Drag queen Penny Tration is refused service from a taxi driver during Sydney’s Mardi Gras
Shocking moment a drag queen is refused service from a taxi driver – before being ‘pushed over by a homeless person’ and collapsing in the street
- Drag queen Penny Tration was refused a taxi after hosting a bingo event
- Then pushed over and laid in the street as good Samaritans helped her up
- Sydney is hosting more than 300 events for WorldPride this week
This is the shocking moment a popular drag queen was refused service by a taxi driver before ‘being pushed over by a homeless person’ during Australia’s biggest LGBTQ+ rights festival.
Footage shows a taxi driving away from the performer – who goes by the stage name Penny Tration – leaving her on a Sydney street struggling to get home while carrying several bags.
After being refused another taxi, Penny was ‘pushed over by a homeless person’ and struggled to get up before being helped by a manager of a nearby bar who was trained in first aid.
A clip of Penny’s harrowing experience was uploaded to TikTok by The Challenge star Suzan Mutesi, who urged others to be more respectful of drag performers.
Penny had hosted the The Sporting Globe x 4 Pines Gender Bender Bingo in Darling Harbour before the incident.
Shocking footage shows a cab speeding off before Penny shouts ‘I just told you where we were going you f***wit,’ as she throws her Christian Dior bag at the cab.
She explained that the driver didn’t want to take drag queens, despite attending the pick up during Mardi Gras weekend.
While waiting for the next taxi, Penny was then pushed over, with footage showing her lying on the street before the manager of a nearby bar arrived to help her up.
Drag queen Penny Tration was left reeling after being refused a taxi in Sydney
Eventually, the performer was able to get in a taxi.
‘Just be kind, show more grace and love,’ Suzan said about the clip.
Sydney is hosting WorldPride this year, with thousands of LGBTQ+ people from all over the world descending on Australia to celebrate.
Sydney’s Oxford Street was awash with glitter on Saturday after 300,000 partygoers celebrated the Mardi Gras parade.
Anthony Albanese became the first sitting prime minister to march in the parade while big-names like MAFS model Evelyn Ellis and P.E. Nation founder Pip Edwards were spotted among the crowd.
While waiting for the next taxi, Penny was then pushed over, with footage showing her lying on the street before the manager of a nearby bar arrived to help her up
Former Greens senator Lidia Thorpe caused a scene as she disrupted the parade and laid down in front of an Australian Federal Police float after screaming ‘f*** the police’.
The event followed a blockbuster WorldPride opening concert in the Domain on Friday night, when Kylie Minogue headlined in a performance that included a surprise cameo from her sister Dannii.
WorldPride will continue for another week before finishing with a historic march across the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Fifty thousand people dressed in their brightest colours will march across the landmark in a call for global equality on Sunday morning.
WorldPride has been called Sydney’s biggest event since the 2000 Olympics, and is expected to host more than half a million people across its 300 or so events.