Christian Wilkins Slams Homophobic Media Coverage Of Mardi Gras Fair Day Dress

Christian Siriano is auctioning off a custom blue-and-yellow gown to support the people of Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion. The American fashion designer offered his support in an Instagram post on Thursday, where he shared an image of the tulle, criss-cross gown whose colours represent the Ukrainian flag.

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras chief executive Albert Kruger has called for a full NSW police investigation into the circumstances that led to the ejection of one of the original ‘78ers Barbara Karpinski from her seat in the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) during the Mardi Gras parade on Saturday night. He has also initiated an internal Mardi Gras investigation. Kruger told the Star Observer that he is in no doubt that the incident happened. He said that the police action was “unacceptable” and that he is “upset about it to be honest”. Karpinski was removed after standing briefly in the stadium seating area holding a handmade poster calling for peace and an end to the war in Ukraine.

Trigger Warning: This story has details of transphobic conduct and transphobic slurs, which might be distressing to some readers. For 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For Australia-wide LGBTQI peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or webchat.The Moscow Times reported that the church leader made the statements during a ‘Forgiveness Sunday’ sermon and said that the war launched by Russia was about “which side of God humanity will be on”.Patriarch Kirill said that the holding of Pride parades were a “loyalty test” to Western countries.“Pride parades are designed to demonstrate that sin is one variation of human behavior.

2 min read The Sydney Cricket Ground was awash in a vibrant display of pride and self-expression on Saturday night as the iconic Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade united LGBTQIA+ communities from all over Australia.

Yesterday, LGBTQI communities and their friends celebrated the 44th Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade in a supernova of glitter, glitz, and glam.Performers included singer-songwriter Darren Hayes, Vanessa Amorosi, The Wiggles, and Timothy Springs.Darren Hayes, former member of bestselling Australian pop duo Savage Garden, performed The Animal Song, Affirmation, and Do You Remember, and the crowd was ecstatic.Matt Akersten, Pride and Diversity Officer for Sydney WorldPride 2023, tweeted, “What a night! How’s how the 2022 [Sydney Mardi Gras] Parade ended, a dazzling show with [Darren Hayes]”What a night! How’s how the 2022 @sydneymardigras Parade ended, a dazzling show with @darrenhayes!

As Mardi Gras festivities set their place onto my calendar I always save some space to hold my annual “camp” film festival. Camp films are an integral part of LGBTQI culture, and while “camp” films are often mistaken as bad films, this isn’t entirely correct. Many “camp” films (including some on this list) are excellent but are considered camp due to highly exaggerated elements, particularly in the script or performances.

This Saturday, March 5, the annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade will take place at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) for the second year in a row.  In order to attend, visitors will have to pay for a ticket, which has raised equity concerns among members of Sydney’s LGBTQI Communities. The Parade was free to attend when it was held along  Oxford Street in Darlinghurst. Wei Thai-Haynes, a member of the SGLMG Board and activist group Pride in Protest, told Star Observer that “Mardi Gras should be free and accessible to all those who wish to attend.

For the last week, Sydney has been hit with what seems like a never-ending deluge of torrential rain, and it isn’t over yet.With the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade happening this Saturday, many in the community are wondering what this will mean for the festivities and celebrations at the  Sydney Cricket Grounds.File photo of the Sydney Mardi Gras 2021 at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Photo: Ann-Marie CalilhannaWell, rest assured.

J. Kim Murphy After several shifts around the release calendar due to the COVID-19 pandemic, “The Batman” finally rolled out the red carpet for its world premiere at Lincoln Center in New York on Tuesday evening. Though Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz and other stars in attendance, the evening was missing one key contributor.

COVID-19 required only in indoor public spaces.Parade routes are shorter than usual, because there aren’t enough police for the standard ones, even with officers working 12-hour shifts as they always do on Mardi Gras and the end of the Carnival season leading up to it.But with COVID-19 hospitalizations and case numbers falling worldwide and 92% of the city’s adults at least partly vaccinated, parades are back on after a season without them.And people are out and ready to let the good times roll.The crowd Sunday, when the huge Krewe of Bacchus paraded, “was a record for us in the 10 years we’ve been open,” said Thomas Houston, bar manager at Superior Seafood and Oyster Bar, located at the start of the truncated parade route.He expected similar crowds on Fat Tuesday — a state holiday — if the weather is good.

