The move comes after images of a mock crucifixion circulated online.
A mock display of the crucifixion at this year’s Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras has prompted the Australian Christian Lobby to call for the annual event to be defunded.
Photos on social media showed two revelers staging a mock-crucifixion with a person dressed like Jesus against a tree being speared by an Indigenous man.
“Christians across Australia are grieved by the public depiction of Christ being speared at the Mardi Gras festival this weekend,” the Lobby said in a statement.
“New South Wales (NSW) taxpayers and Sydney ratepayers are being forced to fund an event that promotes debauchery, sexual fetishes, and now—religious mockery and blasphemy.
“Almost half of Australians identify with the Christian faith—the very faith that has given our society liberty, democracy, and a legacy of charity for the poor and needy.”
The lobby said it was not acceptable for public funds to support the event when millions of Australians were Christians.
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“A festival that mocks Christianity cannot claim to be about tolerance and diversity.”
Mardi Gras Funding
The Mardi Gras is primarily funded through a combination of government grants, corporate sponsorships, and community contributions.
In 2024, both the local and state governments contributed $1.1 million to bridge a budget shortfall.
While the event has many corporate sponsors—including graphic design service Canva—who sponsored community grants linked to the event, both Meta and Google dropped their financial support.
The move away from supporting Mardi Gras has come as corporate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs begin losing their sway, particularly since the election of U.S. President Donald Trump.
The Epoch Times contacted Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore, and organisers of the event, for comment.
