Sydney’s throwing a huge party in my honour tonight. It’s been 10 weeks since I moved my family over and I can understand the city is very excited to have me here.
What’s that, you say? Mardi Gras is not about me?
Well, that sounds strange. But still, it’s a massive event with music and dancing and glitter and happiness and there’s no way I’d ever miss it. And I’m taking my 10-year-old son with me. Even though we’re not a rainbow family. Even though I’m straight. But I’ve thought very carefully about it beyond me just wanting to have a good time and saving on a babysitter.
So if you’re wondering if you can take your kids to Mardi Gras, here are the reasons why I definitely am:
He’s already aware gay people exist.
I’m lucky enough to call one of the best guys in the whole world a friend of mine, and my son has been raised with him in his life. Not as his ‘gay uncle’. Just as a person.
When the marriage equality vote happened, my kid said to me, “What’s the big deal mum, a boy loves a boy and a girl loves a girl, like literally, it doesn’t matter.” Because that’s how I’ve raised him – to respect people as people.
Especially when they party.
My workmate, and superstar, Adam Bub
Mardi Gras is not just supported by the LBGTQI community.
I support Mardi Gras. I respect the LGBTQI community. And it will be wonderful for my son to see that most people and areas of society do, too.
My workmate at Mamamia, Adam Bub, will be in a float tonight, and he told me about how diverse they are this year. You can check out them out here. The floats include everything from the iconic Dykes on Bikes, to the huge, joyous Rainbow Families floats, and even a Taronga Zoo float.
Adam also pointed out that there are some of the big corporations with their own floats, such as ANZ, Holden, Qantas, and Tinder, just to name a few. It’s a hard-won respect and representation that the community has earned, and it’s really important for my son to understand how far things have come.
It’s a rainbow reminder that I’ll always be OK with whoever my kid is, and whomever he’s friends with.
I’m just a normal mum, who thinks her kid’s the greatest thing since The Oprah Winfrey Show. It’s so important to me that he never forgets that he always has my acceptance, because I’m a cool, non-judgey mom. And also because he can’t offend me with his mere existence.
I’ll look like the coolest parent ever.
My son will always remember the we partied together at Australia’s biggest party. And hopefully he’ll tell everyone about the cool mum he’s so lucky to have, for many decades to come.
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Top Comments
I suspect that whilst mum is fine exposing her son to stereotypes of homosexual men wearing flamboyant outfits, she would be offended by grid girls' outfits at the car races.
Exactly.
Funny how it's "cool" to expose your child to overtly sexual parades when its linked to a celebration of homosexuality etc, but the same behaviour would never be tolerated let alone celebrated if it was at the races.