Mardi Gras is one of Atralia’s most famo and well-loved events, brgg tens of thoands of visors to Sydney to jo the celebratns. It all began on a chilly wter's night 1978, when the police scend on a street ftival bravely celebratg gay rights when homosexualy w...
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FIRST GAY MARDI GRAS
1978: First gay Mardi Gras march, Sydney * when did the gay mardi gras start in sydney *
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’.
The Gay Solidary Group, other groups and dividuals and me together for a massive polil and legal effort – the Drop the Charg mpaign. • 15 July – 2, 000 take part largt ever gay rights march wh 14 arrts. • 27 Augt – 300 march down Oxford St om the 4th Natnal Homosexual Conference wh 104 arrts.
SYDNEY GAY AND LBIAN MARDI GRAS
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. * when did the gay mardi gras start in sydney *
This was the thori’ attempt to keep the muny le, but Sydney’s gays and lbians would not get back le. 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.
News, featur and more om the annual Sydney Gay and Lbian Mardi Gras * when did the gay mardi gras start in sydney *
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. 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.
* when did the gay mardi gras start in sydney *
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. (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. 2012 Sydney Gay and Lbian Mardi Gras. 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.