Blak Pride: Celebrating Mardi Gras

Unapologetically Black would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands where this podcast is being hurt or watched across this great island continent now known as Australia and across the world. We would also like to pay our respects to elders past and present and acknowledged that this always was and always will be Aberaginal Lands.

Welcome to Unapologetically Black with Mara and Will.

Welcome to another episode of Unapologetically Black. I'm your host, Ginny and I'm joined by my beautiful co hosts. Sometimes hilarious, just kidding, always hilarious.

Bill was trying to keep a straight face like Sara. He was she talking about me or Maarah, I.

Know a funny one, Well, who is the non funny one?

I reckon, I'm not funny at all.

I'm not even you're a little bit funny funny because you're like proper naive in something.

Yeah, I'm way too serious, but I thought I was kind of you know, let my hair down.

Today? Which way? Tell me how you let your hair down? Come on you hair down?

Well, just I do like to have a couple of champagnes. That's it, on my own, on my deck and I feel like I let my hair down.

Wow, PG, isn't it super?

All right?

So we're going to get into it. It is Marti Gras is coming up, so we thought season it is and I've never been. Well that's a lie. I said that before. I think I have been.

How do you think you've been?

It's like the you we're not going to?

Okay?

Is there like a leader? Is there like a bunch of events?

It's like a week long celebration.

I remember going to this event. I'm pretty sure it was during Mardi Gras and was like in a warehouse and there was like a rave and prob and it was like seven Deadly Sins themed and people dressed up.

There's heaps of events, so like there's lots of creatives which host events that are both official, MIGHTI rab parties and non official as heaps happens?

Okay, So I think I've been to like a party our.

Partial parade though, No, I've never been to the You need to come in March one year? Would you March?

Sure?

It's fucking life changing?

Am I allowed to not put in the queer community March last year?

Were you there? Well? We had to, we had we had an outfit given to us.

What was the outfit?

So I was in a float where it was a memorial float and.

It actually won best float of the parade. I did, yeah, did wow? Yeah, it won the best flow.

Well there you go. I was on the one that won the best float.

People's so put it on the resume.

So we had participants.

Literally I had two you know, half naked black men beside me, literally both the all four of them were in g street, that's it, and they had white, beautiful body paint on their bodies and they were marching beside me and all of us. You could either wear leather, black leather, or we had these rainbow things. So it was black leather and rainbow colors. So you got given

You need to show me a picture. Actually, let's post.

It on Instagram.

Let's post that I just posted on a link LinkedIn post much last year because last.

Year was it opened it well, I it wasn't.

Just what Marti gras. It was World Pride. It's the first time that World Prides coming to the Southern Hemisphere and it was nothing short or phenomenal.

Wow.

I was pretty much fucked up for a whole week and I had that much work on I'll tell you quick yarn. I went and seen Kelly Rowland on the Sunday and I had a huge client on the Monday. And sorry, client, if you're listening and you hear this, I rock up. I got home at like four am. I have to be at the office by eight am to go out to Lapa to meet more about at Lapa. I rock up thinking I've shouted, I've got myscar still on my face with this client meeting race, Like, what

I was miscar.

I had much way out of like you know how much I loved like Beyonce and seeing Kelly Roland live at World Pride was iconic. So my big hole, thinking I'm twenty one again goes to better at four am. No good had to be I meaned it up. Well, I went to every single fucking session that I had to go other week and I committed. But it was the hardest recovery I've ever had in my life.

Well, tell us about your outfit because the hogm you're outfit.

For last year? Yes, so it was. It was all black and we spent like I don't know, hey, if you know how the parade works, but you spend like six eight twelve weeks planning pre Mardi Grass. So every October mob will start coming together to plan what the float looks like. And there's a theme because the first Nations flop opens it. So where after the dikes on bikes who they're like the what do you call it? Like? The fucking hype people. They hype it all up.

And then the dykes on bikes, I didn't even know that that's what they were called. Well, what do you reckon?

