From the BBC:
“Mardi Gras: Australia's PM Anthony Albanese first to join
march”
(Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (C) reacts as he
attends the 45th annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade on Oxford Street in
Sydney, Australia, 25 February 2023.)
Anthony Albanese has become Australia's first sitting prime
minister to take part in Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade - one of
the biggest events of its kind in the world. Huge crowds packed the city's
Oxford Street as more than 12,000 participants and 200 floats passed by. It is
the first time the parade has been held in its traditional form since 2019 due
to Covid restrictions. "This is a celebration of modern Australia,"
Mr Albanese said. He added that it was "unfortunate" that he was the
country's first leader to march in the parade while in office. "People
want to see that their government is inclusive and represents everyone no
matter who they love, no matter what their identity, no matter where they
live." Penny Wong, the first openly gay female in Australia's parliament,
also took part in the celebrations.
The presence of the prime minister, who has marched in the
parade in the past as an MP, was greeted with cheers but his critics have
accused him of pandering to a minority that's hijacking Australia's social
agenda. Opposition MP, Barnaby Joyce, criticised Mr Albanese for attending a
party instead of dealing with a crime crisis in Alice Springs - a remote town
in Australia's Northern Territory. Mr Albanese wasn't the only politician to
attend Mardi Gras - members of other parties, including the Greens and
Liberals, also came to show their support.
It's not the first time an Australian prime minister has
attended the event - Malcolm Turnbull was present in 2016 but did not march. The
Mardi Gras parade has been running since 1978 and grew out of a protest marking
the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots - an uprising by members of the LGBT
community in New York more than 50 years ago. For the past two years the parade
has been held as a seated event at the Sydney Cricket Ground due to the
pandemic. This year's event coincides in Sydney with WorldPride, which promotes
LGBTQ+ rights globally.
Other world leaders who have taken part in pride parades in
the past include Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his former New
Zealand counterpart, Jacinda Ardern.
^ It’s great to see Politicians and Officials participate in
all sorts of events whether they are Gay, Straight, Black, White, Hispanic,
Asian, Jewish, Muslim, Protestant, Catholic, Male or Female. ^
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