Mardi Gras.
Depending on where you might come from, those two words of French origin have different meanings. If you’re a devout Catholic Parisian, for example, it would mean “fat Tuesday”, that is, the day one gorges oneself on delectable crepes before the start of the six-week Lenten fast. If you happen to be from New Orleans, you might eschew pancakes in favour of a colourful street parade along the famed Rue Bourbon.
The gay and lesbian community of Sydney took inspiration from the New Orleans parade, as well as the Stonewall riots of New York City, divorced it from its religious connotations, and held their first ever Parade in 1978. They also changed the day of their Parade to a Saturday.
This parade was very much a protest against oppressive laws and social mores that forced gay and lesbian people to present an inauthentic front to family, to friends, to colleagues, to employers, to authority figures, to society at large, lest they be pillioried, ostracised, dismissed, injured or murdered.
They decided to draw attention to their plight, by coming “out of the bars and into the streets” with their unauthorised street parade on that fateful Saturday in June. They existed and they were proud of who they were and would no longer live in fear. Emboldened, they would hold another Parade the following year. And then another. And then many more every year to this day.
This increased visibility of the community led to laws being changed and wider social acceptance of queer people over the years. Whilst the annual Parade of today is a large-scale event with many varied and elaborate floats, the element of protest still remains. To this day, the surviving trailblazing participants of the first parade, known as the 78ers, continue to march in the Parade every year.
You might be surprised to learn that Mardi Gras in Sydney has become more than just the Parade along Oxford and Flinders Streets on or around the first Saturday in March.
Mardi Gras is annual cultural festival held every year in February and March that celebrates the culture of, and promotes pride in, and acceptance of people who are lesbian, gay, bi, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, or many other non-heterosexual and non-cisgendered identities – or LGBTQIA+ for short. There are many events – small and large that take place during Mardi Gras, including the Parade and a film festival.
And Fair Day, which is held in Victoria Park next to the University of Sydney, on or around the third February of every year.
Fair Day is an event with a carnival-like atmosphere, filled with performances, and hundreds of stalls from a vast array of food and craft retailers, and a broad spectrum of community groups, not just from the LGBTQIA+ community.
This year, on the 16th of February, Lions in Australia made its Fair Day debut. We had a stall planned for last year, but unfortunately the park was closed down just a few days prior due to the detection of asbestos contamination in the mulch surrounding the trees in the park. Ultimately, it was a blessing in disguise since it gave us an extra year to prepare.
It is a fact that Lions come from a diverse range of backgrounds, and have many different beliefs and sexual and gender orientations. Having a presence at Fair Day would provide an opportunity to present Lions as an organisation that is accepting of people from all walks of life, where all feel a sense of belonging, where all can live as their authentic self.
It was also an opportunity for us as Lions to understand, and connect with, a community that has traditionally been little understood and supported by Lions, at least here in Sydney.
It is also a fact that a larger proportion of autistic people tend to fall within the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. So it was only proper that our club, the Sydney Autism Community Lions Club, take a leading role in organising and running the stall. But we couldn’t do it alone.
We sought the help of our District, who agreed to pay for our stall as well as promote Fair Day to other Lions. We formed an organising committee, consisting of members from our club, as well as the Lions Clubs of Maroubra, Sydney Champions Inner West, and Blacktown Ponds. Bondi Lions would also join us on Fair Day to help out.
We decided that our stall would raise funds for the Australian Lions Hearing Dogs Foundation through the sales of assorted merchandise including plush toy dogs, tote bags, doggie bowls and hats. We would end up raising $1039 for Hearing Dogs. There were some technical issues arising from an overload of the cellular network – unsurprising, due to the thousands of attendees and stallholders with mobile phones – which made taking card payments challenging at times, but through teamwork and fast workarounds, we managed to take people’s payments.
Our plush puppies, as well as our rainbow flag banner designed by our talented Treasurer, caught the attention of Fair goers passing by our stall, streaming through the makeshift alleways of the vibrant mini market city. Many conversations were had, and some contact details from those interested to learn more about Lions were taken down.
It was a long, fast-paced, exhilarating, and rewarding day for all the Lions who participated – many of whom had never been to Fair Day before. So amazed and so pleased were they by the experience, that they all expressed a desire to do it again. Thank you to all you that helped make our stall a success, including our District Hearing Dogs chair, who provided some of the merchandise.
So, after eighteen months of intermittent planning, this was Lions’ first foray into the world of Mardi Gras. Maybe you will see us again at Fair Day next year!