They're called? I didn't know on pushies or something, dikes on bikes, that's what they callt dikes on bikes, so that they come around, they do the rev up and then once they go the first nation opens it. So we knew last year because it was World Pride. It was like three weeks worth of festival, the first time in Southern Hemisphes. We thought, we've got to fucking go big with this, so we built a thirty foot long inflatable rainbow serpent for it. Have you not seen I'll

Okay, but every other float's not funded.

Well no, some of them are like.

American Express, Google. Yeah, there are.

Some community floats are like they self fund themselves, like it's a community events, but it's turned into a bit of a which is another yarm with itself but back to this parade that the the was so we let it and we did the thirty foot flow and then we had a ti one her name, I can't remember her name now, sister girl. And then I led the first Nation the Aboriginal site, and we had these big fucking flag cape things around our waist, this big bead.

Like it was this big but a fly, but there's a massive span.

It was like like a ban that was sick.

It was a flag. I literally I was so jealous.

I told you to come much of us, and but look, and I thought I was.

I thought I was in Will's flow because he's like, you come. I'm like, yeah, I've got some'm coming. Did you get the routine? I'm like, no, routine was learn the routine planning.

It's a fucking it's it's it's like a big thing.

I turned up to the to rehearsals and honestly said to Will, I'm here. Where are you? We was like, we're over here because you're with the other first Nations. I'm like, I don't know. There was two.

I think there was a four or something.

Yes, so you know there's a lot of people. How many floats. I was like, literally number one hundred.

Yeah, it was number one. I think there was like one hundred and ninety or something, thing like they usually cap it at some point. But that's how it goes for fucking hour.

How how long does it go for?

Like four hours?

Two kilometer walk?

Seven kilometers?

Seven kilometer walk in whatever. Stiletto's father was rare and.

Stillattos rocked it.

Oh hell, all the way down seven kilometers of road.

But that's that's the PG part about Mardi Gras. The rest of it's quite debaucherous.

Oh debaucherous, that can I just say quickly though. I was marching with these two four lads on each side of me and the rest of the flow. But one of the lads that I was next to, his name is Jas from the Pilgrim mob w A mob, So he's come all the way over here first Marti Gras, and it's electrifying. There's like a million people lining up on the sides and screaming, and you full on like get called up in all the hype right like you're famous and everyone wants That's how I felt. I was like,

It is the alt and.

It's a feeling i've never felt. I loved it, even as a non queer woman. I loved every bit of it.

That's what I love about. Its seriously the best time. And we call it Gay Christmas because or the Gay Olympics, one of the two, because it's like it's a marathon. And mate, black fellows were shady as fuck without being gay. Imagine being gay and black. Like the claws come out, the cats comes out, and I live for all of it.

I love like that's my man.

Like that that is, but that's my cousin. I'm kissing him later. That's the time. That's how it goes. No, but it's such a good time because it's it's the one time that every year we know that when mob come together, it's like pure love and joy and the shadiness comes from a place of love and kindness. It's the best because that's how black fellows go. Like it goes about black humor, you know how we go.

On follows and geez you look real fat?

Yeah, always a double chinne work done that tummy tug?

What about the ball? Is there miss pearl, black pearl?

What is that sissy ball?

Yes, there is something.

Yeah, this is sypo. So that's the introduction of like the voguing and carol room scene, which is like part of that black culture out of the US and stuff like that. Like they've done a good job I think over the years to try and be more inclusive. But whilst the love MANI gras it also is really fucking white really well. Yeah, I tried to get on the board. Do you hear about that? No? I failed miserably.

How come?

Well, it's like any other board. You run, just run to a board and stuff like that. But it's with the gay community. It's not very inclusive.

I don't reckon are they bluck followers on the board?

Uh? There has been?

Is it currently?

I don't know why not. I will say the board has made a very interesting decision recently by asking the cops not to march.

Okay, that's interesting it on TV, you know, because some of these boards are quite conservative, so I was just thinking whether they would be supportive of the communities.

Require getting into the reasons to why. I think everyone knows who listened to this and probably watch the news and understands it. What I will say, it's probably the right call in my view. I like, you look at this like Plice haven't really done. From the First Nation's float and stuff, there's been lots of yards supporting the idea of having the police not march, and everyone's like, oh,

Have done back in the day. In terms of the history of Martin. He goes, how did this all start?

