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Atralian gay history amic and activist Dr Do Hodge arrived Darw 1983, jt before the closure of two now-legendary mp venu, Dix and Hodge has sce moved to Alai, but returns to Darw to host walkg tours that foc on the Northern Terrory's lser known amic's last walkg tour for Darw Pri Ftival 2015 began at Lameroo Beach — known by the Larrakia people as Damoe-Ra — on Darw's Esplana.

DARW'S GAY SCENE: TAKE A TOUR THROUGH NT'S QUEER HISTORY WH ACTIVIST AND AMIC DR DO HODGE

Colonisatn begs DarwAfter the first succsful European attempt to reach the Top End 1845, what is now known as Darw beme predomately lonised by men, which helped created a "homosocial environment" 1923 public baths were built at Lameroo Beach, which soon went onto bee a meetg place for gay men — albe well-vered circumstanc. It was discreet, " Dr Hodge is unclear how much sexual activy occurred at the baths but Dr Hodge has found legal rerds between 1942 and 1962 ditg homosexual activy was takg place " every European centre across the Terrory", cludg sports ovals and World War II, Darw's populatn doubled mostly due to an flux of servicemen, and the baths flourished. "I wasn't an absolute whore, only a part-time one, " relled an Atralian Air Force serviceman, who equented the baths, oral history accsed by Dr 's gay bar scene emergAs social attus to homosexualy began to soften the late 1950s, Dr Do Hodge found evince of the first Aborigal man publicly g out as gay.

"He me out when he was que young, about 18, which was a very brave thg to do, " said a gay Aborigal man at the time oral history accsed by Dr the 1960s, Gurra relled an Aborigal woman also g out. (Supplied: Dr Do Hodge)She was a teacher ted down south who drove around wh her partner a vibrant green Dr Hodge said the queer nightlife scene which started to emerge Darw at this time maly tered to homosexual 1969, celebrated entreprenr John Spellman donned women's clothg and opened the Pianola Palace, the first gay-iendly Darw club beme known for a topls drag queen barmaid and a miature nu statue of David before beg cimated by Cyclone Tracy Spellman kept the Pianola Palace nng wh the help of tarpl tents and, as the town revered, other gay-iendly bars such as Dix, Fanni, Close Enunters, Squir and the Mississippi Queen emerged the Hodge believed lbians equented the venu but were generally "more discreet", and the prence of lbians was "assumed rather than apparent" Terrory's equal rights eraDr Hodge said the Terrory's lbian muny was bolstered by the Pe Gap women's peace mp, tablished 1983 near Alice Sprgs to ph for women's equal tablishment of women's legal service and refug the 1980s ntued this femist momentum, but there was evince of homophobia a tradnally mascule "wboy" town.

(Supplied: Dr Do Hodge)Siarly, the gay muny — which started to lnch clubs such as the Darw Gay Society and the Boomer Motor Club the same era — also battled ternal and external divisn. "There are a lot of racist gay wh around, " relled an Aborigal man 1980s oral history accsed by Dr muny was also challenged by the AIDS crisis and associated "fear and moral panic" the late 80s, Dr Hodge the Terrory, the queer muny rpond to the global crisis wh a lol AIDS uncil — a ty office tablished 1985 and n on a shotrg Darw's CBD.