MATTHEW MITCHAM
SYDNEY GAY MARDI GRAS PARADE
Today in Sydney more than 300,000 people celebrated the annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.
The parade kicked off with Olympic gold medal diver Matthew Mitcham [As announced in December] who was on the first float surrounded by male dancers dressed in Speedos and carrying scorecards.
More than 130 floats and 9,500 people participated in the procession, which began as a protest march in 1978 by homosexual and transsexual men and women and has flourished into one of the world’s largest and most flamboyant gay pride events.
This year’s parade theme was “Nations United,” a tribute to homosexuals around the world, particularly in countries where they cannot live openly. Last year in Australia, legislators passed a bill giving homosexual couples the same rights as heterosexuals, though they have not legalized same-sex marriages.
Joan Rivers was also part of the parade ...