It was a movement and what I know from some of the elders that were a part of it. Do you know there were a lot of mob marching with them just in solidarity. So when people say blackfellows a kind of homophobic, can you see communitys homophobic? There's heaps of evidence to say that fucking mob was supportive of queer movements back in the seventies when the seventy eighties got locked up, and there's a lot of black fellows got locked up with them because I'm marching in solidarity

In Sydney, well, always in Sydney, where else Oxford Street, not just for listening that don't know about Marty Grass.

Started in King's Cross. Okay, it was march because they were discriminative and they used to target what happened.

So it's like, it's like our protests on Jan. Twenty six, Marty Grass started out of it's a protest, that's now this big celebration. Yeah, similar to Jan twenty six, like we all come together, there's a big protest and then we go down to Survival dale Yarvin and it's a huge celebration kind of. But I'm just saying, like, I got you mean, was it a pro I didn't know that it started from a protest movement.

I didn't know that it was a protest because from my understanding, there was a lot of queen mob being targeted by police. They would go to specific hotels and clubs and spaces where particularly men were cruising.

Or andashing and bashing and locking them up.

Yeah, so that was in a march, and from there's a lot of queer women who also led that, which is kind of a common theme across queer rights is how women usually let it. We'll be back right after this break.

So that's interesting how it's a protest movement. It's like coppers joining us on our protests on could you imagine?

I was just thinking that that would be an interesting because Angeline has said they can march, but just not with uniform.

I think that might have been which I'm sure. Yeah.

And the same thing with you know, black follows. I'm sure we know that there are black fellows who are.

Proppers, but I would feel.

Weird, Yeah if they came and marched with us in uniform.

Look, yeah, I don't know, it's for me. You need to take away the human centric perspective and say, look at the institute. The institute inherently discriminates against average people and LGBTQ people, so that as an institute in you should not be marching. But I get if people are in those institutes who are gay or queer, then I'm like, well, I don't want to say no to them, because then we're just perpetually excluding people. It's a really fucking finite line, right.

That need to that they belong and this is where they belong.

Yeah, but look to the back to the fun of Mardi Gras. Whilst all seriousness aside, it is a week long of pure debauchery.

Okay, tell us the best, tell us your best Martigra? Was it last year because of Kelly?

Last year was sick because it was World Pride and we led them. We led the Harbor. We led the march and then the next that weekend or the weekend before I got to march over the Harbor Bridge and open the Harbor Bridge with my kids. The seven years old had had the cape and was marching with Tay. Her name is that's it? Tay the Torrest Island. One heard the Torreshound flag and is us leading these parade with his other two gay boys waving the big flat in the opening of the march over That.

Was the opening of World Pride.

It was unreal. It's fucking sick. So now my kids have an experience to say that they got to do it, which is pretty special in my view.

I want to go next year that.

We should march, but we should do it properly though. So it starts off with being quite civil and it ends up with being four am, finishes blow jobs in alleyways and okay, and is that.

Where we're going?

A week and a week long, a week long of STI checks after the sexual health clinic. Okay, so seriously, have you.

Not heard listen? I would like to do part of that.

But all definitely not the blow job.

So I had a couple of friends that they in the lead up to it. They would then get on prep and they would go prepare to get cultural lips, and they call it Marti Grau lips because that'd end up with seriously because I tell you it's it's humble, it's like it's it's it's nice as in Marti grad. But it is a time for queer people to just let loose.

Well, I thought, I let my hair out.

You know, it's like our version of like Corey Knockout.

But so that's what I'm saying. That's so so you know, in a couple of episodes ago, I was talking about kissing cousins. That's how almost kissed my cousin at Mardi Gras. So I'm I'm a ship. Well what do you what are you wrong that?

I just thought, I think that's really interesting.

Jenny's face?

Will you kissing cousins?

Oh, Jenny, do you want to know? You're mad?

You want to?

I want to kiss my cousin.

I just think I haven't kissed my cousin, like I'm not saying I have, but that was the time because it's like the knockout. So when you get literally so there's one hundred and twenty black fellows at March, right, But there's not just there's like parties and stuff that they go, so like there's there's not that often you get.

