Away from the progression flags, glitz, drag acts, corporate pink washes, concerts and parties, there’s a largely unspoken side project underway as Sydney hosts WorldPride: restoring the city to its former glory as a global LGBTQ destination.
Sydney has always considered itself Australia’s ‘gay city’, home to Mardi Gras, Oxford Street, Darlinghurst, Newtown, Stonewall. But it’s not just the fun stuff. It was also the town of the ’78ers, Scott Johnson’s murder, the Bondi Boys, Darlinghurst police station.
Sydney has always been Australia’s “gay city”, but where does it stand in the 21st century as a global LGBTQ capital?Credit:Edwina Pickels
Undoubtedly, Sydney was one of the gay capitals of the world, along with San Francisco, California’s hippie mecca. But in recent decades, that identity has diminished as other cities have established themselves on the queer map.
The world has changed – a lot. By the raw numbers, South America’s party paradise is now the global gay pride capital, with 3 to 5 million people attending Sao Paulo’s pride festival each year (although, as we know, size isn’t everything).
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