City honours 40 years of gay activism

City honours 40 years of gay activism

The Into the Streets! Homosexual Histories conference has received an important boost with City of Sydney voting to recognise the 40th anniversary of gay and lesbian activism in Australia.

On Monday, September 13, councillors voted on a resolution proposed by Lord Mayor Clover Moore.

The resolution read, “It is resolved that Council note the importance of the formation of the Campaign Against Moral Persecution in September 1970 as the symbolic birth of the Australian gay and lesbian movement; celebrate the significance of this event to Sydney’s and Australia’s gay and lesbian communities and its vital contribution to Australia becoming a tolerant and accepting society; and commend the commitment and courage of the early gay and lesbian activists who carried out the lesbian and gay movement’s important work in its early years, often in a hostile environment.”

The motion was carried unanimously.

Sydney’s Pride History Group is holding the conference on September 24 and 25 in conjunction with the Cosmopolitan Civil Societies unit at University of Technology Sydney and the Victorian-based Australian Lesbian and Gay Archives with the support of a City of Sydney Cultural Grant. Moore is holding a reception to welcome conference attendees.

Pride History Group president and conference co-convenor Diane Minnis said the council’s vote and the Lord Mayor’s reception were good publicity for the conference.

“I think it is great publicity,” Minnis said. “We’re thrilled with the vote and we’re so happy that they’ve offered us a reception that fits in with our conference.”

City of Sydney has also commissioned artist Annie Kennedy to create the CAMP Stonewall installation, currently on display on the exterior of the Taylor Square men’s convenience, to mark the anniversary.

info: Visit www.pridehistorygroup.org.au or email [email protected]

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