Australian Prime Minister officially banned from attending Sydney Mardi Gras
Malcolm Turnbull has been banned from attending Sydney Mardi Gras because of his politics surrounding marriage equality.
The Mardi Gras membership passed the motion to not officially invite Turnbull to the LGBT Pride event during their annual general meeting (AGM).
The motion presented by the membership said the group “does not believe that a prime minister who denies us equality should be welcome as an official guest at our parade”.
Turnbull confirmed the Coalition government had “no plans” to advance marriage equality after a bill to run a plebiscite on the issue was taken down in the Senate last Monday.
The PM supported a free parliamentary vote on marriage equality but ran a plebiscite after he was pressured by conservatives in the Coalition.
He became the first sitting Prime Minister to attend the Mardi Gras earlier this year, after being a frequent attendee at the parade as a local federal member.
He wrote for the 2016 Mardi Gras guide, which said “we cannot forget the history of Mardi Gras and the ongoing need to promote inclusion and deliver equality for all Australians”.
However, there was a dispute over whether he was invited as an official guest during the Mardi Gras AGM.
Members at the meeting reported that chief executive Terese Casu disagreed with board member James Brechney, claiming that it was a TV network that had invited Turnbull.
This caused a jeering response in the room “a sort of ‘boo, hiss’ type thing”, the member said.
