Australia’s Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, has made history by becoming the first sitting leader to participate in Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade, one of the largest events of its kind globally.
More than 12,000 participants and 200 floats passed by as huge crowds packed the city’s Oxford Street. Due to Covid restrictions, this was the first time the parade was held in its traditional form since 2019.
Mr Albanese commented that the event celebrated modern Australia and that it was unfortunate he was the first leader to march in the parade while in office.
Penny Wong, the first openly gay female in Australia’s parliament, also participated in the celebrations. The presence of the prime minister was greeted with cheers, but his critics accused him of pandering to a minority that’s hijacking Australia’s social agenda.
Opposition MP, Barnaby Joyce, criticized Mr. Albanese for attending a party instead of dealing with a crime crisis in Alice Springs, a remote town in Australia’s Northern Territory.
Other politicians from different parties, including the Greens and Liberals, attended the Mardi Gras parade to show their support. It’s not the first time an Australian prime minister has attended the event, as Malcolm Turnbull was present in 2016 but did not march.
The Mardi Gras parade started in 1978, growing out of a protest marking the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots – an uprising by members of the LGBT community in New York over 50 years ago.
For the past two years, the parade was held as a seated event at the Sydney Cricket Ground due to the pandemic. This year’s event coincided with WorldPride in Sydney, promoting 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.
↯↯↯Read More On The Topic On TDPel Media ↯↯↯