Make no mistake – for many in Sydney’s LGBTQ community,this was a Mardi Gras spent in mourning. Jesse Baird and Luke Davies embodied so much of what this event means – love,joy,spirit. Celebrating in their absence – so raw the grief,so fresh the sadness and the anger – seemed almost wrong.
The show had to go on,of course. Baird and Davies would have wanted it to. And in their own special way,they were the shining stars of Mardi Gras 2024.
The Dykes on Bikes – protectors,stalwarts,legends of the LGBTQ community – led the tributes,pausing at Taylor Square to usher in a minute’s silence for the couple. We are used to seeing them storm through,horns blaring,arms waving,smiling their naughty smiles – but for a moment,they stood still,the music cut,while we stopped to remember.
It was hard to forget Baird and Davies throughout. Each beaming smile reminded you of theirs;so did every sway and shimmy as the thousands of beautiful people danced their way up Oxford Street.
Qantas paid tribute to their much-loved employee Davies,emblazoning the front of a makeshift jet with his name. One of his last flights had been to Singapore,where he took care of an elderly passenger with dementia to such an extent that it brought his crewmates to tears.