Inclusion and Exclusion

Last week there was a brutal murder of a gay couple - Jesse Baird and Luke Davies. A 28-year-old police constable, Beau Lamarre-Condon came forward and confessed to the crime, and assisted police with their investigations. It is alleged Beau used his police service revolver to shoot the two victims. It was reported that Beau was a former partner of Jesse, but the exact nature of their relationship status is disputed.  

This week, the Board of the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras asked the NSW police not to march in this year’s parade. Their statement said "Our community needs space to grieve the loss of Jesse and Luke who, before this tragedy, would have been here celebrating with us at the festival.” "The board has taken the decision to request that the police do not march in the 2024 Parade." The NSW and federal police have agreed not to march. A former director of the Mardi Gras claimed that “Cops marching in Mardi Gras is salt on open wounds.”

This is a complex series of events to try to make sense of. Several points are worthy of clarification. First, this was not a crime of gay hate. Rather it is a crime of jealousy, between former ‘companions’ and a new third party.

Second, the NSW police force has not discriminated against same-sex persons in this incident. On the contrary, they employed Beau who was of homosexual orientation. And as the NSW premier said: "There are a lot of gay and lesbian police officers who are proud of their profession and proud of their community, and want to march, and many of them have been marching for the last two decades."

There have been allegations of findings of historic violence and discrimination by police against same-sex attracted persons. Several inquiries have sought to correct this injustice, remove discrimination from within the police force, and public apologies have been made. Police marching in the Mardi Gras symbolises opposition to sexual discrimination.

Some in the gay community may join dots between historic police abuse and this latest incident. It may bring up feelings of old wounds. Yet there is something deeply ironic about a community that prides itself in being inclusive, as excluding others (some of whom are gay themselves) – others who have clearly done no wrong.

Accepting apologies, forgiving, and committing to a new start and a better future are essential components of a harmonious and integrated society.