‘Less political, less sexual’: Has big business taken over Mardi Gras?

Major corporate sponsors of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras have been accused of exploiting the event for profit, amid fears big business is dominating at the expense of community groups.

Activist group Pride in Protest has also raised concerns about the parade, which will be held at Sydney Cricket Ground on March 5, becoming “an extension of the corporations it has a relationship with” and “pink washing” the reputations of its corporate sponsors.

Corporate sponsors make up 10 per cent of entries in the Mardi Gras parade.Credit: Steven Saphore

Mardi Gras chief executive Albert Kruger rejected criticism of corporate involvement in the event, saying sponsors “enable us to hold more events, make our events more accessible and ensure we can pay our staff, artists, and creatives”.

However, Mr Kruger said the organisation represented an incredibly diverse community, with a wide range of opinions. “Sometimes it can be difficult to be all things to all people, but each year we try to get that balance right.”

Mardi Gras earned $9.19 million in revenue last year, including $3.79 million in sponsorship - compared to $3.63 million in 2020 and $3.26 million in 2019.

A 2020 survey of Mardi Gras members and the LGBTQIA+ community found 18 per cent were concerned about corporate sponsors, which this year includes Optus, TikTok, Meta, W Hotels and Woolworths Group.

Mr Kruger said no company had been rejected under Mardi Gras’ new ethical charter but sponsorships, including an offer from Playboy magazine, and parade applications had been turned down in the past. A partnership with Sexpo was rejected in 2020 to protect the event’s identity as a “family-oriented festival”.

“A meaningful and authentic commitment to LGBTQIA+ equality and inclusion cannot be viewed through a siloed lens that excludes other human rights and equality issues,” he said.

Pride in Protest campaigned against drug manufacturer Gilead in 2019, claiming the company set the price for HIV prevention drugs so high that it was “inaccessible to most LGBTQI Americans”.

The controversial group has also raised concerns about the wider corporate activities of major sponsors such as American Express, Qantas and Minter Ellison.

These companies did not answer The Sun-Herald’s questions about their corporate behaviour, but pointed to their support for diversity and inclusive workplaces.

An American Express spokeswoman said in a statement the company had been a proud sponsor of LGBTQIA+ organisations and events for many years.

A Qantas spokeswoman said the company “for decades” had spoken up on social issues including marriage equality and supported organisations like the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.

Minter Ellison was the first commercial law firm to march in the Mardi Gras parade in 2020 and had supported a number of LGBTQ+ organisations, partner Gordon Williams said.

A Pride in Protest spokesman said controversies over Sydney Festival and Sydney Biennale funding showed there were risks with sponsorship: “These partnerships can cause a loss of support from community and from artists to the point that it fundamentally damages the organisation”.

Organisations larger than Mardi Gras survived without corporate sponsors, he said. “If a genuinely ethical source of funds can be found, then those funds should be accepted. It is not Mardi Gras if it requires being unethical.”

Ken Davis, who took part in the first Mardi Gras parade in 1978, said “big business advertising floats” diluted the community’s impact in the parade, making it “less political, less sexual, less risqué, [and] forbids criticism of sponsors”.

Mr Davis said there was a lack of transparency around sponsorship and criticised ethical guidelines as “very vague and weak”.

The issue also divide politicians who have participated in the parade. Alex Greenwich, Independent member for Sydney, said the corporate sector had voiced support for marriage equality, transgender rights and inclusive workplaces ahead of trade unions and major political parties.

Jenny Leong, Greens member for Newtown, said corporate interests should not overshadow Mardi Gras.

“It is certainly reasonable to expect that anyone participating in the parade or wider festival is actively supportive of the LGBTIQ+ community,” she said. “Not just during Mardi Gras and not just when it’s beneficial to them.”

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