The annual Mardi Gras season is back in Australia in a flurry of fun, colour and excitement for the LGBTQI+ community and their allies. But it wasn’t always that way. When the first Mardi Gras parade took place in Sydney in 1978, gay and lesbian people were shunned by society and the men and women who marched were subjected to police brutality and arrests. The next day, the Sydney Morning Herald publicly outed them to the world. Fast forward to more than 40 years later, when Amber
Amber Wilkinson, founder of t-shirt label Kind is Cool, heard of the ugly history behind Mardi Gras. Wilkinson was determined to use her platform to educate customers, celebrate diversity and highlight the importance of kindness in the community.
“I was shocked with what I learned, we weren’t taught this in school and it’s a shame because we as Australians celebrate the courage of so many within our community and yet the bravery of queer people has often been pushed aside” says Wilkinson.
To coincide with the launch of Mardi Gras this year, Kind is Cool has worked with the iconic 78ers – the founding mothers and fathers of Australia’s gay pride movement – and released a special collection of rainbow t-shirts, with $2 from each sale going to queer organisations Minus 18 and Youth Projects.
In this special interview with Inside Retail, Amber Wilkinson and 78er and gay liberation movement co-founder Jude Munro AO discuss how the latest launched and how brands can become authentic allies to the LGBTQI+ community.
