Mardi Gras 2021: Celebrating identity and diversity at the SCG.

Things were a little different at this year’s LGBTQI+ Sydney Mardi Gras. To make the celebrations COVID-19 safe, the number of attendees was limited and the event was moved from Oxford Street to the Sydney Cricket Ground. Some argued that the Mardi Gras had lost its meaning.

One of the participating groups at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Sat - 6 Mar 2021. Source: Image courtesy originalspin.com.au

Hendri Yulius is a writer, public intellectual and activist.  On the eve of LGBTQI+ Sydney Mardi Gras he explained the real importance of the Mardi Gras and assessed the situation of the LGBTQI+ community in Indonesia. He explains why attitudes in Indonesia are more nuanced than is often presented in the media   

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Participants take part in the 43rd annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade at the SCG in Sydney, Saturday, March 6, 2021. Dikes on Bikes. Source: Image: AAP/Dan Himbrechts 06 Mar 21.