Now and the next 45 years - Sydney Gay and Lbian Mardi Gras

Contents:

• FIRST GAY MARDI GRAS
• THE MORNG MARCHTHE FIRST MARDI GRAS HELD ON JUNE 24, 1978 WAS PLANNED AS AN ADDN TO THE MORNG MONSTRATN TO MARK THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE STONEWALL RTS NEW YORK 1969.AT THE TIME, THE LBIAN AND GAY MUNY SAN FRANCIS WERE FIGHTG THE BRIGGS INIATIVE, WHICH WAS A PH TO REMOVE ANYONE WHO SUPPORTED LBIAN AND GAY RIGHTS OM THE SCHOOL SYSTEM.THE LBIAN AND GAY MUNY SAN FRANCIS REACHED OUT TO MUNI AROUND THE WORLD, CLUDG SYDNEY. THEY ASKED THAT LBIAN AND GAY MUNI HOST GAY SOLIDARY EVENTS.  IN SYDNEY, LBIAN AND GAY ANISATNS LLED A MARCH THAT WAS HELD THE MORNG. THIS WAS VERY SUCCSFUL BY OUR STANDARDS, WH AROUND 500 PEOPLE PARTICIPATG.SOME PEOPLE ALSO WANTED A NIGHT TIME CELEBRATN. IN 1978, MANY LBIANS AND GAY MEN WERE RELUCTANT TO PARTICIPATE A DAYTIME MONSTRATN – IF YOUR EMPLOYER OR SCHOOL SAW YOU, YOU ULD EASILY LOSE YOUR JOB.  IT WASN’T JT LBIANS AND GAY MEN THAT PARTICIPATED THE FIRST MARDI GRAS. MANY OTHERS ATTEND SUPPORT OF OUR FIGHT AGAST OPPRSN AND DISCRIMATN.THE NIGHT PARA
• 40 YEARS AFTER BLOODY PROTT, GAY RIGHTS PNEERS GET THE APOLOGY THEY SERVE
• WE FOUND EVERY SYDNEY GAY AND LBIAN MARDI GRAS POSTER SCE 1978

FIRST GAY MARDI GRAS

2012 Sydney Gay and Lbian Mardi Gras.

THE MORNG MARCHTHE FIRST MARDI GRAS HELD ON JUNE 24, 1978 WAS PLANNED AS AN ADDN TO THE MORNG MONSTRATN TO MARK THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE STONEWALL RTS NEW YORK 1969.AT THE TIME, THE LBIAN AND GAY MUNY SAN FRANCIS WERE FIGHTG THE BRIGGS INIATIVE, WHICH WAS A PH TO REMOVE ANYONE WHO SUPPORTED LBIAN AND GAY RIGHTS OM THE SCHOOL SYSTEM.THE LBIAN AND GAY MUNY SAN FRANCIS REACHED OUT TO MUNI AROUND THE WORLD, CLUDG SYDNEY. THEY ASKED THAT LBIAN AND GAY MUNI HOST GAY SOLIDARY EVENTS.  IN SYDNEY, LBIAN AND GAY ANISATNS LLED A MARCH THAT WAS HELD THE MORNG. THIS WAS VERY SUCCSFUL BY OUR STANDARDS, WH AROUND 500 PEOPLE PARTICIPATG.SOME PEOPLE ALSO WANTED A NIGHT TIME CELEBRATN. IN 1978, MANY LBIANS AND GAY MEN WERE RELUCTANT TO PARTICIPATE A DAYTIME MONSTRATN – IF YOUR EMPLOYER OR SCHOOL SAW YOU, YOU ULD EASILY LOSE YOUR JOB.  IT WASN’T JT LBIANS AND GAY MEN THAT PARTICIPATED THE FIRST MARDI GRAS. MANY OTHERS ATTEND SUPPORT OF OUR FIGHT AGAST OPPRSN AND DISCRIMATN.THE NIGHT PARA

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.

40 YEARS AFTER BLOODY PROTT, GAY RIGHTS PNEERS GET THE APOLOGY THEY SERVE

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.

Public fear about AIDS was so great that anisers of the 1985 Mardi Gras were unr tense prsure to prsure, bed wh the shock of seeg iends, lovers and partners sicken and die, fostered a termatn and rilience wh the gay and lbian muny. Not1 Robert Swie, Judh O’Callaghan and Glynis Jon, Absolutely Mardi Gras: Costume and Dign of the Sydney Gay and Lbian Mardi Gras, Powerhoe Publishg, Sydney, 1996, p. Pair of buckled slg back platform sho wh peek-a-boo toThe sho form part of Ron Munster's prize-wng 'Lucille Balls' stume worn at the 1994 Sydney Gay and Lbian Mardi Gras.

WE FOUND EVERY SYDNEY GAY AND LBIAN MARDI GRAS POSTER SCE 1978

ReferencHistory of the event, Sydney Gay and Lbian Mardi GrasRobert Swie, Judh O’Callaghan and Glynis Jon, Absolutely Mardi Gras: Costume and Dign of the Sydney Gay and Lbian Mardi Gras, Powerhoe Publishg, Sydney, Willett, Livg out Loud: A History of Gay and Lbian Activism Atralia, Allen & Unw, 2000Richard Wherrett (ed. They asked for solidary activi on the Stonewall anniversary to ci wh their march agast the anti-gay Briggs Iniative on the California ballot. Ken and others lled a meetg of lbian and gay groups and dividuals, which beme the Gay Solidary Group.

Chants of “Out of the bars and to the streets” joed the sound of gay liberatn anthems ‘Glad to be Gay’ and ‘O to a Gym Teacher’.