A group of buskers have drowned out an anti-gay preacher during Mardi Gras by singing Girls Just Wan na Have Fun in front of a cheering crowd . The preacher stood on a step ladder with his Bible in Sydney 's Pitt Street Mall on Saturday afternoon ahead of the city 's Mardi Gras parade . Axel Winter , 24 , was scheduled to start busking just as the preacher launched a tirade of abuse towards gay men and women over a microphone . Scroll down for video . The preacher stood on a step ladder in Sydney 's Pitt Street Mall on Saturday afternoon ahead of the city 's Mardi Gras parade before a group of buskers started to drown him out . 'Before I could look up , people were surrounding him and few of them were happy , ' the musician told Daily Mail Australia . According to Mr Winter , the hateful messages quickly became aggressive and soon started to cause a lot of tension in the crowd . 'It was Mardi Gras - not only a day to celebrate lesbian , gay , bisexual , and transgender rights , but also equality and unity towards all people , ' he said . Mr Winter and several other buskers - Jarne , Joe , Mex and Ollie - grabbed their equipment and set up their loudspeakers right behind the preacher in a bid to drown him out . The group of buskers grabbed their equipment and set up behind the preacher in a bid to drown out his hateful anti-gay messages ahead of the Mardi Gras parade . The group of buskers were filmed belting out Cyndi Lauper 's Girls Just Wan na Have Fun as the preacher continued to yell his opinions across the shopping mall . 'We turned on the speaker and told the crowd that feeding this guy 's hatred just shows him what he wants to see . 'Then we sang songs about love and equality and the crowd began to ignore the man . ' The group of buskers were filmed belting out Cyndi Lauper 's Girls Just Wan na Have Fun as the preacher continued to yell his opinions across the shopping mall . The crowd cheered and sang along with the buskers eventually forcing the preacher to leave . The crowd cheered and sang along with the buskers eventually forcing the preacher to leave . When the buskers turned out their speaker , they told the crowd that feeding the preacher 's hatred was just what he wanted to see . 'The world is becoming equal ... I 'm so proud of this city for what it did . That man was entitled to freedom of speech , but hateful words and singling out certain people is not okay , ' Axel said . The singer , who regularly busks in Pitt Street Mall , said he grew up in foster care surrounded by Christian families . 'My whole life until I was 11 , I was told that homosexuals are `` the devil 's work '' and it 's a `` sin '' . But I evaluated it for myself and found that they 're human - they 're made to be the way they are , and that 's absolutely okay , ' he said . 'Whether you 're gay , transgender or even just confused , you 're still my friend . ' Axel Winter , 24 , regularly busks in Sydney 's Pitt Street Mall where the preacher stood up on Saturday and said he was proud of the crowd for standing up for equal rights .
Man was yelling anti-gay opinions in Sydney 's Pitt Street Mall on Saturday . It took place just a few hours before the city 's popular Mardi Gras parade . Buskers set up equipment behind preacher in a bid to drown him out . They were filmed belting out Cyndi Lauper 's Girls Just Wan na Have Fun . Crowd cheered and sang along before preacher eventually gave up .