Before Mardi Gras

Lesbian and gay activism in Australia, 1969-1978: Lesbian and Gay activism in Australia, 1969 - 1978

By: Graham Willett

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Paperback | 24 December 2024

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244 Pages

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21.01 x 14.81 x 1.3

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The Homosexual Law Reform Society (Canberra, 1969), the Daughters of Bilitis (Melbourne 1970), the Campaign Against Moral Persecution (Sydney 1970) - names that are largely unknown these days. But the movement that they founded spent its first decade in the streets, in the corridors of power, in the schools and the union and churches. Activists published newspapers and flyers and ran radio programs. They graffitied and pasted up posters. They lobbed eggs and lobbied. They danced and kissed in public; produced and wore badges.

The Seventies were a decade of struggle for recognition, reform and respect. It was a decade that changed Australian society. When the NSW police attacked the first Mardi Gras in 1978, they were taking on forces that they barely knew existed.

This book examines the often-overlooked first decade of lesbian and gay rights activism in Australia, when the foundations for our communities were laid.

Industry Reviews

Graham Willett is one of the pioneers of queer history in Australia, and I welcome the reissue of his pioneering book, all the more relevant as we can now look back on half a century of extraordinary change. Before Mardi Gras is an important case study of how a movement emerges and is able to change the parameters of social and political life.

Dennis Altman, Author of Homosexual: Oppression and Liberation and Unrequited Love: Diary of an Accidental Activist

This groundbreaking book was the first to chronicle the challenges, victories and profound impact of Australia's gay and lesbian movement. With compelling prose, Graham Willett shows how an extraordinary social transformation was achieved and those at the heart of change. This timely reissue, focused on foundational decades, keeps hope alive and is essential reading for all those who wish to understand social change and how minorities can win.

Dr Shirleene Robinson AM

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