Gay austrailia
First gay Mardi Gras
Making history
Australian Lesbian and Gay Archives president Graham Willett describes the 1978 Mardi Gras as the ‘most dramatic moment of the backlash’ against the campaign for gay rights. The procession started at 10pm and progressed down Oxford Avenue towards the city. The trouble began when they reached Hyde Park.
In an attempt to get the crowd to disperse, the police confiscated the head truck and loud speaker. The crowd, seeing that access to Hyde Park was blocked, headed towards Kings Cross. The police moved in and arrested 53 people.
According to Willett, ‘Many of those arrested were badly beaten inside police cells and the Sydney Morning Herald sank to new editorial lows by publishing the end list of names and occupations of those arrested’.
Supporters began a ‘drop the charges’ campaign, which initially generated more arrests. However, due to public uproar about the arrests as well as favourable media coverage, the first charges were dropped in October 1978, and all charges were dropped by the end of 1979. Additionally, laws around obtaining permits for street marches and parades were liberalised.
As such
Unbelonging: Anti-Asian racism in Australia’s gay community
Belonging, at its root, is a fantasy of a socio-cultural space where differences do not impede on feeling linked with others. Some link belonging to our innate human desire for passionate comfort grounded in feelings of recognition, connectedness and/or acceptance. It is often a social emotion: the feeling of affinity with a group, of organism part of something larger than ourselves and being welcomed by others. Many of us first experience this feeling in the family home and try to recreate it in ever widening circles from educational facility to workplaces to neighbourhoods and communities.
If you are blessed, you mostly advance through life feeling like you fit. While we all, at some points in time, touch like a ‘fish out of water’, especially in novel cultural spaces, this experience of gentle non-belonging is a temporary feeling and generally exceptional in one’s everyday life.
By contrast, if you are unlucky, other people accidentally or purposefully, sometimes even maliciously, ensure you do not notice ‘at home’. From overtly violent and bullying behaviour to more subtle workplace discrimination, ill-treatment in everyday life, a
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Got itG'day and welcome to Australia, mate! A vast landscape with pristine beaches, iconic skylines and natural wonders are yours to examine on this 10-day adventure down under. Encounter unique wildlife like kangaroos and koalas, while immersing yourself in both urban and rural culture, all with a laid-back, friendly atmosphere that Aussies are well known for.
Our adventure begins in Southeast Queensland with a real Aussie pub meal, some wildlife encounters, and endless white-sand beaches to check out. After a couple of days settling in, we'll top to Melbourne for 3 days to get a taste of this cultural and cuisine-fueled metropolis and its surrounds, then the red centre where we'll be introduced to the outback and the iconic 'Uluru' through the heart and soul of it's indigenous culture. Last stop (but certainly not the least!) we'll be heading to Sydney to finish on a high with some harbour-cruising, bridge-climbing, beach-going
Collecting, preserving and celebrating Australia’s histories since 1978.
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LGBTQ+ Travel Guide to Australia
Interesting Cities to Visit in Australia
SYDNEY
Modern and sophisticated, Sydney is one of the best cities for tourists to visit. With gorgeous beaches and the Azure Mountains on the doorstep, there’s plenty to investigate and discover. Highlights here include the Sydney Opera House, the Harbour Bridge, Bondi Beach and of course the city’s culinary scene.
MELBOURNE
With vintage shops and graffiti-covered backstreets, not to mention a superb coffee culture, Melbourne has earned its rep as Australia’s hipster capital. Highlights not to miss in Melbourne include the National Gallery of Victoria, the country’s oldest art gallery; The Queen Victoria Market for the foodie inside of everyone; and of course the street art, for which the city is famous.
GOLD COAST
Fun seekers stare no further as Gold Coast is famous for surfing, rollercoasters and nightclubs. Be sure to also make time for The Jellurgal Aboriginal Cultural Centre as well as Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, which is home to native species including koalas, kangaroos and crocodiles.
BRISBANE
One of the oldest cities in Australia, dwelling to indigenous peop