The Sydney Swans reckon they’re going to be the first ever professional sports team to have a float in Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, announcing this afternoon that the club will be taking part in the parade:
Everyone is welcome at the football – that’s the message the Sydney Swans will be taking to the Mardi Gras this year … It follows Swans players and coaching staff taking part in the parade in recent years, joining athletes from other sporting codes to say no to homophobia in sport.
The entry coincides with the 40th anniversary of the Mardi Gras and follows the Swans hosting the first Pride Game in Sydney for premiership points in 2017.
Chief executive Andrew Ireland says the move is part of a broader plan to tackle (sorry) diversity:
The 40th anniversary is a special year for the Mardi Gras and we’re really proud of being, we believe, the first professional sporting team to have a float in the Mardi Gras Parade.
LGBTI Pride is one of the four pillars of our Diversity Action Plan, which outlines our commitments to inclusion.
We want to be an inclusive club and we want everyone to feel welcome at the football. It’s about making people feel welcome, safe and included.
Traditionally, Australian professional sports and Australia’s queer community haven’t been an amazing mix, so it’s cool as shit to see clubs actively take part in a big, ridiculous, celebration of queerdom. Legends.
