Mardi Gras council to consult community before voting on NSW Police participation in parade | Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras

The Sydney Mardi Gras council will vote on whether members of the NSW Police Force will march in its annual parade later this year.

In an email sent to members Friday evening, council announced that three community consultation sessions – two online and one in person – would be held in September to gather feedback.

The results of the consultation will form an independent report and a motion will be put to a vote at this year’s Mardi Gras Annual General Meeting.

It is understood that a date for the 2024 meeting will be announced in the coming weeks.

In its email, the council acknowledged that police participation in the parade was “an ongoing topic of discussion within our community.”

“Our goal is to ensure that all voices within our community are heard and that members have the information they need to make informed decisions on this issue,” the message said.

“The goal is to collect clear and impartial data that will enable informed decisions to be made.”

Riley Brooke, a member of the queer community group Pride in Protest, which has long campaigned against police presence at the parade, hailed the decision as a “massive victory”.

Brooke said Pride in Protest had “pushed” for the wider community to be consulted on the issue.

“We encourage everyone who participates to do so in good faith,” Brooke said.

“The queer community doesn’t benefit from taking it out on itself (which is why) it’s really important that we have these crucial political discussions and treat them with the seriousness that they deserve.”

Brooke said many people have “very strong beliefs” about police marches – including themselves – and noted that there is “justifiable pain and anger from marginalized communities about the inclusion of police.”

“Actually, talking about these policies and the impact of whether or not we include police officers in queer spaces – or how we invite them or not – is really important.”

In its email, the council clarified that the consultation was about police involvement in the parade and not about the operational presence of NSW Police at its events – which is mandatory under state law and will continue if necessary.

Discussions about including police in the parade have been ongoing for several years. However, the debate came to a head earlier this year after Senator Beau Lamarre-Condon was charged with the murders of Luke Davies and Jesse Baird, who allegedly used his police-issued firearm.

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The council asked police not to march in the parade for the first time since 1998, but police later agreed to march in plain clothes “taking into account sensitivities”.

The first Sydney Mardi Gras took place in 1978 to protest discrimination and celebrate the local LGBTQI+ community. It resulted in police brutality, mass arrests and public media coverage of the protests.

In 2018, then NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller formally apologised to the 78ers – those who took part in the first parade – for the pain caused by the actions of the police.

This year, the site of the former Darlinghurst police station was transformed into a queer museum, with founder David Polson telling Guardian Australia it would mark “the beginning of the healing process between the police department and the queer community”.

A current exhibition broadcasts Fuller’s apology to police from inside a police cell.

In a statement, a NSW Police spokesperson said: “We look forward to continuing to work with Mardi Gras organisers.

“NSW Police are dedicated to supporting LGBTIQ communities and are proud of our role as community leaders on inclusion and diversity,” the spokesperson said.

“NSW Police are working closely with Mardi Gras organisers to ensure the safety and success of the events.”

The Mardi Gras board declined to comment beyond an email sent to members.