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Steve Price “converted” to Mardi Gras supporter

The 7PM Project's Steve Price has done a complete U-Turn on his criticism of Mardi Gras.

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Wonders never cease. Last night radio host and occasional 7PM Project host Steve Price admitted on television he had been “converted” in his opinion on The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade.

The outspoken host had been a longtime critic of Mardi Gras, including recently asking, “How much money does the New South Wales government toss into the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras that no-one wants to watch?”

The comments triggered a viewer backlash on the show’s official website.

At The 7PM Project‘s invitation, he attended his first Parade, interviewing gay men, women, drag queens, transgenders plus general public both young and old, organisers and police. His U-turn was a significant admission and evidence of the euphoria that attending the event has.

“I didn’t know what to expect when I went there and I thought the whole thing was a waste of time, but I now I have completely changed my mind,” he said.

“Every person I talked to, gay people, transgenders, lesbians, people on bikes, and all of them to a person said ‘We have a great party but seriously we’re doing this because the gay community in Australia doesn’t have equal rights and we should have them.'”

By all accounts Price was even well-received by forgiving parade participants too.

Next year he has threatened to enter with his own float.

Let’s not get too carried away…..

19 Responses

  3. Absolutely I saw the footage, both his original comment, the reaction when he was next on the program, and his piece last night. I don’t believe any enlightenment emanating from the dude. Props for doing it, sure – no cigar for the end result. My gaydar may be periodically wonky, but I can smell a patronizing fellow from a mile away!

  4. Conversions do happen and people can change their opinions throughout life after coming across people or events that contradict their existing beliefs. A good example of this was the former Ku Klux Klan member who was interviewed by Andrew Denton. Whether or not Price’s conversion was genuine, I don’t know but it did seem genuine.

  5. Steve Price is just promoting himself – I don’t think he actually cares about gay rights one way or the other. He’s taken over form Derryn Hinch and become the human headline. Don’t watch, don’t listen, don’t respond and he wont rate and he’ll go away.

    1. Having spoken to 7PM crew who were with him at the time, I understand it was a genuine enlightening which is how it came across on air too. I assume those criticising have seen the footage for themselves.

  6. As if he could go back on tv and say ‘nah mate, it sucked and so do gay people’

    I’d say he hasn’t learnt anything, bigots rarely do.

  8. How amazing that he has felt able to comment on something for so many years without ever even going.
    You know, the government spends a lot of money on events I have no interest in; flower shows, festivals, sports. But other people do care, so good on ’em.

  9. Give the guy a break.
    Unfortunately through ignorance a lot of other people hold the same opinion he once did.
    I’m glad to see he’s been enlightened !!
    All of us are entitled to change our minds.

  11. Lighten up gang. I think Pricey needs to be commended for not just heckling from behind a microphone and actually getting down there amongst the parade. The parade is about acceptance and inviting the mainstream community into our part of the world to see who we are and what we are about. Pricey has accepted the parade as a relevant vehicle for GLBT rights and even looks like he had a bit of fun.

  12. @ Jed – you are right; likewise with the young family – he had an agenda with them – is it safe for the kiddies to come to????. No enlightenment or light bulb moments for him – just telly at its most manipulative

  14. Yeah he was doing great, acknowledging how great Mardi Gras, how important it is, and being ‘converted’. But then he said something about being a ‘gay sympathizer’ and i thought WTF. We don’t need your sympathy Steve, we’re not below you, we’re not some people you need to pity, we’re just like everyone else, that’s what you can’t understand. I mean Steve found it difficult to understand why an old man he interviewed was there to watch the Mardi Gras and had been the last 7 years, and wasn’t gay.

  15. Xcuse my cynicism, but his tape piece and appearance had all thehallmarks of an Eddie back pedal! Price is objectionable – and damage control was the order of the day – he still thinks he has a shot at a tv career – i’d rather have Dave Hughes every night of the week on the screen – or poke my eye out with a fork – whichever comes first! Condescending and token – was the gesture!

  16. Don’t care. He is still a reactionary, z-grade shock jock. He lived in Sydney for eight years and he has only now discovered what the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is all about? He’s an even bigger moron than I thought he was.

  18. You think the 7pm (what started as a project & became a total embarrasment to Australian tv) Project could get any worse?
    I love the word “outspoken”.
    He is just an angry old man living in the dark ages…still.

    I am not converted.

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