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The violence, unrest and resistance of the Sydney Mardi Gras of 1978 has clear parallels to Stonewall. Back to the march We started off from Taylor Square in a festive mood. 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 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. 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 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. On a cold Saturday night in Sydney on June 24, 1978, a number of gay men, lesbians and transgender people marched into the pages of Australian social history. I was one of them. By contrasting the violence of the first march with pictures of celebration at a more recent Mardi Gras, Gillespie illustrates how protest can take many forms. We are left to question if peaceful protest is effective and even possible, given the history of the march and the severe manner in which the 1978 marchers were dealt with by authorities. First Mardi Gras Inc, PO Box 1029, Glebe, NSW 2037, Australia info@78ers.org.au info@78ers.org.au On the eve of the 40th anniversary of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, it’s worth revisiting the events of that night and reflecting on the remarkable lesson that, for oppressed minorities Though the fight for equality would take decades - and is still very much continuing today - the second Mardi Gras held in Sydney in 1979, this time officially a parade, was attended by 3000 The violence, unrest and resistance of the Sydney Mardi Gras of 1978 has clear parallels to Stonewall. Back to the march. We started off from Taylor Square in a festive mood. Chants rippled along the marchers, strangers joined hands and we sought to bring people out of the bars and into the streets to join us. 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. The 1978 Mardi Gras parade. The Pride History Group, Author provided. This brief narrative of the first Mardi Gras is told because the events of that night, their causes and repercussions can now be placed in clearer historical perspective and they help us to understand why keeping politics at the centre of the annual Mardi Gras is so important. 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. Sydney's Mardi Gras originally grew out of a 1978 gay rights protest that ended with dozens of arrests David GRAY Sydney's annual Mardi Gras parade is a highlight of the city's social calendar 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 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. Considers whether the original Mardi Gras marchers should get a formal apology. A motion calling for an apology was adopted unanimously in the Sydney City Council in 2015 and is soon to be considered in the New South Wales Parliament. The article sets the 1978 march against the socially oppressive conditions of the time. 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. 24 June 1978: Most recent: 1 March 2025: Participants: 16,500 (Parade 2019) [1] The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras or Sydney Mardi Gras is an event in Sydney,
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