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gayinthe80s.bsky.social
Gay in the 80s is a blog and a book about gay life in the UK, Australia and the USA in the 1980s. It offers a unique perspective on a pivotal era in queer history. www.gayinthe80s.com
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1984.Anglican Church bans Sydney Gay Mardi parade from assembling on its city centre land. Mardi Gras having none of it. Take Church to Equal Opps Tribunal. Church backs down and rescinds ban before Tribunal even passes judgement! Mardi Gras theme that year "We'll dance if we want to"! #fightback

submitted 1 day ago • 0 comments

Feb 25 1982. Governor Lee Dreyfus signed into law a bill that made it illegal for state or private businesses to discriminate based on sexual orientation in employment and housing. Wisconsin become first US state to enforce such a law. [Source: @lgbthistory.bsky.social ]

submitted 5 days ago • 0 comments

Demonstrators outside St.Patrick's Cathedral during 1984 Gay Pride march. Police surround Cathedral to prevent possible confrontations. Groups of marchers chant slogans protesting Archbishop John O'Connor's refusal to sign gay anti-discrimination pledge required for city social services contracts.

submitted 14 days ago • 0 comments

1984. UK's Rugby Council says it won't include sexual orientation in it's Equal Opps policy. Tory councillor calls gay people vile. 'Sun' paper calls EEO for gays 'sick'. But after campaign by unions, gay groups and local Labour Party, Council has to call emergency meeting to reverse it's position!

submitted 17 days ago • 0 comments

June 24 1978, #Sydney Australia. A group of queer people set off on a 'mardi gras', along police approved route. But mid parade police decided the march should go in a different direction! Police antagonism grew. Mass arrests, brutality followed. So began Sydney's #GayMardiGras. Documented here.

submitted 21 days ago • 0 comments

December 1987 MP applauds firebombing of gay newspaper. During a Parliamentary debate on Section 28, Tory MP Elaine Kellett-Bowman learns the offices of London's Capital Bay newspaper had been firebombed. She cheers and declares, "... there should be an intolerance of evil." #section28 #homophobia

submitted 79 days ago • 0 comments

Today, 10th December is the 40th anniversary of the legendary Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners 'Pits and Perverts'London ball to raise money for striking miners. It raised the equivalent of £25k in today's money. The miners never forgot our support. #bronskibeat #pride #fightback #solidarity

submitted 83 days ago • 0 comments

December 8th, 1987. Section 28 begins. On this day, an amendment was added to the UK's Local Government Bill. Initially Clause 14 it would become #Clause28, prohibiting local council funding for education on homosexuality. #homophobia #gayrights #pride #loveislove #fightback [Pic: Capital Gay]

submitted 85 days ago • 0 comments

December 1980. New York Native launched as fortnightly LGBTQ paper. A valuable resource for AIDS crisis at first but paranoia and bitterness set in. Mid 80s ACTUP boycotting it. Circulation dropped steadily. Paper closed 1997. #larrykramer #gaycommunity #loveislove #newyork #hivaids #fightback

submitted 88 days ago • 0 comments

Anyone use Shirley's Removals/Lesbus in UK in early 80s? UK film company making short doc about them for BBC and would like to reunite early customers with Shirley. Details from [email protected]

submitted 91 days ago • 0 comments

1st December 2024. World AIDS Day. Remembering those around the globe who have died from AIDS. Parents, offspring, siblings, uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces, cousins, partners, lovers, friends, neighbours, or workmates. We remember them all. [Photo: NIH] #worldaidsday #hivaids

submitted 92 days ago • 1 comment

Howard Cruse's 'Famous Guilt Syndromes' from the Gay Comix series of the 1980s. This one is 'Committing a Crime Against Nature". #1980s #gacommunity #loveislove #pride #lesbian #gay #bisexual #transgender #lgbtqhistory #queerhistory #fightback #gaycomix #howardcruse #bi #trans #solidarity #gayusa

submitted 96 days ago • 1 comment

1989. Australia's own Section 28. A year after the UK implemented Section 28, the Western Australian government introduced similar legislation. As it decriminalized sodomy it made teaching about homosexuality in primary and secondary schools an offence.httpsu: //shorturl.at/ASYgu #homophobia

submitted 97 days ago • 0 comments

1984. The International Year of Lesbian and Gay Action. Well, apparently it seemed like a good idea at the time! Sadly the global community didn't seem to know about it so the only event was a few hundred people marching on the United Nations building in New York. #lgbtqhistory #loveislove #pride

submitted 102 days ago • 0 comments

October 31st 1989.ACTUP demonstrators protest massive tax breaks given to Donald Trump for his New York property development while people living with AIDS are homeless. Dressed as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, their sign reads 'Surrender Donald'. Sadly, he didn't. #Trump #ACTUP #NewYork #HIVAIDS

submitted 103 days ago • 0 comments

"AIDS Virus Kills Man in Britain" On this day in 1984, the UK's Daily Mail ran this banner headline. It implied this was the first man to die of AIDS. Only at the end of the last column on the second page it revealed that 32 gay men had already died. Clearly they weren't important. #queerhistory

submitted 104 days ago • 0 comments