Last weekend saw the 31st annual Lesbian Gay Mardi Gras in Sydney. My friend and colleague, Rollan McCleary, was there and has written a piece about it on his blog. As a bit of background, Rollan is a nude activist and has on a number of occasions with others attempted a nude presence at Mardi Gras. Certainly at comparable events overseas such as at Toronto and San Francisco, nudity has never been a problem and there are often large nude contingents in the Stonewall Day/LGBT Pride/LGBT Freedom day parades overseas. But not in Australia. Australia has some of the industrial world's worst laws on public nudity. Here in Qld, local artist Ken Wenzell fought a two year legal case after being arrested by police for nude sunbathing on a secluded beach at the Sunshine Coast.
Sydney's Mardi Gras might be FABULOUS and OUTRAGEOUS but the organisers have always been quick to stop public nudity in the past. This year Rollan and others planned to march near-naked carrying placards protesting the laws against public nudity. Rollan was wearing a fishnet jock but circumstances worked out that he was able to to remove it during the parade and walk naked for over a kilometre. As someone commented to Rollan at parade's end: “You’re a lucky guy. It all worked out just as you needed - so well anyone would think God himself arranged it all”…. And Rollan, who is Christian, continues on his blog: '“Oh, yes” I said a bit taken aback and unsure how to reply.'
Read all about it, and Rollan's latest publishing venture, in Joan Rivers Wanted to Interview Me.
Sydney's Mardi Gras might be FABULOUS and OUTRAGEOUS but the organisers have always been quick to stop public nudity in the past. This year Rollan and others planned to march near-naked carrying placards protesting the laws against public nudity. Rollan was wearing a fishnet jock but circumstances worked out that he was able to to remove it during the parade and walk naked for over a kilometre. As someone commented to Rollan at parade's end: “You’re a lucky guy. It all worked out just as you needed - so well anyone would think God himself arranged it all”…. And Rollan, who is Christian, continues on his blog: '“Oh, yes” I said a bit taken aback and unsure how to reply.'
Read all about it, and Rollan's latest publishing venture, in Joan Rivers Wanted to Interview Me.