Is there exclusive like invitation only parties.

I've never been, but I.

Think americ amex or Facebook or someone they held an ex TikTok or a.

TikTok, But I'm not sure that's the same exclusive. Are you thinking about like a sex party or Oh I don't know. I can't imagine TikTok's come get tick, come get ticked, where you get topped.

No, I just said that there was obviously these exclusive invitation only parties. Yeah, that big corporate's put on with all these influences. I did see some photos on Instagram last year that I thought.

Yeah, when you said exclusives, like I thought you meant like sex parties.

Oh, I know people who hosted sex bidies, Martygraph because people travel all over.

We've been to a sex buddy. Yeah, yeah, years old and now don't do that to me.

I'm thirty, Linda, Linda, we've had yarns about some of your escapades over dinner. Do you want to you ain't? No, Angel, honey, Yeah, yeah, exactly right. Mine might be a little bit more debaucherous than yours, but nevertheless, we've all been there.

Can I just want a mob on on Instagram live.

Debaucherous, the baucherous It's like that never heard a debaucherous Yeah. But all the time.

Angeline is asked, who are the black quire mob that you admire?

And oh, so many people? Oh go, where do I start?

Who do you admire?

There's so many? That's the thing, like you, when I do work in the man, I'm not doing it this year because I'm working and I've last year was so epical, iconic. I've just said, look, it's a huge my boots up for this year.

So you're not marching.

No, I'm not marching.

Oh William, Okay, you're partying though, No I'm not. Are you not engaging in your Christmas festivities?

Oh that's I don't think you understand. Last year off, Yeah, but you just.

Sat here and spoke about how amazing this moment is and you're like, but I'm not going to do it this year.

I did. I celebrated, I've done it. So this year quit everything. Now I've not quit. I've paid homage to the people have come before me. And I'm letting the new young ones carried because I'm a big note in country. I'll get in them, take control and persess the best flood ever.

You just that turned you off.

Now it hasn't turned me off. It just means I had to reprioritize its work life balance. I made commitments last year. I've got commitments this year. I prioritized last year's over my work. Came here and see show work. This is what you did, right, Okay? So think about people who I admire. There's so many elders. Annie Sue Pinkham, she's just an absolute champion. Annie Rusty, she's a trans woman from Wa who's just fucking incredible. And he Counch

But about sister girls and brother boys or Tea Weed, what's the tee wee mob on two wee Sister Girl?

Yeah, to tell me Abouttina she's a Torris stray. Arnie Laura, who was a TI woman. Unfortunately she passed her. Sister Girl, she's got past. Unfortunately. There's so many mobs that have done so much amazing things. I think about Lawrence and Tim Bishop, who's done incredible things. More recently, Ginny Jane Smith, who's my good sister, who I love, love dearly. I've got so much time and respect for. Like, there's just so many people who have created the space for us

Is there anyone in the float prepare for the float? Now? Is there anything that you could share with us?

It's on this Saturday, So it's on this Saturday.

You just got to go on ABC, SBS. Who does the live cover?

Does the n I TV do it do something as well?

And stuff like.

That's a bunch of different mobs.

Was the Realda Jacob's one of the hosts Now.

She was one of the I think World Pride Ambassadors, okay ambassadors, Yeah for war pride.

So it's an opportunity to celebrate the party. It's a whole week long and for all of you deadly mob that are going, please, you know, look after yourselves. Yeah, get tested after yourselves. You know, party and you know, just make sure that you're around the right people to party and let you say down.

So wait, wait back to Gina and a marsh next year.

If I don't want to, yeah, hopefully that I was just going to say, maybe we could all go.

Do you need an invitation? Let's just see the moment. You know.

The thing is, if you want to, if you want to march, particularly the first Nation, you gotta involved. It's a community float, so you to go, you gotta show up. You gotta be engaged. Like we used to go every Saturday and plan and go into workshop. Like the float didn't build itself, we built it. Like it's massive. So it's a community gathering where we get twenty thirty mobs

Can I act you about this? Someone said to me, Oh, yeah, they're part of the alphabet community.

