1978: First gay Mardi Gras march, Sydney
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FIRST GAY MARDI GRAS
* first gay mardi gras march sydney *
2012 Sydney Gay and Lbian Mardi Gras.
AUDIO: SYDNEY GAY AND LBIAN MARDI GRAS CELEBRATE 44 YEARS SCE FIRST MARCH
On 24 June 1978 a small group of gay and lbian people, lled the Gay Solidary Group, anised a day of events Sydney. They wanted to promote gay and lbian culture and prott agast the discrimatn they experienced their daily liv. Even though the daytime march and night-time street para were peaceful, police rpond wh vlence and arrts. This brought natnal attentn and helped to make the para an annual Sydney event. * first gay mardi gras march sydney *
On 24 June 1978 a small group of gay and lbian people operatg as the Gay Solidary Group staged a day of events Sydney. The tentn was to promote gay and lbian culture and to enurage polil activism agast the discrimatn they routely group anised a tradnal march and public meetg the morng and a street para at night. Lead-up to Mardi GrasThe Stonewall rts that began the early hours of 28 June 1969 New York Cy were the rult of a police raid on a gay bar lled the Stonewall rts are wily nsired to mark the start of the ternatnal gay rights March 1978 the San Francis based Gay Freedom Day Commtee ntacted Atralian activists llg for solidary activi to support a march planned on the anniversary of the Stonewall march was opposn to the ntroversial Briggs Iniative which if passed would have mandated the firg of gay and lbian teachers California public Gay Solidary Group formed Sydney to mark ‘Internatnal Gay Solidary Day’ on 24 June Atralia, var groups and anisatns had been lobbyg, stagg monstratns and march, producg newsletters and a variety of other activi to promote their e.
Makg historyAtralian Lbian and Gay Archiv print Graham Willett scrib the 1978 Mardi Gras as the ‘most dramatic moment of the backlash’ agast the mpaign for gay rights. Addnally, laws around obtag perms for street march and paras were such, the first Mardi Gras march was a major civil rights tone beyond the gay muny.
Michelle Arrow on first Gay Mardi Gras. Gatherg momentumCapalisg on this and on the wellsprg of support that had emerged, the gay muny cid to keep gog wh the ia of a ntued to mpaign on different aspects of discrimatn agast them, and this also began to translate to a ut acceptance of gay people as ctomers and employe. Bs terg to gay and lbian people also beme more open.
The NFSA has pleted a digal rtoratn of the documentary Wch and Faggots, Dyk and Poofters, about the very first Sydney Gay and Lbian Mardi Gras on 24 June 1978. * first gay mardi gras march sydney *
However, this was not uniformly weled by the gay muny. For most of the early 1970s, radil gay activists had lled for the end of palism as an opprsive social force.