Coming out in The
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Large print captions Introduction & timeline 1900 3200 2760 A TIMELINE By the end of the 1960s … there 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 1969/70 900 was a real 13 april May 21–27 May February 28 June 1969 ‘Phone a Friend’, the first gay and Homosexual Solidarity Week Images of Gays first major gay film festival TV soapie Prisoner goes sense of Riots in New York after police lesbian telephone service , is set up by March & May organised by CAMP NSW held at Paris Theatre in Sydney to air on Channel 10 with raid the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar 9 January January CAMP Inc and still runs today as Twenty10 First federal government 8 June–9 July lesbian character Frankie March 1969/70 in Greenwich Village First open public meeting Australia’s first commercial gay magazine grant to a homosexual 27–29 august Sydneyphiles first exhibition by 24 June fundamental of homosexuals in Australia, published, William & John University student Penny Short rights group (CAMP Inc) funds gay photographer William Yang First gay rights groups held by CAMP Inc in Balmain — March loses her scholarship after seminars on female homosexuality 2nd National Homosexual Conference opens at the Australian Centre for First Mardi Gras parade takes place in Sydney 30 june form in Australia: the September 1970 within months CAMP groups Sydney branch of the Radicalesbians formed publishing a lesbian poem in the for International Women’s Year held at the University of Sydney Photography in Paddington ending in violent police attacks and arrests Gay Solidarity Rally Homosexual Law Reform First gay activists form in other stateAREA capitals 19 JanuaryFOR: student newspaper Arena and marks the 10th anniversary change,3200 of Society in Canberra, ‘come out’ in the and on university campuses Sydney Gay Liberation (SGL) splits from the BLF again offers support of New York’s Stonewall riots Daughters of Bilitis / Australian mass media CAMP Inc to form a more radical group 19 June 16–17 august September 2 December 15 July Australasian Lesbian World’s first trade union action in First National Homosexual CAMP submission delivered to the Report of the Royal Largest gay rights rally to date, protesting Movement in Melbourne, September support of gay rights : Builders Labourers 5 May Conference held in Melbourne Royal Commission on Human Relationships. Commission on Human against the Mardi Gras arrests and publication in 30 June liberation, and Campaign Against November 1970 Dennis Altman’s Homosexual:TIMELINE 11 MarcH Federation imposes a ‘Pink Ban’ following the May Day March includes After promoting the submission on TV, the Sydney Morning Herald of names, occupations 2nd Mardi Gras: its success and begins a series of 11 annual Relationships recommends Making his/herstory Moral Persecution First issue of CAMP Ink Oppression and Liberation International Women’s Day March expulsion of gay student Jeremy Fisher from demonstrators for gay and conferences on gay and lesbian CAMP secretary Michael Clohesy is sacked decriminalisation and and addresses of those arrested, causing some helps establish the Mardi Gras even (CAMP Inc) in Sydney published published in New York — CAMP and SGL form a joint contingent a university residential college lesbian rights issues, rights and liberation from his teaching job anti-discrimination legislation to lose their jobs as an annual event 3000mm x 2400mm SOmetimes you know thaT The freedom to love who we choose is a right enjoyed by many of us today. you are not only paRt of hisTorY revolution But before the 1970s same-sex relationships were taboo in most Western A gay Carl Wittman’s A Gay Manifesto is one of but making it manifesto the most influential early statements about gay liberation. Written in San Francisco in by Carl Wittman, 1970 1969 and published by the Gay Liberation Front — activist Robyn Kennedy, 2020 societies. In Australia, lesbianism was largely unrecognised and sex between in New York City in January 1970, it discusses society’s oppression of same-sex oriented people in the air and challenges all lesbians and gay men to ‘come out’. Wittman’s manifesto was reprinted in the third issue of CAMP Ink, and later again men was illegal. Same-sex attraction forced many people to live secretive as this leaflet. Produced at Women’s Liberation headquarters in Glebe, it was authorised by feminist Kate Jennings and handed out at Sydney University student — activist Liz Ross, 2009 and fearful lives. broadside collection the University of Sydney on 10 June 1971. This exhibition presents the archives of gay men and women from the 1970s and includes first-hand accounts of a pivotal era in gay rights history. The people who brought these archives to the Library had the CAMP Ink Fifty years