Returning for its 47th year, the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade showcased a diversity of LGBTQIA+ communities and floats. Amongst the razzle and dazzle was a vibrant display of South Asian pride, with Trikone Australia’s spectacular “Breaking Free: Pride Uncaged” float making its way down Oxford Street.

Established in 2007, Trikone Australia is dedicated to providing a safe and inclusive space for LGBTQIA+ South Asians to connect, celebrate, and thrive. It has often been the only South Asian collective walking in the Mardi Gras parade for several years, and has recently been joined by the Nepali Queer Community Sydney.

“As an entirely volunteer-run not-for-profit, it’s no mean feat to pull off a dazzling float each Mardi Gras, but we’re fuelled by our strong belief that ‘you can’t be it, if you can’t see it’,” Trikone Australia’s Chair, Zahra Babuji tells Draw Your Box.

“So we make sure thousands see us for who we are – LGBTQIA+ South Asians in Australia, unapologetically celebrating our identity without having to compartmentalise our queer and brown expressions.”

With the official 2025 Mardi Gras theme being ‘Free To Be’, Trikone presented their ‘Breaking Free: Pride Uncaged’ float that was centred on transforming a traditional ‘Pinjra’ (birdcage) into a symbol of freedom and celebration. It acknowledged the constraints many still face while celebrating the freedom and pride the community has achieved, all the while showcasing Trikone’s role in supporting this ongoing transformation.

Zahra says it was “nothing short of magical” to see “the wider South Asian community’s faces absolutely light up as we passed”. She says it was thrilling “witnessing the joy radiating from our marchers (many of whom have fully embraced their authentic selves for the first time, let alone at a Pride event)”.

Being a part of this event signifies a lot more than colour, Bollywood dancing, dhols, and visibility in just that moment.

“This is part of our crucial and ongoing fight for acceptance and equality,” says Zahra.

“Despite significant legal advancements across South Asia (such as the decriminalisation of same-sex relations in India and Nepal), our LGBTQIA+ community still faces ongoing discrimination and the absence of comprehensive legal protections in the likes of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, etc. So we press on, with joy as our rebellion!”

With South Asians on track to be the largest migrant group in Australia, the significance of Trikone’s impact in this space can’t be ignored. Below, we hear from some of the people who marched with Trikone at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade over the weekend. We learn about what this moment personally meant to them, and what they hope for the future.

Priya Gakhar, 29, (she/her) – Punjabi background

I am deeply honoured and privileged to have played the dhol for the second time in the Mardi Gras parade with Trikone Australia. As one of the few female dholis in Australia, it was an incredible opportunity to represent my culture and passion in such a vibrant and meaningful celebration. I was bouncing off everyone’s energy, to the point where I was literally jumping, running, and just soaking it all in. It was surreal. It was beautiful to witness everyone fully expressing their true selves and embracing the freedom to do so. Sharing that moment with such an amazing and inspiring group of people was pure magic. Representation matters, and I’m so grateful to have been part of something so special!

Mahesh White-Radhakrishnan, 42, (they/them) – Tamil background

Marching in the parade was a celebration of my own queerness and a chance to appreciate the efforts and fruits of ongoing struggles to break free. This was my first time in a sari since I was a small child, and it was beautiful to soak in the adulation and joyous rapture of multitudes gathered on Gadigal country.

Smriti Adhikari (she/her) & Ishika Timsina (she/they), both 23 – Nepali background

Marching at the Mardi Gras Parade with Trikone is an opportunity we don’t like to miss as we get to be proud of being brown and queer in equal parts and celebrate the diverse lived experiences of so many South Asian LGBTQIA+ folks together at least one night every year. We have been marching with Trikone since we discovered them in 2021 and hope to continue doing so in the years to come. Even though we don’t know a whole lot about our fellow Trikone-ians, the sense of belonging we feel towards each other is so powerful that it gets us going for the rest of the year we aren’t marching together.

Mohan Kumar Karamarathur Balakrishnan, 34, (he/him) – Tamil background

This is the first time ever I had the courage to express my true self unapologetically, breaking free from the cage I’d built in my mind to proudly walk in the parade with my head held high. Despite the few hateful homophobic comments from social media, I chose all the love and support that I received and ignored the ignorant bunch. 

Gaurav Sen, 42, (he/him) – Bengali background

Although I am 42 but really am eight, having come out at 34… in these eight years I haven’t had the opportunity to bring my Brown and Gay identities together. Marching with Trikone allowed this opportunity to proudly merge my ethnic heritage with my rainbow coexistence and for that I am whole heartedly grateful.

Nerissa Trindade, 43, (they/them) – Anglo-Indian background, from Calcutta (Kolkata)

From tears and fears, to celebratory cheers! Born in India in the early 1980s into a staunch religious family, Nerissa was forced to fit in, so they wouldn’t stand out. Bullied at school and misunderstood at home, with no words to describe how they felt, and no one to confide in, Nerissa led a confused, lonely and alienated life. Suppressing parts of their true identity in order to be accepted by society. Marching in the 2025 Mardi Gras parade with Trikone was a moment of turning their teenage dreams into reality. They never imagined their cultural, gender and sexual identities could coexist in one space. So to have all aspects of their identity expressed, seen, accepted and celebrated was a truly magical and euphoric feeling. One they so deeply hope many more queer South Asians are able to experience too.