Fridae

A prominent organiser of the Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras (SGLMG) has blamed what he called "gender equity" for the financial crisis the world's largest annual gay event is in.

Since Friday morning, the SGLMG was placed in voluntary administration after failing to find financiers to bail the company out of its A$500,000 debt.

The official, who requested anonymity, told the Sydney Morning Herald: "For many years, the Mardi Gras organization has been run by people who are not of the same constituency as the members... The membership is overwhelmingly gay men and they like the parade and the parties."

"The decision in the early 1990s to ensure gender equity in the organization was well meant... but it did move Mardi Gras away from its constituency," he continued.

"Lesbians wanted more of their own events but the people who attend them, and pay for everything, are gay men."

The paper quoted Paul Croft, a former Mardi Gras treasurer who said that the cultural festival was the main source of revenue loss - some A$300,000 of the A$500,000 loss was due to the arts program.

Julie McCrossin, a national broadcaster who has hosted several Mardi Gras broadcasts and is openly gay woman, dismissed the official's analysis of the situation.

"It's obvious nonsense," she said. "The reason the cultural festival failed is because we, as a community, have become victims of our own success and our arts are now mainstream."

Croft added that he had unsuccessfully tried to convince his fellow board members that the Mardi Gras needed a very different cultural program.

"I understood the need to have a platform for more esoteric gay and lesbian arts but we also needed to balance it with something more commercially viable."

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He said the board refused to heed his objections over full funding for events that drew less than 50 people in crowds conservatively estimated at three-quarters of a million.

The unnamed official said that unprofitable aspects including the arts festival is very likely to be cancelled while the usually extravagant parade is expected to proceed but will likely be toned-down to ensure the survival of the organisation.

The voluntary administrators, led by Scott Pascoe of the accounting firm Sims Lockwood, said in a statement they were confident they could solve the company's financial problems.

"We are confident that it will be possible to come up with a new financial package that will enable the company to recover from its current financial difficulties," it said. "A number of potential supporters have already indicated that they may be prepared to support the company, financially, provided there is restructuring."

Meanwhile, Mardi Gras president Julie Regan on Friday launched a forceful attack on state and federal governments, asserting that their failure to provide support for Mardi Gras in its time of need would "backfire on them in the longer term", reported the Sydney Star Observer, Sydney's gay weekly newspaper.

"Disappointment is not strong enough a word. I find it quite amazing that the state government can't come forward with any support when we bring A$114 million into the economy every year," said Regan in response to NSW premier Bob Carr government's decision not to assist Mardi Gras.