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First Nations Engagement Manager Ebony Williams Has A Yarn About Sydney WorldPride


Sydney WorldPride (SWP) and Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras (SGLMG) are committed to working closely with First Nations communities to celebrate and elevate First Nations LGBTQIA+, Sistergirl and Brotherboy culture. To yarn about Sydney WorldPride is First Nations Engagement Manager Ebony Williams.

SWP and SGLMG understand the importance of actively promoting equity and equality while working together to build cultural competence and strong relationships between First Nations and our organisations.

The role of the First Nations Advisory committee is to advise and make recommendations to Sydney WorldPride and Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras on matters relating to First Nations programming. The committee will inform development, implementation, and review of festival planning. The committee will also advise and liaise regarding issues impacting First Nations LGBTQIA+ Sistergirl and Brotherboy communities. All members of the advisory committee were appointed through an EOI and interview process, by a panel that included PwC’s Indigenous Consulting, SWP First Nations Engagement Manager, SWP Creative Director – First Nations and the SWP and SGLMG CEOs.


A nationwide tour of First Nations rainbow communities is kicking off on September 21, as part of Sydney WorldPride 2023. The First Nations team from Sydney WorldPride and Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras will meet with LGBTQIA+SB mob at 11 locations around the country. At these events, they will provide face-to-face engagement about the Sydney WorldPride festival and the various ways that communities can get involved. The Roadshow team will also hear from First Nations rainbow communities about their experiences and ensure their voices are part of the first WorldPride festival in the southern hemisphere. The Roadshow is the beginning of a long-term plan to engage First Nations LGBTQIA+SB communities in the coming years to ensure that their voices are heard and included in future Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras celebrations.

In addition, the Roadshow team will talk about specific offerings as part of Sydney WorldPride 2023: • The discount ticketing scheme for Aboriginal and Torres Strait peoples, MobTix (click here to learn more) • The opportunity to apply for $5,000 to hold a viewing event in your community for Live and Proud: Sydney WorldPride Opening Concert (click here to learn more) and the Mardi Gras Parade (click here to learn more) through the First Nations Grants Program (to apply for the program, click here).

The Roadshow will be led by Sydney WorldPride First Nations Engagement Manager Ebony Williams, Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras’s First Nations and Community Engagement Officer Matika Little, and Sydney WorldPride’s First Nations Co-Creative Director Ben Graetz (an Iwaidja, Malak Malak & Badu Islands man).

Sydney WorldPride’s First Nations Engagement Manager, Ebony Williams (Wiradjuri and African American woman), said: “Australia is home to the oldest continuous culture on the planet, and our LGBTQIA+ communities are the oldest on the planet as well. “Connecting with mob out in community is vitally important so that we can forge long-lasting and meaningful relationships that endure in the years to come.” Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras’s First Nations and Community Engagement Officer Matika Little (Wiradjuri and Kamilaroi woman) said: “This style of First Nations community engagement is on a scale Mardi Gras has never been able to do before so we are beyond excited to be able connect with mob nationally, face-to-face, especially in the lead up to the launch of our Reconciliation Action Plan in the coming months.” The Roadshow is supported by Coles Group, one of the largest private sector employers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia.

Roadshow Locations Food will be provided at each event. Please RSVP using the links below. Hobart / Nipaluna country, TAS Wednesday, September 21, 2022 Time: 5.30pm to 8.30pm Venue: Tas Pride, Long Gallery Salamanca Art Centre 77 Salamanca Pl, Battery Point RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/414485636697 Melbourne / Naarm, VIC Friday, September 23, 2022 Time: 11.30am to 2.30pm Venue: Dardi Munwurro, 558 High Street, Preston RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/414511925327 Alice Springs / Mparntwe, Arrernte country, NT Monday, September 26, 2022 Time: 5.30pm to 8.30pm Venue: Araluen Arts Centre, Witchetty’s Room, 61 Larapinta Drive RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/414515195107 Darwin / Larrakia country, NT Thursday, September 29, 2022 Time: 5.30pm to 8.30pm Venue: Brown’s Mart Theatre, 12 Smith Street RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/414599346807 Tiwi Islands, NT Friday, September 30, 2022 Time: 11am to 2pm Venue: Bima Wear, Wurrumiyanga RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/414600680797 Broome / Yawuru country, WA Sunday, October 2, 2022 Time: 11.30am to 2.30pm Venue: Goolarri Media, 3 Blackman Street RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/414602145177 Perth / Boorloo, WA Tuesday, October 4, 2022 Time: 5.30pm to 8.30pm Venue: Wungening Aboriginal Corporation, 211 Royal St, East Perth RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/414604502227 Cairns Black Pride Festival / Gimuy, QLD Friday, October 7, 2022 Time: 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm Sydney WorldPride Stall Cairns / Gimuy, QLD Sunday, October 9, 2022 Time: 10.30am to 1.30pm Venue: Cairns Art Gallery, 40 Abbott St, Cairns RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/414609206297 Adelaide / Kaurna country, SA Tuesday, October 11, 2022 Time: 5.30pm to 8.30pm Venue: Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Centre, Inparrinthi room, 253 Grenfell Street RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/414612375777 Canberra / Ngunnawal country, ACT Friday October 28, 2022 Time: 5.30pm to 8.30pm Venue: Meridian, Pride Hub RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/419297629497 Applications for the First Nations Grant Program are now open, click here to apply. Applications close on 30 October 2022. To view the Terms and Conditions for the First Nations Grants Program, click here. For more information about the First Nations Roadshow or grants, contact Matika.little@mardigrasarts.org.au.


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