A nationwide tour of First Nations rainbow communities is kicking off on Wednesday 21 September as part of Sydney WorldPride 2023.
The First Nations team from Sydney WorldPride and Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras will meet with LGBTQIA+SB mob at 11 locations around the country. At these events, they will provide face-to-face engagement about the Sydney WorldPride festival and the various ways that communities can get involved.
The Roadshow team will also hear from First Nations rainbow communities about their experiences and ensure their voices are part of the first WorldPride festival in the southern hemisphere.
The Roadshow is the beginning of a long-term plan to engage First Nations LGBTQIA+SB communities in the coming years to ensure that their voices are heard and included in future Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras celebrations.
In addition, the Roadshow team will talk about specific offerings as part of Sydney WorldPride 2023:
- The discount ticketing scheme for Aboriginal and Torres Strait peoples, MobTix (click here to learn more)
- The opportunity to apply for $5,000 to hold a viewing event in your community for Live and Proud: Sydney WorldPride Opening Concert (click here to learn more) and the Mardi Gras Parade (click here to learn more) through the First Nations Grants Program (to apply for the program, click here).
The Roadshow will be led by Sydney WorldPride First Nations Engagement Manager Ebony Williams, Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras’s First Nations and Community Engagement Officer Matika Little, and Sydney WorldPride’s First Nations Co-Creative Director Ben Graetz (an Iwaidja, Malak Malak & Badu Islands man).
“Australia is home to the oldest continuous culture on the planet, and our LGBTQIA+ communities are the oldest on the planet as well,” said Sydney WorldPride’s First Nations Engagement Manager, Ebony Williams (Wiradjuri and African American woman).
“Connecting with mob out in community is vitally important so that we can forge long-lasting and meaningful relationships that endure in the years to come,” said Ebony.
“This style of First Nations community engagement is on a scale Mardi Gras has never been able to do before, so we are beyond excited to be able connect with mob nationally, face-to-face, especially in the lead up to the launch of our Reconciliation Action Plan in the coming months,” said Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras’s First Nations and Community Engagement Officer Matika Little (Wiradjuri and Kamilaroi woman).
The Roadshow is supported by Coles Group, one of the largest private sector employers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia.
Applications for the First Nations Grant Program are now open and close on 30 October 2022. To view the Terms and Conditions for the First Nations Grants Program, click here.
For more information and to apply, click here!For more information about the First Nations Roadshow, including dates and locations, visit: www.sydneyworldpride.com for details.
Image: Miss Ellaneous – courtesy of Sydney WorldPride 2023