I was really sad to hear this week that Australia’s highest court struck down a landmark law on Thursday that had begun allowing the country’s first gay marriages, shattering the dreams of more than two dozen same-sex newlyweds whose marriages will now be annulled less than a week after their weddings.
Every year almost a million people converge in Sydney to celebrate Mardi Gras and attend the annual LGBT pride parade in the city. The parade still provides a platform for gay rights activists to voice their message and I am sure the new regulations will further motivate the equality in marriage theme for the 2014 parade coming up Saturday, March 1.
The parade is world-famous and had always been one of the experiences that I wanted to attend. In 2009, my time to attend finally arrived. I left my hotel very early and got a great spot on the parade route in the front row partying with people I met along the way. It truly seemed like one of the happiest places on earth. My only mistake was not knowing exactly how long the parade lasted. All the parades I had attended in the past in Tennessee and Ohio had lasted about 30 minutes while this one was set to run 3-4 hours of non-stop fabulousness with over 130 floats each year.
It was difficult to shoot the parade without light as most of it happens after sunset. My favorite shot was this pan and blur image of the Dykes on Bikes that lead off the parade each year. The parade was truly unforgettable and I encourage anyone to make this one of their Mardi Gras World stops for one of the largest parties on the planet.
For more information on the 2014 Sydney Mardi Gras check out their website:
http://www.mardigras.org.au/