New South Wales police are facing a ban from the upcoming Mardi Gras parade over concerns about the force’s relationship with the queer community.
At the event’s annual general meeting on Saturday, members will vote on three resolutions on police participation in the parade after uniformed officers were banned from joining the 2024 march.
One resolution, moved by the Mardi Gras board based on community consultation, calls for NSW Police Force (NSWPF) to be barred from marching until they “demonstrate a commitment to improving relationships with LGBTQIA+ communities”.
Uniformed members of the force have previously participated in the parade, but the invitation was rescinded in 2024 after an officer was charged with the murder of couple Jesse Baird and Luke Davies.
Officers were eventually permitted to march in plain clothes and the board’s resolution does not exclude them from marching in future events as long as they are not representing NSW police as an organisation.
Community consultation found 54% of respondents did not believe police should be allowed to march in the parade on 1 March.
“The consultation highlighted there were ongoing concerns about the NSWPF as an organisation not demonstrating a commitment to better relationships and policing practices with our communities,” the resolution stated.
“It became clear the way the NSWPF interacts with our communities and other marginalised communities is not creating a sense of safety for everyone in our communities … while many people respect and feel protected by NSWPF, many also feel threatened or marginalised.”
The board did not recommend how members should vote.
A second, more strongly worded resolution brought by activist group Pride in Protest called for police to be banned altogether.
“A diverse range of members of the LGBTIQ+ community shared story after story of their own mistreatment at the hands of the police, from profiling, harassment, physical violence, wrongful detention, and more – and their subsequent trauma as a result of police actions,” it read.
Pride in Protest spokesperson, Evan Van Zijl, said there were “so many reasons” police should not be permitted at Mardi Gras.
“Police are a body that continue to do ongoing harm to our community, to Aboriginal people and quite broadly,” they told ABC Radio on Thursday.
“We have police more or less improving their brand, despite making no real change, by marching in our parade and demanding pride of place.”
A third resolution called for LGBTQ+ police to be permitted to march in plain clothes.
A NSW police spokeswoman said the force would continue working with organisers.
“The NSW Police Force is dedicated to supporting LGBTQIA+ communities and takes pride in its role as a community leader for inclusion and diversity,” she said.
“The NSW Police Force works closely with Mardi Gras organisers to ensure the safety and success of its events.”
Mardi Gras organisers declined to comment.
First held in 1978 as a protest against anti-gay discrimination, the Sydney Mardi Gras has grown to become one of the world’s largest LGBTQ+ events.
An estimated 120,000 spectators watched 12,500 participants march along inner-Sydney’s Oxford Street during the most recent parade.
