Meta has accepted thousands of dollars from Australian groups promoting anti-LGBTQ+ messages on Facebook, despite the social media company having a float in the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras to show its support for the community. Meta staff and Instagram influencers are preparing to march on Sydney’s Oxford Street on Saturday under the theme of “Connect with Pride, by Instagram, Powered by Meta” as one of more than 200 floats in the parade. But a Guardian Australia analysis of recent ads on Facebook through the company’s ad transparency page reveals Meta is profiting from groups promoting anti-trans and anti-gay messaging, including one ad claiming a drag queen event was “an attempt to sexualise innocent toddlers”.