The Secret History of Atralia's Gay Diggers | SBS Voic

Contents:

• THE SECRET HISTORY OF ATRALIA'S GAY DIGGERS
• JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS ASSISTANT COACH KEV MAXEN MAK HISTORY AFTER COMG OUT AS GAY
• ATRALIAN GAY HISTORY: PL DEXTER & THE GAY ARMY
• RACG TO PRERVE THE HISTORY OF MAE’S 1ST GAY RIGHTS ANIZATN
• 160 GAY HISTORY TRIVIA QUTNS, ANSWERS, AND FUN FACTS

THE SECRET HISTORY OF ATRALIA'S GAY DIGGERS

It is certa that Phillip, generally regard as a product of the European Enlightment, uld not have forseen that such a society would prise regnised muni of gay men and lbians. After all, the ncepts of homosexualy and ‘the homosexual’ were not to be nceived for another 81 years and gay liberatn lay a further 100 years beyond that.

In the words of historian Garry Wotherspoon, homosexual men were ‘nghty, sick and sful’, and wh regard to the latter, generally rema so.

In 1958, the Police Commissner Col Delaney, a vout Catholic wh secury service nnectns and a homophobic obssn, claimed that ‘homosexualy was Atralia’s greatt menace’.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS ASSISTANT COACH KEV MAXEN MAK HISTORY AFTER COMG OUT AS GAY

The police force took s cue om the Commissner and the post-war perd saw a crack down on homosexuals, wh police even actg as agents provotr at regnised beats. Then, 1969, Ivy’s Birdge opened Taylor Square and that marks the begng of Oxford Street as Sydney’s gay ‘Goln Mile’, as other venu opened durg the 1970s.

ATRALIAN GAY HISTORY: PL DEXTER & THE GAY ARMY

By 1973, the medil profsn began to shift s attu, assisted by the claratn of the Royal Atralian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists that homosexualy was no longer a mental illns, the first such body the world to do so. The Homosexual Law Reform Society of the Atralian Capal Terrory was set up Canberra for some months 1969; however, while homosexual people were members, the spokpeople were heterosexual. It was, therefore, somethg of a shock to most Atralians to read The Atralian newspaper of 10 September 1970 of the formatn of an anisatn, Campaign Agast Moral Persecutn Inrporated (CAMP Inc), dited to removg the stigma that society attached to homosexualy.

The name was liberately chosen to give an Atralian flavour to the anisatn, as ‘mp’ was a word of self-scriptn wh the homosexual muny while ‘gay’ was not.

John had e out of amic psychiatry where, as a stunt, he had difficulti rencilg the tablished medil view of homosexualy as an illns wh the realy of his own life. ) They both looked to the formatn of a small group that would be knowledgeable about current thkg on homosexualy and be able to rpond publicly, puttg forward an rmed gay viewpot.

RACG TO PRERVE THE HISTORY OF MAE’S 1ST GAY RIGHTS ANIZATN

On 6 Febary 1971, the first public gatherg of homosexual men and women took place a small church hall Balma, then the heart of Sydney’s unter-culture.

The early years of gay liberatn Atralia were enthiastic, energetic and spectacular, at least for the participants and, one spects, a bewilrg spectacle for the populatn and the media.

Yet, wh the formatn of CAMP Inc 1970, gay liberatn s broast sense had been permanently placed on the social agenda, not to be removed.

160 GAY HISTORY TRIVIA QUTNS, ANSWERS, AND FUN FACTS

The mment which the activi of those years engenred many of the participants ensured their volvement, often their own small way, the life of the gay and lbian muni even to today.

They were om the Gay Ex-Servic Associatn, and they rried a wreath dited to ‘all brothers and sisters who died durg the wars’—but they would never get to lay at the shre.

“I don’t know where all the gays and poofters have e om, ” he was later famoly quoted as sayg, “I don’t remember a sgle one om World War Two.