Through its unmatched celebration of diversity, inclusion and unity, Mardi Gras is one of the most powerful assets the queer community – including trans people – have in the fight against a global trend of genuine attacks against equal rights, belonging and safety.
Unfortunately, some are spending their time attacking Mardi Gras – instead of the myriad of significant threats we face as a community.
It’s time to call out the destructive attacks against our community from within our community. We cannot win progress without being powerful. We cannot be powerful if we spend all our time fighting each other.
We do not need to agree on everything. Disagreement and debate is good. But the entryist efforts to destroy community togetherness in what we do agree on is dangerous and totally at odds with strategies that can win progress.
We are calling on all queer people and their allies to shift their efforts to campaigns that tackle the major threats of our time.
As part of this, it’s vital that we don’t conflate issues, confuse or mislead members, and smuggle unrelated agendas in under admirable headlines. This is what we have seen at Mardi Gras AGMs for years now.
On first glance, these motions can seem uncontroversial. They’re not. They can’t be implemented without undermining Mardi Gras’ core mission to deliver the festival.
Take the so called “trans rights” motion. It was titled trans rights, but it was also a direction to every parade float about what their float should be about. That’s not solidarity. That’s policing.
The motion simply creates division and is being used to organise in an attempt to remake Mardi Gras from an inclusive celebration into a narrow shouting match.
We are calling on the Board and leadership to be far more open about these entryist attempts, and about the behaviours and conflict that are dragging the organisation off mission. The best way to handle conflict in member organisations is sunlight. Put the facts on the table. Let members see what’s really being done in their name.
Protect Mardi Gras exists to prevent entryism at Mardi Gras. If you want to know more, read our FAQ. Then, please get involved by adding your voice on the website.
