Vogue spoke wh two 78ers, Gail Hewison and Karl Zlotkowski, who rell their part this historic time that beme a talyst for gay rights Atralia and helped pave the way for WorldPri 45 years later.
Contents:
- ACTIVISTS NMN VLENCE AGAST LGBTQ MUNY ST. VCENT, WHERE GAY SEX IS ILLEGAL
- THE U.S. & JAMAI ARE FIGHTG OVER GAY RIGHTS
- GAY UNSELOR'S FIRG BY INDIANAPOLIS CATHOLIC SCHOOL PERMTED BY FERAL APPEALS URT
- HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: ANTI-GAY LAWS PROMOTE VLENCE, DISCRIMATN ST. VCENT
ACTIVISTS NMN VLENCE AGAST LGBTQ MUNY ST. VCENT, WHERE GAY SEX IS ILLEGAL
* 78ers gay rights *
The first Gay and Lbian Mardi Gras Sydney started a way that now feels faiar: stum, dancg and a pervasive sense of what began one night June, 1978, wh a large crowd of partygoers and this yellow flatbed tck …...
Ken was a gay rights activist Sydney. (Supplied: Ken Davis)The event would mark the nth anniversary of the Stonewall Rts New York, an uprisg that led to vlent clash between protters and police, and marked a signifint turng pot the gay rights movement. Members of var lbian, gay and progrsive groups, cludg Ken, got together and planned a number of events, cludg a late-night ftival that would kick-off at Taylor Square groups felt galvanised by what was happeng overseas.
However, spe Sydney havg the most visible gay and lbian populatn the untry, New South Wal was not at the vanguard of change ntact between men was a crime, punishable by up to 14 years prison. You uld be sacked om your job if you were disvered to be gay, and same-sex attractn was still nsired abnormal by some the medil muny and relig was also the potential for vlence. (Supplied: Sallie Colech)Ron At — a member of CAMP (Campaign Agast Moral Persecutn), a gay and lbian polil group — suggted a night-time dance party.
THE U.S. & JAMAI ARE FIGHTG OVER GAY RIGHTS
Tensns are risg after Jamai refed to accred the spoe of a gay Amerin diplomat. * 78ers gay rights *
Someone at the club said there was a gay rights march happeng outsi, so Trixie went down to take a look. ”As they began to move, another said they heard police radg ahead to “close off” Kgs the time they were on William Street, the para had turned to a were chantg: “Stop police attacks on gays, women and blacks! “There was a really strong feelg of aggrsn, hatred and blatant homophobia”.
Those march were signed to prsure police to drop the charg agast the protters, a mpaign that was ultimately 1979, a year after the clash wh police, the New South Wal Summary Offenc Act was 1982, the New South Wal Anti-Discrimatn Act was amend to clu protectn on the basis of sexual orientatn tn, workplac and other years later, homosexual acts between men were crimalised the state. No-one was arrted, and the Sydney Gay and Lbian Mardi Gras has been held every year sce. "Like the other 78ers, Sallie Colech is proud to have played a part the evolutn of gay rights Atralia.
GAY UNSELOR'S FIRG BY INDIANAPOLIS CATHOLIC SCHOOL PERMTED BY FERAL APPEALS URT
(ABC News: Kev Nguyen) A woman danc as part of the Trans Pri Atralia float at the Sydney Gay and Lbian Mardi Gras. Creds:Reportg and rearch: Pl Donoughue, Alex Palmer, Chloe BriceInterviews: Mon Schafter Vio productn: Tejas Bhat, Jack FisherEdg: Ga McKeon, Mark DomanDign and 3D mollg: Alex PalmerDevelopment: Matthew Heffernan, Andrew Hystek-Dunk, Katia Shatoba Imag: Sallie Colech, Bran Gai, News Corp, Kev NguyenArchival footage of 1978 Sydney Gay & Lbian Mardi Gras: Scen om the film Wch and Faggots, Dyk and Poofters - © Producer Digby Dunn Atralia 1980Wh thanks to: Bec Ants, Lton Bser, Angela Stengel, Darcy Watt, Michelle BaddileyRead the full statement om Cath Emery, -chair of the NSW Police Force’s ternal LGBTIQ+ Employee Network, Pri 22 Feb 2023Wed 22 Feb 2023 at 6:41pm, updated 23 Feb 2023Thu 23 Feb 2023 at 3:17am.
Follow the nversatn on SBS Atralia socials #WeRiseFor #MardiGras2021 and via The 2021 Sydney Gay and Lbian Mardi Gras live Saturday 6 March 6pm AEDT on SBS On Demand or tch the full para at 7:30pm on SBS and Mnis clearly rells the terror she felt while shelterg a shop door as she wnsed the on that fateful Saturday, June 24, 1978. “I mean, the ps were pickg people up and bodily throwg them the police wagons, slammg the doors on their legs… They were very large, beefy men and they picked on small people, maly women, but some slight will rell the days leadg up to that very first Mardi Gras alongsi other veterans, known as the 78ers, an afternoon discsn durg this year’s ftival entled Then a public servant, Mnis – a proud lbian and active participant both the women’s and gay liberatn movement – had been off work nursg a broken foot followg a motorbike accint.
”Intertgly enough, given more recent bate about whether Mardi Gras has bee too party-foced and not polil enough, Mnis not both elements were always part of Mardi Gras’, the more polilly-foced Gay Solidary Group staged a prott that morng regnn of the Stonewall rts New York, 1969.
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: ANTI-GAY LAWS PROMOTE VLENCE, DISCRIMATN ST. VCENT
Source: Atralian Lbian and Gay ArchivEnvisaged as a more light-hearted unter-balance, suggted by the Campaign Agast Moral Persecutn (C. A solary tck played two songs on repeat - “Glad to be Gay” by UK outf the Tom Robson Band, and “O to a Gym Teacher” by Meg Christian.