The 1967 Sexual Offenc Act was a game-changer for gay men. Our wrers reflect on what changed, and what didn’t
Contents:
- BEG GAY THE 60S - A BEYOND REASON
- WHAT WAS LIKE TO BE GAY 1944 -- AND OTHER HISTORIC LSONS A USC ARCHIVE
BEG GAY THE 60S - A BEYOND REASON
Life Perth the 1960s and 70s was a very different experience om what is today for a young gay man." name="scriptn * what happens if you were gay in the 60s *
Homosexualy is no longer a crime - so why should be on WA men's crimal rerds? Life Perth the 1960s and 70s was a very different experience to what is today for a young gay man Bce Tapper, who is now his 70s, said the persecutn of gay people days gone by was Tapper says the 60s was a difficult perd for gay men Perth.
Homosexualy was a crime Wtern Atralia until was crimalised 1989 and even then, crimalisatn legislatn only passed wh stipulatns discrimatg agast gay laws set the age of nsent for men havg sex wh men at 21 years of age, ntrast to 16 years for the rt of the populatn, and ma illegal to promote or enurage homosexual legislatn did not fe what would be nsired "enuragement" or "promotn" which left the law open to different Tapper said while he tried not to let discrimatn get to him, the existence of the laws ma life difficult for gay said for many, the fact that homosexualy was a crime harmed gay men's self image.
"He also remembers the regular raids at a bar popular wh the gay muny the Tapper said police would routely orr everyone out of The Roo on the Roof Fremantle, fill a police wagon wh the most "gay" lookg men and keep them the lockup overnight for beg dnk and also relled tim when he was sgled out for beg of those was a day had been hangg around at the area known as "the beat" the cy near the Esplana between Barrack Street and William Street. "He asked whether he would fd vasele or baby powr, as if this might prove somethg, " he saidMr Tapper said the tective told him "I'm gog to put you the homosexualy book", somethg he had never heard of before.
WHAT WAS LIKE TO BE GAY 1944 -- AND OTHER HISTORIC LSONS A USC ARCHIVE
"If I reported and my name was the 'homosexualy book' I was aaid I'd be acced of cisg, " he said. The gay rights movement saw some forward motn the 1960s.
In 1969, two groups formed on the UC Berkeley mp: Stunts for Gay Power and Gay Liberatn Front. ’75 (former Berkeley Law archivist, thor, and founr of the Gay Bears Collectn the Universy Archiv), the Gay Liberatn Front was very radil for s time. Around the same time, a group of gay stunts formed a muny center lled Sherwood Fort, which met at the Wley Center.
In 1970, the newly formed Gay Stunt Unn anized Berkeley’s first openly gay dance.