One of the world's biggest and most famous LGBTQ+ Pride parades will not feature police after they were officially banned from marching after one of their own was charged with the murder of two gay men.
TV Presenter Jesse Baird and Qantas Flight Attendant Luke Davies were shot to death in a Sydney, Australia, apartment on February 19.
Police Officer Beau Lamarre-Condon, who is an ex-boyfriend of Baird, turned himself in to police on Friday and has been charged with two counts of murder. He has since refused to tell police where the men's bodies are, per news.com.au.
The charges came just days before the annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras was set to begin. The Mardi Gras began in 1978 following New York City's Stonewall Riots to call for LGBTQ+ rights but ended in a night of violence when protesters were cornered by police, beaten and some jailed. Many of those arrested suffered severe brutality and assaults at the hands of police.
As a result of the arrest and national public attention on the murders, the Mardi Gras board revealed it had uninvited New South Wales (NSW)— the state of which Sydney is the capital— Police from participating in the parade.
It said in a statement the LGBTQ+ community was "devastated" at the murder and "many have voiced their concerns to us" about the police presence at the upcoming Mardi Gras parade.
"Our community needs space to grieve the loss of Jesse and Luke who, before this tragedy, would have been here celebrating with us at the Festival," it said in the statement.
The board added that "having the NSW Police march this year could add to the distress within our communities, already deeply affected by recent events."
"This decision was not made lightly, especially considering that many NSW Police members who participate in the Parade are also members of the LGBTQIA+ community... However, we believe that their participation at this year's event could intensify the current feelings of sorrow and distress," it wrote.
Many welcomed the decision, including the Pride in Protest movement which had long campaigned to remove NSW Police from Mardi Gras celebrations.
"Community wins: after years of campaigning, Mardi Gras 2024 will be cop-free," it wrote on Instagram.
One person celebrated in the comments writing, "Congratulations to everyone who has campaigned for this over the years."
But others were wary: "Their participation this year was untenable but I'm concerned it will result in a massive negative presence at the parade. We all know they have form for holding grudges, protecting their own, and retaliation. Stay safe everyone."
Police in Australia, especially in Sydney have a fraught history with the LGBTQ+ community. While the state parliament and police apologized to the '78ers'— the men and women brutalized at the first Mardi Gras— police were prolific in targeting gay people and ignoring gay hate crimes, including the murder of gay American student Scott Johnson in 1988.
While updating the media on the search for Baird and Davies, NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb apologized for the force's inability to "adequately and fairly" investigate crimes against LGBTQI+.
Webb's statement came after the results of the Special Commission of Inquiry into LGBTIQ hate crimes in NSW.
"To the victims and families that NSW Police failed by not adequately and fairly investigating those deaths between 1970 and 2010, I am sorry," she said.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Shannon Power is a Greek-Australian reporter, but now calls London home. They have worked as across three continents in print, ... Read more