Recent that's meena? Is there anything that it's the thing?

Right?

So look, I'm going to say it, and if I offend people, then so be it. Sometimes we're a bit sensitive in this space. We have to take it with a grain of soul. The alphabet mafia is taking a bit of it. Again, we're shady bitches. Don't take things too seriously, and I think if you come from a place of genuine curiosity and kindness, you can ask these questions and not be offensive. I wouldn't say go around to coliness the alphbet mafia. But the reality is that

Stuff.

So they existed in our culture. It's just not documented. So it's already there, but it's very much Western kind of us to label it. And Martie Rusty Blesser, who I love and respect immensely, is I refer to as Artie because she's a respected elder in my opinion. She said she never had to justify her transit until she came to Sydney. In her community over in Western Australia, her elders and her community just accepted her based on her spiritual gender, which is female, even though she was

No, okay, So that's good to know though, because here here I am learned so much. Have you well come learn more?

Come March next year.

I want to march if we can go, Hey, Ginny, just quickly right? If you had to wear something because there was black leather stuff and I kept thinking to myself, I cannot have I can't wear that. I'm married, I've got children. So would you still wear something that you know that you're not going to feel comfortable in it and you're going to do it anyways because it's the spirit of the whole festival?

Yes, can I say?

They're posting first stripes and stuff like that.

Plan There are people up there with the biggest frames and the biggest shapes wearing the most minimalist clothing. So I promise you could wear the most skimpiest thing and there'll be someone less dressed than you.

It is.

It's the one time in the year that you will see every frame and shape march and no one gives an absolute fuck, because that's the spirit of what Mardigo is with you.

You know, my kids said that. My kids said, please do not embarrass us. That's what they said to me before I got on the plane to come to sid Do not embarrass us, Mum, Like, are we going to see you on TV? They were so I'm not joking. They were. They were. They were horrified. They were and they listen. They just did not know what they were going to see me in that they'd never seen that side of me, and I, honestly, Ginny, I had to just go, you know what, this is not about me, really.

Big, he's a big advocate. He did a lot of work in the queer space well respected a lot of work in HIV prevention and so.

Forth, and that's so for me, I was like, no, this is about paying tribute to him and many of our mind that have gone before us and those that are still alive today that are still supporting the whole kind of fight celebration. So my kids said first last words and says, don't embarrass me, mum. Then they saw the float and the camera was on the other side, so they did not get to see me, which was you know, for me, I was like, I wanted them to see me.

I was so much airtime you did, I.

Must say that I was. I felt so proud too, March. I felt this immense sense of pride to support the queer community, to support blackfellows, and the tribute to memorial float was really deadly as well. But yeah, I just want to say to people, it's an experience. It should be on your bucket list, but you do need you know, you can't invite yourself. You've got to try and find the right people to be part of their float.

Well, hopefully we all get to go next year. We should.

I would love we'll do it. We've got to do the work there be right. So I just want to say big shout out to my queer mob this week and the best.

Alone, be safe, look after you on each other.

And party for us. We'll be thinking of yours and we'll be watching on TV tuned to stop it all right. Well, thank you so much, Will for sharing enlightning. It was a really good session. I feel like we're in like an education session, but it's a podcast.

Let's make next person. That's so fucking seriously, no.

But it was really good and I'm pretty sure people on our INSU Live also just learnt so much, and our listeners. So thank you Will for just opening up and sharing with us, because we need more people like you that have that insight. That's your community and you're the best person to talk on that topic.

I love them and.

Thank you for bringing me into this little world of yours. See it.

But you know what what I will say when you start engaging with black fellows who are queer. You know they fuck with you when they read you the fields right, when they're nasty to here, call you all the names under sun, it means I like you. If they're too friendly to you, it's meant that I fucked you, Jena. So people are mean to you when you're black and queens they like it. I know.

I went to the Marrity, she went to the Murray. Every Yes I did.

I Love you, Mom, out.

By Thanks for listening to Unapologetically Black, brought to you by Black Cast Unite Our Voices and produced by Cliff Curtis.

Hello, We're a fucking airplace. Over and out, Roger, Roger