Dykes on bikes, bears, Osama putting the ‘fun’ back into fundamentalism, a vast army of gay surf life-savers... all par for the course at Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.
This was my first gay Mardi Gras. Clearly it once had a little more edge, but with the battles largely won - especially in gay-friendly Sydney - the focus is more on good clean camping it up rather than administering hardcore political spankings. Indeed, the police, armed forces, church leaders and the government of New South Wales each had floats. At times it seemed more of a celebration of ‘the establishment’ than of a once-frowned upon minority. The Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore, a well-known supporter of gay rights, promoted herself with gusto from the back of a soft-top.
In hindsight I should have got myself a press pass. This wouldn’t have been difficult by the number of point and shoot-operating photogs weaving their way through the parade. As it was, I was squeezed against a barrier, snapping what came my way. I used the opportunity to test out the Canon 35mm f1.4 lens. Given the crowds I didn’t want to carry a huge kit and in order to capture the ambience I avoided flash. The section of street I was on was murky and I was very glad of the super-wide aperture, although at times I missed the zoom. See more pics here.
