Freedom 2 b[e] participated in the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras for the fourth time this years. Our theme this year was celebrating the life journeys we have taken resolving the perceived conflict of faith and sexuality.

WE ARE THE SURVIVORS

You can watch the video on the home page of freedom 2 b[e]  View it here.  The full photo album is here

You can read the full story about people's experiences here.

Here are some extracts:

Chris said....First time for me. It's like nothing else I've experienced. All the cheering, the waving - the crowd was incredible. Getting called over to give high fives. Being pointed at followed by a "You're cute!" once as well. Thankfully my ears and feet have recovered overnight, but I still have a smile stuck on my face which may take a bit longer to subside. Definitely a night I won't be forgetting.

Hannah (straight supporter) said......I had a great night. It was my first time and thoroughly enjoyed the time with all the Freedom 2 b[e] gang. I think that we all looked fantastic (of course) and feel so warmly welcomed by you all.

Terry said....LOVED IT, LOVED IT, LOVED IT!!! It was a unique experience. I was overwhelmed by the kindred spirit of the 9500 marchers and the support from the crowd was inspiring, If you have not been, if you have ever thought about it, well 2011 can be your year. It is empowering, to say the least.

Steve (our cameraman) said....My eyes scanned the crowd. I noticed they were all there for a single cause. You would think that cause would be supporting the GLBT cause but that wasn't what I saw. What I saw was greater than that. What was uniting tens of thousands of people was "love". Everyone was there showing their love in their own way. Some were sharing their love with tears running down their face. Others were sharing their love by shouting at the top of their lungs. Others, Hugging and kissing everyone they could get their hands on.

My attention was drawn away from the crowd and shifted to the people that were marching beside me. Having read many of their stories right here on the Freedom 2 b[e]  site I knew there was more happening here than marching and cheering. Lives were being changed in this single moment. Chains were breaking free with every step. You could see it on the faces of the marchers. New life had sparked inside!

PJ said..... It was my first time marching in the parade. I had a good time; it was amazing to see how many people turned out to cheer everyone on. I suppose as a first timer, I was a tad overwhelmed by the massive crowd, I was thinking about my journey that my life has been. It's been a struggle but here I was walking up Oxford Street as a survivor.

Topgun said.....Mardi Gras was an awesome, fun and life changing experience. They said u won't be the same afterwards and it's true. This time last year I was trying to decrease my same sex attraction, getting nervous about doing "counselling" to become straight. I never would have though 12 months later I'd march in the gay and lesbian Mardi Gras as someone not ashamed of being gay and not ashamed of being Christian. I had always seen this parade as evil and as something that grieves the heart of my God.  What one heck of a turnaround!!! I, and u and we R SURVIVORS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MG 2010 made me proud t o be different, proud to be a Christian and reinforced in me that I am as good as anyone else, that we r not freaks, that I'm not alone in my journey and have wonderful support. Making me more bold to stand up for truth, for what I believed in and to be me and not be ashamed of it or be intimidated by others think or how they put me down. The buzz I got from stepping out onto Oxford St and the crowds and cheering and the reception we got was incredible. The atmosphere of the nite was something to be remembered. Before we marched I had so many people asking me questions about my t shirt and "ex gay survivors. The opportunity to meet and speak with a range of people was fascinating. As soon as they r available I am registering for Mardi Gras 2011.

Malinda (straight supporter) said......I felt extremely proud to be marching for this cause and when someone from the crowd waved me over to explain and then were cheering before I only got half way through it, I felt like perhaps there was hope for the future of the church and the gay community.

Well done to all marchers who have made their voice be counted. I imagine for some of you it would have been very difficult but you should be proud! Given that I felt highly emotional as a heterosexual supporter I can only guess at some of the feelings you were experiencing. This was my first Mardi Gras and first time marching and I was incredibly honoured to be included as a supporter.

Mobileguy said.....For me as a "two-timer", I thought last night's parade was just as good (if not better) than last year! The crowd was just so supportive, and as I read in the newspaper this morning, the annual Mardi Gras parade has definitely moved from being a statement of protest for equal rights, to being a celebratory event where LGBT people and their supporters from all walks of life can come together in unison to proudly proclaim their heritage and identity.

1. ALOU Launch 2004 Rebekah & Hannah Part 1 See my wonderful daughters make over 300 people laugh and cry in the space of a couple of minutes
   

2. ALOU Launch 2004 Anthony Venn Brown Part 2 Obviously I was speaking prophetically in 2004 its now happened over and over again.
   

3. Anthony Venn-Brown on 7's Sunrise - Everyday Peopleis probably one of the best interviews I've done. Channel 7 liked it so much they played again on the Morning Show.

4.  Anthony Venn-Brown Comes Out on Shine. Dean Carey, Director of Actors Centre Australia, interviews gay ambassador Anthony Venn-Brown on Shine along with singer David Campbell. Meet my lovely daughters

5. Gay Ambassador Anthony Venn-Brown interviewed on Queer TV . Anthony Venn-Brown talks about his journey, being a gay ambassador, his 50th birthday, the new edition of his autobiography, a conversation with the Hon. Michael Kirby and meeting with the Assemblies of God.

6. Honey I'm gay!  Sydney Morning Heralds Sexpert, Brooke Hemphill, interviews Coach & Author Anthony Venn-Brown. "It's better to live one day on the planet being true to yourself than an entire lifetime which is a lie." "When we choose to live authentically, we chip away at others prisons' of pretend." "I'd rather be rejected for who I am, than accepted for who I'm not."

7. Being Gay in a Heterosexual Marriage - Channel 7 Sunrise . Coach and Author Anthony Venn-Brown speaks on Australia's national breakfast show, Channel 7's Sunrise about being gay but in a heterosexual marriage. For many of us, being gay, lesbian or bisexual in a heterosexual marriage was not a choice of intentional deception. Our marriages were the result of the pressure to conform. Some of us grew up in a society where homosexuality was considered a perversion or psychologic.al illness. When we married, we did so believing it was the right thing to do and expecting it would change what we perceived was faulty within us. Was the current knowledge on sexual orientation available to us then, our choices would have been different.

8.  Dad's Coming Out 60 Minutes Pt 1 . What do you do if you are gay but in heterosexual marriage? What about the wife and kids? Is it worthwhile coming out? Who gets hurt? How to move on? What about the parents when their child comes out?

9.  Dad's Coming Out - 60 Minutes Pt 2

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