March 1, 2025 – Mardi Gras is a time of joy and community celebration – but it also serves as a reminder that LGBTIQ+ people need to be protected from hate speech, Equality Australia says.
Reporting from Channel 7 today detailing a homophobic attack that occurred near Oxford St highlights that verbal and physical abuse against LGBTIQ+ people is a real and present threat. In fact, incidents increase during times of heightened visibility, such as pride events like Sydney’s iconic Mardi Gras parade.
“Mardi Gras is celebration of who we are and how far we have come but sadly this also comes with an uptick in verbal abuse, threats of violence and assaults,” said Equality Australia CEO Anna Brown.
“It’s a reminder that for many people in our communities, particularly trans people, such targeted acts of hate are a year-round occurrence and that despite our gains we are still fighting for equal rights and protections in the law.”
A Bill will soon be debated in the Victorian Legislative Council which will provide anti-vilification protections for women, people with a disability and the LGBTIQ+ community.
“On the eve of Sydney’s iconic Mardi Gras, we’re calling on the parliament to finally pass the first ever protections against hate speech for our community in Victoria,” Ms Brown said.
“This measure is long overdue, and the need has never been greater with extremist groups targeting members of our community not only online but in public spaces like libraries, queer events and street marches.”
Ms Brown also called on the NSW Government to implement additional legal and civil protections for the queer community, after LGBTIQ+ people were left out of the recent expansion of hate crimes legislation.
The new law makes it a crime to intentionally and publicly incite hatred on the grounds of race only, although Attorney General Michael Daley said a 6-month-long review would examine how laws in NSW could be improved to address hate speech based on other attributes such as sexuality and gender identity.
“NSW has a special place in the history of LGBTIQ+ equality and in the last year alone we’ve seen remarkable gains for our community such as birth certificate reform for trans and gender diverse people, the banning of conversion practices and a commitment to implement all the recommendations of the gay hate crimes inquiry,” she said.
“We’re now calling on the NSW Government to protects us and other vulnerable communities from the harm that hart causes, recognising we can only prevent its spread if we stop it at its source.
“Hate speech isn’t confined to just words – it leads to appalling acts of violence in the real world, and without stronger laws to protect us this abuse and harassment will continue unchecked.
“Every one of us has the right to feel safe if we’re online, walking down the street or celebrating with our friends and families after the Mardi Gras parade.”
Ms Brown also raised concerns about the winding back of protections in the Northern Territory, after Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said she would remove the vilification measures introduced by the former Labor government from the Anti-Discrimination Act.
Media contact: Emily Mulligan, 0411 207 633, emily.mulligan@equalityaustralia.org.au