ago, in July 1970, Australia’s first political organisation for same-sex oriented The 1960s ushered in an era of change. Civil rights movements around the world men and women was set up in Sydney. foresight to preserve their own history. As members of a marginalised The group called itself the Campaign Against Moral Persecution Inc, generating the playful acronym CAMP, a word commonly associated group, they knew they risked having their stories excluded or told created opportunities to reform society. The 1969 Stonewall riots in New York triggered with homosexuality. A few months later, CAMP’s founders put for them. together the first issue of CAMP Ink, Australia’s first gay rights magazine. They printed 500 the rise of gay rights movements internationally and Australians soon took up the fight. copies, priced at 20 cents each, and within a year the print run rose to 5000. Initially intended as 1045 BACKGROUND IMAGE ABOVE: a news magazine, it soon became a key source But many other records have been lost. Some were destroyed by of information for and about gay people, as well Lesbian film makers, July 1978, Sydney quickly became a hub of activism. ‘Coming out’ — openly admitting same-sex as building momentum for the group’s political photo by Geoff Friend. activities, and connecting gay people around family, friends or colleagues who believed they were protecting Gay Counselling Service of New South Wales records the country. orientation at the risk of rejection, discrimination, abuse or even death — became a brave reputations. Others likely remain in personal and family collections. Preserving this history provides a crucial window into past attitudes political strategy, challenging the sexually conservative attitudes of Australian society. and the individuals who drove profound social change. Preserving The oveRall aim of material from today is equally important. The Library is committed to building its collections to reflect the full spectrum of LGBTQI+ This exhibition marks the 50th anniversary of the emergence of the gay and lesbian CaMP INC iS to brinG Eve Langley’s Australian–New Zealand novelist and poet manuscript Eve Langley crossed gender boundaries life in NSW, today and into the future. 7 august 27-28 November cupboard throughout her life. Refusing to accept rights movement in Australia. Although the struggle for equality is not over, sexual diversity abouT a siTuaTioN wherE society’s narrow definition of gender, in 1954 she changed her name by deed poll Gay liberationists ‘zap’ a psychiatric conference Tribunal on Homosexuals and to Oscar Wilde, adopting the identity of the world’s most famous gay man. Langley’s is widely acknowledged in Australia today and celebrated through annual pride festivals hOmoSexualS can enJoy at Prince Henry Hospital to protest against Discrimination organised by CAMP NSW unconventional life choices were also reflected in her writing. Her archive of If you have material relating to LGBTQI+ history and life, or would like to 6 October 13 March aversion therapy 21 august 17 septeMber hears evidence of 44 victims and recommends 23–24 July november unpublished literary works — seen here in her 680 1970s photograph ‘The Manuscript Cupboard’ talk to the Library about what we collect, please contact sl.nsw.gov.au/ like the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. Many of the rights we take for granted are good jobs and seCurity Eve and June Langley First gay rights TV soapie Number 96 goes to air — a world- Royal Commission on South Australia becomes major social and legal change Exhibition of lesbian and gay artists Gay and Lesbian Radio collection — was donated to the library in 1981. collectingdrives. the direct result of the personal sacrifices and hard-fought activism of the 70s. iN those Jobs, equaL demonstration in Australia first with gay characters as part of the regular cast 7–15 SepteMber Human Relationships the first Australian state held at Watters Gallery in East Sydney Collective launches weekly outside the Liberal Party established to examine families, to decriminalise 8 December Gay Waves program treaTmeNt under The headquarters in Sydney, Gay Pride Week , a national celebration gender and sexuality homosexuality on 2SER-FM protesting against an anti-gay 11 July of the gay liberation movement in Australia Secret Love first exhibition by gay artist 23 August law, anD the right conservative candidate in a David McDiarmid becomes the first person to — 17 arrested David McDiarmid opens at Hogarth Galleries NSW Anti-Discrimination Board calls for in Paddington 308 tO servE our CouNtrY federal pre-selection be arrested at a gay rights demonstration in the decriminalisation of homosexual behaviour For a more detailed Australia 13 October timeline visit pridehistory.org.au/ without fear of The Australian & New Zealand College