their identity, no matter where they are.”
It’s not the first time an Australian PM has attended the carnival- Malcolm Turnbull was there in 2016 but did not parade.
The Mardi Gras march has been running since 1978 and grew out of a rally celebrating the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots – an insurgency by members of the LGBT society in New York more than 50 years back.
Due to the pandemic, the march has been held as a seated carnival at the Sydney Cricket Ground for the last two years.
This year’s celebrations overlap in Sydney with WorldPride, which promotes LGBTQ+ rights worldwide.
Other global leaders participating in pride parades are Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his ex-New Zealand counterpart, Jacinda Ardern.
