NSW Police face fresh calls to be banned from Mardi Gras

Submitted ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨zero_gravitas@aussie.zone⁩ to ⁨australianpolitics@aussie.zone⁩

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-12-06/debate-rages-over-police-at-mardi-gras-ahead-of-vote/104694026

In short:

NSW Police are facing fresh calls to be banned from marching at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.

Three resolutions relating to police marching in the parade will be put to a vote at the Mardi Gras annual general meeting tomorrow.

NSW Premier Chris Minns has slammed the potential ban despite LGBTQ+ community consultation showing a majority of members do not want police to take part.

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Comments

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Taleya@aussie.zone ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago
really getting shat off at this.

no one is preventing individual gay cops from joining in. They don’t want the police as an institution to use us as PR, especially since they’re still failing the community

IT IS NOT OUR JOB as a community to reach out, lean in, make space for people who are the reason Pride exists.
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Nath@aussie.zone ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago

Pride in Protest has consistently campaigned for the exclusion of NSW Police from the parade citing a culture of homophobia within the force and an adversarial attitude towards unsolved gay hate deaths.

Far be it from me to have any say in this matter, but I don’t believe the cops who want to march are the same cops exhibiting homophobia and disdain for gay hate deaths. I would think that encouraging more engagement with the community would do more good than excluding people.

“It’s a bit hypocritical to ban them from marching if you’re going to rely on them, as everybody does for major events, for security.”

I think this is a fair point.

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- zero_gravitas@aussie.zone ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago
  
  I don’t believe the cops who want to march are the same cops exhibiting homophobia and disdain for gay hate deaths.
  
  Sure, but if they’re in uniform they’re representing that institution as a whole. Marching in uniform, in formation, with guns, no less.
  
  “It’s a bit hypocritical to ban them from marching if you’re going to rely on them, as everybody does for major events, for security.”
  
  I think that’s legally mandated. If there were any other option available I’m sure Pride In Protest would be pushing for that too.
  
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- pupbiru@aussie.zone ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago
  pride is a protest. it’s not a zoo - we aren’t here to be a spectacle, we aren’t here to be a tourist attraction for the state or federal governments
  
  we are here to fight for our rights and equality - which we still don’t have, despite some of the white picket fence crowd trying to say that since we have marriage it’s over
  
  police are the tool by which the majority oppresses the minority. as a symbol, police marching at mardi gras changes what it is - from a protest to an event - to a zoo for their amusement… their involvement is approval from the majority that what we’re doing is sanitised enough, is “ordinary” enough in their eyes
  
  are there queer police? of course! can they be proud of themselves, and of their job? again, of course! but when they represent the police force, in uniform, they represent a group whose purpose is directly against the protest that is the whole point of the event
  
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  - Eyekaytee@aussie.zone ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago
    
    we are here to fight for our rights and equality - which we still don’t have
    
    What rights don’t you have?
    
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- Taleya@aussie.zone ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago
  nah. I don’t see them sooking for a float at moomba or the grand final parade.
  
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  - Nath@aussie.zone ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago
    Why would NSW police have anything do to with these Melbourne parades? 😃
    
    I have never seen an AFL parade, I just assumed it was all about footballers. Are there floats and stuff about non AFL stuff?
    In WA, there’s a game each year connected somehow with WA Police. I’ve seen all the police recruiting banners and police community stalls around Optus stadium when I’ve attended games.
    
    As to Moomba, have you forgotten Gentle Gendarme? The Victorian Police have a long history of being a part of the parade.
    
    As I said: I have zero connection to the Sydney pride festival. So I have no strong opinion on what the organisers do/decide. But your response has highlighted the point I was making: I frequently see comments online that view police everywhere as one massive edifice all being the same thing. The replies that comment received follow that pattern. Police officers aren’t all one thing any more than all [religion members / political party members / sports team members / coworkers / pick your analogy] are all one thing. By excluding the cops who are queer/allies because of the actions of some other cops, you essentially tell them they’ll be tainted with that brush no matter what they do and they shouldn’t bother trying to improve things from the inside because it’ll never matter. I just think that’s sad.
    
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Aussiemandeus@aussie.zone ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago
Community that celebrates inclusion wants to exclude

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TinyBreak@aussie.zone ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago
wasnt a gay man killed by a member of the force last year?

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- zero_gravitas@aussie.zone ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago
  Do you mean the double-murder of Luke Davies and Jesse Baird? The alleged murderer in that case was gay himself, so it hasn’t been interpreted a hate crime or indicative of homophobia in the police force, if that’s what you mean.
  
  News story on the case: www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-24/…/103505602
  
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  - TinyBreak@aussie.zone ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago
    I do yeah. I dont much care that the officer was gay, he still killed a gay man. regardless of interpersonal relationships or anything like that. If you were a member of the governing body of the Mardi Gras that would give you pause I imagine.
    
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Eheran@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago
Why?

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trk@aussie.zone ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago
I’m not part of either community so grim the view of an outsider…

Why wouldn’t “you” (the people organising and participating in the march) not want police as part of it?

The Venn diagram of homophobic police and homosexual police are surely two distinct circles - why wouldn’t you want the circle that’s part of your team to be included? Are they not deserving of the same support the march is encouraging?

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- hanrahan@slrpnk.net ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago
  
  Why wouldn’t “you” (the people organising and participating in the march) not want police as part of it?
  
  Because some of those organising it where the ones that had the crap beaten out of them by police not so long ago. Perhaps as the years roll on things will change but right now I completely understand why.
  
  My grandfather, who fought in WW2 in New Guinea lost his shit when my dad bought his first Japanese car (or so my dad told me decades ago) way back in the day, now, no one cares.
  
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  - trk@aussie.zone ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago
    
    Because some of those organising it where the ones that had the crap beaten out of them by police not so long ago.
    
    Right, and in all likelihood so were the current police who are now wanting to join the march.
    
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Evotech@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago
Imo Police can join the parades, just not in uniform. When they are in uniform is just a PR move.

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