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The first Mardi Gras held on June 24, 1978 was planned as an addition to the morning demonstration to mark the anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York in 1969. At the time, the lesbian and gay community in San Francisco were fighting the Briggs Initiative, which was a push to remove anyone who supported lesbian and gay rights from the Poster for the first Mardi Gras in Sydney, 1978, designed by Chris Jones.(Supplied: Ken Davis)The event would mark the ninth anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in New York, an uprising that led to The first Sydney Mardi Gras was an evening street protest in support of gay and lesbian rights along Oxford Street in Sydney on 24 June 1978. [1] [2] [3] The protestors were assaulted and thrown in gaol, with many affected by the trauma for years afterwards. Five thousand people took part in the second Gay Mardi Gras on a bitterly cold Saturday night of 30th June 1979 – and there were no arrests. Without the police attack on the first Mardi Gras, there may not have been a second one. The second Mardi Gras in 1979 was accompanied by a fair, film festival and street march. 1978: First gay Mardi Gras march, Sydney. 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 police attack on the first g ay M ardi Gras in Kings Cross late at night on Saturday 24 June 1978 was a pivotal moment in Australian social and political history. Though there had been gay and lesbian groups and protests after 1970, for the first time gay and lesbian rights became a significant public issue, creating a momentum for reforms. Ms Minnis helped organise the first Mardi Gras as a member of the Gay Solidarity Group. The parade, along with other activities planned on June 24, 1978, formed part of a call for international solidarity activities in response to the Briggs initiative in California, which was going to ban LGBTQIA+ people from working in schools. On 24 June 1978, she had been part of the first Mardi Gras - a night time street protest-come party supporting gay and lesbian rights along Sydney’s iconic Oxford Street. On that night, instead of cheers, balloons and sequins, the marchers were met by a violent police crackdown as protestors were grabbed, beaten and thrown in gaol, leaving The new footage of the first Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade in 1978 shows crowds of revellers clad in capes and flags, contrasted with violent arrests by police. Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday, which takes place March 4, marks the party’s climax and the end of Carnival Season on the Gulf Coast. The conclusion falls the day before Ash Wednesday and is seen as a final day of feasting and revelry before the solemnity of Lent. • The first Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade on June 24th, 1978 • Protest at Darlinghurst and Central Police Stations, 25th June 1978 • Protest at Central Court Sydney, 26th June 1978 • March from Martin Place to Darlinghurst Police Station, 15th July 1978 • March to Taylor Square and Hyde Park, 27th August 1978. Are you a 78er? This year will mark 47 years since the first Mardi Gras, which began as a protest in the streets of Sydney in 1978. Now, nearly 50 years later, rare footage of the event has surfaced. As such that first Mardi Gras march was a major civil rights milestone beyond the gay community. Up to 3,000 people marched in an incident-free parade in 1979. In 1980 a key new element was introduced – the post-parade party. The face of the modern Mardi Gras we know today was taking shape. The 1978 Mardi Gras parade. The Pride History Group, Author provided. As a high school teacher working for the NSW Department of Education, “coming out” posed a major risk for me – it could What happened at the first gay Australian Mardi Gras? In June 1978 the 9th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, the newly-formed Gay Solidarity Group organised a daytime march and an evening parade in Sydney. This was the first Australian gay and lesbian Mardi Gras parade. The parade moved down Oxford Street, but at Hyde Park police blocked Click here to listen to an interview on the Pride in Protest podcast where Mardi Gras board member Charlie chats to Ken Davis, a life-long left-wing activist who helped organise the first Mardi Gras in 1978. They discuss the history of the gay liberation movement in Australia right up to modern day LGBT politics. Key Messages In the 2021 Mardi Gras Parade, the 78ers contingent (those in the first Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and related protests in 1978) will celebrate Fifty Years of LGBTIQ+ Visibility by highlighting key events from 1969, 1970 and 1971. Download this article as a PDF by clic Thousands of scantily clad revellers danced through Sydney on Saturday for the 47th annual Mardi Gras parade, transforming the Australian city into a vibrant sea of colour and costumes. First Mardi Gras Inc. is a not for profit community organisation for 78ers. 78ers are the participants in the first Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras held on 24 June 1978 and subsequent events. First Mardi Gras was formed in April 2017 to initially support participation by and engagement with a broad range of 78ers in the lead up to the 40th First Mardi Gras Inc. would like to invite you to the formal launch of Voices from 1978 - the first Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras at 6pm on Tuesday 27 June at the State Library of NSW. To mark the 45th anniversary of 1978, we have published a collection of reminiscences and iconic images that bring those turbulent events to life.
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Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.
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