Sydney Mardi Gras community parade grant helps to raise artistic levels of parade entries

The Mardi Gras Community Parade Grants Program is designed to fund and support a diverse range of community ideas and provide grants to individuals, community groups and not-for-profit groups to help lift their parade entries to a completely new artistic level.

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and supporting partner Google have announced the recipients of the third annual SGLMG Community Parade Grants Program.

A total of $66,000 in grants has been divided among 24 applicants from all over Australia, to help create extra fabulous floats in celebration of the anniversary.

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Chief Executive Terese Casu said: “Sydney Mardi Gras identified that many sections of our community need support to participate in the annual Mardi Gras Parade; it takes a huge amount of time, people and money to create an amazing Parade entry and it’s important that our parade is accessible to all. With the support of Google, and through our own philanthropic fundraising, we’ve been able to provide hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants to LGBTQI non-profit and community organisations in this program over the past three years.”

“From a stunning Rainbow Thylacine by the only community-run LGBTIQA organisation in Launceston, to The Institute of Many’s passionate celebration of fearless love, the recipients of these grants each have a powerful message that we’re looking forward to seeing on Parade night,” said Casu.

Google’s Tea Uglow said: "Mardi Gras is only as awesome as the people it represents. We are delighted that for a third year Google can help grass-roots LGBTQIA communities amplify the epic (and sparkle) of their Mardi Gras floats. Google proudly affirms and supports LGBTQIA people and their allies and we’re excited to continue our partnership with the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras."

For one of the grant recipients, Women in AFL, their float aims to challenge misconceptions, barriers to equality, agendas and approaches to women’s sport. Their sport is not about gender, sexuality or differences – it’s about inclusion and the collective, and is driven by teamwork.

The Sydney Swans became the first professional sporting club to have a float in the Mardi Gras in 2018 and will once again play a part in the world’s biggest celebration of LGBTIQ pride at the Mardi Gras in 2019.

In a joint initiative with Principal Partner, QBE, the Swans 2019 float will once again display the message, ‘Everyone is welcome at the football’.

Swans Chief Executive, Tom Harley, says it’s important to be a part of Mardi Gras 2019.

Some of the 24 Community Parade Grant recipients include:

• Bi+ Visibility: Bi+ Visibility is a partnership between Bi+ orgs around the nation, aimed to build community, fight bi-phobia and bi-erasure and address the significant mental health issues our community face. Their float reaches out to bi+ identifying people – whether watching from the crowd, or sitting at home – and shouts out: we are real, we are here, and there is a huge community out there to support you.

• Diversity Launceston: The only active community-run, not-for-profit organization for LGBTIQA people in Launceston, Diversity Launceston runs events to provide the community opportunities to meet and form connections. Through recreating the Rainbow Thylacine, their float will celebrate the Tasmanians who campaigned tirelessly in their efforts to decriminalise homosexuality in Tasmania.

• FOBGAYS+: FOBGAYS is a grassroots community network of Friends and Family of Brown (South Asian) LGBTQI identifying people. Their float will be a vibrant procession of animals found throughout the jungles of different South Asian countries, dressed proudly in traditional South Asian clothes and textiles.

• NSW Trans Youth Alliance: Comprising nearly 200 young trans people and allies aged 16-22, this Facebook group’s Parade float is themed Trans and Proud – Trans is Beautiful, and is a marker of their courage to not only come out and be themselves, but to march and show themselves to the world without fear.

• The Institute of Many: A totally unfunded, independent, grassroots, movement for people living with HIV, the Institute of Many holds the largest membership of any HIV organization in Australia, the majority of its members being LGBTQI. Their retro sci-fi themed float will champion their breakthrough message of Undetectable = Untransmittable, celebrating people with HIV with an undetectable viral load who can now be fearless when making love, and loving themselves.

The Mardi Gras Parade is Mardi Gras’ flagship event and takes place along Oxford Street on Saturday 2nd March, 2019. The Parade attracts more than 12,000 participants and is the largest LGBTQI parade of its kind in the world.