‘Fearless’wasthethemeforthe 2019 SydneyGayand
LesbianMardiGras.Thisupbeatfestivalbrandingnodsto
thecouragerequiredtoliveanauthenticidentity,particularly
onethatjarswiththeheteronormativemainstream.Thecul-
tural bubbleof cosmopolitan,urbaneSydneyseemsa fitting
placeforthisextravagantcelebrationofLGBTQIA+experi-
ence;afterall,thereis insulationtobefoundin aninterna-
tionalcity,a kindofsocialbufferthatfendsoffprejudice,
stigmaandjudgement.Sydney’sOxfordandFlindersstreets
arepedestrianisedforonenighttomakewayfortheMardi
Grascentrepieceevent;thisyear,theannualparadedrew
around500,000spectatorswhospilledoutontobalconies
androoftops,andjostledforpositionatstreetlevel.More
than12,500marchersfromdiversegroupstookpart.^3 After
theFirstNationsrepresentatives,DykesonBikes,Rainbow
Familiesand Trans Pride floats,the NSW PoliceForce rolled
in. A femaleofficerbeltedout a WhitneyHoustonnumber
from the float, while a cohortof officersmarchedin front of
thevehicle.Theirappearance was greeted by appreciative
whoopsfromthecrowd.
Amidallofthehigh-octanebeats,thecostumesandthe
generalairofrevelry,it waseasytomissthecomparatively
low-keyappearanceoftheoriginalMardiGrasparticipants–
or‘the78ers’,astheyarenowwidelyknown.Theyarewell
pastmiddleagenow,andtheirtruckarrivedsanstheglittery
festiveaccoutrementsthathavebecomesynonymouswith
themodernMardiGras(or‘gayChristmas’,^4 asoneatten-
dee calledit). While the shift in tone was subtle– the music
still played,and the pride flags were still held aloft – here
wasa kindofdistillationoftheintentthatunderpinnedthat
first gatheringforty-oneyears ago: that of individualsstand-
ing together in simple solidarity. Back then, they embodieda collectiveoppositionalforce,a rebuketoa society that
sentencedthemtolifeatitsveryfringes.
In 1978, the NSW PoliceForce,now so neatly integrated
intothemodernparade,weretheharbingersofthathatred
oftheOtherthatblindlyoppresses.Theirbrutalinterven-
tionshelpedfocustheculturaldialogue;questionswere
askedabouttheroleofthepoliceasarbitersofthepeople’s
will.AsjournalistandcommentatorDavidMarrhaspointed
out, ‘Whenthe policeoverstepthe mark, they make reform
inescapable.’^5 In a recentABCNewsarticle,protesterSandi
Banksrecallshertreatmentbythepoliceonthefateful
nightof 24 Junethat year, soon to become the precursor
to Mardi Gras:They cameracingdownDarlinghurstRoad,sirensgoing,
lights galoreand they jumpedout, lots of them.Very huge
men at the time and no form of identification.And they
startedgrabbing,thumping,bashing,pullinghair. They
pickedmeupandthrewmetowardsthepaddywagon...
my chest was black and blue from having hit the truck.^6It’sclearthatthe78ersarepowerfullyemblematicofthe
stridesAustraliahasmadesocially,politically,culturally
andjudicially;theircouragetrulyembodiesthenotionof
‘fearless’.In 1978,theirstreet-festival-turned-protestiniti-
ateda turningpointin thelandscapeofLGBTQIA+rights
in Australia.It’s almostimpossible to overstate the signifi-
canceoftheirlegacy.
Witchesand Faggots,Dykesand Poofters(DigbyDuncan
& Onein SevenCollective,1980)chartsthefalloutfromthe
policeattacksandtheensuingdiscriminationthattheprotest-
ers endured; fifty-three people were arrested and many wereAll images: Scenes fromWitches and Faggots, Dykes and Poofters
110 • Metro Magazine 201 | © ATOM