The Board of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras has welcomed the Australian Government’s condemnation of the announcement by the Sultan of Brunei that Brunei will introduce death by stoning for gay sex and adultery. Brunei, a small nation on the island of Borneo just 2,500km off Australia’s coast, began the introduction of sharia law in 2013.

The Co-Chairs of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras’ Social Justice Committee, Jesse Matheson and Robyn Kennedy joined international human rights organisations in calling the proposed penalties “abhorrent.” 

Jesse Matheson said that “To subject people to such cruel and degrading punishment simply because of who they love is deeply distressing. LGBTQI and human rights organisations are rightly outraged by the actions of the Brunei government.”

Robyn Kennedy added, “In recent years, not only have we have seen the erosion of LGBTQI rights in many regions of the world but increasing levels of State-sanctioned hate and violence against LGBTQI communities.  What is happening in Brunei demonstrates a clear division in respect for LGBTQI rights among countries in our own region. The life-threatening risks faced by LGBTQI communities in our region reminds us that more can be done to provide safe haven to LGBTQI refugees.”

The Board of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras called for an international response to prevent the implementation of the proposed punishment for gay sex and adultery in Brunei and urged the Australian Government to take a leadership role in this response.