Surry Hills Police Local Area Commander, Superintendent Tony Crandell, promises a safer Mardi Gras experience for the sex and gender diverse community in 2014.
(Photo: HardieBoys on Flickr)
At the GLBTI Rainbow Forum, held in Paddington Town Hall on July 16, Superintendent Crandell said: “Surry Hills Police has enjoyed, in the past, a very strong relationship with the GLBTI community. Can I acknowledge though, that there have been difficulties, and we were all aware of difficulties that occurred in the march of the Mardi Gras.
“We are working very, very hard to ensure that Mardi Gras 2014 is a better experience for everyone. One of the things that we have done is appoint Andrew Hodgson to the very first GLBTI coordination role in NSW.”
The Forum, held by City of Sydney Council, was sparked by the controversial removal of Oxford Street’s popular rainbow crossing. Lord Mayor Clover Moore said: “It was a fabulous piece of public art and the removal evoked spontaneous reaction.”
Ms Moore stressed the need for an increase in community involvement and the necessity of symbols for the sex and gender diverse community such as the rainbow crossing. Superintendent Crandell and Constable Andrew Hodgson joined the audience of enthusiastic community members to discuss ideas for symbols which would replace Taylor Square’s rainbow crossing and honour Sydney’s sex and gender diverse community. Many audience members brought forward excellent and extravagant ideas of symbols for Oxford Street, the Mardi Gras’s symbolic location, which would represent and celebrate this part of Sydney’s community.
The loss of the rainbow crossing sparked a furious response by many people, which resulted in DIY rainbow crossings springing up in many locations. The Lord Mayor said: “It’s just interesting when you think about Duncan Gay (NSW Minister for Roads and Ports) insisting on moving our fabulous crossing in such a way that seemed like such an assault and yet this amazing movement has gone right around the world now.”
Superintendent Crandell ended the night with the well-received announcement of Andrew Hodgson’s appointment. He said that the officer’s role would “make sure there is a lot more consultation within our area, within Surry Hills in particular”.
“The only mission with the Mardi Gras, that we have for 2014, is to do better.”
