Alice Aslan (right) of Muslims Against Homophobia at the Sydney Mardi Gras Parade. Picture: Supplied.
WITH hundreds of floats and thousands of participants, Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade always has an entrant or two that makes people stop and stare. But it was a single person, marching along the city’s gay strip of Oxford St, that made people look twice.
Sequins? Tick. Dame Edna style specs? Tick. Nothing unusual for Mardi Gras there. But what was shocking was the sequins and glasses adorned a full length head-to-toe scarlet burqa. The costume was worn to celebrate gay Muslims.
“The crowd were very surprised and I thought we were very courageous to do it,” Alice Aslan, the founder of Muslims Against Homophobia Australia tells news.com.au of the group’s entry in 2011.
“But the reception from Mardi Gras was great.”
This Saturday, Ms Aslan and 25 other gay and lesbian Muslims will march through Sydney’s streets for their third Mardi Gras.
They will join 12,500 participants and 178 floats with wildly varying themes from a pink army battling homophobia to a cavalcade of Irish drag queen pirates, and even a 20-person strong homage to Orange is the New Black actor Ruby Rose.
Out gay Liberal MP for Coogee, Bruce Notley-Smith, who last week in Parliament delivered an official apology from the NSW Government for the violence at the very first Mardi Gras, said the festival was bigger than ever. “This year’s parade promises to be one of the most spectacular yet, with a wide array of amazing floats and performers on show.”
Here’s our pick of some of the best floats to look out for this weekend.
Revellers at Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. Picture: supplied.Source:Supplied
MUSLIMS AGAINST HOMOPHOBIA
Ms Aslan said this year’s parade entry will feature Turkish drummers and even the odd belly dancer. But while the float is fun, there’s a serious message behind it.
“Queer Muslims need acceptance and to challenge homophobia within the Muslim community.”
Views of gay people are outdated, Ms Aslan said.
“They have assumptions, they believe homosexuality is an illness and it’s not natural and probably doesn’t exist within the Muslim community.
“But it does exist and gay Muslims would like to come out but don’t because of the homophobic environment.”
Being so visible at Mardi Gras showed they weren’t alone.
“It’s very important gay Muslims know they can connect with other gay Muslims.”
But while gay people are in peril in some countries with significant Muslim populations, that isn’t the case across the whole Islamic world, says Ms Aslan.
“In Turkey, being gay is legal and they have a pride march every year in Istanbul which is a big celebration.”
Could she see places such as Jordan, Lebanon or Bosnia — where being gay is legal — beating Australia to legalise same-sex marriage?
“Not in the near future because homosexuality might be legal but there is still widespread homophobia.”
There may be some way to go for the world’s gay Muslims, but Saturday night will be about celebrating how far the community has come.
A still from the film Gayby Baby, part of which was filmed at Sydney’s Mardi Gras. Picture: SuppliedSource:Supplied
GAYBY BABY
It’s been a busy, and at times dispiriting, 12 months for Maya Newell, the filmmaker behind the same-sex parenting film Gayby Baby which went from little known documentary to front page news in the space of a few hours.
“It’s been a full-on year for everybody and we wanted to take part in Mardi Gras as a bit of closure for the children and families who have been on this epic journey.”
Ms Newell said when the film was banned from being shown in schools during class time the makers were the subject of much homophobia.
“So we also wanted to send the message that Australian families are diverse and beautiful and multiple generations of children are standing strong and being raised in same sex families.”
Around 20 people, including kids and parents, will march in the Gayby Baby parade entry mirroring one of the key scenes of the film. The night always brings back happy memories for Ms Newell who was raised by two mums.
“I’ve walked in Mardi Gras ever since I could be hoisted on my mother’s shoulders. It was always a fun night, and for our family it’s on a par with Christmas.”
Daniel Kowalski (right) the head of the Olympians float at Saturday’s Mardi Gras, with fellow out gay swimmer Ian Thorpe at the 2015 Australian Swimming Championships. Picture Gregg PorteousSource:News Corp Australia
AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIANS AND PARALYMPIANS
“It’s a lot easier to train for the Olympics than organise a Mardi Gras float,” two time Olympian swimmer Daniel Kowalski tells news.com.au.
The first Mardi Gras entry to be officially backed by Australia’s Olympic and Paralympic committees, Kowalski will be at the front of a group of 80, a third of whom are medal winning LGBTI sports people including diver Matthew Mitcham, basketballer Kelly Gorman and Paralympian swimmer Annabelle Williams.
The theme is Rio — home of the upcoming Summer Olympics.
“There will be Christ the Redeemer and we’re all going to be dressed in white as part of a kind of opening ceremony. But instead of flags of the countries we will have placards showing the sports represented in the float.”
Kowalski said he approached the Olympic and Paralympic committees to get behind the float late last year and “they pretty much said yes straight away.”
Would gay sportspeople at Mardi Gras have helped him before he publicly came out in 2010?
“I think it would have been great to see more role models,” he said.
“I wasn’t really sure what my sexuality was in my early years of competing so everyone’s journey is different. But hopefully our entry can, at the very least, help one or two people on their journey, as corny and clichéd as that sounds.”
(From left) Lucy Woolfman, Danielle Warby and Katie Leslie of the Gay for Ruby Rose Mardi Gras entry. Photo Kate DoakSource:Supplied
GAY FOR RUBY ROSE
That’s right — a whole float full of lookalikes of Australian lesbian icon, and star of Orange is the New Black, Ruby Rose.
Float creator, Nicky Bryson, said was inspired by the many people who suddenly said they would ‘go gay’ for Ruby Rose after seeing her character Stella on the hit drama.
“When she debuted on OITNB, straights were saying they would ‘go gay’ for Ruby Rose, gay men were saying they would ‘go lesbian’ and lesbians said they didn’t know they could be any more gay,” Ms Harper tells news.com.au.
Awesome! Wish I could have been there.. Well I guess I was https://t.co/ost6Qzqd8o
— Ruby Rose (@RubyRose) February 27, 2016
“She’s smouldering but also beautiful and represents something different; she is gender fluid so I think there’s just something about her that appeals across a massive wide range of people.”
Ms Bryson said she hoped the float would highlight that sexuality was not necessarily a fixed thing.
“Where people sit on the spectrum is up to them but there is space for people to be straight but gay for Ruby Rose.”
The homage has not gone unnoticed by Rose who tweeted her support for the troupe with the actor’s massive fan base also signalling their approval.
“The float is leaving the bounds of Oxford St and entering popular culture,” said Ms Bryson.
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