SYDNEY GAY AND LESBIAN MARDI GRAS ROUTE JOINS STATE HERITAGE REGISTER

Key city roads that have forged the path of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade since 1978 have been added to the NSW State Heritage Register.

This acknowledgement of the pivotal role the 2.4km route has played in shaping the social history of NSW coincides with the 45th year of the parade and comes ahead of Sydney hosting WorldPride 2023.

The heritage-listed route includes parts of Oxford Street, Flinders Street, Anzac Parade and Darlinghurst Road, as well as the Darlinghurst Police Station, where protesters were arrested.

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras CEO Albert Kruger said the impact of LGBTIQA+ pioneers who first walked the route in 1978 was still felt today.

“Oxford Street and its surrounds have a deep-rooted connection to the equality movement in Australia and have long been a safe space for our communities to gather, celebrate and protest,” Mr Kruger said.

“State Heritage recognition of the Parade route is an international statement on the importance of creating and protecting LGBTIQA+ spaces.”

For more information, visit the Heritage NSW website.

*Source: Destination NSW