March 5,  Sydney Cricket Ground at 6pmIn his first live performance in Australia for a decade, singer-songwriter Darren Hayes returns home to head up a superstar line-up for the 2022 Mardi Gras Parade at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday 5 March 2022. Fresh off the back of the release of his new track ‘Let’s Try Being In Love’, Hayes’ Mardi Gras performance will mark his 20th year as a solo recording artist, as well the 25th anniversary of Savage Garden’s acclaimed debut, self-titled album.The Parade will also feature a special performance from Australian music legend Vanessa Amorosi, presented by Principal Partner, American Express.

Weeks after Victoria Police arrested six teenagers for a series of gay-bashing attacks in the parklands in Ashwood, the Monash City council on Tuesday passed a motion condemning homophobia.Trigger Warning: This story has details of homophobia and homophobic slurs, which might be distressing to some readers. For 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For Australia-wide LGBTQI peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or webchat.The councillors unanimously passed a motion in a council meeting on February 22 to fly the Pride flag across the municipality till March 7, in solidarity with the LGBTQI community. “One of the worst things about these sorts of incidents is the isolation and vulnerability that people feel. Everyone needs to feel secure and needs to feel that they belong.

“I think it’s the fun, the camaraderie, and what we’re doing for the community, and being part of that community spirit,” says O’Riordan.Volunteers have varying qualifications: consultants, interns, registrars, specialist and enrolled nurses, paramedics, first aiders, and occasionally, physiotherapists and social workers.They all require first aid training at a minimum, but there are other less tangible requisites.“Can you chat with someone, can you socially engage with someone? Can you have fun on the night? Those other skills are vitally important,” says O’Riordan.“I remember using all my first aid equipment to put stilettos back on for one of the drag queens,” laughs O’Riordan.Another time, someone was coming out for the first time and was completely overwhelmed.“Nothing wrong with them medically. They just needed a hug.”Every year, after the parade and party, Mardi Gras gathers feedback on the types of injuries treated by medical volunteers.

Fair Day returned to Sydney’s Victoria Park on Sunday to kick off the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras 2022 season, after being cancelled last year due to COVID 19. The free all-day event featured performances, the popular Doggywood Pageant, specialty bars, and over 200 stalls from community, business, sports, political, government, religious and health groups.According to organisers, an estimated 35,000 people attended, making this one of the largest Fair Days on record. For the first time this year, the event featured a First Nations Circle, which included Aboriginal community and business tents. After missing out on connecting with family last year, the heat posed no barrier to all the hugging, strutting, and dancing.Image: Jeffrey Feng “After having a year off in 2021, you could really feel that the community had missed Fair Day,” Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras CEO Albert Kruger said.

Let’s go outsideSo sang George, and so say we.There’s lots happening at the moment with Mardi Gras and stuff. Here’s a short mixed list of ideas.Feb 20, 10am – 9pm, Victoria Park, City Rd, CamperdownOf course, it’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think “queer outdoors”. This long-running Mardi Gras event is a highlight of the festival, second only to the parade.

A serial killer, dubbed by the media as ‘The Mutilator’ for murdering and dismembering the bodies of two of his boyfriends in Sydney, is due to be released in September 2022 after his 21-year prison term expires. The NSW police, however, want 53-year-old Damien Anthony Peters’ detention to be continued over fears that he could reoffend. Trigger Warning: This story has details of  a gruesome double murder, which might be distressing to some readers. For 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For Australia-wide LGBTQI peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or webchat.Justice Julia Lonergan of the NSW Supreme Court heard an application for Peters’ interim continuing detention last week.

EXCLUSIVE: Christian James (Cerebrum) is set for a key recurring role opposite Daniel Ezra, Samantha Logan and Michael Evans Behling in CW’s All American.