The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras has temporarily suspended board members Damien Nguyen and Luna Choo.
The two board members are also members of the activist group Pride in Protest, which describes itself as a grassroots movement for queer liberation.
In an email to members, Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras said Choo and Nguyen had been stood down for 28 days from 4 March. The organisation said the move was required to allow for constructive mediation and the development of resolution processes.
“The Board has proposed a pathway to reconciliation that we hope can be progressed during the stand‑down period,” the statement said. “We are approaching this process in good faith and with the hope that it will allow all involved to move forward constructively.
“Our organisation exists because of the strength, passion, and diversity of the LGBTQIA+ community it represents. The Board remains committed to working through this matter in a way that reflects our shared values – respect, accountability, and a commitment to community.”
The latest development follows the two directors being formally censured for using their Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras email accounts to voice support for a trans rights campaign. That interaction saw Choo misgendered several times by the organisation’s co‑chairs, who later issued a public apology.
Speaking in a personal capacity, Nguyen said he was concerned about the future of Mardi Gras.
“Mardi Gras is about uniting over common goals, such as standing up to ongoing transphobia, police brutality, and genocide‑complicity. These are popular positions within the LGBTQIA+ community.
“I am concerned about the future of the organisation. Who would we be as a community‑led organisation without the community?” he said.
“I plan to continue my commitment to what the community and membership have asked for: transgender rights. I will be joining the march for Trans Day of Visibility in two weeks at Pride Square.”
Pride in Protest spokesperson Rohen Snowball said the Mardi Gras board had a history of trying to silence Pride in Protest members who had been voted onto the board.
“In 2021, then co‑chair and current CEO Jesse Matheson stood down two SGLMG directors and Pride in Protest members. This is the emergency tactic to shut down dissent when the leadership – unquestioningly backing the two major political parties and big corporate sponsors – feel they are losing control.
“A majority of members backed motions at Mardi Gras’s last AGM to highlight trans rights and advocate for anti‑discrimination reform. Faced with the opportunity to stand with our community, the organisation’s leadership instead chose to ignore us.
“Last night, the organisation took it one step further – shutting out the only directors who have consistently stood up for trans rights,” Snowball said.
