A sponsorship deal involving international dating website Gaydar has locked rival online groups out of the Mardi Gras parade on 3 March and the festival's Fair Day on 18 February. The inclusive spirit of the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras has been betrayed by organisers who are excluding groups because of the commercial deal, according to one disgruntled businesswoman. Liz James from lesbian dating website The Pink Sofa says her members have been refused permission to take part in the parade and have been rejected from the Fair Day, despite having a stall there for the last six years. Ms James said organisers were jeopardising the spirit of Mardi Gras as well as its financial future by opting for the immediate cash injection from Gaydar, over the community ethos the festival was meant to represent. Organisers confirmed the commercial agreement with Gaydar prevented The Pink Sofa being involved in Fair Day and the parade. "Hundreds of girls wanted to march under a Pink Sofa banner and we've been told they can't," Ms James said. "I believe Mardi Gras is a celebration of everybody, but this business practice is anti-community. "Mardi Gras is a community event, it's all about inclusion, but this excludes people from the community. It doesn't belong to anyone in particular, it belongs to all gays and lesbians. "If they continue with this practice they have lost touch with the community and what the event is all about. "A number of businesses might consider boycotting the event in future if they continue this practice." Mardi Gras chairman Marcus Bourget rejected Ms James' complaints and said the festival did not exclude any individuals. Mr Bourget said, with an annual turnover of $3 million, Mardi Gras was a business which needed sponsors to survive like any other commercial event. "She runs a for-profit company in direct competition to our leading sponsor," Mr Bourget said. "We are not excluding people, only competing commercial organisations. "If not for our sponsors there would be no Mardi Gras. We have to provide a fair deal for our sponsors. "We welcome her (Pink Sofa) members to participate in the event as individuals." Organisers backed down from another exclusive deal yesterday after the state tourism boards from Queensland and Tasmania were also refused admission at Fair Day because of an agreement between Mardi Gras and Tourism New South Wales. Following intervention from Vincent Cooper of the International Gay and Lesbian Tourism Association, the decision was reversed. Mr Cooper said commercial exclusion was not appropriate for Mardi Gras. "They need to be a little more sensitive when signing up these sponsorship agreements," Mr Cooper said. "I can understand if Ford sponsored it and Toyota wanted to be involved, but when they exclude gay and lesbian businesses like Pink Sofa, it's just not on." Ref: The Australian (m)
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Wednesday, 31st January 2007 - 12:00pm